Rob Riggle - "Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life" | The Daily Show

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Comedy, Step Brothers, The Daily Show, The Hangover
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Flight School, Chicago, Improv, Kosovo
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Drill Instructor, 31st and 7th, Comedy, Improv
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Afghan and Iraq veterans, Chicago, Civilian Life, First Responders
5. 12:00 – 14:04: Civilian Life, Brit, Spit, and Never Quit

Notable quotes from "Rob Riggle - "Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life" | The Daily Show"

• The Daily Show, but Marine Corps veteran and everything. I'm I'm curious what is it like to do comedy and be in the military because in just my experience really just speaking for myself most comedians are cowards.

  about Comedy · at 1:19

• Yeah., Yeah,, it, was., Well,, I, was, I, was, in flight school. and I'll try to give you the reader digest version of this story because it's long, but matter of fact, it's right here in this book everybody.

  about Flight School · at 3:06

• My contract with the Marines and then moved to Chicago. And I ended up getting to New York, taking classes, working seven years, grinding, at every place around town, any place…

  about New York, New York · at 4:27

• What most people don't real. You're never going to have any push. You have to be your own drill instructor. you have to be. So, I've had many conversations with myself and, I…

  about Drill Instructor · at 6:16

• And I stood there and I argued with myself and I was Go down to the UCB. It's open mic. You do sign up for five minutes and just work out a character. I don't have anything to do.

  about Open Mic · at 7:19

• Yeah., Yeah,, that, makes, sense., And, then do you I guess your transition fully to sort of civilian life from being in the military and everything you said was an easier…

  about Civilian Life · at 10:50

• I don't know how you want to classify it, but it's not it's not uncommon really among first responders or veterans or any anybody really. It's it's hard to put your hand in the…

  about First Responders · at 11:38

• Brit,, Spit,, and, Never, Quit, is, available now. Rod Ribble.

  about Brit, Spit, and Never Quit · at 13:47

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Lauren Michaels — Person · 1 mention · first at 5:05
  Almost 10 years to the day that I wrote that, I got a call from Lauren Michaels asking me to join SNL. So that happens, man.
• Michael Caine — Person · 1 mention
• Rob Riggle — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

• Step Brothers — Book · 1 mention · first at 0:41
  Watching you for so long. I actually without knowing it, I went on like a Rob Wrigle marathon. I had watched Step Brothers, The Hangover, and just lots of episodes of Martin…
• The Hangover — Book · 1 mention · first at 0:43
  Without knowing it, I went on like a Rob Wrigle marathon. I had watched Step Brothers, The Hangover, and just lots of episodes of Martin Family. And it I felt wild cuz I was…
• Brit, Spit, and Never Quit — Book · 1 mention · first at 13:47
• Modern Family — Book · 1 mention
• The Matrix — Book · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

• The Daily Show — Company · 1 mention · first at 1:19
  Yeah., Oh,, so, you, have, this, book, and, you are not only a veteran of the Daily Show, but Marine Corps veteran and everything. I'm I'm curious what is it like to do comedy…
• Reader's Digest — Company · 1 mention · first at 3:30
  No, I was in the again Reader's Digest version. I was in the Marine Corps. I was flying planes down in Corpus Christie, Texas. I had a friend of mine who was up in Chicago doing improv and he said, Riggle, this.
• Veterans Organizations — Company · 1 mention · first at 11:18
  Having trouble with that like adjustment back to civilian life? Yeah, I do work with a lot of veterans organizations and one of the problems we're seeing with a lot of our Afghan and Iraq veterans, you know we have a suicide problem with a.
• Saturday Night Live — Company · 1 mention
• UCB — Company · 1 mention
• United States Marine Corps — Company · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

• Comedy — Concept · 5 mentions · first at 1:25
• Flight School — Concept · 4 mentions · first at 3:08
• Improv — Concept · 3 mentions · first at 3:36
  In Corpus Christie, Texas. I had a friend of mine who was up in Chicago doing improv and he said, Riggle, this is what we did in college, only it has a name. It's called improv…
• Drill Instructor — Concept · 3 mentions · first at 6:19
• Civilian Life — Concept · 3 mentions · first at 10:57
• PT (Physical Training) — Concept · 1 mention · first at 7:01
  Characters for my audition, but I was exhausted. I had been up I had done PT, physical training with the Marines that morning since 5:00 a.m. So, it was 9:00, 10 o'clock at night.
• Open Mic — Concept · 1 mention · first at 7:23
• Afghan and Iraq veterans — Concept · 1 mention · first at 11:23
  Organizations and one of the problems we're seeing with a lot of our Afghan and Iraq veterans, you know we have a suicide problem with a lot of our veterans. it's because they isolate themselves. They refuse to reach out. And it's a it's.
• First Responders — Concept · 1 mention · first at 11:43
• 911 — Concept · 1 mention
• Arts — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

• Chicago — Place · 3 mentions · first at 3:35
  Marine Corps. I was flying planes down in Corpus Christie, Texas. I had a friend of mine who was up in Chicago doing improv and he said, Riggle, this is what we did in college…
• New York, New York — Place · 3 mentions · first at 4:31
• 31st and 7th — Place · 2 mentions · first at 6:47
  Tone to get me off my butt to go do what I needed to do. And I remember I was on 31st and 7th. I had just taught an improv class and I knew there was I was going to be invited…
• Kosovo — Place · 1 mention · first at 4:44
  Could get, stage time, studying with the UCB, all these things. Ended up deploying, going to, Kosovo, ended up going to Afghanistan, working on 911 down in the rebel piles…
• Corpus Christi, Texas — Place · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Hey, thank, you., You, guys, have, made, some seriously awesome upgrades to this place.

0:07 Oh, yeah. Yeah., Yeah., What's, it, like, to, be, back? It's, awesome. Yeah. Uh, really,, this, place, looks, amazing., Uh compared to the dump it was

0:18 back, in, the, day., Uh, but, that, one, little kitchenette area is still the same.

0:22 Yeah, I, did, notice, that,, which, I, kind, of appreciate. It'll, never, change.

0:25 It'll, never, change., That, old, crusty coffee pot. So, that was nice. It was crusty when you were

0:32 No,, thank, you, so, much, for, joining, me. Thank you so much for coming. I've been watching you for so long. I actually without knowing it, I went on like a Rob Wrigle marathon. I had watched Step Brothers, The Hangover, and just lots of episodes of Martin Family. And it I I felt wild cuz I was like, man, is something going on in my life where the same person is in everything like Yeah, I think you could write a a thesis on that. I think someone did write a thesis on like Michael Kaine, you know at any given time you can catch a Michael Kane film.

1:08 Oh,, you're, blowing, my, mind. Yeah,, exactly., We're, about, to, get, Matrix level weird.

1:13 Yeah., Oh,, so, you, have, this, book, and, you are not only uh, you know, a veteran of the Daily Show, but Marine Corps veteran and everything. I'm I'm curious what is it like to do comedy and be in the military because in just my experience really just speaking for myself most comedians are cowards.

1:37 Yeah., Uh, you, know, people, do, ask, that question or a form of that question a lot which is you know the military and comedy how does that you know how does that jive it doesn't they're two totally separate lanes. Uh but um I do think that there is some crossover uh as far as like the intangibles go. You know the mindset, you know, working in comedy and and a life in the arts, you're going to, be, rejected., You're, going to, hear, the word no. You're going to be knocked down., You're, going to, be, told, you're, no good., You're, going to, run, into, obstacles non-stop. Um it's a hard life. There's no money. That's very similar to the Marine Corps.

2:12 Yeah. Yeah., So,, so,, um,, yeah,, there's, a, lot, of parallels in that regard, but I do think the Marines did give me certain things like the mind, the proper mindset, the right mindset that, uh, you just don't quit. Make that make that decision before you start and chances are good things will happen.

2:30 Yeah., No,, that, makes, sense, because, it feels like in the Marines, you would get the sort of literal version of everything comedy gives you as a metaphor. Like when I get knocked down someone didn't laugh. I didn't actually get, hit., You, know what, I, mean?, Like, like that that is that is is wild because in even in your your your story like your personal story in the book it's like at 24 you decided you were going to do comedy and so you made it work with the military but at the same time you wanted to be on SNL and and you had like set this goal to be on SNL and then you did it like at like the 10 year mark or something right?

3:06 Yeah., Yeah,, it, was., Well,, I, was, I, was, in flight school. Um, and I'll try to give you the reader digest version of this story because it's long, but uh matter of fact, it's right here in this book everybody.

3:15 Oh, just just shameless. Shameless. No,, but, shameless, plug. It's, convenient, to, have, it, right, here.

3:26 It, is, very, nice, to, have., It's, so, good. Uh, no, I I was in the uh again Reader's Digest version. I was in the Marine Corps. I was flying planes down in Corpus Christie, Texas. I had a friend of mine who was up in Chicago doing improv and he said, "Riggle, this is what we did in college, only it has a name. It's called improv and I think you're good at it. I think you're better than some of the people up here." Well that's exactly what I needed to hear at that moment because flight school was fine, but I wasn't loving it. It was just fine. Um, and once I pinned those wings on, I was in for 10 years. I was locked in. And then I figured, oh my god, I'll probably do 20 at that point.

3:57 Why would I get out? It's such a So, all of a sudden, I was like, that's happening, you know? Well, I sat down and had my quarter life crisis as they call it and I said, 'What do I really really want to do with my life? And I said, I think I want to be a comedian. Now, mind you, I had never done anything

4:13 comedically., I, know, no, one, in, the business. I'd never been on stage and never really done anything. But I just had this this burning desire to do it. So, I quit flight school, became uh went to the ground side on the Marines, um which allowed me to, you know, fulfill my contract uh with the Marines and then moved to Chicago. And I ended up getting to New York, taking classes, um, uh working seven years, grinding, uh, at every place around town, any place I could get, stage time, studying with the UCB, all these things. Ended up deploying, going to, uh, Kosovo, ended up going to Afghanistan, working on 911 down in the rebel piles, ended up doing a bunch of things. And sure enough, 10 years almost to the day that I wrote down in the book, the this book I was reading at the time, I wrote down in the book, if I quit flight school, I'm going to do what? Number one, get on SNL.

5:03 Almost 10 years to the day that I wrote that, I got a call from Lauren Michaels asking me to join SNL. So that happens, man.

5:12 Yeah,, that's, incredible., Yeah,, that's like like that's truly truly remarkable because plenty of people have like plans, ideas for what they want to want to do. They might even write them down and then 10 years later they're like that's where I left that piece of paper. You, know what, I, mean?, Like, you, Yeah,, you made it happen. And and you in the book you talk about how there's like this sort of like inner drill sergeant that gets you to do the things that you don't want to do. How do you how do you without getting yelled at manage to create that drill sergeant for yourself?

5:47 Well,, I, think, everybody, needs, a, drill sergeant uh in their life of some form a coach, you can call it whatever you want to call it. And if you're lucky enough to have someone in your life external to you to remind you, hey, get up, go work out, go uh go read that book, pick up the phone and call that person you're avoiding because you don't think it's the right time or that you know somebody if somebody's pushing you you, have a, chance, of, doing, it., For, the most of us, we just don't have anybody pushing us and you never will. That's what most people don't real. You're never going to have any push. You have to be your own drill instructor. you have to be. So, I've had many conversations with myself

6:24 and, I, learned, that, voice, came, out, and, it came out in the form of a drill instructor because if I was being honest with myself, I was being lazy. I was being I was afraid. These are the reasons that I didn't do the things that I I know I should be doing.

6:37 And, so,, it, took, a, drill, instructor, uh tone to get me off my butt to go do what I needed to do. And I I remember I was on 31st and 7th. I I had just taught an improv class and I knew there was uh I was going to be invited to audition for SNL and I needed to develop these characters for my audition, but I was exhausted. I had been up I I had done uh PT, physical training with the Marines that morning since 5:00 a.m. So, you know, it was 9:00, 10 o'clock at night. I was tired. I just wanted to go home and have a burrito and go to bed. And I had to stand on the corner of 31st and 7th screaming at myself out loud. So I'm not uncommon in New York, by the way.

7:19 And I stood there and I argued with myself and I was like, "Go down to the UCB. It's open mic. You do sign up for five minutes and just work out a character. I don't have anything to do. I don't even have a character. I don't care. Go make one up. I'm having an argument with myself, right? This is what you do. Improvise a character. Just come up with I don't even care what you do." So, I lost the argument with my drill instructor and I went down. I didn't go home. I went down to the UCB and I created two characters that night that I ended up using in my audition and then I ended up getting the thing. But I I could easily I can make excuses all day. I'm very good at it.

7:54 Um, I, could, have, easily, gone, home., I could have said it's I'll start tomorrow. I'm tired. Ah, let's call it a day.

7:59 But, sometimes, you, got, to, kick, your, own butt. No,, that, makes, a, lot, of, sense., That makes a lot of sense. And and to me it's also just such a phenomenal outlook because now when I'm on the subway I'll be like maybe that's just his inner drill instructor coming out like

8:20 Right., Right., You, might, you, might, look at folks a little different. I'll, move, with, less, fear., You, know, what I mean?

8:26 Exactly., Yeah., So,, do, you, do, you, find that these sort of lessons that you took away from um the the military and you know, you were doing comedy while you were still serving and everything, but like do you think that the the overlap is is like incredibly strong or do you think it was just strong because of your per approach to comedy and your personality

8:48 with, regard, to, me, being, in, the, Marines and and Yeah., Yeah., Because, because, the, way, that you marry these parallels together in the book is really interesting and they're ways I've never thought about it. I've been doing comedy for a while. Like, you know, we even have u a bit of a a similar track except mine included no military. Uh but I sort of, you know, started comedy in Chicago, moved to New York, all that stuff, and and did some improv classes and everything. and and yeah, I guess I there there's there's something about your approach in the book that seems so like personal even though you're applying it in this in this broad way.

9:25 Yeah,, I, think, there's, Well,, going, back to you know uh I think there's a lot of intangibles.

9:30 I, think, the, you, know, the, it's, a, mindset thing. I think if you choose a life in the arts, it's going to be an uphill battle and you're you're you're never going to feel quite satisfied and you're always going to be self-judging and you you really It requires a lot of um uh uh mental maybe or emotional fortitude because you're going to you're going to just run into walls and obstacles non-stop and you have to really believe in what you're doing. You have to love what you're doing to overcome those things because it be the the temptation to quit is way too easy. Way too easy.

10:07 Um, and yeah, and then you if you get that mindset and you you put a little if you if you put the right uh uh ingredients in, I think good things will come. Um, there is no secret to success. It's not a secret. It's it's what you would expect. It just kind of sucks. It's it's hard work. It's discipline. It's consistency. It's getting back up when you get knocked down. It's not taking no for an answer. It's just continue to grind. Continue to seek every opportunity you can. Continue to grow. Find ways to grow. Don't let people define you. You define yourself.

10:40 All the cliches that are out there, they didn't just fall from the sky. They they they appeared because of this has been tried and true year in and out year after year after year for millennia. So

10:50 yeah., Yeah,, that, makes, sense., And, then do you I guess your transition fully to sort of civilian life from being in the military and and everything you said was um an easier thing for you because you had lanes that you like kept things in like you had sort of mindsets for when you were in one thing and the other. Do you have advice for veterans who are having trouble with that like adjustment back to civilian life? Yeah, you know, I do work with a lot of veterans organizations and one of the the problems we're seeing with a lot of our Afghan and Iraq veterans, um, you know we have a suicide problem uh with with a lot of our veterans. Uh, it's because they isolate themselves. They they they uh refuse to reach out. And it's a it's I don't know how you want to classify it, but it's not it's not uncommon really among first responders or veterans or any anybody really. It's it's hard to put your hand in the air

11:48 and say, "I need help." Um, but that's the that's the one thing you you should do and you need to do because when you isolate, you start a path downhill and it becomes very very hard. So, uh, if uh, there are veterans out there that are, you know, transitioning back to civilian life or whatever and and looking for, you know, uh, don't isolate. There's all kinds of amazing uh, organizations out there to help you. Um, you've got a great set of skills that you learned in the military. Just bring them forward because they they will apply. Even if it's not a direct application, just trust that, you know, if you've got the fortitude that you learned in the military, it'll carry over into civilian life too.

12:30 I um I I ask everyone that I interview you know, when we start to wrap up the interview, if we could do it in a way that is a little bit special, just you and I, right? And I I noticed, you know from when I saw you backstage and when you came out that, you know, you're you're a big guy. You're you're like a strong guy and everything. I actually asked them to make sure your seat was a little lower so we'd be more level.

12:52 You, know what, I, mean? Um, and, so,, you, know,, you're, you're you're you're, too, big, to, arm, wrestle., I got to bring you down to my level, but I do text a lot. So, what about a thumb wrestle? Does that

13:05 Yeah., Okay. Okay., All, right. Okay. Oh,, your, hands, are, huge. Okay. All right., Now,, do, you, do, the, whole count off?

13:18 Uh,, we, can, do, the, count, off., Okay., All right. Ready? Uh, 1 2 3 4. I announce a thumb war.

13:26 Right., Is, that, how, you, And, then, I, go like Oh,, I, thought, it, was, going, to, be, the like, 5, 6, 7, 8, thing,, but, we, going to, use that.

13:33 Uh,, okay. Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? No no no. Brit,, Spit,, and, Never, Quit, is, available now. Rod Ribble.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Rob Riggle - "Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life" | The Daily Show"?

In order: 0:00 Comedy, Step Brothers, The Daily Show, The Hangover; 3:00 Flight School, Chicago, Improv, Kosovo; 6:00 Drill Instructor, 31st and 7th, Comedy, Improv; 9:00 Afghan and Iraq veterans, Chicago, Civilian Life, First Responders; 12:00 Civilian Life, Brit, Spit, and Never Quit.

What is mentioned in this The Daily Show episode?

30 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Comedy, Flight School, Chicago, Improv, New York, New York, Drill Instructor. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Rob Riggle - "Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life" | The Daily Show"?

The episode runs 14 min; the transcript is about 2,778 words in 39 timestamped sections.

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