Michael Smoak

I really wanted to be seen as a peer by people who I admired.

And I think that's one of the coolest things to have someone who you go, dude, I really fucking love your work.

I really like this way that you approach the world.

That is a fuel, I think, that will drive people.

It's not as transactional as just status growth.

It's, wow, this person is discerning and they're good at what they do and they like what I do too.

Amazing.

What a great stamp, commendation that I've received.

And that was something that I really wanted.

And yeah, I had my fucking Mount Rushmore of guests and that was largely around Mount Rushmore of people that I wanted to

respect what i did and uh that was what drove me for a good while but so do you feel like you've done that now still need to get rogan on he's fucking skittish and he keeps on going elk hunting so he's busy but uh yeah i think so i think i think all of the people that i started off wanting to turn from a idol into a rival and appear i managed to do and um

That was awesome.

And now it's a case of, okay, what does it look like to start to forge something new?

Right.

What's next?

I don't know.

More of this.

I'm just enjoying fucking having fun on the show, speaking to people like you and seeing what a new generation of...

creators that i can collaborate with is like guys like you joe foley alex o'connor dylan o'sullivan chris griffin elliot buick you know there's a lot of young talent younger talent that's you know an entire generation in internet speak but realistically only between 10 and 15 years in real life and uh that's cool i think that's really fun okay well what who what other angles have we got that we can play around with here who else is coming up and um

Then you get to be a platform for other people, which is sick because for almost all of your career in something like this, you're basically riding off the coattails of people who are more successful than you and like suckling at the teat of someone who's already suckling today.