The guest
Matthew McConaughey and Aisha Tyler — Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor (Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, True Detective) and number-one New York Times bestselling author of Greenlights. Aisha Tyler is a comedian, actor (Criminal Minds), Whose Line Is It Anyway host, director of the film Axis, author, and co-founder of margarita brand Loop.
The gist
This is a curated 'super combo' anniversary compilation from the Tim Ferriss Show, marking 10 years and over 1 billion downloads. The first half features Matthew McConaughey on the book that changed his life, his decades-long diary habit, his father's lessons, and the bold sabbatical from romantic comedies that let him 'unbrand' and reinvent his career. The second half features Aisha Tyler on her aggressive, fearless upbringing, learning comedy through relentless bombing and stage time, the contraction of the comedy economy, and her transition into directing the film Axis. Both guests circle the same themes: courting failure, staying true to yourself, valuing engagement and effort over outcomes, and the freedom that comes from not chasing perfection.
Big reveals
- McConaughey describes how Og Mandino's 'The Greatest Salesman in the World' literally 'found' him buried seven magazines deep on a couch, and reading it gave him the confidence to abandon law school for film school.
- He recounts calling his father to say he wanted film school instead of law; after a pause his dad replied 'don't half-ass it,' giving him permission and responsibility.
- McConaughey reveals a list of 10 life goals written September 1, 1992 (including 'win Oscar for best actor') that he forgot about for nearly 30 years yet subconsciously accomplished.
- He explains his decision to stop taking lucrative romantic comedies, turning down offers that climbed from $8 million to $14.5 million to hold out for challenging work.
- After roughly 20-22 months in a career 'desert,' the dramatic roles he wanted finally came (Killer Joe, Mud, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective) because he had 'unbranded' himself.
- Aisha Tyler describes a set in a San Francisco laundromat open mic where she got zero laughs and gained a lifelong 'bulletproof' mental armor from it.
- Tyler details her film Axis: a real-time thriller shot entirely inside a car with only the lead actor on screen and all other actors performing as voices over the phone.
- She reveals Axis was crowdfunded for about $200,000 on Kickstarter and shot in just 7 days by filming the entire 80-page script straight through with three cameras each day.
Things worth remembering
- Og Mandino's book instructs the reader to read each of its 10 scrolls three times a day for 30 days, making it roughly a 10-month read.
- McConaughey was cast in Dazed and Confused after meeting casting director Don Phillips at a bar; three scripted lines turned into three weeks of work at $320 a day.
- His agent Jim Toth responded to him quitting romcoms with 'I don't work for them, I work for you.'
- Tyler's single father would lean over the stairwell each morning and have her recite that she'd 'grab it by the balls and twist.'
- As a child Tyler rode her bike home several miles with a broken arm because her father told her no one was coming to get her; he initially insisted it wasn't broken.
- Tyler cites Bill Burr's infamous Philadelphia 'Weenie Roast' set where he counted down the minutes while the crowd booed and refused to leave the stage.
- She references Kevin Kelly's '1,000 True Fans' essay (cited as 10,000) about needing only a critical mass of devoted fans, not universal approval.
- The 'Whassup' Budweiser campaign originated as a self-made two-and-a-half-minute short film by three unknown guys in a New York apartment.
- Tyler still uses a Concept2 ergometer she bought in 2000, never repaired, and credits liposomal glutathione supplementation with rowing faster in her 40s than in her 20s.
- A Kickstarter rule of thumb: raising half your money in the first week predicts full funding, which is what happened with Axis.
Recommended in this episode
Books, products and media the guest or host genuinely endorsed here — with the buy link.
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Guest’s ownMedia
Dazed and Confused
Richard Linklater (inferred)
“Matthew mccon Academy award-winning actor who has starred in Dazed and Confused Dallas Buyers Club Interstellar and HBO's True Detective” — Tim Ferriss 00:05:50Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Dallas Buyers Club
Jean-Marc Vallee (inferred)
“Matthew mccon Academy award-winning actor who has starred in Dazed and Confused Dallas Buyers Club Interstellar and HBO's True Detective” — Tim Ferriss 00:05:50Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan (inferred)
“Matthew mccon Academy award-winning actor who has starred in Dazed and Confused Dallas Buyers Club Interstellar and HBO's True Detective” — Tim Ferriss 00:05:50Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
True Detective
HBO (inferred)
“Matthew mccon Academy award-winning actor who has starred in Dazed and Confused Dallas Buyers Club Interstellar and HBO's True Detective” — Tim Ferriss 00:05:50Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownBook
Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey
“the number one New York Times bestselling author of green lights and just because you can find Matthew on Instagram” — Tim Ferriss 00:05:50Find it on Amazon
RecommendedBook
The Greatest Salesman in the World
Og Mandino
“that book is the most instrumental piece of literature and motivation I've ever read for me in my life” — Matthew McConaughey 00:17:21Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Killer Joe
William Friedkin (inferred)
“start getting some offers that are interesting things William freakin Killer Joe Lee Daniels paper boy Jeff Nichols wrote mud for me” — Matthew McConaughey 01:44:27Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
The Paperboy
Lee Daniels (inferred)
“William freakin Killer Joe Lee Daniels paper boy Jeff Nichols wrote mud for me Steven soberg called Magic Mike” — Matthew McConaughey 01:44:27Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Mud
Jeff Nichols (inferred)
“Lee Daniels paper boy Jeff Nichols wrote mud for me Steven soberg called Magic Mike Richard link later I go to Bernie” — Matthew McConaughey 01:44:27Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Magic Mike
Steven Soderbergh (inferred)
“Jeff Nichols wrote mud for me Steven soberg called Magic Mike Richard link later I go to Bernie together True Detective comes around” — Matthew McConaughey 01:44:27Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Bernie
Richard Linklater (inferred)
“Steven soberg called Magic Mike Richard link later I go to Bernie together True Detective comes around all of a sudden Dallas Buyers Club” — Matthew McConaughey 01:44:27Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
A Time to Kill
Joel Schumacher (inferred)
“I got major Fame very quickly after A Time to Kill came out the film I did in 96” — Matthew McConaughey 00:29:24Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Criminal Minds
“now Aisha Tyler a star of the hit television show Criminal Minds a comedian and the host of the CW's top rated improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway” — Tim Ferriss 00:47:37Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Whose Line Is It Anyway
CW (inferred)
“the host of the CW's top rated improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway an award-winning director best-selling author and activist” — Tim Ferriss 00:47:37Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownBook
Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation
Aisha Tyler
“you have a book titled self-inflicted wounds subtitle heartwarming Tales of Epic humiliation can you maybe repeat or even paraphrase the question” — Tim Ferriss 00:49:39Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Axis
Aisha Tyler
“axis is a thriller about an expatriate Irish actor living in Los Angeles who has had a lot of success kind of explosive success in his Youth” — Aisha Tyler 02:08:14Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownBook
Tribe of Mentors
Tim Ferriss
“I'm looking at text in a book that you contributed to happens to be tribe of men this fantastic book” — Tim Ferriss 02:14:58Find it on Amazon
RecommendedBook
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
“everybody should listen to his Audi book of the graveyard book narrated by him he has also the most soothing voice imaginable” — Tim Ferriss 02:18:05Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct
Concept2 Ergometer (rowing machine)
Concept2
“I still use my agrometer my concept to ergometer I have had it since 2000 it is 18 years old I have never had to repair it or replace any parts it's the best” — Aisha Tyler 02:22:47Find it on Amazon
RecommendedProduct
LivOn Labs Lypo-Spheric Glutathione
LivOn Labs (inferred)
“you can get this like fat soluble glutathion that you just take you just like gulp down it tastes like axle grease” — Aisha Tyler 02:24:52Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia
The Walking Dead
“I love I I watch The Walking Dead Fear The Walking Dead those are always really good workout shows” — Aisha Tyler 02:29:01Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia
Fear the Walking Dead
“I watch The Walking Dead Fear The Walking Dead those are always really good workout shows right now I'm watching The Magicians” — Aisha Tyler 02:29:01Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia
Deutschland 83
“I just watched a show called deuts land 83 that was pretty great it has to be something that I can kind of watch” — Aisha Tyler 02:29:01Find it on Amazon
RecommendedMedia
Jodorowsky's Dune
Frank Pavich (inferred)
“it's called yoda War's Dune and it's the story of this attempt to make a movie about Dune and the thing is a complete unmitigated disaster” — Tim Ferriss 02:38:50Find it on Amazon
Guest’s ownMedia
Archer
“the movies out on the 10th of April on video man iTunes all that stuff and then Archer starts I think on the 24th of April” — Aisha Tyler 02:42:26Find it on Amazon