At 16, Matt Rife cold-tweeted Ralphie May asking to open for him at a Cleveland club, and Ralphie said yes — until Rife's anxious mother flooded him with logistical questions and Ralphie had to cancel. Six months later he made good on it. Ralphie later took Rife to diners in LA and made him order three entrees so he'd have groceries for the week.
Where this was said
At 34:12 · chapter starts 30:18
Matt Rife traces his Nashville roots back to age 16, when he was already opening for established acts at Zanies. The most memorable story is his cold Twitter DM to Ralphie May at 16, which immediately resulted in a 'yes' — until his mother, unfamiliar with the comedy industry, bombarded Ralphie with questions about parking, tickets, and logistics. Ralphie politely withdrew, and Matt held a gentle grudge against his mom. Six months later Ralphie made good on it with a Youngstown theater show that paid $100 — and where Matt randomly met Tony Hinchcliffe's mother in the audience.
Matt Rife was performing at Zanies Nashville as young as 16, opening for acts like Tommy Davidson, Pauly Shore, and Ralphie May.
Ralphie May reportedly began performing stand-up comedy at age 14, according to Matt Rife who knew him from a young age.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
New York draws thousands of young, talented performers every year chasing Broadway stardom — but the hard truth is that most of them never make it. Zelig Williams was one of the rare exceptions.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.