Podbit · Last Podcast On The Left
Every time Stephen King sends a manuscript, he expects a call saying it's worthless. Meanwhile Joe Hill is completely certain everything he writes is brilliant. The gap is hilarious.
Where this was said
At 52:40 · chapter starts 49:40
Henry poses one of the most practical questions of the episode: when does an idea tip from promising to abandoned? Joe Hill's answer is character-first — he can write on a strong concept for a couple of days, but if there's no one inside the story he gives a damn about, he walks away. The concept without the character is a dead story. Stephen's version is more mechanical: a story needs two parts, like an engine needing a transmission. Just having a great image isn't enough; it has to connect with something that drives the whole thing. He adds, with disarming vulnerability, that every time he sends a manuscript to his publisher he expects a call saying it's all 'blah blah blah.' Meanwhile Joe confesses he assumes everything he writes is brilliant. The gap between their self-assessments is hilarious and revealing.
Joe Hill found an old handwritten Entertainment Weekly review by his father — sent by courier on a legal pad, no strikeouts, no corrections. Every sentence perfect on the first try. It's either genius or demonic.
Joe Hill found an old Entertainment Weekly manuscript written by Stephen King in longhand on a legal pad, with no corrections or edits — every sentence perfect from first draft.
Steven Pressfield's insight: don't wait for the commitment to feel real before acting like a professional. Set up the studio. Make the schedule. Show up. Commitment doesn't precede action — it follows it. You act like a pro first, and your brain catches up with justifications after. The action is the commitment.
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.
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