Jeff Interviews Comedian Chris Wineland

Apologia Studios

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00:00

Yes, yes, welcome back to next week everybody. Thank you so much for watching

00:06

Thank you for liking and sharing the episode as you can see it's a little unusual episode today It's I'm personally excited for this interview right now me too.

00:14

I think we haven't done this yet So no I've got a chance to introduce you. I know I'm glad our schedule works out Yeah, it works out just great

00:19

You know we just happen to have things coincided with the rapture the apocalypse and now

00:24

Chris Wineland's interview on next week Thank you works out great. So thank you. This is Chris Wineland He's the writer for next week with Jeff Durbin.

00:33

So welcome to next week. Thanks for having me. Yeah, he's always here You just never see him. Well, except for the bits and everything all the things he does great bit today, by the way

00:41

Oh, thank which one one of my favorites. That's not a conceded. But thank you appreciate it I said which one immediately?

00:47

Yeah, the the the Starbucks bit. Oh, okay. Good good. I'm glad you liked it I loved it. I love that took a four drafts to write actually so so let's introduce you to everybody

00:56

This is Chris Wineland Chris either writer for next week. Just tell everybody what you do. What do you do this for a living?

01:03

You're you're a comedian. Yeah, right. You've written for you've written some jokes for Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Fallon and now you're writing jokes for much far superior show.

01:12

Yes, of course bigger budgets Yeah a bigger crew. Yeah, it's a step up for you.

01:18

This is yeah, we have at least 3 ,000 crew members on this show here Yeah, so it's a I mean that's night and day, you know,

01:24

Jimmy Fallon. He has two people I think yeah yeah, I was a fax writer, which means, you know,

01:30

I would go and Write jokes for the monologue. I'd send them in I would be on the road doing stand -up, which is also what

01:37

I do So I've been doing stand -up for 10 years My 10 -year anniversary is gonna be in July. Nice.

01:42

So you talk about like it's your marriage. Yeah, I know it was tough there were a couple times we had to get counseling, but We worked it out.

01:49

We worked it out pretty good. So you did something recently though in Moscow, Idaho What was tell it tell us about that? I did

01:55

I I've risked my life in Moscow just living in the woods for two days

02:01

We saw a deer or something and I think I wanted to Destroy me. No, we filmed a comedy special.

02:07

Okay film the comedy special. It's gonna go to some sort of streaming Thing we haven't mentioned what it is yet.

02:15

So when those good things are in the works Yes, and this was my second comedy special that I filmed the first one is on YouTube for free

02:23

Anybody can watch it and it's it's okay. It's an okay. It's okay.

02:29

It's I Liked it So you've been doing it for 10 years why why comedy you're a

02:36

Christian yeah, you love God you You love the biblical worldview You wrote jokes for Jimmy Fallon, right?

02:43

In fact, you know facts a minute everything and some of your jokes got on the show But it was it was exciting for you to get an opportunity to do to be a writer for really the first ever

02:53

Christian yeah, I'm talk show. Yeah, which is amazing. So my whole life. I've been passionate about late night

02:58

I woke up, you know, and well even watching morning shows I'd wake up early watch morning shows and I'd stay up late and watch late night shows

03:06

And so I've always been obsessed the first time I watch SNL I went to my parents basement and wrote a script like immediately.

03:12

I wrote my own sketch at like 11 or 12 So all I've ever loved is late night And then

03:17

I got into stand -up comedy because my mom like made me get up on stage Yeah, so I got up on stage for the first time when

03:24

I was 18 I got a laugh from someone that wasn't my mom and I was hooked, right?

03:29

So I woke up every morning and just being like I have to do stand -up. So my first year I did 200 shows

03:35

Just anywhere anywhere I could that would let me I would just I would go into Taco Bell's and do stand -up there And so I got obsessed with comedy and I realized

03:43

I don't know what it was That got me hooked other than the fact that somebody laughed But what kept me was the fact that I realized that people were listening to what somebody was trying to say

03:53

It wasn't just with me. It was anybody could get up on stage and and have a message But you wouldn't know that that they had a message until after you laughed and sometimes until after they got off on stage

04:05

Yeah, so It just kind of naturally happened and then I got really into Late night, like I said and was doing stuff with Jimmy Fallon And I have friends that are late -night writers on other shows and I was just about to submit to some other shows where my friends write and this was two years ago and then

04:23

I saw you guys and You put out a thing on Facebook that said hey We were looking to do a

04:28

Christian late -night show and it's never been done before right? So that was my thing is I was like, let's let's see what this could do.

04:35

Like it's mind -blowing Yeah, totally providential to because you were connected with people that we knew Yeah, the fact that you even saw this call for a

04:42

Christian writer I know it's crazy the fact that you had experience with this was it was so exciting for us and and the fact that I Called the other people that tried to submit to you and I threatened their lives so that they wouldn't send it

04:53

So it was just it was all crazy worked out. Well, so I why you brought up a good point.

04:58

I think that Would be good to talk about. Yeah, when you look at like the popular comedians today like guys that are really talented guys

05:06

Like Dave Chappelle. Yeah, Joe Rogan And all these comedians they write for shows they do bits and sketches, but they also do a lot of stand -up

05:15

What's interesting is that you always see there's like this common thread amongst all of them and that's that they're not all not

05:21

Christian Yeah, and then their message will be along the same party line, right?

05:26

It's not Christian Yeah, and and even the worldview the worldview is like like these guys are excellent and what they do.

05:33

They're really good at it Yeah, and you're right They have a message like the the joke itself as you know, set up has punchlines it has like a common formula, but but they're the delivering jokes that Tap into the zeitgeist the spirit of the age, right?

05:48

Whether it has to do with socialism or Marxism or just a commonly humanistic worldview and perspective of the world

05:53

But but you're doing it as a Christian and I think some people Chris would be like, well, what's the point?

05:59

Like what's the point of Christian comedy? Like why why invest your life in something like that? I actually think it's wonderful and it's so completely necessary.

06:07

Yeah, it really is Yeah, stand -up comedy actually started secular the very first guy Became who was a stand -up comedian.

06:14

He committed suicide So he was the very first comic and the next thing, you know now Stand -ups are known for being depressed for wanting to kill themselves, right?

06:23

You know, so you see this long strain and so Christian comedy unfortunately there we've had

06:30

That we've had like decades where it hasn't been good because everybody's trying to not offend the church

06:36

And when in reality what comedy did and this is why Joe Rogan and Dave Chappelle and all those are the leading comics

06:43

It's because they are going they're not trying to to oh, I just want to step on eggshells here

06:48

They want to push the envelope. They want to say listen This is why I'm saying this and this is why it's funny and and Christians need to get that concept and that's why

07:00

I love late -night because Christian late -night show is so important because Millennials get over half of their

07:09

News from late -night, right? So why have we stayed out of the game for so long? Yeah, and same thing with stand -up comedy if I'm gonna get up on churches

07:17

So when I get up on church, I don't do like church comedy, you know There there there are people that do it and they do a great job and it's very funny

07:23

It's not my thing. I get up and I talk about things that everybody relates with I talk about things that might be you know

07:30

The you may not want to talk about but I do that because we should be in the conversation

07:36

We should be talking and every time I do things that I feel might be a little edgy, but it's true and it honors God I always get invited back.

07:43

Yeah, isn't it interesting? Yeah, that's funny. I I love what your career choice

07:48

I love what you do. I think it's important because Like it or not our generation the young people of today.

07:54

They you know, they're they're they're feeding off of BuzzFeed Yeah, Huffington Post and they're getting their cultural commentary from guys like Fallon and guys

08:04

Just look at all the even the latest shootings and things that have happened Yeah and all the political commentary all the guys that are speaking towards that are all speaking towards it from Basically like a secular or humanist or liberal kind of worldview and that's the predominant voice of cultural commentary and you're right

08:21

That's what we're listening to. Yeah, and so where's the Christian voice, right? So doing this show the main purpose of this show was to it was to was to broaden the audience that we have

08:30

Yeah And to be able to at the heart of this show Communicate the message of end abortion now to engage the culture of death those sorts of things

08:37

But we're trying to do it in a way. That's that's that's good. That's good. Yeah, that's fun Yeah, that's edgy and I want to get to this point that has the same kind of Cutting serrated edge satire.

08:49

Yeah that you find get this in the Bible Yep, that's what kid that's what gets me to is and a lot of times people watch our show and they'll see some of the

08:57

Cutting stuff that that you'll write or that'll be in a desk piece, right? And they'll say like yeah, well that just seems really unloving to say those sorts of things

09:05

Yeah, and it's like I feel like I want to say very respectfully very humbly very lovingly very gently very kindly

09:11

You need to read your Bible Yeah Because there's some pretty cutting satire and edgy stuff that God uses in Scripture to communicate a very true message

09:21

Yeah, and you know, it's fun that you say that because I that's one of the coolest parts of the show

09:26

Is that we're on our second season now? Yeah, so the whole first season was such a buffer to say like hey everybody.

09:32

This is what we're doing now This is what the culture looks like and and I just gotta say all those people that have been commenting about the writing

09:40

I know who you are Jason and Donna They're mean

09:46

Donna 1830 Hashtag Donna 1830 I know it but but but I believe that what we're doing is

09:54

Important. It's really important. Yeah. Yeah, we're not just playing games No, no We're not and every time that we do a joke or every time we do a funny sketch

10:01

The the reason we're doing it is to say well What does it look like from a Christian point of view something big happens in the news and go?

10:09

Well, why is it that only the liberal media and the atheists are allowed to make fun of this? Why can we not make fun of this and if we do what does it look like?

10:16

For a Christian to make fun of it. Yeah, it's okay. Yeah, and it's and it should happen

10:21

I mean Jesus mocked. Yep false teaching and false teachers. Jesus called people the sons of the devil.

10:27

That's right What like and we're over here upset if we say the word marijuana, right? And I don't know if I'm allowed to say that right?

10:33

No, you're not It's Christian show. We'll beep it out. Yeah in the Old Testament God's prophet like actually cuts the pagan worshippers

10:40

Yeah, and makes fun of them. Well, maybe your God's uh, maybe he's on a toilet. Yeah, you know Maybe not answering because he's you know, he's taking he's relieving himself.

10:49

Yeah, you know, that's that's cutting satire that that's meaningful So like when you when you're writing stuff or we're writing stuff for the desk piece or whatever we're doing for the show

10:57

We're always asking the question number one doesn't honor God first right first of all So there's times where we see something we're like, well, we can't really do that because yeah

11:04

I'm not honoring to God and the other times we'll say something that's cutting or hard and Satirical and we're asking the question.

11:11

Does this mean something right? Right. Does it matter that we're talking about this? Yeah, what does it mean if we put that skit out there if we or if we write that joke and we put it out there and there are so many times where we'll sit there and just go you know, it just doesn't fit and I and I love that because You know you'll give pushback and you know and everybody in the in the crew will kind of give pushback if We feel like there is a joke that just didn't like what is the message at the end?

11:36

Yeah, what does it mean anything right but at the end of the day, I think it's also fun You know, I mean we did this we did the segment just in this episode about dogs dressed up, right?

11:45

As pastors, I think that's fun too to just say let's just laugh for a second, right? And because there's so many times where we have to like, ah, why have some of us

11:53

Christian lost a sense of humor Well Luther Martin Luther said if if you're not allowed to laugh in heaven,

11:58

I don't want to go there. Hmm Be nice if we got that like I'm kind of thinking right? Yeah, like, you know,

12:04

God God is it God is Delightful. Yeah, he's the Bible actually says that he's the happy God So we don't have to always be doing things that are sort of solemn and serious because not all of life is

12:18

Solemn and serious. Yeah, and that being said I My prayer life is serious.

12:24

Yeah, you know, I'm not joking with God when I get down on my knees and pray in the morning I'm really standing before The Creator and just just pouring my life out and right praying to him, right?

12:35

So there are moments and it's funny when people see jokes Like I guess they might think that that's all I am. It's just this like right.

12:41

I can't take anything seriously. Yeah yeah, and not true we I think I think there's a balance in the Christian life right between between the moments of fear and reverence and awe and then moments of lightheartedness right and and and and and jokes and Enjoying and delighting in God's creation the world and at the same time

13:01

I have to say it it's appropriate and it's fun You should definitely try it mocking the unbelieving system

13:08

It needs to be mocked So when we when you're writing cutting stuff and we want to even get more cutting

13:14

Yeah, when it comes to unbelieving thought in the unbelieving worldview, we want to make the standard of thought Christian, yeah rather than unbelieving.

13:22

Yeah, as now the the major standard of thought and worldview is Unbelieving there's no question about it.

13:29

Yeah So this this show takes aim at that and of course at the heart of it is you and I both have Have a singular focus on ending abortion in our nation

13:37

Yeah, and so we're writing stuff and you're doing things you're we're trying to aim at getting at the culture of death Putting it the axe at the root.

13:44

Yeah, well the the most Influential part most influential thing is is media, right?

13:50

So, you know, I mean a celebrity is president, right? So that just gives you an example right there

13:56

We I really believe that you can end abortion through a television show. No. Yeah, that's why we're doing it.

14:01

Exactly That's what I'm saying. Yeah So you and I are both like obviously we have that same mission. Yeah, and I've said that to people

14:06

I said that to somebody because they were asking about the show and they just gave me the just such a blank stare, right?

14:11

I was like, no, no, we're ending abortion on this. Yeah, that's right. He's just like yeah Okay Because that the mission of an abortion now is so broad

14:19

It's so big and this show only accounts for like a fifth right what we're doing but the whole purpose of this show is to engage a larger national audience with the

14:28

Christian message and culture and To take aim at the culture of death and to end it once and for all.

14:34

Mm -hmm. So a speaking of Chris Wineland our writer and his comedy.

14:39

I'm gonna go ahead and play this clip. Let's roll the clip of your comedy special This is why

15:24

I can't have kids but if I did have kids you see how quickly I switch over That's what us Christians do all of us

15:30

Christians. We just love kids. You ever noticed that we love getting married, too It's like hi,

15:36

I'm 17 me and my wife have been married for 16 years Wow So, yeah, we have 37 children

15:47

They're all named Isaiah but half of the people call him

15:53

Jeremiah, so Why that's confusing If I ever do have kids

16:00

I want 12 sons just probably why I'm not married yet And I want to name them all after the disciples

16:09

Because that would be hilarious It'd also be kind of cool, but I'm not gonna lie. I'd be a little biased

16:15

I'd be like, all right disciples. I mean kids It's time for your allowance. There you go.

16:21

James. There you go. John. Oh, there you go up. Oh Thomas you doubted You doubted but there you go

16:31

And there you go and you and and no Judas no you get nothing Nothing Judas.

16:38

Oh, you know what you've done You're gonna go sit in the corner think about what you've done meanwhile, the rest of us are gonna watch

16:45

Peter try to walk in the pool Just walk

16:51

Peter Don't doubt me. That's I got really mean there at the end to my kids.

16:57

I don't know what happened Peter get on the pool. I Took a lifeguard class

17:06

Get in there A Mean parent. All right guys, that was

17:13

Chris Weinland and yeah, thank you Thank you, Chris Ryan Weinland our writer for next week with Jeff German.

17:19

Thanks, brother. I love you, man Thanks for all you're doing for having me. All right. Hey, you need to stay with us really dude on the next segment

17:25

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17:33

So stay with us short commercial break And then we're gonna come back I'm gonna share a new trailer with you for something that I think needs to be seen around the world but we need you to partner with us, so just stay with us for a few more moments and Great.

17:47

Great. Look. Yeah. Now we know who's saved and who's not here at next week at Jeff Durbin. So thanks guys

17:53

All right, we'll stay with us next week with Jeff Durbin the late -night show with the unpopular opinion