Thrilling Tales Of Modern Men: Danny McBride On Ego, Grievance & The Stories Men Tell Themselves
Danny McBride discusses his new short story collection "Thrilling Tales of Modern Men," his career trajectory from Eastbound & Down to The Righteous Gemstones, and his exploration of modern masculinity through flawed, disappointed male characters. He reflects on growing up in rural Virginia, attending film school at UNC School of the Arts, building a creative community in Charleston, and the evolution of comedy from film to television.
Summary
Danny McBride joins Rich Roll to discuss his newly published anthology "Thrilling Tales of Modern Men," a collection of short stories exploring modern masculinity and male disappointment. McBride explains that writing the book represented a creative departure from television, offering unlimited potential without studio interference or budget constraints. He emphasizes that his motivation was to crack a new format where he could tell stories directly to the audience without intermediaries.
McBride traces his artistic journey from childhood in rural Virginia, where he grew up near Spotsylvania Civil War battlefields and spent time at video stores and cineplexes. He attended the newly established North Carolina School of the Arts, where he met collaborators David Gordon Green and Jody Hill in his freshman dorm. This convergence of talent at a specific time and place parallels other cultural movements like grunge in Seattle or comedy in 2000s New York.
After moving to Los Angeles, McBride and Hill made "Foot Fist Way" for $75,000, which didn't initially sell at Sundance but caught the attention of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, launching McBride's career. Within a year, he appeared in multiple major films including "Tropic Thunder," "Pineapple Express," and the "Eastbound & Down" pilot.
McBride discusses the shift of comedy from feature films to television, arguing that TV allows comedians to develop specific, niche voices like Nathan Fielders and Tim Robinson that might be diluted in four-quadrant studio comedies. He attributes this partly to aging studio executives becoming risk-averse.
Regarding his creative process, McBride describes free-writing story fragments and allowing ideas to develop organically. Once committed to a project, he processes all life experiences through the lens of that story. He employs a voracious media diet combining literary fiction with trashy reality television to understand character dynamics and human behavior.
Moving to Charleston in 2017 provided distance from Hollywood oversight while allowing him to build a stable creative community and provide steady work to local crews and talent. This decision stemmed from shooting "Eastbound & Down" in North Carolina and noticing that executives rarely visited remote sets.
McBride addresses the representation of religion in "The Righteous Gemstones," emphasizing that he focused on the family's hypocrisy rather than mocking religion itself, allowing religious audiences to appreciate the show as commentary on false prophets.
On masculinity and contemporary manosphere figures, McBride notes that his characters represent men promised Rambo-like heroism while facing desk jobs and disappointment. These characters embody grievance and self-deception, blaming external forces rather than recognizing they are their own obstacles. He observes that people seeking answers from influencers reflect broader human tendencies to look outside themselves.
McBride emphasizes treating characters with depth and humanity rather than as comedic vehicles. He credits collaborators like Walton Goggins and John Goodman for bringing pathos to flawed characters, making audiences care despite their bad behavior.
On the entertainment industry's future, McBride expresses concern about ongoing challenges but maintains optimism about storytelling's enduring appeal. He cites examples like "Obsession" inspiring youth and notes that easier audience access via streaming makes it possible for new talent to break through.
He advises aspiring filmmakers to secure stable employment rather than struggling in expensive cities, allowing creative work to remain inspired rather than desperate. He also advocates for finding collaborators and maintaining loyalty to creative partnerships, having worked with the same circle of people from film school onward.
Regarding his daily writing practice, McBride adjusted from all-night sessions to waking at 5 AM to write before his family wakes, allowing him to balance creative ambition with parental presence.
The audiobook version features prominent actors including Walton Goggins, Adam Divine, Sam Rockwell, Billy Crudup, and Eric Andre reading different stories, with an original score by his longtime composer.
About this episode
Danny McBride is the writer, actor, and producer behind “Eastbound & Down,” “Vice Principals,” and “The Righteous Gemstones.” For 30 years, he's satirized the aggrieved modern male, the guy who grew up on Rambo and ended up working at Geico. His first collection of short stories, “Thrilling Tales of Modern Men,” puts it all on the page. We get into masculinity, disappointment, the manosphere, and a world that already feels like the extended McBride universe. Beneath the comedy, the only real antagonist in these stories is the man himself. Danny is a master of his craft, and a rare eye on the foibles of the modern American man. Enjoy! Show notes + MORE Watch on YouTube Newsletter Sign-Up Today’s Sponsors: Seed: Use code RICHROLL25 for 25% off your first month of DS-01®👉🏼https://www.seed.com/RichRoll Rivian: Electric vehicles that keep the world adventurous forever👉🏼https://www.rivian.com LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack with any purchase👉🏼https://www.drinkLMNT.com/RICHROLL BetterHelp: Get 10% OFF the first month👉🏼https://www.betterhelp.com/richroll Birch: Get 27% off ALL mattresses + 2 free eco-rest pillows👉🏼https://www.BirchLiving.com/richroll Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors👉🏼https://www.richroll.com/sponsors Find out more about Voicing Change Media at https://www.voicingchange.media and follow us @voicingchange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Key Insights
- McBride argues that disappointment is fertile ground for comedy because many men grew up consuming 1980s action media and faced the reality that they would never be Rambo, eventually taking desk jobs instead.
- He claims that his characters are primarily threats to themselves rather than victimized by external antagonists, yet they remain unaware this is the case, always blaming others.
- McBride contends that TV allows for niche, specific comedic voices that would be diluted if forced into four-quadrant studio film formats, enabling comedians like Nathan Fielders and Tim Robinson to thrive.
- He argues that stories remain timeless when focused on universal human truths rather than specific cultural moments, explaining why Eastbound & Down still resonates with new audiences 20 years later.
- McBride asserts that writing a book in an isolated format differs fundamentally from TV because once the story is complete, there are no further negotiations, budgets, or production limitations to navigate.
- He claims that accessible filmmaking (evidenced by Obsession's $750K budget success) inspires new generations of creators more effectively than industry gatekeeping ever did.
- McBride observes that people seeking answers from manosphere figures are responding to existential emptiness by looking outside themselves, similar to how religion has functioned historically.
- He argues that treating comedic characters with genuine depth and humanity—rather than as pure joke vehicles—is essential to making audiences care about flawed protagonists by the third act.
- McBride contends that maintaining proximity to collaborators from film school onward has been more valuable than pursuing individual success, creating a sustainable creative ecosystem.
- He claims that the entertainment industry naturally cycles through periods of what works creatively, and young people discovering stories like Obsession provides evidence that cinema isn't dead, just evolving.
- McBride asserts that avoiding financial desperation by securing stable employment outside one's art allows creative work to remain inspired and exploratory rather than becoming homework driven by survival needs.
- He argues that moving away from Los Angeles to Charleston provided creative freedom by making executive oversight difficult while simultaneously building community that keeps talented people employed locally rather than scattered.
Topics
Transcript
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