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Episode 285: Scott Dikkers – The Onion, How to Write Funny

Scott Dikkers, Founder of The Onion and Bestselling Author of How to Write Funny, joins the show to share his journey from cartoonist to building one of the funniest newspapers and websites in history. Hear the time he got stalked by Saul Goodman, how The Onion comes up with its headlines, how it evolved formats over the years, how to write funny jokes, and his all-time favorite article from The Onion. This episode covers everything from Bob Einstein to Rodney Dangerfield. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• Who are the most memorable famous people Scott has met
• How did Scott get involved with The Onion
• Jim’s Journal
• How did Scott grow the circulation of The Onion
• Drunk Of The Week
• How do we develop our sense of humor
• What are some examples of the Funny Filters
• Why is it called The Onion

Connect with Scott at ScottDikkers.Substack.com.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Famous People
  • [0:29] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:42] Connect with Scott at ScottDikkers.Substack.com
  • [1:54] Sorry
  • [2:25] Nailed it
  • [2:37] Oof
  • [2:58] How to Write Funny Episode #12: Bob Einstein
  • [3:14] Marty Funkhouser
  • [3:20] Super Dave Osborne, Smothers Brothers
  • [3:42] How was Scott’s experience interviewing Bob Einstein
  • [4:11] Yellow Pages
  • [4:37] Albert Brooks (Albert Einstein)
  • [5:00] Stephen Spielberg, DVD Commentary
  • [5:42] Masters of the Air on Apple TV
  • [5:56] Tom Hanks, The Bloody Hundredth
  • [6:49] Bob Einstein Jokes
  • [6:55] Who are the most memorable famous people Scott has met
  • [7:11] Garry Shandling, Chris Rock, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Amy Poehler
  • [7:24] How did Bob Odenkirk stalk Scott at The Onion
  • [7:33] The Larry Sanders Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David
  • [8:25] Super Agent Stevie Grant
  • [8:43] Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles
  • [8:51] David Cross, HBO (Home Box Office)
  • [9:07] SNL (Saturday Night Live)
  • [9:14] The Dana Carvey Show
  • [9:20] ASSSSCAT, UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade)
  • [9:30] Ellie Kemper
  • [9:35] Conner O’Malley
  • [9:49] Late Night with Seth Meyers, Aidy Bryant
  • [10:07] John Belushi, Eric André
  • [10:35] Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • [10:48] “Stalked by Saul“

• The Onion Story
  • [11:05] “Ogres are like Onions” from Shrek
  • [11:12] How did Scott get involved with The Onion
  • [11:29] Jim’s Journal, The Pretty Good Jim’s Journal Treasury by Scott Dikkers
  • [12:27] Did Scott plan on buying The Onion
  • [12:32] “Twilio Co-Founder Acquires The Onion“
  • [13:07] What did The Onion strive/strove to do in the early days
  • [13:35] Bat Boy aka A Boy Raised by Bats
  • [15:05] Drunk Of The Week
  • [15:47] How did The Onion evolve formats over the years
  • [16:31] Howard Stern
  • [17:09] Internet
  • [17:22] TheOnion.com
  • [18:43] How does The Onion come up with its headlines
  • [19:15] Information Anxiety by Richard Saul Wurman
  • [21:32] Richard Saul Wurman – Wild Business Growth podcast #254: Creator of TED
  • [22:45] How did Scott grow the circulation of The Onion
  • [25:10] Car Talk
  • [25:31] Media Hits
  • [26:42] How does it feel to be incentivized to ruffle people’s feathers
  • [27:28] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [27:29] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Scott
  • [28:21] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [28:22] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• How to Write Funny
  • [28:22] Thesmings
  • [29:05] Personal Brand
  • [29:08] How to Write Funny by Scott Dikkers
  • [29:22] How do you write a joke
  • [29:27] The History of Comedy
  • [30:51] 11 Funny Filters
  • [31:15] What a fake laugh
  • [31:55] This Is Spinal Tap
  • [32:17] DnD (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • [32:25] How do we develop our sense of humor
  • [32:52] What are some examples of the Funny Filters
  • [33:48] Madcap vs. Slapstick
  • [33:55] What’s the most common Funny Filter
  • [34:18] What do different generations find funny
  • [34:23] Baby Boomers, Gen Z (Generation Z)
  • [34:51] How many Funny Filters should you use
  • [34:55] Everlasting Gobstopper
  • [36:02] How do you gather intel to write a joke
  • [37:13] How many drafts does it take to write a funny joke
  • [37:40] How does comedy writing compare to preparing for stand-up comedy
  • [38:42] George Carlin
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [39:33] Why is it called The Onion
  • [40:01] “Fuck Everything, We’re Doing 5 Blades“
  • [40:22] Gillette
  • [40:47] Chris Farley, Dave Gray
  • [41:58] Rodney Dangerfield one-liners
  • [42:12] Sphere, Airplane!
  • [42:29] What is Scott’s favorite one-liner or dad joke
  • [43:03] Connect with Scott at ScottDikkers.Substack.com
  • [43:34] What are Scott’s Final Thoughts
  • [44:40] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [44:51] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Scott
  • [44:57] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [44:58] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [44:59] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [45:01] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [45:06] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Scott Dikkers on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And write some jokes with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!