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Arts & Culture

Mike Birbiglia admires his mom's 'Forrest Gump' energy

A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: It's not very often that I listen to a middle aged man from Massachusetts who tells jokes for a living and think to myself, "That dude gets me." But I actually think Mike Birbiglia and I might have been separated at birth. I know there are big differences. I'm from Idaho, he's from New England. He is hilarious. I can't even get my kids to laugh at my jokes. But there are a lot of parallels.

Mike was raised in a really religious family - so was I. His Dad preferred reading books about world wars instead of parenting. Same. He's an extrovert married to an introvert and we are both perplexed when our kids ask us to explain the world. And he also hosts a podcast where he likes to ask really deep questions, point blank, to many of his guests. I mean, come on. This was meant to be.

Birbiglia's new comedy special is called The Good Life.

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