About this episode
Filmmaker Gus Van Sant joins Bill Maher for a candid conversation that pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to survive in Hollywood. Van Sant opens up about the scrappy, crowdfunded reality behind Dead Man’s Wire, studio politics, and why critics may have saved his career. The two dig into his iconic films (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, To Die For, Psycho) and trace the lineage of comedy from Lenny Bruce to Saturday Night Live – along with the strange psychology of actors and directors on set, including a jaw-dropping story about literally throwing rocks to get a performance. Support our Advertisers: -Go to https://www.zbiotics.com/random and use code RANDOM for 15% off your first order -Get $10 off your first month’s subscription and free shipping at https://www.nutrafol.com and enter promo code RANDOM -Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/random10fm to get 10 free meals and a free breakfast for life -Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/random #rulapod #ad Subscribe to the Club Random YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/clubrandompodcast?sub_confirmation=1 Watch episodes ad-free – subscribe to Bill Maher’s Substack: https://billmaher.substack.com Subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you listen: https://bit.ly/ClubRandom Buy Club Random Merch: https://clubrandom.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices ABOUT CLUB RANDOM Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There’s a whole big world out there that isn’t about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it. For advertising opportunities please email: PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com ABOUT BILL MAHER Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.” Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.” FOLLOW CLUB RANDOM https://www.clubrandom.com https://www.facebook.com/Club-Random-101776489118185 https://twitter.com/clubrandom_ https://www.instagram.com/clubrandompodcast https://www.tiktok.com/@clubrandompodcast FOLLOW BILL MAHER https://www.billmaher.com https://twitter.com/billmaher https://www.instagram.com/billmaher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices