Mookie G: Behind the Laughter, Finding Purpose and Being Yourself

Mick Hunt (0:00)

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Mookie G (0:36)

I am comfortable with silence on stage, which that's a tough thing. When you first start telling stories and people are not laughing, you want to just cut off the story just to get to the punch line because you need to hear the laughter to validate yourself.

Not anymore. It's like, no, no, you're going to sit there quietly. But when I make you laugh, my goal is to make you pee on yourself laughing.

Mick Hunt (1:04)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. In this one, we're bringing all the fun, all the laughter, and maybe a couple of tears too. This guest, not only is he a good friend of mine, but we met at a comedy show he was performing.

The person to my right gave him the stank face all set long. I knew it was going to be a long night for him, he just didn't know. Ladies and gentlemen, I present my good friend, Mr. Mookie G. How you doing today, brother?

Mookie G (1:30)

I'm doing fantastic, so we're going to start off with that.

Mick Hunt (1:32)

We got to go there.

We got to go there, because I love comedy. I'm a stand up comedy guy. I can't tell jokes, so that's not me, but I love the art. And I always wonder, what is it like when people pay money to go to a show and then they don't laugh? And then I'm sitting there, and I was just like, oh, I'm embarrassed right now.

Mookie G (1:54)

Who was the person next to you that you're talking about?

Mick Hunt (1:56)

Oh, that would be my wife. That would be my wife sitting to my right.

Mookie G (2:02)

So first of all, thank you. It is a pleasure to be here with you.

But that night, first off, I'm gonna back it up even more. It's a comedy show inside of a yoga studio.

Mick Hunt (2:16)

Hot yoga.

Mookie G (2:17)

Yeah, a yoga studio. So it was fun. I'm closing out the show. It's a great show. Everyone's laughing. But as a comedian, I know for me and some other comedians, we get fixed on the individuals that are not laughing. And there was just one particular woman, beautiful woman, sitting there and she did not laugh much. And I kept paying attention to that.

Come to find out, I posted a picture and-

Mick Hunt (2:44)

The next day on Instagram.

Mookie G (2:45)

On Instagram, wrote about it. And you write back and said, hey, that was my wife, but she did have a good time. She didn't feel well. I say, dang, I feel bad now.

Mick Hunt (2:56)

I love that we were part of the set. How about that?

Mookie G (2:58)

That was so, that was a fun night.

Mick Hunt (3:00)

Yeah.

Mookie G (3:01)

That was a very fun night of comedy. Yeah.

Mick Hunt (3:03)

Yeah. We're gonna have a lot of fun today.

Mookie G (3:05)

I hope so.

Mick Hunt (3:06)

Because I love everything about you, bro. Huge fan of you, always in your merch. We're gonna talk about this saying in a little bit. But I always start my show by asking my guests, what's there because?

That thing that's deeper than your why. Like if I were to say Mookie, what's your why? You're gonna say my daughter or the kids that I teach or whatever. But when I say but why, that sentence usually starts with well, because and I care about that moment. Today, what's your because?

Mookie G (3:36)

Bringing happiness and joy to others. My because is I enjoy watching people have a good time in life. I guess that's why I'm focused on people not laughing. I'm trying to make them laugh. But my because is happiness and joy for everyone.

Mick Hunt (3:54)

Has that always been you?

Mookie G (3:56)

No.

I did not know that was my because until later on in life. It was there, but I didn't recognize it.

Mick Hunt (4:05)

How'd you find it?

Mookie G (4:06)