Parenting as Jazz Improv with John Moe

In this snack episode, John Moe—host of Depresh Mode and Sleeping with Celebrities—shares memories with Ophira Eisenberg of sneaking into R-rated movies as a kid, including the terrifying but oddly comical Alien chest-burster scene that was softened by nearby jokesters comparing it to a hot dog with ketchup. He recalls being deeply shaken by The Exorcist and a low-budget Bigfoot “documentary,” which hit especially hard growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Moe also talks about the movies he’s passed down to his kids—Back to the Future, The Blues Brothers, Smokey and the Bandit, and Star Wars—while reflecting on how their pacing collides with today’s faster attention spans. Watching E.T. as an adult made him empathize more with the stressed single mother and even the government researchers than with the kids. Shifting to parenting, he describes handling discipline through conversations about consequences rather than punishment, being impressed by his teens’ self-regulation with social media, and missing the portability of younger children more than the sleeplessness. He admits he never kept journals—unless there was a chance to get paid for writing—but loved the sense of renewal around back-to-school rituals. Ultimately, Moe says parenting has taught him that raising kids, like jazz, is improvisation, and he once even wrote a Sharpie “P” on his hand as a reminder to practice patience. 📍October Shows are in Bozeman, MT, WI, MN, MO and in November new Standup Special Taping at The Comedy Cellar in NY! Details at https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com Come to the Taping at the Comedy Cellar on Sun Nov 9th! 5pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762725600 7pm: https://www.comedycellar.com/reservations-newyork/?showid=1762732860 Follow John Moe: https://www.instagram.com/johnmoe/ See Ophira LIVE: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/events/ SUBSCRIBE so you never miss O thing: https://www.ophiraeisenberg.com/sign-up Follow PIAJ:  https://www.instagram.com/parentingisajoke/ https://parentingisajoke.substack.com/   Follow Ophira: https://www.instagram.com/ophirae/ https://www.facebook.com/OphiraEisenberg/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ophiranyc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices