Harland Williams Teaches You How Survive a Gorilla Attack

Harland Williams joins Aries Spears, Andy Steinberg and Mark Silverstein for one of the most unpredictable episodes yet. The Rocketman star talks about working with a trained chimp, getting mock-charged by a 500-pound silverback in Rwanda, and his days as a Canadian forest ranger dealing with moose and black bears. Harland also tells the story of his Sheridan College roommate Steve Williams, who went from making "stupid circles" on VHS to creating the digital T-Rex that changed Jurassic Park. Aries and Harland go back and forth on AI, Neuralink and whether art is evolving or devolving, then the conversation turns to comedy: crowd work, memorial tattoos, "punching down," the power of sitting in silence, and why every emerging comic should get to Austin. Plus: Harland's new animated series The Art Avengers, the comfort slug from The Harland Highway, and who makes Harland laugh. 🎙️ Behind the scenes on Patreon: patreon.com/spearsbergpod 📞 Leave a voicemail: 617-942-0401 🎟️ Aries' tour dates: ariesspears.com Follow Harland Williams: 🎟️ Tour: harlandwilliams.com 🎧 The Harland Highway podcast 🎨 The Art Avengers: artvengersworld.com My website: Tour (tickets), merch and more - http://www.ariesspears.com Instagram:   / ariesspears   TikTok:   / realariesspears   Facebook:   / ariesspears   Patreon:   / spearsbergpod   0:00 Cold Open 0:34 Intro & Europe Tour Dates 2:13 Harland Williams Joins 4:02 Toronto vs. Vancouver (and Sasquatch) 6:15 Harland's Comedy Style: No Labels 7:40 Why L.A. Over New York 8:11 Rocketman & Working With a Chimp 11:47 100 Men vs. a Gorilla 12:12 Charged by a Silverback in Rwanda 15:45 Safaris & the Food Chain 17:08 Moose, Black Bears & Ranger Days 22:49 Reacting to the Bison Clip 24:56 Sheridan College & Classical Animation 25:52 His Roommate Made the Jurassic Park T-Rex 29:33 The Art Avengers 33:30 Is AI Coming for Creatives? 41:02 The State of Comedy 46:32 Would Harland Get a Neuralink? 50:14 Legacy & Originality 54:07 Knowing Early & Parents' Support 58:19 The Gold Under the Floorboards 59:19 Wally Wheelchair & Special Needs Characters 1:02:27 Roasting Special Needs Audience Members 1:06:03 Is Punching Down Real? 1:07:12 Crowd Work & Memorial Tattoos 1:10:24 Comics Who Hate Crowd Work 1:13:57 The Power of Sitting in Silence 1:17:01 Why Comics Are Moving to Austin 1:19:40 Who Makes Harland Laugh 1:21:57 Meeting Jim Carrey 1:22:18 The Comfort Slug 1:24:05 What's Next for Harland