The One Thing Larry David and Mr. Rogers Agree On
+ A New Podcast Episode w/ LA Taco!
Last week, I had a revelation that I’m pretty sure changed me forever.
Larry David and Mr. Rogers are actually the same person.
No, this isn’t a conspiracy theory. I’m not pitching it to TMZ.
I’m simply a guy who leads people who has the occasional crisis of “what the heck are we actually doing here?” If that’s you too, stay with me.
First, let’s take a look at Larry David.
Larry’s schtick is to expose absurdity. To call out denial. To stop with all the social “pretending.” It’s cathartic and dare I say, even heroic at times?
Now, Mr. Rogers.
Fred Rogers was obsessed with restoring dignity to people.
His words made reality feel bearable to many. His purpose was to offer an alternative to the absurdity of what the medium of television was becoming.
The thing they’re both doing? The one thing that drives them?
Both of them pick a fight with what society calls “normal.”
Both are allergic to bulls***.
And both of them expose the truth.
Now, the way they go about it is obviously different. Which is actually the point. Right now, the difference between content that’s built for attention and stories that are built for retention is wider than ever. And I’m realizing one way we cross that bridge is to make things that help people feel like they aren’t crazy… that they’re seen… that another way is possible.
I recently had a conversation with Memo Torres of LA Taco.
They’re now one of the most trusted media voices in Los Angeles, and increasingly, one that national outlets are turning to.
At first, they were just this cool independent publication covering the food and culture seen in LA — told by people from the communities actually living it: Street vendors, neighborhood spots, the places locals would tell you were the real ones, especially as the city around them kept changing,
But earlier this year, something shifted. People didn’t just read LA Taco anymore. They started turning to it. Especially when things in LA started to get chaotic and policies started affecting real people.
Memo said something in our conversation that I haven’t been able to shake. At a certain point, he said they just started feeling responsible.
Not in a performative way. Not in a “we have a platform” kind of way, but in a “people are actually relying on us now” kind of way.
And that’s the difference I’ve been trying to name.
Larry calls things out.
Mr. Rogers calls people back.
Memo and LA Taco somehow does both.
They’ll point to something absurd, broken, or unjust and say, “this isn’t right.”
But they don’t leave you there.
They help people orient, they give people something to stand on, they remind people what’s still true underneath all the noise.
And I think that’s the kind of work a lot of us are being invited into right now.
Not just louder messages, not just sharper takes…
But something people can actually rely on.
This conversation with Memo is a glimpse of what that looks like in the wild.
Other Ways to Watch/Listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts