Comedian Bob Marley
Summary
In this week’s episode, Wade visits comedian Bob Marley on his home turf in Maine to talk about old tricks and new ones too. The veteran entertainer, who has 30 years in standup and a Guinness World Record for longest continuous set, shares with Wade how moving from Los Angeles back to his home state was in large part spurred by water (and snow) skiing – and how those sports have been central to his family’s life.
Together with his kids and some of their friends, Bob peppers Wade with questions about everything from what makes water skiing so compelling to the finer points of line length and the importance of taking advice – but only from sources that know their stuff!
Join Wade and Bob as they sit lakeside at the Dinner Shack in Poland, Maine, musing about their favorite sport, raising kids and keeping the comedy going in life. And of course Wade does a round of “Five Question” with the gang following on a three-day waterskiing clinic at Tripp Lake.
Topics Covered
- A little about Bob’s resume, his life in comedy, and decided to move back to his native Maine.
- The early roots of what would eventually become Bob’s (and his kids’) obsession with waterskiing.
- Touching on some of Bob’s favorite camp experiences in California, Nevada, and Florida.
- A round of “Five Questions” for Wade, touching on how to develop technique, adapt to various race conditions, and ways Wade has gotten and stayed inspired.
- Brief wrap-up and a word about what’s available at the Ski With Wade website.
Quotes
“One of the reasons we came back was to snow ski – 60 or 70 days a year – and water ski as much as we can – from April all the way through to November.” (Bob)
“Let’s get our balance and technique really good, and then I’ll speed ‘em up and shorten ‘em up.” (Wade)
“Ultimately we’re trying to create space – same as in any other sport. We need a little space from our defender, whoever is trying to whack us or tackle us.” (Wade)
“If you see the space out on the water and you’ve got it, then you’ve got the visual gratification: ‘Hey, this looks good.’ ” (Wade)
“All this failure rate does is guarantee the fact that you’re going to fail. We need success.” (Wade)
“Ultimately it’s the balance point, meaning rooster tail, and if you are either scared of you’re getting bounced of your direction, man, we’ve got no hope.” (Wade)
“If you’re going to go to a ski school and get instruction, the biggest thing I’ve learned is, ‘Why would you not listen to the guy who is a champion?’ ” (Bob)
“It can go either way with your nerves but if you handle it the right way you can get the energy that you know you don’t have in practice. Those butterflies give you superpowers.” (Wade)
“A lot of people like to hear themselves talk or give advice. A lot of it isn’t very good. You’ve got to learn to sort through that.” (Wade)
“A lot of people like to hear themselves talk or give advice. A lot of it isn’t very good. You’ve got to learn to sort through that.” (Wade)