If you have ever been to a concert where the acts are from the golden age of rock music, you probably noticed that they seem naturally good. They know their material and they know their audience. There is a high production quality to the show and the performers professionally do their best material. The reason for this is they have done it for so long, they know what works and what does not work. Old carnies seem so good because they have been at it for so long.

Successful comics will often talk about how they got some advice from an old comic that changed their approach and launched their career. The old comic, after years of trial and error, figured out the formula and passed it onto the young guy, who then avoided the trial-and-error part to produce a popular act. Experience is the best teacher, especially in the circus. It is why long-running television shows seem so much better in terms of production quality at the end than in the beginning.

You see this with Jordan Peterson. Here is a recent video of Peterson interviewing an up-and-coming political carny named James Lindsay. The difference between the two is striking because at this point, Peterson is an old hand. He has been doing his act for so long he no longer knows where the act ends, and he begins. Lindsay, on the other hand, is on his third act now, this one is something called “woke right”, so he is still working out the kinks in his performance.

Of course, it is possible that the reason Lindsay comes off as a crazy person is that he is suffering from some sort of mental illness. There are signs that he may be struggling to keep it together. The darting eyes and the facial tics suggest he is not entirely sure if what is coming out of his mouth is what he hears in his head. It does not help that it seems like his chin is retreating into his skull. He looks like a guy who spends far too much time with his model trains.

It is an interesting interview from the perspective of carny life. Usually, we get the stories of old carnies passing wisdom onto young carnies from the perspective of the old carny reflecting on his early career. In this video we get to be at the table as the old carny talks to the young carny, trying to help him out in his career. It is important to note that carnies are carnies all the time. It is a lifestyle choice. That means that even when they are talking shop, they are performing.

In the case of Peterson, his act is now familiar, and he has done it for so long that it feels completely natural. It is like how Kevin Costner no longer seems like a terrible actor because he has been doing the same act for decades. His robotic line reading is now part of the character we know as Kevin Costner. You see this with musicians like Bruce Springsteen, who are terrible singers, but their terribleness over a long period of time is now part of their appeal.

Now, if you look at Peterson when he was still working out the kinks in his act, you see the beginnings of the current act. There are the carefully considered facial expressions, the long contemplative pauses, and the endless word salad that his target audience naturally confuses with profundity. Of course, Peterson looks like he is still high from his weekend trip to Miami because he was probably taking drugs. This video was before he went to that mysterious Russian “detox” facility.

The comments in that old Peterson video are interesting. One commenter wrote, “I love how he´s always picking the water cup up but then becomes engaged in what he´s saying and ends up putting it down without having had a drink.” Peterson still does this bit when he has the prop available. Good carnies study their audience and that is what he is trying to tell Lindsay in that interview. The successful carny sticks with what works and drops the stuff that bombs.

James Lindsay is not Jordan Peterson and never will be. That is another thing about the successful carny. His act makes him a popular personality and it is his personality that becomes the main draw for the audience, not the act. The audience will tire of the bit eventually, but they will stick with a favored personality. Lindsay is simply too weird to have that sort of appeal. He is the guy who stands too close to you in the checkout line, not a guy you watch from the comfort of you livingroom.

In that interview, you see something else about carny life. Peterson is happy to bring on Lindsay because he knows Lindsay is a one hit wonder. Acts like his are props for the guys who have broken through and become established performers. Soon, people get bored of the “woke right’ nonsense. For now, old hands like Peterson can use the popularity of a guy like this in his own act. One of the cold hard truths about carny life is that there is no honor among carnies.

Another of those truths is that even the top acts in the circus run their course. Peterson is showing all the signs of a fading star. The culture is changing, so the old acts from the censorship era are not as edgy now. Peterson is an old crooner just as bands are growing their hair long and singing about drugs. The act is fine and still has its appeal, but it is no longer what the cool kids want. Another thing about carny life is that eventually, the dogs bark and the circus moves on.

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