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<p>Paco and George watched the 2025 Matt Wolf <a href="https://www.hbo.com/pee-wee-as-himself" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">two-part Paul Ruebens doc</a> on HBO.</p><p>This is prime Gen X imprinting, Paul Reubens' real life definitively laid out for the picking. The impish Reubens created his signature Pee-Wee Herman stage show as a cult Hollywood underground theater piece in 1981, but it didn't take much time for the world to catch on thanks to 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, also the feature film debut of director Tim Burton. </p><p>We talk about his comedy origins, the cultural impact of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and how Reubens blurred the line between persona and performer. Pee-wee Herman, the quirky, bow-tied man-child brought to life by Paul Reubens, revolutionized children’s television and pop culture by refusing to fit into any traditional box. With <em>Pee-wee’s Playhouse</em>, Reubens created a technicolor world that was as smart as it was silly—mixing slapstick...