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Sarah Sherman & Dan Bulla on Nerves, the Craziness of SNL, and Their Friendship | Fly on the Wall

May 17, 2023 / 03:22

This episode features Sarah discussing her experiences on SNL, including her nerves before performances, the pressure of live television, and her unique approach to comedy.

Sarah shares a story about feeling anxious before a show, where she had to take medication to calm her nerves. She describes how this affected her performance, particularly a sketch where she had to hide the fact that her tongue was white from the medication.

She reflects on the immediate feedback from the audience and how getting a laugh can ease her anxiety. Despite the nerves, she acknowledges the thrill of performing live and the unpredictability that comes with it.

Throughout the episode, Sarah's candidness about her struggles with anxiety and the chaotic nature of live performances resonates with the hosts, who share their own experiences in similar situations.

TLDR

Sarah discusses her SNL experiences, nerves, and the chaos of live performances.

Episode

3:22
00:00:00
Sarah came in and like right off the bat was pretty obvious like what her influences were and just like I remember
00:00:07
the first table read being like damn this person is fearless you know it's just oh wild energy just like it was
00:00:15
immediately like this person has it you know and has something big and stuff yeah I watching your stuff you
00:00:23
seemed um there you don't seem to be ever pushing or trying I mean you seem like a
00:00:29
veteran like the way you present on SNL is not normal for how soon you are into your tenure so that's I truly there was
00:00:39
one show Dan can attest this because I get like psycho I go I get psychotically nervous and I really had to puke before
00:00:47
the show because I was like anxious and so I took a Zofran to get myself from Scott because I
00:00:55
didn't want to obviously whatever nausea thing Googling it's like they give it to like pregnant women with like
00:01:03
morning sickness so they don't puke their brains out and I like needed it to act really fast so I like chew I chewed
00:01:10
up this like pill you're supposed to swallow and it turned my tongue completely white and I was like oh [ __ ]
00:01:16
like I have to go do a sketch where I'm like the whole sketch is just someone saying something crazy and I go like
00:01:21
this like but my tongue was white from chewing this like drug and so then I ate a bunch
00:01:31
of candy before the sketch to like dye my tongue a different color than white and so like the I have like a bright red
00:01:39
tongue during this sketch from like eating a punch in my head the story is like awesome
00:01:46
no we like it we like the craziness of the show because we your nerves come out in those crazy ways I I remember being
00:01:54
in that eighth floor bathroom that's way in the back past page test but going back toward the elevators then you can
00:01:59
go way back and there's a bathroom there looking at my nose going it's dead quiet
00:02:03
here now I have to go out there and it and in 10 minutes everyone will see me across the country it's not like you
00:02:09
film a movie and then it comes out a year later you could walk off and the phono ring like I just saw you uh and
00:02:15
you don't have cell phones back then so you have to wait and just wonder if it was any good very odd but I'm glad you
00:02:21
get nervous and you don't look because you're not as cool as you look out there but what isn't it you get that first
00:02:27
laugh do you calm down at that point a little bit because that's that was big for me I'd be so terrified then if I got
00:02:32
a laugh I it took it down 20 no and then I come off stage and it doesn't matter how well it goes I go straight to Bullet
00:02:40
I go I'm gonna [ __ ] kill myself there definitely have been times Sarah walks off and she goes was that okay and
00:02:49
people are literally still laughing and clapping like it's not over yet people are still laughing you did great I think
00:02:55
we're all we're all crazy after Jewish Elvis I thought I was gonna die I was like I literally thought I was gonna die
00:03:01
and I was being crazy and I come backstage and I'm like soaking sweat and you're like that was great and I'm
00:03:08
like I you know when I do that thing where I'm like well you're just like saying that because you're like trying
00:03:13
to make me feel better because I'm clearly having a panic attack and I'm like everyone's lying to me

Episode Highlights

  • Nervous Energy Before the Show
    The pressure of performing live can lead to intense anxiety, as expressed by the speaker.
    “I get psychotically nervous and I really had to puke before the show.”
    @ 00m 44s
    May 17, 2023
  • The Color of Anxiety
    A humorous moment where the speaker dyes their tongue red to hide their nervousness.
    “I ate a bunch of candy before the sketch to like dye my tongue a different color than white.”
    @ 01m 34s
    May 17, 2023
  • The Reality of Live Performance
    The immediacy of live performance creates a unique pressure that is hard to replicate.
    “It's not like you film a movie and then it comes out a year later.”
    @ 02m 10s
    May 17, 2023
  • The Immediate Aftermath of Performance
    Even after a successful show, the anxiety doesn't fade away immediately.
    “I go straight to Bullet I go I'm gonna [ __ ] kill myself.”
    @ 02m 40s
    May 17, 2023
  • Seeking Validation
    The need for reassurance after performing, even when the audience is still laughing.
    “Sarah walks off and she goes was that okay and people are literally still laughing.”
    @ 02m 46s
    May 17, 2023

Episode Quotes

  • I get psychotically nervous and I really had to puke before the show.
    Sarah Sherman & Dan Bulla on Nerves, the Craziness of SNL, and Their Friendship | Fly on the Wall
  • You're not as cool as you look out there.
    Sarah Sherman & Dan Bulla on Nerves, the Craziness of SNL, and Their Friendship | Fly on the Wall
  • I go straight to Bullet I go I'm gonna [ __ ] kill myself.
    Sarah Sherman & Dan Bulla on Nerves, the Craziness of SNL, and Their Friendship | Fly on the Wall
  • I literally thought I was gonna die.
    Sarah Sherman & Dan Bulla on Nerves, the Craziness of SNL, and Their Friendship | Fly on the Wall

Key Moments

  • Fearless Energy00:09
  • Pre-Show Anxiety00:44
  • Sketch Preparation01:17
  • Post-Performance Panic02:40
  • Audience Validation02:46

Tension Over Time

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown