00:00:00
And he I remembered he came in he came in he had seen Jaws at a theater in Time Square and he told me that his favorite
00:00:08
thing about it was there were there were guys in the audience during the the scary scenes going get him Jaws get him.
00:00:17
I was constantly encountering Eddie Murphy. This was who was a featured player and he was just going into
00:00:25
everyone's office and being hilarious. And I remember going to Jean and saying, you know, Jean, there's that that Eddie
00:00:32
Murphy guy. I mean, I don't think I'm this mad genius who's spotting something no one else can see. I think I think you
00:00:40
really you got I think you might want to put that guy on camera. >> And her attitude, I remembered, is being
00:00:47
like, uh, I think he needs a little seasoning. writer's assistant, uh, comes up to me. I'm at the head of the table
00:00:53
and and whispers to me, uh, just so you know, uh, Chris Chris Farley is out in the hallway and he's completely naked.
00:01:03
And so, and so I told everyone, okay, Farley's going to come in, you guys, and he's going to come in naked. So, it's
00:01:10
vitally important that no one give him anything. >> No one reacts. >> We just have to sort of go, oh yeah,
00:01:15
hey, Chris, what's up? Jim Downey a re our his second time with us. It's scintillating a return visit
00:01:24
with the one and only Jim Downey writer extraordinaire from Saturday night. >> We always jump into it without saying
00:01:32
too much because we just think everyone knows Downey. But he was our head writer
00:01:36
while we were at SNL. He was one of the great writers from Harvard. He did, I think, the first five years of SNL and
00:01:43
then he went and did started Letterman, the first beginnings of shaping, one of the greatest shows ever. Letterman
00:01:50
>> came back to SNL and has been dabbling ever since. >> And I think he even did
00:01:54
>> a little work on Tommy Boy. I I asked him about his rewrites and his movies and
00:02:00
>> he's a great dude. He's a funny dude and he is a one of our good buddies >> and we have a great laugh with him
00:02:08
>> and learn a lot. Yes. Please welcome James Downey. Jim Downey. >> Who's better, the Rolling Stones or the
00:02:18
Beatles? You have five seconds. >> Yeah. >> Um >> I love He seriously >> considers it. It's so funny.
00:02:27
>> It reminds It reminds me of one time I was uh >> Here we go. I >> I was I was late at night. I was
00:02:34
watching Dana Casey Kasem and it was like it was like u we're counting down the greatest bands of the rock era.
00:02:45
Number three, the Rolling Stones. Number two, the Beatles. We'll be back with the greatest band of the rock
00:02:57
to go. >> Who remembers that? What are your journey? >> Okay. So, anyway, I I was I was just
00:03:02
flipping around to go, wait a minute. Number three, >> wait a second. >> The Rolling Stones. Number two, the
00:03:08
>> number two, the Beat. >> We'll be right back around the number one band in the history of rock and
00:03:15
roll. >> What the [ __ ] would be number one? And so I waited through like 12 minutes of
00:03:20
commercials. You know, >> and then and then finally I was like, would you please [ __ ] get to the
00:03:28
[ __ ] number one? And it was like the number one. >> All right. Number three, the Rolling
00:03:34
Stones. >> Number two, the Beatles and the greatest band of the rock era, Queen.
00:03:44
>> And I was just, no. >> Was that considered a joke? >> No. I Well, I mean, >> I thought it would be like and the
00:03:52
number one band of the rock era, Golden Pony. They came out of Scotland and you know
00:03:58
>> Herman and the Hermits. >> No, but a band that doesn't ever exist. >> Yeah. >> Anyway, I love doing KCK. What a what a
00:04:05
great voice that guy had. You know, >> he's a great man. >> Did you know him? >> Let's Yeah. Are you friends with him
00:04:11
still? >> I saw him I saw him one time at the Emmys. His wife was there was a greater
00:04:17
height discrepancy between him and his wife than I've ever seen within a character.
00:04:23
>> Who was taller or shorter? two individual. >> The wife was >> probably >> close to three feet taller.
00:04:30
>> His wife, >> she was like 61 and he was like five. >> Well, actually, now that I think about
00:04:36
it, >> yeah, that she was probably only a foot taller, but still >> with heels. >> I just won a million dollars on Poly
00:04:43
Market that you would start the podcast with a Casey Kism story. >> Well, congratulations.
00:04:51
I can tell the audience Jim was my boss in case they don't recognize him from his star turn in one battle after
00:04:57
another. I recognize him. >> Well, they may not. I I put on >> Jim Downey is an actor.
00:05:07
>> Yeah, >> you're you're like a You were in the chair. You're all Paul Thomas Anderson
00:05:11
movies. I don't know what is it. You're like an actor. You're like a really funny good actor. I just thought of you
00:05:17
as a writer, but now you're fogging parts. >> I am. I'm I'm I'm denying parts to to
00:05:24
way more deserving people, and it's wrong. And um all I can say is, you know, um a lot of the people that we've
00:05:33
all worked with over the years are now like directing and writing and and things. And I guess it amuses them to
00:05:42
have me around on the set or something. >> No, no, no. I see the antedence. I think
00:05:47
that your voice work in change bank >> kind of solidified this style that you have of underplay.
00:05:58
>> Well, you underplay everything just on the edge of too much underplay but like
00:06:03
perfectly underplayed with not nothing >> and so that's its own charisma. Who's a
00:06:11
famous actor that would do that? might have been Henry Fonda. >> Furl lives. >> Well, I don't say too much.
00:06:17
>> Lives. >> People say you remind me of Fear Lives. >> That's always a good name to come up.
00:06:24
You're kind of like um You're like Brick Crawford. >> Do you ever get stopped in the street?
00:06:30
>> I'm I'm looking more and more like him all the time. >> What do you mean? You look cute.
00:06:34
>> Oh, well, thank you. >> You're You're jolly and cute. >> Adorable. Uh the thing is I mean I think
00:06:40
the underplaying thing is because >> I don't have the acting chops to overplay you know I I I do like I do dry
00:06:50
dead pan because >> dry dead >> that's sort of the the easiest thing to do >> and I think people who are capable of
00:06:59
doing more tend to do it. You know >> I'm like in in I'm idling when other people want to get out. Basically, you
00:07:08
are, and I'm not, this is exactly who you are. >> You are the modern Gary Cooper.
00:07:15
>> Discuss. >> Yeah. >> On a on a on a count of I think you're wrong. >> Um I'm trying to think. I'm trying to
00:07:25
remember. >> Come back with somebody. >> Classic Gary Coup. No. >> Well, it would be High Noon. He says
00:07:30
like three words at a time over a 20 minute span. Like he has three lines and he's very low-key. I don't think we
00:07:37
ought to >> good comedy. >> We shouldn't be going that way and then he doesn't talk for 10 minutes.
00:07:42
>> But being dry with no jokes is different than being you're doing >> right. You're doing it and it's funny.
00:07:48
Like you sent me that thing of you it was Billy Madison, right? And you gave this. So the more dry and then the
00:07:55
speech is kind of critical or aggressive. The actual words are this. You've lowered the IQ of every person
00:08:01
here but with nothing given to it is its own. I just like it. I like it. It always makes me laugh.
00:08:08
>> All right. Jim Downy's been our guest. The actor. You can always look him up on
00:08:12
Wikipedia. He wrote for some comedy show. Okay. Go ahead. What are you pondering?
00:08:19
No, I'm just I'm just listening to this and and um it it it doesn't make any sense that that all this stuff happened
00:08:29
um at the same time and none of it is related to the other, you know, the >> the um
00:08:37
>> the chair company. >> Well, the chair company is another great comedian, Tim Rob, and hilarious.
00:08:42
>> Talk to all that. talk to your late in life quote unquote acting career in film. Tell
00:08:48
>> um well the the the first thing sequentially would have been um the working with Paul Thomas Anderson you
00:08:58
know every every 20 years or so he calls me up and says I want there's something
00:09:03
very specific that I need you for. So like in 2006 I was in there Will Be Blood.
00:09:09
>> Yes, I remember. Then >> um I was out sort of hanging around on the set later for Inherent Vice, which
00:09:17
was like 2014 or 2013. >> Yeah. >> And then Yep. And then um in um and then he he um I got a call uh in early 2024
00:09:31
about um doing one battle after another, which at the time was called the the BC
00:09:37
project. And then um >> battle when you're on the set at lunch to go I got battle tomorrow.
00:09:44
>> No. Well I we we have taken a calling it OBAA. >> That's Yeah. So I was doing OBAA with PTAP.
00:09:55
>> You would have been great. One of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen and it is brilliant. But the theme of
00:10:01
the movie that PTA did called Phantom Thread. >> I loved Phantom Thread. It's meditation
00:10:08
on marriage is so uh it's dark and just uh you'd have to see the movie to understand it. But I was going to ask
00:10:17
you about one battle after another if you had that kind of subtuge theme or does it have multiple themes? What are
00:10:25
the main themes? Because it's a lot of movie >> to crunch on. >> Yeah, there are so many different things
00:10:31
going on that movie. I mean, I I guess we we the Christmas adventurers club were kind of a dry comic relief, whereas
00:10:43
>> uh Leonardo DiCaprio and Benio Del Toro were were more were a little wetter, you
00:10:50
know? I mean, I thought Benio was hilarious in that movie. >> Yes. >> Or BDT, as I call him.
00:10:58
>> Oh, yeah. Or Doro. Doro. I But he but he was just flatout funny. And what we were
00:11:06
doing was was was dry. >> Dry counter. And Leo can play white hot. >> Leo. Listen to this guy.
00:11:16
>> Yeah. Dap. >> Can call him Leo. >> Decap was >> LDC. LDC. >> Oh god dang. He's even better.
00:11:23
>> Once upon a time in Hollywood, he was a white hot mess, you know. And >> I'm in the Little Dick Club. Is that
00:11:28
what you're talking about? No, he's uh but he um >> again he he was uh he was pretty funny
00:11:36
when he was funny in the middle. >> Oh >> yeah. No, his range is enormous. He could do whatever he wants. He's you
00:11:41
know >> Were you a white supremacist? Was that sort of the uh situation? >> Well, that that was um Yeah, that was
00:11:48
the idea. I mean, um I'm not based on yourself. >> Was it based on you, Jim? The white
00:11:54
supremacy part. Was it based on you go what would it be funny if we were all white supremacists?
00:12:00
>> I went through that phase. >> Yeah, everybody does. >> That was I think everyone does. Yeah. Um
00:12:06
but you know then I I I I grew out of it and then dabbled again. >> Yeah. >> Then grew out of it the second time and
00:12:14
then it's been it's been a year and a half. >> Get caught up in a chat room. >> Yeah. You know you late at night. Um,
00:12:22
>> Sean was funny just walking crazy like this and especially toward the end when
00:12:26
he's already when he wipes out his car and he's walking back like all >> No, the his face was hilarious in the um
00:12:34
I got to see him, you know, at at at both the before and after up close. >> Oh, right.
00:12:40
>> Cuz um >> Oh, you have the ending scene. >> Most of my important work in the film
00:12:44
was >> a lot of the work is toward the end. You have to stick around. >> Well, you were at the Oscars, too,
00:12:50
right? We did that. We >> got your text. You were at the Oscars, too, right? >> Um I could have been,
00:12:59
>> but I I um >> No. Didn't you do a bit? >> Oh, yes, we shot that. We shot that.
00:13:06
>> Yeah, >> we shot that I think um couple weeks ahead. Yeah, >> I remain one of the most surprising
00:13:15
things I've ever been a part of was was the fact that that actually made it on air
00:13:21
>> because you know the the thing with the Oscars is always that the one thing everyone knows about it is how it's
00:13:27
always running long. >> They're always playing off. >> I was shocked by that. They and and I I
00:13:33
I knew this had to be the very last thing on the show and and I I said, "Look, Conan called me up, asked me to
00:13:41
come out and do it." And I said, "I'm I'm happy to do it. It it'll this will be fun, but don't kidding, don't tell me
00:13:48
that there's any possibility that >> and he said, um, well, even if it if it doesn't, um, it's going to be online and
00:13:57
probably more people will see it online." And then when I was there, there was some representative from the
00:14:04
academy there and and he said, "Oh, no, no, we're definitely doing it. This is in for sure."
00:14:09
>> So, okay. >> It is weird. It's like after the Super Bowl, the show. But actually, the
00:14:14
credits are usually here's the winning Oscar movie, everyone runs on stage. Thank you. Credits start. And it's like
00:14:22
because that's the biggest one everyone's waiting for. Sorry we ran late. Goodbye. And then it's
00:14:28
>> Jim's scene. And I'm like, "Oh, there's an added scene." I've never I don't know
00:14:32
if I've ever seen that on the Oscars. >> I don't I don't see the Oscars every single year, but um I don't I don't I
00:14:40
can't imagine there was ever like a an epilogue before. >> I enjoyed it immensely because I did not
00:14:47
expect it and it took me a minute to kind of process what it was and then I saw you and I went, "Okay, I mean and
00:14:53
you were underplaying and it was beautiful. Only thing I can do is under >> Well,
00:15:00
Spencer Tracy would kind of underplay a lot too. He was often not, you know, demonstrative. And Clint Eastwood,
00:15:08
you're like an early Clint Eastwood. But anyway, let's get back. >> There you go.
00:15:12
>> Let's get on the topic of what we're what what you've got to get in on the podcast. You had a documentary. It's on
00:15:19
Peacock. What's it called? >> It's called Downey Wrote That. >> That's right. >> Ah, that is a that is a big phrase you
00:15:26
hear. So, a highly wellreceived documentary >> um about your existence as a supreme
00:15:35
sketch comedy writer. >> Your words, >> your words, not mine. >> Um, actually, not my words there, but
00:15:42
they were the words of um >> Did I get that right? >> They're the words of Andy Breman, who
00:15:47
whose idea it was Andy Breman. >> Yeah. Andy writer >> uh was writer and I met him
00:15:56
>> at Letterman >> in in 82 83 84 and and then he went to Saturday Night Live after Letterman and um we
00:16:07
shared an office for a year there the year with Marty Short and and uh Chris Guest Larry David was there anyway his
00:16:15
Larry's Andy's wife is a documentary filmmaker and And the two of them had sort of been
00:16:23
pushing this idea for a very long time since like 2006. And then finally um um I I um I was not anxious to do it um for
00:16:35
a variety of reasons. But finally the pressure became a little too great starting around like 2020 2021.
00:16:44
So it happened. Well, I didn't ever see you as uh vain at all or a vanity. You were you were actually Sarah. You were
00:16:52
just behind the scenes. You were Jim Downey. So, this is like >> in a psychologically like all this
00:16:58
exposure >> is that was like you said there were a number of reasons. Was it energy? Was it
00:17:04
like I'd rather just let it lay and let the world discover me or what what was your push back? Um it a lot of it had to
00:17:12
do with the fact that um in the beginning the first you know 10 years it was being pushed I was working at the
00:17:18
show and I just thought it would be a really bad idea >> while you're there while I'm there with
00:17:24
the you know the and then afterwards I kind of wanted to um get away from from the thing you know the show and show biz
00:17:36
everything and then right when they really crank cranked up the pressure and basically said, "We're going to make
00:17:42
your life a living hell unless you agree to do this." I had I was one of the first people to get CO. I got I got
00:17:49
COVID in in December of 2019 and I was like a mess and I I wasn't >> your vacation in Wuhan or what what's
00:17:58
that about? Yeah, >> it actually was um I was flying back from Charleston and I was waiting on the
00:18:07
night of December 2nd, 2019 at Kennedy Airport, waiting in the rain and I was the only accidental in a group of like
00:18:17
200 people who had just gotten off a flight from Wuhan. >> For real? Serious? >> I'm absolutely because I looked it up
00:18:25
later. I just noticed it was this it was an odd thing like geez did I just walk into a a
00:18:34
like a tour group from from China and everyone was coughing and sneezing and blowing their nose everything and I'm
00:18:41
going like oh man >> I am so getting sick uh tomorrow morning and I did >> and it was only
00:18:48
>> a months later >> that because I went to a doctor like late December and he and he said I have
00:18:54
no idea what you have but you have something and then when remember it was like early February when you started to
00:19:01
hear the term Wuhan and everything >> and then I went online and discovered that there were two flights a day
00:19:08
>> from Wuhan, China >> to Kennedy airport. >> So I it wasn't just China, it was Wuhan,
00:19:15
China >> and Yeah. So that's so that's and so anyway I I I was not I was not in the
00:19:24
right frame of mind to begin with and then right you know in the in the thick of of
00:19:29
>> hey let's go >> yeah not anyway >> well my question to you is >> and we were in it I was
00:19:37
>> it's a lot easier which I'm getting to Dana it's a lot easier if they think you're going to use your connections to
00:19:45
go personally ask people to talk about you, which is an awkward situation. So, I think it's easier. They just say,
00:19:52
"We'll take care of everything." And so, Dana, me, we get a call, it's about Downey, done. So, I don't think it's
00:19:59
that hard to extract. And maybe they knew that because some documentaries are tough because I don't want to do every
00:20:04
documentary that comes my way. Now, Dana's Dr. Doc, so he does uh he's done a couple.
00:20:10
>> I I did I did POTUS. >> Oh, yeah. with with Jim. >> Yeah, I was a minor. That's it's a
00:20:19
documentary called Playing POTUS, which um >> President of the United States. >> They couldn't get Dana for the panel at
00:20:25
the premiere last Saturday, but they they snagged me and uh Robert, our friend Robert Smeiggel was there and um
00:20:34
Dana's great in the documentary. Highly recommended. >> What did I see? What did I do? I told
00:20:38
him, "You got to come to me." I told him to move the panel to where I live up in
00:20:42
the forest. You got to come. I did a good job standing in for you. >> It was hard to tell. You you It seemed
00:20:47
like a perfectly modern uh structure you were living in. >> Well, they had lights. I They were just
00:20:53
in a rented Airbnb near my house. >> But uh but you it was a very um scientific. You talked you and Daryl and
00:21:03
James Austin Johnson all talked about about constructing impressions. It was um really interesting from that
00:21:12
point of view. But you were my co-conspirator with uh with Bush one along with Al cuz I didn't have the
00:21:19
impression. >> Well, I I you were you were way too modest about that in the in that
00:21:26
documentary, but I thought I always thought your Bush was was very bushy. It it you got you got better
00:21:34
>> not better, but you got crazier with it. Yeah. as as time went on because you did
00:21:39
I don't know how many times you did Bush but it was a dozen or more anyway. >> Well more way more than a dozen. Yeah.
00:21:46
Yeah. Over four years. Yeah. Standard cold open. >> If you compared the first two to like
00:21:52
the last two, it was >> it was crazy. >> Well, the perfect thing with that, which
00:21:57
I I may have talked about, it's only interesting in that the audience took the ride with me. So as I started to do
00:22:04
what I would have done in high school, extrapolate things because I'm bored, the audience was right with me. So by
00:22:09
the end when I think I my favorite thing and it might have been your idea, but he
00:22:13
just and or Al the non sequitter of just education. That's it. You know, >> I think that was that was maybe
00:22:22
something that we kicked into it, but it was mostly just >> trying to >> uh feed you stuff that you would do in
00:22:31
the character you were already developing with. >> Yeah. It became a song, you know, it was
00:22:36
like a lot of musicality to all these different components. Bring it in here. Good. Good. That area doing that thing.
00:22:46
Got to do it, you know. So, it was fun. Anyway, look for the duck. Look for >> I did like Dana when during the week it
00:22:53
would be I was working back then I was newer and they'd say like there's no cold opening and the easiest slam dunk
00:23:01
was on Thursday to go right up a bush cold opening. So he probably did it a lot more than 12 because it was always
00:23:08
like such a good go-to that would work only use one cast member but it was easy to put up late in the week. It wasn't a
00:23:15
lot of blocking straight. >> Yeah. You you said Thursday. It seems like more Friday evening,
00:23:21
>> Saturday morning sometimes trying to >> let the audience know that. >> But but I I had so many in ones which I
00:23:28
didn't realize later how valuable that was because the studio's quiet. It's just you in the frame so you can dance
00:23:35
dance outside the lines because they're just locked on you. But now when they do
00:23:38
cold openings a lot of times it's ensemble. I don't you know it's like a a sketch with a political figure in it
00:23:46
observation I don't know yeah how they populate it different >> but that is true when you when you're
00:23:52
doing an in one there there's no such thing as a missed shot >> or or not something not being captured
00:24:00
>> and um it it is but you were one of those people that you could just send out there with often slender you know
00:24:09
material And you would you would make it work. >> I like less words. You know, I used to
00:24:16
say, can you guys take out some of these words? >> Yeah. It's too many words. I don't want
00:24:20
to feel like I'm doing a homework. I just want to be taking time. But the other thing that we worked on and Smile
00:24:25
worked on was Perau, which we didn't talk about last time, but that was just as much fun. I don't think I did it near
00:24:33
as much, but that was just as much fun uh as Bush or easier really, you know. Well, that's that I think is my favorite
00:24:41
political character you ever did and I I worked on one of them with you. I think
00:24:46
it was the time you hosted and it was the one where you were on Larry King and Will Frell was Larry King and
00:24:54
>> it was you were on uh you were it was the minor party candidates and it was the female circumcision party candidate
00:25:01
the >> uh totalitarian uh >> you know >> Chris Katan and they would do the most ornate female whatever you just said and
00:25:12
then and then Perau would always go the same old clap trap. That's what I hear all the time. And it was the weirdest
00:25:18
policy idea you could ever hear. >> That was what I loved about it was a long run from Chris Katan. Very very
00:25:24
katan was a great great sketch player. Absolutely. He had those great grounding chops and he he was doing this thing
00:25:32
about um once we um mandate and fully fund female circumcision, you'll see the economy take off like a and then you can
00:25:44
same old same old, you know, uh candycoated ice cream sundae with a cherry on top. You know, we don't have
00:25:53
the money, Larry. >> We don't have the money. Larry, can I finish one time? You can interrupt me.
00:25:58
Go ahead. >> Will was like you have the complete freedom as you need. >> Anyway,
00:26:06
>> can I finish one time? No, that was so so much fun. Still kills in my stand up.
00:26:13
>> It's the best. I I >> I think I might have voted for Perau in that election just because I I um you
00:26:20
know, he was right about NAFTA, I think. And um it would have been fun to have him as president. He was right about the
00:26:26
debt. You know, remember he had the chalkboard and the pointer. Here's our debt. Here's where it's going. We're
00:26:31
just giving the we're giving the credit card to our kids. >> Precient. >> Jim, uh, David Spade here.
00:26:40
>> Uh, can you tell me if >> you have been asked to write or rewrite some of these movies we've seen out
00:26:48
there, some of these comedies >> or punch up? >> Punch up. um you know from time to time
00:26:56
uh I have been asked to to work on stuff and I um it's not it's not my favorite thing to do. The one thing I think that
00:27:06
uh one reason that I I've been asked as as often as I have is because I I never want my name on anything which which um
00:27:15
>> why? Well, just because I I I don't particularly, you know, if it's if it's someone else's script and I'm just
00:27:22
throwing some things into it, I don't particularly need it. And >> the that's really important. It makes
00:27:29
you very popular with the other writers on the on the project, you know, because
00:27:34
most people >> uh when they do contribute something then they they off often they start sort
00:27:41
of messy fights for credit and then there's a guild. >> So, um but it's been a long time since
00:27:52
I've um >> Did you ever write scratch? >> Sorry. >> Uh well, yes, we did. I wrote I wrote
00:27:58
one with uh Tom Tom Davis and Al Franken many many years ago that that um we had
00:28:06
some funny stuff in it but it never never went anywhere. It's funny I was asked >> I was asked one time Bill Murray asked
00:28:14
me to um to take a look at a script that he was considering doing and um he said
00:28:21
I really think it it could use some some of your help with this. really >> and and it it the script was lost in
00:28:28
translation which won best script screenplay that won the best screenplay Oscar and to my credit I said I I think
00:28:38
this is a great script and I wouldn't change anything certainly I can't think of anything that I would do to change it
00:28:45
>> and so I recommended he do it and that uh it was good as it was >> it's great I'm sure Bill does go to
00:28:52
advice from a lot of people in the scene. So, it's a >> Well, Bill loves you. I've been in the
00:28:57
room with you and Bill. Bill like when you start to mention an idea, Bill gets quiet
00:29:02
>> in in a good way. He's like, "What what what what were we saying?" >> Well, you guys were, if people don't
00:29:07
know, we were either roommates or office mates at SNL or just friends, right, during the early years?
00:29:14
>> Well, we were first office mates before we became friends, but um we we yeah, we
00:29:20
were both hired um at the same time. And so we um they put us in the same office.
00:29:26
And uh over time we um we became very close and I still I talked to him just the other day.
00:29:34
>> So >> he's he's fun to talk to. >> One of the most beloved dudes out there. Not you, Bill.
00:29:39
>> Did you was it your idea? It's just kind of interesting that because people would
00:29:43
remember this at a certain age >> to for the lounge singer to sing the theme to Jaws or was it
00:29:50
>> Well, that actually the one of my earliest memories is Billy singing a fragment of that in the office
00:29:58
>> and I remembered he came in he came in he had seen Jaws at a theater in Time Square and he told me that his favorite
00:30:06
thing about it was there were there were guys in the audience during the the scary scenes going, "Get him, Jaws. Get
00:30:13
him." And so that was where >> that's funny. >> He started calling the shark Jaws. And
00:30:20
and so >> I remembered he would sing a a bit of that >> uh around the office and I and I thought
00:30:30
>> we've got to do something with that someday. And we talked about it over the years that So it goes all the way back
00:30:36
to 1976. And then when we did the 40th in 2014 or whatever it was. Yeah. >> 2015. It must have been 2015.
00:30:49
>> Anyway, um I I really I I um I added more parts to it and then uh we got together with Paul Schaefer and it
00:30:59
became a thing, a very successful thing some say in the 40th anniversary show. >> Well, no. I I was doing I was part of
00:31:08
the cutting around to music. I was doing Chant Broccoli in the piano. So I was up
00:31:12
on the stage and so I looked right on top of Bill and watching him electrify that audience with his incredible
00:31:21
commitment >> and so so you guys had to So this is for people at home. You think of an idea
00:31:29
like that and it's kind of wispy but there's something there and you're like this is how you either make it good or
00:31:35
ruin it. you say, "How do we package this into a sketch?" Like, so I think one of the first I remember he's at a
00:31:41
ski resort in a lounge and maybe the rain's there and he's going from table to table and he's maybe singing Star
00:31:48
Wars. I Yeah, I didn't work on that piece, but but that was Billy. Um he just he it
00:31:56
started with him just having uh that that kind of Vegas character that you don't see. There are no acts like that
00:32:04
anymore probably in Vegas and they haven't been for a long time. >> Lizard, >> he he was always one of the first things
00:32:11
he did around the office was that kind of cringy um uh greasy, you know, minor showbiz character. And I I'm trying to
00:32:21
remember the very first one. I think the Star Wars one at the ski lodge was the second. That was the one where people
00:32:28
really started paying attention. And then there was there was one they got we we would look for ever more uh eccentric
00:32:38
locations and there was one my favorite one was on the auto train the the Amtrak
00:32:44
train where you could drive your car onto one of the >> one of the the service cars and then
00:32:52
>> ride your train you'd ride the train down to Florida with your car >> on on the train. Right. And then off.
00:33:01
Yeah. And so I remember Billy had this great speech and there were he's doing one of his, you know, I was I was
00:33:08
thinking watching him load the the cars like and like you may drive a Dodge Comet. I may drive a a Nissan Ultima and
00:33:19
Joe over there might drive a a coupe Deville. Yet every car on the auto train is treated like every other car. And
00:33:30
then he gets kind of a and everyone starts and then he sings >> don't go changing to try to please me,
00:33:36
you know. But it was u it was early it was like early I guess what they would call cringe comedy today, right?
00:33:44
>> Maybe. Yeah. >> Yes. I mean it's not Yeah. Yeah. >> Well, I I have two questions for it. One
00:33:49
is how do you recall something like like that right now? The second one is watching all that original cast go
00:33:58
through that four or five year period. It seemed like Bill Murray I would never imagine him not being at a 10 in terms
00:34:05
of confidence but did some cast members were they all sort of fully formed or who were the ones that sort of involved
00:34:11
because just in terms of confidence because the way Bill Murray does comedy you have to be utterly committed to it.
00:34:18
You can't have any kind of fear of not getting >> too seems very like oh >> so those are two questions. Why do you
00:34:26
have a photographic memory of 50 years ago? >> I don't I don't know. I I um I but I
00:34:33
people have commented like um as though I must be forgetting more important things because I'm making
00:34:41
>> your whole life >> forgetting weddings and you >> Yeah. Um I I remember things that make
00:34:49
an impact on me and it's and it's easy to if something really makes you laugh it's it's a little easier to remember
00:34:56
that than but I would say as to your question about >> confidence all of these people had like
00:35:03
Lraine had come out of the Groundlings and and Danny Belushi Billy uh Second City. So,
00:35:11
um, they, uh, Jane had done improv stuff in up in Boston, so they were used to live audiences. And I think Dana and you
00:35:20
guys both having been touring standups, that that's the tough um, school, right,
00:35:27
is >> Oh, yeah. I had to really try to I I would look at the audience if I got a
00:35:32
laugh in a sketch. My impulse was to look at the crowd laughing, so I had to kind of go, "Oh, no. I'm in a sketch."
00:35:38
First catch I ever did that forget theater or anything on anywhere was the meteor hitting hitting Jan on the head.
00:35:47
I think it was Jack Handy. That was the cold opening. >> So I was going to ask you this question
00:35:52
for our audience. What was your first impression first? Even before we did anything, David Spade and me first
00:35:59
impressions. Don't think >> I thought you were >> losers. No, that's not losers. Exactly. I
00:36:08
thought I thought you were well-meaning. >> Uh I thought I saw you you guys auditioned. So
00:36:16
>> I I thought you were funny. So before we ever met, I had already seen you and
00:36:23
>> uh for all you know, seen hundreds of hours of tape. >> We didn't just, you know, do this stuff
00:36:29
willy-nilly. We we actually took it seriously. So, no, you guys. >> Yeah. And um
00:36:36
>> I Yeah, you guys came. You didn't need to um impress anyone. >> Okay, David, your first impression of
00:36:44
Jim Downey. >> Oh, Jesus. >> Mine was How can you get Dana out of here quicker? >> Um
00:36:53
David's on deck. Um if you should fall. >> The funny thing is he's there. D is the
00:37:00
first of all me not being aware of like you're here to like light a fire under D. I go I don't think Dana is scared of
00:37:05
me. I go I don't do these impressions. He runs this whole operation. I'm just sitting here going let me do a [ __ ]
00:37:14
update. Let me do something. Let me just get out there. And uh but everyone's just so good. It was just hard. I I
00:37:20
think I joined in a pocket when there was so many good writers and so many good performers and uh it was a little
00:37:28
harder to swim to the top. So just treading water there was good enough for me for a while, but I'm just glad I got
00:37:35
through it. And Jim was my boss for people that don't know headwriter >> came up with the idea of Thursday
00:37:41
rewrites. I didn't know that till today. Um and which were [ __ ] grueling, worse than the Green Beretss. I'm not
00:37:49
even joking. Worse, harder than the Marines. And um basically I I like Jim because he's very pleasant
00:37:57
guy, fun to hang out with, fun to walk down to dinner with. And he had a really hard job of feeding all the little birds
00:38:04
in the nest. He goes then he gives you something and then you go and then you >> Well, the great thing about Jim
00:38:11
>> I lovet often pasticated things. Jim would do this if there people around were kind of riffing on
00:38:18
ideas and then Jim would just look up not say anything and just the usually the entree was uh there's something
00:38:26
really funny about >> Yeah. >> And then and then this brilliant idea would follow it. It would be this weird
00:38:33
off-kilter. One time Jim told me, Dana, he goes, >> I think he maybe told the table, he
00:38:38
goes, or maybe just me and Schneider when we got started. He goes, >> there's sometimes you're gonna pitch an
00:38:43
idea and I'm just going to say I don't think that'll work. And I can't sometimes explain why. It's just from
00:38:51
experience. I just don't see that working. And so that was good to know because sometimes he just said, I
00:38:57
wouldn't write that up. I'd probably write up the other one. you know, because you're kind of also wanting that
00:39:01
advice before you write and everyone wants a piece of them and he'd maybe go work, not hide, but work in your office
00:39:08
and lock it. And then Schneider would sleep against the door and we'd all go in there and try to go when he comes
00:39:13
out, we got to It was just constantly on top of you. >> It's hard being headwriter of that show.
00:39:18
It's >> it it was hard to um >> I mean the part that I I you know you have to decide how much you're going to
00:39:28
uh lie to people >> to and sort of string them along and and give them false hope and and how much
00:39:37
and and but I remember the the old expression my father always used to tell me um you should always tell the truth
00:39:43
because it's the easiest thing to remember. >> Yeah. you know, and so I I very early
00:39:48
on, I think I did, I I I decided, you know what? I'm just gonna explain to people if they come in and look at the
00:39:56
board after read through >> and and on we'd have a re for you know the audience of the podcast we would
00:40:03
have our read through Wednesday and then Wednesday evening uh Lauren would would
00:40:09
slip out of the room and go to dinner and then I'd be there when when the cast and writers streamed in and looked up at
00:40:17
the board to see which >> pieces represented by little 3x5 cards, >> yeah, >> were part of the show, at least
00:40:24
>> for now, and and which weren't. And there were there were always >> outraged people like demanding to know
00:40:31
why A was in the show and and there B wasn't. And um you know I tried to um I tried to be as honest as I could but in
00:40:42
a in an encouraging way you know and and I I tried to um sometimes I actually was
00:40:51
uh the only voice in the room for a particular piece that ended up not making it.
00:40:57
>> And so I I I I tried to avoid like you know uh uh doing the chicken [ __ ] thing.
00:41:04
And so I was for it. I was >> used to tell Frank and hated it when I asked him about mine.
00:41:11
>> We all liked it. Franken hated it. I go, >> but by the way, David, you were talking
00:41:14
about the idea of of when you when you come on to the show, like looking for um a way to emerge. Yeah. You know, more
00:41:24
clearly. But the way the way we cast the show, and I'm not saying it was the necessarily the ideal way, but we're
00:41:32
like those people who like, you know, go to an antique store or something and they even though they already have a a
00:41:40
dining room table, they so fall in love with this other dining room table that they go like, I'm just going to buy it
00:41:47
and we'll figure out what to do with it later. So, if you've been in people's homes where they have like three or four
00:41:53
of everything, it's it's sort of um it wasn't well thought out. So, we just if if we saw people who were really funny,
00:42:00
if they're if someone else >> to our attention, we just we just want them here. >> Grab them, give them give them their
00:42:10
$600 a week and bring them in. >> It's only going to cost us 600 bucks a week running around.
00:42:15
>> But that was the first junior varsity era. I mean, we added Mike Myers, which
00:42:20
was incredible for us. And then we started adding more and more, and I actually did a song about it when I
00:42:25
hosted that >> 90 to 93 was very post >> because we had Sandler and Farley coming
00:42:31
up. Spay was coming up, uh, Schneider, Tim Meadows, uh, on and on. And you, we still had Phil and myself and Mike and
00:42:39
so forth. I was going to ask you this question because it's always these just fun of best cast or best cast member
00:42:47
>> but behind the scenes and I don't know if you want to answer this question when
00:42:51
was the most potent writing staff because I only know my era like was because you were there in the knots or
00:42:58
the Will Ferrell era and Amy Sure Polar all that. So do you have an answer to that or was it the original writing
00:43:04
staff or were they all just very comparable? >> Well I 5 seconds. >> Okay. I would say
00:43:13
>> and then we'll tell you the right answer. >> The the writing staff that had um you
00:43:20
know Robert Smeiggel, Jack Handy, uh Al Frank and Tom Davis um uh that that era was a pretty good writing
00:43:30
staff. >> Was that Odirk? Yeah, Con was around. I guess I guess from you know 86 to like
00:43:39
the early 90s and and it wasn't a gigantically large writing staff. I mean it was the the early writing staff
00:43:48
though was like nine people >> uh of whom like six or seven were were fairly active, you know, and nowadays I
00:43:56
mean I think they have like more than 20 writers >> and they Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead. But but
00:44:02
but I the um but there were great writers you know at every period. The other thing is a lot of the best writers
00:44:11
were performers. >> So that >> what do you mean? I mean people ask me occasionally hey who wrote that thing
00:44:18
you know that because you don't it's it I I've accepted it a long time ago but you don't get a writer's credit if
00:44:24
you're on SNL as a main cast member. If you're a feature player you get a writer's credit. So, I remember Mike
00:44:30
came on the show like in April as a feature player, writer. He soon went up to the main company, but then we won the
00:44:37
Emmy. So, on the plane ride back to New York, Mike had this giant Emmy. He'd only been there like three weeks. Yeah.
00:44:43
>> As a writer. >> That happened. >> I mean, there were we figured the longer the longer you stay at the show, it
00:44:50
comes out in the wash, you know. But it's true. There were some um um >> well it's just
00:44:57
>> there were some strange things but but yeah the the idea was I suppose that performers
00:45:04
are are going to get >> writing writing for themselves helps they help it's good for them right
00:45:12
that's its own reward >> and um if they're not paid um >> they have to they would have had to pay
00:45:19
us right because I would have taken a credit without pay but that would have been outside the
00:45:23
you know, that's writers. >> What I told Lauren just from my perception and it's not just about me,
00:45:29
but from 90 to 93 that he had a lot of weapons. Like there's not I've heard they don't do as many reoccurring
00:45:37
characters now except on update or whatever. But back then you could have a tunes or a sprockets or a Hans and
00:45:45
France or a Hollywood minute or Sandler would do sing a song, you know, his opera man. And there were so many to
00:45:53
start the show with that it just seemed like a very And then I said that to Lauren on this podcast and then I heard
00:45:59
him talking about it to the New York Times. >> The early 90s we had a lot of weapons.
00:46:06
Yeah, we had a we had a lot of um variety within we had a lot of variety within the the comedy of the show so
00:46:15
that uh distinct flavors, you know, and so a lot of people could pick, you know,
00:46:20
a dozen people would pick maybe eight different things as the best thing in the show, you know.
00:46:26
>> Yes. And we should mention, well, I want you to continue, but Bonnie and Terry
00:46:29
Turner as well because they were they could punch they could punch things up. They were really great with the church
00:46:34
slate and other things. So, go ahead. What were you >> say? I'm just saying that that that era
00:46:39
I was just identifying with with um and I know I I'm whenever I'm as asked questions like that I I I like worry
00:46:47
about is people I inadvertently leave out. >> Yeah. Accidentally we're leaving out
00:46:53
people for sure. But there have been every era of the show and and by the way I I think there were like
00:47:00
um there were like three or four distinct periods of the show where I I thought that we were doing a lot of really great
00:47:09
shows like the early years. >> Yeah. >> And the next great peri Well, the next great period was that one year with
00:47:14
Marty Short and Chris Guest. >> Yeah. >> And then and Harry Sheer did great stuff
00:47:19
that year. And um >> and then um your era which I I would make like 86 to like 93.
00:47:28
>> That was the time I was in. >> Then there was the second the Will Pharaoh era
00:47:35
>> and >> well David was overlapped with that a little bit. >> I was in there. Yeah. I was I over
00:47:40
overlapped one year with Will >> but Will Pharaoh was Yeah. >> But he was another force coming on.
00:47:45
>> Yeah. >> Right. And then and then that that that cast that sort of that Kristen Wig,
00:47:52
>> Fred Armson, Will Forte. Yeah. The Lonely Island guys. Yeah. And that So there have been there have been enough
00:48:00
of those >> uh there enough great eras. It's it's like, >> you know, it's like the Yankees or
00:48:07
something. >> Oh yeah. Lineups >> to talk about for fun. Take time to think you're good. No one really told us
00:48:15
any of us were any good until 10 years later and then Will Ferrell said they said we sucked and then 10 years later
00:48:20
they said oh they were great. So it takes a while to look back like right now you'll look back later and go oh
00:48:26
these people were really you know that's just how it works. >> Yeah. I I gave up a long time ago trying
00:48:31
to answer the question like if you had to pick like an all-star team because >> I know
00:48:36
>> it ends up being it ends up being like 25 people, you know. >> Yeah. One of the things I I really liked about
00:48:43
the 50th, I know Dana and I I'm sorry that that you know that you weren't there.
00:48:48
>> You didn't care about but there was you got so many people on camera in combinations that you'd never seen
00:48:56
before and that was that was really nice to see. Um >> you know I wanted to introduce something
00:49:04
with Eddie Murphy. I thought that'd be a perfect time for us to get together and
00:49:08
sort of address our little fake >> that spat has lasted so long, but I think is it finally done? People don't
00:49:15
know David made fun of Eddie on on weekend. Probably because of Jim. >> Probably Jim.
00:49:23
>> Yeah, >> I Eddie, if you're watching this, I bet against that. Absolutely. >> But um you know, I worked with Eddie in
00:49:31
that in a film that Andy Breckman uh it was his thing. He directed it. >> Not moving. What was it?
00:49:37
>> It was the White Like Me thing. >> Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was >> You did work on that. That was during
00:49:45
the first time >> I was ever recognized on the street in New York was just from that brief uh you
00:49:55
know exposure with the great Eddie Murphy. >> No one movie. >> It was It was a film piece and it was
00:50:01
where Eddie was in Whiteface. >> Oh yeah. Okay. And >> yeah, yeah, I remember it. Yeah,
00:50:05
>> I remember that's >> killer vision >> that Andy Andy Bregman directed. >> Oh, sorry. Andy,
00:50:12
>> the thing about uh the thing about Eddie, which now that we have 50 plus years, you know, it's kind of like um
00:50:20
how did someone get that evolved and confident? I guess at 19 he gets on the show, but he put in his dues. He started
00:50:32
at 17 and his dad would drive the car. >> But seriously, >> being I I got on at 31. I was still
00:50:40
waitering till I was 24. I mean, just Eddie is amazing how great he was. It's not a hot take. It's just interesting in
00:50:48
the context. I I to be honest with you, I remember um I had recommended when when the original writers and cast left
00:50:56
the show in May of 1980 u and Gene Demanian took over as producer. I always got along pretty well with Jean. her
00:51:03
office was directly next door to Billy and and and my office. And um so she um asked me if I had any uh advice and I
00:51:15
recommended a couple of writers um one of whom became a very valuable writer uh for the next couple years. But anyway,
00:51:23
um when I would go to visit uh these people, you know, I was I I was at Letterman at the time or I was doing
00:51:31
something else, but I would I would come by and just to to, you know, stick my head in, say hi. I was constantly
00:51:38
encountering Eddie Murphy. >> This was who was a featured player and he was just going into everyone's office
00:51:45
and being hilarious. And I remember going to Jean and saying, you know, Jean, there's the that Eddie Murphy guy.
00:51:53
I mean, I don't think I'm this mad genius who's spotting something no one else can see. I think I think you really
00:52:00
you got I think you might want to put that guy on camera. >> And her attitude, I remembered as being
00:52:06
like, uh, I think he needs a little seasoning. Um, he's got there's something there. There's something there
00:52:12
for sure, but I just think he's not ready to go up against >> I heard about him as a standup in the
00:52:18
comic strip because I was living in New York doing the Mickey Rooney show with Nathan Lane and then a friend of mine
00:52:24
was on Broadway with Mickey. He was a juggler, Michael Davies >> and he just were walking around New York
00:52:29
and he goes, "There's this comedian, young comedian at Comic Street. You should really check him out." But this
00:52:34
is why I want I just popped into my brain. There are certain things that are I just stick with me as being really
00:52:42
funny and that was just James Brown in a hot tub. I don't know why >> but that still would get me every time.
00:52:51
Do you know the bit David? >> Well, >> you can say it and it sounds funny. This a scenario
00:52:57
>> and the f the way he could do James Brown how he could hit the scream after the thing. So, it's one of those Why is
00:53:04
James Brown near a hot tub? Why does he keep sticking his foot in the hot water?
00:53:08
Why is he screaming? You know, I feel you get to five questions, it has the absurdity to last. Maybe it's a little
00:53:14
bit like chopping broccoli, like why does this exist? But that was transcendent as just a full sketch.
00:53:22
>> You guys are writer performers, but I think you'll agree with me that the show
00:53:29
really is is uh a performer show. I mean, it has more scope for writing than most shows like this do, but
00:53:37
>> um it's like they always say that in in baseball, you know, good pitching beats
00:53:42
good hitting. It's like performing trumps the writing, right? >> And that a piece like that that has a
00:53:48
great premise. I mean, I'm assuming it was Eddie, but it could easily have been >> guys who wrote with him who said like,
00:53:54
"How about James Brown in a hot tub?" I mean, but it doesn't matter. It was just
00:54:00
for the however long that piece was. It was like flat out. >> Yeah. >> Just high energy laughs. I mean, I've
00:54:07
never written anything that can compete with a piece like that for energy and laugh, you know.
00:54:13
>> Um >> I mean, you know, obviously Bob Odkirks, but Full Peak Chris Farley uh doing or something. There are those
00:54:25
kinds of things that are just uh okay that's a kind of a oneoff you know >> but also Eddie went right into movies
00:54:31
and the confidence and immediately good >> like immediate so that that was he was
00:54:37
good SNL good over there like was pretty crazy >> like I say he had he was plenty
00:54:42
confident backstage and and I'm talking about >> 198081 it's just that um he um it wasn't
00:54:51
appreciated and then when Dick Eversaw came the next season. He very quickly broke through.
00:54:57
>> Oh, so he didn't blow up the first year. I didn't >> Well, he wasn't. He didn't get a lot of
00:55:02
camera time. Um, >> his only year struggling. I love that he got a little taste of all the [ __ ] that
00:55:07
we all crazy about. >> J also Daryl Hammond calls him the world's greatest impressionist. Not that
00:55:14
he does a lot of impressions, but the ones that he did were, you know, he did his Stevie Wonder. I don't was the first
00:55:21
one to do that, you know, and he could sing like Stevie Wonder. It was like he had every metric going, you know,
00:55:27
>> like Jamie Fox also has some really good ones, too. Secretly, it's like a secret
00:55:31
weapon. >> Yeah. But I still like Hans and FRS. That's still kind of my favorite thing
00:55:38
only because um they're so insecure. They have this cable show and they're imagining people
00:55:45
denying them and then they're threatening to go to their house and do these really evil, perverse physical
00:55:52
things to them. >> I actually I actually have a very clear memory of you coming to me and pitching
00:56:00
that idea and you explaining that. But they're just incredibly abusive without actually helping their clients. So it's
00:56:09
just like humiliating They have the they have the breakdown part really well but not the buildup
00:56:17
part. >> Yeah. >> Well, because then they bring it to themselves. And if you don't think we're
00:56:21
properly pumped, let me tell you something. >> We could very easily come to your house
00:56:26
easy >> and stretch the flap of your back into the shape of a rope ladder so you could
00:56:30
crawl down in the sewer because that's where losers live. You know, it's supposed to be a Jack Lane show helping
00:56:36
people and they always turned it. >> By the way, they don't have one client. They've never showed them working
00:56:42
someone out. It's just always yelling at the camera. >> And I love that Kevin Nean when we would
00:56:48
be right before right before the camera came on, Kevin would just lower his IQ. I'd seen Will Ferrell have that trick.
00:56:54
Kevin would just make his eyes go stupid and it really made me laugh, you know, just Yeah. You know, so so Kevin and I
00:57:03
are playing a gig together and we'll come out as Hans and France. We're playing it in Seattle.
00:57:07
>> Yeah. >> So I'm already thinking Yeah. uh the Puget Sound should be called Puny Sound
00:57:14
because the jokes are so bad and they're so pleased. So anyway, I still like that
00:57:18
and you worked a lot on that. You was so so glad to have you and Smiggle come in
00:57:24
>> at a given time with Kevin and >> that was that was just you know so easy to to you know to just we were like
00:57:32
bouncing stuff off in the room. I mean, you guys had you knew what you were doing and it was another thing where it
00:57:38
was a a single shot so you could just go to town and um >> but I remember the very first time that
00:57:46
was on it was the last piece in the show. five to one. >> And um you know, it just shows if if you
00:57:56
lead the audience, you know, you bring them along, they they might not recognize at first how much they really
00:58:03
enjoy it, but if you >> Well, that's really true statement. I mean, you know, Dana, let's say
00:58:09
>> Jim was there for Cheburger, Cheburger, Cheer. I look back at Cone Head. Some
00:58:13
some of the early ones don't work at all and the audience just has to sort of absorb what's going on. And the next
00:58:19
time they do it like recurring then everyone's on to it now. >> Yes. Because I think they thought we
00:58:25
would pick up fake barbells. >> Yeah. They're figuring it out. >> You know, we're ons and frs and I think,
00:58:30
you know, we had padded things. I think that that's what they thought. >> That was never going to happen. But in
00:58:36
that case too, my character evolved because when I would look in the mirror and I was so much smaller than Kevin, it
00:58:42
just became sorry. Whoops. you know, just what do our muscles frighten you? >> Your stupid buzz cuts.
00:58:51
>> So, that made me happy, you know, because I I get bored very easily. But that was So, anyway, that was fun to
00:58:58
work on. Anything else for Jim who uh was the first five years of SNL for people don't know? First five years of
00:59:06
Letterman maybe. >> First like two. >> Yeah. >> You have Letterman and then you went
00:59:11
back. huge huge influence on the Letterman sensibility because you were right there in the beginning. He was
00:59:17
lucky to have you. I mean, >> do you see him out there anymore? You talk to him a lot or no? Well, actually,
00:59:21
yeah, we just did um I I hadn't seen very much of Dave over the years, uh except running into him now and then,
00:59:28
but um the um we did um I did his podcast, the Barbara Gaines Show, >> which is always Barbara Gaines introduces Dave
00:59:43
and his guest, and I did that back in December, and they made it a two-parter, I think. And then
00:59:51
>> um Robert um approached him about doing um >> doing Robert Smeiggel's new podcast,
00:59:58
Humor Me. >> Yeah. >> And and um and Dave said, "Let's why don't I do it with Jim again?" So we did
01:00:06
we did that thing. >> Oh, you did that? Okay. >> Yeah. I've seen a lot D a lot more Dave
01:00:09
than I have um uh in the you know, since I left the show in 1984. Um but um yeah, he was um that was a
01:00:20
real case we were talking about bringing an audience along and and sort of training them to it's like it's like the
01:00:27
first time you had sushi if you can remember that >> you know um uh it it was a little
01:00:35
>> a little you not you weren't sure about it and then um >> you know it became your favorite food.
01:00:42
Jim, I have a last story about sushi that you remind me of. So, when we were at uh I lived on the upper west side
01:00:48
when you were there and Farley, we'd never had sushi and so we someone recommended we go to this place on the
01:00:56
upper west side and so he's like, I love, you know, he's just there were probably four of us there. And then they
01:01:03
they brought us out like a dessert with sparklers and they come on, oh my go. and they call it and when he gets close
01:01:10
to Chris he GOES OH MY EYES AND THEN HE DIVES on the ground that the sparks got in his eyes and then he rolls on the
01:01:16
ground screaming and the whole place stands up and goes oh and they're like oh no they don't know what to do and
01:01:22
then he goes I'm fooling I'm fine and they're like what's going on is they still trying to get help for him and
01:01:28
he's like it was a bit they don't know you had to be very careful with Farley as to what you dared him to do because
01:01:40
it was a weighty responsibility cuz do I really want to say you don't have the nerve to pick that waitress up and carry
01:01:47
her down the stairs or something, >> put her in the fountain or poo out the window on the 17th floor.
01:01:53
>> I I was on record as opposed to that. >> What about the broomstick? >> The liability. Oh, wow. Okay.
01:02:01
>> At the rewrite table. >> That's That's for the after hours. Yeah, that's for the post.
01:02:07
>> I think that story's been told. >> I do. I do remember I do remember the time and I'm sure you guys were there in
01:02:13
the room. We were doing rewrites and um uh I think it was Tara Eli, who was the writer's assistant,
01:02:21
>> uh comes up to me. I'm at the head of the table and and whispers to me, uh just so you know, uh Chris Chris Farley
01:02:29
is out in the hallway and he's completely naked. And so, and so we had those big heavy metal doors with that,
01:02:37
you know, they're pinned in the middle, you know, and so I I told everyone, "Okay, Farley's going to come in, you
01:02:42
guys. >> And he's going to come in naked. So, it's vitally important that no one give
01:02:47
him anything. >> No one reacts. >> We just have to sort of go, oh yeah, hey, Chris, what's up? Back to our
01:02:53
work." And so Farley comes in and he had his private >> tucked between his legs and he's
01:03:00
fondling his tweaking his nipples and going like, "Do you think I'm pretty?" That kind of thing. And then we're we
01:03:08
all did the same kind of, "Oh, hey Chris. Hey, we got to talk about that update thing later." And he was so
01:03:17
serious >> that it bombed. Too bad iPhones weren't around back then because you can't it's
01:03:23
all just in. >> Was there some fake subpoena given to him at the last >> Yeah, that was that was a a um that
01:03:31
started with it was partly just a practical joke but >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> But but we also liked
01:03:38
>> we had been on a film shoot. It was a piece I wrote. Um it was it was do you remember the show Tales of the Highway
01:03:46
Patrol? >> Oh, Highway Patrol. It was a real It was an early reality show actually. It was
01:03:50
like cops and it was like some other network's answer to cops. And anyway, it was we we did this thing and it was like
01:03:58
1993 or something. It was tales of the Arkansas Highway Patrol. And so it was basically Bill Clinton um you know just
01:04:08
having engaging in illicit sex with various women in parked cars with guarded by Arkansas state troopers. And
01:04:17
then it ended with a scene where it's a domestic abuse case and and he's clearly
01:04:22
had the [ __ ] beat out of him by Hillary and so it's the she he's refusing to press charges and he's claiming he fell
01:04:29
down the stairs, you know, that kind of thing. Anyway, so we had to drive to the
01:04:34
shoot and and Farley was deep in character, you know, it's like, um, little lady, uh, I got a problem. See,
01:04:42
it seems they gave me an expense account. Unless I spend it all, they're liable to cut me back.
01:04:47
>> So, he was he was hitting on this this um this woman who was an extra >> and Schneider and I were in the car and
01:04:56
we finally had to like physically jump between the two of them to prevent to head off something. And so it began with
01:05:06
that, but we decided to um play a practical joke on him where we had him served with a fake subpoena and had some
01:05:13
of the writers from the Simpsons act as as process servers. And it was at the last show party and and later I was told
01:05:22
it was a cruel thing to do and and and like come on, you the poor actress who was in that car, that wasn't a, you
01:05:29
know, picnic for her. Anyway, yeah, that's a true story. He fell for that one. He flipped out.
01:05:35
>> What a character. >> Oh yeah. Anytime. You don't even know what it's for. You just think
01:05:42
>> David, you always you always did a great impression of Farley going from like
01:05:47
innocent to like barking orders to his management and everything >> in it turning. Well, it would be like uh
01:05:55
I don't know. I'm just I'm I I'm I'm not I don't I'm not really a reader. Like, listen, listen. I'm not doing it. I'm
01:06:02
not doing it for that money. That kind of thing. Yeah. >> Yeah. Tell them [ __ ] six million or
01:06:06
I'm out. >> I'll [ __ ] walk anyway. I'm from Wisconsin. Do you have a McDonald's
01:06:13
here? Is it on wheels? Because we have one. You still doing that? Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. He was uh he I like when he
01:06:22
greased his hair back like Christian Slater and wore the big glasses like Acroyd.
01:06:28
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But he um uh God, he he was funny. >> God damn. >> I thought he looked cool with the hair
01:06:36
greased back. I remember me and him and Christian Slater went down to Huxley's and he's like this. Hi, Christian. You
01:06:44
grease your hair back. And he's like, "Yeah, Chris, I do." And he's like, "Yeah,
01:06:48
it was all the Chris Far when me and Dana met Ringoar and McCartney and we were It's always turns into the Chris
01:06:54
Farley show. It's the funniest thing to to to describe perfectly what you're doing. You're too giddy. You're excited.
01:07:02
Asking dumb things and just being like, "Oh, you were in the Beatles." Yeah. Yeah. That was awesome.
01:07:07
>> Don't want to make them angry is the main thing. Or or bore them, you know. Yeah.
01:07:11
>> If you're talking to a Beatle, you know, or something they've really heard. >> That was It's a skill set.
01:07:18
>> It's a dicey proposition to talk to. >> Yeah. >> Super famous. Uh Jim, uh >> Jim, anything else you want to
01:07:25
>> million things you've got going? Oneote on DVD. >> Um >> Downey wrote that which Dane and I are
01:07:32
in and we >> You're both in and thank you very much for that. I'm sorry I I wasn't looking
01:07:37
my best at the time. I was co did um a number on some of us and and I got >> I remember that. I just remember someone
01:07:46
I was in the room to get ready to come out to the patio to do the three-hour interview and I go, "Really? Three
01:07:52
hours? It's okay. We'll be hanging out." >> And a woman came up behind me with just
01:07:56
goop in her hands and just went like this. >> Oh, to your hair. >> Yeah. Without asking.
01:08:02
>> Never. >> Hey, we got something for you. >> I would have been like crack. >> Yeah. You're looking healthy. You're
01:08:11
looking good. I mean, when you turn 65 next year, that's going to be >> big milestone.
01:08:18
>> We're kind of the same age. I don't want to bring up numbers, though. >> Well, I'm older. I'm older than than
01:08:25
anybody now. >> Anybody >> in comedy? No. >> Um, >> that's active and still at the top.
01:08:32
You're at the top of your game, >> Jim. I shop at Tavern on the >> I think you are.
01:08:39
I would say I'm um I'm I'm embarking on a new career like we talked about at the
01:08:45
beginning, the um the uh >> actor performer with with limited camera presence, >> but um I can deliver I can deliver a a
01:08:57
low energy dead pan performance like nobody. >> Me too. I'll see at the auditions. You
01:09:02
accidentally every time I see something that you're in, I go, "Fuck, he stole it."
01:09:08
>> Yeah. >> He stole the whole thing. Have you >> What I am What I am is I'm I'm kind of a
01:09:13
good luck charm. I mean, if you think about it, Daniel D. Lewis, >> best actor. >> Yep.
01:09:20
>> Sean Penn supporting actor. >> Y >> What's the common denominator? Have you told PTA that maybe there's a
01:09:28
spin-off and you're not pushing it, but maybe your guy could spin off and like do a sitcom or something?
01:09:34
>> He's been made aware that I'm available. >> He's been made aware. >> You're there. You're ready to write it
01:09:40
if you >> Was this your idea? Because it didn't sound like you, but it's been floated a
01:09:44
sequel and it's going to be called one battle after another after another and I thought
01:09:49
>> 100 episodes. >> Maybe make it a streaming show. I'm not sure. battles seemed like it had your
01:09:54
fingerprints on it, but I can't really tell. One battle after another. >> It sounds like it would be a funny
01:10:00
something to do maybe on the show as a film piece. And no, it didn't come from me.
01:10:04
>> I made that up. Of course, >> I think it's in the ether like people. It's ready. People are ready.
01:10:10
>> Will there be a 60th? Last question. Will there be a 60th and will you be at it?
01:10:16
>> Eight and a half years. >> Will Dana be at it? I'm >> I'd like to think that I will definitely
01:10:21
be invited. Um, and as all of you guys will, >> uh, no post ones. >> Yeah, maybe not at that point. By the
01:10:29
way, do you realize I I asked about this cuz you know the capacity the seating capacity of Studio 8H is like if you
01:10:37
knock out every possible, you know, thing, it's it's like 300 nod seats. >> Yeah. And there are
01:10:47
at the time in February of 2025 750 people had hosted the show. >> Oh boy. >> So you kind of have to if someone hosted
01:10:57
the show you kind of have to invite them maybe hoping that they don't come >> but and then you can't exactly tell them
01:11:03
they can't bring a guest >> and then that's not involving music. And so that was a real
01:11:11
>> uh I did all of us got to be inside the studio. Well, Dana, you could have been
01:11:15
you you were not feeling well. I know. >> Well, what what did I miss? I mean, was
01:11:20
it How did it compare to the >> It was on TV. >> It was uh >> I watched it live.
01:11:26
>> I thought both of them were were actually pretty good shows. >> There's some fun stuff in them. All
01:11:30
Yeah. And you know, I gotta say, you know, really, there were little things like David, you had your that thing in
01:11:36
in the piece where you completely changed changed the energy of the piece for a minute and you just sort of said,
01:11:43
"Nope, I'm doing this then go you can guys can go back and do it." It was [ __ ] the sketch. Yeah.
01:11:49
>> And the other thing that really, this is a crazy thing because you mentioned him,
01:11:53
Nathan Lane, remember it was that piece that I think John Melany was the head writer on. It was
01:11:59
>> it was like the history of New York in in like eight minutes or something and
01:12:03
it was just Nathan Lane dancing through did the funniest impression of a guy doing blow
01:12:10
>> that really cracked me up. >> That was right next to us in that scene. >> I'll bring that up. We're gonna have
01:12:14
Nathan on here. I don't know the timeline of these releases, but yeah, we we will be talking. Uh it's always nice
01:12:21
talking headwriter >> going through that, you know, am I an actor? Am I a writer? And then Paul
01:12:29
Thomas Anderson calls. Jim, are you going to host? >> Um, I I'm taking myself out of
01:12:38
consideration for hosting. >> Okay. >> I, uh, I understand. >> I just, uh, I've just too much on my
01:12:43
plate right now. >> Plate is full. >> But, uh, I will say, um, I did want to mention, um, uh, Downey wrote that.
01:12:53
>> Downey wrote that. >> It's time. They're they're voting on Emmy nominations >> on Peacock.
01:12:58
>> I've been asked I've been asked to mention that. I want to mention um Eddie Michaels uh was great with on that
01:13:07
producer >> and everyone else who worked on it. >> Yes. >> And um >> well this is how I would do it as Hans
01:13:17
>> F. I smell an Oscar. No, I smell it. Emmy nomination. >> Here it come. >> Whoops. So long. Other docks. Fly away.
01:13:31
You no longer want it. We already have our winner. Jim's face. Jim is going, "What?"
01:13:39
>> I think I think you I think that's you made some excellent points there. And uh
01:13:47
>> you should have come on. This was I thought about randomly. Okay. I thought that Jim would come on as the head of
01:13:53
the network so-called >> and do your deadpan thing of like, you know, when you do that with the
01:14:00
audience, it doesn't really increase our numbers, you know. What do you mean? What are you talking about?
01:14:04
>> Although it's appreciated. >> Yeah. >> Uh the Billy Madison run is always on like a meme or on a good job on that
01:14:11
one. >> And uh we'll see you on the next interview. And this might be our longest
01:14:15
interview we did. It was fun. No, the last time I did what you >> I'm gonna be back, right? I'm going to
01:14:22
be back. >> Well, you know what it when you get the nomination, you should come back because
01:14:27
I I like being >> a savant. >> We'll never run out of stories to ask you about cuz it's too fun.
01:14:32
>> No, I have, you know, we did I don't think we got to any of the things we were talking about discussing. So, I I
01:14:40
don't think we got to a single one of them. >> We're the worst, dude. >> Did we talk about pus much? A little
01:14:45
bit. Not much. It's not breaking it a whole lot. >> I did I did I did want to mention your
01:14:51
um >> your Jerry Brown impression. >> Oh, that's right. That's >> was one of my favorite things ever. I
01:14:58
was proud to be one of the writers on that piece. >> Absolutely. >> I know. And I looked for it because you
01:15:05
mentioned that when we were talking on YouTube, Dana Carvey does Jerry Brown. Where is it? Because I was gonna I
01:15:11
wanted to re >> Jerry Brown now is not good. I wanted to relearn it for this podcast because it's
01:15:17
hard to remember the rhythm. I know it was and a thing and a thing, you know, was there was a thing there, but you
01:15:22
know, I I need to see it. >> I I've got to I'm going to say one last thing before we sign off. A few years
01:15:27
ago, well actually 24 years ago, I I was in San Francisco was an event for the Harvard Lampoon and and we were staying
01:15:37
at the uh home of um near the Prescidio of a very wealthy Harvard Lampoon alumnist
01:15:44
>> who was personal friends with both Jerry Brown and with Willie Brown. >> And this was at a time when Willie Brown
01:15:52
was mayor of San Francisco and Jerry Brown was mayor of Oakland. So we at the dinner we had this mayor Brown of the of
01:15:59
the month contest and we got we found another guy named Brown who was mayor of of some other town and um we had a and
01:16:07
the way we we did it was I I briefed everyone in attendance saying okay I'm introduced the three mayors they're not
01:16:13
in the room right now when I introduce you know the mayor Brown of of Vakavville or whatever he was you know I
01:16:20
want you know polite applause when I introduce Jerry Brown polite applause and When I introduce Willie Brown, I
01:16:26
want everyone going crazy like standing on your chairs like ah ah. And so we did
01:16:32
it and Willie Brown instant and then we're doing at the dinner the three of them. Willie Brown instantly starts
01:16:39
laughing because he gets a joke. Jerry Brown was very upset. >> His feelings were hurt
01:16:46
>> that he didn't get the response. Jim, I did you start the one about welcome our
01:16:51
host Tom Hanks smattering next week Sharon Stone. A huge applause. >> Well, that was a thing that Franken used
01:16:58
to used to do. >> Yeah, >> I did it immediately. Make the host feel like an [ __ ] That's [ __ ] job
01:17:07
number one at SNL. They're already nervous. They're like, "Who's next week?" And they're like, "It's going to
01:17:13
be this. Someone so much better than you." >> Funny. always funny. They always be like
01:17:18
[ __ ] Okay, thank you, Jim. >> All right, listen. If you're enjoying The Fly on the Wall, of course,
01:17:27
hopefully you are. Click follow. We don't want to be desperate, but obviously smash that goddamn button on
01:17:33
your favorite podcast app. >> Leave a review, a good one. >> Leave a fivestar rating, nothing else.
01:17:40
>> Whoops. >> And maybe even share an episode with a friend. If you're watching this episode
01:17:44
on YouTube, please subscribe. Dana, what do you think? >> I'm gonna tell you this right now. Hear
01:17:49
me now, believe me later. Fly in the Wall, believe it or not, is presented by Odyssey.
01:17:56
>> And executive produced by, hold for it, Dana Carvey and David Spade, or David
01:18:02
Spade and Dana Carvey. We don't write this stuff. Heather Santoro, Greg Holtzman, and Leah Reese Dennis. The
01:18:10
show is edited by Evan Cox with production support from Phil Sweet Tech. Talent production and booking by Sophia
01:18:18
Leapor.