00:00:00
you look great You look wonderful Thank you They pulled me from hair and makeup They pulled I love I love authentic
00:00:07
spade is my favorite Spade Yeah Look at me Yeah It's awesome It's a little dark Yeah Sure Sharp Good No there's texture
00:00:14
There's There's contrast Taran looks the best Dana looks like a best because it's bright And do you have the blur
00:00:22
background uh Taran uh no I It's a good camera but I do have the touch-up filter
00:00:28
on Yeah you no 26 So I don't know Yeah we we're if we can videotape this I mean your new nickname is high school senior I'll take the beard
00:00:42
and go out Just go out Yeah the the beard is fake so I can get booze He was a family man that went back to high school He had a beard when he was 13
00:00:54
Invest in Apple Trust me Yeah Damn That's too close to home I was told to do that in 2003 and I told the guy to [ __ ] off I said "Take your Apple stock
00:01:05
ideas It will never work." You're the Dana You're the anti-forest gump Yeah You go back and get bad advice What is that obvious now you know what's what's the We can't tell right now because
00:01:18
everything's just like It's exactly It's going to be attack that that I don't even understand I know
00:01:25
I got all my money in female space missions Okay You're doing very well This is a big week for you for one I'm
00:01:33
Oh that's right Well we'll we could talk about that if you want but we'll I just went straight into the divine feminine
00:01:39
Just all divine feminine That's the future No I'd go to space I'd go to space Wouldn't you go to space sure It's seemingly like the uproar is like how they talked about going to space like
00:01:52
they weren't they weren't acknowledging of the jet fuel enough but I'd go to space Well the tension is is that any
00:01:59
rocket could blow up any second in the uh take off That would make me nervous And that's the you know oh sorry it was
00:02:06
a fuse We didn't trade it out you know Oh the So if we lost Gail that way I'd never forgive us You never can imagine if Oprah just went full Oprah If that thing exploded and she start beating the
00:02:18
[ __ ] out of Basos That's her like John Wick movie She becomes a one a one Oprah army Try to
00:02:25
pull her off Anybody who drives a cyber truck sudden suddenly ends up dead You want some of this Oprah but anyway I like that Jeff Basos Everything in his whole ecosystem looks like a dick Like
00:02:38
the spaceship does The swoop on Amazon does His actual head His own head Sorry I don't His wiener surprisingly doesn't It is No it's it's more square Square
00:02:51
It's more choike They're rich and famous Fun to [ __ ] on them They're fine They're fine man But seriously would you go on the rocket yes cuz we could do an SNL alumni rocket Oh
00:03:04
yeah Wait that's what we should do All right troops Um Fred Armanson you'll be in the blue
00:03:11
chair Yeah Who's your dream cast like no Who's your dream SNL astronaut yeah That
00:03:17
was your dream rocket cast Yeah Yeah Actually I would cast you as an astronaut I'll take it cuz you could
00:03:24
play you can act and you could play it and you could play that kind of whatever you call that astronaut vibe I'll take
00:03:30
it Dana I didn't know this was going to be an hour of my heroes complimenting me but I kind of faster It is Well we just
00:03:38
Yeah You can run but you cannot hide Sorry Taran Killium We're about to put You could use your bland Bachelor sort of character to go up in his face to be the everyman Exactly I just watched
00:03:51
Bland Bachelor What was it called selena Gomez Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah I remember that Do How often does it happen where people bring up sketches that you have no memory of um it's never
00:04:04
not happened Yeah Yeah It's funny because I said there's I will remember everything I did
00:04:09
on SNL and I I wasn't like super sketch guys So I was in like one or two a show and I still cannot remember half of them Yeah I remember my first week very well
00:04:21
and Seth being at the table talking about seeing an episode on BH1 or whatever and he's like I turned it on
00:04:26
and Amy Puller was in it and I was like oh I must have been changing backstage I don't remember this sketch And he walked
00:04:32
onto the screen He was in the sketch and I remember thinking to myself that'll never happen to me There's no way I will
00:04:39
remember every second of this Well 127 shows is the main metric that I read So probably cuz you were ubiquitous on the show 400 sketches
00:04:50
Yeah probably maybe 500 A lot Half of those high school astronauts The high school astronaut That's a addendum I I have some film ideas for this dude before we get done But let's go through
00:05:01
his let's go through listen to my transition to do a pitch I was at the good nights I saw a clip the other day
00:05:08
and it was it was when Nirvana was on either I don't know which time but I guess Kurt Cobain had purple hair and he turned around and started making out with Chris Novasac or Dave Gro and it
00:05:22
was a big story and you pan you pull back and I'm standing right there you know in the back waiting to hug someone
00:05:28
or get get it over with not really watching them kiss and I'm like I do not remember being on the good nights and I
00:05:34
do not remember seeing them is And that was scary cuz that was actually something that happened instead of just
00:05:41
being in the background of a sketch or something So I realized it does happen It's very real what we're talking about
00:05:47
It is We're getting deep heavy and real But I um deep heavy and real Dana's new special Deep heavy and real No I know
00:05:53
someone says that You know when you hug people on the good nights it's kind of interesting There's a traditional amount
00:05:59
of hugging and hugging pressure and then there's more pressure and longer and like geez I didn't know you felt this way about me It's like Heidi Gardner It's fascinating to like
00:06:12
she feels that way about everybody She's a lover She's a lover She's adorable Um I it's fascinating how people project
00:06:17
onto the good nights you know like I I the only thing I would do is that when the when the beat would drop in the
00:06:24
drums I would like jump into the air and people caught on to that But that was like a fun tradition Oh that's cool But
00:06:29
otherwise it's Yeah it was nice It was And and not always on camera so sometimes you just see a shoulder
00:06:35
hopping into frame or whatever Um but it's so funny how people read into that like oh look they're they didn't hug
00:06:41
They're angry Yeah they skip this The host walks right by you and hugs someone next to you O on camera
00:06:47
Furn shame So you would go to the back and then snake your way toward the lens or would you snake i I it depend I wish I wish like a regret is I wish I'd
00:06:59
stayed in costume more cuz those are my favorite good nights to see Oh yeah Especially when the 10 to one got cut
00:07:05
and you're just like oh yeah why why is there some like robot clown on on holding a hot dog and it doesn't make What did that What was that dress like a llama The best part is when you're still
00:07:18
in your costume you're like "Barely made it to good nights." Yeah It's a show It's live folks Yeah I I do I love it Um
00:07:26
Yeah But in terms of like any who hugged me who didn't like so much of just speaking for myself like I'm in my own head about my week Like I literally don't care about anybody else Who did
00:07:37
you hug the most though was it the host or was it That's a good question Was Oh Vanessa Kristen and I overlap Kristen Kristen and I knew each other before the show too So she was always very kind to
00:07:49
me very groundlings Yeah Big G You're the coolest The Groundlings are the coolest cuz they just come in loaded They've already done sketch comedy We're standups We're
00:08:01
playing greasy spoons and [ __ ] boxes It's literally cheating when you go to read through the first day I go "This
00:08:06
guy will suck." And then they got a [ __ ] perfectly buffed out Groundlings Like a perfect sketch You can take it
00:08:13
from ground lanes and put it on 8h and old Jed's a millionaire You know it is the best training in terms of like the structure Like there is no other comedy platform You know Second City is is
00:08:26
pretty close and similar but Groundlings especially the Sunday company is like new show every Sunday pitching ideas But
00:08:32
I love I love what Chris Rock says about it and that like standup people come in and they know how to write jokes That is
00:08:39
the difference That's the difference is that like the joke I that was something I structure I
00:08:44
struggled with Um Growlings are are character based so it's behavioral comedy right like like to pair it down
00:08:51
but and the standups I was always so envious and covetous of the of just knowing how to get laughs How to get laughs that was that's helpful I don't know how to write jokes Spade's a great
00:09:03
joke writer monologue writer but he he's telling a story and then he has all these laugh points you call them But but
00:09:09
yeah little tiny tent poles trying Sketches are tougher Go ahead Well the way what Teran what you lean in
00:09:16
on is what I still find my my favorite where it's like I did see one I went through because that's the cool thing YouTube best of Taran you know So I
00:09:27
we'll go into a lot of them but the one with Justin Bieber where he says glice and you're you're totally carrying the
00:09:33
sketch with attitude of the [ __ ] brother who's really [ __ ] with the date of of his sister
00:09:40
aggressively and played all the beats and committed so hard that it it was just so much fun to watch Oh thanks man
00:09:49
Yeah that that was a grounding sketch for sure Oh it was but yeah And tell me about it because I didn't see it but it was just explain it do a little bit of the attitude so he but no Yes So the the
00:10:00
premise is that Nim brings home a boyfriend from college uh Justin Bieber and he has to meet her older like way past his prime still living at home
00:10:12
brother who like tries to act intimidating but is pretty pathetic And Justin's first line is like it's nice to meet sorry it's nice to meet you I meant to say I'm glad to meet you and it's
00:10:22
nice but I said glice and then my guy's like glice what the hell is he sound so stupid and then throughout the sketch all these details about my life come out with the with and then he can't let
00:10:36
go of it he can't let go of the one thing he has against this beautiful charming young man who's come home of a
00:10:42
jerk and the the rhythm and there it's like a a joke in a way that you're going to all that and then you kind of break
00:10:48
it down again Oh don't get me wrong man You're a cool brother And then you There's like a big laugh in it That was just me saying remember like I say glice
00:10:56
and I say remember and it had happened 30 seconds ago Yeah He seems pretty cool though Was he fun that way he was Yeah he was young He He was young and he was
00:11:07
he was entering a fade But I had I had whatever that mean That's a good cloaked He's Yeah he's It was It was like uh I feel like it was pre-roast post um you know postb
00:11:21
believer documentary right um but yeah but but but you know it it's so interesting like the currency in SNL where I'm so desperate for laughs speaking of laughs but in many ways it's
00:11:34
better to get like a whoop like a a to get like the girls screaming you know that was like a big big part of like Timberlake's currency and stuff is like they're not necessarily howling or sides
00:11:45
spplitting but they're just like when they would scream for justice did you wave also like Yeah exactly Some of it's
00:11:52
for me trust me Yeah some of it's for me It's a kind of a split crowd I won't point to which ones because I'm humble
00:11:57
but part of this is for me for sure Yeah Um All right Well did you and be No no I
00:12:04
just don't Oh Oh sorry I got all these lists We've even been on a commercial for the last 12 minutes Yeah We're going
00:12:10
to record We're going to start recording This is called our warm-up No you should have talked to Bieber about what it's
00:12:15
like You understand the quick fame Yeah Yeah Let me let me like man I've been there dude I just want to give you some advice Yeah I mean I started on the show a little bit older Like I was 28
00:12:28
when I started which is But I know that Pete and he Pete Davidson and and Bieber connected and were like were friendly
00:12:35
for a while but I was I was already a dad when I started on the show So weird I wasn't very good at like the h the post hours hang Weird Yeah Weird man
00:12:48
[Music] So who did you overlap like you went in in 2010 so Hater was still there Yeah
00:12:56
and correct and Sedakus Yep So when did they I was there for I was there for two seasons with Wig and Samberg and then they left after my
00:13:07
second season And then Bill Jason and Fred stayed one more season Um and then and then I How long ago kristen Wig was it 212 you're saying 2012 That was when
00:13:18
she left Yeah Yeah [ __ ] Hey time flies man I mean my god I left in 1888 so I guess it it's all relative Yeah I can see the musket on your wall Right after the Constitution came out we had one bit
00:13:32
of about that and then I split So and live from New York it's Saturday night Reload I like when people quit the show for like they got a commercial and
00:13:45
they're like I'm out I hit the big time and you're like well that's it I'm done Well now they do commercials of sketches
00:13:51
while you're watching the show And I'm only envious They have a California sketch I go we will we had to Kevin Nean
00:13:58
and I were forced to turn down a Nike campaign Just do it in 1988 It was going to be Jaz do it So now they're like doing I mean I'm so I'm
00:14:10
jealous but I'm happy Can you ask him again can you hit up Phil Knight and be like "Hey hey man We're still pissed
00:14:17
Still funny Yeah let me tell you We still have the sweatshirts and pillows They still fit
00:14:24
Hey man those guys are evergreen I wanted to go on the 50th before I got the flu as Hans and Fron
00:14:31
and just it would have been awesome You were so great You were so you guys were fully loaded but thank you Taran I thought you No dude I mean you are you are a legend And so that it was felt It
00:14:44
was felt It certainly was Did I host a show when you were there and you did a Harrison Ford at readthrough which kind
00:14:50
of impressed me the the attempt is I go who is this who is this kid we got it on We got it on like I you did host and I got to be in a church lady which was which a highlight for me and
00:15:04
as Ted Cruz less of a highlight for me Um but but then I got Harrison Ford on and I'm such I'm a really big Star Wars nerd J.J Abrams reached out and he was
00:15:16
editing the first new Star Wars like the the one that they brought back and he said "Hey will you do me a favor i need
00:15:23
a line of dialogue off camera by from Harrison and I can't get him for two months." So we just want it for the real
00:15:30
so that doesn't take you out of it It's like a special effects thing where you do it So I got to record it You take
00:15:35
care of Chewy You get to the Falcon and like you got it That's great And and he used he said he used it up to literally the final mix So that was really cool And Harrison went who the [ __ ] is this
00:15:48
who the [ __ ] my house he's get out of my house He's the coolest man He's the freaking He is the movie star He goes "Get off my plane." Then he goes "Get out of my ship." Then he goes "Leave my
00:16:02
coffee shop Give me back my wish Stop sharing my parachute Don't even share my password
00:16:10
Stop being a working girl That was a good one Oh I you were a [ __ ] in Milk Money Yeah Yeah Why stop being such a witness Can I
00:16:23
get a witness and of course the the iconic Chewy get me out of here Chewy Chewy take care of Chewy Yeah Chewy your fleas are getting on me Um but you were
00:16:34
great Danny You were a great host And Spade you've always been so so kind to me First time we met was like the day
00:16:41
that the Sandman and I I I haven't earned saying that but I like to say it because that's what everybody calls it
00:16:47
Love that On Grown-Ups 2 we came out for a day Oh with the with the car wash The
00:16:52
car wash scene One of the best scenes That was such a fun day And you were so nice to all of us and and Schneider was
00:16:59
sitting that one out You were sort of filling us in on why And um you said City Grown-Ups 2 out He sat that one out
00:17:07
Yeah I know Um And then and then I don't know if you remember this David but at the 40th you were in the end of the California sketch You and Cesily did the
00:17:17
eyes and it was Saturday rehearsal and you and I got to talking and you and I walked up to like the Rainbow Room to the party together and you were telling me like beat
00:17:29
forbeat the Eddie Murphy exchange Oh yeah Did I and you're telling me that and you're like "Yeah." And I you know
00:17:34
it was stressful and and and we're sitting at Top of the Rock I don't know if you remember this but I I couldn't
00:17:40
believe it It was like we live in a scenario We live in um like we live in in in like a a Matrix like made up Yeah Um you're telling me the story You're
00:17:52
telling me basically the end of the story like Eddie came and then and he walks in with Brett Ratner Yeah He walks
00:17:58
in over your shoulder and made a beline for you and shook your hand and and you were so gracious to each other and it
00:18:03
was such a cool moment that like clearly you made peace and and it was all good But I couldn't believe it I was like I'm
00:18:09
watching like the made for TV movie simulation and he was nice again So uh I'm sure he's annoyed by that story It's so dumb But it's it's it's kind of a good little juicy one even though it's
00:18:24
too far back Is it done now was it really done or is it still came up like a few months ago don't be surprised if you see the two of us in a space ship going somewhere Yeah Yeah Flying in the
00:18:36
rocket together It was so cool in that moment like at the 40th like he like you were the first person he walked up to
00:18:43
and shook your hand He was so cool and it felt good and it was like oh Brett Ratner's here too
00:18:49
You got excited about Brett Radio Not quite as excited but you know tell me everything about Rush Hour Oh yeah Rush
00:18:55
Hour God he had it made Rush Hour Rush Hour Got back end Yeah Chris Tucker does stand up I just saw Chris Tucker was going to be at like Yamova or something in Palm Springs I'm like I I would love
00:19:07
to watch Chris Tucker do standup I don't even know what his standup is like Let's Let's have him on this podcast cuz he is
00:19:13
interesting He did he did three Jackie Chan movies 20 million each for the last two and then he's been a little mysterious in his own lane But then he came out recently is doing some Yeah
00:19:24
kind of an interesting move to turn down 20 million for something for literally anything and then uh my only fans when
00:19:32
it hit 20 I thought I'd stop but I'm addicted now you just do it for the passion No I just do it oh you know
00:19:40
who's on Amanda Bines You know Amanda Bines I was on the Amanda show back I know that was a trick question Um
00:19:48
I'm only telling you this because she announced it yesterday but she said uh which is smart up front It's
00:19:56
not going to be sleazy stuff Sure it'll be my day and stuff like that which is still interesting because she's very
00:20:01
interesting but it's 50 So I did I did a little stutter step Yeah Is that a lot or I don't know Only fans I would say that seems high High
00:20:14
Now you wonder why they're all making $20 million a year I don't know how but it must be a volume thing But uh Oh yeah
00:20:21
Amanda uh who uh you worked with Wayne Now how old were you guys then yeah I it was my first job literally the last week of high school I got I got cast on her show Um and so I we worked together for
00:20:36
like three weeks then and then I went away to college and like I didn't have an agent anymore I was focused on school
00:20:42
and they called me back to do more and they helped me get an agent Like being on the Amanda Show kind of like started
00:20:48
my my grown-up acting career Um and we were friends and then we did a movie together Big Fat Liar Um and she was the best She was it was a very important relationship to me in my life and and
00:21:01
yeah she's I was she like how old were you when you started what's the Amanda show was she like 11 or like really
00:21:06
young she's she's 14 15 when she when she was movies and that was one of the movies she did where like the She's the Man was one of course I remember Is that what it's called she's the Man the soccer one Yes Yeah exactly Channing
00:21:19
Tatum Hilarious And uh I always thought she's so great So she's one of the most talented people I think she's one of those people everyone pulls for like Britney like Yeah It's a very tough
00:21:30
world out here in showbiz at whatever level and they were they were at a high level and yeah she seems like at that
00:21:37
age too like to be a full like Lucille Ball Carol Bernett dynamic and and and had the good you know h she's truly one of the best right and she good at it
00:21:47
good at it funny very cute uh and it's just such a weird world out here that we're and when they're young you're right you just don't know Ariana they deal with Timberlake yeah just talent
00:22:00
well I was going to ask you because you think okay high school senior here and then you go do that like in the in the
00:22:06
sort of neurosis fear paranoia whatever How are you mentally navigating show business like were you super scared getting on SNL or you'd done so much
00:22:16
that you maybe were more confident i'm just curious Yeah Like I I I started auditioning very young Um like I think I was 5 years old when I did my first
00:22:28
commercial audition Um and fortunately was not successful at all and Saga I love milkshakes Yeah And your mom took you your Thorics Saga Slate Buck Walden
00:22:41
Associates That was Buck Is that really what it was sunbar [Laughter] Um but but so like was always adjacent
00:22:52
and and enough exposure but um but without any of the trappings of success Thank goodness And then all the hassle no worry about all that All that 20 million Yeah Still working Yeah Um and
00:23:05
then in high school I went to the performing arts high school here in LA Locka And so started doing theater and
00:23:10
really loved musical theater uh in particular and was going to college for musical theater And then in that sort of
00:23:17
like reconnection with the Amanda Show and getting representation I started auditioning again and on a fluke got Mad
00:23:24
TV when I was 19 Oh that's right Yeah like like just like doing lots of impressions of WB stars and stuff like that and then and then my characters were just impressions of my teachers you
00:23:37
know that I didn't like Who's on with you that we would know right around then i was there for Sassos last year and and
00:23:45
and B Alex Bourstein and then I was with Mo Collins and Michael McDonald and Stephanie Weir Andrew Daly already had it already had come and gone already I
00:23:55
was like the seventh season so I was like kind of deeper deeper in um and was just in way over my head and like what
00:24:02
is this and sketch I I'm a I'm a theater actor and then loved it so much and so many of the people particularly on the writing side that I loved like Michael Hitchcock and Jennifer Joyce were
00:24:14
Groundlings people So I left Mad TV and started taking classes at Groundlings and and kind of then had my eye on the
00:24:20
prize for SNL Then SNL did that help you knowing a little bit about Was it similar yes
00:24:28
SNL and Matt TV in that they're like Yeah Just in that they're sketch comedy shows but I think you know where Mad TV probably had a lot more chefs at the top
00:24:39
level SNL has Lauren you know and I think that that's probably the biggest chef of all He's got an aura I just have
00:24:45
to back up for a second So you're going to high school You tell your parents "Well yeah I'm going to go to high school." And you were living in Big Bear
00:24:52
right that's right So okay great Where do you want to go i want to go to a performing arts high school and I want
00:24:59
to pursue musical theater And you knew this at 17 18 and they went Yeah I mean and they were in support of it No And if anything my mom was encouraging of it She she kind of you know her her great
00:25:13
uncle was Robert Stack and her cousin David Bo is an like so she knew she knew the we just February 27th If you can't do Yamova Studios Chris Tucker turns
00:25:26
down 20 million No one knows why Yamova Studios but I love anyone who does an impression not not well and just says the name I'm rubber stuck you know and
00:25:36
you kind of hypnotize people I guess it does help I guess it's good You know why are we saying it like that's the first
00:25:42
thing I think I'm Robert Stack he did that in his audition He said one of his audition moments for SNL was "Hello I'm
00:25:50
Martin Sheen And if I don't sound like myself it's cuz I have a cold But if you do think I sound like him great." And that was the whole bit Well that's Will
00:26:01
Forte has his own lane at SNL man He's the the potato chip sketch He was surprised how big a fan I was of of that sketch where him and Sedakus go [ __ ]
00:26:13
house over a bowl of potato chips and just full tilt commitment to drama and crying
00:26:19
because he thought he took one of his potato chips It's anyway it's just Phil Ford The best perk of the job is going
00:26:24
on the server and seeing like cut for time sketches and he had a sketch called Finders Keepers It was a season finale
00:26:31
and Alec Baldwin was the host and Baldwin is coming back from the beach and he's like "Where's my car i just
00:26:37
parked my car here." And and Forte has a metal detector at the beach and he's sitting on the hood of his car that's
00:26:43
covered in sand And he's like "Sorry buddy finders keepers." And Alec goes "What are you talking about that's my car Get off the hood." And that I think there's three lines of dialogue in the full exchange And then Forte launches
00:26:55
into a full song called Find Finders Keepers Losers Weepers It's the law of the beach And the whole the whole sketch is just this song explaining the rules
00:27:06
of Finders Keepers at the beach And is he gives me so much joy and it was playing silence it was pretty quiet I
00:27:14
think Thank good The nice thing about a musical sketch is the music's playing so at least it seems loud like things are
00:27:19
happening There's some decibb being achieved but decing Yeah How sickening when it doesn't work Yeah The worst is when you go in there like that's for a short cut but you still walk in the room
00:27:29
like this Huh yeah Yeah Yeah 1% hopeful Like it's on the right They think it was
00:27:34
so funny that no one laughed They should do a short film of people coming in because now they're back on into
00:27:41
Lauren's office and and they glance over and you can tell by their attitude that their sketch is to the right Camera in
00:27:48
the wall Dana Yeah when we walked in and my first time they opened Lauren's I don't know how they do it now but we wait outside and so thirsty and gross and I had my yak off smearing off outfit
00:28:00
on my first my first update and Dennis was in there for some reason Dennis was in there and they open the door and I
00:28:07
see like Downey and I'm all pouring out and Dennis puts his hand on me he goes you can take off the beard spud and I
00:28:15
was like what and I walk in there it's my thing is moved over Oh sickening Is that helpful is that a nice thing no I would have found out in three more seconds You can lose the facial hair at
00:28:27
this point Just no one connecting eyes tells you something Good I never housed more handfuls of popcorn than with a a cut sketch just and small talk So who's
00:28:38
the host next week so yeah exactly Act like you're not hurt and kind of clapping on the sketches Great Yeah Part of the process not personal Wayne's World Code Open stayed in Oh
00:28:50
good good good No I wanted to see it again Good good good good good good good Yeah I got If my stuff was cut I just walk slowly over to Lauren get right up
00:28:58
into and go "Seriously dude I don't think so Come on man Let's move it back over or worst mistake." You know that reminds me when I tried to
00:29:08
get a manager Reminds me of that scenario Uh and I got But back then Dana we we have the
00:29:15
same manager And back then it was between him and someone else And he goes "Do the right thing Just call him you know it's always do the right thing." By the way I never want to do the right thing again because the right thing
00:29:28
never is like the fun thing And he goes "No I wish I could have texted him but now he goes just call him He's a big boy you know just hey went went another way cuz you never know you know." I said "Hey man I you know we didn't work out I
00:29:41
want to try with this other guy Who knows he might suck." And you know what the guy goes "You just made the worst [ __ ] mistake of your life." And I was
00:29:49
like "God dang." And that scarred me forever I was not ready for it And I was new in showbiz going "I don't want to
00:29:55
make any enemies." He goes "He's a big boy." He was not a big boy He's a small boy I still feel guilty about that reaction
00:30:02
I have with you Manager was Dana Carney It was a It was Those breakups are hard I had one of those too And I got what I got was like well yeah Hey you know like
00:30:13
uh like I'm like I had to break up with someone I'd been with And he's like you know um listen people get jobs and and
00:30:20
they like to move on and shake it up and some people stay loyal Um and that's okay that you didn't want to go Oh he
00:30:25
threw that in And they throw in we just had a kid I have children I am Am I going to be your Have you seen a picture of my baby that's my responsibility in my house Here's my child Yeah Yeah And
00:30:39
here's my chart from my doctor I'm gonna put him on Oh you're cute Yeah tell him
00:30:45
You tell him I can't break his heart Hello Mr Spade I love you Oh thank you Listen I'm out Never miss an episode of Lights Out I would just say Lights Out Oh you like Lights Out that's Everyone
00:30:58
Lights Out but I said never name a show that makes it easy to cancel Hey Lights Out You know Lights Out for good You want to do a show that's like seventh season
00:31:12
[Music] Are there are there versions that have worked of like a negative sounding title
00:31:19
that's been successful no Dana's positive Deadwood Deadwood Deadwood is good There should be one called Dead on
00:31:24
Arrival That's a good one to critique DOA Yeah Yeah DOA got resuscitated Dana's got Critics's Choice Critics's Choice my uh my special from the 90s I
00:31:38
just called it Critics's Choice There was no no online nothing And so my sister would call me it'd be in the TV
00:31:44
guide or whatever You got Critics's Choice again man Congratulations That's awesome Critics's Choice Four stars Yeah
00:31:51
Me and my siblings know the the Ross Perau scat like D Can I finish can I finish can I finish a finish That's funny Like we knew that we can a tuna fish Can I get a tuna fish no What you
00:32:09
If you want to make it I distilled it to um Ross Pro's James Brown Can I come in
00:32:14
on the one can I come in on the one can I come in on the one yeah it is just a song But you know to that one of my favorite impressions all time
00:32:27
is your Matthew McConna And I felt the first time you saw it then the sec I saw it a second time and then you were so blessed in the well because bless your soul Bless you Did
00:32:39
you audition from Caesar praise from Caesar Sorry No I mean it's better than even a great impression It's like a
00:32:46
character It's an extrapolation into a character and you had so many hooks and I wish we could just play it
00:32:52
right now because Oh thanks dude Don't you get reaction to that i don't I haven't seen anyone People like that
00:32:58
Yeah people like that one a lot That that came out of cuz everybody has a mah like it's pretty early yours You you you
00:33:06
kind of you you own it I I mean it was it was watching True Detective I was obsessed with that first season of True
00:33:12
Detect and it was so indulgent out there in the stars Celestial bing bang shooting around What do we do when we're cosmic light you know it's just like him just like one Yeah that he's all these hippie
00:33:26
references and all these little sound effects and stuff Yes And it's and and when he won the when he won the Oscar
00:33:33
maybe for Dallas Buyers or whatever he's like talking out there to my wolf pack Yeah Hunting groups of us primal getting
00:33:40
the meat roasting on the spit on the fire but there's plenty of spots for people to come around
00:33:45
What's going um but it but like it he's always so positive too I always liked doing like like positive energy ones because like I I would struggle if it was a
00:33:58
criticism you know or if you were like if it was a takedown It's a little bit harder And that was so fun cuz he was
00:34:04
just being full uncut authentic McConnA Um and I remember writing that one That's one that like you know you sat down for 30 minutes and improvised 50 different wild lines and like people
00:34:16
responded to it and then spent 6 hours and didn't go home and slept on the floor for my grape stomping sketch or
00:34:23
whatever And of course that tanks at the table Yeah I heard about people It was a
00:34:29
bad one It was It was infamous It got out here All right All right I was terrible at pitching too I I I was
00:34:35
really bad at the pitch and I actually did um because I have like a small role in 12 Years a Slave which doesn't make sense to remember that performer I
00:34:45
remember that It was like "Hi I'm Cameo Hey you had a All right what are we doing here we're stealing liberty We're entrapping people Regressing Making
00:34:56
America great again." Um no but I so I did a bit for almost an entire season where I would start to pitch the host on an idea I was like well you know I know you're in a movie with a plane so that's
00:35:08
great And I thought we could play pilots cuz you know when I was in 12 Years a Slave what I found about the process
00:35:15
that was most rewarding and then I go really indulgent And it got some chuckles at first and then it was terrible And then Brian Tucker had to
00:35:21
tell me he's like "Don't do that anymore Don't do that Lauren has said something
00:35:26
Don't do that anymore Why is he doing that it's funny I mean seems like Yeah I don't understand all that That place
00:35:32
That place can be a little It made Chrissy Tegan uncomfortable By the way when you did Ted Cruz I don't think I I
00:35:39
don't think I was hosting that time I think I I I was doing Fallon And then Lauren said "And you'll do Church Lady."
00:35:45
You know he tells you it's a Thursday Thought I thought I was flying tomorrow You'll be in the outfit You'll wear the
00:35:51
church lady wig You'll wear the dress You'll wear it on the flight You'll do clever put downs and Lauren I
00:35:58
I don't want to do but then the interesting thing about that was that Daryl came on and did the Trump that we
00:36:04
all knew before the new Trump Yeah Which was great I love I love and Daryl was Trump Looked like Trump Incredible Trump
00:36:11
But then Trump in 2016 uh just came in with all these different hooks you know and all the stuff we see today And so that's why he didn't he
00:36:23
sort of felt bad that he didn't get to do Trump Well it was old It was Trump from the '9s you know It was just very
00:36:30
it was none of the we're going to do this all these different hooks and we're going to we're going to do it We're going to do the bragging you know It was
00:36:36
all kind of new Um Yeah My favorite Daryl one was the Domino's Pizza commercial He would do this commercial
00:36:42
once Yeah Like here's what we're going to do I'm going to tell you the thing And they say "Oh Mr Trump can you focus
00:36:47
the camera?" I think I'm gonna focus the camera I think that was a good idea that I had Like it was all that blesser And
00:36:54
James which I just I just like I think James Austin Johnson is just a full genius Like it's I I would watch his
00:37:01
videos before he was hired He's talking about Scooby-Doo and stuff I would say for people who might get the reference
00:37:07
he's the Miles Davis of that impression It It's better than an impression It's got so many It's like jazz that you're
00:37:14
missing all the hooks But Daryl's we did a charity event together where he did karaoke as Trump and is just freestyling in between verse and it's amazing with
00:37:26
as Trump He's so good Very hard to do Yeah You can give him any TV show from the seven when he was on our podcast
00:37:32
live in in Texas They just any any uh the Brady Bunch and then he's right on Trump He knows that so well Peter Brady Peter Brady likes to criticize himself
00:37:43
He's doing it to get friends I don't need to do that No one wants to criticize Trump Yeah Yeah But Daryl's
00:37:48
feelings were hurt because they went with Alec Baldwin but I said that's just a totally different idea and choice Um
00:37:56
and so it wouldn't be it wouldn't be a competitive thing It's just like that was just you know I think we But what a
00:38:02
weird thing Start off with a cast member or start off with a big star I think that's when Lauren finally was like that
00:38:08
a cold opening with a big star guaranteed that's not the host is helps Yeah Yeah Is it fair we don't
00:38:17
know But it helps Well did that did that start because I just went and did Biden and before I did it I made sure it was
00:38:24
Steve Hook and this I swear to God I would have backed out I said "Does anyone want to do Biden on the cast?"
00:38:30
And be honest with me because Mikey Day was doing whatever And he he said "No no
00:38:35
one wants to do it Trust me." So then I did it But this this thing this thing of
00:38:41
like um you know older cast members and movie stars coming in did you did you have some of that or when did that start it's gone below It's gone beyond a launching platform It's it's now an
00:38:53
institution And you have to maintain an institution And there's equality to that
00:38:59
right i I can have Bob Lily do do the uh the state attorney general or I can have
00:39:05
like Matt Damon Oh listen I mean I there's there's so much to to speak to to the the brilliance of Lauren you know having just celebrated the 50th which was like such a joyful
00:39:18
weekend other than your absence That was probably the biggest blemish Hey man I'll just say it I'm just going to say
00:39:24
it 60th That's all I'm going to say You already booked hotels We'll use We'll use filters You'll get you'll get your neck whoopy tape back You have to use real glass That's the
00:39:36
truth But yeah I I I maintain just to start the conversation that no one else could have done what Lauren's done And
00:39:42
there were so many episodes of Saturday Night Live intrigue or whatever where the the masters in charge basically
00:39:49
would say "You got to do an hour You got to pretape it You got to change the theme." So Lauren stayed with the brand
00:39:55
but also was very flexible with the brand You know as it changed the culture changed So go ahead What were you going to say no I I completely agree with that I I think that's right And I I think
00:40:07
that um one of the many aspects of his of his uh insightfulness as a producer is um you know you got to get people talking about you and and if they're not
00:40:21
talking about it then then it's it's wasted air a little bit You know what I mean so I think like a Baldwin hire gets
00:40:27
people talking about it gets eyeballs Yeah Too late Way too late the analog stage early analog that it was just a small bulletin board with a few letters on it and now it's blasted on YouTube So
00:40:41
yeah the the paradigm shifted will evolve with the moment Yeah Well I mean something I love about your podcast and and any sort of like SNL focused podcast is it's this free therapy you know what
00:40:53
I mean to be like was I a weirdo was I okay no there's at least five more people that had a similar feeling or
00:40:59
experience And then and then al also inversely like oh no I was probably a weirdo about that aspect of the show Um
00:41:06
but the I'm really enjoying the Lonely Island Seth Myers podcast too because I I for the same reason but I also feel
00:41:12
that those guys the Lonely Island will never get as much credit as they really deserve for
00:41:19
for adapting the format for a new generation Like that's probably the biggest change speaking to what you you
00:41:26
were talking about Dana of like you know maintaining quality maintaining its brand identity and yet now there are four guaranteed pre-tapes per episode
00:41:38
There's a full studio Yeah And they'll get the host will do uh pretapes on all day Friday Get them up at 6 a.m and do a whole pretape all day It is hard sketch
00:41:50
But so that is uh Yeah and Andy and and his his lazy Sunday was the beginning of
00:41:56
going "Wait what is this?" And then and you realize right away oh my god this is
00:42:01
what plus he's a good-looking dude Everything hit it was like cool goodlook video then people start
00:42:08
watching it You're like they're watching it where like that was beginning of YouTube I think Yeah No I think you're
00:42:15
exactly right in terms of like an injection of relevancy no one has had a more direct effect on the show in the
00:42:22
last show and I got to get to know Andy better just doing the uh it was like a Pete you know you need a good-looking dude in there that the younger people kind of go "Oh why would I watch SNL?"
00:42:34
Oh okay Yeah Yeah Yeah They need a reason Uh well I got a question for you It's really smart I do love musical I
00:42:40
would love to be in one I just do love when Andy is even the stuff you did recently Not even the stuff he did
00:42:46
recently was fantastic And it is something fun Were you in one of those pre-taped the anxiety video was so smart
00:42:53
and he did it for the 40th It was great too The breaking video about about people who break They're just they're
00:42:58
they're incredibly smart but and joyful I I love those guys I I respect them so much Um and I got to I think like my
00:43:05
first week it was like I'm going to be in a digital short I have made it I have arrived And I had like one off camera line in a video called Booger Man There
00:43:16
you go That's SNL you know I was like okay All right They're not all they're not all lazy
00:43:22
sundaers but I'd read for Booger Man [Music] Uh Taran when you when I left SNL it was sort of decided toward the end of the
00:43:35
season When Adam and Farley left it was a little weirder like vague Um yeah Where I had heard later they were fired I didn't even hear it from them I heard it like two years ago Um and when you
00:43:51
left the show what is the way you get information is it direct from Lauren is it is it an agent calls an agent or business affairs how does it work yeah
00:44:02
my manager at the time called me but they were they were doing the Marty and Maya variety show during the summer and
00:44:10
I was directing a film that summer So I was in Canada and I I was uh wisely or unwisely like ready to move back to LA ready to be with my family ready to kind of be done with the schedule of the show
00:44:25
Um and I and I think probably have made it known not always in the most gracious of ways Um and they asked for like an
00:44:33
extension that summer They said "Hey we need more time We're producing Marty Maya before we made our decisions." And
00:44:40
I pushed back I said like "No tell me now or let's be done." And through people it was like "No no no no no They're it's they're doing it for everybody They're doing it." And and so
00:44:51
we said "Okay." With some caveats of other jobs and like clearing my post schedule for editing the film and blah
00:44:58
blah blah Um and they so we said "Okay two week extension." And then 3 weeks goes by and you don't hear anything And
00:45:04
then and then like in the fourth week my manager calls and goes like "I think I've got good news." Um and they've
00:45:11
decided not to pick up how it was phrased to me I mean at least you're ready to go and you're not totally
00:45:16
blindsided like moving back to like I would move home every summer back to LA lose the apartment everything cuz they just would not tell you And they wouldn't say "Of course but it's a
00:45:27
technicality." They're like "We have no idea." And they wouldn't you know encourage you to say "You're coming back
00:45:34
Just let us you know." So but that is a weird process cuz Dana I mean I don't think Dana had this Exactly But they Dana still has rose petals stuck to the
00:45:45
bottom of my god Hey once the [ __ ] came out you know it anchors the show I mean
00:45:52
you know but anyway I just wanted to say that um we've talked to people uh recently who just auditioned two or
00:45:59
three times and these are great comedians to get on SNL and really feeling such regret that either they
00:46:06
pushed at their audition And so then when you look at you you were with a baby and a movie and you'd already you're already in the Hall of Fame on in my money uh six seasons you
00:46:19
know So it was just odd because you probably would have maybe maybe done one more or not but it sounds like you were six on the fence and so six was enough
00:46:29
for me I I mean everything you just said Dana means a lot to me and I'm very grateful to you for saying it True I've
00:46:36
I've done the work I've made peace and I've also really been able to take more responsibility for for my participation in that in that it I got what I asked for quite honestly Um and it's not fair
00:46:49
of me to go like I you know Yeah but I didn't want it in that way No because the truth is if it's between like two
00:46:55
cast members and they're like you know this would kill the one guy and you have one foot out the door They're like I
00:47:01
think he'd be fine with it Yeah And we just move on It makes it easier I do think I think so There is sort of Well
00:47:08
it's a very it's it's such a bizarre uh psychosocial dynamic just for every reason And Lawrence said that part of his aloofness was to protect himself you
00:47:19
know because everyone would want to go in and what about this and that and so forth and so on So but I I just see it
00:47:25
run as a total success obviously I mean it's like I don't even I mean how many people really got on there really landed and had reoccurring characters and it's
00:47:35
hard Do you do you take you know I would imagine kind of happened with me where you're so burned out but after a month
00:47:42
or two when the show's back on you get your legs back and you're like it would be fun to go in but you also you realize don't think like that because it's the daytoday new host what are you writing
00:47:54
what do you got if you could pick and choose when you came on that's different but man every week is just such a
00:48:01
stressful grind well I would put this in the ether because you were just there and I think you should come on and do
00:48:07
Matthew McCcon He for for a reason that he you know whatever lit off a firecracker or something you know I think that Yeah I I mean I I being back for the 50th was was truly like healing
00:48:20
and joyful Like it was it was really positive and and I I have to assume almost everyone like me went in with
00:48:27
your defenses up like your dukes up a little bit And from word one it was just like appreciation and reflection and
00:48:34
gratitude and you know swapping stories Um and then Melany put me in his musical
00:48:40
piece for for one line which I was not uh expecting and that felt Yeah What was the costume yeah Yeah As
00:48:47
pizza rat Were you backstage that's great I was pizza rat man We were there That's history now man I think I went as
00:48:54
Halloween as pizza rat one year Spade had and and I've heard multiple people say this now and it was true from the
00:49:01
first blocking rehearsal Spade had the laugh of the entire show Oh I love you saying that We've heard this and people It's factual It is factual because I was
00:49:13
in that sketch So I watched it when we're like rehearsing downstairs not even for cameras And I got a feel for it
00:49:21
Everybody laughs We do it in front of camera I got it Every crew member laughs and that's always the best indicator if
00:49:27
if something's gonna work because they've just seen it all and they're so Yeah And every there was not a time you
00:49:34
delivered that line that it did not get a full voice laugh from everybody in the room It was and I watched it I watched
00:49:40
the show live and I remember how funny that was And then I didn't know if Melanie could quite hear it but there
00:49:46
there was this other secondary laugh that's on the soundtrack you know the arms because it's it's so dry and weird
00:49:53
and quirky and so unexpected because the musical is so effusive and there's one guy which just in the stand and it goes
00:49:59
on forever We got we got it 20 minutes long so many setups every part of the stage So you're not the only one who said that and writers Higgins told us all the writers that was their favorite
00:50:10
line of the whole 50s So there you go David Listen to even get a line like you said to even be in that sketch because you're in nothing when you land And I said "Heans don't worry about me I'm
00:50:21
coming I'm not." And then Melanie goes "Hey Melanie might want to throw you in something." I'm like "Done Whatever it
00:50:27
is." Uh same thing So to get one that actually like that was super fun And to be weird enough to go in the audience and Yeah But but also so tailor made
00:50:38
like there isn't a cast member past present future was perfect That could have landed it as good as you Like it was tailored to the point where people asked me after the fact like I'm telling
00:50:49
you in my own life they're like so what happened did he actually leave like during rehearsal and they came up with I was like no
00:50:55
that was by design from the outside is a specialty that you know not pushing it's very lucky to have something like
00:51:02
that where it would fit me because uh I you know also the pressure of going one line they go and wallally goes do you need a Q card for this and he's like rolling his eyes I go I guess I don't
00:51:14
He's like "You don't." And I'm like "All right I don't like and to over dissect it like it's true to your voice." No I
00:51:20
like it This is what we do professionally but it's true to your voice It also It also breaks the fourth
00:51:26
wall so it speaks to it being live It also speaks to the generate We're celebrating the generations and like
00:51:32
this is your thing This is different from my time Like it just was like perfectly constructed and layered and
00:51:39
always got the biggest lap I love it There you go Well that's a pretty pretty nice feather in your hat There's only
00:51:45
the end with that because that's the best Um yeah it is In the end of the day you know it just when we look back at our time there I you know we never ever
00:51:56
want to do a a military analogy It's like being in the Marines Forget that But it is some kind of decor because you
00:52:05
can get humiliated on that show You can crush you can get any kind of emotion you can imagine and it's hard to get on
00:52:11
and everyone wants to be on it in the comedy world And so I think I'm I'm sure that was the vibe of the 50 is like
00:52:17
anyone who did it and did it well is just respect you know i think the 50th for us the camaraderie is more akin to like we were in the blue origin
00:52:28
together the space thing that just went we've been in space for 12 minutes That's that's how tight we were The bond
00:52:35
Yep Yep Yeah So it's not the army We were all Katy Perry that night We were all Katy Perry The stress the ups the downs You have to buckle You have to unbuckle
00:52:48
We had the training Um well thank you buddy Nice chatting Had a great time Yeah Thank you Thanks for having me Hey
00:52:55
are they going to pick up that animated pilot we did together or what oh yeah Taran and I did What was it called
00:53:02
we were in a booth somewhere doing this animated thing and I guess it just didn't go but it was fun Not the Tina Feay one is it no No It goes back before that You were like an evil
00:53:15
billionaire Yeah Yeah It was precious There's so much I was hoping that's what this was about was you telling me you
00:53:21
got Oh the pickup Yeah Well you're But this has been great too Yeah Just one last thing You're going to be in a show
00:53:27
on ABC for the second season I mean there's so much show business Obviously understatement of the year but yeah
00:53:33
everybody works Everyone's doing an animated thing or whatever thing and no one knows what anyone's doing unless
00:53:39
it's some massive gigantic whatever you know so totally totally Yeah No high potential ABC Oh high potential Okay And you got to do spam a lot [ __ ] Yeah
00:53:51
dude Dude that was that was Monty Python The best Well and Eric was there Eric was there And like when we first started rehearsing they're like "Well he may not be around much and stuff." And then we
00:54:02
do like a first dress rehearsal and he's backstage He's like "I think we can beat that joke." I'm like "Okay okay Python."
00:54:09
Yeah Just to be anything Python anything you want And you are perfect for that You are you are you that is your lane
00:54:15
You can do that whenever you feel like it Musical Broadway Yeah It was a beautiful marriage of like it like I
00:54:20
don't I think the first movie I ever quoted you know was was was Holy Grail Holy Grail and Yeah Totally a flesh
00:54:27
wound Yeah Yes Nearly a flesh Oh yeah Was that live bite your legs off That's holy grail Yeah Yeah Oh great Um and then Yeah having started wanting to pursue musical theater it was really
00:54:40
this perfect marriage All right Well in New York you're still incredibly young so you're going to have to do this for a
00:54:47
long long time But uh great Great All uh David do you have a final joke or something no I appreciate talking to him and I had a good time today Yeah I I admire you both I respect you so much
00:54:59
I've been a fan my whole life So thank you You have rubbed elbows is is a great honor too Dana we should be playing
00:55:05
music right now Yeah While we say this Zoom hug Special thank you Tony McCartney
00:55:18
All right See you bud Peace out This has been a presentation of Odyssey Please follow subscribe leave a like or review all the stuff Smash that button whatever it is wherever you get your podcasts Fly
00:55:31
on the Walls executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade Jenna Weiss Burman of Odyssey and Heather Santoro
00:55:37
The show's lead producer is Greg Holtzman