00:00:00
So, I just saw Molly recently, Molly
00:00:02
Shannon. Um, and she is on the show. We
00:00:07
we had her a little bit ago and she is
00:00:10
always such a bright light. When you see
00:00:12
her, she always smiles. She lights up.
00:00:14
She has something to say. She asks about
00:00:16
me. And I think she's starring now with
00:00:21
Will Frell in his new show, Hawk,
00:00:24
>> cuz he was at the golf tournament. And
00:00:26
yeah, Will Ferrell's a golfer
00:00:28
>> and
00:00:29
>> I think she's the ex-wife, which is
00:00:31
perfect. Those two are so funny from
00:00:33
SNL.
00:00:34
>> Yeah, they've done a lot of things
00:00:36
together over over the years. They're
00:00:38
very
00:00:38
>> And a lot of people I know, she is
00:00:40
definitely an SNL one and especially
00:00:43
women come up and go, Molly was so great
00:00:45
and she's such a good vibe and she had
00:00:48
and she's kind of quiet in real life and
00:00:50
then she has these, you know, big
00:00:52
characters. So, lot lot to go over with
00:00:55
her.
00:00:57
>> Yeah. Yeah. You'll see. We talk about
00:00:59
what she does for working out. That's
00:01:01
very funny. It really surprised me. And
00:01:04
uh she's just kind of in the running for
00:01:06
as nice a human as you could kind of
00:01:08
interact with that, you know, this is
00:01:10
just for me. I was on a flight American
00:01:13
going to New York and this woman was
00:01:15
kind of like asking me questions and
00:01:17
this and that and she said that Molly
00:01:21
Shannon went up and talked to her for
00:01:23
two hours about her life and her family
00:01:25
and you know just the nicest.
00:01:27
>> I know. She's like, "Oh, really?" She
00:01:29
really gets into it and you go, "Oh, is
00:01:30
this person actually listening to my
00:01:32
story?" Yeah.
00:01:33
>> Yeah. So, I decided to try to go up
00:01:36
there longer than Molly did because I
00:01:38
was just competitive. I'm kidding. No,
00:01:41
she's she's very nice, really funny,
00:01:43
super talent, and uh just a great hang.
00:01:46
So, I would check this out if you didn't
00:01:48
hear it the first time. And if you did
00:01:50
hear it the first time,
00:01:51
>> do it. Do it again.
00:01:54
>> Uh here she is. Molly Shannon.
00:01:59
>> That's amazing. This is such a great
00:02:00
idea. Congratulations, guys.
00:02:02
>> Thank you, Molly. And um you know,
00:02:04
Molly, uh a bunch of high school friends
00:02:06
and I chipped in and we bought a
00:02:08
Bitcoin. So, I'll let you know how that
00:02:10
goes.
00:02:10
>> Okay, great.
00:02:11
>> I like how we're very quiet.
00:02:12
>> Yes, I have a card.
00:02:13
>> You know, I like when people talk this
00:02:15
way, like sometimes if I if I like if a
00:02:18
if a fan comes up and it's like, I just
00:02:20
wanted to say that, you know, I'm like,
00:02:21
h I feel so relaxed by your voice. So,
00:02:24
I'll keep talking to them if I like the
00:02:26
voice. I think that you I think I relate
00:02:29
that to you because maybe you talk like
00:02:31
that in sketch or something or maybe
00:02:33
we've talked about that's where you
00:02:36
>> talked we've I've talked about this in
00:02:37
interviews but I actually have something
00:02:39
called ASMR for real which is like a
00:02:42
type of response to certain voices where
00:02:44
you feel really relaxed.
00:02:46
>> So it's not it's it's real. I've had it
00:02:49
since I was a kid. So store the game
00:02:51
that we used to play David is kind of
00:02:53
based on that but it is really real.
00:02:56
Like if a certain if I ask like a
00:02:58
stranger for directions and say they had
00:02:59
a certain voice where they were like
00:03:01
okay let me just get the map and then
00:03:02
they touch the map and they have a
00:03:03
certain type of voice it puts me in a
00:03:05
very relaxed state. So is it like Zelic
00:03:07
Woody Allen that you start to become
00:03:09
them in a way like hi Molly I'm just a
00:03:12
really big fan you go thank you so much
00:03:14
I love that she just keeps asking for
00:03:16
direction it's not like that
00:03:17
>> I love that for you
00:03:19
>> it would it's a feeling of like it feels
00:03:20
almost like getting a massage it's like
00:03:23
>> I did it too it's like when you were a
00:03:24
kid and people would read you stories if
00:03:26
you got the right voice to read you a
00:03:28
story that's what you wanted some
00:03:30
teachers had it
00:03:31
>> sometimes cute someone read you go to
00:03:34
sleep you know when you're little and
00:03:36
You just go lock into it and you go,
00:03:37
"It's the best." And then you s teacher
00:03:39
would read the story
00:03:41
>> and I'm in second grade and the teacher
00:03:43
was like 25 and had like nylon stockings
00:03:46
on and a short dress. It was just sort
00:03:47
of it made you feel funny.
00:03:49
>> Oh boy.
00:03:50
>> It made me feel funny like when I used
00:03:51
to climb the rope in gym class or where
00:03:53
that came from. Anyway, I don't know why
00:03:55
I went there but
00:03:56
>> wait wait wait. So you're saying that
00:03:58
she would have stockings on?
00:04:00
>> Well, just first time I'd seen an adult
00:04:02
woman and they they were very beautiful.
00:04:04
They were second grade teachers. This is
00:04:06
the ' 60s. Anyone could be a teacher
00:04:08
now. And they were pretty young women.
00:04:10
And they would have just a normal skirt
00:04:12
on and crossing and uncrossing their
00:04:14
legs. And I'm seven, eight or nine. I
00:04:16
just sort of got a little tingly. You
00:04:18
start noticing women and you go, "Oh, I
00:04:21
like this." And then they're not doing
00:04:23
anything wrong and everything is sexual
00:04:25
to you.
00:04:25
>> Yeah. They're just they're just living
00:04:27
their life and you're like, "Whoa."
00:04:29
>> Yeah.
00:04:30
>> She's walking. That's great. It's like
00:04:32
when you love the fell in love with the
00:04:35
lifeguard. Remember in seventh grade? I
00:04:37
just made this up, but you know what I
00:04:39
mean. I was like
00:04:39
>> I like there's so much in her book and
00:04:41
it's the only thing that isn't in her
00:04:42
book about the lifeguard. I have a
00:04:43
question from Molly about your book.
00:04:45
>> Okay. Oh, great. David,
00:04:46
>> you
00:04:48
>> worked it. Cravings. Is that in sense
00:04:50
right here?
00:04:50
>> Yes, it's right near here.
00:04:52
>> Is it still here?
00:04:53
>> Uh, no. It closed down.
00:04:54
>> That was here forever.
00:04:55
>> It was here forever. The best grilled
00:04:57
lemon chicken salad and really good
00:04:58
pastas. I worked there for about four
00:05:00
and a half years.
00:05:02
I read all that part of your book and
00:05:04
then I started in the beginning this
00:05:06
morning. It's really compelling. Thank
00:05:08
you.
00:05:08
>> It wasn't like oh we got a book we got
00:05:10
to okay what Dana one was like very well
00:05:14
written
00:05:14
>> and I wanted to ask how old were you and
00:05:16
how long did you go at cravings and when
00:05:18
did you leave craving? How old were you?
00:05:20
That's the only thing I didn't
00:05:21
>> Yes. I worked at Cravings for four and a
00:05:22
half years and um I I got Saturday Night
00:05:26
Live when I was 30. So, but I had left
00:05:28
cravings I think a couple years before
00:05:30
that.
00:05:31
>> So, from 23 and a half to 28,
00:05:33
>> something like that. Yeah. About about
00:05:35
like that. Yeah. But we had fun. It was
00:05:37
It was a He Ibrahim, our boss, hired
00:05:39
really good people. So, we would have
00:05:41
parties at night and dinners. We We had
00:05:43
a blast working there.
00:05:44
>> That's right. In that strip where there
00:05:45
you can sit on the street at Sunset.
00:05:47
Right. Now, you It said here um that you
00:05:50
were was it improv? And you would call
00:05:53
people to come to your shows like a
00:05:55
bringer show like you'd say. Is that
00:05:56
true? you you made a bunch of phone
00:05:58
calls. It said like 500 to get 200
00:06:00
people to show up.
00:06:01
>> Yeah. I would use um I was it was before
00:06:04
email, so I would um tell my customers,
00:06:07
"Oh, I do this comedy show called the
00:06:08
You got to come see my show. What's your
00:06:10
name?" And they're like, "Oh, Ben." I'm
00:06:11
like, "Oh, what's your girlfriend's
00:06:12
name?" Melissa. Okay, Ben and Melissa.
00:06:14
Give me your number. So then when I did
00:06:15
a show in Santa Monica, I would pack the
00:06:18
house with like 200 people and I would
00:06:20
just invite one industry person per show
00:06:22
and make it like this hot show. But um
00:06:25
really I was calling everyone myself
00:06:26
like, "Hi Ben, I met you at Cravings.
00:06:28
Can you and your girlfriend Melissa come
00:06:29
to my show?" "Yes." "Okay, great." And I
00:06:31
would make all these calls. And when I
00:06:32
got Saturday Night Live, I took that box
00:06:35
of name and phone numbers that I'd saved
00:06:37
from all my waitressing days and threw
00:06:38
it in the dumpster cuz I didn't have to
00:06:39
call anyone anymore to invite them to my
00:06:42
show.
00:06:42
>> That's nice. Like a robo light dumpster
00:06:44
on fire or whatever. Sounds very
00:06:46
dramatic. It
00:06:47
>> does. at you. Sorry.
00:06:49
>> So funny. No, I I didn't light it on
00:06:51
fire, but it was dramatic in that I took
00:06:53
that box and I was like, you know, all
00:06:55
the little papers went flying.
00:06:56
>> By the way, it worked. All that work
00:06:58
paid off. So, you were a gogetter then.
00:07:01
>> You got Marcy was who? Now, where did
00:07:02
Marcy see you? Marcy Klein, talent
00:07:04
coordinator for SNL.
00:07:05
>> Marcy Klein came flew out. Thank you so
00:07:08
much. Thank you. Oh,
00:07:11
>> she's you almond milk. Can I get some
00:07:14
biscotti? Molly some almond coffee in an
00:07:17
Ellen mug.
00:07:18
>> Yes, with almond milk. That's so nice.
00:07:20
Um I
00:07:22
>> just fill that anywhere, Molly. It
00:07:23
doesn't matter.
00:07:24
>> I Marcy Klein came out to see my stage
00:07:26
show,
00:07:27
>> the Saturday Night Live producer
00:07:30
with management. Well, she wasn't a
00:07:32
talent manager, but she was in charge of
00:07:34
talent or something. Well, we had a
00:07:35
couple of headings. Marcy.
00:07:37
>> Yeah. She was the um producer, talent
00:07:39
coordinator, but she came out to LA and
00:07:40
saw my show and loved it. And then she
00:07:42
was like, I'm bringing you to to New
00:07:44
York to audition for Saturday Night
00:07:46
Live. So
00:07:46
>> fun. Yes.
00:07:48
>> Marcy was a big part of all that because
00:07:50
>> Yeah.
00:07:50
>> She was there when I was there. She was
00:07:52
in on my audition. She was in on yours
00:07:54
probably, huh?
00:07:55
>> Nope.
00:07:56
>> Whoa.
00:07:58
Was at Dana's audition. Go ahead,
00:07:59
>> Dana. This is a 30 second story about
00:08:02
me.
00:08:02
>> Okay.
00:08:03
>> Uh I was on SNL. I played Brown
00:08:05
University.
00:08:06
>> Wow.
00:08:06
>> And um there was a woman in front that
00:08:09
was kind of heckling me or friendly or
00:08:11
whatever. and she had gigantic hair. So
00:08:13
I did a comedian's trick of calling her
00:08:15
big hair woman that became a runner.
00:08:16
It's an old comedian. So hey big hair
00:08:18
woman. What do you say?
00:08:19
>> So it ends up that was Marcy Klene. And
00:08:22
then Marcy the year next year comes to
00:08:24
SNL and I remembered her from Brown
00:08:26
University. So when we have her on this
00:08:28
podcast I'll I'll call her Big Hair
00:08:30
Woman. Oh
00:08:31
>> she has an incredible
00:08:33
performance.
00:08:34
>> What famous singer was at your audition?
00:08:36
>> Well that was I did it at in Santa
00:08:38
Monica as well. a little club called
00:08:39
Igbies. And Rosie O'Donnell was playing
00:08:43
there and I had to ask her. I didn't
00:08:44
even know Rosie O'Donnell. She seemed
00:08:46
like the most confident person I ever
00:08:47
met.
00:08:47
>> Yeah.
00:08:48
>> Could I lean in on your show and I'm
00:08:50
going to bring Lauren Michaels? And then
00:08:52
she said, "Okay." And we flipped the
00:08:54
coin. I went on first, but Lauren walked
00:08:56
in.
00:08:57
>> Brandon Tardikoff, head of the network.
00:08:59
I go, "God, I'm getting really nervous."
00:09:00
And then Sher settled in. So that was my
00:09:03
trio. Three shot. Here is your life. I
00:09:06
if I didn't make it that night, I I
00:09:08
think I'd be working at what was it?
00:09:11
Car's car. Where'd you work? Cravings. I
00:09:13
know it's gone, but I'd reopen it so I
00:09:15
could work there.
00:09:16
>> And how many minutes did you have, Dana?
00:09:18
>> I I was actually doing the standup thing
00:09:20
route. So, I had an hour, hour 10 of
00:09:22
standup.
00:09:23
>> Amazing.
00:09:23
>> But you would audition at the comedy
00:09:25
store and you do 5 minutes. Well, isn't
00:09:26
that special? Get off. Didn't work. I
00:09:29
bombed every time. I followed Kenisonson
00:09:32
once.
00:09:33
>> Dead silence. So this time I had 45 in a
00:09:36
real club.
00:09:37
>> Yeah.
00:09:37
>> And I was just scared out of my mind.
00:09:39
When when Marcy saw you
00:09:41
>> Wow.
00:09:42
>> Did you How was your nerve level at that
00:09:45
point with your act? Did you were you
00:09:46
getting really confident or a little
00:09:48
Were you nervous when Marcy was there or
00:09:50
she you didn't know who she was really?
00:09:52
>> Let's see. She came to my Yeah. So she
00:09:54
flew out and came to see my stage show
00:09:56
which was about an hour, the Robin Molly
00:09:58
show. And I was definitely nervous. I
00:10:00
was Well, I was very excited that we got
00:10:01
her to come see my show. So I was just
00:10:04
thrilled. So we kind of I had kind of
00:10:06
taken off a year from doing the shows
00:10:08
because I was like I just I don't know
00:10:09
if I have the heart to stay in this
00:10:10
business. So really a year before that I
00:10:14
really thought I might quit cuz and
00:10:15
become a real estate agent or I don't
00:10:17
know. I I but then I heard Marcy was
00:10:20
coming to town. So I whipped together a
00:10:22
show for at the last minute and I paid
00:10:24
for the band and asked my partner Rob. I
00:10:26
said do you mind could you do one more
00:10:27
show please and I'll I'll take care of
00:10:29
everything. I'll invite everyone. I'll
00:10:30
just is all you have to do is show up.
00:10:32
And he said okay. So, I was just really
00:10:34
just excited that she was there and it
00:10:36
was a great feeling in the audience and
00:10:38
um so but yes, I'm sure I was nervous.
00:10:42
But then for my actual audition flying
00:10:44
to New York, I had 5 minutes at Standup
00:10:47
New York with um Oh, wow.
00:10:48
>> and I got to do characters and uh let's
00:10:50
see. I'm trying to think. Yeah. So, that
00:10:52
I was definitely very very nervous.
00:10:54
>> Stand up. Well, I'm just interested, you
00:10:56
know, if anyone's hearing this and
00:10:57
they're like at a theater group in high
00:10:59
school or something that you only
00:11:01
Shannon was thinking maybe I gonna quit.
00:11:05
Maybe I'm not going to do this. Of
00:11:06
course, I think we all
00:11:07
>> and then 18 months later or something,
00:11:10
you know, a talent coordinator from SNL
00:11:11
and then you're on your way. So,
00:11:13
>> yeah,
00:11:14
>> um we had reinforcing mechanisms being
00:11:16
standups. That's how I made a living.
00:11:18
So, I couldn't quit. But I I quit
00:11:20
several times uh in college. I mean, I I
00:11:22
bombed so bad. So, how did you deal with
00:11:24
that? Were you Did you feel like you
00:11:26
went into kind of a depression?
00:11:28
>> Um,
00:11:30
I wasn't like I never really got
00:11:31
depressed for a long period of time, but
00:11:33
I remember I had an audition
00:11:36
um on a lot in the valley. I forget if
00:11:40
it was CBS Radford. And I remember not
00:11:42
being asked to stay. It was one of those
00:11:44
things where you could see the girls who
00:11:46
were they were going to say, "We're
00:11:47
going to go straight to producers at
00:11:48
5:00." So, you kind of know
00:11:50
>> they hang around.
00:11:51
>> They hang around. kind of know
00:11:52
>> and you say you can go. They go, "Yeah,
00:11:53
and you get to know the girls on the
00:11:54
circuit, kind of the comedy girls or
00:11:56
groundlings girls." And I went and did
00:11:57
my thing and they were just like, "Thank
00:11:59
you, Molly." You know, like next. And uh
00:12:02
and then I walked out to the room and
00:12:03
you could see the girls who were being
00:12:04
asked to stay and I was just like, "Bye
00:12:07
everyone. Good luck." My heart melted,
00:12:10
you know,
00:12:11
>> crushed. And I went out to the parking
00:12:12
lot and I saw this great actress named
00:12:17
Katherine Lenasa and she's just so
00:12:18
lovely. And she she was like, "What were
00:12:20
you auditioning for?" And I I I I think
00:12:23
I forget what it was, but
00:12:25
>> she was just so casual. And I remember
00:12:26
she was like doing stretches by her car,
00:12:29
like ballet and stretching her leg. And
00:12:31
I was like, "Oh, I wish I could be easy
00:12:33
breezy like Catherine Lassa, not
00:12:35
caring." And and I was feeling dark,
00:12:38
like, uh, this is so so much rejection.
00:12:41
And I think I'll just go to Gellson's
00:12:43
and get a half a chicken and go home and
00:12:45
close my shades and call it a
00:12:49
>> chicken. That's so nice. It kind of
00:12:52
sounds delicious though in a way.
00:12:53
>> It's delicious. Yeah. And that is what I
00:12:55
did. But um I just in that moment was
00:12:58
like
00:12:58
>> I don't think I have the heart for this
00:13:00
anymore. This is just too hard. So much
00:13:02
rejection. And so um that's when I gave
00:13:05
up for a year.
00:13:06
>> I would be sitting in auditions and it's
00:13:08
so depressing with Brad Pitt next to me
00:13:10
and going like, "Are you reading for
00:13:11
Hunk also?"
00:13:13
>> Well, let's see who gets it.
00:13:16
>> Uh let's stay friends after though if I
00:13:18
get it. Anyway, I read for Paul Newman
00:13:21
and Joanne Woodward.
00:13:22
>> Did you really?
00:13:23
>> They gave me a scene partner and I
00:13:25
sucked. You've seen my movies. I mean, I
00:13:26
didn't know what I was doing. So, Paul
00:13:28
Newman's there and I'm in awe of Kooland
00:13:30
Luke
00:13:30
>> and he had these red socks on and John
00:13:32
Woodward had a little dog and I just got
00:13:35
confused and I'm with the scene partner
00:13:37
and she was really good, but we just
00:13:40
[ __ ] it up and we went outside the
00:13:42
room and I go, "Man, that went bad." She
00:13:44
goes, "You [ __ ] me, man."
00:13:46
And Robbie Benson got the part. Robbie,
00:13:49
if you're listening, you actually Benson
00:13:51
really did.
00:13:52
>> Robbie, Harry and Tanto, it was called.
00:13:54
Robbie Benson was is a badass actor. But
00:13:57
yeah, I felt bad that I took her down
00:14:00
with me.
00:14:02
>> I apologize. I apologize to Sherot Terry
00:14:05
years later. No, I'm kidding. That's a
00:14:06
joke.
00:14:07
>> Were you just cold reading the scene?
00:14:09
>> Yeah, you'd get it and you'd have you'd
00:14:11
hold the script and you had a few
00:14:13
minutes to look over it. That was a
00:14:14
terrible Were you a good auditioner, do
00:14:16
you think, and just had bad luck? Or
00:14:18
were you I was
00:14:19
>> Let's see. I think Well, what about what
00:14:21
do you about you? So, I can't imagine
00:14:22
you messing that up, Dana.
00:14:24
>> Um, I was terrified of acting. I was
00:14:28
good like doing my own comedy,
00:14:30
>> but I to me actors were it was I never
00:14:32
took any acting lessons. I never did any
00:14:34
theater group. So, it was like what? I
00:14:36
got to sound like someone else. It seems
00:14:38
very easy now to me. Like I can really
00:14:40
act good now,
00:14:42
>> but I'm a little late to the game.
00:14:44
>> But you know, sometimes people look down
00:14:46
on you like if they hear you're a
00:14:47
standup or maybe impro if you're with
00:14:49
with actor actors and I've been in
00:14:51
auditions
00:14:52
>> and they go, "Oh, so you're a stand-up."
00:14:53
And I go, "Yeah." And I see them going,
00:14:54
"Oh boy." Like they know they think
00:14:56
you're already they're already winning
00:14:58
>> and they kind of are cuz it is harder.
00:15:01
>> Yeah.
00:15:01
>> I had I thought I was so naturally good
00:15:03
and I heard Eddie Murphy never took a
00:15:05
class. So when I moved out here, I got
00:15:07
some auditions right away cuz I was like
00:15:08
blonde. When I was 20, I looked 15 and
00:15:11
then I was like, I'm so naturally funny.
00:15:13
So I I didn't know what I was doing, but
00:15:14
I'm just like reading and I was then
00:15:16
they're like, he's horrible. Like they
00:15:18
just go, he doesn't know what he's
00:15:18
doing. I go, no, I'm naturally gifted.
00:15:21
And I wasn't. And then I had to do two
00:15:24
years of class cuz they they wouldn't
00:15:25
bring me back for auditions. They said
00:15:26
he's too green.
00:15:27
>> Oh my god.
00:15:28
>> And it was such all my heat went away. I
00:15:30
got to town. I had some heat
00:15:32
>> and then it went away. And then two
00:15:33
years later, I'd start again from
00:15:35
scratch
00:15:36
>> of like I know a little more. are like,
00:15:38
I don't know how to hold the side. They
00:15:39
don't look up or look down. I
00:15:41
>> And you just need to have a little
00:15:42
confidence to go in front of an acting
00:15:44
teacher say when you walk in, do you do
00:15:46
this? And she goes, no, that's a red
00:15:48
flag. Like, so then I just learned, oh,
00:15:50
so if I just go in and I don't do these
00:15:52
things, at least I'm in the mix. I I
00:15:53
read for Brandon Tardikoff.
00:15:54
>> Did you?
00:15:55
>> And right before, he's going to give me
00:15:56
a holding deal. It was already all set.
00:15:58
And I walked in and this [ __ ]
00:15:59
Dennis, somebody, head of casting, I'm
00:16:01
in the waiting room. I got a coach. I
00:16:03
went over my [ __ ] size. I didn't know
00:16:04
what I was doing. And he walks in. And
00:16:06
he goes, "Oh, I think we're going to do
00:16:07
these."
00:16:08
>> And he switched it, took out of my hand,
00:16:10
put in a new thing. He goes, and I go,
00:16:12
"This is a new scene." They go, "Yeah."
00:16:14
They go, "Ready for you." And I go, "No,
00:16:15
no, I didn't have the balls." They go,
00:16:17
"Give me a second." I walked in, I just
00:16:19
read it off the page. And they go,
00:16:20
"Thank you." And they go, "And my
00:16:22
manager Ges, how'd you [ __ ] that up?"
00:16:24
>> I go, "What do you mean?" He goes,
00:16:25
"There's no development deal. He he
00:16:27
said, "You're too green." I go, "Well,
00:16:29
they did the old switcheroo on me." He
00:16:30
goes, "Well, no one's going to remember
00:16:32
that part." I read a love scene with
00:16:35
Lynn Stallmaster in a room in a dark No,
00:16:37
it was a guy, right? Lynn Stallmaster.
00:16:40
>> He's a man, but it was just me and him
00:16:43
alone reading a love. I'm with this guy
00:16:46
in a room. It's all and the lights are
00:16:47
down. I care about you so much.
00:16:50
>> Don't you understand?
00:16:52
>> Yeah. Well, I like you, too.
00:16:55
My name's Judy, as you know. You know, I
00:16:57
mean, it's like So,
00:16:57
>> it's so hard to Let's get back to our
00:16:59
guest. We do like to talk about
00:17:01
ourselves.
00:17:07
Wait, I have to ask one question. David,
00:17:08
how old were you when you came to town?
00:17:10
>> 20.
00:17:11
>> 20.
00:17:12
>> But he looked 15.
00:17:13
>> But you could play.
00:17:13
>> I tried to audition uh with your uh I
00:17:16
had a box of props. Gross. And I and I
00:17:18
waited to improv.
00:17:21
>> And you know what's funny? I had a
00:17:22
Batman sweatshirt on to sort of signal I
00:17:24
liked comedy. Like this is kind of like
00:17:27
>> a good idea.
00:17:28
>> So gross. But I was like, I'm kind of
00:17:31
funny already, right? It was just a bat.
00:17:33
I was like, huh? And like I crowd and
00:17:36
go, you don't even need to audition. I
00:17:37
know you got something going on.
00:17:39
>> That's funny.
00:17:39
>> And so I go out and then and then Dana,
00:17:41
you might have done this. They go, every
00:17:42
3 minutes they pull it out of a hat. But
00:17:45
I think it's all rigged because it's
00:17:47
even worse cuz you don't get sickened by
00:17:49
your audition. Every 3 minutes you're
00:17:51
sick cuz they go, "Is this it?
00:17:54
Jim Squankm. Nope. Nope. Got three more
00:17:56
minutes." And then every that's all
00:17:58
until midnight. Then they go just go
00:17:59
home. That's it, folks. And I was like,
00:18:01
"Oh, I never got picked." So I gave up
00:18:03
again for a year and then I came back to
00:18:05
LA. See, everyone quit.
00:18:06
>> Try again. Everyone quit. It's just the
00:18:08
way it is. You have to check. I want to
00:18:10
hear what happened when you walked into
00:18:11
audition room cuz when I walked into it
00:18:13
and I'd see all these versions of myself
00:18:15
like really young
00:18:18
men with no chins and and just sort of
00:18:20
like So I'm like, "Oh, this is me. I'm
00:18:23
part of this tribe." So when you when
00:18:25
you walked into a Molly's channel,
00:18:29
of Molly or was it
00:18:30
>> I mean I definitely when I started to
00:18:32
get further along there were definitely
00:18:34
like you know you probably oppos
00:18:36
audition opposite groundlings girls like
00:18:38
really talented kind of that those
00:18:40
really fantastic comedy girls.
00:18:42
>> Um but before that no I don't think so
00:18:46
but I would usually audition for like
00:18:47
the best friend or whatever that type of
00:18:49
thing.
00:18:49
>> When did you get really when did you
00:18:51
kind of or did you always have it cuz I
00:18:52
was reading your book last night but I
00:18:54
just your internal confidence I'm always
00:18:56
fascinated by that. Is it?
00:18:58
>> Cuz I would say mine would go up and
00:19:00
down. Do you have do you have I mean is
00:19:02
there there's a Molly in there that
00:19:03
goes,
00:19:04
>> "Fuck these people. I'm [ __ ] great,
00:19:06
right? Get out of my way, you know, or
00:19:09
or how do you process your talent and
00:19:11
and what happened to you? How do you pro
00:19:14
or is it just surreal to you?"
00:19:15
>> Um I think sometimes if I felt like I
00:19:17
remember auditioning for a commercial
00:19:20
and uh I was a waitress at the time. I
00:19:22
didn't have a lot of money, but they
00:19:23
were just like kind of rude. These like
00:19:26
producer writers were all there and kind
00:19:28
of blaming the actors and no, you know,
00:19:31
and it and uh I was just like and all
00:19:34
these really cool actors were
00:19:36
auditioning and and then I went and did
00:19:38
it and I think they weren't really
00:19:39
paying attention and they're just like
00:19:41
acting disinterested and they were
00:19:44
making everybody wait for a really long
00:19:46
time. And uh I then I think when I was
00:19:50
finished I said you know the the problem
00:19:51
you have is the writing. The actors are
00:19:53
all really good. These people are
00:19:53
talented. You got to fix your script.
00:19:55
This writing is not good enough.
00:19:56
>> A good one
00:19:57
>> because I was just like I I just so I
00:20:00
could be tough that way.
00:20:02
>> Um and just not care. If I knew that
00:20:04
something was right, I would get I think
00:20:07
sometimes that's a good
00:20:09
>> you know sometimes if you feel angry
00:20:11
that can be healthy, you know, standing
00:20:12
up for yourself. I definitely did stuff
00:20:14
like that where I was like, I don't give
00:20:15
a [ __ ] You know,
00:20:17
>> they start treating you so shitty
00:20:18
sometimes in those auditions. You go,
00:20:20
they don't even look up. They don't do
00:20:21
anything. They know they're not taking
00:20:22
you. They look at you, look down, and
00:20:23
go, "Oh, yeah. You're they're out." And
00:20:25
then they go, "Go ahead." And they go,
00:20:26
"We're not doing the other scenes."
00:20:27
That's the worst. Cuz the person before
00:20:29
you is there for 25 minutes and they're
00:20:31
laughing and chuckling and really
00:20:33
clicking the heels. And then I read one
00:20:34
scene, they go, "We're just doing one."
00:20:36
I go, "That last person did nine." And
00:20:38
then they go, "Well, we're just doing
00:20:39
one with you." And I go,
00:20:41
>> "Yeah." So I was so good I got it just
00:20:44
from that
00:20:45
>> they're like we'll explain in the
00:20:46
parking lot and get them out of here.
00:20:47
>> Exactly. And and I and understand I was
00:20:49
working with the public all the time as
00:20:51
a waitress and so I was always polite
00:20:54
and so I just thought it's Yeah. It's
00:20:56
disrespectful to treat people that way.
00:20:57
So at any level I don't think that I
00:21:00
think supplanting anger for fear is just
00:21:03
a nice move.
00:21:04
>> You know like I have a fear of flying
00:21:06
and sometimes I'll just manifest anger
00:21:08
to myself. [ __ ] this thing. Let's
00:21:10
[ __ ] light this candle. You know,
00:21:12
it's just a good way to get aggression
00:21:15
out, you know. Um,
00:21:17
>> wait, you mean that you So, you'll be
00:21:18
>> fearful, anxious,
00:21:20
>> to fly, and then you'll start saying
00:21:22
like, "Fuck this plane."
00:21:23
>> Yeah.
00:21:24
>> [ __ ] this. Let's light this candle. You
00:21:26
know, I don't know. A date is never me.
00:21:28
I never see you mean to anyone though.
00:21:30
>> Um, I
00:21:32
>> unless it's really really
00:21:33
>> people like me. I'm a nice guy, which is
00:21:36
kind of It could be also what an
00:21:38
obnoxious passive aggressive guy, you
00:21:40
know. Uh, depends what song you like.
00:21:43
But, uh, I had horrible anger issues in
00:21:45
my 20s and I would be nice until I
00:21:47
wasn't nice. Never make a nice guy mad
00:21:50
cuz then they have all this suppressed
00:21:52
anger stored up and I would go zero to a
00:21:55
thousand with a bank teller or a
00:21:57
director
00:21:58
>> and I never had a middle gear. Then I
00:22:00
figured out I have all this anger from
00:22:02
my childhood so I've been better.
00:22:04
>> It's like Molly said if you're bullied I
00:22:05
get that. I get bullied all the time. So
00:22:07
all my whole life. So if you get pushed
00:22:08
around, you get this or someone's very
00:22:10
disrespectful. I snap on a dime.
00:22:13
>> David, did you get bullied when you were
00:22:14
a kid?
00:22:15
>> Oh my god. Non-stop.
00:22:16
>> You did. What? When you were in grade
00:22:18
school?
00:22:18
>> I was a bit of a pipsqueak. I wasn't
00:22:20
this strapping athlete you see today.
00:22:22
>> And I was always pushed around and I
00:22:24
didn't have a dad, you know, and I was
00:22:26
mad my dad wasn't there. So one time I
00:22:28
fought back on this kid in sixth grade
00:22:30
and he kept pushing me and hitting me
00:22:32
for no reason and it was so humiliating.
00:22:34
>> That's awesome.
00:22:34
>> And then I'm like it just came out like
00:22:36
my dad left me. you want all this anger?
00:22:38
And I just went bananas on him. I'm sure
00:22:40
you and he went down his back and I
00:22:42
started beating the [ __ ] out of him and
00:22:44
the whole school was watching and they
00:22:45
and he crawled up and he goes, "The
00:22:47
coach is coming." And he ran. The coach
00:22:49
was not coming.
00:22:50
>> What was his name? I love
00:22:52
Oh yeah. Sandler brings him Ronnie
00:22:54
Carrasco was my last fight.
00:22:57
>> Ronnie Carrasco, you know, called me out
00:22:59
in seventh grade. We're terrified all
00:23:01
day. They then this kid was like in
00:23:03
fourth grade go, "We could hear the
00:23:05
punches, man. We could hear the punches.
00:23:07
>> You just get them in a headlock. We you
00:23:09
know. Anyway, by the way,
00:23:11
>> I had boys in high school. I should say
00:23:14
all of their names right now because
00:23:15
they deserve it. When when I would walk
00:23:18
by, they would nay at me like
00:23:20
>> and it really hurt my feelings.
00:23:23
>> Um all the time. I was like, what are
00:23:24
they? Why are they doing that? Do they
00:23:26
think that I look like a horse? And um
00:23:29
it was humiliating. And I wish I would
00:23:32
have spoken up or told, you know, the
00:23:34
the head of admissions or the
00:23:36
headmaster, but I never did. I would
00:23:37
just take it every day. And then I heard
00:23:40
that it was because there was a horse
00:23:42
named Molly in Animal Farm
00:23:44
>> and that was annoying. But every day
00:23:49
so mean.
00:23:50
>> God, if we can call those guys right
00:23:52
now, get it out.
00:23:53
>> They were twins.
00:23:55
>> [ __ ] Twins.
00:23:57
>> No, no, I won't say.
00:23:58
>> All twins are on standby right now. new
00:23:59
twins and another one and they were such
00:24:01
dorky twins.
00:24:03
>> Sandler bullies me cuz we I told him
00:24:05
that story one night 10 years ago and
00:24:08
then now we're like we're doing a gig in
00:24:10
St. Louis and he looks out of the crowd
00:24:11
and he goes I think Oscar's here and I
00:24:13
go get the [ __ ] out. Oh, he kind of he
00:24:15
knows it drops my heart. But is that
00:24:17
like was he
00:24:20
>> So you So you talk about him a lot cuz
00:24:23
>> I just did like to those guys just
00:24:27
Oscar who just was rabbit punching me
00:24:29
which is legal. I'm talking to some
00:24:31
people at little league and he just
00:24:32
starts rabbit punching me in the back of
00:24:34
the head. I'm like
00:24:34
>> that's a
00:24:35
>> and then immediately a circle around me.
00:24:37
No, no, there's not a fight here. Wham
00:24:39
in the face. I'm like I don't know. I
00:24:40
can't get mad. I don't know what we're
00:24:42
fighting about. And if you'll explain it
00:24:43
to me, I'll gladly.
00:24:45
>> Yeah.
00:24:45
>> Well, at least it was outside the house.
00:24:47
I got I got beaten in the house and
00:24:49
outside the house.
00:24:50
>> No, but I kind of ran, which is
00:24:52
>> You did. Why, Dina?
00:24:53
>> Well, Daddy liked to get a little He
00:24:56
likeical throw things around a little.
00:25:02
>> There's plenty of people had a couple
00:25:04
whoopins and I'm not sort of the drill
00:25:07
back then,
00:25:08
>> but my childhood that's a whole other
00:25:10
issue.
00:25:11
guest to do that. If you don't start a
00:25:14
podcast, you're the most curious guest
00:25:15
we've ever had. We can't even get to
00:25:18
>> Jana, you can't let that slip by me
00:25:20
because now I have so many questions.
00:25:22
Wow.
00:25:23
>> I know. Well, we'll we'll talk
00:25:24
afterwards.
00:25:25
>> Okay.
00:25:26
>> When we interview rolling,
00:25:28
>> we're going right.
00:25:29
>> I want to talk about
00:25:30
>> Yeah, it is a lot of No, I have to ask
00:25:31
you about a standup comic named
00:25:33
>> I don't like
00:25:33
>> you did a character, right? I don't
00:25:35
remember. I think I remember Darcy and
00:25:37
it was don't get me started. Were you
00:25:39
very like um
00:25:41
>> very monotone? Is that what you're
00:25:43
saying?
00:25:43
>> Yeah, she's kind of like um on the
00:25:45
spectrum maybe, but trying to get into
00:25:47
stand of comedy, has a lot of dreams,
00:25:49
but really not gifted, but she's like,
00:25:51
"Don't get me started. Don't even get me
00:25:54
started." And she does comedy that's
00:25:56
about dating, but she's probably like,
00:25:59
you know, very out of touch with
00:26:01
herself, but uh so she does, uh but that
00:26:04
I love doing that character. I did it at
00:26:06
the very end of SNL and I purposely did
00:26:08
it to not get any laughs because I was
00:26:10
kind of sick of always you got to make
00:26:14
that I did the opposite where I just and
00:26:16
I really just did
00:26:17
>> the jokes not really nailing it right.
00:26:18
They're they're probably bad, right?
00:26:20
>> Yeah. Intentionally bad. I did intent
00:26:22
and I did it to kind of make Jimmy
00:26:24
Fallon laugh and Will Ferrell laugh. It
00:26:26
was really kind of just for them and the
00:26:28
audience did not get it at all which was
00:26:30
perfect cuz I wanted it to be like dead
00:26:32
silent crickets and it took a while to
00:26:35
get it on cuz you know if you put
00:26:36
something through once and it doesn't
00:26:37
get on you really shouldn't push it
00:26:38
again but I pushed it through again and
00:26:41
it finally got on update and um
00:26:45
>> and uh it was great. And then
00:26:46
>> Were you with Jimmy?
00:26:47
>> I did it yes I did it with Jimmy. Yes, I
00:26:50
did it with Jimmy and then I did and
00:26:51
then Scott Wayne wrote a version where I
00:26:53
was performing at an old age home and
00:26:56
like don't get me started. Don't even
00:26:58
get me started.
00:26:59
>> Yeah, I remember that. You know, when
00:27:00
men leave the toilet seats up and she
00:27:02
would do this dorky comedy about men
00:27:04
versus women and um and um basically in
00:27:07
the sketch there were people dying in
00:27:10
the old age home being wheeled out who
00:27:11
would die. Their pulses stopped and I'm
00:27:13
still doing my stand up and I have no I
00:27:16
don't the character has no sense so she
00:27:18
doesn't care if people are laughing or
00:27:20
it was the most fun.
00:27:21
>> So do you feel like you're more
00:27:23
confident like that? I feel like I was
00:27:25
the most confident the day I stepped off
00:27:27
SNL. I kind always have a part of me
00:27:29
like maybe two more seasons cuz I
00:27:31
finally didn't give a [ __ ] in the best
00:27:33
sense of of that expression. Did you
00:27:37
feel like at that point
00:27:39
>> you're making Jimmy Fallon laugh? I mean
00:27:40
you must have evolved in terms of just
00:27:43
you know after doing you did a 100 shows
00:27:45
you just feel different about doing SNL
00:27:47
right at that point there's a
00:27:48
confidence.
00:27:49
>> That's true. Well I think Lauren's world
00:27:50
is so different than Hollywood. Like
00:27:52
Lauren doesn't care what anybody thinks.
00:27:53
He's like I like them. He'll take
00:27:55
somebody and he doesn't care. He does
00:27:57
his own thing. That's what I found
00:27:59
refreshing. Whereas maybe I felt the
00:28:01
town of Hollywood before I got SNL was a
00:28:03
little more like kind of people
00:28:05
following people or you know Lauren just
00:28:06
decides what he wants and he doesn't
00:28:08
care and they leave the world. They
00:28:10
don't fight him on everything.
00:28:12
>> Yeah. He's so good. So I really liked
00:28:13
Lauren's world and um yes I felt like it
00:28:16
was like a comedy boot camp. I felt like
00:28:20
I I got to a point there where I really
00:28:22
started to enjoy it. I was like you know
00:28:23
what? I'm not going to worry about if I
00:28:24
get something on or not. I'm just going
00:28:26
to enjoy it like a creative arts camp.
00:28:28
Like like I'm working with these amazing
00:28:30
writers and tal and such talented people
00:28:33
that if I start to look at it more as
00:28:34
like an arts camp, like a fun, you know,
00:28:37
that then I could enjoy it more. I mean,
00:28:38
look, we all know it's competitive, of
00:28:40
course. But I I changed my philosophy
00:28:43
about it like threearters of the way
00:28:45
through through there and just started
00:28:46
to really enjoy it, like pretend like
00:28:48
it's like like a summer camp for
00:28:50
creative people.
00:28:51
>> Did people calm you down? Because when I
00:28:52
I was battling nerves when we've talked
00:28:54
to Bill her and others around the nerves
00:28:56
of SNL and then I'd come out and I would
00:28:59
see the church lady said and I would see
00:29:02
Phil in his costume Phil Hartman and I
00:29:05
would see Jan and they would call me
00:29:07
down. I'm like these are my people and
00:29:08
love it.
00:29:09
>> So good. It's so much fun to have people
00:29:11
that are pretty much whatever damage why
00:29:14
we do this who we are in this little
00:29:16
tribe against the world. It's nice,
00:29:18
isn't it?
00:29:19
>> That is so cool. So what it sounds like
00:29:21
what you're saying is that you would
00:29:22
just feel like you're just with them and
00:29:23
you could like tune out the
00:29:25
>> Will Frell there and you're walking into
00:29:27
the set or Anna you got somebody does
00:29:29
kind of calm you down a little bit.
00:29:31
You're more excited and you're in it
00:29:33
together.
00:29:33
>> Exactly. I I actually Will and I wrote
00:29:36
this sketch once where we were two
00:29:38
characters. We did it center stage so
00:29:39
there's no excuse to not get a lot of
00:29:41
laughs because it was easier. And we
00:29:43
were played two characters who'd
00:29:45
recently lost 100 pounds and the sketch
00:29:48
tanked. Not a laugh. But Will and I made
00:29:51
a deal when we went out there. We were
00:29:52
like, "Okay, if if it's just crickets,
00:29:55
we're just going to commit harder."
00:29:57
>> See, I love that.
00:29:58
>> And we were looking at one another and
00:30:00
like a twinkle in our eye like, "Oh
00:30:02
[ __ ] we are bombing." And then we just
00:30:05
performed it harder and harder like,
00:30:07
"Can you believe it's 100?" And nobody
00:30:10
was laughing. I wish I could have a copy
00:30:12
of this sketch. And it was just exactly
00:30:14
like you say, Dana, like such a bonding.
00:30:16
It's like all I cared about was me and
00:30:18
Will. Will and me, nobody else matters.
00:30:20
And this might be the most fun I have
00:30:23
ever had. And I feel like you have to
00:30:25
embrace the bombing as much as the
00:30:29
scoring because they really go together.
00:30:31
You know,
00:30:32
>> it might be a clever bit because
00:30:33
sometimes the audience doesn't if they
00:30:36
don't get it, they they sometimes feel
00:30:37
like they're missing it and they go,
00:30:38
"This is good." Because in the old days,
00:30:40
you do a sketch like Cheburger
00:30:42
Cheburger. They don't know why it's
00:30:43
funny. And then they go, "Remember that
00:30:44
great sketch?" And Dan Akroyd goes, "Oh,
00:30:46
Conan's bombed three times." It's like
00:30:48
they would just keep doing it and then
00:30:49
finally it clicks in that and people go
00:30:51
I love this one
00:30:52
>> and it takes a while to get why it's
00:30:54
funny and and some it's not so easy
00:30:56
where it's just like joke jokes jokes or
00:30:57
I'm a crazy character and they go I get
00:30:59
that
00:31:00
>> but when you're doing something very dry
00:31:02
that's fun and if if they stick with it
00:31:04
sometimes by the end of the sketch or
00:31:05
the next time
00:31:06
>> you know you did all all these styles
00:31:08
you do this sort of very subtle acting
00:31:10
and uh
00:31:12
>> and then you you're doing u
00:31:14
>> Mary Katherine
00:31:16
>> Yeah
00:31:16
>> Gallagher you And and so that would be
00:31:18
if the sound broke at a bar, they're
00:31:20
watching SNL, the sound was off,
00:31:22
>> that was still going to get laughs and
00:31:24
then it was also funny with the sound.
00:31:26
It was like a atomic bomb of comedy,
00:31:29
right?
00:31:29
>> Oh yeah. Oh, that's so sweet. That
00:31:31
character was so fun.
00:31:32
>> I mean, yeah.
00:31:33
>> Did you not audition for that or am I
00:31:35
crazy?
00:31:35
>> I didn't audition for that because there
00:31:36
was a woman who around town who was
00:31:38
calling herself kind of the unofficial
00:31:40
talent scout who I won't say her name,
00:31:42
but she was like, "Whatever you do,
00:31:44
don't do that little character, Mary
00:31:45
Katherine Gallagher. when you audition
00:31:47
for Lauren because if you do that you'll
00:31:49
never get hired. So I listen to her.
00:31:52
>> Yeah. Isn't that crazy?
00:31:53
>> What a brain.
00:31:54
>> I had it with church church lady. I had
00:31:56
managers that that said uh you're doing
00:31:58
that too much in your act my stand up.
00:32:00
You're coming off gay. You know this is
00:32:02
the 80s. So worst case
00:32:04
>> scenario. I would only do five minutes
00:32:05
out of a 75minut standup set. I'm only
00:32:08
doing five minutes. Nah, it's too much.
00:32:09
You're coming off gay kid.
00:32:11
>> Interesting. And did you do it for when
00:32:13
you had that standup audition when
00:32:15
Lauren Michaels was there with Brandon
00:32:17
>> Yes. Yeah, that was in my
00:32:18
>> quiver. And I bet Lauren loved it.
00:32:21
>> Um Lauren was he said he knew at that
00:32:24
moment, you know, I I went through a
00:32:26
further audition and I was terrified,
00:32:28
but he he said he'd already decided at
00:32:30
that moment. And you had me at Lauren. I
00:32:33
love that Lauren. You know what thing is
00:32:35
great about Lauren cuz you're bring
00:32:37
making me nostalgic for him
00:32:38
>> is that he loves funny people. He loves
00:32:41
us.
00:32:42
>> We bomb him. He loves this. He just
00:32:44
loves that we're doing this.
00:32:45
>> Yeah. Yeah. He really does. It's so
00:32:48
sweet. He's
00:32:49
>> He is truly a legend. And the thought of
00:32:52
him not being there is just h or I can't
00:32:55
even imagine it. It's his show.
00:32:57
>> You mean this show?
00:32:58
>> It's his show.
00:33:00
They've integrated
00:33:01
>> and and he has so much love. You know,
00:33:03
people don't know that about him. And uh
00:33:06
he's such a deep thinker and loyal and
00:33:10
funny and so intelligent. And
00:33:12
>> you still talk to him or do you ever
00:33:13
>> Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah.
00:33:15
>> Well, he's fun to talk to.
00:33:16
>> He sort of has this this uh you know
00:33:19
he's a little intimidated at first cuz
00:33:21
he's so like but he's he's so vulnerable
00:33:23
underneath all that.
00:33:24
>> It's still your boss always forever.
00:33:26
It'll be like that's my boss.
00:33:28
>> Yeah. But he's sentimental. I mean now
00:33:30
that I'm after I turn 60 I just tell
00:33:32
people I love them and stuff really
00:33:33
casually. Sandler did it when he was in
00:33:35
his
00:33:35
>> coming off gay. You're coming off gay.
00:33:37
That's what Sandler said. So funny.
00:33:42
>> Your agent calls you out of the blue. I
00:33:44
heard you told your friend you loved
00:33:45
him.
00:33:46
>> You're coming gay. ARE YOU STILL THERE
00:33:48
ON THAT LADY CHARACTER? DOUBLE GANG.
00:33:50
>> GET OUT OF MY SIGHT.
00:33:51
>> THAT'S WAIT, WHO'S THE MANAGER who said
00:33:53
that? You can't say.
00:33:54
>> Oh,
00:33:55
>> no. That's okay. You don't have to say.
00:33:57
You don't have to say it.
00:33:58
>> Yeah. Uh, it was a, you know, look, they
00:34:02
>> it was the it was the '8s and, you know,
00:34:05
whatever. I don't I don't want to say it
00:34:06
was a big talent agency. And I I don't
00:34:08
think they were trying to [ __ ] with me.
00:34:09
They really believe that because
00:34:11
>> if you're not listening to the
00:34:12
character, well, well, well, it just
00:34:14
sounds like,
00:34:15
>> you know, you could say, you're
00:34:17
stereotypical. I'm playing some
00:34:19
affeminite character instead of a church
00:34:21
lady. So, a clever church lady
00:34:23
character.
00:34:23
>> So, it's very clever.
00:34:30
We should talk about the injuries you
00:34:31
took because that was a big part of your
00:34:33
book as I am.
00:34:34
>> I am okay.
00:34:36
>> All right. Orthopedically
00:34:37
>> cuz I remember you threw yourself around
00:34:38
like barley and he would be really in
00:34:41
pain and uh I think I remember when I
00:34:44
was still there we had overlaps cuz we
00:34:46
did play store. Dana, you guys were cast
00:34:48
members together, but and lovers. And
00:34:51
you weren't
00:34:52
>> Were I know you wrote, but were you also
00:34:54
paid as a writer or not?
00:34:56
>> No,
00:34:57
>> not the whole run.
00:34:58
>> Oh, paid as a writer. No, just
00:35:00
>> that crazy. Everyone
00:35:00
>> there. We all wrote
00:35:02
>> I think my They dropped my writing
00:35:03
credit when I went full cast. Um,
00:35:06
>> but it was But everyone still writes for
00:35:07
themselves obviously. And people at home
00:35:10
don't know that if you write it's fun to
00:35:12
write with a writer from the show
00:35:13
because you have to have someone watch
00:35:15
it, you know, like from from the booth
00:35:18
when you're rehearsing. If you write it
00:35:19
yourself and there's no one else
00:35:20
involved, who's watching? I don't even
00:35:22
know who watches it. So, you have to
00:35:24
write to get yourself a writing job.
00:35:26
>> Steve Corin,
00:35:27
>> who did you write the best with?
00:35:28
>> Um, I wrote with so many different
00:35:30
people like Paul Lel and Steve Corin and
00:35:33
um but basically it feels like I when I
00:35:36
first got there I was I was so you know,
00:35:39
oh my gosh, how do you figure this out?
00:35:41
But it just takes,
00:35:43
>> you know, feeling comfortable with one
00:35:44
person in the room. I think you have to
00:35:45
be able to be yourself. But I always
00:35:47
tell people who are trying to get into
00:35:49
writing. Um, if you just have that one
00:35:52
person you can be in the room with where
00:35:53
you don't feel dumb throwing out ideas
00:35:55
and you can really fully be yourself,
00:35:57
that's all it takes, you know, or write
00:35:58
by yourself.
00:35:59
>> And if you're a writer, it's good to
00:36:00
lock into someone else. That's good
00:36:02
because if you can write for someone,
00:36:03
you see these writers that are like Tim
00:36:05
Hurley, he's with Sandler for every
00:36:06
movie. Like there's a lot of people that
00:36:08
are double up and they just do movie
00:36:09
after show after movie.
00:36:11
>> And it really is important to find
00:36:12
someone you can lock into. uh on the
00:36:15
show. I I think what I was saying about
00:36:17
Mary Catherine is
00:36:19
>> I think they were using steel folding
00:36:21
chairs and I remember going are those
00:36:23
real steel folding chair. There's no she
00:36:26
keeps falling.
00:36:26
>> I remember feeling worried for you. I
00:36:28
mean I seen it live like whoa that
00:36:31
looked gnarly back onto whatever you're
00:36:34
falling on. I didn't I was kind reading
00:36:36
your book last night like you you were
00:36:38
like another type of Farley. I mean, I
00:36:40
don't think many people threw themselves
00:36:41
around
00:36:43
>> this the 8H like you did in that
00:36:45
character and you kind of got in a
00:36:47
hypnotic state in a way or you'd be
00:36:48
react
00:36:51
I didn't feel the pain when it was going
00:36:52
on. I would throw myself into metal
00:36:54
chairs and do crazy stuff
00:36:56
>> and I look at that now and I'm like, "Oh
00:36:58
my god, I'm so glad I didn't break my
00:37:00
neck or,
00:37:02
>> you know, my back." Yeah. I wasn't even
00:37:05
thinking about that. But then the next
00:37:07
day when I would wake up, I would be I
00:37:08
would definitely feel like, oh, my
00:37:10
muscles hurt and I would have cuts and
00:37:11
bruises and um so I would feel it the
00:37:14
next day, but I also liked it because I
00:37:16
felt like I worked really hard and threw
00:37:18
myself into the character and I really
00:37:20
did want to perform and be physical and
00:37:22
be like the boys when I started and I
00:37:24
really wanted to do that and then it
00:37:26
also helped me kind of pour my nervous
00:37:28
energy into the character because I was
00:37:29
so nervous. So the physical aspect of it
00:37:32
felt like a release.
00:37:34
>> I got that. Yeah. And so how big how
00:37:36
what was the evolution of that becoming
00:37:38
a movie? It would you did it and then
00:37:40
you did it and then it became a huge hit
00:37:41
and it was exploding when you come out
00:37:44
and you get applause. I mean that feels
00:37:46
great, right?
00:37:47
>> That feels so good. Um I guess
00:37:52
especially because well I uh it took a
00:37:57
while to get on because I put it at the
00:37:59
read through and then um Lauren liked it
00:38:02
right away. He was like, "Oh, let's wait
00:38:03
and save it and we'll do it with Gabriel
00:38:04
Burn." And then
00:38:07
he was Yeah. Perfect.
00:38:08
>> So then Gabriel Burn came. But then when
00:38:10
it for the show order
00:38:13
that that week for the dress rehearsal,
00:38:15
it was on the B. It was at the bottom
00:38:17
and uh I was like, why why is this at
00:38:19
the bottom? Which means it's probably
00:38:20
going to get cut for the dress show.
00:38:22
>> It was late in the show.
00:38:23
>> Um it was late in the show. The dress
00:38:25
schedule is not going to make it. Yeah.
00:38:27
they don't have
00:38:28
>> and so I that but that was kind of good
00:38:30
because like I thought h I'm going to
00:38:31
have to show them and I think because
00:38:33
I'd read it at the table they weren't
00:38:34
understanding how physical it was going
00:38:35
to be and because I'd done it in my show
00:38:37
that character in my show for so many
00:38:39
years I knew what it was when I did it
00:38:41
in my stage show I would climb the walls
00:38:43
and get up on the rafters and they'd
00:38:45
have to pull peel me down off the wall
00:38:47
so I
00:38:48
>> and did you have the outfit sorry did
00:38:49
you have the outfit in the stage show
00:38:51
>> and and no in the stage show I think I
00:38:53
just wore a black skirt she became a
00:38:55
Catholic school
00:38:55
>> that it was very funny look with the
00:38:57
underwear and everything underwear.
00:38:59
Bobby socks. Yeah. So, go ahead. So,
00:39:01
>> so then I thought I'm really going to
00:39:02
have to show them. So, that was kind of
00:39:05
good. So, for the dress show, I just
00:39:08
really went crazy performing it. And
00:39:10
people went crazy. It got such a great
00:39:13
response. And then I went into Lauren's
00:39:16
office between Dress and Air to see what
00:39:19
made it to the live show. And my sketch
00:39:22
got moved from the bottom of the show to
00:39:24
the top.
00:39:25
>> I was number one. That same thing
00:39:26
happened with a church lady.
00:39:27
>> Is that right?
00:39:28
>> Something about these characters. Did
00:39:30
you have the smell the armpits and
00:39:31
superstar on the first one?
00:39:33
>> I did superstar as a joke. I threw it in
00:39:35
for my friend cuz we used to always my
00:39:37
friend Deborah Polmo as a joke. I I used
00:39:39
to always go superstar just so I did it
00:39:42
for her. I threw I exited the stage as
00:39:45
Mary Katherine Gallagher. Then I came
00:39:46
back in and slid on chairs and just
00:39:48
under my breath went superstar for my
00:39:50
friend at home watching to make her
00:39:52
laugh. So it was just thrown back said
00:39:54
then we kept it in as like a
00:39:55
>> ref then it became it's just like a
00:39:57
great exclamation point someone who just
00:40:00
fell all over the place and owning it.
00:40:02
>> Yes. Exactly. And it's also um
00:40:04
>> and so proud of it.
00:40:05
>> Yeah. And it's a representation of my
00:40:08
childhood of overcoming hard stuff and
00:40:11
still having resilience and hope and
00:40:13
maybe stumbling and falling and maybe
00:40:17
looks like they're not going to make it
00:40:19
and then they rise above the wreckage.
00:40:22
It's a repeat dance of those themes.
00:40:26
>> So you you were able to sometimes people
00:40:28
ask me where things came from and all
00:40:30
that and I'm I try to come up with an
00:40:31
answer and sometimes I'm not sure but
00:40:33
you were able for yourself
00:40:35
>> to figure out at some point that that
00:40:37
character was a manifestation of stuff
00:40:39
that happened to you.
00:40:40
>> Exactly.
00:40:41
>> And it was like self-care basically.
00:40:44
>> Yeah.
00:40:44
>> I get to reenact this but be superstar
00:40:46
at the end without what that's so
00:40:48
interesting.
00:40:49
>> It's like healing. So before I was even
00:40:51
in therapy, I would do the character on
00:40:54
stage and I remember a friend came once
00:40:56
and they said, "Oh, that character, the
00:40:58
school girl, or it wasn't a school girl
00:40:59
then, Mary Cathol seems, she seems
00:41:01
angry." I was like, "Angry?" Really? I I
00:41:03
didn't I I thought, "Oh, that's
00:41:05
interesting."
00:41:06
>> But uh because the original scene was
00:41:08
just a girl auditioning to try to be in
00:41:10
a David Lynch movie and we would just
00:41:11
improvise and I'd be like, "No, no,
00:41:13
you're not understanding." And I have to
00:41:14
prove myself and get this person to, you
00:41:17
know, like me and cast me. And so it's
00:41:19
just a little exercise in trying to be
00:41:22
seen and understood
00:41:24
>> and um so yes, so that's where art can
00:41:27
like save people, you know what I mean?
00:41:29
That performance as a release
00:41:32
>> and um does that make sense? So
00:41:33
sometimes you can be in the in like in
00:41:35
so in your in your work and being
00:41:38
creative and not realize what it is
00:41:40
you're trying to express and not be able
00:41:42
to be objective about it till later.
00:41:44
Does that make sense? Yeah, I think uh
00:41:45
you know in a cartoon way I think that's
00:41:47
a really evolved way to think of things
00:41:49
in that character. Um I did a lot of
00:41:51
passive aggressive characters because I
00:41:53
had trouble expressing anger because I
00:41:55
grew up with a lot of anger in the
00:41:56
household. So you you were just taught
00:41:58
to suppress it.
00:41:59
>> So Hans and Fron I don't know you kind
00:42:02
of even looking me and you you know
00:42:05
church lady well you're don't quite know
00:42:07
what you're doing. So all my characters
00:42:09
were kind of angry initially and passive
00:42:12
aggressive. I guess that was healing.
00:42:14
So, let me ask you a question. So, so
00:42:15
you felt so in your house, but you said
00:42:17
that your dad could be really aggressive
00:42:19
and violent.
00:42:20
>> Yeah, violent you had to did you what
00:42:24
how did you survive it? Hey, Charles,
00:42:26
>> I'm going to disappear basically. So, we
00:42:29
weren't like I asked Sandler about that.
00:42:32
Oh, and his family was just like they
00:42:34
could yell at each other nose to nose.
00:42:37
You want to get some ice cream? Okay.
00:42:38
You know, healthy.
00:42:40
>> Yeah.
00:42:40
>> This was not that. Yeah, it was the 60s,
00:42:43
five kids, a lot of independence. See
00:42:46
you later, you know. So, I mean, I I
00:42:47
survived.
00:42:48
>> What was your mom like?
00:42:49
>> Um, she was sort of very sweet but very
00:42:53
dainty and and very much under his thumb
00:42:57
and she was the artsy one.
00:42:59
>> Interesting.
00:43:02
>> These big families, you know, we raise
00:43:04
each other a lot. We scrambled. It was
00:43:07
like if there was sugary cereal, get it
00:43:09
now, you know, that kind of stuff. So,
00:43:11
um, anyway, it's very interesting. It's
00:43:13
always fascinating. Like David, he had
00:43:14
an easy childhood, so it's still he's so
00:43:17
[ __ ] funny, but with just a Oh, no.
00:43:21
>> David, you were raised by your mom.
00:43:24
>> Yes. I'll take this question from Molly.
00:43:26
>> Yes. You were raised by your mom.
00:43:27
>> Uh, my mother, I was saying about Dana's
00:43:30
mother, like it sounds like mine. She
00:43:31
was very like creative and she was a
00:43:34
writer and she loved artsy stuff and
00:43:36
always wanted us to do anything like
00:43:38
that that we thought was my brother was
00:43:40
more artistic, you know, anything
00:43:42
comedy, anything, she loved it. She
00:43:44
loved writing so she would always push
00:43:45
that but that the dad wasn't around. I
00:43:47
think you had sort of
00:43:49
>> uh the reverse of that with your mom and
00:43:52
you had a tough uh I think it's funny
00:43:54
because all these comedians
00:43:56
>> it just always sort of is the same
00:43:58
>> type of story where it's just tough, you
00:44:00
know, and a lot of people have tough
00:44:02
growing up. I mean that's we're not
00:44:03
we're not all
00:44:04
>> and they're not all comedians.
00:44:05
>> It's just that's why we're not that
00:44:07
special in that regard. But I did I was
00:44:10
lucky to have a mom that was very, you
00:44:13
know, she had it dealt some tough cards,
00:44:15
but she tried her best and the dad was
00:44:19
around. But I think the mom really tried
00:44:20
to make up for it, you know.
00:44:21
>> That's great.
00:44:22
>> She was great. She's still around. Thank
00:44:23
God cuz that's a tough one. And uh
00:44:26
>> I think that plays into everything, you
00:44:29
know.
00:44:29
>> Yeah.
00:44:30
>> It only takes one. It's like I think
00:44:32
>> you need something. Yeah.
00:44:34
>> If you have one good parent,
00:44:36
>> I like the figure of sweets. They say
00:44:38
having a champion.
00:44:39
>> Yeah.
00:44:39
>> And when I was reading your book this
00:44:41
morning, uh your dad became your your
00:44:43
champion like you can do anything. My
00:44:45
mom was like that with all of her
00:44:46
siblings, you know.
00:44:48
>> So it was we did we were
00:44:50
>> with all her children or all her
00:44:51
siblings?
00:44:51
>> With all her all of us kids.
00:44:54
>> With all of you kids,
00:44:56
you know, so she was supportive that
00:44:57
way.
00:44:58
>> Did she stay married to your dad?
00:44:59
>> She did.
00:45:00
>> She did. That's so interesting.
00:45:02
Interesting.
00:45:02
>> Oh, 1940s, 1950. It's that generation.
00:45:06
You don't leave. Well, well, let me ask
00:45:08
you this. So, so she um
00:45:12
So, did you feel like you had to be more
00:45:15
like her?
00:45:16
>> No, I kind of I kind of took care of
00:45:19
her.
00:45:20
>> Yeah.
00:45:20
>> Yeah.
00:45:21
>> I was her surrogate husband.
00:45:23
>> That's so interesting. That makes sense.
00:45:25
That's I had that a little bit with my
00:45:27
father, too. There's nothing to be
00:45:29
embarrassed about with a
00:45:30
>> Oh, no. It was It's just normal
00:45:32
codependency. How do How do you get
00:45:33
attachment? How do you get love? And by
00:45:35
behaving this way, you get it. You
00:45:36
don't. I went to therapy, too. Maybe we
00:45:38
went to the same therapist. You are. I
00:45:40
have to say, I don't know how much more
00:45:42
time we have. We've never had a guest
00:45:44
quite like you. You're so interested.
00:45:46
>> You're interested in us and we love it.
00:45:47
Narcissist.
00:45:48
>> So interesting. Well, you guys are so
00:45:50
talented and and I have to say it's so
00:45:52
fun doing the show because I would
00:45:54
rather hear you guys talk.
00:45:56
>> Yes, we would too. We know that
00:45:59
listening to this particular episode
00:46:01
want to hear about Molly Canon, you
00:46:03
know. Well, I like talking about
00:46:05
anything like that because I think that
00:46:06
that's it's helped so much.
00:46:07
>> I like talking about
00:46:09
>> therapy helps so much.
00:46:10
>> Yeah. How long did you go?
00:46:11
>> A long time.
00:46:12
>> Okay. I went five years, but maybe I'll
00:46:14
I'll go back.
00:46:15
>> That's great.
00:46:16
>> She's driving me nuts. Molly's got such
00:46:18
an interesting disposition cuz you're
00:46:20
always upbeat and you're such a good
00:46:22
listener and even we don't have to talk
00:46:24
about it but when we were at that norm
00:46:26
thing the other day um
00:46:27
>> you're such a good articulate
00:46:30
uh speaker and you speak from the heart
00:46:33
about any subject and just when out
00:46:36
>> and you meet people you're just very
00:46:38
locked in. It's very you don't see that
00:46:41
a lot. You think you do but you don't.
00:46:42
And so it's very uh uh and then your
00:46:46
whole upbringing and just to this point
00:46:48
in your comic, it's just we're also been
00:46:50
through the ringer in a weird way.
00:46:52
>> And uh it's funny cuz when you finally
00:46:54
make it, you're like, "What the [ __ ] was
00:46:55
that about?" Like, "Was it worth it?"
00:46:57
But you're very uh I just have to give
00:47:00
you a compliment that when you're out
00:47:01
>> and about, she's got such a good vibe
00:47:03
about it. Everyone loves it.
00:47:05
>> You must have a lot of friends. Is if
00:47:06
you're a curious person, people like
00:47:08
that.
00:47:08
>> That's You know what I was going to say?
00:47:09
Don't you think like sometimes I think
00:47:11
going through that tough stuff when
00:47:13
you're little does give you that kind of
00:47:15
command of an audience, that control?
00:47:17
You have to have some kind of weird
00:47:18
skill to be able to, you know, do what
00:47:22
you guys do like get get up and perform
00:47:24
and know how to like hold a crowd. I
00:47:26
mean, that's not an easy thing. How how
00:47:29
do you think your childhood gave you
00:47:31
that ability to do to have that special
00:47:34
skill?
00:47:35
>> Oh god, these are really good questions.
00:47:37
It's maybe attention.
00:47:38
>> I'm actually recording this. I Yeah, I'm
00:47:41
going to use it for my book.
00:47:44
>> Dana.
00:47:45
>> Hello, Dana.
00:47:48
>> Well, hello.
00:47:49
>> Oh my god, it feels so good to laugh.
00:47:52
>> One thing I will think though is I don't
00:47:54
like I feel like I feel like the
00:47:56
healthier I become, I feel like
00:47:58
>> I don't want to keep going toward those
00:47:59
old patterns of going toward pain or
00:48:02
this or that you're not good enough.
00:48:03
It's like, oh my god. After a while,
00:48:06
>> you know what I mean? when you have your
00:48:07
health and this and that, be happy,
00:48:08
right? It's like, oh my god, give me a
00:48:10
break.
00:48:10
>> It's a great thing.
00:48:11
>> I have to ask you about the the show
00:48:12
where you at QVC. It's called I love
00:48:15
that for you.
00:48:16
>> I love that for you and we talk to your
00:48:18
lovely co-star.
00:48:19
>> Do you know we talked to your lovely
00:48:20
coach?
00:48:20
>> You talked to Vanessa.
00:48:21
>> I actually saw the first two episodes
00:48:23
last night.
00:48:24
>> I saw one. That's so sweet.
00:48:26
>> I love when you do characters and then
00:48:29
the character does a little character
00:48:31
voice.
00:48:31
>> Oh,
00:48:32
>> it's so funny.
00:48:33
>> That's so such a specific thing only you
00:48:35
could say. I love it. Just do a little
00:48:36
bit cuz you're like
00:48:40
whatever you do.
00:48:40
>> Well, she you're for the people at home.
00:48:43
>> Yes.
00:48:44
>> For the I mean in their home.
00:48:44
>> This is on Showtime. Vanessa Bayer.
00:48:47
>> Yes. I love that for you, Vanessa. Such
00:48:49
a
00:48:50
>> I love that for you. It's a really cool
00:48:53
show.
00:48:53
>> You say what it is.
00:48:54
>> Oh yeah. I play a host of a home
00:48:56
shopping network and I'm like the queen
00:48:58
saleserson and I
00:49:00
>> can sell stuff like this is the cutest
00:49:03
little jar of sugar. You see, you know,
00:49:05
and Vanessa taught me how to do it, but
00:49:06
this is what these women do, and they're
00:49:07
very good at selling.
00:49:09
>> Very funny to watch.
00:49:10
>> Yeah. But Vanessa grew up watching it,
00:49:12
so it's based on her childhood. And
00:49:13
Vanessa Vanessa and I are both from
00:49:15
Cleveland, Ohio. And
00:49:17
>> hilarious.
00:49:17
>> Vanessa is another one who she seems
00:49:18
almost like she could be a
00:49:19
psychotherapist, not an actress. She's
00:49:21
very calm and real life. Did you Did you
00:49:23
find that? She's so grounded.
00:49:28
>> You know, and you before Molly, you saw
00:49:30
one and she plays there the uh QVC girl.
00:49:33
And it is kind of funny for you cuz I
00:49:34
like it cuz it's very calming to hear
00:49:36
those people talk like you said and
00:49:38
you're just so happy. I could just drone
00:49:40
on and watch them for a while because
00:49:42
they're very interested in what they're
00:49:43
talking about. They're very interested
00:49:44
in the audience and they're just talking
00:49:45
to you and they don't [ __ ] stop and
00:49:47
it and it and they showed Vanessa going
00:49:49
through the audition process
00:49:51
>> of that show and it seems very hard that
00:49:53
show. It made me scared to be on QVC
00:49:55
because
00:49:56
>> you you just got to run it and then they
00:49:57
have a a graph showing when the sales go
00:49:59
down. Did you say something wrong? And
00:50:02
you go and she accidentally um smells
00:50:04
something and acts like it smells kind
00:50:06
of bad for a half a second and then he
00:50:07
go the sales [ __ ] plummeted.
00:50:09
>> Yeah.
00:50:10
>> Just now half a second cuz you didn't
00:50:11
>> I have a friend who trained for it for
00:50:13
uh his for a shampoo uh line and he said
00:50:16
he was terrible. But they they put you
00:50:18
through training and there's a certain
00:50:19
type of language they have to use but he
00:50:21
said if you talk about like mama or god
00:50:23
the ratings go up like my mama says you
00:50:26
know this sugar is the best. Thank God
00:50:29
for, you know, church on Sunday, you
00:50:31
know, sales tick. So, there's just
00:50:33
certain things.
00:50:34
>> I wonder what we should say in this
00:50:35
podcast to make our ratings go.
00:50:37
>> No, you don't say anything.
00:50:38
>> Hallelujah. David,
00:50:39
>> hallelujah. Hallelujah.
00:50:42
>> Praise. No, I don't want to say that.
00:50:45
>> Um,
00:50:46
>> I don't go for ratings. Yes, I do.
00:50:48
>> Uh, no, I do. Uh, Molly, we
00:50:50
>> So, Molly, how do you uh how uh So,
00:50:53
yeah.
00:50:53
>> Do you like apples?
00:50:55
>> Apples. What's your favorite? Have you
00:50:57
ever
00:50:57
>> I know you like half chicken.
00:50:58
>> Can I ask you a question? Have you ever
00:51:00
at a dinner
00:51:02
>> been to like a group dinner and just
00:51:04
there was like a little bit of a silence
00:51:06
or a lull in the conversation? Just said
00:51:08
something just to fill the air. David,
00:51:10
you go first.
00:51:12
>> That's all I do.
00:51:12
>> That's a good one. That's all you do.
00:51:14
>> Yeah. I go, "Do you like apples?" I go,
00:51:15
"I already asked you."
00:51:17
>> I go to I go to uh what's your net
00:51:20
worth? That gets everyone going. That
00:51:22
gets everyone. Have you ever encountered
00:51:25
anything supernatural besides meeting
00:51:27
me? And then people have ghost stories
00:51:30
and that I did that with Julie Roberts
00:51:32
and Tom Hanks and these people at this
00:51:34
Shakespearean comedy ghost sto
00:51:38
>> Tom would have you would go on you would
00:51:41
do Shakespeare but you could do it any
00:51:42
way you wanted. So I was just doing it
00:51:44
like hey how you doing on Shakespeare?
00:51:45
You know it's like and it's a big
00:51:47
charity event he does and this was 10
00:51:49
years ago. So then Julia Roberts and all
00:51:51
these actors and we're all around the
00:51:53
table and it's be a little bit of like
00:51:54
that small talk. Well, I think so. You
00:51:57
too. And I go, "Have you guys ever seen
00:51:58
a ghost or any supernatural thing?" And
00:52:00
then everyone has a story.
00:52:02
>> Yeah. So Molly Shannon,
00:52:04
>> that's great.
00:52:04
>> I ask you, yeah, do you
00:52:07
>> have you ever encountered
00:52:09
>> a UFO? Something you couldn't explain.
00:52:11
It kind of freaked you out.
00:52:12
>> Um I you I lived in this apartment in
00:52:14
Hollywood that man Ray used to live in.
00:52:16
I like your question, Dana. And um when
00:52:19
I was a struggling actress with my
00:52:20
roommate Brian Donovan and it had
00:52:21
cathedral ceilings and it was across an
00:52:23
El Poo logo on the corner of Fountain
00:52:25
and Vine and I had just like a lot scary
00:52:29
over there.
00:52:30
>> Yeah. A little scary
00:52:32
old Hollywood
00:52:32
>> Franklin Hotel or something. Yeah.
00:52:34
>> Yeah. Yeah. It's just
00:52:35
>> It's a bit sketch though.
00:52:36
>> And um and um we live there together.
00:52:40
And I remember I we had a party and this
00:52:43
guy this like guy who was at the party
00:52:45
was like them's ghosts in here and I I
00:52:49
said really where's he from?
00:52:51
>> He was from Arkansas.
00:52:52
>> Does that scare you though about ghosts?
00:52:54
That would scare me.
00:52:54
>> No, cuz I didn't really believe but I
00:52:56
would have dreams at night. I don't know
00:52:57
if it was sleep paralysis but I would
00:52:59
have a dream where I was being held down
00:53:01
in only in that apartment.
00:53:04
>> Did you have you ever had that?
00:53:05
>> I had it at Sanro Ranch which I made my
00:53:07
wife. We left the hotel in the middle of
00:53:09
the night.
00:53:10
>> Why?
00:53:11
>> I had it twice and I'm like, "What the
00:53:12
[ __ ] is this?"
00:53:13
>> A push down like a feeling
00:53:14
>> you they It's from nightmares. The
00:53:17
feeling of a horse lying down on you.
00:53:19
>> And then I had the house we have up in
00:53:21
Northern California. It's from 1909. I
00:53:23
had it in there also. White noise I had
00:53:25
in there, too. Why is everyone sleeping?
00:53:28
When I was What the Where's that?
00:53:31
>> Yeah. Your brain, but I'm not afraid of
00:53:35
anything anymore really at this age.
00:53:36
That's so good.
00:53:38
>> But what happened? So was this ghost.
00:53:39
Did you meet the ghost?
00:53:40
>> That's all. No, but I would just feel
00:53:41
like I was being held down or I would
00:53:43
feel like there was somebody at the edge
00:53:44
of the bed holding my feet down and then
00:53:47
I would wake up and it was only in that
00:53:48
apartment. When I left, it never
00:53:49
happened again. Isn't that weird?
00:53:51
>> We got a call. We get Dan Akroyd on this
00:53:53
podcast. He loves this stuff. Dan's into
00:53:56
it. Wow. He would really be fascinated
00:53:59
by that.
00:54:00
>> But you weren't I would be scared
00:54:01
shitless.
00:54:03
>> Yeah, I was a lot.
00:54:03
>> When I hear any noises, I'm scared. And
00:54:05
I had another scary thing at that
00:54:06
apartment too where there was in my
00:54:09
bedroom a peeping tom in the alley like
00:54:11
I saw a head while I was changing and I
00:54:13
was like peeping to. And so then I ran
00:54:17
out to the front and called the security
00:54:19
guard. I was like Andrew, Andrew, come
00:54:21
here. Come here. Hurry, hurry. And he
00:54:23
came came into the door and I almost
00:54:26
have to get up and demonstrate, but I
00:54:27
don't want to go away from the
00:54:27
microphone. Walked in and um came in.
00:54:31
What? What? What? And then while he was
00:54:33
in the door, he got in and then he
00:54:35
slammed the door shut with his foot. And
00:54:38
it was within seconds that I realized,
00:54:40
oh no, that was him. And now I just let
00:54:42
HIM INTO MY APARTMENT.
00:54:44
>> OH WOW.
00:54:45
>> ISN'T that scary? He was like this. I'm
00:54:46
going to demonstrate. He was like, what?
00:54:48
Molly standing up and closed the door,
00:54:51
>> kicking her foot back.
00:54:52
>> Scary.
00:54:53
>> And now you locked him in the room with
00:54:56
you.
00:54:56
>> Then he was in the room. I I did quickly
00:54:58
get him out cuz my I just was
00:55:00
>> You figured out
00:55:02
then you realized
00:55:04
>> in the hell I didn't see anything
00:55:06
anymore. You can go now.
00:55:07
>> Yeah. I was like
00:55:10
you think there's a killer.
00:55:12
>> Here's what he should have done, Molly.
00:55:13
He should have closed the door while you
00:55:14
were behind him and he should have gone,
00:55:17
he's not in the alley anymore. And then
00:55:18
he goes, he's in your room and turned to
00:55:22
you.
00:55:22
>> Oh my god.
00:55:22
>> And then you would have gone, oh my god.
00:55:25
>> Oh my god. Did you ever see that movie
00:55:27
when a stranger calls calls come from
00:55:29
inside the house? I don't want you to do
00:55:30
that to me. I can't.
00:55:32
>> Lives alone in a 19,000 foot house with
00:55:35
no security.
00:55:36
>> Are you David?
00:55:37
>> Well, I definitely haven't seen any
00:55:38
scary movies. I would not see it. There
00:55:40
was no I didn't see the exist. I didn't
00:55:42
see any of the biggies. No
00:55:44
>> no. Why am I inviting? I have enough
00:55:46
nightmares. I want to add
00:55:49
more room. Stressful.
00:55:56
All right, Molly, let's let's get Molly
00:55:58
out of here. She's been
00:56:00
great.
00:56:00
>> We have one final question.
00:56:02
>> Yes, she's the greatest guest ever.
00:56:04
>> What did you eat for breakfast? Dana
00:56:07
first.
00:56:09
>> Dana first.
00:56:10
>> Dana first.
00:56:11
>> The same thing I have every day. Molly,
00:56:13
I had uh one egg and and one egg white.
00:56:17
>> Um I had um some avocado I sliced up. I
00:56:22
had a half piece of sourdough.
00:56:23
>> You're gay.
00:56:24
>> Toast. You're gay. You're getting
00:56:28
>> That's the name of the episode.
00:56:30
>> So, avocado toast and those two things.
00:56:32
And then my wife made a thing she calls
00:56:34
a green drink. A little bit of pear and
00:56:37
spinach
00:56:38
>> and stuff like that. And
00:56:40
>> that sounds so
00:56:40
>> What did you have? That sounds exactly
00:56:42
the kind of breakfast I Yeah,
00:56:44
>> I had a Gson's half a chicken. No, I
00:56:47
just had a smoothie. I had a banana
00:56:49
almond milk smoothie right before I
00:56:51
came.
00:56:52
>> David, what did you have?
00:56:54
>> You know, uh, the big story is when you
00:56:57
said that about Kelson's, when I moved
00:56:59
out here to stay with the Funny Boys to
00:57:00
do stand up, I had no money.
00:57:02
>> Yeah.
00:57:02
>> And I just had change.
00:57:03
>> Yeah.
00:57:04
>> And he goes, "You can keep the There's
00:57:05
change up on the counter if you want
00:57:06
it." So, I felt so embarrassed, but when
00:57:08
I went to do stuff, I would scrape the
00:57:10
change and I went to Ralph's on fountain
00:57:12
way down there.
00:57:13
>> Yeah.
00:57:14
>> It was Ralph's or something. And then um
00:57:16
I went and I got the rotisserie chicken
00:57:18
in the thing, same thing. And just took
00:57:19
a lot of food. I ate and they come home.
00:57:24
I go
00:57:26
like
00:57:28
I really went at it cuz I haven't eaten
00:57:29
all day. And then I know if I get a spot
00:57:31
at the improv, you get a free pineapple
00:57:33
chicken where it's like a little breast
00:57:34
with a pineapple circle on top. Woofed.
00:57:37
Yeah, cuz that was it. You don't know
00:57:39
where the next one is.
00:57:40
>> And so but this morning, eggs.
00:57:42
>> Oh, eggs.
00:57:43
>> Eggs. Scram. And uh the only interesting
00:57:46
thing I have well done bacon. That's not
00:57:48
that interesting. And then I have a
00:57:50
little
00:57:50
>> What's your plain oatmeal, sir?
00:57:52
>> A little plain oatmeal. No bread.
00:57:54
>> Yes.
00:57:55
>> Don't wait. I try not to eat too much
00:57:57
wheat now. God, we're so old. Sourdough.
00:58:00
It's the most benign. Come on. It's Joe
00:58:02
Biden. It's sourdough.
00:58:03
>> Okay.
00:58:03
>> I don't say inflation. I'm doing Biden.
00:58:07
It's inflation. The Pirates of the
00:58:09
Caribbean.
00:58:10
>> Is it a joke or is it no joke?
00:58:12
>> It's no joke.
00:58:12
>> It's no joke.
00:58:14
No, we're not getting around here.
00:58:15
>> Biden's always
00:58:16
>> final question. Oh, we getting the last
00:58:18
one on her.
00:58:19
>> Yeah, if the decks are clear, the kids
00:58:21
are great, everything. What's a Molly's
00:58:24
super day like your mental health day?
00:58:27
This is Molly's day off.
00:58:29
>> Okay, I like that question. Um, I would
00:58:31
I definitely like to exercise because it
00:58:33
relaxes me.
00:58:34
>> You go for a hike.
00:58:35
>> Run. A run.
00:58:37
>> Yeah, run. I ran this morning cuz it
00:58:40
calms me down.
00:58:42
>> I just can't do it anymore. I hike
00:58:43
though.
00:58:43
>> Oh, hike. Well, hiking is so good.
00:58:45
>> It has to go up a hill though.
00:58:46
>> That's amazing.
00:58:47
>> So, you start out with a run.
00:58:48
>> Running and I will listen to a good
00:58:50
podcast or or interview or you know the
00:58:54
daily or NPR or books on tape. So, I
00:58:58
I'll do that while I'm running.
00:58:59
>> Okay.
00:59:00
>> And then, um I also like swimming. So, I
00:59:03
I a good day would be to swim for 1
00:59:05
hour.
00:59:06
>> Wow. Yes. You're my hero. That's what I
00:59:08
want to do.
00:59:09
>> It makes me feel so happy. I've been
00:59:10
starting to to attempt to do it cuz they
00:59:12
have a little pool at this one house we
00:59:14
have.
00:59:14
>> Oh, that's so nice.
00:59:15
>> So, how do you So, you where do you go?
00:59:16
Where do you swim?
00:59:17
>> I swim. We have a pool in our backyard.
00:59:19
>> So, it's like 40 ft or 30 ft. 40 ft.
00:59:22
>> Um, I'm not sure. Yeah, maybe.
00:59:23
>> So, you get you go back and forth. Are
00:59:25
you switching strokes? You work on
00:59:26
those.
00:59:27
>> I just do the breast stroke the whole
00:59:28
time. And I also listen to interviews
00:59:30
when I'm swimming.
00:59:31
>> Do you get your hair wet?
00:59:32
>> So, how do you do that?
00:59:33
>> I just not getting electrocuted.
00:59:35
>> I just have a speaker. I don't have the
00:59:36
ear pods, but I just have a speaker. So
00:59:38
I'm really like, you know,
00:59:39
>> or you're kind of like this and it's on
00:59:40
the side of the pool. So you come out,
00:59:42
what gets you more
00:59:44
>> just zen down, the run or the swim or is
00:59:46
it just the two together?
00:59:48
>> That's a really good question. I would
00:59:49
say what do you think?
00:59:51
>> I I'm just coming on to the idea of
00:59:53
swimming. So I feel like especially if
00:59:55
it's deprivation where you have earplugs
00:59:57
and it's like people come out of the
00:59:58
pool like whoa. Yeah.
01:00:00
>> In my olden times, my other times I
01:00:02
think hard cardiovascular breaking a
01:00:04
sweat.
01:00:04
>> Yeah.
01:00:05
>> But basically, let's put it this way.
01:00:06
your perfect day. It's 10:00 a.m. and
01:00:08
you're basically blasted in a good way.
01:00:11
>> Exactly.
01:00:12
>> After your run and you're out, so you're
01:00:14
just like this and now what do you do?
01:00:16
>> Exactly. Then I guess if it's like a
01:00:18
perfect day, too, I might go to a steam
01:00:20
get a nice steam or sauna and it makes
01:00:23
me so relaxed and I might bring
01:00:25
>> super relaxed.
01:00:26
>> Well, you're asking like a really fun
01:00:27
day. This is like this would be while my
01:00:30
kids are in school if I have a little
01:00:32
bit of free time.
01:00:32
>> The decks are clear. Then I would maybe
01:00:35
I I mean if it's a dream day, maybe I
01:00:37
would I I mean I haven't done this for a
01:00:39
while, but I would love to go to a
01:00:41
pretty park in nature and sit and do
01:00:43
creative visualization. If you're asking
01:00:44
for a dream day,
01:00:45
>> like a meditative
01:00:47
>> meditative kind of writing,
01:00:49
you know, some part of these things you
01:00:50
do all the time, but now it's loaded
01:00:52
into one day.
01:00:53
>> Yeah. Loaded into one day. But then um
01:00:55
let's see what you go out to dinner with
01:00:57
your husband.
01:00:58
>> Oh my god. Well, that's later. say after
01:00:59
I pick up the kids.
01:01:00
>> Um my husband likes to stay in and cook.
01:01:03
So I don't but but I love going out for
01:01:05
dinner with friends, but he likes to
01:01:06
cook cook dinner and stay in. And of
01:01:09
course my ideal my favorite thing is
01:01:11
just spending time with my children. So
01:01:13
>> they're 17 and 18 and I I'm going to
01:01:16
pick my son up today at school and my
01:01:18
daughter and I are going to get
01:01:19
acupuncture today. So I like stuff like
01:01:21
that, you know, stuff that makes your
01:01:23
body feel good.
01:01:23
>> Yeah. Do everything to make you feel
01:01:24
better. Do you watch any entertain? Do
01:01:27
you watch movies? You watch dramas when
01:01:28
you
01:01:29
>> Yes. I just finished watching the
01:01:30
Dropout Mike Show Walter show with
01:01:31
Amanda Seafed. I loved it. That was so
01:01:34
good. And my husband and I love
01:01:35
documentaries.
01:01:37
>> We're watching um Love on the Spectrum
01:01:39
right now on Netflix.
01:01:41
>> Watching that some high fives in the
01:01:43
room. Love on the Spectrum.
01:01:45
>> Just watch Pam and Tommy. Um was it Did
01:01:48
you watch it? Was so funny.
01:01:49
>> Tommy's sons bought my old house in
01:01:52
Nino.
01:01:53
>> Really? I just saw a picture of that.
01:01:55
Oh, and um
01:01:56
>> they're in my recording studio and in my
01:01:58
pool.
01:01:58
>> Oh my god.
01:01:59
>> But I'm happy for them. Go ahead.
01:02:02
>> And um yeah, but no, yeah, my husband
01:02:04
and I love documentaries. That's our
01:02:05
favorite.
01:02:06
>> Yeah. So, watching TV with your husband,
01:02:08
hanging with your kids,
01:02:09
>> hanging with my kids, jacuzzi,
01:02:11
meditation, park, relaxing,
01:02:14
steam.
01:02:15
>> Okay, I like that answer. That's I'm
01:02:18
relaxed just hearing that.
01:02:19
>> Oh, good. And just hanging out in the
01:02:21
house is so fun with my kids. There's
01:02:23
nothing that makes me happier than just
01:02:25
having a free day where you could just
01:02:27
stay stay in your house and do whatever
01:02:29
you want. I love that.
01:02:30
>> Yeah, I I I love being a dad. I love
01:02:32
love that hanging out with my kids.
01:02:34
>> Is it the It's the greatest. Yeah, me
01:02:35
too. It's my
01:02:36
>> Well, Molly Shannon is her tell me your
01:02:39
book. It's called Hello Molly.
01:02:40
>> Yes.
01:02:41
>> A great title.
01:02:42
>> Yeah,
01:02:42
>> cuz it's just you can never forget it.
01:02:44
>> I love Molly. I don't think it's so
01:02:46
clean. It's not like my journey to the
01:02:48
thing. What was the name of your book,
01:02:49
David? It was
01:02:50
>> stupid. It's not Hello, Molly. I'll say
01:02:52
it was Mine's harder to do.
01:02:54
>> What was it called?
01:02:55
>> I think it was called
01:02:57
>> Oh, one of them was called This is a
01:02:58
good one. A Polaroid guy in a Snapchat
01:03:01
world.
01:03:02
>> But guy in a Snapchat
01:03:06
Snapchat
01:03:06
>> cuz I talk about how the difference is
01:03:08
when I grew up. Now it is now
01:03:09
everything's different.
01:03:10
>> I like that title. So I like it. But
01:03:12
hello Molly. So clean. Boom. And it's
01:03:15
off the title.
01:03:15
>> You sing it. That's what's good.
01:03:16
>> And you're also I love that for you.
01:03:19
She's won awards. She you've worked
01:03:20
consistently ever since you left SNL. It
01:03:23
seems like you're always doing stuff
01:03:24
with Will and you they're hiring you for
01:03:27
this and that. Now you're in this show.
01:03:29
>> Life is good.
01:03:30
>> You're healthy. You can run.
01:03:33
>> You can swim. We learned.
01:03:34
>> Yes.
01:03:35
>> Stroke only.
01:03:36
>> Well, you don't you do you don't get
01:03:37
your hair wet. That's what we we people
01:03:39
want to know.
01:03:39
>> If I have a I know. I like that that
01:03:41
you're asking, David. If it's a nice
01:03:43
blowout, I would probably toss it up cuz
01:03:44
I wouldn't want to ruin it. And then
01:03:46
you're going above the water and just a
01:03:48
very meditative back and forth.
01:03:51
>> Yes. With with some good reading
01:03:52
material. Maybe I would listen to listen
01:03:54
to a New Yorker article on autumn the
01:03:56
hour.
01:03:58
>> I love that about modern digital
01:03:59
technology. You just you're driving and
01:04:02
you can listen to World War II books and
01:04:04
like so Hitler decided it was too late,
01:04:07
you know? I mean, I just can't get
01:04:09
enough of that stuff.
01:04:11
>> That is that right, Dana?
01:04:12
>> Oh, I love documentaries, too. I I kind
01:04:14
of like everything. I'm if wife wants to
01:04:16
watch The Crown, I love The Crown and I
01:04:18
like 2001. I see that every year when
01:04:20
she's not around, you know. So, I like I
01:04:23
like all of it, but I mostly like dramas
01:04:25
and adventures and stuff.
01:04:27
>> Yeah.
01:04:28
>> Did you see the original Staircase
01:04:30
documentary? It's on Netflix now. That's
01:04:32
excellent.
01:04:32
>> About the guy who maybe pushed his wife
01:04:35
down the stairs.
01:04:36
>> Yes.
01:04:36
>> That's a good one.
01:04:37
>> You know what those things If you want
01:04:38
to look for dysfunction, Cowills.
01:04:41
>> Ooh. about a 60s pop band, family band.
01:04:44
It's about their dysfunctional family.
01:04:46
Very reminiscent of mine in some ways,
01:04:49
but it's also their fame and their
01:04:50
trajectory. The Cow Cells, I think it's
01:04:52
called, on Netflix.
01:04:53
>> Oh, that sounds good.
01:04:54
>> Ted Sarandis' um cousin. So, I also
01:04:58
support Netflix on this podcast.
01:05:02
>> Call us.
01:05:04
>> All right. Bye, guys. Nice to meet you.
01:05:06
>> Okay. Yay.
01:05:07
>> Part two.
01:05:09
Hey guys, if you're loving this podcast,
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We're on video now.
01:05:26
>> Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey,
01:05:27
an executive produced by Dana Carvey and
01:05:29
David Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg
01:05:32
Holtzman, Mattie Sprung Kaiser, and Leah
01:05:35
Reese Dennis of Odyssey. Our senior
01:05:37
producer is Greg Holtzman and the show
01:05:38
is produced and edited by Phil Sweet
01:05:42
Tech. Booking by Cultivated
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Entertainment.
01:05:44
>> Special thanks to Patrick Fogerty, Evan
01:05:47
Cox, Mora Curran, Melissa Wester,
01:05:52
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01:05:55
Gainner, Sean Cherry, Kurt Courtourtney,
01:05:58
and Lauren Vieiraa.
01:05:59
>> Reach out with us any questions to be
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01:06:07
That's audacy.com.
