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Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

April 19, 2023 / 01:15:29

This episode features comedian Ray Romano discussing his career, including his stand-up experiences, his recent film "Somewhere in Queens," and his time on SNL. Key topics include his journey in comedy, personal anecdotes about parenting, and insights into the film industry.

Ray Romano shares stories about his early days in comedy, performing at clubs like The Improv and The Comedy Cellar. He reflects on how he got his start and the importance of networking in the industry.

The conversation shifts to his recent film "Somewhere in Queens," which he co-wrote and directed. Romano discusses the emotional themes of the film, drawing from his own experiences as a parent and the challenges of balancing personal aspirations with family life.

Romano also talks about his time hosting SNL, highlighting memorable sketches and the collaborative nature of the show. He emphasizes the pressure of live performance and the camaraderie among cast members.

Throughout the episode, Romano's humor and candidness shine through as he shares insights into his life, career, and the creative process behind his work.

TLDR

Ray Romano discusses his comedy career, parenting, and his film "Somewhere in Queens."

Episode

1:15:29
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Ray Romano like yeah Ray I like that we just had Ray on Ray is a good buddy of mine we did the
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uh we did standup together the Mirage last is a great standup very smooth funny standup hosted SNL was it twice
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twice yeah uh had some great sketches a classic sketch in there we won't give it
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away with Tim Meadows I don't know the name of it they're Sports casters yep
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Sports Center crazy funny and we break all that down and we go through his kind of his we break down to like powder we
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break it down so in the tiniest bits it's like sand yeah we break it down like this is how I went to the club then
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we break that in half this is how I got dressed we break that these are the shoes that I bought the night so we keep
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digressing eventually we got him back to a he's just born and his mother freaking
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he's done Ice Age he's done he just directed and co-wrote a movie that was
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very good no [ __ ] Dane and I both saw it we both without knowing it saw it and not comparing notes and on the
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podcast I have to say I thought it was a very interesting movie it is a bit of a
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roller coaster it's not just funny but it's it's kind of a tearjerker in places
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that was fun because I knew that we both love the film so we kind of go over his
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career in SNL because I didn't want to come out with it but at the end I think
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he was excited or happy because we legitimately love the movie and it's a lot of stuff for parents you know it's
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not like a dark drama but it's dramatic and it's funny at the same time and the
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name of it is somewhere in Queens somewhere in Queens I was going to say night at the
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Queens we turned into CIS Eber you know movies to me sis schol or I you're the guy that's Ray mono is also
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uh um yeah especially when you look at his resume especially humble and real um he didn't really get a breaking Show
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Business till he's 36 he worked at a bank till he's 29 so his story is very
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interesting and God he's done a lot after everybody loves met his wife at the bank met his wife at the bank and uh
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you know let's put it eventually he made a deposit on it okay sorry spoiler alert
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spoiler alert Dennis Miller will sometimes appear yeah on the podcast so Ray here he is Ray Romano you you know
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him you love him you know his voice and uh he was very uh very interesting to have a nice listen and remember 10 and
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two pull over and finish don't go to work or don't go into the store pull
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over and finish the whole goddamn podcast yeah and the commercials are really funny we don't like pauses we're
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not the pause guys there's no no 30 second going forward not with this podcast do that with the other guys play
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that [ __ ] I we should do a podcast called The Other Guys kind of like the will phoh
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movie we just remake that movie I think the camera went off 20 minut they're out
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of film film what 192 he's like is there a spider [ __ ] Heather wow Smash It and
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kill it to [Music] death there's no pre there's no pre- interiew no to prep no no way to prep
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it's just being in the moment real can I can I bite a piece of bread while we do
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this yeah yeah is that is that disrespectful no not not at all especially because you've announced it
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now people listening all over the world by the way will be like that's cool he
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told us what was happening he wasn't having some kind of jaw jaw dysfunction right from my eye doctor I
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haven't had breakfast yet it's all right I usually eat all you want I talked to
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Dana for the first 10 minutes anyway oh okay so I discovered spade and Dennis Miller discovered was it Chris Rock or
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who did he or he also Schneider did anyone discover you in a Lynch Penny kind of way back in the day some club
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owner some big- time comic Hey kid you're gonna make it you may not have what do you mean like how did you
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discover those guys well recommended them that's a strong word Dennis not discover that's the wrong word but
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Dennis Miller he saw faadu thler and told Lauren Michaels about him right I believe right it's that kind of
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thing networking that's a big thing I'll answer for you because Ray's eating Ray
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was performing at probably the Sellar and he got yeah but I'll tell you one thing I'll tell you one thing before I
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got to the Sellar I was I was at the Improv I was just a kind of a still still a late
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night slash one you know maybe get on the Regular Show comic at The Improv and my buddy joh you know John
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manotti David I do yeah he he was a regular at the seller and on one Friday night some gu somebody cancelled they
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didn't have a guy blah blah blah they had a and the the the the the owner said
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who can we get down here and he said there's a there's a new dude at The
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Improv that's pretty good and they called he called The Improv and he called me he said can you get down to
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the seller in [ __ ] 15 minutes you know and I said yeah and I raced down there I
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got there and and that then became the seller became my club you know that was but but he's the one who got me in there
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I don't know if you count that you count that as anything yeah I'm gonna I'm
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going to count it I'm going to count I know there people disagree with me but
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so just for inside baseball so the The Improv which Bud Freeman had 55th in BR 45th Street 44th and Ninth
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44th and the seller was in the Village Street yeah so it's like a 10minute cab
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ride to at least maybe more maybe more 20 minute cab ride to Comedy Nirvana that could be your book If you ever read
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a book Dan I have a I have a technical question for Ray cuz I I I only I only met people at the Improv when I was
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staying out there and they said this guy Gary Grant could get you some Road gigs
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if you fly out there so I do two weeks I take a Subway to two times sare walk to
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the Improv sit there and meet some comic like you or some wasn't you but someone
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that was established would drive me to like BF pakis in Jersey and I would do yeah yeah 20 minutes and I'd get you
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know 60 bucks so in two weeks I could clear $500 which I did and it was great but the Improv stage it is is it
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elevated at all in um New York it does it seems like it's in the corner bit little bit it was yeah I mean that
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now it's an Italian restaurant The Improv but but what do you mean is it elevated yeah it was it looked like the
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one in La was like you walk upstairs and you're like you know you walk Three
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stairs I I was scared of that improv I got humiliated there once because I was doing the Mickey Runa show I was like
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25 and I was going to do sets at The Improv and I'm doing all my dancing around and singing and doing little
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funny moves and funny little voices and I thought I was doing really well and then a guy old guy probably 40 came up
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to you and go I like you you get laughs kid but they don't like you and he pointed to like 15 Comics hanging out on
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the other side of the club what they don't like you they don't get you wait
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the New York improv that was the New York New York improv yep 1981 oh that was before that was before
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me but I do remember when I was coming up in there I remember you coming in Dana and this is when you were on
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SNL and you did so you did a spot and you were yeah you were the big guest star and I remember I think John litz
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was in the audience at The Improv was at the Improv also and so you you on stage
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said how do you guys like litz what do you think of John Lovitz you were asking the audience to see to get a reaction Al
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the dash fine now you have to bring you have to bring me up to try to get a laugh they like me better I remember
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yeah I was a young dude then thinging Ray who who were the good guys when you were starting who was like on the Slate
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Jerry no at at The Improv no Jerry was never there I never our path never crossed wow The Improv at The Improv was
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like Allan havy and Ron Daren I remember Chappelle was just start starting you know um Chris Rock was just
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kind of starting then and then at the seller you know I was more when I ran into like John Stewart and Louis
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CK um but you know the seller is the club that I still go didn't you shoot your what was the
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name of your your was Netflix special you started the set at the seller and then you walked to another club during
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the special another seller that's the annex of the Celler yeah it's around the
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corner it was it was called right here around the corner called jaunt and it was just a quick jaunt Ross were you and
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uh were you quick to get kind of what you would call your voice and like the way you do stand up now or was did you
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work with props and puppets and stuff and then get into your thing or was I I had a couple props God when we Dig Down
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D props I had props I had a you had a prop right what a puppet I I had no I had a I had a little duffel bag of uh it
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was it was at the end of my act it was at the end of my act and I would do Impressions I would do um the kid you
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always wanted to sit next to during a physics exam and it was nerdy hat nerdy glasses interesting and I would and I
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and I would turn around and do the old reveal clo and did he talk nope NOP he didn't
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talk it just visual all visuals so it was it was just a set a set four I think there were four things it was the the
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you wanted to sit next to during a physics exam boom funny set that same kid's mother I did his mother what she
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looked like and it was just wig with cat glasses you know so one after the other
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yeah and and then I uh I did with the wig and the glasses I don't know if you guys
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remember uh the Mets were uh this was 86 so the Mets were in the World Series playoffs and there was a woman who sat
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behind home plate who tried to distract the pitcher by doing this rolling her hands around and she was prominent if if
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you watch the game sure on camera like this so with so with the wig on and the glasses I did that woman also oh God
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what a tricky laugh are these getting equal laughs are these just all killing they they're doing they're doing very
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well yeah and then the closer Not only was props but it involved music I um mhm said the op now of course the counter
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the alter the counter to the nerdy guy was the cool guy who would come into class and it was just it was sunglasses
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sunglasses and half a cigarette and when I put my back to the audience a lot of back to the audience so far back to the
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yeah when I put my and this would crush when I put my back to the audience I would they would play the theme to um uh
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eye of the tiger and it would be D and then on dun I would turn around and then on each dun my um I would move
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my head so I had glasses in the cigarette inspired go ahead the second one yeah and well then when the dunce end
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he would I would do with my lips I had the half a cigarette I would swallow the cigarette like that wow true swallow or
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fig swallow no no I would just flip it with my lips into my mouth and it just it crushed you're the kind of a guy I
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would hate to follow oh my God he walks off and goes follow that [ __ ] wait a minute I had one more I had one
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more one more prop and one more impression and it would be a nuclear explosion and I would take
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the rubber band uh that I don't know if you know this in broccoli in the supermarket the broccoli rubber band
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they're fat it well I would get one of those well and I would put it on my head
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and you could feel it creeping up so as it was creeping up my head you know the pressure of it I would do the whistle of
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the nucleon and when I would time it so and it would it would snap up my hair into a mushroom cloud it would be like a
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little bit like a mushroom cloud and and very seldom did did that not oh super kill well that damn I mean I know this
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sounds kind of crazy but uh are those bits still around for higher I mean I got a couple Nickel in my
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pocketam visual there was one day on on you know when I when I got the TV show what you got a TV show what was that
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yeah yeah okay I got everybody those R and Letterman Letterman was our producer you know so I would do Letterman at
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least twice a year every year the show was on so when I was running out of material
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stuff one of those spots about five or six years in I I recalled that the all those Impressions sitting next to okay I
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you know I just showed Dave this is from the old days blah whatever and they crushed again I'm not joking that would
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have been good on Star Search because it's quick it's [ __ ] score yeah and
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you get your l you get four stars you move on I got um 1.5 stars on Star you did star surge I Star Search I lost to
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uh I lost to G gei guyi guy jok grenade yeah did you do it did any of you guys I
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I didn't do it but did you use those bits on Star sege cuz I can't imagine
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you losing at all I did I did you know 90 seconds of of stand up and it didn't
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work and you know you get a two you know it was one to four stars right so you get you get a two just for showing up
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you know and I got I got three two two2 and the last person gave me a one so it it it averaged out to one
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point set record that's the most dismal score I've ever heard of on Stars no I
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mean that's that's cruel how do you how I ask people this how did you deal with
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uh stuff that didn't work well in your career like that thing like did you you
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were you injured for a week mentally or were you just W go they don't know what
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they're talking about no I would yeah it was a blow it was a blow but the the
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story is actually has a happy ending uh um because my wife was pregnant with my first kid my daughter and she was do
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about four weeks from from what that so I fly out to LA to do star search and you know if you win you you come back
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you you go the next week week but but they film it like a couple days later so I would have had to stay and stay if I
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won so I lost and I told my man my manager we were going to stay for a couple days I go let's just go home and
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when I went home uh my wife's uh water broke and she delivered the baby the next day so I was lucky to be yeah did
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you kind of intuitively rate the baby at all with stars you know when you saw your kid sorry well you know was funny
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what was funny was they she was born in the city I like it she was born I was living in Queens and she was born in the
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city you know and uh so I was going back and forth and one the second night I went to the cell just to say hello to
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the guys and I went down in the basement and you know Mike Sweeney you got know remember Mike Sweeney anyway yeah
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Mike Mike Sweeney was there and he saw me and he goes uh Hey congratulations man and I said I said no didn't you hear
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I lost I thought he goes the baby you [Laughter] [ __ ] show show [Music] buiness Ray I audition for Star Search
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at the mall in Arizona and they go big audition I thought Ed McMahon would be there he was not but they just had like
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a cattle call so I waited line like a chump I and I wore a white sweatshirt that had a bat on it like a Batman not
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even a logo that said just Dana it was just this outline of a bat and I thought that signified comedy somehow I don't
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even know why like Batman like I'm I don't know so I go up and I do my bit
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you know they're just running a camera and the guy's reading a magazine and
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everyone just goes up and does like two minutes and I thought literally when I even got to my second joke it would be
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like a movie he'd look up from the magazine and then on my third joke he'd
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start to stand up and then on the fourth joke he'd like hug me and say we got him
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and just like shut the place down and say you're going to Hollywood literally
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no one looked up I did my ACT no one called me I go and even for like two years I'm like it takes a while because
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they got to get the tapes and they got to review them and so I never got on God damn I wanted that one bad I wanted both
00:18:29
you guys had the young comedian special on HBO which I don't know if it still
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exists but that was kind of a big deal and I coincidentally host yeah hosted Rays yeah yeah I didn't know that and I
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I just my blink about you then was just the confidence and I've gotten to know
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you a little more over over time but you came across so confident and right as I
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was about to go out to introduce you you said uh you said uh do re reintroduce me
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as Regis so I don't even do an impression of you but so I did reges filming uh introducing did I say that
00:19:04
yeah you said do reges I want I want to be brought out to reges and you crushed do you remember who was on that one
00:19:10
Janine garfo yeah um help me out Kindler Andy Kindler Andy Kindler who's hysterical
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comic Nick depalo yes another great guy Bill Bellamy Bill Bellamy and and Jud Appo
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yeah really Jud was on that one I didn't know Jud was on any of them Jud was on
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that yeah and did that did that help you that's that's kind of a boost back then
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there wasn't much going on and HBO was a big deal yeah I mean I had I think after
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that I got my own half hour special they did those half hour specials sure so I got my S my my own special um it was all
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good but um you know the thing then was to look to try to get a development not to try to get a development deal but
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that's what was happening and um nobody was offering me anything I had done all
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the I had done all of those things you know the HBO The Young comedians they you start to get nervous because you go
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I'm out of like tricks here they they've all seen me yeah yeah that's what I
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thought it was like about 11 years in and I thought well um no one's offering
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and then it was it wasn't until you know I got I got news radio I got you know
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hired on news radio and then fired on day two and yeah so it was it was right around that then where I was like
00:20:40
wondering I love doing standup if I'm if it's not going to happen it's not gonna
00:20:44
happen but then Letterman I got my first Letterman and and Letterman made it happen you know it it was Letterman or
00:20:51
nobody were you fired or were you it when when I looked it up it said you left there to go to your own City come
00:20:59
like the writers from there yeah yeah that's what it says on on Wikipedia so
00:21:04
we we're going to have to challenge this one look good never I've never seen that
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ever isn't that great no I've never no I was Stone Cold 6 o'clock in the morning
00:21:17
my manager called me at the hotel and said they're going in another Direction
00:21:21
you know what was that direction that phrase who played you who played you Joe Rogan Joe Rogan yeah yeah so in a
00:21:29
parallel universe you're hosting the world's biggest podcast right now we both we both made out all right I
00:21:36
guess you know you know Ray uh Dana back then I would say going on The Improv I was just trying to kill but with Ry the
00:21:44
more important thing was which I couldn't really understand they're just
00:21:48
looking for a personality back then to write a sitcom about Tim Allen had Tool Time so like this is his act he's like a
00:21:54
tough guy and they could they could see a show around that I was just concerned about doing good and getting laughs and
00:22:01
then you have to look at the big picture like Ry they see his whole Persona up there say we could see him as this and
00:22:07
do a whole show around that and I think that's what happened right Ray well I
00:22:12
mean like I said nobody was was was interested except for Letterman I mean I don't know what he saw I was just like I
00:22:21
guess the every guy you know um but I had a really good first Letterman spot I mean as hard as I am on myself it was it
00:22:30
was one of the better spots I've had on ever on TV it's so good it's so there's nothing
00:22:36
like it yeah and Bernett Bernett Rob Bernett called me on the following Saturday it was a weekend and he called
00:22:44
me and and he said listen we're they liked it we're interested uh don't don't
00:22:51
sign with anybody else and you know I told them there's nobody else you know easy to get
00:22:59
yeah how old were you at that point I was like 30 36 maybe yeah and and they sent me to La you know I had
00:23:09
three kids then I had three little kids I had the Twins and the and the three-year-old and um and they sent me
00:23:17
to La and I interviewed with I I met with about 10 potential showrunners and the first guy I wanted
00:23:25
uh turned it down the first guy was well a a writer named Michael borow who who was writing on friends at the time and
00:23:34
friends was the hot sexy show so I got all I got all you know seduced by that and he was cool he was you know uh he
00:23:44
was single though he didn't have a family or anything and I went we offered it to him and and he passed on it h and
00:23:52
then Phil roseno was my second choice and you know if if that doesn't happen I
00:23:57
don't know you know who knows yeah did you ever have a moment because it's sort of a theme in the show of
00:24:03
maybe trying for Saturday Night Live because everything in hindsight like when you you're two hosting things which
00:24:09
we'll get to I mean you were great like a great sketch player you know did you
00:24:13
have any kind of designs about that that because it's either the sitcom path in
00:24:17
those days or pure standup or I I kind of I kind of knew I wasn't a a a really pure sketch
00:24:28
guy you know I didn't have voices and characters and and and I didn't know but
00:24:35
but did I dream of being on ssnl yes I did I did uh um you know I was uh 17 18 when it came out and we we stayed home
00:24:46
and watched it every night every every week um but I I never thought I was going to be a sketch player an audition
00:24:54
I never asked my manager get me an audition for SNL because I kind of knew I didn't have that that muscle in there
00:25:00
you know um but I wanted I wanted to be on it it's very hit I mean it's it's a
00:25:07
cool road if you you blow up on the on the classic show Everybody Loves Raymond and then they call and then you're gonna
00:25:15
go host so your first thing is just hosting that's quite a privilege you know yeah yeah it was I mean it was
00:25:23
probably I think it was year two maybe of everybody might might it was 99 mhm so so three it was year three actually
00:25:31
were you a hit out of the gate on on on the Raymond no no we were we were on Fridays the fir you know for
00:25:40
the first 20 20 21 of the first 26 episodes we were on Fridays and we were in a 100th place and then the only thing
00:25:49
that was keeping him from canceling us was the reviews were pretty good so you know Le it was Les Les moonz at the time
00:25:58
so he kind of hung on to us and then he gave us a five-week trial at the end of year one he put us on after
00:26:07
Cosby um and Cosby was you know the their hit and he said that you know we knew that that was our trial that if we
00:26:15
didn't deliver then we were gone and we actually went up a tick from Cosby and
00:26:20
we stay wow was Cosby at some point did I read this right that at a given point he
00:26:27
would get 50 million people watching his sitcom maybe that first one the first this was the second this was the second
00:26:35
one you know I don't know I don't know about 50 that's that seems like a lot
00:26:41
but I got cancelled at 25 million with one of the boys with Mickey Rooney going back to that one more time they go we're
00:26:48
stuck at 25 million we're out of here really yeah that was now if you get now
00:26:54
if you get one a million you're a hit right if your parents watch just shoot
00:26:59
me 700 million bigger than the Super Bowl every week no when you look back the ratings
00:27:07
even on Rules of Engagement oh a few people remember thank you um that uh we got you same thing every you know it's
00:27:15
just typical the ratings at that point made us get on the borderline of canceled today would be huge but it goes
00:27:22
down when then people go I got picked up we got a 0.09 I'm like that's great yeah
00:27:27
yeah know what the ratings are 09 doesn't sound like a lot of something yeah I don't either I used to watch
00:27:34
every anything out of a 100 out of one out of what I don't I would look them up
00:27:40
every week man and I would check the numbers every week yeah and uh now I yeah who knows I can't tell what's good
00:27:46
and what's not good did you call that hotline and it would give you the ratings yeah yeah I would call something
00:27:51
I remember I would call something it would make your day or it would crush you it' be like oh yeah yeah yeah yeah
00:27:57
and we got for our finale the equation was this we got uh if you took Seinfeld's finale and subtracted Friends
00:28:06
finale that was the numbers for our finale yeah like L exactly perfect buddy yeah it was good it was good but
00:28:16
Seinfeld got like 75 friends got like oh close to 50 or whatever we got close to
00:28:23
30 you know yeah huge damn hug that's just gigantic that's bigger than the
00:28:28
Oscars I saw a sketch I saw a sketch you did Ray about a sports center I mean we
00:28:33
don't have to get in all the sketches but there was one when you were Tim yeah
00:28:38
yeah that was I mean that's the one that's the one is that the one really
00:28:42
because I you know when you look them up they're on YouTube and you jump around
00:28:44
but that one well that's the one that has a little bit the barest H nugget of a of a little bit of
00:28:53
a cult following because of the the sweet sassy molasses I wonder if they say it on TV and sports center now
00:29:00
because it's so [ __ ] funny that was very inspired uh you know the the new the sports guys they're at the desk and
00:29:08
I'm starting to watch it and then uh I see the turn and I go oh damn that's
00:29:13
really see it coming yeah and then you landed it so beautifully Ray I just like yeah well we I have to thank uh Mike Roy
00:29:21
was one of the writers on on Raymond and and they all flew him Phil and one other
00:29:27
writer flew with me and Mike kind of threw that together like a couple nights before and we we we we all then worked
00:29:38
on it but he came up with that and he came up with the sweet sassy Massie you know and um and it worked and you know
00:29:45
the guy it's it was a Tim meals was playing Stuart Scott I don't know if you
00:29:51
real guy yeah yeah unun yeah booah and sadly you know he passed away right but he he had cancer
00:30:00
and and but I saw him probably a year before he passed away the first time I ever saw him and I didn't know whether
00:30:06
he was going to be into it or not but he was all he couldn't have been more flattered by it he was he was really
00:30:13
cool about it yeah um but that's the yeah like every now and then I'll be at
00:30:18
a golf chat tournament and someone from the side will yell out sweet sassy molasses so Ju Just for people who may
00:30:25
want to look it up sort of two news they start Sports casters they start to use all these
00:30:32
colorful phrases to report the games and Ray's character takes it in this but he but he's known for the
00:30:40
character that Tim meows is playing is the real guy who for that who was known for having that catchphrase booah yeah
00:30:48
you know whenever he would narrate a clip or something and he has cold side of the pillow stuff like
00:30:56
that right yeah yeah the real guy is booah and then your guy is Sassy Massie I was I was bringing him I was the new I
00:31:03
was the new guy and I tried to match him with sweet sassy Mass yours had some racial stuff in it
00:31:10
that he wasn't happy yeah it's funny when I look back at it I'm like there's
00:31:14
no chance I don't know if we would have wrote that now you know yeah and then
00:31:18
and then the second the funny that was the what happened was the night before we flew in for
00:31:25
SNL uh was the go I think it was the Golden Globe Awards it was one of those Awards and Roberto benini won and he he
00:31:35
jumped up on the chair you know and he and he went crazy and and I was looking at him and I
00:31:41
was thinking I they I could look like him they they could make me look like bonini and on the plane there we we we
00:31:50
threw together the sketch that was the second one up that night was the Roberto Roberto benini comes into the restaurant
00:31:58
and goes nuts you know yeah was was there any that was the same show same show it was it was that's good out of
00:32:06
the gate boom boom for Center first and then bonini was next yeah that is the thing about SNL uh dim store observation
00:32:13
is that stuff is thought of and then it's fully mounted 24 hours later and on
00:32:19
live TV there's some the immediacy of it is there's something very good at it
00:32:22
yeah yeah yeah it it was awesome I mean it was it's a challenge you tell them I
00:32:27
need to be Rober they're like yep and then got it you walk in the next day and they got you
00:32:31
all dialed in you're like where'd you find this outfit well we matched it with
00:32:34
he wore at the Oscars we matched it with this we got the wig from here and you're
00:32:38
like [ __ ] man these guys know what they're doing so you're jumping around
00:32:41
like that did you get hurt at all you're two time your hosting times on sketches
00:32:45
did you get hurt doing that I mean anytime you're doing physical and it's
00:32:49
live and your brain is thinking of so many things you can fall down and stuff no I I didn't get physically I'm happy
00:32:56
to hear that yeah mentally mentally you look so beat up that was a question I want that's my
00:33:02
number one question for today did you get her did you guys did you guys take any any blows in the whole time well I
00:33:08
don't know if you can see it I got a bump here I had a Grade Three shoulder separation doing a pre-tape pratfall as
00:33:16
Dan Quail the vice president going over the otoman like the Dick Van djk show and I just crushed it and then I was I
00:33:24
went two more times not knowing and then I'm walking around like a pirate with my
00:33:29
shoulder way up and Mary Tyler Moore's husband was an MD and he goes hey what's
00:33:33
what's wrong he felt it and said I think you got a shoulder separation so I went
00:33:37
they checked it out but it was just barely on the edge of a surgery but I did a show the next night it was very
00:33:42
painful switching cloes really fast with a separated did you do that bit did you
00:33:47
do the bit well that was a pre-tape so it showed in the pre-tape pre-tape did you get hurt David I got
00:33:56
hurt twice one was uh Schiller Vision if you weren't in the sketches he could
00:34:01
pluck you for a day shoot films and I was me and Victoria Jackson We older people and he Dr and bad luck they drop
00:34:08
an atomic bomb lands on my head but they did it from a ladder and I have a bad neck and it's a jammed neck and so him
00:34:15
dropping this thing no matter how heavy it is it wasn't that heavy but it keeps
00:34:19
racking me and they keep doing take after take and I almost can't stand up anymore I'm like I feel like I have a
00:34:24
concussion I'm like I I can't do this anymore but I can't say say anything cuz
00:34:28
I just want to be on the show yeah and then Farley picked me up backwards we fell through a table and motivational
00:34:33
speaker and then uh I sort of got rocked Farley pick me up is a tough where does
00:34:39
that go and by the way it's not super thought out in quotes so he's like I'll
00:34:44
pick you up and we'll kind of spin around and fall through a table I'm like
00:34:47
sure and whatever happened you just cross your fingers but uh yeah you weren't hurt during Ice Age were you
00:34:54
doing that voice over yeah I was you were the you were the mammoth that was a big one are they still doing them
00:35:03
or is it over don't you want more we did we did five of them five yeah five no
00:35:09
never never well you've done I mean you guys have both done animation right Transylvania did four and I'm like do
00:35:15
one more [ __ ] secret life pets when you did it did either of you have other actors in the room with you
00:35:22
because I never did for five movies no Nobody David you didn't have what's craa
00:35:29
lacking you didn't have Chris Rock in there no no I never did I we talked to
00:35:34
Andy Samberg who's in Hotel Transylvania and I said I told him I thought Miley
00:35:39
Cyrus was first GNA be Selena your Selena's part which we didn't even agree
00:35:44
on that so who knows if it's a lie and then he said I never actually got to do
00:35:48
it with Selena and they play boyfriend and girlfriend husband and wife right and he and I'm like all four never he's
00:35:54
like no we don't even do read throughs anymore you know we used do one read through the beginning and then I I just
00:36:00
get pieces right I don't didn't really know what I was doing or what the movie
00:36:04
was I didn't even know the plot just start yelling people would be saddened to find
00:36:08
that out I'm just a Mad Dog I don't know and that was it and I see it I see it at
00:36:14
the premiere I go what I know I mean listen it's it's great to do it you know
00:36:18
especially you got kids and all it's fun but it's it's really creatively not that
00:36:24
much fun to to do them you know you're and you can't even you can't move away
00:36:30
from the microphone too much you know you're trying to animate yeah you're
00:36:33
trying to act I'm trying to be a mammoth sliding down a ice Glacier you know and
00:36:39
they go R you got to keep your head still you know you can't move um well there's about five people
00:36:44
behind a wall of glass you're in a booth by yourself or a little studio and you
00:36:48
just look up to if you can see them kind of laughing you can't hear them if they
00:36:52
don't press a button and you're kind of just in a vacuum thinking it's this
00:36:56
funny I would assume you could you could improvise a little right because I could
00:37:02
they really didn't oh really they didn't really encourage improvising not too
00:37:07
much they'd let you do it but you knew later on they had a you know they knew
00:37:10
what the story was go oh now I'm going to do minutes I kept trying to sneak in
00:37:15
George Bush Senor and I GNA do it they go that's not even the show but I go but
00:37:19
it's funny but anyway that's a whole another story yeah they go Ray you're
00:37:23
sounding like more of a coyote than a mammoth and you're like no no that was
00:37:27
my fault I went into something else and when I did Emperor's New Groove we did a
00:37:30
year and a half stop red the script when I was going in like Dana said I was just
00:37:35
getting Pages it turned into just you walk in and they're like this is a scene
00:37:40
you're on a log and they give you as much as you can you go okay and you do it and the magic of how good they are I
00:37:46
have to say Hotel Transylvania I would laugh they were so cute and funny and what they do with the animation and
00:37:52
emperor's new group they just they make it so much better than it even seems
00:37:56
when you're doing it yeah you go this I don't really get what's going on it's a
00:38:00
little jumbled in my head of like where were we and what are we and then you see
00:38:03
it you go oh they know exactly what they're doing yeah yeah I mean that would be it every time they'd say okay
00:38:09
ray you're running away from this guy and he's and I go okay all right I go
00:38:14
well Ray you're you're farther away than that so you know we need you're like am I scared or am I
00:38:21
happy they're like it doesn't matter just run but isn't it great when your
00:38:24
animated character gets an incredible laugh like a lands of perfect pratfall and you're like yeah thanks you're
00:38:30
taking high fives in the theater well that's what happened was like I would get credit for an emotional part there
00:38:37
was an emot especially in Ice Age one I think there was a part where it was a little bit of tearjerker and it was the
00:38:45
music and the way they animated my fa I wasn't even saying anything and I would
00:38:50
get credit as an actor for for getting this emotion from these people I'm like
00:38:54
all right you know yeah I'll take it I remember when it when it played in um
00:39:00
another country like the first time it played in Mexico so they use a different actor a
00:39:07
different actor does oh right does the Spanish version so it's not my me it's
00:39:12
not my face it's animation it's not my voice and I remember my agent congratulating me on how well it's doing
00:39:21
in Mexico I'm like all right I don't know if I get that but okay you know I
00:39:26
have nothing to do with it but they're like copying you there's a German David Spade that does my stuff oh
00:39:33
really so heyes or what I'm trying Hey bu in German get all my nuances go in his his performance all
00:39:47
same performance sorry fake German are we going to get letters no I don't know I
00:39:55
know I took German in college CU my girlfriend the girl I was dating at the time spoke German I thought oh she'll
00:40:04
help me and then we broke up and I was stuck in a German class yeah how do you say yes I yes I have Perfection yes I
00:40:12
have protection that's not how it works I remember wait and what does that mean
00:40:23
that's one yeah that's counting one to 10 in German oh that's it I thought it was
00:40:29
some sort of pickup line no and then dick is I love you and love dick Jesus that's a little on the
00:40:39
edge is a good day what what about house off gobbin is homework hastu Brer have you Brothers nine but ab's wife Wester
00:40:54
Abracadabra Hitler used to be a magician in the 19 he was aain you don't know when the rabbit
00:41:03
comes sorry [Music] sorry could we just for a second just CU you may have some Impressions we uh of
00:41:15
Lauren Michaels just going then we're going to move on to because I think a big part of your legacy is this gigantic
00:41:21
career you've had after uh your half hour sitcom but um do you have any like
00:41:27
were you just intimidated or how how did you just process being in the 17th floor
00:41:34
with all the writers you go in Lauren's office and he's talking to you people
00:41:37
have talked to that moment I don't know if you have any thing well I didn't I
00:41:41
didn't know how it worked you know I'm I was you know very of course nervous you know um and we yeah the
00:41:51
first day you go in the office right and again this is 20 you know I haven't been
00:41:57
on 23 years but um all the writers come in and sit all over the office all over the floor right
00:42:05
yeah it's just packed with people and they all pitch what they're thinking of
00:42:09
you sit in the only good chair right next to Lauren and I didn't know until a
00:42:14
couple guys told me later like sometimes they don't have anything so they just make up a pitch right fake
00:42:22
fake pitches yeah got you're a caveman afraid of Cav but you hear everything you hear all
00:42:29
these I don't know 30 40 pictures of different scenes and it's intimidating
00:42:35
because you're like you know one of them is you're a southern farmer and and I'm
00:42:39
like I can't do a southern farmer I don't know you know um play a carrot stick okay yeah I just
00:42:48
I I I throw a I throw a bluff in Ray I always go uh oh Michael Keaton can you do Russian accent and he goes yeah and I
00:42:56
go for no reason well well one of the WR one of the pitches was um you're my
00:43:04
grandfather and you're this and my knee-jerk reaction was this is how stupid I was I was like
00:43:12
wow he thinks I look old enough to be his grandfather you know not really this is freaking sketch comedy they're gonna
00:43:18
make you look like however Everybody Plays everybody that's funny yeah um but
00:43:24
Lauren uh afterwards we discuss some of the stuff we heard I guess he was I mean
00:43:32
he was uh you know they they treat the host really well right because yes yes because they they he he defers to you I
00:43:40
mean that's that's what that's what it felt like you know when we had when we
00:43:45
whittel down some of the sketches he was really deferring to what I thought would
00:43:51
work and then of course he would put in his thing you know and and and you you are part of the process there you know I
00:43:59
guess as much as you want to be right yeah it's some because you take his advice because he knows the show but he
00:44:05
also lets the host go if you're not comfortable or if you don't like and he
00:44:09
would do it like this if everyone's talking talking talking silence uh Raymond just that yeah what do you are
00:44:20
you sort of circling the wagons on what you might want to do like he'd go uh
00:44:25
raise my grandma paw what did you think of that one and you're like I don't know
00:44:31
and he goes is it because you have to wear gray hair in it yeah no I just didn't like the whole
00:44:38
feel you want to do Mr short shorts uh you don't have to do Mr short shorts short shorts I think it's a good visual
00:44:45
piece uh it doesn't matter but if you don't want to do Mr short shorts you
00:44:49
don't have to and there's a song as well and you'll dance around in little short
00:44:52
shorts yeah yeah well don't forget we brought in we brought in we brought we
00:44:57
brought in like three sketches and and two of them got on you know that's a miracle cuz they don't like when you
00:45:03
bring your Goomba writers in there they go oh here we go that's that's smart
00:45:08
yeah they get mad all the writers go hey guess what next week Ray's bringing
00:45:13
writers and everyone goes boo but I but but they were all you know it was Higgins right it was Steve Higgins Steve
00:45:20
hiin producer great guy yeah and he was the I guess he was the head writer then yeah I think so and we you know we we
00:45:28
got in there and we worked on these sketches that we brought and he he he helped polish it up you know and um yeah
00:45:36
I mean I can imagine you know these guys yeah they this is what they're living is
00:45:41
to write sketches for us and I didn't even think of that and here we are coming in with took food out of their
00:45:46
mouth took it off their plate and then on the second time I did it we came in again and they didn't they
00:45:54
didn't Crush as much those sketch were they came up a little short the ones we
00:45:59
brought by the way Ray I don't think I remember when host would bring writers I
00:46:04
think Jam Fox maybe Martin Lawrence when they would bring writers yeah it was very hard to make the transition because
00:46:12
they weren't quite exactly right you know like the sketches were funny in a way but you know how it is Dana like for
00:46:18
what the stamp of everyone knows and read through sort of how everything works maybe there's too many sets in
00:46:24
them or there's something weird about them the point is they don't always get
00:46:28
all the way to the end even though I was kidding everyone's well-meaning if it's
00:46:32
funny it's funny put it on but I think you getting two on is you say two the
00:46:37
first one that's a lot yeah it was and it was the first one and the second one
00:46:41
it was it oh they kill yeah SP Center and bonini were back to back sound great but listen I wasn't trying to we weren't
00:46:50
trying to step on anybody's toes I just I you're fine insecure I was just saying
00:46:55
guys come with me we had we had Phil Rosenthal and and and two guys you know yeah the mafia you're the mob no no
00:47:02
no so so Ray because you're you don't wear your stardom on your sleeve like
00:47:08
I'm just interested in um like if you go drop into a club I maybe you're not
00:47:13
doing much right now but when you're getting ready for your special and the MC is like okay fasten your comedy seat
00:47:18
bels because the next gentleman yeah they know you're just you got a little piece
00:47:25
of paper you're trying to have you had that experience of the expectation of R
00:47:32
Romano yeah I I I I first whenever I'm in the city I I I go on I go to the seller whenever I'm in New York I go on
00:47:41
and um you know I was just in Atlanta I was working in Atlanta so I I I dropped in on the punch line the Atlanta punch
00:47:49
line uh I don't know if you guys did that I I did it like 30 years ago I I when I was just doing the road I did a
00:47:56
spot at the a week at the punch line um we have a special guest but yeah they they pile it on I I I've been I've
00:48:06
been not a fan of that since forever you know even before I was the guy they were
00:48:13
saying you know before they would they would Goose it up like crazy you know um and I'm like yeah just lower you know
00:48:23
let's come in with lower expectations and yeah um I've done standup with Ray he
00:48:29
always crushes it's it's not even a joke he always it always works I you know
00:48:35
obviously angered by it but does a great job yeah he does a great job I did five
00:48:40
years in Vegas with him off and on but Dana filled in for you one week that's
00:48:44
right Dana David I open for for Ray in no no we we co-headline we co-headline but uh the show starts at
00:48:53
10: and so and then you do your set and then uh whoever goes you on around 10:20
00:49:00
and then you wait and then you do a little shtick afterwards you know I usually get up at 6 you know so it was a
00:49:05
long day but for David David David wasn't a fan of that either yeah I stuck it out and then at the because we were
00:49:12
like I think for a while the trick in Vegas is they have Boys to Men or someone do a full show before us you
00:49:19
want to take that they do a full show Lauren Michaels he has a live and then it's they let the audience out then it's
00:49:25
cheaper just to go we have the room people in Vegas it's 10:00 Ray and Spade
00:49:30
they're just to stand up just have a stool and a glass of water so they just
00:49:34
said let's see who can come in so we do a big show it was really fun but I always thought can they
00:49:40
flip-flop us I think the shows before us I think was shim liim after us they're
00:49:45
just very family oriented and ours are usually more adult well you know what's
00:49:50
funny is the room the room we play The Mirage is is was is really a great room great we've been doing those shows at 10
00:49:58
o'cl for whatever like you said five years I've been doing it longer than
00:50:01
that I was with Kevin James before you came yeah and and those shows are just killer shows and then there was one
00:50:10
wasn't there one weekend where we had an 8 o'clock show it was even better it was
00:50:15
even yeah it's such a great fresh crowd Because by the time we get off it's
00:50:19
almost midnight and they're like what the [ __ ] and in Vegas you know they've
00:50:25
been they've been going hard in Vegas so it getss they get tired you know but but
00:50:31
but listen there was no complain but what we would do at the end was we would come out and do a Q&A and I know it was
00:50:37
fun I like that I always like that stuff right and then we needed to close the show so we would close with a just a
00:50:44
joke joke right that's right that's right so I remember when David started
00:50:49
working I had to we we came up with a joke for you to S to say right yes of course I didn't have one I go oh do a
00:50:56
joke and you go well just well here's one you gave me a good joke say you do
00:51:01
one then I'll do one yeah and you did and they're kind of dirty dirty jokes
00:51:04
but you know whatever and I remember they and every time you know we do it we do the gig every what three or four
00:51:09
months or whatever two months and you come back and you'd kind of half forget
00:51:13
the joke but the joke was bomb prooof bulletproof for sure some one of you has to say it CU if I was listening to this
00:51:22
podcast I want to go what was the joke it's a little R-rated I remember time I
00:51:26
get it wrong and I would look at Ray baffled because the most infuriating thing was he goes all right let's just
00:51:32
end with a joke you got one I go yeah I heard one from my roulette dealer and I would say one and then he would say one
00:51:37
okay and his luckily was so good because it he give me he gives me one that works
00:51:42
every time and then I would just look at him and he'd stare at me and go you
00:51:45
[ __ ] CU just mangling it and no matter how you tell it it would get a laugh and I
00:51:51
couldn't believe it because I'd be a little buzzed and I'd go blah blah and I
00:51:55
could see while I'm finding it while I tell it I it's this okay this by way
00:52:00
it's not that it's not that good we've overhyped it it's not that good by the
00:52:04
way it's five sentences it's past midnight on the strip in Vegas Here Comes David with his joke oh yeah Ray I
00:52:10
got one okay it's it's a couple's uh see what's good is now you you can't remember it now which is
00:52:18
exactly how you would do it there exactly perfect re reenactment of you on stage go and then I would back out yeah
00:52:26
I back out 3 two one what's your joke it's a couple but they are 90 years old
00:52:32
so it's their 60th anniversary I'm just making up numbers 60th anniversary birthday and so the guy
00:52:42
as a present the woman says I'm going to go wait in bed I'm going to go uh get my
00:52:49
present ready in the bathroom and I'll be right out so he lays in bed she goes
00:52:54
in there and strips totally naked except for a cape look at Ray's scared he's already
00:53:00
grinding his teeth going you're already a little off the crowd is restless land
00:53:04
it yeah I come she comes out uh steps leans at the foot of the bed and says super [ __ ] and he goes I'll take the
00:53:15
soup he got he got through it right was that out of the way goes you you always run over super
00:53:23
[ __ ] which is supposed to be a laugh but I rush to get to I'll take the soup
00:53:27
and that works enough yes but there's two there he says super [ __ ] and that
00:53:32
gets a laugh but he doesn't he never waits for the laugh he steps on the laugh and goes I'll take the soup and
00:53:38
and it kills anyway yeah so the proper way cuz would be super [ __ ] and get all
00:53:45
that laugh and then hit it get the D the guy says and the guy says I'll take the
00:53:49
soup yeah you're almost like wait and wait and then you go I'll take the suit
00:53:52
okay cuz there's going to be people listening are going to tell this joke at
00:53:55
a cocktail party tomorrow thinking it over and then he finally goes no I'll take the soup and then Ray Tails a great
00:54:00
one but I won't give that away but anyway uh let's talk about his movie that uh I got I observe one one thing
00:54:07
quickly get to his movie because that something that he's going to love we're
00:54:11
going to say to him in a minute um I kind of feel like when I watch your standup I go honestly I go is this guy
00:54:18
the best standup in the world I mean some of your stuff on YouTube and stuff I'm like it seems like it's almost
00:54:24
overshadowed by how much stuff you've done in acting but anyway go see Ray as a
00:54:29
stand up I I sincerely wanted to say that but something happened very strange last night here's a double whammy so we
00:54:36
get the screener of somewhere in Queens I just got off the plane we just came in
00:54:42
David and I just came in from DC we're really wiped out so I start watching it
00:54:46
I'm cooking dinner and I'm like oh know getting into it getting into it then I
00:54:52
bring the laptop upstairs because I'm so jet legged I go I got to go to sleep but
00:54:56
I got so engaged with the movie and I've never had this experience this much like
00:55:01
the movie is brilliant I loved it it complet captivated me and as a baby boomer parent it spoke to so many themes
00:55:10
because I don't want to give it away but it it's just the vicarious living of a
00:55:15
parent and what you'll do and I knew dad's in the stands yeah who had a superstar son and it was a it was sort
00:55:23
of a miracle but anyway honestly with total sincerity and David too had the same reaction we got back from that Mark
00:55:31
Twain thing for Sandler and we were like I even said to Dana in Washington I go isn't there something we're going to
00:55:37
watch from Ray but I never got anything and then we got home and they go oh yeah
00:55:41
yeah guys here's a movie and we're like oh [ __ ] so I watched on my laptop last
00:55:46
night first of all I thought it might be a comedy did you write and direct it or
00:55:50
did you direct it or I I I co-wrote it and I directed it oh it's so heartbreaking in it and funny it's
00:55:59
heartbreaking when you're talking to that girl in the car uh first of all the
00:56:03
the young the son's girlfriend she was great she's like a Jennifer Lawrence she
00:56:08
really jumped off uh every light up everyone's great I can't thank you guys
00:56:14
enough man I I when when we're off the air I'm going to ask you if you really mean it no we
00:56:21
we have we you know what we would say we would say um we didn't get a chance to
00:56:26
see it would be the punt oh I get oh the screener didn't play you know or we
00:56:31
might say it was it it it sure really held my interest it's just fun to be able to tell you maybe it's because we
00:56:37
were jetl but oh I think it has so many themes in it and your character is so heartbreaking I just being a father
00:56:45
myself and just the length a parent will go to for the love of a kid know it was
00:56:50
it came the story came out of nuggets of my real experience with my kid and my family and
00:57:00
and my son was a a basketball player and he start he was he's six fo five my son so he was one of the star
00:57:10
basketball players in high school and I knew he wasn't going to play in college
00:57:15
because he wasn't a guard and at 6 fo5 you're a guard you know um and so when
00:57:20
it ended I was really feeling sad that I'm going to miss sharing this with my son but if I'm
00:57:31
being truthful I like the I live vicariously through him I was I like the attention I was getting too which how
00:57:39
how pathetic how but if you think about how pathetic that is I I don't have enough you know I
00:57:45
have I'm in movies I'm on TV and but that whole world is so different and it's so interesting and you're not
00:57:52
an athlete I mean you might be athletic but you're not to this level of these
00:57:56
guys which I wouldn't be and you sort of admire people that can do stuff you
00:58:00
can't do and it's your own kid and so you take responsibility you're like
00:58:04
that's my guy out there you can't help your ego human ego gets gets intertwined
00:58:09
and and the other parents want that have have the bench sitter kid or the kid that barely plays and they would sort of
00:58:16
love to have that and they're trying to get it's a whole social Dynamic with
00:58:21
parenting I mean it's an amazing ego structure of look at my kids I had one in junior it was CYO basketball so
00:58:30
there's the kid who's like 6'2 in eighth grade so I'm sitting next to his dad
00:58:34
he's getting all the rebounds and he goes look at my kid get all those rebounds I go well he is a lot taller
00:58:40
than everyone else he goes that has nothing to do with it he just like he just wants to get the ball nothing to do
00:58:46
with it my son my son's 411 are you kidding me yeah I know and and well that that
00:58:54
was the the the the The Germ of the idea for the story was was when I felt that emptiness I just
00:59:02
thought I I at least have other areas where uh you know my life will be full but what if it was this poor schlub guy
00:59:12
who had nothing else had nothing else but this you know who felt invisible in his real life and and his son brought
00:59:19
this out but it's a smart way to do it no the things that happened I don't see
00:59:22
coming uh your wife in it did not know that who that was uh took me forever because she does such a disappearing act
00:59:32
Lor Lor is so well obviously she's incredible you both were great together I don't want to give it away but there's
00:59:39
there is a scene where that you captured the tension of someone being busted and
00:59:44
the way that whole scene built and the way you landed it you just felt viscerally you know shame for the for
00:59:51
your character so it's like not easy to do it's not an easy to land in a movie
00:59:57
I'm glad you guys feel that way man that makes me feel good telling you I was
01:00:00
balling out of the blue was crying wanting it to be like because it's funny moments because you're funny guy but
01:00:07
when you weave in which is very tricky a real situation where you're not trying
01:00:11
to do like I'm GNA do a joke now it's just the way people talk you know and
01:00:15
then someone's being kind of funny just because that's the way you talk when the
01:00:18
girl comes over and someone goes she's so nice and she goes I do not [ __ ] like her it just come you know that
01:00:24
those things come out of the blue that might not be a great example but you just do funny things well you're talking
01:00:29
about the Italian my wife who's what I wanted to do was take this story which will be Universal I'm I'm
01:00:37
glad you identified relate to it yes but but put it in this specific Universe which I lived in I I you know I grew up
01:00:46
Italian in Queens but my wife I married into that world that we see in the movie
01:00:51
you know the the the traditional people the right off the boat people you know everything with all with all the all the
01:00:58
traditions and the parties and the you know all the the food and and everything and I said let's just do the story and
01:01:06
this make it specific but it's like it's kind of like the formula that worked for
01:01:10
everybody's Raymond we made it specific but it was identified when it comes to
01:01:15
family everybody kind of identifies with it no matter where you're from you know
01:01:19
yeah wasn't my I'm not Italian I'm not from Queens I was just relating to
01:01:23
different things even heartbreaking stuff with relationships and dating and there's a lot going on where you go oh
01:01:30
godamn that's funny and then they catch you off guard again and just one the one
01:01:34
character which the casting of your son was he was amazing too and just had such
01:01:39
you know you I can't tell you how hard it was to find a kid who can you know he
01:01:46
the kid's an introvert you know so he has to he has to emote without saying a
01:01:50
lot and so he has to be a pretty good actor and also a good basketball player it was so hard to find a guy of course
01:01:59
he was shooting threes and oh yeah he's a good player and and we we would get a
01:02:04
list of guys we would look at all of them and we would narrow it down and then we would say put yourself on tape
01:02:08
playing basketball for five minutes because they all said they could play and within 10 seconds you could see this
01:02:15
this guy never yeah um but and this kid was driving Postmates when we gave him the
01:02:22
role he was just you know he just had college video that films that he did he's a and he's a great kid too you know
01:02:29
so I'm I'm happy for him you you you touched on so many uh just experiential
01:02:35
things that were just like like I knew I knew a guy I don't want to give names
01:02:39
away but like his first love he's 20 and he basically told me that he'd said to her all I'll love you no matter
01:02:46
what forever or something to that effect and then she was having sex with his best friend the next day or something it
01:02:53
was like he said he he he said I love you forever yeah too early too early and it's like there's a lot of
01:03:02
stuff in your movie that but she was like oh I'm covered even though I'm
01:03:06
going to have sex with your friend you're still loving me right that was the deal and he's like well I'll love
01:03:11
you forever no matter what you know on the second date or something it's like
01:03:16
you know oh believe me I used to pour my heart out these girls uh but I I can see
01:03:21
writing wise because I've tried to write movies the fact that you're rap up every
01:03:26
story is very hard to do I mean everything sort of just falls into place all the way to the very end yeah yeah
01:03:32
and sometimes we thought we don't need to wrap up everything you know but no but it's true but but but they're
01:03:40
all very nice I liked them all I love I love Sebastian in the movie too he's
01:03:45
just a great a great tough [Music] brother can I ask you a question uh just uh just popped my head when did you know
01:03:58
your wife was the one so to speak was that a long courtship or did you were thinking marriage pretty
01:04:04
quickly we we worked in a bank together my wife and I yeah and and I'm going to
01:04:11
be honest she was the third woman I asked out in the bank the first the first two security guards first W the
01:04:21
first the first two turned me down the first two turned me down and um did she know uh I think she knew you know yeah
01:04:33
that I was interested in this other girl first um and then it was when I quit the
01:04:40
bank uh that we started dating you know but but you know I had nothing man I was
01:04:46
living at home she I give her credit because uh I wasn't a catch really you know um I was driving my bike to work
01:04:54
and all and um she took a shot and now she's um she's house shopping every
01:05:02
three months what is interesting pre money pre Fame living at home working in a bank and like yeah so the there's
01:05:10
something there's some nice stuff about that you know um yeah but but but but it
01:05:16
wasn't love at first sight you know I'm not going to say that but but hi but
01:05:22
it it was like a lucky it was just kind of like getting fired from news radio you know it was it was uh it worked out
01:05:32
yeah I mean it was it was my life would be very different if it didn't happen
01:05:36
you know yeah I sort of like that little Jennifer Esposito uh she did nice job yes I did a movie with her once Master
01:05:43
disguise I thought she was also oh yeah she was really good with that little bit
01:05:46
she did yep and she really I didn't know where what was going on with that but I
01:05:50
just like yeah the tough dad everyone everyone knows the tough dad and that's
01:05:54
just the way they are and and and you being a full-grown adult with a tough dad is hard to sit there
01:05:59
and eat it all the time yeah you have you guys directed anything ever no no I haven't man it scared the hell out of me
01:06:07
I can't tell you how frightening it was leading up to it uh I wasn't gonna I I
01:06:12
wasn't going to direct it but my agent told me you know it's too personal get
01:06:16
in there and do it and I was like another 10 grand in it for you another Union it's another Union you're in
01:06:23
another Union all of a sudden but uh he you know I I so that's your first directing job okay yeah yeah I
01:06:32
hadn't directed any Raymond I hadn't directed anything um and you know I've
01:06:37
been in the edit room for the last 25 years I've been I've been writing and kind of directing you
01:06:45
know with Raymond you're directing even though you're not directing you know
01:06:48
yeah um but uh I know nothing about the technical side of it you know I I didn't
01:06:54
know one lens from another I knew what I wanted to see what why what I wanted it
01:06:58
to look like so he just you know he just convinced me get a surround yourself with the the great cinematographer who
01:07:05
can collaborate with you and and uh you know just pay attention to what you want
01:07:11
on the screen and I mean it was so nerve-wracking though before it started once it started it was all good you know
01:07:18
but I do think the writer and it's so personal it's great that you were completely in charge you would have been
01:07:22
de facto in charge even if you not taken the credit no I'm glad he made me I'm
01:07:27
glad he made me do it you know because now having done it I would do it again if it's some the weird thing is I got
01:07:34
offers to direct now and the movie hasn't even come out and people heard I directed so I got a couple little offers
01:07:41
to direct these other things and but if it I had no desire if it wasn't something I wrote you know or something
01:07:48
you really uh heart yeah something I was super passionate about maybe but but I think the next I would it again if I
01:07:56
write something again I I would try it again you know and you have to demand the DP from corki Romano that you
01:08:03
got give me the best of the best did is is that true was he on Cor Romano oh no I just that's a funny name it was a
01:08:11
chrisan comedy I know but it's a funny word package Cory Romano it's a great a
01:08:17
great name of a human being can I tell you of my SNL experience and I loved every second of it and Sports Center is
01:08:23
the one that stands out right but if I have to be honest and pick my favorite sketch it was the one Chris
01:08:30
Katan when he was the lounge uh you guys may not seen singer he was the lounge guy yeah and and he brought up me I was
01:08:39
like a Shey green has been comic and and uh it just had it was so much fun yeah that was my favorite sketch I think of
01:08:48
the two times I think it yeah well he does great on the show it's great that
01:08:53
was fun I mean yeah I like seeing you out there and there's one called the big
01:08:57
baby well you know I think people will look you up that's fun when we have some
01:09:00
of the podcast people go and look up sketch look up Ray R big baby was will frell yeah was will frell yeah yeah did
01:09:06
you did you overlap with Katan with Chris Katan I did a little with Katan one year with frell and the cheerleaders
01:09:13
and that and then I was on my way out but uh I could tell I was like it's time
01:09:18
to go and there's good people here it's in good hands how many years spech how
01:09:23
many years you do I did six D is seven and I've hosted three David's hosted a
01:09:30
couple times twice yeah each one's different when was the last time you hosted Dana I think it was like 2011 or
01:09:39
something I found it the last time just so it's it's really exhausting when
01:09:43
you're a cast member and there's two sketches you can really focus uh I too
01:09:48
much of a control freak but there's also a Whimsy to how the show unfolds you
01:09:54
know unless you try to write ahead of time which isn't you know I think I think for me it's like then I've been
01:09:59
there doing guest Spots I'm on Fallon and Lauren will just walk down on a Thursday uh you'll you'll do Church chat
01:10:06
uh this week you know I got a flight out tomorrow you'll be doing Church chat
01:10:10
it's that thing of like Ted Cruz and all that so I've gone back and done th guest
01:10:15
spots which are really fun and I love doing Wayne's World on the 40th I love playing that character at 60
01:10:21
did you go to the 40th Ray no I didn't I went to the 25th with Peter Bo I remember with Peter Bo when's the next
01:10:30
one man what what are they coming up three years will be the 50th so do you want two for
01:10:39
yeah plus one uh let's see go ahead Dana do your kids do standup still are they still
01:10:48
doing it the now we we have a production company and we're making content we just
01:10:52
we finished the scripted you know standup has to well it's just rough out there now uh it was heartbreaking to see
01:11:00
the it's either opening for me where the audience is so jacked up or it's an open
01:11:04
mic where because I suffered so much in bad open mics and it wasn't my fault you
01:11:10
know they're having dinner or you know a bar you know but now doing content uh is
01:11:17
more specific more connected like we're going to do this thing it's not ethereal
01:11:22
you know it and basically standup in the end of the day is traveling if it's
01:11:27
really your job it's about traveling I I didn't watch you know Jackie Gleason or
01:11:33
Carol Bernett in the 60s and go I go I want to do that but I didn't think that
01:11:37
would mean uh we're gonna we're going to push back from the gate in a few minutes
01:11:41
but right now we have some maintenance guys coming on board you know so the travel part of is the part I don't like
01:11:46
yeah yeah my son tried it my one son my one one of my twin boys did a a little road he went to Albuquerque he went
01:11:56
to and did these one nighters he did like five of them and that was his only taste of it and he got he gets a he got
01:12:05
depressed that you know he was at a bar where they weren't even facing him you
01:12:09
know and yeah and and he was getting upset that he was what if I'm not funny
01:12:14
I'm like you can't tell you're not if you're funny or not from that you know
01:12:18
it's by the way you got to do that that's the sad part about standup in the
01:12:23
beginning years you gotta muscle through all that stuff yeah yeah and I I I went
01:12:28
to a lot of open mics and most open micers the audience even if the audience is pretty good the reason they're not
01:12:34
doing well is the audience doesn't get what they're talking about like the they
01:12:37
don't set it up properly like Clarity without Clarity which you learn over time uh but anyway they they had nights
01:12:44
where they would crush you know but it still has to be a a specific passion and the stuff we're doing now they're
01:12:50
enjoying more oh good that's good also standup sometimes leads to doing content
01:12:55
they're sort of just going let's get to the part where we make stuff it teaches
01:12:58
you a lot to trust trust your blink and that in the end of the day the sensibility if it's similar in a room
01:13:05
it's so much more pleasant like with at SNL there was a very narrow sensibility
01:13:10
and so when something worked everyone all knew it sitting around the writer's
01:13:13
room oh that'll work that'll kill but right you know anyway it's uh it's been
01:13:18
a good life David DAV good luck with the movie Ray ah thank you man April 21 April 21 somewhere in Queens and it's in
01:13:29
theaters or April 21 it goes into theaters somewhere Queens I highly recommend it I I really do I think it
01:13:36
touches a lot of stuff it it lands beautifully movies just don't work that I mean the big sick was another one of
01:13:42
those kind of indie films that was sort of or small yeah that this is this is like this this is in that league if not
01:13:49
better or well it touched me more because it was so specific to my yeah too thank you I'll see you will I see
01:13:56
you in Vegas David where you going I'll be over at the Venetian with Nikki Glazer but I'll yell over because son of
01:14:02
a [ __ ] I know but it's 8:30 I'm playing the I'm headlining the Mirage I guess
01:14:07
you're out of town on oh God I hope it's right you're going to do it July 7th or
01:14:13
8th or 14th or 15th yeah July well I'm there you know who took your place David
01:14:18
right is Brian rean oh great yeah that guy is a monster for him yeah he's pretty good have time to be opening jars
01:14:27
and stuff I don't can't do I love that guy that's it walk him through the joke
01:14:33
give them super super [ __ ] yeah we we loved it Ray and we hope to see you around campus and Here There and
01:14:39
Everywhere appreciate it thanks fix it fix it and post fix it fix it up it's
01:14:44
right it's going it's baked it's ready to go okay thanks buddy take care thanks
01:14:49
for being on this has been a podcast presentation of cadence 13 please listen then rate
01:14:56
review and follow all episodes available now for free wherever you get your podcast no joke
01:15:04
folks fly in thewall has been a presentation of cadence 13 executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade
01:15:10
Chris Corran of cadence 13 and Charlie finan of brillstein entertainment the show's lead producer is Greg Holtzman
01:15:16
with production and Engineering support from Serena Regan and Chris Basil of cadence 13

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  • 65
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  • 60
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  • 60
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Episode Highlights

  • Somewhere in Queens
    Ray discusses his film 'Somewhere in Queens,' a mix of comedy and drama.
    “It's kind of a tearjerker in places.”
    @ 01m 18s
    April 19, 2023
  • Star Search Experience
    Dana and Ray reflect on their experiences with Star Search and its impact.
    “I wanted that one bad.”
    @ 18m 29s
    April 19, 2023
  • Letterman Breakthrough
    Reflecting on a pivotal Letterman appearance that changed everything.
    “I had a really good first Letterman spot.”
    @ 22m 24s
    April 19, 2023
  • The Ratings Game
    Exploring the drastic changes in TV ratings and what it means for shows today.
    “I got cancelled at 25 million.”
    @ 26m 41s
    April 19, 2023
  • Injury on Set
    A humorous recount of an injury sustained during a live performance.
    “I was walking around like a pirate with my shoulder way up.”
    @ 33m 29s
    April 19, 2023
  • Sketch Comedy Pressure
    Feeling intimidated by the variety of pitches, the host grapples with self-doubt.
    “It's intimidating because you know one of them is you're a southern farmer.”
    @ 42m 32s
    April 19, 2023
  • Collaborative Process
    The host reflects on the collaborative nature of sketch writing, emphasizing the importance of comfort in the creative process.
    “He defers to you... you are part of the process there.”
    @ 43m 42s
    April 19, 2023
  • Unexpected Movie Reaction
    The host shares an unexpected emotional reaction to a movie he watched, highlighting its relatable themes.
    “I was captivated... it spoke to so many themes.”
    @ 55m 04s
    April 19, 2023
  • Parenting and Ego
    A discussion about the dynamics of parenting and the ego involved in a child's achievements.
    “It's an amazing ego structure of look at my kids.”
    @ 58m 24s
    April 19, 2023
  • The Challenge of Casting
    Finding the right actor who can also play basketball is no easy feat.
    “It was so hard to find a guy, of course.”
    @ 01h 01m 56s
    April 19, 2023
  • Directing for the First Time
    Facing fears and embracing the challenge of directing a personal project.
    “It was nerve-wracking before it started, but once it did, it was all good.”
    @ 01h 07m 14s
    April 19, 2023
  • Upcoming Movie Release
    A heartfelt recommendation for a new film that resonates deeply.
    “I think it touches a lot of stuff, it lands beautifully.”
    @ 01h 13m 34s
    April 19, 2023

Episode Quotes

  • I was scared of that improv.
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
  • I wanted that one bad.
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
  • I was walking around like a pirate with my shoulder way up.
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
  • I just didn't like the whole feel.
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
  • I was balling out of the blue, was crying wanting it to be like...
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
  • It was nerve-wracking before it started, but once it did, it was all good.
    Ray Romano | Full Episode | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

Key Moments

  • Ray's Career00:14
  • Star Search18:29
  • Letterman Spot22:24
  • TV Ratings Reality26:41
  • Injury Story33:29
  • Collaboration43:42
  • Casting Struggles1:01:56
  • Casting Challenges1:01:56

Tension Over Time

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown