00:00:01
oh David do you ever notice how women
00:00:05
we're going to talk about Bob onakirk
00:00:06
women have this this empathetic gear of
00:00:09
going
00:00:10
ah you know what goes up at the end a
00:00:12
man might see a puppy and go ah but a
00:00:14
woman goes ah and that's the woman you
00:00:17
want when you have a rectile dysfunction
00:00:18
ah
00:00:20
yeah that's all I got
00:00:22
[Laughter]
00:00:23
sometimes when it doesn't work I go what
00:00:26
did you say
00:00:31
I know well you got to give me a heads
00:00:34
up at least 48 to 72 hours
00:00:37
and then I'll start prepping things
00:00:38
there's medication well that would be
00:00:41
one of our sponsors see Alice they'll
00:00:43
figure it out uh guys get to Bob odors
00:00:45
so funny yeah we were there he was a
00:00:48
writer when I was there yeah Dana was
00:00:50
there wrote in some of the hugest
00:00:51
sketches I mean obviously motivational
00:00:54
speaker is the big monster arguably one
00:00:58
of the best yeah of all time Ryder and
00:01:01
very he was uh because he was riding
00:01:02
there and he wasn't really performing
00:01:04
much and then of course later on he does
00:01:06
you know yeah he's better and now nobody
00:01:09
it becomes this movie star later in life
00:01:12
but he was very enthusiastic he'd be
00:01:14
like
00:01:15
Dana it's so funny oh and I wrote a
00:01:20
movie with him called Tucson
00:01:24
John Lovitz was a western sheriff and
00:01:28
Balderdash well I was a uh innocent
00:01:31
Irish guy coming to town to be the new
00:01:33
sheriff and he was the mayor and he said
00:01:35
and he was on he was he was on a
00:01:36
hangman's news yelling at the crowd and
00:01:39
there's a sign his campaign for to be
00:01:42
re-elected was if I don't clean up the
00:01:44
town you can hang me so it was very mob
00:01:46
anyway you can cut that part out uh Bob
00:01:48
was great and uh we had a great time
00:01:50
there talking to him um also yeah he's
00:01:54
done all this stuff and he's such a good
00:01:55
laugher and he's very he's a cheerleader
00:01:58
he really helps when you're writing he
00:02:00
helped me a lot with Hollywood minute
00:02:02
um and he's a great guy I'm excited uh
00:02:06
I'm always excited to see him when I see
00:02:07
him out I always light up around a dude
00:02:09
like that he he just uh he's one of
00:02:11
those he does really cool stuff like the
00:02:14
Bob and David show was just very uh Mr
00:02:18
show Mr shows I saw it a couple twice I
00:02:22
don't remember the name of it but the
00:02:24
show show I've I thought it was the Bob
00:02:27
and David show that was more of a
00:02:28
literal thing that it was literally
00:02:30
their show so I was halfway there but Mr
00:02:33
show was great very low budget but so
00:02:35
esoteric that was huge before Breaking
00:02:40
Bad I mean that was a huge another
00:02:41
feather in his cap do you have any
00:02:43
feathers in your Hilt
00:02:45
um there's so many fabulous I don't know
00:02:48
how to count them
00:02:50
oh too many feathers no but then he he
00:02:54
was kind of struggling a little bit his
00:02:56
words
00:02:57
um and then Breaking Bad and then Better
00:02:59
Call Saul so and then the now he's an
00:03:02
action star I I think he's the nobody is
00:03:04
a movie we're talking about and nobody's
00:03:05
really tall and I saw it yet when you
00:03:08
say nobody but yeah nobody is really
00:03:10
cool and so he's great in that so um we
00:03:13
will Deep dive on our friend Bob owner
00:03:15
Kirk
00:03:19
[Music]
00:03:22
is that Bob
00:03:27
Bobby's Clerk how do you spell your name
00:03:30
broken door how do you spell it oh okay
00:03:34
e n d o r f o Ken Fort Oden dwarf Dana
00:03:40
car keys oh and Kirk Bob do they when
00:03:43
you were in grade school did they do
00:03:45
something with your name and make fun of
00:03:46
you because I had Dana car keys drove me
00:03:48
nuts uh no uh they called me they called
00:03:52
me Odie oh yeah Odie I think I called
00:03:54
you Odie it makes sense
00:03:57
oldie you know what it took me weeks to
00:03:59
come up with that but I went over your
00:04:01
name back and forth you ran it by a
00:04:03
couple seven-year-olds yeah
00:04:05
I called him Captain Kirk back in the
00:04:08
day
00:04:09
because he was he was Odin Kirk
00:04:12
see that's all we got thanks for coming
00:04:15
on the cap that of anything you guys I
00:04:18
love your podcast thank you I can't tell
00:04:21
podcasts are the place I go to to hang
00:04:24
out with my friends now that's the
00:04:25
that's why I did this because I I I
00:04:27
don't get to have dinner with friends
00:04:29
I'm kind of an introverted person and I
00:04:31
stay inside a lot so I'm in my room
00:04:34
right now even though this is really
00:04:35
like do you know you're broadcasting
00:04:37
from the CNN headquarters this is left
00:04:40
over from The Drew Barrymore show
00:04:43
yesterday
00:04:44
and we thought should we keep it I go
00:04:46
Bob will smile like he is now so I can
00:04:49
get rid of it but let's see uh you had
00:04:51
Drew on no yeah and then we went on her
00:04:54
show and she does a weekend update type
00:04:56
segment we were zoomed in and this was
00:04:58
the background so look how happy Bob is
00:05:02
he's really thinking do you have any
00:05:04
questions for Drew Bob no no
00:05:07
they we have to do some uh how
00:05:10
housekeeping oh wait I have a great I
00:05:12
have a great beginning ready here we go
00:05:14
Robert John Odenkirk was born in benren
00:05:18
Illinois to Barbara and John then you
00:05:20
got SNL Wikipedia there is to it that's
00:05:24
really a big jump I'll get well it's
00:05:26
that's all that my little birdie told me
00:05:29
at this morning
00:05:32
at a given point he said everybody knew
00:05:35
Bob Odenkirk was the funniest guy in
00:05:37
Chicago someone told me that today when
00:05:41
I was doing my research at some point in
00:05:44
time his initials are rs oh geez Robert
00:05:50
Robert thought that Robert about that
00:05:52
but I don't think anyone else thought
00:05:54
that and uh what did Chicago vote on
00:05:56
that I just said it was it was knowledge
00:06:00
according to pick someone else uh yeah
00:06:04
uh Larry uh Larry uh oh what's his name
00:06:07
he's a stand-up in Chicago very farly
00:06:11
[ __ ] no he was actually really funny the
00:06:15
Cable Guy comic who did Zanies all the
00:06:18
time
00:06:20
um
00:06:21
doctor
00:06:22
I should know Chicago guy and it never
00:06:25
never left the Chicago circuit you know
00:06:27
what was really funny is a guy named
00:06:29
Mike Toomey uh also a Chicago who just
00:06:32
stayed there we had will Durst yeah we
00:06:35
had San Francisco you know yeah yeah
00:06:37
just they like it yeah some people don't
00:06:40
want to Branch out they just they do
00:06:42
well there they make money there and
00:06:44
they just stay that's right that's right
00:06:46
and then and it's okay I like the town
00:06:48
they get plenty of work they get married
00:06:50
and have kids and they and they don't go
00:06:52
crazy like the rest of us and they're
00:06:54
local Stars right they go on the top
00:06:56
radio show anyway Bob how are you how
00:07:00
are you this is what I would ask you if
00:07:02
we were at a restaurant I'd say Bob how
00:07:04
are you yeah
00:07:06
um just generalized so good because I'm
00:07:08
talking to you guys God that's the best
00:07:10
answer I've ever gotten thank you I
00:07:13
really I really love that you asked me
00:07:15
to do this and then I get to hang out
00:07:17
with you because it's true it's like I
00:07:20
listen to podcasts to listen to my
00:07:22
friends talk I to hear their voices and
00:07:26
uh because we don't get to do anything
00:07:27
either because we're working or covid
00:07:29
[ __ ] us up for two years or you know
00:07:32
or you know his lives he gets separated
00:07:35
by having families and yeah and stuff
00:07:39
and uh it's just a really wonderful
00:07:41
thing to get to just hang out with
00:07:43
people and I've been listening a lot to
00:07:45
the Gilbert Godfrey podcast which has
00:07:49
been so so entertaining even though I
00:07:51
didn't know Gilbert very well
00:07:53
um but a lot of people I do know are on
00:07:55
that you know
00:07:57
and um he just was yeah you know uh but
00:08:01
Gilbert we you know when I worked with
00:08:03
the funny boys do you remember that the
00:08:04
comedy team yes uh Jim Valley and
00:08:07
Jonathan schmuck both funny on their own
00:08:09
and they wrote together and performed
00:08:11
and so they were the guys that got me
00:08:14
in The Improv Louis got me in The Comedy
00:08:16
Store and I didn't make it I was 20. and
00:08:19
the funny boys got me the Improv and I
00:08:21
did make it and uh when and I stayed on
00:08:25
Jim Valley's couch and then he goes I'm
00:08:27
leaving for a week but someone's gonna
00:08:29
stay here and I go and it's like hello
00:08:31
it was Gilbert Gottfried in his
00:08:33
underpants and he just sat eating Cocoa
00:08:36
Puffs and I had a roommate for a week
00:08:37
and I did I was like who's this man like
00:08:40
I didn't you know it's very weird to
00:08:42
live with someone you don't know and uh
00:08:43
so I don't know him well like you Bob
00:08:45
but I did get to spend a week just
00:08:47
hearing him then I'd see him out and
00:08:49
about and he was so you know I just
00:08:51
saying what everyone else said very very
00:08:53
interesting brain and uh it sounds like
00:08:55
interesting God very funny Gilbert would
00:08:58
share some certain sensibilities Bob you
00:09:00
know the way he deconstruct I mean his
00:09:01
his Andrew Dice Clay bit
00:09:04
is bad and prep they were just so funny
00:09:07
and he was just yeah I mean I certainly
00:09:11
appreciated the hell out of him you know
00:09:13
he was uh I only would see him around in
00:09:15
New York actually and you probably did
00:09:17
too at clubs you know when I did SNL you
00:09:21
guys probably don't know this but I
00:09:22
would go because you probably didn't
00:09:24
even know I did some stand up once in a
00:09:26
while but I would do Sunday night at The
00:09:29
Improv which is not a you know it's kind
00:09:31
of a sad club but it for me for me it
00:09:35
was like I just get a couple laughs and
00:09:38
it just was like
00:09:40
it made me feel so much better after my
00:09:42
week of getting the [ __ ] kicked out of
00:09:44
me and just to even get a few laughs on
00:09:47
that stage meant a lot to me it like
00:09:50
charged me up for the week ahead and uh
00:09:54
and so I would see him and Larry David
00:09:56
and and those guys around that club
00:09:59
um yeah it was it was interesting well
00:10:02
those are hard earned laughs I mean when
00:10:04
you're by yourself and you walk up and
00:10:06
just get a couple laughs or is that
00:10:08
means a lot yeah yeah and uh but it it
00:10:12
gave me a little boost that I needed
00:10:15
um and when stand up is giving you a
00:10:17
boost you know you're in a hole
00:10:23
Dana this is stupid but and we'll get to
00:10:25
Bob in about 40 minutes but what I did
00:10:27
is I used to I would come from Arizona
00:10:31
and they said I was a stand-up and my
00:10:33
buddy said uh you know this guy Gary
00:10:35
Grant that can book you gigs so I'd fly
00:10:38
the crumbiest airline I'd stay at
00:10:41
Columbia with my friend I would take my
00:10:43
suitcase with props oh yeah and I would
00:10:47
get my New York coat in quotes which is
00:10:49
my heavy like you know like winter coat
00:10:52
I would never wear in Arizona looked
00:10:53
like a dust dry it looked like Young
00:10:54
Guns so then I'd walk to the subway take
00:10:58
the subway to 44th Walk The Improv wait
00:11:01
until they assign me some comedian I
00:11:03
remember this guy was 36 and he had a
00:11:05
Nova and I go if I'm still doing this at
00:11:07
age 36 please kill me because I was 20.
00:11:10
and then we drove to like BF packies or
00:11:13
somewhere in Jersey this is how you did
00:11:15
it I do a set bomb I would get maybe 60
00:11:19
bucks come home maybe spring is too late
00:11:23
and scary to the subway and do that for
00:11:26
two weeks and I'd I'd clear 500. uh and
00:11:29
it was great but I got to see The Improv
00:11:31
and I thought the Improv I'd always meet
00:11:33
at The Improv was the point
00:11:35
um but I it was so I I always heard
00:11:38
about it and I go in the stage is like
00:11:39
four inches high it's like not that big
00:11:41
of a deal no one in New York yeah you
00:11:44
know what was interesting about that
00:11:45
when I first went there was they had
00:11:47
that wall of photographs uh when you
00:11:50
came out of the the showroom into the
00:11:53
barn and in those photographs were stuff
00:11:56
from the 60s and 70s
00:11:59
and there's Andy Kaufman and there's you
00:12:03
know
00:12:04
um
00:12:05
probably Jerry Seinfeld's up there
00:12:07
Richard there was a guy juggling and
00:12:09
there's a singer and uh and I asked uh I
00:12:13
don't know the
00:12:14
I don't think I asked silver who ran
00:12:16
that club at the time but I asked uh
00:12:18
probably the bartender or somebody
00:12:20
what's with the singer and what what is
00:12:23
this juggler doing and and they said
00:12:26
well that's what the club used to be
00:12:28
that's all clubs used to be is specialty
00:12:31
act singer yeah uh or music and then a
00:12:34
comic and Sullivan and yeah and then it
00:12:37
became and then the stand-up comedy boom
00:12:39
hit and it was like everybody get the
00:12:41
[ __ ] out of here it's just stand ups
00:12:43
it's just then you had like Peter
00:12:45
petovsky there was like guys that were
00:12:47
juggler comedians magic Comedians and
00:12:51
they kept the comedy part and it's
00:12:52
probably easier to get on stage you know
00:12:54
I think it probably there there's some
00:12:56
value to it in that you know if it's
00:12:59
just one comic after another it's like
00:13:04
if there's just something between the
00:13:06
comics that can kind of clean clear the
00:13:09
palette a little bit with it's kind of a
00:13:12
I don't know to me the issue I had and I
00:13:15
write about it in my book which is why
00:13:17
we're talking right comedy comedy comedy
00:13:21
drama I'm halfway through this is great
00:13:24
fascinating I hope you like it Dana I
00:13:27
just got to the comedy comedy I have my
00:13:29
own lane of this life we've shared
00:13:32
together and then where we intersect it
00:13:34
was so cool I just have great memories
00:13:36
of you and we wrote a movie together
00:13:37
which you primarily wrote but called
00:13:40
Tucson and uh
00:13:42
well I remember Tucson that still is a
00:13:46
great really funny script
00:13:49
oh yeah uh thanks Dana I think so too I
00:13:52
think it's a great scenario that you
00:13:54
cooked up which is that little guy in
00:13:56
the west and the Irishman yeah Irish men
00:13:59
with good with his guns but just sweet
00:14:02
as hell and so the opposite of Clint
00:14:05
Eastwood just the very polar opposite of
00:14:07
a Clint Eastwood character and uh so um
00:14:11
what was I saying just that yeah you
00:14:13
remember the first scene I thought it
00:14:15
must have been it's so you oh what well
00:14:17
I think I come to town I'm from Ireland
00:14:19
yeah and Lovett's is is got a hangman's
00:14:22
noose around him and there's posters he
00:14:24
was running for mayor and the posters
00:14:25
said if I don't clean up the town you
00:14:29
can hang me and then love us was the
00:14:32
conniving oh hello well
00:14:36
so anyway but that was but um there was
00:14:40
a joke in there Dana that somebody else
00:14:42
did in a movie Very in the last few
00:14:45
years it was one of the characters was
00:14:47
named like Clint Eastwood yeah and
00:14:49
there's some his name was Clint Eastwood
00:14:51
and uh there was so much great stuff
00:14:54
when he did that joke reason you're
00:14:56
right yeah that's or John Hamm sometimes
00:14:59
when Jon Hamm is in a show they call him
00:15:01
Jon Hamm just as on Larry David it's
00:15:03
funny but yeah
00:15:07
[Music]
00:15:10
should we go back to and then make our
00:15:13
way to SNL I just I I'm sort of curious
00:15:15
because I don't didn't see it but what
00:15:17
was the stuff that well you know got you
00:15:19
I talked a lot about the trauma of SNL
00:15:22
you know I I I said I was pretty easy to
00:15:25
write about because it was so hard and
00:15:27
and difficult for me personally but
00:15:31
that's true I think for a lot of people
00:15:32
and the story's been told many times but
00:15:34
I just told my version of it
00:15:37
um but it's such a crucible right of
00:15:40
pressure and desire and and
00:15:44
discovering yourself and and it just
00:15:48
leads to a lot of interior trauma and
00:15:51
then that's something to write about
00:15:53
whereas you know when I got to the later
00:15:55
parts of the book
00:15:57
and I'm writing about breaking bad where
00:16:00
well I mean there was a journey there
00:16:03
to become a better actor but also the
00:16:05
Journey of the show becoming famous but
00:16:08
the show itself was a well-oiled machine
00:16:10
with nothing but prose in every
00:16:12
direction and nobody having any
00:16:15
emotional issues just working really
00:16:18
hard and supporting each other and
00:16:21
pulling together yeah and so there's not
00:16:24
much to say we
00:16:26
you know isn't it great the writers did
00:16:29
a great job and then we all worked
00:16:31
really hard and it turned out well
00:16:34
nothing to say and it's not like if they
00:16:36
if someone has a good scene then
00:16:38
everyone goes that guy's the best one
00:16:40
he's the best one in that scene and the
00:16:41
rest of the day you feel like [ __ ] okay
00:16:43
that's yeah you know you're getting it
00:16:46
day to day I assume like you
00:16:48
you when you're doing Better Call Saul
00:16:50
it's going to be great right uh yeah
00:16:53
there's a yeah I mean especially over
00:16:55
time as you the more you do it and you
00:16:57
get to know the the values of the show
00:17:00
what's good about the show and you see
00:17:02
it coming across in the writing and and
00:17:04
you know what you captured that day and
00:17:06
think well that's gonna play really well
00:17:08
or be fun to watch and and
00:17:11
yeah it's just not this it's there's not
00:17:13
as much to say uh as there is to say
00:17:17
about Saturday Night Live where there's
00:17:18
so many books and so many and they're
00:17:20
all fascinating I love them all by the
00:17:22
way one of the reasons I wrote my book
00:17:24
is
00:17:26
I love to read Showbiz Memoirs I just
00:17:28
love them yeah uh and and usually when
00:17:31
somebody gets into something that works
00:17:33
and or they're talking about their hit
00:17:36
show
00:17:37
there's not much to say it's all about
00:17:39
the struggle and the failure and the
00:17:41
loss and the that's where there's juicy
00:17:44
stories you know Dana when I got there
00:17:47
uh Dana was uh Bob was there already
00:17:49
seven I believe viewers yeah Bob was
00:17:53
there and uh Dana was there and I came
00:17:55
in
00:17:56
and Bob is always uh I saw Bob more than
00:17:58
Dana just because Bob was a writer with
00:18:00
me and we were in there all the time but
00:18:01
Bob's always sort of in a good mood
00:18:04
shockingly when I look back because it's
00:18:06
hard to be in a good mood of that place
00:18:07
but always laughing always took a second
00:18:10
for me
00:18:11
uh soda Conan uh but you guys at least
00:18:14
would explain a little bit of what was
00:18:16
going on because I was really a Rube
00:18:18
just right I was a middle act I didn't
00:18:21
know how to write I didn't know how to
00:18:22
use I didn't know how to use a yellow
00:18:23
pad I didn't know I had a square wooden
00:18:27
desk and they just down he goes here's
00:18:28
your room bye and I'm like I don't know
00:18:30
what's going on what am I doing and uh
00:18:32
and so I would everyone has so much to
00:18:35
do on their own plate you do Bob Dana
00:18:37
does and it's hard to take a second to
00:18:40
tell someone hey because it's someone
00:18:42
that not ultimately might take her job
00:18:44
but just one more person kind of in your
00:18:47
way in a weird way and you have to put
00:18:48
that aside for a second and be a human
00:18:49
being and uh you did that it was very
00:18:52
nice and then and now whenever I see you
00:18:54
at a party if it's a Showbiz thing I
00:18:56
don't see Dana out as much unless we
00:18:58
have dinner but I run into Bob places
00:19:00
and then I just beeline over to him
00:19:02
because we always just start laughing
00:19:04
within seconds and that's fun to have
00:19:06
and we we got through the craziness and
00:19:09
we're both sort of saying I absolutely
00:19:11
buddy that's how I feel I I never told
00:19:14
you this but that party at guyo Series
00:19:16
where I met McCartney and got to sit
00:19:19
with him for 15-20 minutes
00:19:22
um as we as Naomi and I were walking in
00:19:24
my wife and I
00:19:26
I'm dreading going to this party because
00:19:29
I'm you know 59 or at the time 54 or
00:19:33
whatever and thinking [ __ ] it I don't I
00:19:35
don't want to go out anymore at all ever
00:19:37
and uh and I'm I'm thinking it's just
00:19:40
going to be intimidating there's going
00:19:41
to be famous people here and I don't
00:19:43
know what to say to them and I turned to
00:19:46
Naomi and I go you know what David Spade
00:19:48
will be here
00:19:50
buddy we walked in the front door and we
00:19:54
look down the hall and there you are it
00:19:58
[ __ ] blew our minds he's a man about
00:20:00
town there was one time I went to guys I
00:20:03
went to guys I didn't even go there I
00:20:05
obviously don't go to the Oscars if I
00:20:06
didn't go to Vanity Fair or anything I
00:20:08
just went straight over to guys because
00:20:09
the rock was over there and I get there
00:20:11
and before you get in there's a line for
00:20:13
the bathroom so I just stand in line for
00:20:15
a second and then McCartney comes behind
00:20:17
me and then he has a little chitter
00:20:19
chatter and then I'm forward and then
00:20:22
Bono comes out so I knew I was like
00:20:25
again like you I don't think anyone
00:20:26
knows what to say to anyone so yeah I do
00:20:29
a few jokes that you know sort of strike
00:20:31
out and then we all kind of Dart our
00:20:33
eyes and then do you have something
00:20:35
throughout you know Mr show or anything
00:20:37
if someone comes up to you in an airport
00:20:38
or something I assume like most
00:20:40
celebrities specific Compliments are the
00:20:43
most flattering rather than you're great
00:20:45
you know because someone came up to me
00:20:47
I'll just couch it they came up to me at
00:20:49
an airport and they said I love
00:20:50
skinheads in Maine the thing I did with
00:20:53
Colbert on my show and it's so specific
00:20:55
my friends share that and laugh about it
00:20:57
all the time but you must have a hundred
00:20:59
of those especially with Mr show there's
00:21:02
so many quirkies
00:21:04
I have uh
00:21:06
yeah I mean we've all gotten to do lots
00:21:09
of cool stuff
00:21:10
between the three of us I've just had
00:21:12
this the variety in my career is
00:21:15
sometimes strange uh in its intensity
00:21:19
you know because this movie nobody that
00:21:21
I did this action movie that's like
00:21:23
around the world a whole different
00:21:25
audience that probably they've never
00:21:27
heard of Mr Show
00:21:29
some of them have seen breaking bad and
00:21:31
they're just like a whole nother set of
00:21:33
people and uh but but you know the
00:21:36
strangest thing is is I always do have
00:21:38
to do the math when somebody comes up to
00:21:40
me of like I have no idea what you know
00:21:42
me from what you think I did that was
00:21:44
great and I've had the biggest surprise
00:21:47
is how
00:21:48
more than a few times a year
00:21:51
somebody will come up and go you are so
00:21:54
great on How I Met Your Mother I mean
00:21:57
you're just the best wow and it's like
00:22:00
wow I was on the show six times do you
00:22:03
have anything like that David do you
00:22:05
have anything probably yeah I mean there
00:22:07
are little nuggets that I've done that
00:22:09
people you know I get Emperor's New
00:22:10
Groove and that's the only thing they
00:22:12
know me from because my voice and then
00:22:14
um you get things that are like light
00:22:16
sleeper where I played one scene and
00:22:18
someone doesn't really know you at all
00:22:19
and they know you're famous or you're
00:22:21
something but that's the only thing in
00:22:22
your whole life they saw and and they
00:22:25
appreciate it so I'm I'm happy and it's
00:22:27
true I can sort of guess by who's coming
00:22:29
up I'm guessing sort of what they know
00:22:31
me from yeah you know what I mean and
00:22:33
you you might be able to get a feel if
00:22:35
they just say you're great I go yeah
00:22:37
well let's now let's dig in I find that
00:22:40
if someone is funny or in one scene of a
00:22:44
movie or one part of a show if they if
00:22:46
they catch me and really make me laugh
00:22:47
or impress me I'm kind of like a fan
00:22:49
from then on even if it's just like a
00:22:51
small Cameo but Bob the interesting part
00:22:54
of your story obviously is like we know
00:22:56
where it sort of is it it went
00:23:00
and I'm just wondering when you go we go
00:23:02
back to 87 to 91 and knowing you and
00:23:04
your work ethic you're smart so funny
00:23:06
all that stuff like how does that guy
00:23:10
what was the emotional I mean who was
00:23:12
Bob in that those years that was so
00:23:14
tenacious and so talented that then you
00:23:16
went to this and then of course nobody
00:23:19
is that they're going to make 10 of
00:23:20
those that was so great for that genre
00:23:25
uh thanks
00:23:27
thanks listen first of all I gotta tell
00:23:29
you when they finally greenlit that
00:23:31
movie and I went to go make it obviously
00:23:34
I'm thinking probably we're gonna
00:23:36
[ __ ] everything up and it'll be a mess
00:23:38
but I also thought if it works if it
00:23:41
works yeah then the thing I'm most
00:23:45
excited about is my friends
00:23:48
yeah going what the [ __ ] yes I said it I
00:23:52
like it it what it's like Bob is doing
00:23:56
this now and it's not a one-off they are
00:24:00
that is too good it's like too [ __ ]
00:24:03
good I watch it and I go this better be
00:24:05
exactly what I think it's gonna be and
00:24:07
it was and it delivered and that fight I
00:24:09
think it was on a bus or something I'm
00:24:10
like what the fight I couldn't even do I
00:24:13
was like I'm a bigger puss out of all of
00:24:15
us and I couldn't even do the fake
00:24:17
stunts for that because I'm I'm such a
00:24:19
[ __ ] like we can't even fake do it with
00:24:21
you yeah it's because I go I don't
00:24:23
really need to get beaten up but I can't
00:24:24
lift my leg up and kick and I might
00:24:27
still hurt my clavicle if I hold this
00:24:29
too hard so I liked it it was you and
00:24:31
you you have to be in shape oh yeah
00:24:33
thank you for that right I really pull
00:24:36
punches to do anything I worked really
00:24:38
hard because I knew I had a long way to
00:24:39
go and I and I and I and listen right
00:24:42
from the start I was like look if we're
00:24:44
gonna do this it's not going to be
00:24:45
ironic I'm not going to wink at the
00:24:47
camera I'm not going to give myself an
00:24:49
out I'm going to look if I'm going to
00:24:51
look like an [ __ ] I'm gonna look like
00:24:53
bad ass middle life crisis loser
00:24:56
pathetic like what happened to you guy
00:24:59
I'm gonna do this thing all the way or
00:25:02
not at all and then if it works it's
00:25:04
amazing yeah and if it doesn't work well
00:25:06
who didn't who didn't think it wouldn't
00:25:08
work I mean come on
00:25:10
um but I did when do you realize it
00:25:12
worked
00:25:14
um at a test screening or at uh just
00:25:17
rough dailies or is a certain point we
00:25:18
go here's this is actually coming
00:25:19
together covet really worked in our
00:25:22
favor because we had a cut it was good
00:25:25
but it felt kind of like an indie movie
00:25:27
uh it was a little slow
00:25:30
um and small and then this because of
00:25:34
covid this um editor who's the second
00:25:37
editor on the project whose name is on
00:25:39
it because it should be uh said I got I
00:25:42
got nothing to do give me your movie let
00:25:43
me [ __ ] with it and two weeks later this
00:25:46
guy wow the movie back to us and it was
00:25:49
like oh wow okay wait a second and the
00:25:53
interesting thing is
00:25:54
he added he built the sequence that
00:25:57
opens the film out of [ __ ] that was on
00:25:59
The Cutting Room floor didn't not shot
00:26:01
for the movie just thrown away what a
00:26:04
worker and everything else in the movie
00:26:07
all he did was chop it a little bit
00:26:10
shift some of the
00:26:13
um order a little bit not much Ollie and
00:26:16
it was a totally different movie
00:26:19
totally different experience and just
00:26:21
work from the get-go that Titan and
00:26:25
Brighton it was amazing with this guy
00:26:27
because of you connected to the
00:26:28
character because it does work in in the
00:26:31
whole emotional Arc you really do
00:26:33
feel simple I feel sympathetic for your
00:26:35
character I want him to win yeah well
00:26:38
that's actually honestly that's one of
00:26:40
the things I thought I could bring to
00:26:42
that genre
00:26:44
so I'm yeah vulnerability genuine like
00:26:48
that you bought yeah like because a lot
00:26:50
of times you know you don't really they
00:26:52
try to have it but the date Force you
00:26:54
don't really buy it but you don't care
00:26:56
if you're watching an action movie A lot
00:26:58
of times you don't care you're like so
00:26:59
what I I like this guy I like the
00:27:01
scenario hit somebody yeah it's fine go
00:27:03
let's see the action let's have some fun
00:27:05
with it but I thought is there something
00:27:08
I could bring to this genre and I
00:27:10
thought
00:27:11
you know around the world I'm known from
00:27:15
Better Call Saul and that's a character
00:27:17
who's
00:27:18
getting his ass kicked in a lot of ways
00:27:21
and emotionally getting his ass kicked
00:27:24
and um
00:27:26
and I play him and there's a sort of a
00:27:29
great degree of uh empathy that people
00:27:32
have for that guy and what the story
00:27:34
they've Evan Schiff is the editor Evan
00:27:37
Schiff okay came on board and and made
00:27:40
that thing a beauty it's important to
00:27:42
give credit I love it yeah and uh well
00:27:45
if you're if you're bullied a lot Bob
00:27:46
like I was and Dana was and uh those
00:27:49
movies are [ __ ] I love because it's
00:27:52
what I could never do and when you see
00:27:54
like death wish with Charles Bronson
00:27:56
he's at least a guy that's not getting
00:27:57
bullied every day because he's tough but
00:28:00
when you see a guy like you I totally
00:28:02
buy I go all right Bob's nice guy he's
00:28:04
out there trying to [ __ ] get through
00:28:06
the world like everybody and people just
00:28:08
always [ __ ] they do it to me all the
00:28:09
time and so I know Chris Rock is doing
00:28:12
the sequel but anyway
00:28:14
um but I feel like when you when you
00:28:18
when you see you in that situation and
00:28:20
I'm like please [ __ ] screw these guys
00:28:22
up it's like the equalizers right right
00:28:25
and it's that fantasy wish fulfillment
00:28:28
that I could deliver on because I could
00:28:30
really be that first iteration of the
00:28:33
guy and you really really felt like yeah
00:28:35
he really is yeah it's not just you know
00:28:39
um I don't know Tom Cruise with glasses
00:28:41
on or you know or a buttoned up shirt
00:28:45
yeah
00:28:46
I think you go into a bar or you go into
00:28:49
someone and you say you want to see
00:28:52
somebody they don't want you to and you
00:28:53
don't back down at all on anything which
00:28:55
is I love you just go I think it's best
00:28:58
if you and you're like this is the way I
00:29:00
want to talk in all my whole life I just
00:29:01
want to say
00:29:03
listen here's what's going to happen I
00:29:05
hit you you hit the ground I hit the
00:29:07
next guy he goes down and the guy's like
00:29:09
what are you talking about and you're
00:29:10
like just you wait about 30 seconds
00:29:13
you'll see how this hit goes you know I
00:29:14
love that [ __ ]
00:29:16
so the fun of this this idea this thing
00:29:19
I had the secret I had inside me when
00:29:22
I'm training which is like my friends
00:29:25
Dana Carvey David Spade all these guys
00:29:28
if I get to make this and it comes off
00:29:31
they're they're just not gonna know
00:29:34
where to turn they're gonna have to go
00:29:36
to the hospital and get an MRI yeah it
00:29:40
definitely it was a little bit of a
00:29:41
opening an old-fashioned newspaper Bob
00:29:43
the owner Kirk starring in action film
00:29:46
what the [ __ ] and the picture the
00:29:48
posters like you kind of beat up I think
00:29:49
it was a great post what's going on here
00:29:52
yeah yeah well uh it was a great joy to
00:29:55
make that happen and to have that come
00:29:58
to life but anyway
00:30:02
[Music]
00:30:04
can I ask you a personal question yeah
00:30:06
you Janie yeah oh I I just for a second
00:30:09
because you're starting in this film and
00:30:11
you know film and television have all
00:30:13
overlapped now it's like the best stuffs
00:30:15
on television you're starting a film so
00:30:17
like when you're like in the 70s
00:30:19
whatever what films uh woke you up to to
00:30:22
film hood or show business like what was
00:30:24
a seminal film for you as a kid you know
00:30:27
it could be for Ben Stiller it was
00:30:31
um The Poseidon Adventure
00:30:33
for uh for uh Bill Hader it was taxi
00:30:38
drivers
00:30:40
it was 2001. I can tell you American
00:30:43
Graffiti oh yeah okay Ron Howard 1973
00:30:45
Harrison Ford yeah and and uh you know
00:30:50
I'd gone to films you know fun movies at
00:30:54
the Cineplex and they were just building
00:30:56
cineplexes at the time but we had an old
00:30:58
time movie theater in our small town of
00:31:01
Naperville Illinois and I'd seen a John
00:31:04
Wayne film there on its own big
00:31:07
technology
00:31:09
yeah yeah Oh I thought it was the
00:31:11
Cowboys and I liked it uh and and it was
00:31:14
great and I loved going to movies uh
00:31:16
when I could but
00:31:18
um we didn't go to a lot of movies but
00:31:22
going to that little old theater where
00:31:25
you know they showed just the latest
00:31:27
thing from the studios for a week or two
00:31:29
right
00:31:31
um and seeing American Graffiti man that
00:31:35
was a totally different vibe yeah than
00:31:37
every everything I had I remember it in
00:31:40
that theater or anywhere that was
00:31:44
uh it was uh new wave of the film in
00:31:48
America and uh it felt more real
00:31:52
um it's uh it had a modern energy to it
00:31:57
and uh
00:32:00
it's a very good film yeah I mean George
00:32:03
Lucas it's really good yeah was it's
00:32:06
it's so interesting to see a movie that
00:32:08
sort of changes the way you think and
00:32:09
maybe it tilted you towards comedy maybe
00:32:11
not but just that's the beauty of movies
00:32:14
when they you see a bunch that do
00:32:16
nothing and you're just sort of killing
00:32:17
time and then one just grabs you nothing
00:32:20
like it it's it's what you want to do
00:32:21
when you make movies you go I want one
00:32:22
that people remember right right you
00:32:25
know something yeah that's the thing a
00:32:26
movie can be that a TV show
00:32:29
pretty much isn't which is this kind of
00:32:31
very core Elemental connection that just
00:32:35
gets you deep deeply it's like a it's a
00:32:38
fable and and it's and it really uh
00:32:42
takes you on a ride I think with TV
00:32:46
you're always no matter how well it's
00:32:48
done you just aren't as close to those
00:32:51
lead characters you're still just
00:32:53
watching the story you can be totally
00:32:56
wrapped in the story but you're just not
00:32:58
I don't know I feel like movies just
00:33:01
kind of
00:33:02
grab you and take you on that one ride
00:33:05
and you feel close to those characters
00:33:09
in a personal way but you know I I I
00:33:13
agree it might be the fact that it's
00:33:15
singular you know Bob like it's just you
00:33:18
go and this is a beginning middle end
00:33:19
and you go wow and you want to see the
00:33:21
whole thing again and TV sometimes you
00:33:23
go if someone says did you see the
00:33:25
series I'm like oh what and they're like
00:33:27
it's on episode four I mean you know
00:33:29
like season four you I I can't but I
00:33:32
don't know I don't know go ahead Bob I I
00:33:34
just think the power of film more than
00:33:36
ever now is turning off the cell phone
00:33:38
and not being distracted because they're
00:33:40
watching something with your wife you're
00:33:42
enjoying it and then
00:33:43
I mean it's just it's it's a problem
00:33:46
yeah you know so the focus of a film
00:33:49
well
00:33:51
yeah is really strong and and really a
00:33:54
powerful experience anyway I still love
00:33:57
TV and I love everything that we all get
00:34:00
to do and I I really I like moving
00:34:03
around and I certainly don't think I
00:34:06
have a career a future as a movie star
00:34:08
but I will get to make a few more movies
00:34:10
but it's not important to me it wasn't
00:34:13
like the drive of my life I I was driven
00:34:16
by comedy as my book really really says
00:34:19
I mean I'm really trying to warn people
00:34:21
with that title yeah I you know I know a
00:34:26
lot of people know me I'm worn them
00:34:27
Better Call Saul and and breaking bad
00:34:29
but I want to say all right yeah I'm
00:34:31
going to talk about you know comedy in
00:34:34
Chicago in 1980 uh
00:34:38
85 and you're probably not going to give
00:34:41
a [ __ ] about that and right you
00:34:43
definitely have fans that don't know you
00:34:44
from comedy at all at all at all that's
00:34:46
rare for us for you know for comedians
00:34:49
that you have a whole huge new crowd
00:34:52
it's it's yeah it's true and I and I I
00:34:55
want to move around between these things
00:34:57
because that's always been the most fun
00:34:59
thing for me and that's one of the
00:35:00
reasons I think I love sketch comedy so
00:35:02
much is you're just jumping around from
00:35:04
different ideas different you know
00:35:06
different tones something's really broad
00:35:08
something's a little subtler you know I
00:35:10
like jumping around between all that
00:35:13
stuff so how did you find yourself
00:35:14
because not everyone if people read the
00:35:17
book but you know just quickly that
00:35:19
Journey from I know Monty Python was a
00:35:21
big big wake-up call for you and then
00:35:24
yeah Second City but what was it about
00:35:27
Monty Python that's not in the book uh
00:35:30
you know what what are your even today
00:35:32
you feel like that is the one that you
00:35:34
and your brother Bill just went holy
00:35:36
[ __ ] yeah you know I think
00:35:39
um
00:35:40
you know there's a lot of comedy in the
00:35:42
70s that we all watched it had kind of a
00:35:45
look some of it was great you know
00:35:49
um for sure I mean I loved Carol
00:35:51
Burnett's show uh the the vibe with
00:35:54
those people was like joining a party
00:35:56
that was a very welcoming party friendly
00:35:59
it wasn't like yeah they were yeah
00:36:02
friendly and Sweden we sure needed that
00:36:03
in my house so I love that but I think
00:36:07
python was for me the thing that spoke
00:36:11
about how I looked at the world and it
00:36:13
kind of put an arm around me and said
00:36:15
yeah the adults are crazy [ __ ] and
00:36:20
uh don't worry it's you're not the only
00:36:22
one thinking this and uh it's okay you
00:36:26
can laugh at it that's what you could do
00:36:28
and uh
00:36:30
and I think it's because you know
00:36:32
they're young guys they were in their
00:36:34
20s making that show
00:36:36
um and they were very smart and they're
00:36:40
very silly like extremely silly but very
00:36:43
smart yeah and that's that's the that's
00:36:46
a tough combo to get right that's the
00:36:48
magic combination to me and uh and I I
00:36:52
just it just spoke to my
00:36:55
the way I needed to see the world to be
00:36:58
uh really comforted you know I mean this
00:37:02
is what all the things we do and the
00:37:04
things that affect us on a deep level do
00:37:06
in in whether it's a movie or a book or
00:37:09
a TV show or some stand-up Act is it
00:37:12
makes you feel less alone
00:37:14
you just get that feeling of I'm not the
00:37:17
only one who sees this in the world and
00:37:20
and when you're a kid and you're 10 or
00:37:22
11 at the time I was I think 11 when I
00:37:26
first saw python that is a crucial
00:37:28
you're just about to become an adult
00:37:31
probably really sensing and in my house
00:37:34
I mean life was extremely unstable at
00:37:38
that point because there's
00:37:40
at that point five kids two more to come
00:37:43
wow two more to come how the [ __ ] does
00:37:47
that happen when you know financially
00:37:50
it's off the rails there's no future
00:37:53
there's no stability anywhere anywhere
00:37:57
near you and like how
00:38:00
in you just as a kid you know no one's
00:38:02
including you in any of that [ __ ] your
00:38:04
parents Alec Baldwin oh boy I wish I
00:38:08
wish
00:38:09
mine wasn't a picnic either but we've
00:38:12
talked about this I'm sure privately but
00:38:14
it was rough but yours sounds really
00:38:16
intense and yeah but I mean look you
00:38:19
know it's not that special yeah I mean I
00:38:21
try to express in the book look I know
00:38:23
my child is not special it is a very
00:38:26
typical 70s childhood you know uh people
00:38:30
were just starting to have the word
00:38:32
alcoholism in their vocabulary I mean
00:38:35
there was uh you know it was just coming
00:38:39
to understand a lot of all of my dad's
00:38:42
friends all ended up broke bankrupt
00:38:45
divorced really and yeah he used to take
00:38:49
this out he said occasionally when he
00:38:51
would hang out with us he would take us
00:38:52
to his office and we'd go to lunch with
00:38:55
these five guys and they'd get [ __ ]
00:38:57
ripped at lunch and uh and all of them
00:39:01
car crashes divorce
00:39:04
America Playbook it was like the
00:39:07
Playbook hey you had your car crash I'm
00:39:10
next I'm next you know yeah I remember
00:39:13
my dad buy it getting in his car
00:39:16
accident uh and his was a good one he
00:39:19
went through the window in his car
00:39:20
accident yeah he went through the window
00:39:22
and landed like 15 feet outside the car
00:39:25
oh wow I remember him looking in the
00:39:28
mirror picking glass out of his head
00:39:30
like even like a week later he's still
00:39:32
taking little pieces of glass out of his
00:39:34
out of his bald head jeez
00:39:46
yeah yeah but look the bottom line is it
00:39:49
wasn't special it was just where I was
00:39:52
at when comedy came along and told me
00:39:55
yeah he's nuts
00:39:58
crazy it's okay just laugh at it and and
00:40:02
uh and Steve Martin on SNL was also like
00:40:07
a super powered rocket ship to like
00:40:09
crazy town and the best comedy the best
00:40:13
mix of you know amp you know
00:40:16
conceptualized
00:40:18
uh you know like the the fast drunk
00:40:20
Brothers like that's [ __ ] off the
00:40:23
rails stuff you know uh wild and crazy
00:40:26
guys too wild and crazy guys
00:40:28
um I am but they pull it off and it it
00:40:31
isn't look there there was a thing about
00:40:34
the 70s humor that was kind of cute and
00:40:37
palsy and wasn't didn't make me happy
00:40:39
the dangerous stuff is what made me
00:40:42
happy and uh and that's what came in
00:40:45
came around around you know this time
00:40:48
for me Carlin by the way your American
00:40:50
Graffiti was My Life of Brian you know
00:40:52
really I saw Life of Brian and I was
00:40:53
like what the [ __ ] is it I didn't know
00:40:55
anything on Monty Python I just went to
00:40:56
a comedy and We snuck in because it was
00:40:58
R-rated wild and it really hit me like
00:41:01
what the [ __ ] are these guys it was
00:41:03
nothing like I'd seen and
00:41:05
you know I don't want to harp on it but
00:41:07
I just wanted to acknowledge that Monty
00:41:09
Python stuff did hit me also I mean I
00:41:11
saw Animal House I saw all the stuff I'm
00:41:12
supposed to see and [ __ ] loved and
00:41:15
then uh that was just a little different
00:41:16
move and smart silly of course and just
00:41:19
doing stuff we didn't do here oh yeah
00:41:21
yeah I had the same reaction all of my
00:41:23
friends loved it and you now now Bob I
00:41:25
have to ask Bob if he wrote for Dennis
00:41:27
because I didn't know that I don't think
00:41:28
I knew you wrote for Dennis Miller
00:41:30
before SNL yeah before I got on as a
00:41:33
writer I would send jokes well I would
00:41:35
send scripts to Robert here's what
00:41:38
happened okay I was doing different
00:41:41
crazy [ __ ] in Chicago
00:41:43
stand up sketch shows anything
00:41:46
and Robert Smigel
00:41:49
I'd seen his work at this little theater
00:41:52
that we all went to school at called The
00:41:54
Players workshop and he wrote a show
00:41:56
there that later became a hit show
00:41:59
they ran for like a year and a half and
00:42:01
and made tons of money and uh
00:42:05
and so I saw that show in its early
00:42:07
iteration and it was already solid it's
00:42:10
such good writing and so strong and so
00:42:14
like it just works like I had a hit
00:42:18
ratio of like 15
00:42:21
and I didn't care by the way that was
00:42:24
fine and uh and Smiggle had a hit ratio
00:42:27
of like 90 and it was like yeah he was a
00:42:31
big slugging for a second holy [ __ ] man
00:42:33
I don't know where that comes from you
00:42:35
know Robert says
00:42:37
it's the Rupert pumpkin effect is what
00:42:40
he calls his achievement as is a young
00:42:43
writer where all these years I've been
00:42:45
pretending in my head that I was this
00:42:48
writer and I've been sort of writing
00:42:50
stuff in my head like Rupert pumpkin in
00:42:53
his basement and then he said if you
00:42:56
notice on the show in the movie of the
00:42:59
king of comedy when he actually gets a
00:43:01
chance
00:43:03
yeah
00:43:05
and it's like just from hundreds of
00:43:08
hours
00:43:09
you know of doing it in front of the you
00:43:12
know in front of the wall interesting
00:43:13
and uh and yeah and I hadn't done what
00:43:17
Robert did I think not even close to the
00:43:19
hours he'd put in on really examining
00:43:21
writing and sketch work and what a
00:43:24
sketch is and
00:43:26
and uh but he had he I saw his work I
00:43:29
loved it he saw me in this crazy show it
00:43:33
was off the rails silly stuff but I was
00:43:35
doing characters and I was my I mean the
00:43:38
only thing you could recommend about it
00:43:39
was my commitment and my silliness I
00:43:41
mean it was super silly and he got that
00:43:45
I was willing to just go that far and
00:43:48
and thought it was cool and we started
00:43:51
writing a show together and then he got
00:43:53
hired at SNL and so here I am in Chicago
00:43:57
and he doesn't know anybody when he gets
00:43:59
to SNL so he's calling me up on a Monday
00:44:01
and going I have these two ideas
00:44:04
calling me again on Tuesday reading the
00:44:06
script to me I'm going do this joke what
00:44:08
about this I'm just pitching him jokes
00:44:10
and he had he just has a partner even
00:44:13
though he's you know at SNL new to the
00:44:15
job and he's got someone to call and
00:44:18
work his stuff on with and work his
00:44:21
stuff with on and uh
00:44:24
so I'm sending stuff in he I guess he's
00:44:26
sharing it with some other writers and
00:44:29
then I'm sending jokes in for Dennis and
00:44:31
Dennis is doing them I mean that you
00:44:34
know what that means oh yeah waiting
00:44:37
tables in Chicago yeah it's a crazy joke
00:44:40
on the air yeah I remember my first joke
00:44:43
I remember delivering food to the table
00:44:46
at Ed Debevic's in Chicago and I keep
00:44:49
checking the screen because they have
00:44:50
SNL on you can't hear it but it's on its
00:44:53
way and there's that picture of Bob Hope
00:44:56
and there's my nasty joke mean-spirited
00:44:59
joke
00:45:00
from this [ __ ] kid
00:45:03
do you want to tell us what it is the
00:45:05
the statue the statute of limitations on
00:45:09
respecting Bob Hope for his earlier work
00:45:11
ran out today
00:45:17
I love it and that's the statue of
00:45:20
limitations it's all the language and
00:45:21
you know it's like a nicely tasty funny
00:45:25
yeah and it's something everyone's
00:45:29
thinking no one says out loud it says
00:45:31
out loud
00:45:34
it did great and Dennis does a couple of
00:45:37
my jokes over the next year or two and
00:45:39
Smiggle actually there was one scene I
00:45:41
wrote that got on it was the uh Sideshow
00:45:45
of the Stars so you know they had circus
00:45:47
of the stars and this was Sideshow this
00:45:50
stuff
00:45:51
where they have you know I don't even
00:45:54
remember the jokes but somebody's got
00:45:56
hair all over their body that you didn't
00:45:57
know or something
00:45:59
but you know sitcom actor uh
00:46:03
uh and and Robert of course punched it
00:46:06
punched that way up uh but uh I only got
00:46:09
that was the only sketch that I got on
00:46:11
when I hadn't been a writer there yet
00:46:13
and then um I had that meeting with
00:46:15
Lauren that I detailed in the book and I
00:46:17
kind of exaggerated but the truth is
00:46:20
Dana and David I went into Lauren's
00:46:24
office
00:46:24
and I really did think this guy does not
00:46:29
want to ask his he's heard it enough
00:46:31
people you know praise him he wants to
00:46:35
if he's going to hire somebody he wants
00:46:37
to hear somebody with a critical mind
00:46:39
some Moxie I gotta hear what he's at I'm
00:46:43
sure it's in the book well I mean I just
00:46:46
went like uh yeah
00:46:50
I don't know
00:46:52
what do you think of the show do you
00:46:54
like it
00:46:55
I don't know I could fix it it's been
00:46:58
better it's been better for sure I mean
00:47:01
I think the earlier wow you know and and
00:47:04
what well what what comedy do you like
00:47:06
what do you like oh Monty Python Monty
00:47:09
Python now that was great and that was
00:47:11
great because it was smart and silly and
00:47:13
and they didn't have to you know they
00:47:16
didn't they knew their lines they were
00:47:18
you know reading cue cards yeah yeah I'm
00:47:20
not [ __ ] ripping the show because
00:47:23
thanks for coming in Bob I kind of think
00:47:26
you he's gonna like this you know I mean
00:47:32
talk about not reading a room man holy
00:47:36
[ __ ] and uh and the fact that he hired
00:47:39
me is insane the only thing I had in my
00:47:42
favor was he doesn't really
00:47:45
uh I wanna he doesn't have to examine
00:47:47
that kind of hiring that closely I mean
00:47:51
if a couple writers want you to hire
00:47:52
somebody you're gonna say sure go ahead
00:47:55
give them a try we can try they think
00:47:57
they're good because he doesn't he's not
00:47:59
first how can he tell in a meeting yeah
00:48:00
but he goes In fairness I wasn't
00:48:02
listening the other thing I'd say David
00:48:04
is I mean Lauren loves python too oh
00:48:07
yeah Lauren also
00:48:10
yeah Lauren probably would say if you
00:48:12
said what's the best comedy show of the
00:48:13
last hundred years he'd go well it's not
00:48:15
my show it's Monty Python you know and
00:48:18
and so the fact is he probably kind of
00:48:22
well the other thing is he also knows
00:48:25
what it's like to sit across from a very
00:48:27
nervous young person who doesn't know
00:48:30
what to say is completely wildly
00:48:32
intimidated
00:48:34
and he's just done that ten thousand
00:48:36
times and probably kind of gave me a
00:48:40
little break for that maybe sure he's a
00:48:43
he's a he's very funny also and I don't
00:48:44
know if that always comes across and we
00:48:46
talk about him because we joke but he's
00:48:48
very funny he's very dry and he and when
00:48:50
you can make Lauren laugh at read
00:48:51
through it's so fun yeah when he cracks
00:48:53
up yeah sometimes he slaps the table and
00:48:55
laughs and you're like oh my God what a
00:48:57
home run yeah I don't I never did that
00:48:59
but yeah
00:49:02
Bob we uh Dane I don't know if you
00:49:04
remember when I was uh having some
00:49:06
troubles in the show and I think I would
00:49:08
just credit Bob with uh the one in my
00:49:11
picture in my head when I'm joking about
00:49:13
People magazine or just killing time in
00:49:14
the day and Bob is a great laugher by
00:49:17
the way which always helps disarm you
00:49:19
know make you feel better and sincerely
00:49:22
sort of came up with Hollywood minute
00:49:23
and steered it with me and uh remember
00:49:26
Bob we were thinking oh David what did I
00:49:29
do to help you with that I just said I
00:49:31
think what you do here back in the
00:49:33
writer's room you should just do that
00:49:34
yes it was something that simple but it
00:49:37
made me and we were framing it I'm like
00:49:38
could it be a show called guess what
00:49:40
remember's like guess what you're an
00:49:42
idiot uh you know and uh and then it
00:49:44
turned into like just a series of photos
00:49:46
which when you said that Bob Hope won
00:49:48
that was kind of like a simple way it's
00:49:52
put you know do a joke try to think of
00:49:54
something people are thinking everyone's
00:49:56
kissing ass to celebrities
00:49:58
where and I I was unknown which helped
00:50:00
you know just innocent looking that was
00:50:03
part of it that's why it took I didn't
00:50:04
want to do it as much later because I
00:50:07
sort of turned into someone people knew
00:50:08
and then it's then it turns meaner and
00:50:10
it was just kind of fun to take
00:50:12
someone's legs out for no reason like
00:50:13
hey this guy is famous [ __ ] you and you
00:50:17
know and then and there was always a
00:50:19
reason like I didn't want to go with
00:50:20
people more than once because
00:50:22
you know you get one freebie if they
00:50:24
screw up
00:50:25
and I didn't want it to be that mean it
00:50:27
was just for fun but yeah
00:50:29
but it was a big help just the fact that
00:50:31
you encouraged or even listen to me in
00:50:33
between we're eating Wally and Joseph's
00:50:35
or whatever uh it was nice well you know
00:50:38
it sort of just got me thinking you know
00:50:39
I I love to hear
00:50:42
somebody yeah you know I've helped a
00:50:45
couple Young
00:50:46
Talent
00:50:48
uh groups or people
00:50:51
to find some way forward and it it's
00:50:53
because I I know what it's like to
00:50:56
um tread water and lose ground and be
00:50:59
lost and and if you can give somebody a
00:51:01
little cue that maybe gives them a
00:51:03
shortcut or clarifies what they're doing
00:51:06
already and it's a great feeling to to
00:51:09
be able to do that and and uh I guess
00:51:12
I've done that even more than I thought
00:51:14
but
00:51:16
um yeah I like to do it I mean part of
00:51:18
it is
00:51:20
you know one of the ways that you can
00:51:23
use your skills when you've been at SNL
00:51:25
for a few years as a writer and by the
00:51:27
time you were there I'd been there for
00:51:29
three years and uh
00:51:32
I finally was feeling like I'm starting
00:51:34
to understand
00:51:36
what the show needs what what because
00:51:39
instead of what I wanted it to be
00:51:42
which was insane because it's never
00:51:45
gonna be Monty Python it could not
00:51:47
change it yeah
00:51:49
oh my God there's so much about the
00:51:51
reality what's the reality how can you
00:51:54
help what's the show it it took me for
00:51:56
years years yeah but somewhere around my
00:51:59
third year my brain started to calm down
00:52:02
and go wait it's not this other thing
00:52:05
that you want it to be it is a thing
00:52:08
that is has all kinds of first of all
00:52:11
it's so [ __ ] hard to do you know
00:52:13
whenever we talk about it and we
00:52:14
critique the show and
00:52:16
I mean the [ __ ] thing just on this on
00:52:18
the face of it is impossible it's an
00:52:20
impossible thing it's absurd and the
00:52:23
more I go back the more I go
00:52:26
when I go back and see the show being
00:52:28
done I'm like oh my God this is
00:52:31
impossible you know when I was young I
00:52:34
never thought that oh my God I when I
00:52:37
got hired there I was like come on how
00:52:39
come this isn't better come on work you
00:52:40
guys this is not hard this is not
00:52:43
working it shouldn't be hard yeah you
00:52:44
know and it's like once you've produced
00:52:46
a few things you're like
00:52:49
you want me to do a show Saturday night
00:52:52
with zets and how good all the
00:52:55
Departments are yeah the Departments are
00:52:56
so [ __ ] on it they're so good they're
00:53:00
so practical anyway did you ever think
00:53:02
during a long dress show it sometimes I
00:53:06
thought maybe tonight's the night it
00:53:07
won't the show won't go on they'll show
00:53:09
a rerun or something
00:53:11
sometimes it just seems like I never I
00:53:13
never thought that I mean I I think it
00:53:15
more now but again when I was there Dana
00:53:18
when I started there I had such I don't
00:53:20
know you know you guys know the people
00:53:23
who start in this business there's such
00:53:25
a strange mix of
00:53:28
confidence
00:53:30
doubt
00:53:33
hatred it's the weirdest like how does
00:53:37
it work how does it work that you have a
00:53:41
friend you know we all have a friend
00:53:44
literally walks around all day hating
00:53:46
themselves talking about how stupid and
00:53:49
dumb they are and then gets on stage and
00:53:52
tells about a crowd of strangers what
00:53:54
they think like it's a bad house well
00:53:59
how does that work something's wrong
00:54:01
here because if you don't think you're
00:54:04
worth anything then then you shouldn't
00:54:06
be thinking uh give me that Mike I need
00:54:09
to tell everyone what I'm giving me that
00:54:11
money I just always felt I need to
00:54:13
lecture these people
00:54:17
[Music]
00:54:19
Bob I always felt if I didn't kill I'd
00:54:22
be I'd get fired I I felt like I had to
00:54:24
destroyed maybe I pushed a little too
00:54:26
much at times until I got to Johnny
00:54:27
Carson was the only sketch I did toward
00:54:30
the end where I wasn't pushing but I I
00:54:32
just wanted to make the point that
00:54:34
um are you still with us your screen's
00:54:36
Frozen oh okay God you were just oh yeah
00:54:38
yeah is that it seemed like you were
00:54:40
like if you told me you had a pretty
00:54:43
good time on SNL wouldn't surprise you
00:54:44
because it seems like you were sort of
00:54:46
around a lot like you'd be in a room
00:54:47
with Conan or Robert or here's an
00:54:49
example I wanted the audience to hear
00:54:51
Franken and I are doing a George Bush
00:54:53
senior we're sitting around somewhere
00:54:55
going I'm doing the thing gotta do it
00:54:58
gotta go and then and then it was uh
00:55:00
we're trying to go I think Al said and
00:55:03
the less uh the lesson of Vietnam
00:55:06
and you would just eavesdropped her just
00:55:08
walk by and you just went stay out of
00:55:11
Vietnam and that killed on the show on
00:55:14
Saturday lesson in Vietnam
00:55:16
stay out of Vietnam do you remember that
00:55:18
moment but I think you were around the
00:55:21
show a lot grumpy old man was really
00:55:23
your you originated that I don't know it
00:55:26
seemed like you were around you know I I
00:55:28
listen if I try to think of the things I
00:55:31
contributed to SNL and basically I say
00:55:35
in my book that I didn't help at all and
00:55:38
I got paid and I learned so much about
00:55:42
how to write a sketch and what a sketch
00:55:44
is made of and I but and then I gave
00:55:48
nothing back nothing in return like
00:55:51
Lauren totally got the [ __ ] end of the
00:55:54
stick with me
00:55:56
um but uh probably I those things may be
00:56:01
added up to something the little things
00:56:04
that I was able to do because Robert
00:56:06
included me in in writing or you know
00:56:10
anybody did I mean I can think of some
00:56:12
of them because they stick out because
00:56:14
they were
00:56:16
um it would meant a lot to me when I was
00:56:18
able to help and and say something that
00:56:20
helped I I I wanted it to work that's
00:56:22
the other thing sometimes I think I when
00:56:25
I talk about the show it sounds like I
00:56:26
hated the show I thought it was Dumb and
00:56:28
and [ __ ] this place and it's not true
00:56:31
it's not true I
00:56:34
I wanted nothing more than to be helpful
00:56:38
and meaningful there and uh it would
00:56:41
have meant so much to me to feel that
00:56:44
way but I
00:56:47
I just did my best and uh but you
00:56:50
brought in like motivational speaker
00:56:52
which is one of the greats I mean that
00:56:54
that's just that alone you could have
00:56:56
[ __ ] I know David that was after I
00:56:59
left that scene was that's true that was
00:57:02
the next yeah that that they did that
00:57:04
scene the year after I left now they
00:57:06
gave me credit for it of course because
00:57:08
I wrote it I wrote it alone in my
00:57:11
apartment in Chicago but but
00:57:14
that wasn't even I had like man down by
00:57:16
the river
00:57:17
just that wow pan down by the river I
00:57:21
mean just the fact that it's one of the
00:57:23
most I mean listen I just was in the
00:57:26
scene and I hear about it every day so
00:57:28
uh but I had nothing to do with it I
00:57:29
just was cast thank God lord Jesus well
00:57:32
you guys know that
00:57:34
as I am that I wrote it and I supremely
00:57:37
proud it's a standout moment in my life
00:57:39
in SNL's life you know Chris Farley is
00:57:44
the reason freight trains yeah just come
00:57:46
on I mean that guy I mean I talk about
00:57:49
him a lot in the book and and it's weird
00:57:51
and it's fun to talk to you guys right
00:57:53
now because I mentioned the Howard Stern
00:57:55
on his uh podcast that uh
00:57:59
you know it's strange to to write about
00:58:02
somebody who I I mean David you were
00:58:05
very close to him
00:58:07
I was not I mean I
00:58:10
I was I felt very close to him but so
00:58:13
did anyone who saw him perform or even
00:58:17
hung up with him such a sweet yeah he
00:58:20
was so nice and look in the eye and just
00:58:21
like shake your hand and be happy and
00:58:23
they felt like oh that's why he was so
00:58:25
lovable they're like oh this guy's my
00:58:27
friend immediately yeah Howard said you
00:58:29
know I didn't really know him and I said
00:58:30
but you did you did because you saw him
00:58:32
perform yeah you saw him as a that's
00:58:35
basically what it was yeah and uh and so
00:58:38
I I I was I felt a little strange about
00:58:41
writing as much as I did but it was pure
00:58:43
honesty and he affected me and uh
00:58:48
impacted me greatly as he did everyone
00:58:51
who who got to know him so um
00:58:55
so you know I mean it's fun to talk
00:58:57
about how I I got to write that sketch
00:58:59
and that it played so well on the show
00:59:01
but it's all Chris you know
00:59:03
the show is always the show is always
00:59:05
performance one of the things that
00:59:08
probably bothered me uh was that SNL is
00:59:12
always going to reward and and celebrate
00:59:15
a performance laugh over uh
00:59:19
construction story lab and as a writer
00:59:24
I'm wanting those two to at least be
00:59:27
equal right or if not lean in my
00:59:30
direction where you go yeah that
00:59:32
performer who does says he's all right
00:59:35
but the [ __ ] idea the because that's
00:59:38
so well is constructed and that probably
00:59:40
was Jack Handy right Jack Handy yeah
00:59:43
Jack Handy sketch is it Jack Handy
00:59:46
sketch it is funny because Jack Handy is
00:59:49
[ __ ] genius and and it does it you
00:59:53
can put seven other actors in there if
00:59:55
they're okay yeah
00:59:57
caveman lawyer I mean Phil was great but
00:59:59
the concept that's just so Jack Handy
01:00:03
and Phil nailing it but just he's
01:00:05
nailing a great piece of writing sketch
01:00:07
that was written so well and handy
01:00:11
sketches you know like a fingerprint
01:00:12
within a half a page of read through you
01:00:14
like looking around going is this Jack
01:00:15
Handy like it's immediately comes out of
01:00:18
this of the gate so Bob we know uh uh
01:00:21
you have another appointment so I just
01:00:22
wanted to ask you about your health for
01:00:24
a second how are you if people say to me
01:00:26
after that I had my event they said how
01:00:28
do you feel even a year later are you
01:00:30
feeling okay and I always go I either
01:00:33
feel perfect or I'm in the hospital so
01:00:35
there's no there's no like Bob's having
01:00:37
a good day today you're completely whole
01:00:41
and energetic and healed because the
01:00:43
science is there just to make this go
01:00:45
away right yeah absolutely I I'm great
01:00:48
I'm working out doing the same workout I
01:00:50
did when I did nobody and I'm back to it
01:00:52
and I feel great I've got good energy
01:00:54
all day it took a while Dana I I had
01:00:57
five weeks off after the part that's it
01:01:01
Jack I had five weeks off and then when
01:01:03
I went back to work they limited my
01:01:05
hours to 12 hours a day that was
01:01:08
actually limited that was really so
01:01:10
quick we could get started here yeah and
01:01:13
uh and I needed that because I really
01:01:15
got to about eight hours a day and I
01:01:17
would just start to sit down in the
01:01:19
closest gym
01:01:22
and the drama of it all of it makes you
01:01:25
weak for a little while yeah so it took
01:01:27
a couple more weeks or even a month and
01:01:30
a half or two before I felt like I could
01:01:31
do even the 12-hour day fine but I'm
01:01:34
fine now and I would I would just say
01:01:36
that
01:01:38
um
01:01:39
you know
01:01:41
um whatever I'm I'm
01:01:45
I knew that thing I I knew that the
01:01:48
plaque was building up and I should have
01:01:50
been on medicine and anyway I'm gonna be
01:01:53
okay now and I I got a lot of uh
01:01:57
I've a lot to think about after it
01:02:01
happened and now and I wanted to ask you
01:02:04
because you've also had a heart issue
01:02:09
do you do you ever sometimes lay in bed
01:02:12
and listen to your heart I would say in
01:02:15
the first year after all that you know
01:02:17
any kind of little thing or skip a thing
01:02:19
or whatever it took me a while to let
01:02:22
let that go but I'm I'm really aware of
01:02:25
my heart like if it's speeding rapidly
01:02:28
I'm aware
01:02:30
um so yeah that that but you weren't
01:02:33
before not not in the same way not in
01:02:35
the same way but I love getting my heart
01:02:37
rate up I love breaking a sweat I do
01:02:39
everything the same I was just very very
01:02:41
lucky and what I wanted to tell people
01:02:42
with Bob here is that you know there
01:02:46
there are statins there's medicines and
01:02:48
there's uh Diagnostics uh CT heart scans
01:02:51
there's ways to be ahead of this you
01:02:54
know thank God Bob had who we had around
01:02:57
him at that moment but there are ways to
01:02:59
prevent it it's not a death sentence it
01:03:01
doesn't change anything and it's the
01:03:03
medicine and the technology has gotten
01:03:05
so brilliant since the 90s so I would
01:03:08
just encourage people to get checked out
01:03:10
if they have a family history right bump
01:03:13
yeah or even if they don't Dana I don't
01:03:15
oh you didn't I don't have a family
01:03:17
history and uh and so if you're 50 and
01:03:21
you're
01:03:22
man or woman 50 years old 55 just asked
01:03:27
you doctor for some simple tests LDL and
01:03:29
stuff get the simple test done uh it
01:03:33
it'll tell you and these medications are
01:03:35
very mild I mean they're not going to
01:03:37
change anything about you so just you
01:03:40
know take the Statin or whatever they
01:03:42
recommend if you need it and
01:03:44
um yeah and I was very lucky I was
01:03:48
supremely lucky you guys not only that
01:03:50
listen I just learned this a few days
01:03:52
ago
01:03:53
the AED device that they use that Rosa
01:03:57
Estrada used to Jack me up and yeah
01:04:02
it took three tries
01:04:05
um wow he had that in her car because
01:04:08
she was trying to return it to somebody
01:04:10
she borrowed it from and she'd been
01:04:12
trying to return it for weeks and this
01:04:15
guy was never home uh but wow otherwise
01:04:18
there wouldn't have been one anywhere
01:04:20
near
01:04:21
and so only because this guy didn't
01:04:24
wasn't there to answer the door
01:04:27
that she had it in her trunk of her car
01:04:30
and could go run and get it you know
01:04:31
what's weird Bob is my brother Brad
01:04:33
lives in Albuquerque he's the guy at
01:04:35
base Garth on he had a massive heart
01:04:37
attack 20 years ago uh in in two
01:04:39
paramedics were part of the track club
01:04:41
he just went lights out same kind of
01:04:43
thing 15 minutes of all that start the
01:04:46
heart he's fine today so and it was in
01:04:49
Albuquerque too it's like a Super Bowl
01:04:51
on Albuquerque frequently had heart
01:04:53
attacks where they should have had them
01:04:55
you don't want to have a place that's
01:04:57
terrifying well there's two ways to look
01:05:00
at it David it's either terrifying or
01:05:02
it's exactly where you should go to have
01:05:04
your heart attack yes listen I have a
01:05:08
history of having an attitude I would I
01:05:10
would love to talk to you guys for five
01:05:12
more hours uh I love you Bob thank you
01:05:15
for coming man thank you so much Bob
01:05:16
it's been such a pleasure you're right
01:05:17
we could go for five more hours peace
01:05:19
out all right miss you buddy thanks miss
01:05:21
you too See ya soon I hope
01:05:24
hey what's up flies what's up please
01:05:27
what's up people that listen we want to
01:05:29
hear from you and your dumb questions
01:05:30
questions ask us anything anything you
01:05:33
want you can email us at fly on the wall
01:05:36
at cadence13.com
01:05:40
Steve rusnak guys if you could star on a
01:05:44
bio about anyone who would it be you
01:05:46
guys are fantastic hmm I guess I can't
01:05:48
bio movie Garland someone already did
01:05:50
that Renee Zellweger uh who would I
01:05:53
would be probably the life of times of
01:05:54
David Spade oh yeah we could play each
01:05:57
other yeah
01:05:58
because I don't think I could do I think
01:06:01
I could play anyone
01:06:04
um I actually if I think about it I
01:06:07
would love to put prosthetic makeup here
01:06:10
we go make a bond what's gonna be do a
01:06:13
movie where I play Dwight D Eisenhower
01:06:16
no riveting
01:06:18
everyone's everyone's waiting for it
01:06:21
this is the week I tested for the movie
01:06:24
Amadeus
01:06:26
I was third in line
01:06:29
Amadeus playing Mozart
01:06:31
he's like a boy child I could play a
01:06:35
thousand things and you can
01:06:36
do you know because I was I was in a
01:06:39
movie called light sleeper this doesn't
01:06:40
answer the question at all but who cares
01:06:42
and Paul Schrader who did Raging Bull
01:06:45
Taxi Driver unbelievable writer was
01:06:46
directing it
01:06:48
I went into audition and he goes great
01:06:49
audition we're gonna try to get Dana
01:06:51
Carvey and if we can't we will hire you
01:06:53
and I said very honest I'll take it and
01:06:56
then they said Dana doesn't want to fly
01:06:57
to New York to do it and I said I will
01:06:59
because he had to pay for yourself too
01:07:00
and what was it light sleeper with Paul
01:07:03
Schrader they asked you and you were you
01:07:04
just got back from SNL and you gotta
01:07:07
want to fly right back it was only a one
01:07:09
day shoot so I did well they used to
01:07:10
have nicknamed Kevin Klein Kevin D Klein
01:07:12
because he always said no I think I was
01:07:14
second in command here it is it's this
01:07:16
much money in Nova Scotia you leave
01:07:19
tonight yeah because when you do
01:07:22
stand up and corporate stand up for
01:07:24
things you're just like on call almost
01:07:26
like a firefighter yeah
01:07:28
yeah you gotta you gotta leave in two
01:07:30
hours it's in Berlin yeah I know agents
01:07:33
are it's like 20. agents go I do it I
01:07:35
mean and you go well yeah you sit in
01:07:36
your fluffy office with AC and I gotta
01:07:38
go down and get in southwest and connect
01:07:40
through Houston
01:07:41
anyway he's offered a gig in Munich you
01:07:44
know okay
01:07:49
[Music]
01:07:53
fly on the wall has been a presentation
01:07:55
of cadence 13. please listen then rate
01:07:58
review and follow all episodes executive
01:08:01
produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade
01:08:03
Chris Corcoran of cadence 13 and Charlie
01:08:05
finan of brilstein entertainment
01:08:07
production and Engineering led by Greg
01:08:09
Holtzman Richard cook Serena Regan and
01:08:13
Chris Basil of cadence 13.