00:00:00
One of my favorites, Dana, Zack Galifanakis, one of the true originals.
00:00:05
Yeah, he's he's in his own lane. Uh, always makes me laugh. Fun to just
00:00:11
talk to him. We'll always try to watch him. If I hear he's going on somewhere, stay in the
00:00:16
room and watch. Uh, and so we happen to have him live at the Largo with a packed house.
00:00:23
Yeah. And Largo's right up his alley. And what a fun dude. I love that he did
00:00:29
it. We we always crack up. Um three of us together was really fun for me and
00:00:35
Largo is a good spot for it. So I just remembered that being like a really really nice time.
00:00:42
Yeah, it was a hot crowd. You know, it's it's a very hot theater. You know, someone the other day said, "I don't know if I like your podcast." I go,
00:00:49
"Have you heard the Zack Galifanakis episode?" And they went, "No." They were they were like, "Why?
00:00:55
You had him on your show?" Yep. They go, "Have you had anyone I've heard of?" And we're like,
00:01:00
"Who have we not?" And they're like, "What?" And I go, "Oh, I don't know."
00:01:06
And then they're like, "Huh?" And then they're like, "Oh." But we have these uh things in our
00:01:12
quiver, these tasty gems from our past. If you We don't expect everyone to
00:01:18
remember to listen to every every dang episode. So, we're throwing you some of the hits. One of our faves
00:01:26
in the business and one of the faves of our podcast guest, Zack Gallifanac.
00:01:33
[Applause] Hey.
00:01:40
Yeah, you go there. It started. It's already almost over.
00:01:48
Okay. A great song. I thought it was good. Yeah, I did an impression within the first 20
00:01:54
seconds. Damn this chair. Look at our chair differential. The [ __ ] I'm like a
00:02:00
muppet. You're like 6'2 in that thing. I'll go closer. I'll go. I'm going to get up front. Be like this.
00:02:06
What's up, Zack? What? Sorry. Where is it? Is Zach here yet?
00:02:12
I was I got up at 6. That's it. We're warning them it's going
00:02:17
to be punchy. I'm punchy. I'm over tired. I'm like a baby. I'm over. Let's bring Zach out because Let's bring him out.
00:02:22
Yeah, that's the beginning. All right, Zack. Welcome, Zack Galvanaka.
00:02:28
Zackas. [ __ ]
00:02:34
Zack. It was a little louder for Zach if anyone's counting.
00:02:41
All right. Okay. Zack is uh
00:02:46
Zach's Zack Alpha nauseious. You're Yeah. I'm just saying I'm just going to say
00:02:52
you're something else, man. Yeah, something else. You're something else. You look like Wolverine right now with
00:02:57
that hair. Oh, really? I'm sorry. That's cool. Actually, have cool hair, which plugs are coming in. Nice.
00:03:02
Yeah, a lot of pluck work. A lot of plug work. Real nice. New crops coming in. Um, so how you doing?
00:03:09
Is that it? Half mile away from you. I'm doing well, David. Why is that chair that way?
00:03:15
This one? I don't know. They oric issues. Oh, okay. He likes to be
00:03:20
seems erect. No, I don't know. This is good. Okay. Anyway, we don't have to talk about it. No, Zack, enough of this [ __ ]
00:03:27
So, Zack, can we uh butter you up a little bit? Yeah, let's butter them up. Okay. How the [ __ ] did you come up with
00:03:34
the two ferns thing cuz that's too crazy? Some of you remember
00:03:40
coming coming hot right out of the box cuz that thing is I saw every episode
00:03:45
today. Oh, today. Well, they're they're well, I've seen them before, but I I ref I'm almost
00:03:52
80. I have to refresh my memory. This is an illusion. It's a lot of uh blood and gut and sweats and tape. Um so, when did
00:04:00
you come up with that? Yeah. Um it was part of a pilot that uh they
00:04:07
were doing and this guy Scottman was producing it and Scott,
00:04:12
he asked me to do
00:04:18
Um, come on up, Scott. But, um, he just said, "Would you do something?" And I
00:04:24
just said I I for some reason I I had this thought. I just said, "Can you get me
00:04:32
two ferns and some kind of celebrity?"
00:04:38
And uh, I had worked at a cable access uh, show uh, or station. and I interned
00:04:44
one in college and um so I uh kind of like that world that kind of
00:04:52
low-end desperate uh tried a way a way to communicate
00:04:59
um I actually had a a taped a class at a cable access show about h how to how to
00:05:06
waltz um and I got my two friends
00:05:11
you know back when you could do this you can't do it anymore. And uh we just put him in gowns and it
00:05:17
was a very straight video and dance lessons on cable access
00:05:22
on how to walts with not trying to be funny. Mhm. So that kind of weird world I knew
00:05:29
uh Scott Ari uh asked uh Michael Sarah to be in the first one and
00:05:38
we just kind of made it weird and creepy and I I I always had thought celebrity interviews are
00:05:44
what do what do you mean ridiculous? No, they are. It's like
00:05:50
he's talking like Axis Hollywood. Okay, I got it. It's a little Yeah. Yeah. Oh, it's I mean it's just such a bizarre
00:05:57
But let me ask you a question about this. So the guest comes in and I understand
00:06:02
from my research today um that you didn't really prep it with
00:06:07
them. Did they have Q cards or they don't even know what's coming and then you guys just go right at it or do they
00:06:14
kind of know where you're going? No, nobody really knows what's going on. Um I mean espec I mean even us uh I mean
00:06:23
we have written things down and I think the idea is
00:06:31
they don't need to be funny. they just need to kind of answer questions there. And I think the um
00:06:39
the awkwardness kind of fills in the rest of it and then often part of it is improvd
00:06:45
and we just kind of or I'll give them something to say back at me that's very mean.
00:06:51
Yeah. So it's kind of a very give and take. It's not a prank. I don't want to prank people cuz I'm sure people uh cuz you know the
00:06:57
the publicists in this world are very uh hawkish and they don't want you to do anything where you're going to look
00:07:02
stupid. So you take the Michael Sarah one maybe and and they either see that because that probably goes up on Funny
00:07:08
or Die maybe back then pretty quickly and then that catches on. So they go someone might even call you and say hey
00:07:14
I'd like to be on this cuz it's my type of humor and the people you have on obviously are funny and they're huge
00:07:19
stars and uh and when they go along with it makes them look better. It's all good. It's sort of when you're on SNL
00:07:25
and you go with it like they if you let them make fun of you and goof around, it seems to be funnier.
00:07:30
Yeah. I mean, there's that that is all true. I mean, but there's been some times when I've go sideways a little bit.
00:07:37
Well, that's what I can ask you. I don't really I don't know if I've even I don't know if I've even spoke about
00:07:42
it, but Oh, good. There's been there's Well, I don't I don't I don't even know if I have, but there's been a couple of
00:07:48
instances and I don't mean to bring people up, but Yes. Um, the name of the show is names.
00:07:54
The reason the reason I bring the reason I bring it up because I was just talking about it to to somebody today at lunch for some reason and uh
00:08:02
so I interviewed they brought it up and and at lunch today and they interviewed
00:08:08
I mean I interviewed um Jennifer Aniston.
00:08:13
Uh yeah, you know you know Smart Water.
00:08:19
We we all we Jennifer, if you're listening, we I only know her cuz of Smart Water, right?
00:08:26
What about her shampoo commercial? She's got wonderful hair. We want you to be on I mean I don't I
00:08:34
guess she I mean I don't So did you say something to her? You thought it crossed the line or you mean No. Um in the wings I had a Brad Pitt
00:08:41
lookalike. [Applause]
00:08:47
Oh boy. And so I wanted to tell her about it before it, you know, we started filming.
00:08:53
So I kind of asked her if I could have a word with her, you know, like a vice principal.
00:08:58
No, but um someone who looks like Brad Pitt might be expensive. Well, no, I wasn't.
00:09:04
How many people look like Wait, yeah, but that's how scale minus 10.
00:09:09
So So you pull her aside and you say, "Is it okay if we try this or do you even get And I I said I I have a a Brad Pitt
00:09:15
lookalike here." And as soon as I said it, I read her face. Yeah.
00:09:21
And it was her. I I I I felt so bad. And I don't even know anything about
00:09:26
that thing. I mean, I know that was in the things, but in the papers, but um so I don't know much about it, but so I of
00:09:33
course I called it off. So I went up to the Brad Pitt lookalike
00:09:39
to tell him we don't need him. He's wrapped. Yes. And I as a joke I kind of went,
00:09:45
well, I said, "Listen, we don't need you." Uh, thanks for coming. Uh, and as a joke, I said, "Do you happen to look
00:09:50
like anyone else?" And without pausing, he goes, "Colin
00:09:57
Frell." So, yeah, there's those there's those little
00:10:03
Don't get rid of me yet. I am a chameleon. Oh, it's a You know, and Jennifer is very funny.
00:10:08
Yeah, she's very funny girl. But I think that might be, you know, they they come on there to be funny. He says he's reading the papers. You're
00:10:13
calling her a girl. It's 2023, guys. Is she funny? I mean, is she a girl? Yeah, she's great. She should be a woman. I guess you go.
00:10:20
I'm sorry. I say girl a lot. U But she is very fun person. I think when they go
00:10:25
on, they kind of know what they're getting into and then it probably goes a hair farther than
00:10:31
they think. And uh yeah, I mean I I think the idea is to try to rattle them
00:10:36
as as much as you can read people and push it. There's been a couple of
00:10:42
times that um Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. What? Well, has there been times where like
00:10:49
would you do one with Mike Tyson? I uh
00:10:54
uh I uh I Well, I don't really do them anymore.
00:11:00
So, Sean Penn's scary enough, but But you're a fan of Don Rickles, right?
00:11:06
Because you did that show. So Don Ruckles to me as a kid growing up was the funniest Yes. guy on television.
00:11:14
The reason is because he everyone loved him. He'd put you down and then he'd go, "The show's started. Put Ed in the corner. Give him a cookie. He doesn't
00:11:20
know." It was so dry and so bizarre. There were no jokes. Do you feel like that was an influence for the character,
00:11:27
the Fern guy character, to ride that line? Because it's funny because you're going right at some sort of truth about
00:11:33
them and if they have a sense of humor about it or a perception of them, they laugh really hard,
00:11:39
right? I mean, part of it, I mean, if you to really break it down, I guess, is that they are there are public figures
00:11:46
that people kind of want to unfortunately jab at anyway. There's
00:11:51
some of that to it. Um, and I think in the end of the day, I think it's the
00:11:57
media and all thing, every type people are human. We're all, you know, obviously. And I think people that are
00:12:02
willing to make fun of each of themselves, uh, I think that's a real nice attribute
00:12:09
to someone, even if it's staged a bit. Uh, I think
00:12:14
being able to laugh at yourself uh, in in that kind of way is is is a nice thing. Now, I've been asked to do them
00:12:20
with other people. uh presidents of companies and you know
00:12:26
big Pepsi has asked to sponsor it and you know to get blown out of proportion
00:12:31
and I've always just wanted to keep it free online and keep it clear of
00:12:39
th those other things that get in the way sometime the monetization people would come in and go
00:12:44
we've monetized it a bit but only only just only in a way that we see
00:12:50
fit. I mean, we we've been asked to I've been I got asked to do a Super Bowl
00:12:55
commercial using it. Um, and did you It's coming out next week.
00:13:02
I can't remember. A really good deal. I did a puppy bowl commercial earlier. Uh, it
00:13:08
I'm for sale. Church lady is locked and loaded for No, go deep.
00:13:13
By the way, first of all, I'm ready. I'm selling. We've done uh
00:13:19
Dana and I both obviously sellout kings here. We we've done well we all are.
00:13:24
We do corporate gigs and when you do them they go our CEO dude say something
00:13:29
about by the guy I don't even know if the guy works there. He's like when you get up there say he's got three balls he beats his wife. Do something about that.
00:13:35
Just throw it in there. Mix it up. Throw it in the middle. And uh and then you go and then you do it and everyone goes
00:13:41
what? And you go does this guy work with you? He just told me. So they try to do that. That's kind of
00:13:46
what they want to do to CEO, like roast them or something. And you go, it's not even funny. It'll probably drunk. And I I was playing Earth, Wind,
00:13:53
and Fire were supposed I was opening for them. The CEO got drunk. I was The CEO
00:13:58
got drunk. It went on for like 2 hours. So, I was getting paid a lot of money. They go, "You can only do 15 minutes,
00:14:04
but I went over a little bit." And I guess Earth and Wind came out, but Fire wouldn't.
00:14:09
That was a long way for that joke. That's a good joke. I don't mind it. Did you really open for them? I did open for them. I open for a lot of
00:14:16
people. Tower of Power, Todd Rungren, you know, I open Robert Palmer. Really? I bombed every [ __ ] time.
00:14:22
Yeah. Jesus Christ. Your hero will be on in a second before. First, Dana Garo.
00:14:28
They must have ruined your name when you first started doing everybody. I mean, how would they say it?
00:14:34
Well, they just try to make it sound somewhat ethnic and they're like,
00:14:40
"Give it up for Baklava Rodriguez, which is
00:14:46
what the But in high school, I was Zach Gala faggotis,
00:14:51
which is that hurts. I was dating."
00:14:56
Now, Matt, Zack, Zack, by the way, I'm going to come back to that.
00:15:02
[Music] The first ferns I saw, uh, these ferns
00:15:10
are like tall pine trees by now, but when I when I saw the first one, I didn't know what it was. Someone just
00:15:15
sent it to me and or said, "Look at this." And so I thought it was a real interview and then it was Natalie Portman, who I love. And so I was uh, of
00:15:23
course, in a jealous rage immediately. And then and then you were saying some of your you had great jokes and that I
00:15:28
won't repeat them because I'm not good at that, but but you said so many joke and it was so and for her to play along
00:15:34
and I thought it was real for a while and then I go Jesus this is so weird and then uh it took me a while to figure it
00:15:40
out too long and then uh then so I started going oh this is great and then when you would do them you obviously
00:15:46
didn't overdo it you didn't do too many they weren't super long uh it was just a great great uh bit that lives out there
00:15:54
on the internet which everyone should see um I don't know where I'm going with this Dana jump in would you like to say anything in your
00:16:00
defense Zack. Uh, well, I mean, I mean, speaking of that one, we shot it, that one we shot
00:16:06
in a garage in, um, I think we shot that one in a garage uh,
00:16:12
right around here, right in Hollywood somewhere. And, uh, the the thing about that one is, um,
00:16:20
there's a line in it, not to be vulgar, but it's, uh,
00:16:25
something about, "Did you shave your Okay, you said it. She was in V for
00:16:31
vendetta. Yeah. And then there's a punch line. Did you shave your V for vagina or something?
00:16:37
That one caught me off guard to Natalie Portman in a garage. Yes. In a garage.
00:16:43
In a garage with loose tools about By the way, I barely understand that joke. Like I I mean I think I don't
00:16:51
know, but the fact I think it's the fact that I'm asking it.
00:16:56
So anyway, uh she was, if I remember correctly, she was quite um good with
00:17:02
the whole thing and then um uh we sent it uh to her just to, you
00:17:07
know, show it to her. And uh I had asked that joke to be left out of
00:17:14
it. I said, "Can you edit that out? We'll send it to her." And her note was, "Where's that vagina joke?"
00:17:21
Oh, really? Oh, I love her. By the way, I don't know if that was the exact note.
00:17:27
Where is the vagina joke? Something like that. Something along those lines. By the way, there's a dog on the hip.
00:17:33
Yeah, she's unreal. But, uh, did you There's a dog that you keep cutting to, which is even funnier. Yeah, that was I think that was a real
00:17:38
dog. The dog rolls over his back and then when something dies or just sits there, then they cut over to the dog. Just
00:17:46
All right. It's all It all works. And then I uh Sean Penn one. Sean looked very cool in that one. Huh? Yeah, I'd be
00:17:52
scared of that one. And then uh Sean Penin. Yeah, I had a fight with him. I was in a dress at the time, but
00:17:58
you know, you said hit me harder. He said, "You can hit me harder." It was no problem.
00:18:03
So, I hit him. I would like to one day talk to him about the one we did cuz it was They bring it up cuz it was
00:18:09
It was an interesting uh It was an interesting day. Well, was was he truly upset or was he a
00:18:16
he was very quiet? He's a good actor or he's a good actor. Um um
00:18:23
and uh I I think he may have been ready to deck
00:18:29
me in real life. I I don't know. Maybe he was doing a method thing and I I I don't trick. He held it so serious that
00:18:35
you weren't sure if he was serious. He might have been kidding. And and and
00:18:41
I have worked with him. I mean I not that I know him, but you know he has a
00:18:47
good sense of humor. He really does. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Um huge laugher and um it loves to go
00:18:55
see standup. Uh but I I in that moment it was uh I remember watching. Was it something
00:19:01
you Was it a line that you gave me? You said something cuz you weren't you playing your brother or something in that?
00:19:07
I was playing this overly over the Well, it's not really over top. There are people like this in the south. um uh
00:19:14
really into him for the wrong reasons type person. Okay. And how does that guy talk?
00:19:22
Well, it's based on a character I used to do um in high school called the I think his
00:19:29
name was a the effeminite racist and uh
00:19:38
I remember that Skittles. Yeah. So that's a great So it's just a guy that talks like this.
00:19:44
And so friends of mine that were black in high school would bump me in the hallway so I would this character would
00:19:51
be released and I would say to them, "My mom told me not to talk to black
00:19:58
people." And they would go crazy would die laughing cuz they understood
00:20:04
at the time that I was mocking it all, you know. So that's where that kind
00:20:10
that's where that came from. That was as simple as that. Well, there was something Dana where he goes uh Sean and he's doing this and
00:20:16
he's sort of proddding. He goes, "Did you get into I'd get into Hollywood just so you could go to all the parties and all the wrong reasons that Sean wouldn't
00:20:21
want." Sean is very funny and unlike his uh persona out there. And so I like that
00:20:27
he's going along with it, but he was so serious. Then he goes, "I could walk over there and knock you the [ __ ] out right now." And even I was like,
00:20:33
"Godamn, he gave that a good reading." I think he knew it was funny and interesting. I think he was playing I
00:20:40
don't think he was offended. I'd like to ask him. We haven't spoken since. Um
00:20:45
I his kids and my kids went to school together or at least played sports
00:20:51
together up in Northern California. So I'll talk to Sean. Yeah. Ask him. Ask him.
00:20:57
Amen. So I want to smoke. If you could smoke and not get diseases, I would definitely be
00:21:04
smoking right now. There's nothing cooler, right? is like, "So, tell us some more, Zach."
00:21:10
Anyway, can we go back to you as a young person then? Like, you like you strike me as like an introverted extrovert.
00:21:17
Like you're shy in in a way. I think we are maybe. Well, I think I am, but yeah.
00:21:22
Well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, um, but then you have this powerhouse thing that comes out like in high school. Did
00:21:29
you go to theater group or you just funny with friends or what were you like in grade school, high school, just walking around?
00:21:34
Uh, just walking around. walking around. Um, this is the Beverly. I mean,
00:21:40
you know, I think I was somewhat quiet, but I think uh I mean, humor in my
00:21:46
family was seen in very high regard.
00:21:52
Uh, so my cousins and my brother, my my my family is funny, you know, I I kind
00:21:59
of watched them even as the quiet person I thought I was or I think I was. So, I
00:22:06
was kind of this more kind of observant kid uh that thought maybe one day I
00:22:12
could through my observations maybe make a a thing out of it. And you were thinking that like at age
00:22:19
8, 10, 12. I mean, but young young you got the idea maybe you would do this for a long
00:22:24
This is going to sound weird, but it was at my parents conception of me.
00:22:31
Doesn't sound weird at all. my ultrasound. I was killing my brother Brad. I got three older brothers. He swears he remembers being
00:22:37
born and he's serious. Really? Yeah. He has a photographic memory. He just remembers being born. Yeah.
00:22:43
Um I I'm not kidding, Brad. The guy on Funny Younger really pays off. And I
00:22:49
think that's for all of us. Like at dinner or at school, like I was at a school that was I was a little bit of a
00:22:54
pipsqueak. Hard to believe. And always bullied and pushed around. But if you could, I would quietly say jokes to my
00:23:01
friends or under my breath. But that kind of if you get a little something, that's all I had. I wasn't super athletic. I wasn't this. So if you have
00:23:07
some little hook like that, you go, "Oo, my dad thought it was funny." You know, people think it's funny. And then you go
00:23:13
and then you try to maybe that's kind of like that for a lot of comedians. Well, the tall guys didn't have to do
00:23:18
anything to get the girls. We on a bioevolutionary level, we had to be funny.
00:23:26
Zack, you're not that short. You're you're you I'm around 6'2. Okay. [Laughter]
00:23:33
That's a gigantic chair. It's a it's an optical illusion. Same with me. I look like I'm a foot shorter than you. Look
00:23:39
at this. Do you want to switch places? No. Okay. I like it up here.
00:23:44
So, Zach, so you're Did you take theater? Did you go into that kind of stuff or you just like or were you
00:23:50
No, I I I I just was not um I never did
00:23:55
uh I did um public speaking competitions. I did that once. Um
00:24:01
how's that competition? Say a lot. It sounds good. Well, my mom wrote the speech and it was called you and I and
00:24:09
tomorrow. Uh seriously? Yeah. That was the name of it. Yeah. Um was it a public ser? It was um it I
00:24:17
don't remember how you and I we should do a remake. Yeah, there was a speech contest in North Carolina locally and then you
00:24:22
could go to the state finals and my brother and I were kind of into it. Uh but never really uh no theater, none of
00:24:31
that. My mom tried to get me to go to the school of the arts in um in North Carolina. She did urge me to go
00:24:38
there. She knew that I had I mean she knew that I was eager to figure it out.
00:24:43
Was this was schoolyards? School of the arts in North is a really a really good school in Winston Salem.
00:24:50
My mom. So she really she was your champion. She bought into my mom was my mom would be like, "He's quiet, but I swear he's funny."
00:24:58
Like I would hear her say that to my aunts and stuff. And did she want you to play piano? When did you learn to play piano?
00:25:03
All right. So I learned piano. I mean I I don't know how to play piano. It's uh I'm
00:25:08
That's that I don't know how to read music. So I I I don't know why I was getting ready to tell you. Well, I
00:25:14
learned piano. I don't know piano. You You seem pretty good to me.
00:25:19
Well, I I can I can fake it. I But for some reason, only sad music comes out of
00:25:25
me. Me and it goes well with the jokes, you know. Didn't you do a VH1 show? And I think you uh Why do I think there's a
00:25:31
piano at the beginning of that or I I did I had a um I had a talk show on VH1 years ago. Uh,
00:25:38
and uh, there was the piano was involved during the monologue. And I think that's
00:25:44
why I had the show cuz I was like a musical act at the time. Sort of variety where you could because
00:25:49
you're not you didn't want to just interview like Johnny Carson like normal straight interviews, I'm sure. Right. I
00:25:55
was just trying to figure out the format had been beaten to death and and and I
00:26:00
just was trying to figure out like how can I do something
00:26:06
different but interesting and sometimes funny. Uh funny was kind of last. But we
00:26:13
on that show we would have we would have it make it look like no
00:26:18
one wanted to come to the show. So, we would have one person in the studio audience, but we would have a laugh
00:26:24
track of a six-year-old. So, it was very bizarre.
00:26:30
Yes. It was really a weird show. Can we find this somewhere? Is it I know most of those episodes are in my
00:26:36
attic. Uh, can we find the six-year-old? Uh, it's I don't think I don't think
00:26:41
they're online. I don't know if they are. I remember. What was it called? Do you remember?
00:26:47
It was called 60 Minutes. Nope. It was it it was called Late Late World.
00:26:54
Late World? Yeah. And how old are you when you do Late World? Uh God uh 30 30 30 3.
00:27:04
So how long had you been I don't know how old I was. I was 35. I need numbers. How long did you do
00:27:09
standup in clubs before you got that show? Oh, I was still doing st and then that show failed and I went back to doing
00:27:16
open mics. So I had a talk show on VH1 and as soon as it ended I was
00:27:21
like well back to the old. So I just went back to the coffee houses and you were really making a living then at
00:27:27
standup or just a little bit. I there was a time where I I could go on the road and you know do do make a living and I
00:27:36
was m before I was m I was making a living for a while on the road. Yeah. And you had an hour
00:27:43
of I had an hour of uh sometimes the material was a little
00:27:50
bit um too bizarre sometimes and I there was
00:27:55
some alienation. I mean it was funny when you were telling me about I opened for the Sugar Hill Gang once and um
00:28:02
I said a hip hop hippie. Okay. And I remember getting kicked off stage because I made fun of the Bible
00:28:08
and I didn't realize I was performing at a Bible school like and this this is how they kicked me off. The the woman just
00:28:14
came up to the stage and goes so yeah those I mean yeah all those
00:28:20
shows all those Did you have a southern accent when you were and you got rid of it or did you actually have a little bit of a
00:28:26
No, I I mean I'm going home in a couple days and I it'll just go back. It just it turns back on. It's just as a It's an
00:28:34
easier way to It's North Carolina. I mean, what is a It's not Mississippi. It's not. No, it's like Appalachia. North
00:28:40
Carolina. Appalachia. And a lot of people speak through their nose there
00:28:45
and it's like, "Hey, how are you?" And but if you go east in North Carolina, it's very breathy and it's
00:28:52
really beautiful and it sounds nice. But so there's all kinds of different accents that I you must pay attention
00:28:58
to. What did you think of Daniel Craig's accent and knives out? Well, I thought it I thought it was kind
00:29:04
of cool, but I always find Hollywood always does do does the gone with the wind. I declare I
00:29:10
have never seen such a you know. Well, I I think we are we have a case of
00:29:18
we got I think we got a mood. It's a little fogghorn. Yeah. Yeah. I thought I thought it was great.
00:29:23
I mean, he is he's pretty he's a cool It just has to be funny or sound weird. entertaining, but you you can go through
00:29:30
all the southern accents. I'm pretty I'm pretty good with knowing where in the south someone might be
00:29:37
from. I'm pretty good at it. Okay, I did a movie. I talk like this. Where am I from?
00:29:46
You don't seem to know where I You don't know. He doesn't know. You don't know where I'm from, boy.
00:29:52
I had a friend I have a friend from Mississippi. He kind of talks like this. I'm from Columbia Falls, Mississippi.
00:29:58
Sound just like Homer Pow. That's right. Grew up and he's a real sincere fell. What you These snaky fellas trying to
00:30:05
get your money. Dana, these are direct quotes. He'll be thrilled he got laughs. But um
00:30:10
Dana, I did a movie where I was playing. They go, "You're going to play in New Hampshire accent." So, first of all, okay, that's a tough one.
00:30:17
I feel I smell an Oscar immediately. [Laughter]
00:30:22
And so I say I'll go, they go, "Go to a dialect coach. So, I go to dialogue coach. I'm like doing it and they go,
00:30:28
"That's a little more Boston." I took two lessons, right? For the whole movie. And I'm like, "Uh, listen, guy." And
00:30:35
they're like, "That's more." And I go, I pulled her aside. I go, "Here's the deal. My audience is four to eight year
00:30:42
olds." All right. I just have to sound funny. All right? They They're not going to go in there with a microscope. They
00:30:49
go, "Oh, he sound If I just don't sound like Joe Dirt in one movie, they'll be happy." All right. They'll go, "Oh, that
00:30:55
one's different." So So it was a kids movie and they're trying to get you to do new. They're not supposed to be kids movies.
00:31:00
They turn into it because that's because you're the star of it. Yeah, because all my movies are on TBS cuz
00:31:06
it's the grown-ups channel and it's just a rotation of every movie. I could have helped you. Do you remember
00:31:12
those Petridge Farm commercials? Petridge Farm. Petridge Farm. Flaky and delicious. That's the only way I could do New
00:31:18
Hampshire. Is that New Hampshire? Isn't it recognizing
00:31:23
different blueberry strawberry flavors? That's the expert over here. I don't know. Let's take a tour of the
00:31:29
south again. Um, I'm playing Miami. What do they sound like? I'm playing Durham. Durham. Is that a
00:31:35
city? That's a city. That's where Duke University is. And I'm excited to playing that, but uh any trouble? Should I worry about
00:31:41
uh That's where my dad's from. Uh, that's where he's uh I don't have any comps left, but um
00:31:51
normally it would be easy. I'll get him. Uh, no, I'm excited to go there. City. It's a good city.
00:31:56
I never play. I love the South. Yeah, I do too. I miss Carolas. I was going to ask Zack something else.
00:32:02
Oh, you were in the What's How far did you get in the scouts? I heard you were in the scouts. Uh, I was an Eagle Scout.
00:32:07
Is that the complimentary molestation? Where's my notes? Where did my notes go? Oh, here they
00:32:13
are. Here they are. I'm kidding, Zach. We're taking that out. No, no, that's fine. We're ending that out.
00:32:19
Or we're putting on a loop for promotion. Zach's like, if that was actually written down, I'm walking out of here.
00:32:28
[Music] Oh, well, let's ask him about uh I want to Well, we can talk about The Hangover.
00:32:35
You were in The Hangover. This like this is like Jame This is like the theater show. Hangover was like a you were in the hangover and then
00:32:41
everyone applaud calls applaud. God damn. They don't know. They don't know. Hangover of the last 20 years. The two
00:32:48
that got me the hardest as comedies cuz I don't really I see all the strings.
00:32:53
Hangover Tropic Thunder. Yeah. Those are two that caught me flatfooted. And uh you were in which one?
00:33:00
I was in um Sorry, I was in the Hang. Yeah. So, you go from
00:33:07
comedian's comedian, people know you, you're going along, you've done a special uh live Purple
00:33:13
Onion, standup special, and then Todd Phillips calls and you go on what happens next.
00:33:19
Are you Are you the first choice for that, or do you know? Do you remember? Uh, it's a real question. I I mean,
00:33:26
listen, I've been a fallout on every movie I've ever done. Oh my god. I don't know. That's not
00:33:32
That's not a mean question. Just like sometimes these movies come together and they go, we got this one would be a good accent. Obviously Zach's great. It's a
00:33:39
funny part to play and they let you do it seems like Todd who seems like a really funny cool guy. Let you do what
00:33:45
you do and well I think he I think he was doing I think he was going to standup clubs. I I
00:33:52
think that's what he had told me and then that's where he knew me from because I don't know if I'd done much uh
00:33:59
otherwise to be seen on on screen. But um
00:34:05
so he asked me to audition. I think I was living in Canada and I I just I'm
00:34:11
terrible. I just don't like to audition. I'm It's I'm I've always been bad at it. I
00:34:17
I usually make I usually get I mean I was just I have so many stories about we
00:34:23
all do. But um could you tell us one of a really well people I mean I don't want to but
00:34:30
there's just so many you know I just was so not into the process of it. I mean
00:34:36
the first time I ever got a laugh in an audition was when I first
00:34:44
auditioned for a drama
00:34:49
and they were laughing at me. Well, sometimes the problem is uh uh if you're a comedian, you read things and it it
00:34:56
feels sort of stiff because you're a bit uh quirky or charactery and so when
00:35:02
you're reading super flat lines that are just written for a generic comedy,
00:35:07
they'll they'll tweak them later if it's him or somebody. But as is, it's it's sometimes for your personality. Maybe it
00:35:14
doesn't it's not hilarious when you do it because it's so basic. But if you brought your stuff to it, then it's
00:35:19
funny. So maybe he saw if you could bring your weirdness to it then it's great. Well, I think also at that time I
00:35:26
was a bit older and I think I was kind of um not to be cavalier about it but I think
00:35:34
my attitude was well this is probably going to end soon meaning this pursuit of whatever this is.
00:35:41
Oh, I see. I don't really care as much because I'll just kind of
00:35:46
try to exit without caring. If that makes any sense. Well, wait a minute. So, you were that
00:35:51
you get the hangover. You're thinking this is pretty much a mic drop. I'm out of here. No, meaning I'm not going to get this.
00:35:57
I'm not going to get this audition. I will just I think my mindset then was,
00:36:02
you know, I tried doing show business, you know, at that time. I mean, you know, you kind of beat yourself up sometimes and
00:36:08
I didn't really know what I was doing and and and I mean, who does? Uh, but uh
00:36:15
but anyway, I flew down from Canada and auditioned and I think I remember leaving
00:36:21
getting into my stretch Hummer. So, you were doing well
00:36:26
and telling Sugar Ray to scoot over.
00:36:33
Oh god, I laugh. But I did a pilot with him 20 years ago.
00:36:38
Um, but then I we got, you know, I got the job and and you know, then you do the
00:36:45
the you show up for work and you start acting in it and you I remember going to
00:36:51
dinner with the the other actors with Bradley and uh I forget the other names.
00:36:57
Ed Helms. It's only Bradley. Who gives a [ __ ] about the other guys? Bradley Cooper.
00:37:03
Bradley and Ed and I think Ken and and and um we were all at dinner and I I
00:37:08
said to them, I this movie seems good.
00:37:16
I've never had this feeling before. Um so I I felt there was a real kind of
00:37:22
energy on set there that was, you know, some sometimes that happens and it's not
00:37:28
uh it doesn't translate to the screen. Sure. Mhm. There's great energy on set and everybody's like, "Well, this is and but
00:37:34
that one Todd is a very good editor and a really good direct, very good director that knows how to steer that stuff."
00:37:40
Sure. You sort of need all the components and you can lose it anywhere along the way. But yeah, if you do it, you're doing like maybe
00:37:45
you're doing extra takes where you're just trying different jokes and screwing around for plus we all remember The Hangover
00:37:51
wasn't a huge movie and it was probably not a big budget and no one you're not going into it going, "Oh, I just got the
00:37:56
Avengers." It's like, "Oh, I just got a comedy. It could go away. It could be
00:38:01
nothing. But it turn it blows up obviously into a huge thing. So it would be probably even scarier to audition for
00:38:07
something if you know it's that big. Like people that are auditioning for the sequel are like, "Holy [ __ ] this is a huge movie."
00:38:13
Yeah. I had to audition for the sequel. You did? That's
00:38:21
[Music] Hollywood. Hollywood. That's That's You're going to read with Cooper in the
00:38:27
first one. Oh, that's great. I had this guy come up to me once and he goes, "Hey, are you an actor?" I go, "Yeah." He goes, "Are you
00:38:35
the guy from Hangover 2?"
00:38:42
I don't even know how I answered. I just I think I just walked away. I didn't know what to
00:38:47
Where's the baby now? You still stay in touch? You didn't like Todd.
00:38:53
[Laughter] He had a baby.
00:38:58
That sounds like Brody. Brody. Oh my god. Brody Stevens uh is a great comedian.
00:39:04
Zach was very good friends. I was friends with he toured with me for a while at the very end and uh passed away
00:39:10
and uh God, I was just thinking today cuz you know I knew you were close with Brody and uh so I I was clicking from
00:39:16
your stuff because I don't honestly I don't know who you are. And um I was clicking from you and then I'm jumping over to Brody's [ __ ] trying to remember
00:39:23
all his jokes and it I just saw a clip of him. Classic Brody, not bombing, but
00:39:28
getting so mad at the crowd. And the crowd's like, "We didn't do anything wrong. They're just not laughing that
00:39:33
much, right?" And he's going, "Arms crossed, negative." And he was doing all his jokes. I date I'm dating a girl from
00:39:40
Greece, the movie. She's 75. You know, you know how many I was trying
00:39:45
to think of all these jokes he has. Dana, I don't know if you knew him. And everyone, we'd stand in the back and laugh.
00:39:51
I uh that talk show on VH1 I was talking about earlier, he was the warm-up guy. Yeah.
00:39:56
And uh I would like peek behind the curtain to see what was going on and Brody just would be going Whopper or Big
00:40:02
Mac, you make the call. That's actually probably pretty good. I
00:40:09
mean, for a warm-up guy, just energy, right? You know what? He did it on our lights out show. And he and I peek my head out.
00:40:14
Same thing. And they go, "Hey, something's going on out there." And he goes, "You're negative. You're negative.
00:40:20
You don't deserve David Spade. He was in Police Academy 4. He's from Michigan and
00:40:26
he's not coming out until I give the green light and and I'm going what is why is he yelling at the crowd and
00:40:32
there's the crowd is like nine people you know and but he had so many goddamn
00:40:38
[ __ ] one of my favorite moments with him god it's it's early on and we were hanging
00:40:43
out we were my apartment in Santa Monica and Margaret Trow was on television
00:40:50
and we were just watching in silence Well, I don't mean it like that, but we're just watching it. And after a
00:40:59
couple minutes, Brody just yells at the TV, not trying to be funny. She had a sitcom. Why come me don't have one?
00:41:10
Why come me? Why come me don't have one? He answered his own question.
00:41:16
He goes, I He goes, I'm doing pretty well in show business. I uh it's I I
00:41:22
finally I'm finally able to take my mom out to lunch and pay for half.
00:41:28
Is that it? I'm I'm a professional mangler. Uh one more. I uh I am not a
00:41:34
member of the Mile High Club, but I did masturbate on the Ferris wheel at the Pomona County Fair.
00:41:40
So many jokes. He was so funny. But I'm saying him because he was in uh I think
00:41:45
you put him in one one or two cuz he goes, "You know me? And the guy from Hangover
00:41:51
Hangover 2 due date cut out of funny people. Yes. Yep.
00:41:56
Yeah. He uh Yeah. I think Well, Todd Todd saw Brody. Todd Phillips saw Brody
00:42:02
while I was doing shows at the old Largo. Uh so that's why Brody's in those
00:42:07
movies. I didn't have anything to do with it. Okay. Um if I had something to do with it, he wouldn't have been in any of them. Um
00:42:15
Todd's got a good eye though. Yeah. [ __ ] yeah. Uh, but I miss him so much. I was missing him so much. Um, David, I
00:42:23
may have told you this the other day, but um, there wasn't a podcast, so I'll say it again. Um,
00:42:29
but I was missing this this guy we're talking about, Brody. And he was known for alienating audiences. That was one
00:42:36
of the reason I think comics like charms. Yeah. Perversely is we would all rush out to
00:42:42
see him turn audiences away.
00:42:47
We had a few of those in San Francisco. And he's bombing in Montreal who used to
00:42:53
have the baseball team and blah blah blah. And Brody just looks out at the audience while he's bombing and he yells out, "No
00:43:01
wonder the Expos left." [Applause] [Laughter]
00:43:06
He was a pitcher at ASU, I think, and he goes, "I threw 88 with movement."
00:43:13
He would say that in the middle of his act, too. A very funny guy. I don't I want to read all his jokes. Uh so
00:43:18
Hangover worked out for you. Is that the end of that story? Yeah. Did you when that So this is the first
00:43:24
time you're getting actual extra extra money? Did you buy a Rolls-Royce or anything? I mean, what did you did you do anything
00:43:30
with what was that like when you first had extra extra money? Yeah. I bought four elephants.
00:43:37
Um smart. No, I I I mean I bought I went I bought a place I bought a place in North
00:43:42
Carolina, a farm. I'm not a farm, but a place to try to be a farm for a nickel.
00:43:47
Um, but I don't live there anymore. But yeah, I uh got that and then I
00:43:54
You went home and bought them all just to show off.
00:43:59
I uh I I don't remember. I I got a lot of uh fur coats for all my aunts. Sure.
00:44:07
Did you Everybody gets a fur coat.
00:44:18
Did you you like to farm, right? Oh, I I mean my fantasy is to be a farmer one day, but I I look it's that's
00:44:25
hard work. It's like to for some entertainment guy to say that is kind of but that's what I I feel like if not not
00:44:33
farm, it's more gardening to be honest. Okay. But I have a tractor. You have a
00:44:39
tractor. I have a tractor. I'm getting drive it around. No, Dana, it's for my Insta.
00:44:50
I like to work with my hands. I masturbate. Ladies and gentlemen, I um You got it. Ladies and gentlemen,
00:44:58
[Laughter] that's Brody again. Uh Oh, yeah. He goes, "I did I've I've been doing porno.
00:45:05
I I do a oneman scene on a yoga mat in Chadzsworth. I don't know. Let's talk about Baskets.
00:45:14
Baskets was a great show. Baskets. I don't have to tell this crowd. You don't have to tell this crowd, Jack.
00:45:20
They know. Baskets. Mhm. That's it. You only do cool stuff. Seems to me
00:45:27
I've done a lot of [ __ ] You do a lot of cool stuff. You do cool stuff. It seems like you do it on your own
00:45:32
terms. Like they let you do your thing, which isn't always the case with everyone. And it's sort of the dream for any comedian
00:45:39
like let me just do my own thing. Like Curb is always an example of like that would be fun to do something like that where you could just do your own thing.
00:45:46
And it's very very hard to do those things. I mean people look at it and go that's such a great show or baskets but
00:45:51
to write it, cast it well, make it make sense. It all that stuff is exhausting.
00:45:56
Yeah. I mean there's a lot of thought that goes into it and sometimes you get um lucky and most of the time you get
00:46:03
unlucky. Uh but sometimes you get lucky with things kind of come to place. I mean, I
00:46:09
think that show uh if I could bore you with it a bit is uh um
00:46:14
it we were just trying to be I had not seen regular people on television
00:46:20
portrayed without I just wanted to ground a comedy so it
00:46:26
could be emotional on them with not this I wanted it to be dusty and I wanted it
00:46:32
to be more real than I have seen especially the comedy world and I I asked John uh Kryle, the director of can
00:46:40
you can you figure out this this this dusty world I'm trying to tell you about
00:46:46
and this rodeo clown world. So, you know, we did our research a little bit
00:46:51
and started casting and writing it and uh yeah, it's a show I'm I'm it was so
00:46:58
fun to work on and yeah, it was a it was a lot of fun and a
00:47:04
lot of work. I was just thinking about uh Louis Anderson when I was talking about it and uh I just heard he died
00:47:10
today. Um [Laughter]
00:47:16
he would have [ __ ] laughed. Yes. Oh, he would have laughed. Every comedian laughs at any joke by
00:47:22
that, you know. Oh my god. He was the He was When did that strike you? When did you figure that out? I'm going to have Louis
00:47:28
play my mom. Um, Louis CK and I were uh talk
00:47:33
all the Louisis. Well, there were two Louisis in this conversation. Louis CK and I were talking about um the mother to cast the
00:47:42
mother and he was asking me what I was thinking about and I said, "Well, oh, I'd already called this British
00:47:48
actress named Brenda Blean who I really really like. Uh uh but for
00:47:55
some reason um that didn't work out." and um
00:48:00
or she didn't get the email. Um that's what I there was just no she
00:48:06
didn't get the email. Um so I was telling Louis I was kind of say imitating the voice.
00:48:13
This is a story I've told many times but um and I was doing the voice and he looked at me and he goes like Louis
00:48:20
Anderson's voice and I said yeah. And Louie goes, "Should
00:48:28
we call him?" And I went, "Yeah." And that was it.
00:48:34
Wow. We And that was that was there was this weird Louie had and I didn't know this, but he
00:48:40
had been channeling his mom on stage for a long time. Yeah.
00:48:45
And that was kind of a lucky that was the lucky part about it. But I had always loved him. I loved his
00:48:52
vulnerability even even in a stand you if you can observe these kind of things it's fun to kind of try to figure out
00:49:00
and I thought he can do it but not I don't want it
00:49:05
drag right has to be real the first day they put a lot of makeup on him and I said can we get some of
00:49:10
that off he's he's the part so just you know we put a some wonderful costumes on
00:49:17
him and the makeup was wonderful and Louie is you know I when you come from such a background
00:49:23
like he did. Um
00:49:38
I think his uh tenderness came from pain. Mhm.
00:49:45
On Q. Jesus. I told my I told my manager I was like if I say something cool
00:49:52
someone really make sure you beep something.
00:49:57
If I get choked up talking about Louis beep it so it breaks up the ice.
00:50:07
This is a good audience. But no, I think Louiesie had this thing in him that was
00:50:14
really could throw it out. heartbreaking pathos in his standup and a brilliant
00:50:19
standup and storyteller. But on set, I would die laugh at work without
00:50:24
He was funny every second. Oh my god. Yeah. God, he just made He just was so great.
00:50:29
Mhm. You know, I don't You probably knew Lou. I I I when I first got to town, I was 20. I was 20. Uh this is at least eight
00:50:37
years ago. I was um So I don't know where I I saw Louisie
00:50:43
somewhere and I didn't know him. me I was in the hallway at the improv but he was nice and and I was trying to
00:50:49
audition at the improv or the comedy store those are the big ones to get in and uh but I was 20 and I had okay act I
00:50:55
had about you know eight minutes and so he says why don't you audition for Mity
00:51:00
and I go oh I don't even know how to do that and he said I'll bring you down so I went down there met him he went and
00:51:06
told Mity on like their audition night and I went in the comedy store right here uh did my set did okay came out in
00:51:14
the sidewalk on sunset and just stood there and he came out. He goes, "She didn't like you."
00:51:24
I go, "Oh, it's tough, man. I auditioned there once
00:51:30
and then that you have to go see Mity. Did you go over to her table?" Oh, he he was a middle man out.
00:51:36
He spared me watching her go. I'm sure she would have been rougher about it. He was like, "Yeah,
00:51:42
I auditioned and she said to me, "Get some puppets."
00:51:47
It's not bad advice. Yeah. I I auditioned for her and
00:51:54
nothing. Yeah. Nothing happened. You got You're in the main room next night. Yep.
00:52:00
[Music] There's nothing else to ask. Nothing else to ask.
00:52:06
Nose Fiona Apple. Check. Do you want to do some Oh, wait. SNL. We had to ask about SNL. Remember this whole thing is about SNL.
00:52:14
God damn, Danny, you forgot why. I watched both your monologues today. Ah, I'd seen them before.
00:52:20
You had a big day. I'm telling you, I've been researching for 11 hours. No, I
00:52:28
Saturday Night Live 2010 2011 hosting both times.
00:52:34
Yeah. And someone today mentioned you and um Kenan Thompson's what's what's
00:52:41
what's up with that? What's up with that? Was he in and you came out this guy with this long flute in this weird jumpsuit?
00:52:47
Yeah. And it's a very double-sided flute. Yeah. Does it You guys remember that
00:52:52
flute? Yeah. You just came It had no lines. You just came out played in France. It was you. I saw it. Yeah.
00:52:58
But it was something very indelible about that. Yeah. I uh I remember that. It was uh I
00:53:03
still have the jump I have the jumpsuit. It's in my closet. Uh I I usually don't keep any of that stuff, but I that I
00:53:10
have it's quite it's comfortable. I wear I wear it a lot in Canada while I'm chopping wood. Um but uh yeah, that's a
00:53:19
that was a flute. They I remember they had like a double thing guitar and I was
00:53:25
like I don't know that seems like is there a can you build a flute where the guy does this and uh yeah they did
00:53:33
that's the great thing about that show as you like is like can you maybe get a prop like this they're like yeah sure
00:53:39
yeah sure yeah do anything within 24 hours. Yeah. Yeah. And you did I read one maybe you were
00:53:46
brought in as a guest writer some of they said there was a Britney Spears sketch that you pitched an idea with you and Will Ferrell.
00:53:51
Yeah. 10 years before you were brought in as a guest writer or something like that. Well, I thought I was brought in as a
00:53:58
cast member. You were cast. They never tell you what you're brought
00:54:03
in. No, I couldn't figure it out. There was a weekend I was like, "Oh, I don't they I guess I'm writing." Uh, so I wrote,
00:54:12
looking back, I feel really bad about it, but not that it was a there were two sketches that I pitched to her and it
00:54:19
was just she and I in this office alone
00:54:24
and Britney Spears. The first sketch was
00:54:31
Will Frell. We were going to shrink him down to be the bodyguard to her belly button.
00:54:39
You love it. Love it. Right. That sounds great. That sounds funny. Uh and I So that was basically what I said
00:54:45
to her. I remember a tumble weed going through
00:54:51
the conversation on my I mean it's not her fault. And
00:54:58
then I thought at the time cuz she was so kind of pop uh pop sugary.
00:55:05
I said, 'Look, I think it would be funny if you're do a straight interview with something like Entertainment Tonight and
00:55:12
you're just answering these banal questions and uh you happen to be bleeding from the
00:55:19
mouth. [Laughter]
00:55:24
I like that. I like it, too. This sounds like a Monday. I just remember she l looked at
00:55:30
me and then I remember looking at the
00:55:35
ground and the ground and I remember looking back up and we
00:55:40
made eye contact and she goes, "Yeah, that's funny." A she was nice about it. She seemed very
00:55:46
she was very nice about it and that was a funny joke for her cuz blood coming down and trying to
00:55:52
I don't know. I thought maybe it would be kind of a fun thing but uh you know it didn't work. It didn't work for her.
00:55:59
Zach, pop stars shouldn't really bleed on air. Rule number 540. So, your monologue, I
00:56:06
mean, this the the second one where you stripped your clothes off, you had a
00:56:12
little red jumpsuit on and then you had a board with letters on it.
00:56:17
Like, well, I want to talk. No, no, it's fine. Well, it's something I had been doing in my standup. I mean,
00:56:24
in my late 30s, I was going around the country with the board and with the board and a little orphan Annie
00:56:29
dress um and and glitter. You dress, too? Oh, yeah. I I have Oh, that was in your club act.
00:56:36
Oh, well, it would my I would at this time I was kind of doing bigger your club act. Your club act, kid. You
00:56:41
got your club act in your I was doing Uncle Tampon's Comedy Cave in Tampa.
00:56:47
Uncle Tampons comedy. No. Um, yeah, I I was doing, you know,
00:56:53
shows and so I had that one under it was a thing that was
00:56:58
it was something I like doing and I was trying to be absurdest and somewhat political uh at
00:57:06
the same time back then. Uh, and sometimes, you know, that the only
00:57:12
way I felt like I could pull that off or at least to have a message or two was to do something very weird. And uh there
00:57:18
were a couple of political jokes buried in that. Mhm. That uh and then I would change it from
00:57:24
time to time to time and I actually got uh someone tried to sue me because of
00:57:30
what was on those flip charts years ago. Really? Yeah. Interesting. So I it so I would perform
00:57:38
as Little Orphan Annie and close out shows and by the time I had was ready to do Saturday Night Live I was I mean I
00:57:44
think it was 39 dressed as Little Orphan Annie you know around the country like but this is Yes. and dancing in a very
00:57:53
like you know much too old to be doing that thing. That was the um but um
00:57:59
they're like John Ham did this last week. You're like, "What? I've been sitting on this.
00:58:05
I don't even know you." Yeah, that's Yeah, I remember that bit. Yeah. God, Jesus. It haunts me.
00:58:11
Do you remember the first time you met Lauren Michaels? Uh
00:58:16
um doesn't have to any thoughts about him? Uh
00:58:22
no, I don't remember the first time. I mean, no, I do remember in his office. Yeah, in his office when you know when you host you go and you
00:58:28
go into that awkward meeting thing that is very fun week.
00:58:33
[Music] You're excited. You're coming off that hangover heat.
00:58:38
The minute you're hot, you feel you're getting yourself getting less hot.
00:58:44
Lauren has a lot of When you know you're hot, you're cold. Anyway, let's bring everyone in.
00:58:50
They bring everyone in and then they pitch all the ideas and Zach popcorn, right? Yeah, he has popcorn
00:58:56
all day long. Unsalted. It's unsalted, isn't it? Butter. Butter.
00:59:03
I've always liked butter. He's an interesting person. Jiffy pop.
00:59:09
What does he think of everybody's He never talks about it. I don't think he knows I'm doing one.
00:59:15
It's so bad. But Dana's he he asked me once on an airplane. I've been doing it for years behind the
00:59:21
scenes, but it was too embarrassed to do it in front of him. So, he asked me, he said like, um, you know, when you do me,
00:59:28
like, what do you do? You know, right? And I balked at that moment, you know, but years later, I was at a restaurant
00:59:35
in with Lauren and his two assistants and Rob Low in Santa Monica. And he
00:59:41
said, you know, do it for me. So, I started to do it. And I said it was just him at the at the board on the Wednesday
00:59:47
night picking the show. And he would get mad. and he go I still have no [ __ ] first act and then he'll go into the
00:59:54
bathroom and coincidentally this is true story. So he's he's doing that and then he tells me to tell the Paul McCartney
01:00:00
story when I met him at Lauren Michael's house. So I'm doing pole like this and going on and on like that. Lauren's
01:00:05
looking up and going could be yes and yes. And I did an impressionist tap out
01:00:11
and it's Paul and I'm going and oh Paul was behind you and he knew
01:00:17
he was coming in. I had it. I I get tapped out. I once I had John Travolta, I was on stage in Denver and I'm you
01:00:23
know these guys are going crazy like that and then tap out. It's John Travolta.
01:00:28
That's funny. Yeah, it's it's an impressionist tap out. But anyway, um Lauren, I think at
01:00:34
this point gets it. Everyone does it. I think he's kind of likes it. I believe. Don't you think so?
01:00:40
I mean, it's a compliment. I mean, we all love him. I mean, he's he's he's brilliant. uh that Lauren his isms his
01:00:47
his life little things. A marriage is a prison everyone's trying to escape into.
01:00:55
That's a great one. No, that's good. I mean, who And he's got tons of those. He talked about funny people. Were you
01:01:02
going to live Are you going to be around funny people? Because there's like only 900 of us on the planet in any given
01:01:07
time. And 900 was like the perfect number. Like really? Is that about it? like 20 in Poland and like 18 in, you
01:01:14
know, there's only 900 funny people on the planet. Feels a little heavy for Poland, but Lauren, you he's a
01:01:20
little heavy. May maybe maybe low teens.
01:01:26
Um, so you do The Hangover, you're very successful, you do basket, you do a lot.
01:01:32
This is a big This is a big summary. Big summary. I have some qu basic questions for you. Yeah, let's drill in.
01:01:38
These are basic questions. When you give to charity, is it for ego fulfillment or
01:01:43
to help people? It's a good one.
01:01:51
Yeah. I think I think if you if people don't know that you've given, then you haven't given.
01:01:58
Yeah. Finally. Or at least that's the motto of this
01:02:04
[ __ ] it down. When I do the wire, I call the press people at the exact same time. I go,
01:02:11
"This wire is not going out without Yahoo News knowing." Let's put us all on one email. The best
01:02:18
thing about being famous is uh good table at Soup Plantation.
01:02:23
[Laughter]
01:02:30
My best feature is
01:02:35
God. Hangover.
01:02:40
Hangover. Did you say hangover feature film? No. No. My best feature. Oh,
01:02:47
I thought it was like looks what I That's how I reacted against looks. Okay. Uh um. Yes.
01:02:53
I I I I have Okay. I have good legs. I have nice legs. Would you describe yourself as an empath
01:02:58
or a narcissist? There's no middle ground at all.
01:03:03
I don't know. I don't even know what you got out of a book. You know what an empath is? Empath is like feel feelings.
01:03:10
Oh, I Okay, I'm that one. Yeah, you are so totally that one.
01:03:15
I am. Can I tell you David said that I was driving here tonight and uh David a
01:03:20
few years ago we a bunch of people were in the um in the green room. Green room.
01:03:26
Yeah. And the way and uh we were all just talking about standup and when where we used to do it and how we the
01:03:33
old days and David just goes when I first started doing standup as
01:03:39
everybody leaves the room and it makes I saw people start to go it
01:03:45
makes me laugh all the time. I think about it all the time. Dude, you were He was here two weeks ago and I talked to him for three minutes
01:03:52
and I laughed so hard. But I go, "I can't talk to you anymore because I knew we were doing this." And I go, "God, he makes me laugh so [ __ ] hard." And
01:03:57
then I came over here cuz you're one of my favorites. And I start to watch his stand up and I go, "Oh no." And then I had to go after you. And everyone's
01:04:03
like, "That's not true." That's weird cuz that's a that's a different interpretation of how I felt
01:04:10
after that show because you handed me my hat like that was a tough set.
01:04:16
Well, I do that to get in your head. You followed him. No. No. All
01:04:22
right. It was He left his hat on stage. So, I grabbed it and he was leaving and I went back and uh
01:04:28
some Davy Crocker. It's like some uh and uh I gave it to him and I was like, "Hey, [ __ ] that crowd, man.
01:04:37
That's a good one." Then they go, "Huh? That's That's the worst thing you can hear when
01:04:43
you get Oh, [ __ ] that crowd. That says you bombed. They don't get you. That's the worst.
01:04:49
Oh my god. God damn it. Okay. Well, let's let him wrap up. He's been good. He He put in his hours.
01:04:54
How his hours? How How What? So, this is a podcast? I don't know. We We'll We'll edit it. We'll
01:05:01
be 6 minutes. Yeah. I mean, how like how what you you sit through it and you edit it and you
01:05:06
No, we don't edit anything. How long are the How long are they usually? Seven hours. No, they're usually about an hourish.
01:05:13
Okay. So, we just went over an hour. Okay. Are you angling for more money or
01:05:18
Yeah. Are you amazed how disorganized and amateur-ish we are? Well, I thought they were I know. I I
01:05:25
actually I the fact that you guys and I saw you guys get these chairs out of your cars.
01:05:32
We're on a budget. Planning is tight.
01:05:37
So, I was impressed with that. Very impressed. No, I I like it. I'm a little nervous
01:05:42
talking to Zach. It's fun. Uh it's great to see you. I don't see you much. Um, always fun to see you on stuff and uh
01:05:49
it's great and no [ __ ] We think you're we we but our people up, but we're sincere.
01:05:54
You know, you're you're one of the the Mount Mount Rushmore alltime comedians
01:06:00
of our generation. I really mean that. Very interesting, dude. Always interesting.
01:06:05
I put I I draw a line between you and Will Frell only in the sense of the
01:06:11
commitment because Will said, "No one will ever outcommit me, but you commit. No one can out commit
01:06:16
you. Well, Will is Will is one of those guys that Jesus that the way he so
01:06:21
goes and and even does like side bits when you're at work that
01:06:27
he I can't he was he that man is I remember when we were working together at the time it was the um terrible Yeah.
01:06:35
Then there the news was the terrible uh Penn State uh Yeah.
01:06:42
And Will's a big sports fan and he was following that stuff. And I uh at that time I was working on getting
01:06:50
uh the statue of uh who's Penn State's coach? PNO. Paterno. I wanted to put that in Will's yard.
01:06:59
I'm a big Molester fan. I was following that case, too.
01:07:06
We're gonna This is going to be a very interesting podcast. Okay. You're revealing yourself. That's good. Supposed to be authentic.
01:07:12
I know. These are all just I don't know. Where Largo? It doesn't matter. Uh, but no, but thanks.
01:07:20
Thanks, Zach. Thanks, David. Thanks, David. Zack, thank you very much. Thanks to the audience. Thank you.
01:07:25
I appreciate it. Hey guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite
01:07:32
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01:07:37
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01:07:43
Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey, an executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro and
01:07:49
Greg Holtzman, Mattie Sprung Kaiser, and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey. Our senior
01:07:54
producer is Greg Holtzman and the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweet Tech. Booking by Cultivated
01:08:01
Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogerty, Evan Cox, Mora Curran, Melissa
01:08:08
Wester, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gainner, Shan Cherry, Kurt
01:08:14
Courtourtney, and Lauren Vieiraa. Reach out with us any questions to be asked and answered on the show. You can email
01:08:21
us at fly onthealla.com. That's audacy.com.
01:08:28
[Music]
