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hey guys it's spoodle uh you can always go to Davids spade.com to look at my
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tour dates because I bless a lot of cities in America with my hilarious standup act or you could not go to it
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and get on my enemy list up to you you guys today is Joe Piscopo now
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people have asked us to have on different people you know we've had so many people on but Joe Piscopo is one of
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the ogs and I hate to say when you say his name usually people
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say oh he was back in the Eddie Murphy days and he was Eddie Murphy's probably best friend um and I'm I think they're
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still very close but that was back in that era so it was after the first five
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years then there was couple of grumbly years and getting on their feet but he was there when he and Eddie were tearing
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it up and he was huge he did a great job on the show he has so many funny stories he's just very good at telling stories
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um and he really brings it he knows how to talk he knows how to entertain you he
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used to do Impressions we do a few of those of course Dana jumps in on those and uh just a very very likable guy and
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a very humble guy and we had a great time talking to him so without further
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Ado here we go Joe [Music]
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Piscopo Joe has left the soon I'm here I'm here I'm here I got you so I can't
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see I got something saying record by staying in this meeting okay I consent got it okay there's my man yeah Dana
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that's right are we are we recording now or is this like we're always recording we don't have any intro we're not like
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professional we don't say here's our guest or anything no we just go where's
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David where' David go I'm right here do you see me there you are baby how are you man I'm at the bottom of the screen
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I don't know why look at his look at his stuff David can I start Dana crushed it
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at at an event on Friday night he was out there and it was like 800 close to a
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thousand baseball players who just wanted to talk like baseball go D go and a lot of folks have
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done the event and haven't done really well great so d goes how's it gonna be Joe and I go it's gonna be great I gave
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him one of those it's G to be great and you and you you nailed it D nailed I was
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I lost my notes did you find them I lost my notes I didn't I didn't know where I was I felt bad about that one for a
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while but afterwards Joe being very nice said did you tell him to like our producer Matt he goes everyone has a
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tough time here even Seinfeld you know so I didn't know the bar was low but yeah it was a little extremely nice
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people but the room went way back and there was a lot of chatter because it's a ctail party you know you were you
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playing to a pre-tape you had a band I was just off to the side so you come out and sing a little of both we had a live band
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there but I cranked what you heard what you heard was a pre-tape we cranked it up to make it easier that's awesome with
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but I did put I put the live girls on stage David I've turned into the Wayne Newton of Comedy thank you and so I just
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got the girl got the girl singing with me on stage it was a whole thing it was fun though man listen I love it I've
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done those kind of corporate gig or a charity gig I did one just up in Calgary they W up being very nice but you know
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it's always a crapshoot you just don't know they they have other things their mind and if you're a surprised while they're eating their steak they go it's
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been an 8 hour meeting and now we're going to hold you hostage for one more hour while we here and they go Stevie
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Nicks David SP oh I heard it was Stevie Nicks I always say when did they get up 6: am for the breakfast meeting when did
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the open bar start at 4: when do I go on 11 okay all right 11 at
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night so so I gotta tell you David so so we I always when I am see like back in
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the days when I started a The Improv 100 years ago before you young people were born you know we want to know that yeah
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no but I was I would always be uh cognizant and responsible to who's on stage because it's your your job to get
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the crowd going and then hand it off you know so I felt that way with Dana particularly you know so I'm going like
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okay so we start the whole thing and it's going great the data comes out go he's really working he's working with
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the crowd is great and now he's going to close and then we're going to start the night in the awards we're going to close
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it and he freaks up his guitar strubs the guitar it's dead as as as a door
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dead he can't get I'm going oh man so I'm off stage I'm off stage I'm going so
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I go to the guy with the headphones my buddy Jordan I go Jord call the back of the room man his his monitors out I'm
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not getting anything to and they couldn't figure it out and I said give me the mic give me the mic so they gave me the mic so I walked out on stage and
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I held my microphone next to d guitar and I was just stand helped out and then
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you had a you had a great oneliner at that point cuz you're kind of bending down actually you placed the mic
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perfectly I don't know if you know that to get some volume because it was a short what I do and then what Joe said
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was this is a career highlight for
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me good job big laugh from Uncle Joe I I like that it was great but I tell you it was
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great it was great you know and and it was fun and than thanks well thank you Frank I mean Joe uh sometimes those gigs
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are contractually like 60 minutes and they and that's why like if Dan is short
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five minutes you sometimes have to go do something extra even if you're killing because you might get off 99% of the
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time they said great we didn't even need that long you did great but sometimes they go we paid you for an hour you did
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54 and you go oh my God it's all it's all fli they said they said 45 and then
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they sent me a text the day of the show and said really apologizing saying could you do just 30 because when
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I when Joe was backstage he goes what are you going to do 20 25 you know because like I said we're we're an
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apertif we're not the show but then later they said well if you feel it go longer I don't know how long I did but
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anyway Joe was there got to hang out did you did you look did you look at your phone while you're on stage you glanced
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at to make sure you had the time right did you did I see you do that you were just I saw you had a phone on stage you
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were worri I must have lost a sense of time I don't remember you know cuz my guitar thing is like I'm I'm
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going all over the stage I'm in the zone it's really loud it's like for a for a room that's a little unsettled it's a
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big closer and then when it's like uh oh it happens about every one every 20 shows like oh there's a short it's not
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going to be Amplified so I just sort of froze until you rescued me folks we the Joe piso has been our guest today and
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this is about an event we did so can we go back just for a second to the how you
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just a little out of bog we know that your time on SNL at 80 but you're like
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you're very young when you get on the show what did how did that happen so quick right were you what what a tell us
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that little journey I think it was about 26 27 when we hit man and I you know I went to The
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Improv and tell me if I talked too long man love you guys by the way with great respect to you Dana to you David great
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respect for you guys because you you held the great legacy of SNL and you know and and uh so proud to be with you
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here and and and it's it's really cool to be with you you know but I got but what I did I I just wanted to be a
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working stiff you know but I went to the improvisation because I heard that they had like comedy nights just like all of
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us did this was in New York it was 44th and nth it was Hell's Kitchen it was back in the 70s when New York was a
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million times even worse than now it was terrible you could I mean you I remember distinctly walking from the parking lot
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where I parked a car and then I walked down a 4 Fourth Street and there were like you know bodies and police lines
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you know what I mean inor oh that's good somebody got whacked you know like that no like that so so then I said well let
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me try at least try it so I remember I went in the first night was audition night and and and you know guys you guys
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are young young and it was like I when back then that it's when comedy was rock and roll it was I'm telling you all of a
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sudden comedy just came into its own and I went I got to try that I just wanted to get on stage and then be a stiff let
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some somebody hire me to do the third fourth lead in an hour you know episodic that's all I wanted to
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do matw
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walk great reference and that's exactly what I was thinking the bar wasn't too
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high D what am I gonna tell you you know so so not to take anything away from that l so I go in I came in Lincoln
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Tunnel came around going down 9th Avenue I looked down at the Improv there had be 400 people jamm like it was like Time
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Square in Hell's Kitchen jam and I looked and I said and I panicked and I went right back into the Lincoln town
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and went right back home totally chickened out then I came back and I and when people say had to just start out we
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used to have to get there because everybody wanted to do comedy at the time 12 noon 12 noon and at 8 o'clock
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roughly 8:30 The Improv would come out Judy orbu would come out and she would hand out numbers so to see when you
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would be on so you if you got there earlier like at noon you could you could
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kind of go all right I'm on Third and then each week me Gilbert gy Alan Colmes
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was there Larry David was there Jerry came later but we would jockey numbers around you know to see when you would go
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on and you would get your five minutes man you're five minutes and it was the most petrifying thing in the world and I
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did that for about six weeks and then I finally uh got I for some reason they
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put me up and it worked you know and Chris Al you know gave me this he got this you know he got me this you know
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HBO was he the HBO just an agent yeah one of the greatest television Executives ever Club manager and owner
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with Bud Freeman and silver Freeman back in the late 70s went on to be I didn't know that I didn't know that he was my
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agent in the 80s Chris alre Chris Al was oh I didn't know before HBO he was the
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guy we used to call we used to call him the general because we used to play guys we used to play it's I there's got to be
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a film or documentary about it we used to play softball all Yankee fans we'd go to Central Park and then and then and
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then Larry was there Larry David was there and Larry was then just the way he is now you know completely neurotic you
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know and he would just be there and he would say the most brilliant things when Larry went on stage when finally I
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became a regular and we just have to work out and you'd get up at 1 two in the morning when Larry went on stage everybody would just rush to the little
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opening that led to the showroom which was about a couple hundred people and we would watch Larry and he would he would
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get into fights with the the audience like you hear about it was true so he would get in with his attitude and start fighting back and forth it but it was
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genius it was and everybody knew Larry is a genius and then I can remember distinctly we would play softball and
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then uh I was playing Third Base Larry was playing shortstop and and then I could hear Larry and we're waiting and
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you know the game is on I hear Larry Going H H he like
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miserable in the middle of the game I go and I'm and I gotta keep my eye on the batter because I'm in the hot corner I
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go Larry what what happened ah I stepped I stepped a dog [ __ ] I stepped a dog do I stepped in dog what' you do he goes I
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threw away my shoes I have no shoes this was a legitimate conversation with Larry
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Davis the Time episode of curb yeah exactly exactly it was exactly right so
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it was it was bizarre but then then we got we heard that SNL was leaving and
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John Belushi and Danny would come hang out at the clubs particularly catch Rising Star the comedy clubs were it was
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Hell's Kitchen and then it was the Upper East Side was catch even before the comic strip but they had blown up Joe so
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those are two monster stars coming in yeah you know exactly right so they but
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we didn't know when they first went on the air we were all working Saturday Night Live oh okay you know we were
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working on Saturday nights and we didn't even know and I remember being at the bar catch star and I
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uh how you doing and nice as ever it was John balushi yeah John balushi hey I'm on new show Saturday Night Live and
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Danny a right there the times were nuts man Patty benitar down by the bar you know it was crazy but then then we heard
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they left and they were leaving and they needed a new cast and I and and I didn't want anything to do with it because you
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couldn't replace the original cast you just couldn't I mean it was Gilda and Danny aqu and it it's Chevy and and and
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John and you couldn't do it and I didn't want to do it so long long story story short even longer than this had a
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friend no was there was a writer named John debellis and John was hired by Jean
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domion who was the new producer Lauren's former right hand and I don't know what
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happened politically there but jean was running the show and and Jean said I
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need a utility guy and John said I know Joe Piscopo is at the clubs he does characters and voices she goes bring
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them up so I went right up to the 17th floor and I audition for Jean and and
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and she I heard she used like Woody Allen as a reference because she and Woody were very close so so I did the
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audition and they go okay you could now do the big audition and I go what and
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they did a sweep of that to NBC came in and they swept the town and the big buzz
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data the big buzz was like who's going on SNL who's going to replace the the original cast so and everybody was
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scared they want to do it I said I don't know but I don't want to do it I want to just keep doing what I'm doing I was doing commercials I was doing you know
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like like comedy clubs and I was doing great that that that was my that was my career high Dana for real you know it so
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so so then then they go okay now you gotta go to the regular audition and I go to the regular audition and it was me
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uh and there was some great talented people that Gilbert was there Paul Rubin was there he did he was there when I was
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there yep
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yep so can I ask you one question Joe how
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many years were you doing standup before 198 was it five years six years and you
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would and you at at one point knew you could do Impressions and voices you had that kind
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of style okay so then then you then you got notice now you don't want the show so but you got you're gonna do but it's
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per it's perfect for the show but you don't want it so then what so then what happen well no don't we so we do the
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audition and then they go okay we want to hire you so Chris calls me alre calls me You' got to part you're going to be
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the utility guy you know and I go I and I remember arguing with him because I was making good money I you know I
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joined sag and Afra and I was I just and I said you can't replace belan akroy
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please don't make me do this and and Chris was he was the boss back then to to all of us young guys and and he
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listen he was our AG too but I said to him all right man I'll go in but I don't feel good about this you feel like it's
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no win right it was and you know what David I don't say nothing but I was I
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was right kind of we did 10 shows nobody's fault you just couldn't replace
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America's favorite television show one of the greatest television shows of all time the writing of Allen zel the
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writing of herb Sergeant you know Franken and Davis you couldn't replace that and we didn't and but Gan Dominion
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was great I remember I went up she said you're in she hired Gilbert she hired a
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couple other people and then there was a kid and he's up there on 1th floor in the back you know off of Law's office
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there was a little sitting area and and I and I said they said Joe this is Eddie Murphy I said hey Eddie how you doing we
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from Long Island never heard of him never knew him we hit it off immediately and they said yeah they want me to
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audition so I go I go all right what do you want to do man this is exactly the way it happened and and he goes we said
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let's do the word association sketch that Chevy and Richard prior did let's do that you do prior I'll do Chevy and
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we'll do it so we went we're in an office we're upstairs on the 17th floor and then I we had the script and we did
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the word association you know all as inappropriate as it was a famous sketch where it was incredibly could not do it
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today but it was Jeffy Chase and Richard prior so you guys re duplicated that just met got the script from people
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there and then we okay so then what happened fascinating well then then
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Eddie just like crushed it man I mean he was like I mean CR and I'm next to him
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going like oh man so now now they wait okay we'll let you know like to Eddie
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and I and if I remember correctly and I went to Gan I said this kid's the next prior this kid is the next prior I said
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that was unbelievable well we don't know NBC thought he was too edgy they was too edgy we said no so they made him yeah
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they made him a featured player you know funny he's 19 right in 18 19 yeah 19
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which makes sense which makes sense yeah you know so they bought him in and little by little so we did 10 shows
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Gilbert was on it and it just nobody's fault I I don't want and I got a I got a big shout out to Billy Mary The Genius
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of Billy Mary the heart of Billy Mary one of the great guys ever he came in
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and he came in on that new cast and he he guest hosted and that meant a lot and then he took us out and he all kind of
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brought us together but it just didn't work so so cut to this and tell me if I'm talking too much because I want to
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lay this out we want we want you to talk this is great I I knew you'd be a great guest and you are so go
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ahead so no listen so so then then we go like this we go uh oh NBC pulled the
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plug what happened it's off you know and we were like off the air T shows I said I knew this would happen say Chris I
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told you I so so now now they're calling everybody up to the 17th Floor now they
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replace Gan Dom Manan and by the way Jean gets credit she hired me but she hired even more importantly Eddie Murphy
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she hired Eddie Murphy give G credit for that right so so now so now they're
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bringing dick everol ever dick everol legendary so dick know like he was sort
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of there with Lauren a little bit in the beginning he's an NBC yeah how do you you guys know the history man listen
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Nick everol was the executive at NBC that was with Brandon tarov rest his
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soul another great NBC executive as everol was as Mr evera was and but and
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then I think I think dick and Lauren were very close I think so that's the way it happened so so so I guess they
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went to Lauren they said look sorry what do we do now I get I'm I'm um I don't know this is conjecture and they bought
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in dick so dick we went to Lauren Lauren's office but everol is there and he's bringing and we're I'm sitting out
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there in the writer's wing and everybody's coming out and they're all getting whacked guys like everyone's
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getting whacked whacking they bring you into they bring
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you in to fire you yeah they bring they bought everybody in whacked one by one
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it was like St Valentine's Day Massacre listen so then I remember an rizley great talent whacked Denny Dylan great
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talent whacked whack they got Charlie rocket rest rocket used the F drop the f
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bomb done Doney Tim Kinski was he whacked or kept no no Tim this was like
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yeah this was they this was a preliminary so now Gilbert to me was one of my best friends and we came up
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together at the clubs he walked out and he goes he got
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fired you got fired so now they go all right pis PA Murphy come on in so me and
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Eddie go in and me and Eddie had we had a sets sets to do at the comic strip or wherever we were going we were we were
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in our heads that's where we were so and we didn't care and I fed off of The Reckless abandon of Eddie Murphy because
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he just didn't care about anything it was a beautiful thing to be a part of so now we're going into Lauren's beautiful
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office and Dick ever's back there like this you know and I sit down and they sit down and Dick goes like this well
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lady and Joe we've uh we've decided to keep you and we went on never foret
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great dick look we got a couple sets and we got to make our set if you bu we could care less I think the Cockiness
00:20:49
helped guys you know what I'm saying oh definitely but it was like I mean so so that was it and then well were you Joe
00:20:56
were you relieved or were you sort of like oh no I'm stuck on the Titanic Oh no I'm stuck on the
00:21:04
Titanic it wasn't really helping you at that point you're like God we're just gonna sink further in this I know
00:21:09
exactly exactly but but I gota but again a shout out to I'm sure he leaned on
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Lauren but uh dick everol knew what he he said you couldn't match fellas the um
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writing of of the and the genius of the original cast you you couldn't
00:21:26
match it was Perfect Storm with the politically with the with the way Lauren put everything together it was genius
00:21:33
and whoever was going to follow that original because they're the original rock stars comedy they were you know and then
00:21:41
it was impossible to follow I had a buttress of years but to follow that
00:21:48
hard and proof is Eddie Murphy you couldn't Scout in the whole country a better guy to that does well in SNL and
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was he blowing up at all or was it still just people just turn turn the TV off no no we it started to catch on a little
00:22:02
bit you know why yeah you have to give Dick edol credit because he brought in entertainment he said we can't match the
00:22:09
hipness of of Lauren's original show let's just entertain let's just be funny
00:22:15
so we took that was a great lesson that was that I don't know if Lauren told you know Mr ever all that whatever it was we
00:22:21
went on and then Eddie and I out of I guess fear and survival we kind of just
00:22:28
joined together and started writing for ourselves reaching out to great two great writers Barry blowstein David
00:22:33
Sheffield and they were the key writers for Eddie and I Tim kazarinski came in and Timmy really was the captain of that
00:22:39
of that cast he was great he Mary gross came in yes and and we had you know what we started to gel a little bit started
00:22:46
having some fun a little bit and and I gotta tell you I think what maybe probably made it work when Eddie and I
00:22:52
were doing the in ones you know David I said to Dana the other night I said the great thing that Dana always did and and
00:22:59
you as well that the in ones is what really I thought so you wanted to see you wanted to see the church lady you
00:23:05
wanted to see whether for me uh direct to camera right yeah yeah right directly
00:23:10
to the camera we would crazy Edy sketches you know whatever it was and Eddie and I would do
00:23:15
the in ones together or I would do it and that seemed to gain you know some steam and I go my people we go like this
00:23:23
by the grace of God it worked you know it just I couldn't tell you how just just for a second because I just my
00:23:28
brain gets curious about this stuff so you how many episodes did you do with Jean deanan before it was sort of just
00:23:35
10 just 10 and then there's a purge and then the show starts again in the fall
00:23:42
was there a gap of it not being on the air yeah there was a gap up being really
00:23:47
cancel I did not I did not know that it was almost like a funeral and a wake for the first season you know the great
00:23:53
people and then it's like okay they took the hit the first 10 shows
00:23:58
now it's almost like it can't be that bad you know what I mean some something about it yeah and then you and Eddie
00:24:04
started from me being in clubs and being aware of this whole situation uh you know I felt that you and Eddie kind of
00:24:11
were you know becoming Stars obviously you know the two of you you know the uh
00:24:17
famous Sinatra uh and Eddie doing Stevie Wonder
00:24:22
almost as a a dramatic actor almost like it was very it shocked the audience when he started sing and then your Sinatra I
00:24:29
think is I mean there's I got my Phil Hartman you but I think it's right up there with
00:24:34
anybody who's ever done it you know you're you're you're Frank you know they
00:24:40
they asked me to do the Frank satat early on and we we were now we were searching we were searching what are we doing how do we how do we keep going and
00:24:47
and we had the pretty good guests would come on and then he brought on like like Jerry Lewis came on which was great and then he would he would book Don Rickles
00:24:54
and then s Caesar and we went back [ __ ] that's big it was like it was like let's
00:25:01
just get guys that can do this and then but early on they said Joe we need the Frank catry character this was early on
00:25:07
and even during Jean time I said I can't do it because it's a respectful thing and I don't want to make fun of I did it
00:25:12
in the clubs I Did It For My SNL uh audition said I can't do it and so I
00:25:17
fought it then and the way go I wrote Mr rle letter because I wanted to be a team player I wrote Mr sinat a letter and I
00:25:24
said this is done with respect this is the whole Italian New Jersey thing guys that's what this is about that's what I
00:25:30
want to hear about because I'm from California so this is like it's not dangerous but you don't want to hurt
00:25:36
Frank because for someone from New Jersey at that time it's Frank anatra
00:25:42
you know you don't mess with Frank and you love frank that's right it's exactly it's respect yeah it's respect and my
00:25:50
father said my father was an attorney rested his soul he said if you're not you're not going to be a lawyer then you want to do entertainment then look to
00:25:56
Frank Sinatra because that's your Ro role model so here I am doing them and then they asked me to do them in a in a
00:26:02
satirical way and I said I I can't and because it's a I'm telling you it's hard to describe but people you know would
00:26:09
understand it's a North Jersey Italian-American thing and it's all about respect and I told that to Mr rest
00:26:14
so I sent it to Mickey Ruden as lawyer at the time and I didn't hear anything back I said okay let's do it and we did
00:26:20
it but I always couched it I always was respectful matter of fact that iony and ivory sketch was a very and
00:26:28
David of Sheffield Eddie and I came up with the idea we ripped it they wrote it
00:26:34
and it was really kind of vicious and edgy and I and I had a soften it just a little bit even more you know what I'm
00:26:40
saying so so and the old man I heard Mr s was watching that from the Waldorf and
00:26:46
saw the sketch with his daughter Tina Nancy and they said and his daughter said Joe I want you go in and surprise
00:26:52
Joe on the air which I would have had a car inary but I have to tell you the old man when I when I I got got an
00:26:58
invitation while I was at SNL to to go to a roast to attend and and be at the
00:27:04
podium of a roast of D Maron the master ceremonies was Frank Sinatra that was
00:27:09
the approval see and when when I met him he could not have been nicer from the whole time that i' I've been with him a
00:27:16
few times I was never on the inside of the Rat Pack you know you know but he was always so respectful always did he
00:27:22
say maybe don't call me the old man maybe that's more offensive than the sketch
00:27:28
he was 52 at the time when he was 52 you're like it's nice to meet an old
00:27:34
person like yourself he's like hey no no but you know what everybody who was
00:27:39
around Mr s all the guys would call him the old man the old like the captain that's like the Admiral
00:27:45
Ship this is this is the story so when when he first saw me doing him you know
00:27:51
you guys even know uh Charlie Callis remember Charlie call he was like Jerry Le K on he was Jerry Lewis like another
00:28:00
extended version crazy guy
00:28:06
yeah yeah just D you gotta put
00:28:12
that someone told him to play it bigger and he never looked back I tell you so
00:28:18
Callis opened for Mr it was a ltic city you know 1980 something and then they're
00:28:24
in the dressing room it's Caesar's Mr s is about to do a second show and they're in the the dressing about to step up to
00:28:29
the stage and in the dressing room on the TV somebody had Saturday Night Live on and I came on doing him it's the
00:28:36
first time Mr Sona saw me doing him and the room grows silent everybody goes
00:28:43
gosh who's Crazy up so Charlie Callis breaks the silence he goes what do you think captain and Mr R looks at me doing
00:28:50
him and he goes hey he's pretty good the little
00:28:56
prick the best answer a great line but but he didn't
00:29:02
mind it he he got that it was respectful and it was and it was all even to this
00:29:07
at that Ebony and Ivory thing it was kind of edgy because it was based on Paul McCartney and was about black and
00:29:14
white getting together all that stuff and it was pretty it was pretty edgy with Frank being the clueless you know
00:29:20
but like the old Italian guy the way they could be at that time you're black I'm white you're singing But at the ver
00:29:27
the very last thing you I'd Frank say which I'd wonder if you kind of was sort of sweet and landed it completely
00:29:33
different who cares or what did Frank say at the end of that sketch go you
00:29:38
know I gotta tell you I and if folks watching everybody's watching your podcast now guys I gotta tell you that
00:29:44
means so much to me what you just said Dana what you just said yeah because you do things on the air you do things on
00:29:49
the air and and sometimes someone picks it up thank you for that no it was I said who cares baby yeah that Chang the
00:29:56
whole sketch that changed the whole vibe of Sinatra he can do this and that and we all know that he was a champion for
00:30:03
Sammy and he wouldn't you know he was completely not that character so that
00:30:08
was nice at the end it really made a great thank you for thinking of that social justice Warrior he was I mean
00:30:14
just for because folks don't understand when Mr F went to Vegas that they and and he was playing the main room and he
00:30:20
was playing with the count B the orchestra which was an old black Orchestra he had Quincy Jones uh arranging for him and conducting for him
00:30:27
and then and and Sammy would come on and they were staying on the other side of town and and Mr s said what is that what
00:30:34
are you going you had lunch with Sammy where are you guys staying where are you guys he goes they're putting us they're not they wouldn't allow the performers
00:30:40
to walk in the front people forget and and and Mr s said boldly goes look if they don't go they don't come in and you
00:30:46
don't treat them exactly like you're treating me that I'm not going on and he really stood yeah there's a brilliant
00:30:53
documentary on Sammy Davis Jr it speaks a a lot to how Frank was like if you
00:30:59
don't treat him like you treat me I'm out of here I'm doing you doing him doing him whatever but um that's a
00:31:05
fascinating part so uh curious about that cast now you and Eddie and then who what was the cast that came in with you
00:31:12
I I I just because it was Brad Brad Hall and Julie Luis stus that was you well
00:31:18
they had when we first went in we had uh it was mostly Timmy karinsky and Mary gross and then uh we had a guy I think
00:31:25
Tony Rosado joined us for a little while there were some other folks from Toronto Robin Duke is brilliant yes Robin Duke
00:31:33
is brilliant he was just brilliant and wonderful and Barry as well but Robert
00:31:38
and I we did the whiners together we could riff and she you know she's one of Toronto Toronto second C she's great and
00:31:46
the wiers was one of your reoccurring characters that yeah the audience would start to applaud when you
00:31:52
guys appear yeah yeah yeah yeah well I always said and if if Warren was prod it would have been a movie you know I
00:32:00
think it'll be called the wiers we'll do it at paramont it'll be a 40 three
00:32:06
sketches into one Eddie will do a cameo um and we we we go in June really now
00:32:13
let's eat but you also you also had Jim balushi as well was in that era so Jimmy
00:32:19
came in later and it was great and and a great great great actor and it was just great but but then they say we're
00:32:26
bringing Brad Hall Gary ker yes we're bringing in Julie Lou Gus now they were
00:32:31
three young kids and they could not have been more pleasant more fun more talented they were great but to this day
00:32:37
I feel guilty because it really was Eddie and I kind of hper down to write for ourselves and if you didn't write
00:32:42
for yourself back in the day I guess it was pretty much with you guys you just didn't get on you figured out pretty
00:32:48
quick yeah yeah right right no one's really looking out for you yeah that's right it's just like that and I always
00:32:54
felt bad that should have help you know I mean you know it doesn't make any difference now but like Julia was so
00:33:00
sweet and nice and great she was she was 19 at the time and she was great and I always felt we should have probably got
00:33:06
her into the sketches more you know but I don't think she needed our help when when you I what did she what did she do
00:33:12
after SNL I mean disappear what has she really done no we hopefully we'll have her on
00:33:17
as a guest too and you know but it's also a luck Factor like some sketch Falls in your lap or someone writes you
00:33:23
something good or you blow up on something uh you know Dana got is Wayne's World and that thing blows up he
00:33:29
doesn't know for sure that's going to blow you know and so you're in different things some things you really think are
00:33:35
going to work they don't something else blows up I think it's hard though if you don't write for yourself for your own
00:33:40
moves like that's you have to show them like I go I'm funny and they go they don't know like oh yeah they're busy you
00:33:46
show them you can do something even around the office and you do an impression or anything and they go we should put that in something and then
00:33:52
you go okay good you know that's yeah they they need you need to help them a little bit it's like so you and Edie integrated with writers so you would
00:33:58
instigate you this stuff I do at the club Eddie and then you had a couple writers who were like hungry for that
00:34:04
because when it works that way your rhythms your sensibility is
00:34:10
already enveloped into the sketch and then they hopefully improve it you know
00:34:16
so yeah but I and Eddie is I mean
00:34:21
absolute he he's he is a force of nature but he's a comic genius and and it's
00:34:26
effort and it's instinctive so we would be there we'd be in uh the producers office
00:34:32
of one of the and one of the producers office and he be he was watching um um Mr Rogers you know and he and he goes um
00:34:40
no I I'm I'm gonna do a street version of this and I look at him go I'm gonna be Mr Robinson and I'm gonna be and and
00:34:45
he would come up with the concept and he would just and I remember one writer going I don't know if that's gonna work
00:34:51
and he would say I'm doing it then he would say to me he would say to me I'm gonna do buckweed and I go I'm sorry hey
00:34:56
he goes I'll do bucke remember bucke for The Little Rascals and I would go and I was like his older brother because I had
00:35:02
him by almost about 10 years and and I would say Ed it might be a little racist you might want to just maybe not do that
00:35:09
you know bang he didn't care he went for it and it was I have to tell you the joy
00:35:15
of it to be next to it you know to to experience it especially to be live to
00:35:21
be like when I don't believe we had a delay back then and and we and and to be next to Eddie whether we were doing e
00:35:26
and I whether I was watching him doing bucke or whether we would do my favorite thing we would do Solomon and Pudge the
00:35:32
two old guys in the bar which was kind of a bitter thing that was just a fill it was meant to do a fill because they
00:35:37
needed time right before one o'clock and they would say Eddie Joe just go up and do something and Eddie and I just Rift
00:35:43
that it it was magic moments that I I cherished forever it was and I told Eddie this when they gave him the Mark Twain Prize down there Washington and
00:35:51
and Chappelle was there and arenia was there and Georgie Lopez was there and it was it was like the you know except EX
00:35:56
for me it was like the Mount Rushmore of Comedy you know and everybody's going before we're supposed to speak you know
00:36:03
to Eddie at the Smithsonian the night before the event what are we gonna say and I remember Chappelle going you be
00:36:09
funny what can I do I said guys just speak from the heart man just speak for heart and that's why when I got up I
00:36:14
said Eddie thank you for a great ride thank you for a ride of a lifetime and was then and it resonated and we all had
00:36:20
tears in her eyes it was a beautiful thing out a comedy you know a lot of heart people may see us trying to be
00:36:26
funny silly or you know or outrageous but I think you got a lot of heart and probably feel more than most you know
00:36:36
guys well i' also say State the obvious and it's comes up a lot on this podcast just Rockefeller Center 88 17th Floor
00:36:44
live television in New York City me being from California there's no more uh
00:36:49
viscerally intense thing you can do in Show Business and everyone even moves on to movies or whatever they do there's
00:36:56
still is just that and we were talking to Eric Andre the other day and he was like how did you deal with the pressure
00:37:05
the pressure I mean did you get more comfortable did you just feel good when you're out there with Eddie like we're
00:37:10
gonna kick ass because you've got yeah great great great observation dve it's exactly right I was petrified the whole
00:37:17
time and and and I petrified and I just was always worried and a a matter of
00:37:23
fact uh the writers would always bust my chops because I was always so uptight on that's got to be perfect before the show
00:37:29
before the show I would everybody be getting ready right after after the rehearsal you know the after shooting
00:37:36
you know rehearsing it's like 9:30 and it's over and we go over the notes I'd run down under the bleachers and I would
00:37:42
go to uh Al the qard guy uh I would go I would go to Kevin the qard guy and I
00:37:48
would just go let me see the cards which was real what a pain in the neck piso I mean really but they they did they ran
00:37:56
you know what I'm saying D they you practice cuz you don't know where the sentence ends and you're like I want to
00:38:01
get ready for exactly what it will be so if that looks a little weird I want to say that now and then maybe they can
00:38:08
tweak it and then you go oh could you go a little faster anything where you just go it'll help whatever it's so scary do
00:38:13
anything you can yeah I agree with you we were live we were live no safety net it was no safety net I wanted to be
00:38:20
perfect every single time but I think working with Eddie Timmy cerisy as well
00:38:25
um and they were loose when you're loosen you get have fun like that on stage it was it was gold it was just
00:38:31
gold like that that's where I relaxed in the arena right right in the the belly of the Beast right live we had I mean
00:38:39
look think of the numbers when we were on guys I mean you know was it 8 million was it 20 million it wasn't the 30
00:38:44
million they had you know originally but there were a lot still very very big yeah yeah no I I worked with uh I knew
00:38:51
Tim karinsky a little bit because we did something after that he's a Chicago guy
00:38:56
and I worked with him after that he was super cool dude uh I remember I had a great time with him and uh we didn't
00:39:03
even talk that much about SNL oh I wasn't I wasn't on it yet that's why I did it before that yeah wow but Timmy
00:39:10
Timmy brought us all together Timmy was like he was the leas on between the producer because they would say things
00:39:15
and we would you know through animosity comes creativity so you know so so if
00:39:21
what do you mean and then and then the worst was for me when they said okay all right you gotta we want you to do this
00:39:27
sketch and you didn't want to do the sketch man you just knew it wasn't going to work but you had to do the sketch and
00:39:32
then you're waiting and then and then you do your your dress rehearsal you know and then you wait and you're in that we I just being remember being
00:39:39
crammed in you know 9:30 is coming to 10 o'clock oh my gosh we're live in an hour and a half and somebody said oh the
00:39:45
sketch is in that bad sketch that you're hting that was you gotta go I have a question Joe did did you
00:39:53
have let's say you write the winers you write a first strap that gets through read through do you have a do you have a
00:39:59
Thursday read through uh I mean a a rewrite de we had a 16-hour rewrite day you go every sketch or did you just go
00:40:05
off whoever wrote it rewrites it whoever wrote it rewrites it that's great there
00:40:10
were there were notes there were notes okay but then whoever wrote it rewrote whoever wrote it if they had to rewrite
00:40:17
it was them it was their piece like that because sometimes when you gangbang it like that on a Thursday it gets a little
00:40:23
better because you've got everyone around the table giving you their best joke for that and you pick and then you
00:40:28
do it that's the way we did it when people work on the on it with you yeah it's con o'ri and Bob around a table
00:40:36
everyone's trying to play each other great writ you know what I love
00:40:42
that I wish we had it so we because we didn't know what to do when we first went in and and now and now we're all
00:40:47
there and the newcast is together and we went in the back that that that that back writing area and then dick ever
00:40:54
said all right I'm bringing back Michael oonu and he was like a legender the
00:41:00
original cast yeah thank you thank you i' I'd love to the play byplay you're doing I just Tred to set the table I'm
00:41:06
just thinking the person who doesn't know anything about this part of SNL and
00:41:11
also your era is like a missing link for us I mean it's very interesting but I
00:41:17
well goad well we're there no and and now Michael Michael's coming you oh my
00:41:22
gosh so now and he and he and he was so theatrical great so we all waiting there
00:41:28
he makes an entrance and he's got a spray uh paint can in in his hand and he
00:41:34
walks doesn't say a word and he shakes it and you can hear it shaking and and
00:41:41
on the wall of the writer's Wing he wrote d a n g or danger and he went any
00:41:49
like that that's what the show lacks and that's what we're going to do like that I went Whoa man so then he would call us
00:41:56
L he would call us in and he would I'll tell you these guys from that era were I
00:42:01
mean this in the most respectful way they were like off the charts crazy like that you know and Michael was like so
00:42:07
listen listen guys he sits me in the office now I'm new and I and I don't even want to be there because I don't I
00:42:13
I've ruined the show so far I don't want to continue you goes like this listen he's
00:42:18
there he's there and he goes like this B po just he and I in the office one-on-one in one of those little producers office he goes I don't get you
00:42:25
I don't think you're funny I don't get it like that like that and I'm going like I'm going like okay well I'll leave
00:42:32
now you want me to go like that and then I I didn't like confront him I said you
00:42:39
know Michael I agree with you I I don't think I belong here either and I I'm honored to see you man and and he goes
00:42:45
like then he softens up and he goes like this well that Sona thing's pretty good I like that son thing that you do he
00:42:51
goes like that and if through all that adversity that angst that Blood Sweat and years it all worked
00:43:01
out by the way and again if I can it's again stop me but John baluchi was when
00:43:08
he he was like a people don't understand he was a comedy God he was a God it was it was like and I and to me aoy was my
00:43:15
guy Danny to this day I have such immense love and respect for because Danny really was he was the he was the
00:43:21
captain of that ship I thought but John was so great so we did the show we start
00:43:26
to catch on a little bit and then John would come back and hang a little bit
00:43:32
and Danny akroy came in and these to me man I was in it was it was it was
00:43:37
accurate in Belushi and the you know just just every just
00:43:44
Kissinger and and Nixon you know pray for me Henry remember he played Nixon with a
00:43:52
mustache exactly and Danny was the of of of how to execute a character so
00:43:58
then they go they go okay we're going to an Afterparty at Joe and episcopo they go episcopo you're going after party we
00:44:05
want you to go with us so we went down to what was the precursor to the House of Blues it was a hole in the wall I
00:44:10
don't know if you got I don't think it was there when you guys went in but it was like in the village and it was just a dive and everybody was there Gilda was
00:44:18
there Alan zel was there it was everybody it's aans now and I'm going like oh my gosh and then and then
00:44:24
Belushi comes over to me at just one onone and he goes pis and
00:44:30
and he goes come here so he walks me over to the Jukebox and there's a big jukebox there and he takes a quarter out
00:44:36
of his pocket back in the day he puts he puts it in in the Jukebox and he punches up Frank sonat New York New York and he
00:44:43
starts to sing it and I'm doing dueling sinatras with John balushi at a bar in
00:44:49
grage village and it was that those are the things that happened and we're singing brand the news and then
00:44:56
to note it it became a moment at the party and everybody came around wow look
00:45:02
at John's with Piscopo look at his and as soon as that happened it became a moment I saw John and he he just shied
00:45:09
away he shrunk away and got out of it all he wanted was a moment and I felt bad and I understood that when you think
00:45:15
people want to be famous I want to be famous I want be it was not easy and I I saw a lot Edy you know too when you got
00:45:20
that big it just wasn't easy but I always appreciated that again and it was the greatness that the humor John
00:45:26
balushi the boldness of John baluchi but I tell you he had a big heart he had a big heart and I saw it right there that
00:45:31
moment what a great you got Eddie you got blushi AIDS out there the [ __ ] Heyday of it all Jesus hey can I can I
00:45:38
ask can I ask a question I question we have we have no structure we don't know what we're doing David David can David
00:45:45
tell me about if I may I would be I would be at uh I went to St mes when I I
00:45:52
was on Broadway and I was across the street with st mes and and then they would tell me Chris Farley was always there at St M yeah right and then I'm in
00:46:00
Beverly Hills and I'm out there and I'm at church and more than once and I forget if it was a Saturday night mask
00:46:07
and there's Chris Farley taking communion walking like like he just had
00:46:12
partied all night and I and we saw each other like whoa I said hey how you doing I wish I I wanted to talk to him I
00:46:19
didn't no he would loved it he would have loved oh old SNL to talk he was
00:46:26
completely a full on Catholic and I mean David know so much better than I did but
00:46:32
yeah he was went to church all the time right David yeah it was all night Saturday uh
00:46:38
rap party straight to church and then uh yeah and back to zero he says I'm back
00:46:44
to zero like he he go in there and confess and do all the things he did and he goes five hell mares later I'm back
00:46:51
to zero I'm all good going to heaven again I go all right well let's ruin it again this week yeah uh yeah he was very
00:46:57
into it and I think he would have really respected and loved to see anyone Mel
00:47:03
especially you did so much oh yeah he would at his young age yeah he would have been yeah all up in your cast for
00:47:09
sure and you and Eddie yeah and listen it's fun for me and Dana because having you on and uh just hearing this stuff it
00:47:16
brings it all back and we're lucky to work with who we worked with and then you got to work with people and you're
00:47:21
part of it all so we heard of your names while we were there it's the same thing
00:47:27
about the cast before you and I'm seeing you killing on SNL doing characters and doing what I want to do you know before
00:47:32
I was lucky enough and you know what David I remember we were at uh we were in
00:47:39
Hollywood somewhere or Los Angeles somewhere and then I was with my son years ago and you and it was a sushi place great sushi place right from the
00:47:46
Beverly Center and you walked in I said hi and you were very nice and very respectful I you know you appreciate that and my son was of course great to
00:47:53
see you know the great David space no it was great and then and then I remember this I don't know why I remember this
00:47:59
but I told Dana this the other night d uh when I was in my makeup chair it was had to be rehearsal or we were doing a
00:48:05
pre-shoot or something and and I looked in the mirror and a kid stuck his head
00:48:10
in went Joe Joe hey I'm a big fan hi my name is Dana Carvey well I don't know why I remember that so that was before
00:48:17
Dana you were doing a series you said you were doing a sitcom had a little deal with NBC I got cast on a show
00:48:23
called one of the boys Mickey Rooney was the star Nathan Lane was the co-star all of a sudden I I'm living in New York in
00:48:29
1981 and I'm shooting this sitcom on the sixth floor and of course I was
00:48:35
possessed by SNL and I did go up to the on Thursday a couple times in bleachers watch you guys running stuff and then we
00:48:42
had the same makeup artist he would do your makeup on Saturday night or was in the at least working Saturday nights and
00:48:50
I would do my Andy Rooney and do certain Impressions he goes you got to tell Joe but I thought I did it Andy Rooney did
00:48:58
it better or something but I remember finding you somewhere Joe Piscopo down this hallway you know it's like a big
00:49:04
lab hi I'm Dana Carvey I I can't I must have been really nervous because I was on ballsy I was on this sitcom that was
00:49:12
it was a death null I mean talk about it we're driving this Scatman K stoned all
00:49:17
day Mickey with a 38 thrown it around the room a revolver they're not going to get me so I was in a mad house and 72
00:49:26
months later I got you're like Hey Joe we're both in Sag I wanted to
00:49:32
say but any anyone who does this or anyone who's been to Satur Night Live you know Tracy Morgan call he says Hey
00:49:38
Alum we're all alums because what is there 16 160 of us and it's almost 50
00:49:44
years that that that experience the pressure and the whatever the feny ass Madness of this there's a horse there's
00:49:51
people juggling now I'm now throw a wig on me and P push me out there so um well
00:49:58
we we appreciate it Joe thanks for taking some time out for us and uh love chatting with you yeah listen with great
00:50:05
respect and great love guys yeah you paint great pictures you're a great Storyteller this was really fun yes
00:50:12
thanks for fing see there see you around campus okay buddy God bless God bless
00:50:18
this has been a presentation of Odyssey please follow subscribe leave a like a
00:50:23
review all the stuff smash that button whatever it is wherever you get your podcast fly on thewall is executive and
00:50:29
produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade Jenna Weiss Burman of Odyssey Charlie finan of Brill Stein entertainment and
00:50:35
Heather Santoro the show's lead producer is Greg
00:50:42
Holtzman
