00:00:01
foreign
00:00:02
[Music]
00:00:05
he looks a little like James Bond he
00:00:07
could pull that off he's like a cool
00:00:09
slick dude he has a really cool fashion
00:00:13
sense he just has a he's just cool he he
00:00:16
is uh unintentionally enigmatic like
00:00:20
he's just been around all these great
00:00:22
things but he doesn't he's not at every
00:00:24
Premiere you know or anything he just
00:00:26
keeps kind of a low profile low thirst
00:00:29
level he's not out there has cool
00:00:31
friends
00:00:32
I think when I was out there
00:00:34
about two summers ago we went for a walk
00:00:37
in Washington Park
00:00:39
to see everyone on drugs in the summer
00:00:41
and uh
00:00:43
I think Gigi Hadid had a birthday party
00:00:45
that night he was going to he's like oh
00:00:48
um you wouldn't want to go but there's
00:00:50
this big birthday party I go yeah that
00:00:51
would be horrible I think I'll just go
00:00:53
to Chili's with my friends did you go
00:00:55
um Dana I don't jump when you say frog
00:00:58
do you understand I'm very unpredictable
00:01:00
well Gigi Hadid called me no what's up
00:01:02
with space why were you there no I don't
00:01:04
go anywhere I'm a shut-in you know that
00:01:06
anyway I cornrowed my hair for no reason
00:01:08
and I didn't go I just went to Outback
00:01:10
but Justin Justin Thoreau Ben Stiller
00:01:13
told me
00:01:14
because we're friends that um he's kind
00:01:18
of The Man Behind the Scenes that's
00:01:19
influenced a lot of comedy in the last
00:01:21
25 years and especially Tropic Thunder
00:01:25
which to me is uh probably the most
00:01:28
brilliant along with hangover and
00:01:31
and Will Ferrell
00:01:33
um Anchorman those are the me the three
00:01:35
temples in the last 20 years and since
00:01:37
the knots into the the teens those are
00:01:41
the ones so we break down Tropic Thunder
00:01:43
and talk about how it's problematic in
00:01:45
2023 and whether it should be or not in
00:01:47
Mel Brooks and movies and that's I
00:01:49
wanted to ask about you know I've met
00:01:51
him we didn't talk about this I think I
00:01:53
met him at Jennifer's when we were
00:01:54
watching
00:01:55
we'd watch The Bachelor and do goofy
00:01:58
stuff like that but I think he was there
00:01:59
and I think they were just about to get
00:02:01
married and I wanted to take him off
00:02:04
guard at the beginning and go okay here
00:02:06
we go Justin Thoreau first question
00:02:09
what are your thoughts on Jennifer
00:02:10
Aniston you have one hour
00:02:13
what a great beginning to make a move
00:02:15
wait this isn't gonna be about that uh
00:02:17
but he did get pop broads a lot that's a
00:02:19
hassle we didn't even get an L that's
00:02:20
that's just my thoughts on it it's
00:02:22
always hard to be in situation like that
00:02:25
and then they're always up Jennifer's
00:02:27
ass and uh she's very good about it but
00:02:29
man she gets hounded out there well the
00:02:31
Line in the Sand for me is like say you
00:02:33
go out and you're a celebrity and maybe
00:02:34
it's at the restaurant this and there
00:02:36
but at your house they're outside the
00:02:38
gate yeah wherever it is 24 wherever you
00:02:41
go that is a gilded cage that's a tough
00:02:43
one yeah I mean I fought through them to
00:02:45
get get over your place today I dream
00:02:47
about having it
00:02:48
um anyway this is Justin he's at White
00:02:51
House plumbers White House plumbers with
00:02:54
Woody Harrelson we talk about their
00:02:55
friendship and that that movie and him
00:02:57
playing G Gordon Liddy
00:03:00
um that's out now well here he is Justin
00:03:02
and you'll get to know him
00:03:04
I just joked and almost died
00:03:07
nobody cares no one rushed me to save me
00:03:11
[ __ ] people you're in you're off the
00:03:13
charts with energy today I am yeah
00:03:16
that's because I had chia pudding
00:03:19
Popeye
00:03:22
and and some uh
00:03:26
Popeye getting kicked in the groin
00:03:32
oh did you say groin or nuts no crotch I
00:03:36
think this is it me in college here's my
00:03:40
uh I'll do it I'll do one of mine here's
00:03:42
my first show
00:03:43
I got a new car well it's not really new
00:03:45
it's an old UPS truck I got a second
00:03:47
Park wherever I want
00:03:48
guys Park wherever I want to
00:03:51
because UPS trucks used to just park oil
00:03:54
yeah like Amazon now
00:03:56
I can't walk you through all of them
00:03:57
guys it was a 10 out of 10. that is not
00:04:00
in your current set is it no it might
00:04:02
come back
00:04:03
I just wanted fast stuff
00:04:05
[Music]
00:04:08
foreign
00:04:09
[Music]
00:04:12
welcome welcome to the podcast ladies
00:04:15
and gentlemen our guest today you are uh
00:04:18
he's a real let me tell you something
00:04:19
first of all Dana to get get off on the
00:04:21
right foot uh this is this is not some
00:04:23
sort of puff piece like smartless oh
00:04:26
yeah you're Precious Precious he's gone
00:04:28
about once a week and just tear me to
00:04:30
shreds and it and I saw Jason Bateman a
00:04:33
couple nights ago and I said it's a
00:04:35
really terrible feeling because it you
00:04:37
can't I can't punch back you know like
00:04:39
there's no I can't they're they're on
00:04:41
the air they got the [ __ ] bandwidth
00:04:43
you know they got three against one
00:04:44
Jason Jason wasn't even at dinner I
00:04:47
don't know what happened hey I was there
00:04:49
very early I could have gone hey come on
00:04:51
you guys
00:04:52
I just that was a horrible Sean Hayes no
00:04:56
they're they're very nice they're great
00:04:58
Justin remember when I was on remember
00:05:01
I'm sure you watched it a lot of times
00:05:02
uh he said I saw spade and then he
00:05:06
doesn't say where he goes we were at
00:05:08
both at a seafood restaurant and he
00:05:10
talks about I go do you mean koi and he
00:05:13
goes yeah and I go isn't that a sushi
00:05:15
who the [ __ ] calls it a seafood
00:05:17
I laughed so hard at that because yeah
00:05:21
now whenever people are like what should
00:05:23
we get I'm like let's go get Seafood
00:05:24
Japanese seafood
00:05:27
it's hard to you got to identify what
00:05:30
the restaurant is so how uh what's up
00:05:32
today man how are you I'm good I'm in
00:05:35
New York City I speaking Sean has just
00:05:37
saw his play the other night
00:05:38
um which was fabulous good night Oscar
00:05:40
right so good I'm plugging him now who's
00:05:43
saying
00:05:44
Oscar what's that what's that what's the
00:05:47
storyline it's a it's a oh God it's
00:05:49
about uh Oscar Levant uh a sort of
00:05:51
famous pianist humorist Contour
00:05:55
um and it sort of takes place uh uh uh
00:05:58
on the evening that he has to appear on
00:06:00
a jackpot show the best play I ever saw
00:06:03
our show I don't I'm not a theater right
00:06:06
but I my wife I mentioned her twice now
00:06:09
fall in love with the theater in recent
00:06:11
times now that we're old but we saw the
00:06:13
Freeman in London
00:06:16
blew my mind you know theater is one of
00:06:19
those things it's there's nothing better
00:06:21
when you see a good play and there's
00:06:23
also nothing worse than when you're
00:06:25
watching a bad one and so it always
00:06:27
makes you feel like that you know
00:06:29
there's you're spinning a a gun with you
00:06:32
know two bullets in the chamber you know
00:06:34
you'd think oh God now when you when you
00:06:36
go when you go last night or whenever to
00:06:38
see Sean and you know ahead it's
00:06:40
probably gonna be horrible do you do any
00:06:43
prep work no I I no I well it was a big
00:06:48
group going you know like the smartless
00:06:49
guys all went obviously it was an
00:06:51
opening night it was a big Fanfare
00:06:53
um and you know it was like a real who's
00:06:56
who of um of people and of funny people
00:06:58
too I did see that I just saw you on
00:07:00
that and I was looking and um I know
00:07:03
that smartless has a they Dana they
00:07:06
redid a Hummer and they put smartless
00:07:08
all over it and they drive that around
00:07:09
the country so to let them know they go
00:07:12
it's the three guys and they pop out
00:07:13
like the uh tank out of the top you know
00:07:15
they are the cool the cool kids and if
00:07:17
it was high school if life is high
00:07:19
school they are definitely the cool kids
00:07:20
at chimney corners they're great though
00:07:23
they're all like whatever that chemistry
00:07:25
is is very funny which I would also
00:07:26
argue you guys have as well
00:07:28
um on your podcast they're very very
00:07:31
likable
00:07:32
um and smart I just watched Justin in um
00:07:35
the Watergate uh show
00:07:38
it's called what Justin I'm gonna call
00:07:40
the White House
00:07:42
White House plumbers yep close enough
00:07:45
and he's on that and it's going to be on
00:07:48
what HBO May 1st we're just getting
00:07:51
right to the plot no I'm just gonna say
00:07:53
this because I just saw it and you look
00:07:54
a lot like the guy in it
00:07:56
um that plays G Gordon Lenny and uh I
00:07:59
watched one last night and I started one
00:08:02
this morning so I got a feel I don't
00:08:03
know where it goes but I would say it
00:08:05
looked like a a lot of fun B it looks
00:08:07
super [ __ ] cool looks shot cool
00:08:11
and who is the director on that is it
00:08:13
Dave Mandel Dave Mandel from SNL Rider
00:08:17
yeah oldest Dave Mandel yeah
00:08:25
within the first two minutes of uh White
00:08:28
House plumbers is that was he coming to
00:08:31
your office or Woody's office he comes
00:08:33
in the Woody's office yeah which is PS
00:08:36
Jim Downey is who we're talking about he
00:08:37
does a a he's sweet enough to come in
00:08:39
and do a cameo and um and we all got to
00:08:42
bend his ear about early SNL days oh he
00:08:45
is the greatest talker ever so much fun
00:08:48
you could just sit there and listen to
00:08:49
him you know I mean I'm certain to you
00:08:51
guys he was sort of I guess more
00:08:53
intimidating but
00:08:55
um you know when so you know at the
00:08:57
thing when someone's I guess kind of
00:08:58
your was he your boss or no I mean he's
00:09:00
a writer no he was head writer when I
00:09:02
first got there and uh no that's not
00:09:05
really Dana's boss that's my boss wasn't
00:09:07
but uh I was I was more I was scared of
00:09:10
Lauren in a way like most people are Jim
00:09:12
was pretty
00:09:13
he was he was pretty approachable but
00:09:16
I'd be more nervous about him now but
00:09:18
yeah he when he came on our podcast he
00:09:20
called me the day before and I was
00:09:22
driving we talked for an hour and a half
00:09:23
and I said you've just done the podcast
00:09:25
now we have to do it tomorrow because he
00:09:28
no one can talk like him but um yeah I
00:09:32
just wanted to overall it's just I
00:09:33
researching you you're you're like you
00:09:36
you're you kind of do everything you're
00:09:38
very uh light on your feet you do a lot
00:09:41
of voices you do a lot of characters you
00:09:43
do a lot of Comedy you do a lot of drama
00:09:46
uh I don't even I just want you to
00:09:48
comment on that I don't want to go like
00:09:50
was this your career plan but you do do
00:09:53
a lot of stuff James I do a lot of sort
00:09:55
of tripping upstairs I get I mean
00:09:57
obviously lucky uh uh to a large extent
00:10:01
but I I kind of I don't know I I owe a
00:10:05
lot of it to sort of just having a short
00:10:06
attention span and that I can't when I
00:10:08
do one thing for too long I get kind of
00:10:10
bored and I think oh I don't want to do
00:10:13
that again or I don't want to do this
00:10:14
again
00:10:15
um and then I just sort of and I'm I
00:10:18
guess patient enough that I can I can go
00:10:21
without doing something if I don't if
00:10:22
there's nothing I really that's perking
00:10:24
my interest you know
00:10:26
um so I'm not one of those people that
00:10:28
feels like oh I have to be working all
00:10:29
the time uh just to be doing something
00:10:31
so I'll I'll go for stretches without
00:10:33
work but you know sometimes cooking
00:10:35
something up in the lab you know writing
00:10:37
something or
00:10:39
um um or I'll do you know just sort of
00:10:41
an animated thing or I don't know it's
00:10:42
weird I I it's not
00:10:45
it's been a very bizarre kind of like
00:10:47
you know I guess career but it sort of
00:10:50
just it's sort of has well it's a it's a
00:10:53
little bit if the word gets out kind of
00:10:55
like what can't he do well could he
00:10:57
write our script yeah could he direct
00:10:59
sure will he produce maybe can he play
00:11:01
an Irishman with a good accent can he
00:11:04
that's too big you know can he write
00:11:06
Tropic Thunder and then right you know
00:11:08
being a Mulholland Drive or whatever
00:11:11
that David Lynch film so it is like it's
00:11:13
hard to pin you down it's great not to
00:11:15
be pinned down I think it's the best I
00:11:17
mean a virtue and it it leads to some
00:11:20
more interesting choices sometimes to to
00:11:23
kind of
00:11:24
um not be able to be Typecast in certain
00:11:27
or just seen in certain ways you know in
00:11:29
certain lights I guess that's a gift
00:11:31
though because there's very like even in
00:11:34
the comedy World some people go oh why
00:11:35
didn't you do that comedy movie I go
00:11:37
first of all if they want a comedian
00:11:39
they start with these top five no matter
00:11:41
if they're right for the script or not
00:11:42
they just go out to them and then after
00:11:44
that if they want this kind of Comedy
00:11:46
they go to me if they want this two
00:11:48
percent different from that kind they go
00:11:50
because people go oh you should do stuff
00:11:51
like Sandler but that's a gift you're
00:11:53
doing a lot of different things and
00:11:54
that's
00:11:55
not always up to the actor yeah I mean
00:11:59
it's gotten better I mean as we all know
00:12:02
like you know when you first start out
00:12:04
you're you'll take any you know it's
00:12:06
like you just need to you need to be
00:12:08
seeing how things are made and you know
00:12:10
so I started out I mean I did like I was
00:12:12
an extra on like maybe the worst soap
00:12:14
opera in New York's history you know
00:12:15
like and a lot of people do you know a
00:12:18
little bit of extra work no it was a
00:12:20
half hour soap called um loving good
00:12:22
call um I Remember Loving do you it was
00:12:25
kind of like a younger soap it wasn't
00:12:28
like you know but it was um and I was an
00:12:31
extra on it and then they gave me I
00:12:32
played a drug dealer and they gave me a
00:12:35
couple lines
00:12:36
um but it was really you know that was
00:12:37
more just and it's also I mean hilarious
00:12:39
because you know those soaps are usually
00:12:41
written by you know guys who are much
00:12:44
older and you know they're trying to
00:12:45
write like cool drug lingo so I had like
00:12:48
lines that were like um you know like oh
00:12:50
let's get let's give him this stuff
00:12:52
he'll get a really good buzz on you know
00:12:55
like you got the scratch and the lettuce
00:12:57
you know that whatever so it's like no
00:13:00
drug dealer in the world it was funny I
00:13:03
was actually doing it with this other
00:13:04
actor I learned a big lesson
00:13:07
um we thought oh this is so terrible so
00:13:09
let's kind of send it up and make it fun
00:13:12
you know like let's just so that when we
00:13:13
watch it you know a week later when it
00:13:15
airs you know we can all have a giggle
00:13:17
and so we sort of did it sort of bad you
00:13:20
know like like hey this stuff's Gonna
00:13:21
Get You higher than a kite like this
00:13:24
stuff's really good you know blah blah
00:13:25
blah blah then we went and we watched it
00:13:27
like a week later and
00:13:30
we were mortified because the writing
00:13:33
didn't look bad like the other actors
00:13:36
didn't look bad we looked [ __ ]
00:13:38
terrible and it was because we weren't
00:13:40
understanding the medium of it it's like
00:13:42
if you if you're gonna try and be funny
00:13:43
do it in the medium that you're supposed
00:13:45
to be funny in not on a daytime soap
00:13:47
opera you know what I mean
00:13:49
it's a sketch show you know so yeah you
00:13:52
never know what they're gonna like
00:13:53
though sometimes like oh you guys are
00:13:55
awesome or get out we ever fired
00:13:58
summarily from a show I've likely have
00:14:01
not been fired just immediately how many
00:14:04
times have you been fired is the real
00:14:05
question I've never been I've been fired
00:14:07
you know really fired it's always
00:14:09
getting fired what does that look like
00:14:12
there's a lot of firings going on at
00:14:13
least I was surprised they let me get in
00:14:15
the costume and go in the fake
00:14:16
helicopter with James farentino and then
00:14:19
they said hey come down here in 100 crew
00:14:21
and this is in the 80s and they said
00:14:23
yeah we're gonna let you go so I had to
00:14:25
walk in front of everyone like the old
00:14:27
TV show Brandon shame
00:14:31
or things that people have been fired
00:14:34
off of and it's always kind of like to
00:14:36
to call them afterwards but hey that was
00:14:38
[ __ ] not cool man that was [ __ ]
00:14:41
you always have to take their side here
00:14:43
even though you were the one lobbying to
00:14:45
get them off you know you were horrible
00:14:47
you [ __ ] well James farentino was
00:14:50
high as a kite literally coked up and
00:14:52
straight vodka and we're up in the fake
00:14:54
Chopper and he got a smile when they
00:14:55
started approaching the chopper so I
00:14:57
kind of felt like I think Jimmy kind of
00:14:59
said I think the kids gotta go but I
00:15:02
sucked I sucked and I was so happy to
00:15:04
get out of there I did it to make money
00:15:05
and that's never a good reason are you
00:15:07
the worst decision when you think like
00:15:09
this is smart for my career or this will
00:15:11
be good money like it's every time I've
00:15:13
done that I'd make a terrible I usually
00:15:16
can you share when you might have done
00:15:18
that no I mean it's
00:15:21
um okay because you know want to appear
00:15:23
ungrateful you know because you're also
00:15:24
yeah I got you
00:15:26
um you know you're also happy to be
00:15:28
working sometimes you know um but it
00:15:30
usually doesn't pan out if I I have
00:15:32
learned that lesson which is you know it
00:15:34
has to have some I have to be wanting to
00:15:37
lean into it creatively you know um and
00:15:39
find it enjoyable it seems like if you
00:15:41
have you been through a period or is is
00:15:44
this sort of so-called the most offers
00:15:46
you're getting right now or was there
00:15:48
periods hotter it seems like you just
00:15:50
have this very even trajectory just kind
00:15:52
of have I just kind of bump along you
00:15:54
know like I don't it's I don't in a good
00:15:57
way I don't think I've ever had that
00:15:59
like overnight anything you know like
00:16:02
there's there's no been like there's no
00:16:04
moment where I've ever been like hotter
00:16:06
than ever it's just kind of like I've
00:16:08
just been sort of slow and steady trying
00:16:10
to win the race you know I've been I
00:16:12
think obviously a lot of friends of mine
00:16:14
and you know have had that thing where
00:16:16
all of a sudden Hollywood's wand Taps
00:16:18
them on the head and the next day
00:16:19
they're [ __ ] everywhere and you think
00:16:21
holy [ __ ] and I can't even I don't think
00:16:23
my my nervous system would be able to
00:16:25
handle that kind of a thing you know
00:16:28
what I mean I see you have a trophy look
00:16:29
at Danny he's got a trophy behind him uh
00:16:31
what do you think that's for what I
00:16:34
don't see what
00:16:35
foreign
00:16:36
yeah that's boxing
00:16:39
I can't see cheerleading is oh
00:16:42
cheerleading pretty close David I'm not
00:16:44
I'm oh last place last night I won't say
00:16:48
you're a hoarder but you have a lot of
00:16:49
stuff going on in my office I can't flip
00:16:54
the camera around it wouldn't look this
00:16:55
terrible if my I'm a complete mess I'm
00:16:58
just at a room somewhere that's nice and
00:17:00
tidy can I ask you just for a second
00:17:01
because one thing is about your
00:17:03
physicality like you can really look
00:17:06
good good you and David have that in
00:17:07
common you can look good with your shirt
00:17:09
off
00:17:10
um and then I heard you were a break
00:17:11
dancer and my son was a break dancer so
00:17:14
he had a few questions for you so when
00:17:16
you were 10 how many years did you do it
00:17:18
like a couple years or
00:17:20
um I did it I was really young and I did
00:17:22
it
00:17:23
um I really loved uh hip-hop and I
00:17:27
really loved breakdancing and I did it I
00:17:29
want to say for I mean you never stop
00:17:31
really do you
00:17:32
um but um no it's probably hardcore into
00:17:35
it for like
00:17:37
two or three years maybe oh okay yeah I
00:17:40
have such an appreciation for it I mean
00:17:41
it really is floor gymnastics power
00:17:43
moves it teaches you how to use your
00:17:45
whole body it's it's uh he asked what
00:17:48
you did you do uh were you more of a top
00:17:50
rock or a footwork guy I was um I I was
00:17:53
a pretty decent popper so sort of um
00:17:56
popping and lock and and then
00:17:58
um and then I was good at floor work you
00:18:00
know I was uh you know I could
00:18:02
definitely that's backspin has been head
00:18:04
spins a little and then I could win I
00:18:07
tried to I attempted a windmill
00:18:09
uh like a year ago and boy did that not
00:18:11
go well it's and you know even to just
00:18:13
do a little
00:18:15
floor work is really exhausting what's
00:18:17
up what's your best a freeze yeah oh I
00:18:20
could just freeze up you know on you
00:18:22
know sort of up on my you know with legs
00:18:24
up you know sort of legs up you hold it
00:18:26
yeah is that what it is you spin and
00:18:28
start I didn't describe break dancing on
00:18:29
a on a podcast yeah I would phrase it
00:18:33
was on the floor my arms were sort of up
00:18:35
like this and then my legs yeah bent
00:18:37
you're just holding a pose on the floor
00:18:39
that takes a lot of a lot of strength
00:18:41
and did you have a crew name yeah
00:18:43
Sergeant pop and the bionic Breakers
00:18:53
but I do think that physicality
00:18:55
physicality stays with you you know I
00:18:58
mean I was a runner in high school
00:18:59
distance Runner and I still like to get
00:19:01
that feeling of uh working really hard
00:19:04
cardiovascularly so it's sprinting
00:19:07
recently because that's hard recently
00:19:10
um I still could make a case I don't
00:19:12
know if they do it with CGI but I would
00:19:15
say Tom Cruise sprinting and Mission
00:19:18
Impossible in his mid 50s
00:19:21
that's a lot of good take on it if
00:19:23
that's real his hip flexors a lot of
00:19:25
stuff has to be working to Sprint after
00:19:28
50. I had this sort of delusional and
00:19:31
still kind of do although I'm snapping
00:19:32
out of it a little bit this sort of
00:19:34
delusional when I'd watch like sports
00:19:35
like like the Olympics for example like
00:19:38
someone on like those Rings what do they
00:19:40
call the uh you know or or the powers I
00:19:44
would sort of always watch and go like I
00:19:46
could do that I mean like if I was like
00:19:48
set up in an ideal situation training
00:19:51
camp diet although I said I could do
00:19:52
that and then you know like or or like
00:19:55
swimming I'd be like I could do that you
00:19:56
know I mean or football or baseball you
00:19:59
know I just I had this like in my head
00:20:00
like I know that I bet I could do that
00:20:02
you know I did gymnastics in high school
00:20:04
and I did the horse I did the Rings and
00:20:06
I really I didn't know and I did the
00:20:09
apparel of ours oh yeah why do you think
00:20:11
I'm such a [ __ ] could you do the
00:20:13
audience could you do the iron cross on
00:20:15
the brain that's the fake thing they do
00:20:17
with CGI well I needed to get contacts
00:20:20
out I I could do I could do where I'm on
00:20:23
my like an L sit on the ground not a v
00:20:26
but an L you know you're on your
00:20:27
fingertips stick your legs out I could
00:20:30
do a idea I was best on the parallel
00:20:33
bars and then um pommel horse was
00:20:35
tougher could you do that thing on the
00:20:37
pommel horse where you know you sort of
00:20:39
go swing your legs a little bit like
00:20:40
they're like dead bump at legs yeah
00:20:43
because I was all obviously upper body
00:20:46
strength but my um legs were puny and
00:20:50
weak and then I also did was it oh the
00:20:52
parallel bars I did the best on the the
00:20:54
Rings are very hard because you have to
00:20:56
sort of dislocate when you flip around
00:20:58
and it's very hard to do the first one
00:21:01
you gotta trust that you're gonna ruin
00:21:03
your shoulders for life and then uh
00:21:06
dated my coach bro no I uh I have a I
00:21:09
have a quick question about your break
00:21:11
dancing which I'm just going to the
00:21:13
phones the question is do you carry a
00:21:18
slab of
00:21:19
cardboard I did yeah we did I was cool
00:21:23
that and I remember here's what I
00:21:25
remember my break dancing is we always
00:21:26
had a slab of cardboard with sort of
00:21:28
duct tape together because you have to
00:21:29
you know you try and find like we have a
00:21:31
couple like something like a
00:21:32
refrigerator cardboard thing yeah
00:21:34
and then I remember
00:21:36
walking around endlessly with a with a
00:21:39
huge radio and the enormous amount of
00:21:41
money right it would cost to buy those
00:21:43
[ __ ] D batteries
00:21:45
like 80 of them you know that went in
00:21:48
the back oh yeah I take like 40 yeah and
00:21:52
you got to go get a pack and it's like
00:21:54
so much money and then you buy it for
00:21:56
like two hours and all of a sudden the
00:21:57
tape starts slowing down when the
00:21:58
batteries
00:22:04
jump start get don't stop I know that
00:22:07
whole song uh yeah so anyway can we talk
00:22:11
about it for a few minutes about how you
00:22:14
became who you are like your childhood
00:22:16
just a little bit because I don't know
00:22:18
where you came from I know your mom was
00:22:20
actually
00:22:21
um
00:22:22
well no it wasn't a big part of my I got
00:22:25
it I don't even worry I I got arrested
00:22:27
when I was a real a kid for vandalizing
00:22:30
cars and I
00:22:32
um and part of my sentence because they
00:22:35
obviously can't send a you know 12 year
00:22:37
old or 13 year old to The Slammer
00:22:39
um my sentence was that I had to do this
00:22:41
summer program in Washington DC which
00:22:43
was break dancing
00:22:45
um so you were sentenced I love it
00:22:47
sentence tool this is like a time of
00:22:49
dance you know
00:22:51
um but no it was like it was like a
00:22:53
weird thing I did these like summer
00:22:54
programs like I mean I felt like I was
00:22:56
always in like some summer program for
00:22:57
summer school or summer were you in
00:22:59
trouble more was that a one-off or were
00:23:01
you kind of in trouble with the law a
00:23:03
little bit I was a juvenile delinquent
00:23:04
too for a while but not I wasn't like a
00:23:06
juvenile delinquent like you know know
00:23:09
like any High criminal activity it was
00:23:11
more just kind of um I was extremely
00:23:14
hyperactive and unfocused so that would
00:23:17
always inevitably lead to trouble like I
00:23:19
would just do things impulsively like a
00:23:21
lot of young boys do
00:23:23
um where you just do something stupid
00:23:25
you know like I remember I threw a rock
00:23:28
through a cab window once like I mean
00:23:31
but it wasn't it was it wasn't like I
00:23:33
was like I'm gonna [ __ ] throw this
00:23:34
rock through a cabin it was like oh
00:23:37
there's a rock now I'm holding the rock
00:23:39
what would happen if I threw this and
00:23:41
before that thought had finished it was
00:23:43
already through a window you know what I
00:23:44
mean like it was that kind of
00:23:46
hyperactivity I guess uh impulse control
00:23:49
I guess uh boys brains UHD used to be
00:23:52
called ants in your pants yeah
00:23:54
so that was the diagnosis back then
00:24:00
[Music]
00:24:02
my mom was a writer he was a lawyer he
00:24:05
was a um he was he was a Vietnam veteran
00:24:08
uh and uh and then went into law when he
00:24:11
got back and um my mom was a writer for
00:24:15
the Washington Post a columnist or an
00:24:17
essayist I should say
00:24:19
um and the New York Times was she riding
00:24:23
during Watergate she wasn't she started
00:24:25
writing sort of in the 80s you know but
00:24:27
she did used to take me into the you
00:24:29
know that big sort of
00:24:31
uh enormous you know that was famous
00:24:34
from all the president's been a big war
00:24:35
room she was in one of those floors oh
00:24:37
those are cool yeah this is when I was
00:24:40
really little she would yeah like stuff
00:24:41
me under the desk and it was Six
00:24:43
Trillion ball typewriters and you know
00:24:45
that endless amounts of cigarette
00:24:47
smoking
00:24:48
so another thing that Flynn filler told
00:24:51
me I can't remember his real name uh
00:24:53
that you're you're a great illustrator
00:24:56
and I know you you studied Visual Arts
00:24:58
and stuff just another kind of thing you
00:24:59
can do so you when did that start and I
00:25:02
started um in when I was really little I
00:25:05
I had I loved I loved drawing so I went
00:25:07
to I ended up going to college for both
00:25:10
visual art and drama so I graduated as a
00:25:12
double major and when I got to New York
00:25:14
I actually was doing better with the
00:25:18
visual arts stuff like uh uh meaning
00:25:20
like I wasn't doing like I wasn't like a
00:25:22
painter in the you know I wasn't like
00:25:24
doing Landscapes or anything I would do
00:25:25
like big sort of murals graffiti type
00:25:28
stuff I worked in a bunch of clubs and
00:25:30
you know I would do the video nice did
00:25:34
you ever yeah like Basquiat then sort of
00:25:36
like and then yeah it was more sort of
00:25:38
like an anime sort of graffiti style
00:25:40
sort of a hip-hop you know like Phil
00:25:42
Hartman had that I know I just said that
00:25:44
he was the design album covers and stuff
00:25:47
yeah yeah
00:25:48
logo
00:25:56
what's that
00:25:57
Ben Ben Stiller's production company
00:26:00
at one point I just jump in with some
00:26:03
nonsense
00:26:05
why I know it's so cool I mean you do
00:26:08
you still uh they would call it the old
00:26:10
days doodle you just when you're talking
00:26:12
or trying to come up with something dude
00:26:14
yeah a few little sketches in the
00:26:17
margins or something
00:26:19
um uh or of something if I'm reading but
00:26:22
I also just sort of keep a loose
00:26:24
Sketchbook I don't but I don't do it
00:26:25
that much but I I do like to
00:26:28
occasionally when I remind myself if I'm
00:26:30
not working I'll just be like oh yeah I
00:26:32
could let's try something do you still
00:26:34
own a 64 pack of Crayola that big cinder
00:26:38
block with a balcony in it no goddamn
00:26:41
color in the rainbow
00:26:43
so much
00:26:45
um because you can't get the same line
00:26:48
out of them well it's just not like a
00:26:49
medium I like that you know they just
00:26:51
even when I was little they frustrated
00:26:53
me I wanted like a black pen or I wanted
00:26:55
a really fresh magic marker
00:26:57
did not want to [ __ ] Crush one fresh
00:27:00
right out of the box before the ink
00:27:02
starts to run out yeah you don't want to
00:27:04
dry it magic yeah listen to this guy uh
00:27:08
I had a crayons with a sharpener on the
00:27:11
back so hmm
00:27:12
uh oh wait do you think you know
00:27:15
Watergate you're just saying someone
00:27:17
said it uh I did you know do you think
00:27:19
kids today know that if something bad
00:27:23
happens like if some if there's a
00:27:24
scandal at Disney and they call it
00:27:26
Disney gate like even they say gate
00:27:28
about everything that they think they
00:27:30
know it comes from Watergate I don't
00:27:32
think so they probably think it comes
00:27:34
from you know
00:27:36
it's just the things
00:27:38
they don't know what it means it's a
00:27:40
weird it's a weird thing to actually
00:27:42
catch on something gate because
00:27:44
Watergate was one word wasn't it was it
00:27:46
a building Watergate Hotel yeah the
00:27:48
Watergate hotel and offices like it was
00:27:50
just a building it's a it's a condo
00:27:53
that shitty little building never knew
00:27:55
how famous it was going to get never if
00:27:57
it had only it shouldn't it was famous
00:27:59
though I mean it is sort of a landmark
00:28:02
in Washington oh I don't know anything
00:28:03
I'm just talking out of myself
00:28:06
so then again I mean as far as your own
00:28:09
ambition is so so then then you're going
00:28:10
to become a Broadway actor but you did
00:28:13
study in college a bit but you're an
00:28:15
illustrator and then you you just
00:28:17
auditioned and started getting work or
00:28:18
did you yeah we all I struggled just
00:28:21
like everybody else I you know it's a
00:28:23
good it's it's fun to reminisce about
00:28:25
because I I came up with a great there
00:28:28
were other actors that are now we all
00:28:30
know and and we were all sort of in that
00:28:32
group and we all sort of started to
00:28:34
happen or things started going well at
00:28:36
different times but New York was a I
00:28:40
think different than La you know La I
00:28:42
feel like I could be wrong you know but
00:28:44
La always like whenever the couple times
00:28:46
I did go to audition out there
00:28:48
um I would always it felt really
00:28:50
competitive and not good and not like
00:28:53
everyone didn't want everyone to do well
00:28:54
New York
00:28:56
because a lot of times we're auditioning
00:28:57
for theater things that you know it felt
00:28:59
like supportive like you could see a
00:29:01
friend at an audition and be like hey
00:29:02
great job or I hope you do you know like
00:29:04
it was it felt like um
00:29:06
didn't feel competitive you know whereas
00:29:09
that was oppressive and is dark and
00:29:12
weird I mean auditioning there it just
00:29:14
was not not fun yeah you're driving you
00:29:17
go park in the structure you then I mean
00:29:19
just the amount of effort that it took
00:29:21
to go to an audition in Los Angeles you
00:29:23
know it was an all-day Affair sometimes
00:29:24
and but anyway uh you had to go pick up
00:29:27
the script like in the valley the day
00:29:29
before and then bring the whole script
00:29:31
home read it and then go back to
00:29:33
audition for three lines in the script
00:29:34
yeah terrible or or they wouldn't even
00:29:36
give you that they just give you some
00:29:37
pages sites how am I supposed to do this
00:29:40
and is this this is pre-cell phones
00:29:42
right because I would get lost and not
00:29:44
start crying I just pull over and go
00:29:46
like I'm [ __ ] my appointment is in 10
00:29:48
minutes I'm in Culver City guide yeah
00:29:51
and you'd look for a pay phone it was a
00:29:53
nightmare pretty youngsters listening
00:29:55
yeah yeah it was terrible where's in New
00:29:58
York it was like it felt like you know
00:30:01
dropping off something at the dry
00:30:02
cleaners then you hit your audition then
00:30:04
you go to the grocery store you know
00:30:05
like it it felt like an and more than a
00:30:07
in a weird way you can kind of get more
00:30:09
of them done here in New York but it
00:30:11
always felt weird because they'd always
00:30:12
be like yeah they want to put you on
00:30:13
tape for everyone in La I just always
00:30:15
envisioned this enormous plane that just
00:30:18
had tapes dumping off the back of it you
00:30:21
know just ended up you would never hear
00:30:23
back from anything you just never
00:30:25
you know that was humiliating I even
00:30:27
they said you'd be good for a commercial
00:30:29
because I wasn't like clicking in any
00:30:31
other uh area so they go you've got a
00:30:34
great look for commercial blonde hair
00:30:36
and I was like I've got a pretty sweet
00:30:39
body you know so they were like and I
00:30:41
look young so I go still my gymnast
00:30:44
stuff was going on a little bit at that
00:30:45
point and then I get this uh sbv Sutton
00:30:49
Barth and venereal disease we called it
00:30:51
and it was a commercial agent and they
00:30:53
would send me out
00:30:55
you know God love them twice a day so
00:30:57
I'd go to the valley when it's 100
00:31:00
degrees wearing a suit then go in the
00:31:02
trunk and get shorts drive over and
00:31:05
you're in college and this one and
00:31:07
you're and I went up for one year and I
00:31:09
did not get one nothing so humiliated
00:31:12
it's how did I [ __ ] ever make it out
00:31:16
of that it was like I'm mad talk about
00:31:18
anxiety and sadness like we have to do a
00:31:21
lot of their own names
00:31:25
that you'd go on where like it would be
00:31:27
for a commercial and you'd and they
00:31:30
wouldn't want to tell you what the
00:31:31
product was or they wouldn't want to
00:31:33
tell you what it what the concept was
00:31:34
and then you go into a room and there'd
00:31:37
be like a beach ball a pool noodle
00:31:40
um you know a funny pair of glasses and
00:31:42
they'd be like just do something you'd
00:31:44
be like oh yuck no clown Jump Around
00:31:48
clown they go We're not gonna tell you
00:31:49
what it is I go go [ __ ] yourself no I
00:31:51
didn't I said okay what is it I jump on
00:31:53
the beach ball
00:31:54
the worst one I ever went on was
00:31:56
actually for Thin Red Line and it was
00:31:59
although I didn't know it at the time it
00:32:00
wasn't but it was and it was I knew it
00:32:03
was a Terence Malik movie and it was a
00:32:05
war room and it was the worst audition
00:32:07
I've ever had in my life because they
00:32:10
they didn't
00:32:12
um of course there was no script of
00:32:15
course there was no character there was
00:32:16
no whatever and I go to this office
00:32:18
building on 68th Street or something
00:32:19
wherever it was
00:32:21
and um and it wasn't with him obviously
00:32:24
it was like with some you know the
00:32:25
second assistant to the casting director
00:32:27
and then they sort of flick on the
00:32:28
camera and they were like okay just
00:32:30
pretend you're in war
00:32:32
and I was like what and like they were
00:32:33
like you can dump over the chairs or
00:32:35
pretend they're you're in a foxhole or
00:32:36
whatever and I was like what the hell am
00:32:39
I supposed like so then I got you just
00:32:41
go right on the stage now pretend you're
00:32:42
in more shooting but I don't have any
00:32:44
lines there's nothing I can say and I'm
00:32:46
not gonna so what did you do realizing
00:32:48
for I just basically kind of rolled
00:32:50
around on the floor for about three
00:32:51
minutes and then and then when I I don't
00:32:53
think I can do this but that's one of
00:32:55
those ones you're like you really just
00:32:56
feel like a monkey on a string you're
00:32:58
like what you know you have to at least
00:32:59
give me something tell me what I'm
00:33:01
supposed to do in this all right just
00:33:03
give me an angle you're scared and more
00:33:04
you these people are coming and yeah you
00:33:06
gotta tell your friends give me the
00:33:08
setup you know it's like David would
00:33:10
have done it he would have hauled out as
00:33:12
Michael sure you guys would have been
00:33:13
great hey Sarge
00:33:16
I don't know about at least I don't know
00:33:18
about these missile search
00:33:26
I don't like missiles
00:33:29
my glasses are broken no it was one pen
00:33:33
stomping around with it with one of the
00:33:35
prostitutes in the movie and and he's
00:33:37
like we're gonna hook up with this girl
00:33:39
and we're gonna pass around and Michael
00:33:42
J Fox Say you gotta give me a minute on
00:33:44
this here sorry like he was he was the
00:33:46
nice guy in the movie and they were all
00:33:48
casualties of War of course yeah great
00:33:50
movie so funny that I would even
00:33:52
remember that movie let alone
00:33:54
based my whole stand-up routine
00:33:56
but it's it's always a winner so did you
00:34:00
I mean when did you know you could you
00:34:02
had an ear like you could do accents and
00:34:04
voices were you asked and then just
00:34:05
learned I can learn it or because it
00:34:07
seems like you'd have a I have some
00:34:09
English family so I can I can kind of um
00:34:11
do a couple English accents which ones
00:34:15
oh I don't know
00:34:18
I mean there's that sort of the you know
00:34:21
the clip sort of upper class English
00:34:23
then there's sort of the me and Barnett
00:34:25
are always doing bits on um
00:34:27
under the sort of the guy Richie
00:34:28
accident you know just like David job
00:34:30
all right they stayed a job you know are
00:34:33
you gonna do the trouble we're going to
00:34:34
do the job you know we just literally
00:34:36
yeah super working class yeah
00:34:43
exactly come on let's just go that's my
00:34:45
holidays
00:34:49
I like in your audition for the war
00:34:52
you're rolling around like an idiot and
00:34:53
then you just go yeah I'm not good for
00:34:56
you you cut them off from firing you you
00:34:58
go I'm not into it
00:35:00
tell Terence uh it's a no-go but hit me
00:35:05
on the next one yeah so the next time
00:35:07
they asked you to do something like that
00:35:08
you just you just tapped out
00:35:11
you learn to just go well I need some
00:35:14
pages or something you do you do need
00:35:16
you can't oh okay it's kind of like
00:35:17
handing someone a crown and saying hey
00:35:19
can you paint the Sistine Chapel and
00:35:20
you're like no I I only have a crayon no
00:35:23
it's actually easier because they go
00:35:25
just paint something you oh here's a
00:35:26
wave at least you you can you can make
00:35:28
up something but if it's just a random
00:35:30
War you're like am I happy for them
00:35:34
yeah that matters no it doesn't yeah to
00:35:39
me
00:35:49
get out of town
00:35:51
where's the Applause button he well I
00:35:54
mean it was a long road uh but it was
00:35:55
you know Ben used to
00:35:57
um me and Ben became friends I was doing
00:35:59
a play on Broadway
00:36:02
um uh with his then girlfriend and and
00:36:04
we and I was a huge Ben Stiller show fan
00:36:08
um sure I just thought it was hilarious
00:36:10
so he came to the show and or opening
00:36:13
night or it was kind of hanging around
00:36:14
the theater a couple times and I was
00:36:16
sort of quoting his show back to him and
00:36:18
we ended up sort of becoming friends and
00:36:20
found out that we had a very similar
00:36:23
sense of humor
00:36:25
um and he would and he was just sort of
00:36:27
blowing up at the time doing you know
00:36:29
with like something about Mary and and
00:36:31
uh you know oh [ __ ] he's right in the
00:36:33
pocket yeah that was the moment that he
00:36:34
was like really exploding and people
00:36:37
were yelling at him on the street
00:36:38
um but when he would come to do to New
00:36:40
York to do like you know Letterman or
00:36:43
uh Conan or whatever he would do these
00:36:45
like really elaborate bits you know you
00:36:47
know like he'd really work on these you
00:36:49
know sort of sex yeah yeah
00:36:52
um and so I would sort of like help we'd
00:36:54
sort of sit around and come up with bits
00:36:56
for him to do you know where he would
00:36:58
say something like he would go on
00:36:59
Letterman I remember one he did where he
00:37:01
he said yeah I don't really want to talk
00:37:02
about the movie I'm promoting I just you
00:37:04
know I had to take a break and I've been
00:37:07
in France and I've been painting and um
00:37:09
Letterman's like oh you're painting he's
00:37:11
like yeah it's just a little sort of
00:37:13
ramshackle place in the south of France
00:37:15
and I'd pay this prostitute I paint her
00:37:17
and you know every night
00:37:20
and then the reveal was that he would
00:37:23
hold up these these uh this artwork that
00:37:25
was just done in pasta with watercolors
00:37:27
and Like Glue like a prostitute like
00:37:30
made out of fusilli so we'd work on
00:37:33
stupid bits like that when you talk
00:37:34
about doing TT
00:37:36
what's that
00:37:38
yeah then we said then he he had the
00:37:42
original sort of idea for it which was
00:37:45
um it was it was let me talk about Thin
00:37:48
Red Line it was that period of time when
00:37:50
it felt like everyone was going to do a
00:37:52
war movie like you know like Oliver
00:37:54
Stone was doing a war movie
00:37:56
so many Vietnam movies in a row
00:38:00
um yeah and the Press at the time for
00:38:02
them was very sort of serious you know
00:38:04
and all the actors when they would get
00:38:06
interviewed would be like uh it was
00:38:08
intense like you know they said you know
00:38:11
when we shot
00:38:12
um you know Oliver wanted us to be in
00:38:14
war you know and let me tell you it was
00:38:16
war you know we kind of it and so he had
00:38:20
a the original sort of joke sort of if
00:38:22
it was the one-line pitch to me was
00:38:26
um
00:38:26
let's do a movie about a bunch of actors
00:38:28
that come back to LA after making a war
00:38:31
movie and they all have PTSD from the
00:38:33
movie
00:38:34
um so that was sort of the original idea
00:38:37
um and then I sort of was like well what
00:38:39
if we just and also Blair Witch was
00:38:41
really popular at the time I said what
00:38:43
if it's like that they go to do a war
00:38:46
movie but then they get caught up in a
00:38:47
real war and that was sort of that was
00:38:50
the sort of the kernel that's like a
00:38:52
moment yeah
00:38:54
that's great and then everything and
00:38:56
then you get good people because uh by
00:38:59
the way yeah okay so you get good people
00:39:01
because Ben you know he's doing well
00:39:04
it's a funny idea with a scripture it
00:39:07
took a long it was years of writing that
00:39:09
script because I was working at that
00:39:12
point and doing I think I was doing six
00:39:14
feet under or something and he was
00:39:15
obviously like on Fuego so
00:39:18
um we we would sort of pass the script
00:39:21
back and forth like I'd write some we'd
00:39:23
write like a funny scene that had no
00:39:25
place to go like it was a funny yeah
00:39:27
here's an idea that's funny like the
00:39:29
first scene in the movie where he's you
00:39:30
know got his hands blown off and it's
00:39:32
the guy going like come on you can make
00:39:33
it you know and he's like I can't feel
00:39:36
my legs
00:39:37
stop it
00:39:39
um so I wrote that scene and and that
00:39:42
just made us laugh and I don't know we
00:39:43
just sort of toss it around
00:39:46
um and then gradually a script started
00:39:47
to formulate take shape it was it was
00:39:50
Monty Python s that first thing because
00:39:52
you have real violence or you know the
00:39:54
the the two nights and he starts cutting
00:39:56
the arms off and the legs off yeah but
00:39:58
in terms of Ben playing that so serious
00:40:00
no man you know I mean we had like a
00:40:02
million blinds for that you know and I
00:40:05
the the seed the joke in that scene is
00:40:08
that he's this action star obviously and
00:40:11
that he can't cry and he's he's working
00:40:13
across from you know Lawrence Olivier
00:40:15
essentially and and it frustrates the
00:40:18
other actor he's like you can't even
00:40:19
squirt he can't even get the tears going
00:40:21
what the [ __ ] up with my man you know
00:40:22
like
00:40:23
um
00:40:25
yeah you know so that's when we sort of
00:40:28
pan out to reveal that this is the
00:40:29
shooting of a movie Etc
00:40:32
yeah it's obviously as you know just
00:40:35
such a huge comedy it's there's never
00:40:38
been anything quite like it I don't
00:40:40
think I'd never seen a comedy like it's
00:40:42
also like a huge I mean without any
00:40:46
jokes it was a huge movie meaning just
00:40:48
as far as like visual I mean a factory
00:40:51
oh yeah it was a yet explosive it was as
00:40:54
big as any War movement you know we we I
00:40:57
mean as far as the look I mean Ben such
00:40:58
I mean he's obviously
00:41:00
you know does get the credit you know um
00:41:02
but he's often not credited enough I
00:41:05
think with how great a director he is
00:41:07
you know he is like a real camera mover
00:41:09
who knows how to where was it oh yeah
00:41:12
where'd you shoot it Hawaii
00:41:27
a thing about a movie in comedies uh
00:41:31
probably dramas too it's just these uh
00:41:33
whatever you call them word packages
00:41:35
that just are Transcendent that are
00:41:39
funnier as time goes on you know and I I
00:41:42
think one of them
00:41:43
that's less controversial would be the
00:41:46
Tom Cruise Les Grossman I want you to
00:41:48
take one step back and literally [ __ ]
00:41:51
your face or your own face yeah which
00:41:54
one was it I'm not sure but that's the
00:41:56
that's the kind of thing and again like
00:41:58
Monty Python I don't know where that
00:42:00
influence came from but those type of
00:42:02
lines that nonsensical thing
00:42:05
um I assume it wasn't a guy alone in a
00:42:07
room or you're together at that point
00:42:09
where you're kind of riffing what that
00:42:10
character say or character uh came out
00:42:13
of you know we
00:42:15
you know we wanted Tom to be in the
00:42:17
movie very badly and he it was kind of
00:42:20
um he was like well I read the script
00:42:22
and there's he's like there's no like
00:42:24
Studio presence like why don't we create
00:42:26
like a studio uh character you know and
00:42:30
I just had a really bad experience
00:42:32
working for Harvey Weinstein and so
00:42:35
um on a movie that I had directed and I
00:42:37
I thought shocker and whatever happened
00:42:39
to that guy
00:42:42
um I and I just wanted to like I just
00:42:44
wanted to um I wanted to somehow
00:42:46
memorialize that bad experience and
00:42:49
um and so that's how I got that
00:42:52
character you know wow that's even funny
00:42:55
it's even fun just that like that I
00:42:57
remember Joel Silver one time he goes
00:42:59
hey was that character based on me and I
00:43:01
go no and he goes damn it okay I wanted
00:43:04
it to be based on them oh funny well the
00:43:07
Popeye forearms and the hands and then
00:43:10
the Tom Cruise uh which you know
00:43:13
everyone loved the new Top Gun I mean he
00:43:15
gets shinier and brighter when I look
00:43:17
back and I see him now and I look at him
00:43:19
in that movie when he's doing the dance
00:43:21
slapping the ass at the end it's like
00:43:23
yeah the guy is really funny he's so
00:43:26
funny and he's so committed you know um
00:43:29
yeah and I remember kind of
00:43:31
because he has some really hard charging
00:43:34
lines in that in that movie
00:43:36
um
00:43:40
writing him these lines he's gonna say
00:43:43
Tom Cruise is gonna say this like yeah
00:43:44
it was before we had seen him in any of
00:43:46
the tests and the hair and makeup and
00:43:48
stuff well without saying the line which
00:43:50
were the ones that were the most scary
00:43:52
or you really couldn't use it was too
00:43:54
far no maybe you can't you know we had
00:43:56
sort of like Ben's a really smart
00:43:58
director we you know if we were to sort
00:44:01
of pile the script up in all the pages
00:44:03
that were written it would probably look
00:44:04
like a phone book or a three phone book
00:44:07
stacked on top of each other Ben is
00:44:09
really good at um we would always sort
00:44:11
of shoot like
00:44:12
sort of you know an A B and category of
00:44:16
jokes within the scene and then
00:44:18
alternates alternates alternates we had
00:44:20
sort of these alternate scripts that we
00:44:21
would go okay now we're only one where
00:44:22
you say this and so in the edit you know
00:44:25
when we could you know when Ben was sort
00:44:28
of testing the movie uh he was able to
00:44:31
see you know oh this this you know went
00:44:33
a little too far let's dial it back and
00:44:35
you know and it could be something
00:44:36
simple just like too many f-bombs in a
00:44:38
row or something yeah and so you know
00:44:41
and so he could he could ride the edit
00:44:43
ride the cut of the movie
00:44:45
um to sort of find The Sweet Spot um
00:44:47
because we would have shot all different
00:44:50
very slight variations of every scene
00:44:52
you know yeah and I think that you know
00:44:54
obviously a lot of movies have a lot of
00:44:56
people involved and it's nice to have
00:44:58
one you know Creative Vision with other
00:45:01
people with almost exact same
00:45:03
sensibilities that's how a great movie
00:45:05
has to get made has to be just
00:45:07
everyone's on the same page yeah someone
00:45:09
and me and Ben I think were the real
00:45:11
guardians of that we you know we
00:45:13
I think we both and by the time we shot
00:45:16
that we were both so we had been with it
00:45:18
for so long that we intuitively knew
00:45:20
exactly what anything would want it to
00:45:22
be if it had to change on the day it was
00:45:25
a real kind of like you know um
00:45:28
great
00:45:30
um collaboration it was sort of a real
00:45:31
sort of mini Lennon McCartney thing that
00:45:34
was happening on the making of that you
00:45:35
know like wow well the way everything
00:45:37
got in so it's great the way every
00:45:40
everything got in and there's no one
00:45:42
blocking your [ __ ] like the studio
00:45:44
Downey everyone's saying we're all in on
00:45:47
this we're all gonna do everything I
00:45:49
don't care if it's offensive and it's so
00:45:50
funny and then even Tom Cruise to his
00:45:53
credit finding a spot to be in you know
00:45:56
not getting out of it saying no we'll
00:45:58
find something and then doing it and
00:45:59
then I'm sure if you throw them lines he
00:46:01
laughs and just does another take and
00:46:03
says oh yeah that's funny let's try that
00:46:04
and then when it all comes together and
00:46:07
everyone's shocked to see him
00:46:08
especially in a movie that's already
00:46:10
good and was Woody playing his assistant
00:46:12
was Woody in there what's that was we
00:46:15
here no I think McConaughey
00:46:17
yeah
00:46:19
heck yeah are those two different people
00:46:21
I know for sure the same [ __ ] person
00:46:23
okay it's unbelievable did you guys uh
00:46:26
did Cruz Break a lot when he said lines
00:46:28
like go [ __ ] your own face or something
00:46:31
he enjoyed himself you know I remember
00:46:34
and then I remember you know because
00:46:36
first then you give them these
00:46:38
outrageous lines and then Tom Cruise
00:46:40
knows how to sell a [ __ ] line you
00:46:42
know I mean that guy gets super now he's
00:46:45
playing it like it's a straight up drama
00:46:47
I mean he's not really winking or
00:46:49
leaning in or doing anything he's just
00:46:51
playing it like as if he was in you know
00:46:54
one of his other movies
00:46:58
[Music]
00:47:00
whenever Tropic Thunder comes up you
00:47:03
know I get a lot of uh you know uh well
00:47:06
you couldn't make that movie today and I
00:47:08
kind of it bums me out because I'm like
00:47:09
I think you can make that movie today it
00:47:12
wouldn't look exactly like that movie
00:47:13
but you know I remember kind of taking
00:47:16
it hard when when people you know as you
00:47:19
would when when people are you know
00:47:21
trying to boycott something that you
00:47:23
think is is actually on your side or on
00:47:26
their side
00:47:27
and I remember I lucked out a couple
00:47:30
years later after the fact
00:47:32
um having a drink with Mel Brooks and
00:47:35
kind of moaning about it a little bit um
00:47:37
and and he just he sort of stopped me
00:47:40
and he just went nope uh you look you
00:47:43
have to just make sure the joke is aimed
00:47:46
perfectly at the person who's the idiot
00:47:49
you know and and that's your job is to
00:47:52
you know you know obviously
00:47:54
um we're not trying to make jokes about
00:47:57
anybody except for Hollywood actors in
00:48:00
that movie you know um and Egos and
00:48:02
Studios and that kind of stuff
00:48:04
um so the minute you're sort of
00:48:06
he was basically he gave me some comfort
00:48:08
around you know because his movies are
00:48:09
so brilliant and you know you could
00:48:11
equally say like well you can't make
00:48:13
those movies say but yes you can you
00:48:15
know you can make you know his his jokes
00:48:18
that's weird everyone I think when
00:48:21
you see a Mel Brooks movie you don't
00:48:22
think oh well you know
00:48:25
uh that's really uncool that he would
00:48:27
write that like you know what a horrible
00:48:29
team he's batting for you know what I
00:48:31
mean yeah right and obviously you're
00:48:33
talking about Blazing Saddles which you
00:48:35
know Richard Pryor wrote a lot of a lot
00:48:37
of it with with him and
00:48:40
um obviously all the racist people in
00:48:42
the movie are idiots and Clevon little
00:48:44
is the smartest guy in town and there's
00:48:46
some it's very very naughty words in
00:48:48
that movie and crazy things you've said
00:48:50
in that movie but
00:48:52
um but you know again I don't know well
00:48:55
we talked to Bill Burr about his
00:48:57
stand-up because he'll he'll right
00:48:59
outside the line sometimes and he says
00:49:01
for himself intention matters like
00:49:04
absolutely yeah are you going after a
00:49:07
disenfranchised section of the
00:49:09
population or are you satirizing more
00:49:11
privileged people if you want or
00:49:13
wherever the target is so I think
00:49:16
um I'm still recovering that you got to
00:49:18
hang out with Mel Brooks and talk to him
00:49:20
for a minute it's not like we had a
00:49:22
salon going uh in the West Village and
00:49:24
we're just lounging around smoking I
00:49:26
like that uh Steve Spielberg Steve said
00:49:30
um he wishes he didn't take the guns out
00:49:32
of E.T I just read that too yeah yeah I
00:49:35
thought that was interesting that he
00:49:36
would say that yeah it's a weird thing
00:49:39
you know like
00:49:41
um you know they people it's just
00:49:44
censorship is a weird thing you know
00:49:46
like and it and people are genuinely I
00:49:48
think afraid to write things and perform
00:49:49
things and do things you know because no
00:49:52
one wants to get their head chopped off
00:49:54
you know sure you don't want comedy to
00:49:56
turn into the same five jokes that
00:49:58
everyone's allowed to use and then so
00:50:01
when you go outside and try to break
00:50:03
some ground
00:50:05
I guess there will be more pushback than
00:50:07
normal but as long as it doesn't ruin
00:50:09
your life but I the intention again
00:50:10
you're trying to be funny you're trying
00:50:12
to be this and no one's out to get
00:50:14
someone yeah there's um in actually I
00:50:17
was watching this Oscar Levant play with
00:50:19
Sean Hayes uh that I was watching the
00:50:20
other day
00:50:21
um that I saw the other day he has some
00:50:23
great lines Oscar Levant has some great
00:50:25
lines where he says things like you know
00:50:27
there's no such thing as a sincere joke
00:50:28
you know you can't bring the house down
00:50:30
with a wholesome gag you know what I
00:50:32
mean like it's something has to be
00:50:34
dangerous about it you know
00:50:36
um
00:50:37
and catch people off guard in the
00:50:38
element of surprise and it's not what
00:50:40
you think they're going to say and it's
00:50:41
just just fun I mean you know we're all
00:50:43
in the same but it's nature is not
00:50:46
respectful you know what I mean nor
00:50:47
should it be you know
00:50:49
what about the Zoolander you did
00:50:51
Zoolander you worked on that with Ben I
00:50:53
worked on two with uh with Ben evil evil
00:50:56
evil DJ and I was when I was the evil DJ
00:51:00
full makeup was that that's that look
00:51:03
like fun and that guy was break dancing
00:51:05
that you had to do that that's actually
00:51:07
I was did you break dance yeah yeah I
00:51:10
had the break dance fight with Owen
00:51:11
Wilson in that with uh Hansel that's the
00:51:14
big act three fight scene between me and
00:51:16
Hansel Owen's always great
00:51:18
um did you go when Woody uh Woody is in
00:51:20
your new show did you go and he did
00:51:22
silent live I did I went there and saw
00:51:24
that
00:51:29
he um
00:51:31
he's he's uh him and Owen Wilson the
00:51:34
people I've met they're such a cool kind
00:51:37
of I don't know Texas frequency to them
00:51:39
there's something about it's so funny
00:51:41
when you do I would actually like to
00:51:43
hear your take on This Dana there is a
00:51:45
version where you can impersonate Woody
00:51:49
Owen and McConaughey probably all at the
00:51:51
same time yeah yeah there's something
00:51:54
they should all hang out together I
00:51:56
think they do yes yeah no you were fine
00:52:00
I don't care she's not even mad at you
00:52:03
then like I mean do you sort of slip
00:52:05
into more of a Stoner kind of like
00:52:07
that's what I don't like about it
00:52:11
what is like he's he's still he's so
00:52:14
he's really cute you know I was looking
00:52:16
at him he still has those dimples and
00:52:19
there's something just uh incredibly
00:52:22
likable about him I think you two are
00:52:24
great in that is this his foils for each
00:52:26
other
00:52:27
they were kind of like a you know it's
00:52:30
you know we in in life and in this show
00:52:32
you know we're very much it's a very
00:52:34
sort of Odd Couple relationship you know
00:52:37
um you know feel it's going to answer
00:52:39
you know like and it's just tease he is
00:52:41
a very kind of I mean in the show he's a
00:52:44
more sort of uptight Gruff whatever
00:52:46
um but once said Howard hunt Howard hunt
00:52:49
yeah the CIA yeah yeah we just we
00:52:51
laughed a lot he's a very fun guy to
00:52:53
work with he's he's very sort of
00:52:55
infectious and he's very very very laid
00:52:58
back in a way that I wish I could be you
00:53:01
know he's so
00:53:02
he's one of those guys that can jump to
00:53:04
set like 12 minutes late and 15 minutes
00:53:06
late be like oh hey whoa why is everyone
00:53:09
oh okay there's no judgment about it oh
00:53:13
we're already here okay cool yeah he was
00:53:15
like that even on SNL back in the 90s
00:53:17
there was almost like he's what am I
00:53:19
supposed to do it's all kind of thrown
00:53:22
away and then he just lands it perfectly
00:53:24
he doesn't have I feel like he has no
00:53:26
cortisol in his system whatsoever
00:53:30
[Laughter]
00:53:32
he uh we had a running gag when he
00:53:34
hosted when I was a cast member and I
00:53:37
was just kidding with him because you
00:53:38
know I liked him immediately and the
00:53:40
running gate was you could never be
00:53:41
depressed Woody the rest of your life
00:53:43
because you know me you actually know me
00:53:45
and so that became a right
00:53:47
he sent me a frame photo with that
00:53:50
phrase on it
00:53:51
you know me how could you ever be sad
00:53:54
just think of it just all that guy but
00:53:56
he's so good so I know that uh Justin
00:53:59
has a favorite we'll let you go in a
00:54:00
second Justin you have a favorite do you
00:54:02
like love after hours Dan do you
00:54:03
remember after hours
00:54:06
Griffin done the best
00:54:09
Jeff Goldblum Michelle Pfeiffer am I
00:54:11
crazy no not Jeff Goldblum he's not dead
00:54:13
it's um him Catherine O'Hara
00:54:16
um
00:54:17
oh God it's such a great cast Scorsese
00:54:20
is one sort of Comedy I guess what was
00:54:23
Michelle Pfeiffer in what are you
00:54:25
talking about she was in Scarface
00:54:28
Scarface or after hours
00:54:32
after hours but I think
00:54:36
Michelle Michelle
00:54:38
gang up on me
00:54:40
whoa I started knowing what it was
00:54:43
because I knew
00:54:45
what's the one with Jeff Goldblum and
00:54:47
Michelle Pfeiffer
00:54:49
where they go out all night isn't it
00:54:51
what's the one with Michelle
00:54:53
do you know if I'm is that even a movie
00:54:55
are those people Dangerous Liaisons no
00:55:00
that was John Malkovich
00:55:02
I wanted to know what's on Justin's uh
00:55:05
favorite film list you know or or you
00:55:09
know I always hate that bet your
00:55:10
favorite or films you revisit or films
00:55:13
that stayed with you Young Frankenstein
00:55:15
if we're talking about Mel Brooks is
00:55:16
definitely a luck yeah yeah I stole a
00:55:19
big bit from Young Frankenstein for
00:55:21
Tropic Thunder actually I mean that's
00:55:22
you did well but it was you were
00:55:25
influenced the Beatles were influenced
00:55:26
influenced yeah there's the scene where
00:55:28
um Jack Black gets tied to the tree to
00:55:30
kick drugs you know he says no yeah
00:55:32
don't let me off that tree you know you
00:55:34
know I'm moving cunning I'm really
00:55:36
baffling but don't let me blah blah
00:55:38
that's kind of a lift uh from Young
00:55:40
Frankenstein when he goes into the room
00:55:42
literally the monster he said don't let
00:55:44
me out of this room no matter what I no
00:55:45
matter what I say so it's in the same
00:55:48
universe that joke
00:55:50
um and then of course he goes in there
00:55:51
and he's immediately pleading
00:55:56
at some points everything was has been
00:55:59
yeah Cape Fear a recent guess that was a
00:56:03
movie Sarah Sherman from SNL said she
00:56:05
watches that all the time to cheer up
00:56:07
the the second okay the second one I
00:56:10
think was the second one she meant not
00:56:12
the Mitchum one but that movie is so
00:56:14
good it really is do you remember in the
00:56:16
Ben Stiller show he he did that
00:56:19
um he did that sort of fake I guess fake
00:56:22
trailer where it's uh Eddie Munster and
00:56:24
Cape Fear yes yeah he's he is the Eddie
00:56:28
monster of all time that's
00:56:31
um that's why that that show because he
00:56:34
had left SNL he talked about it here and
00:56:36
then he suddenly I was at that Emmy
00:56:38
Awards and then he was so shocked that
00:56:40
he won best show but it was it's another
00:56:42
show that stands to test the time I know
00:56:46
that group of writers performers Bob
00:56:49
Odenkirk I mean Jesus is Manson he did
00:56:52
that Charles Manson though it's so
00:56:53
hilarious
00:56:58
so good oh you're so good uh so as far
00:57:03
as SNL should we cover that for a second
00:57:05
yeah I was texting with uh David
00:57:08
yesterday I've never been on SNL so I
00:57:10
don't know what to uh you know because
00:57:12
you want to see podcast but I you know
00:57:15
massive Mass you know I haven't said it
00:57:18
at the top Dana David already knows I'm
00:57:20
a huge fan of him but also likewise you
00:57:23
well that was we heard that you liked
00:57:25
our podcast at least I threw David or
00:57:28
something like week three so I
00:57:30
immediately yeah you were early he was
00:57:32
really happy as being a super fan of
00:57:34
yours and then like he likes our podcast
00:57:36
I mean I mean it is like SNL I mean it
00:57:40
must be a curse to be an SNL cast member
00:57:42
because
00:57:43
I'm sure you get you know
00:57:46
bombarded with questions you know about
00:57:48
every aspect of it what's it like
00:57:50
working live what's the name what's the
00:57:51
most scary thing and then of course
00:57:52
probably the worst thing which is like
00:57:53
you know what you should do knew it
00:57:54
would make a great SNL bit you know it
00:57:56
would be great on SNL
00:57:57
you know Dana I have one funny sketch
00:58:00
idea and I want to go host and just do
00:58:02
one sketch and leave I could handle that
00:58:04
we'll just do a guest spot just do a
00:58:06
guest spot I know but it wouldn't make
00:58:08
any sense because it's not no I said
00:58:10
just do a guest spot just do a walk on
00:58:13
it so there's a lot of those Walk-Ons
00:58:15
now where it's like oh look there's you
00:58:17
know Fred Armisen he's not a member of
00:58:18
the cast he's not hosting he's just
00:58:19
walking he's playing this character I'll
00:58:22
be Christopher walk-on
00:58:24
you know I saw I saw a great walking
00:58:27
sketch where he's watering plants he's a
00:58:29
guard and talking to the plan I might be
00:58:31
lying again yeah and he goes they're
00:58:34
cactuses and he goes cactuses
00:58:36
are intimidating so I put googly eyes on
00:58:39
them he puts googly eyes on him then he
00:58:42
keeps saying googly eyes and it's
00:58:43
hysterical perfect googly eyes perfect
00:58:46
for for walking you were on SNL with
00:58:49
Kyle Mooney he just called and said hey
00:58:53
can you just do it it was a walk it was
00:58:54
technically a walk-on it was nothing um
00:58:56
meaningful
00:58:58
but uh well this is the only thing we're
00:59:01
going to air of the whole podcast so
00:59:03
um hi Dana what what's your mind I think
00:59:05
Justin thrall really wants to host the
00:59:06
show wouldn't that be terrific I'll
00:59:08
reach out that's the last job I
00:59:10
definitely don't want to have SNL that
00:59:12
to me is absolutely I get so scared by
00:59:16
that I mean
00:59:17
and then I even like when I you know Amy
00:59:21
pohler used to always be like come to uh
00:59:23
you know UCB you know when she was doing
00:59:25
it here in New York and I it would make
00:59:27
me anxious you know I loved it but it
00:59:30
felt like watching trapeze work you know
00:59:32
with no net and it just made me so
00:59:34
anxious I much prefer kind of being able
00:59:37
to go away learn lines really rehearse
00:59:40
and then just come out like that it's so
00:59:43
sea to your pants the idea to like on a
00:59:45
Monday you're kind of like hey what's
00:59:46
the idea and then by Tuesday you're kind
00:59:48
of flushing it out Wednesday like let's
00:59:49
read it and then by Saturday no it's
00:59:52
crazy it shouldn't exist in some ways do
00:59:56
you asked Woody did he need any help
00:59:57
with writing and he punch-ups on
00:59:59
monologue or anything no I saw him on
01:00:01
Wednesday and he's like it's gonna go
01:00:03
well but he was like out partying he's
01:00:04
like
01:00:05
it's gonna be good
01:00:08
um
01:00:10
I did a little a little punch up when he
01:00:13
went on sort of did A Walk On A
01:00:15
Zoolander but
01:00:16
um yeah I don't know it's to me it's
01:00:19
like but then when you see people who
01:00:21
are genuinely relaxed doing it because
01:00:23
you can kind of tell people who are
01:00:24
unreli not relaxed doing it you know not
01:00:28
that their hands are shaking or anything
01:00:29
like that but but it's normal but like I
01:00:31
feel hard when you'd see him you'd go he
01:00:34
had this kind of um you know plant your
01:00:37
leg say the line beautifully confidence
01:00:40
that was so just like nice to like great
01:00:43
to watch and then obviously you guys you
01:00:45
know like your delivery on you know
01:00:47
Hollywood minutes and you know it was
01:00:49
just kind of like when you can tell
01:00:50
people are a having fun and be at least
01:00:54
a pure like they're not nervous
01:00:59
yeah
01:01:01
Phil was uh like he was like we hear uh
01:01:05
Dan Aykroyd was like he almost was it
01:01:08
well he obviously was a pro and he was
01:01:10
in so many things and he had this binder
01:01:12
and he was he could memorize he could
01:01:14
read the cards really well but then in
01:01:15
between scenes he'd be reading a book
01:01:17
about Evinrude outboard motor schematics
01:01:21
it happens like how can you yeah I don't
01:01:23
know I would just be in such a state of
01:01:25
distress I think that
01:01:27
um I don't know you don't have to do it
01:01:29
I I totally get you I mean it's hard to
01:01:31
host it if I host it and there's a
01:01:34
sketch somewhere you could do an Irish
01:01:36
guy or British guy I'll try to bring you
01:01:38
in just for one for one thing
01:01:40
yeah if we need a guy to lay on the
01:01:42
floor and act like he's in the Army yeah
01:01:45
exactly
01:01:47
the worst nightmares we go we're not
01:01:50
going to tell you what the sketch is I'm
01:01:52
not gonna tell you what the sketch is
01:01:54
just give me a beach ball of pool noodle
01:01:56
and just send me out there you know well
01:01:58
aside from his new show
01:02:01
he also owns Ray's Bar and uh I want to
01:02:05
thank you for coming down today and
01:02:07
talking to us uh Justin thank you for
01:02:09
having me and uh
01:02:11
I will see you on my next trip when are
01:02:13
you coming to New York David it's all
01:02:15
pretty top secret but you know I'll call
01:02:18
in some other channels send me the file
01:02:20
yeah there's only one other thing
01:02:23
besides leftovers which I think is a
01:02:25
brilliant show mosquito Coast all the
01:02:27
stuff you've done it's so you have such
01:02:28
a cool career
01:02:30
and then you did this thing with Norman
01:02:32
Lear where you did those live yeah it
01:02:34
was all in the family and stuff that
01:02:35
that I thought was was going to be a
01:02:37
train wreck but it really landed
01:02:39
beautifully yeah it was great and it
01:02:42
actually you know it's become sort of an
01:02:43
annual thing
01:02:45
um
01:02:45
I mean talk about a I mean I really
01:02:48
can't take credit for that show that was
01:02:50
an idea that I had where that I imparted
01:02:53
taking a Kimmel who then
01:02:55
turned it into this sort of you know
01:02:57
Super Bowl winning football team of of
01:02:59
talent you know
01:03:01
um you got a lot to pick from if you
01:03:03
keep doing you can keep doing Partridge
01:03:04
Family happy days whatever you want well
01:03:06
I mean we could yeah you can go we can
01:03:08
keep going but I mean can I play Fonzie
01:03:10
everyone's like everyone every day he's
01:03:11
like why aren't you playing Fonzie
01:03:15
I'm already down as Chachi
01:03:19
Chachi was cool
01:03:21
she loves Joni or what was their show
01:03:23
that's great what about Ralph mouth
01:03:28
um Ralph mouth did you remember the
01:03:30
beginning of happy days and then I'll
01:03:32
let you go
01:03:34
um he takes the salt off no he has the
01:03:36
salt they put the salt shaker top back
01:03:38
on but they put it really loose and he
01:03:40
pours it on his fries and it all goes
01:03:42
over it and he just looks back to camera
01:03:44
and keeps chewing his gum I'm like he
01:03:46
didn't even give a reaction I thought
01:03:47
was genius
01:03:50
that's like your brand uh like and it's
01:03:53
like anything I can do that
01:04:01
like I can do this
01:04:03
yeah I go oh do nothing I can do that
01:04:06
what was your early comedy not to
01:04:08
prolong this but um
01:04:13
besides me like I was like my earliest
01:04:17
comedy memories are uh Mel Brooks but
01:04:20
also my dad making me stay up to watch
01:04:23
SNL with a blue she acroyd yeah yeah
01:04:26
Gilda radden 100 same thing Life of
01:04:28
Brian early on Animal House
01:04:31
um Holy Grail holy all those are unreal
01:04:34
and then getting an Eddie Murphy Trading
01:04:36
Places and those kind of things all
01:04:39
those old movies that were just funny
01:04:40
Caddyshack all Bill Murray and then in
01:04:42
the Ghostbusters all the things just all
01:04:44
my guys I liked I'd follow him to
01:04:46
whatever movie they were in
01:04:47
cracked me up made me laugh Steve Martin
01:04:50
albums Steve Martin uh huge stuff
01:04:54
like say again Steve Martin I've never
01:04:58
I've met him once but not in any
01:05:00
meaningful way
01:05:01
um but takes his comedy very like he's a
01:05:03
master of or he's sort of a student of
01:05:06
the science of the comedy and the bit
01:05:08
like which I admire because he's has to
01:05:11
be loud there's not that I mean the jerk
01:05:13
obviously the the when he came out and
01:05:15
deconstructed the idea of a comedian
01:05:16
with this guy in the white suit I'm a
01:05:18
wild crazy guy I'm sure somehow it
01:05:21
influenced me humbly saying that because
01:05:23
he didn't really have jokes he did two
01:05:25
minutes on just his character asking for
01:05:27
a blue spot can I get a blue spot and
01:05:30
the commitment of it you know uh that
01:05:33
was sort of This brilliant new move and
01:05:35
then the Robin Williams was around
01:05:37
Richard Pryor was around obviously
01:05:39
George Carlin and then it kept going to
01:05:41
Kennison and on and on but
01:05:43
uh I love comedians I do too it's
01:05:47
terrifying I mean Dave you're so I
01:05:50
always whenever I've seen you perform
01:05:51
live or until on Netflix or whatever
01:05:54
it's like
01:05:55
you have that that ease that's just so I
01:05:58
guess dry but it's also so [ __ ] funny
01:06:01
the way it's this there's a musicality
01:06:04
to it like where you sort of drop in
01:06:05
these little and then you know then you
01:06:08
sort of like go with it I don't know how
01:06:10
you do it it's a magic trick to me so I
01:06:12
don't really want to know how you do it
01:06:13
but I very much I appreciate it we just
01:06:16
found a little extra time
01:06:20
no David does have an incredible like
01:06:24
throwaway
01:06:26
little phrases and there's I see Nealon
01:06:28
in him and Dennis Miller and but he's
01:06:30
his own own man but they were they were
01:06:33
really it's kind of pretty special yeah
01:06:35
I I have to go out there and scream and
01:06:37
dance around like do voices yeah and
01:06:40
David's so Lo-Fi and it's very cool I I
01:06:43
admire that too because I just like
01:06:45
Richard Pryor says if you're bombing
01:06:47
just start pushing energy I was doing it
01:06:49
last night throw it out there I was
01:06:50
having a slow patch so I started talking
01:06:52
a lot louder and moving a lot more I go
01:06:55
full JonBenet you slow him down there's
01:06:57
not even any jokes in there it's just
01:06:59
all energy what's up I'm people that
01:07:02
come on you know whatever Just Energy
01:07:04
because if their energy is going down
01:07:06
and you reflect it then that the souffle
01:07:08
just collapses but I used to say Dana
01:07:11
Don Rickles used to go look at that over
01:07:13
there he's like I want a cookie and you
01:07:14
go these aren't really jokes but if
01:07:16
they're set in the form of a delivery
01:07:18
and oh no Rickles was the greatest
01:07:21
because he just sounds like a joke Ed
01:07:23
does another show start put him in the
01:07:25
corner give him a cookie
01:07:26
yeah see you're always happy it's just
01:07:29
all Rhythm and you go I think that was a
01:07:31
joke and Dennis Miller used it one time
01:07:33
he said I sometimes will throw in a word
01:07:35
even I don't know what it means I just
01:07:36
make it up and just because it sounds
01:07:39
like with the Rhythm that's the funny
01:07:40
part and everyone laughs and they go I
01:07:42
didn't even get that one I don't even
01:07:43
but it just you know
01:07:46
it sounds funny all right Justin I'm
01:07:48
gonna go so you guys stay on for another
01:07:49
10 minutes while I drive off we're going
01:07:51
to talk about you David thank you Justin
01:07:54
you're a good job dude great to meet you
01:07:57
and uh love to see you in New York David
01:07:59
and I will come out together please come
01:08:00
when the uh
01:08:03
the White House plumbers it's on White
01:08:06
House Monday May 1st HBO or on Max or
01:08:10
whatever or HBO Max Woody Harrelson
01:08:13
as Howard hunt and of course Justin
01:08:16
Thoreau as Lena Horton Liddy a very
01:08:18
gentle kind of boring character I mean
01:08:22
that must have been his he lit himself
01:08:24
on fire he ate a rat I mean this guy is
01:08:27
something so that's that's that's gonna
01:08:29
be uh awesome for you so anyway anybody
01:08:32
got anything else anything else miss
01:08:34
them already Greg Annette Heather S
01:08:39
don't read who else is
01:08:42
the producers
01:08:44
[Music]
01:08:46
this has been a podcast presentation of
01:08:48
cadence 13. please listen then rate
01:08:51
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01:08:54
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01:08:56
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01:08:59
fly on the wall has been a presentation
01:09:01
of cadence 13. executive produced by
01:09:03
Dana Carvey and David Spade Chris
01:09:05
Corcoran of cadence 13 and Charlie finan
01:09:08
of brillstein entertainment the show's
01:09:10
lead producers Greg Holtzman with
01:09:11
production and Engineering support from
01:09:13
Serena Regan and Chris Basil of cadence
01:09:15
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