Podcast appearances and mentions of andrew dismukes

It is a privilege to welcome Saturday Night Network founder and host Jon Schneider to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  In September 2020, Jon launched the Saturday Night Network (SNN), offering insight into NBC's long-running live show  Saturday Night Live (SNL).  SNN  has become a top-charting North American TV Review podcast network that features rotating roundtables starring critically acclaimed journalists from top media publications and superfans.  In addition to hosting, Jon Schneider recruits the panelists and manages the day-to-day administrative duties, marketing, and distribution of the podcasts. He also manages a team of interns who create social media content daily for their community. As a result, SNN has become the most followed SNL podcast on social media.   He also manages the logistics of booking guests and panelists for all their podcasts and making sure they are fully prepared with show notes before each recording. The Saturday Night Network charts weekly in the top 40 TV Review podcasts in the United States and Canada and is watched by thousands of SNL fans each week on YouTube and all podcast platforms.  SNN's content includes its Hot Takes, where they go LIVE right after the action wraps up at Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. To commemorate SNL's fiftieth anniversary season, Jon teamed up with James Stephens on the historical mini-series Everything You NEED to Know About SNL, which breaks down the series season-by-season and reveals insights into the show's cast members, sketches, memorable characters, and backstage stories.  SNN also welcomed a plethora of guests with ties to the long-running NBC show. Current cast members Andrew Dismukes, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, and Mikey Day, along with previous cast members Bobby Moynihan, Chris Redd, Darrell Hammond, Denny Dillion, and Punkie Johnson, all visited the podcast's SNL Stories.  On this episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Jon Schneider shared SNN's origin story, discussed their in-depth dives into several of the show's early seasons, and expressed his hopes for SNL 50.Let's connect on social media! Visit my channels on:A) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacobElyachar/B) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobelyachar/C) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jacobelyacharD) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealjacobelyacE) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobElyacharBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

This week on the pod we welcome back our friend Bill Kenney to discuss the CV of Mr. Danny DeVito. Transcript:Track 2:[0:41] Thank you, Doug DeNance. My name falls off a cliff. And now, J.D. Welcome to the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. My name is J.D., and it is great to be here with you all. I am just fumbling with my keys to get into the Hall of Fame. While I'm doing that, I will wipe my feet. Do the same would you come on in as we prepare to go to a conversation with our friend thomas senna and our equally good friend bill kenny is back to join us and they are here to discuss danny devito now before we go any further i want to just make sure everyone is aware of our new you email address. It is the SNL hall of fame at gmail.com. That's correct. I chose the maximum number of letters I could choose for the prefix, the SNL hall of fame at gmail.com.Track 2:[1:44] It might seem trivial to you, but, uh, we love to hear from you. So send us those emails, review the pod and for heaven's sake listen to the snl water cooler it's our brand new show on the snl hall of fame and uh we have sherry fesco and joe gannon joining me once a week to discuss the week that was in the snl hall of fame and we touch upon the current episode of snl as well where we identify the Hall of Shame and the Hall of Fame moments of that particular episode. I am out of breath because I have been racing down the hall to catch up with our friend Matt Ardill, and we should probably do that.Track 3:[2:33] So I'm going to make a confession here. Even though the show has been on for coming up to 20 seasons, and this gentleman has been on most of those seasons, I haven't seen a single flippin' episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And this week we're talking about one of its actors and somebody who's got a long resume dating back to Taxi, at least. I'm sure there's more before that. But let's go to our friend Matt Ardill and learn some more about this week's nominee, Denny DeVito. Hey, Denny. Thanks. I am shocked. i genuinely you can't jump in with the nightmare nightmare episode that would just be too much of a system shock but if you ever have the chance it's it's it is dark but it is funny so i highly recommend always sunny um but yeah so i'm looking forward danny is a great a great actor um, 4'10", born November 17th, 1944, who shares the birthday with Lorne Michaels. So same birthday.Track 3:[3:49] So he's born in Neptune, New Jersey, grew up in a family of five, and was raised in Ashbury Park, New Jersey. He would frequently eat at Jersey Mike's, which he grew up just down the street from the first location, which is why in 2022, he became the spokesperson for the subway chain, Jersey Mike's. He just loved it. And Danny is a person who follows his passions.Track 3:[4:17] He was sent to boarding school to keep him out of trouble. He graduated in 1962 and then took a job at his older sister's beautician salon. She paid for him to get his beautician certification, which led to him getting a certificate in makeup at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. But to get that, the teacher said he had to sign up because she couldn't just teach him on the side. He had to be a student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, so he signed up and found his passion for acting after only a single semester at the school. Cool. Wildly enough, one of his sister's partners at the hair salon was a relative of a future colleague of his, Jack Nicholson, with whom he performed on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That's right.Track 3:[5:23] This eventually became a prolific career, including 154 acting credits, 49 producer credits, 23 director credits, 16 soundtrack credits and four writing credits. I mean, how can we forget his performance of Troll Toll in the Dayman musical on Always Sunny? I mean, it's the weirdest one of his ever, his experience, his performances.Track 3:[5:52] But I do have to say, I was shocked to also see that he performed Put Down the Ducky on the Sesame Street Put Down the Ducky TV movie. His range is truly epic in scope um now after starting as an actor he actually shared a small apartment with michael douglas and they remain friends to this day um during his time uh in new york he actually met his now estranged wife rhea perlman well in the off-broadway play the shrinking bride uh they then went on to get a grant from the american film institute together and write the and produce minestrone a short film in 1975 which screened at con and has.Track 3:[6:42] Since been translated into five languages um he was the original casting choice for mario in the 1993 super mario's movie uh dropping out i'm guessing after seeing the script uh condemning bob hoskins to infamy um now he this is another one of those like i i'm kind of glad they didn't cast make this choice uh because i don't think it would have worked but he was almost george costanza what he almost he was in consideration for the role of george costanza it wouldn't have worked it would it's it's the wrong energy but it would have been wild to see Now he has been nominated for Best Picture for Aaron Brockovich.Track 3:[7:30] Along with NOMS for Batman Returns, American Comedy Writing Awards, Berlin International Film Festival Awards, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, BAFTAs, Cable A's, Emmys.Track 3:[7:43] And more. He is so award-nominated, it's hard to keep track. But one of his earliest big wins was a 1981 Emmy for Taxi, which revolved around buying a pair of pants. About how he was so short and so round, he had to go to the Husky Boys section to get pants as an adult. And that was the plot in a Taxi episode that won him his first Emmy. Um, he commits, uh, like during his time as the penguin in those scenes where you see him like noshing on raw fish, that is actual raw fish that he is just tearing into, uh, not fake fish. Um, he is very famous, uh, on social media for his troll foot pictures where he will travel around the world and just take pictures of his great old big troll feet. Um, and in fact own, he is such a fan of Lemoncello. He has actually opened his own Lemoncello, uh, manufacturing plant simply named Lemoncello by Danny DeVito. Well, short and sweet, I suppose you might say.Track 2:[9:03] Of course you might not say as well. There's both options on the table. So let's get right to thomas and our friend bill kenny as they continue to talk about danny devito take it away thomas.Track 4:[9:48] Alright, JD and Matt, thank you so much for that. Hello and welcome to the conversation portion of this episode of the SNL Hall of Fame. Season 6 and we are rolling in this season. It's been a really good one. Talking about lots of great hosts, cast members, musical guests, etc.Track 4:[10:07] Today we're dipping into the host category. A six-timer? If you, well, it depends. I'll ask Bill about this. But yeah, so there's maybe a little caveat to this, but he's at least a five-timer. We consider him a six-timer. It's Danny DeVito today on the SNL Hall of Fame. And with that, of course, Bill Kenney, just amazing SNL knowledge with the Saturday Night Network, a man who mingles with the stars, with Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. So he, yeah, he's he. But he kind of stepped down in weight class a little bit, and he's appearing with me here on the SNL Hall of Fame. Bill, thanks for joining me. Thomas, thank you for having me back. This is always such a good time. Listen, I mean, you're a celebrity in your own right, so let's not bury the lead here.Track 4:[11:01] Dan Aykroyd is fine, but the conversation is going to be great with this. Always a good time to talk to you. I appreciate that, man. So you've done a host before, Martin Short. We had such a blast with that Marty Short episode. And I know you're a Danny DeVito fan, so I had to ask you. He's one of the names that I threw out, and you jumped on Danny right away. So before we get started in that, I'm curious, what's going on over at the Saturday Night Network? We just started celebrating Season 50 of Saturday Night Live, a couple episodes into it. What's going on there as far as continuing the celebration here? Yeah, if you haven't checked us out in a while, please do so.Track 4:[11:44] During show weeks, we have a lot of great content from our Hot Take show, which is right after SNL on Saturday night at 1.10 a.m. We also have our roundtables, which dive deeper into the sketches. And then By the Numbers is every Wednesday, and we talk about the statistics, which is where we made our bones at the beginning of our podcast so and then of course there's lots of other content we do in off weeks uh during the summer we just uh did the greatest host countdown of all time thomas you joined us for one of the last episodes of that we had a lot of fun uh breaking that down and uh i think that's where the danny devito uh stuff started right because he was on the very first episode of the host countdown that we did and uh we all agreed, that it was way too low, and I can't wait to talk about that as well.Track 4:[12:36] Yeah, 100%. And I heard how much love you had for Danny and his hosting gigs and stuff. So I had to kind of like throw his name out there for you in the off season. So I love the stuff that you do in the off weeks in the off season. That's where all of us like dorks can roll up our sleeves and get get into like brass tacks about SNL. So I love that you guys do different drafts. There's different like neat concept shows. That's when the dorks thrive, Bill.Track 4:[13:03] Oh, without a doubt. That's when we have, we've had a lot of great stuff like SNL stories, which we talked to alumni, you kind of referenced Dan Aykroyd. We did a Blues Brothers, we went to a Blues Brothers convention, James Stevens and I, another podcaster, and we got to talk to Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd there. So that was a lot of fun. But we've talked to Mary Gross and Gary Kroger, a whole host of people who have had some association with SNL through the years. So that's always a lot of fun, too. So check that out as well. And then, of course, everything you need to know about SNL. And this will be the final plug, Thomas. We don't want to bog it down too much. But John and James have been doing that every week. And it's kind of these 15-minute mini episodes of kind of a starter's guide to SNL. Starting with season one going through. So if you don't have the time, like Thomas and I do, to sit through 30 episodes of SNL in a week, you can go watch this for 15 minutes and kind of satiate your thirst for it.Track 4:[14:09] Now, recently, John was a guest of mine and Deremy's on our other podcast, Pop Culture 5. We did six essential SNL sketches. And I was telling John, like, the everything you need to know about SNL. Those videos are some of my favorite content on YouTube. Just in general. Like, the editing's immaculate. The content is great. It looks great. It sounds great. It's just, like, that's one of my favorite things on YouTube that I look forward to. Yeah, without a doubt. And even people like us who know so much about SNL, it's still good to go back and be able to watch these and remember, what season was that in? Oh, yeah, that's right. So it kind of gives you, you know, jumpstart your brain as far as SNL. If you're not doing it already, make sure to check out all the great content they have over at the Saturday Night Network. Today, we're going to get into Danny DeVito as a host. So a little brief background, Danny did a lot of acting throughout the 70s, mostly playing bit parts. He was in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a decent amount of screen time. He basically said nothing in that movie, but he was just kind of there smiling and grinning while Jack Nicholson did his thing. He got his big break, though, starring in Taxi from 1978 to 1983. Bill, how did you become acquainted with the peculiar and unique person that is Danny DeVito?Track 4:[15:37] Definitely Taxi. And there was a different time back then where we would watch more mature shows like Taxi as kids because we only had three channels. But it was on this killer Tuesday night ABC lineup with Happy Days and Laverna Shirley and shows like that. And it was, you know, if you've liked Cheers, it's kind of the Cheers that people have forgotten about. It was set in this cab company in New York. And Danny played this very kind of volatile role, you know, scoundrel with a heart of gold as the years went on and you got to see. But that was where I met him. And it's still a great show. It's something I like to go back and watch every now and then. And it still holds up after all these years. It's a stellar ensemble. Yeah, it's one that I keep meaning to go back and try to rewatch. I used to catch episodes every now and then on Nick at Night.Track 4:[16:32] And then maybe MASH would come on or something. I'd hear the music and then that was time for me to go to sleep. But I would catch Taxi sometimes on Nick at Night. Probably for me, watching Twins, Throw Mama from the Train, kind of things of that nature. I really started appreciating Danny and his quirks. And he had this presence about him that far exceeded his stature, you know what I'm saying? So the way he was able to command the screen, it was almost like a Joe Pesci in a way, even though Danny maybe was less menacing, but he was still that kind of intense guy who would just take over the screen, I think, Bill. Yeah, I wonder how people view him, younger people view him today, because, I mean, he was a legitimate movie star. You mentioned some of them. I mean, from starting around 84, 85, he's in a hit almost every year for the next 10 years. You know, Romancing the Stone, War of the Roses, gets into the 90s and he's in Hoffa and Batman Returns, gets shorty. So there's always something going on with Danny. He compensates his short stature with just a commanding performance, no matter what he's in.Track 4:[17:45] Well, I'm really happy. I think a lot of the younger folks still watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Philadelphia so they really like enjoy Danny DeVito from that so it's funny to talk to like my niece is a big uh it's always sunny fan and so it's funny I tell her like have you seen Danny in this have you watched this have you seen his SNL hosting gigs like you need to go check out Danny like pre it's always sunny but I'm glad that the younger generation is getting a little taste uh of DeVito on it's always sunny is that something that you've checked out Bill oh my One of my favorite shows outside of SNL. Yeah, still. I mean, that's something that if I just need to have something on in the background, I'm going to Always Sunny and throwing on an episode. Because it's been on for 18 years at this point, almost 19 years. Yeah. And it still holds up. I mean, it really, it's the dirtier friends or Seinfeld or however you want to look at it. people with no soul who just kind of found each other in this crazy world and don't give a shit what they do to anybody else. And Danny is a huge part of that. He probably saved that show because he wasn't in the first season of that and was able to kind of boost it up.Track 4:[18:57] Make it what it is. Yeah, absolutely. It definitely wouldn't be around without Danny. I think the other core guys like Rob and Glenn and Charlie and them, Caitlin, would tell you that Danny probably saved the show. So I'm really just happy that the younger folks, some of whom probably shouldn't be watching It's Always Sunny, but be that as it may, that they get to appreciate Danny. We talked about, obviously, some of his trademarks, like his stature, his offbeat personality. One thing, especially watching these episodes, and it relates back to something that I've noticed or talked about with other hosts who I consider great, is that Danny's a really good actor.Track 4:[19:41] And that serves him well in committing to these sketches. We just talked about on the S&N host countdown and on the SNL Hall of Fame, Adam Driver, who's a good actor and that serves him well. Danny, you know, I think, like I said, his stature, his kind of weird personality sometimes, I think that kind of overshadows that he's a good actor, Bill, and it serves him well in these sketches.Track 4:[20:07] Matches. Yeah, and it's very interesting to see when he came into SNL. You know, you can say a lot about the Ebersole years that didn't work. I think one of the things that definitely did work is that he found hosts that were kind of outside the box. There was no reason in 1982 to bring a Danny DeVito into the show. Now, this predates most of his movies. He is on Taxi, of course, but he's the the third or fourth or fifth lead on that show but ebersole saw something in him and decided to bring him in uh i mean it's one of those seasons in season seven where we get so many unique we get the smothers brothers we get olivia newton john right after this which is kind of outside of uh normal thinking as well uh and so he just kind of fits into this one of the wackiest seasons of snl we've ever had. And he just, he meshes immediately with the people he's working with. They feel comfortable putting him in recurring sketches immediately and some original pieces as well. So right out of the gate, we get to see what Dan does.Track 4:[21:14] Yeah, so he first appeared season seven toward the end, episode 19. That was in May of 1982.Track 4:[21:21] Interesting timing. And I think it's kind of funny. I almost wonder if Ebersole and NBC brought him on as like maybe to brag on ABC. A little bit, a little bit of a friendly competition there because Taxi had just been canceled, Bill. And that was what his monologue was all about, Taxi having been canceled by ABC. This afternoon, my little immigrant Italian mother, she gave me this letter. She said to me, Danny, I want you to read this on the national TV.Track 4:[22:03] Son, you have been besmirched by men so shallow that they do not know the depths to which their deeds have taken them.Track 4:[22:16] And funny enough, about a month after this aired, NBC picked up Taxi for one final season. So that's the funny side of it. But I find this monologue fascinating because you know i can't think of another monologue in the history of the show that's like this it's very very unique so he as you say you know they're kind of giving a swan song to to taxi and he brings out the entire cast now we've we've seen cameos when when tv stars have hosted before uh the most recent i can think of is like steve carell bringing in and Jenna Fisher, and a couple other people from the office, but to have the entire cast of a show from another network.Track 4:[23:01] Come on to the stage to kind of take their final bow. And it's the only time in the history of the show that we see Judd Hirsch, Mary Lou Henner, Christopher Lloyd. These are big names. These are people who go on to do a lot of different things, and they never appear on SNL at any other point. So that is very, very intriguing to me, that they gave Danny the freedom to do this and find a way to make this one of the most unique monologues in the history of the show. Yeah, it totally is. And just seeing who they would become. People still know Judd Hirsch. He just recently appeared in The Fablemans not too long ago. Christopher Lloyd, obviously, who would go on to do Back to the Future. Who framed Roger Rabbit after that? Tony Danza. So Tony Danza did host SNL. Tony Danza does come back and host, yeah. A couple times.Track 4:[23:52] Yeah yeah but he's really the only one he's the only one andy kaufman comes out uh in his neck brace he's still in the middle of the whole wrestling jerry lawler thing so he has to come out sporting the neck brace kind of keep kayfabe alive uh there but this was neat i love danny's calling out like abc the american broadcasting corporation is the one who canceled us and i'm sure nbc had i if they didn't already had signed the contracts they had ideas probably of like, we're bringing in Taxi into the family, so let's do this. No, I agree. It was just so cool to see all those people on stage. Mary Lou Henner. Yeah. Yeah, it was just so cool to see all those people on stage. I enjoyed it. It was simple, but I enjoyed getting to know Danny and seeing the rest of the cast of Taxi. Yeah, exactly. And it was such a great segue into the next piece where you get to see this pre-tape.Track 4:[24:45] With the opening credits to Taxi, basically, until it cuts to danny getting out of the taxi looking at the building at the abc building and kind of mulling in his mind now this is not something after 9-11 we would ever see again i'm sure right but at the time it was very very humorous and still very funny if you if you can look at it in the frame of where it's at and uh he's mulling what he should do and then decides to blow up abc and drives away like are you serious we're we're on a network television show granted at 11 30 at night and we have the star of another network show blowing up that network like absolutely bananas yeah yeah yeah i doubt that would happen today for for a few reasons i mean of course you mentioned the obvious one but yeah network on network crime doesn't seem to be happening much more they seem to be more buddies you had the uh the late night hosts on cbs nbc and abc doing a whole podcast together during during exactly yeah that wouldn't happen yeah yeah that's when there was competition and rivalry no that was great and we gave he they gave the people what they wanted he's coming from taxi he's familiar with taxi so right away let's do a test so let's do something taxi related that's what we saw with adam driver and first thing, in his first episode, he was Kylo Ren, doing a sketch as Kylo Ren. So we're kind of giving the people what we want, Bill. You like that as a viewer?Track 4:[26:15] Sure, absolutely. And to put yourself in the mindset of a 1982 viewer, you know, the.Track 4:[26:22] Network shows where you were attached to them in a way, I think that is not quite the same today. There are shows like that, obviously, that people still attach themselves to and things like that. But when popular shows that weren't quite getting the ratings that the networks wanted were canceled, people would petition, would not riot in the streets, but they would get to a point where they would do whatever they could to try to bring the show back. And I think this is a perfect example of that. And to have this kind of moment in time encapsulated on SNL is really, really interesting. Yeah, 100%. Just like a bygone era of network TV. It's like a really neat time capsule to see. I think he was kind of light, though, on sketches. I think he did really well this episode. Just a little light on sketches. Were there any highlights that you wanted to talk about from his first hosting gig here? Yeah. One of the interesting things, and this has come up on the host countdown on the SNN.Track 4:[27:22] It's hard to explain to people who haven't gone back and watched pre-2000 that SNL didn't lean on its host as much as they do today. Today you'll get them in 10, 11 sketches sometimes or segments. They didn't always do that back then. And you're right. There isn't as much here. In fact, I think the last 20 minutes of the show we don't even see him. Right. He just kind of disappeared. Like, that's just crazy to think about. I don't know if his makeup from Pudge and Solomon was, like, hard to get off, so they just kind of, like, said, take the rest of the night off or something. Yeah, exactly. Like, how did that come to be? But, yeah, he just kind of completely disappears. But, yeah, Solomon and Pudge is a great one to talk about. That's one of my favorite recurring sketches from that era. I think it's just one of those quieter recurring things that we got. It really showcases Eddie and Joe. And when they bring somebody in like Danny to play off of them, I found that very interesting.Track 4:[28:20] I disappeared last December when we had that big snowstorm I'm home I'm home in my room my cold I try to keep warm I drinking some wine get down I looked out at the bottom and it says on the label visit our visions in Sonoma Valley valley. Next thing you know, I'm walking around some valley.Track 4:[28:50] I'm walking in the valley. It's all over.Track 4:[28:54] I look up, I look up. The executive stress test, I think, is probably the best original sketch that we see. He's working for this company, and he's been promoted, but they kind of want to make sure that he's got the bones for it. So he calls his wife, and his wife is clearly having some kind of intimate affair with a gardener. And you know he's he's perplexed on what's happening eddie comes in as a drug dealer who's saying that he owes all this money for the drugs that he's been taking christine ebersol comes in and talks about uh the herpes that that he gave her so and then it just kind of wraps up with ah well we just wanted to make sure you were okay with uh with this job so um it's all an act and as we find out towards the end so i think that's one of the better acting moments that we get to see from danny in this episode yeah he played really aggravated confused like really well in that sketch that's where his acting ability really shines i completely agree with that that executive stress test sketch again light episode he was in a whiner sketch he played kind of like a somebody who was kind of annoyed but showed extra try to exercise some patience with the whiners.Track 4:[30:21] Well, you have to plug them in here. Well, don't kick the china. All right, I won't kick the china. Just let me put... Here. Give me this. Plug it in. Oh, thank you. Let's be honest. That's good acting in and of itself because those whiners are a little hard to take. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I imagine... In the sketch and out of the sketch. On an airplane, I imagine, for sure. So, yeah, that was awesome acting by Danny. But I think even though he was only in a handful of sketches that night, his screen presence was really felt. And it's not a surprise that the show brought him back just barely under two years later, two seasons later. But you could really feel Danny's screen presence in this first episode, even given the light work. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's rare to see somebody come back that quickly at this point in the show. After we get out of the original era, Ebersole doesn't seem to like to have a lot of recurring hosts.Track 4:[31:24] So, yeah, to have him come back, as you said, quickly in season nine, pretty much, I think, is it the second episode of that season? It's episode two, yeah. Yeah, and talk of another strange thing, you know, talked about Danny not really fitting the mold of what you would think an SNL host would be at that point because he didn't have any movies coming out and things like that. Well, now he's hosting with his wife, Rhea Permit. And you say, oh, well, she's on Cheers.Track 4:[31:53] Cheers was 77th in the rankings, Nielsen rankings, the year before. It was not a hit. It was almost canceled. So here it is. They're just starting their second season. Danny's not on any show, but they're hosting the show together. So that's really funny to me to see how that matched up. And the episodes where we get married couples, I mean, take it with a grain of salt. Your mileage may vary with Kim Basinger's and Alec Baldwin's of the world but I think this one works pretty good we get them together a lot which is something that is great to see they're not kind of separated, so I enjoyed this episode a lot yeah I thought it was good the monologue was a little flat it seemed like neither of them they were kind of like we're not sure what to do we have some sort of kernel of a thing.Track 4:[32:49] Yeah but it was It sort of fell flat a little bit. I'll give them a pass, though, because Vicky said this is a fun episode. It really shined a light on a reason why I love Danny DeVito. He plays weird. He has such weird energy that he can convey. The two sketches from this episode that I was drawn most toward had that weird quality about Danny. That's what stood out to me for this episode. Which sketches stood out for you? So the Autograph Hounds one, I kind of got a kick out of. And they reminded me of, you've seen The King of Comedy?Track 4:[33:30] So they totally reminded me of, like, Sandra Bernhardt and Robert De Niro's characters from The King of Comedy. Hey, Denise! You screwball! I said you were going to miss it, and you missed it! Yes, you did! You missed it! I struck gold! No, you didn't! You couldn't! I did, I could, and I would even if I couldn't! You know, as Cole Porter said, it's delightful, it's delicious, it's DeWitt! No! Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joyce DeWitt. I saw her coming out of the Burger King, and I nailed her. Look at this. It says, to Herbie, with love, Joyce DeWitt. I don't believe it. Yeah, yeah, what a woman. They're out there waiting. Dick Cavett comes out, and it was really funny. I think there was an ad lib that Dick Cavett made that kind of caught Danny off guard a little bit. He referenced his hat or something.Track 4:[34:21] Yes, yeah. And Danny was like, ah, so he kind of tried to play it off. Danny's obsessed with Ed McMahon. man that's like his white whale of autographs so but the way they they talk about it there's just like he and uh and uh rio perlman's in that sketch as well and tim kazarensky and the way they're playing that is something of the king of comedy it just like he plays weird so well yeah and i wonder if i i think this is about the time that movie was coming out so it might be a kind of an homage to that yeah that's great i had not thought of that yeah i think because i've recently seen the king of comedy so i'm like oh yeah they exactly remind me of he reminds me of rupert pubkin for me uh one of my favorite and i think we get to see uh as you said the wacky side of danny is uh the small world sketch which just really cracks me up and i know you'll get this reference uh you know it's about 12 years later that we get to wake up and smile with david allen Alan Greer and Will Ferrell and, you know, one of the all-time greats. This gets forgotten. I think this is along that lines and is almost like the ancestor to what that would be, where they get stuck on the small world ride in Disney and they're playing that infectious and annoying song over and over and over again. And, you know, cut to three hours later and now Kazerinsky's dead.Track 4:[35:45] And they're trying to figure out how they're going to get him off this, you know, this ride that anybody could easily just jump off of and, you know, jump on the stairs and get out of there. But I love the wackiness of this and the darkness that's kind of under the cover of, of it's a small world after all. So we get to see Danny really shine here with real.Track 4:[36:19] Try and get us out of here you're gonna have to swim for hell don't be crazy Doris the boat's gonna start up any second come on there's no need to panic it is that darkness and I love when uh and wake up and smile is like a great example and I think uh Andrew Dismukes is somebody current who kind of like does things that are similar is when something just like some little thing that happens in life or some little inconvenience that just seems so innocuous and so small at the time just like freaks people out and and it gets built up and like you like you said like tim kazarensky like dies in the sketch and will and wake up and smile will ferrell kills david allen career and the because the teleprompter's been off the weatherman is dead the teleprompter's been off for like 30 seconds and they start freaking out so i love when something's so simple that hat that just like a minor inconvenience or gets escalated to 11 so quickly. Those are some of my favorite sketches, Bill. A hundred percent. Yeah. This is one of those great moments that, again, I think is just forgotten because it's so long ago and it's in this kind of wishy-washy season of SNL.Track 4:[37:31] Yeah, that was a good one. Small World from, yeah, season nine, episode two. Danny also played a weirdo, a stalker in a book beat. He wrote books about stalking a woman named Deborah Rapoport. And he's just like so right at home with these types of weird characters as we've seen for a long time and it's always sunny but kids danny was doing this in the 80s 70s and 80s yes exactly and i love the way that one ends where he ends up getting shot by the woman he was talking to begin with uh yeah he you know it would be very easy to kind of put him in this uh box of of the character that he played on taxi but he finds a different angle to the smarmyness and the and the real like weirdness of all the different ways he can play that he doesn't just do a caricature of another character that he's.Track 4:[38:28] So I think, again, this is just a perfect example of what we get to see from Danny. Yeah, 100%. It's also cool that he was able to do a sketch with Eddie, with the Dion Dion. It's neat, as comedy nerds, to be able to look it back. That's what's so darn cool about SNL, is we have these pieces where you could go back and say, oh, Danny DeVito did something with Eddie Murphy. They're just doing a scene together. and we're out what other show does that happen where we have this treasure trove of material with these two famous actors and this this might be i don't i can't remember honestly unless i'm blanking of the danny devito and eddie murphy doing any movies together but i think i can think of no but but we have this on snl like that's a part of why i love this show see if you can answer this one look at the screen all right frank is talking on the phone to his good friend Then Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States. Suddenly, the president puts him on hold. What would Frank do?Track 4:[39:28] Well, let me see. Back in the 60s, the candidates lightened him and he switched to Republican party. Now, he's a different Frank now, so I think he let it slide, but he let them know not to let it happen again. Maybe so, Dion. All right, for 50 points and a lot of prizes, let's see what Frank would do. Even though it's a less than great game show concept uh danny really ratchets it up again as the game show host you know they don't just go with the obvious person uh in the host role and uh the the whole point is that they're cutting to scenes of piscopo as sinatra and apparently i i don't know if you knew this um i had not heard this before.Track 4:[40:12] But the entire concept of this sketch was that Piscopo would shoot down ideas about Sinatra for sketches because he'd say Frank wouldn't do that. So he was so embodied in what Frank Sinatra would be okay with that they decided to make an entire sketch about what would Frank do. So that's how the entire point of this sketch is to kind of stick it to Piscopo. Yeah kind of like that yeah that's it that's a that's a fun little nugget for snl fans just kind of them ribbing piscopo for his like adoration of frank and not wanting to like go certain places with uh right right i love it so i think yeah especially as far when you said like as far as uh two people hosting together married couple hosting together uh i think this came off really well. Danny came off great. He's looking like a mainstay on SNL. And the next one, we get to see him play with an entirely different cast. So this is awesome. We see what he can do with another era of the show. So it was season 13, episode 6, December of 87. He's promoting Throw Mama from the Train. Bill, SNL nerd here.Track 4:[41:30] I love it when the host is in a cold open. I'm a sucker for that. Oh, yes, absolutely. I do have a trivia question for you. I'm going to put you on the spot. Oh, boy. I know you like trivia as much as I do. So I went back and kind of culled through the archives of it all. Do you know there's only 10 hosts from the Ebersole era that came into the next Lorne era? Now, we're not counting people like Lily or who were on the original era and then went into Ebersole. I'm talking Ebersole to Lorne, only 10 times in the history of the show in the 35 years since that's happened. And Danny is one of those people. How many do you think you could name? Oh, three? I completely... Did Robin Williams? Robin Williams, yep. He was one of them. A couple of obvious ones with former cast. Oh, like Bill Murray. Yeah. Bill and Chetty. Yep.Track 4:[42:26] I think, I swear like Michael Keaton, but I don't know if he hosted under Lorne. Very good. Okay. That's one of the ones I had forgotten. Really? Yeah, I remember Michael hosting during the Ebersole era. Okay, so he did come back for Lorne. I guess I named four. Yeah, that's... So there's also Drew Barrymore, Eddie, Rick Moranis, another one I had forgotten about because he had hosted with Dave Thomas in the Ebersole era, Jeff Bridges, and Kathleen Lane Turner. Okay. Jeff Bridges is one that, that would have somewhat. Yeah. It took, it took a long time for him to come back. I think it was 2010, but yeah, I mean, it's just kind of because Lauren kind of, it felt like he had decided that that era didn't exist in a lot of ways. He obviously couldn't ignore the Eddie of it all. He must have thought an awful lot of Danny DeVito and what he had done the two times he had hosted previous to Lorne coming back to have him come into this new golden era in season 13. So I found it very, very interesting to see this is one of the few people that Lorne was like, okay, we'll give him a pass. He's too good not to bring back. No kidding. Yeah, that's a really cool stat. I love it. Thanks. Thanks for putting me on the spot. Love to do that. You've done that to me. So, you know, I'm just paying it forward.Track 4:[43:47] Yeah, like to my earlier point in excitement, like they must have really, like Lorne must have really seen something and trusted him and the writers must have trusted him. Again, he's in this cold open and you don't often see that with hosts. And I love, like, that's one of those little SNL things that like I love seeing. Well and again to not to keep going back to the host countdown but that's something that we've seen with the people who are really really good being hosts that they trust him so much that they could put them in a cold open and uh you know often i think the reason that we don't see it a lot is because cold open is one of the last things they do most weeks because it's often topical so there's usually a political slant especially these days um so it's not like the game show that they can write on a tuesday night so the host if they're not comfortable or they're having a hard time adjusting to all the stress of doing the show they don't want to add to that stress by putting the code open and as you said like having somebody like danny who you know you can trust and putting him in there with somebody like phil hartman uh in a topical sketch at the time you know, Reagan versus Gorbachev, was really a tip of the cap to what they were able to.Track 4:[45:01] I think it's also too, I mean, obviously the quick turnaround between the live from New York and the monologue and the host has to be ready for the monologue. And usually, I mean, the host is required to be in the monologue. Cast members may or may not be in the monologue. So they have time to dress and stuff, but the host has to change and then go do the monologue. So unless it's a pre-tape, unless it's something like that, I can see logistically why that might not happen. But Danny was so good here. like it's Gorbachev, like getting annoyed at Reagan's little Hollywood anecdotes and babbling, all of that. So just a really fun characterization by Danny. Really inspired casting. But he could have gotten Lovitz or something to play Gorbachev here. It is important that we do not expect too much from this summit, but it is first step. And from first step, many.Track 4:[45:57] Please, Ron, stop staring at my forehead. Oh, I'm sorry I did it again, didn't I? I'm trying so hard not to, but I've got kind of a mental thing about it. Please continue. Never mind. It wasn't important. Anyway, here we are in Washington, D.C. Please give me the grand tour. And Phil's Reagan is so fantastic, probably the best that we've gotten on the show. And to see the two of them play off of each other, and reagan just keeps getting distracted as he's showing them the washington dc monuments and instead of talking about you know the historical value it's you know where jimmy stewart made a movie or where so-and-so stood on the steps and gave this monologue in a movie back in 1940 and gorbachev wants nothing to do with it and i think danny really plays off of phil so well, So cool to see Danny in the cold open. A light little monologue. He's saying that he went to school with Bruce Springsteen from Asbury Park. So he's showing probably doctored yearbook photos of them. But just a fun, just a quirky little Danny thing.Track 4:[47:10] It highlights Bill from this, his third hosting gig. Gig yeah well i mean we have to talk about church chat right because this is uh you know one of those few instances in the church chat history where the host has done it twice now technically he was not the host the first time he did church chat he was a special guest with uh willie nelson's episode in the season before uh kind of like a crutch because they weren't sure how much willie could do uh so they you know they they picked up the bat phone literally and said you know danny can you do and he came in and did two or three sketches is willie's not an actor and how high is he gonna be well yeah exactly yeah i mean it is the 80s and it is willie so so uh so they do the first church chat in this one but this is the one that's more remembered because this was in christmas specials probably until the early 2010s when you'd see these best of christmas snls um where he's you know ends up singing i think santa claus is coming to town correct yeah here here comes santa claus i think yeah so yeah but yeah this was something that everybody even if they hadn't watched this era of the show was really familiar with because you get to see daddy singing with the church lady, church ladies playing the drums. I'm sure that if you have a kid who was watching this in the early 2000s, you'd have to explain who Jessica Hahn was.Track 4:[48:39] But other than that, you've got this great chemistry, again, with another cast member and Danny, with Dana and Danny. I think they were really good together. So church chat has always been one of those things. It's one of the first recurring sketches that really spoke to me.Track 4:[48:55] So I love going back and watching any church chat I can. and this is one of the best ones that they do. All righty. Now, Daniel, you've been very, very busy. I understand you have a new motion picture out, Throw Mama from the Train. That's right. Wow, that's a charming little title, Daniel. And what is our little film about? Well, in the movie, I want Billy Crystal to do away with my mother, knock her off, because she's a pain in the... Oh so it's a family picture we've done a little film about murdering our mother just in time for christmas how convenient.Track 4:[49:34] Come on loosen up church lady i mean it's a comedy yeah i always remember loving this one even when i was a kid like if you're a child of the 80s you were bombarded with jim baker Baker and Tammy Faye Baker, Jessica Hahn, like, uh, all, all those, like all those people, all this, like, so, so if you're an SNL fan as a kid watching the news as a kid, you knew who these people were. I have vivid memories of like Jan hooks is Jessica Hahn. Uh, so, so this was like, yeah, this is like a, something that's etched in my SNL brain and Danny just like playing himself um it's a good vehicle of course for for uh the church lady to shame him and then show obviously she has like sexual repression deep down in there scolding danny about the title of his movie he's promoting throw mama from the train uh so this yeah this is one of the uh very like memorable i think this one and like the sean penn one the rob lowe one those are like the handful of church lady ones that I'll always remember.Track 4:[50:36] Absolutely. Yes. Yeah, that stands out. Another one that I really like from this episode is Mona Lisa. And it's Danny and our girl Jan are this redneck couple living in this trailer. And they've somehow decided to call in this appraiser who's played by Phil Hartman because they're not sure that their Mona Lisa is the real thing. And of course, it's not. But, you know, it's an easy mistake to make for something like that. It's a reprint, you know, it's a blah, blah, blah. And it just escalates. And it gets into, there's Stradivarius, but it actually turns out to be a little kid's plastic ukulele. Right. And Phil just keeps, you know, dashing their dreams, the amount of money. They spent 50 bucks on this. Gold doubloon, which turns out to be, of course, a chocolate candy. Yeah. The gold wrapper on it, until they get to the Orlov diamond, and it is the actual diamond. And Phil sees an opportunity to fool these supposedly dumb people. No, this is just glass. You are a liar. You get out of here. You're a liar, man. That is the Orlov diamond, mister. We had it appraised at the American Gemological Society. It's a certified stone. Serious. Perhaps I can take another look. No, no, no. Get out of here. Get out of here, mister. We don't need those city folks around here. Go on, get out. Get out. Bam. Woo, woo. Out.Track 4:[52:00] You scared me for a minute there. That phony had me thinking we'd been ripped off right and left. I know it. You know what? We shouldn't have let him eat that gold doubloon, though. That's all right. We've got plenty more where that came from. It's just such a great, great work with Jan again. It's never not good to see somebody with Jan, but I think Danny plays really well with that. That Phil playing the smarmy role is kind of a strange kind of turn of the head because he's always not really in that role a lot, but I think he plays it really well. And getting to see the way that they all play off each other is really, really great. Yeah. And seeing Danny play like a Southern, like a Redneck character, like that's like kind of against type of what Danny will usually play. So that was so fun. Yeah, you're right. Like anybody paired with Jan, it's going gonna make for good watching but it just really struck me is how Danny was playing this like southern character he wasn't playing an angry boss or he wasn't you know he just fell right into this like good acting chops man that's like really those acting chops really definitely helped the sketch.Track 4:[53:08] Yeah, and I mean, listen, we're talking about season 13, and you can argue that this is maybe the greatest season of SNL, one of the greatest, for sure, 13, 14.Track 4:[53:21] And when people ask me about this, like, well, how, why, what makes it so special? I think what you see is, and we'll talk about this sketch now a little bit, the doorman, which kind of wraps up the night. Um you know every it's a buzzword especially within the snl community slice of life slice of life but this is actual slice of life and and there's not it's not played for laughs uh danny's a doorman at an expensive uh hotel and uh you know he's talking to nora who comes in and you know none of the people in the building really seem to know each other because you know coming and going and they're all rich and this and that. But obviously Danny is the doorman does. And Phil is moving out of the building that day. And they start to realize that they had never really gotten to talk to each other in a meaningful way. And this kind of really touches Phil. You know, it's funny. It just hit me. I have seen you every day for years. And I don't know anything about you. I mean, I don't know anything about your life or where you're from or your family. It's no big deal. You know, the building is a big chunk of my life, so I'm here. But still, it hits me like that. Well, you know, I live in Long Island City. I commute. I got three kids. Little one, Amy, is still in high school.Track 4:[54:45] The big one, my son's in engineering school. Oh, he's so smart. My Susan, she's at Queens College. And I love this. Like this, you would not see this in modern SNL, for better or worse, and I think for worse, because there's not a lot of laughs here. It's just three people and then two people having a conversation, figuring out, you know, human way to be. And it's just, I don't know, this is something that always gets to me. I love this. And again, getting to see Danny and Phil work together so much this week is fantastic. And this was kind of the cherry on top.Track 4:[55:25] You said it perfectly. Like this is one of those things that I love that touches on shared human experiences is we've all been in that situation where we kind of get one on one with somebody, the co worker, maybe a family member, like some cousin that maybe we should know better, but we haven't. So we get up one on one and it's like, what are we talking about? And then so they're reminiscing about like, because they only know each other's doorman and tenant. It so they're like remember when that package was delivered and it fell back here like so that's the their only common ground that they're establishing right away is that like a one of tenant and doorman so i think that's like funny and it's like it's inherently funny but it's not like played for like comedic heights necessarily it's very relatable but i just i just love that but there's humanity there because you're right like feel like they want to get to know each other but they're just struggling to figure out the common ground that they have outside of the obvious tenant-doorman thing. Yeah, I mean, they're from two walks of life. You imagine this to be probably a fairly low-paying job, and Phil is the rich person who's leaving this building probably for an even nicer place.Track 4:[56:37] So yeah, as you said, the common ground is really, really interesting. Great season. I'm so glad that Danny came back to play with this cast. He's back the next season 14 episode 7 December of 88 he and Arnold did Twins they're out there promoting that movie Arnold makes an appearance here in this episode they had to do Hans and Franz cold open again Danny's in the cold open Bill two episodes in a row Danny's in the cold open with Hans and Franz which by this point was getting a little stale but he injects life into it as an even more more extreme workout partner with Hans and Franz, Victor, I believe his name was. He's taking it past the pump you up into, you should be dead if you're not working out.Track 4:[57:27] Yeah, and then, as you said, Arnold, I think only the one of two times we ever see him on SNL as well. I think he does a filmed cameo at some other point. But yeah, he's sitting in the audience with Maria Shriver. And this, to me, talk about this monologue. We've talked about a couple of monologues that are kind of, eh, okay. We get to see literally behind the door Thomas. And other than Melissa McCarthy on that Mother's Day episode, do we ever really see this? Like, I can't think of another time. Not on the show. Like, the SNL's released videos and we get to see, like, the host waiting. Yes. Or the James Franco documentary, we got to see John Malkovich waiting. But you're right. Like, in an actual episode, we don't see that. Yeah. And it's all because he had such a rush coming out for the first time.Track 4:[58:24] So he wants to do it again, and that's how they get Arnold involved. He gets to see it live from New York, and they're playing the montage, and Danny's just back there, and you can see him getting riled up. I mean, it's such a tiny space, and it's so funny to think about it, because I think in your mind, especially then, when you didn't have as many behind-the-scenes things to see, you're like, this has to be a huge space. They're walking out onto 8-8. No, it's smaller than a closet in your house, like and you know could barely fit two people as they're standing back there but it's just fascinating and i know i know when i was watching this in 1988 that i just i it blew my mind like it's just one of those moments that you're like oh my god did we really see behind the door so.Track 4:[59:11] It's just fantastic it's just such a great way to open probably his best episode arguably not yeah i think it might be and and that's perfectly for for snl geeks like us yeah seeing that backstage i love danny mouthing when like don pardo's like uh because they do the whole intro and i have forgotten that they did that when i watch this again i'm like oh they might just say danny's name and he's gonna know they did like the whole intro i guess back then there were many cast members so so but you could see a mouth like yeah nora dunn and then he i love how the look on his face when he was able to mouth Danny DeVito, he looked all excited. And then the, you can see the, the, the stage director is like, okay, go, go, go, go, go. And then he, and then, then I love it. He's tired. So he does the rest of the monologue laying down.Track 4:[59:59] Exactly. So, so unique. Even at this point, they had done probably 300, 400 episodes of SNL. So to find a new twist on it was really, really great. And again, to this day, we don't really see something like this. So a lot of fun. This episode has in the running for maybe the best sketch that Danny was in throughout his six episodes. I don't know if we're doing parallel thinking as far as what stood out, but I want to hear from you. There's so much from this one. I assume you're talking about You Shot Me? Yes, absolutely. Yes, I mean, oh my goodness. How great is this? How about you, senor? Do you know how to dance?Track 4:[1:00:48] Ow, ow, ow, ow! Why did you shot me? Oh no, I shot you! Did I hit you? Where did I hit you? Where did I hit you? I shot you in the foot. Oh, no, let me see. Oh, no. Oh, no. Are you all right? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. Get away from me. Are you okay? You shot me. It doesn't hurt. I'm so sorry. I don't mean let me help you. Get away. A nothing concept. A nothing concept. And talk about where host matters. He finds a way to make, and Lovitz too, but basically to set it up, he's a Mexican bandolier in this old west town, and he walks in and they do the whole stereotypical thing with shoot at his feet to make the guy dance, and they don't usually hit them, even in the movies, but somehow Danny hits Lovitz, and.Track 4:[1:01:48] It's into, you shot me. You shot me. Over and over. Over and over and over again. And there's so many other people in this sketch, but who the hell knows that? Because it's just Lovitz and Danny going back and forth. Lovitz is clearly trying to make Danny break, especially towards the end when he's in the bed. You shot me again. Yeah, this is one of those, I mean, all-time moment with Lovitz. But again, if you had an off week and this was, I don't know, Chris Everett, this doesn't work. You need an all-time classic host coming in here to carry a one-note sketch like this and make it into an all-time classic. It is one note, but it's also clever. To me, I don't know what the writing credit on it is, but it has Conan O'Brien's fingerprints on this or Smigel or somebody like that. I don't know if your close personal friend, Robert Smigel, mentioned this sketch to you. I don't know.Track 4:[1:02:50] He has not, but I can ask him next time we have coffee. Yeah, ask him. It feels like Conan or Jack Handy or just that whole writing stable.Track 4:[1:03:00] The cliche of, now dance for me.Track 4:[1:03:03] You see the cowboy shooting. But what if the cowboy actually shot him in the foot? And also what if the cat the guy still maybe felt a little bad about shooting him so that goes to his house the next day yeah exactly that's like one of the things he's like it's almost like i didn't mean to shoot him i was just trying to literally get him to dance so that's like another just like layer to this and then i love how danny tries to convince him that maybe we're both at fault if you really think about it that's right and that's when you see love it's turn and really start to hammer Danny with the shot. And you almost see Danny break. I think, I think he does a pretty good job of, of turning his head. So you can't really see it, but you know, what's happening. We know what's happening there. Yeah.Track 4:[1:03:51] Danny seems like somebody who's just always wanting to stay in the scene as goofy as he can be. He seems like somebody who's like, here's the scene I'm staying in this because it's going to make it better. So yeah, to me, that's like a forgotten classic kind of hard to watch nowadays. Days you kind of have to know where to be a sleuth and know where to look but this was one when i was a kid and the you shot me is like hearing lubbitt say that's just all burned into my snl brain again yeah and it's only done this one time but it is one of those things that you would say with your friends and uh yeah it it held up the test of time for a long time to me that's the highlight of the episode but again you're right like what else like good episode what what else.Track 4:[1:04:35] Yeah, you know, it's funny because you wonder why some of the Christmas sketches haven't carried through. And I think, talk about underrated and forgotten, I think the Scrooge sketch in this is really phenomenal.Track 4:[1:04:50] I mean, last Christmas I gave away so much money and forgave so many loons. I mean, I just barely got my head above water this year. Boy, you gave everyone some great Christmas presents. Ah, tell me about it. Yeah, and then you got New Year's Eve presents for everybody. Yeah, I know. I didn't even realize that you're not supposed to give New Year's Eve presents. They were nice, though. Tell me about it. They were good. Well, sir, maybe you shouldn't have given me that raise. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The raise was good. But I think I should have just concentrated on you and a little less on the rest of the world. You know, it's been done to death. We've seen it as recently as Steve and Marty. You know scrooge is just kind of hammered into the zeitgeist as far as christmas stuff but yeah they basically it's it's danny as scrooge and uh dana as marley and it's the next year so we've moved a year past you know his realization about the world and and how he's been a.Track 4:[1:05:52] So mean to everyone and he's still nice but he's trying to cut back and that's that's really the genius of this concept to me he's paying for tiny tim's medical bills but he's moving him to a you know a smaller a cheaper hospital still gonna get great care and you know dana's kind of a dick in this like he's just like well okay you know and and like he he offers to get him a turkey and he's He's like, well, last year, you know, he got me the biggest goose in town. So he's being kind of, he's being overextended by this. And he spent so much the year before that he's, again, still being nice, but he needs to. And then it escalates where we get Victoria in one of her better roles, I think, who's trying to collect for drunken sailors who want to stay drunk.Track 4:[1:06:44] You know you donated all this money to them last year mr scrooge like why why can't and he eventually is talked into it but it's it's so smartly written and it's one of those things again that just kind of could have been overplayed it's not it's perfectly done a quieter piece as far as christmas pieces go but yeah this this is something that sticks out to me and something that I've almost forgotten over the years because we don't see it in the specials. So yeah, a couple of like really cool, smart pieces with the Scrooge and the, you shot me. Uh, uh, and, uh, another thing, anything else that kind of sticks out for you? Um, I mean, I think, uh, you know, it's another Christmas piece and it's not as good as the Scrooge one we just talked about, but they, they doubled down on wonderful life here too, where Kevin's, uh, in the Jimmy Stewart role and, and looks like he's going to kill himself and, and Danny shows up as his angel. But he wasn't going to kill himself. He was actually admiring life and kind of just contemplating all the good in the world.Track 4:[1:07:48] Dandy's just never going to get his wings because he can't find anybody who's ready to jump off a bridge and uh you know then we get phil and dana in there as well so that's another one that's that's kind of something that sticks out to me that i think i will put into my christmas rotation along with the scrooge one because i i think uh they just really hold up yeah i like that one little parade of ghosts there right yeah and that all the angels waiting for their wings yeah absolutely so a really great appearance that was his fourth gig season 14 episode 7 january of 93 his uh fifth time though according to danny and the show this might be his fourth time bill i don't know we'll get to that uh here in probably in a few minutes but but this is his fifth time damn it and uh what i'm gonna call unofficially the amy fisher episode of snl.Track 4:[1:08:43] Gather the kids around and explain why the hell an entire episode of snl is dedicated to this one story like almost an entire episode of us oh my goodness like but you know i mean you're younger than me thomas this was everywhere and this was yeah i mean completely this is accurate to the time that it's in and you would never see this we talked about alec baldwin on the episode that you were on with us on the John Goodman episode for the host and how they leaned into the Monica Lewinsky thing. And it was an entire episode dedicated to that controversy. And you wouldn't see this in SNL today because it's more of the YouTube bits. What can we put up online and as a five minute thing to have a runner like this.Track 4:[1:09:37] Uh danny playing multiple roles he's playing butafuco a couple of times uh if if you don't know what we're talking about kids go look it up we're not going to explain it to you uh amy fisher joey butafuco it's a real thing but um yeah and and they do this like what four or five times we get this runner throughout the episode and then they do other sketches dedicated to it as well So the runner is like, they start off with Aaron Spelling's Amy Fisher. It's like a takeoff on Beverly Hills 90210. So they play it like that. Danny's playing Joey Buttafuoco. Amy, you really did it this time. You really banged up your car. Yeah. I'll bet that's not all you could bang. Yeah. The only Amy Fisher story told from Tori Spelling's point of view. You know, I've been with the same woman for 17 years. That's crazy.Track 4:[1:10:42] You don't want to get involved with an old guy like me. And then they do a Masterpiece Theater version of it that Danny was in again. Again, my favorite one, Danny wasn't in it, but it was the BET version with Ellen, Clay Horn and Tim Meadows. So good. Yeah.

This week Joe, Shari, and jD pore over this week's SNL Hall of Fame episode and proclaim a Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame moment on the week's current episode of SNL. Transcript:Track 4:[0:02] Hi, I'm Thomas Senna, co-host of the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. And I'm Deremy Dove, co-host of the Bigger Than The Game podcast. Deremy and I have joined forces to create a new podcast called Pop Culture 5 to ask the question, what are the five essential things about any given pop culture topic? It could be five essential movies by an actor of our choice. Or five essential songs by a musician of our choice. We're not making a list of our personal favorites, it's the essentials. And we better do a good job of justifying our essentials because one of us will have veto power each episode. And I'm ready to tell Thomas why he's wrong. All right, Dermy. All right. Well, actually, why don't we give everyone an out-of-context peek at what we've been up to? So Pharrell was right next to me, and we looked at each other, and we were kind of like bobbing our heads. He wasn't wearing his hat. Nobody really knew he was kind of wearing. He was kind of incognito. But I had to do a double take. I'm like, that's Pharrell. and then he looked at me you just slipped that in there this big name drop here i was next to my man pharrell like whoa i never heard this everyone so join us to celebrate and discuss the essentials of pop culture listen and subscribe to pop culture 5 wherever you get your podcasts.Track 4:[1:30] Hey, it's time to gather around the water cooler to talk the SNL Hall of Fame.Track 1:[1:40] Hey, it's JD here, and I want to welcome you back to the SNL Hall of Fame water cooler. I am inside the building walking down to the lunchroom right now where we keep the water cooler to meet Shari and Joe. They are there to talk about this week's episode of the SNL Hall of Fame. As well as breaking down the path that this person will have to the Hall of Fame and ranking them as well. And then we will go through the Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame of this week's Saturday Night Live episode. It is the premiere of the 50th season. I am now in the room. I can see Joe and Shari. Shari, how are you doing?Track 2:[2:23] I'm doing excellent. Got my water bottle all filled up from the water cooler and I'm ready to chat.Track 1:[2:29] I am parched. Joe, how about you?Track 3:[2:33] I'm doing good. I am really, really excited about this particular individual that we will be discussing today.Track 1:[2:42] Yeah, it's Bob Odenkirk. Nicole Brady was featured on this episode. She was also in season four with Anna Gassire, nominating Anna Gassire. This time, it's Bob Odenkirk in the writing category. So, Shari, do you want to recap Monday's Hall of Fame episode?Track 2:[3:01] Absolutely. Well, you gave a nice little lead in, J.D. You are the best at that. Getting me prepped. So thank you. Yes, it was Thomas and Nicole. And I had forgotten who she nominated. One of my favorite, Anna Gasteyer. So hopefully Anna gets in, I hope. Yeah. And Nicole did a great job this time, just like she did that time. And Thomas, of course, the consummate conversationalist. They chatted 100 percent. They chatted quite thoroughly about Mr. Odenkirk's career. They started off with some background in the fact that they shot Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. And I didn't want to either. So sorry. But apparently they were shot in New Mexico. I didn't know that. Beth. And I guess Bob was very close with the improv community and would like just show up at things. I thought that was super cool.Track 1:[3:58] Wow.Track 2:[3:59] Thomas and Nicole both said they had never gotten a chance to catch him, but they did compliment him for having such a great relationship with the New Mexican community. So I thought that was pretty cool. And then they broke it down from the beginning to the end. Of course, they started with Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad and How We Know Bob Odenkirk Now. And then they went back in the backward time machine to when he was a young 25-year-old, just starting out. And his time at SNL, of course, they talked quite in detail about his baby, as Thomas called it, the Matt Foley, the motivational speaker. They really did a nice breakdown of that. And several other sketches, some Tom Hanks sketches that he did that I wasn't aware of. And the fact that he worked on Superfans I knew, but I didn't know about Hans and Franz. So it was quite an enlightening discussion. Very detailed and very well researched on both Thomas and Nicole's part.Track 1:[5:02] Well, that's what we expect from those people at this point. And they always deliver. So it's really great. Great. Joe, what do you feel was the thrust of the argument that Nicole made in terms of nominating and advocating for Bob Odenkirk?Track 3:[5:22] What I pulled away from that episode, she didn't really say it specifically, but I just kind of connected the dots.Track 3:[5:31] Something I noticed was he's really, Bob Odenkirk is really good at bringing out a performer's voice.Track 3:[5:41] Now, there's one sketch in particular I'm sure we'll get to that really enhances a certain performer's talent. Talent but uh another one that i learned from from the episode was uh how much he helped dana cardi uh especially with grumpy old man hans and friends now with grumpy old man now if you listen to his podcast or watch the stand-up you see that he kind of riffs and what i've noticed is he finds an attitude puts a voice to it and then riffs jokes and what i imagine what bob odeker helped do was help mold it into a solid cohesive personality so i imagine he dana had most of grumpy old man there and i imagine orton kirk uh pitching some more jokes and give it maybe you know a theme for you know the week or you know for that current um editorial what have you right you know same for Hans and Franz kind of bringing out a performer's voice and you know finding out what's funny about them you know it's this not that oh and then the McLaughlin group that's another one where it seems like it's something Dana Carvey um you know probably came up with the idea well it with but uh.Track 3:[7:07] But like I mentioned in the episode, you got Michael Conan, who are like Harvard grads, who are really good at being with political stuff. And then Odenkirk, who I don't think he went to an Ivy League school.Track 1:[7:24] He did not, no.Track 3:[7:26] Still finding that voice, like what makes McLaughlin Group funny and contributing to that as he does.Track 1:[7:34] Yeah yeah you you put it well both of you i i i think odin kirk is certainly a deserving, member of the hall of fame if you thought if you look at saturday night live this is uh he's there for the second golden age.Track 2:[7:52] And you.Track 1:[7:54] Know that's not an accident i don't think.Track 2:[7:56] What do you think sorry oh absolutely not and you know they just did episode 13 of everything you need to know about saturday night live on yes the saturday night network which i feel like we sometimes are commercial for but you know the best is the best and they're awesome and they're awesome and that is the season where mr odin kirk showed up that's right and boy what a start of a season that was Because we were talking about it before we started recording. What an amazing season that was. And the writing, writing, writing. It's all about that writing. The cast was great. Don't get me wrong. But writing, writing, writing. Smigel, Odenkirk, O'Brien. I mean, that's like a murderer's role of writing talent. Just incredible.Track 3:[8:47] And then reacting to TV and movies. I just want to pass through Carcinio that is yes and then enhancing a performer's talent so you got Dana Carvey who does a great art or, great carson almost said the other guy and then uh but mentioning but you know making fun of the carson arsenio conflict at the time so good for you youngsters uh johnny carson has been was at the time this uh he was the host for the tonight show for decades and then he finally had competition in the 90s and then the sketch was the parody of that um you know and it's an excellent perfect.Track 3:[9:34] Note for note parody of what was going on yes but and then and then uh the last thing i want to get because again i just love bob hollycock so i'm sorry if i'm you know uh but then i was just going to go to the bears and uh he this was because uh this came out of the like all of the chicago sports teams or chicago's love for sports teams in the 90s you know it was like the bulls the bears like they were all dominating and uh the bears uh is like i i still know people like this with the you know that love dicka they have the bears you know shirts they watch you know every sunday and then the thing that i want to point out is in the sketch uh it the bears show or whatever is on uh wbbms and which is a cbs affiliate but that's the affiliate that shows the bears football so like that's how accurate the sketch is that the bears show would be on the same network as the bears football oh i love that like and that's a little attention for detail that comes out of um odenkirk because both me and him are from the chicago suburbs he's from um.Track 3:[10:57] Oh it's neighbor neighbor i used to hang out in naperville and uh you know i'm shout out to burbank but like i used to hang out in naperville and um so like yeah like i could it's almost like he's in it like a college senior that is like i got you kid like i know what you're talking about out and i'll put it on tv you know so he spoke my language uh shall we you can talk now sorry no.Track 2:[11:30] Joe that's awesome and i'm not very far from chicago it's funny i'm four hours from chicago and i'm four hours from toronto so i've like i'm right.Track 3:[11:39] There you go where.Track 2:[11:40] You used to be joe and where jayden currently is.Track 1:[11:43] So what you're saying is if we ever uh if we ever do a meet and great. We'll have to do it in Michigan.Track 2:[11:50] Yeah. I'm already planning a trip to Toronto, J.D.Track 1:[11:54] It's in the old noggin.Track 2:[11:57] But anyway, I was taking some notes because I know J.D. Always asks us about who the candidate or the nominee of the week compares to as far as people who are already in the hall. And this week usually I'm a little stumped. But this week it was easy.Track 3:[12:19] Absolutely.Track 2:[12:21] Because there's two in there, and they both have similar trajectories to Bob. I'd say he's closest to Conan. Because does anybody think of Conan's work on SNL when they think of Conan first thing?Track 1:[12:35] No, not really.Track 2:[12:36] They think of late night.Track 1:[12:38] I often wonder about the Conan getting in. I often wonder, you know, what were the circumstances about that?Track 2:[12:45] I wonder as well. I'm surprised that he got in as quickly as he did. I mean, three ballots is fairly quick.Track 1:[12:52] Yeah.Track 2:[12:53] Considering it took Molly and Maya five ballots.Track 1:[12:57] And Frank and the Davis as well. Five ballots.Track 2:[13:00] Five ballots. Yep. But I see Odenkirk in a similar vein to Conan because everybody knows him because of what he's doing now. And he's so huge now. So I think that's going to possibly.Track 1:[13:15] Hinder him?Track 2:[13:16] Slip him in in a couple. Oh, get him in. Okay. Yeah. I think it's going to get him in possibly in less ballots than Conan because people are obsessed with everybody calls Saul. and Breaking Bad, at least here. I don't know about where you're at, Jamie. Oh, for sure. I've never watched either. They're not my bag, but I've heard they're terrific. And, like, I'm a librarian, and, like, the librarians are obsessed with that. Like, they love Breaking Bad. They love Better Close Home. They're always picking on me because I haven't seen either. Same with Schitt's Creek, J.D., which I know is a Canadian product. I'm always hearing about that one, too. But it's like, everyone's like, why don't you watch it? Why don't you watch it? And I just, I don't have an interest, but I think that's going to put him in, again, it's that recency bias. He's in everybody's brain, just like Conan. You can't get away from Conan. He's everywhere.Track 1:[14:09] He is ubiquitous. Yeah, absolutely. That's a great comp. That's a great comp. And it took him three ballots to get in, like you said. So, you know, anything more than that for Odenkirk would, you'd have to say would be a bit of a disappointment. Yeah.Track 3:[14:26] Yeah.Track 2:[14:26] Yeah. Yeah. I think, I think he's, and I think his sketches, he's got more sketches that were reoccurring and like super fans was huge.Track 1:[14:35] Yeah.Track 2:[14:36] Hans and Franz. He had a hand in later on, but he still had a hand in grumpy old man was very, very popular. And of course we got to talk about.Track 3:[14:45] Here we go.Track 2:[14:47] Van down by the river. I mean, come on, come on. And that's his baby. He created that at second city. So I think that gives him, I think he's going to get in and possibly even on a first ballot, maybe second.Track 1:[15:02] Wow.Track 2:[15:03] We'll see.Track 1:[15:04] Shari going out on a limb.Track 2:[15:06] That's a hot take there. That's a hot take.Track 1:[15:11] Well, where do you guys, where do you guys rank them at this point? This will be interesting this week. I think whether or not anybody has shifted from last week. So we are looking at Beck Bennett versus Shari Ohtari. sorry sherry o terry.Track 3:[15:27] Jesus jay versus.Track 1:[15:28] Garrett moore versus adam driver versus you two versus charles barkley versus bob odenkirk where do they stack up this week gang joe.Track 3:[15:40] Okay so these discussions i've been thinking about them during the week and you know my rankings have been and changing um so uh i'll go from bottom to top okay uh there's seven people number seven you two they're a great band but i don't think they contributed a lot to sarian antlion's legacy so i mean they're great when they're on but you know sure charles barkley uh he's great but snl isn't his forte okay so uh so he's better than you two um above him is adam driver he's on his way to being like a tom hanks but he's not there yet so above him is sherry o'terry who's great but like shari my midwest accent uh pointed out she just came and went she came dominated and left and then didn't do anything since.Track 3:[16:40] Beck Bennett is above that. It's above her. He's a great universal performer. Above him is Bob Odenkirk because how much he contributed to other performers. So it's almost like he was there after he left. Like his legacy was there with Motivational Speaker and The Bears. And those characters were still there. Yeah, and then Bob Harcourt was like two shows later. He had the Ben Stiller show and then Mr. Show, and they were still doing Da Bears. And then above him is Garrett Morris, and that's because he's an original cast member, and it's the least he could get as being in the SNL Hall of Fame. If you listen to that episode, you'll see how he was shortchanged, and based on his talent, And the least that he deserves is being in the ethanol hall of fame. So that's my top seven.Track 1:[17:40] How are you, Shari?Track 2:[17:41] Okay. So I take a different angle from Joe. I leave my personal box and I go to the box of the voters. How are they going to vote? I get into their brains a little bit. And I think I'm going to start at the bottom too. And Joe and I line up there. You too. it's that curse of the musical act that we talk about all the time yeah i don't even think they're gonna if they crack 10 are able to stay till next season i'll be surprised charles barkley is going to be just above them and i think he'll make get onto the next ballot but not by much garrett i agree with joe he deserves to be in the hall of fame but memories are short and i just don't think I think people remember him. I do, but I don't know how many. And I know you two do, but I don't know how many others. Same with Sherry O'Terry.Track 1:[18:35] The casual voters.Track 2:[18:37] Yeah, casual voters. Same with Sherry O'Terry. I think she's just going to be right with Garrett because, again, she came and went, and I don't know how many remember her. I think Adam is going to be right here at number three. He's very recent. He's on fire. He does not seem to be leaving the zeitgeist. He's always got something going on and he may show up this season. Who knows? Now, here's where I shook things up a little bit. This episode shook me up a little bit. I banked back down to number two. I think he's going to be just under Bob because Bob did some major sketches and he's huge right now. Whereas Beck's, what is Beck doing? I'm not exactly sure. Taking a little breather maybe and that's fine.Track 1:[19:31] He just signed for a new TV show. Him and Kyle and someone else. Oh, A.D. Bryant. There's three of them joining a TV show that's going into its second season, and I forget the name of the TV show. If you are listening and you remember, send us an email, SNLHOFWC at gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.Track 2:[19:56] Yeah, let us know the name of that show, because I want to try and track it down if it's on any of my streaming services.Track 1:[20:02] Yeah.Track 2:[20:02] But, yeah, I'm giving Bob the top slot here because he's got those great sketches. I mean, come on. Wasn't Matt Foley the number one in the countdown? Again, the Saturday Night Network did a countdown of the characters. I feel like Matt Foley was right there. Or maybe it was catchphrases. Or maybe both. Because Van Down by the River was very high up. and he's that sketch is always in the mix it's really it's you can't talk about snl without talking about that sketch and that's from the mind of bob odenkirk.Track 1:[20:39] Okay we are going to move to a new segment now that we are in the thick of snl season 50 uh there are new episodes to discuss and the angle that we're going to take in the discussion of episodes is we are going to keep Keep it Hall of Fame focused. And we are going to take a look each week. We're going to get one hit from Joe and one hit from Shari on what they think their Hall of Fame moment was for the episode and their Hall of Shame moment for the episode. Will these moments that they identify as Hall of Fame moments, will they come back in the arguments to nominate these people in the future? We'll have to wait and see. Joe. Joe. We'll start with you. Do you want to start Hall of Shame or Hall of Fame, buddy?Track 3:[21:29] I'll start Hall of Fame.Track 1:[21:31] All right.Track 3:[21:31] Because I think it's on everyone's minds, especially if they watched it recently, is the cold open. And I think everyone was looking for Saturday Night Live's reaction to what was going on in the summer. And it scratched that itch perfectly. It addressed Kamala. It addressed Trump. they addressed the cats and dogs the assassination attempts um and then they had cameos it just hit every you know uh note i don't know what phrase yeah i started the phrase i didn't know how to end it but yeah the cold open it just uh it just you know got everyone it's the only thing got everyone caught up like this is yeah we and they addressed everything from the summer uh and then And, you know, you got all the pitch perfect, you know, impressions. You know, you got Maya Rudolph.Track 3:[22:26] And then also I want to mention I was so happy to see Jim Gaffigan for two reasons. One, he was perfect. And two, like he's someone that I should have put on my list that I wanted him to host. Because it's like he's been in the zeitgeist forever. He was in the Jerry Seinfeld Pop Tarts movie. He did Pale Force with Conan. in i recommend you look it up on youtube and he's just been and he's a great comedian that's been around forever and then to see him when he came out i was like happy to see him and i'm like oh yeah we gotta he's good at the impression he's great at that too and then you know and all that stuff um so yeah it was just you know one after another so uh shari oh.Track 2:[23:11] My hall of fame moment There were so many tonight. Oh, my God. So I know that the Lonely Island is already in. But freaking Andy Samberg. I'm sorry. I never swear. Andy Samberg. I did not love him when he was on the show. I did not love him. I did not appreciate him.Track 1:[23:33] Wow.Track 2:[23:34] And now that I listen to the Lonely Island podcast with Seth Meyers and I've watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Do you get that? JD, are you able to watch? Have you watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine at all?Track 1:[23:45] Absolutely.Track 2:[23:46] Didn't watch it till just recently. Loved it. And now here he is, not once, but twice. He is the man. He's so funny. Okay. I'm a Jewish girl. So I really appreciated his Hanukkah joke about the White House, getting the White House ready for Christmas. I still, I mean, it's so good to see Andy. I'm just happy he showed up. I don't think it's the last we're going to see of him. He was hilarious as Doug M. Off. I know he'll be back. He and Maya have amazing chemistry. This is a Hall of Famer. I think he should be in there by himself. As well as with the Lonely Island. Because he's, I didn't appreciate him. And now I'm like, homie is so funny. And I never thought of him as an impressionist. And he often says he's not. But he nails Dog Am. I just nailed it. So, so good. So he would be my Hall of Fame.Track 1:[24:52] That's something we need to consider, because if you look, we did that honor for John Mulaney. You know, he struck out as a host, but we have him on the ballot now as a writer. And, you know, Sandberg is in with the Lonely Island as writers. Yeah. They took to the third ballot to get in, which is mind-numbing for me. Absolutely mind-blowing. They should have been first ballot. They changed the show, for heaven's sake. But to have Andy go in on his own, you know, that's, that's fascinating. I like that. And, uh, you know, so stay tuned for the draft folks. Um, we'll be, we'll be doing the season seven draft in January and, uh, maybe you'll hear from Mr. Sandberg again. All right. I hate to do this, but let's go to the hall of shame. We'll stick with Shari. Shari, was there anything in this episode that you would, um, look at with your nose pinch?Track 2:[25:51] They either hit. with the weirdness or they miss with the weirdness and uh that housewives of was it yeah yeah i was expecting more here everybody tries so hard but nobody can save it it's sort of a sinking ship and they're throwing everything at the wall and nothing is sticking um it was a a bit of a disappointment but this was i don't want to spoil for anybody who hasn't seen the episode yet but this was a stellar stellar stellar evening so you know you're not going to hit with every set so that was a little bit of a mess for me.Track 1:[26:36] All right we're going to move to joe now uh and his hall of shame pick.Track 3:[26:42] So it's the same. It's Housewives. Again, I don't want to. Well, for one, let's just point out it's a 10 to 1. And what that means is it's the last sketch of the night. It's probably going to be the shortest. But what why it's a miss for me is the Jean Smart that I know from, I think, Frasier and whatnot. She's very good at being like condescending. And so when I saw the graphic for Real Housewives, I was like, oh, OK, perfect. This is a great premise for her to be condescending. And then instead, without spoiling it, it was about something else. So it was like, she's right there. You can use her as a condescending housewife. But the sketch wasn't about that. It was about something else. And I was like, oh, but they did use her condescending, um, talent in another sketch, uh, without spoiling it. So, uh, you know, so, but that's why it was a miss. It was like, you had, you know, the talent right there, but you use, you had, you had the premise be about something else.Track 1:[27:51] So very interesting. I think that's a nice point because they, when you saw the title card and you saw the, you know, you got a sense of the premise and then you saw the lady sitting around the table, it was an impeccable, you know, it was, it was the best of the best of, of the female cohort. Right. Pretty much. Right. You're expecting a big thing. And then, you know, again, if you haven't watched the episode yet, don't listen. Um, that that's probably the best bet. Uh, but, um, uh, it was, you know, it was more about Dismukes and this physical comedy. And, um, and it, the physical comedy just didn't hit. It just didn't hit the way I thought it might because Andrew Dismukes is so talented.Track 2:[28:43] So good.Track 1:[28:45] Okay. So that gives us our, our hall of fame and hall of shame picks for this week. We'll do that again next week. When we talk about Bill Kenney nominating Danny DeVito, uh, Danny DeVito in the host category has hosted four times, I believe once with his wife, Rhea Perlman. Um, Bill Kenney, of course has been all over this show since season one. Uh, he's been part of the round tables. He's been part of nominated discussions and we expect nothing but, uh, awesomeness from, from our friend Bill.Track 2:[29:20] I'm a giant Danny DeVito fan. Like, I obsess over Taxi, and he is so great in Taxi. And he's so great in everything. And he's got this, this is another show. We were talking about shows that Shari doesn't seem to get a hold of. Everybody loves this Sunny Philadelphia.Track 1:[29:39] It's always sunny in Philadelphia, yeah.Track 2:[29:41] Thank you.Track 1:[29:41] It's been on 20 years, and I haven't seen an episode.Track 2:[29:44] Oh, that makes me feel better, J.D.Track 1:[29:46] Yeah.Track 2:[29:47] Because I just, I tried. It's just not for me.Track 1:[29:50] Okay.Track 2:[29:50] Again i do love danny he's just so so funny yeah so this is this is gonna be a fun episode because and he was enormous in the 80s oh huge like a big actor in the 80s yeah um throw mama from the train ruthless people so movies outside of his tv work uh yeah he was all over the 80s.Track 3:[30:11] He is a a multi-generational talent where Taxi, movies, he was like, he was associated with Taxi, Twins, Matilda, Sunny in Philadelphia. So, trust me, whoever you are out there, Danny DeVito is associated with something that you like and we'll talk about his connections with Saturday Night Live and such.Track 1:[30:42] Absolutely. And we're going to do that next week right here on the SNL Hall of Fame Water Cooler. On behalf of Joe and Shari, I want to wish you well and bid you adieu. We will see you next week. Until then, stay thirsty.Track 4:[31:02] Thanks for listening to the SNL Hall of Fame Water Cooler. To connect with Joe and Shari, join our Facebook group at facebook.com slash group slash SNL HOF. To email the cast, write to SNL HOF WC at gmail.com. Please subscribe, share, rate, and review the show wherever you get your podcasts.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/snlhof/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on the SNL Hall of Fame podcast we welcome Ashley Bower back to the show, this time to discuss the four-time host, Adam Driver.Transcript: Track 3:[0:41] All right. Thank you so much, Doug DeNance. It is a thrill to be here back in the SNL Hall of Fame on the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. My name is JD and welcome. Before you come on in, though, please do me a favor. Read the mat. Wipe your feet. eat. The SNL Hall of Fame podcast is a weekly affair where each episode we take a deep dive into the career of a former cast member, host, musical guest, or writer and add them to the ballot for your consideration. Once the nominees have been announced, we turn to you, the listener, to vote for the most deserving and help determine who will be enshrined for perpetuity in the hall. And that's how we play the game it's just that simple now one of the things we do before we play the game is we talk to our friend matt ardill and we get some trivia but before we do that i think it's important we know that we're going to be talking about adam driver today uh i gotta tell you he's one of my most favorite guests of this new era this new generation it would be mulaney and and driver for me for sure i could see them both being in the hall at some point it'll be interesting to hear what ashley bauer has to say in terms of building a case ash and we're thrilled so let's uh walk down the hall and talk to our friend mr ardill oh matt adam.Track 2:[2:10] Driver yeah yeah um One of my favorite hosts, to be honest. Six foot two, born November 19th, 1983 in Fontana, California. Did not expect him to be a Californian. I don't know why. Just doesn't have that. Yeah, just doesn't have that California energy. He attended Mishawaka High School and the University of Indianapolis before going on to graduate from Juilliard. This is a another juilliard grad uh who appears on snl uh he has been in had he has had 57 acting roles six soundtrack credits and two producer credits um as a youth he appeared in how to succeed in business without really trying uh into the woods and guys and dolls uh he's he's one of of those people who's had you know when you see an actor and they're like they just have depths that you didn't expect, Because they have lived experiences, and I feel Adam is one of those. He worked as a door-to-door vacuum salesman.Track 2:[3:19] He applied to Juilliard, was rejected, so decided, what the hell, I'll join the Marines. Where he was a Lance Corporal before being discharged due to an injury prior to deployment that made him unable to go into combat. So he decided, what the hell, I'll try Juilliard again. And this time was accepted. Does not like to watch his own performance and will decline to watch them in interviews, because he just does not like seeing himself on screen. Uh he's been nominated for oscars in lincoln a black k a kk black kk klansman i don't know how to pronounce the spike lee movie yeah it's a three k's it throws me off um and marriage story of course uh his wife is actor joanne tucker uh the uh their her grandfather is the politician henry Tucker, who is considered one of the most important politicians in Bermuda in history, who led the first government of Bermuda in 1968.Track 2:[4:29] Um watching his roles it's clear he's a bit of an intense person um because like after watching fight club he actually came away with the wrong lesson and decided to start a fight club in his high school um yeah so that was a choice uh now he did appear on broadway in mrs warren's profession and man and boy before going on to appear in Girls. Growing up, he was raised by a father and a stepfather who were both preachers, who had him sing in the church choir, which he doesn't really show off to the best of his ability inside Llewellyn Davis.Track 2:[5:13] Which is, to be honest, where I first fell in love with him as the singing cowboy. Boy uh but he's actually a very talented musician and in that episode where he played the piano on snl he actually played the piano he does know how to play the piano um now he's gone on found a charity uh called arts in the armed forces with his partner a non-profit that brings art to the active duty service members around the world and support staff free of charge uh together they have have a son uh but he actually kept it hidden for two years before the new yorker finally uh let it slip in 2019 so he is a man of uh many nuances and layers sounds that way what an onion he is yeah you know when i carve into an onion i often cry and when i listen to a thomas conversation Conversation with a guest, sometimes two, I often cry. Let's go to Thomas now.Track 2:[6:19] Grab your tissues. How's that for a segue, Matty?Track 4:[6:51] Well, hello, JD and Matt. Welcome to another edition of the SNL Hall of Fame Conversation. We are in the middle of a wonderful season six, continuing that today with a great nominee, one of my all-time favorite hosts. I'm going to be up front about how much I like today's nominee. It's Adam Driver, of course, and I'll be up front about how much I like today's guest as well. A very special guest first timer last season with kate mckinnon who i think uh will probably get in this year i mean a little soon after after her tenure at snl to get into the snl hall of fame i guess the voters decided that but i think um ultimately ashley will have gotten kate mckinnon into the hall um ashley uh joined me and daramie on a round table uh at the end of season five so So this is her third appearance to the show. So Ashley Bauer, thank you so much for joining me today on the SNL Hall of Fame, Ashley. Thank you so much for having me back. I'm kind of working my way toward my own five-timers club, hopefully. That's the goal. Slowly but surely. Yes, yes, you'll get there. You were very impressive in your first go-around, so I had to have you back this season. I've been following your exploits on Instagram, I'm not going to lie. So you're a world traveler, you're a Taylor Swift fan, so why don't you tell me, like, how's your summer going in both of those regards, Ashley? I'm kind of jealous.Track 4:[8:18] So it's a little bittersweet. So yeah, I went to Paris to see Taylor Swift at the Aris Tour in May, and it was everything I thought it would be and more. Like it was like being in Barbie land. Everybody supports each other. It's women supporting women. And it's this like happy, wholesome environment. And she's just such an incredible performer. And she was so amazing. And I was so depressed after the concert was over that I couldn't accept the fact that I would never see an AeroStore concert again. So I immediately booked another trip with a separate friend. And we were scheduled to go see her in Vienna. Just a couple of weeks ago but if anyone was watching the news they saw that the vienna shows did not happen um you know just terrorists or whatever no big deal wanted to blow up the venue so very grateful uh shout out to all of the national security agencies um in that country and whatever other countries may or may not have assisted because i'm here to talk on this podcast with you but yeah I know love traveling you're right 100% as often as I can get out of the country and go see somewhere new I'm gonna do it and if I get to combine it with Taylor Swift like.Track 4:[9:41] What better trip could I plan? So yeah, made the best of it, even though we didn't actually get to see her in concert. But got to explore. Still did some kind of musical stuff. We went on a Sound of Music tour in Salzburg. So made lemons, excuse me, made lemonades out of lemons. Yes. And now I'm just back in the U.S., I guess. Just back to the boring life. Yeah, just normal everyday real world. Not in Barbie land anymore.Track 4:[10:11] Oh, that's cool. So that's awesome. Again, I'm like admiring your travels from afar, admiring your Taylor Swift adventures from afar. So I'm glad you've had a great summer. And I'm glad you're back here with me in season six to talk some Adam Driver. And I'm going to be upfront, Ashley. I think Adam might be in my top 10 all-time hosts. He's a four-timer. I think he's already there for me. So I'm going to start the conversation with that to be full, you know, full disclosure with the listeners. I think I have him as a top 10 all time host. Is that aggressive on my part? No, not at all. And I promise he's not paying me to say this or to just agree with him. But like I 100% he needs to at least be in the five timers club. He is so natural. Like it was like he was born to be an SNL host or somehow like he needs to somehow be associated with SNL for as long as I'm capable of watching the show so yeah not aggressive at all and I know we're going to talk a lot about why, he's just so freaking good at it like it's hilarious it's intense it's everything.Track 4:[11:21] Yeah, and I was doing this exercise because I made an appearance on the Saturday Night Network's host countdown this summer. And I was just kind of doing my list and going through the hosts and everything like that. And I surprised myself and was like, I really have Adam Driver this high? I guess I do. And I guess I think he deserves it. So that's where I'm coming from. I think that's where both of us are coming from with this episode. So that's why I was so excited to do this one. So a little brief background on Adam. He did a little acting here and there. Until 2012, he started really getting breaks in 2012. He was in Lincoln, Francis Ha, the Greta Gerwig movie.Track 4:[12:02] Girls, though, was arguably his biggest break. So I first saw Adam Driver on Girls. Is that the case for you and your first exposure to Adam? Or was it like somewhere else that you first saw Adam? him no so unfortunately mine was it wasn't until he got a little bit more mainstream my first exposure to him was when he played kylo ren in star wars um and then it was kind of you know going back and realizing that he had been like making his way through and kind of breaking through over the last few years um but all that to say again i thought he nailed that role in star Star Wars, it was just so well done that playing this just villain that you kind of find yourself, rooting for in a weird way, which is terrible because obviously you're not supposed to do that. But I think just the way that he captures the whole essence and as they build his story and kind of his arc and realizing...Track 4:[13:02] You know obviously he chooses very poorly at the end but you know that there was something in there that was almost good um yeah and i'm not even really that big of a star wars fan like probably upset a lot of people with how little i know about it so very basic very mainstream for me to say like oh yeah he was so good in star wars that that's where i first got experience with him no he was so good in star wars though he played that role really well uh i think maybe i don't want to speak for J.J. Abrams or Rian Johnson, but you think you were supposed to kind of feel something for him, and especially with the backstory with Luke and all that. It's like, okay, maybe he kind of had a point as far as how angry he was, but Adam played those nuances really well, so definitely made his really mainstream mark playing Kylo Ren. On girls, he really stood out because Adam has this unique look about him. He doesn't look like the classic, and this is said with love, He doesn't look like the classic handsome Brad Pitt, George Clooney, movie star Clark Gable kind of person. Adam has a distinct look about him, and that came out in Girls. He was this kind of aloof guy who Lena Dunham's character had an on-again, off-again thing with. And you could see even then some of the comedy chops, and I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. He played intense really well, but then some of the stuff he said was low-key really funny in Girls.Track 4:[14:28] So, there were signs there for him being a good SNL host, I should say. Yeah, I think once somebody gave him the platform and gave him the opportunity to really flex those comedy muscles, he just needed somebody to give him that chance and let him demonstrate. I'm so glad they did.Track 4:[14:45] Yeah, that's what happens sometimes with people who aren't known for comedy. And that's what I wanted to ask you, just like in a general way. What's your initial reaction when someone is tabbed to host for the first time, but isn't necessarily totally known for a comedy? Is the anticipation still there for someone like that? I think so, because I think I've learned over the years that some people just really surprise you in a really great way about it. And I know like several, several years ago, the first time Mark Wahlberg did something with comedy, I was so shocked, like so shocked that Mark Wahlberg didn't just do a comedy movie, but absolutely nailed it. It was so freaking funny.Track 4:[15:28] And so I kind of used that experience to give other people like Adam Driver a chance. Answer because i admit yeah like because all i knew about him at the time was star wars when i first saw that he was hosting i thought okay this you know he's big you know he's popular i see what they brought him in but oh my gosh just even from the beginning his first time coming out with the monologue like it was like he had been there before it was so surreal to me it made me forget that that was his first time hosting yeah there's a comfort about it that you can see as snl fans We can see some sort of comfort level or some sort of fit, I think, right off the bat. And something that I've learned, Ashley, since I've been an SNL fan for going on almost 35 years now, is that the best hosts, in my opinion, are hosts who are really good actors. So being good at sketch, to me, isn't just about having a sense of humor anymore.Track 4:[16:26] It's about being a great actor and having timing and things like that. And Adam Driver happens to be a great actor and has a sense of humor. But I think a lot of those quote-unquote dramatic actors, people who are really skilled at that, are really good SNL hosts. Because I think you need to be a good actor to be good in sketch and not just funny. Oh, I completely agree with you. And I think that's what makes Adam so successful, is because he has the training and the just mixed with the natural talent of 100 committing.Track 4:[16:58] To a role in a situation and just completely dedicating to it and i think because of that i think you see this too in so many of his sketches i keep trying to look for when he's gonna look at the cue card and i can never find it yeah like sometimes i kind of wonder if i'm like making myself believe that his eyes moved just because I'm trying to catch him. I'm like, I don't think he does. I don't think he's ever looked at a cue card. And if he has, then he's completely fooled me. And I think that commitment and dedication to memorizing his lines to completely go all in with whatever sketch they've given him has really been a huge part of why he's been so successful in his hosting gigs. Yeah, 100%. And then we saw that, as you mentioned, mention his first host hosting gig was season 41 episode 10 uh musical guest chris stapleton and his monologue like he was comfortable they played off the whole uh kylo ren star wars theme he was promoting the force awakens but i thought it was really cute just to kind of like get to know the host you had some uh bobby and taryn and leslie had a funny appearance there but the those first monologues for the for these new hosts it's like i i love when they're just up there and loose and maybe they need playing with the i think i think it helps them if they're playing with the cast a little bit even in the monologue ashley i don't know if it's something that you noticed at all.Track 4:[18:24] I actually was thinking about that for one of his later monologues, too. It's his ability to play off other cast members, the band, the camera, just working the different camera angles so naturally. I think that really shows and it helps show the audience how comfortable they are from the get-go if they're able to come out and immediately start bantering with these professional SNL comedians. And he was able to do that.Track 4:[18:52] But it really is an honor to be in Star Wars. Never, never, ever will you find a more devoted fan base. They're very intense. I know. Star Wars fans, ridiculous, right? Quick question. What happens in the next film, Adam? You know, I can't tell you that. They won't even tell me that. Oh, you can't tell me because the audience is here, right? Okay, okay. I'm going to ask you at the after party, though. No, you won't.Track 4:[19:27] I've been dealing with this all week, leslie confused him with mini driver so she asked him why he wasn't in the martian with matt damon because she thought it mini driver was in goodwill hunting with matt damon why wouldn't you be in the martian with matt damon so uh so he had to correct her but uh fun monologue uh i think this is a this This is a fun episode for me, like really fun episode for me. So, but I'm going to throw it to you. Like from this first episode, what stood out to you? Oh my gosh. Again, so, so many. Since I'd only really known him from Star Wars, I thought that undercover boss sketch was immediately one of the greatest of all time. Like it was so brilliant. The concept was genius. Shout out to the writers of that sketch. But again, like his ability.Track 4:[20:19] To, you know, bring Kylo Ren alive into this like comedic realm was so hilarious. And as a lawyer, shout out to all the lawyers who got the rights to let him do that. Because thank you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have this sketch. But yeah, he was so freaking intense in that. And it ended up being so funny. And I think in the moments where he wasn't even really trying to be funny, he was just playing Kylo Ren because of the setting that they had and the concept of what they were doing. Just made it immediately funny even when he was you know pained and trying to like talk to the camera do the interview off screen he's like i'm really looking forward to meeting everybody like it just pained him to have to say it kylo is going undercover among star killer base personnel as matt a radar technician you get so caught up in restoring the galaxy to its rightful state that you miss what's going on behind the scenes. I'm looking forward to having some real talk with some real folks. The shout out to everyone else who kept up with him in that sketch too.Track 4:[21:27] Bobby Moynihan, Taryn Killam in that as well. I think that was such a huge standout. Yeah episode i thought hilariously intense that was like a a phrase that that came to my mind was adam was hilariously intense uh in this sketch and taryn yeah taryn's saying that he's 90 sure that matt is kylo ren but then cutting to him telling a sob story to presumably to get money from kylo because he kind of knows how these shows work so he knew it was kylo ren and he's He's just kind of like laying it on the sob story. So Kylo would like give him something like Matt. Kylo Ren as Matt, the radar technician using the force to choke Bobby's stormtrooper. Just all these fun beats. It's like a modern classic. And this is his second sketch as host of SNL. And he turned in like a modern classic right away. Yeah, exactly. Just right out of the gate. Gold. Like I was just so impressed. So that's undercover boss star killer base with Adam as Kylo Ren. One that I wanted to throw out there for sure, and maybe I'm showing my Vanessa Bear bias too, because she's great. I'm the biggest Vanessa Bear fan on the planet. The Golden Globes pre-tape.Track 4:[22:42] And again, one of those, and SNL did it really well around that time period where they showed a really cute subdued scene and then kind of juxtaposed it with something intense that was happening. So they like to do pre-tapes that had that kind of back and forth. So this one, it was Adam and Vanessa. They play a couple who just won the Golden Globes Award. And they have a wild night on the town. And then their kids, played by Kyle Mooney and Kate McKinnon, are just at home kind of waiting for them. When are mom and dad going to come back? And this and that. And they're just like peaceful, about to go to sleep. And just all hell breaks loose in this pre-tape. And it's one of my favorites. And I don't know how much SNL fans go back to it, but they really should. It's just like a favorite pre-tape of mine from this era ashley.Track 4:[23:29] I agree. Oh, my God. It's so funny. I loved the contrast of this. Yeah. You know, if you're watching, go to bed. And it transitions, yeah, into that. Oh, yeah. Like, what is actually happening when people say that there are kids, you know, going to bed and then waiting for mom and dad to come home and then the absolute shift to them doing cocaine off of the trophy. And like do you think mom and dad miss us and like this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to us forgetting about their kids um but i think what made this so fun you're oh my god yeah vanessa bayer agree she's lovely um she's amazing was i think this shows adam driver's range again that like his classical training and acting and his ability to bring that into like bring the intensity into this this sketch because he also starts as this cute like kind of dad and he's thanking everybody and then he you know picks the fight with keenan and vanessa's yelling at him like be a man for once and hit him and just completely escalating this whole situation, whoa guys guys sorry stars only you man don't push my wife be a man for once kevin hit him You don't want to hit me, sir. Hold on to your hats! You're about to get pounded!Track 4:[24:52] I thought that was so impressive. He runs off like Vanessa has left there to deal with security, and Adam just runs off. He ditches her. Yeah. Yes, so good. Yeah, I just thought that right off the bat, that shows his range. That he could, again, just like with the undercover boss sketch, be so intense, but make it so funny. Yeah. Yeah, they ended up having a, presumably having a fun night with Leo Schreiber as well. After Adam is talking about seeing him at the urinal and everything. And the next morning, Adam and Vanessa are passed out on the couch and Leo Schreiber's in the kitchen shirtless with an apron and making eggs in the kitchen. And the kids are like, he's like, you can get yourself dressed for school, right? That's probably best if you guys go do that. Yeah, he asked the kids, do you guys like eggs? They're like what is happening like oh good mom and dad got home they fell asleep and they're just like strewn about on the couch but as his boob is like hanging out of her dress like there's still cocaine on adam's face like it's just it's perfection yeah it's just madness yeah the golden globe sketch uh one that kind of like amongst a lot of those pre-tapes to me it kind of slid a little bit under the radar um but i think uh if you know you know and and that one's It's a great one.Track 4:[26:14] There's one, and I don't know, I may put you on the spot, but there's one in this episode that screamed Ashley to me. I don't know if we're on the same wavelength, but one in particular screamed Ashley Bauer to me. Do you want me to guess? Yes. Was it the Aladdin? No, it wasn't, but I can see that as well. Yeah, talk about that. I was like, that one, yeah. Big musical fan, obviously. Big Disney fan. And so the fact that he could sing, I know a lot of actors do have that training. I'm pretty sure he went to Juilliard, but for acting, that doesn't necessarily mean he can sing. But he didn't just sing with Cecily Strong. Like, he harmonized with her. Right? I was like, oh, okay. All right. Like, go off.Track 4:[27:03] And again, just the commitment and everything. I thought that one was so fun because it combined my love of Disney. Yeah. kind of a straight man yeah he is poor cecily's getting like hit with a bomb and like the plane like opens it's like it dumps all the bathroom stuff on her and she's just straight up not having a good time and he's so oblivious to it he just wants to sing his song um but no what was the one that you thought was was me it was america's funniest cats oh okay yeah no that's fair yeah because it reminded because i because i know like it so reminded me of like late 90s early 2000s snl uh with this was it was adam playing a kind of a nerdy weird guy named finn reynolds he does he hosts a show where he does like kind of goofy voiceovers for cat videos and then he has two french women on his guests played by kate and cecily so this was just like awesome and i'm like i bet i don't know for some reason i thought like i, I think Ashley might like this one. Okay, wow, you guys do it a little different than us. We try to make the bloopers a little sillier, like with sound effects and stuff. Do you know what I mean? I wake up boyoyong. Oh, boyoyong.Track 4:[28:19] We can try boyoyong. Oh, yeah, yeah, great. Throw some boyoyongs in there. I'm just going to roll a bunch of clips and you guys just go crazy, okay? Yes, of course. Boyoyong. this cat has neurological disorder she cannot gauge a distance between herself and the cow isn't that the one where uh yeah they played the french women and they're just completely like i don't want to i don't want to make anybody mad but like what you what they portray in the media as being uh traditional french women yeah like more nihilistic yeah yeah they're like um they make fun of the cats they're like kind of have more dark humor everything like the cat is doing that the cat's about to probably like die in the video like even if they're doing the cutest thing they're like so yeah but adam's adam plays this really fun nerdy guy that's again like almost he he's a outlandish character in his own right but he's almost in a way like a like a foil or like a straight person to them um their voiceovers are a lot darker than adam's so he's a good like foil to the dark voiceovers that Kate and Cecily provided. It was almost like an anti-Sprockets, where instead of the host being super dark and intense, the guests were, and the host was just trying to be this awkward, nerdy, funny guy doing these cute videos, and then.Track 4:[29:43] These women come on and completely like ah well maybe that's not exactly what i intended i absolutely love that comparison to sprockets like the inverse sprockets like that's so good what a great pull anytime i can shout out to mike myers like i'll find a way, yeah you're talking to someone who when he was a little kid dressed up in like a black turtleneck and pretended to be Dieter from Spraw Kids. So I just made Ashley choke on her wine.Track 4:[30:14] I can see that. And that must have been before we met. I know we've known each other a long time, but the fact that I never got to see this is so disappointing. I'm glad there wasn't like my parents weren't on social media at the time and taking pictures and post. Yeah, that would have been a mess. We're older than social media, Tom, unfortunately. So you lucked out.Track 4:[30:39] Uh yeah this was a fun i i have one more i don't know if anything one actually that really surprised me from this episode but i don't know if you have any shout outs uh any more from this his first hosting gig uh no i really yeah i'm not gonna lie the undercover boss one stood out oh wasn't this also the the season where he was playing the football announcer and pete davidson gets absolutely like laid out breaks his legs that was another really good one Yeah.Track 4:[31:09] He's not so much the star of that. Like he's kind of a side person in it. But that would really sit out to me from that episode as well. Yeah, that was a good one. That was the first sketch of the night. Actually, that like led off the night. Oh, that's right. That's right. Yeah. There was one I kind of forgot about. And I loved Adam Driver, obviously, before I started going back and rewatching these episodes. But there was one called Awareness Seminar. it was adam and cecily and their class speakers talking about social social puppeteering to the class and the stories that adam and cecily are sharing are so good and these stories are just like giving kids ideas about like elaborate ways to like mess with their classmates and make them like gaslight them and just thinking certain things and and they're just like telling their classmates like avoid social puppeteering and watch out for this for example and then they'll go into like a story about social puppeteering the class is like that sounds so cool like.Track 4:[32:12] Inadvertently talking the class ended doing it but it was just like a little gem that i had forgot about okay well in simplest terms uh it's manipulating others for your own amusement i'm hijacking someone's reality to feel powerful here's an example of something i did in the sixth grade. I paid like 80 kids a buck to go up to this kid, Nathan, and say, hey, nice hat. So what's the problem? Nathan wasn't wearing a hat. If 80 kids say you're wearing a hat, you start thinking, maybe I'm wearing a hat. And watching him wrestle with that made me feel good. I took the most valuable thing he had, his mind. That's the idea behind social puppeteering. Any questions? i don't think there was a dud in this whole episode like the last sketch of the night it was um 80s character kid character who wanders into a porno scene that's right that's right.Track 4:[33:06] Oh, my gosh. So that's how they ended the night. Adam did a great job at bad acting in that sketch. But that's like, I don't think there were any misses his first hosting gig, which is rare for a first timer. Like sometimes even the great ones, you look at their first time and you're like, okay, there were like some bumps in the road. But I don't think there was like a bump in the road here, Ashley. No, I agree. And I think this shows how much faith and trust that the writers had in him as well to give him such big sketches for his first time hosting.Track 4:[33:40] So whatever they saw early in the week, I think really built that rapport and that trust because they did. They just kept giving him just like amazing sketch after amazing sketch. And he completely delivered on it. Like some of these, you know, could potentially have been duds, but I think he kind of took them across the finish line. And I think this was also our first glimpse into seeing the comedic chemistry he was going to have with Cecily Strong, like just how perfect they were in sketches together. They're so funny. And I'm glad that we got some more with them later when he came back. Yeah, 100%. So it didn't take that long for him to come back. Three seasons, which isn't that much. Season 44, he led off. It was the season premiere of season 44. And he wasn't done any favors with this one I don't think right off the bat Because they did.Track 4:[34:34] Such a long it was a brett kavanaugh cold open matt damon came on and played brett kavanaugh and i enjoyed it but it was so long i think it just kind of messed with like the timing of the show and the tempo and the vibe um so that was kind of weird like excited about the season premiere but like the brett kavanaugh thing had just happened um the the whole like uh the the hearing to try to see if they would confirm him for supreme court justice and so that was very topical, but it just went on for so long and it seemed like they were just playing catch up the entire night, but there were like some good stuff, including arguably the best sketch of the whole era. One of the best sketches of the entire era happened to this in this episode. So, so still like a great perform, great outing by, by Adam. Yeah, you're right. I mean, how do you follow Matt Damon playing completely?Track 4:[35:30] Shout out to Melissa Villasenor, white male rage character in Brett Kavanaugh. It kind of did monopolize the show. It took a really long time. And living in DC, I've gotten to see oral arguments now. And that has ruined me because listening to Justice Kavanaugh ask questions during oral argument, I'm sitting there trying not to giggle and break my bearing because all I can picture is Matt Damon playing him in Saturday Night Live but yeah like it was so hard I think to follow that such an aggressive.Track 4:[36:03] Tone although come to think of it maybe Adam was the perfect one to follow that because he is so intense and aggressive and we got um oh my gosh what was the character's name I remember Pete's name was like Mordecai in this are you talking about Abraham H Parnassus yes thank you oh my god yeah so we get your i think yeah one of the greatest sketches of the era maybe all time um i think anyone i talked to about adam driver doing snl this sketch always comes up i think more than any of the other ones and for good reason i keep talking about his commitment and dedication like this is exhibits a through like z right here everyone else is just dying and losing it in this sketch pete especially right in front of him and he doesn't blink he He doesn't flinch, he doesn't hesitate, like just utter commitment to staying in this character. Mr. Parnassus, why don't you tell us about what you do for a living? Hear me now, children. For my occupation is of much import. For 82 years, I've been an oil man, a baron, some have called me. Now what does an oil baron do? The answer?Track 4:[37:18] Crush your enemies grind their bones into dirt make them regret they were ever born oh sick yes speaking of my shout out to melissa v and senor a minute ago i think she kind of like she's the perfect side person for this sketch because her reactions to him oh my god we're so perfect i think her reactions are some are just as funny as him playing this um oil bear she's like yeah like jp higgins sucks like this is some of the best acting i think that adam's ever done honestly like in movies and girls uh this to me this career day sketch like can rival any of his best acting in that he's done in movies because commitment he was yelling about like crushing your enemy enemies and his feud with hr pickings i love these names for old oil like that's perfect um you mentioned melissa i think she was the one who said i want to be you when i grow up and then adam delivers perfectly and so you shall he gets like all intense it's like it's so ridiculous and pete knew how ridiculous and awesome it was gonna be because as soon as adam started i think even before when he just came out i think pete just looked at him and was like oh god he like kind of started giggling yeah uh pete loses it immediately Adam doesn't even open his mouth, and Pete's completely lost it.Track 4:[38:46] Yeah, this is Beloved for Good Reason. Career Day, he plays, again, Abraham H. Parnassus, which is right up there with Kylo Ren, whatever his character's name was in Marriage Story. I forgot, I liked him in that.Track 4:[39:03] Just anything, Adam from Girls, it just rivals to me. It rivals anything. I absolutely love this sketch. It is up there as far as like an essential, just amazing sketch from this whole era. So that's the first one that you got to shout out, right? Oh, for sure. I want to know if he improvised the part toward the end of that sketch where he throws the bird down on the floor and starts impaling it with his cane. Because everyone else's reaction in that room is like genuine shock and terror. And then kind of like trying not to crack up. And I think it appears to me, based on those reactions, either they were just so perfectly committed to nailing those reactions, or that was improv, because they seemed to not know that he was about to do it, which makes it even better. Yeah, yeah.Track 4:[39:54] Yeah, there's another one. Well, you had mentioned that he and Cecily had developed a rapport from the previous episode. And another one I liked from this, again, total commitment. There's anger, drama on both Adam and Cecily's part. It was that coffee shop one where they're drinking Domenico's coffee that they were told was actually Burger King coffee. And just Adam and Cecily's just dialing it up. They're dialing up the anger, dialing up the drama, all the way to 11. This is a fun sketch, I think. But the fun thing is, is that you actually drank BK Joe. Well, probably everyone else's is a BK Joe, but mine wasn't. I'm a Domenico's girl. My new wife is a Domenico's girl. Okay, sure, but that coffee is BK Joe. And get this, it costs just $1.99.Track 4:[40:48] $1.99? You better take that back, you pervert! Whoa, sir, there is no need for that. You fed my wife this garbage? Huh? This burger juice? How dare you? The day after our wedding. You came here the day after our wedding? And I'm already laughing because I love this sketch so much that to this day, I will be out getting coffee with my husband, and if we go to a new coffee shop, I'll be like, mm-mm, I'm a Dominico's girl. And I just completely start cracking myself up again. Yeah, he's so embarrassed to be around me, my poor husband. No, he's great, but he just knows me so well by now. He knows to expect it. But yeah, every time, like, mm-mm. No, I'm a Dominico's girl.Track 4:[41:30] That's awesome. Yeah, it's just sad that, like, Cecily does. And Adam found a true kind of, almost like his twin on the show in some ways, just in Cecily. Like, they worked off each other so well. like it was we saw that with the aladdin one before that but yeah this this sketch is like uh they're they're fueling each other like one neither of them are the straight person they're just like building off the other one's anger and rage and drama and it's just it's fantastic so uh we've learned today that ashley's a dominico's girl so and that this is a fun sketch, um those were yeah those were a couple highlights um i don't know if there's any more with this episode not many sketches like i said because it just got off to kind of a long start with the with a really long cold open, Yeah, so I'm glad that they gave him so many good ones for his first hosting gig. Obviously, I don't know that they were this prophetic to know that they wouldn't really have this chance the next time he hosted. But I think, you know, I think it was okay to kind of have a little bit more of a dud. And no fault to his own.Track 4:[42:43] But then, of course, you know, the next time we see him, the next two times we see him, I think they make up for it again. Oh, boy, do they. Yeah, no, this is like a classic. It seems like a classic episode. Um season 45 so he comes back the next season uh season 45 episode 11 um this one actually has my favorite monologue um by adam and actually one of my favorite monologues of this whole era i think um and adam's trying his best to be chill and he says he hates red carpet stuff because he's bad at smiling and then he's like uh walking toward the camera and staring into the camera But the whole conceit is just like, I'm just going to try to be chill for this monologue up here. And it's just Adams can't do chill very well, actually.Track 4:[43:34] No, not so much. And I think this shows how self-deprecating he is, too. And I know we see this. They do this every now and then for those actors that maybe kind of get a certain reputation in the media about how their personality is. And they come on SNL to debunk this myth that this is how they really are, but then ultimately the formula of the sketch is to just really prove everybody right at the end of the day. I'm not an intense guy. I'm actually very chill. So tonight I'm just going to be myself, open up a bit, and be chill. Can we get some chill music? No, I don't like that. Can you play something else?Track 4:[44:17] Okay, I like that less. Can you go back to the first one? Okay, that's fine. You can hear that's better, right? Okay, good. Anyway, I'm very chill, and I'm just gonna prove it. I'm just gonna, you know, Take my time up here, be myself, and enjoy this moment.Track 4:[44:37] Yeah, I think he does this so well, too, again, because, again, starting from the beginning, I'm super chill. Three notes into the song that he asks the band to play. No, I don't like that. Change it.Track 4:[44:50] Like, five notes into the second one. Actually, no, I like this less. Go back. He's just being this, like, demanding diva. um and i know i talked a little bit earlier about like his first monologue and kind of how he was interacting with the other cast members but yeah this one you're right he's interacting with the band he's interacting with the cameras he does the awkward sit next to the audience member kind of thing and tries to yeah i can sit and talk to the people and then just kind of gives him this action figure thing and if i see this on ebay i'm gonna kill you um it's just yes you're it's so memorable so funny yeah these are the types of monologues in my opinion that all-time great hosts do like i can see steve martin tom hanks alec baldwin like any of the all-time greats just holding court in a monologue like that looking so comfortable so confident they're owning the main stage they're owning home base there in studio 8h and this is just a throwback back to like this is a monologue that that i watch and i'm going like this guy is an all-time great and this is something that makes me confident in calling him like a top 10 host ever is because of something like this like it's it's just it's just it was just so fun to watch it it's like one of those monologues honestly that like made me makes me uh reaffirms why i like watching snl because i get to see something great like this.Track 4:[46:18] Yeah, and it's something that could have just completely failed if he didn't have the ability to carry it. Like, he carries this entire monologue that could have been so awkward and just nails it. It's quiet. It's just him. He's interacting with these other people and entities, but they're not really engaging back with him. Like, he's carrying this whole monologue, and it's funny from start to finish. And I just think that, yeah, it really goes to show how talented he is at this. And it's so fun to see. Yeah, people, you need to go back and watch his monologue from season 45, episode 11. To me, it's like up there with like some of the better like Martin Short monologues or hosts like that. It's pretty awesome. So I was in New York this weekend.Track 4:[47:05] And my wife and I were leaving our luggage at our hotel to go like do some sightseeing before we had to get back and then go to the airport. They told us how much it was. they said that they didn't take card and I looked at my wife and I was like oh man I'm all out of cash so so that made me that reminded me of such a classic sketch from from this episode Ashley that was a that was a shaggy a little shaggy dog way to get to to get to this Del Taco sketch, I love it oh my gosh did you pick this sketch because of my prior comments about Kyle Mooney a little bit, i mean because part of me is like oh another kyle mooney sketch but then well like the evil part of me is like oh this entire sketch is like designed to absolutely humiliate him 100 yeah and i will say i end up i do end up feeling so bad for him by the end of it when he's like fake crying um because they make him say the line like 100 times over again and it's still wrong and they're just telling him how bad he is at it yeah yeah let's hear it oh man i'm I'm all out of cash. Aw, man, I'm all out of cash. No, you don't want to kill yourself. You just want to talk about it.Track 4:[48:18] You should be like, aw, man, I'm all out of cash. Okay. Now say it. Aw, man, I'm all out of cash. Aw, man, I'm all out of cash. No, you're not a pervert. He's got to get out of his head. I think we just got to beat the hell out of this guy. No, no, no, no, we can't. Aw, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I know, sir. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Adam plays such a great, like, he plays the VP of branding for Del Taco. Del Taco. They're shooting a Del Taco commercial. Beck's the director. Chloe Fineman. It's an early, I guess, early Chloe Fineman. I was surprised. I actually kind of forgot that Chloe was in this sketch. So it's early Chloe Fineman and Adam or Kyle are playing these two actors. And he and Kyle has to say the line, oh man, I'm at it all out of cash. And Beck's trying to coach him.Track 4:[49:09] And You don't want to kill yourself. You just want a taco. You're not a pervert. Just all these different things. He looks at Beck and he's like, I think we just got to beat the hell out of this guy. And then he's like, put your shirt on your head like Cornholio. Take your pants off. Like Cornholio. I love that. He just kind of slid that in. We all know who he's talking about. The great Cornholio. This is another classic So like You can watch all four of his Episodes and I think there's like Classics from the era Yeah, in each one of those episodes. And to me, this is one of them. This Del Taco commercial shoot. I think immediately, Ashley, I looked online when it happened and people were repeating that line right away. It became an instant classic. So where does I say, oh, I'm a Domenico's girl. You're the, oh, I'm all out of cash. No, it's like, oh, man, I'm all out of cash.Track 4:[50:21] Please don't make me do it like Cornholio. You just crack each other up drinking Domenico's while eating Del Taco. That would be it. Yes. That would be a fun time. What else do you need? They also did, Ashley, a sequel to a sketch that we both loved from his first gig. It's the undercover boss, Where Are They Now? So how did you feel about part two of this undercover boss? I really liked it. It's always so hard to do a sequel to anything. I was just so happy to have him back. Um i didn't think it was quite as good as the first one that may be in a popular opinion, um but i think i've probably just built up in my head so much like the perfection that is the first one that yeah you know there's no way to ever really compare it um but yeah obviously it was such a favorite they knew they had to bring it back for the fans i'm so glad they did yeah well it got a huge cheer when the sketch started it got a huge cheer so we showed how beloved the The last one was immediately they showed Adam as Kylo and everybody just start shooting because they knew what they were in for pretty much. And then it has a gif that that kind of lives on toward the end when he's giving that strained kind of thumbs up at the at the end of the sketch. So for nothing else, like I thought this was a pretty good sketch, but then like that thumbs up kind of lives on.Track 4:[51:44] Yeah, I mean, again, no shade to Adam Driver. I think he nails it again. I think it's kind of just more some of the other people. Bobby Moynihan, just not sure enough sucks. Like, when you go from that to, like, everybody else, you don't have Leslie Jones anymore, you know. Maybe I'm just biased again because I loved those actors so much. But, yeah, if nothing else, at least now our world is blessed with that gif of the author of Thumbs Up. There's a series of sketches that I think Adam's, like, a perfect host to play. So it's the science science room sketches and he could play really annoyed, like very, very well. Uh, so, so he plays the host of the science room. Of course you have like Mikey and Cecily is their little kid characters who, who are just like the most annoying little kids. But isn't Adam not perfect for something like this? Oh my God. Yes. Cause again, just his complete ability to, and he times the escalation of his aggression. So wow. Like he doesn't come out of the gate at a hundred. Like he really knows how to just dial it up a little bit more, a little bit more each time. And you see that with this, like at first he's like so happy about the kids and seems like, you know, a TV host that's going to be so natural and doing a science show with kids. And then just completely ends it with like wanting to absolutely murder these dumb children. And he's throwing the tape like through the window and.Track 4:[53:11] Um, again, just Cecily, like, I think she helps carry that through, like her comedic timing and delivery of the, you know, somewhat inappropriate comments about what her sister says about what happens in the science room. Always. Yeah. It's always something she, she repeats what her sister says. What comes first in the science room? Um, the guy, the guy. Yeah. My, my older sister said the guy like always comes first oh my god no no that's not what that means the guy does not come first here the girl comes first no my sister said the girl never comes it's safety safety comes first.Track 4:[53:56] That was an awful conversation we just had adam had the best response uh he just sort of casually goes like that was an awful conversation we just had it was like the way he said it was like i was like the voice for us like yeah that was somebody like called it out yeah i love it i love when snl does that too um i think by one of my favorite examples of that is uh again kind of going a little off topic i apologize but the larry david episode where they're doing the fbi training and pete davidson just simply repeats what larry david said with this like like incredulous like just demeanor like did he just say can a bitch get a donut and it's like the audience yeah you're right it's just really repeating what the audience is thinking in that moment it seems so simple but it's.Track 4:[54:50] Kind of i think it makes the audience like oh yeah that's right yeah this is funny because this is exactly what i'm thinking and i think adam did the same thing in this sketch yeah for sure that's like a mikey day street or side l kind of thing too i think yeah yeah like the audience perspective um in that as well though uh yeah just a wonderful uh the science room they've done that a few times and you need those like great actors who can like pull off that sort of frustration that like escalating sort of frustration that adam did um i have one more that i think that i really love from this uh from this episode i don't know if you have anything from his third hosting gig that that we should go over um no yeah those are kind of the big ones for me i think we might be thinking about the next the same next sketch though the only other one i can think about from this uh episode well mine was um it's an example of a sketch that has a ridiculous premise and kind of really works because of someone like adam i guess adam and cecily again and it's the marrying ketchups sketch yes that they did at the end of the night and it's just like of course at a restaurant one of the closing duties married the ketchups or whatever so they're pretending to like have a wedding with the ketchups and So basically Adam and Cecily are playing these catch-ups. I think Kyle comes in as like Cholula or something.Track 4:[56:17] But this is such a dumb, dumb premise that I find really entertaining.Track 4:[56:22] And it's basically because of Adam and Cecily. So them as a duo I find really entertaining performing a really dramatic dumb scene.Track 4:[56:33] Wanda, I know you're only a quarter full and I'm three quarters full. But together it won't matter We'll just be one full ketchup No, we won't Because I'm not ketchup at all, i'm catsup what did you just say you heard me.Track 4:[56:54] You're telling me i've been gallivanting around town with some cheap off-brand generic ketchup, don't you dare you're not even heinz you dirty hunt you're really gonna call me a hunt in front of my family i love it because it's supposed to be like this dramatic.Track 4:[57:12] Like almost marriage story-esque you're right and um he's yelling at her and the puns are just chef's kiss like you're right it could be so dumb it could be so bad but they nailed it like i don't relish telling you this but like it's like come on like please um and i think it it was heidi gardner who was it was heidi who was yeah heidi was the manager i think heidi bryant played the manager yes yes and it's um cecily almost she kind of breaks a little bit when she like breaks off the label and realize it reveals that she's catsup and not ketchup and he's just appalled um and then they have the little like ketchup packet baby i can't like everything about out this sketch is so funny to me but i do kind of like dumb humor yeah no absolutely no dumb humor is great especially on snl it's like i don't know like the commitment just to just to really to sell something dumb is just like it's one of the reasons why i do love the show is just to see these just sometimes you see these people sell the most ridiculous thing and it's It's like they're just putting themselves out there to look stupid and to have fun. That's a lot of reason why I watch the show. And something like this, it's just like it's perfectly executed in that.Track 4:[58:40] Oh yeah and like when she she starts kind of pushing back she's like well at least i don't have to slap him on the back for him to perform yeah yeah oh that's that so we were both thinking the same thing that's marrying catch-ups that was the last uh it was like a 10 to 1 it was the last uh sketch of the night um very great episode his third one we had a classic monologue the del taco commercial shoot was classic some other like really fun sketches um adam got to show his acting chops a lot in the medieval times sketch adam got to show like some really over dramatic fun acting like a like adam driver does um so really really strong third outing people were clamoring for him to come back it's just like he's showing that he's an all-time great already but we need him back and when they announced him and kate hosting i think they hosted like back to back they were part of a batch of uh announcements it was like okay we're in for something special uh so adam came back this past season in season 49 um and i think one of these sketches was probably my top two sketches of the season and adam played it perfectly but the but this was like a i think season 49 was maybe kind of an up and down episode but.Track 4:[1:00:05] To me this was like had a lot of highs compared to a lot of the other episodes of this season but like when you saw adam was coming back like excitement oh yeah definitely like i said you know he he came out just from his his very first season of hosting and was so good at it.Track 4:[1:00:22] If he just kept getting better and better every time they've announced him, I've been so, so excited. I'm going to be even more excited if they announce him for a fifth hosting gig, but yeah, definitely always excited to have him back.Track 4:[1:00:38] Yeah. So, so I think, I think some fans felt like it was bumpy to start the season. And then we were like, Oh, Adam's coming back and Kate McKinnon's coming to host. Like, so this, this really like, I think rejuvenated a lot of people.Track 4:[1:00:51] And, um, the sketch that I want, that I wanted to bring up first was like, uh, maybe my favorite sketch of the season. There's another one with Kristen, in the Jumanji sketch was up there too um but beep beep um with Adam and uh Andrew just mukes essentially kind of facing off in this sketch like Andrew's honestly my favorite current cast member to so to see Andrew and his weird humor uh his kind of intense silly humor play off of adam so well uh in this sketch which is like it's kind of a dumb premise like two guys are like putting their dishes on the table and saying excuse me beep beep so they use the word beep beep and then adam and andrew get there at the same time and they say beep beep and then it starts getting tense it's like a tense standoff i'm sorry boys is everything all right everything's fine sweetie i said beep beep no no no no no no i said beep beep no no no no no no i don't think you understand see i'm a little car right now and i'm honking at you with my little horn.Track 4:[1:02:12] Beep beep you couldn't get two better people one you couldn't get a better host two you couldn't andrew was the perfect cast member to pull this off so beep beep ashley maybe my favorite sketch at least in the top two of the season oh yeah i think that one really threw me off i didn't think, you know it was gonna be as good as it was when it kind of first starts like oh here's another like holiday get together type sketch you know they do these all the time um but oh my gosh Gosh, you're right. I do feel like Andrew Dismutes has been kind of this like dark horse, this silent assassin where you didn't really –.Track 4:[1:02:47] He's so kind of quiet and unassuming, seemingly, that you think he's just going to be hiding in the background. But I remember being so impressed with how well he held his own with Adam Driver in this scene. Adam is so intense. He's so experienced. And Andrew Dismukes is still kind of new. And you could not tell. and I know you got a little of that too when he had that sketch with Ryan Gosling where Ryan's trying to like bail on the engagement and I feel like you get kind of that same Andrew Dismukes with Adam Driver in the Beat Beats sketch, and yeah like that same just perfection of escalating it at the right time, but also I think anyone who's been to like a dinner party with their parents was like oh my god yes like this This is the cringy stuff that dads do with each other. But to see the twist of it turning into this, like, fight to the death is so funny. One of them must relent.Track 4:[1:03:54] Yeah, it's just, I'm a sucker, just in my time as an SNL fan, I'm such a sucker for silly premises that take dramatic, tense turns. Like, as you mentioned, it's a silly premise. this you know dumb dads are just like goofy dads i should say uh just kind of doing their thing and i just love when those types of slice of life kind of things take such a dramatic turn and it's just tense and you see andrew looking at him just staring into like adam's soul and like i said beep beep and it's just like it turns like such like cold tense like wow okay like that escalated. I'm a sucker for that, Ashley. Out of like the different sketch types, that's one of my absolute favorites. Oh, yeah, I think it goes back to what we were talking about the juxtaposition of, you know, where they like for the pre taper, they do something so calm and kind of sweet. And then it turns into this like epic, like, rage type scene, you know, next. And obviously, this is a little bit of a different formula, but they write the same idea of something that could be so dumb, but that everybody connects with everyone thinks is funny, because they've executed it so well. And then you just have Caden come in and he shows his gun like just takes it from a hundred to like a million.Track 4:[1:05:14] I just oh my god yeah perfect way to end it because sometimes I do take issue you know they're not really quite sure how to end really good sketches sometimes, and sometimes there's just this kind of awkward fade away but not with this one like start to finish, I think it's James Austin Johnson is one of the people in the back like kind of like Like, yeah, explaining, no, no, no, like, this, once they said beep beep, you cannot relent, like you said. Yeah, beep beep, I'll continue to spread the good word about this sketch, because it immediately, like, impressed me and floored me. It was awesome. Yeah, this episode was one of my favorites of the season, probably. You had him and Bowen as that gay couple that just told their friends like that they're trying. I'm so, so happy for you. So tell all now, what's your plan? Are you gonna adopt? No, we're just gonna try. Oh, so then you're doing the surrogate route. That's great. Huh, surrogacy. Well, maybe down the line, but for now we're just gonna try. Trying so uh don't come knocking on our door either oh.Track 4:[1:06:34] Heidi michael sarah and andrew all asking them like so how are you are you adopting he's like no we're just trying okay like yeah so i just love their like him and bowen just kind of casually just throwing out that they're trying so that was something else that stood out to me i mean anything with bowen of course he's so good at playing off anybody as well like he's so versatile i love it yeah no yeah what'd you think about this episode as a whole and anything that like that you may have enjoyed i yeah i mean obviously yeah the beat beat was the one that stood out to me the most so we were trying um the old friends one was really funny but kind of like reaching out hadn't heard from somebody in a while like that would also kind of take like a really dark turn. But yeah, you know, I feel like.Track 4:[1:07:26] This episode showed a little bit more that they don't always like the sketches don't always have to be him front center. Like he can also, I think play like the side guy, the side person and, you know, really still contribute and, and not just be somebody who's hiding in the corner or they're not just throwing him in because he's the host. Um, and he wants a certain amount of screen time. And I think he ends up really contributing to everything that he's in, whether he's front and center or he's playing one of the side characters. And I think we've got probably a few more sketches, I'd say, where he was the side character in this one. Or maybe even a little bit calmer sometimes. Yeah, especially toward the end. Yeah, there was like a PSA, which is like elderly people saying like, stop pranking me, basically. So you have all these elderly people. Yeah. And Adam was just part of an ensemble there. Tiny Ass Bag ended the night. And Adam was just sort of part of the sketch. But he's front and center when he's playing a baby on an airplane. Oh my god, yes. Adam's front and center for that one. Okay, yeah.Track 4:[1:08:32] I mean, that's an example of a sketch that could go off the rails so quickly if the host isn't selling it. And Adam is selling it. It's just his face because basically he's sticking his head through an airplane seat and then it's like a little baby's body. So it's just Adam facial expressions as far as like his ears hurt and, his mom is playing like a Peekaboo or not peekaboo, but like showing him his toy and like where'd it go and then Adams like oh my god he's like so this is just total like facial acting just commitment and another sketch that could really go off the rails unless It's like a confident really great host. I've been there before raised three on my own. How old is he? Oh.Track 4:[1:09:22] I'm 11 months oh oh wow you mean 11 months in like 15 000 days my ears feel strange.Track 4:[1:09:36] It's okay honey that's just the pressure from being up high yeah no my ears they feel different i don't like it, it's okay here do you want your ipad sweetie the peppa pig device that is the only thing i want, and i think too like this shows like he's so willing to not take himself too seriously like the sketches that he's taken on and agreed to do and then just absolutely nailed i think shows that like he's not afraid of looking silly he's not afraid of being stupid um and you're right kind of taking these premises that coul

In this episode, Nick reviews the performance of "The Summer Jobs" tour of stand-up comedy that he recently attended in Chicago. The hilarious show was performed by "Saturday Night Live" cast members James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker, and Andrew Dismukes. Nick not only reviews the comedy show but also provides a bio of each performer, sharing their comedy background and playing back some of their best work on SNL. You'll hear highlights from Studio 8H, including terrific Weekend Update appearances by each comedian and some very memorable sketches featuring Johnson, Walker, and Dismukes. Enjoy Johnson's incredible Trump and Biden impressions, Walker's hysterical take on NBA star Draymond Green, Dismukes' wonderful bit about his great grandmother, and the classic sketch where he plays a best man in a wedding party dressed as The Joker. These three talented SNL cast members are on tour this summer, so don't miss them live, and don't miss this look back at their fine contributions to SNL and more. [Ep81]

Visit our sponsor: http://www.coolstuffinc.com/ (use code MAGICMICS) Check out the twitch channel: http://twitch.tv/magicmics Visit our subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/magicmics Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/magicmicscast Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/magicmics   Co-Sponsors: https://www.manatraders.com/ (use code MAGICMICS_8N4) First Pick ACR Roundup Evan Become Anonymous Caduceus, Staff of Hermes Reuben The Capitoline Triad Templar Knight PowrDrgn Mjolnir Viewpoint synchronization Saffron Olive on Freerunning: https://x.com/SaffronOlive/status/1803413309460291795 https://x.com/SaffronOlive/status/1803416875050684637 Gather the Townsfolk LSV and Gaby's 2-for-1: https://x.com/GabySpartz/status/1801681492537708578 Dana Fischer Celebrates 10 Years With Her Dad: https://vxtwitter.com/DanaFischerMTG/status/1802060616225468897 WotC Promotions Roundup Ben Weitz to Senior Game Designer: https://vxtwitter.com/bsweitz123/status/1802877421961789758 Carmen Klomparens to Senior Game Designer: https://x.com/em_teegee/status/1802894050074517972 https://x.com/Em_TeeGee/status/1674553737283796992 Assassin's Creed Coming to MTGO: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/410942703623208960/1252648962532315202/image.png?ex=6673a481&is=66725301&hm=3c8b7309ab224b8f8c05fcf6922df608af399d6867cac43a739bcbaf0c2cdee8& https://www.mtgo.com/news/mtgo-blog-06182024 Pro Tour MH3 Viewer's Guide: https://x.com/fireshoes/status/1802721109021790492 https://magic.gg/standings/pro-tour-adjusted-match-points The Finisher This week's YouTube shows had some stellar guest stars: Game Knights had SNL's Andrew Dismukes, Commander at Home had Dropout's Ify Nwadiwe (WAH-dee-way), the stars are out! So tell me: which celeb are you hoping shows up next?

Season 49 of "Saturday Night Live" has wrapped, and in this episode, Nick takes a comprehensive look back at the entire season. He reviews all 20 episodes, sharing dates, details, behind-the-scenes stories, and more. Nick ranks the episodes from best to worst, discussing the standout hosts and musical guests, both good and bad. He also highlights the top five funniest sketches of the year. Featured hosts include Timothee Chalamet, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Kristen Wiig, Sydney Sweeney, Ryan Gosling, and others. Nick provides a fun rundown of the best performances by cast members like Heidi Gardner, Andrew Dismukes, Kenan Thompson, Michael Longfellow, and Chloe Fineman. Season 49 was a solid year for SNL, filled with ups and downs, big laughs, groans, and memorable moments. All of this is showcased in this special episode of "That Show..." [Ep76]

This new podcast brings you three of SNL's brightest stars!  Saturday Night Live is about to begin its 50th season on TV and still shows it has staying power! Now, three of its top stars: James Austin Johnson (who plays both Trump and Biden),, Andrew Dismukes and Devon Walker (who plays Sen. Tim Scott) come to the […]

Pull up a stool and lend an ear, because today's episode is brimming with tales you'd expect to overhear at a secluded airport bar. Ever wonder what it's like to serve a drink to the likes of Rob Lowe or share a silent nod with James Marsden? I've got the inside scoop on these starry encounters, plus some not-so-glinting moments, like Steve Harvey's early morning demands. We'll explore the intertwining of fame and humanity—where every pour and tip reveals a narrative etched in the glitz and grit of celebrity life.The glamor isn't confined to the silver screen; sometimes it walks right into your day job. Imagine chatting with Clark Gregg about his Marvel adventures or Patrick Warburton's distinctive voice filling the room. This episode spins a yarn about these moments and more, including a quiet exchange with SNL's Andrew Dismukes and a hearty handshake from country star Pat Green. It's not just the brush with fame that lingers but the humility and warmth these figures exude amidst their travels.Yet the life of an airport bartender isn't always garnished with star sightings. Today, I recount a sobering tale of excess and the shadow it casts over the glitzy encounters. We discuss the pitfalls of substance use, especially in the high-flying context of post-pandemic travel, and the impact it leaves on both the famous and the fans. So, settle in with your drink of choice, as we mix a cocktail of celebrity run-ins and life lessons learned beyond the bar top.Support the Show.

Kristen Wiig is widely considered to be one of the best cast members in the history of "Saturday Night Live," and her contributions to the show are legendary. She was a cast member for seven terrific seasons, came back for eight uproarious cameos, and now, she has hosted SNL five times,  officially making her a member of "The 5-Timers' Club." In this episode, Nick looks back at all five of her hosting gigs, gives you background info, dates and episode numbers as well. He plays back all five of her monologues, and selects hilarious highlights from each of her appearances. You will learn about how she got to SNL, the incredible characters she made famous on the show, and her wonderful award-winning work in film, stage, and more. Included are appearances by some of Wiig's most beloved characters like: The Target Lady, Sue (the woman who LOVES surprises), Gilly, Mindy Elise Grayson (from the game show "Secret Word"), and more. The work of greats like Will Forte, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Andrew Dismukes, Paula Pell, Martin Short, and others are showcased in this episode. Kristen Wiig is now a 5-Timer! [Ep69]

Join us this week in the SNL Hall of Fame as we welcome Jon Schneider onto the podcast to discuss the one of kind, Will Forte. Will he be enshrined in the hall? Only you can decide.Transcript: Track 2:[0:42] Hey, it's J.D. here, and I want to thank Doug DeNance for another lovely introduction.Welcome to the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. As I mentioned off the top, I am your host, J.D.I am joined by Matthew Ardill in the trivia corner, and of course, our chief librarian, Thomas Senna, will handle the conversation with John Schneider today. So that's really exciting.But who are we going to cover? Well, before that, the SNL Hall of Fame podcast is a weekly affair where each episode we take a deep dive into the career of a former cast member, host, musical guest, or writer and add them to the ballot for your consideration.Once the nominees have been announced, we turn to you, the listener, to vote for the most deserving and help determine who will be enshrined for perpetuity in the hall.And that's how we play the game. It's just that simple.May the 6th is the date you're going to want to circle on your calendar.That is when voting opens in the SNL Hall of Fame, and we have one hell of a ballot.There are some stakes here, as there are people that are on their fifth ballot that if they don't make it in, they will be removed from the ballot.And that is as high stakes as it really gets here on the SNL Hall of Fame, except for that time that we had lava on the floor.You bet your ass people wiped their feet then.Track 2:[2:10] Let's go to our friend, Matt Ardill. Matthew, my friend.Track 3:[2:13] How are you doing, JD? I'm great. I'm great. Thanks for asking. How about you?I'm good. I'm great as well. Yeah. Yeah. I've got, I'm really excited.I love Will Forte on so many levels.I can't wait to share. Well, learn me up.Okay. Well, Will Forte, 5'9", born June 17th, 1970. He has 132 acting credits, 26 writing credits, 20 soundtrack credits, and five producer credits.He was born in Alameda County, California, and attended the University of California.He was a member, and this shocked me.He was a member of the varsity football team, varsity swim team. So he was a jock.Track 3:[2:57] That's not what I would have expected. Me neither. I want a picture of Theater Nerd. Yeah.Exactly i would have imagined that as well but i mean it's that's just you know that's i guess us not seeing past the stereotype but uh yeah he went on to earn a history degree valuable lesson you just taught us matthew yeah let's do just because somebody plays sports doesn't mean they don't have the the love of theater in them that's right but yeah so thank you for that yeah not from but yeah got a degree in history from ucla and um then he realized his true love was comedy so he joined the groundlings he also tutored faye dunaway's 12 year old son in mathematics while he was in high school which is like that's just a weird i mean this is the weird connections you get living in california yeah i suppose so yeah yeah you know so it's just it i i don't know No, I feel like living in Canada, we don't get those wacky connections, but, um.Track 3:[3:59] At a young age, he went to see Tony Orlando, and Tony brought him and his friend up on the stage, and he encouraged them to follow their passions.So much so, he wrote him and Tony a nice letter many years later.What a class act. Yeah, yeah. And he, in fact, is a class act in multiple ways.He is also a class act video game player. He is the 36th highest scorer in the world in Donkey Kong.Long whoa yeah he watched the that fistful of quarters documentary and he's like i can do that and is now registered on twin galaxies as number 36 in the world that's brilliant that movie also very very good yes and it's not to go on a tangent you watch that fistful of quarters that the villain in that show is a total nut bar you can go down a rabbit hole all on its own as As well as an amazing video gamer, he is also a super sweet dude.Rachel Dratch describes him and Seth Meyers as her comedy non-boyfriends, basically her comedy brothers.She's remained incredibly close to them.Track 3:[5:12] But he's also remained close to other cast members.He attended Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers' weddings, both in character as Hamilton.Hamilton oh my gosh i would have paid good money just to see that i mean just a full character problem is a lot of their families don't know the character so all they know is there's a super racist weirdo walking around at the way which is the most will thing like that just is like yeah i that that that makes sense that makes sense um he collects life preservers and construction helmets he actually got his start uh as a published author he wrote 101 things definitely Definitely not to do if you want to get a check.Track 3:[6:12] It was a comic that he wrote at 24, which he parlayed into his first gig writing for the Jenny McCarthy show and then moving on to Letterman.One of the weirder things that I read is at one point, Val Kilmer was trying to find a house in Malibu.So he was just couch serving and will let him stay on his couch for a couple of months. And one night they were watching the amazing race and they thought that'd be awesome and wanted to go on the amazing race there.Their agents ultimately stopped them.Track 3:[6:46] Uh, boo, those agents did not really do the right thing.Uh, and then unfortunately time got away from them and it didn't happen.Um, but yeah, just, and just to illustrate how amazing a dude he is.Uh, he gave his entire per diem to the crew, uh, for MacGruber, which when he was filming the film MacGruber, he, uh, his mom visited the set on this, the naked celery scene, uh, shooting day.So that must've been a little weird.Um, you think, yeah, it's like, uh, but yeah.So as a part of a fundraising event for boys and girls club of Venice, he auctioned off an opportunity to see, um, a early cut of MacGruber with him and Ryan Philippe, uh, before its premiere.Um but he said if somebody paid a hundred thousand dollars he'd take them out for yogurt twice a year for the rest of his life thought it was a joke and someone called us bluff so now wow ever since the release of mcgruber he's been taking this person out twice a year for yogurt.Track 3:[8:00] Um oh that's they're gonna develop a friendship yeah yeah that i mean you don't you don't do that not actually start to like one another you would think you would explore it at least yeah yeah and and i mean in the ultimate expression of how good a duty is like a true gentleman when filming the last scene for the last man on earth he and kristen shaw had a sex scene after her character ate a can of beans and she let one rip like crazy and he took the bullet for it he claimed it was his so, Just a true gentleman all around. Wow. A gentleman of thoughts.Track 3:[8:47] Yes. Yes, indeed. Well, I think that I'm pretty excited that our guest today is the Grand Poobah over at the Saturday Night Network.It's John Schneider, and he is joined right now downstairs with Thomas, so let's join them in conversation.Track 4:[9:40] All right, J.D. and Matt, thank you so much. Yes, welcome to another episode, another wonderful conversation with a great guest.Welcome to the SNL Hall of Fame podcast.And today we are talking about, this is a personal favorite of mine. This is a chance for me.And my guests to just be total geeks. It's almost for me like when Sammy K and I did the Vanessa Bear episode last season.That's like 14 for you and one for me kind of thing.So this is what this is like with Will Forte, our nominee today.So to join me, another fellow Will Forte nerd, possibly he's, Will Forte is one of my favorite, probably in the top two or three favorite cast members of mine personally.And I think for my guest, Will Forte falls under that category, too.So I am joined by a friend, somebody who I greatly admire in the podcast.He's kind of like a podcasting influence for me personally.Track 4:[10:42] It is from the Saturday Night Network, John Schneider. Hey, man, what's up? Thanks for joining me. Hey, Thomas.Track 4:[10:49] Well, I'm very first of all, I'm very humbled that you would say that mutual respect here and love what you've done with the show and and JD and Matt and everybody here so thank you so much for having me back and I have to say Thomas I maybe have podcasted about I'm gonna just I'm gonna throw out a guess here I'm gonna say like 300 podcasts about SNL I maybe have done like over the last few years I don't think I've ever been as excited to do a podcast as I am right now like this is this is one of the best things I could have ever done as an SNL podcaster is get to talk about will forte he is definitely my favorite cast member of all time i wouldn't be talking about snl or podcasting about snl or doing all the things that we're doing at the snn if i didn't fall in love with will forte on the show and everything that he did and i i know i'm not alone with that i know that there's so many people out there that will forte is such a big influence on so thank you for having me today i can't wait to have this conversation yeah absolutely i'm so giddy too and then redoing some refresh because with will forte i don't necessarily need to do research quote unquote but i like to refresh myself watch sketches go in with uh you know having watched these sketches as close to recording time as possible so they could be fresh and this is like the most fun quote unquote research i think that i've done for this entire show because.Track 4:[12:07] I love will forte so much so so yeah this is gonna be great thanks for so much for joining i meant what i said as far as you being like a podcasting influence what you've built at saturday night Network is just amazing.Track 4:[12:19] So tell us, tell the listeners what's been going on over at the S&N a lot. I know.Thank you so much. Yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy. It's been great to get the show back after that writer's strike and glad that everything turned out well over there. And.Track 4:[12:37] You know, nonstop coverage of the season. As we go through all the live weeks, we have coverage right after the show is done airing.So we have this great group of people who stay up late with us and talk about the show.If you're watching on YouTube, you can always find our hot take shows and join us in the conversation.So let's say, you know, you're tired, you're lying in bed, you just enjoy the show, but you just have to talk to somebody about it.It's a great place to go and hang out. And we also have our Monday night round tables where we're just, you know, breaking down the show even further, talking about the legacy of a specific host in a specific episode.And then our By the Number shows that we do on Wednesday that Mike Murray hosts for all the stats on, you know, turning SNL into a live sport.So that's our regular coverage. We also get to do some really cool interviews that we do on our show called SNL Stories.We just had Christine Ebersole, season seven cast member. We just spoke to Bobby Moynihan. There's a lot of great ones out there as well.Track 4:[13:25] Yeah, now we're sort of turning our heads towards the end of season 49, finishing up all the coverage on that, doing some summer stuff.And then it's season 50. It's the big one. So we have lots of stuff planned for season 50, and I can't wait to get to all of that.And yeah, you got to come hang out with us at the Saturday Night Network.Yeah, so this guy's built like a true network, like you and everybody else.Bill Kenney, Sammy K, the Andrews, everybody who's really closely involved.You've got quite the community going at S&N. It's a true network, like you have a Saturday Night thing, a Monday thing, a Patreon thing, by the numbers.So it's really definitely a true network there. Maybe you can get Will Forte on, like, SNL Stories one day.That is the dream. I'm hoping for, like, yeah, that's the big one or one of the big ones for sure.I'm hoping maybe for a special numbered show, maybe a 500th, maybe a 1,000th, something like that.I can convince him to do it. I have met Will Forte before.Track 4:[14:21] I actually went to go meet him on my birthday when he was at Just for Laughs.This was before I was doing SNL media coverage. But I went to go talk to him, and he could not have been nicer. and I know that some of our podcasters have bumped into him over the last few years and he said that he would do it.So I'm hoping one day we'll get him to, you know, come on board.And I think we're gonna have a blast whenever that does happen.Yeah, that that would be a biggie. So Will Forte, our nominee today on the SNL Hall of Fame on the cast from 2002 to 2010.And from what I understand, John, that was basically the era that made you love the show like that whole that all those was cast between 2002 and 2010, that whole era.So what were your impressions of Will Forte when you first saw him on SNL, this oddball?Track 4:[15:08] Yeah so very fun fact that he almost got hired the year prior but i think he wanted to keep writing on that 70s show which was also a show i enjoyed very much at the time but uh yeah so when so i'll go back to like my original my origin story for watching the show the first time, and um i really fell in love with the show you know from like 2005 to 2010 i was in high school then and that for me was just like will was such a big part of that cast but prior to that i tuned into SNL.I knew what it was. We had like friends who had older siblings who were watching it all the time.And at times I would just like turn on the show and just catch glimpses.And I remember seeing like Tina and Jimmy on the show and being like really intrigued. Some of, you know, Smigel's TV Funhouse stuff.But one time I remember my parents going out on a Saturday night and I turned on SNL and I was very curious what I was gonna see.And I saw Will Forte as Tim Calhoun, this politician who's just like is so anxious and can't get anything out and just like nervous flop sweating I think I would make a real good president because I'm a hockey dad soccer uncle football cousin ping-pong brother and And Donkey Kong best friend.Track 4:[16:35] My opponents have been using my full name to scare people.Is it my fault that my middle name is Boo?Track 4:[16:47] I just fell in love. For me, there's just something about it that clicked.And getting to watch him throughout his time at the show, So I've like psychoanalyzed this over the years, Thomas, where I'm like trying to figure out what it is for him that just, you know, makes me laugh harder than anybody else.And I think it's because like...I think I'm like a pretty like I have quirks, but I think I'm like a pretty normal person Yeah, but like will brings out the weird in me Like he brings out something in my personality that isn't brought out by most people And it's something that I watch on the screen and I just get purely happy So in some of like the you know saddest times of my life i've turned on will forte sketches and he's just Brightened my day.That's such the mark of a good performer, too He does that for me As well, like i'm a pretty normal i'm probably a little more weird than you i would say like if we're doing a scale or we have to ask listeners i'm guessing we'll ask we'll take a we'll take a poll or something but uh i'll ask them on i'm doing the hot take show so maybe that'll i'll chat to see to see about that uh but so but you're right so he brings out like the the weird aspect of me to like all those little those little things that i'm like why do i relate to this like because i've kind of i kind of had that like weird side of me but that that's That's like the mark of a good performer is like he's relatable in that weirdness that maybe you didn't know you had until you watched him perform in some ways. Does that make sense?Track 4:[18:09] Yeah, I mean, I think he's he's reminds me a lot of like the friends that I chose like for my life.Like I'm I have a very unique situation in my personal life where some of my friends have been my friends for over 20 years. Like these are friends from when I was really little.And I won. I always like wonder like why I gravitated to a specific type of person.And it's like the people who will go the furthest with a joke like that and like they have a lot of will forte qualities in them and i just think i like to surround myself with people who are um sort of like you know don't give a shit and you know and it will like take something really far not not offensively but like um i remember seth meyer is telling this amazing joke uh this amazing story about will forte once on late night where he said that um i believe it was one of the writers, I'm blanking on the name of the specific writer, but one of the writers had been so hungry on a Tuesday night writing night and was writing all night and ordered Chinese food.And it took so long to get upstairs to the 17th floor.Hours and hours. Finally, the delivery guy drops out the food, gets there. The writer is like so excited.Will Forte goes to pick up the bag and drops it out the window.Track 4:[19:17] It's one of the greatest things I've ever heard. And I'm just like, you got to look that up on YouTube and like watch Seth tell that story.It is so funny to me and it is perfectly like encapsulates Will Forte and why everybody loves hanging out with him.That's so oddball. That's so Will Forte. You honed in on something that relates to something that I wrote down, like a key word.I was thinking about Will Forte, and the word that keeps coming up for me is commitment.I think Will Forte, more than most cast members that have come through the show, is he's 100% committed to this sketch.No matter what, this character, this sketch, Will Forte is in it.And to me, John, when I see cast members, won't name names obviously, but when I see cast members who maybe are less so, who I gravitate less toward, or maybe cast members who I feel slightly uncomfortable watching on screen, I think it's a lot of times because they lack commitment on screen.Because I see there's something that's not letting them just break out of their shell completely.With Will Forte, that was never the problem. Can you think of a performer on SNL that can rival? I mean, there's probably people who can rival, but is there any performer who could exceed Will Forte's commitment?Track 4:[20:34] I think Will Ferrell probably is a good example. I mean, the like the two Wills, I think like, you know, Phil Hartman and Dana Carvey.You got to put that in that category a little bit. Those are all time greats, though. Yeah, like I really I really do feel.But Will, like it has his own kind of commitment where he goes to like he goes to one side that is so unique to the show. And, you know, a lot of times on on our podcast, when we're evaluating an episode, we'll talk about the 10 to 1 sketch.And he basically, you know, that did exist prior to it. But, you know, it's really the Will Forte slot in the show.Like, I think everyone that's come after him has always been like looking for a Will Forte to be the weird sketch.Sketch um and i think like the committed weird is really what people are looking for in that 10 to 1 it's not just like oh here's like a random weird one-off character that's quirky it's like somebody who is so weird that it just makes everybody in the sketch and out of the sketch just like amazed at that person i think sarah sherman does that sometimes as well and i wish we got that more on the show but yeah i mean i think you nailed it i think that's that is a quality that we look for and will but i will also say one other quality thomas, that i always stuck out to me about will was that he's like a very normal good-looking guy.Track 4:[21:49] And like you know maybe like barring the time like for last man on earth that he like shaved like half his beard and half his head like he is like so normal looking and he's a secret sicko, that's what i love is that like you would never know that this guy in his head is an evil genius and i love that about him yeah and i think that's one of the things when i first saw will forte on screen i'm like okay he's just kind of a your standard issue male cast member that they hired and he's just gonna be like cookie cutter but you put this real quick he he totally dispelled all the notions that i had just by looking at him you're right there's like this sicko i love that word that's that's a perfect word to describe a lot of what's underneath the surface of will Will Forte is just, yeah, like that sicko, right?They're like a nondescript, normal-looking guy, but then something comes bursting out of him that's just very weird.And when I think about all-time greats, Hall of Famers, whatever, I think it scores bonus points, especially, you know, with Will Forte, that he had his own unique lane in the show.Like, you can see a sketch and say, that's a Will Forte sketch.Track 4:[23:07] And that's rare. And that's something that I, you know, when it comes to SNL, when I see a cast member like that, I really gravitate toward it because that's a rare quality to have where it's just like, that's Will Forte's lane.You mentioned 10 to 1, any sort of oddball thing.Andrew Dismukes kind of has that right now. That's why I kind of gravitate toward him because Dismukes has a stamp.But to me, that scores Will Forte bonus points for having his own unique lane, John.Track 4:[23:37] I agree. I mean, look, I think we had this very interesting discussion when we did the SNN's cast member countdown.So Will Forte was voted 18th overall by the viewers.I was doing my rankings at the same time. I had him at 21.So really around the same range, but slightly lower than that.And you may be saying like, John, how can this person be your favorite cast member? And you have them at 21st.And the truth is, is that I think that, you know, when you're looking at the 50 year legacy of the show, um, there are a lot of performers that are extremely well-rounded that have contributed and just, you know, built in every aspect of the show.And I just, I don't, I think that will have the ability to make the show all about him like an Eddie Murphy at times, like a Kristen and wig at times.You know, like a Will Ferrell. But the show was never built around Will.Will was always one or two parts or three parts of an episode.And you would watch his sketches and you may walk away feeling like they were your favorites.But it was very rare when you you watch an episode of Saturday Night Live during Will Forte's tenure, that you're like, that is a Will Forte episode, or this season was Will Forte season.Track 4:[24:42] So I also needed to be objective and fair about that. Now, I don't think that disqualifies him from the Hall of Fame whatsoever, because I think that like The Hall of Fame is a whole other thing where you're talking about people who built the legacy of the show, and I think he's very, very much a part of that. Yeah, absolutely.And still, I mean, you said 21st. He ended up on the, or 18th on the countdown.18th on the cast, 21 on my list. Where do you have him?I think I had him probably about 16th, ultimately, even though he's one of my two or three.Yeah, he's one of my two or three favorite cast members, but favorite, and then, and I'm trying to put together the greatest.So it's different, but to me.Track 4:[25:18] Shoot like top 20 top 25 that's right smack in the middle of hall of fame territory right there if we're talking 160 or something now cast members so to me will forte is a slam dunk hall of famer so this is gonna be like the listener will know where i'm coming from and where you're coming from obviously with this episode but i was surprised i think that i had him higher than you but really you're right like it's the same ballpark so we both view him about equally i think yeah i mean the other thing you have to you know like the other thing that i factored into my cast rankings was also you know his contribution after his time in the cast he does leave in 2010 um and i think that he you know we'll get to this full conversation of his career but i i do think he could have stayed an extra couple years and that really would have helped him in terms of legacy like had he left at the same time as andy sandberg and kristen wigg he He has only come back to host once.That episode that he hosted was one of the weirdest episodes in SNL history.I think we could say that now.Track 4:[26:18] So, you know, that to me is a factor that I think about in terms of overall contribution to the series.So, you know, these are things to think about. But overall, I mean, what a career that he put up at the show. I can't wait to get into it. Just amazing.And we can get into it. What is maybe the first sketch or character that you think about when you think of Will Forte?All right. So I got two that are my quintessential Will Forte sketches.These are two of my favorite sketches of all time.I've always I've had the trouble of deciding which one is my truly my favorite all time.But if I had somebody who came to me said I've never watched a Saturday Night Live sketch before, which one should I start with?Track 4:[27:01] I'm going to start with Jeff Montgomery, the sex offender.Just out of curiosity, what exactly is your Halloween costume? I'm a sex offender.Track 4:[27:17] Excuse me? I'm a sex offender. For Halloween.A sex offender. Yes, pretty convincing, huh? Here, watch this.I'm Jeff Montgomery. summary by law i'm required to inform you that i'm a repeat sex offender and i'll be living in your neighborhood it's a great costume right yes yes to me this to me like encapsulates everything i look for in the show it is so fantastic this is a this is a sketch by the way that was cut once previously from the brian williams episode in 2007 it was then brought back for the john Jon Hamm episode in October 2008.Track 4:[27:57] And this is a guy who rings the doorbell, trick or treat, and says that he's dressed as a sex offender and needs some papers to be signed.And the confusion between Jon Hamm and Will Forte, as they discuss, are you dressed as a sex offender or are you actually a sex offender, is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.And Will Forte plays this beautifully.It's beautiful wordsmithing by Will Forte to dance around the fact that he's a sex offender needing to go around the neighborhood.And this is a great example of understated Will Forte, in my opinion.I think the other one that you're going to mention that I have a feeling you're going to mention is more so on the bigger side a little bit.But this, yeah, this Jeff Montgomery one is more understated Will in a lot of ways.Yes. And I want to credit Colin Jost, who wrote that sketch with him.So that, you know, the two of them, I mean, what a team that is.Collins wrote some fantastic sketches over the years.But yes, I would say this is the sketch that I would show people the most of, of Will Forte.I have, I struggle whether it's truly my favorite sketch because there's one that like sentimentally means more to people, but I don't know if you get it if you're not an SNL fan. So do you want me to jump to that one?Yeah, I think you're going to, well, go ahead.Track 4:[29:19] So so i also want to say jeff montgomery did come back a second time with tim mcgrath which is uh but but yes um the the one i'm the one that means the most to me in my heart is the dancing coach sketch with peyton manning yeah and that to me is like i i think i can say it's my favorite sketch of all time this is where peyton manning uh is on a is not a football player he's a basketball player in the sketch and it's halftime in a basketball game uh like sort of like a college basketball situation and him and keenan and fred and andy and bill and jason they all come in uh to the locker room, and Will Forte is the coach and starts talking to them about, you know, being more motivated.All right, listen up.Track 4:[30:00] I see a lot of mopey faces around here. Granted, we're down by 34 points.McMillan broke his ankle, and our cheerleaders have started cheering for the other team. That doesn't mean we can't come back and win this thing.And Wally, you got something you want to say? Yeah, coach.Guys. And gives them the speech that leads to Will Forte playing the theme or one of the songs from Casino Royale and he starts dancing.You definitely got to look this up if you can find it online because Will Forte dancing and making everybody laugh, including, you know, watching Bill Hader's face in the back of the sketch is.Honestly like when this came out and i saw this live we watched this sketch maybe a hundred times thomas that's how much you watched it was so funny to me and i cannot watch it without laughing, great one of my greatest sketches of all time this is amazing physical comedy by will forte i'm glad you paired this one with the jeff montgomery one at the top because it's almost like the comedic yin and the yang for will forte like i said jeff montgomery's more like it's about how Will Forte's delivering the lines and it's more understated.And this one, it's just like physical comedy, these dance moves, how he times it out with the song.Track 4:[31:17] You're right, like Keenan. Keenan's almost the first one to break.He and Peyton have to cover themselves, their faces with towels just to not break.And Fred, Fred's usually like pretty, you know, keeps it together.Famously in the Debbie Downer sketch, Fred was the one kind of like watching everybody going, going okay guys we still have a scene to do in this one fred was this is one of the few times that i saw fred almost break and bill of course bill hater uh always does but how could you not this was such great will forte physical comedy like i i absolutely love this one john honestly i think a lot of cast members feel like this is one of their favorite sketches of all time bobby moynihan when he joined us uh he he mentioned this sketch at one point about how this is one of his favorite sketches and then he got to be in the second one in his first episode and it was just like so exciting for him to see the dancing uh you know the dancing coach and i just you know like i said it's one of those visual things that you got to go watch this it is so amazing the commitment from will forte absolutely fantastic so to me those are the two quintessential will forte sketches there's a lot more though i can't wait to get into yeah i have a quintessential central one as well it comes toward the end of his SNL tenure and it's the one that he and Jason Sudeikis did with Blake Lively the potato chip, Janelda, how many potato chips did you put in here today? Thirty-five.I thought so. I thought so!Track 4:[32:43] You didn't happen to take any out for yourself? Oh, God, no.Why, that would be stealing. It certainly would.Track 4:[32:53] Janelda, what would you say if I'd have told you that that man right there is nothing but a common potato chip thief? Ah!Potato chip thief! to me if i wanted to show somebody like this is will forte's humor this is will forte's playground i might show them potato chip thief too that'd be one of the first ones that i show them, like just just displaying will forte's like humor what he brought to snl he and this one he plays it big like it's maybe a little more understated at the beginning but he ends up like yelling screaming but underneath that screaming he says some really funny things so potato chip thief john would be to me like another quintessential will forte yeah so i love this sketch a lot it has a lot of elements of other sketches which is maybe why i don't put this at the top of my will forte list like i would say that this is and i get what you're saying i think for a lot of people this is the top will forte stuff um for me i'd say this is maybe like my B tier Will Forte, just because it has elements of other things that I think ultimately led to this occasion.Track 4:[34:01] It's a brilliant sketch. Love Jason Sudeikis in this as well.Love Blake Lively. Like this is a really, really great sketch.I believe this is John Solomon and Will Forte in this one.John Solomon wrote a lot with Will when he was on the show. But the, you know, chewing the potato chip and spitting it into, you know, the mouth, which is just like, again, something you got to see I know that that happened a little bit in the 2000s the baby bird stuff with Will Ferrell and all that stuff so the grossness of the sketch I think really does work here but it does lose its luster a little bit if you've seen it before whereas I think the dancing coach like is just like non-stop money but yeah ultimately I do I do really really love this sketch and I think that the commitment here from Will is fantastic and the reason that I felt like it has you know stuff from Will's earlier career is because him yelling is a another staple of Will Forte with the Zell Miller impression which you ever go see that you know one of his like talk show guys that he did and like he would just yell that's like an early Will Forte career thing where he would just yell so much that his face would turn red.Senator Miller knowing what we know now how could we possibly avoid such destruction from future tsunamis? Tsunamis!I'm sick of hearing about tsunamis!Thank you.Track 4:[35:30] And that is also incorporated into the sketch a little bit. But I love this one too, Thomas.Yeah, definite Zell Miller vibes, one of his recurring characters.Zell Miller, Georgia politician.I think Zell Miller said some crazy things, especially about Barack Obama.And then Will Forte just sort of turned him into a caricature completely.Track 4:[35:53] I do want to talk about Will Forte as a breath of fresh air for the show.Show to uh because i think and i know it's subjective but he started at a time where i think snl was trying to find an identity will ferrell had just left and they didn't quite have an identity they were playing around with like do we push seth meyers as the star of the show who's the star of the show what's our humor what's our viewpoint and i think will forte was a breath of fresh air amidst them trying to figure themselves out i mean the show and things like the falconer that premiered in season 28 and that was so to me that was so unlike a lot of what was on snl at the time that it was um it was a relief sometimes to see the falconer something like that pop up on screen and this the falconer is one of the things that will forte is best known for but it was just like a relief for me as a viewer when it popped up in this era of SNL.Donald, we're starving to death.This land that once filled us with life is now barren.One of us must search elsewhere, and only one of us can fly.Track 4:[37:06] No, Donald, you! Oh, Donald, even in these desperate times, you still retain that dry sense of humor.Now you must fly away from these woods and bring back something, a possum, a squirrel, anything to keep us alive. So be gone, my friend.Bring us life. Bring us life.Yeah, I do like the Falconer a lot. I think those sketches are pretty forgotten because of all the great things that Will Forte did after.But I truly believe those are great sketches.That's Will with Eric Slovin and Leo Allen. And I think Eric Slovin was the guy who, by the way, who will dump.Track 4:[37:47] Before but yeah those falconer sketches are really great and just so weird and bizarre for a time where snl's writing was a little choppy and they were trying to figure it out like you said in that you know post will ferrell world and pre kristin wigg bill hater jason sudeikis and andy samberg world and i think that those sketches are really great i think they did nine of them um and they are very enjoyable i love will getting to talk to objects like that and i think you know or Or animals like that.And I do think you get to see more of this in Last Man on Earth.If you ever go watch that show.Track 4:[38:23] Yeah. That he brings out some of his Falconer character.Yeah. Especially like at the beginning of the series. The Last Man on Earth.When he's talking to the balls.The various balls that become his friends.That are like placed inside the bar.I can definitely see that. I'm going to go ahead and call Donald an object too. Because you could see.One of the funny things is you could see the strings on that puppet.I'm sure that was a choice.Like let's make the strings show and make it look as ridiculous as possible and john when i sometimes when i as a viewer when i complain about like little writing things and stuff one of my chief things is escalation like how do you do escalation what's proper escalation the sketch needs more escalation that's if i always say that like it could have been bumped up just another notch with the falconer to me a lot of these sketches were just perfect examples of how you escalate, especially a recurring sketch.How do you find escalation in something recurring?I think Will Forte and the people behind this Falconer sketch just did that escalation beautifully.Track 4:[39:32] I totally agree. I think that's a great point for these.You know, there are some other sketches from early in his career that I think are really important to bring up that are often lost upon people.So I think now is a good time to maybe pivot to some of those um one of those is from the season 28 episode 14 episode with queen latifah i don't know if you know what i'm gonna say but this one is give up the ham give up the ham, such a good sketch that is like because of the i don't know if it's like the song like it doesn't get put up a lot and like you gotta look you gotta google it and look up this but um basically people fighting over ham at a grocery store and then the sketch breaks down with bull forte singing singing, give up the ham.Track 4:[40:44] And it is so so good and like i think maybe the first moment of really seeing like how great this guy is i know that him and fred sort of did some stuff on update but like this was to me the first like major major moment for well for a day on the show it's commitment to something ridiculous or like a commitment to an everyday thing like uh shopping at a grocery store say so how can we take that scene that scenario and and play it up into something ridiculous and and uh it was that amy poehler and queen latifah i think rachel dratch comes in as amy poehler's friend so all these people start walking in but then will just totally owns it with this song like yeah that's just total commitment again like you'll never have trouble with will forte and commitment give up the Ham's one of the ones that I go back to semi-regularly, honestly, if I need a good laugh, I do that.That's a really good shout out. That's from season 28, episode 14.One that I thought of, season 28, the next episode, episode 15, it was a sketch that he did with Jimmy Fallon, Salma Hayek.It was called Cardboard Box. You remember this one, John? I do.Yeah, go ahead. So Will Forte, so he played a husband who was suspecting his wife of cheating.Track 4:[42:06] So Will Forte's character mailed himself to their house in this big cardboard box so he could catch them in the act.And this is just, to me, like we're talking early examples, like such a wonderful early example of a truly absurd premise that Will Forte completely sells.And he has to do this inside a box that he's not even on on camera most of the sketch and what he has to do and what he has to convey from inside a cardboard box is like chef's kiss like beautiful work yeah he does this thing sometimes where he can like we talked about zell miller with yelling till he's red but sometimes he does this like angry yell in a calm way that it's very hard to describe unless you hear it but um he did this recently on like i think you should leave in one of the episodes uh tim robinson's show where he's like almost like he like fell on the sidewalk and he was like under a car but he wasn't like really stuck um but yeah he does this thing sometimes where he's like stuck in a place and he's just like someone will say something to him and he'll like respond with this sarcasticness in his voice that's like oh of course you would think that you know like that type of thing and it's just so brilliant to me and this is this is This is a real deep cut Thomas, but this is a great sketch.You don't think he has any idea what's going on with us, do you? Oh, please.That ignoramus doesn't suspect a thing. He does now.Track 4:[43:32] Ray, where are you? Right here.All right here i'm in the box what the hell are you doing in the box i thought you went to cleveland i was but i mailed myself home to lay this little trap for you and now after laying in wait for 28 hours the trap is sprung ha 28 hours it's awesome i think what jimmy fallon was hosting this or was it salma no salma hike was hosting it jimmy fallon was still on the cast obviously season uh 28 uh but yeah this is like kind of a deep cut i think will forte has a lot of these it's like these one-offs yeah where you you get reminded of it and it was like oh yeah will forte.Track 4:[44:14] Did this well let me take you to one of the greatest episodes in snl history i think which is the jack black episode from 2005 that december episode that had you know lazy sunday and all that stuff in it um that really like changed uh you know changed the era of the show and brought on this new golden age and one of the sketches there that uh really cemented you know will's place in the show throughout this golden age is that spelling bee sketch that's very famous well forte moment where they ask him to smell business and he keeps asking questions back and he goes on and on and on and on and it is the ultimate commitment to the bit as he continues to go on Q, M, T, S, D, T, Q, M, P, R, F, T, D, P, D, P, N, H, R, K, T, E, T, F, business.Track 4:[45:20] And I think that so many people growing up writing sketch comedy have tried to find a take on this specific sketch.And I don't know that anyone's ever matched the level at which Will Forte can pull something like the spelling bee sketch off.It's a very specific type of humor where you're testing how far you can push the joke.And sometimes so like you're testing the cycle of a joke almost.So you make the joke. It's funny, funny, funny.And it hits the peak and then almost becomes less funny.But then he's still doing it. And it's less funny, less funny.But then he does it enough to where it circles back around and it's really funny again.That's a very specific type of thing. A very, I think, maybe possibly brave thing to do on a show like SNL.I can see people doing that on like, you know, let's make a YouTube video and try this out.But to do something like that on a show like SNL where you're almost messing with the viewer in some ways and testing their patience.But there's a really great reward ultimately. I think the spelling bee sketch is a perfect example, especially like the run he goes on of saying Q, I don't know how many times in a row.Track 4:[46:32] But you know what's great about something like this is that I don't think there is a person that came before Will Forte that can pull off this sketch as well.Like you think about uh great like orators in snl history like people like dan akroyd or phil hartman who can just say things really quickly but still make the listener understand them and it's so brilliant at the speed at which they communicate whether it's as a pitchman or even just as a game show host or something like that but will forte can say things slower than the average person and it doesn't sound like too slow where it's not entertaining and that is like a whole other level of brilliance that i don't know that i've seen before prior to well forte yeah his voice it's almost like asmr in a lot of ways like yeah like with this spelling bee one you mentioned tim calhoun and that's one of the things that stood out was almost like a low-key asmr kind delivery with Tim Calhoun.He was a little bit nervous, but it gets that he's just like whispering, but not.And just, yeah, it's just that like a very unique delivery.Track 4:[47:42] And I had written a note. So Spelling Bee, as far as like testing, see how far you can push the joke.It also reminded me of something else that he did on Weekend Update when he was, he appeared He appeared with Amy, I think Amy and Seth, in season 34, and he appeared as himself, and he was recapping a Senate vote.When Friday's tally was finally counted, and that was all she wrote, people asked, how did that pass?Track 4:[48:37] So this was an example of him kind of taking a joke so far that maybe it becomes unfunny but then it circles back around so he was he made up this song and recapping how certain how certain senators voted and then amy interrupted him and he's scolding amy about how rude it is to interrupt your friends when they're singing and this reminded me of spelling bee in like how far can Can we push something?It is really great. I mean, he basically started on SNL when he kept coming on and doing songs with Fred Armisen a couple times and, you know, in different variations of that.But yeah, he will come on update and do songs on a regular basis throughout his SNL tenure and he will push things to the absolute limit.And, you know, I think a great sketch to jump to off of this conversation is Fly High Duluth, which to me is like an underrated classic john yes this is uh this good snl podcaster, that's from the scarlett johansson episode and it's basically like a tv talk show where they're like oh we have a band that's finally gonna come out and do the theme song for the show and they just like keep going and going and going with the song where they keep thinking it's over but it's not and will forte is like drinking and going like full rock star with it and it is so brilliant.I cannot wait to hear what you think of the sketch because I don't get to talk about it enough. Mama.Track 4:[50:04] Don't you point that gun at me.I said, please, Mama.Track 4:[50:15] Don't you point that gun at me.Because my love is consecrated in the blood of the.Track 4:[50:36] It's an example to me. Well, by the way, first of all, as an example of the, just the breadth of will for taste sketches, we had mentioned spelling bee.That was season 31 episode 9 fly high Duluth was season 31 episode 10 so this came like one episode after that like you can look through all his great sketches and like dang that happened those happen like back to back and that happens a lot uh like I'm on my list I'm seeing like back to back to back episodes but yeah fly high Duluth is again one of those where I frequently go back and watch it and it's just again that commitment to the sketch the commitment to the bit it's so So ridiculous.He's like this Jim Morrison type of guy singing this theme song for a show in Duluth, Minnesota. And he's like...Track 4:[51:25] With his with scarlett johansson so his his his lover his his uh what's she line or she tiger i think he called her something like that i think her name is yeah it's like they're wally and char char yeah yeah yeah so it's just like this is a wonderful example to me of like will will forte's commitment to the sketch just doing these ridiculous things chugging which i assume was iced was tea or something like that in a jack daniels bottle uh but no this is one of my favorites and i never get the sense that will forte is is self-conscious even for one split second up there and so to me as a viewer it makes me feel like i'm in good hands with will forte in this sketch yeah absolutely and this is uh this is one that he put together with eric kenward who's is now a producer on the show um but yeah i mean this is a this is another brilliant sketch that you just got to break down it's a very long sketch and sometimes you know my personal preference is not to go too long with sketches unless we're talking about like one of the great debate sketches in snl history that really has like something to say i think then you can push things a little bit which is my opinion but you know i think you know i prefer shorter sketches but the the joke here is that you know will is going to push this and push this as far as it And they've done this a couple times in the talk show format in SNL history where things just like break down to an extreme and you need somebody who can.Track 4:[52:53] You know, you can drive the ship when that's happening and not let the sketch go off course to the point where people are like, oh, they're doing the same joke over and over again. And why was it so long? Why did it drag?Track 4:[53:05] Will forte never lets that happen he always lets it escalate he always has to get to another point that's interesting like i find that there's never a will for to sketch i'm watching and i'm like ah i wish i saw less of that no you're completely right like by the end of this duluth live sketch like they're doing a full-on breakdown like he's starting and he's kind of seeing the lyrics are kind of weird but you're like okay this is kind of like a weird kind of hippie or 70s rock band doing this but okay like it's kind of weird but then you're right like it escalates and escalates to the point where like Fred's doing this full drum solo and he's shredding on the guitar he's breaking the guitar Will's screaming on the mic like yeah so yeah the escalation this was beautiful beautiful escalation and something that I always look for as an SNL fan uh yeah go check that out that was season 31 episode 10 and we haven't with Will Forte we haven't talked about.Track 4:[54:00] Impressions so much or anything i have kind of a maybe a hot somewhat of a hot take for you i actually think i actually think he was a decent george w bush oh okay i i really do and i think it suffered because he had to follow will ferrell's george w bush that was its own thing but i think just in a vacuum i think he could have really made that work because i think he has the type of personality to where he can play understated but he could also say weird things and be squirrely and have that bizarre nature underneath the surface which was george w bush and kind of how will ferrell depicted it but i think it suffered because he had to follow will ferrell but i think in a vacuum and going back to re-watch some of these i was thinking to myself like, a pretty good George W. Bush, honestly. You know, we're roughly $7 billion in debt. But don't worry, I got a plan.I've decided to consolidate all of our debt with one of those debt consolidation companies.Track 4:[55:09] That's right. We're going to go with Dytek.Like me, you've probably seen their commercials late at night on ESPN2.You know, the ones with the guy who says, lost another loan did I take?It's a funny commercial.I think he's a decent impressionist, and that's a very interesting take.Now, I think that the decline in the show post-Will Ferrell, I think, gets unfairly associated with the Bush impression a little bit.And that sort of falls on to people like Will Forte and Sudeikis and Daryl Hammond, who tried to do it for a bit.Like you know you know i think people were were upset that will ferrell wasn't around anymore, and that was like nobody really gave it a chance um and the show has like a history of not being able to transition over these iconic impressions in a way maybe besides daryl is bill clinton who took that from phil harman i think that maybe is the only exception but yeah i see what you're saying i just don't know that i ever really gave it a chance as much as i loved will forte i wasn't Like, you know, we're talking about like a post 9-11 world where people are pretty down on Bush in general.Track 4:[56:24] And, you know, the, you know, you know, Will Ferrell made Bush lovable because he was like a frat guy.And that's what he turned him into, like a bro and a frat guy.And I think that Forte never got the characterization or the writing to be able to turn the sketch and make it something of its own in the way that Will Ferrell had that leash to do. Yeah, you couldn't make the George W.Bush around when Will Forte was playing him lovable like Will Farrell did.I'm going to confuse that the whole darn show. Will Farrell, Will Forte.But so so will forte's uh george w bush i think it it was at a disadvantage because of just where george w bush was as a political figure around that time you know the kind of the whatever paul shine was on him if you could say that was was worn off quite a bit around that time so so you couldn't do the same type of depiction as will ferrell did and i i was like you i didn't really give it a chance but this is just sort of in hindsight kind of re-watching it sort of dawned on me I'm like this could you know it's not like.Track 4:[57:33] He was the best impressionist or like mimic but you don't have to be if snl history has taught us anything about impressions is you don't have to sound exactly like the person or even look exactly like the person i think he could have found an angle that i think he had the right personality to do and i saw i saw something in these george w bush impressions impressions that i hadn't really given a chance prior i mean he did it for a while i think he did it for over were he did 20 of them yeah like maybe two years he was doing it so sort of like finished up a little bit of um you know uh george w which is tenure of the show i guess they handed to sudeikis for like that the baton for like a little bit but yeah i don't know i i just i always felt like will forte um like i said he brings such a like a bright light to the show and and stuff like that and i don't think that the country was like very happy in general with bush and you know was looking for a change and like i don't know that um will it wasn't the right place in the right time for him to play him i think ultimately but i love the hot take i think it's a great hot take it's like there's a lot of what-if scenarios like do i think um if well forte was around a couple years earlier could he have played the original like incarnation of bush that's a possibility i think so um but.Track 4:[58:49] Well, I think you're right that you mentioned that maybe his George W.Bush impression unfairly gets lumped in with why the show was struggling around that time.I agree with that. I think there are a lot of factors. I just think where the country was, where humor was at the time.And I brought this up a few times on the show around 2000, let's say 2002 to 2005.Track 4:[59:11] That was a very weird time for humor in general. It was a lot of edgelord stuff.It was just a lot of really broad humor, I would say.And so i think maybe the the show suffered from just where humor was over in our society just in in general look i think i think um our community of like snl diehards looks back at that time, very like unfondly because you know you watch these things off time you go back and you watch these things on a binge and you'll see like all these episodes and you'll see the decline of the the show um and i'm not disqualifying you know people's feelings about those seasons because i would definitely rank them pretty low but i think tina fey often mentions how it was a very hard time to write comedy just like post 9-11 everybody you know nobody wanted to talk about politics you know they i mean the u.s was like invading countries around the world and then potentially invading the wrong countries and like you know there was like all this crazy politics stuff going on that nobody really wants to talk about.And people want it to, as far as, you know, Tina was concerned is that people wanted to turn on SNL on a Saturday night and not think about these things.So they focused more of their writing around pop culture.And the problem when you do that is that the references and the sketches become very dated.So to go back and watch like season 29 and season 30, um.Track 4:[1:00:34] I don't know almost 20 years later you're like this doesn't hold up as well as the things that came before it or the things that came after it so i think there's a lot of things working against it though i will say will forte was a bright spot in a little bit of a dark time of the show yeah breath of fresh air for me definitely and since i'm confusing will ferrell and will forte as probably a lot of people did around that time i want to talk about a sketch that i love that has both of them and when Will Ferrell came back to host in season 30 toward the end of that season it was a sketch called Pepper Grinder oh wow and yeah this is one that I think slips through the cracks for a lot of people too so basically Will Forte's character he and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at dinner and Will Ferrell oddly plays a college student you have to suspend your disbelief there for that real quick and basically will forte's character makes will ferrell's waiter character grind the pepper for a long time to teach him about grit and perseverance and and everything and this is just like to me will is so good at taking an everyday situation to like a dramatic absurdity sir my arm is starting to burn louis that's enough stay out of this jamie this is between me and the boy i can't lose this job sir then keep grinding.Track 4:[1:02:02] Oh god the pain grind son grind oh god oh god it burns please sir please.Track 4:[1:02:19] He's working with another master at that, Will Ferrell.So as a comedy nerd, as an SNL nerd, John, this type of sketch is like a dream for me.I love this sketch. It's a great one. And it's great seeing like two legends, you know, play off of each other.This is the type of sketch that you watch as a you know, what we're making when we're putting together a reel of Will Forte sketches, which is essentially what we're doing here.And then giving this off to the Academy of voters to go vote for Will Forte.I want the listeners to consider something here, which is watch this sketch and then think about if Will Forte could have fit in any era of the show.And this is a sketch that shows you why he could have like he could have done this sketch in the original cast by far like that could have fit in really well with a couple people here and showed them you know like i could just picture like a gilda radner sitting across from the table and like a dan akroyd with a pepper grinder like you could picture these things when you see these sketches because he just fits in so well with any cast um because he is such a unique archetype that i think really molds to the people around him so i do feel like that is why hosts it was It was probably their dream to be in a Will Forte sketch because he is such a great scene partner.Yeah, it was amazing to watch them work. And Rachel Dratch does a really good job with her role and her comments throughout this sketch.And now that I'm thinking about it and thinking about one of the traits of Will Forte that we've been talking about all episode, I think the pepper grinder sketch really has a bunch of them all wrapped in one. So you have that commitment.Track 4:[1:03:44] Completely 100% commitment. You have the escalation. It's what this sketch is built on, is that escalation that you're not quite expecting.You have the more kind of subtle Will Forte and good line deliveries at the beginning, especially.You have Will Forte just going nuts and yelling in this sketch.So I think this Pepper Grinder sketch encompasses encompasses all the like the a lot of the positive traits that we've talked about with will forte john am i wrong to say this is the perfect will forte sketch oh there's so many though that's the problem yeah it's not like you know there's every sketch is the perfect will for i'm just getting excited i'm just using hyperbole at this point too i like it i like it but um yeah i know i agree i think this is a like i said it represents a lot about you know what i like about will forte which which is, this is one of the sketch.I think there's another sketch that he does that is a comparable sketch to this one.And this is like later in his career, but I'm just trying to remember.It's one where he's like, maybe you can place this for me in my mind, but it's one where like, they're trying to decide like, who's going to pick up the check.And then like, he insists that he's going to pick it up.Track 4:[1:04:55] And that one is so, so great.I need to find where that was. It was called, I got this. I think if you look it up on on YouTube that's from season 35 and it's uh, it was like a game show basically Yeah, that was yes. Okay. You mentioned it's a game show.Yes It's a game show bill hater was trying to figure out who's gonna settle the bill And I think I honestly think that like that could be the same character from the pepper grinder sketch Like him just playing this like older gentleman about like who's gonna pay the bill and stuff like this and this is um One of it's in one of will's last episodes of a cast member as a cast member, but it's it's a really good sketch, Check still out there gentlemen. I got your money's no good here.I got this dad Come on, you're getting on in years, and I want to show you my love before you pass.I got this I'm only 58 I got this you introduced me to jazz.I got this you helped me to learn eBay. I got this I got my MasterCard right here.I could just not I got this I got this this is the woman I will be buried next to she comforts me when my hernia acts up the least I can do for this blessed angel is Is buyer spaghetti on her birthday? I got this!Track 4:[1:06:04] Impressive! Good rat! When people complain, like, they see, oh, another game show sketch.I think the game show format is perfect for a sketch comedy show.Especially, you could talk about technical reasons, blocking, the way the studio's set up, all of that.But I don't scoff at game show sketches just because they're game show sketches.We've had a lot of really clever ones recently this is an example and you just have to have the right premise and the right performers and we certainly had that especially with the premise of this and with will forte my problem the game show sketches is just that people don't really they're like aren't that many new game shows that's the problem right but i guess that's the you know evolution yeah that's why you invent a game show called like i got this yeah yes but But yeah, this is a great sketch.I think, you know, Thomas, we talked about how great of a great of a performer is Will is with performing with basically anybody.But I do think that he's also built chemistry with cast members that he has seen as like his ultimate scene partners.Track 4:[1:07:10] And that may have developed like later in his career, so much so that I wish he could have stayed on the show more.But I think that him and Jason Sudeikis on the show together is an all time duo that people talk about and still reference to this day of like oh that could be a forte in sudeikis.Track 4:[1:07:27] And we haven't even talked about any of their sketches together where they are so brilliant um i'll start with the espn guys the pete twinkle and greg stink you know this is a sketch that sort of premiered like very late in will forte's uh career at the show where i think it was in his last season this is season 35 and then we get it a bunch of times in that season but it's all like,

We're back in the Hall after a hectic week with the whole foot-wiping thing. At any rate we're thrilled to welcome Rebecca North to the show to relitigate the case for Maya Rudolph who is appearing on her last ballot. Check it out and get ready to start voting May, 6th. Transcript: Track 2[0:41] Thank you so much, Doug Donets. It is great to be here inside the SNL Hall of Fame with you all.Now, careful listeners of the show pointed out to me that I didn't remind youto wipe your feet last week. It's not lost to me.I truly thought I had solidified my stance on this matter to the extent thatit would become the norm.But alas, if you are paying for the pay-per-view feed right right now,you can see that I'm holding a mop.Jeepers, creepers, peoples, wipe your damn feet.The SNL Hall of Fame podcast is a weekly affair where each episode we take adeep dive into the career of a former cast member, host, musical guest,or writer and add them to the ballot for your consideration.Once the nominees have been announced, we turn to you, the listener,to vote vote for the most deserving and help determine who will be enshrinedfor perpetuity in the hall.And that's how we play the game.Let's go to our friend Matthew Ardill right now, because the game that we liketo play is learning a little bit about our nominee.And that's exactly what we're going to do.Let me just put this mop down and okay.Oh gosh, I'm parched. There's something going on with my voice.Track 3[1:59] Matthew, old man. How are you doing this week? I am good, thanks. And you?I'm a little shaky in the voice, it seems.Well, maybe you need some water. Let me take a sip of this water.That's better. It is delicious. We talked about water last week.We'll put a pin in it until next week.We don't want to give away the farm, as it were.Maya Rudolph, huh? Yeah. I mean, I'm really looking forward to sharing aboutMaya's life. She is an incredible character.This is interesting because this is her last kick at the can.If she doesn't get in this time, and I believe she was hovering around 58% or59%, so she needs almost 10% to get in, 10% more to get in.And if she doesn't get in, she's off the ballot.That would be a shame because she is an incredible performer and a hilarious person.So take this as a war egg, not telling people how to vote, but just be mindfulof that folks. This is your last chance. Yeah.Track 3[3:16] Well, let's hear some, uh, trivia to maybe sway some people.Yeah. Yeah, Maya Rudolph is 5'7", birthday July 27th, 1972.She has 118 acting credits, 12 producer credits, 2 writing credits,and 30 soundtrack credits.She was born in Gainesville, Florida, but was raised in L.A.,the daughter of singer Minnie Ripperton and composer Richard Rudolph.Off her mother is the singer of the song loving youuh which i've now three times brought upto my wife and every every time we hear it and she goes if you're gonna tellme maya rudolph's mom saying this one more time i'm gonna throw a saw throwa pillow at you but yeah she did and uh in fact if you listen to the singleyou can hear her singing maya maya maya maya because this is a lullaby Bye.Track 3[4:13] That she wrote for Maya and was used to sing her to sleep. Oh, my gosh.Yeah. Now, and her grandfather on her father's side, Sidney J.Rudolph, owned all of the Wendy's and Rudy's restaurants in Dade County, Florida.Track 3[4:29] So he was a- I know Rudy's, but Wendy's, that would be amazing.I love Wendy's. Fast food entrepreneur. entrepreneur.She was childhood friends with Gwyneth Paltrow, and their families were actuallyvery close to the point that her dad was hired by Bruce Paltrow to supervise music on his film Duets.Music runs in her blood. Her brother is also in the music industry as an engineer.When she was seven or eight, this is actually when she fell in love with comedy.She saw a friend hurt themselves and start crying, so she started doing a funnyvoice that made them laugh. And she thought to herself, this is much better than feeling bad.I want to make her feel good. And that's sort of been her philosophy going forward.She studied photography at University of Santa Cruz and formed a band calledSuper Sauce with classmates before joining the band The Rentals,which was fronted by Matt Sharp.Matt Sharp, yeah. Yeah, they released several singles, including Seven MoreMinutes, Barcelona, and My Head is in the Sun.She toured singing. Oh, you got to say Friends of P.Track 3[5:40] Friends of P. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, she toured singing backup and playing Moog synthesizer.Friends with P. Sorry. I apologize. There you go. Sorry.Yeah. But when the band broke up, she actually decided to start pursuing comedyand joined the Groundlings. Yeah.Track 3[5:59] She has been in two Oscar-nominated films and has indicated her dream rebootwould be to either remake Tootsie or play Violet or Dora Lee in a 9-to-5 reboot.I want that 9-to-5 reboot.Oh, that feels like low-hanging fruit. Like, in a good way.Track 3[6:20] How has that not been done? Exactly. This is a fall guy, for heaven's sake.Yeah, like I said, low-hanging fruit in that it's so obviously awesome. Yeah.Track 3[6:29] So it's like, why would you not do that? And I can just imagine her singingthe song too, like the, we're gonna do fun. Like, it'd just be beautiful.Yeah. So she later formed a Prince cover band called Princess with her friendGretchen Lieberum in 2011.And Prince himself was a big fan. Oh my gosh.So this shows there's no bad blood over the Prince show sketch.Sketch um now she she firstthe first time she actually met prince was on a five-hour planeride uh he asked if they had met beforeand she thought he must have confused her with someone else but he later cameback and asked if her baby sang to her and she said yeah she makes noise allthe time prince responded maybe that's your mom the first time i saw your momwas on the mike douglas show So I shed a tear.So Prince was just such a beautiful human being.There's like a connection there between the two of them. I'm speechless.I'm speechless right now. Well, I mean, that's how Prince leaves everyone atone point or another, you know, just does something so miraculous and wild andawesome that you're just like, I've got no words.No words at all. Well, we have a lot more words, though, coming your way ina conversation between Thomas and Rebecca North.Track 3[7:55] This should be a good one, Matt. Yeah, looking forward to it.So let's head down to Thomas now.Track 4[8:30] All right, Matt and JD, thank you so much. Yes, we are talking about somebodywho has been a very beloved cast member who has been on the ballot since season one.So this is like one of those very special episodes of the SNL Hall of Fame wherewe get to almost re-litigate or re-examine somebody's candidacy.Somebody who I'm surprised isn't already in the SNL Hall of Fame because thisperson's so beloved. So I'm excited today to chat about Maya Rudolph and joiningme a first timer here on the SNL Hall of Fame podcast.Track 4[9:06] Rebecca North is joining me to chat about Maya Rudolph. Rebecca, how are you doing today?I'm good, Thomas. I'm happy to be here. This is my first time,so I'm excited to voice my opinions about someone who I'm shocked.It's been five seasons now and still has not made it to the Hall of Fame,and that was groundbreaking to me.So I'm here to vouch for Maya and kind of talk through her career and history on SNL.So I can't wait. Yeah, we'll dig in to see why she might not be.We'll definitely try to make another case for her Hall of Fame candidacy forsure. And you're a great person to come on and talk with me about this.You and I were teammates a long time ago, two years ago on the Saturday Night Network's trivia.We did a little trivia together. So I don't know that we won.We were going up against Bill Kenney and stuff and he dominated us.But that's how we first came in contact.And you've been doing stuff over at the Saturday Night Network off and on.What have you been up to over at the S&N recently?Track 4[10:14] Yeah, I was actually thinking about that. That was my first episode on SNN asa guest for trivia. And we did get annihilated.But it was fun. I feel like very insightful. Like I learned a lot through that.When I was signed up, I was like, Oh, it's gonna be a piece of cake.And then no, we were up against people who have been watching for live for amillion years and rewatch it and do all that.So that was fun. But yeah, I'm over at the SNN Saturday Night Network.And I'm going on a lot of those roundtables recapping the episode.And just really enjoying this season leading up to season 50 of SNL,which is going to be a huge one.So loving kind of the gap bridging between, like, millennials and Gen Z.Track 4[10:57] Specifically on the show and the writing staff.So this has been, like, an exciting kind of transitional season for that atleast I'm viewing, where some of the guests are people that most of the viewershave never heard of, but they're really exciting to me.So I'm excited to get really just into SNL this season.Yeah, it's been a really interesting season. I like hearing you on the hot takeshows and the roundtables because I think you and I often share similar sensibilitiesand similar opinions with the show.And I think your opinions are, they're mostly positive, they're fair,but you're not like, you're not just going to say everything's great.That's what I like. You have a discerning eye for this. So I think your voiceon the S&N and the roundtables and such, I think is a really nice perspective,Rebecca. So I'm glad you're sharing that perspective with us today.Yeah, thank you, Thomas. Ialso know we both have a shared love for pop culture and all things there.So it's going to be exciting to talk about someone who was on the show and isreally just pivotal in pop culture, I think.Like, as far as some of those, not earlier, but, like, middle of SNL cast membersgo, I think Maya is definitely someone we've seen, is very well known just in the world.And people that have never even watched SNL know Maya Rudolph.It's just a name, which is why I'm so shocked that season five,she's still not in the Hall of Fame. I know. She pops up everywhere, too.Like, so many shows that I watch, like, is it the –.Track 4[12:25] The Good Place. Yes. I didn't even expect her to pop up in The Good Place,and she played the judge.And my wife and I were like, oh my gosh, Maya Rudolph. We were so excited.She just does that. She's just omnipresent in pop culture.I was actually going to reference that when I was thinking about her beforethis. It was such a small character, but had such an impact on The Good Place.I really loved that. I'm glad you brought that one up. No, absolutely.That's what she does. Maya just pops up, and then everybody,we all get excited to see Maya on her screen.She's like an electric performer. Rebecca, I'm curious about,since you're a first-timer here on the show, you've never, you know,haven't shared, obviously, your SNL fandom with us. So tell us about, like, your SNL fandom.When did you start watching the show? Any particular cast members or casts in general? role?Track 4[13:11] So I watched the show a lot. It was very big in my household.My parents aren't super fans, but they don't miss an episode.They watch every Saturday night.No matter what they would do, they would have it on TiVo. I remember growingup and then DVR to watch it just every Saturday night.They go to sleep after the news and watch the rest the next day.And I think around high schools when I started to appreciate SNL, I actually,the other said, man, big on pop culture, but I became very just interested inpolitics and just learning a lot more about this world because I feel like Iwould have conversations with people and actually have no clue what I was talking about.And that was something that I was always, like, missing.And then I actually really got into SNL because of the politics and the stancesthere and seeing Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.I suddenly knew who Sarah Palin was and knew how to give an opinion and a stanceand know that. So that's actually what really like hooked me.I've always been a big comedy fan. Like any set come that I even do some standupnow and sketch around New York. Yeah.I dabble. I'm not super well versed, but I started when I lived in Seattle.It takes a lot to even dabble. I've done it once.I did a five minute set once and I'm like, this is tough.Track 4[14:28] Five for your furset is a lot. So I lived in Seattle during the pandemic.And I'm not from there, so I'm from New York. And the way that I actually gotto meet people was I took an improv class.And through that, I don't – not an improv girl, but I met someone that was like,I feel like you do good stand-up. You want to come with me one night?And that's actually how I made a lot of my social life and friends there isjust going to open mics, doing open mics, working on things with people,So that's how I got into that.And then when I moved back to New York, the way that I met some other peoplehere was taking a sketch class at People's Improv Theater.Track 4[15:06] And through that, going to a lot of shows and open mics and just making connections with people.So comedy has always just been at the root of things in my life.But then really when I started like understanding it and really appreciatingthe show that it was like a universal experience, but I just never sat and watched.I think around high school time is that when my parents would record it,even if I was doing my thing, running around like at night, every Sunday,like even today, like I don't usually watch it live.I watch it every single Sunday. It's part of my routine now.I watch it like Sunday, 11 o'clock.I wake up, I'm making breakfast and I'm watching SNL and it's basically justbeen a constant in my life. And a lot of it really stemmed, weirdly enough,from getting to know and learn and understand politics in a fun way.Yeah. As fun as they can be these past few years anyway.That's really interesting. Yeah, I don't often hear people say it was politics.Even though SNL is synonymous with politics, that's a really neat way to get into the show.I love it. And so when did you first take notice of Maya Rudolph as a performer? Was it SNL?Track 4[16:12] It was SNL. So Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig are like my two favorite cast members of all time.And a lot of it was their interactions with each other.And I was able to see a lot of like myself and my friends in them and the waythat they interact and the way that they bring each other onto their projectsin real life or even watching them on a talk show or red carpet or they're presentingan award at the Emmys together.Like the way that they interacted I also feltthe same similar with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler where I was just likeme and my girlfriend just sit and do this andwe just kind of shoot the shit and talk andare funny and friends and I think that's what reallyfelt relatable to me and I think in actually some of the the sketches that Ilike think so highly of Maya and a lot of them are her and Kristen are justher being her but in like a funny way and adopting and I really I really feellike that's what drew me in to her is I could see myself being friends with her.I can't say that about everyone that's been on this show, but I'm like,you're someone that I'd get coffee with and I feel like I'd have a great time.Yeah, I can see that, definitely. It seems like she'd be easy to be friends with. For sure.Yeah, if she was my friend, she would probably say, you know what,Thomas, I'm disappointed. I've been on the ballot.This is my fifth time on the ballot now, and I'm not in the Hall of Fame yet. What's the deal?Track 4[17:34] Yeah, you have to make it up to her to get a friendship. I know. Jeez.I know. Sorry, Maya. So in season one, she had 47% of the vote.Seasons two, three, and four, actually, it's been hovering around 58%.It's been very, very steady.Track 4[17:50] So almost like knocking at the door, Rebecca, the candidates need 66.7% of thevote to get in. So to about two thirds of the vote.So she's like knocking on that door, but not quite over the hump.So why do you think, like, do you have any theories as to why Maya hasn't gotover that hump and been voted into the hall?Yeah. So something that stuck out to me as a reason why I love her,but I actually could see people not is obviously we've seen her do countlessimpressions on the show.So from Beyonce to Kamala Harris to just all of these different people,but she's still kind of maintains maya andthat and i think maybe from an impressionist pointof view you look at someone like top of mind right now ischloe feinman and you look at chloe and she's animpressionist whenever she puts a wig on she embodiesthat person and maya the similar to if sarahsherman does an impression i'm just relating it to this season is it's sarahsherman still and you still have all of her quirks and all of that maya is verythat and that's actually why I like her because I'm like yeah you're not blendingcompletely into this person I thinkthere are two types of people that do impressions on SNL people J.A.J.That just completely embodies that and you actually might not be able to tellwho is who if they're talking next to each other and people that sometimes are funnier to me is.Track 4[19:11] Someone that, like, their quirks and their characteristics come through.And it's, like, Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris.And sometimes that's even funnier to me than an actual spot on impression.Because if you're not going to do a perfect impression, at least let your comedy come through.Track 4[19:27] But that's something that I specifically like. I have dabbled in the space andI'm not an impressionist.I made a joke that the only impression I could do is, like, either a 60-year-oldchain smoker or, like, an old man just based on my voice.And my stature and i'm just likei you would see me through any impression i've done sothat is something that like shines out to me is that likei love that and respect them when someone could do that and make it funny andreally let themselves come through that like ad bryant as well as someone thatsticks out like you're laughing at them you're not laughing at the spot on impressionso i see the flip side of maybe people being like maya is always maya no matterwhat she is what what character she's playing,what impression she's doing, it's still Maya Rudolph as that person.It's not her embodying someone, which I respect, but I think that actually couldbe one of the reasons that she hasn't gotten her way onto the ballot yet.Track 4[20:20] Yeah, I think that's a pretty good theory. You do bring up a good point aboutimpressions that I wanted to circle back to, too, because we've talked about,on the SNL Hall of Fame, we've talked about impressions quite a bit and whatyour taste in impressions is and what you look for.And I think the way Maya's done it is preferable to me over somebody who's technically sound.We've had a lot of impressionists on SNL who are technically great impressionists.Some recent ones, actually, who didn't quite hit on the show.Because I think with an impression, Rebecca, you have to have a take.And it has to be funny. To me, you only get so much mileage out of just soundinglike the person and looking like the person. You actually have to have some comedic.Track 4[21:05] Value to the impression so i don'twant to bring up names because i don't you know but there's been impressionists onthe show uh in in the past whohave been who've done very sound technically great impressions but there's nocomedic take behind yeah so with maya i think we have seen we see a lot of uhfunny comedic takes does she sound 100 like beyonce it's okay like i don't knowYou can kind of tell she's trying to play Beyonce,but there's some sort of take there. Same with Donatella Versace.She does a weird one of Scott Joplin, who's like a real person.She did a couple of some of my favorite Maya's work.It wasn't quite an impression. It was kind of her take on a historical figure, like a funny take.But there's the comedic value in it. So that was a really good point,Rebecca, about impressions and Maya and how she does impressions.But I have a confession for you. Yeah.I'm one of those people who has been on the fence about voting her in.Why? Yeah. So here's my – and I'm glad you asked me in that tone because I'veasked myself in that tone. In my judgy tone?Yeah. No, I've asked myself in that judgy tone too.Track 4[22:22] But I finally pinpointed it, I think.Think so maya was on from 2000 to2007 and i think i thinkshe spent much of her time on snl in the wrong erafor her skill set i think like theearly to mid 2000s i think thatcatered to a lot of and there's a lot oflike lowbrow kind of humor there was a lotand i think she was capable of so much more i thinkshe was very clever and but she always she didn'talways get a lot of clever sketches on ithink she was way more like her skill set was alot more diverse than maybe the era catered toso i and that that's just kind ofmy taste but i think that's kind ofwhat the era was there was a lot of like and it'shard to describe from like about 2001 to like2005 it was a lot of edgelord humorit was a lot of like let's put people let'slet's dress up an athlete in a a wig and a dress let'sput our female host and get justgive her a wig and some jewelry and make her talk like ahip-hop affectation kind of characters i don't know it's just like a it wasa weird vibe and comedy just in general around that time so i don't i thinki don't know if you could see where i'm coming from with maybe her skill setshe would have been better off in a different time of snl where she could have really shined i think.Track 4[23:47] I actually really agree with that. It was also a really saturated cast.So for everyone to stand out and saturated not only by volume,but talent and big, big personalities.Like you see nowadays, even this season, it's a very saturated cast,but there are a lot of people that are really strong background characters that like they shine in that.That but I would say from her six seven years onthe show it really was a lotof huge huge personalities comedically like kind offighting for that spotlight there so the edgier or the probably more lowbrowyou could get at the time I feel like the more that you shined on the show andthat's what it needed to be then and that was kind of what we were seeing comedyat that time So I do agree with you there.And yeah, I feel like even now, just like learning about Maya and her,just, I feel like she's very cultured and like intelligent outside of comedy.And that inspires a lot of it, like her Prince tribute band.And going through that, she has a lot of niche interests and quirks that I feellike if she was on a different season, even like on current season,the writing cast was different and they would really let it shine.And kind of write things around someone that would understand.I think about Bo and Yang doing the Troye Sivan sketch.Track 4[25:08] Did it relate to everyone? No. But was it funny because it was someone doingsomething they were passionate about and understood and got?I feel like if Maya was on a more recent season, I would say probably from like2015 till now, the writers would tailor things to her and she wouldn't justhave to fit in and be the funny character in what she was doing.And you have her and Kristen Wiig as, like, a dynamic duo throughout the seasonstogether, and they are so different, and their humor is so different.And I feel like although their partnership was something that we've seen fromthe show on and through that, I feel like it was more for Kristen to shine thanit allowed for Maya to shine.And I think that is probably the reason she isn't in this Hall of Fame.But as you look back like taking a deeper eye to this and the reason why I'mso excited to talk about her is like she was just stunning.Track 4[26:02] Standard and reliable like you knew she wasgoing to say something or sing something and we were going tolaugh whether she was the star of it and whetherit was even her like area toshine comedically she always did trigger a lot from the audience so althoughi you don't want to like pit women against each other but i kind of feel likethe writers then had to pick the star and kristin definitely got that spotlightand maya was more of a supporting role when i actually feel I feel like theycould have balanced that a little different.Track 4[26:32] Yeah, that's something that you just articulated that I think I've always felt,but I never really articulated it to myself, is that dynamic with her and Kristenand maybe a little bit Amy. I think she and Amy were actually really good.Of course, they did Bronx Beat together and stuff, but I think they actuallyhad a really good partnership.I really I wish that Maya sheended in on SNL in 2007I wish she could have had a few more years because Ithink that that cast was just finding its groovearound 2007 so I would wish Mayacould have been a part of them really hitting thepeak like she could I wish she could have done more stuff with Sudeikisand Hader and even develop more ofa partnership with Kristen so I think she was in a weird eraand she was part of when the show kind offlipped and got another golden era buti wish she could have been part more of amore of that golden era than she wasif that makes sense yeah that that actually is areally good point like as they transitioned over she was one of the cast membersthat transitioned with them but didn't get to see it through fruition the waythat like she probably should have after the year she put into it like yeahand if she was able to stick around and actually like help with the transitionand do that and move that over.So that's an awesome point because I feel like the show really flips.Track 4[27:56] Each big era from like, is who dominates it?Especially I think like gender is a big thing. Like, is it being carried bylike Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, that?That was a very male heavy, like leading a lot of the sketches.And then you go to Kate McKinnon, Cecily and 80. And that was very,very female dominating.And I kind of wished even just as a general statement throughout the years,there was better balance and you would see moredynamic duos from like thewomen and the men on the cast and i think that's actually somethingthat snl has really never quite nailed down since the early early seasons umlike really from the not ready for primetime players that i think had the bestbalance between everyone had a role but since the cast are so saturated nowit's easier to make a a more bro-y sketch or a more, like,female-oriented sketch.And that's just natural and due to the nature. But I kind of feel like that'swhat we're missing now is that sweet spot.You look at all the duos or trios or groups of people from 2000 on.Track 4[29:01] And there's never really, like, a male-female dynamic duo leading that.And I actually think, like, Maya and Fred could have done that.And we see in real life that they kind of are that dynamic duo.And we've seen that really come to terms afterthe show and all of that but I think that's like an areathat we've been missing for a while is like having someonejust really dominant that way and I think that would just make maybe every sketchmore reliable to this so I talked to John about sketches that he all-time favoritethinks is the funniest things with like Andrew Dismukes and I'm like yeah Ilaughed it wasn't like necessarily my thing or like little things things like that.And that's, I guess, reaching all the different people in the audience.Track 4[29:46] But kind of looking for that sweet spot.And I feel like she could have been a really good bridge between that.She really could have. That's such a good point. And I was thinking of Fredtoo, with Amaya and Fred, they could have had such a, they could have builton like a dynamic because Fred stayed until what, 2012, something like that.So, so they could have had a few more years together. Yeah. See great points, Rebecca.See, Maya is overdue in the Arsenal Hall of Fame andyou were overdue to appear on this podcast i'm alreadymeant to be yeah it was meant to be then but i'mhere i'm here to vouch for her and then hopefully vouch for a returnon this podcast i think you've already sealed a return 20 minutesin wow so as far asmaya's work on snl what what kind of immediately stands out to you like youwe can we can kind of just talk about it like a specific character or sketchright now well you did mention bronx beat and that is the number one When Ilook back at my 10 favorite sketches of all time,I think Bronx Beat is really just up there in that list.Initially, I'm like, okay, Maya's on this show. Who are we talking about? Bronx Beat is that.So, your book, you like to ride bikes. Yes, I traveled all over the countryand found the best trails and rated them according to difficulty and size and, uh... Uh-huh.You know how many times I had sex last year, Frankie?Track 4[31:11] 0.002. And it was my choice. This area down here, this area,it's got the Ghostbusters thing over it.No one's allowed in there. No trespassing. No trespassing. Clothes for business.You know that red circle thing with the line, the Ghostbusters thing?Yeah. It's my choice. You know what? When my husband wants to get sex... It's always funny.No matter when I watch it, no matter what mood I'm in, it is just always one that gets me laughing.And I think that was a good point you made about Amy and Maya's chemistry.Like, they have such a funny, like, chemistry in this. And their dialects, it's just a dumb sketch.But it really just always hits. Sometimes you just get those where you're like, this is amazing.And that was pure gold. So that definitely stands out to me.It's a dumb sketch, but it's not.It's not a dumb sketch because they have these mannerisms. So now you're fromNew York, you said, right? Yes.Have you met these ladies before? Yes.So I'm from Long Island. So it's a little different, but there's like,there's a similarity between Bronx and certain parts of Long Island.And I think especially like older generations, like the accents are real.Like people actually sound like that.And I think that was around, like, an era with Jersey Shore was also,like, how are these people real?But they are. And the people of Bronx Beat, those people exist.Track 4[32:34] And it's awesome to see. And it was, like, a really great depiction.And they really just took those characters to 110%. And they were relatable.Like, I was able to be like, oh, that's who that is.That's someone from New York. And it was awesome. Yeah, yeah.Yeah, that sketch was so musical, too.Like, when Amy talking and then Maya talking, like, the way they bantered backand forth, it was very musical.It was, like, just something about it. Like, you had to be an amazing performerto get those beats down. Like, it was...Track 4[33:07] I remember the Jake Gyllenhaal one, the one that they were kind of flirtingwith, with like, they kind of flirted with their guests and stuff,but just like their, the way they would bounce back and forth.She and Amy, there was just, just real like music to it.That's whenever I watch those sketches, that's all my mind goes to is just asa performer, she was just so good about hitting those exact beats is very conversational,uh, and very relatable. I'm from New Mexico.I've been to New York, but you know, I'm not like a guy, uh,But it was still like I felt like I knew those ladies.Yeah, for sure. Like they definitely exist. And I feel like some people gotit and they were like, I could relate this.But other people that have never met anyone like that still were able to relateand be like, I saw this person on TV.And it was an awesome depiction.So that's like the number one sketch that really stands out to me.Yeah, and I don't think it's a coincidence, too, that they started doing theselater in Maya's tenure there on SNL.When the cast and the show as a whole was starting to flip into another goldenera, and we saw something like Bronx Beat, which she and Amy came up with.So I don't think that's necessarily a coincidence that these started happening a little later.Track 4[34:23] One that I revisited today that was just like pure Maya just owning it was that National Anthem.Yeah was that was that like one of the next ones that that was in my i thati was deciding which one i was going to bring up next it was either that orthe one i'll get to then after but i love that i mean one of my like happy videosis watching fergie sing the national anthem.Track 4[34:45] And I could do every single quip.And that's, I think, kind of what it was Lucy based off of was Fergie for theBasketball Hall of Fame sang the national anthem and took a lot of creativeliberty in a way that did not pay off.But I'm sure it's probably one of the most watched national anthems of any sports event ever.Track 4[35:09] And Maya so perfectly encapsulated that.But also, she's a super talented singer. So I think that was part of it.But Fergie at this national anthem just like, went off and did all these adlibs and runs that were so funny.And to see SNL do that in a way that wasn't an exact copy and had Maya likefully just shine and go off on that.And like, that is quintessential Maya. Like when I'm imagining her in my head,she is just singing and doing something funny vocally and through singing.And I think that this sketch still holds up now because there's always it's always relatable.Like there was a super viral video this month of this little girl that sangthe National Anthem again so horribly, like at one of these games.And I was like watching this one again yesterday.And I was like, oh, it's like this little girl now. But you could have watchedit two years ago and related it to another just bad national anthem performance.Yeah, as long as people are singing the national anthem, they're going to besinging it poorly because it's a hard song to sing.Track 4[36:15] Exactly. And I don't know why people keep doing that. Like, just sing the song as it was written.Like, it's very rarely paid off for people to just make it their own.And we're seeing that. I think this is just a relatable sketch,whether it was 20 years ago or today. because you can always relate it to something going on.Through the night,for it's warm to me.Track 4[37:08] I feel like they told Maya, maybe on that Monday, whoever, maybe it was herthat came up with the idea, but I feel like they just kind of told Maya,like, we need you to do a national anthem and kind of butcher it.Sing well, but just, like, butcher it.And Maya's like, I got you. And she came up with that.It was just so, like, her facial expressions were perfect.I think she added in, she started singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game or something at some point.Yeah yeah that was so perfect that's likequintessential mom glad i revisited it again today because thatyou're right that is quintessential uh maya in inthat performance yeah uh what else is quintessential maya she's so fun she'sso fun the other one that i think like she shines out of a bigger cast is supershowcase spokesmodels this in my mind is just Kristen and Maya doing their thing.It's a spoof of The Price is Right and it's showing contestants what they would have won.So it's Kristen and Maya as the Vanillites walking around. I know that's.Track 4[38:15] Um walking around and being like thespokesperson and you just watch like Kristen andBill Hader just lose it and it just shows likeMaya was probably someone that was so fun to have on setand someone that you look at and you're like yes I'm in this sketch with themand she made them break just by being her and standing out so much out of likethe crowd of this sketch that it cracks me up like I'm a sucker for people thatbreak in a sketch especially when it's like actually funny Yeah,when it's not like forced.Not like an inside joke type of thing. Yeah, yeah, exactly.You're going to kick yourself when you see what Sean and Vonda have in their cart.Look at this, Debra. A lifetime supply of frozen chicken by Chicken Man.Imagine years after years after years of chicken. Right at your fingertips. Tickle, tickle.Each chicken looks as good as this one. That's a Chicken Man guarantee.If your mom likes trickle, you might like chicken.Track 4[39:20] Was her voice kind of similar to like, remember that art dealers one that she and Fred did?This almost looks like the similar, like it's almost like a similar voice, right? Yeah, exactly.Yeah, Maya was... Yeah, just, we don't know what the rules of the game are still.Right. Like, what would a right answer be?And she just did such a good job here.Yeah, she, of course, Bill is known to break. But for good reason when you'reworking with somebody like Maya, honestly.I don't know how Vanessa Bear kept it together in that sketch.She's probably new and maybe afraid of getting fired.So she didn't want a break in that sketch.Yeah, that was so good.There was one, and I don't know if you remember these or when it got a chance to go rewatch.They're hard to find. You got to know where to look. But she did one that I alluded to earlier.And it's an example to me of something very clever that Maya was able to doearly on. Like these appeared in 2002 and 2003.It was Tennis Talk with time traveling Scott Joplin.Let's start with you, 92 Andre Agassi. What's new with you? Oh,well, things are pretty great.I just won Wimbledon. I'm dating Brooke Shields.And I'm doing these pretty awesome commercials for Canon cameras.That's great. By the way, Patrick Swayze called. He wants his hair back.Track 4[40:46] How about you, present-day Andre Agassi? What's going on with you?I'm really excited. I just had a second baby with my wife.So if you haven't seen and if you don't do you remember these rebecca vaguelyokay so i'll yes i'll recap so scottjoplin is a real person he was a composer hebasically is called like the godfather of ragtimekind of music and so the premisewas that maya played scott joplinwho traveled who who wasa time traveler who became a time traveler andthrough his time traveling experienceshe figured out that he really enjoyed tennis so he createda talk show time travel and tennis talk with timetravel and Scott Joplin so he would like have thesehave these tennis players on and pretty much like be passive-aggressive andmake these quips but then like after after like burns would go back and playlike ragtime diddy and then come back and like like talk to him and be condescendingand be funny at this and it was Maya like dressed up in a suit.Track 4[41:51] And short hair and and it was justsuch a bizarre to me very cleververy like where did this come from and especiallyfor that time in 2002 and 2003 itreally like stood out yeah amongst peoplebut that's an example to me like i thought of of her being ableto play in like more just kind ofsubtle weird kind of things ratherthan over the top things so that that's when if youif if you hadn't seen that in a while if listeners you hadn't seenthat in a while it's around season 28 and 29 tennis talk with time travel andscott joblin and then rebecca like i think that one yeah yeah go check thatbut i think rebecca like she she's versatile that's the versatility that i wastalking about with maya yeah the other thing that i've noticed i know we spoke about.Track 4[42:41] Impressions and we kind of touched on that earlier on but mayacomes from a unique background ground obviously we love thatshe is a very successful nepo baby uh miniripperton's her mom and she's black and jewishand i think she was on the cast at a time to be kindof she was a black woman representative so fora lot of the impressions we saw they weren't spot on butwithin being that character and playing characters that most of the rest ofthe cast couldn't play uh like at the time she took these roles and didn't justsay okay i'll just do an impression She like completely dramatized their characterization to a T and to 100%.And I think she took her background of being both black and Jewish,like in Bronx Beat, the people that related to me, I'm like,oh, those are Jewish people from Long Island that I know.Although it's not technically that from the Bronx, she always let herself shine.So a few of her impressions are just like when I looked back and really,really standing out to me is not like, wow, you are Oprah, but you are making me hysterically laugh.So that specific one is just Oprah's favorite things I have down.And then also the Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Birds Laugh as a show.Track 4[43:57] Hello, child. I am the rock.I am the river. I am the one who put a pie under the butt of Morgan Freeman. Whoa!Watch as Maya Angelou pranks her esteemed colleagues.Track 4[44:15] Look out! It appears I have sat in a pie. I suppose you have.I feel no shame sitting in that pastry. Just human nature, I suppose.Yes. It has been an honor.Track 4[44:32] So she really took these and made them her own and was like,OK, if you want me to do this, I'm still going to be Maya in this because Ican't do a spot on Maya Angelou impression.So I'm going to make it a show instead of just like an interview with Maya Angelou.So I think that's where she really got to shine in a lot of those times.At the time, I know we were saying before she was never specifically writtenfor like as much as I think she deserved to be. But in a lot of her impressions,I think, is where the writers really had fun with her.And she created characters even out of real people who I wanted to imitate aswell. You said you don't do impressions.I sure as hell don't do impressions. But with something like her Whitney Houston,I find myself almost mimicking.He and my sister-in-law, sometimes we'll get to talking about SNL,and she'll always be like, I'll always go back to Maya Rudolph's Whitney Houston.Bobby Brown, Bobby Brown.We'll just kind of sit there and say Bobby Brown to each other.Eric is a real Geico customer, not a paid celebrity. So to help him tell hisstory, we paired him with Whitney Houston.Track 4[45:46] I thought I was going to have to postpone my exams. That's when I got in mySUV, threw that sucker in reverse, and drove backwards all the way to Dionne Warwick's house.Track 4[45:59] Geico took care of everything immediately, and I passed sociology.I passed Bobby Brown the other day, and I threw an old bag of chicken McNuggetsat his head. Ain't it shocking what love can do?Ain't it shocking what love can do?Geico. Real wrecks. Cars. She has that kind of energy and creates these characters that even...Track 4[46:22] Fans like we want to like imitate and we want to like act like that becauseshe radiates like that energy on screen maya does exactly and that's why i thinkbringing her back as kamala harris was.Track 4[46:36] Such a specific choice that ithink snl took they could have had someone comeback or at they were that was actually at a time where theywere just bringing people in left and right um toplay people that weren't specifically in the cast and theychose Maya and she did such a uniquetake on Kamala that I think was more successfulthan someone that was like uncanny like I meanyou look at Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton with Amyand Tina and although they were really funny they were really spot-on impressionswhere they've had the characters in the room together but But Maya took Kamalaand made it why people like to laugh with her and at her and go through allof those phases where I thought it was like a genius pick,but it was actually interesting because they were bringing back a lot of people while Alec Baldwin,I don't think, was the funniest Donald Trump. He was super, super spot on.But they made such a specific choice by having Maya come back and be Kamalawith not a spot on impression, but added a lot of light.Maybe she wasn't as like serious as having like Biden or Trump and someone thatlike we actually want to convey like This is our political take and the stance in this sketch,but just having Kamala's like, oh, you know You're gonna say one or two linesin this that'll make me laugh,Harris you see this is what they do.Track 4[47:58] Susan they avoid taking any,Responsibility not mr. Vice President. I'm speaking.Track 4[48:11] Well, I'm just trying to. But I'm speaking. Yes, but I. Yeah, but I'm speaking.See, I'm speaking right now. Estoya, Blondo, Nevada, Arizona,some parts of Texas. I'm speaking. I understand that.I understand. Yeah, I don't think you do. I do. Because you're talking and I'm speaking.Track 4[48:29] I love that choice to bring her back. And I think having a previous cast membercome back for a recurring, like, hold open bit And then pop up in a lot of thesketches that we've seen throughout those seasons where she was back.That's that's enough to put her in the Hall of Fame for me. Yeah.Yeah. That's so. So you do look at times that they appeared outside of theirtime, like as an official cast member.Like you do take that into account when you're looking at cast members.For sure. And also impact after the show, I think is it that's what I do,because it's not like the SNL Hall of Fame in my mind is, oh,you were on SNL and you came from this and it was all encompassing.Like, what did you do on the show? What did you do with your platform after the show?And a lot of people don't utilize that platform after the show, as well as others.And I think Maya is someone that really took that by storm and completely isjust now kind of killing it and consistently killing it since her time on SNL,back on the show as host, as recurring characters and that.And I take that all into consideration. But just besides her specific yearson the show, it's like you have one of the biggest comedy platforms in the whole world.Track 4[49:44] Are you going to actually make use of what you had on here?And I say without doubt she definitely didand I mean just to bring up the I meanthe number one thing everyone's probably thinking of of her time outside theshow is bridesmaids like she made alegendary movie like that isone that goes down in the books when you look backat history you're like oh that is just an all-timefunny movie it's the same way great yeah yeahWill Ferrell had all of these movies as wellafter obviously maya doesn't have as muchi'd say on her repertoire there but you lookback and that's one of the all-time great comedic moviesof all time that i'm like you were on this you brought your friends into thiscast you brought kristin into this and like it all worked so well together thatit i related to snl because it's a maya and kristin movie that was so funnyand so amazing that i'm like how could she not be in the hall Hall of Fame.The amount of times I watch Bridesmaids a year, just when I'm sitting with peopleand we're like, what movie should we put on? Bridesmaids. It's a classic.Track 4[50:49] Yeah. No, that's a perfect one to put on when you have nothing else to go to.No, it's an all-time great comedy.And I'm starting to warm up to the idea more of thinking about cast membersand their impact even outside of their technical, when they were a cast member on the show.I think you bring up good points. And I think that's perfectly valid tolook at cast members that way and kamala harris is agreat example and with maya you almost have to like take intocameos into account because she's been backon the show so much and she played kamalalike there was and we were talking about impressions like she found a an anglefor her kamala harris they even told us what that angle was like the cool auntright like she played kamala harris said i'm the cool aunt or whatever and i'mgonna play it like that so she was like like the fun aunt who might've like rapped a little bit,but then they still made fun of her for saying like, that little girl was me,like this kind of poking fun at, at Kamala at the same time.So she did find an angle. She has had an impact on the show.Track 4[51:55] 2024 now and i and and noneof us would be shocked if we saw maya rudolphuh come on the show in some capacity i know punky johnson they had her playkamala she didn't she didn't get any speaking roles um when she played kamalabut i don't know if they're what their plans are with that but we won't be surprisedif maya's like comes back to the show at any point and has yeah,you're right uh yeah as we're recording this yeah yeah as we're recording thisKristen scheduled to host, I think, on April 6th.Yes. Something like that. Interesting.And I would not be shocked at all if she made an appearance there.I actually have a question for you, Thomas. Okay. So I know how to angle to all the listeners here.Has anyone had 100% poll numbers in the Hall of Fame? Or who was around the highest?So I kind of understand their impact versus maybe why Maya wasn't in there.I kind of think somebody like Will Ferrell or like Eddie Murphy,I seem to remember, or Bill Hader.I think people like that have been in the 90s. Nobody's gotten 100%.And it doesn't matter in any sort of Hall of Fame, any sort of vote.You could be the best basketball, best football player, best baseball playerof all time, and those guys don't get 100%. Nobody's got 100% of the vote inthe SNL Hall of Fame, yeah.Track 4[53:21] Okay, yeah, that's interesting, man. And I guess those, I think those peopleprobably have had more impact on the actual show.But then I look at Will and yes, he had amazing sketches.When you look back at, let's list everyone's favorite sketches of all time,you're going to have more cowbells and you're going to have a lot of Will appearances.But I actually feel like his impact was made more after the show and a lot of the work he's done.So I'm seeing him a little more similar to Maya than like Bill Hader,who absolutely like obviously has impact offof the show but like snl was his playground hejust completely ran that to the ground thesame way that like kate mckinnon has and all ofthat like when you're watching them off the show you're always going to relatethem back to being on the show but now you're actually going to look at willferrell and you're going to be like oh that's buddy the elf like that's probablywhere your mind goes actually more than oh you're on snl it's someone that'sjust so engraved in the culture that you're like, oh, I forget you were like,you don't forget, but oh, you were on SNL instead of Bill Hader.It's like, oh, SNL's Bill Hader is going to be in this or SNL's Kate McKinnon.And I think Maya's impacted.Track 4[54:32] Probably more off the show which is why she's beenteetering around that 50 percent range for alittle bit now but i think people should take that intoconsideration because you're not supposed to bea keenan and be honest enough for a million years not everyone could be thatconsidering there's only been one person there's only been one keenan on theshow and you want to take this life-changing opportunity and make an impactin comedy and in pop culture and in the world And I feel like Maya has had such success in that so far.So take that into consideration when you vote, listeners.Yeah, no, that's such a good point. I want to use my wife as a case study for what you just said.She likes SNL. She's not as much of a fan as me. She probably only watches andstarted watching because of me.Track 4[55:21] But she likes it and she'll watch. But she knows Will Ferrell more for likeElf and things outside of SNL.She knows Maya Rudolph more, honestly, for popping up in shows that we watchand seeing her all over the place, probably Bridesmaids.So my wife is somebody who thatperson that you said maybe knows those people more for outside of SNL.My wife wouldn't know Bill Hader unless she went back and watched earlier seasons.If she saw Bill Hader popping up on something, she wouldn't be like, oh, it's Bill Hader.But she sees Maya Rudolph and my wife's like, oh, that's Maya Rudolph. I love Maya Rudolph.Yeah, exactly. Again, good play. My wife is like, I love that they got MayaRudolph to play the judge.Or in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Maya Rudolph played, what, Dionne Warwick?Who did she play? Yes. Yeah, wait. It wasn't –.Track 4[56:11] Yeah, and she's just like a standard. Also, I think about Big Mouth.The second you hear the Hormone Monster, she is hysterical.And I think Nick Kroll did an awesome job choosing Maya to be such a pivotalcharacter in that show, obviously.It's a cartoon, so it's on her face, but she doesn't need to be her face.So, yeah, she was Dionne Warwick. Dionne Warwick.Track 4[56:36] Yes. I thought it was that or Diana Ross or somebody like that.Track 4[56:41] Well, yeah, somebody like that. Yeah, but you could tell like in Big Mouth,she put her stamp or complete stamp on it.She, I'm drawing a blank right now.She popped up recently in something and I was like, oh, Maya was just so perfectin that. But that's what she does.Track 4[57:00] Maya just leaves an impression on the screen no matter what.If it's two minutes, if it's 30 minutes, Maya is going to leave such a great mark.Oh it was documentary now it's like my my favorite episodeof documentary now is test pattern whichis a take off of their lampooning andpaying uh homage to the talking head stop makingsense and maya's in that ondocumentary now and she she was wonderful init she was perfect she just makes such an impact rebeccajust no matter how long she's on the screen literally i'mlooking at at like her imdb right nowand she's in literally everything just asa voice as a name likewhether she just makes a short appearance i'm likelooking at this and i'm like oh wait yeah she was in that she was in specificallythe movie book smart one of my all-time favorite movies she's a voiceover andi could tell you the scene that she's in in my head because even though it'sjust her voice in a non-cartoon movie where there's a lot of big names and a lot of cameos.I remember the exact part she was in in that movie just by thinking about itand she's done a lot of cartoons and cartoons.Track 4[58:16] Comic movies there and yeah shejust make

In this special bonus podcast interview, Jon Schneider & James Stephens catch up with Saturday Night Live's Andrew Dismukes to discuss SNL Season 49. Topics include his goals for the season, his partnership with James Austin Johnson, writing and producing Beep Beep, Lake Beach, Remember Lizards, & more! The video version of our interview is available here: https://youtu.be/cw6WR1vc6zQ ------- Welcome to the official Saturday Night Network podcast feed, where you will hear audio from our weekly roundtables discussing all things SNL. Podcast hosts, journalists, and superfans will look back at the entire history of Saturday Night Live and talk about how the legacy of Season 49 compares to all eras of the show. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thesnlnetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and subscribe on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thesnlnetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to never miss an episode! Catch up on other interviews: Punkie Johnson SNL Season 49 Interview (Oct 17, 2023) ⁠SNL Stories: Oz Rodriguez (August 16, 2023)⁠ ⁠⁠SNL Stories: Connie Crawford (June 19, 2023)⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Heidi Gardner SNL Season 48 Interview (June 12, 2023)⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Aristotle Athari (May 22, 2023)⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mikey Day SNL Season 48 Interview (Apr 13, 2023)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Darrell Hammond (Mar 20, 2023)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Denny Dillon (Feb 15, 2023)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Neil Levy (Jan 19, 2023)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Bobby Moynihan (Dec 16, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Michael Streeter (Dec 9, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Paul Shaffer (Nov 23, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Jeffrey Gurian (Sept 1, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Tom "Bones" Malone (Aug 17, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠JFL Red Carpet Interviews (Jay Pharoah, Taylor Tomlinson, & more!) (Aug 4, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Redd on Season 47 (June 24, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Mitchell Kriegman (June 15, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Keith Raywood (April 1, 2022)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Dean Edwards (Dec 1, 2021)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stories: Judy Belushi Pisano (Nov 5, 2021)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Aug 10, 2021)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Director Don Roy King (May 4, 2021)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SNL Stats Roundtable with Gary Kroeger (Apr 6, 2021)

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Comedian Andrew Dismukes (@andrew_vinny), at Copper Blues Live at Desert Ridge (@CBLivePHX), In Studio - Thursday October 5, 2023. For Tickets/Info call 602.910.5161 or click to www.cblive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Comedian Andrew Dismukes (@andrew_vinny), at Copper Blues Live at Desert Ridge (@CBLivePHX), In Studio - Thursday October 5, 2023. For Tickets/Info call 602.910.5161 or click to www.cblive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stand-Up On The Spot Live from Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas! Featuring Big Jay Oakerson. No material allowed. Comedians take audience suggestions and create Stand-Up On The Spot. You know Jay from The Bonfire on Sirius XM, Legion of Skanks and his new special Dog Belly! Ian Bagg you know from his legendary crowd work, handling hecklers, and his amazing specials! And you know Punkie Johnson and Andrew Dismukes from Saturday Night Live! #standupcomedy #1HourSpecial #BigJayOakerson #LegionOfSkanks #Bonfire #IanBagg #CrowdWork #Heckler #AndrewDismukes #SNL #SaturdayNightLive #PunkieJohnson #JeremiahWatkins #StandUpOnTheSpot

In this episode Matt, Bob and Chuy talk about how their live podcast at Moontower went. Callers share sincere therapy advice and Special Guests Sklar brothers, SNL cast Devon Walker & Andrew Dismukes discuss all things from comedy, stand-up and writing.Support the show: https://www.klbjfm.com/mattandbobfm/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Dumb People Town goes live as Daniel, Jason and Randy welcome in Brooklyn! In story one, a landlord gives warning for "loud romping". In story two, a dog ends a relationship. The last story is about a "hot pursuit" in a Vegas airport... And special musical guest Max Clarke of Cut Worms!

Every year, the SportsAlcohol.com crew of loyal Saturday Night Live viewers checks in to discuss a recent episode of the show and the season as a whole. For Season 47, we chose a late-season episode with host and musical guest Lizzo to assess the swollen 24-person cast and other changes as the show nears its 50th birthday.

SNL is back in Studio 8H with host Ariana DeBose and musical guest Bleachers and John and Darin are watching it all! Ariana and Kate sing a lot! President Biden asks us to stop seeing Spider-Man! Urkel gets a gritty reboot! Chris Redd and Andrew Dismukes get chances to shine! Plus, what joke did Darin not get until we recorded this podcast?

Billie Eilish was the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live on December 11th. How was the show? Did the 19-year old non-actor hold her own? Was one of our least favorite sketches of all season in this episode? Is Ben's crush on Andrew Dismukes becoming creepy? Find out the answer to all these questions and see what we think of this latest episode. The 10-to-1 Podcast is a new Saturday Night Live podcast hosted by Bradford Oman (aka Ethan Anderton from SlashFilm.com) and his friends Ben Konowitz and Nate Loucks. This trio of knuckleheads are die-hard SNL fans, and they'll be breaking down every new episode of the late-night sketch series, picking their favorite sketches, naming the best player of the night, and generally wasting everybody's time, especially their own.

Wooo boy. This is a big one. Forgive us for running a little long this week as we had a ton to unpack with Billie Eilish's return to Saturday Night Live. Avery talks about seeing the show live on the Studio 8H floor and Alexei has a shocking revelation about his feelings towards Andrew Dismukes. We chat about some truly great sketches like Please Don't Destroy's ode to Tik Tok, Heidi Gardner's star moment in Hip Hop Nativity, and Kate McKinnon and Anna Drezen's amazingly awkward advertisement for generic hotels everywhere. Plus, we discuss the rumblings about a UK version of SNL and the inexplicable presence of British "people" around this very American show. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com!   This week's crew: Arielle (@jesterbestie) Avery (@cosmicholiday) Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around around once in a while, you could start a podcast. This week, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery celebrate one year of SNL Struggles by looking back on their mental decline and revisiting the episode of Saturday Night Live that brought them together: John Mulaney and David Byrne (Season 45, Episode 14). They talk about Avery causing chaos at their first standby line, why Arielle still holds a personal grudge towards Lorne Michaels, how SNL stan culture has evolved since the pandemic, Uncle Meme and how long their Steven Castillo brainrot has been going on, and some more Weekend Update conspiracy theories. It's a sappy show, folks! Thank you for listening to this chatter for a year. We owe you a debt that could never be repaid (two eardrums). Much love to you all. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com!   This week's crew: Arielle (@jesterbestie) Avery (@cosmicholiday) Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

This week Heidi and Justin welcome Andrew Dismukes, a cast member on Saturday Night Live and a very funny comedian, to the cast to talk about inline skating, Old Mamas, Austin Powers, Spaceballs and much more! Also, Andrew joins the cast in an unexpected move that catches Heidi completely off guard. You'll see. Oh... you'll see. About the Show Saturday Night Live's Heidi Gardner and her brother, Justin Gardner, recount the seminal movie-going experiences of their youth... and eat candy! Join them each week as they welcome friends to reminisce about "Where We Were When"! New episodes available each week on YouTube or wherever better podcasts can be found. Find Us Twitter: twitter.com/wherewewerewhen Instagram: instagram.com/wherewewerewhen Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-we-were-when/id1574606009 Spotify: spotify.com/show/2yNVovzmSFS5dghUgulkJj Overcast: overcast.fm/itunes1574606009 Email: wherewewerewhen@gmail.com Credits Hosted by Justin and Heidi Gardner Produced by John Murray Edited by Katherine Coleman Graphic Design by Charlotte Harrison Theme Song by Matt Saladino

This week, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery break out the tissues to talk about the Season 46 finale. They reflect back on their favorite moments of their first season as podcasters, discuss the lovely absurdity of Andrew Dismukes and Beck Bennett, break down the discourse behind "It's Pride Again," and get pretty emotional over Pete Davidson's potential goodbye to show. Plus, Avery talks about seeing the show live in the studio and how wild the crowd went for Lil Nas X and his wardrobe malfunction. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com!   This week's crew: Arielle (@jesterbestie) Alexei (@ratmiddleman) Avery (@cosmicholiday)

This week, Arielle and Alexei (Double A?) break down the sweet relief of Keegan-Michael Key on Saturday Night Live. They get into the obvious main event of the night, writer Steven Castillo's cameo in the monologue! But aside from that earth-shattering moment, they also chat about The Muppet Show, Olivia Rodrigo's amazing performances, Andrew Dismukes's first appearance on Weekend Update, and a fun musical theater sketch that may be lost forever. Copyright? We don't know her! Plus, hear the best struggles of the week, featuring some Wikipedia drama. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com!   This week's crew: Arielle (@jesterbestie) Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

This week Arielle, Alexei, and Avery are back with another Cinema Classics, this time about Coming 2 America! They get into the ways in which the original 1988 film has aged with grace, how Leslie Jones gives Eddie Murphy a run for his money in the sequel, and why they're shielding these movies from Letterboxd. Plus hear some news and everyone's favorite struggles of the week, which heavily feature one Andrew Dismukes. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com!   This week's crew: Arielle (@jesterbestie) Alexei (@ratmiddleman) Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Tune in to hear Arielle, Alexei, Avery, and special guest Hailey grapple with Season 46 Episode 10, Andrew Dismukes' lackluster “debut,” the high highs and low lows of Weekend Update, and more, all the while going on multiple tangents about Steven Castillo. Plus, hear the best struggles of the week, heavily featuring a previous podcast guest! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com.   This week's crew: Hailey (@DEVOlDCOLOR) Arielle (@weeekendupdate) Alexei (@ratmiddleman) Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Emily and Greg elucidate the positive moments from Season 46 Episode 10 hosted by John Krasinski

In this episode, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery are joined by comedian and good friend Keira Millin to laugh, cry, and have many epiphanies over Season 46 Episode 9, beloved (by the pod) castmember Alex Moffat's debut as Joe Biden, and the unsolved mystery of Arielle's feelings towards Andrew Dismukes. Is it really a joke at this point? Plus hear about everyone's favorite Christmas sketches over the years and the best struggles of the week. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod, or email us at strugglespodcast@gmail.com.   This week's crew: Keira Millin (@kettlevinyl) Arielle (@weeekendupdate) Alexei (@ratmiddleman) Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Tune in to hear Arielle, Alexei, Avery, and special guest, filmmaker Zeke McIlvain, discuss Season 46 Episode 6, the conspiracy theory behind Jim Carrey's Joe Biden impression, Andrew Dismukes's sordid tweets, who should take over Weekend Update, and their favorite struggles of the week, featuring a rather confusing Steve Martin. Follow us on Twitter @strugglespod!   This week's crew: Arielle (@weeekendupdate) Alexei (@ratmiddleman) Avery (@cosmicholiday) Zeke (@maculvein)

Austin-based writer and performer Christina Parrish has been in comedy for a decade, with an impressive amount of video and short film content to her credit. With the Nov. 6 release of her feature film "Call Me Brother," she tackles taboo subject matter with equal doses of hilarity and dark brilliance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin-based writer and performer Christina Parrish has been in comedy for a decade, with an impressive amount of video and short film content to her credit. With the Nov. 6 release of her feature film "Call Me Brother," she tackles taboo subject matter with equal doses of hilarity and dark brilliance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Austin-based writer and performer Christina Parrish has been in comedy for a decade, with an impressive amount of video and short film content to her credit. With the Nov. 6 release of her feature film "Call Me Brother," she tackles taboo subject matter with equal doses of hilarity and dark brilliance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a very special Quarantine Session of R4L, the boys welcome SNL writer, Andrew Dismukes, to the podcast! The group chats about dramatic balcony moments, Boston Market, and their very dynamic combination as a cajun/gay/baby trio. To close it out, a rogue palm frond falls and hits Andrew as we are recording. Was it the universe's retaliation for our confrontation corner? Possibly!

Pat asks Andrew Dismukes a hypothetical.

Aaron asks Andrew Dismukes a hypothetical.

SNL Writer Andrew Dismukes joins the podcast on his summer break to talk pitching sketches to Charles Barkley, the Yao Ming era in Houston, and the worst time to be a Longhorns football fan. Follow Andrew: @Andrew_Vinny Check out "Millenially Challenged" on FB and Youtube/ Follow Joe: @faination Follow Not A Fan: @NotAFanPod  Subscribe to Not A Fan: iTunes Spotify Stitcher Not A Fan of this podcast?  Got something to say?  Email us: notafanpod@gmail.com Music: YG, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj - "Big Bank"

John and Steve review all of Saturday Night Live's officially released, unaired Season 43 "cut for time" sketches to determine which one was the "best of the rest". Support the Podcast Patreon: Become a patron for early access to new episodes, premium content and exclusive member rewards. Amazon.com (USA) & Amazon.ca (Canada): The best price and fastest shipping on everything. Please bookmark this link (USA) or this link (Canada) and use it each time you shop. Shopify: The best way to start an online store. Start your free 14-day trial. No credit card required. More Free Options Notes Connect with us at: snlafterparty.fm Patreon: snlpodcast Twitter: @snlpodcast Facebook: @snlpodcast Instagram: snlpodcast feedback@snlafterparty.fm Every Season 43 "cut for time" sketch: The Last Fry Climate Change New Year's Kiss Hallmark Channel Christmas Promo My Little Step Children Star Warriors St. Patrick's Day Wedding Toast Fish Dreams Cleveland Cavs Promo Spirituality Rap Friendship Song Best of the rest: Wedding Toast (written by Andrew Dismukes, Luke Null and Streeter Seidell)

LIVE from San Francisco!  Matt and Bowen bring us nonstop “I Don’t Think So, Honeys!” judged by Alaska Thunderfuck & Jinx Monsoon! LIVE! With Awkwafina, Sasheer Zamata, Joel Kim Booster, Dulce Sloan, Patti Harrison, Megan Gailey, Jaboukie Young-White, Amy Miller, Pat Regan, Molly Austin, Sydnee Washington, Marie Faustin, Dewayne Perkins, Lorelei Ramirez, Sam Taggart, Peter Smith, Rachel Pegram, Daniel Webb, Luke Null, Jon Gabrus, and Andrew Dismukes. --- LAS CULTURISTAS HAS A PATREON! For $5/month, you get exclusive access to WEEKLY Patreon-ONLY Las Culturistas content!! https://www.patreon.com/lasculturistas SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS TODAY! CONNECT W/ LAS CULTURISTAS ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER for the best in "I Don't Think So, Honey" action, updates on live shows, conversations with the Las Culturistas community, and behind-the scenes photos/videos: twitter.com/lasculturistas LAS CULTURISTAS IS A FOREVER DOG PODCAST foreverdogpodcasts.com/las-culturistas  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

We caught up with Andrew Dismukes as he returns to Austin to headline Cap City Comedy Club. He is just finishing his first season as a writer for Saturday Night Live. We talk about his beginnings in comedy and his lightning-fast rise to his dream job.

Andrew Dismukes stops by again to make the boys bathroom boys.

Andrew Dismukes does his best to make Chris & AJ care about anime.

Andrew Dismukes (@andrew_vinny) stops by to talk scoring meetings, reading scrips, and the inner-workings of stand-up. 

Andrew Dismukes gets gross and lonely with the boys.

Live from Genuine Joe's featuring stories from Joey Zimmerman, Andrew Dismukes, John Tole, Jesse Hensley, Melody Shifflet, and JT Kelley.

James and Jonathan are joined by Andrew Dismukes (SNL) to discuss the 2023 White Men Can't Jump remake, directed by Calmatic from a script by Kenya Barris, Doug Hall, and Ron Shelton. The film reworks Shelton's 1992 Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and Rosie Perez vehicle of the same name. Calmatic's version stars Sinqua Walls, Jack Harlow, and Lance Reddick. James, Jon, and Andrew explore the comedy beats that land, the comedy beats that don't, and what such a major remake skipping a theatrical release to go to Hulu says about the state of movies.Produced by Skyler HanrathSUBSCRIBE TO EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND OUR BACK CATALOG OF 400+ EPISODES: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/7655b7ec-dc57-47c9-ab96-1a8fa02f6573/exclusive-content JOIN OUR PATREON:https://www.patreon.com/BMCJFOLLOW BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD]:https://twitter.com/blackmenpodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/blackmenpodcastBUY BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD] MERCH:https://www.teepublic.com/stores/black-men-can-t-jump-in-hollywoodSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/black-men-cant-jump-in-hollywood/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy