Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - Jim Breuer
Episode Date: January 3, 2024Stretching before stand-up, prank calls at Sears, and Goat Boy with Jim Breuer. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn ...more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jimmy, Jimbo Brewer.
Jim Brewer is a buddy of mine.
I don't see barely ever anymore.
He was on, we overlapped a little bit, we talked about that.
He is such a character.
My two buddies in Arizona always hit me up with the Jim Brewer clips.
He's got great stand-up. He's bananas.
He has a really funny story about when he worked at Sears. He worked, I think he worked in paints or something.
And the paint department, and he does this elaborate story of how he called it a bomb threat.
I think that's what happened.
So, so nuts.
But everything he says, he knows how to tell a story.
I'll give him that.
The guy knows how to talk.
We were cracking up.
We asked about, of of course goat boy.
It took so long for him to get that on, I think.
And I don't know.
If this is just a lot of laughs, we were all laughing.
Sometimes it's like that. Sometimes it's more informative,
but we just cracked up.
So stick around, kick back, pull over, put it in park.
And as you know, Dana is still not here, but we did this
one right before. Last year we banked it, and we are going to get a few out, and then
hopefully Dana's back, and we just keep going, we don't miss a beat. So thank you for
understanding. And he appreciates everything, and he'll be speaking about it and everything
when he comes back. Here's Jim Brewer.
Don't do anything without me. Nothing.
Look at Brewer. Oh, shoot it all up.
Like a rock star. I was just showing up when he's ready to go.
Uh-huh.
Hmm. Look at Brewer. Looks like Taneuro.
I'm on the road and I literally just checked
into an Airbnb.
Where are you playing?
Some.
This will come out in three months.
So wait, wait a second, I'll get you.
I'll have some place in Cincinnati.
You look good though.
You look good, Dan.
You do too.
I don't know if that took, I took three hours on this zoom. We look good though. You look good, Dan. You do too. I took three hours on this zoom.
We look good.
Look at, I mean, look where we're at in life.
And we're not, we're not, we're not, we're not stagging.
We're not like, so guys, that's great seeing you guys.
These are good, you know.
We're at, I was my two idiot friends in Arizona and we were leaving some Delhi. Great to see you guys. These are good, you know,
day and I was my two idiot friends in Arizona.
And we were leaving some deli and we saw these guys and they were all like old and beat up and we were like, holy shit.
This is really us in 10 years.
Then they go, Hey, Spain, we went to school with you and I go, oh, shut the fuck up.
Really? Is this what I'm sp- so I was beating the system
a little bit there, because they go, we totally gave up.
And I go, there's a lot of giving up.
I'm not giving up.
Well, let's put this way and start it.
Yeah.
My relatives, they're not photographed.
They don't want pictures, They're not on zooms.
They don't see themselves.
They get in the mirror.
They put the chin up.
They have good lighting.
And then they wonder what the fuck happened to me.
You know, like, if I put them on,
let me get a little iPhone around.
Let me get a side angle.
But you can really think you look a lot younger.
Why does everybody look so old?
But I represent a little further up the ladder than you do.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
Let's see you.
Yeah, you can wake up, you can wake up.
You can see.
Jim's younger than me.
So, you're the kid here.
Jim is still on fire.
That's one thing I wanted to mention, Jim.
The physicality and the energy, because I saw some of your special from last year at the
comedy store in LaHoya.
Yeah, and I was impressed because a lot of times
I'll jump around out there. I've seen other comedians do a physical move and then they're
they're doing kind of this but you
went ballistic at the beginning that's best you came out super mellow put like your phone down
and then you'd be like five minutes of fucking
Jim Carrey 10X energy and falls off funny.
And then I'm waiting for him to go,
this guy's gonna have to take a seat, like Frazier.
But so, do you work out,
is that just cause you do it a lot
cause you didn't, you sustained it,
and you didn't get out of breath.
So how do you, you have, you're like,
make a character or what? sustained it and you didn't get you didn't get out of breath. So how do you you have you like me? No, I listen. So I think it was maybe two years ago before I did that where I was on stage
and I thought someone got up from the I thought someone was aggravated by something I was saying
and they took a baseball and they threw it at me
because I was hopping around
and I felt my calf, and no.
So I literally turned and I went,
okay, who did that?
I don't know, look at that, I'm like, I'm crazy.
And then I went, oh no, no, no, you're not getting
away with that. Like, you don't throw things. And they're, I'm like, I'm crazy. And then I went, oh no, no, no, you're not getting away with that.
Like, you don't throw things.
And they're looking at me like, I'm crazy.
And then I went to walk.
And I was, oh God, and the most very short,
I just, I didn't know you could blow a calf muscle,
my calf muscle, poor.
Wow, how high up was it, it was it,
where it meets the Achilles, like two thirds down or was it up toward your knee?
No, it was it was literally the fact
Is that the part of your cap? Yeah, they were like if it was just a little bit here
We would have talked about the Achilles heel
Okay, yeah, so I didn't hit that so because of that I
Okay. Yeah, so I didn't hit that.
So because of that, I even now, I stretch, and I do a lot of stretching before I get out
there.
I do cardio, but I do a lot of stretching before I go out there.
A lot of stretching.
Yeah.
Because you didn't before, right?
No.
Look at what comedian goes out there like they're going to the NBA finals.
I know. I don't do it.
And then now and then I go, but I don't move around that much.
You don't move around.
And I don't do jokes.
No, yeah.
And I just lay down.
Yeah.
And you sell out.
It's called Sleepy Time with Spade.
I don't know how you sell tickets.
I love it.
I love it.
Lines around the block.
You'll get some, but you're doing a rooster thing.
Your hands are out.
I mean, it's incredibly physical.
So anyway, I, I, I loved, I grew up with that.
Like I loved Lauren Hardy.
I love, and the comedians once prior came out,
Richard Pryor is, I'm the same thing.
I'm just a street entertainer.
I, whatever, what I grew up on the street, I just see the story and then I elaborate the same thing. I'm just a street entertainer. I, whatever, what I grew up on the street,
I just see the story and then I elaborate the story.
And then he, he acts everything out like,
hey, this is what happened.
Now I'm gonna act it out.
But yeah, I got that, that San Diego one.
I went, I went extremely nuts on that one.
Well, plus you're taping.
Well, it reminded me,
because you can fall asleep about standup mentally.
And when I saw that, I went, damn, commitment
should never be underrated.
And to your point, like prior with the gangsters,
the one and long beach, his special,
yeah, real commitment to the voice
and to the character is extremely entertaining.
Whenever I see anybody throw their voice anywhere, I go, do I do that? I better do that. But we see it, you go, that's really entertaining. Whenever I see anybody throw their voice anywhere,
I go, I do that, I better do that.
But we see it, you go, that's freely entertaining.
So, that's all.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, great.
You know what you're doing up there, Mr. Brewer.
Well, he's not walking through it, which is nice.
Like you're saying, he's not just going, here's Matt.
When I grew up and I was doing stand up Dana,
before SNL, Brewer probably the same thing like when you go on the road
and you work with a headliner,
they could do the same 45 every time you see him for 10 years.
And then you go, and they're just beginning middle end.
You know what back and forward, and they walk back,
and then they get a drink, and you go,
shit, but for someone actually think,
sometimes you even catch yourself in your own joke,
and it gets better because you put a new spin on it,
because you're saying it and you go,
what am I really saying here?
And you get back into the story the way you thought of it,
and you gotta say it and lean into it and go,
this, this, and it sells it harder.
You're not just saying it.
And so when Jim is a little more animated
or just that style, you have to bring it.
It's a little trickier.
It definitely isn't.
You can't walk through it.
No, I can't walk through it because
it's really the bad part of it for me is
if that energy is not there, I don't do
if my energy has to stay down here,
I can adjust to it and then I can do
a laid back story telling.
But when it's really, really most down here, I can adjust to it and then I can do, you know, laid back story telling. But
when it's really, really most explosive for me is when they're, I can feel their energy
right out of the gate. And then that feeds them. I guess like a band. And then I, and then
I start going in all different directions that I didn't really plan and then I'm in the
zone. And that's, that's when I have so much fun, so much fun. And
that because you're surprising yourself in the moment, you're going to go it off. Yeah,
yes, that I'm addicted to that. I don't enjoy repeating. Like even now, it's all leading up
to some specials, but there's one whole section and
If I every night I'm hitting a section, I'm like, oh my god board with this already I need to find another avenue and then I'll find another avenue like I love it again. Mm-hmm. That's very true
That's very true. It's one new bit one new idea lifts the whole night out. God
You try to do another bit you're going out there and you're doing an hour
and you go, I have one joke that's new
and you cannot wait.
You're like, here I go, we're in the middle.
And then I smash it because when it fucking bombs,
I put a winner before it and after
and I just act like nothing happened.
But if it works, the rest of the time, I'm like,
oh yeah, it does wake me up.
Yes, it feels good.
Yeah, you go through it.
It's still can think of fucking good. Yeah, you go.
You still can think of fucking jokes.
It's so hard.
I hate when something has been killing for a couple of years and then just all of a sudden
it starts to fade away.
And you're like,
Oh,
Did I, am I not committing to it?
You know, I always tell young comedians, I mean, when, if you see someone run over something
in a street, you come up to your apartment, you're talking to your friends, you want to
have that kind of commitment and energy.
You get right to it.
You're very clear.
This is lady driving a car.
This is that.
And then months later, you just unravel it and you don't really, it's, but your energy
is still up there, man.
Well, thank you.
What did you, let's, let's get to the old.
Wait, Jim won't said he loves something.
What? When did you let's let's get to the old? Wait Jim won said he loved something what what you know, I loved I got excited when I saw you guys
Hook up together and start doing this I thought that was I thought that was really
Fascinating interesting. I was like oh cuz you know, it's a billion podcasts now
So yeah, we talk about comedy again
Oh, God. I was out the clock.
All right, put that one aside.
And the guy didn't pay me.
Shut the fuck up.
No, we agree.
We just kind of went, oh, I guess we'll try this.
We started hanging out in LA when I moved back down a lot.
And then we just sort of said, let's try it.
And we didn't really have a plan, obviously.
But that's the best part of it.
I mean, even when I started,
like we're able to just who cares?
Cause the end of the day, and go back on state,
you're already established in that world.
You know, all three of us are just,
so who cares?
You know, there's, there's, I don't say who it is,
but there's a gargantuan, at least one of two comics on there. Nobody's watching the podcast, but doesn't stop the human being
from selling out 18,000 seats somewhere. But this just opens a whole new door for us,
where in the years ago, we didn't have this.
And human beings are fascinated by anything that feels authentic.
It doesn't have to be funny every second, but just this is a new thing. I'm glad I'm around
long enough to like, okay, this is a job that I have. Little side gig.
Did you feel any point you don't want to get vulnerable? Like on the podcast? I don't know how vulnerable
to you get like how truthfully you guys get. Dana gets more.
I would imagine, yeah, yeah.
There's different kinds of vulnerability.
There's stuff that maybe would involve other loved ones.
Wouldn't do that, but you can ask me anything you want about anything.
No, that's the way I mean.
That's why I feel like, yeah, I over the years have found out the more vulnerability I put out there
and more honesty even if I think people were like oh I don't care I'm right I'm at the point
I don't care what you know about me. Let's tell you everything this one's
bad. I don't care. I'm scared. Yeah nothing old about me anymore. Like it. My problem, Jim, is I'm like a tough guy, a hard ass athlete.
That's my persona.
So people don't think anything could ever get to me.
Impenertriple.
Because I'm so...
You can't get.
Yeah.
I'm like the Swartz Nigger of comedy.
And so when they see me, they go, nothing's wrong.
There's nothing else other than toughness.
And so...
After about a hundred of these, I realized
that the Lenny likes to,
well, that's not a good one.
That's where you got that.
Nails, that's good.
I don't know about that if you think I know.
Yeah, I was getting this, just to nails,
that's all, other than that.
How about a podcast called There's No There There?
Just so people know, there's nothing.
No, don't, don't, don't, you.
So the name of your podcast is brew.
Noverse.
I got two others for you, ready?
Brewnaverse and it's on YouTube,
and is it also audio or is it?
Yeah, yeah.
I got one of those interview people
about their feelings.
One's called brewhoo and the other one is called
the brew crew.
Yes.
A few and a couple guys.
I like that.
That's too easy. We'll go back to brew that. And then a few and a couple guys. I like that.
That's too easy.
We'll go back to brewing it.
And then a fitness segment called Hit the Gym.
Why?
Why?
That doesn't have brew in it.
I think you guys know.
Oh, but no, but it's got to hit the gym.
I like that.
Well, Dave, I feel honored because one of them, one of them is brew crew.
Like we started a whole brew crew section.
Sure. It's probably good. brew crew section shirts, blah blah blah. But the
good. But the other one, the who would you say?
Brew, who? Brew, who where it's cherry.
Make it cry. Yeah. Like that. I like that. I like that.
Make it cry. Yeah. Take it and run with it and start. Start the shirts and hats. Do I
do you guys any? No, it this a good, okay? Thank you.
No, you're good.
There is a little envelope in that hotel room and some
perdium.
I got it.
$200.
I got you.
I got you.
Gently used, barely sanitized.
The skate's might smell funky, but the comedy is always fresh.
Catch DJ Demaris, starring in the brand new secondhand
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one more time new series Tuesday on CBC gem.
Jim I don't know if you're ever in L.A. but when I drive on
PCH coming out of the 10 there's an old seers I it says you used to work at seers yeah I used to
love seers and now I'm like
This building I think is toast. I don't know what's going on with it. Well, they're closing all them and
Are they is that because of the massive robberies or did they they skip sears? I I have no clue
I just know target and other ones kind of beat them up a little bit. Yeah, that's what I think would happen
But did you know you know guys know Freddie Armourson?
Yeah.
So mean Fred Armourson?
Yes.
Me and Freddie graduated from the same high school.
And Freddie and I used to work at spheres.
I love it.
And Valley Stream.
And he was like, did Freddie was?
He used to have a mohawk.
That's before mohawks were cool.
I did, he had a mohawk.
And he had combat boots he would wear.
And he had what?
Yes.
And he walked around with like these guys
that had dead Kennedy jackets on.
I was like,
and he worked in the Lawnmower department.
Or what? He worked in, I wanna say he worked in the lawnmower department or what?
He worked in, I want to say he worked in the auto department,
but only, you know, it's like a sales guy clicked.
And, yeah, yeah.
You know what, you know, I don't know,
but you know what, but when I, when I was there,
I did a big bomb threat, which, you know,
I made a bit, but it was, it was real.
Like I clearedauvered the entire
store. Yeah, swear to God. So I'm sure the both of you, especially Dana have done. So when I worked
there, this is like 19 years old, I would call other departments
as characters all day long.
That's funny.
Right, so I mean, I have a dangling cross-earing.
I'm wearing my Judas Priest, Dan of Jackets.
This is where I'm at.
And there's a big fat guy that I worked in toys.
So whenever the cabbage packs would come out,
you'd have all these Jamaican
women come in and pissed off because there were no black cabbage patched off.
So they're like, why are we waiting for a buyback?
So you have a, and that's when I caught it and you have to pick up the phone.
And I'd pick up a look, like, hey, no, I need you to go look for Wilson basketball.
And don't pull me in the house.
So anyway, this one, this one, okay. I need you go look for Wilson basketball. Don't pull me in a halt.
So anyway, this one, this one, okay.
I swear on my kids' lives.
This is a true story.
So I work in paint.
I don't know anything about paint.
I don't know nothing about it.
People would come look at me and like,
Hey man, you know, we want to paint the kitchen.
Like, yeah, I would put, I stain it like I don't know what that's
People
You got a sanded what?
So there's a guy in hardware
And he's I could see him. He's right down the aisle and And I walked his department, like, hey, man, I'm Jim, working pain bout a lot.
And he gets really snippies, like,
hey, you know what, man, stay in the department.
You look high all the time.
And you know, you don't know anything about what you're saying.
So he's over here in one conversation with you with paint.
This is
86,7ish.
And all I remember, we had a bigger deal going on with Libya, right?
It was all everywhere.
He shot missiles out of plane and we got to kill MoMA.
So I call up.
I can see this. I can see him.
And he picks up the phone and I say, hello, he's all professional.
John Sears Hardware, Bowie Stream, How May I Help You?
And I said, this is, you know, I'm doing the whole accent.
This is more Marko Duffy.
I've sent six Libyan missiles to blow up,
to see his hard-wanted apartments.
And I'm going on and on.
I'm doing the noises and I said, long live paint.
Right, hang up.
So I swear to God, right?
So I go into the break room.
Because to go in the break room,
you had to go through the paint, paint the doors
to everyone who come out through paint.
So I'm in the break room and I'm hanging out
for like 20 minutes and I go,
let me go back out there.
Nobody's out there.
What the fuck is going on?
Like nobody's, there's no customers, there's no people.
I go into, I go into the toys and the candy
and then the security guy comes out
and he's like, hey man, you gotta get outta here.
So let's go, ah, the new guy got a bomb threat.
What?
We mean, got a bomb threat.
It's a guy, man.
It's a bad thing.
You didn't even remember 20 minutes ago.
Right. I said, well, I said, that was me.
I said, I was a moonwalk.
A Duffy.
I said, I've sent missiles.
What the fuck?
I, I, I said, I ended with long live paint.
Yeah.
He's like, oh, man, we had to evacuate this and the ball.
Like the mall you're in and back waiting the mall. Like the mall, you're in evacuating the mall.
So this is Valley Street, three negras mall.
Long story short, I had to talk with cops.
And they all laughed.
I had a meat with the head guy of long pants.
Yeah, all the paint.
And he sits me down and he's got a suit and tie.
And I come walking in there and he's like,
she'll tell me what happened that day to the paint department.
And I'm like, yeah, you know, I should have been doing
the more paint.
I apologize, but all my stuff was done.
I got all the sales ones up in the front display.
And it was slow that night.
So I keep things light.
And I started, I called them.
And I said, I said, I was a momma cadapi.
And I sent missiles to hit Sears Hardware.
And I ended by saying long live paint.
And dude, this guy goes, all right. Why, why, you just sell more paint. And dude, this guy goes, all right, why, why, you just sell more paint and we do
a little less phone calls. And I keep my job. Yeah. That guy quit after five days, because
everyone would walk by his department going, look out, this mess, those comments, you know,
I get it. Oh, John. Yeah,, yeah, yeah, he wasn't there.
He was in his 40s.
And I'm sorry, if you're working Sears hardware
in your 40s, like something happened, you know what I mean?
Like something, he's either living in the basement.
Like this bad divorce, something's going on.
You ain't working Sears hardware.
And by the way, it's more, it's more a Mark Kadoff.
He's calling directly, he doesn't have some guy call to
threaten.
Yes.
Yes.
That's a red flag right there.
No Mark Kadoffy calling the Hornibia
all the way to a serious hardwept of wild springs.
I'm going to call 5,000 tonight.
Who the first?
And you tell people of their hardware
and the tool bits that they're going down.
You tell Prescott Nevada
that I'm coming for them.
You spread it around.
This is straight from the Dutch brothers of paint.
Is that something?
And you tell the department store's stirs next to you.
They are next to you they are next
I'm going after radio shot chess game every radio's check is going to be gone by morning my name is gradna bucky
Nordbach chess key you will never buy three suits for 99 dollars
and then again
I'm gonna buy three suits for 99 dollars. I'm gonna make it.
Hahaha.
Food court, goodbye.
Basketball robins must die.
Hahaha.
I have no problem with panic stress.
Hahaha.
Put the buy panda king all of you.
Try to walk.
So long, Subaru!
Tata Tater Junction!
So yeah, I know Freddie was, I think Freddie was one of that.
Did he get caught in that?
And the rubble or what happened with that?
So here, I don't even get the story.
I go, so no bombs.
The bomb didn't hit. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. did. No, it was all made up. Yeah, that's good. Those today. And we stumbled into Sears because I love Sears. And I used to go to the wish book and get all my
I always love Sears wish book for Christmas. You know, you go through it circle stuff. And then oh,
yeah, Santa would get the only thing was is my brother. I had three older brother got the
Shwinds thing Ray monster green school. My parents ran out of money. So nothing against Sears body got the Sears front loader
And it was just such a downgrade from the Shwin, but that I I recover Jim's like I knew a guy in bikes at Sears
Jim out of great Shwin stingrays a kid. I had a Shwin scrambler. Oh, oh
and
Multiple gears Grambler. Oh, and it had multiple gears. It had mag mag wheels. No way. All my life. And this is when I realized
lying. There's no way. Absolutely. And I'm right around my neighborhood. All like, yeah, this is, I got a Swinskramler with black mag wheels, eat it.
It was stolen.
That night out of my garage.
That's the neighborhood.
It was like, yeah, now we don't show off here.
Take it.
Oh, you showed off.
Oh, you've popped up.
Yeah, man.
Ryan through the neighborhoods.
What's up?
Like, hi, I almost got my bike stolen, but my pants and I.
New pants, we went into a hardware store
and we shop lifted bike locks
and then came out and locked up our bikes.
True story.
That's a good, well, there is also a big racket going at sears.
Like, you go to, they had, it was like gangster mafia.
I swear my life, I think his name is the Benadetto.
And he'd be in class.
He'd be like high school, the Benadetto, like,
Bru, you know anyone wants a VCR?
And VCR is then like, oh shit.
You can score a VCR, he's like,
you're gonna go into a hardware.
You're gonna buy like a wrench for like $1.99
and you're gonna buy a garbage pall.
The garbage pall is you gotta pick up down
by the loading dock.
You ask for Vinny, you'll have that,
the B-Series are being that,
but I gotta get you $40 by Friday.
Oh my God, you sure did.
That's one of the scores.
That was a huge score.
These guys were just shit.
Oh man.
Yeah, I just have to say that because you're standing and moving to the camera, you're making
your own feature film.
It's like you're going into a close up and your face is a little. So you're making your own feature film. It's so like you're going into a close-up and your face is a little just stories right to the camera. So you're totally this weird character
in a movie just then I was going, damn what is going on?
And the while I'm sitting this, you know, more fuckers.
Jim, this guy in my seventh grade, and he was such a little pus, but he was such a tough talker. And he goes,
Hey, man, where you going to I go, I'm thinking on one time he busts me, because he goes,
what are you doing this summer, spade? I go, uh, we're thinking ahead and to Cal if I tried to
be fucking cool. I said, Cal if he goes, you fucking tried to say Cal if and not say a word to
be cool. And I go, no, I was going to say California. He goes, no, you were. He told everybody. But he, he, he was such a little pus and he walked around and he,
he said, so no one would bother me because I'm, I'm tied into the banana family.
And it was like a big real mafia family and it was like, holy shit, no one questioned,
why is a seventh grader working for the banana found?
But we all stayed away from him,
because that scares people.
Dude, I grew up around all those bananas.
There, bananas.
Oh, bananas.
There is nothing funny.
You know, we'd be playing roller hockey
and you know, in the middle of the game,
and we're like nine years old, 11 years old,
a bunch of us.
And I remember there's always a couple kids
like, did you hear what happened to Uncle Nikki?
But the government rested him,
who taxes or something.
And then I never met, there's at least three kids
that I knew and their fathers would
always get arrested but no one really knew it there. And you don't know what's going on.
And then the old, and then the old you get you like, oh shit, you, my god, they're,
they're parents are tied in the mafia. I do know that that? They come from little Italy and we take their fucking
doing politics there. Yeah, they were, they found a guy behind around my street. This little
bar is to go into Kate's Aloum. And in there, it was only, I think we were there, we're going there for like a year
and we'd sneak in there and they found,
and the cops are all out there,
like it was going on, and I found a guy in cement
and a bunch of boxes, like, what?
That's holy shit.
Yeah, that, I watched all that around me.
Dude, even when you start making it too, I'm sure both you guys were approached by
many type of people. They all come out of the woodwork.
You know what I get? Dana is a guy who comes to me to this day. And he'll come to me at
a restaurant and there's some girls nearest. And he walks me and goes, Hey man, what's
going on? My name's Mikey.
Fucking blah, blah, blah, I'm all cool.
And then he turns me two inches and he goes,
hey, girls, my buddy's spade, blah, blah, he's gonna say hi.
And I'm like, wait, I just met Mikey
literally four seconds ago, but it's an interesting move.
Like, he's my man.
And some people are middlemen, like they go,
hey, you should come to this thing.
And then they'll tell the place they're bringing me and then he's the middleman getting
attention because he's like the guy that got me in.
But he goes, hey, these guys want you to come and then I go and then he goes, hey, they
take care of your dinner and then he goes, then I see him with the way they're going,
just pay for his dinner.
He's like, what can I TV?
I'm like, oh, this hasn't even set up ahead.
This is just a guy of flimflam man, bullshitting his way through town but there's a lot of those
more of those in real people
no you're right
uh...
how were you in high school jim i mean we popular where you stood where you
had a
no no no no no i, I was way too shy.
I didn't, yeah, I wasn't a stoner yet.
I wasn't a stoner yet.
I didn't try pot until my senior year, right before I graduated.
But that really didn't kick in until,
I was like 20 years old, 21 years old.
But high school, I was really quiet,
unless I was the back of the room kid.
So I'd always go for the back of the room.
And once I was back in the room,
if I can disrupt this guy and get this guy on my team,
or this chick on my team,
and then we'd draw our little cartoons
to try to crack up this one.
But it wasn't until we did a sketch night.
And I, right. Listen until we did a sketch night.
And I write and basically, you know,
it's kid, one of my best friends, it's like, Jim, you gotta do sketch night.
I'm like, I'm not doing a sketch night.
He's like, no man, this is different.
They're really cool.
I'm like, ah, this is fine.
Nah, I don't know anything to do with theater.
So they basically, like a Cosby bit,
our school, each grade had to do a thing from the Bible,
even though we weren't a school of faith, right?
So my friend writes up pretty much, and he swears he had no clue Cosby did it,
was the qubit spit. You know, God goes Noah. I need you to, yeah, build a bang,
qubit, what's a qubit? He goes, but all at that time all I would do is all day
imitate professional wrestlers running into the locker or smash in our heads.
And the other thing I would do is talk like Eddie Murphy, non-stop.
All day. So he said, do it as Eddie Murphy.
So I finally agreed to it. And now to really think of it, I could really get today's world.
Oh my God, they would have had these races.
They'd be canceled.
No, that's.
So I came out as Moses, but as Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy being Moses.
And all I remember was, well, I got to hear this.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, so I came out and I was like,
what, your mother?
You know, I'm doing all that.
And the place explodes.
I've never, I've never killed that hard since.
I've been trying to.
It's the most memorable though.
Maybe I should do all my stuff that I'm doing now,
just do it as Murphy back in 85.
Yeah, that's funny.
But the next day in school, I swear to God, it's like a movie.
So all the hot chicks like, oh my God, you're so funny.
All the guys I always were intimidated by, like the jocks and they were like, bro, we got to hang out man,
you're a pisser. I never know when you were such a pisser. It's like a 10 movie. Everything's going
perfectly the next day. It was, it was, Dave, if you wrote the script, you were like,
that's a little too predictive. Too corny.
Yeah.
Yeah, it really was that.
And then the next night I had to do it again,
and we're chatting, and I just,
I was already on the verge of like,
I'm gonna be a stand up.
I'm doing it, but this, this put me over the end.
That was like, oh yeah, I'm going after this.
Did you swear at the high school thing or no?
Did you say other fuck?
Yeah, but no, no, no, no, no.
Okay, I'm just curious.
You did it without swearing, that's pretty good.
But I said your mother a lot.
I'm like, yes, what'd you say?
And I was doing this with my hands for some reason.
Like gang, what did you say?
What did you say, your mother?
Your mother, your mother was enough back then.
We didn't need fruit language.
Yeah, you can hint at it.
Now it's got to be nail on the head.
Yeah, high school.
If you can be cool,
that's fucking spreads like wildfire, that's great.
Yeah, so that, but otherwise high school,
I really wasn't, I was mostly quiet.
I grew up on a street.
We never had to leave the street.
I mean, we had chicks, we had everyone who I still hang out with is from that street.
We're all within two, three years of each other.
It was, huh.
I'd real, to me, that was the great, everyone knew each other.
I'm going to look to have to each other.
It was, it was like a brothers and still is to this day.
So I wasn't into it.
Where were you?
What city?
Valley Stream. You keep saying this fake name, but where were you? What city? Valley stream. You keep saying this fake name,
but where is that? What state? Oh, I'm sorry, New York, New York. Thanks. It sounds very, it sounds
California. Long Island. And yes, so so we grew up where Valley streamed the end of the street,
almost like the movie eight miles, the end of the street was all black.
We were the beginning of all white.
So you had this racial tension and we weren't really allowed to walk on their side.
They were like, go back on that side.
Why bother like, oh, sorry.
And then, and then if they would come down the street, we'd all just stare.
Oh my god.
I like work.
So you don't do shit. You pussy.
What's that?
You don't do anything?
When they all...
We were scared to death.
Yeah, whatever you were going to challenge the neighborhood.
Yeah, yeah, really.
With the car walking down the street.
With the popsicle stick, you sharpened.
But were you friends with any black guys that are now?
I'm a trouble now, for real.
I'm a sharpening this popsicle stick.
It's like a knife, man.
You roll a hula hoop at them.
Take that.
Don't get some dirt bombs.
Oh, clear.
So you're friends with these guys still, because of that bond of that street.
Yeah. still because of that bond of that, that street. Yeah, yeah, because every time, yeah, have either one of you played the paramount
in Huntington, New York?
Yes.
Is that when they give you a brick afterwards?
Yes, yes.
It's a fucking 40 pound brick.
I'm flying out the next day.
I'm on South Wales guy.
I have to take it.
It's got my name on it.
And we go like a few blocks to the driver,
it goes just pull over. So there's somewhere. I have to take it. It's got my name on it. And we go like a few blocks of the driver goes,
just pull over.
So there's somewhere.
But great, great club, very hot, you know, hot room.
Dave, you would, they are hands down
the greatest people towards artists.
I think it's one of the greatest fendings
on the whole country.
Downstairs, they have that whole hip hit private room and all that jazz.
But I play there like every three, four months and my mic, the kids I grew up with, they always
meet me there and then we go downstairs in a room and it's like being bunch of knuckleheads
back, being kids again.
Do you ever hear this though with relatives or friends that come to your shows? At the backstage ago, no matter how many times
I hear those bits, they're still funny to me.
Such a burn.
Yeah.
You know, it's such a quiet burn.
I heard that thing you did 35 times, I still laugh.
I actually bet that's based on me, I think.
And they're like, no, no.
I tell everyone, that's about me, right?
No.
So how did these friends, I know it's about, no, it's not you.
Go ahead.
How did they respond when you started to get really successful?
I mean, first you must have exploded in the clubs
or became a headliner at some point, right?
Started to make good money.
I'm assuming you were, you weren't a 10-year torture guy.
It seems like with your skill set now,
and too pretty quickly, you were,
no one wanted to follow you, put it that way down.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, so that started 89 to about 93.
And that's when I, so Long Island,
that my parents did the move, they went to Florida.
I moved down there and I kind of lost my whole direction
moving down there.
I couldn't really afford New York on my own.
So I went down there and then I re-amped.
And I started going to comedy clubs.
So it was 89 started.
Couple months.
And Florida, you started.
Yeah, yeah.
And then that led to being on the road.
I can't follow this guy.
This kid's a pain in the ass.
And that was the guy.
I guess that was the greatest time ever.
Like just statement, crappy condos. And listen to it was like, I've that was the greatest time ever. Like just stayed in crappy condos and listen to it was like,
I've been doing comedy like 10 years and hear all the story.
It was a lot of fun.
And then did you ever have novelty acts where you show up
at the comedian's condo and like the Ventura liquids
took the headliners bedroom?
Oh, yeah, can't do that.
Because for people who are listening, there's a comedian's condo.
And there's, yes, usually the headliner gets the master bedroom,
but if the clown showed up early,
and then you're like, well,
why is there a chugler in the master?
Yeah, exactly.
He's not the novel TX.
He had a guy name, we had a puppet named Chuck Wood.
He didn't want you to look at it.
He don't touch Chuck.
I mean, he was like,
it really was like a human being to him.
Proc.
He's a wood fuck face.
So anyway, I'm, yeah, go ahead.
I'm only walking my way up to your SNL thing and trying to figure out the timeline of
that where you found yourself as a performer.
So stand up, brings me back to Long Island.
Now I'm getting the city clubs.
I landed my first TV show pretty quick.
It was an all urban black show uptown comedy club and they filmed it.
It was the real poor man's.
A power living color. Was it on UPN?
Do you remember what UPN was? I think I remember that show.
No, I think MTV. No, Dave. No, actually MTV took the show.
What's his name took the show? He told me he's
told when I saw it on what's his name?
Oh God.
Robert Townsend.
No, no, no, no.
So it's filled in Harlem.
It was great show.
It was fun.
I think you're doing sketches on it.
We're doing sketches.
And now I'm doing the clubs at night.
I'm now doing like seven, eight sets on the weekends.
I'm in in every club.
And I'm feeling like I'm now doing like seven eight sets on the weekends and I'm in in every club and
I'm feeling like I'm a badass and then I got a huge development deal and then another development deal and then me and Shepelle were launched to spin off of a Tim Allen show the home improvement and
We filmed we were I was on the cover of TV. God, I was buying leather pants.
I was broke.
I was like, this was happening.
And the second episode, the commercials were on.
It was called Buddies.
We were following home improvement and they fired me.
What?
Right before, yeah, they fired me the second episode
right before the premiere.
So I had all my, I had my childhood friends out.
You wanna talk about traumatizing, right?
So I just remember being, I just got told, like, told I came and they let you go like we
But the commercials are on like I don't
So it's like just still air the commercials like what the fuck's not
And that that was my first big taste of Hollywood, right? So now
So now I go to my room and thank God my my best friends were there that I grew up with,
because they bring it back to blue collar, because I'm like, oh my God, the Hollywood world
there.
I'm going to be fucking angry.
And they're already crushed my mini bar.
And it's like one p.m. like came in and you're right, something happens.
I can, They fired me.
Like, we mean they fired you.
Like they fired me.
Say, I just, I just know we're doing it.
And they think for a second, and my one friend goes,
well, I got a fucking limo for tonight.
So I guess I'm paying and we're going out
because you ain't got a fucking job.
And he really just made it so simple.
Like, fuck it, you ain't got a job.
It's fucking, let's go hang out.
And I went to the improv, a Melrose.
And I remember the comedian, I thought, you know, you think they're all your friends.
He like, hey, man, it's...
Yeah, I heard what happened.
Yeah, yeah.
Um, I'm there to get this.
So, oh no.
Your character that got fired would be telling me
because I'm auditioning to farm a few.
Why?
Blood in the water.
Got it.
What should I do different to get the job?
You got fire from.
You have any hints?
You know, wow.
So then that led to another pilot.
I can't believe Rob Schmeiner would say that to you.
That's what shocks me.
Sorry.
No, I'm kidding Rob.
He's a friend of ours.
Give me some tips.
I get fired from another one.
I'm sorry, I didn't get fired.
The main character gets fired.
Oh, it was clerks.
From the movie clerks.
And they fired, was named Kevin Smith.
They fired Kevin Smith.
So now, they fired the guy who had been running these shows.
You can't win a Kevin Smith.
And so the Frenchie's, Frenchie something from third rock
when the sum was on the show.
Frenchie or?
Yes, Frenchie Stewart was part of it.
It was a great guy.
It gets picked up and then it gets dropped
and then I'm developing and then SNL is like,
hey, we do audition and on my life,
I said, no way am I doing that show. And like, why am I like, no, because I saw this
one and this one and this one go into that show and they came out miserable dark human beings.
I don't know what's going on there. I put, I'm already hate the industry.
I've already seen enough.
And so the process to get on,
which by the way, Lauren loves you, Dana.
Loves you.
I love her.
I'm sure he loves you too.
But he loves you.
I was about to say, you don't have to lean, sorry.
You start to say to D and I started
to look at the camera a little harder.
And then you go, definitely.
He loves you guys, he loves you guys.
No, he loves staying up on.
He used to bounce staying on his knee
at Reethree, I remember, it's fine.
Yeah, yeah, no, because, so it was a process
and once I saw it as a new cast
and I met Will at the club,
I was the last guy hired on that cast.
Dave was spade and started.
I did a year overlap with you, correct?
Yes.
And Will Farrell started with a Sherry.
Oh, Terry.
Sherry, Chris Coutan, and your David Ketter.
Darrell Hammond.
Yeah, so they were sort of replacing not only Dana,
because he just called me. That was a big reset. Yeah, because hardly enough sort of replacing not only Dana because he just, that was a big reset.
Yeah, because he had enough.
Adam Lov.
Yeah, it was, it was replacing that whole bunch.
And I hung in here too long.
Dave, do you remember?
Do you remember that?
So we, for us, you know, I'm like, oh my god,
this is really happening.
Now we're really going to be on TV.
You Dave, we were on the bleachers and we're giving a press conference, all right.
Norm is right next to me.
You are one level down.
And if you ask me, I'm a little, I'm star struck by you and I'm star struck by norm.
And I'm like, oh my God.
Like, oh my God.
And norm came out to me.
You know, your money.
And they're going with their, Marcy clients going, norm.
Look at the goddamn cigarettes.
I'm not done yet.
He's smoking at this press conference. And then he finishes it and they asked me a question.
And Lauren goes, no, no, it was Warren Littlefield.
And Warren Littlefield goes.
That event, you see.
He goes, you're like the New York guy,
you grew up here and what's it like?
Being perhaps the real New Yorker and your whole life watch Sunnet live enough here
You are part of this new task and I just simply went I didn't watch Sunnet live growing up and you went
Wrong answer. You said
answer. You said it like under your breath, but I could tell it generally made you land and I'd know what that meant. And then like he tried to recover and I just knew at that
moment, I'm like, oh, because Marcy came up and strangled you. Oh my God, I was a bad answer. They tried to recover and
said, I said, oh, no, I was because I was a kid and I wasn't allowed to stay up that
late. So surely when you were older, I went, no, man, I was outside at night. I went,
I'm so stupid. Jesus. So stupid. Oh my God, bro. They go go do you know where you are right now? And you're like, I don't even know what the fuck is going on?
Where am I? I was I was I just got fired from this
I fired again
Yeah, Kevin Smith is God like come on. Oh fucking so ask me these questions ask will question. He's happy
So you came in with all those people. Now I hosted maybe 95 or 96, but I
remember you as just a powerhouse, because on the show I did the Joe
Pesci show, which we should talk about. And then the madness and
silliness and the verbal, I think we talked about when I was
there of goat boy, the guy, that thing was like those two bits were killer. I think I came
on the peshy show was I Ross Perot or some shit. I don't know. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. With peshy and then go boy. So anyway, I showed up a year later and it looked like you were,
you know, just just just doing and you were hot. I felt good, but you were you brought like
when you came on, I mean, we started off with Tom Hanks.
Whoa. And then that's where the that's where the goat really got launched.
Did you do the first show with Tom Hanks, the first your first show?
Yes.
Oh boy.
Yeah, yeah, and we did the goat and beyond with you that character, I pitched it as a guy
with Tourette.
That's all I was I just I said I want to do a guy and he gets nervous.
He gets nervous with chicks and he sings and he starts, you know, a little here.
And then Tom Giannis, who was a writer, waited months and he finally came to, I already forgot
about it.
No one cared about his character.
And he comes to me and he goes, hey, I think I got a great idea.
So I've been thinking about the goat.
Oh, it's eight months ago.
He's like, no, no, no.
So what if it was an experiment?
Because we're in the middle east a lot.
So they're hydrating and they have to get up in the mountains,
but our soldiers can't do it.
So they get a goat and a person and the military,
but it doesn't work.
So they can't just, they just really sing about it a lot. And then so they don't know what to do with this guy who, who, who loves the 80s.
Because that, and so a VH one gives them a show. I'm like, are you fucking, are you sure? That's the craziest, I'm doing it. And I was pissed, like, this is so stupid.
And it just, it murdered.
It was, it was just confusing to people.
Out of the blue.
You had go, you had go to your mother,
like a science-tech hybrid.
I gave you the outfit.
I didn't want to.
But the thing about it, Jim, is that as an audience member
watching it, it's like, I don't know how long you're
going to braze a goat or when you might hit a little one.
So there's an improvisational quality that the audience can
feel you as a performer are in tune with that for all that
stand up of like, well, they like it.
I'm going to hit one here and I'm going to do a long one here.
So it had this thing that was pretty electric. Everyone well, they like it. I'm gonna hit one here and I'm gonna do a long one here. So it had this thing that was pretty electric.
Everyone's just waiting for it.
Then you go a long time without it and everyone's like,
and then you hit it again.
Yeah.
It is wonderful.
Well, here's something you don't know.
And I owe you an apology and you don't even know why.
Oh, okay.
Excess it.
Yes, no.
So when you, first of all, you came on,
you know, for a lot of us, especially me,
I was like, oh, shit, like this is wow.
And Lauren was already prepping the table
like working her hair when Dana comes here,
he's just, it's gonna be like,
he was already set in the table.
You guys have no clue how this is going down, right? So I never had anyone improv, right?
And by the time you came on, I started feeling like,
that's good, I got some.
I'm starting to have those Tuesday night dinners.
You know, you're in there in the cool group.
I'm having Tuesday night dinners.
Oh, my gosh.
Jim, the brand Zeno was fresh.
Yes.
Yeah, but a try.
Right.
And you came on and absolutely murdered.
You were, you were, um,
WAM?
Yeah, no.
No, George Michael.
George Michael.
George Michael. Yeah, I did.
I did.
Michael and you were murdering and I would like.
Like I look back in time like, I wish I just listened and watched more and then fed
off your energy where during that you're crushing and then I would do something but then you improv
and I get I'd be like you're stepping on my shit and I and I try to recover and there
was even one where I put like an angry guard.
And I was George Michael and who were you?
Go for it. We were always that mashup.
Yeah, God, I remember now.
Yeah, so George Michael and the Go boy, sorry.
Yes.
You were so borny at it.
And but it was the first time that I,
that we really had someone,
what I would say is super professional
and like so in the element of life,
like we're still learning day-verty left,
day-dirty left, so now we're figuring,
like we stick to the lines,
we don't go too far off it, but you brought this whole,
and I just wish at that moment,
I understood that even better, I just wanted to do this. I just wanted to do this. I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this.
I just wanted to do this. I just. Well, yeah, but just for a second, I mean, I had done 140 shows, then I'm coming back.
This was your third show, fourth day.
This was the second season, maybe, maybe my third real sketch.
Yeah, and I felt that I needed 360 or 80 shows for the audience to kind of discover me and for me to get more
confident.
I mean, in another level, I mean, I got more confident, but you were still early on.
So, you know, I just thought you were a kindred spirit that you were playing with rhythm.
So I thought your peshy was great.
Thank you.
And it was just a really funny take on Joe Pesci.
I don't know, I thought you were just
a completely kindred spirit to me as a performer.
I felt that way and I always said,
I loved, I really admired, like both you guys,
like whenever you guys would just like,
Dave once in a while would come up
and even just interact with me backstage.
You're like, Dave just,
you're talking to me and you think I'm cool. He didn't, you know, you had no clue, you had that like, oh, days are so long. Talk to me and think, so I'm cool.
He didn't, you know, you had no clue,
you had that effect, but I,
people always say, how is your experience there?
And I always say,
I don't have,
I loved being a part of the whole thing.
And between you and I,
I would have loved to even still be on there.
I wanted to be the guy who stays on there for like eight years and then the summertime
makes killer movies. I wanted to make Lauren Pratt out. I wanted to, and you know, don't
always go that way. I started I started having
With the Fred wolf who is oh, yeah, our friend Well, they so Fred. He was he was a tremendous ally and Steve Cornell those guys and then once they once they quit
It was it was a lot more difficult on your own that yeah
Yeah, it was very and they told me that they literally I
You're on your own that. Yeah, yeah, it was very, and they told me that.
They literally, I swear to God, I'll never forget.
I didn't understand what they meant.
And Fred came up to me and said,
Jimmy B, Jimmy B, you're my guy,
but I gotta be honest with you, I'm leaving.
Now I'm gonna go help Spade.
And I think you're on your own, bro.
This is gonna get tough.
I didn't understand what that meant.
Politically, you didn't have anyone back in you.
I had no clue with that.
And then I learned it.
We've heard a version of this story
from other cast members, go ahead.
And then when Steve Korn left,
he was the last guy,
like I didn't know you can go to Lauren and plead your case.
And I knew, I think it was, I think it was my third episode.
And I had enough with certain individuals, not cast writers.
And it was really, I realized I was,
I was fighting egos, which you can't fight.
And it was extremely frustrating and made me very angry. I realized I was fighting egos, which you can't fight.
And it was extremely frustrating and made me very angry.
And I remember that night, it was Matthew Brodwick and the person came in and said,
hey, I know what worked during the dress show,
but we're not gonna do that.
We're gonna do the other things.
I was like, you motherfucker, you want that sketch on
so God, you fucking, so, I said,
whose decision was that?
Lauren, I said, well then I'll go talk to Lauren.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
I'm fucking talking to Lauren, and I wanna hear from him,
we're not doing this shit, because I had enough of your shit.
You've been non-stutting and I knew at that moment.
It's like those memes, this is the moment when Jim knew he fucked up and I got a call
that summer from an NBC executive.
He's like, Jim, I don't tell anyone I can get fired for this.
But what happened between you and so and so?
Well, I don't know.
I said, well, they're trying to ask you right now.
Like, what?
Like, oh, yeah, they're zoning in.
These guys went you out.
I'm like, really?
I say, you know what, I don't want to,
I don't want to be there.
That's the way it's going to be.
I really don't want to be there.
I'm smoking pot all the time, trying to numb myself.
I'm becoming angry.
I've seen enough.
I've seen enough.
I was also traumatized by the Farley situation.
That was, so I saw enough on both sides of the curtain.
I was like, ah, you know what?
I'm gonna have some kids.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna walk away for a little while.
I know this is, I'm not made for this.
Really not made for this.
Not in this style of environment.
Sure.
Where it's that hardcore show business.
But I really wanted to be there for, like, I loved,
I loved the show.
I loved showing up on Thursdays to watch the band.
I loved, you know, the bands.
I would watch the other sketches.
I would cheer our cast on.
You're a good cheerleader.
You are. I fucking love it, man.
I cheer for everyone.
I really don't.
I'm not in competition with anyone.
But, um, so that was my tenure,
but I also realized it's like, you went on.
Like, Lauren is, he's like, I'll use the word mobster
where I would go to, they're like,
hey, we want to meet you.
And the first thing they'd always say,
so how are you with Lord?
Like, I don't know.
This is a reality TV show.
Like, that's really not a right now.
I'm like, yeah, I think it was good.
I think we ended, okay.
And did, and the last thing Lauren said to me was,
Jim, you're too nice for this industry.
If you ever want to do anything on your producer, I said, thank you, Lauren.
And that's how we, you know, and I see him in like four years or something like that.
But I always, I always have a deep admiration for him because I also understand his view where he's watching people and bringing them to a place
and some people get frustrated and they think they need more attention.
And I don't know, I even just having kids and dealing with that with a little staff here
in there, I don't know how you do that with entertainers like us that are just non-stop
and you're like, oh my God.
What is it about that show? with entertainers like us that are just nonstop. Oh my God.
That is it.
What is it about that show?
I mean, the people we've interviewed,
some of them have said similar kind of stories,
one cast member said, I don't really know why I left,
but what really happened,
but there was a sea change, couple writers left,
and these are very successful people,
and suddenly it got kind of tilted,
but none of us ever get that experience out of our heads
just because it's 8-H, it's New York City, it's live,
it's that you know, you'll never get it quite out of it.
But I just think, yeah, you're such an organic sketch player.
Like it just fits you like a glove.
And it's too bad you didn't have just,
all you needed was one, one it just fit you like a glove. And it's too bad you didn't have just, all you needed was one rider who gets you,
who also has a voice in the room after read through.
Steve Corn.
And it was great, right?
And he held on us.
Great guy.
So I had won against me, but I had a couple for me.
And then, but it's still things were getting killed
because I couldn't, I didn't have everybody on my team
so it would be like half would get through a third
and I'm like, I had a dissident in there, is that the word?
And, but you don't know that usually, I didn't know
until later and then you're like, fuck it drives you bad.
Like you don't know what's going on.
No, you don't know what's going on.
Even to the point where I found out something
else later, Dylan, but I think why so frustrating for you, Dave, people like me, Dana,
I would say more comedians. The reason being we do our presentation, we get the immediate
feedback, so we know what works.
So when you're creating a sketch or whatever,
and you know it's gonna crush,
and then you do the read through, and it murders.
And then it's not even acknowledged.
It's, as we say, imagine you're going for a baseball team.
And you're like, oh, get everyone line up.
All right, Spade, you're a ping.
Oh, shit, this guy's hit 12 line drives off the wall,
three in the upper deck.
All right, here comes, this guy looks smart,
but he's got grass, he's from Harvard.
Okay, Harvard guys.
Okay, that's a bunch.
All right, it's a wash, strikeout, caught looking.
Wow, it's another one caught looking
with the pen running on face.
Jesus.
Okay, so here's who we picked.
We picked out the Harvard guy, like, what?
What are we going to the game?
Like, are we competing today?
Are we, what is going on?
And so it was when you're in those battles
and you see them with your own two eyes,
you just go, oh my. It my, there's no rhyme or reason.
And sometimes, did you have anyone who would like,
you kill with that and it doesn't get on the show
that was in the room with Lauren picking the show,
not even in an angry way, but like, what's up with my sketch?
I mean, what was it?
What was it?
Is it too redundant, hosted and like it?
Was there any rhyme or reason that you could find out? No, I wouldn't, but what I would get, this is, see,
I'm starting to have flashbacks now. I thought I thought I'd better listen. I counted it all down, but now like, yeah, mission accomplished. There was, there was, this is what drew me
nuts. I would get this. Hey, listen, Lauren doesn't like John characters. The character
is really funny that you do, but he's, you know, since John and stuff, like he doesn't,
nothing like drinking ladies not into it. Oh, okay. Two weeks later, very similar, but
now different cast member and they just changed the angle, made a little smarter. And you're
sitting or going, I know what the fuck you just did. They don't know. I know what the fuck you just did.
I'm getting flashbacked.
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the...
I'm gonna hit the... I'm gonna hit the... I'm gonna hit the... I'm gonna hit the... I'm gonna hit the... 3.30 in the morning. You're almost done with the sketch that you finally going for, and this fucker would come
in my doorway.
Hey, uh, with his little pencil on his mouth.
So I see that you're doing a sketch about meatballs or whatever it was.
I just want you to know I'm writing one just like it.
Like how do you know I'm writing a skit?
Well, we have a server with everyone,
whatever one's writing.
I'm like, well, he's like, I'm just telling you,
I'm writing one of most likely, we'll get on.
Oh boy.
What?
That's aggressive.
Okay.
Okay.
So you're still gonna write yours?
That's what they want you to go.
Oh, I'll skip it then.
Yeah, yeah, right.
But he's also someone that gets in the room.
Yeah, because it's going to bump with him and he'll kick you out.
And you're like, God, damn, like that is foul.
That's just foul.
So yeah, there is, there is, yeah, there is, there was individuals that, that one in particular, who I would
call out, and always just honest when I told you this story, and then he finally reached out
on Twitter.
He was stopped lying about, I'm the one who wanted to get you fired.
I went, well, it's the truth. Well,
that's what I need. And then he finally I said, I don't do Twitter. You can call me and we can talk
about it. And he could. Huh? Interesting. Go ahead. Yeah. He couldn't believe I was whole
non to this this long, but just like anywhere. Of course. If you're enjoying your life and someone goes hey man I'm gonna make you live miserable and get you fired you fucking remember that so
The person emailed me and he said it went from
I
Never had any pull with Lauren and the fact that you think I actually had any power to
try to get you fired just ludicrous.
I have zero power.
I go, well, it's funny because I know for a fact someone in that room called me and they
said, quote, Jim needs to go.
I think he's an issue.
We can get someone who's just as funny
and maybe more animated.
Boba, Boba, Boba, Boba.
I just don't think I think he's way overrated Boba, Boba.
And he could tell by the quote,
oh shit, so who's he talking to?
So then his next email said,
well maybe I didn't encourage them to keep you.
I didn't encourage them to keep you. Then I finally said who the person was and they went, well, I'm sorry that you've been
holding on to this.
You're a great power.
If I did that, I apologize, blah, blah.
And I went, that's all right.
I just want you to acknowledge that I knew.
And because this person's an incredible writer
I am and it's tough. It's tough coming from somebody good too
He's so good. I like I wish I could be in any of his stuff
Then credible and that's what that's what was more
That's what hurt more and that's what hurt more and that's
what was more frustrating so I did just if you don't like me just I there's other
ways it did it loans it's funny
it's there's an organic volatile emotionally violent thing around
Saturday Live. It just is. You throw 10 comedians in a room, 20 writers and
there's only so many spots on the show and all kinds of stuff happens. You create
alliances. It's Game of Thrones. You start moving the chess pieces. All this
person, all combined with this person, we'll try to defeat,
you know, so it's a very typical story.
I mean, the great thing is like you're as funny or funnier
than you've ever been and you're killing it.
I feel that way.
You got a huge following and you're just,
everybody's at some point off SNL,
except for Kenan Thompson.
But.
He's unfliquable.
Maybe in the greatest cast ever ever.
Well, we all are exca, and it's no matter what happens,
even if you're Adam Sandler, a will fair,
all they're gonna, they sound alive and above it
in their movies.
So it is a thing, but I think you made a great mark
and your story, you just have to forgive
the whole experience.
And I know that we talked to us about it right now.
I have the same thing.
I'll go completely back to something. It brings me back to you, talk to now. I have the same thing. I'll go completely
back to something. It brings me back to you. And I'll be really animated for 10 minutes
and then just move on. But we're all ex cast members. Most people have some regret or
something that didn't quote, you know, there's certain. It's just very common. So anyway,
I, I, you have my, you have my empathy. That's, that's a wicked story. Well, I'll tell you both.
Like, it's, I'm honored to come on here.
I've always looked up to both of you.
I've always looked up to both of you.
So like when you guys, when I saw you guys connecting,
I actually, I really liked the fact that
you can finally see a different side of the
two of you just the talking side and you can go in all these directions and I love
what you guys are doing so I was very honored to be part of this for sure. Thank you.
That's I mean it is the thing about podcasting because if I go on stage you know it's always
passenger comedy safety belts there the men's go you know, it's always, it's fastened your comedy safety belts. They're the men's code.
You know, on the, you know, and I'm just in a room chatting.
I can be myself, but there is that pressure.
He's, oh my God, he's gonna fucking levitate, you know.
So it's, yeah, it's a good problem to have, you know.
I feel like back at SNL, I was like,
especially that year I stayed over.
It was such a weird bridge year for me
because Adam and Chris left my two main guys,
Schneider was gone.
Maybe Timmy was still there, but I was there.
I was only doing Lorngo's stay
and I'll give you five minutes a week
and you do it every one.
And so I didn't have two sketches.
So there was a slight disconnect.
So I don't even know how I came across to cast
because I was so worried about doing these five minutes
and my own little thing to do.
It was like update, you get your own little chunk.
And so I am in the cast, but I'm not really,
I don't think I did many sketches.
It was more like I'd go on the road
try to do field pieces.
So I come back and I didn't get that close to anybody
even though it was kind of fun.
I was in the middle ground, you know what I mean?
You were and you were.
It wasn't as fun for me.
It probably wasn't as fun for them to be on the cast with me either because I felt
like I was a senior that stayed a year too long.
And I was like, shit, what am I still doing here?
And I sort of had that cost of humor, but it which, you know, changed over the years,
but it was, it was definitely a weird time for me,
and I thought I shouldn't be here anymore.
It wasn't as fun.
It was fun doing those little bits,
but there's so much time in between.
I mean, I'm not really part of rehearsal,
I'm not really part of music, I'm not part of,
and the show is going on without me,
and I'm like, I'm with one writer on the side,
doing bits pre-tap a lot of the time.
So definitely weird. I just didn't get that close to anybody that time. It was an odd.
It was like one step too many. I should just pull the plug. But like you, if you got nowhere to go and you're on SNL, everywhere else feels like down. And you know, like you're saying these stories and the reason they resonate is because everyone
isn't asking you about buddies,
the pilot they're asking about SNL the rest of your life.
And so they just have nothing else to say.
They go, SNL, and then that's just the thing
that you're stuck with.
You know?
It's also no matter what your timeframe is,
you've got two iconic things
that people would
always bring up.
I assume if you do a Q&A or someone yells out, for sure, go boy or peshy.
I don't know if you throw it in there when you're riffing.
So you made your mark.
It's in.
I like that.
I call it like you went to battle and everyone got the tattoo.
And no matter what, how was your your career and you go and they go,
oh shit, you made a mark,
but that's the goal is wow.
Yeah, because to get through that and get a catchphrase
or get a sketch people know, it's almost impossible.
That's what I wanted, even having a buy or something
where people knew it and you go,
hey, I went on the show, I came out and there was something that people knew it and you go, hey, I went on the show.
I came out and there was something that caught on. Or, you know, you're just part of the history of
like, hey, I got something in there that people would remember. And the show is still fucking going.
It's still going. You're still coming up with shit. Go in full circle and Fred Armoursen left the
show. He emailed me and goes, how do you do with it? He left and he couldn't watch it. He goes, they're doing my show. What's going on? So everybody has this melancholy,
if you're ever near the building again, it's like going back to your high school on a Sunday
afternoon, going really. There's this sort of emotionality. That's the fun part of this
podcast because everyone has these feelings about that show, you know, something about it,
and Lauren is still there, and it's still in 8-H, and it's all the sex same. Amazing. Yeah, you get
terrified walking on those halls. Anyway, are you going to have a better Gita perform tonight,
or are you good? I'm actually off tonight, so that's good. I get an off night tomorrow.
I'll do the show and we're good.
And then I'm doing, I think I'm losing my mind.
I booked, I think 50 shows all the way through May
where I'm doing like two weeks on, two weeks off,
two weeks on, three weeks off.
I haven't done that.
That's tough.
You'll get sharp.
And then are you gonna to shoot another special?
You shoot that on your own, right?
And put them on your shoes.
I'm filming, you know, this is what I learned.
I don't have a yeah on YouTube.
It's all YouTube.
So I'm filming three shows next week.
One is at one venue.
And the other one is at that paramount.
That'll be a lot.
And we'll see how that goes.
And it's three cameras.
I mean, you control the lighting.
I mean, it's kind of not overkill.
But it's not 20 cameras and all that shit.
No, no, no, no.
No one cares about that anymore.
No one cares about that.
What I noticed too is that you can hire
the biggest production team and put everything in it. If you just put it from your phone a little piece of the set, it's it's
They know that's a matter no one ever says it look like Scorsese. You should they go. No, it was funnier. It looked like Lawrence of Arabia. Yeah, I know but fucking David lean came back from the dead man
Good luck with it man, good luck with the drink.
Thank you Jim, a pleasure saw.
Hope we see you around campus as soon as I say.
I'm glad you're, let enjoyed it.
Thanks man.
This has been a presentation of Odyssey.
Please follow, subscribe, leave a like or review, all this stuff, smash that button, whatever
it is, wherever you get your podcasts.
Flying the Wall is executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, General Weiss,
Berman of Odyssey, Charlie Fein and Abrilstein Entertainment and Heather Centauril.
The show's lead producer is Greg Holtzwin.