 Hi, guys. It's Neil Brennan. I have a podcast that you're listening to. I'm tired of explaining the premise. The premise is that I have a Netflix special called Blocks, and then Jimmy Carr had the idea that I have my friends on. Talk about their Blocks. Today's guest is the best friend I've had on this show. This guy's one of my best friends I've ever had on Earth. This guy is what we like to call a Paul Bearer. You're bearing my Paul. That's great. Is that six deep or four deep? What do you think? It depends who I'm talking to. Okay, gotcha. If things are normalized toward the end of my life, there's some people that will get the call. But you're trying to stay lean enough that four could do it. I'm trying to send a message to people that I kept my weight around 150 pounds, like most human beings should. You're basically saying I won't need five and six. Not going to need them. That's a courtesy. That's about friendship and that's not about letting people know we kept around 150. We lived a life of discipline. My guest, guys, is Seth Meyers. Now, Seth Meyers, I didn't look at your Wikipedia page, but how many Emmy wins do you have? Just the one. You only have one? I only have one, yeah. The courtesy is to say, you know, I'm a 39 time. Well, that's what I was going to say. How many nominees? It's a massive number and I've won one. A massive number. I think you could argue the only reason I won. I won music and lyrics with Mulaney and Justin Timberlake. So, and that was, I think the Academy, their eyes. I think their eyes were drawn to it and three of the other four nominees were Lonely Island Songs. And I think it was a classic. They split. They blasted apart the category because too many people had to choose between. I'd like to bring Lauren into this as quickly as possible. Lauren, once you and Mulaney, one, then immediately kind of shifted over to shitting on you a little bit, being funny about it. There's some famous songwriting do I can never remember it, but I remember John and I walked in the second app. The first song monologue we wrote after we won our Emmy. It was some version of Lauren going, well, we're ranking in bass or here like some, it's not that. I think it was Rodgers and Hart. I think that's who you told me it was in my head. It's Roger and I don't even know if that's a real songwriting do it was so funny because it was derisive. It was as derisive as it was dated, but we were the right. We were the right audience for it, but it was, it was the thing I like to always say about Lauren is he's a comedy writer first. Yes. So he has all of the resentments that a comedy writer would have. Like if another comedy writer wins an award, he's like fuck that guy, even though it's on his show, no, it's on his show, right? His show. He got the money. He's get in his tally of the unbreakable record of how many Emmys SNL has won. No one will ever catch SNL for total Emmys by a television show Saturday night. Last and our yeah, like 60 minutes and it's 200 plus. Also, I think it's primetime Emmys. So even 60 minutes, I bet even 60 minutes in whatever the news Emmys are called. Nemi's. Is that it? No, the Nemi's the nemesis the nemesis. You're a Paul bearer. I want to go over our friendship. We met in no more. I'm going to go 20 years ago. Yeah. 2002 or three. That seems about right. That's that's where I carbon data. Yeah. And it is carbonate because it is it is worthy of an archaeological dig. Universities will study this friendship for for millennia. Okay. So there's a guy named Mike sure Mike sure back then was a writer started live. I'd written a couple of movies with him. This is kind of before cell phones kind of ghosted me kind of just like was like that. And then he started writing a lot with you. Yes. Then sure got a job on like the reboot of the British office wasn't in LA. We can all agree wasn't going to work. Not going to work then not going to work wasn't going to work wasn't going to syndicate. Well I got a job in the British office moved to LA or the reboot of the British office moved to LA kind of ghosted you we were then I don't I more think he just had other things to do. He didn't live. He was a hanging out friend and you can't be a Bicostal hanging out friend. All right. Well here's what we've learned as adults once you have a wife and children then it then you're not available before then you you're a hanging out friend. I don't care what coast you're on. I don't care. Oh a hundred percent. Yeah. I'm not here to a sale. Sure. No I mean I I am now in his position. I started later. I have a I have a wife I have three children and one more child. He goes to do before eight kids now he goes to you before me and we're again not here to sale the great Mike sure history has proven we were wrong. We were wrong. We're like the guys are like fucking Edison bailed to work on his inventions. Right. And then whatever. Multiple because again and it is still called the British the British reboot of the you know the American Reboot of the British office starring Steve Kurt the guy from the Daily Show and he's gone on to do I mean Parks and Rec. The shirted parts are back in the good place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I he's a producer on hacks. Yeah a lot of things and and also a Z's show. Yeah he's sure is done. We were and accomplished. We were left in his dust. It was yeah it was if we had thank goodness we did not go on the record in the press shaking our fist saying you will rue the day that you've stopped attending to our nest. Yes because it's not professional to purely friendship now. Yeah. I say all that to say this which is it brought us together a hundred percent as two guys who have been ghosted we had I think I would again you keep saying you don't know Salem and keep using a negative term. I would say we both had a sure sized hole in our lives we did that we puzzle pieced into we did for each other. When I met you you were a cast member of Silent Live. Yeah. You were on an incredible great great didn't want to say it you were like an Olympic trial with world record holders. Your cast was Fred Armisen Bill Hader Andy Samberg Kristen we first meet. It's not that yet. No they're 2006 ish. Oh wow. So our early days it's more that was like the second wave it's feral and those bugs. Yeah it's mostly it's not even competition with others which was to come later it was more just can you actually do the job like that when you met me I was Tina was there Tina was head writer the guys in the cast at that time are Fallon Tracey and Parnell Farrell. Yeah. And so there was a nice I mean I had room to move I you know there was room for me to succeed but I was sort of just it was not clicking for me really I think I had one of those things that a lot of people have a little grace period where you kind of pepper your way through the first half of your first season and people say I like what I'm seeing from that person but then once you actually have to. Meaning you would write sketches that were like they good premise good structure maybe it's not going to get on but like I wrote something I wrote something with Tina and Amy that was a parody of a pregnancy test commercial where the whole joke was Amy and I were a couple that were so relieved it was a negative and it was back when commercial parodies rerun and rerun on SNL so that whole first fall there was like this good sketch that I was in it was quiet but people like the joke people like seeing Amy and I together I was definitely and would continue to for a decade I feel like whatever what's the biking term where you're just like drafting someone yeah so that was like the first and many times I drafted off Polish charisma so I had like those little things but then I would say in the second half my first year into my second year all of a sudden you just have to be like a little bit more like you have to have more structural integrity because they give you more to do and that was when I was that was a rough time because I wasn't quite executing at the level that was expected of me or that I expected of myself and I really started to doubt if I could do it but I was staying alive by writing like I would I would write big group scenes and I would give myself a couple good lines in it and then I was sort of secretly adding value that way what did you think your life and career we're going to be starting right because I see you as of course me if I went to prep school and I didn't go to prep school you did not go to prep school and you're not especially high like your parents aren't like upper like you know pipe smoking they don't have boats and all that shit yeah Lorne once described me to you as like he's you but 10% angrier and I always wonder what so you went to you you were like a good student in high school I was a the kind of student where teachers always said you are very talented you should apply yourself a little procrastinating a little leaving it till the last minute and that was not for the just the listeners that was not Neil sighing he opened a very carbonated beverage very extremely car 25 episodes in and you're doing I didn't what do you do to see my shock when I know I was so freaked out so yeah but I you know did well on things like I well ish on things like the SATs and I had a decent grade point average and I wrote well a lot of teachers who thought I was a good right you were funny I was funny but I was sort of back of the class funny not in front of the class funny I think there's a I think anyone who goes to high school knows the difference in that people that are front of the class funny are actually not funny they are in their final years of funny they it's something Seinfeld said one time he goes when I was in high school everyone was funny and then they stopped and I kept going yeah there is this odd thing yes where you're like hey aren't we going to keep doing this and they're like I got to get to whatever work I do think that's it that if you don't actually go into a career of comedy starting after high school and that includes you know you go to which I did you go to college you start to comedy college okay then you get into Northwestern Northwestern think I want to be I am a film major I think I want to direct movies first day of the first film class that was about technical film stuff but then I was like oh this is science this is more you know and again I realize now I was being you know petrolant back then but you know you have to learn the science before you can make the art and I'm just so uninterested about it but I had the same exact experience at NYU where I was like fuck this I gotta take a degree rule that sort of stuff photo I got to take pictures yeah I gotta do stills and like a radio play and now I just read a there was that New York article with Bill Hader we was talking about like different lenses yeah for Barry and you're like oh yeah you were always like that you know what I mean I don't think anybody gets over that hump you by the way I I've been directing I mean obviously famously directed your method special Bobby baby baby of course directed by Neil Brennan but I've been directing 20 years and I just now I swear to God in the last I'm talk had a credible conversation about lenses 10 days ago congrats where like I was like talking to one of the great DPs Malik Sayid who did clockers and he got game and I was like I was like are we on a 50 maybe can we go down to like a like a 17 so it was pretty cool yeah I would love one day to be able to say that he was I know I said are we what are we on Isaac is that and he's like it's a 35 it's like I but let's go down to 17 great because I have a confidence to just fucking say it the shy as a I think fish eye is 12 people are gonna in the comments are gonna fucking light me up this is good oh you're getting it wrong for all we're just talking about it no no no for not knowing what exactly is what but but you have another podcast called lenses I do and it's on lenses it don't let block you can't believe how popular it is and I've got one called plants I love I love it I for those who are only listening there's a great deal of plants behind me a huge none behind Neil like intent like like I asked for like it was in my rider that I was this is a version of there's a famous photo of me and Seth it is a it is a famous photo because I showed every time I'm on sets podcast or sets podcast sets talk show it's like a podcast but with a budget yeah and I'm spaced out because I'm slightly on the on the spectrum and he is charming a person yeah and we're in the same shot when the same shot at a while and a I believe was the name of that night class and a parody of narcotics anonymous that's how they that was the inside juke that okay so college and then I'm in college and I like I have a great time in college and I see new student week I see the Northwestern College improv troop and I just think that's it now I know that's what I want to be doing I want to be on stage I want to be coming up with funny things real fast you don't want to wait dream yeah yeah you know procrastinator stream no time impress people with the speed and then you can figure out the quality later because so much of it just when college kids and also the celebrity like oh my God look at this there I'm sitting with 500 students and we're paying attention to eight peers you know it wasn't like a traveling wasn't that second city came into the show so I really wanted to get what's it called why it's meow is the name of me meow meow meow is a parody of wamiu wamiu is a I believe a hundred year old musical theater review that happened at Northwestern so meow is like 60s in the 60s I've been talking to some wavy gravy dudes who are writing a book about meow who keep wanting to ask me questions about my experience guys who I think we're maybe they're just gonna chop this up she started it yeah though this will be good but I auditioned every year until I only got into the improv troop my senior year but I did take it seriously to the point where I started going to Chicago from Northwestern Northwestern but it was you know it's like an hour it was like 40 minutes you know still subway 40 minutes yes 40 minutes but you got to watch the train move anyway I would take improv classes and I really because for the purposes of making it being better at I owe you would take improv I'm taking improv class improv Olympic is as it was called at the time now no longer and and then my senior year I got on the improv troop and it was I loved it so much it was everything I wanted to and I thought oh I want to do this so then if you're asking me what was my goal my goal was all right I'm going to graduate I'm going to stay in Chicago I'm going to care about school where you like studying not enough no I can't no I never thought by the time I was in school I never thought I was going to get a job where my transcripts mattered great but I cared about grades I mean it was not inexpensive for my parents to send me there and my report cards would go home and so I there was an expectation that I didn't want to have bad grades but I can't believe that I'm I haven't thought about report cards going yeah like you're an adult yeah and you have a clear you that emotion is still in you like you don't want your parents to see your report card and you have to do your kids have report cards yet no I did for James Corden's last show they got all the late night hosts together to shoot a thing I don't know if you saw that sketch turned out very well they did a very nice job and it was going they shot all the hosts together in one room and they were so fast because they knew they were asking for a time and my dad was in town this is two months ago and it went a half hour over and I said to Stephen Colbert my I'm meeting my dad for dinner tonight and I'm so embarrassed by how stressed I am right now that I'm going to keep him waiting yeah I am doing a real showbiz thing undeniable I have nothing to apologize for yes and yet the fact that I'm keeping my dad waiting at a meal that I will then pick up the check for and so yeah those things stay do you think that's healthy because I'm I'm like I still see my mom as an authority figure I still see my I wouldn't I don't like cursing around my mom I don't you know I mean like I don't like talking about sex around I don't there's just stuff I'm like I don't I'm not I would argue that's probably better than the opposite what's the advantage of not I should say at its core it's one politeness you know I don't want to keep anybody waiting but yeah it's different that it's my dad I would feel worse about keeping my dad waiting than almost anybody is that healthy I would say it's hard to make an argument that it's healthy I do I think it's the right thing to do and I guess the opposite is I'm standing there saying oh he'll understand which I'm sure he would but I'm saying do you see your parents as you are you fully on board as your parents are just to a couple of people oh no I that's what I'm saying yeah yeah no I don't think of my parents is just couple of people I have okay I value them yeah they're pale they're psychological emotional pillars of your life also parents are like Greek gods and I feel very in debt to my parents my parents have been so it you know supportive you know what I mean college was you know for me I'm very happy to say the last time they supported my financial aid but that was a huge amount of money for them back then and then they were incredibly supportive of the choice I made to go into this business which is I mean I think I do feel like there's a new there was this 20-year period where all of a sudden comedy was noble and a lot of parents all of a sudden there was a generation of parents who grew up on SNL and so they thought it's so cool their kids got on SNL whereas that didn't exist maybe before but they were super into it and you know they came to shows all the time when I was doing small shows and that meant a lot to me and so I feel in their debt and your your parents are funny your parents have like both of your parents have your weirdly your parents have in terms of like personality strengths they're one and two to me you and Josh are three and four oh yeah as far as like amplitude of personality how well written a sitcom character they are they're way better you know exactly yeah you want to write for them more than you want to write for Josh and I would just but like I feel like that almost never happens yeah where you just know oh I know exactly how and they look like caricatures of themselves they do and they're and there it's a really fun thing where is that you know the great thing about aging is you just become you just lean into who you are and nobody makes some crazy like visual right turn yeah hi after years of fine print contracts and getting riffed off by big wireless providers if we've learned anything it's that there's always a catch so when I first heard that mint mobile offers premium wireless starting at just 15 bucks a month I thought what's the catch but after talking to them and using their service it all made sense there isn't one mint mobile secret sauce is that the first company to sell wireless service online only they cut out the cost of retail stores and pass those sweet savings directly onto you I started using it if you look up how these services work it's actually great they basically just use preexisting wireless companies bandwidth and of course it's owned by my very good friend Ryan Reynolds who for all I know uses mint mobile to ghost me because he goes to me a few months back clearly this is his recompense for ghosting me and he's nowhere near done for anyone who hates their phone bill mint mobile offers premium wireless for just 15 bucks a month to get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month and get the plan shipped to your door for free go to mint mobile dot com slash neal that's mint mobile dot com slash neal cut your wireless bill of 15 bucks a month and mint mobile dot com slash neal Ryan I appreciate you giving me whatever I'm making for this from your we have to a billion dollars yet close mint mobile okay so then you you get into the thing at Northwestern are you bet around the same as everybody do you have like I'm better okay I'm sure there's six people right now that are punching their I mean I would only say that they would the thing that I'm not proud of they would attest not that I was better they would attest if you ask them on a lie detector that I thought I was better right you know this is not a surprise them and I will say and it's a real it was a real when you are a little bit when you have that arrogance when you're the best or at least you think you're the best in a small group of people just know you're probably a couple group of people away which for me it wasn't that many moves to SNL for my college improv troop it was only you know five years and now all of a sudden you realize oh I'm the worst person here and how is the best person here treating me and would I be happy if they treated me the way I treated people in my college improv troop you know I have some shame oh you know what I mean where so when you were sort of hot dog in it in North at Northwestern I you know I think I hopefully was a hot dog it with some benevolence but I do think it was hot dog it I do remember my friend Pete grows who is a really accomplished writer wrote for late night he again we were doing a rehearsal for freeze tag no audience just a rehearsal and like an empty stage and I remember somebody tagged me out before I said my joke and I threw my baseball cap against the wall now one the very fact that I'm wearing a baseball cap while I'm improvising is is damning but that I had I was very temperamental and I feel like my temperament you know well this is what I would say the you're me if I went to prep school that's me yeah okay that's throwing I don't know I throw a hat whatever but like fucking would ask I was a PA on the pilot for singled out on MTV and they wanted me to go pick up food and I was like no yeah not doing it like a fucking asshole so when because and then I remember somebody saying they'd gone to an SNL and they saw you before the show and you were yelling at somebody I was like I was him like you're yelling at a makeup you're yeah not I don't know you're not I don't when did you stop yelling well I the best person I met professionally and continues to be that person is Mike Shoemaker yes Mike Shoemaker who is ostensibly your partner yeah executive producer of late night now and was a producer that's and I want to started there and a man of great benevolence and he was very helpful and pointing out the ineffectiveness of you know sudden bouts of anger at people who more often than not just didn't understand what it was you wanted you know there was no I ran into which will surprise people I ran into very little malice at my time at SNL and yet you know I think it's a very high pressure system obviously and more often than not you're angry at yourself and right or or angry at how you're being the audience is responding to what you believed your best work was but I did have some some bad moments did he ever say because I'm still I still lose my number I'm getting better at it but that thing of it's not people just didn't understand I get so frustrated because I told somebody the other day this is like a lot of jobs are you're playing charades with people and you can talk and right and people still don't understand you're like I'm talking I'm acting out and you still didn't do the what I thought was obvious thing it is that there are certain things where to no fault of other people it is easier to do then to have to explain it in a foolproof way you know what I mean it's just oh I could I know how to explain this to make sure I get exactly what I want but I also have done the math in my head and I think it's faster just to do it myself yes but but a lot of times we can't do it you know what I've started doing recently drawing yeah just drawing out this here oh yeah this here drawing is good this here and it just makes it way easier but I it's still very frustrating and it's hard for me not to believe it's not this was hard breaking for me and I think you'll find it very funny I was driving the other day because now I will say I am which is both a success and a failure all my losing of temper happens in domestic settings with great perfect what a place I'm great at work now I'm really great no problems you need a shoemaker you need shoemaker at the at the house driving in the car I've got Ash is in the backseat with his friend your oldest son as seven years old Axel's also there Axel's five being impossible and I'm I'm getting into it with Axel I'm trying to keep my cool but it's not you know and Ash says to his friend oh this is going to be so funny my dad's about to blow his top great and it was just heartbreak you that thing where you I could not be less of a mystery to my children I'm whatever Don Draper was to his kids I'm the opposite of that right but that's that sounds like progress to me meaning you're I don't know if you would have I never would have done a bit about my dad losing his temper like there were no bits yes when we were coming I don't by the way I don't think he was doing it as a bit for me I don't think he was either he genuinely just thought this is hilarious you want it's I one of the nicest things yet when my dad got mad I thought it was scary yeah and I when I get mad my kids think it's funny get mad exactly the way my dad got mad but it must they I feel like they're seeing it like an impression of somebody you know how do you how do you get mad I just it's hard to explain it just like run out of I just feels though I never just don't do a thing a person asked me to do five times and I know it's just kids they won't acknowledge you yeah and I read sometimes they're paying more attention of the thing they're doing and you know their kidbrain is needs to finish before they can it is important right it's not important to me that they're Lego whatever thing they're doing but it is important to them and they have to but I just you know I have to learn that the the correct path is not asking five times and then just being like what does that how do they then do it and laugh at you they're like it just you just teach them the bad habit you know what I mean like they they think it's funny you I think it's positive don't it's so funny because that thing is my dad does have a temper I definitely learned it from him it was a very I knew it to be a very ineffective parenting tool and I feel like I tried very hard not to have it but like man oh man is it just like baked in but also is it an ineffective parenting tool I don't know it's effective it's I feel like I don't know what it is maybe it skips a generation like I do think it was effective it depends on what parent what do you think parenting is right I guess a parenting is if you need them to get in the car right like sometimes you have to get them in the car without doing anything that might be traumatic for them you just you have to have more patience than the five in the seven year old that's all okay but at the same time there are times you got to get people in the car agreed and Seth because he's a generous person open a water and he didn't want to he didn't want me to still feel like a fool from when I open my water yeah still being a key word here I mean still people are a lot of the viewers haven't gotten over what but what do you think I don't think parenting should be violent I don't think but sometimes it's like if you're being aggravated I don't think that's a horrible lesson to learn if I'm a child if I don't acknowledge somebody and won't do what I'm very recently being asked to do by someone who loves me just like a little bit of like how that yeah pick them up move them there are times where your kids make you feel like whatever a cuck is supposed to be I'd sounds like a lot of cuck stuff where you just especially when it's in public and you either lose all your you you crap out of the casino if you yell at your kid in a cafe right like nobody cares how bad it was you just are a loser yeah and so then the other version is just using this really ineffective calm voice and you just that's when you it's the worst cucks cucks for kids cucks for kids kid cucks and one eight seven kid cucks for kids okay so you got more patient at work yeah and and then kids seem like the worst co-workers imaginable yeah and then I think and you've had to yeah and the thing about work is work sort of stays the same and you mature and learn whereas with kids I think they also are maturing you they're not a constant like work can be so they're as you're learning how to deal with them as each level they're oh yeah that's and that's not me anymore that's do you are they getting do they get better they're getting better but the weird thing is my little girl is not yet to best of all you know of course and I mean again you know taking time mom I'm sure but right now I had a joke that didn't really work one time I was like when I was 10 like little girls could solve the middle east of it like you know what I mean but I like when I was 10 I had a babysitter she was six like girl little girls they can they just like you over here you here haha we have breakfast the other morning I'm feeding I there's no greater more greater more authority than a six-year-old girl yeah than a two-year-old any little girl wait a six-year-old we were at a party she must I want to start for the podcast audience by saying she must have heard this from someone but this is something a six-year-old said this is bad writing in a movie because I appreciate this is not how a six-year-old normally talks yes there was a bouncy house and the beginning it was all sort of five six seven-year-olds and then the teenagers showed up and went in and it was kids were coming out crying because it was just got too rough yeah and I saw a six-year-old girl say it's turned into the devil's playground bad writing in a movie you'd say that it's a cutaway and I turn into a devil's playground yeah for the trailer someone we love her for the trailer love her for the trailer but in real life in real if it was yeah you'd never get it past a neorealist filming of course not not the sort of film students we were yeah okay and what I'm interested in you and the in the thing that you don't talk about very much is the going from toward the end of SNL cast member Seth yes in that incredibly fast heat of other well yeah so to go back to the the neorealist time for me after my first year forte and and Fred join the cast I mean two of the most unique comedy voices of the last 20 years because there were things that were happening at SNL before they six no still we're talking oh two okay they show up there's that thing of I'm looking around and I'm sort of watching what everybody's doing and I'm thinking I can get there you know not throwing any shade on anybody that was having it but I felt like again it was all the versions of the sketch comedy I'd grown up for a year before I was watching SNL I got it now I'm on SNL I'm seeing it up close Jimmy and Tracy have moves will like comedy fun fucking hilarious dudes funny with moves will Farrell kind of outer space outer you don't even think right and nor do you but never in my I never thought okay that's next and then and then step Tina Amy hilarious anybody who comes out of Chicago you sort of feel like you know because again that was so I'd seen Tina Amy I'd seen their growth because I used to see him on stage and I'm like okay so growth will happen for me too but then Forte and Fred show up and they have outer space both from outer space bag of tricks you've never seen before no overlap with what either of them has that just Oh so now you know it's spent that whole summer being like I'm going to get a little bit better and I'm like now and so then I kind of you know get through that and and they kind of find their space and I have mine but then now this other thing happened which is Andy Bill and pretty soon after Sadaqus Sadaqus who had been a writer who had been a writer he joins the cast a little bit if my timelines right a little bit after Bill and Andy or maybe at the same time but they're I think they maybe are all at the same time so now there's like five guys and I'm writing at the time as well and I just sit down and I don't feel like I am self-hating I like the things I'm good at but I would write sketches and I would have an idea for a premise and I would genuinely think if I want this to work and I have these six guys of which I'm counting myself and I want this sketch to work as a writer my sixth choice is Seth you know if I'm seven and I'm like and I'm not like no I don't I mean I don't I don't think anyone would disagree with yeah I mean I you would say if it's if it's a fail-safe joke where someone has to say the word without stumbling Seth can do it but every one of them brings these other layers which is what any sketch writer any writer anywhere wants which is I think I wrote this great thing but now I want to bring in a performer who is going to make it great in seven different granular ways that is going to somehow make it twice that I can't predict and I can't write it can't predict and also just like with some of them it's just Andy's charisma Bill's charisma yeah Sedeika's fucking charisma yes the yin yang the other thing is so now you're like oh not only do you feel like right away oh they're all better than me the longer you're with them you now want to write for them based on moves you've seen them do yeah because the longer you're with Andy the more you want to write for Andy the longer you're with Keenan to bring up yeah the more you want to write for Keenan and and yet I'm with myself every day and I'm not giving myself a single new idea with no point of my life well now but here's something only Mr. Myers can bring and we're fast-forwarding but Andy suggested you do really really when I auditioned yeah when I auditioned for weekend update Samberg gift of gifts said you should do something called really because that is the cadence you talk in and I think it's really funny and so and there are people who say that the cadence it's a we don't need it it's fine I think for the cadence cops are going to be watching this one I've been trying to lean out of my Neil cadence today but you know the real burn on really though it was not you do you know no yeah there's all right so basically what I'm getting at is doing me when he does really you said that to Jerry Seinfeld no it was the Seinfeld was not it was independent of you Seinfeld we heard Seinfeld want to do something on the show he was promoting I don't remember if it was let's say B movie he wants to come on update and I I had never spoken to Jerry Seinfeld at this point but we get on the phone and we had decided oh maybe Jerry would be fun to do a really with thing called really he goes I know really I like really and I was like we think he'd be really good at it and he said some I'd say I invented it which is so it was to hear it and realize yep yeah it's a great thing about Jerry Seinfeld is he sounds like Jerry Seinfeld he sounds like Jerry Seinfeld and it was it was like he said I can see dead people because it everything when he I'm like of course yeah of course I've been even when you say you Chappelle was like doors he said that to me independently and I probably just got it from Jerry right like I don't not not it was very at least you weren't in this situation where you were where I had I talked to the first guy and I brought it up like it was a thing I like well yeah that's it was like cause saying to LeBron like and then we dunks we sometimes do dunks there's a corner three the left corner three have you ever shot a left corner three do you like dunks and you don't even you can't even really argue with it you can't really argue with it you can't stop the tide mm-hmm the solution at the time would be a some negative for the franchise which is things would be going better for me if all of them were worse you know what I mean like the right you know right because you like them all I I like them all I like when the shows I mostly love them all no they're all family yeah included we're at my wedding these are people you know what I mean and and and I'm glad they were and they I love them they are I mean not to get Vin Diesel on you but they were like family more than friends at some point because you just spend so much time together yeah at SNL and then I hated myself for competing with them or whatever which is like the jealousy I hated I hated that when they would crush it was impossible to remove that piece of me that was saying yeah well there's another strike against me even though it wasn't a strike against me except of course it was right there is a calculus at the end of every season of SNL where the decision makers say you know what do we need do we need this or is this a redundancy can you explain that summer yeah and what the summer it's oh seven oh six it's oh six it's oh six yeah summer of oh six explain to the earth what happened and I'll explain what it was like to watch well Tina has left mm-hmm to go first she left to have a baby and then she left for 30 rock and her and this is how dumb show business is Tina goes to do this show a pilot for 30 rock Aaron Sorkin did a show called studio 60 on the sunset strip which was a drama an hour drama about Saturday night live and none of us knew which was going to be more successful like looking back at like what I know 30 rock versus studio 60 on the sunset strip and we're all like I don't know I don't know you know maybe people do want to see a drama both on NBC both on it yes anyway I had the my last year working with Tina I had been made a writing supervisor so I was not a writer on the show you were not or you were just a cast member I was hired as a cast member and I I'm very proud of the fact that during my struggles as a cast member I did write enough things that Lorne thought I would be good at sort of running a table and being a head writer being a head writer I wasn't a head writer yet but then Tina left and I remember Tina used to if she couldn't rewrite her sketches she would send them to you yes we had a nice that last year was a really nice for me to know that she valued yeah opinions right but you were six in terms of who she would I yes but well we had the same six we had the same six so I we come back in the fall for SNL we do these sort of dicking around weeks writing commercial parodies I'm don't know if they do that anymore in the same way that we used to say it would take it take 24 people seven weeks during three commercial parodies insane it was the biggest waste of money it was like it was like city government waste of money and it proves anytime somebody says you know I don't understand why SNL doesn't work all year around to like bank sketches doesn't work it just doesn't like really the sketches are shitty well they're just shitty but that's what I mean like the commercial parody like the best commercial parodies on an SL season are very rarely the ones that were written in yeah late August I don't know why yeah it's just there's something immediate almost like necessity as the mother of invention there you go coin it so they are having auditions to replace Tina they had auditions to replace Jimmy I had auditioned for that when that had been three years ago I obviously wanted this a great deal Amy got it that time yeah Amy got it that time which made all the sense in the world and then I was auditioning for it and who's auditioning for it I won't uh okay I won't remember everybody seven and some are I remember sedacus you Keenan Keenan couple writers maybe some people from the outside and they but before hand I also know I'm going to be head writer next year very proud of but you're you're performing your cast contract is up my cast contract is up and basically I get word for my manager which is hey next year you'll either get update but if you don't get update they'd like you to just be a writer so you would just be the head writers are alive you would never be on the show I would never be on camera anymore as the head writer for us now and it's the only time I ever I think to this day have done something like this but I'd said no basically they wanted as I recall they wanted you to sign a contract saying I'll audition for weekend update and if I don't get it I will be head writer and I will not be on the show yes and to which you said I just said no I said I'm not gonna sign the contract till after you decide about weekend update yes so basically they not strong arm but like they were trying to go like hey were they were kind of holding one against the other sure like and by the way I didn't as evidence by the fact that I then people started putting me in sort of derisively like I'd be as a as a gag as a it would be a gag then like Seth like me I was like Boston Boston powers I think is like the next time do you remember the kings of catchphrase comedy the kings of catchphrase comedy tour is back I can't believe I don't because it's really really good sketch I it's I do it's got a scroll right David beef jelly Wingfield it's got like Kings again I was Austin powers Christine angle and what was your what was your catchphrase like I don't know do you do you think I'm a sexy I don't know it was some version of Boston Massel and Austin power I can't believe I don't remember so I tell me do you want to share now or share later I'd see this is why they don't put me in sketches like I can't remember I can't do you would they give a catchphrase you can't even do I can't even do publicity so yeah so I basically just and I will say I would have rather quit than just be head writer because out of like not pride but like pride pride pride some pride and also this I meant what I said I did think I was the 6th of that list yeah and then if you add in I mean I'm sure by the way that's the thing we haven't even talked about Polar with wig Maya right I mean fucking murder there on the wall of the office that I still work at on the 8th floor where it's we had an 11 person cast 9 of us have hosted Kenan still on the show and Darrell Hammond is the announcer so that's the 11 that was that time that it's the best I would put it up against any era I remember you saying that like 15 years I'm kind of rolling my eyes in my head but like and it was just lean and mean and everybody can do anything and I would always one of the great benefits of being a part of a smaller cast is that Andy Sandberg you know a self professed doof has to do political impressions because you just run out of bodies and it's fun like in the audience likes it because they know it's they know everything when the dick in a box guy is all of a sudden you know Rahm Emmanuel they think that's awesome so my point is I didn't think I should be a cast member I did think I should do we conduct it with Amy I did my heart yeah I it was the one thing where I thought this you if you and by the way I think if they picked other people would have been fine I'm not saying it would have been any disaster but I did think hey no you I I get it you I have not been the best of this that's why when I write sketches I don't put myself in it that's why you know I guess it was and then but I was like I did I the pride part was not just I can't work here if I don't have that job the pride was I can't sign this piece of paper and make their decision yeah like basically they were they were ready to like and they I remember my recollection is there were they weren't dying for you to host update I think it was you know some people thought I'd be better out of someone I mean I don't know if anybody's ever dying for any for anybody is not like I think that no one's ever like Lawrence dying for anything or anyone so it's time for Paul McCarney to come back but like that's it exactly and he would never he would never show it he would sir Paul ever ever ever well about time know it but oh look who it is sitting by the phone look who does my pop so yeah and that was a so you basically had to gamble on yourself I remember it being like a risky it was one of these moments in someone's life where I felt like boy this is a hinge moment yeah you auditioned you auditioned for update and you were either going to get update or you were leaving SNL yeah I also then I auditioned for update I went back to my dressing room I put on running clothes and I was going to go for a 10 mile run and I ran in the Central Park and I went like three miles and was like fuck this I'm ah because it was just like two I thought like I could run the stress away and it just it was like he's eating me out and what did you I just like went back to my apartment and I think like order Chinese food and just stewed yeah I remember the I can always remember the date I found out I was at do you remember there was a bar called C4 was like on 48th it was like where it was like catered to NBC employees that had like a mural with like Al Roker on the wall and I was sitting at the bar there why were you up there if you because of this point you're like I don't know they work here we were shooting the opening credits and and they were so they still hadn't decided but like were you gonna I would they were going to shoot me in the opening credits just in case I guess and then I was sitting at the bar with Shoemaker or maybe I was sitting at the bar and Shoemaker came over and told me but I remember the date I can always look it up because the Steelers were playing on Monday night football against the who can forget who can forget the only time the Steelers have ever played on Monday football when you know the years and it turned out that I was right like I I thought like if I got that piece things would be okay at SNL and that was the beginning of things for you yeah I got to be on weekend update which was the what the place I always thought I'd fit best there get to do with polar the person and I got to be I it turned me into a really good head writer because I was absolutely then selfless about that element of the show because I was there was no I took myself out of the competition for me there for from winning or losing as a sketch player and I just it like the better the sketches were the better the show was the better people thought I was doing as head writer so I it was great it made me better at both and it was the best I had the best time once I started doing update it took I mean again I remember once do you remember Samberg had a sketch called that'll move the chains so I don't it was some version it was you laugh as a as like an idea for a sketch it was originally a make a wish kid but then you know you know cooler mines prevailed and that was like don't have a and so was he was some kid who got to go to the booth for a game and every play he would go that'll move the chains and like at first they the announcers think it's cute and then it's and he did it went well and then like eight weeks later he comes in my office and I'm like what are you working on tonight he goes we're thinking about writing another that'll move the chains and I now and probably you thought that was a one-off premise and not a recurring character so he said I think we're going to write another that'll move the chains and I just said another and he went hey not all of us have fucking update every week and it was that was the truth of it though right like when you don't have update every week like sometimes you just hit the fucking wall and you're like I guess we'll do another that'll move the chains but like I got to it was just flying high it was the best doing another that'll move the chains is his version of moving the chain you know it's like the levels right like levels of fantastic again geniuses there's another Samberg goes in that box yeah a PhD in sophomore comedy yeah yes I love lonely Island as much as I live radio head yeah like I love they I know all their songs I know I know they're like I when I see Instagram videos of friends of mine who have brought their kids to see Taylor Swift and it's just they're losing their mine that's maybe not like how I physically projected it but it is absolutely internally how I felt when I watched the Lonely Island concert live like when they went on tour and I got we went and saw the Minneapolis night before your show or the night after your show the night after it was even better yeah it was like a great yes one of the best 24 hours of my life was when we you direct to my special in Minneapolis and then we went and watch those dudes and I open for them and did fine it was great Hey you know how buying tickets is humiliating nightmare and you're giving the money so why why are they making it stressful game time is the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all sports music comedy and theater near you with killer deals on last minute tickets and their best price guarantee you can stop stressing over the tickets and start getting hyped over the person you're going to bring with you and how they're going to be are they going to give you the sort of attention you like and will it result in sex will it be safe or unsafe I've used the app I got tickets for the L.A. Philharmonic it was easy it was like it was what you want it was just buttons and it wasn't like well they have images of seat views which I like as or artists I could see how people are going to see me and I think about turning it's also really good for last minute tickets you don't have to worry about you know I see I'm doing a button doing shows in New York Philly in Boston this week and I can see who the last minute people are it's funny to me snag the tickets without the stress with game time download the game time app create an account and use code B L O C K S for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code B L O C K S for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed how did you figure out what you were good at and was there a level of embarrassment meaning we both sort of become who we always were you just figure it out you just go like oh no okay I'm not that yeah I guess I'm not that I like what was it like for you I think I weirdly I did work through a fairly supportive era at SNL with that said when you took a big swing at the table outside your comfort zone like there was no you could feel it you could feel the air of that miss and fly I mean I flop sweated in a conference room just reading sketches for with in front of Amy Paula Kristen Lee Keenan right Andy Bill just and and especially it is a thing where you just start pressing right it's not to keep going back like sports analogies but like when you're in a slump and you're just trying anything and then nobody wants to be around you because it's your slump vibe is so sweaty and either irrationally worried it's contagious I remember maybe my second year there was some MTV dance show and I'm not going to remember the name of the guy I played but Matt Murray's great writer we were office mates and I Nick name was panther Matt Nick name was panther because I believe polar coined it because she said you're in the room for two minutes before anyone realizes you are yeah like a panther it's a great nickname it's a great nickname I would also I've been meaning to mention that I'll 40% of the time I refer to you I refer to you a snarf yeah and the reason is because Kristen Whig did an update as Bjork yeah and was like grating snarf snarf I was like well there it is there it is perfect snarf the many gifts of how update character said my name was one of it the Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly who wrote Olga Pavlotsky which was a late my late era of weekend update it was Kate McKinnon's Russian yep and she always called me set Meyer said and they made me a name plate that I have in my office this is set Meyer and it's just a very funny joke yes give somebody a bad name plate and I it's a great and it because it's a nationally televised joke yeah and you can either keep it or not that's that show that is a bear with me let me tell you about my dream house set okay sure bear with me I am no in my dream house and the and Chris Kelly insertion I created the other the other wonderful show the way I was talking oh so this dance scene and I think so panther was doing me a favor he put me in this scene where I was the lead of a scene I was introducing but I was this dance guy and it was a it was bad it was a bad sketch but it aired but it was bad and part of the reason was bad is I can't really dance and that was one time on TV that was funny to me yeah something about that was just fun and like seeing you in shorts on TV was funny and I remember Steve Higgins who's still a producer of the show dear friend Steve Higgins and I realized it took me like the great Higgins was that Higgins yeah like five it took me five years to realize what he was telling me but I remember he was like don't do sketches like that like don't like he was basically like it's not you have to know you can't do that you have the great story about writing an Australian accent for who? Martin Short oh wait did I which was the which is you wrote a sketch for Martin Short yeah and and he was like I don't do an Australian accent and you were like you're fucking Martin Short of course you don't and he's like and then you realize like oh I we have to manage what we do in public because we'll look stupid if we can't do it oh yeah right like Martin Short is smart enough to know like this I'm too late in the game here to not yeah I'd know I'm 68 I would know if I can do an Australian accent by now there was another time that same week where he said how do you want me to do this sketch and I remember all I wanted to say was like Martin Short I don't know I this I want you to know this all comes from my great reverence for you yeah like we don't want to we don't want to say anything that might mess up you doing it like you don't even pretend like I'm not here yeah do it like I'm not here the funniest person Martin Short the funniest person I've ever been at a dinner party with by far and I haven't been to many dinner parties in my life you but most of them are like there's it there you're on you're the sixth invite you're the sixth man on the great gift if you invite me to a dinner party I will remember the five funniest things that were said by other people and quote them the rest and usually it's at a dinner party that Martin Short Steve Martin Lorne yeah Mulaney Mulaney Seinfeld Seinfeld will be at there's it at these dinner parties Oh, I think there's more of them than I'm at but every now and no I know because I've heard the ones that you're not yeah yeah yeah because some of rock will spell you right they'll think we the the rotation they could they're trying to diversify they'll bring you they'll take you out Oh, the other one that was very in line with the Martin sure it was I know I told this as well which is Elton John when Elton John hosted it was Wednesday and so all the sketches have been written and Elton John was reading through the sketches for the first time and I sort of got called to go talk to him and it should be noted he was an excellent host he was very funny he was great but I think I saw a thing he was very funny and almost didn't know why I got to see a thing that like nobody I feel sees which is I went in and he was definitely like you know it's 40 sketches if you don't do sketches and then all of a sudden there's 40 we got 40 for you 40 and then you're gonna read him in front of people and I just I realized I was with a guy who due to his talent and work ethic hadn't even come close to bombing in 45 years yeah you know and and any setting in any setting and when you look at 40 sketches and you realize and no boy do you get to do rock it man and no you know it's just and it was so that is a real and the other funny thing is it's at SNL it's a it's a cramped so you're just in a tiny room yeah with Elton John the Elton John and he's a little panic right and there's nowhere there's yeah there's no room he can't say give me a minute and go into a bigger room where he goes when when the white breakout room yeah there's no and so though and that is one of the I don't know I feel like sometimes we we fail to appreciate exactly the ask of the SNL host because it's a massive well it was also fun countering what you're saying but he I think on Friday or Saturday you go are you nervous and he was like no yeah and you were like oh yeah I guess you do have an ambulance at your work yeah like you might die right if things if you bomb well also you know no one I do feel you could bomb as an athlete and it wouldn't cost you anything in the sports world you know what I mean it's not like yeah you know we're gonna oh you're going to practice on the SNL they're like we can't you've lost you've lost first team you're still yeah like well this is gonna the receivers don't trust you your pro bowl nomination well but we're gonna have to take your that you're you're we can't do it that second sketch you don't say a lot so you bombed and oh yeah I bonded what made you not what made you not give up but but you were I guess pride kicks in and then you were like I think I'm good yeah good well you know again I should know that even in the worst of times it was pretty fun working on SNL and living in New York City mm-hmm you know and you know for the any jealousy I had I don't think it manifested itself in a negative way for the people I felt it towards you know I think that we you know I did I was building friendships at the same time and so it was wanting to stick around right like it wasn't until that inflection point where I basically thought well I don't know you know if I had left then it would have been seven years on the show or whatever six years on the show wouldn't have been I well no I remember you have been going like hey what do you if you don't get update what are you gonna are you gonna move to LA and you were like I think so yeah I don't I swear I mean I feel like I've wiped it all from my I remembered that you did run all the way you told me that you ran the full 10 maybe now and when you told me that you got it I straight up cried because I was so excited for you that is and I should stress that one of the things about our friendship is there's so few people you're one of them Shoemaker's one of them who know exactly what certain things meant to me whereas no fault to my parent right like I all I had had all the conversations with you and lead up to it right you knew all the pieces I did not share any of that with my parents about my anxieties or how I felt I did I did go ahead because I remember walking out of of that bar after I found out and calling my parents to tell them I was on a weekend update in my head I'm like this is what what can I ever tell them that it's going to be bigger second to calling them to say I got an SNL right and I was like hey I'm going to be I'm not going to do like as I like here comes the bad news but here's good news I'm like I'm not going to be in sketches anymore but I am the new anchor we got update and my mom was like you're not going to do sketches anymore and I was like and then it was like not her fault right I just like I yeah but that's why in life it's so good to have a friend like you where I could just give you the information and you I didn't have to explain like and why here's why it's great yeah you just you just knew I'm in show business your parents are not yeah but there's plenty of people in show business who don't get it yeah I was scared I was scared not like scared but I was like I didn't it wasn't up it wasn't an auto it wasn't a gimme it wasn't they weren't giving it to you no and they weren't the competition was pretty significant not even like fuck that it was just like oh he's good they're good well that was always the problem at SNL was knowing that there weren't the second choice wasn't a wrong choice yeah you know it was and you could probably go five choices deep before you would you would make them one but they get to sixth and there you are nice what's up my skits to be a frustrated waiter and then correspondence dinner another great night I should real quick I'll get to care because I live that is great night and we used to joke that there would be photos from popular sketches on the wall and SNL and there were like six of them where I was just a guy while someone was crushing I was a guy sitting on a couch in the background like going like this yeah I remember you and I talk about sketches one time and I and I said yeah you don't want to be the guy in the sketch who says you're driving me crazy yeah that means you're not getting laughs yeah you're a straight man straight man I mean it's nicer when you have a late night show design you're the straight man or update desk but in sketches it's back well update another hilarious thing about update which was that update especially especially when you were host probably forever but it was the last it was the last court of appeals yeah for crazy people yeah like Seth so then Mr. Myers were you I think you said you made me laugh green room before going on update and the idea that like a segment produced it was like and now you do have St. Patrick's Day tips this time because it has gone off the rails like and yet I'm not swearing to them said no I I know I'm prepared and I know what I'm going to say and I'm going to get up there and then and then it just is like wait what yeah another great get Alex Bayes made me a doormat that said I'm going to stop you right there because that was a if I had a catch raise and we could update I would like to just pause the podcast right here to salute Bayes greatest living Joe greater in America I said I've said it on here before yeah he wrote he wrote like a supermodels vagina let's all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DeCaprio and he also wrote one of my favorite jokes ever for you for the correspondence dinner Donald Trump said recently has a great relationship with the blacks though unless the blacks are a family of white people I bet he's mistaken and that's just two out of he also wrote the black eyed peas are doing a free concert in Central Park a free concert in Central Park the black eyed peas that sounds too true to be good those are three out of legitimately a thousand incredible jokes the guys written a banger a day easy sometimes three a day a day and when I he writes close to look you him Sal writes I want to make sure Sal Gentile also shot I've raised the first draft and then Bayes and I come in and and put in a few jokes but that waiting for the Bayes draft on anything is so exciting because it's just he writes and like blue as you just scroll through like a 30 page document there's four blues and he's just like send him to cards he I went into Lauren's office and he said you can't have base and I said I only I'm only taking base but it was very I mean I think that is the highest tribute you can get as a right I can't believe we'd said Lawrence not desperate for anyone and then but Lauren literally said you can't have base and then learned it a very funny bit which is he kept naming his least favorite writers at the time and telling me I could have them which some of the I'm kidding but it was I will can't believe he knew their names I you because I will say like when Lauren is dismissive of writer it's like they die and it's like oh no you look at that you this bit only worked if you knew that actually it's worse for them than they know and he was like I've already told them so there it's on that you you they start on Monday you have a corresponds we had a bunch of us John Mulaney key player we give him a key player designation he was a key player Mulaney wrote one of my favorite jokes you didn't do won't age well we it was when drones first became known yeah Obama uses drones if you don't know what drones are drones are the street gang that Joe Lieberman was a member of in the 50s some variation on that the we worked very hard on that yes well that's what I want to say about you which is for for a former procrastinator if anybody ever even insinuates anything negative about you I am it's like you want to talk about fucking values you want to talk about comedy values you fucking write your ass off and you wrote I can see Russia from my out you wrote like the you wrote a lot of famous sketches and that's just as a writer plus all the shit you've done correspondence center how many episodes of whatever a thousand 1400 plus yeah golden gloves and very happy golden glow yeah golden glow we had a sb you know there was a time where the sb's was a a really fucking kickass a word show to do it was fun and we got to do sketches yeah that's the only time you've ever gotten mad at me was I direct we couldn't do it a certain way you didn't know that you got mad at me because I didn't tell you it was a thing about moving moving the moving the chains it was it's something the script change and I'd like just didn't tell you when you were mad I get I should say the the time where I'm I get most likely to be mad is like out of my element where I have to perform right you know where I have to like be on camera because I'm already so because I will say I've never fully rebounded from those years of yeah you know and so when it's my I mean again I feel when I walk on a stage tell jokes I'm like good there but like it's like shoot a promo for a thing it's like well it's also weird that you're you are better at update correspondence dinner espies late night talk show hosts then I'm sorry Fred will you know what I mean like then those guys who are fucking outstanding at the thing they do right and that is you're better at late night then then Sedeke is probably would have been but you know what he's better at ten lasso be a goldfish Sam yeah there is um there is that thing that I I do think comes with like the wisdom of doing this for a while is seeding away the things you're not good at like don't try to hold on to a little piece of something that you're you know you can't break the top 50 it's also yeah what am I going to be the best it's like what I did but stand up where it's like all right I'm not going to be like the there are guys that are better at that but I can figure out a niche that's like oh yeah yeah like and then it's you become that thing and that matters and that has value and again being yeah being the best that a at a a sort of like I don't know curated thing is so much better than being you know the hundredth what can I come in first in what can you come in first in meaning that's the question that you have to ask right or at least you know no I'm asking you now no but yeah like what can I make a sign it what it I can be an also ran as a sketch guy or I can be because at the end of the day it requires a level of humility yeah and a level of like honesty with yourself yeah and it does help to if you can genuinely enjoy watching other people be great at something because you that also helps you know you can't do it right like oh man right like it's not like it was easy for Bill or Andy or Jason I watched how they were funny because the hater now is like oh I had panic attacks every buddy fucking made it look easy on TV yeah and then that's the thing where you you just is that we especially watching they who you see how hard it is and then they when the camera rolls they crush it you're like oh I'm not I'm not even close to this yeah but it's nice to be somewhere where you feel you belong and I I am very I feel like I'm very grateful for that because I know a lot of people in show business don't end up there well yeah it's a weird it's a I was talking to somebody yesterday it's a lot of people don't even know what they want to in life they don't career vocation fan like and to be able to do it and succeed at it but I also the point I want to make with you is like use fucking struggled yeah it wasn't it it sounds like easy but I but oh to oh three oh for like it was not I mean it's that awful feel where you just feel nobody cares how badly you want it nobody cares how hurt you'll be if it gets taken away I'm not saying there unsympathetic I do feel like I don't think but even that thing of like I today I don't care how much people want yeah I don't care what I mean is the audience a comedy audience care much you want it and they don't you know ultimately if like they given the choice of you know watching a sketch performer they don't love and they're six season or finding out what the new thing is like they'll choose the new thing every time as they should but one of my other favorite shoemakers as far as wanting something I remember maybe my third year in the show there was a sketch we done once it's gone pretty well a little that'll move the chains I think people argue but it did well at the table I between sorry after the table you you find out what you know gets picked what doesn't and it hadn't gotten picked and have somebody like shoemaker that I could go complain to because a lot of people didn't have that and I could go complain to him as much as a friend as someone who is in the room and I just sort of went in and very sullenly flopped on the couch and he said what's wrong and again he's been nothing but patient with me for the past 20 plus years and he's very loving and you like I said doesn't lose temper his salt he's like just the salt to the earth yeah and also like incredibly seasoned like going on almost 40 years in the SNL and started the part like started as a script PA so he's seen it from every angle and so he said what's wrong and I said I just I just really wanted to do that one and instead of empathy he said oh you really wanted I'm no one in the room had any idea let me call Lorne because maybe he'll change his mind if he knows you really all right she's by the way cut to you and me talking six years later you're the head writer and you needed somebody to cut a joke in a sketch and they were like oh we really like that joke and we're like did you like it did you like that joke I bet you did the audience didn't like it yeah fucking cut it because we don't have time for that part of the sketch of the show but like well we like so we like it that's our favorite part oh we love that part well you can it's good news it was on they printed it out and everything there's a cue card you can bring it home because we're not using it today absolutely I'll get it in a frame I'll get you the tape it's also it was also funny seeing you go from being whatever talent to like more of a manager and I remember when when you it was odd it was summer of auditions and like the the you had to let people know by noon the next day and and I remember you were like yeah I remember sweating about this but now that I'm on the other side I'm like let's wait till 1159 tomorrow to decide you just go like oh what's gonna benefit me what's the but like why would I care and that's how life is I will say one of the great Lauren let me tell a few people I got hired and that was one my favorite things I ever got to do he telling like he'd be like why don't you tell him and it was the best he let me pick as pick the sketches pick the order the sketch on the show that's great I mean that's some real like standing in front of that wall yeah that's a famous wall it's a famous well I didn't know you weren't supposed to touch it yeah I thought on I didn't know only he touched it and then I started touching it and everybody's kind of weirded out and then I remember once a host which is Lawrence very again people I think underestimated how his personality is so perfect for that job like he again doesn't lose his temper certainly not with a host right now and some hosts kind of come looking for a fight a little bit weirdly which is strange and I remember I was coming in between dress and air and looking at the board in the order and being like and this is what you're going with and learn was like that's what we're going with and it was like we were all like who because like for Lauren that was you know this is confronted confronting yeah okay so how would you say you've grown we didn't really cover family at all meaning I know they're great yeah so what if as a father the who were you when you started and who are you now that's a good question I don't know you know they I will say the fact that there's and I know this is not that impressive to a Brennan but the fact that there's three of them now it does feel like a crew in a way that's really fun it is that's a crew that's like crew eight for in the seventies and and it's just they're such good company and again you just give them room to be themselves and then enjoy the show right if you keep them fed and you keep them safe and you do the things that are necessary for them to thrive and be healthy the rest of it you just realize how much of it as they get older the choices they make and you just support their uniqueness and they're very different and yet they're also very much the Meyers kids and I love that part of it it's great and it's as good as advertised yeah it's as good as advertised it's like if they can because they're not good all the time but they're the moments they're good are so sustainable more than any sort of professional success or or any I don't know interaction you have with other people like when they when you have a genuinely good moment with a kid like it's like just feels like like resets everything negative for like a 24-hour period somebody said it's like the love he always wanted is from his kid and was like huh I I feel like I do something I think it's a great mother's day present which is I over the course of a year lingerie I write down every funny thing my kids say and then I type it up like on a type writer great my wife and like it's begins the list gets longer because they're just older and they say funnier things and so it's like you should slip in is this is the devil's playground you know what I should slip in is like one negative thing about my wife to see if are they all think she's heard some she's heard some like cause some I don't tell her everything and but like I just on my phone I have like a file of like funny things you ever say to the kid like don't repeat that to you know that some are really get this is a very and I mean this is one of my wife's all-time favorite which is I said the seven-year-old Hey let's be really nice to mommy today and he said why I'm like she's just had a really stressful week and she does so much for us and she has to take care of so many things so we should be really nice to her and he said or you could do some of that stuff I was just like fuck she's gonna like tell that to everybody the rest of her life and what's funny is I don't know if that's more Alexi or you meaning like who wrote who which yeah which brain brain which part of the spirit did the kid get that from it's true I don't know either but it is very funny that he immediately did the math and he's like I think she'd rather I don't think she wants our kindness which is a hundred percent of the case yeah but come on I can help out a little bit kids you know here's a question that I don't think you'll like or want to answer but and we'll wrap it up movie of your life who plays you and what's the arc I mean I think that you know we all we all do and he's almost important to think we're all underdogs and I'm very aware that I'm not they're way bigger underdogs in this world it's relative everything's relative but I do think like part of your drive is to think you're an underdog right like I think so it's important part of self-preservation to think that and I think there's so but at the same time I realize like you know I don't have people saw a movie of my life they'd want to see an underdog story I don't I would like but I you are yes but I yeah I mean like Michael Jordan is not an underdog but I know why he thinks he is of course that's so it's that yes it's that so I don't I don't know what the obviously written by Martin Tina Fey oh Martin McDonough Martin McDonough I would love Martin McDonough may be to have if Martin McDonough because I will say in Bruges which if you don't know much about said Myers it's he's an in Bruges Bruges he's a Bruges had Bruges had been to Bruges it traveled to Bruges took pictures talked about the movie to me endlessly and I do think I think it's a what I love about that movie is it's a really great movie about male friendship and I've had a great many female friends in my life but I think that certain male friendships the one that I've had with Shoemaker the one that I've had with old Hem Jones over there like I wasn't going to get there I'm trying to put a button I was so scared that you're going to forget about button blocks here Oh fuck buttons you do block I do I know but look at who's speaking about always one more but can I interest you go all the way to the top is that what are you say it's is it go ahead are you still making your own sure yeah this is one of the originals yeah that's great yep I mean I don't I just I've got a I've got a Brandon in my yeah I made them once they're still for sale yeah I just made them once and I have arrived I got to put them back on sale anyhow go to Neil friend dot com okay so lots of male friendship yeah so but I but I will say I have been he's really important you were because I had shoemaker first and I was just saying this to shoemaker today like at the time where I was the most full of self-doubt like I needed two sources you know the way a journalist needs to yeah sources I needed two sources to tell me it's you're better than you think it's going to be okay and I know it's weird to tell people it's going to be okay because you really don't know right but it helps I think most people wake up in the morning and move on to the next day better if someone's told them it's going to be okay and I had that with you and shoemaker and that was really important to me that was my and Bruce got a little mealy mouth they got to be honest it was I you were ready I was ready to soar the end of your the end of that statement I got mealy mouthed it just went I was waiting for like it's just like you know to me but what I'm looking for was like and because of two people I needed some I need colons I needed comma all right got you well I will just say that in my darkest time there were two lights two lights through the fall they have turning into four two little bit I know you're doing a great mistake has been made with this Obama they were Michael and they steered the ship into port and for that I am who plays you who plays Schumacher who plays I'm obviously I'm Colin Farrell he's Brendan Gleason and you can be I guess Ray Fiennes you want Ray Fiennes I guess I was thought chief Justice Sonya Sotomayor John Roberts should play Schumacher how interesting that's what he should I said Sonya Sotomayor because he went to the same high school so Cardinal Spellman in the Bronx I did a I did a charity event in the Bronx for this wonderful organization called Bronx Works and I said to Schumacher give me a joke that'll work on the Bronx and he said just say don't drive to City Island on Mother's Day and it fucking crushed and you still don't know why I my understanding there's only one road in and one road out and there's a lot of restaurants and bad traffic the Bronx native cackling in the background or a guy who's familiar with City Island or Mother's well I what blocks yeah look it's been a shit this what a was a little chop on our descent but I love you like hell I love you buddy walks box