Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - Julia Sweeney

Episode Date: August 30, 2023

Women on SNL, Pat, and religion with Julia Sweeney. *Note: this interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike took effect. 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

How long did you work with Julia Sweeney? You know, I think probably three or a whole round one. Yeah, or four. She kind of like so we had Nora done and Jan hooks and Victoria Jackson as our primary female casmillas killers and they were great and then when I think when Jan and Nora left then Julia came in and took that primary role of doing a lot of stuff with the girl trend. And the girl on the thing. She could, her range is incredible. And then we do talk about it in this podcast,

really interesting, her character, its pat about a kind of a woman that no one knows whether it's a man or a woman. This was 1991 or two, but she talks all about her reaction to that, what she feels about it. We also talk about she brings up a sketch I wrote for her. I mean, I was at a low level. And that was, Edie was shocked me,

and I did not remember, and it was great to hear. It was very real reaction for me. I always say to people, like, take away David Spade, all the fame, the bachelor at, all the shows, all the movies, all the world, Missy, he was a dandy little sketch writer. I like that, I'll take that one really. That's hard to say.

But you wrote some jokes from me once. You were my opening act, we did a little tour and I would give you subjects and you go, sure boss. And you had a pencil in your ear and a little notebook. Right away boss. Here's a joke Dana did today. Why do they call them neat freaks? Why don't you feel freak if you're neat? That's yours. Can't you just be tidy?

That you're a neat freak. I'm vacuuming. Why am I just freak? I'm not a freak. I'm just vacuuming Freak Get away from the freak Get the cat away That's Dana as new one. Here we go. Julius week. So you were saying about religion? Oh yeah. You've done two or three one woman shows based on really just one letting go of God was the yeah that's

the religion one the other ones are other things God said hot yeah I got it but yeah so you're an atheist yes although I really it sounds so negative but it's just saying yes well no because two American ears atheist sounds like I hate puppies and flowers. Yes. You know, it's not a Nazi-esque thing to it or something. Yeah, even though Nazis weren't atheists, but I, which I'm always explaining to people, okay, but anyway. Oh, well.

I mean, it can't seem Catholicism. But yeah, I, yeah, I mean, I've had a, yeah, I don't believe, I don't, let me put it this way. I don't live my life under the assumption that there is a deity watching what I do. Right. I guess that makes me an atheist. Yeah. I guess, I don't know what, I keep coming back to this like I can't comprehend infinity, that there was no beginning or end to this, whatever, why why why do things exist and when did they get here? So I keep going around with that. I did know a Jovus witness once who told me he could understand infinity

I said so you can think of a god who never was not here was always here. He looked up and he goes yeah, I got it. Yep He looked up and he goes, yeah, I got it. Yep, yep. Yeah, that me. I want to say to the record, I like puppies, and I like flowers. I think Julie, what people, it hits the ear like if you don't believe in that, then you don't believe what we believe

is that that created those things. So you're against everything. Is that kind of what the vibe is? Yeah, and it's like a very, I used to think I could, I don't know what I thought. I guess I thought, doing my show, I would change people's mind. I wasn't doing it to change people's mind.

Actually, the reason I did the show is because for me it was a huge, huge, the philosophical transformation. I wasn't particularly religious before, so it was about age 40 that this happened. Well, I was religious, I wanted to be a nun in high school, I was completely committed to Catholic, but I let it kind of go away.

And then I had a crisis in my life that made me believe more. Like I really felt, you know, I could have religious experiences. And then after that, I started trying to think, well, what was going on with those experiences? And then as I learned more and more about the brain and how we evolved, then I finally read the Bible.

And then over two years, I realized that I could explain it psychologically or naturally or I didn't need a God to explain what happened to me. And then so then I wanted that was a big dramatic change in my life and I hadn't doing these one person shows about things like that. So I thought oh that's a good challenge to kind of do a one person show about a change of mind that all the drama is all takes place in your head. And that was really hard and I didn't necessarily achieve it. I had to make stories and, you know,

like I had to conform to normal dramatic structure, but I did it. And it was probably my most popular show. And, but I wasn't thinking, I'm in a convinced people to be an atheist. It was more like- Well, I didn't have comedic tones, I'm sure. Oh, yes, it was actually, I felt defensive about it

because I felt like I was getting as many laughs per five minutes as comedians were, but because it was a difficult topic, I wasn't considered a standup, you know, like... Right. And... Well, it's a brave topic, and that's harder than standup, it's more respected in a way

to try to tackle things instead of 7-11, which I tackle. I walked about 12 minutes of it. I thought it was really charming and the way you walked yourself into it Was very disarming for the audience, but yeah, did I ever believe in a magic god and all that stuff? No I'm with you on that. I mean I never never bought it and no one bought it in the Lutheran Church even the pastors You could tell. Oh, I fully believe now that everyone, no one really believes it. I mean, like I think it's about tribalism and history

and affection for the ritual and affection for the way of life. Mm-hmm. And so it almost is like it was useless to try to argue rationally with someone about it. It is an irrational choice. It's usually you're born into it or you have an emotional thing that makes you join something because it helps your life. And you know, I don't care.

That's fine with me. With people like, I'm not, you know, so. I went back to the Catholic church with my wife and I found it just interesting because they were talking about Pontius Pilate and stuff, you know, and it's like, wow, they're still doing it. It was like, it'd be going back in time. But I'm still doing these bits. Yeah. But I don't say the whole material.

David, David, I mean, yeah. Now I kind of as a hobby follow these right wing Catholics, it's interesting. Right wing. Okay. Oh yeah, there's a huge schism coming and the church I think. Oh that makes sense. I... There's the Latin masters and they're the people who are with Pope Benedict and not with Pope Francis and they think Francis is the anti-Pope. You said Pope Benedict or Pope one of the good night. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've canceled every. Good night. Sorry, okay. Anyway, I canceled, I'm sorry. I've canceled every five minutes. I liked that one.

I just made it up. I just made it up. Anyway, we talk about your other supernatural experience, meeting David Spade in 19... Ah! That's cool. Yeah. When you got my question for Julia is,

and then we're gonna get to me and Julia, of course. When she, I think you came from groundlings, so when there, when that happens, and you can explain how it happens, is there any jealousy when someone gets plucked out of groundlings? Well, it's so funny. I think I was so naive.

I didn't think anyone was jealous of me, and I wasn't jealous of other people, but now I understand that most people get really jealous of those things. I mean, so I was just kind of oblivious about it towards me, and the people who got on before me, like Phil Hartman and John Loveitz, who I only didn't know well, but I knew Phil a lot better than John, but I didn't feel jealous. I just thought, wow, that's so exciting. You know, like I didn't,

but there's something wrong with me that I don't feel that way. I actually don't feel that way. I don't feel it. I don't feel it. I know it's a nice innocence that you might, you learn later like, oh shit, they're mad at me because of this.

Or I started to feel those tingles of jealousy to SNL to be honest and. Oh, and SNL have a different of getting on it. Yeah. Well, groundlings, everyone's good too, you know, but SNL is just a whole other level like going from college probably to. Oh, yeah. I mean, my experience with the groundlings was all for one and one for all. And if someone gets in there, we're all happy. And then at SNL, it took me a long time to understand how to be competitive. You know, like, I didn't, it was really, I was really kind of a lamb fed to the sharks

in certain ways, but I did adapt. Yeah. Melanie, Melanie, how so we talked with recently and she talked about her. And she's so sweet and so Southern. And she talked about that. The different, the stand-ups were kind of trained to kill, and destroy, and elbow out.

Right. And seem like the rallies were sweeter and nicer overall. Oh, wait. I mean, I'm sure I was naive. And I was, and frankly, I was succeeding so much. I didn't know. That sounds arrogant to say. But at that moment, I was succeeding enough much I didn't know. That sounds arrogant to say, but at that moment, I was succeeding enough that I didn't have any awareness of the competitiveness of it.

I was just thought we were all doing it. But then when I got to SNL, well, actually, and I feel like I had mostly a really good experience there, but now that I'm only, and I look back, I think I really didn't understand what was going on. I didn't understand how hard you had to compete. I thought we were all just going to look out for each other. Yeah. When Nora and Jan left and you came in,

it seemed like you had a lot of, you were very active initially. You were doing stuff like that. Before I was beaten down. Well, you became the go-to I saw a utility. You were pushed in every sketch in a sense. You wouldn't feel I had that sort of

a lot of sketches together, right? And you were very active your first year. I mean, you was with Jan was mostly his wife, but I was like, I was the beat team wife. But then Jan left the show and there you were, and then you came in, yeah, he were the alternative wife. Did you and Jan overlap a year and

maybe one year, okay? A year, yeah. And Nora not at all. No, because I think I replaced her. Oh, shea's to route is what we call it. There was several shows.. Sharp elbow got some sharp elbow. Sweety. Yeah. Play it. But it's a good SNL book title. Yes. Sharp elbows. Well, yeah, Julia. So you come in. You get plucked from the groundlings. Was it anyone else with you?

Or was Phil and John already there? But you got plucked solo. Yeah. And you know, it was between me and Lisa Kudrow. Oh, really? And when I got it, I thought, you know, I hope Lisa gets something. Oh, what is she ever? She deserves success like me.

Yeah, plus her heart. I hope she, you go, I hope one day she makes 10 million dollars. Some days she gets on a show. You know, because she, you know what? She deserves it. You know what's funny? I'm not saying, if there was room for two women and I'm saying back then it was probably a lot tougher

where they wouldn't even consider that. But you and Lisa would have been such a good boy. Oh yeah, I mean, it was wonderful. I mean, so I mean, it was, I kind of bought into that culture too. Like you have three women and seven to 10 guys. And that's how it is. That's way too many women.

That's right. Yeah, it was a good ratio. 12 guys and three women, seven to ten guys. That's great. That's right. Yeah, it was a good ratio. Twelve guys and three women. I really enjoyed that. In fairness, it was true that there was talk about not enough for the women. And it was true. And it's very, I think nowadays, they're more cognizant of it because there's a lot of great women have come through there Yeah, I think I think you pay it away also changed everything. I think she revolutionized us now

Yeah, and doing update and writing and bringing women in and yeah and pointing out that there's no reason not to have the women that If all the sketches are so male focused that there's only women as weird archetypes in male focused that there's only women as weird archetypes and sketches here and there, it's like, you're never going to get the women used. You have to really change your whole point of view. And I don't, I wasn't there, but, and I don't even know Tina Fey, but I, I sense that there was a huge revolution took place. That was a good one. You know, it's funny when Tina was there. That was, that sounds crazy. That might have been the first time when there's like a sketch with all women.

Yeah. Where people would be like, what? Well, she wrote about that in her book. I mean, not about the sketch, but just about why you couldn't have a whole sketch group that was all women. Or like, why can't, why wouldn't you be able to think of a lot of sketches for a lot of women that didn't happen to have a man in it?

You know, like, and, and it. And I had that prejudice myself. Like, I really thought, oh yeah, you think of something for a guy to do. And then you think how you could come in. It took a long time for me to see how much the sexism was even in myself. Yeah. That was sort of the way it was.

We were all there around the same time. And I remember it was just the way it was thought, good or bad, it was just the way it was thought. Yeah, it's amazing how you don't even question certain things. Like I thought of myself as a liberated progressive person. And yet I didn't, I thought, oh yeah, we'll always be three women and 10 guys. Well, also the Sarah Palin came in as a vice presidential candidate.

So that was, and then Hillary later, so that gave two political parts that were, you know, I don't know who you could do back then, really. I mean, Senator Feinstein, she was there. Oh, you did Chelsea. Did it say that she had that rub somebody wrong? Yeah, Hillary. Oh, you did Chelsea. Did it say that you did she had that rub somebody wrong? Yeah Hillary Chelsea Clinton and then people were saying how unattractively I was playing Chelsea and all I did And put braces on

I was like if you see that you're saying I'mive, like, which maybe that's so, but it's like, that's like, I wasn't trying to learn unattractive. With all that prosthetics, you made it look horrible, you're like, I just went, I just watched my face and then I walked in and I'm like, Yeah, I just didn't wear makeup and put on braces. That was it in a wig, a long wig, you have curly wig. But anyway, but I understood what Hillary was saying,

especially now that I'm a parent. Sure. Like, it's like, yeah a long wig, you know, curly wig. But anyway, but I understood what Hillary was saying, especially now that I'm a parent. Like it's like, yeah, fuck off, you know? I mean, don't play kids. I mean, that was wrong. She was right. That was wrong. What about when Farley played? The show apology.

Who was the mayor or was it? Who's kid did Farley play? They played him like such a moron jumping all over all over his dad and while he's giving his speech, do you remember anything? Oh yeah. Was it Phil? Was it Giuliani? I can't remember.

Giuliani's. Yeah, it was Giuliani's 10-year-old boy, Andrew. Yeah, and he would just wear a suit and grab and eat hamburgers. Yeah, if I would have been furious, of course, if you had to watch that as your own kid. Yeah. We did a lot of things that we couldn't do now. You know I was in Lyle, Pullup, The Affeminate, Herodosexual. I know but I can't people mention that to me so often. I mean people love that. That describes the type of person and behavior that is recognizable that hadn't been labeled yet.

I mean, like that was, at least in a pop culture sense. So I feel like that. And I think that's true. That is true. There are people who are feminine and heterosexual, who are men. That's a true thing. I mean, like, I don't think you slow it down.

It sounds better. I don't see how people could be offended by it. Well, what I found out later that, I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it.

I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it.

I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. I don't even know how to do it. And why does he think that being a feminine mannerism is pejorative towards a gay person?

I mean, like, it goes both ways, you're right. You know, like, I guess, I don't, yeah, I find it hard to understand some of the stuff that people object to, but anyway. I'm with you. We're comedians and we're not very offendable and we want to say the thing you're not supposed to say. It's just instinctual to do the thing you're not supposed to do. And so we're not normal. And then, but that one I couldn't do today and I did an Asian character too.

Waking our making our way to a character called Pat too, which is his had a resurgence in notoriety you know, the last few years. I mean, there's been a lot of talk about your way ahead of the game on that. Or behind. That's right. I, yeah. I mean, the thing for me is that I was not the joke was mostly about the people who were a round pat who were so flamicked, who wereso freaked out, which I thought was Christine and I at

the beginning, because we wrote all those sketches together. Zander. Oh, Christine Zander is we said at the beginning, the jokes are not on Pat, except that Pat looks weird and drools and is annoying. It's not because people aren't going to at Pat for Pat's and Drogyny. What we're laughing at is the people around Pat. How do we ask that? And that Pat's and Drogynist.

So to me, it makes them frustrated. Yeah, and so, but that's a subtle comedy thing, you know, that people. Yeah, there's people. Yeah, there's a lot of people have sat by Pat. And it's, you know, and the the truth is I wasn't thinking of and Dr. Jans people as an SNL audience, you know what I mean? I was doing a character like we're laughing at this idea If I if I thought the audience was filled with and Dr. Jans people I probably would have played it a little differently You know what I mean like we didn't think of those people as our audience. But now you would. Now you would.

You would be aware of them. But then to me, to me, the character forget that it's Pat and no one knows whether it's a man or a woman is just a funny character. Yeah. That's what I mean. It the way she moved, the way she talked. It was just a funny character. Goofy.

I guess if I did it again, I would make Pat more enigmatic and make it clearer that it was about the other people in not Pat. Almost more Charlie Chaplin asked, like just people not talking much, just about everyone else's reactions. But anyway, no one's asking me to do that. So, no. It's never too late for a Pat to a pat to, you know, I think it's time for

another one. We do it for eight million at Warner's. Oh, wait, I love it. I was going to I was going to New York and I was going to go to SNL and bring my daughter who hadn't gone. I guess we've gone twice in her life, but this was one of those times. The Supreme Court had just had a case where they had brought up Pat at the Supreme Court during the case. And Alito didn't know who Pat was, and then there were these jokes about it. And Lauren and I had been emailing each other for something else. I think I had to get permission for something. Anyway, we had had this email and I and either here, I was like, oh, it's not funny that the Supreme Court joked about Pat and who on the Supreme Court knew who Pat was or whatever. And then he said, when you come

to the show next week, bring your Pat outfit with you to New York, because maybe, you know, I don't know who knows, you know, maybe we'll do something out of the spring court thing. But then the actual act of the sad fact of me, you know, like it 58, not it really packing my pad outfit in a suitcase and bring it hoping, hoping that maybe we do a pass, like it was really, and of course, no one even mentioned it. And the whole, like I had to bring the fucking pass out. And it was such an offhand comment. And then I took it, I shouldn't have, oh God, every time it's on a hanger, did you show

up with it on a hanger? I don't know what, here's my outfit. Yeah. It's really funny. So is it a coat of clothing or is it an update piece, and everyone's like, is what? No, no one even mentioned it. And then it was like in front of my husband and daughter,

which we all just took care of. It's like, no, I have to check my pants. Ah. And then it's like, oh well, I guess I, I really didn't need them. How come, how come church lady never got together with Pat? Why was Pat not on church chat? That's, he's like, I know we shouldn't have done that.

God, I always travel with my Tom Petty hat. He didn't remember where I go. He didn't remember the mutton chops, right? Yeah. Pork chops, yeah, the pork chops on the side. You know, you never know when someone's gonna want it at a birthday party or something. Oh my God.

know when someone is going to want it at a birthday party or something. When you came on, you, um, when you started, I started for four weeks of the end of a season with Schneider. And then I think you started with rock and Farley. That that that was there. I came and visited the show when he did his Patrick's Wazy sketch. Oh, I got a set show from the audience, but I wasn't on the show yet. So you came in mid season probably, right? Well, no, it was just, I think it was the next episode.

Oh, okay. Maybe I knew I was gonna start, but I wasn't in that episode. Yeah, I came the week before to look at a show they said, want you come early. And I think that may be what they do to us. But and you watch it going, oh my God, I'm going to be part of this shit. It's moving so fast. I have no idea what's going on. I think it's scary watching a practice show, knowing, projecting yourself out there a week later. How will I be out there? But you guys are you're because you see, to me, it wasn't, but it wasn't scary

to me, but that's not saying that it shouldn't have been scary, but I think because of doing sketches at the groundlings, like, it was just like, I was in so many sketches and you had to learn, it was very similar to being at the ground. Yeah, yeah, you're right. That's right. That's different for me and Dana, because we, so it didn't seem scary. I just, I actually had the opposite. Like I thought, as I watched it, I thought,

oh, I can do this, I can do this. Oh, good, yeah. Wow. So you come in and you see all of us, so Phil, you knew, and you have great admiration for Phil, and you guys were good. He did my teacher at- Oh, teacher.

Yeah. God, who's better to teach? He's so good. Oh my God. No, he changed my life with his teaching He was such a he could really not very many comedians can explain why they're funny and how they do it and He could you know Funny thing about Phil sing around the office is how Dana knows him way better

But how unassuming and how Ego less and he's always thinking about other things at work when I'm only thinking about SNL, but he's so good, he would be like, yeah, Michael fishing this weekend or hey, and then you think, how are you thinking of one other thing? This is driving me mental to try to, but he's just right. I just remember how organized he was. He had his folder, all the sketches, all the lines. He really made sure he knew his lines. Oh, he's so good. Yeah. He took it so seriously. Yeah. And then he was, he was so disciplined around it. And then he would have a popular mechanics

or some kind of motorboat today magazine. Yeah, he'd be looking at a schematics of an Evan route. And then he'd put it down and then he'd go in a rehearsal scene, nail it perfect, go back out. I think he had that red hardcovered, it says 7-in-l live in the corner in that circle. And then it was like a red hard notebook and you'd open it up three ring binder and you put you. That's right. Yeah. I'd put my two pages of script for that week in there and open

up my update. It's a consistent theme with David. He had a rough time. I keep saying it. And then so you got along pretty much like you knew what we refered first thoughts of like an Adam or something. What's my first thought about what? About like Sandler or Farley. Sandler came a little later I think. Oh right. Yeah, I think he wasn't there right away. Ellen Clegghorn was with you. Yeah. wasn't there right away. Ellen Kleghorn was with you. Yeah. Shafon Fallon. Yeah. I love Shafon. Melanie Hutsle and Beth. Beth for each season. Beth K Hill. Yeah. Those were kind of your primer. Yeah, I didn't really know Beth very well. Um, they were,

she was just there for one year. But, um, yeah, I mean, it was exciting. I mean, of course, it was the most exciting thing. You're at the center of the universe and you're at the top of what you would want to be for your, you know, your skillset. I mean, like, it's the best. I mean, it was the greatest, most thrilling thing. I would say it was completely great till the last year. And at first I...

What happened the last year? What are you going to give me? Well, I, for one thing, the sketches changed. They were more bros sketches. And who would be doing that? I was there was no place for me in those sketches. I mean, like there was no, and I wasn't getting my own stuff on, and no one was casting me.

And Christine had left. That was the big thing. So we had written together every week, and she'd gone to work on third rock from the Sun and I just was lost without her frankly and and I felt like the sketches were more I remember something. I mean this might it was kind of terrible There was some sketch where they had to have a beautiful woman and And I was listening to everyone talk about how none of the women

who were on the show could be a beautiful woman. And they had to bring in a model because there was literally no one there that even with makeup and everything who could pass as sexual. Like, and so, and then I was like, I'm oh my god really have I mean not that I would have necessarily been that choice anyway but it's like that point of you there was just was no room for me now looking back I think I should have pushed harder of my own comedy and I should have you know should have what it could have let everybody does but well Zander and the turners who,

if people listening, Bonnie and Terry Turner were great writers together, Christine Zander was wonderful. So, so having them in your corner or at least a piece of it or something, it really takes a chunk of way and you need every piece to keep going. And if you have a little bit slipping,

and I knew it would be harder, but I didn't know it would be devastating. You know, I didn't know that it would be. I thought bottom would drop out. Yeah, the bottom really seemed to drop out. And so there were for the first time there were sketches. I have shows I wasn't even in it. You know, like, and, um, yeah, that was hard.

It was really hard. I could hardly wait to leave at the end of that year. But up until then, though, it was fantastic. Yeah, that was hard. It was really hard. I could hardly wait to leave at the end of that year. But up until then though, it was fantastic. I mean, it really was very exciting. Yeah, it seemed like you I was there three three years with you. And it's the same like you were really, really active in the show. Yeah. And I think that was a big part was my youth flintusy awesome. And also Christian in your, yeah, Christine, who wrote the reconciliation sketch? It was such a sort of, that actually I had written that sketch. Well, Christine and I wrote it together. But I had had the idea and done a kind of early form of that sketch.

Do you want to describe what it was? Well, it was, now I'm thinking, is that really true? Well, it's the one with Alec Baldwin plays the handsome priest. It was Alec Baldwin came on and he's so handsome. And you know, he's just, he's like, he's one of those guys who's handsome and funny, as you know, Bubblebubble. And I was telling Christine that in my Catholic high school, they had changed confession and now called it reconciliation and you looked at the priest in a room instead of going to a confessional

And that at our high school I went to an all-girls Catholic high school and the priest was father bully and he was so handsome that people would get so distracted telling them their sins That's funny. They couldn't like he was so handsome father Baldwin and then I would go in and start flirting with the priest and then it was creepy and I. And that I would start making up sins just to stay in the confessional, you know, like just so we could keep this conversation going. Yeah. And so we wrote that with an Alec came in and wrote it with us. I mean, at least parts of it with us.

And God, that was really fun. It was so much fun. Very, very funny. that was really fun. It was so much fun. It was very, very funny. He was perfect casting. And then you played it beautifully. I mean, it's just one of those things. And then the best thing about that, we had written a line at the end where,

because I'm like, I cheated on my diet. And he's like, well, that's not really a sin. And I'm like, oh, and then he goes back. But I know, I know what it's like to, you know, try to be going to diet What did you cheat with and I go away ate a whole box of Oreos and he says oh do you like to unscrew it and Eat out the creamy center or something like that and then the Spandards and practices like you can't say eat out the creamy center. We suggest you say

Lick out the cream They always get it more pornographic. It's so funny. Every time. Classic. Okay. Really? Wow. Good.

Can you say go down on the Oreo? I think that would be better. Yeah. Exactly. I, this is just a Catholic 20-second story. My wife and I were married in a Catholic church. The priest, we went to dinner with him this and that. They usually have a few pops, you know what I mean?

And my wife, drinks. Very pretty. 23 at the time gets up, goes to the bathroom where they're tight jeans. He looks and says, if you don't marry or I will, that was the priest. Good night.

That's all I got. David. Julia, were you there when Alec, I'm just looking at your thing where it says you're a you brought up Alec and then yeah, it says she demonstrated an early talent from mimicry. What is that? Is that like an IMDV or something? And character that awesome. A love and a character.

I did it. I was not good at mimicry and people who are often, you know, assigning me famous people to play. And I feel like I really was like, see, see minus at that. Like, it feels like more special skills at the bottom. I heard you're good at mimicry.

And you're like, you're a mimic in third grade. Do you remember Dana? I don't think Julie was ever, Alex first show was my like third one. And he did a sketch called the mimic and unless he did it later. Oh, I think no, no, I think he had done it when he came, he had already done that. This is stupid sketch and he was so funny,

he goes the mimic and he pick up a phone and go, hello, because he can do anything and then he was like kind of bad at all of them and because he actually is good at all these accents and stuff but they just,, he dressed all black. The midnight. Well, the class it was Frank Gorshwin. He was a brilliant impressionist

on Ed Sullivan in the 60s. And he would do the classic turn away from the camera and kind of close his hair up and then come back. Which is like, look at me now, you know. Oh, it's so like that. I like that kind of impression. Oh, yeah. that. I like that kind of impression. Yeah, we can do voices. So, Deena, do you live in LA now, not in Mill Valley anymore?

I was just in Mill Valley. The actual address is, no. Yeah, I was just there. We have the 1912 haunted house up there, and I've experienced, I don't know if I believe it, but Poltergeist up there. What? And I told Dan Acroix about it,

and he says I gotta get someone in there and check it out. It's in one particular bedroom. I'll answer that, and at night, I would hear white noise, because my son had moved out of that bedroom and moved in with his brother, because he felt, and I would hear white noise, because there was a portable radio there, so I would walk in and then the white noise would stop. All that, okay, it's actually, I'm kind of, I just, I was, you're interested.

I don't necessarily believe in it. I've had the nightmare where you feel of a pressure on your chest, even though you're in a waking dream state. And that made me leave the San Yucidro hotel one night with my wife at three in the morning. I woke her up and said, we have to go now because I felt the pressure on my chest

when I'm sleeping and bouncing up and down on me, and then I went and used the bathroom, but okay, that's a, I was dreaming. Then I would laid back down and I felt like I was awake as I am right now, and then massive pressure that felt angry pushing down on me, and I was just couldn't move, and then it reduced me. Did it have heart issues?

Like, isn't that like a physical explanation for that? I had seven stents in a botched bypass 25 years ago. Look at me now. Those are my issues. Let me charge. No, but I mean, there's, I mean, there's always a natural explanation. Oh, by the way, Julia, I know a paranormal bunker.

They should meet your debunker. Dana, I get scared at my house, because I just moved and I don't want to hear that story because I hear like clicking in the house, settling in quotes, but it's like, and Julia will say it's a house settling, which I say because I can't in the middle of night when it's dead silent, you're so scared. You're like, I have to think of a reason

what's going on, because it's always scary. But I haven't felt pressure or anything like that. I would fucking freak out. Oh, I remember that. Since I became a person who doesn't believe in supernatural, I'm like that. Exactly. Us, yeah.

I never get scared. I mean, I get scared when I think there's a reasonable chance that something's truly wrong. But that kind of stuff, I just think there's some things making the sound. Yeah, I'm so... I'm not frightened at all, because I never got hurt. It just flipped me out the first time, but I don't know if I said this, but I, Mike Myers, who kind of read the encyclopedias of five-year-old, you know, Nightmare is from the word, you

know, it's some medieval Latin prefix for a mayor, and I eat a horse feels like it's laying on top you and it's just a waking dream state. I read about it in the New York Times. The brain disconnects David, you're fine. I mean, you've in cone heads. No, we, we, we, you were in cone heads, weren't you? That was sort of a sign. What was, wasn't it or no? You weren't in cone heads. Well, I remember thinking I'm playing the principal

and Chris Farley's playing a high school student and we're only like four years of part in age. That does you a lot of times. So good. Yeah, that was fun. I don't remember that much about it. I mean, I, I was in it too. Believe me, we were all in it. I think, I think Lauren just said, David, you'll be reporting to coneheads. I was like, oh, yes. Yeah, I think it was something like it was like you just

were told that you were going, but David, you know what I remember is that sketch you wrote not necessarily for me, but I got to be the main comedy driver of it. I always bring that up in the sketch. Remember the sketch where I go on the date, and I just keep ordering expensive food, and then I start talking about how I'm not going to put out. I'm trying to push me towards the more cheap, the cheaper food. Do you remember that? I don't. That's hilarious.

No, and you came to me and said, I have this idea for you. I'm going to write this sketch, and it was, wow. I'm forgetting who the guy was. But it was a some handsome guy and I'm just and the whole thing was like me like, I'm happy to go in the state. Oh lobster and stick. That's what I'm going to get. And

then it's like, I just want to tell you that I don't ever have sex with anyone. And then it kind of goes. I mean, it wasn't that obvious, but it was really well written. And when people say those guys at SNL, they were so, you know, together and not, you know, really into the women that much, I say, David's paid, wrote a sketch for me. That was one

of the best things I ever did. That's so great. I love it. And he wasn't even in it. He just wrote it. You know, like, I can't believe it. Yeah. It was a very loving thing to do. I don't know how much it meant about me, but I took it at the very end. Well, you first probably put some great, because you'd write, I know you're good. I knew you're good. And it's fun to have a sketch

and you probably had the host in there, but when you get the funny parts, because it's really hard to do. Yeah, I mean, because usually you're not getting to be the driver of the comedy. And you, and that this character was, I mean, it was really the host was kind of just reacting to me. And you had just written it.

And it was just the most wonderful gift. I mean, it was just an incredible thing. I, and I bring that up at least once a month. I'm telling people that. And David's face and David doesn't remember. I said, that's the most baffling part. I've got the sketches I wrote. I didn't write that many. That's crazy. Yeah. most baffling part. I have the sketches I wrote. I didn't write that many.

That's crazy. Well, thank you. And I'm glad you did it. And I'm glad you remember it and say it. That's great. I don't want to talk about me forever, which I put I like. If you want to talk about not many people,

this will go full circle, got a movie out of a character. Like, and you did. There was no church lady movie. There was a steward small movie. There was a Pat movie in the 90s, when anybody else of a character, I think those were the two.

Those two should have been in the movie together. They would have been great. I know it. That was so fast. But is that a bittersweet memory? Yeah, definitely. It's a good one. Yeah, definitely.

I had such a good time making it. We didn't know what we were doing. I didn't do it with Lauren. I didn't understand the politics. He wanted to do it, but then I didn't even know. Didn't the own the character? No, I was one of the people. When I came in, my lawyer got me to own panel.

Oh, okay. It didn't matter. I mean, it didn't matter. And the matter. So you all didn't did it outside the system in a way. So I could have, because I had done that character at the groundlings, I don't know why, anyway. So he did, so it was my choice.

And I think I made a dumb choice not to have learned to be the producer of it, because all kinds of awful things happened. Aside from the fact that we didn't write a good script, I mean, like, you know, so I don't know. It was, it was really fun to, to do it. And it was really fun to make it. Oh my god, it was so much fun. And I learned so much. And then it was really a big bomb. And, but I always felt grateful for it. And I am, I wrote to Eisner afterwards and said,

how I know I made it. I know I just wasted $8 million of your money. But I learned so much and had a great time. And I know that shouldn't compensate for it because that's a lot of money. But I just want to say everything about it was really great. And thank you. I'll never forget that, obviously.

And then he sent that letter around Disney. Because I was like, here's somebody who's grateful for failing. Yeah. Well, you know, Julia, I did that with a movie once and I think that's so cool you did that. I felt so bad after a movie. I called the guy and said, I appreciate you doing it. I'm just so sorry. I didn't do what you wanted and kind of thing.

And I don't think you wrote me back. But I do think for myself, I felt like I mean, you realize, like now, of course, everything's so different now. But I, I don't know how I would have done it differently. And maybe I wasn't really up to the task of turning that into something successful, but it wasn't. And, and, you know, yeah, but I got the chance. I mean, I got the chance. But Julie, is it hard to take a sketch? I'm sorry, I did. But you know, that's the best.

Take a sketch. Difficult. And, and you've done a sketch, and you feel like a lot of the good jokes is the reason the sketch is doing well. And then you're not really starting from scratch, but to fill the whole movie. Yeah, no, I think it is.

I mean, actually, it wasn't until late, I didn't watch all the Charlie Chaplin movies till much later in my life. And when I watched them, I realized, not the Pat is the character Pat, is anything like the Charlie Chaplin character. But the way he was enigmatic and let everyone else be reacting to him while he was doing physical things would have been the way to I think it could have succeeded.

But I didn't know enough to know. I was in some very shitty movies, but I never felt like I was driving the boat. But I do think that funny with the sound off, like if the sound broke on a Pat movie, it would be nice to think it could still work. But to solve that dilemma, especially Stuart Smolley, these are quirky characters, they're not, I mean, I think Wayne and Garth just follow Bill and Ted, and they're like dudes, you know, party on.

They're very accessible. And to make Pat, yeah, it'd be a challenge because such an eccentric character But well, and it's funny it's audio it's sort of like a more for adults and Waiting Garth could be for adults or kids, you know They can get into it too Cuz it's like very but you know Stuart Smiley I watched I did I when I lived in Chicago for 10 years and I was helping to teach at the Herald Rame's Film School, they have this film program that I was teaching, I was really not teaching.

It was a friend of mine teaching it, but I kind of helped for one semester. And we were watching some Herald Rame's movies and he directed Stuart Smalley. And so we watched it and you know what, I liked it. I thought it was a successful film. I you know I mean it was it's it's a really quirky movie but I was really unlike Pat when I watched the Pat we was like yeah this doesn't work. I mean this really didn't work but Stewart Smalley I thought works. Yeah I mean the Harold Ramos is so talented. I think talking to Al Franken, I think he's going on Fallon soon, and I told him he should do Stuart Smiley,

for the young audience and hold Jimmy's hand, make it all about Jimmy, good enough, strong enough, that kind of thing. Oh my God, I almost canceled myself, except that no cares if I'm canceled. Because after Al Franken's debacle and demise from the Senate, I was so angry and upset. I was so angry I couldn't sleep for a month.

I was so angry. And then I wrote a one person show about it and did it for like five Saturdays at the Groundlings Small Theater until people came up and said Julia, first of all, this isn't even funny in any way. It was just me. I was, all I did, I went through all the allegations.

Alligation number four. You know, like I was crazed with anger at how the Me Too movement had been twisted up in the worst possible way to go after this great guy, in my opinion. And complete. I was so angry, you guys. And then I had somebody come and say, you know, you'll never work again if you open this show because it's really just even though I'm a Me Too supporter, but when it came to Al Franken, I just could see how that all that shit went down and it was bullshit. And it was, and then people weren't talking to me. And then I finally just dropped it because I couldn't make it entertaining enough. It really was a show of me for 90 minutes talking about each allegation against African

and why and my bulletin board and this and why and why and why and, um, and I had to stop it. I think that's when I really had, went on the other side of the culture, because I felt like, okay, this, I'm so angry about this. It's so unfair. And yet, the culture is, you know, I'm not, I can't influence the culture, and I'm just going to wreck my own career and health over it. So I kind of just dropped it. And then I also realized I didn't really have the standing for anyone to care about it, you know, what I thought about it.

So I couldn't really even help him. And then later, I finally saw El Franken. And then I realized he didn't really care if I was doing that either. I was like, I've just been doing a one person show about you. And he's like, oh, thanks. I don't have to. It's kind of scary because anybody, if someone from high school said I looked at him wrong

in 1973 or something, exactly. And it's like, whoa, I mean, you know, there's the other, the big players, we don't have to name them, where it's pretty obvious. Yeah, exactly. And then there was a lot of people that maybe behaved a little borschtly or something, but to be canceled for life

is just a bit much for me. No, it was really, that was really, anyway, I didn't mean to take us into sad territory, but that was really, really, really, just fucking got my goat. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. And I wanted, I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. And I wanted, I just couldn't, I couldn't think of anything else and it took a long time to just

accept that's how life goes in an unfair way. Sometimes for some people and that's how it's always been. I mean like not for everyone. Obviously not for everyone. But sometimes you're at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's all I could thinking. It's almost like there was a huge pile up on the road and Al Franken was driving on the outside of the road and his fender caught it and he just caught up in it. You know, one one thing about Al, you can rest his shirt. He's very resilient, obviously, at a time. Oh, yeah, no, no, when I saw him,

he's already had a million ideas. Yeah. No, no, when I saw him, he was already had a million ideas. Yeah. Yeah. All right. I have a, I have a gear change question for Julian. You have a what? A gear change.

You're gonna switch gears. Okay, yes, I'm sorry. No, I don't care. We love all of it. We love all of it. This is all the questions. I just before I got off, I wanted to ask you a few. It, I read that you felt badly that you might have cracked up

during motivational speaker and I never thought of that of you. I never thought anything negative about that. I thought- I do have a problem controlling laughing during SketchUp. I didn't ever think that of you. Oh yeah. I fucked that SketchUp.

Me and Christina ruined it, but we were just laughing, which didn't really ruin it. It was just, it was so rare to happen. Yeah, that we all really just seeing the funniest thing. And you know, it was going to live forever and you're in the middle of it and you have the best seat in the house. And I can't stop laughing. Like I, I got it.

Farley in that character. I set it on another podcast. I think that's the most, I don't know, most potent thing someone he's ever done. Maybe it's just the way he's squatted and got ready for his next line. It's very Chris Moose. They were just, it was like, it was like Chaplin S. He's just gonna get squatted, get set with his body before,

yeah, I, that might have broke me if I was in it. I think, yeah. Phil might be the only one that didn't laugh. I know Phil is so good. He could really, I couldn't control it. I couldn't control myself. We all started to break, and that's the problem is that we, in back then, I think they do it more now.

They crack up a lot. Yeah. It was definitely a no-no. No, it was terrible to do that. You were being like, yeah, the girl Bernat show now. That's cool. Yeah, we didn't have as much fun as we could have had. You know, because I was just, you get fired.

I mean, when Phil finally broke, Phil finally broke doing Tonto, Tarzan and Frankenstein. And he's Frankenstein. He crashes through the thing or whatever. And then that first time, Phil broke, Phil was done. Fire bad. And then he was I was toast and I thought this is amazing. Is he gonna be in trouble? There's always fear on that Like now because I was thinking you know Lauren is so much older now than the people who are performing then he was from our age

You know like for us. He was kind of an older guy, but now he's a Much much older guy. Yeah, 76 and then a new cast member's like 22. And they're trying to talk about comedy. That's a whole different feeling. I mean, I wonder what it's like. I don't know. The meetings are like, who's your favorite rappers?

Rap singers. Right. Is Dr. Drake really a doctor? Does anyone know? I'm pretty... I think they always seem to find a way that show to find great people. You know, Chris, you know, it's an incredible success that I didn't think. I thought, oh, look, go for a few more years.

But you really have to hand it to him. I mean, like, it's really incredible. He is the show and he never panicked because there were so many years of like, we got to do it taped or we got to change the name and change the band. And he knew he had an incredible brand. And he just stuck to it. And like Steve Higgins said, Lauren wrote the constitution of the house area. And then he lets it's a liquid's liquid form it can be whatever it becomes because now Going full circle with women they play a lot of mint on the right you probably would have done George Bush or Ross Perot Yes, well the reason I played pad at first is I was trying to play a man, but I didn't feel like it was very

Convincing and so I thought oh I'll just make a joke that you don't know if it's a man or a woman to kind of cover for my lack of acting ability. But now I probably wouldn't think that I think I could just play a man if I wanted. Julia, can we just get a, because we need something to trend, you know, we're, we're behind smartness, but we're getting close. And inside your mind, if you ever thought to yourself, was Pat a man or a woman, just internally to yourself, do you know the secret? I'm sorry. There isn't a secret.

There's no secret. I know. I wish I could see you had a little sound bite. You could think you got there, but I'd be lying. Making fun of sound bites. Here's a sound bite. Church lady wasn't religious.

No, I don't. We could have done a church lady becomes an atheist. That would have been fun. Oh, I do think church lady with Pat would have been perfect, you know? You know, what I think is that they just live together and you just don't ask questions about that relationship. They moved in together, you think? I just think it'd be funny if they just like you find

out that they live in for 35 years in separate rooms, you know, but it's just, yeah, it's just like it says we anyway. That would be the thing. We like to get dressed, don't we in our clothes. Wow, we have our special clothes on. It fits in a certain way so we can't tell quite what we are under. I'm gonna do anything else for the lovely Julius we need to ask her. So you guys are both mainly living in LA. I'm living in LA. Are you? Are you? I'm back from Chicago. I bought a house in 1992 that I thought was going to be a starter house but it's an ender house. So I bought a house in 1992 that I thought was going to be a starter house, but it's an ender house. And prices have gotten pricey. No, because I couldn't afford to live in this neighborhood.

There's no way. No chance. So now where my husband, I just married about 15 years ago, and my husband and I, just 15 years. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's a good guy. And he're remodeling that house. It's a small house, but it's perfect for two retired people and so we're remodeling it and we're living next door while it's being remodeled. But it's supposed to be done in about a year. It's supposed to be done in 10 and a half years. So are you? Yeah, it takes a while. So when it's done, I want to have you guys over. That's more like it'll be really pretty And we can sit in the backyard and I'm I would love it

But will you invite us? I'll go Do you have my email or Greg will give it to you no Greg you'll give me both their emails. Yeah, I think I saw you David at somebody's Who was it? Party and David at a party. Yeah, it's crazy Be those are the good old days But I still got if it's someone's dinner or some small thing like that. Yeah, that's what I used to have big parties all the time I used to have a Sunday night party that was huge every Sunday. I think I remember that. Yeah. But now I like four to eight small, the right people, nice food early early and early as the key. I like to eat. I like to eat it four or

five. I ate it five. And so I would have an adult bed. We're on the same page. Yes. Yes, early fun, maybe Sunday, four to eight, boom, get in, get out. Yeah, maybe four to seven. And you're an atheist, so you won't care. It's a holy day. Ha, ha, ha, sorry. I am too. And I'm an agnostic. I'm pretty sure I'm not an atheist.

I don't know, whatever, joke to come. JJ. Julia, send us a mass email and get Dana and I on Julia Sweeney, one of the all time great cast members of Sarah Knight Live. Thanks for having me. It's really nice to see you guys. And when you're having so much to do, we will see you. And if we don't see you then, we'll see you at the 50th.

And my hair is going to even be more weird. I guess it's pretty close to that now, right? Oh, yeah. 2025. Get the pad outfit back in the suitcase. You little things done right as I'm right before I go. The last one I really cared about being there and it was really important for me, my identity that I was on SNL. I'm in such a different place now. I don't even know if I'd go because I just feel like, yeah, okay. I don't want to fly. You just, yeah, I know you

kind of, it's it's it's really, it's really about Lauren, you know, kind of well, no, I mean, it is fun, but you know, it's not like you really talk to people. I mean, like, you just kind of be in this. I know you're going, hey, there's there's there's there's Bill Hater or there's there's Melanie Hutsle. Yeah, I know, it's everywhere, but nowhere. I like a small party. Sixty people. I think I'll just I'll have it after you guys go. I'll have my dinner party and we'll tell you all the juice. Yes. Yes Juice it up. Oh, you're sweetie. Okay, honey. Oh, please. Yeah, get our emails I love to keep in touch and so great to see you This is a fun part of this podcast

Just getting reconnected with old friends. All right. Bye. Bye. Why is awkward? This has been a podcast presentation of Cadence 13. Please listen, then rate, review, and follow all episodes. Available now for free.

Wherever you get your podcast, no joke, folks. Flying the Wall has been a presentation of Cadence 13, executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Chris Corqurin of Cadence 13, and Charlie Feinen of Brillstein Entertainment. The shows lead producers Greg Holtman with production and engineering support from Serena Regan and Chris Bezel of Cadence 13. and 13.