Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - RE-RELEASE - Chris Rock

Episode Date: December 11, 2025

Let's revisit the bad boys of SNL and heat vs fame with Chris Rock.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact ConX Ontario at 1-866-531-2-600 to speak to an advisor, free of charge. BEDMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. All right, we got our boy Chris Rock, who is a very good friend. Great guy. A great guy. And one of the funniest guys out there in real life on phone calls and on stage, obviously.

He did that special where he finally talked about the Will Smith situation. And we kind of talked about a lot. We were live after his, I think it was the biggest, whatever, the highest numbers or something. Yeah, they did one. That was the first live show. Yeah, live and it was global. That was amazing. We talked to Chris about everything.

We cover the gamut. We just laugh, basically. The sound's a little itchy because it was one of the first ones we ever did. But it's still fine. He's always very interesting to talk to. And he kind of opened up toward the end and talks about this apart. that he got and it was sort of the one of the first times he's ever sort of bought something for himself or something like that but we get into his childhood and all kinds of stuff it's very

very interesting and it's always funny with chris rock always lots of laughs here he is chris rock rock said i could stay there hang on dana i wet the bed and so i said i shouldn't stay at his house because i feel embarrassed you still wet the bed i was a bed wetter there's no way to get out of a wet bed with any dignity what happened dear but anyway that's we'll get to the childhood stuff in a minute but chris on you a day off for you not a family day but a chris day like it's going to be totally off no emails you're going to have fun does that great chris day include having to go on a podcast because you know you're performing i love the lady but i really love space i know yeah so you had to do it.

Rock and I came in together. Yeah, thank you, Rock. Almost anything for Dana, but anything to stick. No, but you guys were the junior varsity who outdid the varsity, but we had a junior varsity team consisting of Farley, you, Sandler, Schneider, and David. I mean, it was an incredible junior varsity team that was being trained to take over when we left in a way, right? No?

It was, yeah, it's amazing that, yeah, Farley, like Colby Bryant, came off the bench. People forget. Yeah, oh, yeah, we do a whole show and we go, hey, how about this guy, Farley? I don't even know why they hired us because normally they bring in the new people when the old people are, you know, not doing great. You guys were in rare form. I mean, that was, you know, that was the beginning of a, 8. 18, 20 person cast. When I came in, it was like basically four feature players, or there were six total.

And that was the beginning. And now there's like 21. So it never went back to just five people being the cast right after that. No, I don't think. Yeah. I went the other night. I couldn't believe how long the credit roll is. Don Pardo's like, I was like, Jimmy.

You know, I'll rope her on. personnel like I couldn't believe it's like how many people are in this guest we started it was just so people know it I came on at the end four shows of the previous season so Rob Schneider and I got hired to write for four episodes on those four dice clay was always we had a couple good ones you know Alec Baldwin's first show and then when the summer came we got picked up And then that's when Rock and Farley came, right, Rock? Were you a full cast? Were you a feature player? Me and, yeah, me and Farley got brought on together. We were the new guys that year. Yeah, so we were all sort of new together.

Yeah, so we got close offices and we rock, who people don't know because he's tough on TV. So am I. I've come off like a hard-ass athlete. But Rock is a nice person, and I was sort of out of my element from Arizona. we gravitated just because we were kind of in over our heads, like everyone is there, I guess, when they stayed. Yeah, I mean, well, you know, they always had that thing. It was the stand-ups and the improv guys.

Yeah. Yeah. And the improv guys were more technically prepared for the show. But the stand-up guys, because we write our own material and we live and die by the crowd, we were more, I thought, mentally prepared for the show. like because the show yeah the show is killed or it didn't kill yeah like we could you know i mean like the stand-ups i thought were less into the politics of who likes who and who's close with downy and who's close with lauren that's like improv guys because they're thinking they're they're in a group

think and stand it like sandler to come from writing on the show and this by force of nature make himself you know the biggest cast member huge only a stand-up could do some crazy shit like that yeah i think i got on i caught on a sandler we always thought he's funny but chris dana you we all know great comedians that never pop or never make it and i'm like i watch a guy go this guy's better than me and i probably make more you know what i mean they're just right they don't get discovered and when you see sandler i think it was somewhere around crazy spoonhead where i'm like this fucking guy does not run out of ideas he does not stop and he just fucking crushes it's it's every week it was a new one i'm like god damn

this guy's got it he would he would crawl around on all fours down the hallway i'd be in my office and i'd hear a little knock off all ball ball and he would come in so gently and so quietly but he wanted me to introduce opera man because he'd done it once and they didn't what you know so that i from update somehow i introduced it and it was separate and he had a a little stage, and that was the beginning. But when I first saw Sandler, his likability and charm, let's just talk about him for a sec, he'll hate if he was just sitting in a chair and leaning back, hey, it was like, whoa, you know, and the girls liked him.

Let's face it. And then he's Adam Sandler, but I was, he's the original Pete Davidson. He was. Yeah, Pete Davidson, great comic, but I am fascinated by who he has sex with. I mean, that's a big part of my life following that thing. Rock, I have a question about when you did your first, when you're first. Do you have like questions prepared? Did you guys actually?

Yeah, we care about you. My goal was for you not to be bored. Like, so you got an SNL and then bring the pain really blew up, right? Oh, my God. You know what I mean? So I have questions for you that I'm actually curious, like as if we were hanging out. Yeah, but if you want us to ask about anything, let us know. answer anything you want i'm curious about if rock felt if it was not fair but i i did one weekend

update in my first four shows and it scared the fuck out of me we all weren't really actors we hadn't done much so rock's first show they were so salivating over rock to come in and do all these sketches they couldn't do that i remember i think they overloaded you with so many because there was a The Confederate sketch especially. Yes. I almost got, S&L hadn't had a black cast member like nine years. Most people think I'm the black guy after Eddie. I'm actually the black guy after Damon Williams.

And living color was killing it at this point. And there was like a bunch of whatever, S&L's so white articles or whatever. And then I got hired. So yeah, there was. It was like this immediate thing where, like, you're going to do some Eddie Murphy stuff, right? I'm like, I don't do any impressions. They brush off all the old. That's a lot of pressure.

You know, the Eddie Murphy type stuff. Any impressions. I don't do any voices. You know what I mean? Like, I do what I do. I mean, you know. But so, yeah, I guess there was pressure. You have to act and you have to look at cute cards.

And, you know, just being in one sketch, you're terrified all week or I was. And you have to inch your way in. and you were like hosting that first time because I remember you were in a lot of sketches they're pulling you every which way you have a million costume changes and the scariest one was I was a soldier and the Confederate soldier

I don't know what the sketch was you were the first black general or something Franken wrote it Franken and he was fucking roughing you up no one should have to work with Frankin the first year on the show never that's what I was getting at is he's so tough now what are you doing

it's like okay you've been on two years now you can work without Frank God damn He's great He's amazing guy But you know He's a little intimidating Because he doesn't

He's very blunt That wasn't very funny You know you have to get used to that He's the white Lou Gossett Jr. From opposite to Joe Like he's like What are you gonna do?

Mayanase Was it that we called? Mayolnese May Gones Because I remember that sketch He's the Jewish Lou Gosset

Rock but was it weird because if I didn't think about it that way but in living color is is doing great you must feel like you're almost stuck on s and l because it's like it was killing i did i mean i loved it and i loved you guys but it was a weird you know i'm sure jacky robinson used to like go to harlem after the fucking games with with the dodgers and shit's like shit's happened in uptown why am i here with uh peewee rase But

Pewey Roos, good reference When you went on In Living Color You finally went on there Did you Were you Was it fun or was it not fun at that point? No, what I finally got there The Wains were gone

Keenan was gone I was like I don't even know what the hell I was on I was on But it was weird I got to work with Jim Carrey And Jamie Fox was there

You know All of that S&L and Living Color It was just for me To make friends And to kind of learn about writing and writing on a deadline.

All that was just training. And, you know, I was supposed to do stand-up. Thank God. It's a humbling boot camp that just reminds you that everyone got there because they were good and then you were immediately shit on. And you're immediately, it's like a wake-up call. Like, oh, fuck.

I'm not the first guy to, like, maybe, you know, the show wasn't perfect for me, but, you know, Julia Louise Dreyfus, Stiller, you know. Oh, yeah. It's like a lot of. people that kind of, you know. Jim Carrey, I audition with Jim Carrey, you know. I mean, and I thought, well, they got to pick Jim Carrey.

Guy's insane. But he killed on in living color. I auditioned, the night I audition, me and Sam were audition. We're at the Chicago Improft. And Dana Gould was so good. Oh, wow. I left the audition. Yeah.

Like, I didn't even stay to meet more. guy yeah i like i was like okay this is over this guy smart funny smart funny like yeah whatever like this guy's so much better than me i am out of my league and i left and later that night lorn you know whatever found out what hotel i was in and told me to come downstairs and basically told me i had the show i didn't even like that's how good dana goul was like let me get the fuck out of here because i'm wasting my time i think with lorne it's it's it's um it's like almost a sports analogy or something he's looking if people can play well together a little bit you know i actually i asked him that in reference to day to go and it is no not but they know

they know has had a great career writing on a simpson this fucking great great specials the whole thing lorne said the thing i i said what did you see in us but i was like what did you see in me and sammer because we both were like what the fuck are we doing here and he said well you guys had original thought yeah that's a big thing is writing they always look at the writing and i don't think that we both had like a joke somewhere that he hadn't heard before and that's why he hired us what was what would be like at that time didn't sanders have the thing about who's guarding will chamberlain who's the little chamberlain who's the will chamber things were the greatest Yeah, for people

For people don't That should be an NFT Explain that It should be an NFT It was so original And so funny But I want to know What your signature

Thing you might have had Or your go-to Your most surefire bit You know I had a bit about Going to an abortion rally To meet women That I knew were fucking

I remember that That was pretty radical That was radical in 1989, 90. It's like, like, whoa. Well, Rock came with more hype than Sandler, I think. I think Rock, when I got there, everyone was telling me, and I also heard a lot of hype about Farley. And then we knew Sandler from the Valley.

So me, Schneider, and maybe Dennis, maybe Dana were helping and saying Sandler's funny. He came soon after. But it was, we were like, first, you know, you can tell if people had game. And sometimes, you can just tell around the office, you can tell it read through, but I definitely was looking around that place going, everyone's great. It's on, I mean, when you go down to smile, Jack Handy. Talk about original thoughts.

Every Jack Handy sketch, I'm in Reed through going, you're fucking shitting me. I should quit the business. I don't even know what I'm doing. He would hit, he would, the weirdest ideas. Yeah. Hey, man, I remember Mike Myers, just shit that didn't get on. And I still remember to this day. I'm like, what the fuck?

I've mentioned a people that ask me about, oh, the greatest cast, whatever. And I mentioned specifically 90 to 93 because there were too many cylinders firing. And you'd have a tounts as the cat or Myers do Sprockets. You do Nat X. David do this. Sandler, you guys were coming up and getting a fan following. I think those three years was like sometimes I'd sit back and go, man, that show kicked ass.

Because they got the overlap. They got you guys and we're coming up and it's crossing. And then you guys all leave and then it's just us. But yeah, we had Phil, we had Jan. We had, you know, it's just like that was a wild time. Yeah. Yeah, it was an insane. I learned more there than I learned, you know, in the other time of my life.

And good people, you know. You know what's interesting? You told me about Nikki Minaj years and years ago. I didn't know who Nikki Minaj was and you go, I said something about her and you go, actually she's really funny. She's got a great personality. And that was the first of me going, oh, really? I like that you look at it with those eyes because sometimes I look at

I can't help it when I meet women and not that you were dating them but when you just meet women that sort of easy, funny thing that comes out of them is always really a great quality because they don't try to be like Robin Williams they're just very funny personality I love it.

Well, you know, you're a handsome guy David so you think you have a chance. I don't think I have a chance. You're the good looking guy. Whenever we go out, they like Rock better. I'm actually like, okay. They always go, why aren't you Chris Rock? And I go, I can't be.

Don't you get more handsome than ever, Chris? Don't you get that? Oh, thank you. It's not like you're aging horribly. I'll just say that you're very grateful. We're all doing well. He looks cooler when he gets older. Yeah, if I lean back and have the mic here, I'm in good shape.

The neck is not happy with this age. But this is pretty good. You lose volume in your face, and your face recedes into your skull. so you need glasses you need this is something Jerry Seinfeld will do eventually

but can I do you want to should I ask you kind of off the kilter question I asked you know last night because I'm name dropping Who did you have dinner with you guys

last night Me Jerry just what the fuck Paul McCartney Good Jesus Christ Guy O's Siri

Jimmy Fallon J.R Did they shut down the restaurant? What the fuck? And Azizam, sorry. Which cheesecake factory? So Paul McCartney goes, you know, I'd like something, you know, a little sudzy on the top. And Jerry goes, I don't want it.

That's exactly why I did. Sorry, go ahead. I didn't say that as a name drop. I was just feeding Dana. I love that. I do Jerry Seinfeld as a serial killer because I don't think, Jerry has two gears. And Fallon does this one gear, but sometimes Jerry goes, when he did his president bit, someone wanting to be president, I think I'm just the right guy for that thing. I think I could do president. He has that do. Do but do him as a serial killer. I'm just going to go in, cut your spleen, go down the living and do the thing. Anyway, sorry, I could do Paul McCartney.

Killed. Killed. Kills. So what do you like? The lady always killed. So when you're in that situation with those people, you just look at the table and kind of go, I belong, right? I mean, you're chill. I mean, you're in that situation right now. We're all pretty accomplished. That's three. Yeah.

I mean, hey, nobody looks at Paul McCartney and goes, right, how are you doing, my equal? Nobody does that. But he's so, there's no way like it. But, you know, through lots of therapy, yeah, I can kind of. to relax doing these things. But Cartney seems like he likes to hang out. Funny people also get a pass. They like little court jesters around.

I've been invited to shit out of mostly curiosity factor. They just go, spade, go. Keep things moving. I'm like, be-do-boop. You know what I mean? They like that. You're going to say something funny. You're enough, David.

You don't have to be a jester. You're enough. I just got the results back. I have to be, they told me. My therapist told me. When the weather cools down, Golden Nugget Online Casino turns up the heat. This winter, make any moment golden

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I'm always trying to help other people. That'd be one of them. I bought a guitar for my nephew, a really nice guitar, and then I had a hard time buying myself a guitar. And I have a lot of money. And I said, God, I'm sick. Yeah, I mean, honestly, this apartment is probably the first real purchase I've made for myself in about, I know, 28 years.

Right. Since I got that Corvette for... Oh, at SNL? At SNL, like life-changing purchase. And so what was that? Yeah, I know what you mean. Like, always doing for other people. I don't know.

You mean, what I've learned in therapy is like, you know, childhood trauma is like some real shit. And you got to, until you deal with all your childhood shit, you just, you know, nothing's going to work out for you. You got to start at the beginning. It's like working on a script, okay? Interesting. So when I met you, you were a young man, but you were you ever kind of like snarky and spoiled in high school?

Because by the time I met you, you seemed kind of like this guy, at least in maturity. You weren't bitter. You weren't snarky. You were never in a group with comedians kind of shitting on some other comedian. So I noticed that attitude you had as a young man, but I guess the childhood stuff, for me, it was like, I had a lot of anger, and it was in my stand-up, it was in my characters,

and once in a while I'd go off on any kind of authority figure that turned into my dad. But I got past that, but how did your anger express itself then to you? I mean, here's the weird thing. When I was, I mean, my kids, child, I was bullied ridiculously. Half of it, the bullying, because I was just a little guy. And then I got bus to school.

So I got, I was a little guy and I was black, right? So it's like, I'm getting double bullied. I would, if I was white, I would have probably got bullied too, but it was just like, ah. You're also supposed to be tough, probably. Yeah, it was pretty rough, right? And it was pretty like every day. So I, it's weird. I had a weird temper.

I'm gonna, it's gonna be a weird thing. I was the oldest of seven. And I was weirdly smaller than my younger brothers. So it was a weird thing where your brothers, like, hey, so and so down the block bothered me. And I'm like, I gotta fucking go protect Andre or Tony. And I'm fucking smaller than that. As my shrink puts it to me,

you have been scared to be angry ever since. So the guy you saw was bending over backwards to be nice because I was so scared of my anger. Yeah, I see. I was frightened of what, you know, my shrink, my good, the good shrink I got, you know, like the top top guy. There's good ones and bad ones.

There's good ones and bad ones, you know, and he broke it down. It's like, because you're a nice guy and you're so scared of that thing coming out of you again. Yeah. That you let the whole world walk all over you. Mm-hmm. Your friends walk over you, your family walks over you, your, your female relationships. Like, everybody just fucks you over because it's somewhere in there, they know you, there's a force to be holding you back. Interesting.

So in the weird way, so I'm like the opposite. of you in the sense that in the last year now I can get a right I'm not scared I'm not scared of letting people know how I feel about that my therapy was about that too though because I was always the nice guy holding stuff in and not really my aggression my competitiveness overroved the nice guy because people who ask me who meet me now well did you just allow other cast members like oh no Lauren do their sketch that kind of thing there was a natural competition in me But in my personal relationships, I hated confrontation because when confrontation happened at my house, bodies flew. My dad was just really violent.

So I, all my siblings are like that. We don't like confrontation. Yeah, no, that's true. My house, too. It wasn't violent per se, but it was loud as fuck. Yeah. So. But those things stick with you, just loud.

Yeah, it just sticks with you. So now, yeah, I can kind of, I can tell you, I'm, hey, I didn't like what you said. said to me or I didn't like what you without losing my head without getting anybody well that's all that's a home run for therapy let me ask you a question so this apartment I can't see much of it so it was a mental leap for you to buy this for yourself it yes because you're all you were frugal too in a way right you're always you wouldn't be the guy I would spend to the hill I always say your best manager agent is a low monthly nut that is like right you you don't want to be doing the the fifth lead on yeah you can keep a low monthly nut chances are your career will be

make good choices yeah yeah yeah you don't have to say yeah there's meetings you don't even have to take yeah when the cameo guy calls you up you know like a return call it fuck you money in the 80s and i guess that's kind of what it is like or now it's just no thank you no thank you yeah yeah no thank you yeah when you said you're married and you go i think it's me rack that are you scared she's going to take 50 percent and you go 50 it's 80 now you don't buy yourself much but Chris didn't we have that conversation at the 40th backstage what did we have I thought there's so much there you told me about the divorce and you said well it's half and you know I just mentioned that other people I'd known in the

business and they go well it's half of you know community property and then the alimony adds up to more like 60 70 percent it's about 70 yeah okay Okay, 70%, which is fair. It is. I'm kidding. That's insane. Yeah, I always say my ex-wife has made more money off of comedy than Robert Townsend. You also said once, I'm the only comedian that has to drive a cab at night.

I'm going to change that to Uber because I'm updating my ad. to know yourself and your roots better with Ancestry DNA. Want to know where your family comes from in northern France? Maybe you'd like to see how your genes influence certain traits like diet, fitness, and allergies. There's so much of you and your heritage to discover. Visit Ancestry.ca and get started with an Ancestry DNA kit today. What kind of choices are you making now as far as girlfriends and stuff or dating or like how are you and just therapies informing all of that and I think women

generally do like when someone's straightforward you know yeah I mean I'm just not as desperate as I've been in the past okay just you know just you know I'm just not like that thing where it's like oh my God I can't believe someone's paying attention to me and then you know right right and then you're in this weird lopsided thing where you both have one thing in common you adore her okay here's a quote i want you guys both to comment on this quote just comment on it whether it's true or not men

want to be admired and women want to be loved by a man they admire it's pretty accurate i guess i mean i don't men want to be admired by who the woman in their life peers well that like when i make yeah yeah i mean like when i make the special or whatever the only think people i care about is like you guys right uh i'm so comedians i not even comedians just comedians i think they're funny yeah i know what you mean yeah that the rest i can and we know we we're in the tribe we know what like when we see you

on stage, well, I always love how you have the chord and the way you move and you're all dressed up and you look great and the crowd's going crazy and you're just hammering it. I know what work went into that. I'm like, fuck, you know, and then to throw it all away and just be connected to it. Like I was really curious about this particular line you had, these anthems. And one was a man's only as faithful as his options, which it seems like it was just hanging around, but it became quote, with my friends. It's not whether it's absolutely true, but it's just a very funny, astute observation. It's pretty true. I don't think I came up with it. I think like one of my uncles said it to me.

Well, that's coming up with it. And I shoved it in a joke. Yeah. But that's coming up with it, you know, noticing it and I think I can use that. Yeah. Yeah, that one follows me everywhere. Really?

Oh, good. Good and bad, you know. Oh. It's like everybody. A little too close. close with for some people. Yeah, it's like any girl your date, it's like, man's only as faithful as his options.

You know, like, they're like, sir, are you out of options? You're like, hmm. Yeah, I mean, I'm, hey, like, painted yourself in a corner. I had, well, isn't that special. I can't get away from it. No, I'm kidding. Rock, what are the three top things that people

on the street know you for? They know me for. I mean, they know me for. It's weird. It's like, especially because of YouTube, they don't even know whole specials. They just know jokes about this or that. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Like specials end up becoming mixed together on some level. Sure. They don't remember. They just go that joke. You told this joke. Yeah. There's a lot of. You got a gas car too.

I was on a, I did a lot of Oprah Winfrey when, after bring the paint. I remember that. A certain amount, you'd be amazed at the housewives that, or the, you know, that are into, that know what I do. But, I don't know. I mean, it's not Estenel anymore. It's more movies here or there. I don't know. I'm like, I don't know.

It's like, remember we were kids and you just see, I don't know, I'm trying to think. Certain people were just famous and you couldn't even figure out why. Yeah. You're like, why Charo famous? You know, it was hard for me to realize. Tim, when people were recognizing me, I thought, oh, it was so great until I heard one people, one person say, oh, I know that guy, he sucks. And I'm like, oh, it doesn't mean they like me.

It just means they know who I am. They just know you. I mean, I'm telling you just said grownups. Yeah, growns is a big one. You're right. You're right. It's really any young person. My God, grownups.

We're keeping the lights on a TBS, I'll tell you, because it's on like. Yeah, TBS. Heavy rotation. grown-ups literally all the time one and two one and two you know what question i got what you guys would might not like um in my last interview they go uh when were you the most famous and i thought i know what he means and i said the real answer is right now because everything's accumulation and then they've seen to me there's fame and then there's heat there's there's hot where the phone's ringing on the hook. So I could tell when I was hot, but yeah. I'm more

famous than I've ever been, but in around, me and Chappelle always joke about it. I always go, yeah, back when I was Drake, it's like, that's like, yeah, drink, drink them up. Two thousand two, four. I was Drake, you know, whatever, from 96 to about 2000. It's like the fourth, third, four special in a row. It was like four specials in a row. It was very Drake-like. Yeah. Yeah, there's no million dollar nights now, but there were

Those are you, well, Bill Burr, I don't know, what does he get? No, no, no, no, Bill Burr, please. Bill Burrs. Yeah. If you can do Madison Square Garden. You're doing arenas. Yeah. You can, you know. Sebastian does two, Sebastian does two shows a night at

arenas. Yeah, unreal. That guy. Yeah, I, I, loved it. That guy really stood out for me. I mean, in the last five years. As just funnier. You especially you go watch them at the store, you can't not laugh.

Oh, I love. I was in the back of the store and just going, oh my God, who the fuck is this guy? And then I come in the next time I saw his name, I go in and watch. The funny thing now to me is when people were playing like Madison Square Garden, like I think you've played it, Chris. There's these big places

you hear of like in Boston, in TD Gardens or whatever it's called. There's so many big ones, the forum. It used to be reserved for like Eddie Murphy, maybe, and maybe someone else. And now when you hear people that aren't even household names to me, and you go, this guy's playing this play. You go, whoa, this is a whole new world where through a podcast or through YouTube

or through their specials where it is a little under the radar, but they have a crowd that comes out. It's pretty unbelievable. I think the exposure and social media, and everything else, they become friends with you. So it's kind of like your friend, nobody, is playing Madison Square Garden. Yeah, and also, I think there's more,

I know in Europe and around the world, they always respected stand-up as a high art. But in America, the stand-ups are becoming the real artists. Because music's become a producer's meeting. So there's not a lot of singer-songwriters. There's not a lot of, no one gives a fuck about liner notes anymore. So the people that actually think are the comedians. You know what I mean?

Like, so there's kind of a big- Because you write your own stuff, which is hard to do. Yeah, it's like, you know, hey, I love Rihanna. Tom Segora is a better artist. You know what I mean? He writes all the chair. He writes.

all of his stuff you know not the realna's great she's amazing you know but you know in the tradition in the nerdy tradition

of coming up with your own stuff would you rather date Rihanna or Tom Sagar I would be honest I would rather date Rihanna Tom Sagar is a great example of someone that does

I won't say numbers but he does a podcast and then I ran in him and he goes we do these live ones so he makes a shit load off his regular podcast and he does a live one

and it's crazy where I go you do not make that three hour podcast he's like yeah and then he goes next one we did it doubled I was like I don't know I don't know his podcast is great and that's an example of that

where I haven't thought when the web first came out why couldn't I could I get a million people to pay me a dollar a month and I'll just go ape shit on YouTube and that's starting to happen a little bit where someone I don't know Tom's numbers but I would guess if he charges 10 bucks

and he gets 50,000 people on his live YouTube little podcast, he's making a half million. Yeah, I mean, I understand too, like, I want to get too technical. Humans need people to talk, right? So, whatever, 100 years ago, 50 years ago, philosophers used to be famous.

There's no more fucking philosophers. People used to be religious. and went to a church every week. No one goes to church anymore. So the only place people actually can hear people say their thoughts is through stand-up. It's really hot. We're the last of the speakers.

And you know what I mean? The last of the thinkers. Have you seen some of these preachers, by the way, are similar. They walk the stage. They're talking. They're rallying people. They're talking to everyone's into it. When I'm writing new material, I watch preachers just as much as I watch stand-ups.

Really? Interesting. You come off a little bit like that. You work the stage. You're like a panther. Well, my grandfather was a preacher. My great-grandpa, like, oh, I have preachers in my family line. Well, you see, they're performers.

It's what works. It works for them. They're loud. They give it to them. They find a premise. They milk it. Yeah. I would, well, my two sons were doing stand-up, and they had,

The main problem, so I was around open micers a lot. And the main thing was lack of clarity in the setup. So I actually put you on one of your special. I said, look at this guy's language, this clarity of really digging into the premise. Everyone knows where he is and then he drops the hammer. So, you know, that makes sense to me. And obviously, Sam Kennison was a preacher. You could really see that, you know.

Yeah, you might not. One of the best. The hardest guy to follow. I followed him once. I auditioned for Saturday Night Live and followed him as an unknown in 84 at the comedy store. With no MC in between.

Sam levitates the room and now Dana Clarko death. Death. I have no way out. There was nowhere to go, man. So, Chris, as far as just fun as stand-up, How much do you, what size room and what's the situation? Like, for me, in a small room where I've got a notepad and I have some bits and I'm trying out new stuff, that is the most pure fun for me as far as stand up.

I mean, it's weird. I start next week or the week after I go to it. I'm not going to say where, because I don't know when this is airing. But I'm playing a club. Three years. Ten nights in a row. in the middle of America doing two shows a night

trying to get to try to get an act together so I can go on tour next year that is fun once you get enough bits that are working I mean this is the greatest feeling a new bit

that's coming together It's on My favorite time is early in a tour You've been on stage about 45 minutes You're killing and you know and I just feel the audience is like oh you motherfuckers ain't heard shit yet

you're loaded up you're all you're happy oh you guys think you just heard a great joke when you hear this other shit coming up yeah have you ever wrote a bit Chris where it came together so perfectly that you thought man I don't know if I can write something that good again I mean or equal to it you know I'll say this this bit when my daughter was Lola was born, the doctor hands me my child, and literally out of my mouth, I'm like, I've got to keep her off the pole. It just came out of my fucking, say that again. I was like, I got to keep her off the pole.

Oh, that's right. Yeah, yeah. And it's like one of the best, one of the best bits I ever came up with. It was like, should I just get women pregnant to come up with me? Yeah, it's fun. It's like a song. I'm sure you ask any song

you know people sometimes they're one hit wonders but there's one hit wonders where I go this is such a perfect song like everything about it is working everything and you go

and you don't want to be that as a comedian so there's only a few things when you get older that still get me going it's like there's a few tiny things in life and one is coming up with new ideas just

or saying something fast in real life you're like I fucking thank God my brain still works because that's fun And when you still like to do stand-up or still like to write jokes, I'm happy because I know some people that are burned out on showbiz or burned on that.

And they just don't like it anymore, but they go through the motions or a comic that travels with the same hour for about 20 years, which they used to a lot. Same act. Every year you'd see them. They come around to your city and I'm like, fuck,

they didn't change anything. But it was okay. Now it's fun to write and see if you can scrape together another hour that's good. But isn't that sometimes I would say, say I'm bitter by it, but I'm like envious, and I'll just say the Rolling Stones. I'm just envious of people, but we have to create new material. And rock stars can just do their top 15. We don't even want them to. And I really believe the stones are better than they ever been because I think really winding down on a song over decades where you just know it so well.

And Jagger never stops working. I mean, you know, and he can, he's his voice is exactly. exactly where it needs to be at almost 80. But we stand up, you're like, I can't, okay, got to start. Fuck, a whole new hour. I mean, it's like, yeah, it's, and it doesn't get any easier. I'm sitting here right now. I'm like, okay, I got, I literally have shows in next and two, and less than two weeks.

I have fucking shows. Well, there's two things going on. There's, there's Chris Rock unknown. It's surprising the audience. Now the expectation is, when they introduce you to make sure they don't go over the top with it because I've been dropping it mics ladies and gentlemen you know this guy's going to bring it you're going to really you know what's your what

what do you want the MC to do for you in the club he's trying out stuff what do you want him to say I just just say my name no credits just don't hype it up you know but I mean it's weird because it's like you can't get away from being Chris Rock you can't get away from being who you are and by the way you can't You can't get away from being who you are to the guy introducing you. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Because that guy's a comedian and this is what he's going for. I met Joe Coy once 10 years ago with Lovitz or maybe if it's 12 and he started tearing up just meeting me. Yeah. He started to get, well, eyes were watering. I go, Joe, it's okay. And he's huge now. But there is that expectation. And you try to remember the way they see you, you know, the way you would see someone

above the food chain when you were starting it's interesting yeah I forget who used to say somebody said at their first letterman they sat down and it was like talking to a five dollar bill because you can't yeah you can't letterman letterman was so intimidating to me that the last few years I would just get on my heels I'd be in the wings and I'd see them the last thing I'd say when they'd introduce my name don't give this show too much respect like pretend it's Bakersfield today just to get past the intimidation of David Letterman there was something about New York that theater in him and I didn't know he liked me. I was intimidated by Biff Biff was standing you know what I mean and he was like looking out and he's like 30 seconds I'm like fuck Bip I got to go

out there I know he's so casual and I'm like all right I got to get his love yeah I remember being yeah I couldn't believe Biff wasn't an actor yeah oh yeah because he was on the show he's last thing you see he actually was and they make him work he really wanted affirmation from Biff in that that's true Biff Biff are you all right

cool I'm like Biff you know there was a time Biff was more famous to me it was like fuck yeah where's your dressing room Biff it's hey guys if you're loving this podcast which you are be sure to click follow on your

favorite podcast app give us review five-star rating and maybe even share an episode that you've loved with a friend if you're watching this episode on youtube please subscribe we're on video now fly on the wall is presented by odyssey and executive produced by dany carvey and david hather santoro and greg holzman mattie sprung kaiser and lea reese dennis of odyssey our senior producer is greg holtzman and the show is produced and edited by phil sweet tech booking by cultivated entertainment special thanks to patrick Everdy, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor,

Sean Cherry, Kurt Courtney, and Lauren Vieira. Reach out with us any questions to be asked and answer on the show. You can email us at fly on the wall at odyssey.com. That's A-U-D-A-C-Y.com.