Good Hang with Amy Poehler - Martin Short
Episode Date: March 18, 2025Martin Short has a stamp in Canada. Amy hangs with the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ star, talking about winning his first SAG Award, working on the famed production of 'Godspell,' and why girls ...are always cold. Host: Amy Poehler Guests: Martin Short, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Colin Jost Executive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-Berman For Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, supervising producer Joel Lovell For The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Belle Roman; audio producer Kaya McMullen, video editor Drew van Steenbergen, booker Kat Spillane Original Music: Amy Miles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Hi, everyone. Welcome to Good Hang. I'm Amy Poehler, and we have a great guest today. It is Martin Short, the hilarious and kind and generous and just deeply talented person who I grew up loving and love even more now as a grown adult. We're going to talk to Marty, as his friends call him, about Canada and the S&L 50th and only murders in the building and how it felt to have COVID and not
be able to accept an award that he won.
But what's really exciting is we're also going to talk to some other comedy legends who
love Marty and who want to talk nicely behind his back and tell me questions that they think
I should ask him.
So joining me before we get to our interview are Tina Faye, Maya Rudolph, and Colin Jost.
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Toyota, let's go places.
What do you say?
All I ever wanted was a really good name.
Maya and Colin, I'm being asked,
would you mind flipping your phones to the side?
What are you?
Yeah.
And I know this seems weird,
but can you hold your credit cards up to the screen, too?
Oh, yes.
You want the CVC?
We just need to see.
CVC.
Yeah, we need the CVV.
We need the DVD.
Jost, I don't know if you know,
but I already did it.
a podcast with Tina, who nicely came in to be interviewed. I look forward to doing one with you.
Maya, I look forward to doing one with you. Yes. And Jost, you were name-dropped in the interview
that Tina and I did. We were talking about... How much we love going to the lampoon.
So we're doing this thing where we're asking people to kind of talk behind people's back in a good way.
So I've got the great Martin Short on today.
And you've all worked
Yeah
Never
But I bet he's good
If you like him
Yeah I like him
I think you should check him out
I think he's funny
I found him on TikTok
Oh
So I guess my question is
What yeah
You know
How much do you love Martin Short
What do you love about him
What do you think I should ask him
When I think about him
I think he's evergreen
He's
He's always funny
and he's always up for being funny and he will always make you laugh and he's there is a there is a
just an unbridled joy in him in the in the pursuit of being funny i mean don't get me wrong
he works hard at it and but he but you can see that he loves it and you can also see that
he loves to be among funny people there are some funny people who love to be solo acts
and he's not one of them.
I think he's one of those people that thrives among the funnies.
And he's just like a great guy.
So inherently, that comes through somehow through the comedy,
which makes you love him more.
When I found out that he had a stamp in Canada,
I was like, oh, that checks out.
That makes sense.
You're perfect.
That's awesome.
Wow, I've got to look at the image of that.
Is it just him or one of his characters?
I wonder.
My memory is it might have been one of his characters.
His character from Halfwitz.
It's a regular stamp, but he owns it.
Yeah.
Keep on it.
Yeah.
Canada's a much cooler place because I think Catherine O'Hara has a stamp too, I'm just saying.
I don't think any of us are getting stamps in the next four to four years.
So I'm going to ask him about a stamp.
Tina, Joost, anything you feel like I should ask him or anything you want to say about Marty?
I love Marty.
I want to claim my love for Marty early.
Like I know I love him.
I've also had a crush on Marty from like decades before everyone else.
I remember I came to New York City when I was maybe in college and you used to be able to go see Broadway shows for free by being an usher.
And so I was ushering at a production of Godspell in like the early 90s, late 80s.
with like Trini Alvarado is in whatever.
And I remember I was ushering and I turned around
and I saw the two people that I handed their programs to
were Paul Schaefer and Martin Short and I was like
because of course Marty had been in the original Toronto production.
But also I was like I was starstruck and also I was like also
Marty's cute.
Anyway, I'm on record.
You're not alone, buddy.
You're not alone.
Mike, so I would love to hear him talk about that Toronto production of Godspell
because I think that cast was incredible
and it was like Gilda Radner
and I want to say
Andrew Martin
like it was an insane cast
and Paul Safer
Yeah and then the other kind of question
I was thinking about
was
you know everything that we
everything that we know Marty from
that we grew up with
it's all canon right
like everything from Father of the Bride
and Three Amigos and Clifford
all these things
and SCTV to us it's all
just like comedy Bible
I wonder for him during that time
if he ever felt like
frustrated with being like the funny person
was he happy with his career in that time
or did he want more?
And does he feel differently now?
But just because I feel like we also all look
at our own things going like, oh, I should be doing this
or I should be doing that.
But does he know that he has this tremendous body?
Good question.
Was he ever grounded?
you about it at the time.
Ooh, good question.
And Josie?
I'm doing a counterpoint, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, you're talking.
What actually sucks about Mark?
Yeah, not a nice person.
Hasn't made me laugh.
I was just thinking, realizing this,
he was actually weirdly my first SNL character I ever saw
because I went on a studio tour when I was young
and I saw Ed Grimley like in stuff backstage or like,
promotionally around and I didn't even understand what it was at the time but I always remembered it
being funny and and that was like my first kind of character I saw there before I watched the show
wow and I loved I mean three amigos I just loved those and my grandpa so couldn't understand
three amigos and my brother and I watched it all the time and my grandpa was just like what is this
I don't understand it we love that I guess my questions are
Like, I was wondering, did he have any, did he have any, like, rivals and comedy at different times in his life?
But do you think, okay, this is, this is a good question.
Do you think I should be asking these kinds of questions on this podcast?
Because I think Marty's a great person to try it out on because he'll see, he's so kind of graceful.
I also think I just watched that, um, that weird year documentary.
And I also would be curious to hear a little bit of that one, one year in that cast on SNO.
And it was like there, I don't know if you talk about this either, but like for the SCTV cast,
were they, were people like hooking up in that cast, too, the way there was like early S&L,
you know what I mean?
Like that's good.
But I don't know if that's fun to talk about.
Yes, dude.
So, Jost, your questions are, who was your biggest enemy and who did you hook up with?
Okay, those are great.
Those are, I'll start with those.
Maya, thanks for taking a break in the middle of your show.
Amy, this was a really good thing.
Thanks, Maya.
Whoa.
Great hang.
Great hang.
Good hang.
That's my show.
My show's great hang.
Damn, that's going to be better.
No, I disagree.
It does sound better.
It does sound better.
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Woo-hoo. I want you to know you're one of the first three.
Well, you know, that makes me feel good.
Thank you.
I don't feel like I got any time with you at the SNL 50.
No.
Well, the only thing we got was COVID.
You know, everyone got it.
Okay.
Not only do I know that everyone got it, but so we're doing this thing on this podcast where we're asking,
I'm reaching out to people who know you or like friends of yours or ours to ask them what I should ask you.
So I just did a Zoom with Tina, Maya, and Jost.
And all three of them.
them. Have or had
S&L COVID. Yeah.
They all got it. Yeah.
So did
Amy Schumer? Yeah.
Merrill. Dang.
Mike Myers.
Now, I've done scenes with all of those people
and I shared a dressing room with
Merrill. I did a scene with Mike Myers
and Maya.
You got nothing, I know. But did you have a good time?
Like, how was the experience?
Oh, it was great. The whole thing was great.
Yeah. I mean...
On the Thursday, Steve and I went down to the comedy seller with Simon Rich and John Mullaney,
I mean, to try out material, which is an insane idea because as we were going down there,
I said to Steve, when was the last time you went to a club like this?
He went in 1966.
So when they saw him, they went insane.
Yeah.
Well, they were suddenly not going to laugh at his jokes.
Yeah.
Right.
But do you guys do your, because I want to talk about your tour that you do because Tina and I are basically copying what you're doing.
but do you go on the road and try out your stuff before the tour?
Never. Never. Never.
Yeah, I feel like it's not a genuine, you just can't.
No, no, no, no. That's what, you know, Ali Wong, the great stand-ups will do that.
And then they burn their material.
Yeah.
You know, I don't.
And I kind of, I think it's hard to get like an honest laugh from, like, to your point.
The audience is too hot.
Yeah, they're really excited to see you.
In Steve's case, they're saying, okay, they're both alive.
That's so weird
So so much for newspaper articles
And so already you have them
Yeah
There's a famous story, Jack Benny
I think in his last concert in England
He was like 80 or something
And he came on and got a 12-minute standing ovation
And then his first line was
I'm not that good
You know
So there's an element of that
I wanted to talk to you about
The Congratulations on winning the SAG Award
Yeah, two of them
I know what you mean.
You are nominated all the time and you don't win.
And never win.
And then the time that you win, you're not there.
COVID.
Was that a bummer?
I wasn't even watching.
I was watching the Brutalist.
Uh-huh.
Sure.
You watch it every night.
Well, you know what it is.
Yeah.
It's like Elon Musk.
You need a positive sense of like a big warm blanket around you before bedtime.
So you always put on the Brutalist.
I do that and then prescriptions.
Yeah, I start with the brutalist.
No, so then someone said, turn around and I was stunned.
I mean, it was like, that's what Selena Gomez said.
We always lose.
Well, I related not to front door brag,
but I have been nominated often and never win, never.
How many Emmys do you have?
Only one.
But I think I've been nominated.
Let me pretend to not know the number.
No, but it is something in the 20s.
Steve says in our show, I say,
how many Emmys do you have?
He says, I want to say five.
I want to say five, but I have one.
But I was thinking about you because I know for me,
every single time, no matter how much I've tricked my brain
into knowing who cares, it doesn't matter.
There's this weird physiological.
moment that happens when you're just the split second where you're thinking maybe I'll have to go
up there maybe I'll have to give a speech does that happen to you um you know it has happened to me
certainly but I will tell you in this experience of only murders in the building this we're
starting our fifth season absolutely never had a consideration in fact that you're going to win
no no not remotely in fact um um I think that some you know the publicist
send you things, and there were, SAG predictions.
Yeah.
And there were like three other people.
The gold derby races or whatever.
And there was always like, well, if it isn't Jeremy Allen White, I'll tell you,
it will be Jason, you know, Siegel.
I mean, it was like...
You were never even close.
Not even close.
So how did you win the SAG?
What did you, who did you sleep with?
I guess I'm a beloved.
I guess I'm, you know.
I guess the actors.
Stupid icon.
Give it to the actors and they'll vote for anybody.
Yeah, leave it to actors.
They'll vote for anybody.
No, but I mean, I was bummed to see you not...
be up there, but I was wondering if you cared.
I certainly, it would have been thrilling to be there,
but I do find that stuff of you have to get up
and did you forget a name?
I agree.
And then if you pull out a piece of paper, you're a wimp
and you don't have any soul.
You know, I saw Timothy Shalome just speak.
Totally. He killed it.
He was so good.
And what I'm going to do next time, if I ever went again.
Okay.
I'm going to get up there and lower the mic
so that I can lean down to it like he did.
That's a power move.
Yeah, that's a power move.
To talk like this.
When you're this length, when you're this lanky.
Yeah.
You know.
And I agree.
You either have to kind of free ball it and just be, you know, off the top of your head and just talk about how you're feeling or you have to have really good jokes.
The in-between is stressful.
Right.
The in-between is stressful.
And then also leaving up that name.
Yeah.
Like, oh, I forgot to thank Selena.
Yeah.
Right.
That would be.
Would that be the kind of thing that would keep you up?
I would feel badly, and she would say it's cool.
There's no one cooler than the Selena.
Yeah.
You know.
She is so cool.
She is so cool.
How did you guys?
I mean, I'm sure you've told this story many times in other places, but never to me.
When.
Well, because you just started a podcast.
That's right.
Yeah.
That's right.
Exactly.
And usually when I see your parties, you're a little bit removed.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's like looking over the shoulder, oz.
Yeah, I just want to see if there's another more famous person there.
here. Yeah, yeah, I don't like to, I like to not settle in until I find the alpha in the room.
Oh, I know. Oh, I know. And I've talked to people who know, and I won't elaborate on that.
But the, the, um, only murders, how did Selena get, like, how did you guys get her? Did she
attached with you at the same time? No, no, no, no. It started off, um, Steve was at a party at Sandy Gallen.
Mm-hmm. I don't know.
13 years ago.
And sitting on the couch was Ron Rifkin,
Joel Gray, and someone else.
And Sandy said, those three you should do a show for them.
That's all he said.
And Steve's driving home and he's obsessed with true crime
and watches it all the time and thought,
well, gee, that's an interesting idea.
Three older people who solve crimes in a building
but they'll only solve a murder in the building
because they don't want to travel
and see he had the title, he had everything
and then he put it on the back shelf for a few years
and then had a meeting with Dan Fogelman
and Dan said any ideas you have
and he said, I have this one idea
and it was suddenly into production.
How it got to be Selena, I don't actually know.
I know that Steve phoned me and said
would you like to do it?
And I thought it sounded great and, you know, it was work.
Yeah.
You know, if he had said, do you want to do the Chrysler industrial, mainly for, we're bringing it the duster, we're bringing that car back, I'd say, sure.
And you say, you say that there's a check.
Is that what you're referring, Steve?
Now, anyway, so I was excited to say yes.
And then, brilliantly, they went to Salina.
You know, if they'd gone with someone, another older person, it would be murder, she wrote.
Yes, it's so smart.
It's so smart.
Yeah.
It's so smart.
And I'm just curious, I hope maybe I can have her on here and ask, like, what is the...
Bob Balaban.
That was the third guy.
Oh, yeah, Bob Balaban.
They were three on a couch.
They were three on a couch.
He's such a good actor.
I'd be so curious about, like, what made Selena sign on for another TV show?
It must have been you and Steve.
She must have known she was signing on to something premiere and funny.
She has that taste.
You know, I'm sure.
I mean, I've told this before, but certainly the first day of show,
shooting, it was, we were in the height of COVID.
First day of shooting?
Yeah.
So we had to wear shields and masks.
Yeah.
And so I had never met her.
We had zoomed in read-throughs and stuff.
And I'm driving to work thinking, well, she could be a nightmare.
Yeah.
I mean, she's a pop princess.
She's, since she's 14.
What if she's, I thought, oh, if she's late, forget it, Steve will quit.
Because that's his Achillesia.
Well, what if she doesn't know her lines or what if she's mean to people?
And all those things go to the thread.
And literally, I met her in the makeup room and she smiled and I thought, okay, she's just adorable.
And she has never been a second late.
She is such a pro.
It's a joke.
And then all these endless guest artists we've had year after year have all been, again, impeccable.
So fine.
Maybe they're afraid of Steve, I think.
Interesting.
Well, maybe we have that in common because I feel.
like people are afraid of Tina
and not afraid of me
and I want them to be more afraid of me.
No, no, they're never going to be more afraid of you.
But do you want people to be more afraid of you?
Or do you like that they're afraid of you?
No, I like, Steve is like the Pope.
You know, I mean, some of these famous comic types,
they like me, it's fine.
But when Dave Letterman or Howard Stern is around Steve
or Jerry Seinfeld, it's like,
oh, hi, Steve.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I don't know why because...
I know why.
Oh, you do?
I think it's because Steve just doesn't talk as...
I think the power move is to not talk as much.
That's what I'm...
Like, the quieter you are.
So that's my big problem.
Yeah, that's your problem.
And this is my problem.
Yag-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-hack-heads.
And we're like, hey, this is up, this is me, this is me, this is me.
And you just have to stay quiet, and everybody projects everything on you.
So you're saying...
that's like a line in the movie
Jiminy Glick and Lala would hold for applause
where we improvised it
great deal and Jan Hooks
Elizabeth Perkins was complaining
that her husband needed sex
three times a day
and she said oh honey
I'll tell you you gotta get a blow up thing
because listen I've had four kids
fucking me is like fucking a purse
and you saw Elizabeth Perkins
shake her hand because she was
supposed to be drinking bring it up to her
so she doesn't spoil the take.
And I said, Dixie, remember when we discuss the word mystique?
Jiminy, Glick, Marty.
Well, let's just, let's focus a second on Jan Hooks.
Let's focus, okay, you're right.
Was there anyone funnier than Jan Hooks?
There were a few women at that SNL 50th that I was really missing,
that I really wish I could meet.
because I have never met.
One of them was Gilda, and the other was Jan.
Never met either one.
Never met Jan.
And she was, she was the, like, the, you know,
Kristen Whig or Kate McKinnon of the cast when I was growing up.
Jan was so talented, so, such a good actress, so funny.
And moving.
We did a special together in 95 where she played everyone,
everyone from David Letterman's mother.
She played Brett Butler that was so...
So good.
So vicious.
She's so good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I missed her, and I loved Lorraine and Jane holding up Gildas a picture.
Oh, I love that.
Love that.
I loved that.
Yeah.
I had a great moment with Lorraine and Jane where I didn't know Lorraine that well.
I've just kind of seen her at events over the years.
And I felt very bonded with her by the end of the weekend.
I don't know if she felt the same way about my...
about me, but she was just...
I know, she didn't.
She didn't.
I asked her.
Damn it.
I said, who did you bond with?
Who didn't you bond with?
And she...
Well, she opens up with the word surprise, surprise.
So it shocked me.
She didn't like you.
She didn't.
Oh, I could feel.
I could feel it.
I could feel it.
I kept nodding her head, no.
She said, I'm not a fan of the chatty chat.
She was like, I wish she was quieter.
Oh, my God.
She said, like, Steve Martin?
He's like, he bow.
Oh, I'll tell you.
They make you work for it.
You know who I wanted me.
It's Tina Faye.
Totally.
Yeah.
Damn, and I felt that.
I felt that because, but she, her and Jane, she shared two things with me that I loved.
One was just a small detail, but I loved it.
She's like, Jane and I are getting ready together, which I just love.
That's a very, that's a very girl thing.
Like, who are you doing hair and makeup with for the party?
And Jane and Lorraine were getting ready together, which just warmed my heart.
Like, I love that.
And also, they just both seemed great.
and I was like I said you two look great you seem great and we kind of had a moment where we said you know women know how to age like they can they do better with aging than men well some do most um you disagree well okay let's put it this way let's go let's go yeah if you're talking about someone who's had I said suture who's head who's had
15 facelifts.
But yes.
And then has that look.
But that's, I think, I think we get a little confused that, well, maybe I'm wrong, but we live in Los Angeles, so we see that a lot.
But the rest of, like your average people in a country, I'm sure, I'm sure.
Women, like, look at women, look at men and women when they turn 50.
It can be different.
It's, I don't know, every school reunion, high school reunion I went to, the women look pretty great.
And the men.
They look bad?
Terrible.
Why?
Marty!
Okay, here's what's not good.
Going bald is tough.
Yeah, that I don't even mind.
Who's the most handsome, bald person?
Paul Schaefer.
Paul Schaefer.
Paul Schaefer.
Ball person.
Fabulous.
Yes.
So, he...
I say of Paul that I've known him since 72,
and even in 72,
he looked like a Mader D in a spaceship.
Anna and Will killed as Bobby and Marty at that music thing.
Oh my God, was there anything funny?
And I said to Will after, I said, okay, did that take you two months or three months?
You said, we learned it today.
Today.
And Anna was doing a great impression of Paul playing them the part because it was like he was playing, yeah, 45 songs at 1.
And it was a complete chaos and they crushed it.
And to me, Tina and I were talking about this after.
To me, there was something very proud of, I felt very proud of all of us.
I don't know why, but it felt like a win for all of us that these two great sketch
comedians came out.
I mean, I feel this way when I watch you work and when you and Steve are together, like,
can come out and just settle a crowd and just, it just own the room.
There's a joy when people are not nervous.
Oh, my God.
That I love so much.
And also, neither character, or forget actor,
but neither character they were playing was trying to be funny.
Yeah.
They weren't trying to, they weren't saying laugh at it.
They were just being sincere in who they were.
And it was, oh, my God, was that a triumph?
I thought Bill Murray killed.
Yeah, everybody was incredible.
How about Maya and Fred as friends?
Incredible.
Yeah.
Like, Fred can do these physical things, the slightest...
There is no one funny than Fred.
I agree.
This is what Fred said to me at the end of the...
Fred Armson, for everybody listening.
This is what...
First of all, this is visual, but his dressing room was beside me.
So, I would pass his room and he'd be on his phone.
I'd say, hey, Fred, and he'd go...
See, Fred, you're not really asleep.
Oh, I'm saying. Oh, hi. How long have you been here?
Fred, I just saw you on the...
And the other thing he did, would she come.
completely convinced me was true, was when I left the stage after the good nights,
he said, why did you call Paul McCartney, Tony McCartney?
I said, I want, what?
Yeah, I mean, you said, oh, Tony McCartney.
And because I didn't know Paul was standing beside me, I thought, did I?
And...
That I told Bill Hader this
and Bill told Fred
and then Fred sent me a text
like a days ago.
Sorry, I thought you knew
that was a joke.
I literally thought I said Tony McCartney.
The stupidest thing in the word...
Tony McCartney.
I wish I said it of course, you know.
Not knowing Paul's name.
Fred used to send me
long text about his flight schedule
like when he was arriving,
what airport, what time to get picked up
as if I was picking him up from the airport.
He is so deeply funny.
He also does.
a bit that I love where if you haven't seen him for a long time at a party and you go, Hey, Freddy
goes, hi, how are you? Like, he pretends you're just a fan bothering him. He's so funny. He loves
a bit. He does a million of them, too, and everyone's funny. Yeah. But people feel that way
about you. People feel, like, the way even we were talking earlier with Maya and Tina and Jost,
like, people feel that way about you, Marty. Of all the funny people, people think you're the
funniest. I don't think so. Because... Okay.
Well, okay, thank you.
But I find that I find what I do with, like, Fred, is if it's at a party, I'll say,
do you hear what Fred said?
Yeah.
There's a lot of, did you hear what Fred said?
I agree that I think Fred is, like, genuinely one of the funniest people I know.
But I think you are, too.
The thing that I love about watching you is, and I don't know, maybe you're faking it,
but I feel like the lesson I learned at SNL and beyond is if you are in,
enjoying yourself. People will enjoy themselves. Oh, absolutely. But people don't really apply that
often into the work that they do, and even into the comedy that they do. Some people can't hide it.
You know, I used to think that even if I was at work and I was feeling low about something,
I would do an impersonation of myself happy. Yeah. And then that would get me happier.
Like when I started doing talk shows, I kept thinking, first time I did an important American talk show
would be December of 82 Letterman, 1230 show.
And I thought, what is the gimmick here?
Oh, I got to do an impersonation of myself at a dinner party really loose and having fun.
But I got to get it down to eight minutes.
Yeah, that's deep.
I remember Lauren telling me when I was doing update, you have to do a version of yourself for update.
Yeah.
A removed version of yourself.
Are you doing lip longer?
Yeah, that's right.
Nothing worse than dry lips, is it?
I get them constantly.
Yeah.
It's actually a problem of mine.
I love that you needed me to do it to feel free that you could do it.
Yeah, I mean, I can't do it.
That's too rude.
But if my guest pulls out lip balm.
Now, what if you looked over and I had bright red lips?
I've worn red lipstick.
I love a lip balm.
It's one of the things about L.A. that really crushes me is how dry it is here.
Very dry.
Is this your home-based L.A.?
Like, this is home?
No, I was born and raised in.
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and then when I was 22, I moved to Toronto, which is 40 miles east
of Hamilton.
I've been to some of those lakes you talk about outside of Toronto, and it does not get warm
ever.
Oh, it does.
I was there mid-August.
This is, and it was about 55 degrees.
I know, but this is going to be...
Sorry.
Okay, well, I'm going to say it, and I'm going to be criticized, but it's a real girl thing
to say.
To be cold?
Yeah.
How dare you?
You motherfucker.
I do a cold plunge
motherfucker every day.
Okay, but let me say something
to know again.
I got to get in trouble again.
But...
A girl thing to be cold.
No, no one's going to be mad about that.
A girl calls a cold plunge.
It's not what a guy
called a cold plunge.
I'm doubling.
Like, I don't consider...
I mean, you're right.
I don't consider 71 a cold plunge.
Yeah.
I mean, when I say,
Cold plunge. I mean, yeah. Like, I'm like, take my... No, not like real cold. Like I sleep without my socks on.
That's a cold plunge. No, I have a high tolerance for cold. I proudly got into cold plunging
like five years ago and I do it all the time now. Like every good podcast. I'm, you know, decades
older than you. I would think that I'd say, I'm going to do a cold plunge and be dead. Yeah, and dead.
Be dead. Just floating right in that cold plunge.
No, I slowly built up. It was during COVID, and I was genuinely, I was so anxious.
So what temperature did you start, truthfully?
Truthfully, I was so anxious and depressed during COVID that I was trying all these different things.
And so I would do the sauna, and the cold plunge was about 48, 49 degrees.
And how cold were you get it now?
Same. I don't do it any colder. Maybe the coldness is like 47.
Right. That's cold.
It's cold. And I started by just like,
going in and out, in and out for years,
and then building up,
and now I can do a couple of minutes.
And it is, I cannot recommend it enough.
How about just a cup of coffee?
Just a lovely cup of coffee in the morning.
You know?
I want to talk about your tour
because Tina and I are on tour.
I know.
And we asked you for advice.
I don't know if you remember, or maybe.
You probably sent some glibb.
You did.
Well, you said you gave good advice.
You gave a lot of good advice.
But because we've been doing a show and tour.
been the best. It is a dream come true. Well, this is what it is. This is what it is. Because
you and Tina love each other, then there's a rehearsal, there's laughs, there's a dinner.
There's perhaps a glass of wine afterwards. So it is kind of like as much fun as it can be
because you're happy to see everybody. And I know this sounds silly, but because I was never a touring
stand-up or a musician, I don't think I ever sold tickets where people knew they were going
to get me.
You know, I was either part of an ensemble, part of a sketch group, part of an improv show,
or I was hosting something that it wasn't.
So the fact that people show up already knowing that you are who they want to see is it just
gets so much out of the way.
Well, that's why, you know, you've done corporate dates and things like.
Now, they can be tricky because they're not showing.
up for you. They're showing up because, you know, they work for Tide. And so you kind of have to
be prepared for, hi, everybody. Nothing. And not take it personally. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean,
but when you, when people have paid to see you, it's this great compliment and they're happy to be
there. I know. It's the silliest, most obvious thing, but I realize our first show, oh, people knew
it was going to be just us. Yes, that's right. And they paid to see us.
And there's like a honest exchange between your performance and their ticket.
Like, I do the show for you.
You come and pay for it.
Like, it feels very honest, whereas I feel...
Well, see, that's the other thing.
I think that if...
And Steve is similar to me, and I know that Tina and you're the same.
If you felt, or if I felt that Steve was kind of walking through it that night,
then I'd say, you know what?
This has been great.
We did it.
but we can't do it anymore because that would and vice versa he would like be stunned so i think that
there's certain things in in partnerships that goes without saying and that commitment to understanding
that people not only paid a lot of money they got a babysitter there was a dinner maybe you know it's
yeah we have like tons of women who come with their friends or mothers who are bringing their
daughters right this is their night out for the month maybe they got a hotel room
Yeah. And we're the same. When we were done with the show, we look at each other.
We're like, we gave them a good show. Like, that's what we feel good about. Yeah. I know.
But I must admit, especially doing different Broadway shows for the years, I've rarely met anyone that just will walk through it.
I'm always amazed when I go to a Broadway musical, and it's, let's say, Wednesday matinee, and it's maybe not the greatest musical.
you still can't believe the talent on stage.
I know.
The level of the work, like they're working like it was opening night.
Yeah.
And I don't think their computer knows how to do it differently.
What was it like?
Like a lot of people in comedy, I obsess about those early Toronto days and you all together.
That was crazy.
Crazy.
I mean, one of the questions Jost wanted me to ask you was,
who was sleeping together that we didn't know about?
You don't have to answer, but he wanted me to ask you.
Oh, I used to be able to, there was a big picture of the Godspell cast, and I could go, day by day, day by day.
Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray.
No, it was the 70s.
Yes, it's so good.
I mean, that period of time with all the people that you were there, because you were there with who?
Paul.
I was there with Paul, Gilda.
Yep.
Andrea Martin.
Yes.
Victor Garber.
Eugene Levy.
We were on the same cast.
Wild.
And I remember Stephen Schwartz.
It was down, really like 500 people.
It was like American Idol the whole day.
It was the callback day.
And friends were at the back cheering on friends.
And, you know, Gilda got up there and bib overalls and with pigtails on either side going and saying.
Zippity-doo.
And I thought, oh, that's the sad thing I've ever.
And they said, you're hired.
And I thought, oh, maybe you have to rethink
because I'm doing my funny Valentine.
So I don't know.
But it was just, she was exactly what they were looking for.
And then we all just got that.
But I remember Stephen Schwartz.
It was down to about 12 people.
And it was between me and another guy.
Do you remember the guy?
I know.
I want to call him, say his name is Andrew.
I never saw him again.
But I just remember Stephen Shorts, who was like 24 at the time himself, went like this.
Andrew, you're so, so good.
But I think we're going to go with Martin.
And I'm still in university.
It was like, so Eugene and I, who are friends, went back, and there was a pay phone.
He kept borrowing each other's dimes and phoning people and tell them what happened.
And it was a dream.
Now you weren't in university anymore.
Now you didn't have to study any more exams.
You could stay up as late as you want.
You could drink beer at the end of the show
And he told you in real time
It's pretty wild
Right there, at the end of the day, we knew
Wow, wow, wow, wow
It was unbelievable
I mean, can I ask you a little bit about Gilda
Because we talked about Jam
But yeah
Like the things I hear about Gilda
And it just might be my projection
But I just feel like I would really love her
Oh, you would have been madly in love it
What I can't always balance is like how
Like you said something about her one time
about, like, she just was so comfortable with her own,
just the story you told, her own weirdness and strangeness.
Like, her own, like, she really knew.
She was just, you know what, she was just every, you know,
I've said this before, every girl wanted to be her best friend.
Yeah.
And every guy wanted to go out with her.
I remember she came up to the first rehearsal and said,
Hi, Marty, I'm so happy to be here.
She had her finger on her forehead.
And I said, okay, good.
And then she was doing it during,
and then she pulled and she had a big pimple here.
She was just so original, the size of her purse, the fullness of her hair.
Yeah.
And, you know, I fell for her, madly.
Yeah.
Tell me more about that.
Well, we didn't.
Because it's just like, it's just so sweet.
I don't know.
What she was, you know, she was just...
How old were you when you guys fell for each other?
I was younger.
I was 22 to her.
26. Wow. And we would break up and get back, but it were a couple of years. What kind of
attachment styles did you have? What does that mean? Do you have an hour? But do you, were
you anxiously attached? Were you an avoidant? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. In fact,
I, I'll tell you exactly what is very interesting. Gilda had, you know, emotional ups and downs,
and I had just gone through a period
where my parents had died
and my mother had died
and all she wanted to do was live
and she was the happiest person in the world.
So to me,
one of the issues that Gilden and I had
where we'd have fights about
was I think
what do you have to be not happy about?
You're talented,
you have family money,
everyone loves you,
everyone wants to be your friend,
everyone wants to date you,
No one is funnier.
You get the biggest laughs of anyone on stage.
You know, but I was only 22.
You know, I didn't understand, you know.
I mean, look, we're learning a lot of things about gals today.
One is they can't handle cold.
And the other is, um, duh, mood swings.
So, I mean, I'll like make a list of the things I've learned about you, you gals.
But you say something really beautiful, which is,
You had a lot of loss early in your life, and you learned that lesson that some people
learn and take away, which is, you know, we are here once.
You've got to figure, you know, like, we have to enjoy life.
I've never understood why, for some reason, because my brother died when I was 12,
my mother when I was 17, my father at 20, why I didn't become a victim of that, why I became
oddly empowered by it, to the point that I could be on stage and.
put my hair up in a point and say, I think it's funny.
Yeah, totally.
I mean, and not be, did they like me?
I don't know.
Do they, and I was never that, and I think because I grew up in a very funny family,
I was the youngest of five, Irish Catholic, and if they liked you, then that's all you cared about.
You didn't really care of this.
And you just might have been built that way.
There's just like your nervous system was.
Right, right.
And some people understandably become, you know,
know, victims of these tough situations.
But don't you feel like that's the, I mean, for me anyway, that is the thing about
getting older is realizing, oh, the simple lesson over and over again that we all process
differently.
Like, I cannot get someone to be happy if they're not.
Or I can't get my...
And as a parent, you know, because we always want to solve.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, there's some kind of version of that.
what you talk about, that joy of being alive that does come out in the stuff that you do.
And also, what I love about you is you also play very, how do I say this, like sharp and biting characters.
Like you're also really funny at playing people who are not rooting for you.
And but we love, like, okay, Jiminy.
So Jimmy.
Yeah, no, but I mean, we love morons with.
power. We love, you know.
That's a better way to say.
People who, I mean, to me, the idea that Jiminy Gleck was a guy who had a staff working
for him and someone was afraid of screwing up the lunch order.
I said tuna.
When I say, Dijon mustard does not mean French's and they're quivering.
You know, it's kind of like, can you imagine the staff when they leave after delivering
Trump, his 48th thing of Kentucky fried chicken, what they're privately saying.
I don't call this hot, yes, sir.
And Jiminy, to me, is a very familiar person in the world
in the past 20, 30 years of, like, press that I've had to do.
Oh, completely that kind of person who, to your point,
king of his kingdom.
King of his kingdom.
And you come to them, and this is how we do things.
And they're inquisitive, but, like, mean, and they hate women.
Dave Foley from kids in the hall said,
Marty, oh, you finally created a character who's as mean as you really are in life.
Well, but that's, like, I think that's what I'm getting to is I,
do you think you are meaner than people think you are?
Probably.
But I think that, you know, my father was sarcastic and Irish and mean.
I mean, I remember taping, um, recording two and a half hours of present opening
on Christmas morning and you hear my father.
Oh, Michael, what a lovely good.
I wonder what Michael would give you if he had money.
You know, it was like.
It's just all that stuff.
But teasing is a love language.
Yes, yes, yes.
That's what I do for people.
So, but there were, the thing that was weird for me doing Jimny Glick was that because it was improvised, I would say things that even shocked me afterwards.
Like, I remember interviewing Edie Falco.
And she was in the middle of an answer and I went, shh, just because I ask you a question does not mean that I need an answer.
Thank you.
And she said afterwards, she was really throwing because being shook.
was her Achilles' heel as a kid.
Oh.
So you can see it in the thing she did that.
And it was also so insane.
It's so insane.
This is a great moment though.
I mean, Jiminy is the videos that people watch, that my people watch to check,
like to just get a huge serotonin boost.
Like it is Jiminy videos all the way.
We, Tina and I, all of us send each other those videos almost every week.
Still.
I love that.
It just, they're so funny.
I think it is that ability to say the worst things.
Yes.
And have no fingerprints on it.
Like I said, you know, saying to Mel Brooks,
what's your big beef of the Nazis?
And he just kind of goes, my big beef?
My big beef?
I said, you're always knocking the Nazis.
Oh, it's time for Mal Brooks to knock the Nazis.
And he goes, I don't know, they're rude.
And the guest, it was completely important.
Like, they didn't know what questions.
The only thing we ever did once was Stephen Spielberg.
I said to Stephen, okay, at one point, I'm going to ask you to describe how you view the role of a director and kind of look off.
And so what we planned was, and the only thing in time we ever planned anything like this is that he was talking, the camera stayed with me and I slowly go.
got down in the chair and crawled to craft service and took all the candies, put three donuts,
put them in my pocket, crawled back, crawled up in the chair, I said, and interrupted. Isn't that wonderful?
Now, God, Jiminy forever. Jimony forever. You have a stamp in Canada. I do. Is it a picture of you
or one of your characters?
It is a picture of many characters.
So it's a many character in stamp?
Yes. It's a stamp. I have a coin.
Wow.
Yes.
Was that cool?
Did they have a ceremony and everything?
No, they didn't have a ceremony, but they had, or they did, and I didn't show.
Probably more like it, you know what I mean?
It's probably, it was that.
They did. They had a guy except for you.
Yeah, they were doing a whole, you know, bewitched tournament on TCM.
I wasn't going to miss that.
No, a coin.
I have, yes, a stamp.
And so does Catherine O'Hara.
I heard.
The great.
So does Jim Carrey, Mike Myers.
All heroes of mine.
I was 12 and 82.
Were you on SNL?
What year were you on?
SCTV.
And 82?
I joined it in the spring of 82.
So what, how many years were you on SNL?
One.
Wild.
What was your first year?
When I started 2001, I started two weeks after 9-11.
Wow.
That was the time when it was like, you know, will we ever laugh again?
Comedy is dead.
Right.
And I remember thinking, but maybe not.
Maybe it's, you know, maybe we should still laugh.
Yeah, my first show was the Giuliani show with the first responders on stage.
Right.
Who was the host?
Rees Witherspoon, musical guest Alicia Keys.
and that was September 29th or something, 2001.
And, you know, it was like, you know, the beginning of any job.
It's like, where are the bathrooms?
How does this work?
How do you get anything on?
And we're not going to do anything political for three years.
Comedy is over.
New York is, you know, hurting.
We're going to, you know, there's anthrax in the building.
But isn't it interesting that that happened then?
COVID happens.
over and over again
this idea that
how can we get through this
people have personal tragedies in their life
it's like over and over again we think
how can I get by
and for me and maybe for you
like comedy just continues
to be the thing that I think
pushes people
through. Yeah because it is
so absurd our life
that these perfect lives
will end one day
and
and that tragedy exists
There is a reason that the two masks are comedy and tragedy because they're both preposterous.
And I think comedy has saved my life endlessly, endlessly, you know.
And being so lucky to be in the family I had, this Irish Catholic youngest of five siblings that are all still so close and all so funny.
And all of us do wordle every day.
and everyone is mean to each other and insult each other.
And it's perfect.
It's the best.
My father.
I hear someone laughing.
My father would never had dinner with us, you know, because he had his big, he was Irish.
So he had, and he was a successful guy, but he'd have his big.
He had an Irish broke?
Yes.
Cross McGlain Count Hermal.
Marty, get down here.
And so he would come home.
We'd be in the nook having dinner.
and he'd have the newspaper with his gin and ginger, no ice,
because the Irish feel ice is addictive.
So he'd sit there and he'd,
Marty, don't shovel the food in like an animal, do.
Thank you.
And then, or one time he got up and he said,
Michael, keep eating, I'll make sure the dogs don't get it.
It was just, and of course, if you weren't the brunt of it,
you found it hilarious.
Yes, but that's love.
Yeah, I know.
That is, the fact that somebody feels like,
you can take the teas is the highest compliment.
People ask Steve and myself this a lot.
I'll ask you, have you, like Steve and I insult each other a lot.
You know, I mean, in life, it started with me insulting them in life because that's how I grew up.
And then we turned it, you know, we insult each other on stage.
But people always wonder if I've ever gone too far or hurt his feelings or I didn't mean to.
it never has happened
and Steve will answer that question by saying
I think it's because we just know we'd never intend to
yes that's right
yeah and we have a different dynamic
we don't we don't really insult each other
well you'll fight over the heat right
like if it's too cold in the room
you'll say oh
that's my blanket I mean do you ever do that stuff
no you know but I think
you see it's so funny you say that because I think of you
ladies as uh that's where you should stop well no i just think of you should just stop don't don't think
of us so you never say okay missy that you don't say that okay that's my blanket no we're really we usually
are the same temperatures so so sorry why should i so i shouldn't just verbalize what everyone's
thinking i don't think everyone's thinking it i think it's very personal okay whatever you think
it's fine i don't know if any if you notice this at all but um there's a lot of this is my
fake food, some of my personal fake food collection. So we've been trying to figure out how to make
the studio feel homey. You know, it's interesting. Yeah, which one do you like the best? A lot of people
would have fake food and it would be boring to look at. Thank you. But the way you've arranged it,
like the cheeses. Well, let's talk about it for a second while we just have a second. Yeah.
Okay. So this is a, for people who might be watching this rather than listening to it,
there's a tiny little paper box of cheez-its. Yeah. And you think, oh, it just
just a teeny tiny miniature box of cheese-its.
There can't be anything in there.
No, it can't be anything.
It'd be silly if there was.
Maybe there's a tiny cheese-it.
Do you know what's sad about this moment?
You actually know a lot about this stuff.
This is my stuff.
No, I know that's what's sad.
But you know what?
Oh, my God.
Sometimes when I'm like I'm dieting,
but I'm still hungry for something.
It does have an icy.
You know what?
When I have a tiny
box of nutrigrain bars
Well, surely nothing's in there.
No, it's a tiny, just a silly little box.
It couldn't be an actual
Nutra grain bar
and with an anthropomorphic face
that's winking at you.
Let's see if you can see that, right?
See, a lot of people would find that disturbing.
Yeah, not me.
Not me, but meanwhile.
Well, thanks.
Hold on.
Party.
And not to make it a big deal, but this isn't real.
This is a candle.
And it's fake bread and it looks like a candle.
See, if you were on a blind date with a guy,
and he brought you back to his apartment and you said,
you want to see all these things?
Oh, I've done that.
I brought all my men through my fake food museum.
And some it's fake and some it isn't.
You'd say, oh, okay.
And I put it, yeah, and I go, let's go, guess which is fake?
I go put it in your mouth.
Put it in your mouth and tell me what's fake.
That's how I get it.
Well, that was, I'm not, see, clip, clip, yeah, clip.
I can censor.
But look, a simple felt fake garlic.
This isn't garlic.
This is felt.
Oh, you're kidding.
It's a felt tomato.
Come on.
Why you?
Oh, that is so.
clever and you know what again
some people would have this
and not make it interesting
but you describing it
is really really interesting
oh thank you
oh look you can do props
I want to take your word for it
I'm a pirate
you know
listeners
Marty is putting a fake
Felt tomato in one of his eyes
and pretending he's a pirate.
It's this kind of prop stuff that's great for podcasts.
I know.
And you know what?
It's so interesting.
I realize now as I do it,
it's one of the things that have kept me out of the big money.
It's prop humor.
Yeah, prop humor.
But you're making it work.
What's that an egg?
This is a fake egg.
ASMR.
Listen to this.
Well, it doesn't sound fake to me.
People make so much money doing,
clickety-click things with microphones,
but not with a fake egg.
But what a gift you have.
If this is an indication of what your podcast is going to be.
Yeah, that it's really, really...
I think I wouldn't make a big cake
to celebrate the second week,
but certainly, I bet you finish this week.
Yeah, we will definitely finish this week.
Yeah. We will definitely finish.
Yeah.
And they've been very nice, and they've, in fact, they...
But I wouldn't bother to decorate the whole place.
I mean, you've got this stuff going, I think it's probably...
Oh, pancakes.
Big pancakes.
They just said, someone just said to me, great job, and let's finish the week.
That's what someone said to me.
And I take that as a good sign.
Well, I think it's very good.
So my last question to you is, and I'm asking a lot of people this,
what is the thing you, like, where do you get your serotonin?
What do you look at, watch, listen to, where do you go?
Who do you hang with?
I mean, you're very funny friends, but, you know, what is the, what is something that you, like,
genuinely laugh at, that you
watch or
consume. I can always
turn on Annie Hall and just get
lost in it.
But I have
great
friends for long time,
decades and decades friends,
who are all famous
people in comedy.
And everyone is funny.
One time I was having lunch with Chris
guest. This was years ago, and I was making
this movie Captain Ron, he said,
Martin, what is this
film a boat. And right away I knew he'd hate
the film, you know. I said
well, Chris, I play a man
who has two children who inherits
a boat. He said, I didn't say spoil it
for me.
Do you have anything you like
now that you're watching
anything that's making you laugh?
No, you know, I truthfully, I am
a news junkie. Well, this is, yeah, okay.
I watch, you know, Morning Joe.
Every morning I'll turn on CNN
So there are many, many things
I love Bill Maher
But there are many many things that
People say you haven't seen that
I mean when I go to the Emmys
I don't know who's a massive star
Or who's a seat filler
Because there's so much I haven't seen
There's just still that last St. Elsewhere
I haven't yet yet
Have you all
God I loved St. Elsewhere
Love St. Elsewhere.
But that St. Elsewhere was so...
I'm telling you.
The last time you've watched TV is saying elsewhere.
As Zimni Gleck said to Bill Hader, I'm still mad they canceled Arles.
All right.
Well, I love you very much.
Thank you so much for doing this.
So I get paid not in cash, right?
No, in Bitcoin and Doge coin.
And Doge.
Doge.
And Doge a cat coin.
Well, that was an awesome interview with Martin Short.
He is the best.
And now it's time for something we're calling the polar plan.
which is basically how do you get, how do you change your day?
How do you make yourself feel better?
I do like to jump into cold water.
I know it's weird, but I have a podcast, so I have to do it.
But I think one way to like change the molecules in your brain and give you a serotonin boost is to laugh.
And there is no better laugh for me than Jiminy Glick.
So do yourself a favor and watch that character played by Martin Short in a variety of videos online.
Jiminy Glick interviewing Bill Hater when he stepped in for Jimmy Kimmel is so funny.
Hater cannot stop laughing.
And he just loves getting teased.
And that kind of teasing between people who are mutually respectful of each other is like my favorite kind of love language.
So, yeah, Martin Short, thank you for Jiminy Glick, the gift that keeps on giving.
And if you have never watched that character, please binge it now.
Thanks so much for listening to Good Hank.
Thanks for hanging with us.
We will see you next time.
You've been listening to Good Hang.
The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons,
Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler.
The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite.
For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Katz-Belaine,
Kaya Mineris.
For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell,
and Jenna Weiss Berman.
Original music by Amy Miles.