Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang - "Rode Hard And Put Away Wet" (w/ Will Ferrell & Harper Steele)
Episode Date: September 25, 2024Matt & Bowen are thrilled to welcome Will Ferrell and Harper Steele from the new Netflix documentary Will & Harper to Las Cultch! The two chat about their SNL beginnings (including Will's litt...le known performance as Lisa's brother Chip Kudrow), navigating familiar spaces as a trans woman, the importance of allyship and using the road trip depicted in the doc as a way to "come out more". Also, Kristen Wiig's original song for Will & Harper, emotions surrounding being embraced by the queer community, vulnerability as strength and making weird shit with your friend. All this, how The Rocky Horror Picture Show impacted Harper, Natty Light, stew, carrots, Molly Shannon, and how it's none of our BUSINESS what you think of us!!! Stream Will & Harper on Netflix on September 27th!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Real Housewives of New York City are back for another bite of the Big Apple.
Look who it is.
Joined by elite new friends.
Rebecca Minkoff.
Have you ever heard of her?
But things could change in a New York Minute.
She had this wild night and ended up getting pregnant by some other guy.
What?
You told her?
Not today, Satan.
Not today.
The Real Housewives of New York City.
All new Tuesdays at 9 on Bravo or stream it on City TV+.
Hey everybody, it's me, Matt Rogers, letting you know tickets are on sale now to see me on tour.
The Prince of Christmas tour, that is.
I'm doing my whole album, Have You Heard of Christmas, plus a lot more with the whole band all throughout December.
Go to www.mattrogersofficial.com
to see me in a city
near you. And now,
Las Colch
Drums.
Look, Matt. Oh,
I see. Wow.
Bowen, look over there. Is that culture?
Yes. Oh, my goodness. Wow.
Las Colchoristas.
Ding dong, Las Las Culturistas calling
I just whipped out an expression
You love this expression
I do, I say it often
I was rode hard and put away wet
And I kind of used it in this way to say
Like we're old dogs
When it comes to this podcast
You know what I'm saying
We're withered and weathered
Withered and weathered.
Withered, weathered, rowed hard, and put away wet.
A front runner for a title event.
I know we'll come up with something better.
Did you want to ask about my sports pageantry?
Yeah, you're wearing, now people don't know about this,
but Matt Rogers, being the Long Island king he is, is a huge fan of the New York Mets.
Major.
Major, so you're wearing a Mets t-shirt, and is that a baseball cap?
A Mets baseball cap?
I'm flipping it around to reveal it is actually a Pride-themed Mets cap
that I got when I threw out the first pitch.
I threw out the first pitch last year at the Mets Pride game,
and I got to tell you, it was a strike.
Wow!
And I threw it from the mound.
You knew this. I did. You went from the And I threw it from the mound. You knew this.
You went from the mound? I went from the mound.
Because you have to understand, my dad is a
sports dad. That's right. He's a baseball coach.
He was a crazy man. He was a rainbow ball they used for the day.
They really should have gone the extra mile
there. But it was
a match with a streamer. Yeah, I know.
So they could be extra elegant
and queer. Katniss Everdeen.
Yes, exactly. What Katniss Everdeen. Yes, exactly.
What Katniss was famous for doing.
Throwing the rainbow balls.
Wow, already off the races.
But anyway, so it's a huge week for the New York Mets.
Explain.
So I really can't, but I know that it's a big week.
In fact, I texted my father to explain.
They went to the Mets game last night, and I said,
can you explain what's happening with the Mets this week because I know it's a big week. And he
said all these words. And I
so I know that they're playing the Braves
the Atlanta Braves. And they have
to do well this week in order to stay in contention
for the playoffs. Playoff implications.
Oh there's major playoff implications.
Another front runner for title of
app. We're really rolling at it today.
But this is a major week so I'm wearing my sort of geish.
And I pray for them.
I pray for them.
Now, this is something that I want to come back to, which is this idea of you don't have to understand something in order to appreciate and show love.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
You know what?
I don't know how to do make clothes.
And we're wearing them.
And we're wearing them.
Wow.
By the way, I love this. Thank you. Bowen, would you want to describe what you're wearing? It And we're wearing them. Wow. By the way, I love this.
Thank you.
Bowen, would you want to describe what you're wearing?
It's a little cable knit cardigan.
It is the second day of fall at the time of recording.
We did it.
We beat it.
I have to say.
We beat summer.
It feels even better than the end of Labor Day weekend, which I famously said was the
end of summer.
But you were corrected summarily.
It was controversy.
Yes.
And we caught a lot of
controversy on this podcast. Oh, yes.
And now no one can say anything to me.
It's fucking over.
Stew season.
Stoop season. What is
the stew you're going to make this week? I'm going to make a
bo ko, which is a Vietnamese beef
stew. Lemongrass.
Down, bitch. Oh my
God. I'm doing it on Sunday. We're back at work. You know, the top really jumps out when you talk about stew. Lemongrass down, bitch. Oh my god. I'm doing it on Sunday.
We're back at work. You know, the top really jumps
out when you talk about stew. The top?
Yeah. I've really
been looking forward to this episode. I saw
one of our guests at Seth Meyers.
I had the privilege and honor of doing
Second Chance Theater.
Our guest remounted
his legendary
sketch called Mr. Cotter,
where he plays someone who has basically just rearranged his life
to look like his favorite actor, Gabe Kaplan,
from the sitcom Welcome Back, Cotter.
No one knows what you're talking about.
This is big mainstream stuff.
People love John Travolta on this pod.
We love Travolta.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's been on six times.
He's been on six times.
Hilarious.
We gave him a jacket.
Hilarious.
And I stopped our guest.
I said, you and Harper have to come on when the doc comes out.
Rave reviews at Sundance.
I mean, come on.
You know 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
That's all the percents.
That's literally every percent you could get.
And not for nothing, but you watch it and it works on every level.
I mean, it's an incredible story of friendship, of resilience.
I mean, you'll learn, you will laugh.
It's just got all the greats in it.
And I really feel like I had so many emotions watching it.
It's one of those like true feats of documentary film in that it captures so much.
I mean, like it's just fucking great.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's incredible.
Will and Harper.
It's on Netflix September 27th.
You simply must watch.
We're simply so happy that our guests are here.
Give it up.
Alphabetical. Alphabetical.
Alphabetical.
Last name.
Ready?
Here we go.
Welcome into your ears.
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele!
Now, welcome to the show.
Did you drive here?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Did you?
Did you guys drive here?
I love driving in New York.
Oh, my God.
It was so easy today, too.
Today.
There's some events going on, and I don't think it's Mariah Carey.
It's Mariah Carey.
She's performing at the UN General Assembly, which is also in town.
Oh, okay.
That's going to be.
I always come to Manhattan during the UN General Assembly, and I stay in midtown, in the UN area.
Oh, yeah.
Do you ever try to get in?
I've tried a couple times as a foreign diplomat, and I'm tackled to the ground. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you ever try to get in? I've tried a couple times as a foreign diplomat.
And I'm tackled to the ground.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was surprised they didn't
let y'all into the White House.
Because I feel like, when you pointed to
your face and said, this is how we're getting in to see
Big Joe, I thought, this
might work. No. No?
No.
I feel like you're going to get pushback, Will,
because I think that one of the first things that's said in the film is you say,
hi, I'm Will Ferrell, one of the greatest actors of all time.
And then Matt and I were like, well, yeah, truly.
You made it a joke and we think it's true.
I don't like hearing this.
Are you listening to this?
I'm not.
My mic's off.
I can't hear anything.
No.
Thank you.
I so appreciate that.
Is this a matter of dispute between the two of you well
it's been a little bit of a that's a point of yeah contention what is your greatest role
thank you god i love this this is the greatest podcast ever i'm gonna say what is my greatest
role i'm gonna say probably human being human being human being. Human being.
Human being, like the way you occupy space every day.
The way, yeah.
I think people do think you're great,
and I think people need to know that there's work.
There's just work to be done.
We can improve every day.
Of course. Work in progress.
I'm a work in progress.
Yeah, sure.
Aren't we all?
Yeah, absolutely.
I feel I'm progressing.
Yeah. You're progressing? Every day. I'm a work in progress. Yeah, sure. Aren't we all? Yeah, absolutely. I feel I'm progressing. Yeah.
You're progressing?
Every day.
I'm almost there.
Complete.
Oh, you feel pretty good.
Like you're, yeah.
I think so.
Okay.
What is your greatest role?
What is my greatest role?
Human being.
I start sobbing.
I say best friend.
Oh, my God. This becomes emotional immediately. human being I start sobbing because I say I say best friend I start crying
this becomes
emotional immediately
I did want
I did want to ask about
so in the beginning
of the documentary
you talk about your beginnings
at SNL
you really felt
you were a flop
you didn't think
people were getting it
at first
well
I kind of have to
warm up
to the room
a little bit
yeah I'm not a
guns a blazing
at least back, like,
Sherry O'Terry was the only person.
But you were confident.
Yeah, I was like, I wasn't.
But you were a very subdued human being.
Yeah, I was just more like feeling it out.
At first.
There were already cliques that had formed.
People were way more, like,
just really felt like they had been there the whole time.
I'm like, wow.
It just was overwhelming.
Sure. Yeah, but it's funny to hear.
It was funny to hear after a couple of rides,
we're like, yeah, everyone just thought you were like,
you seem nice, but he's not that funny.
I don't know what he's going to do on the show.
It's like, who is that guy?
Why is he here?
Even though it was the same start week for both of you.
Yeah, we both started.
But I had kind of come in with the Jon Stewart show.
So I had a little clique, a little group of my own.
And so I wasn't.
And then Steve had already sort of gotten good in with the Second City people because of Cindy Campanera.
They were best friends.
So I kind of had a little bit in. And then I just would get asked every once in a while.
We were all sort of sizing up the talent.
And I was also on the other side.
My office was behind the page.
Oh, yeah.
The desk there on that side.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wasn't part of the—
No man's land.
No man's land.
And I'd walk over to the writer's room table side, and it was gales of laughter down the gale gales
bits galore bits everyone doing bits and i was late on the bit i didn't already understand the
inside joke and i go back to my quiet side yeah not a good feeling to be outside of the bit no
i'm just like well also he just wasn't up for like bidding for no reason i do some long distance
phone calls yeah on my phone doing phone? That's a good bet.
Doing your own bit.
And then I was like, oh, I guess I'll go to Ikea and furnish my apartment.
I don't know what else to do.
They brought us in so early, too.
Like a month.
Yeah, like really early, early, like into August.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
That seems a little cool.
It was fun, though, because there's no pressure at that point.
So the show's not happening for a long time,
and you're like, I can't wait for the show to start,
which obviously we know that's not really fun.
It's the gales of bits.
It's the gales of bits.
Gales of bits.
Well, you two came, I think, and it's documented in the documentary.
You two came on a read-through day, I remember,
and you both came down to say hi to everybody.
It was so lovely.
We'd heard the scuttlebutt that the doc was starting.
Wasn't Travis Kelsey the host?
It was Travis Kelsey.
That was the week.
Yeah.
We were so,
we were once again,
overwhelmed because that was,
not read through.
Read through in the studio is so foreign to us.
Totally.
It was a little,
yeah.
Oh,
you know what?
We're recording this right before the first week back.
And by the time this comes out,
I'll know whether or not we're back on 17.
I think Lorne, that's the mission Lorne wants.
It's such an intimate, such a better,
well, I mean, we can't,
I can't compare it because I didn't sit through
or read through on this,
but what I saw, it looked sort of hollow.
And when you get up there on 17, it's intimate
and there's lots of, yeah, the laughter you can hear.
Or when I wrote sketches, often you couldn't hear the laughter.
Acoustically, it's better up in 17.
But by the time, when did the bit start of you walking around?
And was it that you were Lisa Kudrow's brother?
Like you were playing someone's brother.
I was Chip Kudrow.
Lisa Kudrow's brother. There were like in character. I was Chip Kudrow. Chip Kudrow.
Lisa Kudrow's brother.
There was no character, by the way.
No character.
You had glasses on.
I had the same vocal intonation.
Most grounded character of all.
Yeah, I wore a fake. Your greatest role.
Fake.
You're not human.
Human.
You kind of, and Lisa, I think is fine with this,
but you kind of dumbed Chip down a little bit.
Chip Kudrow said really one line.
He would sit at read-through,
and we would all be going over the sketch,
and Chip would just go,
I would invert that.
That's all he said.
Chip would be at the rewrite table.
He's super affable.
Yeah, I loved him.
Oh, good.
Always showed up late.
Always showed up late.
Sure.
That was a Chip thing, not a Will thing.
Chip would just sit there smiling and giving thumbs.
And then someone, Higgins or someone would go,
Chip, do you have any notes?
I'm like, I would invert it.
I would do the funny part at the beginning.
Exactly.
And then end on the-
That was his one note.
Wait, well, so then what would happen?
Where would Chip be?
Like where would Will be when Chip was kind of just holding, just being in the room?
It's like Superman and Clark Kent.
You can never find Will.
And there was no distinguishing physical thing either.
That's what made it even better than the whole Clark Kent bullshit.
But at what point was there the comfort to broach Chip?
Because I consider that a huge bit.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That was at least
it was not the first year
no that was a year
it was probably
second or third year
yeah
it's not bad
yeah
sometimes it takes people
a couple seasons
to show themselves
but that's
the other place
Harper and I bonded
just constantly
reminding ourselves
and everyone else
at the show
that like
we're doing comedy
right
let's not take it too seriously.
We're going to fail.
We know that.
Failing is kind of.
Yeah.
Liberating, right?
I mean, if you don't get all.
Gabe Kaplan.
Gabe Kaplan.
But that ended up being such a triumph by the end.
Well, but sure.
It took 20 years.
It took 20 years to get laughs.
But you know, all it needed was someone to show a picture
of what Gabe Kaplan looked like.
And then when the reveal is that you look like him, it's funny.
Can I bring up, or you should talk about Box of Shit.
Now talk about Box of Shit.
Oh, I don't know.
Okay, yeah.
No, no, no.
I'm very proud of Box of Shit.
Yeah.
The first few seasons.
That's a rule of culture number 80.
I'm really proud of Box of Shit.
The first few seasons of SNL, I would compile a viewing party called the Box of Shit.
It was the worst sketches of the year.
Good.
And you have to include one of your own because you can't piss on people.
I imagine you didn't.
We all had shitty sketches.
Some people weren't invited to the Box of Shit viewing party because they didn't have the same attitude.
Oh, of course.
Yeah, so you have to be careful there.
But if you're thinking, was I on the Box of Shit?
Yes, you were.
Yeah.
You have to be able to roll on the Box of Shit.
Yeah.
But it became a point of pride.
Of course.
To get selected for the Box of Shit.
Yeah.
And we had this one sketch, and I'm not going to name whose it was.
It was a commercial parody.
But there was a laugh on it that was
from maybe
42nd Street. It was the only laugh.
It was so far away from the
building, and so...
And we just analyzed it over
and over again. Was it a laugh? Where did it come
from? But it was silent. A commercial
parody that was silent.
Yeah.
And the phantom laugh is
just a fuzz of static.
It was like,
it was like,
eh.
40 seconds.
And we're like,
oh,
that's just someone
out on 40 seconds.
Wow.
Wait,
can you do that again?
Like,
eh.
That's very ASMR.
All you sound people,
get out your equipment.
Yeah,
no,
they're going to do
what they're going to do what they're going to do.
They're going to do it.
Yeah, they're good
at that whole thing.
Open up the pods.
Yes.
Is that the right terminology?
Not really.
Okay.
Open up the pods.
Let's open up the pods.
You always think
whenever you go into
like a studio or something
that there's going to be
knobs like this everywhere.
Yeah.
Nowadays,
very few knobs.
Nope.
I like the knobs.
I like the knobs too.
Like, turn that up.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
You know, and I'm doing this, too, as if there's, like, one ear.
The glamour of recording is one pod.
This is hanging off your ear, the other side.
And you sort of slide the knob and go, yeah, that's it.
Turn the gains up.
I don't know what a single one of the words or actions means.
You sounded so professional.
Thank you. I have some experience. I'm near some what a single one of the words or actions means. You sounded so professional. Thank you.
I have some experience.
I'm near some knobs now.
This is very antiquated.
You need to email somebody.
Face the screen, Bahid.
Yeah.
That's not where you should be facing.
That having been said,
what if I touch this?
Would it do nothing if he touched that?
Would it do nothing?
It would do something.
Okay.
Don't do it.
Okay, I'm not.
You produced this podcast. Do you want us to go down in flames it's the only good thing we have i saw the thing about the joy of producing well
can i say something because i don't think will knows how much involved he is producing the project
he was under yeah the table here working wires this morning. Oh my God. I got in here at,
oh, what was,
I was a little bit late.
So I got in here at 6.30.
I'm usually here at 5.30.
Yeah.
And I was, yeah,
I was making sure
the board was hooked up.
Yeah, totally.
I got the Sony.
Yeah, that's the Sony.
Sony full frame.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I lined these up
and I made sure
the copy machine was working.
Did you get this
really cold coffee
for every coffee
it was cold
you're kidding
yeah
Harper you're not a fan
of cold coffees
you wanted hot
I wanted a hot coffee
but it wasn't gonna happen
so
it can't always happen
because the thing about
hot coffee
is it can become cold
whereas cold coffee
well it can become warm
but it can't ever become hot
you're right
the thermal should have been thinking cold yeah of course of right yeah yeah well you know if you don't expect anything you're
not ever disappointed yeah pull out a paperback novel right I think that one
of my favorite parts of the doc was seeing you guys all interact with, you know, Tina and Seth and Colin and everyone together.
And I wonder, like, what is that like to go into the room with all those people?
And of course, there's going to be the bits, but there is this very real thing of this transformation and this change.
Yeah.
What were those emotions that were going through your mind?
Well, very family like because.
Yeah.
And I know, Bowen, you're there now.
You probably hate everyone there.
Of course you do.
He'll never say the truth, but I will.
But I guarantee you in 10 years, that's your high school.
You will love those people so much.
So when I came out, the email got out to these various people that I worked with at Saturday Night Live.
They were so supportive,
so sweet. So walking into that room was just really sweet,
and yeah, it felt like a family. I mean,
I just was so happy to see every one of them,
except for Colin Jones.
Except for Colin. And Tim,
who thought it was a bit. No one wants to see Colin.
No one wants to see Tim. I'm so tired
of Colin Jones. Did Tim actually respond
thinking it was a bit, or was that a bit?
He didn't respond that aggressively that it was a bit.
I think, yeah, he got the news from an old friend of ours, Marcy Klein,
and I think it came to Tim.
There's a way to tell someone that they've transitioned,
and then there's a way maybe not to.
But I hope you don't feel that your way was not the right way
because it was completely personal.
Oh yeah, yeah, no.
And I, no, I mean it was
again, everyone
which to me is the laughable thing.
We have a friend who came out
on the Ellen show
but they were working at
Ellen for like 10 years before they had
the courage to come out and escape.
And you're like, how is that possible?
And I have that feeling like,
why was I so afraid in the world of entertainment?
It's ridiculous.
I feel like that's sort of outside of it.
One thing that doesn't really come up in the documentary,
but that I was thinking about is I was thinking back to that time.
And even when we were really coming up in comedy like it's funny the other day
there was a piece on Bowen and we talk about the sketch that we wrote many years ago was that first
sketch that Bowen ever performed you can say it I read it it was called it was about Joan from
Mad Men and I wrote it and we were talking about it and I was like kind of reminiscing and then I
went back to those sketches and I was like looking in 2013 at some of the sketches and I was like kind of reminiscing and then I went back to those sketches and I was like looking
in 2013 at some of the sketches and I opened one up yeah and in the very first line there's a
transphobic joke yeah and we were queer yeah we felt very progressive and I actually had to sit
back in my chair and I was like wow it flew out in the first line and then I really thought to
myself about how prevalent,
not only just casual racism, casual misogyny,
but transphobia was- In the comedy world, especially.
Absolutely.
And so when we talk about the entertainment world,
you were in the comedy world.
Of course, there was some.
Oh, yeah.
And I just wanted to ask, like, to speak to that.
Like, I'm certain that if we went back to SNL sketches
from your tenure, tenure there were things
oh definitely things I've not would not write again at all right of course yeah no to know that
you were dealing with this yeah in the midst of that was that a rub or did you find yourself
participating in that type of comedy writing because that's just kind of what you did I think
I got so good at disassociating that it just was, and not paying
attention to how anxious or how miserable I was, not paying attention to that side, just letting
this thing keep going and just making sure that the train stayed on the track always. Doing the
job. Just constantly, just, and I love the job and I love the people. So it's like one of these
kind of impossible things to explain. You're just living this experience that seems in every way beautiful.
And it was in a lot of ways.
And then there's just this other side that's falling apart.
Do you think that disassociation led to, I mean, you're a funny person, but do you think
comedy was a way to not?
Oh, without a doubt.
No, I mean, especially when I was a kid.
Yeah, exactly.
I mean, I became a class clown for a reason. You I had to distract you flourish but also hide yeah of course of course
yeah you know I think a lot of comedians it's not about being trans or being queer or anything
there's a lot of things people are hiding in a comedy room and yeah I think I you know it's just
a very disassociative kind of world really yeah I, there's a moment in the doc that's really beautiful
where it's you two with Forte on a hot air balloon.
I love that man.
I love that man.
What a beautiful man.
To get to that shoot, Will Forte went through 30 different trains and planes
and probably another hot air balloon.
He interrupted like a ski vacation or something to meet us on,
because we knew we were hitting Albuquerque at a certain date.
And like most people, I'm busy.
I can't, no.
Had to be there.
There's a thing that Harper says where you say,
you know, sometimes I wish I had come out sooner,
but if I had, then I might not have met you guys
and I might not have had a comedy job.
And I wanted to ask about this,
what you feel about this like temporal aspect
to being a trans person.
You've always been a trans person,
but then the moment of coming out or of transition,
which are also two separate things
that are chronologically on different loci, let's say,
how do we like reconcile those
things, though, of like you've always been this person. Yeah. And yet the moment of coming out
is incredibly consequential. Yeah, because I try to kind of reconcile it with the sort of transness
of my whole life. Yeah. So like a lot of the transness seeped through in so many great ways.
And that's just that thing inside me fighting me the whole time and finally winning. And that's a really joyous thing to think about. Like I fought it
so hard for so long, or when I say I, this is all complicated, but yes, I tried to keep this thing
down and it just kept fighting back. So yes, on the other side of it, it's like to come out in
1979, I mean, which I wish I could have done. I wish I could have come out in 1979. I would wonderful. I just don't know if the world would have been the same and to get to Lorne Michaels wouldn't have hired a trans woman in 1996. I mean,
I'm sure Lorne, oh no, of course I would have. No, he's not doing that. I mean, I could have had a
wonderful life. I don't know what that life is. I'm not saying it was going to be misery or anything,
but yeah, I just, I also value all the friends and people I made sort of just being half myself, you know.
All that aside, though, like it is, I think, pretty incredible that SNL like has already had a trans head writer.
Oh, I love it.
I love it.
I'm looking at the cast and the crew and the writers now.
And it's just like, yes, thank you.
But I'm talking about I'm talking about you.
Like any time you ask me like, oh, what's it like with this?
You know. Oh, of course. Your sensibility that's broken. And I'm like ask me, like, oh, what's it like with this, you know,
queer sensibility that's broken in?
I'm like, well, I don't think it's broken.
I think it's always been there.
Yeah, second female head writer.
I mean, Tina did beat me, so.
Goddamn trailblazer.
I know, exactly.
Girl boss.
You don't have enough.
I don't care about that.
You didn't need to lean in that much.
No, no way.
When is it enough?
When is it enough?
Gorgeous, talented. Could you not way. When is it enough? When is it enough? Tina, stop. Gorgeous, talented.
Could you not see
that I was a woman?
You should have seen that.
This is Tina's fault.
Yeah.
Tina repressed me
to get ahead.
That's a full quote.
Oh, honestly,
People Magazine's
coming for you.
One thing that like really blew me away is, and it always blows me away, is when someone has a passion for solo road trips through the middle of the country. And one thing that this is part of the ride that I was on in watching the documentary was how I was checking in with my body.
Like when you guys go into those bars, those hole in the wall bars, I had like a response
to it.
And one thing that I think was my pull from this was not only how beautiful your story
was and how beautiful your friendship is, but how afraid I really am of those spaces
and how I feel like whether it's I've been conditioned
or I've learned a need to unlearn,
but I myself have a phobia of a type of person I think that is learned
because whether it's a trauma response or something,
me being defensive,
like,
and I know that I can code switch in those spaces if I really wanted to.
In fact,
I did it many years to survive in my own right.
You're code switching today with your mask.
Like this,
I mean,
but,
but like anything,
the reason I even own this shirt is because I had it a long time ago, but just the ability to go into those spaces is now one that you have to think
about in a different way. And I think, were you actively nervous those whole times? Did you feel
protected by the cameras and by Will's presence? And so was that, yeah, I mean, I guess.
Yeah. I mean, I wasn't as nervous. I mean, that bar going in by myself was a weird experience.
I mean, I'm looking around at people I grew up with.
I knew that world a little bit.
That felt weird, but I also had a camera crew
and my buddy Will was outside
and I knew he was gonna come in.
So whenever I was traveling with Will,
I didn't have a sort of typical trans experience, honestly.
But no, I've been back and forth twice now.
And I still, like you, I'm not sure I'm gonna go back
into that kind of bar at night.
I will go into truck stops and the places that I love and I have, and I feel way more confident,
but no, I mean, and code switching is such a funny thing. There's this thing in this documentary.
It just bothers me every time I see it, we're in that Oklahoma bar and I'm talking to people and I go, y'all. And it's
fear-based, you know, and it's not a bad thing to be fearful. It's safety, right? And I grew
up in Iowa and I know what y'all means and I've said it. But every time I see it now,
I'm like, aren't you proud to be out Harper's steel? Well, you don't need to say y'all.
Well, I still do a little bit.
Oh, what do you mean? What's scary about y'all, you don't need to say y'all. Y'all, well, I still do a little bit. Oh, what do you mean? What's scary about y'all?
I'm just trying to connect with these people in a way.
I am code switching.
I'm trying to connect with them and like, don't hurt me, basically.
Totally.
But I think there's, I don't know where, how this nests together,
but I feel like there's code switching.
And then there's also like, I would consider the y'all a signal.
Just like a pretty neutral signal.
I take that back.
You're right.
Code switching has become a kind of a dirty word.
And it's actually just a way to communicate sometimes with people.
And I'm hard on myself.
But Owen, you do a great bro.
What do you mean?
I've seen, I've heard your bro.
Oh.
You do a really good bro.
He's a very powerful masculine.
So I've heard your bro. I'm like, baby. Whoa. Yeah, yeah. a really good. He's a very powerful masculine. So I heard your mind like, hey man.
Yeah.
So, so yeah.
So believe me, you can code switch.
Wow.
Interesting. I mean, you haven't seen this guy do his bro.
Oh really? Look at him.
I mean, whatever.
I don't like attention.
This is the thing.
This is the thing about like,
when straight guys can like,
you know,
wink at each other
and be a little bit whatever.
I will say this.
I went to a straight wedding recently.
I went to a straight wedding recently.
But I don't know.
God, I'm just thinking.
No, so you get away with it.
But it feels so weird.
I wouldn't think anything either way.
I would never do.
Anyway.
But here's the thing.
I went to a straight wedding recently
and the straight men
who are so comfortable with themselves
they are all over
me
I think that they wanted it more than any gay man ever has
because gay men are so aloof
and they're so like
everyone wants to be like the one
whereas these straight guys are like
whether they're going to go there because it's something
intrinsic that they
don't know about or like whatever.
I feel vibes with them.
And I am,
I know vibes.
I know vibes.
If I know anything,
I think it's because of the code switch.
Oh,
okay.
I know what it means to be repressed,
repressed,
repressed.
And then when something feels open,
like it's like a certain openness.
Yeah.
They're interested. Like, I don't know what it is. And like it's like a certain openness. Yeah. They're interested.
Like,
I don't know what it is.
And it's the married guys.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I'm just saying there's,
there's no,
but this is a person who's very comfortable in his skin.
Yeah.
And I envy,
I always envied that.
Right.
And people,
you know,
it was so nice.
That was a lovely compliment.
Did you write Mark Spitz?
I did not write the Mark Spitz.
Okay, but that was a lovely moment in the doc.
But also, Sudi was telling me last night,
was Robert Goulet, that was your last season?
Was that all in the last season?
No, I did it a few seasons probably.
Okay, okay.
But it was like, it was after.
Towards the end, yeah.
Towards the end.
Yeah.
I feel like, Harper, your tenure on the show
is pretty expansive.
Like, you were obviously there when Will was there.
I was there with Dylan Allen and Tina and Amy and all these really wonderful, great...
Not to mention really fostered so many voices at Funny or Die.
Harper was like the go-to office...
Creative director.
Yeah, and you'd stop by her office to get an idea or get a note
and she would,
she was like,
I mean,
I'm kind of a genius.
Well,
not kind of.
Genius.
You threw it away,
but it's true.
Oops,
I crapped my pants.
When you came out with that shirt,
I flashed all the way back.
That was one of the,
like,
I think I downloaded,
like,
that sketch.
I'm like,
I was going to say,
like Napster, but not, you I was going to say Kazaa.
Yeah.
Like Napster, but not, you weren't going to go to prison for it.
Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was six years old.
When did you first speak?
No.
I spoke as soon as I came out.
Oh.
You're like, hey, how are you guys?
You're not so much of a genius.
Don't talk with my sexuality.
And then they did. And then they did.
And then they did.
Is there a unicycle nearby?
Yeah.
So that unicycle moment, that was completely random.
That was not.
Oh, no, no.
There's nothing written or composed for this documentary.
And that was very strange.
And the therapist at the Grand Canyon,
who was like trying to make amends for.
Yeah.
So for those who haven't seen it yet
because it hasn't come out yet
there are a couple moments
in here where
you're talking about
how you would unicycle
around your neighborhood
at your child
in front of your childhood home
yeah
and then a unicyclist
just rides on by
it was the universe
it was the universe
and you get on the unicycle
and
in heels
in heels
in heels
I was gonna say
I mean that was which bad form I'm gonna say for all unicyclists nail dips. In heels. In heels. I was going to say, I mean, that was...
Bad form, I'm going to say,
for all unicyclists out there.
For the unicyclist press
that's going to do, like,
the review of the new people mag.
They're going to rip you a new one.
They're going to rip you the shreds.
The way you went up that hill, too,
you had to maneuver some terrain.
Yeah.
The core strength.
Yeah, the core strength.
It was impressive.
That's gotten, every screening, that's gotten an applause break.
Deservedly so.
When she gets on the...
It's the don't rain on my parade of the year.
And there's always one every year.
There's always to be one.
Let's start, 1910.
1910.
You know what?
I mean, I think there is some buzz starting about,
I mean, obviously the-
A unicycle parade?
The unicycle parade.
That's starting up a unicycle parade.
I think Harper's gonna be the great marshal.
Please don't make me go in the unicycle parade.
I think Bowen is hinting at buzz for the doc.
Buzz for the doc, but also buzz for,
and this is a little bit of a spoiler.
Start it though.
Kristen has a song.
Kristen Wiig writes, so the running bit of a spoiler. Start it, though. Kristen has a song.
Kristen Wiig writes.
So the running bit of, like, the Chekhov's gun in the beginning of, like, write us a song.
And then you almost think it's not going to happen, and then it happens.
And when it happens, it is, like, the final release for me emotionally.
I just.
Isn't it wonderful?
She's just like, and that was a surprise to us.
We didn't know that it was happening.
We did the bit.
And we just called her.
And it's like. We actually hadn't heard anything. We just thought thought it's not gonna happen i would check in with josh well did she write anything and and the director yeah josh and josh so josh josh brings us
in he's like josh is like why don't you guys come i made a few more little edits or i'd like you
guys to just watch the movie one more time. I'm like, okay, sure.
We come in and then he revealed at the end.
Wow.
And Josh did Barb and Star.
Yes, yes. So he knew Kristen and was able to go and cajole her into writing a song.
But, oh, my God.
I love her to death.
She's so brilliant.
And also the song is not only beautiful,
but also funny in the,
the Jack,
I mean,
you know,
it goes places musically.
We gave her some interesting notes.
Yes.
Yes.
As part of the bit.
And yet she kind of makes,
yeah.
Except did she pull off the country?
No.
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh,
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, oh oh oh I think it was in there Kristen I think it lived in there
a little bit
let me take it back
what drivel
what terrible
terrible songwriting
awful
I think we should ask
Harper the question
okay
oh boy shit
we're gonna ask you
the question we ask
all of our guests
which is
Harper Steele
what was the culture
that made you say
culture was for me
I hope this is a good answer
because i really
don't know what you guys mean by that that's actually by design um but i'm going to tell you
so rocky or a picture show um it wasn't the movie i was in chicago i saw it with friends
afterwards it was at the biograph theater afterwards we went to a diner i'm sitting with my broey friends and in comes four queens yeah and they're over here and i'm over here
i'm watching this group over here and if i could have split my body in half at that point
i would have gone over to that table but But something kept me over on this side.
And it was intense.
I could feel it like, oh, there it is over there.
You can reach it.
Nope, can't have it.
So this was after you had seen it?
So I was like, I was 1981, maybe.
I was 20 years old.
Yeah.
And so you, just to be clear, you went to see-
I went to see Rock Your Picture
Show. The whole night was magical. People up on stage doing Frankenfurter or whatever, but it was
really just being in that neighborhood, sort of Chicago-y neighborhood. I can't remember what it
is, but, uh, Lincoln Park. Gosh, thank you. Sears Tower. You have the fairgrounds. Southside. I'm so happy that you're here. Obama's house.
No, this is my hype band.
Wiener Circle.
I need this.
Wiener Park.
But anyway, yeah, it was in this neighborhood,
and there obviously queer people went and saw the movie,
and I'm sitting there looking.
And I don't know what their gender was or anything.
It was just like, oh, this is fun over there.
Were there remarks from the bros at the table?
No, no, no one was really, in fact, there was another
person who came out later at the table. I was just going to say, are you in touch with
any of those bros? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no. Of course, some of those bros you know.
Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.
I was hanging out with Lorne Michaels and we were just like,
hey, the Cubs
are playing tomorrow.
I've got an idea
for this show.
It's 19 years.
Right Night Live.
Yeah.
I'm thinking of going back.
Yeah, yeah.
I'm thinking of going back.
Well, you should.
It's going to be,
I told him,
I said, go back.
You have to go back, Lorne.
I think it's going to work.
It needs you.
Yeah. But anyway, that was my culture Lauren. I think it's going to work. It needs you. Yeah.
But anyway, that was my culture moment.
I don't know if that's...
Oh, no, it's a perfect answer.
In fact, I actually feel a little seen by the answer
because when we were 18,
one of the Welcome Week activities that I did,
I don't know if you remember this,
but they had the Rocky Horror Picture Show at NYU
and they were showing the movie and it was interactive.
And it was one of those things I had never... I think I was aware of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at NYU and they were showing the movie and it was interactive and it was one of those things
I had never, I didn't, I think I
was aware of what Rocky Horror was. I think I
just thought it was a movie with Susan Sarandon.
As I want to think.
But then in seeing what it was and seeing
that it was a place for people to truly
let their, I guess, freak flag fly
and access this
part of yourself that was like
the animal. And then, you know, what's funny is a couple months later,
Lady Gaga would sort of take over New York
and the little monster thing would happen.
And it almost felt like something was speaking to me on high
to like see these things and feel these things.
And I remember they had a moment in the thing
where they stopped it and they said,
we're going to come out into the audience
and we're going to pick people out of the crowd
and you're going to come up
and everyone's going to do a fake orgasm.
Wow.
Oh, my gosh.
For some reason.
I wouldn't have been able to do it at all.
No way.
I don't know why, but I raised my hand.
And I went up there, and I did a terrible fake orgasm.
Like, horrible.
And I got booed.
One at a time.
We went down the line.
By the way, do you still get booed?
They lined everyone up
they lined us all up
and there were these people
in like fishnets
and corsets
and like crazy makeup
and like they got to me
and I did this horrible thing
I think I was wearing
American Eagle
you know what I mean
like it was like
I was in my like
Long Island drag
very much like this
and I did a terrible one
and they booed me
and I went to sit in my seat
and I was like
wow I am so far away
from being the person
I want to be because you seat and I was like, wow, I am so far away from being the person I want to be.
Oh yeah.
Because you have so many checkpoints.
Oh yeah.
And it wasn't going to happen.
It just wasn't going to happen.
I could just,
yeah.
I've never seen Rocky horror.
Will Ferrell.
Can I tell you something?
If you see,
if we'll,
I haven't either.
Oh,
okay.
Oh,
okay.
Cause I was about to say when we'll see that he will come out.
Probably. Probably.
There's like a 70% chance.
It will free you.
It's pretty high.
Wow, wait. I can't believe you've never seen it either.
But I remember
it's not necessary, really.
It was at a certain point, but I'm
loving that.
That's the same story, right?
It came at a time when I was like, you want to know what it was?
The way you felt compelled to go over there.
I was compelled to get up on the stage.
And I didn't ever have any.
Sort of out of body.
It was like a tractor beam.
It was like, I'm raising my hand.
And I went up there and had a bad experience.
But it ended up being memorable.
And it ended up being really formative because I remember looking around and seeing people who didn't seem to care about anyone thinking about them and looking, oh,
they look gay or they look weird or they look dark or they look fucked or they look ugly or
they look really fucking hot. You know, it was just everyone being all those things all at once
and the screaming and the lack of decorum being a sign.
There was something about it that made me, and I think a few years later we would discover like, you know, it's weird now because it's such a mainstream part of culture, but RuPaul's Drag Race.
At the time when it started was like, whoa, drag.
RuPaul saying you're all born naked and the rest is drag.
You don't have to be in these boxes.
That was like a revolution at the time for a young person. People coming out as trans on the show. Yes. You don't have to be in these boxes. That was like a revolution at the time
for a young person.
People coming out as trans on the show.
Yes.
And not giving a vocabulary to people.
Yeah, over time, yeah.
But it's interesting you say that.
But I feel like, see,
you're still holding on to some of those.
There's still some residue from that time,
like the Mets shirt, let's say, right?
And like the American Eagle sort of like aesthetic.
And I feel like what I also really enjoyed
about the documentary
and Harper's story
is that like
there's this identity
with the road tripping
and like
knowing where all the record
the best record stores are
and drinking shitty beer
yeah I'm not gonna lose that
I mean that's
I consider that Harper
you know what I mean
yeah
and like knowing like
I think Seth makes a joke
of like
oh god yeah
the list of the best dumpster.
Yeah, yeah.
Dumpsters for used furniture.
No one wants my list of places to go in the country.
I think it's my favorite line.
Dumpsters filled with unused furniture.
Unused furniture.
I love that.
Oh, it's my favorite line.
Yeah, I love that line.
I mean, I feel like there's this really beautiful connection to like beautiful ruin or something.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, no.
I mean, yeah, there's a there's the
bad side where I felt like a monster. And then there's the good side where I see beauty and
monsters. So there are there are this sort of back and forth fighting each other, I think.
Yeah. Have you developed like a queer community? Do you feel like, you know, there's queer people
that are now? It's slow developing. It's slow developing. I have some trans friends.
It's slow developing.
It's one of those things that I just am looking for.
The queer community, that's the community I was most afraid of for this doc.
I don't, there's so many, the trans community can get a little snipey too.
And I was really afraid.
And then I did some screening just for queer audiences.
And it was, it was incredible. I mean. You said it was super emotional. Oh, no, I'm crying. I'm queer audiences, and it was incredible.
You said it was super emotional.
Oh, no, I'm crying.
I'm on the cover of The Advocate.
This is, like, huge.
Like, I just, it's like.
Not to mention, if I can toot her horn,
she was at Toronto Film Festival,
was on a panel of queer trans filmmakers,
and it was just, you were, were like the star of the panel
oh I was not
they're amazing people
but you were so hilarious and Harper
well that I am
and then a big group came to our screening that night
and Harper was holding court with
all these young trans
it feels really good
but it's a slow process for me because I've been
so resistant
I feel like you are so invite me to your next party It feels really good. I mean, but it's a slow process for me because I've been so resistant. So, you know.
I feel like you are.
So invite me to your next party.
Of course.
You're invited.
Both of you.
I feel like.
Well, no, not Will.
Yeah.
I don't have to.
I mean, I'd love to.
You're busy.
I feel super uncomfortable around you.
I make a great stew.
I make a great stew.
There you go for tops.
You guys should do a stew party and watch Rocky Horror
for the first time
and we'll do something else.
Yeah.
I know, we have to break
the seal on Rocky Horror.
This fall on Bravo.
It's time to turn up.
Think you've seen it all?
I don't think you've been
a good friend to me lately.
We're friends like that.
Who needs enemies? You ain't seen nothing yet.
Cheers to being Germanic.
With the Real Housewives of Potomac.
Oh my gosh, can I take this in?
It's gonna be amazing.
New York City.
Everyone is a gossip.
No one gets a happier life.
Salt Lake City.
We don't wear costumes, we wear fashion.
And below deck sailing.
You broke the rules and now you're here getting upset.
Watch all new seasons on Bravo or stream it on City TV+.
Let's have a real
fun time.
You're talking about
this fight,
you know,
between your body
and your mind
your whole life
and then I think
you were telling your kids
before you set off
on the trip
that this was
a way for you
to come out more.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.
I mean,
there's an altruistic reason.
There's trans legislation being passed across the country
that's been very violent and very...
You guys know the political landscape out there
for trans people and for queer people in general.
So that was a reason to do it in terms of like,
oh, this will have maybe some use.
But also, Will and I like to make weird things.
We do a lot of weird projects.
They've all been weird.
I mean, we're here to promote girl visions.
Yeah, yeah.
So when Will sort of like said.
Lifetime movie.
Yeah.
Movie all in Spanish.
Yeah, yeah.
Love that, though.
We're the same.
Milwaukee Camp.
Yeah.
So it was like the opportunity to do this sort of strange thing.
Also, I jumped at it.
And then, yes, of course, anything that's helped me because you come out, you know, and I don't know if this is true of all trans people.
My experience is I came out and every day is just more confidence.
So it's like there's a thing that just you just kind of keep moving forward.
And I just thought, oh, well, this is going to really just make me just, I'm done, you know,
and that's, and it did, it was really wonderful experience. And I did go back across the country
again in both ways and yeah, it was just easier. What I love about working on stuff with Harper is
that we don't necessarily know that it's going to work or connect with a big part of the audience, but we
know it will definitely connect
with a specific part of the audience.
It's genuine, and we will
always feel proud of it.
Even though that's sometimes
hard in Hollywood to
push that through the committee, but
if you give us a couple swings, we'll make
something original.
I think what you're getting at is this thing that I was saying earlier,
which is like you don't have to understand something or someone in order to appreciate it.
And I feel like that is kind of the beautiful thing about this documentary is that, like,
Will, you are being such a wonderful – and I think this is a perfect example.
Sudi was talking about this last night.
Like you set this perfect example of someone is really opening up to you and
peeling back the layers and you are just there to listen and say,
and not,
and not be like,
no,
you're,
you're amazing.
Why would you feel this way?
You're just there to nod and listen and walk alongside someone.
I think that is such a good model that isn't really common in terms of
friendship.
But I feel like
even with Harper going into these bars
and these spaces that are maybe potentially
hostile, like,
there are people who, like, upon meeting a trans person
kind of, like, put their shields
down and then there's connection that happens
and that is this thing that, like, you don't have to
understand everything a trans
person goes through in order to
see them as a human being.
Yeah. Another thing too, in addition to all of that, it's just like the allyship. And you know,
it feels like we say it so much that it sort of loses its meaning. It's sort of like when you say
like representation matters, like it feels like a press thing now or something, but it really is
important. Like the allyship, like if there needs to be a new way to say it for it to have impact in a different way, it's just like the whole time I was thinking like this allyship is giving comfort.
And when there is comfort, there is the opportunity for dialogue. to be able to communicate about these things because it's only when we communicate that like i don't know maybe someone watching who sees you walk into that bar shoulders aren't going to be
up here you know what i mean because i did drop my shoulders there when you started to see
the dialogue that young man and his girlfriend coming over to you and you know even after he
misgenders you yeah there is the dialogue there is not the thing of there was a misgendering and then the conversation is over.
And he was receptive to the correction.
Right.
Receptive to the correction.
Not defensive.
Not defensive.
And also then there was an opportunity to share and to learn and to feel good about it.
Oh, yeah. And I also think as comedians sometimes,
and probably I think
this is something
we can all identify with,
but we're scared
of vulnerability.
Oh, yeah.
We're scared of being genuine.
Oh, yeah.
Because then that would mean,
because you want to know what?
The boys are not vulnerable.
They have always thought of it as,
and you talk about this,
like I want to get to the point
where I can see my vulnerabilities as a strength.
And that is something I think is really important to, as comedians, like call out.
It's like we're scared of vulnerability.
And then just I can say from listening to our fans, like they respond to that.
They learn from that.
And we're learning from it from the documentary.
That's the greatest thing I've gotten out And we're learning from it from the documentary.
The greatest thing I've gotten out of this is learning that vulnerability is a superpower.
It's like to be vulnerable.
Because I'm just getting into so much deeper conversations with people around me
because they see vulnerability and I express it.
I have no problem with it.
So that's been just a crazy result of all of this.
That's the thing, I think, is it's just, it was that era too.
Like that sort of late 90s, early aughts, through the aughts thing.
Like whoever was saying how they really felt.
You know what I mean?
Like there was no emotional comedy out there.
Like it was not like that.
It was, then you learn, like it becomes a core belief that if you're like crying, you're weak.
But now there's this weird pushback.
Yeah.
To like this new form of masculinity.
Like it's so crazy that.
What do you mean?
No, just I feel like politically speaking.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
We're getting two kinds of comedy.
We are getting a kind of vulnerable comedy.
And then we are also getting the other side, which there's room for all of it. Who cares? But,
you know, you can feel like people are like, Hey, let's, let's get away from vulnerability. Let's
get away from it. You can feel that. And, you know, I felt it in a Texas steakhouse. So you
can feel it, you know, as a queer person, I'm sure you guys have that spider sense.
And I, yeah, and I can feel it with this kind of kind of comic.
I'm not against free speech or whatever people want to do with their comedy.
But, yeah, I can feel that sort of backlash that's happening.
Sure.
But I feel like also we had a whole like we were on Fire Island, funnily enough, in August.
And we had we ended up watching Zoolander and Step Brothers.
Because Catherine was here last week.
Okay.
Catherine was here last week.
And so we watched those movies and we were just like, you know, this is the these are perfect examples.
And like everything you guys you've done together is like are these examples of a comedy that is a sensibility maybe of like around masculinity,
but it is not like for a specific audience.
It is general in that way.
Oh, for sure.
And like it can happen.
It exists.
There doesn't have to be this like division among who it's for,
who it's by.
Right, right, right.
Whose idea was Eurovision?
Oh, Will's for sure.
Will's grown up in Sweden.
I went there.
My wife and I went to Sweden in 1998.
Yeah.
The first time.
And it just coincided with Eurovision being on. And we were visiting her cousin way out in the country in this little cabin.
And that evening she's like, shall we watch Eurovision?
The Eurovision Song Contest.
And I said,
of course.
What?
And I sat there for the next three hours.
Yeah.
Transfixed.
It was the final.
I'm like,
what is going on?
What is this thing?
And this is spectacular.
And I was like,
this would make an amazing movie
and I'm sure someone will do it.
Yeah.
At some point. No one wanted to do it. Yeah, at some point.
No one wanted to do it.
No one would touch it for 20 years.
And finally, I don't know, there was just a gap in...
You told me to watch it, and I also, I really vibed to it.
It was almost like the situation with what I was saying about...
Rocky Horror?
Yeah, it was almost like that.
And I'm like, oh, okay.
Yeah.
That's over there.
Seeing myself in this.
Yeah.
This is amazing.
And then we actually went to one just to kind of like do research.
We went to Copenhagen.
We went to Copenhagen.
And that year, I don't know if you're Eurovision fans, but it was, and I think that this person
did a fight.
Conchita.
Conchita.
Conchita verse one with the dress
the beautiful dress
and who
we met later
who's wonderful
yeah
got her in
yeah yeah
she's in Eurovision
that number
yeah
oh my god
so yeah
that was such a
that just walking around
Eurovision
all these queer people
yeah
it was the most amazing thing
of course that
that initially went
way over my head
I didn't even
I was like
oh interesting performance
no and I'm sure
I was like for you
at that early part
I was like
it's so queer
but like
there has to be like
some sort of spider sense
that goes off in your head
that Will is going to be
a safe person
when he brings you
Eurovision
as a thing
and it's like
it's my dream to do this
not safe enough to
come out because I really wanted to come
I really wanted to transition
7, 8, 9 years ago. Right.
And like I don't know what stopped me
then you know. Was the pandemic
a pusher in that direction because it feels
like that was when people made big decisions. Absolutely. A lot of people
a lot of people because I didn't have to go into an office
every day and face people
you know. That day wasn't going to be there
where it's like,
oh, I'm wearing a dress now.
Right.
That horrifying.
That's when I decided
to go gluten free.
Yeah.
Huge, huge decision.
Because you realize
life is too short.
Isn't that the same kind of decision?
No.
We are talking about
huge life changing moments.
It wasn't good that you did that.
Okay.
Well,
do you want to cry? We're going to cut that out. It wasn't good that you did that. Okay, well, do you want to cry?
We're going to cut that out.
We're going to protect you from the joke you made.
When I went gluten-free.
Oh, my God.
We have such a long way to go.
There is a documentary about his gluten-free trip.
Yes.
Coming out.
But it's on Roku.
It's on Roku. On Roku. September out. But it's on Roku. It's on Roku.
On Roku.
September 28th.
It's on Roku Plus Plus.
It's a Saturday release.
It's not getting the same press.
I'm fighting with Roku right now.
They're like,
we don't know if we can show this.
It's about your gluten-free journey.
You and Elizabeth Hochulbeck.
And every time we've done it,
he's constantly trying to piggyback it.
And Netflix is like stop
I keep bringing it up
in the interviews
they're spending dollars
on press for you
yes exactly
okay it may be time
to head into the segment
I don't think so honey
it is
so this is don't be yikesing.
Because you're going to soar and succeed.
You've got to give one to Will, right?
Oh, no, I've already done this.
You do it again.
You do it again.
We're going to do it again.
So basically what's about to happen is we're going to take 60 seconds each to tear something up.
60 seconds?
It's not that long.
How do you guys do it?
We do it.
I can't do it.
This is how you guys do it.
I don't want to hear about Tan.
I'm going to read off my phone.
That's fine.
That's beautiful.
Because I got so scared.
Here we go.
I have something.
You have something?
Yes.
This is Matt Rogers.
I don't think so many times starts now.
I don't think so, honey.
Natty Light, you crazy bitch.
What are you talking about, Natty Light?
Love yourself.
You're on this journey.
Keep going.
Let me tell you something.
Pores light tastes like lemonade compared to this shit.
Oh, my God.
I'm talking to you as a Long Island bitch, okay?
I drank a lot of Natty Light by...
I had to.
In fact, I would put Natty Light in a funnel,
take three beers at once to the chest.
I'm telling you, don't continue down this road.
Bud Light, please.
Just Coors Light, anything.
Heineken Light, Amstel Light.
Get some culture.
Get some culture in drinking Amstel Light.
Natty Light, if you don't drink it
and totally drink it within the first five seconds,
it turns to devil's piss.
This is bad.
I will not stand.
You will not leave this room
still being a Natty Light fan.
Also, nothing that goes
from natural light
to Natty Light
is moving forward
in the right direction.
I don't think so, honey.
And that's one minute
of Harper response.
No more of this.
Holy shit.
Holy.
That's like a blast furnace.
I couldn't believe
my eyes, ears, and more.
Oh, that was so good. Can you explain what you like so much about Natty Light?
It's water.
It's not beer.
It's water.
That's the appeal.
Drink water then.
At least when I drink you, Natty Light is just a road to hell.
It's water, and if you drink 12, you get drunk.
She is starting to drink more wine.
I know.
That's true.
I can't help it. It's the estrogen. What type of girl are you? Red I know. Yeah. That's true. I can't help it.
It's the estrogen.
What type of girl are you?
Like red?
Red.
Yeah, I love red.
She likes a good red.
Red gets you there.
Do we believe that it's genuinely good for you?
Red wine?
They say like a pregnant woman can drink a glass and a half and the baby will be strong.
No, in France, they all drink red wine when they're pregnant.
They don't care.
They don't care.
And then those kids, all of them grow up to be idiots.
No, it's true.
Yeah.
Have you been to France?
Yeah, don't.
We have.
You know, the thing about.
Deteriorating the whole country.
Yeah.
The thing about Parisians being rude.
It's true.
Oh, yeah, it's true.
It's true.
And it's because of the wine.
Yeah.
But I also then say, like, it could be because we're like, I'm like so American walking in
there being like, y'all have ketchup?
Yeah.
And then they're like, oh my God.
It is true.
When we're in Sweden, you see the Americans a mile away.
Now the Swedes are so like super emotionless.
I drank out of a carafe one time at a Parisian restaurant.
They had a carafe and glasses. Rim to mouth.
No.
You took the carafe to the face?
The waitress came over.
She didn't say anything.
She just grabbed that carafe out of my hand, took it away.
I was in a grocery store once, and I wanted to buy some carrots.
And I took two carrots out of the bundle of carrots,
and I brought them
to the checkout
and she went
just threw it down on the ground.
And I just started laughing.
She wouldn't
because I wrecked the bundle of carrots.
You know what?
You got to laugh.
Yeah.
But sometimes the...
Oh, you know what?
You know what?
This is...
You're crying.
No, I have my own thing.
Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for this
because you're giving me fodder.
Oh, okay.
Do you mind? No, no, no. Please, take it. You mind so much for this because you're giving me fodder. Okay.
Do you mind giving fodder?
I can't follow any of this. Oh, my God.
I'm fodder.
Our fodder.
Our fodder.
Hello, mudder.
Hello, fodder.
That was beautiful.
We had something happening there.
We did there.
There was maybe a boy band.
Are we?
90 degrees?
Turn up the
turn up the pod
can someone turn that up
my favorite Kamala meme
can someone turn that up
by the way
my dad texted me today
143
he says
he knows the lingo
143
the new Katy Perry album
Katy Perry's new album
oh okay
and it's shorthand for
I love you
apparently
like I
one letter
four letters
three letters
it's an old pager thing.
A one, four, three.
But now Katy Perry
has sort of brought it back.
Remember when I had
my ham radio operation?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's right.
You had a ham radio operation?
No, no, I'm not.
Oh.
But Harper didn't.
It sounds like Harper.
Harper brought her CB radio.
Yeah, on the trip.
It was all cut out of the dock
because we could never get it
to work.
There's a lot on the
kind of room for you
because in the credits
you see all these other places.
Oh, yeah, yeah. You were only on the entire time? 250 hours of footage. never get it to work. There's a lot in the kind of room because in the credits you see all these other places. 250 hours
of footage. That's crazy to me. The editors
deserve Nobel Peace Prize.
That's almost all the hours in the days.
So many hours.
Okay, this is
Bowen Yang's I Don't Think So Honey.
His time starts now. I Don't Think So Honey
the current state of vegetables and
produce at the grocery stores of America.
Why did this person throw out the carrots?
Sometimes I don't need seven fucking carrots.
I'm making one stew, not seven stews.
The recipe calls for one carrot.
Now I'm supposed to come up with other recipes that are carrot forward for the rest of my fucking week?
Who do you think I am?
I'm a single, childless, gay man.
I'm cooking for one, and I like it that way.
And I don't want...
Why is society constantly...
30 seconds.
...constantly pushing us towards partnership,
towards domesticity with other people?
That's a beautiful thing.
That's a beautiful ideal to aspire to.
But why am I on planes?
It's the responsibility on me to change my seat with you
because you want to sit next to your partner.
Yes.
Make it about more.
Make it about more.
This is writ small, a larger thing about society that is
illing us. Is that a verb?
I'm all over the place to play words today,
but listen, here's the deal.
I don't want to buy one head of broccoli
when I just need two small florets
for my soup. That's one minute. Thank you.
Cut things off.
I don't need all of that. Can I tell you the whole thing of bananas? No. Guess That's one minute. Thank you. Cut things up for us. I don't need all of that.
Can I tell you
the whole thing of bananas?
No.
Guess what's going wrong?
Four of them.
Four of them.
And there are so many
people that could have benefited
from if you take,
if they should have
taken the banana apart.
I'll buy two,
not five.
Because we're throwing
so much food away anyway.
It's ridiculous.
And these carrots
are going to waste
and they go bad
way quicker than you think.
Cucumbers? Forget it. No, that's a scribbled up piece of pickle. It is ridiculous. And these carrots are going to waste and they go bad way quicker than you think. Cucumbers?
Forget about it.
No, that's a scribbled up piece of pickle.
It is ruined.
No, but cucumbers can be so beautiful
if you use them immediately.
Thank you.
Cabbage, forget about it.
Rhubarb?
Keep going.
Keep going.
Will can name like 30.
Say her name.
Cilantro.
Cilantro.
You will not believe what he can do. He her name. Cilantro. Cilantro. You will not believe
what he can do.
He can name
seriously like
five seconds
in between each one.
And wait.
With only five seconds
between each one.
This man can list a lot.
List a lot of vegetables.
Wow.
Incredible.
You know what's flashing
in my head?
You guys having your pedicure
with Molly Shannon.
Oh.
I want to do a pedicure with Molly.
Oh, God.
If you're going to do a pedicure, do it with Molly Shannon.
Yeah.
I love.
We both worked with Molly.
I love the way she engages.
The greatest listener of all time.
Oh, my God.
Isn't that funny?
Yeah.
That's so funny.
So when you.
Wait.
When you.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Matt, hold on. Yeah. So your dad. Right. Took, wait, wait, Matt. Hold on.
Yeah.
So your dad took you to the baseball game.
Yes.
Isn't that funny?
And left you in the parking lot?
And I thought that was so funny of him to do.
You know, I thought, you know, baseball, it's like you could be at the game.
You could be in the parking lot.
It's just so funny how you can be in so many places at once.
Isn't that funny?
You're seeing Will and Harper today?
Oh, they're so great. Tell them I said hi. Tell them I said hello and tell them again. It's just so funny how you can be in so many places at once. Isn't that funny? You're seeing Will and Harper today?
Oh, they're so great. Tell them I said hello and tell them again.
Tell them I said hello and tell them again.
Molly Shannon is, who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?
She scares the hell out of me because I used to have coffee with her.
And in my journals, I'm writing, I think I need to be a woman.
And I'd go have coffee with Molly and she'd be like, my father came out later in life.
She's looking straight at me with those eyes,
like piercing.
She's always present.
Maybe or maybe not.
And it's scary.
She's scary.
Good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There's a perceptiveness.
Yeah,
absolutely.
Yeah.
She's,
she's well,
well,
I think you should go next.
I think Harper should close this out
oh jeez
this is gonna be so hard
I can't follow either one
of course you can
of course you can
oh you do it for a living
it's true
I know you
we do earn a living doing this
you guys do this
eight times a week
like a Broadway show
like a Broadway show
oh my god
we have swings
I only just realized
how hard it is
to do eight times a week
thinking about doing this eight times a week.
Now I really respect Broadway.
Yeah, no kidding.
Yeah.
Hey, Patti LuPone.
Yeah.
Hats off, ma'am.
You are a talent.
And Mina Farrow, don't forget.
Of course.
I happen to be listening to the podcast.
This is Patti.
I so appreciate that.
I wanted to say.
Okay, here we go. Turn your appreciate that. I wanted to say. Okay, here we go.
Turn your phone off.
My phone is on in order to log the time.
This is Will Ferrell's I Don't Think So, Honey.
And your time starts now.
I don't think so, honey.
Here's the thing.
Tell us the thing.
I don't think so, honey. I don't. It's not the thing. Okay. Tell us the thing. I don't think so, honey.
I don't...
It's not my business.
Okay.
Here's a book.
You're onto something.
Here's a book.
This ties into the documentary.
Here comes the tie-in.
Here's a book that my mom literally had,
a self-help book on her shelf.
All right.
Called It's None of My Business What You Think of Me.
30 seconds.
We got there.
And even as a little kid,
that was my mantra.
If I walked in the room
and I got dirty looks,
none of my business
what you think of me.
None of my business.
And as we went through America,
15 seconds.
America,
the heartland,
the rhythm,
the flag,
the, it was none of Harper's business what you think of her. America. The heartland. The rhythm. The flag. The...
It was none of Harper's
business what you think of her.
Five seconds. She goes through
this world
loved and herself
finally and...
Oh, I got a good one!
I got a good one!
I can start over.
Slay down boots.
Slay down boots! Slay down boots. Slay down boots Slay down boots
Slay down boots
Thank you
Ultimately slay down boots
Just strike that from the record
We can't do that
The point you're making is important
Yeah
By the way I didn't know there was a Kay Farrell
There was a Kay Farrell
The Kay Farrell connection to your openness.
There really was.
To other human beings.
There really was.
She taught me this.
I mean, she's a beautiful person.
She is.
She made you a beautiful person.
You know what?
I think RuPaul says that too.
Other people's opinion of me is not of my business.
And if you know yourself and like yourself to a certain degree,
that's on the other person.
And if you don't like that, that's on you to figure out what to do with me.
But you don't have to be the one to carry it.
That's it.
You know what's interesting?
And I'm okay with how bad that I don't think so, honey, was.
Because I don't care what you think of me.
There you go.
But you know what?
That's success.
I care what you think of me.
How was the audio?
It was great.
No idea.
Audio was a little spotty
during that.
I feel like
there's so many times
actually,
it's like what you said
about touching the hot stove.
It's like reading comments
about you online
is like you wouldn't
touch a hot stove.
Every single time
I go to the internet
It's a hot stove.
to gauge whether or not
I'm doing well
or people like me,
it always is worse
than when I wake up
in the morning
and baseline feel pretty good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right me, it always is worse than when I wake up in the morning and baseline
feel pretty good.
It's always going to be a hot stove, and why would you touch it?
Okay, these people have got to go.
Oh, oh, oh.
It's on my phone, so I apologize.
It sounds like...
You shouldn't have said that.
Well, no, they got it on camera.
Authenticity is beautiful.
That's what people connect to.
I'm a writer.
I'm not a professor.
I'm a writer.
You guys perform.
I made sure they weren't on.
Okay.
They just have a red light.
God damn it.
Yeah.
Sabotage from boss.
Give me a countdown.
Wait, wait, wait.
Oh, by the way, before we're done.
I don't think so, honey.
Okay.
Before we're done today, I have to go through some HR stuff with you.
Okay.
No problem.
What do we do now?
I just got to get your W-2s.
Is that HR?
Accounting.
You do it all. There's cutbacks.
There's cutbacks? Are one of us getting cut?
No, no, no. You guys are safe.
Can I tell you something? I know.
This is fucking huge.
Okay, Harper's ready.
Harper's deal. This is your I Don't Think So Honey.
Your time starts now.
J.K. Rowling.
Yes.
This is an hateful attack on Olympic boxer Iman Khalif.
Yes.
Demonstrates the very core of why some people hate trans women.
Khalif is not trans.
No.
She's a woman.
Yes. But because she does not conform to JK's limited and frankly racist ideas of what makes a woman,
she repeatedly called her trans and referred to her as a man.
30 seconds.
Halfway point.
I don't think so, honey.
No, no, no.
And I should have said, oh, and I don't think so, honey. No, no, no. I should have said, oh, I don't think so, honey.
Women can be beautiful in so many ways.
JK is not one of those women because when you are hateful and bigoted in your heart, you are ugly.
I don't even think she's a honey.
Oh, my God. That's one minute. We don't even think she's a honey. Oh my God!
That's one minute.
We don't even think you're a honey
and you haven't been a honey for a very long time.
She's dark sided.
Disgusting.
Although Monique Leif was at the Bottega Veneta show
in Paris for fashion week.
She looked amazing.
Incredible.
Wore a gorgeous suit.
What are you laughing at?
Just the level of detail. Yes. She wore a gorgeous suit. What are you laughing at? Just the level of detail.
Yes.
She wore a gorgeous suit.
That was so detailed.
A suit is detailed.
No, and then,
have you seen all these things
about like the mold in her house?
The black mold?
The black mold.
No, I try to keep away from her tweets
because they're dangerous and hurtful.
However, Khalifa is suing her.
Yes, and I hope she gets every cent.
And the libel laws in England are better. The libel laws in France are better. and I hope she gets every cent and the libel laws
in England are better
the libel laws in France
are better
I just hope she gets
a fucking
of course
JK is a dementor
and you know who's also
like on this
fucking tour
not to bring other people
into this
but Martina Navratilova
is also being
not good
well that's just her
right
people will just
she's being a stinker
she is
out of the
trans women in sports situation.
In that whole conversation, it's like, all right, everybody, just calm down.
Calm down or just even keep it to yourself.
I don't know.
It's just silly.
Let's end on a happier note than that, though.
We will.
Well, we will.
And I will say to end on a happy note, because I know you guys have to go.
This is just.
We don't really.
We can work.
So what did you do?
Why didn't you tell us that?
So what?
If it was not going well,
you could just get out of here?
There was a little bit of that, yeah.
We just had a plan B.
Yeah, well, guess what?
You have to do your own pickups then.
No, because you have to do pickups for your show,
and so now you have no excuse.
Oh, no.
Butter, no.
Butter's dead.
On a serious note,
thank you so much
for this
just gift
like it really is
and I
I think that
everyone
is
gonna benefit
from watching this
and in a major way
and I'm sure
you feel
both of you feel
like you've benefited
from doing it
that's what art
is all about
it's about the sharing
and it's about
the education
and the
you know you do it in such
a light and beautiful way and the
heavy moments are, they really
land and I just, I can't
say enough about how inspired and how much I look
up to you both. Thank you. It's so
cool meeting both of you. It means a lot.
It's our honor. Heroic, both of you.
It's very, very, very lucky that
you're here. Thank you for coming. And we
end every episode with a song
can I get my parking validated
yeah oh you did drive here
do you guys do a little wrap up at the end
it's like those two were really terrible
yeah we have a Howard Stern
after show
yeah he does an amazing job
oh he's here
he does an amazing job
he's really good he's a huge fan of the show
he's wearing a Yankee
shirt
careful man
careful
God that's quick
what's our song
going to be to end it
heartburn will go west
not prospect
didn't forget
are you a book
on the song
I saw it twice
and so I'm like
and then I texted
Crystal
I was like
you're getting an Oscar
nomination
and also
I love the jazzy part.
This is the jazzy part.
I'll be off the hook on it
by the time
February or March rolls around.
Anyway,
bye!
What was that?
Yes!
Lost Culture Recess
is a production
by Will Ferrell's
Big Money Players
and iHeartRadio Podcasts.
Created and hosted by Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.
Executive produced by Anna Hosnier and Hans Sani.
Produced by Becca Ramos.
Edited and mixed by Doug Bame and Monique Laborde.
And our music is by Henry Kaburski.
Hey everybody, it's me, Matt Rogers, letting you know tickets are on sale now to see me on tour.
The Prince of Christmas tour, that is.
I'm doing my whole album, Have You Heard of Christmas, plus a lot more with the whole band all throughout December.
Go to www.mattrogersofficial.com to see me in a city near you. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida.
And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba?
Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him.
Or stay with his relatives in Miami.
Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.
Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story,
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.