The Bill Simmons Podcast - Ben Stiller on 'Tropic Thunder,' Comedy in 2019, the Knicks, and His Biggest Career Lessons, Plus Bill's Dad | The Bill Simmons Podcast

Episode Date: March 22, 2019

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Ben Stiller to discuss his new Showtime series 'Escape at Dannemora,' and making films including 'Reality Bites,' 'The Cable Guy,' 'Something About Mary,' 'Meet The Parents,' and 'Zoolander.' They talk about the difficulty of pursuing comedy in 2019, tortured Knicks fandom, and more (3:50). Then Bill calls up his dad to discuss Joel Embiid's dominance, the Celtics' playoffs hopes, the Patriots' free agency, and more (1:28:25). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast on the Ringer Podcast Network, brought to you as always by ZipRecruiter. The best teams start with great talent. Just look at the Philadelphia 76ers vaulting into contention last night, beating up the Celtics. The process, Joel L. Embiid, Ben Simmons starting to deliver. We're going to talk about that way later with my dad. No one knows the importance of talents more than ZipRecruiter. They deliver qualified candidates fast, so effective. 80% of

employers that post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate through the site in just one day. My listeners can try it for free. Go to ZipRecruiter.com. BS, ZipRecruiter is the smartest way to hire. Meanwhile, did you not know all alcohol products are required to list their ingredients? Yeah, that was news to me. Bud Light is changing the game. They believe that we deserve to know our beer's ingredients, so they put an ingredients label right on their packaging.

Bud Light, brewed with hops, barley, water, rice, no corn syrup, no preservatives, no artificial flavors. Find out what ingredients are in your beer. Bud Light, Enjoy responsibly. We're also brought to you by TheRinger.com, the world's greatest website where we are pumping out Game of Thrones content right now, trying to get you ready for when it comes back next month. Every day on the website, we've had a piece.

Today, Alyssa Beresnack wrote about, does Tyrion actually love Daenerys on Game of Thrones yeah you can read that you can watch our explainers that we started doing the binge mode crew they're counting down their 25 greatest moments that started today what was the 25th moment

today Kyle I got about halfway through then we did a pod so I'm going to finish it up what was it that what was the moment do you remember no I don't know. Oh, well, Kyle enjoyed it. He doesn't know what he watched, but he watched half of it and he enjoyed it. A ringing endorsement from Nephew Kyle.

These are great though. They're counting it down every day. They're meaty as always. And we'll see what number one is. My personal number one would be The Red Wedding, but I don't think they'll pick that. They'll go deeper. They're, they're savvier with game of Thrones than I, uh, the binge mode podcast, by the way, subscribe to that as well, because they'll be coming back. Obviously when the show returns and we have a whole bunch of other stuff playing, including our Twitter post game show that we do on Sunday nights after the Thrones, that's coming back

whole bunch of stuff. Uh, we have a lot of after the Thrones. That's coming back. Whole bunch of stuff. We have a lot of NBA draft stuff on the website as well. Our NBA draft guide has started again. As you know, some people feel like the March Madness is just an excuse to get ready for the NBA draft. I'm kind of in that camp at this point. I didn't even fill out a bracket this year. What am I going to do? Right now, as I'm taping this, Vermont is beating Florida State by one. I probably would have picked Florida State. I'd just be mad at myself. Now I've saved some money. I've saved some aggravation.

But I am excited to watch Zion, John Morant, some of these guys. Changed my opinion on RJ Barrett a million times. I like the guy in Gonzaga. That's how I look at the March Madness, as the feeder system to the National Basketball Association. We're going to talk about that later with my dad, who has just thrown his hands up with the Celtics season. But I'm putting that at the end of the podcast.

First, we're going to talk to Ben Stiller. We've circled this podcast for a long time. It's finally happening. We dive into his entire career and a lot of the stuff that happened and then there's some next talk at the tail end so get ready for that first our friends from pearl jam All right, we've been circling this one for a while. Ben Stiller is here. He's not really promoting anything.

He's just here because he wants to be here. I got nothing. Yeah. Do you have an Emmy run like six months from now? Yeah. Or when is that? I guess four months from now. It's a weird thing.

Yeah. Our show came out last November, I guess. So in the way, the cycle of things, it's for next year's or this coming year's Emmys, which are way down the line. Was it Escape at Dannemora or Escape from Dannemora? Because I always called it the wrong thing constantly. Yeah. We had a debate about it.

It was Escape at Dannemora. Escape at Dannemora. Yeah. I loved it. Oh, thank you. Thanks. I really did. I've talked about wrong thing constantly. Yeah, we had a debate about it. It was Escape at Dannemora. Escape at Dannemora. Yeah. I loved it. Oh, thank you. Thanks. I really did. I've talked about it multiple times.

I'm in on all... I've been saying for years that there should be a cable channel called Bars with a Z, and it's just prison programming. Yeah. Like, you know, channel 558 on Time Warner or something. Right. And it would just be all the prison movies and TV shows we've had. So I'm always in. Yeah. There's a lot. I mean, there is a lot. There's secretly a lot. Yeah. And that, that was something, you know, I've never actually

been like a super, uh, prison genre fan. I do enjoy the occasional escape movie, but it's not like I was like obsessed with escape from Alcatraz or anything like that. It was like eight hours. Uh, yeah, basically it's like, yeah, like obsessed with escape from alcatraz or anything like that it was like eight hours uh yeah basically it's like yeah it was uh originally we had it as eight episodes and then we decided to make it uh seven episodes and have the last one be a little bit longer one of the things i really liked about it was it was an every week show which i think is becoming more and more of a lost art where a lot of these shows now almost seem designed to get you to binge and to watch three or four at once and this was not a this was a really deliberate show that wasn't meant to be like that which i appreciate it yeah it was you know i mean it was kind of when we had

the uh idea of it and we went around talking to different networks about it we talked to netflix and and other streaming uh services and you know i imagine if one of them had wanted to do it maybe we would have done it that way yeah but it worked out uh and i think showtime you know it's interesting because when you make those shows now and they all come out at once it's it, it's challenging because, you know, there's all the attention is paid to it. You know, all the marketing kind of goes in for the, for when it, you know, when it's streaming. Yeah, it's basically 72 hours that you have to push it and then it goes away. And it's really, you know, which kind of reminds me of the way movies are now too. You know, you get that opening weekend, but when you're on a network that shows it week by week, it ended up being a great thing for us because we were able to have the audience have a chance to find it.

And it actually, every week would build in its ratings, which was a good sign for us that people were getting into it. And people could catch up after the fact. I think for a site like the site we have, we just like it more when people do it that way like we have thrones coming up now and we're treating it like it's the nba playoffs you know and the the cool thing is like each week is its own week of content for us but when like stranger things comes out it's all at once and we almost don't know what to do yeah how do you dole it out how do you you can't and everybody can't track how people are watching right you might be on episode 5 I'm on 2 don't tell

there's a lot of don't tell me sure wait wait wait I'm not there yet yeah no it's a really interesting thing

because obviously it's changed the way people watch things and that that was never a question back in

you know when we were growing up that you know it was just you watch things when they you know

like if there was a mini series that was gonna be on like Roots or Shogun. Rich Man, Poor Man. That was like, oh my God, it's going to be four nights in a row. And it was an event and it was a thing. I remember watching Roots and being like, this is just being the most exciting thing. And then now it's all changed.

And it's actually made me think about it when we were making the show. I wondering what, wow, are people going to want to keep on coming back to this because it's not going to be there for them. They have to actually make the decision to want to keep on watching it. You know, obviously you have to do that when you're binging also, but it's kind of easier because it's also laid out the way, you know, Netflix or Hulu does it where like the next episode like comes up before the credits are even over and you have to like make an active choice not to watch the next episode and um you know so you start watching and fall asleep right right 10 minutes in then you have to wake up the next day you're three episodes ahead what's also listening to podcasts if you're like in bed and you fall asleep and it's like in your subconscious but i i um so i really thought about that i was wondering like will people want to come back for it and it's it's almost a little bit more

challenging in that way you had to kind of trust that people were going to be into the vibe and then also it's about prison in this world which is pretty oppressive yeah and i actually think that it's it's nice to be able to watch it and be in that world for a little while and then go away and have your life and then come back because it's kind of like going to prison. Yeah. I think that's why I like the prison. There must be a critic who wrote that. But it's a really heavy thing. So I think it's nice to be able to kind of like go in and out of it and wait for it. And you had some really good performances in it too. Patricia Arquette is almost unrecognizable. And that performance

is insane. I'd actually be surprised. I mean, I don't know who the competition is for her, but she just kind of became a different person. Yeah, it's interesting because I've known her for a long time. We did a movie a long time ago called Flirting with Disaster. Yeah. I was going to ask you about that

later. Yeah. And I love her we we'd kind of stayed in touch but you know not really seen each other a lot over the years and i just knew she would inhabit the role um and the biggest thing was you know she had to change her physicality and gain some weight and uh i think that commitment from the beginning of doing that uh put her in a mindset where she just was a different person. And then she also is just a great actress. But it was funny because I got used to her being Tilly, the character, because she just was that. And so when people started to see the show and they were so blown away, like, oh my God, I don't even recognize her. To me, it was like, well, that's just Patricia. Because that's who I've been with for the last eight or nine months. She just was that. But she has no vanity as an actress. She's not thinking about anything other than being the character. And she's funny, too. And as a person, she's really generous. And I think that as an actress, that you see that in her work. She's just kind of there to be in the scene.

It's not about her. Well, you accomplished something that always cracks me up when it happens, where by the last episode, I'm actually rooting for the guys. Right. These are terrible guys. Like, no, no, go that way. No, no, don't stay in the cabin too long. It's something about escapes where you're just always rooting for bad people. Yeah.

Well, I mean, naturally they're going to be the protagonists, you know, because you start to, you know, you're just watching them for that. And they're charismatic actors, hopefully, that you want to watch. But, you know, we felt it was really important to include that second to last episode. The flashback. Yeah. Where you see what they did because these were not victimless crimes that they committed. Yeah.

I was, from reading about you over the years, it always seemed like, I don't know if frustrated is the right word, but you kind of wanted to be a director, but you stumbled into being this A-plus list comedy star, but that wasn't necessarily what you expected was going to happen.

I think I semi-stumbled off. I mean,stumbled off. It's true. I always wanted to be a director since I was 10 years old. I love movies. And I did struggle, though, as I became a teenager and discovered, because my folks are in comedy. Yeah.

But it wasn't what I wanted to do. I didn't want to do what my folks did because they were my parents. And I wanted to be my own person. And I was struggling with that. But then I discovered the comedy that I connected with when I was a teenager. And thought, oh, I want to do that. So I kind of was doing both. And I was dabbling in both. And that's even when I was doing the shows that I did in the early 90s.

The MTV show. MTV show and the Fox show and, you know, working with all those great people in that world. I always felt like I was sort of not of that world because I wasn't as good at that. And I really loved directing those shows, you know, directing the sketches. And that was and I always wanted to keep on directing and directing different kinds of of things and it just sort of then i but i kept acting also but it was you know in the beginning it was kind of after the ben stiller show on fox was canceled uh when i directed reality bites yeah that was sort of and but i also did a part in it too so it was kind of but but at that time nobody was really hiring me as an actor. It was just, I happened to connect with Helen, the writer, Helen Childress, and we started improvising a little bit with this character. And she said, oh, you should play this, play that guy.

So it was kind of like, it just happened in that movie, but I came on that movie as a director first. And then it's sort of, I think changed a little bit. And then when I started to do movies that people started to go to, and then it became a thing where that sort of would be like, Oh, if you want to act in the movie, why don't you direct it all if you want to direct it. And I was interested maybe more in the directing, but people were coming to me as an actor because that sort of drove everything. Well, the, the, the TV shows, some of the stuff that you were trying that, like when you look back, you're aping the style of like certain things which totally that was the one advantage other than the fact that the cast was

young and it was just i kind of felt like that was more for i was almost the age of who you were going for at that point i was probably junior in college right but you were aping a lot of the way things were shot whereas snl was still traditional, there is just a sketch show. They weren't kind of pushing the envelope with stuff like that. And you were doing a lot of tape stuff. And I actually thought that pushed SNL into, you know,

trying to try more stuff eventually. Well, they eventually did. I mean, I think that's the amazing thing about SNL is that it's lasted for 45 years or whatever. Lauren has figured out how to do that. But you know, that's a live show and that was just not what they were built to do. Yeah. You just couldn't do that. But they started to do more and more, you know, pre-tapes or little

films. Commercials. Albert Brooks was really the first person who did that for SNL. And that was what I, when I saw his stuff, that was what made me want to do what I did. And I wanted to do that at snl and that time they didn't really have the facility for it there were you were a cat what were you like a well featured member what was it featured yeah featured player and an apprentice writer uh but not for that long right no for no because uh because at that same time i got the opportunity to do this MTV show. And it was precisely for that reason.

I felt I wasn't good at being a live performer. And, and this was an opportunity to actually do, to direct shorts and to be able to do it in that format. But that was, when you were on that, whatever season that was, that that was probably one of the most loaded casts they ever had. Yeah then you're just kind of randomly there for six episodes you have to commit to

being there i mean you know i it's it's it's a really you know it's a very specific environment and you have to work really hard to get your stuff on the air which is you know just it's always been the natural order of things so you know when you go in there as a as a feature player or uh you know not as a main cast member even as a main cast member you still have to write your own stuff and you have to create it and i just made the decision at that time that i would be better off for doing what i wanted to do to to pursue that so did you tell lauren that you're like i'm out nobody left that show in there yeah it was it was a crazy thing to do he's like

maybe you should stay two more episodes I mean Lorne is you know he's Lorne it was a very

hard thing to do and over the years we you know we like grew apart and then came back together

and now things are great we're actually working on a movie together well you've made some cameos too yeah

yeah yes I have you've hosted it too right hosted. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I have. You've hosted it too, right? Hosted a couple times. When was the last time? Last time I think was 2011 or 12, I think. You like doing that or no? I find it stressful.

Yeah, I would imagine. Yeah. I really enjoy having takes. I like being able to do it over and over again. So we just did, we did this podcast called The Rewatchables that people like. And we did Reality Bites a couple weeks ago, actually,

because it was the 25th anniversary. Yeah. And one of the arguments was like, is this the Gen X movie? Because it was always like Reality Bites singles kicking and screaming. Yes. So we were like,

we decided it was at least on the Mount Rushmore. And then basically whoever was in their 20s during that stretch, they kind of have their movie and it's not the right choice or the wrong choice. Reality Bites, I think has aged the best out of all of them though, because it really does feel like a 1994 movie.

A lot of the pop culture references that are in there and just the things people care about and the fear of AIDS and what do you do after you graduate college? It hits these themes that were really relevant there for five, six years, I think in probably the best overall way of all those movies. But how do you feel about that now, 25 years later? I, you know, it's interesting because it's so long ago now that i feel like it was very much uh an indication of who i was then in terms of as a director and who helen childress

who wrote it she was writing her life and she was in college at the time yeah she's like i think just gotten out and you know she was writing her writing her world and so for me i was coming out i think it was a pretty honest uh point of view for me because even for playing michael in that movie it was sort of where i was coming from as a person into that you know looking at that group of people and we tried to incorporate that into the into the movie but um you know when you're i was whatever i don't know i was 27 or something and yeah so you know, when you're, I was whatever, I don't know, I was 27 or something. And so, you know, at that time, I think I thought I, I think I thought I knew a lot more about everything that I do now, you know, and I, there's a certain confidence you have when you're younger

to go forward and try to do things like that and make movies. Um, so I, and I know that cause I'll look at, uh, I see sometimes like b-roll footage of interviews that i did on the set or and i'm like who the fuck is that guy what like what the hell did i think i i really thought i was the shit or something like it's crazy and and and it's funny to look back at it now but i i'm the movie itself um i i and i haven't watched it for a while i think i watched it maybe like five years ago and I'm going to watch it again because they're going to do it at the Tribeca Film Festival we're going to do a screening

and have everybody from the cast and Helen there and do some sort of panel afterwards but you know looking at it it's just I look back at my choices as a director and things I would have done differently and things that I think oh that actually holds up in that way but as a time and things I would have done differently and things that I go, I think, oh, that actually, you know, holds up in that way. But as a time piece, I think for sure,

you know, the movie, you know, the music and the music really held up. Yeah. Yeah. Super big gulps instead of Starbucks and all that stuff. It's really interesting. Cause I mean, it's, everything has changed so much since then. Ethan Hawke was on here, I don't know, like six, seven months ago. And he had said he just randomly watched it in a hotel room a couple months before he'd come on. And he was like, he did this whole impassioned, like, that's a good movie. He was really proud of it. And he just hadn't seen it in a long time. That character, he kind of became that character for a few years and then had to break out of it because it was such a distinct, powerful character.

People just thought that was him. And then, you know, you got to break out of that whole thing. Yeah, and also, you know, he'd been acting since he was a kid. Yeah. You know, right? Like Explorers and movies like that. Oh, yeah. So, you know, I think-

And then he was the Dead Poets guy for a while. And then you got to break out of that. Yeah, and that was, I think think the same way kind of that was me maybe at that point that was closer to who he was at that time so you know

I think that's maybe also what it tapped into and Winona also right and I think she saw or at least an idea of you know of how she saw herself

at that time because you know she also was a huge movie star and she's the reason the movie got made when she said yes to it. So everybody was kind of, you know, actually themselves in that film. Yeah. So then you do Cable Guy, which I was reading something about you and they were saying like, after that movie, you were in movie jail, which I don't really remember that part.

I actually liked the Cable Guy, but I think it turned into a thing where people were like, oh my God, Jim Carrey's making $20 million? Well, come on. That's ridiculous. And people were prejudiced to not like it immediately. And then it was a dark movie. I liked it though. But I think now belatedly people came around on it.

Yeah. That probably didn't make it feel better at the time. It was an interesting experience. It was the first time I ever was in something that was considered a failure or a bomb or had antipathy aimed at it from the press. Not that I'd done that much. Reality Bites was sort of like, okay.

It was so naive to the whole process back then too. Like when you haven't gone through it, you don't necessarily care about all that stuff as much in a way, because you're not aware of how, how much comes at you in terms of criticism or box office or all, you know, you, they're, they're an idea out there, but when you're going through it the first or second time, it's, it's, it's different because you don't, you've never experienced it. So you don't know what to look for, what to care about. Or what the red flags are.

Yeah, which is, I think, a good thing. Yeah. Because we never would have made Cable Guy if we really knew what all those pitfalls in terms of making that kind of a movie as a summer movie. But it was Jim wanting to say, I want to do this and wanting to take a chance. And he was so powerful at that moment in time to just say, you know, I want to do this and wanting to take a chance. And he was so powerful that moment in time to just say,

this is what I want to do. And then he chose to do something that was very edgy. Well, he just had one of the great movie years of all time, right? He'd done Ace Ventura and The Mask and Dumb and Dumber all in one year. So whatever he wanted to do, they were going to do it. Yeah. And I remember the premiere. And it was at the Chinese Theater.

And the lights came up. The people were, I remember, I think it was the director of, maybe it was Ace Ventura, looking at me kind of like, what have you done? Just looking at his eye of like what have you done just look in his eye like what was that why you've taken our our beautiful Jim and what have you done

to him because you know it was weird and it was dark did he like it who Jim yeah Jim loves it

he was all in on it Jim loves it to this day yeah and we I had the best time making it. Up until the movie opened, it was the best experience. And then when the movie opened, and I remember reading a New York Times review and saying,

you know, the first disaster movie this summer has come out. It's called The Cable Guy. I really did feel like it was 50% just his salary number coming out. Well, they announced it. It was like a scarlet letter for it. Yeah, they decided to announce it almost pridefully that this was happening. And then I think it also just should not

have been a summer movie. And we didn't even know what the hell we were doing in terms of marketing or caring about marketing. I think if I had known more, I probably would have fought more to not have it be a summer movie. But I didn't know.

And I also, I probably wouldn't have made that movie, you know, as we're talking about it, there's like a monsoon in Los Angeles right now, just pounding on our, on our roof. Um, what the other interesting thing about that movie belatedly is that Broderick's playing what would then become like known as like the Ben Stiller part. Cause that was like the part that, you know, you were the go-to guy for that part for, I mean, you probably still are. How many times did you play variations of? I can't even keep track. I don't know.

Yeah. I mean, it was before I had done that. Yeah. Yeah. But now looking back, it's like, it's just weird that you weren't in it with Jim Carrey. It seemed like that would have made more sense. But that goes back to directing.

And for me, I was so happy directing that movie. I wasn't even thinking about wanting to be in it. And it never was a thing for me wanting to direct and act at the same time. It just evolved that way. Kyle, we're not picking up the rain on the... We are so picking up the rain. It's kind of romantic. It really is.

This is bizarre. Let's talk about... So then you work David O. Russell. You're not the rain shot in cold blood. Hey, let's take a break to talk about DAZN. The old way of watching sports is over. Stream over 100 fight nights a year featuring the

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Yeah. What'd you learn from him? Wow. You caught him early. Yeah. I mean, David is a very, very creative and, you know, he's, it's a rollercoaster ride working with him.

And I had not worked for a little while when I did that movie. And I read the script and thought it was so funny and met with him. And he was kind of like this mad genius sort of energy. Yeah. You know, and I think that's part of what he did. I haven't worked with him since, but you know, at that time he was stirring the pot and getting people and looking for, you know, a way to kind of, sometimes I think a movie set can get very sedate or it gets very kind of like, this is the way you do it. And they set up the lights and the crew, you know,

does their thing. And then the cast gets called in from their trailers and it's sort of like, you know, the energy can be really kind of down or sort of like set and he was all about like just mixing it up and getting people to you know be just like get their state to be something that's not necessarily like we're going to act now and i think that's always worked really well for him you when did you start having people improv on the set with stuff? Was that like when you were doing the TV shows? Yeah. When people tried different ways of doing stuff

and letting them go a little bit? Yeah, I mean, we would do that on the sketch show for sure. You know, Judd Apatow. Well, he said that was a big influence on him. Really? Yeah. Really? Yeah, there you go.

Cool. Well, I mean, we were doing that show together, the Ben Stiller show. Yeah. And Judd was, you know, writing furiously and producing at the age of whatever, like 24 or whatever. He was like, you know, arguing with the network and holding the line and just like he had it just innately in him to be a great producer. And he would write stuff out, but then we would always play with it on the set because you wanted to try to come up with joke options or whatever. And then it sort of became a thing. And then in the movies for me, I remember doing it not in, I guess, like in Flirting with Disaster, there might've been some improvisation, but not that much. Or like, you

know, in working with someone like Noah Baumbach, there's no improvisation whatsoever not that much or like you know and working with someone like noah bomback there's no improvisation whatsoever right he's like at all word for word um but then you know doing like meet the parents movies or those those kinds of things there was a lot of um playing around and then or the farrelly brothers is a whole other thing where i mean it wasn't it's beyond even just improvising it was just like you weird, like people would show up that are like, you know, their, their, their kindergarten teacher or something would be doing a dramatic scene with you or, uh, you know, it's just like, kind of like, that was just sort of like any, like a free for all, you know, that's an amazing movie. I actually thought that movie should have been nominated for an Oscar. William Goldman wrote that once. And I was like, he's right. That's that's comedy is never get appreciated. But that once and I was like, he's right.

Comedies never get appreciated, but that movie, it was so influential in the time. It was like, wow, what's this? Oh my God. I have to say, I think that movie holds up. Me too. I came across it the other day and I was watching some of it

and it's just the tone of it is so much fun to watch it and it just has such a good feeling about it and the jokes are so flat out out there you know they just go for it in a way that tonally

it's just so consistent and and I and you just I just enjoyed watching it outside of myself because I don't

I don't really enjoy watching myself but like Matt Dillon there's a lot of people throwing their fastball on that movie yeah yeah

like Cameron Diaz is outstanding in that movie yeah she's great Diaz is outstanding in that movie. Incredible, yeah. She's great. Her defining movie probably. Yeah. It's interesting because when I think about making that movie

or being in Florida when we were doing that movie, I didn't know what the hell was going on with those guys. I really was questioning. They're just so loose. Yeah. Do they really know what they're doing? What's going on here? But they were having so much fun. And they have but they were having so much cousins everybody's in it um but they really just knew what made them laugh and

they i just my memories i'm like sitting by the monitor and just you know just having a great time and and and when they laughed they knew that that was they were like oh yeah that's it that's what pete has such a great sense of is and bobby too and they were both worked together and they do different things on the set but um pete was always just really confident when something made him laugh that that was and he made you feel like you could just try anything and go for it did you think that movie was gonna to blow up like it did? I didn't. No, because at that point, I'd never been in a movie that had really blown up. Right.

So I did have a sense that it would be really funny. When I read the script, I remember thinking and calling my agent saying, this thing could either be one of the funniest movies ever or just be horrible because these jokes are just, you know, they're just like,

if you don't pull them off, they're just going to be really embarrassing and bad. And then, yeah. But you know how it came out, right? Like in terms of like the way it built up. It was somewhere in 98. I remember that. But it didn't open at number one.

It opened somewhere in the middle. Oh, it was like three weeks later. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was actually, I think it was, you could check it, but I think it was like eight or nine weeks later. That's when it became number one? It finally got to number one. Yeah.

That would never happen then. And the chairman of Fox at the time brought me into his office like two months after coming. He said, I want to show you something. He showed me this chart. He's like, this is how most movies open. You know, opening weekend, you go down by 50% now. And he showed me something about Mary where it just kept on steadily going up and up and up.

And then finally got to number one. And he said, just that never happens. Yeah. And, and, you know, nowadays there's movies don't have a chance for that to happen because of the way that things come in and out of the theaters and the need that the theater owners have to make money in terms of, you know, what people watch. And obviously people are watching, they're not going to movies like that anymore. And, you know, in terms of the box office. So it's, it's much harder to get into that. You got to see that word of mouth vortex that every movie really wants to get into. I remember it happened with Get Out, even though Get Out was marketed really well, but it still, at some point, turned into a movie where you almost felt

inadequate if you hadn't seen it because everyone else was talking about it. I think you're right. That's maybe one of the few times it's happened recently. Maybe it's because the window for when things get on television or streaming is so soon now that people...

My son is not really into going to the movies. He 13 uh and even a movie that he wants to see is like i'll just wait till it comes on apple tv i know yeah because it's coming on really soon on apple tv right and uh and back then that wasn't happening so you really did have to go to the theater and then there was that communal experience that people get in a horror movie which people still go for horror movies but in a I remember watching there's something about Mary in a theater with people

and just like a full house of people laughing it was really exciting and fun and that just that was a really fun movie theater experience

which I think is its own version of a movie category because Get Out was like that too it was just fun to see it in a movie theater and I remember going to see

The Matrix and having that feeling too yeah yeah you know and it just was a different thing going to the movies i don't know if that was also a different time or also just a different age when you know that was a thing that we would do more i don't know well now the way they try to get people to come to a movie is basically the movie is so you you know, it's like Captain Marvel or something where you want to see in the movie because it's meant for the big screen. It's just better to watch it here than on your 50 inch TV, right? Horror movies, same thing. Come here. It's more fun to be scared with a whole bunch of people like us is coming out this week. I want to see

in the theater because it's more fun to be with 200 people who are all scared at the same time. But for the most part, a lot of these movies, I'm like your 13-year-old son. I would just rather wait. I'm like, yeah, fine. I'll wait two months.

I don't care. And I am too. Yeah. But I did, I went to see Halloween in the theater. Yeah, me too. And I really enjoyed that. You know, it was really fun.

But yeah, I don't know what to say. I mean, obviously the superhero movies and those huge event movies have become what people go to the movies for. It's kind of hard with comedies these days. So that movie comes out for you in 98, but you also have your friends and neighbors in 98, which I ride for. That's one of my favorite weird indie movies because it's got that crazy jason

patrick scene in the steam room in the steam room talking about how i don't want to talk about it but that movie's crazy so you have that one and then this one at the same time I did four movies I remember oh you did Permanent Midnight too right I did I did four movies in 1997 Zero Effect

Jake Kasdan's first movie and then I did Permanent Midnight and then I think Friends and Neighbors and then there's something about Mary

because I was watching it from afar going is he trying to get serious on us and then you made there's something about Mary I was like alright we're good I was just trying to work yeah I had no master plan I didn't know I was living in Boston afar going, is he trying to get serious on us? And then you made there's something about Mary. I was like, all right, we're good. I was just trying to work.

Yeah. I had no master plan. I didn't know I was living in Boston. I didn't know what your motivations were. I was just happy to get jobs. And Perna Midnight, I was excited about playing that role because it was totally different. And I really enjoyed it.

But I also was really excited to do Mary, too. So I guess I should have had more of a master plan. But at that time, I was still sort of transitioning. It was an interesting time because it wasn't like I was one thing or the other. And Reality Bites had done that, too, as a director. And then when Cable Guy came out and didn't do great, it really was harder to put together a project as a director so it was just and then when cable guy came out and didn't do great it really was harder to put together a project as a director in that world um so now after after there's something by mary you realize all right this is your agents are telling you

well you should you should do comedy movies there's a lot of money here yeah i mean that was like literally people were then offering me movies as an actor to star in yeah and that was the first time that ever happened but i'd been you know doing it for since whatever 89 or whatever so i'd been around for a while so when did you really have the leverage to make whatever movie you wanted well like zoolander i mean i think it was after there's something about mary when i then i made a couple movies that didn't do great. But yet, I still was able to make movies as an actor. It's a weird thing.

But you'd meet the parents two years later. Yeah. But before that, I'd done Mystery Men, which had not done great. But that was the first movie that had been offered after the song about Mary. Keeping the faith. And, you know, it was like, I was trying to figure it out and understand what kind of leverage I had. If any, I didn't really understand it that way. I just, cause I was just used to being,

I was really happy with my career and what I was doing before this. I remember I was really happy. I felt like I could do whatever I wanted, honestly. Like, you know, I felt like, oh, I'm interested in this. I mean, yeah, maybe it's harder to get something made, but I didn't feel like I was like, oh, I just want to, like, if I just could get into a hit movie. I never thought that.

I thought like, I'm really fortunate. I'm able to direct some things. I'm able to act in movies. That year when I did those four movies, I didn't know that Mary would be the one that would be like a blockbuster or anything. I was just like, oh, wow, this is a great year. I got to do four movies and they're all different. So after that, though, I made a couple of movies that weren't successful. But then I guess,

you know, with Meet the Parents, you know, that I remember, I mean, honestly, I remember getting a call from Jay Roach and him telling me that he was interested in doing Meet the Parents. And he had talked to Robert De Niro. And Robert De Niro said he would do the movie with me. And I was sort of like my mouth was just hanging open. And I was like, wait, Robert De Niro knows who I am. Right. And he's approved me to be in a movie with him.

And that might have been like a moment for me when I thought, okay, well, this is great and kind of cool. And maybe, you know, that, that, that was something I wasn't used to.

The crazy thing about that movie is we had very little indication that he could do comedy up to that point. Like he had been on SNL a couple of times. Right. Other than that was not somebody that was known to have like this great sense of humor. So that was almost part of was known to have like this great sense of humor. So that was almost part of the gimmick.

Now that movie, that movie, uh, it's been out almost 20 years. Everybody has seen it. Generations. Like my kids seen it there. They'll have kids. Their kids will see it. He's just one of those movies. Yeah.

And it's hard to explain that part of the gimmick was that people were so shocked that he was funny in it. Yeah. But he was. Yeah. And it's hard to explain that part of the gimmick was that people were so shocked that he was funny in it. Yeah. But he was. Yeah. I mean, and that was part of, you know, for me, what the whole dynamic of the movie was that he was. Did you get along with him? What was it like when you weren't taping?

It was, I was a little. He's kind of a quiet guy, right? Yeah. He was intimidating. Yeah. It was Robert De Niro. I mean, he wasn't. I don't know if he's going to go to Goodfellas mode.

Yeah. I mean. Smash your pay phone against somebody. Yeah. And I Robert De Niro. I mean, he wasn't... It's not like he's going to go to Goodfellas mode. Yeah, I mean... Smash your payphone against somebody. Yeah, and I'd see that happen. I mean, not smash your payphone, but I mean, you know, he is Robert De Niro. So it's not like he drops that persona when... And he's a really sweet guy. Yeah.

Great guy. But, you know, he's got that thing. And I knew that that was part of what the dynamic in the movie was. So it was just sort of... it wasn't really acting that much. It was kind of just being with him in the scenes and really feeling out. Like I remember the first scene when I meet him for the first time. That was one of the first scenes we shot. And just being so nervous and then cracking up in his face.

I literally laughed. Like he did some look or something and I laughed off camera. Yeah. Which is just mortifying. You know, it's something I would never want to do with an actor that I, if maybe somebody I knew like Owen Wilson or something, you know,

like if we knew each other and we like laugh about something, but this was Robert De Niro and I'm trying to like show him that I'm a real actor. And I just started cracking up in his face. Cause I was so nervous. And then he's like, what are you doing? No, then he looked at me and then he laughed. He smiled because, you know, he thought it was funny.

And that sort of made me feel a little bit better. Yeah. But the whole movie was that feeling. That unease. Yeah. Yeah. And it wasn't like I was trying to foster it. And then as we got to know each other a little more over the years, it got a little more comfortable. But I still feel that all the time.

At what point your profile increases and then you're running into people that use the parody on your old TV show? You had Bono, Springsteen. Did you start running into those people Tom Cruise yes yeah I did were they

were they cool about it they were they were all cool about it but like 10% of them you know they're like pissed off about it no I mean also like

you know I feel like my impressions were never going for the jugular I was never I never felt like you know what I mean it was like sort of

out of necessity even Tom Cruise like the first time I did Tom Cruise it was cause we were what I mean? It was like sort of out of necessity. Even Tom Cruise, like the first time I did Tom Cruise, it was because we were making this film, this short film. My friend Ralph Howard and Steve Klayman, we were making this short that was take off on The Color of Money. Yeah.

And we couldn't find, and Steve actually did a really good Tom Cruise. And then I started, and I looked a little bit more like him. So I was the one who did it for the movie. That's how that evolved. Yeah. And so I always felt like I was doing the impression sort of out of necessity. You know, we were talking about earlier,

just like kind of like more enjoying, like doing the whole sort of takeoff of the whole thing. And then, but then I would run into Tom. I ran into, because my girlfriend at the time was working with him. Yeah. In the firm. And so they're making the movie The Firm.

And so I met him down in Memphis. Oh, Gene Chippelard? Yeah. I forgot you dated her. Yeah. That's a good movie. Yeah. And so he was really cool.

I went down to his house and he had heard about the impression. And Gene had told him. I guess he knew also. And he was like, let me see it. Let me see it. And he wanted me to show it to him. He wanted me to like joke to him while I was like no I don't have it with me but I will get you a copy there's no way I was gonna sit there and watch it with him and then we ended up but then we ended up you know doing it together yeah MTV awards and

uh yeah but and didn't you do it on SNL? did you do I think you did Cruise on SNL like once I might have done yeah you might have done remember you did

Eddie Monster Eddie Monster and Sprockets I know I did that that was an important moment it was great I love Sprockets but yeah

and then Springsteen I remember like again like something being at a wedding or something. And he was there. And I think he said something to me like, yeah, I saw that impression you did. Of me counting to 24. And then he just sort of nodded and didn't like give me anything.

But I've been such a huge Springsteen fan my whole life. So I think I was just naturally like, oh God, I just wanted to. Well, I remember the show got canceled and then it just disappeared from the face of the earth. Totally.

And so you had these vague memories of stuff. Yeah. We were up against 60 minutes. Oh, yeah, that was. And we were like like nobody was watching fox dude no but i mean like there's no youtube oh yeah oh yeah that was just i know it's weird

it doesn't exist it was like liquidated so i had these memories of like i had remembered what was the one when you did youtube for the the cereal what was it lucky charms looking clovers and i remember like, I was like, I just need that in my life somehow. And then all of a sudden, YouTube came on. Right, right.

And then all of a sudden, all that stuff gets revived. And then I think it was out on DVD and stuff. But there was this 10-year stretch where it was just gone. Yeah, no. And it's not really streaming anywhere also. I feel like with everything that exists,

there should be some little pocket where you could stream it. That's weird. You got to work on that. Yeah. But actually, I remember like 10 years ago or whatever it was, maybe it's longer, trying to get the DVD made just to have a copy of it. You did director's commentary for the thing, right?

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Nephi Kyle's in. Back to Ben Stiller. So you do 2001, you do Zoolander, which had like, when did it come out? Like a week after 9-11 or like a week and a half? It came out like, yeah, I think like a week and a half or something like that. I remember going to it and it was like people kind of needed. Yeah, there was a lot of controversy about releasing a comedy then yeah but in a weird way like

um i don't know people people needed something they needed somewhere to go right so but i remember the controversy at the time being like this is well i was doing press for it and i remember uh on the today show being asked like did i think it was vulgar to release a comedy at this time and i was i had no idea i was going to get that question. Yeah. I literally was just like, you're going out to promote your movie. And obviously everybody was talking about 9-11

and we all were in shock and in a weird place. But I had no idea that that would even be an issue, really, honestly. It was a big crisis. I mean, SNL had the same battle of when did it come back? How did it try to do sketches? Sports had a big thing. I mean, SNL had the same battle of when did it come back? How did it try to do sketches? Sports had a big thing. How do we have football again?

What do we do? And Zoolander was kind of in that whole thing. But then that movie ended up having legs too. Yeah. It became like a total rewatchable. Yeah. But it was not a big hit at the box office and did not get great reviews and you know all that it had the legs though yeah yeah no it's i mean definitely it got there

it's funny to me you know because it didn't it wasn't like uh like an austin powers or something that worked you know which was a huge the first austin powers didn't do that great i mean that that was another one that had legs and then it led to the sequel, which was a couple of years later. Exactly, and the sequel was huge. So then I noticed, and I was looking at your IMDb, it was like 04,

where you're in like five movies. One of them, which is incredible because I think it was Anchorman. Oh, yeah, right. But you did Along Came Polly. Right. Philip Seymour Hoffman yes give me your 15 years later

thoughts on working with Philip Seymour Hoffman you know untapped comedic genius really brilliant actor great guy but boy was he funny in that movie he's so funny and he's really funny in

boogie nights like he had this whole side where it's like in his spare time he was this really good comedic actor yeah he could just do it if he wanted to do it and i remember laughing i mean i still think about him in that basketball scene in poly just that became the scene yeah i think that that became like the YouTube scene from it. And he was just obviously a guy who had a lot to give as an actor and was so talented as a dramatic actor, but could have done a lot of comedies. That's an interesting movie for me because

I don't even remember if I saw it when it came out but at that point you'd been a lot of stuff jennifer anderson had been a lot of stuff it wasn't i i don't know why but i was late to it and i remember somebody emailed me it was like you forgot i was some sort of basketball thing i did in a mailbag or something so you got to put the elongate policy in there i'm like really so then I watched it and I was like, this movie was good. Why didn't it do better? But I think sometimes that happens.

It did well. It did okay. I mean, it opened well. I remember every single box office moment. But it did do well when it came out. It did well enough. But I mean, it wasn't like... It did well enough, but it wasn't... Sometimes it just kind of like, that's what I mean. Like it did well enough, but it wasn't. Yeah.

But sometimes it just kind of comes and goes. But also I think it's sort of how you, like how movies actually affect the culture or right. And that's what you're talking about, you know, whether or not something like breaks through in some way or it affects you at the time. Right.

And I think like movies like that, they either, you know, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. And. And I think like movies like that, they either, you know, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. And especially that was a time when comedies were just, there were so many more comedies at the box office that could break through, you know?

And you became part of this generation that I think it, I was, I would say it's like, like in basketball where the guys, you know, like it's like LeBron and Wade and Carmelo. You just kind of see these generation dudes as like a class. Right.

And your class kind of became a lot of these guys that you kept working with, like Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell. Yes. Yeah, for a period of time. And then it got sort of like- I don't like the frat pack thing. I think that's it.

I don't know how that happened. I don't know the frat pack thing I think that's yeah I don't know how that happened I don't know what that meant too because I never like I never was into frat humor or that like old school those movies were like funny but that wasn't I wasn't in you know I don't think you did you didn't do one of those type of movies really no yeah I didn't no I swear I did but I mean you know like those were funny movies it just wasn't I just wasn't a part of them, you know? And Will and I, you know, we didn't do that much together, really. I'm a huge, I think he's the funniest guy ever. Yeah.

Like I think of everybody to me, like he is just insanely brilliant. Were you watching him on SNL during that whole stretch? And like, how aware of you were of everything that was happening in comedy as you were in comedy? I was aware. I mean, I think, you know, especially when you're in it and you're doing your thing, you are aware of it. I mean, and SNL was, you know, that was a great period for SNL too. And, you know, he was so frigging good on that show. But, you know, you're also like doing your own thing at the time. So you're kind of, that's, that's why that, that grouping

sometimes is interesting to me that it doesn't seem quite accurate because everybody actually was kind of doing their own thing. Right. Though Owen and I did a lot of movies. I think Owen and I have done like 11 movies together. Is that true? so yeah i was counting the other day with uh my friend uh and i think it's 11 yeah you have to count like a three night at the museum movies which we never really would be in the same place because he was a little person right and so like like sometimes we would never even see each other when we're making those well you did you brought back starsky and hutch which I thought was interesting because in Reality Bites, one of the things that jumps out now, Tommy and Kyle over here, they watch Reality Bites. Actually, Kyle and I did watch Reality Bites because I was preparing for it. He enjoyed it.

Oh, cool. But a lot of the pop culture jokes are just flying over somebody's head. They're playing the good times game. Yeah, right. He's not going gonna get that no but when i'm 25 in 1994 right i totally get it because it was that was what we had we only had three channels and yeah you know reference all of us saw good times we all remembered all the episodes and i always wonder like what what the people in their 20s have now because everything's so split and yeah carved up

that's i i do have a connection with that nostalgia maybe and i don't know if it's just because it's getting older too and just like you hang on to those things but you're right there's a less there's less common uh memories that we have of shows like that like you know we can talk about roots or i don't know i don't know if you remember that because you're i do but like you know those those moments are so seared in my memory, but now there's just so much. And so, you know, there's that also sort of like the second wave of that, you know, Tommy's generation can YouTube it and see what it is, right? But you don't have the actual visceral memory of watching it as a kid.

Yeah, the Michael Jackson Motown 25 thing is like that. Because I feel like that was so incredible in the moment. And that became what made it great. And then nobody could see it again. It was on and it was gone. Right. And now it's just on YouTube. I remember coming into high school, coming to school the next day when that was on.

Everybody was talking about it all day. Yeah. So, 04, you also did Dodgeball. Yeah. Meet the Fockers. Yes. And you were on Curb Your Enthusiasm for three episodes episodes that's a strong year yeah that was a lot there was a lot going on that year i remember that year did you like doing curb your enthusiasm uh i loved it yeah it was fun i mean there's nothing

like doing that show because of the way he does it yeah it's a really interesting thing i mean there's one thing to do improv in a scene that's written and then you kind of go, hey, let's try some stuff or see where it goes. But the first time you do a take with the way he writes it

is he writes this sort of spine of this idea, you know, this outline. So the first time you do it is the first time you're ever writing it really. Yeah. And there's nothing like that where you just

don't know where it's going to go and it's really fun that way and then you do take two or take three where you've already done it once so you kind of have a sense of where it went but then take two could go a totally different place right um and i like that he leans into sort of all that prickly stuff and like people being unlikable and anger and frustration. Obviously that he, you know, is sort of like synonymous with now, but like for actors to go in there and be able to be an asshole or also, it was fun to do that on Ricky Gervais' show extras too.

Yeah. But that was like, that was totally written, but, but doing it with, uh, on curb was, you know,

was really fun because you end up drawing on a lot of real stuff, you know, because it's coming out of your subconscious and you're just kind of doing it in the moment. Did you ever think of creating a TV series like that where you could have had a chance to dive into a character? Yeah, I never thought about it back then. I think about it now more, actually,

because I think now there's just so much. I mean, he was really a pioneer in that way, where he was just doing different kinds of television. Now I feel like there's just so much. I mean, he was really a pioneer in that way. We're just doing different kinds of television. And now I feel like there's so much freedom in television to kind of do. You could do whatever you want. You could do something like that. And there's a chance to really explore stuff. But I think that back then I wasn't thinking about it.

I was thinking I was enjoying doing movies. And I always loved movies. So television was never sort of what what really was drawing me yeah and it draws me now more because just there's more opportunity there um you know like something like doing like danimura you know there i think the story warranted having uh you know seven or eight hours to the. But that tone of show or that kind of a movie is very hard to get made now. I remember there was a New Yorker feature about you a while ago, like probably seven, eight years ago. And a lot of it was about where the industry was going and

your feelings on it and, and how involved you were with just the big picture stuff of when you're putting a movie out, what it means. I always thought that I, I always thought that was really interesting because I hadn't heard a lot of actors kind of think that way. It was like, you weren't just thinking of somebody who's in the movie.

You were thinking about every aspect and it talked about just how meticulous you were with, with all this stuff. Did you think that reputation was unfair or fair or somewhere in the middle? I think it was probably somewhere in the middle. Not unfair. I mean, that definitely was, you know,

I think, you know, I know that article, you know, it's, when I look back at that period of time, I think I was very focused on trying to have the best outcome of a movie that, that everybody would work really hard on. You want to have the best outcome. Yeah. Marketing and all that stuff.

But I think what I've learned over the years is that it's very hard to control all that, no matter how hard you work and what price you pay for it, you know, it you know it's nobody knows anything william goldman quote you just don't know for sure yeah which that's he said a lot of really wise things about uh movies and but i think that's what i've learned over the years is that i put a lot of energy into trying to control that stuff yeah and the price that you pay is you can be you know for people who you're dealing with,

if you're not dealing with them in a way that is, um, as, uh, empathetic and kind is, you know, because you're so more focused on getting what you want. Yeah. I think that's what I did. Yeah. And I, you know, and I look back at it now and for me, what's more important is to first realize that I can't control it all as much as I would want to. And I don't want to leave, for me, in the wake, like, an experience with someone. I'd rather have a good experience with someone and maybe not, and still communicate to them what I would want it to be, but then leave it at that because I'd rather have the experience be good for myself mainly. I think that's what, because I spent a lot of energy wanting to try to make something be a certain way that I couldn't control. And so I just ended up being, I was the one who would be frustrated or unhappy and it really was all in my control. Does that make sense? No, it 100% makes sense because when I read that article, which I think it was probably 2012

because I was at Grantland and I had a really complicated I read that article, which I think was probably 2012, because I was at Grantland and I had a really complicated career at that point. And I was like running Grantland, co-running 30 for 30 and just doing all these things. And I was kind of wired the way you were, where I was constantly frustrated that everybody else wasn't, why aren't we doing this? And eventually you realize that a lot of it's coming from you. Like not everybody is going to be a maniac about this stuff. And once I realized that it was easier for me. Yeah. And for a couple of reasons, one, you're just on a selfish level. If you're

not going to get the best out of somebody, if you're making them feel, not feel good about what they're doing. Yeah. And then more importantly for your own spiritual sort of, you know, happiness, you're going to just keep on churning it up and, you know, and you're always going to be unhappy.

And that's, that's what I realized. And, and so I, I, you know, I think, and in the last,

I think like five, six, seven years, that's, that's, you know, slowly kind of like getting closer to understanding what is going to make me happy and how I'm going to kind of go through life feeling, feeling better. That's, that's, you know, it seems like there's a shelf life and it can go somewhere between like six to 12 years, depending on the audience and just the kind of work you're doing.

And then after that, it's just really hard to make a dent, you know? And it's almost like you have so many movies in you and people kind of, they get a feel for you. You've met their expectations and then it's just hard to continually impress them and that's usually when actors like they'll they'll be in more dramas or they'll start directing or all this stuff but were you aware of that whole kind of shelf life of a famous comic actor um you know not unaware of it but i never thought of it that way when i was acting and getting into it because it was never what my, like, it just, like I said, when I was, you know, when something about Mary happened, I've been doing it for a while. And then all of a sudden, oh, it's like, you're one of those guys and you have the

opportunity now to star in comedies and do it. And, and. Cause your run was, I mean, really over a decade, which does not happen. Yeah. Yeah. It's a very complicated thing, I think, because when you're in it, it's up to you as a person to decide what you want to do with your life. Right. What is it that's going to make you happy? And I was in that and I wanted to keep doing that and I enjoyed doing it because in a certain way, it's very enticing when you can do something that makes people laugh and make a lot of people laugh and people go to the movies and go see it. It's really exciting. It's fun.

But within that, you have to also just find your own way of like, well, why am I doing this? What's making me creatively happy? And underneath, I always had the same thing I want to do since I was 10 years old, which was I want to be making different kinds of movies as a director and as an actor, too. But I was also nurturing the comedic thing, which then in a certain way, I think, puts people's heads as that, which I feel as an audience, when I see certain actors, I'm like, well, that, that guy is so burned in my, you know, psyche as that kind of character. So I, you know, I think about it. Yeah. I thought about it a little bit, but I also was making the choices that at the time for me were like, well, this is, this would be a fun movie to do, or I'd like to do this or, you know, um, life choices. One more break to talk about ButcherBox. It's hard to find high quality meat you can trust. ButcherBox is changing that. They deliver healthy, 100% grass-fed and finished beef, free range organic chicken, heritage breed pork

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I'd say Tropic Thunder. I was about to bring that up. It's a Kyle favorite. I mean, that was, I think, where in a way it all kind of came together for me as an experience. Highest degree of difficulty probably too, right? It was challenging. And it was at a moment in time in the movie business where you could make a movie like that yeah you know with that that budget and and that expectation of and you know and it just did okay at the box office it did well enough it wasn't like a gigantic hit but it made its money

back and um and it was you know it was what it wanted to be and the experience of making it was you know i i loved the experience of making it when i think back on it has a long tail yeah it's it's it's definitely crossed over and it was an idea that i had had literally since 1987 when i was this little part in uh this steven spielberg movie empire of the sun yeah and it was just like sort of this little seed of an idea. And then talked to my friend Justin Theroux about it. And we like, we're nurturing this idea for like 10 years before we even,

and when we finally made it, it was one of those things where I was like, oh my God, we're actually making this movie. We've been talking about this thing for years and years. We're actually doing it. And it comes out basically right before social media takes off. And it's the end of this generation of comedy

when I feel like people are really pushing the envelope. And now that has become so much harder. It would be very tough to get that made in terms of the politically correct world that we're in, if not impossible. But that was part of the joke of the Downey character was admitting it was politically incorrect. That was the joke.

So I don't even know how that would work with the way things worked out in 2018. I'll tell you, it would not even get off the ground, you know? Yeah, you're probably right. It would just be a big, big hurdle. And even I've been surprised, you know, over the last year or so with all the debates that are going on that people haven't brought that movie up as like oh my god you know look at this horrible thing right you know because but you're making fun of it so i don't know always clear to me and to us when we were making it was we're making fun of the actors we're making fun of the actors and their egos and these people

who will do anything to win awards and this sort of narcissism. So that was always very clear. But even when we did make it, we got in trouble with the Special Olympics people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I showed it to the NAACP before the movie came out because I was concerned. I wanted to make sure that I got that point of view. That's where comedy becomes dangerous to me. When somebody is making fun of something, but then people still...

Hey, that's where, as we head into this next decade, I really wonder where some of that goes. I mean, we talk about it in the Rewatchable podcast. We always talk about, would that work now? Or how does that look in 2019 versus... And especially with the comedies, it's really interesting because in some cases you're like, yeah, they wouldn't do that now. And you get why. And in other cases, it's like, well, it's really, it is interesting. It is comedy.

I just watched airplane with my son. Oh my God. And there's like seven scenes that could never happen now. Oh my God. They line up to punch the lady when she's hysterical. They speak jive. That whole thing is no way that could happen. Um, and yet there's some really, really just still incredibly funny things in the movie,

but like so many politically incorrect things that I even looked at going like, well, that's really wrong. Like, I don't, you know, that doesn't feel right to me. Yeah.

You know, but there's a lot of comedies from that era that I never thought. And I never thought of that. I never thought twice about it until watching it now, you know? And so that's the hard thing. It's a whole thing with, uh, you know, any of this, the me too move in any of it is that, and I've heard people talk about this where it's impossible to go back 30 years and say, we should have done this because that's where we were 30 years ago. Those mistakes were being made because that's where the culture was at and that's how people were acting. So how do you retroactively try to fix that when the fact is that's just where we were? Yeah, I have a lot of trouble legislating past behavior because, I mean, think about in baseball,

they wouldn't even let black people play until 1947. That's still only, how many years, 70 years ago? Like that's, if you're just going backwards, you're right. Whatever was going on in that year probably says a lot about what was going on in that year, whether you're talking about culture, you're right. Whatever was going on in that year probably says a lot about what was going on in that year, whether you're talking about culture, sports,

the way people were treated. Right. And, you know, as long as we're getting better at stuff as years go by, that's kind of what matters. Yes.

I mean, but like, you know, Spike Lee points out, you know, Thomas Jefferson, slave owner, pedophile.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, wrote the Declaration of Independence. So, it's,

it's. But do you worry about comedy in 2020 how the envelope is going to get pushed because I worry that it won't get pushed I honestly don't even know how to approach it you know I mean for me as a you just got to make 8 episode prison

dramas I think is the answer it's much easier really and I'm happy to do that think it's much easier it's much easier really um and i'm happy to do that uh because it's really it's really hard it's really hard to if you do that i wonder how people are going to react um we uh are producing my company's producing a show on the cw called in the dark it's about a blind woman who a 20 something blind woman who's trying to solve a murder. And she's a very flawed character. And the lead actress who's playing her isn't blind.

We, you know, audition blind actors and they're blind actors who are in the show. But that was the first question that was asked. And they did a sketch on SNL the other night. Who, who can I play? Which is that sketch.

That sketch was incredible. So great. Yeah, that is really exactly where we are right now. That's, was so great. Yeah, that was really good. That's exactly where we are right now. That's the problem. Yeah, I think the biggest issue for me is it's just so easy for people to mobilize against a perceived slight or a real slight, either one. Or figuring out what's the difference between the perceived and the real. And whether it's perceived or real or genuine or whatever,

you just get a bunch of people coming at somebody right away. Right. And my fear is it's going to make people who make comedy hesitant, which part of what makes comedy great is you make mistakes. You push a line this way and,

oh, that didn't work, but it's okay, we're all in this together. And now we're not all in this together in the same way. And I think that's what worries me. Yeah, I think as long as your intention is clear in terms of what you think is funny about it, that's sort of what you have to trust. Which is what Tropic Thunder,

that's why I think that's immune to this. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, maybe, maybe, that's why. And I's immune to this. Yeah, yeah. And yeah, maybe, maybe that's why. And I feel like that's who you have to be really precise on and knowing that's where you're coming from and then be willing to suffer the slings and arrows of how people come at you, you know? What's the next iteration of this?

Just family comedies? Instant Family with Mark Wahlberg? Great movie, by the way. I enjoyed it. Whole family watched it. It was really good. But is that where we're heading? Just safe family comedies?

No, I honestly don't. I think it has to be cyclical. I think it has to come around. And I think comedy people are going to get sick of not being able to be who they are or not being brave enough to do it. And maybe, I don't know if it'll be me or somebody else but somebody's gonna go out there and say you know fuck it i just want to do what

i think is funny because this happened in the late 60s early 70s and that led to a lot of the comedy that not just what led to snl but lenny bruce and george carlin and um people rebelling against other people telling them what they can and cannot say. And we revered that generation like, yeah, these people are badasses. They weren't afraid. And they made mistakes. They said dumb things, Richard Pryor. But the way we regarded, like our generation regarded those people were like, man, those guys were rebels.

They weren't afraid of anybody. And now I wonder maybe that's what's coming next. I think there are those people out there, though, and really funny people who don't give a shit, who get it. I mean, it's just a different world now with social media and Twitter and the instant reaction to things.

But I do think it's going to come back around. Wow. I do. An optimistic moment. It stopped raining. Yeah. The sun came out. An optimistic moment. It stopped raining. Yeah. The sun came out. So what's next to you?

What are the next five years look like for you? Oh my God. Yeah. What's, what's on, what's on the agenda? Maybe the reality bites. I want the Knicks to win a game or two.

I forgot you're a huge Knicks fan. I put that on the agenda for this. Oh my God. It's all coming around. You got KD coming and you're doing the lottery. This. I put that on the agenda for this. Oh my God. It's all coming around. You got KD coming, you're going to win the lottery. This is great. We need to change the culture at the Knicks.

Do you like Fisdale? I like Fisdale. He's been okay. I think he's done a masterful job tanking. I don't disagree with him. Their last 41 games, they were 5 and 36. I know.

No, it's depressing. It's outstanding. It's depressing. It's what you want. As a Knicks fan, it's depressing. How often do you go? I go like five or six times a year. Ethan Hawke was afraid to talk about this,

but then ended up saying, fuck it, and talked about this. But didn't he say he got banned? Because he wants his ticket. He got kicked out? Yeah, he got banned. Because Dolan will just still, he'll take it out on people. I think the culture has to change there.

And I think Knicks fans are so, love the Knicks so much. They're so loyal and they're so hungry for anything positive, just anything positive. And we love the great Knicks who are still there and who are, you know, that, that, that whole history to me, that's, what's exciting to me about going to Knicks. There's guys are in their eighties now. I know they're wheeling them out.

Look, I'm coming out of their walkers. I'm in my 73 Knicks. I want to see a championship before I die. I don't know if it's going to happen. It is amazing. It's been 46 years though. Yeah. Look, it's exciting. If I meet Bill Bradley or Walt Frazier at a game,

that to me is, that makes me happy because I literally don't even know who's playing on the team because it changes so much. But you're probably like one of the youngest Knicks fans that remembers the 73 title team. I do remember. Yeah.

So the cutoff would be, you'd have to be like six when that happened. Maybe you title team. I do remember. Yeah. So the cutoff would be, you'd have to be like six when that happened. Maybe you can remember. I was eight. Yeah. I totally remember it. And I remember going to the garden. I remember, you know, the excitement of it. And then, and it's just, it's a really tough situation right now because I would hope in the next five years that yeah, KD comes and. what's your move when they show you on the video screen i do everything i can to avoid being shown on the video just put your hands on your face i do payoffs to them to not show me on the video you see the camera coming around you're just whipping hundreds i swear to god i'll do everything i can to avoid it do you look at the camera or do

you like there's no good way to do it, first of all. Because if you come after Jerry Cooney or any of the giants who always get a huge, or anybody from the Sopranos, a huge cheer, then it's always a letdown when they get to me.

Yay! But it's, you know, or get next to somebody. Just do like a two-shot. They get to be next to howard stern yes exactly exactly howard's perfect the best one i've ever seen at it is jay-z he looks at the camera briefly he looks cool as hell and then he just looks away and it's like the camera's not there anymore and he's just mastered it yeah he can do that yeah he's jay-z he's i feel like he's

practiced it yeah i that's not my thing i can't, yeah, you look up, try to be humble, wave, and then hope that they get it off you as soon as possible before whatever smattering dies down. So do you listen to Francesa? How hardcore are you? No. No, no, no. Michael K. Show?

No. No, I don't get into a lot of that. You don't get into sports radio? I like Alan Hahn. Oh, okay. Yeah. And I think that Mike Breen, and I like Mike Breen and Clyde.

I think Mike Breen's amazing. Mike Breen's amazing. He's just like, he just makes it so much more exciting, you know? And I like Ernie Johnson. I'll watch those guys. But I'd imagine if I was a player, those guys must be really hard

because just like they're so harsh on the players. So you're not on NBA Twitter following 10,000 people? I check it out. Yeah? Yeah, I check it out. What's your wish list for the summer? KD? KD and Kyrie?

I don't know about that. Could that happen? Do you think that could happen? It could happen. It would be an interesting personality combo. I think Zion would be great. Zion would be great. personality combo. I think, you know, Zion would be great. Zion would be great. Zion, KD, I'll take that.

I mean, honestly, just any cohesive team that has a couple of great players on it that stay. They just stay and don't leave. I was, you know, like, I got friendly with Enes Kanter. This is so sad. I know. I became friendly with Enes Kanter while he was there. And, you know, the guy, the guy couldn't love New York more and be more of a positive influence. Or Ron Baker, even.

Yeah. Like, you know, this guy was just out there giving it all. You know, whatever he had to give, he was giving. Fans loved him. They'd just give us a little something, just hang on to it for the season, at least. Right. But it just, like, boom.

You know what I mean? It just pulled out from under you. And you like you sound like henry ellingworth i don't know what's going on henry ellison what's happening no no no offense to henry i just don't know i can't keep up you sound like one of those bachelor contestants who gets voted out in the limo and it's like i don't know it's is it me why can? Why can't anyone love me for me? I've been bringing my son for like, since we moved back to New York for like nine years. And he's seen like less than- You've seen less than five good games?

Like three wins. He's seen three wins. I'm not kidding. And we don't go to a lot of games, but like we go to like four or five or six. And then the odds statistically are against him seeing a win. He doesn't care about being courtside. He doesn't care about anything.

He just wants to see a win. Yeah. That's sad. Yeah. It's- Yeah. See, he He just wants to see a win. Yeah. That's sad. Yeah. It's, yeah. See, he's just going to end up playing Fortnite over watching basketball. The Knicks are just losing a fan for life. They need to fix this.

Come on. Save my son, James. What's the best interaction you've had with an athlete? Ooh, gosh. Do the players, if they see you courtsideide do they say anything to you? yeah some of them I talk to and say hi to you do a complicated handshake with them?

I can do awkward complicated handshakes who was I talking to Dirk Nowitzki and I I played in Dirk's tennis tournament really? why wasn't that televised? oh yeah I played in Dirk's tennis tournament really why wasn't that

televised what why wasn't that televised Dirk's tennis tournament you should have gotten the rights to that

to save people from that seeing that no Dirk's actually a really good player yeah he just started

I think last couple years and so I like Dirk I brought like I brought Quinn my son down to a Dallas game. And he had the best time.

And then Dirk took him in the practice court afterwards. And they shot some shots together. And that was amazing. And then running into Bill Bradley recently in a Knicks game. That, to me, doesn't get any better than that. Yeah, I remember when the Celtics hit dark times in the late 90s, all we really had was when the old guys used to show up. Be like, oh man, Bill Russell's here.

Meanwhile, we're losing by like 28. That's literally where we are in New York. It feels like a mind shift though. I played with Harrison Barnes. We played back and forth. Really? So I went to see them play when Sacramento came to see the Knicks a couple of weeks ago.

I went and that was fun to see Harrison because I gave him some tennis pointers. Like I didn't even know what I'm doing playing tennis. I forgot to ask you what it was like to share your dad with America when he became George Costanza's dad forever, but it was your dad. Yeah.

But then he became somebody else's dad for basically 20 million people. Yeah. That's kind of weird. Nobody's ever asked me that. Yeah. It's really interesting. I thought it'd be really strange for me if my dad was known as somebody else's dad.

It was an interesting thing because people have their experience of me and know me. Yeah. They know my dad and of course love Seinfeld. So I think sometimes I would get sort of grouped in to all of it. You know what I mean? Like your dad, George's dad, you know, the dynamic was just like, George is your brother. George. Yeah, exactly.

And, and we never really were, you know, I, I never really, Jason and I were never really knew each other that well. So it's always, it's always a little awkward when we see each other. Like he's cheating on me. My dad's cheating on me. My dad's cheating on me. Because when you, when you got the TV show initially, you, your parents were really famous for our generation.

Like everybody knew who still Romero was. And then, and then eventually for this whole other generation, he's just George's dad. And I always, it's always weird when things work out that way. Well, that's the way it goes.

Yeah. The way it goes. Cause that shows we'll never never stop being on television it's on all the time and also king of queens my dad is on oh that's right and equally known for that now too but Seinfeld will be on for 7,000 years Seinfeld is Seinfeld but it's uh it's on at 11 o'clock every night in every city and that's just the way it's gonna go I guess forever forever yeah that and friends so it'll just be seinfeld and friends for the rest of our lives you were on friends once i was on friends you were were you ever on seinfeld i was never on seinfeld no i was on king of queens once too but uh you know for my dad it was a great thing because he did he was with my mom stiller mira yeah and you know they did their

thing in the 70s and 80s and they were still working hard but then when when Seinfeld happened it was like a whole new audience for him it seemed like Seinfeld got like a genuine kick out of him too oh they see like the outtakes and stuff Larry yeah like all those guys they loved him because they just always he just made him like because my dad worked so hard. He was so, you know, like he would approach it like he was doing Shakespeare. Yeah.

Every episode. And he had to run it and he had to rehearse it. And, you know, he had to hold it. And sometimes he would forget his lines and they loved it when he'd like almost forget his lines. But his process of working so hard and being so in it was what made everybody, they just enjoyed that part of it. You know,

when, especially when he would screw up, it was great casting too, because him and Jason Alexander could both go zero to a hundred in like a split second. And it really did seem like they're related. They just all of a sudden they're upset. And I said this before,

but that is nothing like my dad is like, my dad is not like that. He's like the most quiet, calm guy, but yet he has that my dad is like, my dad is not like that. He's like the most quiet, calm guy, but yet he has that in him. And, uh, and he, you know, he's just naturally funny. He's just like a naturally funny person. How did your parents react when you became this A plus list comedy actor? That must've been strange for them. It would be super strange for me if that happened to my son. Yeah. I don't don't know what i mean i think they were happy and proud and my mom sort of i think was always wanting me to do different kinds of stuff yeah honestly like she was like

very proud but like she was very well read and liked uh independent movies and i think she was always pushing me to kind of do you know know, to do different kinds of things. All right. I took you too long. I took too much of your time. That's okay. So escape. I'm taking my daughter to visit college today.

Are you really? Yeah. She's a junior. So that's exciting. It is exciting. I'm doing it all above board. No payoffs. See, I'm going the other way i think the inefficiency now is the payoffs nobody's expecting it anymore now it's even now it's like

nobody thinks that's ever going to happen again now is the time to really now you're getting discount discount payoffs that guy's number could have been 500k a year ago now it's like 100k they're just desperate to be a business with anybody going out of business now i fully expect 20 more of her stores uh stories off that story to be happening oh yeah new york you know this happens in new york and the private schools come on many people have probably not been discovered yet yeah or uncovered i think there's a lot of people right now going, it's very, Oh my God. No,

it's indicative of like, look, I'm in it right now with my, my daughter. And you see that, you know, it's tough on the kids. It's tough on the parents and people just,

you know, want to go one notch too far. It's, I mean, I can't imagine doing it, but yet you see where it's coming from, which is, that's the interesting thing. You know,

the desire that parents have for their kids to do well, or something they didn't have, you know, that they want and all that. And the competitiveness with the other parents, which is weird. for sure. No,

that's the thing. That's definitely a thing. It's a dick measuring contest. Yes, for sure. The way the parents offhandedly will tell you what their kids are doing. Yeah. Escape at Danaemora.

Yes. It was originally called Escape at Clinton Correctional. Why was it Escape from Dannemora? I don't understand. Because we didn't want it to be like Escape from Alcatraz. And we felt like Escape at was an interesting way of saying that Dannemora, which is the town, it was more than necessarily just the prison. Because Tilly was also wanting to escape and then we had a big debate about just calling it danimora because for that reason we're just

like if people like are you know hashtag escape from danimora they're not going to get escape at danimora but then we ended up just going with escape i think i tweeted about it because i was really into it and i think i did from instead of yeah and then i had to delete the tweet and do it again you read i'm a tweet deleter yeah if. If I have a typo, it's out. I'm deleting it. Well, you can't fix it once you make it. You can't. God forbid you can fix a tweet.

On Instagram, you can fix your caption. 100%. We're such social media experts. I know. Look at us. But you can watch that on the Showtime app. Yes. And on Amazon, which has, if you have Amazon Prime,

I think it has Showtime too. And the DVD is coming out. The DVD is coming out. It has some special features on it. I did commentaries with Patricia and all our crew. Oh, that's cool. I tried to make it like a DVD back in the old days when people bought DVDs.

I recommend the show. It's really good. Thanks, Bill. I enjoyed it. I was sad when it was over. I was hoping it would just go seven more episodes of them in Canada. Right. Yeah. Unfortunately, they got caught. Thanks for doing when it was over. I was hoping it would just go seven more episodes of them in Canada. You're right.

Yeah. Unfortunately they got caught. Thanks for doing this. Good luck with the next. Thanks man. All right. We're going to call my dad and, uh, and talk about this wacky, uh, Eastern conference and how we feel about it.

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wool runners. Get on that. Soft, cozy woolners. Yeah. We're going to call my dad. Here we go. All right. My dad's on the line. He's watching college basketball as we speak. We're taping this early afternoon Pacific time. He jumped on the University of Vermont bandwagon. What's that like?

How crowded is it, dad? I've always been on the Vermont bandwagon every year. You actually won a game, I think, recently last year, right? You root for any New England team short of Connecticut. Any state going the other way, you're in on. Well, that's true.

I have different teams going today. I have Northeastern's going today. I'm certainly on their bandwagon. They have this really good guy, Serbian guy. I like him a lot. I haven't seen him play yet, but I like him a lot.

We have Vermont going today. Unfortunately, my other Connecticut team lost today, but they had a good comeback. They almost won. What was your other Connecticut team? Yale. Oh, you jumped on that one too. All right. Of course.

Those are my three teams today. That's great. I'll probably lose all three of them. Every time Boston College was in there, you were always on there. Does Boston College still have basketball? Where do we stand on that? Unfortunately, Boston College hasn't been in there for a while. They had one of those funny articles yesterday where the athletic director, who's fairly new, a couple of years, gave a vote of confidence to the basketball coach. Oh, who's done a bad job, right? Who's been there five years and has had

four losing seasons. I suspect he's not going to be here too long. Well, speaking of losing seasons, even though they have a winning record for the season, it feels like a losing season. The Celtics last night lose to Philly. You were upset about the officiating.

Well, I was upset about a number of things. But, you know, the officiating, to have that disparity in free throws, I know Embiid goes to the basket a lot and, you know, put aside the fact that he takes five or six steps and they never call it. And he's always pushing guys out of the way. He certainly, I mean, he had over 20 free throws and it was just kind of crazy. You know, Irving went to the rim a lot.

We went to the rim a lot last night. Brown went to the rim, Irving, Morris, and we weren't getting any of the calls. But aside from that, our defense was kind of iffy at the end, wasn't it? Well, two minutes. They shot 43 free throws. The Celtics shot 16 and Beach shot 21. Your dogs are even upset about the free throws. Part of me worries, though, the Celtics team is not a team that gets to the line a lot

anyway. Well, I know that's true. And as you know, I might have tweeted something last night. Yeah. I did something that you suggested I don't do, which is read a couple of the comments. Well, you also, or to tweet when you're angry is never a good idea either. Never a good idea either. Never a good idea. And I did notice that somebody brought to my attention that, and I know we're not a driving team like we have been in the past,

except Irving does drive a lot. Revere drives a lot. I mean, we do have guys that go to the rim when we're not taking ridiculous three-point hero basketball shots, but it shouldn't have been that kind of disparity. And I just thought there were some iffy non-calls. But putting all that aside, it's kind of frustrating to watch Irving on defense. Other teams really seem to take advantage of him at the last two minutes of the game.

And that's what Jimmy Butler... Jimmy Butler was a no-show except for the last two minutes of the game. And that's what Jimmy Butler... Jimmy Butler was a no-show for... Except for the last two minutes of that game, he was a no-show. And then, of course, he ends up being the hero. Right, he's in the SportsCenter package at the end. I can't stand the guy. I mean, he...

It's a strange Philly team. Yeah. And Bede is a wonderful player. The rest of them, they disappear for stretches, don't they? Yeah. The scary thing for me is I hate going

into any playoff series where the other team has the best player. You look at the Eastern Conference, and Giannis is the best player in any Boston Milwaukee series, and Embiid is the best player in any Boston-Philly series, I think. Well, that is true. Those are two safe things to say. We won't see Philly unless it's in the finals.

I mean, Philly's going to— We're either stuck in four or five. Right now we're in five. We do play Indy at home next Friday night. Well, assuming the playoffs go well, we're going to probably have to see Philly at some point. Well, assuming the playoffs go well, then we'd see Milwaukee in the second round,

which is really scary for the reason you just mentioned. At least Brogdon's out with Milwaukee. And if he isn't back in time for a second round matchup, if Boston even gets there, I do think that hurts him. Plus, Miritich is in time for a second round matchup, if Boston even gets there, I do think that Hurstamp plus Miritich is now out for a couple weeks. I didn't know that. They have a lot of guys who haven't been there before. Just going backwards, finishing the loop on Philly.

Embiid's a monster. He really is. He did that post-game interview yesterday, and I thought it was really telling about, you know, he was just like, you know, I'm a great defensive player. I'm the most unstoppable offensive player in the league. I really wanted to prove that tonight. It really felt like he went into that game like it was a game seven, really wanting to put the rest, the whole Boston has figured out how to play and beat thing. We went to at least one of the games last year, last spring,

and he would have stretches like that, but I also never, neither of us felt like he was in shape. And it felt like he would wear out as the game went along. And yesterday he did not wear out and just seemed, just for lack of a better word just completely unstoppable um very reminiscent of shack in the 90s yeah i i would agree with you with one caveat um he has a better supporting cast true a year ago in that playoffs there were a number of times we double teamed him and even even you were probably watching the ESPN broadcast last night. I was watching our local broadcast.

And repeatedly they were commenting on how we weren't double teaming them at all. But the reality is because the supporting cast is so much better, it's really difficult to double team them. And Harris can make the three and Harris can make the three Butler can make the three Redick is a nightmare of making the three so we were double teaming him in the playoffs last year I'm not sure we could do it again and we didn't do it last night

and he ran once Baines went out we were really in trouble and I don't know if you saw the thing today he has a level two ankle sprain. He's going to be out four to six weeks. He's going to miss the beginning

of the playoffs. Who's our backup after Baines? We have nobody. We never made that signing that everybody hoped we would make. You wanted Enes Kanter. You've always liked Enes Kanter. Or somebody.

Somebody who could come in and play center and eat up some minutes. And we don't have that guy. The chemistry's been better since when I was in Boston and went to that Portland game. They had that plane trip. Everybody talked about it. I like everything Kyrie's been doing from a leadership standpoint the last couple weeks he certainly hasn't given

any dumb interviews on the court he's a lot more engaged and just seems like a better teammate I agree with all that and more literary he had some

appropriate comments in the paper today he had a bad last two minutes he did he somewhat tried to take over the game. He missed five of his last six shots.

And certainly three or four of them were very makeable. But he also took a couple of shots that, you know, with 20 seconds left on the clock when he could have moved the ball around. And he somewhat apologized in the paper for not being more of a facilitator and trying to be a hero, win the game by himself. And I thought that was encouraging. Yeah. Because that's exactly what he did.

They still, the sophomore season for Tatum, I think has been, of all the biggest disappointments of this season, the biggest one for me. Like, I don't feel like he's any better than he was last year. If anything, his shot selection's a little bit worse. He just doesn't shoot free throws at all. He's making, it's weird, he's barely, I think he's making like 0.93s a game

the last two months, basically. It is strange. I agree with you. Remember the first half of his rookie year last year? I think he might have been leading the league in three-throw proficiency. And now it's not as bad as when Marcus Smart shoots a three, but you kind of cringe. They're always contested. Actually, even when they're not contested,

you don't have any confidence in them. I have a lot of confidence when he drives to the basket, but he doesn't seem to like to do that much anymore. Yeah, there were some articles two days ago that he was slumping. And I really don't feel like it's a slump because I actually watch the games. I think the book's kind of out on how to play him. People have taken away that move that he was able to do really well last year,

that kind of crossover Dr. J move where he ended up swooping from the left side. People are kind of ready for that now. And I feel like when you're a perimeter guy, if you're not taking a ton of threes, but you're also not getting to the line, I don't know where that leaves me with somebody like that as a fan. Because the way basketball is being played now, you either want somebody to be making

two and a half threes a game or somebody that's getting to the line. Or ideally both. Like James Harden would be the best example of that. But with Tatum, it's just a lot of like 20 footers and a lot of, uh, pull-ups and a lot of like these, these post-ups that take four seconds to go. And I don't really understand it. And I really wonder if he's listening to them because I'm not sure he is.

I, cause I know they talked to him about this stuff and I, it's weird that it's not translating in the games, but you've gone to way more home games than I have. Oh, it's very frustrating to watch him take the 18-foot turnaround jump shot falling away from the basket instead of just a natural drive to the basket. Can you remember the last time he got a rebound? Well, that's the other thing. They have these four forwards, basically.

They have Morris and Hayward and Brown and Tatum, and they all kind of have the same stats with the kind of shots they take. None of them get to the free throw line. None of them are really high-volume three-point shooters. Morris was for the first two months of the season, and that's it. But it's like all of them kind of bring the same thing to the free throw line. None of them are really high volume three point shooters. Morris was for the first two months of the season and that's it. But it's like all of them kind of bring the same thing to the table. Hayward's more of a creator, I think,

for other guys than the other three. But I haven't talked to you since I went to the Indiana Clipper game, which was Monday. That was a bad game, Hayward. No, no. This was Clippers, Indiana. This was a bad game. Hey, no, no, this is the, this was Clippers, Indiana.

This was in LA. Yeah. So I went, cause I really wanted to see Indiana. Cause I know we were playing them in round one. And, uh, I think that series is really going to be a problem.

I, I, I want to put it on people's radars. Now, this is an incredibly losable series for Boston because that Indiana team, they know who they are. They play nine guys. They know who the nine guys are. They have

the lineups that they know they're going to play throughout the game. Everybody knows exactly what they're doing and all the guys compliment each other and they play really hard. They can go big with Turner and Sabonis together. They can go a little smaller with just Turner as a center or and Sabonis together. They can go a little smaller with just Turner as a center

or just Sabonis as the center if they want to go really small. They have Thad Young who can be like a four in certain lineups and a three in other lineups. McDermott's a shooter who can spread the floor.

Tyreek Evans is just a guy that's always killed us. Right? I feel like he's had a lot of the best games of his life against the Celtics. It's just one of those downhill guys with size that this team has a lot of trouble stopping. I just think the series is going to be a problem.

Bogdanovich, who is another guy who kills us. Yeah, I agree with you. It's a team with a lot of size. I don't know if Kyrie has somebody to guard on this team if they play certain lineups. Because he's not going to be able to guard Tyreek Evans. He'd guard Collison, their point guard. But my point is, I don't know if they'd be playing Collison.

I think they'd want to play with size against us and kind of make Kyrie have to guard somebody, you know? Right. I'd be worried about them on the boards because we've been a very inconsistent rebounding team all year. And that's even when we've been healthy.

But you take Barnes out of the lineup and they throw a front court of... They put Sabonis and Turner out there. Sabonis and one of their wings. Sabonis is terrific. I have him on my fantasy team. I look at his stats.

He has doubles. He's a pretty efficient shooter too, near the rim. He's your kind of guy because he posts up, he's a good passer, his hands are around the rim. I always like Randall, who is obviously on the Pelicans. He's that kind of guy that three years ago, it was, oh gosh,

who's the guy from Detroit that we ended up having last year at the end of the year? Oh, Greg Monroe. You always liked him too. We got him at the end. We have trouble stopping. And it's just been a frustrating year. Sometimes we look so good. And then we have these stretches

where the other team runs off 15 straight points. Right. You're not sure what happened. You're not sure. How did we, where was our defense and how did we not score one basket during that stretch? Well, I thought yesterday was like the whole season in a nutshell.

They looked awesome. They're up by like 15. Right. And then the third quarter, it completely, it completely falls apart. Smart gets kicked out. But turn it, the whole thing, they got eight points in a row when Marcus got thrown out.

And I understand Marcus got frustrated, but you can't do that. You know, you can't play stupid ball. Yeah, that wasn't great. I'm not positive he should have been thrown out, but, I mean, Embiid definitely wasn't looking for it. Was that a foul that didn't get called or what? Yeah, it seemed like he popped him. You still can't sacrifice the team on behalf of pushing Embiid and showing him up a little bit. I'm going to say that with that Indiana Celtics series,

the Celtics team, especially if Horford's not 100%, which I don't think he is, I think he can play. He locked knees again last week. I think he would have come out if Baines was healthy. His knee has been a problem all year and everybody is kind of looking the other way on it.

No, he rides the bicycle on the sidelines every time he comes out of the game. I would sit him for the last 10 games because I think they're locked

into the five anyway. They might decide it's not worth going full borehead to get home court against Indiana. it's not worth going full borehead to get home court against Indiana. It's not. They may feel that we can win in Indiana, which I think we can. I'm not quite as high on Indiana as you are.

I'm telling you, that series, that team's good, and they know how to play with each other, and it's the type of team that has given the Celtics issues all year. Like it's those Brooklyn type of those teams that you're like, ah, we have more talent than this team. And then the game's happening. And the teams that just play really hard and know how to play with each

other has been a problem all year. And I'm still dubious of, uh, the Celtics team when the gut, like the last couple of years, they overachieved, you know, like Danny pointed out, he did a radio interview today and he was saying how that the advanced metrics for what this team is doing is actually better than the last couple

of years, which makes sense to me. Like they have, they have a, a they're plus five as just for point differential. Right. So if you actually look at the standings plus five is like the fourth best point differential right now. Um, Milwaukee's plus nine Toronto's plus 5.6 Golden State's plus 5.9 in Denver's plus five and we're plus five. So we're tied for fourth with that. So what did Danny have to say about that stat he was just like we're he's like the the advanced numbers seem to say that

we're going to make a run at some point I think that that makes sense on paper but I think what's happened with this team over and over again is what we saw last night where they're not pulling out games like that anymore you know know, it's, if anything, we're blowing more of those types of games than winning. And during that, during that last Isaiah year, they were pulling those games out of their ass during last year, even in the playoffs,

pulling them out of their ass. And this team does not pull games out of their ass. Well, that's a valid point. We had a lot of comeback victories last year. And, and a confidence that we were going to, if it was tight last two minutes, that Stevens and the defense and somebody was going to make a shot and we're going to win. And now it feels like the opposite. obviously an outstanding ball player, but he takes over and plays differently in the last two minutes.

And it's almost like the rest of the team is standing around watching. So they play a different offense in the last two minutes. And the ball stops. It's like a black hole. The ball stops. But what's weird is this happened with Isaiah

two and three years ago. It was the same thing. Except it did happen. Except he, you know, for whatever reason, it didn't feel the same, but it basically was the same. Well, again, being repetitive, the ball stops and we don't get any rebounds.

So if the shot doesn't go in, the other team ends up on a fast break. Well, that's the issue with the Indiana series is I think they're going to control the boards. And that Turner, I'm always surprised by how big he is in person because you think of him as

just this athletic, skinny guy. But he's like a legit 7'1". And he's got size and length. Sabonis would be really a 5 on just about any team, but sometimes they play them together. We both liked Sabonis when he came out in the draft. Yeah, and it was sad watching him. He's a subject kind of player.

It was sad watching him on OKC that year because they just didn't know how to use him. And then Indiana definitely knows how to use them. But who's the best player you've seen in person this year? Because you've been to like 15, 20 Celtic games. Yeah. Giannis? Yeah, Giannis. You went to see, you saw Harden too.

Yeah, I'd say Giannis. You know, Harden, I just thought Giannis was totally unstoppable. Yeah. If he gets to the foul line, it seems like he could take one step and he's at the rim. Right. And also, you know, we have people who can try to guard Harden. We have nobody who can try to guard Giannis. Who's going to play Giannis? We had Horford and Giannis.

And now that they have Lopez as their center and Lopez draws who's ever on him out unless you're going to let him shoot those three-pointers all game long. Giannis is very scary.

Actually, it's kind of funny that the guy that killed us last year was not Giannis, even though we beat them. It was Middleton. We had nobody to grab Middleton. So you throw him into the loop, and as I've heard you say in another podcast, Bledsoe's having a real good

year. Yeah, he was our secret weapon last year. I'm not thinking that far ahead because that would be in round two. Not having home court in round two against Milwaukee is really scary. I don't see a

real scenario for this team to win three straight rounds unless Tatum has some sort of breakthrough. Well, you're talking also most probably, at least the way it's looking now, three straight rounds. Where they don't have a game seven.

Yeah, and look at last year. That team, the home court advantage saved them last year. I think they were 11-0 before that last Cavs game. I was looking at the standings today, and I know this is kind of silly, but Detroit wasn't very far behind us. Yeah, I know there are only five back in the last column. Yeah.

Yeah. And Stevens in the interview after the game talked about, actually might've been before the game that he wants to rest people the rest of the season, particularly Orford with the screwed up knee. Yeah. And now he has no Baines. Time Lord.

Time Lord's happening. Huh? Robert Williams, Time Lord. Might be time. I bet he might play him last night when we were getting killed on the boards and Baines went out. I've come to trust your instincts

on the young guys over the years since the Alaa Abdel Nabi year when you locked out on Alaa Abdel Nabi in the first two weeks of his rookie season. No, it was in the first two minutes of his first game. He's out on the court, and he should be totally into the game. And all of a sudden, he's looking up, waving at somebody in the crowd. Yeah, he was waving at somebody behind you and you were out. You were like, that's it.

That guy's never making it. He's waving to somebody in the crowd and it's his first chance to be on the court. Yeah. And I don't feel that way about Robert Williams, by the way. That's good. That's why I asked. You kind of like Robert Williams. He's just not ready.

He's, uh, he, on his defense, he doesn't switch on defense correctly. And, uh, which makes him a nightmare when he's out there against the smart center. Well, can I put something else on your radar to bum you out? I don't know. Does it have to do with the Celtics? Yes. Okay. You know we have that Memphis pick?

Well, we only have it if it's the top seven, right? Well, Memphis has been going all out to win these games because they want to convey the pick this year. So if, if they're, if they can get to the eight spot and that pick ends up being eight, the Celtics have to take it. If,

if they're in the top seven, then it rolls over next year, which is what we want. So we have to take it. It would be the ninth pick in the draft. It would be the eighth pick. Is it top eight or top? It's top eight protected,

right? Yeah. So if it's the ninth pick, we lose it. So right now they're seventh worst. They're 29 and 42, which means if, if they're one of the eight worst teams,

it rolls over. Memphis keeps their pick and it rolls over to next year when it's top five protected, which would be a better pick for us. So what's the matter with that? Well, Memphis is trying to win, is my point. And right now they're in the seventh spot, but they're

only like a game behind Washington and a game and a half behind the Lakers. And out of those three teams, they're the team that's actually trying to win. And there's just a chance. So they're 29, and they're out of those three teams, they're the team that's actually trying to win. And there's just a chance. So they're 29 and 42. The Wizards are 30 and 42.

So they're only half game ahead. They're saying that conceivably we could have the ninth pick in the draft, the 14th pick in the draft, the Clippers pick, and our own pick. Yeah, and guess what? The last thing the Celtics need are just more picks and young guys to clog the rotation. They really need this pick to roll over, but between the Lakers, Pelicans, and Wizards, none of those teams

are trying anymore. I think that Memphis pick is going to get conveyed. Unless they can try to trade up with... The good news is, I guess that's another pick to give up for Anthony Davis if the Pelicans want 200 picks for Anthony Davis. I don't know.

Well, conceivably, it's still a four picks to convey for a trade, but. So let's say we had all four of those picks. Yeah. Would you trade Tatum, Smart, and all four of those picks for Davis? Only if Kyrie resigned. Okay. I never would have said that at the beginning of the season because I was so high on Tatum.

But I think he's flatlined a little bit. Wait a second. We're doing this wrong. Somebody from the Pelicans might be listening. I still think Tatum is completely untradeable. I would never trade him in any trade. I would say Del is listening, but he probably is listening because he doesn't have a job anymore.

That was cold. Jesus. Shots fired at poor Del Demps. Yeah, so that's another thing really the only good thing that's happened to the Celtics this season is the Lakers going down in flames again which has brought me delight and LeBron picking

basically the wrong team LeBron killed us year after year after year for this entire decade and then finally made the wrong choice and they're I just wish LeBron had gone to the Lakers like three years ago. Yeah, that would have been easier for us. Well, although, I mean, you live in Los Angeles.

People had such high expectations for the LeBron-Laker team. Not anymore. People are out. They're just kind of looking ahead to the summer. We should mention you're way more excited about the Bruins right now. Well, I mean, I'm always on the Bruins bandwagon. No, no, but I'm saying like this specific Bruins team, you've really, really, really gone. This is a very likable team.

You know, you talk about chemistry. Yeah. This team really, they have, everybody has everybody else's back. They have, when Pasta came back. Pasternik. Night before last. And now they're slowly getting other people back, groups coming back from concussion protocol.

And they have a lot of depth when they're all healthy, and they have two pretty good goaltenders. So, yeah. I mean, they have, what and they have a lot of depth when they're all healthy and they have two pretty good goaltenders so yeah I mean they have what do they have the second best record

in hockey and we've also had two guys have challenged Char in the last like two months suicide mission why does anyone

fight Char I'm always amazed when it happens I watched the last one when Martin challenged him and they but it was kind of funny Char was interviewed after the game and he said you know I'm always amazed when it happens. I watched the last one when Martin challenged him. Yeah.

But it was kind of funny. Tara was interviewed after the game, and he said, you know, I really respect Martin. I mean, Martin is a big kid. He's six foot three, if I recall. But he said, you know, that team needed a spark. And Martin said to me, my team needs a spark. Are you willing to go? And Tara said, sure. And I mean, he knew Cher was going to beat him,

but he did what he needed to do for his team, and it was a pretty good fight. They both got a couple of punches in there. He's like, my team needs a spark. Can you punch me 20 times in the head, and I'll get in three? I don't think he expected

that it would go the way it went quite so easily, but Tera has that reach. I mean, he's about eight feet tall. He's the most unstoppable fighter. I always wonder if he was in UFC, what would happen? I guess the guys would be more mobile, but it

always seems like a mistake to challenge him. It reminds me, I know this is a segue, but last night I had nothing to do. I was watching Cinderella Man. I might've seen it before, but there's a stretch there where Max Beer has his, he has his hand out and he's holding Braddock and Braddock can't swing at him. Yeah. And it was the same thing with Char and Martin. And it was fun to watch and you kind of knew what the outcome was going to be

and it motivated both teams, but not enough for the Bruins to lose that game. Well, you're very confident. I'm on the bandwagon. No, you're always on the bandwagon. Yeah. The question, I'm going to be jumping on the bandwagon in April,

but you actually watch regular season Bruins games in like October, November, December. I do. Do you care that we don't have a closer? Oh, you say we're the Red Sox? Yeah. I don't get why we don't have a closer. They keep, I'm laughing,

they keep trying to trump up Embry and Barnes. And you and I know what happens when they come into tense situations. Well, Embry, I don't get that at all. The Barnes and Brazier, it's a little more realistic. I don't get it. But still. So this has happened. I looked it up.

This has happened two times this century. 2012, that was the Alfredo Aceves year. And he went two and 10. And that was the Bobby Valentine team, I think. And then- That was the reliever by committee, closer by committee? Yeah, it didn't go well.

And then 03, I'd forgotten about this. Actually, it blocked it out of my mind. They tried to do the Allen Embry, Mike Timlin, a little Chad Fox. All three never happened. Well, you know what else never happened? Do you remember who we traded for to close the closer gap? You might have blocked this out of your mind. No, I don't remember.

Bung Young Kim. Oh, yeah, I did block that out of my mind you did I think we both went to electroshock therapy to get that out of there but yeah so those were the two times this century um 03 the second worst ending to a

Red Sox season ever you think they're putting their eggs in this 19 year old basket the uh the guy that has the really long, strange first name. Might be from the Dominican or Venezuelan. No, I think they think the team is so good that they're in a staring contest with Kimbrel. And May 1st, he comes back for a reduced price. They still have the highest payroll in the Major League Baseball.

I know they do. It's not like they're cutting costs. I think they just looked at it. By the way, you're on the record multiple times last year saying if Kimbrell pitched another season for the Red Sox, you would have to up your heart medication. I'm not looking for them to re-sign Kimball. I just don't understand why they

didn't sign somebody else. I'm not on the Kimball bandwagon, but now he's like the only car in the parking lot. What about the guy from the Mets with the three PED suspensions? I was kind of excited for that guy.

Could have him and Josh Gordon. We just have our two teams, two guys who might get negged out at any time. He got lit up a little bit yesterday. Meja, is that how you say his name? Yeah, something like that. But I think he's trying really hard

to not have a fourth situation arise. So he might be okay. Well, when you've had four PED susp. So it might be okay. Well, when you've had four PED suspensions, it's really hard. It stops looking like an accident at that point. It really starts looking like. By the way, Dad, Kyle's here.

Kyle's all in on the Josh Gordon comeback. In case you were looking for the one person in your life that is ready to forgive Josh Gordon and trust him again, he's right next to me. Well, cause if I remember last year, Kyle offered that he would live with Josh Gordon. Part of his entourage. Still on the table.

Still on the table. Yeah. You know, he'd be part of the group that watched him when, when he had to be watched. But, uh, you're,

which is a scary thought. I'm, I'm, I'm not all in on it too. I, I was glad to see that they locked him in for one more year. Well, I know you love drafts when we have this many picks. I know you probably have a board already.

I'm excited, except that I'm not excited because you and I are going to probably be on the phone during the draft screaming because Elitchek traded down again and we ended up with guys we never heard of instead of the guys that we were hoping to get. Well, I know you're going to have a quarterback at some point that you've honed in on as our QB of the future. Yeah, I have a couple guys.

I'm excited for that. I haven't decided which one I want yet. You have to announce that on the pod. You have to come on and tell us who your guy is, who you're backing. Yeah. I mean, there are rumors out there, as you know.

I'm not sure that they're going to... I can't see the Patriots spending their first round pick on a quarterback for the future. No, I think it'll be second or third round. Second or third. It was crazy that they actually tried to spend money on a couple guys who turned them down.

Like, they really did go after Adam Humphries and offered him more than Tennessee gave him, and he went with Tennessee, which I thought was weird. That was very, not only confusing, but, like, did they come in late in the game? I think they did. So they come in late in the game? I think they did. Yeah. So why come in late in the game?

You know, you need a receiver. I mean, he had been rumored as a guy that the Patriots liked and he liked the Patriots and suddenly they're the second team to go after him and he's already made a commitment and, you know, he kept his word and kept his commitment. But it was very strange, I thought. My guess is that they're like when they traded for Brandon Cooks two years ago. My guess is something like that is coming. I'm very, very focused on the A.J. Green unsubstantiated rumors, which nobody seems to have any inside info that any of this is actually true,

but it started on the internet, which means it has to be true. AJ Green would be really exciting. Yeah. I've seen two rumors about wide receiver trade. One is the AJ Green. That Cincinnati team is going nowhere. Yeah. Well, let's have some picks. Give us AJ Green. We'll give you some picks. It'd be great.J. Green. That Cincinnati team is going nowhere. Yeah, well, let's have some picks.

Give us A.J. Green. We'll give you some picks. It'll be great. Right. And the other guy who I've never been high on is Angela from Philadelphia. Oh, Aguilar? Where'd you come? Angela? Well, no. Angela.

I got to mix that with the Yankee third baseman. Nelson Aguilar. Yeah, they're similar sounding names. Yeah. He's been another rumor up here about the trade. That leaves me cold. A.J. Green gets me excited, though. A.J. Green would get me excited.

Although he does get hurt a lot, doesn't he? Are you excited that Ryan Fitzpatrick is in the AFC East? I was excited to have him back. I didn't realize. I saw something that he's now, once he starts, he'll be a starter as a quarterback on eight different teams. Yeah, it's a new record. NFL record.

Yeah, congrats. That's great. Yeah. And actually, his history is that for five or six games, he's unbeat great. Yeah. And actually his history is that for five or six games, he's unbeatable. Yeah. And then he reverts back to form. So I don't know when we play Miami,

it's usually not in the beginning of the season. So we should be okay. I don't think the schedule is out yet. Is it? No, it's not, but usually we don't play Miami early. Yeah.

It looks like it's going to be another good year. It should be a lot of fun when Bob Kraft raises, play Miami early. Yeah, it looks like it's going to be another good year. I'm looking forward to the season. It should be a lot of fun when Bob Kraft raises the six-spanner. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but... Well, it seems like he's almost home free. Bob Kraft, right? It seems like he's almost out of the woods with this

unfortunate criminal case. The news yesterday and today was he's filed a motion to suppress the video. I don't blame him. You certainly don't want that video coming out. We will all have a visual image we don't want to have. For me, I'm just not watching it. I mean, it's pretty... You'll watch it. No, I won't.

You're going to want to talk about it on the podcast. What are you kidding? Definitely not watching that. No, Kyle's probably going to order a copy. I'm going to make Kyle watch it, and Kyle's just going to tell me what happened. Yeah. Well...

I hope it doesn't get released. I don't want it to ruin my visual image of the Patriots for the season. Well, now that it's at least there's no trafficking thing and it's just a clear rub and tug situation. Right. We really have to go back. You had told me the rumor was that the women were like 40s and 50s, that they were mature women. They weren't

involved with trafficking. That's still a terrible story, and I can't believe all the charity money he gives. It's a bad story. Well, as the years pass, I think we'll look back at the AFC title game,

where clearly he wanted to get fired up for the game. He made a stop beforehand. Then they go and they win in overtime. The guy's 78. I think he leaves that day and just thinks that was a great day. Really enjoyed myself. Good start to finish day.

And we all feel a part of it because we were all visiting you in Los Angeles and we watched the game together. And I won money at the end because you and Uncle Bob and Uncle Don all watched Green Book after and you guys liked it so much it became clear to me I was going to win the Academy Award because the Academy is filled of old people like you. So you bet

on Green Book for the Academy? I did. I did. It was plus $350. Bob liked it so much I was like, ah, this is definitely going to win. There's a thousand Bobs in the Oscar voting committee. It was plus 350. Bob liked it so much, I was like, ah, this is definitely going to win. There's a thousand Bobs in the Oscar voting committee. It's kind of degenerate to be betting on the winner of the Oscars. Why? I don't know.

Aren't you a voter, too? Not in the Oscars. I'm a voter for the All-NBA. Oh, okay. I thought that's where you got all those movies ahead of time. No, I'm in the Producers Guild. Oh, okay. I thought you voted for... I thought that's where you got all those movies ahead of time. No, I'm in the Producers Guild. Oh, okay. Yeah.

Well, anyway. All right. So I don't know what we solved, but it was fun to have you on. I'm sorry UVM lost. As we were on the phone, UVM, their dream season phone call. Oh, I didn't see the end of the game. We lost? Yeah, we lost.

It was a week. So now all my hopes rest with Northeastern? Yeah, you got Northeastern. But Northeastern was the one you really cared about. Like that's not that far from where you live. And that's a legit- They're right down the road. Yeah, that's a legit one. Reggie Lewis back in the day. It could have been a school that you could have gone to because they probably would have accepted you. Wow. Shots fired. I don't know who got insulted right there. All right, dad.

We'll talk to you before the Masters. Okay. Take care. All right. Bye. All right. Thanks again to Ben Stower. Thanks to my dad.

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produced by probably three beers in him, nephew Kyle. I hope that's all. At night, maybe seven beers, who knows. Titus and Tay, they'll be with you. We'll do some sub fun social as well. So we will be there. We have the written pieces on theringer.com and we're ready to help and to help you enjoy the tournament that much more.

Enjoy the weekend. Enjoy the madness. Enjoy wasting time and watching television. Until Sunday. On the wayside, never once said I don't have feelings within On the wayside, never once said I don't have feelings within