The Commercial Break - TCB Infomercial : Riki Lindhome

Episode Date: June 10, 2025

EP#774: Krissy leads this conversation and fascinating look at one of the great comic-musicians of our time, Riki Lindhome. From finding success on very early YouTube to playing tribute to one her favorites...John Oates, with her duet music as part of Garfunkel & Oates. Riki now has a new album to make you red faced and giggled! It's out now which means you should go listen! If you're in D.C. and need a laugh, her one woman show debuts this July at Wooly Mammoth Theatre. She is funny, she is sharp and she is here! Riki Lindhome joins TCB. RIKKI'S LINKS: Rikki's Website & One Woman Show Tickets ⁠⁠Rikki's New Album Riki's YouTube Watch EP #774 on YouTube! Text us or leave us a voicemail: [phone]TCB FOLLOW US: Instagram:  ⁠⁠@thecommercialbreak⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠youtube.com/thecommercialbreak⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@tcbpodcast⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠www.tcbpodcast.com⁠⁠ CREDITS: Hosts: ⁠⁠Bryan Green⁠⁠ &⁠⁠ Krissy Hoadley⁠⁠ Executive Producer: Bryan Green Producer: Astrid B. Green Voice Over: Rachel McGrath TCBits: Written, Performed and Edited by Bryan Green To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I want your sperm. I want your DNA. I want your baby. And I want it like today. You're smart, talented, healthy, athletic. The flaws you have don't seem genetic. I mean that as a kid. I want your DNA. I want your DNA. I want your DNA. I want your baby and I want it like today smart talented healthy athletic The flaws you have don't seem genetic. I mean that as a compliment Plus your disinclination toward procreation makes the perfect combination to provide immunization from a fraught situation and or legal complication down the line

And I'm attracted to the fact that you're avoidantly attached to your naturally a match Like if you had a kid you'd never met, you'd just forget and totally be fine. I also mean that as a compliment. Look, it's a favor to me, but also to you, cause think about this, if you're torn, you get to fulfill the mail-urge to appropriate, but also the mail-urge to not really help when they're born. Deadbeat Dad, no one's mad, best deal anyone's ever had. Hey there, cats and kittens! You know it's always good news when I come on before an episode.

Usually it means that I have screwed something up technically, and you're gonna be on the losing end of content. Not so much this time. We were really excited when we heard Ricky Lindholm was gonna come on the show, and you're gonna be on the losing end of content." Not so much this time. We were really excited when we heard Ricky Lindholm was gonna come on the show, and we had such a wonderful time with her. Ricky is a talented comedian and musician, actress, and writer. And while the interview went great and we certainly enjoyed this conversation, the technology that we use must have had a bad day at the office.

Because there are parts of the episode when it sounds like Ricky is about 10 and a half miles away. It doesn't last for long, and it's not for the entire episode. It certainly is not bothersome enough to put this episode in the can, but it is bothersome enough that I thought I would address it. So you know, if Ricky does fade out a little bit, just give it a second, she'll come back. When you have a million wires running from a million different things, and then you rely on someone else's technology to teleport celebrities into your TV, there will come an occasion when that teleportation gets a little foggy.

But I think you'll still really like our conversation with Ricky Lindholm, and Chrissy's a big fan, so let Chrissy lead this one. Sorry for any muddy audio, not our fault, swear to God. Enjoy! Sorry for any muddy audio. Not our fault. Swear to God. Enjoy The next episode of the commercial break starts now Yeah cats and kittens welcome back to the commercial break I'm Brian green. This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show Chris enjoy hold the best you Chris That's you Brian best you out there in the podcast universe. Thanks for joining us on a TCB infomercial day. Ricky Lindholm is here.

I can't wait to talk to her. Let's get it on. Ricky Lindholm, oh yeah. Ricky Lindholm is a famous comedian, musician, writer, actress, she is a multifaceted young lady who does a lot of stuff, Chrissy, and one of those things is put out music. She's got a new album.

I know. Out right now. You can grab it on Spotify. Chrissy, you listened to it, didn't you? I did. Good for you. Look at you doing the homework. No Worries If Not is the name of the album that is on Spotify

or anywhere else you get your streaming music. She's also going to be in Washington, DC at the Woolly Mammoth Theater, doing her one-woman play, Dead Inside, from July 9th to the 27th. Eight shows a week, I think. Eight shows a week, yeah. Eight shows a week is insane because she's a parent, too. And we do 30 shows a week, and it's driving me fucking crazy. So certainly we'll ask her about that. But you can buy those tickets.

I know tickets are available at rickylindholm.com or the links are in the show notes. I'll send those to you. She's also got a lot of stuff out there on YouTube. I'll ask her about her YouTube evolution because she's been doing this for a while. She's basically a comedian who does like music like, um... Uh, well, I want to say Weird Al Yankovic, but it can be a little bit more blue, a little bit more for adults.

On her website, it says songs, funny songs for adults. Yeah. Right, so I think that's where you go with it. Ricky is also married to Fred Armisen, little known fact. There you go. And she's gracing us with her presence here today. And I thank her for it. Yes. After some fits and starts.

You know, Ricky was originally supposed to be a part of our at TCB Endless Day, but because of a scheduling conflict, it didn't happen. But that's just well enough, Chrissy, because now she can have her own time right here today without all of the drama, the muss, the fuss, and the 3,625 different episodes. So let's do this. Why don't you take this one?

You do it. I agree. I would love to. All right. Chrissy is going to do Ricky Lindholm. I mean, I'll be here, but Chrissy will do Ricky Lindholm when we get back. Why don't we do this? I'll speak.

You speak. Why don't we do this? We'll take a break. And when we get back, Ricky Lindholm, through the magic of tele-podcasting, will be right here in this studio, through that television, and in your ears. What do you think? I think we should do it.

We'll be right back. Okay, you're probably wondering why I, Rachel, have taken over the voice duties at TCB. It's pretty simple. Astrid asked me to shut Brian up, even for a minute. Well, lovely Astrid, your wish is my command. Do you want to help Astrid, too? You know you do.

Leave a message for her, or me, or Chrissy, at 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. You can be on the show too. Just call and say something, anything, or text us and we'll text you right back, promise. Then head over to tcbpodcast.com and get your free sticker. It's your constitutional right to a sticker and we must abide.

You get the point. Follow us on Instagram at The Commercial Break and watch all the episodes on video at YouTube.com slash The Commercial Break. Best to you. And Astrid. Especially Astrid. A daily game that's never ordinary. All you have to do is match as many tiles as you can. And the more you match, the better. We also have top table games like our incredible super spin roulette, blackjack, and a huge

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Hey there, cats and kittens. I want to tell you about a podcast from HeadGum I think you're gonna like. It's Handsome with Tig Notaro, Fortune Fimster, and May Martin. Two of those people have appeared here on the commercial break. The third is conspicuously absent, and I will be following up. Every week, the Handsome hosts field a question from a friend and attempt to answer it together, covering every subject you could think of, from psychic experiences and reoccurring dreams to secret talents and favorite pop divas.

Along the way, Tig, Fortune, and May tell plenty of stories and just generally have a ridiculous time. Sound familiar? Both Chrissy and I listen to this show, and exactly like the commercial break, they get questions from people like Jennifer Aniston, Paul Simon, Conan O'Brien, Tom Hanks, Sheryl E. Ralph, Melissa McCarthy, and other notable listeners, just like the commercial break does. Handsome is a great podcast with two of the three hosts being some of our favorite guests,

and I will work on May Martin. Subscribe to Handsome wherever you listen to podcasts, and check out the full episodes on YouTube. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday. Headgum.com slash Handsome for a full episode list. Spring is here, and you can now get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? You can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered. Sunshine? No. Some wine? Yes. Get almost, almost anything delivered Hi, how's it going? Great, good. Thanks for joining us.

Thank you for having me. Yeah. So how did you, I know you're a big part of musical comedy. How did that happen? How did you kind of veer in that direction? Well, I always loved it. I was obsessed with Weird Al and just any funny song, I would listen to it over and over and over as a child. I was so into it. And then when I learned to play guitar when I was like 17 or 18, I just started writing my own like little funny

songs, but not professionally, just for fun. And I would play them for my friends in my dorm room kind of thing. And then, um, when the writer's strike happened in 2007 or whatever it was, um, I met my friend, Kate Mccoochie, who had also been writing comedy songs for about 10 years. We'd both been writing comedy songs on our own for about 10 years before we met. Oh, wow. And then we were kind of like, oh, we should try writing one together. Cause we had all this time.

Sure. It was the writer's strike. And then we were like, oh, this kind of works. This is interesting. You found your musical soulmate. Totally. And your comedic soulmate. Yeah.

Can I ask a question just real quick? Yeah. Were you the kind of kid who would run around like making up funny songs to noted tunes? Like you would just make your, put your own lyrics to it? No, no. I never, I didn, making up funny songs to noted tunes? Like, you would just make your own, put your own lyrics to it? No. No. I never, I didn't start writing funny songs until I was, like, in high school. Oh, okay.

But I would just, I would, you know, memorize every Weird Al song. I live in the car with my brother. Oh, yeah. We're just, like, super fans. Loved Weird Al. Oh, yeah. Right? Still do.

Yes. Have you ever met him? Right. We'll do. Yes. Have you ever met him? Yeah. Yeah, I've played on stage with him, believe it or not. Oh my God. Wow. Where did you play on stage with him?

It was, oh gosh, I think it was at the Virgil, at the bar, the Virgil, there was a, or was it, I can't remember. It was, it was that super serious show. They used to, they moved venues a lot, but it was super serious. and they paired us up and we played a song with him and it was really fun Oh god, that's like that dream come true. We had to find a song, you know, cuz he's a clean comic. He does. Yeah Yeah, so we had to dig deep to find one of our songs that didn't have that Was that a request of his or or is that just like something you just understood going in? Yeah, just like something you just understood going in? We just understood it. Yeah, just like don't.

I'm sure he would have requested it had we been like, hey, will you do the loophole? He'd be like, I don't think that's my brand. So we were like, the song that we offered was one of our cleaner ones, obviously. Smart thinking, know your audience. Yes, yes. Exactly, and how did you and Kate meet?

There was a period of time, tell me if you remember this, where every woman in commercials had huge eyes. Yes. Oh yeah. Yes. So like there was like, when I started auditioning for commercials, it was all like the Maxim girls, like the Doritos girl, that was the look. And then all of a sudden it flipped.

And it was just these women with big eyes. And I, so I started booking everything and so did Kate. And we were just always at with big eyes. And so I started booking everything, and so did Kate. And we were just always at the same commercial callbacks. And I still remember just seeing all the same girls. And we all kind of became friends. And that's the initial way we met. So which commercials would we have seen you in? I did so many that all of my conflicts were filled.

So like, say you do like a snack food, then you have a two-year conflict with snack foods and you can't do anymore. Yeah, gotcha. Okay. So basically, I was in so many that they were filled and I had to take a two-year break. That kind of felt like a good wrap up because I was like, wow, I really did it. There was one commercial where I got cast, the same guy got cast as my husband in two different commercials.

You are kidding me. No, and we were like, we saw each other and they were like, how do you guys know each other? And we both realized, we're like, oh, if they know we're in another commercial together, one of us is getting fired. So don't say a word. Both of us go, acting class.

Right. We're like, and then we looked at each other, we're like, dude, oh my gosh. And then we were kind of like, were like, dude, oh my gosh. And then we were kind of like, wonderful, wonderful, great. Can I ask you a question about commercial work? Is it good pay? Like the national commercials, is it good pay?

So it used to be. I think now it's a little different. I think there are all sorts of different tiers of payment now. It used to be really good pay. It used to be, it got me health insurance. It like got me out of waitressing. It really was amazing for me. I had new actor friends and some of them had mild success,

but the mild success was in commercial work. And this is, you know, a decade back. And they would say that while the dream is to be in whatever, right, a bit part in the ongoing series or a pilot or whatever, really the bread and butter is the commercial work, as it was for them anyway, because it paid so well at the time. But I imagine now there are so many X-factors

in the contract that the people who make the commercials have figured out a way to whittle it down to just a few dollars. If you play in Atlanta, it's $300. If you play on the West Coast, it's $800. And it's like nothing if it plays online, which is everything. It's like that kind of, I don't know if it's nothing, but it's just, it's a, the game has definitely changed. Yeah.

It used to be, and maybe the conflicts are different. Like maybe they had to take away where you can't do another commercial for two years kind of thing. Sure. Yeah. Before they paid you well enough where it was worth it. Yeah. Where you're like, yep, great. To sit out for two years. I can imagine Kate's in every medical commercial, every snack food commercial, every hygiene commercial.

I was going to say hair, maybe shampoo. Coffee? Is there a coffee out there that might need me? Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, I was doing all of that. And then Kate and I, we met around the commercial audition world and then we were at UCB just seeing a friend show and we officially like became friends in the lobby because we were

like, hi, we've been together for two straight years. Hi. Nice. And how did you decide on the name, the Garfunkel and Oats? I was at, I was seeing Hall and Oats at the Hollywood Bowl. And the camera, I was in the very back, you know, waitress salary, I was in the super back, so you could only see the screen. And the camera was like a close-up on Hall, and then Oats in the band. No two shot and no Oats close-up.

This is really weird. Yeah, and so it just, it was, kind of made me laugh and I was, and then, yeah, and that's how. You know, this makes absolute sense because if you hear the history of those two, right? I think the reality is it's probably in the contract that they don't want to be in the same shot together. Those two hate each other. They're one of the most successful pop duos of all time and they can't stand each other. They're one of the most successful pop duos of all time,

and they can't stand each other. I always had this impression that Hall was driving down the street and like saw Oats on the side of the road and was like, come on man, let's be in a van. And then from the minute they got in the car together, they just like disliked each other altogether. But I have heard so many stories online, read them online, seen it in documentaries,

that they just can't stand each other, even though they were hit makers, like hit after hit after hit. Didn't they meet during like a shooting? Like a shooting? I think there was like a gunman and they were hiding. I'm not making this up. I think they were like hiding in an elevator. Oh my God.

No shit. Incredible. It's something like that. I don't want to mess up the details, but there's something in that zone where they were like trapped somewhere. Well, I can't go for that. Exactly. No can do. Well, before I die, I've got this ditty in my head.

You want to work it out with me? That's really funny. I did not know that. I'm going to follow up on that because that would be it. That's a whole episode. We actually became friends with John Oates during the Garfunkel and Oates days. Oh, nice. He's the best. He's the nicest guy. He's so friends with John Oates during the Garfunkel and Oates days. Oh, nice. The best. He's the nicest guy. He's so cool.

He took me guitar shopping in Nashville. Wow. What? I cannot say enough amazing things. And he's an amazing solo musician. He's just like, I mean, it's not a surprise, but he's like an actual talent. Like he can play so well.

You know, he's just. That's insane. I grew up in the time of Hall and Oates. Oh yeah, me too, early MTV days. And it was hard not to like the music because it was really being pushed in your face. As an adult, I re- kind of connected with Hall & Oates and really realized that they are probably one of the greater R&B bands

of all times. They're so fucking talented. And if you listen to their live albums, ten times better than anything they ever did on MTV. I always just had an affinity for Oats. I don't know why, but the guy in the background always like that. I was just attracted to like that guy, right? Attracted to him. But you know, like that guy. I want the underdog to win. That's right. What happened? What's going on with him? What's his deal? So it doesn't surprise me that you say he's the cool guy,

because I think you have to be the cool guy to kind of take a back seat to all the shenanigans that are going on up front, right? And still be okay with it. So you went guitar shopping with Oats. I know. I used to live in Nashville. That's so cool. Wow. To be fair, I know nothing about their actual relationship. It's just stuff I've read. Yeah, of course.

And I really like Oats. I know nothing about their actual relationship. It's just stuff I've read. Yeah, of course. He really liking notes I know nothing about the yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean Hall talks about it all the time I think Hall is the really odd spoken one about the whole situation. Yeah all the time all the time He talks all the time. He talks trash about the whole thing, you know I've been and whatever I don't want to get into it's not a Hall and Oates conversation interview But you know you understand like he I don't think he's chide away from sharing his thoughts and his feelings on the relationship that they have. And it's been strained from the beginning. So, but they, like a lot of musical relationships, the out of that stress and strain and push and pull has come some incredible music. Uh, do you find, do you, is there strained, like when you're on stage with your writing partner, does good

music come out of some of the troubles, toils, stress that you guys have, that you girls have? Excuse me. No. Good. No, not for, no, we can only write music when we're like giggling and laughing and getting along. Like we need like a common enemy. We're like, oh, we hate when other people do that. Uh-huh. We're not at our strife. It's like, you have like slumber party vibe

and then start talking about things that we don't like. And then, yeah, that's more of what it is. Like pregnant smug people. Exactly, exactly. And were you smug when you were going through your pregnancy? I was. I was very smug. I love it.

I love it. Well, now you've got your new solo album, No Worries If Not, which I love the title to that. It kind of parallels Brian and I's podcast slogan for a while, which was, it's not for everyone. And that's okay. Yeah, it's like if you like very wordy, joke a minute kind of songs about aging

and menopause and infertility, then this is. This is the album for you. This is for you. Yeah. It's so funny. That's okay. Yeah. Take it and leave it.

Exactly. I think we're, I'm at the age, much older than you are, but I'm at the age where you really do get to a point where it's like, you, if you try and be everything to everybody, which I think some, all of us do at some point, if you're everything to everybody, you're nothing to nobody. So just do whatever it is you do and you will find those people or they will find you given enough time, enough episodes, yeah, enough words out there.

Like do what you do and then be patient. Yeah, enough words out there. Do what you do and then be patient. Yeah, then to be patient. That's what you have to do. How do people define you? Do you find in the age of, I mean, I guess there's no way not to believe this, but in the age of the internet and social media specifically,

that cultivating an audience or cultivating the community that loves your music is, it's like a blessing and a curse, right? It's like, you constantly have to push it out. It's a machine that you have to massage at all times. The beast never stops being hungry. Even you saying that makes me like. It makes you stressful, doesn't it?

I'm not seeing the algorithm the way I should. I always feel like I'm not putting enough time and effort into social media. And I know I should be doing more, but it's hard. It's hard. Never enough. It's a lot of time. And Kate and I, we were one of the first bands that broke out on social media.

When we started YouTube, I thought it was a file sharing service because I couldn't attach my videos to email. We sang a song of ours on my couch and I was trying to send my video to my we we sang our song of ours on our on my couch and I was trying to send it to my mom and it was too big and Someone's like oh YouTube you can just so I just uploaded it and I sent the link and not like Like no way you channel you just stumbled onto it It's like the first half of my email address like I I wasn't, we did not think anyone would see it. And then people, and then we just looked and it was like a month later and we had 10,000 views

and we're like, who saw, we didn't know anyone saw it. Holy shit. Oh my God. We were like, hang on, wait. And that was like a lot at the time. We were just like. Yeah. And because there was no one on YouTube,

they kept featuring us on the front page. Oh my God. That is, that is fucking insane. Yeah. It's like you either got to be first, most or best. And we were first. Yeah. It's true.

I that's like you, you're the first person in history to like stumble in, not the first person in history. Unlike anything we've ever done, you stumbled into something that caused great success. First of all, probably because people enjoyed the content, the content was good. But then you hit on this thing so early on that you had no idea what it was,

like most people had no idea what it was. And then it just kind of snowballed from there. We were shocked and we were like, I guess we should write another song. We'd only written two songs and we were like, and they were for a short we were making. I'm like, I guess we should, should we write a third one? And it just kind of went from there. And then more people watched it and we went, what if we did a show? Do you think people would come?

And then they did. And we were like, what is how, wait, do we accidentally have a band and just like stop doing everything else and only do this? And we're like, yes, we should. Oh my God. And it was kind of around the time when the, I had all my commercial conflicts, like, you know, we had like a little bit of extra money and time and yeah, it's just a perfect storm. That's wild. Is there a moment that you remember?

Like is there, did you literally have that moment? Oh my God, should we stop doing everything else, focus on this because the ball is rolling and we are, you know, the wave is coming, we need to jump on it. Yes, it was really, well, so there was kind of two. One, I was, um, I was, uh, out of town for some reason and Kate called me and she said,

the creator of Scrubs wants to use that first song we ever put up on my couch. They go, they want to use it as a musical number in Scrubs. Oh, wow. I'm sorry. What? I know, it's like, it's like finding out, they go, they want to use it as a musical number in Scrubs. Oh, wow. And I was like, I'm sorry, what? What? I know, it's like finding out, you know, when you find out Martin Scorsese watches Vanderpump Rules.

Yeah, yeah. Like the creator of Scrubs watches our YouTube, you're like, what are you, that, it seems so crazy. And we're like, okay, yes, yes, he can, yes, great. And then, and then it kind of kept rolling. And then one day I went to therapy and I was like, okay, I'm a little torn because I feel like I'm doing all these things. And I told him about all of them and I'm like, I don't know how to spend my time.

I don't know what to do. And the therapist was like, what's this last thing? Tell me about this band. And I'm like, well, it's like, I don't know if there's like a way to make money from it. I don't know. And I'm started talking about it. And he was like, that's just seems interesting to me. And he, he basically was like, it sounds like all the other things are things that a lot of people could do. And this last thing sounds like maybe the thing only you can do. And I was like, oh, I walk out of therapy and I'm like, I wonder. And my friend Rachel Blanchard calls me and she goes, I had a crazy dream about you.

And I'm like, what? She goes, that band that you're doing, she's like, that's gonna change your life. It happened in my dream, I know I'm right. And I was like, my therapist just said that. And then I called Kate and I was like, I think we need to focus on this band. Wow.

God. Yeah, so I guess that was kind of the day. Did you give this therapist a tip? Because I've never, I've been to therapy, all, you know, most of my adult life in some way, shape or form. And my therapist has never once said to me that podcast thing.

That sounds like what you should do. He usually says, I think this podcast is a way for you to avoid adult responsibilities, Brian. But that's amazing that he would be so bold about a statement like that. That sounds interesting and that sounds like something only you could do. It's like he's channeling something, right? Yeah, and it was like you put it on a link to show your mom and these people are coming to you.

And it was the first time in my life I was getting incoming calls. I was always in the auditioning business, the Apple call business, and he's like, you're getting incoming calls. That's good. Wow. Follow those breadcrumbs. Yeah. And I was like, yeah, and then it happened so quickly after that.

God, the stars just aligned for you. That's amazing. And then you did another period as well with Natasha Lajaro, which was on our show, too. That was my favorite thing I've ever done. It was so funny. I loved that show. I loved it.

How did you guys kind of come up with that? We were, it was like, it was during a time when Kate got super busy. She was doing a lot of TV shows and whatever. And so I kind of had a little break from Garfunkel and notes and I wanted to make something else. Yeah. Natasha's like, how did you and Kate come up with your thing? And I was like, well, we were writing songs

for a short we were making. And she goes, well, let's make a short. And then we met up like every night for a week trying to think of ideas and we just couldn't think of any and then we're like, what if we have some wine? Yes, that always helps. We went out and had a glass of wine and we were just like laughing about stuff and I was like, what are you interested in? And she was like, well, she's like, I'm really interested in like the Gilded Age and class and she's like, what are you interested in? I was like, I've been watching a lot of reality shows.

Yeah, yeah. And she's like, what are you interested in? I was like, I've been watching a lot of reality shows. Yeah. And Natasha's like, what if we marry those? What's the, what's like a real, like, what if the Kardashians went into Downton Abbey, like that show? And then we were laughing so hard and we were just like, okay, let's do this. And then we did. Yeah, it's a brilliant show. Natasha came on and it's, it is a brilliant show.

It is super funny. It's such a, so well done. And did you, like when you, It is a brilliant show. It is super funny. It's such a, so well done. And did you, like when you, what was like a writing process there? Did you guys just get together and throw crazy stuff at the wall and see what stuck? You know, we had to like, I mean, I'm sure you guys have had the same with your podcast. You have to kind of feel it out. Like you try things and see what sticks.

Like our process evolved over the years. And you know, at first it was like a little random and delicate where you're like, no, no, no, you could put that line in or I don't. And then it gets just more easy and you trust each other. Yeah, yeah. But we just decided to write like a 10 page short. And then we made the short because we wrote the we wrote the temperature and we're like, so we make this a pilot or do we make it into a short and then we're like, it's not funny on the page, so we need to film it. And then we did, and then we wrote a pilot and a short

and we took it out and pitched it. Well, what I mean, it's just like a confluence of circumstances that leads to kind of a creativity realized. Like 17, 18 years old, you pick up a guitar, right? This hidden talent comes out of nowhere, which is I can write tunes and I can make them funny, right? You're just an admirer of it. Then you realize that it comes through you.

And then that leads to, oh, I'll bang around Hollywood for a while and see if I can pick up a couple of acting gigs. That leads to a couple of years of incredible success. And then all of the sudden, you again, stumble into this like passion that you have for making music and making it funny. And the rest of the world finds you

because you are emailing your mom through YouTube. And- That's still so amazing. That's still so amazing. It's so crazy, cause I learned a big lesson from that because when I was writing these songs, these comedy songs, when I was like 17 and 18, like people would actually listen

and they'd want me to like record it and send it to them. But I didn't pick up on those signals. Yeah. You know what I mean? I just went, oh, that's a hobby. I'm going to try to act in Shakespeare. Yeah. Like I didn't take any signs.

You know, I didn't, I just ignored them because I was like, I'm going to be this other thing. And then when the YouTube thing happened, it had been like 10 years of signs that I should be writing funny songs. And I just went, no. And then I was like, okay, okay. It's so obvious that it was like, okay, now I have to do it. But so then when another period happened,

when we had that, that idea that felt so good, I was like, no, we need to jump on this. Like, yeah, I didn't jump on the last one, we need to jump on this one. Like, cause you don't get those ideas that often, or you don't get that feeling, that lightning strike. True. Have you seen The Matrix? Yes, I don't remember it though.

Okay, so there's a part in the movie where, you know, Neo, I mean, and this is honestly, I haven't seen this movie in years and years and years, but this one moment sticks with me in it. It appears in my life at times, it's appearing right now. There's a moment where the guy keeps on telling him, you have to go see the Oracle, and the Oracle will tell you whether or not

you're the one, right? And he goes to the Oracle, and she's in the kitchen smoking a cigarette, and she goes, sorry kid, you're not the one. And he goes back in the elevator, and everybody's, sorry kid, you're not the one. And he goes back in the elevator and everybody's all excited because Neo is going to be the one. He says, what did the Oracle tell you? He says, I hate to tell you.

She told me I'm not the one. And, and he goes, I'm sorry, I let you down. And he says, no, you didn't let me down. That doesn't mean you're not the one. He, she's just telling you exactly what you need to hear right now. Right. And so the universe sometimes tells you, I believe what you need to hear right now. Right? And so the universe sometimes tells you, I believe, what you need to hear right then. Right? So maybe ignoring the signs at 17 or 18

took you down a path where you avoided banging around when it wasn't your time, right? Trying too hard or whatever. You never know. Maybe in a parallel universe somewhere, you're a struggling 22-year-old singer-songwriter comedian, right? Totally. By the time we put songs out, we'd both had like 10 years of writing songs, so they got to kind of be pretty good from the jump. Yeah, and Hollywood experience, and you knew the business, and you had friends in the business, and all that good stuff. We knew people, and that was a big advantage to you.

It never hurts. We knew people. Yeah. Now you don't need to as much because people can DM you on your Instagram or whatever. Yeah, that's true. But at the time, you kind of, you needed those ends. Those connections. Yeah.

Well, speaking of stumbling into things, I read that your first movie was Million Dollar Baby. How did that happen? I don't know. Can you believe it? Yeah, that was like not as much of a stumble. That was like me moving to Los Angeles, knowing zero people and having no way of getting into the business zero. And so I was like sending headshots

to like teen new theater companies, like the ones on Santa Monica, like these tiny companies. I was just like writing them letters being like, can I audition for your free play? And like, no taker is nothing. You know, I was auditioning for student films, like that's where I was. And then I got an audition for a play. They needed someone that looked like Jessica Lynch, who's a soldier. I did kind of look like her at the time. I was her age, blonde girl. They didn't have anyone that really looked like her. So they went through their submissions

and I sent a hedge and they were like, do you wanna come audition for this? And I was like, yes, I had nothing. You know, I was waitressing, I had nothing going on. I auditioned, didn't get that. But then they were like, we also have this Commedia dell'arte stuff. Do you wanna try that? I'm like, yes.

And then I got cast as like a clown in the play. So I was doing Commedia dell'arte, like clown stuff. You know, for free on Santa Monica Boulevard. And Clintus Wood came to the play. Oh, no way. No shit. Yeah, that's how that happened. He came to the play and he said,

hey, do you wanna be in my Oscar award when you're gonna be a million dollar baby? No, it was like No shit. Yeah, that's how that happened. He came to the play and he said, hey, do you want to be in my Oscar award winning movie, million dollar baby? No, it was like a longer story than that. Of course, of course, of course. That's amazing. God, how is he to work with? The best. He seems like the best.

I'm so spoiled. It's just so good. It's so dialed in and it's so easy and he makes you feel like you're brilliant. And you know, I just was like, wow, this is what it's like. And I'm like, oh no, it's not. It's hard, like every set is different. His is just like, you work like eight hours a day.

There's like, we had lunch was like no-boo sushi. Oh wow. So everyone is treated so well, every extra, everybody's, you know, it's a very quiet set. It's just lovely. You know, he's been through it. I mean, he's been through every part of it, right? He came up, I mean, this guy's a 3 and 1 half hour Westerns

where, you know, they're dragging him by the collar from a horse for 2 and 1 half hours. I mean, you know, so he's been through so much of it. Look, he's one through so much of it. Look, he's one of those gentlemen who I imagine learned the lessons along the way that said, if we're going to do it, we're going to do it correctly and let's do it correctly and that way we can do it again and again and again. And he just has hit after hit after hit. So, you know, I don't think anybody would argue that being in a Clint Eastwood

movie is probably one of, it's got to be one of the highlights of your career. I mean, yeah. Yeah, it was my first one. I didn't even have an agent at that time. That's crazy. You'd have an agent and you're in the movie. Oh my God. Did you go to the Academy Awards?

Did you go to the Oscars? Oh my God. I was like five lines in that movie. I was definitely not invited. Definitely not invited. Well thanks, Clint. Thanks for the nobu and no invitation to the Academy Awards. So how is motherhood? Mm-hmm. New mom.

The best. Oh my gosh. I'm so lucky. I know everyone thinks this, but I got the best baby in the world. I know. I know. But you do have the best baby in the world. Yeah. For you, right? For you. Yeah. He's my angel baby. I love him so much. He's great. He's at preschool right now. Oh.

And then he has dance class. Oh my God. Oh, I love that. Which is, you know, a lot of kids like, you know, not dancing. Right. Three-year-olds just like- Who cares? Doing their own thing.

Yeah. I've got dancers and some of them are boys. And listen, one of my kids right now is at dance class, actually dance camp. And she absolutely loves it. I'm sure you feel the same way. It's when they're passionate about something, especially when they're very young like this, let them explore whatever it is they explore.

They'll be okay. He's not passionate about it. He just said that he wanted to do something fun. Good for him. I asked the other moms at the preschool, I said, what are the things you guys are doing after school? And then I presented him with these options and he picked two of them.

And so we are doing those. Very much like my kid. Yeah. I was like, do you want to do jujitsu? Do you want to do it? Like he just had these options. And he picked swim lessons and dance. Ricky, I took my kids to jujitsu, Do you want to do it? Like, he just had these options and he picked swim lessons and danced. Ricky, I took my kids to Jiu-jitsu, to karate.

Oh, you did? Karate, I did. You did? I knew he would pick that, he didn't pick it. I desperately wanted them to for a number of different reasons. For discipline, organization, community, teaching about respect and honor, and all of those things that you want your sons and your daughters to learn, right? So, I took a couple of my kids, a boy and a girl, and I took them to like all of those things that you want your sons and your daughters to learn, right? So I took a couple of my kids, a boy and a girl, and I took them to like one of those

free classes. They had been calling me, calling me, come to the free class, well, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. We'll give them a test. We'll see where they're at. It scared the holy shit out of my son, but my daughter absolutely loved it because, you know, the sensei was like a no-jokester kind of guy. And my son just, that's not a personality that I think he...

That's not his style. He's not a bunch of bravado and testosterone. And that was the sensei's style. Okay, whatever. And so it just turned out not to be his thing. But he also took dance class when he was three years old because he loved to dance. And we said, well, then go to dance camp. Go to dance camp, cares. And there were other boys in the dance camp. I don't give a shit. You want because he loved to dance. And we said, well, then go to dance camp. Go to dance camp, cares.

And there were other boys in the dance camp. I don't give a shit. You want to dance, go dance kid, go feel it out. Dance is a great way to express yourself and get energy out and make you tired. So when you get home, you go to bed. Totally. Tyson doesn't really dance that much.

He more hangs in the back and like sways his head. Shakes his booty. Yeah. Like, you know, everyone is like, grab a scarf. He'll grab the scarf, but he'll just kind of hold it. Like, he doesn't participate that much, but he wants to do a fun. And he's like, yeah. I'm like, OK.

He's definitely not making the most of the dance class, but. Tell us about your new album. I'm so happy. It's so funny. Thank you. Yeah, it really is funny. And something that I'm resonating with, with too on a lot of the subjects. Really?

Oh good, good. Yeah, I just like, I was very scared to do something on my own and it was a big like psychological thing for me to overcome. Right. I think I told myself a lot of stories that weren't true. As we all do. Yeah, yeah, I had to sort of like deprogram myself and then I was like, okay, here we go.

And then just made myself do it. You're doing eight shows a week, not a tour, a residency. Right. Eight shows a week in DC, one woman stage play. Yes, it's called Dead Inside. It's about my fertility journey. Yeah. And a lot of the songs from the album are in the show.

That's how the album happened, because I was writing songs for my musical. And then I was like, oh, these are kind of funny. And then I started playing them at comedy clubs. And then I was like, well, I guess I'll do album and go and just have them be separate. Are you going to film this at some point? I hope so. Yeah. I really, really hope so.

That's the goal. Like it's, you know, you see like, like Alex Edelman did it and Rachel Bloom and Jacqueline Novak, they've all done this like, Yeah. Awesome. And Mike Birbiglia and like, that's the thing I'm, I'm kind of hoping to be on that path.

Yeah. Yeah, we just had Rachel on and, Oh, that show was great. Oh, great. Loved on and, um, and I'm in. The show was great. Great. Loved it. I absolutely loved it. I thought it was fantastic. It's touching and funny and gross and all the things. It rolled into like kind of one, you know, 90 minute shot and I thought it was fantastic and outside the box in a way that was also relatable and accessible. And so, in a way that was also relatable and accessible. And so, so film it. Let's get that on film.

Yeah. I saw Rachel's show as I was writing mine and I actually got some ideas where I was like, Ooh, I want to do that too. Like I was kind of, I never have used like personal videos or photos in anything. It just felt for some reason too, too intimate even though I was telling everyone everything.

And Rachel had a couple moments in that show where she used just selectively use personal things. And I was telling everyone everything. And Rachel had a couple moments in that show where she used, just selectively used personal things and I was like, I'm going to see if that applies to my show, because it was so effective when she did it, that I was like, oh, I wonder, and then it, and, um, yeah, so I copied her, yeah. She was like, using photos and stuff.

But I was inspired by that and I was like, I'm going to maybe dare myself to dig deeper and see what I can actually share from my own was like, I'm gonna maybe dare myself to dig deeper and see what I can actually share from my own life. And I found some good stuff. So tickets are available on her website. The new album is out and available. Yes, I have a new video coming next week.

You have a new video coming next week? On YouTube. Yeah, you're gonna post it on YouTube. Okay, great. It's called 35 Pictures. And it's about how my husband never takes pictures of me. Love it. He's just an old man.

He doesn't know what to do. My wife has the same thing. She's like, you know, she's like, what? Take more pictures. Take more pictures. And I'm like, I'm from that generation where we don't need to film every single thing that ever happened.

And she's not from that generation. She's a little bit younger than I am. She's not from that generation. And there's just so many pictures. But he loves you. You know he does. Do you guys write a lot of music together? Do you guys ever do music together? That's crazy. Because Fred Armisen is Ricky's husband just to cue the listeners in but he's very musical also, right? Yes. I know we need to do... He's drummed on my album. He's drummed on a lot of the songs. Oh, that's cool.

We've never, yeah, we've never written together. Interesting. Yeah, I think maybe there's just some things that couples, you know, creative ventures that couples do and creative ventures that like, it's just not- Or maybe the stars align later. Yeah, the stars align later. If they would, it would just have to be that right lightning strike thing. Because you don't want to mess with, if you have a good marriage, you want to keep that

true. True. Amen, sister. have to be that right lightning strike thing. Cause you don't want to mess with, if you have a good marriage, you want to keep that. True. Amen, sister. If there's a lightning strike moment where we're like, oh my gosh, we have to make this, I'm sure we will, but that hasn't happened yet. I don't want to be like, hey, let's Forcing it. Bring storm some content.

Right. You know where the lightning strikes? Alcohol and mushrooms. Yeah. Yes. That's true. Ricky Lindholm. Thanks so much for joining us today.

What a pleasure. Yes. Thank you guys so much, it was so nice to come back. You are welcome back anytime. We would love to talk to you after you do your show. Maybe in the winter. We'd love to hear the recap and what you're up to. And then hopefully you'll have filmed it

and you'll be able to tell us where exactly we're gonna be able to watch that. But tickets are available. I'll put a link in the show notes. We'll put a link to your new video because it'll probably be out by the time this comes out and then of course the album also. Ricky Lindholm, such a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for coming.

It's so nice to talk to you. Have a great day. You too. Bye, Ricky. Thanks. Bye. Okay. You too. Bye, Ricky. Thanks. Bye. Why don't you text us?

And we can text back. And then you can text us in reply. Then so on. It's a fun little game I've been playing. And I think you'll be great at it. 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. You could leave a message too.

If you do, maybe you'll end up being the voice of the show. But be warned, the pay is not great. You could go to the website and drop us an email also, tcbpodcast.com. And while you're there, you can get a free sticker. Who doesn't want a free sticker? Just go to the Contact Us button and ask for one. Follow us on Insta at The Commercial Break and watch the episodes at youtube.com slash The Commercial Break. Now I'm gonna go back to that texting game. You wanna play? Come on. Bye. We hope you're enjoying your Air Canada flight. Rockies vacation here we come. Whoa is this economy? Free beer, wine, and snacks.

Sweet! Fast free Wi-Fi means I can make dinner reservations before we land. And with live TV, I'm not missing the game. It's kind of like I'm already on vacation. Nice. On behalf of Sphere Canada, nice travels. Wi-Fi available to airplane members on equipped flights sponsored by Bell Conditions Supply, SphereCanada.com.

What a lovely, lovely, oh, sorry about that. I put an extra swish in there just for you. Uh, what a lovely, lovely human that Ricky Lindholm. I know, Barry. Yeah. Barry, a lot of fun to talk to. She's welcome back anytime. She's welcome back anytime.

I love to hear how, how she puts a video on YouTube looking to send it to her mom. And it's like 600,000 views later, she's famous and here we go. It seems like everything works out for Ricky Lindow. It does. Unlike the commercial break. If we had just a smidge of her luck.

Couldn't we be first? We tried Club fireside other things we try the things that fail we try the things that fail She tried the thing that work. It's funny because I just watched a video on YouTube I mean on Instagram which I shared with you where the guys that started YouTube are in like a college dorm room and They are wondering when they need to shut down early YouTube because it's only got 40 videos on it, like six months in. And they're like, yeah, dude, this just isn't working. Holy shit. Can you imagine? And like how many years later did they get paid like $3 billion from Google for YouTube?

Unbelievable. Anyway, great to talk to Ricky. Good job, Chrissy, on the interview. Thanks everybody who helped us put that one together. And thank you to Ricky for being patient while we figured out all the schedules and got ourselves together. Ricky's welcome back anytime. And I had to sneak in one Fred Armisen mention because I do love Fred Armisen and he's welcome

anytime too. I'm sure he'll be right on. Yeah. He's not busy. He's doing a one-man play too. He's like on tour doing a one-man thing. I saw a commercial for it or something on my Instagram. So go to rickielindholm.com to buy tickets to her one-woman

play at the Wollie Mammoth Theater, July 7th through the 23rd, I think it is. Go there to her website or check the link down in our show notes. And you can buy tickets there. You can also get her new album on Spotify or check the show notes. All the info in the show notes. Okay 212-433-3TCB 212-433-3822. Questions, comments, concerns, content ideas, we take them all right there. Please do text us or phone call us.

Maybe, maybe. Communicate. I'll pick, maybe I'll pick up. You never know. At the commercial break on Instagram, TCB podcast on TikTok, and youtube.com slash the commercial break. For all the episodes on video,

same day they air here on the audio, tcbpodcast.com, all the audio and video, and your free TCB sticker. Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for now. I think so. I'll say that I love you. And I love you. Best to you.

Best to you. And best to you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say, Goodbye. Goodbye. Yeah! Yeah, boy!