The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Hannibal Buress Part 2

Episode Date: November 8, 2023

In Part 2 of this in-person QLS episode, Hannibal Buress revisits his time as a writer for SNL and 30 Rock. The multi-threat speaks about his rap career and the music he's released as Eshu Tune. Buress also shares his plans to restore a crucial NYC entertainment venue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 2%. That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange, modern world. Put yourself through some hardships and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person.

Listen to 2%. That's TWO percent on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Welcome back to another episode of Quest Love Supreme. This is Unpaid Bill. Last week we gave you part one of our in studio interview with our friend Hannibal Burrs for recording in Hollywood. If you haven't yet, check that out.

Hannibal spoke about Chicago, his beginnings in comedy, and more. We're back with part two. And also, this full interview will be available on YouTube soon. So be sure to check that out too. All right, folks, here we go. I would think, like, if I'm making my foray in the comedy, I would have my defense ready. Like, how do you deal with hecklers?

How do you deal with, how early you deal with hecklers? I mean, you try to just win the room back. You know what I mean? I mean, it's different early on when they don't know you because then it's just fully combative versus dealing with it now when people pay money to see you and they might have been wanting to see you for a while and then somebody else is ruining their experience

so that's easier to light them up and flip. You could just say like, hey, they didn't come here for that shit. And they're like, we didn't come here for that shit. You ain't got a no heckler's rule. I've seen a lot of comedians have that now. We just say it before the show, but if people want to, I mean, sometimes people say stuff and you just, like, it's not,

they're in the seats. So it's usually like work. I'd rather not talk with them just because I got a, hour and a half of show and stories, so it's not really... So you're going to ignore them? No, no, no. Now, you don't really ignore if they're loud enough because they took focus. So you just try to just settle the room and just, you know, show them why they're there.

Who's that, was it said that told us that he makes sure that one of his openers is like a shooter, like that comes out in his mere job is to roast the audience to be like, you know, I'll embarrass you. I think Chris Rock also had that Do you know the white Yeah he's good Oh yeah Anthony Jezellon. Yeah who Jezelnick

No no no it wasn't well I know Jettling but it's another guy It's a new guy where he just He intentionally just comes out in the audience And talks like Lights you up like unprovoked Whatever and it You know it's I'm surprised that he's

Still living That's how good he is at Roastin But for you Do you always have like your back pocket full of like your mama jokes or or no you kind of just i don't come to your job and you know even that you just try to get an idea of where they add and just you know why they you know it depends on the situation of what you were talking about a lot of times if they interrupt especially if they interrupted in a story it's just as simple as saying i don't know why

you thought it was cool to say that right there that is actually that was a terrible spot for you to say that 99% of hecklers must be drunk. Yeah, drunk or just, you know, yeah, it's just a... I've heckled by accident, so... You don't say. No, you've heckled by accident or you've gotten heckled? No, heckled by accident.

Like, just, like, I'm sorry. I thought that was a question for me. Yeah. But it wasn't. It never is. Yeah, sometimes people talk amongst themselves and it's so loud. It's sound like a heckle. But then a lot of times, too, it's a function of my shoulder not being that tight yet.

And so it left them too much room. Yeah, you got gaps. Yeah, it left too much room. And so they're like, that's my turn. I can't sit with my thoughts that long. I got something. And so now as I've been on the road with this, and now that the show is you don't really leave too much space

for somebody to even think of something to say because you're on to the neck. So that's what that. A lot of the hecklers happen if I'm in a gap and like, oh, where's my next thing? So now where if the shit is like that, and they ain't got no room. At what point are you taking this series as in

this is what I want to do for living? And are you aware of the Chicago paths, i.e., you know, either go the second city route so that a Steve Higgins, like is it general knowledge for every comedian in Chicago that either Higgins or a rep for Lauren Michaels or anyone S&L. it's going to spend three weeks out there and sort of circle the second cities and the

UCBs? Yeah, well, yeah, around then, it was known, but that wasn't really my path or what I wanted to do at the time. I was kind of really locked in on stand-up. Even getting SNL was a, after Fallon, Seth Myers, wanted to meet, and I didn't know what he wanted to meet about because I was, I hadn't submitted a package. I had submitted some stuff the year before, and I thought that it was so bad that I was blackballed. I did that cast submission with some bad.

I was like, here's Chris Rock being Jerry Seinfeld. It was some stuff that really wasn't as good as I could have. So I was thinking, what does he want to meet about? Because I didn't, I didn't submit me. And I damn it didn't take the meeting because I had a price line ticket back to Chicago. And those got really, they had really rigid change policy. So I was like, what does he want to talk about? Because.

You can't talk about it on the phone. Wait, all right. So that's another question you can answer for me. Because this is the number one thing. Every comedian friend of mine and the Tonight Show and SNL. Yeah. What is a package and what goes in those package? Because they always say to me, well, just ever send me a package.

Right. What's the, what's a package? The writing packet for SNL or just in general? If you want to be, have you written for a late night show before you did SNL or is that SNL, your entry into writing for a show? S&L is my entry. Okay, so if I want to submit a package to SNL, what is in that package? Probably a few handful of sketches.

This is also, you know, I'm just thinking of what the format of the show is. I don't know. So it'll be a few sketches, probably a commercial parody, some weekend update jokes. And you have to type this out, like, submit it as a script or you do this, like, video? video or if you submit as a writer that out there you would have it typed out does it help if you have a visual to it especially now like you know probably now you know i was my my year was oh nine so i'm sure now is definitely more visual because they got more visual i think they got different three different visual camps in there now uh so yeah and you know they definitely focus and more on the on the digital

but yeah i think that's what be it'll be a few sketches maybe yeah commercial parity week and update and that, and that, that's just a solid submission. So you feel as though that your actual stand-up on that show was your, you didn't officially have to submit a? Yeah, I never submitted anything written up. They just, I met with Seth. I think the meeting was just to see if I was crazy in person or intolerable. And then he offered me the job at the end of the meeting.

How many years were you at, SNL? One year, one season. Wait, what? Yeah, yeah. In my mind, you were like, or maybe. Maybe I'm just lumping you in with Tim and Che and, like, Tim Robinson, Che and like all... Never overlap with Chee or who's... Or J.B. Smooth.

No. You would be the only lone black guy in... And Keenan was there. Yeah. Keenan was right. It was just, yeah, it was just me there. Who was, Fred Armisen was there. As far as, yeah, it was Jenny Slates.

Okay. One year there. Yeah. Oh, nine. 2010. Megan Fox was the season premiere. So got a big movie. That was your, that was your, that was your, that was your first. That was the first episodes. Inside joke for people, that particular episode is what has started the mythical war between

Mel D. Cole and I. Oh, wow. Because I had a dope, uh, sweater that she liked and she ignored him. She's like, oh, I like your sweater. I was like, oh, thanks. And she, like he was like and that's sort of that's beginning of our spy versus spy on an Instagram thing with each other but for you the one thing now I wish I had known you knowing you doing that period because I'm always running the Higgins on a Monday after I watch a show because sometimes I'm trying to figure out how do things get greenlit that I can't actually see written on paper for instance I would assume that all sketches on that show

that people have to sit at a table and physically describe something and you give feedback in the room or not but there's some things that I literally can't see it be informed and at this point I'm gonna fall down the stairs and trust me it's gonna be funny like is there a lot of that

where's this faith that okay it sounds like you know what you're talking about go right the bit well yeah people is the pitch meeting the Monday pitch where everybody's in the office, in Lauren's office, and some people pitching real ideas, some people pitching fake, and then folks write on Tuesdays, and then it's the read-through. That 2009-2010 season was the first,

what's up with that? Oh, man, that's my favorite. I love that shit. Oh, my God. Did you have something to do? No, I didn't have it, but I just, you know, being there for the beginning was cool. I remember everybody was kind of singing it around often.

Yeah. Okay, well, that's the thing, though. Like, at a pitch table, like, that's a bit that relies a lot on repetition. Mostly Jason Sadeca's dancing in the background. Yeah. But it involves a lot of physical things in which... How do you pick that on the page? I literally don't see how that's funny on paper, but it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen on the show.

Yeah. I think the song carrying it in that setting, you know what I mean? Like, everybody's just, you know, That was a Catrice Spawn. Catree Sporn. Yeah. Sugar free. Well, I was there with that?

Yeah. Was there a bit that you, like, what was the bit that you were surprised that actually made it to air that you were part of? I only had one sketch of my own that made it. And then I contributed to others and contributed lines here and there. I had, Brianna said one of my lines. That helped me for a little bit, just, you know. Because I popped into Lonely Island office when they were working. on Shai Ronnie because it was just, you know, it was a time where I realized, okay, I'm not getting

stuff on, so let me just pop in and try to, you know. Are you allowed to peep your head in and, hey, what's going on here? And then, yeah, you can just, you know, yeah, you can just pop in. Or people territorial, like. Maybe. Some people, you know, they weren't, but some people might have been on that. They might have, some people might have been more closed off than others. I'm not even, you know, those, they, I felt comfortable going, you know, just to

chop it up with them. So I popped in, they were working on Shai Ronnie. and I had actually sent him a bangs video. You remember, let me take you to the movies. And so the ha ha. Bangs eight. And so that's the boy bangs. Yeah, that's where he got the ha ha from his class.

Yeah. And so, yeah. And then you're giving me my baby. That's where that came from. Ha ha. Oh, God. And then it was a line. They were doing the Shireani.

And then I came up with the line. This. cost a lot of money for Rihanna to say. And so it's to see it. I was like, whoa, Brianna just said some shit I said, man, that's crazy. It sounds like, so did you really enjoy being a writer? Like, it doesn't sound, I mean, I think like you sound like you sound like you sound like you're thankful for the experience. Yeah.

It seems like you just really want to just be on stage kind of doing you. I think before the second half of the season, Chris Rock had actually told me to try to get on camera, try to get on Weekend Update. And so I met with Seth, hey, can I get on Weekend Update? Which is, I feel like it was a strong ass because you haven't proved yourself. I hadn't done anything, but it was just, you know, well, might as well ask. He said, all right, write something up, and we'll try it at the table. And so I wrote something. I reformatted the pickle juice joke and this other joke about rental cars or something.

I formatted me as a financial advisor or something like that. And then we tried it at the table. It went cool. and then we did it in dress rehearsal actually and it went cool that dress and then it got cut and they were like we're going to get you next week and then it never came okay so I have a question about

dress rehearsal so in my observations there whenever you guys have the post dress rehearsal meeting when you guys find out if you made the cut or not I automatically know that

the people that didn't make it they always rush up to 17 and they just start getting drunk. Like, there's a level of depression. I'm getting family secrets away. No, there's just a level of hope. Like, you know, you're putting all your hope that this makes it. And they do like, what, they do like an extra six or seven sketches on the rehearsal show to see what works.

And then they got to cut the six and then remix it for the 1130 show. And usually I would know some writers that whose jokes didn't make it. And you know, you take that lonely trip up to 17 where there's always a stash of beer or like brown liquor or whatever and people just get ungodly drunk and be like, all right, I'll try again next week.

But for you, were you taking stuff personal or did you feel like there's a time limit? Like I got to get something on next week? It was just, yeah, it was. tough to not get stuff on because it was just, you know, I knew I was funny and I was having, I was doing well as stand up, you know what I mean? And so I was having success there. But yeah, it was frustrating to not to not have stuff moving and feeling like I was creative enough to succeed in the format. I think, you know, if I did it another year,

because then I would have known how to move around in the building and just how to collaborate and how to just really... Yeah, yeah, I learn the system because it's really, I mean, it's a terrible onboarding process. Being honest, you just... Right. Get in where you fit in.

He's just like, here's your office. Peace. Like, what? On board, the word on board was just created last year. Yeah, it was just get there. So, but the thing was, I always thought that,

because I also recalled, you were on 30 Rock a lot. The next year. Yeah. Right. So was the decision like, okay, well, let me try. Did you write for 30 Rock or you were just like? I wrote for 30 Rock, yeah.

Okay. Was that a better fit for you or? It was, S&L kind of soft fired me. There was no real. And then. You just didn't get a call back for the next season. Just didn't get a call back. And then 30 Rock came through, I think because Donald had left to do community.

Right. Right. Didn't they need to feel. They needed a new person for it. They need to feel their diversity spot. And so. Were you there to punch up Tracy Morgan? And the guys, yeah, right?

I punched up, I did a lot of stuff. Like, it wasn't a general thing. Okay. Every time I mentioned that on the show, people look at me like, I just, like, I landed from another planet. But I recall, I don't know if he was saying it in Jess. I mean, he wasn't saying it jokingly, but I was always under the impression that Glovers sort of existence on 30 Rock

was sort of to punch up whatever Tracy Jordan's character was like to enhance this stuff. Like he did like Werewolf Bar Mitzvah and all that other stuff and, you know. So I just assume that when it came to Tracy's character they needed to not look like

all white people were writing for the show and that. No, that was never explicitly said. It was just, you know, You're in the room with everybody, and they go in line through line by the script, everybody pitch on the line until something is just undeniable. And you, then rewrite it with that and then move along. But, yeah, it was, yeah, I think the day job, that was more of a regular job, 30 Rock was. Like, that was every, you know what I mean, show up at 9 or 10 or whatever, leave at 6. And so.

Was that challenging? Because that scene, that just sounds like the complete opposite. it. Yeah, it was being a comedian. Man, it wasn't, for me, man, but I, yeah, it wasn't.

But less stress than SNL though, right? The thing with SNL, though, was that you would have weeks off. So you might do two weeks on, two weeks off, three weeks on, one week off, and then so for that week,

you go on the road, do whatever. But that for TV. Not for 30 Rock. Yeah, 30 Rock was just your own, on, on. So, yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't really for me, like that. How long you do that job?

One season. I went through the, one season, but it was early on, I realized it wasn't for me. And I said, man, am I about to quit this? I wrote out pros and cons on a sheet. About to quit just writing or quit comedy, period? No, quit that job and stuff. And so I just said, let me just tough it out for this year and do it.

It's a steady paycheck. But then after that, because I had cabin fever, I think I went on a row for probably eight months straight, you know what I mean, just. because I went everywhere. How far an event was the Andre show? And how is that pitch to you? And does it make sense to you at the time when Eric... What does that look like on paper?

Thank you. Like, for real. All the sense. I think it was just more, I'm doing this thing. And you already know he's crazy. It wasn't even... It was just, you want to... When did we film that?

Oh, wait? Is he like an improved version of hits from the streets? Yeah. Damn, nice, Amir. And is, well, you've never done any of the, have you done any of the street bits that he does? Yeah, we did some street stuff in New York. Did the Black Israelites. Oh, shit.

I did acting like, we did beating up the police car. I did drunk police officer with a 40. We did who get a stranger. I wrote, get a stranger to let, like, who can get the most strangers, let them hold their babies, which I bailed on that when I do it in real life. Wait a second. I know I wrote this, but I don't want to do this.

So what's the planning like? Because I would assume that you would have to go to a place where you absolutely know that they do not know who Eric Andre is. Yeah. And I will see y'all in Harlem. Yeah. In the Heights. First couple seasons, that wasn't, that wasn't an issue.

Right. It premiered in 2012. But by season three, how do you guys like, because he's such a, occult phenomenon, how do you find, you know, there were some places where I see y'all went to, like, redneck down south, like, how do you find? I didn't do those. I didn't do those travel ones.

Okay. And that's more on production and on that side of the game as far as trying to preserve that. But yeah, the early stuff, that wasn't really too much of an issue. He was able to kind of catch people off guard with a lot of the early stuff. It was a... Has there ever been a... situation so dangerous that it never made it on air?

Like, we're a TV show. Oh, okay. I mean, I think he's gotten arrested before. It's been some crazier ones when I haven't been there that I've seen. And there might be some other stuff that's untold that I don't even know about it if I'm not there. But you can hell face it real good, like the shit was normal. I was like, man, how do you do that? It's time.

I mean, we edit out when I break, but I do break sometimes. I think someone you just bite the inside of your cheek to hold in a laugh and shit. This little tricks, you guys got to grit the teeth. One of the coolest things I learned in doing that show was how vomit is made. So there's a husband and wife team, and they, it's like they have their own ice cream truck, and what they do is they provide, well, no, they provide, if you ever watch a show, there's a brand of potato chips that looks like lays, but it's called Letts. And you'll see it, just look at Letts, particularly.

potato chips. It'll be on community. It's been on like scandal. Like that's their, that's their trademark. Like any random snacks and you'll look like in the background be like, let's crackers or whatever. Like that's how they do it. But they also make, uh, they make blood and vomit. Like he handles the art for fake cereal and fake bread and all the foods. And she handles vomit.

And so she rolled in this like cart and she's like, What's your favorite cereal? And I was like, huh? And I was like, all right, Golden Grams and Captain Crunch and tricks. Peanut Butter, Cup. Right. And then she'll take all that and put it in a blender. And that was my...

Fomit? That was my throw-up. It was a cereal. Wow. Yeah. And sometimes, you know, they'll put the pump. They'll put the pump in your hand. So it's like, like, that sort of thing.

Okay. So I had to throw up on the show. I don't even know if that made the final cut. But there was a point where, like, yeah, I'd vomited on the drum set. So, it was so tasty. Oh, it tastes it good? Yeah, it tasted real good. Yeah, because they put the cereal out of cereal, yeah.

It was all cereal. And we'll be right back out of these calls. Brought to you by Let's Potato Church. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter. And on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world.

I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong. Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, so we're back with Quest Love Supreme.

All right, so I'm going to pick a new approach to a question that I know you're tired of. answering. I'm not even going to ask you the story about this. No, no, but I'm going to ask you, do you finally feel as though the scarlet letter, quote, hashtag of that situation? Yeah. Is now in your rearview mirror? Or seriously, or do you wake up and not like, ah, huh? No, no, it's not in the rear view. No, sometimes people just hit me, it's like, people hit me up freshly mad

like they just found out about it. Wait, to this day? Yeah, just new message. Fuck you, man, what the fuck? And it's just like, come on, man. I've heard every reaction you could hear to the whole thing.

So it's just kind of, oh, that goes in this bucket. Because I've heard all of it from, I've heard anything you can say about it pretty much in 2014 and 2015. So it's just, no, no. It's just one of them things. How did you work through that? Because I just imagine it's crazy to just one day just wake up being the most famous person in the world for something that is totally unrelated to you.

You know what I mean? And that was public knowledge, but never really. Right, right, right. It was a wild time, man. It was, you know, yeah. It was a, that was the first time I would be on TV. without knowing I was about to be on TV. And so that was, hey, yeah, I'm just chilling and watching it.

Like, what? CBS, man, I ain't know. Because before the hat, it was just, my TV appearances was, you know, Eric Andre, it was my comedy special. It was my late night stuff where it was like, I know I'm gonna be on Comedy Central at 930. Check me out. And so that was the first time at-

I'm gonna see-in-in at six. And seven. Yeah. Yeah, so that was jar. It was a lot of, it was, it was heavy, man. Because it kind of, we pushed stuff back because of it. Because I was, we were getting ready to announce my Comedy Central show, but it was already in motion for a year or something before that.

But then because that was happening, it was like, oh, we announced then. It looked like I got the deal because of that. Some people still think that, but it is what it is. Oh, so you wanted to hold it back so it didn't look like you were cash. They wanted to, yeah. Oh, they wanted to have all of it. I want to drop it right in that. Right.

I don't know. But they just, you know, we definitely, things were adjusted and moved around because of it. And I think it took a lot of, a lot of headspace creatively and probably, you know, in some form, affected the work I created at that time and maybe even now. You didn't have nobody to lean on in a way because you were like the first to do something like that to someone who had such a. It was a viral moment that probably introduced the term cancel culture, I guess. Yeah, for somebody who people looked at in a totally opposite way. So it's kind of like, who do you lean on when you are stressed about that?

Because who've been through it? Yeah. Who do you call you? Who's on your side? Who's your squad? Gambling, alcohol, heavy spending. Jike. Those friends.

Just. Those old friends. Like getting private jets just to say I got it. Just be like, I have this shit already. Right. Where would you say it kind of ended? I mean, I end it because, you know, you say you're still getting messes, but when do you feel like you kind of work through it?

And it's like, all right, you know. Well, in 2023, can you get through a week without someone bringing it up? Yeah, yeah, I can get through a week. It's not something that's heavy like that. And I'm chill with what it is now. But the initial shit was crazy because it was, oh, man, this is intense. And it was, you know, people, you know, random death threats. And she, I'm going to see you with you at you.

your show and then I'm talking shit like I'm also like come see me there motherfucker about doctor husband that's crazy who's defending him well no in the beginning we all were kind of you know don't let's keep it you know let's keep it funky like I know the black folks but I mean what you doing putting our business in public right well I forgot about that part that part I forgot about that right hand but that was heavy so for you though like in terms of like doing movies and what not, like, I always feel like, for you, what is the end game?

Because I've yet to see, like, have you thought about doing your own comedy show, like, your own... Series? I know sitcoms are, like, what would we call it now? No, it's akegee live. Yeah. Is it still a hustle, or is it, like, where do you want to land the plane where is, like, this is what I'm definitively known? for. Right. Yeah, there's no singular thing right now. So it's pretty fragmenting. I'm not to move by film like that as far as me wanting to make my own. I like docs. We did the one, I did the one

doctor, Hannibal takes Edinburgh. We did one for my festival. I sold it fast. I think event, the event space and just live. So, and helping others do, do great shows too. So I got the the lease on the old knitting factory space. So I'm taking that old. That's right. You're back. Yeah, so I'm going to be running that spot and just. Congratulations.

So I think. The old knitting factory, the one in the one in the city. Oh, okay. Yeah. So yeah, got a 10-year lease there. This is a weird side question. Did old girl work out for you or did you work? Yeah, I'll talk with her.

She's dope. She's dope. Yeah, I got to, when I'm back out in New York, we're meeting in person. So you're literally going to run that spot? I'm going to run that spot, yeah, and probably do a monthly. What caused that? That used to be the old home of OK player.

Well, OK player used to be upstairs. Yeah. The space was still vacant. Knitin factory left there August of last year. And then the realtor reached out. Hey, still, you know, he was the new. I guess they had one for a while. And then he took it over as far as marketing it.

He reached out to me. Hey, man, I know you used to do shows here. What you think? about it. And initially, I was like, hell no, man, why is it still open? And that's not going on. Why it's been open for a year? And then I just kind of started, you know, running the numbers in my head. I said, this could be really, this could be something really cool, man, just to, and it's a great story to, you know, I hosted, I was, I did the first night there in 2009, which led to me hosting my, my comedy night there. My comedy night was on Sundays because that was my only off day from S&L.

Right. Were you, were you part of, uh, you were you, And Tara did hip hop karaoke when, like, I remember DJ Tara. Yeah. Was it, were you there with, like, were you running that hip hop karaoke thing? No, we just did that special for my birthday. I was my 30th birthday. Y'all came through. Oh, I thought that was like a weekly thing.

No. I was like, oh, this is dope. No, we just did it up for my birthday. And, yeah, it was 2013. Okay. Thank you for coming through, by the way. That was fun. But, yeah, man, I'm hyped about that because it just gives me,

I love going to shows and seeing dope shows. So what's your vision, like, in your mind? This is dope because, you know, folks like you don't do whole venues. It's great. So you can just put whatever you want to make you some. Yeah, just to, you know, I want to get a dope screen in there, like to get the visuals right. Just, you know, really making my own. And it's 300 caps.

So that's a great. What kind of shows you're thinking? All types of, like, just a dope artist, man. You know, book to my taste. I forgot, Denny Factory's music also. Yeah. I thought you were just going to turn it. No, it's going to be, yeah, it's going to be everything, you know.

Everything you are. Yeah, it would be probably more music, you know what I mean? It would be, Leanne. When you're working out comedy in New York, because I know that there's different communities of there. Yeah. Established comedy seller and then kind of the Vegas-y, I don't want to say, I don't know what to call the Vegas type of comedian, but that's always like a Midtown Manhattan, Caroline sort of thing. Right.

And then there's like the Brooklyn set where like Wyatt or, you know, I guess they call it alternative. Is Brooklyn really considered like the alternative comedy hub? Like I don't think I would see Chris at any spot in Brooklyn. So Chris came through Knit a bunch. Word. Yeah. Chris came through Nett. Dave came through Nett.

Well, there's some people that just have no fear and go, but like, is that still, is it still not segregated, but is it still like the all comedians don't mess with the Vegas comedians who don't mess with the whatever the A-list that Comedy Seller represents? I'm not one to speak on the current scene right now because I haven't been, I haven't lived in New York full time since 2016, 17. I've been out, I've been out west. So I'm not really even well-versed. I just kind of, if I just started doing comedy in New York recently, and I'll pop out of seller, you know. I'm really not want to speak on all the dynamics. Is the seller a spot that you trust because most comedians tell me that you have to work out in a spot that is hard?

Like Chris is like, no, I'm going to Palm Springs, Florida. I'm going to, there's a spot in Ohio. He wants the audience that he doesn't resonate with whatsoever. And if they can laugh, then he knows he has something. But if you're in the comedy cellar, then it's like, your boys are there egging. And you're like, yeah, yeah, that's dope. And then it doesn't work. For me, just doing an hour on the road, now you're trying to headline.

So that's where you, you know, I'd rather, I don't really even do that many 15 minutes. Like, pop up on my show. I want to do an hour because some of my, some of the pieces and stories now. It's 20, 25 minutes on their own, so I'm not going to figure that out there. So I think just working on it, you get better as a headliner by headlining. And so this recent run, it made me realize for my last, before I put out Miami Nights and my last tour was all theaters, which is cool. And it's nice to be able to do, but it made me realize I ain't really like really hammering a show in the club and just, you know, getting the timing right and doing five in a weekend. and having, you know, perform through, you know, waitresses

and whatever walking through and just, you know, get the show tight and then taking it to theaters, which I'm doing now. And so I'm noticing the difference in the quality and as far as just making the show bulletproof through just working on it. So it's been, I'm hyped, man, because I've been, you know, I've just been moving around

and it's been, it's an exciting time creatively. I wanted you to talk about specifically Miami Knights and your decision to put it out on YouTube and just talk through that whole experience because it was something for me it was really inspired me we talked in private about it but it was really inspiring i think a lot of artists it would uh i think it would inspire them to hear that story with miami nights it was uh a lot of it was the decision making around it was definitely based in emotion because of you know it was me dealing with my my false arrest and all of that and so you know going to the marketplace

it was tough for me to put a price on it and so if I was like they say this amount I'm like motherfucker it what are you talking about it's because I couldn't just it was not business in that way to me and so that was a big part of it and then just doing the negotiation

in pandemic and having a lot of time to think it was about we were about to go to Netflix um we would know Right. And it wasn't on Netflix talking about it. It was delivered to Netflix. We were, they were subtitled in that shit. And I pulled it. Why? Because it just, I was just thinking about it, man. And it was just, it was part, it was short-term vision, long-term vision, where it didn't look like the road was happening in the fall.

And so, and he was signing away the entire, the entire thing. And I didn't think the price point after sitting around thinking about it because I wasn't in motion. You're your own manager? At that time, I did not have management. I had agent, yeah, I had agent. But it was just, you know, yeah, me and my thoughts was my manager. And so it was just something where I didn't, I'm happy with the decision. I wish I just did it earlier because I know they were salty and I had some, I got relationships over there that was before they were even at Netflix. But, yeah, so I decided to go YouTube just to keep the, keep the,

the ownership of it and put it out that way. YouTube ownership is like, because I was wondering, I'm like, don't they still own something? No, YouTube doesn't own anything. Okay. And then I took it down from YouTube too, because I just, it was weird releasing something

in the pandemic and not having any live energy around it and movement. And then, so now it's just down and I be thinking I'm going to put it back up. But it's no, I don't have no urgency. And I kind of like the idea of having a special that people can't really. No one can't find.

Like that one thing in your canon that... No, you create your own scarcity. Yeah, so it's just no... You know, I like just having it. And you know, maybe... Who knows when it'll go out, they'll go out eventually. But it's not a... I have to do it like that.

Well, I'll ask you, because I still say that that's the two things that I've not seen a comedian do yet. And I feel like comedy should be something which a comedian will... to go in uncharted territory. And so there was a, what's his name's boy who did the comedy special with no audience. Oh, Drew.

Drew. Can't remember. Right. Drew Michael. Yeah. Drew Michael, yeah. But also, I believe Silverman once did a special in which it had to been at least maybe like 18 people in the room.

Right. Like, but it was just an intimate, which I felt like, oh, that must be hard. like to try to make 18 people gut laugh in that manner. But I mean, are there for you, is there any desire to figure that out? Or it's just like, nah, like, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Like, just do- You're talking about just doing a different messing with the format?

Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of ways to just try it, man. I think the drive-through shows you kind of, I mean, the driving shows you did. Yeah, so why didn't you like the, or you said disasters drive-thru? That's, man, dog, that shit was just... They respond with, beep, beep, beep. Yeah, the honking, and it's just a disconnect. There's no...

You can't see faces. You can't see faces. People either in their cars or sitting on a... There's no connection, and so that, you know, especially, you know, I was rusty, too. You know what I mean? With no real... And so then, jumping back out in my first gig... It's nothing I practiced for the past, you know.

18 years or whatever. So it was just a weird experience. Yeah, I remember Cleveland was the first show. It was facing a highway. And it was a train. It was a train track to the right. Stage was facing a highway. Audience and seeing, so I'm seeing FedEx trucks.

And then the train got really active during my set. And I hadn't even been on stage in months. And I am like, whoa, this is terrible. But because the audience is listening to radio, that's not their experience. So they're not bothered by the train. They're not even seeing the trucks. So I'm just, my brother, on stage, complaining about trucks and trains. So it was just one of those.

I was it, man, I wanted to, and I was, man, we got about six more of these. And it was funny to flip because initially I was super excited to get that tour going just to get something going. We out here. And then I actually announced because somebody else was taken too. long, it made sense that they was taking too long because it was a dicey situation so they was thinking about it and so I was no, we're about to announce and I announced

and then we get out there and I said, man I want to cancel the rest of these. What am I doing? We kind of figured it out and it got better but it still wasn't an ideal it was an ideal situation. As far as it's flipping stuff I mean you make it you know we did the Hannibal Takes Edinburgh thing where

that was a bunch of shows in one place and adding the documentary element through people like story and seeing that part of it. I got another idea for something for a special that involves some, some travel and some moving around. So there is ways to flip it because there's been so much just stand up, done, just somebody standing on a stage.

So anytime you could figure out a different visual element or something else, you know, it makes it be creative because the jokes is going to be the jokes no matter where you're doing. So it's just how to figure out how to flip it. Man, I wanted you to talk about Isola Fest that you pulled up because that shit was insane. So, yeah, how do you get, how many thousands of people that you got to?

Yeah. A small town that, you know, you probably couldn't even find on the map. Yeah. I Solifest, December 2019, I had the, I have a little club. Me and my cousin, I own a club, and I sold the Mississippi.

That's where my mom's side of the family's from. and so I had the idea to do I wanted to do some shows down there just to draw attention population of this town is a thousand or less super small town but I said you know what

you do the right shit people go on people show up and so I wanted to do a show down there and then I hit up T. Payne expecting him to say no it was really just a practice call just a practice call

just practicing my pitch. I'm going to let him say no. I hit up T. Pan. You want to do the show in Isola? Shit, I never thought of that. I need that advice right to pass now. I'm doing this shit wrong. I got to call up Fred A. Kingfield.

Right, right. Practice on them. Then hit Dr. Dre. I get that. I'm expected to know. I said, you want to do the show in Isola? I'm thinking it. He said, yeah, I said, what?

And so then I escalate into a show. from being a one-night thing to a three-day festival, which was unnecessary, but we got the memories and the experience. And then we was only doing it on three weeks, because the play was to do it in December. So this was, I guess, late November that I was trying to execute this. And then we were going to do it properly

the following Memorial Day weekend, now that we established it and everything. And then we did it. It was cool, man. It's a lot of challenges you can imagine to doing a show in rural Mississippi, but it was dope to have it come together after, you know, because it's, you know, brought a lot of artists down and people, it wasn't thousands of folks.

It was, you know, a few hundred, but it was people came from, from everywhere to, you know, a lot of spots in the South. And the folks that went to it hadn't seen anything like that there before. So, you know, you could see that genuine. appreciation. I'm going to try to get that. I'm going to try to get that back rolling and do a lot of updates to the club too once I get my Brooklyn stuff going. The goal is to have that kind of stuff trickle down to there and maybe I'll start booking folks on the Isola Brooklyn run. But yeah, I want to, you know, just have, yeah, multiple, multiple venues and build like that

and just, you know, really, really do some cool stuff in the live space. 2%. That is the number of people who take the stairs when there is also an escalator available. I'm Michael Easter, and on my podcast, 2%. I break down the science of mental toughness, fitness, and building resilience in our strange modern world. I'll be speaking with writers, researchers, and other health and fitness experts, and more, to look past the impractical and way too complex pseudoscience that dominates the wellness industry. We really believe that seed oils were inherently inflammatory. We got it wrong.

Many of the problems that we are freaked out about in the world are the result of stress. Put yourself through some hardships, and you will come out on the other side a happier, more fulfilled, healthier person. Listen to 2%. That's T-W-O-Persent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you did the Spider-Man movie. Yeah. Which one? Well, I recall that at one of the premieres, you had sent a sub to go in your place. Right.

Where did that come from? MFDome. Yeah. It was just really, I was on set at tag, and they needed me for that. and I didn't want to not have any presence there. You know, I didn't want to just mean, I can't make it. It's a Spider-Man for me. So how did you-

So he looked like him? How did you? No, I don't think he- He just, nah, he didn't really look like him. He's a little bit taller. He was bald. And I just, like, how did you, how did you find him? And what was the game plan?

And did you warn the Spider-Man people that you're sending a sub in your place? No, I found him. I tweeted it out. and then I said, hey, I need I tweeted it out. I love this. Need a look alike,

you know, have decent comedic time and I forget what the ad was, but put that out. And then it was a bunch of folks that was emailing that weren't serious white folks.

It was like, come on, man, I'm trying to do something here. Come on, man. I know we're messing around. Was he able to fool anyone in the press line that he was?

I mean, so old then he reached out. He had actually been a stand-in for me on something for the MTV movie awards or VMAs on something that shot. Okay. So he could be trusted to not do nothing too crazy out there. You know what I mean? Some people might get in that environment and go, blah. Craig Robbins. Somebody trying to keep working.

Yeah, he's trying. Yeah, so he kept the coup. And so then I just sent him all of my credentials and everything that they sent me. So when he pulled up with the car, you know what I mean? And security, he could just show that. They fell for it. And so, yeah. I mean.

That's some Andy Kaufman's shit. You know what I mean? And then he got there, did an interview. It was crazy seeing it progress like that because we were watching him on live. There was a lot of downtime on the tag set. So that's what I put that together and just watching that. I don't think nobody's ever done this before either. You know what?

I don't think. Here's the funny thing. That was done to me before. You were like Kamau Bell. What are you? No. No, here's the hilarious thing. I thought I told the story before.

Letterman had hosted the Emmy Award and it was disastrous, or at least critics thought it was a disaster job. So kind of Letterman's middle finger to the academy, because, oh, shockers, they'd invite me to the 1996 one. And so he was nominated for like Best Late Night Show, whatever. So he was like, I'm going to send out a sub. Now, this is Tupac Diwood, September 13th. Nice, yeah, yeah. Okay, so this is, let's say, September 5th of 96.

I went to the store to buy a suit because this is the very first time that I'm drumming for DeAngelo for the brown sugar platinum party. This is when, like, this is a very time, first time me, Pino, like, Everyone's doing that. And Letterman happened to be in that store buying a suit for,

if you remember the character on the show, Larry Bud Melman? Do you remember Larry? Right, legendary character on the Letterman show. And so Letterman's looking at me in all my primitive exotic glory, like this, you know, six-foot-three Afro guy walking in. He doesn't know who or what I am. No one knows. And they were just like, hey, would you like the suit?

and I was inadvertently part of the sketch and then they were like, what are you doing on Sunday? And literally, the thing flips. And Larry Mellman and I are like David Letterman's representatives for the Emmys. What? And all I remember was, who's old boy from Scrubs?

I'm sorry, I know Scrubs as in the sound effects. Don, face on. Yeah. And that's the moment where Donald, like, Phazon was like in tears like Tupac just got shot and like literally

Oh shit. Yeah. Like that's how it. But I was I was Letterman's Standing. Yeah. And then maybe a week later they realized, the show realized like

you know this isn't a random guy like this guy's an actual like they put him on. But then. But you got to go to the? That made me, well yeah, but then it also made me a friend of the show. and then the roots could not get on Letterman at that time

during that, do you want more Ily Delft period. So that kind of opened the door. So, yes, I was David Letterman's proxy. I like that you know scrubs because of the sound effects. Right, I was like, what? I didn't know what show. I was like, the undercats? No, between Parker Lewis can't lose and scrubs,

like they were just, you know, gentlemen, cinema, can I swatches? Oh, in between transition scenes. Got you. Well, it's not that. I mean, also, they would just. still like, hey, where they're, you're right. You're right. You're right.

Sound effects. Yeah, I don't call it scrubs. I just call it, I just call it. I want to ask you, Henelville, when you're going out on tour when we're touring with rappers, what do you pick up?

Like, what do you learn? You know what I'm saying? Because stepping into a new kind of a new kind of performance, yeah. What's some of the stuff you're watching for and you learn when you watch other emcees perform? Just the just rapping with

with force You know what I mean And clarity Yeah just that part of it Just make And just create moments For yourself Like because at this point

People listening But they don't know my songs And so I just can't rap at them Blindly And so it's just kind of Create the moments Either acapellas Or you walk them into the song

Like explaining with the story Or hey here's the hook to this or, you know, those parts of it because it's forcing me, I can't just lean on y'all know this shit. They do not know that shit, but they're willing to learn. So, uh,

and so that part of it of just the energy and just, you know, yeah, this, you know, figuring out the, the pacing of a set and who are some emcees that you've watched though? And you've been like, you know what? He got that. I need to work on that myself.

Fonte. Okay. I was thinking that when you was talking about. Yeah, Fonte just, yeah, y'all Fonte is a charismatic motherfucker. Guess he, on stage? It's a problem. Fonte, introed me in Raleigh. Or, yeah, Riley in 2013,

because I asked me, you want to do something? He's like, I'll do the intro. And then he went up and intro me. He was like, ladies gentlemen, everybody got everybody standing up. Did it too good. It was great. I was like, I didn't know that was possible.

I didn't know you could start a show like that. Yo, I swear for it was a period of time. I was damn near Hannibal's agent and booking agent when he came to Riley. He called me, that same show, he called me, I got a call the night before. Hey, man, I'm coming to Riley, you know what I'm saying? You know some ballerinas? You were the man in Houston? I was the guy in Houston.

He was like, yo, you know some barrio? I'm like, yes, I got this bit I want to do. I'm just, I'm just rap, but I want ballerinas with me. And you did, didn't you? I'm like, bro, let me see what I could do. And I also knew some people. And we got, we had like three, four ballerines. That was the night.

Damien was open for you. Damien. Yeah, Damien. Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God. I went to college with Damien. That was a great show. You went to college?

Motherfug! I'm sorry. I love that you know ballerina. Yeah. I was like, and then, like, he called again. And the funny, it was funny. This was maybe a couple years later. You hit me again.

I was like, yo, man. So, like, I'm doing a show here where I need somebody to open for me. and you know somebody and I had a homie in mind that was you know making some noise trying to you know get in the game and I just hit him like yo bro you want to open for handle it tonight he was like yeah and he went and did it and I hit handle it next day I said how did it go he was like oh that nigga bombed no he's like oh he wasn't good at all right it's yeah it's just well you know different kind of intro did he have potential don't handle well did he have potential is uh potential of bomb some more yeah you had to ask me right after where

It's been a couple years. Okay. That was 2017, but it was, you know. Yeah, and it was funny because you were laughing like, hell just talking about him bombing. I thought it was the funny shit. But, but no, man, I, when we did that show, when we did the run, we did the LB run in March. Yeah. And I hit you up.

And I was like, yo, man, you want to do it? Because me and people were just thinking, we was like, yo, we didn't want to have just, you know, a traditional, quote-unquote. Like, we wanted to show me, like, look, man, this is really an experience. and you know I had you sent me some of your music and I think you would first just put out the S-U-Tune with EP and you sent me stuff and I was like I was like okay like this shit is actually like good so you know what I mean so I hit you and um you were down to do it and I remember that night I watched the show that night I watched pretty much I mean pretty maybe all let's say for like the last week five minutes 10 minutes whatever because I had to get ready but um now I watched

the show man and it was so dope to see you had the crowd like you I mean you had them you know I'm saying, because they, you know, our crowd, like, they, if you was whack, they'd let you know, you know, but you was with them and even afterwards, you know, we had people coming out. They was like, yo, that was a great show. We had a great time. And I didn't even know Hannibal Rap. You damn, you got a deal that night. I don't even know if he really, I don't, you know, it was like, yo, if he wanted to do something, whatever.

Yeah. You know what I mean? But, um, but, nah, I just always appreciate it, man, that, you know, you always, like, looked out for me and just, you know, we always just connected, you through each other opportunities. And so, um, that was just a great show that we did. And I really appreciate you coming through. fun, man. Thank you for having me. Are you looking for a music deal?

I'd be open to the conversation. Yeah, I'd be open to the conversation. I could use some helplifting. Somebody has approached you already. No, nobody's approached. Yeah, we'll just, you know, we... Keep rocking, get your leverage up. Yeah, and I'm, and I book myself for my...

Keep it a passion. Yeah. Where does the name come from? Eschew? Everybody think you're Nigerian. It's the trickster guy from Nigerian mythology. I looked up African mythology. Man.

I was hoping. I was like, it sounds so Nigerian. I didn't want to put that on Hannibal. Okay. What? What's up? No, I once got scanned by a Nigerian. I mean, who has not?

Join the club. Yeah. Of the continent, like the literally called. $20 million. I have a question. Yeah. So just in general, though, you do so many different types of things, voiceover, acting, podcasts, music, comedy, et cetera.

And I'm sure they all have their own individual challenges. But at some point, does it all just become one thing or just become entertainment and you just say, I'm just going to entertain? Yeah, well, right now the focus is kind of really shrunk into just, just, um, you know, music and comedy is the main thing. I haven't been really acting. Like, I did, I do, I did one thing last year. I did what we do in the shadows, did a day.

I really, I really ain't acting on nothing if the ask is more than a day. Like, if we can't get it done in a day, I don't want to do it. I don't care with it. And so. Damn. Okay.

Talk heavy. I get it. It's just hurry up and wait. I just want to do. It's just a hurry and wait. But, so with the music and comedy, what's been cool is some of the, some of the concepts from comedy, you know, that I just were just alluded to have become

songs. Veneers was like a throwaway joke like, yeah, I got these TVT veneers. And then and then something else, you know, struck where I was like, oh, that could be a song. And even now I tell this, you know, I tell this whole story in my stand up about, you know, going to my grandmother's funeral, leaving the funeral. and then being in just driving aimlessly, I end up stopping in Streetport, gambling, drinking, and there's a whole thing, and I'm leaving Streetport.

This guy gets shot at the gas station while I'm there. He dies and this whole thing. It's a wild day. I was like, whoa, just because I ended up drinking too much and gambling at the casino, they took my keys, even though I wasn't driving, and it held up, and it ended up being a goddamn murder witness. And so it was a wild, wild week.

And so, but then I talk about that in comedy in one way. And then I also talk about it in the song, the same story. But then the comedy has different expectations than the storytelling and the music. In the music, I just focused on the details of the story and moving it along. It's not much humor in it where, you know, with that type of stuff in comedy, you got to flip it. Or it's just going to be real depressing and dark in the room. But, you know, it's little, so it's just having it. know it's the same thing as certain ideas for stand-up, lend themselves to a sketch,

or something might expand to a movie, or it might be a conversation topic, it's just about how you choose to position any idea. How did you link with Kiefer, that he's one of my favorite, like, just produces musicians. Like, Kiefer's so dope, man. I heard he produced Yada Yada, Anderson Pack, and I heard that track, and I just love Pact performance and write on that, and I love the beat, too, just to feel another key.

And so I just reached out to him in 2020. Yo, this is dope. I'm starting to do music, and he sent me a few beats. And the one for Kept About 3, it's just the way his chords are, they just really take you to a thoughtful place. And you start, it's just like, oh, yeah, another thing. Oh, yeah, I remember. It just brings a lot.

His music brings a lot out of me as a writer. It's another track we have, too, that just comes. kind of you, it puts you in that reflective place. And so, yeah, he's a really dope artist and just his music. He just really makes me realize, oh, I got a lot to say. Sometimes you hear stuff, you're like, oh, what's it? When the right beat of his, it's just everything starts flowing. Yeah.

You know, often Shazam songs that I don't know, you know, who they are. And for some reason, I've been very late to the QL Chris and. Chris. I always said QL. Quilletre Chris and the Gene Gray Project. Yeah. Everything's fine. That shit was brilliant, man. Yeah, I was like, Jesus Christ. And then I was like, shit. Like, I religiously

re-pitchfork, and I've missed that review. Gene's back? She's back. No, this was from a year. This is like, I think 2017 or 18 or 19. But I heard it somewhere, and it was the song, John that you were on. Like, are you ever going to work with them again? Or? I got some I got a couple

unreleased joints with Cuele actually I got a bunch of stuff that I got to just start letting fly No man you Cuele over my ear

like y'all are like just some of my favorite artist man like y'all y'all y'all dudes like I really fuck with y'all man thanks man

it's off the beating path but it's still you know quality shit yeah quality shit yeah yeah yeah he's a dope

a dope producer man he's dope producer way it's one track that sound like a soul track um And then I had it for a while, and I said, what's the sample on this? And then he sent me what the sample was

and it was just some just Japanese cartoon theme song. But I thought it was a 70s. That's one, grand. I thought it was a 70 soul sample or something. Nope. Ages is not what you think it is. But it was dope to that type of sampling where it's not, we completely flipped it

and put it in another world, you know. Before I close, I would like to ask you. And I guess he wanted to on record about it before, but you talk about like how sobriety has changed you and transformed you to who you are now, just like as a family man

and... Oh, I'm not sober. I was waiting. I fell for... That was great. No, I saw this interview where you were like really getting... Sober on certain things.

Yeah, I was sober at that interview. Oh. I was sober around that time, but... That was probably, I'm guessing that was 2019, 2020 or something like that. This is the perfect ending of an interview. Yeah, I swear to God. Like, he gave a really heartfelt answer about like, No, at that time.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I had a good run three years. Welcome back, my phone. By the way, I want to apologize for, you know, I ran on a stage when y'all were doing an event sponsored by Bud Light. Yo, Nick, right about that shit. I need this story now. Oh, my God, it's really not a big deal.

It's like, you know, you do those, it was like, what, Super Bowl time or something like that? It was South by Southwest. Same thing, you know. And when it's a corporate gig. Sure. There's regular gigs and then there's corporate gigs. Right, okay. And, you know, you know, Hannibal was there.

So we were like, hey, just get on Mike and talk. And he talked about the taste of the beer was not too savory. Oh, shit. I love it. It was like in front of the president. You know that kid rock but leg moment. I like it. Now, Sean G.

was catching a heart attack because he didn't want to drop the back, but we was laughing our ass off. This is the story. No, y'all didn't. Hey, you didn't see him laughs, huh? No, no. He remembers it differently. I remember it completely.

I didn't ask to go on stage. Y'all did tell me I just went up there. You probably didn't even know. Yeah, Seth Herzog was hosted. Right. It wasn't specifically. It was a, it was a special drink that they had, like, but, lime.

or something. Yeah. And I remember like, hey, what? Y'all ain't got no other shit in this? He was like, Ozzy D. Ruby Davis. Ruby Davis.

Okay. And I learned what a spoonerism was two days ago. So that's an example of a spoonerism. Okay. Where you say the name. Yeah. Where you fuck up a word. Where I call you Conte Pullman.

Oh, yeah. If you ever calls you that, let me know. Yeah, that's the sound of, yeah. That sounds like a totally different situation. Yeah, but it's, I, maybe because the years it went by, wait, was that a serious moment or? It wasn't serious, but it was just, it was, I think that was 2017, but then after, now that I understand the economics of traveling with a band,

then I felt even more bad about it. I was like, oh, they got like 20 people with them. I mean, we've never lost the account. I know. I know. I think about that. I mean, the butt light people were definitely, I believe, up in arms and Sean was like a little nervous, but whatever. They've had bigger battles since.

Oh, yeah. Well, I'm glad we got to make this happen. Do you have anything? That shirt? Yeah, this is Hebrew. He had a installation in Chicago in 2020. Nevermore. It was a bunch of art in different pieces.

He's on my favorite. I just bought a piece off. for him we bought a couple weeks ago. I better put us on Hebrew. Hebrew, but not spelled like Hebrew. Not, not E-W, but H-E-B-R-U. That's Hebrew Brantley.

Not like our people, different Hebrew. Different tribe. Is he the people? Oh, he's a different tribe. No, no, yeah, he's one of us. Okay, okay. Different tribe. Same thing, you know.

But yeah, but now, he- Trying to see what this conversation is going to figure out which theme I'm about to play. I was about to talk about original Hebrew, so you might want to play nine because I get it's a real place. I went to Hebrew studio when I first moved to L.A. in 2019. and he was showing me pieces of the thing. And then he was like, yeah, this is $100,000.

I was like, oh, I didn't know. It was like, I knew you were doing good. He was like, here, I'm going to gift you these prints, brother. I was like, thank you very much. It's out of my budget. Oh, yeah. Okay, I know he was, frankly, yeah. He's dope.

Conte. Yeah, I'm for, yeah, there's. Conte Poulman. Yeah, that's my bizarre old persona. Yeah. But no, man, I'm glad you, you know, we finally got a chance to do this. You've just always just been one of my favorite comedians and just, you know, one of my, you know, one of my home. I swear this is our second episode.

I got a list of a couple of other folks that you can do what you did for us with the other dude. I just was thinking that. That's all I was thinking to. Oh, yeah. I just, we'll talk about. What are you talking about? I'll tell you. I'm talking about other folks with me to.

Y'all, y'all, y'all, y'all. Play us out. Play us out. Yeah. Where did this come from? The harmonica? Yes. This, I got one, we were just in, I think it was just, yeah, beginning of 2020.

I was at a guitar center with Aaron Allen Kane, and she was like, let's get harmonicas. And I was like, why not? And so then I was just playing a harmonica. And then I was just playing a harmonica. And then I think I was playing it online, just joking around. And then Frederick was like, let me get you a good harmonica. Oh, wow. Frederick, Frederick.

Yeah, wow. Let me get you a good harmonica. So he sent this one. And then before I was about to come here for the podcast, I saw it. I was like, I'm going to fuck him up with the harmonica. What other secret talents do you have? Talent, but I just want to, I'm working on drums.

I got a drum kid at the crib. Okay. And so, and I want to learn keys. And I think I'll make my best music after I got kind of He had an instrument for three or four years, you know, and so I do want to at some point be able to drum in a band or sit in and not have people be like, shut up in up, you know what I mean? I want to be able to do that. And I think it'll definitely help my production and music creation.

So I think once I, you know, keys and drums, it'll take the music up. At the time in the pandemic, we did a bit where you were cooking. and whatnot. So how's your, like once the pandemic was over, have you stopped your? I'll tell you about that, because that, I was, when we, you did, that was the Questlove,

what was the name of it? Yeah, Quest Love Food, I think. I didn't, I had a misunderstanding on what the demands for that was going to be. And I had, right. And I was the assignment was. Because then, because I was like, yeah, I'll do that.

And then, and so, I had a little bit of mushrooms because I was like, yeah, we're just out of, we're just out of here. But I didn't know what, and then I opened, they said, the kid is outside your door, and I opened my door, and it's lights and a camera. I was like, oh, no, I ain't know. So I had asked, this was, during the pandemic, I guess the Food Network had asked me to put together an hour special asking my notable friends, you know, for recipes and whatnot.

What did you make? I forget. I just remember the panic of having these people on Zoom and they were like, you know, put the lights there and can you plug it in? And just, I was like, oh, man, I didn't know I was about to be a gaffer up in the ear. I was like, oh, man.

And I was a part I was so overwhelmed while I was just like, man, if you just close the laptop. If you just close the laptop, everything's over. Damn. I was like, no, you can't do that. the Quest Love, tough it out, man. He was kicking in. Now I got to lick this up because you might have made some eggs.

No, I don't even know. I think I just showed you the pantry or something or it wasn't even, it wasn't that. Yeah, I said to see your kitchen and I swore you made something. I know Tiffany has made fried chicken on the air fryer. Did Hannibal make? The fact that Hannibal doesn't even remember. No, I didn't make it. I didn't make anything.

You just showed your bare seasoning. I just showed some seasonings and just waited for. of my hide, I go down. Sweat it on camera, set up lights. I remember setting up lights more than anything. All right, so gaffing is your secret talent. I know you stopped drinking for a minute. You have, like, other drugs that you just preferring more so now,

like mushrooms more so than alcohol, all the weeds or whatever? I like shrubs. I'm noticing, like, I don't really, I think on the road now, I think with the drinking, I think it's adjusting. I got sober in a, in a surgery. time and now I'm adjusting to a different level of stimuli and a different life. And so that's, you know, with doing music and another level of activity where the traveling and that part of it is what's sort of getting me.

But when I'm here and I'm at home, I'm in the studio, I'm just, you know, seeing my daughter. So it doesn't, it doesn't pull me like that. How old is she now? She's doing some change. It's doing some change. she got strong, she had strong musical opinions now. Not that one. She really want to hear Moana, the monitor of Moana songs.

And if you played a wrong one, not that one. She used the vibe to my stuff. But now it's like, nah, not that one. I'll be playing her other stuff. You got to the age of seven to program your child to have good taste before. She just takes over the radio. We're going to make it happen.

We're going to make it happen. But it's dope. Actually, okay, before I close, I kind of need advice. So this is like a community question for you people. And Hannibal, you can chime in. Our crew behind the cameras can chime in as well. I need a creative idea for Halloween. And I don't know what to be or what to, yeah.

Oh, you mean like a costume or for your party? Oh, costume. Costume. I'm literally running out of ideas. Yeah. Go as Heidi. Heidi Kloom Yeah

He went It wasn't she like a No he can't do that Wasn't she like a A worm or something No No that was wise Wow

Thank you Steve I appreciate that Very wise today Go as Ty Tribit And just be really energetic Everywhere Oh shit

Oh shit Oh shit Oh shit You could You could You guys Thatis was my bass player On this LL run

And I I also blame Thaddeus for, like Thaddeus in the roots. Shout out, you know, we had a COVID situation with Mark, so Thadis had to replace Mark on the LL tour. And he made us a 30-year-old group again. Like all that dancing, all that energy. And you kind of, you saw the last night.

So Thadius actually broke his leg. Wow. Thaddy's broke his leg in Atlanta. So he was not supposed to be on his leg or dancing, whatever. So he pretty much, I don't even know, the audience knows that he was hopping on one foot the entire time. Wow. The entire show. Yeah, those tributts are a special kind of.

How about Black Doc from Back to the Future? That's not as fun. That's just a coat lab coat. Well, this is right. I'm just trying to do anything that's short of Charlie Brown. Brown just putting a bunch of holes in the sheet and saying I got a rock. You could be Denzel's character in. Oh, Denzel is me?

Yeah. Like, I mean, that could be really kind of matter. You could do Frederick Douglas. That's a doubt. I mean, like, Coach Prime. But like, if you do, if you do Frederick Dougher, that could be funny. If you do Fred's drugs, you got to go all the way. You got to show up to the party with a white woman.

Oh. That's a harsh reality that I wasn't ready to face today. Yeah, you got to fully commit. You got to go all right. So maybe not the person does. He was going to. I like, that's a great question. The lion.

The Wiz is making a comeback. Let me see. I'm on me no lie. Those I'm on me no line. Yeah, I might feel an end this year, man. Like, I don't have any ideas. What is she going to do? That's man.

How she don't run out of ideas? Nah, she, you know, whatever she's doing, I know she's preparing the last week of September. My favorite costume I saw y'all do, and this was years ago, it was a root show, and y'all came out into dead presidents' makeup. Oh, that's right. They used to do that.

Y'all don't dress up in the mom. Well, we used to do Halloween shows, but, you know. All right, on behalf of Conte Fulman, Meath Sandell, who gets the last word, Pompey Ill. Come back. Done.

And Sayyid. Hey. Lanklair. Lake Claire. All right. And Bannable Harris. Yes. This is Les Cove.

And thank you for listening to our very long. Is this a three hour? Man, listen. No, too half, two half. That's not bad. Okay. I love these quality shows when we get together and talk. And this was a long time.

the coming to. Thank you for coming through. For sure. Thank you all, man. All right. Thank you all. Next time we do it live from your venue. All right.

All right. All right. For sure. Oh, wow. Come on, man. Come on. Is that what it's going to be called? QLS at the knitting factory.

No, what's going to be called? What's going to be called? Camel. Or have you. Wait, you're not calling up the knitting factory? No, I've got to create a new. I got a working title. I solo sessions, but I'm still,

I'm still brainstorming. The fitting actory. And that's a wrap. Made it out, Jake and Brittany. Thank you very much. And we'll see you on the next go round. This is Sugar Steve. Thank you for listening to Questlove Supreme.

This podcast is hosted by Amir Questlove Thompson, Laia St. Clair, Fonte Coleman, Shugustee Mandel, and Unpaid Bill Sherman. The executive producers are Amir Questlove Thompson, Sean G, and Brian Calhoun. Produced by Brittany Benjamin, Jake Payne, and Laia St. Clair. Edited by Alex Conroy.

Produced for Eyehart by Noel Brown, and Mike Johns. Audio engineering by Graham Gibson in IHeart's LA studio. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

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