The Questlove Show - Questlove Supreme: Seth Rogen

Episode Date: January 1, 2020

Questlove and Team Supreme kick off a new year in high spirits by getting to know special guest Seth Rogen. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. Wait, what? Supreme.

Wait, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop the theme. Stop the theme. Keep it going. Stop the theme. Wait, you said that if you sit next to Seth Rogen, you're going. going to be rich like you? On the 1st of January? Yes.

If I start the year sitting next to Seth Rogen, shit, I'm going to be rich and funny. Okay, here we go. All right. Suprema, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Suprema, sub, subprima role call. Suprema, sub, subprima role call. Suprema, sub, subprima role call.

Now, Questlove here thinking, Yeah. Which is which? Yeah. Maybe I need to switch. My seat, so I too can get rich. Roll car. I'm just saying.

Suprema Roll call. Suprema, Sur, sub, sub, subprima, roll call. My name is Sugar. Yeah. Yeah, I'm a mess. Yeah. Been smoking way too much. Yeah.

Pineapple Express. Role car. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll car. Supraima, sub, sub, suprema roll car. This is Boss Bill. Yeah. Back again, my friends. Yeah

This is the third line Yeah And this is the end Roll car Suprema Sura Subra Roll car

Suprema Suprema Suprema Roca It's La Ea Yeah With Seth of course Yeah

I don't know what to tell you Yeah This will be better than fucking a horse Rollca Supremma You went to a dark place Supreme

Rocca Suprema Supraima Sopima Sopremma Rollca My name is Seth Yeah.

I'm feeling old. Yeah. And in New York. Yeah. I'm fucking cold. Roll call. Suprema. Suprema.

So, sub, sub, sub, subprima, roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Suprima. Superma. Superma, sub, sub, sub, the supreme. This is how we're going to start. This is how we're going to start off in the year of 2020. This is a bad omen.

omen. All right. Well, that's cool. The gods saw to it that we should have no more theme. Get to it. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the newly rich, Nouveau-Riche, Questlove. Another episode, Happy New Year. This is January 1st, 2020.

Everybody. How do you feel? Good. Old and cold. Old and cold. How was your holiday? Your festivities? It was.

Old and cold? No, we had a great time, of course. Okay. So right, we can't remember. Did the checks come through? Yeah, the Hanukkah checks clear itself. All as well. I'm actually shocked because whenever any of your brother come on on the show,

your role call is usually geared towards. You do Jewie roll calls? Yeah, I thought about incorporating the Jewelie part, but I just left it with the stoner part. The stoner first. I think, yeah, I'm about to say. Stonerness and Jewiness are pretty like, there's a lot of overlap. Unpaid bill would not approve.

Anyway, I'm your host, Questlove, joined a day by Mike Rooney's Laia boss Bill, Sugar Steve. Unpaid Bill surprisingly isn't here. Yeah. He's going to be here. Boy, is he not coming, or is he? Did we call him?

Did we let him know? We let him know. You know, he does play, Sesame Street and stuff. Oh, okay. So he's going to be telling us. Enough bagel jokes. We can make it out of it. Anyway, not to stall anymore, ladies and gentlemen,

We have comedian, director, producer, actor, writer, a leading man, cannabis connoisseur. Also, advocate for sleeping in the bedroom under 67 degrees. Yes. It's true. We will get into that. We'll discuss that later. I guess Philadelphia music culture fan, boys of the men in the roots. ladies and gentlemen

and hip-hop head and Canadian ladies and gentlemen please welcome to the show Seth Rogan Yay We had made it I made it

Thank you I got a All right We This is the show of rabbit-holing Yes Let's get in the first one

All right I'm a little I'm miffed All right So I have to explain That A lot of backstory

I was very fortunate I was very fortunate to attend Seth's hilarity for charity event. Shout out to Manish and Mary Ellis of a museum of ice cream. Is your Alzheimer's event?

Yeah. Oh, yay. Yeah. So I went there and the discussion of how much sleep does a person need to... Have that healthy brain. Yeah, have that healthy brain. The theme was brain health.

Yes. Yes. No, I learned a lot. I learned that, as of lately, I'll say in the last two months, I've been back into the eight-hour range of sleeping. That's good. Because people were always like, when do you sleep?

When do you sleep? Because you didn't used to sleep. Right. I was three to five hour guy. And I was told that you don't even reach REM state until six hours and 47 minutes. And for your body to heal and, you know, I'm adjusting my lifestyle right now. I'm trying to get back to a healthier place. I got to do somewhere between eight to ten hours for the magic to begin. So, but then you guys left me with this gym of the room has to be cold.

Yeah, you sleep best if the room is freezing cold. I've heard that before. Like 60 in the 60s. Well, yeah, my girlfriend took that to heart and now every night. Yeah, it's cold as hell. It's been 65 degrees in the bedroom. Are you sleeping better? No.

I'm wrong. Then you need another blanket. No. You need another blanket. I'm sleeping well, but it's not. not, like I needed to be Africa hot. My wife, well, that's why my wife likes it much colder than me

and that's why they have heating pad. That's what we were talking about. There's pads from mattress where you can set the temperature so you can keep your side hot and her side cold. And it's something that throughout... Like DLT? Yeah, exactly. Oh, deep cut.

Perfect. That is a deep cut. I'm sorry. It's exactly right. But, no, it's fun. And I think as men get older, they get colder. And as women get older, they get I was about to say. Me and my wife have kind of, we were just talking about how we like crossed over. Like when we first started dating, I was always hot and she was always cold and now I'm always cold and she's always hot. And we probably had like three years where we were both the same temperature and we didn't realize how good that time was until it was gone. No, it could be really problematic. Because I'll get up, I'll reach my limit at exactly like 4.17 a.m.

You're freezing. Are you shivering? I'll sneak up, wait. Here's another good topic. Don't too tired, don't you put your head on that thermostat. Do you remember. All right, you remember on Sesame Street the green guy in the trench coat that used to always sell Ernie, like, a letter, hey, bud. He was the illicit letter dealer. Right.

So, like, his little creep music. The creeping tiptoe music. Yes, exactly. So I'm in my own house that I pay for. Creeping, putting that shit back to like something normal, like 68, 69. See, yeah, I don't go below 60s. That's where we've landed. My wife, Lauren, would go to the, like, low 60s.

Over 35, you got to go to 66, bro. For a woman. You just got to. Why? Just put on another blanket and then make it hot underneath it. You know what I'm saying? That's the goal. Think about it.

What's the logic behind keeping it colder? Or what's the physics of your body? The thing is that your brain is divided into two parts. There's the conscious brain and the conscious brain is like, hey, I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work later today. I'm going to take the subway home. I'm going to lose weight.

I'm going to ask that girl out. And then it's the subconscious, which does stuff like, I'm going to make sure your heart's beating. I'm going to make sure your waist. So it's the part of your brain. The middle of a blongata? Whoa. Yeah.

out of the Vita. What do you say? It's actually a fish song. Of course. And so your body has to be totally knocked out. So you get to that R.E.M. state at exactly six hours and 45 minutes.

When you're that sleep, then your right side of the brain is waking up like, all right, he's asleep. Let's get to work. And so then that's where the fat burns. That's where, like, all the things that you want to help have happened for your life to be good, your brain's like, all right, they're knocked out now. Now we can get to work.

But the thing is is that most of us don't get that much sleep. So, no, it's fucked up. We're doing ourselves a disservice by only sleeping six to seven hours. It's terrible for you. Yeah. You didn't answer my question. Why is it to be cold? Probably because people, probably because it was cold at night.

You mean, like, before we had houses? Yeah, like, it's probably like we're conditioned to. sleep in colder environments. So that's a... So listen, so listen. I know I am. So at this event, okay, can we just agree that this entire hour is going to be about this? Radholt?

No. No. I'm kind of on your side of the fence. Why does it have to be so damn cold? No, I mean, I'm just asking. No, no, no, I'm asking. What's the scientific part of how coldness helps? I don't know.

That's where I want to know. That's where we change the subject. because y'all like professionals. We don't know. I'm just going to suggest everybody hop on Google.com. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Tighter me. Why do you sleep better when it's cold? Anyway, let's talk about movies. Where are you born? But you do sleep better when it's cold. And that's a fact. We don't need wise. Are we giving wise?

We're just giving answers here. It's been said that. Completely unsubstantiated information. No. Scientists have gone on record. And said so. No, we had a doctor. He substantiated it.

Yeah. I kind of believe you. Me and my curiosity. I don't know. Exactly. Don't ask why, man. So you were born in Vancouver. Vancouver, British Columbia.

Uh-huh. Home of the hip-hop national anthem. Wait, who else was? Sophia Chang. I was going to ask him if he knew Sophia Chang because he's a Wu-Tang hit. Yeah. But that episode has been a manager? Yeah, you know, Sophia?

I think I've met her over the years, actually. She's like a bad. That's a Korean chick. She'll be on the future episode of that's great. Anyway, yeah. I know the rascals are a hip-hop group from Vancouver that were. The wascles. The rascals.

They were called like, uh, Northern Touch. Northern Touch. Yeah, Rascals checkmate, Cardinal and Thrust. Did you say Cardinal Fisier? And Chau Claire. How do you know this? How do you know that? Very, no American knows that song.

I do my research before I come in this room. Well, maybe you can help me. I felt like you knew it, naturally. Did DMX straight up steal the beat of that song for a song? I think he may have. Yeah, there is a DMX song with the exact same beat as Northern Touch. And I think if you're Canadian, it's very jarring. But if you're like, you're like, oh, this is a good beat.

Oh, they stole. Darn it. Darn it. I can't, yeah. Oh, I know. The BT Express sample that EPMD used. Oh, yeah, for Headbanger. EB, well, no, no, for, uh, you know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, yeah. Was Northern Touch first? Get the Bozac. No, EBMD was first. Then Northern Touch. Yes. Maybe. And then.

DMX came and just took it. Wow. The third generation sample. Did you know that your hometown is also what I consider the national anthem of hip hop? Did you know that Apache was created in Vancouver? Apache? Yes. Apache was recorded and created in Vancouver.

Really? Yes. I did not know that. Yes. That's one of my favorite factoids about it. That is a very good factoid. Vancouver. And Nardwar is from Vancouver is.

I love Nard War. Yeah, your interviews with him are great. Have you interviewed Nard War? I've been interviewed by him once. Have you ever seen a non-savory Nardware interview? Like a lot of the earlier ones where they don't know if he's trolling them or not? Oh, yes. I mean, I grew up watching him, so I've seen like so many.

Wait, how long has he been doing this? Like 30 years? Wait, how old is Nardwa? He's like 50-something. He's like 50-something? Yes. How about he's younger than me? No.

There's actually an amazing. Nardwar interview with Nirvana, like backstage at the P&E Forum, which is the like place in Vancouver from like 1993, like, 3 or something. Like Courtney Love is there. And it's like a very long interview that's filmed. And throughout, it's like 40 minutes or something like throughout the course of it. You see Kurt Cobain like slowly realize he's a genius. And like at first it's this thing where it's just like, why is this fucking guy here bothering me? And then he slowly like clues into how amazing it is. Yeah, he totally does. No, but I've seen. Because now people know. know who he is. Right. But for years, I would watch interviews where famous musicians would just get interviewed by him

and be like, who the fuck is this guy? And even still, some people don't get it, I feel like. People, all right, so that Jay-Z interview. The Jay-Z didn't seem to appreciate. No, no, no, I warned him about it. I begged him to do it. And then Farrell doubled down. Yeah.

So he did it. Because if we say it's a thing, then Jay-Z is just one of them, FOMO. I don't want to miss out. Yeah, he's got to do it. He don't know Questmas Supreme is a thing. You're well, you know. Yeah, well. Anyway.

2020. And so, but I'll say that the first time he interviewed me, I was paranoid because he just knew way. Oh, it's weird. Too much information. Yes. He knew shit about me that was. He brought out your high school yearbooks. Yeah, he had my high school yearbooks.

Literally. He, like, knew people. He knew names that I hadn't heard in, like, yeah, I'm tor. 25 years. Brought a bag from a shop at your mommy store? Yes, literally. It's totally crazy.

It would freak me out, too. It was super fucking freaky. But his knowledge is bizarre. He's always trying to get to Kanye. He's like, that's his holy grail. He, like, emails me and trusts me all the time. Oh, you too? Always.

I'm not alone? Not at all. Yes. I can see that going very bad. He somehow thinks that I have the magic touch to get him to the Obama's. Wow. That's a couple. I'm so honored.

He's coming to me for Kanye. So that's a big step in a much better direction. I read somewhere, somebody said online that when you get to the pearly gates of heaven, it's Nardwar. He's telling you everything. He's the one that's reviewing your entire life. Hello there. So speaking of your hometown, are you, is every time I ask anybody from Vancouver, are you knowledgeable of the Lacasa?

a gelato, or is that just for tourist suckers like me? It's the place that has... They didn't pay for that plug. Like hundreds of flavors of gelato. Yeah, it's near... It's on like the north end of kind of the east side of Vancouver.

It's my favorite place ever. I might... It's not somewhere I grew up going, but it's somewhere that I've heard of it. So again, it's made for tour-suckers. I think it might be kind of a tourist thing. You never try, like, balsamic vinegar, ice cream. Yeah, that's right. I've heard.

Yeah, it was one of the first places to start doing weird flavors or shit like that. Yeah. It's like... It's like... Jenny's. No. Basically jetties.

Cheddar cheese ice cream. They had like a tobacco one or something like that, I think, for a while. Well, I mean, some of the weird ones I like, like, they have black pepper vanilla. That's weird. How is cheddar cheese? I bet that's good. Well, that's the thing. You basically, you sample all the weird ones, and you get the Rocky Road that you came in for.

You know, that's a purely, like, North American thing is sampling ice cream. Like, what I was considered rude? Well, I was in Italy. Not to brag. I was in Italy in a gelato shop, and there was a rush of Americans left, and me and my wife

were the only people in the restaurant, and the woman behind the counter very quietly looked at us and goes, can I ask you a question? We're like, yeah. How come American always ask to taste everything? Wow. And she's like, what is this?

Like, nowhere else you ask to taste. And I was like, you're right. When you put it like that, it is pretty fucking weird. Like nowhere else, you'd be like, can I try that sandwich? Can I have a piece of that thing? Baskin-Robbins.

That's what I said. I said, I think it all roots back to this one place, Baskin Robbins, where they encourage people to do it. And that ruined ice cream all over the fucking bottom. Yeah. Because I know that the son- You are so cute. What?

Are they still a thing? I'm like, yeah, they combine with Dunkin' Donuts. No, no, no. Oh, yeah, they're in, like, subways. But that's the thing, though. Are they just? I know that the Sun inherited the empire. and because, you know, like, generations are the opposites of what their parents were.

Right. The son wasn't like, you know, he didn't, he was concerned about the cows they were using. And, no, I wanted free range. Oh, wow. And so instead, he took the family money and did this expose on how, like, ice cream companies are ruining cows and the environment and all this thing. It's like ice cream succession. So they, yes, exactly. Not Ben and Jerry.

That's crazy. No, no, no, not been to cherries. A basket of robins. I know. I was just saying the ice cream industry. Which probably explains why they had to partner with KFC. Yeah, Dunkin' Donuts. Yeah, Dunkin' Donuts.

KFC basket robins. But that margarita flavor still there is good. They have a margarita flavor. They've had it forever. Wow. Good to condition children at a young age to develop a taste of margaritas. So 20 minutes into this interview. Let's start.

So you being born in the early 80s in Vancouver, what was your environment like in your household? My household? I lived on the east side of Vancouver, which in like a 100% like East Indian neighborhood. So it was great. It was like I would walk around a lot. I was just arguing with my parents. Their memory was that I never walked around alone, and I definitively did all the time.

I would take the bus all around the city. But yeah, but I went to school on the West Side. I grew up, I started doing stand-up when I was young, like 12 or 13, and I would started writing around then, too, and I smoked weed a lot. Not much has changed in my life since I was 12. So jealous. So the myth of Superbad, and you crafting this,

at such a young age is actual factual? Yes, for sure. Yeah, me and my partner Evan, who I still work with, met in Bar Mitzvah class when we were 12 and then started writing together not long after that. And we had, yeah, we probably finished a draft to Superbad when we were like 14

or 15 for the first time. He did a complete draft? Yeah, by then. But we started we were like 13 and there is some and it's like, it's one of those things where it's almost sad that like I'm not that much smarter or funnier than I was when I was 13 years old. Because there are some jokes in the movie that, like, we wrote when we were 13 that are still in the movie. That are in the movie that, like, that held up and that are still, yeah, you'd like to think you got better in that amount of time.

So at 14, your script looked like a professional. I'm trying to figure out how you guys knew. I asked my mom to buy me final draft, which was the script writing software, and she did. My parents were, like, super supportive. Because I also did stand up, so they saw that, like, I would work hard, you know what I mean? So this is 96. Yeah, this is probably 95 or 96 or something like that. Yeah, 95, I would say 96, yeah.

All right, I'm curious. And this leads back to the conscious, subconscious. When your subconscious is convinced of something, then your body does it, which explains why Kanye uses outward affirmations. I am the greatest. Yes. And then everything happens for him, the same way with Trump, same way with Diddy? The same word with Jay.

Remember, they remixed it and called it a secret. I have $6 million in my bank account right now. I have $6 million in my bank account right now. I have $6 million in my bank account right now. Right now. So I'm curious what inside you gave you the balls to even be like, yo, let's write a movie now. Like, it didn't even start with like, let's start with community theater.

Yeah. Hey, how do you do this? Or did you see a movie one day and it's like, I could do better than this shit? Literally, that's what happened. What movie did you see that sets you off? I can't remember. And we argued over it. We loved Pulp Fiction, didn't you?

We loved Pulp Fiction, and that was like, no, like, that was something. I had a Pulp Fiction poster on my bedroom door, like, throughout. If you were a teenager in the 90s, you had a Pulp Fiction poster. That came out in 94, maybe. I was 12, so we saw it around then. And it was also the era of, like, independent, it was like, the resurgence of this independent film. Like, Clarks came out around in, and Rushmore and Wes Anderson and Bottle Rocket.

So there was... You saw all this films? Oh, yeah, we were obsessed with them. And it's also one of those things that was... My parents loved movies and my... They were just huge movie fans, so they would, like, watch a lot of movies and collect movies. Vancouver, they made some stuff there.

So it's not like Hollywood, but like you would see movie sets around. And so there was like, it wasn't this like completely unobtainable thing. and then in high school, our high school was right across the street from two video stores, like giant video stores, and we would rent movies like, all we would do is like smoke weed and watch movies, basically.

And when you watch enough movies, you start to think maybe we could do this. And if we write something that's like cheap, then maybe that was always the thought was like, it was set in high school super bad, and we were like, worse comes to worse. Like this becomes something we like,

we made movies with like our, you know, we had a video camera. We were like, we could technically make this ourselves if we wanted to, you know? What was your North Star in terms of, okay, so now it's just hitting me that because I have family that worked at an independent movie theater back in 91, 92. So always have free tickets. But, you know, we're seeing El Marachi. We're seeing like all these indie films, which, I mean, at the time I didn't realize it, but it was grooming me. me to

gear towards art house stuff as opposed to mainstream stuff but for you what were your were you a film snob or were you just like

you know I got porgy's and hot dog yeah no we were the ski movie yeah of course I saw hot dog I liked all those

movies do you remember hamburger hamburger the motion picture yeah hamburger hamburger put those cookies back motherfucker

was there a hamburger movie yes yes I got to see it oh it was amazing on shout TV there's

specific like C movie VHS section. Anything that was on HBO late night in like the mid-80s? Oh, we'd be just rent movies based on what the cover of the box looked like. The garbage pale kids. If anybody can find the garbage pill kids movie. Well, it's funny this Dolomite movie just came out. I haven't watched it yet. But we were obsessed with dolomite

because like it was one of those movies that like purely based on the cover. We were like what is this? We did the same thing. Every Friday night we would all meet up at this Mexican restaurant in town and then we would all like caravan over to the video store, argue for about a half an hour about what video we're going to pick out. Oh, we would argue for hours.

We'd spend more time in the video store than we would watching the movies we rented at the video. Like, that was the activity. It was going to the video store and deciding to argue over a movie. We called it Tasteless Movie Night. We would try to find the most tasteless movie we could find in the video store. Yeah. And we would just go to my friend Darren's basement and watch it and just like, it was commentary. It was perfect.

Commentary. No weed involved. I'm sure if there had been, well, his mom was a teacher, so that wouldn't have never happen. So what were your go-to films? Well, I think it's like, one thing I look at is like the movies, it's obviously something I've thought about, you know, is like the movies my parents owned, like, they owned like 40 movies on, like VHS that they would like, there was like three movies to a VHS. They would like tape them off TV. Yes. When they came on and like. Would you ever watch them?

I did all the time. And those movies are like cemented in my brain. I know every word to every one of them. And I also bet that if I like made a list of all those movies, they like. directly correlate to the movies that I've made since then, basically. Come on, one, one. It's like Ghostbusters and movies like that. My dad loved Bill Murray.

They also loved, like, Woody Allen and, like, independent. Like, they had, like, Hannah and her sisters and, like, Annie Hall and movies like that, and I would watch those movies a lot. And then they had, like, Albert Brooks movies, and my dad loved Billy Crystal. And so, like, it was a lot of that stuff. And my mom, though, loved action movies. And so we had, like, die hard and Total Recall. And like under siege, I remember we had, like, right when it came out.

And lethal weapon was, like, is like one of my mom's favorite movies. And so I would watch these, like, emotionally driven kind of comedy drama movies and, like, the most violent, insane action movies. And that's kind of a lot of the stuff we make now. I see. I see. Yeah. And so all those movies, like, we loved. And then when, yeah, and then when Pulp Fiction and those movies started to come out,

we became cess and reservoir dogs we loved. And, like, and then we got really in a Sam Ramey and Peter Jackson's early movies, like Army of Darkness. We watched over and over again and Dead Alive. We watched a lot. And, like, yeah, and then to see those guys go on, that was another thing is, like, you'd see, like, oh, like, Sam Ramey's directing Spider-Man. And, like, these guys who, like, we were already fans of for making, like, the weirdest shit

ever were then crossing over and becoming really successful. And I think making big things. And that was also, I think, something we always liked and that was interesting to us. But no, we just like devoured. Did Vancouver have much of a social or nightlife? Because I'm almost thinking. Sort of. I'm thinking that Vancouver is almost like, all right, what Minneapolis was to print.

Yeah. And how there was a scene there, but because there's not much to do. he had a lot of time to hone his craft and just do music and the weather also determines you're staying in Vancouver is a city where people sit like go to someone's house and smoke weed

that's like the activity clearly that was your experience doesn't mean that no that is like what people do there or and when it's nice out you go to a nature place and smoke weed it's like a very like weed was like super prevalent

and like it's a huge it's like one of the most progressive cities in the world when it comes to weed. Even in your chow? In the 90s? 100%. So you've never been arrested for... Right when I moved to L.A., I got arrested because I didn't understand how much more strict

it was than it was in Vancouver. Like all throughout high school, if we got caught with weed, the cops wouldn't, would just take it. They wouldn't even always take it. They would just be like, go away. Like, it was such low on priorities, like, on the priorities because Vancouver had like a terrible heroin problem. And it was like, had a really rough

drug problem. And so weed very early on became deprioritized and decriminalized. And from when I was a kid, there was a coffee shop you could go smoke weed in and there was like, indoor, like places you go inside and smoke weed. So, Seth, you never known weed with seeds, huh? I have. But yeah, when I first moved to L.A., we'd buy pounds of Mexican

weed. Okay. Wait, virgin here. What does that mean? It means lots of seeds in your weed. Yeah. And these days it's Reggie. So we call it Reggie, regular weed. But to me, if Seff's been,

Vancouver's been in the hierarchy of the weed game, I would just assume that like, and you're at a certain age. We always had good, like, hydroponic. You don't want to smoke the seeds because you're going to have. You don't, it takes your sterile. That's a sterile part, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if that's true.

Wait, time out. Time out, time out. Time out. Time out. Time out. I don't know if they're science behind that. Steve, why are you? Wait, that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying.

Why is it taking three years from me to real... Wait, how are you just going to let Lyia come here and drink your milkshake? Right? All of our parents smoked weed with seeds in them. We stole them, we had to pick them out. And it pops and it burns the seeds. It burns the seeds, this leather. It's true. It falls out of the joints sometimes.

My dad's a culprit all the time. Like, God damn, Daddy, you're always smoking in your car. Look at them holes. I'm sorry, Daddy. I did not know that. Can we go mad. Stop snishing, D. 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 inundated. 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.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep. That's me, Cliver Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we picket here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your You started stand-up at a young age. Yeah, 13 or 14. Okay, so the only person I know they had that experience was Chappelle. Yeah. How...

I think Eddie Murphy started around that age. Yeah, so how do you... How do you... How do you even negotiate your way into... A club? Yeah. My mom helped. She would talk to...

She drove me to every show, literally, because I couldn't drive. and yeah and what's funny is very early on it's one of those happy coincidences I did a show that I did a fundraiser when I was like 14 a small one that the premier who's like the governor kind of of British Columbia was at and my mother cornered him and was like

if my son's performing at a bar can he be in the bar and the guy was like legally yes and she caught his office to send a letter saying that as long as I'm I was performing, it is legal for me to be in the premises. And I would have to leave right after. So, like, I would sit backstage

and I would show it to the club. There was only four clubs anyway, but once they had all seen it, they would let me perform there. And then I performed, like, regularly. And I was, like, I was, like, pretty good. Like, I wasn't... What was the check like at that age? Did you get a check? Every once in a while, I would, like, open for a comic, and I'd get, like,

$150 or something like that, which when you're fucking... Did you use your... Did you use your kiddom? Did you use your youth? I tried not to. I tried to. I would well at first I didn't at all and I because I was so self-conscious about being like gimmicky that I would try to tell jokes. You're 14. I know. Things like a neurotic adult. I was very neurotic and I didn't want to

be like the kid comic so I tried to write jokes that that any comic would write that were like more like observational humor but it was. Were you blue? I wasn't. I always wanted to ask a comic at. You work blue comic. I didn't actually at first at all also. But then I remember this comic, Darrell Lennox, who still does stand up and he's great.

He was like, I was telling just like, all the comics would make fun to be because I had a joke about like, Crazy Glue, what's so crazy about it? And it was like the dumbest like observational humor of all time. And then,

and then Darrell, I remember, like, sat me down. And I was like 15. And he was like, dude, Like, you are the only one of us who's, like, experiencing all these things, like, in real time. Like, you're trying to kiss girls for the first time. You're trying to get your driver's license. You're trying to buy beer.

You're trying to go to parties. You're trying to sneak into strip clubs. Like, write jokes about that. Like, that's something that, like, everyone's gone through in some way. And you're living it, like, right now. And I was like, okay. And then that was also one of the things that really influenced Superbad, where at first it was more like, let's write a high school movie and then we were like no let's write like whenever something happens to us let's put it in the movie and let's make us the characters in the movie and let's like structure it around that so those things happen to you guys in super bed not all in one night but almost a lot of the stuff in the movie happened yeah uh like in some form or another like and every so you grind it up against the girl and that happened at a school dance yeah that that that actually

And in real life, I was one of the guys, like, it played out almost verbatim as it did in the movie, except one of our friends was the Jodah character in real life. And I was one of the guys who was like, what is that? Like, what's on your leg there? And that's what happened. And so, yeah, it was a school dance. And we all put our stuff in, like, the locker room, like the gym locker room, like before. And we were getting it after the dance.

And, yeah, and, like, one of our friends was like, did you spill on yourself? I think we were there, like, looking at it. And then what happened, and we kind of allude to this in the movie, is we noticed on the other side of the locker room, there was another group of guys having the exact same conversation. And they were all, like, looking at their friend's leg, poking at it. And being like, what is that? Did you spill?

Did someone cut themselves? And then, like, the two groups, like, locked eyes from across the room, and it was, like, this Kaiser-Sose moment where it was like, oh, no. I think we have a situation on our hands. And then there was a lot of, like, cross-referencing who they had danced with. Wait, I got a preface for two people who have not seen super bad. There's a crucial scene where there's a dance, sort of grindy dance moment,

which a girl rubs her crotch on Jonah Hill's... I think it's pronounced cooch. Yeah, cooch. Oh, I forgot. The cooge is inside, the crotch, maybe. It's inside. Anyway. I'm being noticed that Jonah Hill, his thighs or his jeans are now marooned five.

Yes. They got perioded blood. They're bloody. They're period blood. It happens. Oh, wait, you're just getting that now? I just remember. I couldn't remember if he had came on himself or he had been period.

So, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Also on the table. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The way I was talking about it. No, that was in long shot. Yeah, almost in one. Dang. That's also a joke with you.

You know, my favorite thing about, I'd visit a lot of local comedy houses in New York. Yeah. My favorite thing is actually watching people bomb or fail. No, no, no, only because, like, now I'm entering the stage of my life where I'm going to give a lot more public addressing. Yeah. And it's always how you handle yourself in that moment. Yeah. That separates the men from the boys.

So a lot of times, like, if you watch, if you go to, like, I love going to the store in L.A. When it's the, like, the 1 a.m. show, the very last show. And usually, like, the last three people are always, like, the doorman. The bell guy, like, okay, I'll let you go up and do five minutes. Like, everyone's left the room. Yeah. I've performed there at that time when I was, like, 16 years old. Because I feel in my mind that whenever I'm watching them, then I believe at one,

one point either not Gerard Carmichael who's the guy that I liked America's Jamar Neighbors Jamar Neighbors yeah Jamar Neighbors was one of those guys and he's hilarious like he's one of Gerard Carmichael's dudes but like it's always the last three people on the late the graveyard shift that I love

watching them the most to see how they adjust to it yeah have you when you were in sort of developing your skills or whatnot have you ever had to resort to what they would call the, what's the syndrome, like aristocrat syndrome or when you know that you've done a bad set and

you're just performing for your buds like, okay, I fucked up in. Always. Did everyone do the aristocrats or was it another thing where... I never did that specifically, but there was, I mean, yeah, shit would go bad. And there was and there would be times, yeah, where

you would just kind of throw it all out and it was like, yeah, like, I think managing the audience's discomfort is something that is a lesson that I learned at a young age and that, like, you can carry with you across many different avenues of life. And I think that that's something that is very valuable. And I did it. Yeah, I remember doing, my friends could never come watch me, though, because I was a kid and they weren't allowed into the club. So it was always strangers. I had times when just grew tables full of adults would get up and leave, it was terrible.

And I remember performing the Improv. I remember coming to L.A. to audition for the Just for Last Festival when I was like 15 and going to the improv. And Jerry Seinfeld decided to drop in at the Just for Laft stand-up comedy showcase, went on right before me, fucking annihilated. Do you guys hate when that happened? Yes. When the big star comes in and it's like,

Hey, I want to practice that 30 minutes. For a comedy show? Yes, on a fucking showcase. Did you ever get to tell Jerry what he did to you? Yes, he could not have been more indifferent. And then I went up after him, and I literally, like, to this day, remember standing on the stage and it being so quiet, I could hear the electric hum of the speakers. And I had been doing stand up for years at that point, and I had never heard that sound. I remember, like, thinking to myself, like, how?

wow, like have the speakers always been making that sound and I just haven't heard it or do these ones have like a particularly loud hum to them? But I just remember hearing like, blz, it's like, oh, that's a new one. Yeah, it was brutal. So at the time...

I didn't get into the Just for Last Festival. Oh, thanks. So, Jerry. Yes. Could you explain how you got inside of the, I guess, the mafia of the, what I call the Aptown

Town Mafia. Yeah, I mean, it was all I was doing stand-up and I got an agent through stand-up and I was like 16 or 17 until high school was like going to end and I like was not going to go to college. So I was like I should, I need money. So I should start trying to audition for things. And my like plan, if you ask me that point what my plan was, I'll be like, oh, I'll move to LA after high school and I'll try to do stand-up.

So you wanted to be a straight-up stand-up comic Yeah, and then I thought maybe I'll get on like a sitcom That was kind of like the only precedent of that In that time that was like the thing That seemed the most achievable Because it was like Seinfeld was on And like everybody loves Raymond and Martin Like that like at the time it seemed like

If you were a successful stand-up You got a sitcom And I always liked movies more And so that was always something that I like wanted But it wasn't as like It didn't seem It seemed like the types of movies I wanted to make At that time especially

were like very small independent movies. And at that time, Superbad seemed like it would be like Rushmore. You know what I mean? Like not in its artfulness, but just in its scope, you know? And I think that then I moved. So I audition for Freaks and Geeks. It was the second audition I got sent out on. And they auditioned kids out of Vancouver.

Like they did international. Wait, you all were from Vancouver? No, they did international searching. So they auditioned in New York and Chicago and Boston and Toronto and Vancouver. And I, like, I went in for an audition one morning in Vancouver and, and then I got it. And then I moved to L.A. and, like, I worked with the same people. I watched that show in the first minute. Don't let people, I know people now like to revisit it like, yo, man, freaks and gigs with my shit, man. You're like, oh, yeah.

Well, it was. Then why didn't we get the second season? Well, I watched it because during the time of us recording, do you want more? Yeah. There was always a TV on the break room. So that's how I remember freaks and geeks. That was my favorite. I thought, oh, man, this is way better than my so-called life. Yeah.

Damn, I was just thinking about that if he was talking. There's some shit I can get with. Like, were you excited of the critical claim it got, and did you? I had no, like, I was like a 17-year-old pothead from Vancouver who, like, I had no concept of any of that shit. Like, I remember people being like, So you weren't a businessman yet? I just didn't.

I think I was so, um, I was, I was really confident and I felt like everything. Like when someone's like, everyone loves your show. Like it has 100% good reviews. I was like, yeah,

it's fucking great. Like, like, really? It was like, of course. We're putting out great shit. Like, there's nothing like this on TV. Like, of course everyone. Like, and if anything, that made it more frustrating that no one was watching it

because like we knew it was good and that's something I look back on and think like I didn't even think of the quality of the show when I went and did it like I it could have been the like I was just like a job I'll take it and then I remember getting to L.A. and to shoot the pilot and it wasn't even until

then that I got the full script like the day before we started filming and then I remember reading it and being like oh there's like jokes about shrooms in here and shit like that and then we rehearsed for one day and they were like what would you say here And then all of a sudden, we were improvising and they were letting us add jokes about Hitler and all this stuff. And we were like, this is really different.

And then when we started shooting it, we were like, again, like the director was from the independent film world. Jake Kasden had just made Zero Effect, which was a movie I was a big fan of. So it was like, oh, yeah, we have like these writers and directors who are like doing the exact stuff that I liked. So when it turned out great, it was like, again, I was so. I was really, like, spoiled at that time because I was just like, yeah, you make something I'm so glad you know. So you weren't putting, like, two or two together,

like, oh, the creator of the Larry Sanders show has this new empire. I knew that, but I didn't, again, I didn't realize, I think, how, like, I didn't realize, A, how just because you did something good before, doesn't mean you'll keep doing things that everyone appreciates. Like, I was a fan of the Larry Sanders show, a huge fan, and grew up watching it.

And, but I didn't, like, I think when I first got cast on the show, I had no idea Judd had even, I didn't know Judd. Who, Judd? What a Jud was, right? I don't know Judd worked on the Larry Sanders show. There was no IMDB at this time. Like, there was no way to look up. Oh, you did that?

Who you were working with even? Yeah. Like, I had no idea. The internet, yeah, there was no, like, maybe there was IMD, but I didn't know how to use it. Yeah, there was no, like, organized way of checking any of that shit. This is like, and James Franco didn't even hit the soap shit, right? Like, this is. No, it was like, no one had done anything.

Right. And so, yeah, it was, but then it started airing as we were shooting. And then they just were like, no one's watching this shit. And it was on Saturday night at 8 or some shit like that against cops. I remember, like, joking, like, cops beats us. We're fucked. And he was like, oh, no. So were you gun-shy about undeclared?

No, because, again, I was 18. Or did you feel like, okay, well, we'll do a better version of this show. I was like, oh, this time we'll do like a more commercial version. and we kind of work out the kinks and like again it was like the exact same thing happened where it was like very critically acclaimed and then no one watched it but but that but i was thrilled honestly like i was a writer and an actor on undeclared i was 18 years old like it was um you know it was like a very exciting thing for me to be doing so uh how how hard is it living hands of mouth in that period because always always are you well no i always feel like

Because he never had a, did you ever have a regular job or anything? Well, no, I, after undeclared, I didn't work for like three or four years, basically. What did you do? I fucking spent very little money. But you still never had to work at Pizza Hut or be a server or at No. I would help. Judd was very nice and he would get these super high-priced rewriting jobs. And then he would give me a little money to help him do it.

So, like, I helped rewrite Bad Boys too. as an example. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, time out. First of all, shut it out, rewrote. So it was like a secret thing. We wrote that joke that was in the trailer where they're singing the song, and they forget the word,

they like don't know the words. Bad, what you gotta do? Oh, you're gonna do. Yeah, and it was like, yeah, that was one of the many things we did. So maintenance work. Yeah, maintenance work. What else did you do?

Wait, go ahead. Little things here and there, like, one of the big, Mama's House movies I helped on for a few days. Seth, Seth, Seth, Seth, Seth, Seth. Wait, so stop. In this moment, because I was fighting saying this because I know my whole family going to get mad at me.

But in this moment, are you understanding your white funny man privilege? Because you know that you are like, this is a, seriously, this is a serious question. Like nobody else, if you hear the struggles of other comedians and things of other colors, women, da-da-da-da-da. There is never a moment where they haven't had to like serve or do something that they didn't want to do, but it seems like since you were 14 years old, you was on it. You needed final draft. You had it.

You needed the camera. You had it. Any moment, did you realize this? I was super. Yes. I was very, yeah, I was never felt particularly downtrodden. I was very, I felt lucky. I was very, I always felt lucky and was very fortunate and like, and got that.

Yeah, I mean, there was a time when I was maybe going to. Like, but there was a moment where I was like, I might have to move back to Vancouver because I was just running out of money and couldn't afford to live in LA anymore. And that's when I got hired on the LAG show. And that, like, continue, that like, that like, that like, shut it down. Yeah. It was like a great, it was like a great job to have because, like, it was even, it was like, it sounded great in a room. Like, it was like, when we went on meetings and we were like, oh, we got nominated for, yeah, we got nominated for Emmys. That was great.

Like it was something that like Basically I haven't stopped working since that It was like That was like the thing that kind of kept me going Because his brand of comedy Sasha Baron Corrin, because he's Such a rogue

Yeah Kind of artsy comedian How do you find his voice Like how do you It was like And the type of stuff he does is more trolling It was kind of It was hard

And I think he liked And I think it was good that we were so young and malleable at this time when we were working for him. Like, we were like 22 or something like that. And so, like, he could really, I think without some of, like, the kid gloves you would use with older people being like, here's what you have to do.

Here's what we do. Do exactly fucking this and nothing else. Wow. Forget everything you know. Just do this. So he likes young energy and... Yeah. And he would literally lock us in a room and be, like,

write 200 interviews. questions for me to be interviewing like an environmentalist in a tree. Like, and like, don't come out of that room till you've written me 200 questions. For all of his character. For both of it. Well, he did. Yeah, we came on for Bruno. And then we went on the road with him. We went

to spring break. We did all the spring break stuff with Bruno. What was that like? It was insane. He almost got killed many times. Yeah, I was going to say, like, what happens when you go to like Daytona Beach? Yeah. It was crazy. What's funny is I had to

of hide because I was not famous but I was like one in every hundred people knew me from freaks and geeks. And so I was kind of had to like, I was like relegated to the hotel room because like they were, he was just like the chance that someone sees you

and puts two and two together is like two great. So like we would travel from city to city and me and Evan would literally just sit in a hotel room in whatever city we were in and like. And pray they come back a lot. Yeah, exactly. And then they would come back and they would show us the footage and what they had done that day,

and we would all just laugh hysterically and be amazed that they hadn't gotten killed. And, like, it was fun. Yeah, it was great. Wow. All right. So I have so many questions about your movies, but I'm afraid we'll just get stuck in one of them.

No, it's okay. Pick one. In the end, this is it. I mean, yeah, that's the one. Yeah, that's the one. Well, I mean, there's so many. But I'll say that for, you know, 40-year-old virgin was, to me, like, how much input are you given for scripts or how open is

Judd to having you guys adjust the comedy? Because the way that it looked, it almost seemed like, oh, this got to be on the spot, and he just said, keep the cameras rolling. A lot of it was improvised. Yeah, I would say, like, because Superbad had been written, and no one would make it. And same with Pineapple Express. So you were still shopping it actively? Yes.

And me and Evan, especially, Evan was in college at the time and wasn't there all the time. I was always like, people want to see a movie where people talk like this. Like more than anything, that's what I had a strong feeling of. Was like they want a comedy where people, where it's conversational and not so like plucky and jokey. And it just feels like people talking. They're swearing a lot. and like it's like taking like again because we grew up loving Pulp Fiction and clerks and we were just like if you can really gear that towards like comedy and like a great way and and since no one would make super bad Judd like and me and him together thought that if we could make these the guys who work in the store kind of be almost like it was almost like a weird testing ground for like that type of conversational comedy whereas Correl character was this like sweet kind of like island in the middle of the movie.

We were like, if we can make these guys, like, why don't we try this where we improvise and have it be very conversational and you guys can swear a lot and say all the sick shit you say to each other that makes each other laugh behind the scenes, but we never say it on camera. It's like, that's too much or that's too crazy or people won't like that. But we were like, what if we do that on camera, you know? and that was really like the first time that any of us had done that. I think like it was, they had done Anchorman where it was different though because the movie is totally not real. So like it's not they improvised a lot, but it wasn't like actual conversations because it's like under this umbrella of like a false reality.

Right. But this was the first time where it was literally like you can just say whatever you think you would say in this situation and there's no. rating. Like, and we had never played in that environment before, and it was really the first time where we were all like, oh, we can really let it rip. And I remember the, I had improvised that thing about going to Tijuana and like seeing a woman fucking a horse. And it's like, he comes into the, or he comes, it's like, Karel comes into work.

And he explains making an egg salad sandwich. And he's like, what did you do this weekend? And I'm like, oh, I went to Tijuana. We went to see this woman. a horse and like it was not that cool like it was kind of gross and I remember like and it was like pretty it was like

on the scale of like the types of things people were saying in movies of that time on like the very far end of the spectrum which is why I asked you about the aristocrats thing how often do you aristocrat it yeah and so that and we were just making each other laugh and I remember before the first screening we were like if people

like if that works then like then we're fine. Like, then all these instincts we have of, like, what people want might be right. And I remember, like, it was like, like, that moment was like a life-changing moment in many ways, like sitting in the theater

when that part came on for the first time and seeing the audience just, like, explode in laughter. And, like, you could see it was just, like, shocking to them, but also funny and also felt kind of real. And I remember so many people would come up to me after the movie came out and be like, you remind me so much. much of a guy I used to work with. You remind me so much of this weirdo who was in the back

room at this place I would go to and like, and you could see that we were kind of like tapping into this like relatable form of comedy that people, you know, at that time it was like dumb and dumber, which I love like it's one of my favorite movies ever, but it is not relatable, naturalistic conversational comedy, you know? It's huge, crazy gags. and very specifically written and staged bits. And very smart. Can I just give you credit, too,

for putting an actor in there, lesser known, named Kevin Hart. Oh, yeah, Kevin Hart was in 40-year-old. And then the dude, Jerry, I want to say his name right. Jerry Bednaw. Yeah, he's funny too. The East Indian guy who just stopped everything. Oh, wait.

Is he okay? He is okay. Wait, Wagner. The other guy is not okay. Okay. Wait, I was like, wait, no, I didn't know. Jerry's fine. Jerry's the one that was working in the store

that was like kept saying nasty shit Yes Yeah, yeah Right What's funny about him I got him mixed up with the other guy Not okay Who might still be in jail?

I think he is in jail Yes Okay Okay Yeah Making sure He making sure No, Jerry's great

Yeah Kevin Hart was great Attempted Oh attempted He didn't succeed No Damn Damn I'm not damn

I just damn It's a shame That happened Because murder is bad And I do not like murder You know the conversation on South when you have to explain that your feeling is murderous bad.

Let me just clarify. Murder's bad. So, okay. Succeed. He didn't succeed. What I want to ask is when you got the pitch, when you got the pitch for

40-year-old Virgin. Yeah. No, I'm sorry, when you got the pitch for knocked up. Yes. How is it pitched to you so that you wouldn't take it personally. Because the thing is, because

the underhand tone of what knocked up really is, is we're going to pair this hot girl with like you. I told, it's something, it's a joke I was, but I appreciate you because you.

I was in on the joke. Right, that's the thing, how do you not take it personal? I think, and what I always, I would like to think of one of the first other pieces of advice, a stand-up comic A. Me, when I was like 13, was like whatever he, what's funny is this stand-up comic looked exactly like Garth from Wayne's World. Like he was like a super skinny dude with long blonde hair and glasses.

And he was like, whatever, he's like, you have to let the audience know that you are self-aware or they'll be uncomfortable. And he's like, so if there's something about you that reads very obviously, like don't ignore that thing. Like let them know you are more aware of it than they could ever imagine. And he was like, he's like, my whole opening five minutes is about that I look like Garth. Like, I fucking get it. And so I was always aware that I came across as like a schlubby kind of stonery loser. And I was not. I wasn't in any way self-conscious about representing

myself like that because I knew I was not that. That's what I'm saying. You got super confidence to do that. I was highly productive. I could date women like that that were that were well out of my league on a physical level. I had a job. I was gay. I had a nice apartment. I had a nice car. Like I was like at that point like getting successful, you know? So it was not, it was funny to me. And I remember Judd, we kept pitching these like crazy movies. Meena and we were trying to make

Pineapple Express. We're like, want to make a big action movie. And he was like that like, he's like, you first just have to make something that like establishes who you are in the most like normal, relatable type of setting. and he just said it conversationally one day. It was literally like, like, if you got a girl pregnant on the first date or something, like that's the type of movie we should make.

And it was one of those things where it was like, oh, we actually could. That's actually a really good idea. What would that be like? And him and his wife got pregnant very early on in their relationship and I think had to make some quick decisions as to whether or not they were going to kind of stay together and give it a go, you know.

Oh. Or just what the dynamics of the relationship were going to be. You know what I mean? I think they weren't planning on having a kid at that time, from my understanding. Shout-out to Leslie Mann. She's the shit. Yes, exactly. Leslie's great.

She's the shit. Very funny. And so it was, yeah, so it was personal to me because, and I think the way that we were able to represent my living situation, especially was highly personal to me. And all the roommates and all those guys were actually my friends. And I actually had lived with almost all of them at one point or another. And so, like, it did seem like I really. yeah, I was totally happy with it and thought I would be funny with it, you know?

And there was a thing where I was just, I remember being like, oh, I can just make this guy like worse and worse and worse and like, just dumber and dumber and dumber. And it's almost like the more inappropriate, like the worst thing I could say on a date almost as like the funnier of the whole movie becomes. So, yeah. Wow.

Okay. Did you and Catherine Higel ever circle back and become besties? No, no, we've run into each other. No. No. You know what I'm saying? I have. I know, yeah, I wish for the best.

We'll skip that. I'm waiting for this at the end. That's all. 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-P-Sent on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Cliverts Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at a podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what we're. went down and tried to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the AIDS. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, I mean, okay, well, I guess I'll ask. Okay. You don't have to. No, no, no, it's not that. I'm just saying that is there ever a fear? Okay, I go to 30 Rock University. Yeah. So, and all that entails. You know, so I'm in the eye of the storm of, 30 Rock really is. It's a university.

It's a Cessonnell. It's a big giant campus. It's the cathedral to which entertainment is built. So when you're, how hard is it, in your opinion, how hard is it for women to get a seat at the table? Insanely hard. Way harder. And in light of what's happening now and how comedy sort of has to reexamine itself. and what was

cool in 2006 might get a raised eyebrow out now how has that what's cool in 2018 would get a raised eyebrow out right yeah I mean so how does that affect

not not how does it affect your world but how does it affect the creative process the fraternity process yeah where's a woman in the team we have women on our team That we can see. Sure, I know you do. But are you more, or is it the climate right now in Hollywood?

Are they super aware of it now? They say they are, but I don't think a lot has changed. And if you look at the movies that come out, almost all of them are made by white dudes. Like, you know, like, it's very, like, not that, the actual, like, decision to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a new social, direction has not happened, I don't think. I think people are talking about it, and it's like a topic of conversation that's fun for people to say, and I think they're

like inching towards that, but have I seen like, oh, all of a sudden if you look at the slate of every major studio and they're all more equally distributed between men and women, no, that's not the case at all. I'm only asking women usually means white women, but that's the whole other thing.

No, 100%. And I think that that, but I think for us, I think we're lucky with comedy for us because we never like peddled in that I don't think like we never peddled in something that I would have considered to be like

you know I think our comedy like I'm never complaining that like about like people being PC or like we can't say the stuff that we want to be able to say like to me that is like not an issue and like you're either the type of person

that like you want your you know your work reflects who you are, no matter what. And so if you have your sensibilities trying to be in the right place at any given moment, then your work will reflect that. And I've found myself not really having to defend that much of what I've done in the moment that it has come out. I acknowledge that, again, a week later you look back and you're like, whoa, that's aged poorly sometimes, you know? Like, yeah, I think there's jokes in sausage party that, like, 24 hours after it came out were inappropriate.

Maybe 24 hours before it came out. But I think that, you know, we try not to be offensive. We try not to exclude people in our work. We try to be inclusive as possible. And we ourselves are those types of people. So it isn't this like chore to weave that into our work. And so. Well, I just know that people now are hyper aware that that has to happen.

Or that has to be a thing. Whereas, you know, before you don't think, like, okay, it might be inclusive, am I fin in this group or that group. I think it's something that we're trying to be aware of for the last few years. I think Neighbors is the first movie that we really made, really trying to go into it, acknowledging that traditionally, especially that type of relationship. I mean, Rose, like a husband-life relationship in a movie is, like, always done a certain way. and we had to not do that. And like, it's always based on the fact

that they hate each other and that they're not happy and that there's all this conflict in their relationship and that she's fucking lame most of the time and that like, he's like the carefree fun one

and she's like... And like... And like... So that was, I think, and it was before all this, you know, all the current, you know, kind of revelations

that are happening. But even then we were like, just how do we not do this in a lame way, you know? And how do we... And also like, we want the actors on the movie to be proud and happy with their work.

And I think as someone who is both an actor and a writer and a director and a producer, like I understand what all those jobs entail. And I understand what it takes to make all the people doing those jobs feel like they're really doing something that they can be proud of and happy with. And that's something that was just started to become very important when I started to realize like, oh, like, if we cast Rose Byrne in this role, we have to make it good and funny. And we have to make her excited to come into work every day. And we have to make it that when she leaves work at the end of the day, she really felt like she was as funny as anyone else and given the opportunity to be as funny as anyone else. So wait.

Not like she was told like, you tell us to shut up as we say funny shit over here. You know what I mean? How does that work? Okay. So how does that work? Like, break it down like we're in third grade. Yeah. All right.

So if you're heading a project. Yeah. And you have to write for a specific character that, you might not really put a lot of effort or, you know, like, what's their background? And first of all, when you write for a character or write for a movie, does each character have to have their own bio in your mind? To some degree, I think, like... Backstory.

Yeah, I think to some degree. I think it's, it depends on how in... Like, what's funny is, like, in this is the end, like, none of us really have any backstory. Like, we're kind of just who you assume. we are. Yeah. You slowly, and the emotional conflicts are very of the moment. It's based on, you know, you're seeing it play out in real time, basically.

So, but in general, yes, like some sense of backstory is, is helpful. And the more you can think of, the more it's probably good. But for, I think for something like neighbors, the conversations were literally, like, how do we create a plot and a flow of events where that isn't contingent on these two characters, having conflict with one another and instead is contingent on these two characters really being on the same team as one another. And right away, that allowed both characters to be outrageous and silly and stupid. And neither one was trying to control the other.

If anything, they were always encouraging the other to do stupider and stupider shit kind of. And so it's more understanding the dynamics going in and what the result that will produce. So it's like if we go into the movie with this type of dynamic, the result will be this. And if we go into it with this type of dynamic, the result will be this. And so that's something we were aware of is like, if we want the result to be this, the dynamic has to be very specific going into it, you know, and that that's what we tried to do. So kind of a three-part question.

Yeah. All right. Now in your career, what is your preference? would you rather lean towards directing a project or writing a project to give to someone else to direct? Or what I would just say, blind job as in doing a project that you neither had no directing or no hand in writing it? I do that less and less. like I don't act in a lot of other people's movies. I don't get asked to act in a lot of other people's movies.

But it happens from time to time. No, the Lion King. That's not true. But yeah, so it happens. And I do do it sometimes. I think what I really enjoy is writing something with the hopes that I will direct it and act in it, which has happened. You want to wear all three hats? Yeah.

Isn't that a nightmare? No, it's almost at a weird thing. we've also found is in some ways the more control we have over something and the more jobs we are filling, the less stressful it ultimately is because most of our stress comes from fear that other people are going to fuck our shit up.

And so as long as we are controlling it, I'm not that worried. I'm more worried is the director going to ruin this thing? So that leads to, this leads to what have you learned what have you learned about, actually I want to do too, what have you learned about Green Hornet and the

Simpsons, which I think for a comedy writer is sort of like this, this honor of, wow, I'm doing us, I'm controlling a Simpsons episode. Yeah. So what lessons have you learned in those two instances that you would have changed now or made you wiser? Yeah, I mean, Greenhorn, it was. And I'm not a, no, no, no. A comic head.

No, yeah. It's not really, like, I think a few things when I look back at that. What is I really overestimated, like, our control at that point in our careers? Like, I think that at that point, we had kind of always been able to do whatever we wanted, you know? And I didn't predict how much a bigger budget. Like, but all the movies we'd made at that point were, like, $20 million. And Green Hornet was, like, $120 million. And I didn't quite predict what that $100 million would do to the process.

and how before I would, we literally wouldn't talk to the studio ever. All of a sudden we were having meetings where we go through like every page of the script basically and how like destructive that was to the process. And how money, more problems. Yeah. And like the biggest, the biggest thing was it was like we had an idea going into it that was slowly like completely, you know, deconstructed and built into something else. And it's one of those things that happened so slowly that like.

So they took your product and said, well, we need to change this to make this that. Exactly. What if we did this? Oh, we need a big actor for this role. And what about this? And we need this. And like... But then we're gone to redirecting. Yeah. Whom I thought would be good. I think what he, and I've seen him since then, like, I think what he didn't predict also was the scope of it and how...

And that's what... Because I think with artists, and you probably can relate to this, like, I think the more you do your craft or whatever, the more you realize it's not only what you are doing, but it is how you were doing it. Like, if you're a painter, you not only want to choose what to paint, you want to choose what paint you use, and you want to make your own canvas maybe, and you want to choose where you painted and all this stuff, you know what I mean? But with film, it's sometimes that gets wrestled away from you where it's like, here's the shot I want, and here's how I think we should do it. And they'll be like, nope, too expensive. Here's how you're going to do it. And that, and that ruins the process, especially when you have a director like Gondry and what I realize, I think what he realizes is like his whole magic is not. not only in what he's doing.

It's how he's doing it. It's the materials used, literally. And that did not always apply to this scope of filmmaking, basically. And it was just like an inorganic combination of elements. And then there was a point, I think, where you're just kind of like, this seems like it's going poorly. I slept terribly throughout the whole thing. You felt even during the process. like this might not turn out good?

For sure. They was like, because it was rocky for like the year leading up to it. And there was a point and this was also something I would probably do differently now. Like we had just made years working on it. And there's a moment where you're like, do we stop or just keep going? Because like after years, it was, it felt weird to just stop. And it was just like, I think we just have to see this through.

Like, and that is something that I probably wouldn't do now. Honestly, I think after that experience, I would just be like, let's just pull the plug. And maybe we all wasted three years, but maybe we all learned a lot and not three years and have some good experiences. But I think, like, that's something at the time that I wasn't prepared to do,

which was just say, like, you know what? Like, let's not fucking do this. You know? So my parallel question to you is, okay, now as a person that's been doing what I've been doing, at least what I'm known for, 25 plus years. You know, we kind of had this discussion,

like, are we sabotaging ourselves by not like wanting to go to bigger houses. Yeah. Like we're now in the place where it's like, hey, you guys do know that we could book a night at blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. If you guys had the album in time, whatever. And my immediate thing was fear. Like, no, I don't want to play, you know, 17,000, da-da-da. Because I feel like my zone has always been in smaller theaters.

Yeah. So for you, is a nine-figure budget sort of like a draft? magnet horns, durn, like, it's like, like, would you attempt

to really go big, or do you feel that, you know, when you do lower budget stuff, then... I think now,

in order, we're writing a movie now that would be expensive, uh, like a pretty expensive movie. Um, not quite greenhorn. But I mean,

like a popcorn film, like, yes, but like a... Summer of 2021. Yeah, but like, but we're really trying to make it have all the stuff that we,

like out of movies, but we're trying to make, like, it's a more, it's still like an R-rated like action comedy, basically, but we're, the types of movies that are in theaters have changed. And I think that's something that we're also aware of is we like a lot of what are, it's interesting, like, we work backwards to some degree from like audience reaction. And we go to movies and we sit in theaters and we, you know, what makes people cheer and what makes people laugh and what makes people shocked and what makes people scared. And that changes over the course of years, you know, like the things, you know, there's some movies that have come out that 10 years ago got a certain reaction in theaters and that same thing would not seem very exciting by today's standards. Yeah.

That's shocking by today's standards. And so we are trying to evolve. We instinctually must evolve with the climate. And we like making movies for theaters. And we creatively think backwards a lot from what would make a theater full of people have like this experience. Like what would make a theater full of people be on edge and then excited and then laughing and then sad. And and in or but the theater part is the tricky part because a lot of movies like Superbad today, for example, probably wouldn't be in theaters. It would be hard to get it in theaters.

You know what I mean? Knocked up even would more likely be a Netflix movie. you today. It's just people talking in rooms. Like, there's no, you know, there's no big action in it. There's no like, it's literally people sitting and talking for two hours, you know?

Like, we go to Circus ola. Well, I think organically it wouldn't happen, but I mean, you've got to admit that you're coming from the canon of the Aptow Mafia. Yeah. So even by six degrees of separation, like, you know,

you personally would have to It'd be a harder sell. I would think you would have to release eight bonafide below 10 rotten tomato blocks in a row before I'm like, nah, I ain't seen Seth Rogen. Not all our movies do well. I mean, like, even then I'm aware of it. No, it's true. There's still some thing where it's like, oh, you're in it.

It's out there. It might be a best. It might be good. You know, it's out there, but it's still like, it's harder to get movies and theaters, and it's harder to compete for the cultural attention. Like that, I think, and that to us is very important also is we like it when we make, we've seen that in the past we've made movies that like work their way into culture. And they're referenced in rap songs and in other movies and on TV shows.

And we like that. Like, we, and that's not always a one-to-one thing with like success. It's just, you know, it's something that only happens, though, really with movies that are in theaters. Like movies on Netflix, it's, are just streaming movies. It's much harder for them to capture a piece of the culture. And a movie like mid-90s, which was seen probably by one iota,

the amount of people that sees the average Netflix movie, capture the cultural attention in a way that very few Netflix movies do, because it was in theaters. And when people saw it, they turned their phone off for two hours, and they sat in a dark room, and they actually watched it. And you don't do that with Netflix movies.

And I think that is going to become, when I look at why I want movies and theaters, that is it. But that's not all the way true, though, stuff. I was going to tell you, like, some certain movies command you to turn off the lights, watch, like when the Irishmen was one of those this season, Dolomite was one of those season. It just depends, I think. For some people, they choose to watch that way.

But not every friend is going to have De Niro, Pacino. No, no. It's the same thing with Dolomite, there are certain events like Stranger Things. And there's a million people watching the Irishman, like, as they're on Twitter. Yeah, that's true. And if it's in the theater, you don't even have that option. Like, you have to watch it. And I think what you...

I saw it in the theater. Me too. I didn't want to watch it. Me too. On Netflix. Yeah, and I loved it. And I think when you put a movie in the theater, you're telling, culturally, you're saying, like, this is worth you putting your phone in your pocket for two hours. Right.

Like, and you're asking people to do that. And that is a big ask. And I think that, to that end, that's why we're writing a very expensive, big fun action movie. Because Marvel movies demand that from you. Because we understand what we're asking is not a light ask. We're asking you to. give up your addiction for two hours. And in order to do that,

we have to repay you with something that is worthy of that. So can I ask an Apatau Mafia question? And for that reason, I'm going to go back to something that I wanted to ask you guys when y'all were having the back and forth. Do you all ever consider? Because as a woman of color being a fan of what you guys do, I love it.

Wouldn't change it. Blah, blah, blah. However, time to change it. And not for nothing. I would be curious to see how a woman of color would be written into some of these situations, right? because when you look at the majority of the movies that you guys do, like you said, I know you introduced the Rose Byrne situation, but not really.

So have y'all started considering maybe? Yes. Maybe the next thing, maybe I don't know yet, but you're working on something. Yes, very much. I mean, it is a prevalent topic of conversation. But not on purpose. I don't want y'all to do it just because, oh, my God, everybody's demanding that we have a woman and then we have to have a woman of color.

But just because you see that, hey, wait a minute, that would be funny to get that perspective in this storyline. No, 100%. And, like, yeah, I mean, it's something that, yeah, I mean, the more perspectives and the more different people you have working on your material, the better it all is. Yeah, I mean, we produce this show Black Monday with Don Cheedle and Regina. Oh, yeah, I love that show. Yeah, and it's great. But, damn. And it's great.

And the preacher. Yeah, and we've just seen, and it is and preacher. Exactly. We've seen it's very rewarding. And people get great, you know, the more representation, the better. I would never argue otherwise. But I want to see you. Like I love the Don Cheat on the Virginia Hall, but I was like, man, I want to see.

That would be great. I'm in. Okay. So in hindsight, the, like I was paying attention to it, but I don't recall. I remember the email fallouts with Sony. Yeah. What the interview? Yeah.

Did, was it worth it? Yeah, because it was crazy. And like, and was there much damage? And it was worth it? Was it real damage? No. What did we see? Not to us.

Like other people, I mean, talk about sexism, like the only real person to be horribly damaged by it was Amy Pascal. Her boss, Michael Linton, he wasn't damaged. But she was terribly damaged. Wait, just correct me if I'm wrong. The fallout, the fallout with the damage, what the interview was, if you guys released this, we'll hack into your emails. Kim Jong-Goo was coming.

No, they eventually, they had her, they had already. already hacked into Sony and they eventually threatened to like bomb movie theaters that played the movie basically. And that's why they pulled it. Okay, so it was released streamed? Yes, Google Play. I've seen it. I just forgot

where I saw it. Google released it and then Netflix released it all within like Google released actually the day it was supposed to come out in theaters and the Netflix released it two weeks later. Wow. Okay. And again, was it?

Was it worth it? It was I mean publicity, right? It was like All that publicity was good. It was a really interesting exercise. Like I don't have.

The result of which is still fascinating. And I don't even, when you say is it worth it, I don't even, I'm not even sure anyone knows what the fuck actually happened. Like there was a big article

in the Hollywood reporter the other day that was like, what really happened in the Sony hack? Can you read the article? And you're just like, there's no answers here. What happened? I don't know what happened.

People don't, they're not sure North Korea did it. They don't, like, no, people, some people think they did. Some people think they didn't. And so, like, it's hard to, it's hard to retrospectively gain a lot of insight from something where you honestly aren't even sure what the fuck happened. Like, as a movie, honestly, to me, the most, the biggest bummer is that the movie got pretty shitty reviews. And that doesn't happen to us that often. And that, that bum me out. Like, honestly, yeah.

It was, like, for us, like, pretty. bad. And so that to me was the thing that if I look back and could change something, I'd be like, oh, I wish the second act had like a better set piece in it. And I wish, like, we rounded out the third act more emotionally. But, but like, because that was the stuff that was in my

control. You know what I mean? Like, the actual product, the film was the thing we were in control of. And what I'm, yeah, what I don't love is that it just wasn't received as well as other movies. It just hit me and I know we're going to wind up pretty soon, but it just hit me

that you're one of the cameos in one of Yalk's last pieces. Yes. Make some noise. I'm about to call a fight for you right too. Yeah. Make some noise. That was the name of the song. That was a video. Yeah, there was an extended version that was called Fight for You Right. Revis. So how did that

how was that pitcher come together? Oh, man. Were you guys aware at the time what his condition was? And this was sort of like their swan song? We kind of got that sense as we were shooting it. Like, I knew he had been sick. But, I there was kind of like the public word on this on the street was that he was getting better you know right and then he just called me one day I got a call from Adam yuck yeah and it was just like oh the greatest fucking phone call you could ever get a huge BC boys fan my whole life like um I'd met him once or twice before at like south by southwest I think and yeah and he was just like we're making a music video and I want you to be Mike D. And that was fucking great.

And then we shot that video for three days, which is crazy for a music video. And every famous person ever was in. And I think it was like halfway through day two where I was like, oh, this is like kind of like a big last tour on. A swan song. Yeah. And then it got kind of sad and bittersweet, but it was also fun. And like when I look back and think of was like he was just telling like it was literally like. It was literally like we were all his like

G.I. Joe toys and he was just playing with us. And it was like, for your birthday, here's all your favorite comedians and they'll do whatever the fuck you tell them to do for three days straight on this New York City back lot. And like, that's literally like, he would just be laughing. Daddy, kick the store in. Seth, throw this beer at him.

You guys, dance on the cop car. And like, and he would just be like laughing his ass off. As we were just like, whatever. Like, there was no questions. There was never like, why would I do that? It was just like, sure, yeah, whatever. Whatever the fuck you want, worry it. And, like, we, and it started to kind of imitate the video itself,

because we were there all the time. Me and Danny and Elijah, who were the Beastie Boys, and then other cameos would come in for, like, a couple hours, and we were, like, in this mindset, it was, like, crazy. We were just, like, so geared to just do whatever we were told to do with any, like, if they were just like, body slam, Laura Dern. And I was like, all right. Like, there was like, no.

Like, I was just like, in this, like, state of, like, I'll just do whatever the fuck this guy tells me. That's what we're here for. And you could see people would come in and be like, this is crazy. Like, what are you guys doing in here? Like, you've gone nuts. And that really, like, we were just spraying beer, a fake beer on everyone's faces and, like, throwing. Like, we, yeah, it was a madhouse. Danny McBride must be, like, he writes, too, correct?

Yeah, he writes, uh, Eastbound and Down and the. righteous gemstone. Right. So he must be awesome to work. In my mind, everybody who was in this is the end

in a way to do their own writing, but who is like awesome to write with that blows your mind and you just like, the fuck you come up with that shit? They're all great in their own ways. Like, yeah, like Danny. Jonah is truly the one like on set

is like, it's pretty remarkable to watch. Like he's like, he gets like very locked in and is like, it's like a pretty miraculous thing from time to time. Danny is very loose

and biting. And like, he's the comedian that kind of the other comedians are a little afraid to improvise with. Because he hurts? Yeah. So he is who he is in that movie. But he's very sweet and nice, but it was like...

I saw him once in and I did not to say what's up to life. Because I just felt like, oh, he don't know me. I'm out. He's very sweet. He's such a nice dude. And like, not...

And it is one of those funny things. He created those characters as a way to make fun of the guys he didn't like growing up, basically. And now that is who he is synonymous with. And his biggest fan base is probably those exact people. Which is a bummer for him. Wait, speaking of videos, how did Kanye contact you to do Bound? Well, he, no. Or he did it on your own?

We just did it on our own. And then he did... Wait, really? Yes. And then he did ask us... So he just released it? No, we released it. He did it.

No, we just did it. He released his video and literally, within an hour of seeing it. I was like, we're recreating this. And we had ours up like 24 hours later. Like, it was so fast. I'd never seen Kanye's version. Oh, that's funny.

You just saw ours. Fun fact, I never seen a Kanye's video. Yo! Wait, wait, wait, what time about it? It's okay. I never seen foul all the way from me. Don't say that. That's so much worse. I didn't mean, it was a joke.

Wait, what's that Pacino film? Okay, I'm really long it. What's the film? Not Donnie, Rosco. Scarfin's. Carlito's Way. Carlito's Way. You remember the end of Carlito's Way when you think they're going to get away with it?

It's like, hey, you go over here? No, you go. Here. Beni Blanco from the Bronx. Yeah. Thank you. I'm sorry. He stabbed you in the line.

I'm so sorry. No, I'm sorry. I've seen the college dropout ones, but I haven't seen post that. No, but he did ask us to come do it at his wedding. Wow. I'm sorry, what? I don't understand how you do that. He called us and was like, will you come do that at my wedding?

Did you do it? Well, no, like, it was one of those things were like throughout the conversation. I, like, wield him. wield him to realize how uncomfortable it would be, which he slowly did. He was missed to show me off. And I was just like, so we're just up there. And he's just like, he's like, as I say this, I realize how fucking uncomfortable it would be. He's like, it would be funny for 10 seconds.

But he's like, I'm asking you to fly to Versailles for like literally 10 seconds of shit. He's like, we shouldn't do it. So, I mean, I mean, you lived a charm. sort of bucket listy life. Yeah. I want to know, did a project ever get away from you that you had your eyes on that you wish you did? That I wish we did? Like you had a chance to write or direct blah, blah, blah, blah.

But there are things like, no. I mean, yeah. Did a Lynn Manuel come up to you? Yeah, I have this project called Hamilton. Yeah, exactly. Get away from you, kid. No, there are things that, like, that we, that came across our desk that then became very successful, but I don't think when I look like, oh, like, should we have really, like, spent, like, two years making, like, you know, like, Hobbs and Shaw or something like that. Like, I don't know.

Like, maybe it would have been fun. Wait, that was offered to you? Like, yeah, I mean, I don't know if it was, like, outwardly offered, but there was a point where it's like, come in, you want to meet on the Hobbs and Shaw? Our movies like, like Deadpool baby, years ago. Yeah. Very long time ago. I want to see you around. But, like, I think that it's not, it just wasn't our thing.

You know what I mean? Like, what we weren't like, the idea of, like, plugging in, I think that's what Greenhorn had scared us off of more than anything was, like, plugging into this, like... Saying yes to everything. Yeah, exactly. And plugging into, like, an IP that is, like, very... Already established. Yeah, already established and having to, like, work within that.

So, like, and working with, like, a big company is, like, just scary. Like, working with, like, a... Marvel or, you know, like, and not to say we wouldn't do it, it's just, it's just scary, you know, and I think, and making like a friend, yeah, like making like a Hobbs and Shaw type movie where it's just like, this movie's gonna get made no matter what, we're just the people like, you know, serving you the dish. Well, the silver lining of Green Hornet is that you got your health in check. Yes, I started working out. Yeah, no, that was great. And you maintained it. I did pretty well. Yeah, no, it was a lot of good. And we learned, like, so much. Like, we, that movie was made in a way movies aren't made anymore. Like, we built everything. It was practical effects.

It was visual effects. There was, there was huge stunt teams. There was, like, literally the stunt team that did Indiana Jones did the movie. Like, we got to learn from these, like, amazing people. And Gondry himself was someone who was amazing to learn from. And even though the result was debatable, like, I think very few experiences made us understand the production process and filmmaking in general. more than that movie because it was as logistically complicated a movie as exists in the world. And we had like a front row seat to every step of the process.

So that was really interesting. Wow. Which made a better movie. Can I ask you a stoner question real quick? Because I remember famously listening to you on Stern one day and he was asking you about working out and working out why you were smoking. And you were like, yeah, I take a couple totes. Do you do that? Yeah.

I've done it in this little. It's still queen when I do everything. So this is what I want to know. So, number one, I want you to give advice to young stoneers because I think you have to graduate to that level. Yeah. And I wanted to know when you got to the point where you knew that you could do everything stone. Because that's like next level. It takes a while.

Yeah. Tell the babies. I try to tell them, like, don't go to school. And by babies you mean me. Yeah, exactly. Don't push it. Like getting highs in a bit for me. I think the thing most people, I'm always telling people to smoke a little.

bit of wheat, like to take one hit of weed. That's what, like, I just, I was just with David Cheag on his Netflix show, and, like, we went around smoked weed all day, and I just, the whole time was like, one little tiny hit, and that'll get you going for, you'll be fine, and, like, or set a timer.

Take one hit, and then see how you feel in 20 minutes. And then maybe have another hit. But, like, most people just smoke way too much weed, and who don't smoke a lot of weed, and weed is super strong. And one hit is enough, literally. And Got any strange preferences?

I'm also a late reactor. Yeah. And why is that? What is it? Smoke the TV? Yeah. Well, I prefer, what is it? Indica?

Hybrid. I'm like so new. I'm literally like seven months into this. So. We've been trying for 30 years. Yeah. But the thing is when I do it, it always hits me at the most inopportune moment. Like, I'll do it.

All right. One time I did it at night. Yeah. And it felt a little weird. Like, oh, God. Let me just sit down and relax. I fell asleep, right? Yep.

And I woke up in the morning and it was like, oh, damn, I didn't get high. That was a waste. And then 20 minutes into my day, right when I got on the drum set of Fallon, all of the shit. From the night before? That's weird. Yeah, that is weird. Like I have a five-hour, well, see, I do edibles.

I don't smoke. Oh, shit. That's why. Edibles are, edibles are un, or a warm. Do you edible? I do edibles very sparingly because they're wildly unpredictable like that. Like they're hard to, it's hard to gauge. Time them. Yeah, you know, yeah, it's hard to get the dosage right.

Yeah, it's hard to get the dosage right. It's hard to time them. Sometimes it depends on what, sometimes they take an hour to kick in. Sometimes they take two hours to kick in. It takes five hours to kick in. You need to take note if the stoners around you. Do you ever see Steve eating his weed? If you eat your weed, there's nothing left to smoke.

Yeah. There's my. I'm sorry, forgive me. I'll do it again. My final question is oftentimes, like right now I'm watching the morning show,

which is notably, everyone, I knew them from the funny world, the comedy world, but yeah, they're doing drama. Like, would you consider, because you did Steve Jobs, correct? Uh-huh.

The movie. Yep. No, I did Steve Jobs. What was that like? What was that experience? Technical. Would you want to further explore into the world of drama? Yeah.

And what role are you, what is your, like, your fantasy thing that you haven't done yet that you really want to do? We're writing that. I mean, that's what's nice about being able to write your own movies is like, I've no one to blame but myself. for if my career seems limited in scope as an actor. Like, yeah, I mean, what, the thing we're working on now, I'm obsessed with like Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan. And so, like, I've always wanted to make, like, a highly physical, like, action movie, like, our action comedy, like, something that is almost entirely predicated on action and

not a lot of talking at all. And that has just always been something that I always enjoy shooting that. type of stuff. And so that's something that we want to do. And that's what we're working on right now. Mr. Bean? Is that like something? Yeah, kind of like a really violent Mr. Bean. Oh, boy.

All right. Well, you know, Seth, we really thank you. Damn, we didn't even get to your hip-hop roots. It's okay. I'll come back. We'll just assume that you like hip-hop. I love it. No, we really want to thank you for coming here.

Yes, thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for a preacher too. Thank you. I love that show. Yes, on behalf of Sugar Steve and Unpaid Bill and Boss Bill and Laya and Fonte. This is Questlove. You've been listening to Questlove Supreme.

Thank you very much, Seth. We will see you on the next go round. Peace, y'all. Happy New Year. A little bit of weed. Just a little. For more podcasts from IHeartRadio, visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 2%.

That's the number of people who take the stairs when there is only. 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,

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Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clippert Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

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Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app,

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