WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1095 - Dan Levy

Episode Date: February 6, 2020

Once Marc gets over the confusion around Dan Levy’s name (he pronounces it differently than the Dan Levy from Schitt’s Creek), he tries to figure out how Dan went from being a guy opening at comedy clubs to a creator and showrunner of his own network sitcom. Dan talks about getting into writing while doing road gigs as a comic, what it was like to write for friends like Whitney Cummings and John Mulaney, how it was different to be a hired joke writer on a show like The Goldbergs, and how it all prepared him for his own show, Indebted. Plus, Dan shares an amazing story of pitching a script to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito and Eddie Murphy. This episode is sponsored by Zoro.com and Bombas. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can get anything you need with Uber Eats. Well, almost almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs and mozzarella balls, yes, we can deliver that. Uber Eats. Get almost almost anything. Order now. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Death is in our air.

This year's most anticipated series, FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series, streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required.

T's and C's apply. Lock the gates! All right, let's do this. How are you, what the fuckers? What the fuck buddies? What the fuck nicks? What the fuck wads? What's happening?

I'm Mark maron this is my podcast wtf welcome to it if you sense a slight differentiation in the sound i gotta hammer shit out because i'm back in the garage i'm back in it i'm back i'm here i'm in the new studio after we had all the work done because the city came down on me, man. Some of you know the trials and tribulations of a guy who bought a house with a garage that was already set up to record in and then only to find that moments after he bought the house, it was tagged by the city and he had to make it into an apartment. I'm sitting in it. And it sounds pretty great in here.

It's pretty cozy. I'm very excited about it, actually. I have a new lease on life for some reason. I don't know why things aren't getting any better in the world, but for some reason, moving into the new place here, the new studio with the new rug, new floors, new door. All the walls have sound insulation in them, double-paned windows. I got sound curtains on a couple of the windows.

I got my panels that Julian, the kid Julian built, he came over. I'm going to resolve a little bit of bounce in here, but all in all, exciting. And also I can make hot tea right here. People can go to the bathroom right out here. I could cook them fucking dinner in this place, and they could shower if necessary. fucking dinner in this place and they could shower if necessary so if there are any of anybody out there any of you celebrities or people that might be interesting wrong way to put that people who i've talked about wanting to talk to you know who you are if you listen if it's any sort of a perk you can shower here i'll have towels there's a full shower. You can cook here. If you want to bring over some

meat, we can cook it in the kitchen here at the studio. A lot of options now. Great refrigerator. It's a whole different ballgame here. I got closet space. If you want to store some stuff upstairs, you know who I'm talking to. I'm talking to you, Albert Brooks. If you want to come over and shower and have something to eat and make it yourself, or I'll cook it for you, we can do it all right here in this structure. Pretty exciting, isn't it? I would like to say this, though. I don't do many podcasts, but I did this kid, Rick Glassman. I don't know if you know him he's a comedian young guy he was also on the show undateable with delia and funches uh he asked me to be on his podcast i did not know what to expect did not know there was a video element did not know it was goofy and weird i should have

assumed as much but i decided to do the podcast it's called take your shoes off and you can listen to it uh wherever you get your podcast or you canes Off. And you can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can watch it on YouTube. You can get it through, I think, rickglassman.com. But it's a rare opportunity to see me pretty goofy. And I had a good time. And I did goofy shit. And I liked the kid.

But that's as far as I'm going to go. I have problems with him, which is one of the reasons I went on his show, but it was fun, and I don't say that too often. Is there something wrong with me? Am I going down the – what's going on? Is this the beginning of it? Also, live shows. Dean and I have a very good time on the road with or without you,

so you can come or you don't have to, but we're going to have a pretty good time anyways. But Orlando, Florida, I'm at the Hard Rock Live on February 14th, Valentine's Day. I will do some love material. I will talk about love in a way that'll make you happier with the person you're with. Then in the next night, I'll be at Tampa, Florida at the Strez. Man, we're going to the Strez Center on February 15th. Portland, Maine at the State Theater, February 20th. Providence, Rhode Island at Columbus Theater, February 21st. New Haven, Connecticut at College Street Music Hall, February 22nd. And Huntington, New York at the Paramount, February 23rd.

22nd and Huntington, New York at the Paramount, February 23rd. You can go to WTF pod.com slash tour for links to all the venues. By the way, did I mention Dan Levy is on the show? Not Daniel Levy. All right. It's not the guy from Schitt's Creek. It's not Eugene Levy's son. This is Daniel Levy.

His parents are different than them. And I like this guy. I like this kid. Another kid I like. I guess I'm at that age where I can say I like this kid. Right? I can. Fuck it.

I knew Dan Levy when he was a comic. Still, he's not much of a comic now. But he's the creator and executive producer of the new NBC comedy series, Indebted. The series premieres. It's tonight it premieres. February 6th. I'm sorry, I don't have that information. I didn't ask you for any information. Why does it just do that? Did I say something that would make Siri want to talk to me?

What information do you have? Hello? All right. make siri want to talk to me what information do you have hello all right yeah tonight his show premieres that's uh it's february 6th yeah it's tonight 9 30 8 30 central so not daniel levy it's dan levy that's got to be a fucking problem, right? Maybe it was insensitive of me to tweet when it was announced that Rush Limbaugh had stage four cancer for me to tweet the human cancer got cancer. Maybe it was insensitive. It was funny to certain people. It was dark and insensitive and cruel. Much like Rush Limbaugh. Hey, folks, my neck hurts. Let's read some emails. Can we? This one, subject line, finding your roots versus State of the Union. Dear Mark,

it's February 5th, the morning after the State of the Union, and I wanted to share this with you. My wife and I debated whether or not to watch the State of the Union. We are not fans of this POTUS and his lies and mistruths make us squirm, but we also felt it the duty as an American to watch the speech. And then it hit us, why not watch something else that will inspire us and call to our, as the President Obama would say, better angels. So we pulled up your episode of Finding Your Roots. We love the series and find the guests' reactions to their history fascinating and compelling. Watching the roots of experiences, the highs and lows that holds us together despite our often deep-seated differences in ideology, which is why the current disparagement of immigrants and refugees is so saddening and disappointing. Imagine having risked everything to come here, the last land of hope and opportunity, only to be shunned and bullied by the current

administration. Having seen the recaps of the State of the Union address, I feel we made the right choice. Enjoy all of your work, a fan Dirk in Nashville. Thanks for reaching out, Dirk. And I think you made the right choice as opposed to watching that professional wrestling-like shit show in the fucking Congress. Huh?

Right there in the Capitol. Just the greatest heel of all time. Healing it up. Man. Here's another one. Waiting for the punch, my new Bible. Hey, Mark and Brendan, I've been a listener and fan since I was in high school.

Your conversations on the podcast and your stand-up have helped me push through and navigate the fucked up trips that come with being a depressed brown kid in LA with more addictions. And he'd like to admit I'm working on it. I got waiting for the punch when it was first released, plowed through it one weekend and put it on a shelf. The book has since moved with me from place to place and most recently found a home on my work desk in Austin, Texas.

Today was a particularly rough day and before leaning into some bad habits, I decided to pick up the book. I don't know why I haven't done this since the first read. Something compelled me to pick it up and flip to a random page. I landed in the addiction chapter on an excerpt from Rob Delaney. What a guy. In that moment, I was able to get a taste of the warmth and clarity that the podcast consistently offers, a reminder that I'm not alone, a reminder to be kinder to others and myself, a reminder that it's going to be okay. I know I'm a little late, but I just wanted to say thank you to you and Brendan. The book is incredible. I plan to keep using it as a tool

for healing the way I assume people use the Bible or those positive affirmations books as I continue on the path to a better, healthier me. I think this approach to the book could help others, too. So feel free to share. Viva Boomer Elmer. Yes. Waiting for the punch is available in paperback. Sometimes I get hardbacks. I sell signed.

But it is helpful. It helped me. Every one of the fucking conversations I've had on this show have helped me in some way, have made me a more empathetic, wiser, smarter, happier person. And I'm glad that that comes through. I'm glad that you guys feel that. So this Dan Levy guy, feel that so this dan levy guy uh yeah dan levy the guy i talked to today i never disliked him but he always kind of had this you know kind of a precious haircut and this you know kind of dress kind of alt-e emo-e you know his comedy was okay he was always sort of around in the periphery but i never had anything against him and i never really knew him that well he was always sort of around in the periphery but i never had anything against him and i never really knew him that well but i always knew of him and i always ran into him

and he's always been sort of over there he's younger than me but then i heard he kind of made a show and i thought to myself good for that fucking kid i could you know it's like these guys who've kind of transitioned into writing and you you know, made a nice living for themselves, started families like normal fucking people. God bless them. And I don't even believe in God, but I want God to bless them. I'm proud of them. I'm happy for these youngsters that get out there and figure out how to have a responsible full life in fucking show business. Good for them.

God damn it. And this Levyvy fella he's one of them so right now let us talk to uh dan levy not daniel levy from schitt's creek but daniel levy the creator and executive producer of the new NBC comedy series, Indebted, which premieres tonight, February 6th at 9.30 p.m., 8.30 central. This is me and Dan. It's winter and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs, mozzarella balls, and arancini balls?

Yes, we deliver those. Moose? No. But moose head? Yes. Because that's alcohol, and we deliver that too. Along with your favorite restaurant food, groceries, and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly.

Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series, FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel.

To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series streaming February 27th exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. You have an issue with your name. Yes. It's a problem, buddy. Yeah.

So you're not Daniel Levy. No, I'm not Daniel Levy. I'm Dan Levy. Levy. My dad isn't Eugene Levy. My dad is Elliot Levy. Elliot and totally different. Very different. Same spelling of the

last name same spelling american i'm american he's canadian and uh yeah but my my dad was not yeah he's not uh eugene levy no no he's not the famous canadian comedic actor no he's uh you're not daniel levy the creator of schitt's Creek, who acts in the show with his father. Yes. No, no. I am Dan Levy. Dan Levy, son of Elliot Levy, who does what? I'm a comedian.

I created Indebted. Yes. The new show on NBC. Right. But your father does what? My father is a traveling salesman. So he sells like... He's still a traveling salesman?

Yeah. He's hoping to retire soon. But- He's still a traveling salesman? Yeah. He's hoping to retire soon, but yeah, he's been in sales his whole life. Uh-huh. Yeah. So very different. Very different people. So in order to find out about you, you sort of have to do like Dan Levy. Yeah, you got to go-

Comedian. Yes, yes, yes. Dan Levy comedian. Then you can find me. Oh, you're Levy. I got to remember that. Yeah. But you're not Levi. Yeah, you got to go. Comedian. Yes, yes, yes. Dan Levy comedian. Then you can find me. Oh, you're Levy. I got to remember that. Yeah. But you're not Levi.

No. Levi is the Canadian Levy. Right. And then I guess there was just like some guy named Dan Levy who was nominated for an Oscar. He's a composer. I was like, all right. Not that guy either.

No, not that guy. Well, you got one of those Jewish last names. I know. You know, it's been around a while. I know. I should have just had a, I should have been like Dan Rivers or something when I was at Dick Doherty's Comedy Vault. Dick Doherty, you're insecure.

That's your problem. Yeah. You're another good looking kid who does comedy. Keep falling. Stop falling. That's all I did at Dick Doherty's Comedy Vault. I would just fall on the stage to the point where I had to go to the hospital because I had a giant bruise that was growing on my arm. And I was like, is something wrong with me?

And they're like, what have you been doing lately? And I was like, I do this tequila joke where I fall on the floor and get up and fall again. And they're like, stop doing that. So wait, how do you? It's like the old joke. Yeah. Doc, it hurts when I do this. Yeah, stop doing it.

Yeah, exactly. But you, did you, wait a a minute so where'd you grow up i grew up in uh stanford connecticut but i have memories of you i mean like i knew you yes no i remember my first memory of you was at the gershwin hotel um my god and uh it was an open mic when they had that show Yes. And you were peering into the window. Really? Yes. And because I think you were just dating Misha. I think it was like the beginning.

Yeah, yeah. All right. So you were- That was the beginning, I think. And I remember seeing you and being like, oh, there's Mark Maron. I'm going to go talk to him. And I was like, hey. And clearly you were not interested in talking to a 20-year-old comedian.

And I was laughing. And I was like, what's going on? You're like, nothing. The show looks good. I was like, yeah. I love your comedy. You're like, I'm performing at Caroline's. I was like, cool. And on? You're like, nothing. The show looks good. I was like, yeah, I love your comedy. You're like, I'm performing at Caroline's. I was like, cool.

And then you gave me your email. You're like, you can come. And I was like, all right, cool. Really? Then I emailed you and then I came and you didn't talk to me afterwards. I was like, I guess we're not going to be friends. That was the story? That was the story. You had the Beatles haircut.

Yeah. John Lennon mid-period haircut. Right, yeah. I went through a lot. You had the Beatles haircut, like the John Lennon mid-period haircut. Right, yeah. I went through a lot of it. Well, I think in the beginning, my first look in stand-up was this giant, crazy spiked hair. Like I had giant spikes.

And then I went to the school. Oh, yeah, right. Yeah. And then I think- Then you had that sort of hipster Beatles-y look. Yeah, yeah. All terrible. But so wait, so was Mishnah on the show with you?

Yeah. So that was the deal? That was why I was over there? Yeah. And I thought you were just like wanting to hang out with you? Yeah. So that was the deal. That was why I was over there. Yeah. And I thought you were just like wanting to hang out with some cool comics. And I was wrong. So that was probably when we were sneaking around. Maybe.

Yeah. Maybe that's what I was. Maybe I was just messing up your whole sneaking situation. I was like, hey, there's Mark Maron. I think that might have been like, because we were kind of on the down low because there was an issue. We were both in a relationship with people. And I think that was one of those things

where she's like, when you're doing the bad thing like that, you're like, well, where can I see you? And she's like, well, I'm going to be out of, like any sort of opportunity you had to see each other outside of the relationships you're in, as opposed to just do the right thing and get out of those

yeah you're like i'll just go i'll be yeah hang out i'll see you today and i'll say hi and no we'll say anything and i'm like there's mark maron and you're like oh fuck this kid's blowing my cover i don't know what but yeah but i remember seeing you around a lot so you grew up in stanford how many like brothers and sisters i have one brother what's that guy do he does he have a different father named Eugene? Yeah, yeah. That's it. No, he's actually an agent. He's in New York.

And he works with comedy and writers in New York. Really? Yeah, yeah. What's that guy's name? Jonathan Levy. Huh. Not Levy. Jonathan Levy.

And your mom, were they married? Yeah, they were married. And they were just like, you know, classic, very, very you know jewish super jewish my mom's like crazy obsessed with me sort of thing oh really yeah from the very beginning from the very beginning always been obsessed with you yeah completely like and still obsessed with you oh yeah oh really oh yeah and your dad's just out selling things yeah my dad's just like on the road so like when I was first doing- Really?

Yeah, it was a crazy life. And like when I first started doing the road, like the colleges was the first thing I got into. And I remember my dad was like, let me look at your schedule. I'm going to meet you. Really? Yeah, he would meet me in airports and stuff.

Really? Yeah, oh yeah. What did he sell? What does a traveling salesman sell? Well, in like the height of the career, he he was selling the Magic Bullet, which was that blender. Come on. Oh, yeah. Swear to God.

So he would like- Go to malls? He'd go to supermarkets. Supermarkets stand there? No, not stand there. He'd go in the back and be like, you want to buy 7,000? Oh, so he's selling to retailers. He's not like doing the demonstration.

No, not demonstration. They're not his ideas, or else it would have been a different life for me. But yeah, so he would do that. And then he would look at my schedule when I was like starting touring, you know, and he was like, this is insane. You can't go like, you can't be in, you cannot be in like Long Island and then go to Florida and then go to Rhode Island. Like this doesn't make sense. I was like, yeah, you don't get it. Okay.

This is like paying my dues. Yeah. And then I remember I was in the mall. Paying your dues. is like paying my dues. Yeah. And then I remember I was in the mall. Paying your dues. I was paying my dues. And I remember I was in the mall like in Providence, you know, and the Neon Entertainment, the college agency called me, and they're like, started screaming at me.

And I was like, I do not represent your fucking father. And I was like, what? And I was like, what happened? He's like, your dad just called me and said that I don't know how to book colleges, and he's going to send me a fucking map. I was like, Dad, what the hell are you doing? And he's like, I don't understand what you're doing. That guy's an idiot.

I want to book your shows. And I was like, no, this is a nightmare. He was going to manage you? Yeah. He wanted to be in charge of my schedule. Oh, my God. Which college agent was that? That's memorable.

It was Neon Entertainment. I could go to NACA naca stand stand shake hands and just do a bunch of colleges yeah but your dad stepped in my dad stepped in and then the guy called you and was freaking out yeah they did that all the time i remember i wanted neon did yeah neon they'd call you and yell at you they yeah they'd be like what's going on like you're why is your dad forwarding me like you know your dad kept doing it. Yeah, my dad kept doing it. And then I was like, you got to stop because you don't understand. This isn't sales.

This is like comedy. It's going to be terrible. And I have to drive to Jamestown, New York and bomb and then come back. Oh, my God. Yeah. Hold on. I'm going to finish my smoothie. All right, do it.

Do you drink smoothies? Yeah. I like smoothies. Do you drink protein powder? Yeah. I mean, I go back and forth. I just hate making them. That's the best part, making them. Really?

You don't like them? Do you have a Vitamix? No, I have a Magic Bullet. I have an old Magic Bullet. You got to get a Vitamix. Yeah, I guess I should. You have an old Magic Bullet? It's nostalgia for you?

No. Is it what put me through college? No, it's just, I don't like cleaning the smoothies. So I just like go to a place, you know. I just don't know what's in protein powder. Like, it seems like it's, it's mysterious. And if I think about it, I'm like, I get it's vegetarian, it's vegetable protein. I believe the label, but what do we know about them?

We don't, I'm sure it's bad for everything. Everything ends like in like two years like oh if anyone ate eight way protein uh you now have cancer like god damn it oh god is that true i hope not i'm not vaping i know that all right so you're growing up when did you start doing uh the comedy i but let's think let's stay with your father so you had because i'm curious about that so you had magic bullets at home in the beginning yeah i mean there was like periods like he was you know my dad actually wanted to be in show business he came here in like 1978 or something to la to la it was here levy levy came out here in 1978 and was like i want to be in show business and uh what was his plan his didn't have a plan. Acting? Singing? Like producing.

Oh, he was going to produce. He was going to show up with a suitcase and be like, I'm ready to produce. Even though like in 1978, it kind of seemed that easy. It might have been. That was the transition. Yeah. And then he was here for six months. And then like my family was like, you got to come back to New York and sell belts.

What are you doing in LA? Sell belts? Yeah. Wait, so your grandparents were in the belt business? My uncle was. Your uncle was in the belt business? was like you got to come back to New York and sell belts what are you doing in LA yeah wait so your grandparents were in the belt business my my uncle was your uncle was in the belt business yeah he was like the on the in the fashion district exactly oh knockoff belts knockoff belts all that stuff so then yeah so then he had no choice because he didn't have any money or anything so they moved back so your father was this wayward brother who was sort of like you know the dreamer yeah kind of and your grandfather was in the fashion brother who was sort of like you know the dreamer yeah kind of

and your grandfather was in the fashion business yeah my uncle was yeah so they just how'd he get it how'd your uncle get in this is your dad's brother no it's my dad it's my mom's sister's brother my husband husband sorry yeah yeah oh okay so it's like second it's once removed yes your dad's really like it was a problem if your mom, his wife's sister's brother, like there's concern throughout the family. He's got kids. Oh, yeah.

And he ran to LA. No, it was, well, he didn't have kids yet. He was about to have a kid. In 78. Yeah. How old was he? In his 20s?

Yeah, and I was born in 81. So then they came back to Stanford because that's where they lived and he just- He took your mother out there? Yeah, yeah, she met him. To LA? Yeah, for like six months. But He took your mother out there? Yeah Yeah she met To LA

Yeah For like six months But they met in the East Coast Yeah they met at Sleepaway Camp At Sleepaway Camp? Yeah they've been together since they were 15 That's crazy

It's insane So your mom's father's in the fashion business? No one's in the fashion business but your mom's sister's husband? Yeah Was in the knockoff like in the belts

The knockoff belt business Exactly It's very impressive So your dad Was in the knockoff belt business. Exactly. It's very impressive. So your dad, he gives up his vague production dream? Yeah. And he's like, all right, I guess. Does he have any stories from out here? I mean, no.

No, I guess they lived on, where did they live? They lived off Sunset and La Brea. But was he just out of college or something? What did he do before that? No, nothing. This was what he always wanted to do. He got married and they're like, he's like, I'm going to go to LA. I'm going to do this.

And he came to LA. He met one guy, this guy, Steve, who's like a second AD. That was his connection. That was my connection. When I moved to LA, he's like, call Steve. And I met Steve and he was a second AD. And he was like, this is very hard. And I was like, okay, thanks.

And that was it. Steve. Yeah. Do you still like, this is very hard. And I was like, okay, thanks. And that was it. Steve. Yeah. Do you still talk to him? I don't. I don't. He wasn't. There was one time where I was making like a web series for Comedy Central and I called

him to like help me. Yeah. And my budget was like $3,000 and I sent him the script and he's like, I looked it over. I'm going to need $300,000 and you're going to need 30 days. And I was like, all right, Steve,ve i'm literally never gonna talk to you again so how did your dad know steve he does i guess he had he had a job on he had a job when he first got here and he just met him there i forget what i don't know what the job was really i don't know but he didn't come out here completely blind yeah he just uh he had one job yeah. But you don't know what the job was. Not what the job was.

It was in show business. It was in show business, yeah. And then he went back, just not wanting to go back, but they went back, and then he started working in belts and this whole business. In New York. In the 80s, and then that was good. And then he basically realized that... He made a lot of money?

I think he made okay money in the beginning. But your mother's sister's brother probably made some money huh i think so you don't know it seemed like a big time for knockoffs it did but it didn't see i mean no it didn't seem that way based on everyone's lifestyle i mean i don't know growing up you didn't think like you didn't go over to that guy's house and go like holy shit yeah yeah yeah no one lived on Long Island? No, no one lived on Long Island. They were just like in Connecticut and it was, it was fine.

All right. And then, yeah, and then I think at one point like my dad was like, I don't want to do this and then try to like get into like, you know,

just random Connecticut production work and I was like, What? Yeah, yeah. How old were you? I was probably like 12. And he just wanted, like he's like,

is there a film shooting here? Yeah, he basically was like, I'm going to try to like do production and I was 12 and I know what he's talking about? I was probably like 12. And he just wanted, like, he's like, is there a film shooting here? Yeah. He basically was like, I'm going to try to like do production. And I was 12. I know what he was talking about. I was like, okay. And then that was him just basically not working for a decade. And then.

Okay. Yeah. And then. So is your mom working? Yeah. My mom was in like education. So my mom was, you know, running a. That's vague.

What? She worked for Head Start. Oh, okay. And then, so she did that pretty much the whole time as my dad sort of figured out um that he was mad that he wasn't in la and he left and then and then he got it back into sales like later in the 90s so after the decade of production local production well yeah you choose just trying to figure it out like looking back he was just trying to figure out what to do yeah yeah how's he now now he's good now he's like yeah now he's very chill i mean he always was a huge stoner like my whole life like i remember like going to a concert for the first time and like

smelling weed and being like oh daddy like that's what he is so he used to like i think during that time how old is he he's 68 so he's like a bonafide kind of um 10 12 years older than me so he's like you know like a 60s guy kind of almost 70s maybe yeah just like a stoner yeah stoner and like i think like music guy he's not no baseball guy oh just loves baseball and love david letterman that's's really what I remember. He would read the baseball encyclopedia and then laugh really loud at Letterman and then go to sleep and then start his day again. That was it.

He screamed at us constantly when we were younger, and I feel like that was part of his frustration. But now I think he's gotten older and he's happy and he's just high and he's just chilling. He umpires on the weekends. Oh, yeah? He loves umpiring. What's your mom do?

My mom's retired now, so my mom just chills and just calls me constantly and tells me about her friends, kids, I don't know, and their IVF and all that kind of stuff. So this is your life. This is my life. But it doesn't seem like you're not traumatized. like you didn't you're not traumatized no i mean i'm not i wouldn't say i'm traumatized but i think like part of probably like my my drive to like succeed and all that kind of stuff probably comes from that time in my life where like i look back and like i don't want to be him like my day yeah like what was he you know he wasn't you know he always says like he's like he jokes around but he's like i wish i knew you when i moved to la you know because like you know to me like he wish he had my he was he wishes that i was his connection because you know he looks back

he lives vicariously through me so he's no self-involved i mean i think they yeah i think everyone is right no no i know i mean they are but to a degree where he still like looks back as that there's this weird kind of missed opportunity like that things didn't work out for him somehow. Yeah, like he talks about it. He talks about it as you get older, you think about that. But I think like me and like my career has like been so awesome for him, especially this show is like based on my parents.

So it's like- This one. Yeah, this show. Yeah. So he gets to like, you know, hang out with Steven Weber and tell him to wear an Abraham Lincoln shirt. And like, you know, he likes that. So they've always been good with that,

with like early on in my standup, he would like drive me, you know, like back and forth. So you didn't go to college? I did. I went to Emerson. Oh, that's right. Yeah. So you're in Stanford and then you decide you want to pursue show business or entertainment or, yeah, Emerson is a show business school, really, kind of.

Yeah. But they had the bread to put you in Emerson. So you must have done all right with the magic bullets. Yeah. We got, you know, got college loans, all that kind of stuff. Oh, you did? Yeah, exactly. And then I went to- And you went through the full four years in Emerson?

I did like three and a half, but I did finish. But I just got through it just quickly because I was just dying to get to LA and perform. I was just so focused. At Emerson, all I did was stand up like really that was the that was the dream why did you choose emerson you'd heard what i heard that comedians went there and i um david cross yes leary exactly i think stephen wright yes stephen wright yes eddie brill of course uh mike bent the magician he taught a comedy class yes mike bent uh yeah that's right leary taught there and bent mike bent is my generation he magician, he taught a comedy class. Yes, Mike Bent. So that's right.

Leary taught there. And Mike Bent is my generation. He taught there as well? He taught me, yeah. He taught me like a comedy class. Really? Yeah. So what are the classes you take in Emerson?

This is when there was only one Emerson. It was down on Beacon or wherever. Yeah. Commonwealth. Where was this? Down right by the Fenway, kind of. Yeah, it was. Not really.

By the bridge there. It was off of Beacon Street fenway kind of yeah it was a really by the bridge there it was off of uh beacon street wasn't that was yeah when i was there it was still beacon and it was also boylson and tremont and now it's the entire boylson street right and there's one here too i think yeah there's one in la yeah yeah yeah yeah so yeah when so i just went there because i was like comedy will that's where comedy is and uh i just just and like day one i went to the open mic which was the dick dory's comedy vault i met dan mince you know 20 years ago that night and we became like good friends i haven't heard his name in a while how's he doing he's doing great you know he's the

voice of tina and bob's burgers and he uh right yeah but what's he doing like is he producing something or doing he writes on my show oh he does yeah yeah good good yeah and um uh and we just performed that night, and then I basically did stand-up like every, I don't know, it was like 14 times a week. I was like, open mic, comedy studio, comedy. The Comedy Connection was still Faneuil Hall, and it was just like nonstop.

It was insane. Compulsive. Compulsive. I was psychotically obsessed with it. So who was your generation there in Boston, though? So Mintz, he's not from that area, is he? Well, he's from Alaska, but he started at that time. Yeah. And you're dealing with Dick Dougherty, who I dealt with.

Yeah. Dick Dougherty, he'd come in the back with his weird hat and he would just sort of judge you. And then Joey was at the Comedy Connection with the stopwatch. And you'd be like- I don't know Joey. Joey. Yeah. I don't know where he is. Oliver was the guy at the Comedy Connection. I hated him. He'd stand there with the stopwatch. And if you went, like I remember one time, if you went over Yeah, I don't know where he is. Oliver was the guy at the Comedy Connection. I hated him. Yeah, he'd stand there with the stopwatch, and if you went, like I remember one time, if you went over your seven minutes, one time I went 7.16.

On an open mic. On an open mic, yeah. It was the Robbie Prince show. Yeah. And he would be like, and I'd be like, fuck, I was so excited, killed. And he'd be like, you fucking went 16 seconds over. You're never fucking coming back to this fucking place again.

It's insane. Robbie Prince started when I was there. Yeah. He was a kid. I think he won a contest or something. Yeah. He used to do a song to close. Yeah, he did a Trader Joe's joke there, I remember, and didn't get it.

He did a song to a Billy Joel song, I think. He's like, I don't like the bar scene. It's full of sleazes. You can get diseases. Yeah, sounds right. kevin knox was was there noxie noxie yeah he was just yeah r.i.p and uh and gary goldman was just like he was the big he was the big guy like when i got the boss in 99 he already was like head to la did the tonight show goldman goldman yeah no kidding yeah yeah and he was, and Eugene Merman. What year is this? This was 99. So Goldman, because I missed Goldman's rise to whatever.

I met Goldman fully formed at a different time. So he was a guy that, and Eugene Merman, that was a different scene. Because that's the one thing you had in Boston was like, you had the comedy studio alt scene later on, but then you had the kind of provincial uh dug in boston thing yeah like next comedy like the noxies and the mermans don't cross no but but i was you know i was so young and i didn't even i was just so like perform anywhere so i would just bounce back and forth you know i'd be like right i'd open like adam ferrara comic connection then i'd be like performing on a rug in front of five people like you know in in in Harvard Square somewhere. Right. So they had that stuff there. Yeah.

Yeah. And then when did you decide? So you rushed. You stacked your classes so you could get out early? Yeah. I rushed. Because basically in, I think I was 20, I got selected to be in the Aspen Comedy Festival, the funniest college comedian thing. And I got flown to Aspen.

I was like 20 aspen i was like 20 and it was like this from new york from boston oh and it was you're still in college i'm still in college yeah and i went and it was like the first time where it was like you know and like a real like serious like industry event sort of thing but whose festival was it then was it still hbo it was hbo yeah lou viola saw me a comedy connection because his daughter went to school in boston I think. Okay, yeah. So he came in.

So he was scouting around. Lou with his long gray hair and beard. Yeah, exactly. Fucking Lou Viola. What's he up to now? I don't know, but I remember just being like, oh my God, it's Lou Viola. I know, I remember that. I had the same feeling about Lou Viola.

These people that used to be important. I know. Then you look back and you're like, why the fuck was I freaking out? Freaking out. Freaking out, Freaking out. Sweating. Well, because these people at different moments have power, right? So he had power over that thing.

Yeah. And of course, it was reasonable to freak out. You wanted to do the thing. Oh my God. But then if you live long enough, you're like, that's the guy that used to be the thing guy? Yeah. I think he's like a pot farmer now. I'm not even joking. It's like you care so much about these people.

And then it's like, oh, you're not even around. I know. I remember running into him again. He was like, he's not even in the business or something. Yeah, that happens where you get so stressed out. Then you meet. I remember there was some also, like some executive sometime who was killing me. And then I remember finding out.

He's like, oh, yeah, he works in fashion now. I'm like, he's giving me comedy notes for five finding out he's like oh yeah he works he works in fashion now i'm like he's giving comedy notes for five years he's out he's out oh my god that's so true yeah there was always those people i had a i had a fundamental disrespect for the other side of the business that didn't really benefit me i'm aware yeah what are you aware of i just didn't i didn't understand that you you had to you know kind of reach across yeah i know you know that about me yeah you've heard yeah like from you on this podcast yeah for years for years and years talking about it for years it's like adam carolla and his construction job. It happened a long time ago. It was clearly life-defining,

but you should be over it by now. Yeah, but you're not, and that's fine. That's what makes it you. I'm over it. So Lou Viola gets you the gig in Aspen. Yeah, and then everything changes? I mean, I think everything changes. You know, like I go to Aspen,

I perform this thing. Who else is on it? It was a bunch of college comics. The only comedian who I, the only person to stand up is matt goldich who's a funny guy who writes on seth meyer show but but that was it was you know we were all like 19 like college college kids none of them are around anymore uh no no and uh and then uh i won that and then i you won it i won it like i was like i won you know with my disc man, like listening to Green Day, getting pumped for the shows. And I won that. And then I got put on like another show with like, like the regular, you know, because I was a college winner.

So I got put on like the show with like Geraldo and Gaffigan and like clearly was not as good as those guys, but thought I was. Right. And that's sort of what, you know, drove my. Did you do all right on that show? I did. Okay. Yeah, I did. Okay. But I was. In Aspen. It though? I did okay. Yeah, I did okay.

In Aspen. Because it's hard to perform there. Yeah. It's a terrible place to do comedy. You can't breathe. Audiences are terrible. Yeah, it's not great. It's like rich people and executives, and you can't breathe.

Ski people and locals. Exactly. But it was just this sort of amazing experience, because I was super young. It was my first real experience with show business in a way where Steve Martin was there. And I was walking up to people the Wayne's Brothers in elevator I was like hey I'm Dan I just won this festival thing and they're like we don't give a shit but I was so happy I was the same way were you like I'm here and they're like what yeah no one cares well it's like it but you realize as like now

when you when you meet these people and you're working in the business you're on shows forever that this is just the job this is their life yeah right so that and you're like i did it what what did you do you did nothing you're here you got you flew you took a terrible scary flight to aspen dipped into the into the like weird the jet and dropped into the bowl there yeah and you're performing in a ball room yeah in a place it's not good for comedy. Yeah. Oh, you're performing in the ballroom, like at that hotel. Yeah, exactly. George Lopez introduced me. Oh, good.

Well, there you go. That's exciting. Yeah, it was a good time. Yeah. Yeah, he was a nice guy. At the hotel, what was that? The Jerome. Yes.

Yeah. Yeah. I went to that a couple times. That must have been near the end of it. It was. It was, because then that was it. But then I remember being so upset because I did that. And then the next year was Montreal.

And I couldn't do new faces because technically I was done. So I went and just did it. And that's where I saw you again for the second time. And I didn't see you since the Gershwin. I remember being like, hey, Mark. And you're like, ah, look at you, you shiny fuck. You're always pretty well put together. Did I say that?

I believe. Yeah, something. I remember everything that people say to me because i was like there he goes we're friends well i always i i thought like that kid's got his shit together and he's clearly puts a lot of effort into you know dressing and whatnot yeah like you had a thing going yeah and i and i decided that you were like not part of the problem, but that I was going to, for some reason, just bust your balls. Yeah, but I loved it. Yeah. Yeah, because I remember seeing your different points. So in Montreal, then what happened?

Then Montreal. Then at that point, I had all. And so the Montreal thing was basically I had my managers. Were you like, but I won in Aspen. Come on, can't I just? It was the manager. The manager. Oh, that was, I went with Brillstein.

That was Brillstein at that point. With Bernie? No, no, no. Which guy? It was Tim Sarkis was my manager. Sarkis, that's good. That's the David Cross, John Groff. Yeah, exactly.

That's pedigree. Is he still your guy? He's not my guy, but he's a good guy. I just was so new. Sarkis signed you. Where did he your guy? He's not my guy, but he's a good guy. I just was so new. Sarkis signed you. Where did he sign you? He signed me. Out of Aspen?

Yeah, I did that, and then I came for my first generals in LA, and I met him then, and then he signed me there. So people were banking on you? People were banking on me. Sarkis doesn't fuck around. Sarkis doesn't fuck around. Sarkis wouldn't sign me. You weren't as shiny.

No, I definitely was not shiny. I was problematic. I had to go into Dave Becky's office when he wasn't even a real manager yet. He was still working

at the improv? No, it was after that. He was sort of a half a manager at Jimmy Miller's company. Right. You know,

and I knew he managed Tom Rhodes, so I was sort of like, he'll manage you? And I would go in there and I'm like, come on. You manage Rhodes. And he sat me down in front of Jimmy Miller. Jimmy Miller looked at me and goes, is he a little good and a little bad?

Oh, wow. But we're all friends now. It's one of those things. It all worked out. It worked out okay. Some people are bigger than me, make a lot more money. But yeah, I found my way. It's in my house, it turns out. Look at it. It's so nice. I love this place. It turns out it's just in my my way. Yeah, it all worked out. It's in my house, it turns out.

Yeah, look at it. It's so nice. I love this place. It turns out it's just in my house. I got to move to this neighborhood. It's in my garage. Yeah. What neighborhood do you live in?

You don't have to say, because people probably confuse you with the other Dan Levy. Yeah, and then- Go to that neighborhood looking for him, and you'll go outside and go like, no, it's the other guy. I don't know where he lives. My dad's Elliot for the 25th time. So, okay. So, Sarkis, he's your guy in Montreal? He's my guy, but he was so my guy, I believe, in Montreal, he didn't come,

and someone else from the company. That's kind of, so, okay. Because I realized, you know, I first. So Sarkis was, that's what they, he said, like, yeah, you're the guy, and then immediately he's like, hey, take care of this kid, you know, because I haven't got, I got Dave Cross business and John Groff business. So who did he put you on?

And then there was this guy. Who's the other guy? The other guy was this guy, Jay. Yeah. And then my friend Brad was also like interning and he was, it was not a good situation. So Brad ended up managing you? No, he was just the

guy i talked to him be like hey is it normal that managers don't call their clients back it is it turns out yeah and then it's awful it's awful and i remember that that year i just would call him constantly and he wouldn't call him back yeah and then for christmas i got gave him a phone and i remember he called me he's like people are laughing so hard about the phone i was like that's so funny but honestly call me back that's what they they always do that where they they they didn't they like knowing that you're frustrated and you you break through with something clever and funny and they acknowledge it but then they go right back to right back taking your call exactly yeah it's so funny uh take care of yourself good luck out there so how how many years was it before you realized, like,

I gotta find someone who takes my calls? Oh, several. I think it was probably five years or something. I was with Becky for 20 years. Oh my god, yeah. I was almost with three. No, I was with three arts. I was with three arts like a couple years ago. But I've been through all the managers. I like them all,

but now I don't have a manager and it's fine. It's fine? Yeah. You don't need one? I mean, not right. You got a lawyer? Yeah, I got a lawyer. You got an agent. I got friends. I don't know.

I feel like I call people because this is a thing. But you're writing, so what are you going to do? What am I going to do? Yeah. But now, it seems like you should, maybe not. You're a showrunner now. Yeah, I'm a showrunner. I mean, I still go out and perform every once in a while.

No one cares. No one cares. No one's filling a theater to be like, oh yeah, let's go check out the showrunner of Indebted and see what he has to say. He has some jokes from 2007. But he used to write on the Goldbergs. Yeah.

I got Goldberg jokes. I got all sorts of stuff. I didn't mean to be mean. But see, that's what you bring out of me. There's a moment. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, that's it. It's like the old days. Yeah, we're back. Yeah, that's it. It's like the old days.

Yeah, we're back. No one cares. We're back. You're sneaking around. I'm blowing your spot. You're making fun of me. Yeah, it's great. But what does happen?

Because, like, who did I talk to? Was it Adam? Who was in here? Adam? Pally. Pally, yeah. Because he's on the show, right? Yeah, he's the show.

He is the show. Yeah, he's on the show. Yeah, he is. He's the main guy. He's the guy. He's he's on the show. Yeah, he's the main guy. He's the guy. He's playing, not you. He's playing a version of me. Yeah, it's like how they're playing a version of my family, yeah.

But this didn't really happen. Did it really happen? Well, I mean, yeah. I mean, not exactly what happened, but basically, you know, we talked a little bit about, like, my parents sort of, like, you know, how they've lived their life. And then about, like, a year, yeah, like a year and a half ago, I was talking to them of like you know how they've lived their life and then um about like a year yeah like a year and a half ago i was talking to them about you know long-term health care because i have a lot of friends who are sort of like dealing with their

folks you know their folks and i was like so do you guys have that like what's your plan and my mom was like no i was like what she's like we'll come out to california you know i was like what do you mean you'll come out to cal? She's like, we can hang out. You know, we can live here. You know, it's fine. It's fine. You're so great. And I was like, mom, no, it's not.

No. Like she's, her whole thing is like, she just thinks I'm so like successful and everything is just, I'm going to take care of everything. And I was like, we need to make a plan like that. You guys cannot just move in with me and my family. Like, because like you're, you want to come to California. Where is she from? She's from New York?

She's from Brooklyn. Yeah. Oh, so she actually talks like that that's my friend dresser is playing here she actually talks like a brooklyn jewish lady oh yeah totally oh wow yeah so their plan was sort of like he's successful and he's got a place in his house and we'll live there yeah but i don't really that's what that was a thing like it's a it's what there wasn't really like a place so i was like we need to you know sort of sit you down and figure it out. So we kind of started like organizing like their retirement and their sort of plan.

And that's when I was like, I should pitch the show because this is insane. So are they here? No, now they're in Connecticut, but they're getting ready to, you know, they want to move here, but they're not sure because my brother's got a baby in Brooklyn.

It's a whole thing. But you got babies here, right? I got babies here, yeah. How many babies? I got, not really babies, but I have a five-year-old and a seven-year-old. How old's your brother's kids? A baby, like three months old.

Oh, well, yours are gonna remember them. They should come out here for a few years. And then when that kid, the brother's kid turns into a person. And ship them back. Yeah, go back there. Come on. There's a plan.

I made the plan. Thank you. Go call my mom. She'll be happy to talk to you. But, all right, so, but after, like, the thing is, this is one of those situations There's a plan. I made the plan. Thank you. Go call my mom. She'll be happy to talk to you. All right. But after, the thing is, this is one of those situations where they ask me, do you want to talk to Dan Levy? Yeah.

Not Levy. I'm like, yeah, I know that guy. But when I knew you, you're just this kid with a haircut. And then all of a sudden, I'm like, what the fuck is he's running? He made a show? kid with a haircut and then like all of a sudden i'm like what the fuck is he's running he made a show he's running he's one of those guys that figured this out a way to make a living without drag you know wandering around the city well doing the road really what happened was i was on i was like on the road like in 2000 like i remember you were trying yeah i was trying hard i was everywhere

and i hit a million miles i I was performing wherever I could. I was doing the Comedy Central Presents with bangs. I was doing all that stuff. That's the bangs, right. And a vest. And then it was- I just did a special with a vest. Was that a mistake for you?

A hundred percent, yes. I feel like it's going to be a mistake for me too. Yeah, yeah, you know what? Because I bought the vest and I thought, this looks pretty good, but I haven't worn it since I did the special. Oh, yeah.

I can't. I don't know why I do that. I can't ever do any throwback Thursdays because it's completely embarrassing and I'm like, you know what? I'm not going to just- But you were like, so we have things in common. So you're the guy that bought the thing for the special and never wore it again? Yeah.

I can't wear it. You don't- I mean, you should Google Dan Levy Comedy Center Presents. I did a- Okay. I wore like a- I wore a suit. I did a special like three years ago, whatever it was, and I wore a suit i did i did a i did a special like four three years

ago whatever it was and i wore a nice suit that that's a good look but but anyways yeah it was i was you know trying i was on the road i was doing all all the things and then um i was always like you know writing scripts and stuff and then it was the year that I wrote a script. Oh, geez. Yeah, you see? Look at it. Dude. I'm telling you. Oh, my God. Yeah. Everything's bad in that picture. Yeah, just don't even.

But you know what's horrible? You look a lot like me. Yeah, people used to say that. Yeah, I mean, I feel like that must have been why I was like, I like that guy somehow. We're connected because he's like a little version of me. Yeah. Yeah, but I had hair like that must have been why I was like, I like that guy somehow. We're connected because he's like a little version of me. Yeah, but I had hair like that too, but this was not, and you were pudgy.

Yeah, I think, well, I wouldn't say I was pudgy, but I mean, I guess I was a little bit. Maybe it was something about the vest and everything. No, I mean, I wasn't working out or anything. I was just sort of, you know, eating candy. You know, you had sort of this kind of like early alt-rock thing going, you know, eating candy. You know, you had sort of this kind of like early alt rock thing going, you know, right? Yeah. I was just sort of grasping at straws. I think I was like, I'll wear this vest.

I'll take this haircut. You know, I always was, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Like, who am I? Maybe this will make it clear. And it did not. That's a bold look with the tie loose. But it's not really a cool vest it looks like from a suit that your dad had or something no it was fully picked out for the special it was uh i did that too i have a history of bad haircuts and bad fashion yeah it's it's not great now i feel like i'm that's okay but um you seem to have leveled off. Thanks. I just stopped trying so hard. But after Montreal, so you settled into New York? No, after Montreal, I moved to LA.

And then- But weren't you in New York doing comedy? I was. It was weird because I was in, I was just basically back and forth a lot because my parents were in Stanford. So I'd be in Boston and then I would drive into the city to do spots. I got passed at the comic strip. Lucian Holds, you know, came over. He was like, you could be good here.

So I would like drive in and do the check spots. He liked you because you weren't angry. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then same with like the Cellar. Like all those places I just started performing so I just didn't want to give up not being able to perform there. Right.

So I just started driving back and forth. Right. Yeah. Yeah, and didn't tell anybody. Didn't tell anybody. Sure, I can do any spot you want. Yeah. Don't sleep. What am I doing? Yeah. Now I'm in North Right. Yeah. Yeah, and didn't tell anybody. Didn't tell anybody. Sure, I can do any spot you want. Yeah. Don't sleep.

What am I doing? Now I'm in North Haven. Yeah. So you did that? I did that. And then I moved here. And then I basically was performing and trying to write. I was interested in writing, you know, like interested in writing scripts and stuff.

You were? Yeah. And you actually did it. And I actually did it. So you didn't have any drug problems? No. No, I was, before I went to Emerson? Yeah. And you actually did it. And I actually did it. So you didn't have any drug problems? No. No, I was, before I went to Emerson, there was a girl I knew from Connecticut who went to Emerson and immediately got hooked on heroin.

So I was like completely- In Boston? In Boston. At that era? Yeah. Wow. So I was very- That's ambitious.

I was very stressed about heroin. very ambitious i was very stressed about heroin so when i first went to emerson i didn't i was first school i wasn't doing anything and then i slowly began just like smoking pot constantly and that was that was pretty much high a lot of the early aughts just constantly high yeah and that was pretty much it but i didn't get deep into heroin scary so but you're able to get the work done that somehow or another here's the fucking problem and this is was let's get to the resentment issue so like you were able somehow like you you were gung-ho you were doing the comedy you were doing the road you fucking you know you were in it to win it and fucking be the comic guy but somehow or another you knew that you

weren't going to be essentially that and that this other option was probably good yeah well i wasn't i didn't really know i when i first started doing it i wasn't sure what was going to happen but i was i was just writing it and i was like you know oh okay i'll write a show i'll be in the show and i'll you know that that will be my thing that was the goal of everybody like you want to be the sitcom the center of a sitcom right exactly that so you're in la you're doing stand-up are you making but were you getting what were you headlining yeah i was headlining because i was on a lot of like random mtv bullshit like in the early 2000s so i was hosting mtv things so i would go and like you were annoying yeah yeah exactly yeah so and then

i was like super high energy you know i was everything you didn't want to see. And then you're the things that I could have done if I let myself be that pandering. And you represented to me some version of me that didn't happen, but I kind of think it should have. But instead, I'll resent you. Right. So here I am at Go Bananas bombing with spiky hair. Go Bananas. Go Bananas bombing with spiky hair. Go Bananas. Go Bananas.

Where was that place? Cincinnati. Oh, yeah. That's right. I had a bad night there. Yep. So did I. One time it went so bad. I think one night it was like I thought I saw.

I had the one of those things where I thought I saw the light. Yeah. So I just got off. It was going bad. And it was like, thank God I got the light. Good night, Cincinnati. And while I was on stage in the book, it was like, you did 21 minutes. god I got the light goodnight Cincinnati and walked off stage and the booker was like you did 21 minutes did you have to go back out

yeah they're like you gotta go I was like sorry what's up go back out I went there

the guy booked me thinking that I was a huge star because of Air America and he paid me he made a deal for a fucking insane amount of money

and I sold like 12 tickets and it was just the fucking worst. Like at the end of it, I'm like, you don't have to give me all the money. He's like, no, I made a deal. I'm like, yeah, but you're never going to work me here again. Like I made a deal. I'm like, all right, fuck it.

Oh my God. And you did 23 minutes? No, I did the whole time. I'll do the time. That's one thing I learned. You're going to do the fucking time. It might be terrible yeah but i did it got to yeah if anything i'm i get in trouble for going too long like i that that's my even if

i'm sucking if i'm sucking i'd go longer i know you love the you love the in between you love the in between the jokes and people just waiting i don't know what it is i like but like i think really if i assess it properly it's sort like, I don't want them to be able to say that they didn't get their money's worth. Like if I'm terrible, like I'm going to keep trying. Yeah. And it just gets ridiculous. And instead of doing an hour, I do an hour and 45, none of it good.

But they can't, they're going to leave going like, he tried. He tried. He was there for three hours. We just couldn't get us we held out there was one night in orlando where i did uh i go there i don't have good feeling about it no it was it was it was it was for puma and it was like i don't know if i could say what it was but they uh was it that bad well they still associated with me with it. So I wore, yeah. So I went, it was like a fashion show thing that they're like, we're going to have you.

And the same sort of thing. They were paying me like too much money, especially then to do this. And I got there and they're like, Hey, just so you know, it's going to be like, you know, there's me 10,000 people and you're going to come out after this fashion show and you're going to have to do like a lot of material and, you know, write a lot of golf jokes. So I'd like a conference call about golf jokes. Which company sent you on this? MTV?

Yeah, it was an MTV Puma thing. And then I get there, and they're like, hey, just so you know, there's only going to be like 5,000 people. And I'm like, okay, that's fine. They're like, you still got the golf jokes? I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they put me on a bus. I get to the Orlando airport or whatever,

and they're like, hey, just, you know, there's like, we're hoping like 1,500 people here now. So I'm like, cool, cool. I get backstage you know there's like you know there's like uh like we're hoping like 1500 people here now you know so just i'm like cool cool i get back i get backstage and there's all these people just naked putting on puma like clothes for the fashion show yeah and uh and then i i go i get right to the the rope right by the curtain yeah and the stage manager is like there's 200 people outside so just have fun and i was like okay 10,200 and i go out stage and i'm like hello orlando and i realize I'm on a catwalk so I put my set list of my like jokes that I wrote about like Tiger Woods wherever the hell it was on the

stool and I walk all the way down the catwalk and I'm like hey Orlando how's it going and it's fucking dead silence like no one wants to be there and I was like I got some jokes and then I realized all my jokes were on the stool so I just quickly like slowly head up the runway just walking very quickly and I grabbed the joke and And it had some terrible Buick jokes. And it was terrible. And it was one of those things where I was like, they're not going to pay me. And then I got some email on Monday being like, thank you so much. We all loved it.

And I was like, you guys weren't there, but I don't care. Yeah. Those are the worst. But did they pay you? They paid me. Those were terrible. Yeah. Oh, my God, man.

I used to do, like when I worked for Comedy Central, they would want you to represent the network or whatever right yeah so they'd be like you know so-and-so from promotions is gonna contact you about this show that maybe you have they want Comedy Central talent for the advertisers so you go do those things and they're never good yeah no it's always bad you always feel bad yeah not not great so you're dressed up in Puma and yes I'm just bombing in a No, it's always bad. You always feel bad. Yeah. Not great. So you're dressed up in Puma. Yeah, someone's bombing in a Puma hat. You walk with the money, and then your agent's going,

I heard it went great. Like, who'd you fucking talk to? There's no way that went great. And they don't even give a fuck. I'm like drafting an apology email. And right when the other one comes through, good job. Like, oh, good. can't we do it again the worst terrible so all right so you're out here you're you're headlining you're going back and forth you're doing club work but what you don't draw or you do you draw a little bit like a draw people oh oh yeah no no like in your heyday in no at the peak of it in the at the peak of your

face or mine yeah is that was that an mtv show yeah yeah uh yeah like i feel like at the peak i'd go to that remember that terrible club deja vu comedy club man where was that uh like middle of it was in the middle of missouri yeah like i don't think i did that yeah it was it was it was not great and i would go there and people would show up and i'd be like i got't think i did that yeah it was it was it was not great and i would go there and people would show up and i'd be like i got a demo yeah really those are your people those are my people just like you you would be put on the road yeah you put on the road as like mtv but you yeah and then but it was it was fine you know i was still doing lots of colleges i did the college humor tour that was like where i would do a lot of stuff and so you were you were a successful

naca act um yeah i was pretty yeah i was pretty successful i'd be so you go do the queen show That was like where I would do a lot of stuff. So you were a successful NACA act? Yeah, I was pretty successful. So you'd go do the clean show thing and a bunch of colleges would be like, we want them to come to our school. Exactly. And then I'd go and not be clean and then they'd be upset. And I was like, what am I supposed to do? I've been doing comedy for like six years. You want me to do an hour clean?

I have to curse a lot. Talk about my dick or something. Yeah, right. For an hour. How am I going to close? How am I going to close? I have a giant condoms joke that i have to close with or else it's not gonna go well no one is gonna know it's over i've been perfecting my tequila fall it's gotta happen dick tardy says i gotta keep falling yeah and then uh and then it was actually uh whitney cummings

because we were uh both like writing pilots and she was like hey if if if my show gets picked up, would you want to help me punch it up? Because we always wrote jokes together and stuff. Really? How did you know Whitney? Just from stand-up in LA. Are you the same generation, kind of? Kind of. She started after me, but we just became friends.

How old are you? I'm 38. You're around the same age yeah and we hosted a show together at m bar we just became like really good friends yeah and then um and then she was like hey i'm doing this i have this pilot two book girls and i'm doing a show whitney if it uh if they get picked up would you want to help me do it and i was like sure i mean let me know and then i just and then the shows got picked up and i worked on her first show whitney and then you picked the wrong one i picked the wrong one that's where

she was and uh and then uh and then i went there and then that was the first time i was ever in a sitcom writers room ever and i was like oh this is a whole i did not know what this was and i was still like doing random colleges like that first year of being in a sitcom room i was still yeah i'm winning i was still like traveling i was like doing some stupid red bull thing i was like but she didn't know much either did she she had never really been in a room no had she so she wrote this thing and she was learning on the fly as well at least you had a peer in the situation yeah like at least i knew what she thought was funny i mean i didn't know like how at all how a sitcom is run who was in the room who was running the show who was bet running Whitney? Betsy Thomas was running Whitney.

Oh, okay. And it was just really, it was a crazy experience because it was that thing that you hear about. You know, it's like every week they'd want to change what the show was about. It should be about her friend. It should be about her relationship.

It should, let's have. So there was problems immediately. Yeah. Is what you're saying. Yeah, it was just, it was difficult. And she was, you know. And it was on the air. It was on the air, yeah. On NBC? It was on NBC it was on NBC yeah and it was like it was a Delia was

the love interest yeah Delia was a love interest and it was just uh and it was just like this intense sort of I remember when it was happening yeah there was billboards everywhere and it was like yeah because I think she asked me to play a part of a psychiatrist in one of the episodes and I was like yeah you said no yeah yeah I couldn't do it and I was like, yeah, you said now. Yeah. Yeah. I couldn't do it, but I was like, I really didn't do any of that kind of work. And at the point I was at then, cause it wasn't that long ago. Yeah. It was five, six years ago. No, I think it was like, it was, no, it was like nine or 10 years ago, but I was already in the pocket. I was already doing the podcast. I remember. And it was sort of like, do I, do i need to do that i don't need to do it yeah yeah and then uh was it like one season it was one no two seasons yeah almost one that one season

it didn't take didn't take but it was you know it was it was it was a really good experience for me just watching it all sort of go down and sort of like you know i went from to see her friend and just sort of like being there for her and sort of watching like how a sitcom gets made you know and it was just now you don't speak to her and yeah we are we had a horrible falling out no i still talk to her all the time but um so you guys went through that together but you were able to see you know sort of the i i would say the experience outside of learning how to be in a writer's room or how these things are structured. The more important lesson you realize was who's in control, how things can go wrong. What happens when they do go wrong? You know, how do you handle it?

How does your friend Whitney handle it? Yeah. And so that was, so there's a baptism in fire, really. Oh, yeah. And then from there, then Mulaney called me and he's like, hey, I'm going to be doing it. He's going to go through it twice? Yes. So then he's like, hey, my show got picked twice right yes so then he's like hey my show got

picked up come come help me and and then we did that show and it was like sort of like the same thing again but almost like the weird thing about that Mulaney show is almost like he didn't it was almost like it was happening to him like it just seemed like it was ill fitting from the get-go

no I know well I think what it was was it was it was a show on mbc and then it was there was notes to make it a certain way and then didn't get picked up and then fox took it and he sort of did did a version of what i think he wanted it to be and then we started making it and we were in like a real bubble making the show because it never aired at fox yeah and uh and it was you know he's the funniest person ever we it was so much fun you know making that show how many ran at mbc no none just a pilot okay and then they picked up 16 episodes at fox and then we were just making these episodes and uh and we thought went wrong well i i don't i mean

i just think it just was not like it wasn't like super clear what the show was. I think looking back, you know, it was, it was really funny. Yeah. Um, but I think it was just, I don't know, people didn't get into it and it was, it just didn't work. And then they pulled it from the air, but it was again, again, I was like, they're sort of, I had like a better sense of how, how these things ran then. So I was sort of like more like producing it with them and sort of being like, let's do this, let's do that.

Um, but it's still, you know, it's, it's was so intense. And then I was like, oh my God. Yeah. Because like, was it, was it misunderstood or you guys weren't putting together what you wanted to put together? That's what I'm trying to understand. Like, was the show that was being presented on Fox, the show that you guys wanted it to be? I mean, I, at that time, yes. I think looking back,

we probably should have made it differently. But in that moment, you know, we were making, you know, the problem is I think when you're making a multicam like my show is, like, it's like, those, it's like the old, it's an old school format, you know, so it's like, you know, you want to make a show that it's an easy, digestible format, you know?

So whenever you try to do anything that's not that in that format, it gets confusing. Right. And I think that sort of was the lesson, you know? Yeah, because that format is hard to, you know so whenever you try to do anything that's not that in that format it gets confusing right and i think that sort of was the lesson you know yeah because that format is hard to you know it is what it is it is what it is so it's hard to sort of be you know change it you know do anything outside of it most you can do with that format seinfeld did right and they had a lot of money yeah a lot of sets yes so if you don't have't have that, you do what you do. Yeah. And it's also, you know, there was more room

to like figure things out, you know, in the 90s and stuff too. You know, it's like, I feel like- It all comes down to money. I mean,

yeah, I guess it's, but the truth of the matter is, it's fucking vaudeville, dude. You got three sets and, you know,

it's a joke delivery system. So figure out how these characters are going to be at least believable as caricatures of whatever they are and then write them jokes. Exactly. That's what on my show, I'm always like, here's my notes, louder, faster, let's go.

And one time Fran was like, you just keep saying louder, faster. I'm like, I know that's what I want it to be. Yeah. That's what it is. It's just a Jewish family just talking at each other. So let's just do that. Yeah. Interesting.

So, all right so you then you get after whitney and mulaney now you're like a writer guy yeah and then i was like then i was in stand-up really yeah so then i don't need it anymore so yeah i don't i stopped i stopped performing like i definitely stopped going on the road except i did a i did a special in between then um in between what in between that and the goldbergs and i and i in between what? in between that and the Goldbergs in between Mulaney and the Goldbergs yeah like you know like

I forget 2016 so then I did out of nowhere you did a special so I you just had to get it out yeah

yeah I did a CISO special which probably you know remember CISO RIP terrible terrible

another terrible decision so someone Whitney said they're giving away money go to see so right no no yeah basically i got it i it was something you know as a comedian it's always something i really wanted to do oh you wanted to do the hour special i want to do an hour special i've been i've been you know writing jokes you know forever i have i've you know yeah so then

i was like i want to do this thing and uh and then i went on like you know a 10 week tour and sort of put the special together and then do you like it um i do like it i think it was really uh but the thing that i remember about cso is like it just went away and people are like do we get our stuff back no stuff i should have known i had like a conference call with them like you know before it came out and then and i remember one of the executives was like sorry i'm late for the call just dropped my kids off uh hey dan uh it's crazy you have kids and i like, my whole fucking special is about kids. This is not going to go well. So the main guy didn't see it.

Yeah, yeah. And it was already going down the drain? I guess they were. I think they were already, like, you know, pulling down the cubicles as our conference call was going on. Can you hear that, Dan? Yeah. Yeah, we're moving. We're moving.

Where? Downsized. Oh, did Apple buy you? No, no, no. Who bought you? No one. We're going to just close everything. Okay, can I get my special back?

No. Where will it be? Nowhere. Got to go. Hello? Hello? Wait, but I asked every comedian to tweet about it. Please?

It's very annoying to text people. So it didn't even air? No, it aired. Okay. It totally aired. It was on CISO, which is a streaming thing, right? It was, yeah. It was a streaming thing.

And then it all went away. And then it was done. And then I was like, well, that was a, I'm glad that I, you know, went on the road for 11 weeks with a three month old baby. You got paid for it though. Oh yeah, I got paid. But now with this special. So much money too.

CISO was just giving me so much money. They didn't give you a lot of money? No. Do you have a copy of the thing? Yeah. Oh yeah no it's it's good i have a i'll sell it to you so my trunk so eventually you can just like throw it up somewhere no yeah yeah i think youtube or whatever and then under a different name like i don't know how that got up there but you can go watch it yeah exactly it was so weird someone someone pirated the dan levy lion see so special Someone is a hardcore Dan fan. That's crazy.

Crazy. Well, I guess I'll watch it. It's live on Facebook. Do that. It'll only take me 10 years to figure out how to upload it. I'm sure it'll be fine. So after that, who hires you for the Goldbergs? So Adam Goldberg.

So that's the other tie-in. Like, I know the other Adam Goldberg. Right. So I don't know the other tie-in like um i know the other adam goldberg right yeah i don't know the other daniel levy right but i do know the other adam goldberg and it's the bane of his existence right used to be not so much anymore yeah and you guys wrote it in to fuck with him i don't think that was nice but what are you gonna do so i i i didn't do it you knew it was happening yeah um yeah and uh yeah and then that was, yeah, so then Adam called me,

and then he was like, my buddy Steve was like, you know, you should bring on Danny's funny. He was looking for like, you know, just some funny people to bring on the show. How long did you write on the Goldbergs for? Three seasons. And who's Adam Goldberg? Where'd that guy come from?

He's a writer. He was, you know, writing movies and TV shows. Oh, okay. And then he had the show. So you're working with Jeff Garland a lot. Yeah, Jeff Garland all the time. And I work with him and I see him at Jones on Third. So I see a lot of Garland in my life.

At the restaurant? Yeah, the restaurant. There's a restaurant. Jones? Yeah. That's still around, Jones? Yeah. CISO bought it, and then-

So we don't know what's going to happen with it. We don't know what's going to happen. Come to CISO's. The restaurant. They just have TV screens over the bar running all their specials. That's where you can see it. You have to go to the bar at CISO's. Yeah.

That's what something I would fucking do. Someone would be like, hey, the people who own CISO are opening this restaurant. You want to invest? They love you. They loved your special. They know it's all about your kids Someone would be like, hey, the people who own CISO are opening this restaurant. You want to invest? They love you. They loved your special. They know it's all about your kids. I'm like, okay, yeah. That sounds great.

Can I eat there whenever I want? Yeah, they'll have a table for you every time. Oh, that's cool. Oh, it is cool. So you do that for three years and you're like, I'm going to leave. I got an idea. I'm going to do my own thing. Yeah.

Well, during that time, I kept on, you know, I was trying to get my own thing going. So I would like, you know, pitch shows. And, you know, I was trying to get my own thing going, so I would, like, you know, pitch shows, and, you know, I wrote a show the year before that. Before this show happened, I had another show that I wrote that didn't make... Before the new one. Yeah. So which one, what was that called?

That one was... Oh, my God. Looks like you've done some acting here and there, too, eh? Oh, yeah, I played Fedora guy. I've played a cool therapist on... On Whitney? On Atypical. Oh, because I think I was supposed to be the therapist on Whitney on. On Whitney? On Atypical. Oh, because I think I was supposed to be

the therapist on Whitney. Yeah, it was on Atypical. Oh no, and the Fedora guy was on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? Yeah, and then I play a comedian on my show. I play annoying cousin Dan. Oh really? Who's inviting people to his comedy shows. Gotta write yourself in.

Yeah, why not? So, Indebted. Yes. The one you tried to sell before this was called what? The one I tried to sell before this, I think it was untitled Dan Levy. And what was the angle? That was based on just me and my wife and our young kids. And it was just like a family show.

And they were like, well, we've seen this before. Yeah, what is this? I mean, who are you really? It doesn't seem like you're ill- before. Yeah, what is this? I mean, who are you really? It doesn't seem like you're ill-defined. Yeah, what, what, what?

And then you said, but I got a vest. I got a vest. I got, I got, I got a point of view. And, and indebted.

So we discussed sort of the foundation of this. And these are really kind of like your parents. And Steven Weber, was he your first choice? Yeah,

well, he, he, yeah, yeah, because he, they auditioned, they auditioned dad. So I knew, uh-huh yeah we wanted him yeah and that and he knows how to do these three camera things oh he's incredible yeah I mean him and Fran together done like 500 episodes so like

talking to them about like being on the Paramount lot in the 90s right wings yeah and he he really is like a true like version of like my dad it's pretty great now so tell me now that your your dad's uh his buddy steve's not working on the show no he's not he's not involved he's not involved in this project i will say though steve's big thing is with my dad they sneak onto lots and when we were writing mulaney like it was a very obviously a very stressful situation there was one moment in the middle of the day when we're like trying to figure out what the hell to do steve and my dad bust in the writer's room and steve is wearing a hawaiian shirt and holding his camera and he's like uh wizard of oz was filmed here we're like see what everyone's like who is this guy is he like a psychotic

mulaney stalker and and your dad was there too yeah yeah my dad is the king of like just like finding ways into places and being like, hey, there's no security at this comedy show. I'm like, thanks. Please take your seats. And he's also the guy that called up your college agent to tell me to not. Exactly. He seems like you tolerate a lot with this guy.

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And when I was flying, I used to meet him at airports, you know, and he just, you know, just constantly screams at everyone, you know? So he would, and he just, you know, constantly screams at everyone, you know? So he would, there was one time, this is, this is kind of an insane story, but I was, he was very big on like, you know, getting on, like, you know, upgrading. That was his big thing. He's like, make sure you get there.

Put your name on the list. Is your name on the list? Every day. He'll be like, is your name on the list? Do you have the go-go wifi password? So he always texts me and my brother in the air, got the go-go like, okay, dad, we'll contact you if we need you. And he's like, meet me at Terminal H.

We're in Chicago together. And he's like, I'll walk you to the terminal. I'll talk to them for you. And I was like, okay, I'm 25. I can talk to these people. He's like, leave it. We won't put him on the upgrade. He's executive platinum flyer.

He's so proud of that. So I think he was more proud of me being executive platinum flyer than he is in my own TV show. Yeah. A million miles. You're an American? Usually, yeah. Okay.

So, all right, so he's proud, multi-platinum. Multi-platinum, yeah, yeah, yeah. Gets you in. So what's the story? And I'm like, I want to get upgraded. And they're like, okay, sorry, there's no upgrade list.

And he's like, he's executive platinum. And I was like, yeah, well, sorry, sir. And he's he's like just so you know he's flying around the country like he's like these people give a shit about me like he's a comedian and uh you know you can put on the upgrade list and they're like sorry sir we we can't and my dad's like i'm looking there is there is a spot they're like sorry we can't and my dad goes you're the reason for 9-11 and then runs away and i'm saying they're being like um i'm sorry uh he's got some issues, and you can send security, but I'm going to go into Hudson and get some sunflower seeds. So he just ran away?

Just ran away. It was the most insane thing that he's ever done, and I always talk to him about that, and he's always like, he could have upgraded you. Does he have mental problems? Is he on medicine or just weed? Yeah, no, no. Yeah, yeah.

He's good now. Okay. You always got along with him. It seems like you always... Yeah, yeah. We got along. I mean, he screamed at me. Most of my childhood was him screaming at me, but I...

In a real way? Yeah, but I would do stupid shit, so, you know. That doesn't sound right. Yeah. It's traumatizing. It's very traumatizing. He just, you know, it would just be like, Daniel, what the fuck did you do?

But there was things that I did. Like when I was eight, I drove his car through the garage. Like, you know, shit that, you know, would make you go crazy. Right. So you kept that up. I kept that up. Getting kicked out of Hebrew school. You know, like all this stuff.

I did that. Yeah. Made the Hebrew school teacher cry. I threw stink bombs. Oh. Yeah. And so you're out as a Jew? I'm out.

Yeah. I'm out. I'm Catholic now. But so, but now he's like, he's a consultant on the show? No. He thinks he is. I film them for, after every episode, we're're gonna upload like a video of them talking about you know the story of the episode and the real parents my real parents yeah and we filmed that

and that's as far as it goes but that's a lot yeah he's like now it's full circle he's made it oh yeah you just gotta get steve involved oh no i saw i saw i saw the last taping they came to i kept telling them i was like guys like i want you to come to the show i know it know it's exciting, but you can't be here a lot because I'm very stressed. I'm spiraling, so I can't have you just in my space. And they're like, okay, okay. So they come to the last taping. During the last scene, I look over, my dad is on the camera op next to this guy. I'm like, Dad, what are you doing?

He's like, Boomer's cool. He's going to email me. I'm like, it's a union job. I was like, get off the cameras. Boom is cool? Boomer's cool., get off the cameras. Boom is cool. Boomer's cool. Boomer's cool. Yeah.

That's the- Camera operator. Oh, okay. That was his name. He was sitting next to him like on a horse. Like on the camera saddle. Oh, boy. So how many episodes you shoot?

We shot 13. Really? Yeah. So they're all loaded up? Yeah. I'm still editing them. Yeah. But they're ready to go.

And Adam, like you guys have a history? Yeah. Well, I knew him just from- I talked to him. He seemed to think you were friends. Yeah. Yeah. No, we're totally friends.

Okay. Never spoke to him the entire time. I was like, read these lines. No. We were friendly just through comedy and then in new york uh no in in la and then and then our kids went to preschool together and then we became like just like dad friends hanging out yeah and uh i wrote a movie like five years ago or something and then he read a table read he read like the guy and i was like this guy's so

fucking funny yeah and he already i already knew he was so funny so then when he got picked up i was like you know can you do this? Are you available? For this someone? For this thing? Yeah. What happened to that movie? It went nowhere. Oh.

Yeah. It was a movie you wrote? Movie I wrote, yeah. How many things have you written that are nowhere? I wrote the movie, I wrote that movie called Plus One. And of course, this happens to me. I wrote this movie called Plus One. It was like, Yorma, you know, Lonely Island, Yorma DeCone, he was going to direct it.

It was like, we did a table read. It was like, Yorma, you know, Lonely Island, Yorma DeCone, he was gonna direct it. It was like, we did a table read, it was a whole thing and then it didn't happen and then like three other movies came out called Plus One. I was like, I love show business. And then I wrote Triplets,

the sequel to Twins and that's- It was with Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwarzenegger and another guy? And Eddie Murphy. Oh. And I gotta say,

you know what, so I had to pitch them to get them into this movie. Were you being paid to write this or this was your idea? No, I was getting paid to write. Yeah, I was getting paid to write. It was like we pitched on it. Yeah. And then we got, you know,

Ivan Reitman signed off on the pitch. Yeah. And then we pitched it to, went to Arnold Schwarzenegger's house. Yeah. Pitched it to him and that was an insane experience. Yeah. And he's like, you know.

Was he governor? He was not governor. Yeah. And, but he was, his essence was insane. yeah and uh but he was his essence was insane you know really yeah just like you know this is a guy who's like voice has been in my head since i don't need some ever yeah and he is wearing like lululemon he looks older and he's eating chicken he's like i heard you're so funny i'm like no way you see my sea salt special there's no way you know that i'm funny and then we like sit down and he's petting um his labrador retriever as i'm pitching him the movie and i look up and there's an oil painting of him petting the same labrador retriever and i was like my life is insane i'm pitching with my buddy steve aslone and then we are like getting to the end and steve has like the like the emotional part

emotional part of triplets but like the part you know whatever it was and in the middle of that like Arnold's really looking at us like okay this is real good and then a fucking horse walks in the kitchen named Whiskey. A horse?

An actual like horse animal and he stands up and he goes Whiskey what are you doing? You're ruining the pitch and we're like what is it? What?

And we're just everyone's like all his other people are just like nodding like okay yeah Whis whiskey's here. And we're like, no, no, no. It's a horse in the house? No, it's a horse in the house.

And then he brings it back down, and then he sits, and he's like, I just want to know if you know whiskey. And we're like, no, we don't know whiskey, but we'll keep on pitching. And then after that, we're walking out, and Ivan's like, what an interesting guy, right? And I'm like, there's a horse at this pitch, guys. Is no one going to bring this up? Ivan was there with you? Yeah, yeah, they were all there. And then we had to dane devito and uh he's a great guy he's great he was great he was the least interested he was like why do you want to do this and we're like i don't know

can we pitch it to you and we pitched him the entire movie and he had he had like a long goatee at the time and he was so funny he like was like really thinking about it and he looks at my buddy steve and he goes could you just tell me one more time and steve goes what party goes and just the the beginning we're like the whole fucking bitch and then after that we've had like nine meetings at this point and then the producer was like okay so now you guys you guys need to get eddie murphy or or else we can't like you know green light it or whatever so we're like yeah i was like this is amazing and i remember hearing you interview chris rock and you asked him what he talks to Eddie Murphy about. And he said, comedy, the comic strip, all that stuff.

So I was like, all right, if I get Eddie Murphy to talk about the comic strip. Bring up Dennis Wolfberg. Yeah, good. Exactly. So then we're sitting there. We're waiting for Arnold. OK, this is the day we're in Eddie Murphy's house. It's incredible.

I'm like, we're like waiting to go in and you know waiting for him and then I see we hear his voice and he goes oh the motherfucker is in the house or something like this and we're like oh my god it's fucking Eddie Murphy and he brings into this like amazing room super high ceilings and we're waiting for Arnold and he's like I don't know where

Arnold is and we're like yeah and it's like trying to kill time and then this executive Ally Bell actually looks at Eddie Murphy and she goes you know eddie uh dan uh dan just put out a seesaw special swear to god so of course eddie murphy huge seesaw fan yeah of course of course he's ready so he was like oh comedian and i was like yeah and he's like oh and i was like yeah you know um i uh i started the comic strip he's like the comic strip and it was just like it was on and it was just like he was so fucking into it. And he started talking about comedy.

And he was like, you know, he's like, I want to get back out there. And then, and this was like, it's a couple years ago now. And I was like, you should do it. You know? And he was like, I'm thinking about it. He's like, yeah. He's like, you know, there's just so many good specials and comedy is so good right now. And he was just being so fucking funny.

And he was talking about, you know, just Dennis Bullberg. He was talking about Lucian, all these people. Right. And it was just so awesome. And I was like, oh my God, like I broke through. Like I'm just talking comedian to comedian. Yeah. And then it was the day, this is what year it was.

It was a day that Donald Trump attacked Arnold because he was the new host of The Apprentice. Okay. That was that day. Before he was president. No, he was president. Oh, right. So Arnold comes in in a cowboy hat.

He's like, I'm so sorry I'm late. Could you believe the Twitter storm? And we're like, and he's like, you know, Donald is obsessed with me. And like, I'm here. Like, I think I'm like thinking back to like Dick Daugherty's comic book. I'm thinking about like my entire life. And I'm like, I am in Eddie Murphy's house pitching him triplets with Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about the comic strip. And he is mad because the president, who is Donald Trump, is attacking him on Twitter.

I was like, what is my life? Did you pitch to Eddie? Yeah, we pitched it to him and he was laughing and he was like really into it. And then he was like, look, man, you guys seem real funny. And Arnold, I love Arnold. I want to do a movie with move with him so uh you know send me the script if it's funny we'll do it and then it was just that classic like we rewrote the movie 100 times and then nothing ever sort of came to it but uh but it was a great story yeah i got to meet eddie murphy and then i saw chris rock at the um uh when he did his last tour, I went and saw him

and then in front of me was Eddie Murphy. So I was like, should I say something? You know, I don't want to say. Because it's risk. What if he's like,

who are you? Right. Yeah. So then, but then we got up at the same time and we were exiting and I was like,

it's right next to him and I was like, Eddie, and like three security guards sort of grabbed me and I was like, it's Dan, triplets?

And he's like, oh yeah, man, where's that script? And I'm like, I don't know, great seeing you. It was equivalent to me And I'm like, I don't know. Great seeing you. It was equivalent to me seeing you at the Gershwin Hotel.

Where's that script? Because you're being escorted? Yeah, as I'm getting sent to like, you know. Oh, man. That's great, man. Yeah. Good stories. So when does, you know, the show go on?

It comes out February 6th. I guess we're doing this in conjunction with that. Right, yeah. This is to promote it. We're promoting it. We're promoting it so much. Is it funny? It's actually, honestly, it's funny.

Because here's the thing. I felt like everyone is funny on the show. And I feel like that's sort of the key to multi-cam success. The cast is so good. And I feel like that's sort of the key to like multi-cam success. It's like, it's got, the cast is so good. And who's your guy, who's writing it? Me and- Who's in the room? Who's in the room?

Oh yeah. Dan Mintz is there. Teresa Mulligan is there. Annie Mebane's there. Rupinder Gill is there. Yeah. Stephanie Amante-Ritter. Jean Cross is there.

My wife, Rachel, is in the room with audrey annie mebbin david gracio it's a big room yeah i mean a lot of people were consultants yeah i let people out they're gonna be like you forgot me but i was there i'm the assistant i was there i'm there oh yeah joe feldman writer assistant um uh clay writer assistant but uh yeah we had uh we had we had a good it was mostly women and you're running it I'm running it you're the show runner

I'm the show runner this is the first time you've done that yeah it's so intense because so many other all these other jobs I was just like

you know I was the good friend of the creator who they trusted and I would like you know work with them and pitch jokes yeah Whitney

and then Mulaney too you know write jokes with him we'd work all the weekends on him and stuff but when I was in the goldbergs it was like i'd show up and pitch a bunch of jokes be like all right guys and then write a script and then go home and like you know it'd be nighttime and i just do my own thing and then i leave you know now as a showrunner it's like oh like i have to think about everything always and i'm just like not sleeping and losing my mind and kind of realizing why people go crazy. Right. Yeah. But you don't have to be the crazy showrunner who makes everyone else crazy.

No. No, I try not to because, you know, it's not great. Yeah. But if it works, you're fucking set. Yeah. I mean, hopefully. It's so different now. I mean, if it really works, it'd be great.

But, you know, it also could be, you know, I'm also very aware. Good season. Good season, everyone. They're going to air one and a half episodes. But good news, they're going to stream the season special on Peacock. Okay, cool. Well, there's a win. You've got to be positive.

Yeah, that's funny. That's like the other joke, the other doctor's joke. It's like, hey, everybody, good news. It came out great. They're going to air one and a half episodes. But on bigger news, my seesaw special is going to be on Peacock. We don't know what's going to happen with these things, but it's like the joke with the good news, bad news.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You go to the doctor's office. There's good news and bad news. What do you want first? The bad news. And he's like, you have cancer. Well, what's the good news? You see that secretary out front? I'm fucking her. Yeah. That was a joke. I was kind of modeling. Yeah. Had you heard that before? Yeah. Yeah. Of course. Yeah. Come on. For all the jokes. All right. Well, good. So now everything's clear.

We're okay. We're okay. Are we good? Yeah, we're good. Now, do you go to work now? What day is it? Yeah, I got to go. Monday? It's Monday. It's Monday. And you go to where? At CBS?

Or NBC? I go to, in post, I'm just going to Sherman Oaks. Just do some editing. I'm just editing now. That's it. It's done. Where was the soundstage at? Sony.

Sony in Culver City. Yeah. Stage 28 so far. Okay. So hopefully everything will work out. Say hi to everybody for me. I will. Thank you, buddy.

Thank you. That was fun. I got some laughs. I enjoyed talking to that fella, that young fella. So his show, Indebted, is NBC Tonight's funny comedy series. It premieres tonight, February 6th, 9.30, 8.30 Central. You can go to WTFpod.com slash tour for venue and ticket information for all my winter tour dates that are coming up, me and Dean. Oh, yeah, man. my winter tour dates that are coming up me and dean oh yeah man all right i can't play the guitar

because i haven't moved that shit down to the new studio i hope it sounds okay it's gonna sound a little better when i get some and put a little foam on the ceiling gotta get some foam on the ceiling boomer lives We'll be right back. It's hockey season, and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So, no, you can't get an ice rink on Uber Eats. But iced tea, ice cream, or just plain old ice? Yes, we deliver those. Goal tenders, no.

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