WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 681 - Abbi and Ilana

Episode Date: February 14, 2016

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer got Broad City off the ground when they were fed up with not getting their shot. In that way, they have something in common with Marc and WTF. Abbi and Ilana join Marc in the garage to talk about the birth of their hit show, plus some talk about New York City, drumming, digital media stars, the UCB, and Amy Poehler. 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.

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Take a closer look at how at calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising.

Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Lock the gates! store and a cast creative all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fucksters what's happening mark maron here this is wtf my podcast welcome thank you for coming i hope you're okay hope you're bouncing back from uh from valentine's day i know most of you have the day off today but that doesn't necessarily mean it's uh it's going to be spent in the best mental state today i've got uh abby jacobson alana glazer from uh broad city that's happening i happen to be very lucky in that um the woman i'm seeing uh the painter sarah kane uh really

did not realize it was valentine's day and kind of made other plans so So all I can say is I'm blessed. But I did remember, I've learned my lesson, that you better do a little something, or even, it doesn't matter, male or female, who's ever in charge of doing the thing, or who's ever doing the nice thing for Valentine's Day, if one of you says it's not important, I would not take that to heart. I would go ahead and make a little effort.

I did. I woke up and I made waffles with this nasty old waffle iron that I have. And I think it was nice. I think it was a nice thing to do. I made cornmeal waffles. But I did lose my shit a little bit when the first one stuck. And I know that the first one always sticks. The first pancake, the first waffle are bullshit.

I'm not seeing it as symbolic in any way, but I did get a little aggravated. But I caught myself and I said, why ruin the morning, Mark? It's Valentine's Day, even though the woman you're seeing, it's not important to her. Why ruin the day anyways with waffle angst? But love, love. Is that what Valentine's, is that what it's about? Is it guilt? Is it doing something nice?

Is it a sham and a scam put together by the greeting cards company and some sort of traditional idea, flower sales, whatnot, chocolates. Is it an actual day where people reflect on love or they're just sort of like, oh, I get to eat that brunch today. But I, you know, love. Yeah, I know a lot of people were alone out there

on Valentine's Day and that's sort of a rough gig even if you don't believe in it, even if you think it's stupid. it's hard to see all those couples in different variations of of true relationship or or playing the role out there doing the thing and you're walking by dragging your feet love is tricky man the one thing i've been realizing now about myself when i look at myself in pictures and i see myself on television uh is that um there was a a sense of uh desperation and aggravation and need and uh anger that i could always identify and that i assume obviously people were not going to be as sensitive to it as I was.

But it was there. It's something you can't hide. It's sort of similar to wearing your heart on your sleeve. But I've been noticing that some of that shit is going away. Obviously, because things are going okay. Obviously, because I'm getting older. Obviously, because I'm not freaked out about my career as much. And obviously, because I truly don't give a shit about a lot of things.

And that's a relief. And there's nothing you can do to make that go away. You can pretend and pretend and act as if and do the next right thing or whatever you're going to do. And then, you know, hopefully you ease into it. But that's happening. But unfortunately, alongside of that is like, all right, so maybe I finally landed in my body and I'm comfortable with myself, is that there are some things that I know are still fucked up.

But then, you know, once you really become comfortable with yourself and you don't give as much of a shit about things that used to bother you, there's also this kind of like, you know, maybe I'm just going to fucking live with this shit. Maybe I'm going to live with this shit maybe i'm gonna live with this these emotional liabilities these problems this sadness or you know why do i need to uh to struggle and fight uh in in in love you know maybe that's just the way i am and i don't know that that's necessarily a bad thing i mean life is relatively short you're not going to fix everything and you know,

I've thought about this and talked about it before, but I think if you surrender to it and you do have the desire to change and you know what it is that you probably need to change, that sometimes the work is just surrendering to it and accepting it, accepting who you are, and then say to yourself in your secret little mind that, you know, like, well, I'd like to change that. So just plant that seed in your head, but be okay with who you are. And sometimes, I would say more so than not,

it will partially manifest the changes you want to make. But if you're approaching it with desperation, like, oh, fuck, i gotta fix this oh fuck i gotta do this oh fuck i gotta figure this out god damn it why can't i just get to this place why if you propel yourself with that same desperation for perfecting what cannot be perfected the flawed heart of the human then you're always going to have that look in your eye then you're always going to have that look in your eye or that anger in your eye or that sadness in your eye. But if at some point you go like, well, fuck, this is who I am, and you really fucking accept it,

and you know you want to change at least a little bit to experience something differently than what you're used to, I think it'll happen. I think it will manifest if you truly accept yourself with all your flaws. That's my Valentine's Day message. And if you were alone on Valentine's Day, well, I mean, look, I mean, be thankful. You have nothing to lose. That might be cynical, might be sad. You might be nurturing a broken heart or longing for someone in an unrequited way but there's beauty in that too just don't hurt yourself that's my general message for all holidays try try not to hurt yourself could you could you do that so these broad city gals females i like them i you know it's weird because uh you know abby and alana i had the opportunity to talk to them and i want to talk to them i like talking to creative people and you

know i got caught up a bit with broad city i watched it i started to get it it's interesting with things and i know this for myself and i talked to them about it a little bit that you with certain shows i mean you just it's like anything else it's like music it's like uh it's like any sort of uh art of any sort of creative person it takes a while to get the groove both as an audience and as the people creating it you know i know i've gotten better on my show you You know, this is the fourth season. God knows I should be comfortable. I'm no Olivier, but I sort of eased into myself and have a more comfort on set and what can and can't happen on the show and what I can and can't do as a character.

And that's the same with anything. There's an evolution, especially with comedians. You know, by nature, comics on television or in movies um we tend to be a bit a little self-conscious and you know and i'm very sensitive to especially if i know whoever's uh doing it and who i'm watching some are better than others but it just takes time so yeah i took the time i got the groove and i and i really started to enjoy broad city generationally uh there's a difference but it ain't that big of a difference. And there are some things that, you know, I definitely related to.

And one of the things that I related to was, and this is with Louis too, and Woody Allen and people who are very committed and really use New York City as a character in their work. You know, there are New York City artists and writers and people who do films and TV. And the people that embrace New York and that really showcase New York the best are the people that have a real relationship with the city.

And one of the things that's great about Broad City is that, you know, I know all those places. And if you watch Broad City, you could see some of those places on Louis' show too. could see some of those places in winnie allen's movies it's like there are some pieces of film and music that embrace new york full-heartedly and you know having lived there on and off for over a decade you know i have a a real romantic and and love hate relationship with new york and also a sort of love-hate relationship with how the the the sort of um profile of the city has changed is the profile or the texture

the culture of the city it's very hard to identify uh what was once there and i think you know talking to uh to uh alana and abby you know we we kind of got into that. And also to approach New York as a comedic foil, you know, has been done to death. And watching their show, they actually managed to do it a little differently. And the other great difference about the generational difference between me and the Broad City gals is that what's great about their show is there's a lot of things that are just, they just are that when I was coming up or, or,

you know, even five or 10 years ago, they just weren't, they had to be explained. They had to be, you know, stuff about, um,

you know, sexuality, ethnicity, uh, different types of relationships, you know, uh, you know,

how women are depicted i like the way that abby and alana just it just is you don't have to explain anything this is the life we're living this is new york this is our generation this is the the landscape of our experience and uh it's it's definitely different than when i was a kid. And I love it. I really had a great time talking to them. And also, there's a Jewish component to today's show, as does happen sometimes on this show. What was great is, I want you to know that before they came over, I made sure to clean my toilet. Because I wanted it to be nice

for the women and when they came over they came over at 11 in the afternoon and I will love Alana Glazer forever for walking in and I was just sort of like getting set up

and I had to go out front to get a chair because there were two of them and I didn't like the chair I have in here. It's kind of loose. It was a loose transition from their car to the house. Made some coffee, offered him coffee. And Alana said, you know, if we're being so casual, can I have a bowl of cereal?

I didn't eat breakfast. I was very happy to give Alana a bowl of puffins with unsweetened almond milk, which she said she preferred. Right? That is a woman after my own sad middle-aged heart. Yeah, I love Barbara's puffins with unsweetened almond milk. She didn't even stevia that shit, man. She just ate it. And then we did the thing.

And here is the thing. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know, we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption

actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis and ACAS Creative. city that's innovative, inclusive, and creative. And they're helping put Calgary and our innovation ecosystem on the map as a place where people come to solve some of the world's greatest challenges. Calgary's on the right path forward. Take a closer look at CalgaryEconomicDevelopment.com. I just made two notes. Here's what I wrote. I wrote that. Abby Jacobson, straight hair. That is so funny.

I was going to joke that that was your fucking note. Because literally our friend's dad did that. Abby straight Alana Curley. No, no. That's what I wrote. Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, I wrote that. That is so fucking funny. Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, I wrote that. Straight, Curley. That is so fucking funny.

Why do you think that is? Because you're an older dude, and you see two young women, and you're like, oh, straight, Curley. I don't fucking know. I know. Well, I didn't watch all of the shows, but I watched a bunch of them. And I imagine there are people that are huge fans of the show. They're like, oh, Abby's so, you know, Lana, so that. But like I did, I'm not, you know, I had to get it in my head.

Not because I'm old. What is that? And a man, I said. And a man. Look, I don't remember people's names that I've known for 20 years. It's fucking tragic. I'm so. That is tragic.

Well, no, I'm so self-involved that like the people I keep running into again and again. I'm like, oh, it's fucking tragic i'm so that is tragic well no i'm so self-involved that like in the people i keep running into again and again i'm like oh it's a fucking guy you're like nose guy yeah yeah hey nose guy i know them but i just can't fucking manage their names so what you know i'm glad you used the bathroom because i went out of my way to clean the toilet oh that's cool so clean that's of you. I like that you have the Meyers. I'm really into that Meyers hand soap. Right? So good. What did we use? We all are like into that now. What did everyone use before that?

I've tried other ones. Sometimes I'll just get the supermarket brand and it works, but there's something about the Meyers label that makes you believe in it. I know. It's like a very crisp graphic. It looks old kind of. Yeah, right? Retro. It's like a very crisp graphic. It looks old kind of. Yeah. Yeah, right?

Retro. It's old school. It's such bullshit. You don't buy into it? New sincerity. You don't buy into it? No, I love it. It's bordering on.

I have it and I got two refills and I prefer bar soap. Right. And I still got refills because I was like, when I add to bar, don't show.

Right. That's what it is. It's the new authenticity. It's like bordering on artisanal. Yeah. Right. That's the whole thing. Yeah. And I what it is. It's the new authenticity. It's like bordering on artisanal. Yeah. Right? That's the whole thing.

Yeah. And I buy into it. It's like your local soap. Right. Even though we all have it, you can get it anywhere. It's off Amazon from England or something. It's like- Nancy Meyers, right?

Yeah. I've had people make me soaps. Like, do people send you, do fans, what are you getting from the fans now? Nothing? Do you filter that stuff? Does it come to you? Is there a P.O. box? It doesn't really come to us.

We did a tour and we got some stuff that was like. We get weed. Right. Well, when weed is handed to us. When they hand it to us, that's dope. But when they want to smoke with us, it's like, no. Oh, no. There's this sort of like, you guys want it?

I'm like, nah, I can't. You know? Yeah, I'm not doing this. When you go on tour, when did you go on tour? Did you just get off tour? No, like right before the second season. So two Novembers ago. How many dates?

It was like the whole month of November. I think we did like 24 shows. It was cool. Some were double. Okay, two a night. So where did you go comedy club small theaters? Rock clubs, so you're up on the elevated stage with the monitors people standing that they see them. We like to see it It's better right? We had some standing like Seattle was standing and that was like awkward, right?

Yeah, cuz it make you uncomfortable. Yeah, I wish you guys could sit down and it's like feel I felt like I would feel they were Just uh uncomfortable. Yeah, it was they were discomfort. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's like, I felt like, I would feel like they were just, Uncomfortable? Yeah, uncomfortable. It was like, they were discomfort. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, I feel bad you guys got to stand up, but we're going to do the show.

And like how, so what, four to 800 people coming? I think a lot. Our biggest venue was in DC. Oh yeah? It was like 1,500. Yeah, four to eight,

I feel like. And our show is like, we're not, Alana's done more standup than I do, but we're not, it wasn't stand-up. It was like this weird, weird show. We had been doing a show, a live show at UCB for a couple years. In the basement of New York?

Yeah. Yeah. And it was just Broad City Live, and it was just us doing whatever we thought was funny and having guests on. So for the tour we had, we had different stand-ups, friends of ours open for us. Like who? Naomi Ekperigen, who writes on our show. Yeah.

Sabrina Jollies. Kevin Barnett. Rory Scovel. How many openers? Two? Just one. Just one guy. So you guys could go do

45 minutes of sketch, basically? We did like an hour. Yeah. And then we had some video stuff because it was kind of a tour leading up to the second season. So we had some characters on the show do little bits. It was almost like contextualized stand-up where we did this thing like soundtrack of our lives where we were like different moments in our lives and songs that we would play for them when you make soundtracks for a certain time in your life.

Like a mixt in your life. Like a mixtape? Yeah, so it was kind of like being able to talk about something but having this context to work off of. Right, and did you guys, because now you're just sitting here being yourselves, but the dynamic on stage, how does that play out?

Yeah, it was amplified. It's amplified, but it's not them on the show, but it's not quite us. Sure, yeah. You come to a live show and you're like, it's it's not them on the show, but it's not quite us. Sure. Yeah. You come to a live show and you're like, it's Abby and Lana from the show, basically. Yeah.

Right, the curly haired one and the straight haired one. I straighten that hair. That's right. But who's your audience do you find when you look out there? Is it men? Is it women? Is it young people? Is it people dressed like in plaid shirts like me?

Like, is it hipsters? How do you categorize them? Yeah, I think it's like hipsters hipsters i think it's i felt like it was like a lot of couples oh yeah but after the shows we would do meet and greets and like people that that got merch we would sign everything so we met a ton of people and it was i mean i think a lot of women watched show but a lot of dudes too it was it was really awesome. It was also, like, pretty queer. Our, like, demo was pretty queer. Yeah. It was dope. It was the coolest.

It was so hard, but it was so fucking cool. Queer and diverse and straight and, you know, white. You know, it was like, oh, you know. Well, I think that you guys do that. The benefit of having the backdrop of New York and being sort of in the generation that you're in, where all this shit is breaking down in New York as this melting pot of you know gender and sexuality and ethnicity and everything else and the sort of open-mindedness of the show and the comedy of it it's very all-encompassing of people that are progressive and interesting it's such a special place like

we've been in New York yeah and we've been out here for a couple weeks and like we both love LA but it's and it's like so like comfortable but new york it's so unbelievable the it's like a battery like you can't like like when if you know how to be in new york when you're there you're like you know you can't you're engaged all the time you have no choice yeah because there's someone in your face at all times yeah and yeah it's very electrifying like i I've been here, yeah, I've been here for two weeks and we go back this weekend and I'm like excited to ride the subway. Oh, yeah. What?

And it's like, I can't wait to be able to, just because I've been so in my car, which I like driving, but I'm also excited to be like among people again. Right. Because here you're just not. To be part of the big body of New York. Yeah. I wonder what would happen to you guys if you stayed out here. You should do a whole season

where you move to LA. And just everything, you don't know how to get pot. I was talking to someone about doing promos on a lot that looks like New York. That's so funny. Paul was just saying. I was saying it to Paul.

Oh, Paul was just saying. Was he saying it was his idea? Because it sounds like. No. We might have been talking about it together. Paul writes on the show too. Paul W. Downs. He's an accent, writes on the show.

But he was saying like a whole season on the New York lot and we pretend it's New York. It becomes like the Seinfeld New York. Oh, right. Which is like one block. It's so funny watching the show because like I know all those places. I mean, I wandered those streets and I'm like, oh, like oh there's that bit are you like that's not that restaurant anymore well i haven't gotten that specific but there are certain blocks where i'm like i know exactly where that is did you see our saint marks episode i didn't which one what happens it's just that it's all saint marks

that one i'll give you douche chills on saint marks between third and second yeah i know the the chunk but like when i was there it like, now I don't even know what it is. Yeah. Or St. Mark's between Lafayette and what, third? Like towards right by Cooper Union. Yeah. Just that block.

Right. That used to be so fucking different. I don't even know what it is now. I know. Now it's like- Asian noodle places and stuff. Yeah, it's like NYU's like quad. And like Little Market.

Is that what? Yeah, they've taken over the entire part of the city. Complete downtown. Where do you go? What's authentic anymore? What are your haunts? Ooh, B&H is authentic. Oh, yeah.

Do you know B&H? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that the bagels? Or no, B&H is the- No, it's right off St. Mark's, but it's this little- The Jewish food place? Yeah. The counter.

Yes. The dairy counter. I haven't been in a while, though. Me too. I gotta go. Actually, it's freezing In New York right now We gotta go again Matzo ball soup

Is that what they have there? Tomato soup And grilled cheese But you guys But you're not from The city Either of you right? No I'm from Long Island

And I'm from outside Philly Outside how far Oh really? So how far from Jersey? How far from New York? Hour and a half? Hour and a half? Like an hour and a half

From New York I'm like northwest so like 20 25 minutes outside the city but you grew up going into the city every weekend i imagine right yeah yeah maybe yeah i mean i didn't i didn't do like shows i would just go in and walk around right just to be like i'm in new york yeah and be like north south east and west and like to flex that you know and then when i like got to to New York, I lost my compass. I was so like, oh, fuck. I'm fucking here now.

I don't know what I'm doing. This is way deeper than the idea of it's cool to walk around a block. Well, that's the weird thing. When you first go to New York, even if you live in Long Island, you're like, I'm just going to walk around. And then nothing happens. You just walk for blocks and blocks. You're like, I should have some destination because I'm exhausted.

Yes, exactly. Where'd you end up gravitating towards? When did you start going in, like taking the train in when you were like 14 or 15? More like I was like nervous. Maybe more like 16. I was like 16. Were your parents nervous? Like you'll disappear.

Yes. What town? I did go. What town on long island yeah um smithtown it's near stony brook university alana was like a good girl until she got bad yeah you were yeah i still am i still you're the good girl but you weren't like going into the city to like truly fucking go to concerts and like or do anything I was and I think we met and then switched because I'm not

I'm not I was much crazier in high school and college than I am now and you not that you're crazy at all now

I'm just freer we're like the same but but you play but on the show you play the sort of like anything goes person and you're like

the kind of like you need your things you have to have your things to manage your life you need your things yes it's so funny what you need your things yeah right that's succinct damn so what what what kind of childhood like middle class jewish you know everything's okay progressive parents let me just keep projecting like i'm in a fucking Woody Allen movie I know that's so funny you know when what's her name Alison Kahn

you know that part Carol Kane Cal Kane yeah right right let me guess Ben Shahn yeah yeah

because I knew the scene that I found myself referencing exactly the scene in Annie Hall where Woody Allen's like let me guess A, B, C and Ben Shahn

drawings on the wall socialist summer camps yeah yeah she's like yeah that's what you know she's like pissed that he like nails it but I'm like

I'm not even pissed I'm like that's it yeah but the more updated version of it yeah just me and my brother older younger he's four years older

he's also on the show he's a comedian too and what's his name Elliot Elliot Kaiser comedic family yeah and my like parents are funny He's also on the show. He's a comedian, too. What's his name? Elliot. Elliot Weiser. Wow. Comedic family.

Yeah. And my parents are funny, and we just kind of entertained ourselves. Yeah. What version of Jews are they? What's your dad do? Reform. He's a financial planner, sells insurance and shit. Sells insurance?

Yeah. And your mom? Works with him. Oh, really? Yeah. From the house? No, just insurance and shit. Sells insurance? Yeah. And your mom? Like works with him. Oh, really? Yeah. From the house? No, just like part-time, like goes to his office. Right, right, right.

Keeps an eye on things. Exactly. And they're like married for many years. Really? Yeah. That's so rare. I know. It is rare.

And they're still married and happy and proud? They're very proud. They seem quite happy. Okay, now we're going to and happy and proud. They're very proud. They seem quite happy. Okay, now we're going to switch over to Abby. Pennsylvania Jew? Yep. How'd that happen? Well, my mom's from Jersey.

My mom's from Cherry Hill, South Jersey. Right, right, right. Yeah, yeah. And my dad's from Philly, Philly. Yeah? They met overnight camp. Does he talk like Philly, Philly? Yes.

No, I don't. Does he? They both do, yeah. She catches my Philly accent, but I don? They met overnight camp. Does he talk like Philly, Philly? Yes. No, I don't. Does he? They both do, yeah. She catches my Philly accent, but I don't know it. They both do. He's like, yeah. My mom has a South Jersey accent. Uh-huh. I can't identify it.

Sometimes people say I talk like that, but I don't know what it is. I can identify Philly, but I can't identify Jersey that well. I think it's similar, but I don't think I have a crazy. I'm not like water. I'm not hearing it. Yeah, yeah. But every once in a while, she's similar, but I don't think I have a crazy... I'm not here to... Yeah, yeah. But every once in a while, she's like... Really? It's a subtle thing, that accent.

It's like... Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's just... It's fucking pure East Coast bro shit. There's an edge to it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's almost like a real strong Philly accent with the right momentum can actually hurt your face. It's so funny. It's a lot. It's almost like a real strong Philly accent with the right momentum can actually hurt your face.

It's so funny. It's a lot. It's true. It's like, whoa, you go around talking like that all the time. Right, right. Just settle down. Yeah, yeah. What?

You know? Yeah, yeah. So wait, they met at overnight camp? They met at overnight camp. Really? Yeah. When they were kids? When they were like 15.

That's so sweet. That's very sweet. I have a very cool family life. They're not were kids? When they were like 15. That's so sweet. That's very sweet. I have a very cool family life. They're not married anymore, but they're friends. Yeah. Oh, that's good. Always? Yeah.

Like we did Thanksgiving together. And they both have, do they have spouses? Yeah. And you have step-sibs? I do. I'm not close with them. Does it happen later? It happened, yeah.

Right. This is your stepbrother. Like, all right. Yeah. I was in college. I was like, I don't know. Good luck. Yeah. them does it happen later it happened yeah right this is your stepbrother like all right yeah i was in college i was like yeah but i have an older brother too oh really like three and a half four years older that's it and so he has two kids and once that happened my parents were like let's do holidays sure because it's like grandkids um so that's working out um what's your older brother

do he's a graphic designer. So now you had older brothers, because the theme on this show seems to be the influence of older siblings, brothers specifically, and you two are women. Did you get along with them? Was there music? Did they show you the way somehow?

Everything. It's so funny. So Alana kind of came to comedy, I think, quicker than I did. Because my brother is not into this at all. Yeah. But I was a big tomboy, very athletic because of my brother. My brother was so into fish and the dead and all that.

And so I was. Really? Yeah, I was into all of that. So you caught the tail end of the Jerry dead like my high school. Yes. The Jerry dead? You caught the tail end of that? He died in 97, so I was too young. You missed it. But I remember the day that he died.

Yeah, oh, really? Your brother was pretty broken up? I was at overnight camp, and it was like announced. Overnight camp? Was it Jewish overnight camp? Pretty, we were so reformed, so it wasn't like religious at all, but everybody was. Right, right. But I remember it was announced like over the loudspeaker.

Oh, this is- I think I was like over the loudspeaker I think I was over the loudspeaker oh my god like it's like 9-11 or something it was like a moment let's have a moment of silence for Jerry Garcia and it was like

I actually didn't love him yet so I didn't understand the significance of that day until I was high school all my friends and I we would go to see like I went to see

all the was there a day incarnations of the dead oh yeah yeah yeah phil and friends like right right right right bob weir and uh who was so was the drummers was rat dog who was it who was rat dog is bob weir oh it is yeah phil and friends is phil right i didn't and then there's a mickey heart thing there's a drum thing that happens he does a drum like like a circle yeah I don't know I don't do that but I kind of want to see

they're coming out again with John Mayer actually and I haven't seen them I listen to some of that you know and I listen to him handle those solos and he's sort of a

kind of a specific guitar player it's okay it's okay but you're not going to hear like that weird lyrical noodling right listen to us talking dead now but uh

yeah and I'm not even a huge deadhead I'm not even I'm like you know I dabble right right'm not even, I'm like, you know, I dabble. Right, right. Me too, me too. But I was so into that because everything that my brother did.

How many little hacky sack hippie kids were at camp that were just sort of like, no, I guess we're not playing hacky today in honor of Jerry. A lot. It was like a thing. A lot. No hacky today, man.

It's so funny. No hacky today. We hacky sack on the show because we have an episode where we go to Philly to clean out my bedroom. You find a hacky today it's so funny we hacky sack on the show because we have an episode where we go to philly yeah to clean out my bedroom you find a hacky because my yeah we do the whole thing we clean out all my jam band yeah man yeah it's so it's so real such a type yeah it's so wild that that type has existed and persisted. Because a lot of types just sort of fade out. But that thing, there's a constant to it.

I know. Because it's like my dad, too. My dad was all classic rock, so we just were. And I don't know if it's now, though. I wonder now if that's... The Phish thing still, I guess they're done, too, in a way, aren't they? Are they back? These guys, they break up for a week, and they're like, we're going back.

But I wonder if the audience has any high school kids. I don't know. That was like all my friends in high school. We were fish heads. Yeah. Is that what they call them? Fishers? Fish fans.

Oh, it's just fish fans? Okay. Oh, is that what it is? I don't know. I never refer to myself like that. But there's that whole parking lot trip where you go to the concert like two days early, you know, with a sleeping bag

and just wander around and catch frisbees yeah and they like set up little like yeah there's like stands in the lot there's like shakedown street which is where you can buy shit yeah i went i went it's fun me and my brother drove like he was living in arizona and we drove from like um tucson to anaheim to see the dead and dylan i was not in great shape. And he had this convertible. I don't know what it was. Some used convertible.

He's a little younger than me. And we picked up some little guy hitchhiking to the show. This little guy named Eli. And we thought like, Oh, cool. A little hippie elf. We'll pick him up.

And we, and then he had no place to stay. And he sort of turned evil. Like it was like fucked up. Cause well, we got a hotel room and we couldn't get rid of eli right and then he starts like he gets a pack of matches not wooden matches but the book of matches and he starts ripping off little pieces of each match and he puts them in a bag he's like i'm selling acid today he was just scamming fucking hippie kids selling bunk drugs and me and my

brother were like what do we do who do we turn him into? We can't bring him to the show. You guys are going to bring this evil guy. He would have figured out how to get to the show, but like, who do you warn? When am I going to follow him around the park? And like, no,

it's bullshit. You know? And it's almost like kind of people's own fault for not recognizing acid. Right. You're like, he's selling fake drugs. Like,

what? There's like, um, bizarro cops at like a fish festival. What is that? No, no, I'm like making it drugs. Like, what? There's, like, bizarro cops at, like, a fish festival. What is that? No, no, I'm, like, making it up. It's just, like, I don't know. They, like, make sure all the acid is real.

Oh, right, right. Like, we got a taster, a drug taster. Just a guy that walks around all fucked up and sweaty. Exactly. He's like, this is legit. This is legit. Yeah, I got to sit down. Yeah.

I got to lay down. So, all right, so you grew up with that. And, like, what did your brother bring to the table? See, that was, like, yeah, that was, like, wild. Like, my brother and I, we, like, as kids, made hundreds of hours of sketch videos. We just, like, wanted to do comedy forever. What drove you to that? I mean, who were you watching?

Why did you? Because you're, like, half my age almost. Is that true? What are you, 28? Mm-hmm. So who were you watching that was, you? Because you're like half my age almost. And is that true? What are you, 28? Mm-hmm. So who were you watching that was like, this is why we want to do comedy? Okay, so I grew up like in the 80s and 90s. But like there must have been like something like this fucking hilarious, we can do this.

No, just all of it. But you knew it was something you could do. Yeah. And we like did like plays and musicals, too. For who? Your parents? No, at school and at camp and at the Y. You know what I mean?

And we were musicians. What do you play? Drums. Oh, yeah? And I could do rhythm, piano. Oh, yeah? Yeah. And what were some of the early efforts,

sketch-wise and musical-wise? Did you write songs? I did write songs. There are some videos out there from Acoustic Cafe in high school of the songs I wrote and played. Where can people find those? I don't know. Oh, you do know. I don't know. There's a video you

recently showed me of you playing the drums in a chorus thing. Oh, my God. I don't know. There's a video you recently showed me of you playing the drums in like a chorus. Oh my God. In a percussion ensemble. Yes. There's like a- Oh, you were in a drum circle. Video online.

Yeah, yeah. But it's like for school all in like buttoned up. It was like militant. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I really- Just on a snare? But she's really good. That was part of our live show.

We did this like drum battle where Alana was really good and I can't do it. That's part of the show. Only see the last 15 minutes. We got two full sets. Of drums? Like around us.

And you brought them up. And so Alana could like do it and then it would like come to me and I'd be like. Oh, that's funny. And like drum battle, but it was like drumming and then comedy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because I could have to. The standard setup. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, yeah. You were the straight man to her goof. Yeah. We flipped the switch. To her big old goof. But that was great. Yeah, yeah. You were the straight man to her goof. Yeah. We flipped the switch. To her big old goof.

But that was funny. Did you reveal the drum sets? Was it a closer? Like, I mean, was it sort of like, you know, the lights came up and there were two full drum sets? We wish we could have done that, but we didn't have enough. They had to be on stage because they were like too elaborate to like bring out. So they were just sitting there and people were like, what's up with the two?

Yeah, and it was like at the very end we would do it for five minutes in like an hour show and you jammed and she just she's really good because like

I can do like the different styles so it was fun to be like okay start with rock then do jazz then do like samba you're a real drummer

yeah I thought I like thought I wanted to be like an orchestra percussionist not too late really you just wanted to be

the one waiting yeah I like like timpani right timpani boom boom yeah boom boom orchestra percussionist. Not too late, man. Really? You just wanted to be the one waiting? Yeah. I like like timpani. Right. Timpani. Boom, boom, boom, boom. It's so fun.

I like do, I do miss being in a band and being in like a big, a big band, not even like a, I would do like jazz. Jazz combo? Yeah, for real I would. I'm like a real nerd.

I really am. Really? Yeah, it's funny. You got jazz people that you love? Yeah. You know, Brubeck, Oh yeah?

Davis. Did you grow up with that stuff? Yeah. Oscar Peterson. My dad is an incredible musician. Oh really? So my brother, like,

trips me out. Elliot can do what my dad can do where they can hear something and then their fingers find the keys. And Elliotiot sing is like an amazing incredible singer yeah so we just were always just had this like nervous energy that lucky enough my parents like saw that we could channel it in this way so we just always isn't it isn't it wild though like because like i play music but i never had necessarily oh guitar yeah

i never necessarily had the courage to sort of pursue it as a career, because I know there's a lot of funny people that are pretty fucking good musicians, but there's something simplifying and concise about comedy where it's very immediate. You don't have to rely on other people necessarily. Well, you guys, in sketch situations, you do.

But I wonder what it is, why people who are incredibly musically talented don't necessarily sort of like do that. It's a harder life and it's not as- It's a different, also like comedy is so transparent and it's like easy to be, you're like, it's easy to like craft your image and you're being honest,

but you're also choosing what you want to say. Whereas music, it's like, you truly are like, I hope you think I'm cool. You know? Like, I fucking hope you think I look cool and sound cool. And it's like, there's something more transparent about that, too. Well, I find that, like, you also can sort of, if you're in a band or something, you can kind of rely on, you can kind of step back a little bit. It doesn't always have to be about you.

Yeah. And you're like, if you're not really on top of the song, you can be like, no, I'm just going to fake it a little bit. You can't really fake it in comedy. Yeah, right, no. But I think being a musician is still categorically cooler, isn't it? Totally. It's the coolest.

Well, I don't know. Comedy is becoming a new thing. Comedy is like the new stage for philosophy. It is kind of the new coolest thing well it's back like you know people are saying things with comedy again and a lot of people are into it yes yeah yeah yeah so what about you no music no playing i wish my dad my dad was in a band when i was growing up he plays the drums really he taught himself how to not tell himself but later in life started taking piano lessons so he can he was in a band when you were growing up what was that band

it's so good it was called second chance yeah perfect and it was his high school band reunited he married his high school sweetheart and then he reunited with his yeah right and yeah it was called second chance and they would play like i played, like, on the art museum steps in Philly. And they would play bars. For, like, a day out on the steps kind of thing? Like a little festival thing? And here's some local guys. Uh-huh.

And they had a tape, like, with, like, the whole picture on the front. So I always had drums in the basement of the house. Yeah. And so I, like, always was into drums too so when alana when we did this show i like can't real like she's always counting whenever we do it she's like and one two and i'm like i can't do that but i can like kind of hold beats but i i would love to be able to play the drums actually i can just kind of play like a couple beats and i'm kind of like off like right like yeah it's so weird it's like um music comedy all this stuff everything seems so much more like

available or something yeah these days yeah like i was just talking to my friend who's a dj talking about music music music and then i'm like different yeah music music music and then i'm like do you know what time signatures are no and i was like oh yeah you know and it's like just like what Abby's saying with accounting too it's like I don't know you can be fully immersed in music love music music is your life and you don't know how to count it oh sure and like you don't know how to read music or yeah yeah and like comedy too it's like that's so available and and information like even just presenting like you know something is so available. It's... The weird thing about music

and I've talked about this before is that even if it feels familiar or what, there's an effect to it that you can repeat again and again. Like, you know, you can't really repeat a joke again and again.

Right. But if you've got a song, there's a magic to it where people are like, God, I hope they play that song. Yeah, they want to like... And yeah, it has a feeling thing, you know, and you can always go back to it.

People aren't like, man, I want to hear him do that finale joke. Maybe for one or two times. Yeah. But by the third time, you're like, nah. It loses its magic. It's like that intonation isn't the same as melody. Right. For some reason.

Uh-huh. That's interesting. Right. And also like for me. Melody, it clicks in and you're like, yeah. Right. Inton reason. Uh-huh. That's interesting. Right. And also, like for me. Melody, it clicks in and you're like, yeah. Right. Intonation, you're like, all right. That's sort of like, I'm not like a big lyric guy.

Like, you know, I'm always looking for the turn in the music. You know, like if there's a hook to the music, if the melody has a sort of like, oh, like there's a chord progression, then I'm like, I love that. Yeah, gotcha. But what's the guy saying? I don't fucking know. Yeah. He sounds good too, but it's all just musical to me.

So when, so what, okay, so you graduate high school, and you're in Pennsylvania, and what, when did you decide, like, what was the first decision? Like, what were you gonna do? How'd you end up? Yeah, I kind of went around, so my brother works with my dad, and my mom, like. Your dad's a graphic designer? Yeah, he's like an environmental graphic designer. What does that mean?

So it's like, he goes into spaces like a hospital, for instance, and everyone's getting fucking lost in the hospital. Yeah. And so now he does a lot of wayfinding. So it's like how you, someone walks in the hospital and they have to read all the signs. Right. And they're bleeding. And they're bleeding. And they're bleeding.

Right, right, right. Or like, you know, if you walk in and like someone is in the, you, how people get around spaces and then the signage. Yeah. And so also designing of the signage. Mm-hmm. So that's it. But then they also do like restaurant.

That's very specific. It's an interesting niche. Yeah. Yeah. And so everyone in my family was artists. So my mom is kind was growing up was a potter she had like a wheel oh she did so your mom was there getting frustrated at clay winging off a wheel she would do she would do craft shows building that thing up yeah actually she she

had a wheel for a very brief time because she didn't she ended up just doing it like by hand yeah yeah yeah and so that was the fuck the wheel day uh-huh yeah exactly it was like mom is getting rid of the wheel did you have a kiln she did for a while oh my god those are energy eaters that's like you know jesus it was that was very brief too and then or was it standalone i guess it was not a big thing. It was like a small thing. And then she, we got like, I think she sold it. And then she ended up going to this place, Wayne Art Center, that she could just do it there.

I was like, why are we doing this? Yeah. And, but she would do craft shows on the weekend. So my family was like very, it was like all art. It was all visual art. Like I was always like drawing. And so my brother went to art school in philly and then so when i was gonna go to college i i was like obsessed with snl and

i did i did kind of perform in high school but i couldn't sing so i couldn't do any of the plays so what'd you kind of perform did people know you were performing yeah i literally my main thing was i would do i would impersonate mike myers doing coffee talk like that was my thing i would just like do that sure and it's guaranteed laugher yeah yeah and i would do my own thing yeah but people knew i was into comedy but that didn't ever seem like a thing yeah like i didn't grow up with anyone like maybe even because you're in new york that was like maybe a thing you could do right didn't think it's never seen a stand-up industry when you're like oh a lot of people's

parents did whatever just that that thing yeah like do you have an in or do you not have an in do you have an in even mentally yeah like i was at you that's a possible thing were you encouraged in a way i know what you're saying just like do you think that this That's a possible thing. Were you encouraged in a way? I know what you're saying. Just like, do you think that this could be a job? Right. I think more people think they can now. Right. Yes.

I don't think when I started that, it was still sort of like, what are you doing? Yes. And your parents were sort of like concerned because when you're like, I'm going to be a standup comedian, they're just sort of a life of disappointment and failure. Yes. Can't you find something that we can at least not worry about? But now, because of places like UCB and stuff, there's an industry

preceding the industry. Yes. Like there's a path. Like a school. Yeah, exactly. And like YouTube too. I mean, even 10 years ago when we were starting, it's different than now. Vine. Vine stars. I know. Yeah. I miss it. I look at them occasionally when someone goes what i don't know

okay what it's not even a generational thing i mean no i mean we're we're you know whatever we're all different ages here and it's like we are like jesus yeah like it was not quick man it comes up it was very fast but transition but yeah i mean the transition of technology and access but the weird thing is and like you guys probably know and kind of maybe feel it in a less resentful way than I do, but there are people that kind of have that attention and viral traction that really don't have the goods to follow through into something. And like it seems to me that you guys have that that that persistence and the talent and the creativity to do that but there's a lot of people that like a vine star it's like all right so who are they and where are they now oh they're still on vine and they got totally

and like there's that's a that's like a cool thing about like the world i guess yeah um quality and focus still means something yes absolutely and and sincerity and um but also being able to do the fucking job when it's a job do you know getting viral traction is like i mean unless you're a youtube personality which you know i have my own opinion of but i i can't really um i'm not negative about it because they seem to uh the very nature of their popularity is usually because they're not fundamentally talented. They seem like, you know, people like that kids are like, no, they're just like us. Totally.

Totally. But how did you, we'll get, we should get to that through how you guys started. So you're dicking around, you're drawing things and doing Mike Myers. So I went to, yeah, that was just dicking around. Abby dicking around. No, but I went, I didn't go to comedy. I went to yeah that's it I was just dicking around Abby dicking around no but I went I didn't go to comedy I went to art school

right because I was like I can I'm good at this this is like immediate yeah and I was like what am I gonna

fucking be an actor like that's not that doesn't I don't know anyone that has ever done that right so it wasn't like I know everyone around me that does art

like my family is so I was like and that's not an easy career either though no that is possibly more impossible exactly uh so i went to school in baltimore this school called micah maryland institute college of art and i like most of my work is drawing and painting but then they were starting their video department oh shit and they were starting and so

that dick found a pussy, you know? That dick found its pussy. Even if it's a boy pussy, putting it out there. Yeah, sure. So I started doing videos. But it was so funny. My video work at Myco was just me doing characters. Also, what year did you graduate?

2006. It's like YouTube was invented in 2005. Didn't even know it. didn't do it anything on you know but i just did these characters and they were deep they would be projected on gallery walls like next to paintings and it's very serious oh really and it was like because that's a conceptual art the that whole that's the school of thought performance right right and then i was like characters they were i thought they were really funny and they were a lot of them were improvised and i edited them and i i saw like one was like

really emotional i saw someone getting mugged baltimore was extremely dangerous rough yeah and i saw i watched a wire legit i'm not even kidding like i lived in a neighborhood a really nice neighborhood but it was next to like the worst neighborhood and there's no one out in baltimore so it was like very i would like sprint home from class i saw someone getting mugged outside my apartment heard it look outside the window and like this woman was getting like dragged by her messenger bag and i was like the one calling the cops and i look and there's like all these other people looking out their window it was like so fucked up so like one of the characters

was I shot a character like immediately after and it was like very intense I don't I'd have to watch it again but were you the one calling the cops or were you the one getting it's a I call the cops because I was like if I don't call I'm gonna think no it was just sort of like using that emotion

and so my junior year I sort of realized I like, I want to be a fucking actor. What am I doing? And so I moved to New York to go to the Atlantic Theater Conservatory. Mamet's place? Mamet and Macy? Uh-huh. And so I went. You learned how to talk directly?

I went for a week. And I hated it. I was like, what am I fucking doing? I had a breakdown. There's a subway station that every time I go past it, I was like. It's a weird system, that system, right? It was so stifling. I couldn't react.

It was like, well, what are they really saying? Like, analyze every word. And that was so not, that's just so not how I work. It just gutted all the emotion out of you. I was like, I can't even talk in this place. What about that subway stop, though? So I had this breakdown on 15th and 8th Avenue where I was like, I'm quitting. I got to quit.

I called my dad, and I was like, I'm quitting this thing I moved here for. I had to quit or I would lose my deposit. And my roommate at the time, who is like my roommate on our show. The fat guy? No, the girl who you never see. Oh, you never see. She was like, I think you should check out this place, Everett Citizens Brigade.

Like your video work really feels like that. And I had never heard of it. Right. I was so like SNL. It was 2006? Yeah. And I just didn't know like the old comedy scene. Was that the old one?

The one that was on 20, the one with the weird sort of seats? No, it was the new one. It was the basement? Oh, yeah. I think it was pretty new. Yeah, right at the beginning. And I went by myself and just like once,

I don't even know what show I saw and I was like, this is it. Right. This is it. And I quit and then I just started there and that got a dumb day job.

Oh, thank God for that fucking roommate. You were like, if it wasn't for that girl. I wrote her an email and I was like, thank you for. Where's she at? She's at the Atlantic.

We don't, it didn't end great with us. But that tidbit of information. She changed, like, I don't think, I honestly don't think of, none of my friends are in comedy. I mean, all my friends are in comedy now, but no one. What would have happened if you didn't get that tidbit of information? You would have, like, went home crying and just sort of like gotten a job probably your dad's office or something for a while well i wasn't i'm an illustrator too so i think maybe i would have done that and still tried i was trying to be an actor still but it was such a direct

correlation between me being so like fuck this because i wanted to be a dramatic actor i went to like mammoth right and i, fuck, what am I doing? And that was such a clear like turn. Yeah. Like I took a total different turn. Because comedy is a portal into all of that. Because like in any given sketch or scene, you can be the dramatic one.

Yeah. All right, so let's go now to your journey to New York. What happened? So you're a drummer. You got a cool brother. You're writing sketches. You're doing musical stuff. Your version of dicking around.

And what was the white light moment? Elliot goes to NYU and I'm like, okay, I'll go there too. Right. And it's like, not for acting, just to go and be in the city. He's like, Elliot shows me Stella, you remember when they were making videos and shit.

Stella over when it was down in the basement at the Time Cafe. Yeah, but for me, I mean, that's, actually, that's who I was going into the city to see was Stella, for example. Like, when I could get into their shows. That was a big room in the basement, and they had Blue playing the music, and then they'd have the comics on. Yeah, and, like, I more just saw them like, um, whatever. Just like, did you grow up with the state or is that still, was that after you? I mean, no, I, yeah, I did, but I didn't, uh, I was really young, a little young for it, but, uh, whatever.

I liked it. You know, I watched it later. All right. But, um, Stella videos was to me, I was like, oh, that was that was like oh it's not just SNL and then Elliot was like there's this theater Upright Citizens Brigade we should take classes when you're here

when you're in the city and what year is that 2000 early 2000s post 9-11 though like 2003 or something and you're like what, 19? In 2003, I'm like 16 if I can do math. And then I'm like, okay, in two years, I'll graduate and I'll come to the city and we'll do that.

But to my parents, I'm like, I'm going to be a psychologist. You know what I mean? That was the goal. That worked for a while. That was the goal. That worked for a while. In college, between comedy, my own therapy, and nervous breakdowns, and psych classes, it was truly a cohesive education.

It all was... Right. Real nervous breakdowns or just panic attacks? I mean, her breakdown was career shifting, dream breaking business. Yeah, like anxiety, depression, little mania like you know standard stuff yeah standard jew shit yeah standard jew shit um so i was like just college was like my job and comedy where'd you go to college nyu so you're there you went the whole run yeah um you got to finish i had to get a degree, and my parents, I don't know. They just wanted that, and I gave that to them. And they got me to the city, so I was using it,

fulfilling their thing and fulfilling my thing. Yeah, so I started taking classes in college. With your brother? Yeah, with my brother, but also like we were doing, we produced shows together. At UCB? Yeah. We had this one show that was awesome,

high school talent show. And it was just sketches and people, it was just like a variety show. People would come and do their sketches. But, you know, and we also were like

finding our own voices and I like did some standup and we were just running around the city. You know, that particular time when you're seeing shows every night, doing shows every night, it was so fun. It was my college. And by that time, comedy had detached itself entirely from mainstream comedy clubs.

So that was the alternative scene in New York. There was still The Cellar and stand- up, but that was not the world. It was like Rafifi. Right. You know, the tank. With Eugene and Tisdale. Yeah, exactly. You were never going, I never went to those big comedy clubs.

No, no, of course. Yeah, I know. I know. There's a whole generation that, it took me a long time to accept it, but you know, what am I going to say? Comics was a weird thing though.

Oh yeah, I saw you at comics. Well, they were trying to do a high, you did? I saw you at comics and at Ochi's too. Was it a good night? That was like the underground thing. For me at comics? Like sometimes I remember, that could go either way. But they were integrating alternative acts into the shows at comics trying to make that thing work. We got into comedy when like...

I like that you didn't answer whether it was good or not. Well, okay, so you were really good. You blew me away. Really past that. You were really fucking honest, but you had just gotten divorced. Yeah, it was a good time. I was like, holy shit. Comedy is honesty and tragedy. And it was amazing.

Oh, good. I'm glad to help. But it wasn't like, ha, ha, ha. It was like, whoa. It was amazing. It was. I don't get a lot of the ha, ha, ha. That's something I rarely hear. It was amazing. It was. I don't get a lot of the ha, ha, ha. That's something I rarely hear.

It was amazing. Thank you. But we got into comedy when it started being like alt and awkward. Weirdly, we started at the exact same time, but not. Knowing each other? Yeah, we started like the fall of 2006. Doing stand-up, are you talking, or just working? Taking classes.

And then performing, like, forming teams and, like. Uh-huh. Alana did more stand-up, and I would do, like, stand-up, like, kind of as a version of me. Like contextualized stand-up. Almost like your videos. Oh, so you did a character, kind of. In a way, yeah. It was, like, me, but, like, a version.

Yeah. You needed the character. Yeah, a little bit yeah so what are you because i've talked to a few people i mean i've had polar in here and besser and in some of the original ucb people and i've had people who uh who went through the ucb program and through the growlings program but like ucb now is like the the training ground for comedy in a lot of ways. So what is the environment there? Because I miss it.

I go do stand-up shows sometimes, but I don't have a sense of, and I know I've talked about this with people, but I don't remember. So tell me again, what is it that you, because you sign up for classes and it's primarily improv, right? And then you just stay there until you meet people. It's sketch. Oh, you can take sketch too. Yeah, writing and acting. and it's primarily improv, right? And then you just stay there until you meet people. It's sketch. Oh, you can take sketch too. Yeah, writing and acting.

And the main track is like take the classes 101 through 401. It's a little different now. 401. And then you like audition until you get on a Harold or a Maude team. Right. And then there's this like track. It's like a mini college. And I also have to say like it has grown exponentially since we started too so i don't really know the temperature there

but like it's like a school it's like walking into a like small college it's nuts i feel like it's probably similar to when you were doing stand-up and you meet this community it's almost like you're paying to meet a community. Well, the weird thing about in this community, rather than you're doing standup and you're just meeting them from going to shows. This was like,

we are go, you're like going every week to train, but you are training and you're learning these like principles, but also you, you have a theater that's like, you're feels like a home base for you. You can go every night and then you can go to other offshoot shows and it was like it was thank god i like didn't know anyone in new york

and all of a sudden you have this whole world yeah well the the difference is it's collaboration with stand-ups yeah we have a community but we're all sort of like well yeah we're kind of yeah yeah yeah doing bits and balls and well yeah not wins, but you sort of like, you know, that's what that guy's doing. I get it. I'm not into it. But there was never a sense of like, hey, you know, we should all get together and, you know, and put a thing together. The thing I like about stand-up, though, is like, because improvisers do bits, too, but I like in stand-up when you're just like leaning against the wall. Yeah.

And you're like in the shadows and somebody's performing and then you like talk about like the darkest shit as succinctly as possible of what's going on. That I like. That is like very real about stand-up. We're very good at leveling everything.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. There's a cynicism to it but after years of talking to people and here, you know, I've grown to really appreciate

and surrender some of my old guy, you know, stand-up warrior bullshit about dues and how comedy really old guy, you know, stand up warrior bullshit about dues and how comedy really works. Because, you know, having done a TV show and actually having the opportunity to collaborate on a radio show, too, like I love it, but I would never have thought to do it as a stand up. You know what I mean? It's just sort of there's an isolation to stand up. And so I, you know, I think it's amazing that amazing that you know when you go to someplace like UCB and you do all these things you're learning

how to write direct produce perform in innately because you all are sort of like well I got an idea let's execute the idea you know will you do this we do that so it's an amazing thing too it's like you want to be it is amazing but also creating that space is amazing. Like what you've done with your podcast. Yeah. Like you've created this space and brought like the podcast to like a new level where like polar. I mean, the original UCB4, like I'll never know what literally building that alt community in New York feels like.

They brought that like Chicago thing to New York. They created like some alternative to SNL. There's one thing to be in the channel and to really appreciate the path someone's carved, but then also you kind of have to... And then, honestly, us with the web series. The original four. I like that. Is that how they're referred to?

The UCB four. The UCB four. But the interesting thing about them is like when when they came around at first they were just a group you know they and then they started doing things on their own and then they opened the first theater and i don't you know i don't know what their intention was in terms of building an empire but they built their own space and then i think the the school came later but they needed a place to work and then then they then the attention came to the original four and then it became a showcase for people and then it just blew up but they were just you know like you they were just sort of like we're in the city yeah

well weirdly we were like it was so inspiring to us so we started doing broad city the web series because we could not get on these harold teams or Mod teams like we could not we Improvisation was not your thing we were like doing we thought we were doing we had been on

an improv team for two years with like a bunch of dudes performing at like under St. Mark's and different theaters and could not get we were like

fuck this is like the way we can't get on you couldn't get on the Herald team? no or Mod which is the sketch team we were just like the way we can't get on. You couldn't get on the Herald team? No. Or a mod, which is the sketch team. We were just like, fuck. Really?

You guys were not making the cut? No. Correct. And so actually inspired in because we couldn't get on, we created the thing because we were like, you know what? Fuck this. We're funny. We're going to do this.

But also that's what they did. I love that you're driven by spite. It was like spite it was like spite spite no but also it was also inspired by them and also it wasn't

the UCB4 being like you can't get on the team it was like other people but they they were looking for their own spot too and that's why they

created their thing so we were like let's just do it we're just going to do our thing like our friendship on this team and just hanging out we were like there's something here we. We're just going to do our thing. Like our friendship on this team and just hanging out.

We were like, there's something here. We're just this banter is funny. Yeah. And just started making these videos. Because we were going to like, you know, do characters or we just wanted to like make something, you know, that wasn't going to just disappear after the moment you fucking say it. Yeah. But then that turn of being like, imagine if it was about us. We were like, which is like well that's very sort of like you know first person experiential honest you know the things that you're talking about that you gravitated towards right so what were

the what how'd you shoot the web series who had the camera there was this thing it might so exist called the improv resource center oh really which was like an old like beta site. Yeah like set this set black with the green and it was you could post a few

I'm doing a I'm doing a short film I'm casting or I'm looking for an improv coach So it was a board. Yeah. Mostly UCB kids

and we found this like there's like video services and I was like oh there's this our friend Rob Rob is looking to do this. So Rob, for the first season, directed most of the episodes. Of the web series. Of the web series.

How long were they? I think 10 of 18. So there were 18 total? Oh, maybe he did 10 of 18. There were 18 total in the web series. And how long were the bits? Three to five minutes. So they were singular sketches.

It was like ideas that we, like this, I have the notebook that when we first met, and like I remember one of our first thoughts was like when we were meeting, we just wanted to get

bacon, egg, and cheeses. Best meal. And they wouldn't make them after 11. Like we couldn't find a place. The sandwich? Eggs. Eggs. Just bacon, eggs, and cheese. And we couldn't find a place. The sandwich?

Eggs. Eggs. Just bacon, eggs, and cheese. And a New York City deli. I mean, they still have these stupid rules as though it's like liquor afternoon on Sundays. Breakfast ends at 11? Yeah. Except on weekends. And we were like, what?

Eggs? All the eggs explode at 11.01? It was like, just conversations like that. Make me fucking eggs. Right, right, right. And we're like, let's just, we'll do like every sketch will be a and we started like writing shit down and like we didn't realize that we were creating a world right but then later after two years of making 35 videos it was like shit like we're these are all slices of

a world yeah of a larger and where did some of the the themes of the comedy central show sort of start to happen like you know bed bath and beyond opal win of the Comedy Central show sort of start to happen? Like, you know, Bed Bath & Beyond, Oprah Winfrey, you know, your sort of control freakness, your sort of like, you know, like adventurousness and somewhat inspired, what would you call it? Stonerness. I mean, all based on. I just like it. I just like what you're saying.

I dig what you're laying down, man. All those things are based on some sort of seed of one of us. Right. My mom worked at Bed Bath & Beyond when I was a kid. No. And so she was friends with all the workers there. Right. But I didn't have handshakes with them, but I was like...

But you knew the world. But my roommate, my other roommate, my mom would send me these coupons. Right. So I had an envelope of like 50 Bed Bath & Beyond coupons because I couldn't afford to buy shit. But I was like, when I can, I will go and buy all the shit I want. And I came home from work one day and he was like, so I got rid of your coupons. They all expired. And I was like, they don't expire.

They don't fucking expire. they don't fucking expire and so like we you know we had we had this google doc from when we had made the web series that was like this elaborate spreadsheet of like conversations moments anything that we thought was funny we would add in this google doc that we shared and so so if you're out in your world doing other things yeah you just kind of post it on then you'd sit and go through it yeah and it's just like, you know, what can't you let go of? What like keeps cracking up?

Right. You know, so who can we give that? So my roommate's boyfriend on the show, of course, he's going to throw away the envelope. Right. Yeah.

Yeah. He doesn't know the fucking thing. Yeah. And like, Hannibal had been in the web series and we, we kind of pitched the show with him in mind, with Gemberling in mind. Just all the, and then. He's the roommate?

Yeah. And then all those, oh yeah, John Gemberling plays Bevers. But like, you know, these like cells of a spreadsheet started connecting to characters. Right. And the world started coming together. Also like, even just like talking to Amy about it. I remember this conversation. When did that start to happen?

Amy was in our finale web series. Of the web series. Of the web series, where we were trying to get. But when did you get, like, I know you were at the school and you were having, you know, issues integrating into these groups. But when did Amy Poehler say, like, reckon with you? When did she be like, what are you guys up to? How did that happen? Didn't.

We just asked her to be in the finale of the web series. We just like got in touch with her. And it was like, she's never going to say yes to being in it. Like she's not going to be in it. How did you get in touch? I mean, what did you say? Like we were used to these people. Generationally, our teacher had been her student.

And our teacher, we asked him to, a teacher of ours, a teacher. Who and yeah teacher which one uh will hines and he um he was gonna direct a webisode and like pulled out last minute and we took our shit so fucking seriously yeah and we were so upset and he was like we like he was like oof i fucking owe you one and then when it came to it people we were like, hey, dog. Remember that ting? Yeah. So do you think she'd ever be into it? You know, we were like gentle about it.

We had written a pilot. We were like, we're going to go out and pitch this as a show. Broad City. This was like spring of 2011. Yeah. We were like, we wrote a pilot. We're going to end the web series. We're going to end it with like a bang.

Right. And that's when we reached out to Amy just to be in the finale of the web series series and then we were going to go that summer out here try and pitch it right but then when we met her it was like it clicked so hard we had this huge body of work we had the pilot ready she asked about um you guys ever think about this for tv you weren't even on her radar really until you asked her when she said yes to be in the web series she was like i would love to i've seen it i would love to and we died we were like this fucking crazy we never met her we like just saw her

at UCB you know where did you learn that I guess you learned that do you learn that at UCB that you can write a pilot and go try and sell it

in Los Angeles where did you get that information we had a manager who was oh who was that her name was Sam Safer uh huh she was extremely

good at- Oh, yeah? Getting you guys- Motivating us to do shit. Yeah. Encouraging and crystallizing. Still with her? No.

Hmm. So Amy did the last episode, and then she was like, what are we doing? You know Amy. Oh, yeah. So she's like, you guys think about this for TV? And we're like, we're thinking about it at Rotor Pilot, and you know thaty oh yeah so you know she's like she's like you guys have a you guys think about this for tv and we're like we're thinking about it wrote a pilot and you know that little like that little lip thing so she's like thinking about it's doing on it and then we like met up after and we had done the like edited the episode so fast because we used to have these parties

to premiere like just premiere parties two Two of them. I mean, we had, like, out of wherever, the agency to be like, that was a season, we say. You know, and now this is a season, we're telling you. So we, like, made these parties where we have Sarah Schaefer, Hannibal, John Friedman, who were in the...

Chris and Shaw. They were in this season, so come do stand-up, we'll show, you know, whatever. The web series. Yeah. Chris and Shaw was in the episode, too. Yeah.

Yeah. And then for that finale, we were like, we sent Amy the video, and we were like, met her webisode, and we were like, people went nuts. Everybody fucking loved it. And if we're, like, planning on selling this, we have a pilot. If you would ever be available and interested in being attached to produce it we would love to work with you and we were like no way but we have to ask she was doing parks the mighty bee she had just had her able her second kid i mean we didn't think that she was gonna do

it at all and then she was like i would love to i set a meeting. And we were like, what the fuck? I mean, I called Alana and she was like, oh, she wasn't. You were in the middle of nowhere. Alana, we had worked at the same job this whole year. That Alana on the show works at. It was like a Groupon kind of company. And Alana quit her job. No, you quit it when Amy was going to be in the web series.

Right. There was something I like knew. I mean, I gave them six weeks notice. I was really scared and I wanted to save my money. But I told you I'm a good girl. It was crazy. Yeah. But I was like, I knew it was cumulative.

It's interesting. It's a weird, that moment where you're like, I'm going to be in show business for reals.'s interesting it's a weird that moment where you're like I'm going to be in show business for reals yeah it's a weird moment because like you're taught even if you have supportive

and good parents you know they instill this this basic sort of need for security yeah they were still like

what are you doing right right who's Amy Poehler yeah they were like this is exciting but like

are you making money on this even still yeah even still it's like could have still had that job during sure they never let it go they just because you they don't they're not if you're not seinfeld right they don't get it yeah yeah no one knows my i talked to my friends they don't watch it's not for them right yeah but like our parents actually got on board like during the web series because it was just like we were also working we had like jobs yeah but it was just like good and there was something palpably building there yeah and then with Amy then they like flipped and like got it yeah and then so we came out here that when we had planned to but now Amy was like in the room with us it was a very different with the pot with

the pilot and but when you did that, those parties or those showcases or for the web series, was that primarily an industry type of showcase or just a party? No. It was just all our friends. But did the industry come? No.

So there was no buzz on it. It's not like in LA. We tried though. No, they come. For the web series, we had like this. Remember my phone? You know how I have everyone's phone numbers? Yeah. So when we were doing the web series, we tried to this. Remember my phone? You know how I have everyone's phone numbers? Yeah.

So when we were doing the web series, we tried to like reach out to people. Yeah. And a friend of mine was a casting director for like the Food Network. And she was like, I have this list. Yeah. And so on my phone now, I have like everyone. Uh-huh. Because I downloaded it and I like everyone's phone number.

In Hollywood. We like work with Becky now, Dave Becky. But like Abby had his number like 25 years ago but I didn't know who he was downloaded at least fucking contacts

so we try to invite press Dave Becky's number from years ago you've been with him a few years no we're not with him we just know him

because of Amy because you're a free arts person no we don't have a manager no like he just produces because because of amy that's what becky's job is now he gets his name on things yes yes yes he has like one of those fucking like the thing that you brand a cat becky has that and he puts it like on the card but you've been hung out with him he's an excitable guy yeah he's like you guys hey what

music you like i know how's my hair i like i I see Thomas Hayden Church when I think of him. Oh, really? That's good to share. He's a little more amped up than Thomas Hayden. Becky's like an excitable puppy sometimes. Yeah, it's cool to not work with him because it's just like, I love you, dude. Yeah, you can like him.

Yeah, it's funny though. I can't picture him in New York. He's such a like, Kelly dude. You know, these these guys like their job like it took me a long time to understand how show business works

you know and you know that it's a business and you know and he was like pretty slick then I mean he's loosened up now like

he was always into music that was always the thing I he was really good friends with a friend of mine who was a music manager and almost seemed like that was what he was more interested in personally.

But he never got involved with it. So he could still enjoy it. He has the look. He looks like he should be in music. He loves music. He's very rock and roll. He's a real power pop guy. But yeah, he looks slick.

He had shorter hair. He used to coiff it back. Oh, my goodness. Back before he earned the right to be casual at all times he had the suits he had everything wow oh yeah becky was pretty slick oh man and then he relaxed back to his uh his the state he always wanted to be right yeah all right so season three starts this wednesday yes 10 episodes yes yeah and you have given you've been given the opportunity to work.

Like I look at the guest stars, like I know a lot of these people. Seth Morris, I love. I love Seth Morris. He's so funny. Sedaris is great, Dratch great. Matt Jones is great, Janine's great. I'm just gonna read the list.

Armisen's great, but Bob Balaban. Yeah. Holy fuck. I mean, to me, like, it's like, I wanna just meet that guy. Well, Susie Essman and Bob Balaban are- Well, Susie's great. I've known her a million years.

Susie, as Alana's mom, is, I think, should win some sort of- She should win- She should win awards all the time, Susie Essman. But the fact that it's- I don't think there's ever been a better pairing of mother-daughter. We thought about it for years before. It's insane. We thought about it since the web series.

It's crazy. That was crazy that that materialized because we thought about her for years. Because you watched her on Curb or you saw her do stand-up? Yeah, and I'm just like, this bitch is me.

They just look alike. It's just bizarre. We're just like, so alike. Did you ever go see her do stand-up? Yeah, she's fucking hysterical. Yeah, yeah.

She is hysterical and she's now like, so she's like, over it, over stand-up. I'm like, please. She does it still.

You're taking a break. Yeah, but she's like, she's like over it, but I think she'll. Well, she's one of those people that had been around forever on the New York comedy scene. And it was like,

like when you're my generation, which I think is, I'm a little younger than her, maybe. But like when you see people at that point in their career get a break like Kerber, all of a sudden,

you know, the world gets to meet them. You're like, oh, that's so fucking great. Yeah, totally. You know? But what was it? How's Bob he was he fun or he's like he's great he's like gentle and so funny yeah and very much just like you know that person that you see yeah he's like funny and interesting he's very interesting like knows a lot of shit like wants to talk about a lot of stuff

he's like great on a set he's a great actor he's like one of those people who oh yeah you know how like he's in fucking midnight cowboy because like our you know that he was like he was the guy that john that blows john voight in the bathroom in the theater no yeah holy shit i gotta watch that oh my god are you kidding yeah i saw that so long ago the guy who didn't have any money oh and he And he's like, are you going to hurt me? My God. Oh, I have to see that again. That's Bob Baller. I got to watch that again. That's so funny. Yeah.

No, for someone who's been in everything, you know, our show is not like big, we don't have like a big production. It's like, Bob's not, they don't, no one gets a,

there's no trailers. There's nothing. They work for scale. And they're like hanging with us while we're like resetting up, like, like. But they like to work and they like to be part of something fun. And that, it just makes me like, oh, like they're, hanging with us while we're like resetting up like like but they like to work and it just makes me like oh like they're you get to see people like someone like that he's been in

fucking everything and he can just he's fine with that chilling with us but that's the amazing thing about you know having the opportunity to do your own show like because i didn't know that either and i've talked before i did my show i talked to a lot of people in here a lot of actors and stuff but when you're actually casting there's that that moment where you're like, that guy would do it? Yeah. And yeah, of course, well, they're actors. It's crazy though, yeah. They hold a different place in our mind

because we see them in movies. But ultimately, depending where they are with their career or what they're doing on a day-to-day basis, they're like, I'd like to work. And this seems funny. And they seem fun. And they're just, that's their job. I know, it's just-

It's mind-blowing to me. Because when we're casting, I'm like, I love that guy from all those movies. We can just have him come in and read for this or just cast him. They're like,

yeah, yeah, he'll work and I'm like, what? Because they're like superheroes to you. Yeah. Right. It's wild. And they're like suddenly your play thing.

Yeah. And like willing to do what you say. And you can see their genius and they bring to it everything that you want usually. It's crazy. I do what you say. And you can see their genius and they bring to it everything that you want usually. It's crazy. I do want to say one thing

or maybe a couple things. Because when I first watched part of the show when it first came out, I was like, I'm not sure I get this. They're great, but I'm not sure I get it.

And then as I watch more, the thing that, it's one of those movies, your shows, you do have to get the hang of it. Like there's a groove to it that's specifically yours. And it is a little generational for me,

but it's comedy. So like I had this problem with the Arrested Development too. If you don't lock in and sort of like, it's like playing a record a few times. Like once you get to the middle of the first season, you're like, I get the groove. But like- I think especially with the pilot into the first season.

Right, right, right. Also, as comedic performers, and as something I experienced, and I watched other comedic performers, you're not going to get comfortable. You're just going to have to take the hit for a few episodes. You know in your mind, this is going great, but it's going to get better. There's nothing I can do to make that happen any faster other than get comfortable.

And the more you get comfortable, then you're like, it's golden. But the one thing that I thought was amazing is that there's a lot of stuff about New York City, and it's really a celebration of New York City as you guys live in it now. And there's a lot of stuff that I remember from when I was living there. And there's very specific things that somehow or another, you know, you've managed to make new again, which is a great testament to the talent of you guys that I'm sitting there like, you know, watching that Washington Square drug bit. And I'm like, I know where this is going.

I'm like, oh, I didn't go where I thought it was. I thought you were going to get burned. I just immediately thought like she's buying drugs in Washington Square. We've all done that. And you get home. You're like, this isn't pot. But then it like, right. Then it goes. I you get home and you're like, this isn't pot. But then it goes this other way. I didn't even know where you thought it was going to go.

I thought you were just going to get some bad weed and smoke it anyways. And it was like a spice or just garbage. Gotcha. Where it was just like a confusion. My thought was like, she's going to insist on smoking it anyways and then try to figure out whether you guys are high or not. And you just sit there and go, nope. But that didn't happen. But that wrote a sketch but um that's so funny but but then when he thought you were so like that was a funny turn and there's a lot of

that stuff in there where i i didn't know exactly how it was going to go and a lot of the uh a lot of that comes from you know using such funny actors too it's so cool to hear you say that what you just said about the show because you're such a like you're like such a prolific comedian so you watching it and not expecting what is about to happen is like yeah yeah totally god because i was also like it's like that's the worst you can watch you know exactly what's gonna fuck i know what i'm gonna do and like i love that though it's like oh that's what you know that's we hope, even if it's a little thing. But the weird thing about me is it's very hard for me to sort of get sketch in general.

You know, like if I watch SNL, I'm like, what just happened? There are these ways that there might not be a joke there, but there's a repetition that becomes funny. So I have to contextualize things and in a lot of it you know even when you know the the the dog walker episode and the male thing you know going to that place where it's just that lady like metaphorically and cinematically you know that that emotionally makes sense to me because there's that feeling in there the idea if you had to ever go pick something up at FedEx, you know, and you're in Queens, you had to go over there by the cemetery.

Yeah, it's insane. It's only during work hours. It's insane. Yeah. But like all those things, and also because you're drawing from the energy and the possibilities of New York City, you know, it must be incredibly exciting

to people who don't have any experience of New York City that you're able to sort of, you know, and like, it's funny because you watch your show and you're like, I saw that block on Louis show. Like there's this world of comedians operating with New York as a backdrop. That's really a celebration in the city, which I always like. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. I just want to say thank you for saying that because I was like, it's cool to hear. Oh, the other thing I want to say that I think is great about the show is that there's a lot of things that try to overcompensate

with what they're doing with gender and ethnicity and sexuality. And you guys come from a generation and are living in New York where that stuff doesn't even need to be addressed. It just is. And I think that's a great thing. And I think that also there great thing and i think that uh you know also like you know there's something about someone brought up that there's you know the i don't know i you know i don't you know throw around the word feminist or anything else but there's a a sort of comfort to having

you know young women voices that are that are confident and and not afraid to be uh filthy and sweaty and shitty and farty that i get ready for season three because it's a lot of that fucking starting right off the bat it's great gross yeah but it's but it's important we are so farty we are it is we watched like the color of the one of the episodes and we looked at each other like oh what have we done but you but you're doing human shit see that but see that honesty that we were talking about before you know somehow or another like you know that for years for no reason other than cultural identification and and and sort of like uh imposed roles that just became what it is that there was not that dialogue or that world of women that is that fucking, you know,

just human and shitty. It's good. I'm glad you guys are human and shitty. Thanks. And farty. Thanks. Sweaty. And putting things in your vaginas.

So sweaty. So gnarly. You are really talking about how many holes one of the holes like. perfectly for us. Well, good luck with it. Thank you. It was a pleasure talking about holes. Really talking about how many holes. Describing the third season perfectly for us. Well, good luck with it. Thank you. It was a pleasure talking to you.

This was such a pleasure. Thank you for having us. Pleasure and an honor. That was fun. I like them. Enjoy their show. Maybe I'll play some guitar. Let me get it set up. Boomer lives! With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer.

I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. It's a night for the whole family.

Be a part of Kids Night when the Toronto Rock take on the Colorado Mammoth at a special 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, March 9th at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will get a Dan Dawson bobblehead courtesy of Backley Construction. We'll get a Dan Dawson bobblehead courtesy of Backley Construction. Punch your ticket to Kids Night on Saturday, March 9th at 5 p.m. in Rock City at torontorock.com.