In short
A “re-release” episode featuring an interview with Al Franken about his SNL and political career, plus behind-the-scenes stories about writing, performances, and famous sketches/cold openings.
Guest backgrounds
Al Franken is an SNL writer/performer who later became a U.S. senator. He discusses his early comedy roots in Minnesota (Dudley Riggs/Brave New Workshop scene) and his long collaboration with fellow writers/performers, especially Tom Davis and Jim Downey.
Key claims
Franken says political satire at SNL was meant to reward viewers for knowing facts without punishing those who didn’t follow politics closely. He describes how jokes can be misreported by media (a story about admitting to using cocaine “a little” to stay awake and ensure Belushi didn’t do too much). He also credits “in-dress” timing and writer-table chemistry for sketches peaking on air.
Notable examples
The “Julia Child bleeding” sketch (prop phone, timed blood spurt); Paul McCartney’s “Hey Jude” rehearsal; the “Gap Girls” sketch with real Gap clothing and security; “Stuart Smalley” (including Michael Jordan); “Comedy Killers” (Jeopardy-like categories including a Holocaust joke); and SNL political cold openings involving Bush, Dukakis, and Ross Perot.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOIntroduction to Al Franken
0:15 to 0:52
Dana and David introduce the episode featuring Al Franken and reminisce about their time on SNL.
“ADT security systems are built for situations like this.”
Introduction to Al Franken
0:58 to 2:06
Dana and David introduce the episode featuring Al Franken and reminisce about their time on SNL.
“This is a refreshing break with Snapple.”
The Dynamic of Comedy
2:06 to 3:54
Discussion about the chemistry between the hosts and their unique interviewing style.
“Also, Franken and Davis, the comedy team, and they were in, uh, maybe trading places.”
Al Franken's Background
3:54 to 5:50
Al shares insights about his early career and the influence of his mother.
“No, it's not Stuart Smalley, but it's some other kind of character that's sort of sweet.”
Improv and Collaboration
5:50 to 8:22
Exploration of Al's experiences in improv and writing sketches for SNL.
“No, I was just good at math and up to a point.”
Sketch Success Stories
8:22 to 10:40
Al discusses memorable SNL sketches and the importance of timing in comedy.
“And and the guy, you know, it's a union job because now.”
Formative Years and Partnerships
10:40 to 12:03
Al recounts his early connections and collaborations with Tom Davis.
“And then it goes, boom, boom, boom, boom.”
Influence of Belushi
12:03 to 14:00
Discussion on John Belushi's impact on comedy and SNL from Al's perspective.
“I went to the public school system until 10th grade.”
Memories of John Belushi
14:00 to 17:46
Discussion about John Belushi's impact and challenges during SNL.
“So like the first week of school, I went up to him.”
Al's Media Misinterpretation
17:46 to 18:36
Al Franken's joke about his cocaine use is misconstrued by the media.
“They did bring up a lot of your sketches, didn't they?”
Show all 28 chapters
Sketch Comedy and Controversy
18:36 to 21:49
Discussion on controversial comedy sketches and their implications.
“Said that he only did a little so that he could stay awake late enough to make sure that John Belushi didn't do too much.”
Paul McCartney at SNL
23:48 to 28:00
Sharing memories of Paul McCartney's performance and backstage stories.
“So when Paul McCartney came to play, everybody at 30 Rock knew he was the guest and knew when the music rehearsal was.”
The Joy of Keeping Wardrobe
28:00 to 29:40
Learn about the fun and nostalgia of keeping wardrobe items from TV shows.
“But why would I keep Stuart Smalley's clothes?”
Al Franken's Risky SNL Sketch
29:40 to 31:20
Discover the story behind Al Franken's controversial sketch about NBC head Fred Silverman.
Edgy Comedy and Steinbrenner
31:20 to 33:00
Explore Al Franken's edgy comedy sketches and the challenges he faced with George Steinbrenner.
“Is that the one where Odenkirk and Conan were supposed to go try to keep talking him into doing a sketch or something?”
George Harrison's Legendary Visit
33:00 to 34:40
Hear the story of George Harrison's unexpected visit to SNL and its chaotic aftermath.
“I think we made him get on all fours in the sketch.”
The Brain Tumor Comedian Sketch
34:40 to 38:10
Learn about the controversial brain tumor comedian sketch and the humor behind it.
Behind the Scenes of Political Satire
38:10 to 42:00
Gain insight into the collaborative dynamic between Al Franken and his fellow writers in political satire.
“And we felt that it wasn't the job of the show that to we just we felt the job was to do satirical political satire that was well observed, but not, you know, biased in one way or another.”
Political Satire and the Craft of Comedy
42:00 to 48:34
Explore the art of political satire and how sketches are developed.
“And you discussed with Downey the line, which was, I can't believe I'm losing this guy.”
Political Satire and the Craft of Comedy
48:38 to 49:06
Explore the art of political satire and how sketches are developed.
“Build your own multi-view, choose up to three streams, and follow player spotlights.”
Memorable Characters and Impressions
49:36 to 56:00
Delve into the creation of iconic characters and their comedic impact.
“And then we had Perot was dropped into our lap during to just follow that sequence.”
Behind the Scenes at SNL
56:00 to 58:00
Insights into the atmosphere and dynamics during SNL rehearsals.
“Like it seems like the deadest space in the world and there's Chinese food or pizza.”
Memorable Moments with Michael Jordan
58:00 to 1:00:50
Recollections of Michael Jordan's appearances and interactions on SNL.
“I remember the Michael Jordan one was probably such a huge home run.”
Athletes and Comedy
1:00:50 to 1:03:40
Discussion about the challenges and successes of athletes performing comedy.
“I thought he was going to say, let's play.”
The Evolution of SNL Characters
1:03:40 to 1:10:00
Exploration of how characters were developed and adapted for sketches.
“There was no way not to do well as an athlete.”
Censorship and Comedy
1:10:00 to 1:12:25
Explore the dynamics of censorship in comedy, particularly around sensitive topics.
“Phil was crying, and then we closed in on a close-up or something like that.”
Sketches and Satire
1:12:25 to 1:17:14
Al Franken discusses memorable sketches and the fine line of satire in comedy.
“The whole point was it was satirical, which is no guy doesn't do that.”
The Emotional Toll of Comedy
1:17:14 to 1:18:38
Al shares insights on the emotional challenges faced in show business.
“Well, your feelings get hurt a lot, even if you're doing really well.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Imagine having a free day out in the town, sitting down for a nice lunch, relaxing. Then you get an alert. The window at your home has been broken while you're miles away. It's that kind of thing that can turn your good day upside down. Obviously, that's where ADT comes in. ADT security systems are built for situations like this. They got 24-7 monitoring to help keep your home safer, whether you're there or not. No one wants to feel unsafe at home. And with ADT, you won't. That's right.
0:30Dana Carvey:Their systems are professionally installed by trained technicians, so protection starts from day one. ADT also has the most company-operated monitoring centers in the industry, and the ADT app lets you keep tabs on your home from virtually anywhere. Don't wait to prepare your home for an emergency. When every second counts, count on ADT. Visit ADT.com or call 1-800-ADT-ASAP. Hey, before we jump back into the show, let's take a quick break, all right? Not just any break. This is a refreshing break with Snapple. We all know about Snapple's iconic real facts. So let's take a minute to go over some of my faves.
1:11Dana Carvey:Snapple real fact 455. Movie trailers used to come on at the end of the movies, but no one stuck around to watch them. I've heard that. Snapple real fact 831. Adults laugh only about 15 to 100 times a day, while preschoolers laugh an average of 300 times a day. Snapple Real Fact, 1983. The first player drafted to play pro football never played in the league. That's interesting. Snapple Real Fact, 1274. Kickball is referred to as soccer baseball in some parts of Canada. So grab a Snapple. Take a second. Enjoy the moment. because let's be honest this might be the most refreshing part of your day snapple make your break more interesting al franken is our guest on this al franken yes al franken is coming up i mean we uh we worked with him on snl for seven years and um it's uh it's always fun he wrote with you a lot though on political yeah yeah he was always very political before he became a senator and i It was useful to have him around and me and him and Jim Downey would hatch out those, uh, not good, you know, hatch those.
2:27Also, Franken and Davis, the comedy team, and they were in, uh, maybe trading places.
2:32Dana Carvey:Was it? They were in a lot of things and they, uh, he, they were there from the beginning. You know, they would, you know, with the seventies, they knew all about. Yeah. It knew all about those. Ackroyd and all those guys. So it's a really fun interview. He's an interesting guy. And we've known him a long, long time. Here you go. He was the head writer when I was there, along with Downey and Michael. Al Franken. Al Franken, everybody.
3:01Dana Carvey:Is that Putin? Putin, but I wouldn't do it if I were you. I just think we could come and sound. Oh, I got to do a podcast. Okay. I got it. I got it. Fly on the wall. Putin called Al to say, how do I get SNL not to make fun of me? we were going to call our podcast the al franken show but i said but why he's only going to be on once and they said okay but me al franken uh ladies and gentlemen you're listening to fly with our very special guest snl legend and senator al franken thanks for inviting me of course there's so many things in your career that we're looking at to talk about your new nickname is the touchstone i did saturday night live you know i do know that is a big chunk of it yeah we want to go with a deep dive our our other name for the podcast is the hot seat so welcome senator we really grill them yeah i've heard you grill we love our we're the worst we're the worst two hosts i think we've been voted but that's okay that's okay we're terrible but we know it which is kind of helpful if we thought we were yeah that's the charm of you guys that's what people love about you yeah i didn't go to interview school right they say you have no qualification we're like well you don't need them it's a podcast you don't need anything you have a chemistry between you yeah that is is that a little ed win it's a little friendship and affection for each other for and uh very funny each of you and both together.
4:39I don't know what I'm doing.
4:41Dana Carvey:No, it's not Stuart Smalley, but it's some other kind of character that's sort of sweet. I'm on the Upper West Side of New York right now. I think I'm just channeling the last person I ran into. Sweetness. There's something about you. You know, Al got it. Dana, Al is very smart. Went to Harvard. He also got a 800 on the math section of the SAT. I don't think that's out of 1 ,000. Al did not get a 800 on his math. You know, my mom said that on a I once did a radio interview in Minneapolis and my mom, her apartment had burned down. And so she had to come with me. I was promoting a book. And so we're doing a radio interview.
5:26And I said, OK, mom, you're not being interviewed. We're like in the green room. Then I had to go to the bathroom. And then I come back and I go, where's my mom? And she's being interviewed and she's going, Alan got an 800 on assessment.
5:42Dana Carvey:Within 20 seconds, you pulled that out. Within 20 seconds. Yeah. Wow. But OK, so seriously, so you're a math whiz or a brainiac? I mean, what is that about? No, I was just good at math and up to a point. I mean, I I was just I peaked at, you know, algebra two. I mean, I was not, I took calculus freshman year and I went, what? I have no idea what this is useful for. I don't like it. And then I became a comedian. I have to say I was good at math, Al. And when I went, one of those didn't click with me. And I think people that are good at all math is very interesting because it was like algebra, geometry.
6:20And then one of them I stopped at and said, I don't get it at all. And then they go, well, then you're dumb. And I go, well, that doesn't. anyway al was in the minnesota comedy sketch scene back was that a big scene back it says that's where you started where you got that thing i there was a thing called dudley riggs brave new workshop which was like a third city it was like se in fact del close taught tom was in tom was in their troop tom was in okay and i'll give you an example of you know tom davis and i met in high school and we started performing together at this theater and we went to like an open what there weren't mics it was a little theater and um we were able to get on and the the owner liked us and we were able to do shows there and tom i went off to college and tom became a member of the troop and got the training the improv training and anyone who's interested in comedy i would do that because i'll give you one example where it really came in handy remember julia chow bleeding to death that's danny yep okay so uh tom and i wrote that we're looking for an end and in improv you're taught to look for objects because you're out there on the stage with nothing and you're improvising and one of the techniques is to find objects and at the end we were looking for a blow for the scene and tom said the phone you know there's there's the kitchen phone and so you know danny as julia child is going like um oh the phone and uh it emergency call 9-1-1 and and and danny picks it up and starts to dial he goes it's a prop phone and throws it down and dies essentially and that was like you know it was really you know tom and i as a team each kind of complimented each other in certain ways that was one of the ways he did so people are listening are to your to this broadcast uh podcaster are really interested in comedy and and young people ask me all the time should i do improv class and go yeah yeah yeah
8:35Dana Carvey:and we always say get it get in a kind of a biker bar and try to do five minutes that's that's the path you know stand up is a lot rougher i didn't biker bar whoops oh you know ow that was one of the best sketches ever that was one of the top top uh mount most memorable sketches just well that was one that peaked on air you know how you know how you knew you had something and you were just going like oh please peek on air please and we that was one of the you guys will attest to this if something worked in dress it was in air right and that worked in dress and it was walter math that was the host but we didn't have the blood quite right and we held it because we didn't have the blood quite right it's still kind of killed but and here's the thing is that that it was an insecticide sprayer underneath the counter and the special effects guy was running it and because tom and i had written it and we went to the special effects guy and said, Can Tom run this?
9:54The right. Because it's like part of the joke. You got to get it right. And and the guy, you know, it's a union job because now. But but they love love Tom. And so Tom did it. So Tom and Danny time those spurts. And and that's, you know, and then, you know, is one of those things where you're going like, oh, please get it all on on on air. And it does. And you go, yeah. yay, yay.
10:20Dana Carvey:Whoa. Wow. So you actually platformed it and then said, let's wait until we get the blood spurt thing. Yeah. And that was really rare, right? Yeah. Oh yeah. I would work no matter what, but you, you know, but that just adds to it so much to make those things work. It's so much part of the joke. And then it goes, boom, boom, boom, boom. And that's, he's saying something funny. The blood comes out perfectly and it just builds, builds, builds. Yeah. And you know what that feels like. when it just works on all cylinders. You know what it feels like when it peaks at dress, too. That's a sick name. And there were years where we did not tape dress.
11:01Oh, really?
11:02Dana Carvey:So you didn't have a fail safe then? Well, yeah, for the West Coast. For the repeats. Sometimes. And now they do, of course. And so, you know. Al, when we were there, let's say 91 to 96 was, I mean, I think we did tape I never really saw them They didn't really do anything with them, but maybe they did tape them I don't remember No, I think certainly in the repeats I don't think they changed it for the West Coast Unless something horrible I think they do that now, though They'll see it in the West Coast A better one What a luxury I know, I know Al, can I ask for a second something about you and Tom Because it's always interesting origin meetings and how you guys were partners in crime for so long.
11:52Dana Carvey:Like, do you remember like it was eighth grade PE or did you connect with them right away? Or do you have any kind of McCartney Lenin-esque thing? It was in 10th grade. Because you guys obviously connected. 10th grade, sophomore. And I changed schools. I went to the public school system until 10th grade. And then I don't need to go why I went to this all boys private school, but it ruined my life. But anyway, it involves, it involves, let's just say it's involved shoplifting. Yeah. And so, and then we, we would have chapel in the morning. It was like the school founded at the turn of the 20th century for a school for Protestant boys.
12:33And they started letting Jews in in the fifties to get the SAT scores up. And so let that just lay there for a sec. Well, yes, that's actually truer than it can possibly match. But sure. So I get there and Tom makes an announcement. There's also the reason I said that about the religion was that we had chapel in the morning and they had a big pipe organ. You're saying, you know, these hymns and Christian songs. OK, yeah, yeah. And the first week I got there, I just didn't sing them. and my math teacher asked me to stay after after class. And he said to me, Mr. Franken, you want to go to a good college, right?
13:19And I said, yeah. He said, well, you're going to need good math scores for that. Right. I said, yeah, I'd sing the hymns. Jeez, blackmail. And then I sang the hymns. I love singing the hymns. You know, almighty fortresses are God. You know.
13:36Dana Carvey:Oh, yeah. Did you ever sing Onward Christian Soldiers? That was kind of catchy on the word Christian. So I didn't mind. I didn't care. Yeah. But anyway, so so after the hymns and some, you know, the faculty would there be announcements. And Tom was really funny. And he would organizations would send him up to do announcements. So like the first week of school, I went up to him. I said, you're really funny. And then we started doing stuff together. And we started doing announcements for the meeting of the chess club or something. And we did all kinds of just we did Karnak. We did just, you know, all they let you do it.
14:21And they let you kind of screw around. They loved us doing that. I mean, it was fun. And we it was where we really started in chapel.
14:29Dana Carvey:Could you there's been people mentioning, you know, 75 to 80 and specifically Jim Belushi. and I just want to get your take. John, sorry. Oh, Jim mentions it. Yeah, but John, sorry. Sorry, Jim, I apologize. John Belushi apparently was sort of an intimidating figure or he became one, but anyway, our friend Jim Downing talked to it. And I'd like to hear your take on, you know, season three and what was going on with John, you know? well yeah i heard downey's interview with you and it was great i'd recommend that to anyone and he mentioned the time that i think he was referencing then this is my memory of it um one of the charlie's angels kate jacks with um jacqueline fair or kate jackson i think kate jackson was the host and um i only referenced that was i remember that was it and he was very bad off then in terms of drugs.
15:37And so he is terrible in dress. So Jim and I had written a sketch and I said, we got to just go and talk to him. And so and Jim was intimidated at the time more. And I just knew Belushi from the get go. And I just knew that he could be intimidating, but he wasn't going to do anything. So I we not not to you, not to the state wrestling champ.
16:05Dana Carvey:But go ahead. We'll talk about that later. Well, I was hardly that. But so anyway, we go in and I go, John, you know, let's run lines on this sketch, because frankly, you were pretty bad and I didn't know. And he just goes like, get out of here. He makes a fist and and down, you know, and I'm going like, no, no, I could. I'll tell you what, John, we'll just read them to you so that they'll sound familiar when they're coming out of your mouth.
16:40And that's what we did. We just read him the sketch over and over again. And he was marginally better. You know, this is kind of his worst point. um and but i never saw him actually do anything other than uh you know physically to intimidate anyone or other than his bearing and he wasn't you know he wasn't great to the women in terms of that showing respect and the women writers and stuff so yeah that but god damn he was funny yeah
17:16Dana Carvey:Brilliant comedian. I'm just sort of curious, like, what were the things he was taking and how did it affect his performance? Was he taking cocaine where he'd speed up or is he drinking so he'd slow down? I think it was mainly cocaine at that time. You know, it's funny. When I first ran for the Senate, one of the first interviews I had, I thought SNL was going to really help me.
17:43This is great. This is a feather in my cap. Everyone was free. Oh, yeah.
17:47Dana Carvey:They did bring up a lot of your sketches, didn't they? Go ahead. Yeah. So my first interview is one of my first interviews. The reporter says, yeah, when you were at Saturday Night Live, did you ever do cocaine? And I say, hmm, what's that? Yes. Yes. But and then I say, but I only did a little so that I could stay awake late enough to make sure that Belushi didn't do too much. Good line. Good one. And which was a joke. And most people recognize as a joke. But the media I've learned has a vested interest in not getting jokes. So the guy kind of wrote it up as Al Frank conceded that he used cocaine while at Saturday Night Live.
18:37Breaking news. Said that he only did a little so that he could stay awake late enough to make sure that John Belushi didn't do too much. Belushi later died of a drug overdose.
18:50Dana Carvey:Connect the dots. Yeah. Yeah. And so anything I ever did. Oh, my God. I think of there is one line in a great sketch comedy killers. I don't. Were you guys around for this? I think I was. It sounds like. OK, comedy killers was a Jeopardy like game. But the premise was and Downey and I wrote this, I'm sure. And other people kicked in, you know, it was one of those things where people kicked in at the table. So it was just the categories were like cancer, the Holocaust, yeah, Kennedy's, you know, that kind of thing. And so there's one joke and Rosie Schuster wrote this joke. So this might have been earlier than why or maybe she was going to Lauren Michaels, his wife.
19:37Yeah, it was. Yes. and the it was jeopardy like so um this would have been a bad hanukkah gift for ann frank
19:49Dana Carvey:and then what was a drum set yeah that was and so i later told that joke like i'm telling it now and so that gets like al franken told jokes about the holocaust yeah He's coked out of his mind And he doesn't care about the holocaust Al Franken You should have said he's old pretty good jokes Yeah In one of his cocaine frenzies Yes The holocaust joker cokehead also said I don't know about you I don't know if I want this guy running the country He feels cocaine and the holocaust are a joke What else does he feel? It reminds me of those political ads we used to do. Yeah, those are the best. Go ahead, Al.
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23:48i i had a uh kind of a gap girls it's all right a story but it's really just about the gap girls set and uh paul mccartney so i love it i think i remember this okay well paul mccartney okay as well for your listeners what the first thing that was rehearsed on thursdays We shot promos maybe first, but the second thing, maybe the first thing rehearsed was the music because the music set was the music set and was there. So you didn't have to bring a new set. So when Paul McCartney came to play, everybody at 30 Rock knew he was the guest and knew when the music rehearsal was. So 8H was was filled with with people for the rehearsal.
24:35and Lauren goes up and asks Paul, I'm right there, you know, and he's going up to Paul and he says, could you do Hey Jude? How would Lauren say that?
24:49Dana Carvey:Could you possibly find your way to Hey Jude? It's just like a really, really, really big hit. Yeah. I think find your way to Hey Jude would be exactly right. Yeah. So Paul goes like, well, we're not really playing at this tour. So we don't I don't know if we really know it. And I go, hey, Jude. And he goes, no, no, no, no. And because the lyrics are so like this, you know, confusing. But I think Paul was actually I think they were doing that tour. So he goes to the band and he comes back and says, yeah. So they play Hey Jude in the studio full of people there. And everybody is so blown away and moved.
25:36And I'm like crying because this was, you know, I was like 16 when Hey Jude came out. And it was that it just meant so much. And that and I'm literally where's my life gone? I remember being sitting in the car, not, you know, if Hey Jude was on, I just arrived at my place. I waited to the end of Hey Jude. And I'm just so moved. OK, they're doing a gap girls.
Read the full transcript
26:02Dana Carvey:OK, now gap girls is going to enter the story. OK, great. Yeah. So we're now we're on Saturday and during meal break, they they have the music rehearsal. So I go, of course, because it's going to play. Hey, Jude, I go on the floor and I notice while they're playing. Hey, Jude, that the gap, there's a guard on the gap girl sketch guarding the clothes because they're so. The clothes on the girls get girls get. So, I guess, valuable enough to have a guard there. So but I see that the guard is so transfixed with, hey, Jude, that and I need some jeans and you need some jeans. OK, got it. And I need some jeans.
26:48So I watched during dress. He's still during air. I took two pair of 36, 36, 36, 36, 36. Yeah, that's what I was at the time, 3630s. I'm short. Well, you have gigantic legs.
27:06Dana Carvey:Remember the night you and Farley would sometimes, in a fun way, wrestle. At least one night, I remember you guys. It was like Godzilla versus King Kong. Yeah. And I didn't really know that I was a wrestler, but your build is very powerful. And Farley was, you know, and it was like Goliaths colliding. who actually won that wrestling match in the middle of the night on, on 17th floor? I think it was just a kind of a man affection thing. Yeah. You guys were laughing when you did it. Yeah. Obviously everyone was turned on. Yeah. All the writers also. Especially the women. Yeah. You know, actually Dana, back to that, the gap set, they donated a corner, you know, like I want the set all from the gap and it was all real.
27:53so they sent their own security saying we we have to make sure this comes back in one piece oh okay and uh that's what happened so uh i remember because they told me they go they got don't worry all the gap stuff all the cable crews everything's going to be still there on saturday no one's going to be able to pinch and then uh yeah i did i yeah i think maybe you had told me that it's a great story i actually went to the prop master and said i took two jeans just and he says full disclosure have you guys just threw out any kind of career
28:23Dana Carvey:appearance on a tv show or whatever and then there's wardrobe left over and there's something that you really like and then you sort of ask casually could i kind of keep this jacket and it's really fun when they say yes even though it might only be a 20 jacket something about free stuff on a set or a tv show well um i never acted in a movie and like you guys have Stuart Smalley. Well, I did. I did. But why would I keep Stuart Smalley's clothes? Yeah, okay. Trading places. I got his sweater was what I was going to say. I was Stone Porter number one and Tom was Stone Porter number two. Did you write Trading Places?
29:01No, no, no. We were just giving this little part and was Stone Porter number one and Stone Porter number two. And we smoked a joint in it and they took that away because Eddie smokes a joint in the bathroom. though we were playing stone but we were no one had seen us in the movie smoker joint so we were
29:18Dana Carvey:kind of dim-witted or did you actually do like a stoner dude voice did you do like a character yeah we were kind of like uh yeah like that um okay we thought that was motivated by them having seen us smoke pot but it was fine it was fine so al you kind of have a reputation like you do risky stuff and i just want to start with this one okay and i don't know if this is true but it's 1980 lauren's gonna leave and you were potentially one of the heir apparent to then take over snl and be the executive producer is that possibly true but you wrote a sketch about fred silverman the then head of NBC or yeah that was stupid is that is that true in hindsight that was not biting the hand that feeds did that I mean what what was that yeah I mean look my life is unfolded the way it's unfolded so okay but that was stupid I yeah I I what didn't think that necessarily that that was going to happen anyway and I was kind of up for leaving myself also so I just did limo for the lame-o and it was just about how um you know like i i didn't get a limo i see even garrett gets a limo and or something like that right and but i don't get one and but fred silverman gets a limo and then i we were nbc was tanking at the time and i was a couple like one of the executives attached to the show begged me not to do it and and we had the ethic that if it's funny we do it right yeah right that was kind of it and uh so did it come back to hurt you in any way then you're gonna leave the show in the sense that fred silverman has hated me yeah ever since and that he was the head of the network but no but al what about when you i just watched this whole update bit you did about you came back and i guess it was gene manian had come and and gone within six months they did a whole update piece was chevy the host is that why he was there oh he must have been i think it was like an interim thing where who came back with ebersole i think then yeah you were sort of making fun of him and i was kind of making yeah i was ballsy bit yeah i was saying kill the show or something like that and then but then a writer's strike happened right after that and um but you always did edgy stuff didn't you uh this is jumping ahead for a second but just to you're uh not censoring yourself didn't you suggest that george steinbrenner the billionaire owner of the new york yankees who was the host that somehow he would be in all fours with a dog collar and there'd be no no i had him play i wrote a sketch where he's playing Petey who is kind of like wears a beanie and shorts yeah and is just and everyone just say like Petey you're so stupid Petey and he would just it was all clearly just a pretext to say or you know just to say stuff to George Steinbrenner like that and he wouldn't do Petey He wouldn't.
32:47Is that the one where Odenkirk and Conan were supposed to go try to keep talking him into doing a sketch or something? No, this was I don't think so. I did PD and I just thought it'd be very funny. He had like a beanie with like a twirling thing on the top. Yeah, and he was just well. I think we made him get on all fours in the sketch.
33:09Dana Carvey:That's what I remember going well in the ass. That's right. I think that I think that's it. Yeah, he got him on all fours, kicked him in the ass. And were you shocked when he turned down the sketch? Well, yeah, I mean, he was kind of weird. I don't know if he was the kind of guy. He did a decent job. We wrote a sketch for him and Nealon and Jan and Victoria, where it was just George is Nealon's boss, and the two couples are going out to dinner, and Nealon offers to pick up the check. and George says, no, come on, I'm your boss. No, no, no. You always picked it up. I'm going to pick it up. No, I'm your boss.
33:51I'm taking the check. I'm taking the check. And then he takes it and goes, well, that was pretty easy. And then he only goes, OK, I'm taking it. I'm taking it. And then it just escalates. Yeah, yeah. And Jan kind of goes, no, you know, it was one of those. And Steinbrenner was very good in it.
34:09Dana Carvey:I just remember him going around 8-H asking people where they went to college and like, you know, Penn State. Oh, good school. You know, Cambridge. Oh, nice school. And then he came to me and goes, where'd you go to college? I said, San Francisco State. His face went blank and he just turned and walked away from me. Really? Well, San Francisco State, I guess it wasn't a sexy college. God, that makes me think George Steinbrenner is a dick. Or a guy who just loves higher education. you know i mean i i just it was just a funny school that i went to now go stay to the fine school there are stories that you always feel like everyone's heard but i i don't really know the george harrison legend legendary visit i'll give you a choice either that or talk about the the character the brain tumor comedian okay um i'll do harrison real quick uh both so this was an epic thing i missed it but he comes to snl and what you're like 90 whatever i am probably not 90 i would have been there 95 89 88 something like that conan is there and i wasn't discussed this with conan and basically george harrison uh shows up at uh on the 17th floor he and lauren are going out to dinner okay oh my george harrison's here george harrison's here they're going out to dinner you come they come back a few hours later and he is just drunk and so now it's like 10 30 11 i love it and as you know this is tuesday night this is tuesday night and that's when the show gets written and this year i was one of the producers or and uh he starts to play the piano fun in a gift in the read-through room and everyone just is like gathered around and george harrison's playing the piano a beetle's playing the piano and it's going on and on and on and i'm going like the show is not going to get written and so i just go to phil hartman i say phil uh watch this and you remember my desk my office is right next to the right right across yeah so I go in my office and I just slam my door as hard as I can I didn't see him because I'm inside but he evidently George like jumped like three feet off the piano bench came down and then left and everybody was just furious at me and I just said we gotta write we gotta write this show and of course Rue McClanahan was the host no and she sat down at the piano and wouldn't stop that piano was that story and the brain tumor comedian was uh it's tom is so funny in this piece it's you know we would do the franken and davis show which was the show within the show and this one is i have a brain tumor and i have this terrible this bandage with a big lump discolored lump on it and and and al's always wanted to do a single and he's uh this is you know he's got a brain tumor so you know you're gonna really enjoy this folks this is tom and then i start uh you know what you know you hear about the rabbi didn't give uh uh you know didn't charge for giving circumcisions he only took tips woof and then the next next joke i tell i start to space out and every joke i always the punch is always he only took tips and then tom behind me would go would like encourage the audience and uh it was really funny and tom was really funny and and of course we got a few letters have you ever watched your um you know wife die of a brain have you ever thought of a sketch out unless where you thought of it and said ah no no too much too too too far i yes of course but i can't remember any okay yeah i can't remember it was too far between but let's talk about some stuff we did together yeah um yeah and downy i think i've told you this downy had this credo for the for the political material we wrote which was downy it was a moderate republican a very thoughtful uh you know conservative in the best sense republican and i'm obviously a very progressive Democrat.
38:56And we felt that it wasn't the job of the show that to we just we felt the job was to do satirical political satire that was well observed, but not, you know, biased in one way or another. So and Downey had this motto, which was we're going to reward people for knowing stuff but not punish them for not knowing stuff so the point was is that you could watch it and not be a political junkie at all not follow politics very closely and understand it but if you were someone who did there was another layer and that that's that's pretty sophisticated stuff but uh but downy and i were pretty uh i'm very proud of the stuff i did with jim and we did so much with you and jim didn't say this when we're talking about you doing uh the bush cold openings which we use as a crutch i mean i was basically we can always do dana yeah in one on home base and uh and downy is right sometimes we wrote him on and and they were long but here's the thing that i tell people a lot which is in dress and i we those were well written by and large and downy kind of said well sometimes we threw you out there with nothing i don't you know i don't remember a lot of that we gave you know yeah but what would happen is we would send you out there with something actually well you know well thought through you would get so many laughs at will because you do the you just do your the hand right over there doing that doing it would spread and just at will get laughs so we had to tell you between dress and air a number of times which i don't think anybody has ever told a performer don't get so many laughs because we because you're ruining you're not following the through line of the audiences and they're losing the through line and you knew exactly what we were talking about you knew exactly how to dial it down and you did every fucking time fucking time and which was you knew exactly what you're doing you had such control and of course you helped write those and added to them and i also want to tell another story about you which is and i think i've discussed this with you but um in in uh i guess it was when when did clinton run 92 uh so songas was running and jerry brown was running yes yeah and we had a two-week break which was rare and a two-week break and you said to me you know on as we were about to go on break said can you work on songas for me you know just on the idea of songas and what to do with them and so I started playing around with his voice and I nailed it I got it really great and then I went to I gave a speech at the Kennedy School you know on political satire and I killed with song so I come back and I'm really embarrassed and I say to Dana could I do song us and you just went yep I'll do Jerry Brown love Jerry Brown and the thing about you is that you knew jerry brown yeah part of it is that you went to you know a lousy campaign san francisco state and california oh yeah no but jerry brown was a great character but your song was hysterical whatever your take was i remember it killing right it was uh you know snagglepuss with a uh
42:45Dana Carvey:kermit with a boss with a massachusetts accent yeah snagglepuss and he really had a voice that odd i mean it wasn't that big a leap yeah very extreme yeah yeah i have a question now when you and dana were formulating uh bush it was it was right before i got there but i just watched a bush dukakis uh early on debate which i don't even know if it's a cold opening it was 14 minutes which is pretty long it might have been but it was great it was during the campaign hilarious yeah That was Diane Sawyer. And you discussed with Downey the line, which was, I can't believe I'm losing this guy. Yes. And yes, I wrote that line, but the line only worked because of this long setup.
43:28Right. Of Bush rambling. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it was Diane Sawyer, Jan Hooks, playing a very sultry Diane Sawyer. So funny. Hilarious. and basically asking him a question and you kind of go well uh stay the course thousand points of light stay the course and then she just went for the first time in this she just went you still have a another minute 45 as your vice president and he just saw well say the course yeah and then bring it down she does that back and forth with you like three or four times and finally she goes governor and then i can't believe i'm losing this guy so that was i wrote that line but only because of that setup set up that line right i think i oh yeah yeah i thought of the line off the set and i john and the whole stuff and lovitz nailed that one by the way that was he was great in that uh sketch lovitz was great as dukakis and i don't know if i've
44:36Dana Carvey:told you this al but he on election night when bush won lovitz called me and essentially conceded well you're gonna be doing the president for four years and he the fake dukakis conceded to the fake bush before the real dukakis conceded to the real but then i knew i was going to be in the hot seat and i didn't really have the impression at that point you didn't quite have it and we did sit down and you started developing that. Well, do you remember the exact moment? Because it was just you and me in a room trying to find it. And I just said that doing that thing out there with the finger up, the lazy finger.
45:15Dana Carvey:Like swishing around. Doing that thing in that whole area. And we both looked at each other and laughed. And that was the end. It's very interesting how one little hook and then it went to not that. Well, I remember you were one of the first guests on my podcast. and you said to me, because I laughed, and you said laughter is the oxygen of comedy. Yeah, yeah. Oh, definitely. If you have someone laughing and you're riffing, then it is, the machine keeps going. So you laughed. Yes, exactly. And I knew, I was like, okay, this is great. And then we had Jim Downey coming in. It was like, I felt really blessed to have you and Jim Downey working on it.
45:56Dana Carvey:But you seem to be the primary driver, instigator of the subject matter and uh which we talked about but it was interesting that when bush was riding so high he was 90 approval after his first two years in in the gulf war all the sketches yeah all the sketches were about how he was impenetrable and when i did it at dc for the democratic fundraiser everything was about i'm gonna get elected and it was just this super happy comedian he was literally at 89 yeah insane well try to beat me and that's because he let us out of the you know saddam invaded kuwait and he put this coalition together put the coalition everyone could do it now well it's the guy you're just doing the guy who figured it out and um and And not unlike what Biden is doing now, in a way.
46:53Dana Carvey:Come on. We got inflation. People can't get the baby formula. I love yelling Biden. I love his yell. It's so funny. Yeah. We got to find a way to do it. You know, one of my favorite hooks that we started doing this kind of a couple of years ago or something. We started trying to work on Biden and you were doing it. But one of the hooks I like is that's no hyperbole. He does that a lot. Yeah. My father lost his job. No joke. That was the first one. No joke. That's right. No joke. Not kidding around here. Come on. Yeah. Number one. Yeah. What the guy said. The Nazis killed six million Jews. No joke.
47:37Dana Carvey:No joke. Well, I thought that was a joke. Okay. That was the first hook into him. In fact, is a lot. And guess what? You know, there's a lot. You know, it went up. I know how to create jobs. I know how to create them. I don't know how to be a job creator. He goes to the whisper and then he goes back to the yeller. But there's a lot there for sure. Fourth of July savings are happening now at the Home Depot with select appliances starting at$398. Plus, get free delivery on appliance purchases of$398 or more. No membership required. Upgrade your kitchen with a modern and sleek GE profile refrigerator featuring hands-free autofill for the perfect pour every time.
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49:36Dana Carvey:And then we had Perot was dropped into our lap during to just follow that sequence. Well, I remember that I, you know, I just saw Perot and I got a tape and we went in Lauren's office and show you Perot. Yeah. And you said, oh, there's a three dimensional fully character in there. he is yeah it was like sarah palin and and ross perot are sort of bookends of three-dimensional comedically already funny characters that just walked on the stage perot was like next level funny as a guy was and then we did a cold opening and you wrote the very first one and it was a very funny take do you remember yeah yeah it was yeah basically him saying you don't have to pay me anything yeah yeah but if we gp uh gross domestic product goes up four percent i get a billion dollars yeah it was like he gets a taste yeah and then he called the next you know he called on monday at 9 a.m of course and we got in at 2 p.m and a receptionist the got us on with him and you and i were on and he was not interested in the writer at all he was yeah yeah of course of course but he would he at least he seemed to be a good he was a good sport about it i mean he he said you know here's an idea i think most yeah go ahead this is a great idea you go out and campaign as me and i campaigned as me so it'd be two of me campaigning all over the place i mean he just thought that was the precisely what he said yes yes that's exactly what you You don't have to write anything with him.
51:19I know. And no. And well, you played both Perot and Bush. And Lucky Spade got to be. Full circle. Yeah. Got to be in the wide shot.
51:35Dana Carvey:As Perot. Fucking wide shot productions. So David had to get the hair, the nose, the ears, the suit, everything to look like Perot. I'm so stupid. but I didn't even know what was going on. I thought, am I doing Perot? I go, I guess Dana can't into the magic of TV and bad luck. He could. And, uh, I do remember seeing pro on something. And obviously I wasn't a political guy. And I was like, Al, what you were saying is if you're just a casual viewer, you get, you know, I understood the cold opening stuff. I didn't get the second layer of jokes, but I was just, I wasn't political. So I didn't even really wasn't about Republican Democrat.
52:14I was just going, is this funny or not? Whatever. And they were always great. And then when Perot was on something on the weekend, like a meet the press, I accidentally saw, I thought, oh, this, look at this little clown. This is hilarious. And he was, he was like, someone gets to go do a standups act, you know, cause he's already funny. And I go, and he was a little pipsqueak. And I go, oh, maybe I could. And that's how out of it I was. By the time I called Smigel and I just said, hey, is there any ways like we got it covered? I'm like
52:44Dana Carvey:I got it down I'll probably even more fun than George Bush Sr. At least this phrase You're not listening Can I finish one time Just that to me You're not listening Can I finish one time Can I finish one time You're not listening Can I finish one time It's like James Brown or something Can I finish one time Hit me yeah well that's the thing is that you you know your impressions are musical in in many ways uh it's all chopped it goes all back to chopping chopping broccoli once i had the she chop she chop i know i have no excuse for it except that i think i'm trying to make myself laugh and then it just makes me laugh someone going can i finish one time Are you going to run?
53:36Dana Carvey:Oh, it's so goofy, cartoony one time. But he did say something like that. Well, it's all making yourself laugh. That's all it is. People ask me, what is your favorite? You know, what's your favorite moment from Saturday Night Live? Wow. 15 seasons you did. And I say that my favorite thing at Saturday night was three in the morning rolling on the floor laughing with the writers, with the cast members. just and part of you know woody allen once said that writing uh comedy is either easy or it's impossible yeah when it's easy and it's your friggin job is what you're supposed to do yeah so this stuff is making you laugh and you know and it could be downing on a riff it could be you coming up with you know you and neil and doing hans and franz it can be bye-bye it can be and you just are going like at that moment of creation that someone's doing something and you just it's so funny but it's the added thing of we just did our job really well yeah so sometimes that rewrite table it could be four in the afternoon or four in the morning and if someone cracks the code on something and everyone starts laughing and then everyone riffs on it that's the funnest time because everyone's good at the table so everyone's throwing in something good from right and left and you go wow this is really jumped this sketch way ahead of where it was david i saw david tell the other day or a couple a couple months ago actually at the comedy cellar and i just said he was at the table for a year or something and uh and he wrote do you remember uh the bobbitts you know she cut off his penis yeah and that thing and I was doing a Stewart with I guess Myers was the guy and uh Rosie O'Donnell was Lorraine to Bobbitt and I I had a line that I didn't have the punch to and I go so how how did it feel or how does it feel now and and a tells line was it itches
55:52and like just when someone does something like that you know it just it's such a gift to have that table and then sometimes the table is so deadly i get three in the morning well i just
56:07Dana Carvey:remember like a lot of food like guys around the table and some women of course on 17th floor and I'm thinking it is kind of like nothing's going on. Like it seems like the deadest space in the world and there's Chinese food or pizza. Everyone's leaning back on their chair, tapping the pencil. Window is cracked one inch because everyone's dying in there.
56:34Dana Carvey:And you can't believe there's going to be a show. But you told me once out, you told me that I peeked at read through, you know and that really helped me going forward sometimes you try to get it on so hard in your first year that you literally never get back to it you you've you've peaked it read through and you definitely don't want to peak at dress unless you're at war to get it on air you want to leave a little something so that that there's a lot of inside baseball about if you have an insider with al if al's writing with you and your address and your read through i think it's a little easier to pull back because he's going to be in the room saying he's going to bring it up so you at least have a partner there were years that i was i was in the room and i've seen hear downy kind of talk about the most funny hat at the show was when he just was writing and not producing and there was a little there was a little it was nice to be able to go in there and express your opinion and on what gets picked for read-through and stuff like that.
57:38But also, yeah, there's something nice about just being a writer, too. And also, I was performing every once in a while.
57:46Dana Carvey:Well, as a cast member, you want to hook up with someone who has Lauren's ear and Lauren trusts, you know, in the room after the read-through. That's always a nice thing to do for people who are just beginning cast members. A little tidbit. Al, we can't go without talking about Stuart Smalley. I remember the Michael Jordan one was probably such a huge home run. That one's one of the greatest sketches. Yeah, that was, you know, I mean. Kill killer. Well, and he was, I think he was cracking up or something, too much or something in dress. And I just said, just dial it, you know. And he understood it.
58:30I mean, so here's a guy, you know, he's a very. Oh, you know what? Remember when Lauren hosted or produced the ESPYs?
58:41Dana Carvey:I don't know. Maybe you weren't around for that. So he sponsored that produced, produced the ESPYs. And so I was a presenter and I did this joke and it died. And I thought it was a great joke. And this is the year that they did the second three Pete. Right. Right. The Bulls did. So I went up there and I just said and remember, this is a lot of athletes and a lot of people in sports. But I just go like, you know, a lot of people are saying that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player who ever lived. Well, all I can say is, Michael, prove it.
59:23And it just laid there. It's not the right crowd. They just go, he has proven it. That was their attitude. Yeah. Who the fuck is this guy? I remember that laying an egg so bad. And I went, oh, okay. This is not a comedy crowd. Jordan at that show running around was such a big deal. That was so much fun.
59:49Dana Carvey:Was he kind of the biggest guest in that way, Jordan? When we were there, I think. I mean. I in a way I mean he's I remember that was the first time we were fielding NBA players in the Olympics and I just said to him so how do you think you're gonna do and it was like him and magic I mean you know it was like ridiculous and he said oh and he was so confident and of course They just killed everybody. Yeah. And without even trying, really. It was. But I just remember the exuding confidence. And the competitive. He had a moment with me. He goes, do you golf? I go, well, a little bit here and there.
1:00:39Dana Carvey:I go, but I'm lucky to break 100, you know. And he paused. He looked at me and he's towering over me. He goes, well, you're not very good, are you?
1:00:51I thought he was going to say, let's play. That's unnecessary, Michael. Well, he's famously competitive. You don't seem very athletic. Yeah, you don't seem very athletic. He bets a lot in golf, and he bets each hole. Because I golf, and I'm not very good either. But it's fun, the stories you hear from caddies and these great golf courses where he comes in and sweeps people. And he loves it, loves it. He's just always looking for some action, which is great. It's a cool thing about him. People love Michael Jordan.
1:01:20Dana Carvey:Well, I think athletes just kind of blow our minds. Old movie stars when Robert Mitchum came on, Charlton Heston, or Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky showed me how to hold a hockey stick. Wayne Gretzky got on his knees and laced up my skates and showed me how to do that. So there's moments, yeah, you're like, damn. And the musicians as well. Yeah. I wasn't there for Peyton Manning, but I thought, did you see that show? I wasn't, but I thought he was hysterical on the show. I saw it. He was fabulous. Yeah. There were a number of of these guys who were just really, really good. And we should get him on.
1:01:58Some of them were loxes like. Yeah. But they're almost funny being loxes. Do you remember a piece? Tom and I wrote this trying to figure out who was there, which one of you were there. It was Joe Montana. And he was Walter Payton. Well, yeah. But on this one, Joe Montana, who was kind of a locks, we just thinking out loud, thinking out loud. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. It was it was it starts off with Phil and Jan and he's trying to get her to stay the night. And and it's that cliche of he says something and then you hear what he's thinking.
1:02:41Dana Carvey:Yeah. And then she says something and we played it. Tom and I wrote it so that you thought that was the sketch, that that we thought that was the comedy and if you're watching it you're going like this is kind of lame this is a device that people use a lot and then his roommate comes and phil's going oh no and he says this guy you know my roommate is the most honest guy there is and then at one point he goes you know he says it's nice to meet you and then his thought is it's nice to meet her and then the last line was i'm gonna go upstairs and masturbate and then i'm gonna go upstairs and masturbate was his thought right and my god it was so funny and it was partly funny because he was a locks well and he was competitive with himself i i was told that he wouldn't come out of his dressing room it had to at the end of the show he thought he didn't do well that kind of thing I go, you're a football player.
1:03:40Dana Carvey:What are you talking about? But I got to play catch with him. He did fine. He was funny. There was no way not to do well as an athlete. Bill Russell did well, did really well. I did a roast with Peyton, and I didn't see his SNL, but I thought it would be fun to have Peyton in there. And he crushed it. He's crushing. They wrote him jokes, but he delivered them. He was great. He got huge laughs, huge applause. He's always, he's got a very light, funny thing about him. And that's why I think he's in all these commercials and does that Manning cast. It all works. You know what I've discovered in comedy?
1:04:19Some people are funny and some people aren't. Is that really? In all your days, that's what you've come up with? Yeah. Do you guys think, like, you were there at the big... There's 900 of us, Dana.
1:04:32Dana Carvey:That was, you know, one of Lauren's great things. There's only, about funny people. Well, there's only 900 of us on the planet. And it was kind of like the perfect number, right? Yes. Since, Al, you were there in 75, I just want to ask you this question. Was anyone cognizant of the idea of taking a football player or a dramatic actor or whatever and forcing them to become a live sketch player? The reality show aspect of Saturday Night Live that sustains it. Because if you see a football player or a singer trying to do this and they're kind of bad, it's still compelling, you know? Yeah. Because they're.
1:05:13Absolutely. You know, the first one we had was Fran Tarkenton.
1:05:17Dana Carvey:There you go. Oh, wow. And that was Franny's idea. That was my wife's idea. Because of the namesake a little bit. Fran Tarkenton and Franny. And how was it? He was very good. And it was Vikings quarterback for the audience. Yeah. Yeah. this is this going back a ways and uh you know he wasn't the greatest who had ever done it but um he was he was very good and i remember belushi for that we did a cold opening where belushi is like a coach we did a football some a lot of football themed thing and belushi made me go back to his apartment and read to me uh dick butkus's autobiography and i had to stay there like all you know hours while he read this thing and uh he worshiped dick but because who is a linebacker for everyone for uh uh the bears i did a tv show with dick buckus and you did and bubba smith called uh it was with james farantino and it was this helicopter cop show yeah airwolf no no it was an airwolf i can't blue thunder the cop show thunder yeah i played the daniel And what did you play on it?
1:06:30Dana Carvey:I take some Viagra for that. I played the sidekick in the back of the chopper with a helmet on, Clinton Wonderlove, just another frustrated observer. Like I wanted to be out. Clinton Wonderlove, that was your dumb name. James Ferentino would have a styrofoam cup full of vodka, and he would smash the pages of the script on the thing and yell at the crew. It was like Scarface. What year was this? What year was this? I just took stuff. At 84, I had no confidence that I could be on Saturday Night Live, really. So when people said, I luckily got cast in things, I just did them, and they were a complete waste of time.
1:07:06Dana Carvey:And I got fired, but I got into the outfit, went into the fake chopper. They're going around blowing steam at us, and then they said, Dana, come down the ladder in front of the whole crew. They fired me, and I had to do the perp walk and go just in front of everyone. I go to the wardrobe guy, really nice guy, and I go, I'm a comedian. I'm funny. This is like 84. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, shh, it's okay. It's okay, son. And then he saw me like eight years later in 93. He goes, you were right. What the fuck? What were you doing in a helicopter? I had a very strange route to SNL. I mean, you saw me once, right, Al?
1:07:47Dana Carvey:You were in 84? I probably bombed. I did, and I blew it. I blew it. I saw you doing stand-up in San Francisco. I probably wasn't. That guy is brilliant. But you know what? you weren't ready well you're ready a year later i would just say confidence until you're kind of famous it is a wide range of how you'll be on a given night and if you lose a little bit of confidence at least for me i don't know about dave chappelle you know what i don't think i was but yeah go ahead i don't think i was the best judge to do this you know um uh i that year that That was the year we came back from being gone, right?
1:08:25That Lauren came back to being gone.
1:08:27Dana Carvey:Yes. 85. You know, we picked Lovitz that year. We got a few good people, but I think there are some people that we missed that ended up being real huge mistakes. It's always easier after the fact to say, oh, why didn't you pick that person? But, you know, when you see them, sometimes it's too raw or too rough or they haven't developed. and you just, it's an easier miss. It's better to wait. You know, there are people, sometimes they'll put them on when they're not ready. They're 21 or 22 and not ready. But for me to get on with Phil and Jan, frequently do the church chat sketch. Rosie Schuster was the one who was helping me form.
1:09:08Dana Carvey:I had the character, but the platform. Then all these religious scandals happen and Al came on and you did Swagger, right? So throughout that first year. I think I did Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson and then Phil did Swigert and then they did Tammy Fager. So I have this church lady character. I get fat. Perfect. Yeah. And then these scandals start happening. And so, but that, that was, that was fun. You doing Pat Robertson, like laughing or crying. I remember, but it was a very funny take on Pat Robertson. My Pat Robertson was just very happy. Yeah. That was the key to him. He was just, oh, he was just very joyful.
1:09:47There's a woman in Ohio who's just had her diverticulitis cure. Diverticulitis. Funny word. Something like that. But he was just happy. He was a happy Christian.
1:10:01Dana Carvey:And you started laughing. That was my take on him. Phil was crying, and then we closed in on a close-up or something like that. And you're just like two idiots not talking. just anyway and i heard you maybe was on it was maybe it was with uh with jim about how they censored church leaving and you just became dirtier yeah and it was fine say penis but i could say throbbing uh bulbous organ willingness naughty parts sweating and grinding yeah so that It was, it became, yeah, it was pornographic to me. I don't know, but that was a moment in time. Well, all they cared about was, is someone going to complain?
1:10:44Yeah. And they're not going to, they could complain about penis because it's penis. Right. But they're not going to complain about throbbing.
1:10:50Dana Carvey:Throbbing naughty parts.
1:10:57Now, I do remember Andrew Brewer, who is our kind of cool censor guy. He wrote us after, he wrote into the podcast because we've talked about him. But we always say positive things. He's always in like a tough position and he'd always go, guys, come on, you can't do this when you're not saying pussy like that. And I'm like, no, what do you mean? We always play dumb. What are you talking about? Oh, that's right. You had that very indistinct pussy. Oh, that's right. You remember that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. What was that? Yeah, I still have it between my legs. No, it was on Weekend Update and I sort of mumbled the word pussy and Dennis was like, Spudley I wouldn't mess this one up you're gonna be fucking out of here you're already teetering on a thread I'm like what?
1:11:41and then and then so I said the in and out list you know I think the out list was going out after the show getting out of pussy oh yeah the in was I was saying you're not it is not enunciating enough to get caught by the censors and then the out was going against some pussy
1:11:59Dana Carvey:and I walk in the hallway and Andrew's shaking his head walking at me going Spade come here And I go, what? I have no idea what you're going to ask me. And then he goes, come on, dude. And I go, but it did pretty good address. So he goes, come on, you can't. We got advertisers saying we pull out if he does this. And so I do it. And then Dennis is right next to me going, I don't know, spud. And so I do it and it gets too big of a laugh. And Dennis is like, it's curtains for you, guy.
1:12:30Did you watch it? Too big a laugh was trouble. yeah because it means you said it too everyone understood it yeah well i don't know but i i got along really well with most of the sensors yeah you know clotworthy because i know you mentioned him with jim i really like bill clotworthy he was a nice guy yeah he was a lovely guy and he tough job he stood by a couple things i did that um were i did do you remember um uh first you uh for this NBC reporter wrote a book about her having a mastectomy and it's called first you cry and then I did a sketch when we had uh it was first he cries and it was it was Gilda unfortunately in retrospect has a mastectomy and Bill Murray is her husband and he just goes, you know, it starts feeling really sorry for himself because his wife.
1:13:34Horrible. The whole point was it was satirical, which is no guy doesn't do that.
1:13:40Dana Carvey:Yeah, that is a joke. Yeah. Yeah, that was the joke. And so and be Arthur was like oncologist. And she's basically saying this happens all the time. and the fact that he's got a girlfriend now named Bambi is to be expected. And Clotworthy's wife had had a mastectomy and he just said to me, I love this sketch. Wow. Because he got the satiric point of it. And that was when you just went, oh, and I was really good friends with all the censors because I talked to them all the time. Yeah. because they my stuff was you know um i had to deal with them all the time you call down edgy all right dana what else you got for al this poor guy we're looking for the ringer i don't know i want it i'm having fun so i know it is fun steward small we got to that there's too much i will have one last thing you didn't write reagan mastermind did you that was a great that was smigles uh that was Smigels.
1:14:45I kicked in. Yeah. But, you know, that had a line that Chippendales had, which was, this is the part of the job I hate. And that was Mike Myers line when they had to choose between Swayze and Swayze and Chris and, and, you know, so hard, you know, they're, they're consulting and Myers goes, this is the part of the job I hate. So that was one of my favorite lines. I don't think I wrote that in. Downey wrote Chippendales. I had one. I got my name was on it, but it was because I sat with him while he wrote it. That's a good trick. I had one thing in it, which was the name Barney. Barney. Yeah. Barney and Adrian, right?
1:15:36Barney and Adrian. Adrian, Barney. Barney. Yeah. that was neil and did that great yeah well neil and neil and the greatest attitude player that was what was great it was like you just knew neil and could play attitude downy and i wrote a piece which was and then you think about how of the time it was it was a uh a toothpaste ad uh which had had garrett and victoria and that garrett uh uh tim meadows i guess and uh victoria jackson and they're pitching it for the country music awards and um and kevin is the guy who is receiving the pitch and has has to say no we don't don't want to put and it ends with this big kiss right and this is i can't remember what year it was but this was not something you would put on the country music awards a white woman kissing a black guy on right on the lips and it was neil and trying to say no without saying that saying all the reasons it wouldn't work but just uh you know just yeah that sounds very yeah i can't remember the lines but you give him attitude and it was just he was a master yeah maybe he is
1:17:09Dana Carvey:he is maybe we could think of something else do here at this beat i uh that's uh you know then i ran for the senate you ran for the son of a little birdie told me that you ran for the senate yeah and then uh yeah it uh well look you you guys this this idea of doing that you you've had you i love that you're having writers on yeah i kind of go by like people in high school or college that are just interested in this or interested in comedy it's kind of interesting to hear it just straight from people their process or how it happened and and why and the whimsy of it all too just like where does where does your inspiration come from al you once told me dana that no one should become a comedian unless they have to be a comedian pretty much i i think show business in general is an emotionally violent sport um you said that i i wrote that down i I thought that was interesting.
1:18:14Dana Carvey:Well, your feelings get hurt a lot, even if you're doing really well. And, you know, my touchstone, as corny as it sounds, is like, I'm still making money doing this. And that's pretty cool. I never lost. Yeah. Well, because of the threat of one of 900 people who can. Yeah. I just got an update. There's 911. in 2011. Some Bangladeshis were funny, and we had someone from Madagascar who made... Some people fall out. People fall. Well, guys, thanks. Al, thank you, buddy. Al, you were great. Really, really, really interesting and fun.
1:18:58Hey, guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app give us a review five-star rating and maybe even share an episode that you've loved with a friend if you're watching this episode on youtube please subscribe we're on video now fly on the wall is presented by odyssey an executive produced by danny carvey and david spade heather santoro and greg holtzman maddie sprung kaiser and leah reese dennis of odyssey
1:19:26Dana Carvey:our senior producer is greg holtzman and the show is produced and edited by phil sweet tech booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hilary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kirk Courtney, and Lauren Vieira. Reach out with us. Any questions to be asked and answered on the show, you can email us at flyonthewallatodyssey.com. That's A-U-D-A-C-Y dot com. Thank you.
From the publisher
Let's revisit memories of John Belushi, athletes hosting SNL, and risky jokes with Al Franken.
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