RE-RELEASE - Cecily Strong

8:21Dana Carvey:What's the shroom taker With Michael His name sounds like shroom taker

8:26Cecily Strong:Oh I thought it was like he deals in psilocybin

8:28Dana Carvey:I'll just have a small amount Marchy Anyway So anyway you guys did the sketch show The Californians and then you two Were placed on the sound stage Kind of at the edge of their set And did a goodbye bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye.

8:46Cecily Strong:Yeah. It was funny because a shoemaker, I asked shoemaker, I said, what if, because this show is obviously so thrown together, no one cares. What if when someone's leaving a sketch, they just walk by and we go bye-bye. And he goes, yeah, we can probably do that. So he talked to Higgins and then they said, you would be good for that. And then we stood there and I have a picture. I think it's probably from, is it from rehearsal or is it from the real show? I have one, I think from rehearsal.

9:12Dana Carvey:Oh, I'm not sure. and uh hey gang let's put it on social media when i have it but this episode comes out yeah it doesn't

9:20Cecily Strong:matter but it was fun because taylor swift was in it so basically they and it was very unorthodox they do this sketch that's a big favorite sketch and then when they're leaving we just stand there

9:29Dana Carvey:for absolutely no reason and go bye bye i remember it i remember it now yeah it's kind of meta or

9:34Cecily Strong:whatever that word means it was fun and taylor swift was in it she was very tall she is very

9:41Dana Carvey:Was she swift in a way in her movements? Sorry. It's all I got. Now, why do you ask that? Well, I don't know. Maybe some subconscious connection. So anyway, Cecily, we're, we've been watching all your cool stuff. I didn't even know where to start. We can go chronologically, but one thing that I did absolutely love as a someone who loves accents is the way your British indiscernible character Gemma super super cockney like that is just music to me I love music to be ears I'm Gemma would you give us this you don't have to do it I mean just talk through it in that or just give us a three seconds well I think you also have to put make it feel like you have big teeth too I think because I was I was watching a lot of a British

10:33David Spade:reality show but everybody gets their teeth done so so is it jemma collins that's there is a jemma collins who is on the show that i was watching a lot of a slight over bite yeah yeah sort of like if you think if you're talking around your teeth like that like that so hey i want to hear it it's just like you're talking around your teeth it's there's a show called the only way it's and it's sort of like that. And they do a lot of like American vocal fry almost.

11:02Dana Carvey:Oh. It's so refined. I love that. God, I love that. I love accents too.

11:08David Spade:It's fun for me. It's just what it sounds like to my ear. I feel like there's always a million comments. They're like, that's not how that sounds.

11:18Dana Carvey:Which are the most fun people to be watching. Yeah, the ones who are upset. We don't sound like that. But you're teasing it out and making it a character. I mean, you're doing something lispy or something with your teeth. Yes. It's very, it gives you a little.

11:31David Spade:The S, it's almost like a little lisp because of the teeth, I think.

11:36Dana Carvey:Is that, is that a little, who's the great actress, Olivia Colman? Or, you know, she did the queen. Is that the name of that actress? Yeah, I assume so. Yes. Let's, let's say that's her name. She's on the crown. Close enough. She has a little overbite. Anyway, I love that. So that's where we wanted to start. just fanning out

11:55David Spade:and Dana just so you know I just want to say I also have a picture of you from the 40th it was a huge deal I think I was in my second year on the show or something 2014 I have a picture of you and Mike Myers and your Wayne's World get ups and I got to stand in between you two and that was very exciting yeah

12:21Dana Carvey:Wow. We was that night. Yeah. When you're just say it's Billy Crystal, there's Steve Martin. Oh, Bill Murray. It was in the audience. Oh, there's Eddie Murphy, Tom Hanks, Donald Trump. I mean, it's just like Keith Richards. Everybody was famous that you looked at. So it was nerve wracking in that way. That 40th, that darn 40th. Did you get a plus one?

12:44David Spade:I did actually to the party. I did. What was that? Should I? I don't know. Is that not?

12:49Cecily Strong:No, I'm calling Lauren on the other side. Somewhere in the overflow room.

12:53Dana Carvey:The most the toughest one, a cast member. Some were put in the overflow room. Rough. Next year, we'll have a net up top. There'll be no overthrow. There'll be people in sort of like a loose circus net. They'll bounce around. it would be like that thing of like, they'll see the show. So I had to go in there and get Rob Schneider. I love the Lorne. Yeah. You must do your own version of Lorne. No pressure.

13:18David Spade:But I can't do it in front of like the best Lorne. Lorne impersonator.

13:22Dana Carvey:Everyone has different ones, you know. Yeah, everybody's done it. Andy Samberg, he does the quiet one. Bill Hader just, you know, it'd be really nice if like it was a good show. You know, there's the quiet Lorne and Wright. I don't know. Everyone has their.

13:36David Spade:I like to imagine that Lauren, I like to do Lauren when he's like laughing so hard at a sketch or imagining that he really loves her. Oh, my fucking God.

13:46Dana Carvey:Oh, no, they didn't. Oh, shit. That is my shit. Him really going off. Well, that's to that point. Lauren has he'll be very casual. If something hits him and we've never talked about this, he goes into almost a convulsion or spasm. He has a laugh from zero to 10, puts his head down. We've never talked about that.

14:10Cecily Strong:That is a really, really good observation because he does that at read through. If you can make him laugh and slap the desk or something, you're like, holy shit.

14:19David Spade:Oh, yeah. And just to be clear, he doesn't say those things. That's what I like to put that on him. Yes. But I have seen him a couple of times in 11 years laugh very hard.

14:31Cecily Strong:Yeah. Yeah.

14:32Dana Carvey:How is he? You know, we were talking. with other cast members the other day. And Lawrence, Lawrence. Keenan, I don't know how these go in order or whatever. This comes out in 2026. Anyway, but Lawrence kind of amazingly, I'll say sort of brilliant, passive aggressive, intentionally sarcasm to get you to relax. I'll get you started. Like, it'd be really nice if this sketch would really be funny. That'd be a good thing. You know, those kinds of statements. which Kenan said relaxed him, you know? Huh. It either can relax or put pressure. I think initially it put pressure on me when I first got there.

15:13Dana Carvey:Yeah. I was just so fucking scared. But eventually I got used to his sense of humor, the dryness of just -

15:20Cecily Strong:You know, Dana, sometimes I remember I was behind one of the, you know, where the sketches are. So if you walk in, for people at home, behind the sketch is like nothing. And so I'm just waiting to go in with some goofy outfit on. and Lauren comes around the corner with a, they're like 20 seconds. And then I'm getting nervous looking at my sides. And then Lauren walks with an Amstel like casually. And he goes, you want to try tonight? I'm like, and then he just drifts off and I'm like, am I not trying ever? You know, and then, then I botched the sketch because now it's in my head. Yeah. He has his style.

15:55David Spade:I think it's a little, it's kind of Lauren being sassy, I think.

15:59Cecily Strong:Yeah. He's very sassy.

16:00David Spade:Okay. Lauren. He's got his little dig in With a sketch called Sassy

16:04Cecily Strong:Remember Dana with Phil Hartman? Who Cecily likes

16:07David Spade:Right, you've read it

16:09Dana Carvey:Let's go back a little bit to your How Cecily Strong became Cecily Strong We don't have to spend much time on it But I thought it was very, very interesting She was born in it And you amongst other people have mentioned Or at least if this is accurate Phil Hartman as kind of a true North Star Will Ferrell did as well And we all love Phil

16:29David Spade:and he was brilliant so yes well i i also think listen i have so many like i i feel like i've spent a lot of time with you both on the show like watching and and really enjoy there's so many people i love and usually it's just when you say one thing in an interview then it kind of yeah i know but i mean i'm i was just a huge fan of the show in general and i do think you know So I've played a lot of straight characters on the role. And I think he just is kind of like the such a great straight man.

17:02Dana Carvey:Yeah, he'll play. He'll he'll take the lead if you need it or completely play the base, so to speak. Hold it down. Do you know you actually reenacted? I mean, did you like you had an uncle who was a Broadway producer? Yes. Your mom and dad were kind of at a certain very young age kind of saying, Cecily, maybe this is for you or do I get that right? Like, well, that dream occurred to you.

17:25David Spade:I think I never like for real had the dream even at the audition was like, well, I can't I don't want to say it out loud even because this is so this just doesn't happen. And I don't want to be disappointed if I got to, you know, that I should be so happy that I got to audition. I got to be here. But I think I was like when I was three, I would just perform a lot around the house. And my parents are like, I don't know. And they put me in a drama class. It's like, I hope that's it. I hope that scratches that itch and it's not something worse.

17:58Cecily Strong:Well, kids like it. Then you keep with it. Like, you know, I think every kid is like, we got into comedy in our house and everyone just liked comedy. But I agree with you that when you say you're auditioning for something, or when I started doing standup, you don't want people to go, how'd it go? And if you don't get it, you're like, and then they go, Oh.

18:15David Spade:Right. Then it's like a bummer thing when you're like, well, I wanted to be happy about that.

18:21Dana Carvey:that was the idea initially well okay the pressure keeps building because it's going toward 50 years like it was enough for me to even imagine i could be on it but there was only 10 years before me now a cast member goes okay i'll check out the history of the show before you audition it's like months of pouring through so many sketches but i could not believe that's a very common theme for people of being very humble about auditioning like my god this is a dream and And just some of the darkness of the people who it went asymmetrical and they didn't get it, you know, and it's something. And then they've gone on and done great.

18:58Dana Carvey:It's not the one lane to go. But for you, it was kind of.

19:02David Spade:It definitely and certainly like at the time, I mean, and I'd done theater for a long time before comedy. And I really only got into comedy after college. Not that I like I, I guess, like officially study comedy. I don't know. It's so weird.

19:21Dana Carvey:Didn't count before, I guess, you know. So you were in theater all the time. Then you got busted for pot, got arrested. Okay. So you went to jail. You're a pot dealer. I went to jail. Some of these are wrong. A little bit of a rebel in those days, I guess. Or was everyone smoking?

19:37David Spade:I think kind of maybe that was just the thing in the year 2000. I don't know. But I was like a, I wasn't really a bad kid. um i really i like i got good grades i liked school but then i also like smoked cigarettes and whoa you know i would but i was like in with the theater crowd that's not like the cool kids at school no not at all you know well you do smoke a good uh cigarette just uh but you don't light it right with cat is it with kathleen yes i was a smoker for a long time so i but and that's always a thing I look at when I watch people smoke on camera. So you can tell, I've always felt like the people who have never smoked always go like, that's like their whole hand.

20:25Cecily Strong:And then, and then, yeah. And breathe in all the cigarette and my fingers.

20:30David Spade:Yeah. That's a very straight hand.

20:33Dana Carvey:So Kathy Ann is like a redneck quasi alcoholic or whatever. She's just kind of lived hard. I I've seen them in Montana where I'm from originally. I go there a lot. I've seen those people and she's, uh, that sound that looked like a fun character to play.

20:50David Spade:It's so much fun. And I, I do think it's like so many of the people that I just love in real life and love to watch. And actually it was, I worked at Greenblatt's, um, for a while, right next to the Laugh Factory. And this is when I was smoking and I'd go outside for a cigarette every now and And then, and there was like a local lady in the neighborhood who would yell on the street a lot. And so she sort of was where it came from. And she said, and it always be like, oh, don't make eye contact because she'll come over here. And it said like, they tried to get my brother DUI. And I said, probably your own breath blown back in your face.

21:29David Spade:And she was just that kind of energy and attitude.

21:33Dana Carvey:Wow. We've met a lot of those characters in our neighborhood. That person. And that's such a specific rhythm. Yes.

21:40David Spade:And I think they are everywhere. I don't think it's like she's got a bit of an accent, I guess, but I don't think it's like definitely a southern thing. It's nondescript, right? It's like in Michigan. It's in a bar everywhere, every state.

21:54Cecily Strong:It's a bit of a tweak or twist to it. Like you don't know really what you're getting to and it's a little crazy in the eye. Yes.

21:59David Spade:And again, I like to think that there's some teeth interaction, you know, like missing a tooth or there's a rotten tooth. Okay, how would that affect the way the voice comes out? That's 80 impressions. Yeah, that's kind of like, right, she also got like a mild speech impediment too.

22:16Dana Carvey:Because there's a missing tooth and the tongue kind of wanders in there. Yeah. There's like a sore back there. There's stuff in the mouth. Bitter cheek. For our theater students that listen to this podcast. They're freaking right now. Well, just the idea of pretending, okay, his character is missing a tooth. Yeah. I have, Cecily has beautiful teeth. I'm going to somehow make that part of the voice that the tooth is missing. Okay. That was for the theater fans. Go ahead. Well, Dana, we did bye-bye. One last taste of it so people can listen to that. Yeah.

22:50David Spade:Well, if you think about, if you try to talk like you have no teeth, you know how sometimes, I think it's sort of starting from there.

22:58Cecily Strong:It's starting from there. When we did bye-bye, she said, approximately how many teeth does this have?

23:04David Spade:And how big are they? Does she whiten them?

23:07Cecily Strong:Roughly how big, centimeter-wise. Just will help me a little bit.

23:12Dana Carvey:We're bouncing around. I love you. But we're keeping with teeth. That's good. Well, I love that you're willing to kind of explain the character rhythmically and the voice thing. It's really interesting to me. And that gem, I mean, who?

23:27Cecily Strong:Benedict Cumberbatch was American, right?

23:30Dana Carvey:Benedict Cumberbatch. Slumber party. He did his like a... a Cumberbatch slumber party.

23:36David Spade:He should host that.

23:38Cecily Strong:Did he, you say to him, is it more fun for him to play American accent than you're taking the Gemma?

23:44David Spade:I think that was, I mean, I hope that was fun for him. It sounded like it was at the time. He might've been just doing whatever that week, but I imagine it would. Yeah. It's probably more fun.

23:55Dana Carvey:Yeah.

23:56David Spade:Yeah. He was cool.

23:58Dana Carvey:Right. Fun to work with. So much fun. I did a guest spot there and just met him. He seemed very earnest and humble and ready to work and hoping he's doing a good job.

24:09David Spade:I don't know if you got this vibe at all when you guys were on the show. Sorry, my dad. Come on. She's making things up. She's very dramatic. I'm sorry. The focus wasn't on her.

24:22Cecily Strong:She's making things up.

24:24Dana Carvey:That's saying, what is this person doing? She's had it with you on the Zoom.

24:29Cecily Strong:She's like, that's a nice.

24:31Dana Carvey:Talking to herself. I'm sitting over here. No one's paying attention. You know, David, people keep asking about my 2026 resolutions. Yes, they do. I've been one of them.

24:42Cecily Strong:I know what you're trying to say. The people keep asking about your 2026 resolutions. And I've got the usual ones.

24:50Dana Carvey:Read more or read it all.

24:53Cecily Strong:Hit the gym. Hit the gym. Learn how to crochet. Get the knitting needles out of the closet. Yeah. but this year the goal at the very top of my list is simple get comfy i've learned that from abby yeah and that's exactly where bombas comes in they're bringing next level comfort to uh my everyday essentials take the new bombas sports socks they're designed with sport specific comfort for everything from running hiking golf that's what i do skiing and i know you want to get back

25:24Dana Carvey:into running they got i would really want to get back into running honestly for sure I do a lot of hiking.

25:30Cecily Strong:Yeah, they're cushioned right where you need it most. Sweat wicking? That's good. Is that good?

25:37Dana Carvey:Yeah, it keeps the sweat away. Packs with tech that keeps you comfortable and locked in. So comfy socks. It's a great idea.

25:48Cecily Strong:So for every day around the house resolutions, Bombas has the comfiest footwear imaginable. I've been living in their Sherpa Sunday slippers. for things like weekend resets when i'm spring cleaning when i'm just doing this and that around the house honestly they look very squishy and uh you wouldn't know this but it's like walking on

26:11Dana Carvey:clouds underneath it all bombas yeah underwear and t-shirts yeah david they're flexible breathable and buttery smooth. Plus, for every item you buy, one is donated to someone facing housing insecurity.

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27:11Dana Carvey:Available at participating locations only.

27:18David Spade:I was going to say, don't you, I feel like a lot of the English hosts or British hosts were sort of so game to kind of nerd out with us. and not that American hosts aren't, but I just felt like across the board, kind of every British host we had almost had like a giggly, like little kid, just really would be willing to do anything. Yeah.

27:44Dana Carvey:Yes, I find the same thing. There's something about their training, their attitude. Yeah. Yeah. Something very potent.

27:51David Spade:And kind of like silly, goofy too, which I thought was a fun thing about Benedict. Yes. Because while he, I guess he does, it is kind of a silly name, but it's also a very buttoned up name, I would think.

28:04Cecily Strong:Sure. When you, when you meet the host in the Monday meeting, I think that's where you get a vibe. I mean, they are nervous for sure. And you're nervous. I'm nervous because I'm starstruck most of the time. And you're a writer, you're new on the show, whatever. You know, you're always starstruck and they bring in some big names. So I think you get a vibe in the first meeting, what they're going to be like. Are they going to be fun? or they, some people just, you pitch them something, they go, sounds great. Anything. And then they're up for anything and you go, this is going to be fun. And some go, oh, I don't know.

28:33Cecily Strong:They're just tense. You can tell they're tight. And they're like, can you do Russian accent? Oh, I don't, I don't really do accents really. And then you're like, okay. And then everyone pitches. And then when you walk out of there, you go, I got to feel for it. I got to feel for it.

28:46David Spade:Yeah. I feel like I'm not as good at that. I think I felt like I didn't quite get to know every host until after a table read. Because sometimes you just guess so wrong. Yeah, that's true. They can really come alive. Oh, no. Yeah. Or like you've just given them something that's so the wrong thing for them.

29:06Cecily Strong:Were you there when Trump was on? Because I just heard a story that Pete Davidson told. And he said, Dana, do you hear this? he goes first of all they um that trump came to read through this you can corroborate i may even get it wrong oh then i know that yeah and he said like i don't really read i don't really like like sort of ad lib instead of read sketches that was part of it and then he said ad lib like nobody's he said let me i don't have my glasses and then lauren said you can use mine and he's like uh and then there was an end of a sketch maybe at disneyland where he says uh he says see you later And then he looks at everyone else and goes, chicken leg?

29:46Cecily Strong:No, turkey legs? Like, let's go eat turkey legs.

29:48David Spade:Let me tell you, because it's one of my favorites. Oh, let's hear this. Well, here's a couple of things that happened. He didn't bring his reading glasses to the table read and was like, oh, I didn't know what that we were going to be reading or something like that.

30:00Dana Carvey:Yeah.

30:01David Spade:It's kind of like, well, it's the table read.

30:04Dana Carvey:With script. Yeah. Five scripts. Yeah.

30:06David Spade:And so Ivanka was there and there was a sketch that Ivanka was in that was set at like medieval times. And at the end of it, he goes, told you the grammatically was written. Told you like told you so to her. He's talking to her, period. And then it says turkey leg. Like, would you like to go get a turkey leg? As that's how one would read that sentence. But Donald Trump read it as told you turkey legs to Ivanka. Like he was calling her turkey legs. That's pretty funny. He looked at us like, OK, weirdos. and it was like we're not the way you read it wrong and then he also in the middle of it got a phone call and took his call so we all just waited i've never seen anyone like do that to lauren yet you know and he went uh-huh oh that's great uh-huh my book just went to number one and we all just went wow wow i had to applaud just the moment just the fact that you would interrupt to the table read to take your very real call.

31:18Dana Carvey:My book just went to number one, and I know you've got to do some things, but I think I deserve a little bit of applause.

31:25David Spade:And then he asked to be put into the Drake, the Hotline Bling skit, the dad. I think it was like the dad dance or something.

31:36Dana Carvey:I remember his funny little weird dance.

31:39David Spade:He asked to be put in that.

31:40Dana Carvey:Yeah.

31:41David Spade:And then the other thing he did was they did a giving tree sketch. And Jenna always tells the story, our stage manager, because he's like, that's not a real book. And she kept saying, what do you mean? That's a book. And he just did not believe that the giving tree as he was in a full tree costume. And I do have a picture from my monitor. Am I dressing it from rehearsal of this face in this tree costume?

32:07Cecily Strong:The giving tree. It's just a rumor.

32:10David Spade:Did not believe, obviously was not brought up on the giving tray.

32:15Dana Carvey:I know books. I read a lot of books. I can see books. I've heard about books. So I know when there's a book and it's not a book. Excuse me. I know a lot of books. Excuse me. Let me finish. I know about books. Let me tell you. No one like him. Everything's been said about him, but there he's a one off. Those table reads are cool.

32:34Cecily Strong:I mean, you can learn a lot. I remember the first Alec Baldwin. He was great. Like, I didn't know. you know you don't know what you're getting into and sketch after sketch you start to go oh my god these are pretty much cold reads like they've never seen the sketch and they're walking in someone's going hey mine sketch is number 41 and if you could play it like quiet at the beginning but then you build and they're like right and you know they're trying to absorb it

32:55David Spade:all you don't know what the fuck's going on right and they make hours john goodman always learning

33:00Cecily Strong:eight songs oh yeah they're having to sing a song the hosting is so complicated yes and i think

33:07David Spade:they're mainly just kind of in shock. I'd like, I thought of my role as kind of an RA throughout the week where you're just sort of always being encouraging. Like, how do you feel? Great. That's normal. I think that's normal. And by Saturday you're going to be, yeah.

33:23Dana Carvey:It's very funny when, because they're walking into your turf and they can be kind of nervous. And I, I, with a superstar, you know, like a big movie star and you can tell they're out of their element and you're kind of going, you're doing great. And, you know, just read it off the card. Just read it straight off the card. Right. That's it.

33:39David Spade:I'm like putting it in my head that they need encouragement from me. I'm probably like wearing a blanket and slippers. My life isn't. I don't have it all together.

33:48Dana Carvey:And I'm like, you're doing great. I was doing a guest spot. I think church lady update because I'd done Fallon and then Lauren would always say, you'll be doing church lady on a Saturday. Okay. I'll call my travel agent. And then it was Benedict Bumperbatch. I remember afterwards, just at the good nights, he goes, it was pretty good. Okay. Right. It was okay. I go, no, it was great. Yeah. Great. But funny, me telling you, I can't, you know. Yeah. I wonder if anyone's ever gone.

34:17Cecily Strong:Nah. It was pretty good. You could have done better. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I mean, any host, would you ever, even if they're bombing, you're going, you're doing great. You got to keep them upbeat, you know.

34:29Dana Carvey:Right.

34:29Cecily Strong:Just never go real on them.

34:32Dana Carvey:No. No. So can we circle back around how you, your audition? I just want to know the, so just to jump around a little bit, you went to Cal Arts. Cal Arts for theater. So you're studying, you're getting better, you're starting to get funny, and then you go to Chicago.

34:50David Spade:I went, yes. So I stayed in LA for like nine months, seven to nine months or something. And I was just kind of like, I don't think this is going to be the way I do this business if I'm going to do it. It was just sort of I didn't really understand how any of it worked. And business wise, like I couldn't get an it was just I felt bad as this business can feel sometimes. And so I took a class of the Groundlings, though, and I really liked it. And so I was like, well, I'll move back to Chicago and rent will be a lot cheaper. And every now and then my mom can buy me groceries. and I went to Second City.

35:31David Spade:I started taking classes at Second City.

35:32Dana Carvey:Second City. Yeah. And what was the vibe difference when you got to Chicago? L.A., it just feels more pressure and just weirder, right? Yeah. And Chicago is still a Midwestern city.

35:43David Spade:Yeah, my family was in Chicago. And yeah, yeah, I do. I enjoy the Midwest. A lot more, it's a lot chunkier people who are more friendlier, who are friendlier in public. I don't know. Chunk, chunky and friendly.

36:00Cecily Strong:You have a slight accent too. It was a slight accent.

36:04David Spade:You like to eat, like to laugh and drink. You have to, because it's so cold. You have to find ways to enjoy life while you can.

36:14Dana Carvey:But in LA, it's just... Yeah.

36:17David Spade:And actually I loved my class at the Groundlings. I really had a good group. But I, I definitely, I was like, there's just, There's so much more of that kind of, especially that comedy sketch and improv. This is just like, that's so much of what Chicago is. Yeah. And I took classes at IO eventually. I did some shows at the Annoyance and then we would do a couple of those shows where you rent out the theater and beg your friends to come for$5 tickets. You may have five audience members that night.

36:53Cecily Strong:Bring your show, bring your show.

36:54Dana Carvey:And when did you, you know, like had you met people either been at Second City, got on SNL or coming back to say hello, or then it became sort of in your purview, as they say, SNL is a possibility.

37:07David Spade:It still was not it was like a possibility. But again, like I wouldn't be so foolish just to say that out loud. It's just such an outlandish, you know, like that's not going to happen to me. and I knew that they did auditions but even you had to audition for the audition and I was like in the box office at I.O. one night when Sharna was like, you should do this and I thought, well, I don't know if I'm ready and I hear, I heard like if you audition for Lorne once and he doesn't and you don't get in he never wants to see you again or something you know, there's all the things that people pass around and like you can't get pregnant in a hot tub you can only audition once just the info kids pass on can't get pregnant yeah yeah urban myths or whatever yeah and so but then i took a um a workshop uh that was what was it characters and impressions or something because i didn't do a lot of impressions and i never really thought of myself as an impression person um but i got i think i put together six six things you know but i and i kept them all short and i think that's what helped me in the end was because you would see a tiny hook yes and you're like some people this is very indulgent and i'll you know and everybody's doing similar and you know there's the old i forget his name because i'm sam elliott who was it you know the the old guy with the mustache that everybody sam elliott sam elliott yeah it's like well eight of you are gonna do sam elliott so you don't need to do like a three-minute monologue yeah i like when they say like um

38:42Cecily Strong:I think this is a good trick. Like Dana, I've learned a lot about impressions from Dana and people don't realize the longer you do it, the harder it is because you have a few hooks.

38:52David Spade:Yes.

38:53Cecily Strong:And they go, oh, that sounds like them. But the longer you go, it doesn't. And when sometimes you ask people to ad lib as a character, they go, no, I want, I know that's so much harder because you want to write something that includes the hooks.

39:06David Spade:Right. And where you say, and yes, like your thing in and your, I know I sound like them here, but I can't say the word chalk. That's that word.

39:15Dana Carvey:So, so, so Cecily, so you're going to audition at IO or? At IO, at IO. And to your mind, you were in, there was maybe 10 of you or whatever. And so you were strategizing, knowing who was maybe going to come on before you. So you were not redundant. And then who was there? Was it lieutenants, you know, Lauren's minions, basically?

39:38David Spade:Well, I know.

39:39Dana Carvey:Was Lauren there or them? Lauren was there.

39:40David Spade:I think Lindsay Shookus was there Aaron Doyle I think was there Colin was there

39:48Dana Carvey:Oh really? And Kenward The whole canon of people who can decide Whether you're going to be on Saturday Night Live Were in the audience

39:54David Spade:Yeah they were all there But I mean I didn't know who anyone was Except Lauren really

39:59Cecily Strong:I get nervous when you just said that I was like getting nervous Going oh my god Walking out going Here we go This is all that matters for everything They'll never see you again That's true You think if they did not like you, then why would they see you right away again? It takes a long time.

40:15Dana Carvey:What did you do? Did you have any methodology for dealing with that pressure? Or when you got out there, you got a laugh and felt comfortable? What happened? Yeah, I think I got laughs.

40:27David Spade:So that's I mean, really, there's really I don't know what the strategy would even be for that. Sometimes you just have to go do go do it. It's like you don't have a choice.

40:38Dana Carvey:You realize you're just trying to control your nerves and actually have fun is the, is the goal. And then how do you try not to try? Right. I'm sure.

40:45David Spade:I probably looked like I was trying, but I think they forgive it. But I was also like, I'm comfortable around an audience at this point. This is certain. My family was there. So I imagine if I hadn't gotten any laughs, it would have felt terrible. But luckily that didn't happen.

41:04Cecily Strong:It's also your home theater. It's not like at the day on 8-H. 8-H is barren.

41:10David Spade:And it's a super friendly audience. Right. And everybody's laughing because, you know, it's like in all of our best interests for anyone to succeed.

41:19Dana Carvey:So what was your first, ladies and gentlemen, Cecily Strong, do you remember your first bit or your first laugh or first character that you did? Or an impression or what did you start with? Hello. I think what we did this. It's hard to start sometimes.

41:34David Spade:Yes, it was hard to start. I think the biggest was like we did Girl at a Party kind of two weeks in. It was during one of those election.

41:44Dana Carvey:Oh, you came in with that one. So I didn't even. So another thing that you do, these long names and characters, you're talking about Girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a party. It's kind of interesting, which is one of your first big hits on SNL.

42:00David Spade:The one that's, everyone knows how to say the name. I was actually, was trying to write an update character with Colin Jost. And I did do, for my audition, I did a little boy that I overheard at Mother's Day restaurant in Forest Park, Illinois. Who was, but it was, my, the intro was half of the. Is that the name of it? Yeah. Yeah. It was like a chubby little boy that I overheard at Forest Park. That was awesome. See you next Saturday. Something like that.

42:33Cecily Strong:Just that much is funny. Yeah. You would get it. You would get it. Right. Anymore. You see the boy.

42:39David Spade:You see the boy. Yeah. You see that little boy. Loved his pancakes. So I was trying to write something with Colin and I kept sort of being like, and that's, you know, that's a good one because it's important for a society or something. And we were joking around like that. And I remember Jay Farrow was writing something, but you just heard him yelling the N-word in the hallway. And so I think I said, and can I say the N-word in mine? And so that was a girl at a party bit, too. She was always a little just assumes that she's got the right to do everything, too. And I'd like heard a story from a male friend of mine who there was like a girl at a bar.

43:24David Spade:And I'd heard a couple, like a couple people in my life were telling me, you know, they'd like seen a cute girl to borrow something. And then she said something racist or offensive, just kind of out of nowhere. And it's like, where did that even come from? Yeah.

43:37Dana Carvey:So wait a minute. So you actually use the real word on your audition?

43:41David Spade:Oh, no, I've never. No, no. Yeah.

43:43Dana Carvey:No, I didn't know. So Jay Farrell was screaming. He used the real word.

43:48David Spade:No, no. I said, can I use the N word? you know, which I think he did. I think we did put that in a, an early girl at a party.

43:57Dana Carvey:Did Jay Farrell and you get the show on the same night or? No, he was, I can't remember if he was a year.

44:04David Spade:I think it was two years before me.

44:07Dana Carvey:Oh, okay. So he was already in the cast when you auditioned. Yes. Okay. And he just happened to be screaming in the hallway. I thought it was from nerves that he's screaming. No, no, no. Jay was, yeah. Jay gives all of himself.

44:19David Spade:Yes.

44:19Dana Carvey:Yeah. Yeah. Did you get the show from that audition?

44:23David Spade:Well, so we had like speed dating the next day. They asked nine of us to go to the hotel where Lauren and his peeps were. And there were like two long tables. So I think I had an awkward conversation with everyone for five minutes. The only thing I remember saying was like, I love Trader Joe's, you know, cucumbers and wine. Yeah. I don't know.

44:50Dana Carvey:And they're all just staring. Was anyone laughing in a friendly way? Or were they just looking at you?

44:56David Spade:I feel like they were encouraging, but that was.

45:00Cecily Strong:I'm sure they know you're nervous. I'm sure they know everyone that walks in that door is like saying stupid shit.

45:05David Spade:Right, right.

45:06Dana Carvey:It's impossible not to. So you do the audition, you do this little like meet up with them. And then what happens? You get a phone call? Yeah. So then I got six months.

45:15David Spade:I got another phone call, I think the next day or something that to fly out for a screen test. And it was an all girls screen test. And Aidy was in the ETC show at Second City. And so she got, she got flown out from that too. So Aidy and I, it was, what was nice was Aidy and I really did every step together. So we went to that first screen test. Yeah, and I knew her. I was a fan of hers, honestly, in Chicago. And I was actually, I think I understudied her at that point, too, on her role on ETC. And so we did our first screen test in New York and then went home and kind of didn't think about it.

46:00David Spade:Oh, no. Then the day I flew back and I got a call driving back from the airport to fly out to New York again to just sort of sit in the office and talk to them.

46:11Cecily Strong:It's Lauren Pickup. Hey, Cecily, guess who, guess who? Hit me on the hip.

46:19Dana Carvey:Can you do the person you don't want to see? They're trying to converse with you. The lady doesn't have an Uber app, but says she does or something.

46:28David Spade:We like the little fat boy, but.

46:32Dana Carvey:There's always a but.

46:33Cecily Strong:Can he be fatter? Yeah.

46:35Dana Carvey:So after the New York screen test, were you starting to think, maybe I'm going to get this? I mean, did you call your parents? Who do you call? Yeah.

46:43David Spade:I definitely called my parents and probably only my parents would be the one because again it was like I just don't want to say too much and jinx it or make people think that I think I'm going to get this right but you did

47:01Dana Carvey:check in with them just because they knew you when you were three being funny they'd known me for a while but you probably downplayed it like I don't know if I'll

47:11David Spade:get it but i did this this yes and of course they probably at that point assume you'll get it i don't know maybe they did i don't know it's pretty far down the road yeah it's such a right and especially to go from like i'm understudying second city and touring and like it's just such a big jump from that to now I'm on TV. And even, you know, like living in Chicago versus New York.

47:40Dana Carvey:Well, just going in that building, the 30 Rock and seeing 8H for the first time is hallowed ground. Right. All of it would give you a slight stomach ache or something. Diarrhea inducing. Yes.

47:52David Spade:And you have to kind of wait forever. You know, there was I don't even know how many people were in that screen test. You can just sort of like sort of hear people in the hallway and kind I'm like, I don't know when it's my, I don't know when I'm up. It's torture.

48:07Cecily Strong:You're there for like eight hours and someone just goes, now.

48:09David Spade:Those were the longest days of my life. Yeah.

48:12Cecily Strong:Yeah. It's that's scary. There's a waiting thing. Dana and I talk about like, it's waiting to see Lauren. There's some weird thing about it's always waiting and it just drives you bananas.

48:21David Spade:Yeah. And then your anxiety does kind of build up. I'm like, I hope I'm going to, can I stand by the time I'm out there?

48:34Cecily Strong:I think when Lauren gets someone like you on the other side of it, they're thinking like, you probably see this now you've done seconds. So you've done, you've done all these things. It's sort of a safe bet at some point. Like you're not just out of nowhere, plucked out of nowhere. They, they do like to hear about you. I think they need a little buzz maybe for one season. And then they hear your name again. And if they keep hearing it, they go, we got to check her out. And it's almost done deal then, you know, at the beginning. yeah well i certainly had no i don't i there was never i never thought i was safe you know what i

49:11David Spade:mean sure on your end yeah right on my end and i i think like i don't know that there was any buzz necessarily but although i'm sure sharna probably said something but i think i was a bit out of nowhere and so i i went for two screen tests so then we went again at the end of the summer. And Lauren told me, he said, my second one was funnier than the first. And he said, that's why he hired me.

49:38Cecily Strong:How crazy. Wow. You almost get more nervous later on.

49:43Dana Carvey:That's weird. I mean, but you look at your, you prepared yourself for whatever reason you did, took all the steps so that it would be a possibility that you would get on Saturday Night Live. So let's move into now you're on Saturday Night Live. Yeah. Does anyone telling you anything? Are you sharing an office with 80 or what's going on?

50:03David Spade:Actually, I shared an office with Joe Kelly, who now does Ted Lasso with Jason. And I think he was there for Jason's last season. And he was so he really like took me under his wing. And he was sort of our social coordinator, too. So we went out a lot my first couple of years. You know, we'd come out every Wednesday, I went to Amsterdam with a bunch of people.

50:27Dana Carvey:Restaurant. Where was it? I think I'm sure I went there. Amsterdam, the, the. Yeah. Country. Yes. Oh, the real Amsterdam. I thought we went to Amsterdam's, which was, I thought a restaurant I went to in Amsterdam.

50:42Cecily Strong:We had our table in the back of Amsterdam. You guys would go to Amsterdam every Wednesday night? Every Wednesday night. Every Wednesday. I swear I'm telling the truth.

50:50Dana Carvey:All the way there. You could take Paul's jet. It'll be fine. Yeah. Just be back for read through. They're wild. You got to let them. So you get on SNL and you start traveling the world. They're wild.

51:00David Spade:Yeah. I, I, yeah, I had to, uh, I didn't, I wasn't able to pay my health insurance premium until January though. So I did. I think it was like my first tax return. That's when I got to go to Amsterdam.

51:14Cecily Strong:Ooh. Pretty cool. I saw that you, at a certain point you were on update. How is that? how is that true and how does that discussion happen and then you wanted to go back to sketches

51:27David Spade:more yes it's time consuming right yeah it was and it was um so i went on i went on with seth for a bit which and it was really easy then because seth had been doing it and he had done it with the with amy before so he sort of knew how to do that duo and then seth left and then i knew colin was coming in and i think it was just especially it was kind of like it became very clear that this was going to take a lot of work to sort of figure out what our update would be. And that's when I kind of it was kind of like, I don't want to put I don't want that to be my whole thing on the show to have to like, I just felt it was going to take more work than I that would take away from getting to do sketches.

52:14And it's sort of like I really I liked being a guest on update

52:19David Spade:and felt like I had had much more success doing that than being a host.

52:25Cecily Strong:A host is like the straight man.

52:26David Spade:Yeah. And I kind of like, I just, I was like, it was a cool honor. It was great. And there was a great team writing jokes. It feels like a whole different world at SNL, like the update room versus sketches. But I certainly was like, I want to be in the sketch world more. And I don't want people to not write me into sketches because of update. and knowing that it was going to need all this work was sort of, we had a lot of talks about it. And it was like, I just, I would rather go back to just being in the cast then. Like, I think it's, it could have been done maybe if we had, if it were just more a stat, if we had like a rhythm already, but we just didn't, it was so new.

53:09David Spade:And it was, you know, when the audience, when they lose someone, it just, everything takes a bit more work. So it was getting used to not having Seth. then they're kind of like, they don't like you already because you're not Seth. And it was, I just was like, I don't want that uphill battle when it already is so tough to sort of figure out your place at that place.

53:29Dana Carvey:And we're all the better for it because your range is extraordinary. And so it seems like if Update usurped you and your energy and time, we wouldn't have all these great characters. You're just a natural sketch player. And you're someone who you want on your team. I mean, Lorne must have loved it when he discovered you could play this, you could do this, you could do that. You know, it's great to have somebody with that kind of range. Yeah, right. And you're sketched.

53:53David Spade:Well, and I think, because, right, I don't know that, you know, now being there for a while, you sort of see how many different types of people do this show and make it work. And you're always like, there's people who are stand-ups and they're, you know, it's just like not everybody comes from like a theater background.

54:12Cecily Strong:So you're only going to have, right. You're more valuable probably out there in sketches.

54:17David Spade:I definitely think I was more valuable in sketches than at the desk. Because I'm also, I'm not a stand-up. And so it was, it was just, wasn't as natural.

54:25Cecily Strong:But you know, it's newscastery and it's good jokes. They have great joke writers usually in Update always.

54:29David Spade:Great joke writers.

54:30Cecily Strong:I think, Dana, is this possible? I was only there six years, but I think I lived through doing bits with Dennis on Update, Kevin Nealon, Norm, and Colin Quinn. Probably. Yeah. Wow. And the dance was finishing. Then Kevin had a long run. Then Norm. Then he got fired. And then Colin. And when I left. Yeah.

54:50David Spade:Wow. Crazy.

54:51Cecily Strong:And it is hard. And Colin always says they were mad. Norm got fired and sort of took it out on Colin.

54:58David Spade:Yes. Right. That would be hard to step into right after.

55:01Cecily Strong:Right. Because it wasn't. It's not Colin's fault. He's great. But you're just following. And they're like, wait, where's Norm? What happened?

55:08David Spade:Yes.

55:10Dana Carvey:That's true. And Colin talked about that he felt he should be sort of norm-like in a way. Like, he's very affable and friendly and he wishes he'd been more like that. Anyway, everybody has regrets, but you're the longest running female cast member. Just a fun stat.

55:27David Spade:Although I do think if someone like officially were on the numbers, because Kate - Like number of episodes? Number of episodes because Kate was there like five episodes before 80 and I got there. And then I missed some because of other shows. So I felt like I was pretty darn close to 80 and Kate. Like, I think we're all leaning at the tape.

55:54Cecily Strong:We'll go back. I'm going to call it a wash.

55:56David Spade:I would call it a wash and just.

55:58Cecily Strong:Yeah, it's essentially around a decade. Did you just rip the bandaid off and leave? You didn't make it a long goodbye, right? I think yours is sort of out of the blue.

56:05David Spade:Well, it wasn't really, though. It just wasn't a thing I was like broadcasting to everyone. But when I went back that year, the, you know, the way I went back when talking to Lauren was like, I would like to leave this year. And I think Christmas would be a great time because it's a happier show. And it would you know, I'm going to be so sad to leave. So hopefully that'll

56:30Dana Carvey:I'm doing more on the other end of this conversation Oh no He gets attached to his cast members Yes

56:36David Spade:Maybe stay till February I think they would Yes, I'm sure he would have It was probably like We don't We're not going to talk about it And broadcast it Because I think there was still A lot of people Holding out hope That I Would not Leave Was it when you

56:52Cecily Strong:Did you go to Schmigadoon And then come back Is that what happened

56:55David Spade:In 2020 I did Schmigadoon That fall and got back in December. And then last year I did a play. I did this one woman show in LA. So I missed the first. The Lily Tomlin one, right? Yes, yes.

57:09Cecily Strong:Wow. Another long title.

57:11David Spade:And it was right. Exactly. I'm comfortable with.

57:14Dana Carvey:Filling those shoes. Did you hear from Lily at all?

57:17David Spade:She came to opening night. Okay, that's nerves. Which I found out that day. And that was, I think maybe that was even more nerve wracking than having Lauren at that audition.

57:30Dana Carvey:And Lauren asked that, yeah, make sure you're there in the opening night, Lily, but don't let her know until like a couple hours before because like she works very well under pressure. But you probably scored. I'm sure she was incredibly sweet. I would assume. She was wonderful.

57:44David Spade:I mean, I think it was, I got to get applause for her at the curtain call, which was really, I was kind of like, can I get through this? Can I say these things without weeping. But it was very cool having her there. And then, unfortunately, Jane Wagner, who wrote the show, didn't get to the show. But I went and saw her at her house, which was really cool seeing all of her and Lily's. It was like a museum, really. So they have all their things.

58:13Cecily Strong:In Search of Intelligent Life.

58:16David Spade:The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the universe.

58:18Cecily Strong:And yet, for short, I know people call it ISFAJJQQFR.

58:24Dana Carvey:Just for short. I call it the spaceship monologue The spaceship monologue Well, by the way, I saw Schmigadoon I saw Schmigadoon Schmigadoon You can't not do Adam Sandler when you say that Schmigadoon I thought you were saying Schmigago

58:40David Spade:No, I saw Schmigadoon and it looks very involved

58:44Cecily Strong:Is it a hard show? I think you produced maybe also Is it hard because it's First of all, very unique Which is so hard to do these days and then the dancing and the singing and the jokes in the songs all that stuff has got to be tough

58:58David Spade:oh definitely i think but there's a lot of outside rehearsals um there was a great we have a great choreographer and great music team so it was sort of that it all felt like we were once you were shooting it felt very ready because especially that first season we was such strict covid rules So we really were so limited with how much time we got with each other.

59:24Dana Carvey:So just tell everyone what it is for our viewers. Yeah. You and Keegan, Michael key. I love his name star together and then go ahead. Yeah. So we play a couple that are,

59:36David Spade:they're sort of a newer couple. They've fallen, they met and have a great thing. And then they're sort of at a rut and their relationship and arguing a lot. And they, my character melissa finds a hike for them to sort of it's like a romance hike or a love building hike a rekindling hike and they go on it and they're arguing and caught in a rainstorm and somehow they end up in this magical town called schmigadoon uh but they find out it's it's a musical every day they've gotten themselves trapped in an old-fashioned musical they can't get out and they can't get out until they find true love.

1:00:16Cecily Strong:That's a good, that's a good, really interesting setup. And it's really well done. I mean, I was watching it going, just knowing a little bit about production, being on movies and how hard everything is, just when I do my basic crummy movies to have this with like so many things happening and so many jokes written and just how it's got to be so tight. Everyone looks great. Very good job.

1:00:38David Spade:We'll say the second season, there are more looks and worlds covered. So I think it was somewhat, we had the same amount of time, but I think like 20 more pages or something. So it felt a bit more frantic. But we got it, we got it done. And it's, I think it's pretty fun. In Canada. Oh, you do?

1:01:00Cecily Strong:Yeah. Schmigadoon, Canada?

1:01:02David Spade:In Schmigadoon, Canada.

1:01:03Dana Carvey:I always like it. Schmanada. When you watch the first episode. Schmanada. I love when people are going into a surreal environment that can't be true, but it is. It's Vancouver. Yeah. And your character is kind of going, well, let's go with this. And your boyfriend's going, this isn't happening. He's not a musical person. Yeah. And then just so people know, you'll randomly say something to these people that you don't even know. And then they'll have a well choreographed, brilliant Broadway song. They'll just start. Right.

1:01:33David Spade:And they were such great dancers. I remember there was one, it was like eight in the morning or something. And this guy just did 16 flips in a row. It's like, wow, what a different morning you and I have had.

1:01:47Cecily Strong:You went on a tunnel of love and there's a guy, there's like a bad boy guy standing there. And then he sings to you. This is probably early on when you don't really know that's what's going on, which is very funny reactions. And then I guess you guys start to get used to the fact that this is where you are.

1:02:02David Spade:Yes, yes. Yes. And right. We stop asking what they're doing every time. I just accept it. As we figure that out. Yeah. That's on Apple TV. That's on Apple TV Plus. The new season, which is Schmackago, is April 5th.

1:02:18Dana Carvey:If you like Broadway musicals, which everybody does.

1:02:21David Spade:And then I hopefully I do think first season, I think a lot of people who were not do not consider themselves musical people. We had a good amount of people.

1:02:31Cecily Strong:Well, I'm not a musical person. I liked it.

1:02:33Dana Carvey:Well, it's kind of science fiction in a way. Fantasy science fiction.

1:02:37David Spade:Hopefully there's like something for everybody. I think having Keegan and I lets like a comedy audience in. It's jokes, yeah. That maybe wouldn't think that that was a show for them.

1:02:48Cecily Strong:Well, the songs have jokes, so it's not just watching, you know. Yeah. It's very original.

1:02:54Dana Carvey:I would check it out. I would check it out. And you and Keegan are great.

1:02:58Cecily Strong:I see Keegan out a lot. I see him around in Los Angeles.

1:03:01David Spade:best yeah yeah always uh good mood you can hear him when you're out too he's oh i feel like when he enters the room you know he's there there's like a yeah he's a big scream laugh a lot of fun

1:03:12Dana Carvey:energy can we just touch on as as we go through your life here uh some of your classic yes sketches like i i know that you uh i just kind of personally i just want to say this is very cool for me.

1:03:27David Spade:Just to watch you to know that. We've been watching you all morning and laughing

1:03:32Cecily Strong:out loud at your stuff. And that's why me and Dana are going back and forth before we called you. And we were like, did you just see this one? You see this one?

1:03:40Dana Carvey:We're alums and we don't want to make it too grandiose, but it is a seminal experience for us in that place. Lauren and being on live TV with your friends who you make lifelong friendships with. So this is very enjoyable, but I just kind of thought there was so many great cast members in that decade. And then I personally sort of started to notice you and notice you doing, you know, like really connecting with the audience. Cause I think it takes a while for the audience to go, Oh, we like Cecily. She just made me really laugh and then it happens and builds. So I just saw that maybe at least it was for me, those last two or three years, you were just at another level or some other level happened of confidence.

1:04:27Dana Carvey:And Gina Perino was like a heavyweight character, like a big, loud, bombastic. And that must've been fun just to play that person. That persona

1:04:45David Spade:is so aggressive yeah yeah definitely and i um tucker and i brian tucker wrote it with me and he wrote it as a sketch first just a sort of a fox news thing but no one really knew who she was at the time even though we were like she's why she's a great character yeah she's but uh the first time we did it i don't think there was a big response and then we tried it again on update And it was sort of, I was excited because it was a way to do a bit of physical comedy too, because I wanted to. And the first sketch that we wrote, we had her in a chair with a seatbelt, worried that she was going to fly out of her chair.

1:05:24David Spade:So I was like, well, then let me fly out of the chair. That'll be her thing. Yeah.

1:05:28Cecily Strong:You know, she always yells, Dana, because she was yelling for a Cobb salad and they didn't have cranberries on it. One cranberry. Right.

1:05:36David Spade:Yes. That's her volume or something.

1:05:39Cecily Strong:She never went down on volume after that.

1:05:41David Spade:Yes.

1:05:41Cecily Strong:But yelling at a waiter, it was a big, powerful one.

1:05:45Dana Carvey:And then I'm always interested when people can do, because I don't know if I had that gear play, play subtle, dumb and talk. I'm just looking at the two porn stars you did with Vanessa Bayer. There's a describe those two characters in the rhythm of how you're acting dumb, but not dumb. I mean, how do you describe

1:06:06David Spade:yeah well i think my my porn star was always a little bit more out of it than vanessa's and sort of but it was kind of that's how the pair worked you know and i think um mine's just so i remember seeing i think it was like a tyra banks or something early on and she had a porn star on i forget who it was but she was so like yeah i'm and i'm happy doing that and it's i But just her, the way she was speaking was, I was like, oh, I want to do that. And I think it was also just a way to, writing with Colin Jost, we like to do a lot of malapropisms. And so it was, which we do a girl at a party and then we wound up doing important.

1:06:52David Spade:You know, it's like an excuse for a lot of bad puns too, honestly.

1:06:57Dana Carvey:Yeah. Right. But it's fun when you land a hard laugh with something that's so soft spoken. I think that was like even more than Girl at a Party. I think that was the most I felt the best after that first year.

1:07:11David Spade:You know, I think it was Jamie Foxx's episode. I think that's what it was. And it was my first year and we were the last sketch. And I think and Lauren gave us, you know, it was that it was still more cushioned when you're in that last spot. You can kind of, I just, the audience went so wild for it. And it was so much fun to have that reaction for the first time.

1:07:35Cecily Strong:At 10 to one.

1:07:36David Spade:Yes. Yeah. And kind of be like a little dirty. And it was just, it was really fun.

1:07:43Dana Carvey:Cause you had a series of lines. The one I saw today was this morning was I got banged and then something really, you're both doing it. So obviously casual and so soft spoken, but anyway, So I'm glad to hear that that would be something for me. It was doing Johnny Carson because I didn't really, I wasn't thinking about whether the audience was going to laugh because I knew what I was saying was almost too funny, at least to me internally. So I felt like you had that connection with that character where it's just like all thrown away and really soft spoken. It's super funny.

1:08:15David Spade:Yes. I think that's sort of how we got away with all of it too. We did this. We kept saying like, how can we, we just wanted a framework to be able to say these awful things and we were like oh they're they were porn stars but they're not anymore and then then it was like and we had a lot of fun running gags like i never got a name it was always like how do we do that this time how can we skirt around me saying a name like uh can you give me an example like she'd say we're not porn stars anymore. I'm brekkie. And I'd go, and this is brekkie. Or she said, I'm brekkie. And I said, and you can too.

1:08:54David Spade:Yeah.

1:08:55Dana Carvey:It's your non sequitur. We're yes. I'm not, I'm not always paying

1:09:00David Spade:attention. My, that gal at every moment may have done drugs. They may have done drugs.

1:09:06Cecily Strong:Yeah.

1:09:06David Spade:You kind of hope that they did. When you want your spring break to feel like and your kid's pool day to feel like and your hotel bed to feel like and room service to feel like because at Hilton, hospitality feels like

1:09:29Cecily Strong:Your cabana's ready. Would you like fresh towels?

1:09:31David Spade:It matters where you stay. Book now at Hilton.com. Hilton. For this day.

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1:10:14David Spade:lightsaber clashing, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror dropping, Banshee flying, Space Mountain launching, galaxy rewinding, what's the whole deck with galaxy rewinding, fireworks igniting, World of Other Worlds, for whatever you love.

1:10:32Cecily Strong:Infinite worlds await at the most magical place on Earth. Walt Disney World Resort.

1:10:41Cecily Strong:There was just a, I thought it was very cute when you and Kristen did. It's such a weird thing you're on a date with a 10 year old kid. But you guys just carry the whole thing and you're so keeping it alive and funny and just sort of odd, but very likable girls. Yeah.

1:10:58David Spade:I think when, I think I wrote it with Mike O 'Brien and it was like, we just wanted to really write. the best date that someone could, you know, there's something that felt really good. And it was like, and then it just happened to be 10 year olds, but they really felt like this is a really a date. That's good.

1:11:16Cecily Strong:I know the way you played it was, that's just fun to watch. I obviously, you know, you start these, you don't know where it's going. And if you're in comedy, you don't know where it's in a dish. It's fun to watch these things unfold. And then you guys just seeing two pros, just being very funny on their side of it.

1:11:30David Spade:Like, and having like Tim and Bobby. Yeah. It was a lot of giggling.

1:11:35Cecily Strong:Yeah. I'm sure that this looks like a super fun rehearsal also.

1:11:38David Spade:Yeah.

1:11:39Dana Carvey:And you and Bobby Moynihan, you and he did the best by firing. That must have been kind of fun because it was just so loud and, and, and, and you were just, you were supposed to be getting fired. So you just deconstructed every other employee. Right. Right. Rip, rip them apart.

1:11:54David Spade:They're going out, they're going out with a bang, which, and it was, uh, that was the first show I'd gotten a sketch on and I got that on and girlfriends on. And it was, it was so great because Bobby had been there for a while and sort of like, I really like trusted whatever, if he's saying this is good, then I trust that it's, it's, I was really like, I hadn't quite yelled at the table yet before. That was my first time yelling at the table.

1:12:20Cecily Strong:Is it definitely, this happened to me twice, not as much as Dana, but to either write something or co-write something. And when you, you originally get a big one on, it's so much of your focus to have two on is almost throws you.

1:12:33David Spade:Yeah.

1:12:33Cecily Strong:That's too much.

1:12:35David Spade:Yes. Yes. It was, it was crazy that they both, I was sort of like, how does that, how will that work?

1:12:42Cecily Strong:Cause you have to oversee them, direct them. Like, is there so much to do with them and go to wardrobe and costumes and set design and help with every aspect. You're like, oh my God, just give me one. Let me just see if I can figure one out.

1:12:53David Spade:And you're like, well, is this going to work? It's my, you know, wanting to make sure everything is like you've thought, right. You've thought through everything for that, for the first one. But then after.

1:13:03Dana Carvey:Was the other one Girlfriend's Talk Show? Sorry. Was the other one Girlfriend's Talk Show? Yeah. Talk Show with 80. Yeah. So there's your bandmate from. There's your 80, yep. So you have a comfort zone with her. Yeah. At least in the early days.

1:13:13David Spade:I did a lot of two-handers for a long time over there, which I really loved. Two-handers, meaning duos. Yeah, where, you know, me and Bobby or Vanessa and I, Aidy and I, yeah. Kate and I. Those are kind of, Wayne's World was a two-hander. Yes.

1:13:31Dana Carvey:Hans and Franz, I'm going to say two-hander. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. You know, but yeah, I think it's fun. It's a very clean, simple thing. You're playing a rhythm with your other person and it's just nice. Yes.

1:13:45Cecily Strong:Also for getting laughs off a straight part was you and Bill Hader when he hosted and you're going to play Uno with your friends.

1:13:53David Spade:Oh, yeah, yeah. He's your boyfriend. Well, that one, we were, I wrote a lot with James Anderson and Kent Sublette. And I was like, we just have to, like what I know of Bill is like, we just have to give him a big toy. Really, so it's like, give him a big motorized wheelchair.

1:14:09Cecily Strong:And then you climb on him. I didn't see that coming.

1:14:12David Spade:No.

1:14:13Cecily Strong:You have the courtesy blanket. Courtesy blanket. So it's not like, and she goes,

1:14:19David Spade:sex is sexual right it's not a sexual thing it's science and she goes no sex is sexual and it's sort of you know this awful trying to make your friends feel bad like you know how much i want a

1:14:32Cecily Strong:baby yeah it was all good yeah try not to laugh of course because he's banging everything driving

1:14:39David Spade:right and there's not you know we still only get however many rehearsals and then so it is it's so

1:14:47Cecily Strong:we don't know how many of it's backing up you don't even know he's gonna hit a table or you

1:14:51David Spade:guys are gonna get your leg broken or yes and i think like the controlled chaos was sort of that became my my favorite part of the show you know it's like the one the thing that sets us apart from everything else is having it live and not perfect yeah yeah so and it was sort of like throw in a dog throw in some wine that you're throwing or something you know yeah just there's then you have chaos. You're kind of like, I don't quite know what's going to happen. So then it keeps us

1:15:19Dana Carvey:having fun. Yeah. They want it for sure. I had a dog with a massive head of one hair. Of course. Right. You know, but that was, I was just writing an Emmy.

1:15:32Dana Carvey:The note after dress was the dog is pushing a little. Could we get the dog to look like, not like find the lens. It's just the dog's hosting

1:15:41Cecily Strong:during February's week with Jay-Z.

1:15:44Dana Carvey:So you do 10 years, you go through all these different cast members coming and going. When you first came in, who was there and who left pretty shortly after that? Or were you? Well, we wound up being in.

1:15:55David Spade:We had a pretty we had a core cast for a long time together. They came in. Yeah. So I was when I it was Bill and Jason and Fred's last year. OK.

1:16:08Dana Carvey:When I got there, you caught them for one year. Yeah.

1:16:10David Spade:so i got one year with them solid yeah uh which was so exciting you know to have those people around when you're first there it was really exciting and then um and bobby taryn jay vanessa they were sort of the next and nasim were all sort of the next upperclassmen and then but 80 kate and and Beck and Kyle, we were sort of, we were there for a long time together. Yeah.

1:16:41Dana Carvey:You did have a nice long run together. Kyle Mooney. Yeah. Beck Bennett. Kate, of course. You. Yeah. Yeah. Like a re, the show keeps. And Kenan, obviously. And Kenan Thompson, just the perennial cast member. It was just always. When you leave mid-season,

1:16:59Cecily Strong:is it a weird feeling when the shows are still on? it's definitely where it feels like it was much longer uh it feels like a much much more time has passed since i've been there um but i also i think one of i i know ad and kate and a couple other

1:17:18David Spade:people i've talked to and even kristin i talked to her when she first hosted it was kind of like you can't i haven't been watching i think you have to kind of walk away for a while to be able to leave. So it's very weird to watch it after. There's people doing your job. Yeah. It's weird. And I think all the anxiety I feel like would just come back right away. And I would, I just don't, I think it's, I'm good where I am with this distance.

1:17:44Dana Carvey:You did a good run. I mean, my God. Yeah. It's pretty comprehensive. Do you feel, I don't know, you probably feel so many things, but somewhere you must feel a nice level of satisfaction. You lived your dream. Totally. Yes.

1:17:58David Spade:And I got to leave like happy, which I know is doesn't always happen.

1:18:04Dana Carvey:No, I mean, there's heard of those stories. Yeah.

1:18:06David Spade:And I, you know, there is I had a tough couple of years like everybody does. And so it was really nice to get to leave that way.

1:18:15Dana Carvey:Yeah. Going out with a bang. And now you have Schmigadoon. Is that for you?

1:18:21David Spade:Schmigadoon. I think that's a great.

1:18:22Cecily Strong:You also may not know this. You're in a phone commercial.

1:18:26David Spade:That's right. Yes.

1:18:28Cecily Strong:You wouldn't know that. I don't know if you've seen it. I don't know if you've seen it. You can find it on YouTube, though.

1:18:35Dana Carvey:You have to go to YouTube. I'm a big fan of tech commercials and phone. Potato chips and tacos is harder, although I'm for sale at this point. I will bite a taco. But when you're doing phone companies or that sort of Apple commercial, whatever, that's sort of nice. I mean, I think the commercials. Very nice. You look great and it's just sweet. It's kind of smart. So yeah, I'm a big fan of doing commercials as soon as you come off SNL. Right as you come off.

1:19:07David Spade:Great gig.

1:19:08Cecily Strong:Yeah. It's a great gig. And then you got, I think, who was in it? Seth was in the one I saw.

1:19:14David Spade:Yeah. Jessica Williams just did one.

1:19:16Cecily Strong:See, look at that.

1:19:17David Spade:I was like, wow.

1:19:18Dana Carvey:Believe it or not, you were not supposed to do commercials when you came off SNL in the 90s. You were not supposed to do commercials. So I'm not envious. I don't hate the people that do them now. I live through them and I root for you guys. But yeah, do the commercials.

1:19:34David Spade:I know. It was like a new thing that we got to do a commercial during our time on the show. That was always like such a no-no. But I think in the past, however, a couple of years.

1:19:45Cecily Strong:Yeah, I got shot down on that. Well, I have to tell her one thing before you get your last word, Dana. Born in Springfield. springfield illinois my daughter uh lives in springfield and growing up really so i'm saying there's hope for her to come out like cecily because you did it and and you and you liked

1:20:06David Spade:it you were there for well i did move pretty quickly actually i was a year and a half when we moved to oak park what was the mall like when you were there at one but i'm sure it's what made me who I am. Do you go back ever? No. Do you just, that was it? To Springfield?

1:20:24Cecily Strong:Yeah.

1:20:24David Spade:No, not to Springfield. I did go back. I went back once. It's far away from Chicago, but I went, it was when Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his running mate. It was in Springfield and a couple friends and I drove.

1:20:41Cecily Strong:You did it at the J.Crew at the mall there? Yeah, I got an autograph.

1:20:46Dana Carvey:Barack Obama. So you have a memoir out. this will all be over soon, which I love the title written during the pandemic. And that's available on wherever you can. All the book places. Yeah. Book places. So I'm just so I don't know. I'm just so thrilled that we when they said Cecily's in, it made me very happy. Oh, yeah.

1:21:11David Spade:I think it's like a rite of passage to to get to talk to you guys. And you are both some of the best to have ever done it. And it's you're doing well on the other side.

1:21:23Cecily Strong:Very nice.

1:21:24Dana Carvey:I love funny people. And we did ask Kenan about, which just as a kind of a pithy question, like, oh, who's the greatest? We all have to make a name up or whatever, you know, rank things. And he had gave the best answer. He just said spontaneously, the women. Oh, that's all the women. because the amount of... He's a freaking doll. He is adorable. He's like, you want to adopt him. Smart guy too. Yeah, he's great. The amount of women and you're in that continuum between Amy and, and I'll forget the names, too many, Sherry Oteri and Vanessa Bear. Maya, Molly. It goes on and on. Maya, Molly, Kristen.

1:22:01Dana Carvey:Amy too. Right, right, right. Yeah, so many women who've done such brilliant work on that show in recent history. But we fancy ourselves, it sounds highfalutin, a slight, casual, funny, oral history of cast members, interviewing cast members. We know where the grease paint is stored. So this has been a pleasure. David, do you have any final statement?

1:22:24Cecily Strong:No, I like it. You get to talk about SNL, not bore everyone. Because at certain times you just start talking about it and you're like, all right, well, forget it. I should stop. But it's fun to talk about because it's on your mind. It'll be on longer than you think. You just keep, because you were there so long.

1:22:39Dana Carvey:You'll always be from Saturday Night Live. And the great thing about the way the world works now with live streaming all these venues, you're just going to work. You're going to do whatever you want to do in show business for decades now. But you'll always be from Saturday Night Live. Yes. You know, which is a great legacy. It's right. It could be way worse. It's not. Yeah.

1:22:57Cecily Strong:Could be way worse. It's great to have. I mean, yeah, you everything sort of comes from there and, you know, came from improv

1:23:05Dana Carvey:places. When you go there, when you can do live sketch comedy and do it with with joy and do it as an expert, everything else that you can do.

1:23:17David Spade:I feel like the greatest thing since leaving has been like seeing that people maybe see me now the way I saw Amy and Tina and Maya and Kristen walking in. And that was, I think, like, that's just a great thing to have in my pocket for a bad day. Like I'm amongst those names. And that's so cool.

1:23:42Dana Carvey:You are a thousand percent amongst. And everyone loves it at a certain age. one of Lauren-isms, you know, that was 14 at the time. But you've got your cast, your primary cast and your people. And those fans are so connected to you forever, which is very sweet. You know, they're 14 now, but you'll run into it later. And they'll be so, so it's such an honor to be on that show and to be humble about it and just be grateful.

1:24:10David Spade:We're on the wall. We get to do this.

1:24:12Dana Carvey:Yeah. We got to do a fun job for a long time. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, we're going to get started in a minute. We're just going to take a break. But we like to do pre-interviews. I think we got a good show here. We do. We know what we're going to talk about now. Thank you very much. I'd like to say we're going to see you around campus in show business and for sure at the 50th. Yes, right. You know, that'll be exciting. I hope I get to do something with you. I know. I would love that. We'll put you in Wayne's World.

1:24:41David Spade:We're going to start thinking about it. Yes, please. That's one of the first movies I think I Like had memorized Like that's probably I have the most memorized of all movies Oh I like to play

1:24:55Dana Carvey:Of course And I think I did like You bought me a gun rack

1:25:01David Spade:What am I going to do I don't even know an ag gun

1:25:06Dana Carvey:Ag gun Great line Great movies Surreal but anyway best of luck to you I'm going to be watching your show with my sister who's visiting tonight. Schmigadoon.

1:25:20David Spade:And the new one is April 5th. And it comes out April 5th for the next season. Yes. All right.

1:25:30Cecily Strong:Hey, 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 Dana Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg Holtzman, Matt Eastprung-Kaiser, and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey.

1:25:58Dana Carvey:Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman, and the show is produced and edited by Phil Sweetech. Booking by Cultivated Entertainment. Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kirk Courtney, and Lauren Vieira.

1:26:21Cecily Strong: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.

1:26:36Thank you.