Jason Sudeikis on Future of Ted Lasso, Scoring on LeBron, Behind the Scenes at SNL50 & More | Ep 129

29:54So cool. But we used to go every Christmas. We would go back to Chicago, like Christmas, with my grandma on the south side and my mom's side of the family, tons of cousins and whatnot. And then a lot of Junes, too, for when kids started graduating from Catholic school and whatnot. And I would always ask to go to Second City. And we'd go up there. So I definitely saw Colbert and Carell back in the day and Amy Sedaris. And you just have them faint memories because you didn't know who any of them were at the time. You didn't know who you were watching at the time. No, not yet. I remember seeing Second City Touring Company came through and they performed at, I forget the name of the theater, it's down in Crown Center, but they came and performed and I saw a guy, his name was John Farley, and he was doing a scene that his brother Chris had done and John's incredible, that whole family's hilarious.

30:42And I was just like, oh my God, that's got to be Chris's brother. Because he was playing a character that his brother created at Second City and he was doing the touring company. So, yeah, it's great. I mean, I still love going back there. It's super fun. It's a great show, and like I said, family show. But that's where I took classes, you know, just like over a summer. It was like six weeks. And, you know, one of my first improv teachers, a fellow named Corey Rittmaster, who's a Kansas City dude. And, you know, we still – I talk to him more than family because we play Fortnite together. Nice.

31:12We're still in touch. Absolutely. Really in touch. Like, I mean, you know, like, you know, taking on 98 other people on this island. I mean, I don't want to get into it too specific, but, you know, playing as Billie Eilish. So good. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Well, you went from Vegas straight to SNL? Yeah. Yeah. And you were at SNL for nine years. Ten. Ten. Yeah, yeah. I wrote for the first two years. Okay. You know, which was awesome and scary because, you know, I'd only at that point really kind of realized how to write for myself. Now I'm being asked to write for other people. but I then got to learn the show, learn, learn the staff, learn, learn the script format.

31:52Like it felt like, you know, to speak to, you know, athletes, like it felt like being red shirted, you know, and, and, and yet it also felt it was scary, but it also felt a little bit like I didn't get the job that I was hoping to get, but, but I got a job that, that allowed for so much more, uh, than I ever would have realized. And I got to, I, I, I started out hot. I got like, you know, know a couple sketches on right off the bat you know writing uh for people writing with other people and then i just went blank for for months but i really really love the rewrite table and that's when you're like sitting around talking with the other writers other cat excuse me other cast members and you're just hyping up their material and so there's this whole theory and philosophy and snl uh excuse me of an improv called yes and where you know you're supporting the idea and then you're adding to it and that's just a form of rewriting so all those 10 000 hours of doing this thing, your brain just sort of clued into it.

32:43And then the other thing that's really neat, and it's one of the things I always speak about in relation to team sports, you know, which is just a direct correlation for me to the ensemble arts, you know, is just those time of being with your friends, with your teammates in the locker room, on the bus, and joking around, and having different friends with different sensibilities and different sense of humor, and be able to joke around with any of them, then to get paid for it at SNL is like, You're doing it's I was literally doing the same thing that I was doing with my friends, you know back in high school like After a win or a loss, you know driving from you know Lawrence, Kansas getting getting our ass kicked by them and then driving back to Overland Park And that's that's 30 minutes of hell where I would say that's 10 minutes of hell And then the last 20 minutes It was just silliness I would say easily the thing I miss most about being the playing football is being in the locker room Yeah, and being around the guys like that camaraderie for sure.

33:33Yeah, yeah And even to add on to that, growing up and how many sports we played, how many different, like, playing hockey, playing baseball, like, the hockey guys are completely different than the football guys that are completely different than the basketball guys or even the lacrosse guys. Like, it's like. The wrestlers are the, that's the way you do. Well, they're nutcases. Nutcases. Yeah. I didn't do it in high school. Once I saw Jason's pimple on his forehead pop on someone else's face wrestling in middle school, I was like, yeah, no, I'm good on wrestling.

34:04I still remember getting pinned. One time. No, this was my seventh grade year. So I was resting somebody older. Oh, okay. And just the guy had his armpit in my face. Yeah, yeah. And the pungency of this guy's armpit will forever be embedded in my skull. I was just like, man, this is fucking gross. I remember what school was. Yeah, yeah. He had not discovered deodorant yet. What school was it? Remember the school? This was actually a teammate. I didn't want to say. We were sparring. We'll leave it at that. Ended up being a great football player. I would say the only other athletes that... It's a good teammate right there.

34:43It's a good teammate. When I was at Fort Scott, we shared our gym with the rodeo team. The field house was half... That's just shit you don't get up in Cleveland, Ohio. You don't get a rodeo team. It was nuts. And these dudes were the skinniest, flattest butts dudes you've ever seen in your life. And they would they were so tough we'd be in there like with the trainer like how I jam my finger and they come in They just got the rib By like a bulls horn and they're just like tape it up so I can get back in there and we're just like okay crazy Rodeo professionals Injury listen that is much bigger than that absolutely No, it was those those guys those men and women are so tough and so tell you what man Some of them started wearing hockey helmets.

35:27Yeah, I put on a hockey helmet before yeah That shit ain't stopping nothing. Are you kidding me? It's going to hurt still. You got to put on everything. Yeah. No, the bulls, the bulls, that's just another target for them. They want to. Back to the. Did you enjoy? So did you enjoy writing more, performing more or do you enjoy writing or performing more? Or are they? They're both pretty different sides of the same. Yeah. I mean, they're pretty fun. It's it's it's both are fun. I mean, 100 percent objectively writing is more difficult. It's just it's just it's exhausting. Like, you know, we're in the writing process now and it's just like, I know it's not farming.

36:03I know it's not digging ditches. I know it's not teaching math to kids that don't want to be there. I know that very well. And yet it is, it is, it's so hard because you're just in your head the whole time and you're just actively thinking and actively listening. And it's just a lot. And, um, and yet when it flows, it's, it's really, really fun. And, and, and there is something just fun about, uh, talking to yourself and then typing it out and and having feeling a little bit like you have control over the universe which i we have no control over there is there is a there is a little bit of that wish fulfillment um but i love rewriting i love i love seeing something in someone and and and trying to like you know bring that out of them and encourage them to access it for themselves like that's that's that's a a fun thing to do but performing performing performing is great i mean it is it's it's it's hard in a different way um but it's it's um you know it's mostly yeah writing writing something else there's nothing more daunting than a blank page yeah it's so scary i don't even know where you start yeah me neither and i've done it for years i don't think i'm good at it you guys are already two steps ahead of me i can't even read or write i see a blank page i'm like that thing's probably gonna stay blank It's like I can read that Yeah, I got that I can imagine everything actually Endless possibilities right there I started getting more stuff on the show When I was able to write it and act in it That was one of those things You feel more comfortable writing for yourself At that time at least Yeah, yeah, 100 % Because then you just know what spin you want to put on that I can imagine that's probably Yeah, that has to be kind of a lot of people's sweet spot, right?

37:47That can do both at least Yeah. Yeah. And I had such a badass generation, my SNL generation. I like I'm so like what a blessing to come in with with that group of men and women, both be both behind the scenes in front of the camera. Like it was something else. And so like our cast could write their buns off. Like, yeah, I mean, it was neat. Like and so everybody it was scary, though, too, because you're kind of like, shit, you're all just jockeying for 30 minutes of airtime, you know, between, you know, when a host comes in, you know, you got to share with the song. You got to share with update you got to share with commercials.

38:20Obviously, that's why it's there. And then you're just it's the funny I thought about that. It's really just about 30 minutes if that it may be 27 It may but I mean it's it's it's nuts when you really really think about it And then on Tuesday night when when they're all right and then they're laughing, you know when I'm I my me and I was Office mates with Bill Hader the first five years and then Mike O 'Brien the second five years and our my office This was right next to a fellow named James Anderson, who's one of the best writers in SNL history. And he wrote a lot with Kristen Wiig. And when I'd hear those two laughing, and then sometimes Paula Pell would be in that office, too, because James and Paula were dear old friends.

38:56I just knew you. There was a banger cut. You were just like, yeah, you were just like, oh, no, what are they cooked up now? What's every little girl going to be dressing up for next Halloween? It's like, what iconic silhouette is she going to create and what voice is she going to put it to? And, yeah, it's just something else. Did you have like that goat in the acting world that you like looked up to that you aspire to be or or even somebody at SNL where you were like, oh, shit, I'm finally in the same room as. Oh, for sure. I mean, there were people like that. I mean, like Tina was such a Tina was someone that I loved watching like her.

39:28And she did she she did a lot of scenes with a fellow named Scott Adsit, who's one of my all time favorite performers. They're like like Second City Legends. And and he ended up playing Pete Hornberger on 30 Rock, too. And he's still like when I watch him perform he just knocks me out. I just think he's such a great actor He's funny as well, but he's just really good actor and and he was really great at pantomime Which you know you do a lot at second city because so you don't have all the props and all that stuff I'm gonna end you to tell me what pantomime is real. That's like just miming just mine Just just mine.

39:57Yeah, so yeah, like you just me and brushing your teeth and all He could he could there's a scene that he does where he's running up a A stairwell like like a stairwell like this and it's just it looks like there's a stairwell there And it just looks like a magic trick you're like there's nothing Incredible or being or chasing a car, you know, and he just would just it was just yeah He's just incredible and he would make it all look so believable But it was also very funny because he's making something out of nothing at the same time But him and Tina would just do these really really clever really smart scenes And so that was like, you know, so to be to have Tina Fey be like a hero then she becomes an icon then she becomes like a mentor then she becomes you know uh a friend and like that's like that's one of those weird journeys that still knocks me out but but anytime anybody came back like when when will ferrell came back to host or to work with tom hanks like those are the people that that i loved and you know yeah it was like but growing up yeah it was all it was you know i was so lucky we just we just re-watched uh at work we just re-watched hoosiers you know because of Gene Hackman passing and like that was someone that that's greatest sports movie ever it's amazing so good holds up yeah still good old statement but I loved it yeah yeah it was that it was a bold statement you say great sports we were talking about miracle last week that was okay miracles happened like who well I guess who no but I mean it's like I said I'm not gonna fight it exactly just bold statement I'm trying to think of this better one there's like other comedy movies that I yeah Bull Durham is great Major League I love Waterboy Major League yep Major League yeah Angels in the Outfield yeah Sandlot Sandlot Sandlot is no joke Sandlot is so good so good still holds up but yeah getting to work with like when you meet you know those guys like you know like to me Tom Hanks that's like that's like you know Shaking a Statue of Liberty I had the pleasure of just, he was, I always forget the Halloween character he does on SNL.

42:01Oh, David Pumpkins. David Pumpkins. I don't know why I always, I never associate him with the name David. I don't know why I never do that. He was getting ready to do that skit three Halloweens ago when Jack Harlow was hosting it. And I snuck up behind him. I was like, is that the man with one red shoe? And he was just like, what? Yeah. Of all my movies, that's what you're referencing? That was like the first one I ever remembered. It's like the opening scene. It's blowing my mind as a kid. I remember exactly that. The most skilled human being I've ever seen in my life. Love that dude. He always had little tricks like that in his movies.

42:40He was always doing little fun things like that. Michael Keaton is another one that I've got to meet over the years. Because for years I was like, I love Bill Murray and I love Tom Hanks. But they're so different. And it's like, and then like Michael Keaton is like my favorite parts of, of, of both those guys. I mean, all three men are like iconic in their own ways, but like, it's just been, yeah, that's one of those places where you just can't believe you're mean. And then, you know, then you get to, then, then Paul McCartney is there too. Every now and then. There you go. Yeah. Well, speaking of Paul, you were talking about Will.

43:08Yeah. Uh, SNL 50, man. Yeah. How awesome was that? That happened, what, like two weeks ago? Was it two weeks ago? Yeah. It took me literally a week to recover. It looked like an entire award show. Yeah. Like the, the amount of people that showed up. Like, I don't know if I know they kind of do it every like 10 years, but 40 didn't look like that. No, I mean, it was it was something else. And it was cool for me. The difference between 40 and 50 was we had just left like our generation had just left after the 40th. Like like Andy and Kristen had left in maybe 2012. And then the me, Fred and Bill left in 2013.

43:41Seth left in 2014. So our generation had just really left. So it kind of felt like we were the freshman coming back to homecoming, like the college freshman coming back to, you know, senior year homecoming uh and now we're 10 years in you know i got a couple kids you know like you know it's neat having something that that you've made that's you know people responded to like ted lasso so now you're just kind of baked in and i think i think the generation after us too with like vanessa bear and taryn killum and kate mckinnon like that generation probably felt a little more baked in too and they because they were definitely they were on the show at the time of the 40th and so yeah it was just it was great it was like it was just neat and love i mean it's I enjoyed every second of watching that thing.

44:18Yeah, same. You got to be in the skit, the jail skit. Oh, scared straight. Skit Jerry. Straight. I took a photo of the good nights when you're saying goodbye there at the end of Will Ferrell and Eddie Murphy saying hi to each other. Those are my two favorites from the show. That's so crazy. And they're just saying hi to each other. This is at the 40th. And then 10 years later to be in a sketch with them is nuts. No, it's great. And my kids came to watch rehearsal on Saturday. they just came to watch the big uh new york musical that we did uh where forte and are doing and and wig are doing the songs from uh les mis and they're sitting there and then we're getting ready to leave hop on the train go back home uh and uh jenna uh stage manager jenna if you remember she's like she's like uh paul mccartney uh paul we're ready for soundcheck i was like oh paul mccartney's about to play we're gonna stick here for a little bit he needs to watch this sorry guys I mean when they say don't meet your heroes they are not talking about Paul McCartney That guy is a great person to meet.

45:17He's just that he loves being Paul McCartney He is the coolest dude like in any generation in any room. He's just the coolest guy. He accepts the responsibility He is like I've been given this gift. I have been put into this Paul McCartney He is that soul in a Paul McCartney vessel and he's like, what do you need? I mean just having him and my sister were talking about let it be like the song and he did and he's Respond to her as if he's never told the story before and no one's ever asked him before and he's so present like it's Amazing and then everybody throughout that throughout the day or just every now and then when you see Paul up on stage Like at every point someone is looking on their phone looking.

45:56How old is he? It's like this guy's got this guy He's been getting more in the more in the tank than I did at the point. I was exhausted He's like 82 almost 83 and it's just yeah That's so cool. Do you have a favorite sketch from your time at SNL? Oh, I had another one of those questions. I would say during my time, and I've answered this before, but it's the truth, was my favorite to do was What Up With That? Because it was a big cast sketch. It also was one that people started getting really excited about, and we would normally do it after a weekend update. That became its slot. And so they, you know, I mean, you know, where I went, are you hosting?

46:34So like how incredible. like What happens in the commercial breaks like what that crew what those men and women do absolutely that amount of time with that amount of intensity and Taking things down and putting them up so when when they whip that Giant ass weekend update desk and they bring it right down the center pipe there And then they they're taking down the thing then they start putting together the the what up at that set yeah the crowd would just start getting like

47:02We all know our function. We all know our role. Everybody gets like a little highlight little spot here and there we'd always we eventually start getting like insane like like Cameos, you know whether it be Robin Williams or Robert De Niro or just someone or Samuel L. Jackson Like someone who's not gonna say anything is only there to be in this yet You know and then wave good night and then come to the after party like it was that was just so fun That was like that was one that out of the recurring ones I loved Wig and I in our first few years together did these characters called the two a-holes Which is really fun where it's like, you know a guy like a guy, you know chewing gum and his girlfriend kind of like You know like playing with her hair and chewing gum and they were just those were those were a blast to do and write and and people It was definitely a type an archetype that people saw in the ring the real world sure it still exists They're still out there.

47:50They're doing well Yeah. Um, then like a few of my personal favorites that like I was involved in, like Forte and I had a lot of fun things. We did a sketch called potato chip. Um, that very first time we did it was with Taylor when she hosted. Nice. Uh, it, but it didn't, it didn't, it didn't make a young Taylor. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, but it didn't make it to air. Uh, we ended up doing it with Blake Lively. She ended up getting it, getting it over the hump for us. And they played it so differently. It was, which is one of those neat things. And it was like, it's the silliest sketch in the world.

48:17It's worth looking up. It's called potato chip. And then Forte and I would do these ESPN announcers like for women's sports where it was basically us like trying to sell. It was us doing like like lawn darts or billiards. But then we would also be trying to sell a everything was sponsored by like Massengill, you know, like I would do these like crazy rhymes. Like when, you know, when, when you're over, when you're, what is it? Like you're, when your uterine lining looks like the elevator from the shining. Maxi pads. And it's just, it was so ridiculous. And it's like, but people love it. People love it.

49:00And I remember we got to do, they put together a couple of years while we were still at the show, where it was like all the different sports sketches, you know, from like when Joe Montana or, you know, Peyton had hosted at that point or Michael Jordan or whatever. And we got to do the bumpers. And so we would we filmed all these live in front of like just 30 minutes before an actual live show. And we got to do these things and we did them as these characters. And we had so many of those like crazy rhyming things that I can't remember anyone now, but they're all just, you know, more like standards and practices.

49:32The sensors were more and more nervous with each one. And that we walk that tightrope on that show. That's that's such a fun thing. to do. Absolutely. Even though it drove Betsy Torres, our stand-up. Shut up to Betsy. Was there ever a sketch that you just knew was going to crush it and it just never caught the air? I don't know. Like, ever got the green light? It's good. Hmm. One of the nice things that you learn there is that nobody knows shit. Like, you don't know. You never know. You can have so much. I mean, you sort of do, like, I remember when we were all in the studio and Lazy Sunday was playing and then Jack Blackhost and that was like a great episode for the show and for our generation and just for Earth at large.

50:18I remember when that was playing whereas seeing it at Dress being like, oh, this is going to crush. But that's like a pre-tape piece and iconic in a way that very few things are. But I would say no because it's almost like you don't want to spook the muses either. You don't, that was always a fun thing that they would like those these little bit of superstitions that you were don't call home and say your sketches making it don't text your friends because it'll end up getting cut don't say you're going to show up in that sketch because you'll part will get up and and that happened more often than not so at some point you're never like typing being like oh this is gonna kill i could i i i even if even if i ever did i don't know if i'd ever even say it out loud or would it get from my brain yeah to my mouth like something would stop inside my soul would go don't you say that shit don't you dare yeah but nothing that comes up i can think of maybe yeah no nothing i let the uh the ted lasso uh like characters live on through every day in practice as i scream football is like yes you did i still say it i love it and uh i already announced i'm coming back but um jeez fans yeah you have always been right there every single time towards the end of the seasons in the locker rooms on the field having fun with us man when did your uh chiefs like fandom really build up i mean my line for years because i you know growing up in kansas city it was it was royals chiefs you know some dalliances with the you know the kansas city comets and the indoor soccer days growing up but like my line for years awesome jerseys indeed my for years when people especially at snl when like the crew guys would you know like giants fans and jets fans were like you like the chiefs and when we weren't you know we weren't doing as well It was like, you love the Chiefs?

51:59I was like, no, but I love a lot of people that do. And that was the sincere truth. It was like my family, I'd gone to, prior to the last three, four years, like probably I think one actual Chiefs game at Arrowhead. For us, we were a basketball team, a basketball family, so I would go to more, I'd spend more time going to KU or the Big 8 tournament, Big 12 tournament, all that stuff. But then with having kids, obviously the success of the team, you know getting to know you and and and patrick you know through big slick and the charity stuff we do back home like then it becomes like this personal thing and then what's even more fun is when getting to play this fake coach and then you have real coaches and real organizations that give you this beautiful treatment we get to bring my good friends through those people that do love the cheese like my friend terry yeah and his kids who you've met uh you know my friend billy and his children uh that you guys you know have been so kind to and like and and the hunts let let me let Let me roll deep.

52:54Like, where it's like, can I bring him plus 12? They're like, yeah. I was like, oh my God. Okay. I was like. Well, that's it. Perfect. Exactly. Yeah. And it's just been, it's just been a joy to watch. And it's just, it's just, you know, so now, yeah, now Otis and Daisy, you know, we're, we're, you know, watching, you know, every week and watching the, you know, we know we watched. Yeah. Sorry about that. Yeah. That's all right. It's a better story. I laugh about it now, but it hurts inside still. Of course. It's like, cause it matters to you. I blame Jason. and he had the voodoo doll next to him the entire time.

53:24I did. That did not work out well. I got a voodoo doll on Bourbon Street. Oh, no kidding. Trying to like get Travis's hands warm in the middle of the game with the voodoo doll. It was not weird. It backfired. Ice cold. My hands were ice cold. It might have been a doo-doo. Yeah. It was more doo-doo than voodoo. A doo-doo doll. We'll be back better than ever. We got this. We got it. That's the story. I got you, brother. You drop down one and then you come back and then you come back for one shining moment. There we go. You know, that's the story I'd write, you know? You can't just be winning all the time, Travis.

53:56That's what I mean. That's not interesting at all. Yeah. Nobody wants to watch five Super Bowls that you guys win. It fooled me because I definitely thought it would be kind of fun. It would be pretty amazing. It would be pretty cool. I know there's no way to, like, I only deal with this in the fake make-believe world and I'm sitting between guys who have actually done it and then one who just went through the hardest part of it and it feels very surreal right now. I don't know how to joke about it with you. I don't know. I mean, it was so long ago. Like, I don't know. It was, I don't even, I am really good at just, you know, cutting off my memory.

54:31Yeah. Yeah. But are there other dudes that are holding on to it? Are people still in a cave? It's still in there. You hold on to it forever. Yeah. I still remember the one I lost in like one play. I could have made it. Yeah. Well, you only fucking lost one, Jason. Well, I lost to you too. So shut the, I don't need your sobs to it right now. This is what I'm talking about. Now we're reaching new heights. But you carry, for some reason, the losses, especially that loss in that game, you always carry on with it. I get that. You move on, you know what I mean? But, yeah, just like anything. I joke about everything.

55:04We lost season three to the Bear, so we're kind of the same. Yeah, that's some bullshit, too. Well, that's not, come on, let's not do that. I know you want to play nice, but that is bullshit. That's that. You can't argue art. And would you guys pay him? No, come on. How much money? Oh, you think they paid? I hadn't heard that. I'm kidding. God, can we cut that? You brought up Big Slick. I've never been to Big Slick, but I've heard a lot. I've seen a lot of that stuff. I do want to go. I would love to be a part of it. Dude, it is a fan blast. Yeah. What is Thundergong? Thundergong, yeah. What the heck is that?

55:35Okay, so Big Slick is to help Children's Mercy Hospital. We do that. That's a whole weekend. It's a blast. Unbelievable. It's a blast. Last year was three mil raised? I think so, yeah. It keeps going up by the mil at this point. I know. It's scary. It's like being one of those high school teams that's, you know, they're 114 and 0. It's like I get so nervous. And it's like the money is cool and all, but what you guys do actually going to the hospital the day before and actually like being around the patients and everything. It's amazing. It's lovely. Yeah, it really is. You guys get such good support through the entire entertainment.

56:04Yeah, absolutely. And just the city turns out for it, too. It's one of those neat things that we started ages ago. Rob Riggle had this idea saying, hey, what if we do this? And then he hooked me and Paul in, Paul Rudd. And then we added, you know, Koechner a year later than we added Eric Stone Street and now Heidi Gardner, all from Kansas City, all from the surrounding area. Like, it's really, really neat. And it's and so, yeah, we have that that that's every like it's beginning usually in June. I think this year might be around May 31st, but around the beginning of June. And then Thundergong is a thing that me and my buddy Billy Brim will come started.

56:37He runs this nonprofit called Steps of Faith, and we help buy amputees new arms and legs. My line is, we help people buy arms and legs so they don't cost an arm and a leg. But yeah, I mean, a lot of people. It's funny, but it's clean. It's clean. You put it on a business card. People are like, I love it. And we do that in November. And yeah, we help raise. we get people that have lost their arm or leg that are uninsured we get them back literally on their feet you know and and working again and provide you know help with the with the mental side of that too and we work with these amazing prosthesis and uh and and yeah and and and physical therapists and we can get you can get a we can get legs people for like 500 bucks so every time you know someone gives 500 bucks that gets someone back literally yeah walk again yeah and and you know Billy you know what comes about it honestly because he lost his he's a drummer he lost his left leg got it amputated right above the knee back in 2005 I want to say when he was a tour a touring musician had no had no insurance and so then we put together a comedy like rock show like fundraiser raised him like raised like 50 grand back in Kansas City is after my first year second year at SNL we did some improv games you know his bands a couple bands he was in played and we raised all this money auction and some like cue cards that Tina Fey had signed and, and, and, and various things.

58:00And that got him a leg for, for that much money. And, and he, he felt so like moved by it. He was like, uh, a couple of years later, he's like, how do I do that for other people? And then, then this fellow was like, I have this foundation, let Billy take it over. And then a couple of years later, he's like, Hey, why don't we do this? It's, it's, it's a charity concert. It's basically, you know, we do some comedy too, but yeah, we, we've had amazing guests, um, you know, come through, you know, Ben Harper, you know, uh, you know, Winona Judd, you know chance the rapper brandy carlis you know sent in videos for us uh um you know foo fighters did a video for us a few a couple years ago for the for the one during covid yeah it's it's it's it's amazing and that's that's one night uh the big slick is like a whole weekend so it's like these two things but yeah and kansas city shows up for all of them it's it's it's that's like nove it's the first saturday of every november yeah yeah in the fall yeah try to keep yeah so we're not double dipping i don't want to you know yeah you don't want to got your You got your band geek over here.

58:56What do you play? Saxophone. Okay. Well, I did. I haven't played saxophone in a long time. Now I mess around on guitar. You got to come to Thundergong and do Baker Street. Oh, dude. You would kill it. Like whatever. Or like some Doobie Brothers. I would. Take it on the street. Doobie Brothers. Little Mike McDone. No, Billy and his wife Allie have this band called Summer Breeze. Have you ever seen them in KC? I don't think I have. I'll make you aware of them. But they play all the time, and they're the house band, so they do all these yacht rock hits in Kansas City. But they can play everything.

59:31I remember the first time Fred Armisen, who's a legit great musician all his life, he just at the SNL 50th played with Devo and the B-52s. And I'm just like, which was so neat. I'm sitting there, I feel like a proud papa. I asked him, I go, I can't believe you got to play with Devo. Knowing that he loves Devo, he goes, the first show I ever saw at Radio City Music Hall as a teenager was Devo. And I'm like, and now you're up on stage. He goes, we just geek out like that kind of stuff all the time. We geek out over the B-52s. Yeah, the B-52s. My mom had two CDs in her car. Yanni and a B-52 CD. I forgot all about Yanni, dude.

1:00:10We heard Love Shack so goddamn much as a kid. To this day, if Love Shack comes on, we're going to be jamming to it. It's so funny. And Yanni, Yanni, you can't. Yanni, she just had Yanni to put us to sleep. She was just like, all right, you guys are talking way too much. I honestly, I don't remember many of the songs. I just remember the photo on the album, the hair. The pianos and violins, that's all I remember. It's a vibe. Yanni's a vibe, yeah, for sure. I love this, man. Dude, I want it to end, but we got one more little part in here. Even though we haven't been going off this. I'm actually, if we're going to do the - Your battery's out.

1:00:45It's not the battery. I locked it, and I don't know how to unlock it. Even more complicated. We are amateurs. Hanging like this. Don't cut that off. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. We got to ask. Yeah. You don't have to answer. Great. You can tell us to fuck off, whatever you want. Amazing. It's always, it's sometimes just a better answer. A little rapid fire section here. Yeah. Yeah. We already talked about you playing basketball. Yeah. Talked about SNL and hosts and stuff. Who's, who's better in their respective fields? Are you better as a basketball player or is LeBron better as an SNL host? Wow. You play, you both played.

1:01:19You played in the All-Star game with him. He played on SNL with you. Yeah. Look, as an SNL host, he's a hell of a basketball player.

1:01:31Yeah, bro. No, I love that dude. I mean, this is to the test. We need you and LeBron one-on-one on the basketball court. And then we need you one-on-one on the SNL stage. Improv stage. There's a sketch where we did characters that Bill and I did a couple times where I play like a stagehand who is just kind of a dick to people. We did it to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. We did it with Paul Rudd, and we did it with LeBron. And I challenged him to one-on-one in the sketch. And in rehearsal, in rehearsal, I did go by him and then went up, and he didn't know I was going to do a reverse layup. And I did score on him on an eight-foot goal.

1:02:06And he was actually trying to. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was 100%. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he was definitely trying. It's LeBron James. Yeah, he tries. He can't turn that off. He can't turn that off. He can't turn that off. But and it was funny because Don Roy King who was who was our Director at the time who I just saw at the 50th came up and literally brought it up because he goes If you ever need someone to like you know, I did I know it happened So here it is I'm it kind of sucks to be the one telling the this you know keeping this This apocryphal story alive, you know, I'd prefer it to be someone else But well now you'll be it us to knuckleheads We'll keep spreading this.

1:02:45We'll spread it. We'll get to catch some legs. He went for it. I can't believe he hadn't come back to do it again. He was so good, man. He was so good. The solid gold dancer? Come on. Come on now. It was great. The perm? And Maverick, badass. I remember Maverick sitting at the host dinner on Tuesday night. You know when you go out with Lauren and everything. Maverick sat next to Lauren and was just grilling him the whole time. The whole time? And I remember sitting across from him. I was a child. Yeah. In like a baby seat. But he was asking about business. I didn't say anything to any. It was like Michael Corleone talking to Don Corleone.

1:03:17It was like fantastic. I was like LeBron. I didn't know who he was at that point. I was like LeBron's so lucky to have this dude. This guy's got his buddies back like big time and asking Lauren these questions. Lauren was so fascinated by it. It was great. It was just like watching an icon and an icon to be just kind of like, yeah. He was just a curious, smart dude. Yeah, those guys. Good on them. You know it. Just a bunch of Cleveland guys. Yeah, that's all. Just making the way in the world today. How much would you have would your life have changed if you would have been a sector into the blue man group?

1:03:49I had a hunch that's what I I don't know I mean everything Yeah, so I mean I was obsessed with that show and and and I like I loved it It was the opportunity. I felt as oh this would be the only chance I'll ever get to play music in front of people And and I wasn't a good enough drummer. I love the show. I think it's so funny I think it's so brilliant and I think it's so like a subversive. I mean, it's all these things, you know, they, they just closed the show recently in New York, which is where I ended up, you know, I auditioned in Vegas and then got flown out there, right. This was August of 2001.

1:04:24So this is right before, uh, 9-11 and, and it was, um, and I had dudes, buddies of mine that were in blue man group in Vegas because they took a lot of our improv classes. They, so I got, we got to know them. Our shows hung out a lot, like both, you know, offstage and like, you know, at each other's houses, you know, I got it. And it was an amazing, amazing time. Because we were this different kind of show that was sort of finding its way in Vegas. Like the ones that interacted with the audience and not just showgirls or again, icons or magic. It was like this weird kind of thing. I remember so many, a handful of them, when I was really, it would sort of take me aside and be like, do you really want to do this?

1:05:05Like, you're really good at talking. Like it's kind of your thing. And I was like, yeah, no, I don't care. I want to do this. I think it's so neat. And yeah, but it would be, I mean, gosh, I wouldn't, I mean, I wouldn't have my kids. I wouldn't, you know, there's a whole bunch of stuff. That'd be different. I'd have, I'd be, every time I blow my nose, blue stuff would come out. My eye boogers would be blue, you know, like, yeah, who knows? I'd be a much better drummer than I am, you know, my rudiments would be solid, but. Well, did you have to paint yourself for the audition? Mm-hmm. Not for the, for when you, when they clue us out.

1:05:35There's gotta be a pick. I wish. There's gotta, there's no way. There isn't. You dressed up like that and didn't get a pick? I know. But when you wear all the same color, like - It's pre-iPhone. It's pre-iPhone, yeah, right? We had a disposal camera because when you, they put you up in this dorm, it was on 13th Street, and it was all these like-minded, all of us were like six foot one white guys. And majority of, if there was 10 of us, I would say nine of them were you know musicians first or eight of them were musicians first and and I was more of an actor with like like and I had been literally practicing on like a drum pad during Intermissions at my second city shore in between shows driving my cast mates crazy.

1:06:21I'm sure and And yet everybody had this like fun spirit and we're all in New York flying in from other places And we I remember we bought a disposable camera because we got bald and blue as they said You know they do a bald cap and the whole thing and the cobalt blue and so somewhere I don't know what happened to that disposable camera because you got cut like after three days five days seven days I imagine it's like, you know being in a combine or like in a camp American Idol. It really was Yeah, and I got cut after three days and they were they were like if he he could be a blue man If you worked on his drumming and then then I go home kind of defeated and then you know a few weeks You know later, you know 9-11 and then it was like then that sort of like rattled us all like okay What do you love?

1:06:58What do you what do you really want to do? And it was stick with Second City at that point So I never never auditioned again, but but there's the other's a camera out there But I know when I saw myself in the mirror, I looked at myself and no bullshit. I'm not even this isn't even like humility I was like I look like a blue peanut M &M

1:07:18My feature any features that I have on my face just just got washed out Yeah, I just looked like like all the dudes that I was friends with all look like male models And I was like, oh, I think maybe this, I thought that if I wore this, I'd look as cool as they do. It's like, no, Jace, they look like that out of the makeup. I look, it looked like an upside down blue peanut M &M. It was horrible. So, yeah. Well, I mean, we know you're a music guy. What's your go-to karaoke? Ooh. I like Into the Mystic by Van Morrison. Okay. Yeah. That's got some saxophone in it. That's a great one. Yeah. I like that.

1:07:53Yeah. Can you play that? Like that or I mean Bell Biv DeVoe poison the crowd going and yellow Yeah, you can get the dance moves. That's true. Yeah as long as I don't tear a meniscus I know that's how you know you're old when you learn the word meniscus Football players very familiar with dinner. Yeah, yeah, yeah But yeah, I those those are a couple that come that come to mind Forte and I used to do karaoke so much during our SNL years like we would just go just the two of us to the you know one of those private rooms in the west village and just get after like in the afternoon you know like and it's just it's just a blast one of the greatest karaoke singers of all time because he does deep cuts i've i have learned of songs from doing karaoke with rudd where i'm like what is this it's like oh this is a song called dry your eyes by the streets i'm like it's like british hip-hop guy i was like i'm like shazamming a dude doing karaoke that comes up yeah that whole that old crew that did Wet Hot American Summer like Ken Marino and Joe LaTruglia like really really great karaoke Bobby Cannavale like yeah really a remarkable group of guys that would sing and then you know Rudd and I will do some Broadway that'll you know do Rent Knock Your Socks Off nice oh wow you know when because in those private rooms you can go to private places you know literally you know Rent was another thing this is just so good there'll be so many flashbacks all right great let him be flash forwards bud that's right All right, last question.

1:09:24If you weren't an actor, what would you be doing? Oddly enough, I think I would probably want to coach basketball and teach acting. I think that would be so neat to be a drama teacher, and it's kind of what I get to do as Ted Lasso, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. I really like seeing people reach their potential. I like encouraging that. I don't do it as well as I could at every given moment, but that's one of the neat things of getting to write a show where you do play those type of characters. But, yeah, I think those are two things that I've benefited from greatly in my life, both, you know, team sports and being around the arts.

1:10:07Like, growing up, you know, my mom taking us to see everything, my dad playing all sorts of music in the car and just everything in between, but I would want to do some version of that. I mean, I guess I am kind of doing that with my kids to a certain degree. and take them to go see plays and go to see basketball and sports and whatnot. But, yeah, that would be it. What about you guys? What would you do? Me? What are you going to do? I don't know. Yeah. What am I doing? I mean, I think that's why Travis signed up for another year of football. Where it's like, you don't have to ask that. This guy has no idea what he's doing with his life right now.

1:10:35I got to keep playing as long as I can. Do you know what you would have done? I feel like I would have still been in sports, like done some sort of broadcasting or something like that. I just remember always mimicking what I heard on the TV. Yeah. during games and stuff. Yeah. Like John Madden and all those games. Of course, yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know what you'd do? Probably coach. Yeah. I mean, I just think it's so hard to envision myself doing something outside of sports. Yeah. That was really the only thing that I was ever good at. I could see you playing the sax on SNL. The sax on SNL? Yeah.

1:11:07I was baritone in Cleveland Heights' jazz ensemble. You had some fucking solos, though. You know why I was baritone? Because I wasn't good enough to play tenor alto. Baritone's like the baseline? Yeah, yeah. That's funny. Slow fingers. You got to get those things faster, man. You know Lenny Pickett is a legend. Oh, yeah. I mean, come on. Power Power, man. Yeah, baby. Golly, Crazy Legs? What was his name? Do you know? No, I don't. There's a dance that he does, like Lenny Pickett, who's the guy that played with the saxophone on SNL. Power Power is one of our... Power Power is his. But he has like a dance move that he did.

1:11:39He would, like, I don't know. It's something that my buddy Billy always brings up. He's like, oh, that's Lenny Pickett, man. Crazy Legs. Now I'm going to be using this. I can't wait to watch these I know I gotta find out what it is Jason that's not what it's called He's a very chill guy His saxophone is all over the place When his voice is very chill Lenny Legend I love it man Dude thanks for coming on brother Of course man You're the best brother It's been so great Thank you for having me Really yes absolutely Thank you so much You're always showing up in KC too man We'll get back on the train baby Absolutely We'll get back on the train We will indeed we will I have It's been again It's a better This is what happens at the end of the second act You know like This is when Woody and you know Buzz Lightyear They're away from each other.

1:12:17Then they come back together. Yes. That's the Chiefs and the trophy. Let's do it, baby. All right, now. Shout out to Jason Sudeikis. What a guy, man. Yeah. That was, God damn it, I loved every second of it. It's one of those where, like, you really don't even read the rundown. And I hate to say that to our producers because you guys do a lot of hard work and a lot of research. But don't do it, Brandon. My iPad was off. Yeah. No, he's one of those guys where you just ask an interesting question. Like, how about the Blue Man crew? Like, are you kidding me? Yeah, for sure. The Blue Man crew, like his time in Vegas, his time in Second City.

1:12:58Riding a Razor scooter to the Flamingo every day. I just, the thing I took away for sure is just how much he's valued all the people that he's been surrounding with. Oh, he's so grateful. He's the best. Yeah, and it's just awesome. Just a Midwest. Hearing from people that. Just a nice Midwest man. Yeah, for sure. That'll make him any better, man. No doubt. And he's on the Chiefs side, which is, you know, it's heartbreaking for me because I didn't make him proud. I think you did. One day I will. You did. No, man. Jason's the best. Boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, basketball. You know what I'm talking about?

1:13:31Yeah. No fucking clue. This guy's clueless, man. All right. And that wraps up another episode of New Heights brought to you by Audible. You can listen to new episodes of New Heights early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. New Heights, a one-drew show produced by Wavesports and Entertainment and brought to you by Audible. Just like Jason said, listen to what I gotta say. Follow the show on all social media at New Heights Show with one S. Thanks to our production and crew for kind of doing some good stuff this time around. Yeah. Always. Always.

1:14:03Thanks to you guys. Please delete anything that I will get canceled for. And to the 92 % as hopefully you guys enjoyed both episodes this week. And we will see you guys next week. Appreciate you tuning in. Peace.