Hour 1: NFL Draft Intrigue, plus Actor/Comedian Zach Galifianakis In-Studio

22:05Rich Eisen:Well, I guess we'll Google that. Zach Galifianakis here on The Rich Eisen Show. So when was the last Between Two Ferns that you put together? When was the last time? I don't know. The last one I did, it's been a few years. It's been too long. I don't remember who we did last. When can we get you to do that again as a human race, Zach? Well, Rich, I feel like we're kind of living in meaner times right now. And I'm not sure that that tonally might work at this moment. I don't know. I don't know. I feel like people are kind of in on the gag at this point. I guess so. Yeah, maybe that is the reason to do one.

22:51Rich Eisen:Right, and that people who you have sitting in between the ferns kind of making fun of themselves because you're asking the questions in the manner in which you're doing it. and and then also um when i do need a laugh i will call up the bloopers from your show and it's every time and i know pretty much all of them by heart by now and it does not matter the bloopers are i have seen those bloopers i always say my career is a blooper um but uh those bloopers are joyous because i did want to bring i did i've never been interested in pranking anyone yes i always wanted to be a joint effort but i'd never wanted the audience to think that right right so then when we showed the bloopers we kind of gave that up a little bit right i mean you let you pull back the curtain yeah yeah but still yeah um i i have a couple questions for you on these brad pitt spitting the gum at you was that expected or was that i i asked him to do that you did and he said no problem i'll do it i think he just put my gum in his mouth and spit it it was my gum he take it he took I think he took it out of my I can't remember right but um yep that's how that went down okay was there anybody that you had to twist their arm and they they needed a minute before they did what you asked of them or they all went with the flow everybody was pretty game I you know they don't really get the questions ahead of time?

24:22They don't. No, no, no. I mean, I think with President Obama, they did because we were we had we didn't have that much time with them. And then. But yeah, I don't I don't want to give them the questions at all, because that that takes away the element of surprise that you need that honest reaction from them. But yeah, he was he was a he's it's like Obama's from like Second City. He's really good at comedy. He was really good. Yeah. Yeah. Very good at it. Right. But were you nervous about that when I was incredibly nervous? I was, I, I was because we were in the, we were in the white house and we were, Oh, you went to him.

25:00Yeah. We went to him and I, uh, I'm not a cool cat and he is. So, uh, I feel like, you know, but he was, he was great. and he called me after it came out. He called my cell phone. So you're just walking around. I'll never forget, I was at a construction site. What? Yeah, I was at a construction site, and this is just a dumb thing. He calls me, I'm like, with traffic cones, and he calls me and we chat. And then I hang up, I'm alone, and I had no, and I just took a picture of the chair I was sitting in. There's an empty chair. I have a picture of an empty chair next to two traffic codes to commemorate the call I got from Obama.

25:48But that was that was a thrilling. That was thrilling. I actually got nervous when I when he called me because I I didn't expect that. I didn't. He didn't have to call me. Right. And this truck's backing up or whatever. Yeah, exactly. And we've become really close friends since then.

26:05Rich Eisen:So I'm going to talk sports. You want to? I don't know. I mean, I love sports. I'm happy to do that, but I have a couple more questions. Okay, keep going. Please. If you don't mind. No, I don't. Did the White House provide the ferns or did you bring the ferns? That is a great question. Okay. Man, I don't know. I bet we – Presidential plants? Because they would have had to – there would have had to have been a security check. Yeah, we've got to check the soil, right? I mean – Yeah, the pH balance. Exactly. I have to say that is a fantastic question I do not know we got to look into that how do you look into that who are you going to call if I don't know look it up in Obama's new library oh by the way they called me to see if I would give him permission to put something in the new library so I'm in the presidential library I think isn't that really cool what you've done with these ferns in this show.

27:07Rich Eisen:See, you've got to keep doing it. Yeah. I'm also in the Spiro Agnew library. That's right. I don't know where that one is. Where is that one? Look at Google. We're the Spiro Agnew library. By the way, outstanding vice presidential poll right there. Oh, really? I like that one. Thank you. Well, you know, speaking of vice president, I stumped President Obama because no one ever knows this. And I asked him before we filmed this, I I said, President Obama, can you tell me who Gerald Ford's vice president was? Oh, no one remembers. He didn't remember. No. Do you remember? So he's like a replacement vice president, pretty much.

27:44Rich Eisen:Who is it? Rockefeller. Nelson Rockefeller was? I don't. We're going to have to go first names. I don't know what his first name. Right. I'm right about that. Right. Rockefeller. Look it up. Google it. And no one. My father in law is the only one that's ever gotten that question. Nelson Rockefeller. talking composting and Spiro Agnew with Zach Galifianakis here well Agnew was Greek he was Greek we all know each other that's your type right that's my type you're Vardalos yeah I do know her this is a gardening show is available for streaming next week exclusively on Netflix I'd love to talk hangover with you if I may sir I'm in that movie I am aware of that.

28:28Rich Eisen:And you are fantastic in it. Thank you. And the scene in which you were tased. Mm hmm. OK. Mm hmm. Was it in the script that you were going to get tased in the face? No, I asked. I said I've seen tased on the body before. And I said I suggested, can you tase me in the face? That was after I realized. So the director wanted to really tase us. Todd Phillips. Yes. and with real electricity yes i'm like well then don't hire actors then just don't so anyway the face thing was uh that was uh that was that came up on the spot okay yeah so tase me in the face yep and then regal came out with the in the face in the face okay uh and i think he calls me fat jesus that was not which is blasphemous that was not scripted That's a joke I've had that he stole from me years before.

29:25All right.

29:26Rich Eisen:What about the the part where you're still walking? You've been tased once. You need one more to finally put you down. Was that in the script or was that just? I do know that we wanted like a more of a Frankenstein moment there where the tasing wasn't working because of the size of me, I guess. It's just another fat joke in the hangover. but I don't remember I don't remember how that went down that part good just the sheer fear on the boy's face after tasing you in the face and you're still not down that's one of the crew's kids a lot of the kids in the movie that's from the crew the children of the crew are in that scene with us fantastic yeah I love that because we've had Ken Jeong here before who's that okay oh yes I remember him from that very artful show the masked singer that one yes that one he is from the masked singer yes sir

30:27Rich Eisen:it's funny you mentioned obama before as well my kids uh when they were much younger watching it uh they thought every single singer in the masked singer was somebody way more famous than it would ever be in the masked singer so they kept guessing over and over and over again that uh obama was Yes, they kept saying. So I made a deal with them that they would all get a crisp$100 bill if a mask came off. And it was any Obama. Iraq, Michelle, Sasha, Malia, any Obama. That's not going to happen. That's correct. But Ken, I, Ken Jeong is one of my, I love that man. He's a sweetheart. Yes, he is. And I've known him before we were even the hangover together.

31:07We used to do stand up together on stage. No kidding. Yep. Where? Here in town?

31:12Rich Eisen:A little coffee house in Culver City. Okay. I love it. He said it was his idea to be completely buck naked in the trunk of the car. That when he came up with the idea, Todd Phillips not only said, you don't have to ask me twice, but put it in writing. And he had to sign a waiver that he couldn't go back on the idea. Did you know that he was naked when he jumped out of the car? Or did you see it for the first time when the camera was rolling? First of all, of course, it would be only Ken that came up with the idea. Who else is going to request that? What focus group got together? And so we got to see that guy.

31:54I don't recall if I knew he was nude or not. Okay. So that probably means I didn't know. Okay. So he probably, that was a surprise. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. He's brave, that guy. I mean, I don't know if that's brave. Yeah, he's brave. Oh, yeah. I mean, to be buck naked with only just brandishing a tire iron. you know yeah he went for it and he went for it okay and it did i couldn't i couldn't i mean i've done a lot of things that are embarrassing but that one is hard to do jimmy kimmel asked me to be naked at the oscars which one i don't know okay one the one that he hosted recently okay what was the idea behind that well john cena ended up doing it oh that's right right okay he's the one that should do it yeah that was for i mean yeah that was for costume

32:45Rich Eisen:body wise yeah i was like i can't do that stuff okay and uh did you you got a tyson story from the set anything related tyson related uh well i mean the the thing that i remember the most about well first of all mike tyson's an interesting dude we talked a lot of comedy he's very knowledgeable about stand-up. No kidding. Yes. And like Ernie Kovacs, like he's really, really. He know about Ernie Kovacs? Yes. Come on. I promise you. It's very interesting that way. But I guess the thing I remember the most is how many takes we did when he punched me. Because when he punched me, and I'm not, I don't think I'm exaggerating.

33:30I think we did 30. I, every time I felt his fist just grazed my hair. And finally, I went up to Todd and I said, how many times? Because if he had made a connection, you know, that's it. Finally, I have an excuse for plastic surgery. So I do remember that, you know, having that weapon come at you 30 times and he was going full on. You know, I do remember that part. That part was very... um, I was, I was nervous. So you might be the only one he's ever pulled a punch on it his entire life. He pulled, he pulled about 30 punches on me. But just to graze you. And I felt it every time. No, my beard was a little longer than it is now.

34:18So, but, but it, it, it was, it was a thing. It was, it was a thing. So do you want to talk sports? Yeah. Okay. I mean, let's try it. Well, my dad was a football player. My dad played at, he was a scholarship football player at North Carolina State like he was a real great athlete okay um but that's really all I have to offer okay great oh I got a soccer scholarship what where I did I you know I think I may have made this up in my mind I really do I can't tell yet because I'm 56 now I'm like I'm telling this same age I've been telling this story for years which is this I think I got two I wasn't even good but I got two soccer scholarships and I remember one of the schools I I think the mascot was a pickle and i'm like i can't go play for the pickles i just i can't so okay so

35:11Rich Eisen:this is easily findable like no there's no way oh yeah that that might you can find i think i think the college was mount olive mount olive mount olive pickles and the other college was coastal carolina oh well yeah that that is in myrtle beach i think it is north carolina school of the Arts. Yeah, nobody was asking me to go there. Their mascot is the Fighting Pickles. Who is? North Carolina School of the Arts. Yeah, the North Carolina, they're the Fighting Pickles. Well, I wanted, my mom wanted me to go to school there. Maybe I'm getting, so Mount Olive College, which is Mount Olive Pickles. Pickles are from Mount Olive.

35:49There's a brand. Okay. They, I feel like, were called the Pickles. Mount Olive are the Trojans. Okay. Well, they might have changed their name. They may have changed their name. That's what I'm thinking.

35:59Rich Eisen:Yeah. Or this story is completely made up by the way it's it's amazing why would i make that story up like a question yeah i don't so i think i think it's real you're out yourself so i think i kept the letters and i would have to go through my archives so like a welcome letter from the soccer team yep where did what did you play were you i was left wing oh striker so you could but i'm right footed i mean that's how we weren't that i mean we were a bunch of hillbillies i like I mean, you're a right footed left winger, but I actually not olive, which might not be the pickles for a soccer scholarship that may never have existed.

36:41Rich Eisen:I don't think it did. This whole thing is the greatest sports story we've ever heard in the history of this program. It's good. I think I was just trying to compete with my father and my dad didn't know anything about this. This is a father. This is a maybe thing, huh? No, I don't know. I love my dad so much. That's good. Yeah, I did. That's a good man. That's good. really good uh what's the audacity that you're involved in right now new episodes are airing on amc and am the audacity is a really really i i it's really nice to say this because i don't think i've ever had a chance it's a really important show i don't think i've ever had a need to say that okay so this is about um the silicon valley and uh the people that are designing all the things that we touch okay and uh what kind of personalities they are and um where we're overhead with all this craziness.

37:29So it really is kind of a, uh, kind of a dark comedy, uh, uh,

37:35Rich Eisen:about that world. Okay. So the, the world of the audacity, you're involved with technology and the future. And then for this is a gardening show, you're going back to foraging composting. Yeah. There was no such thing as a screen ever. I, I, well, I prefer that world. The garden world is more my thing. I'm not really technological. I don't, I mean, to watch me get on a Wi-Fi thing is really sad. It's like I'm 80. And when I text someone, it looks like a serial number. What's your, what's your, what's the difficulty with getting on Wi-Fi? Well, first of all, I think we're living in a time of over communication.

38:19I just, I just do. Like, I mean, I think you're, did you say you were 56? I am your age. So I think when you're this age, you know, the life beforehand, before all this crap. And then now. Correct. And so I'm of the age where I can tell the difference between the past and now. And I just think where we're headed with technology scares me. Yes. It just does a little bit because there's no guardrails. I agree. There's no law. I'm with you. I'm with you. And all these weirdos up in Northern California are making – and there's no – what are we to do?

38:52Rich Eisen:Right. It kind of freaks me out a little bit. Yeah. You should really go there when somebody who is like I've created some AI, which is going to be very helpful for so many people unless it gets a mind of its own and starts killing all of us. We need to be careful. And they're like we need to be careful about that. I'm like who's the ones who need to be careful about it? Yeah. I go to the doctor two days ago and I'm asking the doctor, like, how is AI improved? And he said, well, you know, it's interesting. Chat GPT can hallucinate. That's what he said to me. It can hallucinate. Like what? And it even can it can even start forming your opinions the way you see fit.

39:32Yeah. So and there's no guardrails here at all. So where what is all this? So I guess the show is trying to highlight, you know, that world and maybe where we're headed. So it does scare me, I'll be honest.

39:45Rich Eisen:And maybe it's a good idea to learn how to forage then, based on what you're saying. This is a gardening show available for streaming next week exclusively on Netflix, starting on Earth Day itself, April 22nd. And again, I'm a huge fan. I really appreciate you coming on here. And I request more Between Two Ferns. Thank you, Rich. I think I'm speaking that on behalf of a lot of people. And I understand what you're saying about it. You know, that times are meaner and nastier and the construct of, of, of the show is you are asking mean and nasty questions of people, but it's funny. All right. And I need to laugh that way.

40:21Rich Eisen:Okay. If I may. All right. I appreciate that. I will take that into consideration. And next time you come on here, we will get to the bottom of this soccer story. Please don't get to the bottom of it. The bottom of it is going to be it never existed. And who provided the ferns at the White House? That one we need to know. Okay, we'll dive into that. Thanks for coming on. Thank you. Zach Galifianakis here, ladies and gentlemen, back on The Rich Eisen Show to keep moving on in this first of a Friday show.

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43:33Rich Eisen:Zach Galifianakis. Let's go to the phone lines. Jimmy in San Antonio. Jimmy. How you been, Jimmy? Hey, I'm just over here, you know, composting. Right. That was fun. That was just a fun chat with Zach Galifianakis, man. He doesn't do a lot of these shows. He needs to come back more often. I agree. That was very cool. That was great. I agree. I've got to, what's more likely, but first, I need to tell you all how nervous I am for the Spurs and the playoffs that are upcoming. Okay, why are you nervous? Okay, here's why I'm nervous. And it's not Portland. We have OKC's number. OKC has Denver's number.

44:13Denver has our number. I don't know what's going to happen and who's going to come out of the West.

44:20Rich Eisen:You're not alone. No, I hear you, but you've got as great a chance as anybody. That's the thing. It's like for the first time the Spurs are making the playoffs. When was the last time they made the playoffs where you're thinking they could be as good as anybody and win it all? Right. When was the last time before Kawhi left for Toronto? Like how long has it been? I'm more verbal than mathematical like you. I don't remember. Jimmy, second best final odds. Yeah, it is. You're right, though. There were second in my power rankings just above the Pistons and the Knicks. This guy. Yeah. What? What, Chris?

44:54Rich Eisen:This guy. So, Jimmy, you know, pour yourself one and enjoy it. Yeah, buddy. Don't get nervous. Like, this is finally, you finally made it. Yeah. You know, and this may be the last time you're the two seed, in all honesty. Okay, that's true. You should pour myself one like I haven't already. I know that. No, and Aaron Fox, this is why you got him. This is why you got him last year. That's why you got him last year when nothing was really at stake and you were building for this moment. It's time to hit it. Let's go. Let's go. Okay. All right. I trust you. Are you ready for the what's more likely?

45:28What do you got? This is for the whole room. Yeah, sure. Tell me. All right. What's more likely? Susie would have hyphenated Schuster Silverman or just taken Rabbi Silverman's last name?

45:39Rich Eisen:Good one. That actually happened. Johnny Silverman's dad, Rabbi Silverman, one of the greatest rabbis in the history of rabbi in the United States of America, for sure. He married us. So maybe a fantasy football name, Silverman's stepmom. That's it. Ladies and gentlemen, he signed the wrong line. He signed the wrong line in the marriage license. Susie will tell the story. The thick New York accent. Somebody called her up and said, you've got to get down here because you're married to your rabbi. Hilarious. Thanks for the call, Jimmy. See you, buddy. See you in San Antonio. Bye, guys. and I got a chance to tell that to Andrew McCarthy life is amazing life is amazing this news just broke I'm sort of broken up by it Garrett Anderson one of the best angels of this century he died at the age of 52 is that really do we know what yeah the angels just posted this right a statement yeah less than an hour deeply saddened announced the passing of Angels Hall against Garrett Anderson.

46:44Rich Eisen:No real details on what happened. Listen, I mean, those championship angels, I mean, they won it, as we all know, the World Series. But they were making runs with Socha and Ersted and Tim Salmon. But Garrett Anderson was a straw, man. Dude, man. And he could hit. He win a home run derby. He could hit. He got those thunder sticks, you know, clapping. Oh, man, I'm so sorry to hear that. Yeah, the year they won, 2002, he was fourth in MVP voting. He was amazing. He was spectacular. Led the league in doubles. Everybody needs, every championship team needs somebody like Garrett Anderson, where, you know, he may not be the first name mentioned, but he might be the last word from the batter's box.

47:38Rich Eisen:my condolences to him and the Angels family. Wow. That one is saddening and shocking. It's a punch. We're back here on ESPN Radio, coast to coast in a moment. Still here on The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast.