WWDTM: Brian Tyree Henry

0:04From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is, wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, except no substitute. But by all means, except Peter Sagal's substitute. Here at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, it's Karen Chee. Thank you, Bill. That's right, I'm Karen Chee, filling in for Peter Sagal. He's at home recovering from a fight with another NPR host right now. I don't want to name any names, but let's just say Steve Inskeep is a biter. You're all in for a treat because later we're talking to Oscar-nominated actor Brian Tyree Henry. You probably know him from Atlanta or his new show, Dope Thief, or, as I know him, as the voice of the absolutely jacked Smokey the Bear.

0:59But first, it's your turn to call in to play our games. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hey, Karen. This is Kevin Stroud. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ah, Kevin, hi, welcome. Thank you, thank you. Kevin, what do you do in beautiful Raleigh? By day, I am a mental health therapist. Oh, wow, that's an amazing job. Thank you for doing that. I'm sure you're doing great in your business, but if you need any referrals, I do have a lot of ex-boyfriends. Oh, well, we said we weren't going to talk about that, Karen. All right, Kevin, let's introduce you to our panel.

1:44First, a comedian and fashion designer whose new Summerline and new novel, Silk and Silencer, will be available May 15th on bbspoke.shop. It's Brian Babylon. Hey, what's up, man? How are you? Come here. Come here. How are you, Brian? Good, bro. Good. Good to hear. Next, the host of the daily podcast, TBTL, and the public radio variety show, Live Wire, which will be live at the Reser Center in Beaverton, Oregon on May 1st, Luke Burbank. Hey, Kevin. Hey, Luke, how are you? And a comedian and host of the podcast, Fake the Nation, who you can follow on all the social media platforms that you keep meaning to delete, it's Nageen Farsad.

2:25Hey. Hey, Nageen. Welcome to the show, Kevin. You're going to play Who's Bill this time? Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotes from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you'll win our prize, which is any voice from our show that you choose on your voicemail. Are you ready? Absolutely. Let's do it. Amazing. Your first quote is from a spokesperson at a gambling site. It's our biggest non-sporting event of the year, and we expect the betting to really pick up as we head toward the conclave. So people are betting on who is going to be the next what? The voting for the next, for the papacy?

3:10Yes, that's correct. People are betting on who is going to be the next pope. People mourned Francis' passing all over the world, but no one more than the producers of the movie Conclave who said, hey, couldn't he have at least done this during our Oscar campaign? It is a sign of how in touch the Pope was with the people in the church that he was like, wait, conclaves are huge right now. We got to ride this train. I love that idea that he was so into pop culture because I feel like he had a really great sense of humor. And I feel like he was like, guys, wouldn't it be funny if I met J.D. Vance and then I died?

3:54Because that's the timing. That's what happened. His commitment to the bit. Famously. Incredible. Incredible. He wrote an encyclical on being committed to the bit. He lived it. What Nagin is saying is true. The vice president met with the Pope the day before he died and said to him, it's good to see you in better health. Which, incidentally, it's good to see you in better health is also what J.D. Vance said to the stock market in March. And the national championship trophy before that. That guy is on a tear. I feel like more industries should sort of announce the new head of the company through smoke and its colors.

4:38It's just a fun kind of way to do it. I also think, you know how you can like carry around like a little personal fan for when you're hot? I think personal smoke machine for when you just want to like share in a detail about your life. Right. Wait, I just want to bring it back to the smoke though because I want to say if you're betting on the new Pope Remember if the smoke is blue, it's gonna be a boy, right? And if the smoke is pink, it's also gonna be a boy. The Pope is always gonna be a boy It's always a boy Yeah, the world's least interesting gender reveal Yeah All right, Kevin your next quote is some words costing someone tens of millions of dollars Please and thank you This week, a tech CEO said that we cost his company millions of dollars when we say those words when typing requests into what?

5:26Oh, into chat GPT. That's correct. Yeah. Open AI CEO Sam Altman says, please and thank you cost his company tens of millions of dollars because it's unnecessary data for chat GPT to process. And I just want to say, if this is costing him money, I love that. I'm gonna be extra polite. I'm gonna start using chat GPT just to give it a forehead kiss after each answer I love it It's like I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I've lost friends in the war and by the war I mean coming to a four-way stop when someone else came to the same four-way stop and everyone's waiting for the other person to go That's like next level politeness.

6:10We need to do that with these programs just completely lock them up But you know also like I got into it with chat GPT a couple of nights ago where it didn't, it was telling me it was going to do something. I got this plan, that plan. You download this, you download. Hey, Champion G, the link's not working. Oh, I know, I know. That's my bad. I said something that I couldn't do. Sorry for over-promising. Then I'm like, why would you do that? Oh, I don't know. It really went to this whole thing. I know, I'm so sorry. I won't do it again. So how many icebergs melted because of this lover's spat? It was a lot.

6:45Because I had to tell it, like, hey, man, don't tell me any more BS. Like, get on your square, yo. He's like, yo, okay, I will. And then he had a meltdown. All of that cost that guy Sam Altman money, right? Yeah, I was going to say it's costing him money, but it's also requiring a lot of power and electricity. So when you're asking it a request, you have to remember that saying something like, write my term paper is fine, but please, hi, will you write my term paper? Thank you. So it burns down an entire Brazilian rainforest. Yes. But also I wonder, I mean, so the argument for being friendly to the AI is that eventually they'll take over and be our masters and they'll know which ones of us were nice.

7:27Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%. So, okay, so I have a question which is, like, do we have a quota as people for how nice we can be? And then if we are nice to AI all the time, are we then mean to our moms? Uh-huh. Is it a zero-sum game of niceness? Right, right. And if you're mean to your mom, how many icebergs does that melt? Wait, Nagin, do you wake up every morning being like, I can only say five nice things today? Is that how we all do it? Did you see the color of her smoke backstage, Karen? It was, I've used up all of my nice things. Yeah, yeah. All right, Kevin, now we are on to our last quote.

8:08I really don't care about plant-based. That was someone speaking to the New York Times about new data that finds what is back on American plates. Hmm. You got a hint for me? A hint is, it is something that was once alive. Meat? That's correct.

8:33That's right. Meat is back. Or, depending on which state you live in, meat is the same. It's what's still been for dinner. Yeah. After years of decline, sales of meat hit record highs last year. And this is due to a number of factors. It's that high-protein diets are in, we're getting tired of plant-based meats, but more than anything, we just don't like those cows' attitudes. Am I the only vegetarian on this panel? I'm not. Oh, I'm not. I am a vegetarian. The fake meat is not what it is cracked up to be. I'm not surprised to hear that people are I don't know if they're going away from that and towards real meat But that stuff is not I don't care what it's on the box What it looks like You get that thing home and you cook it up It is not fooling anybody I do agree with what you're saying though I mean we did go too crazy with the plant based stuff Like I used a plant based shampoo Which I'm pretty sure is just normal shampoo But now that we're over correcting I can't wait to see the new Windex Now with lamb Oh Bill, how did Kevin do?

9:42Kevin rocked with three in a row. He won. Kevin, congratulations. And thank you so much for playing. Of course. Thank you so much, Karen.

9:58Right now, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Luke, loose-lipped Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says he's going to be wasteful spending at the Pentagon. And he is making changes. According to CBS News, he's adding a what to the Pentagon's briefing room? A makeup studio? That's correct. Pete Hegseth is adding a makeup studio. And we know this because he texted his stylist, hey, I can't wait to try this new eyeshadow. Also, here are the nuclear codes. they so this CBS news I think reported this initially that there was money being allocated to sort of remaking remodeling this green room and so then somebody over there said this is totally made up this is bs here's the room and then they tweeted out what was clearly a photo of a makeup room it was pretty much as as advertised it was also they went one step further, actually, the DOD struck back at this report saying, and this is exactly what you want your spokesperson to say if you are the Secretary of Defense, they said Pete Hegseth doesn't need a makeup room because Pete Hegseth does his own makeup.

11:16I love the idea of like a four-star general showing up at the Pentagon and a PA being like, should I take you to hair and makeup? I did my own glam. Can you imagine Don Rumsfeld showing up in full glam? You're so pretty. Oh, so pretty. You really knocked me off my feet. Coming up, the only thing we have to fear is you missing this week's Bluff the Listener game. So call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

12:07From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Luke Burbank, Brian Babylon, and Nageen Farsad. And here again is your host at the Student Makers Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Karen Chee. Thank you, Bill. Right now, it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff the Listener game. So call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on air, or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page, at Wait, Wait, NPR. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Howdy, this is Chris Robinson calling in from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Chris, how are you doing this week?

12:50Pretty good this week. I'm in law school right now, so I decided to, you know, take some time out and do a fun NPR show and try to relax a little bit before finals come up. Nice. I love it. I love when a true nerd calls into NPR saying, I'm taking a break from finals by doing a quiz. Yes. Thank you so much for joining us. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. So what's the topic, Bill? Childhood fears come true. You know the classic kid fears like the dark, the boogeyman, the creeping realization that you've peaked at age seven? This week, somebody's childhood fear did come true, and our panelists are going to tell you about it.

13:31So pick the one who's telling the truth, and you'll win our prize, the wait-waiter of your choice, on your voicemail. Chris, are you ready to play? I'm ready. All right. First up, it's Nagin Farsad. As a kid, the only thing Ronald D'Souza feared more than getting pantsed was escalators. He feared that if he didn't tie his shoes before getting on an escalator, it would eat his legs. To this day, as an adult manager of the Macy's in Palm Desert, California, Ronald takes a beat too long to step on, waiting for the right step, missing the right step, and then waiting again for the right step. One day, he was doing a VIP tour with vendors when the laces of his Oxfords came undone.

14:13He didn't notice and led the group to the escalator. That's when the escalator began to eat his shoe. He was reflexively pulled to his knees, and that's when his pant leg got sucked in, pulling his trousers down and showing off his tighty-whities. It was a double-whammy childhood nightmare. He was rescued, but only after his clients and a steady stream of shoppers were treated to the rear end of a man perched like he was getting a public prostate exam. Co-workers cut him out of the pants, after which he scurried to the men's section, looking, business on top, party on the bottom. Nowadays, Ronald takes the elevator.

14:57Ooh.

15:02That is a workplace pantsing from Nagin Farsad. And your next story of a We One's Worry Come to Life comes from Brian Babylon. This week, Mitchell and Brienne of Traverse City, Michigan had their first date. They decided to go hunting for rocks. That's what romance looks like in Michigan. So they headed up to the beach looking for some special bluestones, Sort of like a Bachelor and Indiana Jones spinoff. Now, Brianne sees a spot near the water and says, that looks dangerous. Mitchell hears that and just like a typical man goes, oh, word, well, that's exactly where I'm going. This fool steps into the danger zone and gets snatched up to his waist in two seconds by quicksand.

15:48And get this, he wasn't even shocked. He said, oh, not this again. Again, how many times have you been in quicksand, bro? What kind of lifestyle is this? Who raised you? Shaggy from Scooby-Doo? But here's the real rom-com moment. During the 911 call, they both accidentally dropped the girlfriend and boyfriend title for the first time to the 911 caller. The firefighters finally showed up and pulled Mitchell out like a human cork. Moral of the story, if your date starts with yard work and turns into a rescue op and then ends with relationship titles, congratulations, you're not in love, you're in a Lifetime movie.

16:36And that's a story about how quicksand is real from Brian Babylon. And your last story of a fear becoming fact comes from Luke Burbank. Kylie Hogan of Coober Pedy Australia knew she wasn't losing her mind. The married mother of three kept telling her husband, Paul, she was hearing something or someone under the bed after he'd fall asleep at night. But his response was, nar, it's just your imagination. But in fact, as the Coober Pedy Times reported recently, nar, it wasn't just her imagination. The noises were coming from under the house in the ground where a sinkhole was slowly opening up. When the city finally came out to investigate, it turned out the hole was part of a rich vein of opals.

17:24Unfortunately, the family had to move out of their home, which was torn down. But fortunately, they now own the rights to a very profitable opal operation, allowing them to build a huge new home just down the street, complete with toilets that flush in the normal direction and a beautiful fenced backyard where the family's pet koala, Crikey, can relax with her babies. Safe from area dingoes.

17:53Okay, Chris, so you've got Nagin's story of a man getting pantsed by an escalator during a big day at work, Brian's story of a man getting stuck in quicksand on a first date, and from Luke, a woman who finds out that the monster under her bed is actually a sinkhole. So which one do you think is real? I think I'm going to go with Luke's because it sounds more realistic. It's hoping I'm not wrong. Okay, so your choice is Luke's story about a misadventure in Australia. To find out the correct answer, we spoke to a reporter covering the real story. There are probably easier ways to get a girlfriend than getting stuck in quicksand.

18:29Wow. There is. that was Kara Berg of the Detroit News talking about the quicksand romance I'm so sorry Chris but Brian had the real answer you gotta go with your heart you gotta go with your heart and that's how you should think about your law school finals yes Chris I'm sorry you didn't win but you did earn a point for Luke so thank you so much

19:07And now the game we call Not My Job. Brian Tyree Henry is an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-nominated actor who first came to national attention playing the rapper Paperboy in FX's Atlanta. Since then, he's been a superhero, a transformer, and in his new show Dope Thief, a small-town grifter pretending to be a DEA agent. Thank God I flushed all my drugs before the interview started. Brian Tyree Henry, welcome to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I didn't flush mine, so that's all. Oh, great. Okay, I'll have my toilet burp mine back up then. Please don't ever say that sentence again.

19:47Brian, I wanted to ask, you've been nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy. So my next question was, how does it feel to achieve the pinnacle of cinematic success? By which I mean, voicing Smokey Bear.

20:03To be honest with you, it feels like the role I was born to play. Oh, wow. I truly love going to National Parks shirtless as often as possible. So I feel like it was a method acting gig for me.

20:23You know what, Kim? I just realized Smokey the Bear did not have a shirt on. I never realized that. if you look at him recently, he's gotten quite buff. I was like, is that for me? Listen, you joke, but I literally wrote down the question, are you the reason Smokey Bear is hot now?

20:49I hope so. It better be. Okay, wait, going off of this, though, I did have a question. marry kiss kill smoky bear paddington bear and winnie the pooh

21:05okay mary i would say mary smoky for the benefits um you can get it to any national park you want so clearly right um mary kiss i would kiss paddington because you know he deserves it and he'll taste like marmalade so that's that And you got to kill Winnie, because put your pants on.

21:37I have another question, which is that you've been in Transformers, The Eternals, and Spider-Man. These are all huge franchises, and I wanted to rewind all the way back in time and ask, do you remember what your very first role was? Yes, embarrassingly enough I was Santa Claus In my preschool production I don't even know what this play was about But I remember I had like a cotton ball beard You know, where they glued this beard together And you know, all the parents were there And I was the final part of this Christmas play And I'm playing Santa Claus And I have Mrs. Claus with me And we've been rehearsing all week And literally as it comes to me I pull my beard down And go to my teacher off the side of the stage And I go, what's my line?

22:23Which in a photo that my mother captured you can see this woman full of rage going Merry Christmas Brian

22:35He pulled it like what's my motivation like what's my motivation And here I am now a Tony

22:48He's like He's like, ho, ho, line, line, whatever, ho. Yeah, it was great, but I nailed it, just to be very clear. Well, now when you do win an Oscar, you have to start off your speech by saying, Merry Christmas. Merry, what's my line? I also wanted to ask about a different role, which I read about, and I wasn't sure if it was a rumor. is it true that you played a tree in Chekhov's The Three Sisters? Who sent you?

23:30I did. It definitely humbles you. And my only line in that play was what? I was like, well, at least this tree gets to speak. At least there's some depth there. Right. Did you always remember your line in that one? Oh man, I must have been on so many drugs at that point, I don't remember. Yeah, I wonder if your line was actually what, or if that's what you said because you couldn't remember. Both can be true, honestly. Both can be true. Nuance, is what they say. Going off of that, I wanted to ask, you've been a part of so many iconic projects, both on stage and on screen. What are you most recognized for when you're out in the world?

24:14I believe there's a black person on this panel. Did I hear you? Yeah, it's me. I'm here. Yeah. Wait, wait, don't tell me. It's this guy.

24:30Paperboy. Always. I mean, I could be in places where there's a population of 300 people and somebody is going to scream Paperboy at me. But it's changing. It's changing. I went to my local grocery store not too long ago. because, yes, I like to buy my own groceries everywhere. And this woman was like, hey, I just want you to know that I just want to know, are you the actor from Dope Thief? And I threw my arms around. I was like, thank you. Thank you so much. Yes, I am. Thank you so much. So it's all shifting. But Paperboy is usually the thing that. Were you at, was it the grocery, was it Irwan?