WWDTM: GWAR, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Gad, Kara Jackson, and Amber Maykut

0:00Happy New Year! Want to set goals that you'll actually stick to in 2026? You want to accept yourself and the situation you're in, but you also want to expect more from yourself and say, what are the ways that I can grow? This week, how to design and plan your year on the Life Kit podcast. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

0:27From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. Invite me to your Memorial Day picnic. I'll eat your deviled eggs no matter how long they've been out in the sun. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. So good to see you all. I am going to be honest with you all. The year's not even half over, and we are already exhausted. So inspired by the hit TV show, The White Lotus, we're going to take a week off. We're going to an exotic retreat, and we're going to work on our wellness.

1:09Oh, no. There's been a murder. Who could have seen this coming? While we try to get to the bottom of this, we've got some soothing treatments for you, selected from the finest naturally derived radio segments. First up, actor Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf, the snowman in Frozen, among many other roles. He joined us in January to talk about his new memoir. And congratulations on the book, which I devoured this week. Was it a little intimidating to write a memoir at the age of 43? Well, it was. Just sitting there and typing all the words was intimidating, because I had to come up with them. Yeah. And, you know, as it started to expand, it just felt like, okay, this may be a story worth telling.

1:56And then a publisher paid me, and I was like, okay it is yeah that'll do it now I the question I often ask people like you who've done so many different things is what are you most recognized for and you say in the book that you wish you had used a different voice for Olaf the snowman because whenever you're talking in public children hear you and go insane yeah it was a stupid decision I I will get recognized in like grocery stores just being like, hi, is the milk over there? It can be something as innocuous as that. And all of a sudden, three children will just give me an exorcist there. So I regret that now.

2:39But at the same time, I'm grateful that so many people love the voice of Olaf, which is me. The other thing that I'm weirdly recognized for is Bearclaw from New Girl, which makes no sense. There you go. Yeah, okay, there's some people. So I myself have never watched the show. Why is that surprising? Who is Bearclaw? That's my question as well. I did two episodes of that show, and what's so funny is people went nuts for Bearclaw. He was this guy who, like, kind after Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, and I was actually with Zooey's real-life husband, Jonathan yesterday and he looked at me and he goes bear claw and Jess should have ended up together It's a very weird take yeah from her actual husband.

3:35Yeah, yeah, there's like a small community Including her own husband. You just really love bear claw Wow That's it. Can I ask a question about Olaf? So I have a six-year-old daughter so your voice is like in my apartment all the time and i you're great this feels like less of a question and more like a threat like what kind of relationship do you have with the parents of the children that go nuts well uh one that's very volatile like whatever like this thing that's happening right now. I know, you know, what's funny is I, I've now been on the other side of it where like my girls are obsessed with wicked right now.

4:25Sure. And I'm having to listen to Ariana Grande's popular over and over and over again, or Cynthia Erivo's song. So I'm, I'm with you. I'm struggling and I know these people. And so I'm texting them and I'm like, can we please just put a moratorium on this. It's a great job, but I can no longer listen to these songs on a loop. Wow. It's like a Twilight Zone episode thing where it happens to you, man. It took so much empathy for you to give that detailed answer instead of just saying, as I would have, Nagin, let it go.

5:10He has more dignity than that, Josh. He has more dignity than that. He's the superior Josh G. You did tell the story in the book of one person who did not recognize you, which was the director David O. Russell. Oh, God, yeah. So David O. Russell, this is such a crazy story. David O. Russell, brilliant director. We were at the same Mommy and Me program, because we're both mommies. and we were outside and it was after he had just been nominated for one of the many films he was nominated for and he looks at me and I said congratulations on your nomination and he goes oh thank you what do you do and I said oh I'm an actor and he says well what do you do what do you act and I said oh well you know your ear I do this I do that He didn't recognize any of them.

6:12And I said, you know, your kid may know me from something called Frozen. And he goes, what's that?

6:20Animated movie that's sort of, you know, everywhere. But you're home. And he goes, oh, what are you doing it? And I said, I'm a snowman. And it was, do it.

6:38He said, what? He said, do it. And I said, do the snowman? He goes, yeah. And I looked at him, this Academy Award winning director, and I said, hi, I'm Olaf. And he looked at me and he goes, huh.

7:03And I have not been in a David O. Russell film. Really? So there you go. Yeah. Should have done a song, dude. That would have done it. But then afterwards he goes, oh, you're Bearclaw.

7:22I got to ask one thing. The book does cover some of your struggle. And one story I loved is when you applied as a young man when you were living in Florida to work at Disney. There were two rides that I always wanted to be the sort of host of. One was this ride called the Great Movie Ride, and then the other was the Jungle Cruise. Right. And so I said, you know, I really think that I would be an amazing skipper on the Jungle Cruise. And this person looks at me and goes, well, yeah, I don't know about that, but we do have openings on our janitorial staff. and then years later I told this story at something called the Disney Legends Award and the head of the parks came up to me and said would you like to be a skipper for a day on the Jungle Cruise so I got to live out my dream really and it's a skipper for a day but when David O.

8:23Russell got in that boat

8:28Game over. Amazing. Well, Josh Gad, it is a pleasure to talk to you after seeing you do so many amazing things over the years. But we have asked you here to play a game we're calling Josh Gad, Meet Posh Lads. So we've decided to ask you about Posh Lads, those fancy boys produced by British universities and boarding schools. Bill, who is Josh playing for? Larry Anderson of Denver, Colorado. All right. Here we go. Here's your first question. In 1805, posh lad and poet Lord Byron attended Cambridge University, but Cambridge wouldn't let him bring his dog with him as dogs were banned. So Lord Byron, that scamp did what?

9:11Was it A, he kept a bear in his dorm room instead because nothing in the rules said he couldn't do that. B, he built a doghouse 50 feet away just off school grounds with a tunnel connecting it to his room or see he submitted a fake application that got his dog hired as a professor i think it's the bear thing because that's just crazy to come up with well you think it's the bear well you're right it was the bear yeah he used to walk around he used to walk the bear around campus on a chain all right josh your next question uh the famously elite eton college has a longstanding tradition called the Eton Wall Game.

9:48It's a sort of combination of soccer and rugby, and it's played against this big brick wall. Yes, I've played it. You have? No, I lied to you. I understand.

10:01There's an annual game between the fanciest King scholars and the rest of the school. It's a big deal. Even though which of these is true? A, the last time anyone scored a goal in the game was in 1909. B, the wall completely encloses the playing field so none of the spectators can actually see anything or C, the game is played with a 95-year-old ball that deflates if you kick it. I'm going to go with C. You're going to go with C that is played with a 95-year-old ball. No, the answer is actually A, no one has scored a goal in this game for more than 100 years. Here's your last question. If you get this, you win.

10:37Here we go. Now, Eton was founded in the year 1440, so obviously a lot has changed over the years. For example, in the 17th century, what was a rule imposed on all Etonians? A, before exams, the headmaster inspected each boy to ensure his upper lip was sufficiently stiff. B, students were forbidden from even learning the cleaning staff's first names. Or C, for their health, all students were required to smoke before breakfast. Um, I'm, I'm thinking it's B.

11:13Wait, what are, what are you, what is your audience screaming? The audience is screaming C. The audience is screaming C. All right. Well, uh, my friend in Denver, if the audience gets this wrong, it's on them, not me. C. You're all right. It was C. Yes! We did it! They smoked tobacco. They were forced to smoke tobacco for their health. It probably protected them. Oh, I love you guys. Thank you for bailing me out. Bill, how did Josh Gad do in our quiz? Well, how can you get a bigger winner? Congratulations, Josh. I don't know.

11:52Josh Gad's new memoir is in Gad. We trust Josh Gad. Thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't, I'm going to talk to you. And what a pleasure this whole time. Stay safe.

12:06When we come back, the taxidermist to the stars and a woman affectionately known as Big Gretch. That's when we return with more. Wait, wait, don't tell me. From NPR.

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12:40From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. Here's your host at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thank you all so much. So right now, all of us at Weight Weight are off in a spa somewhere looking at custom reports on our biometrics and nodding along as if we understand them. All I know is my heart chakra is outperforming the Dow. Our therapy for you, though, is some delightful conversations we've had in the past few months. One of the more interesting was in February with Amber Maycutt. She's known in the media by an unusual title, which Peter asked her about when she joined us.

13:28We saw that you were called Taxidermist to the Stars. What exactly does that mean? How did you earn that title? I guess that a lot of celebrities have bought stuff for me or commissioned work for me, or I go to their houses and fix their taxidermy and hang it up for them. Can you describe, without breaking any confidences, what the kind of work you've done for some of these people? um let's see so um for drew barrymore i did some uh framed butterflies um to hang on the wall and then to for amy sidaris i did a pheasant um and then for adam jones he's the guitarist of tool i did a ram head with four horns on it and um a goat head for the band slayer i'm sure i'm sure the goat heads are very popular with the whole heavy metal genre right they all need the goat Yeah, definitely.

14:17Could you, I mean, I think people should understand this, that when we're talking about your taxidermy, for the most part, we're not talking about what they're thinking of, which is like, I don't know, a deer head, you know, mounted above a bar or in a cabin somewhere. Could you describe your work and what makes it special? Sure. A lot of what I do is called anthropomorphic taxidermy. So it's kind of giving life, human characteristics or activities to the taxidermy. So behind me here, I have like a raccoon cowboy. So it's a raccoon wearing a cowboy hat and a red bandana around his neck. And he's doing finger guns with his paws.

14:53And that was actually for Justin Long and Kate Bosworth that's shipping to L.A. And then the one next to it is actually a squirrel riding a horse, waving a cowboy hat. Cowboy theme happening here. And that one's for Maura Tierney, who's an actress from the show ER. Yes, yes. I have so many questions. Yeah. Let's just focus on Justin Long's raccoon with the cowboy hat and the finger guns. Yes. So that one is probably one of my best sellers that went viral online. I made one once and then I put it online in my online shop that people could just click and buy it. So you came up with it. Where did that come from?

15:38Were you like thinking about raccoons and going, you know what would make them even better? Oh, geez. I don't know. I write down things in the middle of the night sometimes that make no sense at all. So who knows? Is there like, do taxidermists have like their own aesthetic? Like what, what makes a great taxidermy? Yeah, a mount, a good mount. A good mount. Thank you. So taxidermy is, if you see like the mannequin behind me on the one side, so this is a Himalayan goat on one side that's mounted with the skin on it already. And the one on the other side is just the mannequin was just a form. So it's an anatomically correct mannequin to that specimen.

16:16How do you get anatomically correct models of animals? Or do you make them? So there's taxidermy supply companies, dozens of them in the US, where you can order, you know, your deer mannequin or skunk mannequin. And then you basically, it's kind of tailoring in reverse. You whittle down your mannequin or build up your mannequin to custom fit it to your skin. And then you use glass eyes that are also anatomically correct to the specimen, to the millimeter, a wire for the tail. And then you do, you know, you kind of clay for musculature and sculptural work and sew it up, do your hair and makeup, do airbrushing, painting.

16:52So there's a lot, it's a lot of sculpture. Yeah. This is how I get ready in the morning too. You're just basically a polyurethane core. There's tons of molds. I mean, obviously you're so deeply invested in this. I have a problem with stuffed animals because whenever I look away, I assume they're moving their heads to stare at me. And I turn and I look back and they're immediately still again. I find it discomforting to be near all those completely still animals. It's creepy. Thanks for having me on then. Oh, you're welcome. It was an act of courage on my part. Well, Amber Meka, we have invited you here to play a game we're calling They're Alive.

17:38So as we have been discussing, you specialize in putting deceased animals recreated in people's homes. So we thought we'd ask you about three instances of live animals getting in there. Get two or three right. You will win our prize for one of our listeners. Are you ready to play? Sure. All right. Chioki, who is Amber Makeup playing for? Larry Gold of Minneapolis, Minnesota. All right. Minnesotans here. Here's your first question. An Australian family was surprised when a koala got into their house, especially because it took them a little while to notice it. Where was it? A, on their couch next to a throw pillow with a koala printed on it.

18:12B, hanging on their Christmas tree as if pretending to be an ornament. Or C, sitting on top of their ceiling fan until, that is, they turned the ceiling fan on. Oh, no. I'm going to go with A. You're going to go with A, that it was on their couch next to a koala throw pillow. And they were like, oh, I guess we have two koalas. Oh, you pick it up because you're choosing B hanging on their Christmas tree? I guess so. That's right. Oh, wow. Nice. It was like hanging on the Christmas tree. They like trees. It makes sense, all right? Good. All right. Next question. Some people actually welcome wild animals into their homes, including some surprising people.

18:51Like which of these? A, Britain's King Charles, who not only lets red squirrels into a Scottish estate, but leaves jackets hanging on chairs with nuts in the pockets for them to find. B, Jamie Foxx, who has a deal with local animal control for them to bring any captured foxes, naturally, to his house. Or C, Peyton Manning will learn to imitate six different mating calls so he could attract animals to his patio. I'll go with A. You can go with A. Britain's King Charles, you're right. Yeah. He loves those red squirrels. He says, sometimes when I leave my jackets on a chair with nuts in the pockets, I see them with their tails sticking out as they hunt for nuts.

19:28They're incredibly special creatures. All right. Last question. You're doing very well. It's not just houses that can have trouble with wildlife. A high school in Little Rock had a bat infestation, but dealt with it quickly and decisively. Just by doing what? A, changing their mascot from the running rebels to the fighting bats. B, enrolling the bats as students, which allowed them access to state funds to get rid of the bats. Or C, just ceding control of the school to the bats and making all classes remote for a while. C. Yes, exactly right. It took them about four days to clear out the bats and clean up everything and bring the students back.

20:02Joki, how did Amber do in our quiz? Amber got three taxidermy finger guns. She is a winner. Amber Maycutt is a taxidermist to the stars and the founder of Brooklyn Taxidermy. You can see her work at brooklyntaxidermy.com. I recommend it highly. Amber, well, thank you so much for being on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Take care. Bye-bye.

20:33In April, we all traveled to Detroit to speak to Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who had just published a book with a title inspired by her nickname, Big Gretch. I asked her how she came to embrace that handle. So I'm named after both my grandmothers, Gretchen and Esther. And Grandma Gretchen always said, never let anyone call you Gretch. Your name is Gretchen. Gretch sounds like retch. It's not pretty. So I've always had this aversion to being called Gretsch. And I don't know many women that want big in front of their nickname. So Big Gretsch, when it first came to be during the pandemic, I was not sure what to make of it.

21:13And a woman who worked with me, Shaquilla Myers, who's from Detroit, said, you don't understand. This is a compliment. This is like the people of Detroit just gave you the key to the city. They love you. This is a nice thing. So now it's my favorite nickname, Big Gretch. If there's not, if there might be somebody in the audience who's not as au courant with Detroit hip-hop as you and I. It came from a, but it was bestowed upon you by a rapper, a Detroit rapper named G-Mac, right? So he made it into a song. It started in the city of Detroit, but he made Big Gretch into a song, and that's really what blew it up.

21:49Right. And for people who don't know it, I'm not going to attend to perform it, but the chorus is, Throw the buffs on her face, because that's Big Gretch. We Ain't About Distress We Got Big Gretch You Can Find Her In The Press Under Big Gretch Fresh In A New Dress Yeah, That's Big Gretch And you said you weren't gonna perform It's almost like G-Mack Cash is here with us It really is Sticking with nicknames for a second You mentioned in the book That you've had other nicknames before Big Gretch One of which was Gravity Gretchen Yes And could you tell us how you got that particular nickname? Well, I'm a very accident-prone person.

22:28I'm a klutz. I've run into things. I fall down. I mean, I was practicing in my state of the state last year, and I ran into one of the podiums. I had a huge bruise. It just happens all the time. But when I was in middle school, I went to church camp, and for some reason it was out in Virginia, or West Virginia of all places. And I was running to a base, and the other girl tagged me but pushed me really hard. And I went right into the cement and knocked out my front teeth. and so I came back from church camp in a wheelchair because I got 30 stitches in my knee both my hands were cut up my face was cut up and I was missing my teeth and my father just looked at me and said gravity Gretchen and what did you do to anger God thusly I it's a good question I you know I felt most most bad about my dad because he just paid for braces to fix the gap between those front teeth.

23:23But now I think I've got to figure out how I anger God. Thank you. Something for the next book. Since we brought it up, I have to ask you about another time you fell down, or at least were found on the ground in high school. Which, again, I think is a unique story among America's governors. I was wondering if you could share that. Well, I'll just say this. No dogs were shot in my book. That's true.