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  • Mike Chisholm joins me to discuss how his curiosity leads to conversations; Steve O'Donnell; our first time watching Letterman; meeting Letterman guests on twitch; Rick Sheckman; intern stories; becoming friends with Rupert Jee and speaking at his retirement; Steve Young; Paul Shaffer; swooning over Barbara Gaines;; Steve Weiner; learning how to podcast; Calvert DeForest; Matt Roberts does a three hour episode; editing, PC culture; censoring episodes; the r word; Midget Wrestling Warriors; saying something is gay; Don Rickles; Andrew "Dice" Clay; Howard Stern; blackface; Jjimmy Hat, Andy Kaufman, and Jerry Lawler; Merrill Markoe; befriending Jeff Altman and Dick Cavett; how my OCD affects my show; his ailing father; season 2 and being my Tony Randall

  • Chris Kelly joined me to discuss his dad and his love of lesson plans; living in Canada and having having one US TV station; Little Rascals; other comedy hubs beside Canada; his influence; improv; his dad writing for SNL; Harry Shearer; every TV show having its own process; Letterman's reaction to being passed by Politically Incorrect in the ratings; having structure even in lunch orders; writing for the Village Voice; getting hired on HA!'s After Drive and Comedy Channels Sports Monster; being told Sports Monster had no viewers in Philadelphia; being the first to write about sports in National Lampoon; getting to NL when they got rid of the nudity, and having it shut down; the letters; the "prefect game" in Late Night; Tom Gammill & Cathy; writing VO's for Penn Jillette; meeting Bill Maher and discussing the Politically Incorrect should have a Johnny Carson like monologue; Bills early TV appearances; Buffalo Bill, Geena Davis and Jay Tarses; Slap Maxwell; Richard Mulligan; Arianna Huffington; Christine O'Donnell; moving to ABC; writing with Bill his New Rule on football streaming; Roseanne vs. OJ jury episode; great talk show guests; Charles Grodin; Dom Irrera makes a host look good; Andrew Smith on Johnny Carson and getting his job by "whipping it out"; Bill Scheft; Reese Witherspoon; having to write 100's of jokes on the same topic; Top 10 list; calling to congratulate Bill on 9/11 episode that got him fired; all desk show bits were created by Bill except New Rules written by Billy Martin; The Kardashians; Regis Philbin; what's Bill like; best and worst guests; Scott Carter's tremendous fingerprints on the show; his cat book, Downton Tabby

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  • Andy Cowan joined me to discuss his Seinfeld episode, "The Opposite"; his book and chapter on rejected Seinfeld plots; Danny Thomas; his idol, Jack Benny; Leave it to Beaver & The Honeymooners; going to Boston University; loving Letterman & VCR's; Nancy Sinatra and Seinfeld finale; jazz; how he tricked Lorne Michaels into a meeting; how he would "fix" SNL; Rick Moranis & SCTV; being a pre-interviewer on the Merv Griffin Show; writing spec Taxi's; ore-interviewing Orson Welles the day before he died; Whitney Houston; Ethel Merman; writing for Cheers and The Pat Sajak Show; Jerry Lewis; 60 Minutes then and now; Andy Rooney; Howie, a comic strip, cartoon, and sitcom stuck in development; Up & Down Guys; his podcast the Neurotic Vaccine; his new episode which which he considers his best

  • Diana and I discuss The Bellinis; Lenny (Luca Brasi) Montana; Hollywood High; auditioning for Marni Nixon Feast, Ozzie's Girls; guest starring in a memorable Happy Days, Chico and the Man, Medical Story, The First Nudie Musical, Starsky & Hutch; Paul Michael Glaser; The Love Boat pilot; Soap; audition; cast becomes family; Hollywood Squares, Dinah!; Perry Como’s Early American Christmas; Barney Miller; Steve Landesburg; I’m A Big Girl Now; Danny Thomas; Martin Short; People's Choice Award; American Bandstand "Who You Foolin'?"; All Star Salute to Mother's Day; Bob Hope; Bobbie Gentry; Don Rickles; finding out her show got cancelled while On Broadway; Peking Encounter; A Foot in the Door, Night Partners; Yvette Mimieux; Patti Davis Reagan; Hotel; No Complaints; Harold Gould, Murder She Wrote and friendship with Angela Lansbury; Trapper John, MD ; St. Elsewhere; Throb playing Paul Walker's Mom; success in Germany; The Bruce Diet; Home Free; Matthew Perry, Marian Mercer; Maggie Roswell, and teaching at Manhattanville College

  • Samantha Harper Macy joined me to discuss watching Perry Mason as a teen with her family; going to Ole Miss with James Meredith; being seen as a racist in Chicago because she is from the south; auditioning with Woody Allen; being shown around the city by strangers; modeling; taking acting classes from Lee Strasberg; hippies; sees Oh! Calcutta and for it; her sketch; meeting her husband, Bill Macy; Oh! Calcutta banned in her home town; Bill guests on All in the Family; Bill gets Maude and Samantha guest stars; her guest starring on Hot L Baltimore leads to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; working with Victor Killian, Louise Lasser, and Mary Kay Place; playing a hooker on Hill St. Blues; her husband's work in The Jerk, Movers & Shakers, Bad Medicine and The Late Show; working with Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy and Terry Bradshaw and Mel Tillis on a TV pilot; being directed in two films by Hal Ashby; her memoir, Naked in Oh! Calcutta and other Stories; and her play Two Sisters Cafe

  • Jerry Minor joined me to discuss his first memory of seeing Johnny Cash TV; the Detroit Lions; playing Michael Jackson's glove; being a Jehovah's Witness; proselytizing; leaving the Church and starting comedy; going to a show to try stand up; going to his first comedy show; working in Second City Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto and the similarities and differences; Mr. Show; being hired on SNL in 2000 and moved to cast when Tim Meadows leaves; Grandmaster Rap; working with Eminem on first show; impressions of Billy Dee Williams and Al Sharpton; working with Dana Carvey; the Tom Green episode, Mena Suvari; XFL delays Jennifer Lopez episode; Conan O' Brien; playing Sharpton to Darrell Hammond's Jesse Jackson; being let go; the problem of being the new guy; writing and the song "Somebody's Fucking My Lady" with Craig Robinson; Rodney Dangerfield; Martin Short Show; Anchorman; Abbott Elementary; Beer League; Lucky Louie; working with Louis CK; being in Funny People by Judd Apatow; guys named Jerry; being on the 1st season of Bob's Burgers; Brickleberry: Howard Stern; Yucko the Clown and JD; directing at Second City; SNL's 50th anniversary; David Cross inspires new podcasrt "Playing to the Back of the Room"

  • Kres Mersky and I discussed her name; starting acting at a local park at 14 and getting the bug; going to Beverly Hills High with Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfus, and Julie Kavner; TV debut on Virginian; doing three episodes of Ironside; working with Carl Reiner in The Comic & Oh God!; working with Rob Reiner on the TV show which birthed Spinal Tap; doing a B motorcycle movie; skating in Holy Rollers and Charlies Angels; being in Won Ton Ton, the Dog that Saved Hollywood as Theda Bara; having most of her Charlies Angels scenes with Farrah Fawcett; having Richard Pryor discover her one woman show and putting an excerpt on his NBC variety show; appearing in Husbands, Wives and Lovers; guest starring on two classics, Taxi & Barney Miller; Stephanie a 1981 pilot starring Stephanie Faracy; being in the last movie directed by George Cukor; appearances on Open All Night and Ryan's Four; her most famous role as Wormser's mom in Revenge of the Nerds; guesting on Facts of Life and St. Elsewhere; focusing on family; writing and starring in a one woman play about Isadora Duncan; going back to do a Murder, She Wrote; writing and starring in a one woman play about Einstein's secretary; Nuts and Chews her many character play a la Lily Tomlin; doing Einstein research at Cal Tech; making a short film Rope, with her husband editor Paul Geretsen; and his making many commercials during COVID

  • Rick Mitchell joined me to discuss Carol recognizing him from TMZ; writing a performing speeches in his past ; it really not being that hard to write a good speech; giving a good speech requires you know your audience; this book can help save you from listening to bad speeches; differences in different religious weddings; worst speeches are graduation and bar mitzvah; not being Jewish and everyone thinking he is; taking a DNA test to find he's half Jewish; attending UC Davis; working at Second City and Improv Olympic; SNL being a big impetus; Norm MacDonald, Rodney Dangerfield, Mitch Hedberg, and George Carlin; his style; writing for Yakov Smirnoff; trying stand up after killing at his high school graduation; corporate gigs; his career at TMZ; writing monologues for Ellen; having her voice before being hired; her being from New Orleans; backstage gossip; what hurt her was always saying "be nice"; telling stories; guest hosts; Eugene & Dan Levy were hard; Wanda Sykes & Jennifer Anniston were easy; Robert Downey Jr, his favorite and Jason Sudeikis

  • Trace Baeulieu joined me to discuss his last name; riffing on teachers and film strips; his quick stint at Univ. at Minnesota; stand up; having a day job; being an opener; meeting Frank and Joel; joining for the second episode; all original episodes done in one day; not as many jokes in early days; Frank's an old soul, makes history and baseball references; Ground Zero; jokes for the group; audience feels smarter for getting jokes; Ed Platt; Peabody Award; Dennis Miller; Trace's cell phone; Jetsons; Comedy Central execs only came to Minnesota once; not having Comedy Central himself; Crow tattoos; my name; Freaks & Geeks; working with Joe Flaherty; SCTV; writing for Americas Funniest Home Video; being a fun job; Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children; JD Salinger; Cinematic Titanic; conventions; Atheist convention; Sklar Brothers; not riffing on good movies; Godfather; Godfather III; Unforgiven; North by Northwest; slapstick comedy; Pee Wee's Big Adventure; Dr. Strangelove; Groucho; Jack Benny; doing a radio play in Chicago; his podcast; the Oscars; Inside Out; Harry Shearer; Harry Potter; Crow's voice; David Frye; Mads are Back

  • Stu Kreisman joined me to talk about stalking the original cast of SNL; writing for National Lampoon and Alan King ; SCTV; his two tours with Night Court (1984 - 1986, 1990 - 1992); Cheers; Newhart; Homeboys in Outer Space; Harry Anderson's and 1985 SNL monologue

  • Andy Goldberg & Wendy Cutler of the improv group Off the Wall joined me to discuss the founder, Dee Marcus; how they met her; the original members, Chris Thompson, Judy Pioli, and Joie Madigow; having four women and two men; Marc Sotkin and Robin Williams join; improv games; characters; Paul Willson, David Ruprecht, Phil Lamar, and John Ritter join and leave; Maryedith Burrell; Completely Off the Wall pilot loses to Fridays; appearances on The Dating Game, The Goodbye Girl, and Fernwood Tonight; Norman Lear's compliment; voiceover acting and looping; Super Loopers; Diary of a Young Comic with Richard Lewis; hanging out at Cantor's Deli; Garry Shandling, Bernadette Birkett, Archie Hahn, Tom Tully, and Harry Murphy join and leave; Ken Levine takes classes; 1985-1986 sketch comedy Off the Wall not affiliated even though Susan Elliot was a cast member; George Wendt; Laverne & Shirley; Dance Night; celebrity fans Bruce Willis, Sam Shepard, and Gene Hackman; appearing on An Evening at the Improv; having a monthly guest, including Chevy Chase; Wendy & Bob Perlow due gags on People Do the Craziest Things; Candid Camera; Edinburgh Festival; Puppetry of the Penis; Groundlings cross-pollination; his book, Improv Comedy and teaching Bryan Cranston

  • Dan Vitale joined me and discussed social media presence; attention he got from Marc Maron's podcast; Lorne Michaels seeing him; his audition for The New Show; his fluctuating weight from 1986 - 1991; Cobra Kai; streaming services give more content; Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Bill Burr & Louis CK; being Lorne Michaels protege; being funnier now than when he was "hot" in the '80's because he's off alcohol and drugs and older; being listed above Norm MacDonald as a SNL cast member in Rolling Stone; growing up in Island Park, Long Island; other famous Island Park residents including Al D'Amato and the basis for Tony Soprano; where he did stand up pre Covid; living through Covid and protests; going back to college and feeling like Johnny Lawrence from Cobra Kai; IPhones; Dave Attell, memories of Don Novello and Randy Quaid; wanting to know who from his cast was invited to the 40th anniversary; Joan Cusack; Anthony Michael Hall; Damon Wayans; Jon Lovitz; Nora Dunn; Dennis Miller; Danitra Vance; Terry Sweeney; A Whitney Brown; Jim Downey; Franken & Davis; remembering the Madonna episode and the horrible week working with Chevy Chase; being with world's largest man Michael Hebrank (1100 lbs.) at the Brookhaven Rehabilitation Center; intermittent fasting; coming back for the Ron Reagan Jr. episode; residuals; current SNL; Baldwin's Trump vs. Carrey's Biden; Taran Killam; Darrell Hammond making SNL a civil service job; Alan Zweibel; and John Murray

  • Andy Hoglund joined me to discuss finding out about SNL through Wayne's World and Comedy Central reruns; my getting tapes mailed from Canada by Bronwyn Douwsma; going to Boston University; studying film; doing a term paper about how the original cast of SNL embodies the baby boomers; working for Sen. Ted Kennedy; writing an article about SNL movies and it going viral; his copy of the Shales / Miller SNL book being autographed by almost 100 cast members; first, by Dan Aykroyd, second by Colin Quinn; writing for Vulture; being asked to recap SNL's episodes for Entertainment Weekly; Don Pardo; Johnny Gilbert; meeting a lot of ex-cast members through stand up; Christopher Guest only one to not sign; Harry Shearer; Steve Martin & G.E. Smith only non cast members to sign; season 6 cast members Denny Dillon, Patrick Weathers, Matthew Laurence; Don Novello's friendship with Francis Ford Coppola; Peter Aykroyd; Mark McKinney and his work on Studio 60; KITH Brain Candy; Season 11; Fridays; Robin Duke, Jim Belushi, Mary Gross, and Kevin Kelton; Billy Crystal was the only time he sent the book away to be signed; Dana Carvey; Robert Carradine; Michael Davis; MST3K and Joel Hodgson; Anne Beatts; Yvonne Hudson; Brian Doyle-Murray; Adam Sandler; how Lorne Michaels has changed; me getting my picture with him; Colin Jost & Michael Che; Shari Lewis; and our friendships with the late Dan Vitale

  • Chris Regan joined me to discuss growing up in Central NY; 70's TV; enjoying black & white comedy movies; loving Monty Python; SNL; UK comedy; auditioning for David Frost; comedy aging poorly; Michael Davis; going to Ithaca College; being in a sketch troupe with Andy Daly and the Stangel Brothers; being a NYC comedian and mostly topical; going to a comedy club for the first time at 14; coming advertising; working for Nickelodeon; getting jokes on Weekend Update; Colin Quinn vouching for him to get a job on The Daily Show; political affiliation of late night writers; Gen X not getting a President; teaching; working on Talk Show with Spike Feresten and FOX's bungles; Lopez Tonight almost making him quit show business; Chuck Sklar; poker playing and pai gow; writing for Anthony Jeselnik and Greg Giraldo; first Family he worked on was the Simpsons crossover; his episode "Girl Internetted"; "Send in Stewie"; "Yacht Rockers"; Marjo Gortner; "Teacher's Heavy Petting"; the fun of writing for Chris Griffin; his relationship with Seth MacFarlane; Harry Shearer; the three Family Guy writing rooms; Family Guy references; new season; TV ratings and his new episode "Bring Up Brady" with Tom Brady coming next season

  • Elaine Aronson joined me to discuss 60's TV; growing up in Newton, Mass; going to college for dance; graduating from UCSB with a degree in dramatic arts w/o talking a drama class; teaching dance; being a secretary at Empire Pictures; writing scenes for child actors; getting Ron Zimmerman as a mentor; writing a spec Molly Dodd; getting hired on It's the Garry Shandling Show; first episode is Gilda Radner episode; strike happens and goes back to being a waitress; "Save Mr. Peck's" an all guest star episode; "Worry Wort"; how an episode doesn't start with tricks; moving to Night Court; Phil / Will; meeting Bill Clinton; writing the final episode and 30 Rock redoing it; doing Doogie Howser, MD; the Bochco method; having an ear infection and not being able to hear when having to interview deaf actresses; meeting her husband, Curtis Armstrong; Gilbert Gottfried; Clinic Defense Alliance; working on Good Advice & Cybill; Christine Baranski; the failure of The Gregory Hines Show; Maggie; The Weber Show; That 80's Show; The Game; Mystery Girls; Project MC2; You, Me, Her; how mini rooms are not leading to young writers being able to later run shows; her pilot Kitty's Dish; long hours currently on The Gilded Age; Long Island sets; Curtis' taping American Dad; Moonlighting

  • Michael Curtis joined me to talk Saturday Morning cartoons; going to SDSU Film Corps; having a local Emmy nominated public access sketch show; working on Return of the Killer Tomatoes; being a PA for many films, then an AD; meeting his partner Greg Mahlins; pitching and an episode of Dream On; a story for The Wonder Years; joining the writing staff of Great Scott with Tobey Maguire; writing The Making of ... and God Spoke, a cult classic; writing for Don Rickles on Daddy Dearest; Diane English being out of touch on Double Rush; play a cop in Who's Harry Crumb; working with Peter & David Paul and Martin Mull; getting a PhD from the Universal Life Church; getting hired on Friends; The Super Bowl episode with Jean Claude Van Damme and Brooke Shields; writing "The One Where Ross & Rachel. ...You Know"; writing the Ms. Chanandler Bong joke; Tom Selleck; how hard it was to write the "Rachel Smokes" episode; Princess Leia episode has a fan in George Lucas; a censored joke; Young Tony Danza; leaving due to exhaustion; going to Work with Me with Kevin Pollack; sneaking on to The Grinch set; The Weber Show; Nikki; writing the Joe Schmo Show; writing a pilot for Dane Cook; Love, Inc.; making three pilots for the Jonas Brothers Show; working with the boys; Fred Savage; moving to Italy; Italian health care system; People learning English from Friends; seeing the talent in Olivo Rodrigo; working with Jake Paul

  • Rosie Shuster and Marilyn Suzanne Miller join me to talk about MSM's love of the musical Peter Pan; Rosie loving her dad's joke books, West Side Story, and being in the audience of the Ed Sullivan Show; Rosie meets Lorne Michaels and Howard Shore; MSM goes to work for James L. Brooks & Garry Marshall; Rosie writes for Canadian children and crime game shows; sends a monologue for Laugh In that Lorne submits and gets on; Lorne uses Rosie's fathers (Frank Shuster of Wayne & Shuster) CBC specials as a blueprint for SNL; MSM turns down SNL, changes mind; work together on a Lily Tomlin special; cast goes on Tom Snyder; Rosie writes New Dad and creates the Bees; Rosie writes first Emily Litella Update piece; MSM writes Slumber Party for Madeline Kahn; Hard Hars w/ Lily Tomlin and Mommy Beer; Laraine (as Shirley Temple) sings and dances with Garrett and Elliot Gould; The Nerds; The Festrunk Brothers; Uncle Roy; Let's Kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas; Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute; how SNL wanted to make itself laughs and everyone in the production was on top of their game; Lunch Counter Reunion; Lorne encourage differet comic sensibilities; Child Psychologist; coming back in 1981; Eddie Murphy; Adam Sandler; Rosie helping to craft the Church Lady sketches with Dana Carvey; The Taboosters; writing sketches more graphic to bargain for what you really want; MSM goes to the Tracey Ullman Show; Sarah Silverman; MSM on lack of artistry on television; Rosie works on Larry Sanders; MSM writes for Carol Burnett; Rosie is a fan of Arte Madrid; watching SNL today; ageism in Hollywood; Paul Shaffer's genius; being "middle-aged"

  • Gary Seith & Brad Robinson join me to discuss the A-Team; Mr. T's cartoon; 80's sitcoms; Alf; Pulp Fiction; high school journalism turns to making short films; college; Gary working for Fox Philadelphia and Clerks the Animated Series; Brad AD's his professor's films at Penn State; working on Hack, Always Sunny; Gary meets his wife on the set of The Push; Brad works on Ted & Blues Jasmine; Alec Baldwin and Woody Allen stories; Brad's film, Public Interest; getting Robert Curtis Brown & Stuart Pankin; first time they each watched SNL; doing an SNL cast draft on a road trip; Brad hangs out with Mitch Glazer & Bill Murray; during COVID maps out a Blues Brothers doc; Brad gets idea for the pod; hanging out with Jim Belushi; other sketch shows; best episodes from each season; Deep Thoughts; Tournament Talk; My SNL Stories; Dave Thomas and From Cleveland

  • Stuart Pankin joined me to discuss his first TV role; watching Winky Dink & Howdy Doody; Pats v. Geno's; Dickinson College English major; early off-Broadway and Broadway roles; San Pedro Beach Bus; Next Stop, Greenwich Village; Scavenger Hunt; Barney Miller; Alex Henteloff; Magic on Love Island; No Soap, Radio; Not Necessarily the News; no trailer had to use bathroom; playing different character; winning a Cable Ace Award; The Pyramid; Markie Post; Night Court appearances; Cinemax Comedy Experiment; Family Ties; Nearly Departed; Stephen Furst; playing Orthodox Jews; Dinosaurs, last episode and issues of the day; Nick Freno; pilot that didn't make it; San Pedro Beach Bums considered lost media; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Public Interest; Girl Meets World; Sabrina Carpenter; Suite Life of Zach & Cody; being married for 50 Years.

  • Peter Gaulke joined me to discuss seeing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's A Wonderful Life recently in theatres; no new comedy films premiering; became bored in gymnastics, did comedy bits; tried to get on Gong Show but goes to Comedy Store to practice and tries out; comedy influences; Showtime Special; starting in LA stunts his progress; meeting Fred Wolf and making videos to sell to Dick Clark; having his ideas stolen; writing a Married with Children; sending a sketch to Fred at SNL; they buy sketch but doesn't ai due to cost; hire him as a writer; leaves to do Strange Wilderness, a film based on short movies he made; remade in 2008 as a stoner comedy; his documentary (first half) / fake documentary (2nd) film We Gotta Get Buscemi; writing another sketch too expensive to get made; talking with hosts Quentin Tarantino and Elle McPherson; Say It Isn't So; rewriting Black Knight for Martin Lawrence; studio cuts first 15 minutes out and wonders what's wrong; they put it back; writing Max Fernsby and the Infinite Toys for Harper Collins; self publishing fake travelogues; new YA sci-fi series; writing a Trump animal book with Fred Wolf; having many projects in the works