Speaker 1: Hey guys, It's Sammy Jay and welcome back to the
Speaker 1: Let's Be Real Podcast. I am so thrilled because this
Speaker 1: week I got to chat with actor comedian host Joel McHale.
Speaker 1: You know him from community. He's been in so much
Speaker 1: and I'm truly so grateful that he took the time
Speaker 1: out of his very, very busy schedule to chat with me.
Speaker 1: I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I can't
Speaker 1: wait to get your thoughts. As always, here we are,
Speaker 1: We're doing it, We're doing it well. Hello everybody, and
Speaker 1: welcome to this week's episode of the Let's Be Real Podcast.
Speaker 1: This week is so special because I am joined by host,
Speaker 1: actor comedian one could are you legend? Legend Joel McHale?
Speaker 1: One could argue and you would lose that are terribly
Speaker 1: How have you been since the last time we talked?
Speaker 1: Since this is the first time we've talked, we have
Speaker 1: first time. What is it like being on the other end,
Speaker 1: you know, of the hosting side being interviewed, which I
Speaker 1: do prefer. Oh, this is way easier. What about it?
Speaker 1: Just answering questions? Yeah, I don't have to prepare fair enough.
Speaker 1: I don't have a teleprompter to go over or people
Speaker 1: to please, because you know, when you're hosting, you gotta
Speaker 1: usually an audience, and then you're like, I gotta tell
Speaker 1: a bunch of jokes, yeah, which I like doing, but
Speaker 1: it's work, which I like work. But then again, I
Speaker 1: like doing nothing, which happens never, So it's great, very busy.
Speaker 1: That surprises me that you like doing nothing, because I'm
Speaker 1: also a workaholic. But I find doing nothing right now.
Speaker 1: I like doing nothing. I just never do it. M
Speaker 1: It's like something you always look forward to that just
Speaker 1: doesn't happen, right. So when people like, oh, when I
Speaker 1: finally get to do that thing, yeah, it's like, what
Speaker 1: is it like when you give a cat like that
Speaker 1: toy and they just chase after it but they never
Speaker 1: really get it cat nip? It doesn't that just drive
Speaker 1: them crazy? Maybe I like the cat flashlight? Yes, the flashlight.
Speaker 1: It's that equivalent yea, when people like, oh, yeah, when
Speaker 1: I finally get to that thing, Oh, we're going to
Speaker 1: buy a beach house? Yeah, okay, yeah, go ahead and
Speaker 1: just go do it. You know, we have a lot
Speaker 1: in common. We do we do all right, Ready for this?
Speaker 1: Go ahead. Both have learning differences Okay, yes, both anxiety, Well,
Speaker 1: it depends on what's going on sometimes fair enough, fair enough, yes,
Speaker 1: but I feel like those two things combined are just
Speaker 1: never easy. So I was wondering what that was like
Speaker 1: for you growing up. Well, I didn't have anxiety growing up,
Speaker 1: so so that came later. That came later, as uh,
Speaker 1: that's adulthood. That's only because mean, that's because of just
Speaker 1: stressful travel. I didn't have it as a diagnosis. It
Speaker 1: definitely dyslexia. Oh yeah, how is that like reading memorizing
Speaker 1: lines with dyslexia? Memorizing lines is easy, that's easy. Dyslexia doesn't.
Speaker 1: That doesn't affect a dyslexic brain. Uh, you read a
Speaker 1: lot slower, I would say, Actually, some dyslexics probably memorize faster.
Speaker 1: That's so interesting, Like are like we read slower and
Speaker 1: comprehend it slow. Are then a person that reads typically
Speaker 1: that can just read fast, but but we get all
Speaker 1: the meaning once we read it. I'm the same way.
Speaker 1: I have auditory processing issues, so it's somewhat similarity. Oh
Speaker 1: but so memorizing, yeah, I can memorize like no problem.
Speaker 1: Going back to anxiety. No later on now, like because
Speaker 1: I travel a lot that stresses me out. That it's
Speaker 1: because I'm trying to get back to see my family
Speaker 1: a lot. And I lived in Georgia all last year.
Speaker 1: So like when I start, when the jobs pile up,
Speaker 1: which is great, I love working, but then you know,
Speaker 1: the balance is always difficult. And then I'll be like,
Speaker 1: why am I stressed out today? What's going on? And
Speaker 1: then I started thinking in the future, I'll be like, ah,
Speaker 1: that's what's happened. Just thinking that's what gets it going
Speaker 1: for me. You've always been anxious, Oh yes, grown up
Speaker 1: with anxiety. I think my learning difference has really triggered
Speaker 1: it personally for me because the yeah, I understand that,
Speaker 1: I always I just assumed I was dumb. Me too.
Speaker 1: I thought I was just incapable of learning, like there
Speaker 1: was something wrong with me. For so long. I mean
Speaker 1: they literally told me I was a slow starter in
Speaker 1: second grade, that someone diagnosed me with slow starts, um,
Speaker 1: which is not a thing. They basically like, I don't
Speaker 1: know what's wrong with him. You can't read, he seems fine.
Speaker 1: Maybe he's just slow at the beginning of things, and
Speaker 1: that's what it's like. I thought about it for years.
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, yeah, well I'm a slow starter,
Speaker 1: so I'm not going to figure this out at first,
Speaker 1: but then later on watch out. That's how you like
Speaker 1: you took that identity on kind of it sounds like, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's what I was told. Yeah, I feel the same.
Speaker 1: I know exactly what you're talking about. It's there sometimes
Speaker 1: why I had that person hunted down and killed. Oh
Speaker 1: and and they yeah, speaking of hunting down grills. Wow,
Speaker 1: that's what a transition. Thank you, I Bear Girls. Bear
Speaker 1: Girls is a great person. I know you traveled, did
Speaker 1: an adventure. I need to know more about that experience.
Speaker 1: Why is that like just spending quality time with Bear
Speaker 1: Girls in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, we're we're trusting
Speaker 1: your life in his hands essentially. Well, there is. I
Speaker 1: mean there's insurances. There's insurance too, but imagine what the insurances.
Speaker 1: It's probably pretty hot. But they they even were talking
Speaker 1: like other countries you can go to and there's less
Speaker 1: insurance required. But they're that crew is you know, that's
Speaker 1: like a Navy seal team of television producers and they
Speaker 1: know what they're doing and they've done it before many
Speaker 1: many times. And Bear is a very responsible person. And
Speaker 1: uh yeah, he's hurt himself a few times, but broke
Speaker 1: his back. Yeah, shoulder maybe, but he's you know, he
Speaker 1: was Special Forces, so he's yeah. I mean he was like,
Speaker 1: it's fine. Do you want some Madville no? Uh? So yeah,
Speaker 1: that was real fun. We got dropped in by helicopter
Speaker 1: into a part of the Grand Canyon that doesn't have
Speaker 1: any access, which was great. And the boy, I'm I'm
Speaker 1: one of those people that love that sort of thing,
Speaker 1: so I really I was talking talking about it. But
Speaker 1: here's the crazy part. The night before in Phoenix, I
Speaker 1: did two stand up shows. Then a airplane that they
Speaker 1: rented picked me up and landed in this landed uh
Speaker 1: wherever the heck we were in. I think it was
Speaker 1: in northern northern Arizona, and I slept for a few hours,
Speaker 1: and then we had ventured all day. Then I flew
Speaker 1: back and did two more shows. So mental sanity, where's
Speaker 1: that at That that that's a good day for me.
Speaker 1: That's like a fun day. I'm like, oh, this is
Speaker 1: gonna be a fun day. It'll be busy, but it'll
Speaker 1: be fun. That's so much activity and so much stimulation.
Speaker 1: See for me, because I'm would you say you're an
Speaker 1: introvert or an extrovert, the most extroverted person probably you'll
Speaker 1: probably in Burbank right now, in Burbank specifically, Yeah, I am.
Speaker 1: I am a golden retriever. My friend I described my
Speaker 1: set friend. Yeah, my friend Kate, she was like, I'm
Speaker 1: a golden retriever, and I'm like, that's right. Uh so,
Speaker 1: And my wife's an introvert, so she has to deal
Speaker 1: with this guy all the time. So I get energy
Speaker 1: from being around people. I get more lively when in groups,
Speaker 1: and I recharge when I'm by myself. I do not
Speaker 1: do that, like I like sitting on a plane and
Speaker 1: watching you know, like what we do in the shadows.
Speaker 1: But are some show that I'd be like, great, and
Speaker 1: That'll be my nice break and then then I'm off
Speaker 1: and running. Do you give yourself a breakthroughout the day
Speaker 1: or is it just kind of hustle and bustle till
Speaker 1: you sleep? Are you hustle and bustle till I sleep? Always?
Speaker 1: No self care? Uh? Well, I drink wine? What about
Speaker 1: face masks? Face masks? No, I use a sleep mask
Speaker 1: because I'm easily awoken. Those are lovely. One. I have
Speaker 1: this big padded one. It's great. It looks like I'm
Speaker 1: a hostage. Oh but no, those are great. They don't
Speaker 1: touch your eyes. I have the silk one, but it's
Speaker 1: fallen off. It falls off every that's the thing. I'll
Speaker 1: try them and then they just won't be on my
Speaker 1: face anymore. The next morning, MC, where did they go?
Speaker 1: And then I'll wear your plugs and then the world
Speaker 1: is the world doesn't exist. You're in your own world.
Speaker 1: That sounds lovely. You have to you recharge during the day.
Speaker 1: I recharge by doing my routines and doing things that
Speaker 1: are like for myself, and you have time to do
Speaker 1: all that. I make time, even if I have less
Speaker 1: sleep because of it. I will make time for it
Speaker 1: because I know it will make me feel better. But
Speaker 1: that's new for me. I feel like I'm trying to
Speaker 1: get into it. So when you wake up, are you anxious?
Speaker 1: Depends on the day and depends on what's happening right now.
Speaker 1: Sometimes anxiousness it's like, well, what are you guys doing today?
Speaker 1: We're gonna be doing some stunt flying. That can be
Speaker 1: anxiety and docing like there's some but other times where
Speaker 1: you wake up you're like, I'm anxious and I can't
Speaker 1: even figure out why. Yeah, so I have anxiety and
Speaker 1: O c D. So sometimes it can just be I'll
Speaker 1: wake up and I'll be like, oh hey, They're like
Speaker 1: you're there. I've yeah, you're there. Got to continue the day,
Speaker 1: I know, yeah, I've developed that and I can't feel
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, look at that. Look you're going to
Speaker 1: feel like this today, you know. I was talking to
Speaker 1: my friend. She's like, you should name your anxiety, and
Speaker 1: I was like why. She goes, why not, like like
Speaker 1: a boat? Yeah, And it's like you put a name
Speaker 1: to it, so it's not like yourself. So I'm like,
Speaker 1: what did your name? I haven't named it yet, so
Speaker 1: should we name it now? I think we should. Is
Speaker 1: it a boy or a girl? Non binary? I feel
Speaker 1: like it could be. Honestly, it kind of feels like
Speaker 1: a girl. I'm not gonna lie all right, uh Joel, Joel?
Speaker 1: I mean I just you know, Josephine, Josephine, Josephina. I
Speaker 1: like Josephina. Jojo Jojo? What are you doing already? Jo Jo?
Speaker 1: Don't mess up my morning like this or just go
Speaker 1: oh hey Jojo and you can start mocking her. Oh Jojo,
Speaker 1: what are you doing? You need to be a linxous today.
Speaker 1: You're feeling a little needy to be next to me
Speaker 1: all day. Come on, Jojo, I'm doing my self care later, Jojo.
Speaker 1: I like Jojo. It's going to be Jojo. Okay, I
Speaker 1: like it. I feel like that's something that's also I
Speaker 1: don't know, there's something that I like about kind of
Speaker 1: taking the power away from it. Do you kind of
Speaker 1: make fun of it? Because I feel like that always
Speaker 1: takes the scariness away from it, which is right? And
Speaker 1: now is it weird that you're used to it? You're like, Oh,
Speaker 1: it's one of these days. It's not as scary. I've
Speaker 1: dealt with it for so long. And I think the pandemic, like,
Speaker 1: I agree, the pandemic was no fun for that. No,
Speaker 1: I feel like it just exacerbates everything that we're all
Speaker 1: going through. If I didn't have exercise, it was would
Speaker 1: you say, exercise is a therapy for you? Exercise wine,
Speaker 1: Ken Jong, my family family first, but not no specific order. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but Kennon, I did that podcast for a brief period
Speaker 1: of time, and that was actually very helpful because we
Speaker 1: both are we have to perform constantly, and so that
Speaker 1: actually helped because we were like, oh, we have a
Speaker 1: way to perform. Would you ever go back into the
Speaker 1: podcast in games? Well, the problem is that Ken and
Speaker 1: I both work in different places, and I'm speaking of
Speaker 1: O c D very O c D and h D. Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: I guess I'm more a D h D. So I'm
Speaker 1: always very disorganized and scattered to do lists. No, really,
Speaker 1: I would have to then write out a list. That's
Speaker 1: how I get through my days to do list all
Speaker 1: the way. I have to check everything off. Hire an
Speaker 1: assistant that I've I've had assistance for years. That's a
Speaker 1: badass move. If I when I get there, that's the goal.
Speaker 1: That is a luxury. So they chase me around and
Speaker 1: say you have to do this, this and this, and
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, maybe we'll get to it. We'll get there.
Speaker 1: It must be maddening for them. It's great. I feel
Speaker 1: like you you you have a good podcast voice, as
Speaker 1: do you. Thank you. That's funny said, because I don't
Speaker 1: like the sound of my voice, but I have to
Speaker 1: listen to it quite a bit. So then that's is
Speaker 1: that another source of anxiety? Aren't there always sources? I
Speaker 1: don't know how. I think it's worse if you were
Speaker 1: like like if you were like I am, because I
Speaker 1: know people that enjoy their voice too much. Those are Yeah,
Speaker 1: you're like, okay, we hear, We're just hearing. You just
Speaker 1: want to hear your self talking right now, you're just talking.
Speaker 1: You love the sound of it. You don't know what
Speaker 1: you're saying anymore, neither do we. Just so everything is
Speaker 1: so great to listen to. So that's I don't like that.
Speaker 1: So I think that's worse than a person. I guess
Speaker 1: self loathing is not great either, but maybe maybe neutral reaction.
Speaker 1: I think there needs to be a middle ground because
Speaker 1: I'm very self loathing both. This year is all about
Speaker 1: self love. That's what I'm making it about. Is it working? No,
Speaker 1: but we're trying. Okay, yeah, do you have to do
Speaker 1: chant like an affirmation? No? I need to get into affirmation.
Speaker 1: I need to get into journaling. But then it's writing,
Speaker 1: like I can write to do list, but because I
Speaker 1: have so much on my mind, writing like my thoughts
Speaker 1: is will just hurt my hand. I ever do that? Yeah,
Speaker 1: So I'm like, what's another good outlet? Um? You could
Speaker 1: just leave yourself voice memos? Do you do that? I
Speaker 1: have done? So? I have done stuff like that, But
Speaker 1: I got a friend. Uh. We both yap so much
Speaker 1: that if we get on a phone call, it'll take
Speaker 1: a long time, so we leave each other voice memos. Also,
Speaker 1: we are schedules never aligned, so it's really the only
Speaker 1: way uh sadly. But then we will have a call
Speaker 1: and it will be like two hours wow, voice memos.
Speaker 1: Like when I get on the phone with Ken Jong,
Speaker 1: I'll we'll talk for ninety minutes. But I think that's
Speaker 1: why people love the podcast and stuff, because it's just
Speaker 1: seeing you guys in in your element. And you know,
Speaker 1: I think community is has become something bigger than itself.
Speaker 1: Um already that's called a transition. That's called the transition
Speaker 1: right there. Um. So I'm a film student also that,
Speaker 1: and I am really interested in just the process of
Speaker 1: creating from start to finish. And something that really inspires
Speaker 1: me specifically about Community is how you guys just played
Speaker 1: around formats so often. Yeah, we filmed it like a movie.
Speaker 1: Your shoot days were crazy. You did your research, of course,
Speaker 1: very good. When you're filming a show like that and
Speaker 1: there's such time commitment, how do you find the balance
Speaker 1: on wanting to be a normal human and be with
Speaker 1: your family but also you're working on something that is
Speaker 1: a show that's arguably very being done very differently than
Speaker 1: most shows, well, movies that are any any movie that's
Speaker 1: shot in a cinematic way takes time. And unless you're
Speaker 1: clin Eastwood where you just stop shooting at five o'clock
Speaker 1: every day, there is no way to have a balance.
Speaker 1: Especially in production. It's balls to the wall all the time,
Speaker 1: early calls, late wraps, early calls. That's just the nature.
Speaker 1: That's nothing would get done unless you had hours like that.
Speaker 1: There can be way did time. Sometimes it doesn't. I've
Speaker 1: been been lucky. There's I've been on some very efficient
Speaker 1: sets and then some totally inefficient sets. Uh. And the
Speaker 1: that's that can be maddening when it's not going quickly,
Speaker 1: but where when it's when it's you can see that
Speaker 1: time is being wasted. But the other thing is like
Speaker 1: with community, we we were moving as a lot of it.
Speaker 1: We were moving as fast as we could, but it
Speaker 1: just takes time. When you're doing stunts and you're getting
Speaker 1: like around the around the study table that was seven
Speaker 1: people around there, and so every person has to be
Speaker 1: shot and every every part of the scene has to
Speaker 1: be gotten from that angle. So that just takes a
Speaker 1: lot of time. And so if you come to peace
Speaker 1: with that, it'll just it's just gonna be a while.
Speaker 1: Then it's okay. The you know, to have a normal
Speaker 1: like you get your normal life when in your months off.
Speaker 1: Do you enjoy the process of filming and creating or
Speaker 1: do you like, um more of the finished product? Oh well,
Speaker 1: I like, I mean, I like acting a lot. I like.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's my first true love. What about it
Speaker 1: do you like? I don't know. I just like doing it.
Speaker 1: It's fun. I always thought it was. I thought always
Speaker 1: thought it was, you know, playing One of the reasons
Speaker 1: why I kept pursuing it because I was like, I
Speaker 1: would be terrible at a real job, and I'm gonna
Speaker 1: do this until the real job police come and take
Speaker 1: me away. So uh so far they haven't. So far
Speaker 1: they haven't, thank god, because it's the only thing I
Speaker 1: ever wanted to do, so which can be an affliction
Speaker 1: because I know all sorts of people that that's all
Speaker 1: they ever wanted to do and and they had to
Speaker 1: get a real job, which is maddening. Uh So it's yeah,
Speaker 1: it's it's a It really is a bug. It's like
Speaker 1: having a disease, that has just can't snitch, that has
Speaker 1: to be scratched all the time. Do you prefer acting
Speaker 1: or hosting or they just completely separate in your mind?
Speaker 1: I just yeah, I don't have any preference. I like
Speaker 1: it all. Everyone Everyone was like, well, if you had
Speaker 1: to choose, and I was like, who's making these decisions?
Speaker 1: What world are we living in where I have to choose? Uh,
Speaker 1: they're all they're super They're really all. They're fun. They're
Speaker 1: all fun. So there's that the play of it. UM.
Speaker 1: I think acting, you know, playing a character takes a
Speaker 1: lot of time to develop, and you're developing another human
Speaker 1: in a way. Yeah, you're worth So that takes up.
Speaker 1: That is rewarding to see those things if they go well,
Speaker 1: you know when you're watching it back on television. Um,
Speaker 1: Hosting is fun because I get to improvise and screw
Speaker 1: around and have you know, like and so I love
Speaker 1: all that stuff. I like stand up. Stand up is
Speaker 1: there's a there's a lot of travel, which I used
Speaker 1: to love. I still love it, but it it is
Speaker 1: maddening to be away from the family. Once I'm finally
Speaker 1: standing on stage. It's very fun and rewarding. And challenging,
Speaker 1: but but the whole process of kidding there, I'm like,
Speaker 1: I gotta do all that that then then and then
Speaker 1: finally okay take them. Yeah, anyway, it's these are all
Speaker 1: these become luxurious problems, but they're you know or you know,
Speaker 1: but it's also your daily life. It's part of what
Speaker 1: the job is. And I love it and would never
Speaker 1: trade it. Yeah, I mean unless you have something really nice.
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, if I do, I'll let you know.
Speaker 1: But like a spaceship, I would take that, you know,
Speaker 1: that would be pretty iconic, would be valuable, and you
Speaker 1: could go all over the universe probably though that's so true.
Speaker 1: We have to take a quick break. But when we
Speaker 1: come back, I want to talk about Psych the movie.
Speaker 1: I know you played a very special role in this movie.
Speaker 1: And by the way, everyone Psych is one of my
Speaker 1: favorite shows. I also want to talk more about the
Speaker 1: show community, how you define success for yourself, and so
Speaker 1: much more. We'll be right back and we're back. You know,
Speaker 1: you were in a movie that I watched recently and
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, hello, John McHale, Uh Psych the movie,
Speaker 1: Psych the movie. Yes, I'm a are you a Psych fan? Well,
Speaker 1: how did that come about. I am I am friends
Speaker 1: with Tim Almondson, who is from Seattle, in my hometown,
Speaker 1: and he was on Psych and he had a stroke
Speaker 1: about five years ago and which almost killed him. He
Speaker 1: has recovered remarkably, but he is still you know, like
Speaker 1: he actually can walk now. But there was a time
Speaker 1: when and this is terrible, SAG was just going to
Speaker 1: cut off the insurance because he stopped working. So James
Speaker 1: Rode and Dole Hill, who are coming on the podcast.
Speaker 1: He's so great. I'm so excited, so fucking talented and
Speaker 1: nice and he's every those those two guys are what
Speaker 1: you want in a leads. And like Maggie Lawson's on
Speaker 1: that show, who was also so kind at the number
Speaker 1: of cool people on that show doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 1: And so when it starts with them being cool, which
Speaker 1: makes a set happy, and it makes the set a
Speaker 1: very happy place. Anyway, they wrote to that Psych movie
Speaker 1: too for Tim to be in so he could get insurance.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's this what a terrible policy of I
Speaker 1: have thousands of problems with the Screen Actors Guild, this
Speaker 1: being one of the big ones is that if you
Speaker 1: stop working because you're horribly injured, yeah, you're not well protected.
Speaker 1: So then so then they he gets his insurance back,
Speaker 1: but he has a life insurance policy and they and
Speaker 1: they they turned around and went, oh, he's working again.
Speaker 1: We don't have to pay you for your life insurance now.
Speaker 1: And so it's also it's also stupid. And he then
Speaker 1: eventually got back because he has will have lifelong challenges. Um.
Speaker 1: One of those challenges not being drinking bourbon with me um.
Speaker 1: So he missed opportunity so that I got to play.
Speaker 1: That was a surprise that I was playing his father
Speaker 1: who had passed away in the show in the movie,
Speaker 1: and so it was super fun and we've surprised him
Speaker 1: on set and she didn't know that you were playing
Speaker 1: his dad. Is there a video of this? There is?
Speaker 1: There is video? Is it out there? No, I've kept it. No, No,
Speaker 1: I think it is out there. Really Yeah. I think
Speaker 1: something that I love about I know you're gonna say
Speaker 1: a transition, but Psych and Community is that the creativity
Speaker 1: and both shows I think are so prevalent, and I
Speaker 1: think those are the kind of shows that we need
Speaker 1: to be having more of nowadays because it's really playing
Speaker 1: around with format, really playing around with like Psych, Red
Speaker 1: did a whole the same episodes just six years later.
Speaker 1: I think it's awesome that now there are these shows
Speaker 1: where we can just change around. You guys did a
Speaker 1: doc episode one time. Yeah, we did a couple of those.
Speaker 1: Dan Harmon's brain is very unique and very special and
Speaker 1: great and uh so that's why the show went from
Speaker 1: started out kind of I want, I want to say normal,
Speaker 1: but it was like, oh, what could this be? And
Speaker 1: then it took off and boy, you kind of go
Speaker 1: into his mind a bit. Yeah. I mean he has
Speaker 1: said it over and over that ill bet is kind
Speaker 1: of his brain, and so that's one of the best characters. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I agree, Danny should have won an Emmy every year.
Speaker 1: He was playing somebody on the spectrum and his brain
Speaker 1: kind of dictated where all the episodes were going, and
Speaker 1: it was in the perspective of So that's that is
Speaker 1: pretty unique. But there's really great shows out there now.
Speaker 1: Of course, there are so many great shows. I feel
Speaker 1: like there's something about the nostalgia that I think, right, well,
Speaker 1: now that is something that's comfortable, especially in that's so uncomfortable.
Speaker 1: I feel like, well, but that's always the case, that's true,
Speaker 1: that the world is always uncomfortable and there's always things
Speaker 1: we find humpered in. But thank god people found it
Speaker 1: in Community because well, when it was on, it was
Speaker 1: barely stayed on the air. Every year canceled and it
Speaker 1: got literally and because of streaming services during the pandemic,
Speaker 1: like Netflix that, you know, Community found a whole new life.
Speaker 1: And the table read you guys did during the pandemic, Yeah,
Speaker 1: that was really fun. It was I think what so
Speaker 1: many people needed, and it brought so many smiles to
Speaker 1: me and my brother. It was watched it around our
Speaker 1: dining table and it was just a moment when there
Speaker 1: was so much darkness and we were just laughing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and Pedro Pascal man, he was so funny and he
Speaker 1: and he you know, he's a freaking Mandalorian and uh yeah,
Speaker 1: I cried. I can I tell I cried so hard
Speaker 1: after that. It was because I was just like, oh,
Speaker 1: like Bami reunion was great. If you were to be
Speaker 1: a part of another show with the same cast as Community,
Speaker 1: but different concepts, look, I would in a New York
Speaker 1: minute do something again with that. That group I would
Speaker 1: love because they're you know, they are family. Uh superb. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Some of some of the best times to talk and
Speaker 1: those hours were endless, and I had new kids, so
Speaker 1: it is that was definitely challenging. But I knew when
Speaker 1: we were filming it. I was like, we're making a
Speaker 1: really unique thing. Let's do this till we can't. And
Speaker 1: then they stopped and they brought us back. So yeah,
Speaker 1: and then you know, we lost cast members and we
Speaker 1: added cast members and they were great. How do you
Speaker 1: adjust when that happens? Because I feel like you when
Speaker 1: you get into a rhythm when you're doing a show
Speaker 1: for that long and you have each other's camaraderie, and
Speaker 1: then when cast members leave, like Donald Glever and Chevy Chase,
Speaker 1: that kind of dynamic is gone and you're bringing new
Speaker 1: people who are figuring out what is figuring that dynamic out?
Speaker 1: That's I mean, that shows you the brilliance of Dan
Speaker 1: and you. The show changes, there's no you can't go
Speaker 1: back to what it was, and the show changes to
Speaker 1: something different and that Uh, it can sometimes be great
Speaker 1: and sometimes be terrible if it's not well handled. But
Speaker 1: I think with community, Paget Brewster and Keith David, those guys,
Speaker 1: Jonathan Banks, those guys were so good. Famously, when Cheers lost, uh,
Speaker 1: Shelly Shelly Long. It changed the dynamic of the show completely,
Speaker 1: and the show evolved and was just as good, and
Speaker 1: definitely it evolved to something even better. I agree, And
Speaker 1: I think there's something I feel that people are afraid
Speaker 1: of change. It's very natural, and even me, I'm scared
Speaker 1: of it. But when I think it's so cool when
Speaker 1: you can see that change can be good and that
Speaker 1: the evolution of a show it doesn't always have to
Speaker 1: be the same. Change can be bad, it can be bad,
Speaker 1: it can be good, changes coming whether you like it
Speaker 1: or not. I'm I think people should look through like
Speaker 1: a high powered telescope because if you're looking at a
Speaker 1: planet through a high powered telescope, the telescope has to move.
Speaker 1: Are you good with change? It depends on what it is.
Speaker 1: But you know, you see those freaking huge heavenly bodies
Speaker 1: up there and they're moving. Everything's moving, everything is swinging
Speaker 1: around in circles. So it depends on what the changes.
Speaker 1: Some change great, some change not some Yeah, you never know. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think I'm really easy going on some things and
Speaker 1: probably very rigid on others. I think there's something very
Speaker 1: um inspiring about the variety of which you do um,
Speaker 1: because it takes like a wide variety of different skill sets. Um.
Speaker 1: But speaking of going into change and something is changing,
Speaker 1: you're back to eat. I am back to eat. Back
Speaker 1: to Eat celebrity Beef will say, you have done more
Speaker 1: research than a lot of different people that have been
Speaker 1: on podcasts. Really. Yeah, some people don't. Yeah, they just
Speaker 1: look up. You know. One of the very latest thing
Speaker 1: is my Instagram be like, oh I was doing what
Speaker 1: is he? Okay, let's be real right, yes that Um
Speaker 1: that show. I wasn't even sure whether it was going
Speaker 1: to come together and it did. Uh and uh, it
Speaker 1: was super fun to make and we and I don't
Speaker 1: know if it's doing well or it's Yeah, when I
Speaker 1: watched it, I was like, oh that was much more.
Speaker 1: That was super pleasant to do and it was really fun.
Speaker 1: I got to meet a night a bunch of cool
Speaker 1: new people and I think there was some good jokes
Speaker 1: and um, he was remarkably cool about everything and the
Speaker 1: production company was great. So uh, like the sets were
Speaker 1: way too nice, which you know it was e So
Speaker 1: I was I was used to like, I'll just bring
Speaker 1: a set with me. I got I got something in
Speaker 1: the back of my garage. Um, But it was. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was a remarkably fun experience. I will I didn't.
Speaker 1: I didn't know what to expect, really, because you don't
Speaker 1: when it's all coming together for the first time, you're like, oh,
Speaker 1: I was gonna then yeah, no shows. You know, you
Speaker 1: see people kind of in the heat of the moment,
Speaker 1: and I think when when you ask those questions and
Speaker 1: you bring your humor, it adds more of a more
Speaker 1: of a human element to it than just you know
Speaker 1: the the Yes, the food is secondary. Food is secondary
Speaker 1: to that. Was any good food? Oh? Yeah, someone was
Speaker 1: really good. Some of it wasn't um, but this food
Speaker 1: Like I love food shows, and believe me, I watched
Speaker 1: them and I like them, but this particular one was not.
Speaker 1: It wasn't about really the best food. It was more
Speaker 1: about screwing around and having a good Sometimes we need that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I would say all the time. Amen, Okay, we have
Speaker 1: to take one more quick break, but when we come back,
Speaker 1: I want to talk more about how you personally define
Speaker 1: success in this crazy industry and also the fine line
Speaker 1: of being a collector or a holder, because I heard
Speaker 1: you like to keep a lot of stuff. We'll be
Speaker 1: right back and we're back, know You've done quite a
Speaker 1: bit in your career. You've done meet movies, you've done shows.
Speaker 1: There is a sense of like what is success? You know,
Speaker 1: people have different definitions for it, whether it's getting like
Speaker 1: number one, or if it's success within like if you're
Speaker 1: content with it? How do you define success? Let's be real, man, boy,
Speaker 1: uh you can. It gets measured in different ways, and
Speaker 1: you know our country measured it measures it in you know,
Speaker 1: through a pretty simple capitalists view of like, well, if
Speaker 1: you make it big within money, then your success and
Speaker 1: then we all know that that is usually a disaster.
Speaker 1: But it really it is such a cliche. But I
Speaker 1: feel successful in the fact that the woman whom I
Speaker 1: married continues to want to be married to me. That's
Speaker 1: always good. Yeah, So that got that one. I have
Speaker 1: two sons that engaging conversation and hang out, so I'm
Speaker 1: like that you hang out with your kids, that's like okay,
Speaker 1: and their teenagers. Yeah, and I'm like that's pretty good.
Speaker 1: Pretty good. So like I look at that, I'm like, okay,
Speaker 1: and then I heard it years ago. But like happy wife,
Speaker 1: happy life is very true, and that more just comes
Speaker 1: down to, like if you are trying to please your partner,
Speaker 1: it's going to go. Well, if you're both doing that, Oh,
Speaker 1: it's great. Uh so that's great. I gotta keep it
Speaker 1: like you're always dating. Yeah, because like what could and
Speaker 1: if you if you tend that garden, it'll grow. Um
Speaker 1: so is marriage fun? Would you say? Would you recommend it?
Speaker 1: We we've been together a long time. We still look
Speaker 1: at each other like, look at us, like we live
Speaker 1: with each other. Here we are and we have kids. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and we have we've made kids. Look at us like
Speaker 1: a house and cars and stuff. Look at us, we're
Speaker 1: like adults. There's still that sense of it. I've really
Speaker 1: it's great. I'm so lucky. And if you met my wife,
Speaker 1: you'd be like you got the best one. And and
Speaker 1: I did, I really did. So there's that whole wonderful thing.
Speaker 1: In our culture, they go every parents like, oh, I
Speaker 1: just want my kid to be happy. So there's that.
Speaker 1: That's the end the marine culture. And then they said,
Speaker 1: like in Asian culture, they go, I want my kid
Speaker 1: to be successful, and it's like the I think the
Speaker 1: and then someone said, both of those are very problematic
Speaker 1: because you can't guarantee any of it. And well, and
Speaker 1: like if you can't guarantee happiness or just create it.
Speaker 1: That's not something that's possible. And then all being successful
Speaker 1: you I guess you can, but but no, it should
Speaker 1: be it should be like this front of I was like,
Speaker 1: you want your kids to be good good, like with
Speaker 1: a capital G, because you can't control all that other stuff.
Speaker 1: So yeah, be good to each other, you know, love
Speaker 1: one another. As far as like work goes, I you know,
Speaker 1: like there was a time when I was like, oh,
Speaker 1: if I can just get on the show like this,
Speaker 1: if I can just do this, that with doing it,
Speaker 1: it's fallen away. So now I like doing stuff I like.
Speaker 1: So it sounds so simple, but I'm like that was
Speaker 1: like playing Starman on UH in Star Girl was really rewarding.
Speaker 1: Uh and so I was like, that was super fun,
Speaker 1: great people. I loved playing the character. I look back
Speaker 1: on that as like that was really really a cool
Speaker 1: experience and so thank you Jeff John's, creator of the show,
Speaker 1: and break Passenger lead to the show. Anyway, that's a
Speaker 1: very long way to come there. There's things you can
Speaker 1: like for success. I'm like, oh, I have a car
Speaker 1: that I love. I'm like, that is a measure of
Speaker 1: my success. And then I bought another one, and there
Speaker 1: we go, and then it just kept going. When I
Speaker 1: go to a grocery store, I'm not like worried about
Speaker 1: the price of this to that, and I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: that used to be used to be very stressed out
Speaker 1: about that, and so that it's a weird measure, like
Speaker 1: getting a menu at a restaurant to go out, and yeah,
Speaker 1: so that's so. Those were little things where I would remember,
Speaker 1: like always trying to find the cheapest gas in Seattle
Speaker 1: when I was growing up. Prices now, well, no, I
Speaker 1: mean this is this is the nineties. So what was
Speaker 1: in the nineties two and a half dollars three dollars
Speaker 1: and that was a lot people like I remember when
Speaker 1: it was fifty cents, but gas prices have come down
Speaker 1: so much they have Yeah, my wife, that's a tesla,
Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, this really does make a difference.
Speaker 1: Have you played the Mario Kart in the tesla? I
Speaker 1: have not, So you can park the car and play
Speaker 1: Mario Karts. I would do that and just go And
Speaker 1: if you ever want to do like a date night moment,
Speaker 1: there is a romantic fire mode where heat or like
Speaker 1: a wood place fire burning and then he comes out
Speaker 1: and he comes out of it. It will be perfect
Speaker 1: for the weather these days, so perfect, it's what you
Speaker 1: need for degrees just to add to it. Yeah, we're
Speaker 1: taping this when when the valley is turning into a
Speaker 1: i don't know, uninhabitable hellscape breaking it's going to be
Speaker 1: a hundred and five on Saturday. Yeah, Like I'll tweet
Speaker 1: something about how high the temperature is, and then people
Speaker 1: in Phoenix come to Phoenix and I was like, that's
Speaker 1: why I'm not in Phoenix. There's a reason I live
Speaker 1: here because I don't want it to be I know
Speaker 1: about Phoenix, but I don't want to go to Phoenix.
Speaker 1: It's very hot. I hosted an outdoor event at night
Speaker 1: in Phoenix in the summer. Why would you? Why would
Speaker 1: you put yourself through? Because I got asked by Phoenix
Speaker 1: Suns and I'm like, yes, I'll totally do it and
Speaker 1: burn everything off. But it's okay. It was during the night.
Speaker 1: I mean it was like and I was like, it's
Speaker 1: all it's ninety eight degrees right now and it's night,
Speaker 1: it's ten. What are we doing here? What's happening? It's
Speaker 1: not safe. You've done some cool stuff in your life
Speaker 1: I get to say yes. I definitely. When I was
Speaker 1: on Community, I knew that, like NBC Sports would show
Speaker 1: all the tennis. So I was like, can I get
Speaker 1: a ticket? Can we get tickets to the Wimbledon? Now?
Speaker 1: Like yeah, yeah, And they were like, we're not gonna
Speaker 1: fly you there. I'm like, I didn't want to be
Speaker 1: flown there, but you can actually get me a take it.
Speaker 1: They're like, yeah, it's just the World Opening. That's where
Speaker 1: I take. I definitely ask for free stuff, so I'll
Speaker 1: be like, if I could, should should And yeah, my
Speaker 1: my house is full of my white drafts are crazy. Uh.
Speaker 1: Would you say you're a hoarder. I'm a quality hoarder.
Speaker 1: That's what a collector is. There's a very fine line
Speaker 1: between collector hoarder. I collect a lot of stuff, but
Speaker 1: knives and swords, swords. I have a lot of swords.
Speaker 1: That's going back to my boyhood. Yeah, it's really wait
Speaker 1: do people know about this? Okay? Swords? When did this start?
Speaker 1: When I was a child, my dad brought a bunch
Speaker 1: of stuff back from the Middle East and from Italy. Uh,
Speaker 1: And I was just as a kid, I was like,
Speaker 1: I was always fascinated by it. Yeah, any other hobbies
Speaker 1: or things that people might not know. Well, No, I
Speaker 1: talk about all. I mean I collect wine. I like that.
Speaker 1: That's good. Uh, you have to moderate it. I buy
Speaker 1: a lot of everything. I just bought. I don't know,
Speaker 1: Like I realized we ran out of pepper sixteen bags.
Speaker 1: Do you just go like like have a great membership
Speaker 1: at Costco? No, I just buy mostly online. So I've
Speaker 1: put it that in a store. I got a little
Speaker 1: storage place for food and like cleaning supplies, and I'll
Speaker 1: be like, we're not going to run out of that
Speaker 1: anytime soon. How many hats do you have? So many thousands?
Speaker 1: Do you have a storage unit for I have to
Speaker 1: throw them out? No, I don't have a storage I
Speaker 1: don't have t Do you know how much money you
Speaker 1: make on that? You know if you sell your hats? Oh?
Speaker 1: No one would who cares about you'd be surprised. Um
Speaker 1: on where? Okay? So there are two places Posh Posh
Speaker 1: Mark and deep Pop. You literally just upload your clothes,
Speaker 1: put a price tag, and I think just because of
Speaker 1: your name, people will buy it. Okay, and you'll make
Speaker 1: a ship ton of money from your use hats. I'll
Speaker 1: do it. I'll let you have to write those down
Speaker 1: or you know, I can run the account. Great, I'll
Speaker 1: give you a percentage. Hey, it's a business. I probably
Speaker 1: have like like I probably you know, I probably had
Speaker 1: a hundred different hats easily. And so because I just
Speaker 1: keep buying them, it's not like I'm wearing it's not
Speaker 1: like I keep them in. So we need to figure
Speaker 1: out a way where you can keep buying them and
Speaker 1: then there's just like a system where they're going out
Speaker 1: the true Yeah, no, there should because I end up.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you're like me, but I wear
Speaker 1: the same things over and over again, and I got
Speaker 1: shipped tons of clothes. I would never do that. I
Speaker 1: would never wear the same jumper like three times in
Speaker 1: a week. Never, never, never. And you don't have like
Speaker 1: one other I don't have this in pink too? Why
Speaker 1: would I Why you would never wear it all the time?
Speaker 1: I would buy the same thing twice. That would be crazy.
Speaker 1: That would be something if you did a thing where
Speaker 1: you had a tracer on my clothes, it would just
Speaker 1: be multiple workout shorts, two pairs of you only wear
Speaker 1: athletic clothes? Is that your staple wardrobe? That is yes?
Speaker 1: And I'm sure. My wife finds it super attractive just
Speaker 1: because I wear the same thing around the house sometimes
Speaker 1: if it's not broken wife fixing. Yes, But then it's like, oh,
Speaker 1: we're going to a party. Oh what I like this
Speaker 1: workout tome? What do we work what are we gonna wear? Yeah,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of that. So anyway, that's a long
Speaker 1: way to say I should just burn my clothing and
Speaker 1: hats because I wear the same dee pop, I think.
Speaker 1: I think it's another it's another Hey, it's another side business,
Speaker 1: another hustle my life motto. Why not? Yeah? Why am
Speaker 1: I not? All right? You can run the account. That
Speaker 1: sounds all right, that sounds great, So make sure you
Speaker 1: check out his deep pop here that guy. Um, thank
Speaker 1: you so much for taking the time to come podcast.
Speaker 1: Thank you. We are half we're at the halfway point.
Speaker 1: We're at the halfway point. We finished what all right?
Speaker 1: I know? Like an Angels game? What happened? I know,
Speaker 1: it's just it goes by. Time goes by when you're
Speaker 1: having fun, time goes by. What time we got here? Alright?
Speaker 1: One eight eight? Amaze, I showed up late and it's
Speaker 1: one forty eight. All right, we did it. We did
Speaker 1: it