WEBVTT - Arbitrarily Ruthless with Ed Helms 0:00:00.880 --> 0:00:02.960 Hi, Catherine, how I see. 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:04.520 I'm great. I'm great. 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:07.040 I just got back from a few days in Mexico 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:09.160 with some of my girlfriends and I love getting away 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:09.959 with my girlfriends. 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:12.080 Oh nice, where'd you go in Mexico? 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:13.760 We went to kan Kun. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:15.720 We've got like a few hotels that we go to 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:17.640 and they just opened up a brand new ones. 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:19.720 We went to their brand new one. It was fantastic. 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:23.040 Nice. Nice. I am in Europe, you, guys. I am 0:00:23.079 --> 0:00:26.800 in Parie, Grand Parie or great Peri And I'm never 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.640 really sure how you say it, gayperi, gaperi. 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:30.120 Guys. 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:35.040 Of course my husband would get that one. 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:37.240 And we're having a hell of a time. 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:41.159 I'm with Molly, my cousin, Yaminika, Eric my tour manager 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.440 who we call Erica, and I have shows coming up 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.720 in Brussels as I'm in Brussels on May seventeenth, I'm 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:51.720 in Amsterdam on May eighteenth, and then Oslo on May nineteenth. 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:54.880 And I have managed to keep my shit together in 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:57.680 Europe so far, so good, right, Yes, and we've. 0:00:57.560 --> 0:00:58.720 Adjusted to the time. 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:02.560 We had three days in Rekuvic and we and yeah, 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:05.000 we're ready to rumble. So we're getting it all in. 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:07.120 We're getting it all in. I've been reading lots of 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:11.000 books on my flights. Yes, I'm just a happy camper, 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:11.840 very happy. 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.039 We'll do a little miniso soon with a round up 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:15.760 of all the books you've been reading and can recommend. 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:19.479 Okay, wonderful, wonderful, And our guest today, you know from 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:21.760 the Office and The Hangover movies, he has a new 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:25.600 book called Snap Foo, The Definitive Guide to History's Greatest 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:29.039 screw Ups. It is out now and it's very enjoyable. 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:33.000 Please welcome actor, comedian and writer Ed helms Hi. Ed 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.440 helms I ran into Ed recently. We were in Where 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.040 were we? Oh, we were in Austin, right south by Southwest. 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:41.479 I had I had podcast towards. 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:43.080 Yeah, that's right. 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:46.880 We weread I had Pasta Pasta Awards, the Pasta Awards. 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:49.240 We were talking about all of your credits, but you 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:51.640 missed that conversation. We were talking about where all people 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:54.760 would know you from places like The Hangover, the Office, 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:58.280 the Vacation Reboot movie, the Daily Show. 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:00.160 Were you a correspondent on the day. 0:02:00.600 --> 0:02:03.040 Yeah, I was a correspondent from two thousand and two 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:04.520 to two thousand and six. 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.200 I forgot about that one. I forgot that you did that. 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.320 I mean it was I made a huge impact. It was. 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:13.200 No. 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.720 Actually, it was a pretty incredible time because it was 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:19.440 the w years and there was a chunk of time 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:24.239 there where it was just Colbert, Me, Corderie and Sam 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:28.600 b were the four correspondents and it was a hell 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:31.320 of a lot of fun and an unbelievable amount of work, 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:32.840 Like it almost broke me. 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.280 Yeah, yeah, Do you ever think that you wish you 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:37.359 were doing that during this kind of administration? 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:38.320 No? 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:41.760 Never, I don't either. It's too much garbage to talk 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:42.160 about all. 0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:46.000 It's too overwhelming. John goes on once a week now 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:49.120 and absolutely crushes it, and I love it, and the 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.120 other the other correspondents now also host the show for 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:54.360 the rest of the week, which I think is a 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.040 great format because it, like yeah, gets the it really 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:02.440 builds the I don't know the communal vibe of the show. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:05.200 They're killing it. It's so good. I'm going to leave 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:05.639 it to them. 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.240 And I don't want to sound sexist right now, but 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:10.800 I just want to say, since women are allowed to 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:13.200 talk about men in this way now, because you guys 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:14.639 had your way with us. 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:16.320 I just want to say that you've had some sort 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:17.320 of glow up. 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:20.720 And I don't want to sound condescending or patronizing it 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:22.320 in a way, but I just want to say, you've 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:24.040 burst into manhood. 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:24.679 In such a way. 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:26.520 And I think I told you this that the iHeart 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:31.120 Podcast Awards. But you really look very handsome, your hair, 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:33.160 You've taken off the glasses. 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:37.760 I'm very debonair almost. I want to say, all right. 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:40.600 All right, yeah, well I finally went through puberty. 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:42.560 I think that's what I was. Yeah, that's what I 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:43.160 was getting to. 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:45.640 I was like, have you gone through it feels like 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:47.960 you must have hit it late and that you hit 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:48.600 it hard. 0:03:49.040 --> 0:03:50.960 Can I tell you something. I just turned fifty, First 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.440 of all, I really appreciate you saying that. And I 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:58.920 just turned fifty. Well I'm a little over a year ago, so. 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:00.720 I'm fifty one day fifty one. 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:04.080 But uh, I'm still in my head. I just turned fifty, 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:07.560 and I I just kind of I'm like healthier than 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.400 I've ever been. I don't know, I'm eating so much better, 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.000 I'm more active. I also have two little kids that 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:15.400 keep me like very much on my toes. 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:17.719 Have you dot maternity test for the children? 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:20.520 No, why should I just to make sure. 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:23.120 You're their father. I mean, yeah, why wouldn't you should? 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:27.719 Why wouldn't I? Yeah, because I'm pretty sure I'm their dad. 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.120 Yeah, but that's not one hundred guarantee. 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:30.359 You know. 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:33.000 Wait, what are you doing? You're just lobbing doubt into 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.440 my my long term marriage out there. 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.520 I just want you to be you know, have all 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.520 the information. I don't know that you. 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:44.320 Do arbitrarily ruthless thing to just like throw into a conversation, 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:51.080 have you had a paternity? Is good? 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:53.840 I like that, right, I like that combo platter. 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:57.240 You would also know ed Helms from his podcast because 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:59.800 it's called Snaphu, just like his new book that's out. 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:01.480 It's called Snaphoo, which. 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:04.760 Is a great book to have around the house, and 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:07.560 I would eat Catherine even suggested to have in your bathroom. 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:08.520 It's a perfect bathroom. 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:10.000 It's a perfect hardrom book. 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.240 I'm not judging. Read it anywhere you want, and it's 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:15.839 and you're right, Actually it is a good bathroom book 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.600 because it's so episodic. Right, it's Snapfoo, the Definitive Guide 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.680 to History's Greatest screw ups, and each chapter is a 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:26.280 different historical screw up. So yeah, it's perfect. If you 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:30.560 got five minutes here, just pick up, read a few pages, enjoy. 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:32.800 Might even help get things moving. I don't know. 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.840 Absolutely, I mean it is it's a very relaxing book 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:38.279 because I mean, and it's very interesting. I mean, you're 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:40.760 a big history buff and you kind of take all 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:43.880 of history's blunders and talk about them. 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:46.680 Not all of them, but I mean, who could count 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:47.200 all of them? 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:49.320 I mean, can you imagine what's going to happen after 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:51.760 this administration in one hundred years when people, I mean, 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:54.640 if they're still the planet and people can reflect. This 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.039 is a great piece of This book is comprised of 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:02.559 lots of stuff that nobody I mean, what I've read 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.320 so far, none of these stories I've ever heard, so 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:06.719 it's very interesting. 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:10.159 I of course was drawn to the LSD story immediately. 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:10.400 You go. 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.279 Let me just read the title of that chapter or 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.120 the caption for that chapter. In the nineteen fifties, a 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:21.360 CIA scientists secretly bought the entire world supply of LSD, 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:25.440 embarking on a horrific attempt to discover the secrets to 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:26.560 mind control. 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:31.200 Mm hmmm, yeah, that's the story of mk Ultra, which 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:36.000 a lot of people know it's a relatively out there incident. 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:39.839 But yeah, Sidney Gottlieb was this CIA scientist who just 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:45.280 started drugging people, and George white Wash one of his underlings, 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:50.200 who actually, this is so insane. This was all under 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:55.480 like official government activity. They built a apartment in San 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:58.760 Francisco that had a double wall with a glass mirror 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:01.080 where he could sit there and watch, and he had 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:05.080 sex workers bring customers back and then they would drug 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:09.440 these customers and presumably also have their sexy time, and 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:11.800 he was just sort of taking notes and god knows 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.680 what else behind this double mirror. And this was all 0:07:15.680 --> 0:07:16.280 in the name. 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:18.720 Of science, your tax dollars at work. 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.440 Your tax dollars. And at the end of it, when 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:24.760 it was all exposed, they came clean, like we actually 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:29.360 gathered zero scientific data from this. It's like, this guy, 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.200 we learned nothing behind a wall. 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.760 It does, and so I don't know why, And so 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.760 I don't like the way it besmirches LSD's reputation, you 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:38.960 know what I mean, Why did LSD have to be 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:39.640 involved in this? 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:41.360 This guy was just trying to get his rocks off. 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:43.320 When I read this, I was like, where does LSD 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:45.640 even come into play that you're able to control someone 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:47.600 sexually via LSD. 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:51.320 Well, there was a big LSD was so new, and 0:07:51.360 --> 0:07:54.480 there was there was this sort of like international competition 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:56.960 with the Soviets, like the Cold War was flaring up, 0:07:57.000 --> 0:07:59.720 like is mind control a weapon that we can use? 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:04.000 Or is LSD maybe this crazy truth serum like how 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.520 does it affect people? And can we weaponize it or 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.560 use it in advantageous ways? And yes, it just devolved 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.440 into like a guy jerking off behind a glass mirror, 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.680 like watching people. And it's so much darker than that too, 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.000 Like they wound up drugging prisoners. They wound up drugging 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:24.320 people that they would go into bars and drug people 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:27.720 and then observe them for hours afterwards and just basically 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.640 watch them melt down on these crazy acid trips that 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.559 they had no idea that they were going on. People 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:36.960 thought they were going insane. And this is a very 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:42.280 weird factoid. Whitey Bulger, who is the famous Boston mob 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:46.880 boss who recently died, when he was in federal prison 0:08:46.920 --> 0:08:50.679 in Atlanta, I think in the sixties, he agreed to 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.760 be experimented on in this way and for months he 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:57.600 was given these intense psychedelics, and he says that it 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.800 gave him these like violent visions or the rest of 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:03.480 his life, like he would have horrible nightmares and violent visions. 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:08.520 So I don't know, maybe the CIA helped create the 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:10.840 monster that Whitey Bulger became. 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:12.680 I would just also like to say, this is not 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:15.720 how LSD is anymore. You don't have to take LSD 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:19.200 like this. LSD can be microdose. I'm a big proponent 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:22.520 of microdosing LSD. This is not a microdis this is 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:23.280 like megato. 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:28.080 These are mega doses. They're also involuntary, and they're in 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:30.160 terrible contexts torturous. 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:32.200 Imagine being put on that, yeah. 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.960 Literally torturous. So wait, I am so curious about this. 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:38.360 I've never done like a serious I've never had like 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.120 a serious psychedelic experience, and I want you to tell 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:43.880 me what I should do, Like how do I dip 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:47.360 my toe into this? Because I'm fascinated by it and 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:48.360 I don't want to. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:50.679 I mean, microdosing is kind of like a whole New 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:53.800 World head like it just you could easily take one 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.520 on a workday, take a microdose of LSD. 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:57.959 You could even rip it in half. 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:02.000 Their little paper tablets like they've always but I get 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:04.400 mine from Canada. I get all the best drugs from Canada, 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.719 the purest drugs, I should say, from Canada. But microdos 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.080 really changes the game because then you don't ever have 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:13.080 to feel like you're being overwhelmed or you have to 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.920 go sit down in a corner while you get you know, 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:18.280 like you don't feel that way, just like watch the 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:20.319 clock and you're like, I'm gonna be okay. 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:21.880 Yeah, And it's not like that. 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:24.200 I don't want anybody sitting in a corner. I don't 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.960 want anyone freaking out. But I do think of it 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:31.280 as like an enhancement, like a life enhancement, a performance enhancement, 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:34.400 especially if I'm outdoor exercising, if I'm on a big 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:36.240 bike ride, or if I'm on a big ski day. 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:37.960 I love to take a little LSD. 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:43.160 It just is like it's like an upper of energy, enthusiasm, calm, 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:45.880 Like it makes you less nervous if I'm going helly skiing, 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:49.760 Like it just really intensifies your focus in a way 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:51.520 that is beneficial. 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:52.000 To your experience. 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:53.120 Who are you? 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.040 I actually write that down because hell, what did I 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:58.400 just say? It feels like I'm on LC right now and. 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.000 I'm not now would you have a start with LSD 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.800 or like try a mushroom situation for I think they're. 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.320 All different, Like mushrooms are good too, I'm not, you know, 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:08.559 I'm more into the LSD right now, just because it's 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:10.840 had such a positive impact on so many people in 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:14.560 my life. The MDMA is different MDMA. Some people can 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.400 have a great reaction to that that's also a microdose. 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:19.920 But MDMA to me is the love drugs. So that's 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.600 a heart opener. And what I love ed about all 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.560 these drugs is that they kill the ego, So there's 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:28.960 no ego, like you're just like open instead of any 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:32.120 sort of negative thoughts, you're just kind of eradicated, like 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:35.240 even people you dislike you like when you're on these drugs. 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:37.160 And I think that really just says it all. 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:39.760 So a lot of couples counseling, like a lot of 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:43.200 couples will have MDMA guided couples counseling, because when you 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:47.400 take the MDMA, there's no defensiveness. You're both just open 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:50.040 to hearing the other person's argument. So there's been a 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:52.160 lot of success and the reason why I was drawn 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.080 to it in the first place and I don't really 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:56.920 I don't know if I have massive PTSD to anything, 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:00.720 but is that it's helped so many people with PTSD, 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:04.160 so many veterans, so many people who have been through 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:05.280 bad experiences. 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:06.559 And that's scientific. 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.360 I mean, like the data is there, so so yeah, 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:11.400 you can't argue with that. And you know, I think 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.800 we're in a place where, you know, drugs come on 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:15.559 the scene in the way that you describe in your 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.480 book in this chapter, and then over this period of time, 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:23.360 look where we've come. You know, we've realized, Okay, that's 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.480 too much, this is the right amount. So it's like 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.640 any other substance, you have to figure out what the 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:29.560 right balance is. 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:30.600 Yeah. 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:31.920 Wow, But I'm an advocate. 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:36.200 That's so fascinating and I'm so curious. And I have 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:40.720 had friends, you know, do the MDMA couples counseling and 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.520 had had wonderful experiences. And I had a lot of 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:49.400 friends in college just kind of having fun with various psychedelics. 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:52.360 And I've always been a little bit I don't know, 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.199 intimidated or something, but micro dosing feels like a nice, 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.200 a good baby step because I do want to I 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:01.160 just want to kind of like I don't know, mix 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:03.520 it up a little bit. I like what you're saying. 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:06.080 If it allows me to go Hella skiing, then yeah, 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:08.079 I'm a Hella on board. 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:11.200 So where did you go to college? 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.880 At Oberlin College in Ohio that used. 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:15.479 To do it? 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:15.640 Well? 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.200 I know Oberlin. Yeah, that's a very well respected school. 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.199 I thought that was a women's college. Did it used 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:21.240 to be a women's college? 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:23.000 No? 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:23.080 Oh no. 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.280 In fact, it's the first college in the United States 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:30.240 to admit women. So yeah, that's one of its claims 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:33.080 to fame. It's always been a very progressive, kind of 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:39.080 intellectually exciting place. And it has a Conservatory of music 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.920 as well, the Oberlin Conservatory that is a world renowned, 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:45.079 you know, music study place. 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:47.040 And what did you study there? Did you study? Did 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:47.800 you study acting? 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.280 No? I mean I did. I took I was in 0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:54.400 some plays and took some acting classes. But I studied 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:58.079 I kind of out of a funny academic journey. 0:13:58.120 --> 0:13:59.400 I started out hynecology. 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:01.440 Yeah. I was like, guys, I want to be a 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:03.840 gynecology major. They're like, we don't have that, you can't 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.959 do that, And I was like, well, here's my natology. 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:13.080 When's kidding? So I said, I wanted to be a 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:16.280 geology major because I loved being outdoors. I was kind 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:18.600 of like, I loved camping and hiking and all these things. 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:21.400 I was like, geology, that's the that's what geologists do 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:24.560 for a living. And then I got into the hard 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.200 science courses and I was like, none, this is terrible. 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.920 I am not cut out for this. And I kind 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:33.240 of did a gut check and I really wanted to 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:36.960 make movies and be in movies and work on movies, 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:40.200 and so I became a film major. But Oberlin didn't 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.600 really have that at the time. They do now, but 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:46.680 at the time they had a film minor, and so 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:50.360 I was able to do this weird thing where you 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.000 design your own major. And I cobbled together like different 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.680 acting classes and directing, you know, theater directing with the 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:59.720 film courses, and then I spent a semester at the 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.280 in You Film School one spring. I spent the whole 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:06.080 semester there and that was so so cool and eye opening, 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:09.760 and so I graduated with a kind of made up 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:14.120 major that was a basically a film major. 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:16.440 Well that's nice that they were able. You're able to 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.040 do that. There's not a lot of schools that allow 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:19.120 you to make up your own major. 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:22.640 You really have to make it sound legit. But I 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.320 was always a good kind of salesman. I could. I could, like, 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:28.800 you know, charm the committee and then and it worked. 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:30.240 I got Yeah, I graduated. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.160 Yeah, yeah, well you did. I mean, you've been entertaining 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:35.440 us for a long time. I like that you're able 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:38.120 to marry your careers together and do this kind of 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:41.640 stuff that you're really interested in, also this historical stuff, 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:46.400 while being very entertaining. I also I worked closely with 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:49.680 Zach alifan Acus for a while on the road, well 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:51.560 not as long as you did on the hangover, but 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.640 on the road. And I have a great Zach Alfanakas 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:58.560 story that I shared recently about him. Well, I have 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.720 a couple of Zach elephant stories. But I want to 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:04.880 know about your experience working with Zach Alifanakis because I 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:08.600 think Zach is probably the funniest person I know. 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:10.120 He's the thing. 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:12.840 I think you're right. I think he's the funniest person. 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.680 He reminds me of a human snufhalophagus, and that's not 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:19.640 because his scalp also isn't quite set to the top 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:22.040 of his head. He doesn't have a hard scalp. He 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:25.320 has a baby scalp. Okay, I've tugged on it. I 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.640 haven't seen him in years, but when I was spending 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.120 time with him, I couldn't. He'd always be like, touched 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:31.920 my scalp and it was always soft. You know how 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:36.280 baby scalps are soft while they're forming and like a skull. Yeah, yeah, 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.240 and they've got that little spot where until he doesn't 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:42.320 really get hard. His is never hardened. So I'm not 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:44.000 sure what kind of creature he is. 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:48.880 Well, he's a snuffs like you said, he's yeah, he's 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:54.440 a humanus. I love a Sesame Street reference. Thank you 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:55.160 for bringing that in. 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.480 Yeah, no problem, absolutely, it's history. 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:01.960 I you know someone I read somewhere that someone described 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:06.160 Oscar Wilde as like the sharpest wit they had ever known, 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:09.639 and that he was like the fastest with a with 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.919 azinger or a comeback or just a kind of quip 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:15.760 or a joke or a comment on a moment. And 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:20.760 that's Zach. I've never seen the speed that he like 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:25.040 delivers a quip off of a situation, like or you 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.240 say something dumb, and he like instantly has the the 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:31.399 kind of zinger or or come back, and it's not 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.679 always it's not always a zinger like a kind of 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.920 mean spirited thing. Sometimes it's just a silly, ridiculous thing. 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:42.560 But it's it's sharp, and it's it's smart, and it's 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:46.360 so fast. Like his brain is just in a different 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:50.520 gear than everyone else's. It's sort of like when Keanu 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.679 reeves in the Matrix, like realizes he's the one, and 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.679 all of a sudden, he's like everyone else's is in 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:01.160 slow motion because they're in reality, and he's just like, oh, 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:04.040 this is easy. That's how I think Zach's comedy brain works. 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:07.400 He's just ahead of everybody else. And Todd used to 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:11.639 Todd Phillips the director on the Hangover. Sometimes he direct 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:14.520 from afar, like a lot of directors. He s would 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:17.080 sort of sit at the monitors or somewhere sort of 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:19.320 off to the side with his own little monitor, and 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:22.200 he'd call out things to us, and then Zach would 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:27.560 always kind of zing back at him, and Todd was 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:31.639 just like always like, unbelievable, unbelievable. 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:35.399 He just has the quickest, highest and the driest because 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:36.920 he's never laughing at himself. 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:40.800 No, he's and he's not loud. He's quiet. Yes, it's 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:43.400 like quiet and under the radar and sweet. 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:45.320 There's a sweetness to all of it. You know. I 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:48.280 feel like there's certain comedians that can get away with 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:54.800 pretty aggressive insults or yes, just kind of like dark, darker, 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:58.400 or things that would on paper be extremely mean spirited, 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:00.880 but because you know that they have such a big 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:04.280 heart and they're such kind of sweet people, you're just like, 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.000 it's the funniest thing. You give them so much leeway 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:11.119