WEBVTT - Fred Armisen 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:03.720 This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the thing, 0:00:04.480 --> 0:00:08.720 ladies and gentlemen. The President of the United States on 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:11.000 my first day in office, I said I'd closed Wanton 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:17.800 and mobit is it closed yet? No, that's Fred Armisson 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.600 on Saturday Night Live, adding to the show's distinguished line 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:26.320 of oddly perfect presidential impressions that started with Chevy Chase. 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:31.080 Now there was Fred, who also plays other important icons 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:35.080 such as Larry King, Mak mood Am, A Dinajade, Rupert Murdoch, 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:40.760 and Prince Attention, sexy passengers. This grew jets about to 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:44.640 take off, so please direct your attention to my co host, 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:49.280 Miss Beyonce. No. Fred Armison grew up in Valley Stream, 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:53.160 Long Island with a Venezuelan mother and a German Japanese father. 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:56.640 My mom really loved Saturday Night Line. She loved it. 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:01.160 She I remember her talking about Chevy Chase and she 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:04.400 would say, like, Oh, Chevy Chase, he's so funny. You 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:05.960 just look at his face and you want to laugh. 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:10.479 And then made a huge impression on me. And even 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:12.760 as a kid, I thought, yeah, what is that like 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.480 a guy who just from looking at him right away? 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:21.120 You know it doesn't absolutely. Armiston is also co creator 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:25.399 of Portlandia, a playfully subversive sketch comedy show on i 0:01:25.640 --> 0:01:28.240 f C in which he co stars with the musician 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:31.160 Carrie Brownstein. And I have to get up early for work, 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:33.520 so let's get in her pgs and we'll watch one 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:40.880 more Okay, one more, so good? So good? What time 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:45.200 is it? It's like daylight? Any How did that even happen? 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:46.800 We just stayed up on late Do you want to 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:51.000 watch more Landia, which he produces while SNL is on hiatus, 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:54.000 recently won a Peabody Award. Thank you so much for 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:56.080 your guidance and for believing in the show and for 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:58.800 allowing us a freedom not to be reckless but to 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:02.920 be bold. Fred missing as part of the American comedy landscape, 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.480 but he took an unusual path to get there. For 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:09.200 ten years, he was a punk rock drummer in a 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:13.280 band called trench Mouth. I worked so hard on that band. 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:15.360 It was like an obsession for me. But it was 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.760 like I just worked every day. We were in the van. 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:24.720 We toward toward towards booking places, booking, booking, booking, booking, 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:27.040 and just trying to get slots and clubs over what 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.720 area the States, in Canada, and you were all floating 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:33.520 and reloading your own equipment. They were your own roadies. 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.359 Absolutely didn't bring any extra people to save money up 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:41.600 and downstairs the middle of the night, lifting lifting, lifting drums, symbols, amps. 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:45.840 Then if it was a local show, flyers records, getting 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:47.880 them out to people, getting them out to radio stations. 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:51.200 It was non stop and the same band, same band 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:57.440 for ten years too. I'd say maybe nine years. Was 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:59.639 it successful? It depends how you look at That's what 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.160 I'm saying. I want to know you were definition definition. 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.640 I had success in getting becoming closer with my friends. 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.000 I had success in playing the drums. I played a 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.120 lot of drums for a long enjoyed myself, travel the 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:16.160 country and I'm not much of a drinker. Played in Europe, 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:19.079 played in the States. So absolutely that all that stuff 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:21.600 was like, that's a success? Was it what I wanted? 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:25.120 I wanted much more? Did much more? Why? Why? Why? 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:27.440 Because I want I wanted to be as big I 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.680 remember this is going to sound I'll just be honest 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:31.880 about what I wanted. But I was wanted to be 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:33.919 as big as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was like, God, 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:37.520 they're huge, they're huge. What we can do it? So 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:40.800 because we never attained that, and I would see bands 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.400 from Chicago kind of swooped right by us. I saw 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:44.920 it as not a success, and that's what kind of 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.240 got me into doing comedy. In fact, I remember one 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:51.600 band in particular. I remember seeing the drummer and saying 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.720 to myself that I don't want to be that. And 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:56.880 he was older than me, so he must have been 0:03:57.000 --> 0:03:59.000 who knows what, thirty forty or something like that. He 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:00.760 was a drummer in a very knew more how old 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:05.360 I must have been ten years older and said ten 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:06.880 years from I don't want I saw he had some 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:08.920 gray hair, and which is nothing wrong with that I'm saying, 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:10.400 but this is what I did not like was that 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.760 he was still lugging his equipment and I just I 0:04:13.840 --> 0:04:15.360 was just like, I don't want to be that guy. 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:17.720 I don't want to arrive in some town and find 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:21.159 a place to stay. It just doesn't look nice. Yeah, 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.960 do you know what I mean? Like you've done that. Yeah, 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:26.760 it's fine for when you're in your twenties, it's great. 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:31.800 We slept on floors, shared tell rooms shared really like 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:34.040 the worst kinds of places you could imagine. You get 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:37.840 stuck together, stuck together. Describe trench Mouth's music. Who wrote 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:40.200 the songs we all did together? You all did. Yeah. 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.160 When we did the songwriting appen, you just like get 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:45.919 together and say today's rehearsal songwriting day. It's kind of 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:48.279 like we had band practice every whatever, three times a 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:50.599 week or something twice a week, and you just sit 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:52.040 in a room and you're like, I have this one 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:53.680 part and I have this other part, and we just 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.920 put them all together. But it was very frenetic and 0:04:57.040 --> 0:05:01.359 loud and percussive, and it was a cacophony, just like noise. 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:13.320 I was a little bit of a ham so, like, 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:15.480 I really want to play a lot of drums, like 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:20.040 Heath Moon style noise, noise, noise all the way through. 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:21.960 And that was kind of like what a lot of 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:23.640 bands were like that. So it was kind of just 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:27.400 the way it was. It was pretty noisy. But I 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:31.279 don't know, I love the drums, so and you still 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:35.159 play I do. I do. I love get invited to 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:37.600 come play with somebody who was famous. It depends what 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:40.600 you consider famous. For me, it was the Bengals asked 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:42.720 me to play with them recently. Yeah, I loved it. 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:45.320 I loved it. I'm paid to go see the Bengals 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:47.520 and then at a show recently they'll come up and 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:51.200 play a song absolutely, and then I loved it. I 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.520 loved it. So you're really two people. There's you, the 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.120 musical you, and you don't want to let that die 0:05:57.720 --> 0:05:59.640 and you still play every now and then. Yeah, you 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.200 still have just a drum set. Yeah, but I don't 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.080 do anything like I don't fancy myself like, hey, I'm 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.280 still making music. I won't like put out like you know, 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:12.760 original songs and like that no one needs to hear. 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:16.039 You know. I'm grateful to be a comedian. I'm not 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:19.320 like a struggling anything. But for fun, I will go 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:23.640 and play music. Armison went with his band to Austin, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.359 Texas for the south By Southwest Music Festival. Along with 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:30.960 his drums, he brought a video camera. And there were 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:32.839 always seminars and stuff how to make it in the 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:36.360 music biz, And somehow I got it in my head 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:42.080 to interview people do different characters, and uh, it just 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:44.719 became this, this video and you've never done anything like 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:47.520 that before. You're down there, and the and the whole, 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:50.719 the whole experience down there was a musical one, but 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:53.120 you start doing funny stuff and I don't even know 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.200 why I did it, you know, I was just like 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.040 I just thought it would be a fun thing to do. 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:00.560 And a friend of mine edited it together, and that 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:05.320 tape This is nineteen sort of made the rounds. They 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.440 wrote about it in this local Chicago paper. And then 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:09.520 I showed it at a club there that I used 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:13.400 to play in Trench Mouth. At this club as many 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:16.200 people turn out for that as with the band, So 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.440 right away I knew like, oh, I could do this 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:21.920 and not have to load in my equipment back and forth, 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.280 do you know what I mean? Like the reaction was 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:27.360 greater than when I was in a band. On that night, 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:29.160 I thought, oh, this might be a way to go. 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.240 I'm here with the aluminum grove. I just wanted to 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:34.200 know from you guys who thought up the name of 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:36.320 the band. And I don't mean like originally, I mean 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.200 like who was the person who decided that that was 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:40.840 going to be the name? And what record label are 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:42.560 you on? Is it the same record label that you're 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.440 on a couple of years ago, or is the one 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:47.720 that's going to be different, and is it the one 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:50.400 that's gonna be on in Europe? Did everybody in Trench 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:52.040 Mouth get really sad than did they know you were 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:55.560 going to go? Um? Maybe? But they're my friends, so 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:57.440 I think based you know, they had they kept on 0:07:57.480 --> 0:07:59.800 going with another band called All of Them, and they 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:03.200 said they hate you, damn it. But hatred equals love. Yeah, 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:10.920 it's a it's still an Emotional're not ignoring me. I 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.080 think we were already broken up or breaking up, so 0:08:14.120 --> 0:08:17.200 it was a very natural progression. At the time, I 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:22.120 was playing drums for Blue Man Group in chicoge So, Um, 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:24.560 that's doing the same thing every night, isn't it. That's 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:27.680 a show? Yeah, that grab you. I learned a lot, 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.720 you did. I learned a lot from that show, because 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.240 do you have you very familiar with this playing down 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.800 for years pure entertainment. You know, I'm up there in 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:41.199 this sort of the drums are above this stage and 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:43.840 you can kind of look down at the audience. And 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.920 I learned that lawns want to just be entertained. You 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:49.200 don't have to overthink anything if you're if you if 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:51.880 you're entertaining enough, they're there they want something to do 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.840 at night. You're predisposed. How long did you do that? 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.440 Two years? Two years? It's the first time I got 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:01.720 a paycheck for playing the drums, and to me, it 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:05.000 was a million of the last and the last. Yes, 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:09.440 absolutely after that comedy, so you're yeah, that's the last 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:16.920 thing that man. Um simplicity to not overthink ideas speed. 0:09:17.080 --> 0:09:19.920 They changed from one bit, as it were, to the 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:25.520 next very quickly. Um. I think, uh reinvention a little bit. 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:27.839 They would keep sort of renewing the show a little 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:30.280 bit just to keep it lively. That that is what 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:32.920 I came away with the most of that. Audiences want 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:36.719 to want to be entertained. And then what happens after that, 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:39.680 That's when I started doing comedy. And then doing comedy 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.880 where from those videos that I was telling you about, 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.720 I started traveling the country showing it in l A, 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:48.640 San Francisco, New York. You took made it into a 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:50.880 stand upack kind of I would just you know, they'd 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:52.800 write something in the paper, and people came out in 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.200 all these cities. And then I went to l A clubs, 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.440 comedy clubs, rock clubs, rock clubs. There was no music, 0:09:59.559 --> 0:10:02.000 no music, just showed this video and talked a little bit, 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.320 and that's it. How long we're on stage? I mean 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:08.319 total of like half an hour forty something really short, 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:12.480 just a little people dug it. Absolutely, It's pretty internet. 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:17.120 So showing a video was more of an event. Yeah, 0:10:17.160 --> 0:10:18.600 there was no such thing as like sort of why 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:22.160 don't you just watch it online? Um? And then someone 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:23.760 from HBO was at one of the shows, and then 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:27.400 I started doing these videos for HBO. They had like 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:31.720 this these other channels like HBO Zone Latina, So there's 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:33.440 something called HBO Zone which is this sort of like 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:37.720 alternative channel. And then I did these little interstitial pieces 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:43.319 for them. Who hired you to do this, woman Elaine Brown? 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:46.360 It was through someone else who worked for a show 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:49.600 called Reverb, which is a rock show on HBO, So 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:52.480 it sort of indirect. I did so many reviews for them, 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.000 and then I started making enough money that I didn't 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:56.760 have to live in Chicago anymore. I was like, I can. 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:58.840 I always wanted to live in l A. I moved 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:01.080 to l A and then I started doing stand up 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.360 like characters and stuff on stage where this is one 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.959 club that I loved called Largo, and people like David 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.000 Cross and Bob oden Kirk and Marylyn Rice Cup would 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:13.880 perform there, and I just wanted to do the same thing. 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:16.719 So I just started doing some stand up there as 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:19.640 different characters. And so now are you in the full 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:23.079 world of sitting down and writing for those shows? You're 0:11:23.080 --> 0:11:26.319 sitting down doing a lot of writing. Then it's like, yes, no, 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:28.480 I did all that for sure. I moved to l 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:30.120 A and I I just wanted to fit in, you know, 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:31.960 I was on my own and I just wanted to 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.480 perform there and I would just do characters. Yeah. Did 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:37.560 you make old new friends right away to fall into 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:40.000 the comedy world, Yeah, I did. I just wanted to 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:41.320 be part of it, you know what I mean? So 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:43.880 I think it was and you were open to it, Yeah, 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.439 and then I just and who became your pals there 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:50.440 in l A Um Paul F. Tompkins Bob oden Kirk 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.200 really helped me out a lot from doing stand up there. 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:55.960 He had a pilot for a show called Next, which 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.079 had different characters and it was a sort of variety 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:00.640 show and he got me onto the past for that. 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:06.080 And from that is where I have like all um 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:10.360 tape to submit to SNL. Hello, welcome to focus on talent. 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.319 I am go hard lip shifts and today my very 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:18.560 special guest is the wonderfully simple Way Romano. Thank you 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:20.200 so much for coming. This is really great. Do you 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.560 begin instead up comedy and so and I think that 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:28.880 your act was not so good? Yes, well it seems 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.520 to make people smile. I guess yes, yes, but perhaps 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:34.640 it is a yawn and you are paid by the 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:37.800 yawn and that's why you're so rich. Yes, I had 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.000 enough tape to submit to SNL. My agents and manager 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:42.400 sent it to them, and then I was on the 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.400 cast and two thousand two, so you show up to 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:49.640 New York to do the show. I flew into do 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:52.640 the auditions. You know, I was flipping out that I 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.840 even got to do the auditions. All yeah, I mean 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:58.360 I met Tina Favor the first time Lauren, and Tina 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:00.280 was the head writer of them. I b leave, so 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.160 I think her and Dennis McNicholas. I couldn't even believe 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:08.400 I was in that studio. Yeah it was. I'm still 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:10.840 blown away by it. And then when you started, you 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:14.360 were a featured player. And then how many years you 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:17.480 did you do that? Before you drive? Two years? It 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.679 was Will Forte and I and was it frustrating to 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.000 be a future player, because again, no, no, I wasn't. 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.880 I'm fresh from carrying drums. I'm fresh from just doing 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:30.880 stand up at large. I can't. There's a part of 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.480 me that still is like, I can't believe it. A 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:35.360 lot of people on the show don't since that they 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:36.959 leave and they don't realize how good they've had it. 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:41.280 But people who have left the show have told me 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:43.319 and I listened to them, and they say, it's the 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:45.439 best job I've ever had. Yeah, it's going to be 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:46.880 one of them. You know, you're not gonna have that 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:50.040 much freedom and that much variety. I always tell people, 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:52.080 don't leave the show and become the thing you made 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.200 fun of on the show, right, And that's a real trip, 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:56.520 because you're gonna go out there and do with the jobs. 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.200 And one of the greatest risks in my mind is 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:02.080 that people will characterized you. Oh yeah, I mean I 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.839 can see you doing a movie where you're when a 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.280 really smart cast and a smart director and you like 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:10.520 lock everybody in the gymnasium and burn the gymnasium down 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:12.680 to the ground. You could go either way, don't you think. 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:19.800 I hope. So I wanted to straight acting. Mm, that's tricky. Um, 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:23.000 but if there's a way to do it, it's tricky 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:27.720 because I don't want to look like I'm unhappy with comedy. 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:32.000 I don't want to go out there and say, for 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:34.400 lack of a better word, an audience like, hey, this 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.440 is what I really do. However, I think these days 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:41.600 there are roles that are both comedic and dramatic. I 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:46.400 like that that line is becoming blurry. So my answer 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.720 is kind of like, I think there's a way that 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:52.760 Peter Sellers did. It was comedy comedy somewhere, and he 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:56.560 occupies a very very distinct place. You have comic actors 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.680 who made their reputation in comedic roles who have tried 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:03.920 to go over into dramatic films and it's worked to 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:07.080 some degree or hasn't worked, Billy Crystall and Robin Williams 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:11.280 and so forth. And I think you have a real opportunity, 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:15.400 and it's never more vivid than it is in Portlandia 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:17.560 that you could go both ways and do the comic 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.160 and the dramatic. Do you feel that way, yes, because 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:22.080 when we do the show, when we write the show, 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:25.000 we don't always think about, like what's the funniest thing, right, 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.200 Like what what seems interesting to us? What what's going 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:29.880 to look? If they comes, it comes great. If it's 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:33.160 not quite comedy, that's okay, Like that's it's something else 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.600 in between. Did I did read that? Do you The 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:39.320 thing of mc sweeney's was comparing CD tracks and album 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:41.920 tracks and if you read that, Yeah? Do you read 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.920 that thing? And mother Jones about eco chairs and eco 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:47.560 waste to sit? I did? Yeah, I did that thing. 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.560 It's been about all the festivals. Did you read that 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.200 thing in Peace? It was about the National thinks well 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.240 about all that mid century houses? Yeah? Did read the 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.880 New York Times? Yes? New York observe, Yes, Washington hosts 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:00.800 Journal of course, ready to read that steampunk art. Did 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:02.440 not like the end of it. Did you read that 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:05.440 skywriting over the Plammett River? Yes? Read thetune? Yes? Last night? Ye? 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:06.800 Do you read it? Yes? There were Yes. Did you 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:08.120 read that thing that I wrote in the sand on 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:09.960 the beach? Did you read the Portland to read the 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.720 Wilmah to read the Seattle Stranger? I loved it. I 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:16.440 think everybody who would listen to this podcast knows. Carrie 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.040 Brown's team from from the show. But did you know 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:22.320 Carrie when? When did you meet her? I met her 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.920 two thousand and three, I think, but I know I 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.280 had We had mutual friends, going back to you just 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:29.560 started the feature playing bit of the contract. Yeah, but 0:16:29.600 --> 0:16:33.120 I knew the drummer in her band, Janet in seven 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:38.240 or Carrie lives in Portland, Portland and her band was 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.560 like my favorite bands bands leader Kenny. I became friendly 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.360 with them. We just had a lot of mutual friends. 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.520 They came to New York to play. I just invited 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:48.880 them to come to the show. They had a show 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:50.680 that night, so they came to the after party and 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:54.240 I met Carrie there and it was the strangest thing. 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:58.440 Carrie and I just became instant friends. That happens, and 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:00.720 she knew who you were from the TV show. Fully, 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.760 it just worked cooked. Yeah, ever since then? And then 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:07.000 how soon after that? I mean, what was the relationship 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:09.159 like between that and when you started Portland? Which is 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:12.720 only how many years old? Plane is we're going to 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:15.840 a third season. You started hatching it four years ago. 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:18.120 Let's further back in that. We had a website where 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:20.159 we would make little videos. This was the birth of 0:17:20.240 --> 0:17:24.480 that was this video as well. Yeah, so it was 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.280 just we just made these videos. Well it was going 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:29.560 to be thunder egg which is the Oregon State rock 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:31.840 and then there was a band called thunder Eggs that 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:34.240 were like out of respect, like, let's think of something else, 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:37.160 and we just came up with thunder An and uh, 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.240 we just made these videos. I'd go to Portland. It 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.760 was like the equivalent of jamming, you know. And so 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.600 instead of doing that, which is just like so what 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.240 you know, like, hey, we have this band, we just 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:51.720 thought let's make these videos. There was no pressure on it. 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:54.600 It's just like, let's just didn't like it, Yeah, for 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.239 no reason, let's just come up with characters, let's make 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:58.920 these tapes. And then we did. And then we had 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:02.760 all these videos on this website. I remember reading that 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:04.640 you did about a dozen of them, correct, Yeah, that's 0:18:04.640 --> 0:18:06.960 about right. And then then we just had enough to 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.600 pitch a TV show and then how does Portland become 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:11.720 a show? Who buys the show? Um? It was kind 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:13.840 of a thing where I was just talking to my manager, 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:15.760 what do you want to do next? What's something about okar? 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:17.480 And I thought thunder and let's just turn it see 0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:19.960 if we can turn it into something. And then Carrie 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:21.359 and I just thought, yeah, let's let's pitch it. We 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.159 are ready for that. Does she want that? Yeah? She 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.800 seems like somebody who lived in Portland and lived on 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.639 the fringe and was very very talented deliberately that she 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.679 didn't want to be mainstream successful. Um. I think she 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.680 just likes doing it, so she does what she wants. 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:38.320 She's a perfect mix of like she just enjoys, you know, 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:42.560 performing and isn't like so crazy ambitious that she's like, Okay, 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:44.000 what's the next thing? What's the next thing. She's very like, 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:46.280 let's work on some projects and a lot of it's 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.960 our friendship. We just like working together. And then we 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.400 pitched it to Broadway Video and your singer and then 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:56.480 uh so you know Lauren and as a group, we 0:18:56.560 --> 0:19:00.080 pitched it to i f C. They said, go and 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.040 do a pilot, which we did and then the next 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:04.399 thing we knew we're doing the show and you shoot 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.239 the show in Portland obviously, And what was it like 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.440 to crew up a show there is there a lot 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:11.760 of production up there. Yeah, I mean it was it 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:15.280 was incredible. I mean we had I didn't have time 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.159 to stop and think about, Wow, isn't this cool. We 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:20.040 just had to get you know, a director with John Chrystal. 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:23.240 We had to get you know, producers, line producers on board. 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:25.159 So there's a lot to do. And then we had 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:26.960 to come up with the sketches too. And where's the 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:31.040 production facility? We just shoot on location. Where's the production 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:34.480 offices and some defunct building. Yeah, it wasn't like a 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:37.120 missile factory. It was like it was like this old sneaker. 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:41.840 It was like an abandoned sports store or sports something, 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:44.960 action sports something, some like is the production office for 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:47.080 the show? It was it just channing. It changed the 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:49.400 second year. We just you know, it's which I kind 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:50.960 of like. At first I didn't like, but it's something 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:53.000 I've grown to like. Is it it just changes to 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:56.760 whatever is the cheapest place to rent space. I think 0:19:57.080 --> 0:19:59.159 when things are permanent, that's a that's kind of a 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:01.760 scary thing. Is then you just assume too much. Is 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:03.919 there a lot of other production in Portland? Me, there 0:20:03.920 --> 0:20:07.399 a lot of the there's a few other things. Um, 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:10.600 the leverage is shot there, grim is shot there, but 0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:12.399 I think that's it maybe, so not a lot of 0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:14.760 shot there, not a lot, not a lot. I think 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.159 it's nice that that everyone's employed. You know, anything that 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:20.080