S4 - Ep. 55 - Vic Michaelis

Are you leaving?

I you wanna way back home?

Either way, we.

Want to be there.

Doesn't matter how much baggage you claim and give us time and a terminol ingage.

We want to send you off in style.

We wanna welcome you back home. Tell us all about.

Every scared her? Was it fine? Malcorn? Do you need to ride? Do you need to ride? Do you need to ride? Do you need to ride? Do you need to ride? Do your need to ride?

With Karen and Chris welcome to Do you need to ride? This is Chris.

Fairbanks and this is Karen Kilgarriff.

I had some trouble with the saying of our party. I had to retell it, which why even re record if I'm gonna tell on myself?

I mean, I think this is the behind the scenes stuff that people really This is what gets people about us.

People love when you say a thing and then immediately dissect it.

Yes.

Yeah, especially on a podcast where people are just trying to escape the bullshit of their own life.

We're like, no, no, no, we have tons of bullshit on this podcast.

Yeah. I actually, I do think dealing with other people's bullshit is a relief from your bullshit, Even if it's very similar bullshit, because especially if.

It's similar to bullshit, do you mind if I mispronounced the words similar.

I have a tendency I rub off on.

People catching it from you. I think other people's bullshit. The more similar it is, the better you feel. Because you don't, you can be in total denial about how similar it is, and they'd be like, oh, let me help you with this terrible problem you seem to have alone, and it's like, well, yeah, it's everybody's problem.

No, exactly. That's what I try and do with so many conversations. But then you read about what you're not supposed to do in a conversation, and that is listen to someone's problem and then try and relate it to one of your problems. You're just supposed to listen to someone's problem. I've been trying to work on that.

It's hard because also you still are in I was just talking to somebody about this because I was saying I read that, and I read it that they said it's a sign of being on the spectrum. Maybe that people on the spectrum want you to understand that they understand what you're saying by saying, here's how it happened to me, right, And then people who are on a different sort of type of brain style, they're like, how dare you change the subject off of me?

Exactly? And it's usually when you're talking to someone that isn't a comedian. I think a lot of the comics we know are in the spectrum hell yeah, because that's how you, you know, go from one joke and segue and think on your feet. It's because you can't sit in a moment yes like a normal person.

You truly don't want to.

And then especially if that moment's not about you, What the hell are you even doing here?

Is my thinking.

Exactly, because when you're doing stand up you learn right away it has to be about you, yes, which I always had trouble with who am I? I'm not gonna tell stories about me. I will steal interesting stories from my friends and say it's me, yes, but I'm sure still pretending it's me.

One of my favorite bits in my first like ten minutes of comedy, was a thing I saw my friend Alicia do one time, and it was so funny when she did it that I was like, oh, that's mine. Now, didn't discuss it with her. I was just like, oh, yeah, that's so funny. I'll do it like I'm representing funny ideas from this part of the state.

Right, was kind of my interview.

As a representative of just everyone that's been in my life. I'm going to adopt this. And I've done it so many times on this podcast. So many stories I've left out that it was a friend of a friend. I just say it's me, because you know what, it will make a story boring credit. Yeah, giving a bibliography as you tell.

It, but just the big bibliography is one listing and it would be easy to say yeah.

But it's not doesn't a You gotta get to the story that's true. You can't cite your sources.

You can also do a thing where you act like it's your story, let everybody experience it's that, and then afterwards, ago, that actually happened to my friend Dan. Right.

Then that's like a fun way to end a story. Maybe I'll start doing that.

That's kind of a funny way going. Here's me lying again.

Yeah, I told I talked to my sister on the phone last night and she reminded me of how many stories because she is a listener of our podcast. I'm told that they are not me. It was a cousin or my friend ross or and I don't I do it so effortlessly because I got to trim the fat.

Yes, for sure, you have to trim that credit fat. Yep, that makes me so grateful. My sister is not interested in anything I do or say, and it doesn't listen to any of these podcasts because.

She would be She would truly call up and be like, that was an outright lie because I do stuff like that.

We're like, and I don't think I do it that often, but when I do it, it's very bewildering. Or I'm like, I just kind of jug the end of that in a way that's factually untrue.

Yeah, it's what we learned to do.

Yeah.

If every story had all the elements of entertainment, our jobs would be everyone would be a comedian. We wouldn't need comedians. You need someone to edit a story to make it good. That's called a joke. Yes, I'm simplifying everything.

It's about efficiency at the end of the day, right, that's all we care about. It's not about us people loving us. It's not that right. We just want people to use their time correctly. Thank you, You're welcome.

We had. Oftentimes people call me that our friends and family in other cities, and they're like, oh, you had a big earthquake, Like the news will blow things out of proportion, and I've gotten eerily used to just my house shaking. But the one the other day it felt like the initial bank. It was a loud bang. I thought a car somehow drove up to my little place on a hill and ran into the wall. It felt

Well, I do believe it was a long one, that this is what somebody else told me I think it was Georgia when we were talking about it on the other podcast, My Favorite Murder?

Have you ever listen that?

I of course I've heard of it.

We were talking about this because she said, did you feel the earthquake? And I said no, I was at the dentist, And then we couldn't stop laughing because that it made perfect sense to me as I said it to her, but she was like, what the fuck are you talking about? And I was like, yep, you're right on this one. But I just didn't feel anything. And I don't know if it was just because the spot I was in, you know, doesn't have those there, or what, right, but I felt truly nothing it.

Yeah, I think I was near that fault line, which apparently is more dangerous than the San Andreas one.

The Los Angeles fault line.

It is called something, and I do not remember what it is called. It's it's got a serious let's call it the Los Angeles fault line. Okay, Yeah, that was my idea, right, Okay, but let's agree that your idea is the best one and we're going to adopt.

It, okay.

And then when we do adopt my ideas, I think it's really important that you say that was the best idea, real loud, that.

Was a really good idea. We should call the news and tell them to change the name of whatever it is right now perfect.

I do have the name if you'd like it.

It's just the Los Angeles one. I mean, we can't anymore. Go ahead. Twente Hill's fault I.

Kind of like lifeless Handel's fault line or twenty Hills.

Yeah, twenty it would ruin the magic.

Yeah, Twente Hills sounds pretentious.

It also reminds me of Dorothea Puente, who is the old lady in Sacramento who killed all of the people in her boarding house and buried them in the backyard.

I mean, but was it her fault? No? Get that was an old joke.

Oh, her fault line?

Yeah, got it. We can edit, we and we do. Yeah we will. Yeah, we'll take that one out. I'd like it stricken from the record. We have a bailiff in the backseat that takes jokes and strikes them from the guy, so you only get the good stuff.

And he's he's his name is Rusty. He's tired. He's been doing it a long time. Wasn't that the guy on the People's Court Rusty Uh.

In the Doug Luellen days, douglu Allen was the interviewer. Yep, how do you feel about losing? Not good? Yeah, that was half the show. I loved it as a kid. And Rusty. Yeah it was Wapner's bailiff or some name.

Maybe some name that was a little bit nickname me country vibes.

Bull? Are you thinking of Bull from Night Court? Let's talk about all the TV bailiffs. Let's see who's judge duties. That guy he's a firecracker.

Yeah, that's true.

Yeah, he tells it like it is. He's one of my favorite bailiffs.

His name's Rusty.

He's Rusty. Also, you have no choice when your name's Rusty. You're either a bailiff or a truck driver.

Yep, yeah, or the tin man.

Yes. Have I watched the documentary about how the set of The Wizard of Oz was cursed? Why?

Yes?

I have?

Oh did you see the thing?

It looks like someone swinging from a tree in the background, and the rumor was that someone killed themselves, but the truth of it was it was just a bird walking through.

Well, it was something hanging, and they let you think maybe it was, but it was not a munchkin actor. The munchkins were what they were called in the TV show. I don't believe that's a slight. It's from a TV show. They put a bird in there to cover the shadow. They superposed a beautiful bird to cover that shadow. Oh and one of the people in the documentary is Neil Hamburger. What's his real names? Greg, Greg Turkenton.

I believe, okay, he.

Is like a video buff and he has a VHS of the very rare copy where they don't have the bird covering up. Oh what very much looks like a human form hanging, and so they kind of leave it open. But someone saying, ah, it's a sandbag that fell off a girder, but man, it looks like a person to me. Yeah, And so it's it's very much. It hasn't been debunked

Yeah, he.

Was sickly his whole life. Oh yeah, there's a lot of that in movie another Russian movie where people were like laying. They were doing a lot of shoots in this toxic water like Chernobyl water. Oh and and they all these actors had died that were acted in this film that is apparently Tarkowski or some filmmaker classic. It was really interesting. So watch that if you're looking for more TV to watch, uh, to then talk.

About, because there there's another one where it was the there's a John Wayne movie that they filmed in the desert after they did the A bomb tests or then those nuclear tests.

Oh you know, there's like that.

Footage where the people's like lips are blown back and they have the goggles on right right, and they just they like went out there to intentionally watch the tests.

Like New Mexico maybe. Yeah.

So they soon after went and filmed a western out there, and you know, John Wayne died of cancer. The the theory is that that a bunch of cast members from that movie got cancer, and the theory is because of that, because it was basically still radioactive and they didn't know.

I mean there was so much back then. The little lifts that he put in his boots to make him six ' five, He had little wedges, Oh yeah, those could have been made of lead. So many things. You know, they used to give heroin to as cough syrup to children. Yes, baby's teething, how do you assuthe it? Cocaine and mental cigarettes And that's like the era that you know, our parents grew up in. So yeah, I'm happy we have our dads. It's my point.

It's pretty nice. Yes, it's pretty It's things have definitely gotten better.

Yes, I think so, except now we're all just walking around with like a confetti bushel of microplastics in our skin, and it's.

Making us mispronounce easy to pronounce.

Yes, yes, certainly. Uh did I say some petty wrong? Yeah?

What is top?

Yeah? I there's different things that we need to worry about, but at least it's not you know, actual carcinogens.

I have another creepy one. I covered this on a very early episode of My Favorite Murder. The set of the Exorcist there's this Do you remember the part of the Exorcist where the mother takes Reagan to the hospital to get her looked at, and they like have her in an MRI machine and it's really scary and weird and.

Like, I don't know, you want to remember maybe not. I it's great.

This whole time I've been thinking of Poltergeist. I don't think I really ever watched the ex Oh you got it.

It's so scary. It is such a good movie.

It's like Rosemary's Baby where you're like, oh my god, I feel like I want to start screaming, and it's purely just the filmmaking.

It's not like cause a knife is coming at you right right.

I did just watch that and it's very scary.

Oh, it's so good.

And apparently Mia Farrow I just heard this on TikTok. Mia Farrow cut that hair that was not She did that as a fuck you to Frank Sinatra, who was her husband at the time. That haircut was not a plan and it turned into like the haircut of the era. Oh wow, yeah, but it was actually nobody wanted her to do it and that wasn't the plan, but she did it anyway.

Like basically just almost shaved her head. It was such short hair.

Wow. And then a new actress in Los Angeles saw that movie cut her hair. Bam. She was the mom on the Brady Bunch Boom, same hair.

Thank you, Florence Henderson, but Lawrence, thank you.

The scary thing I'm going to tell you about The Exorcist is when Reagan's in the hospital getting the MRI, there is a MRI like technician, an X ray tech that's in the room with her.

He was a serial killer.

Oh wow.

And they find out.

Afterwards, Oh, that's so scary.

Isn't that insane?

He's just a creepy blonde guy that's standing there, and it's like, oh, that guy ends up killing a bunch of.

Oh you you would love this show. And actually one of the episodes does mention Rosemary's baby a bunch the things that were wrong on that set.

Oh. So it's like a TV show of creepy Yeah.

It's it's each each episode focuses on a different movie. It was really good.

And what channel did you say it was on?

And all the music and it is made by ways Blood a band, Oh very much like I love her. Yeah. Yeah, it's mostly instrumental. So that's how I found out ways Blood wasn't just a person, It's an entire band.

I thought that was her name.

I know, I know me too. I mean, who does him on the last name blood?

Ways? Where it was like ways Blood?

She must be like a blue blood from Yeah, like the East Coast.

Yes of the Charles Fredrick Blood.

The band is named Way's Blood.

Yeah.

I have to tell my friend Bradford that. I wonder if he knows.

Yeah, it's there. I learned so much, and that is to never feel safe even on set.

No, and certainly never feel safe having a casual conversation about bands.

Oh no, someone will get very angry.

Someone will be wronged. But sorry, what channel is that show on?

I should know that, But it's one of the big.

Three Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime.

Thank you. You can go to your TV and just search, you know, the same place you find apps and just type and it'll tell you all the different places you can watch.

What's the name of the show, E It would be hard.

I swear it exists.

Cursed on a set.

It is cursed. Cursed movies, I think cursed films, curse films. The word cursed type in cursed.

See what happens, get back to us next week.

And spell a wrong and accidentally watch a bunch of Kirsty Alley movies which we're coming up on near her old house by the way.

How do you know?

Oh, I golfed by it. I've noticed they've been working on it about seven years. It has eight air conditioning units on it. It has an alarm that scares away coyotes because she had rabbits and other animals. I believe lamas okay, it is? It is. It was pink like a Pueblo style with the clay shingles, and they've really modernized it. But I don't know. I haven't talked to whoever's in charge, but they've been working on it.

Could you call them for years and years?

I do have his phone number, I just can't remember his name.

Is it waste blood?

Every time I golf with Vincent CJ on the eighth hole, you always see the Christy Alley house and that's when CJ gives he's done a lot of research in whoever we're golfing with, he will give them a little tour of it. Oh and it's a fun little tradition.

Got you that, so we really have CJ to think this is like what your sister was talking about.

Yes, it's CJ's information.

It was me until I finally added the bibliography of my story.

C J.

Sullivan. He's your go to. Everything I know about the Christy Alley House I learned from him.

I'm gonna get your T shirt that says that what Why does his name sound so familiar?

Is he a comic?

He is a comic and he uh is someone that I started golfing with and I like his temperament.

And so you're gonna not shop and yes, I'm gonna just because the way he acts, I'm going to adopt a freeway nice and I yeah, I really have become really good friends with him, And.

Vince, would you mind looking up a picture just to show it to me? Because it sounds so familiar that I'm like, do I actually know this person? And this is the day where my brain truly starts to crumble inside my skull.

Oh, okay, I will, I will.

Did you know him before you started golphing with him?

Yes?

And he is someone that helped me get sober, oh, just because I saw how it changed him as a person. For the better.

Wow.

And I don't know that he knows this, but there's a business named after him in Nottingham, England. C J.

Sullivan's I don't know.

Well, it's a bad picture. He's making a grumpy face. There's CJ.

I don't know CJ.

Yeah. Yeah, he's great friend of the friend of my life, friend of my real life, soon to be friend of the show.

Should he be on the show, of course he should. Okay.

He does a podcast about sports, and I don't ever know. I mean he invents often talk about traditional stick and ball based sports and I never can chime in.

That's when you start going, do the dude, Yeah, I start playing blowing dandee lions and catch and trying to chase butterflies, you know, because I was that kid.

That's what I did in the outfield.

Yeah.

Oh, look at the somebody put a picture of someone's face on the light pole over there.

Can you see that?

Light poles are the milk curtains of the streets. But I feel like that, Yeah, that that looks promotional. It looks like.

Mark Cohen kind of do you know Mark Conak It does.

Look like Mark Cohen. Is that Mark Cohen.

Who put their big face on that light. I'm saying light pole. What I mean is the traffic light.

Yeah, well there's lights on it. It's all. I'll tell you what isn't on that poll traffic?

Traffic. It's cleared it up.

Yeah. So yeah, I think that was just there's a lot of you know, people have been posting bills.

And is that bill? That is Bill?

Bill Cohen. I don't think that Mark Cohen knows about his son Bill, but it's time to tell him. Mark Cohen is one of those comics that I got to know through our friend Henry Phillips, and he is off stage riffing, much like Todd Glass. Uh. You want to play along, but you can't keep up, and you just want to see where he goes on his own. Yes, and so I just giggle almost, Oh what the fuck that's I guess you could run into that. But it's a bag of jagged materials.

I mean, that's someone's garbage in the lane.

Yeah. Luckily I think it was cardboard at first, but.

It could have been baby birds inside.

The cardboard exactly recently hatched, still alive and it boxed up. There are there? You know you mentioned animals? Why do I go there.

I mean, well, but it's because I was implying it, but then you actually put it into words. But I tricked you, yeah, into going with what I was saying.

Right, you know about it? But I yes, ANDed and then, but I do want to go somewhere where I think of animals having a great future ahead of them.

You would like to go somewhere conversationally that way, or you would like.

To actually mentally and then and then therefore conversational, Okay, I'd like to go to a place where I only have good things to say about the future of animals. But I fear it's out of it, it's out of caring for them. Sure, we live in a doggy dog literal world. Dogs are eating dogs, It's what I'm saying.

Where in the streets, No, what streets?

Wild shows that I watched that are after a war happens, dogs take over, But I'm sure it happens occasionally out in the streets.

And a dog just eats another dog.

Yeah. See, it's it's actually.

It's pretty enjoyable. It's not the worst thing. No, there's definitely.

Worse because it's not based in reality.

Because you've got to picture a really small dog like a chihuahua eating like a golden lab That's hilarious.

Was it just a joke that I believe Paton Oswald told or maybe a video that clearly has been doctored, But someone witnessed, and I'm sure it's happened. A giant bird carrying a barking dog, like a tiny dog that was in Paris Hilton's purse. No, the dog was like we burnt and the birds rested it down on a little cedar chip bed. Oh yeah, that's how it ends. Okay, great, see I'm getting better.

You really are making huge improvements.

Well, you know what happens I mean with this show is based in a place called reality, and birds are out there, giant eagles, they're picking up rabbits and stuff. And then they're in the city. There's coyotes out here too. Yep, things happen. Little dogs get picked up by big birds.

I live in the fear of this because I don't think anyone, any coyote or anybody is gonna touch Frank because he's from the streets and he right, you just know not to go near Frank as a animal of prey.

But my baby Blossom who's scared of everything. It's like my constant fear.

Yeah, because I have to leave the house and leave the door open so they can pee and stuff. And then it's like hope, I hope nothing kills awesome today.

Yeah, it's it's worth thinking about. I've been very seriously thinking about a cat that I've I just have my eye on this cat that's being fostered and I but I keep worrying about things that could go wrong, or if I can provide the best cat place. Because Los Angeles is riddled with coyotes, and unlike dogs, they don't care if you're confident, no coyotes will mad dog you in the as a human holding a golf club. They will come up and go, oh yeah, what are you going to do about it?

Sir? It's my side of the street.

It was a car in our lane coming at us, a white camera, an eighty nine license plate six seven two C three D one seven. Sorry, get them, get them, get them. That would be a weird way to get sued.

Just a weird grassroots podcast attack where people are like, well, I tried to look it up online.

I don't know what you want me to do.

Yeah, just send him a nasty message.

That's the one though.

I get real offended when people do it coming at me on the wrong side of the road, But I fucking do it.

All the time.

Yeah, it's something we all need to remember. Whatever infraction or a non courtesy someone gives you out on the road, Oh chances are you've done it. Yes, unless it's that goddamn intersection drifting something that my phone decided I want to see. Maybe it's because I keep mentioning it on this podcast.

You mean, like, first of all, really quick, there's a sign there. Adam Shift's office is right down the street.

Let me go Adam B.

Shift, Congressman twenty district District office. And then there's an arrow and there's a narrow there. Look, there's another sign.

Over there you can go in.

Yeah, it's telling you that it's right at fifty five hundred.

That's weird.

Yeah, So contact Adam B. Schiff and tell him. Let him know white Toyota Cameron license plate. Yeah, what do we know about Shiff? We should know about our.

Life, yift is, we do know a little bit about it.

He was running for senate State Senate. You've got to be fucking kidding. Me, all of you.

Right, this I've never done. I've actually oh and now they're just driving into people.

Okay, yeah, that was a bad one, that people taking left, taking a left instead of waiting at the red right.

I've actually, I'm gonna say, I don't ever do that. I've annoyed people my whole life by stopping at a yellow. Yes, you have to, Yeah, Schiff was did you say comtroll Shift?

He's a state com patroller. Shift was running against Katie Porter. Uh, I don't remember what happened. That's it feels like eight hundred years ago, and it was just like recently.

Did he win?

So he's going on to run against a republic in November.

So okay, Katie Porter didn't win that.

No, I know I voted for her. But he's good too. You know, it's like that was a six to one situation.

Yeah, it's you can be almost We live in a bit of a bubble in Los Angeles where you can be kind of hands off if you you can look at the specifics and realize, no, we still got some weirdos here. Yes, a word that's being thrown around a walk.

Hey, oh, it's another white car in my lane.

Well, actually I do. That was before it became your lane.

Oh that's true.

Now I'm just looking for to see. That was an example of we all do it.

Be fair.

We're getting klouse, are we? God damn it, it's okay.

I thought I was wrong. I was gonna turn that way, and I thought I was wrong.

What if we did or just nope, that's not naley. But we do this just to do a little turnaround. Yeah, do this in three or four points.

I'm going to do it. I think I can get it done in three points.

Yeah, I say you drop pennagram.

Ugh, this isn't ideal.

This This person, of course, wants to be where the minute you want to turn around in someone's driveway.

Is anyone gonna?

I think you're good? They just show up, thank you? Sorry urgently. Oh he's not happy here.

I mean, I don't care if he's happy or.

Not to bags filled with ice cream. He's got to get in there.

The thing is, guys, it's not a very wide street and we all have to be on it.

Yeah, God damn goddamn. Anyway, don't worry about your.

Pets or adam shift right.

That's over. I've had your chance to worry about that. Yeah, is that them?

I think it might be today's guest. I'm very excited. You know today's guests from their work at clubs and colleges throughout the country. I'm starting too early. It's a common mistake. Everyone put your ears together for everywhere we're in. Yeah, it's it's the immediacy.

This is the most daunting thing I've seen in my life. White seats in the back of a beautiful Tesla. Is that doxing you guys in any way to take care of No, it's too late, it's all out. It's all it's all come out already.

I mentioned the white seats constantly.

I love that fan.

I am a big fan me too, but that it would have been horrible.

To hear you were both foes alone alone with this. Is this your car, Karen? It is? Yeah, Okay, it's beautiful. Oh congratulations, I mean, thank you very much.

Karen has mixed feelings about the Tesla company.

Of course, I got it before the Nazism really started to shine through.

For your post X, I believe pre okay still.

Twitter days you should laminate and show your title to people.

Just improvement with the date. Yeah, I think that's a great idea. Maybe take it to the windshield just in case.

Yeah, right side of history arrow.

Refer to this if you have any questions about who I am.

And just your phone number in case people sort of want to chat about it quick text you want if you want any confirmation. How are you?

I'm doing great, happy to be here. Fun being a passenger in a car. I'm a perpetual driver.

Yeah, welcome.

Yeah. I think you'll or at least I noticed. When I'm a passenger, I am discovering Los Angeles for the first.

Time looking around.

Yeah, it's really fun. You're looking at roofs.

You're constantly looking at roofs. I'm finding out myself too.

I gaze up as I drive. You know, I was on the street being a passenger. It's your chance to just check out these rooms.

I love that.

I love that attitude, and I'm gonna start bringing that energy to more things.

I think I really love that. I'm doing well. I'm happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me, of course.

Yeah, I was very excited that we're having you. I've I am a fan. I think I stumbled across. The first thing I saw was you interviewing Jordan Rubin with the Ventriloquist Stummy.

Oh Josh, yes, Josh.

Yeah, yeah, Josh with the Ventriloquist Stummy. And I you know that first edit like kind of described very well what that show. Very interesting people.

It's called very important people, very important for the part.

I'm so good nailing and this is a shot in the dark, but it's called very important people.

That's it. Take wonder. That's what I've been saying.

And I think that I told I was talking about it and showing it to enough people that my phone then started showing me everything you've been doing and introduced me to drop Out TV.

Absolutely huge for me. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

So cool.

Yeah, and I'm such a fan. You're from Minnesota? Is that correct?

I am actually and people think Montana is the mid Yeah, they very But what people don't know, and maybe that's why they're thinking this, there was an in state tuition deal. People from Montana could play in state tuition in Minnesota. Minnesota.

And you know where I went wrong is your IMDb says you're from the big the big Sky state.

Is that what it is? Yeah? And I said that is Minnesota. Yeah.

I think that's the effect right where you're just everything's Minnesota these days.

Yeah, yeah, because.

Everything is Minnesota.

I also recently found out Minnesota is a part of the Midwest, and I said that to somebody and they got very upset with me. And it was a good faith question, if I'm being honest, Well.

It is, isn't it that Minnesota is where you think of first or mon Yes. I grew up people thinking Montana is the Midwest, and I'm like, hey, there's a couple of Dakotas that are substantial in size.

In the middle.

Yeah.

I think I'm somebody that I really prided myself. I think it was the only thing I had, was like being able to memorize state capitals.

And then I.

I'm not in front of a map and some but he's like, tell me where North Dakota is and I couldn't. I couldn't describe it. I couldn't tell you what states are around it. It's just sort of an island.

Yeah.

Yeah, well, I think that knowing all the capitals, it's just a thing that you memorized, and I question someone's integrity when they've done that. This is a party trick.

Huh intro very confrontational, yea guest. No, I'm being called out and I love that.

Actually, I will flip a table and someone says I can draw the shape of all the states. That's where I cut it off.

So there we actually do have common ground.

Yeah, when when I got fake angry about that, I forgot you had just said.

No, it's okay. And to be honest, I'm not very good at it. I'm good at it, but there's absolutely in any given room there's one person that's better at it than me. I'm a solid number two across.

The boarder, right right, there's someone that uh knows the past capitals, Yes, up until seventy eight, which, of course they'll talk about some you know, movement that changed things.

I learned the capitals because my sister memorized the capitals by making a tape recording of herself on the brand new stereo my parents had just bought that, and it came with this microphone you plugged in, and she stood there and made.

A tape and then listened to the tape over and over. Oh my gosh.

So when I'm trying to think of a state capital, I can hear my sister. She's like, you know, Alaska, she was trying to do like an announcer voice as she did it.

Did she get into podcasting, because that sounds like maybe she also should.

Have gotten into podcasting.

She probably should have, but I think maybe I was like, give me that mic, and so I really had the drive to get into podcasting because it was withheld from me.

Absolutely, you didn't have an opportunity with the mic. So you said, the MIC's going to become my personality.

Right, I was like, I love that.

Yeah, I'm tired of being this outsider watching my sister get all the glory.

Right. That was a glory. Actually, that was the start of my career, is recording my sister, recording me say things and playing it back. And that was the funnest game ever.

Is that true?

Yes? Like what I just making me act things out or sing little songs and then we'd listen to the recording and it was so exciting. It was like a fun game to play with a much older sister.

Were you the funny one in the family.

I think I read somewhere actually that you used to reenact movie scenes in front of your family, and I related that to that very much, because yes, my family would have me perform. Oftentimes it was puppets.

Oh, I love that.

I thought the show would be promoted throughout the house. I'd hide behind the dining room table, and I don't remember many of the productions, but they were mostly puppet based and yours were full movie.

So we got really into the Lion, the Witch, and the wardrobe. The one or till the Swinton was the White Witch, and I was in love with Tilda Swinton at the time, and so I was like, Okay, great, I'm the White Witch.

The White Witch is the star of the show.

She was popping up in scenes where she wasn't ordinarily, giving looks sort of great, improvising a little bit of dialogue, she was getting interacting with characters maybe she wouldn't be interacting with ordinarily. And then I was also so it was me and my siblings and my cousins, and they were getting recast on the fly as well. I just had a real vision for.

What the show was supposed to look like.

Who was in the audience, sometimes my aunt, sometimes nobody. Sometimes we were just performing for the love of performing, which I actually think maybe is the thing that I think performing for almost no people sets you up to understand what you find funny.

The best, Yeah right, and it gets you used to being on set because I've noticed from starting in stand up comedy, I panic when no one's laughing, and that's because they're holding a camera or doing their job or doing sound.

Yeah sure, and then I don't want to ruin the take and blah blah blah.

So I do, honestly have trouble knowing if I've done a good job because I base it on laughter. And that's that's the downfall of being a comic.

I think my sister used to make.

My sister used to come into my room and go She would say the name she should be like Pat Benatar, hit me with your best shot two minutes and then she would go back and her friend Adriam would be in her room and then I had two minutes to make up a routine and basically like it always involved a chair and dancing around a chair, and then I would have to go in my hit me with your best shot performance for them, do a full like dance and usually lip sync, and then it would be over

There was no applause. There was no any appreciation.

It would just be like get out, and I knew they'd come back and assign me a new one. So I was just sitting in the other room wait for the next thing.

And you, sister Laura Michaels, I know she's I think she really set in this kind of like a hardcore training early of like you'll get no applause and you'll keep coming back and performing.

Yeah, because this is the only stage in town. Baby.

Yeah, yeah, you have you auditioned for Saturday Night Live?

I have not.

I one of my friends was on one year and I submitted a packet and she then was not on SNL the next year. And that's as far as my SNL knowledge. Because I am such an appreciator of the show. I feel like I was one of those kids where like I watched all of the ones from the late seventies and into the early eighties. If we had those box DVD sets when they were coming out sort of in the mid aughts, is that what we're calling it?

I think, So there's nothing else.

I feel self conscious about that, but I'm gonna do it during that time period. But I you know, I knew pretty early on that I didn't think that like that was a route for me, even though I was an appreciator of like the comedy, and it definitely shaped a lot of like especially like the Christen Wig era shaped a lot of like my comedic sensibilities, like sketch has never per se been.

Like my uh my big, my big thing.

Right right. I started in an improv group and I got kind of traumatized by that format of really, here's for people. We're all gonna wear a white dress shirt and we need a suggestion Like I did it enough to wear it, I would panic, And then when I started doing stand up, it gave me more control and I was less scared.

Oh how interesting.

I do find that that happens a lot with improve where it's people that are sort of like this would be so much funnier if I just wrote everything down.

Well, that's why I like all the shows you've been a part of with the dropout dot TV, right.

Yeah, it's it's a really fun and interesting way to do improv because I I first and foreman like, I spent a lot of time by myself as a kid, and so I spent a lot of time watching TV, and I especially really like comedy stuff, and I've seen like every recorded improv special and thing that's out there. Obviously, you know, Mister Show was a huge influence on me. I'm a huge fan that I pointed to you.

But we were in a car, so that was sort of a felling on my ear.

It was because I tickled your ear a little bit, seems like across this carrier, right of course.

Yeah, I see. You guys have like that screen back here that's playing ass in my face.

No spitting, no swearing.

Five stars. You're yet to dog. You have to be kept in the backseat at all times.

Yeah, yeah, and you guys have a fur guard here for me, which is probably fair.

But how was I saying?

Just the different?

Like, but you liked about me on Mister Show. So talented, it's so funny.

Oh but so I think, like, especially going into something like this and knowing that it was going to be improvised, I think a lot about like why you're putting a format in a certain medium, and I think a lot of times with I am a big fan of theater, musical theater. This is coming back around to make a point.

Part of what was interesting and cool about.

That for that format was going like, oh, we had the ability to edit it really heavily, so I like take huge swings. And then our director tomorow Vine, who's like absolutely incredible. She is not an improv person or a comedy person, but she is like a brilliant experimental film director. And so because of that she sort of has this idea of like she can take out all of the comedy from it and go like, Okay, what is gonna make most sense for story?

What's gonna make the most sense in it? Edit?

What's like the cool things that we can do afterwards to make this all like fit together? Like how do I take something from the end and re order it to make it like look cohesive and things like that. So that to me was an interesting way to showcase and improv show.

Yeah, that likes sense. Yeah, like documentary editing, like finding the story from the footage you have?

Yeah to Oh, I never thought about it that way. I really like that. Yeah, Yeah, I think that that definitely feels true to me.

Yeah, that first one. I know, I keep bringing it, but I excitement of being So the guest is put in makeup or a costume. They don't they have a minute to like riff on what they might do, right, But the guest is improvising who they are as you're getting to figure out who they are in an interview and you have to pretend you're doing an interview with someone who you already know about. There's it seems so complicated when I watched it that it made me nervous, but that's a goal.

Is we just really wanted to make people feel really nervous watching it did especially in a time like now where people need more nervous kind of experience. Yeah, it's too cozy, that's what we kept saying, blanket of anxiety.

Yeah, it's so fun to watch.

Oh, thank you, truly, that means so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to watch it. Yeah, it's something that like too. We made it. It was based off speaking of Josh Rubin.

He Impact Castles were the ones that it was originally college humor series, and they were these like five to seven minute videos. And then I got an email from the CEO Samurai. She was like, hey, we want to reboot this. We don't totally know what it's going to look like, so that are it's sort of like a sam keeps calling it a spiritual sequel to the original, which feels very true. It's a sort of like and now it's a it's a lot longer. We sort of

What I'm doing has just been such a gift. I feel so grateful.

Yeah, and I've become a fan of everyone that I saw on that that is also on the game show format where what is that show called?

Oh, game Changers? Are you like a game show fan? In general? Do you like games?

I am. I've been addicted to the one Paton Oswald that's doing. That's like it's called one percent and it has nothing to do with high tax bracket conservatives. It's like the last question, they have only one percent of the people pulled who and who knows where they are? How large group it is got it right? So it is a very hard question, but it starts with the easy ones, and they're all like IQ test type question.

Can you give us an example of a question see if we can get it?

Oh? Right? That would be unless I have to memorized, but I'm going to pretend I'm on one of your shows. They're One of the questions, was.

Angel falls.

Right?

That's the tallest waterfall in the world. Is that true? It's on Jeopardy all the time? Is Angel Falls? Is that the FAVORITEAM show? Yes, Jeopardy for sure.

Jeopardy makes me feel dumb. And maybe it's a.

Mirror one doesn't make you feel well.

No, because the tie the questions are visual. That's why it's hard for me to think of an example, because like one of the first ones will be here's here's a maze, which route and you only have enough time to find out, you know, they only show it to you. It's timed, so you have to figure out a maze very quickly. Which Those kind of things or word jumbles, How many different words can fit into this jumble of words?

Oh sure, we're all of a sudden. It's like there is a definitive writer, wrong answer. The person that it's going to mean something too is looking you dead in the eyes.

Yeah.

Yes, and that can be just knowing a friend's name at a party. Yeah I am, I will that's the anxiety life.

Yes, yes, I did find a site with some one percent questions.

Yes, let's do some come on just a few weeks. This is an immigration, this is patent paid us, all right, so this is skipping all the way to the one percent.

Oh shit?

What is the first number in English that, when spelled out, has its letters in alphabetical order?

What the first could you repeat the question? I know they don't do it, but it's usually shown on a chiron.

So what is the first number?

So like the spelling of that number in English that, when spelled out, has its letters in alphabetical four?

No, because you comes after RK. Are you sure? No? Is that right? You're You're close, You're actually got in in a way. You're close?

Is it?

No?

Five? Five is definitely down there. Six you're on the right. Six you were closer with four, but not numerically. Let me just say that twenty.

Four Wow, warmer forty four double ditches digits eighty nine?

Wow?

Is this one? Is this a crazy one where it's like the eight is a doctor? You know what I mean? It did seventy eight nine in this one. Oh, that's actually a really great question.

I all of the questions, I will say, as we continue to think about the answer. I do require you to be able to look at the sample like it it's so hard to imagine, so.

Like they write out a thousand numbers, and then you would get to what I'm oh, you're I'm brushing.

The you're visualizing it.

Did you do spelling bees ever anything like that?

No, because isn't that a thing with spelling bees that they do where they like rate them with their feet or they like or they like do something with their hands and then they like wipe it away because once you start talking, you can't go back. And I know that because then you'll put them cutty spelling bee, which you were in that good show.

I was not, but they did it.

They're going to graduate like the year I graduated, and I did consider coming back, and I was politely told that it was for people that were still amressed.

Yeah, like a spelling bee. I would. I have always had trouble visualizing saying it out loud, but if you could have a pen and paper during a spelling bee, I would do very well. That that's kind of explaining my issue in a nutshell.

I really like that visual learner.

Yes, yes, and that one percent show. My point is it's very visual, learner based knowledge.

What is Can we just have the answer? It's forty fucking forty?

You?

Yeah, that would take forever?

Why?

Why?

Like ending? And why?

If you were looking at the word though, you would just go ABC, ABC. You would do that with each.

Right word, well until you get to forty, right or yes, that's good TV.

You're right TV.

Yeah. I was imagining a multiple choice verse and forty was presented to you, So yeah, that wouldn't work either. I swear I was good at it.

I try, I trust you. Can we do another question?

Just because that was so fucking hard and hilarious that I just want one one?

Can we do one that maybe I'm gonna be better at?

Yeah?

Can I look better in this one?

Let's do a thirty?

Yeah, let's so it goes down from like one hundred to like, yes, Okay, questions are very visual.

That's one hundred.

That was That was like the easiest one to describe without showing it to anybody.

So let's see, let's do Okay, this is a ten percent question.

The first letter of the alphabet that doesn't rhyme with another letter of the alphabet is F. But what is the next one? G?

H yeah, I would.

Say, l you know what's crazy is you each said one of the I'm such an asshole.

It's multiple cho.

Okay, we are so sorry.

No, you named one of them, but mine is wrong because I immediately came up with the rhyme it was it was, it was, you're so good at this, your genius.

I think, I mean, thank you, but I think it's just guessing mostly right.

Well, the good news is there for this one in particular, there are only twenty five possibilities.

True, right, Yeah, No, I had to.

Think about that too, like, hold on, I don't know if I I have to.

Have the alphabet in front of me, so I actually count to know.

Are we going with the English alphabet, Let's do the Arabic? Yeah, letters, I would prefer to the Arabic letters, if that's okay. There's a.

I was I was about to say, there's a famous story in my family.

All lies. I don't know why I'm setting it up this way.

One time I was at home by myself and Jeopardy was on at like four o'clock and I watched it, and then at seven o'clock when everybody else got home in my family, because because My family has watched Jeopardy every night at seven for like thirty fucking years.

Oh I love that.

And so at seven when everyone was there, it was on, and I just started answering all the questions.

I was probably in seventh grade or something.

That's so great.

My mother was. She was over the moon. She was so thrilled. She was caring, you have to try it whatever.

And finally I had to tell on myself because she was getting too no she was like too happy about it.

Or I'm like I already watched did you know relationship? Well she was like, oh, I'm back to being disappointed and with you.

There was a little window it.

Was she was it was hilarious, and I was just like, well, this is truly stolen valor.

I can't I can't really let this continue any further.

Is there even like a small part of you that was like I could watch Jeopardy early for the rest of my life and then come.

Back and then be a genius and then finally get the goddamn credit in this family that I deserve, just the respect that you really deserve.

Yeah, it really does get you the respect of your elders. Jeopardy nothing like it yeah. Yeah, there's nothing else you can do to make your grandma love you.

Also, there is a part of watching Jeopardy because it's, you know, going to visit my dad now, Like it's really like whatever happens in the day, we're meeting back here, and this is what we're going to be doing. And I do guess almost like instinctually, where it is pretty amazing when you're like, oh my god, I was actually right about that, Like where did that come from? There's like some reservoir in my brain that's like I'm ready for you to watch Jeopardy and get something right.

WHOA. Yeah, that is always kind of crazy to think about. It's like how much do you know that you just can't remember? That's like rattling around in there somewhere. Yeah, because I feel like there is stuff like that where like moments where like that are high stress moments. All of a sudden, something that I was trying to remember really hard.

Like weeks before will shake loose. I feel like that happens to me a lot. Mm hmm. Is that a sickness? Is that being ill?

I feel?

Because you said you're in theater, so I bet you that has to do with like you can't blank on your lines.

You have to know all of them.

You have to know other people's lines, Like there's there's that right where you're just like you get into a new show, here's your new job.

Oh get it? Really the old jobs and the old stuff come back to the new stuff. Yeah, that brings true to me.

I like that, though, I will say I don't think I've ever done a production of anything where I haven't forgotten at least a chunk of something.

What's your favorite play you've ever been in or Sean, That's a great question.

I'm doing a show right now at uc B that's just been like the most fun thing in the entire world called Mama Mia. Bit different and it is literally all it is is Uh. The philosophy is that Mamma Mia is like the MCU where it has it can be anything, and you can collect any like eight Abba songs and they can be their own show that's completely unrelated to Mama Mia proper. So just every month we have new writers write these Mama Mia shows and they've all been really different and really crazy.

It's so fun.

Yeah, we did one that was like a bluegrassy one called Avalatcha Mama Mia, but Everyone's Babies is the one we're doing this month, and we did Mama Mia the Piper the first month. You know that Abba song the Piper, No, neither did I. And now when we did a whole musical around it.

But if I heard it, i'd know it.

Well, you might not have it's a it's a deeper cut.

Oh okay, okay, I do only know the Abba hits.

Yeah, I would sing it, but I as much as I enjoy singing, I was always somebody that was a really loud singer, and I think for it gets you pretty far until you hit like regional theater, and then all of a sudden, people are like, Okay, now tone's gonna matter a little bit.

This ANNI production is over and you are now in the real work. Yes, yeah, well that really is.

It is like because as soon as you hit regional, it's like, if you're a dancer, that will get you through to the next round of things, because they're always desperate for dancers.

But then again, singing.

Like you need a little little under there, a little bit of training, a little bit of breath support, I.

Do it makes me simultaneously incredibly sad and then also absolutely, like just in love the way people are such good singers, like the people on TikTok that get famous because they are in their room and they just record and they're amazing, and then suddenly everyone knows that they are.

Like I love that. I love how good people are.

But I used to get to live in this totally ignorant bliss that I was really good and then you're like even like and truly I'm not saying it to like nothing, truly I'm not. But it's like people so many people have auditioned for American Idol. Yeah, they're all American Idol level except for the joking. People like good and they just aren't as good as like Kelly Clarkson or whatever. It's like the ceiling is so high for that. It's kind of great, but it also it's sad.

Yeah, it's so tough.

I think singing is that thing for me where I'm like, if I could wake up tomorrow and be so good at something that you have to be really skilled to do and takes a lot of time to learn how to do, I think I'd pick singing. Do you guys have something like that where it's like tomorrow, like you would have all of the like baked in skill sets, like I think it would be singing or maybe cooking.

Yeah, it's funny. Even as a child, my fantasy, and I'm sure I mentioned this, but I always thought as a kid, when I come back for I guess a high school reunion or maybe just during school a pep assembly, my fantasy would be doing this amazing concert piano recital yeah for all the other kids when they didn't know I could even play piano, yeah, and just blow it out of the water. I or sometimes it was sex phone. It was a different time, but that was what I wanted to be good at piano.

I would.

I have dreams where I can play the piano and it is so exciting in the dream where I'm like it's nuts, I just sit down and start doing it, or I'm like this.

Is amazing, and then I wake up. I'm like, oh damn it.

Yeah.

Is it that type of thing where it's like that idea of like, you know how when somebody's like choking and they're like is there a doctor? Is it like somebody takes a break from the piano at the piano bar and there's like does anybody play piano?

He's fainted again. Yeah, it's I That is a deep old fantasy of mine. But I was raised in a house where a piano was in the other room that I never touched. Yeah, I think I hit it and chipped some keys with a hammer as a toddler. That's the most I played it.

With a hammer as a toddler.

Okay, that was another example. That was some kids that were friends of my mom's. But I wanted to just bypass the bibliography of the story. But that was Matthew and David Bebe.

Give you a hammer, and we're like, go nuts, kid.

I don't know why I'm tried tried to take credit for badhole. These monsters came over and grabbed a hammer.

But we're talking about them right now, So who won you know what I mean, like you name drop them on your podcast today?

Yeah, I could probably put a little bleep in there.

It turns out, though, that that was a young Joe Rogan, so his podcast is big.

His podcast is pretty huge. It's no you were no.

Oh, he has a tuxedo, he's got somewhere to be a piano player just fainted. Yeah, It's it's hilarious that that I started talking, I can't remember what I said.

Well, that happens to me literally all the time.

That's what traffical do.

That's what traffical duty. Yeah, though, honestly, like I kind of like sitting in traffic. It's very like forced soothing.

As a passenger, right, as a passenger, I want to say, as a driver too. I used to live in Culver City, a little bit of la geography everybody always loves hearing about, yeah, and so I used to like have to take three highways to get out here, and usually I was coming like during rush hour in the morning, and you know, you'd sit there for like an hour and a half or whatever. And I've never listened to so many books

I'm like, I feel like I was being very enriched as a person. Oh that's again, you were using your time. Yeah, I just don't listen to music. I think that helps.

I think if you like music, that's it's hard to switch off from music.

Right, Yeah, I think I would save when I lived in Marvista, which is basically Culver City.

I lived in marvist to two, but that felt too niche, so.

I said, you're stoner. I was off of Okay, this is very embarrassing. In the street called Sawtel, but I had never heard it said out loud until after we moved. I'd lived there for like a year and a half and I thought it was satellite, and I kept telling people I lived on satellite, and people were.

Like, what are you talking about?

And nobody ever said anything to me until I turned on my serie voice one day and it was like turning onto.

Sawtel and I was like, what is going on? There was like ha ha hah, and they're like, no, that is how it is pronounced.

Yeah, the double tea that you just maybe put in there.

Thank you for visionally, thank you for trying to help me there. I really appreciate that.

I'm just saying I put double t's everywhere. I've done it in a million times. No, I would. I would prepare for work in the car. I would like, not prepare things, but I knew that the drive would be an hour long, so in lieu of music, I would write that was what I was supposed to do, just by like you said, recording it and listening to it.

Oh, that's really in my head.

And now with the technology of the like speak to text or whatever, I mean, that's that's billble hours at the Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

You punched in at nine. Yeah, but I started driving at eight.

How hard is it not to constantly docks yourselves on this podcast because I feel.

Like I'm hearing about this and I was like, Oh, what area do you live? And I'm not gonna ask that writing.

Yeah, I it's hopefully we back in the early days when I was recording in my lap and we were driving to the airport.

Chris is the sound guy, but he had never used any of the equipment.

Very fraud Yeah, it all sounded like the first season was just basically underwater. There was just a lot of.

The underwater season, the famous underwater.

Season, a lot of gurgling and bubbling, but never edited anything. Who knows what's back there? Yeah?

I tweet at us, let us know what's back Yeah, tell me about my mistake.

Cancel me for things I've said.

Because that's so crazy. I feel like that's something that I never thought about.

And then all of a sudden in the last year here, it's like I took a photo and somebody's like, oh, this is the street that Vick was on, and this was the intersection, and I think Vick shops here, And I was like, that is so scary.

And I don't think it's people meaning to be scary, but it feels very scary.

No, it's I think it's people forgetting that you're actually real and you and like have a life. And I think people are like, oh, no, you're the subject of my interest, therefore we're just going to discuss you like a topic.

Oh that's really interesting. Yeah, that makes sense where it's.

Like there's not any usually because I think people who love especially people who love comedy, it truly is like a it's a love. It's different than like if you're a famous you know, starlet or something, where it's like there's a real connect and there's a reason that they like you're specifically and.

Yeah, and I would imagine with you guys, especially with podcasting, that must be like a really tricky line where like you talk so much like just by nature, like you know, you're you're chatting about things and like things that are happening in your lives that people must feel, especially like extra connected to what's happening, Yeah, with you on the day to day.

Yeah, it's true. Even in listening to podcasts myself, it is so much. It's the closest thing to being in a conversation with someone that you know them. They don't know you, but you know them, and so it seems like a normal thing to message them and say, hey, I took this picture of the top of your house. Do you want to use it?

It looks so beautiful from the passenger seat here.

Yeah, so it doesn't seem like it's out of bounds, but it isn't. Don't hover over houses all you drone operating podcast fans.

Oh, somebody sent me a picture.

I think it was Bridger because uh, he looked up my address or something and he goes, did you know this horrifying picture of the front of your house? He's on Google Maps and it was a picture of my front door. And then I think they the like car drove by on my birthday because there was a very beautiful bouquet of flowers laying on my doorstep, but it

But why was Bridger google image searching your home?

And this is why I brought it up because I don't want to question him. I want him to be questioned, right right, we want answers.

Yeah, I didn't, so Bridger tweet at us. Let us know for sure you were up.

To He wanted to know if his flowers arrived.

Oh kay, yeah, and you said the Google car to check on them.

That'd be incredible if like you forgot to say thank you to someone who's saying then it's like, did you know this weird picture is somewhere?

It's like it's in my phone. I took it. I'm mad at you. Well, this is like telling on myself a little bit.

But do you ever have that where like somebody messages you and then you like saw it but forgot to respond to it, and so then enough time goes by that then they message you back about it and you're like, oh sorry that last message, Like I just didn't see or like didn't come through or whatever, just a little white lie.

Oh yes, Oh yeah, I do it all the time, all the time. I do that too much.

Especially I travel back and forth from Canada, and so I have some plausible deniability to.

Be like, oh I just didn't come through. I was out of the country.

But I do think I feel like everyone tells that lie and participates in that lie, so nobody can truly like confront you without being a hypocrite.

Oh that's interesting.

I feel that way about talking behind people's backs too, where I'm just like, I literally don't want to know anything about anything that anyone is saying about me. Yeah, I unless it's something that I have to address. If people are just blowing off steam. Everybody has to do it every once in a while, Like if you need to talk some shit about me that it's one thousand percent fine.

Yes, I just do not want to be party to it in any way, shape or form. I don't want to know.

I don't want to hear about it. I don't want another friend telling me about it. I'm just like, I want no part in it.

How about reading comments on videos online? Do you do you ever dive into that.

Same thought people's thoughts on me or none of my business.

Yeah, Like I do think, especially doing having any kind of art online. It's like, if people are coming to my page with something that I've reposted to say something.

You're gonna get blocked immediately.

I'm fine, Like that's like, you know, there's but like if people are going to drop outs page or like online forums or whatever, that people should be able to discuss art online.

I think you know what I mean.

And like again, unless it's something that like I have to address in one in any way, some way, shape or form, I think that people should and shouldn't be having conversations about art. And I feel very privileged to be in a position that, like people enough people are watching this stuff that I'm doing that like there.

Are conversations around it. I think that's really cool. It is, It's very cool, and you're so right.

It's like that idea I think some people want some that's an attempt at engagement, is like well I didn't like this, or you know, they're coming with some sort of criticism and I'm always like god, bless, like yeah, everybody gets to have their own thing about what's happening.

For sure. It's yeah, you're not looking for consensus.

I am so it's so unhealthy. But I care so much about the opinions strangers and if there is.

A how do you engage with them? Though? Are you like chatting with people back and forth and people like saying stuff? When are you sort of like, oh, noted? Or are you just lurking? It is?

I'm I'm thinking more of like when I'm doing stand up. If there's a sleeveless shirt dad up front that has his arms crossed and isn't enjoying me, That's who I focus on and that's always been the case. Everyone else is laughing. Great, why is this person not? I can't. I can't deal with it?

Can I be? Honestly? This shirt dad? What are you doing sitting in the front row?

You got brought here by your daughter because it was your weekend that she wanted to come sit like, sit in the backsit respectfully, somewhere in the middle behind the lights, you know what I mean.

We were yelling at each other at home and then I realized I won these free comedy tickets tickets from the radio this morning.

Well, also, I.

Feel like those some audience members don't realize that where it's like, you know how you can see me, I can also see yes, looking at me and keeping the look on your face of how you actually feel about me is absolutely very rude and aggressive, even though you're just in the audience having your experience, but like the lights are on your friend.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you would think that. A number of times the person that I thought was hating me that comes up and said that was so fun.

Yeah? Is that always so interesting?

Your face is not in line with what you just said.

But I'm like, to be judged just on your resting face is so hard.

Somebody when I was in college said I had a really stern resting face. And I've thought about that every single day since, and so I've literally practiced in the mirror of my resting face being sort of like a pleasantly amused, you know what I mean, sort of like I smelled something kind of nice.

Like that's like my resting face.

Yeah, that's what people are talking about behind your back.

Yeah you want to know.

Oh that's right, you just said you didn't want to know.

Sorry.

Oh man, Yeah, it's like I don't know what's so interesting that I mean, coming back to theater. Seeing as we were talking about the twenty minutes ago, that was like the hardest part of it. I think about, like growing up doing theater. I highly recommended anybody that's like got teenagers like get them in the theater department in

You know, right, do you guys do theater at all?

Yeah?

I did it, and well we didn't. I went to a tiny high school.

We only got drama my senior year, and then I was a theater major in college. Then I dropped out of college because I became a beer major, and then I became a comedian.

I love that.

It's a pretty nice arc your time in college.

What plays did you do or did you get to the phase where you were doing plays?

Yes?

The first one was Carnival, the musical Carnival. Yes, kind of boring, but some a couple of good songs. And I was just a lady in the background. Then the next.

Did I do other plays? I can't remember.

I think it was just in those kind of bigger musicals because then the smaller ones were like the really talent sophomores and the juniors and seniors would be in like the non musicals, right, So I never kind of made it to that. Then the next musical was On the Town, which was the next year's musical, super fun on the Town.

It's an old one, it's an oldie.

So then after I dropped out, I started going to the community college in Sacramento, and they had this really cool kind of it was the Sacramentous City Actors Theater. Oh cool, and I got immediately got cast as Antigony no way. So I went from like, can't get a part, nobody will pick me for anything, like, oh, I guess I'm maybe not that good.

At it, to antigony and Antigony to the lead in the.

Fucking play where I was just like, oh, oh no, I don't know if I can do that. Really yeah, it was crazy, and I go, I think, really well, I had a teacher that was like a history teacher, and I always skip skipped that class or whatever. But I went to that class, and he started the class by saying like pointing at me and being like, that's the best play I've seen at this school in like thirty years. And he was just like, A, you know,

I don't care what anybody else thinks.

That's the ultimate fucking compliment and I'm just gonna take it as a win.

Yeah, that really is it a and like oh man, and also to like, I think how incredible that you also have like the ability to go like I'm gonna receive this and just go thank you, because I feel like that's a hard thing to do sometimes too. And I think something I'm working on personally is just going like there's a compliment flying in my direction, I'm gonna take it because life is hard, and like it's a hard industry, and like why you could always question it, but also you could just take it.

Yeah, because the taking it is respecting someone else's opinion and not. I'm kind of not putting your insecurity in the foreground to go arguing or whatever. It's like, no, let other people's opinions sway you when it's good.

Like you're saying, it's the least you can do for yourself.

In this and the other person my mom growing up, people would always compliment my mom and she'd go, well, no, not really. She would like try and talk them out of it. You look nice today, Oh this old thing. Oh yeah, yeah, And I'm like, okay, don't do that. But of course I do it. Of course I do that all the time.

It's hard. It's hard not to. Okay, theater, what shows were we in?

Oh, that's funny. I guess the plays I did in high school. I didn't realize that it would. I just thought it was a fun thing to do in high school. And I didn't know that after that at college they didn't really, it wasn't presented to me. I don't. I didn't. Yeah. I did go Chasers, a loosely based on Ghostbusters I suppose, but it was so fun. And again it was just like you said. My my Spanish teacher was said that was great, and I that was a class that I had been kicked out of We had some issues.

But he had to give it to you for your ghost Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And it felt great. But in college it just seemed like, well, there's the dance department. I'm in the visual arts arts. Yeah, painting and drawing. That's why I went to school for so I so focused on that and and currently doing, you know, painting signs and doing T shirt designs. Like I thought that was going to be my job until I was drunk at a party, got kicked out, and then in the back of the newspaper the woman who's whose house it was said, Hey, do you want to

A party?

Yes for trying on. I was drunk. I was with a bunch of friends. I think I broke a lamp.

But and then the woman whose house it was was like, you got to get out, but also do you want to come back?

Days later, my mother was looking in the back of the newspaper and the personals ads a had leopard print hair, so she knew was about me, and she said, someone wants to do improv with you, and I was like, I don't know what that is?

No way, yeah, and.

Then so I called the number and yes, that's that's how I got started. It was a weird way to get started.

Mind it alone, that's incredible. I've never met somebody that found themselves in a personals I.

Know, I've never heard that story because oh wow, okay, I would have thought that's something I've told a million times on here. Yeah it. Otherwise I know that I would have just continued doing like graphic design and illustration work, and I still do at here and there. But it was being in that group. And then we went to Austin and there was like an improv festival there and I took a stand up class, so I moved there to do both, and then I just ended up going

Like specifically to get like a jump start in the industry.

Yes, I apparently it's a highly regarded children's uh you know, school and production. They do plays.

Wait, what are your plays?

Me?

Okay, yeah, So I I had this weird thing where I did stuff with toy t Toronto Youth Theater.

I like, I didn't do any any thing. Really. I did a little bit of children's theater when I lived in.

Illinois, and I had just always been like, if I have a chance to reinvent myself, I'm just going to start telling people that I do acting, which I did when we moved up to Toronto. And then I had the worst audition for my school play ever. But because everybody had thought that I did theater at my old school, they thought it was just a bad audition and I ended up getting a lead in the show. It was a bad show, but it was a great learning experience.

Is it called Heat? I can't remember.

It's like the sex scene song basically, but it's cut from the high school version for you know, you don't want to see sixteen year olds doing that.

It's problematic.

Yeah, And then Hair, which has like the big nude scene in the middle of it, which we cut and put in a stomp number.

Into really based on the very popular at the time Stop, based.

On the super popular at the time. Stop was all the rage in twenty eleven.

Was that because there was trash cans already on set.

I guess it was like it was so strange, but it was, I mean, it was life changing.

It was so fun. I had the absolute time of my life. Oh it's so fun. It's so fun.

And it was like the first time that I like I was like going to parties, Like I'd never been to parties or anything like that before then. It was just like, I mean, it really changed my life completely.

It's so like I just remember being because I came from like kind of a small farm town and so doing plays and being in that kind of very regimented system and whatever. It was like it felt like so glamorous to me, like beyond where. I'm like, we're gonna work on this for secret for months and months, and then we're gonna, you know, go in front of the whole town and everyone's going to see all the work

What a beautiful way to put that is that you're preparing for it in secret. I've never thought of it that way, but what a beautiful framing that really is.

Just like so deeply specific. You don't have to cross the street.

I'm actually walking down this way, so even if you want to drop me on this side, that is perfect.

Okay, I'm going to turn down this so we can just have a goodbye moment.

Yet I love that we have a routine. We need you to learn to handshake.

Like to sign all the PaperWorks. What's that movie where she does the handshake? Is it called the Handshake? Yeah, it's the handshake the parent trap. Only thank you.

And I'm sorry once again, I keep looking at you because we're in the backseat together, so I need your support.

Appreciate I wasn't making enough, No, you really were.

You're wearing really great sunglasses right now. Also, the listener can use that as a visual.

I just want you to know Vic that we Chris has been so excited that you were.

Coming on this podcast.

God, and we've been talking about you for a while and it's oh, sorry, there's a car behind me. So we're just so excited that we finally got to talk to you.

And here, Chris, I really literally cannot tell you how lovely this has been, and what a joy it was to go and listen to some of the episodes of the podcast and like now it'd be a podcast that I listened to and I am sitting in traffic. Well, I'm such a fan of both of yours, and I really can't thank you enough for having me on here today.

This was so fun and of.

Course, again a lot of the things Vic does. It's on dropout TV, which I think it's like five bucks a month, and you go to the website, right or is it streaming on networks.

Or yeah, it's if you want to subscribe you can go to drop out and also it lives a lot on clips online.

By show is very important people.

But then there's also if you just look at Dropout on any kind of socials, they'll point in the right direction.

Yeah, it's it's if you like our sensibilities on the show, I promise you'll like the things that are on uh, that I've seen on dropout dot tv.

Yeah, Chris, that means the world, seriously, truly, it really does.

Yeah, you're the best you've been listening to. Do you need ride d y n R. This has been an Exactly Right production produced by Analise Nelson, mixed by Edson Choi.

Our talent booker is Patrick Kottner.

Theme song by Karen Kilgarret.

Artwork by Chris Fairbanks.

Follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at dinar podcast That's d y n ar podcast.

For more information, go to exactly Rightmedia dot com.

Thank you both, You're welcome.