Jack Black

Hey everyone, this is Amy Poehler. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. Man, we have a great guest today. I'm very, very excited to tell you that we are talking to Jack Black, who I think is the biggest movie star in the world. And the box office agrees. Jack and I talk about a lot of great things we're going to talk about. His hit movie, his giant Minecraft movie, and all the amazing projects he's done. We harmonize together. We talk about the not-so-successful movie that we did together.

We get into life and love and sleeping and dancing. And as always, it's just the best ride to be with Jack. And he's just the absolute best. And I always start these podcasts by talking to people who know Jack or his work. our fans, or our colleagues. And we're very excited today to talk to Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina, the great actress and comedian and musician and voiceover artist who has worked with Jack. Kung Fu Panda and Jumanji. So Nora.

Thank you for joining us today. Hi, how are you? This episode is presented by the Toyota Grand Highlander. Whether you're welcoming a new family member, starting fresh in a new city, or embarking on ambitious adventures, The Toyota Grand Highlander provides versatility for embracing life's grand challenges, like how you can effortlessly tuck away the fold-flat rear seats for up to 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space.

Perfect if your cargo is baby elephant-sized. From daily routines to life-changing adventures, the Toyota Grand Highlander is up for every grand challenge. Learn more at toyota.com slash grandhighlander. Toyota, let's go. Very excited to have you, Nora, today. Yes. Before we get to Jack, where are we talking to you? We're talking to you from Los Angeles today. Yeah, we're in Los Angeles. Yeah. And how are you? What's going on? How's your Thursday?

I'm doing well. Not a lot's going on. What have you had for breakfast? You know, I haven't been eating a ton of breakfast. Oh, really? Yeah. I don't get hungry until later, but I think that's like a cortisol imbalance. What did you have? Well, I had a half of a breakfast burrito. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. Like a cruise burrito? Yeah, exactly. It kind of feels like I'm at work when I have a breakfast burrito. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like you're on set. And I had my favorite tea, Barry's tea.

Oh, nice. Are you a tea or coffee drinker? Neither. Coffee makes me like go crazy. Coffee like will make me go crazy. Yeah. So no caffeine in the morning and no breakfast? Yeah. I'm really, really winning over here. What do you do? You just go like run a 5K? Like what's happening over there? No, I don't run. I don't run either. I just kind of raw dog it through the, and then around noon, I might have a.

No liquid in the morning? I've had some water. I've had, yeah, I have a couple sips of a... A couple sips? I had one longer one. Are you being held against your will? What's going on over there? Yeah. I'm worried. I'm worried. Yeah. No, I need water. So I'll get that later. Okay. Let's get to Jack. So. Yeah. You guys have worked together a lot and you've done a lot of press together and you've toured together.

I mean, everybody knows he's the greatest guy, but what makes him the greatest guy? What's so great about Jack? He's just like the really the warmest guy ever. And then with also this this like energy of. Like when we were doing Jumanji, he would like fall asleep and still be singing in his sleep, you know? He just, he always has a good nature about him. He cracks me up. Yeah, and then we did Kung Fu Panda together. Yeah, so what was that like?

that was really cool as you I don't know if you well you know that like you know animated movies you're not really together but there was a day that we got to record together and then when we were doing press he would do this thing with his legs called

chops, kicks. You should, you should talk to him about that. That's one thing you should ask him about the leg thing. Okay. Tell us, tell me what I should ask him about the leg thing. What, what is it? And how would you explain it? You know, I think that, I think that he would remember if you just said like,

The thing that – well, what he would do is put his legs akimbo and then he'd just start kicking with – but you should ask him. You don't know. And he would do it during press or just behind the scenes? during press but he would try to like sneak it in uh to every interview and it was pretty aggressive sometimes it was he was really hitting it he was really hitting the

The chop, the chop's kicks. What else, anything else that you think I should ask him? Like, or that you, you always wanted to know. Oh man. Um, like his t-shirt collection. Wait, tell me about this t-shirt collection. Oh, oh yeah. He, he's always wearing like. A tie-dyed purple t-shirt with like a, I feel like it's a wolf or something. You should ask him about the t-shirt collection. There's like a purple one. You should ask him about Gallagher too.

Wait, I know who Gallagher 2 is. Oh, I didn't know that. It's Gallagher's brother. I know, but he was smashing watermelons on his behalf or he like went rogue or something. Oh my God. I'm going to ask Jack about Gallagher too. Gallagher too. Yeah. I'm obsessed with that story. There should be, Ryan Murphy should do. the story of Gallagher too. With Jessica Lange. Sarah Paulson will play Gallagher. She's incredible. Okay. I'm going to ask him about that. That's hilarious. Yeah.

Okay, Nora, thank you so much for jumping on. You're the best. I hope you can come and do this someday. Oh my gosh, I would love to. You're the coolest. You're the coolest. Have fun with Jack. I do want you to eat a little something though. It's getting to be. like 10 30 and i'm feeling nervous yeah yeah no yeah yeah i'll have a yogurt or something yeah it'll be nice all right thank you so much okay bye

So I feel like this microphone is telling me exactly where to sit and which direction. Oh, my God. I just had a memory the other day. Do you remember? This is a name droppy. But I'm going to do it where we went. We did karaoke together. Oh, yeah. I'm going to drop them if you don't drop them. Drop them. Because I believe we were there with Queens of the Stone Ages, Josh Homme. That's right.

And I believe there was an urge overkill member there. Am I right? Was there not Nash Cato in the house? You're absolutely right because. Urge Overkill was a band that was in Chicago when I was in Chicago. And Nash used to be at bars with, like, Liz Phair and other goinks. Oh, yeah. And smashing pumpkins. Dude. And you just kind of walk in and pretend, like, order a beer and be cool. Was Nash Kato constantly smashing pumpkins?

He was known as kind of a lovemaker. Oh, he was? Like everywhere he went, he left a little piece of him. I don't remember that. I just remember him being at the bar. I never talked to him. Let's not gossip about sex. Let's not. But let me just say this. Urge Overkill. It's in my top five. I love her. And I love me some, who's that incredible legendary Chicago producer who died recently? Steve Albini. Steve Albini. Little fun fact, Steve Albini.

recorded and wrote the theme song to Upright Citizens Brigade's sketch show. No shit! Yeah. Wow. He went under the name The Welders. That's the... is how he was credited, but Steve wrote it. And cause Steve was a big like sketch comedy fan. And Matt Besser, who was.

in UCB was friends with Steve and like loved, like I learned a ton of music from Matt. And in Chicago, it was all like lo-fi, like you said, Urge Overkill and Liz Phair and all this like production that was very cool. And then he produced. Which Nirvana record? Yeah. In utero. Yes, with the heart-shaped box. And it was like fraught with drama. There was something where he was rubbing up against, like there was a lot of pressure on him to deliver a big commercial.

hit machine. And he was like, that's not how I do it. I do really like all those stories about people in the studio that, you know, especially when the record is like a classic, incredible record about how. tough it was and how everyone was like we don't Like I love when they're like, this is, we don't have it. We didn't do it. And it's like, well, best record of all time. Yeah.

Isn't that the way it always is? Isn't it like the turmoil and the gut-wrenching like stress? And then the beautiful flower grows out of that weird toxic soup. I don't know because I have to say, I kind of want to talk to you about this today. We have Jack Black. We didn't even say action. We just started going. But why I would say that you and I, I think something we share is that we don't think things have to be terrible.

I don't think we like things to be. I don't. I don't either. I don't like toxicity. I like love and I like fun. Me too. And it doesn't have to feel bad for it to be a good product. That's true. Don't you feel like that's a good lesson to learn? Yes, it is a good lesson. And in theory, I feel that way. But in reality... When it's time to go on the high wire, when it's time to go out and be on camera or in front of an audience, I do always have a little piece of me inside of me that's going.

I hope this thing gets canceled at the last second. There's a fire alarm and I don't have to go out there because there's always a panic. There's always like a stress. Like I just did SNL last week. Let me tell you something. It was so fun. Love, love that. That little, I've always had like the most incredible experiences, but also the most stressful week going into, you're heading there and you're just mainly going like.

Don't fuck this up because you don't get another take. You only get that fucking one take. And you get like I get, which is I get really sleepy. I'm just like, I think I should go to sleep. I did take a little nap here and there. Yeah, I want to escape. When I get really nervous, I get quiet and I get really sleepy. Yeah. And I'm like, I think maybe instead of doing the show, I should go to bed. Yeah. Yeah. I did take a weird nap. And you know who knew I was gonna was Donna.

This incredible woman. People don't know. Well, she does get a little screen time. Tina and I gave her a little shout out on the 50th. Yes. With Momoa, your buddy. Did you ask her, hey. who is your favorite person you ever helped to dress? Cause that's Donna's job. She helps the host get dressed and in and out of costumes really fast. And she also does other things too. Like she like.

said hey honey is there anything you want to eat before we go on tonight in the little break between dress rehearsal and the show and i was like I have a hankering for like a Italian chap salad with no onions. She's like, you're going to get it. I'm going to get that for you. And it was soothing, but it also had like a little hint of.

this is your last meal and I want you to have whatever. It was like, you know what I mean? Donna Richards, uh, been working there for a really long time at SNL. She also works at Seth Meyers. She has this really specific job. It's like part nurse, part coach, where she kind of grabs you and dresses you from scene to scene, but she has your whole show in her hand. Yeah. And she makes sure that you can do it.

She's the one that if you passed out or if you forgot something or if you turned to her and said, I don't remember, Donna would have you. She's your wrangler. Yeah. And she's seen everybody naked. Yeah. She's seen every star naked. And she could write a book. Yeah. About the. Your request for the chopped salad? Yeah. That's a pretty tame request. That's tame, yeah. Oh, yeah. Compared to what somebody has been asked for.

Pre-show. When you're in the trenches before the show, who knows what you're going to ask for? Yeah. For your last meal or whatever. This may be the last time I do some things. I always say, people always ask me, what was your favorite? SNL host and show and it is always you, Jack. Let me tell you something. I heard that quote and it touched me so hard in my heart. And I thought, Amy is an angel. And I bet you it had something to do with me getting out.

Because there was a lot of good vibes you put out there in the universe for me. No way. It's been 20 years since I've been on the show. That's insane. And it's, you know, that's nothing to sneeze at when Amy Poehler's in your corner blowing the horn in my praises. You don't need my praises, sir. I don't think I do. It's your billion dollar movies. The, someone asked me because I was reminiscing about, cause that was a very special time for me too. I was, it was like 2000 and.

Three, four, three, four, five. That was my little window of Saturday Night Live magic. Yes. And we were like just. A few years away from that, from the terrible beginning of SNL for me, which is like 9-11. We were like, we were a few years away where it was like, things had settled down a little bit. Did you have kids yet? No. Yeah, me neither. No kids. So party on. And then we did so many sketches together. That was such a fun week. The Strokes were the musical guest. The Strokes.

People don't realize I hosted thrice. The first one was The Strokes. The second one was John Mayer. Yes. And the third one was Neil Young. That's crazy. That's right. But the first one was The Strokes, which was crazy because I love The Strokes. Me too. And they were so big for people who don't remember. Like that soundtrack around New York.

2001, 2002 was non-stop. Last night, that song. Incredible song. It was the theme song for New York City that year. And then... the after party after, after was at UCB theater with. That night. I don't know if you remember that, but we were like. Yeah. We burned the midnight oil. I think we went till the dawn. We went to the dawn. And then there was a sketch in there that I think about.

favorite sketches, which was, I think Kenan Thompson just reposted recently, which was Written by Emily Spivey when we're in the Sbarro. And it's wintertime and the door opens and we keep flying away. The powerful gust of wind that almost blows the whole Sparrows into the atmosphere. Yeah. That was a really fun, funny sketch.

That was such a good sketch. Dratch was like an old woman on a wire getting blown away. And I have a moment of remembering like reaching out for her and she looked like my – Dratch and I could probably be like in the same family. Yeah. And we – She looked like my grandmother with like a white wig. And it was like my. heaven. Yeah. Love Dratch. How was it this last time? How was it to... This was a really fun, magical return. And when I got the call, first of all, from Sharon.

My manager and your manager. That's right. We share manager. We share publicists. Yes. We share managers. So I got the call from my publicist, Louis and Sharon, and they said, Jack, are you sitting down? I was like, oh, man, what's about to happen? I didn't know. They're like, you got the call to be on SNL. Oh. It was very emotional. Was it? Well, because I had such great memories of doing it all those years ago, decades before. And I didn't think I would ever be asked back because.

Not because I didn't have a career and like things are going great, but it felt like a part of a time where. I don't know. Lorne works in mysterious ways. He's got a feeling of like what is going to work best for that show. And it feels like. They like to get people that are on the cusp that are like exploding, popping off in a certain way. Also, you had done it four times. That's true, if you count the musical guest thing.

Right. Because Tenacious D did go on. Yeah. So, you know, maybe it was like, we have had you a few times. But I know what you mean. It's a funny club that you watch and you think, you feel like you're part of, even being a cast member, but then you also sometimes always feel. Yeah. Well, you could have been a cast member. No, I don't think I could. I don't think I could handle it week in and week out. 100% disagree. Once every 20 years is more my speed for that gig.

But you could have, I mean, did you ever audition or want to audition? I didn't want to audition, but then I didn't audition. I had an idea in mind that I never went and followed through with. What do you mean you had an idea? Well, I don't want to repeat it because now it really sounds stupid in my mind, but my audition was going to be basically... I was going to be a superhero that I created. I don't remember what it was called, but it was like a combination of the Hulk.

Maybe it was just the Hulk. I was going to come in as the Hulk and just jump around and do like this weird slow motion kind of performance art dance where I would crush things with my foot and then do like a mime. I was not going to get in, and I knew that. But I had practiced it in the mirror in my living room a few times, but I never pulled the trigger. You didn't? No. How come? Like, did you get an audition and you just didn't do it? Or you, like, I'm fascinated by it because.

Also, I'm interested in that story because that is a little bit of sabotage. Yeah. Maybe there was a party that didn't want to be. Well, that's the constant battle is the fear of failure. Yeah, totally. Sometimes you're up for the battle and sometimes you're just like, pass.

100%, I wanted to ask you about auditioning because I don't know about you, but I'm not a great auditioner. I don't really get a lot of jobs from auditions. I don't think I've gotten many. And I remember I auditioned for the Coen Brothers. Who I love, you know. Love them. And I just felt like it wasn't going well. I'm sure they have no memory of it. And they had probably no opinion of it. Yeah. But I felt like it wasn't going well.

sabotage it. Because it was like, basically like, you can't reject it. I auditioned for the Coen brothers as well. And I also had a similar. Super shitty audition. It was for the Hudsucker Proxy. Ah, mine was Burn After Reading. Okay, yeah. Uh-huh. But, you know, I don't remember the specifics of why it was so bad, but I knew when I walked out I did not get it. Yeah. There's sometimes you can feel it. Oh, yeah. But I loved auditioning early on.

But that was, you know, in the before times. You loved it. Because once I got School of Rock, I didn't have to go on auditions anymore. And it took some adjusting. I was like, what? I don't have to audition? But what if I want to audition? But I like going on auditions. And then if it felt good, like I kicked ass, I didn't even really care if I got the part.

I was just like high on that buzz. Yeah. Because when you connect with a scene. Yeah. You get a little charge. Do you remember any of those? It's a drug. Yeah. Yes. I remember just coming out. Dude, probably my first job when I was 13 years old for the commercial I did for a video game called Pitfall for Atari. Loved Pitfall. I just went in on that audition. I loved acting. My stepdad drove me around to all the auditions.

And I had this kind of character who was sort of a cocky character. Like, this thing, even at 13, I could do my eyebrows like this. Like, I'm cocky. I think I know what to do. And it would look funny if a 13-year-old did that kind of attitude, the cocky attitude. Yes. And so they said, we did the audition. I wasn't doing that character. I was just doing just last night. I was watching. And they said.

Can you do it again this time and, like, do it a little cocky? And in my mind, I was like, oh, they fell into my trap. That's my one move. I was like, I can try that. I'll try that. And just last night, it was, you know, whatever. And I remember leaving, and they were laughing. That is so heavenly, that feeling. And I've been chasing the dragon ever since, really. Because when you crush an audition.

In a weird way, I like it better than doing the job. Sure, yeah. Because then the weird thing is like sometimes you'll get the part and you're like, oh, fuck, now what? And you get to the set and it's like, no, in the audition I did it this way. And they're like. Forget about the audition, Jack. So what we want you to do is this totally different thing.

And then. You're like, but no eyebrows now? It's a different pressure when you're performing for the thing that a million people will see. The audition, it's just for that room. Okay, so you started, I mean, people might know this about you, but you were doing commercials when you were a kid. Yep. How many did you do as a kid? I was a child actor, I guess you could say, which is a little embarrassing always. Why? Well, because there's a stigma.

To child actors, you know, like it's not good for kids to be out there in the industry. Do you think it is? It is if they love it, you know, and I loved it. So it was good for me. Yeah, you know, if you get the sense that there's a stage mom or stage dad that's pushing it and the kid doesn't actually want to be there, that's when I can imagine some psychological damage. It's like child labor.

It's like, leave him alone. How old were you when you joined the actors? The actors gang, I was 16 years old. Yeah, it got in there early. What was the actors gang for people? So the actors gang was like the radical political. Commedia dell'arte almost like a theater group. that got going and popular in the 80s. And it was Tim Robbins and a group of other actors from UCLA who started this company.

And if you were a young actor in the 80s and you were checking out the theater scene, they were the red hot chili peppers. They were just like the green berets. They were so rad. I would go to their shows. Their plays, they had a play called Carnage of Comedy that was all about televangelism. And they had another show called Freaks, and it was about circus workers and performers.

And I was like just hanging out. You were like the teen. Yeah. In the actors gang. Exactly. You were like the young teen. I was the young teen. And I just wanted to be part of that world so much. And they cast me. I got a little part in a show called The Big Show down in Santa Monica. And it was all about the South American Sandinista. all of the politics surrounding that and American, you know, globalism, a bunch of shit. And then I didn't really get it, but.

It was super fun. And I brought some songs and I brought some music. And they let me put some songs into the play. Really? That you had written? Yeah. Well, just little jingles. The director said, hey, we need some little songs here because it was like a game show. And so I did a little of that. And that's where I met Kyle. And it started off as a little bit of like a rivalry because he was the music guy in the company. And I was coming in with my songs.

And you didn't learn guitar until a little bit later, right? Correct. You were playing guitar. I wasn't playing guitar. I was just recording songs on my four-track. Yeah. Tascam four-track machine. But that's how I got in the actors gang. And then we ended up going to the Edinburgh Theater Festival in 89. And then we took that show over to Joe Papp's Public Theater in New York. Yeah.

and got the worst review I'd ever read. But I thought it was so mean that it turned funny to me. Like, I actually kind of liked reading it. I was like, oh, I was just laughing at how mean it was. The slam. You can take it. You can, because I, well, I guess because I didn't say specific, but I've had things written specifically about me that really, really hurt my feet. Like, it's really hard for me, embarrassingly so, to eat.

like I remember when my book came out there was a really bad review i wonder if he listened or if he just read because i listened and loved thanks love your book thank you you know what you know what i was specifically uh interested in was your time. What was the theater company where you learned the improv from the guru of improv? Del Close. Del Close. Improv Olympia.

And because I've only heard whispers of this mythical creature named Del Close. You would have loved him and you would, you would have share a lot and he would have loved you. He was like this guru. very misanthropic guy when you, you know, we were all young upstarts. and all that like and he was kind of the one that stayed behind to be the teacher while everyone else became very famous he just made you feel like you were like that improv was its own art form that it wasn't some step

Because you're bringing up the actors gang and I have to say like improv and sketch. There was, when I was in Chicago, there was like Steppenwolf. Yeah. You know, the Goodman. Yeah. And then there were like, oh, the dumbasses that do. Like that was the feeling that we were like the makers of Mary over here and they were like the real actors. Right. And you had, you started out with like, like in the real.

Kind of, but there was some dumb ridiculousness happening over there too. Did you ever do Groundlings then? No, I never did Groundlings, but I did go and enjoy and watch. I watched Maya jam out over there. Maya Rudolph, we went to high school together. I know. A lot of people don't know. Do you remember her in high school? What was she like? I do remember because I was like the king of the castle and I was rocking with my improv classes over there.

And then she came in, she was like four years, three years younger. And she was so good at improv. I actually got intimidated. And then I had a crisis and I couldn't do improv for like a whole year. This kid is just a kid and she's so much better than me. What's happening? I can't. She got you in your head. She got in my head. That makes sense because when Maya talks to me about you, you have a very older brother vibe to her. Like she looks up.

And also, you know, it is kind of like how old were you when you met everybody? Like you just will never – that will never change. Like you'll probably always think of Maya as like younger. And she definitely – It's you and older brother vibe. That's so funny. When did we first meet? Do you remember? Did we meet before SNL? Yes, because we did a movie together. The movie had to be after SNL. Was it before? I don't. Hold on. Let me check my laptop. Let me tell you what my first memory of you is.

I saw you on Conan and you played Andy Richter's little sister and you had those braces on. And I was like. What? Who the hell is that? Because I did not know you, but it was like you were shot out of a cannon. You were so funny and so intense. And your love for Conan was so, like, white-eyed.

I was like, this person, whoever this is, is a revelation. And I was obsessed with you. And I talked years later with Mike Schur about it. And I was like, were you obsessed with Amy? Like, I was the first time she was on Cone. I was like, yeah, you had an effect, I think, on a whole like community of comedians and performers like.

dude, there's someone new on the stage. You must have felt that like there must be a before and after that Conan appearance. Totally. Yeah. Conan was huge in the beginning of my career. And also, so many people were watching the same thing back then. Everybody was watching Conan. Everyone was watching Letterman. Anyone who was in comedy was watching the same thing at the same time. That's true. Yeah. And that when I would do that Andy's little sister thing that Brian Stack wrote.

You maybe didn't have to audition for some fangs. They were like, you, we want that. They were like, we want you to be weird like that forever. We want you to yell like that forever. Yeah. Yeah, those were so fun. But we met, didn't we meet? You think we met before that? Okay, I have a terrible memory. Yeah, me too. You do? Yeah, this could be tough, what we're about to try to do.

I feel like I might have, one of my, my, my first famous person that I ever knew was Janine Garofalo. She was like my first famous friend. And Janine's a real connect. I feel like I might have gone to a party in Los Angeles, and I think you might have been there. Yeah, that sounds right. And then we did a movie together, which was... Thrilling. Yeah. And that movie was called. It was. Don't tell me. I'm going to get this. Jingle jangle. Ringle bungle. Dun, dun, dun. Vapoo rise. Envy.

Man, I loved working with you on Envy. Oh, my God. We were a couple. Let's be honest, though. Envy, it kind of whiffed. Not only did it whiff, but it opened the same day as Mean Girls. Do you know that? Oh, yes. And I remember being like, I'm in two movies. Like, I had not been in a lot of movies. And they were open on the same day. And I remember thinking, this is going to be great. Yeah. Two movies, same day. And then one didn't really.

Yeah. Survive. And for people that don't know this movie, Envy, directed by the great Barry Levinson. Yes. Ben Stiller. Yes. Rachel Weisz. Right. Me. You. Yeah. You didn't think. I know. I should explain for maybe the five or six people that haven't seen Envy that Jack and I play a couple who get like nouveau riche because you invent this way to get rid of dog poo. Yes. Where you vaporize it. Yes. They poo rise.

And Ben Stiller plays the irritated and then obsessive neighbor who starts to like be overwhelmed by our success. And I think I've told this story before, but. This was an example of, I was like, oh, I need to be a better actor. Rachel Weisz, incredible actress. um, and played like my friend in the movie, Ben's wife. And we were all friends in the movie. Um, she, I remember she took a ton of notes and she was like writing in her script. And I remember.

I haven't prepared enough. And at one point she said, I sort of feel like we're best friends. And I thought she was talking about me. And I said, aw. That was like week two. I said, oh my God, thank you. And she was like, oh, we met our characters. And I was like, of course. Oh my God. And I, and I, and I looked back at my script like, uh-huh. Yep. I think, let me see what notes I've taken. I did not prep enough. And she was so good.

god yeah but i didn't i was maybe i was i was inexperienced on that set i have to say Yeah, it was like a good learning experience. I remember at the time I was like, see, you don't have to be stressed. You can just relax and have fun and have good vibes the whole time. And then when it kind of belly flopped, I was like, maybe I do need more stress.

Maybe it's not good to be so comfortable and relaxed all the time. Well, it's kind of like what we were talking about before, though, because I find and hear and know that the way you like to work is very... I appreciate it. And I feel similarly, like I do think you're supposed to be happy. Yeah. You do a lot of movies with a ton of months, like a long time to shoot.

technical movies like big movies like how do you like green screen you're way away like i know you just shot anaconda in australia like you're like it's it's not like three weeks you know, small lighting setup and you're out. Three months. Three months. Tour of duty. How do you stay, like, how do you manage that long day?

Well, I kind of like it, the structure of the day, because you got to get your sleep and everything's built around getting all your work done and all the sleep you need, because I need that beauty rest more than ever. And so you compartmentalize the families at home so you're able to just... In a weird way, it's kind of like a vacation, even though it's hard work. You don't have all the distractions. You're focused just on this one thing. And I need my at least one hour.

of memorization every night where I just focus on the thing. You memorize at night? I do. I memorize the, the, the next three days worth of, or, you know, whatever I've got. On the call sheet. The call sheet is my guide. I love a call sheet. And they all give you three days ahead of time. So you're like, okay, I'm going to memorize all three of these every night. And it just keeps you three days ahead of the game. How much sleep do you want to get a night?

What's your ideal number? My ideal number is what they tell you. Eight hours is golden. Agreed. But I usually will get sick. That's not enough. I know. But I wake up and then I need to do a little bit of New York Times spelling bee. And then I will go back for bonus snoozeleberries once I get to genius. But, um, what else do I have? Are you a snorer? Do you snore? I do. I have a CPAP machine. Dude, so do I. Come on.

Team Unite. CPAP! Oh, I love it. Let me tell you something. Let's talk about our CPAP machines. My CPAP machine was a game changer. Changed my... And now I can't sleep without it. Never want to. Well, I can take a nap, like I took a nap at SNL. But to do that, I have to go kind of like Elephant Man, where I get so many pillows that I'm almost sitting up. But it's the only way, because if I lay down flat, it might die. I don't know.

I wake up with horrible headaches and nightmares. And the driest mouth. Wake up before you die, nightmare. I wish we... I know. That would be funny to look at us. I know. I put mine in a movie in Wine Country. Oh, nice. Because I wanted to make sure I never got laid.

That was a thing. It was a thing when I first started doing it because it takes a little while to get used to, a few days. And how about your partner? You have to be like, sorry, dude. You're not going to sleep on your belly anymore. You like that? Well, that's gone. Yeah. So, you know, you got to figure out, okay, I'm going to sleep on my side like this. And then I can sleep on my back and just don't go on your belly. And then it was like.

Is it possible to have sex while wearing your CPAP machine? Why would you? Just take it off and have sex and then put it back on. But think about this. You've been married for a long time. When you're not married, you're like, I got something to tell you. Is this a turn off? Or turn on that you have this Darth Vader. Right before I go to sleep, I got to tell you something. And you're going to hear it first.

That's love. That's love. I mean, some people have a Darth Vader kink. They want that mask. Mask on. Mask off. Your choice, babe. Your choice, babe. Mouth tape? No. Butt tape? Yes. Tape up that butt. Wait, Jack, can I talk to you about... Kelly Clarkson Tanner moment. I texted you. I loved that moment so much for those people who don't know. Yes. You were doing Kelly Clarkson.

Tanner from Love on the Spectrum. Amazing show. You're a fan of that show. Love it. He's a fan of you. Love him. Love him. He talked about wanting to meet you. And then you ran out and greeted him. loved love on the spectrum. And I was like, Oh good. This is our show. I'm always looking for ways to connect with my boys who just.

Don't want anything to do with me. Because once they hit that age, that 16, 18, it's like the least thing you want to do is hang out with your parents. And anything I like, they're automatically, well, I hate it. But they liked the show and I was like, I'm going to watch it with you guys. And we watched it and we loved that show and loved Tanner. I got a call from Lewis, our publicist. It was like, hey, Kelly Clarkson is asking.

uh if you'll do a video for tanner from love on the spectrum who loves you i was like what he loves me yes i want to do a video so i made a video for tanner just telling him how much we love the show and how great he is and i love his philosophy of life is like his whole life is His mission is to bring smiles and joy around the world. Yeah. We need more Tanner.

And I sent that over and they showed it and he saw it on the Kelly Clarkson show and was like, oh my God, it's Jack Black. He knows my name. And so we didn't meet. We just had that one connection through Kelly Clarkson. And then I got the call saying, hey. He's going to be here at the same time you're here promoting Minecraft. Will you do a surprise run out to him? And I was like, yeah, this sounds really great. Because it was long overdue that we meet in person.

And so they had that idea that I thought was really funny where it looks like I did a pre-tape. So good. And I was like, I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I'm on the road promoting Minecraft. But I just want to tell you that. I just think you're amazing.

But I also have superpowers, Kung Fu Panda, like ninja moves, which means I can come through the doors right now. And I come running in and I thought it was so funny that I was like, that's going to be funny because it's a good reveal. I was like, I hope that it's a surprise and that no one tells him. And when I came through, I wasn't prepared for how emotional. It was really emotional. I almost started crying. We were hugging. There was so much love. I know. I know.

And, uh, and it was like, uh, yeah. When he asked me for my phone number. Did you give it to him? I did give a contact. There's a way for us to communicate now. Very good. Yeah, to be continued. I got to get with him. We have a plan to do some workouts. He's going to show me some techniques for bodybuilding. It's so good. And also, okay, so this leads us in many ways to what you're working on.

By the way, congrats on this monster movie. Thank you. My kids have seen it twice. Really? I love that. They love it. They're right in the sweet spot. They're 14 and 16 and they grew up with Minecraft. I had a blast making it. I love Jared. We worked together on Nacho Libre. But while I'm making it. I, you know, I feel the same as like envy and this could be another vaporize. We might get vaporized and no one goes to see the movie. You just don't know. You go out there, you do the best you can.

You let the chips fall where they may, and this time it feels like we rode the Yahtzee. 100%. And it's like, holy shit. Holy. You're the biggest. There's people going ape shit out there. You're the biggest movie star. Jack Black. Bask in it. Just enjoy it right now. Let's just raise the roof. Oh, that sunshine. You're the biggest. movie star in the world. You are in so many hits, Jack! Hit after hit after hit!

Oh, have you heard of Jumanji? Have you heard of School of Rock? Have you heard of Mario? Nuts. Have you heard of Minecraft? Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda. Incredible. Dude. I know. It's awesome. It's nutty. Oh my God. And that movie looks so like, like. I got to tell you that Minecraft... But if I just may, like, was so huge in my house, especially during COVID. Yeah. Because you have boys.

I have boys like building was like their way. They really, that's how they got through the pandemic is I'm going to go build something. The crafting. Yes. And the mining. This is like Legos for a new generation. Yeah. And the music in it is so meditative. There's some architecture in there where I think there's benefits to it. We're going to see a whole new generation of architects making crazy looking buildings because their brains are exercised hundreds of hours on making.

structures, even though it's in the virtual world. But there was also an element of Jared. wanting us to look ridiculous. Because my costume is so form-fitting and really was just very revealing of my shape. My pear-shaped, you know, that I'm, like, right now I'm wearing this stuff. This is all to distract you from my shape. I like a XXXL t-shirt with so much crazy. I've heard you have a t-shirt collection. I do. Well, this is mostly what it is. It's tie-dye explosions.

And it kind of draws your eye away from my shape. But this costume, it was just like a tight sweater shirt. And then Jason Momoa with that ridiculous mullet and like a pink leather jacket with fringe. He looks so ridiculous. That's part of the charm though. It's like we're not here to look pretty. We're here to. Make some funny ridiculousness happen. I will say, I know I get a little stressed on set.

things around my shape. Did you get, was it, did you have to get used to that? I felt fine because it was tight, but it was stretchy. Yeah. So I was never restricted in movement. The feeling is tough. That's my main thing is I'm. Always able to get real physical. I know. You're so physical. So we do this thing on our show where we have people talk about the guest before they come on. So I get somebody to come on in the beginning. So we got Nora.

Awkwafina. Awkwafina in the house? And Nora and I were talking before you came in just about you and what she thinks I should ask you. And, um... Uh, she mentioned a bunch of things and we just talked a lot about your physicality, like how much you like to move, how funny it is, how cool it is to be around. And she was saying when you guys were doing press that like you were doing.

When in doubt, kick it out. I was doing some, we called them chop kicks. Chop kicks, that's right. Because it's like chopsticks, but chop kicks. And that was also along the lines of, I refuse to let these junket interviews get boring. I'm going to go nuts if need be. If I ever feel like we're going down a road, I'm going to the chop. You love to do that, especially like on a red carpet. Like you, I really admire it. You take over.

Like you, you take over that thing. So it's your fun time and like people are invited to it. It's not the other way around. Like you have a really good. promoting stuff. You refuse to have it be boring for you. If I'm in the zone. Yeah. Like when you recorded that. For Mario, when you recorded the Britney song on the red carpet. Kung Fu Panda. The last Kung Fu Panda, yes. When you recorded Kung Fu Panda, you recorded a video on the red carpet during the premiere.

So our director of Kung Fu Panda 4 said, hey, I really want a Tenacious D song in the movie. Like, could you guys do a cover? I was like, well, it depends. Like, what do you think? And he was like, you know, Pat Benatar, hit me with your best shot. I love Pat Benatar, but that doesn't feel right. And then it was actually Sharon, our manager, who was like, you should do Britney Spears. a second that's ringing some bells and then i said hit me baby one more

Hit me, baby, one more time because it's Kung Fu Panda hitting me one more time. And we bounced that off the director, Mike Mitchell, and he was like, yeah. And so I called Kyle and we went and we laid down the hot tracks. And it just so happened that our bass player, who also does all the producing of all the Tenacious D albums.

Is obsessed with Britney Spears. So I was like, this is falling into place. Yes. And he laid down a bed that was a little faster than Britney's version. So it had a little. It's paprika because you don't want to just come and just do exactly what they did. You want to put a little different spin on it. And I got so into this one part that's really hard vocally. And I did it probably like a hundred times and I would come back on different days.

It's still not there, where she's like, give me a sign. She does this little vocal. It's like a little trill. It's a little up and down. One of these. And I didn't really have it. And we kept on working it. And then I got it one day. And that's all you need. You just need to capture the lightning in the bottle one time. And I was like, put it in. And he put it in.

I'm very proud of that Britney Spears cover. It's so good. Jack, you are my favorite singer. Your voice is incredible. Everything you sing is so good. Peaches is... Favorite song? It should be everyone's wedding song.

Every song you sing, I got to sing with you once. We sang The Rose. Remember, we sang The Rose for Festival Supreme. I had a festival, for those of you who don't know, it was a comedy music festival. We did it for four years, and I thought, this is going to be... and it was not every year less people came i was like what is wrong with the world that this is not getting bigger every year

And then finally we quit doing it, but I stand by it. It was the best festival. It was the best. And you were so beautiful to say, yeah, I'll do it. Of course. You answered the call. I didn't know if you'd be availed. But you came down and you said, I'll do it, but.

God, I love singing with you. I love your voice. And we rehearsed. And there was the great- That was John Spiker. We've heard the- John. He's a sweetheart. Awesome. And I was kind of geeking out a little bit. I had to play it really cool because I love- and love singing with you. But, like, do you ever feel – Should we do a little right now? Of the Rose? I can't remember, but I think – what key is it? Hold on.

I'm not going to get any of those lyrics right, by the way. Did we harmonize? Yeah, it was. It's all under care Yeah, I live. That. I remembered not one word. I understood it. Or the melody. Or the harmony. I understood it, Jack. We're still getting applause, though. Wait, Jack, do you hear that?

clapping for us but on the day when we did it at Festival Supreme so good you can see it online you can see it online see it online the way it was meant to be we just needed one more rehearsal here before we did this the lyrics are a little stressful because Lyrics in general are stressful when they repeat, but they're just, they're the same, but not the same. Like read and leaf or like. Love and light, whatever. I've got to really know those lyrics. Do you use a prompter when you perform?

Not with Tenacious D. You didn't? No. But I have used it. I mean, because those songs, I wrote those songs. But still. I feel them in my blood. And, you know, we do have rehearsals. We go and we work it all out. And that's my memory gymnasium. But these songs that other people wrote, especially, you know, when the lyrics don't really tell a story, it's easier when you tell a story that's linear. Yes. Some of those.

Like, I mean, there's nobody better than Elton John, but Bernie's lyrics sometimes I'm like, wow. No kidding. What's going on? But Take Me to the Pilot is one of my favorite songs of all time, but I have no idea what it's about. Or even like, you know. What is arguably the greatest rock and roll song ever written, Stairway to Heaven? If there's a hustle in your hedge grow, don't be a law man.

He says, don't be alarmed, man. Oh, is that what it is? I thought it was don't be alarmed now. Oh, you're probably right. It's just a spring clean for the May queen. I contend Robert Plant doesn't know what that song's about. Nobody knows what that's about. And it doesn't matter. And every time I hear that song, I get a feeling I'm in an eighth grade gym. Yeah. That song's coming on and I'm like.

I got to dance with whoever I dance with. It's going to be like nine minutes of dancing with them. You're just panicking. I got to find a boy. And it's going to go slow and then fast and then slow again. Like it's asking a lot. I remember dancing, school dances, Stairway to Heaven came on and the feeling of this is going to be 10 minutes of my life. I can't choose wrong. And I. Just the idea of dancing to Stairway to Heaven is so funny to me.

Because it's like, is it slow dancing? You had to start slow. What do you do when it starts rocking really hard, though? And then you separate. You go, run on down the road. Air guitar? You play your leg like an air guitar. Is it weird when I dance, I like to close my eyes because. I feel less inhibitions. Yeah. I get a little self-conscious on the dance floor. You do? Well, I like to dance. Here's what I'm nervous about. Eye contact on the dance floor. Yeah, but what if you point?

But if you point, you're good. You go, hey. I guess I immediately start feeling like, is the dance partner uncomfortable with my eye contact? And also, how do I fit into this? Do they think I'm dancing well? There's just something. I think I prefer to dance alone.

There's no one around. Well, if I'm going to go dance and maybe I'd like to have like a half hour warm up by myself and then like go right into the dance party. Yeah. I'm like getting warmed up. Like walking and going, hey. Right. But you don't want to be. It's like right now, this feels good, but it probably looks bad. No, it looks great. But I know what you mean. Right. And the eye contact is a little weird because maybe it's weird. It's different for a guy.

I know what you mean. You have to kind of be like, hey, but not keep on there too long. Yeah. You just have to go, Jack! But you can't, if I stay any longer than that, it's weird. Because then the person feels like they have to point back. Yes. Yeah. But when you're dancing, I feel like you're feeling it. You're letting the feeling of the dance. The music is moving you. Yeah. And I like closing my. And I think I do some of that.

when I can break out of my self-conscious. But a lot of the time, I think I'm dancing like I'm putting on a show, which can be stressful for me and anyone I'm dancing with. Okay, but this is really interesting because you're such a physical person and you're very, very comfortable physically. But I bet you feel pressure when you dance to dance funny.

I take that pressure away. That's why you're good. Because no one expects that. Everyone expects, and you are a good dancer, so you could just be dancing and not have to feel like you have to perform while you're dancing, like dance for yourself. Like the way that you dance now. Yeah. No one taught you to do that. You just do it. Right.

Because I was just thinking maybe you can teach me how to dance. I would love to. But then I was like, that's not how it works, Jack. Have you seen Footloose? Amy's not going to teach you how to dance. Have you seen Footloose? That's exactly how it works. He teaches them to dance. Will you be my Kevin Bacon? Remember that when he's like, come on, man. I remember it was like illegal to dance in that town.

That's the best part. We have a few more things before we finish. So Nora asked about the chop kick. She also asked me to ask you about Gallagher too. I can't believe she asked you to tell me. Here's a confession, okay? I had never laughed harder than when I first saw Gallagher on television in 1974, 1975. I was just like five or six years old, maybe seven. And he was on a show called Laughing. which was a game show, which was just...

members on stage, and then these professional comedians who would make them laugh. That was the whole point of the game, and you had to not laugh. Wait, that was not laughing. Okay, you're right, not laughing. It was make me laugh. I remember make me laugh. Make me laugh. And I remember seeing Gallagher and he did the funniest shit. Yes, he was exploding pumpkins or watermelon.

But he also did this one where he came out and he was just like, you vegetarian? He had a banana. You vegetarian? And the person who was the contestant. Me neither. And he peeled off the banana and there was a hot dog inside and he took a bite. And I fucked. and cried and it hurt me i was like this is the genius this is who i want to be i want to be gallery

And then, you know, over the years and the decades go by and you have different heroes. And I was like, yeah, he kind of faded in the past. But I always remembered. No one made me laugh harder than that. And then I heard like the song. Amazing. The drama. A friend of mine wanted to make a movie, a documentary about his life because mainly of his drama that he had with his brother, who he taught all of his moves to. He's like, look, we're going to franchise.

You're going to do what I teach you to do. And then you'll go out as Gallagher too. And his brother was like, yeah, teach me your ways. I'll do it. And then. Over the course of the years of them doing this, he and his brother kind of had a falling out. And Gallagher was like, you know what? We're done. You're not Gallagher 2 anymore. I'm pulling the plug on that. And then Gallagher 2 was like.

I am Gallagher. In fact, yeah, maybe I'm Gallagher one. Maybe you're Gallagher two. And the manager, Gallagher's manager, sided with the brother for some reason. Whoa, I didn't know that. And it got litigious and it got. And I just thought, this is Shakespearean. And then the manager also, he had a kid in the neighborhood who would come over all the time.

You manage Gallagher? That's the coolest thing ever. I want to be a comedian someday too and be like Gallagher. And then the manager was like... They taught him all the things. And that kid grew up to be Carrot Top. No. I'm not joking. This is an epic movie. The fact that Little Carrot. the heir apparent to those. And that Gallagher 2, the moment when Gallagher 2 says, maybe I'm Gallagher 1.

Incredible. It's like Game of Thrones or something. Yes. It's very dramatic and entertaining and compelling. You got to do that movie. You got to have it. You kind of have to have the. the sign off on the, the, the, the all parties involved to really do that. Otherwise I think it gets, you don't want that. anger and bad mojo on your project. You don't want the house of Gallagher coming down. Yes. Okay, two last things. Do you remember Boys Night Out?

The sketch that didn't make it on SNL when I was there with you. Yes, Emily Spivey and I wrote a sketch called Boys Night Out and it was Jack waiting for the boys to arrive. And they never showed up and just kept ordering more wings. But there was a song. Do you remember the song to it? Boys night out. Boys night out Now we're really rockin' And the chicks are all up squawkin' Cause they're talkin' bout a boys night out

You never forget a song like that. Thank you so much. That's all I needed to hear. Okay, and then the last thing I've been asking my guests is what do you do? What do you watch, go to? What song, what video, what... Comedy clip? What old show? What's your comfort? When you're not working and when you want to just like peace out and chill out, where do you go?

Recently, there's, can I say three different things? Absolutely. One thing, I realized I stopped listening to music. I was only listening to podcasts and audio books. And I was like, I got to get music back in my life. And so I did this thing called Chrono Marathons, where you pick a band that you love.

You've never done this before to that band. So you start at the very first album and you go chronologically through their whole catalog. It's a great way to get in the nooks and crannies. And there's probably some bonus tracks that you never listened to. all of it, even the shitty songs, because then you find these, it's just an interesting way to hear music. I had never done it before and I swear, I swear by it. Who have you done?

Well, it's going to sound boring. No. But I went to the ones that were like the ones, you know, I did Pink Floyd. I did the Rolling Stones. I did the Beatles. I did Led Zeppelin. I did. Elton John most recently. Just, you know, all these great, you know, musicians and people that you're like, I bet you there's some songs that I've never even heard that they wrote. And you go in complete order. I've heard all.

And I like to do a little star on the ones that are my extra specials. And the most fun part is going, oh, this album. stride and you go, they got this window. There's usually like a four or five year window where their best shit went down. Why? Why then? And it's also like, oh, yeah, I love this band in this window. 1978. Steely Dan. You know. But anyway. Oh, I love that. That's amazing. That's so fun. That's great. I also like to get my stuff.

Walk around the neighborhood. You love your steps. I do. It's all about the steps for me. So how many steps a day do you try to get? I like to get somewhere between 10 and 20. Great. If I got 20 every day, I think I could eat whatever I want. 20,000 steps is hard to get. It's hard. I also really love to watch old movies. Yeah, it's a new thing. I've entered my cinephile phase of my life. Where do you watch your old movie?

I watch at home. I watch at home. On TV. On TV. I've got a nice, juicy television screen. Yeah. And I like to be guided by people that really know great cinema. For instance, I read this book, Cinema Speculation. By Quentin Tarantino. And he just talks about the movies that shaped him and that he loves. And I will listen to a chapter where he just focuses on one movie like Rolling Thunder.

He likes a lot of Westerns. And then I'll watch the movie that he was talking about. And then I'll go back and listen to the chapter again, like a cuckoo burrow. It's kind of like going to school. That's what I'm saying. Like you're creating a little school for yourself. I'm creating a school that I would want to go to. Actual school, I fall asleep. But this, when I curate my own school.

Oh, my God, Jack. I love you so much. I love you, Amy. Thank you for having me. Thank you for doing this. Are you kidding me? This was so fun. I think I asked you everything I needed to ask you. I mean, I love you. I hope we get to see each other more. The feelings mute. You're the best. Thanks for coming by. Thanks for doing this. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card is a no-fee credit card that gives you daily cash back every day.

3% back at Apple and 2% back on every purchase made with Apple Card using Apple. apply for apple card in the wallet app on your iphone today subject to credit approval variable aprs for apple card range from 18.24 to 28.49 based on credit worthiness. Rates as of January 1st, 2025. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank, USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more. What do I say about the great Jack Black? He's just the best. And I'm so.

Grateful that he came by. Love him so much. So does America. So does the world. And, you know, we always like to end these episodes with a little polar plunge. We'd like to go in a little bit deeper, jump in somewhere that we maybe talked about earlier in the interview. And so I just want to remind everybody to listen to the song Peaches from the Super Mario movie that Jack Black...

I'm assuming wrote. I didn't check it out. I'm sure him and other people wrote that song. Maybe just himself. His performance in Peaches is like most of his vocal performances. And I would say that to me, it is the most romantic song I've heard in the past 10 years. And it should be everybody's wedding song.

Stop this podcast. Listen to Peaches. Listen to it over and over again. Learn the words. Sing it to someone when you propose to them. I promise they will say yes. Okay, that's been another episode of Good Hank. Thanks for checking us out. See you soon. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane.

Kaya McMullin, and Alea Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.