UncleDad Selects: EP 105 REMASTERED talk w/ Suli McCullough(Writer, Actor, comedian)

0:00 Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Uncle Dad Talks. I'm Uncle Dad and with me as always is the ever so handsome Just Mike. Mike, how are you? Oh, I am just great. Thank you for asking. Oh, Just Mike is just great. That's right. Oh, not awesome. Not amazing. Just great. Thank you. Yes. Mike, today is a very exciting day and I'll let you reveal our guest in a second here. I think it's going to be one of our most, probably one of our most, probably top five episodes of all time right now. I feel the energy. I feel it. I feel the, I mean, just being with you guys and being in his presence has been just something else. It has been quite the extravagant journey today. And you know, he has, he also found out that I'm not Filipino. Isn't that crazy?

0:42 Yeah. I'm surprised he believed you. Cause he knows, he knows. But before we do all that, one thing we always got to do, Mike is pay our bills. And we have something very exciting to announce. We're doing a brand new sponsorship with a brand that i really do love and i would say you do too i do yes and this brand is called roosevelt's now roosevelt is like one of the leaders in pop culture like like hawaiian t-shirts where they basically take like a license of star wars or whatever and then they slap it on with a bunch of different like fun little fabrics so let me ask you this mike what is one of the reasons why you like roosevelt's well i love roosevelt's because i mean they have a ton of of unlicensed items.

1:25 They have Star Wars, they have Marvel, I've seen DC, Nickelodeon, you name it. And if they don't have it, they'll probably have it soon, right? And they also come out with lots of unlicensed designs that are amazing as well. Absolutely. And I've been wearing Roosevelt literally for years. I think you've seen me wear these shirts all the time. Being a heftier man, I got to wear Hawaiian shirts because it helps me look a little better. And then these shirts, they fit perfectly. They fit your body just the way they need to, no matter how you are in size. So if you're a little thicker like me, you know, look good, you know? Yeah, do what you can. But I'm actually wearing Roosevelt's right now. You are. And, you know, I'm not going to review who our guest is entirely yet, but what do you think about my shirt? I think your shirt is very festive. Yes, yes. And you know what I like about it is it does, it does speak to the hefty man inside of you.

2:12 And not only that, it's colorful, it's fun. It's got a good vibe to it. Yes. I'm down with your Roosevelt shirt. I'm glad you are. You are, I'm glad you are. But now, do you notice it's chunk from the Goonies? I did notice that. At first I just thought it was a regular Hawaiian shirt, but then upon further examination, I was like, oh damn, Roosevelt is doing something. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty great. They're making it happen. Yeah, yeah, you know, one day when I wear this, I gotta do the truffle shuffle, what do you think? I think you should do it live on the show. One day I will. Maybe tonight. Maybe tonight I will. Maybe we'll go somewhere fun and I'll just take my, you know, have a good time. Yeah, we'll put it on the vlog. Well, that's the thing about Roosevelt shirts.

2:52 You go someplace and you have a good time in a good shirt. See, look at this man. He knows. He knows what's up. He knows how to have a good time. But now, before we forget, let me tell you how I can help you. Okay. How can you help me? My secret guest. Yes. I haven't been revealed yet. Yes. But the people listening are like, dude, he really likes that Roosevelt shirt. What's going on here? Yeah, yeah. I can step out for a minute because I want to talk about it. Well, let me tell you, my friend, that you can get 20% off. Wait, what? 20% off. 20% off? Yeah. A 20-twin-twin. A 20-twin-twin. A 20-twin-twin? Yes. 20% off your order. No limitation by using promo code UNCLEDAD, all one word.

3:36 Wow. Yeah. So I just have to put the promo code UNCLEDAD in. That's it. And I get a 20-twin-twin off. That's it. On a fabulous Roosevelt shirt. And they got socks. What? They got koozies. What? And those koozies are legendary, my friend. Oh, man. You mean shirts, socks, and koozies? And t-shirts. At 20% off? That's it. Oh, come on, Roosevelt. Yeah, so listen to our guest. You see how excited he is. Right. You can be just as excited. So go to roosevelts.com. That is R-S-V-L-T-S.com. Go there. Use promo code UNCLEDAD. Get 20% off or as our guest likes to say.

4:19 You can get how much off? 20 twin. 20 twin. Off a Roosevelt shirt, a sock, a koozie, or whatever you need. I mean, you got everything you need to party. Yeah, right. Just no pants. Yes. Exactly. That's a Roosevelt party pack. That's a Roosevelt party pack. I love it. Yeah, so go check them out. That's our new sponsor. When you do that, you're supporting the show. Exactly. And we really want you to support the show. Yeah, it's a great time. So I think I really established myself as this secret guest. I think you are like, man, who is this guy? Well, what's even funnier is I always say it's a secret guest, but they read the notes. They, it says, so they know, they know already. Yeah. They know. Okay, good. The only way they don't know is if it's on autoplay and they haven't looked because they're driving, which is probably a fun way to listen to this show.

5:05 Yeah, for sure. You're like, I'm just going in. Yeah. Maybe we should do mystery guests. Ooh. Okay. Okay. Okay. Mystery guest in a Roosevelt shirt. With the koozie but no pants right right okay mike go ahead we're having a great time so you might as well just bring it bring him in yeah yeah well speaking of our mystery guest i'm so stoked to have him in here yeah we've got a great story of how we met yeah we'll get to that later yes but he's been in movies you've seen him in movies you've seen him on tv you've probably laughed at his jokes and didn't know they were his right isn't that right sure that's correct Yeah.

5:47 I mean, you were... Let's see. You were in... Let's say most notably, you were in Don't Be a Menace to South Central while drinking your juice in the hood. And thank you for saying the whole title. Yes. That's respect. I mean, if you're going to say it, you might as well say it. You have to say the whole title. I know most people say Don't Be a Menace. Yeah, most people shorten it up. Especially now. But the real ones say the whole title. Because I saw all those movies before I saw Don't Be a Menace. So you did it the right way. I did it the right way. Yes. Yeah. And tell the people who I played in Don't Be a Menace. You played Crazy Legs. That's right. You played the Crazy Legs. That's right. And so while we're here, let me just a side note before I tell you the rest of your accolades.

6:30 For those of you that listen to the show and know, I am also the designer for Bart Bridge Hats. And we had a pop-up store in Oakland during the month of December in which I manned the shop. And sitting in there, designing on my computer in between customers, a couple of gentlemen walk in or maybe this was just you when when you first came in i think i was by myself that's right i walked into a store by myself who does that yeah i'm wow i'm wow yeah you wow man you're doing crazy wow and i said i said let me know if you need any help and and i was like cool you know i'm not here to be a salesman you were you know what your your salesman vibe was right on point.

7:12 And I was, I looked around and I was like, oh, this is a dope store. It's got a nice vibe to it. I looked around, I saw some hats that I liked. I saw one hat in particular that was a South Central Los Angeles hat that had Marlon Wayans, who played Lope Dog, of course, as the image. And I was like, this is a dope hat. And so I freaked out. I did freak, like I quietly freaked out to myself. And I asked you, I said, can I take a picture of this hat? And you were like, absolutely. And I said, I was in this movie. And I wasn't saying it like, can I get a discount?

7:55 No flex there, right? Yeah, I wasn't trying to flex. I just was like, this is bizarre. I'm in Northern California where I'm from and where I grew up. I was waiting to meet a friend for lunch. He went to Costco to gas up his car. And he was like, I'll be there in 10 minutes. So I found your pop-up shop. I saw the hat and I was like, oh, this is, this is, I'm where I'm supposed to be. This is meant to be. That's right. And so I took a picture of the hat, but I was like, weirdly blown away because like the, The artistry was dope. I was like, yo, this is fire. This hat is fire.

8:36 Thank you. Yes, it was fire. And so we started talking. And I was like, I wanted to know, I just wanted to know what was going on. Yeah, what's going on? Like, am I being punked right now? Asking pictures back there. Yeah. Let's put some merchandise from Don't Be a Menace that's really dope. And Crazy Legs happens to stumble upon it. Yeah. I'm friends with your friend and we set this all up. Yes. And that like, it felt like that. So I literally had 10 minutes to kill. I remember I asked you, I said, can I take a picture of the hat? And then I like left, like, and was a little like, whoa, what was that? I have to go back to that store.

9:16 So my buddy picked me up. We went to go eat. And I told him, yeah, I just stumbled upon this really cool hat store and they had this hat. And I showed him the hat and he was like, no way, we gotta go there when we come back. And so we came back and he ran into a friend of his, you and I started talking some more and I was like, hey, can I buy a couple of hats? I'm doing shows here with Sean Wayans in the city. I want to give Sean and Marlon one of these hats. And you, as a smart business person. And just a nice guy. And a nice guy said, take the hat. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And so you gave me the hats and I was like, cool.

9:57 And then you were like, hey, can I go to the show? And I was like, absolutely. And so we became fast friends from the moment I stepped into the pop-up shop. We used the express lane to friendship. Yes. We did. We did. Fast track. We did. Yes. Yeah, that was great, right? It was awesome, dude. Like, I really love the hats. Like, you know, I'm a dude that I do my own T-shirt. And, you know, the popularity of the Crazy Legs character was such that I was like, I want to do something for my diehard fans. So I started making a t-shirt and then when I saw your hat I was like this is something that is, like you're showing just as much love with your hat as I do with my t-shirts so I was like really hyped about just how it all came to be you know one of the things that we do sometimes with with the hat designs is we do a little nod to pop culture right and you never know how it's going I mean, you can get a seasoned assist, you can get something like what we have, right?

11:04 And I'm glad it went the way that it did with us. You know it's funny because someone else through someone that works with our with our company said someone saw that hat and said that they were offended by this really and they said do you know what this is from and they were like no but it offends me and they had to be educated on why why that was on i'm curious what were they offended by i think that it was that it says south central and it has you know loke dog on there but they didn't know who loke dog was there's probably a younger person who had no idea what what that it's funny that you say that because people that are fans of don't be a menace they love the movie for what it is and what it was at the time that we made it was we wanted to spoof all these hood movies and we watched all the hood movies we were all stand-ups in the club we were hungry we wanted to make a movie that spoofed these movies.

12:05 So we knew what we were doing. We were super hungry at the time. And Fridays came out about six months before Don't Be a Menace, right? And Fridays made a huge impact. It made money. It made stars out of Chris Tucker. Ice Cube killed it. We were just as hungry. And so when we made Don't Be a Menace, we were trying to kill it. You know what I mean? Like we were trying to kill it. We were trying to go for it. And the people that get it, get it. But when the movie first came out, I remember I went to the Magic Johnson Theater, right? Which is the perfect place to see Don't Be a Menace. I would imagine. Yeah. So we went to the Magic Johnson Theater and I remember there were some people watching the movie like it was a regular hood movie.

12:52 They didn't realize it was a comedy. That's interesting. Yes. Yeah. Because that That would change your perspective so much if you're going through the mentality. Yeah, if you're watching Don't Be a Menace as a real hood movie and not a comedy, you're totally missing the joke. Like, I love Boys in the Hood, but I'm going to... You know what I mean? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So... I've noticed this newer generation, sometimes I'll do interviews and people will be like, you were making fun of the homeless or the handicapped. You're making fun of the handicapped. And I'm like, no, that's not it at all. Like if you're going into this movie looking at it from that perspective, you're looking at it all wrong.

13:36 Like the crazy legs character to me like when I when I researched that character I went to the Fox Hills Mall which is at the time the hood mall and I just people watched and I saw this dude in a wheelchair at that mall and he had mad energy right and so I was like there's something there And so I made this character to uplift everyone that has any kind of physical disability. Like that was my mindset. Like the Crazy Legs character, people really identify with the character because they feel like that dude has the biggest energy in the room. Right.

14:22 Like he doesn't know he's in a wheelchair. You know what I mean? Right. And I would find after that movie came out, parents of kids that were in wheelchairs were like, I'm so glad you made that movie. That's my son's favorite movie. Like, it gives him light. What a difference between that, you know, the time back then in the 90s. And the time that we live in now. Where it's almost like everything that's out there almost is perceived as, is this offensive? Before, is this just what it is? Like, it's funny, dude, like the first scene, in Don't Be a Menace where you first meet Crazy Legs, right? Coming out of his house and he's got the the wheelchair ramp right and the energy is like you know yeah that's the way you start the day like he's up dude yeah like he's hyped yeah he's not he's not doom and gloom he's never down no like he's never down in that and that's like an inspiration right because it is because there's so many people who go through that and don't have that and the fact that that character did that you're right it's like it's a beautiful thing you So it's just interesting, though, how we live in a time where we look at the negative instead of the positive.

15:33 Sure. And Crazy Legs is a unnecessarily positive character. For sure. And for a character that lives in the hood to be that positive, he's a shining light. Yeah, I agree. And isn't that more of what we need, right? Absolutely. Hey, we have ailments. let's let's not make that the focus of who we are we're just who we are right right right like your spirit and your energy is what it is really about yeah that's who you are yeah so don't judge crazy legs by the wheelchair even though the wheelchair is dope wheelchair is so dope like the wheelchair is dope it's got the daytons on it it's got the daytons on it it's it it's so funny like when i think back about the wheelchair like people ask me sometimes they're like do you still have the wheelchair and I wish in hindsight I would have kept the wheelchair.

16:28 There's no way I could have. No. But I wish I would have. I assume it belongs to the studio. Yeah, it's somewhere. It's somewhere in an archive somewhere. Like I wish I would have kept the wheelchair. Could you try to buy it you think? I'd like to try. Yeah, you should. I'd like to try. If anyone knows where the wheelchair is, contact someone. I did keep the little Adidas, the little cameras. The baby shoes? Yeah, I kept the baby shoes. I did keep those. Oh, that's awesome. I did keep those. I was like, oh, I'm keeping some of these. I kept the little shoes, and then I kept – this is like me as an actor. This is just – I'm giving you the real. Yeah, please. I made sure that my big shoes match my little crazy legs. Of course.

17:12 And you're a sneakerhead. And I'm a sneakerhead, so that's real too. So I still have the OG sneakers that I wore when I was crazy. Where do you have those? Are they like in a case? They're in my storage. Oh, they're in the storage. You've got to get those things in a case. I do have to put them in a case. You're right. I do have to put them in a case. We've got to see those things. Yes, I do have to put them in a case. Okay, so I haven't even said your real name. Yeah, I was about to mention that. Wow, wow, yeah. I was about to mention that. But yes, for those who don't know, Crazy Legs is not, I guess, real name. His real name is Suli McCullough. And he's been in a ton of other shows, which I'll get to mention. But I have one more question about that scene, you know, where you come down the ramp and they're introducing your character.

17:59 And you go into the dream MC Hammer sequence. Right. Was that your vision or is that like a collective writer's decision? That was a collective writer's decision. And I just thought it was super funny at the time because, you know, I'm a hip hop head and, you know, I was a break dancer coming up in real life. And so we wrote that into Crazy Legs backstory. In fact, we shot a scene. Of Crazy Legs before the car accident where he was a breakdancer because I was a breakdancer and I was like, here's my chance to show the world my skills.

18:40 What moves did you do? Oh, I did. First of all, I did my arm waves and my king tuts, but I have a move. My go-to move was I used to do the bicycle, right? Where I would pantomime like I was on a bicycle and that was my move that i would just i would take out whole crews with the bicycle so we shot that scene and it never made the final cut and that was like a scene that i was really disappointed that didn't make the movie because i really liked it to me that anchored the whole, character yeah like him like he really was the best dancer in the hood yeah they referred to it i think it's sean's character refers to it that you were yes yeah yeah so i like i like i pushed for that i was like yo we gotta show a scene where crazy legs is really the best dancer in the hood yeah like we have to have the before scene did that make it into like the dvd and well there's a couple there's a couple extras there's a there's a special edition version of don't be a Menace on DVD that has some extra scenes.

19:48 And it's got this really funny scene where we're playing Ponopoly. Like not Monopoly, but Ponopoly. And that scene's pretty hilarious. There was another scene we shot in the movie. Remember the barbecue scene where the two people were butt naked? Yes. Oh, yeah. In the barbecue scene. We shot a scene where Crazy Legs was doing the electric slide with four other dudes in wheelchairs. I think Marlon has those outtakes somewhere at his house. And one day I went over to his house and we watched that scene. And I was like, that's pretty damn funny. That sounds funny. Yeah, like they were three dudes that were really in wheelchairs.

20:29 And, you know, I was the character. And we choreographed the electric slide in Wheelchair. It's pretty funny. And then the music was that electric slide. Like, you got to see it. It's electric. Boogie, oogie, oogie, oogie, oogie. So it's Crazy Legs doing, like, it's a funny scene. We got to get that. Yeah. We got to get that. Yeah, I got to hit Marlon up and see if I can get that. Yeah, Marlon, please. Yes. Yeah, Lokedog got to release that. That movie was so fun. I remember seeing it in the theater. You saw it in the theater? I saw it in the theater. Wow. I did, yes. Nice. Wow, nice. Did you really? Yes, I did. Nice. I'm old enough to see that movie in a theater. Really quickly, when that movie came out, I was probably only, it came out in 96, right? Mm-hmm. So I was only seven at the time. Wow.

21:17 Really? Yeah, but I did watch it though. My parents, we kind of connected through film. And so Boys in the Hood growing up was one of my favorite movies of all time. Yeah. I always say this. My dad, I watched Boys in the Hood recently. Yeah. and i realized a lot of shit my dad told me growing up i'm not kidding you what's quotes from the quotes are fucking furious styles dude i was like what the fuck i swear to you that's hilarious of course because my dad had me young my parents both had me young and so uh which you know shout out to them they're great but uh yeah they you know they just they didn't really i don't you know they didn't have their own quotes right they didn't really you know they grew up with that so anyways when i saw boys in the hood at a young age it just it made me laugh so much because it made me think of Boys on the Hood.

21:58 And now I love watching it because, you know, those two movies mean a lot to me because it just makes me think of my parents. Yes, yeah, that's great, that's great. So yeah, you saw it in theaters and I saw it on VHS. Well, you know what's funny? I'll tell you another story about Don't Be a Menace. When it first opened, we had the premiere in New York and there was a big snowstorm that weekend. And so the weather was terrible. It was a Miramax movie. And it didn't do as well at the box office that opening weekend because of the storm. So you probably saw it in a theater that didn't have crazy weather. But the box office numbers, and when you do a movie, it's about what the movie grosses, how much money it makes.

22:42 Right, of course. So when it came out, it did OK, but it didn't do like we wanted it to do. So we were a little disappointed about it. But when it went to VHS and it went to cable, that's when it blew up, like especially cable, because everybody found it. And by that time, they were ready for that tone of comedy. Sure so it was weird it was like it had a it had like a like a latent sonic boom and when it went to cable it took off and now it just has a life of its own it's like one of those weird cult movies that's just gotten more and more popular over the years yeah it's interesting how movies happen sometimes they don't and it's certain movies yeah they don't get they don't get the numbers they want right away yeah but then it has this second life later on yeah and don't be a menace is definitely that like i my my son's in high school he's a senior now but when he was a freshman one day he came home and he said dad my friends think you're cool isn't that the best though dude i love it that's hard i love it so and it's because of don't be a menace yeah i i had saw it in the theater i was 16 since we're all saying how old yeah but i out of all those uh the movies that y'all were making fun of in that film i saw menace to society first yeah and then saw boys in the hood and i was like boys in the hood is nothing compared

24:13 to menace to society that movie yeah menace to society was a great movie yes great movie and hughes brothers were great directors yes they were yeah and the cast was good like lorenz tate he's a friend of mine i'm friends with all the Tate brothers, like he killed it. Like I'm, you know, that's the cool thing about living and working in Hollywood at that time. Yeah. I was friends with everybody that was making movies, you know what I mean? And we all were just coming up at the same time. Like I met Sean at the comedy clubs and we tour now. And that was cool too, because I tour with Sean, that also gave me a chance to see what an impact that movie made.

24:55 You know what I mean? Like when you live in Hollywood, it's mostly what are you doing next? You know, like what's next on your plate? So you don't really ever get a chance to kind of relive some of the things that you've done. But, you know, like when I go out on the road, you know, people tell me all the time, like, dude, you know, I don't want to be weird, but don't be a menace is it. You know what I mean? Like, it's pretty cool. Yeah. I mean, there's no, and there hasn't been, there was lots of parody movies and then the Wayans were great with, with the scary movies, which you were also in scary movie too. I was in scary movie too. It was the crazy clown. I played the clown under the bed. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Which, you know, I, I didn't recognize that, but of course, you know, watching it and then, you know, hearing it together.

25:42 Yeah, of course. And that was one of those things where they called me and they were like, yo, we got this part for you in scary movie too. Can you do it? And I was like, absolutely. absolutely and it's a voiceover you know what i mean like they shot the scene and i just voiced it no so you weren't in that clown suit under the bed no i didn't even have like it's it's such an easy part to claim because it's just my voice you know what i mean like they had somebody do all that stuff and i just i just voiced it and i i loved i was when i was younger i was really into horror movies as well and so those those scary movie yeah franchise those especially the early the three the first three were so were so funny and and so was don't be a menace was like yeah and you know it's like the old the naked guns right making fun of all these other franchises and you guys just did such a great job and and yeah that movie just like you don't get that i really hold it deep to my heart so to sit here with you and and have all this happen is it means a lot so yeah it's super it's it's so dope yeah thanks man like it's uh it's it's nice to hear you know as a as a as an artist you just want to do something that makes an impact yeah and to be able to make an impact with that movie it's pretty dope you know what i mean like comedy yes with comedy like you like i can actually see that it lifts people's moods and i've had like.

27:06 People I super respect. Like Eddie Murphy told me one day, my daughter was in daddy daycare. She played one of the kids, right? And so Eddie told me one day, he said, Don't Be a Menace was before it's time. And I was like, dude, Eddie Murphy is giving me a compliment about a project that I was in, which is phenomenal. It's phenomenal. It's what you want. Like Shaq is a big, don't be a menace fan. I'm sure. Remember the times when dudes would have TVs in the back of their headrests? Yeah. With no one in the backseat. Yeah, with no one in the backseat, but the movie was on. So I met Shaq at the improv one night, right? And I'm a huge fan of Shaq, right? But he was a fan of mine.

27:52 He said, dude, don't be a menace is one of my favorite movies of all time. I play that movie in my car. Play that movie. and i was like what can you say like shack is giving you props yeah what i mean so like i'm cool with like the people you know you just never know who's gonna embrace your your stuff and ever yeah yeah and and i've been overwhelmed by the people that that dig that movie man that's great a casual casual conversation with compliments from eddie murphy and yes dude i mean eddie's the goat to me like when i was in high school he was blowing up on snl and i was like i want that guy's life you know what i mean like that dude is 21 years old he's the funniest dude on tv and i'm like i want to do that how can i be that guy yeah and years later he's telling me you know you were hilarious in this movie and it was before it's time yeah good job man yeah yeah dude yeah dude no it's great i mean yeah raw eddie raw is one of the best comedy specials ever right i mean i mean eddie's body of work period nutty professor you know coming to america like i you know eddie's eddie's on that level dude yeah yeah so so let me ask you so okay so you you you're a fan of eddie murphy at a really young age and and is and then i i noticed you early in your career you were doing lots of small parts in different in different shows like yeah different world yeah married with children yeah when i was friends i i was on.

29:27 Married with children that was one of my first parts i got cast because i was. Opening for George Lopez at a comedy club. And these casting directors that cast Married With Children happen to be in the audience. Oh, wow. You just never know. You never know, dude. That's the thing about LA. It's crazy. Is you have to just stay ready because you just never know. So I'm opening for Lopez back in the day before he had his sitcom. And I didn't know, but these casting directors were in the audience. And I had an audition for Married With Children the next day. And I booked the part. And at the time, Married with Children was one of those shows that was like, that was, you know, that was a big, big deal.

30:10 And I played this dude that worked at this record store named Final, called Vinyl Vinyl. And I played this guy that was a super savant where all you had to do was come into the record store and hum the song. Go with him. That's right. Oh, wow. That's right. That was you? That was me. That episode is one of the episodes that always stuck with me and that scene. I played the guy that worked at the store. My mind is just blown. You're like, Crazy Legs is cool but you were the dude at the record store to go with him.

30:52 Wait, what was that song? Do you remember? I just remember Go With Him was the song and he couldn't remember what it was. Yeah. And yeah, it was, that was an interesting experience too because that show was so popular. And as a guest star, like your job is basically to come in, deliver your lines and don't mess up. You know what I mean? And hopefully be good enough that they ask you back. So you definitely feel the pressure when you're on a show that's like that hot. I mean, Kelly Bundy was like, you know, a super hottie and bud bundy was like crazy popular and you know how bundy was you know he was a phenomenon you know what i mean like that show was that show was amazing like it was a great first experience as a guest star to be a part of something that was like a a cultural phenomenon yeah yeah yeah i mean that was one of the.

31:47 80s right that was that was it was like early 90s early 90s yeah that was such a key show of that of that time too and i was young too like i was like fresh out of college i started doing comedy when i was 19 so i started when i was in college i was really lucky we had a comedy club at ucla i went to ucla and four of us from the comedy club got to open for jerry seinfeld so we each did five minutes. I didn't realize this, but Jerry Seinfeld's managers were in the audience. Here's a funny story. I was so like honorable and noble and had values back then that I remember thinking four minutes, like that's not enough time for me to get off.

32:33 You know what I mean? I thought about dropping so my friends could have an extra minute. Look at you. Thank God I didn't do that. Thank God I didn't do that. But also thank God that you thought that. And I did honestly think that. I was like, if I drop, they can do more time. But his manager came up to me after the show, gave me his card, and he said, give me a call. I think you have a lot of talent. And I was a junior in college. I still had a year left of school. And this is how green I was and how much I didn't know anything about the business. Business I called a buddy of mine that was a little further along who's now a director and I said this guy George Shapiro gave me his card is he legit like I asked him I said is he legit and my buddy was like that's one of the biggest comedy managers in Hollywood and then I played it off like for no I don't know why but I played it off like oh cool all right I think I'm gonna call him and then as soon as I woke up the next morning I couldn't have dialed that phone fast enough Wow.

33:38 So yeah, that's how I got, that's literally how I got discovered. So I took a meeting with George Shapiro, who was Jerry Seinfeld's manager when I was in college. They knew I had a year left to school. They're like, we want you to finish school. But I knew at that moment. Comedy and being in the comedy game was going to be my my path which was pretty amazing pretty yeah i mean you're not even finished with with you know with college and you already it's already and i knew what i was going to do and in college you know i was in the comedy club i did i hosted all the like you know shows on campus so i was tracked that way but still you know i got one of the biggest managers in Hollywood, that's representing me as a 20 year old.

34:26 Were you kind of feeling like, well, fuck it, I'll just quit college. I wanted, yeah, I definitely wanted to quit college. Like I was like, yo, let's go get this. You know what I mean? Like, let's go get this. But they were smart enough to be like, finish school. And I'm glad that I did. I was a political science major in college, which is like- I feel like that makes sense. How so? I feel like comedians would make great politicians sometimes, like in some respects. There was a time where I thought I wanted to go into politics, but you know, I mean, look at history. It turns out I'm not racist. Right. I would have to be way more racist to go into politics. No, you, uh, so you kind of cut your teeth going on doing these small parts on shows.

35:11 Yeah. And then you start, is it, you start writing for, for shows? Well, that didn't, that didn't happen until after the Jamie Foxx show. Right. So I guest starred on a lot of different shows. I guest starred on Married with Children. I guest starred on Seinfeld. I guest starred on Larry Sanders, where I met my friend and mentor, Gary Shandling. Wow. But I didn't, the Jamie Foxx show was the thing that, that really kind of put me on the map in a different way. Crazy Legs, Don't Be a Menace, that made an impact. In fact, Jamie, I did one episode, the third season of the Jamie Foxx show, where I played a totally different character.

35:52 I played son, like I think Jamie Foxx's son on the episode. And it was just a one-off. And then that next season, I got offered the part of Mouse that worked with him at Jingles 2000. Thousand right so that was and then i ended up doing i ended up doing 25 of the 100 episodes on the jamie foxx show so once i came on board as mouse that took off yeah and that was cool because it was you know myself alex thomas who was in don't be a menace and chris spencer who was also in dopey minutes chris played preach alex played astray yeah and so you know we've all we're all real friends.

36:38 Like we all started comedy around the same time. And we used to be like, you know, a little black pack. Like, you know, we would go, we would go do spots together. You know, we would punch up each other's jokes. We would hang out together. We would play ball together. So we were like, you know, we looked out for each other and, you know, it was cool that our comedy life bled into our acting life. That that's fun because when you have that and then you are working on a, on a show together, you know, you already have the charisma. We already have the camaraderie. Like, and when we, we started Jamie Foxx show, you know, like at that time we kind of gave it a little lift.

37:21 Like we took the show out of the hotel and gave Jamie a workspace and now Jamie had friends and friends that were funny that all had a move. You know what I mean? Right. Yeah. I feel like when you guys came on, I told you this off Mike, it's that there was a certain magic that happened. Yeah. And I love that show. Like it's funny because it recently came on HBO max now, which if you guys want to watch it, you guys should go to HBO max and watch it. And I was like, man, I used to love this show. Let me still see if I still love it. Yeah. And I still love it. And it was great. But the moment when you guys all pop on, It just shifts the energy in such a positive, beautiful way where you see the friendship, you see the connection, you see everybody having a good time. And one of the things I always appreciate when I watch anything is sometimes you watch a movie, at least I get this, and I feel like, oh man, I love that you can tell they're having a fun making of this.

38:09 Well, you know what was cool about that show was the way Jamie worked, right? So we would do... A scripted pass, right? Where we would do the script as written, right? So we'd do one pass like that. And then Jamie liked to just freestyle. So we would do a wild pass, which was a second pass. And the second pass was anything goes. Like there would be times where we would just be riffing and we wouldn't do anything that was in the script. And what they would do was they would cut between the scripted version and the wild pass. So I think when you watch those episodes, sometimes you're seeing stuff that was in the script and sometimes you're just seeing stuff that we would rip.

38:56 That's so fun. Which was great. It was such a fun way to work. And Garrett Morris was on that show. And Garrett is one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. And so I remember when Garrett would be in scenes with us, there'd be times where we would get to the wild stuff and he'd be like, man, I don't know what I'm going to do with this. And so I would sometimes pitch him ideas and he'd be like, oh, that's good. I like that. Right. And so I credit Garrett Morris and the Jamie Foxx show. With planting the seeds, which later became my career as a writer producer, Because I was really good at pitching things for other people and taking what they did and made it better.

39:43 And Garrett, you know, I respected him so much because he's, you know, comedy royalty that the fact that he really gravitated to my ideas, he gave me confidence that my ideas had value. you. And so I didn't start writing, producing until after the Jamie Foxx show ended. And that's just from your kind of your organic way of observing people in a way that you can offer something to them that elevates them. Yeah. You know, because you think about a lot of people when they're listening to other people, a lot of times they're thinking about how they're going to respond to what's being said.

40:23 Sure. But you're over here thinking about how can you help say what they're saying, but maybe better or maybe funnier. And that also comes from years of just doing stand up and sitting in the back of the club. Like when I started, all the guys like, you know, John Witherspoon was in the clubs, you know, Jerry Seinfeld was in the clubs, George Wallace was in the clubs, Joe Coy was in the clubs, you know, Bill Burr was in the club. Like we were all in the clubs at the same time. And even if you weren't on or you were waiting to go on, you would watch all these guys work. You know, when I first started, I mean, I've seen John Witherspoon on stage so many times and he was a killer.

41:10 Like he was so funny and so good. So when I was in the clubs, you know, I was I was around these these masters and I was watching him work on a nightly basis. And when you first start out, you spend so many hours in the comedy clubs, you know what I mean? And you just you learn from the best. So I got to watch the best. And my goal as a young stand up was like. Learn from this. So, you know, I would watch what people were doing and I always had a really good ability to go, okay, that's a great joke. How do we make it better?

41:51 You know what I mean? Or say this, or, you know, I mean, I still have that ability. Like I can walk into a club, I can watch somebody on stage and, and, and go, oh, you should say that or say that. And it's not like a, you know, me thinking my ideas are, it's just, I'm, I'm really good at that because of the years of doing it. Like standup is, is miles. You know what I mean? Like it really is. You have to put your 10,000 hours and then some, that's the only way you get good at it. You know, yeah. I mean, it's kind of something that you do without even thinking that you're doing it at this point. I'm sure. Right. It's like, I care about comedy. Yeah. And I, and, and a little tweak takes a joke that gets, you know, a six and turns it into an eight and an eight is a way bigger laugh.

42:41 Yeah. And sometimes it's just one little word. So when you're writing, when you write for these shows or when you're writing comedy, what's, what's the, is there a favorite for you? Like, do you enjoy writing comedy for, for live, you know, a club or do you, or you have more fun when you're writing for a show? Well, I like that I can do a little bit of everything because when you're acting, you get the credit for that. You know what I mean? Like there are people that don't know my writing producing credits at all. They just know my acting credits. And they're like, dude, you're hilarious. Like, what are you doing now? You know what I mean? And I'm like, I'm good, dude. You know, I'm working, I'm good.

43:24 Yeah. The acting, you get the credit for it all. The writing, you may or may not get the credit, but you do get to see the whole thing come together. Like, and for me, you know, when Jamie finished doing the Jamie Foxx show, he started hosting shows. Like he hosted the MTV Awards. He hosted the ESPY Awards and he brought us along, you know, to be his writers. We knew his voice, you know, we all spoke the same language. We, you know, value comedy and we were able to make some great stuff. Like those early ESPY awards, you know, Jamie did the, the tennis ball song about Venus and Serena.

44:07 That was something that we wrote. Really? You wrote that? Yeah. Like we, yeah, that was like a- Do you know that, Mike? Yeah. Well, no, but go ahead. I have something else to say. I was just going to say, like, so at the time I was seeing this, uh, this older woman. Yes. and uh we she made me okay all right and uh she and did you have on the shirt i was wearing my roosevelt shirts i've been wearing for years yes that's right yes yes yes no and i remember she she had made me watch that with her really yeah and i thought it was so, funny yeah i had such a great time with that yeah that was one of my first producing credits Really? That's amazing. I actually wrote on the ESPYs for six years.

44:50 The first two years were with Jamie, but I'm a sports fan. So I stayed on board for four years after that. So I wrote for Sam Jackson. I wrote for Matthew Perry. Yeah, I wrote on that show for six years. Wow. I wrote for LeBron and Jimmy Kimmel when they hosted. And that's where, when I first met LeBron, Jimmy Kimmel's hosting the Oscars this year. I wrote for him on that show. So the ESPYs was a really good, fun show. That's so crazy. You know, I was going to mention that, you know, you wrote for a ton of shows, the ESPYs being one of them with Jimmy and LeBron. And I remember when I, when I saw you perform that night after we met and you, I think you, I'm pretty sure you told the joke that night of LeBron making a hundred dollar endorsement deal off Nike before he even played.

45:38 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. LeBron. Yeah. Nike paid LeBron a hundred million dollars before he ever played a professional game. And that if that happened to you before you ever worked, you would retire. Yeah. Yeah. My first thought is I would retire that day. So, yeah. Tell me a little bit more about like... So that joke came from the experience of working with LeBron. Okay. And that was a dream job for a writer. A lot of times as a writer, like every experience is different. It depends on who you're writing for and what their writing style is. Like Jamie's one of those dudes where, you know, I remember we used to all work on ideas independent of him. And then he would come in, we would pitch him the ideas and Jamie, like Jamie's literally one of the most talented people I've ever been around.

46:24 And he has this ability to, if he likes an idea, absorb it and make it his in a way that I've never worked with anybody in that way. Like he's just, his talent level is something else. So that's one way to work, right? But I've also been in situations where it's very hands-on and collaborative. You know what I mean? I wrote the pilot for George Lopez's talk show. And that was a very different experience. I used to open for George back in the day. So I know George's voice, but that was really hands-on, him and I working together on that.

47:05 That was a cool experience. Everyone's different. My friend and mentor, Gary Shandling, before he passed away, we were working on an idea based on his journals. He kept journals all throughout his life. And so we were working on a series idea called Halfway to Hawaii, because that was his plan, was to buy some property in Hawaii and retire in Hawaii, but he was halfway there because he was still half in Hollywood and half had this dream of getting to Hawaii. So his process was very different than some of the other people that I worked with.

47:46 I spent a year as a writer on The Tonight Show, and it was Jay Leno's last year. Jay Leno was the host for 17 years. I got hired his last year when Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination. NBC executive was like, hey, we're about to have a black president. We should probably have a black writer on this show. So they went to the diversity department. It took that. Yeah, it took that. But, you know, that's the business that we work in. So that was 2008. They didn't have any black writers in the diversity department. One of the writers on staff said, I know somebody that I think would be perfect for this.

48:27 So they recommended me for that job. I remember I had to submit a page of monologue jokes, 25 jokes I wrote. And, you know, my monologue submission page was good enough that they hired me. So I spent a year writing for Jay. And that was a very different experience. That was like, you know, you're writing on The Tonight Show. It's five days a week. You know, Jay's monologue at the time was 27 to 35 jokes a night. He had 18 writers at the time. And so he likes to read a lot of jokes. He would probably read a thousand jokes a day to get to that 18 to 37 jokes that would make up the monologue.

49:08 So every day I'm getting up at five in the morning, I'm looking at the news stories, I'm reading newspapers and I'm writing monologue jokes. Like I felt like the Tonight Show was like getting paid to go to grad school. You know what I mean? Like it was really just the discipline of having to write monologue jokes every single day for a year straight. It strengthens your skills. And also Jay Leno's Tonight Show was a very mainstream show. It's very different than Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. You know what I mean? It's a lot more current event based and topical. And I learned how to write for mainstream America. So you were on the writing for the monologue section of the show. Yes, but you also do other things.

50:01 Like he used to do a bit called jaywalking, which he would go out. To, we go to Universal, which was not far from NBC where we shot the show. And he would, you know, we'd all get in a van, we'd get out of the van, he'd show up at Universal and they would just interview tourists and ask them these really basic questions. And people don't know shit. Right. You know what I mean? So that was the bit. You asked him a question about something that's not even real. Yes. And part of it is the pressure of being on camera and having to perform, which makes your brain kind of fog, but also people don't know shit. But they also so badly wanna be in the spotlight. They wanna act like they know something.

50:42 So that was a really interesting refillable bit. Yeah, you wrote for everything, but I was primarily a monologue writer on that show. Wow. Right, right. And so you mentioned Gary Shandling and Gary, he's one of like the best there ever was, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. So how do you meet? How does that? Well, I met Gary Shandling as an actor. I got cast on the Larry Sanders show. The episode was pain equals funny, which is genius because it's the truth. It's the truth. And I played a writer on that show and I played a writer before I became a writer.

51:23 So that also speaks to gary's genius that he cast me as something that i later would become he saw something in there that yeah i mean we didn't even know each other i was just cast as an actor and so the first day on set i i have to say this the larry sanders show is one of my favorite tv shows of all time before i met gary i just loved that show i thought it was super smart I thought the characters were grounded in reality it was funny, but it felt real and I felt like I was, These relationships I was invested in it.

52:05 It really was an honor just to get cast on that show. So I was excited to be a part of that show. And I just figured it would be like the Married With Children situation. You're a guest star, you're coming on, you do your lines, and then you keep it pushing. I ended up having a conversation with Gary on set, and we talked about Muhammad Ali. And we both were big fans of Muhammad Ali. And so we had like an hour and a half talk about Muhammad Ali. And I was like, it was weird because I was a fan of Gary's standup and I loved the Larry Sanders show. And after that conversation, I was like, this dude is the coolest dude in the world.

52:48 Like he's grounded. He's real. Like he, you know, he was just all that. And then some, they say, you know, never meet your heroes. That was one where it was like oh this dude is amazing so i did that episode and then gary had a sunday invite only basketball game that i got invited to play in after doing that show look at you so yeah so i played in gary's game for 18 years what did you wear any of your jerseys you know what's funny is i was so excited that i got the invite because that was really like an a-list exclusive you're in you're in there like who did you i didn't want like sarah silverman played in that game david de covney played in that game sasha barrett cohen played in that game kevin nealon played in that game wow like there were some it was like this think tank of super funny people.

53:47 And we all just hung out in Gary's house on a Sunday. Like it's the most, to this day, you know, like hanging out with Jamie was incredible, like a different kind of incredible. Right. But hanging out with Gary every Sunday, like I had a family in a real life. There were times where I didn't want to go back to my real life. You know what I mean? I wouldn't either. Like it was like sleep away camp. You know what I mean? You didn't want it to end yeah and it was like like i said it was the perfect mix of basketball and like these super funny people that you just were so glad to be able to spend that time with and how awesome for you that you got like a mix of of what it was like to be with with jamie foxx and those and that group and then you worked with george lopez and his group and yeah and now you're with gary shanling Well, it's like I've been really fortunate in that way where I've worked with a lot of the best minds in comedy.

54:45 Yeah. You know what I mean? Which is probably why you care about it so much. I really do. Like even to this day, I still have that approach of somebody that's just starting out. Awesome. But I care about it in a way where... It's precious to me. It's like a precious, it's a diamond to me. Yeah. You also, you did some work on Last Comic Standing. That was the job that I did right before I got hired on The Tonight Show. Really? I got hired as a producer and that was the year that Liza Schlesinger and Jeff Dye were on. They had two two-hour specials right before the Olympics started and they wanted to come up with content for the contestants other than just making them do head-to-head battles so i got hired with a couple of other writers that i'm still really close with and we just came up with with fun stuff for them to do other than compete against each other and that was a job that i literally that production office was across the street from nbc so when i got hired on the tonight show and I had to turn in those monologue jokes, I literally walked across the street to take that meeting.

55:57 And so it was a very interesting time in my life where it was like one job led to another job. Like I was, it was funny. I finished up last comic standing. I had two weeks off in that two weeks. I wrote and shot the pilot for George Lopez's talk show. I had one week off and then I started at the, at the tonight show. I talk about this often with Uncle Dad and other guests we have where when you love what you're doing and you're committed to your craft and you believe that that is your true purpose and you're following that, one opportunity is what leads to the next. And if you're paying attention, will lead to the next. Sure.

56:38 Even if it's right across the street with the competition. Sure. Did you ever get to work with Norm McDonald? I did. I was friends with Norm. another it's funny that we're you know we're here in san francisco right now because i remember when he played cobs which which i played with sean in december and we just hung out we just hung out like we just you know after a show you know i think i i i saw that he was performing at cobs and i stopped in and we were friends and we just hung out all that night afterwards and talk comedy, and I remember the conversation. You know, Norm was one of those dudes, like, game recognizes game.

57:20 And I remember we talked about who he thought the best working stand-up at the time was, and he thought Patrice O'Neill was, pound for pound, the best comic working at the time. Yes. You like that. Yeah. I think, in my opinion, Patrice O'Neill is one of the most underrated comedians out there. Absolutely. Because he was so fucking good at what he did. Yeah, absolutely. He knew his voice. Yes. He knew how to push the envelope. A hundred percent. He wasn't afraid of. Making the audience uncomfortable because he knew he had the skills to get them back. And he did it in a way that was smart and he did it in a way that was 100% him, I felt. Yes. Yeah. But I'll never forget that. Norm was saying, hey, you know who I think is really great right now? Patrice O'Neill.

58:07 Norm, I miss Norm. One of my favorite lines he ever said was, people are scared that they're going to die in a plane crash. They're going to die from a terrorist attack but no one's afraid of your heart attacking you and kill you which is a lot more likely than dying in a plane or dying from a terrorist he had such a great way of just dissecting stuff yeah and you know he was like i really i miss norm you know what i mean like he was such he was another one of those just great ones like i said i was i'm i'm super fortunate The time that I started doing comedy in was really a golden era. And I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of the best.

58:48 Like I haven't even talked about Cedric the Entertainer, who's a very good friend of mine. You know, I took a consulting producing credit on one of his specials back in the day. I wrote for him when he did the White House Correspondents Dinner. I also wrote for him when he hosted the Emmys, you know, he reached out to me and said, Hey, I want you to be my head writer on the Emmys, which was great. How does that feel when, when you get that call? Well, it was unbelievable, dude, because it was coming out of the pandemic. You know, when the pandemic hit, you know, I was touring with Sean Wayans and, you know, all our tour dates went away because all the clubs closed and everything shut down.

59:31 And, you know, comics, that's how we make our money. And so that was all shut down. Yeah. To get that call to write for Cedric on the Emmys, it was incredible, dude. And we had a great time. We had fun. People liked the show. I remember when we finished, Cedric was like, yo, we just did the Emmys, dog. Like, it was like, it was great. It was great. It was great. And that also, you know, that year, I wrote for Cedric on the Emmys, I wrote on the American Music Awards, and then I wrote on last year's Oscars. So I did three big award shows back to back to back, which, you know, I think all started from the job that I did on the Emmys.

1:00:22 Wow. I really want to talk, of course, about the Oscars, but before I get into that, let me ask you, when you're working on something like the Emmys or the Oscars, do you feel. A different kind of pressure to be more funny or funnier or just more pressure in general than like just, I don't know. You do feel pressure. The Oscars was a lot of pressure. The Emmys was a lot of pressure. The Emmys was a lot of pressure because I didn't know the Oscars was coming. And I knew this was a chance for me to make an impact. And the fact that I was Cedric's head writer, later, I really wanted it to be great.

1:01:04 And so I did feel a lot of pressure and coming out of the pandemic, I felt like people need a lift. So I wanted the show to be really strong. Yeah. I felt pressure. Yeah. I definitely felt. Okay. So you're, yeah, you're, you're human and you feel pressure. I felt pressure. I also, you know, you trust it, you know, once again, if you care about comedy and you care about the craft it's the technique that's going to get you over and it's that commitment to the craft that's going to get you over so while you do feel pressure you're like i'm built for this i'm here for i'm here for a reason i'm here for i got the call from cedric newtanner yep because of what i am and i was smart enough with with him because you know like i i genuinely enjoy that guy like he makes me laugh really hard we make each other Like, you know, we've got a great camaraderie.

1:02:01 So what I would do, which was pretty smart on my part. You know, we would do pitch ideas and come up with stuff. And then we would get together on our own on the weekends and we would just work on ideas separately. And I felt like that was a really smart play because we had a direct connection and we're banging out these ideas and making it as funny as possible between us. So then I could go back and go, this is what the host wants to do. And so there's no middleman or no so i could bring you know a pure idea back to the source, so and that was fun too because you gotta remember with all the pressure of these big shows you still got to make it fun right and if you guys aren't laughing one-on-one.

1:02:55 It's not gonna it's not gonna translate and but and also you probably have to now you know the the way you have to write comedy to not offend or upset anyone, how much of that goes into the writing of like, oh, is this too much? Or is this too much now? Yeah, I mean, I think you gotta at least get to that point where you're legit laughing at it. You know what I mean? Like if you're not laughing at what you're creating, it's not gonna be funny. But I mean, as far as like being funny- I mean, you're always gonna have to deal with network notes, that's part of it. You know what I mean? Or time constraints or, you know, like there was something that happened with the Emmys where the monologue, Cedric's monologue got cut at the last minute. And, you know, we had had all these other jokes that time constraints prevented us from getting to.

1:03:40 And so I remember being a little upset about that. To the point where I had to go take a walk and kind of like chill out. And then I was like, you're at the Emmys, like go back and enjoy what this is. Just do a little woosah. Yes, exactly. But, you know, that is, that's, that's what happens in the, in the pressure and all that where, you know, you want to make an impact and you put these jokes in that you believe in and you want people to see them and enjoy them. And you know there's always stuff that's out of your control yeah so so you go from the emmys to the oscars and everyone knows what happens what happened at the oscars yeah with you know chris rock and the slap yes as it's been it's been called yeah it's been called the slap heard around the world yeah for sure which is ridiculous i feel like you know what's funny about the slap is like you know do you remember like when kim kardashian did that thing break the internet to me i feel like the slap broke the internet it was insane how it was everywhere yeah well imagine being there oh yeah well with a with a tuxedo on take us there yeah take us there paint the picture this was my first oscars i felt like i busted my ass this year.

1:05:04 Writing on the emmys writing on the american music awards and getting the opportunity to to write on the Oscars. You know, I started doing standup in 1989. I graduated college in 90. There's no way you could have told me as a young standup, one day you're gonna write on the Oscars. I bet, yeah. So that, you know, I went to UCLA. I grew up in Los Angeles. You know what I mean? Like to go from, nothing is promised in comedy. Nothing's promised. Right. To go from maybe you'll have a career at this to writing on the Academy Awards is a huge deal.

1:05:49 Yeah. Right. And you feel the pressure of the year before it was at a train station in downtown Los Angeles. So this is the first time that it's back at the Dolby and it's less COVID. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like so it's gonna be the Oscars again and you want to make an impact and you want it to be great and the producers. They had worked with my daughter, right, on a project. And I had never worked with them. So my first meeting at the Dolby, I sat down in the office, and the first thing they said to me was, we love your daughter. And I'm thinking, what better way to start my Oscar experience than these producers, Will Packer, Shayla Cowan, saying, we love your daughter.

1:06:39 Yeah, awesome. Like this is a magic moment that, you know, it's, this is going to be incredible. This is going to be incredible. And the show was incredible. You know what I mean? It's just, it got reduced to that moment and that sucks. You know what I mean? Like the Oscars is a long show. It's a three hour show. That was the last half hour of the show. It was the best documentary category. Chris Rock is a two-time former Oscar host who is extremely skilled as a comedian, but he's also held the reins of what being the host is. He's just coming in and he's responsible for 45 seconds of comedy and then to read the copy to present an award to what is most likely his friend Questlove.

1:07:32 That's right. So it should have been easy breezy and it was anything but that. Yeah. Yeah. It's yeah. Yeah. Just to give you a context of what my perspective was. And at the time I'm in the green room, there's a special green room for all the presenters, right? They call it the Rolex green room. Oh, what's in there? Some chocolates. Some Rolexes? I wish. Trust me. Chocolate covered Rolex. i looked i i i had a couple of the chocolates and i looked for the rolexes i didn't see the rolex the chocolates were delicious chocolates sponsored by rolex yes yeah no they were they were in a uh a little box and they had the rolex emblem on them no i was like dude like and first of all the adobe is beautiful it's a beautiful theater the rolex green room i felt like i was in monica okay so i'm wearing a tuxedo you know boys medium and uh hey that's mic size that's mic size too so i'm a boy's extra large nice nice nice men's extra large, so i'm in the rolex green room and the show is almost over you know my daughter i brought my daughter that night.

1:08:51 And you know, I've been so busy, I haven't seen her during the show. And when. Turned south like that, you know, I'm watching the monitor and, you know, Will gets up and slaps Chris and then he sits back down and then he starts swearing and this is live. Yeah. I mean, you know, ABC network television live. Yeah. And it was so far out of left field that I couldn't vocalize anything you know what i mean like i i just was like what what like what what's happening right now did you think at any point that this was set up beyond your knowledge dude no i've been working on the show for three months yeah so it was nothing nothing no there's no top secret there's no top secret anything okay this is happening it's real and no one knows how to And the guy that didn't curse in his raps is swearing on live television.

1:09:59 Crazy. I know. And I'm watching it on a monitor. What you guys saw was the bleeped version. I'm there. What I'm seeing is not bleeped. What's the delay like? There was no delay. No. It's a five second delay. Okay. But I'm hearing him swear for real. Yeah. And I'm thinking, is the show going to go on? Is like, what's happening? Is security going to come out? What is happening? Yeah. So my first instinct was, let me go check on my daughter. Because this clearly, whatever happens next is so far above my pay grade, they're not going to be coming to me like, what do we do next?

1:10:44 Right, of course. You know what I mean? Like, we're in a code red situation. So I went to go see my daughter. And the first thing she said to me was like, what happened, dad? What was that all about? I said, I have no idea. And then I'm also like, oh shit, I'm at the Oscars with my daughter. I should probably take a picture of the two of us because we're at the Oscars, right? Right. And you're in a tuxedo. And I'm in a tuxedo. Yeah. And she's dressed up and you know what I mean? So we take a picture. after the thing well yeah while i'm going to get her and then i bring her downstairs because i don't know at this point i don't know if the show is going to continue sure so i make sure she's okay then i go backstage again and at this point i overhear a lawyer for abc say to chris.

1:11:39 You know, if you want to press charges, let us know. And Chris says, no. And the lawyer says, if you change your mind, let me know. And that moment was a moment where I was like, oh, this is really serious. Because what lawyer says, if you change your mind, let me know. You know what I mean? And then it just was a matter of, was the show going to continue? And it did. And I think the reason that it did was because you had a two-time Oscar host on stage in that moment who saved the show. He knew how to keep it going, even though this crazy thing that we've never witnessed before on TV. Yes.

1:12:24 And it's a testament to his professionalism and his skill and as a, as a comedian and as somebody that understands that moment. Like I hear a lot of comics talk about, if that was me, I would have, which is nonsense. A, you wouldn't have been there. And B, you know what I mean? Like, it's just nonsense. Nonsense. Like I credit Chris Rock so much for having the poise to deal with something in real time that would have shook 99.9% of the people on this planet. You know, so let me ask you something on that. I'm just curious is when that happened, I don't know if you felt this way, Mike, but when it happened, I thought it was ridiculous that they didn't escort him out because if it would have been Mike that walked up to that stage and slapped left him there's no way he would have been there well i feel like if it would have been but it's a weird collision of celebrity it's a weird collision it's will smith we're at an award show to honor somebody that is nominated for the best actor prize who's probably going to win and that is what it is about and for me i'll tell you this i am very close to both will and jada and Chris Rock so I was in a weird situation where these are two peers of mine sure and what happened in that moment.

1:13:55 Had nothing to do with my personal relationship with them, but it's also a working relationship. Right. Like my name is on this show. Yeah. And immediately what happened afterwards, like we're all in a daze. You know what I mean? Like, keep in mind, we've been working on this for three months. Right. I got hired before they named the hosts. And I was used to working with one host that I had a relationship with, this is the first time that I was in a situation where I had to work with three different hosts. And while I knew them in different ways, it still was, you're managing the interests of three people that all have separate ideas of what they want this experience to be.

1:14:40 So it already had its own challenges as a writer later servicing, you know, this, this, this major show. So when that happened, it just do everything for a loop. Sure. And then when the show that I remember as I was walking backstage, as the show was ending, I looked up on one of the monitors and I saw the written by credits and I was like, Oh damn, that's my name up there. Right. But this thing is now a disaster.

1:15:24 You know what I mean? Award show or something like that. I don't really talk about it until after it's done, but the Oscars is different. They do a press release when they hire you because they're proud that you're getting this opportunity and they want people to know this is who we've hired. So I can't pretend like I didn't just do this and people know that I've done it.

1:16:06 So So that was interesting. And then people would screenshot the credits. And in an attempt to make sense of what just happened, someone with a blue check said, I can confirm that Chris Rock did not write that joke. And it was written by these people. Name that person. So you're now being thrown under the bus for something you had nothing to do with. That's insane somebody would even do that, right? Who did that? Name this person. Who did that? They had a blue check. Blue check person. And, you know, so then you're dealing with that. Sure. And then also here's another weird thing about the Oscars.

1:16:49 Right after the Oscars, the first party is the Governor's Ball, which is upstairs in the same, you know, facility. So everyone's in a tuxedo that's just watched this show. And we're all taking these escalators up to the Governor's Ball. Is it dead quiet? People are trying to figure out what they just witnessed. Right. So people are like, was that real? What was that about? out like you know like i remember so i'm with my daughter right and i'm holding my the train in my daughter's dress as we're going up this escalator and i'm having this conversation i'm having this conversation with this guy that won an oscar for you know a short film and i'm like oh that's great you won an oscar congratulations and i'm like oh i you know he's like what what did you do on the I was like, oh, I was a writer on the show.

1:17:43 And he was like, hey, what just happened with Chris Rock and Will Smith? And I'm like, I have no idea, as we're going upstairs to go to a party. To go party. So, so then there's that, you know what I mean? It's like, it's a celebration, but this weird thing has just happened, but you're still supposed to go on like- And everyone's just going. So it was, it was bizarre. It was bizarre. And then, you know, it's, it, The next day, it's all over the news. And I remember the head writer said to all of us as writers, he said, you know, the press is probably going to reach out to you. This is before the slap.

1:18:26 He said, the press is probably going to reach out to you to get some sort of comment. It's best to just say nothing because no matter what you say, it's going to be misconstrued. And that was before the slap. Wow. So post-slap. That next day, I got calls from the Post, the Times, like TMZ, you know, they wanted me to be on Dr. Phil. Like, it was surreal. It was surreal. Yeah, to say the least. Right. So, I hope that answers the question what the Oscars was like. Yep. so so what what an experience for you i mean i can see how it affects you just talking about it like you're kind of in a sense robbed from this great what's supposed to be like probably a peak moment in your in your career to to write for the oscars and it gets totally overshadowed and kind of taken away from this kind of selfish selfish moment from someone well i will say this i think I think my friendship with Gary Shandling prepared me to handle this.

1:19:41 And what I mean by that is Gary was a host of the Oscars. And when he was alive, we talked about all of that stuff. Like I really felt, especially in the last two years of his life. He mentored me in a way where he gave me tools to handle something this crazy. And that doesn't mean that it didn't affect me. Like I went through a bit of depression afterwards because that's a big high to get hyped for. You know what I mean? It's like, man, I'm getting to do this amazing. Thing and then it goes so far south where it's known it's like it's like being in a in a in the indie 500 and then there's a car crash and it becomes about the car crash you know what i mean it's like that that you you don't want to be associated with disasters yeah you know what i mean like some people it's funny some people you talk to and they're like dude you're gonna be a part of an oscars that people are always going to talk about for that reason but for that exactly right not because the show was great which it was yeah you know beyonce opened the show right people forget about that i forgot you know what i'm saying i forget a lot of things but yes you're right like beyonce opened the show yeah there was so many great things that we should be talking about and instead we're

1:21:13 talking about this were you able to talk to either Chris or Will Smith after this I haven't talked to Will no it's you know and I and I saw Chris in December when I was here you know but I saw him on stage like we didn't talk backstage afterwards so no I really haven't had any closure and it was interesting even watching his special Selective Outrage. I watched it by myself and I'm still raw about it. You know, the Oscars are Sunday, you know what I mean? And you know, when I see a commercial I'm triggered. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because that was my experience.

1:21:54 It, you know, I was talking about this on stage the other night, I said, you know, when you finish the Oscars, they give you some swag, right? They give you a hat and they give you a sweatshirt. You know, it's nice swag, but I haven't worn it yet. And I don't, I can't, you know what I mean? It's like, I can't, I can't embrace the experience. I feel like it's a, it's known for something that I'm not proud of. Right. Yeah. Because people are looking at you and not just you, but the writers as not to why this happened, but it has to go on someone and it's not going on.

1:22:35 And you know, like even if, even if we're not under fire, just the simple fact that jokes are on fire, you know what I mean? Like that, that, that we're, we're criticizing the joke, you know what I mean? Like jokes make people feel good. They lift the mood. They let the air out of the room. You know, the Oscars are pretentious. We're giving awards to people that have won the game of life. Right. You know what I mean? Time and time again. You know what I mean? So, you know, the Oscars are a big party that you're not invited to. So jokes take the air out of the room. How can we not laugh at ourself? We're sitting here richer than everyone else, more privileged than anyone else, and we can't take a joke about ourself.

1:23:19 So that's another issue is like, don't attack the joke. The joke is there to make it fun. Right. So that's another side of it. Well, yeah. What a perspective, right? Because it's like, come on, let's not take ourselves too seriously here. Right. we're giving ourselves awards right for being awesome yeah when you've already won the game yeah you are you are a-list top tier you know what i mean yeah hmm that is wow that's a great perspective i didn't think about it like that but that it's such a great perspective because it is like wow that's like you just maybe changed my thoughts on some things wow yeah i'm you know i say this genuinely too here on mike but i i'm i'm sorry for you that that is your experience of such a peak in your life, especially with your daughter there.

1:24:04 And what it means to write as a writer for something that high caliber. I am sorry that that was the experience that you had to go through just as a human, but also knowing you and kind of becoming friends with you. It really sucks to put it lightly. And you're such a kind person. But you know what? I will say this. I thank Gary for all that mentorship and time that he gave me before he passed, because without that, I probably wouldn't have been able to process this. And so that is a amazing gift on his part. Well, think about it like this. The universe is always listening. And so you are able to get Gary Shandling of all people that could have been your mentor as your mentor to give you the tools to deal with something that's going to happen in 2000 years after he's gone. Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

1:25:00 It's like, and it doesn't, and it doesn't escape me. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, I wish he was around now just so we could talk about it. You know what I mean? Like, but, but I'm blessed in that sense. Like the last two things that Gary did on camera, he did comedians in cars with Jerry Seinfeld, which is, he asked me to help him get ready for that. So, and then he did my documentary dying laughing that I produced. So the last two times that he appeared on camera, I was directly involved in, and it's something that I'm extremely proud of. And it's a testament to our friendship his mentorship towards me and my commitment to honor those gifts that he gave me wow man your mentor sounds way better than mine.

1:25:49 Hey hey you're sitting here with suly right i'm not that bad so hey he only knows the surface level All right, all right, let's take it easy. Right, right, come on, come on. So now, folks are gonna hear this, it's already gonna have happened, but you're also here in the Bay Area, not just to sit with us two yahoos, but you're doing your work, you're performing at Stanford. I'm doing two shows at Stanford and then I'm also speaking to the students during the day. Just, you know, some of the things that we've talked about on this podcast and giving them just a little backstory of what my trajectory has been in this business.

1:26:34 Because I went to Cupertino High School. I'm from Northern California. You know, I was a skinny kid with a dream of, you know, making something happen in Hollywood. And, you know, I made some shit happen. You made it happen i made some shit happen i did some things you know and so if i can just like gary mentored me if i can help some young ambitious minds choose this path you know you got to pay it forward right no that's i mean that's that's again that's the car that's good karma that's what it's about yeah right that's what it's about i mean jerry's gary jerry gary serling did that for you you're you maybe you're doing that for the next up-and-coming person yes and you're also doing a lot of touring with Sean Wayans.

1:27:19 Yeah, Sean Wayans and I are touring this year. We're doing some great dates all around the country. I'm excited. We're doing Hawaii in May. Nice. Oh, yeah. Crazy legs might take your shirt off. Oh, I hope so. Let's go. I want to see crazy legs in the luau. Yeah. If you're going to Hawaii, you better wear a Roosevelt Hawaiian shirt. You know what? The good people at Roosevelt better make me a shirt. Oh, man, a crazy legs shirt? Can we get a Crazy Legs Hawaiian shirt, Roosevelt? Oh, Roosevelt. I'm going to hit you up. Let's go. Okay, let's do this. We need this. Boys medium. Boys medium indeed. They can afford that. That's not much cloth, right? Right.

1:28:02 And you're also doing a tour, correct me however you want to call it, like a group of you and other comedians called Crazy Legs and Friends. Yeah, you know, I did a show not too long ago with some friends of mine that are great comics. And I just did it under the banner of Suli McCullough, Crazy Legs and Friends. Because I like the energy of the Crazy Legs character. And I think that that just sets the vibe for coming to see a good show. Yeah so it's just great comics that i like working with and we're going to do some some spot tour dates in different places nice now speaking of crazy legs yes let's talk about one other thing you know circling back to how we met when you came into the shop yeah and and picked up the south central hat with loke dog on it yeah we loke dog and his super soaker that's right that's right, We have been able to create an alternate version.

1:28:59 Yes. We're doing an exclusive. Exclusive. A special Crazy Legs South Central hat. That's right. A Bart Bridge hat. A Bart Bridge exclusive. That's right. You see what I'm saying? Yes. That I'm really excited about. Like, you know, like we instantly became friends and I was really excited to do this podcast and you know. I love the South Central hat with Lokedog so much that it just got my little producer brain spinning. And I was like, can we do a Crazy Legs version? And they said, absolutely. And so we let it germinate and coagulate and marinate.

1:29:44 And now we got some Crazy Legs. All the Nates. We got the Nates. Yeah, I got a Nate. and as an artist let me give a shout out can we mention the artist so you already had crazy leg shirts yeah and i kind of used that artwork and sort of redrew it yeah to make it work with embroidery in the small space my uh my friend who's an artist ritzy p did my crazy legs t-shirts which i sell after my shows with sean and what i wanted to do with that is just make some merchandise specifically for Crazy Legs fans just to say, hey, you know what? I appreciate the support.

1:30:24 I got you. So we used that image as a template to make the Bart Bridge hat. So I guess we're going to have it available online and do a little limited run. And if you need a Crazy Legs hat in your life, Bart Bridge is the place to go. Yeah. Yeah. Or maybe you'll have some at your merch table. Oh yeah. I'm going to have some, you know, when I go tour and stuff, but I also want people to go to your website and get the hats that way. Yeah. Dope. And these hats are incredible. They are like you, like, like today you showed me the hats in person. And even though the Oscars was messed up, the hats almost make up for it.

1:31:08 I mean, I'm glad that there's a balance. Yes, yes, yes. It's not all bad, y'all. There's light at the end of the tunnel. We got crazy legs hats. Yes. So you'll be able to go to bartbridge.com and see those soon. And one last thing I want to mention before we wrap is you and Sean, I saw you guys last December at the Cobbs, which you guys are great together. A nice yin and yang almost of different types of comedy. Sure. I, Sean was my first comedy show I ever saw in person. He's my first, like going out to a comedy club. It was the punchline in Sacramento. Yes. At the, at the, how about Arden fair?

1:31:50 Right. Next to the, I know, I know I've done many spots there. Yeah. And I think this was 2001 or two and, and Sean comes out after the two people open for him and the music's blasting and he comes out with his leather jacket and he's just such a vibe and yeah i'm like whoa this is sean wayans like it's in person celebrity and and he goes up there and he clowns sacramento like his opening well because sacra like at the sacramento punchline for people that don't know you have the capitol building as the backdrop on stage right and and so you can't ignore it it's big it's big and there's and there's a couple like palm trees and tree and other trees and like a couple little buildings and let's be honest and this was in you know 20 years ago yeah right there's not a lot to do there yeah at this time yeah so he was making note of that yeah let me ask you this and i took offense to that then but now i understand sure but.

1:32:52 A comic has to work with what he's got. Yeah. Yeah. When you're in a town like that, when there's not a lot to do, do you guys just, is that better that you just sit in the room and kind of stare at the wall at the hotel? You know what's interesting is like our touring schedule is we usually fly out on a Thursday and get in and then, you know, maybe we'll catch a quick dinner. And then, you know, we got pressed during the day on Friday and then two shows Friday, two shows, Saturday, first flight out Sunday. So Saturday night bleeds into Sunday morning. So I like to, on that Friday after press and stuff, get out a little bit just so I can feel the vibe of wherever I'm at.

1:33:35 But if the place isn't vibey, then it's easy to stay in the hotel. But I think it makes for a better show if you know what the city's about. Sure. and you have like a little you know like you don't have a lot of time but you do want to feel like okay i know what this place is about and you connect with the crowd yes exactly and if there's nothing there then you can make fun of it and then you get to make fun of it and that people know because there's nothing but i at least try i at least try i at least try and go do something or you know just just you know sometimes i'll ask people on stage like yo i'm here for two days what What should I do while I'm here? And that's how you know if a city's like what they care about.

1:34:18 And they say, go to the Galleria. You're like, oh, God. Yeah. Sometimes they're like, you're doing it. You're doing it. That's you. Come have a seat. You're doing it. I'm curious. Have you ever done any shows in Stockton? It's been a while. It's probably been a while. Man, I feel like you and Sean would do so well at Stockton, California. Okay. That's my hometown. That's my hometown. We need to make it happen. Yeah, yeah. The Bob Hope, those two guys. Just be sure you get out alive. Oh, Stockton's no joke, my friend. Oh, yeah? Stockton's real like that? It's real. It's probably more real than Oakland sometimes. Uh-oh. All right. But no flat tires, though. No flat tires. All right.

1:34:59 Well, maybe Stockton won't happen. Suli, it's been an honor, a pleasure. You're great. I love your openness, and your comedy is amazing, and just getting to know more about you. and I love comedians. Because I love comedy, but I also love the way you all tell stories. You're great storytellers and that's part of your craft and what you do. And you did it here on the show with us and it was just great to see it happen live. You know, almost like, we almost got our exclusive private comedy show with Suli. Yeah, this was a thing. We did a thing. We did a thing. We did a thing. This has been great. I've had a great time. Like, I feel like this is how, you know, You want to connect with other artists and change agents.

1:35:47 You know what I mean? And when you can make something that feels good, you know you're doing it right. Yeah. Where can our audience find you, where you're touring, where your friends are? You can find me at, I'm on Instagram at Suli McCullough, my real name, S-U-L-I-M-C-C-U-L-L-O-U-G-H. H on Twitter and Facebook. And I'm not on Tik TOK. Me neither. I'm not on Tik TOK and I'm not on a dating site. Are you on only fans? Soon. Oh my God. A crazy legs. Only fans. That'd be funny. That would be fun. No pants. No pants. No pants. Just legs.

1:36:28 Hey, you get that whole thing set up at a Roosevelt's. No pants, you know? Right. We got to work on that. We got to work on the Roosevelt's Hawaiian shirt. For my Hawaii dates. Yeah, I love that. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. So we will look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at Stanford and other people will probably look forward to be seeing you in Hawaii. Yeah, or tour dates across the country. Sean and I are doing dates for the rest of this year. So before we go. Okay. I have something. I was going to do a more involved game. Yes. We're going to make it very quick. Okay. Because we've been talking for a great time and it's been amazing. It really has. And to kind of just to say my thing. It's great to have you here more than you can ever imagine because you know and i've told you this off mike before before this your interaction happened with him i haven't wanted to get you on the show personally and i was trying to find a way how i could write to you and you know maybe through instagram but i know how that can be yeah and the fact that this is now happening and it's fruition and it's here from the bottom of my heart just thank you for taking the time and being here because yeah i've been a fan of your stuff for a very long time your writing work everything and And, you know, and I, you know, mouse meant a lot to me too.

1:37:37 And I guess I told you with, you know, with W medicine meant a lot to me too. But just your writing skills, because again, you write so smart, you write so efficiently. And that's something that I think needs to be celebrated more often. And so thank you so much for coming here. I appreciate that. Yeah. Quick game. Quick game. Quick game. So I don't know if you listened to me or not, and I'm actually going to surprise him a little bit, but me and Mike want to be comedians. Oh, here we go. Do we? I don't know. Here we go. It sounds a little hard. Yeah. So what we're going to do is a very quick game. So one of my favorite things in the world, and he knows this, when I get really drunk, I love to tell great, great dad jokes. I love dad jokes. You know, I'm Uncle Dad, right? I got to do Uncle Dad jokes.

1:38:19 Uncle Dad got to do dad jokes. Exactly. So each of us, I don't know if he has one ready I don't think he does, It's the only thing I do with the mic Because I surprise him with things And this is happening right now Surprise! So we cannot end the show without this So we're going to each give you a joke And you need to pick your favorite And I get to decide Oh nice, this is like the last comic standing Dad joke edition So Mike, are you ready? You have to be all right i'll go first and then you can go okay here we go are you ready sir yeah i'm ready my first joke or my only joke i should say is why did the picture go to jail why did the picture go to jail i don't know because it was framed because he was framed okay all right you see what he did there you see what uncle dad did right there and there's a there's an alternate Oh, please, I need to hear the alternate version.

1:39:21 You're on a roll. Why did the picture go to jail? Why did the picture go to jail? Because it was captured. Because it was captured, okay? I think I like frame better. But captured is a good second beat. Yeah. Your turn. Why did the hen cross the road? Now, why did the hen cross the road? To see what the hell the chicken was doing. That's pretty good, I like that one. I think I'm going to go with Mike. Mike wins the dad joke. He's not even Uncle Dad. Yeah, you're not even Uncle Dad. Yeah, but the way you told it, you just let it slide. You threw it like it was a slider. So part of it is in the presentation.

1:40:05 Thank you. Well, thank you for picking his. That's cool. You can leave now. Happy birthday, Uncle Dad. But before we go, do you have one dad joke you can tell us? Do i have a dad joke i am a dad so i have are you an uncle too or no no yeah i am an uncle oh there you go so you're an uncle dad i am an uncle dad but i don't know if i have any like dad dad jokes, so i don't think i have one all right i got one more for you okay that's just a setup for you to get your guts off. I see how you work. Why does a mermaid wear a seashell bra? Why does a mermaid wear a seashell bra?

1:40:49 Don't know because she outgrew her b-shells because she outgrew her b-shells wow that just i'm offended i want to be clear that's not my joke i actually that's great no no you should claim that no you should definitely i definitely am not because it's from one of my favorite people in the world uh joe bob briggs okay or if you're aware of him but i'm not he is one of the greatest horror hosts in the world and he had that joke and that's one of my favorite jokes to tell all right well all right no you tell that joke joe bob riggs i love you yeah but yes okay so you don't you don't have any dad jokes i don't think i have any i can't follow that joke. Hey nobody can yeah yeah we'd have to pay you all right well you know what man thank you so much seriously from the bottom of my heart i mean i can tell the energy in this room has been magical if i could just bottle this up that'd be incredible just thank you seriously like of course it's a dream come true to have you i mean I have been a fan of yours for so long and then to have you here is just... One of the reasons why I love doing this job.

1:41:48 Not only do I get to talk to people I love, but I get to do it with my best friends in the world. So thank you so much. I want you to cry right now. I see it on the edge of what's happening. It's great radio. So let's let it happen. I'm just trying to be sweet, man. And I appreciate it. This has been really fun. I've enjoyed it. I appreciate it wholeheartedly. But I will say this. This is how I'll end the show. Gary Shandling is probably a much better mentor than mine. All right, everybody. Wow. See what he did? He gave you a little cut. As I do, right? Suck the knife right in. Right. But as always, thank you again. And for everybody listening, really quickly, can you do me a favor? What's that? Can you tell our listeners right now that they need to rate and subscribe to our podcast?

1:42:32 If you guys don't rate and subscribe to this podcast, you're crazy. And I'm crazy laid, okay? So rate and subscribe. All right, y'all. All right, everybody. We're not uncles. We're not dads. But we'll see you all next week. Music.