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TheSNL50content machine is infull effect, sometimes to an inescapable degree.
You have this amazing collection ofSNL-related autographs you obtained over the years at the show.
Dan Aykroyd had a clothing line called Roots where he madeSNLmerchandise for a little while.
Its everybody: Bruce Springsteen, hundreds of signatures, a lot of former cast members.
Paul McCartneys the only picture I have of anybody signing it.
When we were clearing for the fires, this is what I grabbed.
[Holds up a huge black bag.]
A bag full ofSNL just hundreds of autographs.
Showwas.SNLled me to that orThe State Kerri Kenney and Tom Lennon and just those guys, Ken Marino.
And then eventually it was the UCB TV show I loved.
I was just figuring out that sketch comedy exists in other places too, and it can be different.
Then I found UCB, and that was it.
I literally met Amy Poehler.
She gave me a job as a bartender for free classes.
A couple months later, she was onSNL.
Do you want to come to my apartment and shoot this video?
They were kids from a college, and I asked what they meant.
We make these videos, and we put them online.
That wasnt a thing back then.
I showed up at his house, and we did theBro Rape video.
It was Donald Glover and DC Pierson and those guys.
It was a nightmare.
I showed up on the set ofMystery Team, and there was a craft-service table.
I remember being like, What is happening?
I thought we were going to shoot it like last time?
And they were like, Yeah, we sold a million T-shirts.
You brought up Bro Rape, so I have to ask: How do you see that now?
I kind of half-waved and went, Is that … ?
About 15 minutes later, he walked up behind me and was like, Itisyou.
Whats up, man?
Id just auditioned forThe Tooth Fairywith Dwayne The Rock Johnson.
Billy Crystal ended up playing that role.
YourSNLaudition is a legendary class.
Then I got a phone call saying, Hey, would you want to audition?
I was like, Yes, but like, can I have some time?
I didnt want to mess it up.
I didnt want to do it too early.
I just did a bunch of stuff that I thought was funny, because I was grasping for anything.
The first audition was like, Here are my three characters and my three impressions.
And the second one was … Then I would go, Do you know how to get to Arbolado Drive?
And they would go, No, Im sorry.
I would go, Its no problem.
It was just this weird bit I thought was funny.
I remember Tina Fey laughing at one point, and thinking immediately,Thank you, Tina.
That was very kind of you to laugh that hard.
Some other characters Im not so proud of.
I did Jack Black at a funeral for my impression.
Oh, and Johnny Cash on sleeping pills, because I dont do impressions.
It was all about the bit itself.
I just fell off the stool and snored for like 30 seconds.
Then I literally was like, This is a guy I just saw on the subway.
I had seen a guy on the subway call somebody an ass hat.
This is my new product.
Its an ass hat.
Its a half of your ass, and I made up a fake commercial.
Whats the backstory ofAss Dan?
Did that get workshopped?Theres no workshopping involved.
One of the best shout-outs ever in real life was when I was walking through Times Square.
How did Drunk Uncle start?I was writing a different sketch at five in the morning.
Colin was like, Do you have anything?
Ive got to write an Update thing.
I wrote down Drunk Uncle Mike I didnt even know what it meant.
I was writing fake character names down, just in case.
I said, I do this drunk thing to make my buddy Chris Gethard laugh all the time.
Colin was like, Great, thanks.
And I remember thinkingWell, at least I have that later at the read-through.
Then cut to this.
[Holds up a Drunk Uncle Funko Pop.]
Fifteen-year-old Bobby cant believe that theres a Drunk Uncle Funko Pop.
It doesnt make sense to me.
Was there ever talk about a Drunk Uncle movie?I mean, yes, amongst friends.
But never anything serious, no.
Two hours of non-sequitur racist jokes is not fun.
Though did I have it planned in my head?
He was an exterminator, found an alien in a crawl space, and saved the world.
I could do this job.
And I was like, What?
He, by the way, is an exterminator; thats where I got that from.
I told Che, just because I thought it was so funny.
So the whole joke was I was Ches friend from college, telling him that he sucked.
I get Anthony Crispino a lot, and I loved writingSnookiwith Christine Nangle.
It was just so my wheelhouse; its a hat on a hat.
Its very silly and stupid, and it makes me happy.
It was a sketch called Party for Burl.
I was a guy named Burl who was 900 pounds.
The whole thing was I had finally reached my goal weight of 900 pounds.
Everyone was like Congratulations!
and giving me gifts.
Jane Lynch was the host and played my wife.
It was just very tender.
She was like, Youre doing so good, Burl, thank you.
Everyones here to see you!
It made no sense and it made it into the show!
That had never happened when I was there before.
Jane Lynch just came up to me afterwards and went, Im so sorry.
Suzes a friend of mine, so were gonna do that one.
And I was like, You dont understand.
Thats never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever getting a chance of getting on again.
Were you surprised whenDavid Pumpkinsbecame an instant classic?I was kind of like,Of course.
And he got David Pumpkins!
I was like, Sorry!
And I was there.
I think I saw Josh Gad at every audition for 30 years.
On the voicework end, you grew up withDuckTalesandStar Wars.
They were like, Louie?
and I was like, No!
I was like,Fuck, hes perfect.
But I got Louie and couldnt be happier.
We were children, and then we were onDuckTalestogether.
Star Warswas the opposite.
Then I got a call forResistance, but it was called something else.
I went in and read with Jim Rash, and it went super well.
I remember thinking,I think this is gonna happen!Im very vocal about it.
There are some really, really talented voiceover artists, and I can be loud or vaguely Italian.
Youve been in a fewSNL-affiliated movies.
That dive off that diving board was real.
SistersandGrown Ups 2are some otherSNLreunion films you pop up in.I came in at an interesting time.
A lot of behind-the-scenes crew was still there from the beginning.
Now theyve gone back; its these amazing sketch performers again.
I got to see the tail end, into the transitional period.
That being said, I am glad I am gone.
I realized what I went through those nine years, and I was like,Whoa.
Like, you really realize what it was like and how hard it is to do that show.
Were not firemen, but were still working hard.
