Water Cooler - Bob Odenkirk

**Show Notes: SNL Hall of Fame Podcast - Bob Odenkirk**

Hey there, SNL fans! jD is back with another exciting episode of the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. In this episode, we delve deep into the career of the multi-talented writer, actor, and comedian, **Bob Odenkirk**. Joining jD are our resident SNL experts, **Matt Ardill**, **Thomas Sena**, and special guest **Nicole Brady**. Together, they explore Bob Odenkirk's time at Saturday Night Live, his contributions to some of the most iconic sketches, and his illustrious career beyond SNL.

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**Episode Highlights:**

**[0:00] Introduction**

- **jD welcomes listeners** to the SNL Hall of Fame podcast.

- **Overview of the episode** focusing on Bob Odenkirk's career and impact on SNL.

**[2:20] Bob Odenkirk's Early Career with Matt Ardill**

- **Bob's Background:**

 - Born on October 22, 1962, in Berwyn, Illinois.

 - Grew up in Naperville and graduated high school at 16.

 - Attended several universities before settling at Southern Illinois University.

- **Discovering Comedy:**

 - Became a radio DJ and created his first sketch show, "The Prime Time Special."

 - Moved to Chicago to study improv, meeting collaborators like **Robert Smigel**, **Chris Farley**, and **Tim Meadows** under the mentorship of **Del Close**.

- **Influences and Career Highlights:**

 - Influenced by **Monty Python**, **SCTV**, **Steve Martin**, **Woody Allen**, and **Bob and Ray**.

 - Notable for his work on **Mr. Show with Bob and David**, alongside **David Cross**.

 - Faced struggles before landing the role of **Saul Goodman** in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul."

**[8:05] Conversation with Thomas Senna and Nicole Brady**

- **Bob Odenkirk's Impact:**

 - Nicole shares her admiration for Bob's transition from comedy to dramatic acting.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "Bob Odenkirk is such a brilliant, talented actor. His transition from comedy to drama has been amazing to watch."

 - Discusses his role as **Saul Goodman** and his connection to **Albuquerque**, where "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" are set.

- **Bob's Generosity:**

 - His involvement with the local improv community in Albuquerque.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "He was just a really generous person, supporting local improv performers."

**[16:17] Bob Odenkirk's Time at SNL**

- **Writing Tenure (1987-1991):**

 - Worked closely with writers like **Conan O'Brien**, **Robert Smigel**, and performers like **Dana Carvey** and **Phil Hartman**.

- **Iconic Sketches:**

 - **"Mr. Short-Term Memory"** with **Tom Hanks**.

 - **"Nude Beach"** with **Matthew Broderick**, known for its clever wordplay and boundary-pushing humor.

  - **Quote from Nicole:** "It's so silly but also just very, very smart."

 - **"Grumpy Old Man"** with **Dana Carvey**, a character lamenting modern society.

  - **Quote from Nicole:** "I was cracking up at how good Dana Carvey was at emphasizing every new line."

 - **"Motivational Speaker Matt Foley"**: Bob created this iconic character, famously portrayed by **Chris Farley**, emphasizing the humor in a motivational speaker who is a self-professed failure.

**[33:17] The Creation of Matt Foley**

- **Origins of the Character:**

 - Inspired by Chris Farley's performances at Second City.

 - The character blended personal observations and satire.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "You can hear Bob Odenkirk's voice in the character of Matt Foley."

- **Legacy of Matt Foley:**

 - One of SNL's most beloved characters.

 - Showcases Bob's talent for creating memorable and enduring comedy.

**[40:43] Other Notable Contributions**

- **"The Super Fans":**

 - Collaborated with **Robert Smigel** on this recurring sketch celebrating Chicago sports fans.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "Absolutely see Bob Odenkirk fitting in around that table."

- **"The McLaughlin Group" Parody:**

 - Worked with **Conan O'Brien** and **Robert Smigel** to satirize political talk shows.

 - **Quote from Thomas:** "There's so much good escalation in this one."

- **"The Love Toilet":**

 - Co-written with **Al Franken**, a humorous fake commercial parodying intimate relationships.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "I still remember that—it was just hilarious."

**[53:29] Reflections on Bob's Career**

- **Versatility as a Writer and Performer:**

 - His ability to craft both sharp comedy and compelling drama.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "What a career—just an unbelievable talent."

- **Influence on Future Comedians:**

 - Bob's work continues to inspire new generations of writers and performers.

- **Personal Anecdotes:**

 - Nicole and Thomas share their appreciation for Bob's humility and dedication to the craft.

**[1:02:17] Bob Odenkirk's Place in SNL History**

- **Discussion on Bob's Legacy:**

 - The panel considers Bob's impact as a writer who later found fame as an actor.

 - **Quote from Nicole:** "He gave us Matt Foley, darn it!"

- **Hall of Fame Consideration:**

 - Debates the merits of his inclusion in the SNL Hall of Fame based on his contributions.

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**Join the Conversation:**

- **Twitter:** [@SNLHOF](https://twitter.com/SNLHOF)

- **Facebook Group:** [facebook.com/groups/SNLHOF](https://facebook.com/groups/SNLHOF)

- **Website:** [snlhalloffame.com](http://snlhalloffame.com)

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**Extra Nuggets:**

- **Upcoming Episodes:**

 - Teaser for next week's episode featuring **Bill Kenney** discussing **Danny DeVito**.

Transcript:

Track 2:

[0:42] It sort of just falls off a cliff there, doesn't it? JD.

Track 2:

[0:49] Oh, well. Hey, listen, it's a thrill to be here back in the SNL Hall of Fame. My name is JD, and welcome.

Track 2:

[1:00] Before you come inside, though, please do me a favor and wipe your feet. The SNL Hall of Fame podcast is a weekly affair where each episode we take a deep dive into to the career of a former cast member, host, musical guest, or writer, and add them to the ballot for your consideration. Once the nominees have been announced, we turn to you, the listener, to vote for the most deserving and help determine who will be enshrined for perpetuity in the hall. And that, my friend, is how we play the game. It's just that simple. So there's that. Listen, I will tell you that I'm pretty excited about today's show. It's a tremendous one. We are talking about Bob Odenkirk, and I am a big fan of his portrayal of Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and as the titular character in Better Call Saul. But he's got a career that spans decades, and we're going to break all that down. We're going to start first with our friend Matt Ardill, and then we are going to go downstairs to the conversation room with our friend Thomas, where he is sitting, waiting patiently, probably showing Nicole Brady some card tricks, I would imagine. So there's that.

Track 3:

[2:20] That before he was a star on Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad and Mr. Show, Bob Odenkirk spent some quality time in the SNL writing room. And our friend Matt Ardill has some information to share with us about Mr. Odenkirk. Matt, how are you doing? JD, I'm good. I am excited. I'm a big Odenkirk fan. It filled the void when Kids in the Hall went off the air. Mr. Show was my poison of choice for sketch comedy for a while there.

Track 3:

[2:55] Lots of flannel. It was the 90s. So yeah, I'm really happy to be chatting about him. Yeah, I can't wait to hear what you have to say. Well, 5'9". Let's go to her. Yeah, perfect. 5'9", born October 22, 1962. He was born in Berwyn, Illinois, before growing up in Naperville. He is the second oldest of seven children. A studious kid. He graduated high school at 16 when he went on to college at DuPage before transferring to Marquette University in Milwaukee, and finally to Southern Illinois University where he found his people. People uh he became a radio dj uh and at his university and would experiment with sketch comedy where he created his first first sketch show a radio sketch show called the prime time special um he was three credits shy of graduation before he moved to chicago to study improv uh and finished his final credits at columbia university receiving a degree in communications this is where he met his collaborator, Robert Smeagol, and studied with Chris Farley and Tim Meadows under the improv god, Del Close. Wow. If you have a chance to check out Bob's biography or listen to the audio book of it.

Track 3:

[4:24] His discussion of his meeting with Del Close and going to Del's apartment is epic. It's just very Del Close, if you're a Del aficionado. Um, now his influences include Monty Python, SCTV, Steve Martin, Woody Allen, and the comedy duo of Bob and Ray, uh, an impressive resume. He has 43 writing credits, 134 acting credits, 28 producer credits, 21 director credits, and 15 soundtrack credits. And he's not the only funny Odenkirk. His brother, Bill wrote for the Simpsons. I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For me, like I said, I got to love him on Mr. Show with Bob and David. Like I said, it filled that void when Kids in the Hall went off the air in 95. It ran from 95 to 98. Featured L.A. comedy greats, including, of course, David Cross, but also Scott Aukerman, Brian Pessain, Paul F. Tompkins, Tom Kenny, Mary Lynn, Reichsob, Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, and Karen Kilgareff, Scott Adsit, and many more. Yeah, it's a who's who. It's a who's who, a literal who's who. Like seeing young Jack Black do musical numbers is like wild. It's wild.

Track 3:

[5:49] The show played with the sketch comedy show format with banter between the cast, primarily Dave and Bob, in front of a live audience when they would then show the sketches to the audience which were pre-recorded they would often have to tone down the last because the audience enjoyed it so much it actually sounded like fake laughter now the fact that this show was on in 1995.

Track 3:

[6:20] A decade before the Dave Chappelle show was on the air, just sort of speaks to the claims that Dave invented the format when he shot Shade at Key and Peele. Maybe he should go back and look at his HBO brethren before making these claims.

Track 3:

[6:43] Now, with all the success, this is actually something I found very shocking. He was on the brink of bankruptcy before landing the role as Saul Goodman. Yeah. Like for all these credits, most of them before, like many of them before are Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. That's really the role that catapulted him to success. Now, he was originally considered for the role of Michael Scott in The Office, which would have been a very different energy. But that's also why he later came on in a cameo, playing a very Michael Scott character as the head of the Philadelphia branch. Ah. Now, his last name is a German meaning Church of Odin. So it's pretty metal. And he is scheduled to appear in 2025 in the revival of Glengarry Glen Ross with Kieran Culkin and Bill Burr on Broadway. Oh my gosh, what a lineup that is. that's going to be an interesting show. I'm definitely getting credits, uh, or tickets to that. Um, because like, I, I gotta see that. Yeah. Um, now last weird piece of trivia. I, I thought this would be a good one to go out on. He is actually descended from a German Duke and is the 11th cousin of King Charles.

Track 3:

[8:05] Gee whiz. So he's literally comedy royalty, comedy royalty, literally comedy royalty. Well, Well, Hall of Fame royalty is our friend Thomas Senna, and we're going to go down to the conversation room with him right now to learn some more about our nominee this week, Bob Odenkirk. Thanks so much, Matt.

Track 4:

[8:52] All right, Jamie and Matt, thank you so much. And welcome to another edition, another conversation with a great panelist talking about an awesome, awesome, deserving writer this week. Bob Odenkirk is the nominee today on the SNL Hall of Fame. The famous, I guess, revived his career in the last 10 plus years, Bob Odenkirk. All the SNL geeks love to see that. And we love Bob and we'll have a great time talking about him today. My guest here to talk all things Bob Odenkirk and SNL is our favorite news lady here on the SNL Hall of Fame and my close personal friend. Thank you so much for coming back, Nicole Brady. How are you, Nicole?

Track 4:

[9:39] I'm great. Excited to be back here. And thank you so much for having me again to talk about SNL. I'm so excited. it it's going into its 50th season i know right it amazing right yeah so as a fan like for the 50th do you have any expectations or so like anything any kind of special thing you might like to see during the 50th i mostly just want to know that they will never get rid of keenan thompson yeah that's it that's that's that's what i want i want him to be there forever i love keenan And I'm loving the cast. You know, it's funny. We had talked last year, I think, the last time I was on the podcast. And you had the faith, I think, more than me about a lot of these newer cast members coming along, coming into their own. I've really enjoyed the last year. I think they're going to be really good this year with Maya Rudolph coming back as Kamala Harris.

Track 4:

[10:39] I love the political stuff they're doing. So I think it's great. I'm so excited. Yeah, I'm pumped. to and so a couple days ago they announced as we're recording this they announced three new cast members uh i know i kind of get excited as an snl fan it's kind of like open up like three new presents to see how these uh these new cast members are as you or how are your expectations like with with new cast members on the show how hard those expectations have been over the years, yeah i mean it's it's always a little bit of a growing pains to see a new cast member come in i I feel like you're you you want them to do well. You know that they are coming from, you know, the Groundlings or Second City or some great, you know, comedy, you know, or they're on YouTube already or something. I mean, a lot of these have have already had some success in whatever platform they were in or on. And and so, you know, that that they're funny people. and so I really always look at them as, but you know, they're getting comfortable.

Track 4:

[11:48] The seasoned cast members right i'm you know just hearing behind the scenes a little bit you know sometimes it can be really competitive to get the writers to write for you and and you know getting that relationship going and working with with people um a lot you know i i definitely i always notice when a new cast member is doing a character that they've been doing for a while like and and this is that it's that's their character's debut on snl and i'm like okay that's what got them hired and so you see that spark every time but will it will they fit in with everyone else will they be able to stick it out uh you know not everyone becomes like a the the best of all time a huge star but um but usually usually i'm i'm ready to to see what's new and and if you didn't give the new ones a chance you'd never have the greats that we saw over time every one of them came in that way and many of them as a feature player for a season or two and and you know a a lot of those went on to be some of the best ever. So I'm always hopeful. Yeah, me too. No, the possibilities are endless.

Track 4:

[12:53] I'd like to see if the new people do well, like on Weekend Update. Yeah, you're right about the characters that they may have brought to the show with them. If they hire a stand-up and they get on Weekend Update, maybe they'll throw out a bit that they've done on stage and tailor it to Weekend Update. I know they hired one stand-up. That's just, I'm curious to see how he does on there. And yeah, maybe the new people will bond with the writer maybe they'll find a writer that gets their voice and everything so that's a good say way it's talking about a really great writer here on SNL Bob Odenkirk and Nicole I'm from Albuquerque you lived in Albuquerque for a long time so he's someone who is super important to both of us I think because of the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul Albuquerque connection so he was like Yeah nominated six times for outstanding lead actor in a drama series all of those with Better Call Saul Never won, but how outstanding was he in both of these shows? Loved him. I mean.

Track 4:

[13:57] That the character is just so brilliant. And I remember watching being a Breaking Bad fan and watching it. And when he when that character was introduced, just thinking, oh, my God, he's brilliant and just so funny. And that show was so interesting because it was so dark. But there were these really funny moments, too. I mean, like true comedic moments. And so you saw Bob Odenkirk bringing that in on Breaking Bad. And then to have him become, you know, this this amazing dramatic actor throughout, you know, some of Breaking Bad, but then later in Better Call Saul was just I mean, he's such a brilliant, brilliant, talented actor. And so, yeah, so that that was amazing. But no, I love both of those. Love seeing, you know, things around Albuquerque every time I watch all those shows. But and and, you know, he was so good to the people of Albuquerque, you know, just like Brian Cranston was. I know I know Bob Odenkirk would go to, you know, I had some friends who performed at the local improv studio there, the box. And he went and performed with them on more than one. He did. There was always a surprise.

Track 4:

[15:12] And I never got to see it. I think it was it might have been after I already had moved to Denver, but they would post later. or, hey, we had a surprise guest tonight. Bob Odenkirk came and joined us on stage. Happened more than once. I would have killed to see that. But he went and just went and hung out with the local improv guys and gals and was just a really generous person, I think.

Track 4:

[15:36] And so sounds like a good guy in addition to being just such a great actor. And yeah, Albuquerque should love Bob Odenkirk for sure. Yeah, I think they do. And gosh, the Albuquerque improv community does. Yeah, him trying to scratch that performance itch, that performing on stage itch and helping some up-and-coming improv comedians and sketch comedians. Yeah, that sounds super cool. I would have absolutely loved to see that, too. And I know his voice was super important to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as far as…, that role as Saul Goodman like you need I think you it's ideal to have a comedic actor.

Track 4:

[16:17] Play that role I mean he's a good actor but he gets comedy he gets he knows when to dial it back he usually didn't play it up too much even though there was inherent comedy he knew how to play the comedy so you could see like Bob's kind of genius comedic mind work in even such a dark setting like those shows, Nicole. Yeah, absolutely. And knowing where he came from before that made it all the more interesting, I think, you know, I, and I know you'll, you'll segue us where we need to be here, but you know, I knew him from Mr. Show before that, uh, my husband, Brian and I would watch, uh, Mr. Show with Bob and David and David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. And those were, that was a hilarious uh sketch show from what the late 90s early 2000s and and so I you know I really only knew him as a comedic guy I don't know when I became aware that he had worked on SNL you know I knew and and his you'd see the name Bill Odenkirk on The Simpsons another one of my favorite shows and so you see you know you see these names out there you're like okay it's it you find out it's his brother. And, you know, so, you know, you start seeing these things and it all kind of comes together, like where this guy came from and that background. But, but yeah, I think, I think early on that was, that was kind of my introduction to him was Mr. Shell. So.

Track 4:

[17:36] Yeah mine too yeah just everything he's done since then though just amazing and the films even i did and you might have seen the the one that he what was the movie he did the with the punch face on the poster i'm forgetting what it what it's called now it was a more recent one yeah no more recent kind of came like uh uh and like an action star like a superhero kind of movie not super i don't think nobody nobody was the name of the movie it's good and they're making a sequel to it too so just yeah he he's he's just really good in everything he's in yeah and when i i didn't know when i watched mr show i didn't know that he he had written for snl either so i kind of was a fan of his uh separately from those two entities and then when i found out oh he actually wrote at snl uh he was behind some of this stuff i'm like oh that makes sense because uh bob and david had that Yeah, he had that like clever, witty kind of sensibility to them. And a lot of that stuff bled over. You can see it in his SNL work. Sometimes it was like a subtle, like I'm not going to rub the punchline right in your face. Maybe I will every now and then. But Bob's style was more like let the maybe the writing sometimes speak for itself, even though we'll get to it. But he did write maybe like a couple of huge characters along the way.

Track 4:

[18:59] But I could see his sensibility there. Yeah, I think it's funny because I'm trying to think of over time when you would learn who wrote for SNL, like Conan O'Brien. And I remember finding that out and people like that. And then you it's so fun to kind of put that together and see like, oh, my gosh, I totally you know, I can totally see them writing that or thinking that way. And yeah, it's it's it's pretty awesome because because not every we know, you know, now you and I know a lot of writers from SNL. hell, not every one of them went on to be a really well known.

Track 4:

[19:34] Actor or on camera talent as well um um so it's it's kind of it's it's interesting because we've been able to see that in bob odenkirk as a performer too so he was credited uh after snl on some things like the ben stiller show you had mentioned he wrote on late night with conan o'brien he acted on the larry sanders show which was another hbo thing that i that i really loved He was a writer on SNL, though, 1987 to 1991.

Track 4:

[20:04] He was also credited on some things that made it into the show after he left. But those were Bob Odenkirk's years. So that's primarily what we're looking at, late 80s to early 90s. So, Nicole, we both got a chance to check out some old Bob Odenkirk material on SNL that he helped with. What kind of do you want to share that kind of pops out to you that he helped with or was behind? Yeah. So, um, so yeah, so you, you, you mentioned the years and I thought it was interesting because I think he must've gotten some credits kind of posts, like when they brought Matt Foley back and what we'll talk about. But I'm thinking I started watching SNL right around 91, you know, so from those years you mentioned, I think was, was he, he was already sort of leaving some of his team that he worked with Robert Smigel and them were still, were still there. And I think he, like you said, he would come back a little bit and had some credits after that. But some of those main sketches that he wrote, I had not ever seen because that was not the era when I was watching SNL yet. 87 to 91, I was like seven years old in 87. So I wasn't allowed to watch it yet. So it was really fun to go back and see these characters he wrote for Tom Hanks as a really young man.

Track 4:

[21:17] And I had seen, obviously, older SNL sketches on reruns that they would play on Comedy Central. Central um but some of these were just just just so funny the mr short-term memory that that tom hanks played as a recurring character i love what they wrote with for phil hartman i think were some of my favorites that stood out too but if you want to talk about any in particular i mean yeah like it's fun to see those those stars from the late 80s and and you know as tom hanks was was becoming a huge star and and um and oh the stand-ups that he was Tom Hanks was in the one called the stand-ups that they wrote which I'm pretty sure was just making fun of Jerry Seinfeld and and his style yeah Jerry Seinfeld type of comedians from from that time period but yeah pretty much Jerry Seinfeld like inflections yeah I mean they're very you know it's all it's very it's very like of the time comedy I felt like and and and this that you know what you.

Track 4:

[22:15] What would have been probably somewhat groundbreaking at the time, pushing the envelope a little bit. But it's definitely mocking things in pop culture, in society at the time. And so a lot of it just so funny to watch, you know, these characters. And some actors from SNL that I loved, that are my favorites of all time, like I mentioned Phil Hartman or Dana Carvey. And seeing what he wrote for them was awesome. Yeah, he worked really well, especially with Carvey. But all of that cast, he really worked well with them. There was one specific one that I'll call out. It was from season 14. It was with Matthew Broderick, John Lovitz, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, almost the whole cast. It was called Nude Beach. Come on. Is this great or what, huh?

Track 4:

[23:07] I don't know. I feel a little self-conscious, Bob. I mean, I've never been to a nude beach before. Doug, come on. Will you stop with this? You have nothing to worry about. Everybody at this club just hangs out here. Everyone is here just to relax. That's what it's about. Really? Yeah. Come on. Believe me, in five minutes, you're gonna completely forget about it. All right? Okay? I'm gonna introduce you to some of the guys. Let's go. Thanks. All right. Come on. Hey, guys. Hey. Hey, Bob. Hey, penis looks great today. Well, thanks, Jack. Yours, too.

Track 4:

[23:45] And Nicole, this was, in my opinion, a very Mr. Show kind of sketch. Like, Bob, he worked with other writers on this. He worked with Greg Daniels, Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel. But I can feel... Bob sensibility i can feel like that mr show vibe in nude beach did you get a chance to go back and see this one i i did i loved it um again kevin nealon was one of my favorites uh back in the day and when he when they you know i don't know what how you know what your rating on your show is when all they're all they're doing is commenting on each other's you know parts their Their whole time. Yeah. Well, Kevin Nealon's character set casually when they're at this nude beach. I love he sort of casually just says like, hey, penis looks great today. Yeah, yeah. Because that's the opening line. Yeah. They're on this nude beach, of course, behind this stand. So you can't see anything. They're just all shirtless. All these guys. And it's just every third comment then is just, oh, yeah. yeah, you're, you know, oh, we went on a vacation. Oh, here's a picture. Oh, your penis looks great in that picture.

Track 4:

[24:55] But then, but then when it pans to Kevin Nealon and says, hi there, I'm Kevin Nealon with, you know, an NBC, uh, here at NBC, you know, we want to make a statement and this was supposed to be, I mean, that was just, that was very Mr. Show to me. That was really, um, just hilarious.

Track 4:

[25:12] Uh, the way they were just mocking the censors market, you know, you could, you could really tell that maybe they did write that sketch and then someone said no we're not you know this is this is dumb um and they still let him do it but it was all meant to be a little bit like just tongue-in-cheek you know on the um just a little dig at NBC and and some poking some fun at you know the hand that feeds them even and um and so that's that that was just great that but But I totally see what you're saying about how that just sums up some of that type of humor that we would later see in Mr. Show. Yeah, that direct-to-camera talk that Kevin gave at the end, I noted very Mr. Show.

Track 4:

[25:56] He and David in Mr. Show were really good at, and he and his writing partners here, Smigel and them, were good at taking a slice-of-life kind of thing and making it kind of weird. Like kind of taking the weird slices of life and highlighting them so with this one it was like the idea being that guys may fear going to a nude beach because people will be focusing in on their penis that fear comes true here but in very nonchalant way they don't make it scary they just make it sort of like this is just a matter of fact this is what we're talking about no big deal it's just like talking about the weather or something like that so i love that it's like It's like a very oddball twist on something that's kind of slice of life, but a little off center. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Track 4:

[26:45] So silly in some ways, but also just very, very smart. And really funny, and I'm sure kind of, you know, kind of different for the time. You know, you can kind of, it's a little bit dated now, but it's, at the time, I bet that was just so different and unique to see on even late night TV like that. Yeah, and then to have Matthew Broderick as the guest host that we're doing, he's just like the lead, you know, just the most awkward kind of guy you could imagine having there, too. So that was great. Loved it. Had never seen that one. Such a fun one to find. Yeah. Go check that out. That was Nude Beach. That was season 14, episode 2. That was the Matthew Broderick episode.

Track 4:

[27:30] Bob Odenkirk wrote that with Gray Daniels, Conan O'Brien, and Robert Smigel. Just a wonderful piece from that era. Another one, Nicole, that I'll bring up and then we'll kind of volley, but another one with Dana Carvey that he actually, Odenkirk and Carvey, kind of teamed up on it seemed like together was grumpy old man today everybody spoiled run when i was a boy we didn't have these video games we made up our own games like chew the bark off the tree you and your friends would find a nice oak tree and you start chewing their skin off of it and there were no winners everybody was a loser it rotted your teeth and left your intestines and scarred and knotted and that's the way it was and we liked it we loved it this debuted in a sketch in season 14 but started appearing on weekend update in season 15 so this is just like another little trope that they play so well i could hear odin kirk's voice in it and and carver brings it to life absolutely so there's a few that i would uh that we'll talk about that where you You can almost see Bob Odenkirk playing the role as well, and it would be different if it was him, but yes, he definitely comes through, and this was definitely one.

Track 4:

[28:48] Grumpy Old Man is so funny. I actually replayed it for my kids because I'm introducing them to SNL. What a good mom. Just the one. Yeah, right? We're very, very good parents. Just the ones that are not inappropriate for their age or anything like that. And just because I was about their age when I started being allowed to watch SNL. I was about 11 years old. And so we've been playing them, you know, some old ones from our favorite. They've definitely seen Matt Foley.

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[29:19] But this one, the grumpy old man, I had to play for them again because it's so funny. And I couldn't, I mean, like, I'm like, this is 30 years old. I can't believe it. This is so funny. I was cracking up at how good Dana Carvey was at emphasizing every new line in that. And just, you know, this is, you know, since you gave a description of the last one, this was Dana Carvey coming on Weekend Update, day just talking about how everything used to be better in the old days and they liked it better even though it all was worse in the way as he tells it and it it's just it's just brilliant and they're long they're these long monologues but they're so funny throughout you wouldn't even think you could you could keep a character that funny for that long but it was yeah just brilliant yeah and one odor odin kirkey kind of thing uh that i noticed from these grumpy old men update appearances was that how like the overt way that they would tell the audience what what the character is I'm not happy I don't like this chair and I don't like this desk and I don't like being here.

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[30:21] I'm a grumpy old man I don't like everything the way it is now compared to the way it used to be, just that simple like it's such like a tongue-in-cheek obvious thing but he's like here we're serving up this character to you on a platter right here but it was done in like a tongue-in-cheek way like they know that they're doing that in an overt way but i just love that that that intro of the character i i love that too and i think where i picked up the clip you you it cuts off maybe the introduction a little bit from from dennis miller on we can update it at the time but something that i know that as an adult as i've gotten older i realize a lot is you know you have people in politicians or other people in real life will say things like, oh, it used to be better. It used to be better. And it becomes sort of this.

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[31:12] Cliche that someone's always going to think that it was better when really we know that there were a lot of things that were not better any you know whether you go back 10 years 20 years 30 years 50 years there were a lot of things that were not better for a lot of people and so i thought to myself wow this is the late 80s and they're seeing it then they were seeing it then people saying in the you know in the in in the world and um in society people saying oh it used to be better and that and then that and you're right that's what he comes up he goes i'm old and and you know And it used to be this way and we liked it. And it was just, you're right, it was so simple. But with Dana Carvey and with this very simple, just these hilarious examples. We didn't have these video games. We made up our own games like chew the bark off the tree.

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[32:03] I was dying. So good. Yeah. Yeah, another one. I could hear Odenkirk's voice, I think. Yeah, absolutely. Odenkirk and his style, you can hear him come through in this. Like I said, there's quite a few where I really felt like he could have played that role now that we know him as a performer, too. And I can see that. And so when you get that sort of perfect connection between a writer who's writing to Dana Carvey's many strengths, but clearly that's a lot of Odenkirk in there, too. And, you know, that, yeah, just brilliant. Now, what's something that you could have seen him play? Say that again. What's something that you could have seen in play? Well, I honestly and we can talk about it, but I will tease ahead. I know I want to talk about motivational speaker a lot and because it is probably my favorite character of all time, Matt Foley. And I really think that Bob Odenkirk comes through in the character of Matt Foley as well. And so we can we we can definitely talk about that. That came later, though, which when when Chris Farley joined the cast, if you, you know, going through some of your other credits here, I have to say I loved the Carcinio show.

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[33:17] Now, some of you at home might not understand some of this some of this lingo, which earlier in the day, our staff compiled from the streets. Now, when I said my guests were in my house, what I meant was in the studio. Yes, that is some weird, weird, wild stuff. Now, according to this, your actual house is called a crib, but a baby crib is not necessarily called a house. I did not know that. Not a house, not a house, no sir. Great discovery on, I mean, like I never, again, never had seen this one. Dana Carvey playing a amalgamation of Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall, Carcinio, and Phil Bill Harmon as the Ed McMahon. I was dying. I was absolutely dying because I do remember Arsenio Hall being a phenomenon, you know, the fist pump.

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[34:13] And, and, and so seeing that with, with what I had seen Dana Carvey's, um, Johnny Carson impression, I had just never seen this one with.

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[34:22] The Carson, the Carcinio, the Arsenio Hall run. And, and I thought that was, um, just hilarious. Loved, loved that one. Um, it was such a perfect characterization of like, uh, Johnny Carson. He was trying to be more hip, uh, to stay relevant. He saw that Arsenio was doing well. So, Hey, I'm going to, I'm going to turn myself. I'm going to model my, my show after Arsenio Hall. Um, Carson's making jokes about how white people dance and explaining the lingo that he's using to the audience. Just so many perfect beats in this. George Wendt comes on pleading with Carson, you don't have to do this, Johnny. You don't have to do this. Oh, man. Yeah, Odenkirk worked with Dana Carvey and Robert Smigel on this. And it's just so, so clever. I love the premise of this. Nicole Carson didn't appreciate this from what I know yeah he was a little offended by by this characterization I don't know if that he liked Dana's impression of him specifically but I think it was the Carcinio one that maybe ticked him off the most but I love it yeah oh I yeah agreed agreed and it's fun because it is fun to see a reference to I mean I I would say like one of the reasons I was so excited to do this topic this episode on Bob Odenkirk.

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[35:45] Even though I didn't start watching SNL until about 91, this general era of those performers and those writers is still to this day what I consider my favorite. My introduction to SNL and my favorite period of the show. And so I still love seeing all the 90s references, the late 80s, early 90s references in the show at that time. And being able to watch some of my favorite old cast members and realizing these characters, you know, were written by Bob Odenkirk was so fun. Like Pump, Hans and Franz, like didn't know he did that one. That was always one of my favorite. And that one very kind of Mr. Show-ish as well in that one, just kind of getting that to the buddies, Hans and Franz with Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey.

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[36:30] But that was always one of my favorite sketches and didn't know he wrote that. Yeah, yeah. He and, of course, Kevin Nealon and Dana helped write it. Robert Smigel, which is a theme, like Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel worked really well together. They had similar sensibilities, and they wrought it together. Before we get to Matt Foley because I'm excited to talk about that too another iconic one and probably a reason why I am a Chicago Bears fan if I had pinpoint it one that he did with Robert Smigel was the super fans as you're I'm sure aware the Bears are getting ready for their big playoff against the New York Giants the Bears the Bears are seven-point underdogs but don't count Now, let's go around the room for some predictions. Pat, the Bears, 60 to the tree. Okay, Todd, Bears, 79 zip. Oh, really? You don't think that the Giants will score? No, I do not. The Bears' defense is like a wall. You can't go through them. When you wrote the – okay, so it's Bob Swirsky's Superfans. And I look at that and I'm like, what is that? And then right away I realize, oh, it's Da Bears. Okay. Yeah, I should have just written Da Bears. I didn't know the name of the sketch.

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[37:52] Yes, a great recurring sketch on the show over the years. Hilarious. They're all from Chicago, right? I mean, Bob Odenkirk was from Chicago. Yeah, well, he moved to Chicago. Yeah odin kirk had moved to chicago he was doing stuff in second city that's where he knew farley and um smigel and tim meadows he knew from second city as well um with this one specifically like smigel actually came up with the idea and ran it by actually odin kirk yeah he's not from he's from illinois i think naperville or something so yeah but he moved to the big city and then he He met Smigel. Smigel actually came up with the idea for the Superfans, and then he ran it by Odenkirk. So I think Odenkirk would kind of like sprinkle in some ideas and help kind of formulate some stuff. So Odenkirk is the one that came up with the hiss sound at the end of the bear. Like he came up with that part of it specifically. Yeah, so he helped Smigel kind of like fine-tune it.

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[38:52] Essentially and i could see odin kirk actually playing one of these guys absolutely ab i mean put on the glasses and the mustache like it's a pair of sunglasses and i mean like you like i'm just picturing him there right now um i loved i always loved that because i would watch that sketch and i never really knew who they all would um you know they'd have wigs and must fake mustaches on and i didn't really know um right away who you know the care who was playing um the characters in that and so it's really fun always later to find out mike myers was usually in that sketch right i think he was the one that was kind of hidden the most like underneath underneath all that all the makeup and prosthetics and stuff yeah yes and then and then they like you just mentioned george went i think he came on and did some um some stuff with them on that um but it was really sometimes hard to figure out who was who who were the the fan the bears fans in that uh Smigel was one of them.

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[39:49] Okay, he was actually there for a while. Robert Smigel and then Chris Farley was one of them and Joe Montana. I think they would rotate cast members. They rotate hosts sometimes, but that was kind of the core. Farley, Mike Myers, Robert Smigel seemed to be kind of the core. George Wendt, I think, was like an honorary sort of cast member when it came to that. So, yeah, it was always interesting to see. Mike Myers was one of the ones that I'm like, yeah. Yeah, I keep having to remind myself that he was a core part of that. Right, yeah, just again, these cast members that you know from so many other things, but were so funny in some of these sketches that they were just kind of a part of.

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[40:32] And yeah, I could absolutely see Bob Odenkirk doing that, because that's what I'm picturing. I'm just picturing the sunglasses, the mustache.

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[40:43] Took completely uh he would have fit in around that table too so yeah yeah absolutely i let's see so you know that was again one of those great recurring ones over time he had so many one-offs uh that that he that he obviously wrote uh that we looked at you know we mentioned those funny tom hanks ones very funny to see a young tom hanks doing these kind of uh you know not not actually my favorite ones that um on snl of all time but just funny to see tom hanks uh as this um there was her memory yeah there was one specifically where he was on a game show that really made me laugh yes they call it game beaters it's silly it's tom hanks is kind of you know as a comedian back then um was which was what kind of he was i mean he did a lot of comedy um back then you know i think it's hard to look past him sometimes just being kind of kind of young silly tom hanks but it was it was it was fun it was really again just these great ideas and premises that they came up with that, um, you know, that, that were, that were really brilliant. And, um, I, you had on here, I, the love toilet, I actually remembered that. So that one, I remembered from my youth, like probably the first season I ever watched SNL.

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[42:02] So in this, I want to say probably around 92, um, so this was the 17th season it said they had the love toilet this was one of their fake commercials yeah and they um and so this was this was around the time when they would have like the the interludes from you know jack handy uh the deep thoughts of jack hand you know so they'd have these interludes once in a while um in snl and the love toilet so this this like fake commercial comes on and you're looking you see these i just i i still remember that it was just Just these two people staring lovingly into each other's eyes. And then the camera just slowly pans out to reveal they're on this two-sided toilet.

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[42:45] So it was a double toilet where they can, you know, so they can. They're like looking at each other. So they're not like sitting next to each other. But they're almost sitting like it's like at a booth at a coffee shop. Yes. In a way. So they're able to look into each other's eyes and hold hands. It's so silly. It's like one of those Valentine's Day, like, diamond ring commercials with the tone of it. I did not even rewatch this for this, to tape this, to record this today. I just remember this because as a 12-year-old watching SNL for the first time, I just thought that was so funny. I couldn't believe, you know, it was one of those things that just literally is.

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[43:23] Just tattooed in my memory yeah i think it's kevin nealon and victoria jackson yes yeah um just hilarious like you point out like it's taking this thing like that was very well known at the time these like a diamond is forever commercials that we have on and it's the you know you never have to be a part the love toy um so they just you know again you can just see this like silly but just fought on tackle you know taking on like just targeting something that's yeah just silly in the in the social conscious at the time and and just mocking it and it was it was i love i always loved that one yeah classic uh fake ad from that era al franken would be upset if we didn't also give him co-credit for for that so uh bob odenkirk and al franken kind of uh it seems he's like worked on that together got it yes yes um but you want to talk about motivational speaker i do yes one that uh uh we mentioned bob helped out uh other helped other writers out with some certain things and whatnot but this is a bob creation so i'm excited to talk about this when you said it was like possibly your favorite character of all i yeah i mean if i had to.

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[44:43] It'd be hard to really come up with the best SNL characters of all time. But this is one of my favorites, Chris Farley as Matt Foley, a motivational speaker.

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[44:54] Crying laughing even to this day when I watched that sketch or the various get a few treatments they did on it Yeah, I think that first sketch though still my favorite. Yeah Now as your father probably told you my name is Matt Foley And I am a motivational speaker, Now let's get started by letting me give you a little bit of a scenario of what my life is all about out. First off, I am 35 years old. I am divorced and I live in a van down by the river.

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[45:36] Okay. But something I did discover in prepping for this, because we talked about, okay, we're going to do Bob Odenkirk. I knew he had written that one. I did not know the origins of it at Second City, and that you can find a clip online of that being performed at Second City with Bob Odenkirk playing the dad that Phil Hartman took over for in the, it's a very grainy copy that someone shot in the theater, but you can see, it's the same exact almost word for word sketch. Sketch, uh, Tim Meadows in, uh, at the second city is the son that David Spade would later play in the, uh, a premiere on SNL. And then two females who I was not as familiar with were playing the mom and the daughter. Um, and then Bob Odenkirk plays the dad. And so he, he introduces, you know, Hey guys, you know, we found, I think, I think the premise is they found pot. They found one of the kids smoking marijuana and we thought we'd bring in a motivational speaker to talk to you and so they bring in matt foley chris farley as matt foley and and the rest is history right.

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[46:49] Just unreal. Like it takes a performer like a bull in a china shop kind of performer like Chris to bring it to life. But this was like from the mind of Bob Odenkirk. Like this is his baby. He said that the character was inspired initially by Chris Farley's presence at Second City, a voice that Farley did in another sketch. I think he was playing like a football coach or something. And Bob's like, that's amazing. I love how he does that. And then Bob said he started thinking about his days. I think it was in Naperville where these hippies would like hang out by the river. And then he saw some Tim Robbins, came across some Tim Robbins motivational things. So he kind of started putting that together, said he was alone in his apartment, just kind of riding away and sort of came up with like a hybrid of like motivational speaker. He's like, wouldn't it be funny if the motivational speaker was actually like a screw-up in his own life? So he's basically telling the kids, don't be like me. So that's like the whole thing. So that's where like the river, like the van down by the river, it came from those hippies by the river that he knows. That's so funny. Brilliant. Brilliant, Nicole.

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[47:56] I can totally see Bob Odenkirk playing the character. It would not have the physicality that Chris Farley brought to it. It would be different. But I think through the writing, you hear Bob Odenkirk's voice in there. And that's where I can really picture Bob Odenkirk in like a bad lounge suit. Like you get the picture in your mind, Bob Odenkirk, a younger Bob Odenkirk, in that kind of.

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[48:22] Bad suit and comes in is like, Hey guys, you know, I, uh, just want to talk to you about, you know, my, a little about my life. And you can see, I am divorced.

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[48:37] Uh, and, uh, uh, and you can just absolutely see Bob Odenkirk playing that character again.

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[48:45] It would have, it would, it would be different because Chris Farley brought that bull in the China shop aspect to it of the the, just the physicality, the, the presence that he would, I mean, obviously he just struck this presence at any, any sketch he was in and had that funny thing with the pant, pulling up the pants that, that he, that he brought to that, that was so funny. And just so, so these, these additional aspects of the character just constantly pushing up his glasses, being like high over caffeinated and, and, and just like super on edge. But, like, just the main, when you just kind of listen to the script and hear it, I totally see Bob Odenkirk in that. Yeah, I can hear the dark undertones. And that's Odenkirk's voice, like, amidst or underneath all the wild, like, Chris Farley running in place and jumping through the table in the first iteration of it. There's a lot of darkness in that Matt Foley character. character like he it ends with him saying that he wants to like get his stuff and go live with them essentially and then they're frightened they're terrified of that possibility but i can see odin kirk playing up that kind of dark it does remind me like a maybe of a more caffeinated saul goodman and some saul goodman's just like this like you'd mentioned like a lounge suitor just like the way the way he dresses and the kind of a down on his luck, loser-y kind of vibe. Like, total bop. That's Odenkirk's wheelhouse.

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[50:15] Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Uh, so, so that one, that was just, um, you know, like you said, if, if, you know, just his own creation, I, I read that he had, that was the most fun he ever had in his entire career was doing that, that sketch with, with Chris Farley, um, which is like touching and, um, and loved, loved hearing that and seeing that. But, um, but yeah, wow. Uh, You know, like you said, I think all of them are funny. They did one in Spanish, you know? Yes, yeah, I like that. I do like that one. So they're all funny, but that original one, it's just maybe Bob Odenkirk's best lasting mark on Saturday Night Live. Yeah, yeah, I agree. And that was a couple seasons after Odenkirk left the show. But, I mean, we've got to credit him because that's his baby. And like you said, that was the most fun.

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[51:10] Did they not overlap there, he and Chris Farley? They did. They did, by just – I believe so. Okay. Yeah, because he ended in 91. So I think they overlapped for Farley's first season. First season, okay. And then he left, but then they brought – okay. Because, yeah, wow. So, oh my – yeah, I'm so glad. I mean, what might have been if we had lost that? Oh, I know. And Odenkirk loved Farley. And I can tell when he talks about him, he almost has like this brotherly sort of ownership of Farley. He's one of the few who says that – who doesn't like the Chippendale sketch. I've heard Odenkirk say that he doesn't really because he thinks that people are laughing at Farley. Whereas probably I think I heard Spade and some other people say, well, I disagree with that. We're laughing with him. But Odenkirk, you could tell it's almost like he feels like this big brother sort of vibe with Chris Farley. Protected him. Yeah, I can see that. And I, and I do think that, you know, he, Chris Farley knew what he was doing and, and, and knew, knew.

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[52:13] I mean, even with Chippendales, like, yes, there's a lot of funny, you know, body, just mocking, you know, two different body types on the stage. But there's also some really, like, intelligent humor there. And I think Chris Farley always knew what he was doing and was brilliant, of course. But I could see that, absolutely, with a lot of the comedians that talk about him, just being protective and knowing that, you know, he had his own struggles, too. But wow, wow, what a gift to have the two of those minds come together, Odenkirk and Chris Farley for that amazing character. Yeah, amazing. I'm so grateful to Odenkirk for that. And one other thing, I don't know if you have one other thing, but I have one more thing, one more sketch that I want to mention too. It's one of my favorites from that era, actually. It's from season 16. He worked with Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel on the McLaughlin group. Issue number six, what did you have for breakfast today? Eleanor! Some cantaloupe. More Tontown, USA! I had poached eggs and toast. Jack Giamondo! Bacon and eggs. Patty Patty Buke Buke! I'm thinking waffles, maybe a little... Wrong! You all had special K with banana.

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[53:29] Issue number seven, what is issue 14 going to be? Some say it will deal with an economic matter. Others believe it will involve Germany. More teeny tiny tabletop. A little acid rain? Wrong! Ellenology, I think you're all swollen off. I have no idea. Wrong! You know quite well. That was the one, Dana Carvey, and I'll say the initial one, that's with John Goodman, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, and Kevin Nealon.

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[53:53] And just, he's parodying John McLaughlin, who had this crazy, and then the real show's crazy. The parody is a wonderful, fast-paced kind of thing, but the real show is kind of crazy, too. So it's not too far off. But this was just such great writing, a lot of good escalation in this. So it makes sense to me that you see Conan, Robert Smigel, Bob Odenkirk. This has their stamp on it, too. I do remember that. That's actually one I do remember from watching back when I was once I was already watching SNL and was not aware of being an 11, 12 years old of that show in the real world. But but knowing this was they were so good at at mocking, you know, I mean, the presidential race that year in 92. And and so so so much of that political humor that, you know, you know, Bob Odenkirk was so intelligent. intelligent and I read as, as we taught, we're preparing for this. I read that he, um, in a fairly recent interview said that he thought he was too young at 25 to start working on SNL. And I, he was 25, I guess. Um, and I mean, to me, it's like, I mean, he, there's just genius there. Like he, he clearly had an understanding of politics at the time and, um, and just these issues that were in society. And so to think that he was 25 years old and coming up with this content.

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[55:23] Again, like with the Michael Offenberg, just speaks to, I think, how brilliant he was. Yeah, right. Yeah. In an interview, I guess he said he thought he was too young, was probably kind of a little bit arrogant at times and just wishes he had just been a little more mature. But at the same time, he said he learned so much and was with the greats. And yeah. Yeah, I think I've read or heard where he said he was a little combative with Lorne, and he probably regrets that a little bit. And I think he acknowledges his own kind of ego as a young guy and everything. But he's so in tune with politics and in tune with shows like the McLaughlin Group. I think in your role, have you hosted one of these panel kind of shows ever? Yeah, I've done a few things, iterations of that over the years where you sit in a foursome maybe and you chat about issues. shoes. And it, you know, it it's, I will say it's hard. It's amazing that they can get.

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[56:18] Groups together that to do this successfully, whether it's like the McLaughlin group or the view, um, because it does depend so much on the personalities that you have sitting there. Um, and what, you know, not just the topics, but also just who, who's going to have the most to say about this today versus this topic another day. And how do you, you know, how do you not talk all over each other at once. And just, you know, these shows are, are kind of an, there, there's definitely an art to them and I don't know how some of them do it so successfully.

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[56:53] Um, but, uh, but yeah, the ones that do, you know, Bravo, you know, good for them. And they always have given us great SNL sketches over the years because that is, that's just a, a classic SNL trope is to go, you know, do a, do a talk show. Right. And, And whether you're mocking The View or if it's, you know, just some funny character hosting their own show or doing the McLaughlin group or doing, you know, Phil Donahue, I guess I saw he and Bob Odenkirk had a hand in writing Phil Hartman's Phil Donahue and those kind of things that, you know, those are just always some of my favorite SNL sketches is when they do just the classic, simple talk show. Yeah and there's so much good escalation in this one too playing off of uh dana carvey's kind of wild interpretation of mclaughlin and i can just see conan and robert smigel and odin kirk just like sitting there just probably spitballing like where should we take it next what specifically about the questions that he would ask so he they would get more and more ridiculous it'd be like is there an afterlife and then intelligent beings on on other planets yes or no and one of them was what number am I thinking of? And then they had to go around the panel or what did you have for breakfast today? So I could just imagine Odenkirk and the other two sitting in there just being like, what questions should he ask? Like, where can we take this? So it's just so fun.

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[58:17] It is. It's so fun to imagine the writers in the writers room sometimes coming up with these sketches when they are just throwing ideas around. I like to do like I mean, you know, you and I, you know, we're huge SNL nerds, like total nerds about this. And I like it when I notice a sketch that that I'm like, I bet this was like a sketch and it started out this way. But then someone kind of improvised something and it just went this totally different direction. and this is what it ended up as. And those are some of my favorite sketches. And again, I'm just guessing at this. But I just love imagining kind of how this came together. And so some of these, you're right, where you can just picture these guys sitting on a couch.

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[59:03] There's nothing glamorous about it at all. They're just like these barely out of college kind of guys in their 20s just making each other laugh and coming up with the next heighten it, it heighten it next funniest thing and um and you can just imagine how how fun that was and yeah, being an snl writer kind of seems like on paper like would be my dream job i know it's stressful it sounds incredibly stressful the long nights everything like that but just being able to bounce funny ideas off people the only person in the world who gets to hear my sketch ideas is my wife, and i don't know how much she always appreciates that i'm like i think i thought of this premise for a sketch and with this do you think this would work so i bounce sketch ideas off of my wife uh but but yeah it would be so much fun to bounce sketch ideas do you ever come up have you ever come up with like premises for sketches when when you're not like working for a sketch group it's in your everyday life.

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[59:59] Yeah, I, I mean, I have, you know, we, we, we definitely, you know, my husband too, Brian, like he's, he's funny. We, we, we're, we, we participated in some improv classes in Albuquerque too and things like that. And yeah, it's, it's fun. I mean, I think it's hard. I honestly, I do think it's really hard and I've tried to write out like a full sketch and that I wouldn't say I've ever done it successfully in a, you know, you know, you might have a funny idea, but you, to put it in pay on paper and to then write, you know, to actually craft it where this is going to get funnier and funnier and funnier and build to that, you know, like the, you know, that moment where, okay. And now it resolves like that's, that's a, just such an art form, um, writing sketch comedy. And, um, and so I wouldn't, I've, you know, I've never done it successfully. And I, and I know some, I know that it's so much more than just this funny premise that you have to write it in a way that builds and that unfolds in just this perfect way. So I have all the admiration in the world.

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[1:01:03] Odenkirk seemed to be, I know he had said that there might be some stuff that he would do differently on the show when he was a little young and everything, but it seemed like he worked well with certain people like Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, Farley, Dana Carvey. We saw him work well, obviously, with David Cross after SNL. So yeah it seems like Bob's just I think I'm grateful to have Bob's comedic mind kind of shine through especially over the years people are kind of rediscovering his work and he's had a renaissance Nicole so I'm grateful for having somebody like Bob I know right I mean what a career what an absolutely amazing career to start so young to have these amazing, you know, to be, to be involved in the iconic SNL and some of those iconic years of SNL to then go on to have this hilarious sketch show of his own in Mr. Show. And then to be one of the great dramatic actors in recent years in, in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and just an unbelievable talent there and start, you know, so, so just, just really fun to see that. And yeah, Yeah, he's one of a kind, for sure. I have a book recommendation.

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[1:02:17] Since we've been talking about writers, I read this cute book. I don't know if Melinda would like it. It's kind of a girly book, but it's called Romantic Comedy. And it's about a female who writes on what's basically an SNL show. And then she has a story of her own. But it's very fun. It kind of gives you that window into what that might look like working as a writer at one of these late-night sketch shows. Um, and just the, the, the, the relationships, obviously it's a fictional book, but, um, but just, just kind of a fun window into that. And, um, so yeah, so as we, as we're talking about SNL writers, that was a, that was a fun book I read, but again, yeah, kind of a girl's book. It's all right. It's all right. I watched so many Hallmark movies with my wife. Um, I'm kind of, kind of used to that by now. Now I'll definitely check that out. So as far as like specifically SNL and concerning maybe the hall of fame and Odenkirk's legacy, Like, what should voters and SNL fans factor in about Bob Odenkirk when discussing, like, his place in SNL history? That's a good question. I mean, I think that a lot of the writers we know from SNL who transitioned into on-camera talent at SNL as well, like Tina Fey, are...

Track 4:

[1:03:34] And some of them, you know, are a little more well known as sort of like the what you think a lot of those writers aspire to be, I guess, which is on on camera. Right. I mean, you think sometimes some of them, that's where they they really want to be. And I think it's really cool that Bob Odenkirk, you know, his his his years at SNL, he really besides some bit little cameo or small appearances that all the writers have at some point, he really didn't act on the show. And so we wouldn't discover that aspect of him for years to come after that. So just as a writer, I think it's just, he's just one of these great, there's a lot of people who are probably still surprised to find out that he was ever a writer for SNL. They'll know these sketches and will have no idea he was involved in them. So he really is, he has such a unique career there being this sort of extremely famous person who was just a hidden figure there almost in a way at the time. No one would have really known who was behind these sketches and the writers behind them at the time. So as far as, you know, it's hard. It's hard to put him on the list because he's so famous now.

Track 4:

[1:04:50] And but the work that we're talking about was was during a time when when he was really just beginning. And so, yeah, I don't know. It's because it's interesting because so many people on SNL, they come into their own while they're on SNL. And that's what, like, launches them to stardom. And with Bob Odenkirk, it was, you know, in some cases, decades before some people would discover him on Breaking Bad, for example. And he gave us Matt Foley, darn it. Yeah, he did. So, I mean, right there, he just ranks right up at the top.

Track 2:

[1:05:38] So there's that really great discussion there with Nicole Brady and our friend Thomas Senna. Well, Nicole Brady is our friend too, but you get my drift. Listen, I want to keep this wagon wheel rolling. And I want to get right to the sketch because Thomas mentioned it in the tail end of the conversation when he said, Hey, this guy gave us Matt Foley. So why don't we revisit a Matt Foley sketch right now, the original Matt Foley sketch. It features Christina Applegate as the host, and David Spade is in this one. Of course, Chris Farley portraying the titular Matt Foley, and all the rest. There is some physical comedy in this that you're going to miss. But I think you're going to get the gist of this. And if this doesn't seal the deal for you, I don't know what will. This is Bob Odenkirk having written Matt Foley in a van down by the river.

Track 5:

[1:06:53] Hey, Mom, Dad. Brian, Stacy. Your mother Ellen and I are so glad you decided to join us for this family communication session. So what's up? You guys getting divorced or something? No, we just wanted the family to talk as a group. Okay, well, let's get it started, then. All right, well, Stacy, Brian, your father Ted and I are a little bit concerned. Celia, the cleaning lady, was in the family room, and she found a bag of pot. She didn't smoke it, did she?

Track 5:

[1:07:29] No, she didn't smoke it. Now, we're not here to come down on you. I mean, that's not what we're about, okay? We're just concerned that pot could lead to other things. Crack, ice, boom, pow. But we know you don't want to hear this from us. Sure, I mean, we're your parents. Who wants to hear this stuff from their parents, huh? Your father and I came up with a brilliant idea to give you kids some direction. A motivational speaker. Yeah, one of those guys who speaks to big groups at high schools and churches? You mean to come to the house? Uh-huh. Yeah, right. Yeah, all right, later. Hey, hey, hey, come on, you guys. This is setting me back a few bucks. Okay, his name is Matt Foley. Now, he's been down in the basement drinking coffee for about the last four hours, and he should be all ready to go. I'll call him up.

Track 5:

[1:08:27] Matt, we're ready for you. you? His speech is called Go For It. Now, he's used to big groups, so make him feel like there's a crowd here. Matt, come on up, buddy.

Track 5:

[1:08:42] All right, how's everybody? Good, good, good. Now, as your father probably told you, my name is Matt Foley, and I am a motivational motivational speaker. Now let's get started by letting me give you a little bit of a scenario of what my life is all about. First off, I am 35 years old, I am divorced, and I live in a van down by the river. Now you kids are probably saying to yourselves, hey, I'm going to go out and I'm going to get the world by the tail and wrap it around and pull it down and put it in my pocket. Well, I'm here to tell you that you're probably going to find out as you go out there that you're not going to amount to jack squat.

Track 5:

[1:09:48] You're going to end up eating a steady diet of government cheese and living in a van down by the river. Now young man, what do you want to do with your life? Actually Matt, I kind of want to be a writer. Well, la-dee-freaking-da! We got ourselves a writer here! Hey Dad, I can't see real good. Is that Bill Shakespeare over there? Well actually Matt, Ellen and Brian and I have encouraged Brian, Dad, I wish you could just shut your big yapper. Now, I wonder, Brian, from what I've heard, you're using your paper not for writing, but for rolling doobies. You're going to be doing a lot of doobie rolling when you're living in a van down by the river.

Track 5:

[1:10:54] Young lady, what do you want to do with your life? I want to live in a van down by the river. Well, you'll have plenty of time to live in a van down by the river when you're living in a van down by the river. Now, you kids are probably asking yourselves, Hey, Matt, how can we get back on the right track? Well, as I see it, there is only one solution, and that is for me to get my gear, move it on in here, because I'm going to bunk with you, buddy. We're going to be buddies. We're going to be pals. We're going to wrestle around. Old Matt's going to be your shadow. Here's you. Here's Matt. There's you. There's...

Track 5:

[1:11:50] Whoops-a-daisy. Whoops-a-daisy. By God. We're going to have to clean that up later. Me and my buddies. My pals, my amigos. I'm going to get my gear. Wait, yeah, Matt, you don't have to go. Matt, you don't have to do it. We'll never smoke pot again. Matt, thanks for all you've done. I don't give a rat's behind because I'm moving in. I'm sick and tired of living in a van down by the river.

Track 5:

[1:12:30] Is the back door locked? Yes. We love you, Dad. I love you, too. Okay.

Track 2:

[1:12:40] That is a stone-cold classic. And I really am curious if we're going to see any homage like we did in Season 40 for the 50th season event in February. So that's very exciting. listen we've got a brand new show on the SNL Hall of Fame feed and that is the SNL Hall of Fame water cooler it features Joe and Shari along with myself and we take a look back at the episode from the week and we also briefly discuss the episode that was just on so there's that I want to thank Nicole Brady from the bottom of my heart. It was lovely to have her back. Of course, I want to thank our friends Thomas and Matt and Doug Donatz. We've got a huge crew here to make this happen, and we're thrilled to do it week over week. Next week on the show, we welcome back Saturday Night Network's own superstar, Bill Kenney. And he is going to be be here to talk about four-time host Danny DeVito. So that should be real good. Tune in for that one for sure. And with that, that's what I've got for you.

Track 2:

[1:14:06] So do me a favor, and as you're walking past the Weekend Update exhibit, turn out the lights, because the SNL Hall of Fame is now closed.

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