Ian Talks Comedy

Bruce Ferber and I discuss reading sports books as a kid; Thomas Wolffe; attending a summer writing session at Andover while in high school; Phillip Roth; Woody Allen; publishers don't like comic novels; the genesis of his novel "I Buried Paul"; meeting struggling musicians without an outlet; session musicians; there are less crappy sitcoms on now; his book "Elevating Oberman" and subsequent tour; "Cascade Falls" and cookie cutter architecture; "The Way We Work" reveals show business from all angles; Billy Van Zandt tells his Lucy story in "The Way We Work"; Steven Van Zandt endorses "I Buried Paul"; going to NYU to be a director; doing six months of film editing and six months writing; writing a spec M*A*S*H* and getting hired to write two Bosom Buddies and a Laverne & Shirley; working on House Calls, Star of the Family, Jennifer Slept Here and Oh, Madeline; writing a Simon & Simon; working on Webster and having Alex Karras be a jerk; Eugene Roche; Facts of Life; bad timing for Gung Ho; Duet; working with Alison LaPlaca, Chris Lemmon, Ellen DeGeneres, Danny Gans; working on Growing Pains but not getting to write an episode; working on Nurses; Coach and Craig T. Nelson; running Home Improvement; the cancer scare episode; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; his spec Cheers; his film "Praying for Tucson" about Presidential candidate Howard Dean; Dan vs.; his wife's passing; pitching an animated series based on the book "Dazzle" about a misanthropic dog

Director Randall Kleiser joined me to discuss his drawing style; his latest work Drawing Directors; Quentin Tarantino; Robert Altman; getting inspiration from other directors; Spike Lee; Oppenheimer; Jerry Lewis; Nina Foch; earliest influence: "The Ten Commandments"; USC Dirty Dozen; "Captain America vs. the Mutant"; "Foot Fetish"; "Peege"; Bruce Davison; hiring the same actors in different projects; Marcus Welby, MD; Dawn; "Portrait of a Teenage Runaway"; "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble"; directing "Grease"; thought to be a small movie, but was huge; directing actors he saw as a kid; Jeff Conaway; getting the go-ahead for "Blue Lagoon"; Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins; describing the set as a summer camp; "Summer Lovers"; "Flight of the Navigator" with Paul Reubens as Max; "Big Top Pee Wee"; Paul Reubens always remembered your birthday; Valeria Golino; "White Fang" and his adaptation; "Honey, I Shrunk the Kid"; doing a sequel to get his next project done; working with Rick Moranis; "It's My Party"; difficulty of getting an AIDS movie done; his friends helping for no money; running Digital Day for the Directors Guild; his documentary, "Baby Boomers Yearbook" about his high school classmates; role of directors with writers and actors on strike; role of AI in the future

Barry Blaustein joined me to discuss watching political events of the early 1960's on a b/w TV; his comedy influences; going to school for broadcast journalism; "Broadcast News"; going to LA and getting jobs on specials; working on The Mike Douglas Show; submitting for SNL; Jean Doumanian asking him to write more, not doing it and getting hired anyway; the writing staff did not intimidate him; Elliot Gould and the Accordion Killer; Malcolm McDowell; Ellen Burstyn and Raheem Abdul Mohammad; his dad coming up with "Is that velvet" from "Coming to America"; writing "LFNY" for Eddie on the seventh show and having people upset; Tommy Torture and Ray Sharkey's erratic behavior; Karen Black episode; Charlene Tilton, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood and Charles Rocket's f-bomb; writing a Nick the Lounge Singer with Bill Murray; the Writer's Strike; first show back with Little Richard Simmons, Prose and Cons, and Khaddafi Look; show two with Buckwheat; John Mulaney was born in 1982 when he was at SNL; Ted Cruz being a fan of his work; Velvet Jones; Donald Pleasance and Fear; "Hidden Photo"; Michael O'Donoghue; writing the Mick Jagger variety special for Tim Curry; "retiring" Velvet Jones and The Jersey Guy; Gumby; Larry the Lobster; appearing on camera; Ebony & Ivory; going out to L.A. to write for Chevy hosting via satellite; Drew Barrymore; Eddie hosts and Steve Martin makes a cameo; Lily Tomlin; working with Rick Moranis, Sid Caesar, Stevie Wonder and Ed Koch; leaving the show and not being allowed to tell Eddie; Pam Norris; "Coming to America"; being a Mets and Clippers fan; writing the "Police Academy" movies and their humungous success in Russia; What's Alan Watching?; going back with Eddie in 2019 to SNL;

Jennifer Aspinall joins me to discuss Universal horror movies; being shy, so stage makeup helped her; hired at a theater at 11; loving illusion; being on film sets at 18; being in front of the camera in Walk the Prank; playing a makeup artist on TV shows; starting out in film with "Playing for Time", "Vortex", and "The First Turn On!"; working on "Toxic Avenger"; gets hired from Metropolitan Opera House to SNL; would do roving special effects makeup; rotating number of artists, MAD TV allowed her to shoot on a schedule that made more sense to hair and makeup; Jan Hooks as a 100 year old woman; Massive Head-wound Harry; Tooncinator; Dana as Bush and Perot; Chevy Chase as Jeffrey Dahmer; Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer; not having the ability to say which cast member more resembles a famous person on SNL but having it on MAD TV; getting SNL's first Emmy nomination; working with Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, and Adam Sandler; Musicians for Free Range Chickens; going to MAD TV; being present at Artie Lange's pig story; Nicole Sullivan; Pam & Tommy; being the Susan Lucci of the Makeup Emmy; Alex Borstein; her work on "Erin Brockovich"; Albert Finney; how her p.a. became the executive producer of "Erin Brockovich"; Jennifer Coolidge; Funny or Die Presidents sketch; getting hired for The Jay Leno Show and staying when he took over the Tonight Show; Leno / Conan "fight"; working the Oscars; Chris Rock and the slap; getting older vs. looking and feeling older; Westworld; Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers; Debra Wilson; "That's My Black Mama"; David Cross; Sponge-Bob Square Pants movies; the Broadway show, her step-son and grandchildren; Martin Short

Deborah Paulmann joined me to discuss starting work in the makeup industry; not liking working in a salon; trying to get in the union; Bert Ruff; how the rules are different now; make-up is a dying art on the internet; SFX Youtubers; microblading; starting free lancing for Barbara Armstrong in 1978 and working exclusively at NBC for five years (1984 - 1989); going to As the World Turns, One Life to Live, then Another World, came back to NBC in 2000 and stayed to 2010; first regular job at NBC was Phil Donahue; sees a mother / mother-in-law feud in the makeup chair; Live at 5 allows her to makeup Bette Davis; memorable working moments with Steven Tyler, Seth Green, Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey, Jr.; Chuck Scarborough; starting SNL at the end of the '84-'85 season; doing makeup for extras in the original era; crawling on the ground on air to retrieve a prop for Nora Dunn; Kevin Meaney and her getting locked in the makeup closet and missing his cue; working with Louis Zakarian on SNL and Conan; working with Pamela Stephenson as Joan Collins, Cindy Lauper, Madonna, and Billy Idol; various hosts; young stars brought their makeup teams who couldn't do prosthetics; some favorite people Jon Bon Jovi, Richard Gere, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Stewart, Paget Brewster; memories of working with Norm MacDonald, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, and Darrell Hammond; meeting the SNL host on Thursday's Conan; Jennifer Lopez white towels; working with SNL cast members Will Forte, Fred Armisen. Tiny Fey, Victoria Jackson, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Kevin Nealon; dealing with showbusiness legends Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Bob Newhart, George Burns, and handsy Milton Berle; doing the makeup nightly for Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, and Max Weinberg; going to HD; Gwyneth Paltrow seeing her legs on HD for the first time; Conan going on TV on the road not done up by her and it going bad; getting paid by Conan for the year NBC wouldn't let him work and the writer's strike; David Letterman unleashes the monkey cam on Live at 5.

Steve O'Donnell joined me to discuss Mike Chisholm; stand up; Sarah Silverman; Norm MacDonald loving to tell comic road stories; Massapequa; Jerry Seinfeld; Carson Daly; Larry Jacobson & Groucho; Edward Everett Horton; Jim Norton; Jim Gaffigan; Jackie "The Joke Man' Martling; hating 50's stand-ups; Shelley Berman; Jack Carter; older Rickles on Kimmel; Pat Cooper; David Brenner; Regis Philbin; using his actual gym teacher on Letterman; Norm's impressions; interview with Jane Fonda; Norm's Clint Eastwood; doing a western bit on Sports Show; 25th Anniversary of the ESPY's; Cleveland Baron's mascot; Norm didn't drive; his memoir; Canada's 70's tourism catchphrase; SCTV; Ghoulardi (Ernie Anderson) leads him to Dave; cliches; his twin brother Mark who was more of an auteur and won a Tony for Hairspray; used for twin jokes on Letterman; appeared with his brother on Strangers with Candy; Sklar Brothers; America's Got Talent; Michael Winslow; Vegas residencies; first job as a greeting card writer; sent all his writings to Letterman and Merrill Markoe while working in a tape room at 30 Rock; his interview; having to give two weeks notice and hearing his jokes being told during that time; being told his work is witty; to laugh or not laugh; a typical Steve O'Donnell joke; bringing his parents to Late Night; midwestern slang for rain; doing Letterman was more than just a job; Jim Downey; his brother individually pre-signing books each with an original joke; Dave changes jokes on air for himself; Viewer Mail construction; Alsace or Al's ass; class clowns; Jeff Martin; many comedians wore eyepatches as babies; todays comedy writers are more diverse and better looking; now being one of the few non-performers on a writing staff; being great on podcasts; the trifectas in comedy performed by Brian McConachie, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Ken Keeler; history buffs Larry David & Conan O'Brien; writing on Great Minds with Dan Harmon; writing for the Chris Rock Show; pitching a bit about to Hannibal Burress and pretending to explain what bling is; Hugh Moore and Shy Tony; writing bad jokes; audiences laughing at straight lines or not knowing old sayings or bits and thinking they're new; "No good deed goes unpunished"; animals that speak foreign languages

William S. Bickley joined me to discuss faking watching television; watching Liberace with his grandparents; finally getting television and watching anything; family sitcoms were an escape from an abusive home life; going to Baylor University to study English; being a Naval Aviator for a year; being confused for another Bill Bickley; forming a correspondence with Arnold Margolin that allowed him to pitch for Love, American Style; gaining a quick reputation; getting taken under Garry Marshall's wing; writing a treatment for a first-season episode of All in the Family; writing and producing Room 222; meeting Dale McRaven while producing and writing The Partridge Family; asked to join Happy Days while under contract for Partridge Family; secretly writes episodes after hours; asked to run Happy Days and is let out of his contract; first season hours were hellish; asked to do two episodes a week; on first day shooting Ron Howard and Anson Williams get drunk accidentally shooting with real beer; second season test live action clip show uses scenes from the pilot; how he felt Fonzie was a tragic figure; the episode "The Motorcycle"; trying hard to make it look like it was the fifties; the palm tree behind Arnold's that was never seen; introducing Roger Phillips on Happy Days; not remembering episodes he wrote; his series Please Stand By; pitching The Waverly Wonders for Judd Hirsch and getting Joe Namath; going to Out of the Blue and being told to write out its star; having a character on Mork & Mindy named after him; not remembering Down to Earth; his favorite series Perfect Strangers; the real reason Chuck left Happy Days and his plan for bringing him back on the finale; random Happy Days characters; the series "Jumped the Shark" when Richie left; creating Fonzie's magic and seeing it get out of hand; his new project, a sitcom based on Gladys Knight's life.

Arthur Meyers joins me to discuss Ted Cruz's odd Eddie Murphy obsession; the reasons for the WGA Strike; AI; trying to create through AI a short story about if Hitler's name was Steve; AI can't deliver lines like Chris Farley or Mitch Hedberg; having a cold; me losing an episode with Dave Thomas; getting rid of credits; minirooms make show runners jobs harder and employ less writers; studios propose annual meetings to discuss AI; Lorne Michaels; SNL's 50th Anniversary; being a seat filler for SNL 40; going to the after-party; talking to Norm MacDonald; Weekend Update; Herb Sargent and the Weekend Update breakfast; commercial parodies: Swill, Banshee, Craig's Traveler's Checks; his new show Dinner with Parents; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Punch Up the Jam; being a Norm fan; Favorite Weekend Update anchor and set; favorite homebase; his new venture ABC Parenting You Tube Channel; Anna Drezen, being a Letterman and Conan fan; Carson and Letterman Podcasts; other SNL podcasts; pretending SNL was on in the 50's and 60's; oldest and youngest musical guest; Vera Sola; favorite / least favorite musical guests; Frank Zappa; bad musocal performances; his son; what will happen as SNL hits 50; season 7

Oscar winning makeup artist Kevin Haney joined me to discuss growing up in Cinncinnati; watching monster movies but not being a fan of gore; working with Rick Baker and seeing Tom Savini while at Letterman; getting busted walking the streets as Frankenstein as a teenager; being cast in The Wizard of Oz but being enthralled by the old age makeup more than acting; reading Dick Smith's makeup book; being the makeup man his senior year of high school; doing makeup for the Ohio State production of Ghost Dance gets him noticed for "Altered States" at same time he was working on "Basket Case"; gets a job at NBC; is assigned to SNL; Barbara Armstrong is head of makeup; difference between white and black actors makeup; given Harry Shearer to appy makeup to; Lorne was against prosthetics; Doumanian takes over and he is assigned Gilbert Gottfried; makes him up to look like Master Po from Kung Fu; becomes department head in 1981; assigned to Joe Piscopo does Reagan, Sinatra, Nimoy & Iacocca makeup; creates, with Annette Bianco a Joe Piscopo wig; on camera in a Chinese Donahue sketch in April 1984; works on Piscopo's HBO specials; making up Eddie Murphy to look like Mohammed Ali; coaxed back for season 10 and hits it off with Martin Short; working with Dave Thomas; working on "Coccoon" and "Dick Tracy"; winning an Oscar for aging Dan Aykroyd in "Driving Miss Daisy"; Dustin Hoffman shot his "Dick Tracy" scenes later; working on Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family"; what it is like in a makeup chair; getting criticized for the aging in "Shawshank Redemption"; his work on beaten up Boggs not seen on camera; working on Friends flashback and Russ episodes; how "fat Monica' makeup was used to create Jiminy Glick; being retired; proud of his "Guardians of the Galaxy" crew; still best known for "Basket Case"