Ed Helms

And let's be honest. There are too many. There are too many snafus to choose from. We do dumb things. We've done dumb things throughout history. It is one of the great consistencies of human behavior throughout the centuries. We're just very, very dumb. And so there's so much to choose from.

And let's be honest. There are too many. There are too many snafus to choose from. We do dumb things. We've done dumb things throughout history. It is one of the great consistencies of human behavior throughout the centuries. We're just very, very dumb. And so there's so much to choose from.

And as we dig through everything and decide what to put on the podcast, we have stumbled on such a treasure trove that this is what fueled the book. So I'm going to turn the tables on you, Carl. I'm usually the one interviewing on this show. I want you to interview me a little bit about the book so I can help listeners understand what to expect and why this book is going to be so fun and cool.

And as we dig through everything and decide what to put on the podcast, we have stumbled on such a treasure trove that this is what fueled the book. So I'm going to turn the tables on you, Carl. I'm usually the one interviewing on this show. I want you to interview me a little bit about the book so I can help listeners understand what to expect and why this book is going to be so fun and cool.

Well, I love the audio medium because there are so many opportunities to be playful. And it's obviously very adjacent to the film and television mediums I'm so used to. But there were a lot of snafus that didn't have the depth that we require to dive into them on this show. And so it started to gel that maybe these are like – maybe these would just make good book chapters. A book allows you to –

Well, I love the audio medium because there are so many opportunities to be playful. And it's obviously very adjacent to the film and television mediums I'm so used to. But there were a lot of snafus that didn't have the depth that we require to dive into them on this show. And so it started to gel that maybe these are like – maybe these would just make good book chapters. A book allows you to –

Be visual, right, with illustrations and historical documents and so forth. We brought in an amazing illustrator, Mark Harris, and had him sort of interpret some of these snafus into his particular work. form of artistic expression, which is these really cool kind of collage style pieces. And they're peppered throughout the book. That's something you can't do in a podcast, right?

Be visual, right, with illustrations and historical documents and so forth. We brought in an amazing illustrator, Mark Harris, and had him sort of interpret some of these snafus into his particular work. form of artistic expression, which is these really cool kind of collage style pieces. And they're peppered throughout the book. That's something you can't do in a podcast, right?

You can't rope in a Mark Harris to throw in some jazzy visuals. In so doing, I feel like we've like we got this really cool collection of art. Like I want to hang this stuff in my house. It's a new and different kind of collaboration for the team and one that that's been really, really fun.

You can't rope in a Mark Harris to throw in some jazzy visuals. In so doing, I feel like we've like we got this really cool collection of art. Like I want to hang this stuff in my house. It's a new and different kind of collaboration for the team and one that that's been really, really fun.

Great question. Book feelings. Like you said, never written a book before. I usually only look at books with pictures, cartoon books. I don't – I'm scared of long stretches of text. No. I will say that – It's such a different approach. And the process is so much more isolating and kind of individual that there's some beauty to that. I think it just hit me like how much work it is to make a book.

Great question. Book feelings. Like you said, never written a book before. I usually only look at books with pictures, cartoon books. I don't – I'm scared of long stretches of text. No. I will say that – It's such a different approach. And the process is so much more isolating and kind of individual that there's some beauty to that. I think it just hit me like how much work it is to make a book.

And there's just so many steps to the process, the editing, the revising, the notes, and getting so much incredible feedback from the team. It's a lot.

And there's just so many steps to the process, the editing, the revising, the notes, and getting so much incredible feedback from the team. It's a lot.

I'm also really proud of the comedic tone that I think we as a team on the podcast have worked so hard to dial in over these three seasons. And that I can tell you just it's it's informed so much of the book as well. Like it's always echoing. In my head, like, how would we say this in the podcast?

I'm also really proud of the comedic tone that I think we as a team on the podcast have worked so hard to dial in over these three seasons. And that I can tell you just it's it's informed so much of the book as well. Like it's always echoing. In my head, like, how would we say this in the podcast?

What's the funny thing or what's the appropriate joke here versus like what's the easy joke or the maybe this joke is too crude. Maybe this is not a place for a joke. It's a constant analysis, but really, really a fun part of the process and something I'm really proud of.

What's the funny thing or what's the appropriate joke here versus like what's the easy joke or the maybe this joke is too crude. Maybe this is not a place for a joke. It's a constant analysis, but really, really a fun part of the process and something I'm really proud of.

The book is structured in six parts, which are roughly decades, starting in the 50s and through to the present. And within each of those chunks is a bunch of like a handful of snafus. It's really, I think, instructive and meaningful to group these snafus by decade because it gives us a little bit of a cultural lens for context. And it's a fun way to look at things.

The book is structured in six parts, which are roughly decades, starting in the 50s and through to the present. And within each of those chunks is a bunch of like a handful of snafus. It's really, I think, instructive and meaningful to group these snafus by decade because it gives us a little bit of a cultural lens for context. And it's a fun way to look at things.