RE-RELEASE - Robert Smigel
episode
Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
1h 15m
5 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 5 months ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What insights does Robert Smigel share about political correctness?
Robert Smigel. Robert Smigel. Smigel. Coming back at ya. You know, we will say this a lot, but arguably the best sketch writer. There's no such thing as the best. He's among the greatest comedy sketch writers of his generation. And he's written a lot of movies with Sandler. And he's our friend. And it was just fun. And does Triumph the dog. That's very ornery. Yeah, I think he does a lot of Triumph. And Triumph actually... Well, you'll see, it gets a little, it gets heated a little bit between us and Triumph.
How did Robert Smigel's experiences shape his comedy writing?
Oh, that's right. And Triumph, oh, also Smigel, didn't he, wasn't he the head writer for Conan for a while for the first show? For the talk show he did? Yeah, yeah, he was the head writer there. And he's- He was one of my bosses at SNL because he was always in the room picking sketches with Franken and Downey and Lorne. So he always had a lot of pull. He does Night of Too Many Stars. I think that's for autism. Right. It's his charity. He did the Dana Carvey show that lasted eight episodes with Dino Stoppinopoulos. That disaster. Carell and Stephen Colbert. Whoops, all-star. Louis CK.
What reflections does Robert Smigel have about Chris Farley?
Louis CK I hired as my head writer. I mean, no big. She did pretty well. All right, so here's Robert Smigel. We have a lot of laughs because we know him very well. Enjoy. Enjoy. All the momentum we had with the Lorne impression. Oh, yeah. And you were saying, Lorne, you did an impression before that. Before Dana got there. Oh, Mark McKinney.
Mark McKinney did... The only person who did it in my first year was Mark McKinney. And he did like a beautifully accurate Lorne. Like a well-observed Lorne.
How does Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fit into Smigel's career?
And actually said complete sentences. Yeah. And it was very impressive, but... Then the next year I just started doing cartoony Lauren on my own. And then I went into, I remember going into Dana's office and you know, I, and I admitting that I sort of do Lauren, like, you know, I want to be able to show, I think Dana and then Dana's like, Oh yeah, I do Lauren too. And Dana starts going like, Oh, what do you think of act three? Yeah. Like something Lauren's never done in his life. It was just perfect.
It was like this self-satisfied. We still have no fucking first act.
I've got no fucking first act. No fucking code. Marcy, look at the book of Lauren, please. Chapter two.
What challenges did Smigel face while writing for SNL?
Frank and Ryder Bush, Frank and Ryder Bush, Frank and Ryder Bush immediately. Frank and Ryder Bush. There was a lot of Bush cold openings. Frank and Ryder Bush. Remember, Robert, when you made the cartoon thing where you flipped the pages? Which cartoon? Well, I was doing Bush Sr. so much, I didn't know that the writing staff was kind of like, again? So then I saw a thing where it's like a flip page. where it was Bush taking a shit. Oh, Downey reminded me of this. Yeah, and you spin it and see me as Bush.
It was like a series of drawings. Yeah, like a silent movie. And what was it?
How did the Dana Carvey Show impact Smigel's career?
Was it Franken putting Bush cold open on the... I thought it was Bush taking a poo or something.
I thought it was scatological. It could have been. I like Franken putting the card on the lineup.
I have to say, Franken takes a beating on your show.
Franken. He's coming on very, very soon. And we will play him. Well, Sarah got him back by stabbing him in the head with a pencil.
Yeah.
Did you hear that one?
Were you there? I was not there. That was after I had left for Conan. But do you remember this?
What are Smigel's thoughts on the evolution of comedy?
Spade, I bet you remember this. So one of the impressions, I was the one, I think, who started that. Like me and Conan, I used to do this thing for Conan of Al. And I feel bad because Al got me the job, actually. And I love Al, but he was tough back then. And so everybody kind of, yeah, needed to release some energy. Mine was like Al on his back and like a snapping turtle.
Flip me over. Exactly. I thought that's why he would when he was running for senator. I thought he'll be great in there because Al is blunt and doesn't. He just says what he thinks. I thought that'd be good.
He was great. But well, boy, when he was in the Senate, he was my hero because he he kind of like contained himself from being as confrontational.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What insights does Robert Smigel share about political correctness?
0:01–0:41
2
How did Robert Smigel's experiences shape his comedy writing?
0:41–1:23
3
What reflections does Robert Smigel have about Chris Farley?
1:23–2:04
4
How does Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fit into Smigel's career?
2:04–2:54
5
What challenges did Smigel face while writing for SNL?
2:54–3:29
6
How did the Dana Carvey Show impact Smigel's career?
3:29–4:06
7
What are Smigel's thoughts on the evolution of comedy?
4:06–5:01
8
How does Smigel view the relationship between comedy and social issues?
5:01–1:15:03