On the pod, the guys revisit the best of "The Waiter" from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia with special guest, Michael Naughton.
Michael Naughton: They just show up right at 9:00 huh?
Megan Ganz: Oh yeah, they live a little-
Charlie Day: They do.
Meg: They like to- they like to live on the edge, you know, those guys.
Charlie: They live on the edge of ridicule.
Michael: I mean it's not live, why wouldn't you just wait 10 minutes, or you just- you just go at 9:00?
Meg: [laughs] 'Cause--
Charlie: Oh because the-the ability to razz each other is-
Michael: Right, right.
Charlie: -is a comedy gold.
Michael: Hey.
[laughter]
Michael: What's going on?
Glenn Howerton: Sorry buddy.
Michael: Good, good.
Meg: 8:54, you are early.
Charlie: I know, do you think- do you think he's in his car stressing a little bit?
Meg: [laughs] I hope so.
Charlie: Like he's-he's starting to look at the clock a little more than you would normally look at the clock?
Glenn: Yeah I don't know, I mean yesterday I was-- I mean I'm usually rolling in at five until, that's usually around the time, I just happen to-- I drop my kids off, and I got here early.
Michael: Yeah, that's what I did.
Glenn: Yeah, you did?
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: You got-- How many kids do you have?
Michael: Two. Eight and seven.
Glenn: Eight and seven?
Michael: Girls, yeah, Arca and Luca.
Glenn: Okay you're in it.
Michael: You got your--?
Glenn: 8 and 11, boys.
Michael: Wait what did I just say?
Charlie: You said eight and seven.
Glenn: You said eight and seven.
Michael: I sa-- I'm sorry-- I am 8 and 11 too, they are 8 and 11.
Glenn: Oh you have 8 and 11 also?
Michael: Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna wake up. I said eight and seven-- When you said 8 and 11-
Glenn: Can we get this man some coffee?
Michael: -I'm like, "Wait, I meant to say--"
Charlie: Crank about that real quick, and then in reverse order too, which is interesting.
[laughter]
Michael: I know, I know. Eight, seven, five, and two.
Charlie: Yeah.
[laughter]
Meg: Two girls huh?
Michael: Two girls yeah.
Meg: These guys have only boys.
Michael: Oh, oh.
Meg: All boys. We're-we're an all-boy show, it's kind of surprising actually, we want girls but--
Charlie: It was a weird phase of-of people having boys, so I had a boy, you had two boys, Rob had two boys-
Michael: Wow.
Charlie: -Hornsby had two boys-
Glenn: Hornsby had a boy-- Or two boys, yeah.
Charlie: -Marder had a boy, Rosell had a boy.
Glenn: Marder had two boys.
Charlie: Marder had two boys, Rosell had a boy.
Glenn: Rosell had a boy.
Meg: So-something in the water at--
Glenn: Literally every su-- Like in-in like in succession, like everyone was just like, "Oh we're having a boy," and it was like, "Oh we're having a boy." "Oh my God, we're having a boy," and, "We're having a boy," and, "We're having another boy." "We have a--"
Charlie: There might have been something in the water, and then uh, my some-somebody told me some stupid theory that they're like "Oh yeah they're-they're putting stuff in the water to build an army to fight the Chinese." And I was like- I was like then they're gonna have the worst like LA army of like-like I'm sorry but like--
Glenn: "I'm not doing that. I am not doing that. I'm not fighting those people."
Charlie: "Is this tech electric, or are we really using this much gas? Are we really using this much gas?"
Glenn: Right, right.
Charlie: "I'm sorry but like these rations, like can I-can I get like gluten-free, and [unintelligible 00:02:17] or anything?"
Glenn: Can-can we add any like uh--" [laughs] Why I'm I forgetting? I'm like this, I need to wake up too.
Charlie: Adapted juice, simple fruits.
Meg: Adapted juice.
Glenn: No what's the--
Charlie: Adapted juice [laughs]
Glenn: No what are the-the fancy mushroom oil that-that-- The truffle.
Charlie: Oh truffle oil.
Glenn: We are gonna need like truffle oil for this or--?
[laughter]
Meg: You guys, it is officially nine o'clock.
Charlie: Oh it's nine o'clock
Meg: It's nine o'clock.
Glenn: Okay so.
Charlie: Wait a second, I'm here.
Michael: Wait did it-
Glenn: I'm also here.
Michael: -did it literally start?
Charlie: Megan you're here, it's been starting by the way.
Glenn: Yeah it's been--
Charlie: We'll have to cut all that out.
Michael: Really?
Glenn: Yeah, we'll cut all the stuff--
Michael: Oh God, oh God what did I say? [laughs]
Glenn: Yeah we'll cut all the offensive stuff.
Charlie: We'll cut all the offensive stuff that you said.
[laughter]
Charlie: Um.
Glenn: That only you said.
Charlie: Uh, well you know uh--
Michael: I'm just gonna along--
Charlie: Michael Naughton, you're here, and thank you for joining us, uh-
Michael: I'm on the camera.
Charlie: -you are-you are as talented as you are professional-
Charlie: -because you're on time--
[laughter]
Charlie: Oh no we've started--
Meg: Are you--
Charlie: Oh no, no-
Meg: Oh, it's nine o'clock.
Charlie: It's nine o'clock.
Glenn: Oh it's still 9:00.
Rob McElhenney: It's 9 o'clock.
Glenn: But we started at 9:00.
Charlie: But we started at 9:00.
[music]
Charlie: I would say you're in time. You're not on time, but you are in time.
Rob: In time.
Charlie: You made it.
Glenn: In the nick of time.
Charlie: In time, so you made it at nine o'clock and like 58 seconds.
Glenn: Yeah right, right, oh you're drawing a dist-- a distinction between--
Rob: We are not here to talk about me, we're here to talk about Michael Naughton.
Charlie: Well we- we're here to talk about Michael Naughton, until you sort of very rudely walked in halfway through his first minute of time, which made it about you.
Rob: I'm sorry Michael--
Michael: And this is my first time to be here-
Rob: I drew attention to myself.
Michael: -pre-interview this is really you guys just show up literally.
Glenn: Oh it's just kind of yeah. Sorry about--
Charlie: No yeah this is-- There's nothing-
Rob: This is it.
Charlie: -professional about this, which is sort of entertainment on the internet, you know, this is-
Glenn: It's just sort of--
Charlie: -this age we're living in.
Glenn: Yeah, it just sort of begins and--
Charlie: It just sort of begins.
Michael: Yeah, I didn't when know when it-it really started, I didn't know that it was happening.
Meg: It's, you're not gonna- you are not gonna know when it ends.
Glenn: And you won't know when it ends either.
Charlie: You won't know what's happening.
Rob: The audience doesn't know when it begins or ends either, so it doesn't-doesn't really matter.
Glenn: Yeah it's fine, Michael Naughton one of our favorite uh, guest stars. Mo-mo-- One of our most loved guests stars I would say.
Michael: Loved by?
Charlie: Loved by the fans.
Michael: 'Cause I looked up a ranking and I was uh-
Glenn: Oh.
Michael: -16th, but I think it went from most sane, I don't know if it was loved--
Charlie: Oh there is sanity rating.
Michael: -I think the most sane to most insane. At first, I'm like-
Charlie: Well your character's very sane.
Rob: I think the-the waiter is very sane.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, you're a straight man.
Glenn: That's why we-
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: -that's why we like your character so much.
Michael: Yeah but I don't think I realized how few sane straight people, because as I was going on, like usually a show you guys are crazy, and there's someone there to balance but-
Charlie: Uh-huh.
Michael: -there's no one here to balance it you just go-
Glenn: Yeah, no, no.
Michael: -which is crazy.
Glenn: No and by the way-
Charlie: Yeah, it's true.
Glenn: -for-for the audience out there who's not familiar with the term straight man, we're not talking about uh, sexual orientation-
Michael: Right, right.
Glenn: -we're talking about--
Charlie: Do people not know what a straight- a straight man is? I don't know, you know, I think-
Glenn: I think most people think that's part of the popular culture. I think most people know what a straight man is. I just want to be clear, 'cause- 'cause we're saying like--
Meg: Or woman.
Charlie: Ben Costello. So, way back then there was-- Well yeah.
Glenn: 'Cause when he says things like, no one on the show was straight and blah, blah, blah.
Michael: Yeah, I'm sorry.
Glenn: He's talking about- he's talking about before there isn't a-a dedicated straight man on its own.
Michael: Right-right-right.
Charlie: Well, it is a-- Your reactions are more in line with the audience than the character's reactions to things, so that the audience looks at the characters through similar eyes as you do within the context of the show. So, uh, they get to enjoy your incredulous uh reactions to our--
[laughter]
Meg: Yeah, you have lots of lines like, "What is happening? Or, "What are you doing?" Those are--
Michael: Right- right.
Charlie: Or even a simple, "Okay," uh, can be really funny when, you know?
Glenn: When delivered correctly, but- but play- playing a funny straight man is- is quite difficult, and I think that's one of the reas-reasons why we got our hooks into you, and like latched on to you, and was like, "Okay, we gotta keep this guy around." It's 'cause he's one of the-
Michael: Oh, thanks- thanks.
Glenn: -few people that can be truly- truly funny and be- and be totally straight.
Michael: Oh, thanks- thanks.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: I remember the first time I saw Michael Naughton. Do-do you guys remember the first--?
Glenn: Did we seen him at the Groundlings?
Rob: I saw him at the Groundlings, yeah.
Charlie: You did?
Rob: Were we together?
Glenn: Well, I remember we-we went s-sort of scouting for like people that we- that were super duper funny, but that we had maybe never seen or-or hadn't, I don't know. And we went to the Groundlings, uh, I mean-- And I remember seeing-- Yeah, I remember seeing you-you, I remember seeing--
Michael: What was I doing? Was I funny?
Charlie: [unintelligible 00:06:32] where you play--
Glenn: I don't-- That, I don't remember.
Michael: But I was funny?
Glenn: It was many years ago.
Rob: Yeah.
Meg: Don't be offended. These guys don't remember anything, even about their own show.
Rob: Who was in that-that Groundling? Uh, was that-that was the- that was the main company that were in?
Glenn: Kristin Wig.
Michael: Yeah- yeah.
Glenn: Kristin Wig was there?
Charlie: No, she was gone by then, I think, when we saw that show.
Glenn: Well, no, no, she- because she was in the show that we watched.
Rob: She was in that show, yeah.
Michael: Oh, that specific show? I don't know, because that was in it for a long time, and people came and left.
Glenn: Yeah- yeah, of course, yeah.
Rob: But Melissa was- was in that show as well?
Michael: Ms- Ms. McCarthy? Yeah.
Charlie: So- so, uh, that show that you're talking about, we went-- It was a- it was a- it was like an anniversary show, because Caitlyn brought us- brought us there.
Glenn: Uh-huh.
Rob: It was- it was like celebrating, whatever, 20 years of the Groundlings or something like that, and so--
Glenn: Oh.
Rob: But at that point, Melissa McCarthy was-was in the main company-
Glenn: Okay- okay.
Rob: -as was Wig.
Glenn: Okay. Yes- yes, that's right. I remember Kristin being a part of the company still.
Rob: Yep, and Jim Rash?
Michael: There was a couple of sketches, like famous SNL sketches that Melissa had done at Groundlings, and then you just see it on SNL, like almost line for line, like the ranch.
Charlie: Oh, really?
Michael: You're watching that one or, you know, you're watching it and you're like, "Oh, Jason Sudeikis is doing my part now.
[laughter]
Michael: That's pretty good.
Glenn: Wow, really?
Michael: Yeah, she was so good, that's why she was so amazing on the show, because she had been doing sketch comedy, and she was able to come in there with these. But there was an idea of the Groundlings where she had a sh- sketch where she had a crush on this guy, so she brought him some balloons, and then she feels dumb, so she's trying to break the balloons. At the Groundlings live, she was trying to break them and- against the floor and it broke and she-
Rob: Oh.
Michael: -broke her nose.
Rob: Oh, my God.
Michael: On the ground, and I was in the scene. So I'm the only one who didn't see it, because I'm sort of, you know, in the scene, and the whole audience is just like watching her, and I think blood came out.
Meg: Oh my god.
Michael: I had no idea, everybody kind of got quiet--
Glenn: Did she keep going?
Michael: Yeah, she kept going.
Glenn: She kept going.
Michael: She kept going, and then went off stage.
Charlie: Yeah, she did.
Glenn: Well, by the way, that's- that's-- if you could keep that going, that-- Think about how funny that is. People will be watching that and be like, "How did they do that?" Like, that's the most amazing special effect I've ever seen on stage.
Charlie: So that was a talented group that you're a part of, and we poached you for, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Meg: We watched it on our last podcast, the um, Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack episode, which is your first,-
Michael: Okay, that- that was the last one, yeah.
Meg: -um, where you interview um, Mack and Charlie for the job that they're being hired together.
Michael: Yeah- yeah.
Meg: Yeah, we were wondering if that character is in any way related to the rest? Like, did he lose his job and become a waiter?
Glenn: Yeah, what is it in your mind?
Michael: Well in my mind-- I was watching it too, and the first interaction at HR, he kind of likes you, like you have such a great relationship.
Glenn: Yeah- yeah- yeah- yeah- yeah.
Michael: He's like, "I get to hire." Then the waiter from the beginning, there's just an energy that- that he hates them. So I'm like, "Can I be the same guy? Won't he remember them?"
Glenn: But I think you only--
Michael: So like, are they twin brothers, or--?
Glenn: I think you only- you only hate us.
Rob: Well, so this is what we discussed yesterday, that- that possibly there are twin brothers.
Charlie: Yeah, we-we might have established that they're twin brothers.
Glenn: That we recognize.
Charlie: That they're twin people, but not related.
[laughter]
Michael: You're saying like doppelgangers?
Charlie: Yeah-yeah-yeah, that they have very similar DNA.
Michael: Then we're saying They're passing each other on the street.
Glenn: They-they recognize the guy from the office that interviewed them, but of course they never recognize the waiter. They'll be like, "No-
Michael: Right.
Glenn: -you I don't remember."
Charlie: It'd be fun where they do the thing where they-they- we keep seeing the guy from the office, but like behind a desk, where like, we're sure that's the waiter, and then we see like the waiter, we're following the waiter around, and we're trapped-- We've never seen them both in the same place, and then at the end the guy--
[music]
Rob: Don't give away the ending.
[laughter]
Charlie: No, we're not--
Rob: We might.
Glenn: I kind of like--
Rob: I think we need a bit.
Michael: No, some- somebody on Reddit was like, "That guy got fired because he hired two people at the same rate, and then--"
Charlie: Okay.
Michael: They had thought about it more than me or maybe you guys. But--
Glenn: Okay. Yeah. By the way. To be-to be fair, we did talk about this.
Michael: Yeah
Glenn: I remember the discussion being, "We want Michael Naughton for this, because we don't think anybody else can do it the way we're picturing it. And we've already used Michael Naughton--"
Michael: For the waiter?
Glenn: Yes. For the waiter.
Rob: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: So when we got to that episode--
Meg: For the [unintelligible 00:10:17] who dines out, is what you're talking about.
Rob: We knew it was- we knew it was a pivotal- pivotal character. And we-we-we wanted to hire you.
Glenn: We knew-we knew we needed somebody who was really, really funny. But that could play straight-- Play it totally straight. You know what I mean? And- and-and the only person we just couldn't get you out of our head. So we were like, "Well, there's no reason why that guy couldn't have lost that job for whatever reason and showed up here and--"
Michael: Oh, so that was the original?
Glenn: Yeah, this was-- I remember I was talking about this.
Charlie: I do too, yeah.
Glenn: I mean, that was how we justified it.
Michael: Right, Right.
Gleen: It could be the same guy. Or maybe it isn't.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: And I-I think that's- it was more of that. It was like if we needed to justify it, it could be the same guy. Uh, but we don't.
Michael: You know, I was so afraid that when I showed up, you guys were going to be like, "Oh God, this guy played the HR--"
[laughter]
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: But I don't know if like, "You're so busy writing." Like you normally do the casting.
Charlie: That has happened. That has happened.
Rob: Yes.
Michael: Really?
Charlie: We have cast someone years later that we had cast earlier in the show, and didn't realize until they got to set-
Michael: Really?
Charlie: -that was the same person and then been like, "Well, it's fine, because it's been so long between--"
Michael: That's what happen--
Charlie: [crosstalk] We-we specifically wanted you.
Michael: Well, that's what I was afraid of. So I-- when I showed up, I'm like, "Do you guys know how to played the HR guy?" And you're like, "Yeah, we know. We--"
Glenn: You did say that to us?
Michael: I did.
Glenn: You gave us a shot, but you waited until the last second.
Michael: No, no. Like as soon as you came in hair and makeup. What I'm like, "Hey, thanks. I was the HR," and you guys were like, "Yeah, we know. We pay attention to things, and we liked you," and like, you know?
[laughter]
Glenn: Yeah, but it's funny to watch that, because in the bloo-- It's such a, we were talking about this on the last one, but um, it's such a-- That scene just goes on and on and on in the bloopers. There's such a long section of it that you forget how in the cut-down episode-
Michael: Mm.
Glenn: -we barely were able to put all-- so much of that funny stuff in-
Michael: Right
Glenn: -because it slowed the story down. It just didn't progress the story in any way.
Michael: Yeah
Glenn: So we thought it was so funny. It was great on the bloopers, but in the actual episode, the scene is so short.
Charlie: Do we have the bloopers cued up?
Meg: Yeah.
Michael: So for you, for several years I've been in complete charge of pretty much everything in my life.
Rob: That's actually-- Okay.
Charlie: Mm-hmm. That is-- [laughs].
Rob: It's kind of a, you know, statement more than--
Charlie: Mm-hmm, Mm-hmm, That- that's actually- that's actually me. I'm-- I've sort of- I sort of have a grasp on what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis. [laughs]
[laughter]
Michael: Well, that's-that's good. Okay. Work history. Again, it's just 2006 to 2007 liaisons in business.
[laughter]
Michael: We both treat our work as if it was the most important things in our lives. 2005 to 2006. Education. Odd jobs here and there.
[laughter]
Charlie: Now, we- we are-
Rob: Yeah, this-- We're hearing this for the first time.
Charlie: We are hearing all these things for the first time.
Rob: We didn't know stuff on the- on the prop sheet.
Michael: Yes.
Charlie: Oh.
Glenn: Because it wasn't in the script to-to read off the resume.
Michael: No.
Glenn: That's- Well, that's something we started improvising, and started just messing around.
Michael: Right. Because online people are like, "Oh, my God, this guy was cracking them up so much that they brought him back. But-
Charlie: Oh, absolutely.
Michael: I was just reading things off the resume. But I thought you guys wrote that.
Rob: No.
Charlie: No.
Michael: I thought you were laughing at the stuff you wrote.
Charlie: No.
Michael: I'm like, "They're laughing at themselves." I wasn't doing anything I was just--
Charlie: I know. I mean-- Yeah, right. The prop- the prop assistant, I think-
Rob: It was Casey.
Charlie: -and we had no idea what was written on there, but-
Rob: It was a combination--
Charlie: Yeah, so it was just delivery of it. And then the absurdity of what was on that [unintelligible 00:13:23], I think that was--
Glenn: Yeah, but- but-- yeah, you're- you're--
Rob: I'll take the combination. My delivery plus the--
Glenn: Yeah. You're delivering, you're-you're just like just watching the subtlety of watching you try to understand the two people that are sitting in front of you, and it's so subtle. That's the thing like-
Michael: Thank, thanks.
Glenn: -I would love- actually love to ask you that. Um, as a- as an actor, as a performer, especially as a comedy person. Like how do you have the- how-- Is it just your natural inclination to just keep it super like grounded and kind of real? Uh, I mean, I'm assuming that's a very specific choice, but how do you trust? Because I remember like there was part of me that was always trying to figure that out early on when I was working in com--
Michael: Mm.
Glenn: Because I didn't start in comedy. So like, I was trying to-trying to figure out how like, how does it-- What play is better? Like, is it-- because I found it if I played it too natural-
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: -sometimes it was boring, and then if I played it too big, I felt like it was too broad. And I'm like trying to figure that out like.
Michael: I just saw something you were saying about you accepted the absurdity of it, where you were trying to make it very real early on.
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: I don't know. I've done some-some things in sketch comedy where-- Which were really over the top.
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: And maybe the audience is laughing, but then I just felt like I was really pushing.
Glenn: Uh-uh.
Michael: But depending on the situation, I mean, this one, you guys got to be the insane thing. And I just got to sort of settle back and relax into the trying to figure it out part.
[laughter]
Michael: But I've been on both ends. I don't know.
Charlie: Well, it's either a gift that you have naturally, or just that you've honed it by, you know, being on stage, trying to make something funny for so long.
Glenn: Right. Yeah.
Charlie: Because a lot of people could read that same resume, and react to it with their natural, uh, reactions. And it just wouldn't quite be as funny.
Glenn: No.
Charlie: It's just-- Mostly I think it's a timing thing like, how long you keep a stare on us?
Meg: Yeah.
Charlie: When you pause, wha- what you say that-- it- it just makes it funny.
Michael: Okay, and then we have 2005 to 2006, education?
[laughter]
Charlie: What's that mean?
Rob: I don't know.
Charlie: No, it was a very educational year, and we did many odd jobs.
Rob: Here and there.
[laughter]
Michael: That guy is funny, huh?
Glenn: Yeah, he's funny.
Michael: 2005 to 2006 education?
Charlie: All year.
Michael: He didn't have any gray hair.
Michael: Okay, two years?
[laughter]
Michael: Uh, it just says, odd jobs here and there.
Charlie: I'm ruining the scene for you.
Rob: That's the closest you actually came to actually breaking.
Michael: Okay, you know what? Let's just go, the last thing is education, 2005 to 2006, odd jobs here and there?
Charlie: Here and there. Wait uh, here and there, but mostly here.
Rob: And there.
[laughter]
Charlie: Oh, man. Yeah, that was one of the first times.
Glenn: A guest star genuinely cracking us up.
Charlie: And just- und just also just not being able to get through a scene, like just being like-- Although, it wasn't the scene. Which was what was so fun about it.
Michael: Yeah, but didn't you like [crosstalk] you know?
Charlie: Yeah, we found a whole other thing of you just reading this--
Michael: Resume.
Charlie: I don't think anyone knew until you started reading it, how funny that resume was, but you know what? I feel like it's a real missed opportunity to not have cut it where you read out the resume.
Glenn: Oh, have not cut the episode? Have it- have that all be in the episode?
Charlie: Yeah, I- I do think I know why we didn't do it, because we didn't need you to hire us, and we were- we were probably like, "If he goes through this absurd resume, and we do these funny reactions to it, and he's so super put off, how are we going to get him--"
Michael: I was more put off in the outtakes than the actual scene.
Charlie: Yeah, how are we gonna get you to where we need you to be, which is to hire these characters for the episode?
Michael: I remember when I was on the first time, that I'd seen the show, but I didn't really look it up. I didn't know you guys created it, and were like in pretty much. So I remember like, "Oh, they're really letting us improvise a lot." I kept saying they, and I'm like-
Glenn: They, yeah.
Michael: "I hope they use- I hope they use that." You guys-- Do you remember?
Rob: Oh, yes- yes, I remember.
Rob: I remember you saying that. Yeah. "I hope- I hope they use this." We're like, "Yeah, no, we will. We will.
Michael: Yeah- yeah- yeah- yeah.
Rob: They will, actually, but they actually won't.
Michael: Yeah, I remember you were like, "Yeah, we can do that."
Rob: We can do it. Yeah, we can do whatever we want.
Michael: I don't know what with-- that was, I don't know if I had my smart- smartphone next to me, but later, I'm like, "Oh, they run the show? They--"
Charlie: It was 2008.
Glenn: I think we shou-- like, if I if I could go- if I could go back, I would have set a precedent where uh, where someone, like when people showed up, the AD would be like, "Just so you know, the set is a little bit unconventional. The-the actors that you're gonna be acting in a scene with are also going to be directing you, even though they're not the director, but they created the show." You know what I mean?
Michael: Right.
Glenn: 'Cause it gives--
Michael: I think it was a great- great set. I mean, I didn't know you guys, you know?
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah, but it's- it's weird-- it could be weird or off putting for an actor to suddenly start getting direction from the other actors that are in the scene, that's like exactly what you're not supposed to do.
Michael: I don't remember thinking that.
Glenn: That wasn't weird to you?
Michael: No. I somehow knew that they were letting you guys play. They. They were letting you play.
Rob: I also seem to remember that Glenn took-- We'll do this from time to time, where you-you were pretending like you were getting frustrated with us, because we were ruining the scene over and over. You know, some- sometimes we'll be like, "Okay, enough- enough. Like, get through it."
Glenn: Uh-huh.
Rob: It's because even though you-- we know you know-
Charlie: It's a nice try.
Rob: -that it doesn't work, but we try it so much. Like, "Guys, your fucking this up." Then it just makes it worse.
Charlie: The only thing that works is, uh, I found is, thinking some horrible uh, thought. Like, thinking like, "Oh, uh, I'm abandoning my child by being at work and--
Glenn: I've abandoned my child- I've abandoned my child.
[laughter]
Charlie: Like, I have to go so dark, and that will only work for like five seconds until my wrinkles bullshit on it. I know that it's-- the scene will be it's best, if I'm pushed myself, and we've pushed each other to the brink of-
Glenn: Absolutely.
Charlie: -we can't take it. And like, if I tamp down that sort of like manic, comedic energy, it doesn't-- It's not as funny.
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: So, it's- it's living on that, like razor's edge of like, "Urgh, this is- this shouldn't-- We-we shouldn't be saying this." Or whatever it is that like, uh--
Meg: Right and you're laughter? That's why this blooper is like a classic.
Charlie: Yeah.
Meg: I think this is one of the favorite bloopers, because you live for so long in that space where you're like, right on the edge-
Charlie: Yeah.
Meg: -of laughing all the time.
Michael: It's funny. I can be a breaker, but I think I was just-- I was on the show for the first time.
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: So I was too scared to like waste people's time.
Charlie: That's a different thing.
Glenn: Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah.
Michael: I was just too scared.
Glenn: Yeah. No- no- no, but I mean, yeah.
Meg: When you're playing a straight man character, do you have a-- Like, do you have a process like that to make sure you're not like laughing in the scenes?
Michael: I mean, doing the Groundlings, like live theater. I've been guilty of, like, breaking, you know, I'm like, uh, I'm-I'm embarrassed and I ruined the thing, but, uh, you see, if it's someone else, like, like there it's a lot more about, like, I'm doing my sketch, and then sometimes you're doing the other person wrote this, and it's their time to shine. I think I'm a little better if it's someone else's thing.
Meg: Uh-huh.
Michael: Cause I don't wanna like ruin anything. [chuckles]
Glenn: But also- but also, we're laughing at your performance in the scene.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Glenn: You're very familiar with your own work.
Michael: [chuckles]
Glenn: So you probably don't think that what you're doing is half as funny as we do, because you're like-
Michael: I didn't until today.
Glenn: No, it's what I'm saying.
Michael: They were laughing at the things they wrote.
Glenn: I just said. Like you're just, like you're just doing your thing. You're playing it the way you wanna play it, and you're looking at these two bozos in front of you just, like, laughing their heads off, and you're just like, "I don't know, I'm sure- I'm pretty sure they wrote this.
[laughter]
Glenn: I'm not sure what the hell is going on here, like I'm just delivering the information."
Michael: Yeah, but yeah, yeah. You gu- you guys are so funny, though. [chuckles]
Charlie: The other thing too about like when we're making this show is like we're- it's we're, [sighs] it's not really like a play where we, it's locked in. We know exactly what the scene is. It, you know, we've written the scene, but we're kind of mining for the funniest version of it, right?
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Charlie: And we're like-- We're digging around and we're trying some things, and trying some reactions or trying some improvs, or trying a blocking thing that makes it funnier. And the only way to know [chuckles] if you're achieving that is it's getting you close to laughing. So, that's-
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: That's sort of the danger of like how we make the show when it comes to breaking. It's like, well-well that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to make ourselves or each other laugh.
Glenn: I feel the same way. If I-I feel like if I'm not on the verge of breaking at almost any given moment, I'm not doing- I'm not doing what needs to be done to make the scene as funny as possible.
Michael: Yeah. The audience isn't there. You don't know if you're making them laugh. So you just gotta make sure you [crosstalk]
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I've said this many times, but my goal in-in these scenes, is, uh, and my scenes is always to try and make them break.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: Is always my goal.
Charlie: How often have we made like the camera operator, like, you see him like laughing or like, you know.
Michael: [laughs]
Glenn: That's the most gratifying.
Charlie: You know, she's like, bouncing the camera and you're like, all right.
Michael: Have you guys ever thought of doing, like, a three-camera, like, live audience?
Charlie: Oh, like a multicam.
Glenn: Oh like multicam.
Michael: Multicam version.
Charlie: Of Sunny? Uh.
Michael: Yeah, yeah, just to see.
Charlie: We-we have discussed it where we're like, what if we did one episode with like a live audience?
Glenn: Yeah. We've definitely discussed it.
Charlie: The energy that would be fun.
Michael: Yeah. It might not be.
Charlie: I don't know if it will work, sure.
Glenn: I don't know.
Charlie: I also don't want- I like, I like the fact that were crammed in a tiny room, and you're reading a resume and we're, like, jammed in there and like everyone is squeezed to the edges to be able to cross cover it like-
Michael: [laughs]
Charlie: I like that sort of contained energy for making something funny.
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Glenn: Oh, two people sitting across a desk is, like-
Charlie: The best scenes.
Glenn: It's-it's our bread and butter. So it is often our best set.
Michael: [laughs]
Charlie: They're the best scenes.
Glenn: Yeah, because it's usually two people with an insane request, or some sort of an insane thing that they're bringing into a room with someone who's just like, "How did these people get in here, first of all?"
Michael: Right, right.
Glenn: "Secondly, what are they talking about?
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Glenn: What is happening right now?" [chuckles] That's why like- the- for maybe the most common guest star line we write in the history of the show is, "What is happening?"
Rob: What's happening.
[laughter]
Glenn: Somebody literally trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
Charlie: What's is happening?
Michael: Right?
[What Is Happening Supercut]
[music]
Charlie: And now a word from our sponsor, BetterHelp.
Meg: BetterHelp's online therapy service is great for when you wanna try therapy and are looking for a convenient, accessible, and affordable online option.
Rob: We've all been there. We've either gone to therapy or strongly considered it.
Charlie: Mm-hmm, I mean, Glenn went because people are chewing their food too loud.
Glenn: That's absolutely right. I was fixated on a problem.
Charlie: Mm-hmm, yeah.
Glenn: And, uh, I needed a solution.
Meg: Did you try BetterHelp?
Glenn: I actually wish that I'd been able to try BetterHelp back when, uh, when I was going through this, because BetterHelp matches you with the right therapist after a very brief survey.
Rob: Right. So you're saying you found a therapist, probably with great expertise in other areas, but not in chew volume anxiety.
Glenn: That is correct. My search was limited by who was nearest to me geographically, not to mention who had availability to see me.
Charlie: But neither of those are deal breakers, uh, when it comes to online therapy, especially with BetterHelp's enormous index of licensed therapists.
Glenn: This is the thing, this is the thing so.
Charlie: That's the thing. That's the thing, right?
Glenn: That's-that is the way.
Rob: That is the way.
Glenn: So again, I mean if I do end up going back to therapy for it, which I [sighs] I well might, uh, I'd try BetterHelp, you know, to see if I can specifically find a, I don't know, like a chew volume expert I guess.
Charlie: Mm-hmm.
Meg: And you can switch therapists at any time, so if the first one isn't working out, you can always choose another.
Charlie: Aah. I like what you did there.
Rob: Hey, now, what if Glenn's therapist starts chewing their food loudly while he talks?
Glenn: See, again, that's the beauty of online therapy. You know, I just mute him.
Charlie: That-that's problem solving right there.
Glenn: Sadly, I can't mute people in real life. I'd love to be able to do that one day.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: You know, and until then, online therapy.
Meg: So when you wanna be a better problem solver, therapy can get you there. Visit BetterHelp.Com/sunnytoday to get 10% off your first month.
Rob: That's BetterHELP.com/sunny.
Glenn: And always chew with your mouth shut.
Charlie: This holiday season I'll be giving thanks to our friends over Manscaped TM that's trademark, uh everyone loves turkey, and stuffing, but you'll-you'll be looking like dessert with the help of Manscaped's performance package 4.0.
Glenn: Tell your in-laws about your new cutting-edge ball trimmer, tell them.
Charlie: Enough about Thanksgiving though I'm already thinking about Christmas.
Rob: Well even better gift yourself or a man in your life the performance package 4.0. Hey Glenn, can you tell me what's in there?
Glenn: Inside the performance package 4.0 you'll find the lawnmower 4.0 trimmer, weed whacker ear, and nose hair trimmer, crop preserver, ball deodorant, crop reviver toner performance boxer briefs, and a travel bag to hold all that new swag.
Rob: Santa if you happen to be a listener or a creep, you can get 20% off and free shipping with the code sunny at manscaped.com.
Glenn: That's 20 off with free shipping at manscaped.com and use the promo code sunny.
Charlie: Santa you've been going around with a big beard for a long time, and I catch you- I bet you got a big bush in those pants too okay?
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: So be thankful this holiday season for the best gift of all from manscaped.
Rob: Your balls will thank you trademark.
[music]
Glenn: Should we watch some more uh, Michael Naughton?
Meg: Yeah, let's watch some more. Another classic the gang dines out. [applause]
Dee: Look at all the goddamn lights. I think we, they haven't come over to pay me tribute yet. I was here first. I know they see me. They're probably over there right now making fun of me. I get it guys. You know what they're doing, they're calling me scarecrow, because I'm all alone in the cornfield scaring away the others birds. Real funny. You know what?
There's no shame in a woman, an adult woman, taking herself out to dinner enjoying her own company. I'm not gonna leave- I'm not gonna leave because I don't have to, and also I can't because I have a Groupon for this evening that expires tonight, it does expire tonight doesn't it?
Michael: Yeah, yes it does. I'm sorry, are you going to order?
Dee: No, I'm trying to have a conversation with you.
Michael: Yeah, maybe I could at least get a drink order? We're really busy tonight.
Dee: Does the Groupon cover drinks?
Michael: Nope.
Dee: Just the tap water.
[laughter]
Glenn: Wait-wait, pause it. They anticipate like you know- you know, you have to ask the question but you know the answer is coming, and then she gives you exactly what you expected, and you're like, "Nope it doesn't." [laughter]
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: I knew she was going to ask that based on that you know it's just that kind of shit man.
Michael: Actually it was your friends over at the other table, and they wanted me to relay to you that it's our most expensive bottle. They said to say that.
[laughter]
Michael: This is astounding watching you guys laugh.
Glenn: You really-you really are so much more of a prick as the waiter-- I mean and it's because of what you're getting from us obviously, and you're-you're at your wit's end.
Michael: But pretty quickly I I'm-
Glenn: You've turned pretty.
Michael: Yeah I don't put a nice face on. I'm supposed to be.
Charlie: You're your ability to do the straight man thing is for us a gold mine-
Rob: Yep.
Charlie: -because so much of what the show is, is these irrational characters put into a rational situation, and having someone who can be the eyes of the audience, but deliver those reactions in a way that's also funny is like it's just it's the that's what we're looking for with almost every guest star.
Meg: Mm-hmm.
Charlie: You know it's just-it's just a tough thing to do it's a really hard thing to do.
Meg: And then the gang guides out specifically you're such the glue that like holds all the things together, because everyone is separated and you're the one going from table to table, and if it were-
Michael: Yeah.
Meg: -any other guest start, I don't think--
Michael: I gotta go call my wife and kids and tell-tell them all the things you're saying about me. [laughs]
Rob: Well they can- they can listen to the podcast.
Michael: Oh yeah. Yeah-yeah.
Rob: They can watch as well, on a road trip when they can't get away from it.
[laughter]
Rob: They'll be able to see it.
Michael: That's a good idea.
Charlie: You might be very unfunny straight man at home, we don't know.
[laughter]
Charlie: On the show--
Rob: I'm sure your kids don't think you're funny.
Michael: I'm the funny one
[music]
Waiter: What are you people doing?
Glenn: What is happening here?
Charlie: Basically--
Waiter: Excuse me, what are you people doing?
Glenn: Oh-oh. [laughs]
Charlie: Your own stunt?
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: Oh yeah,
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: Did we do multiple takes of it, or did we get that in the first try?
Michael: I-I remember there being a stunt man-
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: -and then I was like I thought there was a shot where he did something, but that looked like that was my face.
Charlie: That was-that was you,
Michael: They didn't need a stunt man for that just kind of.
Glenn: Yeah I think it was a game day call. I think it was--
Charlie: No-no. Uh, no that is you. That's you. That's you the whole way.
Michael: Maybe two takes. I don't know.
Charlie: Yeah, the reset shirt.
Michael: I remember them having another shirt ready. I don't remember.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: That's a big reset.
Michael: My yeah kids 8 and 11, my children, can't watch the show yet, you know, cause there's a lot of--
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: But I did show them this when I think they're pretty young, but they didn't like you guys. They're just-
[laughter]
Charlie: Well, you know you're up there like-
Glenn: Why is he so mean to dad?
Michael: -mean to dad. Yeah mean to daddy.
Rob: Put spaghetti on Dad. Daddy that turns.
Charlie: Once you say [unintelligible 00:30:12]
Rob: That turns like in 12.
Michael: Very messy to be on their own.
Rob: 12 and 10. They're gonna be happy this lot.
Charlie: Daddy why those guys pour sphagetti in you? [laughs]
Michael: Yeah they were just like, those guys are mean, so I haven't reintroduced it yet. [laughs]
Glenn: Yeah, yeah, yeah, take your time.
Michael: 'Cause you continue to be mean.
Rob: There's no rush.
Glenn: Also like he's got, he's got girls, so, you know, [crosstalk]
Charlie: Oh they're sweethearts.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah, they're nicer. Yeah.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: Boys are not nice.
Michael: [laughs]
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Michael: You got daddy. Oh maybe, yeah.
Charlie: Yeah, totally.
Michael: Mainly they're protective.
Glenn: Absolutely.
Speaker 6: Who cares what Frank prefers? We're buying this food with his stolen credit card. [giggles]
Michael: And I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.
[laughter]
Michael: Welcome back, gentlemen. God I was trying to be friends. I've never seen this man before in my life.
Charlie: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Michael: I waited on you before. You tied my shoelaces together, I fell down.
Charlie: I'm getting nothing. I've drawing a blank on this guy.
Dennis: Yeah, yeah, that means nothing to me. What are you saying?
Michael: A sculpting hot plate of spaghetti fell into my face.
Dennis: I'm to remember every man I've seen fall into a plate of spaghetti?
Meg: Classic line. I'm to remember-
Charlie: I'm to remember every man I've seen fall into a plate of spaghetti?
[laughter]
Charlie: That is, yeah, one of my favorite lines ever. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Michael: It's a very specific thing to have happened.
Rob: Okay, so then this is the first time we-we established that we-we-
Charlie: We don't recall-
Rob: -we don't recall this person.
Michael: Yes.
Rob: That was carrying then to-- [crosstalk]
Meg: Yeah, season 10. And then you played that through in this episode, where multiple times during this episode you continue under [unintelligible 00:31:30] [laughs]
Rob: Right, right.
Charlie: Throughout the what? A course of a day.
Meg: Yes.
Glenn: Just how far, you know, it's a sort of-
Charlie: Oh no, we keep going back to the restaurant.
Glenn: Yes. Yeah, we keep going back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a running theme of the show, though, when someone who we've treated so horribly. So in-in that moment of-of like ruining a person's life is so insignificant to us.
Michael: Right.
Glenn: We don't remember who they are. We don't remember, we don't know their name. We don't know and it's kind of like, no- It means nothing to us.
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Meg: But you can tell that they must enjoy you as a straight man, because your character has escaped relatively unscathed. Like, David was the-the straight man in one episode, and then he was like, hooked on crack and Mike cut a milky eye, like an episode later. [chuckles]
Michael: Right, right.
Rob: And similar and so far is we don't- we-we remember Cricket, but we don't have any clue as to what our culpability is in his- in his demise.
Meg: For sure, yes.
Charlie: That's right.
Rob: In his slow destruction.
Charlie: A similar, a similar joke.
Michael: Yeah, he's just, what happened to that guy?
Charlie: Poor guy. [laughs]
Glenn: Look at that guy.
Michael: That guy Cricket.
Charlie: Yeah exactly.
Glenn: You should watch out for him.
Michael: Yeah he's a mess.
Frank: I'm gonna have the snap, and I'm gonna buy one for the strange man behind me who I've never met.
Michael: Gentlemen, I hate to inform you two strangers here that we out the snap. We had some issues with our local supplier, so we are completely out of fish today.
Frank: How do you not have fish? It says fresh fish daily on the menu.
Michael: I just explained it.
Frank: It says right here snap fish.
[laughter]
Michael: Can I get you a non-fish entre?
Frank: You can get lost.
Michael: With pleasure.
[laughter]
Charlie: Standing up for himself. I feel like at first I wasn't-
Rob: Yeah a little bit-
Charlie: Is me or-
Rob: You got a little bit-- He had a little sass there.
Charlie: The first episode or the first, uh.
Michael: Well, when I was dealing with you guys, I felt like I was a little more, I wasn't as.
Charlie: But you were giving it a shot.
Michael: I think I was trying to--
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: You were hitting the reset button, you know what I mean, like.
Rob: Yeah reset. We can give these guys another chance.
Charlie: Well you came in like a rationale human being, which is like, uh, we had a thing. It was a misunderstanding.
Glenn: And I was mad for a while but it's been two years and, you know.
Rob: When you guys are sorry. I'm sure you guys must be sorry.
Charlie: I'm sure you guys are sorry.
Rob: I thought you were, who were you?
Michael: He was in a better place in his life.
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: 'Cause he-he-he wasn't as rattled at first.
Charlie: He met someone.
Michael: I mean, he did get rattled by the end.
Glenn: You were definitely not as flustered as you were in the gang dines out, but I think that was be-because the- I mean, I imagine it's because we establish it, you're very busy and it's like a, like a super, if it's super crowded whereas-
Meg: Because of the Groupon deal.
Glenn: -having lunch in the middle of the day.
Michael: That makes sense, right?
Charlie: Yeah, that's- that's okay, right?
Michael: Okay, good, good, good. Yeah.
Meg: [chuckles]
Michael: The actor in me could thought about-
[laughter]
Meg: They think about these things.
Michael: -the different time of day. [chuckles]
Meg: Yeah, all right, yeah so then this is uh-
Glenn: Here we go.
Meg: -Season 13, episode 9, The Gang Wins the Big Game.
Pondy: Can we get some binoculars up in here, too?
Michael: Oh, my God. How did I move all the way to Minnesota, and I'm still waiting on you people?
Mac: Huh?
Dennis: What are you talking about?
Rex: Hey, man, what if I told you there's a berry that can handle all your fitness needs?
Rob: [chuckles]
Michael: I'm good. Thank you. I'm just gonna go do my job.
Charlie: [laughs]
[laughter]
Charlie: Did you do that stunt to.
Rob: Must have.
Michael: I did it myself.
Charlie: Well done. How did you do that?
Michael: It looked like- It looks like we had a dummy. I don't know.
Charlie: We must have a fall pad for you and you tossed your legs up.
Michael: We-we yeah, you did. We had a fall pad. But I remember wanting [crosstalk] whoa, oh my God, that must have hurt. I've never wanted my feet--
Charlie: What's he doing? The worm? I love that Rex is on the invigorate barrier I forgot about that.
Michael: I remember wanting to do that, but when I saw it, I'm like, "Oh, my God, I really."
Charlie: You Steve, you scorpioned.
Rob: So this is the same season then the-the Ladies Reboot.
Meg: Yes.
Rob: Okay.
Michael: You know what the reboot was first.
Meg: It was.
Michael: And then I mentioned waiting-waiting on you at the Super Bowl, but when you did the Super Bowl, it was a flashback.
Meg: Yeah.
Rob: So it was out of order but then [crosstalk]
Charlie: That's right. That's right.
Rob: There was thought put into this at some point.
Charlie: So the Super Bowl was a flashback too. Oh my God.
Rob: There was though put into this, at some point.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah. Right so he had moved to Minneapolis from Philly-
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: -he was working here, he lost this job and then later became a flight attendant-
Meg: Uh-huh.
Glenn: -and that's how he ended up in the Ladies Reboot-
Charlie: Right.
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: -because that, yeah. Okay.
Michael: Yeah.
Dee: Hey you servant. Hold on a second.
Rob: Servant.
Dee: servant.
Charlie: Servant.
Rob: What do you got?
Michael: [chuckles] How do I keep winding up with you people?
Dee: Do I know you?
Michael: Do you-- I used to work at Guigino's and then I moved to Minnesota, and I waited on you guys at the Super Bowl.
Charlie: Which the audience hadn't seen yet.
Dee: Yeah.
Rob: Yeah.
Dee: Nope. Nope.
Michael: Forget it I don't care.
Charlie: All right. All right.
Glenn: So. Yeah.
Michael: What can I do for you?
Dee: Look, uh, we're doing the Boggs thing.
Michael: I don't know what that is.
Dee: Wade Boggs.
Michael: Okay. Is that a person's name?
Dee: Doesn't matter.
Meg: I love-- By the way, I love the detail that-
Charlie: We're doing the Boggs thing.
[laughter]
Meg: When you-- When they can't remember you, after many many times you're like, "It's fine whatever," you move past it but you-you don't know what she's talking about with the Wade Boggs she's immediately irritated-
Rob: Yeah. Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah.
Meg: -like how do you not know the Boggs thing?
Rob: The Boggs thing.
Meg: We're doing this Boggs thing.
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: All right.
Rob: The most clarification she'll give you is Wade Boggs right?
Meg: Yeah.
Charlie: How do you not know?
Glenn: Right.
Michael: God, this man is so irritating to talk to.
Glenn: Yeah-yeah-yeah. I don't know who he is.
Michael: Annoying human being.
Glenn: So that-that episode aired before the Super Bowl-bowl-
Meg: Mm-hmm.
Glenn: -episode. Did it have to air that way?
Charlie: I don't know I don't always get everything right, you know, what I mean?
Glenn: What's that kinda like?
Charlie: But it made sense.
Rob: It was a flashback.
Michael: It was a flashback, right?
Glenn: I can't.
Meg: It was an Easter egg that pointed-
Rob: Yeah, it was an Easter egg.
Meg: -to a flashback.
Rob: Yes, that's right.
Meg: A classic.
Charlie: The Super Bowl One too, was a two-parter so it might have something to do with like FX not wanting to do a two-parter like at the top of the season or something.
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: I think it made sense. I think you guys thought about it when you wrote it.
Glenn: Thanks, man.
Rob: Thanks, yeah.
Charlie: Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah. We-we do try to think about it, yeah.
Meg: Here's a- here's a question for you. Have you ever been a waiter Michael?
Michael: Oh, yeah-yeah.
Meg: You have?
Michael: It was sort of in between I was- I was working a midnight shift at a book bindery like driving a forklift. So I was able to during the day go to auditions, and take classes but it was, you know, exhausting.
Charlie: Hmm.
Michael: It was like, you'd sleep during the day but you'd have to get up for an audition.
Charlie: God.
Michael: So then I got a job at, um, at Jerry's Deli for a few-
Glenn: Oh, yeah.
Rob: The one in Studio City?
Michael: Near-near the Beverly-Beverly Center, I think it's gone.
Rob: Okay, yeah, I understand. Yeah.
Michael: But it was horrible cause when you first started out- started out it's like, you know, the shift where like people are getting out of the bar, and your-your section is like the back, you know, way back in the patio so, you know, you get like 14 drunk people who just want free bagel chips, and yeah.
Charlie: So, when you got the bug you said- you said, I'm going straight to LA?
Michael: I sort of just let the two years at Henry Ford Community College end, and then started auditioning for like Summer Stock. And I didn't make it big like, I'm gonna become a theater major or move, I sort of spent a couple years in Michigan, um, doing Summer Stock and booking like America's Most Wanted 'cause they were shooting on location there-
Charlie: So reenactments?
Glenn: So you did some reenactments?
Michael: Yeah, I got killed-- 'Cause they were shooting where the murder took place so it was kind of-
Meg: Oh my God.
Michael: -disturbing. They came to like the CBS where the murder took place-
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: Oh my God.
Michael: -Flint Michigan. And, um, yeah I got killed and-
Rob: Meg can we roll on that?
[America’s Most Wanted Clip featuring Michael Naughton]
[music]
Meg: You might be a hero cause that show, you know, they caught a lot of like-
Michael: They caught the other guy. And the killer's name-
Charlie: They-they-they caught the guy- they caught the guy in your episode?
Michael: If I'm remembering this right, the killer's name was Stephen King.
Glenn: Oh
Charlie: That's suspicious.
Meg: Hold on, I got to look this up.
Michael: Yeah, look it up- look it up. That was just really [unintelligible 00:39:09]
Charlie: That's a red flag.
Michael: I feel like it was really easy to book things in Detroit like I had a very high like, I have an audition and I'm probably get it. Then after a couple of years--
Charlie: Right, because-because there's not a lot of-- But-but at a certain point then you have to have- make the decision, "Okay, this is something I wanna do with my life."
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: And I think anyone who tries to do it for real in earnest has to make the choice of where to go to do it where they can actually have a career-
Michael: Yeah, I was gonna go to-
Charlie: -'cause you can only get so far in Michigan.
Michael: Right. I was gonna go to Chicago maybe do Second City, and then some friends were going to LA, so I'm like I just kinda-
Glenn: When-when-- Was there a point at which and I do think- I do think it's interesting for people who are interested in the acting profession certainly, um, you know-
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Glenn: -who aren't-- Whose path to success in the entertainment industry is not as clear as others. Like, you know, where you're literally taking one step at a time, you know, cause like, you know, if you go to a major theater College you could get scouted straight out of college-
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Glenn: -and you know your career could start right away.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: It sounds like you built it slowly one step at a time-
Michael: Yeah, I mean--
Glenn: I think that's interesting for people to hear how you did that.
Michael: Yeah, it's funny because doing Summer Stock that I mentioned, somehow I thought it was so important to get it with like Actors Equity points or something-
Charlie: Sure, yeah, yeah.
Michael: -to get your professional theater union.
Charlie: Of course.
Michael: And then I came out to LA, and like none of that mattered, and it was all about sag, so yeah I kind of meandered. I don't think I knew exactly what to do, you know, I came out here knowing nothing, and I'm like, "Oh, maybe I'll do this improv class or--"
Glenn: It's-- Okay so you're doing Summer Stock and then you just- you're like you're thinking you're considering going to Chicago for Second City.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: Was there a point at which you were like, "I feel like comedy is my thing," you know what I mean? Were you-- Or was it just like I'm also interested in comedy, so I'm gonna go do some comedy stuff?
Michael: I always felt like I was an actor, like when people would be like, "Oh, my he's a comedian." I'm like, "No, I'm not, I'm like an actor, but I like comedic acting." Um, and I just did some improv in-in Ann Arbor Michigan. I was doing like Comedy Sports.
Meg: Oh, I went to School in Ann Arbor.
Michael: Oh, you did?
Meg: Yeah I went to U of M. Yeah, I'm from Michigan originally, yeah.
Michael: Oh, okay.
Meg: Kalamazoo.
Michael: Oh, Kalamazoo.
Meg: Yeah, yeah.
Glenn: I go there for a little bit-
Meg: Yeah. Oh did you--
Michael: -while I was meandering yeah.
Meg: Oh, yeah.
Michael: There was a girlfriend that lived there and I didn't know what I was doing for a few months.
Meg: Wait, are you my dad? No, I was just joking.
[laughter]
Glenn: I was like dad, daddy?
Meg: No.
Michael: Uh, no no no no.
Meg: Was just checking. He's-- I'm gonna find him someday. I hope [unintelligible 00:41:26].
Michael: But yeah, I just I kind of like improv so I did that but, um, yeah, I always felt like I was an actor not like, you know, I would never do stand-up or I don't know if you guys have done that but-
Glenn: No. No.
Michael: -I never I never felt like a huge, you know--
Charlie: I-I do feel like the majority of, uh, actors on our on our show, and us all kind of did a similar route where we were like-
Michael: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Charlie: -we really want to be actors, we take acting seriously, and then suddenly realize, oh, wait we can kind of do the comedic acting and then-
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Charlie: -create an opportunity, and then you fall in love with doing it.
Michael: Yeah, yeah.
Glenn: But our approach has always been to-to approach it as like you know real acting thing you know what I mean?
Michael: Right, right.
Glenn: The characters really fighting for what they want, you know, basic acting kind of st-stuff, and it's just that you know what the character is fighting for is ridiculous, and that's what makes it fun-
Michael: Right, right.
Glenn: -but, um, you know, but then there is also like just that this there's just a certain amount-- A certain way to time jokes, and to put inflection on things, or hold a look or whatever it is-
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: -that that makes it funny but, uh, it makes sense to me to hear you say that you started really just in, just as an actor, and you've always-
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: -thought of yourself as an actor-
Michael: Yeah, some people know--
Glenn: -but then you know how to dial it to make it funny.
Michael: Yeah, I gu- yeah I guess. Yeah, some people grow up ju-just knowing every comedian, and they just you know their knowledge of Comedy-
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: -but it was more like I did a play in high school, I'm like "Oh, this is kind of fun." You know-
Glenn: Right
Michael: -and I-- Yeah. But growing up, I don't think my-- Um, you know some kids are exposed to everything. My house is a little conservative so like-
Glenn: Mm-hmm.
Michael: -you know like we couldn't watch Three's Company that was a little racy and-
Glenn: Oh, really?
Charlie: Oh, wow.
Michael: -and even Mash was a little racy, because they chase nurses and stuff, so--
Meg: So what did you grow up watching?
Charlie: What did you watch?
Michael: I do remember my dad loved the Pink Panther movies.
Meg: Oh, okay.
Glenn: Okay.
Michael: Which is still pretty, you know?
Glenn: Yeah, yeah, there's some good stuff in there. [unintelligible 00:43:08]
Michael: A lot of happy days and, but yeah, I didn't grow up like you know knowing like George Carlin and all that stuff-
Glenn: Right.
Michael: -oh, she was more like--
Glenn: Yeah, I didn't necessarily know that stuff either-
Michael: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: -the same way.
Michael: I mean an actor, but-
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: -did I answer anything that, or uh--?
[laughter]
Meg: It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
[music]
Rob: We are supported by Athletic Greens, and their delicious green powder AG1, a product I use literally every day.
Glenn: Oh, you do? Okay because I've-I've never heard you pipe up about it. [chuckles]
Rob: Yeah, but that's because the two of you both jump in and make it the whole thing about yourselves.
Charlie: Which is kind of what I feel like you-you're doing here right?
Rob: No, I'm just, I'm just stating facts. I drink it every day for better energy and gut health.
Glenn: Okay. Well, I mean if you like it so much more than we do, why don't you prove it and tell me what's in a scoop of AG1?
Rob: Oh, yeah with one scoop you're getting 75 high quality vitamins, minerals, whole food sourced, superfoods probiotics, and adaptogens to help you start your day right.
Charlie: Okay, fine a lucky start, but uh, how about you tell me how much sugar is in it?
Rob: Less than a gram of sugar per scoop, plus no GMOs, nasty chemicals, or artificial anything, and it works with any diet. Come on these are gimmies guys.
Glenn: Rob you are correct. [clapping] We've underestimated you.
Charlie: Yeah, let's just make it easy on them, right? Athletic Greens is gonna give you a free one-year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D, and five free travel packs with your first purchase, all you have to do is go to athleticgreens.com/sunny.
Glenn: That's right. Again, that's athleticgreens.com/sunny to take ownership over your health and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance.
[music]
Meg: Well, now that Halloween is over-
Rob: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,-
Charlie: Wait, oh.
Rob: -come on today is Halloween, it's not over yet.
Charlie: Today's the day.
Glenn: Come on, don't-don't do Halloween like that Meg.
Meg: Yeah. Well, I mean, technically today is October 31st. Yes. But we don't publish this episode for another week. So by the time the fans hear this, Halloween will already be a fading memory, and we'll be on to the next major season shipping season.
Charlie: Oh, shipping season. Now, shipping season is where people get into relationships to avoid freezing to death by themselves in the cold of winter, right?
Meg: Yeah. That's cuffing season. But you're-you're close. Shipping season is basically that plus, you know, a bunch of boxes arriving at your door.
Rob: And if you have an online store, you know the feeling of getting hit with a ton of orders all at once.
Charlie: Right. So when you're buried in orders, and emails from customers, or buried under ice because you didn't cuff with a mate, you'll wish you had Ship Station.
Glenn: So this holiday season, give yourself the gift of stress-free holiday shipping. Use promo code sunny today @shipstation.com to sign up for your free 60-day trial.
Rob: That's shipstation.com promo code, sunny.
[music]
Charlie: I think there's something sweet about them getting to discover that stuff in your formative years. You know, when you have freedom from your parents, and then there's a whole world of like, "Wait a second. Like, uh, this Richard Pryor guy- [laughs]
Michael: Yeah-yeah.
Charlie: -he's pretty funny.
Michael: Yeah. And my dad was really funny. He was--
Charlie: Oh, you dad was funny?
Michael: Yeah, my mom. Yeah. She didn't always get it.
[laughter]
Rob: I like this period of your life that you said you were, you-you just happened to live in Kalamazoo for a few months.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Rob: Um, you were- you were a bit of a drifter. And I like, I like to think that maybe there was a-a period of time, but you've also said like your mom didn't get it. You were a drifter throughout Michigan.
Charlie: It reveal--
Rob: You haven't revealed a ton about yourself, and I'm wondering if maybe you-you you're wanted. Are you, are you wanted?
Meg: That would be a really smart play.
Rob: You know how the killer always go, like goes back to the scene of the crime.
Meg: Yeah.
Rob: And that's pretty hard. That'd be pretty baller if you-you actually doing the reenactment of the murder that you did, except now you're playing--
Meg: The last place.
Michael: You know what? To bring it together. I said Flint, Michigan.
Meg: Yeah.
Michael: Some of my wandering during that couple years in Michigan, I was a-a train robber, like a historical village in Flint, Michigan. He's made me think of it 'cause I was like, we-we were the--
Charlie: Was the characters you played.
Michael: Yeah. We'd rob the train and we were like, wanted in town, and it was during those wandering years. So maybe that's what you were heard.
Charlie: Look kinda killer. Like a-a real like homicidal person can also be funny. That would be really impressive.
Meg: Well, [unintelligible 00:47:28] Gacy was a clown. He was a children's clown.
Charlie: Clown. That ain't funny.
Michael: That's terrifying.
Glenn: He was known for being hilarious I think. Wasn't he? Like that was his first. That was his original reputation.
Meg: That was thing.
Glenn: Yeah. His original reputation was.
Charlie: You could be psych, you could really it--
Michael: Truly funny.
Rob: Yeah. I think you could be like a--
Charlie: You could do it?
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: You could make someone laugh while you were killing them?
Rob: Bill Cosby is pretty funny, and he was raping women for fucking 40 years.
Charlie: That was great.
Michael: That'd be great if there was recordings of Hitler. But he is making jokes like Trump.
Glenn: Yeah-yeah-yeah.
Ron: Well like Trump is pretty funny, but he also hasn't murdered people, so I don't know.
Charlie: Sometimes. Has he not- has he not?
Glenn: We don't. Well not-not directly maybe, but indirectly. Yeah.
Charlie: We don't know.
Glenn: He's certainly murdered our culture.
[laughter]
Glenn: You know, it started with him.
Meg: Well, should we watch, um, should we watch Michael's most recent?
Glenn: Yeah-yeah-yeah.
Meg: I won't say final, uh, clip because I'm sure we're gonna have you back on the show.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Meg: Um, but this is uh, uh, season 14, episode four, The Gang Chokes. And you have a lot of scenes in this episode with Danny.
Michael: Okay.
Meg: So we're gonna watch a couple of them here.
Waiter: Oh God. You people.
Mac: Oh, this guy again.
Dennis: Come on man. What are you doing here? This isn't Guginos.
Charlie: I thought you moved.
Waiter: I moved back. Wait, you guys remember me?
Dee: Yeah. You're everywhere.
Dennis: Yeah. You can't get away from you. You know what--
Glenn: We had to acknowledge it.
Frank: What's in them little bowls? Blue I hope.
Charlie: Blue.
Michael: No, it's amuse-bouche for the table.
Charlie: What's this? What's the I think he's choking?
[laughter]
Glenn: I don't even know what that expression means.
Michael: What is happening here?
Michael: Okay folks, we have a few specials tonight. Oh my God.
Glenn: You really committed to that.
Meg: Were you excited when you got the script and there were so many scenes with you and Danny in it?
Michael: Yeah-yeah-yeah. I couldn't, Yeah, it was great. 'Cause a couple of years every time. I think you moved on from the waiter and then--
Charlie: Yeah, you get a little break, and then we come back.
[laughter]
Glenn: Are you, are we surprised when you get a call- a call from about us?
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: You're like, "Holy shit."
Michael: I always think it's the way it should happen. Like, you do a TV show, and yeah, it's pretty funny and they'll, you know, call you back, but you guys actually do it and then.
[laughter]
Rob: We call people for other shows. We'll get into that after this.
Michael: Expected that. Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, look I only saved you because that's what any decent person would do, but I don't need a roommate. I already live here with my mother.
Danny: Oh, that old vegetable lady's your mom? Now, you don't have to worry about her, I took care of her.
Michael: Took care of her, what do you mean?
Danny: I threw a sheet over her head, she was freaking me out.
[laughter]
Michael: Mom, oh, my God. are you all right? Mom.
[laughter]
Michael: I felt bad. That was a hot day and that woman had that blanket over her.
Glenn: Yeah.
Meg: Oh, no.
Glenn: Yeah, that's right I do remember it being hot--
Michael: They tried to minimize it. They minimized it.
Meg: [laughs]
Charlie: Did you direct this episode, Glenn, I can't remember.
Glenn: I did yeah.
Michael: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah, I did direct-- You, actually can we roll it back to when-when, um, Michael's walking down the stairs at the very beginning of the scene, and tell me this does not look like Nick Cage?
Meg: Yeah, you kind of got expression on there.
Glenn: Do you see that? Are you guys seeing it?
Charlie: Do you often get confused for Nicholas Cage?
Michael: No, no. Who's trying to do a Nicholas Cage?
[laughter]
Charlie: That's pretty good.
Michael: I don't have it, but [unintelligible 00:51:03].
Glenn: Have you done it-- Is that something that you've done like on stage like on sketch?
Michael: It's unbelievable, thing I've ever seen in my life.
Glenn: That's fucking good--
Charlie: That's pretty good.
Glenn: No it's the-- It's also the--
Michael: Wow, yeah.
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: I don't know. I tried it in a sketch, and it was horrible.
Charlie: Really?
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: Oh, man.
Michael: I didn't quite get it, I'm doing impressions, but like--
Charlie: Audience is like, "Now who is that on that stage?"
Rob: Oh, that's great.
Michael: [laughs]
Rob: Well, we've done that on the show, like that's really funny, and who is that, who is that?
Charlie: Who are you?
Michael: Thanks for sticking my mom in that home, never could have done it myself. She always said it's the last thing she ever wanted, so thank you.
Frank: What?
Michael: Thank you.
Frank: Well, your mom said that's the last thing she wanted was to be in a home?
Michael: Yeah, yeah. She said all the time.
Frank: So when you saw her in there why'd you let her stay?
Michael: Well, I didn't see her. You took her.
Frank: You mean you didn't have the decency to go?
Michael: You told me not to, to avoid the emotion of it all.
Frank: Well, I told you not to because I was sticking her in a bag of [unintelligible 00:51:58].
Michael: What?
Frank: They're much cheaper. I'm starting to think I had you pegged all wrong.
Michael: I'm sorry, can we go back to the [unintelligible 00:52:04] thing?
Frank: And I trusted my life with you, when you would treat your mother like that, I bet you'd let me get spit roasted by Lion King just like that, wouldn't you?
Michael: I'm sorry, I can't follow this conversation where is my mother?
[laughter]
Glenn: Where is my mother?
Charlie: I remember writing that argument, and like crying laughing with the- with the switch, with the with that-
Glenn: yeah
Charlie: -that-that he did put him in the [unintelligible 00:52:29], yeah.
Glenn: Yes.
Rob: I can't follow any of the-- Where is my mother?
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: And Lemmy was so in piece, these horrible people came into his life, but they actually you know finally-
Glenn: yeah, yeah.
Michael: -brought his life to a good place.
Glenn: That's right, yeah.
Michael: -there is another piece--
[crosstalk]
Glenn: It's gonna turn things around.
Rob: And then they turn on him.
Michael: Turn. Oh, my God why, why are you people all here?
Charlie: Hey, man don't interrupt okay? We're not ready to order, go.
Michael: Well, I couldn't take your order if I wanted to, because I'm just here to beg for my job back, thanks to this guy?
Danny: Do I know you?
Glenn: Can I get a whisky pal?
Michael: He's gonna be faking it. Oh, my God. What is wrong with you people. Okay, uh--
Caitlyn: Oh.
Michael: I remember I think I was hitting Caitlyn's leg too hard with the--
Charlie: We had a joke that she's gonna sue you, because you injured her--
Glenn: Oh, yes. Yes, there was it was a joke in there.
Charlie: In the script?
Glenn: Yeah.
Michael: Is it, oh.
Glenn: Yeah, I think it-- Yeah, which I think it just got cut, but yeah where she says she's gonna sue you because you hit her like too hard.
[laughter]
Michael: I was trying to help.
Charlie: Oh, Michael, this is your career on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it's not your career but it's your Sunny in Philadelphia career. How do you feel about it?
Michael: How do I feel about this career?
Charlie: Yeah.
Michael: Uh, great I love it, yes.
Glenn: Well, we're turning this back to be about us now?
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, how much will you pay us tribute?
[crosstalk]
Michael: I felt like yeah, you're-- I was like where is this going?
Charlie: No, it's not going anywhere.
Glenn: No, what-what's, what, uh-- Do you, do you get-- My, I-I am curious though like to bring it back around to, uh, to us. Um--
[laughter]
Michael: Do I get recognized?
Glenn: Yeah, you get recognized for-for--
Michael: It is one of the most things-- Yeah, I used to be recognized for this YouTube video, but now--
Meg: The David Blaine thing?
Michael: Yeah, the David Blaine video, but now, Sunny is the most, um, it's usually someone younger, uh, like at Starbucks or whatever. Actually, it's happened a lot at my local Target, because I'm there all the time because I have kids and-
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Michael: -and it just happened there most more than--
Charlie: What does this--?
Meg: What's it usually like when the Sunny fans like see you, what do they say?
Michael: Yeah, "Are you the waiter?" I mean it's-it's usually the 20 or 30, you know. Well, actually they usually know, which I'm surprised. Usually they're like, "Is that the guy who--?" But usually they're like, "You're the waiter." They seem to know-
Charlie: Huh.
Rob: Because they've watched the episode 15,000 times.
Michael: Yeah, or they want a picture or um--
Glenn: Oh, cool.
Michael: Yeah, it's funny though, because on the street it's almost always pretty young, like your demographic is kind of-- But my father-in-law who's you know 75 or whatever, he's the biggest fan. Like, he jams up um, our DVR.
[laughter]
Michael: He lives in the back house. I feel like I will just share it, you know. And so, we have-- We share a DVR, and it's like 90 episodes.
Michael: It's Always Sunny. Yeah, not cause of I'm on it, it was before [crosstalk]
Rob: We should have him on the podcast.
Michael: [laughs]
Rob: Well, Michael, it's been a pleasure having you on the podcast. It's-
Michael: Thank you.
Rob: It's been a pleasure having you on the show. We're gonna do more many more seasons, and hopefully, you will return.
Michael: Yeah? Thanks, thanks, for sure.
Rob: You wouldn't know this Glenn, um, but we-- Michael has been on Mythic Quest missed request.
Glenn: You are Mr [crosstalk]?
Michael: Actually, it hasn't aired yet.
Meg: Spoiler.
Charlie: Mr. Quinn, medicine man.
Rob: It's a show on Apple.
Michael: Can you talk about that because I'm wondering-
Rob: Yes, absolutely.
Michael: -because me and Mr-- Uncle Jack, like Andrew Friedman, one of my best friends-
Rob: Mm-hmm.
Michael: -but we didn't intersect a lot. But in Mythic Quest, they put us in together in some scenes, so-
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: And are you guys doing it- are you guys doing a new show together, you and Andrew, like a new TV show?
Michael: Uh, there's something about a film.
Glenn: I heard something, but we're not supposed to talk about it.
Charlie: He and Andrew wrote a very funny, uh, movie that we-we hope gets made and gets out there in the world, deserves to get made, and the audience will love it.
Michael: Yeah.
Charlie: Speaking of you and Andrew, that would be a great direction to go with the show, just combining you and Uncle Jack somehow-
Michael: Right.
Charlie: -whether he's your new roommate or whatever it is, but-
Michael: Yeah, but it was exciting they put us on Mythic Quest together.
Rob: Yes, and hopefully, we'll have you back- we'll have you back many, many more times.
Meg: Very fine, and we've very much exploited just basically writing very little for you, and then being just like, "Just riff. I saw your script. Just riff." That's so funny.
Charlie: It's completely unfair to you. Like, "We haven't thought of something better, but we know you will."
Meg: We know you'll come up with it.
Rob: You make it funny on the day.
Michael: Well, thanks for having me on. I mean, yeah, you're doing-- Sunny is one of the most fun things I've ever done, and uh, and then coming here, the Waiter's on--
Rob: Yeah, man.
Michael: The Reddit asked for it, I guess?
[laughter]
Meg: They did. They did. They're gonna be psyched.
Charlie: It's not simply
Rob: Give the people what they want.
Charlie: Yeah, we just- we just do and then they receive.
[laughter]
Meg: It's free, so--
Charlie: Just like the waiter. It's free. They can't really complain. It's free. It's on the internet.
Michael: We won't know when this ends, right? I mean, this podcast.
Rob: It's, oh, no, it has over-- It has ended.
Glenn: It probably already ended, yeah.
[music]
[End Credits]