Michael Che w/ Sam Morril & Mark Normand | We Might Be Drunk

• 0:00 Back from a press week: why press is the worst part of the gig.
• 1:20 Morning shows, the queef joke, and Carlin’s seven words.
• 2:20 Congrats on Shot in Minnesota. Why Minnesota: an old vaudeville town.
• 2:40 The Midwest cities that always hit: Kansas City, Omaha, Chicago, Detroit, Madison and Milwaukee.
• 3:40 How many shows a week everyone does, and how hard topical jokes are right now.
• 4:20 Topical jokes as a batting average: two out of seven is a decent week.
• 5:00 Norm Macdonald’s Update, and the silence he was allowed.
• 5:50 Shows that take a season to find themselves: Seinfeld and The Simpsons.
• 6:20 Kevin Nealon, Phil Hartman, and how good the SNL people really are.
• 7:00 SNL as kids who did their homework, and Seth Meyers as the fastest writer Che has seen.
• 8:20 Stepping down as head writer: “the show’s never been better.”
• 8:50 Why stand-ups are good at premise and punch-up, and writing roast jokes for Hannibal Buress and Pete Davidson.
• 10:30 Update backlash. Che says Allen called and threatened to sue over something Che said on another podcast, and it was deleted.
• 10:50 Comics Unleashed, and late night as the cheapest thing to produce.
• 11:50 Thirteen years at SNL, ten on Update. Nothing is forever.
• 12:20 Best host: Betty White. Wanting to leave once or twice a year, and why he stays.
• 13:20 Figuring out Update by making himself laugh.
• 13:40 How the joke swap started: dress-rehearsal jokes that bombed, given as a Christmas gift.
• 14:30 Paranoia and escalation: how the swap got so vicious.
• 15:00 Chris Rock and Steven Wright trading material.
• 15:35 Mel Brooks reading Richard Pryor’s act off a card, his serious films, and the comedies they grew up on.
• 16:40 Spoof movies: Scary Movie and the drop-off.
• 17:20 When Update becomes a commentary on Update, and the Caitlyn Jenner backlash.
• 18:10 Getting older while the crowd stays the same age, and staying yourself.
• 19:20 Good box, bad box, and the pro wrestling heel turn.
• 19:50 Can Cosby come back? No.
• 20:30 The Cosby special taping in San Francisco that never came out.
• 22:20 Catching Rock and Chappelle in St. Louis.
• 23:00 Arenas versus theaters, and how Rock and Chappelle use the space.
• 24:00 Opening Shane Gillis arena shows in the round.
• 24:40 Where Che worked out the hour: clubs, for a faster pace.
• 25:20 Getting too comfortable in big rooms: “you think you’re doing cinema.”
• 26:00 Reusing an Update joke only when there’s more meat on the bone.
• 27:00 First set back: a guest spot on Aziz’s Beacon show.
• 27:30 Getting buried at the Cellar, and wanting to be alone after a bad set.
• 28:10 “We know it’s bad”: a girlfriend at a private event that bombed, and why a bomb gets you writing.
• 29:05 SNL ticket requests, why not to tape in New York, and podcast asks on the road.
• 30:50 Sponsor reads.
• 35:50 Being approachable, and how comics hide.
• 36:20 Che was funny right away: the Monday pit mic and Jay Welch.
• 37:20 Faking comfort, and who else was funny quickly.
• 38:10 Carolines, the Comic Strip, and clubs that didn’t develop young comics.
• 39:00 Loyalty to the Cellar and the Stand.
• 40:00 A first club at 16: the Comic Strip, with Kevin Brennan on the bill.
• 40:40 The forgotten “future legend” closer, and the Brennan brothers.
• 42:00 Chris Rock and a Comic Strip booker. Some slights never go away.
• 42:20 Not getting New Faces, and getting into the Cellar fast.
• 43:00 Letterman sets and the mugs they kept.
• 44:00 The Letterman photo: the suit, and Chris D in jeans and Jordans.
• 44:40 Half hours together in Boston, and the set that felt like making it.
• 45:00 Letterman during Hurricane Sandy: no phone, no power, and a knock on the window.
• 46:20 A $50 H&M blazer instead of a $3,000 Gucci suit.
• 46:40 An old Mindy Tucker headshot, and Carol Hartzell’s show.
• 47:20 Montreal, and the Jimmy Carr and Damien Lemon mix-up.
• 48:20 Laugh Lounge and its clunky door.
• 49:00 Bombing at the Beacon: hearing the streets.
• 50:00 Walking back after a bomb is like bowling a gutter ball.
• 50:40 Straight to the Cellar for two spots.
• 51:00 A Carnegie Hall high, then eating it at the Cellar.
• 51:40 Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Radio City and the Garden.
• 53:00 Why First Avenue: a worn-in room of about 1,000.
• 54:00 Standing crowds, and keeping the audience in the shot.
• 55:00 Michael Che Matters in a Greenpoint warehouse, directed by Oz Rodriguez.
• 56:00 Lowering the stage, and the debate over the title.
• 56:50 Directing your own special: less is more.
• 57:20 Chandeliers and Houdini, and comedy as a delicacy.
• 58:20 Stormy Daniels on club calendars.
• 59:20 Trump leaves Che alone, and the week Trump hosted SNL.
• 1:00:40 Sharing an office with Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, and the Trump hat.
• 1:01:40 SNL as a magazine of the country, and Dick Cavett interviews.
• 1:02:00 An Ari Emanuel story.
• 1:02:40 Jalen Brunson hosting, and a night out after the Knicks parade.
• 1:04:00 A Knicks podcast that went badly, and Josh Giddey.
• 1:05:20 The OG cameo and Jost’s best lines.
• 1:05:50 The special’s bit about bringing women around, and names you can’t date.
• 1:07:40 “Do you want love in your life?” and a Dateline slip.
• 1:08:40 The Shane question.
• 1:09:40 The black-square apology, and divorce jokes.
• 1:10:40 Dating, privacy and the SNL schedule.
• 1:12:00 Why the special took years: getting into touring shape.
• 1:13:40 Punching down.
• 1:15:00 The sombrero photo.
• 1:15:20 Half-finished Spindrifts and a Nixie recommendation.
• 1:16:40 Seltzer as a New York thing, and egg creams.
• 1:18:00 Frugal: sneakers, and not knowing how to drive.
• 1:19:00 Che’s 1973 BMW, and Seinfeld calling about it.
• 1:20:20 Heroes: Rock, Seinfeld, Carlin, Norm, Patrice and Quinn.
• 1:21:00 Damon Wayans doesn’t get his due: his movies and his SNL firing.
• 1:22:26 One of the hosts says Quinn wrote the sketch that got Wayans fired (unverified; Wayans was fired from SNL in 1986, before Quinn was there).
• 1:22:30 Bamboozled and Roxanne.
• 1:22:50 Steve Martin left Che starstruck.
• 1:23:40 Born Standing Up, and TV stars versus movie stars.
• 1:24:40 Eddie Murphy at SNL’s 40th.
• 1:26:00 Beverly Hills Cop, The Nutty Professor and Bill Murray at 30 Rock.
• 1:27:10 Wrap: Shot in Minnesota on Netflix, and Bodega Cat Whiskey.
• 1:27:40 Mark’s dates.
• 1:28:20 Sam’s dates, and a Bodega Cat push.

• 13:40 The joke swap — It started as a Christmas gift of jokes that bombed at dress rehearsal. Che thought Jost was sandbagging him, went harder, and it escalated from there.
• 24:40 A club-paced special — After hearing his last special was slow, Che built Shot in Minnesota in clubs so the jokes would hit fast.
• 27:20 Sitting with a bad set — Nobody at the table wants reassurance after a bomb. A bad night is what gets you writing.
• 45:00 Letterman during Sandy — No phone and no power in Jersey City. A friend knocked on his window to tell him he was booked.
• 53:00 Choosing First Avenue — A worn-in, standing-room Minneapolis venue, with the crowd kept in the shot so the laughs read as real.
• 1:20:20 Comedy heroes — Rock, Carlin, Norm, Patrice and Colin Quinn, and the case that Damon Wayans doesn’t get his due as a stand-up.

Michael Che Matters (Netflix, 2016) — mention: Che’s first special, shot in a Greenpoint warehouse. 55:00

Eddie Murphy’s TV series with Matthew Weiner — want to see: one of the hosts can’t wait for it. 1:24:30

Mo’ Money, The Last Boy Scout, Bulletproof, Earth Girls Are Easy — mentions: Damon Wayans’s run of movies. Mo’ Money · The Last Boy Scout · Bulletproof · Earth Girls Are Easy 1:21:45 1:22:45

We Might Be Drunk merch and Bodega Cat Whiskey — Official site

Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota (Netflix) — Che’s new special, taped at First Avenue. Netflix 2:20

Spaceballs (1987) — One of the two Mel Brooks movies one of them grew up on. Amazon · Wikipedia 16:10

History of the World, Part I (1981) — The other one. Amazon · Wikipedia 16:15

Blazing Saddles (1974) — Seen later. Amazon · Wikipedia 16:25

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) — Loved as a kid, with a young Chappelle. Amazon · Wikipedia 16:30

The Elephant Man (1980) — A serious Mel Brooks production that surprised the table. Amazon · Wikipedia 16:05

The Great White Hype (1996) — A Damon Wayans movie they like. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:21:30

Major Payne (1995) — Another Wayans favorite. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:21:40

Blankman (1994) — Wayans again. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:21:45

Bamboozled (2000, Criterion) — The Spike Lee movie, called a classic. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:22:25

Roxanne (1987) — Damon Wayans plays one of the firemen. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:22:40

Born Standing Up (Steve Martin) — Steve Martin’s memoir, called a good book. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:23:40

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) — The action movie Eddie Murphy made funny. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:26:00

The Nutty Professor (1996) — One of them remembers seeing it in a theater with his dad. Amazon · Wikipedia 1:26:20

Sam Morril: Incorrect (Netflix) — Sam’s special. Netflix 1:28:20

Nixie Organic Sparkling Water (Strawberry Hibiscus) — One of the hosts recommends it: clear, no sugar, light flavor. Amazon 1:16:20

Spindrift seltzer — mention: one person loves it, one finds it too flavored. 1:15:28

The seven dirty words — Carlin left “queef” out. Wikipedia 1:40

Topical jokes as a batting average — Two good ones out of seven is a decent week. 4:20

Weekend Update — Che has done it for about 10 of his 13 years at SNL. Wikipedia 12:00

Spoof movies — How Scary Movie turned the genre into references instead of jokes. 16:40

Arenas versus theaters — Past about 2,000 seats you can’t see the crowd, and it stops feeling like comedy. 23:00

Clubs that develop young comics — The loyalty comics feel to the clubs that brought them up. 38:50

Hurricane Sandy — The week Che was booked on Letterman. Wikipedia 45:00

Standing-room specials — Keeping the crowd in the shot so the laughs look real. 54:00

Seltzer as a New York thing — Spindrift, Nixie and egg creams. 1:15:20

Punching down — Che and the table call it an elitist idea about who you’re allowed to joke about. 1:13:50

SNL’s 40th anniversary — Everyone stopped photographing Jack Nicholson and Paul McCartney when Eddie Murphy walked in. Wikipedia 1:25:00

Minneapolis — an old vaudeville town with a big theater scene, where the special was shot. 2:20

Milwaukee — called maybe the most slept-on Midwest comedy city. 3:10

30 Rock, New York — home of SNL. 8:40

Punch Line San Francisco (Official site) — where one of them was working the weekend of the Cosby taping. 20:40

Comedy Cellar, New York City (Official site) — where one of them got buried after a strong comic, and where Che did two spots right after the Beacon. 27:20

Beacon Theatre, New York (Official site) — where Che bombed out of shape. Called iconic. 49:00

Carolines on Broadway closed — where they used to drink as young comics. 38:10

Comic Strip Live, New York City (Official site) — the club that never passed one of them, and the first club one of them went to, at 16. 38:30

The Stand, New York City (Official site) — named with the Cellar as a club that took care of them. 39:30

Jersey City, New Jersey — where Che rode out Sandy with no phone or power. 45:20

Laugh Lounge, Lower East Side closed — a great room when packed, with a door you could hear when you bombed. 48:20

Carnegie Hall (Official site) — an opening set for Amy Schumer, then talk of its sound and bright light. 51:00

Radio City Music Hall (Official site) — called cavernous. 52:00

First Avenue, Minneapolis (Official site) — the standing-room venue Che chose for the special. 53:00

Greenpoint, Brooklyn — the raw warehouse where Michael Che Matters was shot. 55:00

Tropicana Atlantic City (Official site) — Mark, first time playing it; Nov 20 per his Punchup page. 1:28:00

Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Official site) — Mark; Nov 21 per his Punchup page. 1:28:10

Great Cedar Showroom, Foxwoods (Official site) — Mark; Dec 19 per his Punchup page. 1:28:15

Palazzo Theater at The Venetian, Las Vegas — Mark, Dec 4 (per his Punchup page). 1:28:12

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California — Mark, Dec 5 (per his Punchup page). 1:28:12

The Comedy Zone, Charlotte — Mark, Dec 10–12 (per his Punchup page). 1:28:15

Stand Up Live Phoenix (Official site) — Sam, Nov 13–15. 1:28:30

Pittsburgh Improv (Official site) — Sam, Nov 19–21. 1:28:35

Hilarities, Cleveland (Official site) — Sam, Dec 3–5. 1:28:40

Comedy on State, Madison, Wisconsin (Official site) — Sam, Dec 10–12 (venue per his Punchup page). 1:28:41

Magooby’s Joke House, Timonium, Maryland (Official site) — Sam, Dec 17–19 (venue per his Punchup page). 1:28:46

Miami Improv (Official site) — Sam, Jan 8–10, 2027. 1:28:55

Palm Beach Improv, West Palm Beach (Official site) — Sam, the next weekend. 1:29:00

Comedy Zone Jacksonville, Florida — Sam, February (Feb 4–6, 2027, venue per his Punchup page). 1:29:04

• 27:40 Comfort after a bad set (Michael Che) — Friends who come to SNL or a show and tell you it was better than you thought. He wants to sit in it alone for an hour.
• 29:05 Podcast asks on the road (Sam Morril) — Being called rude for passing on a podcast while doing two or three shows a night.
• 54:27 Specials that hide the audience (Michael Che) — If the crowd is never in the shot, you can’t tell a real laugh from a canned one.
• 1:13:40 “Punching down” (one of the hosts) — Called an elitist idea, usually from a place of privilege.
• 1:15:20 Half-finished seltzers (Sam Morril) — A girlfriend who opens a can of Spindrift, takes two sips and leaves it to go flat.

• 2:20 Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota (Michael Che) — His new Netflix special. Netflix
• 15:00 Chris Rock and Steven Wright swapping acts — Hard to find, but worth it. Wright doing Rock’s material is the highlight.
• 16:10 Mel Brooks’s comedies — Spaceballs, History of the World and Men in Tights. Amazon
• 1:16:20 Nixie sparkling water (one of the hosts) — Clear, no sugar and not too much flavor. Strawberry hibiscus and black cherry. Amazon
• 1:21:20 Damon Wayans’s stand-up — Tight, and overshadowed by his characters.
• 1:23:40 Born Standing Up (Steve Martin) — “Good book.” Amazon
• 1:28:20 Sam Morril: Incorrect (Sam Morril) — His Netflix special. Netflix

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• 2:20 Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota — Watch the special. Netflix
• 12:00 Weekend Update — The segment’s history and anchors. Wikipedia
• 15:40 Mudbone — The Richard Pryor character in the Mel Brooks story. Richard Pryor on Wikipedia
• 53:00 First Avenue — The Minneapolis club where the special was taped. Official site · Wikipedia
• 1:21:00 Damon Wayans — His stand-up, characters and SNL exit. Wikipedia
• 1:23:40 Born Standing Up — Steve Martin’s account of his stand-up years. Wikipedia