My Pop Five
My Pop Five
Casey Feigh: Monty Python, Spike Lee, Sesame Street, Rhymesayers, and SportsCenter
The incredible and funny Casey Feigh joins My Pop Five for a fascinating dive into the cultural touchstones that shaped his unique comedic voice. With his signature warmth and thoughtfulness, Casey unpacks how everything from British comedy troupe Monty Python to Minneapolis hip-hop collective Rhymesayers Entertainment influenced his creative journey from small-town Minnesota to becoming a standout force in LA's comedy scene.
Casey's reflects on Spike Lee's impact starting with Lee's iconic Nike campaigns with Michael Jordan before discovering films like "Do the Right Thing" and "Malcolm X," which expanded his worldview in profound ways. The story of wearing a Malcolm X hat to soccer games in predominantly white Minnesota reveals how cultural influences can shape identity in unexpected ways.
What makes this conversation special is how Casey connects these diverse influences to his current work. His childhood love of Sesame Street directly feeds his improvisational approach ("doing improv is like just playing make-believe with my friends"), while his experiences playing team sports inform how he collaborates with fellow performers. The discussion reveals how creative identity forms through the cultural artifacts we embrace throughout our lives.
As co-founder of the acclaimed Holy Shit Improv group, Casey embodies the entrepreneurial spirit he admired in Rhymesayers, creating opportunities not just for himself but for an entire community of performers. His reflections on building something meaningful and authentic while maintaining artistic integrity offer valuable insights for creators in any field.
Whether you're a comedy fan, a fellow performer, or simply curious about how culture shapes our creative voices, this episode delivers thoughtful analysis alongside genuinely funny moments that showcase why Casey has become such a respected figure in comedy. Discover the pop culture that transforms ordinary experiences into extraordinary creative journeys.
Follow @holyshitimprov
Follow @caseyfeigh
https://linktr.ee/caseyfeigh
Follow My Pop Five:
@mypopfive on all platforms
We'll see you next time. But until then, what's your Pop Five?
Hello, hello and welcome back. It's another episode of my Pop 5, the show in which we bring on guests to break down five pieces of pop culture that had an impact on them or helped shape them to become the creators and innovators that they are. Today it's Wednesday and that means we got a new guest for you today, and this one is one I've been so excited to have on the show. I've really wanted them on for a long time and today we made that happen. But before we get into today's episode, I want to take some time to plug the work that he's doing.
Speaker 1:The LA comedy scene here is thriving and it's awesome, but one of my favorite things here is the improv scene. You hear about theaters like UCB, the Groundlings, so many others, but Casey's running one of the best improv groups there is Holy shit improv. One of the things that's really special about the work that Casey's running. One of the best improv groups there is Holy Shit, improv. One of the things that's really special about the work that Casey's doing is, yes, you can see him at UCB, at the Dynasty Typewriter, regularly here in LA, but also you can catch him online. Improv is one of those things that you typically can only find in your local theater, and Casey's bringing it to the world via his Patreon. So check out Holy Shit Improv and check out this episode and our wonderful conversation.
Speaker 1:So, without further ado, here's Casey Faye. Hello everybody, we are back with another episode of my Pop Five. We are here with an incredibly talented comedic, director, actor, writer, improviser. I've seen Casey perform at UCB in multiple different improv venues, but also you've probably seen him on some incredible shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or the Goldbergs, or even various commercials. Casey, you're so talented and I feel so lucky to have you on the show. Thank you for joining, oh yeah thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's one of those things when you really find like a performer who like really resonates with you, it's like so awesome to then see them and all these other things and sometimes even going back, um, and seeing you pop up in things that, like even before I had seen your work like the first time I can actually remember seeing you perform is your improv group Holy shit was performing at the Silver Lake Lounge pretty regularly, yeah, and I lived a couple blocks down from there and so I was, you know, walking up the street, saw you guys were doing a show, came in and then that night you were just like hitting so many things that were just so funny and then I started going to more holy shit stuff started seeing you pop up at UCB when that opened up and so, yeah, I've just been a really big fan of yours.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, it's nice to hear the nice thing about live comedies. You do get that immediate feedback of like an audience telling you if they enjoy it or not, but yeah, it's always fun.
Speaker 2:Like I'm kind of a believer of like just having a long career is 14 years into my comedy career you know, and it's like, oh yeah, it's like how you can kind of like pop up and see me and some older stuff, because, like, yeah, I've been doing this for a while. It's kind of thanks for thanks for checking it out and liking it it's great, of course, yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, now I there's a lot on your pop five. That one I'm excited, excited to get into because it's awesome, but two because no one has kind of really done anything in the sports world and so I'm excited to kind of talk about that and see how it kind of relates. So for the audience, we asked everyone here Casey, what is without comment, without context, what is your pop five? Wow, don't comment.
Speaker 2:Okay, here we go Monty Python, spike Lee, sesame Street, rhymesayers Entertainment and Sports Center no-transcript. So a lot of these are kind of like childhood things that first came to me. I'm sure there's a version of these I could do like this year of things that I loved or recently, but I kind of chose things more my childhood. So my childhood took place in Minnesota. I grew up in a kind of smallish town, st Cloud, minnesota, but my mom was from Australia. So I had like a little bit of that classic Midwestern upbringing and then also a little bit of like an outsider perspective, ever so slightly just with my mom, knowing that it's like different. I took not the traditional path of most of my friends in Minnesota and, yeah, I went to school in Minnesota, grew up in Minnesota, always liked comedy and sports those were kind of mostly my things and then eventually decided to pursue one of those and it was comedy.
Speaker 2:And I moved to Australia for one year. I did a decent job in Minnesota after college and so I was working in the marketing department of Mall of America and quit the job to move to Australia, wrote a terrible screenplay, tried stand up for the first time. I decided I was going to pursue this and then talk to a friend who signed between Chicago or LA and he kind of convinced me to come to LA. So I moved here. I knew one person and I've been out here coming up on boy. March will be 18 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's such a big, you know, choice to make. I know, you know I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and coming to LA, you know, especially if you don't have, like a resource or a set of resources or community around you, it can be tough. Was it a difficult transition? Or did you have, you know, moments where you regretted it? Or was it all excitement and you kind of you know, fell into it right when you came?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I had like real low expectations, like the fact that it was like Tuesday in March and I was in a pool you know, I was like.
Speaker 2:I'd already won, you know. So like it didn't take much for me to be like, yeah, this is great. And then, like, as you achieve things, then you want more things. And then probably later on in life there's maybe more, but more time being out here, there might be more like moments of frustration or moments of should I still be following this path, which I think is always a good question to ask yourself? No, truly, my like, you know, original goals were like to try to I moved here around, like basically about the same time that funnier die launched.
Speaker 2:I remember just like my goal was to try to get something on the front page of funnier die, like Like, how could I do that? That was like my only goal. And then to go to the place where it's like I got to work for Funny or Die, you know. And so then it's like you blow past your original idea and then you know, keep moving forward. But no, I've been, I've loved it out here, Truly, just like I mean the simplest stuff, even like what there's places in the world you can just leave your door open Like so it's not. It didn't take much for me to be like, all right, yeah, this is. This is the place this feels right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I feel the same now and loved so much about it when I came here. But I also remember like kind of feeling overwhelmed in some ways. Albuquerque is pretty small place. Albuquerque is a pretty small place, but I would just remember like clinging to, like the comfort of like anything that was recognizable. So I would like spend way too much time like walking around Target because I'm like I know what this feels like, or a Chili's or something you know, because I'm like I know what this is gonna be like, but no, uh, yeah love the city, but okay, let's go ahead and get into it.
Speaker 1:Monty Python's first thing here on your list, you know, for the audience comedy troupe, british comedy troupe, um, you likely know the most from you know monty python and the holy grail, but I'm interested to hear why was it so impactful for you and why is it here on your top five?
Speaker 2:I think it was like again, this is kind of a childhood thing for me because the the movies that I responded to came up before I was even born. But yeah, holy grail. And then life of brian was a real big one. Life of brian, if you don't know that well as well, it's basically just like it's kind of making fun of the bible, like it's kind of as if there was another guy named brian that everyone thought was kind of jesus and they kind of do this story of like him, kind of be like no, I'm not, you know, there's a whole. It's just like the comedy pattern like no, don't worship me, like, yeah, don't worship you, you like. But I guess it was like a little bit of my mom is religious, I'd say, in the cool way you know, not in a dangerous way and so to have like that was a part of our home.
Speaker 2:but then also this element of like and we can laugh about this. And then I also think, like I mean a lot of these influences that I listed kind of also have offshoots of other things, which is like British BBC style of comedy that like I was introduced to from my, my mom and her family. I don't know, I don't know if I would have been introduced if I just like both my parents were American. You know, like John Cleese, who's in Monty Python, then had a comedy where he like ran a bed and breakfast that we would watch and faulty towers and and just kind of like this silly, absurdist, and maybe it's a little bit of like playing, playing, pretend with your friends.
Speaker 2:I mean these were all very easy for me to relate to. These were like white men, you know, just like a group, a group of white men, so like the it was, you know, in my, in my wheelhouse, of what I was used to, but just like with the tint of britishness and silliness, and then that leads to like kids in the hall and other things that I kind of eventually fell into and stumbled into and continue to enjoy. But this was like me just being silly as an adult being silly and knowing you can still take the piss out of stuff, even the most serious stuff like the Bible, like I think, that the beginning of life of Brian is.
Speaker 2:You know, he's given his this is actually Jesus. He's given, like, his big service on the mount or whatever, and they just like pan back from the incredible stuff he's saying all the way to the very back and just like putting things in a realistic perspective, like there's thousands of people listening to this guy talk. There's just people in the back being like what are you saying? Yeah, god bless the. What do you say? The meek, what the meek? What do they never do you know? Like, um, and I, yeah, I just that really, uh, tickled me yeah, that's really good.
Speaker 1:It's so interesting too because, like, there's so many things that you could see, even if not directly influenced, but even in that realm of like religion, like even in modern day, like with righteous gemstones, like in that space, or, you know, there was that year one with, uh, you know, cain and abel type of story. So it's just like early, early tropes that you see from that time and see how they can evolve into other things even down the line I also just think, like you know, serious things are ripe for comedy.
Speaker 2:Like even in my life, when I'm going through some of the harder things I've gone through, like I'm very close to laughter, you know, and sometimes I can get there. Or like again, just growing up in the church, a lot like knowing how much, like I'll often make a joke of like kids always crush in church because like it's such a sacred place. All of a sudden the kid will be like are we finally done, you know?
Speaker 2:or just like some like true statement and everyone just like erupts in laughter and I always like lean over to like whoever I'm with, I'm like, yeah, like that wouldn't crush in a comedy. That guy's got a good room, you know this is like it's a great venue for that joke, you know. But so I think, just like being willing to, I guess I don't take too much seriously Like treat people, but like I guess this does go to like career-wise too. I was able to sell a pilot where we like made fun of the next coming of christ or the next virgin mary, kind of was our whole premise of the tv show we got to make, and so, yeah, I guess that's still something that is really funny to me. Anyone who's too serious about anything, then it's like why, yeah?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah. And it's interesting too, because I think even in seeing you play in in some of your characters, even in the improv world, like generally, you're mostly some of the grounded one and can have some of the serious scene setting and can let everything play off of that, which I think is a really good attribute in the way you can work too.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah, absolutely yeah. I think there's some real fun to be had with, like establishing tone and who we are and where we are and what we're doing, and then at that point, yeah, what's fun with this? Let's keep going. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So from there? Do you think at this point there was anything from even enjoying these comedic things that made you be like I want to be the one to tell jokes. Or when did you start to realize you were funny, you know, and how does it correlate to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think from a really young age I kind of had a older brother and older sister who were very different, and then I was kind of the one that would like bring them together, a little bit like I was the meet in the middle one, so like.
Speaker 2:But I remember from like a real young age doing like stand up for them and also like them, both being older than me but being like willing to listen to me, you know, like not being like mean older siblings, but like truly like value what I had to say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and one thing I mean I just remember, uh, we were kind of a performing family, just like not my parents, but as kids we just like really took to it and so like. I remember one time our babysitter I think this all happened when I think back and I'm like this is a weird thing that happened when we were kids I think she booked us to play like her high school's homecoming assembly, for us to like sing a song candy themed or something I don't know. We're saying some sort of like song together, me, my brother and my sister, and I'm like I had to walk out of this little like gingerbread house, uh, and like onto the to the microphone and, um, I like tripped on the wood bottom of the gingerbread house, whatever, and just like face planted and just like destroyed, you know like a huge, a huge reaction and I remember just being like, yes, yeah that was it.
Speaker 2:More. I wasn't even trying. I wasn't even trying, but these people love me. Right now I'm a chubby little kid who's about to sing a song and I fell on my face Like this is, this is great. So yeah, from a very, very young age I think I was like it took me a long time to actually admit that there's a path to this and I should maybe follow the path. But I kind of always comedy was something I just kind of thought. I, that's like me, that's a part of me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's interesting. No-transcript I got these kids. They're gonna come to homecoming.
Speaker 2:That's why I promise you they're great I know I should have checked with my sister, because she's like our family historian. I almost am like why did this happen, you know? Yeah, yes, because, as I logically think it through, like, why do we do we need a? We don't even go to that school. Yeah, they must really need to kill two extra minutes on that assembly or whatever. But yeah, I guess like and maybe this is even I was like a taller kid growing up, so maybe there's a little bit of that like, if people are going to look at me, I want to control the way they look at me no-transcript or whatever might have been popular on a sitcom or something at that time.
Speaker 1:So I wonder if there was like some uniqueness from like even just the influence that you had.
Speaker 2:I mean, I do think a lot of my stuff was older and I don't make. Maybe it's just like my parents weren't watching and like now, if I had kids, I'm not watching the current popular comedy, sure, but yeah, like I was into the Three Stooges and I think all kids are wearing to like cartoons, like Looney Tunes and stuff. But yeah, stuff, stuff like this Holy Grail, life of Brian, life of Brian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think just I don't know, I think maybe that informed me in some sense. I mean I remember my dad would watch Cheers but I'd usually be in bed at that time and I've gone back to watch it and stuff, I don't know. I think also just like a blessing to have like family. That is to me and it's because I still like it, but it's like had cool taste and stuff a little bit I guess Stoog, little bit, you know, like not, I mean I guess stooges I haven't watched in forever, I'm guessing I probably don't, probably wouldn't love the three stooges if I watched it right now. But at the time, yeah, I guess maybe this was a little bit of like the vhs generation, where it was like there only was a few channels and so you kind of had to go and curate your own, my, my family chose this kind of stuff and that spoke to me.
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, I remember like one of the things at school that like was sometimes a bonding thing was like if there's something on a show that we were watching you know sitcom or otherwise like quoting that to each other, you know, and I know like even the first time I saw Holy Grail, you know, like I don't know how many times, like you know, as guys, friends would do something, and it's just like the response was just a flesh wound, you know like merely a flesh wound.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally. Just the nights? Yeah, totally the nights you say neat, just like the weirdest stuff. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so were your friends into it as well, like were you showing it to them or, you know, was it kind of like only something that you had as like your thing?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think, my brother and sister. So that, like my friend's version, and I think, yeah, totally, I think eventually people came over We'd be watching my friends would, because one of my friends was around our house a lot so he hung out with my mom. He's like would your mom be my confirmation person? I don't know whatever. And so usually when she had someone to that they were getting confirmed or first communion or whatever, she would give them Life of Brian as like a gift. My main version of like quoting stuff for days on end at the lunch table was the simpsons. That was definitely like that was the thing that we did. Yeah, I consider putting that on my list because it was such a huge part of my life. But I was like I feel like, for my guess is this, the simpsons has been covered on your show and probably will be, at least for me, but but yeah, so I think there's a version of this, but it was a little bit.
Speaker 2:I don't think everyone was like jumping right into watching monty python with me but yeah fair like, but at sleepovers and stuff, I think it would be like, yeah, you know, or, or people had, yeah, holy grail was probably the most likely one that people had seen. And because there is, you know, there's like the visual gags of just like, yeah, the guy bleeding out and getting his arms and legs cut off, and that's yeah, kids can relate to that comedy for sure yeah, I remembered thinking like because I was younger also when I saw it too, like kind of being a little suspicious of bunnies too because of the rabbit in that.
Speaker 1:And then I think at the same time there was like this book in school called like bunnicula or something, which was like a fake vampire rabbit, and so I was pretty skeptical of rabbits there for a while because of those two pieces of that's culture.
Speaker 2:Both of them were probably just trying to like make the joke of how, how like innocent, innocent and you know gentle bunnies are, but you only saw the other side. So yeah that's your first introduction.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's funny yeah, exactly, I was also like allergic to like every animal, like I've gotten over them, but when I was a kid, like almost anything with fur, so like that only added to it too.
Speaker 2:So just a a real reason to get away. Yeah, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm surprised you. I haven't had like there's only one person who has done Simpsons and actually I think you know or Kylie Brakeman did. Simpsons, yeah, so well, um, let's go ahead and move on to your next one here, Uh. Spike Lee, I think this is very different, uh, tonally and otherwise, in terms of his work. Um, but yeah, I'm curious to see what it is about spike lee and his work and which pieces kind of gravitated towards you and that you resonated with uh.
Speaker 2:So this is again really early on in my life, like, um, you know, again I was trying to figure out how much sports to include in this list actually, or like what pop culture like is michael jordan pop culture or you like are the 90s bulls or whatever. And when I was a kid, spike Lee was like the coolest thing he was. In Nike commercials with Michael Jordan they had like posters. He played a character, mars Blackman, which was actually, I think, from film I don't know if it was actually this character's name and do the right thing, or if it was the school days one before that, but anyway.
Speaker 2:So as a kid, yeah, like my parents were pretty cool about art, so like they weren't gonna. I think maybe there were some movies that they would watch before us to make sure. But I remember, like stand by me was an r-rated movie that we watched as kids a ton, because my parents like, yeah, I think they show a dead body in one scene, but like this is a good movie, you know. And so it was similar with like a lot of Spike Lee's stuff. So the big ones for me would have been basically like his Nike campaign with Michael Jordan. That's probably the introduction, honestly, and then from there I went to Malcolm X and then Do the Right Thing and then his whole career. After that he got Game, a Bamboozled 25th Hour Inside man, original Kings of Comedy he directed that but as a child child it was do the right thing. Malcolm x and those nike ads. In fact it had such a big impact.
Speaker 2:I remember being like malcolm x was the first movie I ever remember, like waiting for to come out, you know the first movie that I'd like as a kid like heard about, knew spikely was making it, knew denzel washington was going to be in it, knew it was coming out, whatever this summer or whenever you know this award season or whatever. Yeah, I didn't know even that aspect of it, but so I was. I was so pumped for that movie, um, and it was like the first, the first chapter book I ever read was a malcolm x biography, not the autobiography, but a one for kids. Yeah, because I was like so into it and uh, and yeah, I had like a malcolm x hat that I would wear and like the African colors and you know, plymouth Rock didn't land on us or you know that quote like in the T-shirt that I wore and stuff, and it all came from like digging Spike and then kind of learning from that.
Speaker 1:That's pretty cool. What do you think it was that felt so cool to you, like you know generally, like it's like you can look back at your background and see how something might have been, you know like important. You know. So what do you think it was? That culturally or just you know, background wise or otherwise that you're like this is cool or this is meaningful or otherwise?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean for me, like black culture has always been cool American culture since I've been, you know, born maybe forever you know like and there's like white culture since I've been, you know, born maybe forever, you know like, and there's like white versions of it for the masses, you know, with like elvis presley taking rock and roll or whatever, sure, but I think like I was maybe in at least it felt like to me an earlier enough generation where it was like they were actually starting to let some black people actually like profit and and, yeah, control of this thing. So I mean, yeah, I can. I mean it all kind of comes in loop together between, like basketball and hip-hop. But also, like Spike Lee just was so cool Like he again, like there was like comedy in these commercials, like because he's like a small dude, you know, and like the one I remember where he just keeps asking like, and also it felt like Nike was a young upstart who was like smart enough to like give creatives the lane to do their creative thing, like I mean I don't know how many notes he got on this, but those commercials popped which then made posters which then helped sell shoes and so like there was one where he plays Mars Blackman. He's just like, is it the shoes, mike, is it the shoes? And he just like and it's like such an obviously commercial for shoes. But it's like Jordan, just like Duncan, being like no Mars and he's like is it the book? No, it's gotta be the shoes. He's like, no, you know. Um, I just remember it being like funny and looking cool and and like going to, as I move forward in my career, to be like oh, I also liked that Like Spike put himself in it in the same sense like Kevin Smith and you know other indie directors.
Speaker 2:Even Jon Favreau, who was someone whose career I always look up to, is like. He's like if he's making Elf or if he's making Iron man or if he's whatever, he's directing it, of course, but he's not like put himself in there For one reason. That's probably just like a financial thing of like I know this Elf is gonna get played every holiday forever. Now I'm getting paid as a director and an actor. But it's also like establishing yourself for opportunities that you don't have to be in control of. So now, while Spike Lee can direct films, he can also get roles as an actor. You know, he can kind of like establish himself and so like weirdly looking back on, like the career I want and being like, oh yeah, like it's not too far from that, one of those first things I was really drawn to in Spike Lee.
Speaker 2:And then I guess there must be some version of like connection of my family, of like I guess for lack of better term maybe like righteousness or equality and fairness maybe fairness is a better way to to think of it. I think that was a big thing in my home and so, like stories of unfairness, you don't have to go very far in like any marginalized group. The one that I connected with most was like black man, but like just like, oh yeah, you watch malcolm x, you want to do the right thing, you watch whatever it's like. Most of these stories are like he got game every bamboozled. Clearly. It's like, yeah, the country we live in is kind of set up against us and it's like actively working for us to fail.
Speaker 2:And I think like hearing those stories at a young age and kind of connecting with that was like I just I weirdly loved it, I don't know it just like made my brain think, yeah, like question things, good and bad, who is really good, what is really bad, all that kind of stuff in a way that yeah, I guess, um, yeah, I think like we we didn't watch much action films my family we watched more like I can't believe that happened. You know, like just getting like you know, yeah, I don't know so, but so so spike lee was to me like some of the best at that's, like not giving his stories, that he tells enough depth, but yeah, just like that version that I connected with, I really I really did connect with as a kid yeah, it's interesting what you you started with, in that it's like so much of that culture was just cool and it like brought to my mind the scene and do the right thing when he's like talking with John Turturro and he's like who's your favorite basketball player?
Speaker 1:and it's Michael Jordan and who's your favorite actor Eddie Murphy, you know, and it's just like going through that. It's just like, yeah, it was so widespread in the culture at that time of, you know, taking over like this is the cool thing, you know?
Speaker 2:yeah, and so if any black people on your wall, that's the whole thing. Yeah, you gotta get some black pictures on your wall, yeah very cool, very good.
Speaker 1:Did you have like a? Um, I'm not familiar with the demographics of of saint cloud, so was it primarily like culture through pop culture, or if it's just like not many you know?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, there was. I mean, there was some diversity, but it was um, it was more laos, vietnam, um, you know, asian countries. Now there's a huge somali population. That wasn't there when I was growing up, but no, it was, it was. It was pretty white, um. So I think maybe that was another element of like um not really being in on a secret, because it wasn't like, it wasn't like I, this was. These were pretty popular, huge things in our culture, you know. But yeah, I think it was. You know very much being like, oh, I don't, I'm choosing not country music, I'm choosing hip hop, was like, very clearly a choice that I made and do not regret it.
Speaker 1:Good, yeah, no, it's awesome. I've just I think it's such a cool visual to just think of, like, especially knowing the demographics were predominantly white, like you walking in with a Malcolm X hat, and all that stuff is got to be like this kid's woke, you know around and I remember before a soccer game I had to take it off and one of my friend's moms was like, oh, here, I'll hold it for you, and like I gave it to her.
Speaker 2:Then, after the game I was like, um, hey, where's my hat? She's like I don't know what you're talking about, truly, and I was like I gave you my hat, what she's like I don't know what hat and like truly must have thrown it away or whatever the fuck. She thought my gosh, and I was just like so pissed off and like yeah, and I was like so pissed off and like yeah, and I was like again. So there was that too. You know, I'm sure there were people being like this little dumb kid, how dare he think he knows what's going on. But yeah, that was like the most in anyone's face that I ever was. I wasn't trying to like, you know, I wasn't an organizer I wasn't trying to do it.
Speaker 2:I was just like this is what looks cool. This, like this is the. This is what looks cool. This is what pop culture is cool. This is like you know. This is what they're wearing on, martin. This is what living single is. I'm just trying to dress like Theo on the Cosby show, whatever, but yeah, yeah, so there was. There was small elements of that throughout my life, certainly, but you kind of learn to avoid those people pretty quickly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, rough, rough, that sucks, especially when it's like that would be something to like still be able to go back to your parents house or whatever and like pull out of the basement like that hat. So just knowing that that happened is a bummer. Yeah, that lady sucks. Yeah, like that. As you're talking about some of this stuff too, I just I, I think what's really cool about some of the spike lee stuff is like just the tone of the films you know, inspiration or otherwise, like some of the sitcoms you're talking about, i'm'm thinking of like Fresh Prince of LA or even like with the Wesley Snipes connection, of like White Men Can't Jump, like so much of those movies, tonally, I think were impacted by a lot of the stuff that he did and do the right thing or he got game or whatever you know, and so, yeah, so influential, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like again, it was like it's weirdly crazy now for how popular hip hop music is, but like he was one of the first people, it's like you can make money off this, like to you know, the white american business people who then were like, oh okay, now we'll accept this thing once we, once we can make money off it. And yeah, like, yeah, fresh prince of bel-air, that's like one of my dreams would be to make like my version of that type of show, not even that story, but just like a comedy that is so fun and anyone can watch and every once in a while does like a serious episode that has real emotional moments. But it's just, you know, cool and on the yeah, just cool.
Speaker 1:Really, I think that was so cool, that show is so good because yeah like you mentioned, it's so funny and, like man, I still will like tear up when I even think of like the like. Why don't you want me, man? You know, yeah, gosh, yeah well you've.
Speaker 1:You've referenced, uh, you know, music and hip-hop in a few ways, so let's go ahead and transition to rhymesayers. Man, I was so grateful that you put this because there was just like so many artists on here that, like I remember, even from like the myspace era, like finding, like like greaves and prof and like those artists that I was just like blast from the past. It was fun to like go back and listen. Tell me about Rhyme Sayers I know there's a local connection, but yeah, tell me what you love about them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was trying to decide if I should pick individual artists and I just thought the collective was kind of the way to go Cause yeah this is a independent hip hop entertainment collective out of Minneapolis, minnesota, and I guess I don't know for sure but one of the more successful indie music artists or indie labels, probably of all time. Maybe I don't know, but certainly when I came up in high school I probably found it. Yeah, maybe the end of my high school atmosphere was the coolest one and he's one of the founders of Rhymesayers. But it was like if you wanted to go down to Minneapolis and go to a concert and hang out with some of the cool girls and then they were going to Atmosphere and so all right, then I got to get turned on to Atmosphere so I can, you know, make a good mix tape for these cool girls or whatever, and then you'd go, and then you'd also, once you went to an Atmosphere show, then you would see his opener. And for me that was like brother ali and sage francis, and sage francis wasn't even on rhyme savers, but um, or you know mers, or you know a dilated peoples came with them later. Mf doom was with them at some point. So like you, just like fall in love with these people and like brother ali and atmosphere were the biggest for me. Brother ali, like a muslim albino who I have very little in common with, you know, in our day-to-day lives, but just like loved the messaging and I think the reason why I put it on here was, weirdly, there was a time in my life where I was in Minneapolis and kind of wanted to.
Speaker 2:I had a job, as I said, in the marketing department, but I wanted to like pursue a creative passion because I've always considered myself creative and I was truly deciding between doing comedy or being a rapper. Those are, those are the things I was. I remember sitting on like a distinct memory of me sitting on my porch we had a couch on our on our outside porch just like sitting there and being like, should I become a rapper or should I be a comedian? And, weirdly, in Minneapolis I knew way more successful rappers. Success is like a general term but like the people, people who you know my well apartment before that across the street was like pos and doom's tree and they're like. They were like on the front of city pages, which is like you know, the cool newspaper about arts and entertainment, and I'm like, oh, they live right across, they're in my same neighborhood, they make money doing this, you know. Or like seeing these people tour, seeing like, and then now to look at what I'm doing and being like, wow, I'm like holy shit.
Speaker 2:Improv is kind of my version of rhyme sayers a little bit, which is like I am a small business that I'm running that I'm kind of touring the world to try to get more people to know about so I can sell more subscriptions, so I can, you know, like them doing albums, whatever, and trying to figure out, like, should I be doing merch? Is there, you know, should I, you? And trying to figure out like, should I be doing merch? Is there, you know? Should I?
Speaker 2:You know what is overextending what is doing what you love and having it have a side of it that is mostly creative but a little bit of business, and not being afraid to take that on.
Speaker 2:I know so many people who are talented and even in Minneapolis, like so many amazing people but these were guys mostly who were like yeah, we're talented and we're going to tell you about it, we're going to make a business, we're going to come to your city and crush and be better than anyone and you're going to fall in love with us and you're going to learn about us, and so I'm just impressed with that Cause. I think Midwestern is a little bit to me of like, don't stand out. I really felt like I grew up in a vibe of like you can be anything you want, but like, like, don't be a jerk about it. Like you know you can. You can be a president of a bank. Don't say you're gonna be the president, you know. And so I just like the the ability for them to go like yeah, we're doing this with our friends and we think our friends are some of the best people in the world, in the way I think some of my friends are the funniest people in the world.
Speaker 1:And and then also, just like so many of my favorite songs come from artists out of rhymes there is that I had to had to shout them out yeah, absolutely, and and one of the things with with hip-hop in general is just like the evolution has happened so fast and it's because of these pockets of you know, like the, the types of flows and things you're hearing in.
Speaker 1:You know, minneapolis is going to be very different than what you hear in Atlanta or the New York scene, and all of that was happening in real time so fast. And then getting inspiration from one another, but like being able to zoom into these pockets of this area is just like it's such good stuff, because I think it's it's some of the first times at least that I remember it, feeling like I don't know this is going to sound like a diss, but like so much more intellectual in some ways, like with the types of things that were happening, and like I would want to listen back and back again just to feel like, oh, this is, this is like poetry, you know, in like some of the biggest ways, and so, yeah, so many great artists from from, from this collective for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that it is like it's like finding your version of it right, like being like okay, we love, we love hip hop. We're not. You know, bronx, the South, south, bronx.
Speaker 1:We're not, you know, like you know California knows how to party Like we're not that like what are we?
Speaker 2:We're like inside a lot and it's cold and we're stuck with our thoughts and like how does that sound? And and making those choices and and then also this was like again, this is like early 2000. So there wasn't like streaming on the internet, really. It was kind of what was played on the radio, what was played on tv and then cds that people played for you, and these guys were not played on the radio and not played on tv, so it was only your cool friend had a cd and you're like whoa, what is this? And so like.
Speaker 2:Or for me it was like going to a live show and then being like whoa, all, wow, that person's good, that's the opener. Wow, who's next? Wow, they're good, wow, this is the main guy. And so I guess I just don't have that anymore. Now, if I'm about to go to a live show, I will listen on my title to be like all right, let's see who the opening act is, let's listen to it. Okay, let me see who the. And so I'm just like okay, I'm prepared. I kind living in Minnesota for almost 18 years. So this is like listening to that music still kind of brings me back to that time, which was a great time in my life. My early 20s just kind of lonely but figuring out the world kind of.
Speaker 1:Sure, yeah, no, that's really cool. And one thing that I like want to be clear about with them too and I loved your connection to it is like when you're putting together any of your holy shit improvs, like you're bringing in people who have different skill sets and different strengths and they shine in so many different ways. Um, and I think with this too, like as much as we talk about like like I mentioned the intellectual comment or whatever like prof who's part of that is like silly and goofy versus like some of the other stuff you know, but it's all like you can get these different cast and characters that are doing things in different ways, and even though there is like a vibe to what was happening in that ecosystem. So, yeah, I just love the variety from. You know, mf Dune is very different from Brother Ali is very different from.
Speaker 1:Atmosphere and Greaves and Mac Lethal or whomever.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, it all kind of comes from that same vibe, like I want to put you on which I, which I have, you know so much of that so many people in LA I'd love to showcase and give opportunities to. So yeah, I dig that Awesome.
Speaker 1:In a similar vein, a bunch of different cast and characters that kind of feel different vibes and, you know, have their own version of a collective. Let's go to our good friends at Sesame Street. This is probably working backwards, I imagine a little bit, but I want to hear about Sesame Street.
Speaker 2:In my job at mom america, I saw my first episode of sesame street. Yeah, no, this is probably the first thing that, like I remember learning how to tell time or not understanding time. Yet, like as a kid you don't really care what time on a clock is or whatever, but I do just remember sometimes being like how many more sesame streets and you know, like you know like one sesame street, okay, cool, I get the concept of that. Or two sesame streets, okay, um, so it was like a big part of it, yeah, and like I was, I thought like I listed this and I was like I probably shouldn't list it because I can't really talk like I don't even remember many characters. Like now I'd be like I think elmo was, but I was like I don't even know if elmo was on the show when I was like sure, but it was more just like.
Speaker 2:Again, it's like a little bit of silliness with education with. I mean, a couple of mine here are like PBS. I'm learning Sesame Street. Monty Python was kind of on PBS too, stuff, so so there might be something about like the household I grew up in, just a PBS yeah but yeah, I think, just like I mean they kind of tie into the Muppets, kind of tie into everything.
Speaker 2:But I just love, you know, I love songs.
Speaker 2:Growing up I loved like I dug the learning aspect of it, the funness of it, the silliness of it, um, and then like, yeah, there'd just be like a lot of variety, like almost a ton of you know to simplify it and be like a bunch of shit that tiktok is now, or like short films could be where it's like you just follow a kid on his day getting bread for his mom, and then it would be someone talking about their favorite book and then it'd be two monster looking puppets singing a song to get you know, like, and then we'd talk about a number we dug or something, yeah, yeah, but I think, just like the, the funness and the yeah, I think silliness, playfulness of that show really connects to me yeah, now, in looking back at it, especially as an adult, I I think one of the things is like that's so, I think, interesting and compelling, and like I think there's probably like case studies that could be done on it, though is like the lasting effect it's had, you know, like it's still running today, you know and then.
Speaker 1:But also I mean, like you still see, some of the biggest selling toys are, you know, elmo toys, or you know people are still buying stuff that still has the Cookie monster on it, you know, and it's like there's so many things that are like so compelling about it.
Speaker 1:But I also think that like there's something that, like you find in shows like this a lot, but like I'm thinking of, like you know, nickelodeon had stuff like hey, arnold, or whatever, that you have all these like different characters, but like almost like an appreciation of like people are gonna have all these different backgrounds and it's still like you're friends with them anyway, like they were friends with oscar the grouch, even though he was, even though he was a grouch, you know. Or, yeah, you know things like like bert and ernie had their own things going on, but they're still, you know, part of the group, and big bird and you know all these different people that are coming through. It's like, regardless of kind of who you are, your circumstances, it's like you can have a community and appreciation for what they bring to you know your world. So, yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 2:I think as a kid I did look at my maybe because of this show too but like as as my neighborhood, like a neighborhood you know, in the way that I very much don't now as an adult like yeah, yeah, like, even if I didn't ever talk to them, I knew the names of like the people on my block and like had opinions about them and uh, I think, yeah, there's something to this. Like, yeah, you said it's like still on to this day, like I had a friend who recently was on sesame street and like as himself, and that was like the coolest credit I could think of I was like this is so cool, like you are on sesame street. Yeah, I mean I don't know like again, just from doing a little bit of studying in college, like I remember the original reason for sesame street was to try to like you know it's designed in a city like that because it was, in theory, trying to bridge the gap of like people who were, uh, didn't have parents at home and were like basically the head start program. They were like missing out on education, that these parents that were more into their children's lives kind of learned and they kind of of the study I think was like it actually didn't really do that. It more like the people whose parents, like mine, were home and with me were like encouraging me to watch Sesame Street and stuff, so it kind of just like.
Speaker 2:But I just I think, yeah, ultimately the end result who knows, but I do know that for me it was so influential and also like kind of I I think me as an adult realizing that a lot of my joys are still from my childhood joys and maybe they don't need to change so much. I think I was always under the opinion of, like there's childhood things that are great and then you grow up and you find something else that you know, like you become a doctor or a dentist or whatever. And I think I had enough encouragement and the feeling that my family provided me with that, like I always. I didn't have enough terrible drama in my life that I had to take a job that I hated just because it paid money right.
Speaker 2:Like I just I have this underlying feeling that, like I'll be taken care of which may not be true, but it's like what I feel. And so when I have that feeling, I'm able to follow my dreams and passions a little bit more than maybe some of that that comes from Sesame Street to just like that element of like, yeah, you know, go be silly and like you can have. You know, I was gonna say friends who are 60 and six, but it was like, yeah, like you can go to Mr Hooper's and hang out with Big Bird, like you know you can. Yeah, like, have a have a diverse life. That sounds, that sounds fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, and so much of that show is like creating the inspiration for creativity and for finding your voice and for dreaming, you know. So I think like, even at the very least, it's like that permission to dream is like can be enough, whether it's constant or otherwise, to be like yeah I'm gonna go do the thing and if that's you know counting or you know eating cookies like that's, that's kind of what they're really pushing.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, one of my favorite things to do is make-believe to this day. Like doing improv is like just playing make-believe with my friends. So like, yeah, I'm sure that has a huge impact on them. Just like looking to me in the TV and being like let's play, pretend you know.
Speaker 1:Like yeah, okay, yeah, I love this, yeah, yeah, building those worlds and that whole improv you know adage of, if this is true, what else is true? And building on that and on top of that, and it's very cool, very cool, love it, yeah, awesome. Well, this next one was the one I was probably most excited to talk about, not for any other reason than no one has ever kind of brought anything sports related in at least not at this level, related in at least not at this level. And it's like a side of like myself that I'm just like you know, in my world I'm surrounded by creatives all the time and, like so many of my musician friends and people in this creative like film world are just like, no, we're not really into sports and I'm just like, come on, you know, like I, I need a, I need to get that outlet somewhere. So, sports center I'm curious to hear you know your love of sports center and and to geek out about it.
Speaker 2:So yeah, again, I was deciding between Pardon, the Interruption, pti and SportsCenter, both very influential in my life. Pti for a while was my favorite TV show and I watched it every single day, monday through Friday, for truly years and years I bet probably 10 plus years I watched it every day and that's like watching it live, live, you know, like, not like taping it, just like. But I think sports center was certainly before that and I think also a little closer to maybe what I aspire to do and or do, because, uh one I had like, uh ideas. In the same way, I thought, like should I become a rapper?
Speaker 2:I did have a list somewhere that I made at college of like five things I want to do before I die or something, and one of them was like some version of like throw to a highlight on SportsCenter, you know, or like I don't think I want to. I knew it was probably too specific of a dream to be like to be a SportsCenter anchor, but I think like that was certainly a career path that I would have been very excited by. But yeah, like, when I came up again it was kind of new. It was like they were doing their own thing, they, they had these like kind of funny but a little cheesy, like commercials that they shot again in the same way, spike lee's nike commercials felt like there wasn't a lot of like.
Speaker 2:Network notes on this didn't seem like there's a lot of like. It felt to me as if it was like they gave some people in their knees maybe early 30s some money and we're like what's the worst that can happen. They don't work. You know, like everything's felt low budget but in a way that I really like even now they still modern these commercials that they do now for sports center off these like original ones they made when they were kind of just starting and I I just remember just like again, they were funny. It was like I didn't even watch hockey. But there was cam neely who I learned only from through these commercials. He had just retired and he's like and so he's like out in his front doing like yard work, gardening or something, and he's like, oh nice, you start a whole sports channel the year after I retire.
Speaker 1:Yeah why don't you?
Speaker 2:kick my dog while you're at it, and I'll always remember that, just like, uh, kick my dog while you're at it, it's such a fun. I'd never heard that before and I'm just like, oh, this is like a great way to advertise. Yeah, I think, like I used to watch it every night 10 o'clock it would come on and it was like, I think, uh, dan patrick keith, overman, craig kilbourne, some of the people, uh, stewart scott, um, yeah, uh, linda cones, like, uh, like I don't know everybody, but yeah, I was just like. I remember being like, oh, this is like, these are cool people and also, back then, I couldn't get sports any other way, so they're giving me truly the highlights of the day. And now I don't really watch it much. I sometimes have it on the background just because, like, sports noise is like on my tv.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, just like while I'm working and stuff, um, but I tried to watch it and I was like, oh, they have changed completely, like it's all about like betting lines and it is because they're they're getting. You know, every sports clip that they used to like introduce to the world has now already been shown on instagram, twitter, blah, blah, but this was the only place that you could watch games. This is the only place you can get highlights. This was the. This is like how you followed. Sports was this thing and it was cool and fun and yeah, I just it was like almost like what the Simpsons was for me in fourth fifth grade, sitting by the lunchroom table quoting the last episode in high school, and college became SportsCenter. You know, talking to all my friends about it.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Yeah, it's almost everything you said is just like my experience as well. Like I remember coming home from school like I was probably an hour or so ahead of you being in New Mexico, you know, but like I would have that block of around the horn, pti into SportsCenter or the first evening SportsCenter and like I just locked in, that's's it. I'm eating my after-school snack or whatever and like watching that for the rest of the night, but especially you know when, where I grew up, I know Minnesota actually has professional sports teams in the area so there might have been like local games on your TV. We got none of it, and I grew up as a Minnesota Vikings fan, so the only thing I knew about anything that would happen with the Vikings was like if on a top 10 or something they they're like, yesterday, you know, we threw a touchdown and I'm like heck, yeah, you know. Or I'd see the scores at the bottom and be like yeah, we won, and I'd like write in my notebook to keep track of our record and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:You know. So like yeah, that was like the thing, and it's like I just put some on like unfortunately, again after the Vikings lost this week in the playoffs, you know, it rolled into sports center immediately after and so I was like, oh, watches, I haven't watched in a while and it's like all sports debate now and there's not really none of the like highlight stuff. I was like waiting, like are they going to do a top 10 like of the plays for the night, or like I remember they used to do the like the spoofs of the not top 10?
Speaker 1:and like and I'm like I watched for probably like 45, 50 minutes and like nothing like that happens.
Speaker 2:I was like it's not what it once was, but yeah, yeah, I think they still do do the top 10 plays, but yeah, sometimes they might do like of the week instead of the day or whatever but yeah yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:Again, I think like a huge failing in our whole media landscape is like when news had to start making money, it really, I think, fucked up our society. There was other things too, like allowing money to come into politics and stuff, but I think once it was like oh, now news has to make money. Okay, now news has to be entertainment, now news has to be people arguing with hot takes, and I go like travel a little bit for comedy and I'll like watch the news in iceland or watch the news in london or watch the news, uh, even in Canada, and be like this is like so different. This is like they're actually feeding me information and not trying to scare me and not trying to rile me up or get me angry. And I think, yeah, in this, in the same sense, that's with real news.
Speaker 2:I think that's happened to sports news too, which is like, yeah, again, I said I don't watch SportsCenter and stuff, but I'm I list a bunch of examples from this week. I was watching when, uh, they, they did this whole thing on like a john morant dunked on wemby, but it didn't actually happen. It was like after the whistle and sports center did this like whole thing about it, even though it's not even a part of the game, even though it didn't even happen, even though it wasn't points, but it was like I could just see their producers being like this could bust out into a social clip. We got to have our take on this social clip and so yeah uh, is wimby a bust now, you know, because that happened or whatever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll be the one person to say, yeah, uh, but yeah, this.
Speaker 2:There's this sweet spot for me of like, and again I kind of I guess in the same way, sesame street and in the same way, monty python, for sure, and rhyme sayers feel like it sports center did feel like a group of friends, like those people that were presenting the news, whether it was an act or not.
Speaker 2:It felt very real. It felt very much like these are friends who would be hanging around talking about this, shooting the shit, about the sports anyway, and they just so happen to be getting paid probably not very much, certainly at that time to do this and to live in bristol, connecticut or wherever they're based out of, and so that probably gave it more of a familial feel too, because they were probably kind of in the middle of nowhere. It's like, yeah, we got nothing else but to be friends with each other. And I think, yeah, I think that that same vibe is what I keep kind of trying to create with things, which is like working with friends, using our passions and the things we're already interested in to try to make some money from media conglomerates and fucking you know terrible companies who please give us some money so we can make some art for you.
Speaker 1:It's so heartbreaking because I know like Around the Horn is like ending, I think, after heartbreaking because I know like around the horn is like ending, I think after this year or something like that, and it's like, yeah, that's where, like in the good side of news, like similar to the sports center and but PTI as well, but like real sports journalism, like they'd bring in all these guys. So then I'm like I knew who you know Bill Plaschke was, who wrote for this area, you know and like Bob.
Speaker 2:Ryan from Boston.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly and so like I would look to those takes Like I remember when Kevin Garnett first went to the Celtics. You know, like reading Bob Ryan's stuff at that time was just like you know you learn who, like you said, your friends are, your people that you can trust.
Speaker 1:Like I still listen to like Dan Lebitard regularly because like yeah, he was covering all this stuff, like when LeBron was first going to Miami. Yeah, he was covering all this stuff like when lebron was first going to miami, and so like then I fell in love with his show just because, like that was how I could get what was going on in miami. But then I just started loving his show because it's his show, so just like, yeah, it's just, it's crazy what that world did to be able to like cultivate these personalities and these relationships, but behind really good originally, really good quality journalism.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because these people all came from the journalist side of it, whereas now people are probably at the newspaper the writing they're actually having to. Now people are probably coming out following this, like I'm a content creator, I need to do this thing, and maybe not even taking journalism classes or whatever, and I think you know there's some benefits to the current media landscape. I'll speak about sports in general, which general, which is that, like, these people did start getting almost too much power in the sense that they were again usually older white men who didn't play the sports, writing about usually younger black men who they might not relate to. So they could totally way off base by being like this guy's got tattoos. He's a danger to society, you know. Like.
Speaker 2:So I think there is some value in like hearing from the players perspective too and being like hey, no, yeah, we get paid millions, but also it's a job and sometimes when I'm moving from one city to one city, I gotta put my kids into school. My wife doesn't want to be in salt lake city this first week. I'm not playing that good in basketball, I apologize. It's because my life, like, there's value to hearing directly from the sources. But I thought, like the, the sports center, like highlight package real, because it was kind of a nice mix of like the everyone saw they do a longer story that had some journalistic stuff, but it was a little bit more like no, here's just like the scores.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the scores you need, and we're gonna make it a little bit interesting with some jokes, highlights, etc. Which yeah it's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm, I'm just such a fan glad that you put it on here. It's, it's such a cool. You know, if it didn't exist that I could have had a fandom with sports the way I do. You know, like, without SportsCenter, like I mean, I would have, you know, liked the Vikings but never have seen a game.
Speaker 1:You know kind of thing until it was way too late and I might be like some of my other musician friends that just like don't care about sports, because you know, we grew up in Albuquerque and the only thing there is a triple, a baseball affiliate, you know yeah, it is interesting.
Speaker 2:In most cities in america and this is like back when I first moved here and whatever that would have been 2007 or something it was like if you get in a cab, you'd like what's the score? And they would like know a sports score. And in la it felt more like what's the box office, you know, like, like. Meanwhile, there are real true diehard, specifically dodgers and lakers. I think there are other ones for other sports as well, but those feel like the biggest ones to me. They are a part of the city and it's just when. That's why I always get uncomfortable when people are like LA's not really a sports town, I was like no, I think you're like a transplant from some liberal East coast school who moved to Los Feliz and, like your friends, don't watch sports. There are huge, uh, like actual los angeles citizens who live and breathe these sports, are the kings, the, whatever else it could be. Even these soccer teams now are really popping up. Um, wmba is getting more popular. Yeah, I'm a, I'm a big fan.
Speaker 2:I guess, to relate it a little bit to what I still do, which is like, uh, growing up playing team sports, I think is um, a little bit close to what I do in most of my work, which is like working with people, even if it's like being hired onto a job and I'm coming on for one day, like I do, kind of without thinking about.
Speaker 2:It's like what's my role in this team?
Speaker 2:You know, how can I support, how can I have a good time, do my job and then also leave with people liking me or wanting to, you know, play with me again or work with me again, and I think all that like sports taught me a lot of those lessons growing up as a kid that, had I not, I could have. I think I would have been more. And maybe I already am a little ego driven on my own, like maybe I am. Like I just remember, like as a kid, like learning at like a coed basketball, coed birthday party, and I'm trying way too hard to win the basketball game and realizing the girls I'm playing with aren't having fun anymore and being like, oh yeah, okay, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta learn to chill out a little bit, not be as competitive or not win. Maybe winning isn't only the most important thing. Maybe there's other things about sports and and and fun that I can take from it. So yeah, I think that kind of relates in that sense to sports and then the connection I chose with SportsCenter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you mentioned the community you're still building. But I understand too like you still play with some of your improv friends, like I've heard Dan Lippert or Ronnie Adrian like talk about you have a killer shot, you know can still shoot. So, you know, that's even a way that you're even bonding with people, even in your comedy world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, yeah. I got too into comedy for a while, where it was my only thing, and so I was like I gotta find something else. And I was at that point coaching a women's basketball team and they had given me a gift card for like 100 bucks at the end of the season. I was like, oh, let me buy some shoes. And then, from that, started playing again. Yeah, now I yeah, I've been playing for 10 or coming up on 11 years, every once a week at least. And yeah, now I'm posting my footage more online, because I'm getting to the age where I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to get to play.
Speaker 1:So I just want to like, I want to prove that at one point I could show you I could shoot. I could show you.
Speaker 2:I mean, I was down in Palm Springs last week trying to get away from the smoke and fire and my childhood best friend lives down there and his parents were visiting. And so I showed my former best friend, his dad, just some of my highlights of me shooting threes. I was like this is I love this. I was like this is way cooler than me showing you any TV show or commercial I've ever been in. Let me just show you me. Let me just show you ripping off 10 straight threes and showing you my highlight package.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Well, we'll get you out of here, Casey. Before we do, though, we ask everyone five rapid fire questions. First one here If you had to be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose?
Speaker 2:Well, interesting. I guess people love the Amazing Race.
Speaker 2:So, maybe I'll do that one. Yeah, career based, I guess I should probably go on to something for, like, do they still do the Last Comic Standing or anything? Maybe I could do that one to try to get some better reps. But I'll go Amazing Race because Survivor feels a little scary. I feel like people almost die on that one with their bodies and stuff. So I'll do like the traveling with one person around the world. That feels fun. I feel like I don't get too mad. I'm sure I'd stress out at a couple points, but yeah, amazing Race, I'll stick with that.
Speaker 1:Amazing Race love it. If people have never consumed any of your pot five, what's the one you'd want them to go experience right now?
Speaker 2:Boy, that's tough People listening to this. I guess I'll pick like a Spike Lee. Maybe, if you haven't seen, do the Right Thing. That feels like a good one. If you've never seen that, maybe, if not, you can see something. If you've never seen, see what you think of that.
Speaker 1:Beautiful. You may have already answered this one, but if you were able to be a pro sports athlete, what's the sport you would choose?
Speaker 2:This is actually different, because basketball is by far my favorite one. But if I could play one game, it would be to play for the World Cup United States soccer team. I just think that would be. I played soccer growing up too and basketball was more my love. But just the stepping out playing for your country and then just like the pitch, stepping out on the field with that amount of people, and then I guess the fact that we were probably going to lose because we're playing for the us isn't as fun. But it feels for some reason. It feels bigger and more fun walking out of that tunnel than like basketball stadiums are kind of always basketball courts, you know, I don't know. Just yeah, I'll pick the playing for the World Cup US soccer team.
Speaker 1:What's one piece of advice you'd give someone thinking of trying comedy?
Speaker 2:Follow the fun. So if it's something you're trying and it's no longer fun, then like maybe try something else. If it continues to be fun, then like keep pushing forward. If it continues to be fun, then like keep pushing forward, love it.
Speaker 1:And then what's something you'd say you love most about having grown up in Minnesota?
Speaker 2:I had a pretty idyllic childhood. I grew up like in a city that had like a couple colleges, so there were like educated people around me. You know, it was small but not too small, so like we would just bike and be home by the time Like I truly lived across the street from a church and my parents would be like be be home by the time, like I truly lived across the street from a church and my parents like be home when the church bells ring, because then that's dinner and that meant like six o'clock or seven o'clock, whatever it was. It's like I did have just like the playful, but I don't know, I guess, like I don't know if this is, this is more my experience than everyone, but I did meet so many creative people, so many amazing artists, so many kind progressive thinkers that I, I loved it yeah, I, I really enjoyed my channel that I'm just wondering if there's anything specific about the state of Minnesota for all people.
Speaker 2:I guess, like maybe we don't take ourselves too seriously. You know, like, I think, you know, I think there is a little bit of. I never even heard of flyover country until I lived in LA. I know these are supposed to be rapid fire questions I'd never heard of, like flyover country, until I moved to LA and now I hear it all the time and obviously I think it's stupid. I just think we're all just specks of dust on a speck of dust in an entire universe and sometimes people like New York or LA think shit is really important, and this probably happens in some businesses in Minnesota too, but it felt a little bit of like yeah, but also who gives a shit? And I kind of like that, like yeah yeah, let's do whatever we want to do.
Speaker 2:And then also, who cares? And I like that Minnesota vibe of that.
Speaker 1:Love it, love it. Well, thank you so much, casey, for joining. I think you know, with comedy it's like can fit such a special place for people. I mean, you know, like when people speak for me, that there are times when I could have felt, you know, or I felt lost or was going through some internal unrest and like stumbling into the Silver Lake Lounge and seeing the work you're doing at Holy Shit was just really meaningful for me and I'm just like forever a fan from that night going forward and same thing with like you made a short with Ego Notum. I Will Find you that, I think, like gosh got me so emotional in so many ways and made me laugh in so many ways, and so just love your work. I'm forever a fan. Thank you so much for being on the show.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks, man. Yeah, I mean the same thing for me, Like selfishly, I know I used to say like I do comedy because it makes other people feel good, but I think that's bullshit. I mean that's a nice added bonus, but I'm really doing it for me, like in the same way I can be in a shitty mood and then go do a show and be like, yeah, for you know, at least while I'm on stage I'm not thinking about that and it probably per me it's longer and yeah, thanks, thanks for giving a shout out to that. Yeah, that's an interest. I mean I used to.
Speaker 2:I decided I should probably try to make features and now that stopped me from making anything because they're so expensive. But I will find you as one that I was trying. I'll just like for a little context, in case anyone watches it. At that time I was trying to work with tone, so I felt like I was like I want to see if I can pull other things other than laughter or comedy, and so it's a little trickier in a short and especially low budget one. But yeah, that's cool that you dug that, um, because once you put something out, you you don't really know yeah, like you said, with improv you're getting that instant feedback.
Speaker 2:With that you're just like nothing, unless someone lives, leaves a vimeo comment or something you're like yeah, yeah, and so, because I was trying something different, there there's always a little bit of me and be like should I is that? Should I hide that one? Should I keep that one up there, should I? And so it's nice to hear that you dig it because, um, yeah, I was definitely trying to like see if I could I'd read some. I don't even know if I think I watched a hitchcock documentary. I was gonna say I read a book on hitchcock, but I don't read books, so I can't see that. True, I watched a documentary on hitchcock and he was talking about, yeah, like different ways to elicit, uh, emotional responses from audiences, and so I was kind of trying to play with that in a fun one so cool thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Uh, that's on. That is on my vimeo. If anyone wants to watch that or any other short films, you can check that out yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 1:I I like I said it's it's funny. There's moments that, like you can like, there's questions that he's asking that are very funny, but it's just like it's clear there's something more behind that and then when he asks other questions later, it's just like all types of things, all types of emotions and really really good. So, thank right. As we go out, where can people find you, follow you, anything you want to share or promote?
Speaker 2:Yeah, casey Faye, on all social media that I'm on or that I think I would be good on. And then, holy Shit, improv. We've talked about a bunch. That's an improv show we do here twice a month in LA at UCB and Dynasty Typewriter, and then we tape all those shows, we live stream and then we put them on a patreon so you watch every show we've ever done. We have over a hundred some shows there, patreoncom slash, holy shit improv. And we're now doing a new like tier of that, which is we sit down with improvisers and watch the shows they've done and talk about the choices they made, whether they regret them, why they did them, if they had, if they, like, were just performing confidently and had no idea what to do right here, or did they have an idea or whatever. So if you're interested in improv comedy, if you're starting to get into it, it's kind of a great learning tool to see some amazing performers kind of talk honestly and give feedback on shows they've done. So you can check all that out on our Patreon.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Well, thank you so much again, wishing you the best and, yeah, we'll talk soon. Thank you so much for listening. If you're here in LA, go check out Holy Shit Improv at the Dynasty Typewriter or UCB. It's an incredible show, you won't be disappointed. And if you're not here, locally, go subscribe to the Patreon. There's a backlog of incredible performances, with a rotating cast of people from SNL and just your favorite comedians. You can't go wrong. Subscribe to the Patreon. We're so thankful for Casey and his time. It was such an awesome show and we have more guests coming your way, and I'm really excited about the roster that we put together for this season. So we'll see you next time, but until then, what's your pot five?
.jpg)