Good One

Jesse talks to comedian Sebastian Maniscalco about the creation of one of his most well-known jokes, “Doorbell”. Not only does Sebastian have a new Netflix special out, but at the time of the interview he was days away from headlining a weekend of stand-up shows at Madison Square Garden. Listen to how Sebastian refined his act-outs, and how nostalgia and disbelief came to shape his comedy. Watch Sebastian’s act outs to get a full picture of "Doorbell".Check out the interior of Sebastian and wife Lana Gomez’s house. Watch Sebastian’s new standup special “Stay Hungry” on Netflix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Good One. We missed you dearly. For our Season 5 premiere, comedian, actress, and improviser Nicole Byer invited Jesse over to talk about the opening jokes of her new Netflix special, Aggressively Adorable. For more Nicole check out Comedians of the World and Nailed It! on Netflix and listen to her on What the Tuck? A RuPaul's Drag Race Podcast and Why Won't You Date Me? wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With all of his standup specials, records, and multiple roles in TV and film, Sinbad has no shortage of material to dissect. But when Jesse reached out to to ask what joke Sinbad wanted to discuss on the podcast, Sinbad didn’t want to pick one. Why? Because he doesn’t write his act in the way that most other comedians do. Sinbad will build an entire routine from a fleeting thought in the moment while he’s on-stage—and it will change the course of the performance in an instant. Jesse and Sinbad trace his style back to its roots, and Jesse also gets closure on a Sinbad question he’s been holding onto for a long time. This week's episode is sponsored by Mack Weldon! For 20% off your first order, visit mackweldon.com and enter promo code GOODONE at checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Years before creating and starring in the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Rachel Bloom wrote and performed a musical sketch about a young actress’s obsession with Space Jam, the 1996 animated and live-action crossover starring Michael Jordan and a bunch of Looney Tunes. Jesse and Rachel talk about the compromise she made between musical theater and sketch comedy. Along the way they discuss the importance of nailing down a premise when writing, how rhyming can ruin a joke’s potential, and most importantly, why Space Jam? Watch Rachel’s “Space Jam” here, and read along with the lyrics below. “Space Jam” Lyrics I'VE NEVER FOUND A TRUE CALLING I WOULDN'T CALL THEATER MY LIFE FROM VOCATION TO VOCATION LOCATION TO LOCATION I'M JUST LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ENTHRALLING. (spoken) It's true. I'VE NEVER HAD MY OWN "THING" UNREMARKABLE: A COMMUNISTS' DREAM. BUT THERE IS ONE MOVIE THAT'S JUST SO DAMN GROOVY IT GIVES ME A REASON TO SING. AND THAT IS THE MOVIE SPACE JAM! OH MY GOD I LOVE THE MOVIE SPACE JAM! HAS ANYONE ELSE HERE SEEN SPACE JAM?! ALLOW ME TO DESCRIBE THE PLOT OF SPACE JAM! THE SETTING IS CIRCA 1996 AN INNOCENT AGE, I RECALL. MICHAEL JORDAN GOT HIMSELF IN A FIX 'CAUSE NOW HE PLAYS MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. MEANWHILE, ON A PLANET FAR OFF IN SPACE SOME CARTOON ALIENS HAVE AN AMUSEMENT PARK BUSINESS IS BAD, THEY'RE GONNA SHUT DOWN THE PLACE TILL THE ALIEN CEO HAS A GENIUS SPARK! (spoken) He's voiced by Danny DeVito. THE PLAN IS TO KIDNAP THE LOONEY TUNES WHO IN THIS FILM ARE SELF-AWARE AND HAVE FREE WILL AND ONCE THE ALIENS KIDNAP THE LOONEY TUNES THEY'LL ENSLAVE THEM TO CREATE A COMEDY MILL! (spoken) Now at this point, you're probably like, "What do cartoon aliens kidnapping Looney Tunes have to do with Michael Jordan?" Well that's the magic of- SPACE JAM! MUCH MORE HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE SPACE JAM! AREN'T YOU STARTING TO GET EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH SPACE JAM?! RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WANNA HEAR MORE ABOUT SPACE JAM! ZACH (V.O.) I'd actually prefer if you stopped. RACHEL Oh, come on! ZACH (V.O.) I want to hear about something EMOTIONAL. RACHEL Ok, fine. I'll talk about the time I came out of the closet instead, ok? ZACH (V.O.) Uh, yeah, that'd be great. RACHEL Ok. Well, when I first realized I was gay, I thought that no girl would ever- (singing again) SO THESE TINY CARTOON ALIENS GO TO LOONEY TUNE LAND/ AND GET LAUGHED AT 'CAUSE THEY'RE SO SMALL/ HA HA HA! ZACH (V.O.) OK, that's not what I meant... RACHEL THE LOONEY TUNES WANNA DEFEND THEMSELVES SO THEY CHALLENGE THEM TO A GAME OF BASKETBALL BUT THEN THE ALIENS TO GO A BASKETBALL GAME TO STEAL THE TALENTS OF THE PLAYERS IN THE NBA AND THEN THEY BECOME MONSTERS- NO- MONSTARS! WHICH MAKES THE LOONEY TUNES DESPERATE IN A MAJOR WAY! (spoken) And then, one day Michael Jordan is playing golf with Larry Bird and Bill Murray and he gets sucked down a golf hole. And this is when you're like "Oh man, this movie just got intense. I might have to leave the theater it's so intense!" And when Michael Jordan gets to Looney Tunes Land, he's surprisingly calm for what just happened to him, dubious really, because he just says, "What are you guys doing here?" SO THE LOONEY TUNES TELL MICHAEL THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE SLAVES UNLESS HE HELPS THEM WIN MICHAEL AGREES LIKE THE MENSCH HE IS AND SO THEY START PRACTICIN' FOR THE- ZACH (V.O.) Stop! Stop! RACHEL What? ZACH (V.O.) You're just singing the plot of the movie Space Jam! RACHEL It's really important to me! ZACH (V.O.) Yes, but why? Why is "Space Jam" so important to you? RACHEL WHEN I WAS 5 MY DADDY LEFT AND MY MOMMA WAS ADDICTED TO COKE SO I JOINED A GROUP OF RUNAWAY KIDS WHO WERE JUST AS SAD AND BROKE. THEN ONE NIGHT, THIS BOY NAMED JAKE GAVE ME MY FIRST KISS. BUT THE DAY AFTER THAT, HE DIED OF AIDS MAKING ME ASSOCIATE SICKNESS WITH BLISS. AFTER GOING ON A 3 DAY METH BINGE I DECIDED TO KILL MYSELF WHEN SUDDENLY, LIKE AN ANGEL, LIKE A BEACON I SAW THE POSTER FOR "SPACE JAM." AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED: IF LOONEY TUNES CAN PLAY BASKETBALL WHO SAYS I CAN'T QUIT DRUGS? IF TINY ALIENS CAN BE LARGE AND SCARY THEN I CAN PUT MYSELF BACK TOGETHER. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN "SPACE JAM" SO EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR ME. I WAS ABOUT TO JUMP IN FRONT OF A TRAIN. WHEN "SPACE JAM" ENDED MY PAIN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laurie Kilmartin is a stand-up comedian and writer for Conan. She's also cohost of the podcast The Jackie and Laurie Show along with comedian Jackie Kashian. Laurie discusses the formation of her 2017 Conan set, finding a new muse 20-years into her career, and how to know when to inform the audience that “Domingo” is Spanish for “Sunday”. Read Laurie’s tweet about joke transitions here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Birbiglia cemented his style of comedic storytelling in specials like Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, and Thank God For Jokes. He’s also the writer and director of Don’t Think Twice and the movie adaptation of Sleepwalk With Me. Now, his latest show, The New One, is running on Broadway. In this episode, we’re talking about an earlier one of Mike’s jokes—his Celebrity Golf story, from the album My Secret Public Journal Live. Mike describes how he identifies moments from his life that become his jokes, how to align with an audience, and the inherent error that has to exist in a piece of art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kenan Thompson and collaborator Bryan Tucker have been working on SNL together for years. In August 2017, they debuted Kenan’s take on NBA personality Lavar Ball. It went over so well that the impression returned for three additional Weekend Updates. Jesse asks Kenan and Bryan about how they come up with their best work that spans 16 seasons of SNL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Max Silvestri and writer Leah Beckmann have been together for seven years. They have a dog. For years Max hosted the New York alt-comedy showcase Big Terrific, which Leah had been to a couple of times before approaching Max on the subway to say hi. Fast forward to today, when Jesse sits down with the couple to discuss what it’s like to be written about as a significant other, the vetting process for relationship jokes, and why buttholes work when assholes don’t. Watch Max on Netflix’s The Comedy Lineup and see his work on Big Mouth. Read and watch Leah’s work on The Cut, Gawker, and Cartoon Network’s Summer Camp Island. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikki Glaser asserted herself as a ruthless and talented roaster at Comedy Central's Roast of Rob Lowe in 2016, so it was no surprise that she was invited back for Bruce Willis in 2018. Nikki walks Jesse through the roast process from start to finish, explaining the massive undertaking that is writing effective insults. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse and Chris Gethard discuss the transition from improviser to stand-up comedian, and then dissect the quintessential “Gethard Joke.” Chris recounts wrapping The Chris Gethard Show, his ambitious HBO special Career Suicide, and what’s problematic about applying the idea of “swim at your own risk” to live comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian, actress, and author Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens, You Can’t Touch My Hair, Ibiza) talks Jesse through getting a swimming lesson from Julia Roberts on the Adriatic sea—what she calls one of her life’s “Non-Trash Moments” in her forthcoming book Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay. Phoebe explains her writing process, along with her love for abbreviations, typos, and mixed metaphors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the Season 4 premiere of Good One, Nick Kroll discusses the difference between shame and guilt and how both concepts factor into writing a show like Big Mouth, which returned October 5th for its second season on Netflix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the season finale of Good One, Jesse and Aparna Nancherla (Just Putting It Out There, Comedy Central's Corporate, Netflix's The Standups) discuss how depression and anxiety came to be a part of her act, how her jokes about mental health have been received over time, and the inherent stress of interacting with babies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse talks to Will about the Last Man on Earth’s final scene, the show’s journey, and what would have come next if the show hadn't been cancelled. Recorded live in Montreal at the 2018 Just for Laughs Festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York based Naomi Ekperigin is quickly becoming an influential voice in modern comedy. She’s worked as a staff writer for Broad City and Great News, and was listed as one of the "20 Comedians You Should and Will Know" by Vulture. Jesse talks to Naomi about a joke from her most recent set on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Learn how Naomi crafted her tight 5 for late night, how she writes comedy conversationally, and the application process behind booking a spot on Seth Meyers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reggie Watts doesn't write jokes. With nothing but a microphone and some looping pedals, he crafts one-of-a-kind musical improv comedy. So on this special episode of Good One, Reggie improvises a song in the studio and we break down his process. He explains his love for improv over scripted comedy, his passion for science and technology, and shares his experiences making music on different drugs and psychedelics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vanessa Bayer stops in to discuss the creation of her character Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy. She talks about her formative years of comedy, Judaism, and how the process of writing a subtle and specific character evolved each time Jacob returned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Bo Burnham, writer and director of the feature Eight Grade, was interviewed live at Vulturefest. Vulture senior editor Jesse David Fox and Bo discuss his auto-tuned rant that closed out Burnham's Netflix special titled 'Make Happy.' They dissect Bo's relationship to audience, comedy, authenticity and performance- and how that informed his vision as he makes his directorial debut. This week's episode is brought to you by Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jimmy Fallon drops by to talk about his bit 'Do Not Play,' sharing songs so bad that you just have to listen to them. Fallon discusses finding his calling with the Tonight Show, a variety show and an institution, with the mission of putting a smile on your face before bed. He delves into the value of a silly bit inside of a show like his and reflects on his career, now and for the next twenty years. This episode is brought to you by Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patton Oswalt talks about the process of writing comedy in the face of real and personal tragedy. Oswalt's passion for crafting jokes, turns of phrase, and the way in which he talks about the world were thrown into intense perspective as he dealt with the loss of his wife, and the responsibility to care for his also grieving daughter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a special edition of Good One recorded live at Clusterfest, host Jesse David Fox discusses the process of creating the Daily Show with a panel of writers including Trevor Noah, Dulce Sloan, Michael Costa, Desi Lydic, Ronny Chang, Roy Wood Jr. This week's episode is sponsored by Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Cross breaks down a joke from early in his career about the fast casual chain COSI's attempt to make the bagel 'cool.' He discusses balancing material between the silly, serious, and political, as well his his relationship to the South. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cameron Esposito discusses a joke about the misrepresentation of sexual assault in popular culture. In this interview with Jesse David Fox, Cameron speaks to the challenge of sharing her own experience, drawing the audience in, and creating a space to perform the kind of material that confronts through humor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to season 3 of Good One! Kid Gorgeous a.k.a. John Mulaney stops by to break down a joke in defense of financiers. John shares how he found his stride in an 'old timey' voice, expands on his fascination with OJ Simpson, and talks about how working on Oh Hello influenced his writing style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox talks to Pete Holmes about a joke from his 2016 special Faces & Sounds. They talk about Pete's "spidey sense" as a comedian, why anger can be a great cue, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this live taped episode of Good One, Jesse talks to Wyatt Cenac about his Black History Month joke, which appears on his last album, Furry Dumb Fighter. Hear about Wyatt's writing process, why he often uses comic books as a source of material, and how he feels about including the n-word in his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Jesse David Fox and Natasha Leggero deconstruct a joke from her 2015 Comedy Central special. They talk about Burning Man, her process of trial and error, and how her persona has evolved over time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this live taped episode of Good One, Jesse talks to Bill Burr about a joke from his most recent special Walk Your Way Out. Hear how a trip to India helped shape that joke, what Bill thinks about doing characters, and how he manages his relationship with offended audience members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this live taped episode of Good One from the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, Jesse speaks with Eugene Mirman about his joke -- which is a real letter published in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire summer guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this live episode of Good One from Vulture Festival LA, Jesse speaks with Paul Feig about a fight scene from his movie Spy, why he works best with women and the trials of editing a film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox talks to Julio Torres and Jeremy Beiler, the writers behind the Saturday Night Live sketch “Wells for Boys.” In this episode, you'll hear how it came together, how it was received in the studio, and whether political art is the only art that matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse sits with Jeff Garlin for a somewhat flipped version of Good One. Jeff didn’t feel he’d be a right fit for the show as he's not one for dissecting his process. Hear why that is, why he thinks Eddie Murphy is the Babe Ruth of standup, and about making the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse speaks with Will Forte about what it was like to make the sex scenes in MacGruber (the SNL Macgyver parody turned '80s action movie) movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tim Minchin created the music for the musical Groundhog Day. He joins Jesse David Fox to talk about the musical and about one song in particular called "Stuck." Plus he plays a us little keyboard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox and Moshe Kasher deconstruct a joke about heaven from Moshe's 2013 Live From Oakland special-- It's a bit that's evolved over time, as he first tried a much shorter version of the joke on his 2009 album. They talk about religion, Moshe's new show Problematic on Comedy Central, and how he mastered the art of "highbrow-lowbrow." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox and John Early recorded a special, live episode of Good One during SXSW at TBS's In Search Of Pop-Up. John picked a scene from his episode of Characters on Netflix, in which he is giving a wedding toast and hijacks the room for way too long. He breaks down why he chose to play this type of character, why he loves upstate New York, and closes with he next best impersonation. (His best is Britney.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox sits down with Justin Simien, the director of the movie Dear White People and creator of the new TV show premiering on Netflix this month. They talk about a scene from the first episode in which a group of students are gathering to watch Defamation a parody of Shonda Rhimes' Scandal. Simien offers thoughts on his process, the benefits of adapting the movie to television and how the show fits into today's political landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Litt is the former senior presidential speechwriter for President Obama and he wrote his jokes, too. On this Good One, Litt shares about what it's like to write for the former president, why Obama is pretty good at delivering jokes and how they finally managed to incorporate Keegan-Michael Key's character of Luther, Obama's anger translater, into the White House Correspondence dinner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Horatio Sanz debuted his "Don's Apothecary" sketch during his fifth year on SNL. He sits down with Jesse David Fox to talk about the inspiration for the sketch, his SNL days and why he sometimes laughs at his own jokes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox and Kyle Kinane talk about a joke from Kyle's 2010 special Death of the Party and how it was so pivotal in his stand-up career. And we highly recommend staying for this laughning round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Scheer explains the inspiration behind creating the sketch series "The Illusionators," which appeared on MTV's Human Giant. Scheer created the show with Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, and Jason Woliner. Plus, hear the story about how Paul and Aziz encountered Criss Angel at a Las Vegas club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kristen Schaal joins Jesse David Fox to talk about the origins of one of her earliest jokes Dancing Bird. She shares why she often uses animals in her comedy and what it was like to break out as a stand-up comic using conceptual bits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Jesse David Fox and Neal Brennan talk about a joke Neal wrote for Half Baked and how it's representative of his early career writing for the Chapelle's Show, and Neal shares about his new stand-up special on Netflix 3 Mics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse David Fox sits down with Jim Gaffigan to break down a joke from Jim’s Netflix special Cinco about newscasters and how they’re so good looking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices