Tina Fey
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Hey everyone, this is Amy Poehler. This is the first episode of my podcast. Thank you for being here. I like to be five or six years late to any trend. It only gets better from here, but or it only goes down from here. I don't know. We'll see. I just want to make it clear. I am not an expert. I'm not a therapist. I'm not here to change your life. I don't care if you get any better. I don't have advice for you. I just I just want us to have fun and

Lighten up a little. And I don't know. I want us to feel like there's a way to have laughs amid all of the craziness that is life. So if you're listening to this while you're working out or folding laundry or maybe you're sitting in your car avoiding your kids, maybe you're listening to this, I don't know, in your in-law's basement next to the Bowflex machine.

And it's Christmas and you're questioning the choices you've made in life. Whatever it is, this is a show here to have fun and make you laugh. And I'm not here to judge. Okay, so my guest today is Tina Fey. Tina is my wife, really, in life. She is my comedy partner in many ways. And she has, you know, I talk about it in the podcast a little bit, but she has been...

Along this journey with me, we've really experienced a lot of things together at the same time in life. Sometimes I feel like Tina and I are kind of a group with two members. And we've had a lot of parallel things happen at the same time. Kids and TV shows and career. And we're lucky enough to still like each other and want to tour together. So we're going to talk and hang out. And like any good hang, you want to make sure that

Anyone's invited. So without further ado, here are some of my fave people, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, and Zarna Garg, a great stand-up and friend who's been joining Tina and I on the road. And see if they have any questions for Tina, anything they think I should ask her. And honestly, I just want to check in and see if they think this is a good idea. Woo-hoo!

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Wait, Dratch's Zoom is in the dark. Dratch is in a haunted New England attic.

It's very Dratch to join and then carry her laptop into every room in her home. I'm planting it now. Dratch is putting her headphones on in a way. There's a 30% chance she strangles herself. I know. This is a very typical Dratch entry. Dratch's headphones look like, hmm. You know when you're trying to untangle Christmas lights?

Yeah, I didn't even know this kind of cord could tangle like that. I'm holding up everything. No, no, this is what Amy wanted. Just the sound of untangling headphones is great for like a first podcast and stuff. Okay.

All right, ready to rock. Maybe I should reintroduce everybody since we're all on mic here. Zarna Garg, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch. Welcome to Good Hang. Thank you for being part of the group. It's great to be here. It's been a great hang so far. It's an honor. I mean, everything that's happened before the intro has been great. I mean, it feels like it's been real smooth. That's on me. That's on me. You can hear this microphone okay? Does this sound all right? Check, check. Can we just go down the line and have everyone clap?

We really need you guys to clap. Oh, I didn't hear Zarna. Okay, okay, okay. We really need to get this clap right, guys. Okay, Seth, it's not picking up. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. It's not picking up.

Amy, this is the episode. This is it. 100% Zarn. I think it's very unfair that Dratch is using this time to record an episode of background noises with Rachel Dratch. Dratch, who was at the door? That's the question. I ordered food. I ordered food.

I haven't heard an old-timey doorbell like that. Wait, wait, one more thing. One more thing. The batteries are out of my...

I don't need to have a microphone, right? Dratch, we're probably going to edit you out of this. This is the most embarrassing part. Also, Dratch, if you ordered from a second restaurant, you should tell us now. I did it. I did it. I do a bang bang. Okay. Well, already it's been a good hang. Okay.

Oh, my God. Okay. So my first guest is Tina. Tina Fey. And you all know Tina really well. So I guess my question to you is what would you want to hear her talk about on this podcast or any podcast? She doesn't do a lot of them.

Her dad was really good at caricatures. Mm-hmm. So are there any other artistic talents that she got from her dad? Because Tina's good at caricatures too, like drawing. But how do you put that into like a question for her? I guess it's more like...

Did she get that from her dad or like how much like I remember him being really funny in his own way, too. Yeah. So she is an intimidating presence, Tina. Like, you know, people are nervous around her. I was nervous around her when I first met her. I wonder if she ever gets asked like that. She's intimidating in the way that a man would be to me.

But I wonder if she ever gets asked like the girl questions, like what dress are you going to wear? That's interesting. Is that something she deals with at all? Or do people just go to her like, oh no, this is not a Tina Fey question. Do you want me to ask her the dress question? Ask her the dress question, Seth. I'll ask her. Ask her. And can you do it? Can you whisper it in like a phone call late at night? Can you say, what dress are you going to wear? Hey, Zarna, Zarna wants to know.

I know you guys, your time is limited, so I won't keep you much longer. But just before we go, you are all doing tons of podcasts, hosting them, in them. Like what advice do you have for me as I launch? I just know from knowing you that like whenever you ask people questions in real life, you really are interested in

And you're just on like the cliff of like giving a hint as to what your opinion is. Just not too much, but just enough. So like it's really it just draws you in. So there's no advice. I'm just like every time you ask me a question, like, oh, I think Amy's really asking me a question.

Is it – that sounds kind of leading the witness a little bit. No, no, no, no, no. It's more like this is going to be a fun conversation. So, for example, this is not a real thing, but you'd be like, so you really like landing in London? Like that's like a good airport to land in, right? Yeah.

And I'm like, oh, something's this is about to be a conversation about what I think you're very good at not letting sometimes you help turn people away from the negative narrative that they might want to lay out to you. So you're really good friend and that you listen. And I think you can tell when people just need to like unburden themselves or something. But I feel like more than maybe anyone else I know, you're very good at saying, can I invite you to look at this a different way?

May I offer you some feedback? Not even feedback. It's more like I just, you know, it's not like this is how you should, but like you're telling me something and I see how you're seeing it. But like, can I just ask you to maybe see it this way where you won't be as hard on yourself and you won't be as sad about it? I don't know. I feel like you've always been very good that way. Thanks. But you don't, you don't, you have like a regular voice that you, you're not using right now. Do you want to do your real voice? Oh yeah, I'll do my real voice. Hey guys.

Oh, it was so hard to do my other voice. It hurts, right? Yeah, it hurts. It hurts. Anyway, it's so great you guys are doing this today. I love you and I have to go. I'm so sorry. Yeah, go, go. I love you. Thank you for doing this, Seth. I have to go too. Everyone's got to go. It means the world that you guys did this. Thank you for letting me...

like start this is like the ground floor thanks for being there for me with this and so many other things I can't wait to see you all in person very soon I really love you guys thanks so much for doing it love you love you all okay bye guys bye thank you this episode is brought to you by Uber Eats Uber Eats is delivering game day deals because you can't watch eight hours of basketball a day on an empty stomach

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Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. All right, we're going to officially start. And begin. And we need everyone to clap. Personality on. It's not working. We just need a clap. We need you to clap and count backwards from 10. 10. 10.

Tina, thank you for being on the first official podcast that I have ever done for Good Hang. It is my absolute pleasure. I really, really appreciate it, buddy. You have done many things for me over the years, including getting most of the jobs that I have, helping me get most of the jobs that I have and the career that I have. But this means the most. This means the most? Okay, great.

But I am kind of nervous. Why? Well, I mean, I guess it's funny to talk to your friends that you've known for so long and then interview them, I guess. But we should probably, I guess we should probably picture this as, like, I'm going to picture that there's a room full of, like, I'm going to picture, like, there's an audience. Okay. And not just Jenna. Yeah, because it's the only way I can get off.

No, I'm just kidding. I have to step on your neck and talk to you. You know what else? Sometimes when I hear things like this back, I go, oh, why was my voice so nasal and annoying? So should we just take a little minute to just, hmm, just let's warm up our voices. Do you remember the character that Keenan did on SNL where he was a guy saying, just fix it? Remember he was like a New Yorker that just kept going, fix it. No, I don't remember that. I remember him saying, let me hold that baby.

Do you remember that character? Did that air? I don't know. It was a really funny, it was almost like a premise for a short story where he was just like a sweet old man in a train station. And then somebody was, a young host was there with her baby and he was, she was like chatting with him and then he just goes, let me hold that baby. And it was her dilemma was like, I don't actually know this man. Like, should I let him hold my baby? Like, what if he runs away? What if he smashes it like a basketball into the ground? Let me hold that baby. Yeah.

Okay, but you don't do a lot of podcasts. I don't do a lot. I'm very selective in my podcast work. I appreciate that. And you were so good on Bowen and Matt's. Oh my gosh, thank you. It was so funny. Thank you. That is one podcast that I do listen to and enjoy. That and Dratch, anything Dratch says. Those guys are funny. But I felt a lot of pressure. I went in there knowing you have to do that one minute thing at the end and I...

Something I think about a lot, and I fall short of it constantly, but a million years ago, I was a writer still at SNL, and I remember Steve Martin came to do something on the show. He wasn't hosting, but he came to the show, and he had just been on Letterman the night before. And I said, oh, hi, how you doing? I said, oh, my gosh, you were so funny on Letterman last night. And he just very matter-of-factly said, oh, well, you have to kill every time.

And that has haunted me every day since. And he's right. And it's like, oh, right. Like if you're a beautiful actress from, I don't know, like Melrose Place. No, just whatever. Like you're just a beautiful actress. You can go on and be like, I went to the store once. But if you're a comedy person, you have to kill every time. Yeah.

Oh, God. Have you ever, I mean, I think I know the answer to this, but I feel like I've never really gotten a job from an audition ever. Ooh. Do you feel like you've gone into an audition for something and nailed it and been like, I got it?

No, no, never. Because again, I'm not really so interesting on paper. Like I remember going to commercial auditions in Chicago and we had friends at that time. Chicago was a thriving town for commercials. I don't know if it still is, but there were, you know, huge ad agencies were based there and they would shoot things in Chicago. And a lot of people that we worked with at Second City were.

would get a lot of work that would pay for their whole year you know um i did a little bit of voiceover work um i had a pager remember you'd have a pager be like guys my pager's blowing up i might have a voiceover audition downtown i gotta go there was a casting director in chicago um who shall not be named who was a commercial casting director and i had kind of wonky teeth

So it was this kind of thing where we'd go out for this, remember the term bite and smile? - Yes. - So you'd pretend a bite into a hamburger and then you'd smile. - Yeah. - Yeah, and it could change your life. - You could pay for like three years of your low rent. - Yeah, and I knew right away that with my teeth I was never gonna get a bite and smile. There's no way a brand would be associated with my teeth.

And this casting director, just to get to know people, would ask them, what's your most embarrassing moment? Oh, yeah. Yes. Yeah. And I had a full like I got probably nervous in that moment. But I was like, no, thank you. I didn't want to tell her my most embarrassing moment. Because by the way, that's insane. Yeah.

Like that's that's that's one of the that's a tiny micro version of when we try to explain the 90s to younger people of like how so many things you like. Oh, that lady would literally be fired and tried in front of a jury for asking you that in the workplace. I had a bite and smile type thing where it was a McDonald's audition and.

And everything always was like, okay, so take two trains and a thing and get way out to wherever this audition is. And then you get there and it was for some new kind of happy or drive-thru meal, whatever. And I went all the way to the thing and I got there and I realized as we were going into the session, like, oh, this commercial is for a person pulling into a drive-thru. Yeah.

And I have this, you know, scar on the left side of my face that's way faded now, but it was much more prominent then. I was like, similar to the tea thing, I was like, guess who's not going to book this pulling up to the drive-thru with my short hair with the perm on top and a big scar. And so I just remember in the thing just being like pulling into the chair, like scooting like I'm in the drive-thru being like, I'll have the fish fillet meal and my scar will have an orange soda. And then just leaving. Yeah.

You were like, you're not going to reject me. I'm going to reject you. I'm going to reject you. It's like, what are we doing here? I traveled 45 minutes each way. I mean, we talk about work a lot when we're together. I think we work together really well. What is your relationship to work and has it changed? I think it has changed. I am a work-based person. If I were an animal, I would be like a –

carriage horse, I think. You know, they say like, oh no, these, or like some kinds of dogs, like no, they want to work or they'll go insane. So I am that kind of animal, I think. But I also, I have just recently, really recently found that I have

Because I went through such a stretch for so many decades where it was like you go to work for 12 to 13 hours and then you come home and you try to be with your family until they go to sleep. And then you're like, then you've got to do your homework. And I've only in the last year or two had windows of time where I'm like, I don't have homework tonight. Right.

I can just be a person in this world and maybe like watch a program. Do you feel like you can actually enjoy it in that moment? I can, although it's still, you know, I think any other writer would say this too, that the closest I can get to joy and peace is like the 36 hours after I've turned something in. Because that's the only time when you're like...

I did it. I really, I don't have any homework, but I'm still a very good carriage horse because I did my work. Yes. And then after like 36 hours, it creeps back in of like, okay, I'm going to get notes back or I should go skip ahead to the next thing. I will say, though, I did go back to work this fall on a set for the first time in a long time. And it was actually, and I worked hard to build it to be a really healthy set and really...

like humane hours and it was nice to be among other humans and making something. I also was extremely purposeful about bringing together people who I believed were good people who would not make any trouble for me. Yes. And it really made a difference. I feel like that's the, that's success. Yeah.

Right. That's a luxury. Is getting to realize I only, if I can, want to work with people who I know will not think that

Chaos is how to be creative. It's how to be creative. And, you know, I think as so many TikTok stories, we won't go into which ones, but people are like hearing about movie sets and being like, that's crazy what's happening there. I was like, that's not that crazy. Like that's pretty, like movies especially are about just people going crazy and acting out and then one or two people trying to harvest something.

series of photographs of those people that can be assembled into a film. But it's mostly poorly behaved, crazy people being indulged by various parties. And we have seen and worked at places, and this is no big scoop, like SNL is one of them, where people come in with their system of how they like to work, and people when they're nervous or insecure are often not at their best. And the way they act is wild. Yeah.

Because they're nervous or insecure. Insecurity makes people behave wildly. I even have learned to realize that, we talk about relationship to work, that I have now learned that I get very, very grouchy and nervous when something has to be written. Because it is like having a stomach flu. And you're like, it's the sick you feel before you either...

eject it one way or the other and it just really gotta come out one end grouchy until it comes out um and i can at least see that pattern but doesn't prevent it from happening but i'm like okay here's what's happening i feel that way about when i'm in a situation where i don't feel like there's a strong leader like where i'm being directed by someone who doesn't quite know yeah

what they're doing or there's but there's no one telling us what to do like there's no one in control I have that grouchiness where I feel like I'm going to I'm either going to have to take over here or I'm going to have to like you know check out yeah

And I've been in a couple projects where like week one, I'm like, oh no. Like we don't have a captain. Like this ship is going down and you can see months ahead. Yep. How do you, yeah, I don't know. How do you, you just kind of, I guess you just watch funny videos in your trailer? Yeah, I think the one way is, yeah, you shut down. And the other way is you try to clumsily take over and make people uncomfortable. Yeah, those are the only two, those are the only two options. They really are. Right.

But, like, hold on. I'm going to take a lip balm break. Do it up. Because I need, my lips are dry. This is brought to you by lip balm. The concept of lip balm. The Lip Balm Foundation. Promoting all lip balms everywhere. I mean, I guess this is friendship is letting your friend use their. I know about this because I have a middle schooler. I love Laneige.

I mean, the question is, like, how well do you have to know someone to let them stick their finger in your lip? I'm not shy to do that. Okay, you don't want to? I don't want to. Interesting. Well, I'll think about that all day. I'm afraid it will wipe off what little colors. But you're not a germaphobe. I'm not a germaphobe, and I think it's a real unattractive quality in someone else when they're, like, a germaphobe. Especially in a man. In a man, it is such a disgusting thing.

Disgusting. Steel breaker. Like a man who's worried about, like, I don't shake hands. It's like, you're a man. Shake hands and then go wash your hands, you freak. Yeah, you're the one with poop on your hands. You're the one. Like, who said anything about poop on their hands until you did? I don't know. But we know a couple people that are germaphobes. We have to watch out. That's the thing we have to watch out for in our 50s is the thing that was, like, our cute eccentricity becomes our genuine...

Mental illness. The thing that's like, you know how they don't like to drive? Yeah. Well, I was, I got, my license had expired. And during the pandemic, you were like,

It was before the pandemic. You were like, you've got to get your license back. To me, you were like, you can't be one of those older ladies that doesn't drive. And I'm like, you're right, you're right, you're right. No, I love to drive. I do. You do. You're good at driving. I love to drive. And the name of your car is? My car is named Karen because she's a white Subaru. And I said this before, which is I feel like Amy came this close to being

A Karen. Yes. Because, as you've said, a lot of the actual worst Karens were, in fact, named Amy in real life. The woman that called the guy that was birdwatching was named Amy at the same time Amy Coney Barrett was up and running or getting up and running. There was a lot going on with Amy. We missed it by an inch. Yeah. It's a real...

Yeah. But is there anything you feel like you see me doing that you should like I should be careful about? Warn you about? That's a good question. I think that is what women do for each other is they say like, hey, you know, like, you know, the pills that you take for your for flying. You shouldn't take them when you're not flying. Well, my chair made a fart sound. That wasn't me. Yeah.

No, I feel like I know what you should tell me about, which is, especially coming out of the pandemic, my mumbling, talking, metastasized. And sometimes when I'm thinking really fast, it really is...

even I'm like, wow, what's going on there? Like I have to work to fully form my words. What do you think is going on there? I think I stayed home a lot in the pandemic and muttered to myself and I hope that's it. And not, that's not a precursor to some kind of mental decline. It was like her muttering started when she was 53. And then she became one of the crumb brothers from the movie crumb. Everyone paused the podcast, go watch crumb real quick.

But I'm trying to think if there, I don't, well, I know that I, like, I play this game with my friends. It's a fun game to play together, which is like, what is the version of you that's like your biggest fear you will turn into? I know mine exactly. Okay, what is it? How do I say this without saying it? Mm-hmm.

I want to write it down and show it to you. By the way, I have my computer here, you know, because that's what people do with podcasts is they have their computer. Because you're playing Candy Crush the whole time. Yeah, I know. And you have one window open with porn. I wish we could do the whole podcast where I say really, like, the wrong information about everything and then I pretend to look it up and I verify it in front of you. Oh, also, I wish I was just smoking weed the whole time. What if I just start lit up a joint? Okay. Okay. Now, how do I articulate that? Okay, I would say there's a certain type.

of strident older showbiz. Yes. That's like, listen to me, honey. I don't give a fuck. And I'm like, oh God. But that's so not you. You're a mutterer. I'm a mutterer. So it's not, but there's also something about the look of it. That's as often as I say, like, I'm going to cut my hair. And my friend Guy has been doing my hair for 30 years. He's like, no,

No, you may not. Well, you have the best hair in the business. Thank you. People should know this. Let's get grandma a hair campaign. This is all Tina's hair. This is all my hair. Thank you. And much like skinny people who are mad about Ozempic, in the early 2000s when all these bitches started wearing tracks, I was like, what? What?

You can just have what I have. This is all I have. It is the most incredible real hair I've ever seen. We just did this, I just did this show called The Four Seasons that's coming out in May. And there's a scene, it's based on this old movie with Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. And there's a scene in the old movie where Carol Burnett is very angrily brushing her short hair, which is so, it's like the most 1981 thing ever. Like, first of all, we know like,

you don't vigorously brush short hair. It's going to look terrible. But she's in the scene, she's fighting and she's brushing her hair. And I put just a little bit of that in the show. I just put myself in the eye. And I kept saying, Coleman Domingo was directing that episode. And I kept saying, Coleman, I'll tell you what, a lot of these movie stars, they can act better than me, but they can't brush their hair on camera because they're all wearing fucking wigs. And they're all wearing... And so I'm like...

I was like, insisted in the edit that a couple shots of me brushing my hair stayed in. And then I went to the mix and I was like, oh, did you turn down the sound of my hair brushing? Turn it back up. And that's what producing is. That's what producing is. It's insanity and narcissism. And it's like, turn up my hair brush. Turn up the sound of the brush going through my hair. And people go, we don't need it. And you go, we do need it. We do need it. But you have incredible hair. I feel like you should have a hair campaign. And also, I always...

I'm pushing you to have a glasses line. Why do you not have a glasses line? I don't have a glasses line because I have to say... You hate money? I do kind of hate money. As we know, I'm terrible with money only in that I'm like... You are not terrible. No, I'm not terrible. I don't waste money, but I don't get excited about money. If I'm safe and I have enough money to live, I have a problem with...

rich people having a side hustle. Yeah. You mean like a podcast or something? No, that's just you're doing work. I'm saying if you sold like, where would my line be for you? Where would I draw the line?

Yeah, I know what you mean. Like if I had a rosé. If you already have like $200 million and you're like, also, I need you to. But Tina, this is where you have to learn from Gen Z. I'm sorry. And we have to. They don't care. They don't judge it. They don't judge it. I judge it. Well, you should stop because this is the thing that you have to have a million. You have to have glasses. Well, I have my line of children's medications.

I told you that's so treacherous. By the way, one time, a million years ago, I remember seeing, and I won't name this actress, but someone could figure it out. I remember seeing an 80s actress promoting her line of homeopathic children's medications. I was like, why on this earth would I trust an actress for pediatric medications to give to my child? You're saying you worry about...

Turning into a woman as we get older, as you get older, that is like a strident, opinionated, here's how it works, babe. Right. Kind of person. Yeah. And just fighting everybody. Yeah. And just. Because I just think as an exercise, it's fun to think about our personalities. Like what the thing that like got us here that are here sitting in front. Like you and I are lucky enough to have a lot of years behind us.

hopefully more years in front of us, working, getting to try all this different stuff. We're at a point in our lives where we're like in this juicy middle where we have either parents who have passed away or aging parents. We have kids who are like coming into their own. We're right in the middle of life. Let's be honest, we're more two-thirds than middle, but we like to say we're middle. Although I'm going to live to 100. God forbid. Wait, you don't want to live to 100? No.

Unless there's some amazing... There will be. Okay. We'll see.

Like new lungs, there'll be a whole thing. Money only can fix your 80s and 90s so much. That is the thing. We've traveled on, we've hung around a lot of wealthy older people and the thing that they cannot get over is that they're going to die. Yeah. Like that's the thing. They can't believe it. But who's your guy? Who do I call? Yeah. Yeah. And it's like no one. You call God. Yeah. You call him on the phone and say. Yeah. But sorry. And he says welcome to hell.

He says welcome to hell. And God says welcome to hell. Okay. But do you want to talk about Four Seasons for a second, by the way? Sure. Because it is coming out, and Coleman Domingo is a prince on this earth. An angel on this earth. God. So talented, so beautiful. Gorgeous. Inside and out, like a beautiful human being. Yes, so we're doing this show, The Four Seasons, on Netflix. I'm very excited about it. It is...

Based on this 1981 movie that was written and directed by Alan Alda, another angel on this earth. Can I tell people that I said hello to Alan Alda at your house recently? Alan Alda came to my house. That was pretty cool. Alan Alda, it was a real momentous occurrence. I mean, Alan Alda was huge in our lives. He remains huge, yeah. He's such a big deal. You can't even imagine what a giant. Do you remember the Super Emmy? Yeah.

One year, one year they gave out a Super Emmy. So it was like you could call it a Super Emmy? It was called a Super Emmy. And he's the only person that ever got it because it was like they won like best show, best directing, best script, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And the Super Emmy goes to Alan Alda. Everyone was like, OK, that's enough of the Super Emmy.

They only did it once? I think they only did it once. And was it bigger than a regular interview? You should have him on the podcast. He has a great podcast. I have listened to his podcast. It's one of the few that have penetrated my fortress. That's what she said. I would love to talk about it because it was a truly joyous experience top to bottom. One of the things I'm most proud about of this whole thing was that

um so many people actors and crew came up to me and were like this is the most pleasant job we've ever had um and it was like I said it was built as intentionally as possible to be all good souls um and uh

It's Coleman, a beautiful Italian actor named Marco Calvani, Steve Carell, Will Forte, Carrie Kinney Silver, and Erica Henningsen. And it's basically that little ensemble is pretty much, that's it. Very few day players, very few, like no real, very few guest stars. And so it was a really...

cozy environment and it's a very very gentle program that I am kind of just can't wait to see if people are interested in a gentle a good hang it hopefully is the tv equivalent of a good hang because it's just you know there's some story but there's no zombies there's no mysteries great that's exactly truly what we're trying to do here because I can't my nervous system I

Well, two things. My nervous system cannot take it compared to the rest of the world. Yes. And also, I feel like there's this weird sometimes, I mean, you are the exact, you're the example of not doing this, I think. You, like, everything you make is hard jokes and hard comedy and always really, really funny. But a lot of times women specifically are asked to, like,

Be, like, nurturing caretakers in spaces. Like, be teachers. And when we were thinking about this podcast, it was like, all the guys get to just, like, goof around and have fun. And it'd be, like, straight comedy escapism. And our stuff has to be, I don't know, about menopause. Which also is important. Yeah. This is, I mean...

For the people who want 100 jokes per minute, this is a departure. These characters are funny, but it's all completely human scale. Ooh, I love that. So again, we shall see. And I feel like it is just a little science experiment where people might be like, no. But TV doesn't really, like there's no TV anymore, right? It's all just like articles about TV. Like TV itself isn't on. It's AI generated listicles.

It's TikTok about TV shows that aren't on. So what is the thing that you do? Where do you go to escape? What is like the video that you watch, the person that you watch? What is making you laugh? I have a couple things that I like to watch. One of the things I like to watch is – and again, I'm going to keep referencing TikTok. I am not a public account. You don't find me. Don't look for me. Don't look at me. If anyone's pretending to be you, they're fake. It's fake, yeah. Okay.

But I like to watch videos of people either doing or learning or trying to teach something

Beyonce's homecoming dance break. So either someone who can do it or I love it when it's a person who you don't expect them to be able to do it and then they do it. Like they're holding like a laundry basket. Yeah, so they're just like, yeah, they're a mom in their laundry room and then they do it. I have tried to watch tutorials to try to do it. I'm not a great dancer and I

I know that if I was given from now to the end of my life, I could not learn the first 16 counts of that dance. Yeah. But I love watching people do it. And then the other day I was watching a whole bunch of people doing it and it took me one guy was like a really good

ripped guy in like shorts, no shirt doing it. And I was like, oh, this is a new layer of this. And then the algorithm was like, oh, you watch that? So you just want to see videos that are just like hashtag rugby build? And it was just like guys with a rugby build. And I was like, I think I do want to watch this.

Yeah. Paul Meskel started that. Like, he's the ultimate famous rugby bill. And then have you seen in rugby where they have to pick each other up with their underwear? No. So in rugby, there's a move where the men to get the other one taller.

You know, like to basically it's almost like if you're hoisting somebody up. Yeah. They grab basically their shorts and underwear. So weird. And then that's how they get it up. And there's videos. And I'm not saying that my algorithm has necessarily taken up on this, but I have seen them enough to now I do get them where men grab each other by the waist. It's very feminine. It's actually like it almost looks like a lift. Yeah.

But they grab each other and lift each other up, and then their penis...

Their dicks are right in the line of their face. But it's totally fine. I mean, it's fine either way. Of course it is. I just mean that everyone's happy. There's no... Everyone's doing exactly what they want to do. Yeah. And these are in slow motion. Yes. Yeah, I wasn't mad about that change in my algorithm. And, okay, so another thing that I really do... The only other...

television program that truly brings me joy is my weekend local news in the morning. I love, and by the way, they know this and they're probably like, stop talking about us. It's getting weird. Who are your anchors? I love NBC4, Pat Battle,

Gus Rosendale. It is, I find, to be the most truly informative, nice program on the whole week. Here's what you get, Amy. You get your news. You get your national news briefly. You get your local news. Mostly local, right? Okay. Then you get Produce Pete. Oh, I love Produce Pete. Nice old Italian man. Comes out, tells you what's in season, what to make with it. Incredible. Then...

It used to be more frequently before the pandemic. Before the pandemic, he used to be in person. Bill's books. Nice gentleman named Bill. Come tells you what he read, what he liked about it, what he recommends that you read. Before the pandemic, they also then used to sometimes be like, here are some animals that are up for adoption. I feel like that's gone away. But that's it.

And then the weather and the traffic and Pat Battle and Gus, I believe they're friends. They have a wonderful rapport. You don't know what their deal is? I mean, I don't think they're more than friends, if that's what you're implying. I would never. But I feel like they like being co-workers. What a great name, too, Pat Battle. Pat Battle. Have I... Listen, one time it was like a hurricane or something, a blizzard. Pat Battle went out on the street in her hometown. That's a big deal. She went out where she lives in New Jersey, and she was helping people push their cars. That's cool. That...

That is what America should be. It's Pat. It's Gus. It's Produce Pete. It's Bill's Books. We help our neighbors. That's the America I want to live in. If you've got Battle in the last name, you've got to push somebody's car. Listen, have I invited Pat Battle to events? 100%.

Like, too many times. Does she show up? Yes. We have a good time? Great. So you've met Pat Battle. I've met Pat Battle. And what was that like? Did sparks fly? I mean, she was... Thought it was pretty funny that I keep bothering her. That I'm obsessed with her. But Pat Battle's in an episode of 30 Rock. Oh, really? As herself? Yeah, we did one episode where...

Liz Lemon gets invited to a women in media luncheon and then of course the gag is that they have a big screen and they can't figure out to get it to work and all women are all like, turn it on and off again!

But it's like, it was like Pat Battle, Gayle King, a couple other news ladies, and Andrea Martin played like the lady who was running it. And she, her character has a breakdown in the middle of the thing and she's talking about how her husband left her. And she's like, I just remember she had some line where she was like, I put it, my Andrea Martin impression, get ready. Okay. I put a sweater on a body pillow and I took it for a canoe ride. Okay.

Like everyone, all the women lose their minds at the Women in Media Luncheon. Tina, that makes total sense to me that that is your like fun. That makes me feel nice. And I'm also, I'm drinking coffee. I'm with Jeff. It's the morning. Yeah. Everything hasn't gone to shit yet. And then weekends, the weekend plans are all possible. But the news, but that's a new, but the news is local. Listen, it's local. It is. It's local. But even the local. Oh, everything's on fire.

Yeah, but then it's also like there's a food festival on City Island. That kind of stuff. And Curtis Pete's like, check out these artichokes. He's like, Betty's going to make this squash pie called matzo goots. Speaking of Betty, people should know that that's what I call you. That's right. That's my nickname for you. You called me that in front of Colin Jost the other day, and he seemed very delighted. He and Kimberley didn't know that. Well, we're right now not thinking about us. No, he isn't.

He doesn't know what we call each other. Jost, who, talk about an arc. Jost, when we met Jost. Did you say a narc or an arc? An arc. Okay. Talk about a narc. What a narc. I was smoking weed and Jost called the police and I was like, fucking narc. No, talk about having an arc. Baby Jost, as we used to call him, we met him.

We went up to the Harvard Lampoon. Oh, see? That's where we met him? That's, I think, where I met him. Did you meet him? I have a terrible memory. I remember I hated every minute being at the Harvard Lampoon. Boy, me too. What a bunch of dorks. Maybe we should just tell the story. So the Harvard Lampoon invites you up, and they kind of roast you. They invite you to come up, and then you go there, and then a bunch of, like—

snivelly little worms. Yeah. Like, by the way, like try to roast you and they're not good. No, they're not good. But you and I have many times over the years, many times I've had this moment where we turn to each other and loved or hated something at the same time. And this was definitely example where we both were like, we're not, we don't like this.

And they make you go through this kind of initiation. And, I mean, I wasn't in a sorority in college. No, me neither. And I don't get it. So, but they made you go through a whole thing and then they brought us into a big giant room and they kind of roasted us. Yeah. And...

We had, we had, I think we had a lot of fun in how much we, like, did not engage. We all didn't like it. Didn't like it. And, but, but Baby Jost was there. He was the baby. Okay. I don't remember him. We didn't get a Jost roast, but. No, he was, he was always a. But he went on to. I don't remember any of the actual people that roasted us. I remember the face of one guy. And has he gone on to work in comedy? I don't believe he has. No.

Since then, you know why? Because you and I both have like blue collar. Yeah. I guess rage. What would you call it? Like or at worst chip on her shoulder. Yeah. Like you're not better than me. Yeah. Yeah.

I remember having two more Harvard experiences and both involved what I felt like, like, like sniveling guys roasting me because one was the, the,

Hasty Pudding where you really do kind of you know what you're getting into and they kind of come out and roast you. Why isn't everyone just like no nerds thanks. No thanks. Why does anyone go? I don't know. But I really did my homework on that one and I had really good jokes that I was proud of. And I really crushed them. And then I was asked to give like one of those speeches at Harvard and one of the kids I mean I've gotten this more than once and

I hope this isn't awkward for you, for me to say it in front of you, but definitely, like, people like to say, like, you're the poor man's Tina Fey. Oh, God. I know. And so... But this kid said it right before I went up, so I gave him the finger, which...

Everyone was shocked about it. And I don't know who is the right. I mean, I did it, I guess. But I go, fuck you. And again, I was like, you're on a dais, Amy. But then fuck Harvard. Yeah, fuck Harvard. Fuck Harvard. I mean, those fucking assholes. But thank you for inviting me. It was a real honor.

Don't lose my number forever. Go fuck yourselves. Yeah, definitely is the kind of thing where like people go to award shows and they get mad that they're getting the award. It's like if you really if you really don't like it, don't go. Don't go. But I did go and was happy to give a speech. OK. Lastly. Yeah. Just to kind of get started on this podcast, I had on Zoom, I had Dratch, Seth and

and Fred and Zarna. Uh-huh. And they all got into Zoom and I said, I'm interviewing Tina. What should I ask her? Oh my gosh. And it was great because everyone was very excited and of course, I just want you to know the most hilarious thing was Dratch could not get her laptop to turn on or her headphones to work. And then while we were recording, the doorbell rang and her dog started barking because she had ordered food.

So there wasn't much content that we can use. So were there questions for that? But the one question, there were a couple questions, which is what makes you laugh? We went into that. What makes me laugh? We didn't really get into that. We watched for comfort. The thing that made me laugh the hardest most recently was this clip of Bobby Moynihan from, they did these really great SNL documentaries and it was

a documentary about auditioning for SNL and it was people and you were in it, you were great in it and they talked to people about the process of auditioning and then they show them their audition back and people get emotional, people, you know, they've never seen it or they're like, oh my gosh, this is from 50 years ago or whatever and they showed, they made Bobby watch his audition back and he's doing a character that's in his audition that's just beyond inappropriate and

And he's watching it and he's watching it and he goes, oh, no. And then he goes, oh, Bobby. And the way he says, oh, Bobby, the way he calls himself by name is so gentle. And so it made me laugh so hard. And I think it should be the tick tock sound that people play. Like when you have to you have to see a piece of comedy that you're like, OK, we did. We realize now that that's not OK. You just show the content and just hear about hear the voice of Bobby. Oh, Bobby. Bobby.

And that's how you apologize for problematic content in the past. You just put the Oh Bobby sound over it and it means I see it. I'm sorry. Let's all move forward. I know better now. I know better now. I do better now. I'm an ally who makes mistakes. Oh Bobby. Oh Bobby. Oh Bobby. That really made me laugh. I couldn't stop watching it.

You can make that, get that audio. You should trademark that audio and make merch. And then the other thing that Zarna had, Zarna was like, you never get asked, Tina never gets asked girly questions, which is so funny. I mean, do you feel like you don't get asked girly questions? I don't know. I know, like. Like, what's my skincare routine? Yeah. Nothing. I mean. Do nothing, nothing, nothing, and then expensive lasers. Fred wanted to know. Okay.

Fred's like... Oh, also, by the way, you know, Fred does a great Tina impression. No! You've never seen his... No, I've never seen it. What do you mean? I feel like he's done it to you. He does a thing where he's like a mum... He mumbles. But when he comes up... The thing about Fred Armisen, his impressions are never... Like, they never make you feel bad. Yes. Yeah. At least in my experience. Like, they just feel like they're kind. Yeah. Which is hard to do. But he comes up with, like, a script. You've seen this. I maybe...

The physicality. It's more physicality than anything else where he comes up with a script and he goes, hey, buddy, I just want to look at it. And you're giving a thought with the script, holding the script to your body, and you can't hear what you're saying. Just like, just, just, just. I'm like, what percentage Tina Belcher am I? Well, remember Shy Ronnie, Andy Samberg's character on that? Maybe he's a little Shy Ronnie. Anyway, Fred wanted to know, last question maybe we can talk about.

this before you go, is your dad, like, a really good artist, really good at caricatures. Do you have any of that artistic ability? I wish I had more. I think both my daughters have it. I do in the summer, I go to Fire Island in the summer, and I like to paint portraits in my free time, and they are terrible. And they're, like, they're getting slightly better, but not at a rate...

um that would impress like they're terrible um but I look because it's the only thing I want to paint is to I want to try to capture people's faces people like that I love and um uh I should take some classes because of course the problem is I don't draw the head right and then they come out like sometimes I kind of like how wonky they come out but um

No. Of the four people in my immediate family, I am the least talented at art. My daughters are very talented. Jeff is very talented. Yeah. Can draw and paint. But can I just quickly, my favorite, the story of when my dad, who loved coming up to visit SNL, it was like Fred's, one of his first few shows, and my dad was coming up and visiting, and he was like standing in 8H while we were getting ready to rehearse Update at that like 5 o'clock time, and Fred was

was in a costume for some other sketch. He was in a tuxedo. And my dad had not met him yet, and he just came up to my dad in a tuxedo and just came up to my dad in character, just going, this is Rainbow Room?

I look for rainbow rooms. Yeah, I can't tell the story because I can't. I shouldn't be doing this accent. But Fred, I guess, can do it. We'll get a robot to do it. Get a robot to do it. But it was so funny. And your dad was like, I don't love it. Oh, he loved it. And he used to paint little portraits, little caricatures of Fred as like Ferracito, as Prince. And he would mail them to me and I would give them to Fred. And I think Fred still has one, which is, I think, what made him think of that question. No way. He was Fred's biggest fan. Aw.

Oh, Don Fay has great taste. He was a great artist. Smart artist. Cool guy. Really cool guy. And coming back around, if Fred has Don Fay originals, I have in my children's bedrooms, I have paintings done by Barbara Jost, Colin Jost's grandmother. That's awesome.

That's cool. So it's back to Joe's. If you are listening to this, when it comes out, Tina and I are going to be on the road. Yes, look for us at a theatrical venue near you. We have a bunch of dates all over the U.S., and it's been so fun, and we're going to have our buddies out there with us. Is it TinaAmy.com? TinaAndAmy.com? You would think I would know. We would know. I think so. I think it is TinaAndAmy.com. I think so. But go check it out. Check out our dates. Come see us, and hopefully...

We'll continue to work together for another 30 years. I hope so. Me too. Love you. I love you too. Thank you. So, you know, that's our first episode of Good Hang. Thank you, Tina, for coming. I did actually learn. I did learn that she learned things that I didn't know after 30 years.

that she obviously is in an emotional affair with her local newscasters, and that's a problem. And I should let her husband know. We are at a point in the show, the end of the show, where we're going to do something called the Polar Plunge, which is really simply I'm going to talk about stuff that makes me laugh and where we're finding joy and lightness these days. And so to add to that before we go, I just want to say that –

Check out my favorite sketch on SNL, the one that I return to over and over again during COVID, during tough times in my life, when I was feeling especially down. The first Debbie Downer, the Lindsay Lohan episode when they're at Disneyland. That sketch to me is the perfect example of how a good laugh can completely change your day, your week, your life. And why it is so funny to me is

is that the great Rachel Dratch, whose comedic stylings and physical comedy we experienced at the beginning of this episode when she couldn't get her headphones on. When Rachel is trying to stick the landing and get those jokes out, and we know that it's going to be followed by the sound effect, and the audience has this moment where we're all in it together, that moment is still thrilling to watch. So do yourself a favor because Rachel,

Yes, Rachel cracks up. And, you know, when people crack up, it can be funny or sometimes it can be annoying or whatever. And, you know, I grew up with Carol Burnett and, like, loved...

watching the play that they all had and how they were all trying to kind of get each other to laugh. But what's so funny about Debbie Downer in that scene and why I truly watch it for a serotonin boost is because Rachel knows what's coming and she tries her best to keep a straight face. And that, she's like bursting like a silent film star. And anyway, that's what's making me laugh today.

You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaya McMullen, and Alea Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles. Ale!

This episode is presented by the Toyota Grand Highlander. Life's journey brings constant change filled with exciting surprises, new chapters, and grand challenges. And the Toyota Grand Highlander is more than a vehicle. It's your partner in embracing all life throws at you. Blinked and the kids have grown up? The third row can fit three adults. From daily routines to life-changing adventures, the Toyota Grand Highlander is up for every grand challenge. Learn more at toyota.com slash grandhighlander. Toyota, let's go places.

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