Cedric the Entertainer: That Dude
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Hey, everybody. Welcome to Literally. I am recording this today from New York City. It's very exciting for me. It feels, in many ways, much more professional. But you'll be the judge of if it actually is more professional. Today, we have the hilarious and legendary Cedric the Entertainer. He is here to talk about the 100th episode of The Neighborhood.

His show he's been doing on CBS and so many other amazing things because he's just one of the great characters of all time. Let's get to it. You know, that's a character I wanted to do. Barry White, Broadway. You have heard the famous tape.

Of him trying to get through the public service announcement. Have you ever heard this? I think recently somebody was trying to tell me about that. It's the most amazing thing. I got it. I got to get that. He's literally just reading a public service announcement for something in Waco, Texas. It's like a concert and he can't get through it. And then he starts getting more and more angry and trying to do different versions of it. It's one of the most beautiful things.

I got it. You got it. And then you got to do it. Is that like on YouTube or something? It has, it has to be. I've got to be able to find it. Yeah. It's, it's up there with Casey case. I'm melting down. Oh yeah. Yeah. I've heard that one too. Yeah. That's a, yeah. But the very white one is a little more obscure. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Just imagine.

Oh, he, he, this Sunday at Waco, Waco, Texas. And then, and then he's like, he's like, my favorite thing is, wait a minute. What is it? They got damn words in here. They don't even need, they had damn words in here. They don't even need,

It's so good. Well, when you finally record it, you got to send it to me. Oh, that's classic. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. So you got a hundred episodes already going. Oh man. You know, I mean, it surprises you how fast that comes, man. Like, you know, cause you started these shows and it was one of these things where of course we had a false start cause we shot a pilot and

Then they decided to reshoot the pilot with different actors. Oh, I've had that happen. That's weird. Crazy. Cause then, cause you thinking when it's on the bubble, you're like, ah, this might be done. Like no way they're going to spend more money to reshoot the pilot. Right. But that, you know, it worked out great because we got Max Greenfield and Beth bears came on the show and, um, you know, that was the right combination. And so now, you know, we just, I love hearing that it works. As you know, a lot of times, um,

You know, you do something and they recast it and they tinker with it to make it better. You just don't. And it doesn't happen. That's what, you know, I mean, people like see this and, you know, they'll assume that you just always got it and winning and always just a winner. And you never and they'll recognize like, man, there's so many little small things can go wrong in the process of doing a TV show, even after you do the pilot.

I remember when I had a friend that was on the neighborhood as a writer, he was on one of my opening acts. And so the first, the first check he got, he was like, Oh, I was like, bro, do not spend that money right now. He was like, what? No, he's like, I said, bro, do not spend that money yet. You need to wait until this show gets picked up again. Um,

And he was like, okay. And I was like, cause even when you get through, you know, they'll order six or eight or whatever that first order, what they call it. First nine. Yeah. The back nine. Sure. Yeah. So you just don't know. No, you don't. So it is a, you know, it's a blessing in, you know, so,

And it's a fun show to do. We got a great cast. We got great energy, you know, writers now. And I was able to direct 100 episodes. So that was cool. It's a multicam, yes? Multicam, yeah. So directing multicams is a whole, like, I've directed, I don't know if I would know how to direct a multicam. It's a whole different thing.

It's like what's directing a play. Yeah, exactly. Because you got all the cameras working for you. So, you know, you got your cross shots and then you have your, you know, your main shot that you want right there. So the main thing is like, again, just making sure that you go and establish whatever those specialty shots you want. If you're going to do something very specifically with your hands, I want to be able to

Maybe you get a take where I just grab that and make sure I see you open the bottle top or whatever. Little things, just like directing a real movie or TV show, but you got a lot of cameras capturing things all at once, which is great. You liked it? I loved it. It's my second time directing The Neighborhood. I directed an episode of my other show, The Soul Man, before that too. I used to have another series called The Soul Man, and then I did a couple episodes on there, but this was my...

Second one, you know, CBS, that's the, you know, what they call it. That's the staple center. That's the big, the big platform. It is. The Madison Square Garden of it all. It is. You know, yeah. It's America's most watched network. Oh, wow. Oh, that sounds very Dan Rather-y.

See, I want that. I was just auditioning for that job. That's good. That's what that was. I think they, we, did you keep that? CBS people. Make sure we got that. It's, it's the one network I am not currently on. And so I need to. You are on a lot of networks, my friend. I want to try to get on that one too. You do a lot of work. That's good. That's gotta be good, man. It's super. I mean, you know what it's like? The hustle never ends. I agree.

A lot of people ask me, like, what do you chill? What do you rest? The same, right? What do you tell them? I'm like, yo, I'm chilling right now. I'm having a good time. What are you talking about? This is not work. This is not work. I'm blessed. Everything is love. Exactly. And then it makes me feel so good when I actually have a vacation. I feel like I've earned it. Yeah. You know what I mean? Oh, yeah. Like, I've had vacations when I've been on an extended vacation. It's stressful. Oh, yeah.

Do you know what I'm saying? Oh, yeah. You haven't worked in six months, whatever the hell. And you're going, like, I don't like that. I want to, like, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind two weeks off. Oh, yes. Grind, grind, grind. And then people assume that you still got that life to you. So they want to spend the money and do, you know, like, they want to spend and do things when you're on vacation like it was in the good old days. Like, I call it 04. Yeah.

Oh, four. Oh, four was my year. Is that your year? Everybody has a year. Don't you think? Oh man. Oh, four. I was that dude. Oh, okay. That's okay. I'm 84. Okay. That's how long. Oh wow. I mean, I'm going like 20, I'm 20 years old. Brat pack. It's like, you know, people, kids are dressing up as Halloween is my characters and shit. 84. Come on. I used that dude.

Yeah, '04 I was the man. I was like, yo, couldn't do no wrong. - When did you know? Like what's the moment where you were like, oh, this is, I'm the man in '04.

You know, I think it was walking, you know, because I had like, I had the Bud Light commercials going. I had the TV show going. We were doing the original Kings of Comedy. That's right. I had a couple of movies coming out. It was just like a lot of stuff. Just popping, man. But I just kind of remember going through an airport, like a, like a,

Southern Airport, you know, and it was like, good old boys, like, hey man, I like those beer commercials, brother. And it was like, huh?

Why you shake that beer up? I was like, that's it right there. I'm the man right there. That's amazing. That is. How was the Kings of Con? That tour must have been legendary. Oh, man. What do you mean? It is legendary. Yeah, it is. I mean, before the movie, you know, that was the thing about it. Before the movie, it was rock and roll comedy. So the fact that, you know, you got four of your friends out on the road with you.

You got all your guys and we are rock stars. We're doing arena tour comedy is crazy. You know, it was one of those things, like, especially the first season. I always talk about this. I can get in trouble though, because of the first season, it was like, you know, I was single and it was private jets. I was, I was the Rob Lowe. I was the Rob Lowe of the tour, man. I was like, you know, if I had had your voice though, can you imagine where I could have gone?

Oh, man. Imagine. I could have had also that with me. Oh, wow. Oh, wow, Rob. It just happened right now. I get it. I get it now, man. You just did it. You just did it, bro. I want to be on that. I just want to be on that. I want to be on that tour. I want to go back into a time machine. It was funny. That makes me laugh, though, because I remember when my voice first changed and one of my mom's friends called and said,

And I was like, hello. And then she was like, who's this? And I was like, this is Cedric. She was like, oh, so she could, yeah, let's see it really. She was really listening to me like, how you doing? Well, I got the same effect right now if I close my eyes. Let me drink my coffee. Make you drink your coffee. So,

My man needs more sugar. Like a Stevia or something. So you don't understand. I get this. I call that my acting juice. That's my acting juice. I think if we're a different era, it'd probably be vodka would be my acting juice. But now it's just multiple shots of espresso with just the right amount of milk. And the milk is the key. It has to be just the right amount for me. Yeah, exactly. I always do that on the set.

That's funny that you do that because that's the old school way, right? It sounds like Buddy Epson would be two shots to the wind by now. Thank you. William Holden's my guy. Ephraim Zimbalist Jr. would be drunk. He would be drunk on his butt by now. Let me tell you, Don Knotts, when he was doing Barney Fife, Andy Griffith was livid with him every minute for a minute.

Mike Connors as Maddox would be so drunk right now. Who played Cannon? That was also my... Oh, Cannon. That was Raymond Burr. No, he was Ironsides. Oh, he was Ironsides. My favorite was... Who was Cannon? Everybody's credit shot, too, was them just turning around in a swivel chair. Oh. And Buddy Epson, he turned around in a chair. And it was...

And I also liked in those days in the promos and whatever the opening credits, it wasn't enough to have their name. The name had to be said. Oh, yeah. Buddy Ebsen. Well, yeah. It says that I can freeze frame. They could do that. That's when television was television. And those guys were stars. They were real stars. They could drink at work. That's right. Thank you for listening out there. All these new wave stuff and doing...

yoga break. Come on. I was on an airplane once and Ed McMahon was in the seat next to him and he had just been married for the 11th time. And he had a really young wife and a really, really young kid. And the kid was like, Daddy, I hope you don't drink another one of your stinky tonics.

Oh, wow. And then he looked over at me and saw that I'd seen it. He goes, oh, stinky tonic. I don't even know what you mean. I was like, I'll bet you don't. So my stinky tonic is my acting juice. The stinky tonic, the Ed McMahon, that's a good drink. They would probably do that in Vegas. A stinky tonic? A stinky tonic, the Ed McMahon stinky tonic. You ever go to restaurants, like old school restaurants in Vegas or L.A., and it's

The dishes are named after famous actors. It always makes me laugh. Or producers. Yeah. You're like, who is this person? There was a great producer named Jerry Weintraub, and I'd always order his Clams Casino. But what is Clams? Why a casino? I don't know. Was it a dinner? Was it food? It's food. It's Clams. Yeah, Clams Casino.

wine trumps got a couple of things because up in Palm Springs, he's got like a few drinks named after him. He was a legend. He was like the man, yeah. They loved him.

the tribe up there. Did you, um, now you've been doing this for so long. Did you, who's your favorite run in like not bad running, but like meet up with a legend. Oh man. Do you ever meet like Richard Pryor or anybody like that? I met Richard Pryor. Um, I met Richard Pryor, but he was like a little, he was older starting to decline, you know? So it wasn't quite that, that special one right there. Uh, we see, uh,

You know what? I mean, a couple of weird ones. Barry White called me on the phone one time. That was the craziest one. Michael Jackson called me on the phone. Wait, wait, wait. In my house. Literally both. Not only both sides of both range. You had the falsetto? Yeah, and you had the bass. And then, of course, Barry didn't. I mean, Michael didn't talk with a falsetto at all. Is that true? So when he's not. Hey, this is Michael Jackson. Yeah. Hey, it's Mike. Hey, how are you, man?

Hey, Cedric, it's Michael. How are you? But you get a call like it's the president. He goes, like, to my calls and says, calls my house. It's like, Cedric, Cedric Kiles, please. Government name and everything. I'm like, yeah, you have an important call. I'm like, okay. And then, boom, another person comes on and says, you have a call from Michael Jackson. I'm like, what the, what is this? Cedric, hey, man.

At my house. Sounded like he was calling from outer space. Yeah, like before the old internet days. Then he comes on. What did he want? He had watched the movie Johnson Family Vacation.

told me he thought that was a very important movie to do because he's from Gary, Indiana. So he's like that idea of taking your family on vacation and being in the car. It means he knew that space. He was like, I love that. Keep doing it. Want to tell you that was a great movie. That's amazing. And invited us to come out to Neverland whenever we want. Please tell me you went to Neverland. I never got a chance to go, man.

Never did do it. That's one of those things. See, I learned this lesson earlier is like,

Because of that, you go, well, sure. And he doesn't really want me to go, blah, blah, blah. And I learned this, that do it. Yeah. And it always, like, what if you did next week? Say, hey, Michael, et cetera. I was just thinking, I'm free next week and I'm coming. Right. You could have, right? There's so many of those things where you wish, like, oh, man. Because I was like, I took the invitation. Oh, thank you so much. And it's like, you know, I'll go when I go. Like, what am I doing? What am I going to do?

See the animals. You started thinking like it's no big deal. And then like now it no longer exists. You're like, man, I could have told that story. I had a moment like that where I ran into Sting. And he was like, oh, well, you're in London. You know, anytime come out. And I walked away and had that exact thought. I went, you know what? I am going to call him.

I literally just met him. Yeah. I called him. I went to the house that night that that weekend Pavarotti showed up. Come on, man. Pavarotti and Sting sang Panis Angelicus. They recorded it for his album. I sat from me to you from Pavarotti singing with Sting conducting.

And as it turns out, as Sting says, he goes, I think you conceived your first son in our guest bedroom. So it was a very big weekend for me. Ah, nice. But I had that moment of I'm never going to call Sting. I'm not going to call Sting up and go to his house. No. I mean, you know, I'm actually on Jay-Z's Black Album kind of the same way. Like, same thing. I saw him, mentioned that I wanted to see him work in the studio. He was like, here's the number. If you ever in New York call, I called.

Great. And I went out when I was in the studio and then he was like, he was doing this project, the Black Album. And he was like, yo, man, I got a character because I pitched him an idea. And he was like, oh, that's good. That's funny. But he was like, I got a character that I want somebody to make threats on. Just do this thing. So I'm the character threats on the Black Album. That's so cool. It's so crazy. Just by following up and doing it and like just never knowing what was going to lead to the next thing. Because I was really just going there to fan out, just like.

Yeah. I'll sit there and watch them. All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I'll never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel.

Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton Honors membership required for 15% discount. Terms and conditions apply. Speaking of fanning out, who were your first comedic? Oh, man. Before you even wanted to be a comic, though, like when you were a kid, what made you laugh? Jackie Gleason. So my grandmother loved the Jackie Gleason show. Like the show of shows where he used to like the big, you know, suited up, come out, you know.

And, of course, you know, he was just so legendary. And, you know, he's a big man, smooth, light on his feet. And, you know, had a certain ease about him. You know, you just knew he was a boss. Like all that kind of worked, right? So then Flip Wilson. Flip Wilson was amazing.

You know, especially as a, you know, like a darker skinned black kid. He identified, I just identified with him, everything, round face. He was just like one of these people that I was like, oh, I'm him. Right. So, and then just had the big show and he was always shining. And then Richard Pryor was the one, of course, we got the albums, you know, you'd have to sneak and listen to them, the great albums of,

And so those were those key run-ins. Those were the ones for me right there. Flip Wilson moved into Malibu. I first moved to Malibu from Ohio. It was 1976, and Flip was at the height of his TV career. The Flip Wilson show was on. Oh, wow. And he moved in, and his daughter went to my junior high for a while. So I'd see Flip at like –

you know like talent shows he'd show up to see his daughter yeah yeah exactly he was he was he was the man uh yeah yeah it's not enough it's not enough story told about him i don't think you know you know that you know that would be a good one to do like i noticed somebody was talking about like uh you know what are these biopics what you want to do well the one that i can't believe no one has ever done and maybe they have and i've missed it is the marvin gaye story they

They tried it, you know. Did they do a version of it that didn't work? No, they tried it a couple of different times. It's always something to do with the family and the music. Oh, the family music. Yeah, they can't get, you know. That's right. Because the music is all over the place. So when you try to do like certain songs, you got to go to this publishing company or that sister and they don't work well together. I actually was producing a play recently

and I produced it with high school kids. And, you know, because it was high school, we had this exemption. So it was great. Like we did, we had to play popping off. And so it got really starting to get some buzz. So we were like, all right, let's make this play bigger. And as soon as we tried to turn it into a thing, the wolves came out.

Let's suppose it's a play, people. Everybody went to their corners. Every family member had a reason why you can't do it that way with them. And if you're going to use our song, then, you know, some people own what's going on. Some people own what's sexual healing. Some people own, you know. You got to have all of them. You got to have the joints. You got to have all of them. They all heard it through the grapevine, and then they like, I want, you know.

I won't release it if you're going to do it with them because they wouldn't let me do something two years ago. So forget them. Oh, wow. It's really a story I've always wanted. And it's so great. I heard some young singer on the internet the other day, you know, did a version of a Marvin Gaye song like his own way. And I was like, okay, this kid is really good. Because they were talking about they were casting a Marvin Gaye movie and

Whoever they casted was weird. That's all I remember. I remember that, too. It's funny. I have a friend of mine who's worked for the Lakers forever and ever and ever. And I only learned last week that he's the one that got Marvin Gaye to sing the national anthem at the All-Star Game. So legendary. Insane. That's the most legendary. That is so...

It's beyond comprehension. You can just watch it and listen to it and just go like, what was so, what was he so angelic? What was he? It was soaring, just soaring through the stage. And watching the players' faces. Oh, man. It was like, he just took this song and just made it this like. Do you sing? You must sing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I sing a little bit. Of course you do. Have you ever done the National Anthem?

I did do the national anthem one time. What was it? It was like for a college game. I think I did it one time. It's very scary. It's all about where you start. Yeah. Yeah. You start that thing. You've won and lost the battle with the very first note. You got it. Cause in your mind, you got to know where you want to start and you can think that that note is much higher than what it is. And then the words are very confusing. Like,

You know, that's the other thing. People kind of mix the verses because they do say similar things in different ways. And you're like, oh, I committed too soon. I took the second verse and put it in the first. But then if you, God forbid, you're in a place where there's a little echo in the stadium. You know the thing where like you can't hear your own voice, but you can hear it echoing a second after you've

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You don't want that. You don't want to hear yourself like, oh, not again. I have to say, though, that it is one of those things that I kind of feel like I might have to do one of these days. Why not, man? Yeah, if you find a pocket, you get your... Do you know what I mean? You sing a little bit? Yeah, I do. I feel like I'm an actor who can sing. Okay. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. In the old days...

I was in love with it. Well, you could sing. It's like in the old days, if we did what we did, it would be a foregone conclusion that we knew how to sing and dance. Exactly. And dance. And dance. Like you would have to, like everybody did. Like that was. You had to. You had to do it all. If you're going to be good, if you're going to be in this business, you know. I, I, um, when I was, uh, literally medevaced out of the footloose dance auditions, I knew that my days as a dancer blew my, uh, blew my knee out.

auditioning for Footloose. It's not the most masculine thing that's ever happened. Was it the jump? You know what it was? It was a knee slide. Knee slide, man. It was a knee slide across the floor. That was big. And I just heard it go, pop! I always say that when I look at those soccer players do that knee slide. I'm like, what are these guys? I think it's the same thing. Never skinned up. I think the same thing. I'm like,

And they're all great actors, because they act like they're crippled. The misery that they go through. The misery of it all. The agony. And then just right up. Right up. The agony of defeat. Just rolling around. Oh, my God. My God.

Miami. You ready to play? Okay, good. We'll be back up. What's your sports jam? Who are your teams? What do you follow? So I'm like, you know, my teams are weird because I'm from St. Louis, so I do baseball. Oh, well, it's one of the great franchises. You got to rock. I mean, I have mad respect for them. And then I got these sub-ticks.

The Steelers are my main team that I rock with, Steel Curtain. And I rock with the Rams because they were in St. Louis and then they moved to L.A. And so that's my thing. I'm good friends with the Cronkies. So I get to go to the game. What's happening with the quarterback, Sitch? You got any insight? I don't know what's going on, man. Any inside scoop you want to like? I don't know what's going on. Nobody's making the kind of moves that I don't think. I don't think Stafford is...

I mean, they definitely need to get ready for it. If they're not going to get him out of there, they need to get another quarterback. I'm just worried about his shoulder. Yeah. Like, he's hurt. He's a stud. But he's had a lot of... But he's been at it a long time. Yeah. A long time. Not everybody's Tom Brady. Like, they can't just go forever. Forever. It's unbelievable, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. So...

But you know what I like to say, never underestimate a pretty boy. I didn't know he got rid of Jalen Ramsey. Yes, he's such a nice guy. What a huge loss for us. Yeah, I was like, yo, like, okay. So they just kind of broke the team up. I don't know what's going on. It feels weird to me. It feels maybe there's a bigger plan. There's got to be. I mean, they did right.

That coffee's not working. They don't, they didn't bring it. You had it for a minute. Yeah. And then they brought it back. And see what happens? Now you're falling asleep in the interview. Yeah. I asked for the, I asked for the sweetener and then they were like, okay. They go, well, he's going to get nothing and like it. And then somebody's just going to make sure it's all right. You know how they do it. They just going to make it just right for you. Yes. Like I didn't need all that. Thank you. My favorite, one of my favorite Hollywood stories is, uh,

There's a very volatile producer named Joel Silver. Yeah. And a young assistant is working for Joel. And Joel says, I'd like a Diet Pepsi. The assistant goes out, there's no Diet Pepsi.

But he goes to the 7-Eleven and gets Diet Coke. Brings it back to Joel Silver and says, I know you asked for Diet Pepsi. Here's Diet Coke. I'll figure it out. And Joel takes it and throws it in the trash can and says, I asked for a Diet Pepsi. You gave me a Diet Coke. Do you know what would happen in my business if somebody asked me for Bruce Willis and I brought the Corbin Bernson?

That's my Corbin. Corbin's probably sitting there going, what did I do? What did I do? How did I just get kind of semi-dragged by Robbie? For no reason, Joel. It's the most amazing story. Corbin Mercer. Isn't that a great one? I love that. I mean, it makes it very clear, though. It does, doesn't it? I mean, you know. You want to Dr. Pepsi, whatever, get Dr. Pepsi. Okay. Yeah.

At that point, you go like, Joel, you... All right. Okay. That's a good... I mean, that's what I got to point there. It's different. What is your... Okay. What is your favorite... I'm trying to see how to put this. Like, what's your favorite run-in with a famous person that, like...

Yeah, well, let's just leave it at that. What's your favorite running you've ever had with a famous person? And the Michael Jackson one's going to be hard to beat. Oh, that was pretty crazy, too. By the way, Michael was talking about taking his family on vacation. What is he, I take a llama. What does he do? He takes a family on vacations? I thought it was so great. I just loved it. And, you know, you guys got the car. You just rode around. You know, I don't know. I like the way the car, you put gas in it. So you guys drive?

He's been rich so long. So you have a car? Like, what is that? You guys got hungry and then you went to a restaurant. That's crazy. You like went in and ate with regular people? Yes, right. That's right. Well, but then after that, like it got dark and you guys went to a, like a motel. Oh, that's a good one. Ooh, I did the motel right, didn't I? You went to a motel. You know, motel.

I knew Mike a little bit. I always thought, oh, look here, he's got it. He's got the acting juice. This is a very dramatic moment. I need to stir it then. All right. Thank you. This is, I'm very curious. This is coming. Here comes the stir. Mmm. Mmm. I'm just living on the edge right now. You are. I don't even believe it's coffee anymore. How do you like that? It's not that.

Now there's no milk in it. Yeah. It's like. Do you ever have days where you just go, I give up? Yeah. I almost did it just then. I'm like, all right, I'm done. I give up. Yes. How about I don't even want it now? Yeah, never mind. It's good. You know, this is Corbin Bernson. You brought me liquid Corbin Bernson. What kind of.

She's probably just doing her best she can. I'm over here just going in on my coffee like some diva. I know. You've been going all day. Where did we run into each other this morning? The Elvis Duran show. Elvis Duran show. Really? I was there before you, so imagine that. Oof. And I'd come from like, good morning America or something. I'm promoting my show Unstable, which is currently on Netflix with my son John Owen. Nice.

And, and we're in New York promoting and you see the same people who are on their promotional tour. You're promoting a hundred episodes of, of neighborhood. Yeah. Um, I ran into, uh, Brooke Shields, who's promoting her documentary and you just keep running into each other, uh, at, at the same shows. No. Yeah. And up here you see everybody. I ran into the singer Kim, uh,

Oh, yeah? He was downstairs, and then I think it was a couple other people, like, in the lobby when I just came. Well, SiriusXM is a blast. Oh, yeah, because it's always popping off. It's popping. And I can go to, like, you can go to different studios or different, like, I'm feeling Yacht Rocky today. Yeah.

You know what? I need a little urban flavor. I want a little country. Maybe some no-shoes radio. You know, you can go wherever the hell you want. Stick your head in. Yeah. Hey, guys. Hey, I'm going over to E Street Radio to see what Bruce Springsteen people are up to. Yeah. Yeah. That's what's really great about here because it's all those vibrations around here. And, of course, everybody's like, love to have you. Oh, please come in. Right. You're like, oh, I'll come in. Yeah. Just hang it out, baby. Just like.

I'm just here for it. I'm here for it. That's the latest term. I'm here for it. I'm here for it. I love the kids. That's...

Is it hard to keep up with the kids? Yes. Yes. Yeah, it moves. And my daughter is 19 and she's at LMU and she is witty and always kind of plugged into the latest. So she keeps me abreast. No, you have to, particularly in your line of work. Yeah. I mean, you're out, you're doing standup, you're out there because comedy is, is, is predicated on being current. I mean, you can't be out of date and be funny.

You know, people still like, you know, of course, like people, I've seen comedians still like do sets from like years ago, like still have their sets. And if they're a pro though,

they can pull it off. That's what's really weird. Something about just being a pro and being able to go up there and just deliver it. Be like, no, this dude had chased his material in 20 years. It is an interesting thing to think about when you do, because I've talked to, I've had folks on the show, funny people, and there's a camp that's like...

Actually, an audience gets disappointed if you don't do like a famous bit. Yeah. They feel cheated, right? And then there's also the notion of, you know, you want to keep it fresh. And I guess it depends on the person. Well, they do that. Now with music, for sure. You do not want to go in a way to a music show and hear new records and not hear your wounds.

In stand-up, people kind of want to hear a bit that they love, and then at the same time, they expect you to do all new material. Interesting. But if it's a big, big joke that they love, then people are like, why you didn't do that? You'll be like, I did it on my special, and now everybody's kind of repeating it when they see me, so I think that I've done it. Like, people walk up to you, hey, man, you know what I'm saying? Call me by my initials.

That was like my dad calling me about my issues, man. It was like a whole era. You're like, okay, it's time to change. Yeah, I can't do that joke live, even though I love the joke. When you, do you actually write or do you just like go through your life and go, oh, that's a funny idea and think about that and sort of put it in a file somewhere or like what's your process like? Yeah, I write. I mainly try to do, like I'm on tour right now, so.

So when I go out each weekend, because we're on an arena tour, we're on a big stage, I'll try to write a joke, you know, a couple of jokes in a week and try at least one of them on stage. Oh, really? Like just...

But it's an ongoing thing. You're on tour now and you're writing. Right, yeah. So I got a set that I'm going to do. That's going to do it. Then I'm going to try at least one joke in that set of something I've written, like, you know, and see if it works or sticks or if I can add it. And that's usually how I build a new set. ♪

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Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton honors membership required for 15% discount terms and conditions apply. How many times will you try a joke? Like, if it dies, dies, dies, obviously it's out. But if it's like, eh, like, do you know what I'm saying? Like, if there's enough of a reaction, like, okay, there's something there. I just need to rethink. Do you go through that process? Yeah, you'll go through that process because that's the one you really have to do. But I really only do that if the joke makes me laugh. Okay.

Okay. If the joke makes me laugh and it hadn't quite made them laugh yet, but I've got a few giggles, then I trust it. How about this? A joke that makes you laugh and you double and triple and quadruple down and it's still, because I've had that too. You gotta let it go. God damn it. Damn it. I've had those where you just let it go, man. You're like, oh man, I tried this joke.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. And, you know, you'll ask like a friend or somebody like me. Okay, well, you know, what do you think? Like, this is set up by the blind. He's like, it's pretty good. I say, you don't work. He's like, I can see you're not working too. Like, thanks. Thanks for nothing. I'm playing the Venetian.

in Vegas coming up. I have a little one man show that I do that. It's so fun. I love it. I mean, to get the vibe to go out there, it's kind of based on the, I wrote two books, memoirs and stories from my life. Okay. Just, it's just an excuse for me really to do stand up without saying it stand up. Right. Tell stories and walk out. Exactly. It's great. It's the best. It's the best. But every once in a while, there's one thing that makes me laugh.

Makes me laugh. Yeah. And I put it out there and it's just silence. And I'm like, God damn it. The next time I tell it, it's going to kill. Silence. The next time I tell it. It's cool. Well, I mean, again, if it makes you laugh, though, I've learned this, though, like literally. And I'll say this, too. I'll ask my friends, like, too, like my guys that tour with me. I'll be like, man, what did I say the other night or something? And I start laughing. And it's like, oh, yeah, that one thing about. Okay, cool.

And so that'll work. Or if it's because I got a I got my tour manager made my friend since junior high school. He's got jokes that make him laugh that not the biggest jokes for everybody else. But I know that he's going to laugh. I do that joke for him. Like that's, you know, I love that, too. Yeah. To make one specific joke.

So I know anybody that's kind of like him is going to get this joke. And sometimes it's various particular people. He's a bit of an introvert. He's kind of mean, because he's like my tour manager, role manager. That's the role. He's kind of gruffy. And at the same time, he loves a good laugh when it happens. So I was like, it's got to be these people in the audience. And if he likes this joke, they'll like this joke. And that's what this joke is for.

Well, this is so fun. I know you've got, how many more stops do you have on the big rollout today? Oh, man. Today, I think I got lunch. I did one more. I got. Oh, I did lunch before. I got the pizza in me before I came here. Oh, see, that was nice. I think I'm going to do a little sushi. A little sushi for lunch. New York City, man. Yes. You got to do it. I mean. There's so many great restaurants here. There really is. It's ridiculous.

And then people see you like choices of places you need to go. You'd be like, oh, okay. Yeah. It's pretty, I'm it's, I'm going to, I do my all time favorite. I had my, my, I had my pizza, had a great interview with you. And now I'm going to run through central park. We're around the reservoir. Nothing. It's like the New York day for me. Are you done for the day? So you'll go run. Yep. And then I'm back to LA. Okay. Oh, so you're done too. Done. It's perfect. Well,

What's the show with you and your son? Because I was kind of asleep last night. I didn't get to see what it was. I thought it was funny, though. So it's called Unstable. Okay. He and I co-created it together. It's based on his relentless internet trolling of me. Okay.

And he just destroys me. He murders me on it. And it just started as a bit, like him being funny to his dad. Okay. And like people started catching on and it became kind of a thing. And he's like, dad, maybe there's a show here somewhere. So we, you know, started thinking about it and that became the show. And it, it, it, it came out, uh, on, uh, at the end of March. It's now on, on, on, uh, Netflix and it's doing great.

great and frankly it's the kind of reviews that i it's a once in a lifetime reviews and just really you know it can go both ways so when you get the good ones you gotta celebrate them yeah oh that's good i mean it's something like that it's so always so unique when you when you can find something in what looking for it and it's just and it ends up being a good time it's kind of like what we're talking about is it really work no yeah and sometimes and when it really works you

You know what it is? It's when it doesn't work, there's nothing you can do about it. And when it really works, there's nothing you can do about it. Right. Yeah, that's true. It's gone, baby. It just is what it is. It's meant to be one way or the other. Cedric, the entertainer. I'll call you by your initials, baby. So good. Drink up that acting juice. Go get some sushi. And thank you for coming in, man. Thank you, brother. Appreciate you, man. It's lovely, man. It's been awesome. Thank you. It's good.

Cedric left his acting juice. Should I try it? Should I see what's in it? It's coffee. It isn't alcohol. And it's passable. Anyway, how fun was that? What a great guy. All right. You know what time it is. It's time to check the lowdown line. Hello. You've reached literally in our lowdown line.

where you can get the lowdown on all things about me, Rob Lowe. 323-570-4551. So have at it. Here's the beep.

Hey, Rob. It's Karen. I'm from just about an hour north of you in Lompoc, California. And I've been watching Unstable, and it is hilarious. And it just keeps getting funnier with each episode. I especially love the father-son relationship between your character, Ellis, and John Owen's character, Jackson. And I've just been cracking up at Jackson's annoyance with Ellis' outrageous, although adorable, quirks.

So my question for you is, what quirks do you, Rob, have that annoy Matthew and John Owen, your sons? Oh, and if you and your boys haven't served Paloma Beach yet, you must. And grab a famous Paloma burger while you're there. Love, love, love the podcast. Bye-bye. Thank you, Karen. I love the reception that Unstable is getting. It's a passion project. You know, Johnny and I co-created it, so...

The way that it's being embraced is it's just super good to hear. And by the way, Halama Burger, I'm down with the Halama Burger. It's a little sharky at Halama. I'm not going to lie. Even you can't deny it. Maybe a little sharky to surf there, but I will come up. Anyway, the traits, a lot of the traits that are in Unstable that annoy Jackson, my son's character, are real traits that I have.

that are kind of blown up, pumped up, put on steroids and made exaggerated. And, you know, anytime in the show where I can like, you know, grab his ears and kiss his head and stuff, he hates it. I mean, he's a 27-year-old man. I get why he doesn't like his dad doing that. But I would just say to you, if you're watching the show and my character is annoying, John Owen's character, it's probably based on

how I really am with him. Anyway, thanks for watching Unstable. Appreciate it. Thank you for listening. We have more fun next week. Don't forget to give us a nice review on Apple if you are so inclined. And I will see you next week on Literally.

You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced by me, Nick Liao, with help from associate producer Sarah Begar, researched by Alyssa Graw. The podcast is executive produced by Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and myself at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson at Stitcher. Booking by Deirdre Dodd, music by Devin Bryant. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on Literally with Rob Lowe. This has been a Team Coco production.

All set for your flight? Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T-Mobile, headphones. Wait, T-Mobile? You bet. Free in-flight Wi-Fi. 15% off all Hilton brands. I'll never go anywhere without T-Mobile. Same goes for my water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers. Okay, I'm going to leave you to it. Find out how you can experience travel better at T-Mobile.com slash travel. ♪

Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton Honors membership required for 15% discount terms and conditions apply.