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Hey, everybody. Welcome to literally a particularly good one today. The multi-talented Seth MacFarlane. I can't. How many times has he made you laugh? If you're anything like me, it's a lot. The family guy. Oh, that was my Stewie, by the way, in case you didn't know. Ted
The Orville, of which I have done a fun little part on. And his amazing career as the modern day, you know, American canon traditional crooner. He's the busiest man in show business and one of the nicest and one of the funniest. This is a particularly good one. If this one doesn't bring a smile to your face, I give up the podcast business.
You always have great hair, but yet you're wearing a hat. I know it's a podcast. I know that the listeners don't know. And I'm always very envious of your hedgehog-like virility on top of your skull. Look who's talking. How are you, man? Miss you. I'm good. I'm good. I'm amazed that you have time to do a podcast with everything you got going on. It just brings you joy, does it?
It does. It's super, super fun. And it's like when I get to talk to folks like you who I know and love, it's just I just know that we're going to be talking about stuff that no one else is ever going to ask you to talk about. And then and then I get to fanboy around people, particularly in music. I've had, you know, when I had like Lindsey Buckingham, a Fleetwood Mac on and just went.
You know, because I'm like a huge yacht rock. You and I are very well suited because our musical taste would relegate us to the nerd corner of the American high school quad. I think. I think it's safe to say, right? Very, very much. Yeah. Yeah. It's funny you mentioned yacht rock because they tweet me often.
because of a family guy episode that we did about or that or that the folks now running the show did about yacht rock of course i haven't i haven't written on the show in about 10 years right at least and everyone yet still assumes that every word that comes out of those characters mouths was written by me i actually i don't i had no idea what yacht rock was so i get these tweets and they're like thanks man this is we're psyched you're a fan and what was the bit uh
It was a whole episode about yacht rock. Oh, I have to go back and look. I'm a yacht rocker and you're a musical theater. I mean, I think it's fair enough. I mean, I know it's more American standards. Yeah, it's sort of a broad definition of various kinds of jazz slash orchestral music. Yeah.
You know, it's more than... Are you scatting now? Right now. Not now, but are you going to be out there? I always found scatting to be a little ridiculous, to be honest. Thank you. I never quite understood. You know, I guess in serious jazz circles, it's considered a legitimate... Endeavor. I never got it. It always just eluded me. Well, you mentioned jazz like singing and I was like, what is jazz singing? And then I think it's...
scouting right it's interesting i'm gonna sound i'm gonna selling updating myself the thing that separates jazz singing to me in general is that you know if you listen to um
If you listen to Sinatra or Peggy Lee or Dean Martin or Rosemary Clooney or Sammy Davis Jr., they sing the way they talk. There's a genuineness to their cadences. And so they're not putting on that sort of fake dialect that we all do whenever we sing a rock song. And it differs with every generation and every decade. I mean, everybody sounded like Eddie Vedder in the 90s. Everybody sounded like David Bowie in the 80s.
And, you know, this kind of style. But when you listen to those vocalists, they're kind of outside that. They speak and they sing. And both forms of communication are the same. They're not putting on any airs. There's an honesty to it. Yeah. I got to see Sinatra sing once. And it was towards the end, but he was still, you know, it was more presence. He was really...
leaning on the spoken phrasing yeah yeah it wasn't so much but uh and then later he smacked me so that was really good is that right when you have a sinatra experience that ends with him smacking you what what was that you've had the full monty what were the circumstances that led up to to him uh did you did you make a joke about his wife's hair uh
Well, I think he might have been, I think his blood pressure might have been up because it was the, it was the weekend, the famous kid. Are you familiar with Kitty Kelly? Who is the famous? It was the weekend that the Kitty Kelly book on Sinatra came out. And, uh, so long time ago, this is, this is, this is 87. I want to say.
And, um, and after, after this big black tie event where he sang, um, I was introduced to him and I was like, Mr. Snodgrass of an honor to meet you. And he grabbed me by the face, like super hard, like with one hand, like give me the look at my cheeks. Like he would a baby like, Oh, that baby, that baby like got me there. And then with the other hand, pop, pop, pop with his hand. And he says, my grandkids love you.
Oh yeah. So it, so it was like a, like a loving Italian slap. It was a loving Italian slap, but it, Oh, look at this guy. Look at it. You're actually really hurt, but you don't want to let on. Yeah. It was, I mean, he, he definitely, you know, it was great. Cause he, he give us any taketh away in the same breath. It was like, you know, it was like, how, but it was, it was amazing. It was super fun. That's a good memory, right? What is your favorite musical? Oh,
My favorite? Well, yeah, I have different categories. My favorite... Oh, this is good. See, I knew we would nerd out, deep dive on this shit. And like, listen, if you just want to hear me ask him to do the fucking voices, you can just turn it off right now because we're going deep in the American canon. This is happening. Yeah, yeah. Best... Probably the best...
musical score ever written for for a musical to me is probably uh it's probably carousel um for for a musical the best filmed musical probably the sound of music yes oh god and probably the best overall achievement in in musical theater like how i i can't believe they pulled this off structurally top to bottom music lyrics libretto everything is probably my fair lady
Because George Bernard Shaw is, you know, Rodgers and Hammerstein struggled to turn Pygmalion into a musical. And it was just so hard because it was so intellectual as opposed to emotional. And Yan Ming Lo found a way in. There's a story I read in his biography, in Alan Jay Lerner's biography, where he was struggling to...
write that file number where Henry Higgins comes back and Henry Higgins, no emotion in this guy that has shown anywhere. And he says, I have to write a love song that is not a love song. And at that moment, his wife came downstairs and he said, you know, dear, you're actually really quite attractive.
And she said, oh, thanks so much. They do. And he said, what I mean is I've grown accustomed to you. I've grown accustomed to your face. And that's supposedly how that song came to be. So that's an interesting, it's a really amazing achievement in theater because it's, you know, so much of musical theater is so flowery and emotional and wears its heart on its sleeve. And that show camps because it derives from Shaw. So-
They had to find a cynical way in, and it's a pretty amazing achievement. Amazing accomplishments like Hamilton notwithstanding. What's your take on the state of... Are you a big fan that when you go to Broadway and you want to see a musical, it's going to be a version of...
a movie that you've seen a hundred times already? Yeah. I have not seen a Broadway show in a long time. Well, this is what I'm saying. Yeah. Well, I mean, to me, it's, you want my honest opinion to be honest in, in some forms of media, most notably film, uh, well, you know, to some degree film, certainly television. Let's look at television. You take television, television. I think everyone would agree is better than it's ever been.
And television is, is these, these shows that we remember fondly as great shows, you go back and watch them now. And it's, it's, it's a tough thing. It's tough to defend beyond like, Hey, this is just, this is just comfort food. Um, but television has just gone up and up and up and up and up and has just gotten better and better and better and better.
as time has gone along. And I think the opposite has happened with music. I think it's just, it's been this weird inverse thing where it's, they spend less and less and less money, you know, on the product itself. Again, not to sound like I'm like 50 years older than I am, but, you know, I hear old recordings. I'm like, wow, they were, they had like a 50 piece orchestra for this thing instead of,
two guitarists, a drummer, a bass, you know, and a keyboardist. And, and that was every, they, you know, Capitol and Columbia, they were, they were doing that with everybody and they were spending the money on the recordings. Um, and not, not necessarily on the touring and marketing and all that and all the stuff that they have to do now, but it was, it was just an era of high musicality. And I think to me, to my ear, that's, that's deteriorated. It's tough for me to find
a lot out there now that that that challenges my ear and in the way that that old music does and the way you know the complexity and the richness and the variation of sound it's it's
It's tough. But television, on the other hand, strangely, the opposite. It's just never been better. Which brings us to Orville. First of all, how is my character, Terulio? Where is he in the world right now? What is he doing? He's still alive. He's doing his own thing. Probably off spreading his pheromones around, whipping people into a frenzy.
So I was, I got a script one day for the Orville and this is the pilot. It's the Orville pilot or episode one. So I don't know anything about it other than it's my man, Seth, who I always love helping being around doing anything. I'm always, as Lorne Michaels says, he's a friend of the shows. And I read the part to Rulio and the screen direction basically has the character ejaculating out of his forehead.
And I was like, oh, I'm in. Like, I did not need to read anything more than a blue alien who ejaculates out of his forehead. I mean, my entire career was leading me to that moment. And I'm very proud of it. It was super fun. And you directed me, which is always great.
Yeah. Look, man, when Daniel Day-Lewis said no, who's the next call? My career is predicated on being second in line to the cobbler, as I like to call him. So the new trailer was released today. What is today? Today is the... We don't know what today will be, actually. So let's say this. So the new trailer, people love... How about this? People love the new trailer. There you go. Yeah.
It's just taking the world by storm. It is. It's up there with the new Top Gun trailers, which I'm obsessed with at Tom Cruise and trying to get him on the show. And every six months, they dole out a new Top Gun trailer. That's kind of your... Because you'd be a good Tom Cruise, by the way. Have you played him ever on Family Guy? I have not. I have not. It's funny. I've met him when I was doing the Graham Norton show in London. Oh, yeah. And...
you know, family guy is just, has made fun of him for years. You've never met a better sport. And it just, the nicest guy, you know, just quote, good fun, all good fun. End quote. Like just, just, just a true sport. Like I, I was, I mean, I'm, you know, I'm already a,
fan of his movies, but I was delighted at how cool he was about everything. He's just a good guy. Do you recall the circumstances that led to me cold calling you? This goes way back. It's way deep. I can tell you because it's this... I, like all people, love Family Guy and particularly in the years when
It really was. I mean, you were writing it, producing it, doing the voice. I mean, you were doing it all. Right. I still gave a shit, I guess is what you- You cared. It was before you got so rich that you stopped caring about anything with your name on it. Before I retreated to my Tucker Carlson-esque reclusive lifestyle and- That's right. And anyway, my kids and I love the show so much. And I'll never forget, I was in London doing Few Good Men on stage and-
an episode came on and Stewie, I believe had gone to Hollywood. Anyway, Stewie was getting his makeup done, makeup and hair done. And the scene opened with, um, Stewie going, please, please just, just, just one more. And the makeup artist goes, all right. And so he goes, Rob Lou. And, and he goes, well,
straight and so he goes no i never would have thought so it made me laugh so fucking hard and i was like i gotta call these guys and that's how that's that's sort of how we met that's it that's a damn fine stewie it wasn't bad was it yeah no no that's that's listen i'm i'm i'm looking for i'm looking for a way out rob listen you get it's yours take it take over do it go on oh
Maybe I will. Passing the torch. Oh, now that I know it's a little higher like that. That's a little like the old... I don't know who did that voice in the 50s and 60s, the old-timey. But it'll will. Oh, no. You know what it also is? Mr. Flintstone. It's Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Oh, you blithering bucket of oats. Oh, William Earth. That was an amazing...
That was an amazing show when you think about it. I look back with fond memories of that and then you realize... Wasn't it originally supposed to be about... Who's it? Don West? And who was the other guy? It was supposed to be their show.
And then it became Dr. Smith, the kid and the robot. That's an ego breaker. Have you ever seen... I like the Sid and Marty Croft show. Oh, dude. Okay, we'll get there in a minute now that you've opened up that wormhole. Have you ever seen the screen test? For Lost in Space? No. Who's screen test? Dr. Smith's screen test? No, that would be amazing, obviously. No, it's the handsome guy. Okay, guys, team, who's the handsome lead in Lost in Space?
Don West is the young buck. Guy Williams. Guy Williams. That's who it is. It's Guy Williams. It's the absolute best thing you've ever seen in your life because he's lit in that 40s movie star light. And he's literally just turning his face around and...
being so handsome. That's the audition. It's just him being handsome. Really, it is. How many auditions have you done where that was what got you the gig? Well, there is that. And then they ask him to wear... I love that they're in velour in that show. They're like jammies.
I know. Did you ever think of any of that when you were doing Orville? Was there any nods to Lost in Space? There should have been. Valor and Spandex just never entered the equation. It was like, look, particularly if I'm directing as well as performing, it was bad enough on TED. I'm walking around and looking like a Borg all day with all these wires and electronics and things that were attached to my clothes so they could record the movement data for the bear.
But yeah, I kind of drew the line at like tight spacesuits. I'm going to be in it all day. Let's make it comfortable. Why is it in space that everybody wore tight things? Is there a reason that in space things are tight? Well, interesting question, Rob. I think there is a reason. Well, there's a reason that it all looks the way it does in Hollywood. There are things that you can predict differently.
and have people take seriously in the science fiction genre, like technology, like spaceship design, like alien cultures. You know, there are things that you can create a narrative around, something that doesn't exist, and you can hypothesize that this is how it could be, and it's believable. For some reason, clothing design and music are damn near impossible. If you ever, like, any... I mean, that's why if you watch...
A lot of, you know, the old Star Trek, a lot of the music they listen to, it's Mozart, it's jazz, it's stuff that they figure, well, this is going to be timeless. So this is probably safe because when you listen to quote unquote future music, it always sounds absurd. Yeah. It's ridiculous because you can't, it's strangely, it's so much harder to predict future.
what's going to happen to a culture artistically than it is to predict what's going to happen to a culture technologically. I don't know why that is. That's a question for a philosopher or somebody smarter than me. And the same thing goes for casual wear. So a future military uniform is, you know, a pretty easy thing to guess at. But a future, like what are everyday people going to be wearing in the future? That was like the biggest challenge
I certainly, when we were doing the Orville, what in the world? And it always wound up with turtlenecks. That's amazing. Turtlenecks with stripes. That's what everyone wears in the future. God help us all. When you were building the world, did you get into the world of alien civilizations and the, you know, the Anunnaki's and the Palladians and all of that? You know, I love reading about all of that. They're from Orion's belt. Yeah.
Some of them are from Sirius. Some of them are interdimensional and don't have to have a spaceship, all that stuff. Oh yeah. That's, that's, it's, it's the most fun job for me. I had more fun with it than I ever did on, you know, doing comedy. Really? It's the most fun I've ever had as a writer. Um, I loved it. And, um, designing the sets was, well, I remember on the sets that we, that I was on the Brit, the bridge was nuts. I mean, and I feel like the bridge, um,
Because it's true. You would think in the future there's no levers or gizmos you do with your fucking mind and its screens, if that, right? Yeah, yeah. And it's also the conceit that if you're traveling long distances on a spaceship in the future, it probably can't look like a submarine. It can't be this dark, dingy, oily, hard thing.
sci-fi looking thing because you'd go crazy. You'd start to kill each other for it to last long, long periods of time. And that kind of environment has got to be comfortable. It's got to feel like you're in the four seasons in Manhattan or, you know, on the set of dynasty. And, and that was kind of, that was kind of the thinking our production designer looked at luxury yacht design when he was designing that bridge.
Wow. Oh, it's so funny you say that. That's so funny because I got to visit a very fancy yacht this summer with the state-of-the-art stuff and I thought, oh, it's the Orville. Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of where the aesthetic conceit came from. It just seemed like what's an isolated mobile environment that you can stay in for long periods of time and not go stir crazy. And, you know, a yacht is...
If not at the top of that list, it's pretty close. 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 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. The next show that you create, could you, since that's a genre that exists, there's Star Trek, there's Star Wars, there's all that stuff. Could you go into the genre of kids Saturday morning movies?
musicals a la Sid and Marty Croft. Can I get a Sigmund and the Sea Monsters out of you? Can I get a Lidsville and H.R. Puff and stuff? Is there any... You'd think there's still a market for that because it's funny. We've talked about that in our production offices that a Saturday morning block of some kind, in our case it was cartoons, Saturday morning block on a network. No, is that still... Because that was such a big deal. Oh, such a big deal. I just...
But then look, we had to wake up to something. And now those kids wake up to 7,000 different things. I just think that probably, I mean, like probably. Oh, it was an event.
Event? It was an event. If you didn't have your cereal in front of you for the Bugs Bunny Roadrunner show, you were slacking. If you didn't have your Gremlins cereal while you were watching Rubik the Amazing Cube, yeah. Were you a big fan of Sid Mardycroft live action? Sid Mardycroft was slightly before, like I was a little too late.
for that. If you're young, you're significantly younger than I am. That was right in my wheelhouse. Yeah, I mean, I subsequently have gotten a full education. You know, Lidsville. Do you remember Lidsville? Do I remember? Yeah. What about the hat? Everybody there wears a hat. Everybody knows where it's at. In the land of hats. That's Lidsville. Liddy, liddy, liddyville. Not to be confused with nitty grittyville. The land of living cats. That's Lidsville. Thank you. Wow. Wow.
I remember a different theme, but that's... Well, that's the end theme. Oh, that's the end theme. At the end title. Would you like the opening? Yeah. Yes, very much so. That's harder. I don't know the other one. Because it's full of my aversion to exposition.
carries over into my ability to remember main titles and it's all exhibitions he went to the park that day and as he got then he fell into the hat he began to fall and fall and fall and fall right people are going to get so high to this podcast because if you get a chance to go there you'll be glad you did because everybody that goes to Lidsville really there's that voice again Charles Nelson Riley by the way Lidsville
We understand that reference, right? I mean, is there something more than hats? Yes, sir. I'm not the brightest guy, Rob. Well, you also didn't know the Beatles reference in Orville that I explained to you. Ah, helped Admiral Halsey. I didn't know that. I did not know that. I'm not a huge... I'm not a huge Beatle head. I enjoy the Beatles. I'm not like a, you know...
One of my writing partners who co-wrote Ted with me is a big, big beetlehead, and we have the same sort of conflict. I appreciate them. I like them. I'm not...
Yeah. Admiral Halsey escaped me. I didn't know what it was. And I think I had to say it. Yeah. And I was like, Admiral Halsey, Sister Susan, Uncle John, Martin Luther, Phil and Don. We had let them all in. Is Admiral Halsey coming up to the third deck too? I like the Billy Joel song, I guess. It is very similar. So Lidsville. Yep.
A lid was a certain amount of drugs. I'm going to buy a lid. Give me a lid. How much do you want? Yeah, I'd like a lid maybe. Wow. That seems like an inescapable parallel. How about this? Do you know what HR puffing stuff is? HR McMaster? That probably wouldn't be it. Happy, relaxing, puffing stuff. I'm seeing a pattern here. Isn't that interesting? The pattern that we're...
Starting to see here. Relaxing puff and stuff. Wonder what that is. Has anyone ever asked Sid and or Marty about in the, in interviews about, about these, this, this, these parallels. And well, I asked him in person and he confirmed it was happy, relaxing, puffing stuff. And I think, and I don't want to,
I don't want to get out over my skis on this, but I believe there was a story where he would just confirm that, you know, that time, what people were doing in the writer's room. I don't want to get out over my skis. That was a good one, right? Is that yours or is that like a general? I just arrived on this planet, so I don't fucking know. I, I, as it was coming out of my mouth.
I was like, I've never said this phrase before. People say it all the time. It's so funny that you busted me. It's so funny that you busted me on it. Maybe I'm hanging out with a less classy crowd. I've never heard the phrase, I'm getting out over my skis. It's always high finance people that say it. In my experience, he was a little heavy in the commodities, got a little over his skis, and that was that. So that's kind of the... Over his skis.
Now out here, they're too busy talking about unpacking things. Oh yeah. There's a lot to unpack. I heard that phrase like maybe seven years ago, maybe six, seven years ago for the first time. I'd never heard it before. And then suddenly everybody was using it in every conversation that I was having. How does that happen? I think just because people are, people suck. People do suck. They're just a bunch of parrots. And then the notes that you get
the phraseology then cycles and it's gone. Like, I don't hear anymore. I'm just worried about protecting the character. Yeah, well, I guess it depends on the show and on the executive. Yeah, flawed characters. I've worked with executives and known people who've worked with executives who really have this problem where any kind of a flawed character makes them squeamish. There was a show I produced called The Winner
for Fox that was written by Ricky Blitt, who was a hysterically funny writer. And it was basically about a guy who was 40 years old, still living with his parents. Amazing. And there was such reservation, I think, among the network about, you know, this guy is such a loser.
No, is anybody going to go for that? As if like, we're all a bunch of winners in America. Every one of us. We're just all a bunch of winners. Who's going to be able to relate to this? Yes, that's right. Yeah, exactly. And so he put a line in the script that said, Glenn is a winner. He just doesn't know it yet.
In the stage directions. And that was what was the turning point. And it's... So, yeah, I've... That's an amazing story, by the way. I believe that with every fiber in my being. That, oh, well, then we have no further notes. Problem solved. A little distressing. You got out of your skis on that one. Are all your podcasts like this, Rob? Yes. If you were... And you were a great Oscar host, by the way. Rob, I am...
By the time I walked out onto that stage, I had already had about three and a half glasses of straight scotch. There was no way I was going out and doing that sober. There was just no way. Come on. Where to go? I had to dance. All this stuff. They're like, uh-uh. No way. I'll have an anxiety attack. I can't do this. So you mean to tell me this is like, what is it? Spaceman Bill Lee threw a perfect game for the Boston Red Sox on acid.
You're telling me that you went out lit and hosted the Academy Awards. Yes, sir. On my mother's grave. That is the truth. I bet it's more common than you think, though. Maybe it is. I'm trying to go through the people who've hosted. Yeah, they checked that box. Yeah, they could definitely have been lit. I'm not a professional stand-up who does this all the time. Right. So, you know, if you're Chris Rock and you're out there and you do it 24-7,
you're going to have those mental tools at your disposal when you need them. When you only do it sporadically, alcohol opens those doors when you need them. Do you have a memory of it? I do remember hosting the Oscars. Wouldn't that be something? I do. It was a blast start to finish. I would have gone back and done it the next year. They called me when I was in Santa Fe
shooting the Western to come back and shoot the following year. It was the same producers come back and do the show again. And I debated it. I talked to some friends and I realized the only reason that I would be saying yes would be to just kind of thumb my nose at the detractors. I'm like, you know what? That's not a good enough reason to put in all this work. Like you don't do a show out of spite. So you don't.
Fair enough. Fair enough. So I was a little sad because I loved working with those guys, but I just... It's a lot of work. People don't realize the amount of work it is. And they also don't realize you don't get paid particularly. No. It's fine. But I mean, I'm just saying only because it is a lot of work. Yeah. But it's fun. I mean, I remember...
But the audience was great. Like the, the, the room was fantastic. And I've done like, I've done some standup. I haven't done a lot, but when I was younger, I did enough of it to kind of know when the room's with you and when they're not. And this room was just a gift. I mean, they were, they were just fantastic.
I don't think that happens all the time. You know what? Oh, actually, no, it is. Because at the beginning, everybody's a winner. So everybody in that room is about to win an Academy Award. Every fucking person is going to win an award. And they could not be happier. Try doing that same monologue an hour later, pal. Suddenly Bradley Cooper ain't laughing so much. No, no. I kid Bradley. I love him. I love him. He's the best.
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. Who was the worst sport in your family guy trashing of absolutely everybody in Hollywood? For every Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise, there was a... I guess Adrian Brody. Adrian Brody. There was a gag, admittedly a very mean gag, where...
I guess it was in our Agatha Christie episode and they find the killer who turns out to be Tom Tucker, the newsman. And he says he punches the cop who catches him, which is Joe Swanson. And he says, just for that, when the movie of this story comes out, I'm going to make sure Adrian Brody plays you. And then Tom Tucker goes, oh, I guess that means you don't want anyone to see it.
and it was it was admittedly a very however however i was i i am i had just seen the movie splice i ran into the party and i just seen the movie splice and i thought it was great and i thought he was great i think he's a terrific actor that's the irony of this i actually i actually am a fan and i said hey you know sorry about this uh sorry about that gag we did i hope there's no hard feelings and and uh it it was it was
It was very clear that there were maybe Shemar feelings. He was frosty? He was frosty. A little bit frosty, but... But that's a gentle... I can't think of anything worse than that. And again, I felt a little bad because I am a fan of his work. It just makes me laugh. The people that have a thin skin about that stuff. I would still work with Adrian Brody any day of the week. I think he's fabulous.
He's great. He's great as Pat Riley in this Lakers series. Good, talented guy. Yeah.
Tell me, this sounds, this is like the worst interviewer question. It's when they clearly haven't done their homework, they'll say this. Tell me about the new album. But that said, tell me about the new album. Is it out? I keep being told that it's going to come out. Who's controlling that? You'd think... There's some kind of weird thing with this kind of stuff where it's like there's specific dates that are like, if it were up to me, it'd be like, great, we're done. Get it out there. So is it... Wait, this is fascinating. So you...
Is it like, is there a George Martin-esque producer in your life? I don't think we've quite got it yet. A fiscal quarterly marketing review papers, whatever the hell it is. Those people. Yeah, yeah. They're preventing your art from being... And it's something to do with vinyl. Like, apparently it takes about...
two and a half years to press one record in vinyl. What? Um, so yes. Did they get out over their skis on it? The point being, uh, yes, the album is coming out. Um, uh, I, I believe soon, I guess it's May 20th now. So fingers crossed that that actually happens. Is it American standards? What is it? You're not scatting. We've, we know that. Well, not scatting. No, we know we recorded this at, uh, at Abbey road. No way. Um,
You know who recorded in Abbey Road? I know you're not really familiar with them. Beatles might have recorded. Yes, they did there. But the place is interesting because it looks like nothing has been changed. I'm told it's superstitious that the carpeting, the walls, there's a lot of stuff that just looks like if you were living in that house, you'd say it's time to repaint these walls. It's time to change this carpet.
But there's a kind of a feeling that everything somehow contributes to the exact sound of those rooms. And they're just very uneasy about fucking with it. But yeah, we recorded with, I think it was about a 50-piece orchestra. Arrangements by Andrew Cotty, produced by Joel McNeely, my longtime friend and composer. It's up-tempo swing. It kind of speaks for itself. There's one original on there, but they're all...
Old standard. Most of them are standards that maybe are less familiar that will hopefully be new to people who are not deep divers. You've recorded, I'm assuming, in the Capitol Records building where Sinatra did a lot of stuff, right? Yep, we recorded there too. And what's... Like when you go into those rooms...
Do you, do you, other than the vibe, do you go, oh yeah, no, that's a very specific sound. I get it. Yeah. I, you know, where I noticed that more now, just cause I do a lot more of it is scoring sessions. For a show like the Orville, for example, we use anywhere from 85 to a 90 piece orchestra every episode. And you start to get a sense of like, okay, the, this sound stage sounds like this and this South stage sounds like that. So I've, I'm at the point where there are certain stages that are,
um, really, you know, Newman stage at Fox is, has a great sound Sony to my ear, the Sony stage. This is going to be so dull to everyone listening, but no, no, it's fascinating. The Sony stage to me is, is the one that if I'm, you know, scoring a film, that's kind of ideally where I want to be. And as it has the, um,
What about it are you hearing there that you're not hearing somewhere else? It's like just enough wetness. Just enough natural reverb that it sounds, you know, because too much reverb obviously sounds like a 1967 recording where like everyone is singing in the middle of the Grand Canyon. And then there's not enough of it, which is Springsteen has a great quote. He goes, all those pop songs done in the 70s, they make my skin crawl.
Because they're so dry? Because they're so dry. Yeah. You can literally hear a sonic blanket. I didn't realize that was an audio trait of 70s recording. Oh, my God. You really hear it on the drums. The drums sound like people are banging on pillows. You know what it really is in the Partridge family albums because that was what I was listening to when I was a kid. Go back and listen to...
you know, point me in the direction of Albuquerque. You're asking me to go back and listen to the Partridge family. I am. How did you not listen as a young man actor wanting to come into this? Were you not a David Cal? You was singing, dancing, handsome, just like you. I had a weird like thing when I was a kid, when those reruns would come on, like the Brady bunch was like, I'm there. I'm in day or night. If it's on watching. And then like the Partridge family would come on and I'd be like, Oh, this is a drag.
It'd be like when M.A.S.H. came on. Be like, okay, I'm going to do something else. I'm with you on the M.A.S.H. thing. I don't know what the difference was. Like, I was there for the Brady Bunch and the Partridge family just put me to sleep. God, really? Those fluted microphones they sang into? No, listen, I haven't seen it in adulthood. I may go, you know, if I go back and watch it, I may find that I love it. Hal Blaine, all those guys, like, you know, the wrecking crew, all playing on those things.
I mean, I think you need to revisit that. Just said like a doctor prescribing more exercise. I really think you need to get out there and do some Cassidy's every morning. Five Cassidy's, three Shirley Jones's, and then make sure you finish with Bonaduce's. Seven Danny Bonaduce's. This is great. We got to...
We got to figure out when we can see each other. Are you still living in LA? I am. I haven't, I haven't left. I've been working here since before the pandemic. I think I've been on one trip. Jesus. Are you ever on the Fox lot or you're done? You've wrapped Orville's wrapped, right? Yeah. Well, post is there. So I'm, I'm there. I'm there all the time. All right, Seth. I love you, man. That was so fun. All right, Rob. Anytime. All right, brother. I take it easy. Oh, Seth McFarlane. Oh,
We really got out of our skis on that one. I felt really out over my skis on that, particularly talking about Lidsville with Seth MacFarlane. So much to unpack. There's a lot of stuff. By the way, if any of those references are unfamiliar to you, I implore you to look them up. Maybe the guy Williams lost in space. Screen test, the Lidsville theme where they...
Say Liddy, Liddy, Liddyville. Not to be confused with Nitty Grittyville. Anyway, this is what happens when I get around my buddy, Seth MacFarlane. Crazy stuff that is probably interesting only to he and I. But you never know. Hopefully you liked it. I hope you did. I see the light is flashing on the answering machine here in the studio. That is 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. This is Kristen calling from Vail, Colorado. I know you're a big skier. Come out and ski with us next season. Hey, Tommy Boy is my favorite comedy of all time. I literally watch it every time it's on television, and that was the case last night. Of course, you're hilarious in that.
I was Googling some information about the movie as I was watching it, and on Wikipedia, they actually note that you are uncredited in that movie. I've never seen that before, and I just don't know what that means. Could you explain that situation a little bit and what that means for all of us? Thanks. Well, thanks for calling, and I will take you up on that offer. I love skiing at Vail. Side note, I did a movie called Youngblood, the bad coach who teaches me how to fight.
In Youngblood, a man named Eric Nestorinko, leading penalty minutes of the Chicago Blackhawks, notoriously mean as a snake on the ice, was for many years a ski instructor at Vail and may still be. So I would come to Vail and ski with Mr. Eric Nestorinko. Yes, me being uncredited and Tommy boy. First of all, I'm wearing a Chris Farley T-shirt today.
As we're recording this. Kismet. It's the universe talking. So here's what happened. Tommy Boy was originally Lorne Michaels' idea. We were playing tennis and Lorne says, I have an idea for a movie. You and Farley would be brothers. It's a funny idea. Six months goes by. Nobody says anything. I figure it just was a passing thing. Then all of a sudden the Turners who wrote Wayne's World
along with Mike Myers, deliver a script. And it's slightly different, as you know. But still, you know, it's a brother thing with me and Farley, although we're not really brothers, whatever. And so they go to make my deal. And I think Chris and David had never done a movie, I think, at that point. David Spade and Chris Farley. I'd obviously done a bunch of movies. And they wanted to bill me third. I didn't feel like that was fair.
But I also knew that they were effectively the stars of the movie. So we couldn't really agree on the billing. So I just said, you know what, just don't bill me. I don't need any billing in this.
So that's why I have no billing. And it just goes to show you that billing doesn't mean anything because everybody remembers I'm in it and it's all good in the hood. Yeah, a good catch, by the way. And not a lot of people notice that. Thanks for calling. Thank you for listening. Don't forget to check out Parks and Recollection, my other podcast with Alan Yang, where we...
Watch every Parks and Rec episode and tell you what was really going on. And five-star reviews. You can be your own best critic. And I will see you next week on Literally.
You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced and engineered by me, Rob Schulte. Our coordinating producer is Lisa Berm. The podcast is executive produced by Rob Lowe for Low Profile. Jeff Ross, Adam Sachs, and Joanna Solitaroff at Team Coco. And Colin Anderson at Stitcher. Our researcher is Alyssa Grahl. Our talent bookers are Paula Davis, Gina Batista, and Britt Kahn.
And music is by Devin Bryant. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week on Literally with Rob Lowe. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher.
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