David Koechner, actor from Anchorman & The Office, tells McElroy & Cubelic how he got into comedy from political science, which scene was the absolutely the hardest to shoot from the laughter, and has a WHAMMY-OFF with Cole
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McElroy and Kubrick in the morning starts now. All right, welcome back in. McElroy and Kubrick in the morning. Going to welcome in David Kirchner to the studio now. You know, I know him as Champ Kynes. Is that okay that we introduce him? However you come to me is fine.

So we were at SEC Media Days last week, and it was in Dallas. And there was a room that all of the players could go to as they came through SEC Media Days. And, of course, Texas coming to the SEC, first time that that's happened. So we'll make a big deal about that. You could design your own cowboy hat. Uh-huh.

So they let me design my own cowboy hat, and there it is on me right now. And I immediately got everyone comparing me to Champ right out of the gate. How'd that feel? It felt great. Okay. As I described earlier, the only difference would be I don't think I had a crush on my co-host like Champ did, but other than that, it's great. Give it time. Be patient.

But that obviously I think would qualify as my favorite role of yours. And I would just love to know what went through your head the first time that you were either introduced to that or saw that script. Well, I've known Adam McKay since 1990. We were at Second City together. And, of course, I was on Saturday Night Live with Will. So when I read it, it's laugh out loud funny when you're reading it, right? And then when we were rehearsing, we were improvising a lot.

in rehearsal. And I remember thinking, what are we doing? You can't get funnier than this. This is the funniest thing I've ever read in my life. So what we would do, so that's the first thing that went through my head. Like, thank God I got the job because I did have to audition.

I just told this story in the news show, but it was between me and three other guys because Adam and Will were smart enough. They didn't have the juice just to cast it themselves. Right. So they had the old Betamax tape. They put that in the player with the producer, and there's me and three other guys, and they didn't say their choice. And so when my audition came up, the producer goes, well, why not that guy? And they're like, yes.

Because you know the psychology of it. They said, we like this guy a lot.

that person probably would automatically just chose someone else. There was the photograph right there that they went with at media day. That's two handsome guys right there. For you guys who can't see it at home, it's me in the suit and the cowboy hat next to Champ. So, yeah, it was – I mean, I would imagine that the majority of that – maybe not the majority, but a lot of it, what ended up making the film was probably just you guys acting a fool, essentially. Yes. So we improvised every scene. So now here's the way it would happen. We would shoot each scene three times.

So once Adam was satisfied that we've got what we've written, he would say, let's let the squirrel out of the bag, and then we'd start improvising. So when people say, how much is improvised? I don't have an exact fractional number, but I'm going to say probably 50%. But the thing is, you had a guide. Yes, sir. I couldn't even imagine being able... How do you even get through a...

a sequence when it's that absurd and you guys never know where you're going to go and paul's hilarious steve carell you hilarious will ferrell hilarious i mean just a ridiculous group how do you get through it without breaking you're right now see if it's if it's scripted you have an idea like i know what i'm doing but when it's someone's improvising now this is a surprise

So you now luckily I had that hat. So if you ever see me in that hat, dip my head down. That means I'm about to laugh. So that would save me quite often. It was actually it was what is today?

What is it? 26. It's Friday. Friday, July 26th. Wednesday, my son, Sergeant, who is now 18, asked me, because he was watching bloopers or something else. He said, Dad, what was the hardest scene to shoot in Anchorman? And I said it was the lighthouse scene in Anchorman 2 when Will's character is blind and so belligerent that he couldn't... Will's character couldn't tell the difference. He said...

yesterday I bit hard into an ashtray thinking it was a waffle. It's like, a waffle? Does it feel, it's not even warm. How did you know? And then Will was so good, he'd go, I'm going to say it one more time and very loudly, I am blind. It was just,

the most ridiculous scene we ever shot because all of us were laughing so hard it was hard to get through. Well, who is a more ridiculous character to sort of say in sync with, I guess, or not sort of lose it? Would it be Brick Tamblyn or Michael Scott? Oh, wow. Because both kind of along the same lines of...

staying somewhat serious in their character, but not for entertainment purposes. I'd say Brick, because Brick's insane, right? Absolutely. And Michael Skep, plus we're not improvising a lot in the office. In TV, you improvise a lot less because you only have 23 and a half minutes. You've got 10 writers that have spent 45 hours on this script. They don't necessarily want you to go, oh, you know what? I know you spent a lot of time on this. I think I have something better just off the top of my head.

Plus, it's a 12-hour date. If everybody's improvising, you're just not going to make your date. Right. Got it. I would imagine that's pretty well. I know, too, for most comedians.

Getting that call to be a part of SNL. Actually, it's funny that you're coming on because I went down a Bill Braske rabbit hole not that long ago. I don't know why that one always just gets me. It's so ridiculous because it reminds me of when I'm hanging out with my boys. The stories get just more aggressive every year. But when you get that call that you're going to be on Saturday Night Live, what kind of goes through your head? Well, the first is you know there's going to be three auditions. Now, I'm not going to be humble.

I'll just tell you this, but it's the truth. When I was 13, Saturday Night Live debuted. And by the end of that first season, I said to myself, and I'm from a very small town in Missouri, okay? And I knew when I was 10 years old that I have to leave this small town. I just can't do it. And then when I was 13, I decided to myself, I'm going to be on Saturday Night Live.

I don't know why. I don't know if it's, you know, a calling or vocation, but whatever. I knew I was going to be on it. Did I tell anybody? No, because you don't tell people in small towns dreams. Why? Because they're like, dream? What are you doing dreaming? There ain't no dreams in this life. Anyway, so I was a poli-sci major, and then I stopped doing that because that's not a very kind business. But anyway, I...

Then I moved to Chicago and I took my first improv class. And I tell you what, man, I had met my, my, my head matched my calling. I, that's where I felt like this is what I was meant to do. So when I got the first audition in my mind, to be honest, I was like, well, yeah, this was coming. So I had a really good audition. Can I tell you something? I, I improvised most of that audition. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's crazy.

So then I got the callback. And, of course, I knew it in my mind. I knew I was going to get the callback. So when that happened, I was in my mind. I'm like, this is mine. Right. And then the third meeting is just you go back.

They fly you back to New York and you have a meeting with Lorne Michaels. And it's really weird because you're sitting there going, what's this about? I'm in this meeting. Aren't you going to tell me? So after about 15, 20 minutes, like I would start a conversation and Lorne would go, we're done talking about that. Now, Lorne's a big baseball guy. And so I talked a little bit of White Sox. I didn't know a lot. You know, again, we're done talking about that. Like he just ends your conversation.

And then I was talking about that summer, there was a huge heat wave in Chicago. And I was talking about the number of deaths that had just been reported on the news. And again, we're done talking about that now. I'm like, what is going on? And then this guy, Steve, leaned over and says, by the way, you got the job. So the final interview is just to make sure that you're not a weirdo. Because there was one guy that had auditioned who had a British accent.

And he made it all the way to the third callback. And then they found out he's not from Britain. But just had the British accent. Nope. He put it on. So that was a big red flag. Like, what kind of weirdo are you doing this thing? So he must have been doing this since grade school. I don't know who he is. I don't think he made it.

All I know is that he's probably this guy that started doing a British accent in grade school, and it charmed the pants off everybody. So that was his thing, right? Wow. David Kirchner joining us in studio. You're going to be at Stardome this weekend. Stardome, only for stars, by the way. Three stand-up, but then also you've got an office trivia. This is going to be really cool. You're right. Office trivia hosted by the real Todd Packer.

That is going to be on Saturday afternoon. It's a matinee show at 4 o'clock. I say it's the best trivia show in the country, and here's why. So it's hosted by Todd Packer, which if you're an Office fan, they love that. We do three rounds of trivia. The trivia is played on an app on your phone.

And then throughout the thing, I do Packerisms. I play Todd Packer, kind of you. And then, of course, I wear a suit. That's how you know I'm Todd Packer. And then I just become obnoxious. And then I tell stories of my time on The Office. I tell stories about my career. I've met Slash folks. We actually went on vacation once, so I tell that story. And so...

So it's kind of a hybrid show of trivia, stand-up, storytelling. Then I do a Q&A. And then the top two teams at the end of the show get to come up on stage and do a scene with Todd Packer. And that determines the winner of the afternoon. And that's the only show I do a meet-and-greet at, too. So like that, I say it's the best trivia show in the country. I don't think anybody's going to debate that.

I want a sample question, though. I feel like I've watched The Office pretty regularly for the last 20 years. Yes. I think I could probably nail most questions. Do you have a sample question? Try it out. I know, but if I give you a sample question, I'll be giving away— Just give us one of your extras that didn't quite make the cut. Let this cat out of the bag on this one. Let me think of one that we no longer use in the show.

If Rob was here, who's my opener, who travels with me, he would have one. Gosh darn it. You want to give us one after the break? We'll take a break. Yeah, good idea. We'll take a break. We used to do, and it's no longer in the show. We'll move on from that. Greg, you can tell our listeners about Crocker Moving Services, and then we'll get a sample question on the other side. Yeah, a local company owned by an Iraq War veteran, Eric Crocker. Crocker believes in hiring moves you can trust to complete full background checks and run drug tests on every single employee. These are good guys, and you can trust them in your home. They need your whole home packed in a move.

If your company headquarters is across the country or you just want them to come rearrange your living room, these guys got you covered. They also do deliveries for furniture that you purchased and need to get to your home. So call or visit them online today for a free quote. The website is crockermovieservices.com. That's crockermovieservices.com. Support your veterans by choosing Crocker Movie Services for your next move. All right, more with David Kirchner in studio right after this break next on McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. All right, 9.48 a.m. Friday, July 26th right here on JOX 94.5. David Kirchner hanging out with us for the rest of the show.

Which it's only like nine minutes. You're good. Okay, thank you. It could have been a couple hours trying to keep you in here. I'll ask you an Office Trivia question. It is in this one, so I'm giving you guys a freebie and just to test you. Because you think you know Office Trivia pretty well? I think we have a chance. I don't know if we'll nail it, but I think between John and myself, we got a shot. Oh, no, I got to do it. Oh, okay. Jan's boyfriend, Hunter, has a band. Yes. What is the name of his band?

Ooh, I can sing the song from one of the greatest Office episodes ever. We'll take that at least if you want to go for that. Go for it.

Well, I just I wouldn't know the song. I've never seen it. You've never seen that episode. Oh, my gosh. I've got five kids. I've got five kids. The last show I binged was the Sopranos. Well, that's a good one. I'm 20 years behind. So I would not get this one. I would not know it. John, you know it. He's in deep thought right now. No, I can't even see the CD cover from the episode. He's like Jack Handy back there in deep thought.

Was there an SNL skit that you feel like sort of pulled you into that more than any other that you watched early on? Oh, when I was a kid? Right. That made you say, I got to be there. The Bees. Okay. The Bees sketch, which I guess Belushi hated.

He didn't like that? Yeah. Okay. He thought it was stupid. I guess Sprockets was a little behind that. Sprockets was years later. That was your high school years. That's what I was going to say. Yeah. I was hoping it pulled you in. I'm Sprockets. Now's the time on Sprockets when we dance. Yes. Yeah, that was. I worked with Mike. I knew Mike Myers from Second City. I met a lot of people.

I'm telling you about... You want the answer? Yes. John's mad he can't get it. John is our resident TV nerd right there. John, are you looking it up? I was because I didn't think you were going to come back to me. I'll tell you. The Hunted. Yeah. Because his name was Hunter. Yes. Makes sense. The song was that one night. I'm amazed at how you pieced that together. That's really well done.

The song was good. So when will the Office Trivia Show be? 4 p.m. on Saturday. 4 p.m. Saturday. Love that. You can get to that. Three other stand-ups. It's the only show I do a meet-and-greet in. Sorry to interrupt you. That's it. No, so if you want to get a photo, you want to do a meet-and-greet, that's the only one you're going to be able to do it at, Saturday at 4 at the Stardome. Three other stand-up performances this weekend at the Stardome. Tickets available. How can folks find you if they want to come check it out? Go to my Instagram, which is David Koechner, K-O-E-C-H-N-E-R. So wait a minute. I've been saying it wrong.

No, you're saying it right because that's how you should say it. But I'm from a small town in Missouri. They say it wrong. So I don't correct people. I literally listened to you. I went and watched like seven appearances for you on shows. Great. And they were all Kochner. Every single one. So I told John this morning, I said, I think it's Kochner, man. Well, here's the thing. Your mind is looking at the words and the phonetic spelling of it should be Kochner.

But I'm from a small town in Missouri, and these dummies didn't know how to pronounce their own German last name. Nowhere in the English language does the O-E make the short E sound, so you're not stupid. All you're doing is proving to everybody that you're smarter than the dumb lie you've been told, which is Keckner.

There's no way it's Cactar. My mother's maiden name is likely L-A-I-C-H-T-L-E. My last name is Kubelik. You've been through it. It's been a lot. It's a lot. Folks, just so you know, he closed his eyes when he said it's been a lot. I'm not kidding you. That tells me the pain this young man has carried to this day. As you know, you get to a point where you're like, I don't care. I don't care. I told my children, you can change it to coaching. They go, no. No.

Trust me. Do whatever you want. Why go to a restaurant and put your name in? Yeah, mine's just – I'll just put in Jeff. Or Ron. Yeah, we don't even try that. I told you that when they had me on set there at SEC Media Days, had to put the hat on. I had to drop a whammy on them there. We're going to have a whammy off. Okay. Now, you can do three whammies in a row. Three in a row. Now, we can trade off.

or whatever, but John and the young man, what's your name? Greg. John and Greg will determine the winner. Is that correct? I'm ready. Now, do you want to trade off, or do you want to do three in a row? No, I say back and forth. Okay. Back and forth, back and forth. You want me to go first to help you out? I do, yeah. I need some motivation. Now, if you want to say Gene Tennis at the plate to give you a nice handle. You ready? Gene Tennis at the plate. You ready? I got it. Gene Tennis at the plate.

Whammy! Oh, okay. Went deep there. I'm going to go Joe Capoto at bat. Whammy! Whammy! Whammy! Nice. Your second one was better. Both of ours or just mine? Yours. His is steady. We know we're going to get good performance out of him. Let's just throw the marbles here. We'll do it again? One more. We said three, so. Sorry about that. Whammy! Oh, you skipped it down. You threw me off a little bit there. Oh, excuse me.

WHAMMY!

You've got to go. I mean, David's got you. He's got the subtle whammy as he just ever so slightly grazes across Veronica. Corning stones. Corning stones. You know, side area. And I actually had to do it. I actually had to do it. And, you know, this is the middle of the film. I said, are you okay if I? She goes, I don't care. Just do it. At this point, it doesn't matter. I'm going to hit you in the sack just right after. Don't you worry about it.

I didn't think about the different temperature winds. There you go. I was in a competition. I had to figure out something. I think you took it home. Almost like an actor has range. You did as well as I've heard. Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm proud of that. You loaded up. That's nice. The first one, you had some McDonough voice crack in you, but the last two, you really brought it. It was proud of you. Good performance. Take us back to the fight scene. Yes.

There had to be just some amazing back and forth ad lib, accidental something or others that took place there. Are you talking about the first one or the second one? The first one. First one, we did it in one day. I killed a guy with a trident. Yes. That was hilarious. Rick brought a hand grenade. As a viewer, it was like, all right, how many

different news crews are coming and who's next like ben stiller you got i mean it was like on one after another pbs yeah right uh yeah that was a four four news teams yeah for that day i think so 96 degrees shooting downtown la under a bridge and we shot all of the fight scene in one day that was amazing yes and i remember even judd apatow put this in his book

I you're just caught up doing your thing. I've got to throw a man into a windshield. Right. He's getting as a stuntman getting catapulted off this this this exploding ramp. Right. He steps on the ramp and there's an air pressure thing or, you know, tank sends him flying into this windshield. And they said, don't touch him.

Said, even if you touch him slightly, you might throw off his trajectory. So I just had to act like I'm doing the move. So that was a bit trepidatious on my part. But I just remember I do that. And then I decided that I'm supposed to move on. So then I decided, OK, I'll just pick out a guy like he's next. And then behind me is a man on fire. Yeah.

It's one of the best scenes of the film. Absolutely. Unbelievable. There's a man on fire walking around. Incredible. Oh, that stunt guy. Totally. He gets a bump in pay.

David Ketchner, Kirchner, Kochner, they all apply here. He's going to be at the Stardome all weekend, stardome.com. You can get your tickets there. The Office Trivia Show, 3 p.m. Saturday, correct? Yes, sir. 4 p.m. That's the only meet and greet, by the way. If you want a chance to meet David, you can do that there. Really appreciate your time. Two segments, that was awesome. Thank you so much. Whammy! Whammy! Whammy! We love your work, obviously. Whammy! Whammy! Whammy! Whammy! Whammy!

This is the best show we've ever done. Right here. This is right here. W-J-O-X and Whammy! Whammy! We're back Monday. Three-man front might be next. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kubrick in the morning by subscribing to the podcast. Mythically, he's grown. He's almost like a little bit bigger than...

A player, right? Like the myth of Bo Jackson. Like, rate, and download the show from the Jock Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. Passion, drive, and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance.

Superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has you covered. With over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die, you'll always find exactly what you're looking for. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back. Because with eBay Motors...

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