MICHAEL URIE Went on a Duck Boat in Branson, Missouri

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers: Michael Urie Went on a Duck Boat in Branson, Missouri

Release Date: May 27, 2025

In this engaging episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers, hosts Seth Meyers (referred to as "Sufi") and Josh Meyers ("Baji") sit down with actor Michael Urie to reminisce about their childhood adventures, unforgettable family trips, and the occasional family travel disasters. The conversation seamlessly weaves through personal anecdotes, humorous incidents, and heartfelt reflections, offering listeners both laughter and insight into the dynamics of family vacations.

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1. Scheduling Family Trips and Balancing Family Commitments

The episode kicks off with Seth and Josh discussing the annual planning of their family trips, particularly centered around Pittsburgh Steelers game weekends. Seth introduces a new challenge: navigating the scheduling around his anniversary.

Seth Meyers (Sufi) [00:19]: "And now there's a new fly in the ointment, but it's one that I'm really happy about."

Michael Urie [00:26]: "Yeah."

Josh shares his own experiences, highlighting the complexity of aligning family events with trip schedules.

Josh Meyers (Baji) [00:21]: "We always try. I mean, the trip was originally built around Mom's birthday, which is October 4th."

This segment underscores the delicate balance families must maintain when coordinating memorable experiences alongside personal milestones.

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2. Introducing Michael Urie and His Family Travel Stories

Michael Urie joins the conversation, bringing his unique perspective and personal stories to the table. Seth compliments him on his recent hosting stint at the GLAAD Awards, appreciating his performance and the positive feedback from their staff.

Seth Meyers (Sufi) [09:33]: "So, how are you, Michael?"

Michael Urie [09:36]: "I'm great. It's so nice to meet y'all. I love this show."

Seth Meyers (Sufi) [09:49]: "They did say that it felt like a party, and they did say it was the stereotype of how fun you would think the GLAAD Awards were versus, say, like, the Writers Guild Awards."

Michael shares his experiences at the awards, highlighting the camaraderie and the vibrant atmosphere that contrasts with more subdued award ceremonies.

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3. Early Life and Family Movements

Michael delves into his childhood, recounting the frequent moves his family made from Texas to Plano, Missouri, and Florida. He discusses the impact of these moves on his social life and personal development.

Michael Urie [12:02]: "When I was like six, we moved to Plano, which is outside Dallas. My dad worked for arco, the gas company, and they transferred pretty cheap gas."

Michael reflects on his transition from being an outgoing child to becoming shy after moving, illustrating the challenges of adapting to new environments.

Michael Urie [12:40]: "And so I just pulled the remote from his chest without waking him. It was very Indiana Jones."

These anecdotes highlight the resilience and adaptability required during childhood relocations.

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4. Discovering Sexuality and Personal Growth During Trips

A poignant moment arises as Michael shares how family trips were pivotal in his journey of self-discovery regarding his sexuality.

Michael Urie [35:42]: "But I got. I remember that we got like a, I discovered my sexuality on one of these trips that."

He candidly discusses his early realizations and the supportive role his family played, emphasizing the importance of these experiences in shaping his identity.

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5. The Memorable Duck Boat Incident in Branson, Missouri

The centerpiece of the episode revolves around Michael's unforgettable experience on a Duck Boat in Branson, Missouri. This amphibious vehicle ride combined a city tour with an unexpected adventure on the water.

Michael Urie [48:09]: "We did one of those on that trip. We did one of those. Do you know those, I think amphibious duck?"

The lighthearted recounting turns dramatic as Michael describes how the Duck Boat unexpectedly caught fire during the excursion.

Michael Urie [48:35]: "We were in a lot of hills, they couldn't go very fast. And we ended up... he just went, you got a fire."

Seth and Josh interject with humor and concern, creating a dynamic and engaging narrative.

Seth Meyers (Sufi) [49:50]: "I think I would be nervous. I would, I would be anxious to teach them."

Despite the perilous situation, Michael assures that no one was hurt, and his father's calm demeanor played a crucial role in managing the crisis.

Michael Urie [50:16]: "It was a small fire, and he put it out pretty quickly and right. No one was hurt."

This story not only provides a thrilling account but also underscores the importance of family unity during unexpected challenges.

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6. Reflections on Family Dynamics and Travel Experiences

Throughout the episode, Michael, Seth, and Josh explore the intricacies of family interactions during trips. Michael highlights his father's anxiety regarding timeliness and travel logistics, balanced by his mother's calm and supportive nature.

Michael Urie [52:35]: "He was anxious about timing and being late is like plane, travel, things like that is very. He was excited to go do whatever we were gonna do."

Seth and Josh relate with their own experiences, fostering a sense of shared understanding and camaraderie.

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7. Michael's Journey in Television and Acting

Shifting gears, Michael shares his path to fame, particularly his role in "Ugly Betty." He recounts the serendipitous nature of landing the part and the invaluable mentorship he received from co-star Vanessa Williams.

Michael Urie [73:49]: "And she was teaching me how to be on set and teaching me how to work with a camera."

His stories reveal the unexpected twists and supportive relationships that shape an actor's career, adding depth to the conversation.

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8. Final Reflections and Speed Round

As the episode nears its end, Seth and Josh engage Michael in a lighthearted speed round, posing rapid-fire questions that showcase his personality and preferences.

Josh Meyers (Baji) [78:36]: "Wonderful to talk to you. Oh, so lovely to meet you."

Michael Urie [82:47]: "Yes."

This segment provides a fun and personal glimpse into Michael's likes and dislikes, wrapping up the episode on a cheerful note.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Seth Meyers (Sufi) [00:19]: "And now there's a new fly in the ointment, but it's one that I'm really happy about."

• Michael Urie [48:09]: "Do you know those, I think amphibious duck?"

• Michael Urie [50:16]: "It was a small fire, and he put it out pretty quickly and right. No one was hurt."

• Michael Urie [73:49]: "And she was teaching me how to be on set and teaching me how to work with a camera."

• Seth Meyers (Sufi) [82:50]: "Was it worth it?"

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Conclusion

This episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers offers a rich tapestry of stories that blend humor, suspense, and heartfelt moments. Michael Urie's recounting of the Duck Boat incident serves as both a thrilling highlight and a testament to the enduring bonds of family. Through their shared memories and candid conversations, Seth, Josh, and Michael provide listeners with relatable insights into the joys and challenges of family travel, making this episode a memorable addition to their podcast series.

Transcript

[Sufi]

Hey, Baji.

[Baji]

Hey, Zufie.

[Sufi]

How are you?

[Baji]

I'm great. How are you?

[Sufi]

I'm doing good. And I want to talk about something which is very exciting. Every year, the schedule comes out for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we start planning which weekend we're going to go.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

And now there's a new fly in the ointment, but it's one that I'm really happy about.

[Baji]

Is it my anniversary?

[Sufi]

Yeah. All of a sudden, there's a fall weekend. It's unavailable to us.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

We always try. I mean, the trip was originally built around Mom's birthday, which is October 4th.

[Sufi]

Feel free to send her gifts. Yeah.

[Baji]

She would love it. But now I've got an October 13th anniversary.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Baji]

And I didn't waste any time because you feel like we need to act pretty fast once these schedules come out. So I did tell MacKenzie. I was like, hey, it's been suggested maybe we would try to do this. We'd go to the Oct. 12 game, but that fall, ensuring she knew right away what it falls near.

[Sufi]

Oh, yeah. And she was like, yeah, I don't.

[Baji]

Think that's a good one. And I respect that for our first anniversary out of the gate.

[Sufi]

First anniversary.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

I would tell you, we literally. Alexi, could be anywhere on our anniversary, and I likely would not even notice.

[Baji]

Both of us got married on holiday weekends, though, so that. Yeah, sort of.

[Sufi]

That's true.

[Baji]

There's always things.

[Sufi]

Doesn't yours shift around a little bit more, though?

[Baji]

I don't know. It's. I'm on Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day weekend. Pick your poison there. And so, yeah, I'm a Labor Day baby in your Labor Day. But I know it's the same for me this weekend. This year that it's okay.

[Sufi]

Well, maybe. Yeah, maybe. It's always there.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

But anyway, I totally. I respect it as well, and I respect her right to. To want to spend it with you. I think that's more than fair.

[Baji]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It is very exciting that. That. Yeah. We're gonna figure out how to get to Pittsburgh. And then you might try to bring the boys this year.

[Sufi]

I think I'm gonna try to bring the boys this year. And, you know, we're very lucky. We have a ticket hookup at the Steelers, and I'm hopeful that they have a couple boys, so I'm hopeful that they will, you know, give the nod to the fact that I want to bring them and start a new tradition.

[Baji]

Yeah. I went to a screening last night for part one of the Pee Wee as Himself.

[Sufi]

Paul Rubens documentary. Oh, I seen the trailer for the documentary.

[Baji]

It's great. And, yeah, I got to see a lot of old friends there, and it's just such a nice, you know, just to plug this for a minute. But it is a. You get to see Paul, which so few people got to see.

[Sufi]

And.

[Baji]

And I'm so happy that this thing exists because you can sort of sit with him looking directly at the camera, which is directly at you, and you get the same feeling you get when you used to sit with him sort of having a conversation.

[Sufi]

I saw the trailer and thought, oh, it would have been so lovely to do this with him. Although I don't know if he would have been a good guest for family trips, but just hearing him talk was a real. Oh, yeah, he was such a lovely guy to have a conversation with.

[Baji]

Yeah. So, yeah, keep your eyes peeled for that. It's coming out soon, and, yeah, it's great.

[Sufi]

You know, I know we every now and then we plug work. Man, oh, man. I just couldn't be a bigger fan of Andor. I got one left to watch.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

And I feel like I'm, like, trying to wait as long as I can, because, you know, that's the end of it.

[Baji]

Right.

[Sufi]

But just a delight. And hopefully, you know, we're trying really hard to get Tony Gilroy and his brother, who, you know, he created the show, and his brother's a writer on the show, and it would be very fun to get them on here.

[Baji]

So I'd like.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I'd like to get that done. Yeah, I just had a thing happen, Poshy.

[Baji]

What's that?

[Sufi]

You know, sometimes I do other people's podcasts. I feel like, karmically, you have to throw it out in the universe that you should say yes to being a guest on podcasts if you want. I said codcast by accident.

[Baji]

Yeah, but that's what you say.

[Sufi]

Are you still doing your podcast about great fishing spots? It's like family. It's family trips with a. Just a focus on fishing trips. And you come.

[Baji]

I mean, someone now is gonna be like, wait a minute. If that's not taken. Yeah, do it.

[Sufi]

They're like, can I do a thinner slice than family trips with the Myers brothers? And there you're gonna be two brothers, and they're gonna have one who's, like, really affable, and then one who's an asshole who's like, let's get back to fishing.

[Baji]

Well, if that's the conceit of the podcast or the codcast so you did a podcast?

[Sufi]

I did a podcast. And the guy just. It was like a lot of, like, look at your whole life and, like, what were the sort of integral moments, the points of inflection, you know? And I feel pretty good and, like, you know, I have my guard up. I know when people are coming to try to make me feel emotional. Then right at the end, he said, this is coming out on Father's Day. And he asked me to tell a story about dad that I told once before. And son of a gun, if I didn't get choked up on a podcast.

[Baji]

That'S great.

[Sufi]

I was like, ah, I felt like such a SAP, but it was genuine, you know?

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Also, I feel like it's helpful because I do think that sometimes, unfairly, we talk about dad like this crazy rageaholic, but he's, like, also, like, the best dad in the world. He was like the sweetest dad in the world. I told a story on the podcast as well, because I was like, I do want to correct the record on just how affectionate a father we grew up with. And I remember once going to Yankee Stadium, and I brought a girl I was dating at the time who knows Alexi. And I remember when I first started dating Alexi, Alexi said, you know, your ex girlfriend told me the story that she went to Yankee Stadium with you and your parents, and she went to put her arm around you during the game, and your dad's arm was already there. I was. I was 28 years old.

[Michael Urie]

He's a big old.

[Sufi]

He's a big old cuddler, too. I want to make sure we get the big old cuddler part of that in there.

[Baji]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Oh, did I send you the video of. I went of all three of them sleeping, dad, Ash, and my brother seen the video?

[Baji]

I've heard tail, but I haven't.

[Sufi]

Yeah, Ash was feeling a little underweather, so he just fell asleep on a couch. And then Tolya falls asleep. You can't tell if he's asleep or if his eyes are closed. And then, dad, you have never been more sure a person is asleep. Mouth wide open. I showed it to Ash, and Ash said, I can't believe I slept through his snoring.

[Baji]

We, when I was just home, we went out to dinner. My last night there, and when we got back, we put on a basketball game or pardon the interruption or something. And dad was on the couch and he was in control of the remote, but very quickly, he was, you know, snoring, and mom was right next to Him. And she looked at him with sort of a certain amount of, like, anger or something.

[Sufi]

Disdain.

[Baji]

Yeah, disdain. And then I had to sort of like pluck the remote from his chest without waking him. It was very Indiana Jones. I felt like I should have replaced it with, like, a dog toy, but then Albert, I'm sure, would have jumped on his chest.

[Sufi]

So I will say, I mean, it used to be so funny to us as kids. Like, how can dad just fall asleep in the middle of the day? And it's all I want to do.

[Baji]

Yeah, you're good at it.

[Sufi]

I know, but there's just no time because, you know, we don't again, we were a sports family, so you would. On Sunday, I think dad just had like six hours built in where the expectation was his whole family was gonna sit on the couch and then he would just go full snooze zone.

[Baji]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

He figured it out.

[Baji]

Uh huh.

[Sufi]

You know, living his best life. And the good news is. And again, he's, you know, obviously he's asleep for mom's withering looks, but she's nice enough to save some of them for when he's awake.

[Baji]

Yeah, she's got no shortage.

[Sufi]

She's got no shortage over the old withering looks. Yeah. Well, we have a wonderful conversation coming up with you. And I really love talking to. You know, we've talked to a few people who their first trip to New York was because they wanted to see Broadway shows. And then years later, they ended up on Broadway. And they're some of my favorite stories that I've had. And that one happens this time, too.

[Baji]

Fun times with Michael Urie ahead.

[Sufi]

And give my love to Mackenzie and tell her I'm totally cool with her marriage ruining a long standing tradition.

[Baji]

We're gonna find a time.

[Sufi]

I know, but it won't be the same, buddy. Oh, Supie. All right. Love you, buddy.

[Baji]

I love you too.

[Michael Urie]

Family trips with the M Brothers. Family chips with the brothers. Here we go. You look like brothers. Yeah, we are.

[Sufi]

The takeaways we get. How are you, Michael?

[Michael Urie]

I'm great. It's so nice to meet y' all. I love this show.

[Sufi]

No, thank you.

[Michael Urie]

So delighted to be included.

[Sufi]

I also, I have a compliment to pay you on behalf of some members of my staff. We're at the GLAAD Awards and Sid, you were just exceptional as a host.

[Michael Urie]

That's so nice. Whom from your staff was there?

[Sufi]

Sal Gentile and Emily Arrhodis were there and we had been nominated.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, you were nominated.

[Sufi]

A segment for our show was nominated. So they had gone out to represent the show. And look, they're a jaded bunch, and they go to a fair share of award shows, and it's the first time somebody came back and they said the entire show was just great.

[Michael Urie]

It was great. It was a. It was a really. It was a great night. It was one of those, like, everyone we all sort of knew, like, everyone in the. It was at the Beverly Hilton, which isn't a very big room, so it wasn't. It wasn't a ton of people. And it was one of those things where we knew everyone in the room had done the work and deserved a party. You know, we're in this dumpster fire of a world with rights being stripped and attacked left and right, and here we are actually doing good things with each other. And. Yeah, and it was, like, sexy and fabulous and everyone looked amazing. And. Yeah, it was really special. Thank you. That's so nice.

[Sufi]

They did say that it felt like a party, and they did say it was the stereotype of how fun you would think the GLAAD Awards were versus, say, like, the Writers Guild Awards. Like the Writers Guild Awards. You're lucky if you see a little bit of color.

[Baji]

I'm just delighted when you said you knew people who went and then Michael asked you who. I was like, oh, don't not know names.

[Sufi]

Oh, that would have been so great. Oh, we have this tall guy and.

[Michael Urie]

Then, of course, gay guy was there.

[Sufi]

He loved it. So thank you so much for being here.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, my pleasure. I'm so excited. I can't wait to tell you about my family.

[Sufi]

Oh, great.

[Baji]

Well, you know what?

[Sufi]

When somebody's ready to go, we don't get in the way. Plano, Texas.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

So how far is that near Houston?

[Michael Urie]

No, it's actually near Dallas. So I was born in Houston and grew up for my first six years were in a suburb of Houston called Meadowdale. Look at you both drinking at the same time. You're so cute.

[Sufi]

Oh, my God.

[Michael Urie]

And then we moved. When I was like six, we moved to Plano, which is outside Dallas. My dad worked for arco, the gas company, and they transferred pretty cheap gas.

[Baji]

As long as you're willing to pay debit.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

Just saying.

[Sufi]

Hey, hey, hey. Pashi. They're not a sponsor.

[Michael Urie]

Not yet. So we moved to Plano. It was one of those, like, mid year moves too. So I actually was, like, really outgoing. And then we moved in the middle of second grade and I went in and I became very shy and went into my shell and. And it took a long time before I got back out of it.

[Sufi]

But that is every parent's nightmare, to hear a story like that. Because I'm sure everyone's like, look, they adjust quickly. And to have somebody say. And then it just sent me back years.

[Baji]

All the progress I had made pre second grade.

[Michael Urie]

My sister. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it was kind of like that because I was like the coolest kid. I had, like, all the friends and I was popular, and then suddenly I had no friends and I just stayed home and played with my GI Joes and didn't. And didn't, you know, like. And then I, like, slowly came out of my shell. But my sister is seven years older than me and she was in high school and she was obviously furious, right? And my parents, the way they tell it, they were like, after we told your sister, we were like, well, at least Michael's only a kid. He won't care. And then they came and they told me I was in the bath and they came into the bathroom and told me and they were like. And you just started screaming. So I think they thought I was going to be the easy one. Right.

[Sufi]

They're like, we sequenced this wrong.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, we should have told the boy first. Tell the boy first.

[Sufi]

Do you remember friends from that age? Like, not ones you still stay in touch with, but in your head at that age? Second grade, are you like. Oh, yep. There was this one. This one, this one.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, one of my friends I'm still friends with, Stuart Boslow. He was like my first friend when I moved. After the move. Before the move, there was Corey Kilgore. He lived down the street. And he was like my best friend growing up. And I think I still kind of know where he is. We have Facebook friends or something. And then when I moved, my first friend was Stuart Boslow. And then there was John Green. Kyle Smith. I'm still friends with Kyle and Stuart. Elizabeth Derry. I don't know what happened to her. So. Yeah, I mean, you know what, as.

[Sufi]

You'Re telling this story, I'm realizing because we moved mid year and I was in fourth grade.

[Baji]

Yeah, I was in second grade when we.

[Sufi]

You were a second grader too, Pasci. And I feel like you hit the ground running.

[Baji]

Yeah, I don't know. I remember being. We had to like line up in our homeroom rows outside. And it was my first day at school. Cause we moved mid year, so it was like early January. And I remember there was some girl who had peed her pants and I was like, well, I'm not gonna be that. I'm already doing better than that.

[Sufi]

That's helpful.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

It would be a really nice thing if a teacher said, hey, we have a new kid coming to class, so we're gonna draw straws, and one of you is just gonna fully piss yourself on his first day. Obviously, internally, we'll know it was an act of kindness, and we'll never tease you, but I just think that would make that person feel more at home.

[Michael Urie]

That's kind of like the elementary school version of beating the tough guy up on the first day of prison.

[Baji]

I would like to think that I would have gone to that girl and been like, hey, it's okay. But I'm pretty sure I didn't. I would like to have taken the real high road and been like, a friend to all in second grade, new kid.

[Sufi]

Yeah. You got for number one.

[Michael Urie]

You started the new school after Christmas. After the Christmas break.

[Sufi]

Yes.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

I'm still very good friends with Greg Henrichon. Who. I remember my first day, another kid came over and said he would show me around the playground. And then Greg walked over and intervened, took me away from that kid, and said, you don't want to be friends with that guy. And to this day, Greg is one of my dearest friends. Yeah.

[Baji]

But you also have no idea what that playground had to offer. He probably was.

[Sufi]

No, Greg did not show me around the rest of it. Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

I'm just remembering on my first day, I was. I played alone at recess, and there was this, like, series. This. The playground had this series of concrete tunnels that were meant for children, but they were definitely concrete and gravel, and you could, like, run through them and play. And I was playing alone because I didn't know anybody, and nobody asked me to play, and. And I was running through a tunnel, and this girl was running towards me, and we, like, almost collided, and she hit her head and then went and told on me, and I got in trouble at recess on my first day.

[Sufi]

Really?

[Michael Urie]

Yes. Gosh, I haven't thought about that in so long, but it was. It was devastating.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Oh, trouble.

[Michael Urie]

No friends. And now I'm in trouble, and I'm a good. I was a good boy. Like, I never. I never broke rules. And on day one, here I am hurting a girl.

[Sufi]

Oh, my God. They immediately put you on a list.

[Michael Urie]

That kid's trouble. That kid from Houston is trouble.

[Sufi]

These Houston boys, they run with their heads down. Did you. Did your sister eventually find her way into. Okay.

[Michael Urie]

She was in sports, so she was, like, a star athlete. So she was very angry with my parents, but she got into the. You know, she immediately started playing basketball and volleyball and was really good at it and made lots of friends. And so she had a. Easier. Ultimately an easier transition, I think. I mean, she might tell it differently, but we were both. It was hard. It was a tough move. It was also my dad, now that I'm remembering it. My dad had been unemployed for a little while because he worked at the oil company, and then he left and was trying to like, other things and then realized he needed to go back to the oil company. So it was like. It was a tough transit, and my grandmother had just died. Oh, my God. It's all coming back. My grandmother died like. Like a couple of months before we moved. She had. She'd gotten cancer and died. So, yeah, we'd got. That was a tough year for them.

[Sufi]

And you were close with your grandmother?

[Michael Urie]

Well, yeah, I mean, my sister was really close. And. And. And my dad, it was. My dad's mom and his dad had already gone, and so it was. It was. It was really sad. It was also the first person I knew to die because my. My. My grandfather, my dad's dad died long before I was born, so it was the first person I never knew that died.

[Sufi]

So a lot of transitions. Yeah, because then you're a kid and you're like, oh, my God. Every time someone dies, we have to move.

[Baji]

No pets, please.

[Michael Urie]

Some kind of witness.

[Sufi]

When it's a pet, you don't have to move far. You stay in the same town.

[Michael Urie]

Just. Just houses.

[Sufi]

Yeah, you move houses. Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. Support for family trips comes from Airbnb. Hey, Paschi.

[Baji]

Yes, Sufi?

[Sufi]

You know, we're taking this Amsterdam trip, and I'm heading over there with Ash, and one of the things that's so exciting for me is showing my son this town, this city I used to live in. And it's really cool because you're going to be there. A lot of the people we used to work with over in Amsterdam are going to be there, and it's so fun that he's going to see it through my eyes, you know?

[Baji]

Yeah, I'm excited, too, you know, but.

[Sufi]

When I lived there, I, you know, wasn't living in a hotel, obviously, you know, we fully lived there. So it's been so cool looking at Airbnbs that he and I could stay at, because I want the full Amsterdam experience as a guy who lived there, and it's so cool. That, you know, people who are living there now are, you know, making their homes these incredible things for travelers like myself, for my son to come and have an extra special trip.

[Baji]

Yeah. And maybe you have an incredible home that you've created and you'd like to let other people stay in your house, maybe make a little extra money, share what you've created to make people's vacations and people's travels all that much more special.

[Sufi]

Your home can be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] Host support comes from Visit Baltimore. Pashi Sufi Baltimore. Can I tell you about it?

[Michael Urie]

Please.

[Sufi]

Because it's often overlooked, but it definitely belongs on your vacation radar as a rising star in the US you can forget your usual big cities where you end up lost in a crowd. Instead, experience the charm of Baltimore. It's known as what? Pasci?

[Baji]

Charm City.

[Sufi]

We have talked a lot about fun that grownups can have in Baltimore. But now kids, everybody likes to take family trips with kids.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

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[Baji]

Paji?

[Sufi]

The National Aquarium, a must see since 1981. You could touch stingrays, explore glowing reefs and come face to face with sharks and even dolphins. Science gets seriously fun at the Maryland Science center, located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Three floors of hands on exhibits where you can walk with full sized dinosaurs, splash around in the kids room, explore the human body, or launch into space in the planetarium. There's an IMAX theater. Love an IMAX theater. The one problem with my IMAX theater with my kids.

[Baji]

What's that?

[Sufi]

Axel's his eyes. So weird. 3D glasses don't work.

[Baji]

Oh, no.

[Sufi]

I know it's a bummer, but he's still gonna live a full life. And if you're ready for a day of high seas adventure, climb aboard the fearless pirate ship with urban pirates and let your kids live out their pirate dreams, complete with treasure hunts, pirate games, dancing and blasting water cannons on a real family adventure cruise. I will tell you that of everything, when I mentioned these to my kids, they were most excited about the fearless pirate ship.

[Baji]

Absolutely. Well, they're. Yeah, they are a group of little scallywags.

[Sufi]

Yeah, exactly. I was like, do you want to go see dinosaur bones? And they were like, we want a pillage Plan your Visit [e-mail] Baltimore is just a quick drive or train ride from New York, Philly and DC. That's baltimore.org go to baltimore.org Baltimore slogan is you won't get it until you get here. Go to baltimore.org to plan your vacation or getaway today. Support comes from Cayman Jack, America's number one margarita. What's up, Baji?

[Baji]

Hey, Sufi.

[Sufi]

Summer's coming.

[Baji]

Oh, yeah, it's coming.

[Sufi]

I know what you like to drink in the summer.

[Baji]

A margarita. It just feels right.

[Sufi]

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[Baji]

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[Sufi]

What's that?

[Baji]

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[Sufi]

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[Baji]

Yeah. You live in New York, I'm out in la. And we've already had some pretty hot days. And I've already had an occasion to be dipping in a buddy's pool. And I just love floating around in a pool with a Cayman Jack margarita. Sipping on that little music going. It feels like you're on vacation.

[Sufi]

So crack into your margarita state of mind. Pick up Cayman Jack at your local store or visit caymanjack.com to find it near you. Please drink responsibly. Premium malt beverage with natural flavors. American Vintage Beverage Company, Chicago, Illinois.

[Baji]

Were you and your sister close?

[Michael Urie]

So because she was seven years older. Not really. We were like. We. We were very. And we were very different. I mean, she was in sports and I was like. And I was, like, banned in theater. So we had very different interests. But then, like, when I became like a teenager, we kind of. Our gaydar went off for each other. She's queer. We're both queer. So we, like. Then there was like, oh, we're cool. And that became Our thing. And she's also a therapist so we both like, we were both interested in human psyche. So once I was old enough to be interesting, I think and cool, she and I became tight and we're really close now.

[Baji]

Oh, that's great.

[Sufi]

That's wonderful. Did that take effect before she went off to school? Did you have years where you were under the same roof where you were close?

[Michael Urie]

No, actually she started college the same year I started middle school. So by the, so it was her when she would visit or I think after she graduated she came and lived with us again for a little while where she was getting on her feet or something like that. And that's when we really got. I was, I, I as it was like when I was 14 and, and you know, she was in her early 20s and we started to really like click.

[Sufi]

And I would imagine a 14 year old boy with a 21 year old sister who thinks he's worth talking to is incredibly esteem building.

[Michael Urie]

Oh yeah, it was great. It was like, it was like. And because she was so smart and, and like had she understood the human condition and she was like the most amazing listener. She's the person in our whole family, extended family and everything that everyone wants to talk to and within five minutes they'll be crying, you know, because she's just like, is the first person to ever actually listen. She's always.

[Sufi]

Are your parents Texans?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, so my, yeah, my dad was born in Oklahoma and they moved when he was really young. My mom, his dad. Oh, there you go. Literally. Gosh. I guess that is a thing.

[Baji]

Them's the rules.

[Michael Urie]

My mom was born in Houston but her family were all New Yorkers so they had moved from New York and they're Italian, so my grandparents were first generation and they moved right before she was born from New York to Houston and so we're definitely Texans and they're all still there.

[Sufi]

When you were young and taking trips, it seems like everybody. Did you have family outside Texas or was it all nearby?

[Michael Urie]

Most of the family was nearby, but my grandparents moved to Florida so we did that road trip to Florida. We did Florida road trips. I think every other year, maybe every three years we would do this big pack up the minivan and two days in the car to summer. Lucie, Florida in the summer? Yep.

[Sufi]

So nice, nice cool breezy days I.

[Baji]

Would imagine on the Texas to Florida drive. Were there any regular stops along the way or would you do sort of roadside attractions?

[Michael Urie]

We would do, we would stop. Well, well, you know, my dad was very strict so we didn't stop much, but we would stop usually in like. Oh, God, was it. I want to say these. These are the names that are coming to my head. Shreveport.

[Baji]

Sure.

[Michael Urie]

And what's the. What's that? Jacksonville. I feel like Jacksonville was a spot we would stop and I. There was one. I remember vividly where my sister was old enough to drive, and so she took a shift and she was like, we can keep going. We can. You know, the first night we would stop at a motel, and she was like, we can keep going. We can keep going. And my dad was in the back seat, like, well, if you're driving. And then. And then we couldn't find a motel. And it was. It start. We all started to panic because every motel was full. And my. And then my dad. My dad's a bit of a nervous. He's gonna listen to this, so I wanna be respectful. He's a nervous traveler. He's an. No, I shouldn't say nervous. He's a. He's a.

[Sufi]

He.

[Michael Urie]

He's an anxious traveler.

[Sufi]

Yes.

[Michael Urie]

Okay. And, and, and, and. And he. In the car, in. You know, he'll sit in the backseat, but he's basically still sitting in the driver's seat. And he got very anxious that. That night on.

[Sufi]

I would. I mean, I will completely align myself with your father in case he's listening. I just like to say shout out to your emotions. Because that thing of not having a hotel lockdown would make me. And again, different time.

[Michael Urie]

Totally.

[Sufi]

A lot more people didn't know where they were staying on a drive like that. But. Oh, my God, I would lose my mind.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. I mean, I would never do that now. I would never. I would never travel. Not knowing. I mean, I will travel not knowing where I'm going to stay in a couple of days, but not the day. Not day of. That seems waste.

[Baji]

I would, but it's dicey. But I'm also, like. I'm content at, you know, really any roadside motel if I'm like, drive, like, doing a big drive and need to just eat up miles. But I've. I've been in my car where I passed a, you know, last gas station for whatever, and then didn't realize that whatever was like 60 or 70 miles in Colorado. And for most of it was on low fuel and it was just me and me and my dog. And it was awful. Like, it wasn't worth it.

[Sufi]

It was.

[Baji]

I don't think it was cool. It wasn't fun. It was. Yeah, it was nauseating. And when I finally, like, I was Apologizing to my dog the whole time. And just like, we're gonna. We're gonna be okay. And he's like, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't know what's going on.

[Michael Urie]

But Dad's upset.

[Baji]

Yeah. So that's not good for us.

[Michael Urie]

I just had a. The other day, I had a night. I had an. I also should say that I am like my father in this way. So. So all due respect to my dad, I'm. I've inherited it. I accept it. And look at you drinking together again.

[Sufi]

Oh, my God, we did it again.

[Baji]

For those of you not watching on YouTube, we've had two perfectly simultaneous drinkings.

[Michael Urie]

Unintentionally on opposite sides, which is also very cute from my perspective. But I flew with my dog the other day from New York to LA, and she. She has developed. She's 14, almost 14 years old, so she's an older dog, but she's always been a great traveler. But just the other day, or just. Just in the last, like, year, she's. She's developed a lot of anxiety when my partner leaves or when it's. When he. Not when I leave, just when he leaves. And he left Saturday, and then it was just me and the dog. And then we left together Sunday. And on Saturday after he left, she got very anxious and she got diarrhea, and it was okay. I was like. I clocked it when we were walking. I was like, oh, that's interesting. I hope that goes away before we fly tomorrow. And it did not. And for the first time ever, she. In the flight, she always just, like, sleeps through flights in her little bag and the seat in front of us. And she started scratching in the middle of the flight. And I was like, huh, what's she scratching about? And then I. This smell.

[Sufi]

Oh, no.

[Michael Urie]

Came from my. From. From. From the. The seat in front of me. And I was. I panicked. Cause I was terrified. I was terrified anybody else would smell it, obviously. And then they would look and they'd be like, hey, aren't you on tv? And I would be like, no, stop looking at me. So I just grabbed her and I ran to the bathroom. You know, airport, airplane, bathroom, tiny. And I pulled down the. You know, like the little baby changing. The baby changing shelf. Exactly.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And I put the thing. And I proceeded to wipe from the inside of her bag, from her. From her paws. And then it was all over me. And I was in there for a very long time. Luckily, I. I had bought, like, a little package of Lysol wipes because I, I had a feeling it was going to happen. And it was, it was harrowing. It was, it was, it was. And then it happened two more times during the flight.

[Baji]

Oh my goodness.

[Michael Urie]

Six hour flight. It was, yeah, like I guess the worst flight I've ever experienced.

[Baji]

Because it sounds like you should be traveling with your partner. Your partner should just wait another day, right? I mean if that's what sets this off, then at least for the duration of this dog.

[Sufi]

What kind of dog is it?

[Michael Urie]

She's a Chihuahua Boston Terrier mix. Her name is President McKinley and she's a great traveler.

[Sufi]

It is not behavior that rose to the station of the title.

[Michael Urie]

Hardly presidential.

[Sufi]

Not presidential at all. I remember once I. We were flying back from Madrid to New York and I had food poisoning and we had. Our six month old also had a stomach thing. And so I slept the entirety of the flight and Alexi went through. She had 12 diapers and we land. She'd gone through 11. Cause he was just basically every 45 minutes just blowing one out. And to this day. And again I had, I had the same. Obviously I was knocked out by the same thing he was. And yet she had so much sympathy for that baby and none for me.

[Michael Urie]

Were you also running to the bathroom.

[Sufi]

Or was I just like I was out cold? Like it was like flu y. And I fortunately slept and did not have the same.

[Baji]

And to this day, anytime you say this stinks, you say this stinks because of how the Spanish people were all saying it.

[Sufi]

That was, that was. I think that's from Barcelona. Posh. Not from Madrid.

[Baji]

Oh, you think it's.

[Sufi]

Yeah, it's, it's Barcelona. Not Mathrid.

[Baji]

I don't know.

[Sufi]

So when you got to Florida, what, what would you do there?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

What was the destination? Where were you eventually going?

[Michael Urie]

Port St. Lucie. We would all stay at my grandparents little house. They had one of those like it's not a, it's not a trailer home, but it's one of those homes that they like could put on a truck and move, you know?

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And it was awesome. And it was above. It was like a little bit of. It was one of those houses where the vents are beneath the house, which I always loved. I loved like playing around the vents and the floor. And we would stay for two weeks and we would go to their pool. They lived in a like senior community. So it was all old people and then like occasionally their families and then we would go to their pool and then we would go to the beach. And a couple of times we went to Disney World. That was a thing. It was great. I loved it. I loved going.

[Sufi]

So you were excited the whole drive?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, it was fun. That was a trip that I remember really liking. And even when I was like, a teenager, my grandfather had died, I loved my grandmother and I really enjoyed going. And, yeah, it was great. I mean, the road trips would get tedious, but I was a. I played alone a lot. I played with my action figures alone a lot, and I could really occupy myself. I used to play with GI Joes and other types of action figures, but I would, like, act out movies, so I would, you know, I wouldn't just play GI Joe. I would play, like, whatever movie I had recently seen and liked. And. And then I got. I remember. Like, I actually remember when I was in Florida and my parents do not know this, and this is going to be embarrassing because they're definitely listening. I discovered my. My. My sexuality on one of these trips that. That I was like. I started to. I guess I started puberty and I started to, like, feel things down there. And I would, like. And I think I did it with my action figures. Not that I did it with my action figures. That's not the right way to say it. Right. But I would start. I realized, like, I would play action scenes with them and then I would play love scenes with them.

[Baji]

Wow. Any good movie?

[Sufi]

I mean.

[Baji]

Yeah, it's all about love at the end of the day.

[Michael Urie]

I didn't know I was queer yet, but I knew that I liked that part.

[Sufi]

Your GI Joe dolls knew before you.

[Michael Urie]

Did, is what you're talking about. Yes. And there were not very Lady. Lady. Lady G.I. joe. So, you know, one thing led to another and like, hey, kid, we got.

[Sufi]

Something to tell you.

[Michael Urie]

Sergeant Slaughter.

[Sufi]

Sergeant Slaughter, no one's half the battle.

[Baji]

Would your sister sort of. Did she age out of thinking it was cool? Would she go even when she was, like, in college?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

She's making these trips.

[Michael Urie]

No, probably not, actually. I think maybe that there was a trip that she didn't come, I believe. I think the last one, I think she didn't join us. I think I had an easier time growing up than she did, in part because my parents were like. So they were so much older by the time I was a kid. And so they were, I think, a lot mellower with me.

[Sufi]

And.

[Michael Urie]

And I also came out later. So I think that was a little trickier for her being, you know, more queer in Texas as a high schooler and stuff, you know. Back then in the 90s, it was not as cool as it is now. And I didn't really, like, I didn't really come out until I'd moved to New York.

[Sufi]

And that was for Juilliard.

[Michael Urie]

Yes. I moved to New York when I was 19 to go to Juilliard.

[Sufi]

Did you go to New York on trips before you moved there?

[Michael Urie]

Just one. So I didn't go to New York until I graduated from high school. I graduated from high school and I went to a community college for a year before Juilliard. And that school, which was called Collin County Community College, also known as Quad C, did a field studies trip. And so before I'd started, before I'd enrolled there, I went with them on this field studies trip. And it was awesome. We saw 13 shows in 10 days. Yeah. And toured Juilliard and NYU. And it was like I had been dreaming of going to New York. I dying to go to New York. And the minute I stepped, you know, we flew into JFK and then took the bus to Port Authority. And I came out of port Authority on 8th Avenue in the middle of summer, smelling hot garbage and said, I'm home. It was like, I just knew.

[Sufi]

I've taken a similar trip. I was in college and I did an internship in New York. And I do remember a hot summer day and thinking, if this is the worst. It is. I want to live here forever.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, totally. It was like, it was the dream. And then we, like, you know, and I just didn't realize, like, oh, Broadway is right here. All these shows are right next to each other. And I went, I went. The teacher. We got to our hotel, the rooms weren't ready, and our teacher was like, I'm gonna run around and drop notes off at the stage doors of all the theaters that we're gonna, you know, get. We're gonna. We had talk backs with a lot of the cast, and he was like, anybody wanna. Anybody wanna go with me? And nobody raised their hands. And I was like, I'll go. I didn't even know him yet. And I was like, I'll go. And we just bounced around from theater to theater, knocking on stage doors and, you know, all these like, stage door guys would be like, what? And we'd be like, I got this letter for. And then. And then run to the next one and run to the next one. And they were all right there. It was so cool. Yeah.

[Sufi]

Just a real shout out educator here.

[Baji]

Absolutely.

[Sufi]

This is fantastic.

[Michael Urie]

I know.

[Sufi]

It's so good.

[Baji]

I mean, 13 shows in 10 days. I think you'd be hard pressed to figure out how to do it ever. And to have someone put it together for a group is like. Is fascinating.

[Michael Urie]

And we didn't all see the same shows. It was a big group. And sometimes we would. Sometimes we would all be together and sometimes we'd split off and it wasn't. As I recall, the whole trip was like $1,500.

[Baji]

Wow.

[Michael Urie]

It was like incredible. An incredible deal.

[Sufi]

And do you had. Do you remember a favorite from those 13 shows? Did one pop more than anything else?

[Michael Urie]

Probably Ragtime. The first one we saw was Ragtime, the original production of ragtime with Audra McDonald, Brian Serge Mitchell. And it was so incredible, I can remember everything about it. It was, you know, partially because it was the first, but it was also just a stunning piece. It's also. The theaters on Broadway are much smaller than the touring houses that we all grew up going to. And so I, I was. I was so, like. I couldn't believe how close I had never been. So close.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

But we also saw. We saw Art with Alan Alda and Victor Garber and Anthony La Packley. No, I'm sorry. Anthony Pagley was in View from the Bridge. Alfred Molina was in art. And we got to meet so many of them. We got to do talkbacks with so many of them. And. Yeah, amazing. And then we went downtown. It's all.

[Sufi]

I think you never feel the same about it. Once you see an actor on stage live, no matter how many times you've seen them in movies, it does. I feel like you have a connection with them forever.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I feel like Alan Alda is my friend. I've seen him. I've never met him, but I've seen him on stage three times. And he's so incredible. I mean, he's great in everything. But to have to watch the way that. To see that this guy that I've always seen on TV that I remember from, you know, movies and TV shows that my mom loved, and then to see, like, he's right there and he's putting it together moment by moment, you never forget it. You never forget it and you respect it.

[Baji]

There's also that thing at a Broadway show where if like a big name actor, like an Alan Alda or just someone who's like, really known on Broadway, when they make their entrance, it's not built into any given show that there's gonna be an applause break, but there is sometime a hold for applause because the applause happen. So you don't want the dialogue to be lost. And it's a great sort of signifier to people who might not know what they're seeing to be like, oh, this woman is a legend who maybe I didn't know coming in here, but there's a lot of respect being paid in real time from the audience to the actor that I feel like is unique. And you don't get that when you go to a movie theater.

[Michael Urie]

Totally. And. And I remember the first moment of art, actually. It just. The lights came up and there he was sitting on. Sitting on a sofa or something. And he said hi and, like, talked right to us.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And it was like, oh, my God, there he is. Yeah, it's Alan Aldo. He's right there. It was. It was. I did see one time when. When I was still in Dallas, the. The. The national tour of Sunset Boulevard, the musical came through and Petula Clark was playing Norma Desmond, you know, from. She sang Downtown and like, great, great, you know, recording artist. And there was a matinee in Dallas, and there's no better entrance than Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. It's just this incredible grand at the top of a staircase entrance. And you're like, waiting and waiting, and there's a build up, a buildup and build up. And then she comes on, and she came on at the top of the stairs, and there was no applause. And it was so. And I was like, like, like, do I. Do I start it? And I even. I knew, even then as a kid, I knew, like, we should be. We should be clapping for Petula Clark. She sings Downtown and nobody clapped. And this guy. This guy behind me said kind of under his breath, petula Clark. Like, it was a radio DJ or something. And. And it. And then. And it was like. I felt so bad for her. I was like, oh, I hope she doesn't give us a lesser performance because she's mad at us for not applauding.

[Sufi]

Yeah. Do you. Top of the stage. What's the. What's that called? The.

[Michael Urie]

The proscenium.

[Sufi]

Is that the top?

[Michael Urie]

Well, the proscenium is the whole.

[Sufi]

Okay, gotcha. The whole thing. So the top of the proscenium. But I remember Martin Short had a show on Broadway.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

And there was the same thing where there's a long set of stairs and so you. And he stepped out. Do you know this joke?

[Michael Urie]

Yes, I saw it. I saw that joke.

[Sufi]

Yeah. When he, like, steps out and the stairs are too high. So the presidium, the top of the proscenium blocks. You just see his neck down.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, gosh.

[Sufi]

It's such a good joke.

[Michael Urie]

That was a really, really. Fame becomes me.

[Sufi]

I remember Fame becomes me as the show.

[Michael Urie]

Such, such a good show. So funny. Do you remember that he did Jiminy Glick in that show and there would be a special guest every, every my night. It was Jimmy Buffett.

[Sufi]

Oh, wow. And they probably were friends.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, probably. It was, it was really, it was really cool. And, and do you remember Brooks Ashmanskas? The great Brooks Ashmanskas was, was also. Because it wasn't just right.

[Sufi]

There were other actors.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, he had other actors. And it was the original score that Mark Shaiman wrote. I guess Mark Shaiman and Scott Women wrote that score. But Brooks Ashmanskas was the other guy. And he played all these like parts. Like he played Martin Short's brother at one point and then he played Tommy Toon at one point on stilts.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And then he played, he played Bob Fosse. There was this. Because the whole premise was that it was like Martin Short's fake autobiographical show. Like all these things that didn't really happen.

[Sufi]

That our friend Nicole Parker was in it. Right?

[Michael Urie]

Posh.

[Baji]

I don't know. But I do, I do think you know what I'm gonna do right now.

[Sufi]

Tell us to get back to family trips. But I have one more story. I have one more story though and it ties into this because this began as a trip, but it's a trip down Broadway. Posh.

[Baji]

So anyway, is it a show that one of the three of us has been in?

[Sufi]

No.

[Baji]

You're just gonna just walk in Hollywood.

[Sufi]

I was the special. I was actually the special guest on the Jiminy Glick Night. So I got on stage and the thing I always remember, and I love to remind Marty of is I was wearing like a button up shirt, jeans and like nice boots. And he brought me up on stage and I remember he said, now you're on Broadway tonight. But did your friends tell you you were going bowling? And just for him to, I mean again, he had some like pre canned questions for everybody. But his ability to like make fun of you on the fly the best.

[Michael Urie]

That character is like the greatest invention. I, I, I, I, I cannot get enough. I will go down a rabbit hole watching that character online.

[Sufi]

Now Josh is sort of if, if there was an archetype for Josh on this podcast, he's the dad who is angrily gripping the wheel saying we need to get back on the road.

[Michael Urie]

I understand, bro.

[Baji]

I've broken three ring lights just crashing them with. Did you guys ever take any more like one off trips if you were going on a family vacation. Not to Florida, absolutely.

[Michael Urie]

We did a trip to. My parents took my cousin and me to Branson, Missouri, and Hot Springs, Colorado. Hot Springs, Colorado.

[Baji]

Hot Springs, I think so.

[Michael Urie]

And Branson was very cool. And I was really starting to like shows at that time. I was in, like, middle school or early high school, and I was really starting to like shows. So I was really interested in all the shows we saw. We saw Jerry Lee Lewis's brother, right. Who was also, you know, recognizable person. Mickey Gilly. Is that his name? I can't remember now his name, but.

[Baji]

That'S better than if his name was, like, Larry Lee Lewis.

[Michael Urie]

And then we did. We did one of those on that trip. We did one of those. Do you know those, I think amphibious duck. Yeah, duck boats where you drive around. It's like a tour of the town. They drive you around in a duck and then you go into the water and it's. Oh, my God, now we're in a boat. It was really fun. But the. The. On the way out of the water. Thank God it was on the way out of the water. It caught fire.

[Sufi]

Oh, my God.

[Michael Urie]

And like, it, like the. The. I guess the. The. The. The exit out of the water. What do you call that? When the. The whatever the duck had to do to get out of the water overextended the duck and it caught fire, like, right by. Right by the driver, slash pilot, slash captain. And my dad was on the aisle, and he's the one who spotted it. And I remember, even though he is, like, he was cool as a cucumber, he just goes, you got a fire, Petula Clark? Yeah, Petula Clark.

[Sufi]

You got a fire. By the way, I don't blame him for being an anxious traveler. If his dust boats are bursting into flame.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

Coming out of the water. That's impossible.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. Thank God it's possible.

[Sufi]

That's when you'd be your safest. I do like that you made about driver and captain. And I like to think that when it starts, the driver makes an announcement. He's like, just remember, when I'm in the water, I'm a captain. When I'm on the road, I'm a driver. I don't answer to the other one when we switch.

[Baji]

So how did that fire get extinguished? Did everyone have to abandon ship?

[Michael Urie]

Abandon ship? I. I think. I think so. I think we. I think he stopped and we pulled over and we all had to get off. But it did. It was a small fire, and he. He put it out pretty Quickly and right. No one was hurt. That's good.

[Sufi]

Did you. It seems like your. These are trips obviously where your parents appreciate that you have this sort of, I don't know, a love of theater and they're sort of building them around you.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, exactly. There's another one that we went to. We went to Vegas and my dad got us front row tickets to Siegfried and Roy because he knew, I mean, he probably knew a lot at that point, but he knew I like shows and would like these fancy guys and they were amazing. And Roy shook my hand because we were in the very front row and that was, that was very cool. And that was my first time in Vegas and it was so much fun. We saw.

[Baji]

We went to Vegas with our parents years ago and I've never felt better in Vegas than being with our parents. Just in terms of health wise because we weren't getting lit. We'd have a couple of cocktails at dinner, but it wasn't, you know, what else would you guys do? Were you, were you like pool people during the day? Were you gamblers?

[Sufi]

Were you.

[Michael Urie]

No, we're not gamblers at all. We would like pool, probably pool and just like see the various sites like the Bellagio fountain and wander through the different casinos, things like that. But we would definitely never gamble ever. And I still do not. I like to would never.

[Sufi]

When the four of you are sort of moving around and like going, hey, let's go walk out and see the Bellagio fountain. What is the family dynamic like? How do you all interact with each other?

[Michael Urie]

Well, my dad is, you know, usually like, let's go here, let's go, let's go here. My dad has a couple of sayings. When he's ready to go and we're not, he'll say, burn in daylight. Burn in daylight. And he'll like, if it's like we're leaving in the car, he'll be like, the car. He'll like stand at the middle of the house and go, the bus is leaving in five minutes. He gets very anxious like that. And then, and then there's. Is this the right. I don't even know what this means, but dollar waiting on a dime. You ever heard that?

[Baji]

Yeah, I heard that in something recently. And I was like, I know what it means.

[Michael Urie]

Was it sinners?

[Baji]

Yes, yes.

[Michael Urie]

I just saw sinners too.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And they said it. And I was like, oh my God. My dad used to say that, but I don't know what it means. Dollar waiting on a dime. But it's something to do with like being late.

[Baji]

And also, is it like the bigger, more important. Waiting on the lesser.

[Sufi]

Yeah, that's what. As I'm looking this up, I've taken the occasion to Google where you guys were talking. It does seem like that's what it is.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

It's getting your priorities out of whack. Yeah. The dollar should wait on the die.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

So sort of like can't see the forest for the trees or I think.

[Sufi]

It'S like just reminding your children that they are dimes and they should be waiting on the dollar.

[Michael Urie]

It's a dollar. And he's waiting on the.

[Sufi]

If anything. But it seems there's a. Certainly the way you're saying it now, this is an affable way to tell your children to keep it moving. Like, bus is leaving. It seems like there's a bit of a light in your father's eyes as he's doing this.

[Michael Urie]

Absolutely. He was so excited to go do whatever we were gonna do. So it was like partially that he was anxious about being late or, you know, whatever traffic or miss, you know, whatever delays might happen. He was anxious about that. But also he was excited. He was excited to go. I mean, he loved an outing. He loved company. Loves. He loves. He loves, like, he's a very social, friendly, fun guy. And so he loves all that. But he's also super anxious about, you know, timing and being late is like plane, travel, things like that is very. He'll get very anxious. And my mom. So my mom will go the opposite. She'll just like. She'll sort of like shut down and let him do it, which I think makes him crazier. I can just imagine them listening to this.

[Baji]

Cause I told him I was sometimes doing it. Yeah, you open a can of worms. But. But sometimes, yeah, these things need to be addressed. It happens when we talk about our parents all the time. We end up in conversations we wouldn't have had otherwise. That's why we have a podcast.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, pretty much. It's definitely like cheaper than therapy, I guess. But they'll get a kick out of it because they know. I mean, they're fully aware that this is how they are. And my mom will just. I remember one time they drove to see me in New York and they drove. They lived in Virginia for a while and they drove to see me in New York. And that's not a short drive. It's like an eight hour drive. And they arrived and they came in and the energy when they came into my apartment was like. I was like, oh, what's been going on. My mom was just like looking at me, like looking down but then looking up at me. And my dad was sweating. Like they just traversed, you know, they just, they just like done the Lincoln Tunnel and it was like everything. And they've mellowed out a lot lately and they travel less now, which is good.

[Baji]

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[Sufi]

Support comes from Quince. Hey, bud.

[Baji]

Hey, Sufi.

[Sufi]

Father's Day is coming up and guess what?

[Baji]

What's up?

[Sufi]

I'm one.

[Baji]

Oh, yeah, you are. You must get lots of good Father's Day gifts, right?

[Sufi]

Well, you know what? This year I'm gonna get good Father's Day gifts. The past has not been a very good prologue for good gifts. But now, Quince, I've dropped several Hints to my wife and children that I would like them to go to Quint's because it has the pieces dads like me actually want to wear. Organic cotton silk polos, European linen beach shorts, comfortable pants that work for everything from weekend hangouts to nice dinners. No more socks for me. Poshy.

[Baji]

Yeah, I know. It's smart that you dropped those quints hints.

[Sufi]

Quints hints. And the best part, everything with quints is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. They work with top artisans. They cut out the middleman. Quince gives you luxury pieces without the crazy markups. For me, pashi, the European linen beach shorts. I was in a rut with my beach shorts and I freshened it up last year with some European linen beach shorts. And everyone to a person, you know what they said?

[Baji]

What's that?

[Sufi]

When did you go to France?

[Baji]

Oh, so lovely. I've got one of their cashmere crewneck sweaters. And sometimes, you know, if you got a nice sweater in your closet, sometimes you leave it there and only wear it like on a very special occasion. But there's no reason why you can't wear something super soft and cozy on any day of the week, even if you're just like sitting around the house. So I've been wearing out this sweater and probably need to get some variety because I just wear my gray guy all the time because I love it so much.

[Sufi]

Would you say your life has been better since quints?

[Baji]

Yeah, 100%. Yes.

[Sufi]

For the dad. It deserves better than basic. Quince has you covered. Go to quince.com trips for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U I N C E.com trips to get free shipping.

[Michael Urie]

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[Baji]

By visiting lifelock.com podcast terms apply and 365 day returns.

[Sufi]

Quince.com trips when you were young and you were in Vegas and it sounds like you're very excited to go see the shows, when your dad said let's go see the Bellagio fountain, is that something that in your head as a kid you remember being excited to see?

[Michael Urie]

Well, I don't think I. I would have known what it was. But I remember once we saw it, thinking it was the coolest thing. It was, and it still is. I still love that fountain. And I remember it played Big Spender, and I think we saw it. We went a couple of times. We went and watched the show a couple of times. Cause it was so. We loved it so, so much.

[Baji]

I mean, I know the fountain, but is there, like kind of a set show? Is there like a half hour you could stand at a certain place?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, well, it's like every. It's like every 20 minutes or something, I think every 30 minutes. So you can. And you'll see the crowd gather as it gets closer, I think. Gotcha.

[Baji]

Yeah. I've never done that, but then.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, it's very fun.

[Baji]

Yeah. All right.

[Sufi]

There's things sometimes my kids will fight when. Because my wife is very much the. Your father in our relationship, when she suggests something, and they. They almost are never disappointed when they actually get there.

[Michael Urie]

Oh.

[Sufi]

Whereas I think I'd be a kid who would say, I don't think I need to see the fountain.

[Michael Urie]

Right. Right.

[Sufi]

But then, you know, it turns out kids are. You know, they don't have any taste, so everything's cool.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Baji]

Well, you're also still a man who's like, I don't need to see the fountain. And I'm just now asking, like, wait, so it's a show I can go, right?

[Sufi]

I guess we both kind of miss the fountain.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

But now when I go to Vegas, I'll see as many shows as I can.

[Sufi]

Oh, that's great.

[Michael Urie]

They're just so. I just think.

[Sufi]

Do you go often? Do you make trips there?

[Michael Urie]

Not very often. Like, maybe once a year. But I went recently. I went. And I'm a huge Barry Manilow fan. And so I went to see Manilow, and I went to the Sphere and saw the Eagles.

[Sufi]

How was the Sphere experience?

[Michael Urie]

The Sphere is incredible.

[Sufi]

Strikes me as something. If it was the right show, a kid would be mind blown by.

[Michael Urie]

I think so.

[Sufi]

I mean, I know you went as an adult, but I went as an.

[Michael Urie]

Adult and it was the Eagles. And, you know, like, it was like, I think mostly adults, but they're doing the wizard of Oz there now next. Like, that's one of the next things in the wizard of Oz on the whole thing, I guess.

[Baji]

How much of the show are you looking at the band and how much of the show are you looking at? The sort of.

[Sufi]

The whole.

[Baji]

The sphere.

[Michael Urie]

Looking at the band? Almost none at Least where I was sitting, I think if you're up front, and I would say sit in the back or sit up if you can, because you want to be able to see everything.

[Baji]

Right.

[Michael Urie]

And then sometimes they'll have a camera on the band and it'll be huge on the Sphere, and then that's fun. Then you see, like, you know, you see the. The guys from the band up huge on the. On the screen. But what's happening on the screen is. Is. It's like it defies your imagination because, you know you're in a sphere, but then suddenly it will feel like you're in a cube, or it will feel like you're in an endless hallway or something like that. That seems totally impossible. It's like a decade ahead of any technology I've ever seen. It was. It was. And the sound. It's also the best sound I've ever heard. It was absolutely incredible. I can't recommend that enough.

[Sufi]

That's one. I mean, I feel like that's the most resoundingly positive review of the Sphere I've heard.

[Michael Urie]

Have you heard bad reviews of the Sphere?

[Sufi]

No, but I heard more tempered reviews of the Sphere. Nobody has said it's not worth it, but you're the first person to describe it in a way where I think I kind of understand why it's worth it. It.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. I would definitely go again. I would see the Eagles again, but I would go see. I would go see anybody. I would like. I'll go see Backstreet Boys for sure. That sounds like. It'll be crazy and amazing.

[Sufi]

I'm glad how fast they're sort of. People are figuring it out and.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Rotating through to do it. That's exciting.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. I don't think all artists would work there, but, like, certain. Especially, like a big sound, you know, I think they should put a. Like, they should do like a James Bond show or. Or like a. Like John Williams music or something, like, with an orchestra. Because the sound is so amazing, and the more intricacies in the sound, the more. I don't know. It's trippy. There's something trippy about it.

[Sufi]

Where is the wizard of Oz show? The. Is it the old movie or what is it?

[Michael Urie]

It's the movie.

[Baji]

Yeah. Well, I mean, like, I've seen plenty of shows like that at the Hollywood bowl or, you know, the Walt Disney Concert hall, but to have that kind of a screen. Cause even at the bowl, like, you kind of want to be giving your attention to the. The Philharmonic, and at the same time, you're sort of tilting to look at the screen because you want to follow the movie. But it would be better if that movie was.

[Michael Urie]

It was everywhere.

[Baji]

Yeah. Was a thousand times bigger. Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Baji]

Cool.

[Michael Urie]

I know it's.

[Baji]

Do you remember anything about the hot springs trip?

[Michael Urie]

I remember that we got a boat. My dad rented a boat and we went out on a boat. But that's. And I remember, you know, I was. My cousin. This is. My cousin was with. My cousin was one year younger than me. And we were. We got along pretty well. That's why we invited him. And my sister did not come on this trip. She was too. She was, I guess, had in college or had moved out. Moved out or whatever. And we got along great, my cousin Jason and me. But we did have a couple of fights, and one of them was about. And I. You know, I was like. I was probably in the throes of puberty and my feet were. My feet smelled. And he called me out on it. Like there was a. This is so gross and embarrassing. But I was in the front seat and I guess my feet were in. In the air vent, in the path of the air vent. And the smell was going back to him. And he called me out of it, out on it in front of my parents. He was like, I smell feet. And I was mortified.

[Sufi]

I think Josh and my parents said that about me so much. It was like a catchphrase in the house.

[Baji]

Yeah. It wasn't like, doubt about what it was.

[Sufi]

No. And it's so funny. I was like, oh, was I supposed to be embarrassed by that?

[Baji]

Yeah. I mean, we were wishing for a dog with diarrhea in those moments.

[Sufi]

Mr. President, where are you?

[Baji]

President McKinley.

[Michael Urie]

Quick, eat this. There is like. It is a. There's something really gross about foot smell, though. I guess that's like. That's just imagining.

[Sufi]

I do want to go back and just clarify. The more you've talked about your dad, the very fact that he rented a boat means that I am a hundred times more anxious than he is. And I feel like it's unfair that you framed him that way to begin with. Well, a guy just wants to be on time. He was the kind of dude who's going to rent a boat. He seems pretty cool to me.

[Michael Urie]

He is cool. He's really cool.

[Baji]

Did you go to any actual hot springs? I know that's the name of the.

[Michael Urie]

Town that I don't remember. We must have at some. But I don't actually, I don't. I don't remember that. I don't think we did. I think it was just. That was the. The town. And.

[Sufi]

Do you like a hot springs? Posh?

[Baji]

It's the only one I've been to is the one we went to in Iceland. Although, you know, as we record this, I'm in Mammoth, California, and we might go find a hot spring this afternoon. Oh, yeah, because that's volcanic. That's what created this mountain out here. So there's a lot of geological stuff. There's a lot of places you can't get in the water because you'll burn up and die. So I just want to be sure we're not getting into one of those.

[Michael Urie]

Don't. Don't do that. Yeah, that's a good policy.

[Sufi]

You know what I think about hot springs, right? Posh?

[Baji]

They smell like your feet.

[Sufi]

Overrated. Also, again, when people are like, I'm gonna go to a hot spring, I just want sure I don't get in the one that kills me. Just don't get in your bath.

[Baji]

We got in the hot tub here yesterday and there were two couples in the hot tub and this one woman was telling the worst stories and the longest stories and we couldn't even get through a beer each. Mackenzie was like, I gotta get outta here.

[Sufi]

Oh, wow.

[Baji]

This woman was like telling stories that other people she knew had told her that were like the worst stories those people I feel like had ever told anyone. And they were so long and it was just like, who cares? Yeah.

[Sufi]

To ruin a hot tub for you, that's got to be a bad story.

[Baji]

Yeah, that's where I was just. Yeah, I was wishing we were at a nice hot spring. Although when you get to a hot springs, I feel like you're gonna see a lot of, a lot of people just peeling down all the way to nothing and dipping their bits in those, those natural springs.

[Sufi]

Hot bubbles and bits. No thanks.

[Michael Urie]

I always think about that movie Dante's Peak, when they jump into a hot springs and then they die from, from lava. So I think I would be nervous. I would, I would be anxious to teach them. Yeah. Because you could, you could get burned by lava.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

How do you, how do you enjoy being a podcaster? How do you enjoy doing still ugly?

[Michael Urie]

It's really fun. Thank you for asking. It's really fun. You know, I do it with Becky Newton and we've been rewatching Ugly Betty and it's, it's, it's been so. I mean, she's like my best friend anyway, and so we have such a good time together. But rewatching the show has been like, you know, that we were, we were in our twenties and.

[Sufi]

Did you meet on the show?

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, we met on the show and we became immediate, fast friends. Neither of us had really done anything. Like I'd been doing off Broadway and she'd been doing like commercials. And so we got on TV together and we were like, what is our life? What is this world? And it was also back then, you know, we made the pilot in like April and we were on TV by September. So it was very fast.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

And it was an out of the gate hit. It was like one of those shows that was a hit at the very beginning. And so we were like suddenly in magazines and on billboards and stuff. And it was, it was wild. And we really clung to each other. And then because we clung to each other and we became friends. They wrote our friendship into the show, so they made the characters friends and it was very special. So it's very nice to redo it. And we've been reconnecting with our castmates and.

[Sufi]

Are you surprised doing the rewatch things you had forgotten?

[Michael Urie]

Uh huh. Yeah. There are things that I've forgotten. There are also things that are so vivid. It's kind of, it's wild. The dichotomy of things that like I remember like it was yesterday and things that I don't remember at all. And I think some of that has to do with like how long we spent on a scene. Like, like a, you know, like if you shoot a scene in a conference room, it could take all day because there's so many angles and so many people. But if it's just like a walk and talk two people down a hallway, you might just spend like an hour or two on it. And some of those scenes are the most delicious to rewatch because I don't remember them at all. But I was also, you know, when we started the Show, I was 25 and my, you know, I was still, I was still in that phase where things feel, I don't know, more, more monumental, you know, that, that, like that period of your life where like the things you're. You love, the things you're a fan of, the things that you become obsessed with, they just stay with you forever. Yeah, I was still in that. I think I was still in that, that, that, that period of, of my life.

[Sufi]

Yeah. It's funny when I. There's certain songs that bring me back to being 25, whereas I don't feel like I'll ever hear a song that will bring me back to this Age, you know, unless it's like, wheels on the bus or some dumb. My kids listen to, but.

[Michael Urie]

Right.

[Sufi]

So that's. It's cool. And it must be. Yeah, those, those. Those memories must feel so tactile when you're watching work.

[Michael Urie]

You did, totally. I also feel that, like, that, that, like, when you're, you know, like, teenager and early twenties, when you fall in love. I mean, at least for me. And I think people in our business, when you fall in love with an actor or a movie or a director or whatever, that those are the people you become starstruck around and not necessarily much bigger stars that you meet later or that you come to, like, later. But those few heroes from that time are the ones that you're like, I don't like Martin Short. For me, Martin Short, again, I have met him one time very casually, and I was petrified. But he's somebody that I would probably avoid because I would be afraid to meet. Because I'd be afraid that, what if he doesn't like me? Or it would ruin me forever.

[Baji]

Did you watch Ugly Betty when it was on? Would you like.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, for sure. I was like. And I would watch my scenes over and over again because I was. I was also, like, learning. I think I was still, like, you know, like, figuring out how to act on camera. And I did this weird thing where, you know how when you shoot a scene, like, they move the camera around so, like, there's. The camera's on me and then the camera's over here and then the camera's behind you. Because I had been in theater, had come from theater. And then when you're on stage, you cheat out to the audience. I would cheat to whatever camera was on, like, wherever the camera was. And I learned pretty quickly to stop doing it because nothing matched. I would see myself on TV and I'd be like, I'm never in the same place twice. I have to stop. That's why they moved the camera.

[Baji]

Did an editor have to come up to you and be like, you're killing us, man? Like, just.

[Michael Urie]

I think a DP was like, you don't need to. Yeah. You know, we can't cut any of your scenes.

[Sufi]

Was that a real. Like, do you remember? Because again, to some degree, maybe it's the same, but. But to get a network pilot back in the day. Oh, you know, was a big deal.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, huge.

[Sufi]

Because those could be shows that were, you know. Again, there must have been 20 plus episodes a season of Ugly Betty.

[Michael Urie]

Right, Exactly. That was so it's.

[Sufi]

It's life changing. Do you remember getting the call that you'd been cast in it?

[Michael Urie]

Actually, yes, I do. I remember getting the call. And. And it was. It was actually in the pilot of Ugly Betty. My role was a co star. Not even a guest star. A co star. And I had been getting the breakdowns, the casting breakdowns, and I. And, and. And I saw this role, and the. And the description was, mark, bitchy gay assistant. That was it. Yeah. And I was like, that's me. I can do that. And. And. And I had done the. The year before, two years before, I think I had done another pilot that did not get picked up, but I was a series regular on that. And so my reps were like, you can audition for a co star because you've already been a series regular. And I was like, but I'm broke. I need a job. I think I could get this job. And they were like, we don't want you to do this. And I finally. And I finally convinced him to let me audition for it. And I was right. And I got it. And then we shot the pilot. And I thought, well, that's that, you know, I have no deal. They had this idea I was Vanessa Williams assistant on the show, and they had this idea that she was such a difficult boss that she would have a new assistant every week. So I was like, well, you know, I'm sure that that's what they'll do, and that's a great bit. And when we were shooting, I was just trying everything. I mean, I was throwing everything against the wall, and I was like, I've got no. I had no stakes because I knew I wasn't gonna continue with the show, so I was just trying anything. I also had no shame. And I was fearless, I guess, back then, but I was just doing all these things. And one of the ideas I had was that he would. That my character because he was her assistant and he was obsessed with her. He would physically emulate her behind her. So if she would, like. If she would flip her hair, he would flip his hair. And if she sat down a certain way, he would sit. But she didn't know I was doing it because I was, like, behind her, and someone ratted me out. Someone went and told her that I was doing that, like somebody on the crew or something. And she came up to me and she was like, hey, I hear you're doing me behind me. And I was like, I'm fired. This is it. Vanessa Williams hates me. I was like, yeah, yeah, I am. I thought it would be Funny. And she goes, it is. What else can I do that you can do?

[Sufi]

Oh, wow.

[Baji]

Good for you.

[Michael Urie]

Suddenly I'm pitching her bits that then I can do. And then she's like. Like, she's like, yeah, that's great. Let's do that. That's really funny. Let's do that. We'll turn at the same time. Or. Or I'll sit and you sit at the same time. And then she's like, oh, and also stand closer because you're not in the shot. And so now she's like, she was the greatest. She is the greatest.

[Sufi]

Wow.

[Michael Urie]

And she was giving me. I get, like. When I tell this story, I get, like, a little bit emotional because she was giving me all this space to, like, play and be. And. And she was teaching me how to be on set and teaching me how to work with a camera. Cause I didn't know where the cameras were. I didn't. I mean, obviously I thought you were supposed to cheat to every. You know, and she. And by the end of the pilot shoot, they put me in the cast photo.

[Baji]

Wow.

[Michael Urie]

So I still didn't have a deal. And I still was like, you know, this show probably won't get picked up, and, you know, even if they do, it's probably not gonna happen. And so we finished the pilot and I went away. And it just so happened that a very good friend of mine was very good friends with America Ferreira's then boyfriend, now husband. And he. I was doing this Shakespeare rep in San Diego, and my friend Graham came to visit me while I was, you know, doing Othello and Titus Andronicus. And. And he came to visit, and he was like, hey, congrats on Ugly Betty. And I was like, what do you mean? What are you talking about? And he's like, oh, well, America said that it got picked up and that you're going to be a series regular. And that's how I found out from my friend Grant. Wow. I was like, she what? She what?

[Sufi]

So were you in tights when you found out? Were you like, what's. What sayeth thou?

[Baji]

That's amazing.

[Michael Urie]

It was really cool.

[Sufi]

It's been so wonderful to talk to you. Oh, so lovely to meet you.

[Michael Urie]

My gosh, thank you. Is this it? Wait, are we done? No. Oh, no.

[Sufi]

Josh is going to now grill you with some speed round questions before we let you go.

[Baji]

Excellent. All right, you can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous, or educational adventurous? What is your favorite means of transportation?

[Michael Urie]

Road trip? Car.

[Baji]

Okay. If you could take A vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional. Other than your own family, what family would you like to take a vacation with?

[Michael Urie]

I would like to take a vacation with Taran Killam's family. Oh, do you know him? Of course.

[Sufi]

I worked with him at snl.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, yeah, of course. You were on the show. He is the greatest guy. We did Spamalot together.

[Sufi]

The best.

[Michael Urie]

The greatest guy. And I had every intention of not liking him because he replaced somebody that I loved who couldn't do the Broadway run. And I was like, who's this guy? And then I completely loved him so, so much. And. And I love his wife, Kobe, and they have these two amazing, gorgeous daughters, and they love. And I think they would. And they go to Disneyland all the time, and that's the family that I would choose.

[Sufi]

Great pick. And just because we talked. Hopefully Josh will allow this, because we just talked about how you found out you were on Ugly Betty. I was lucky enough to call Taran to say he was hired on SNL.

[Michael Urie]

Really?

[Sufi]

Yeah. One of the 1. A joyful moment for me. Professional.

[Baji]

Did you see that? It's not Lauren. Lauren doesn't call.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I was like, oh, you're never gonna talk to Lauren.

[Michael Urie]

Did you get to do that a lot? Was that, like, your.

[Sufi]

I didn't. You know, weirdly, I don't think I did it that much, which is why I think it really pops as a memory for me. I got to hire a lot of writers, but I don't quite know why I was lucky enough to make that call.

[Michael Urie]

Wow. What a fun call.

[Sufi]

It was cool.

[Michael Urie]

Did he pick up right away?

[Sufi]

He did pick up right away. Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

Did he, like.

[Sufi]

And then he hung up right away.

[Michael Urie]

Did he know it was you, or did he just pick up because he was excited?

[Sufi]

Oh, that's a good question. And maybe. I think after you auditioned from snl, you take an unknown number.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.

[Baji]

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[Michael Urie]

I think it would be my sister.

[Sufi]

Great. Good pick. Based on this.

[Baji]

Good pick.

[Michael Urie]

Sorry, mom and dad, but that's fine. I choose Laura. She's very.

[Sufi]

I can tell you, as a parent, I think nothing makes you happier than when your kids want to hang out together.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, that's very nice.

[Baji]

You're from Plano, Texas, correct?

[Michael Urie]

Correct.

[Baji]

Would you recommend Plano as a vacation destination?

[Michael Urie]

No.

[Baji]

Totally fine.

[Michael Urie]

No, I would. If you want to go. If you want to have a great.

[Sufi]

There's a reason no is in the Name is what it sounds like.

[Michael Urie]

Also, a reason plain is if you know it's like a super suburb. So, like, if you want to. If you. If you want to hit up a Chili's, Plano's, your place. If you want a Barnes and Noble, I got two for you. But. But no, I don't. I wouldn't say Dallas is cool. I mean, if you want to go, like, there's some really cool stuff in Dallas, some great restaurants and some great art in Dallas.

[Baji]

How far is Plano from Dallas?

[Michael Urie]

It was like 20 minutes. It's really close.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Baji]

We have friends that just went to Dallas and like, Dutch friends who came to LA for like two and a half weeks. And they were like, we want to try a new city in the middle. And they went to Dallas and they were like, it was great.

[Michael Urie]

Wow. That's the one they picked.

[Baji]

That's the one they picked. I mean, they've been to a lot of places.

[Michael Urie]

Oh, okay.

[Baji]

And so they're very well traveled. And they were like, let's try Dallas. And they went over to Fort Worth and they saw. Not like the stampede or they went to, like, the stockyards or something.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, Fort Worth. Stockyards. Words.

[Baji]

Yeah. And they were like. It was fascinating.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah. Fort Worth is for. It's for. Even though they're really close to each other, they're very, very different. Yeah. Fort Worth is. Is. That's, you know, rodeos and. And it's. It's like a lot more Texas. And then Dallas is super metropolitan and super wealthy. There's a lot of really rich people and.

[Baji]

Yeah, they said the restaurants in Dallas were great.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, really great restaurants.

[Baji]

Plano, Chili's, Barnes and Noble.

[Michael Urie]

Yeah, listen, I love Chili's and I love Barnes and Noble, but. But, you know, that's.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Baji]

And then Seth has our final questions.

[Sufi]

Michael, have you been to the Grand Canyon?

[Michael Urie]

Yes.

[Sufi]

And was it worth it?

[Michael Urie]

It was so worth it.

[Baji]

Yeah.

[Michael Urie]

It was like. It was kind of life changing.

[Baji]

Well, tell us a little. Tell us more.

[Michael Urie]

I went with my sister and her wife and kids and. You're giving up? You don't want to hear it.

[Baji]

Seth took up his head.

[Michael Urie]

You hate the grandkids.

[Sufi]

Well, I just feel like Michael's really convincing and I didn't like how this was started.

[Michael Urie]

I didn't think I was going to like it. I was. I mean, I was going just because it was my parents and my sister and her wife and kids and. And. And me. It was just. And that was it. My partner couldn't come and, and I knew it was going to be a special memory that we would have forever with the kids. And the kids were, you know, they were, it was like they weren't quite teenagers or they were just becoming teenagers. It's like this is the last time they'll think we're cool, like that kind of a thing. And it's the Grand Canyon and it was incredible. I was blown away. It's so beautiful. It's so vast. And we were together and we went, and we got up early and went to see the sunrise and then we came back and saw the sunset and it was just like, you know, it was very, a very moving, very moving experience for us all to be there together. And we didn't go all the way down, but we went, we did like a nice hike down and it just felt, it felt like a big human moment to like experience this thing and be together. And then when we left, my parents had driven from Texas to meet us and I flew in and my sister and her family had rented a car or something and they were in one car and my parents and I were in their car and my sister and her family had rented a very small car and it was packed to the gills and we were, and it's, you know, we were driving, we were caravanning away towards wherever airport we were going to. And my flight was earlier and I, I'm a last minute airport guy, I like to roll in at the very last minute and, and their flight was later and so we left and because their car was so small and it was so full, they couldn't go very. And I guess we were in like a lot of hills, they couldn't go very fast. And we were caravanning for a while and then we realized I'm not going to make my flight, right. And so we were like, we gotta leave them behind. And my parents were like, they were, you know, my dad was getting stressed about my flight and I was like, maybe I should drive. And we started to really. And we ended up, and I, and for some reason I didn't have my driver's license. I had lost it or something. But I ended up driving so fast to make my flight without a license with my parents freaking out in the car that it, that it became like another memory we'll always have of like my parents thinking we're gonna die or I'm going to be arrested, right? Just so I could make this flight. And I didn't want, I wanted to make the flight because there was no other opt. And we got there And I did make the flight. And my parents, when I got there, I said, I made it. And they said, we're getting a drink.

[Sufi]

I'm glad you added the last part because now I don't want to go back.

[Baji]

Just so stressful.

[Sufi]

Posh. Did you not hear that story? It's so stressful.

[Baji]

Yeah, but it's a memory that he'll have forever.

[Sufi]

It is a memory. This is a memory we're going to have forever. This is just great. Thank you so much, Michael.

[Michael Urie]

Thank you. What a pleasure. I've been so looking forward to this. You guys are the best. I really like it. Thank you.

[Sufi]

Have a great rest of your day.

[Michael Urie]

All right, guys. Thank you.

[Baji]

Young Michael Urie drove down to Port St. Lucia not as harrowing as as a plane with a dog with diarrhea.

[Michael Urie]

It was senior living.

[Baji]

But Michael thought it was pretty cool Playing in the air vents Splashin round in the pool first sight signs of sexuality.

[Sufi]

For Mike.

[Baji]

Played with GI Joes who were handsome bros this is not an exact account but they took love scenes that might had seen and then they would act them out.

[Michael Urie]

The action had changed but these toys had range Rubber man making out they.

[Baji]

Put their gun nice not mean when.

[Michael Urie]

They say I'm going to.

[Sufi]

Take you.

[Baji]

Out.

[Michael Urie]

Sister came out before him not.

[Baji]

To go out on a limb but.

[Michael Urie]

When his father brought his boy to.

[Sufi]

Go see Sid Freeden Roy he knew.