Podcast Summary: Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

Episode: How To Kill The Fly on the Wall & Old School Throwbacks
Date: September 8, 2025
Hosts: Dana Carvey and David Spade

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic banter-heavy, Monday edition where longtime pals Dana Carvey and David Spade riff on everything from personal anecdotes and entertainment industry stories to current events and fan-submitted questions. The main theme is a mix of comedy, showbiz reminiscence, and playful pop culture commentary—highlighted by an extended, hilarious run of voice impressions, ‘80s nostalgia, and conversational improv around topics like spam texts, NBA salary cap shenanigans, unusual restaurants, gun anecdotes, and the perilous etiquette of autograph-seeking.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Banter and Setting the Scene

• Dana and David open with their trademark light quarrelling about hosting duties and backgrounds for their video podcast.
  • "Let me talk. I'm the host." (Dana, 02:18)
• They riff on their different room aesthetics, with David joking about Dana's "19 walls" and "safe pantry" (03:12), leading to a running gag about the size of Dana's house.

2. The Shower Fly (and ‘Killing the Fly on the Wall’)

• Dana tells a story about discovering a fly in his shower:
  • "I grazed him. He kind of spins out and he goes to the wall, like, kind of high. ...He really took a knee." (Dana, 04:43)
  • The fly becomes a comedy foil, as Dana anthropomorphizes it (“You’re grounded from flying, so walk down the wall and lay down”).
• David relates with his own story about bumping his head on the shower nozzle, mocking the tendency to blame inanimate objects:
  • "You weren't there last time I showered. So, hey, nozzle, if you're gonna move around, we're gonna have a problem." (David, 06:33)

3. Defeating Flies: Strategies & Comedy Improv

• Both riff on their measured, sneaky approaches to killing flies, with the flies seemingly always winning:
  • "I don't look at it. I try to act nonchalant" (David, 07:03)
  • "Then I make a swing and I always miss. And he goes, you idiot. You thought you could get me..." (Dana, 07:34)

4. Old School Showbiz & Impressions

• Extended impersonations: Bill Maher, Woody Allen, Owen Wilson
  • "There's only one Woody Allen...but I do love Love Island UK." (David, 10:19)
  • Discuss how actors in Woody Allen films often channel his style, e.g., Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris.
• Paul Thomas Anderson is celebrated as a “friend of the show” and brilliant director.
  • “He's got a Kubricky Woody Allen kind of motif going there.” (David, 12:36)

5. Spam Texts & Scams

• Anecdotes about today’s spam texts, with Dana brainstorming clever ones:
  • “Did you understand my last email?” (Dana, 18:23)
• They warn against scams, referencing personal/family stories.
  • “Everything's a scam. Even my wife is out for the day and she comes through the door...‘Could you just give me your Social Security number?’” (David, 15:39)

6. Mickey Rooney and Showbiz Eccentricities

• David retells his surreal first-tv-job experience with Mickey Rooney:
  • “He had a .38 revolver and he would wave it around. ‘They’re not going to get me!’” (David, 19:00)
  • Impersonates Mickey’s grandiosities: “In the 1930s, I was the number one star in the world. Hear me? Bang—the world!” (David, 19:34)
• Plays footage of Mickey Rooney’s acting class and details Rooney’s eccentric, sometimes inappropriate advice.
  • “My parents said, 'How is Mickey Rooney?' I go, ‘He is a delight, Ma.’” (David, 23:20)

7. NBA Salary Cap: Clippers and Kawhi Leonard

• The analysis of secret (alleged) financial side deals in pro sports, with the Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration scandal as example.
  • “They pay Kawhi $28 million to be like a spokesman. But he doesn't have to do anything.” (Dana, 24:02)
  • Discussion of exploiting salary cap loopholes, referencing other athletes’ financial strategies.

8. Miscellaneous News and Impressions

• Quick takes on various news stories and political stunts:
  • Bobby Kennedy Jr./Senate Hearing exchange (“I remember our conversation very well...”), and playful JFK impressions (29:01).
  • Absurdity of authoritarian leaders "summits": “We get along on some levels, we're different, but we're the same.” (Dana, 30:04)

9. Fear of Flying & Travel Stories

• Fear of plane noises and comedic rationalizations:
  • “A minute in or so...does a huge downshift and you feel like they're taking the power off...but you're never scared because, man up front drives big plane.” (David, 32:21)
• Dana’s trip to Alaska:
  • Shares impressions of the landscape, mention of moose-hunting and jokes about guides’ tips (33:22).

10. Weird Restaurants: The Poop Restaurant

• Discuss modern novelty dining in Taiwan, such as the “poop restaurant”—dishes served in toilet-themed containers.
  • "Human beings have way too much free time and money." (David, 35:42)
  • Jokes about menu items: “Who got the catheter pie?” (David, 36:45)

11. Quick-Cut Dress Changing Streamers & SNL Costume Changes

• Discusses viral streamer making millions trying on dresses at speed, comparing it to old school variety acts and SNL’s backstage chaos.
  • “It has the freneticism of an Indianapolis pit stop...except it’s shoes and wigs.” (David, 39:49)

12. Michael Jordan, Autographs, and Security

• Explains why Michael Jordan refuses most autograph requests:
  • “Jordan has a lifetime exclusive contract...he’s legally barred from signing outside official Upper Deck events.” (40:31)
  • Jokes about a documentary-style narrator for their own lives.

13. Guns, Safety, and Anecdotes

• Discusses being gun owners due to crime worries and share wild stories.
  • “I have been. I've broken into twice. So when it's going to be, you or them. Nobody wants to shoot anyone, it's terrifying...” (Dana, 43:57)
  • Debate the culture shift around self-protection and jokes about encounters with “gun guys.”

14. Listener Questions (56:00 — End)

• Laxatives and fiber humor:

  • “My go-to is nerves. If I’m scared about something that sort of gets things into gear.” (Dana, 55:48)
  • “28 grams of fiber a day. Metamucil—just fiber. I’m not a paid spokesman for green peas.” (David, 56:25)

• Virginity and ‘strangest place you’ve made whoopee’:

  • Dana: “Last month of high school...walked her home from a boxer party...” (58:22)
  • David (deadpan): “A Sears department store near where they sell washers and dryers.” (58:29)

• “Are you in the Mile High club?” and riffing on the undesirability of comedians doing sex jokes in middle age.

  • “No one wants to picture us making love, you know. They just want the jokes.” (David, 60:20)

• “Champing at the bit” vs. “chomping at the bit”:

  • Heather (their producer) fact-checks: "The original is 'champing at the bit', but 'chomping' is more widely used..." (61:15)

15. Old School Interviewers

• Plays audio from a hilariously blunt ‘70s/’80s local celebrity interviewer:
  • “Tempest...now he’s dead” / “Have you ever seen eyes like this?”
  • Both praise her directness and suggest a modern SNL cast member play her.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dana (about the fly): “He really took a knee. And I think...that’s probably where I hit him.” (04:43)
• David (on shower nozzles): “You weren’t there last time I showered. So hey, nozzle, if you’re gonna move around, we’re gonna have a problem.” (06:33)
• Dana (on spam): “Did you understand my last email?” (18:23)
• David (on Mickey Rooney): “In the 1930s, I was the number one star in the world. Hear me? Bang—the world!” (19:34)
• David (on Michael Jordan): “He’s just the most protected brand in sports.” (41:55)
• Dana (about travel): “I was looking for mooses. Those sound fun to see. I did not see one.” (33:22)
• David (on restaurant themes): “Who got the catheter pie?...Chocolate stents.” (36:45)
• Fan Q&A
  • Dana: “My go-to laxative is nerves.”
  • David: “Sears department store—near where they sell washers and dryers.” (58:29)

Time-Stamped Highlights

• 02:18 – Host banter about show ownership/guest duties
• 04:41 – The ‘fly on the wall’ in Dana’s shower; anthropomorphizing a bug
• 06:33 – David’s nozzle blame bit
• 10:19 – Woody Allen and Owen Wilson impressions
• 18:23 – Dana’s anti-phishing spam text ideas
• 19:34 – Mickey Rooney stories and impressions
• 24:02 – Kawhi Leonard/Clipper salary cap workaround exposé
• 29:01 – Bobby Kennedy Jr/JFK AI riff
• 32:21 – Airplane engine noises: anxiety and rationalization
• 35:42 – The “poop restaurant” story
• 39:49 – SNL costume change chaos vs viral streamer quick changes
• 40:31 – Michael Jordan’s autograph policy explained
• 43:57 – Gun anecdotes and escalating self-protection jokes
• 55:48 – Fiber, laxatives, and green peas
• 58:29 – Virginity/lost in Sears (David’s deadpan gag)
• 61:15 – “Champing at the bit” v “chomping”—producer Heather’s ruling

Tone & Style

The episode is rapid-fire, irreverent, and warm, packed with playful one-upmanship, impressions, self-deprecation, and a deliberate blend of showbiz nostalgia with current-event commentary. The hosts hop nimbly among topics, always prioritizing laughs—sometimes blue, often absurd, but always relatably human.

For New Listeners

This episode is representative: quick-paced, joke-filled, insightfully silly, and occasionally poignant. Expect SNL and Hollywood inside tales, stream-of-consciousness riffing, and witty engagement with fan questions.

Further Listening

Catch all “Fly on the Wall” episodes on YouTube (@flyonthewallpod) or by subscribing via your favorite podcast app. For fan mail/questions, reach out to flyonthewall@audacy.com.