RE-RELEASE - Laraine Newman

Summary

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Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade

RE-RELEASE - Laraine Newman

Original Release: November 3, 2025
Guest: Laraine Newman
Theme: A dive into the origins of SNL, early sketch comedy, personal anecdotes from the original cast, and the evolution of comedy through the lens of Laraine Newman’s career, including her Groundlings roots and her legacy in voice work and family.

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Episode Overview

Dana Carvey and David Spade revisit their conversation with Laraine Newman, one of the original SNL cast members (1975-1980), exploring the formative days of the show, backstage stories, the atmosphere of creative risk, and the impact of her trailblazing work both in sketch comedy and beyond. The episode is a nostalgic, laughter-filled tapestry weaving personal memories, comedy shop talk, and reflections on the shifting status of women in comedy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Remembering the Early Days at SNL

• Original Cast Dynamics:
  • SNL’s "OG seven" and the sense of being in a lifeboat together—an "extraordinary experience" (16:04).
  • Gilda Radner’s warmth: “She was the person that, you know, made a fuss over your birthday and just very sweet...” (13:51).
• How the Show Started:
  • Behind-the-scenes: All-night writing, tight-knit cast, and improvisational chaos.
  • The nerve-wracking, unglamorous start. Lorraine describes being insecure and young: “I was very young and I was very inexperienced. I did not have a lot of confidence.” (40:40)
• Comparison to Later Eras:
  • Changes in technology, culture, and archiving (mentions of digital systems and rerun accessibility).
  • Spade: "Now it’s 1.6 billion YouTube hits last year for their season, which is extraordinary." (29:52)

2. The Groundlings & Voice Work

• Founding member of Groundlings—improv, sketch comedy background, characters honed in dark backrooms.
• The art of dialects and voices: how early Los Angeles surfer/Valley girl culture inspired her iconic characters.
  • "I started hearing that Valley accent and realizing that it was a very unique accent." (24:04)
  • Lorraine humorously claims credit: "You’re welcome." (23:16)
• Her ongoing career in voice acting and connection to the art ("you have a great voice") (04:00).

3. Iconic SNL Recurring Characters & Cultural Impact

• E. Buzz Miller's "Kristi Kristina":
  • Lorraine reflects: "I never understood why anybody thought that was funny." (05:05)
• Coneheads:
  • The surreal, physically challenging experience of performing in full prosthetics.
  • On working with Dan Aykroyd: “I adored Danny’s writing. I absolutely adored it. And he could do no wrong as far as I was concerned...” (55:35)
• Valley Girl:
  • Her linguistic observations—a breakdown of the accent and its cultural sticking power.
  • "Wouldn’t, shouldn’t, and couldn’t...ging endings were ‘een’—so ‘I’m going there’..." (24:54)
• The importance of writing for the show’s own sensibility: “You let them come to you. You write for us, and you let them come to you.” (58:17)

4. SNL as a Launchpad and Comparative Notes

• Cast Bonds & Legacies:
  • The camaraderie never fades, even as fame and years pass ("Like a lifeboat, where you all survived something") (16:04).
• Fame was instant and disorienting: “Do I deserve this?...What’s going on here?” (17:01)
• The "best cast" myth: It’s always whichever cast you watched as a teen (32:23).

5. Women on SNL & Comedy Evolution

• On being one of three original women; noting the huge growth in opportunity and visibility for women in comedy over decades.
  • “The interesting part about you and Gilda and Jane being the first women...how many women have emerged in such a big way in the last 20 years?” (29:52)

6. Backstage Stories & Personalities

• Mickey Rooney & Absurd Hollywood Encounters:

  • Outlandish stories with Mickey on set: waving guns, telling lewd jokes, obsessing over his fame and money (08:23–10:42).
  • Dana: "He said he had an idea for a show where every character's name was a swear word..." (09:26)

• Celebrity Hosts:

  • Meeting Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn, and the mind-blowing experience of being greeted by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the 30 Rock lobby:
    • “John goes, hi, Lorraine...Not a 'hi.' 'Hi, Lorraine.'” (44:45)

• Working with Lorne Michaels:

  • Impressions of Lorne’s unique management style—his influence and his insistence that the show is not to mimic mainstream comedy (Lauren: "It was alt comedy") (18:55–20:03).
  • Lauren’s mannerisms: “Did he overcome saying absolutely, or ‘no, no, no, no, no, no, no’?” (33:32)
  • Dana’s advice to new cast members: "Seek out a writer that has influence..." (36:28)

7. Writing for SNL & Backstage High-Wire Acts

• The intimidating writing process; learning to collaborate across cast/writer lines.
• Spade candidly on being out of his depth among Harvard writers: "It was very clear I was in over my head." (34:22)
• The pain and unpredictability of sketches bombing on live TV, and the unique humiliation of live sketch comedy (48:39).

8. Her Family and the Next Generation in Comedy

• Lorraine’s daughter, Hannah Einbinder, discussed as a rising comedy talent (star of “Hacks”), and the joy of seeing her children’s own distinct styles flourish (64:07).
  • Dana: "The apple does not fall very far from the tree, you'll find." (66:00)
  • Lorraine, on raising "standup kids": "My only contribution really was...when I was driving them to school…I would play the Sklar Brothers and Maria Bamford and Patton Oswald." (64:28)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

(Timestamps in MM:SS)

• On the SNL Cast Bond:
  “It is an extraordinary experience, and I always liken it to a lifeboat...you all survived something that was very extraordinary.” —Laraine Newman (16:04)

• Describing Gilda Radner:
  “She was the person that, you know, made a fuss over your birthday and just very sweet.” —Laraine Newman (13:51)

• On Nervous Beginnings:
  “I was very young and I was very inexperienced. I did not have a lot of confidence.” —Laraine Newman (40:40)

• On Comedy’s Evolution:
  “The cast that was on when you were an adolescent is the best cast because they’ve always had great casts. Always.” —Laraine Newman (32:23)

• On ‘Valley Girl’ Origins:
  “I started hearing that Valley accent and realizing that it was a very unique accent.” —Laraine Newman (24:04)
  “You’re welcome.” (wryly, when Dana asks if she was the first to do the Valley Girl voice) (23:16)

• On Coneheads' Chaotic Filming:
  “Jane and Danny were in the front seat and they just started smoking weed…we didn’t get permits…” —Laraine Newman (56:56)

• On Writing for Themselves, Not ‘Chasing’ the Audience:
  “You let them come to you. You write for us, and you let them come to you.” —Laraine Newman (58:17)

• Dana on Lauren’s Style:
  “He doesn’t want one side to dominate too much…like the Congress and the Senate getting along.” (36:28)

• On Stage Bombing:
  “The sketch bombs. I mean, it really bombs...and then you have to walk off...through the audience with a big diaper on.” —Dana Carvey (48:39)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:58 | Start of Lorraine Newman's segment | | 12:15 | Lorraine discusses the very beginnings of SNL | | 13:51 | Reflections on Gilda Radner | | 16:04 | The deep SNL cast bond (“lifeboat” analogy) | | 24:04 | Origins of the Valley Girl accent | | 29:52 | The rising prominence of women in comedy | | 34:22 | Navigating the intimidating writing room | | 40:40 | Lorraine’s youthful insecurity on SNL | | 44:45 | The day John Lennon said hi to Lorraine | | 55:35 | Behind the scenes of Coneheads | | 58:17 | On writing for themselves, not 'chasing' the audience | | 64:07 | Lorraine on her daughter Hannah and comedy legacy | | 66:26 | Episode closing and mutual gratitude |

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Closing Thoughts

This episode captures the magic, chaos, and vulnerability of SNL’s beginnings, mixing nostalgic humor with the deeper reality of carving out a creative space in a then-unproven genre. Lorraine Newman’s humility contrasts with her status as a groundbreaking performer, celebrating both her past and her children’s innovative futures. True to the show’s title, listeners are granted a true ‘fly on the wall’ perspective on creative risk, friendship, and comedy’s perpetual evolution.

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“You let them come to you. You write for us, and you let them come to you.”
—Laraine Newman (58:17)

Transcript

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[Dana Carvey]

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[Dana Carvey]

Yes. Thank you for not feeding me the leftover lasagna for the 12th time.

[David Spade]

So it's today we got Lorraine Newman where we're showing. This is like vintage. Great shows that.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, we're really early on.

[David Spade]

She was within the first 10 episodes we've ever done.

[Dana Carvey]

I didn't even the sounds a. Because it was so new. It was only our fifth show that I kept the mic way away from me. And so, you know, I didn't. That was how early it was, you know.

[David Spade]

Well, she did a great job. Very interesting to be in the original OG SNL cast from 75. Millions of stories about that. And I saw her when we did, I think. Was it our Phil Hartman tribute?

[Dana Carvey]

Yes.

[David Spade]

We were live because we have a.

[Dana Carvey]

Photo backstage with her and she does a lot of voiceover work. So we were at this Secret Life of Pets premiere, and she really does. I mean, you know, there's the original cast and everybody else. It's just the way the world works. They were the first and they changed and the show's still on. But yeah, she has great stories about Chevy and John Belushi and Dan. This was really fun and easy. I'd like to have her back on again.

[David Spade]

Gilda Jane, curtain.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Spade]

Anyway, here she is. You'll love it. Lorraine Newman.

[Dana Carvey]

Everyone loves Lorraine.

[David Spade]

Lorraine, you have a great voice. And not that I'm flirting, but when you. When women say what or if people say, what do you like about women? One of my weird things is not that weird, but aside from the basics. Oh, I like this. This. That all guys like a voice is very interesting because it's very unique on every person. And even as you get older, people recognize your voice. Like they know mine from the Emperor's New Groove, which was a cartoon movie I did a long time ago. And so when I'm in 7 11, people.

[Lorraine Newman]

No touchy.

[David Spade]

No touchy.

[Lorraine Newman]

Everybody in my family, all my kids know that reference.

[David Spade]

Oh, they know that. Did you ever think?

[Lorraine Newman]

Did you ever think?

[David Spade]

No, but I was telling the whole story just to get to see if that they knew my movie.

[Dana Carvey]

But no, but you have a recognizable voice. David, you have a recognizable.

[David Spade]

And she has a good voice. That's right off.

[Dana Carvey]

Lorraine has a very seductive, smooth, feminine voice.

[David Spade]

You know where it really came in handy? E. Buzz Miller. Weren't you the girlfriend or something?

[Lorraine Newman]

Kristi Kristina. A character that. I never understood why anybody thought that was funny. I never, ever thought that character was funny. I just was like, you know. Well, they gave me the part I'm gonna do the best I can. And they even made this kind of piece that gave me those boobs with the, you know, the little bullet nipples because it was actually a rubber piece that went, you know, under the leot.

[David Spade]

A weird meeting that they probably don't have anymore.

[Lorraine Newman]

Who knows?

[David Spade]

Yeah, well, okay, Lorraine, when you do, when you do a part like that, I think SNL people want to and we can talk about anything. But on the SNL tip, when Dane and I have been in that, in that mix and it's probably similar when you were there, but is that Danny Aykroyd is writing something up or someone else, they walk by, knock on your door and go, hey, do you want to be in this thing? We're writing it up. It's Tuesday night. Where you play. Is that kind of how it goes?

[Lorraine Newman]

The way that it went with you is exactly the way it went with us. I remember listening to Andy Samberg on a radio show and he talked about the schedule, like Monday, meet the host, pitch some ideas. Lauren says, work on that. Everybody works until Wednesday. She'll read through, you know, the whole thing, choosing what, you know, build the sets.

[David Spade]

And you guys didn't have. They probably ironed out a lot of the problems. You probably had a little rougher as far as.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh yeah, well, we didn't, we didn't have WordPress. We didn't have. I wasn't there during being online and stuff. So I did go back to host at one point. Bill Hader and John Mulaney were there and they're like, oh, well, we'll click up this sketch that you did from dress that was cut in 1987. So they have everything in a database.

[David Spade]

I wouldn't even think of that.

[Dana Carvey]

And I, you know, when you never know what's going to land with people. So I had done a sitcom with Mickey Rooney and he was the freakiest person ever. You know, hysterical.

[Lorraine Newman]

I have a Mickey Rooney story, but.

[Dana Carvey]

Go ahead, Mickey Rooney. So then I just took Mickey's lines or some sketch Bonnie and Terry Turner were doing old fashioned movie stars. So I just told them stuff Mickey had said. I was the number one star in the world. You hear me? Bang the world. So I just did Mickey's lines and I had prosthetic makeup. So I go there and Bill Hader and John Mulaney, they just go, our favorite thing you've ever done is Mickey Rooney. So just one of those things.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, that's a great impression of him. What is the language code on this show?

[David Spade]

Oh, you can say whatever you want.

[Dana Carvey]

What the Motherfuck. What were you saying?

[Lorraine Newman]

So I did a movie that I had had nightmares that had been released, and I would wake up sweating. And it was called Revenge of the Red Baron. And it was the kind of thing where I said to just ask for this amount of money. They'll never agree to it, and it'll be over. Well, they agreed to it, and it was Roger Corman. It was a Roger Corman movie. Okay? And I'm thinking, well, you know, Kathryn Bigelow started with Roger Corman. But no, this was some schlepper that had been cutting his movies for 20 years. But Toby Maguire played my son. Clifty Young was in it. And a lot of it was written by Mike McDonald from the Groundlings in MADtv.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay, so could be good.

[Lorraine Newman]

And there were some Groundlings in it. And so I thought, you know, kind of safe Mickey Rooney would say those things. You know, I was the biggest star. And then as he's. As he's hitching his trousers when I was having my single and he was in my peripheral vision, he would spit in his hand and make masturbatory gestures and then squirt the spit out of his hand like it was semen.

[Dana Carvey]

Talk about a picture of me.

[Lorraine Newman]

Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Yeah. Can you imagine?

[David Spade]

I thought I was the only one that did that on sets. That's always a real problem.

[Lorraine Newman]

I know. We shouldn't speak ill of the dead.

[Dana Carvey]

No, not at all. He was just the most bitter person. It was so funny. He had a.38 revolver with him, and he would pull it out. Sometimes this script is, caw, caw. And he's kind of waving it around.

[David Spade]

She's reliving in her head.

[Dana Carvey]

I would go to work. It would be Rockefeller center on the sixth floor. Six years before I got on the eighth floor. And I'd hear him down the hallway. You know, Judy Garland never owned a car.

[David Spade]

Never owned a car.

[Dana Carvey]

And then he would get really close to your face because they pumped her so full of drugs they killed her. He would talk until the air. There was no more air left. And once you work with Mickey, I mean, Nathan and I had so many stories about working with Mickey. But, yeah, he could be crude. He said he had an idea for a show where every character's name was a swear word. And he would act it out for like, 20 minutes. Hello, Mrs. Fuck, I'm Mr. Shit. How are you, motherfucker? And it went on for like, 20 minutes.

[David Spade]

I could get that sold.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, I actually saw him say to an actor, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior? Hey, would you look at the tits on that one? You know, right? You know, and he was phoning it in.

[Dana Carvey]

He was in Sugar Babies on Broadway doing the sitcom. So we'd have to act to this guy who's like 30 years old, but he was 5ft tal. All week long we rehearsed with him. And Mickey would have giant cue cards. He was just. And he would always had cash because he'd been broke for decades. And Sugar Babies, he was making money. And on the sitcom. So he'd pull out like $5,000 and put it right up to your face and go, think I can afford lunch? Oh, my God, there's too many stories. We don't want to make it all serious.

[Lorraine Newman]

What were you doing on the sixth floor for just four years?

[Dana Carvey]

I was doing really. Long story short, I was doing Stand up in San Francisco. NBC people came up. I had kind of this innocent Timmy Lassie look going on. I was kind of funny, whatever. So I got a deal with NBC, a holding deal, $50,000 up front against things I would be doing. I was on the Marie Osmond Variety show as a. As a sketch player for like a day. But anyway, then all of a sudden I got a call from NBC. You're going to play Mickey Rooney's grandson on a sitcom in New York. And Nathan Lane had auditioned in LA. We flew back out on a 747. George Burns was playing cards. Anyway, everything was surreal. And it was in Rockefeller center on the sixth floor. And then I would go up to the eighth floor on Thursdays, watching them run through the thing, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy, and going, oh, man, I want to be up here. But I was cast as a straight man for many years because I just had. I had no confidence. I had no. I had ambition, but I had no real confidence. Which kind of comes full circle a little bit to your story. When I'm watching Saturday night live from 75 to 80, you were the Beatles, you were rock stars. You were more than comedians because you were the first. And I was so in awe of the show, the idea that I would be on it. And I don't know how you felt, because you get on and the show's not the show yet.

[David Spade]

It's still.

[Dana Carvey]

Maybe it'll get canceled. So can you just talk a little bit about that very, very bare beginning? Were you there for the first show of the 75 season? You're there. And who's with You. Is everyone there? Chevy.

[Lorraine Newman]

Everybody's there. In the last, like, you know, the 11th hour, it was between Billy and Chevy.

[Dana Carvey]

Really?

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah. Which killed me, because I had never seen Billy, except he was one of the first people I met. My first friend was Gilda Radner, and she took me up to a recording session for a National Lampoon album. The one that's called that's Not Funny, that's Sick. So I'm on that album, but I meet Harold Ramis and Chris Guest and Glandell Murray and Bill Murray. And so I got a sense of what Billy had. And then I saw his audition. I'm thinking, oh, boy, you know, and then they chose Chevy.

[David Spade]

Wait, they went.

[Dana Carvey]

They couldn't have both of them.

[Lorraine Newman]

That's what I thought. That's what I had hoped, but they.

[Dana Carvey]

Had Belushi and Ackroyd already, and they.

[David Spade]

Felt like, well, now they have 32 cast members that they could have. Back then.

[Lorraine Newman]

It was just.

[David Spade]

How many was it with you guys?

[Lorraine Newman]

Seven.

[Dana Carvey]

So explosive. I mean, I really want to talk through this a lot, but just for a second. Just because of everyone's love of Gilda Radner and your whole cast. But what? She just seems so likable. I mean, was she just really fun and just a genuine. I mean, all of you. And Jane, you know, I don't know. There's just a likability of that whole cast. But speak to Gilda for a second.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, she was a really good person. That's nice to know. She was the person that, you know, made a fuss over your birthday and just very sweet, you know, she and I found ourselves in some pickles, which I talk about in my book.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, and what is the name of the book? Maybe we'll get a big following.

[Lorraine Newman]

May you live in interesting times. And, you know, one was that when we did the New Orleans Live from New Orleans special, the technology, you know, for doing green screen and shifting from one set to another was like a minute old. And everything that could have gone wrong did. But the days before, during the rehearsal process, Gilda and I were put into a room in a building at a part of town. We did not know where we were. We were scared to go out because we were literally getting mobbed. And we were in this room with nothing but chairs and a trash can with one of those lids that you step on a pedal and the lid goes up. They forgot about us for four hours.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, God.

[Lorraine Newman]

We're in this room for four hours, and Gilda turned that trash can into a puppet because that's the kind of person she was, you know, And, God, there's just so many times that she and I, for some reason, you know, but we also just, you know, would have breakfast together before we went into work.

[Dana Carvey]

And that's, you know, I think it comes across. And I don't know if Lauren honed this later or you think about, there's the funny part, there's the likability part, and then there's the charisma. And finally there's how might they work together? You know, will they. You know, kind of like a sitcom, you know, you have this piece, this piece, this piece. But I think everyone who's gone through that, you never lose a certain kind of bond with your cast, especially unknown people, not famous at all, no money at all going on this television show. And I was 10 years later in 86. But you don't. You still feel that esprit de corps with. With your original cast if you run into Dan Aykroyd or whoever or, you.

[Lorraine Newman]

Know, it's an extraordinary experience, as you know, it is an extraordinary experience, and I always liken it to a lifeboat where you all survived something some of us didn't, but you all survived something that was very extraordinary. I was on Dennis Miller's show a couple weeks ago and we talked about the very same thing. And he mentioned the movie, the Right Stuff, which I think of this scene every time people ask about the camaraderie of the cast and the closeness where they're backstage. I think Lyndon Johnson is introduced to them.

[Dana Carvey]

I've seen it in them many times.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yes, that scene where they're backstage and they're all just kind of looking at one another like, I guess we. We did this thing that nobody else has ever done, you know, and obviously, I'm not comparing our show to space exploration, but, you know, it was the same feeling.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, I would say, you know, without that analogy. But in terms of show business, especially as the show grew live, I remember just doing a cold opening in one as the president or whatever, and just the whole weight of the show is on you. And then there's that Joe Disko Dixco 5 seconds, and you're just. You're, like floating, and then you're just reading the card and hoping that you're articulating. That is a lot of pressure, you know, I think in show business, I don't know if there's any more. Anything that currently exists live like that.

[David Spade]

And they weren't ready.

[Lorraine Newman]

And it came from that background. I'm sorry, what did you say, david.

[David Spade]

Everything I say is important, so everyone has to listen closely. I was just saying that when Dana and I were on, there was a chance you could get famous or being. Just being on it, you'd get a little bump in fame even if you suddenly didn't click or whatever. But with you guys, you seem like a very sweet woman. And Gilda and all those people together and not knowing that it's such a whopper and getting the biggest hit out of it that anyone's gotten must mess with your head. Like you were saying, just walking the street or getting breakfast. And you feel like, do I deserve this? Or why. What's going on here? And why are so many people thinking this is so great, even though you think it's fun? But I think. I don't think anyone can prep for that.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, you kind of. I mean, since you're part of this era, it really. When you think about the evolution of comedy from Laugh in and Lauren used to say, it's fucking Carol Burnett. I'm sure he loves Carol Burnett, but he had a thing about breaking in scenes when we were there. He didn't want you to break. But the rock and roll George Carlin, Richard Pryor thing had started. And then all of a sudden, this sketch show manifests itself with this kind of post 1960s, early 70s comedy sensibility, right?

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, it was alt comedy. That's what I've come to realize is that, yes, you had your show of shows and Carol Burnett and Laughin, but those were really mainstream and written by actors, writers that were not our age, did not have our references or sensibility. And this was truly an amalgam of a bunch of really great minds like Michael o' Donoghue and Herb Sargent and, you know, Franken and Davis and all these amazing people whose tone and style had never been seen before. And then you also have the references that we all came with. I mean, you know, I came with these characters that I had done at the Groundlings. And so you, you know, you talk about the format. That's exactly what I came from, is doing a sketch, running off stage in the dark, changing my costume, coming back in the dark, lights come up and you go, I mean, that's what I came from. And that's, you know, Jane came from the Proposition. You know, Gilda came from Second City in the Lampoon show Second. So, you know, we all had that background.

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[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[David Spade]

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[Dana Carvey]

Did you. Were you the first or one of the first on television to do the Valley girl voice? Kind of, or feels like. I mean, because that is still around, and it's. It's organic.

[Lorraine Newman]

You're welcome.

[Dana Carvey]

How did you hatch that? Where did that come from? That was in your early grounding time.

[Lorraine Newman]

I had always noticed, even in high school, that the people from the Valley spoke differently. And my twin brother was a surfer. He still is, actually. And so I'd go to the beach with him every once in a while. And there was this whole thing about The Valley Surfers vs the Malibu Surfers and the west side surfers. But I did. My ear picked up because I'd always loved dialects. I'd always picked up on them. There was. When I was four years old, there was an Orange Julius stand in Westwood Village run by this Scottish couple who would say things to me like, would you like your hot dog steamed or grilled? And I would just, you know, grab onto that kind of stuff.

[Dana Carvey]

So you were doing that at age 4?

[Lorraine Newman]

No, I wasn't doing it. I was noticing it. You know, but then I was. I did start doing dialects very young, but that was. Yeah, I started hearing that Valley accent and realizing that it was a very unique accent.

[Dana Carvey]

So many people have used it. I mean, it's just been ubiquitous. I'm familiarized me with your take on it. Did you do the thing. Oh, my God. Or how did you process it? That became later. I don't know who did that?

[Lorraine Newman]

No, I think that moon unit did.

[David Spade]

Oh, my God.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Lorraine Newman]

But, you know, I break down that dialect in my book, which is called.

[Dana Carvey]

You should have an interesting life or what.

[Lorraine Newman]

May you live an interesting dialect.

[Dana Carvey]

May you live an interesting life. Right now on Everywhere Books Are Sold.

[Lorraine Newman]

Lorraine Newman audible and, you know, contractions like wouldn't, shouldn't, or couldn't would become wouldn't, shouldn't, and couldn't, you know, and ing endings were een. So I'm going there and things like that. It just. And then there was also words like bitchin' and super that came before, you know, like in my monologue in the Godfather group therapy sketch, I said, you know, I had to get super reflective. You know, it was that. That was the language and the dialect that I kind of.

[David Spade]

By the way. Yeah, that is still around, by the way.

[Dana Carvey]

That was like, super reflective. Can you do that again.

[Lorraine Newman]

I had to get super reflective.

[David Spade]

God, even that, like, voice, grainy, that. That's out there, too, with every girl in the Bachelor.

[Dana Carvey]

But Lorraine, what is underneath that? I just want to know for a second the process, like, someone who talks like that, is it an elitism or is it trying to be cool or what is kind of behind someone who would change their voice? I'm just thinking out loud.

[Lorraine Newman]

I don't think people change their voice to it. I don't think they change their voice to it. I think that it becomes ubiquitous.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And is there a charm to it, sexuality to it? I'm just wondering where it came from. But anyway, we may never figure that out. Exactly.

[Lorraine Newman]

It doesn't charm me one fucking bit.

[Dana Carvey]

Because the stoner dude, the male version was like, most like what you're talking about, man. This is crazy. Dude. That was like, if she does that.

[David Spade]

Then everything, even Munion, it's all sort of a spin off of that ground, laying the groundwork. Like, you know, someone doing Lauren the first time or Christopher Walken, and everyone's kind of doing that version, but you're laying. Everyone's like, oh, that's a thing now. So they're kind of playing off that one and building on it. So that's the hard thing is to come up with the code.

[Lorraine Newman]

Like Frank Zappa, he loved that character. He absolutely loved it and wanted to do something with it, and it just never happened. And he's also. He was from Cucamonga. He was from the Valley, so he absolutely, you know, drink Zappa.

[Dana Carvey]

I did him once on the show. And Michael. Michael Thomas did such a great job with my makeup. And I came out of the room, and Eric Clapton was in the hallway. Sorry, folks, name dropping, but that's what.

[David Spade]

Saturday Night Live does.

[Dana Carvey]

Michael Thomas, he was my guy. Brilliant, funny. So funny.

[Lorraine Newman]

Vampire teeth for me.

[Dana Carvey]

Did he? Oh, Michael Thomas, for everyone listening, was one of the quintessential brilliant makeup artists. And he could move so fast and do little things, and you'd sit in the chair and you'd get more and more into character, and he would keep doing stuff. And then he had such a funny ear. I was doing a show a few years later, and I was asked to do all these classic impressions, like Groucho Marx. It was a Easter special. I was rich little, and I didn't really have him. And so he. He taught me Jack Benny, and then I would go out and do Jack Benny, and he said, this is how you do Groucho. So he also had an Ear. And he loved monsters, but God rest his soul, loved him. Loved. I'm so glad you had a connection with him. He was such a great.

[David Spade]

Did you start the Groundlings or you were part of the founding people?

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, one of the founding members.

[David Spade]

That's great. That's so cool. That was in la.

[Dana Carvey]

Who knew?

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, who knew?

[David Spade]

So SNL is like the Groundlings, but suddenly when you leave, everyone has seen it. It's so funny. You can do a sketch, walk in your room and someone could text you and say, great one. I was in Oklahoma. I just saw it. And you're like, it's such a mind blower.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah. There's a thing going on in the Groundlings now where people would stay in the main company and they just wouldn't leave. And even though it's like they're on series television now, they just don't leave. So what they started to do to get them to leave was to do a retrospective and a celebration to just.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, to get them out the door.

[Lorraine Newman]

And I always marveled at the technology because they had the, you know, ability to film their sketches. And when we did our 40th anniversary, the people from the 1970s, we just did straight improv because there was no. We had never filmed any of our sketches. But later on, of course, everybody had, you know, early Melissa McCarthy, early Kristen Wiig, early Maya Rudolph, you know, it was just great stuff to see.

[David Spade]

I wish that when I was there and it was sort of with all of us, if you missed a sketch, then you waited for the rerun six months later. And if you missed it again, you might have been in the Best of in the summer. But that's a long shot. And now I don't get to see the show as much. So if Monday on Yahoo News or wherever you are on your computer, sometimes it just says, here's a sketch from. And they give you the best one. And then you go, oh, the show is pretty funny still. Even though who knows how much of the show. It's always like hit and miss. But that keeps it alive. I think that's a big part of why it's still out there and still killing it.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, now it's 1.6 billion YouTube hits last year for their season, which is extraordinary. And then it's now it. I don't know if it still is, but Peacock, I think you can watch it live at 8:30 on the west coast, so. So it's evolved in so many ways. The interesting part about you and Gilda and Jane being the first Women. And there's all these, you know, the society has evolved. And we were talking to Anna Gosteyer, who's another great performer. And just the idea that. How many women have emerged in such a big way in the last 20 years? In some of the ones you were mentioning, but it was three on your cast. Then there was those intermediate casts. I know Julie Louise Dreyfus was on. We had Jan Hooks, Nora Dunn and Victoria Jackson. Yeah, Jan Hooks. We. She's supernatural.

[David Spade]

I love that reaction to Jan Hooks. That's such a good.

[Lorraine Newman]

So unbelievably funny.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, just. Just balls out funny.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, God.

[Dana Carvey]

And. And funny. Off stage, we had so many laughs. We would just get. You know, when you get so tired in a stressful job like that, that you get laugh. Laughing fits.

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Like. Like your little kids. I remember one time Phil had a suit on the late, great Phil Hartman, and we called him the Glue because he was like our Danny Aykroyd or something. Yeah, what do you. What do you need this week? You know? And he didn't even. It was effortless for Phil, but Jan and I just saw his. His tie or something. We're just. It's like we were stoned. We were so tired.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, sure. That's a great place to be, though. Don't.

[Dana Carvey]

You're just so weak. You can't not laugh.

[David Spade]

I have a question about Lorraine, about, you know, we had in our run, Chris Farley. You guys had John Belushi and Jen. Chris looked up to John so much because they were sort of, you know, bigger guys and physical. Very, very physical. I remember even in. In wardrobe, he would find pants for a sketch and he'd look at it and it would say, Belushi. They still had. And he'd wear them, and then he'd wear his pants over those because he wanted to have anything. And at one point I said, chris, you're as good as Belushi. I mean, I hate to sound like, blasphemous, but I go, we all love Belushi. And I go, chris, you're at the point where when we go down the street, you're so good that I would put you in the same.

[Dana Carvey]

And he would never buy that.

[David Spade]

Never buy it.

[Dana Carvey]

Never was.

[Lorraine Newman]

Here's the thing that I have to say about all of that, because when I hear people say your cast was the best cast, I say, no, the cast that was on when you were an adolescent is the best cast because they've always had great casts. Always, always had great casts and great writers and you know, I mean, guys, your years had you guys and the people around you. There have always been great casts and people that don't even know ours.

[David Spade]

They said, we're bad, and then later they say, we're good. It's so funny that when we're there, they're like, you missed the good people.

[Dana Carvey]

They were just here.

[David Spade]

You guys suck.

[Dana Carvey]

And then later they go, Saturday Night Live dead. It's funny left that. That never ended.

[David Spade]

Lauren goes Saturday Night Dead. It's gonna get. Every year. It'll be a headline.

[Lorraine Newman]

That's a good impression. I can't.

[David Spade]

I'm not gonna let Dana do it.

[Dana Carvey]

He's the guy. The problem with the critics, they're, like, really into their own thing. It's that thing of, like, you know, you have to be really light on your feet. It'd be nice if this sketch was, like, you know, funny would be a good thing. We love Lauren's sarcasm.

[Lorraine Newman]

Did he overcome saying things like absolutely or no? No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Dana Carvey]

We definitely have. No, no, no, no. Don't misunderstand me. Mostly would be exactly. If you were telling him something exactly. Well, you know, he was always the same, but now that we. We have data, now we have almost 50 years of the show, it's hard to imagine another human individual navigating it. Like Lorne, he was so good with the network and all that part of it. He was very good with the hosts. And he also was, I think, because he's a very, very smart guy, he could get all those Ivy League guys to come in and respect him. You know, the Harvard guys and I went to San Francisco State, but everyone, you know, they would all giggle when I would mispronounce a word. And. And I go, you fuckers, I'll get you on the stage.

[David Spade]

That was intimidating. I don't know that you guys. You guys had great writers. Lorraine. But it got. It got very Harvard when I was there from Scottsdale Community College. And I could just tell it was very clear I was in over my head. And it takes a while to figure out. Like, I don't know if you wrote, but I think you did, but how to write a sketch or how to fit in with these guys and just get to the level. I just want to go and read through and say, I don't want everyone to go, what the fuck? Who wrote this? I just want it to be like, oh, we're not doing it. But it's sort of mixed into the bunch, you know, because sometimes I would write something and I Didn't know how to write. And I just got that yellow pad. And they would be like, that's eight pages too long. I'm like, well, no one is talking to me. I don't.

[Dana Carvey]

No one tells you anything. Was that the same when you were there in the 70s? You have to learn it yourself or ask other cast members. But we absolutely.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, nobody tells you anything. And I didn't quite get that. It would be good if I were to align myself with a writer who could really get me. But fortunately it worked out that way anyway. And o' Donoghue and Schiller and Rosie Schuster, they really wrote beautifully for me. And I brought us some of the material that I had done at the Groundlings I brought there. But that was basically how it worked because I did not know how. The things I did in the Groundlings were what we now call N ones or down lefts, which were just character monologues. I am a shitty improviser. Shitty, you know, So I don't know how to write a script.

[Dana Carvey]

I think we improvise on Saturday Night Live, but you don't improvise. Yeah, people think you do, but backstage you do. You know, just for a second. Rosie Schuster came back, Lauren's ex wife, one of them, and she was assigned to me. I just done this character in my standup. I didn't do it all day long. I never wore a dress. This church lady person.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, my God.

[Dana Carvey]

So we. We sat for a couple weeks, you know, making the talk show out of it. And she was the one who said church chat, you know, and she was very, very good.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Really good writer. Yeah.

[Lorraine Newman]

Really beautiful.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. So that Lauren loves that when the writers in the cast get together and I actually talked to a young cast member recently, wanted to talk to me. I won't say, you know, who it was, who's currently on the show and struggling a little bit with the process. I said, well, whatever your rhythm of your character is, you know, collect your hooks or what makes it funny and crunchy to you. Seek out a writer that has influence and maybe would want so at the ground floor, while the sketch is being written, your rhythms are being integrated. Don't wait where they've written jokes and then you're trying to put your character into it.

[Lorraine Newman]

Exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

Make sure you do it together. So it sounds like you had that with Michael Donahue and Rosie and all the rest. Yeah, that's one. Lauren loves that thing too. It's like the Congress and the Senate are getting along or something. He doesn't want one side to dominate too much.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah. Well, Conan o' Brien talks about not knowing how to write a sketch and how he really started out by just, like, telling somebody stories. And people would say, yeah, you should write that as a sketch. But, you know, the idea that any. Any writer would come there not knowing how to write a sketch.

[David Spade]

Well, I auditioned to be on the show, and then they say, me and Rob Schneider, and they go, you're hired, but you're. They liked your stand up, but they liked the writing of it. So. Which is not. Which is good and bad news because they go, he wants to be a writer performer. And then they go, oh, maybe Chevy was. I don't know who was, but I.

[Lorraine Newman]

He was just hired as a writer. Chevy was just hired as a writer? Yes. Jared Barrett and Chevy were hired as writers.

[David Spade]

Oh, I did not know that. That's cool. How long till Billy came on? Was it three years?

[Lorraine Newman]

No, actually, it was right away, wasn't it?

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Because Chevy did like one and a half seasons.

[David Spade]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Whatever. He was on the COVID of Time or whatever he was. He just blew up from the show. And then he always regretted leaving. You know, when he would come back and host, he talked about wishing he'd stayed longer.

[David Spade]

Sure, for sure. I mean, it's hard.

[Dana Carvey]

Once you leave it, you can never go back. You.

[Lorraine Newman]

Once you what?

[Dana Carvey]

Once you leave snl, you're never gonna do.

[Lorraine Newman]

I thought you said, once you diva, you never come back.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, funny. That's better than what I just said. So I did say that, Lorraine. Once you diva, but once you leave, you can't go back to that experientially. And it haunts your whole career or life in some ways, because it's New York. It's. It's the grease paint. It's. There's a horse in the show and someone's juggling, and it's all chaotic and weird and. And there's just nothing quite like that intensity of how hard it is.

[David Spade]

And you go, I could do that. And then you leave. I'm sure Chevy, after years, like. And he sees the show stays huge and even huger, and you're like, fuck, that was fun. I was in that. I was in the mix.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah. That's the thing is sketch comedy is so fun, you know, I mean, when I was back for the 40th, just doing sketches.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, right.

[Lorraine Newman]

So goddamn fun.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, yeah, it's just.

[David Spade]

And the people get to work with are always super sharp, funny.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yes.

[David Spade]

You get to look around and go, God damn. All these people are great, and then you. Then they go on to do great things and you go, shit. Everyone was good. I was not wrong.

[Dana Carvey]

It feels like it's more pressure now. But you guys, did you. When did you. For yourself, Lorraine? So you're on the show and the show's not the show yet, but you're becoming rock stars. When did you know? I think the audience starts to discover. And they discovered Chevy first, probably because he was on Update, had an N1 at home base. It was like very potent Chevy. But when do you feel like. When did you personally get comfortable? You feel. Were you comfortable right away? It took me, I feel like 60 shows, 60 to get. I'd say I was better after the third season, fourth season. I mean, to be really having fun, to go back full circle, to, like, just enjoying it because everything is picking and wigs and going and then the cards and changing to get relaxed. Did you feel you had a breakthrough with a certain character? I mean, was it the Coneheads or any sketch? You remember where I've got this, we're winning. We're a winning team. We're rock stars. Or maybe it was immediate for you guys.

[Lorraine Newman]

No, I was very young and I was very inexperienced.

[Dana Carvey]

You were like 21 or something?

[Lorraine Newman]

No, I was 23, but I was a very young. I was a young 23. That's what I have to say about that. But I was very inexperienced and I did not have a lot of confidence. And so I can't say that I ever got to a place where I felt comfortable when I was doing something either that I wrote or that I really had an affinity for and felt like I could score with. Those were great times. I mean, Marilyn Miller wrote this Barbra Streisand song for me. And I was just thinking about it the other day because someone was talking about, I think it was the documentary on Mr. Kelly's and that Barbra Streisand does the intro on that. And I was thinking, you know, it was a complicated song. I was the only one who could sing a little bit better than everybody else of the girls. And I just remember afterwards, that kind of explosive applause when it was over and as I'm bowing and my legs are shaking, you know, it was such a great moment and experience to have, but I didn't have a lot of those, you know.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you like singing? Did you sit with someone? We had Cheryl, Marc Shaiman. We had Cheryl and Marc Shaiman.

[Lorraine Newman]

And Marc Shaiman worked on the show.

[Dana Carvey]

He did. Well, I was there for a couple Years. Then he went off and did movies. But he was there with Cheryl.

[Lorraine Newman]

I didn't know that.

[Dana Carvey]

This is just for people listening. You know, if there's a musical number, it's so much fun to sit down. Let's just say Cheryl was so wonderful and she could just play anything. And you had a song you wanted to do. I think she said she did Black Magic Woman. Is that Santana? I don't know who did that. She played the chords backwards for the Church chat theme. Stuff like that.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, my God, how brilliant.

[Dana Carvey]

But she would help you with notes and know we're going to harmonize. We're playing cowboys and we're harmonizing Woody Harrelson. And she would help you. And I'll speak to you. I want to hear your experiences. I had one freaky thing of I was. Was in a booth with Willie Nelson. He had his old guitar, and then he was learning a song. Maybe I didn't. And I'm seeing. Learn it in real time.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, wow.

[Dana Carvey]

But you have those kinds of moments in terms of the movies. The hosts that came along in those five years. Who, what does anyone stick out or.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, the hosts.

[Dana Carvey]

The host. Because you're. Then you're meeting like, you had a.

[David Spade]

Lot of monster stars come through. It's unreal.

[Dana Carvey]

Richard.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, Richard Pryor. I had met Richard Pryor when I was 14 because he was friends with my sister.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh.

[Lorraine Newman]

And he was playing the Troubadour, guys. The Troubadour. He was playing the Troubadour. Yeah. So I met him when I was 14. So when he came to host the show, I was like, I'm Tracy Newman's little sister. Do you remember me? And he was so great to me. He was just always like, there are three people who are my main influence. Eve Arden, Madeline Kahn, and Richard Pryor. Those are like the holy trinity for me.

[David Spade]

Madeline Kahn's another monster. Did she come host Twice. Oh, how great.

[Dana Carvey]

So that's the example of what happens to you on Saturday Night Live. So you have this mentor who doesn't know, and then now you're in a sketch with them.

[Lorraine Newman]

I know.

[Dana Carvey]

It's all surreal, right?

[David Spade]

Dana, what about Lorraine? Did I read that you were stopped? I mean, this is where your career just hits a zenith. When you got stopped by John and Yoko. Is that true?

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah. I was coming from a photo session with Francisco Scavullo.

[David Spade]

Jesus.

[Lorraine Newman]

For the read through with Jill Clayberg. And out of my. I'm walking through the lobby of 30 Rock, and through my peripheral vision, I see these two forms. And they come into focus.

[Dana Carvey]

Holy shit.

[Lorraine Newman]

And it's John and Yoko. And as they pass in front of me, John goes, hi, Lorraine. You know, not a high, high. Lorraine.

[David Spade]

You know, wow.

[Lorraine Newman]

And I was like Lou Costello in those series, you know, like Frankenstein.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lorraine Newman]

That's exactly what I was like.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, there were so many intersections that happened to have my cast with different people and Paul McCartney and so forth. But, yeah, it was always bittersweet. I would love to have met John Lennon.

[David Spade]

Oh, my God.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Would love to have.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, Christopher Lee was the person that I was very excited to meet. I had lobbied for him to be a host for three years, but it wasn't until he was in a James Bond movie that he hosted.

[Dana Carvey]

I put him in.

[Lorraine Newman]

And, God, was he a great host. Of course, he immediately said, I do not want to do Dracula.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah, I'm going to play Coco the Clown. I don't want to do Dracula. It's not sending him a few.

[David Spade]

I was just saying that because when Stephen hosted, I think I got a bad rap of being quoted in sometimes these stories that that's our worst host. But the truth is, I did like Steven Seagal and I liked his movies, and I was just trying. I was. I was saying he was sort of known to others as a bad host. He wouldn't roll with the flow. And I think both of you know that the best thing to do if you're a host is to just put your hands up and go, what do you want me to do? And if you're Christopher Lee, we'll make a Dracula. We won't make you look like an asshole. This will be a funny version. People like it. And he wouldn't do any karate monologue, and we wanted to do kung fu fighting and. Or something stupid. And he. And he just was latching onto wanting to be cool. And I got what he was saying. He's like, that's. I have an image. And it was just too hard to trust us and talk him out of that. That's all. He wasn't a bad guy to me.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, I didn't mean to imply that he was difficult. He was absolutely great.

[David Spade]

Sure. But a lot of people don't want to do that.

[Lorraine Newman]

Want to do that.

[David Spade]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. A lot of people just say they get on there or the music. We had that a lot. The music doesn't want to do their hit song. You want to go. You get two songs. So you could do whatever you want on the second one. But the first one, can you please do your hit?

[Dana Carvey]

You know, it's kind of when it, when a, when a host comes in, like, you know, there's an athlete or. We had a, we had George Steinbrenner, a billionaire, owns the New York Yankees. So George Steinbrier. So he's got kind of, you know, he's a billionaire. He's George. And, and Al Franken pitched him something to the effect in the sketch, he would be on all fours in a diaper with a dog collar. It's funny. Just.

[Lorraine Newman]

You're like, ow.

[Dana Carvey]

He's not gonna do that. Well, I think it's really funny.

[David Spade]

Remember Conan was saying at dinner the other night, we saw Conan, he was saying. He, he was. He and Bob Odenkirk had to go pitch to George Sheinbrenner.

[Dana Carvey]

And he.

[David Spade]

And he hated it and said, I'm not doing that shit. Get out of here. And they leave and Lorne goes, give it another try. What? Go back in.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh my God. I did a sketch once. It was during Matthew Broderick, married to Sarah Jessica Parker. Matthew Broderick. So we were all bare chested in diapers in the sketch. And so, and this. So the sketch bombs. I mean, it really bombs. I mean, it's dead quiet. And then you have to walk off. There's no, it's too busy. No one puts a rope. You're walking through 8h through the audience with a big diaper on and sketch that just itself. And then I looked at an audience member and did a little like, hey, how you doing? A little wave. And they looked away. They were like embarrassing my first season. They looked away.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, the pain.

[David Spade]

I know.

[Dana Carvey]

Talk about humiliation. That's what comedy is, dude.

[David Spade]

In a sketch, if it's a gross feeling to sit there looking at the. You're looking at the cards. Your, your next line's coming. You're like, we should end it right now. It's going nowhere. Like, they're not your chances. The sickness, if it kills a dress. And then on air you're like, what happened?

[Lorraine Newman]

I know. That's the worst. Well, that's the alchemy of the show, you know?

[Dana Carvey]

Well, it's. Sometimes the dress show is so hot and you're like, I don't like this. Yeah, because then that air show is not so hot. And a lot of invited guests. And then all of a sudden the same. And it's a half the laugh. And then you've gotten spoiled with the dress show. But sometimes the air audience was the best. So you never knew. But it was a high wire act.

[David Spade]

All right. Cold mornings, holiday plans, endless to do list. I just want my wardrobe to be simple, Dana. I just want pieces that look sharp, feel amazing. Makes sense and I'll use every day. You know what I mean? That's Quint. That's it. The best part. Their pieces make effortless gifts. Also this season quince nails it. $50 Mongolian cashmere sweaters that feel like a treat every day. Wool coats that are both stylish and built to last. Their denim fits perfectly. It's nutty, comfortable, all without the high end price tag. By working directly with ethical factories and top artisans, Quince delivers premium quality while cutting out the middlemen. So you get luxury without the luxury markup.

[Dana Carvey]

I've been living in their cashmere sweaters lately. They hold up beautifully even through holiday chaos. And Quint's isn't just clothes. They've got amazing options for home, bath, kitchen and travel. Oh yeah, I picked up a few for myself and a few to gift. And it's all stuff people actually love.

[David Spade]

Give and get. Timeless holiday staples that last this season with quince go to quince.com fly for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com fly free shipping 365 day returns quince.com fly. You know that feeling when you're doom scrolling? I do. Suddenly an hour has gone by or a day and you feel worse than before.

[Dana Carvey]

Been there.

[David Spade]

Lately I've been swapping that habit for something that's actually inspiring and good for you. Masterclass. I started making it part of my mornings listening in audio mode on my way to work. It's a game changer. Listen. You know Amy Poehler? There's an Amy Poehler improv class you can take. It helps you think on your feet and approach challenges with more confidence and creativity. It's good to just have in there plans starting around $10 a month. You know this data. They bill you annually. You get unlimited access to over 200 classes across business, writing, cooking, science and more. What are the lessons like?

[Dana Carvey]

The lessons are bite sized so you can fit learning into even the busiest schedule. And you can download classes to watch Offline, which is perfect for travel or squeezing in a quick session anywhere. And it's not just me. Me three infor members say they feel inspired every time they watch and 83% have applied what they've learned to their lives. Plus every new membership comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. So there's no risk. Right now our listeners get an additional 15 off at annual [e-mail] fly. That's 15 [e-mail] fly masterclass us.com fly. Hey, David, when it comes to gifting, you know, I've learned there are two types of presents, okay. The ones that get returned and the ones that instantly become a favorite. Do you agree?

[David Spade]

Yeah, that's Jenny Bird. Jewelry definitely falls in the second category. These designs, as you know, are very modern. They're timeless, always feel special.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, well, isn't that special?

[David Spade]

That makes it my secret weapon when I want to give a gift that really, you know, lands. That's why Jenny Bird makes it easy. The packaging is beautiful. It's very thoughtful. The pieces are comfy enough to wear every day and they ship fast. That's not perfect if you're last minute shopper like me.

[Dana Carvey]

That's right. I mean, I just want to do this when I hear that. Way to go.

[David Spade]

Way to go.

[Dana Carvey]

And because the styles are so versatile, they always make an outfit feel pulled together. David. Without trying too hard. David, not talking about you. Some of my wife's go tos are the best selling Florence earrings, which always get compliments. And the Remy Bengal. Lightweight, water resistant and just as good stacked as it is on its own. These are the gifts you'll actually want to keep.

[David Spade]

And you can get 20% off your first order with Jenny Bird by visiting jenny-bird.com and using code ED F OTW at checkout. Lorraine, I don't want to keep you forever, but do you ever, do you ever get mad and say maps?

[Lorraine Newman]

Say what? Maps.

[David Spade]

What are you saying? Cone heads. Maps.

[Lorraine Newman]

It's mebs m e B s mibs, me B. I've been saying it wrong.

[David Spade]

I've been saying it wrong every time I stub my toe.

[Lorraine Newman]

That's all right.

[David Spade]

I was in cone heads. I was in the Coneheads. Really? Yeah, I played. That's right. I played.

[Dana Carvey]

You were in the com. I wasn't in that one, but I, I just.

[David Spade]

Dana.

[Dana Carvey]

It was almost jury duty.

[David Spade]

It was everybody. It was Ellen DeGeneres, Phil.

[Dana Carvey]

I know.

[David Spade]

Sinbad Schneider.

[Dana Carvey]

I was too big. I was too big at the time and I had a beach house and I didn't really, you know, I was.

[David Spade]

Turning down a lot of things.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm just processing this idea of when it. It came out, the idea that the character's name was what the character was. So the coneheads had coneheads. So I always love that. And that's why I said the church lady is the church lady, you know.

[David Spade]

Or people would probably call the sketch where he plays like a church lady.

[Lorraine Newman]

Right.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, did that. I mean, did Carol Burnett and Flip Wilson or whatever, did they do that? Because that was the first time I saw it. It's a certain knowing, dry silliness that the character's name is what the character is. Does that predate snl? But I love that.

[Lorraine Newman]

I don't know. I don't know, Dana. I don't know what happened with Flip Wilson exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

I love all those variety shows.

[Lorraine Newman]

They were great.

[David Spade]

Lorraine, do you laugh when you. When you're going to do Coneheads in. In rehearsal? Does it kill at the table? Or is there any weirdness along the week going, what if this just does not work?

[Lorraine Newman]

I adored Danny's writing. I absolutely adored it. And he could do no wrong as far as I was concerned. Even if it was like something really subtle and tasty that I knew the audience would not get, that was fine.

[David Spade]

That is fun too, because, you know, some of those sketches, you're like, I don't care how it does. I love it. We need to do it. And Lauren's good at keeping stuff like that on. He's like, I don't care if it doesn't work. This is what we. This represents us. That's a good sketch. Jack Handy used to write a lot of really weird ones, and we all loved him at read through. And he goes, put it on.

[Dana Carvey]

It's part of the magic of the show is that that sensibility is allowed even if it doesn't kill. And, yeah, Dan Aykroyd would write these long. He would talk really super fast and have all this language coming out.

[David Spade]

God damn.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, and you'd have to just figure out later what he was saying. But the coneds was silly and it was. I mean, how many times did you think you did that? It seemed like it was on a lot.

[Lorraine Newman]

Gosh, I. I do not know. I just know that the one time that we did an extended version where we filmed us going back to Remulak.

[Dana Carvey]

Remulak.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Lorraine Newman]

We. We had never been in the cones longer than the length of a sketch, but this was like a whole day. And the spirit gum started to burn. You know, this is where it was anchored here.

[David Spade]

Unproven. Yeah.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh. Oh, my God. And so, you know, Jane and Danny were in the front seat and they just started smoking weed and I was in the back seat and we're on location or something. Yes, we were Shooting on location.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, I'd be terrified.

[Lorraine Newman]

Improvised, too, because, you know, we didn't get permits. We went to a gas station to fill the tank.

[David Spade]

He was walking around.

[Lorraine Newman]

I know Danny did a bit of drinking the. The gasoline, but, you know, it was like gorilla, because he got no permits or anything like that.

[Dana Carvey]

And you're in your outfit, your giant head and everything, walking around.

[David Spade]

I got a question. When you do cone heads, did you have to do it either cold, open or after Update? Because there's so much.

[Lorraine Newman]

It was always at the top of the show.

[David Spade]

When I did Gap Girls, it was so much work. They could only put it first or after Update, because that's the biggest chunk you have. Update and music, and that's like 12 minutes or something.

[Dana Carvey]

And did you get stoned that day then?

[Lorraine Newman]

No, I didn't, Danny. No, I've never.

[Dana Carvey]

I never was able to perform high. I mean, I tried it with a couple beers once.

[David Spade]

I worked.

[Dana Carvey]

Tried stone once. Didn't work for me.

[Lorraine Newman]

You know, heroin is good for doing sketch work, dear.

[Dana Carvey]

I think about meth is what makes James Woods. It's the methods what informs his choices. Marcy, please, more popcorn.

[Lorraine Newman]

Anyway, you know, that thing that you said about Lauren is very astute, because that is what causes an audience to come to you. You know, it's like you don't write for them. You let them come. You write for us, and you let them come to you.

[David Spade]

And some things like cheeseburger. Cheeseburger, one of those. Like, that might not work the first time. There's a lot of sketches that might not work. And then by the time it comes on, you don't realize they really did like it. They had to watch it and think about it, and then their friends talk about it and you go, that is good. It gets. It's kind of hooky. Or even if it's not a catchphrase, just a smart bit. And then you go, oh, fuck, that's bigger.

[Dana Carvey]

But also, that was active and high energy. And I've said this before, but for me personally, when I was doing Johnny Carson on the show and sort of a new way.

[Lorraine Newman]

Great impression, by the way.

[Dana Carvey]

Thank you. My kind of. My favorite thing, because I did. I thought I enjoyed it so much and I had Phil, of course, there that. The drafts of you at home, you're watching a television and that's how you're seeing the pictures. We are not actively in your living room. You know, the I. How Johnny would include everyone in the country and on stuff. And I didn't care. And I was in my sixth season or something, but I wasn't thinking whether it was going to get a laugh because I intrinsically knew it was so fucking. And it was almost too funny. Some things that I'll watch sometimes are so funny that I know I'm gonna. I can't even laugh as hard as I want to laugh. I'm gonna laugh later because you want to hear it. I want to hear it. And it hits you so hard. But the rock and roll sketches are easier. It was.

[David Spade]

Or you look at an old sketch, like even from Lorraine's seasons, and you go, I didn't even really get that back then. Like, how funny it was. Like, I was too young. And now you look back and go, holy shit, that's so well done. Or smart.

[Dana Carvey]

Or.

[David Spade]

Because I was just, like, looking for the easy jokes. I'm younger, you know, and then it. Then you get older and you start to like different stuff, but you go back and go, oh, fuck, that was so good.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, that's an interesting point. I've experienced that, too.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you go on Update a lot and do characters?

[Lorraine Newman]

I did it a couple of times when. When Sid Vicious murdered his girlfriend.

[David Spade]

There's a hilarious topic. Go ahead.

[Lorraine Newman]

I went on as his mother. I went on as his mother, saying that he was a good boy, you know, And I think Brian was Sid Vicious, you know, and he just had the wig on, and he just looked completely mad, you know, And I was just going on, I did my best.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, I did my best. I don't know. I don't know. We've had a great time here.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, my gosh.

[David Spade]

We had a great chat.

[Lorraine Newman]

But then, of course, I did the reporter, you know, Lorraine Newman, the reporter.

[Dana Carvey]

Which was kind of in that sort of reporter dialect, in a sense, the language of breaking news right now. This. At the whole. That kind of thing.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah, I'm standing here, you know, I always had heard. You know, I heard that song, and, you know. You know what I'm talking about, Dana, the song that they do. That is a newscaster song.

[Dana Carvey]

All right. That.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well.

[Dana Carvey]

Yes, it is.

[Lorraine Newman]

You know, it's. It is a song.

[Dana Carvey]

I did it in Stand up, and I don't know if I got it from Robert Klein, but it was a newsman ordering dinner with his wife. If I can remember, it was like a surprise kind of. My wife. Tonight, he's at a restaurant. She'll have the steak, medium rare, and a cup of black coffee instead of the traditional cream and sugar. I'll have my coffee. You did I must have done it on a talk show or something. I could have done it on a talk show. Or stand up.

[Lorraine Newman]

That's a great bit.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm like you. I love all voices. I love all dialects. And I so enjoy when I see people do them. On Saturday Night Live, the new young cast member does a trump. That is so brilliant.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, my God.

[David Spade]

So.

[Dana Carvey]

And I just. That's like, so funny and so brilliant. I, you know, I have to, like, watch it later almost, because he's doing so many hooks. Excuse me. And the people who. A lot of people that say many. And he's doing all that stuff.

[Lorraine Newman]

Biden is great, too. His. Biden is just. Come on. His taste.

[Dana Carvey]

Good stuff.

[Lorraine Newman]

We can do this.

[Dana Carvey]

We can do. No, here's the deal. My father lost his job. Not kidding around here. We can, in fact, do better. We can. Because I'm. I'm out of my mind.

[David Spade]

Let me smell your hair.

[Dana Carvey]

Biden is an interesting one. You know, the evolution of doing a president is that the country still has to get used to Biden. The kind of defensive guy is. Come out a little bit angry and then befuddled. All the different flavors he has, but we're still discovering him. The whisper thing. And then he goes kind of loud.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And sort of. My dad would do that when he was 90. It was kind of a patronizing whisper because I know what I'm doing.

[Lorraine Newman]

Oh, man.

[Dana Carvey]

That's right. We could do this. Number one, the one part. Number two, what the guy said. Number three. Come on, folks. He's always admonishing us for not understanding. It's not rocket science.

[Lorraine Newman]

There's some really, really interesting new cast members. Chloe Feinman, she's a groundling. She's a friend of my daughter. Hannah's been telling me about her for years.

[Dana Carvey]

So I watched your daughter today. She's really, really funny and talented. I just saw her on Colbert because I knew I was going to be talking to you, and she reminds me of you. There's a drill dry. Yeah. I mean, there's just. Well, I would just say this. Her stuff is very smart, you know.

[Lorraine Newman]

Thank you. Yes. We're just, you know, beside ourselves.

[Dana Carvey]

She belongs there. I mean, she's going. She is having a career. She's on hacks now, and she's just really good. And so I can't imagine what that must feel like to have a daughter, have someone, have success, because look at her mom. And now you're the daughter and following a big act to follow, and she's doing great.

[Lorraine Newman]

Well, her Talent is completely different than mine. And my older child's talent is also. They're also. They started doing stand up when they were 15 and they're on Los Espookis Julio's show. And they both. Their talent is completely different than mine. And that is exciting to watch. But, you know, my only contribution really was. And this is so inappropriate, but when I was driving, when I was driving them to school, I mean, this is like grade school. I would play the Sklar brothers and Maria Bamford and Patton Oswald, you know.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. Okay.

[Lorraine Newman]

Because mommy needed to be entertained. Damn it. You know, I was not gonna listen to Radio Disney another second.

[David Spade]

You know, you gave him some good standups. Wow. Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

But your daughter, when she came on Colbert the first time, this is Hannah. She did kind of like a little story about her mom and dad and sperm donors and stuff. And it was very, very sketch. That's why it wasn't traditional stand up. That's why it reminded me of your style.

[Lorraine Newman]

Yes, it's very different. And I saw this set at Dynasty Typewriter this last Sunday, and it was pretty much new material and 40 minute set. And it was so good and so interesting. It was like, how the hell did you come up with that stuff?

[Dana Carvey]

Stuff, you know, interesting. Wow. Well, that's a. A great way to close the podcast because that's. That's like this gigantic, perfect, full circle.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Talking about that. And you know, the apple does not fall very far from the tree, you'll find. But anyway, that's. That's very sweet, Lorraine. I'm so happy. I think I met one of your daughters or both of them at that Al Franken thing we did.

[Lorraine Newman]

It was probably Hannah. Hannah.

[Dana Carvey]

Probably Hannah. Yeah, she's, you know, whatever, just a sweet little girl, but now she's. That's cool. Well, I've really enjoyed this a lot.

[Lorraine Newman]

It's so fun, you guys. I really did. And thank you for having me too. And good luck with it. I know it's. It's a really fun thing to do.

[David Spade]

Hey, guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app, give us reviews, five star rating, and maybe even share an episode that you've loved with a friend.

[Dana Carvey]

If you're watching this episode on YouTube, please subscribe. We're on video now.

[David Spade]

Fly on the Wall is presented by Odyssey and executive produced by Danny Carvey and David Spade, Heather Santoro and Greg Holtzman, Maddie Sprung Kaiser and Leah Reese Dennis of Odyssey.

[Dana Carvey]

Our senior producer is Greg Holtzman and the show is produced and edited by Phil Swift.

[David Spade]

Sweet tech booking by Cultivated Entertainment.

[Dana Carvey]

Special thanks to Patrick Fogarty, Evan Cox, Maura Curran, Melissa Wester, Hillary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Colin Gaynor, Sean Cherry, Kurt Courtney and Lauren Vieira.

[David Spade]

Reach out with us. Any questions be asked and answered on the show? You can email [e-mail] that that's a u d a c y I com.