RE-RELEASE - Molly Shannon

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fly on the Wall – Molly Shannon

“RE-RELEASE - Molly Shannon” | Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade (Audacy) | May 20, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Fly on the Wall features the beloved comedian and actress Molly Shannon for an in-depth, hilarious, and heartfelt conversation. Dana Carvey and David Spade, fellow SNL alumni, reminisce and joke with Shannon about her career trajectory, her time on Saturday Night Live, personal resilience, the craft of comedy, and life’s quirks—delivering both comedy gold and genuine wisdom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Molly’s Early Career & Road to SNL

• Waiting Tables and Hustling for Gigs
  • Molly worked at LA restaurant Cravings for 4.5 years, making connections and inviting customers to her shows. She built audiences from scratch by making hundreds of phone calls.

    “When I got Saturday Night Live, I took that box of name and phone numbers that I'd saved from all my waitressing days and threw it in the dumpster because I didn't have to call anyone anymore.” — Molly [07:28]

• Getting Discovered
  • Marcy Klein (talent coordinator for SNL) came to see her stage show, leading to her audition.

    “She was like, I'm bringing you to New York to audition for Saturday Night Live. So how fun.” — Molly [09:03]

• Facing Rejection and Perseverance
  • Molly opens up about the difficult periods before SNL, often thinking about quitting due to repeated rejections.
  • She found comfort in simple things (e.g., going to Gelson's to get roasted chicken after tough auditions), illustrating her resilience.

    “This is so, so much rejection. And I think I'll just go to Gelson's and get a half a chicken and go home and close my shades and call it a half a chicken.” — Molly [14:13]

2. ASMR and Voices

• Molly reveals her sensitivity to certain voices, even hinting her comedic instincts are linked to her “ASMR” triggers.
  • She seeks out particular tones in fans or strangers, explaining,

    “If I ask a stranger for directions and say they had a certain voice… that puts me in a very relaxed state.” — Molly [04:04]

3. Audition Nerves & Showbiz Rejection

• All three discuss bombing auditions, feeling out-of-place, facing unkind casting directors, and the importance of persistence.
• Dana and David share their own horror stories, showing that even stars have doubts, anxiety, and unlucky breaks.
  • David:

    “I thought I was so naturally good… and they're like, he's horrible. Like, they just go, he doesn't know what he's doing.” [16:54]

4. Developing Comedic Confidence

• They reflect on the evolving self-assurance that comes with experience and “not giving a fuck” after many years.
  • Molly discusses bravely doing intentionally “bad” stand-up characters (Jamie Darcy) on SNL just for herself and her friends.

    “I purposely did it to not get any laughs because I was kind of sick of always, hey, you gotta make a move. That I did the opposite.” — Molly [29:52]

5. Mary Katherine Gallagher – Creation and Catharsis

• The origin and impact of Molly’s iconic SNL character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, are dissected.
  • Filming was intensely physical—she threw herself into props with almost Farley-level abandon, often sustaining minor injuries:

    “I didn’t feel the pain when it was going on… I wasn’t thinking about that. But then the next day when I would wake up, I would definitely feel like, oh, my muscles hurt…” — Molly [40:20]

  • The character was a vessel for processing childhood struggles and for live catharsis.

    “It's a representation of my childhood of overcoming hard stuff and still having resilience and hope and maybe stumbling and falling… then they rise above the wreckage.” — Molly [43:32]

  • Fun fact: “Superstar” began as a throwaway joke for a friend, then became the catchphrase. [43:03]

6. Therapy, Childhoods, and “Comic Damage”

• Candid discussions on family backgrounds; all three reveal challenges with parents, anger, or codependency, tying these struggles to their drive and comic ability.
  • Dana’s mom was “dainty and artsy,” while his dad was strict; David was raised by his mom after his dad left; Molly talks about the role-reversal with her father.
  • They laugh about “not being that special”—so many comedians come from tough backgrounds, citing that it only takes one championing parent to steer a child right.

    “All these comedians, it just always sort of is the same type of story where it's just tough, you know…” — David [47:33]

7. SNL: Writing, Collaboration, and Camaraderie

• Molly credits her SNL success to seeking out collaborators she felt comfortable with and always being willing to write for herself.
• They discuss the importance of finding writing partners with whom you can “throw out dumb ideas.”

  “If you just have that one person you could be in the room with... that's all it takes. Or write by yourself.” — Molly [39:29]

• Stories of SNL “tribal comfort” and creative risk-taking, including bombing on live TV, with a special bond among castmates.

  “All I cared about was me and Will [Ferrell]... this might be the most fun I have. And I feel like you have to embrace the bombing as much as the scoring.” — Molly [33:28]

8. Showtime Series: I Love That For You

• Molly shares about her show with Vanessa Bayer, playing a QVC-style home shopping host. She notes how demanding and “calming” that line of work is, with its specialized language and emotional engagement with viewers.

  “Vanessa taught me how to do it. But this is what these women do.” — Molly [52:25]

• They discuss the strange mechanics of home shopping network sales and the power of certain language.

9. Personal Wellness & Daily Joys

• Molly discusses her favorite mental health day: running, swimming, park meditations, steaming/sauna, documentaries, and cherishing time with her kids and husband.
• Emphasis on self-care and moving beyond “old patterns” of pain, with gratitude for health and happiness.

  “When you have your health and this and that, be happy… after awhile, give me a break.” — Molly [51:20]

• The trio shares their “breakfast confessions,” a lighthearted endcap.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rejection and Resilience:

  “I don't think I have the heart for this anymore. This is just too hard. So much rejection. And so that's when I gave up.” — Molly [14:20]

• On Positive Anger and Standing Up for Herself:

  “I think sometimes that's good… sometimes if you feel angry, that can be healthy, you know, standing up for yourself.” — Molly [23:43]

• On SNL Camaraderie:

  “When you see Will Ferrell… and you're walking into the set… you're safe.” — Dana [32:55]

• On Comedy and Trauma:

  “That character was so fun… it's a representation of my childhood of overcoming hard stuff and still having resilience and hope…” — Molly [43:32]

• On Creating Superstar:

  “On the first one, I did Superstar as a joke… for my friend at home watching to make her laugh. So we just throwing it back, said that we kept as like a refrain.” — Molly [43:03]

• On Wellness:

  “After you're running, you're just like this. Now what do you do exactly?... Just having a free day where you could just stay in your house and do whatever you want. I love that.” — Molly [63:44, 65:51]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [07:28] Molly's waitressing hustle and building a fan base
• [09:03] Being discovered by Marcy Klein for SNL
• [14:13] Facing rejection and “Gelson’s half-chicken” comfort
• [16:54–17:36] David and Dana on bombing auditions, acting insecurity
• [29:52] Molly describes intentionally bombing on SNL for a character
• [33:28] The Will Ferrell “bombing harder” story
• [40:20] The physical toll of Mary Katherine Gallagher
• [43:32] The emotional meaning and origin of Mary Katherine Gallagher
• [51:20] Molly on wellness, moving past old trauma
• [52:24] On “I Love That For You” and the world of home shopping hosts
• [62:01] Molly’s “perfect mental health day”
• [65:51] The joy of quiet home moments with family

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Tone & Style

The episode is marked by a warm, witty, and candid tone. Banter is constant; humor and empathy flow easily, with each host and guest deeply familiar with the world of comedy, its ego-bruising, and its unlikely healing powers.

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For New Listeners

This episode offers an honest, entertaining look behind the SNL curtain and into the mind and heart of one of its most beloved performers. In addition to laugh-out-loud moments and behind-the-scenes stories, it’s a masterclass on creative perseverance, the roots of comedic confidence, and how healing—and hilarious—art can be.

Recommended: Listen for tales of persistence, friendship, self-discovery, and showbiz survival, sprinkled with the trio’s irreverent, life-affirming humor.

Transcript

[Dana Carvey]

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[David Spade]

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[Molly Shannon]

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[Dana Carvey]

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[Molly Shannon]

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[David Spade]

So I just saw Molly recently, Molly Shannon, and she is on the show. We had her a little bit ago and she is always such a bright light when you see her. She always smiles, she lights up. She has something to say. She asks about me and I think she's starring now with Will Ferrell in his new show Hawk because he was at the golf tournament and yeah, Will Ferrell's a golfer.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

And I think she's the ex wife, which is perfect. Those two are so funny. Snl.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. They've done a lot of things together over, over the years.

[David Spade]

Yeah. And a lot of people I know she is definitely an SNL1 and especially women come up and go, Molly was so great and she's such a good vibe and she had and she's kind of quiet in her life and then she has these, you know, big characters. So lot lot to go over with her.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. Yeah. You'll see. We talk about what she does for working out. That's very funny. It really surprised me. And she's just kind of in the running for as nice a human as you could kind of interact with that. You know, this is just for me. I was on a flight American going to New York and this woman was kind of like asking me questions and this and that. And she said that Molly Shannon went up and talked to her for two hours about her life and her family. And, you know, just the nice.

[David Spade]

I know. She's like, oh, really? She really gets into it. And you go, oh, is this person actually listening to my story? Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. So I decided to try to go up there longer than Molly did because I was just competing.

[David Spade]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm kidding. No, she's. She's very nice, really funny, super talent, and just a great hang. So I would check this out. If you didn't hear it the first time, and if you did hear it the first time, do it again. Do it again. What do you got to lose?

[David Spade]

Here she is. Molly Shannon.

[Molly Shannon]

Amazing. This is such a great idea. Congratulations, guys.

[David Spade]

Thank you, Molly. And you know Molly, a bunch of high school friends and I chipped in and we bought a bitcoin. So I'll let you know how that goes.

[Molly Shannon]

Okay, great.

[David Spade]

I like how we're very quiet.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[David Spade]

I have a card.

[Molly Shannon]

You know, I like when people talk this way. Like, sometimes if I like If a. If a fan comes up, and it's like, I just wanted to say that, you know, I'm like, I feel so relaxed by your voice. So I'll keep talking to them if I like the voice.

[David Spade]

I think that you. I think I relate that to you because maybe you talk like that in sketch. There's something. Or maybe we've talked about it.

[Dana Carvey]

That's where you.

[David Spade]

Well, no, we've talked.

[Molly Shannon]

I've talked about this in interviews, but I actually have something called asmr for real, which is like a type of response to certain voices where you feel really relaxed. So it's real. I've had it since I was a kid. So stor. The game that we used to play, David, is kind of based on that, but it is really real. Like, if a certain. If I ask a stranger for directions and say they had a certain voice, where they were like, okay, let me just get the map. And then they touch the map, and they have a certain type of voice that puts me in a very relaxed state.

[Dana Carvey]

So is it like Zelig, Woody Allen that you start to become them in a way? Like, hi, Molly, I'm just a really big fan. And you go, thank you so much.

[David Spade]

I love that she just keeps asking for directions.

[Molly Shannon]

So it's not like that.

[Dana Carvey]

I love that. For you, it would be.

[Molly Shannon]

It's a feeling of, like. It feels almost like getting a massage. It's like I do it, too.

[David Spade]

It's like when you were a kid and people would read you stories. If you got the right voice to read your story, that's what you wanted. Yeah, some teachers had it sometimes.

[Molly Shannon]

That's cute, David. Someone read.

[David Spade]

You go to sleep, you know when you're little and you just go lock into it and you go, oh, it's the best. And then you zonk out. It's great.

[Dana Carvey]

Teacher would read the story. And I'm in second grade and the teacher was like 25 and had like nylon stockings on and a short dress. It was just sort of. It made you feel funny. Oh, boy, it made me feel funny. Like when I used to climb the rope in gym class. Where that came from. Anyway, I don't know where I went there.

[Molly Shannon]

But wait, wait, wait. So you're saying that she would have stockings on?

[Dana Carvey]

Well, just that first time I'd seen an adult woman. And they were very beautiful. They were second grade teachers. It's the 60s. Anyone can be a teacher now. And they're pretty young women. And they would have just a normal skirt on and crossing and uncrossing their legs. And I'm seven, eight or nine. I just sort of got a little tingly.

[David Spade]

You start noticing women and you go, oh, I like this. And then they're not doing anything wrong. And everything is sexual to you.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, they're just really not sweet.

[David Spade]

They're just living their life. And you're like, whoa.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

So she's walking. That's great.

[Dana Carvey]

It's like when you love the. Fell in love with the lifeguard. Remember in seventh grade? I just made this up, but you know what I mean?

[David Spade]

I was like, there's so much in her book, and it's the only thing that isn't in her book about the lifeguard. I have a question for Molly about your book.

[Molly Shannon]

Okay, great.

[David Spade]

David, you worked at Cravings. Is that a Sensa Plaza right here?

[Molly Shannon]

Yes, it's right near here.

[David Spade]

Is it still here?

[Molly Shannon]

No, it closed down.

[David Spade]

That was here forever.

[Molly Shannon]

It was here forever. The best grilled lemon chicken salad and really good pastas. I worked there for about four and a half years, and I love it.

[Dana Carvey]

I read all that part of your book and then I started in the beginning this morning. It's really compelling.

[Molly Shannon]

Thank you.

[Dana Carvey]

It wasn't like, oh, we got a book. We got a. Okay, what? Dana was like, very well written things. And I wanted to ask, how old were you and how long did you go at cravings and when did you leave cravings? How old were you? Because that's the only thing I Didn't get.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. I worked at Cravings for four and a half years, and I got Saturday Night Live when I was 30, so. But I had left Cravings, I think, a couple years before that.

[Dana Carvey]

So from 23 and a half to 28.

[Molly Shannon]

Something like that? Yeah, about like that.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

But we had fun. It was Ibrahim, our boss, hired really good people. So we would have parties at night and dinners. We had a blast working there.

[David Spade]

That's right. In that strip where you can sit on the street at sunset right now. It said here that you were. Was it improv? And you would call people to come to your shows. Like a bringer show. Like you'd say, is that true? You made a bunch of phone calls. It said like 500 to get 200 people to show up.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, I would use. I was. It was before email. So I would tell my customers, oh, I do this comedy show called the Rahul. You gotta come see my show. What's your name? And they're like, oh, Ben. I'm like, oh, what's your girlfriend's name? Melissa. Okay, Ben and Melissa, give me your number. So then when I did a show in Santa Monica, I would pack the house with like 200 people and I would just invite one industry person per show and make it like this hot show. But really, I was calling everyone myself, like, hi, Ben, I met you at Cravings. Can you and your girlfriend Melissa come to my show? Yes. Okay, great. And I would make all these calls, and when I got Saturday Night Live, I took that box of name and phone numbers that I'd saved from all my waitressing days and threw it in the dumpster because I didn't have to call anyone anymore to invite them to my show.

[David Spade]

That's nice.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you light the dumpster on fire or was. It sounds very dramatic.

[Molly Shannon]

It does.

[Dana Carvey]

You sure?

[Molly Shannon]

No, I. I didn't light it on fire, but it was dramatic in that I took that box and I was like, you know, all the little papers went flying by.

[David Spade]

The way. It works. Cool. All that work paid off.

[Dana Carvey]

So you were a go getter then.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[David Spade]

You got Marcy now. Where did Marcy see you? Marcy Klein, talent coordinator for snl.

[Molly Shannon]

Marcy Klein came. Flew out. Thank you so much. Thank you. Oh, she's sweet. Almond milk.

[David Spade]

I gotta get some biscotti, some coffee and an Ellen mug.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. With almond milk. That's so nice.

[David Spade]

Just fill that anywhere. Molly, it doesn't matter.

[Molly Shannon]

Marcy Klein came out to see my stage show.

[Dana Carvey]

The Saturday Night Live Producer and talent management. Well, she Wasn't a talent manager, but she was in charge of talent or something. We had a couple of headings.

[Molly Shannon]

Marcy, yeah, she was the producer, talent coordinator. But she came out to LA and saw my show and loved it. And then she was like, I'm bringing you to New York to audition for Saturday Night Live. So how fun. Yeah.

[David Spade]

Marcy was a big part of all that because she was there when I was there. She was in on my audition. She was in on yours, probably.

[Molly Shannon]

Huh?

[Dana Carvey]

Nope. Whoa.

[David Spade]

She was at Dana's audition. Go ahead, Dana.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay, this is a 30 second story about me.

[Molly Shannon]

Okay.

[Dana Carvey]

I was on SNL. I played Brown University.

[Molly Shannon]

Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

And there was a woman in front that was kind of echo me or friendly or whatever. And she had gigantic hair. So I did a comedian's trick of calling her Big Hair Woman that became a runner. It's an old comedian. So, hey, big hair woman, what do you say? So it ends up, that was Marcy Klein. And then Marcy the year. Next year comes to snl and I remember her from Brown University. So when we have her on this podcast, I'll call her Big Hair Woman.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, that.

[Dana Carvey]

She has an incredible audition.

[David Spade]

Singer was at your audition?

[Dana Carvey]

Well, that was. I did it in Santa Monica as well. A little club called Igbees. And Rosie o' Donnell was playing there. And I had to ask. I didn't even know Rosie o'. Donnell. She seemed like the most confident person I ever met.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Could I lean in on your show? And I'm going to bring Lauren my Michaels. And then she said okay. And we flipped the coin. I went on first, but Lauren walked in. Brandon Tartikoff, head of the network. I go, God, I'm getting really nervous. And then Cher settled in. So that was my Trio three shot. Here is your life. If I didn't make it that night, I think I'd be working at what was the. Carrie's.

[David Spade]

Carney's. Where'd you work at Cravings.

[Dana Carvey]

I know it's gone, but I'd reopen it so I could work there.

[Molly Shannon]

And how many minutes did you have, Dana?

[Dana Carvey]

I. I was actually doing the standup thing route, so I had an hour, hour 10 of stand up.

[Molly Shannon]

Amazing.

[Dana Carvey]

But you would audition at the Comedy Store and you do five minutes. Well, isn't that special? Get off. Didn't work. I bombed every time. I followed Canison once, dead silence. So this time I had 45 in a real club.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And I was just scared out of my mind. When. When Marcy saw you. Did you. How was your Nerve level at that point with your act, did you. Were you getting really confident or. A little. Were you nervous when Marcy was there or she. You didn't know who she was?

[Molly Shannon]

Let's see. She came to my. Yes. So she flew out and came to see my stage show, which was about an hour the Rob and Molly show. And I was definitely nervous. I was. Well, I was very excited that we got her to come see my show. So I was just thrilled. So we kind of. I had kind of taken off a year from doing the shows because I was like, oh, I don't know if I have the heart to stay in this business. So really a year before that, I really thought I might quit and become a real estate agent or I don't know. But then I heard Marcy was coming to town, so I whipped together a show for her at the last minute. And I paid for the band and asked my partner, Rob. I said, do you mind? Could you do one more show, please? And I'll take care of everything. I'll invite everyone. All you have to do is show up. And he said, okay. So I was just really just excited that she was there. And it was a great feeling in the audience. But yes, I'm sure I was nervous. But then for my actual audition, flying to New York, had five minutes at Stand Up New York with. And I got to do characters. And let's see. I'm trying to think. Yeah. So that I was definitely very, very nervous.

[Dana Carvey]

You don't understand. Well, I'm just interested, you know, if anyone's hearing this and they're like at a theater group in high school or something.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

That you, Molly Shannon was thinking, maybe I gonna quit. Maybe I'm not gonna do this.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, of course.

[David Spade]

I think we all think.

[Dana Carvey]

And then 18 months later or something, you know, italic coordinator from SNL. And then you're on your way. So we had reinforcing mechanisms being standups. That's how I made a living. So I couldn't quit. But I quit several times in college. I mean, I bombed so bad. So how did you deal with that? Did you feel like you went into kind of a depression or.

[Molly Shannon]

I never really got depressed for a long period of time. But I remember I had an audition on a lot in the Valley. I forget if it was CBS Radford. And I remember not being asked to stay. It was one of those things where you could see the girls who they were going to say were gonna go straight to producers at five o'.

[Dana Carvey]

Clock.

[David Spade]

So you kind of know and they hang around.

[Molly Shannon]

They hang around.

[David Spade]

You kind of know, and you say, you can go.

[Dana Carvey]

They go, yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

And you get to know the girls on the circuit, kind of the comedy girls or groundlings girls. And I went and did my thing, and they were just like, thank you, Molly. You know, like, next. And then I walked out to the room, and you could see the girls who were being asked to stay. And I was just like, bye, everyone. Good luck. My heart melted, you know, Crushed. Crushed. And I went out to the parking lot, and I saw this great actress named Kathryn Lanassa. And she's just so lovely. And she. She was like, what were you auditioning for? And I think I forget what it was, but she was just so casual. And I remember she was, like, doing stretches by her car, like ballet and stretching her leg. And I was like, oh, I wish I could be easy breezy, like Catherine Lanasa, not caring. And I was feeling dark, like, ugh, this is so, so much rejection. And I think I'll just go to Gelson's and get a half a chicken and go home and close my shades and call it a half a chicken.

[Dana Carvey]

That's so.

[David Spade]

I love it.

[Dana Carvey]

This kind of sounds delicious, though, in a way.

[Molly Shannon]

It was delicious. Yeah. And that is what I did. But I just, in that moment was like, I don't think I have the heart for this anymore. This is just too hard. So much rejection. And so that's when I gave up.

[David Spade]

For a year, I would be sitting in auditions, and it's so depressing with Brad Pitt next to me and going like, are you reading for Hunk also? Well, let's see who gets it. Let's stay friends after, though, if I get it.

[Dana Carvey]

Anyway, I read for Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

[David Spade]

Did you really?

[Dana Carvey]

They gave me a scene partner, and I sucked. You've seen my movies. I mean, I don't know what I was doing. So Paul Newman's there, and I'm in awe of Koolan Luke.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And he had these red socks on. And John Woodward had a little dog. And I just got confused with a scene partner. And she was really good, but we just. It. And we went outside the room, and I go, man, that went bad. She goes, you, Me, man. And Robbie Benson got the part. Robbie, if you're listening, Harry and Tonto, it was called Robbie Benson is a badass actor. But, yeah, I feel bad that I took her down with me. I apologize to Sherry Oteri years later. No, I'm kidding. That's a joke.

[Molly Shannon]

Were you just cold reading the scene

[Dana Carvey]

yeah, you'd get it and you'd hold the script and you had a few minutes to look over it. I was a terrible. Were you a good auditioner, do you think, and just had bad luck or were you.

[Molly Shannon]

Let's see. I think. Well, what about. What about you? So I can't imagine you messing that up. Dana.

[Dana Carvey]

I was terrified of acting. I was good, like, doing my own comedy. But to me, actors were. It was. I never took any acting lessons. I never did any theater group. So it was like, what, I gotta sound like someone else? It seems very easy now to me. Like, I can really act good now.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

But I'm a little late to the game.

[David Spade]

You know, sometimes people look down on you, like if they hear your stand up or maybe improv, if you're with. With actor actors. And I've been in auditions, and they go see your stand up. And I go, yeah. And I see them going, oh, boy. Like, they know. They think you're already. They're already winning, and they kind of are, because it is harder.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

I thought I was so naturally good. And I heard Eddie Murphy never took a class. So when I moved out here, I got some auditions right away. Cause I was, like, blonde. I was 20. I looked 15. And then I was like, I'm so naturally funny. So I didn't know what I was doing, But I'm just, like, reading. And I was. And they're like, he's horrible. Like, they just go, he doesn't know what he's doing. And I go, huh? No. I'm naturally gifted. And I wasn't. And then I had do two years of class because they wouldn't bring me back for auditions. They said, he's too green.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my God.

[Dana Carvey]

And it was such.

[David Spade]

All my heat went away. I got to town, I had some heat.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

And then it went away. And then two years later, I'd start again from scratch of, like, I know a little more. Like, I didn't know how to hold the side. They don't look up or look down. And you just need to have a little confidence to go in front of an acting teacher. Say, when you walk in, do you do this? And she goes, no, that's a red flag. Like, so then I just learned, oh, so if I just go in and I don't do these things, at least I'm in the mix. I read for Brandon Tartikoff.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you?

[David Spade]

And right before he was gonna give me a holding deal, it was already all set. And I walked in, and this motherfucker Dennis Somebody, head of casting. I'm in the waiting room. I got a coach. I went over my fucking sides. I didn't know what I was doing. And he walks and he goes, oh, I think we're gonna do these.

[Dana Carvey]

And he switched it.

[David Spade]

Took out of my hand, put in a new thing. He goes. And I go, this is a new scene. They go, yeah. They go, ready for you. And I go, no, no. I didn't have the balls to go, give me a second. I walked in, I just read it off the page. And they go, thank you. And I go. And my manager goes, how'd you that up? I go, what do you mean? He goes, there's no development deal. He said, you're too green. I go, well, they did the old switcheroo on me. He goes, well, no one's gonna remember that part.

[Dana Carvey]

I read a love scene with Lynn Stallmaster in a rouge director, right?

[Molly Shannon]

It was Lynn Stallmaster.

[Dana Carvey]

He's a man. But it was just me and him alone reading a love shot. I'm with this guy in a room, lights are down. I care about you so much. Don't you understand? Yeah, well, I like you too. My name's Judy, as you know. You know, I mean, it's like so.

[David Spade]

It's so hard to.

[Dana Carvey]

Let's get back to our guest. We do like to talk about ourselves.

[Molly Shannon]

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[Dana Carvey]

Hi, everybody, I'm Maury Povich. On my podcast on par with Maury Povich, I'm going to sit down with the icons, the stars and the faces at the very center of today's big cultural moments with everyone from comedians Josh Johnson, Dan Soder, Leanne Morgan, to newsmakers Don Lemon, Joy Reid, Aaron Parnas, and so many more. So join me for new episodes every week because nothing is off limits. Great content, conversations. They're always on par. Follow and listen to On Par with Maury Povich wherever you get your podcasts. Your summer starts now with Memorial Day deals at the Home Depot. It's time to fire up summer cookouts with the next grill 4 burner gas grill on special. Buy for only $199 and entertain all season with the Hampton Bay West Grove 7 piece outdoor dining set for only 499. This Memorial Day. Get low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot while supplies Last pricing valid May 14th through May 27th. US only exclusions apply. See homedepot.com pricematch for details.

[Molly Shannon]

Wait, I have to ask one question. David, how old were you when you came to town?

[David Spade]

20. No, you look 15.

[Molly Shannon]

But you could play.

[David Spade]

I tried to audition with your. I had a box of props.

[Dana Carvey]

Gross. And I.

[David Spade]

And I waited. Improv and you know what's funny? I had a Batman sweatshirt on to sort of signal I liked comedy. Like, this is kind of like, that's a good idea.

[Dana Carvey]

So gross. But I was like, I'm kind of funny already, right?

[David Spade]

It was just a bat. I was like, huh? And I crowd and go, you don't even need auditions. I know you got something going on that's funny. And so I got. And then. And then, Danny, you might have done this. They go every three minutes. They pull it out of a hat. But I think it's all rigged because it's even worse because you don't get sickened by your audition every three minutes. You're sick because they go, is this it, Jim Squankmeyer? Nope.

[Dana Carvey]

Nope.

[David Spade]

Got three more minutes. And then every. That's all until midnight. Then they go, just go home. Well, that's it, folks. And I was like, oh, I never got picked. So I gave up again for a year. And then I came back to la.

[Dana Carvey]

See, everyone quits.

[David Spade]

Try it again. Everyone quits. It's just the way it is.

[Dana Carvey]

You have to be a quick check. I want to hear what happened when you walked into audition room. Because when I walked into it and I'd see all these versions of myself.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Like really young, auditioning for the same men with no chins. And just sort of like. So I'm like, oh, this is me. I'm part of this tribe. So when you walked into a Molly Shannon, we're looking three versions of Molly. Or was it.

[Molly Shannon]

I mean, I definitely. When I started to get further along, there were definitely like, you know, you probably audition opposite Groundlings girls. Like really talented, kind of those really fantastic comedy girls. But before that, no I don't think so, but I would usually audition for, like, the Best Friends or whatever, that type of thing.

[Dana Carvey]

When did you get really. When did you kind of. Or did you always have it? Because I was reading your book last night. But I just. Your internal confidence. I'm always fascinated by that. Where is it? Because I would say mine would go up and down. Do you have. I mean, there's a Molly in there that goes, fuck these people. I'm fucking great. Right? Get out of my way. Or how do you process your talent? And what happened to you? How do you. Or is it just surreal to you?

[Molly Shannon]

I think sometimes if I felt like I remember auditioning for a commercial and I was a waitress at the time, I didn't have a lot of money, but they were just, like, kind of rude. These, like, producer writers were all there and kind of blaming the actors and. No, no. You know, and I was just like. And all these really cool actors were auditioning, and then I went and did it, and I think they weren't really paying attention, and they're just, like, acting disinterested. And they were making everybody wait for a really long time. And I think when I was finished, I said, you know, the problem you have is the writing. The actors are all really good. These people are challenged. You gotta fix your script. This writing is not good enough. Because I was just like. I just. So. I could be tough that way and just not care. If I knew that something was right, I would get. I think sometimes that's a good. You know, sometimes if you feel angry, that can be healthy, you know, standing up for yourself.

[David Spade]

So I definitely did stuff like that

[Molly Shannon]

where I was like, I don't give a shit.

[David Spade]

You know, they start treating you so shitty sometimes in those auditions. They don't even look up. They don't do anything. They know they're not taking you. They look at you, look down and go, oh, yeah, they're out. And then they go, go ahead. And they go, we're not doing the other scenes. That's the worst. Because you're the one person before you is there for 25 minutes and they're laughing and chuckling and really clicking the heels. And then I read one scene. They go, we're just doing one. I go, that last person did nine. And then they go, well, we're just doing one with you. I go, yeah. So I was so good. I got it just from that. They're like, we'll explain it in the parking lot and get them out of here.

[Molly Shannon]

Exactly. And understand. I Was working with the public all the time as a wa waitress. And so I was always polite. And so I just thought it's. Yeah, it's disrespectful to treat people that way. So at any level, I don't think that's.

[Dana Carvey]

I just think sub planning anger for fear is just a nice move, you know, Like I have a fear of flying and sometimes I'll just manifest anger to myself. This thing. Let's fucking light this candle, you know? Yeah, it's just a good way to get aggression out, you know?

[Molly Shannon]

Wait, you mean that you. So you'll be fearful, anxious to fly, and then you'll start saying like, fuck this plane.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, fuck this plane. Let's light this candle, you know?

[David Spade]

I don't know. A date is never mean. I never see you mean to anyone

[Dana Carvey]

though, unless it's really, really people like me. I'm a nice guy, which is kind of. It could be also what an obnoxious, passive aggressive guy, you know? Depends what song you like. But I had horrible anger issues in my 20s and I would be nice until I wasn't nice. Never make a nice guy mad because then they have all this suppressed stored up. And I would go zero to a thousand with a bank teller or a director. And I never had a middle gear. Then I figured out, guy, I have all this anger from my childhood, so I've been better.

[David Spade]

It's like Molly said, if you bully, I get that. I get bullied all the time, so all my whole life. So if you get pushed around, you get this. Or someone's very disrespectful, I snap on a dime.

[Molly Shannon]

David, did you get bullied when you were a kid?

[David Spade]

Oh my God, non stop.

[Molly Shannon]

You did. And then for what? When you were in grade school?

[David Spade]

I was a bit of a pipsque. I wasn't the strapping athlete you see today. And I was always pushed around and I didn't have a dad, you know, And I was mad my dad wasn't there. So one time I fought back on this kid in sixth grade and he kept pushing me and hitting me for no reason. And it was so humiliating. And then I'm like. It just came out like my dad left me. You want all this anger? And I just went bananas on him. I'm sure you did. And he went down his back and I started beating the shit out of him. And the whole school was watching and they. And he crawled up and he goes, the coach is coming. And he ran. The coach was not coming.

[Dana Carvey]

What was his name?

[David Spade]

I love it on skirt. Oh, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Ronnie Carrasco was my last fight. Ronnie Carrasco, you know, called me out in seventh grade. We're terrified all day. They. Then this kid was like, in fourth grade, go. We could hear the punches, man. We could hear the punches. And then you just get them in a headlock.

[Molly Shannon]

Anyway, I had boys in high school. I should say all their names right now because they deserve it.

[Dana Carvey]

They're funny.

[Molly Shannon]

When I would walk by, they would neigh at me, like, and hurt my feelings all the time. It's like, what are they. Why are they doing that? Do they think that I look like a horse? And it was humiliating. And I wish I would have spoken up or told, you know, the head of admissions or the headmaster, but I never did. I would just take it every day. And then I heard that it was because there was a horse named Molly in Animal Farm. That was annoying, but every day so mean.

[Dana Carvey]

God, if we can call those guys right now.

[David Spade]

Get it out.

[Molly Shannon]

They were twins. No, no, I won't say.

[David Spade]

All twins are on standby right now.

[Molly Shannon]

Two twins and another one. And they were such dorky twins.

[David Spade]

Sandler bullies me because we. I told him that story one night 10 years ago. And then now we're like, we're doing a gig in St. Louis. And he looks out of the crowd. He goes, I think Oscar's here. And I go, get the up. Oh.

[Dana Carvey]

He kind of drops my heart for a second.

[David Spade]

Why is he here?

[Molly Shannon]

So you. So you talk about him a lot.

[David Spade]

I just did. To like to those guys.

[Dana Carvey]

Just

[David Spade]

was rabbit punching me, which is legal. I'm talking to some people at Little League, and he just starts rabbit punching me in the back of the head.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm like, that's a.

[David Spade]

And then immediately a circle around me. I go, no, no, there's not a fight here. Wham. In the face. I'm like, I don't know. I can't get mad. I don't know what we're fighting about it feel. Explain it to me. I'll. Gladly.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, well, at least it was outside the house. I got beaten in the house and outside the house?

[David Spade]

No, but I kind of ran. Which you did.

[Molly Shannon]

What? Why dinner?

[Dana Carvey]

Well, daddy like to get a little. He's like, physical, throw things around. There's plenty of people had a couple whoopings. And I'm not that sort of drill back then, but my childhood, that's a whole other issue. If you don't start a podcast, you're the most curious guest we've ever had.

[Molly Shannon]

We can't we can't even get to Dana. You can't let that slip by me because now I have so many questions. Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

I know. Well, we'll talk afterwards.

[Molly Shannon]

Okay.

[Dana Carvey]

When we interview Dana.

[David Spade]

We're going, right?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah. I want to talk about a lot of things.

[David Spade]

I have to ask you about a stand up comic name I don't like. You did a character, right? I don't remember.

[Molly Shannon]

I think I remember Jamie Darcy.

[David Spade]

And it was don't get me started. Were you very, like, very monotone? Is that what you said?

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. She's kind of like on the spectrum maybe, but trying to get in a stand of comedy. Has a lot of. But really not gifted. But she's like, don't get me started. Don't even get me started. And she does comedy about dating. But she's probably like, you know, very out of touch with herself. But so she does. But I love doing that character. I did it at the very end of SNL and I purposely did it to not get any laughs because I was kind of sick of always, hey, you gotta make a move. That I did the opposite. And I really just need to.

[David Spade]

Because your jokes aren't really nailing it. Right. They're probably bad.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Intentionally bad.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, it did intentionally. And I did it to kind of make Jimmy Fallon laugh and Will Ferrell laugh. It was really kind of just for them. And the audience did not get it at all, which was perfect. Cause I wanted it to be like dead silence. And it took a while to get it on. Cause you know, if you put something through once and it doesn't get on, you really shouldn't push it again. But I pushed it through again and it finally got on update and it was great.

[David Spade]

Who's you with Jimmy?

[Molly Shannon]

I did. Yes, I did it with Jimmy. Yes, I did it with Jimmy. And then I did. And then Scott Wainier wrote a version where I was performing at an old age home and like, don't get me started. Don't even get me started.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, I remember that, you know when

[Molly Shannon]

men leave the toilet seats up. And she would do this dorky comedy about men versus women. And. And basically in the sketch, there were people dying in the old age home being wheeled out. Who would die? Their pulses stopped. And I'm still doing my stand up and I have no. I don't. The character has no sense. So she doesn't care if people are laughing. Yes, it was the most fun.

[Dana Carvey]

So do you feel like you're more confident like that? I felt like I was the most confident the day I stepped off snl. I kind of always have a part of me, like, maybe two more seasons, because I finally didn't give a fuck in the best sense of that expression.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you feel like at that point you're making Jimmy Fallon laugh? I mean, you must have evolved in terms of just, you know, after doing. You did 100 shows, you just feel different about doing SNL, right? At that point, there's a confidence.

[Molly Shannon]

That's true. I think Lauren's world is so different than Hollywood. Like, Lauren doesn't care what anybody thinks. He's like, I like them. He'll take somebody and he doesn't care. He does his own thing. That's what I found refreshing. Whereas maybe I felt the town of Hollywood before I got SNL was a little more like kind of people following people or, you know, Lauren just decides what he wants. He doesn't care what he does.

[Dana Carvey]

He is the master, and they leave him alone.

[David Spade]

They don't fight him on everything.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, he's so good. So I really liked Lauren's World. And, yes, I felt like it was like a comedy boot camp. I felt like I got to a point there where I really started to enjoy it. I was like, you know what? I'm not gonna worry about if I get something on or not. I'm just gonna enjoy it like a creative arts camp. Like, I'm working with these amazing writers and such talented people that if I started to look at it more as, like, an arts camp, like a fun, you know, that then I could enjoy it more. I mean, look, we all know it's competitive, of course, but I changed my philosophy about it, like, three quarters of the way through there. I just started to really enjoy it. Like, pretend like it's like a summer camp for creative people.

[Dana Carvey]

Calm me down. Because when I. I was battling nerves. When we've talked to Bill Hader and others around the nerves of snl, and then I'd come out and I would see the church lady set, and I would see Phil in his costume, Phil Hartman, and I would see Jan, and they would call me down like, these are my people, and love it.

[David Spade]

They're so good.

[Dana Carvey]

It's so much fun to have people that are pretty much whatever, damage why we do this, who we are in this little tribe against the world. It's nice, isn't it?

[Molly Shannon]

That is so cool. So it sounds like what you're saying is that you would just feel like you're just with them and you could, like, tune out that.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, when you see Will Ferrell, There, and you're walking into the set or Anna guy, you're safe.

[David Spade]

You got somebody giving it does kind

[Dana Carvey]

of calming you down a little bit. You're more excited and you're in it together.

[Molly Shannon]

Exactly. I actually. Will and I wrote this sketch once where we were two characters. We did it center stage, so there's no excuse to not get a lot of laughs because it was easier. And we played two characters who'd recently lost £100 and the sketch tanked. Not a laugh. But Will and I made a deal when. And out there, we were like, okay, if it's just crickets, we're just gonna commit harder.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, see, I love that.

[Molly Shannon]

And we were looking at one another and like a twinkle in our eye, like, oh, shit, we are bombing. And then we just performed it harder and harder. Like, can you believe it's £100? And nobody was laughing. I wish I could have a copy of this sketch. And it was just exactly like you say, Dana, like, such a bonding. It's like, all I cared about was me and Will. Will and me. Nobody else matters. And this might be the most fun I have. And I feel like you have to embrace the bombing as much as the scoring, because they really go together. You know what I mean?

[David Spade]

It might be a cleverer bit, because sometimes the audience doesn't. If they don't get it, they sometimes feel like they're missing it, and they go, this is good, because in the old days, you do a sketch like, cheap burger. Cheap. They don't know why it's funny. And then they go, remember that great sketch? And Dan Aykroyd goes, oh, Conan's bombed three times. They would just keep doing it. And then finally it clicks in that people go, I love this one. And it takes a while to get why it's funny. And sometimes it's not so easy easy where it's just like, jokes, joke, jokes, or I'm a crazy character. And they go, I get that.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

But when you're doing something very dry, that's fun. And if. If they stick with it, sometimes by the end of the sketch or the

[Dana Carvey]

next time, you know, Molly, you did all these styles. You do this sort of very subtle acting.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And. And then you. You're doing Mary Catherine. Yeah, Gallagher. You know, and so that would be. If the sound broke at a bar. They're watching snl. The sound was all off. That was still gonna get laughs. And then it was also funny with the sound. It was like an atomic bomb of comedy, right?

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, yeah. Oh, that's so sweet. That character was so fun.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean. Yeah.

[David Spade]

Did you not audition for that or am I crazy?

[Molly Shannon]

I didn't audition for that because there was a woman who around town who was calling herself kind of the unofficial talent scout. Who I won't say her name, but she was like, whatever you do, don't do that little character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, when you audition for Lauren because if you do that, you'll never get hired. What? So I listened to her. Yeah. Isn't that crazy?

[Dana Carvey]

What a. I had it with church. Church lady. I had managers that, that said you're doing that too much in your act. My standup. You're coming off gay. You know, this is the 80s, so

[Molly Shannon]

worst case scenario, I'm gonna only do

[Dana Carvey]

five minutes out of a 75 minute standup set. I'm only doing five minutes. Nah, it's too much. You're coming off gay, kid.

[Molly Shannon]

Interesting. And did you do it for when you had that standup audition when Lauren Michaels was there with Brandon?

[Dana Carvey]

Yes. Yeah. That was in my quiver.

[Molly Shannon]

And I bet Lauren loved it.

[Dana Carvey]

Lauren was. He said he knew at that moment. You know, I went through a further audition and I was terrified. But he, he said he'd already decided at that moment. And you had me, Lauren. I love the Lauren. You know what things great about Lauren because you bring making me a nostalgic for him.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Is that he loves funny people. He loves us. Yeah, he loves us. He just loves that we're doing this.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. Yeah. He really does. Is so sweet. He's. He is truly a legend. And the thought of him not being there is just. I can't even imagine it. It's his show.

[David Spade]

You mean the show.

[Molly Shannon]

It's his show.

[Dana Carvey]

They've become one, they've integrated and he

[Molly Shannon]

has so much love. You know, people don't know that about him. And he's such a deep thinker and loyal and funny and so intelligent.

[David Spade]

Do you still talk to him or do you ever need.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[David Spade]

Well, he's fun to talk to.

[Dana Carvey]

He sort of has this, this, you know, he's a little intimidating at first because he's so like. But he's, he's so vulnerable underneath all that.

[David Spade]

It's still your boss. Always, forever. It'll be like, that's my boss.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. But he's sentimental. I mean, now that I'm after I turn 60, I just tell people I love them and stuff really casually. Sandler did it when he was in his coming off gay. You're coming off gay.

[Molly Shannon]

That's what Sandler said, that's so funny.

[David Spade]

Your agent calls you out of the blue. I heard you told your friend you loved him.

[Dana Carvey]

You gay? Are you still doing that lady character?

[Molly Shannon]

Double gay.

[Dana Carvey]

Get out of my sight.

[Molly Shannon]

That's a stick. Wait, who's a manager? Who said that? You can't say. Oh, no, that's okay. You don't have to say.

[Dana Carvey]

You don't have to say it. Yeah, it was a. You know, look, they.

[David Spade]

It was the twins.

[Dana Carvey]

It was the 80s and, you know, whatever. I don't. I don't want to say. It was a big talent agency, and I. I don't think they were trying to.

[David Spade]

With me.

[Dana Carvey]

They really believe that? Because if you're not listening to the character. Well, well, well. Just sounds like, you know, you could say stereotypical. I'm playing some effeminate character instead of a church lady.

[David Spade]

So clever.

[Dana Carvey]

Church lady character. So it's very clever. We should talk about the injuries you took because that was a big part of your.

[Molly Shannon]

I am okay.

[Dana Carvey]

Orthopedically.

[David Spade]

I remember you threw yourself around like Farley, and he would be really in pain. And I think I remember when I was still there, we had overlaps because we did play star.

[Dana Carvey]

You guys were cast members together and

[David Spade]

lovers, and you weren't. Were. I know you wrote, but were you also paid as a writer or not? No, not the whole run.

[Molly Shannon]

Paid as a writer? No.

[David Spade]

Mr. Barfoot. Isn't that crazy? Everyone there.

[Molly Shannon]

We all wrote.

[David Spade]

I think they dropped my writing credit when I went full. But it was. But everyone still writes for themselves, obviously.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

And people at home don't know that if you write. It's fun to write with a writer from the show because you have to have someone watch it, you know, like from. From the booth when you're rehearsing. If you write it yourself and there's no one else involved, who's watching? I don't even know who watches it.

[Dana Carvey]

So you have to write to get

[Molly Shannon]

yourself on the show. It's a writing job.

[Dana Carvey]

Steve Coren, who'd you write the best with?

[Molly Shannon]

I wrote with so many different people, like Paul Lepel and Steve Coren. But basically, it feels like when I first got there, I was so, you know, oh, my gosh. How do you figure this out? But it just takes feeling comfortable with one person in the room. I think you have to be able to be yourself. But I always tell people who are trying to get into writing, if you just have that one person you could be in the room with where you don't feel dumb throwing out Ideas and you can really fully be yourself. That's all it takes. Or write by yourself.

[David Spade]

And if you're a writer, it's good to lock into someone else. That's good, because if you can write for someone, you see these writers that are like Tim Hurley's with Sandler for every movie, like, there's a lot of people that are double up and they just do movie after show after movie. And it really is important to find someone you can lock into on the show. I think what I was saying about Mary Catherine is I think they were using steel folding chairs. And I remember going, are those real steel folding chairs? There's no she keeps falling.

[Dana Carvey]

I remember feeling worried for you. I mean, I'd seen it live, like, whoa, that looked gnarly on that. Onto whatever you're falling on. Yeah, I didn't. I was kind of reading your book last night. Like, you. You were like another type of farley. I mean, I don't think many people threw themselves around the 8H like you did in that character. And you kind of got in a hypnotic state in a way, or you'd be saying that.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, I felt. I didn't feel the pain when it was going on. I would throw myself into metal chairs and do crazy stuff. And I look at that now and I'm like, oh, my God, I'm so glad I didn't break my neck or, you know, break. Yeah, I wasn't thinking about that. But then the next day when I would wake up, I would definitely feel like, oh, my muscles hurt and I would have cuts and bruises, and so I would feel it the next day. But I also liked it because I felt like I worked really hard and threw myself into the character. And I really did want to perform and be physical and be like the boys when I started. And I really wanted to do that. And then it also helped me kind of pour my nervous energy into the character because I was so nervous. So the physical aspect of it felt like a release.

[Dana Carvey]

I got that.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And so how big? What was the evolution of that becoming a movie? You did it and then you did it. And then it became a huge hit and it was exploding. And when you come out and you get applause, I mean, that feels great, right?

[Molly Shannon]

That feels so good, I guess, especially because, well, I. It took a while to get on because I put it at the read through and then Lorne liked it right away. He was like, let's wait and save it and we'll do it with Gabriel Byrne. And then.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, perfect.

[Molly Shannon]

So Then Gabriel Byrne came. But then when it. For the show order that. That week for the dress, Rehal, it was on the bot. It was at the bottom. And I was like, why? Why is this at the bottom?

[David Spade]

Which means it's probably going to get

[Molly Shannon]

cut for the dress show.

[David Spade]

It was late in the show.

[Molly Shannon]

It was late in the show.

[Dana Carvey]

Not going to make it.

[Molly Shannon]

They think it's not going to make it.

[David Spade]

Yeah, they don't have a lot of.

[Molly Shannon]

And so I. But that was kind of good because I thought, oh, I'm gonna have to show them. And I think because I'd read it at the table, they weren't understanding how physical it was gonna be. And because I'd done it in my show, that character in my show for so many years, I knew what it was when I did it in my stage show, I would climb the walls and get up on the rafters, and they'd have to peel me down off the wall. So I.

[Dana Carvey]

And did you have the outfit? Sorry? Did you have the outfit in the stage show?

[Molly Shannon]

No, in the stage show, I think I just wore a black skirt. She became a Catholic schoolmaster.

[Dana Carvey]

It was very funny look with the underwear and everything. Yeah, with an underwear. Bobby socks. Yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

So then I thought, I'm really gonna have to show them. So that was kind of good. So for the dress show, I just really went crazy performing it, and people went crazy. It got such a great response. And then I went into Lauren's office between dress and air to see what made it to the live show. And my sketch got moved from the bottom of the show to the top.

[Dana Carvey]

And number one, the same thing happened with the church lady.

[Molly Shannon]

Is that what you.

[Dana Carvey]

Something about these characters. Did you have the smell, the armpits and Superstar.

[Molly Shannon]

On the first one, I did Superstar as a joke. I threw it in for my friend because we used to always. My friend, Deborah Palermo, as a joke, I used to always go Superstar. Just so I did it for her. I threw that one. I exited the stage as Mary Catherine Gallagher. Then I came back in and slid on chairs and just under my breath went Superstar. For my friend at home watching to make her laugh. So we just throwing it back, said that we kept as like a refrain.

[Dana Carvey]

Then it became. It's just like a great explanation point.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

When it just fell all over the place and owning it.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes, exactly. And it's also been so proud of it. Yeah. And it's a representation of my childhood of overcoming hard stuff and still having resilience and hope and maybe stumbling and falling and maybe looks like she's not gonna make it. And then they rise above the wreckage. It's a repeated dance of those themes.

[Dana Carvey]

So you. You were able to. Sometimes people ask me where things came from and all that, and I try to come up with an answer sometimes I'm not sure. But you were able for yourself to figure out at some point that that character was a manifestation of stuff that happened to you.

[Molly Shannon]

Exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

It was like self care, basically.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

I get to reenact this but be superstar at the end.

[Molly Shannon]

Exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

That's so interesting.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, it's like healing. So before I was even in therapy, I would do the character on stage and I remember a. And they said, oh, that character, the schoolgirl. Or was it a schoolgirl? Then Mary Katherine Gallagher. She seems angry. I was like, angry. Really? I didn't. I thought, oh, that's interesting. But. Cause the original scene was just a girl auditioning to try to be in a David lynch movie. And we would just improvise and I'd be like, no, no, you're not understanding. And I have to prove myself and get this person to, you know, like me and cast me. And so it's just a little exercise in trying to be seen and understood. And so. Yes. So that's where art can like save, you know what I mean? That performance as a release. And does that make sense? So sometimes you can be in the. In like so in your. In your work and being creative and not realize what it is you're trying to express and not be able to be objective about it till later. Does that make sense?

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, I think, you know, in a cartoon way. I think that's a really evolved way to think of things. In that character. I did a lot of passive aggressive characters because I had trouble expressing anger because I. I grew up with a lot of anger in the household. So you were just taught to suppress it. So Hans and Franz. I don't know. You lose. You can't even look at me. And you know, church.

[Molly Shannon]

Well, you don't quite know what you're doing.

[Dana Carvey]

So all my characters was kind of angry initially. Passive aggressive. I guess that was healing.

[Molly Shannon]

So let me ask you a question. So you felt so in your house, but you said that your dad could be really aggressive and violent.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

To. Did you?

[Dana Carvey]

What?

[Molly Shannon]

How did you have to survive it?

[Dana Carvey]

Hey, Shells, I'm gonna disappear. Basically. So we weren't like. I asked Sandler about that abash ho and his family was just like. They could yell at each other nose to nose. Hey, you want to get some ice cream. Okay. You know, healthy.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

This was. Not that, but it was the 60s. Five kids, a lot of independence. See you later. You know, So, I mean, I. I survived.

[Molly Shannon]

What was your mom like?

[Dana Carvey]

She was sort of very sweet, but very dainty and. And very much under his thumb. And she was the artsy one.

[Molly Shannon]

Interesting.

[Dana Carvey]

Big families, you know, we raise each other a lot. We scrambled. It was like if there was sugary cereal, get it now, you know, that kind of stuff. So anyway, it's very interesting. It's always fascinating. Like, David, he had an easy childhood, so it's still. He's so fun, but with just a. Oh, no.

[David Spade]

David.

[Molly Shannon]

David, you were raised by your mom.

[David Spade]

Yes. I'll take this question from Molly.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. You were raised by your mom?

[David Spade]

My mother. I was saying about Dana's mother, like, it sounds like mine. She was very, like, creative, and she was a writer, and she loved artsy stuff and always wanted us to do anything like that that we thought was. My brother was more artistic, you know, anything. Comedy, anything. She loved it. She loved writing, so she would always push that. But the dad wasn't around. I think you had sort of of the reverse of that with your mom. And you had a tough. I think it's funny because all these comedians, it just always sort of is the same type of story where it's just tough, you know, And a lot of people have tough growing up.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, that's. We're not.

[David Spade]

We're not all.

[Dana Carvey]

And they're not all comedians.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

It's just.

[David Spade]

That's why we're not that special in that regard. But I did. I was lucky to have a mom that was very, you know, she had it. Dealt some tough cards, but she tried her best. And the dad wasn't around, but I think the mom really tried to make up for it, you know.

[Molly Shannon]

That's great.

[Dana Carvey]

She was great.

[David Spade]

She's still around, thank God, because that's a tough one. And I think that plays into everything, you know?

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. It only takes one. It's like, I think you need something.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

If you have one good parent.

[Dana Carvey]

I like the figure of sweets. They say, having a champion.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

And when I was reading your book this morning, your dad became your champion. Like, you can do anything. My mom was like that with all of her siblings, you know, so it was. We did.

[Molly Shannon]

We were with all her children or all her siblings.

[Dana Carvey]

With all her. All of us kids.

[Molly Shannon]

With all of you kids, you can

[Dana Carvey]

do, you know, so she was supportive that way.

[Molly Shannon]

Did she stay married to your dad?

[David Spade]

She did.

[Molly Shannon]

She did that. So interesting. Interesting.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, 1940s, 1950s.

[Molly Shannon]

I understand it's that generation you don't leave. Well, let me ask you this. So she. So did you feel like you had to be more like her? Her?

[Dana Carvey]

No, I kind of. I kind of took care of her.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. Yeah, you did.

[Dana Carvey]

I was her surrogate.

[Molly Shannon]

That's so interesting. That makes sense. That's. I had that a little bit with my father too. There's nothing to be embarrassed about with that.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, no, it was. It's just normal codependency. How do. How do you get attachment? How do you get love and by behaving this way. You get it. You don't. I went to therapy too. Maybe we went to the same therapist you are. I have to say, I don't know how much more time we have. We've already guessed quite like you. You're really so interested in us, and we love it.

[Molly Shannon]

I'm so interesting. Well, you guys are so talented and. And I have to say, it's so fun doing the show because I would rather hear you guys talk.

[David Spade]

Yes, we would too.

[Dana Carvey]

But we know that listening to this particular episode. Want to hear about Molly Shannon, you know.

[Molly Shannon]

Well, I like talking about anything like that because I think that that's. It's helped.

[Dana Carvey]

So talking about it.

[Molly Shannon]

Therapy helps so much.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. How long did you go?

[Molly Shannon]

A long time. Time.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay. I went five years, but maybe I'll go back.

[Molly Shannon]

That's great.

[Dana Carvey]

He's driving me nuts.

[David Spade]

Molly's got such an interesting disposition because you're always upbeat and you're such a good listener and even we don't have to talk about it. But when we were at that norm thing the other day, you're such a good, articulate speaker and you speak from the heart about any subject and just want to out and you meet people, you're just very locked in. It's very. You don't see that a lot. You think you do, but you don't. And so it's very, very. And then your whole upbringing and just to this point in your comic, it's just. We're also been through the ringer in a weird way. And it's funny because when you finally make it, you're like, what the fuck was that about? Was it worth it? But you're very. I just have to give you a compliment that when you're out and about, she's got such a good vibe about it. Everyone loves this.

[Dana Carvey]

You must have a lot of friends if you're a curious person. People like that.

[Molly Shannon]

That's as you know what I was gonna say. But don't you think, like, sometimes I think going through that tough stuff when you're little does give you that kind of command of an audience, that control. You have to have some kind of weird skill to be able to, you know, do what you guys do, like get up and perform and know how to, like, hold a crowd. I mean, that's not an easy thing. How do you think your childhood gave you that ability to do, to have that special skill?

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, God. These are really good questions. Maybe a 10. I've actually been recording this. I'm going to use it for my books. Hello, Dana. Hello, Dana. Well, hello.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my God, it feels so good to laugh. One thing I will think, though, is I don't like. I feel like. I feel like the healthier I become, I feel like I don't want to keep going toward those old patterns of going toward pain or this or that you're not good enough. It's like, oh, my God, after a while, you know what I mean? When you have your health and this and that, be happy.

[Dana Carvey]

Right.

[Molly Shannon]

It's like, oh, my God, give me a break.

[Dana Carvey]

Well, it's a great thing.

[David Spade]

I have to ask you about the show where you qvc, it's called. I love that for you.

[Dana Carvey]

I love that for you.

[David Spade]

And we talked to your lovely co star.

[Molly Shannon]

Sure, sure.

[David Spade]

Do you know we talked to your lovely.

[Molly Shannon]

You talked to Vanessa.

[Dana Carvey]

I actually saw the first two episodes last night.

[David Spade]

I saw one.

[Molly Shannon]

That's so sweet.

[Dana Carvey]

I love when you do characters and then the character does a little character voice. It's so funny.

[Molly Shannon]

That's so such a specific thing.

[Dana Carvey]

Only you could say, I love it. Just do a little bit because your character like tv and then go, all right, Whatever you do well, you're for

[David Spade]

the people at home.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

I mean, this is on Showtime with Vanessa Bayer.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. I love that for you, Vanessa.

[Dana Carvey]

I love that for you. It's a really cool, smart show.

[David Spade]

You say what it is.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, yeah. I play a host of a home shopping network and I'm like the queen salesperson and I can sell stuff. Like, this is the cutest little jar of sugar. You see, you know, And Vanessa taught me how to do it. But this is what these women do.

[Dana Carvey]

They're very good at selling stuff funny to watch.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. But Vanessa grew up watching it, so it's based on her childhood. And Vanessa. Vanessa and I are both from Cleveland, Ohio. And Vanessa's another one who. She seems almost like she could be a Psychotherapist, not an actress. She's very calm in real life. Did you. Did you find that? She's so grounded.

[Dana Carvey]

I see why you two would connect.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

You know, and you formal.

[David Spade]

You saw one and she plays there, the QVC girl. And it is kind of funny for you because I like it because it's very calming to hear those people talk,

[Dana Carvey]

like you said, and.

[David Spade]

And you're just so happy. I could just drone on and watch them for a while because they're very interested in what they're talking about. They're very interested in the audience, and they're just talking to you, and they don't fucking stop. And they showed Vanessa going through the audition process of that show, and it seems very hard. That show made me scared to be on qvc because you just gotta run it. And then they have a graph showing when the sales go down. You say something wrong and you go. And she accidentally smells something and acts like it smells kind of bad for

[Dana Carvey]

half a second, and then they go. The sales fucking plummeted.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, just now.

[David Spade]

Half a second. Because you didn't.

[Molly Shannon]

I have a friend who trained for it for his. For a shampoo line, and he said he was terrible, but they. They put you through training and there's a certain type of language they have to use. But he said if you talk about, like, mama or God, the ratings go up. Like my mama says, you know, this sugar is the best. Thank God for, you know, church on Sunday, you know, sales. So there's just certain things.

[Dana Carvey]

I wonder what we should say in this podcast to make our ratings go up.

[David Spade]

You don't say anything.

[Dana Carvey]

Hallelujah, David. Hallelujah.

[Molly Shannon]

Hallelujah. Praise.

[David Spade]

No, I don't want to say that. I don't go for ratings. Yes, I do. No, I do. Molly.

[Dana Carvey]

So, Molly, how do you. How so? Yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

Do you like apples?

[Dana Carvey]

Apples?

[Molly Shannon]

What's your favorite? Have you ever.

[Dana Carvey]

I know you like half chicken.

[Molly Shannon]

Can I ask you a question? Have you ever at a dinner, been to it, like a group dinner, and just there was like a little bit of a silence or a lull in the conversation. Just said something just to fill the air. David, you go first.

[David Spade]

That's all I do.

[Dana Carvey]

That's a good one.

[Molly Shannon]

That's all you do.

[David Spade]

I go. Do you like apples?

[Dana Carvey]

I go. Where do you. I go to. What's your net worth? That gets everyone going. Have you ever encountered anything supernatural besides meeting me? And then people have ghost stories and that. I did that with Julius Roberts and Tom Hanks and these people at this Shakespearean and comedy ghost stories.

[Molly Shannon]

What is that?

[Dana Carvey]

Tom would have. You would go on and you would do Shakespeare, but you could do it any way you wanted. So I was just doing it. It's like, hey, how you doing on Shakespeare? You know, it's a big charity event. He does. And this was 10 years ago. So then Julia Roberts and all these actors and we're all around the table and it's a little bit of like that small talk. Well, I think so. You too? And I go, you guys ever seen a ghost or any supernatural thing? And then everyone has a story.

[David Spade]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

So, Molly Shane.

[Molly Shannon]

That's great.

[David Spade]

I ask you. Yeah. Do you

[Dana Carvey]

encountered a ufo, something you couldn't explain that kind of freaked you out?

[Molly Shannon]

I lived in this apartment in Hollywood Nan Ray used to live in. I like your question, Dana. And when I was a struggling actress with my roommate Brian Donovan, and it had cathedral ceilings and it was across an El Pollo Loco on the corner of Fountain and Vine. And I had just like a lot.

[David Spade]

I love that.

[Dana Carvey]

That's scary over over there.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, A little scary.

[Dana Carvey]

Old Hollywood Franklin Hotel or something.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, yeah. It's just.

[David Spade]

It's a bit sketch though.

[Molly Shannon]

And. And we live there together. And I remember I had. We had a party and this guy, this like guy was at the party, was like, them's ghosts in here. And I. I said, really?

[Dana Carvey]

Where was he from?

[Molly Shannon]

He's from Arkansas.

[David Spade]

Does that scare you, though, about ghosts?

[Molly Shannon]

That would scare me, no, because I didn't really believe. But I would have dreams at night. I don't know if it was sleep paralysis, but I would have a dream where I was being held down only in that apartment. Have you ever had that, Dad?

[Dana Carvey]

I had it at San Yosidro Ranch, which I made my wife. We left the hotel in the middle of the night.

[David Spade]

Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

I had it twice. And I'm like, what the fuck is this?

[David Spade]

Is that a push down, like a feeling?

[Dana Carvey]

It's from nightmare. It's the feeling of a horse lying down on you. And then I had the house we have up in Northern California. It's from 1909. I had it in there also. White noise. I had in there there too. Why is everyone sleeping? One hour. Wait, what?

[David Spade]

Where's that going from?

[Dana Carvey]

No, your brain's afraid. But I'm not afraid of anything anymore. Really? At this age?

[Molly Shannon]

That's so good.

[Dana Carvey]

But what happened? So he says, ghost. Did you meet the ghost? Yeah.

[Molly Shannon]

That's all? No, but I would just feel like I was being held down or I would Feel like there was somebody at the edge of the bed holding my feet down. And then I would wake up. And it was only in that apartment when I left. It never happened again. Isn't that weird?

[Dana Carvey]

We got a call. We gotta get Dan Aykroyd on this podcast. He loves this stuff. He's into it. Wow, you would really be fascinated by that.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my.

[Dana Carvey]

But you weren't.

[David Spade]

I would be scared shitless.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, I was a little.

[David Spade]

When I hear any noises, I'm scared.

[Molly Shannon]

And I had another scary thing at that apartment too, where there was in my bedroom, a peeping Tom in the alley. Like, I saw ahead while I was changing. And I was like. And so then I ran out to the front and called the security guard. I was like, andrew, Andrew, come here, come here. Hurry, hurry. And he came. Came into the door. And I almost have to get up and demonstrate, but I don't want to go away from the microphone. Walked in and he came in. What?

[Dana Carvey]

What?

[Molly Shannon]

What? And then while he was in the door, he got in and then he slammed the door shut with his foot. And it was within seconds that I realized, oh, no, that was him. And now I just let him into my apartment.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, wow.

[Molly Shannon]

Isn't that scary? He was like this. I'm going to demonstrate.

[Dana Carvey]

He was like, molly's standing up, kicking her foot back. Scary.

[David Spade]

And now, now you locked. They get him in the room with you.

[Molly Shannon]

Then he was in the room. But I. I did quickly get him out because my. I just did.

[Dana Carvey]

You figured out then you realize, hell, I didn't see anything anymore. You can go now.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. I was like,

[Dana Carvey]

you think there's a killer?

[David Spade]

He should have done Molly. He should have closed the door while you were behind him. And he should have gone, he's not in the alley anymore. And then he goes. He's in your room and turned to you.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my.

[Dana Carvey]

And then you would have gone, oh, my God.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my God. Did you ever see that movie when Stranger Calls?

[David Spade]

Calls come from inside the house. Don't do that to me. I can't.

[Dana Carvey]

Spade lives alone in a 19,000 square foot house with no security.

[Molly Shannon]

Are you David?

[David Spade]

Well, I definitely haven't seen any scary movies. I would not see it. I didn't see the Exorcist. I didn't see any the biggies. No, no. Why am I inviting. I have enough nightmares, I want to add.

[Molly Shannon]

No, no, exactly.

[David Spade]

There's no more room.

[Molly Shannon]

Stressful.

[David Spade]

All right, Molly, let's. Let's get Molly out of here.

[Dana Carvey]

She's been great.

[Molly Shannon]

We have one Final question.

[David Spade]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

She's the greatest guest ever.

[Molly Shannon]

What did you eat for breakfast? Dana first. Jesus.

[David Spade]

Dana first.

[Molly Shannon]

Dana first.

[Dana Carvey]

The same thing I have every day, Molly. I had one egg and. And one egg white. What a pig. I had some avocado I sliced up. I had a piece of sourdough.

[David Spade]

You're gay.

[Dana Carvey]

Toast. You're gay. You're getting gay. That's the name of the episode. So avocado, toast and those two things. And then my wife made a thing she calls a green drink. A little bit of pear and spinach and stuff like that.

[Molly Shannon]

That sounds.

[Dana Carvey]

What did you have?

[Molly Shannon]

That sounds exactly? I had a Gelson's. Half a chicken. No, I just had a smoothie. I had a banana almond milk smoothie right before I came. David, what did you have?

[David Spade]

You know, the big story is when you said that about Gelson's. When I moved out here to stay with the funny boys to do standup, I had no money and I just had change. And he goes, you can keep the. There's change up on the counter if you want it. So I felt so embarrassed. But when I went to do stuff, I would scrape the change. And I went to Ralph's on Fountain. Way down there. Yeah, it was Ralph's or something. And then I went and I got the rotisserie chicken and the thing. Same thing. And just took a.

[Dana Carvey]

This is a lot of food.

[David Spade]

That was like Cujo.

[Dana Carvey]

I ate a.

[David Spade]

And they come home.

[Dana Carvey]

I go, christine, Cujo over there.

[David Spade]

I really went at it because I hadn't eaten all day. And then I know if I get a spot of the improv, you get a free pineapple chicken where it's like a little breast with a pineapple circle on top. Woofed.

[Dana Carvey]

Because that was it.

[David Spade]

You don't know when the next one is. And so. But this morning. Eg, eggs.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, eggs.

[Dana Carvey]

Eggs. Scramble.

[David Spade]

The only interesting thing I've. Well done. Bacon. That's not that interesting. And then I have a bacon.

[Dana Carvey]

What's your ldl, sir?

[Molly Shannon]

A little plain oatmeal. No bread.

[David Spade]

Yes. I try not to eat too much wheat now. God, we're so old.

[Dana Carvey]

Sourdough. It's the most benign. Come on, It's Joe Biden. Is sourdough okay? I don't want inflation. I'm doing Biden. Inflation is the Pirates of the Caribbean.

[David Spade]

Is it a joke or is it no joke?

[Dana Carvey]

It's no joke.

[David Spade]

It's no joke.

[Dana Carvey]

Not getting around here.

[David Spade]

Biden's always.

[Dana Carvey]

Final question.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[David Spade]

Oh, we get the last one on her.

[Dana Carvey]

If the decks are clear. The kids are great, everything. What's a Molly's Super Day? Like your mental health day? This is Molly's day off.

[Molly Shannon]

Okay. I like that question. I would. I definitely like to exercise because it relaxes me.

[Dana Carvey]

Go for a hike, Run, run. You still run? Yeah, running.

[Molly Shannon]

I ran this morning because it calms me down. Running.

[Dana Carvey]

Great. I just can't do it anymore. I hike, though.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, hike. Well, hiking is so good.

[Dana Carvey]

It has to go up a hill, though.

[Molly Shannon]

That's amazing.

[Dana Carvey]

So you start out with a run, running.

[Molly Shannon]

And I would listen to a good podcast or a good interview or, you know, the Daily or NPR or Books on Tape. So I'll do that while I'm running.

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, okay.

[Molly Shannon]

And then I also like swimming, so I. A good day would be to swim for one hour.

[David Spade]

Wow.

[Dana Carvey]

You're my hero. That's what I want to do.

[Molly Shannon]

Makes me feel so happy.

[Dana Carvey]

I've been starting to attempt to do it because they have a little pool at this one house we have.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, that's so nice.

[Dana Carvey]

How do you. So where do you swim?

[Molly Shannon]

We have a pool in our backyard.

[Dana Carvey]

So it's like 40ft or 30ft? 40ft?

[Molly Shannon]

I'm not sure. Yeah, maybe.

[Dana Carvey]

So you get in and you go back and forth. You're switching strokes. You wear goggles?

[Molly Shannon]

No, I just do the breaststroke the whole time. And I also listen to interviews when I'm swimming.

[David Spade]

Do you get your hair wet?

[Dana Carvey]

So how do you do that without getting electric?

[Molly Shannon]

I just have a speaker. I don't have the earpods, but I just have a speaker. So I'm really like, you know, oh,

[Dana Carvey]

you're kind of like this. And it's on the side of the pool, so you come out. What gets you more just Zen down the run or the swim? Or is it just the two together?

[Molly Shannon]

That's a really good question, I would say. What do you think?

[Dana Carvey]

I'm just coming on to the idea of swimming. So I feel like, especially if it's deprivation where you have earplugs and it's like people come out of the pool, like, whoa. Yeah. In my olden times, my other times, I think hard cardiovascular, breaking a sweat.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

But basically, let's put it this way, way your perfect day is 10am and you're basically blasted in a good way.

[Molly Shannon]

Exactly.

[Dana Carvey]

After you're running your. Just like this. Now what do you do exactly?

[Molly Shannon]

Then I guess if it's like a perfect day too, I might go to a steam, get a nice steam or sauna. And it makes me so relaxed.

[Dana Carvey]

And I might bring super relaxed.

[Molly Shannon]

Well, you're asking like a really fun day. This is like.

[Dana Carvey]

No, I love this.

[Molly Shannon]

This would be while my kids are in school, if I have a little bit of free time.

[Dana Carvey]

Definitely are clear.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. Then I would maybe. I mean, if it's a dream day, maybe I would. I mean, I haven't done this for a while, but I would love to go to a pretty park in nature and sit and do creative visualization.

[Dana Carvey]

If you're asking for a dream day, like a meditative.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, meditative kind of writing, you know,

[Dana Carvey]

some part of these things you do all the time. But now it's loaded into one day.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah, loaded in one day. But then, let's see.

[Dana Carvey]

Did you go out to dinner with your husband?

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, my God. Well, that's later. Say, after I pick up the kids. My husband likes to stay in and cook, so I don't. But I love going out for dinner with friends. But he likes to cook, cook dinner and stay in. And of course, my ideal, my favorite thing is just spending time with my children. So they're 17 and 18. And I'm gonna pick my son up today at school and my daughter and I are gonna get acupuncture today. So I like stuff like that. Stuff that makes your body feel good.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

Do you wanna make you feel better?

[Dana Carvey]

Do you watch any entertainment? Do you watch movies? You watch dramas?

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. I just finished watching the Dropout Mike Showalter show with Amanda Seyfried. I loved it. That was so good. And my husband and I love Doc.

[Dana Carvey]

Okay.

[Molly Shannon]

We're watching Love on the Spectrum right now on Netflix.

[Dana Carvey]

We're getting some high fives in the room. Love on the Spectrum.

[Molly Shannon]

Just watch Pam and Tommy. Was it. Did you watch? It was so funny.

[Dana Carvey]

Tommy's sons bought my old house in Encino.

[Molly Shannon]

Really?

[Dana Carvey]

And they're in my recording studio and in my pool. But I'm happy for them. Go ahead.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. But no. Yeah. My husband and I love documentaries. That's our favorite.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. So watching TV with your husband, hanging with your kids.

[Molly Shannon]

Hanging with my kids.

[Dana Carvey]

Jacuzzi meditation, be at a park, relaxing, steam. Yeah, Okay. I like that answer. I'm relaxed just hearing that.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, good. And just hanging out in the house is so fun with my kids. There's nothing that makes me happier than just having a free day where you could just stay in your house and do whatever you want. I love that.

[Dana Carvey]

Yeah. I love being a dad.

[David Spade]

I love, love that.

[Dana Carvey]

Hanging out with my kids.

[Molly Shannon]

Isn't it? It's the greatest. Yeah. Me too. It's my.

[David Spade]

Well, Molly Shannon is her. Tell me your book. It's called hello Molly.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

A great title.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[Dana Carvey]

Because it said you can never forget it. I love Molly Kids is so clean. It's not like my journey to the thing. What was the name of your book? David?

[David Spade]

It's stupid. It's not hello Molly.

[Dana Carvey]

I'll say that it was.

[David Spade]

Mine's harder to do.

[Dana Carvey]

What was it called?

[David Spade]

I think it was called. Oh, one of them was called. This is a good one. A Polaroid guy in a Snapchat world.

[Dana Carvey]

But that's a Polaroid guy in a Snapchat.

[Molly Shannon]

Snapchat.

[David Spade]

Because I talk about how the difference is when I grew up. Now it is. Now everything's different. I like that title. So you like it.

[Dana Carvey]

But hello Molly. So clean. Boom.

[David Spade]

And it's off the top.

[Molly Shannon]

You can sing it. That's what's good.

[David Spade]

And you're also. Love that for you. Hello Molly.

[Dana Carvey]

She's one awards. You've worked consistently ever since you left snl. It seems like you're always doing stuff with Will and they're hiring you for this and that. Now you're in this show. Life is good.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah.

[David Spade]

You're healthy.

[Dana Carvey]

You can run, you can swim.

[David Spade]

We learned.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

Stroke only. Well, you don't.

[Molly Shannon]

You do.

[David Spade]

Or you don't get your hair wet. That's what we. Other people want to know.

[Molly Shannon]

If I have a. I know. I like that. That you're asking David. If it's a nice blowout. I would probably toss it up because I wouldn't want to ruin it. I'm sure.

[Dana Carvey]

Going above the water. Above. And just a very meditative back and forth.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes. With. With some good reading material. Maybe I would listen to. Listen to a New Yorker article on Autumn the Hour.

[Dana Carvey]

I love that. About modern digital technology. Just. You're driving and you can listen to World War II books and like. So Hitler decided it was too late. You know, I just can't get enough of that stuff.

[Molly Shannon]

Is that right, Dana?

[Dana Carvey]

Oh, I love documentaries too. I kind of like everything I'm pretty. What wants to watch the Crown. I love the Crown. And I like 2001. I see that every year when she's not around, you know. So I like. I like all of it, but I mostly like dramas and adventures and stuff.

[Molly Shannon]

Yeah. But did you see the original Staircase documentary? It's on Netflix now. That's excellent.

[Dana Carvey]

About the guy who maybe pushed his wife down the stairs.

[Molly Shannon]

Yes.

[Dana Carvey]

Yes.

[Molly Shannon]

That's a good one.

[Dana Carvey]

You know what? Those things. If you want to look for dysfunction. Cow sills. Ooh, about a 60s pop band. Family band. It's about their dysfunctional family. Very reminiscent of mine in some ways, but it's also their fame and their trajectory. The cow cells, I think it's called on Netflix.

[Molly Shannon]

Oh, that sounds good.

[Dana Carvey]

I'm Ted Sarandis's cousin, so I also support Netflix on this podcast.

[David Spade]

All right, bye guys. Nice to meet you. Hey guys, if you're loving this podcast, which you are, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app, Give us review 5 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, an executive produced by Dana 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

[David Spade]

Phil 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, Kirk Courtney and Lauren Vieira.

[David Spade]

Reach out with us. Any questions to be asked and answered on the show? You can email [e-mail] that's a U-A C-Y dot com.