The FINNEAS Episode

Summary

Friends Keep Secrets: The FINNEAS Episode

Podcast: Friends Keep Secrets
Hosts: Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd), Kristin Batalucco
Guest: Finneas O'Connell
Date: May 5, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode pulls listeners straight into the playful, intimate magic of Friends Keep Secrets—a loose, hangout-style recording where producers, musicians, and friends Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave), Kristin, and their featured guest, FINNEAS (Finneas O'Connell), riff on everything from music production to childhood rituals, anxiety, being homeschooled, wedding plans, and songwriting. The conversation is lively and funny, often veering into deep emotional territory, with all four sharing personal stories and industry insights in an unfiltered, deeply human way.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introductions and Tone Setting

• Benny declares he's “going a lot deeper today” than they’re used to, hinting at more personal or philosophical questions. Dave, in contrast, is all about "comic relief."

  "I'm just gonna be a lot deeper today than you're probably used to."
  — Benny Blanco [00:37]

• The group pokes immediate fun at FINNEAS's name, has banter about being associated with amphibians and 'coming from the water,' quickly setting a relaxed, friendly vibe.

• Dave shares the story behind writing "Lonely" with FINNEAS (“wrote a song in 15 minutes”), emphasizing how sometimes the best creative moments spring from impromptu hangs and the right vibe.

  "He was leaving and we wrote a song in 15 minutes..."
  — Dave [02:00]

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2. Anxiety, Childhood, and OCD Rituals

• The hosts and FINNEAS discuss their experiences with anxiety, particularly separation anxiety as kids.
  • FINNEAS: "I grew up with, like, crazy separation anxiety..." [03:13]
  • Benny and Kristin share stories of childhood rituals and the burden of needing to perform OCD routines (e.g., kissing parents goodnight right in the middle of the cheek).

    "If I'm with them...I have to kiss each of them...right in the middle of their cheek. But, boy, does it have to be the middle." — Benny Blanco [08:30]

• Animated story about the film Spirited Away traumatizing young FINNEAS and validating other children's anxieties in group therapy.

  "We went to this...child group therapy thing. And, like, three of the kids were, like, Spirited Away is the reason." — FINNEAS [07:56]

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3. Family Dynamics & Sibling Relationships

• The group explores fears around losing parents, being orphaned, and how media (e.g., Annie) shaped these anxieties.

  • Kristin shares her own quirky childhood story—refusing to be seen as an only child and inventing a fictional sister.

    "I would not go when I was younger...if my brother couldn't come...I didn't want the other restaurant people to think I was an only child." — Kristin [10:55]

• FINNEAS and Billie Eilish’s close sibling relationship comes up, with FINNEAS confirming they argue, but are deeply bonded.

  "We argue, but, like, never. It's very, like, close. Yeah, we're super close." — FINNEAS [36:07]

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4. Music Industry: Collaborations, Production, and Touring

• FINNEAS discusses meeting Benny Blanco for the first time at an Echo gig, Billie's early reluctance to studio work, and how personal chemistry and environment matter for creativity.

  "Anyone, no matter how talented...if their studio was depressing, no daylight, I'd be like, ah. I didn't like my...Even if we wrote something good, I didn't like the time there." — FINNEAS [51:35]

• Touring: FINNEAS reveals he doesn't love performing, in contrast to Billie, who thrives on stage.

  "I don't really like touring. I don't really like...I come off and if somebody's like, great show. I'm like, was it? I have no idea. I really don't know." — FINNEAS [15:14]

• Dave and Benny discuss the pain and necessity of sitting on (“90% of the songs don’t see the light of day”) versus the rare productive magic.

  "You can't just release...I just am like, I don't want something to come out unless I'm so proud of it." — Dave [16:19]

• Notably, FINNEAS explains how he and Billie divide songs and when disagreements arise, "most passionate person wins."

  "As long as I've made it clear that I disagree...if she's like, I hear you, but I really want it to be this way...It's your funeral, kid. You gotta wear the shirt." — FINNEAS [43:45]

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5. Childhood, Homeschool, and Social Life

• FINNEAS describes his homeschooling experience, acting gigs, social dynamics, and how unusual (“quest to ostracize myself: ballet, aerial, homeschooled, vegetarian”) his path was.

  "I was on a quest as an adolescent to ostracize myself socially as quickly and as broadly as possible." — FINNEAS [30:52]

• The group riffs on fake high school diplomas and the logistics of homeschooling for actor kids in LA.

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6. Personalities and Relationships

• Talk about wedding planning—FINNEAS is engaged, focusing on curating the experience (food, entertainment), wishing for “spaghetti and garlic bread” rather than stuffy wedding fare.

  "Nobody is gassed about that...I'm hoping everyone wants, like, spaghetti and garlic bread and shit." — FINNEAS [25:25]

• Discussion on friendships, physical affection, and how different friend groups express closeness (snuggling, etc.), ending with a humorous riff about whether FINNEAS and Billie ever just "chill and lay together" (spoiler: no).

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7. AI, Technology & Design

• Brief but insightful conversation about the impacts and uses of AI (especially for creativity), with Kristin describing how she uses ChatGPT to digest dense books by sending photos and asking for summaries.

  "If I have like a book that's really...I'll take pictures...and just write, explain this to me." — Kristin [40:19]

• The group jokes about robots, post-human possibility, and how AI might integrate into daily life ("uploading souls onto AI").

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8. Songwriting & Instant Music Creation

• The group transitions into live music-making:
  • FINNEAS improvises on the Wurlitzer, crafting a song with input from Kristin about her feelings and thoughts ("If there was a song all day...this song.").

    [56:01–57:29] The improvisational song about not understanding and taking 10 pictures at a time.

• Celebration of the “Benny Blanco studio vibe” as an essential part of creative process—candles, food, incense, atmosphere.

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9. Cultural Touchstones & Running Jokes

• Running bits on White Claw, KFC sauces, colorblindness, soft serve, and being “good at knowing when things are good.”
• Several shoutouts and jokes about dream podcast guests (Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Songwriting & Collaboration:

  "At the beginning it was just like, literally, I was writing songs and if I played one for Billie and she loved it, I'd be like, take it. ... She's not only bigger and more successful, but she's great."
  — FINNEAS [42:07]

• On Childhood Anxiety:

  "I'd be, like, afraid they were going to turn into pigs...Spirited Away is the reason."
  — FINNEAS [07:57]

• On Studio Environment:

  "Benny...barely does, like, any work...but his vibe that he's provided is immaculate...He makes you a yummy snack. The environment is so nice, and he's funny and asking you good questions...That's a big Benny takeaway."
  — FINNEAS [51:35]

• On Personal Growth:

  "It got so overwhelming...I was in the shower, broke down crying. I said, I can't do it. Enough is enough. If they die, they die. I woke up. No one died. And I got my first cell phone."
  — Benny Blanco [09:51]

• On Touring:

  "I don't really like performing. But certainly being on tour, I hate."
  — FINNEAS [15:15]

• Dream Wedding Food:

  "Nobody is gassed about [traditional wedding food]...I'm hoping everyone wants, like, spaghetti and garlic bread and shit."
  — FINNEAS [25:25]

• Studio Recall:

  "He always does. It's crazy, his recall. He doesn't write things down. He can remember the whole song."
  — Dave [54:02]

• Improvised Song Lyric (about reading):

  “10 pictures at a time, just won't suffice, isn’t he so good?”
  — FINNEAS [57:06]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening Banter / Setting the Tone: [00:02–01:22]
• Songwriting with FINNEAS, "Lonely" Backstory: [01:23–02:08]
• Childhood Anxiety, OCD, Therapy: [02:50–08:53]
• Spirited Away & Impact: [06:06–08:15]
• Sibling Close Bonds, Fears of Orphanhood: [10:31–11:30]
• Meeting Benny / Billie's Early Gigs: [11:52–14:17]
• Touring Preferences (Billie vs FINNEAS): [14:58–15:34]
• Song ‘Batting Averages’, Unfinished Songs: [16:04–17:17]
• Wedding Talk, Dream Plans: [23:33–25:05]
• Vegetarianism, Tofu and Food Obsessions: [26:03–28:09]
• Homeschooling and Social Life: [30:52–32:29]
• AI, ChatGPT, & Summarizing Books: [39:35–40:26]
• Process of Song Ownership with Billie: [41:32–44:05]
• Music-Making Live / 'Hit' Improv: [56:01–57:29]
• Favorite Artists and Background Music: [56:56–57:24]

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is playful, self-deprecating, hyper-personal, and deeply respectful of each other's creative and personal journeys. The hosts’ comfort with vulnerability—kids’ anxieties, awkward rituals, creative self-doubt—lays the groundwork for FINNEAS to open up about family, fame, music, and what matters most: having good people and a good vibe around you.

This is an episode about how friendships, art, and a sense of humor make the weirdness of talent, family, and industry bearable—and, very often, magical.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Benny Blanco]

Phineas.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Stop calling him amphibians.

[Benny Blanco]

Phineas, Phineas, Phineas. Billy Eilish's brother, But he's his own man.

[Kristin]

He came from the water. Now he's on the sand land.

[Benny Blanco]

Locked. Phineas. Coming at you now.

[Dave]

Guys, I'm just letting you know today

[Kristin]

I've been cleaning those for you and putting them aside.

[Benny Blanco]

I'm gonna get a little deeper.

[Kristin]

What do you mean you're gonna go for the.

[Benny Blanco]

I'm just gonna be a deeper. I'm just gonna be a lot deeper today than you're probably used to.

[Dave]

What are you talking about deeper?

[Benny Blanco]

Conversationally? I'm gonna dig deeper. I'm gonna pull a lot out of both of you, and I'm gonna pull a lot out of whoever comes here.

[Kristin]

That's good. Cause I kind of need to be pulled out of.

[Dave]

I want to be the opposite. I want to go full surface level comic relief.

[Benny Blanco]

That's great.

[Dave]

Okay. What are you gonna do, Kristin? Kristen might go into cardiac arrest because she has two numb arms. I have a numb. No, her arms are numb, but I

[Kristin]

have a numb hand.

[Benny Blanco]

Anything I can do for you to make you feel better?

[Dave]

Hey, you don't mind if I grab Life by the Claw, do you?

[Kristin]

Not at all.

[Dave]

White Claw. You know this happens to be my favorite flavor.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

You got anything else to say?

[Dave]

Yeah, 2020. Me and Finneas are writing a song together.

[Benny Blanco]

Okay.

[Dave]

We're writing like this, like, pop, like, up tempo banger. And he was about to leave, and I said I really was hoping we would make one of those, like, ballad songs. Like, one of the ones you do that, like, rips your heart out, like, when the party's over.

[Benny Blanco]

And he said, I gotta go next time.

[Dave]

We started writing, and within 15 minutes we wrote Lonely and if we hadn't grabbed Life by the Claw.

[Benny Blanco]

Really?

[Kristin]

You think that you almost didn't do it?

[Dave]

What do you mean? He was leaving and we wrote a song in 15 minutes and you talked

[Benny Blanco]

about being at the top and you had a whole deep conversation.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, get in the fridge.

[Dave]

Gotta get. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, okay.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Hey, what's up, boss?

[Benny Blanco]

Hey, Phineas.

[Dave]

Have a seat. I listen to every single thing you ever do, front to back. Wow.

[Kristin]

You be Phineas, I'll be Billy.

[Dave]

Let's go a little deeper.

[Finneas O'Connell]

He's like, you're gonna die.

[Dave]

He can remember the whole song.

[Kristin]

I'm blown away.

[Benny Blanco]

Fall.

[Dave]

He was on Glee.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You really buttered me up, man.

[Dave]

Kristen's very cold. Her first question.

[Kristin]

Hand is numb. I don't Know if you've ever had that. A numb hand, like, I'm not kidding. These two fingers are fully numb.

[Benny Blanco]

Is it circulation?

[Dave]

Mine was last night. Both of my arms. I think I was having anxiety last night.

[Kristin]

I feel so not anxious.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Tell us more about it, your anxiety.

[Dave]

Do you ever get anxious?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, totally.

[Dave]

Do you have anxiety? Do you have depression?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't have depression.

[Benny Blanco]

I think he wanted you to have depression.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I think just because there was such a good pressure.

[Dave]

No, no, no. I just wanted to know. You do have anxiety. We don't talk about anxiety.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, I have anxiety. Like, pretty circumstantial, but. Yeah. Yeah, I've got some angs.

[Kristin]

What are the circumstances that will trigger it?

[Dave]

Std.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Well, I grew up with, like, crazy separation anxiety. Like, crazy separation anxiety.

[Dave]

What if your parents are together? Yeah, yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Not parental. Marital. Me separating from my.

[Dave]

Oh, really? So did you, like, sleep in bed with them when you were young?

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Oh, I did that with my mom.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Isn't that the best?

[Dave]

Do you know what I used to do with my mom?

[Finneas O'Connell]

What?

[Dave]

Is that yours?

[Kristin]

Do you want anything else to drink?

[Benny Blanco]

Is it a twist? Oh, good.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Oh, wow, look at that.

[Benny Blanco]

Cream sugar.

[Finneas O'Connell]

This is great. Thanks for offering it for me, Rocco.

[Dave]

My mom would. She would just, like, draw a line in the sand, and she'd be like, you're not sleeping in my bed. And I just wanted to. And I felt scared or something, so I would take my pillows and blankets, and I'd sleep right outside of her door.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Aw.

[Kristin]

Like a dog.

[Dave]

I don't.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's so sad to me.

[Dave]

Sad? I thought you were gonna be like, me, too.

[Finneas O'Connell]

My mom let me sleep in bed with her.

[Benny Blanco]

How late were you sleeping in the bed? Like, what?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was, like, nine.

[Benny Blanco]

That's cool.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah. Not young. And I was still breastfeeding till I was, like, nine.

[Dave]

No, you weren't.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It was nine.

[Dave]

She pissed the bed till she was 14. She wore diapers.

[Benny Blanco]

As a parent, it's hard to know when to pull that diaper off. That just changed the game. Like, we have a friend who I won't name, who is probably very. Whatever. Let the story unfold. We have a friend.

[Dave]

We'll go a little deeper on that.

[Kristin]

Yeah, yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

You'll find out.

[Kristin]

I can't wait.

[Benny Blanco]

You're gonna recognize it. We have a friend who has a son. Very loving relationship. Like, little boy, mother. And she said she realized it was time to start changing the game. When she was changing in front of him, no pun intended. And he said, wait, do it slower.

[Kristin]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Dave]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

And she was like,

[Kristin]

do it.

[Benny Blanco]

And that changed the game.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Slower. Crazy. Wait, anyway, growing up, it's crazy. Separation anxiety.

[Dave]

Oh, yeah, right. Was Billie like that too, or.

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, I. I don't know how she would diagnose herself, but, like, for me it was like, oh, I didn't really want to, like, I never wanted to, like, sleep over at a friend's house if my parents would. I was always convinced that my parents were gonna die all the time, for sure.

[Dave]

Did you have rituals that you had to do to ensure that they didn't die?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I didn't really have. I know. You had this. Did you have this too? I didn't have, like, the OCD component of that, but, man, I was like, if my parents were like, okay, we're gonna go out and see a movie and you're gonna be watching. Even if it was like, my friend's mom watching me, I'd be like. I'd be like, they're gonna die.

[Dave]

Do you still have that A little or no? Like a little.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Dave]

You do.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Of course. I don't have it until somebody doesn't pick up. And I'm like, they're dead.

[Dave]

Really?

[Kristin]

Oh, yeah. Or like, when you're going to sleep at night and you start thinking, like, I guess life is okay, things are going well. And then I instantly am like, oh, my God, I bet you my parents are, like, dying right now. I went to therapy for it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Have you ever considered I went to therapy? Okay, so do you guys know the movie Spirited Away?

[Dave]

Of course. It's one of my favorite movies.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Okay, so as like a six year old.

[Dave]

Oh, it's un.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Unbelievable. It's like the same filmmaker. It's like anime. It's made by, like, the guy who did, like, Totoro.

[Dave]

No fate. You never seen no fate.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't think you've seen, like, images from it.

[Dave]

Just.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Even if it's just like, on like

[Benny Blanco]

Internet mood boards, how do I connect with anime?

[Dave]

No, no, this is different. This is like, yeah, it's definitely one

[Finneas O'Connell]

of the great Naruto.

[Dave]

Or it's like one of the great movies. Like, I put it in the list of like, top on 100 movies ever subtitles.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Probably like early, early 2000s, maybe late 90s. In, like the first 10 minutes of the movie. This is how the movie starts. Family's on a road trip somewhere. The daughter is anxious like me, like you. And the parents are very dismissive of her feelings. They are like, ah, let's pull over here to take a rest. They Pull over. Empty Japanese town with food everywhere. Freshly cooked, no people. Delicious, beautiful town lights on.

[Kristin]

Spooky.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Spooky food. Yeah. And the parents are like, let's eat. And the daughter's like, what are you doing? Yeah. And they're just like, you're. You suck. The parents are so dismissive of the girl, and she starts walking around the empty town while her parents are, like, eating food that they have no idea the origin of. And they're eating all this food, and she's walking around and it starts to get dark, and she's like, I'm going to go back. And she goes back to where her parents are, and she's like, mom, dad. And their. Their backs are to her, and they turn around and they've become pigs. And she's like. And the pigs get, like, wrangled by, like, a farmer or something. It's very frightening. And at six years old, this was, like, the last straw for me.

[Kristin]

That set you over.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And I went to, like, a child psychologist.

[Dave]

Oh. Because of the.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Because I was so riddled with, like. I was like. We'd go out to eat with my parents, and I'd be like. Like, I'd be, like, afraid they were gonna turn into pigs. And then we went to this. My parents took me to, like, a child group therapy thing. And, like, three of the kids were, like, spirited away is the reason. It was just scaring kids so bad.

[Dave]

It's so good.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

We gotta watch it.

[Benny Blanco]

I know that I. Cause I had OCD about my parents dying, and I had to do all these rituals, and it became very burdensome to be my parents and have to do the rituals. It took, like, so much time.

[Kristin]

They still do them with you?

[Benny Blanco]

I know there's one that I still have to do.

[Finneas O'Connell]

What do you do?

[Benny Blanco]

I have to kiss both of them. If I'm with them. If we're sleeping in the same house, I have to kiss each of them. I kiss them right in the middle. No, right in the middle of their cheek. But, boy, does it have to be the middle.

[Finneas O'Connell]

So if you miss, try again.

[Dave]

And don't you have to see a heart?

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. So for step one, it has to be right in the middle. And when I get it the first time, it's like, what a relief.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's so easy.

[Benny Blanco]

It takes so many attempts. A lot of times then when I get that, I say, I love you, Be safe, good night. And then I walk away and I envision their face in a heart. And anyways, they sent me to a counselor because it Was getting so bad, and. And I basically made up this deity that I called the spirit chief that, like, looked like Moses, and he, like, was in the clouds. And I was just, like. It always just turned into more and more and more. And then I went. They forced me to go to this thing. And I said, look, woman. I mean, look, Dr. Bitch.

[Dave]

No,

[Benny Blanco]

Mrs. I forget her name. I said, I know that everything I'm doing is completely irrational, illogical, and I know that I shouldn't be doing it.

[Kristin]

She was like, a child psychologist.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. They made me go. They said, if you go, you're on the track to getting a cell phone. And they said, if you give up this thing altogether, you do get a cell phone. So I went. And I just basically said, I know that's illogical. I just said, it's just not. Like, it's not worth it to me to stop doing it. Like, it's just not worth it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

A risk.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

If they die, I don't want to deal with it. And then it got so overwhelming that one day I just. I was in the shower, broke down crying. I said, I can't do it. Enough is enough. If they die, they die. I woke up. No one died. And I got my first cell phone.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Nice. Yeah, but. So that was the big ritual, like the tapestry of rituals. But we've kept a couple of them. We've kept the kissing on the cheek.

[Benny Blanco]

I still have that.

[Kristin]

What are you gonna do? What are you. What are we all gonna do when the day does come?

[Dave]

When they die? When they die.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Can I ask you a weird question?

[Dave]

Sure.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was so afraid of being orphaned. I didn't want my parents to die for a myriad of reasons. But a big part of it was like, I'll be an orph.

[Benny Blanco]

Wow.

[Dave]

I've never even feared. That wasn't mine.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And what am. And I'm gonna. I'm gonna go to. And in my head, it was like some gray orphanage.

[Kristin]

Did you see the movie that. Did you see, like, Annie Too many times?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I probably saw.

[Dave]

That's part of Mike. With Bow wow.

[Kristin]

You were influenced by what you would've watched. Yeah, With. I had a very. Did I tell you this already? A really weird thing with being the only child.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Were you the only child?

[Kristin]

No, but I wouldn't. I would not go. When I was younger, I wouldn't go with my. If my brother couldn't come, like, out to eat, I wouldn't go caus. I didn't want the other restaurant people to think I was an only child.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I Love that.

[Benny Blanco]

And didn't you make up that you had a sister and you would talk to her on your walks home?

[Kristin]

I think that's a lot of kids do that.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah. Made up children.

[Kristin]

Yeah. Like, I would always be, like, fighting with my sister, like, walking home from the bus. Like, walking.

[Dave]

Anyway, my parents maybe don't go there.

[Finneas O'Connell]

My parents are still alive, as are yours. As are yours.

[Dave]

You have very young parents.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Very old, not very old. My dad's about to be 70.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

Oh, that's our parents.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah. But I'm not 30 yet. Like, my dad had me when he was 40.

[Dave]

Yeah, yeah, I forgot. I always forget. You come off like you look like a young boy, but you come off like you're like 45.

[Kristin]

How old are you?

[Finneas O'Connell]

28.

[Benny Blanco]

Wow.

[Kristin]

You are so full of youth.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Thank you.

[Benny Blanco]

People think that I'm 28.

[Dave]

Wait, I've known you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You look 28.

[Benny Blanco]

Thank you.

[Dave]

I've known you one person. I've known you since you were 18. That's crazy.

[Kristin]

How did you guys meet?

[Finneas O'Connell]

The first time I met you was at the Echo. You came to see a show of ours at the Echo, which was like our very first time at the time.

[Dave]

I thought we worked before then.

[Benny Blanco]

Did you care that he was there or not?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, yeah. I was very effusive about Benny being there. So my Benny origin story is you come into Billie's show at the Echo and I was like, you're.

[Dave]

That was her first show, right? Yeah, yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was like, you're amazing. So, you know, so inspired by your work, whatever. Like, I always try to be very honest about stuff. I don't try to be like, nice to meet you.

[Kristin]

Were you guys, like, talking online?

[Dave]

No, no.

[Finneas O'Connell]

There was a John or Sam brought you.

[Dave]

They, like, just signed the Interscope or something. And I think she was about to put out her first ep. Or that was like. Or she just put out her.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She just. She had just put it out.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And then this was like summer 2017. Yeah.

[Dave]

She was 13 or 14.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She was 15 maybe, but so young.

[Dave]

They were like, you gotta work. And I didn't hear any of the music yet. And then I was like, I trust you guys. I'll just go to the show. I went to the show and, like, you know, it was like half industry, half fans, and there was everyone that was there was singing all the words to the song. And I was like, it's always jarring. I was like, how the fuck is this happening? And there was like the Echo small. It was like 200 people. And it was like. And then. Yeah, I saw. That's my.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's how we met.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Did you have long hair back then or.

[Dave]

No?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No. Short.

[Benny Blanco]

Long hair is so good for you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Thanks, man.

[Benny Blanco]

Don't you think I want my hair to fall?

[Dave]

Wait, I do. Can I tell you something so crazy? I was like doing some organization in like my old hard drives and like putting stuff together and like making a new master hard drive. And I saw.

[Benny Blanco]

I love that.

[Dave]

I hate that.

[Benny Blanco]

I love that time.

[Kristin]

I hate that time.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Some hard drive organization.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Like things have gotten out of hand and I just gotta reprioritize and like you just create a new baseline start.

[Dave]

And I like like sound organization. I like all the folders and everything. And I remember I saw her thing and I was like. I was like, why are there so many ideas? What did we do? I didn't even remember. I just remember it was like a total wash and Billie, like didn't want to be there. Had like her legs up in the late session. Yeah. And I was like. I also realized that Billie was. You realize how young she was back then? Like, it was like wrangling.

[Kristin]

Yeah. How was. How. When did she.

[Dave]

Probably 14.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She was like maybe 15 when we were working with Benny.

[Dave]

It was like.

[Kristin]

That was like after. She was already.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Her first EP was already like doing really well. The days we were like in the studio with you were like right when Lovely came out, it was like already. She was already like doing very well, but she was like a child.

[Dave]

And they didn't. They didn't. I remember like you never do like. Finneas grew up being like stoked by my music. He was a producer. He like loved my music. Like Billy. Billy like obviously listened to my song but like couldn't give two shits. Like about like at the time she was like. Thought it was cool enough to get in with me, but did not care.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Well, she liked you. When we hung out just in your kitchen. She was like, I like Benny, he's funny and I like him.

[Dave]

But she just didn't like.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She also didn't like. She didn't like making music at the time. She liked it? No. I feel like everybody likes different parts of the thing. That's my. I don't really like touring. I don't really like.

[Kristin]

You don't like the performance part?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Not really. I'm definitely not swept away when I'm on stage. I'm focus and like trying to do a good job and judging myself the whole time. And I come off and if somebody's like, great show. I'm like, was it. I have no idea. I really don't know. I was trying. It's very analytical and sort of like, I hate it.

[Kristin]

Exhausting.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't like performing.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, I like.

[Dave]

I hate any.

[Finneas O'Connell]

But certainly being on tour, I hate.

[Kristin]

But aren't you. I mean, you guys are going all over the world, aren't you?

[Dave]

Yeah, but you don't have time to do anything. And then once you start getting famous, you really can't do anything.

[Kristin]

In my head, it's such a romanticized, like, you get off, like, the bus, and it's like, Billy loves that.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Billy loves being on. She loves playing shows. She's very in it on stage in a show, and that's not as much. My bad.

[Dave]

Did you know this used to be true? I don't know if it's still true, but for the first, like, two albums, do you know any song that Post Malone wrote was released? There was any time he finished a

[Finneas O'Connell]

song, nothing unfinished, it was released.

[Benny Blanco]

That's crazy.

[Dave]

Yeah. Yeah. So most people like all the songs

[Benny Blanco]

I've made that have never been released.

[Dave]

Kristen.

[Kristin]

Well, I think you're kind of abnormal, right?

[Dave]

Not like.

[Kristin]

So for me, you have, like, 100 songs.

[Dave]

I'd say 90% of the stuff I make in a year does not see the light of day.

[Kristin]

See, that is a game of. That's a hard game.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Producer, co writer.

[Kristin]

But you have to be. It's a hard game, but you have to be your.

[Dave]

That's why, like, we all have pretty good batting averages. Because you can't just release. Remember how when I play you stuff and you're like, oh, my God, that's amazing. Cool. It is. It's like, yeah, but you just have to be, like, discerning. I just am like, I don't want something to come out unless I'm so proud of it. Cause it's gonna be there forever if

[Kristin]

I don't feel productive every day working. Like, aren't you sometimes, like, what the fuck am I doing?

[Dave]

But I do feel productive doing that. I went in and I did. And sometimes, like, you'll take. Sometimes I'll make a song and then, like, six years later, I'll, like, sample it, and then that'll become a thing. Or like, some of my songs are like. I was gonna say with him. Okay. So I opened up those sessions this year, and this was. Okay. This was when they were 15. When did Billie's second album come out? How old was she?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Her second album came out. She was like, 19 or 20.

[Dave]

Okay. In the first session, you were playing a version of what became Hailee's comedy.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's right.

[Dave]

Yeah. In that first session. Yeah. And that was like, kick it around

[Finneas O'Connell]

and kick it around and kick it around.

[Dave]

Yeah. You just.

[Benny Blanco]

That good guy,

[Dave]

he's been working on this one song for so long.

[Benny Blanco]

Just a song called Good Guy. I've tried it probably 20 times, 20 different beats. The concept is that, like, I'm a good guy.

[Dave]

Right.

[Benny Blanco]

And, like, I kind of just go explain why, like, kind of over a juxtaposing beat that you wouldn't. Would normally reserve for a different topic.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It's never cool, but it's gonna eventually land.

[Benny Blanco]

I'm starting to doubt it.

[Dave]

These new sauces from KFC pair so perfectly with their boneless bucket meal. Now, I'd like you first to take that orangish red one and put it in your hand.

[Benny Blanco]

You're talking about the honey chili crisp.

[Dave]

Yep. And I'd like to grab. Oh, you're grabbing the tender yourself. Okay.

[Benny Blanco]

Can I give a truy. Vow.

[Dave]

Yeah, give a tru. Eval.

[Benny Blanco]

Talk me through it.

[Dave]

Now. I bet you're feeling the honey, but the aftertaste of a chili just touching the back.

[Benny Blanco]

No, I'm feeling one thing and one thing only.

[Dave]

Bingo.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, yeah. Kristen, mind if I dip this in jalapeno Ranch and stuff it down the back of your mouth?

[Kristin]

I'll do mine.

[Benny Blanco]

Okay.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Delicious.

[Dave]

Prices and participation may vary.

[Kristin]

Prices and participation may vary. We're not the only multimedia experience. Did you know that?

[Benny Blanco]

Who else is imax?

[Kristin]

Canva.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. They can do a lot of things. It's a diverse program.

[Kristin]

It is a diverse program.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, I said it weird.

[Kristin]

You did say it weird, but that's okay. If you were using Canva, you could probably just say it however you want to say it, and it would get it, and it would.

[Benny Blanco]

You prompt it with the words.

[Kristin]

Yeah, it can kind of understand whatever prompt you give it.

[Benny Blanco]

I think it does a lot of different things. I think if you're like, hey, help me make this video. It can do it. Make this poster for me. I mean, that's just.

[Kristin]

That is cool that you can, like, use. There's so many more, like, creative platforms to use. I think we're living in a kind of a cool time.

[Benny Blanco]

There's a lot happening, and there's a lot to be excited about. And Canva makes design easy for anyone with an AI that lets you remove, generate, and animate content in just a click. Start designing [e-mail] this thing's falling off

[Finneas O'Connell]

my head in 2016, in the neighborhood of where we are right now, this one. And I was driving my little, like, salvage title Honda fit car and was at a stop sign, and Lil Dicky walked the crosswalk in front of me, actually, you odd. And I loudly, in my car went, wow. And you looked because it was. It's a shitty car. So you could hear. It's not very soundproof. It's not a Maybach. Anyway, so you looked at who had said that, and I smiled, and that was our. That was the first time I saw you in real life.

[Benny Blanco]

And we didn't say, like. It was just.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I wasn't. I didn't. I wasn't brutal.

[Dave]

It was my sound.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I didn't punish you that day, like, in a couple years. Anyway, I'll see you someday.

[Benny Blanco]

I feel honored that I even elicited a wow out of, like, your soul.

[Dave]

I totally forgot something two nights ago. Yeah. I was watching a really old episode of Friends, and my mom saw my mom.

[Kristin]

Is she still acting?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No. I mean, she. You know, she's a great actor. She'd like to.

[Dave]

But no, she was so good.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, all those things. I mean, like, we're talking about, like, she's very beautiful. So hot in the Friends thing.

[Dave]

She blew me away.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You know how being an auditioning person is, like, to get your one episode. One day of work on friends is like, 30 auditions for different things. And then finally.

[Benny Blanco]

Have you ever auditioned? Have you ever.

[Dave]

He used to be on tv. He was on Glee.

[Finneas O'Connell]

But, like, it's just such a. The ratio. And now she runs this crazy nonprofit. That's awesome. But it's like, it's just time. It's just like, if you want to land one.

[Benny Blanco]

Are you a creature of habit? Let's go a little deeper.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Sure. Yeah. Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Are you a creature of habit?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah. Also, the Friends thing is so funny because, like, she comes in for, like, that. Those two scenes, and, like, sometimes that'll, like, blow up on Instagram, and they'll be like, ah, Billy's a nepo, baby. And I'm always like. I'm always like, dog. Like, she made, like, $800 from that 40 years ago. Like, one episode.

[Benny Blanco]

What came first? Glee or Billy's Glee?

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

So you were. Were you, like, trying to act? Not trying, but were you, like, you

[Finneas O'Connell]

were trying to act is totally fair. I was totally trying to act. That's what I was doing.

[Kristin]

Was that what you wanted instead of music?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I really wanted to make music. I actually had a fear this Never was a possibility, but, like, I would audition for stuff. And, like, yeah, I was on a couple episodes of Glee and a couple episodes of Modern Family.

[Kristin]

Oh, wow.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And I was always like, nobody takes Keanu Reeves music seriously because he's a movie star. I was always like, I can't. I can't have. Like, I can't go too far down.

[Dave]

I can't go too far down this far to you. You know, when I went to the gym for the first.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It's not an option.

[Dave]

For the first time. When I went to the gym, I told my trainer. I was like, look. I was like. Cause I wanted to lose weight. I was like, I'm gonna lose weight. I was like, but I don't want to get too muscular. And he was like, I don't think that'll be a problem.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Well.

[Kristin]

Cause you were worried that you wouldn't be as funny.

[Dave]

I don't.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Isn't.

[Kristin]

That's a thing we've.

[Dave]

No, I just didn't want to look weird in shirts.

[Finneas O'Connell]

If Benny showed up suddenly, like, humongous. That's all I would talk about.

[Benny Blanco]

Well, but, you know, Benny wants to get fully tatted up. Like, just like Bad Bunny. That's pretty much exactly what Bad Bunny does.

[Dave]

Not fully tatted up.

[Kristin]

I think you should.

[Dave]

I saw Bad Bunny without his shirt on. Like, that shower picture where, like, you could kind of see the top of his penis.

[Benny Blanco]

You could see where the head started, I think.

[Dave]

No, no. You could see his shirt.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You could see his lines.

[Kristin]

His lines.

[Dave]

It blew me away.

[Benny Blanco]

There's one picture, I think, where I swear I can see where his head is.

[Dave]

You want to sit down?

[Kristin]

You want to sit down? You want to sit down?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I love this house.

[Benny Blanco]

Thank you, man.

[Dave]

Let's go sit on a couch.

[Benny Blanco]

He might not want to sit on a couch.

[Kristin]

He's looking. Wow.

[Dave]

I like this. Benny. That's me. It's hyper real.

[Benny Blanco]

You can go right here if you want in.

[Kristin]

We fell in love in this house. You're engaged, aren't you?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I'm engaged.

[Kristin]

Congratulations.

[Finneas O'Connell]

How long were you guys engaged before you got married?

[Kristin]

Two years.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Two years?

[Dave]

Ooh. A little long.

[Kristin]

We were dating.

[Benny Blanco]

Not really normal.

[Kristin]

Are you gonna do a wedding?

[Finneas O'Connell]

We're gonna do a wedding.

[Dave]

No, they're actually just getting engaged.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Well, I felt.

[Kristin]

I don't know.

[Dave]

No wedding.

[Kristin]

I felt I wanted to take the time. I was overwhelmed by the wedding.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Did you guys get married in LA or in California? Did you guys get married?

[Benny Blanco]

Malibu.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Oh, beautiful.

[Kristin]

It was really pretty.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, it was great.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You said At Benny's wedding, to me, that it. That it was perfect and that it went exactly like what it was one of the best possibly be.

[Benny Blanco]

It did.

[Dave]

It was one of the best weddings I've ever been to.

[Kristin]

I love to hear that.

[Dave]

It was, like, top three. And mine is in there for sure, for myself. So it's, like, good. It's really.

[Benny Blanco]

It's Maybe you could crack the top three. There's one open spot.

[Finneas O'Connell]

We'll see.

[Dave]

What's your dream wedding?

[Finneas O'Connell]

All I'm really focusing on personally is, like, the entertainment, the music, the band's gonna play and stuff.

[Dave]

What do you want, like, Dreamworld? Are you having, like, a DJ band?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I think Dreamworld is, like, not sure who will play. I want somebody. I have a couple people in mind to sing while we're going down the aisle.

[Dave]

Oh, wow. Icons, like, famous people. I know.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Personal, like, people that I'm a big fan of that aren't. You know, it's not Beyonce or something, but people that are the people that

[Benny Blanco]

mean something to you.

[Dave]

Billy Armstrong.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I like that.

[Benny Blanco]

Google Dolls.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Google Dolls is good.

[Dave]

Dashboard.

[Finneas O'Connell]

The Fray. The bald guy no longer in the Fray, but is on TikTok.

[Benny Blanco]

What happened? Is there some issue?

[Finneas O'Connell]

He left the Fray. You could probably feel free. And then they just kept going. And then somebody else in the band just sings.

[Dave]

All of us just shaved his head, really.

[Benny Blanco]

But the lead singer left the Fray.

[Dave]

Do you care about what food is at the wedding or No, I think

[Finneas O'Connell]

I'd probably be vegetarian.

[Dave]

No. Yeah. No, but I'm saying, do you care about the food, though?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Super. Yeah. You know what? I also have a bone to pick about weddings. You didn't have this. So good for you.

[Dave]

I already know. Sit down dinner.

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, sit down dinner. I don't mind. It's just like the cuisine, the traditional wedding cuisine being like, basically like English formal. Like, it's like mashed potatoes and steak and, like, fish and, like, green beans and shit. I'm like, what are we doing? Like, nobody is gassed about that. I'm hoping everybody wants, like, spaghetti and garlic bread and shit.

[Kristin]

I tried to get us to have spaghetti and they said.

[Benny Blanco]

They said no red.

[Kristin]

No, they said, nobody wants to eat red sauce. I said I want to eat red sauce.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Everybody wants to eat. I agree with.

[Kristin]

I think that they were wrong.

[Finneas O'Connell]

What did you guys have at your wedding? What food?

[Benny Blanco]

English countryside.

[Dave]

Similar to what you're saying.

[Benny Blanco]

The best version. No, we had fish. We had.

[Kristin]

He picked it out.

[Benny Blanco]

Great apps that I'm not going to bore you with, but boy, Were they diverse? And they were really satisfying, and they were really good. And a little chicken on a biscuit type of stuff.

[Kristin]

Oh, yeah, that was really good.

[Benny Blanco]

And for the main, sure, we had steak, sure. We had halibut, and we had pasta.

[Kristin]

White sauce. Right.

[Dave]

I have to, like.

[Kristin]

To be honest, I don't remember.

[Dave]

I have to ask you something because it's so important to me. I can't remember. Do you like tofu love? Okay. I've recently discovered the best tofu I've ever had in my entire life. It's a man who only does. He does. It's really far away, but he delivers it to me. It's incredible.

[Kristin]

Really.

[Dave]

So, okay, first of all, I mean, I eat tofu five days a week.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I love tofu.

[Dave]

So to me, it's so important. And there's.

[Kristin]

I didn't even know that tofu could be that different than just the one

[Finneas O'Connell]

that you get at the store, than the firm one.

[Dave]

You guys are insane. Okay.

[Kristin]

Isn't it kind of all the same?

[Dave]

No. So there's like, first of all, the one you get in the store, like, isn't even tofu. I don't even know what it is.

[Benny Blanco]

You fat?

[Dave]

This is so soft. So first they have, like, a regular one that's really soft.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I caught on. I got it.

[Dave]

Then they have a thing, it's backwards. It's called supreme. It's called supreme tofu. And it's like. It looks like cream cheese. It's like, so soft and delicious. It's more than silken, though. I like.

[Benny Blanco]

I love the word silken.

[Dave]

Yeah, silken's great, but it's more like. Like, do you know when you're in Japan or like when you're at a Japanese restaurant and you have, like. And you have, like, the tofu that's so soft, it looks like it's like a. Yep. So it's like that when I go

[Finneas O'Connell]

to, like, pine and crane, it's like mapo. It's called, like, Mapo tofu.

[Dave]

Yeah. It's even softer than Mapo, though. But yeah, I love Mapo to so good.

[Kristin]

Can the general public get it or they have to know the man.

[Dave]

No, it's called Meiji, like M E I J I. And then some of their stuff, like, is a little stronger than, like, you're, like, used, like their soy milk, I love stronger.

[Kristin]

It's.

[Dave]

It's so like, the fermentation and it's not. It's not sweet. They're soy milk, so it's like, very. You taste like soybean it's very. It's different, but there's. But their. Their tofu is like, just like heaven. I eat it every single day.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Fuck. Hooked me up, dude. Sounds awesome.

[Kristin]

You know what's also like heaven? Not to interrupt, not to take it here, but. Cause we're talking about food, and I know you love food, and I just thought I would contribute McDonald's ice cream. The soft serve tastes like heaven. Silk tofu. It's the best cloud ice cream I've ever had. It's like tofu.

[Benny Blanco]

I hate soft serve.

[Kristin]

Do you?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Not really.

[Benny Blanco]

I think of shit.

[Kristin]

Okay, Well, I do.

[Benny Blanco]

I think as shit whenever I see soft serves.

[Finneas O'Connell]

This has a lot to do with your relationship with shitting.

[Dave]

Yes.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Cause my shit is nothing like that.

[Dave]

His shit. He only has two types of shit. No, no, no. He has whatever pudding I don't wanna talk about and dots.

[Benny Blanco]

I can't even believe Donald Business, dude.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I'm gonna air him out really quick. This parallel is like we were with Rat the other day looking at an album cover, and it was like a rainbow.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Rat goes, what a shitty album cover. It's so ugly. And he's colorblind. And I go, walk me through the colors on this. And he's like, gray, greenish gray. We were like, yeah, of course. This looks ugly to you.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Dave]

Being colorblind's crazy. Yeah. Because it's not even like. It's not that big of a deal, but it's such a big deal.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Big deal.

[Kristin]

You can only see shades of gray, Right?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, different for him. He can't really. There's like, purples that he can't really see. And then green and red are usually, like, interchangeable. But I also just am convinced that, like, whatever their differentiation, like, all the colors are inaccurate to how it's looking.

[Benny Blanco]

I wonder if there is a correlation with depression and colorblindness.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Do you have either?

[Benny Blanco]

I have neither. But when you see.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You're just wondering.

[Dave]

He's going deep. Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

If you go a little deeper on it. I mean, if you even think about the song Colorblind by Counting Crows.

[Kristin]

No. We said this last night.

[Benny Blanco]

What is it called? Do you know? You don't know? It's really. It's a very depressing. It's actually. I think it's an iconic American song that. I'm shocked.

[Dave]

I'm just not a huge Counting Crows. It doesn't matter.

[Kristin]

I'm not just counting crows.

[Dave]

You know what song I'm talking about? I know this song.

[Kristin]

The Coffee Black Egg white.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

That's called kind of cross, right?

[Dave]

Is it? Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Anyways, it's a really depressing song. And I think it's all about how, like, I'm depressed and there's no color in this world.

[Dave]

So I remember seeing this and I'm just thinking about it because I did it the other day and everyone was wowed. And I was wowed by myself. Didn't used to do gymnastics.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You did gymnastics the other day and everyone was wowed.

[Dave]

I did a flip in here and I like, not a real flip. It was like. It was like he tried to say

[Benny Blanco]

that he could flip, so I was

[Kristin]

like, in his defense, he did flip.

[Benny Blanco]

He did flip.

[Dave]

I did do a real flip. But not a land on your feet flip.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You land on a crash flip.

[Dave]

No, I did it in here.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It was risky. I know.

[Kristin]

It was crazy.

[Benny Blanco]

I said he shouldn't do it and he was like, I can do it. And then he did it. And like, the footage is like his head almost crossed on the footprint.

[Dave]

No, but the footage is so crazy. I'm right here. Okay.

[Kristin]

Don't do it, Benny.

[Dave]

I'm gonna jump. Did I do. But do you used to do that? Didn't you used to do stuff like

[Finneas O'Connell]

you used to do, like, air piled gymnastics?

[Dave]

No. No.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You did circus aerial shit.

[Dave]

Really? I was in circus aerial shit. I was very impressed with trapeze.

[Benny Blanco]

Wow.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was on a quest as an adolescent to ostracize myself socially as quickly and as broadly as possible. I was doing ballet class and aerial and I was homeschooled.

[Kristin]

Wow.

[Dave]

He was homeschooled.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was vegetarian.

[Dave]

Why were you homeschooled?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I think the short answer was my parents were like, out of work actors. They were around a lot. I was super weird. I had all this separation anxiety and whatever. And they were like, ah, fuck it. We don't have any money. We can't send them to some, you know, crunchy, like Waldorf School or something. So we're just around. We'll just homeschool them.

[Dave]

Did you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And then I started acting. And so, like, by the time I was in high school, I was like, oh, I'll probably go to real high school. And then I was acting too much.

[Kristin]

So you never went to, like, a public school?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I never went to school.

[Dave]

Did you have a lot of friends growing up?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah.

[Kristin]

How did you make friends?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, there's a lot of, like, kid. Like, I think my parents were on, like, email lists. There's like a lot of other homeschooled kids that were like, actors, You Just

[Dave]

had to be friends with whichever one they had the emails.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's right. Yeah. You just be friends with whoever was at school. It is so crazy.

[Kristin]

Did you feel like. Were you. There was never a point in your entire homeschool adolescence. Yeah. That you were ever like, huh, I do wish I could, like, go to school and do the school thing or you were just content?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I think when I was, like, about high school age, I was like, oh, that like, seems sick. I want to go do that. But then I was acting enough that I wasn't. And I was always like, I was already, like, by the time I was, like, 12, completely sure. I wanted to write songs and be in a band or something.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

So I spent all of my day, every day doing that.

[Kristin]

At 12.

[Finneas O'Connell]

From, like, 12 to 18, homeschool.

[Benny Blanco]

Like, does someone come over every day?

[Finneas O'Connell]

And we registered our house as a

[Benny Blanco]

private school and, like, a person once.

[Kristin]

Your parents have to do it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Right. Private schools are, like, outside of state church.

[Benny Blanco]

So you weren't being homeschooled. You just didn't.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I mean, my parents educated us.

[Benny Blanco]

How so?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Just in the way you'd educate anybody. Like textbooks? No, just like, you know.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, like that movie where they go to the woods and they have to Captain Francisco.

[Dave]

Really?

[Benny Blanco]

Was it like that?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Do you.

[Benny Blanco]

Do you relate to that movie a little bit? Just.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, I never ate like a deer. Yeah, I had.

[Benny Blanco]

That's cool.

[Dave]

I had friends who were homeschooled. It's like. It's.

[Benny Blanco]

That's totally different, though. He's not describing a common homeschooling to me. I mean, I have no idea what I'm talking about, but to me, a common homeschooling is follow us.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Mrs. Rainier knocks on the door, comes over. Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

This year.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And then I have, like, a high school diploma written in catch up somewhere.

[Benny Blanco]

Wow. So you don't have. You've never graduated high school?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, I mean, like, I have, like, a diploma from graduating a fake high school, but. Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Written in ketchup.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I mean, not. Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, oh, for this one, we should try something new.

[Dave]

It's funny because, you know, White Claw's all about trying something new.

[Benny Blanco]

It is?

[Dave]

I think. So what do you want to try?

[Kristin]

Well, you want to try a ski Ski?

[Dave]

No, he tried. He's terrible.

[Kristin]

What about surfing?

[Dave]

I've done that. So what about we take a pack down, we go to Santa Monica Pier?

[Benny Blanco]

You don't have the end of the start yet.

[Dave]

Well, I. I just don't know where we're gonna surf.

[Kristin]

Pack down and Go down to the beach, whatever beach is nearest, not new.

[Benny Blanco]

I've tried that.

[Dave]

I've done that.

[Kristin]

You've surfed? You've never surfed?

[Benny Blanco]

I've surfed.

[Kristin]

You've never surfed?

[Benny Blanco]

I've surfed. It's very tiring.

[Dave]

And it's drunk responsibly. Hard seltzer with flavors. White Claw Seltzer Works, Chicago, Illinois.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Here's a good Leave a line read.

[Dave]

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. I know I'm usually a big old jokester.

[Benny Blanco]

We love you when you're like that.

[Dave]

And they love me like that. But therapy has helped me become the person I am today. You know, I had a rough time when I was about 20, 21, and I take the tools I learned in therapy and help apply them to my real life and tools I need when I was feeling, like, anxious or just depressed.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Sign up and get 10% [e-mail] FKS that's betterhelp.com FKS I like that we get 10% off.

[Kristin]

So, you guys. You guys worried we're not gonna have anything to talk about now that he's gone?

[Benny Blanco]

I'm ready to fill conversation.

[Kristin]

I actually have an idea.

[Dave]

What?

[Kristin]

Okay, whenever we decide to stop doing these. Oh, we should invite everyone that's ever been on. And we'll book a home on Airbnb and everyone will have to stay with us for, like, a week.

[Dave]

Wow, Chuck, you might need a massage. You're aware that there's spa and massages you can get off Airbnb? I could book you one right now on the website.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, I was the person who said you should call it Spare Bn Spa. Spare Airbnb. Spare bnb. So, guys. What?

[Kristin]

Why don't we ask him about all of our deep questions?

[Benny Blanco]

I'm going to ask if he's ever had a dream where he killed Billy.

[Dave]

Text me that right now. What? If he ever killed Billy.

[Benny Blanco]

Text it to you.

[Dave]

I'll just ask him right when he

[Benny Blanco]

comes out if he had a dream.

[Kristin]

Yeah, yeah, but that's not deep.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, it's his question, not mine. No, it's not.

[Dave]

It's your question.

[Benny Blanco]

You're the one asking it.

[Dave]

Okay, well, then I'm going to ask the other question first. I haven't questioned. I have a deep question.

[Benny Blanco]

Did you ever have a dream where you killed Billy?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, but I had a dream the other day and I texted Benny about this. That my dad ruined Benny's wedding. Screaming at the ceremony about religion. My dad wasn't at the wedding. That was my dream.

[Dave]

Yeah, he did text me and tell me that.

[Kristin]

Do you and your sister ever fight? I mean, have you ever gotten into any. There has to be some. Some sibling rivalry.

[Finneas O'Connell]

So high. We argue, but, like, never. It's very, like, close. Yeah, we're super close.

[Dave]

The thing that is really interesting that I always noticed since the first time I met you and I met your parents the first day I met you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Sounds about right.

[Dave]

The first thing I noticed, though, is, and I deal with so many artists and I've dealt with so many kid artists and. And I was always blown away at, like, how well adjusted your whole family was and how, like, they were nice and just, like, at the beginning, like, how, like, you guys didn't, like, spend, like, money recklessly and buy, like, huge mansions. And like, I remember I would, like, always tell people, I'd be like, they're gonna go so far, not only because of their talent, but because they have, like, a great circle and a great support around them.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And I got that vibe from whatever

[Benny Blanco]

documentary I saw where, like, I just got that vibe.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's my favorite part about that doc is just that, like, it shines a real light on our sweet parents.

[Benny Blanco]

They're sweet family, and they're. And they're.

[Finneas O'Connell]

They're so sweet.

[Dave]

And they're really like, I work with his mom, and they're.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She's the same.

[Kristin]

If you went out and bought, like, a Maz. I don't know, maybe you have, like, a nice, like, a Maserati. Would your parents, like, call you and be like, relax?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Absolutely.

[Kristin]

That's cool.

[Dave]

What do you think the stupidest thing you ever bought was? Everyone's done, like.

[Finneas O'Connell]

The stupidest thing I bought was what's called a hydrofoil.

[Benny Blanco]

Okay.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Which is like a surfboard with a fin.

[Benny Blanco]

You got that?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I bought it for, like, so much money and then hard to do. Dude, Jonah Hill was at your party one time, and he was like, you surf on this beach? And I was like, yeah. And he was like, you're gonna die. He was like, it's really dangerous.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Anyway, so I never used it, and I gave it as a gift. Gift to my, like, house manager contractor guy.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And he just sent me a video the other day, surfing around on, like, a lake.

[Benny Blanco]

Probably looks sick, right?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was like, oh, cool. But I was like, there's thousands of dollars. It's a very stupid thing of me to buy.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

But I didn't die on it, which I. Ultimately, when I opened it up in the living room, I was like, I'm

[Dave]

gonna die on this thing. Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, for sure. So I sold it.

[Benny Blanco]

I wonder how long it's gonna be until human beings are just really able to, you know, hover and go to work on, like, through some sort of floating device.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I think it's gonna be a long time.

[Benny Blanco]

Really? I thought.

[Kristin]

Really?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't think we're any closer at all.

[Benny Blanco]

I heard that we're five years away from floating. No, but from, like, when you're walking down the street in Manhattan and, like, you know how you're walking by all the people? I heard in five years it's gonna be a whole lot of humanoid robots

[Finneas O'Connell]

that you're just walking by that I'm sure.

[Dave]

Humanoid robots are like the Rolling Postman.

[Benny Blanco]

No, humanoid. I heard that.

[Finneas O'Connell]

The Elon Musk machines.

[Benny Blanco]

Optically. What will feel like the biggest shift in, like, in the past.

[Finneas O'Connell]

We saw this same clip from Sam Altman. Yeah.

[Dave]

Who knows if it's true, My friend who's about to be on this podcast, who's, like, meeting this.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, okay. It's not a podcast.

[Dave]

Okay. My friend who's gonna be on a video yet?

[Benny Blanco]

Whatever you wanna. I don't know.

[Dave]

Who's gonna be on an expo. Okay. My friend. Yeah. Who is it who's gonna sit on his couch?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I hope you guys have Shaq.

[Dave]

He told me.

[Benny Blanco]

Not yet.

[Dave]

That. That he's gonna.

[Kristin]

AI's killing everyone.

[Dave]

That eventually we're going to upload our souls onto AI. And that's like. He said. That's like the. Fine. He's like, we won't. We'll be dead. He said. But that's like, what the next generation will be uploading themselves up to AI.

[Kristin]

I will say it has helped me.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Some chat.

[Kristin]

Ugh. I use it every day. It knows so much about me. Although the other day.

[Dave]

Doesn't it make you so dumb, though?

[Kristin]

No. I think that's a misconception. If you use it in the right way. If you use it in the right way, sometimes it even tells me to take a little break, take a little breather.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, wow. I think it's a very useful tool.

[Kristin]

Yeah. It can, like, help you organize your thoughts in a way in a much quicker way. You have to know how to type.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. It's like, for example, if I'm like, writing a scene and like, I don't know, like a mother comes in with. I don't know. Forget I even started talking.

[Kristin]

But you use it. You don't use it. You know what I do, which is kind of embarrassing. Have I said this before. Sometimes if I have like a book that's really. Oh yeah, I will take pictures. Like I'll take like.

[Benny Blanco]

And just write what?

[Kristin]

Yeah, I'll say, explain this to me.

[Benny Blanco]

What? Picture of the book. And be like, what is this?

[Kristin]

What's it mean per page? Like I'll like, I'll be like page one. And I'll take like. I think you can. The most you can upload is like 10 pictures at a time. So I can only go 10 pages.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Uh huh.

[Kristin]

But it will be complex for only the dense reads. Yeah. Like things I don't even remember. Cause I didn't even read it.

[Dave]

I wrote a list right when I got out of the shower, when I was really wet of all the things that I wanted to say to you and some of them are so crazy.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Hit me.

[Dave]

Like there's things that are like normal that is just like, it says like, you know, like, saw your mom on Friends. Then it says like, what do you want to do with your life since you've already done everything at such a young age. Then there's one that says, says sex life.

[Kristin]

And then really it takes a turn.

[Dave]

Okay, okay, wait.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I upload 10 pictures of a book at a time. I want you to say, explain it to me. And the fact that unfortunately the end of that story was you're like, like I don't even remember what then none of it. It was absorbed.

[Kristin]

It was crazy.

[Benny Blanco]

It's the thought that counts.

[Dave]

Wait, I do have a real question.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Sure.

[Dave]

My real question is, I never asked you this. How do you decide, like at the beginning when you were writing sometimes like 100% of the song, how would you decide which song you would keep for yourself and which one you would give to Billy?

[Benny Blanco]

Kanye's fable.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Listen, at the beginning especially.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

The only reason that that's not happening anymore is like Billie's a more and more confident writer and so she's more interested in it.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

So like there's just never like a shortage of. You know, and I think everybody wants to feel like they have authorship over their thing.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

At the beginning it was just like literally I was writing songs and if I played one for Billie and she loved it, I'd be like, take it. Like she's a. She's not only bigger and more successful, but she's great. And so to me, I'm like, the idea of like, you know, I like putting out music and you know, having an artist project thing, but I have no bones about like, oh, my song. Billy wants to sing My song, like, fantastic.

[Benny Blanco]

What do you think would have happened? How could you even answer this question? But in a world where maybe Billy was a totally different type of artist whose music you don't like, you wouldn't have naturally been a fan of. Of course you'd like your choices as the guy who's making the music, but I think one key thing with you and Billie is how much you totally revere her as an artist.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Totally true.

[Benny Blanco]

What if your sister was still able to be a huge artist and help you financially, like, you know, your whole career, but you just didn't actually love her as an artist? What would have happened?

[Finneas O'Connell]

It's a really good question. I mean, that's a deep question. I think that also the short answer is like, I don't know. And then the long answer is, she's allowed to make records that I. That are not my thing. Oh, you know what I mean?

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Dave]

Does that ever happen? You guys are eye to eye, and

[Finneas O'Connell]

pretty much we're very eye to eye. But I just mean that, like, at some point, I assume in her long life of being a musician, she'll make. She'll be like, I'm so into jazz. And I'll be like, okay, cool.

[Benny Blanco]

Has there ever been.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And I'll try to help, but, like,

[Benny Blanco]

you know, has there ever been a time where, like, she really believed whatever. Something was like, for example, the single, and you were like, I'm not sure that that's it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, we argue about stuff like that, but she. To me, because it's. Because it's never been a band. It's always been her thing. Like, as long as I've made it clear that I disagree, if I disagree and I've told her why, if she's like, I hear you, but I really want it to be this way. Yeah, you're the. You're gonna have to go out your funeral, kid. Well, it's your. Yeah, you gotta wear the shirt.

[Dave]

I will tell you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And she's been right a lot. And, like, I've been right sometimes. And we always say, like, most passionate person wins. So sometimes. Sometimes I'm like, I really still think that this is a great change. And she's like. She's like, you know what? I actually don't really care, so. Sure. Right.

[Kristin]

You pick your battle. Not to change the subject, I just want you guys to know. I want you to know the book that I was reading with ChatGPT is called enlightenment Now, a really dense book. Okay.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Throwing Enlightenment now into a data engine and making it be like, Basically the

[Kristin]

case for reasons science, humanism and progress.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You're like. You're like. You're like, I hope that by the end of this book I could be enlightened, but I think I'm gonna do it even faster.

[Kristin]

That's how I feel.

[Finneas O'Connell]

As quickly as possible.

[Kristin]

I'll see you guys in a couple months once I'm done uploading all of the pages.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, you could read it in, like, a week.

[Kristin]

It's not as easy.

[Dave]

Wait, can I tell you something that's so crazy to me?

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Dave]

But because I'm not like, you can't read. I don't.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I can barely read.

[Dave]

I don't wanna read, like, a book. Like, I just don't. I love researching all my.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I wanna scroll, dude. I wanna. Selena scrolling and swiping.

[Dave]

Wow. Selena is a reader. Like, I've never seen. I've never seen a person.

[Kristin]

She doesn't upload it.

[Dave]

Speed read so quickly. She'll get a stack of books and she can, like, in a weekend, she'll be like, yeah, I read these three books. And, like, normally, if someone's saying that, you're like, oh, my God, that's so bullshit. Like, sometimes I'll see the book and it'll be opened a little. And she has, like, notes in the book, too, and she has, like, a highlighter.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And it's like, so it's not like she's not absorbing it. She's right. She's. Yeah, she's super absorbing it.

[Dave]

It's insanity. Like how like, one day we were out somewhere and she was like. I feel like the conversation was, like, dense, and I didn't understand every word that everyone was saying.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That's what she said.

[Dave]

She said that. And she said, I wish my vocabulary was just a little bit better. And then for, like, five months, she was buying and performing SAT books for, like, five months. I have a stack of, like, a hundred that are like. Yeah, yeah. That are like.

[Benny Blanco]

She would, like, every night, she would do it.

[Dave]

She would do it, like, open it up and they're, like, filled out the whole book, and it was insane. Okay, back to my.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Does she look down on you? Tremendous. Now or no? No. Does she become a no?

[Dave]

Cause I'm one of those, like, I am not a person that will ever push this on to someone. But I think if I want to, I think I have a pretty good vocabulary. If I feel like writing in a full sentence, I have a terrible vocabulary.

[Kristin]

I would love to have a better vocabulary. Is a good one.

[Dave]

I think. I think I. He's.

[Benny Blanco]

Got a really good one. You said silkened earlier.

[Dave]

Silken is a type of token.

[Kristin]

Your hair can be silked.

[Dave]

We know what silken is. But I'm saying, like, the. The context he said it in was about tofu.

[Kristin]

I thought it was a.

[Dave]

No, there's tofu called silken Tofu.

[Kristin]

The brand is silken.

[Dave]

Oh.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, no.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It's like, there's firm and extra firm and silken.

[Benny Blanco]

Because you said silken. I said I love silken. And then you said, so good. Right. And I thought we were, like, bonding over.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I knew you were saying you love the word silken. When you said so good, I meant it. It's a great word.

[Kristin]

Silken is.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Tar's getting down.

[Benny Blanco]

Can I ask a question?

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

I don't know if you even noticed this during your time here. You might have. We even talked about it, so I'm sure you did. There's a Wurlitzer.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah. What's the plan on the Wurlitzer?

[Dave]

Here's my plan. I wanted her to, A, see how you could play, and B, see how you could make a song so quickly. Like, I wanted her to, like, just, like, say, like, a few things on her mind and you, like, make a little face.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I see.

[Dave]

Does it even work?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, it's about to.

[Kristin]

You be Phineas. I'll be Billy.

[Benny Blanco]

You don't know about FanDuel Predicts, do you?

[Kristin]

Mm.

[Benny Blanco]

Mm. Well, you should get acquainted because it's playoff time. You can predict things like the spread, the total points, how game winning, how game winning moments occur, and game women. How game women moments occur. You can predict. Basically, it's this app that. It's like a prediction app.

[Kristin]

And that's fun because you might like the outcome.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, it's like. Like, it's like. Is the stock market fun? It's thrilling. It's a thrilling way to live.

[Kristin]

Sign up and grab your $25 bonus on FanDuel Predicts and ride this playoff journey with me.

[Benny Blanco]

That was really good,

[Kristin]

You guys. When I was young, at my cottage, we would save up all of our bottle can money, and then we would walk to the local grocery store to get ourselves a pop. But it was never good for you. And now I can do the same thing, but I don't have to walk anywhere. And it's good for you because it's Olipop.

[Dave]

You know, it tastes delicious and it makes you poop.

[Benny Blanco]

Well, is your local grocery store stocked with pop Olipop?

[Kristin]

Well, it was. No, actually, I bet you it is.

[Dave]

Buy any two cans of Olipop in store and they'll pay you back for one. Any flavor, any retailer. Go to drinkollipop.com fks do it now. Very, very rarely when someone's new music comes out, am, like, blown away and get a feeling. It's hard to explain. And only producers and songwriters will know this of, like, jealousy that I didn't. That I didn't think to make something, like, so good or I didn't achieve something sounding so simplistic, yet so complex. And anytime they release anything or you release anything yourself, I listen to every single thing you ever do, front to back, no matter what it is. Your song, very sweet. A song you're producing on, a song you're writing on. And it's stew. Sometimes I stew. The last Billie album, I stewed because I was like, this album. But it's not at them. It's like, this album is so fucking good. And the production and the way they did it. And, like, it's things you wouldn't think about. Like, I'm like, how does it feel? So full. But it feels like there's one instrument playing. Oh, well, then you did. Then you did. And it's just like. And then sometimes when. When. Honestly, sometimes also when I'm writing with him, I'm like, he came up with something so quick that takes me so long, and I'm. It's so painful for me to figure out, like, the chords he does naturally. Like, that takes me, like, that would take me hours to get there, and I'll get there, but he does it in seconds.

[Kristin]

Yeah, this is like what plays in my. If there was a song all day. Like, this song.

[Dave]

Oh, this.

[Benny Blanco]

Does this sort.

[Kristin]

No, not that sort of like, this, like, you know.

[Dave]

Okay, I'll be right back.

[Kristin]

Is this.

[Dave]

You guys keep playing.

[Kristin]

When you're writing music, do you have to light all your candles?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't have to, but, man, I love it. And especially, like, so this is a. I'll say this. I'll say this when he's back, too, but, like, you know, Benny, Benny, like, at this point in his life barely does, like, any work, right? Like, when you do a session with him, like, he sits there, you know, but his vibe that he's provided is immaculate, and he can do all of it. It's just that he's leaving you room to do your creative stuff, right? But he sits there in his nice curated space, and it always smells nice. He's got some incense or a candle. He makes you a yummy snack. The environment is so Nice. And he's funny and he's asking you good questions, so he's pulling all this energy out of you. And to me, that was like when I was doing sessions for the first couple years, I'd like anyone like that. I'd be like, I want to go back and work with him again. And anyone, no matter how talented they were, if, like, their studio was depressing, there was no daylight, I'd be like, ah. I didn't like my. Even if we wrote something good, I don't like the time there.

[Kristin]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And so I've really. That's a big Benny takeaway. It's like, my studio's gotta smell great. Well. Cause that's what I love about working with you is it's so pleasant. It smells good.

[Dave]

You gotta make a person want to stay there.

[Kristin]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Because most of the time.

[Dave]

Yeah, they suck. Your studio's great.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Thanks. But most of the time, odds wise, you're just not going to write your big hit song. You just can't write it every day.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And so you better have a great time.

[Dave]

Do you know, so many times we work and we actually don't even record something. We just go there and hang out and like. And like talk shit. And then we. And then we leave.

[Kristin]

I mean, I would hang if this was. If this is the sounds I'm hearing, I'll hang out anywhere.

[Dave]

I thought of one other thing when I was in the bathroom. There's nothing that's more pleasing to my ear. And a thing that I get so jealous of the way you guys do is how you. How you and Billy record vocals.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She's such a good singer, man.

[Benny Blanco]

You talk about stacks.

[Dave]

I don't know what that means. It's. It sounds like she's speaking into your ear and it's a combination of the best voice ever. And like, being at a level like her where she can. She can sing like you've heard her sing. Like, you can make her sing a lot. She could sing loud and do it, but she's controlling it. So small. And with Phineas, like, keeping it like the way it's compressed and like how. And then the stacks. And then you also are the best harmony man. I know.

[Finneas O'Connell]

You're very sweet. This is all. You've really buttered me up, man.

[Dave]

Now play a single.

[Kristin]

Are you practicing every day?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I sit down and noodle every day.

[Benny Blanco]

Kenny G. Practicing on the note of making that up. So you just. You kind of have been consistently playing the same type of thing.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I thought that's Nice. And then I'm trying to play little melodies on it.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, but like, okay, if we talk for 20 minutes right now and you stop playing, we just talk, do you think you would remember 20 minutes later? Okay, what was that melody? Would you remember it or. Not even remotely.

[Finneas O'Connell]

This one I might be cutting of the tactile because of it's in my fingers. I'd be more likely to remember it because it's in my hands than if I were just, like, singing.

[Dave]

He always does. It's crazy, his recall. He doesn't write things down.

[Kristin]

You don't?

[Dave]

No. He can remember the whole song.

[Finneas O'Connell]

But sometimes. Sometimes you don't.

[Benny Blanco]

You know, I gotta tell you. So you know, when you came here, maybe it's your publicist kind of scent. Like, here's what Phineas has done. It's like all the things he's done with Billy. Maybe the apple mnemonic.

[Kristin]

Oh, the apple. I like that.

[Benny Blanco]

And I was just.

[Dave]

The what?

[Benny Blanco]

The apple mnemonic.

[Kristin]

The new apple mnemonic.

[Benny Blanco]

Whatever. And like, the score. And then I. I didn't think it was gonna say season three of Dave, but I was always planning on making this joke, and I just didn't even feel comfortable making the joke. Cause I like you so much, and I don't think.

[Dave]

Did it say it?

[Benny Blanco]

No, it didn't say it. But I don't think it's inappropriate. I understand why. It doesn't mean he doesn't have it on the thing for any reason. Like, I think it's just he knows probably the other things that he did, he was probably more super involved in definitively. Yeah. But anyways, so good to see you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

That was really funny. You know, I don't think he'll mind me saying this. My favorite line in season three of Dave is the girl comes over to your house and I think the finale.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Or maybe the second to last episode. And she goes, wow, this is such a nice neighborhood. And you go, thank you. Lin Manuel Emanuel lives nearby.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Which is such a funny, weird thank you thing to say.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

And I told him that the other day.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, you did?

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was like, dude, it's like, have you seen season three of Dave? Because there's such a good joke about your name.

[Benny Blanco]

And he said, no, I haven't seen it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

When he was like, I haven't. And then he brought up another one from that show, the other two, where they're like, yeah, well, Linda Manuel Miranda wrote that. And they go, linda Manuel Miranda? He goes, yeah. He goes, pretty sure it's Lin Manuel Miranda. And the guy goes, why do I have a Linda Manuel Miranda signed to my agency? Which I think is also a good bar. You've got a name ripe for. Ripe for comedy.

[Benny Blanco]

I can't believe that there was such a parallel joke made in another show. I thought it was the most random, specific joke. I couldn't.

[Kristin]

It's a good joke.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I bet you made it first. What's your favorite? What's your favorite artist?

[Kristin]

Me?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah.

[Dave]

What are you feeling like right now, Kristin, in your current life, what would you want to make a song about?

[Kristin]

I love this. Sort of like. I like, go on Spotify, and I'll be like. I'll, like, use all different keywords. Somebody should do, like, a album just for the background.

[Finneas O'Connell]

They do little twinkly.

[Dave]

They do just.

[Kristin]

And it, like, goes through the night of your movie.

[Dave]

You know, there's an album. There's an album, literally, for airports.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Somebody has a Music for Airports by Brian Eno.

[Dave]

I know.

[Kristin]

Really?

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Brian Eno has a good background.

[Kristin]

But I like it. But I like this. And there's only one person that can do it.

[Dave]

So, Kristin, what are you thinking about your life right now?

[Kristin]

I mean, this music is really good for my brain because it's making me not think anything negative. I'm just kind of thinking, wow, what a delight.

[Dave]

So, but what's your, like, biggest fear right now?

[Finneas O'Connell]

That I won't understand it.

[Benny Blanco]

Oh, yes. Being misunderstood.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I'll read it, but I won't. If you could summarize it.

[Benny Blanco]

This is a hit.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Maybe I could take it on.

[Benny Blanco]

He's falling in love with him I won't understand it I'm falling in love

[Finneas O'Connell]

with him no matter how hard I try. 10 pictures at a time. Just won't suffice Isn't he so good?

[Kristin]

I'm blown away.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah. Can I saw her? Something that I've never seen her face do? Just be, like, impressed by another man. I've never seen her face.

[Dave]

Like, what did it do?

[Benny Blanco]

Just, like, instantly. Just, like, I just saw this. How does the human face be impressed by man?

[Kristin]

How could you not?

[Dave]

I know.

[Benny Blanco]

I agree.

[Dave]

When I sit and we're just sitting there doing stuff, it's so hard to tell what's good. Cause everything's so good. And I'm usually so good at knowing that. And then he's just like. He'll just, like, do something. And I'll be like, oh. And then, like, he'll do nothing. And I'll be like, wait, no, that one.

[Kristin]

And then I'll like that's a hit to me. I would listen to that on repeat, like, for hours. Is that not a hit?

[Dave]

No, not current.

[Benny Blanco]

I don't understand. If we get too granular, of course, with the 10 pages at a time, it becomes a little.

[Kristin]

No, I love it. No, I love the 10 pages at the time. It could mean anything.

[Benny Blanco]

You could totally.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Anything you can make very broad.

[Benny Blanco]

I agree. I actually served something you said about the broadness, the broadness versus specificity. And I found that very interesting.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah.

[Benny Blanco]

Would you like to say something like that?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Get too specific? I think it's nice. Do you guys want to manifest any dream guest for this sitcom format thing you have? Is there anybody that you're like, God, if we could get, you know who.

[Benny Blanco]

Barack.

[Dave]

Barack, yeah, Barack. I mean, he's just like, oh, we're out. We're out to Bernie. Bernie's a cool one for me.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Bernie would be cool.

[Benny Blanco]

Bernie would be cool. But I mean, if we're being. I mean, I love Bernie. We're talking about just a hangout charm.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Just riz.

[Benny Blanco]

Barack's gonna come in in, like, sweats maybe. I hope. I hope he's not coming in a suit. We're gonna get a suit off him. By the time he leaves, I love that he's gonna be in a wife beater.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Did you guys read his book?

[Dave]

I can't read.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I listened to it.

[Kristin]

I listened to some of it.

[Finneas O'Connell]

The best part of it is it ends with him killing Osama bin Laden.

[Dave]

Oh, my God. Did you watch that documentary, Manhunt Osama?

[Finneas O'Connell]

You gotta watch it.

[Dave]

It's amazing. It's fantastic.

[Finneas O'Connell]

It ends with him killing Osama. And then it's like three in the morning, D.C. and he walks upstairs to the East Wing, and Michelle's like, so. And he goes, we got him. And Michelle goes, that's awesome, babe. That's the end of the book.

[Dave]

Wait, really?

[Benny Blanco]

That's awesome.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Getting to be the person that the president is like, we killed Osama bin Laden. And you get to be like, that's awesome, babe. Did you come to me? And I also was like, I think maybe all relationships are the same.

[Benny Blanco]

They are.

[Dave]

They are.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I was like, that's, like, so sick.

[Dave]

Kristen, would you mind showing him some of his.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Yeah, show me what you've got.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, have a seat.

[Dave]

Yeah. Come on.

[Kristin]

How insane would it be if I just recreate? Like, if I just played what you did.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Perfect memory be.

[Benny Blanco]

It'd be.

[Kristin]

I only have one chance.

[Benny Blanco]

There we go. Wow.

[Dave]

What?

[Finneas O'Connell]

What? Pretty nice.

[Kristin]

Is that good?

[Benny Blanco]

Wait, does everything just Sound good when you play it?

[Dave]

Yeah, I'm pushing.

[Kristin]

I'm pushing the. I don't. I don't. I really can't play anything.

[Dave]

I told you.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Look at this. You got a good ear.

[Kristin]

Really?

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah, you do have a good ear.

[Kristin]

Really?

[Benny Blanco]

Yes. You have good melodic instincts. I always say it about you.

[Dave]

Just play any YT's or any. Like, this interview.

[Finneas O'Connell]

So fun.

[Benny Blanco]

I'm not an interview.

[Dave]

Do you like the segment?

[Finneas O'Connell]

It's such a fun, casual format.

[Dave]

You ever, like, with your friends? So, like, with Rat or you guys ever just chill and you kind of, like, snuggle while you're hanging out?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Not really.

[Dave]

Never.

[Benny Blanco]

But you. Yeah, they don't snuggle. But I feel like you did say, like, I totally understand your guys friendship because I met Rat and we have such a bromance.

[Dave]

Like, would rap. Would that ever be like this? Would he be like. And put his, like, feet on yours and that doesn't feel weird.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I don't think it's in his impulse to do it.

[Benny Blanco]

Like, I don't do that with everybody.

[Dave]

No, but you do it with all.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I put it this way.

[Benny Blanco]

I have my best friends. I don't have that thing.

[Dave]

No, but you have it with hit. You have it with me.

[Benny Blanco]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

People have funny physical relationships. Some people have such a close relationship and not a physical relationship. Some people are so grabby, touchy.

[Benny Blanco]

You can't undo the. The.

[Dave]

Yeah. Like, me and my brother would, like, Will, like, I'll, like, lay, like, on his shoulder if we're like, do you and Billy or. No, no. Like, just chilling and, like, laying next to each other.

[Benny Blanco]

She's.

[Dave]

What?

[Finneas O'Connell]

Just.

[Kristin]

Are you about to be like.

[Finneas O'Connell]

She's just chilling. Short answer is no.

[Dave]

Are you nervous for, like, doing the vows?

[Finneas O'Connell]

No, not at all.

[Dave]

Yeah. I will tell you one thing. I am not a nervous person.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Nervous. Leading up to it, totally calming. Yeah. That was, like, the first thing you told me on the dance floor. Yeah, it's very sweet.

[Dave]

So nervous. And David was right. I was like, should I print this thing bigger? Like, I kept having all.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Your speech was great. I was really wonderful.

[Benny Blanco]

Thank you.

[Kristin]

Phineas. I heard you needed somebody to play at your.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Finneas O'Connell]

If you want to do it, you're. You're tired.

[Dave]

All right, let's wrap this thing.

[Finneas O'Connell]

Love you guys.

[Dave]

There's someone coming over.

[Benny Blanco]

Phineas, thank you for coming.

[Finneas O'Connell]

I'll be back anytime.