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Pablo Torre
Welcome to Pablo Torre finds out. I am Pablo Torre. And today we're gonna find out what this sound is.
Wayne Fetterman
I don't know if you know an optometrist. I don't know. I'm sorry, no, I don't know any optometrist. Well, I didn't think you did. So in that case, that's why I'm invoicing you. Okay, you send me the invoice. I'm going to rip it up into tiny little pieces and I might even.
Pablo Torre
Pee on it right after this ad.
Wayne Fetterman
Have you ever spotted McDonald's hot crispy fries right as they're being scooped into the carton? And time just stands still. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today.
Unknown
Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast.
Wayne Fetterman
And breathe.
Pablo Torre
Oh, sorry.
Unknown
I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste.
Pablo Torre
Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.
Wayne Fetterman
1-800-Contacts.
Unknown
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Pablo Torre
I just have to say, like, the way we met each other is one of the most bizarre meet cutes that my audience is already exhausted by because I talk about the thing we were at way too much.
Wayne Fetterman
You've already talked about it.
Pablo Torre
No, not. You are the big reveal.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, okay.
Pablo Torre
Like the big payoff of going to the fancy ceremony we were at in Los Angeles.
Wayne Fetterman
Y.
Pablo Torre
And I. I can't say it because I've been actually told by my producer, stop talking about how you arrived at this thing.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Oh, we don't have to talk about the thing. We can just talk about the meeting as if it was without the environment with the end.
Pablo Torre
Well, I just feel like it's. It's hard because part of the legend of you, it was sort of like through a gradual osmosis as I look, you came up to me.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, I know who you are. So it's not like.
Pablo Torre
But I had what can only be described as the Wayne Fetterman experience, which is I locked eyes with you with a latent familiarity that I could not place and welcome.
Wayne Fetterman
Welcome to my world.
Pablo Torre
But over and over again, these luminaries, like at one point, like Fred Armiston interrupted our conversation.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, that happened.
Pablo Torre
And said Wayne Fetterman. And I was like, who the is Wayne Fetterman? I didn't say that, but I was thinking it. Now that I can reveal that to you.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, that's. That's a great way to describe me. Who the. It's Wayne Fetterman.
Pablo Torre
So I just gotta point out that I do feel confident declaring something about that existential question that Wayne Fetterman has just articulated for us, which is that you, like me, have actually seen this guy before. I have seen all of. Curb your enthusiasm.
Wayne Fetterman
You have? I have. How many times?
Pablo Torre
At least once. The full thing.
Wayne Fetterman
Even though it lasted decades. There was only 12 seasons.
Pablo Torre
I believe that's right.
Wayne Fetterman
Just so you know, I kind of like to live in the analog world a little bit.
Pablo Torre
Which is another way of saying that Wayne Fetterman is both a part of comedy history and also one of its most acclaimed historians. And this is beyond the stuff he's done with Larry David and also beyond any of the 95 acting credits on one of the most amusing pages that I have ever seen on IMDb.com Wayne has won an Emmy for producing a documentary about the life of George Carlin for hbo. He is working right now on a doc about Norm MacDonald. And he also used to be a ventriloquist and a monologue writer at one point for Bob Newhart as well as Jimmy Fallon. And also in general, he's the type of person who was at Eddie Murphy's 21st birthday party at Studio 54.
Wayne Fetterman
And the reason I was there is because I was starting to do stand up comedy and my main club was the Comic Strip. And Eddie Murphy's manager was the Guy Richie who ran the Comic Strip. So it was like, do you want to come to this party? I was like, yeah.
Pablo Torre
And so, yeah, I treasure the point of view of a guy like Wayne Fetterman, somebody who keeps finding himself in these rooms that I personally have always wanted to find out about. Even if the entire reason that Wayne and I started talking is that he is a hugely curious sports fan and with a particular passion project, which we'll get to, who mostly wanted to talk to me about this room, like the room we are in right now.
Wayne Fetterman
These gentlemen over here behind the glass. Do they fact check what you're saying in Real time. Do they signal you?
Pablo Torre
They tend to shame me in my ear.
Wayne Fetterman
What happens over there?
Pablo Torre
They're laughing at how often they sometimes have to do that. And I don't credit them at all because I. This is just omniscience. I am aware of all of your credits, of course, which is, by the way, a list that I don't have enough time to actually recite.
Wayne Fetterman
We don't have to do that.
Pablo Torre
But the way that you are, that guy. This is not an abstract description. A lot of your credits have the word guy.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. In them. Thank you. Diminishing the whole thing. I like it. No question. No question.
Pablo Torre
But you know, I saw Legally Blonde.
Wayne Fetterman
You did?
Pablo Torre
Of course.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And I, I, I just have to say thank you for being in my studio. Admissions guy.
Wayne Fetterman
She also designed a line of faux fur panties for her sorority's charity project. Uh huh. She's a friend to the animals as well as a philanthropist. Elle Woods. Welcome to Harvard. Well, like I'd like to say, I know it's a small part, but if Elle woods doesn't get into Harvard, as I've said many times, there's no movie. So that movie is about me, by the way. That is, maybe of the movies I've done, even though I've done many, I feel like that movie has the deepest social impact. Even more than knocked up or stepped.
Pablo Torre
Well, I was gonna say even more than your turn as fantasy baseball guy in Knocked Up Guy.
Wayne Fetterman
Let's emphasize Guy, please. Carlos Delgado. Excellent choice.
Pablo Torre
Too bad I got him three rounds ago.
Wayne Fetterman
You're still on the clock. Oh, gotta do something. Hideki Matsui. He just took my whole outfield.
Pablo Torre
Sorry, Charlie.
Wayne Fetterman
What is this? Debbie? What the is this?
Pablo Torre
That's our fantasy baseball draft.
Wayne Fetterman
We said no wives. Your fantasy what? It's our draft. The fantasy baseball.
Pablo Torre
I know I told you all about this. Got Matsui. But fantasy baseball guy is a key character. Because look, for those not familiar, Leslie Mann suspects Paul Rudd is cheating on him.
Wayne Fetterman
Correct.
Pablo Torre
Only to discover that he's been, you know, hiding away at his fantasy baseball draft.
Wayne Fetterman
Right.
Pablo Torre
And there in front of the whiteboard, in a role that I can only assume you had prior experience with, there is Wayne Federman holding the stopwatch, running the draft.
Wayne Fetterman
And here's the thing you should know about me. Paul Rudd was an expert at this. I am not. I'm not really a baseball guy. So that's how good actor I am. Did it look like I knew what I was doing?
Pablo Torre
You were authoritative.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, yeah.
Pablo Torre
And also pathetic in the way that any Good fantasy baseball draft would.
Wayne Fetterman
But you know who was also sitting right there next to Paul Rudd? Director Paul Feig. It's a Paul Paul situation. Who I used to do standup with.
Pablo Torre
I mean, you're the way I'm a.
Wayne Fetterman
Bridge to another time.
Pablo Torre
I should clarify that. When you reference standup and comedy, you are also famed. And this is not even me kissing your ass. It's like objectively true. You're a professor of stand up comedy at usc.
Wayne Fetterman
Correct. But really what I teach there is the history of stand up comedy. Because I do teach a class, an advanced class in it. But you can't teach anyone to be funny. So it's sort of a ripoff for those students.
Pablo Torre
Well, you're also the author of the history of Stand up comedy.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes. Yeah, yeah.
Pablo Torre
And as well as again, yet more things, which I guess we'll just unfurl as we go.
Wayne Fetterman
Is it too much for you?
Pablo Torre
No, it's just I have. I have a text file on my computer that resembles my attempt at organizing your life.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay.
Pablo Torre
And I haven't even gotten to the fact that you're also blind, man.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, yeah.
Pablo Torre
In Stepbrothers.
Wayne Fetterman
Hey, Robert, what's all the commotion?
Pablo Torre
Hey.
Wayne Fetterman
Hey, Don. Is that your wife? Nancy? Right here. Don, can I come over this afternoon and touch your face? Sure. Thanks. Good luck, guys. See you, Don. Let's go, Cinnamon. Heal, Cinnamon. One of the greatest roles. The greatest. Fetterman announce. No question.
Pablo Torre
So the Federman and out.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
Please explain what happened.
Wayne Fetterman
I kept appearing in these movies, not so much on television, but in just one scene, Legally Blonde as Admissions Guy, Blind Guy and Stepbrothers. So I would. And then I was like, okay, this is now a thing where no one wants to see me more than once. Or as I say it, I'm probably just too brilliant. Not in my acting. Just like on screen. It's just too much for people to handle. Overwhelming, overwhelming, overwhelming. So I'm in one scene, I do something funny and I leave and I just self branded it the Fetterman and out again. Nobody really knows about it, but I just think it's funny to say.
Pablo Torre
I mean, 50 first dates, 40 year old virgin. And that's just the movies with numbers in them. I guess as I keep on going here, they're funny. But you're. But you're also. By the way, this is the other part. One of my favorite shows ever is Community. It is, yes.
Wayne Fetterman
Have you seen the Full?
Pablo Torre
Of course. Even on Yahoo. Even on.
Wayne Fetterman
That's the season I was on.
Pablo Torre
So the Last.
Wayne Fetterman
Can I ask you a question, just to please turn around a little bit? Like when I went to Yahoo. As a Community fan, how did it feel?
Pablo Torre
It took me years to get to.
Wayne Fetterman
It did.
Pablo Torre
I'm not going to lie.
Wayne Fetterman
Why would you start lying?
Pablo Torre
Well, because I just.
Wayne Fetterman
Why would you even say you would.
Pablo Torre
Because I am as. I'm a journalist, Wayne. That's the difference between me and the other people you've appeared on podcast.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay. Okay.
Pablo Torre
I'm here with an obligation to tell the truth.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And despite loving Community.
Wayne Fetterman
Loving it.
Pablo Torre
Loving it.
Wayne Fetterman
So, yeah. That's really what I wanted.
Pablo Torre
Confused by how much I love a show that you yourself were a pivotal in the end.
Wayne Fetterman
No, of course. Before we get to that, I just. I just. This is new in television, where a television show is da, da, da, da, da, da, da, and then right at the end goes to a whole different section of the broadcast. Yeah. The broadcast world. Yeah. And you resisted it.
Pablo Torre
It took a while.
Wayne Fetterman
Tell me why.
Pablo Torre
Because I. To. To.
Wayne Fetterman
To. To.
Pablo Torre
To describe my frustration and my awe of how media works now. There are just a zillion things. And once you're out of my point of view, I unfortunately might love you, but I will forget you.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay.
Pablo Torre
Which I think brings us back to you because you have often been literally in my line of sight.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And you keep on coming back to the point that you are like the final. You play. The role you play in Community, by the way, in the finale. In the series finale.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
Is that of father, not guy. This is a big. This is a big.
Wayne Fetterman
This is a big jump for me.
Pablo Torre
Big evolutionary development.
Wayne Fetterman
I couldn't sleep tonight before I was like, I'm not a Guy. Who am I? A father. Okay. Okay. Let me work on this character. Sorry, dad. Guess I win. You stupid child. Nobody's winning anything. Don't you see? This means we don't exist. We're not created by God, created by a joke. We were never born and we will never actually live.
Pablo Torre
I think you have the most expansive social network of anybody in comedy, genuinely, at this point. I mean, by the way, take it on face value.
Wayne Fetterman
I like that you're yelling. I love it.
Pablo Torre
Wayne.
Wayne Fetterman
Emotion. Wayne.
Pablo Torre
When it comes to the. The. The theory of you.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. The theory of Fetterman.
Pablo Torre
It is a node, and into that node is, I think, literally everybody in Hollywood.
Wayne Fetterman
There is a lot there.
Pablo Torre
I give you credit for that. Is this by design? The fact that you are. In fact.
Wayne Fetterman
No, I'm just literally one. One gig at a time.
Pablo Torre
You're like a multiversal. Character you like show up in the cinematic universes of all of these separate parallel worlds, and the only unifying thing is kind of you.
Unknown
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Pablo Torre
I've been just inhaling all of these cameos, appearances, Reddit threads. By the way, there's a Reddit thread that asks and again in curb your enthusiasm. I should catch people up. You play a character by the name of Dean Weinstock.
Wayne Fetterman
Not guy again in movies. I'm a little more in television have a little more of a part than I do in film. Go ahead.
Pablo Torre
But the question posed is in the subject of this Reddit thread.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, no.
Pablo Torre
Is quote, is Dean the biggest douche ever on the show? Two question marks.
Wayne Fetterman
I love it. I love it. Well, you. You've watched the show all on homebox Office, I assume.
Pablo Torre
That's right. Yeah, hard to argue. Hard to argue. You are such a douche that they summoned you. I believe this is doing the math here. You first appear in episode six of season one.
Wayne Fetterman
Correct.
Pablo Torre
The Economy of Doucheness.
Wayne Fetterman
Thank you. Thank you.
Pablo Torre
You show up as a lawyer, and immediately you're like, I hate this guy.
Wayne Fetterman
Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi, Dean. I'm Larry. Larry Davis. Yeah. Hello. Hi.
Unknown
I'm finally in the house. Did Jerry Seinfeld build with his own.
Wayne Fetterman
Hands and some hammers? He actually worked on, like, Jimmy Carter.
Pablo Torre
How did you get that role?
Wayne Fetterman
Well, I knew Larry from standup. I knew him. Right, right. Standup is like high school. Like, there's, you're a freshman, they're a senior, so you don't really hang out that much. But. So I would introduce him at the Comic Strip. We had spoken about that earlier, and it was always the same. Anyone who worked with Larry was the same. He was notorious for cutting his sets short if it wasn't going well. So I would injure. Here he is from Fridays, Larry David. He would come up and then he would shake your hand and go, stay close, you know, and that means don't go out of the room and wait for the 10 minutes or the 12.
Pablo Torre
Minutes in case he wants to bail.
Wayne Fetterman
100%. That was his move. That was his move. And so I knew him from then. And I. And then I, you know, all those years. By the way, I know you think I'm in the universe of everything, but I thought for sure, a hundred percent, I was gonna show up on Seinfeld and Some Men. A hundred percent. That's how confident I was. And, you know, God laughs. I don't know if you know the expression.
Pablo Torre
Yes. Just make a plan.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it never happens. Like, damn, Never. And I knew Jerry the whole. Him. Yeah, right.
Pablo Torre
You came up in Stand up as.
Wayne Fetterman
A. Jerry was a little. But he. We had done the first Aspen Comedy Festival together. So again, the disappointments. I know you're doing the highlights, but there's also. Along the way, there has been numerous, like, okay, this is not quite what I had hoped for. And so when that show started, I had seen the hour special, so I sort of knew the vibe of it. And I auditioned, believe it or not for the blind guy. Later that I got in Step Brothers, as you know. Yeah. You had just mentioned. But there's this blind character who like, boss is also a douchebag. Right. I didn't get it. And then I was like, is this going to be another Seinfeld situation for me? And then the next one was like, all. When you. I auditioned, all that they said was gave you a piece of paper. You're the biggest fan of Julia Louis Dreyfus. That's all they said. And then you went in, Larry was there. And you just improv the whole thing. Right.
Pablo Torre
So just so I understand. Because again, just the. The mechanics of Curb, which is famously improvisational.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
The premise is set, meaning Larry has a wire running across his backyard that he and Cheryl hate.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, yeah. All of this is written. Yes, all of that. The beats of the story are written. You know, this.
Pablo Torre
Right. And so the lawyer that they summon, who is you, their neighbor who needs to basically sign off on the right bar the burial of the wire.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. For the neighborhood.
Pablo Torre
For the neighbor. Exactly.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
That is set. But in terms of how you do you. How you. Federman and out. That. That was a surprise to everybody.
Wayne Fetterman
I found this. Thank you. Does that look familiar at all to you? Is that. Yeah.
Unknown
Where'd you get this?
Wayne Fetterman
It was in my house. It was under a cushion by the chair. I was just wondering if that was yours. Yeah. I didn't know. Thank you. Thank you. There's a reward involved with that. Just look right in the front part. It says 500 to the person who returns this to L. David. I put two and two together and thought the L stood for Larry. Here was my strategy. Very simple. Was because I am a very nice, effusive guy. Like, that's my thing since I was a kid. But I was like, okay. I immediately got okay. That I wanted to, under the guise of being nice, be the worst possible human being. So every time I say it, it's like in a friendly way, like, oh, this has to be. Yeah, we gotta get this taken care of. Like, not in any aggressive. The most passive aggressive, I think is the term. It's always been a dream of mine to meet Julia Louis Dreyfus and just meet her in person. And if you could just make a phone call and make that happen, that would be so great. You know what? I'm more than happy to call her up. I can't guarantee. So it's so hard to get anything absolutely guaranteed when it gets buried. You don't know if it's guaranteed. Or either. No, no. You don't even know if that's because there's a lot of papers to be signed. I agree with you there. But after I did that episode and it went so well, it was sent out as a nominee for an Emmy award. So they not only I liked what I did, but they liked what I did. And they were like, oh, this is set. You're going to be the neighbor Larry loves. You know, like these running characters. It's going to be you're like Newman or something like that. Someone's cooking.
Pablo Torre
Hello, Jerry.
Wayne Fetterman
Hello, Newman. Next season they moved for a number of reasons. And that was.
Pablo Torre
Yes. Right. They change houses.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes. So I know it's just a funny thing for you, but it was crushing for me.
Pablo Torre
Like, right.
Wayne Fetterman
Because I was like, okay, this is gonna be a fun role.
Pablo Torre
So were you surprised when you were brought back? Now, 56 episodes later, I love the math.
Wayne Fetterman
Thanks, guys. Thanks, guys.
Pablo Torre
Episode 62 titled Vehicular Fellatio.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
And Dean Weinstock is back.
Wayne Fetterman
Larry. Larry David. Dean. Dean Weinstock. Oh, my God. Yeah. He's be your next door neighbor. Yeah. Hey, man, it is so good to see you. Hey. Hey. Whoa. Oh, Christ. Oh, my God, these are broken. Thank you. Thank you.
Pablo Torre
But when they bring you back, I.
Wayne Fetterman
Mean, years later, this is now over 10 years later. Right.
Pablo Torre
And it's almost. Yes. And it's almost like an inside joke, if you remember, because part of the premise of this is Larry re encounters Dean Weinstock. And the. The interaction is so good.
Wayne Fetterman
Thank you.
Pablo Torre
In terms of two people who, again, who kind of the through line of this whole episode so far is what happens when you meet someone that you kind of remember but aren't sure exactly who it is. And the way you handle it ends up being passive aggressive to the point of like driving Larry David insane.
Wayne Fetterman
It's so good to see you, man. That is awesome. Good to see you. Great. I'm sorry about your glasses. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I'll send you a bill. Tell me how. Cheryl house. Where'd you guys move to? You What? You'll send me a bill? Yeah, yeah. These are. I don't think these can be fixed. Wait a second. Yeah, same strategy. The only thing was, was like I was trying to figure out how am I going to justify once these glass. That's all I was like, we're going to hug, the glass are going to break and you're going to ask me to pay for them. That's all I said. So I'm thinking, how am I going to make this just seem in any way reasonable in the real world to anyone? So that's what I was. And I came up with, like, an angle on it. Like, oh, okay, okay. He just needs to replace the glasses instead of pay for that. So I went up to him before the thing. I go, I think I have. And he's like, no, no, no. Don't tell me anything. I don't want to know. We'll do on camera. And it just. I. I haven't really ever said this, but he was laughing so much during that scene. Every time I would just do the. No, it's no big deal. You just replace, you know, just the casualness.
Pablo Torre
Almost like the bloodless attempt to just coerce you to give you money.
Wayne Fetterman
Even if I did initiate the hug. Yes. Which I didn't. Yeah. That still doesn't make me responsible for your glasses. They're your glasses. They're around your neck. With all due respect, I feel like you didn't recognize me. Then I did the hay, then I did the shake, and then you came in. And because you were so embarrassed and so mortified that you did not recognize me, you overcompensated by a super strong hug that broke my glasses. That's an incredibly idiotic theory. I think because you're a needy person, you wanted me to like you, so you hugged me. I'm not a needy person. Okay. That's number one. I have no needs at all. Okay. I do know there are some people I have not gone deep dive that are like. They break it down frame by frame. Who reached out, who started, who initiated, who instigated or initiated. Those are close words, but not exactly synonymous. So it was a little. There is a little bit of.
Pablo Torre
Yeah. How devious is Dean Weinstock? Is the subtext here.
Wayne Fetterman
Right? Was that intentional?
Pablo Torre
Did he fall down in front of a car?
Wayne Fetterman
Who has glasses around their neck? The whole thing was.
Pablo Torre
But the whole thing of the building.
Wayne Fetterman
What am I, a librarian?
Pablo Torre
Who wears the glass?
Wayne Fetterman
Come on.
Pablo Torre
The whole thing of you navigating the traffic of human interaction only to reveal.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, by the way, I don't know if you know an optometrist. I don't know. No, I don't know any optometrist. Well, I didn't think you did. So in that case, that's why I'm invoicing you. Okay. You send me the invoice. I'm going to rip it up into tiny little pieces and I might even pee on it. Why Are we fighting? We're fighting because you're a moron. That's why we're fighting. You know I have cancer, right? You know, that's why I'm here. I don't want to have a fight with you. In fact, my doctor said to not have any fights at all. Boom. The cancer card. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Pablo Torre
I mean, it's just like that was him.
Wayne Fetterman
That was him. That was, that was. That was the only thing you were.
Pablo Torre
Driving towards that payoff.
Wayne Fetterman
And it's been. I would love one day maybe if anyone's listening to find the outtakes, because he was really.
Pablo Torre
Oh.
Wayne Fetterman
I was gonna ask.
Pablo Torre
How often does he break?
Wayne Fetterman
He breaks a lot. He has a little bit of a. What we call a comedic glass jaw.
Pablo Torre
Look, regardless of how often he laughs, I have to imagine that making that guy in specific laugh has to be like a glorious feeling for someone who wants to make others laugh. Like Larry David.
Wayne Fetterman
I'm literally getting emotional. You say, yeah, he's a genius. Like, yeah, I couldn't. Yeah, it was for. For sure a career highlight. Yeah. Now do you know about Larry and I's. You know, the character came back once more.
Pablo Torre
Ooh, no. This invaded my research.
Wayne Fetterman
Well, this is. I don't know if I'm all right. I think I can talk because it's out. Apple. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Hired Larry to do an in house episode where he was the guy who approved apps. It's basically okay. Okay.
Pablo Torre
Apple hired Larry David to make a bar mitzvah video for them for.
Wayne Fetterman
You can imagine the amount of money. Okay. You can imagine the amount of money. And then secret Never, never aired because.
Pablo Torre
I don't know, Internal use only. Oh, yes.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
This is for wwdc, which is the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Wayne Fetterman
So I don't know if you know this because it keeps popping up and then getting taken down immediately.
Pablo Torre
My favorite genre of Internet artifact is this kind.
Wayne Fetterman
It is repeated word for it.
Pablo Torre
It's a bit of a snow leopard. Just like appears, disappears, reappears. But yes, he's an app reviewer.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
Okay, so please take us into the.
Wayne Fetterman
So I'm allowed to talk about. Because I signed. I signed something. I signed an NDA.
Pablo Torre
Apple doesn't have a lot of money. They're not going to.
Wayne Fetterman
They don't have legal budget. Right, right. So, yeah, so I've signed, I've signed right now. I'm breaking whatever that is. I'm disclosing. Yeah. So. So that's. So in that one. Dean, he's going in and I'm Drafting behind him because I left my pass key. Which just happened to you at home. What are you doing? Tailgating? I just need to get in. Do you work here? Yeah, I've been working here for eight years. Where's your tag? That's the thing I left in her home. Yeah, well, you know, just keep walking. We're gonna go in together. You're trying to coast on my security wake. It doesn't matter. If the situation were reversed, I'd do this for you. Situation reversed? Yeah. Or was reversed. I don't know if it's were or was reversed. I would say were. Yeah. My point is, if the situation were reversed, I'd do it for you.
Pablo Torre
That's hard.
Wayne Fetterman
But you know what? You can't reverse situations. Situations. Only Superman can reverse a situation by spinning around the world and making it go the other way. Okay? And you're not Superman. And even if you were, you don't have an id. And you couldn't prove it, so you couldn't even prove you're Superman. It's the rules. You just follow the. Yes, yes. Like Germany. Exactly. And that worked out well. Well, they were very well organized. And then at the end, of course, he leaves his. And he's behind me. You need to get in. You don't have your. I would. I would be happy to let you in. Seriously. But I learned this morning that situations don't reverse themselves.
Unknown
This reverse, it's.
Wayne Fetterman
It's unprecedented. It's an unprecedented reversal situation. That gentleman will help you. I usually would. I don't like rules. I would never do anything to anybody.
Pablo Torre
I'll kill you.
Wayne Fetterman
Just sidebar. What are they? What happens if you break a non disclosure? Can you get sued? Like what? I mean, obviously I'm not worried about it. But just in general, what is the thing?
Pablo Torre
We're gonna have my producers just check on that as we proceed. Let's proceed. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back.
Wayne Fetterman
So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills.
Pablo Torre
But it turns out that's very illegal.
Unknown
So there goes my big idea for the commercial.
Wayne Fetterman
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.
Unknown
Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com.
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Pablo Torre
Something that was a lot easier to obtain. And again, so during the pandemic, this is again, just the way in which you have seeped into my. The crevices of my. Of my brain. During the pandemic, I got into Larry Sanders show.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, my God.
Pablo Torre
For the first time. I'd never seen it. Knew it as, like, your favorite comedian's favorite comedy.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. And can I ask how old you are?
Pablo Torre
I am 39.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, you seem more youthful than that.
Pablo Torre
Thank you. I think it's just what happens, just Asian skin.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's right. And your mom? Yeah.
Pablo Torre
Dermatologist.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Okay.
Pablo Torre
Do you do botox?
Wayne Fetterman
No. But do you do a regimen?
Pablo Torre
I, I. My mom has. Has yelled at me for 39 years that I should do regimen, and I'm like, you don't got natural oils. Come on.
Wayne Fetterman
This is.
Pablo Torre
I'm good.
Wayne Fetterman
So I'm, I'm just doing the math. Back to Larry Sanders.
Pablo Torre
Allow me to be the nine zillion person to say, oh, that show's good. But you appear in a key episode.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes, I do.
Pablo Torre
Again, you have this capacity to just, like, wind up at these pivotal moments in these series is. And it's season six, episode six.
Wayne Fetterman
Yep. Six. Six. Yep.
Pablo Torre
And do you remember your character's name?
Wayne Fetterman
Sure. I mean, what are you talking about? That's Stan Sanders, the brother of Larry Sanders. Okay. Stan, thank God. It's great to see you. Hey, it's way too long. Great to see you. Come on in. Thanks for the limousine. Are you kidding?
Unknown
Great.
Wayne Fetterman
Now, I shouldn't have tipped that guy, right? No, I, I completely took care of that. You don't have to worry. Come on. Great. Now, is this an original? Don't touch it. Just go on in.
Pablo Torre
Never before seen.
Wayne Fetterman
Never before really spoken about. There's an earlier episode where Colin Quinn, I'm sure you know that comedian plays, like, the son of Rip Torn's character or the nephew or something like that. So it was like, I think that worked so well. They were like, okay, what if, you know, we learned a little about this megalomania's life, you know, a little. And how that would turn Out. Yeah.
Pablo Torre
What if his brother was, again, just like cravenly, a schemer.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. Have no sentimentality. Zero whatsoever.
Pablo Torre
Zero shows up is same kind of thing. Friendly guy, like going through baseball cards and a simulation of their childhood. Only to pitch.
Wayne Fetterman
Only to pitch.
Pablo Torre
Garry Shandling, Larry Sanders on a quote, unquote, legitimate business venture that involves Barry, my friend.
Wayne Fetterman
Which guy's out? He's the guy that can get his hands on these diamonds. They're uncut. Oh. He brings him over from South Africa at $7 million. As soon as they come over, it's $25 million. Everything's included. It's certified. That's something. Yeah. And also what to do for his.
Pablo Torre
Final episode, which is a pay per View finale.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Remember Carson's last show? Last show. The big last show. Yeah. How many people you think tuned in for that? How many viewers? We're in the business. I don't know. 20 million. 20 million. That sounds right. Yeah. Well, that's why Carson's an idiot. Cause if he'd just done a pay per view at $39 a pop, he would have made $800 million one night. That's before video or anything. Idiot. Just.
Pablo Torre
Which is actually, like, ahead of its time when it comes to the future of media. John Skipper, former Eastern president, who does this show often.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
He often talks about how the super bowl one day should just go pay per view.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, right.
Pablo Torre
And so you kind of presaged the premise of just like, hey, there's a finale. You should. You should drain every cent out of the American public.
Wayne Fetterman
By the way, the people that created a hit show that's on right now called the Studio. Yeah. The two guys that wrote my episode are the guys that created the studio.
Pablo Torre
Were they responsible for Adolf Hankler?
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, Yeah.
Pablo Torre
I mean, that. By the way, the fact that that's the undercard in this conversation.
Wayne Fetterman
No, even better than Adolf Hankler, which is insane. Which is like I insane comedy.
Pablo Torre
So briefly, Jon Stewart is filling in. So Gary Shandling. Larry Sanders is nearing the end of his run as the host of Larry Sanders show. Jon Stewart is filling in for him in this, like, changing of the guard. And one of the first things he does is he has Hank.
Wayne Fetterman
Yep.
Pablo Torre
Jeffrey Tambor, the great Jeffrey Tambor, the sidekick. Dress and just be Hitler in a game show.
Wayne Fetterman
A fake game show.
Pablo Torre
In a fake game show.
Wayne Fetterman
The coin toss backstage. Pick the first category. I'll take 20th century history. Adolf. Good. The cause of the sinking of the Titanic. What is an iceberg? No, I'm sorry. The correct response is what were the Jews?
Pablo Torre
Sometimes you see a time capsule in television where you're like, how have you not heard about this until now? And that episode was so saturated with just like all of this happened. This is the season again, the last season of the show.
Wayne Fetterman
Right.
Pablo Torre
And it's just one of the greatest seasons.
Wayne Fetterman
And Jason Alexander.
Pablo Torre
Yes, yes, he's there. He walks out as a representative of the adl, I believe he is. He's a celebrity.
Wayne Fetterman
You're good. You're good.
Pablo Torre
No, but all of which is to say that Garry Shandling, for you, I mean, this is my way of finally winding around to the fact that part of the reason that we got along when we first met is because you're an actual, like, basketball fan. You're a huge sports fan, but basketball in particular.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
Yes, you are. Unfortunately for the time constraints of this episode.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
Maybe Hollywood's foremost expert on Pistol Pete Maravich.
Wayne Fetterman
Well, there's a number of people have written books on Pete Marovich, but Hollywood.
Pablo Torre
I just feel like it's weird that you're like, I love passion projects. One of your passion projects was no question to tell the, I guess, cinematically adapted story of Pete Maravich.
Wayne Fetterman
I've always wanted to do a movie about his life because I thought it was Shakespeare in basketball. Like, that's the story of Pete Maravich, in my opinion. Like, just crazy tragic and, you know, all the beats to it. And so.
Pablo Torre
But for those who don't, I mean, like, what's the log line of the Pete?
Wayne Fetterman
Well, it's story. Well, it's a kid who, with a father who's a basketball coach, dedicates his childhood to become the greatest basketball player of all time by practicing obsessively eight hours a day alone, whatever that skill is, and then becomes, just through luck and his absolute dedication to this, becomes this not only incredible basketball player, but a showman.
Pablo Torre
Yes.
Wayne Fetterman
Like, becomes a Harlem Globetrotter playing in a real basketball game.
Pablo Torre
One of the most creative players in the history of sports athletes, period, in any sport.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. Right before the game would start during the national anthem, he'd look up at the flag and then he'd look over to the scoreboard and it's showtime. But he's not happy playing in the NBA. I forget the college stuff where he.
Pablo Torre
Averaged 44, is the all time scoring leader, 40 points in a history.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. And so then he goes to the pro. Not happy in the pros. Says very early on, like, as soon as I win a championship, I want to get out. This is not as fun as I thought it was going to be. And then has a very star crossed career, becomes all pro, does great, but doesn't get the chip, as they say. Yes, they like to say.
Pablo Torre
Have you ever seen, I mean, I assume you have.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Tell me.
Pablo Torre
One of the all time great videos is the Pete Maravich instructional.
G
Ball handling and spinning. That's what we're going to go over today. And you know, there's basic fundamentals of ball handling, handling, and there's also creative fundamentals. And that's what I'm going to show you today. The basic fundamentals, the creative fundamentals. You can have a lot of fun doing these drills.
Wayne Fetterman
I write about it in the book extensively. It's one of the. It's done within eight months of his.
Pablo Torre
Death, is that right?
Wayne Fetterman
Yes, it's done in 87. He dies in January 88.
Pablo Torre
It's so amazing to watch because it's like a magician telling you, this is how I do my tricks. And a lot of the tricks involve like snapping your wrists in ways that I didn't know were physically possible.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, that's, that's, that's a quote from Red Auerbach that Pete breaks the rules of, Breaks the rules of physics.
G
All of a sudden you're coming down like this and all of a sudden you take that ball and you go right here and you go. And the ball goes on the other side. It's amazing. And what happens, you know what's happened? The guy there is going to eat air. You ever seen a guy eat air? That's what happens on that path called the wrist path. Right here, straight over. It's very deceptive. How do you throw it? You lock your arms completely out. You lock your arms completely out. And it's all wrist. It's just wrist. It's wrist.
Wayne Fetterman
And then they gradually incrementally get harder and harder. So they get to the point where no one can do it unless you spend hours and hours alone doing it. And he does it like, do it. It's fun. Like, no, Pete, we can't do it. You can do it, so do it. It's fun. So he was just oblivious to how difficult these things were. But I guess because he mastered them, he figured, oh, any kid can master. Not even thinking that maybe he was gifted in some way. So he was just beautiful. Yeah. Those tapes are incredible.
Pablo Torre
Oh, but you're describing something that I eternally intrigued by, which is like, what does genius actually entail?
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And there is effectively this ineffable, irreproducible aspect of, like, you can try to copy. You can. You can. You can grind as much instructional videotape by Pete Maravich as you want, but you can't be one of the truly, tragically youngest players ever inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball.
Wayne Fetterman
Correct. Correct. Correct.
Pablo Torre
Because he dies at. How old was he?
Wayne Fetterman
He's 40.
Pablo Torre
I mean, just like, again, speaking of my preemptive horror of my own existentialism.
Wayne Fetterman
Like, that's right on the cusp.
Pablo Torre
That's wild.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
Like, again, there are examples of athletes dying young, but the movie version of this man's life, in which he dies during a pickup game.
Wayne Fetterman
Yep.
Pablo Torre
In 1988. Because he has.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. Yeah. In California, right over there. Right across the country.
Pablo Torre
And it's because, I mean, I guess this is not the medical term, but it is a broken heart. He has this undetected heart defect.
Wayne Fetterman
When they did an autopsy to find out why he collapsed on his basketball court, they found out that he was missing his right coronary artery. Born with it that way. A defective heart. Basically, half his heart wouldn't bump. I mean, it's almost stunning because here's a guy that ran his whole life, unlike Secretariat, who, when they opened up his heart, he had an enlarged heart. His heart was bigger. He basically had a bigger engine than the horses he was running against. Pete had a smaller heart, but stronger in some ways. So there's this magical part of his career that's now. And because he had become a Christian and was proselytizing and sharing his testimony very much for the last six years of his life, he has this aura about him beyond the basketball. And he said, and it's weird, you know, I love the guy so much. He said, if I'm only known for being a basketball guy, I would feel like that wasn't a success for him. Like, there was more to life than that. And unfortunately, most people, that's how they know the guy. So it's. It's beyond cinematic. And the year he leaves, the very next year, the team he left wins the championship.
Pablo Torre
Sure.
Wayne Fetterman
How about that? Yeah. Pablo, how about finding out about that?
Pablo Torre
Well, what I want to find out is who would you have cast as Pete Meredith?
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, I don't know. It would have to be. It's. So that would be the tricky part.
Pablo Torre
You need a guy who can actually plausibly.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, that's a good question. Because it kept changing, you know, who wanted to do it when the book came out? Who? Sudeikis.
Pablo Torre
I kind of love that.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, He's. He's a lefty though.
Pablo Torre
Yeah, right.
Wayne Fetterman
We could fix it. We could fix it.
Pablo Torre
He claims. Sudeikis claims to be an above 90% lifetime free throw shooter.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, he's very good. I played with him.
Pablo Torre
So I want to get to. So this is. This is the segue from I wish. I wish that Sudeikis would have been Pete Maravich in this hypothetical movie that never got made to the legendary pickup runs that I actually always needed to ask you about. Which also brings us back to Gary.
Wayne Fetterman
Shandling, the Sunday game. Yeah, yeah. Well, that was just Gary took I. Again, Pablo. Gary liked me for some crazy reason. He just thought it was funny. I don't know if it's, you know, I'm from Florida, he's from Arizona. You know what I mean? We're not like New York, Louisiana, rich kid, anything like that. So I. I'm just guessing. And he ran a Sunday game at his house to feel like, I don't know, just part of something outside of show business. And I not only ran, I was in the game for 20 years, but became the unofficial commissioner of that game.
Pablo Torre
Okay, so I'm finding out a lot now.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
Please explain for people who don't know what this is.
Wayne Fetterman
It's a half court game. It's at his house. He had this beautiful house that by the way, recently just torn down, that he had built. If you ever see there's a documentary I co, produced, didn't produce, called the Zen Diaries of Gary Shanling. And we get into this, how important this game was to him. And so it started with, you know, friends, but it's also, you know, he knows everyone. So it's all, you know, one time Bob Costas plays. It's one time Brad Pitt plays.
Pablo Torre
I need scouting reports on all of these names. As you mentioned them. Do you remember anything about Bob Costas and. Or Brad Pitt?
Wayne Fetterman
So I remember by Costas because he was on my team is 3 on 3. 3 on 3. He would play like this.
Pablo Torre
Half court.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah, half court. No, three. No three pointers. And I. Costas was good, but he was always trying to make me go down to post up because I am 6 2, which makes sense.
Pablo Torre
You're running a high low.
Wayne Fetterman
He wanted me to run and I don't have my. This is my motto when it comes to basketball, which is the opposite of David Duchovny's motto. He's good things happen in the paint. I'm bad things happen in the paint. So I like. I'm like a guard forward trapped in a. A guard trapped in forward spotty like I like to shoot from the outside, crash the boards a little bit, play defense. I don't want to be banging down low, but that's what Costas wanted me to do. And he kept yelling at me, was very frustrated. Like again, he's a great guy.
Pablo Torre
I like Bob Costa's eloquently yelling at you.
Wayne Fetterman
In my mind he was like not having it. He was not. I was like, why aren't you posting up? I was like, cuz, I can't do this.
Pablo Torre
That's why.
Wayne Fetterman
Because I can't. Because Adam. Adam McKay is pushing me out. I can't do this.
Pablo Torre
If you were to like power rank. Who's the best? Who's the best player when it comes to the legendary Gary?
Wayne Fetterman
David Duchovny. Dave. Dave played at Prince Princeton his freshman year. Yes. Played as a. I'm not real good. Oh, you didn't have that against your eye, did you? I was trying to be really careful.
Pablo Torre
Okay, so now you guys tell me.
Unknown
So actually you guys.
Wayne Fetterman
Well, I think no hesitation of the celebrities. David Duchovny. Yeah, he had an outside shot. His game, everything outside, inside and hands. You know, people are just good around the rim. You could do either hand. Had really nice touch inside. Good pump fakes, just friendly.
Pablo Torre
Was this X Files era?
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Yeah.
Pablo Torre
So is this how you be? I mean again, by the way, in the role you were literally born to play, Wayne Fetterman at one point, finally got to be Wayne Fetterman.
Wayne Fetterman
You gonna answer your phone? Me? Yeah, I didn't want to be rude. So who the hell is this guy? Hello.
Pablo Torre
This is Wayne Federman.
Wayne Fetterman
He's an old buddy of mine from college.
Pablo Torre
He's a writer out in Hollywood now and he's working on an FBI based movie.
Wayne Fetterman
He's asked me to give him access. Screenwriter. It's actually as a writer slash producer. That's actually just a hindrance. Slash pain in the neck. Agent Mulder, I don't want to eat your lunch. I'm just here for some procedural flavor. Just to taste.
Pablo Torre
The premise of that is that you are shadowing.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
To Mulder and Scully.
Wayne Fetterman
Right. And Gary was in the episode.
Pablo Torre
Shandling plays Fox Mulder. David Duchovny.
Wayne Fetterman
As meta as you can get.
Pablo Torre
But for that role.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
Did that come out of the pickup game?
Wayne Fetterman
It was right before the pickup game. Duchovny knew me from stand up because he's a standup junkie, whatever. And so he knew my act and stuff like that and then wrote the part with me in mind. He wrote that wrote and directed that.
Pablo Torre
Episode as Wayne Fetterman. The character name.
Wayne Fetterman
And this is a little. He wrote it, faxed it to me. Literally. Faxed with the rolly paper. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?
Pablo Torre
We did an episode dedicated to the fax machine, actually.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, okay.
Pablo Torre
Because of the Michael Jordan. I'm back fax. We.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, okay.
Pablo Torre
You're among. This is a home game for you at this point.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay.
Pablo Torre
We're getting everything you're putting down.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay. So. So he faxed it to me and he was like, what? What do you think? Is this something you'd like to do? And of course, like, I auditioned for that. Yes, it's something I would like to do. What kind of question is that? Yes, be on the X Files. Yeah, that is something I'd like to do. But then he goes, I'm gonna, you know, obviously I'm gonna change the name. I just wanted your voice in my head when I was writing it to get the rhythm of it. I was like, I'm going to pitch that. You don't change the name of it because it's already about somebody. You know, a thing within a thing, as you said before. And he was like, man, that's a good idea. You sure you don't have a problem with that? I go, no.
Pablo Torre
He's like, well, it is kind of like a. Again, a craven guy who insinuates himself into lots of rooms in which he is not welcome and sort of puts his self interest above everybody else's. But that.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes, sir. Yes.
Pablo Torre
At the risk of being insulting, did you need to audition?
Wayne Fetterman
I did. Not for David, but for Chris Carter, I think is the guy. Please double check that room. Get to work.
Pablo Torre
I think that was Chris Carter is the.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Behind the X Files. So I went in and there was. There was other Wayne Fatterman types in the room. And I said to myself, if I can't get the role of Wayne Fetterman, this might be time to reconsider.
Unknown
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Pablo Torre
It's the Smucker's Uncrustables podcast with your host, Uncrustables.
Wayne Fetterman
Okay.
Pablo Torre
Today's guest is rough around the edges. Please welcome crust.
Wayne Fetterman
Thanks for having me.
Pablo Torre
Today's topic, he's round with soft, pillowy bread.
Wayne Fetterman
Hey. Filled with delicious PB and J.
Pablo Torre
Are you talking about yourself?
Wayne Fetterman
And you can take them anywhere.
Pablo Torre
Why'd you invite. And we are out of time. Are you really cutting me off?
Wayne Fetterman
Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich.
Pablo Torre
Sorry, crust.
Wayne Fetterman
Can I ask you a question? I know we're winding up, but, like, I thought your. This show was just about, like, oh, what happened with the Lindbergh baby? We're going to find out. Oh, what?
Pablo Torre
Kind of. Yeah, kind of.
Wayne Fetterman
It's like, so why am I on this show? I. I think that Wayne wants to find out.
Pablo Torre
I think that Wayne Fetterman has asked a question that everybody in our audience already has answered.
Wayne Fetterman
Oh, okay. Which is?
Pablo Torre
Which is that Wayne Fetterman. What I found out today is that Wayne Fetterman has lived a life that can only be described as that of a guy who climbed into the television onto the screen in a way that I'm not even sure Wayne Fetterman appreciates, frankly.
Wayne Fetterman
That's correct. That's correct.
Pablo Torre
Doesn't seem like you're as excited about you as I am.
Wayne Fetterman
It's like, oh, I never got on Everybody Loves Raymond. Like, that's kind of.
Pablo Torre
That's. You want everybody to love Wayne Fetterman and you are counting the. The instead of all the mix.
Wayne Fetterman
Maybe. Maybe I. I think of it more of not everyone to love Wayne Fetterman, but just like, I want to be, like, a great utility guy that can always be counted on.
Pablo Torre
Well, I have good news for you.
Wayne Fetterman
Yes.
Pablo Torre
You're a professor at University of Southern California.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And you teach this class. And I went on the website ratemyprofessors.com.
Wayne Fetterman
Yeah.
Pablo Torre
And I'm proud to report that Wayne Fetterman gets five stars across the board. Quote, super funny guy and amusing class. Very chill. And the easiest a ever final was literally graded off of completion.
Wayne Fetterman
Yep. But the fight, they had to do a project before the final.
Pablo Torre
So just if you show up to class and do the assignments, you will get an A.
Wayne Fetterman
What is that, an insult?
Pablo Torre
It's a separate review. Here's another one. If you need a gen ed a, look no further. And here's the quote, Wayne, that I want to leave you with because you said that you don't want everybody to love Professor Wayne Fetterman.
Wayne Fetterman
I did I say that?
Pablo Torre
Quote, we all love Mr. Federman, take his class.
Wayne Fetterman
And this is not helping, by the way. None of this run, this final, this flurry, this flurry.
Pablo Torre
I am waving a top hat in the air as I recite these screenshots.
Wayne Fetterman
None of that is making me feel better, so I appreciate it.
Pablo Torre
Well, I can't win them all.
Wayne Fetterman
No, no. Thank you for trying. Thank you for trying. Right, you gotta throw it out there.
Pablo Torre
Wayne Fetterman, thank you for visiting Betterment.
Wayne Fetterman
And out.
Pablo Torre
Well played. This has been Pablo Torre Finds Out a Meadowlark Media production and I'll talk to you next time.
Wayne Fetterman
Sam.
Pablo Torre Finds Out: "Who the F* Is Wayne Federman?" – Episode Summary**
Release Date: July 10, 2025
In this engaging episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out, host Pablo Torre delves into the multifaceted career of Wayne Federman, a prolific figure in comedy and acting. Through a candid conversation, Torre and Federman explore Wayne's extensive contributions to television, film, and stand-up comedy, shedding light on his often-overlooked roles and behind-the-scenes endeavors. The episode is rich with anecdotes, insider insights, and humorous exchanges that paint a comprehensive picture of Wayne Federman's influence in the entertainment industry.
00:00 – 02:07
The episode kicks off with a playful introduction where Pablo Torre sets the stage for uncovering the enigmatic persona of Wayne Federman. The conversation begins with Wayne's humorous side as he jokes about invoicing Pablo for an unknown service, setting a lighthearted tone for the episode.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "Have you ever spotted McDonald's hot crispy fries right as they're being scooped into the carton? And time just stands still."
(00:20)
02:07 – 04:32
Torre transitions into discussing Wayne's vast career, emphasizing his significant yet often unrecognized contributions to comedy and television. Wayne's impressive resume includes an Emmy-winning documentary about George Carlin for HBO, ongoing work on a Norm MacDonald documentary, and his past as a ventriloquist and monologue writer for legends like Bob Newhart and Jimmy Fallon.
Notable Quote:
Pablo Torre: "Wayne has won an Emmy for producing a documentary about the life of George Carlin for HBO."
(03:48)
Wayne recounts his early days in stand-up comedy, mentioning notable experiences such as attending Eddie Murphy's 21st birthday party at Studio 54 and his time performing at the Comic Strip, highlighting his deep roots in the comedy scene.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "The reason I was there is because I was starting to do stand up comedy and my main club was the Comic Strip."
(04:32)
04:32 – 10:38
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on Wayne's recurring roles in popular television shows and movies. Torre points out the peculiar phenomenon of Wayne's numerous cameo appearances, particularly his portrayals in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Wayne humorously reflects on his limited but memorable roles, such as the Admissions Guy in Legally Blonde and his character Dean Weinstock in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "I kept appearing in these movies, not so much on television, but in just one scene, Legally Blonde as Admissions Guy and Stepbrothers."
(10:01)
Wayne shares insights into his character Dean Weinstock, explaining the improvisational aspects of his role and the chemistry he shares with Larry David, the creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm. The episode delves into the dynamics of their on-screen interactions, illustrating how Wayne's comedic timing contributes to the show's success.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "I was like, okay, this is gonna be a fun role."
(22:26)
10:38 – 22:32
Torre and Wayne delve deeper into Wayne's involvement with Curb Your Enthusiasm, discussing specific episodes and character developments. They explore the challenges and triumphs Wayne faced while portraying Dean Weinstock, highlighting moments when Wayne had to maneuver around tight scripts and improvise scenes to maintain the show's unique comedic flair.
Notable Quote:
Pablo Torre: "You have the most expansive social network of anybody in comedy, genuinely, at this point."
(12:21)
Wayne reflects on the reception of his character, mentioning how certain plot twists and character arcs were received by both the audience and his peers. The conversation underscores Wayne's adaptability and dedication to his craft, even when faced with constraints like non-disclosure agreements.
22:32 – 35:07
Transitioning from his on-screen roles, Wayne discusses his academic endeavors as a professor at the University of Southern California (USC). Torre highlights Wayne’s exceptional reputation among students, pointing to his five-star ratings on RateMyProfessors.com.
Notable Quote:
Pablo Torre: "Wayne Federman gets five stars across the board. 'Super funny guy and amusing class.' "
(54:17)
Wayne elaborates on his teaching philosophy, emphasizing his role in educating students about the history of stand-up comedy. He candidly admits that while he teaches the subject, he cannot instill humor itself, underscoring the innate nature of comedic talent.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "Because I do teach a class, an advanced class in it. But you can't teach anyone to be funny."
(08:45)
35:07 – 42:43
The discussion shifts to Wayne's passion project: a cinematic portrayal of basketball legend Pete Maravich. Wayne passionately describes Maravich's life, drawing parallels between Maravich's dedication and Shakespearean storytelling.
Notable Quote:
Pablo Torre: "I just feel like it's weird that you're like, I love passion projects."
(38:14)
Wayne shares his vision for the film, outlining the tragic yet inspiring elements of Maravich's career and personal life. He expresses a desire to capture the essence of Maravich's genius and the impact of his untimely death on the basketball world.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "It's story. Well, it's a kid who, with a father who's a basketball coach, dedicates his childhood to become the greatest basketball player of all time."
(38:30)
42:43 – 55:47
Throughout the episode, Torre and Wayne engage in humorous banter, sharing personal stories and playful critiques of their own work. They reminisce about Wayne's appearances on various shows, including Community and Larry Sanders, highlighting the blend of scripted content and improvisation that defines Wayne's acting style.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "I write about it in the book extensively. It's one of the."
(40:15)
They also touch upon the challenges of balancing multiple roles in the entertainment industry, with Wayne humorously addressing the complexities of non-disclosure agreements and the pressures of maintaining a versatile career.
55:47 – End
In the concluding segments, Torre emphasizes Wayne's unrecognized yet significant influence in the comedy world. They discuss Wayne's standing as a "great utility guy," someone who can seamlessly fit into various roles and projects, making him a valuable asset in any comedic ensemble.
Notable Quote:
Pablo Torre: "What I found out today is that Wayne Federman has lived a life that can only be described as that of a guy who climbed into the television onto the screen in a way that I'm not even sure Wayne Federman appreciates."
(53:25)
Wayne modestly reflects on his career, expressing gratitude for the opportunities and the enduring relationships he's built within the industry. The episode wraps up with a humorous nod to Wayne's seemingly unstoppable presence in television and film, leaving listeners with a newfound appreciation for his contributions.
Notable Quote:
Wayne Federman: "A professor at University of Southern California. And you teach this class. And I went on the website ratemyprofessors.com."
(54:17)
This episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out serves as a comprehensive tribute to Wayne Federman, illuminating his diverse roles and unwavering passion for comedy and teaching. Through insightful dialogue and entertaining anecdotes, Torre and Federman celebrate Wayne's unique journey in the entertainment world, highlighting the profound yet understated impact he's had on audiences and peers alike. For those unfamiliar with Wayne Federman, this episode offers a deep dive into his remarkable career, showcasing why he remains a beloved and influential figure in comedy.