179 - ABBA - The Definitive Collection - Liza Treyger

Summary

Podcast Title: The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers
Episode: 179 - ABBA - The Definitive Collection - Liza Treyger
Release Date: January 1, 2025
Host: Josh Adam Myers
Guest: Lisa Traeger

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Introduction to ABBA and the Episode

In Episode 179 of The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers, host Josh Adam Myers delves into the illustrious career of ABBA, spotlighting their "The Definitive Collection" album. Joined by Lisa Traeger, a celebrated comedian and creator of the Netflix special "That's Messed Up", the episode offers a comprehensive exploration of ABBA's enduring legacy in the music industry.

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Guest Introduction and Personal Connections

[06:16] Josh Adam Myers: "ABBA is one of the greatest dance groups of all time."

Josh warmly welcomes Lisa Traeger to the show, highlighting their long-standing friendship and collaborative endeavors, including their work on shows in Montreal. Lisa brings a personal touch, sharing her experiences in the comedy world and her connection to ABBA's music.

[07:04] Lisa Traeger: "And most importantly, subscribe to the 500."

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ABBA’s Formation and Rise to Fame

The discussion kicks off with a deep dive into the origins of ABBA. Lisa and host Jeremiah Watkins (a co-host or guest) outline how the band was formed in Stockholm in 1972, uniting Björn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad under the keen management of Stig Anderson.

[21:12] Lisa Traeger: "So my brother was fresh off the boat..."

They recount ABBA's breakthrough moment—their victory at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the iconic song "Waterloo", a win that catapulted them to international stardom.

[34:12] Lisa Traeger: "ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with 'Waterloo,' launching their global career."

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Musical Style and Impact

ABBA's perfectionism in the studio is a focal point of the conversation. Lisa emphasizes their meticulous approach to music production, ensuring every track was polished to perfection.

[52:22] Lisa Traeger: "ABBA are perfectionists in the studio, working on tracks until they got them right rather than leaving them to come back to later."

The hosts discuss ABBA's distinctive Europop disco sound, characterized by catchy melodies, rich harmonies, and innovative studio techniques. Jeremiah highlights how ABBA's music remains timeless, appealing to multiple generations.

[54:23] Jeremiah Watkins: "ABBA's music is unique; there's no one that sounds like them."

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ABBA’s Legacy and Continued Popularity

The episode explores ABBA's monumental success, including their status as the third best-selling singles artists in the UK and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[86:03] Lisa Traeger: "ABBA have pure joy in their music. That's what makes them extraordinary."

Despite their disbandment in 1982, ABBA's music continues to resonate globally. Lisa points out their ongoing influence in modern media, such as "Mamma Mia!", and the innovative use of holograms in their tours, ensuring their presence remains virtually omnipresent.

[91:22] Jeremiah Watkins: "ABBA's pure joy in their music is unmatched, making them timeless."

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Personal Anecdotes and Modern Connections

Lisa shares personal anecdotes about ABBA's impact on her life, from family gatherings to dance floors. Jeremiah echoes these sentiments, recalling how ABBA's music was a staple during his childhood and continues to be a source of joy and nostalgia.

[93:39] Lisa Traeger: "ABBA's music is pure joy. It's fun and timeless, perfect for any occasion."

They discuss ABBA's unique ability to bridge generational gaps, making their songs favorites at weddings, parties, and even in modern TikTok trends.

[97:53] Lisa Traeger: "ABBA is perfect for any mood. Their music is always uplifting and danceable."

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ABBA’s Enduring Appeal and Musical Excellence

The hosts delve into what makes ABBA's music so enduring. Lisa attributes it to their perfected studio techniques and unforgettable melodies, while Jeremiah emphasizes their unique sound and global appeal.

[91:22] Lisa Traeger: "Their attention to detail and studio perfection make every song feel like it has a bow on it."

They also touch upon ABBA's record sales, their influence on other artists, and their status as a cultural phenomenon that transcends time and geography.

[100:16] Lisa Traeger: "Bono said ABBA have a pure joy in their music, which makes them extraordinary."

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode wraps up by reaffirming ABBA's place in music history. Lisa and Jeremiah celebrate their extensive catalog of hits, their influence on pop culture, and their ability to evoke joy and unity through music.

[97:53] Jeremiah Watkins: "ABBA's music is perfect for any occasion, bringing people together no matter where they are."

[91:21] Jimmy Watkins: "They have pure joy in their music, which makes them extraordinary."

Josh encourages listeners to explore ABBA's "The Definitive Collection", highlighting its significance in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Josh Adam Myers [06:16]: “ABBA is one of the greatest dance groups of all time.”
• Lisa Traeger [52:22]: “ABBA are perfectionists in the studio, working on tracks until they got them right rather than leaving them to come back to later.”
• Jeremiah Watkins [54:23]: “ABBA's music is unique; there's no one that sounds like them.”
• Lisa Traeger [86:03]: “ABBA have pure joy in their music. That's what makes them extraordinary.”
• Lisa Traeger [91:22]: “Their attention to detail and studio perfection make every song feel like it has a bow on it.”
• Josh Adam Myers [97:53]: “ABBA's music is perfect for any occasion, bringing people together no matter where they are.”

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Final Thoughts

Episode 179 of The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers offers an enriching journey through ABBA's storied career, celebrating their unmatched contribution to pop music. With insightful discussions, personal stories, and a deep appreciation for ABBA's artistry, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of why ABBA remains a beloved and influential force in the music world.

For fans and newcomers alike, this episode is a delightful tribute to ABBA's timeless appeal and their indelible mark on the global music landscape.

Transcript

[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Lisa Traeger]

This episode is brought to you by Companion. Iris and Josh seem like the perfect match, but when a weekend getaway turns into a nightmare, Iris realizes that things aren't as perfect as they appear. From the creators of Barbarian and the studio that brought you the Notebook comes a twisted tale of modern romance and the sweet satisfaction of revenge. Companion only in theaters January 31st. Rated R under 17 not admitted without parent this show is brought to you by Distro Kid. Bring your music to the masses. The 500 the 500J been walking us.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Down through that 2012 edition so it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Ain'T nothing to you Hundreds more to go no and in need of a friend the king of peaceful angelo Talking the 500 until the end Talking the 500 until the end with my man JM on the 500 Talking the 500 until the end and when you get.

[Unknown]

The chance you are the dancing queen young and sweet only 17 dancing queen be the be from the Tanque you can dance, you can dance Having the time of your life See that girl watch that sea digging the dance the.

Song is Dancing Queen. It's by abba from their 2001 career encompassing compilation, the definitive Collection. It is also number 179 out of 500 on the 500 with Josh Adam Myers. I can't breathe out of my nose right now. I just took some nasal spray. So by the time we get through this, it should probably open back up. But we got to do this because it is. Well, I'm recording this on New Year's Eve, but it is New Year's Day when this comes out, so happy New Year, everybody. Fleece Army I hope 2024 was an incredible year for you. It was a great year for me. 2025 is going to be the best year of our lives.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's what we say. I feel like we're going to take.

[Unknown]

This podcast to new heights. We're going to gain at least eight more listeners. We're going to lose about 300. So we'll gain eight, lose three. But those eight that we gain really dig the podcast. I'm kidding. I love you guys. I can't imagine that we're still doing this, man, because, you know, with the ups and downs of this podcast, we just keep going. We're almost there, man.

[Lisa Traeger]

We're.

[Unknown]

We're really so close. Like 2025, 2023 years, three years and five months, basically six months, really. But either way, it's so great. I love you guys. All right, yeah, the spiel. I'll just get to the podcast today. Let's just get right into this. Catch me January 10th and January 11th at off the Hook in Naples, Florida. And then the 20 oh, this weekend, though, on Saturday, you can see me at the Stanford Comedy Club. Yeah. New York Comedy club in Stanford, Connecticut. And like I said, the 10th, 11th off the hook. And then throughout the month, I'll be at the Stellar. I'll be the stand. I'll be at the New York Comedy Club here in New York City. 26 27th of January, I will be in. I will be in the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Also February 6th and February 7th, I'll be at Mohegan Sun Comics in Connecticut. I will then be in the Punchline in Atlanta February 14th and the 15th and February 20th and the 23rd, I'll be at the Laugh Factory and Reno, Nevada. And then March, I think I'm going out with a dude that you guys might know. I'm not sure. I can't announce it yet. And, you know, hopefully I'm not wrong this time, but April, I'll be back out. We got a lot of cool the whole year, man. It's gonna be a fun year. Really busy on the road, so. Joshadamyers.com for tickets at Josh Adam Myers. On all social media, subscribe to the podcast YouTube.com backslash the 500 podcast and subscribe to the Patreon. It helps the show. We love you, you know that.

[Lisa Traeger]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Let's get to the podcast.

[Unknown]

Abba, abba, one of the greatest dance groups of all time, DJ Morty Coyle said that if you had chic ABBA and Casey and the Sunshine man, You had enough to DJ a whole night of disco. But we don't have the other two bands, we just have abba. And today my guest grew up with them. The one and only Lisa Traeger. Returning to the podcast, she got a brand new special coming out on Netflix. Like this month she's got an incredible podcast called that's Messed up. It's where she's going through Law and Order svu. She is a great friend of mine. We did the dirty show or the nasty show in Montreal together. We've just been homies. Really get along with this person. I love her. Yeah, man. This is gonna be a fun one rate review.

[Lisa Traeger]

And most importantly, subscribe to the 500.

[Unknown]

Listen free on all platforms. Anywhere you get your pods. Leave us a five star rating. Follow me at Josh Adam Myers on all social media. Follow the podcast at the Five podcast. Email the [e-mail] Follow the Facebook group run by Crazy Oven. And for all things 500, go to the website the500podcast.com and for all things me. What does that mean? Just get to the podcast. All right guys, Here we go. 179 out of 500 with Abba Aba the definitive collection at 179.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

The reason I do want to say, I do say it wrong because in my Russian household I learned it wrong.

[Lisa Traeger]

Well, by the way, since we people are tuning in for that moment right there. How did you say?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think I said Abba. I say Abba and I know it's Abba and I fuck up all the time. And it's like it's a childhood thing. It's a childhood thing.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is, I'm so excited right now because, to talk to you about this because we're going to pull the curtain back on, on the show to all the listeners, all the fleece army that's listening to the 500 for the six years we've been doing it here with my, with my incredible guest. Well, you know what, first of all, gosh darn it, please tell us about this special which is coming out very soon. Let's get that out of the way because it's so exciting and well deserved. So, so please, please go ahead.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, people have been really nice. It comes out January 28th on Netflix. You know, a nice brand name. It's. It's my first hour special. I've been doing stand up for 15 years. So I'm really fucking. And since this is a music podcast, I actually licensed a song by Muna. So I have a Muna song to start and finish the special. Which felt cool.

[Lisa Traeger]

You love pop music is muna pop. I'm assuming she's more rock.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

They're three lesbians.

[Lisa Traeger]

You got my attention. Interesting.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And two of them sing. Yeah. And they're. But I would say pop, rock, punk. But they just like they've done the Greek. They sold out the Greek. Like they're at that. They open for Taylor Swift. They're there.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. I think you heard about them.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, I really like them. They're fun. I've seen them twice. Yeah. And then the LA one was star studded. I mean Kristen Stewart was there. Haley Kiyoko is like every lesbian you can imagine.

[Lisa Traeger]

The big lesbians. The Samantha. The Samantha Ronson 2005 lesbian click. They love their hit song Scissor Me All Night Long. Come on and scissor me.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Where are you? Are you in a hotel?

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I'm in Minnesota by the way. I mean I'm doing the House of comedy and I've been on the road since December 15th. We did the Jam, we did Shimmy. We did. I went, you know, went to San Diego, did La Jolla. Then I, then I went to see my mom in Maryland and now I'm in Minnesota. And guys, I really want to tell everybody this because I know this is so unimportant. We're going to get back to everything about abba. But if you have President Circle at Hertz, okay, if you have. Do you know what President Circle is? Do you. So you sign up, you get like your rewards program, you rent with them. And if you have a certain amount of points and you have an American Express card, you get President Circle. Which means I pay $30 for the cheapest car. But I get to walk into this little section of the lot and pick out a car that's usually a nice SUV or a Mustang or a like a Chevy Challenger or a Charger. And there's sometimes some really good cars in there. But what I've come to realize, guys, and I'm giving this to all the fans to you. And if you rent a car, if you have President Circle, you just need to bring any car to the checkout that has keys. And if you have the keys, they'll give it to you. I have a ninety thousand dollar Mercedes SUV right now. Oh, for thirty dollars a day it has 8, 000 miles on it. The, the dude did not. He just goes, all right, there you go. They do not check if you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Have you been driving more? Have you been like riding around in the Mercedes? You would Normally drive.

[Lisa Traeger]

I went vintage shopping yesterday. I'm going to Prince's house. I'm going to get a juicy Lucy. I might drive to Duluth. I don't even know how far away that is. I just have, you know, it's. The car is awesome, but I just, you know, it's, It's. God bless it and the President Circle. And I wanted to give you that as my Christmas gift to you, that if you rent from Hertz, I'm not that hurts person.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But I'm an American Express. I'm a Delta diamond, so I, I. But I don't do hotel or car rental points.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm only so good at so many admin, you know what I mean? Like, I can't. I'm one girl who just wanted to tell jokes and now I have to run an enterprise and I just can't do it.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's so hard.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

The email, I didn't even remember. It's. It's just too much. It's just too much stuff. But I should. I have like, the bond. I have points, but I'm not as loyal in hotels.

[Lisa Traeger]

And like, where do you stay when you go to la, though? Do you stay in a friend's house or do you. You stay at the On Daz.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I stayed at the On Doors. I got an Airbnb once. I have stay with friends or friends are out of town. It depends what kind of visit and what I need. But I do need alone time.

[Lisa Traeger]

And so like, on does stay at the on does. And you get the points. And do they take care of you? They take care of you. Especially because you're a Comedy Store person. You get the deal. And I mean deal.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But, yeah, we'll see. I mean, we'll see who I stay with. Everyone has kids. It's just. Stop.

[Lisa Traeger]

Don't. You're. You're an adult. You have a Netflix special. You know you got the money.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I know.

[Lisa Traeger]

We have the same cleaning lady. We have the same cleaning lady about me. Not at all. She does not talk shit about you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Because one time. No, but one time she sent me. She walks into my apartment. I usually try to do it when I'm out of town. And she sent me the blue face emoji, screaming like the Home Alone Boy. And I was like, okay, I guess I'm worse. I'm bad. But really, I know I'm clutter, I'm clutter, I'm clutter. I'm telling you, I can't. Like, I just. I. That's how I grew up. I'm cluttering.

[Lisa Traeger]

Same sister's clutter.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

My dad's clutter. We're all clutter. My mom's a clean girl, and we feel really bad for her.

[Lisa Traeger]

So, you know. All right, you know what? I was going to talk about this, but I love that you just brought.

[Unknown]

Up your parents right now.

[Lisa Traeger]

So you are. And we might have mentioned.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You're gonna love this.

[Unknown]

What is it?

[Lisa Traeger]

Is that Homer?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, is that with feeding himself pizza and his.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, yeah, yeah. When he's got the dude. God bless us, everyone. That's what.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's one of the first things we connected. We have so much stuff in common. There you go in a nice poop shop, you're like, here's Homer, and here's my tits. If you subscribe to the Patreon Guys, you get the uncensored version of that. Can I borrow feelings? Of course.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. So I just have, like, that everywhere. Like what. You know what I mean? Like, that's kind of my life. And so, like, why do I have multiple troll. Like, that's just kind of how I'm living.

[Lisa Traeger]

Those. Those are. The knickknacks. Are stuff that we just get as comics. I have so much that I collect over the. You know, and I think with. With Tony, our cleaning lady, I. I have her come every two to three weeks.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Lily, that's.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, it's Tony. No wonder she's like this. No, I. I think if they come. If they come more often, then it stays clean enough. The only thing is, like, my bathroom might get a little. You know, it's just a normal bathroom mishpakash. And I think everything else, like, I don't really. My kitchen is. Is whatever. And. And they just. I. If they come enough and they come quick, there's not much to clean. And they don't talk. They do. They do, you know, kind of say, like, they do rank our apartments in size, though.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I bet Mateo's winning.

[Lisa Traeger]

She. He is, dude. They. They are on. Mateo's nuts, dude. He must have an enormous place.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think they do once. I bet he does once a week. Because every time she comes to mind, she's going to his before. Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Always the daughter.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm sure this is riveting to everybody.

[Lisa Traeger]

And then I'm gonna. Now, you know, because we're talking. We're pulling the curtain back. You know, I've done the Hertz thing. I've done. We've talked about the cleaning lady. The. From doing this show. Please. Like, we have. We have episodes where we have die hard fans, like, you know, and where the album and stuff is important to the person because they grew up with it and it is their favorite.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. Like when you didn't ask me to do the Red Hot Chili Peppers, even though I have a Red Hot Chili.

[Lisa Traeger]

Pepper, I didn't know that. And that was during the pandemic. And that's the thing is the problem with this is that we. We have so much out there.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

The Backstreet Boys aren't going to be on this list. So that's what's not at all bad for me.

[Lisa Traeger]

And. And you. And when I. When this came up, we actually. I actually bumped somebody off, jt. Isn't that right? Like, I bumped somebody. I was like, oh, no, no, no. It's my homie. She's got the special coming out and she's a huge fan. But sometimes we get albums and people to do something that they're. They don't really know enough about, but we just need to fill it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And that was me. I did Jefferson Airplane.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, like. Like, it was.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But then it's like my phone knew, and every time I had my phone on shuffle, it would give me a Jefferson Airplane song, and I'm like, I had to. I'm like, get this out of my life.

[Lisa Traeger]

Like, it's not. It's not Jay, you know, Jeremiah, you know, it's. This is not an easy podcast to book. And the fact that we have done this, you know, as long as we have, people are gonna. I mean, God damn. Wayne Fetterman has done 16. Sixteen episodes, you know, and this year alone, he's looking like eight probably.

[Unknown]

These are Alec Baldwin.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. I mean, and it's like, especially if I go out with Jelly in March, he's probably gonna do two or three of those. So this is what I'm saying. We. We give you one, you come, you help us out. So when you come back, I feel like we got you, for the record, because what I know about you is you love pop. And if there is a. If there is a godfather and godmother of pop music, I think it all more than. I'm not talking about, like, the Beatles. That's rock and roll. I'm talking about the. The. The Britney Spear, you know what I mean? Like, the. That is taken over.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Started here because. Started with abba, because that's Swedish pop. And I feel like the Swedes have been producing pop since then. And so that's kind of. That is the birth of pop for sure. And. And for thinking about the, like, Our contemporary stuff, like, it's just always come out of Sweden.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's, you know, who the. Who's the big guy? That.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Max Martin.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, Max Martin.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But it's trickled down. So that same studio, they're still doing all the pop people now. The Childish Gambina, like, they're all the Swedes are all in it in that same studio, even if it's not like Max Martin specific. Because I heard he's expensive to work with.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, yeah, 100%. But I mean, you're talking.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You're g. I forgot what pop star was talking. But like, their label only paid for one song with him or two, you know, like, he's a pricey guy.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure, sure. But you're guaranteed a hit. So that's. That's what I'm talking about is like, when a guy has a record like that, it's the dude. Mutt Lang, the dude that did. Yeah. Def Leppard. He did. I think it's. Is he Swedish too? I think he is. Will you check Jay? Like, I think. I think there's something southern. There's something about the Swedish. He's South Africa. Okay. Close enough. You know what I mean?

[Unknown]

Still.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, dude, just blonde. And there's something about. Isn't it like eugenics don't like Swedish people? Like, like they kill. They kill off the week.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, there. Netflix has a this is Pop series, and I learned a lot in that. And what the Swedish culture, they said is it's not about bragging and it's about doing the work. So it's like not a show off culture, but like a silent do your work culture. And so that cultivates maybe more work work than like flashy. I don't know, like, that was their big thing, that they're not in the flash and attention. They just want to do the work.

[Lisa Traeger]

Well, what's funny is I. Until this morning when I looked over this stuff, I finally found out the names of the band and exactly what they looked like. You know, ABBA is just a.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You could see one of those holograms. The holographs are performing.

[Lisa Traeger]

I saw that. I saw that they got back together in 2016, which, I mean, I had heard that. You know, I was talking to. I was talking to Morty, our. My writer, one of my writers. I get to add him a shout out to Adam's. Adam gets everything together. Morty just kind of like gets me tight. And, you know, I remember a few years ago, wasn't there like a chic that offered them a billion Dollars to go on a tour of like 30 cities. He was gonna pay Abba. Now I'm saying it. Abba. I know, like a billion dollars. And then I think they turned it down because of. Of the, you know, don't forget is like these are two couples. This is like the Swedish Fleetwood Mac. Like both of them were, you know, I'll figure out exactly who in a second. You know, when we really get into the nitty gritty. But both of them were married and then they started this band and. And should I go into the history right now or do what? I want to find out before we get into that. I want to find out like. Because you our first generation, right? America.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, I was born there, so I'm like half. But I was raised here. Yeah, I'm like, I'm like the more American person in my family.

[Lisa Traeger]

So besides Jefferson Airplane, which was just through your house, non stop as a kid, just everywhere you went, every room. When the truth is fiery. What. What is your relationship with. With Appa? Like, you know. Tell me.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

So my brother was like fresh off the boat. He came a few years after us and his wife and son, they had an apartment in the city. We lived in the burbs. And we would go over there. Like my parents would party and I would like play with this other kid. And they were. I mean they would definitely drive drunk home too. But like we. I was just like forced to be at these parties and my parents would get hammered and everyone would just dance to Ace of Bass and ABBA and then like other trashy things. Like, like the American music we gravitate towards sounds like Russian music. So it's. I'm trying to think. I'll think of them as we go through. But like, like trashy kind of pop. I don't know what it's called. I wish I give you an example. Yeah, I know it's like hard because I'm tone deaf and I'm like trying to think, but it's like.

[Lisa Traeger]

You tone deaf?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh yeah. I forgot the goddamn comedy jam of it all.

[Lisa Traeger]

J Also what you lack in. In like vocal tonality and key.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Abracadabra. Like that kind of music. Well now reach out and grab ya like that.

[Lisa Traeger]

That Steve Miller band.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's crazy to me. That's like trash because that like everyone was in white, like denim and just getting drunk. And I was just like sitting in this apartment wanting to leave. But like Ace of Base and ABBA were everything to me. And like Ace of Base, I had a VHS tape that I Would watch of like the Making of stuff. And that's what I think about them too. It's like everyone will get up and dance at a wedding to add like, even the youth. They love Dancing Queen. That was big on TikTok. My niece in eighth grade, she's in college now. They did Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia. We saw as a family, like, I just feel it's like transgenerational. Everyone gets down and if you don't. And Muriel's Wedding. Oh, my God.

[Lisa Traeger]

What about the movie? They're in it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, but like, she dresses as that. Like, their music is the whole Australia loves ABBA too. So it's like Waterloo's in that movie. Like all the whole discovery, like so many songs. And that movie was everything to me. And so it just like kind of appeals to everyone. And if you're not into it or it doesn't get you jolly, it's you. Because everyone gets everyone. It's fun.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's very fun. This was a very, very easy listen. This not one of those records that I put on and I have to slug through. Like, every song made me feel good. Every song I was. I worked. I could work out to it. I could, you know, just chill around the house there. There's something in the DNA of ABBA that. That is sad songs.

[Unknown]

The sad songs are still really good.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my God, Fernando, is that one sad. What are the sad.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yes, Fernando's. Fernando's sad. Had. Well, as they. So as they. They started to, you know, me knowing.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, every single name of a song is like a fun thing to sing in it. Like, it's just.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, it's fun. So what's great about. So this is. This is the record that we're doing. So let me just pull it up.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I can't believe we were listening to Steve Miller Band. I am like, wait, what's wrong with.

[Lisa Traeger]

Steve Miller Band rules?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I know, that's why it's shocking. We were listening to it like. Like my childhood was Russian music and the biggest stars of the of Russia would come and play in a high school. And so we would go see them in high school in Chicago. Or like sometimes we'd go to the area Crown Theater. But like, they were just in kind of small dinky venues, but they were like huge stars.

[Lisa Traeger]

Hello, Martin Luther King Middle School. It is me, Nikolai Kretzki, your biggest number one hit from Radio Disco. I am here to perform my number one song. Yeah, in Klakistan, it was Mather High School.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's where we Went the most to see these concerts Mather High School. But like yeah. It all is just so like. And our Russian restaurant banquet parties like abba's just easy fun dance. I don't know. Love it.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is. This is. This is their compilation. The definitive collection. This came out 11-02-2001. This spans their entire career and in order from 1972 to 1982. Let's. Let's talk about how they got together. JT, is there a perfect thing. I guess. I guess the overview. So they form in Stockholm in 1972. I'm gonna these names up. So. Agnefa Foutskog. Sure. Bjorn Uvula Olveyas. Penny Anderson. That's the easy one. Yeah. Watch that. Be like it's actually your son. Yes. And then Annie Fred Lingstad. So they either they. The earlier singers such as Blah blah blah blah. Where is it?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, hold on.

[Lisa Traeger]

Wait.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I won Eurovision. That's.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yes.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Cool.

[Lisa Traeger]

So before we even get into that. I wanna. I wanna just. It starts with Bjorn. Bjorn began his musical career at 18 when he fronted the Hootenanny Singers, a popular Swedish folk skiffle group. The Hoot Nanny Singers and the Hep Stars sometimes cross paths while touring. Stig Anderson was the manager of the Hoot Nanny Singers and founded the Polar Music label. And then in 66, Uveas and Benny Anderson decided to write a song together. Their first attempt was called Isn't it Easy to say A song that was later recorded by the Hep Stars. Stig saw the potential in the collaboration and encouraged them to write more. Benny was a member of the Hep Stars known as the Swedish Beatles. So again to buy me a love I'm Everybody get and that's not a good one. All right. Anderson played the keyboard and eventually started writing original songs for his band. Many of them became major hits. Hits. He submitted blah blah, where is the thing? So they kept submitting to Eurovision and didn't win the song. But they got one that got second place. Anderson briefly met his future spouse, singer Annie Fred Linkstadt, who participated in the contest. A month later the two had become a couple and they started singing with at the who would start. The girl started singing at the age of 13 with different bands. They're doing jazz. She's already a singer in her country. Okay, I see it. It's coming together. Other Benny started to produce her recordings in 71. He started seeing that. That, you know, that they are really gelling at an attempt at combining the talents of these two different groups. In April of 70 they met they all go on a holiday together on the island of Cyprus. Probably, you know, drank, had sex. That's not in my notes. I'm just guessing. Which started as singing for fun on the beach. Yep, I was right. Ended up an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations. Stole soldiers stationed on the island. And Anderson Ovilis were at this time recording their first album together. So they are. Are vibing. They understand that they got something special here. Who's somebody that you. That you, like, realized immediately, you're like, oh, my God. Like, because I had Angelo. Me and Angelo Bowers. Like, we. We met. We were like, oh, yeah, we should be working together. Who's somebody that is like, your uvula?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't really have that. I feel like I've worked with people and it's usually ended in disaster. But I like my best friend.

[Lisa Traeger]

Who's your best friend?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

My best friend is Julia. She's a gal, but she. She works at higher education. She works at nyu, but she's incredible. And she was a producer on my special that's coming out. But it's funny, I didn't think about this at all. But then at the holiday party of the producers I worked with, they were like, yeah, that's the first thing you said at the meeting. They're like, if we're working together, my best friend's producing. We were like, oh, great. Like, some best friend's gonna be there. And I didn't even think, like, of course, they were probably nervous, but my bestie is, like, the most capable, amazing, like, communicator, doer, problem solver, like, in an incredible way. Yeah. Patience can read people, like, just so good at that. And I hope we get to, like, like, work together in the future, you know?

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, dude. You know, go to. Go to the island of Cyprus and. And perform some stuff.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

This is not about. But we were talking, so she's 40, and it's like, you, like, they. She didn't get paid. Like, she was an intern. It's hard to just start a new career unless you're a rich kid. Right? Like, that's why all the agents, assistants, and the PAs and everyone usually comes for money. It's like, even if you love doing something, if you need to work for a living, it's hard to suddenly. To, like, production. And so it's cool to, like, you know, oh, yeah, someone try some, like, do something that I know they'd be good at. She has a master's degree, but wouldn't have the opportunity because you have to, like, Live. Because when I was in Finland, if you want to do a career change, you can go to college and, like, do that. Well, I think a right winger just won there, too, so their lives might be worse soon. But, like, I met someone. Their wife had a career for 40 years and was like, I want to do something else, and the government just pays for it. And she got to, like, go to school and change careers.

[Lisa Traeger]

Dude, why do we suck? Like, why is it, like, why is America so hard to do anything? You know what I mean? It's like, yes.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, how far do you want to get? It's the Puritans, honey. It's the Puritans. They started it. And it's been like this weird, individualistic work to get closer to God. You all. If something's bad, you deserve it. You're eat. You know, it's like, up. The core of our country is just like. Like, bad religious lunatics.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know why? Money. Money. Look at that. Money. And the rich man's world. Hold on. Let's not. Let's not talk politics. We. We got to talk.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That wasn't politics. It was.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, no, no. I know.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, no, no.

[Lisa Traeger]

100%. I'm. Baby, we are right here, but we need to talk about, like.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, but you said if I had any cool partnerships, I had. I've had them for years. I worked with someone for five years, and it was, like, incredible, but then it ended. So I have not had something that, like, has the test.

[Lisa Traeger]

Still doing the SVO podcast.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. 100. Yeah. We work well together. Yes. Yes.

[Lisa Traeger]

There you go. Yeah, exactly.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

We do the pod. It works well. We have a good vibe. For sure. For sure. No, for sure. I don't know why I didn't think about the podcast, because we are creating a product. It's like us talking, but, like, we're researching step. I mean, we have a good dynamic. We can chat. We have a great dynamic. We have great energy. So that's why I didn't think about it, because we are just like, pods podcasting. But, yeah, we. We have.

[Lisa Traeger]

I love. I love Cara. She's. She's one of the funniest. She's so great.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's messed up. An SVU podcast.

[Lisa Traeger]

Check it out. I think such a great idea. I wanted to do one about. About fear thy neighbor, which is like a. It's like a. It's like a TV show on ID that is all about, like, Hatfield and McCoy situations. True stories of, like, neighbor disputes that end in murder. And I thought it would be cool to like, like, do the podcast. We. It's an episode. Watch along. We do another episode every week, you know, and we are. We each take a side to see who was. Who we think was the right in the situation and who was wrong. Somebody always dies. So don't steal that idea if somebody just thinks it's a great idea, because maybe. Jt, I'm not.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I've just never heard of this show. And there's like 11 or 12 seasons, and it's so right up my alley, and it just makes me think how big the world is.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's enormous. And the. The world is so big that Abba.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, keep talking. Keep talking about that. This is like, so chaotic.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, it's great. It's great. So, so basically they. These two couples start working together and they write this song. It peaks at number 17 in Sweden. And then in 73, Stig Anderson decided to have another try at this big festival to try to win the. Like you said, the Eurovision. And he comes up with the song ring, ring. And from that, that's how. Say what?

[Unknown]

This is the time they got their name to the manager. Stig, tired of all the different names or whatever, turned it into the acronym of the. The first name.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my God, it's an acronym even.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

But they win.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Back to the chase. I need to know, did they all stay together romantically? Were they fighting? What was the vibe through the years? I need to know.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's. That's later. That's. Yes. It obviously it wasn't good because in 82, it ends, you know, And I mean, could you imagine what that would be like? I mean, look at Fleetwood Mac. Like Fleetwood Mac, you know, was built on run. Two couples and then a rhythm section and, you know, that kind of tension, like they're not to shortchange the women at all. The guys in the group who are like some of the main writers, like, all of these people are super talented, but it's like the dudes, you know, working with their wives, who are basically now the. The front and the. The. The, you know, it's really, I think also like both two gorgeous women, you know, and. And are the face and the voice. It. It's just, you know, could you imagine. You ever worked with somebody you're dating?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No.

[Lisa Traeger]

You've never worked with somebody you're dating?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No.

[Lisa Traeger]

Have you ever dated a comic and then you have to see them regularly after?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No.

[Lisa Traeger]

No. So, yeah, I mean, could you imagine like being on tour with. With, you know, an ex boyfriend or an ex husband?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, Stevie Nicks wrote the songs too, right?

[Lisa Traeger]

Well, Lindsay. Lindsay wrote a lot of them. Lindsay and Stevie wrote them. So they were. They. Lindsay and Stevie were. Were a couple. It was so funny. We just did Fleetwood Mac and Lindsay. They wanted. They wanted Lindsay and not Stevie. But Lindsay was like, if I'm gonna join this group, he's like, I gotta bring my wife. And then on the record that they bring her on two of her biggest songs, Rhiannon and what's the other one?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Landslide.

[Lisa Traeger]

Thank you. But. But basically they win this Eurovision. Like, how big is Eurovision? Like, is it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't think Fleetwood Mac would. We would even know who they were without Stevie Nicks.

[Lisa Traeger]

I. I think, look, I think he would be writing.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

He'd be a writer that maybe music dorks would know about. And there is no way they would be any. Anything huge without Stevie Nicks.

[Lisa Traeger]

Well, they had been a band for. For many years before that and they were. They were, you know, successful. We would not be talking about definitely Stevie Nicks. Stevie. I mean, Stevie Nicks is Stevie Nicks. I've seen her live twice and Even in her 70s, she's still an incredible performer. And. And I think, like, you know, what a. What a lucky surprise for them to get one thing and then you turn into having, you know, arguably one of the most, you know, influential singers in music.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, it's really. It's really wild because, you know, we're like, you know, working creatively is. I have so many friends that work in offices that hate their co workers. Right. But that's like a form of life. Like, you just have to work with people that you don't like.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But for some reason, with create, like with a creative space, you can't ignore like, it is. It does take it to the next level. You know, they have to deal with these people all the time in offices. I try not to get, like, bogged down, but if I hate someone, like, I don't want to work with them and it's really immature, but I get to do whatever I want, but. Because I am a stand.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But it is like, you have to create and be on the road and live with. It is just such a. It's so much different than just not liking a co worker about boss. It's really wild.

[Lisa Traeger]

It is very wild. I. I mean, I don't. I've never dated somebody and worked with them and I think, you know, even like a comic, like, I haven't hooked up with a comic since, like my first few years of standup because it's just too much. Now imagine imagine writing some of the biggest songs in the history of music. And then. Because that's what basically I. Jer, can you look to find out why they. They broke up while I talk about why they blew up? Okay, so find out like all the problems of why they. Bro. So in 74, ABBA is the first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. And what's so crazy is that in America it is nothing. But around the world, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of. I mean, it's the biggest thing.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Why do you think that is? Like, why do you think America doesn't want to be a part?

[Lisa Traeger]

It's a good question. That's a good question.

[Unknown]

The Olympics, isn't it? It's like each country like one pop. Whatever band.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I know a group of gay dudes that went.

[Lisa Traeger]

They went.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Or they were gonna go. No, they went like it was their trip. Like they went on a fun trip.

[Lisa Traeger]

To Eurovision and like that was what they wanted to do. They were like, we're such huge fans of this. Like, let's.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

They're wealthy. They get to do whatever they want.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Like, he's a neuro. He's a neurologist who works is seven days on, seven days off. Off. And his husband has an Aston Martin. So they get to sure. Go to Eurovision.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure. I wonder. And this is another thing. No, I. That did you do.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think I might have framed it as like this was their one vacation of the year and they saved up. And they love Eurovision. It's just like they're gay and fun and rich.

[Lisa Traeger]

What's. What's something. What's. Have you done something like that? Like traveled, like to go. I just saw Taylor Swift in London.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Right, right in Toronto. But I waited to like experience it with my best friend and like be there together. If I knew how much I would have loved it, I would have started going months ago and have gone to at least three. Like, I wish I had gone to a few more.

[Unknown]

Isn't it cheaper internationally? Is that what I mean? It's cheaper to go somewhere else, a different country.

[Lisa Traeger]

Exchange rate.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, they're like, there's more like anti gouging laws, I guess in Europe up and. Yeah. Just wasn't as crazy. Maybe. But I did not save any money going to Toronto in any capacity.

[Lisa Traeger]

I know. And Toronto is like. Is like when you go to Canada, like anytime I headline there, I always take my openers out for dinner and I buy all this stuff and they're like, I can't believe you're just so generous. I'm like, it's not real. The money is. It's 30 off. Like it doesn't feel like I'm spending anything. Anything.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, I don't do math. I just like. I kind of treat everything like it is what it is, whether it's more or less. I'm like if I want it. But Toronto is the best and the concert is the best. But yeah, I've done that. I've definitely traveled, but I've traveled for. I've traveled for concerts. I'm trying to. And friends. But I'm trying to think if there's other events I've traveled for. I would go to the Olympics.

[Lisa Traeger]

I'm going.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I like events.

[Lisa Traeger]

I'm going to see Oasis and England.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

England, of course you are.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, because that.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But that's gonna do Ticketmaster resale.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, no, I got. No, I got ticket. I got online and I got in the queue and. And I got him for cheap.

[Unknown]

I got four tickets and.

[Lisa Traeger]

And so we're gonna go to two shows, but we got one for sure. Yeah, I. The idea of traveling. I get it. And Eurovision is just this enormous thing and so I wonder if ABBA is the biggest group because I think the song that won't is. Is. I think it was just voted as the bit. The best song in the competition's history as part of the 50th anniversary. So the two married.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It's the most successful.

[Lisa Traeger]

So the. As the two married couples are Falskog and Ulveus and Linkstad and Anderson. So the first record, you know, is big, but it's. It's really when you start getting into the meat and potatoes of this, which is like there's a run record from like Waterloo, I would say down to God damn just to the end of the first record, which is just some of the biggest. I mean it's just. It's insane, dude. Like you're talking about. You're talking about 30 or 300 million records sold possibly. This is. They're one among some of the. Well, there are. So this is what's crazy. It says between. This is what I love about when they say about record sales. It's between 150 million to 385 million sold worldwide. The group are ranked third best selling singles artists in the UK with a total of 11.3 million singles. And they were awarded the Brit billion award which surpassed a milestone of 1 billion UK streams in their career. The first group from a non English speaking country to achieve consistent success in the charts. In. In uk, Australia, United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand. They're the. The biggest selling Swedish band of all time. The best selling band originating in continental Europe. Eight consecutive number one albums in the uk. Wow. You know, it's. There's something. I'm telling you. Like, they're big here. If you can get the rest of the world, that's where the money is. Being big in America is what. Dude, there's artists that are. That are like. Like, look at, like Robbie Williams.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Like, you know, they're pissed they're not huge in America. Like Kylie Minogue is. Will not rest until she's number one in America. Like, she does not. I think the people that are huge everywhere else have a chip on their shoulder, even giant stars. Like, I've seen an interview where Pink is like, yeah, the US doesn't like me as much as the rest of the world. And I'm like, you're Pink. What are you talking about? But it. There is a weird thing. People like it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Who do you think is the biggest person that's. That's not being in America? Like, who would you say? Like, who's somebody.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I guess. I. I don't. I don't. I don't know. You're. You're asking me too much. I have no idea.

[Lisa Traeger]

That broke your brain, that was it?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, the Spice Girls, but they were huge here. You know, they're just Spice Girls.

[Lisa Traeger]

Were. Were in America. They. I think they were just as big here as they were. I think. I think. I think ABBA might be the biggest band in the world that wasn't. And they were huge here, but not on the scale that they were everywhere else. I mean, to the point.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Play arenas or stadiums here. They would.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yes, but I don't think. I think they could do.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

If they reach number one in the charts ever here. Yeah. Right. Or no.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yes. Jeremiah, if you can find that. Because I don't have it in front of me. I think that they were obviously, you know, a. Yeah, it says in the uk it says eight consecutive number ones. They were inducted in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Dancing Queen inducted into the Recordings Academy's Grammy hall of Fame Library of Congress included the album arrival in the National Recording Registry. I mean, dude, think about some of the songs that are. Are on this album. And like, if you were DJing a party, right? A disco party, let's say you could do the whole show on just abba. Abba, maybe Casey and the Sunshine Band. Chic.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And honestly, doesn't matter like what night it is or what the theme is if you put. Put ABBA in like a. A mix. Like, if you just drop it or what's it like a, you know, a mash up.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Any in any kind of party, I think people would be pumped.

[Lisa Traeger]

I. I agree. And I think it all starts. If you're going to talk about it like we were talking Waterloo and it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Doesn'T have the corniness because the other songs I think about, like, that I'm like. I think about, like, Journey, right? Like, don't stop. Like, people like hearing Journey. But if there is a corniness to it where. If it not, it wouldn't hit in every room. But I do feel like Dancing Queen would in every single room.

[Lisa Traeger]

Even a goth room completely. I'm a Mamma Mia. Guy. I want to do Mamma Mia. At the goddamn comedy jam. And I really want to turn into, like, a rock song. Like, I've been trying to do that for a while. If you listen to it, it's. Dude, it's such a. Like.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

So just do it.

[Lisa Traeger]

We're going to. We're doing that moon tower this year.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'll be there there.

[Lisa Traeger]

Will you?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I want to try to. Yeah, I'm gonna try to do Blank space again. I think I really want to redeem myself.

[Lisa Traeger]

What are you talking about?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But I. But I showed you how hard I tried and worked on doing blank Space. I think about it all the time. And then I went here I was at a birthday karaoke a few weeks ago, and I did it, and people were like, you sounded new. Like, you didn't even know the song. I'm like, if you only knew.

[Lisa Traeger]

How hard you worked at this.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Access the song. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, I want you to do that.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

My niece, in her school musical, played the slut. She played Rosie. So she's saying a man. What is it? The. It was Give me, Give me, Give me.

[Unknown]

That's the best song.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's the one she got to. That was her. That was her solo.

[Lisa Traeger]

Hey, everybody. So you guys have probably heard me talk about how I've been in bands my whole life. I love writing songs and performing in front of crowds. Just like with comedy, as a musician, it can be kind of hard to cut through the noise and really stand out as an artist. I feel like half the music projects I've been in have ended just because we couldn't figure out the answer to that eternal question of how do we get people to hear us? But then again, that was before there was distrokid. Distrokid is a Digital music distribution service that brings your sound to the masses. It's a one stop shop for getting your songs on itunes, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal and many more. What's these? I never even heard of Deezer. How many of them are there? I know all that. That's like the holy grail of streaming services though. And getting paid. They want to. We want to get you paid for your music. That's huge because a lot of bands go broke before they get big. But Distrokid collects earnings and payments and sends 100% of of these earnings to artists minus banking fees and applicable taxes. And that's just one of the tons of benefits of using Distrokid. You can send big files to anyone with their instant Share feature. You can use the Hyper Follow feature to promote your release and get pre saves on your song. You can even create personal landing pages for yourself, your band, your brand and whatever you like. It has a free Spotify Kick Canvas generator too to generate your own Spotify canvas for your songs. And the Mixia feature instantly masters your tracks for higher quality audio. So if you're ready to bring your band to the next level, it's time to check out Distrokid. The Distrokid app is now available on iOS and Android. Go to the app or Play Store to download it. Listeners of this show show can get 30 off their first year by going to distrokid.com VIP the 500. That's distrokid.com VIP the500 for 30% off your first year. Dig it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think you're on mute. Workday starting to sound the same. I think you're on mute. Find something that sounds better for your career on LinkedIn. With LinkedIn job collections you can browse curated collections by relevant industries and benefits like Flexpto or hybrid workplaces so you can find the right job for you. Get [e-mail] jobs finding where you fit. LinkedIn knows how.

[Lisa Traeger]

Gimme, gimme, gimme. That's. That's the one with. That's the Madonna song hung up, which is one of my favorite Madonna songs, you know.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, take a chance on me is it?

[Lisa Traeger]

I don't think it's taking. Hold on, we got.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, I'm talking about my niece. I'm older. Okay, yeah, we did take a chance on me, but I thought she was in a sluttier one. Maybe she. She's saying more, but whatever.

[Lisa Traeger]

What is it?

[Unknown]

Bloody. That's Gimme Gimme Gimme is pretty slutty.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

So she must have sang that one. Yeah, she was like the slut lot.

[Lisa Traeger]

What is it that that makes ABBA so great? Is it because. I don't think it's the image. I don't think there's nothing. They're not like. I mean, they're attractive people, but they're not like these sex symbols. They. It's. I think it's strictly the music.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, people didn't have to be as hot. I think back in the day, too. You could have just been like. Yeah, like, I don't think the. Anyone. No one would have given the Beatles a deal. Are you out of your mind?

[Lisa Traeger]

I think Paul and.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And John, they're not hot enough. People are just hotter now, like, that are famous. It's just. I don't know what to tell you.

[Unknown]

It's more of a requirement, a prerequisite than it was back in the day. Right. Like, you have to be really good. The one thing. They didn't tour that much, so.

[Lisa Traeger]

They didn't.

[Unknown]

They were like, at the forefront of music videos. ABBA was right. That's kind of like a new thing I was reading in the 70s, like, because they had young kids, so they wouldn't go on the road. So instead, said Stig, the manager said, we need to like, put something out so people can see these people. So they did a lot of videos on stage performances, like the beginning of music videos.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think they didn't tour well.

[Lisa Traeger]

I mean, the Beatles didn't tour either, but. But. But ABBA's putting out just hit.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It just seems like that's where people make money. But I guess they were just making so much money they didn't have to tour.

[Unknown]

No, I think you're right.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. Well, so what do you. So we have to say, is it. So it's strictly the music, then? The music is what. Is what adds to their popularity.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And they're singular. Like, I don't know. Well, I don't know music that well. But, like, I don't know another band that sounds like this. There's no one that sounds like this to me. Like, they're unique. Like, I can't compare them to anything else. Like most rock bands or pop groups, you can kind of compare to each other, but they're really a singular group.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know, it says Alba were perfection.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I wish I know music words, but it's not the melody. The songs are awesome.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's because. Because they're perfectionists in the studio, working on tracks until they got them right rather than leaving them to Come back to later. The band created a basic rhythm track with a drummer, guitarist and bass and overlaid other arrangements and instruments. Vocals were then added. The orchestra overdubs were usually left until last fast.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You know what I'm doing today?

[Lisa Traeger]

What's that?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm about to charge my phone, get dressed, and take a 10,000 step walk while listening to ABBA. Like, that is what I'm doing. Honestly, I'm like, so. I want to listen to the songs so bad right now.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I, I, it's, it's. This is like perfect music just to have on regardless of what mood you're in.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Have you seen Muriel's Wedding? Was that like a movie for you?

[Lisa Traeger]

No, I remember it though. But I remember it. I remember when it came out.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It's what started Toni Collette. I feel like you should watch it.

[Lisa Traeger]

I love Toni Collette.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, it's like what broke her out to come to America.

[Lisa Traeger]

And then she did Sixth Sense, which.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Then just took her like five years later.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, but that's what made her like, dude, Six Cents was huge, man. That was huge.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, no, I, I get what you're saying. I'm just like, that's what got her to America.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure. It got her known and that, but that's what got her the aud. Sixth Sense, probably.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like so good. But that movie is like, so good in Australian. And Dark. It's dark. But because of the music. You think it's fun and pumped because it's all abba, but it's like, dark.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, but here's the thing.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I want you to watch it.

[Lisa Traeger]

I'm gonna watch it. I'm gonna watch it. Fake Sklog and Lingstad contributed ideas. At the studio stage. Anderson and Ulveas played them the backing tracks and they made comments and suggestions. According to Fake Fate Scog, she and Lingstad had the final say in how the lyrics were shaped. She stated, when we gather around the piano to get our vocals turned up, we often come up with things we can use in the backing vocals. After vocals and overdubs are done, the band took up to five days to mix the song. Are you closer to being a perfectionist or do you just move on to the next thing once you're, like, happy with it?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, I'm not a prime rhyme. I'm a rough around the edges kind of. Of gal.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Not a perfectionist in any capacity at all. No. Everything's always just a little off.

[Lisa Traeger]

Do you, do you have like. So if you, I know you Go up and you put it out.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't care if there's a spell. Like, I just, like, well, for jokes, I feel like sometimes they're short, quick, easy. If they work, I'm like, great, we're done. And then some, like, take, you know, a decade to figure out or the pieces. I mean, I didn't put out an hour for 15 years. But I also. When I recorded the two shows, I didn't write a set list, and they were both different. I, like, perform how I perform, you know, I love that.

[Lisa Traeger]

I love that. It was so great. I watched the second performance, and it was so great. I'm so excited to see how this turns out. Let's talk Waterloo.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Are you a perfectionist?

[Lisa Traeger]

I just, like, no, not at all. I am. I. I. You know, depending on what it is. Depending on what it is, that might be something that I'm like. If it's like. If, like a film or. Or, you know, something that I'm really, like, spending time on and money on. Yes. But I think when it comes to, like, stand up, it's just. I'm like, with you, I like to be prepared.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Like, if I'm on set, if I'm talking, acting like, I want to be as prepared as possible, but I don't think that's perfectionism. I think that's just, like, preparedness.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, I completely agree.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Waterloo. Let's talk the first.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I want to talk. I'll tell you the name later. But someone at the seller, it's like, they were just going crazy. They were like, why are you doing this if it's not to be the best? I want to be on the Mount Rushmore of comedy. If I don't kill the way I'm supposed to kill, my night is, like, just going crazy. Like Michael Jordan Dineference. You work hard, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, yeah, I would just rather be Shaq. You know, like, just like a dunk on.

[Lisa Traeger]

People have natural.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Still has the rings. He still is a champion. He works hard, but he has a good time, and he misses free throws, and it is okay. And I'm. I would rather be that. I do not need a mamba mentality in my life.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. I mean, that takes all the fun out of it.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Michael Jordan got his dad murdered. Allegedly. You know, I just would rather be shock. I'd rather be chill. But obviously, perfectionism works when this is what you get. Or, like, thinking about the Beyonce, like, halftime perform, like, the Christmas performance. Like, perfectionism is lovely to watch and hear and see. And, like, I bet Quentin Tarantino, like, I put him in that. And so I like to get to take that in, but that's not the.

[Lisa Traeger]

Life I want to live completely. Completely. And sometimes it works out. Being a perfectionist works out in the advantage because I think you can hear it in the music of abba. I think you can hear the attention to detail because it's. It's. Every song is. Is almost feels like it has a bow on it. It's so perfect. Coming in with Waterloo, which is, you know, originally. It was originally recorded in Swedish. It was abba's Swedish version that won the Eurovision Song Contest contest, giving the band that huge career boost. The single spent 12 weeks on the French charts, peaking at number three in Belgium, where the Battle of Waterloo took place. The song spent five weeks at number one talking about a defeat in the battle of 1815. They took a. They took a song titled After a Napoleon War, and. And it's so catchy. Catchy, yes.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. It's very Taylor Swift.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Let's see, what else? I'm just. I'm just trying to get to some of the hits, and I think, you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Know, and even with, like, Wicked, I mean, we'll see. I do want Wicked to break every record, but Mamma Mia is still the record holder of, like, biggest grossing movie musical of all time still. But I need to see that.

[Lisa Traeger]

I need to see. I saw Wicked, and I think Wicked Wonderful Part one. I don't. Part two is like, I saw the play and. Or the musical in Broadway, and I was like, the whole first act is like the meat. That's the best part. You know, the second act.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You know, the songs will be good. I mean, it's gonna be good. When I heard it was gonna be split into two, I was pissed. And then when I saw it, it was like, there's no way it could have been one movie, like, in no way, shape or form.

[Lisa Traeger]

Ariana Grande, she is so funny. Like, really funny. Like, really funny. But also that's the thing, is that she looks like she's 8 years old. It's like, I, you know, like, Pete dated her. You're like, jesus, she looked. She looks so young and she's like, 30, right? Good God, man, Love. Loved it. I think my nieces loved it. I think the best musical still is Chicago.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Me too. Chicago is my number one favorite.

[Lisa Traeger]

Chicago is 80 minutes of pure Joy.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, because I just saw Chicago on Broadway for the first time with Ariana Maddox from Vanderpump Rules. Me too. Oh, my God. So it was my birthday surprise. My friends got me tickets, and we're. We went. But it's tough because the movie is so good, so nothing compare. Like, it was hard. I was happy to be there. I love. But it was like.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, it felt dated. Didn't it? Didn't it feel like. Didn't feel like you're like, dude, I get it. Like. Like, beef it up a little bit.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

They all seemed a little dead behind the eyes. They are clocking into their day job. It was very, like, I've been here for 15 years, and here, even, like, we're like, people that were vocally fine there just was like.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. Oh, my God. I love that you are. I love that you or me are right here about it, because I think the movie is so good.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, good. I just. I referenced it all the time. I think about it all the time.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I've talked about it many times on the podcast. I. I think it goes. I think musicals for me go Chicago and then Rocky Horror Picture show, and I've never seen that. I've never seen. Really?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, I know, I know. No, it's.

[Lisa Traeger]

Watch it. Watch it. You watch that. I'll listen to Manomina. What is that band you like?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, Muna.

[Lisa Traeger]

Muna. Yeah. I'll listen to Moon.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, watch Muriel's Wedding.

[Lisa Traeger]

I'll watch. All right, done. I'll watch Muriel's Wedding, and then we'll report back at the seller when I get back. And then also, can't wait to hear who he was talking off air. Join the Patreon and we'll. And we'll give you the uncut.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It's gonna be even more embarrassing when you hear who was talking like this because of that.

[Lisa Traeger]

Them.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, Just like, they're so detached from reality.

[Lisa Traeger]

Okay. Yeah. I mean, there's a few people like that. You're like. Like, I'm gonna be the biggest comic alive.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And you're like, oh, I could chat it. I could chat it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. Yeah. Hold on, let me see. Who is it? Oh, my God.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

She's like, if I'm not doing this to be in the. In the. In the Mount Rushmore of comedy. I'm like, oh, you're out of your mind. It's like, even the people that have been in the Mount Rushmore aren't now off because they're old and not doing good. Thank God, you know, Patrice is dead, so he could stay up there. He would have been bad now, too.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. You think that's. Why. Do you think that's. No, no, No, I want to bring this back to abba. Do you think that's why we talk about them and such as such, you know, we put them on this Mount Rushmore of pop music because they ended before they got stale. It's the same I always say about Nirvana. Like Nirvana ended. They only have. There's only three records with Nick Nirvana, you know, and I mean 70, 72 through 82, that's 10 years. And I mean the output that they put in. I mean, I've just, We've just mentioned one of the hits. I mean, dude, Mamma Mia, Fernando, like sos. But do you think that's be. We. We talk about them on this high, you know, put them on the Mount Rushmore of pop music because the career ended before it could have gotten shitty. Because I don't think they did.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Maybe they kept being perfectionists or. Well, because this is. Because I think it's. It's like there's a lot of sexism to it. But I, when you were talking, I definitely was like, I wonder if Madonna stopped after like hung up, you know.

[Lisa Traeger]

I think Madonna, you know, is still. Her and Janet, they're still in the conversation of. Not conversation. They are in the Mount Rushmore of pop singers, male or female. But I think.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But I'm talking about embarrassing moments.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's what I was going to get to.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That they're not the best, but like.

[Lisa Traeger]

I was gonna get to that. Is that Madonna is. What I love about Janet is that Janet is a 57 year old woman up there and she looks great. She's killing it. She's. She's, she's showing. She's, she's her age. You know what I mean? Madonna is, is damn near 70 and she's still acting like she's like 25.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Did you see the video of her yelling at someone to get up and then they were in a wheelchair chair.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, no. But find that, find that. I love it. Let's talk about.

[Unknown]

Let's.

[Lisa Traeger]

I want to knock a couple of these songs out so we can.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

What band is still around creating stuff that never slid. That's always up there. Because a lot of the bands that are still out or they're like. Or Billy Joel, you love seeing like they're doing the hits. They're not doing new stuff.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, not at, at all.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

When do you get like. Who's still like making stuff old that's new.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's. So who's relevant? Because like the Stones put out a new record and it's not bad. And Pearl Jam Put out a new record, but it's not like a huge hit. It's almost, I don't know, like, who is really been around for a while?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, because I saw Incubus last year here, and they played Morning View, and then afterwards they're like, well, that was Morning View and now we'll play the hits. And then they played every song you could want as a fan. And then they left.

[Lisa Traeger]

The guest of the, the podcast, Brandon Boyd, he was. Yeah, we did. We did. Jeff Buckley. That's crazy. He was such a dude. We've had. Thanks to Emily, our booker, man, we've had incredible people on this podcast, including you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, but you.

[Lisa Traeger]

My bug in. No, I, I, I don't. I, you know, Coldplay. Like, what is, what is something that is. Like, how is. Like when you talk about like, like, like old.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Like, how does fit, you know? But they're all young. Like, all those music I listen to. They've been putting out music for maybe 15, 20 years, but it's like they're all still young. Like, I don't know, old people that are putting out new things that I really are hitting. Hu. Yeah. So I wonder if that's even possible.

[Lisa Traeger]

I would like to know. I would. Like you mentioned comedy.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It's different with music. It's like you could slide a little play. Oh, Van Morrison, he's. He's gone off the deep. Not Van. Yeah. No, yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

I mean, Van Morrison. I don't think he's made a new record. No. Who's that many years.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Who's an old guy who's kind of gone crazy and only plays new stuff and won't play a hit. And my friends went on their anniversary.

[Lisa Traeger]

Who, Morrissey? No, not.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my God.

[Lisa Traeger]

Morty's going to see him. I don't know who's. Who's older guy that won't play. Play is like, no Sting. I just saw Sting live at the Brooklyn Paramount, and he played every. He played everything you wanted to hear. Everything. I don't know.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Sounds like Van Morrison. But isn't Radiohead don't play creep. No, it's one angry man.

[Lisa Traeger]

One angry man. Man.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Somebody right now listening to this podcast, like, screaming like, it's Eric. It's not. No, Eric Clapton is. I saw him live and he does not play the hits. He really sucked live. He really was. It wasn't terrible, but he just was. You want, like, play, you know, Lay down Sally, you didn't play any of that. All right, Mamma mia. Let's talk about this Mamma mia. You said this is one of the.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm just saying the question you posed if they would be bad or not. We don't have an example of someone who's a cheat. Believed what you're saying.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, no, we don't, but.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

So it's. Yeah, they stopped making music. Okay. He just haha'd it. Type the answer. What are you haha. Ing this for?

[Lisa Traeger]

Well, for.

[Unknown]

Gimme, gimme, gimme.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Just.

[Unknown]

The Madonna story is actually pretty good. For getting the sample for her song Hung up, she begged ABBA songwriters for permission to stable the song and sent an emissary to Stockholm telling them it was.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It was Van Morrison at the Greek.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh. Oh, wow.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And they said he would not play one hit. He was nice. He played only new music was crotchety and left and that everyone was like, okay. We just spent so much. Like everyone was. And then they forgot. They were like, but yeah, I'm checking.

[Unknown]

I heard he's a dick.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, so am I. Yeah, I'm checking the set list at the Greek. The theater. Oh, wow. Oh my God, dude, I'm literally looking. Was this, like, Was this all a cover thing? Dude, he's not playing any. He's not playing Brown Eyed Girl, into the Mystic.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

He's playing nothing.

[Lisa Traeger]

He's playing.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Is that him?

[Lisa Traeger]

No, no, no, no.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Who's that?

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

What was that? Is that not bad? Marson?

[Lisa Traeger]

No, that is. I don't know who the that is, but that song, that's a. That's a Bar Mito Wedding Love Caravan.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, you're gonna get a hate mail with me.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, they love this.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And I'm telling you right now, there's a moon song.

[Lisa Traeger]

Moon dance, dance in a moonlight among you but my love, that's Van Morrison. He did not play that.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Okay, but that's a moonlight. Okay, okay.

[Lisa Traeger]

He's.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Terrible set list. I mean, Abba, I looked over their set list from the 2016, what do you call it? Hologram Tour, and. Which is actually really cool that they did that. So I guess what they did was they recorded one show with these, like. I mean, they spent over $150 million on the technology, but they recorded their. Their whole concert concert with these things and then played these huge venues and the holograms performed and then they collected all the money. What'd they say about it? They say it was awesome.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It was like these gay hairdressers in London. I think they had a great time.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, yeah. It was only. They didn't tour the country. It was only at One place you had to go see it there. Yeah, see, that's right. And the guy that directed Chernobyl was the director of it. Yeah. Wow. Swedish dude. Mamma Mia. I wish I would have gone to see that. It's. You know. You know, it wasn't intended to be a single, and then. Mamma Mia. They didn't intend it to be a single, and then it blew up. That's so crazy. Did you ever have. Do you ever have something that's a surprise hit in your career?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I hit, like, a surprise.

[Lisa Traeger]

Something that became successful that you weren't expecting it to be?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, all the stuff that I've done is moderately successful, or I'm like, a small part in a successful thing, or like. Yeah, no, everything's been fine. Everything's been less successful than I thought it was going to be. I have the opposite problem.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is going to be big for you. Like, no, won't every.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You don't understand how many points in my career, I've called my parents and been like, this is it. But then you obviously learn. It's like the journey and everything's fun and all the prizes are cool. But. Yeah, I'm hoping the special is a big hit. There are certain jokes and crowds. I feel like sometimes they'll be. I'll do a joke and then they'll laugh and I'll be like, I did not think you'd like this one, you know, but that's not an overall hit. It's just, like, people reacting differently.

[Lisa Traeger]

100%.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

There was a crowd that didn't react well to Luigi Mangione. And then they re. They laughed so hard at my school shooting joke I did. And. And I was like. I called them out. I go, that's, like, weird of you guys.

[Lisa Traeger]

Is Luigi Mangione the most attractive assassin of all time?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

100.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

We don't. What was the guy that killed, like, Archduke Fran Ferdinand? He looked. He was. He was pretty good looking, right?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, but like I said, people are just hotter nowadays, aren't they?

[Lisa Traeger]

I mean, dude, I'm 45, and I don't. I don't feel like I'm 40. I look. I don't feel or look for 40. I think there's a difference in aging, Josh.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know what I mean? You know what I mean? My dad's 45 was different than my 45.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. They had rougher lives.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's true. That's true. All right, let's talk. So Despernando, is. Is.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I like all your questions bouncing off of the things.

[Lisa Traeger]

Thank you very much. Imagine if I prepared more.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't work with anyone. Well, I've never had a hit it.

[Lisa Traeger]

And your questions are like. Your questions are. Your answers are just like. You're like, I love it, dude. Fernando.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It's just different comedy. It's just like, so different comedy and music.

[Lisa Traeger]

You've done a lot of really cool, though.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my life's been amazing. Like, when I look back on everything I've done once, like, if I look at my IMDb, I'm like, the coolest person I know for sure. Sure. Like, I feel very cool. Even when I walk to the comedy seller, I'm like, wow, I'm living the coolest life you could ever live. I can't believe that I'm a comic in New York. I have exposed brick in my apartment. Like, you know, it's amazing. I work. I've worked with Steve Buscemi, Alan Ald. Like, I've worked with cool people. I'm in a Jordan Peele movie. Like, everything's fun, but nothing. Yeah, I have a good time. It just has not translated in respect, money or stability, ability.

[Lisa Traeger]

Understood.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's fine. Which is fine.

[Lisa Traeger]

You. But you will. You might have a dancing queen. You don't know. You might still have a dancing queen in you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. Well, I filmed a cool movie this past summer and it's an indie, but I'm hoping it becomes cool because it was. I think it's good.

[Lisa Traeger]

Like, is this the one you get the.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That I keep talking about and bringing up? Yeah, absolutely.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, that's gonna be so awesome. That's gonna be so awesome.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Comedy, horror. Like, like, so. Yeah, it was good.

[Lisa Traeger]

So you never know. That could be. That could.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You know what the directors said? They said usually when you make stuff, you have a vision in your head, and every day, like, it gets chipped away and it gets not what you want, more and more and you have to keep. And he goes, this was the opposite. He goes, everything has been better than I could have ever imagined.

[Lisa Traeger]

I love that. I love that. It's like, here, dude, it's. I mean, that's all you want is. Is, you know, know to be on a project that you're like, okay, like, I. This is good. And then you're like, as you're doing it, you're like, holy, this is way better. And the actors or. And the. And the. The locations, everything just came together perfectly. And for a movie, that's really difficult because there's so many moving pieces that need to make it perfect. That's why when you watch a, you know, a Tarantino film or, or, or you know, a Spielberg film, you're like, dude, it's to get that the way it is. It's like you're talking, you know, well and hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's just one person, but like a lot. The best of the best usually work with the same dp, the same like crew for decades too. It's just like such a team effort.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure. No, totally.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And detail oriented. That's the thing. Like, that's why leading a thing. Being a director seems like a nightmare. Like props, the details of everything. It's like so, so incredible.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

God damn. Please cast me in something. People out there. I want to be an actor. I want to like. There's this guy that's an executive at like one of the networks. I'm not gonna say who, and he's gay and I think he has a crush on me. So I'm like, dude, come on, dude, put me in. Put me. I want to play a cop on something. Dude, what do you need me to do? What do you need me to. To do?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I know, and with music too, like, I don't hear so much, but since I've become. Sorry, but like a Taylor Swift person, then I went down the rabbit hole of like YouTube started feeding me videos of like the history of songs. And then it's like all about the studio time and the little fixes and like just how songs are made. Billie Eilish is so cool with that and all, like all of all the mixing and details and moments and that's been so cool to see because I don't. Because I'm tone deaf. I can't really notice or hear or appreciate. But then seeing people making the songs in the studio has been like a fun YouTube for me.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, I would love to watch a video on how ABBA made some of their music. I bet you there's stuff online because it's like there's one of them on.

[Unknown]

Gimme gimme that I, I just think is so. It got me really geeked out and excited about this band. What is it the way that. With the piano thing with a like the way they just like. It's like an 11 minute watch on YouTube. But it's phenomenal.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I, I think, I think you know. Is Dancing Queen their biggest hit?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I bet.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

Ranked number 286 on Rolling Stone. Magazines listed the 500 greatest songs of all time. Conceived as a dance song with the working title Boogaloo they drew Inspiration from the 74 George McCray disco hit rock your body came up with the title Dancing Queen after several months working on the track. Arguably the world's first Europop disco hit. It was released the same time as Fernando, but Fernando was chosen as the single. But they also knew this was going to be a hit. This was the only abba.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

All their songs just got like start like that, you know, like brings you in, you're like in their world immediately.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. I mean Dancing Queen is one of the bigger wedding songs. Like that was one of the songs that If I was DJing anybody's like any, any bar mitzvah, any wedding, you could put that on and wait.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Have you. I don't know if you've talked about. Okay. If you're. If this was your wedding and you can only pick one artist for the whole wedding.

[Lisa Traeger]

For the whole night.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yes, one.

[Lisa Traeger]

Ramstein. If I gotta go, I'm going Ramstein. I want German, German, goth, death talk, death taco, techno. All right, let's get everybody up here for. For the cutting of the cake. Singing fake German might be my favorite thing in the world. I don't, I don't. I think you can still get away. Away with. With just making it up and people don't give a. Is that racist to sing fake German?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No.

[Lisa Traeger]

I didn't think so either. Money.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

When you guys are the main architects of, you know, the holocaust, you can get made fun of.

[Lisa Traeger]

100, 100. Money, money, money.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

You know what else I want to give some Abolo to.

[Lisa Traeger]

Go ahead.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Outfits. Coordination. Like cool glitter spandex. Like. Yeah.

[Unknown]

It's a tax based reason. In the, in the facts that we have here. Josh. They were widely noted for the colorful and trendsetting costumes its members wore. The reason for the wild costumes was Swedish tax law. The cost of the clothes was deductible only if they could be worn. Could not be worn other than for performance.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's. That's true in America too. If you were wondering. Like I always think like yeah dude. Because I'm. I'm constantly buying clothes being like write this off. Am I in commercial Challenger? Like you can't, you can't write off.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Look at this outfit. I'm wearing this for Halloween.

[Lisa Traeger]

What do you got?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'll show these to you. Like these are insane.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is them.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, yeah. I have like a split screen. I'm like looking at stuff as we're recording. But like this pink heart outfit. Are you kidding?

[Unknown]

Cut out in the belly button.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's so cool. These girls like these animals. I love it.

[Lisa Traeger]

It looks like somebody bedazzled that. Like somebody's grandma was like, you got a big concert tonight, so I made you these jackets.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. You spend more, but then you write it all off. Wow.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know that. So I saw this fact under Take a Chance on me. Senator John McCain, rest in peace, is a huge ABBA fan. And after being elected as a Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential election elections, he vowed to have ABBA songs played in elevators all over the White House if elected. I love that. McCain apparently pumps himself up by listening to. To the song Take a Chance on Me at full volume before making a big speech. God. Do you remember when. When the most. When the most right somebody was. Was John McCain. You know what I mean? When he was. He was. He was the face of the Republican Party. Good Lord, it's changed abba. Who would have thought that when he was in the. He was in the. The. The Japanese internment camp or Vietnamese. He was in his head. He's just like, Friday night when lights on low Coming up for a place to go.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah. Like, if you're out and about and a song starts playing and you're not into it, you gotta go to therapy. You gotta do D like, you have to transcend because it's your spirit. It's too dark.

[Lisa Traeger]

Have you done that? Have you done dmt?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I did.

[Lisa Traeger]

And I had a good time.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

It was like with my friends and.

[Lisa Traeger]

Good time? You had a good time? I didn't think that's only one friend.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Had a bad time. So it also, like, doesn't last long. It's like under five minutes. And so it was like a group of five of us, maybe six, but we would each go. My friend had beaded current, so each one of us, one at a time, would go into his room. And then, because you kind of like pass out. And then you'd have one friend and you pick the music you wanted, and then they would leave you in the room. And then each of us did it once and then we all did it together in the living room. And then that was it. But then one of my. But I basically had, like, colorful, glittery tubing object cities, like, things moving and, like, memories from my childhood. And I picked Al Green for my music and loved it. The second time, it felt so good, I had to open my eyes to, like, remind myself the world is here. And all my friends were, like, twitching. But one of them, he came out and he started, like, smoking cigarettes in the bathtub out the window. And was like, feeling stressed but didn't say anything, which is like a nice person, because he knew other people were gonna trip.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But he said it was the worst experience of his life and that he felt he. What he experienced was being tied down to a table and was about to be tortured and there was not he could do about it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, sign me up. God, he was. That's so scary.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I was just having like, like neon color, glittery cities of inanimate, like, object things. Having like a good time. I mean, and my body felt good. And that was it.

[Lisa Traeger]

I mean, you're. It's. That scares me because I know that that's what's released when you. You. When you die, they say. So it's kind of like, oh, this is what it's going to be like. And I'm like, dude, I don't really even know if I want to know.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Well, that's also theories. That's theories.

[Lisa Traeger]

Sure. It's still. It's still pretty scary, though. And. But.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

But I mean, yeah, my friend, gonna be torture. I mean, not to, like, ruin the mood fully, but there is a documentary and I'll get the name of it, but it's this. It's like, you know, an Elon Musk, kind of rich guy who, like, trinkets and space and whatever.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And this came out, like, I watched it during the submersible explosion time, but basically this guy made submarines and then he brought a woman down there and murdered her in the submarine.

[Lisa Traeger]

No. And how did he. Let me get rid of her body.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

What? Not on dmc. For real. She was a journalist and, like, you know, pieces of her. It's so fucked up. But he tortured her. Like he. Can you imagine, like, not being able to escape? But you're in a submarine, there's nowhere to go. I. That's like, horrific.

[Lisa Traeger]

That is so scary.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

All right. On a lighter note. Yeah. I want to do these two facts and then we will wrap this up. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

If you want to see it, it's called him. It's called into the Deep. Oh, I like that submarine murder case. Oh, it's a Swedish journalist bringing it back.

[Lisa Traeger]

There we go. Yeah. Staying on topic. Give me, give me, give me. One of ABBA's biggest international.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Sorry to interrupt. This amount of quality I have. I forgot this element. Like, they were. The crew was there filming a different documentary and then all of this started to happen.

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, no.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Something like that, like this horrified me. Yeah, yeah. This. I think I blocked a lot of it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Out.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I will not interrupt again.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, no, no, please. It's. If you. If you have any other murder documentaries in the middle of an ABA discussion, please feel free. You're like, do you see the one about the Golden Gate Bridge where people jump off of it?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I have. That one is. I always remember the rocker guy.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. The guy at the end that dies. He's like. He's all black metal and he keeps walking around. That's how it ends. Yeah. God damn, dude. That's one of my favorite ones that Angelo told me about. Is called. Is about gay dudes called gift giving. Is that they. That some gay guys don't feel like they're fully gay unless they have aids. And so they. Yeah, it's called giving the gift. It's. It's. I don't know whether there's a documentary.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

There's a New York Times article about it. Oh, no, it's. It's actually just normal gift giving.

[Lisa Traeger]

Okay. How to rip your happy Christmas present. AIDS.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Of. I just googled gift giving. Like, why would I think it would give me the first one?

[Lisa Traeger]

Oh, we're talking about aids, of course.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Is wrong with.

[Lisa Traeger]

Hilarious. I think this is very interesting. The Winner Takes All. Bjorn and Agnatha separated after Bjorn wrote another song about divorce, the Winner Takes all, which became a big hit for the group in 1980. And that song isn't entirely about their split, but it was still a little awkward for Agnetha, who had to sing a song about divorce written by her ex husband. So. Yeah, so they broke up. Did you find out, Jeremiah, why they. Why had all the marriages ended? Did you find that out at all?

[Unknown]

Well, one was amicable and the other was not. So it just said they grew apart. They were together for 10 years. Years touring go, you know, making music together, perfectionism, all that I think led to them, you know, not lasting.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I'm kind of surprised that it actually went 10 years. It was pretty long.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And then being rich forever without working. Is that not the true dream of life? Like, I just. I. Yeah.

[Lisa Traeger]

How much. Find out how much they're worth. Like, find out exactly how much I.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Would love to be on One Hit Wonder. Like, this idea of like, foreverness is so crazy. Like, I don't know, like, they're the luckiest band of all time. We love them. Decades later, never had to work again.

[Unknown]

The band all in.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Here's a hologram. Pay me money. I think it's incredible.

[Unknown]

$1.1 billion is the band overall, but each member is worth between 2 and 300 million, sure.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And the musical, then the musical. Movie.

[Unknown]

Printing money with the movie.

[Lisa Traeger]

Movie.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, it's just like. It's incredible.

[Lisa Traeger]

The success in the US is more mild, but they had 20 songs that placed on the Billboard 100 in their brief. Oh, not 10 years. Eight years together. In eight years they have. They have that many hits. Really impressive. Really. It's. It's definitely. It's just. You can't really put it in into words. Is just like there. There are these little lightning in a bottle bands that just come in and just take over and I mean, they're still getting 38 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Still. They're still in the top 20, you know, which is insane. That's crazy. With Bad Bunny out there. With Bad Bunny.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I love that. That's huge.

[Lisa Traeger]

Wrap this up. Let's get the final questions. Well, no, no, go ahead. Hold on.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Another thing that I learned on the Netflix pop series was like this Max smart. What he's good at is like, you know, hit me baby one more time. Doesn't make sense, but it's. Oh, Lekka. Has she been there the whole time?

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, like a dog. Wait, let's see something cute. Wait, come here. Like it? Come here. Come, come. She's wearing a diaper.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Let her rest.

[Lisa Traeger]

Wait, look. She's wearing a diaper.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Why? Don't humiliate her like that.

[Lisa Traeger]

Not. She's. Dude, she's got her ears swollen. She's got cauliflower here. So we had to go to the vet yesterday to get it drained. And the medication makes her pee, and so she'll just be like, chilling and.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

She'Ll just start show the Internet. She doesn't like that.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know what's funny? It's funny is I think the same way that I'm like, oh, man. Because they. We need to do surgery on her ear to fix it so the fluid doesn't come back, which is not a major surgery. And she'll get it done when she goes back to New York. But I. They're like, you could do it now. And you know, and it'll. It'll probably, you know, they won't be like fluidy by the time that you leave. It'll be good enough to travel, but you'll still have to wear the halo like the. The. The Elizabethan crown. And I'm like, nah, man, I'm not putting her through that. I don't want her to be embarrassed like on the flight. Do you know what I mean? Like, nobody wants to pet a halo dog. No, you know, and I think she knows that. I think she knows when she peed in my apartment on the bed because of the medication, like, she. When I looked at her, she was just like, I know what I did was wrong. I'm so sorry. And I'm just as embarrassed as you are angry.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

She's so cute.

[Lisa Traeger]

Like a dogged.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm glad she's lounging. What was. Oh, that. Like, hit me, baby one more time. Does it make sense? But they're like music first, lyrics later. And because they kept simplifying, I want it that way. Like, what are you talking about? And so it's like. But that's later. It's just like, how is it so international? It's, like, amazing. Because their lyrics aren't simple. It's like, like wild storytelling.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And cool stuff. And international still, like, not simplified, but that's another Swedish thing. It's just like, so international.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah, I think that. I think it's. It's just, you know, they're so disco. Disco and dance music has always been, you know, edm, if you want to call that, which. This is like the. The beginning of it, in a. In a sense. Like, it's always been bigger in. In around the world than in America. And I. You know, not saying that it's not popular here, because they are very popular here, but. But there is a people dance in other countries. In America, it's like, you know, people are like, that's gay. Like, guys don't. Guys don't dance in America, but in. In every other country, the toughest guy. You ever seen that video of that, like, Viking guy. Try to find. Find the dancing. Have you seen it, Lisa? Find the dancing Viking where. Where he, like, pushes a guy out of the way and then he just. You'll. Dude, that's how we end this podcast. Find the dancing again.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Not to bring up the Puritans again, but that's why we're not, you know.

[Lisa Traeger]

I know, I know.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

They're dancing.

[Lisa Traeger]

Wait till you see the dancing Viking. Bono said in the documentary the Winner Takes all about abba. ABBA have a pure joy to their music. And I. And that's what makes them extraordinary. There's joy. He's right.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Who said that? Who said that?

[Lisa Traeger]

Bono did.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Wow. That's so concise and perfect. Yeah, it's like pure joy. Fun.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's. It's. They're. They're. They're.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Because I think the answer to the wedding question is abba.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's pure joy. Yeah, it's pure joy. It's that? It's. Dude. It's Earth, Wind and Fire. It's abba, Barry White. It's Songs about love. It songs.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

A little too slow. You don't want that at a wedding.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, no, no, no. If you play, you know, you know, my darling.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't know what you're talking about. It's hurting my ears.

[Lisa Traeger]

You're my first, you're my last, my everything. All right, what's your favorite song off this record?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Off the definitive collection? Is there a lot of, like, greatest hits on the albums? It seems like a funny thing, doesn't it? Okay, so I'm only picking one.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. Pick one. What do you got?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Take a Chance on Me. All right, Give me the tone de.

[Lisa Traeger]

Versions of ABBA by Lisa Trager. Take a Chance on me. Money, money, money Dancing Queen.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Gimme, gimme, gimme. What the head is that one? I think.

[Lisa Traeger]

What?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't have Spotify. I think that's. I won't play. Maybe. I think I like this one the best.

[Lisa Traeger]

So good.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think it's.

[Lisa Traeger]

I'm Mama Mia through and through.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think that was my. I do think that was my niece's.

[Lisa Traeger]

Solo too, but Mamma Mia is everything. Mamma Mia is. I think one of the best pop songs ever written is.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Sing it, Sing it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Mama Mia me up. Come on, let me go. Why don't you forget you? I just, I just love that. Look at me now and I finally lose control There's a fire within my soul I have indigestion just looking I control everything.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Mamma Mia Why don't you do it for the last song?

[Lisa Traeger]

It's. I don't, I don't know if, if I think Dancing Queen is better to do that. Friday night when the lights are low, you can come up and sing Lekka. I'm scaring like a, Ah, like a dog.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yes, we are dancing queens one. But it's not our top. So you're picking Mamma Mia I am just gonna do. Give me, give me, give me, give me.

[Lisa Traeger]

You know, it's funny, you know. You guys know why?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

How does money, money go?

[Lisa Traeger]

Money, money, the money in a rich man's world. Yeah, Lekka. I went out and I bought. I bought a bunch of tasty cakes and snacks from Wawa. Like, yeah, you know those, you know, they have those big pretzels, the big soft pretzels from Wawa. I haven't had it, but I, I, it's the best. It's the best. It's got so many preservatives in it because it stays fresh and chewy for many, many moons. And I had it on the. This table that I'm using. And I went to do my show. When I came home, all the other stuff was in there, but the pretzel was gone and been ripped apart and eaten. Lekka ate it. Ate the whole pretzel.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That doesn't act like her, though.

[Lisa Traeger]

That's not like her. No. Oh, like a dog. It's okay. We're gonna go out. All right. Is there anything on this record that you skip over?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my God.

[Lisa Traeger]

I think some of the earlier stuff at the beginning. I'm not, like, a huge, huge fan of it. I'll just say that straight.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mean, there's some. I don't know, like. Yeah, brother, what is that?

[Lisa Traeger]

I don't know. They're not bad songs. It's just that they're like. I think there's such good hits on here. I don't get tired of the hits. And. And the other ones that aren't bad, but they're just.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

They are balance.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. All right. Can you.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

To this record, Super Trooper.

[Lisa Traeger]

You think you can to this?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Yeah, I do.

[Lisa Traeger]

Really?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I do.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's a little. I don't think you can to like Mamma Mia.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I think it could be on in the background for me. Like, I'm okay with that.

[Lisa Traeger]

Have you ever. You. Never mind. I was gonna say, have you ever at a rave? And I was like. But you. Were you a raver?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, I missed it. I did go nightclubbing. I would say, like, in my late teens, early 20s, I would go nightclub, but I really hated it. I didn't like it, and I did not have fun, But I thought I was the problem, but it's just not for me.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is not for you. No, I dig it. I think I. I. Look, I'm not saying you can't.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I would just, like, black out and be wearing heels. Like, I don't know.

[Lisa Traeger]

It's just such a. Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot. I. I don't.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Shivering in the streets. That's a trend that's never ended. Girls will keep shivering in the streets.

[Lisa Traeger]

Everybody around the world they'll be shivering in the streets and shivering in Chicago. Shivering in the streets.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

What did you look at? Like, what did you ask me?

[Lisa Traeger]

Can you to this?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, yeah. I feel like I've had sex to, like, TV in the background. Like, I think I'm fine if my. If, like, ABBA is playing. Like.

[Lisa Traeger]

Okay. No, I'm not. Listen, I'M not saying that it's not.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I wouldn't be like, you wouldn't put.

[Lisa Traeger]

This on to too? If it's on in the background, fine. But I'm saying is, can you put this on with the intention to have sex?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I. No, I don't think it would be, like, an intentional choice, but I wouldn't, like, fight it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Same. What would be your elevator pitch to get someone to listen to this record? Like, how do you sum up this album, basically ABBA's complete existence.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

If you. Oh, my God. Questions are, like, out of control. Ask it one more time.

[Lisa Traeger]

How do you sum up to somebody who doesn't know, who's never listened to this. How do you get somebody to listen to this record? What do you say to them?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, like, you're on a disco floor. You're four drinks in with your favorite friends, and you just want to have a good time and dance. And you don't really need to be good at dancing. I think perfect is it. I'd be like, perfectionist playing. No, I think I'd be like, you're like a few drinks in feeling good. The best music that's just like, gonna make you want to dance. Fun.

[Lisa Traeger]

Fun. I. I think. I think.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

And with your aunt or with a lover, even though you're against it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yeah. Anybody. This is. This is music. This is music.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

This is the kid. Like, it's. It is like, you could play it at a family party if you want to feel good. Or in, like, the middle or like a 6am so true. Weird party.

[Lisa Traeger]

This is. This is. You could do this on Molly. You could do this drinks. This is. This is driving. This is a. This is a. You're literally getting this record. And why you should listen.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I want to go to the hologram on Molly.

[Lisa Traeger]

I mean, are they still doing it or is it over?

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't know. I have no idea.

[Lisa Traeger]

Tell us about the special one more time. Where can we. When's it coming out? When can we find it? And we'll promote the out of it when we get closer too.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Thank you so much. So it is January 28th. Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys birthday, actually. So that's exciting. Not planned at all. I also do a up Nick Carter joke in the special, so we'll see. Yeah, I guess. I'm excited. It's. It looks cool. I taped it in New York. It's on Netflix. January 28th. I'm pumped.

[Lisa Traeger]

You should be. It's gonna be cool.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Brand name. It's like. It's kind of weird because it's this thing I feel like I've been wanting for so long or, like, working towards, and so it, like, feels good for. And I feel. Feel like after I taped it, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

[Lisa Traeger]

I could imagine. I can imagine. And you did a great job.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I mostly don't do the, like, 90 of those jokes I've never done again. And obviously there's some favorites I'm gonna miss, so I've been, like, keeping them heavy in the rotation. But I get it, you know, it's.

[Lisa Traeger]

Like, such a out look. I think you. You know, because I'm in the same boat. I'm gonna record a special this year after. After 16 years, and it's like. Like, you're ready. And I watched it, and it was phenomenal. So I can't wait to. To see how the. How the world responds to it. And, you know, I'm a fan and you know how much I love you, so. Thank you so much.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Oh, my God. Yeah. I'm glad you were there. I wanted it. I didn't want it to be like, I'm putting on a pageant. I wanted it to be how I normally perform.

[Lisa Traeger]

It felt like that.

[Unknown]

It really did.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

That's, like, the vibe I was trying to do.

[Lisa Traeger]

Dude, you're. You're the ABBA of comedy. You're the abba.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I wish. Can you believe it? I'm. I mean, that's like, you're huge in.

[Lisa Traeger]

Denmark, but it's not. You're like, I'm enormous in Scandinavia.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

The only way to get the ABBA of comedy, like, in terms of, like, passive income, I would say, is to be a Patton Oswald on the King of Queens.

[Lisa Traeger]

Yes. Yeah. If you're a Ray Ramon.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Like a Ray. Like, if you are on a show that lives forever, like Seinfeld, you know, like, they're all working because it's, like, a fun job to have. But that's. That's the way to get it as a comic. You have to be on a show.

[Lisa Traeger]

That gets just something. Get that dude. That was the whole thing of Matt. Matthew. Who's the guy. Who's the other guy? Who's Joey. Matt LeBlanc. When I, you know, he. He owns a car dealership in. In Van Nuys, and he hangs out there all day long because he loves cars, because he's getting, you know, every month he's getting like $3 million just sent to him. He's worth 800 million. So he.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Wait, he loves car dealers.

[Lisa Traeger]

He's. He owns a Car. I sold my Porsche to him. When I moved to New York, I sold my Porsche to his dealership and he was there. Did I tell you that story? Like I'll, I'll say this. So he, when I, when I, I called Porsche, I'm intrigued. So I, I called when I knew I was gonna move to New York. I had that Porsche maan and I was like, I need to get rid of it. But I just, I, you know, I don't know how to sell it. So I called Porsche expecting them, him. I was like, I'm gonna plead poor and just say I paid it, but because of the pandemic and this, that, and they're like, oh no, we got a guy that'll buy it from you, so call this number. And I call the dude and he goes, yeah, bring it by. We sell high end Ferraris and Porsches and Lamborghinis. And I drive over there and as I'm driving in, a guy that looks like Matt LeBlanc is driving out and I meet the dude, Ray. And I'm like, hey, what's up dude? And I'm like, was that Joey from Friends? And he goes, yeah, it actually it was. He's the co owner, he's here every day. He goes, in two weeks when you drop the car car off to complete the deal, he goes, he'll probably be here. So I'm like, dude, that's awesome. So two weeks later, just like he said, he's there when I go to drop the car off. And the other guy had come to see in one of my shows because he lived in Oxnard and I did a show in the last two weeks up there. And so I, I'm talking to, to Ray and Matt and Matt's like, so, so Ray says you're a stand up comic. And I'm like, oh yeah, you know, I've been doing it for a while. And he goes, do you know Kevin Nealon? And of course I know Kevin. I love Kevin. So I'm like, oh my God, I love Kevin. And in that situation, anytime I'm talking to somebody that's like, you know, we're complimenting somebody, like, oh man, Jeremiah, he's the best. I always as a joke go, oh, he's a great guy. He's a holocaust denier, but he's a great guy. I've just been doing that in certain it always kind of works. It's never not worked. It gets a lot half. And so he goes, you know Kevin Nealon? I'm like, oh, love Kevin He's a holocaust denier, but he's a great guy. And without Matt missing a beat, Matt LeBlanc goes. Without missing a beat, Matt LeBlanc goes. Yep. He does make good points, though. But he's. He's really funny. He. He gets it. He gets comedy. Dude, this was so much fun.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I love that he's at the dealership.

[Lisa Traeger]

Every dude go to the dealership on the corner of Burbank and Sepulveda and you'll.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I'm never gonna do that.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, let's go together. When I get back, we'll go together.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

No, let's go.

[Lisa Traeger]

No, let's go together.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

I don't care about friends.

[Lisa Traeger]

Don't be a puritan. Don't be a puritan right now. Don't be a puritan. Don't be a puritan. Let's go. I gotta go get breakfast. I. Dude, this was so much fun. Please, please. I love you, baby. Thank you for coming. Coming on.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

Love you. Thank you. Bye.

[Lisa Traeger]

What I tell you? What I tell you?

[Unknown]

The one and only Lisa Traeger. Follow her on Instagram at glitter cheese. YouTube @ Liz Traeger.

[Lisa Traeger]

Stand up.

[Unknown]

Tick tock at Lisa Traeger. Go to her website, glittercheese.com and check out her new podcast coming out this month on Netflix. And her new podcast, that's Messed up, the SVU podcast. It rules. All right, guys, for new music brought to you in part by Distrokid Blossoms by Big Star. You can find links to the music on our website, the500podcast.com and if you are in a band or were directly influenced by one of these albums, ours. And you want your music featured on the 500 website. Send us your song to 500podcastgmail.com. Make sure you put the albumars that influenced you in the subject line.

[Lisa Traeger]

Next week, Curtis Mayfield and the impressions.

[Unknown]

The entire from 61 to 77 came out in 92. It's a lot of numbers, but just remember, if it's on the list, it's a nug. Take it.

[Lisa Traeger]

Bye.

[Unknown]

I can overhear the two men talking. One said he wrote a magazine called Ray Gun. I think he said his name was sm. Well, you should know. Tricky to. I'm just so shy. But you could try. Come and make me a big star. We could do the color shoot by a blue water. Maybe you could make me a big star. He said he lives in Laurel Canyon. The I've never been, but it sounds exciting. Oh, look, he's brought his own book with him. Maybe I should just walk over think I should have worn a better outfit Then I could have made friends with Marvin well you should know truth be told I'm just so shy but you could try, come and make me a big star? We could do the color shoot by the pool and maybe you could make me a big star? You could shoot me here in the chateau? Recreate the ones of Marilyn Monroe? Do you morrison in the wardrobe? Whoa, you should know, truth be told, I'm just so shy but you could try Come and make me a big star? We could do the color, the sh. Maybe you could make me a big star? Come and make me a big star? Make me a big star? Do I really want to be a big star?

[Lisa Traeger]

The 500 keeping it fleecy for the fleece nation on the 500 the 500 hello everybody. I'm Bruce.

[Unknown]

And I'm Nolan, and this is the Corner of Gray Street Podcast. As longtime Dave Matthews Band fans, we set out to create a podcast to dive deep into the past, present and future of dmb.

[Lisa Traeger]

Not only do we recap and review shows within an ongoing tour, but we.

[Unknown]

Revisit past shows from throughout the band's.

[Lisa Traeger]

History, conduct interviews with a wide variety of guests with ties to dmv, and create unique and exclusive content like our.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Concerts on the Corner series.

[Unknown]

Whether you're a fan of the band or just a fan of great music, we think you'll find something you'll enjoy. We can't wait to see you on the corner of Gray Street.

[Jeremiah Watkins]

We'd never admit it, but deep down we all get at least some pleasure from bad things happening to somebody we don't like. History's full of stories about bitter enemies being mutually horrible. Usually nothing good comes of it, but sometimes. Sometimes you get soul singers James Brown and Joe Tex, or 17th century nun Sor Juana and the entire Catholic Church duking it out and dramatically changing our world. On Beef with Bridget Todd, we tell the stories of those petty feuds behind some of the greatest art, innovation and global events. Listen to Beef wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lisa Traeger]

Next Chapter Podcast.