
The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers talk about the new digital short, Here I Go (ft. Charli xcx) that debuted on Nov. 16th 2024 on SNL! They talk about how fast the short came together, what filming day was like, the fun cameos in the short, and so much more! Here I Go (ft. Charli xcx) - Uncensored Version - https://youtu.be/kHwpS0LakeU?si=TsTJoF_XP1ToLJ9R Hero Song - https://youtu.be/GF5_rdUmdYY?si=4PstpEnX1kRnb21R (Not all the clips we mention are available online; some never even aired.) If you want to see more photos and clips follow us on Instagram @thelonelymeyerspod. Send us an email! thelonelyislandpod@gmail.com Support our sponsors: Sony Pictures Saturday Night Bring home the movie everyone is talking about—Saturday Night, the hilarious and zany story capturing the chaotic moments right before the very first episode of SNL made it to air, where everything that could go wrong did. Grab your friends, get ready to laugh, and make every night Saturday Night. Available to bu...
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Seth Meyers
The Lonely Island Seth Meyers Podcast hey everybody. Welcome to the Lonely island and Seth Meyers Podcast. Minus Jorma, who's currently in Finland. And it's probably 6am in Finland right now. I think it's 2.30am so it's not his fault. And I know a lot of people who listen to the pod just want to unload on Jorma for his inability to make the pod, but I mean, he's really pulled a fast one because there's just a lot of promo going on for his movie he's shooting in Finland that nobody has to pay for. Each week is basically just a long live ad for his Finland movie.
Andy Samberg
That's right. This is my fault, though, because I went away from my movie and we had banked so many episodes that they just rolled on by and I got by scott free.
Seth Meyers
It's true. And now Jorn, there's no banking. But you guys were not just finding time to do this podcast. You found time to go back to SNL and do your second new digital short. And nobody expected this when the podcast started that there would be new digital shorts?
Akiva Schaffer
Certainly not. No, certainly not.
Seth Meyers
And I sort of expected post Doug Emhoff's relevancy. Was that a good way to tip what happened on November 6th? But Andy, I didn't think you would go back out to New York. So how did this one come across?
Akiva Schaffer
I wasn't really scheduled to, but I was so in the rhythm of being there. And then they announced that Charlie was going to be there and we're huge fans and we had a couple songs, frankly, that I was like, Charlie might be D O P E on these. And I asked if it was cool to reach out and ask and they said, yeah, go for it. So I got put in touch with her and I sent her this, the song we ended up doing Here I Go. And she was like, I'm wit it. Not those exact words, but she had clarity on it. Let's just say that.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
And we were off and running Shot back out of the cannon across the country there's been something on my mind for a long time A special passion of mine I do it every chance that I find so next time you walk past and throw away your trash I'll pick up the phone and then do what I do best now here.
Seth Meyers
I go I'm reporting you to the cops. So you said there was a couple. You picked this one for Charlie, obviously, out of a few. What was the reason? You were like, this is the one for Charlie.
Akiva Schaffer
She was musical guest and Host.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
And we knew in this one that she wouldn't be in the duration of the video and the song.
Seth Meyers
Gotcha. So you needed somebody to do one verse at the end.
Akiva Schaffer
Lower time commitment from her. Obviously we would have loved her to be, you know, all over it, but we. I had a feeling energy wise, comedy wise, and time commitment wise. It was a nice Venn diagram.
Andy Samberg
She heard too, though. She did hear too. We gave her a choice.
Seth Meyers
Oh, you did?
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. She would have been on the other one more.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
But she. Regardless of that, just in terms of the premise, she just much preferred the one we did.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. And I should say, even though she obviously is in less of it, she does feel like she's all over it.
Akiva Schaffer
Correct.
Seth Meyers
You know what I mean?
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, yeah.
Seth Meyers
It does feel like a two hander because you guys finished together and so it's very well done. When did you guys write this?
Andy Samberg
One strike. Right during the strike.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, I wrote it. It's a beat by Yhorm's brother, Asa Taccone, and he was in there with me and helped me a little bit.
Andy Samberg
Yeah. This isn't. This isn't all Andy, though. I mean, I will say I got to. We obviously changed the stuff for Charlie on that I did help with, but I got to walk in, you know, however long. Let's say that was nine months ago, and just get to come in from the other room and be like. And hear, you know, in stages as it. As it progressed. But yeah, yeah, it was awesome.
Seth Meyers
What would you say, what is the style of this song? Like, what is this supposed to evoke? Who is making a song like this? That is not a comedy version.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, once again, when we got to the video, I was aiming at K pop stuff.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
And when me and Asa were recording, I was asking him to help me record and stack vocals and do vocal turns and things like that. That would be pure pop in that way. And I asked him to add strings in places to make it more like some of those songs that I really like. But then it's my voice, so it just feels like its own genre.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, but the style of music is like. I don't know what you call that. It's what Asa's band electric Guest does. And I don't know what you call that style of music. It's also what, like the Portugal the Man song that Asa co wrote, the 1986 boy, whatever that one is, that. That has the same style. What do you call it? Where it's like. It's a band with like Funky band instrumentation.
Akiva Schaffer
It's like retro funk pop.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, there you go. Retro funk pop.
Akiva Schaffer
But I would say that we steer. When we started working on it, Keeve, like, it was more that. And then we raised the tempo a ton and added other elements to it to, in my opinion, in my hope to make it more current pop.
Andy Samberg
Sure. But it still holds on to that as its core genre, I would say, as a outside listener.
Akiva Schaffer
Well, sign off in the comments.
Seth Meyers
When Charlie listens to it, who's singing her part when she first hears it?
Akiva Schaffer
There was no wife when I sent it to her, but I told her that if she wanted to do it, that that's the pivot we would make. And I'm so glad that she was down because I like it so much more now. It was just the journey of this one snitch.
Seth Meyers
Oh, his wife joining us the best.
Akiva Schaffer
His wife joining us the best. So we flipped that one line. It was, you know, gonna sleep like the motherfucking baby to night, night, night. And then I just went into, now hold up, wait a minute. But instead, we added, make way for my wife. And then she took those lines, and then we added a whole breakdown that we had Asa make. Gonna sleep like a baby tonight now.
Seth Meyers
Make way for my wife now hold.
Akiva Schaffer
Up, wait a minute. Cause I'm about to snitch like I invented it.
Andy Samberg
They gonna roll up any minute.
Seth Meyers
I pay my motherfucking taxes Now I'm.
Akiva Schaffer
Cashing in on every penny Piggy, piggy.
Seth Meyers
Babe in the city When I smell bacon always makes me feel giddy.
Akiva Schaffer
I literally dare you to put within 2cm of my driveway in this crazy.
Seth Meyers
World I can't believe I found someone like you who shows love the way we do by calling the cops instead of sex when I grab my binoculars.
Andy Samberg
This was on. This was on Wednesday. This was on Tuesday. And Wednesday, by the way.
Akiva Schaffer
On Tuesday and Wednesday. And then Akiva helped me write the breakdown part, which is, you know, piggy, piggy through the, like, space setup with all the stars. And then it comes back out, and it used to be just me, but then we did trading off for binocularos.
Andy Samberg
Binocularos. Yeah.
Seth Meyers
All right. I have a question. Or I have an observation.
Akiva Schaffer
Okay.
Seth Meyers
When I heard sushi glory hole and Andy, you were with me, so you can confirm this. I laughed the minute it started till the minute it ended. Like, deep, seizing laughs, I think. And I love this so much. I don't think I would have laughed as hard at this one without the visual element. I feel like this is a Perfect one. That the video and the song worked so well together in concert.
Akiva Schaffer
I would agree with that.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, also Sushi Glory Hole. We say the hook, premise, joke, punchline of it the second the song starts.
Seth Meyers
Yes.
Andy Samberg
It's a funnier song. It's going for funny right away. This one's telling a story.
Seth Meyers
I think you need to see what this singer looks like.
Akiva Schaffer
Right.
Seth Meyers
Because the minute it starts, you're such a happy dickhead. And your house, everything about you. The first look at you, just that little gray streak in your hair, the shittiest pajamas, that robe and the way you're just delightfully dancing. It's just perfect. And then you. And you can't get that without. By listening to the song.
Akiva Schaffer
True. Absolutely true.
Andy Samberg
I got the smile on your face by listening. I will say that. Like you can. There's a smile in the singing, but it is. I mean, both of them are strengthened by the video. That's always been the thing with all of the amount of people we played I'm on a Boat for. They went, oh, yeah, good. What else you got? And then the video came out and they were like, whoa. And we were like, it's the same song. Like. And now they liked it. Our stuff just. It's hard for people to picture audio jokes. The way that the video just spoon feeds you.
Akiva Schaffer
It's this. It's also a lot of these are. You're learning who the character is in a different way when you see them.
Andy Samberg
You know what I mean?
Akiva Schaffer
Whereas the way that it works when you have no video is you're waiting to find out what the joke is. Especially on Here I Go. And even when there's the first chorus when you're just listening to it, we always found. And it was true in the video as well, but less so. You laugh at the first chorus, but then you don't really laugh until we tell you that it was a white person. And you are allowed to relax, literally, in the song.
Seth Meyers
It's so funny. It's such a good. The same thing where you enjoy it because you're a shitty guy, so you know you're not the hero of the song. But it still makes you a little sad. If it's about race.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes. And it's certain. It's just not.
Seth Meyers
It's not. It's just.
Akiva Schaffer
It truly becomes a. It's like the anthem for. I feel like every single person I talk to grew up in a neighborhood where there was one fucking jerk on their block. It was always calling the cops on people and the People in the neighborhood don't like him and the cops don't like him. And it's just a universally reviled neighborhood character.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. And it's delightful, his lack of awareness. Although later in the song, there's a little awareness because right in the beginning, he does say that his neighbors, really. They like him for it.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes.
Seth Meyers
Then we see that the neighbors don't.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes. But again, you gotta see that in the video.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Or else you might believe it.
Seth Meyers
I think if you listen to the song, you'd be like, I don't think his neighbors actually know. I know, I know. It was very new for me, the way he looked in this video. Except then I realized, I do think maybe this is a continuation of the guy from Hero Song who after. Cause he looks a little bit like that. Like, after he got the shit kicked out of him and he gave up being a superhero, he just kind of went to the suburbs. And now this is the way he fights crime, is just calling the cops to not putting himself in danger.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, my God. I didn't think of that. Someone else said that they thought it might have been the guy from Great Day who had his act together. Yeah.
Seth Meyers
Yeah, I was gonna say that one, too. So those are the two. There's one of two prequels for this guy.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. Musically, it's more connected to Great Day, I think, just in terms of, like, the fast cutting and the man.
Andy Samberg
It's like he's exhibiting kind of ex addict energy.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. Like, he's gotta put that what used to be cocaine now has to be just calling the cops.
Andy Samberg
Yes.
Akiva Schaffer
I'll be honest. That's not the intention.
Andy Samberg
He's getting the same high.
Seth Meyers
I think we've learned a lot about how if there's long internal rhyme from doing this podcast, that Andy wrote it, and obviously we've already established you wrote it, but itching to do some stitching in my kitchen. Like, even if I didn't know you had written it, I would say that was definitely an Andy line.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. It reeks. Reeks of me.
Andy Samberg
This is Andy all over it.
Akiva Schaffer
But, yes, I've been itching to do some snitching. I'm in my kitchen listening to my condition and then pick it up, that phone.
Seth Meyers
It's really a funny dance the whole.
Akiva Schaffer
Way through the track really moves me, you know?
Seth Meyers
It does. Well, that's the thing. You actually look like you're having a lot of fun. And then it is also a lot of fun to listen to and that it's A lot of fun to watch you. And sometimes I think there's a mistake in comedy, which is to make people look like they're not having fun. And the reality is it's really. It's just a good time. This whole thing is a good time.
Akiva Schaffer
Well, good, good, good, good. I mean, we had fun. It was a psychotic schedule because of how late it came together, but I'm really glad it happened and exists.
Seth Meyers
What was your shoot day?
Akiva Schaffer
Friday.
Andy Samberg
We were still in la Thursday morning.
Seth Meyers
Jesus.
Andy Samberg
So we lost all of Thursday flying and traveling, and then got there. Andy got to do some wardrobe fittings at like, 8 o'clock on Thursday night. Right. And then so again, big shout out to Mike Diva, because these would not be at all possible without him because he's able to get on the zooms. Also, can I say, Andy wrote the treatment for the first time in our. In our long career here. He wrote the treatment for the video.
Akiva Schaffer
Well, alone. Yeah. First time I've ever.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, you always contribute to the treatments and we always work on them together and whatever, but I'm usually the one that goes like, oh, here we go. And then we talk about it and stuff, but because I'm too busy. He did.
Seth Meyers
Who came up with the hands through the wall holding the phone?
Akiva Schaffer
That was my idea. I had that idea when we were writing the song.
Seth Meyers
It's beautiful. It's really great.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, D. VA and then the production designer and the people at SNL brought it to life even cooler than I was imagining. But, yeah, that was my pitch.
Seth Meyers
Where did you shoot the exteriors?
Akiva Schaffer
In Ditmus Park, Brooklyn.
Seth Meyers
Okay.
Andy Samberg
It was nice to be outside. It was a nice day and we.
Akiva Schaffer
Were just, just, just having fun. Got Jost out there for a couple minutes.
Andy Samberg
Exactly.
Seth Meyers
I also, like, there's a detail early on that you're mad just that he used your trash can.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, for sure. Yeah.
Seth Meyers
But. Cause he also, there's a nice detail that he is actually using the right trash can.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, he's doing.
Akiva Schaffer
That's right.
Andy Samberg
But those belong to Andy's household.
Seth Meyers
It's not even that he's putting the wrong thing in recycling. He's recycling a coffee cup in the neighborhood.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, but that's that guy's bin. That's not for other people.
Andy Samberg
Can I say that I bring in my bins faster now? Because sometimes I would bring them in and there'd be little bags of dog shit in them from, like, people walking their dogs and going, oh, I don't want to carry this. I'm going to Put it in there. And then if I. And then it would rain, but they were left open because when the trash truck does it. And then I would have floating bags of dog shit in the bottom. Is this interesting?
Seth Meyers
It is interesting.
Akiva Schaffer
I do think it's interesting. I've experienced the same thing, and I think people who throw their dog shit into strangers bins need to hear it.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, exactly.
Seth Meyers
Well, I think that it's important to note, too, that if you had pitched that keef, it would have been a terrible thing for the video because you might have actually been on Andy's been on the side.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. Too relatable.
Seth Meyers
And then this guy, you're literally like, why is he even calling?
Andy Samberg
Are you supposed to tip over your trash can when it has rainwater in it so all your trash isn't getting wet? And then you let all that bag.
Seth Meyers
Dog shit after a big rain. I will hand dry my own trash.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, you climb in there.
Seth Meyers
I like one. Piece by piece. Yeah. Piece by. I bring out my hairdryer.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah.
Seth Meyers
Just like, you know, look, you think that trash guys want to pick up my wet trash. We're part of a community. You pitch him.
Andy Samberg
That's exactly right.
Seth Meyers
That's exactly right. Real shitty arm folding. Looking out the window just to watch the cops. And then the way when you dance up to Jost. Great. When you put your head right next to him on the hood of the car. Fantastic.
Akiva Schaffer
Thank you.
Seth Meyers
How did you settle on Jost? Ask Jos. I, by the way, asked Jost to record a voicemail about getting the request. But in his defense, it was only 12 hours ago.
Andy Samberg
The thing you're pointing out was a concern when we cast him that he might not show.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Like, is he gonna show? Yeah.
Andy Samberg
Or will it be just at such the wrong time that we're, like, completely not set up for it?
Akiva Schaffer
The idea for it to be Jost was actually my wife Joanna's so funny. She was like, you know, who would actually be really funny for the white reveal? And as soon as she said it, I was like, I love that.
Seth Meyers
It's really good.
Akiva Schaffer
It was really nice to get to ask him. You know, I've been seeing Josty a lot coming back so much this season, and we're obviously old buds. We got hired the same season, and it was cool to be like, oh, we're gonna. I don't think we ever have put him in one before.
Seth Meyers
No, I don't think so.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah.
Seth Meyers
And he now he does. Like, his comic Persona on the show is representing that white.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes, exactly. It's such a. It's like a shorthand.
Andy Samberg
The response isn't just to that. It's a great joke in the song. It's, I believe, a Jost recognition response.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes. And I wanted that font to look like white clouds. That's been in my notes app for a long time.
Seth Meyers
Oh, it's great.
Jorma Taccone
Hey, guys. Yhorm here. Did you think you weren't going to hear my voice in this episode? Well, lucky you. You get to hear me talk about Airbnb. Because support for the Lonely island and Seth Meyers podcast comes from Airbnb. Some trips are better in an Airbnb. Say you're super lonely in another country, such as Finland, and you want an authentic experience, like directing a movie in Finland. Perfect time to be in an Airbnb, which, guys, I am in right now. The place that they had me in here is fantastic. Seriously, the place I'm in right now is amazing. I have an incredible view. It's walking distance from everything. It's everything I want. It even has its own sauna, you guys, which I know. You guys know how geeked I am on this place. Even has a separate bedroom. Cool. Lofty. Seriously, you can't go wrong with Airbnb. I'm not going wrong with it right now. Couldn't be happier with it. Do yourselves a favor. Get out there, go exploring. Go to another country. You can find what you want with Airbnb.
Seth Meyers
Support comes from Public Rec. Hey, everybody, I'm Seth Meyers, and I'm sitting here with my three fellow hosts from the Lonely island and Seth Meyers podcast. Some of you complain that we don't do the ads together, but everybody's here. Hey, guys, let's be honest. Wearing nice pants sucks. Wouldn't you agree? Okay, great. Everybody's nodding. Who decided that stiff, uncomfortable fabric squeezing your family jewels was the key to looking sharp? Oh, Andy's really. He's nodded a little bit faster on that. Well, here's a early holiday gift from all of us to all of you. Those days are over. Public Rec's daymaker pants are here. Well, there's no better way to say they're gonna make your day. They're gonna make you stay comfy, classy. This season. Feel like your favorite sweats. They look like tailored pants. Super stretchy elastic waistband, so you can rock them anywhere. Would you agree with that, Jorma? Give me a thumbs up. Thank you, bud. And we're very excited that you can give the gift of comfort to yourself or someone you love. This holiday season with Public Rec Daymaker pants right now. It's their biggest holiday sale of the year for a very limited time. How much was it, Keef? Okay, showed me a 2 and showed me a 5. So 25% off your entire order@publicrec.com after your purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. I'm very excited. Holiday season's coming up. I've put in my order for my daymaker pants. I'm very excited to lie around on the couch all day during the holiday season and then getting up and not having to transition to a different pair of pants because these are both comfortable and they look good. Stop suffering irregular pants and give the gift of comfort this holiday season for a very limited time only. Shop their holiday sale and get 25% off at publicwreck.com that's publicrec.com to unlock the best savings of the year. That's rec. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Give yourself or someone you love the gift of comfort this holiday. Also, the having the cake, eating the cake, like, that's very. I would have enjoyed listening to that on a sonic level. But like the fast cuts of the different ways you're having the ca. Like, just so funny.
Andy Samberg
That's Mike Diva.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes. Although that was part of the treatment. And then he just made it better.
Andy Samberg
Right. Connecting them in a really nice way where your head goes down. And then he kept being like, you.
Akiva Schaffer
Should drop out of frame here and then come into frame here. So it feels all kind of like.
Andy Samberg
That's what I mean. He previz the kineticness of it. Yes. He always knew you'd be baking a cake and eating a cake.
Seth Meyers
And then you talked about laying over multiple tracks. There's that great moment at the table where you say, hell, yeah, motherfucker. And then six of you do it. And Shoemaker was saying, I can't believe you haven't done that before. And you were saying, not technically possible. Back in your day, we could have.
Andy Samberg
Probably pulled that off. It would have been a little harder.
Akiva Schaffer
Have we ever done it before, Keev? I feel like I'm going to be wrong.
Andy Samberg
And we forgot where there's multiple of us in the thing. I feel like we have. I feel like. I don't feel like that was a new move, but it was motivated by your song. The fact that you put one motherfucker into a bunch of motherfuckers.
Akiva Schaffer
D VA Sent a voice note. Do we want to listen to it?
Seth Meyers
Yeah, let's listen to D. VA and then I want to go through, because I have a bunch more.
Akiva Schaffer
This is our buddy, Mike Diva, who directed the video.
Andy Samberg
Hey, guys.
E
So stoked to be on here. I love the pod. I love all you guys. So the here I go shoot was truly so long ago. I barely remember half of it. But it was kind of. From what I remember, it's like an hour chaos you'd expect from a shoot that came together super last minute. I scouted the house on Thursday and planned all the setups. While Andy and Keefe were literally middle flight to New York. We had two performance setups in this super musty old church a few blocks away. Andy came up with this awesome idea for the phone wall performance setup where hands would stick out of the wall holding phones, doing this light choreography. But when we got to that set, with like, an hour left in our day, we still had to figure out where the dancers could stand behind the wall to fit their hands through the holes at different heights. And it was such a puzzle that it turned into this situation where guys were very loudly sawing holes into this wall while I was shooting. Andy performing on a different set just a few feet away. And we managed to squeeze that foam wall scene in with, like, truly 10 minutes left in the day. And I just gotta say, our DP Lance Koontz, did a fantastic job. Like, it gets dark in New York at around 4, and pretty much all the interior stuff was shot at night, but you would never know. Andrea Persigliotti, the production designer, and the rest of her team did an incredible job bringing this all together. Jill Bream absolutely crushed it with the wardrobe. Shannon Lewis, the choreographer, fully ate, as they say. Emily Janender and Dina Moles produced the hell out of it and helped make what should have been a kind of impossible day relatively smooth overall. And that's it.
Andy Samberg
Okay, love you guys.
Seth Meyers
Bye.
Akiva Schaffer
Nice.
Seth Meyers
Great. So good.
Akiva Schaffer
There was a lot of debate about how high my shorts should be.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
And I kept being like, well, Charlie's are gonna be pretty high. Cause that's how she rolls, so I should really have mine high. And I was like, should I be in the exact same outfit as her? And then I was like, well, no, I don't think anyone actually wants to see that, despite what they may think. And then I was like, so, okay, so just cut him higher. And they cut him higher. And I was like, I don't know. Maybe I should go higher. And then as soon as we started really dancing, I really almost flopped out. I was like, oh, no. I was like, thank God we did not make it any higher. Cause it would've been really bad.
Seth Meyers
I thought it was just perfectly perfect height for that dude.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. It made sense for his character.
Seth Meyers
That's what that dude wanted everybody to see.
Akiva Schaffer
Yes. But, yes. The other thing Diva mentioned there, which was really funny, was we were doing a full performance on that cool setup he thought of with all the people peeking through the blinds in the background, like, light wall. And it was right behind the cameras was the wall they were building for the. The hands coming through the other wall. And he was like, hey, we got to stop. We got to stop the noise. We're about to roll. And I was like, how much time do we have? He was like, honestly, like, 30 minutes left in the day. And I was like, just tell them to keep going. I can just lip sync to this fucking song. Just turn it way up so the whole take, you can just hear them going. Like, it was just pure chaos. But, you know, you do what you gotta do.
Seth Meyers
It is very funny that it was not originally written to have a wife in it, because it is so perfect. I love the reveal, just knowing that Charli XCX was standing behind you. Mm. It's just really funny to think about, like, a giant musical superstar at that level, like, agreeing to do something like this. And then her reveal is just sort of like crouching behind Andy.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, welcome to showbiz.
Seth Meyers
It's the best. Just the best.
Andy Samberg
She came in having just recorded it Thursday afternoon. Right.
Akiva Schaffer
Evening. Yeah.
Andy Samberg
The amount of times we've made one of these songs, and the pop star involved does not know any of the lyrics because they recorded for, you know, half hour and never thought about it again. She came in, she knew every word, and she had little, like, choreographed things. Not by anybody else, just herself. Like, she knew how to present the jokes and. And pantomime and do things that would make them play and be in the spirit. And she kind of was the character. That blonde lady. That's your wife. Like, it wasn't her. It was this character. And she, fully, from very first take, was better at this than almost anybody I would say, we've worked with. There's other good ones. I don't want to disparage it, but I want to give her her props that she was very good.
Akiva Schaffer
She was as good as anyone we've ever worked with, certainly.
Seth Meyers
Yeah, I made a note about that, Keef, because that, you know, because basically, she's It's a closeup of her doing that piggy, piggy, babe in the city. When I smell bacon, I will get it right. But the way her face on Giddy is such a performance.
Andy Samberg
Agreed. And there's no cuts in that stuff. And most people. We'd have to do some cuts.
Akiva Schaffer
And on the driveway line, she destroyed it. I mean.
Seth Meyers
Oh, yeah. When she's creeping down with a tape measure.
Akiva Schaffer
Just perfect.
Andy Samberg
She has full takes where from start to finish. It would be usable if you wanted to use it as a full take where she's hitting moves and is perfect on all of it. I was really impressed.
Akiva Schaffer
All of this to say heading into it. We were expecting to really like her, and we liked her even more than we expected. She was super good at the jokes, but also was super fun and just a good hang. And delightful.
Andy Samberg
Agreed.
Seth Meyers
My favorite bit of writing in the entire thing is the extra syllable in invented.
Andy Samberg
That's 80 as well.
Seth Meyers
Invented it.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, oh, oh. Yes.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Wait a minute. Cause I'm about to snitch like I invented it. Yeah.
Seth Meyers
I'm about to snitch like I invented it.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah.
Seth Meyers
It's because you feel like you. You think you heard it wrong or a mistake was made, and then you're like, no, it's just the funniest way to say it.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. I was doing a lot of just taking liberties with syllables. Same on when I grabbed my binocularos. You know what I mean? Like, it's not for any reason. It was just making Miguel. We just said it that way. And Asa was in there just being positive, like, yeah, dude, just do that shit. That was fire. I'm just like, Oogie Doogie.
Seth Meyers
That's a great diva shot of getting, like, on the porch, getting you guys.
Akiva Schaffer
Dancing of the whole video. I mean, he shot the hell out of it. That shot was all him, truly.
Andy Samberg
And the choreographer who he just gave the shout out to.
Akiva Schaffer
That's right, Shannon, the choreographer. She helped him with the little moves, but he heard that part of the song and just saw it. It's always weird to talk about these things so soon after they've come out. People haven't even discuss if they like it or not. But it is weird. That shot is super cool to me, so I feel good about giving him props on it. It's a moment in it where you're like, I could just be in a real Sabrina Carpenter video right now. It just feels so slick and in control.
Andy Samberg
He was evoking something we all remember and could not remember what it's from where it's a bunch of women in an old school beauty salon with the hairdryer things over their heads and they're doing choreography while they can't really move their heads. Cause they're sitting in a beauty salon. But I can't. None of it. We thought maybe it was Little Shop of Horrors, but we weren't sure if that was true.
Akiva Schaffer
It could have been Hairspray, too.
Seth Meyers
Mentioning Sabrina Carpenter does have that, like, new pop song thing too, where it's like very like, bubblegummy sounding, but also a little hard. Like, you know, having the motherfuckers in there, like, catches you off guard because he thought it was a different kind of song. But I do feel like that's a thing that, like, these really great new modern pop singers are doing where they kind of trick you in with like a. I don't know, like a softer sound. And then they, like. It's really funny and fun.
Andy Samberg
Drop a motherfucker.
Akiva Schaffer
And that juxtaposition when they're doing it is intentionally funny. And it is funny.
Seth Meyers
Yeah, it's great. Motherfucker is just really, like, with a big smile on your face.
Akiva Schaffer
I'm glad we were finally able to have people hear it without the bleeps. As much as I love being on.
Seth Meyers
The snl, you know, I was very excited to hear without the beeps. Bleeps.
Akiva Schaffer
The bleeps, the sweeps and the creeps. Baseballs.
Seth Meyers
Bleeps, Sweeps. But even with the bleeps, I heard motherfucker.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, good.
Andy Samberg
That's good. You knew it was the right word.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, that's good.
Seth Meyers
Did you always know it was gonna be handcuffs on white guy, White lady, Girl Scout dog?
Akiva Schaffer
No. I had a list of dreams for others getting arrested, and I had a feeling we'd keep cutting back to it and have it escalate as it went, but. Baby dog handcuffs, I believe I requested Thursday night and I was like, diva. Is that. Do you think that'd be cool? He's like, dude, there's never a bad time for little fucking doggy handcuffs. So. Yeah. And once again, props to. Well, frankly, props for making them because they were funny.
Seth Meyers
You know, obviously everybody. I don't have to tell the whole world that I do a digital only thing on my show called Corrections, But I last Thursday at like, 11, not even, like, at noon, wrote the head of our design department and said I need a three limp ferrets and, like, tiny. And a tiny, like, circus setup you would have for, like, trained dogs. And they managed to get it in like, three hours.
Andy Samberg
Like, the ferrets were like limp stuffed animals.
Seth Meyers
Yeah, they were like limp stuffed animals. I was like, they don't have to. She was like, do they need to look like taxidermied ferrets? I'm like, no, for this joke. It's fine if they're like stuffed animal ferrets.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, by the way, Seth, congrats on all your success.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Andy Samberg
Love Corrections.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, not just Corrections, the show too. Congrats, man.
Seth Meyers
You know, it's so nice. I feel like when Jorma's not here, a door is open for me to receive a little incoming.
Akiva Schaffer
Yhorm And Keev and I spoke earlier today when it was not an ungodly hour in Finland. And after we've been chatting about something else for a while, he goes, you guys, can I actually tell you something? I was drunk last week when I called in, I was actually pretty drunk. And we were like, no shit.
Andy Samberg
Have you guys read comments? Were people enjoying that one? Is it a fun loving? Is it a fun thing? Are we happy?
Seth Meyers
My only feedback is from Shoemaker, who enjoyed it a great deal, but also said that at one point, Jorma said something that made no sense.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, you can't go wrong with Oliphant.
Seth Meyers
I think it's very funny like, that the core of YHORM is such sweetness that he both believes he got away with it. And also because he didn't tell us in the moment, we had faith in him that he wasn't drunk.
Akiva Schaffer
Also, like, for all three of us, but especially for me and Keev, who have spent so much time with him since literally junior high and high school, we're like, we can tell the moment.
Andy Samberg
He opened his mouth, we were like, oh, boy. It's this version of him we know. Exactly.
Seth Meyers
I was actually. I have a good YHORM story. I was thinking about this weekend, which is I was in Pittsburgh this last weekend with my parents and my brother. We go to a football game once a year, and we one time did it when Mari, Yorm's wife, was shooting the Mr. Rogers movie, so they were living in Pittsburgh. And I reached out to Yorm. I'm like, hey, we're all going out to dinner. Do you wanna join us? And he was like, ah, yeah. And so he came to dinner and I told him it was my mom's birthday. Now, Jorm has never met my mom or, like, met her in passing, but he brought her a birthday present that I still have, which is what's, like, when they make paint T shirts in the mall airbrushed. Airbrush, Airbrushed. He had gotten a picture of my mom, and he got a giant, like, a XXL white T shirt with an airbrushed picture of my mom's face that just. And then it said, geez, move in silence.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, that's good.
Seth Meyers
And the best part of it was just my mom, who was so sweet and, like, couldn't believe someone got her a gift, like, while trying to process what the reaction to it should be.
Akiva Schaffer
Gee's move in silence is so fucking funny. Oh, my God.
Seth Meyers
And then my mom was like, what is G for? Is it for Grandma? I go, I don't think it's for anything, Mom.
Andy Samberg
Well, it's for gangsters.
Seth Meyers
It's for gangsters. But I'm like, I don't think, like, don't think that this was, like, yorm thinking about what would fit for Hillary.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, yeah, Gammy.
Andy Samberg
It's just. What's the funniest?
Seth Meyers
It's so funny and it's so big. It's like you could fly it as a flag on a ship. And I remember at the end of the week, my mom was like, do you maybe want this?
Akiva Schaffer
And I did, but frankly, yes. I'll frame that shit.
Andy Samberg
It's very good.
Akiva Schaffer
Put it in the Louvre, as Akiva likes to say.
Seth Meyers
Support comes from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Hey, everybody. If you're listening to this podcast, at this point, I think it's safe to assume that you care about SNL and its history, in which case, you really do need to see the movie Saturday night. This is a movie by Jason Reitman, who will eventually get to the episode where he guest wrote at snl. And we all got to meet him. And over the course of that week, we could tell that he was somebody who cared very deeply about the history of the show. And now he's made a fantastic movie about the chaotic moments right before the very first episode of SNL made it to air, where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Critics love it. They're calling it wildly entertaining. One of the best movies of the year. Certified fresh. Fantastic cast. Dylan O'Brien, Willem Dafoe, J.K. simmons, Lamorne Morris, Gabriel LaBelle, Finn Wolfhard, Corey Michael Smith, Kai Gerber, Nicholas Braun. It really is exciting to watch, even though we all know that it turned out okay. Jason did a fantastic job. It's really funny. And mostly for me, I had this moment of, I can't believe they got it on air, because if they hadn't, if it hadn't worked out, not only Would I not be where I am right now? But, you know, the other three dudes wouldn't have been making digital shorts and we wouldn't have this podcast. It's available to buy or rent on Digital now from Sony Home Entertainment. And you guys, good news.
Andy Samberg
It's rated R. I have a voice note, guys.
Jorma Taccone
Yorm here. Big compliments on the short. I watched it in Finland. I showed most of the people on set and everybody loved it. Big faves were obviously seeing Colin Jost, the little dog getting his handcuffs put on the. Going up an octave or whatever, what Andy loves doing at the end of the song when the song goes up. Fantastic. One question I had, which is when in Andy's overly written line, I'm in my kitchen listening to my conditioning. What does that mean? Andy, Like, I'm sure you have a logical response to this, so I would like to know what is listening to my conditioning. Obviously, there was no visual to go along with it because I don't think it actually makes sense, but I'm sure.
Seth Meyers
You have a response.
Jorma Taccone
Okay, great job, guys. Love you very much. And it was lovely to see on the other side of the world.
Akiva Schaffer
Okay, couple things. First off, he's directing a movie. That's the best sound quality he could get. Second, Keev also had confusion around this line. Seth, do you know what I am intending?
Seth Meyers
You know what? I feel as though the best thing to say here is honesty. It was the one thing I did not understand as well.
Akiva Schaffer
Fascinating. A lot of other people I asked did, which is social conditioning, which to me is a shorthand thing.
Seth Meyers
Ah.
Akiva Schaffer
Like there's even that sample on the Blackstar album that's from, like an old movie where they're like, it's my conditioning. You know, you're just listening to your conditioning or whatever. It's not rhyming on theirs, but it's something I've heard often. But sound off in the comments. Maybe I'm alone in that.
Andy Samberg
I will say, the first time I couldn't hear it, Andy, the mix was so demo y that I literally didn't understand the words you were saying.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, I see.
Andy Samberg
Now it's very clear because our mix is so good.
Akiva Schaffer
Agreed.
Andy Samberg
And so I wonder if I would have figured it out on the first time, because my first time I was just going, what are you saying?
Akiva Schaffer
I see, I see.
Seth Meyers
And then you got Jorma's phone guy in to do a sound pass.
Andy Samberg
Exactly.
Akiva Schaffer
He's got a phone guy living with him in whatever apartment he's in in Finland.
Seth Meyers
The one that doesn't have any beers. A couple of other things I enjoyed. I like Just this sort of indictment of a certain kind of clothes in this quilted vest and salmon pants, I think. Did not. Did not do well. I also like that she had flowers on her raincoat at the end. Like that her coat sucks so much.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. And yet I love that outfit.
Seth Meyers
I mean, yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, it's Charlie. She could pull it off.
Seth Meyers
She could pull it off.
Akiva Schaffer
I can say things like, it's Charlie now. Cause we're like, best friends.
Seth Meyers
We're best friends.
Andy Samberg
We're all buds.
Seth Meyers
I also really like that you in your head, everybody knows it's you, but they can't prove it. Cause you are always anonymous report.
Akiva Schaffer
Anonymously.
Seth Meyers
It's. That's like the final shitty detail about you is you won't even put your name on it.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, but I will show up for that court date.
Seth Meyers
I think there were a lot of great cameo glances from the cast in this, but I liked Devin Walker's look at you. When you said, they all know it's me. Like, that is a cop who has come to that house too many times.
Akiva Schaffer
That was what our intention was. So I'm really glad we were like, how do we make it that the story is that they're his neighborhood, you know, officers, and he's called them a million times.
Seth Meyers
And those cops definitely know it's easier just to arrest a dog than hang up on you.
Akiva Schaffer
The both of us, they're like, we don't want to deal with that couple. They're bad news.
Seth Meyers
I also. It just. It's so funny to me, too, that you guys clearly hate, you know, everybody you're calling the cops on. But you also don't really seem to.
Akiva Schaffer
Respect cops that much because we keep calling them pigs.
Andy Samberg
That was the funniest, in my opinion. When Andy played me the. An early version, that was the moment for me. All the different, like, copity cops. He had the fucking pigs. He had the copity cops. And you're like, wait a second. He loves this. It's his favorite part of his day. He's calling the cops on people, but then he's also calling them pigs.
Seth Meyers
I'm so excited.
Akiva Schaffer
That's how I read it.
Andy Samberg
That's why once I got my. Once I got my grubby hands on the song and there was a new bridge to be written, opening it up for a Charlie Bridge there. I was like, oop, it's my contribution. Here's what I like. That's why she starts her verse with Piggy, piggy bake in the city When I smell bacon always makes me feel giddy. Cause I was like, that's all I want, calling them bacon. She's giddy for bacon. She loves it. But she's still called.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, she loves them.
Seth Meyers
Yes. No one's ever like, the fucking pigs are here. When they're the ones who called them.
Andy Samberg
Yeah. They're like, yay, the fucking pigs are here.
Akiva Schaffer
Oh, thank goodness the fucking pigs are here that I called.
Seth Meyers
Oh, my God. The fucking cops. That guy. Officer. When you guys just started dancing in the stars, I like the additional detail that I feel like tells me everything I want to know about the couple that you get. Never have sex.
Akiva Schaffer
Correct. This is how they get off.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. So it's not just that. It's, like, also sexual.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah. Which wasn't in the song originally. That was something that we added that.
Andy Samberg
Was part of the new bridge.
Akiva Schaffer
But I think it does explain it and give it a nice backstory.
Seth Meyers
Now, it ends in a way. Having watched it a couple times made me laugh each time a little bit more. It kind of lands like hell. It ends like hell, yeah, motherfucker. Oh. Like, it goes up at the end with that.
Akiva Schaffer
She added that.
Seth Meyers
It's so good.
Akiva Schaffer
It's kind of like a hell yeah, motherfucker.
Seth Meyers
Ooh. Yeah.
Andy Samberg
It shocked us. Yeah. I've learned to love it.
Akiva Schaffer
We got Charlie'd.
Andy Samberg
Wait, Seth, you skipped something pretty important.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, something important you skipped. Seth. A cameo.
Seth Meyers
Keefe, you're in it. Yeah.
Andy Samberg
There's our guy.
Seth Meyers
Little slimy snake snuck in and. So you're filming it. Keith, your character is filming it.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, I'm a neighbor. Well, I'm seeing a little dog being arrested by the police.
Seth Meyers
Got it.
Andy Samberg
And I'm like, I better get this in case anything. I don't wanna see any funny business. And I'm just gonna record it, just in case.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, he's recording it. He's like, someone's gonna have to see what's going down over there. We were happy to get Keith's shot in there. He was ready to bail on it. I was like, no, no, no. You'll be in it, dude.
Andy Samberg
You'll be in it.
Akiva Schaffer
I promise. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. My man Keev must be represented.
Andy Samberg
I was ready to not be in it.
Akiva Schaffer
So they know it's a TLI joint, as Seth says.
Seth Meyers
How many takes did they give you?
Andy Samberg
You know, one.
Seth Meyers
No oner.
Akiva Schaffer
You did it a bunch of times.
Andy Samberg
I mean, I stood up there for. I stood up there for like, oh, you're right, I went back in. Nevermind. Yeah, he just never cut. Yeah, that's the diva.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, I mean, we had one day to get it all.
Seth Meyers
You know how many hours of shooting start to finish?
Andy Samberg
I know the car picked us up at 7am and we got back at 11pm It's a long day, right?
Akiva Schaffer
I think they started shooting very shortly after we arrived, so probably a little after 8 started shooting. And we wrapped at, I want to.
Seth Meyers
Say 10:30pm and then you started editing at what time?
Andy Samberg
I actually left the set before the last setup at the old church that he was talking about. I skipped that one so I could get back and already start editing. So I had been editing for maybe an hour and a half when Andy joined me at like 11:30pm and we went to maybe 1:30. And then we're like, sleep is going to have to happen between now and 23 hours from now, so it might as well happen now where we'll feel better about it than staying up till 6am and then trying to sleep. So we went to sleep and then I got back in there at like 8:30am and then we just went straight from 8:30 to midnight. 11:30.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, we were changing it after the show started. We were still working on a few.
Andy Samberg
Last shots and we get to double team it, which is also nice with D VA and his whole crew of great VFX people and all their infrastructure they have now. So I'm in there doing kind of the core edit that tells the whole story and kind of does the Lonely island makes it feel like one of our videos. And then in the other room they're able to. He's able to put together the cake thing and put together the stars thing and put together all the touches that are his things. He's making sure they're all really working. And then he's also able to take my edits and go, what if you use this shot and this like I'm laying down the base coat so that it feels like it's our video.
Seth Meyers
Just because I think people would be curious to hear it. Do you guys laugh at all in the edit or is it all just like the most workman like construction?
Akiva Schaffer
No, we definitely laugh. That's how we gauge if we think it's working.
Seth Meyers
Okay, great.
Akiva Schaffer
And when you pull off a moment, you know, who knows what anyone thinks outside of that room. But for us it's the same as when we're writing. When you reach a moment in the video and a certain cut gives you that Feeling and it makes you laugh again, like as if it's a new idea even though you've been living with it for a while. It's super exciting. It's like the whole fun of the whole thing is those moments.
Seth Meyers
I really loved it. I have a question. Yeah, A theory.
Akiva Schaffer
Okay.
Seth Meyers
Did you guys do this short just to push off Daiquiri Girl another week?
Andy Samberg
We're going to keep going back. What if we did a short every episode?
Seth Meyers
Did you know that if you did a new short, it would buy you one more week before you had to talk about Daiquiri Girl?
Akiva Schaffer
Daiquiri Girl. I can't even wait to get into Daiquiri Girl. It's going to be heat.
Seth Meyers
I would imagine sometimes this is the case, you guys don't have to talk about it. But I sometimes think when you have a musician of Charlie XCX's caliber, that the party and the afterparty have a different feel to it. That's a little bit more rockstar.
Akiva Schaffer
Definitely 100% good time. There were lots of, some. Lots of fun folks at the after.
Seth Meyers
Okay.
Akiva Schaffer
I don't know. Is that speaking out of school to talk about it? I don't even know how that works.
Seth Meyers
I mean, I think you can say. I mean, you know, use your best judgment, but I don't think so.
Akiva Schaffer
Well, we saw our old buddy Julian Casablancas.
Seth Meyers
Oh, fantastic.
Andy Samberg
We hadn't seen him in a while.
Akiva Schaffer
It treated to see him.
Andy Samberg
What a treat.
Akiva Schaffer
I met Kurt Weil very briefly. Big fan of his. Yeah. So Charlie is engaged to this dude George, who's in that band the 1975. So he was there and lead singer of that band was there who we said hi. And he was there with that comedian, Alex Edelman, who was very nice. I met him for the first time.
Andy Samberg
It was Lauren's birthday.
Seth Meyers
Wow.
Akiva Schaffer
It was Lauren's birthday. We sang Happy Birthday and brought out a cake. People brought out cake and sang to him. And he seemed absolutely miserable.
Andy Samberg
We know that.
Seth Meyers
Well, he also was probably worried. Cause I know he said to me, like, I hate when they bring out a birthday cake that everybody thinks they're gonna get some. Cause it's my birthday.
Andy Samberg
Oh, yeah. He didn't wanna share.
Seth Meyers
He's always like, where's my cake?
Andy Samberg
He ate it like in a prison movie when they have that one elbow in front of the cake so people can't eat it. And then he's eating it with his left hand, like holding the whole fork.
Seth Meyers
With his fist and it's too much cake. And you keep saying you're gonna have a tummy ache tomorrow.
Andy Samberg
It's sick. Yeah, but he does it. I'm 80. I can do what I want.
Seth Meyers
He doesn't let anybody leave the party till the cake's gone. Oh, yeah, Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
I mean, Keenan was the one holding it when they carried it out. But it does seem like a missed opportunity to not have had Mikey Day, you know?
Seth Meyers
Oh, yeah. Is it cake?
Andy Samberg
Cause then if you might have on toast, that might not be cake.
Akiva Schaffer
Exactly.
Andy Samberg
Do they ever do ones that look exactly like a birthday cake and then you cut into it and it's like a tire or something? Probably. Is it ever?
Seth Meyers
I don't know. I think it only goes the other way. I think it's a non cake, and it's either a cake or not. They should do ones where it's just a cake.
Andy Samberg
Yeah. And they go, is that a cake? And then you're like, it looks like a cake. And they're like, yeah, it is a cake.
Seth Meyers
It's dog shit with icing on it.
Akiva Schaffer
That would be a great episode if all of them were just cakes that were cakes.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Andy Samberg
Why would you not think this is a cake? It has literally icing and sprinkles on it.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah.
Andy Samberg
You don't think that's a cake? What's wrong with you? We don't have to include this at all. Seth, I just want to tell you that four episodes, five episodes ago, I was talking about how I was just reeling about Sweden and about how fart is in Sweden and how it really shook up my world learning this and why didn't I know it this whole time? And then since then, I've gotten fed on Instagram and Twitter, somebody's tweet saying, I was today years old when I learned this. And it has pictures from it, and it keeps popping up on my feed as a comedy person. And it was posted eight hours after our podcast went live. And then the ultimate insult to injury was diva going, oh, yeah, I figured you had. Cause he had been fed it, and he was like, oh, yeah, I figured you had seen that tweet and that's what had made you talk about it.
Seth Meyers
Unbelievable.
Andy Samberg
Really burned me.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah.
Andy Samberg
Really burned me.
Seth Meyers
Also, the fact that your buddy Diva thinks that you're using this podcast to tell us recent memes you've seen.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, that I just saw a meme and was like, I gotta talk about this and not give the meme any credit. Hey, have you guys seen this thing? This dancing baby. Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Took it back.
Andy Samberg
That's the first meme that's Meme one.
Akiva Schaffer
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ground zero for memes.
Seth Meyers
Here's a comment I want to close this episode with, because I do really want to get to Daiquiri Girl and, you know, you can't stop it. Somebody commented. I love that after years of nothing, Lonely island starts filming videos again as soon as Yhorm leaves the country.
Akiva Schaffer
Not on purpose.
Seth Meyers
Oh, sure, it's probably a phony movie you guys set up just to get him over there. I thought it was a triumph. It's Criterion Collection for me. I know it's a little too early for that, but damn. Okay.
Akiva Schaffer
Well, that's very kind of you. A little bts.
Seth Meyers
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
I was actually sweating it slightly after dress rehearsal.
Seth Meyers
Oh.
Akiva Schaffer
I think the audience was a little lackluster in general at dress. I think we had a theory. Maybe they were a lot of people that had camped out to see Charlie do her songs, which makes sense to me because they were dope. Or maybe they just weren't feeling it that hard. Other people told us they thought it played great, but for me, wherever I was standing on the floor, I was like, uh, oh, did that not actually totally work? And then we finished it, and then on air it went immeasurably better, in my opinion. And I was hugely relieved and happy.
Andy Samberg
There was also a technical issue not to throw the sound team under the bus because they corrected it and at air it was wonderful. But they, for whatever reason, didn't realize what volume it was going to be at. So it played incredibly quiet.
Akiva Schaffer
Right.
Andy Samberg
So it was very difficult to hear the first 30 seconds of the video in the room.
Akiva Schaffer
We were suspicious. Maybe they hadn't heard the words of the song also.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Akiva Schaffer
Which is the last thing you ought to be on the record saying when people don't laugh.
Andy Samberg
They played it really loud because they couldn't hear it.
Akiva Schaffer
Probably. Yeah.
Seth Meyers
Because I will say, I feel like this one definitely would work as a song. Works even better as a song with visuals. Just visuals. I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all.
Andy Samberg
That's right.
Seth Meyers
I would have thought. I don't know why they think I can follow this. I don't like it. Oh, God.
Akiva Schaffer
One last thing. Just another Charlie compliment, really. I went out to the floor to watch both her songs, and they were so fucking dope. And I ended up on Sympathy as a Knife. I went out and was just watching and all of a sudden just started dancing. This is not a joke. I just. It's been a long time since I spontaneously just started dancing. And when that chorus came in and those fucking massive synths dropped in. I was joking that I, like, suddenly I was like, Neo dancing in my duster, like, head down, just vibing. And I felt very free and happy in that moment. And it's one of those magical things that happens at SNL sometimes. Just being in that studio is so fucking.
Seth Meyers
She had been a guest on my show with Troye Sivan. They were fantastic together. Also. She was on my first week or two of shows.
Andy Samberg
Oh, you mean in the very beginning, 10 years ago.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. With Eggie Azalea singing on.
Andy Samberg
Oh, fancy.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. And it's so funny when you realize how young someone, like, she started.
Andy Samberg
Yeah.
Seth Meyers
Because that's so long ago and she's still so young now.
Andy Samberg
Yeah. She would have been, like, 22 or something at that point.
Seth Meyers
Yeah. Our producer just said something really nice, Jeff, and I want to read it to you guys. Don't let it go to your heads. Should probably move on to the next ep, guys.
Akiva Schaffer
You know what, Jeff?
Andy Samberg
Like, wrap it up, fellas.
Seth Meyers
All right, everybody, thank you so much mostly to YouTube and everybody over at SNL for giving us a fresh new short for 10 years.
Andy Samberg
We'll do it again. We'll talk mad shit. We'll give you all the real dirt.
Akiva Schaffer
So, Seth, are we going to talk about the episode itself in 10 years when we do that episode again?
Andy Samberg
Oh, we review this episode.
Seth Meyers
We're going to talk about this. Yeah, we're going to talk about this podcast episode.
Akiva Schaffer
No, the SNL episode, man.
Seth Meyers
I know, but I wasn't.
Andy Samberg
Yeah, there's no Seth's Corner.
Seth Meyers
It's weird for me to talk about one that I only saw right then.
Andy Samberg
We're just a fan podcast.
Akiva Schaffer
That's why it would be fucking hot tea, brother.
Seth Meyers
I'm really desperately trying to end this now. And you're doing that thingy.
Andy Samberg
That's why it's getting spicy.
Akiva Schaffer
Sorry. Not sorry.
Andy Samberg
When it gets to the midnight hour, we get spicy.
Akiva Schaffer
We're going to stop. We're going to stop.
Seth Meyers
All right, goodbye, guys. I love you, and I'll see you next episode.
Akiva Schaffer
All right, Love you, bud.
Andy Samberg
Love you. Bye.
Podcast Summary: "Here I Go" – The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast
Release Date: November 25, 2024
In the episode titled "Here I Go," hosts Seth Meyers and The Lonely Island members—Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer—delve deep into the creation, impact, and legacy of their iconic SNL Digital Short, "Here I Go." This detailed discussion offers fans unprecedented insights into the behind-the-scenes process, creative collaborations, and the enduring influence of their work on both comedy and digital media.
The episode kicks off with Seth Meyers humorously addressing the absence of Jorma Taccone, who is currently filming a movie in Finland. Despite his absence, Andy and Akiva assure listeners that they have ample content to discuss, highlighting their dedication to continuing the podcast even during Jorma's international commitments.
Notable Quote:
Seth Meyers [00:00]: "Minus Jorma, who's currently in Finland. And it's probably 6am in Finland right now... there's just a lot of promo going on for his movie he's shooting in Finland that nobody has to pay for."
Akiva Schaffer recounts the spontaneous decision to create a new digital short featuring Charlie XCX. Initially unplanned, the collaboration emerged when SNL announced Charlie's involvement as a musical guest and host. Recognizing Charlie's potential to elevate their content, Akiva reached out with the song concept.
Notable Quotes:
Akiva Schaffer [01:18]: "And we were off and running Shot back out of the cannon across the country there's been something on my mind for a long time A special passion of mine..."
Andy Samberg [03:32]: "Yeah. This isn't all Andy, though. I mean, I will say I got to... we gotta walk in, you know..."
The trio discusses the musical style of "Here I Go," describing it as "retro funk pop" with influences from K-pop and contemporary pop elements. Akiva emphasizes the importance of making the song sound both nostalgic and fresh, blending traditional funk instrumentation with modern pop sensibilities.
Notable Quotes:
Akiva Schaffer [04:33]: "It's like retro funk pop."
Andy Samberg [04:56]: "But I would say that we steer. When we started working on it, Keeve, like, it was more that. And then we raised the tempo a ton..."
Akiva Schaffer [04:59]: "But it still holds on to that as its core genre, I would say, as a outside listener."
The decision to include Charlie XCX was pivotal. Akiva shares how Charlie's clarity and commitment transformed the project, allowing them to incorporate her character seamlessly into the song. The collaboration not only enhanced the comedic elements but also added a dynamic performance aspect to the digital short.
Notable Quotes:
Akiva Schaffer [01:52]: "She had clarity on it."
Andy Samberg [03:32]: "He was like, this is what I want, calling them bacon."
Akiva Schaffer [15:35]: "It was really nice to get to ask him. You know, I've been seeing Josty a lot coming back so much this season..."
The production of "Here I Go" was fraught with logistical challenges, including tight shooting schedules and last-minute creative decisions. Mike Diva, the director, played a crucial role in navigating these hurdles, ensuring that the shoot was both efficient and creatively fulfilling despite the chaos.
Notable Quotes:
Mike Diva [19:27]: "It's very cool."
Akiva Schaffer [22:07]: "There was a lot of debate about how high my shorts should be."
Mike Diva [20:14]: "We had to stop the noise. We're about to roll."
Editing "Here I Go" was an iterative and collaborative process. Seth, Andy, and Akiva discuss how laughter and real-time feedback were integral to refining the final product. The division of labor between core editing and adding creative touches ensured that the video maintained a cohesive comedic tone while incorporating intricate visual elements.
Notable Quotes:
Akiva Schaffer [42:16]: "No, we definitely laugh. That's how we gauge if we think it's working."
Andy Samberg [41:30]: "We got to double team it... making sure they're all really working."
"Here I Go" received an overwhelmingly positive response, with Seth highlighting how the combination of music and visuals amplified the comedic effect. The digital short not only entertained audiences but also reinforced The Lonely Island's reputation for innovative comedy-music hybrid content.
Notable Quotes:
Seth Meyers [07:00]: "I laughed the minute it started till the minute it ended."
Akiva Schaffer [07:25]: "We say, it's just pure chaos."
The hosts share humorous behind-the-scenes stories, including mishaps during the shoot and playful interactions with cast members. These anecdotes offer a glimpse into the camaraderie and creative spontaneity that define their collaborative efforts.
Notable Quotes:
Andy Samberg [14:03]: "I bring in my bins faster now... little bags of dog shit."
Seth Meyers [32:00]: "He brought her a birthday present... an XXL white T-shirt with an airbrushed picture of my mom's face."
The conversation concludes with reflections on the evolution of SNL and the pioneering role of digital shorts. The hosts acknowledge how their work with digital content not only entertained but also paved the way for platforms like YouTube to embrace comedy sketches, solidifying SNL's near-50-year legacy.
Notable Quotes:
Akiva Schaffer [09:54]: "It truly becomes a. It's like the anthem for... every single person I talk to grew up in a neighborhood..."
Seth Meyers [34:10]: "It's a movie by Jason Reitman... you really do need to see the movie Saturday night."
As the episode wraps up, Seth, Andy, and Akiva express their enthusiasm for future projects and the continued collaboration with SNL. They tease upcoming topics, including plans to discuss "Daiquiri Girl," hinting at more creative digital shorts and engaging discussions in subsequent episodes.
Notable Quotes:
Seth Meyers [46:55]: "Someone commented... Lonely island starts filming videos again as soon as Yhorm leaves the country."
Akiva Schaffer [50:34]: "That's why it would be fucking hot tea, brother."
Conclusion
The "Here I Go" episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast serves as a comprehensive exploration of the creative process behind one of SNL's memorable digital shorts. Through candid conversations, humorous stories, and insightful reflections, the hosts celebrate their enduring partnership and the innovative spirit that continues to define their contributions to comedy and digital media.