Laser Cats! 3D

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Laser Cats! 3D" Episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast

Introduction

In the "Laser Cats! 3D" episode of The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, host Seth Meyers engages in an insightful and humorous conversation with The Lonely Island members—Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. The episode delves into their experiences on Saturday Night Live (SNL), focusing on the creation and impact of their groundbreaking SNL Digital Shorts. Through a blend of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and critical reflections, the trio revisits iconic sketches, explores their creative processes, and assesses their lasting legacy in the realm of comedy.

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1. Recalling SNL Days and Public Recognition

The episode kicks off with light-hearted banter as the hosts discuss the logistics of recording the podcast from Finland, highlighting the challenges of different time zones and maintaining a professional setup.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Samberg [00:01]: "I'm recording."
• Akiva Schaffer [00:06]: "Is Jorma recording over there?"

As they reminisce about their time on SNL, the conversation shifts to their experiences being recognized in public. They share humorous stories about fans approaching them and the need to speak in code to maintain privacy.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Samberg [02:05]: "What do they say in Finland instead of TGIF?"
• Jorma Taccone [02:13]: "It's 10:40 in the evening."

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2. Highlighting Iconic SNL Sketches

Transitioning from general reflections, the hosts delve into specific SNL sketches that left a significant mark. They discuss the creative dynamics on set, the collaborative writing process, and the evolution of their comedic style.

Notable Quotes:

• Akiva Schaffer [07:43]: "I'm just here to listen."
• Seth Meyers [07:14]: "It was a walk in a family reunion."

One of the focal points is their Christopher Walken impressions, exploring how these sketches were conceptualized and brought to life with Walken's unique flair.

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3. Deep Dive into the "Googly Eyes" Sketch

A substantial part of the episode is dedicated to dissecting the "Googly Eyes" sketch. The hosts discuss Eric Kenward's inspiration, drawing from personal anecdotes about his grandmother and the humorous premise of humanizing plants to avoid danger.

Notable Quotes:

• Amy Poehler [21:40]: "These are my cactuses. I put googly eyes on them."
• Seth Meyers [21:33]: "He keeps saying 'googly eyes.' Hi."

They examine the writing process, Walken's performance nuances, and the sketch's reception, emphasizing its place as a fan favorite and a testament to their creative synergy.

Notable Quote:

• Jorma Taccone [24:35]: "I just love that someone took something so specific and almost pedestrian about their life that their grandmother or mother put googly eyes and it became this thing that is delightful."

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4. Analyzing "Laser Cats! 3D"

The central focus of the episode is an in-depth analysis of the "Laser Cats! 3D" sketch. The hosts critique its structure, pacing, and comedic elements, comparing it to its predecessors.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Samberg [32:00]: "I went into it with an open mind. I thought it had a couple of yucks and it didn't blow me away."
• Akiva Schaffer [32:27]: "The second half has tons of good bits in a row at the right pace that I didn't remember and really enjoyed."

They discuss the creative decisions behind the sketch, such as the inclusion of 3D elements, character dynamics, and the balance between setup and payoff. The conversation highlights differing opinions on what worked and what could have been improved, showcasing their candidness and commitment to quality comedy.

Notable Quote:

• Seth Meyers [33:19]: "He's wearing what, like, a poker visor? Ray Bans and floaties?"

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5. Creative Challenges and Sketch Rewrites

Addressing the hurdles in the creative process, the hosts share anecdotes about sketch rewrites and the importance of maintaining the original vision amidst collaborative input. Seth Meyers recounts instances where suggestions led to significant changes, emphasizing the delicate balance between writer and performer.

Notable Quotes:

• Seth Meyers [29:37]: "He was just like, don't mess with it."
• Akiva Schaffer [49:35]: "I'm happy that it did."

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6. Legacy and Impact of SNL Digital Shorts

Concluding the discussion, the hosts reflect on the enduring legacy of their SNL Digital Shorts. They acknowledge how these sketches not only propelled their careers but also influenced the broader landscape of online comedy content. The conversation underscores the innovative spirit of their work and its lasting resonance with audiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Jorma Taccone [35:11]: "You know what my favorite fabric is? Cotton."
• Akiva Schaffer [35:12]: "We are exactly as good as Deadwood."

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Conclusion

The "Laser Cats! 3D" episode serves as a nostalgic yet critical exploration of The Lonely Island's formative years on SNL. Through engaging dialogue and behind-the-scenes insights, Seth Meyers and the trio offer listeners a comprehensive look at their creative journey, the challenges they overcame, and the timeless appeal of their comedic masterpieces. The episode not only celebrates their past achievements but also sets the stage for future innovations in comedy.

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This summary captures the essence of the "Laser Cats! 3D" episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and memorable quotes, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't tuned in.

Transcript

[Andy Samberg]

I'm recording.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Is Jorma recording over there? Is he right next to you where you can just yell, Jorm, is your P4 recording?

[Jorma Taccone]

Hey, Jorma, is your P4 recording? He says, yeah, I think so.

[Akiva Schaffer]

All right, great. Is this how it goes on set? Yhorm you remember to roll the cameras, right? This is filming.

[Jorma Taccone]

Let me tell you how it works on set.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, give it to us.

[Jorma Taccone]

He gives notes and I nod as if I was listening.

[Andy Samberg]

Yes, sir.

[Jorma Taccone]

I just do what I was going to do anyway.

[Andy Samberg]

And then you lean on the motherfucking craft.

[Jorma Taccone]

Lean on the motherfucking craft. That's right. Exactly.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Andy, you have to trust it.

[Seth Meyers]

How late is it in Finland right now?

[Jorma Taccone]

There's a time difference where you guys are. What time is it where you are?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Well, we're in three different time zones.

[Seth Meyers]

It's almost 4 in the afternoon on the East Coast.

[Jorma Taccone]

4Pm in New York City. Here in Tempere, it's 1978.

[Seth Meyers]

It's the lonely island.

[Timothy Oliphant]

And Seth Meyers and Timothy Oliphant podcast.

[Jorma Taccone]

It's a time difference.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It is a time difference.

[Seth Meyers]

Wow.

[Jorma Taccone]

It's 10:40 in the evening.

[Seth Meyers]

Okay.

[Andy Samberg]

Oh, that's the perfect time to cast.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You guys did a full day of filming and now did you guys rent places near each other?

[Jorma Taccone]

No, no, we were just at a bar right near where he is staying.

[Bill Hader]

Can you tell?

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, boy. Can you tell?

[Jorma Taccone]

Oh, good. I'm not responsible for that.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Um, were you guys drinking some. What's a local drink? Is there a local drink you guys have there?

[Jorma Taccone]

No, actually, most of the places we've been to are Jormur drinks. A lot of IPAs. Is that normal?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, I mean, I guess it's normal for him.

[Seth Meyers]

It's Yormal is what we say.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, it's Yormal.

[Seth Meyers]

Yormal.

[Andy Samberg]

It's Yarmul.

[Seth Meyers]

Wow.

[Jorma Taccone]

Guess what, Yormal? You're not going to be needed. You need to take a nap, you lie down, you're fine. I got this. I think they're appreciating this. He's drinking mostly IPAs every time I'm hanging out with him.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Got it, got it.

[Andy Samberg]

What do they say in Finland instead of tgif?

[Jorma Taccone]

Thank God it's not Russia. Oh, yeah, it's right nearby.

[Andy Samberg]

That's almost like I Can't Believe it's Not butter.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, very similar.

[Seth Meyers]

Have I told you guys that I went out to dinner with Tim in New York City?

[Jorma Taccone]

It was a good night.

[Seth Meyers]

It was a good night. And we drank Old fashions, some of.

[Jorma Taccone]

The best Old fashions.

[Seth Meyers]

It was great. But we were at Via Corota and we were at a two top where the. We were between two other two tops where I would say there was half an inch between the tables. Like, it was so non private. And Tim said right away, he's like, you must know somebody here to get a table this good, because it really was. It was. It was so bad. And like, immediately, like, the woman, Kitty, Quarter to Tim recognized him. And so they were immediately like, we fully were clocked and then had to like, speak in code the whole night.

[Bill Hader]

Tim got recognized tonight at the nerd bar that we.

[Jorma Taccone]

By the way, you're two out of three, though. Every time we've gone out, you've been recognized as well.

[Andy Samberg]

Pretty good.

[Bill Hader]

We should tour Finland.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Guys, are you recognized for girls, Jorm, or.

[Bill Hader]

No, it's Lonely Island.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, it's our stuff.

[Jorma Taccone]

No, it's you guys. It's Jorm.

[Andy Samberg]

And then what about.

[Akiva Schaffer]

What about you, Timothy? What do you get most?

[Bill Hader]

Oh, I mean, it was not justified. It was.

[Jorma Taccone]

Tonight was. That guy was a deadwood guy.

[Bill Hader]

Yeah, he was dead. And then he went in and he. He apologized for calling it hbo. He was like, I watched it on hbo. I'm sorry, Ma.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, really?

[Andy Samberg]

Very polite.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Thank you.

[Bill Hader]

He immediately apologized.

[Andy Samberg]

He must have known you guys were coming to do the cast, right? Sorry. Don't misquote me. I'm up to date on all the streamers.

[Seth Meyers]

I have great respect for streamers and how they are named. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Lonely island and Seth Meyers and Timothy Oliphant podcast.

[Jorma Taccone]

Nicely done, guys. I'm just here to listen.

[Andy Samberg]

Uh oh, that's the return of the five shock jocks.

[Seth Meyers]

Five shock jokes. She told it on my show. But another good example of somebody thinking, when your table is too close and you're talking about your friends and your friends also are in the business, and so you have to start being coded about who you're talking about. I went to dinner with Poehler, Rashida Jones, Rachel Dratch, and Shoemaker and Poehler. There was a woman sitting alone right next to our table. And at one point, Poehler goes, this woman is listening to every word we say, so you cannot say anything. And we're like, got it. And then like 10 minutes later, finally, her friend joined her. And they immediately spoke fluent Russian. And it was very clear that they had not. And that polar had to be like, I realize now that woman was staring off into the middle distance.

[Andy Samberg]

Oh, my God.

[Seth Meyers]

Probably does not understand.

[Andy Samberg]

It's like the End of Swingers, where Vince Vaughn thinks the woman's flirting with him, but she's talking to a baby.

[Seth Meyers]

But I also. I have an app on my phone. It's not an app. It's like a website where you can make a fake newspaper. And so then a couple hours later, I made a fake Russian newspaper that was like a gossip rag, and it, like, listed everything.

[Jorma Taccone]

Way to commit, y'all.

[Seth Meyers]

I'll commit to a bit.

[Andy Samberg]

All the dirt.

[Bill Hader]

Dish in dirt.

[Jorma Taccone]

As I understand it, Andy hates podcasts.

[Akiva Schaffer]

He's warming up to it. Tim. He look at his.

[Jorma Taccone]

I had been prepped this evening that you hate podcasts.

[Andy Samberg]

Did the guy that you guys met at the bar tell you that?

[Jorma Taccone]

Yes. We were like, we're on our way to do a podcast.

[Andy Samberg]

He doesn't even know the difference between HBO and Max.

[Seth Meyers]

You can't listen to that guy. I feel the thrust of this show has gotten derailed. Historically, has been, wait, I've got two.

[Akiva Schaffer]

That I want you guys to order at the bar for next week's episode. One is called Latke that we're prepping.

[Seth Meyers]

Next week's flavored episode.

[Timothy Oliphant]

Wow.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. With Tim's back, he's ready. Latke, a liquor flavored with cloud berries.

[Andy Samberg]

Okay, sounds good.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It sounds like Smurfs made it.

[Andy Samberg]

We'll text it to Jorm. He's not going to remember.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Is the Smurfs from Finland? It's from somewhere close.

[Andy Samberg]

D Strumpfs.

[Bill Hader]

I bet it's Amsterdam.

[Seth Meyers]

Aren't they Belgium, the Smurfs?

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, I believe they're originally called disstrumps.

[Akiva Schaffer]

They might be Belgium.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

But they would definitely make a liquor with cloudberries. And then the other one's Valhalla Nordic herbalikker in Valhalla.

[Bill Hader]

Okay.

[Seth Meyers]

All right, great.

[Akiva Schaffer]

All right, move on.

[Seth Meyers]

These guys have been eating cloudberries straight off the bush based on accidents going. You guys are covered in cloudberry juice.

[Andy Samberg]

If we can see, somehow make that something we say. Moving forward, Seth. I'd really like it, like, when someone's not all there. Sounds like they've been eating cloudberries straight off the bush.

[Seth Meyers]

So basically, we're gonna make our own idioms. That's the goal now.

[Andy Samberg]

Love an original idiom.

[Bill Hader]

That's the goal of this podcast.

[Seth Meyers]

So it's the Christopher Walken Show. My question is, moving forward, how many times do you think one of us will do a Christopher Walken accent over the course of this episode? Because I've always said one of my favorite things about when Walken hosted snl is you'd walk down the hallways in every room, you would hear people doing, like, anywhere from a D plus to a B minus Christopher Walken impression through the door. You know, it's been done since. But it was your idea, Kiva. Or. No, you had actually said it was Liz's idea.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. So everyone that listens to this pod knows that Liz worked at SNL as a writer as well. My wife, but she left after our second year or first year, but she still lived in New York with me. And so occasionally there'd be a moment around, let's say the breakfast nook, where it's like, oh, who's hosting this week? And I'd say, oh, I'm about to go in and pitch to Christopher Walken. And then she would give me a good idea. And this was all her. And it was one of the only times in the pitch meeting I said a pitch that actually became a sketch that actually was on the air.

[Bill Hader]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That was the only time. That was the only time.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It maybe happened a few other times, but this was one of the main ones, and it wasn't even mine. And then I immediately enlisted Seth, or you volunteered or whatever, because I knew I needed a pro to bring this kind of real, normal, live sketch. Good idea. To life. And it was to allow everyone in the cast to do their Christopher Walken. It was a walk in family reunion.

[Seth Meyers]

It was a walk in family reunion. And the thing I remember about it is Walken told us while we were blocking it, basically, in order for this sketch to work, I have to do an impression of how people think I sound.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Right.

[Seth Meyers]

And by the way, if you watch it, you can tell it's a little different, but it ain't that different. I believe Bill's the baseline guy who comes in first.

[Amy Poehler]

Is that you, Stanley? How's by you? Long time no see.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Big hug.

[Seth Meyers]

Big hug.

[Amy Poehler]

Big hug.

[Seth Meyers]

Wow.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow. When's the last time I saw you, Stanley? It's my brother John's wedding 15 years ago.

[Seth Meyers]

You're a little guy, Andy. You're one of the, like, a nephew at the Walken family reunion.

[Andy Samberg]

How was mine? How was my walkin'very?

[Seth Meyers]

Good. I will say, weirdly, Poehler goes first, and then you go, and I feel like that was bad writing.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Because yours is very good. But Poehler is a little girl with walkin hair.

[Andy Samberg]

It's just funnier on every level.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. And she's talking about how she's afraid of ghosts because they're spooky.

[Andy Samberg]

Darling.

[Amy Poehler]

There's no ghosts around here, so you're safe.

[Rachel Dratch]

That's good because I hate ghosts. They're spooky and I don't respond well to spooky behavior.

[Amy Poehler]

Of course, me too. I'm with you 110%. How are you, Scott?

[Andy Samberg]

I'm not good. Everyone at my school is a phony. I want to be skateboarding and listening to my ipod, not at some ridiculous family reunion.

[Seth Meyers]

Scott, behave yourself.

[Amy Poehler]

It's okay.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Forte is actually very first as a waiter threw him a bone, he gives him his drink.

[Seth Meyers]

I asked Poehler to send us a voice note of her memories of her Walken sketch.

[Rachel Dratch]

Hey, guys, it's Poehler. Voice noting you again. Voice memoing you again. The Christopher Walken episode. I remember a couple things. I remember that sketch which was so fun. Everybody did their Christopher Walken and of course there were great impressions. And then there were people like myself who don't have an impression. But I think because it was so bad, it was good maybe. And that short little wig and I was playing a young girl and I just got a laugh on the word spooky, which is fun. It's fun to say it's Christopher Walken spooky behavior. And let's see, I also remember that I was in a sketch with Christopher Walken and we usually when you're blocking a sketch, you chit chat with people. And we just sat in silence next to each other for I would say 20 minutes. Probably the longest I've ever sat not chit chatting with someone ever who hosted the show, but he was still a delight. I don't remember anything from that show at all, Jorma. Do you? Okay, bye, you. Bye.

[Bill Hader]

By the way. Okay, first of all, if I wasn't here, I wouldn't be able to defend myself for being burned for not remembering anything. But, yeah, thanks.

[Andy Samberg]

Are you here?

[Bill Hader]

Thanks, Amy. Yes. I don't remember that.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, but you also weren't at the episode.

[Seth Meyers]

Well, so then you're not defending yourself.

[Bill Hader]

No, no, you weren't there.

[Seth Meyers]

I love that you're like, I wouldn't be here to defend myself. Also, she was 100% right.

[Bill Hader]

Hey, you're right.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, those are those IPAs talking.

[Bill Hader]

Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Now, right away to your point of them doing them, we have the Sandler family reunion from five years ago on here. I see the Jim Carrey family reunion from 10 years ago. Do you think we deserve writing credits on those?

[Seth Meyers]

I don't know. The only reason I say maybe we don't is we probably didn't give one To Liz. And it was her idea.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. But the money still came to her. You know what I mean?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true. By the way, super fun show, top to bottom. Really loved it. And we're gonna get to Laser Cats 3. But I think there. There's so many things I just want to mention real quick about this show. A lot of people, sometimes they knock on a questions monologue. They think that's a cop out fair. Right, Andy? I think sometimes you get on my case.

[Akiva Schaffer]

So you've got the musical monologues. You think the game shows.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah. You think there's knocks on all the stuff.

[Seth Meyers]

I know, but here's the thing. I wrote the Q and A monologue for Walking this week. It's Seth Corner. Yorm, Seth's Corner.

[Bill Hader]

You're all invited.

[Andy Samberg]

Seth's Corner.

[Bill Hader]

It's happening right now.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Take it.

[Bill Hader]

Wasted.

[Seth Meyers]

Christopher Wagan came out and said, I'm going to do a questions monologue, but I've written the questions for the audience.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Oh, that's good.

[Seth Meyers]

And then it was real a lister writers. Paula Downey Lutz.

[Andy Samberg]

Nice.

[Seth Meyers]

And he keeps criticizing the questions that he wrote even though he wrote them. What is your favorite color?

[Amy Poehler]

I have to be honest, that's not a good question. You say, here, here we are. You have a chance to ask me something germane and all you can come up with is my favorite color. It's not good.

[Seth Meyers]

In any case, he also stops people and says, say it like you wrote it.

[Amy Poehler]

You said it.

[Andy Samberg]

So just read it off the card.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, but read it as if you thought of it.

[Seth Meyers]

Okay, which do you prefer more acting.

[Jorma Taccone]

In film or live performance?

[Amy Poehler]

That's a good one.

[Akiva Schaffer]

So you were deconstructing him anyway. So you were kind of hearing that complaint and doing a meta deconstruction anyways.

[Seth Meyers]

But Lutz says, would you rather have the power of invisibility or flight? And he immediately goes, that's a great question. I would have both. And then tells a long story about how he would fly full speed into windows and there would be a giant thump and people would look, but they wouldn't see anything. Wait, you wrote that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You can go see it on peacock.

[Seth Meyers]

And you can see that.

[Andy Samberg]

Did it play well?

[Seth Meyers]

It did very well. And I'm gonna. You know what? I don't want it to sound like I'm, you know, peacocking here about my success. Cause I also wrote a sketch that ate it super hard in dress, which was a couple going to a Victorian mansion to visit a guy who had just returned from, like, Borneo where he captured the elusive man monkey. And they walk in, and there's just a cage that clearly has been, like, somebody has escaped from. And it's just walking, coming in, being like, no, I never found him. I certainly didn't bring him back and have him escape. And he's just carrying a. He's carrying a gun around and just, like, pulling back. He's very clearly, the mail monkeys escaped in his house. Anyway, you know what the. And maybe you guys have memories of a sketch like this in your mind's eye. Like, there's a cartoon cage that very clearly the bars have been pulled open, and it just was too hard to make it look like the cage was what you needed, the first laugh off and didn't happen.

[Andy Samberg]

So people were like, so he's not in the cage or.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, it was just bad.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Okay, well.

[Seth Meyers]

And since we're talking about cages, do you wanna brag about how you figured out Cage comedy later at SNL by.

[Andy Samberg]

Pretending to be Nic Cage and getting celebrities to come on?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, yeah, we'll get there. 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, Cory 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. It's rated R.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Hey, everybody, support comes from Shopify. Everybody here obviously on the pod always has used Shopify. But for those who don't know, it's a thing. When you think about businesses that are selling through the roof, like Aviar Nation or Mattel, sure, you think about a great product, a cool brand, and brilliant marketing. But an often overlooked secret is it's actually the businesses behind the business. Making, selling, and for shoppers, buying. Simple. For millions of businesses, that business is Shopify.

[Seth Meyers]

Can I cut you off real quick, Keev? Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Home on the number one checkout of the planet. And the not so secret secret, like Keev knows, Tim knows with shop pay that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going forward.

[Jorma Taccone]

No, honestly, I did not know that.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Tim, do you have a business? You were trying to do something like sell T shirts or something weird actually.

[Jorma Taccone]

T shirts? Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Well, you should use Shopify. Now, when I say it like that, does my tone sound genuine?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, I think it does to me.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Okay, great. Cause it is genuine.

[Jorma Taccone]

So my T shirts would be good to have Shopify?

[Seth Meyers]

Yes. Oh, my God. I can't believe it's taking you so long to pick this up.

[Jorma Taccone]

No one's told it to me so earnestly before.

[Seth Meyers]

Exactly.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. Good.

[Seth Meyers]

Upgrade your business and get the same checkout Aviator Nation uses. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com lonelyisland all lowercase. Go to shopify.com lonelyisland to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com alonelyisland do you remember at all, Andy, the Grease High School Musical rehearsal?

[Andy Samberg]

No.

[Seth Meyers]

You're in it, and it's. You guys are rehearsing for Grease and you're singing Grease Lightning. And he's your drama teacher walkin'and. He keeps stopping you. Cause the lyrics are too dirty. Because Grease Lightning has, like, you know, chicks will cream. And he's like, whoa, whoa. That's way too dirty. We have to change. And he keeps saying, do you know what that means? And he, like, points at you, Andy. He's like, do you know what that means? And you're like, I think so.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you know what that means? Chicks will cream. Lucas, do you know what that means?

[Andy Samberg]

I think I do. Yeah?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Come here.

[Amy Poehler]

Tell me what you think of it. Come here. Whisper in my ear. Yes, you got it. Good for you.

[Seth Meyers]

Tell your friends.

[Amy Poehler]

They want to know what it means. That's Right, boys? It's dirty. So.

[Seth Meyers]

And then he changes it to Fleem. He's like, we got to change it to something else. And Bill's like, scream. He's like, no, that's bad Fleem. Who wrote it? I think Sublette. Hold on. I've just said hold on. Let me see. Yeah, Sublette.

[Andy Samberg]

Nice. Well, shout out Sublette.

[Seth Meyers]

It's a great Sublette sketch, and I really enjoyed watching it again. He says, oh. He says, pussy Wagon. Cause that's a line in the actual Grease song. He goes, we have to change that. And he goes again just to a different cast member. He's like, you think you know what that is? And it's like, yeah. He goes, come tell me. He keeps making people whisper in his ear.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you know what that means? You want it back, Evan? Do you know?

[Seth Meyers]

Come here. Yeah, tell me.

[Amy Poehler]

Tell me.

[Seth Meyers]

What is it?

[Andy Samberg]

Whisper.

[Amy Poehler]

No, it's not too little.

[Seth Meyers]

Come on.

[Amy Poehler]

Even Ms. Hash knows what this means. Yes. Finally. Like, pulling teeth.

[Seth Meyers]

So great sketch. Googly eyes. Oh, yeah. Googly Eyes is an all time great Christopher Walken sketch.

[Andy Samberg]

I feel like, in my opinion, it's just an all time great sketch.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, it's great.

[Andy Samberg]

I remember even at the table being like, ooh, that is very funny. And for whatever reason, just strikes a specific tone that makes me be like, that's kind of like what SNL feels like to me in general.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Well, it felt like something that would have been in the Phil Hartman era or something.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. Maybe that's why Eric Kenward sketch. My memory of it was, oh, I remember there was a sketch where Christopher Walken was a gardener who put googly eyes on his plants. The rewatch was so delightful because it starts with a title card, and now it's Pardo. And now Indoor Gardening Tips from a Man who is very scared of plants. And I will say in my head, I'm like, how do they establish that it's googly eyes? And literally the first line is, these are my cactuses. I'm putting googly eyes on them. Just right out of the gate.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yes.

[Andy Samberg]

And him saying googly eyes.

[Seth Meyers]

Like, he keeps saying googly eyes. Hi.

[Amy Poehler]

These are my cactuses. I put googly eyes on them. A lot of people are putting.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Googly.

[Amy Poehler]

Eyes on their cactuses nowadays. I think it's because cactuses are dangerous. Cactuses have pricklers that can stab you in your hands or your throat, your face. So you need to know where you stand with them at all times. The only way to know where you stand with someone is to look into their eyes.

[Seth Meyers]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

Normally, plants don't have eyes, so it's hard for me to trust them. Hence, googly eyes.

[Seth Meyers]

He says hence, which I liked. Then he moves over to ferns, and he said, I have googly eyes on my ferns, by the way, rolling delight through the whole sketch. It is also that great thing, which is the premise is great. His performance is great. Also, everybody forgets walking. There's no reason to forget because of that great music video. Fantastic dancer. Like, grew up dancer first, like, so light on his feet, so funny dancing in the Grease sketch. And a couple of times he just gets scared by plants in this sketch and is like, oh. And, like, just does, like, a little shuffle, step away from them. And he says, I have eyes on my ferns. I got the idea from my cactus. You got the idea from the first thing you showed us. There's a lot of. It's one idea. And yet he keeps acting like he hasn't been clear about it. Like, he says, I don't know if I've been clear about this, but eye contact is hugely important to me.

[Bill Hader]

It's also, like, a testament to the thing that when SNL is really good is when it cuts less. You're just watching a performance.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. You're just watching a guy.

[Bill Hader]

You're just watching him do it.

[Seth Meyers]

It's really great. He talks about, if a fern killed you, what would be your last words? And then he does that great walking thing where he breaks up one sentence into two sentences.

[Amy Poehler]

Enough of these ferns lodge themselves down your throat, you choke for sure. It's probably not going to happen, but what if it did?

[Timothy Oliphant]

What.

[Amy Poehler]

What do you think your last thought would be? Mine would be, I always knew it was going to be the ferns, but no worries me. And these ferns are good. I can tell the king into their eyes.

[Seth Meyers]

That was really good.

[Jorma Taccone]

Okay. What a genius.

[Seth Meyers]

Eric Kenward, who wrote googly eyes, sent in a voice note. Let's give it a listen.

[Timothy Oliphant]

Okay. So googly eyes, gardener. This is something my grandma Kenward used to really do. Googly eyes on her cactuses, which is maybe something that Midwestern ladies of a certain age do or did. And I remember writing this down in my Word document of sketch ideas at one point, just as, like, an observation, you know, like, why do people put googly eyes on cactuses in particular? And I thought, you know, I guess it's because they're dangerous and they can hurt you. And so people want to humanize them and make them cute or more relatable. And I kind of just, you Know, extrapolated that idea from there. I don't think I ever really thought about how I was going to write that into a sketch. And I think that's an observation that maybe sat in that document for a couple years or a year. I also remember I wanted to write something that had reaction shots of non reactive things, you know, like the Monty Python sketch, confuse a cat, where you would cut to a cat for a reaction shot, but they clearly had no idea what was going on. Or the Google Ads kind of give you that. I remember writing this very late or very early in the morning on Wednesday before I went home, before read through. It was kind of what we used to call a fuck around piece. I don't know if you can curse on the show, but that's what we called them, what we did call him. Obviously, Walken is great at doing sketches by himself and can really, you know, elevate the craziest, wispiest ideas. And I think that must have been somewhere in the back of my mind because in hindsight, it's very weird to write a sketch for just one person. Also in hindsight, in the context of his show, it kind of gives you the same value as like the continental sketches that Chris Walken used to do. And there's not one of those in this show. But I don't think I was consciously thinking about any of that when I wrote it. I think I was just kind of trying to get this idea out. I also had a cat named Dr. Manhattan who was very scared of things and would kind of was always kind of going like. And that's where that came from. Obviously Walk in made it what it was, but that's where that basic idea came from. I remember sort of being surprised that it got picked. And then it got a very thorough rewrite on Thursday afternoon. There were a lot of good pitches. It was the first thing that was going to block on Thursday afternoon because it was like relatively simple. And I remember going to the floor and showing Christopher Walken all the changes and he was kind of like, no, no, no, it's going to be what it was on Wednesday. And most of the changes got kind of steadied. And I looked back at the script from Wednesday and it is like remarkably similar, I will say, two big changes that Christopher Walken made. Originally it was, as Jesus said, the eyes are the windows of your head. And he changed head to face, which is obviously a much better word for Christopher Walken. And then between dress and air standards, had a problem with Jesus. And I got called into Lorne's office, which is something that didn't happen very often for me at that point. And we were trying to think of alts kind of on the fly or what Jesus could be changed to. And I remember Christopher Walken just said Winston Churchill, and that's obviously so much better. Yeah, I mean, obviously, the design department did an incredible job. I mean, that giant plant with the giant googly eyes kind of sells the whole piece. The wig, I think, was all Christopher Walken, too. I mean, the look is incredible. The spray bottle, I think was. Which is, you know, fantastic. Yeah, it's one of those things that, in hindsight, I kind of can't believe actually got on the show. But it's probably my favorite sketch that I ever wrote, so I'm happy that it did. Sorry if this is too long. Bye.

[Seth Meyers]

That's fantastic.

[Andy Samberg]

Thank you, Kenward.

[Seth Meyers]

It was fantastic. And I had a very similar story. This is a sketch that we're never going to. Well, now we are going to talk about it, but there were no plans to talk about Pranksters, which is a sketch I wrote before you guys started on the show.

[Andy Samberg]

Oh, yeah, but we know it.

[Seth Meyers]

I wrote a sketch for Christopher Walken my second year on the show called Pranksters, where it was sort of a Nickelodeon prank show where kids came on and showed video of pranks they pulled. And then he came on as a Christopher Walken aged man whose prank was that he beat his boss to death with a tire iron.

[Andy Samberg]

That's right.

[Seth Meyers]

What happened?

[Amy Poehler]

I jumped out and pranked him to death with a tire iron.

[Seth Meyers]

What? Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

You should have seen the look on his face. Classic.

[Andy Samberg]

We quoted that all the time.

[Akiva Schaffer]

We were just fans of the show at home. And we were like, that's a good one. Enough that we remember lines from it.

[Seth Meyers]

And he used a lot of, like, zowie wowie. He just got pranked. It was one of those sketches, and I think it was a little bit like, googly eyes, which is. It worked at the table. It was a real writery idea. And so sometimes you get to that Thursday rewrite table and you're surrounded by these other great writers, and everybody just starts piling on what are, to your tastes, really good ideas. And then, same thing. I brought it down to the floor walking Reddit. He's like, it's worse. We're gonna go back to the way it was. And it was so funny. Like, how he was just like, don't mess with it.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Like, why are you messing with it?

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

And so it is really funny. How? I mean, there's a reason he's been one of the best, I guess, hosts of that show for so many years. I gotta mention one more. Harper Steele wrote a sketch where it's Larry King interviewing Jimmy Carter. Do you remember this sketch at all?

[Andy Samberg]

Oh, no.

[Seth Meyers]

Jimmy Carter's written a book about his mother. And Fred, is Larry King asking Daryl, who has an exceptional Jimmy Carter impression, do you think people will read this book? And Jimmy Carter's just very sort of upbeat the whole time. He's like, well, I sure hope so, Larry.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Do you think most people who end.

[Seth Meyers]

Up with this book will have gotten.

[Andy Samberg]

It as a gift and not read it?

[Akiva Schaffer]

You know, I really couldn't say, Larry.

[Seth Meyers]

But I suspect that might be the.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Case.

[Seth Meyers]

Because he's got, like. I think Jimmy Carter's written, like, 50 books. And so they had a stack of his actual books. And then it's just a lot of Larry King being like, you wrote a book of poetry. Do you think anybody read this? He's like, no, that. I'll think about it. No.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Oh, no.

[Seth Meyers]

But he's never. Jimmy Carter is never that upset about it. And it's very. It's just a very funny idea that's.

[Andy Samberg]

Played out very well, by the way Kenward mentioned. But I do want to talk about the Continental, because growing up, I saw that sketch many times, and it's so unique. I think I was told later that it's based on an old show or an old movie or something. But the whole sketch is from the POV of a woman that is in the Continental's apartment.

[Seth Meyers]

Right.

[Andy Samberg]

Which is.

[Seth Meyers]

Yes.

[Andy Samberg]

Just stylistically on snl. Feels like. I don't think anything else has ever been that.

[Seth Meyers]

Right. Right. Definitely not. But I think you're right. It was an old show that maybe Tom Davis wanted to do. I know Higgins had a lot to do with in the later years, but, yeah, it's really funny. And you keep.

[Andy Samberg]

I mean, it's problematic as fuck it is. He, like, won't let her leave. He keeps jumping in front of the door and shit. He's like Pepe Le Pew, basically. But the performance is so funny. And there's lines from that I remember from my whole life, too. Like, you are a fiery vixen as a little kid being like, oh, this is the first time I've ever heard anything like this.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. And then we get to where this has always been leading. It's laser cats 3.

[Akiva Schaffer]

3D.

[Seth Meyers]

3D.

[Andy Samberg]

Three whole derfs now.

[Seth Meyers]

Andy, you texted today that you were not feeling laser cats 3 3D on rewatch.

[Andy Samberg]

I went into it with an open mind. I thought it had a couple of yucks and it didn't blow me away. I think I preferred the two prior and I think that it's sort of a stopgap. One that then gets to a different phase of Laser Cats where it gets better again, in my opinion.

[Seth Meyers]

What was your take?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, I just watched it just before this. I didn't remember it at all. In hindsight, I just feel like the first half could have been edited to half the length and then it would have been good.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, that's probably fair.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Because the second half has tons of good bits in a row at the right pace that I didn't remember and really enjoyed, like getting sucked out at the airlock and then shooting it sideways so it looks like you're going out of an airlock. And then all of a sudden it's the toy action figure version of Bill and then he's back in. There were other good surprises, but the first half just kind of settles into setting up this premise that they live in a world where a big world leader has made laser cats illegal, has collected all the laser cats. But it turned out it was a plot so that they would be the only one with laser cats. So all of a sudden they could take over the world.

[Seth Meyers]

I like that. While you're explaining it, I really like to think that Tim's sitting there saying, why'd I leave the.

[Akiva Schaffer]

No. He's thinking, can I option the rights? This sounds real good.

[Seth Meyers]

Why was that a cool bar? Guys there had seen Deadwood.

[Andy Samberg]

Somehow talking about the minutia of sketches from 20 years ago is making your energy wane.

[Bill Hader]

Well, we were debating getting some beers to come back here with and.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You don't keep beers in the fridge in your apartment there?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. What's wrong with you?

[Bill Hader]

I'm a fool. I'm a fool.

[Jorma Taccone]

I find this delightful.

[Seth Meyers]

Okay, good.

[Jorma Taccone]

I love this. I want to. If I may, I want to circle back to. Tell me the writer's name who did the plants thing.

[Seth Meyers]

Kenward. Eric Kenward.

[Jorma Taccone]

It's just my favorite thing about anything creative. I love that someone took something so specific and almost pedestrian about their life that their grandmother or mother put googly eyes and it became this thing that is delightful. And I love that it was taken so seriously. I love that there was notes and rewrites and then. And then this Oscar winning actor is like, no, it was better before. I just love. And I love the same thing about the other. You guys are talking about the way you talked about Laser Cats 3D and it was amazing. I rewatched it.

[Seth Meyers]

I thought so. You were just in thrall of it. I will say Kenred's grandmother fucking pissed when she saw it. Yeah, she was like fucking pissed. Remember she came to the office.

[Andy Samberg]

That's right.

[Seth Meyers]

And Ken was like, oh, shit. So my life is a fucking joke to you?

[Jorma Taccone]

This is funny.

[Seth Meyers]

And remember, Lauren had to talk to her. Like, Lauren would be like, we're so sorry.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She's like, you'll be sorry when I pop you one.

[Jorma Taccone]

You guys do realize, though, it's amazing that the best legendary sort of sketches that you guys are referring to are being created the same way the best creative everything gets made. It's really wonderful.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, that's good.

[Jorma Taccone]

You know my point, right?

[Seth Meyers]

Yes.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. That we are exactly as good as Deadwood. Got it.

[Seth Meyers]

Got it. Support for Lowly island at Seth Meyers podcast comes from Viori. Hey, Keev, you've been looking for a new perspective on performance apparel, right?

[Akiva Schaffer]

You know, I am.

[Seth Meyers]

You're a little sick and tired of traditional workout gear.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

What if I told you there was something incredibly versatile and comfortable designed to look great in everyday life even outside the.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You know what my favorite fabric is? Cotton.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. Really?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. But I also love Viori's dream knit collection. Ponto performance jogger is part of Viori's dream knit collection. Do you have any of those, Seth?

[Seth Meyers]

I do have dream knit collection. I like it because I can, like, wear it for a run and then boom, I can wear it right into the office. And I also look cool.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, you do look really cool in your sports stuff.

[Seth Meyers]

Thanks, bud.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. All right, let me tell you some of these facts about it. Super soft, lightweight, relaxed fit, made from 89% recycled materials. And it has four way performance stretch. I had something with three way performance stretch. I threw it in the trash.

[Seth Meyers]

You were miserable. I remember you were always like, yeah, I'm looking for a fourth way, but nobody knows how to do it. And then Viori cracked the code.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Exactly. Do you know what was the problem with them? The way I couldn't bend was forward.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, no, that was. That was the way it wasn't stretching.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. The other three ways were. I don't even know what that was.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, yeah, because you used to go left, right, and back. And then we were always like, why does Kyiv hate forward so much? Hey, Viori is an investment in your happiness for our listeners. They're offering 20% off your first purchase. Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the [e-mail] island that's V U O R I.com island exclusionsapply. Visit the website for full tourniquet editions. Not only receive 20% off your first purchase, but enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns. Go to viori.com island and discover the versatility of Viori. Clothing exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.

[Bill Hader]

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. This place even has a separate bedroom. Cool loft. 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]

So I feel like we're bearing the lead of one thing right off the bat, which is there's always a little cameo of who Lauren is with. And so you guys roll a TV into a restaurant. So that's a heighten. You have been in Lauren's office. The first two.

[Andy Samberg]

Real restaurant too.

[Seth Meyers]

And obviously this was someone you asked. Lauren, can you deliver?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Oh, Senator Dodd.

[Seth Meyers]

Senator Chris Dodd, clearly. Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

We were like, hey, Lorne, is there any. We know it's a long shot, but we. Let's say 30 year olds who work on a sketch show have a dream that's amazing.

[Seth Meyers]

To get Connecticut Senator Krista. And Lauren got him. Lauren got him.

[Andy Samberg]

He got him.

[Akiva Schaffer]

He delivered. By the way, he did a great job, you know, not to jump to the very end, but he's left at the end. The last guy standing delivered some nice little ending remarks.

[Andy Samberg]

He was delightful. I know that him and Lauren are buds, right?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, definitely. They were probably having dinner together.

[Andy Samberg]

I'm sure we were like, could there be someone else? You're having dinner? Then he was like, well, Dodd's in town and we were gonna get dinner. That's my guess.

[Akiva Schaffer]

I appreciated that we were out of the office for the Lorne pitch. We had invaded his dinner, and then we got to reuse his office a lot as Christopher Walken's admiral or Chief of the galaxy office.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

I will say, another little detail I forgot that I liked was the cat gun salute at the end during the funeral.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Well, this is sort of an X Men trope. Or a lot of these superhero movies. Tropes of, like, somebody's, like, a populist politician is. We have to ban superpowers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.

[Bill Hader]

We're just watching this right now, and fucking making Christopher Walken dress up in this fucking uniform is so. Oh, like, oh, next level.

[Akiva Schaffer]

He wears it well.

[Seth Meyers]

That's where I feel like you're not giving yourself enough credit, Andy, because Walken's performance in this is so dry. By the way, he's not Admiral. I believe his name is Captain Ted. And he is wearing what, like, a poker visor? Ray Bans and floaties?

[Jorma Taccone]

No, these aren't Ray Bans. Those are Christian Slater's shades from True Romance.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, yeah. And you guys walk in and he's like, whoa, guys, you have laser cats.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You can't have those anymore.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

They're illegal, these cats. They're tearing up the galaxy. I mean, perfect writing for him. And then you guys are gonna destroy him, and you're gonna destroy him with a gun and a hammer. These are live cats.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. That was when it got my interest.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

Audience immediately like, no.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You point a fucking Glock point blank at a live cat's forehead.

[Andy Samberg]

And we love them, too. We're like, see you later, buddy, or something.

[Seth Meyers]

Also, in the beginning of this, each of you call the other one Kemo Sabi, which sucks a lot.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah. Well, that's just classic.

[Seth Meyers]

Deeply funny to me.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

Then right before you kill your laser cats, Keenan announces it was all a plan. Now he has absolute power because there's no more laser cats. Oh, also, there was a little foreshadowing early in this, which is Andy's got an eye patch because you had surgery to give yourself a bionic eye to.

[Andy Samberg]

Be able to hit any target.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, and also, there's a moment that flashes on screen and the title card that is laser cat's 3D. Not all scenes in 3D. That's really good.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Right? That's what I'm Saying we've set up a bunch of stuff in the beginning that. Then at the end, when it's paying off, I'm like, now this is good, right? But there is two minutes where I'm kind of waiting for that. I liked our GPS shot with the rocket ship on top of clearly Google Earth. I like that the place that the bad guy Keenan's holding all the cats is just the little chicken wire cage that the animal wranglers bring cats in in real life.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Like, where the laziness is just fully like. Yeah, that's the cat cage.

[Andy Samberg]

You want to know probably my favorite detail of the whole thing, Keef?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

Is the sound effect on the dog laser.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Cause it's big and chunky. Boost.

[Seth Meyers]

Boost.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah, that's what I mean. So once you get to this midpoint, it's two and a half minutes into a five and a half minute thing. Is. Then you're at the thing I already talked about with the airlock. Then we do the whole 3D joke.

[Seth Meyers]

So you say, put on your glasses, and I will say, senator Dodd crushes his. When it cuts to him wearing the glasses. Totally worth it.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah. It's a nice cutaway.

[Bill Hader]

Wait, can I put Seth on blast for just a hot second?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Bill Hader]

Was any of this based on when we watched the premiere of Journey to the center of the Earth, which was presented, I believe, at least in part, in 3D and set. You did a joke and you're in that movie, correct?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, barely. Barely. Yes. Even IMDb says barely.

[Akiva Schaffer]

He's a scientist.

[Bill Hader]

But you do a very 3D joke, correct, in that movie, where you have a pointer and you point to screen to sort of show off the 3Dness, am I right?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah. The director had said, let's try to find a 3D moment for you. I was literally just a guy who was taking Brendan Fraser's office over. So I had a tape measure, and so there was a moment where I, like, point the tape measure right at camera.

[Andy Samberg]

That's so.

[Akiva Schaffer]

So everyone in the crowd was ducking. He's gonna measure us.

[Bill Hader]

Oh, no. That tape measure's gonna get me. Yeah.

[Seth Meyers]

I always say that. I'm in two scenes in Journey to the center of the Earth. And the thrust of my two scenes is you can't go to the center of the Earth. And then my other scene is, what? Huh? Those are the bookends to the film.

[Akiva Schaffer]

That's an important arc to the story.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

Did you say this, Jerome? Didn't we go to the premiere of that? Because you were in It Seth. And we all hung out.

[Seth Meyers]

We did. And then I then went directly from that to Chris Kattan's wedding.

[Bill Hader]

Wow.

[Seth Meyers]

Which is only notable because it's where I met Alexei, who I am now married to.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Ah. That was a hell of a weekend.

[Seth Meyers]

So, sure. Did Journey open? Not really.

[Andy Samberg]

But it opened some minds.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, it opens the minds about the center of the Earth.

[Andy Samberg]

Certainly opened some eyes when that tape measure came at him.

[Seth Meyers]

Anyway, you guys have to fight Keenan. And that's rewarding, I thought.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. The little baby puppy pug with the big boo whip. Like, you're talking about the fact that we just let a cat and then a baby puppy pug just roam around on the ground. And then we added a bunch as if they're having a knockdown brawl.

[Seth Meyers]

I thought that was really good.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You didn't like that, Andy? I liked it still.

[Andy Samberg]

I liked it fine. It was cute. Say baby puppy pug 10 times fast.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Baby puppy Pug. Baby puppy Pug. Baby puppy Pug. Baby puppy Pug. Baby puppy Pug.

[Andy Samberg]

Well, my man KE got the verbal dexterity on the mic.

[Seth Meyers]

I also liked that you're trying to shoot the lock and Bill can't shoot it because it's so far away. And then you have a flashback bubble to you saying you're getting a bionic eye surgery. And it really made me laugh. Cause that was literally like 90 seconds.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah, it was 90 seconds prior. We did know that that was why it sucked and was funny for sure.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

But, you know, good stuff. Fine.

[Seth Meyers]

And then you guys get medals. And the cat did die.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. There is a cat that died. Which one died? The one that fought the baby puppy pug.

[Seth Meyers]

And yeah, then there's a 21 cat salute. And it's just fun to watch people cock cats like guns.

[Amy Poehler]

Bravery beyond the call of duty. I present these awards to Admiral Spaceship Nitro. Fire. Fire. Fire.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It's also our casting is so good. That's the whole, like, Post editorial kind of staff.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Akiva Schaffer]

And they've just got just the right look. Who's in there?

[Bill Hader]

Who's in there?

[Seth Meyers]

Pool.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It's Poole.

[Andy Samberg]

Mike Poole.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It's Yonks.

[Andy Samberg]

Matt Yonks.

[Akiva Schaffer]

And it's Nick Mallardi.

[Andy Samberg]

Nick Malardi.

[Akiva Schaffer]

And then when we get back to the restaurant, Lauren has left, and it's just Chris Dodd.

[Andy Samberg]

So, Lauren, what'd you think?

[Amy Poehler]

He went home, but I loved it.

[Seth Meyers]

Really? No. Enjoy your meal.

[Amy Poehler]

Bye.

[Akiva Schaffer]

I was really hoping he did like it.

[Seth Meyers]

That would be a rewrite.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Yeah. Just let us have the win.

[Bill Hader]

Yeah, but that's Pretty classic Lonely island, right? Like, hey, this was a bad idea. Let's watch this. Hey, it was a bad idea.

[Akiva Schaffer]

It's classic Laser cats, that's for sure.

[Seth Meyers]

All right, so it seems like there were things to like in it, but maybe not Criterion Collection.

[Andy Samberg]

I think that's right.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Correct.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Andy Samberg]

Not an embarrassment or anything.

[Seth Meyers]

No. And can I say about the episode, and I know we've not been doing this. This is a Criterion episode of sno.

[Andy Samberg]

Yeah. There's a lot of good stuff.

[Bill Hader]

Can I say something controversial?

[Andy Samberg]

Say it, Yharm.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah.

[Bill Hader]

I think that out of the seven laser cuts, there was one for every season that Indy was on the show. I think that I would say only one of them. I would say the first one is Criterion and none of the other ones. Is that fair?

[Seth Meyers]

Well, you're getting ahead of yourself.

[Andy Samberg]

I don't know about that.

[Akiva Schaffer]

You probably wouldn't put both.

[Bill Hader]

Okay, okay, we'll see.

[Seth Meyers]

We've got four more to go.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Do you think there's gonna be a later one that tops it?

[Andy Samberg]

I just don't know that the first one would be the one I would pick.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Got it.

[Seth Meyers]

I just am gonna read off some of the names of people who wrote sketches in this episode. Steele, Faye, Carlock, Sublette, Sudeikis, Sandberg, Shaffer, Whig, Anderson, Grandy, Kenward, Sawyer, Solomon. It's almost as if it was Anne Golden Arrow.

[Andy Samberg]

I felt it coming.

[Akiva Schaffer]

All right, I have a comment.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, great.

[Akiva Schaffer]

This person's wondering, how far ahead do I need to comment on this video to get on the pod?

[Andy Samberg]

That's your answer right there.

[Seth Meyers]

You did it. Three years ago. Somebody wrote. The best part, I think, is that despite hating laser cats, Lorne still had the professional courtesy of using the 3D glass during the 3D scene. I think that's fair.

[Andy Samberg]

Well, he wanted to see. I mean, no one can say no. If you go, hey, it's 3D. You'd be like, oh, shit.

[Timothy Oliphant]

Really?

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, that's true.

[Akiva Schaffer]

This person says, wasn't as good as laser cats 2. It was better.

[Andy Samberg]

Oh, shit.

[Bill Hader]

Was that a.

[Akiva Schaffer]

That was from two months ago.

[Andy Samberg]

Wait, who said that?

[Akiva Schaffer]

Who said that? Alex Wallach. 7683.

[Andy Samberg]

I knew it.

[Akiva Schaffer]

The names always roll off the tongue. This person appreciated. They added pool floaties and a bingo visor to Christopher Walken's costume. It really gives that spacey, futuristic officer look. Appreciate that.

[Seth Meyers]

Guys, we were talking about maybe doing around the Holidays a quick episode where we go back through all the shorts we've done so far and actually clarify whether they're criterion or not. Because I think we've been a little loose with it.

[Jorma Taccone]

And then have Nan golden on as a guest.

[Bill Hader]

Oh, our listeners don't know that reference.

[Andy Samberg]

We'll hear him out.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Nan Golden.

[Jorma Taccone]

I thought when you kept saying Nan golden earlier, I was like, is he making a Nan golden reference?

[Andy Samberg]

The whole Nan golden era.

[Jorma Taccone]

It's an golden era. Thank you.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, my God.

[Jorma Taccone]

Thank you. That's what I thought you were doing.

[Seth Meyers]

Jesus Christ. I was like, why is all of a sudden Tim talking about Nan Golden? Because it's a Nan golden era.

[Jorma Taccone]

Isn't that what you've been talking about this whole time?

[Andy Samberg]

Our time at SNL was truly Nan Golden Era.

[Seth Meyers]

Nan Golden Era. Shout out to Nan Golden Era, who? You know, one of the tipping point people against the Sacklers during the opioid crisis. For real. And, you know, and that's what I think, in a way, why our cast was Nan golden era is we stood against Big Pharma.

[Jorma Taccone]

You're welcome.

[Seth Meyers]

That's right.

[Bill Hader]

Thanks, Tim.

[Jorma Taccone]

You're welcome.

[Seth Meyers]

I mean, I'm not saying it wasn't worth it having Tim here until Nan Golden Era, but it certainly paid off.

[Bill Hader]

At the end for sure.

[Jorma Taccone]

Okay, so what time next week?

[Seth Meyers]

I mean, an hour later than this. I think we want to see how far we can push it.

[Bill Hader]

Don't worry, we'll figure it out.

[Jorma Taccone]

We'll see you in LA next week.

[Seth Meyers]

All right, so next week is. Oh, boy, oh, boy.

[Andy Samberg]

Gnarls Barkley.

[Seth Meyers]

Oh, boy. Ashton Kutcher. Gnarles Barkley.

[Bill Hader]

And you guys, I'm excited about this one.

[Seth Meyers]

Daiquiri Girl. Daiquiri Girl.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Maybe we can get the truth from Danger Mouse. Finally, on a little voice note.

[Bill Hader]

Yes. Yes. Get a fucking no from Brian.

[Seth Meyers]

Yeah, I don't want to spoil Daiquiri Girl, but good news, Daiquiri Girl doesn't need my help to spoil it.

[Andy Samberg]

It was spoiled on the shelf.

[Seth Meyers]

It was self spoiled.

[Akiva Schaffer]

All right.

[Seth Meyers]

I love you guys. I love our Finland contingent. Thanks for staying up so late. That was great. That's so fun. I love you guys.

[Andy Samberg]

Love you.

[Seth Meyers]

Love you.

[Akiva Schaffer]

Love you too.