You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Guest: Chris Parnell
Date: May 25, 2022

Episode Overview

This episode features the hilarious and versatile actor and comedian Chris Parnell, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, "Lazy Sunday," and numerous voice roles (e.g., "Archer" and "Rick and Morty"). Pete and Chris dive deep into SNL war stories, the realities of show business, formative acting influences, the creative process, and spiritual beliefs. The conversation is lighthearted, reflective, and occasionally philosophical, peppered with comedic riffs, memories about shared projects, and lots of warmth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SNL Memories & “More Cowbell” (11:46–20:00)

• Not Laughing in “More Cowbell”: Pete is fascinated that Chris is famous for not breaking character during the iconic sketch.
  • Parnell: “Yeah, it is. And it's, it's enormous. It's a big trophy.” (12:01)
  • He admits he did "break a little," but only when the camera wasn’t on him.
  • Parnell: “Honestly, I did break a little bit, but knew the camera wasn't on me. I just kind of looked down at my guitar and had a quick moment. It was when Will was, you know, right up next to me in my face...” (13:47)
• Techniques for Not Breaking: Chris credits staying “in the moment” as the character.
  • Parnell: “I would just try to be in the moment, you know, as that guy. Pretentious.” (14:51)
• Classic Sketch Dynamics: Pete muses on SNL tradition of cast members secretly trying to make each other break during sketches.
• Dress Rehearsal Insights: Chris shares that he sometimes snuck copies of dress rehearsals—implying a quiet nostalgia for the “lost” SNL process. (12:35)

2. Unexpected SNL Hits (“Lazy Sunday,” Viral Moments) (20:00–23:50)

• “Lazy Sunday” and Viral Fame: Chris explains no one expected the sketch’s explosive popularity.
  • Parnell: “We were joking, you know, that, oh, this is going to be amazing, but not really thinking it was going to kind of be what it was.”
• Behind the Scenes Cupcake Incident: The bakery featured in "Lazy Sunday" actually tried to stop them from filming. (21:47)
• Viralization and SNL: Pete draws comparisons to modern intentionally “designed for virality” sketches, like Tom Hanks’ “Mr. Pumpkins.”

3. Showbiz, Rejection & Coping with Competition (32:39–36:01; 63:01–66:44)

• The SNL Hierarchy: Chris describes the subtle competitiveness of the show, including cast members appealing to Lorne Michaels to get sketches on air.
  • Parnell: “It would manifest itself by a cast member going into Lorne's office and sort of expressing their frustration that their sketch hadn't made it in or didn't, you know, get a good spot or whatever.”
• Coping with Rejection: Chris is candid about learning to handle rejection, both at SNL with sketches being cut and later in his career.
  • Parnell: “I'm much better at it now... I get work almost always because people offer me work, you know.”
• Teaching After Rejection: Chris describes leaving the Alley Theatre disappointed and teaching high school drama for a year, admitting he was "mostly" wanting to get out.

4. Early Life, Motivation & Mentors (43:37–54:58)

• Origins in Performing: Chris reflects on his early, mild “hammy” tendencies and a vivid desire to “be around beautiful women” (inspired by Charlie’s Angels) as a motivation for acting.
  • Parnell: “I had a Charlie's angel scrapbook, which I still have...I wanted to be around beautiful women like Farrah and Jacqueline and Kate.”
• Formative Mentors: High school drama teacher Frank Bluestein ("Mr. B") was a tough but inspirational force, pushing his students to strive for excellence.
  • Parnell: “...He was and is a brilliant man, you know, and he was the one who, you know … encouraged me. He said, you know, if you wanted to do this for real, you could actually do it. He compared me very generously to Al Pacino.” (56:14)
• Family Influence: Chris’s father was a DJ and recording studio owner; both parents were supportive despite warnings about the challenge of showbiz.

5. SNL Types & Legacy (40:20–42:15)

• Typecasting on SNL: Pete notes how SNL fills specific “comedy types” each era; Beck Bennett as "the Parnell," for instance.
  • Parnell: “I did a little bit. I did a little bit. And I think I feel like there was some comparison… Beck's amazing.” (41:09)
• Versatility in Characters: Chris lists his range of SNL characters, from the rapping “Weekend Update” guest to oddballs like Terry Funk, sharing pride in his own variety.
  • Parnell: “One of the great things about SNL is just being able to do so many different kinds of characters and things.”

6. Spiritual Beliefs, Doubt, and Atheism (80:19–92:22; 92:40–99:23)

• Religious Upbringing: Raised Southern Baptist, Chris was a believer as a child, with all the attendant guilt and self-judgment.
  • Parnell: “I still feel... the God sort of thing looking over me and I'd sort of become in my own head, I think.”
• His Journey to Atheism: Chris speaks openly about questioning hell, the exclusivity of salvation, and the proselytizing "dissonance" that led him to question and eventually leave belief behind.
  • Parnell: “It took a long, long time to get there, but once I sort of came to the realization for myself that Jesus was not the son of God, but just a great teacher... But he didn't rise from the dead. He wasn't born of a virgin...” (81:14)
• Philosophical Dialogue: Pete and Chris have an open-minded, warm exchange about the Big Bang, consciousness, the nature of existence, and the allure (or not) of the afterlife.
  • Pete: “When we say an afterlife is preposterous, I agree, but so is life. Like, it's crazy that this exists. So this is evidence that things that don't make any sense and that are miraculous, that we can't really understand meaning consciousness happen.”
• Notable Reference: Chris recommends Isaac Asimov's short story "The Last Question" to illustrate a cosmic, perhaps cyclical, view of the universe. (93:17–94:39)

7. Life, Death, and the Afterlife (96:22–98:23)

• Does Chris believe in ghosts or the afterlife?
  • Parnell: “No ghosts for me.”
  • Admits he hopes he's wrong about death being the end, but has no reason to believe otherwise.
• Philosophy of Being: Chris finds beauty and meaning in the material universe, even without spiritual overlays.
  • Parnell: “I don't really see any spiritual aspect to it. I just think it's there and it's what it is. And it's beautiful and it's amazing and it's extraordinary.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Chris on SNL Competition:
  “I think it would manifest itself by a cast member going into Lorne's office and sort of expressing their frustration that their sketch hadn't made it in...not gaming the system, but being like, I think I can go to this guy and like, whisper in his ear a little bit?” (33:58)
• On Childhood Motivation:
  “I had a Charlie's angel scrapbook, which I still have, and I had the thought of, like, I wanted to be around beautiful women like Farrah and Jacqueline and Kate...that was a part of my childhood motivation.” (50:09)
• On Finding His Type:
  “There are certain flavors [on SNL] that are needed ... when you lose Parnell, you hire New Parnell.” (41:09)
• Chris on Spirituality:
  “It took a long, long time to get there, but once I sort of came to the realization for myself that Jesus was not the son of God, but just a great teacher who had this amazing message of love and forgiveness ... but he didn't rise from the dead.” (81:14)
• On The Afterlife:
  “Yeah, I mean, I hope I'm wrong...But I just don't have any reason to believe there is.” (96:26)

Lightning Round – Fun & Weirdness

• Favorite Hard Laugh:
  Chris points to Spinal Tap's Stonehenge scene as inducing uncontrollable laughter.
  • Parnell: “It was watching Spinal Tap. And when the Stonehenge set comes down and, oh, how they dance, the people of Stonehenge...” (103:14)
• Ghost Encounters?
  Chris is adamant: “No ghosts for me.” Pete shares detail about a “ghost cat.” (76:12)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• More Cowbell & Breaking Character: 11:36–15:12
• Lazy Sunday & Viral SNL: 20:00–23:50
• SNL Cast Competition: 32:39–36:01
• Early Drama and Mentors: 50:09–56:14
• Coping with Rejection in Showbiz: 63:01–66:44
• Big Spiritual Questions: 80:19–92:22
• Cosmic Philosophy & Afterlife: 92:40–99:23
• Chris’ Hardest Laugh: 103:14–104:12

Final Words & “Keep it Chris P” (105:18)

• After 10 years of anticipation, Pete and Chris close the episode with Chris giving the show’s signature send-off his own spin:
  • Chris Parnell: "Keep it Chris P." (105:22)

Tone & Flow

• The tone is playful, thoughtful, and warm—Pete and Chris riff effortlessly, echoing the best “comedians hanging out” energy with philosophical depth and candid insight about the comedy world and personal beliefs.
• Both maintain their gentle, self-aware humor throughout: “I'm going to try and talk more like you, so this whole... If I talk a little bit more like this, this podcast will just be number one, but on the health and fitness charts.” (26:01)

For anyone who hasn’t listened: This episode is rich with SNL backstage lore, reflections on creative resilience, and open-hearted musings on meaning, death, and legacy, all delivered by one of comedy’s quietly strongest players and a loving fan in Pete Holmes.