July 30, 2024 • 32 mins
Join hosts Dan "Bass" Levy and Joe Kelly on this episode of Barguments the Podcast as they welcome the multi-talented Colton Dunn! Dive into a lively discussion about Colton's impressive career, from his memorable roles in hit shows to his work behind the scenes. The debate heats up as they bargue over the Mt. Rushmore of sketch comedy actors and battle it out to determine the greatest video game of all time. Tune in for these spirited debates and so much more on this fun-filled episode of 'Baguments'!
Once again, please continue to share the Barguments the Podcast with neighbors and friends, and make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode of the show. And while you are at it, please give us a 5-star rating and share your feelings about Bargumentst by leaving a review on whatever platform you listen to the show.
Once again, please continue to share the Barguments the Podcast with neighbors and friends, and make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode of the show. And while you are at it, please give us a 5-star rating and share your feelings about Bargumentst by leaving a review on whatever platform you listen to the show.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Arguments is recorded in front of a live studio audience.
What's up, everybody, fellow Barginers, Welcome into another thrilling edition
of Arguments. I'm your host, Dan Levy along with my
co host Joe Kelly. What's up, Joe?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Look, Dan, I saw someone take a nose dive off
the karaoke stage again. So that was a funny weekend
to me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
For those that are just tuning in, especially our guest
Joe Kelly, is also a karaoke host here in the
Southwest suburbs of Illinois, so every time I ask him,
what are some weird things? You saw somebody to take
a nose dive off the karaoke stage.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
They well they're trying to get up and didn't make
it all the way it was. You know, it's played
at night. It's a Saturday, you know. Yeah, and yeah,
please tell.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Me they didn't make it. Please tell me, Please tell
me you play. I will survive the moment after that happened.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I well, the check on their safety first.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I didn't quite get the chance to, but I'll keep
that in mind for the next time, because it will
happen again.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
A master like what happened.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They were finally, is one of those things where they're
so drunk it just didn't affect them at all.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
The next he hurt the next day. I'm sure they
with no recollection of how that happened.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yet not legally liable, so it's all good.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
If they had a good friend there, they at least
woke up to some kind of video of this is
what you did. Our trust, our guests for today. You're
hearing him laugh and talk, and we are so puffed
that he is here. He was a series regular on
the hit NBC show Superstar, was a writer and co
producer for Key and Peel. Has appeared on many popular shows,
including Parks Recreation, Current Mer Enthusiasm, and later this year,
(01:36):
you can see him on season two of Netflix's show
The Recruit as Lester Kitchens, Ladies and Gentlemen. Colton done,
what's up? Man?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Hey, what's up everybody? How's everyone doing?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Thanks for coming on the podcast. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Damn and I have not taken a nose dive off
of stage as far as I know, but I did
wake up with his bump on my head.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I was gonna say, if you haven't done that yet,
you're not doing karaoke correctly, sir, are you a karaoke ya?
You ever do the u elt? I had a phase
I had. I had a pretty serious karaoke phase. I
think we all did at one point.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, you know, I think it was back I was
I was writing at mad TV, and so I had
a little like you know, uh, expendable income, and I
spent it like all at like karaoke bars.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
What was the song? What was every someone goes into
a phase and you step into that new karaoke bar,
You're like, I got I got two solids, I'm gonna submit.
What was the one you submitted?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
All right? So I always start the night with All
Night Long with Lionel Richie Nice, and then uh and
then somewhere in the middle I'd have some fun with something.
I'd either do something with somebody else or pick up
pick a new song, and then I closed the night
with Sister Christian by Night Ranger.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Wow. That is first of all, that's range, no pun intended.
And the second of all that is you you can
actually sing if you're doing a lit of Richie. I
told Joe, I'm the guy who's just going in there
doing Sweet Caroline because I know Everyone's gonna bop Bob
bob with me. So even if I'm not singing well
that night, I'll have everybody else party.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Everybody can sing all that long.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yes that's true, but those first couple of lyrics, you
gotta you gotta show that. Everyone goes, Oh you can sing,
you can sing excellent, excellent? So real quick you are
You actually were born in normal Illinois, which is very
rare that we have anybody from normal Illinois actually become
(03:30):
a star. Yeah, usually just kind of stay in normal Illinois.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, we left right away. I was born in normal
Illinois and then immediately moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
But yeah, born in normal Illinois. First year, I think
my life was between Bloomington and Normal just kicking it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
That is unbelievable. Now your career, tell us about how
you actually got into the world of stand up comedy,
because I, like I've said, I'm in radio Jos and
radio everybody he's got a unique situation how they get
into a creative art Why through how you go from
normal Illinois then obviously a little guy, you moved to
the Twin Cities, but then somehow you took a turn
(04:11):
for comedy and you've done well.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Well, yeah, I mean it's I'm done, all right. It
was actually, you know, it was a weird I was
in high school. And in high school I played basketball
and you know, just did what other kids wanted to
do cause trouble. But one day a former student came
back to the school and started a comedy sports league.
(04:38):
So he was a student who had gone to the
school and went out and started playing this thing called
comedy sports was like a short form improv comedy show.
And then they started a league for the high schools
where the high schools would play improv games against each other.
Basically interested at these games. And so that's how I
got in an improv and improv comedy and uh yeah, I
(05:02):
loved it so much I quit basketball. Uh. And I
just wanted to do this. Uh you know, did the
theater program at school. Uh. And after high school I
moved out to New York and that's it, just just
hacked away at it.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Now, when you were in New York. One of the
things that I was looking up your info, I actually
did research for you, just so I can actually sounds
smarter than the average bear. I you were a writer
for cod and O'Brien. And I'll say this about Conan Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
No, no, no, I never wrote for Codon O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
No, then you were somebody that I was.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I was on Codin O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Oh, and said you were working with him? Okay, my bad,
My bad, I were.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
No. I did work with him. I did a lot
of so. I worked at the Upright Systems became theater
in New York at the time, and they would, you know,
on the Conan O'Brien show, the old late night show.
He always did his opening monologue and then after that
he did like a comedy bit, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
A lot of times they're like desk pieces and stuff
that they do on shows now, but he did like
full on sketches and stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
My first the first thing I ever did on there
was I was in his boy band. He like created
He did like a fake mockumentary where he made a
boy band and I was one of the members of
the boy band.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Was that dude of plenty? I remember that. I remember that.
How did you even get involved with that? And how
did what even audition? Do you even get into it
a gig like that?
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Uh, I was just doing comedy at the theater, and uh,
the woman who was casty for Conan Uh, and one
of the writers brought me in and asked me if
I could sing and dance because they knew that I
did comedy stuff. But uh, and so I had to
like dance around and sing song and then they were
(06:49):
like okay. And so in the Dude's a Plenty sketch,
I'm the only guy there who was the from like
the theater, from the comedy scene. Uh. The other guys
we're all Broadway singers and dancers. So it's if you
get a hold of that clip, it's very fun. You
can watch in the performance, like they're all doing the
dance moves and I'm like doing these like smaller moves
(07:10):
that they gave me to do. I couldn't remember everything.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
That's awesome. And then at some point you, uh, you
moved out and then you started doing stuff with Key
and Peele. Tell us tell us about how that, how
that journey goes, and especially that was like a unique
time in television because that was coming off the back
of what the Champelle Show was, and then Key and
Peele became its own unique thing. So talk about that,
(07:38):
talk about working with that, and was there any pressure
with that kind of stuff, like where people like, hey,
you know, because there's no more Chappell show, there is
there a unique kind of like, you know, you gotta
be as good or better. Was it just kind of
let's be our own thing.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
You well, definitely wanted to be our own thing. Uh.
You know, so Key and Peele, that kind of the
origins of that started at Mad TV where I was.
I was a writer there with Jordan and Keegan, and
Jordan's the one who actually got me the interview for
that job. Uh. You know, I didn't have like an
agent or manager or anything. Uh, And so I was
(08:14):
just sleeping on Jordan's couch and he didn't got me
an interview on the job, probably because he off his couch,
But uh, get you a job, dude, I got to
get you out of here. And so you know, from there,
you know, Key Appeal was sort of like a chance
to kind of explore all the things that they we
weren't able to do at Mad TV. And then obviously
(08:39):
you know, break some new ground us as far as
the scene. Yeah, one hundred percent, you know, I mean,
after the Chappelle Show, it's very tough to do any
sketch comedy that wasn't like connected to it or compared
to it immediately. Uh and then on top of that
having to be you know, these two you know, half white,
(09:01):
half black dudes doing a show. Uh, you know, the
similarities were you know on their face right there for
the comparison ready to go. But I think, you know,
luckily Jordan Keegan are such amazing performers on their own
that it was very clear, you know, once the show
started that this is going to have its own kind
(09:21):
of tone and voice, and uh, you know it's a
different you know, it's it's a little bit more of
you know, sketch. I mean, you know, both these guys
like trained from Chicago, you know, like you know, old
school sketch comedy. Uh So it was a little bit
you know, I just thought it was a little bit
cleaner than Chappelle's show as far as like direction and
(09:43):
the you know, just the pure sketch craft of the
of the show. So, you know, it was just a different,
different show.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Speaking of Mad TV, what was that like? Because I've
seen documentaries on TV. I mean, we see our we
see a lot of things on and I've heard a
lot of a lot of stories about how that went
down and give us some good uh any good stories
from that, I'll take.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I mean, uh, Matt TV was wild, you know, and
I was there sort of at the end of it's one.
It was my first writing job in Los Angeles. I
was hired as a diversity higher which meant that I
got paid less than everybody else for like the first
few months of work. Uh uh, Well, I had the opportunity,
(10:32):
you know, to be in the room with the white people.
But it was super great. Made a lot of great friends.
Katie Dipple, Chris Cooler, they were also writers there, Guy Stevenson,
you know, uh uh you know, and then uh uh
you know, of course the actors you know from like
Nicole Parker, the Ike, Baronholtz, Josh Myers, uh obviously Jordan's
(10:55):
p O'keegan, Michael Key, Johnny Sanchez. I got to with
some really awesome people at mad TV. But I you know, again,
it was like I was. It was my first writing job.
I was doing a lot, you know, doing a lot
of karaoke.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
There's still there.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I was singing my songs. But I loved it anyway.
It was just as wild and you know, I'm sure
you've heard all the stories. Uh, they're all.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
True, olim are true.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
There's a lot. I don't know what stories you've heard.
But it was crazy. It was crazy. It was a
crazy place already.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
How was he in particular?
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Was he cool or gonna have the show by the
time I was that, I think, yeah, I think I
think he may have come back and done like one
or two things. You know, I definitely have crossed paths
with him at different points since then, But when I
was on the show, he had already he was already
had already left the show.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
When you're writing for his sketches like that, Is it
easier to write for people that could do a million
kinds of impressions or is it easier to write for
people that are really good off the cuff and can
take your whatever you're writing and kind of do something
else with it.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's it's really it's not
so much about their skill set is as a in
the performance, but it's sort of the creative process. Like
the person who could walk into your office and like
just sit down with you and kind of talk out
a fun idea and kind of go back and forth
that's always gonna you know, go better than you know,
the guy who's just like, you know, give me something
for Ronald Reagan to do. You know, you could do
(12:25):
something fun there, you know, and it may be good
and you know they performers gonna crush it, you know
once they get it. So uh you know that. But
my favorite thing is just sitting in a room with
somebody coming up with like a funny idea and then
just kind of hidening that out and writing it out.
That's that's my jam.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Any particular sketches that you wrote or did for a
Mad TV that kind of stand out for Mad TV? Wow,
there's a lot of legendary ones.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, a lot of legendary sketches. I mean I wrote
a lot of the Blind Kung Fu Masters three seasons,
So any of those I've written, you'll hear a lot
of like references to people in my family. Like I
would sneak people's names into sketches. So sometimes when he
when he would get upset, he would like yell different
(13:15):
family members of mine. Uh, let's see. Uh oh, Yeah,
I wrote a Survivor sketch. There was a year where Survivor,
the show had split everybody up by races, okay, and
it was it was a huge swing. I'm surprised that
they did it, and rarely people talk about it, but
it was. It was a survivor where everybody was split
(13:37):
up in different race groups. They sent them out into
islands and they did like challenges and so I wrote
like a parody of that. You know, that was obviously
like super racist, and you know like, uh, probably probably
couldn't probably couldn't do air it now, uh you know,
But mostly it was just like, but I'll tell you
(13:57):
my favorite memory for Matt TV was that, uh, it
was it was. It was. It was becoming a writer
and having the enjoyment of the first time that I
would write something and it would just be a silly
idea and then they'd be like, all right, we're gonna
do it, and a few weeks later somebody would come
to your office and be like, Okay, now you got
to go check and approve this thing that we've created
from your writing. So an example of that was I
(14:18):
wrote a sketch called lapd Pinadas and it's a yeah,
I'm pretty sure you can look it up online. Bearenholtz
is the host. But it was it's about lapd pinadas.
And it was a pinada shop that sold pinadas that
were like, uh, you know, called the Mexican and the
Black Guy, the Unarmed black Man and the Running black
(14:41):
Man and uh and then obviously you beat the pinata
and uh and and so uh. But I wrote all
these crazy different pinadas that they were going to have
to make, and one day some guy come to my
office and he's like, all right, you need to come
down and look at the pinnatas. And so go down
to this warehouse and the guy has made all the
(15:02):
pinatas for all of those characters that I said. But
not only that, he's made multiples because they're going to
have to break them, so you had to make them twice.
And uh that was probably my you know, it was
you know, that was like an amazing thing. You know,
you don't really an idea becoming tangible.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I was gonna say it actually look to look at
be like wow, that one from a crazy idea. I
just had to I'm now holding crazy idea.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
After doing karaoke all night, I wrote this sketch.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now sure he never knows time off that stage once
for an idea like that.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
If it's worth it, man if if it plays.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
And with Key and Peel. Is there any any any
sketch that kind of stands out as one that you
were kind.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Of I mean, I love them all. They're all my
favorite sketches on that show, because that was the best
thing about that show is every every sketch was like
a sketch that I love to do. But uh uh,
you know a few of my favorite ones. You know,
a lot of a lot of the dynamic that I
had with Jordan at the time showed up in the sketches. Uh.
(16:12):
You know. In one of those dynamics was that we
would be out and I would say, like, you know,
I would say something that you know, it was like
something clearly outside of my skill set that I was
about to do. You know, like if we were, you know,
at a restaurant the food's taken too long, I'd be like,
you know, I'm just gonna run back there real quick.
(16:33):
I'll fire up these steaks. I can handle this right
right quick. And he'd be like, you know know how
to cook steaks. I think now I got this. I'm
gonna go in. It's just like a bit that we
would do and then it sort of culminating and Kid Peel.
There's a sketch where they're on an airplane and this
guy's sitting on an airplane and uh, a guy turns
to him and it's like, hey, man, don't worry about it.
(16:54):
If you know the terraces, you know, try anything on
this plane. We got this. It's like, oh, it's okay.
If somebody tried something on a plan. I'm sure there's
other people who could take care of it. No, no, no,
we the ones. We we're gonna do this. And so
that that's it's called the Terry sketch. And so that's
one of my favorite ones. Uh. And then my other
favorite one because it all ultimately another one that kind
(17:18):
of manifested into a weird physical world is as a
huge fan of Liam Neeson, uh and I would get
really amped up talking about the new Liam Neesons movie
coming out and like be like, oh, manly Meson is
gonna be in this new movie. He's gonna be fighting
the wolves and this is gonna be great. And uh
so we turned that into a sketch with these two
Valet guys who just talk about how much they love
(17:40):
Liam Neeson's and it's a fun sketch. Uh. They ended
up we ended up doing more where they talk about
more guys that they like. But ultimately one day they
actually did it with Liam Neeson and uh, and so
I got to come to set that day and and
meet Liam Neeson.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
That is pretty awesome picture with me leanness. Speaking of
movie stars and movies. I saw an interview you want say,
you worked at a video store way back in the
day for people that people people that don't know what
a video store was used to actually have to go
to a store to read videos before streaming at Netflix existed,
and you worked in one of those. And the question
(18:20):
for you was this, how annoying was it when somebody
did not rewind the video when they came to return it.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
It's horrible? You know, you don't ever want to do that. Uh,
you know, it's not It's not polite. I did not
just one video store. I worked at multiple video stores.
I was like a career video store. Was it blood
was a Blockbuster? Was it a Blockbuster? Or was it
I had worked at a similar place to Blockbuster called
Hollywood Video First video Store. But then I when I
(18:51):
moved to New York, I worked at t LA Video
which is a was a lot of like independent video shops,
and then Kim's vide Video, which a lot of people
who live in New York would would remember. And then
I worked at two Boots Video.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
So you were like on the you were on the
video circuit.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Man.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
You just kind of.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
My whole thing. I've worked at video stores. I want
to manage video stores like I that was my whole thing.
And now the job doesn't even exist. We would have,
you know, at the time, you know, because then you know,
we didn't even you know, the video went through basically
VHS DVD and done a little bit of Blu ray
(19:33):
and then it was and then it was just over.
It was just on your computer. But funny story about
working at a video store is I remember sitting in
the office with my manager before my shift and she
was talking about Netflix and she was like this is bullshit.
She's like, this is never She was on their like website,
like trying to like see how you order videos. And
(19:55):
because at the time Netflix wasn't a streaming thing. First,
they would just mail on a DVD over that and
you know, and and she's right, maybe that business plan,
you know, obviously that business plan didn't work, but just
the interface of it. I remember looking at it and
looking at and and seeing the seeing the little box
with the video on the website and being like, man,
it could be cool if I just clicked this in
(20:16):
the movie would play. You know, Yes, you know, so,
I mean I had the idea for Netflix. I'm skin
but I'm just saying that I was. I was looking
at the website that she was looking at the website
going this is gonna be a fucking failure. You know,
everybody who comes in here, nobody knows what they want
to rent. Uh, you know, this isn't going to help
them at all.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
And she was true. Uh. And I think a lot
of people thought that because you know, everybody who did
come in did like they'd look at the recommendations, they'd
ask you know. But I think what people didn't factor
in is algorithms and that you know.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
The internet would eventually become a place where questions get answered,
whether you have human or not.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Well, yeah, you know, And I mean you know, by
the third time you use Netflix, they know exactly what
you want to want. Yes, yeah, we're meeting. Uh.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Netflix started because the guy forgot the return poll thirteen
a blockbuster or something like that, and he's like, I
don't like doing this anymore, and then started Netflix.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I'm starting my own thing. Yeah, all right, well, great
worked well for that guy. Man.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, there's always such very interesting people that worked at
those stores, because again, there was always a pile of
vhs is that nobody rewound, So there was that angry person.
There was always a are you sure you don't have
Terminator two with the back that I could? Uh, I
can watch it, I do right there.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
You look at the returns box. Yeah, you share.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Nobody just within us talking right now. Nobody just sh
shoved it in.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Let's say, uh, I'd say Netflix worked out pretty well
for you because you know the recruit and uh you
know season two, which I think you're Are you done
filming or.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah? Oh yeah yeah yeah Netflix.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah, that's sure.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
You went from working at they put me out of work,
and they put me back into work.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
And now they put you in the product. That is
actually a very weird flip of the coin. Yeah, the
greatest thing that ever happened was the knocking you off
the video circuit.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
That's great, man, goodness. Uh yeah, we just finished, we
wrapped season two. We shot up in Vancouver. It's a
really amazing season this time. You know. In the first
season of the show, you know, if for the people
who haven't seen it, the Recruit is about lawyers who
worked for the CIA, you know, like really really nice people.
(22:37):
And I played one of those lawyers. And when the
first season they were like, yeah, You're gonna kind of
be like this grumpy lawyer you sort of in the
office dealing with CIA, you know, lawyer stuff, and I'm like,
all right, good, you know. And so I'm in the
office and I'm being grumpy in the first season. But
by the end of the first season, the CIA director
reactivates my character as a CIA, a full like agent,
(23:02):
and so in the second season, Uh, I'm doing a
lot more like like spy shit CIA, you know, run
around doing I did. I did some stunts somewhere Liam
Neeson stuff. Then I did some Liam Neeson steak. Yeah,
you got a special set of skill. I have a
certain set of skills. Yeah, man, I like it.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I like it. Well, a couple of weeks for you,
because again, this is a game of arguments. What we
have to do is bounce a companies off of you
and just kind of have some fun first and foremost.
As a guy who's done a lot of sketch comedy,
let me ask you this as a comedian, what do
you think is harder to do? Is it sketch comedy
or is it actually stand up comedy?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Oh? Wow? I mean geez, you know there's a you
gotta looking up pros and the cons right Uh you know, Uh,
sketch comedy. Doing it with a group sometimes that could
be easier, but that can also be harder. You know,
stand up you only got to worry about yourself, and
I'll worry about somebody else messing it up. Uh. You.
(24:10):
Sketch comedies usually seems to be he is usually like situational.
Uh you know, maybe doesn't age as well sometimes just
as a stand up can do. That's a tough one,
I'll say. I say, money wise, I gotta go stand up.
I think it's just more marketable, uh and has a
little bit more longevity. Uh. But performing performing wise, you know,
(24:33):
like I said, I like, I like working with people,
So sketch comedy is always gonna be it for me.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
To throw one more at you. On's even harder. The
improv improv improv wins all the time every day with me.
I love improblem. I was gonna say I've done. I
feel like radio and podcasting is always improv It's always
kind of chatting with people and making people laugh. But
I did stand up once and I was like, this
is one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
(24:59):
So I loaded the audience and people I knew that
I knew would laugh, and even then I was still like,
oh my god, that's the brightest light I've ever seen.
I can't see anybody, and I'm just gonna throw jokes
out of this atmosphere and hopefully my mother hears and
laughs just loud enough for me to make me feel
like I was funny today.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I love doing it, but I've never had that,
you know. So some stand ups just like, oh, I
gotta get out there. I gotta do it like I
like to do it, but man, it's not my favorite.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
No, because you are in the world of sketch comedy
and Joe, we can do this parking with you as well.
If I already give you the Mount Rushmore your top
four sketch comedy actors of all time? Oh boy, who
would be on that list? Give me have any brand,
any TV show any genre. If you were to say,
give me four of the greatest to ever do it,
(25:51):
who would be on your list?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, first, I'm going to Eddie Murphy. I think Eddie
Murphy's number one of all time. Yeah, I mean he
literally saved a sketch comedy show.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
So I'm Eddie Murphy is definitely on a list.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Who else you got?
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Uh, I'm gonna take Uh, I'm gonna take John Candy
from st.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
TV nice, not bad, not bad?
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Okay, I think I don't know if you can put
Keen Field. I think as two people, but they're on there.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
So that's your four.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah, I'm going those are my four?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
All right, Colton, if already four people you can have,
this is a comedy draft, you get, you get select
four the greatest of all time. And you're saying these
are the iconic ones. You can't talk sketch comedy shows
without these four whose faces are going on that mountain?
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Oh my goodness. This is a tough one. Uh. And
can I do repeats? He already picked?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Eddie Murphy.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
I think I would go greatest comedy sketch comedy performers
of all time I'll go Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle. U,
We'll go Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Those are really good. I would go definitely Eddie Murphy.
I would take give me Phil Hartman. Oh yeah, I'll
take Jim Carrey and also a dark horse if you
all give me Wayne Brady, Wayne Brady Brady. Wayne Brady
is ridiculously talented and crazy. With those four guys, I
(27:48):
think I would be entertained for the rest of my life.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
I mean, I'm sure he's done a sketch show.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Well you did that improv the improvm with whose line is?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Oh? For sure? Who?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
He also had something great sketches, one of the greatest
sketches on the Chappelle Show. I'm only assuming that whatever
you write for that guy, he's going to be amazing.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Yeah. Adam Sandler is on my short list too, you know. Yeah,
it was it was between him and Dana Carvey.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
So notables, Yes, I mean there's a ton and there's
Chris Chris Farley.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
I mean there's Chris Farley. Oh man, I forgot about Chris.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Chris Farley, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, those are all really good.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Oh David put on that list too.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Oh yeah, David Wayns. I thought David Wayne's on a
Living Color was some of the best comedy I'd ever
seen when I was younger, hold me the clown, I
think we I think my brother and I used to
slap each other all the time with socks just because.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Of the socks. Oh, he ruined so many socks.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
It took years for someone to explain to me about
Jamaican's why they had so many jobs. I was like,
I don't understand it. But David Wayde just told me
they have like twenty jobs. I don't understand. Don't understand.
All right, one more about Run four for you. You're
a video gamer. You're a gamer. I've heard that you
are a gamer. What is the greatest video game of
(29:07):
all time?
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This is this is come on now, I know this
is an unfair question.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
I was gonna say this is the one that you
see we'll start a bar fight. Well, this is just
I just won. I just have to say the greatest
what's the greatest game of all time?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
All right? This preface. You didn't say what is my
favorite game of all time?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
You didn't yours like I said.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
I mean, I'm just saying. I'm saying. You said, you said,
what is the greatest game of all time? I say
Super Mario Brothers.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Super Mario Brothers is a really good choice. Joe Jojo, Uh,
go a little deeper. I'm gonna say Super Mario Brothers
three is the greatest.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Video game of all time. Supermarus three.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Yeah, I'm going three. I think two is garbage, but
I think three is the best one of all time.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
For me, it exists without the first one.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
You did become the squirrel and you got the fly,
which I love the most. Fair that was that was
so great for me, The greatest game ever invented. Double
O seven three seventh, three, five nine six three is
the code to get Mike Tyson for Mike Tyson's punch
Out and I can be Little Mac all day, all
night fighting those guys. I spent hours take it out, yes,
(30:23):
and having super Mario in my corner. He was even
in the game. Super Mario was body blow, body Blow.
It's the greatest game of all time. I love that
game so many days.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
I remember sitting in a Ouday's house, so some neighbor
who lived across the street who had Nintendo and he
had uh Mike Tyson's punch Out and we just sat
there all day trying to beat it.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
And it was also like ros Pride Mike Tyson, the
video of him, it was all in Jack Tobby. When
you got to him, he was like impossible to beat.
Only like my older brother knew how to like beat him.
And every time he did, I was like, how did
you do that? How did how did you? And then
I had the code. We got the code from somewhere
which I've never forgotten, And every time we tried, I could.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Never beat him. I never was able to make.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
My lash Joe, I can do with my eyes closed.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Oh yeah, King Hippo. He was a tough one for me.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Listen, Soda popa what was his name? There was also
a bald bull I was able to take down time.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Great remember that guy, yes, yes, and then throwing the controller.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Yes, you got to pop them every time he got
he got those little stock those uppercut secrets. I loved it.
Coldon done. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Are we really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for
having me guys. Once again, he is caledon done. My
name is Dan Levy. This is Joe Kelly as well.
(31:53):
You've been listening to Barguments once again. Please go ahead
and give it a five star rating, and if you
can give us a review on iTunes that always helps
the podcast as well.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
Review it. Come on pretty.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Please with Cherry's on top. That's all I'm asking for.
I rewind your videos. If you ever go to a
video store, make sure you rewind your video.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
So after you get your time machine.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Yes, yes, I'm surprised you have not done a sketch comedy,
by the way, a sketch of the one last person
that owns a video shop that is still telling everybody
they are out of every movie that they have. Do
you still have it now?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Sorry? Yet it's coming back?
Speaker 1 (32:28):
What are you looking for? Nobody returned it? Tilly started returning.
I got nothing. I got nothing. I would watch that
called the nod mis again for Joe Kelly. My name
is Dan Levy. You've been listening to Arguments do it again?
Tune see ya
Arguments is recorded in front of a live studio audience.
What's up, everybody, fellow Barginers, Welcome into another thrilling edition
of Arguments. I'm your host, Dan Levy along with my
co host Joe Kelly. What's up, Joe?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Look, Dan, I saw someone take a nose dive off
the karaoke stage again. So that was a funny weekend
to me.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
For those that are just tuning in, especially our guest
Joe Kelly, is also a karaoke host here in the
Southwest suburbs of Illinois, so every time I ask him,
what are some weird things? You saw somebody to take
a nose dive off the karaoke stage.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
They well they're trying to get up and didn't make
it all the way it was. You know, it's played
at night. It's a Saturday, you know. Yeah, and yeah,
please tell.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Me they didn't make it. Please tell me, Please tell
me you play. I will survive the moment after that happened.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
I well, the check on their safety first.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I didn't quite get the chance to, but I'll keep
that in mind for the next time, because it will
happen again.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
A master like what happened.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They were finally, is one of those things where they're
so drunk it just didn't affect them at all.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
The next he hurt the next day. I'm sure they
with no recollection of how that happened.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yet not legally liable, so it's all good.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
If they had a good friend there, they at least
woke up to some kind of video of this is
what you did. Our trust, our guests for today. You're
hearing him laugh and talk, and we are so puffed
that he is here. He was a series regular on
the hit NBC show Superstar, was a writer and co
producer for Key and Peel. Has appeared on many popular shows,
including Parks Recreation, Current Mer Enthusiasm, and later this year,
(01:36):
you can see him on season two of Netflix's show
The Recruit as Lester Kitchens, Ladies and Gentlemen. Colton done,
what's up? Man?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Hey, what's up everybody? How's everyone doing?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Thanks for coming on the podcast. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Damn and I have not taken a nose dive off
of stage as far as I know, but I did
wake up with his bump on my head.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I was gonna say, if you haven't done that yet,
you're not doing karaoke correctly, sir, are you a karaoke ya?
You ever do the u elt? I had a phase
I had. I had a pretty serious karaoke phase. I
think we all did at one point.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Yeah, you know, I think it was back I was
I was writing at mad TV, and so I had
a little like you know, uh, expendable income, and I
spent it like all at like karaoke bars.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
What was the song? What was every someone goes into
a phase and you step into that new karaoke bar,
You're like, I got I got two solids, I'm gonna submit.
What was the one you submitted?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
All right? So I always start the night with All
Night Long with Lionel Richie Nice, and then uh and
then somewhere in the middle I'd have some fun with something.
I'd either do something with somebody else or pick up
pick a new song, and then I closed the night
with Sister Christian by Night Ranger.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Wow. That is first of all, that's range, no pun intended.
And the second of all that is you you can
actually sing if you're doing a lit of Richie. I
told Joe, I'm the guy who's just going in there
doing Sweet Caroline because I know Everyone's gonna bop Bob
bob with me. So even if I'm not singing well
that night, I'll have everybody else party.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Everybody can sing all that long.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yes that's true, but those first couple of lyrics, you
gotta you gotta show that. Everyone goes, Oh you can sing,
you can sing excellent, excellent? So real quick you are
You actually were born in normal Illinois, which is very
rare that we have anybody from normal Illinois actually become
(03:30):
a star. Yeah, usually just kind of stay in normal Illinois.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, we left right away. I was born in normal
Illinois and then immediately moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
But yeah, born in normal Illinois. First year, I think
my life was between Bloomington and Normal just kicking it.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
That is unbelievable. Now your career, tell us about how
you actually got into the world of stand up comedy,
because I, like I've said, I'm in radio Jos and
radio everybody he's got a unique situation how they get
into a creative art Why through how you go from
normal Illinois then obviously a little guy, you moved to
the Twin Cities, but then somehow you took a turn
(04:11):
for comedy and you've done well.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Well, yeah, I mean it's I'm done, all right. It
was actually, you know, it was a weird I was
in high school. And in high school I played basketball
and you know, just did what other kids wanted to
do cause trouble. But one day a former student came
back to the school and started a comedy sports league.
(04:38):
So he was a student who had gone to the
school and went out and started playing this thing called
comedy sports was like a short form improv comedy show.
And then they started a league for the high schools
where the high schools would play improv games against each other.
Basically interested at these games. And so that's how I
got in an improv and improv comedy and uh yeah, I
(05:02):
loved it so much I quit basketball. Uh. And I
just wanted to do this. Uh you know, did the
theater program at school. Uh. And after high school I
moved out to New York and that's it, just just
hacked away at it.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Now, when you were in New York. One of the
things that I was looking up your info, I actually
did research for you, just so I can actually sounds
smarter than the average bear. I you were a writer
for cod and O'Brien. And I'll say this about Conan Oh.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
No, no, no, I never wrote for Codon O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
No, then you were somebody that I was.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I was on Codin O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Oh, and said you were working with him? Okay, my bad,
My bad, I were.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
No. I did work with him. I did a lot
of so. I worked at the Upright Systems became theater
in New York at the time, and they would, you know,
on the Conan O'Brien show, the old late night show.
He always did his opening monologue and then after that
he did like a comedy bit, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
A lot of times they're like desk pieces and stuff
that they do on shows now, but he did like
full on sketches and stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
My first the first thing I ever did on there
was I was in his boy band. He like created
He did like a fake mockumentary where he made a
boy band and I was one of the members of
the boy band.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Was that dude of plenty? I remember that. I remember that.
How did you even get involved with that? And how
did what even audition? Do you even get into it
a gig like that?
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Uh, I was just doing comedy at the theater, and uh,
the woman who was casty for Conan Uh, and one
of the writers brought me in and asked me if
I could sing and dance because they knew that I
did comedy stuff. But uh, and so I had to
like dance around and sing song and then they were
(06:49):
like okay. And so in the Dude's a Plenty sketch,
I'm the only guy there who was the from like
the theater, from the comedy scene. Uh. The other guys
we're all Broadway singers and dancers. So it's if you
get a hold of that clip, it's very fun. You
can watch in the performance, like they're all doing the
dance moves and I'm like doing these like smaller moves
(07:10):
that they gave me to do. I couldn't remember everything.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
That's awesome. And then at some point you, uh, you
moved out and then you started doing stuff with Key
and Peele. Tell us tell us about how that, how
that journey goes, and especially that was like a unique
time in television because that was coming off the back
of what the Champelle Show was, and then Key and
Peele became its own unique thing. So talk about that,
(07:38):
talk about working with that, and was there any pressure
with that kind of stuff, like where people like, hey,
you know, because there's no more Chappell show, there is
there a unique kind of like, you know, you gotta
be as good or better. Was it just kind of
let's be our own thing.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
You well, definitely wanted to be our own thing. Uh.
You know, so Key and Peele, that kind of the
origins of that started at Mad TV where I was.
I was a writer there with Jordan and Keegan, and
Jordan's the one who actually got me the interview for
that job. Uh. You know, I didn't have like an
agent or manager or anything. Uh, And so I was
(08:14):
just sleeping on Jordan's couch and he didn't got me
an interview on the job, probably because he off his couch,
But uh, get you a job, dude, I got to
get you out of here. And so you know, from there,
you know, Key Appeal was sort of like a chance
to kind of explore all the things that they we
weren't able to do at Mad TV. And then obviously
(08:39):
you know, break some new ground us as far as
the scene. Yeah, one hundred percent, you know, I mean,
after the Chappelle Show, it's very tough to do any
sketch comedy that wasn't like connected to it or compared
to it immediately. Uh and then on top of that
having to be you know, these two you know, half white,
(09:01):
half black dudes doing a show. Uh, you know, the
similarities were you know on their face right there for
the comparison ready to go. But I think, you know,
luckily Jordan Keegan are such amazing performers on their own
that it was very clear, you know, once the show
started that this is going to have its own kind
(09:21):
of tone and voice, and uh, you know it's a
different you know, it's it's a little bit more of
you know, sketch. I mean, you know, both these guys
like trained from Chicago, you know, like you know, old
school sketch comedy. Uh So it was a little bit
you know, I just thought it was a little bit
cleaner than Chappelle's show as far as like direction and
(09:43):
the you know, just the pure sketch craft of the
of the show. So, you know, it was just a different,
different show.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Speaking of Mad TV, what was that like? Because I've
seen documentaries on TV. I mean, we see our we
see a lot of things on and I've heard a
lot of a lot of stories about how that went
down and give us some good uh any good stories
from that, I'll take.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I mean, uh, Matt TV was wild, you know, and
I was there sort of at the end of it's one.
It was my first writing job in Los Angeles. I
was hired as a diversity higher which meant that I
got paid less than everybody else for like the first
few months of work. Uh uh, Well, I had the opportunity,
(10:32):
you know, to be in the room with the white people.
But it was super great. Made a lot of great friends.
Katie Dipple, Chris Cooler, they were also writers there, Guy Stevenson,
you know, uh uh you know, and then uh uh
you know, of course the actors you know from like
Nicole Parker, the Ike, Baronholtz, Josh Myers, uh obviously Jordan's
(10:55):
p O'keegan, Michael Key, Johnny Sanchez. I got to with
some really awesome people at mad TV. But I you know, again,
it was like I was. It was my first writing job.
I was doing a lot, you know, doing a lot
of karaoke.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
There's still there.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I was singing my songs. But I loved it anyway.
It was just as wild and you know, I'm sure
you've heard all the stories. Uh, they're all.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
True, olim are true.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
There's a lot. I don't know what stories you've heard.
But it was crazy. It was crazy. It was a
crazy place already.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
How was he in particular?
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Was he cool or gonna have the show by the
time I was that, I think, yeah, I think I
think he may have come back and done like one
or two things. You know, I definitely have crossed paths
with him at different points since then, But when I
was on the show, he had already he was already
had already left the show.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
When you're writing for his sketches like that, Is it
easier to write for people that could do a million
kinds of impressions or is it easier to write for
people that are really good off the cuff and can
take your whatever you're writing and kind of do something
else with it.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's it's really it's not
so much about their skill set is as a in
the performance, but it's sort of the creative process. Like
the person who could walk into your office and like
just sit down with you and kind of talk out
a fun idea and kind of go back and forth
that's always gonna you know, go better than you know,
the guy who's just like, you know, give me something
for Ronald Reagan to do. You know, you could do
(12:25):
something fun there, you know, and it may be good
and you know they performers gonna crush it, you know
once they get it. So uh you know that. But
my favorite thing is just sitting in a room with
somebody coming up with like a funny idea and then
just kind of hidening that out and writing it out.
That's that's my jam.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Any particular sketches that you wrote or did for a
Mad TV that kind of stand out for Mad TV? Wow,
there's a lot of legendary ones.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, a lot of legendary sketches. I mean I wrote
a lot of the Blind Kung Fu Masters three seasons,
So any of those I've written, you'll hear a lot
of like references to people in my family. Like I
would sneak people's names into sketches. So sometimes when he
when he would get upset, he would like yell different
(13:15):
family members of mine. Uh, let's see. Uh oh, Yeah,
I wrote a Survivor sketch. There was a year where Survivor,
the show had split everybody up by races, okay, and
it was it was a huge swing. I'm surprised that
they did it, and rarely people talk about it, but
it was. It was a survivor where everybody was split
(13:37):
up in different race groups. They sent them out into
islands and they did like challenges and so I wrote
like a parody of that. You know, that was obviously
like super racist, and you know like, uh, probably probably
couldn't probably couldn't do air it now, uh you know,
But mostly it was just like, but I'll tell you
(13:57):
my favorite memory for Matt TV was that, uh, it
was it was. It was. It was becoming a writer
and having the enjoyment of the first time that I
would write something and it would just be a silly
idea and then they'd be like, all right, we're gonna
do it, and a few weeks later somebody would come
to your office and be like, Okay, now you got
to go check and approve this thing that we've created
from your writing. So an example of that was I
(14:18):
wrote a sketch called lapd Pinadas and it's a yeah,
I'm pretty sure you can look it up online. Bearenholtz
is the host. But it was it's about lapd pinadas.
And it was a pinada shop that sold pinadas that
were like, uh, you know, called the Mexican and the
Black Guy, the Unarmed black Man and the Running black
(14:41):
Man and uh and then obviously you beat the pinata
and uh and and so uh. But I wrote all
these crazy different pinadas that they were going to have
to make, and one day some guy come to my
office and he's like, all right, you need to come
down and look at the pinnatas. And so go down
to this warehouse and the guy has made all the
(15:02):
pinatas for all of those characters that I said. But
not only that, he's made multiples because they're going to
have to break them, so you had to make them twice.
And uh that was probably my you know, it was
you know, that was like an amazing thing. You know,
you don't really an idea becoming tangible.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I was gonna say it actually look to look at
be like wow, that one from a crazy idea. I
just had to I'm now holding crazy idea.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
After doing karaoke all night, I wrote this sketch.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Now sure he never knows time off that stage once
for an idea like that.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
If it's worth it, man if if it plays.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
And with Key and Peel. Is there any any any
sketch that kind of stands out as one that you
were kind.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Of I mean, I love them all. They're all my
favorite sketches on that show, because that was the best
thing about that show is every every sketch was like
a sketch that I love to do. But uh uh,
you know a few of my favorite ones. You know,
a lot of a lot of the dynamic that I
had with Jordan at the time showed up in the sketches. Uh.
(16:12):
You know. In one of those dynamics was that we
would be out and I would say, like, you know,
I would say something that you know, it was like
something clearly outside of my skill set that I was
about to do. You know, like if we were, you know,
at a restaurant the food's taken too long, I'd be like,
you know, I'm just gonna run back there real quick.
(16:33):
I'll fire up these steaks. I can handle this right
right quick. And he'd be like, you know know how
to cook steaks. I think now I got this. I'm
gonna go in. It's just like a bit that we
would do and then it sort of culminating and Kid Peel.
There's a sketch where they're on an airplane and this
guy's sitting on an airplane and uh, a guy turns
to him and it's like, hey, man, don't worry about it.
(16:54):
If you know the terraces, you know, try anything on
this plane. We got this. It's like, oh, it's okay.
If somebody tried something on a plan. I'm sure there's
other people who could take care of it. No, no, no,
we the ones. We we're gonna do this. And so
that that's it's called the Terry sketch. And so that's
one of my favorite ones. Uh. And then my other
favorite one because it all ultimately another one that kind
(17:18):
of manifested into a weird physical world is as a
huge fan of Liam Neeson, uh and I would get
really amped up talking about the new Liam Neesons movie
coming out and like be like, oh, manly Meson is
gonna be in this new movie. He's gonna be fighting
the wolves and this is gonna be great. And uh
so we turned that into a sketch with these two
Valet guys who just talk about how much they love
(17:40):
Liam Neeson's and it's a fun sketch. Uh. They ended
up we ended up doing more where they talk about
more guys that they like. But ultimately one day they
actually did it with Liam Neeson and uh, and so
I got to come to set that day and and
meet Liam Neeson.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
That is pretty awesome picture with me leanness. Speaking of
movie stars and movies. I saw an interview you want say,
you worked at a video store way back in the
day for people that people people that don't know what
a video store was used to actually have to go
to a store to read videos before streaming at Netflix existed,
and you worked in one of those. And the question
(18:20):
for you was this, how annoying was it when somebody
did not rewind the video when they came to return it.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
It's horrible? You know, you don't ever want to do that. Uh,
you know, it's not It's not polite. I did not
just one video store. I worked at multiple video stores.
I was like a career video store. Was it blood
was a Blockbuster? Was it a Blockbuster? Or was it
I had worked at a similar place to Blockbuster called
Hollywood Video First video Store. But then I when I
(18:51):
moved to New York, I worked at t LA Video
which is a was a lot of like independent video shops,
and then Kim's vide Video, which a lot of people
who live in New York would would remember. And then
I worked at two Boots Video.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
So you were like on the you were on the
video circuit.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Man.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
You just kind of.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
My whole thing. I've worked at video stores. I want
to manage video stores like I that was my whole thing.
And now the job doesn't even exist. We would have,
you know, at the time, you know, because then you know,
we didn't even you know, the video went through basically
VHS DVD and done a little bit of Blu ray
(19:33):
and then it was and then it was just over.
It was just on your computer. But funny story about
working at a video store is I remember sitting in
the office with my manager before my shift and she
was talking about Netflix and she was like this is bullshit.
She's like, this is never She was on their like website,
like trying to like see how you order videos. And
(19:55):
because at the time Netflix wasn't a streaming thing. First,
they would just mail on a DVD over that and
you know, and and she's right, maybe that business plan,
you know, obviously that business plan didn't work, but just
the interface of it. I remember looking at it and
looking at and and seeing the seeing the little box
with the video on the website and being like, man,
it could be cool if I just clicked this in
(20:16):
the movie would play. You know, Yes, you know, so,
I mean I had the idea for Netflix. I'm skin
but I'm just saying that I was. I was looking
at the website that she was looking at the website
going this is gonna be a fucking failure. You know,
everybody who comes in here, nobody knows what they want
to rent. Uh, you know, this isn't going to help
them at all.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
And she was true. Uh. And I think a lot
of people thought that because you know, everybody who did
come in did like they'd look at the recommendations, they'd
ask you know. But I think what people didn't factor
in is algorithms and that you know.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
The internet would eventually become a place where questions get answered,
whether you have human or not.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Well, yeah, you know, And I mean you know, by
the third time you use Netflix, they know exactly what
you want to want. Yes, yeah, we're meeting. Uh.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Netflix started because the guy forgot the return poll thirteen
a blockbuster or something like that, and he's like, I
don't like doing this anymore, and then started Netflix.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
I'm starting my own thing. Yeah, all right, well, great
worked well for that guy. Man.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, there's always such very interesting people that worked at
those stores, because again, there was always a pile of
vhs is that nobody rewound, So there was that angry person.
There was always a are you sure you don't have
Terminator two with the back that I could? Uh, I
can watch it, I do right there.
Speaker 3 (21:36):
You look at the returns box. Yeah, you share.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Nobody just within us talking right now. Nobody just sh
shoved it in.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Let's say, uh, I'd say Netflix worked out pretty well
for you because you know the recruit and uh you
know season two, which I think you're Are you done
filming or.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah? Oh yeah yeah yeah Netflix.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah, that's sure.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
You went from working at they put me out of work,
and they put me back into work.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
And now they put you in the product. That is
actually a very weird flip of the coin. Yeah, the
greatest thing that ever happened was the knocking you off
the video circuit.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
That's great, man, goodness. Uh yeah, we just finished, we
wrapped season two. We shot up in Vancouver. It's a
really amazing season this time. You know. In the first
season of the show, you know, if for the people
who haven't seen it, the Recruit is about lawyers who
worked for the CIA, you know, like really really nice people.
(22:37):
And I played one of those lawyers. And when the
first season they were like, yeah, You're gonna kind of
be like this grumpy lawyer you sort of in the
office dealing with CIA, you know, lawyer stuff, and I'm like,
all right, good, you know. And so I'm in the
office and I'm being grumpy in the first season. But
by the end of the first season, the CIA director
reactivates my character as a CIA, a full like agent,
(23:02):
and so in the second season, Uh, I'm doing a
lot more like like spy shit CIA, you know, run
around doing I did. I did some stunts somewhere Liam
Neeson stuff. Then I did some Liam Neeson steak. Yeah,
you got a special set of skill. I have a
certain set of skills. Yeah, man, I like it.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
I like it. Well, a couple of weeks for you,
because again, this is a game of arguments. What we
have to do is bounce a companies off of you
and just kind of have some fun first and foremost.
As a guy who's done a lot of sketch comedy,
let me ask you this as a comedian, what do
you think is harder to do? Is it sketch comedy
or is it actually stand up comedy?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Oh? Wow? I mean geez, you know there's a you
gotta looking up pros and the cons right Uh you know, Uh,
sketch comedy. Doing it with a group sometimes that could
be easier, but that can also be harder. You know,
stand up you only got to worry about yourself, and
I'll worry about somebody else messing it up. Uh. You.
(24:10):
Sketch comedies usually seems to be he is usually like situational.
Uh you know, maybe doesn't age as well sometimes just
as a stand up can do. That's a tough one,
I'll say. I say, money wise, I gotta go stand up.
I think it's just more marketable, uh and has a
little bit more longevity. Uh. But performing performing wise, you know,
(24:33):
like I said, I like, I like working with people,
So sketch comedy is always gonna be it for me.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
To throw one more at you. On's even harder. The
improv improv improv wins all the time every day with me.
I love improblem. I was gonna say I've done. I
feel like radio and podcasting is always improv It's always
kind of chatting with people and making people laugh. But
I did stand up once and I was like, this
is one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
(24:59):
So I loaded the audience and people I knew that
I knew would laugh, and even then I was still like,
oh my god, that's the brightest light I've ever seen.
I can't see anybody, and I'm just gonna throw jokes
out of this atmosphere and hopefully my mother hears and
laughs just loud enough for me to make me feel
like I was funny today.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I love doing it, but I've never had that,
you know. So some stand ups just like, oh, I
gotta get out there. I gotta do it like I
like to do it, but man, it's not my favorite.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
No, because you are in the world of sketch comedy
and Joe, we can do this parking with you as well.
If I already give you the Mount Rushmore your top
four sketch comedy actors of all time? Oh boy, who
would be on that list? Give me have any brand,
any TV show any genre. If you were to say,
give me four of the greatest to ever do it,
(25:51):
who would be on your list?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Wow?
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, first, I'm going to Eddie Murphy. I think Eddie
Murphy's number one of all time. Yeah, I mean he
literally saved a sketch comedy show.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
So I'm Eddie Murphy is definitely on a list.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Who else you got?
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Uh, I'm gonna take Uh, I'm gonna take John Candy
from st.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
TV nice, not bad, not bad?
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Okay, I think I don't know if you can put
Keen Field. I think as two people, but they're on there.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
So that's your four.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Yeah, I'm going those are my four?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
All right, Colton, if already four people you can have,
this is a comedy draft, you get, you get select
four the greatest of all time. And you're saying these
are the iconic ones. You can't talk sketch comedy shows
without these four whose faces are going on that mountain?
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Oh my goodness. This is a tough one. Uh. And
can I do repeats? He already picked?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Eddie Murphy.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
I think I would go greatest comedy sketch comedy performers
of all time I'll go Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle. U,
We'll go Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Dana Carvey, Jim Carrey.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Those are really good. I would go definitely Eddie Murphy.
I would take give me Phil Hartman. Oh yeah, I'll
take Jim Carrey and also a dark horse if you
all give me Wayne Brady, Wayne Brady Brady. Wayne Brady
is ridiculously talented and crazy. With those four guys, I
(27:48):
think I would be entertained for the rest of my life.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
I mean, I'm sure he's done a sketch show.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Well you did that improv the improvm with whose line is?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Oh? For sure? Who?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
He also had something great sketches, one of the greatest
sketches on the Chappelle Show. I'm only assuming that whatever
you write for that guy, he's going to be amazing.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Yeah. Adam Sandler is on my short list too, you know. Yeah,
it was it was between him and Dana Carvey.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
So notables, Yes, I mean there's a ton and there's
Chris Chris Farley.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
I mean there's Chris Farley. Oh man, I forgot about Chris.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Chris Farley, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, those are all really good.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Oh David put on that list too.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Oh yeah, David Wayns. I thought David Wayne's on a
Living Color was some of the best comedy I'd ever
seen when I was younger, hold me the clown, I
think we I think my brother and I used to
slap each other all the time with socks just because.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Of the socks. Oh, he ruined so many socks.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
It took years for someone to explain to me about
Jamaican's why they had so many jobs. I was like,
I don't understand it. But David Wayde just told me
they have like twenty jobs. I don't understand. Don't understand.
All right, one more about Run four for you. You're
a video gamer. You're a gamer. I've heard that you
are a gamer. What is the greatest video game of
(29:07):
all time?
Speaker 3 (29:08):
This is this is come on now, I know this
is an unfair question.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
I was gonna say this is the one that you
see we'll start a bar fight. Well, this is just
I just won. I just have to say the greatest
what's the greatest game of all time?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
All right? This preface. You didn't say what is my
favorite game of all time?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
You didn't yours like I said.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
I mean, I'm just saying. I'm saying. You said, you said,
what is the greatest game of all time? I say
Super Mario Brothers.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Super Mario Brothers is a really good choice. Joe Jojo, Uh,
go a little deeper. I'm gonna say Super Mario Brothers
three is the greatest.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Video game of all time. Supermarus three.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
Yeah, I'm going three. I think two is garbage, but
I think three is the best one of all time.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
For me, it exists without the first one.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
That's fair.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
You did become the squirrel and you got the fly,
which I love the most. Fair that was that was
so great for me, The greatest game ever invented. Double
O seven three seventh, three, five nine six three is
the code to get Mike Tyson for Mike Tyson's punch
Out and I can be Little Mac all day, all
night fighting those guys. I spent hours take it out, yes,
(30:23):
and having super Mario in my corner. He was even
in the game. Super Mario was body blow, body Blow.
It's the greatest game of all time. I love that
game so many days.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
I remember sitting in a Ouday's house, so some neighbor
who lived across the street who had Nintendo and he
had uh Mike Tyson's punch Out and we just sat
there all day trying to beat it.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
And it was also like ros Pride Mike Tyson, the
video of him, it was all in Jack Tobby. When
you got to him, he was like impossible to beat.
Only like my older brother knew how to like beat him.
And every time he did, I was like, how did
you do that? How did how did you? And then
I had the code. We got the code from somewhere
which I've never forgotten, And every time we tried, I could.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Never beat him. I never was able to make.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
My lash Joe, I can do with my eyes closed.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Oh yeah, King Hippo. He was a tough one for me.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Listen, Soda popa what was his name? There was also
a bald bull I was able to take down time.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Great remember that guy, yes, yes, and then throwing the controller.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Yes, you got to pop them every time he got
he got those little stock those uppercut secrets. I loved it.
Coldon done. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Are we really appreciate you taking the time. Thanks for
having me guys. Once again, he is caledon done. My
name is Dan Levy. This is Joe Kelly as well.
(31:53):
You've been listening to Barguments once again. Please go ahead
and give it a five star rating, and if you
can give us a review on iTunes that always helps
the podcast as well.
Speaker 3 (32:01):
Review it. Come on pretty.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
Please with Cherry's on top. That's all I'm asking for.
I rewind your videos. If you ever go to a
video store, make sure you rewind your video.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
So after you get your time machine.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Yes, yes, I'm surprised you have not done a sketch comedy,
by the way, a sketch of the one last person
that owns a video shop that is still telling everybody
they are out of every movie that they have. Do
you still have it now?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Sorry? Yet it's coming back?
Speaker 1 (32:28):
What are you looking for? Nobody returned it? Tilly started returning.
I got nothing. I got nothing. I would watch that
called the nod mis again for Joe Kelly. My name
is Dan Levy. You've been listening to Arguments do it again?
Tune see ya
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