July 8, 2024 • 10 mins
Jeff talks to Tim Allen about upcoming ABC show and more!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
I'm Jeff Stevens. Thanks for checkingout my eighties show podcast. This is
exciting I get to talk to Timthe Toolman, Taylor, Mike Baxter,
Santa Claus, you name it,it's Tim Allen. How are you,
sir? You know I'm good today. It's a rainy day where we began
this tour early this year, andnow I go back to see family in
(00:22):
Upper Michigan and it's nice to bein the Midwest again. Very cool.
Well, first of all, thankyou for I can't even believe it.
I'm sure you can't either, nearlyfifty years of making us laugh on so
many great shows. And I waskind of, you know, just kind
of looking at your career, andit blew me away that Last Man's Standing
actually aired one season longer than HomeImprovement? Is that correct? Yeah?
(00:45):
Every time I think of that,it seems like because Home Improvement, of
course is new for me based onmy original Showtime special Comedy Special, which
I keep for it's so long ago, it seems like yesterday. But because
it all so much as related toAkron where I'm performing, is that that's
(01:06):
where the whole grunting tool thing began. In that wonderful town. And I
said, it's such a weird vibethat we've kind of I've toured, what
almost thirty years between doing all myTV shows and movies and books and all
that, still been on the roadas a comedian and theaters and arenas and
such. And the first time Igot a big gig was for Goodyear Tire
(01:29):
and Rubber Company and Akron and endedup venting that grunt that was on Home
Improvement, which as you said,was one year shorter than last man,
standing, and it every time Ihear that, I go now it seemed
like Home Improvement went on forever basicallybecause we did that point of network TV.
We did twenty two shows sometimes twentyfour a year. Oh yeah,
(01:51):
incredibly a huge schedule. Last man, I think we did twenty or eighteen
something like that. Okay, well, yeah, that is kind of wild
to have it all coming full circlefor the Akron Civic Theater Saturday, June
twenty ninth. I guess kind oflike a maybe a homecoming of sorts to
(02:12):
some degree. Well, just becauseI said, Kipple, I was just
telling a group. I mean,almost half the concerts I do for these
years, I bring up Akron Ohio, because I said, this is where
depends on what mood early on.The first thing I don't know fifteen years,
fifteen twenty years of my career waswhat that if you did the first
(02:32):
seven episodes of Home Improvement, theyborrowed a lot of my material law and
mower is More Power. All ofthat came from that act, the original
act. It's grown of course,because I've been doing a stand up for
thirty five years now, Well correctme if I'm wrong here, when with
so much going on in the world, I think people need to laugh.
(02:53):
You have made us laugh, whetherit was as Tim the Toolman, Taylor
or Last Man Standing, which Iactually I think that's maybe my favorite role
of yours is Last Man Standing.And then our kids were just the perfect
ages to enjoy the Santa Claus franchiseas well, which is where I think
the parents were actually laughing as much, if not more than the kids.
(03:15):
So it seems to me that peoplejust really need to kind of lighten up
and laugh right now. And Iwould think seeing you would probably be a
good excuse to laugh a lot.I said. The versions of my characters
aside, my standup has been prettymuch my there's nine kids in my family,
(03:36):
and about growing up and if youwill, my party affiliation is male
dominated because I was raised by verystrong women, so my whole perspective is
very different than you might imagine.The only thing I say about mine is
my grandma says, you talk likea pirate. So it's a language My
(03:58):
material is only because it's peppered withmy inability to articulate. So I ended
up swearing a lot. This ismy grandmother talking. And I said,
my act is really about us,about human beings. And I said,
I constantly observed stuff that's crazy inpeople's lives, and I said, that's
that's what it is. And Isaid, I do make a lot of
(04:20):
jokes about what it sai. Idon't even I don't evely get in the
woke or whatever that is, becausethere are times I'm I kind of above
the fray because I make jokes aboutcensorship, what we cannot and can't say,
because I'm literally been living in thePeople's Republic of California for a long
time, and its it's very it'salmost comical. The stuff at my kids'
(04:44):
school that comes back from the boyswere saying out on the football field.
You know that took a lot ofballs, they did. You know that
took some balls. And the schooldecided that they've no longer allowed the boys
to say balls in a conversation.And I asked my daughter, and so
what do they prefer the boys?She is, well, now they have
to say testicle. And I said, well that's going to be perfect.
(05:06):
That'll be a lot better, right, boys, go, that took a
lot of testicle. Yeah. Mykids said, yeah, it didn't make
much sense to that. I said, no, I mean this is this
is basically where I'm I'm a GeorgeCarlin aficionado, and Richard Pryor my two
not mentors. But I just adoredthese guys. That's why I became a
(05:28):
comedian observational comedy. And I wasexplaining that to my kids yesterday. Well,
I would have to think that fromstuff like that that they bring home
from school, just living life thesedays probably has to be constantly giving you,
giving you material to keep fresh.And I would imagine too, obviously
with home improvement and the Santa Clausmovies and Toy Story and all that amazing
(05:50):
stuff you've done, I would thinkthat stand up, you're getting that instant
reaction from the crowd, right,unlike a movie or TV show where you
know you're recording something that airs later. So I would think that to be
there with the crowd is pretty special. And while you're still doing it today,
to be honest with you, we'redoing a just finished the pilot for
(06:11):
another sitcom, believe it or not, for ABC with a very another character
that I like, a version ofthat guy. That's Mike Baxter, Tim
Taylor, it's even Matt Parker ishis name. I can't say too much.
It'll be the studio. We'll seeit this week and they'll decide if
they want to go, which isa going again. It was a challenge
(06:32):
to me to do it. Thereason I like that format, It's just
what you said is that the formatfor live audience is very much like doing
the studio audience is very much likebeing a concert, nothing like being on
concert. I've been doing it foryears. I get on stage. I
freaking love it. I don't haveany sensors, I don't have any producers,
I don't have any lawyers. Anybody'sme in the crowd. It's all
(06:56):
about a gift I was given byRichard Pryor made me laugh so hard at
the Fox Theater in Detroit, whichI just finished performing at. I mean
performing at these big theaters that Isaw these great comedians and I laughed so
hard. It changed my life immediately. I was a different person because I
was able to express laughter in atime when I was in a lot of
stress. And I've been doing thatfor years. I get more out of
(07:20):
it than I get. I literallylove the surprise that comedy does. I
know I'm getting an audience in thisarea. I've got some great routines that
I was surprised where I put thelaugh and where I want everybody to commune.
And that's what the best thing aboutdoing stand up is is that we're
all in this thing. I lovemaking you all laugh, and that's what
(07:44):
my job is and I can't believeI get to do that. It's a
blessing to me. Here's the questions. We chat with Tim Allen for just
a couple more minutes. Did youever get a chance to tell Richard prior
that, yes, I did.He hit his health had really declined in
a strange I'm a very introverted guygenerally, and he'd reached out to me
(08:07):
he was a big fan, andI thought he was kidding because it seemed
what a weird connection that he thoughtI was a young, a really young
talented comedian. So I reached backand we connected it just I never I
could never believe that that my idolwas a fan. He eventually became really
(08:28):
ill. It was difficult to communicate, and I said, the first connection
was just amazing, and I said, might have been misunderstood because I was
so quiet. I just didn't knowhow to respond to. It's really a
very large leap in light to haveyour idol reach out to you and then
kind of really respect your talent.That's the best way to put it.
(08:50):
It was an amazing day. Ibet that's cool that you got to share
that with him, because obviously ithad a profound impact on you, and
you know what you referenced a coupleof minutes ago. I just want to
thank you on behalf of the tensof millions of people that you have made
laugh for decades. You're that personfor so many of us. I mean,
(09:11):
I didn't end up getting into standup, but you have just made
us laugh so many times in somany different ways. So I really hope
that I really hope that ABC rollswith this pilot because I'm ready for a
new Tim Allen show. So andI'm sure everybody else is too. That
it's looking very promising called Shift ShiftingGears, and it's about a car a
(09:31):
car net unfortunately, who is awidower and he's guy's daughter and moving back
with grandkids and his son from theNavy, all converged on the house after
his wife passes, and it's it'sabout loss and about a person that has
a sense of humor and a senseof He's like a mixture of Mike Baxter
and who I love that character andTim Taylor, who I love that hole
(09:54):
as his own. This is kindof a maturity of that. And we'll
see, I said right now,I'm very cat Denning fir Rope Girls plays
my daughter, just an amazing actor, so many people in it. It
was a it's been a big surpriseso far. But we'll see you.
You'll be by the press. We'llknow in probably ten or eleven days whether
ABC picks it up. Oh wow, okay, so that's soon, all
(10:16):
right? Well, fingers fingers crossed. We hope that that comes to fruition
because it sounds fantastic and we wouldlove to see you back on TV again.
We'll love to see you Saturday,June twenty ninth at the Akron Civic
Theater and anywhere around a lot ofpeople might be listening to this on my
podcast, so just watch for TimAllen. You can always get tickets at
(10:37):
ticketmaster dot com. Huge thrill totalk to you, Tim. Thank you
so much. We look forward toseeing you an Akron. Thanks man,
I'm Jeff Stevens. Thanks for checkingout my eighties show podcast. This is
exciting I get to talk to Timthe Toolman, Taylor, Mike Baxter,
Santa Claus, you name it,it's Tim Allen. How are you,
sir? You know I'm good today. It's a rainy day where we began
this tour early this year, andnow I go back to see family in
(00:22):
Upper Michigan and it's nice to bein the Midwest again. Very cool.
Well, first of all, thankyou for I can't even believe it.
I'm sure you can't either, nearlyfifty years of making us laugh on so
many great shows. And I waskind of, you know, just kind
of looking at your career, andit blew me away that Last Man's Standing
actually aired one season longer than HomeImprovement? Is that correct? Yeah?
(00:45):
Every time I think of that,it seems like because Home Improvement, of
course is new for me based onmy original Showtime special Comedy Special, which
I keep for it's so long ago, it seems like yesterday. But because
it all so much as related toAkron where I'm performing, is that that's
(01:06):
where the whole grunting tool thing began. In that wonderful town. And I
said, it's such a weird vibethat we've kind of I've toured, what
almost thirty years between doing all myTV shows and movies and books and all
that, still been on the roadas a comedian and theaters and arenas and
such. And the first time Igot a big gig was for Goodyear Tire
(01:29):
and Rubber Company and Akron and endedup venting that grunt that was on Home
Improvement, which as you said,was one year shorter than last man,
standing, and it every time Ihear that, I go now it seemed
like Home Improvement went on forever basicallybecause we did that point of network TV.
We did twenty two shows sometimes twentyfour a year. Oh yeah,
(01:51):
incredibly a huge schedule. Last man, I think we did twenty or eighteen
something like that. Okay, well, yeah, that is kind of wild
to have it all coming full circlefor the Akron Civic Theater Saturday, June
twenty ninth. I guess kind oflike a maybe a homecoming of sorts to
(02:12):
some degree. Well, just becauseI said, Kipple, I was just
telling a group. I mean,almost half the concerts I do for these
years, I bring up Akron Ohio, because I said, this is where
depends on what mood early on.The first thing I don't know fifteen years,
fifteen twenty years of my career waswhat that if you did the first
(02:32):
seven episodes of Home Improvement, theyborrowed a lot of my material law and
mower is More Power. All ofthat came from that act, the original
act. It's grown of course,because I've been doing a stand up for
thirty five years now, Well correctme if I'm wrong here, when with
so much going on in the world, I think people need to laugh.
(02:53):
You have made us laugh, whetherit was as Tim the Toolman, Taylor
or Last Man Standing, which Iactually I think that's maybe my favorite role
of yours is Last Man Standing.And then our kids were just the perfect
ages to enjoy the Santa Claus franchiseas well, which is where I think
the parents were actually laughing as much, if not more than the kids.
(03:15):
So it seems to me that peoplejust really need to kind of lighten up
and laugh right now. And Iwould think seeing you would probably be a
good excuse to laugh a lot.I said. The versions of my characters
aside, my standup has been prettymuch my there's nine kids in my family,
(03:36):
and about growing up and if youwill, my party affiliation is male
dominated because I was raised by verystrong women, so my whole perspective is
very different than you might imagine.The only thing I say about mine is
my grandma says, you talk likea pirate. So it's a language My
(03:58):
material is only because it's peppered withmy inability to articulate. So I ended
up swearing a lot. This ismy grandmother talking. And I said,
my act is really about us,about human beings. And I said,
I constantly observed stuff that's crazy inpeople's lives, and I said, that's
that's what it is. And Isaid, I do make a lot of
(04:20):
jokes about what it sai. Idon't even I don't evely get in the
woke or whatever that is, becausethere are times I'm I kind of above
the fray because I make jokes aboutcensorship, what we cannot and can't say,
because I'm literally been living in thePeople's Republic of California for a long
time, and its it's very it'salmost comical. The stuff at my kids'
(04:44):
school that comes back from the boyswere saying out on the football field.
You know that took a lot ofballs, they did. You know that
took some balls. And the schooldecided that they've no longer allowed the boys
to say balls in a conversation.And I asked my daughter, and so
what do they prefer the boys?She is, well, now they have
to say testicle. And I said, well that's going to be perfect.
(05:06):
That'll be a lot better, right, boys, go, that took a
lot of testicle. Yeah. Mykids said, yeah, it didn't make
much sense to that. I said, no, I mean this is this
is basically where I'm I'm a GeorgeCarlin aficionado, and Richard Pryor my two
not mentors. But I just adoredthese guys. That's why I became a
(05:28):
comedian observational comedy. And I wasexplaining that to my kids yesterday. Well,
I would have to think that fromstuff like that that they bring home
from school, just living life thesedays probably has to be constantly giving you,
giving you material to keep fresh.And I would imagine too, obviously
with home improvement and the Santa Clausmovies and Toy Story and all that amazing
(05:50):
stuff you've done, I would thinkthat stand up, you're getting that instant
reaction from the crowd, right,unlike a movie or TV show where you
know you're recording something that airs later. So I would think that to be
there with the crowd is pretty special. And while you're still doing it today,
to be honest with you, we'redoing a just finished the pilot for
(06:11):
another sitcom, believe it or not, for ABC with a very another character
that I like, a version ofthat guy. That's Mike Baxter, Tim
Taylor, it's even Matt Parker ishis name. I can't say too much.
It'll be the studio. We'll seeit this week and they'll decide if
they want to go, which isa going again. It was a challenge
(06:32):
to me to do it. Thereason I like that format, It's just
what you said is that the formatfor live audience is very much like doing
the studio audience is very much likebeing a concert, nothing like being on
concert. I've been doing it foryears. I get on stage. I
freaking love it. I don't haveany sensors, I don't have any producers,
I don't have any lawyers. Anybody'sme in the crowd. It's all
(06:56):
about a gift I was given byRichard Pryor made me laugh so hard at
the Fox Theater in Detroit, whichI just finished performing at. I mean
performing at these big theaters that Isaw these great comedians and I laughed so
hard. It changed my life immediately. I was a different person because I
was able to express laughter in atime when I was in a lot of
stress. And I've been doing thatfor years. I get more out of
(07:20):
it than I get. I literallylove the surprise that comedy does. I
know I'm getting an audience in thisarea. I've got some great routines that
I was surprised where I put thelaugh and where I want everybody to commune.
And that's what the best thing aboutdoing stand up is is that we're
all in this thing. I lovemaking you all laugh, and that's what
(07:44):
my job is and I can't believeI get to do that. It's a
blessing to me. Here's the questions. We chat with Tim Allen for just
a couple more minutes. Did youever get a chance to tell Richard prior
that, yes, I did.He hit his health had really declined in
a strange I'm a very introverted guygenerally, and he'd reached out to me
(08:07):
he was a big fan, andI thought he was kidding because it seemed
what a weird connection that he thoughtI was a young, a really young
talented comedian. So I reached backand we connected it just I never I
could never believe that that my idolwas a fan. He eventually became really
(08:28):
ill. It was difficult to communicate, and I said, the first connection
was just amazing, and I said, might have been misunderstood because I was
so quiet. I just didn't knowhow to respond to. It's really a
very large leap in light to haveyour idol reach out to you and then
kind of really respect your talent.That's the best way to put it.
(08:50):
It was an amazing day. Ibet that's cool that you got to share
that with him, because obviously ithad a profound impact on you, and
you know what you referenced a coupleof minutes ago. I just want to
thank you on behalf of the tensof millions of people that you have made
laugh for decades. You're that personfor so many of us. I mean,
(09:11):
I didn't end up getting into standup, but you have just made
us laugh so many times in somany different ways. So I really hope
that I really hope that ABC rollswith this pilot because I'm ready for a
new Tim Allen show. So andI'm sure everybody else is too. That
it's looking very promising called Shift ShiftingGears, and it's about a car a
(09:31):
car net unfortunately, who is awidower and he's guy's daughter and moving back
with grandkids and his son from theNavy, all converged on the house after
his wife passes, and it's it'sabout loss and about a person that has
a sense of humor and a senseof He's like a mixture of Mike Baxter
and who I love that character andTim Taylor, who I love that hole
(09:54):
as his own. This is kindof a maturity of that. And we'll
see, I said right now,I'm very cat Denning fir Rope Girls plays
my daughter, just an amazing actor, so many people in it. It
was a it's been a big surpriseso far. But we'll see you.
You'll be by the press. We'llknow in probably ten or eleven days whether
ABC picks it up. Oh wow, okay, so that's soon, all
(10:16):
right? Well, fingers fingers crossed. We hope that that comes to fruition
because it sounds fantastic and we wouldlove to see you back on TV again.
We'll love to see you Saturday,June twenty ninth at the Akron Civic
Theater and anywhere around a lot ofpeople might be listening to this on my
podcast, so just watch for TimAllen. You can always get tickets at
(10:37):
ticketmaster dot com. Huge thrill totalk to you, Tim. Thank you
so much. We look forward toseeing you an Akron. Thanks man,
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