1523 – Getting the Joke with Paul Provenza
Paul Provenza
In studio notes by Garon Cockrell
Editing and additional notes by Darryl Asher
www.PaulProvenza.com
Setlist Show
00 – Hello! Welcome! 1523! Sounds right to everyone!
Get your finances in order whether you’re a Players Club member or not! Trinkets and Baubles released next week!
Jimmy talks about getting listeners hooked on Threes! (me included.)
Asher Volmer!!!
Matt and Jimmy talk scores and strategy.
Jimmy wants credit for backlashing Serial early. Matt says good show, jimmy disagrees. He calls it shoddy reporting. (I think for humor?)
Matt talks about hearing Sarah Koenig’s first story on This American Life.
05 – Oliver couldn’t open Jimmy’s trucker speed. What if he really wanted Oliver to open his medication. Humor guys!
I went to get our guest, Paul Provenza!
Verbal Vaudeville – New name of NNF??
Jimmy not happy with the NNF name or the name of his management company.
Jimmy continues the Midge Ure game.
10 – We are the world written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie –
Hands Across America wasn’t entirely successful.
The biggest game of telephone ever would be a bigger success than Hands Across America.
Dick Clark’s daughter is named Cindy.
Jimmy is rattled by Paul’s early arrival.
Midge Ure is the lead singer of Ultravox.
Once this country failed at Hands Across America, Jimmy lost interest in America.
Jimmy talks about why he brought up seeing Midge Ure.
Jimmy wanted to be in bed at the time that he went to the concert (9:00pm)
15 – Jimmy talks about the confusion of getting his ticket at the venue.
Women in front of Jimmy, “we’re all on queue to go inside.” Jimmy is an American he won’t be adopting those words. Paul suggests holding hands in line/queue.
Matt thinks that she was adopting British slang in preparation for Midge.
Last night Jimmy was glad to have games on his phone last night so he wouldn’t have to talk to “rose head”
This woman continued to rant and rave through the entire show. She yelled out “where’s Russell Watson?” after the first song.
Jimmy went to the meet and greet. Rose head was there as well and constantly using the word queue. Jimmy wanted to slice her throat with the wire he would use to hang the signed Midge Ure CD cover.
20 – Eliot suggests using a guitar string from McCabe’s. Jimmy decides on a banjo. String.
Break!
We’re back!
1523! Jimmy is wiping his eyes like a child.
Jimmy talks about the Golden Globes.
Paul didn’t watch but has heard how funny Margaret Cho was. Jimmy struggles with a response to that. “That’s cool.”
Paul says, “Comedy is the closest thing to sexuality. You can’t tell what turns someone on and you cant judge them for it.” Brilliant!
Jimmy gives his thoughts on the GG show.
The guys talk about the hypocrisy of reacting to the bill cosby joke and then applauding free speech a few moments later.
Paul talks about his experiences in Melbourne Australia.
25 – Stupid late phone call!!
Toner chat!
Tom Selleck talks Indiana Jones:
30 – Paul talks his love of Family Guy/South Park.
Paul suggests World’s Greatest Dad to watch. It’ll be today’s movie!
No takers on Eliot’s openings yet.
35 – The guys talk review slams using the NNF title.
Jimmy calls Selma a great movie.
Jimmy talks about Paul appearing on Comedy on Vinyl discussing Robert Klein
Jimmy and Paul talk Klein.
40 – Paul talks about how Klein evolved into doing work that related to older people while Carlin never really evolved to that and suspects that is why he may have lost some notoriety.
Robert Klein 1990 album Let’s Not Make Love –
Paul talks his comedy history!
45 – Paul and Jimmy talk modern comic influences. Dave Attell, Louis CK. Not so much Seinfeld anymore though but a few years ago definitely.
Comparing comedy to politics.
Paul wonders who the current comedy equivalent of The Beatles is. Jimmy thinks maybe Louis CK but might have to go back to Jerry Seinfeld.
Dubious list of MSG sell outs –
50 – Paul talks about The Setlist show.
It’s basically improv stand-up. No safety net!
55 – Paul talks more about the audience safety net, and Setlist, as well as the people who are great at it. Paul describes it as bungie jumping.
60 – Playlist
Here is the Robin Williams episode:
Break!
We’re back!
Jimmy asks about what happens in the break.
Paul asks Jimmy a sincere question after crediting him with being the first to have the “live” television (not televised) : “How come Jimmy never had a network talk show?”
Jimmy says he’s heard everything from they don’t know who he is to he’s too well known. He doesn’t know the answer.
He does not know the answer to that question. It keeps him up at night.
James Corden is the new host of Late Late Show.
65 – Paul wants all the details of Jimmy. The Jimmy Pardo talk show from Mbar morphed into Never Not Funny.
Paul says Jimmy is the perfect cat for the talk show. He calls it Jimmy’s “Moby Dick.”
Paul Provenza’s YouTube channel featuring clips from Comics Only –
Paul talks about the sketches and shorts they did on the show.
70 – Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser is a real thing:
Peter Gaulke and Fred Wolf did Strange Wilderness together.
Matt talks dental work.
Doc Talk! Matt watched Finding Vivian Maier –
75 – Paul’s got some dental issues also. Basically he is chewing his skull off.
Jimmy’s got a feature in his car that tells him traffic situations. Once a day it alerts him that someone is driving the wrong way on the freeway.
Here is Waze –
Jimmy goes back to Paul’s thoughts on Andy Kaufman at the improv in NY. He talks about everyone cramming into the hallway just outside of the showroom. For a while he didn’t get it and then one day, like a light switch was flicked, he got it and understood Andy’s genius.
Jimmy didn’t understand Andy.
80 – Paul and Jimmy talk old brilliant comedians. Paul talks about Steve Martin’s White Suit Story.
85 – Do clothes make the comic? For some maybe. Jimmy talks about suggesting a comic wear a suit all the time after seeing him kill in a suit, and not kill in his normal stuff. Paul doesn’t think it matters what Proops wears and wonders how Paul F. would do if he didn’t dress like he did.
Does it matter what Patton Oswalt or Louis CK wears on stage?
90 – Continuing to talk comedy fashion. Jimmy used to be a suit guy but now he has evolved to the cardigan. He started as a white guy in the bowling shirt. Then he went suit. Then the suit came back into comedy. His luggage got lost one day so he had to go on stage in his civilian clothes. He felt looser. So he evolved from the Suit to a more comfortable outfit IE Cardigan.
Jimmy wants to talk about Northern Exposure. Paul was hired to replace Rob Morrow. Apparently he was originally supposed to be the same character but they changed it to a new doctor.
Paul used to respond to internet comments back in the 90s when people bitched about him taking over the show. Doing this, helped the fans be more accepting of him. They even came to his shows!
He was up for the role when it was originally cast also. It came down to him and Rob. Rob got it. He talks about how they almost fired rob morrow for asking for more money. He almost got it again but Rob Morrow got an emmy nom so the producers kept him. Third time, he gets the gig and is accused of killing the show.
95 – Paul talks more about Northern Exposure and how the syndication and new episodes ended up devaluing the show.
He also talks about the plagiarism suit that northern exposure creators lost.
Northern Expsosure IS on DVD!
My pleasure,
Garon/The Beast/Mush Mouth Shy Guy/The Notekeeper/Lazy Queen/Sloth