Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell, Brand new shoes, walking blues, climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. That was white stripes with we're going to be friends.
And I think we're gonna be friends, guys. Thanks for listening to Jeremiah Wonders tuning in. You would not believe how long it took me to get that song right. That's strumming for whatever reason.
But you boy, put in the painstaking time for your listening pleasure. How was everybody's week, huh? We good? You swinging back into that new year?
Getting back into the swing of things, huh? Yeah? Feeling better? Setting all those new years resolutions, huh?
Sticking to them? Anybody quit? Any of theirs already? I want to give you a little update on the Reagan-A-Wackens album.
We just designed our album cover with our buddy Kai Erens. And we have a couple labels that are interested. So we are sending them back and forth, getting some notes and that kind of stuff. And hopefully this thing will be released in February.
That's the goal. Maybe March now. Man, everything takes way longer than you'd like. But it's quality and there's a lot of love in it.
So you guys are going to enjoy the crap out of it, I think. Email JeremiahWonders at gmail.com, send music submissions and your kindness challenge letters there. Speaking of music submissions, everybody, DJ McCray. Add DJ McCray on Twitch.
Check them out there. Spend them most nights of the week. He sends in an original mix to preview the episode that's about to happen. Here's a sneak peek of what's to come.
Take a dump on my fat chest. Take a jumpy picky picky picky picky going. Take a take a dumpy picky picky going. He feels good, right?
He feels good, right? It feels pretty good. He feels good, right? Now I have Kid Dabberbone.
It's sax tops yet. Can I have a Juicard every once in a while? I'm going to my Watkins the Ju, Ju, Ju, Ju, Ju, Ju, Ju, Ju. Yes.
Those mixes get me so pumped for the episode. I want to thank the sponsors of the show real quick, Speedweed. At Speedweed, Gino. Hit him up on Twitter.
That sticky, icky delivery service of Merigene. Bronx One Pizza, Ad Bronx One Pizza in Bend, Oregon. Thomas Shiffer hooking it up. There's also a gray block that's owned by him in Santa Monica.
Check that out. Their bagel crust pizza is to die for. In Menchie Music in Pennsylvania for hooking, you boy up with. That's right.
A brand new saxophone at Menchie Music at D Comatic in M710 on Instagram. Thank you to those guys for making it happen. And if you watch a video version of this, you'll actually see me play it during sax talk for the first time during this episode. If you'd like to sponsor the show, please email jeremyowinders at gmail.com.
I'm selling airtime. That's right. You can buy 36 of airtime on Jeremyowinders. And I will read whatever copy you'd like me to read.
Or you can support the show at jeremyowinders.com. There's a PayPal donation button if you'd like to do that, if not totally cool. But if you could support me by going over to iTunes and leaving a five star rating and review this podcast. We're like almost 300 reviews.
I want to get to 500 reviews on the next couple months. A boy can wish, right? I feel like I'm pressing fast forward on me talking. Just a little, little, little, little excited guys.
Actually, while I read some tour dates, I'm going to play some music from a sketch that Jake and I referenced later in this episode that we did a few years back called Cat Group. Looking up on YouTube. Hey, itty bitty, little kitty cackle. You know, I think of you daily.
Yeah, the only pussy I'm in mind. I'm gonna have potatoes to my gravy. Do you take this? North Carolina, January 10th through 12th.
Yes, we will be there with Kill Tony and doing stand up shows. And I will be doing stand up on the spot. Tuesday, January 15th, got a killer line up there with Joe Rogan, Whitney Cummings, Jeff Ross, and Josh Wolf and myself. And then we also have a couple shows in February, February 5th and 26th on those are Tuesdays, the first Tuesday and last Tuesday of the month in February.
And we are doing stand up and Kill Tony shows in Phoenix, January 25th and 26th and Kill Tony, Europe, February 13th through 17th, Ireland, London and Manchester. I could not be more excited to go to Europe. Never been there before. I want to thank Gage Tirena for the audio and video editing on this podcast as well.
He's my boy hooking it up, coming to you from Texas. Very funny coming from there. Check him out and see him live around Texas. Moving out here in the spring.
It's happening, guys. I've known and done comedy with our guest today for a very long time. We talk about the show he stars in corporate on Comedy Central and the process behind selling a TV show. We got some great phone calls and definitely one of my favorite sex talks ever.
So without further ado, please welcome Jake Wiseman to Jeremiah Wonders. You like the shirt that I'm wearing? Yeah, I really like it. It looks familiar.
It almost seems like it's an advertisement for the show that we're on right now. Wait, what? I had somebody, one of my buddies, Justin sent me this and this was like a beta of like some different designs. And I'm like, I don't think we're gonna put this sparkly red.
It's like red nail polish. Yeah. What I'm wondering is when you were coming up with the title, The Ellipses, did you have an argument with yourself back and forth? Like do I put a dot dot dot?
Oh yeah, definitely. And you're like, oh, you showed it to people. We're like, is it better without? Yeah.
It was definitely some of that. Yeah, and now it's history. I liked it with the dots. Yeah, it's nice.
They're kind of like rose repeats a little bit. Yeah, that's what I think I'm really. There's like a spiritual element to it. Oh yeah, definitely.
Jake Wiseman here on the podcast today from Comedy Central's corporate. Yes, we're doing it. Why are you finally doing it after years of knowing each other and having conversations and working together, we're doing it. I know.
It's happening. You did one of my favorite old sketches from a while ago that we did. In my garage, I believe. In your garage?
Yeah, in your garage and then your place. And it was a sketch about cats and we did different cat music videos. Yes, we did. That was really fun.
Was I, did I have spinal surgery at that point? Was that post or pre? It was right before or after because I know that you were still in pain. Yeah.
I think it was somewhere. Yeah, I think I was in a lot of pain making that. I'd like to watch it and watch myself in pain. Yeah, just like look at the inner pain in your eyes.
Yeah, exactly. That was fun. And then you had to have, that took like a long post-production life. You had to like spend a lot of time making that.
Well, because our friend Carlos, he did the animation for it and that's what I was waiting on forever. Anytime you work with somebody on animation, you have to expect a lot of extra time. Because that takes, yeah, animation is its own. Isn't it amazing how hard it is to make anything?
Dude, if anything gets made, it's incredible. Yeah, it's like, I totally understand people who don't make things like being at home, having jobs, getting paid a good amount of money to do whatever job they're doing. And then they watch something stupid online that being like, you should kill yourself. Like I get it.
But I don't think they understand how hard and painful it is to make something that's just okay. Yeah, just mediocre. It takes sometimes years. Yeah.
Yeah, that's, I don't think they have any, especially they never think the person reading the comments like, I spent three years of my life on this. They want me to kill myself. Yeah, three years. I mean, and I spent all my money and I was lost the entire time emotionally and I was sure it was the wrong idea, but I'd gone way too far down that hole and I had to finish it.
Just to put myself, I could finish it. Yeah. And now you hate me. But that's kind of what we deserve for getting into comedy anyway.
Well, we kind of have to expect that there's going to be some challenges like that along the way. Like we kind of signed up for that. Like whenever we did that. What was the reason behind your spine surgery?
Whenever you had it. I just have Jewish bones. I'm 100% Jewish genetically and that's tough. So that's essentially in breeding.
All right, we get it. You're the chosen one. Hey, what's going on? I'm chosen.
It is weird. I did date women in college who told me I was going to hell, but I was a chosen one and that did make me more attractive. Which I was also... I'm chosen one.
I love that. I just had really bad bones and I'd herniad a disc, but the pain was in my leg because apparently stuff, there's nerves connected to your spine and that can go all over your body. So I wanted to have my leg amputated because I was in so much nerve pain. But it turns out it was all just like my spine moved like this much, like a smidge, like a one of my bones.
And so I'd herniad a disc and I'd have it removed. And now I have cadaver bone and rods in my back. And I don't know. I'm 1% someone else.
Really? Yeah, because I don't know. The bone is now fusing my bone and I never found out who the cadaver was. I wonder if it was...
They don't tell you or... Why not? I don't know. It's so upsetting because like what a bit I could have.
I could be 1% pro golfer. Dude, you could be 1% Superman. Christopher Reeves bones. Yeah, but then I'm not all the way Jewish anymore.
Yeah, so maybe keep filming. Yeah, I don't want the other people now. Yeah, you're not up here as anymore, man. But I do have different bones in here.
And so that's cool. It was a nightmare. I can never run on pavement again. Oh really?
Yeah, I have to be very careful. But what's cool about it is my back is bad now. I mean, it's fine, but it's like I have like metal rods in my back. So now I never have to move anything again.
Like anytime someone is like, I have to like, I don't have to be a gentleman anymore because everyone's worried about my back. Sure, you know? Like seven year olds can pick up things. I can't pick up now.
That's great. I get treated like an old man while I still look young, which is pretty ideal. Yeah, it's kind of what we want. Because we want the power and the wisdom of being an old person, but not the actual.
No, I don't want to deal with. I don't want to be old. Yeah, the further I go, I don't know if you look at your family. My dad's 85.
And what? My dad's just about to be 70. Yeah, and it's when I look at 85, I love my dad. I'm like, I'm not going to go through that.
I'm not going to have a cane. I'm not going to have to wear a tablecloth for a bib, because the food gets everywhere. I'd like to be gone before. I tell my wife that all the time she hates it.
That's what love is, is promising someone, you'll kill them when they're 70 and they're asleep. I've already had a conversation. Like if I ever get to a vegetative state, for whatever reason, immediately pull the plug. I think Terri Siava was a watershed moment for the country, because it forced spouses to talk to each other about what they would do in that situation.
And almost everyone I know is like, oh, and make for sure. Yeah, yeah, don't keep me alive. You don't know other people singing in that. Yeah, that's terrifying.
Oh, God, I just, I don't want them to have to come to the hospital and look at me and whisper, think secrets into my ear that they never told me and expect that I'm going to wake up and give some final words that'll give them meaning to their whole life. It's like, no, I'm just going to wake up before. OK, let's play that out. So you're in the hospital.
OK. You have loved ones around you. Let's say you're 93. You made it to 93, Jake.
OK. And I'm coming to visit you at the hospital. We've done years of comedy together. We've ended up going on double dates in the future.
We had a skiing trip to Aspen together. We built up a big friendship. We shot more cat sketches. Yeah.
Just all that stuff. And I'm at your bedside. And I'm pretty heartbroken. And I lean in.
And I say, Jake, I don't know how to tell you this. But I've always had something on my heart that's been laying heavy on me for years. And I wanted to tell you before you go that I always wanted to be you. Oh, that would be so upsetting.
That would just be upsetting because it's like you could have had me. Like I would have given you everything so early. Like I would have been like, oh, what a relief. It's so exhausting to be me.
And just to have all these feelings, I would have given you my name and everything. It would be a devastating situation. But then what about me? What would you have wanted to be?
Do you want to know what it's like to be Jewish for a little bit? Yeah. What's that like? It's interesting.
I'll tell you the best part of it. Please. I'm a gentile. And I know, I know, I know.
And it's a beautiful thing. And you're very tall and wonderful. And you seem to be pretty happy. All things considered.
The best part about it, about being Jewish, is that you're white but different. And so it's like, OK, I'm like, yeah, I'm super white. I've gotten all of the good things from being white. But also, at any point, I can just be like, but I'm Jewish.
So you don't understand. It's sort of like being from this town in the middle of Europe. And then wherever you go, you meet someone else from that town. It's like, oh my god, the food in our town.
Should we talk about it? And our language isn't different, except it has a kind of annoying, insistent accent. And we just stickulate a lot. And we get, so really, it's great for that.
When you meet other Jews anywhere, it's like, oh my god, you're Jewish, so am I. And we have nothing to really say, except that we both love bagels and cream cheese, but our lactose intolerant. You know what I mean? So it's like just a shared pain situation.
But it's pretty good. Nice. Yeah, it's pretty good. I recommend it.
That sounds fun. I'll let you start calling yourself Jewish. Yeah. I have a Jew card every once in a while.
Honestly, if anyone can, it's you. I would love if on stage you just started talking about your Judaism. I never explained that you converted. So I have this ongoing joke on the show, because do you know the comedian George Perez?
No. OK, so I always tell the listeners, don't say anything to George Perez because I want to keep this thing going. He has thought that I'm Jewish for years, and I have never corrected him. And he always talks about my Jewish nose and all this stuff.
He says some quasi-racist juice stuff around me. And I was like, yeah, that's us. I just keep it going, because he says stuff. And people will be like, are you Jewish?
After he leaves the room, he just thinks. I'm also Jeremiah has a biblical. Right. So there's some murky water.
So I just keep it going. But it feels good. It feels pretty good. It feels like you're in on something.
It feels like I'm on Jewish mafia or something like that. It's good. It's mainly, I get it honestly, whenever I'm on the road in, ironically, Southern areas or the Midwest or whatever, people think I'm Jewish solely because I don't even know this. This is really amazing that we're talking about this.
I get that I look Jewish a lot strictly because of my nose. I just heard a call that's coming in. Oh, really? Yeah, that's interesting.
Yeah, it's crazy. Hello. Oh, yeah. It's shown up on my card.
Hello. The name isn't shown up. Hello. Who's this?
Hi, Jeremiah. Yes. This is Moisha is leech just saying you're Jewish. Are you?
Like, what's going on while you're doing this? Well, I'm not technically claiming to be Jewish. People are more identifying me as Jewish, and I'm not necessarily correcting them. It is that because you?
I would love the benefits of being a Jewish, but it's more of a problem sometimes to correct people than to let them know what I actually am. That's real Palestine. I'm pro-Israel. Are you bro?
I'm pro-Israel. Well, I'm not. I'm not. What is your bad question?
You said your name's Moisha. My mind is blown. Well, I'm self-hating Jew. Wait.
Then I think you actually are Jewish. I was just wondering if you want. Oh. I'm working in therapy and it's not working.
I think you're actually doing a pretty good job, except the first part of the call. You really got to where you wanted to be going with this. So you are a Jew that's a secret Nazi, but is also looking to hook up. Is that right?
Well, let's just say the feelers have been put out there and they've been received. And let me sit on that. Can I call you back later maybe? Perfect.
All right, that was Moisha. Everybody who called in. That was a- You listeners are interesting. Well, I have a broad range of listeners.
We get celebrities that call in. We get a secret Nazi. Jews that call in. It's pretty interesting.
No, one thing that legitimately, if I were to say, of a quality of yours that I wish that I was more of, that I'm actually working on in my stand-up, is being more direct and blunt with how I feel about things. Like emotion and something like that. You're very good at expressing that on stage. Yeah, it's interesting because I feel like, your stand-up is, I think we both probably and be different things the other person does.
I mean, that's so much of a stand-up. It's like when someone can do something you can't do. You see a quality like, oh, I wish I could do that. What I do is stupid.
It's interesting because I think that's part of what I find funny about stand-up in general or about comedy in general, is literally just we live in a world where you're not really supposed to say how you feel. Like that's not encouraged a lot of the time. A lot of school, a lot of religious school is sort of being like, I know how you feel, but there's a bunch of people who think you shouldn't say that because it would disrupt society. And so I think a large part of what comedy is, is just saying you're feeling and seeing people react and sort of being able to sit with that discomfort of their potential discomfort and being able to become about that, building up this tension and then letting the punch line sort of dissolve it.
I think that's a lot of what comedy is like, intense, intense, intense, intense. And then here's the joke. I mean, that's essentially what Bill Burr is a master at. I mean, he's obviously the thing of that.
I mean, just presenting something that's super uncomfortable. But by the end, when there's the punch line, just that resolve of like, wow, how are we on the same page when we were in a different book just so we go? And I think it's interesting. I think also with your style or sort of your point of view, that could be a really fascinating sort of dichotomy going on.
I've been experimenting with, I've been doing it more and more and I stand up the longer as our careers go on. And whenever I do it right, it gets a very big response because I have a lot of silly bits. So whenever I'm real and raw with the audience, they're like, where is this coming from? And I think I could see it going either way for you because you are also so physical as well.
But that's so interesting. I mean, that's like a really fascinating thing to explore because you are so nice. Like you are at least, you are an extremely nice person and you're very sweet to people and you're gregarious, but inside there's a darkness. And I think people don't necessarily know that and wouldn't necessarily know that unless you showed it to them.
Yeah, no, especially some of my late nights that's like the comedy sort of stuff. Yeah, you're gonna fucking fight. You say whatever. So that's whenever I'm experimenting with some of the dark stuff where people are like, oh my.
Aren't you the sort of mascot around here? That's naked a lot. That's me. Yeah, but yeah, it's funny to think actually of like, I'm thinking of like sports mascots, like because they're the silliest people, but just how dark they must feel.
I'm an adult in a costume and I want to kill. Dude, also imagine the amount of mascots who wanted to play. That's a good point. Dude, just like them dancing with the cheerleaders.
That should have been me out there. It is so bitter and angry. Like, okay, yeah, I'll go slam dunk this basketball on the freaking trampoline, but I shouldn't be doing it outside of this stupid outfit. Yeah, I could have been a Harlem Globetrotter.
Did you just see the flip that I did in that dunk? I'm so athletic. Just give me a shot, put me in. Yeah, but it's interesting that, yeah, it's nice that we're friends because we are seemingly so different, but down under, down under, you're saying, I have no idea.
Same. What'd you say? Dude, some of the text message conversations that you and I have sent back and forth are some of my favorites. Oh, I'm actually not remembering them.
Can you give me sort of one of just the most recent one that I loved was just because they're always kind of bizarre. They're very bizarre. Oh, oh, I know what you're talking about. So we were at the back of the show, where we started sending each other pictures of other people around us, and it slowly kept getting closer and closer to us, and then it started being different body parts, and Jake just sends me a picture of his eyeball.
Meanwhile, we're watching, he's about to go on a little bit, and I'm just watching the show, and we keep getting notifications of the weirdest picture messages, and emoticons is just like that. You know what's funny? Because no one would have any idea if looking at us that we were doing that. Right.
And something I think about a lot, actually, when I'm in public, because this happened to me a bunch. Sometimes I'm in public, let's say, let's say tender greens, at a restaurant, tender greens. And it's sort of just this bit. There's tons of people in there, but in any space, there's a decent probability that there's people who've known each other in there, who've gone on dates, who have fucked each other, but don't talk to each other anymore, have gotten into fights, but they won't necessarily acknowledge each other, and there's no way to know in that space how they're connected.
And I always want to know, when I go into certain spaces, because I've been in grocery stores where I've sort of carted past people that maybe we don't want to talk to each other, and a person down the aisle has no idea that we know each other or have kissed each other, or hate each other for some reason, and I would pay all the money in the world just to know everyone's, the way everyone's linked in a different public setting any time there. That would be my superpower, would just be that I could, if I could wish it, is to be in a public space and know how all the people are connected. I mean, that almost sounds like a Black Mirror episode, where you have a visor on, and then you're looking out at a mass of people, and you see their connections. I think about that, it's so weird that we're sending this to each other, but both of us have sort of amiable, sort of like affable smiles on our face, watching the show, we're sending each other stuff that if it were sent to anyone else in that room, they might call the cops.
Well, we were joking later that if anybody found that text message changed, like if we died later that night, like in a car crash or something, like then they looked at our previous text messages, they'd be like, is this a suicide note? What is this? Like a mystery that's unsolved? Exactly, yeah, there would be a documentary about it.
I do think that sometimes when people die and there's different like, there's different like excavations of their last emails or last text, if it were a comedian, it's impossible to understand, because we're telling each other to like kill each other all the time, just our humor is so dark and we don't see reality other people. We're like, we're talking about sex in such different ways that you could come up with so many different reasons the person died that weren't true, just because I just out of affection, I sent my friend a message being like, oh, just kill yourself. It's like, whoa, I guess he wanted to kill himself. Tonight on 60 Minutes, we have the last text message known to have been sent out by Jake Weisman.
He sent it out to a fellow comedian, Jeremiah Watkins. A Jew, a known Jewish comedian, a known Jewish superstar comedian on the rise. And here is the text message. What does this mean?
Take a dump on my fat chest. Now let's analyze the words in this text message. These were his last words right before he was killed. How do we investigate what was going through the mind of Jake Weisman?
It honestly would be confusing. Just if the amount of times I've texted people about 9-11, they would just think I'm a terrorist or something like that, yeah. I hope that it happens. Yeah, totally.
I wanna ask you about this, because this is just kind of fascinating, I think. You have a show that's about to be going into its second season, corporate, on Comedy Central, congratulations, by the way. Thank you. I watched, to be totally honest, I watched the first episode of the first season that you sent me in the first episode of the second season.
That's great. Yeah. That's more than a lot of people. I mean, I wanted to do a little bit of research on the show.
I actually felt like this is so cool. This is my research for this episode. I gotta watch a buddy's TV show. It's a pretty good life once you get it.
Dude, it's amazing. So I'm watching it and I'm noticing so many comedians, which is very cool that you guys have done that. Like, there's so many funny people that we know that are involved in the show. Now, whenever you're writing this pilot and stuff like that with Matt and Gabronson, how does that get to the point where they're like, we're gonna green like this?
Like, how long of a process is that? Take me through that. Basically, you first you pitch the show. Usually what happens is you pitch the show, which basically means, and I know you know this, which is for people who have done it.
Yeah, there's a lot of writers and stand up and needs stuff to listen to this. So, you know, we've been doing comedy together for close to a decade, and so you sort of have to establish your name as someone who does stand up and sketch, essentially. So it was doing tons of stand up every night for many years, trying to just get good at that and have people see them good. In the audience in LA, one of the benefits of it is if you're good, there are going to be people who work for different networks who see that and then report back to their bosses.
Because Comedy Central is constantly scouting all of us, and we don't even necessarily know. They're just in the audience of shows, and that's why you should be good at every show, because they might start talking about you. It's the assistants' jobs to kind of talk about you to their bosses. So you do that, and then, you know, it was making sketches just like you, forever with my group of women.
And Dave Rosson is very complimentary of your guys' sketch group. Oh yeah, yeah, I saw that. Thank you very much. So we made sketches with those guys, and also just with other people as well, including you and different people, and just tried to show that I knew how to make things as well as I could be funny on stage.
So eventually, at a certain point, if you do that enough, manager comes calling, and so you get with the manager, and then they help you sort of, you bounce ideas off of them about what kind of show you want to make. And I Pat Bishop, who was kind of the director of the group women, he and I always work with her and everything in Matt was my roommate at the time. So women was trying to make a show. But then also, Matt, Pat and I were making sketches together, and we thought we would try to make a show as well, because you have to pitch a lot of stuff in order to get one thing.
I mean, you know, you do a million different things. It's essentially- And there's so many things that have never seen the day of late that people have no idea about. I think it's what people don't understand is how many things I've tried to do before one thing went. It's a constant working all the time, has so many projects.
There are things I've worked on. I worked on for years that all, like, oh, right, I did that for years, and I don't remember it. Like you do so, it's like, it's like if you're in a band that makes it, you also were in seven other bands that didn't make it. That's just kind of how it works.
So we came up with an idea for a show, Matt had just gone to, got in the Comedy Central Comics to watch, you know, there's a million different things like that, just for laughs, which we've both done, comics for laughs. These are essentially- You guys go out there the same year, yeah, Matt? No, I went a few years before, maybe one or two years before, and essentially what that does is it gets you in front of agents. It gets you in front of executives, and that gives you essentially an opportunity for a meeting.
And at that meeting they go, do you have any ideas? And then if you do, which you should be ready for that, when you do get one of those sort of showcases, you go, yeah, they're like, okay, cool, come in and pitch it. So we went in and pitched that show, and they bought it for very little money. And it takes a few months for the deal to get done, because you have a lawyer, and then they're negotiating for months, you don't get to hear about any of it.
And then eventually after three or four months, they're like, just sign, this is the most we could get. And you're signing this contract, you don't understand that really, it makes you an indentured servant for seven years, and you don't really have any idea because you're so desperate for any money, and I was working at a shandler, and really didn't want to anymore. So it's like, yeah, whatever. So you sign that, and then after four months, you get a kickoff call and they're like, okay, so, generally let's talk about the show, you sold us almost half a year ago, and you wanna start outlining it, and then you start outlining it, and you send in an outline about what you, who the characters basically are, and then what the basic story of the pilot would be, and they rejected our first outline, and then we came up with another one, and they're like, okay, go for it, you spend a few months writing that first draft, you're very nervous, you send it in, they're like, okay, we love it, there's a million things to change.
And the second draft, I would say, where it really needs to improve, because if you have a good second draft, that's when they'll show it to the president of the network, and be like, oh, this is really good, because you pretty much get three drafts, and then a polish, where they just sort of like punch it up a little bit. So at the second draft, we just really worked hard, we showed a bunch of friends, and we had them come over for a table read, bought them dinner, is this all good, is this too much? No, I mean, I think that the people who are wanting to know the process are true, I just want to make sure, because this could be narcissistic, but essentially- I asked for it, tell me every detail, Jake. Basically, at that point- What kind of pizza did you order?
Well, you know, there's gluten-free people, there's also dairy-free people, but luckily in LA, there's vegan pizza, so thank God. Anyway, shout out to Grouzer Pizzo, and Los Feliz, but anyway, you then, what you should do is by the second draft, have people come over, have them read it, so you can hear people saying the dialogue, because sometimes it can sound well-written, but it doesn't sound- Or you'll be fascinated the way that somebody else reads it. You're like, wait, is that who that character is? And then you ask for their notes, let people be brutally honest with you about the notes, because the thing that I think stops a lot of writers is, people don't want to hear that their stuff is bad, when really that's the best possible thing you could hear, because two people are often too polite, and it's not a personal thing, I'm telling you it's bad, because I want it to be better.
Tell me everything that doesn't make sense, or isn't super funny about this, all I want is for it to be funny. I don't care if you think I'm funny, I just want to get this made. I mean, that's the luxury that we have to stand comedians, is we have that instant feedback every single night, and we're going on stage. And when we're writing a script, we have to wait until sometimes a table read, or a friend reading it, or a favor of like, hey, can you read this for me, and give me some brutally honest notes?
Yeah, exactly, and that's what you sort of get used to. So we try to treat it as much as a stand up thing, it's possible we get a lot of notes, and anytime you're asking for someone for notes, just know that it's a huge favor to ask someone, so buy them dinner, or do something in response, because it's a really big favor, you're asking you may not realize how much you're asking of them. So we asked people, we had them go over dinner, then we turned it in, showed it to our agents and managers, and by the second draft they started to really like it, they only had a few things after that. For the third draft we turned it in, and then it was like, the president wants to meet with you.
So we drove. You're like the president? Yeah, because he had no idea who we were, because they give out tons of script deals, you know, like a lot of script deals every year, expecting that 98% of them won't get made. Because most people don't even know how to write a scene.
Like that's the thing, it's like, people always think people who make it are amazing, it's like sometimes the people who make it just literally know how to do the basic element of it, and there's no one else who can do it, and most of on TV is bad. So anyway, that should inspire you. You should never be inspired by the amazing people, you should be inspired by the average people who make it. And you're like, I can do that.
Oh, I can do that. Yeah. So then after that, we know the president, he just wanted to know who he wanted to meet us, and he asked us a few questions about where the series would maybe go if it became a series, and we were like, we kind of bullshit with that, and then on the way home from that, we got the call that was like, okay, we're gonna shoot the pilot, which was amazing, to be able to shoot a pilot. So you got the call very quickly.
As we left the building, he just wanted to meet us and make sure we weren't crazy. Yep, and he was stupid because we are. So we said, we're shooting it, and then you know, we, so honestly, by the time that it was all done, I mean, I think it was like a year until we shot the pilot. Yeah, and then you have to wait a few more months to find out what's the pilot's done.
They have to focus, test it. Yeah, they have to test it well and also. Bring it to New Jersey, bring it to Chicago, where normal people are, and they'll be like, it's stupid, I like that fucking guy, or I don't like that fucking guy. Or hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm the jubilant. What's that guy doing? I mean, come on, man. I could be in the movie.
It's not a movie, it's a TV show. I don't know. Oh, then I don't like it, I like movies. I love that Italians are still people we can mock, even though it's so racist, the way that I talk about Italians, it's like, it's still so fun.
And what do they can do about it? But anyway, Dude, in the 80s, man, in the 80s, any accent could go. I know, I know. I know it's just Italians.
Yeah, it's been limited. Yeah, and Jews are fine for me. Those are some Jews get really upset if you make fun of Jews. And I get it because of the Armenian genocide.
Anyway, I would say is getting back to the script writing, now what else is going on? What's going on? It's like, it's honestly two years or three years before your show is on here. Like, that's the thing.
And I was 31, I think when we sold the project, I'm 35 now, and season two is about to go up on January 15th. So that's like three and a half, four years later, two seasons of it made. So it's a really long process. And I'd recommend really liking the idea you come up with, because it could become your entire life.
Wow. Yeah. So Pat Bishop is the director of the Women's Sketch Group, and he's also the director of the show. Of course, it's amazing.
He is. I love his work. I actually don't know, out of, you know, all of you guys, because he's not standing on comedian. He was when he started with a child we met, but then he was smart because he's so good at directing.
He's like, you know what? He's like, I'm not a man. He doesn't have to deal with the misery of standup. So I'll just make things.
Yeah. So I've only met Pat, like maybe once or twice, but I've always loved his work. And I love the way that corporate is shot, because it fits the dark humor and vibe the way it looks and everything, if that makes sense. Yeah, we kind of wanted to shoot it like a David Fincher movie, like, like, Fight Club or Gung Girl, because, you know, so many comedy shows are shot, like, way over lit, and it's like this big flat lighting.
It's almost like it doesn't matter how it's lit. It's like, it's treated as if it's not even a movie, or it's not a TV show. It's just like, these are funny people doing improv, which can be really funny, but I guess I've just always loved movies and we wanted to make it look like a movie because my favorite things essentially are dramas with jokes in them. Like, if you watch the Sopranos, it looks like an amazing movie, but there's so many jokes in it, and I think the jokes hit harder because part of the joke is, we made this look so incredible.
We spent millions of dollars to make this look incredible for you to tell a dick joke. Like, that's awesome. That's like, get it. That's like a con of some sort.
And that's why it's awesome. Everyone forgets that airplane, which is one of the best comedies of all time, essentially is a drama about something going wrong in a plane, but it has absurd jokes. It's like a shot like a drama. It's treated like a drama except for the absurd jokes.
I think when you watch it, your brain is like, oh my God, I'm watching something serious. And then it's like, why is he joking about his dick? That makes it even better because it looks like a drama. Yeah, like even like that one scene where it's like, he's fighting off the Mormons or whatever.
It's shot like, you know what I'm talking about? Like in the airport, is that airplane one or two? I thought you were talking about our shows, like Mormons? Yeah, I think it's a plane too.
Okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah, he's literally, but it's shot like an action scene. Like it's super serious like, hey, can we tell you a minute of your time talking about the church ladder is insane. Yeah, and I think that's what we wanted it to feel like, because we wanted to be extremely well written like satire, but we wanted to look like it could be on TNT and it's called Suits, because we kind of want to make fun of that.
Like when you watch dramas, really any drama on TV, you're like, guys, calm down. Like this is so ridiculous. Real life is so boring and banal and just sort of like, could you get this copy made? You know, it's just waif, but they're like, no, everything is so intense.
And I think that's kind of what we wanted to make fun of a little bit is how intense everything is. And then just sort of making silly little gags come out of it. Yeah, did I love that? That's a great like introspect into like, just the process of that.
Because everybody, especially like, when we're all certain as comedians, it's literally a question like, how does that even, you know, you're literally lost or just searching, like how does this happen and how does this get made? And how does it look the process? It's essentially like, and it's part of what our duty is to demystify the process and just be like, here's what it is. I did stand up forever.
I made sketches forever and they were pretty good for like six or seven years. A manager came, I was like, I want to make a TV show. How do I do that? They send me sort of sample treatments, which is just like, here's what a show is.
Here's the characters we would pitch. Here's the synopsis of the show. Here's where we could go in future seasons. And then they pitch you to networks and different production companies to be like, here's this person when you meet with them, you get to meet with them and if you're impressive enough, you get to pitch the show.
And then a lot of times it does get sold. I mean, I've also not sold a lot of stuff. I've pitched like 10 shows. Yeah.
And only one's gone, but that's what you have to do. You kind of have to be an idea factory and you have to be not afraid to fail. And this I think really the thing that stand up teaches you is if you fail, that's actually good for you. Yeah, and grow from it.
The people who succeed are the ones who don't care about failing and know that it only makes them stronger. And if you want to do it, you can do it. I'm just a dumb Jew from New York. That's my version of LeBron, just to get from Cleveland.
That should be like one of your inspirational posters that you sell. I'm just a dumb Jew from New York. You're eating a bagel. You're like, oh.
No, I think it should be you. I think you should be the one. That should be your guess. I'm a Jew from New York.
You're getting so much trouble. I would love it. Yeah. Be like, no, no, no.
He gave me the Jewish cards like not this much. This is too much leeway that you gave them. Let's get into this next segment, fanning out. I don't know questions from fans.
Ooh, I reached out to the internet. I asked them, if you could ask Jake Weisman, any question, what would it be? And I got some heaters for you. This one is from a fellow stand-up comedian, Jake and Madam's 3 on Instagram.
Will he ever get married? Oh, Jake, that's interesting. My hope is that I don't because my father got divorced three times and my mother got divorced twice. And I think divorce is in my blood.
I think it's just genetically who I am. Yeah. That being said. You think some people are prone to not staying married full time versus like, you know what I mean?
Well, I think it's, I mean, I'm sort of joking genetically, but I think if you grow up and you see divorce happen, you're like, oh, marriage isn't necessarily forever. Do you know what I mean? Where some people, like some people, if they come from stable homes and they see, oh, no, look, you can make it work. Like, you just keep loving them.
Then in your head, marriage is forever. But I think now we live in a culture. I know you're married. But obviously so many people get divorced.
And I think a lot of people, if you have divorced parents, it's harder to be like, marriage is definitely forever. I have divorced parents. And so it's kind of like, it's complicated. And I think just sort of the way that I saw conflict happen, it's like, oh, you just walk away and never deal with it.
So I have to work against that. However, because I've already had spinal surgery, and I do think marriage eventually just becomes about picking someone up at the hospital, I do think I will force someone to be the person who picks me from the hospital at some point. So I'll make someone marry me. I have a feeling that even though I'm sort of against it, because I don't think it's kind of, for me, scary and insane, I have a feeling I'll end up doing it.
Okay, do you like me married? I do actually. That's really nice. Yeah, I think you can make it.
I just wonder if I can, I just think I'm like annoying. And it's like kind of crappy to have to deal with me all the time, because I'm like, always have a headache, and I never sleep. And it's like, does someone really want, someone loves me that much? They want to always be around?
I don't know. I think we're getting an interesting call right now. Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm seeing all my colority.
I think, yeah, I got it over here. Your spine is actually calling in to the show. Hello, hey, this is Jake's spine, man. Why did you do all that shit to me, man?
Ha ha, man, you know how it is sometimes, you know sometimes you just kind of fall apart and stuff, man. Okay, you're right, I forgive you. Oh man, okay, that was a simple resolve to this problem. I'm just kidding, I don't.
Wait, what? Well, because here's the thing, it was really painful. Yeah, I know, man. Like, you know, we all be going through stuff.
Oh wow, you're such a wise bone. Yeah, man, do you know how long I am? I'm just trying to remember if you're bigger than my dick. You got a 48 inch dick?
It's 46. 46, oh yeah. Yeah, it's terrible because when I have to go come, I need all the blood in my body just to keep it half hard and I pass out. So having a 46 inch dick has been the worst part of my life.
Here's what I'm gonna say, okay? I actually am not the whole spine that's called in. I'm that one who said you always wanted to know who you came from. Guess what?
Berry White. Yeah, Berry White. Damn. Yeah, your spine is from Berry White.
Wow, that's why I'm so viral. That's why you're so viral, you're so potent with your sexuality now, because you got a little bit of Berry White in your spine. This is really great. I don't know what I'm gonna do with this information because literally no one will believe me.
And also, people will say that it is a little controversial. Well, I don't know, man. You 99% you and you 1% Berry White. And now I'm 99% Berry White and 1% you.
Don't you think that's harder for me to handle than it is for you? You're blowing. Sometimes I'm making riddles. This has been the best folk all of my life and one that'll keep me thinking way after the fact.
Yeah, yeah, I think this might keep you up at night. And then every time from that point forward, whenever you're pulling me on, when you're pulling me on, when you listen to my music, babe, when you're putting girls in the mood, you'll be like, well, I'm actually with you. So the deal is gonna get done. When I play your music.
On Spotify. You play most of me when I was on Spotify. Do you get excited? Do you hear?
Oh man, man, the 27th vertebrae starts wiggling and whacking. We start getting wild in the sheets, man. I mean, I love when you put me on Spotify. I'm a little bit of a narcissistic spine too, man.
I gotta say, I love my own hits. Well, I gotta go. It was nice catching up, but I figured that you are old, knowing who the rest of your spine was. It's really good news.
All right, I'll talk to you soon. Wow, I can't believe that you have a part celebrity in your... It just seems... I think he's dead.
I think that's how I got his spine. That's probably why. It'd be weirder if he was alive. Yeah.
Well, if he's just given up, he's just a spine to random dumb Jews from New York. I mean, it seems wasteful. It's like there's people who need it more. And Ellipse is underneath me with a bagel saying I'm a dumb Jew from New York.
I also have part of a very white spine. It's all on that weird poster. Anywho, man, sometimes those phone calls really derail the podcast, but I think in a good way. At DTLA, Eric on Instagram, Jake is one of the kindest and most inspirational social media influencers.
What are the things that inspire Jake to bring his positivity online to share with the rest of us? Well, I really want attention apparently. And so I feel now DTLA, Eric is obviously being... He's been a youngster.
He's been a little jokey. He's been a little jokey. Which I think is dangerous. Which we should talk about.