Listener Q&A Episode 3

Pop-ups (22 · 5 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Swedish Chef impression debate

   2:11

   Seth and Andy compare their Swedish Chef impressions, a classic friendly rivalry. Andy jokes the impression crossed a line but the friendship is too deep to save.

   Seth had some real ethical questions about whether or not I could Swedish chef

2. Fans point here

   3:42

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 4 likes.

   Can I bork? Hang on, I'm going to reorganize my whole record collection, bork. So wait, Jorm's been desperately trying to say what he really thinks about this.

3. Pool in Mrs. Doubtfire

   11:25

   Andy notes the pool in Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, where the hosts grew up, a source of local pride.

   the pool in Mrs. Doubtfire is at the Claremont Hotel, which is in Berkeley where we grew up.

4. Fans point here

   14:05

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 15 likes.

   This is just some granular stuff. I know a lot can happen in a live show. Is there a medic on standby in case someone gets hurt? Maybe someone gets fake vomit in the eye and needs medical attention. Does Essendale have… — Seth

5. Teresa the SNL nurse

   14:22

   SNL keeps a nurse on standby in the building for live-show injuries, and the hosts name her Teresa.

   There is 100% a nurse on staff on standby in the hall.

6. Andy's window stunt goes wrong

   15:26

   During a Nicolas Cage sketch, Andy hit his eyebrow on a scored window that wasn't weak enough, leaving him bleeding until costumer Donna glued him up.

   I hit my eyebrow on the, like, where it's supposed to be

7. Fans point here

   16:38

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 5 likes.

   Donna fucking with the wind. Yeah. You know, I famously anti people jumping out of windows and sketches. Yeah, but you're wrong. We're pretty proud. Go on. Makes me very angry. We just talked about that like it was…

8. Seth's Scoring Scrapes

   16:53

   Live prop breaks are 'scored' in advance so they fail on cue. Seth describes how the prop team's skill made this sketch work.

   the prop people at SNL, best in the world

9. Horatio's breaking guitar sketch

   17:27

   A QVC guitar-selling sketch needed prop guitars that snap on cue. The table read used cheap toys, but the dress rehearsal version was too sturdy and failed.

   the prop guys now had to make realistic looking guitars and just score the shit out of them

10. Cue cards and jumping cards

    20:33

    SNL cue cards run in multiple sets so performers can 'jump cards' mid-sentence, a skill Andy says Farrell, Wiig and Dana Carvey mastered.

    There's a skill that some people have way better than me called jumping cards

11. Wally and the card changes

    22:32

    Wally runs the cue cards and updates them live as writers change lines; a single change can ripple through several card sets at once.

    Wally does cue cards for my show to this day.

12. Cards cut live

    23:52

    When a show runs long, the crew can cut a sketch mid-performance by pulling cards, which requires performers to keep going while the card flow changes under them.

    if the show's running long, they'll start cutting

13. Weekend Update nerves

    25:02

    Seth admits he felt white-knuckle terror before the first Weekend Update joke, a reminder that SNL's stage fright is real even for veterans.

    I still never said my first words on Weekend Update without a 50 50 doubt

14. Frisbee dispute reignites

    28:13

    Andy says he hasn't met another Italian greyhound, so his hatred is specific to Frisbee. The exchange sets up the later holiday-card story.

    I haven't really interacted with any other Italian greyhounds, so I'm going to say it's just Frisbee.

15. Frisbee the Italian greyhound feud

    29:05

    Andy has a long-running dislike of Frisbee, Seth's Italian greyhound. Here the feud gets a fresh round: a holiday card, a jump-scare comparison, and talk of sending Seth 'the bones' if Frisbee passes.

    I texted you on a Sunday, Seth, and do you remember what I texted you?

16. Bones joke for Frisbee

    29:38

    Seth floats sending Andy Frisbee's bones after she dies, a bit that backfires with his own audience asking how he'd get them.

    would it be a funny joke to when she dies, send you the bones?

17. Fans point here

    29:59

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 5 likes.

    And then somebody very close to me, cause I walk up the aisle, just looked up at me and said, how are you going to get the bones? Yeah. How are you going to get the bones? I'd like to think about it. So then we were… — Seth

18. Nan Golden era documentary

    31:15

    The hosts discuss the documentary about the 2000s that aired while they were still at SNL, and whether the cast knew they were in a golden era, a term tied to the Season 32 cast.

    Did you know while we were doing it that it was Anne Golden era?
    an golden era

19. Smallest cast, best show

    33:59

    Jorma argues the smaller the SNL cast, the more exciting the show, because each cast member gets more shine and responsibility.

    the smaller the cast, the more exciting the show is to me.
    an golden era

20. Seven-person original cast

    34:14

    The original SNL cast had seven members, which Jorma cites as an example of how a small cast brings more energy to the show.

    What was the original cast? Is it seven people in the original cast?

21. Peak-era cast bench

    34:39

    Andy lists the Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Jan Hooks cast alongside Sandler, Farley and Rock, saying he'd most like to be there as a fan.

    Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Mike Myers, who exploded.

22. Fans point here

    34:50

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 4 likes.

    And then at the same time, you've got Sandler, Farley, Rock, Spade, Norm. You know what I mean? Yeah, Rob Schneider. All these people, Schneider, yeah, that are all having huge things. And they're all in the building… — Andy

23. Podcast hater turned co-host

    36:03

    Olivia's question lumps in Andy's old podcast-hating reputation, which the hosts play for laughs with a My Fair Lady comparison.

    Thank you, Olivia. It's a triumph. Yeah, it's great.

24. Mr. Mops story

    40:08

    Berkeley's Mr. Mops is a local toy shop the hosts treat as a childhood landmark; the mop joke is about it never having any mops in stock.

    Support local Mr. Mops. Yeah.

25. Akiva's voice note returns

    41:00

    Akiva Schaffer records a solo voice note to answer what he'd say, a rare standalone segment that fans of the show's voicemail format will recognize.

    I know everybody was just listening to this whole pod like, but like, what would Akiva have said if he was here?

26. Akiva's solo voice note

    41:00

    Akiva records a solo voice note to answer the listener questions for himself, a format used when a host is missing from the room.

    I know everybody was just listening to this whole pod like, but like, what would Akiva have said if he was here?

27. Akiva's Berkeley movie memory

    41:48

    Akiva recalls chasing a film shoot on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley for Made in America, only to find it was over.

    Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson were shooting a movie called Made in America up on Telegraph Ave.