WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.160 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We dig into the sources, 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:05.740 pull out the knowledge, and basically give you 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:07.799 the core insights you need. That's the plan. 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:11.480 Today, we are diving deep, really deep, into 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:14.380 American comedy. Specifically, we're focusing 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:17.739 on David Benjamin Wayne. Ah, yes, David Wayne. 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:21.600 Born August 1st, 1969, Shaker Heights, Ohio. 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:24.579 Now, he's listed as, you know, comedian, writer, 00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:27.239 actor, director. He does all of it. Right. But 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:28.699 I think we can argue he's really the architect 00:00:28.699 --> 00:00:31.879 of a whole style. This modern, absurdist ensemble 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.340 thing. Absolutely. Architect is a good word. 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.840 Because when you look back over, what, 30 plus 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.119 years now? Yeah, since 91, roughly. It's the 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.380 same faces popping up again and again. The same 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:44.700 kind of bizarre, very specific sensibility. It's 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:46.920 really remarkable. And his career, it's just 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:50.229 completely defined by... collaboration isn't 00:00:50.229 --> 00:00:51.850 it and just the sheer amount of work he's produced 00:00:51.850 --> 00:00:54.630 totally the volume is kind of nuts but it's not 00:00:54.630 --> 00:00:56.969 just hiring actors right it's like he cultivates 00:00:56.969 --> 00:00:59.890 this this creative family yeah family's a good 00:00:59.890 --> 00:01:01.649 way to put it and those lines between directing 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:04.349 writing acting they get really blurry in his 00:01:04.349 --> 00:01:06.829 projects because it feels like the group makes 00:01:06.829 --> 00:01:09.170 it for the group exactly there's this baseline 00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:12.790 of trust You know, you feel it in the work. And 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:15.450 that trust, I mean, it's given us some seriously 00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:17.510 memorable comedies over the last, what, quarter 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:19.689 century? Oh, for sure. You've got the absolute 00:01:19.689 --> 00:01:23.469 cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. From 2001. 00:01:24.270 --> 00:01:27.349 Still amazing. Then he manages to pivot somehow 00:01:27.349 --> 00:01:31.090 to mainstream success with role models in 2008. 00:01:31.290 --> 00:01:33.569 Which was huge. Yeah. And then back to weird 00:01:33.569 --> 00:01:36.430 stuff like Wanderlust in 2012 and that incredible 00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:39.590 parody that came together. 2014, yeah. With Rudd 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:41.370 and Poehler. Just brilliant. And that's just 00:01:41.370 --> 00:01:43.489 the movies. We haven't even touched the TV universe. 00:01:43.769 --> 00:01:46.430 Right. Children's Hospital. Medical police. His 00:01:46.430 --> 00:01:51.189 voice work. Super jail. That warden voice. Unforgettable. 00:01:51.370 --> 00:01:54.590 So our mission today really is to kind of unpack 00:01:54.590 --> 00:01:57.510 how he did that. How does that work? Yeah. How 00:01:57.510 --> 00:02:00.209 do you take that raw, almost chaotic energy from 00:02:00.209 --> 00:02:03.290 your first comedy troops? Back in the 90s sketch 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:06.989 scene. And turn that into a career, a sustainable 00:02:06.989 --> 00:02:09.229 one. That keeps bringing back the same core group 00:02:09.229 --> 00:02:12.349 of people for decades. It's really unusual, especially 00:02:12.349 --> 00:02:15.189 in Hollywood, which usually focuses on like the 00:02:15.189 --> 00:02:18.020 one big star. So that's what we want you, the 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:20.759 listener, to get a handle on today. How did Wayne 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:23.659 build this collaborative engine and how does 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:26.159 he keep it running? Okay, so to understand this 00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:28.120 collaboration thing, we got to go back right 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.979 to the beginning. Shaker Heights, Ohio. Born 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:33.719 into a Jewish family. Parents Nina and Norman 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:37.639 Wayne. Seems like a pretty, you know, standard 00:02:37.639 --> 00:02:40.060 middle class background. Yeah, the sources point 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:42.620 to that. But the really key thing, the experience 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:45.879 that apparently shaped his comedy. It wasn't 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:48.139 just his general upbringing. What was it then? 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:51.340 It was summer camp, seriously. He went to a camp 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:54.300 in Canaan, Maine. Oh, wow. And that experience, 00:02:54.460 --> 00:02:57.439 that specific setting, the counselors, the kids, 00:02:57.699 --> 00:03:00.479 the woods, the whole vibe that became the sort 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.180 of the loose inspiration for Wet Hot American 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:05.860 Summer. His first movie. So the seeds were planted 00:03:05.860 --> 00:03:08.180 really early. Absolutely. It's like he took this 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:11.020 really familiar, almost nostalgic American thing, 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.259 this summer camp movie. Or like meatballs or 00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:16.229 something. Exactly. But then filtered it through 00:03:16.229 --> 00:03:19.889 this just completely bizarre, deeply committed, 00:03:20.090 --> 00:03:22.849 absurdist lens. That's the Wayne touch right 00:03:22.849 --> 00:03:25.569 there. Okay. So from camp in Maine and growing 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:28.830 up in Ohio, he heads to New York, NYU film school, 00:03:28.949 --> 00:03:31.449 starting in 88. And this is where things really 00:03:31.449 --> 00:03:33.250 kick off because he's not just learning about 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:35.590 cameras and editing. He's finding his people. 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:38.939 Immediately. Right. He hooks up with others and 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:41.379 becomes a founding member of this sketch group, 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:44.020 the new group. Which pretty quickly turns into... 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:46.939 The state. Legendary. Absolutely legendary. And 00:03:46.939 --> 00:03:49.340 the state is so crucial here. It wasn't just 00:03:49.340 --> 00:03:53.000 a TV show on MTV. No, it was like... like a boot 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.759 camp for that whole ensemble. Totally. It ran 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:59.219 for, what, 26 episodes between 93 and 95? Something 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:01.199 like that. And Wayne wasn't just starring in 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:02.879 sketches, playing all these weird characters. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.800 He was also co -directing most of them. With 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.099 Michael Patrick Yen, right? Yep. So he's learning 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:09.280 the craft from both sides of the camera, how 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:11.319 to shoot fast, how to cut it funny, how to get 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:13.699 that specific, like, high -energy, absurdist 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:15.900 performance out of a big group. That show had 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:19.019 such a manic energy. Incredible pace. And the 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:22.069 fact that they all co -wrote that book. State 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:23.889 by state with the state. Yeah, I remember that 00:04:23.889 --> 00:04:25.310 book. It just shows that collective ownership. 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:27.490 It wasn't one writer's voice. It was the group's 00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:31.290 voice. Okay, so the state ends in 95. MTV moves 00:04:31.290 --> 00:04:34.829 on. How do you keep that creative momentum going 00:04:34.829 --> 00:04:37.810 without that platform? That seems like a critical 00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:41.670 moment. It was, and the answer was Stella. Ah, 00:04:41.730 --> 00:04:45.930 the suits. The suits. In 1997, he teams up with 00:04:45.930 --> 00:04:48.930 two other key guys from the state, Michael Ian 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:51.980 Black and Michael Showalter. the core trio exactly 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:54.610 and this wasn't just like The State Part II, 00:04:54.709 --> 00:04:56.810 it was different. A pivot. They really refined 00:04:56.810 --> 00:04:58.990 their style here. How so? What was different 00:04:58.990 --> 00:05:01.029 about Stella? Well, The State was, you know, 00:05:01.050 --> 00:05:03.689 rapid fire sketches, lots of characters, very 00:05:03.689 --> 00:05:05.949 broad in some ways. Yeah, channel surfing energy. 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:09.470 Right. Stella was narrower, maybe. But the humor 00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:11.990 got way more surreal. High concept stuff. Just 00:05:11.990 --> 00:05:13.709 the three of them, usually in suits, dealing 00:05:13.709 --> 00:05:16.810 with really mundane problems. But with this intense, 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:19.509 totally illogical seriousness. Exactly. It started 00:05:19.509 --> 00:05:21.910 as this cult live show in New York City nightclubs. 00:05:22.009 --> 00:05:24.480 Ran for ages. They built a real following just 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:27.060 from the live show. And they toured it. And crucially, 00:05:27.100 --> 00:05:29.220 they started making the Stella shorts. Those 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:31.699 little videos, they were kind of precursors to 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:33.720 viral internet stuff, weren't they? Totally. 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:36.220 Short little films, skits, usually just a few 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:38.339 minutes long, perfect for the early internet. 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:41.339 Yeah. And they showed that Wayne... Black and 00:05:41.339 --> 00:05:44.540 Showalter could sustain one single absurd idea 00:05:44.540 --> 00:05:47.639 with absolute commitment. Which all led eventually 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:50.100 to the Stella series on Comedy Central in 2005. 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.079 Right. And if you trace it back, that partnership, 00:05:53.259 --> 00:05:56.839 Wayne, Black. Showalter. That's the absolute 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.779 nucleus. Showalter co -wrote and co -produced 00:05:59.779 --> 00:06:02.120 Wet Hot with Wayne, right? Yep. So that specific 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.079 sense of humor, that shared language they developed 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.899 in the state, refined in Stella. That was the 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:08.920 engine that powered Wayne's jump into making 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.660 movies. And the loyalty, keeping that core together. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.720 That seems to be the real differentiator. Okay, 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:18.040 so moving from like downtown comedy clubs and 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:21.000 basic cable sketch shows to making actual feature 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.740 films, that's a huge leap. Massive. But he didn't 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:26.160 go alone, did he? He basically brought the whole 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:29.120 gang with him. Pretty much. His debut film, Wet 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.819 Hot American Summer in 2001. It was all about 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:33.899 the ensemble. But that must have been huge risk, 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.980 right? A first time director, super niche, absurdist 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:39.519 comedy. Oh, absolutely. Huge risk. He directed 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:42.019 it, co -wrote it with Showalter, co -produced 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:45.060 it. The whole concept absurdist summer camp comedy 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:47.819 wasn't exactly mainstream catnip. No kidding. 00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:50.839 It felt like an inside joke sometimes, but in 00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:53.759 the best way. Totally. It was low budget, a real 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:56.180 passion project. It was designed to capture that. 00:06:56.430 --> 00:06:58.949 Zach's sketch energy, those inside jokes. And 00:06:58.949 --> 00:07:01.730 the comedy demanded total commitment from the 00:07:01.730 --> 00:07:03.910 actors. Like that bit about needing to go into 00:07:03.910 --> 00:07:05.449 town right now, even though it's just a short 00:07:05.449 --> 00:07:08.370 walk. They play it deadly serious. Exactly. 100 00:07:08.370 --> 00:07:10.509 % commitment to the absurdity. And that's why 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:13.610 the cast list is just insane. It's mind -blowing. 00:07:13.649 --> 00:07:16.009 Looking back, you had established names like 00:07:16.009 --> 00:07:18.410 Janann Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce. Right. But 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:19.810 then you had all these people who were about 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:23.160 to explode. Paul Rudd. Pre -anchorman Paul Rudd. 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.439 Christopher Maloney doing comedy. Bradley Cooper 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.939 in one of his first roles. Amy Poehler, Ken Marino, 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:32.560 Elizabeth Banks. It's like a who's who of the 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:36.579 next 20 years of comedy. How did he even get 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:41.279 them all for a weirdo, low -budget first film? 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:43.639 Well, the network was already there, see. A lot 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:45.439 of them were friends from the state or friends 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:47.519 of friends from the New York comedy scene. So 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:50.079 they trusted Wayne and Showalter. Implicitly. 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:52.759 They knew the script was hilarious, even if it 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.420 was bizarre, and they knew the set would be collaborative 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:57.339 and fun. It was like, let's all go make this 00:07:57.339 --> 00:07:59.819 crazy thing together. A collective gamble, basically. 00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:02.100 Yeah, and even though it bombed at the box office 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:04.740 initially. Totally bombed. It set the absolute 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:08.040 template for Wayne's whole approach. Trust the 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.279 ensemble, lean into the absurdism, and the talent 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:13.680 will make it work. even if it takes the audience 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:15.759 a while to catch up. Which they definitely did 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:18.319 with Wet Hot. Okay, so after that cult success, 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:21.339 what came next? The Ten? The Ten, yeah. 2007. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:25.060 And this one was, like, pure, uncut Wayne. He 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.240 directed, wrote, and produced it. Based on The 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:29.420 Ten Commandments? Kind of loosely? Very loosely. 00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.340 Again, huge ensemble. Winona Ryder was in it. 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:34.340 Paul Rudd again. But this one didn't quite land, 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:38.399 did it? No. It showed that maybe pure sketch 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.840 -style absurdity, just a collection of weird, 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.419 unrelated vignettes was a tough sell for a wider 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:47.740 movie audience. Right. It had a super short theatrical 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:50.620 run, went to DVD pretty quick. It felt like another 00:08:50.620 --> 00:08:52.799 passion project, but maybe it showed him he needed 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:54.720 some kind of recognizable structure if he wanted 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:56.879 to reach more people. Which brings us right to 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:01.159 the big one, the pivot. Role Models, 2008. Yep. 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:04.220 His first widely released film, as the sources 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:06.799 say. And this is where he proved he could blend 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.960 his style with, you know, actual Hollywood filmmaking. 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:13.929 It felt like Wayne, but... Exactly. It's like 00:09:13.929 --> 00:09:16.570 he grafted his sensibility onto a more grounded 00:09:16.570 --> 00:09:19.129 concept. The premise is pretty standard studio 00:09:19.129 --> 00:09:21.190 comedy, right? Two screw -ups forced to mentor 00:09:21.190 --> 00:09:23.389 kids. Classic setup. But he fills it with his 00:09:23.389 --> 00:09:26.549 people, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks again, then 00:09:26.549 --> 00:09:29.129 adds Sean William Scott, Jane Lynch, Christopher 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:31.690 Mintz -Plasse, and the script just crackles with 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:33.990 that fast Wayne dialogue, those weird little 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:36.710 character details. And he's in it too. Oh. As 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:38.950 Chevron Bane, Dale Iriper. Of course he is. He 00:09:38.950 --> 00:09:40.730 loves putting himself in there. And this one 00:09:40.730 --> 00:09:44.029 worked. Critically, commercially. Oh, yeah. Positive 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:47.309 reviews, big opening weekend, like $19 million. 00:09:47.730 --> 00:09:50.529 It proved that the Wayne rhythm, the Sherp jokes, 00:09:50.710 --> 00:09:53.190 the fast cuts, the total commitment to weird 00:09:53.190 --> 00:09:55.850 supporting characters could totally work in a 00:09:55.850 --> 00:09:58.190 mainstream movie, as long as the story had something 00:09:58.190 --> 00:10:01.669 relatable at its core. So Hollywood starts trusting 00:10:01.669 --> 00:10:04.549 him more, leads to bigger budgets. Seems like 00:10:04.549 --> 00:10:08.860 it. Which takes us to Wanderlust in 2012. He 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:10.759 directed this one, co -wrote it with Ken Marino. 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:13.460 Another sweet and wet hot guy. Keeping it in 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:16.399 the family. Always. And here, they keep the ensemble 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:19.919 feel, but add serious star power. Jennifer Aniston, 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:22.299 Paul Rudd again, obviously. Mellon Ackerman, 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:25.200 Alan Alda. Wow, Alan Alda in a David Wayne movie. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:27.360 That's something. Right. It shows the studios 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.379 were willing to invest in his collaborative model. 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:31.539 They saw he could handle A -listers, but still 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:34.039 keep that specific comedic vibe alive. And he 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:36.539 sneaks in another cameo, right? As a weatherman. 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:38.750 Always finds a way. Just has to be physically 00:10:38.750 --> 00:10:41.129 present in the world he's building. So if role 00:10:41.129 --> 00:10:43.309 models in Wanderlust were him meeting Hollywood 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:46.549 halfway, maybe? Then 2014's They Came Together 00:10:46.549 --> 00:10:49.210 was him running gleefully back to his absurdist 00:10:49.210 --> 00:10:52.450 roots. Oh man, I love that movie. Just a full 00:10:52.450 --> 00:10:55.049 -on parody of romantic comedies. Directed it, 00:10:55.149 --> 00:10:58.620 co -wrote it with Showalter again. See? That's 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:00.779 Stella Corps. That's his creative home base. 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.679 And starring Rudd and Amy Poehler, who by then 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:05.980 were totally part of his regular crew. Plus Ed 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:09.000 Helms, Cobie Smulders, Max Greenfield, Christopher 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.539 Maloney again. Another stacked cast. And he acts 00:11:12.539 --> 00:11:15.440 in this one, too, as Keith. Yep. It's like a 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:18.220 meta takedown of every rom -com trope imaginable. 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:21.980 It shows this pattern. He proves he can handle 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:24.320 the big studio stuff, but he always circles back 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:26.580 to the pure passion projects with his tight -knit 00:11:26.580 --> 00:11:28.299 group. That makes sense. And then there's a bit 00:11:28.299 --> 00:11:31.659 of a shift later with A Futile and Stupid Gesture 00:11:31.659 --> 00:11:33.720 in 2018. Yeah, that one's interesting because 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.080 he only directed it, didn't co -write it. It's 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:38.059 the National Lampoon story about Doug Kenny. 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:41.639 Right. Starring Will Forte, Dom Algleason. It 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:43.279 showed he could step outside his own writing 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:45.399 voice and just be a director handling a complex 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:48.919 biography. Still produced it. Acted as an interviewer, 00:11:48.919 --> 00:11:51.600 apparently. He can't help himself. But the main 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:54.740 focus was directing someone else's script. Shows 00:11:54.740 --> 00:11:57.779 a certain kind of maturity or versatility in 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.580 his career, maybe? Okay, so he proves he can 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:03.240 conquer Hollywood features, both mainstream and 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.679 weird. But where does he consistently go to, 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:08.080 like, recharge that creative battery and keep 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.899 the ensemble working? Television. Gotta be television. 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.299 It just offers the perfect setup for his style. 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:16.370 How so? Well, the speed, the repetition, the 00:12:16.370 --> 00:12:19.190 ability to do high concept stuff without needing 00:12:19.190 --> 00:12:22.590 a massive movie budget. It's perfect for that 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:24.830 ensemble workshop feel. And the most obvious 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:27.470 example is him returning to his own origin story, 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:30.070 basically. The Netflix wet hot shows. It's kind 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:32.330 of amazing they pulled it off. Two whole series 00:12:32.330 --> 00:12:35.559 based on the 2001 movie. Co -written, directed, 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:38.279 acted in by Wayne, with Showalter right there 00:12:38.279 --> 00:12:40.080 beside him. It's like the ultimate commitment 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:42.940 to a bit spanning almost 20 years. And it relied 00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:45.340 completely on getting that original cast back. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.039 Playing teenagers when they're in their 40s. 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.379 Which is part of the joke. The first one, First 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:52.059 Day of Camp, came out in 2015. Eight episodes, 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:55.429 a prequel. And somehow... They got almost everyone 00:12:55.429 --> 00:12:57.690 back. It's incredible. And critics actually liked 00:12:57.690 --> 00:13:00.470 the series more than the original movie generally. 00:13:00.830 --> 00:13:03.110 Yeah, I remember that. Why do you think? Maybe 00:13:03.110 --> 00:13:05.750 the absurdity, the heightened reality just works 00:13:05.750 --> 00:13:09.230 better in short episodic bursts. You can reset 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.730 the weirdness every episode. Makes sense. And 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:13.549 then they did the sequel series 10 years later 00:13:13.549 --> 00:13:18.139 in 2017. Yep. And wanes in both as Yaron, the 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:21.279 weird Israeli dude. But the peak Wayne absurdity 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:23.620 has to be him playing Bill Clinton in Ten Years 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:26.159 Later. Oh my God, yes. Just completely straight 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.779 -faced. That's it. That's the essence. Meta -humor 00:13:28.779 --> 00:13:31.620 combined with utter, unwavering dedication to 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:34.159 the strangest possible choice. But beyond Wet 00:13:34.159 --> 00:13:36.840 Hot, the real engine room, the place where that 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:39.120 core group really lived and breathes for almost 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.450 a decade. It has to be Children's Hospital, right? 00:13:41.509 --> 00:13:43.830 Absolutely critical. You can't understand Wayne's 00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:46.210 sustained output without understanding Children's 00:13:46.210 --> 00:13:49.470 Hospital, 2008 to 2016. What made it so important? 00:13:49.690 --> 00:13:52.429 It was like his, his comedy laboratory. He was 00:13:52.429 --> 00:13:55.669 a creator, developer, producer, writer, directed 00:13:55.669 --> 00:13:58.259 a bunch of episodes. And acted in it. Of course. 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.940 As Rabbi Joey McJuju, or just as himself sometimes. 00:14:02.179 --> 00:14:04.519 The structure was genius, wasn't it? Short episodes, 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:07.899 parodying medical dramas. But like an anti -procedural. 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:10.419 The premises were completely absurd and would 00:14:10.419 --> 00:14:12.580 change constantly, sometimes even mid -scene. 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:16.419 It let him keep his whole network busy. Rob Corddry, 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.779 Ken Marino, Aaron Hayes, Lake Bell, Henry Winkler 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.980 even. All constantly working, playing, experimenting, 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.679 without the pressure of a big network show or 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:28.190 a coherent plotline. Exactly. Low stakes, high 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:30.990 concept. They could push the meta humor, constantly 00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:33.149 breaking the fourth wall. It was just a playground 00:14:33.149 --> 00:14:35.509 for them all. And he basically replicated that 00:14:35.509 --> 00:14:38.529 formula later with Medical Police in 2020. Pretty 00:14:38.529 --> 00:14:41.110 much. Creator, writer, exec producer, director, 00:14:41.409 --> 00:14:43.909 same vibe, different plot scaffold. It's how 00:14:43.909 --> 00:14:45.950 he keeps the machine going. He creates these 00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:48.230 self -contained worlds for his family to play 00:14:48.230 --> 00:14:50.009 in. We see it again with newsreaders too, right? 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:52.909 The news magazine parody. Yep. 2013 to 2015, 00:14:53.289 --> 00:14:55.730 creator, EP, directed a segment, acted in it 00:14:55.730 --> 00:14:58.809 as Jim Day. And even recently, like Mr. Throwback 00:14:58.809 --> 00:15:01.509 in 2024 EP, directing episodes, he just keeps 00:15:01.509 --> 00:15:03.970 building these platforms. Relentlessly. But we 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:05.450 also got to talk about his whole other career 00:15:05.450 --> 00:15:07.990 in voice acting. Right. Uses that same absurdist 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:11.090 energy, just vocally. His biggest starring role 00:15:11.090 --> 00:15:14.399 there was probably... The warden on Adult Swim 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.259 Super Jail. Oh man, the warden. What a character. 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:23.000 2008 to 2014. Just pure maximalist chaos in vocal 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:26.820 form. Effusive, kind of terrifying, totally over 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:29.179 the top. It's perfect for Wayne's sensibility. 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:31.940 Cold commitment again. Always. But maybe the 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:33.960 voice roles people hear most often are on Bob's 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:36.659 Burgers. Oh yeah. Who does he play there? He's 00:15:36.659 --> 00:15:38.539 Courtney Wheeler, the annoying rich girl. Oh, 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:40.500 right. With the necklace locket thing. That's 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:42.879 the one. And also Grover Fishoder, Calvin Fishoder's 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:44.840 brother. The eccentric one. He's done those since 00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:47.580 2012, right? Even in the movie. Yep. Over 15 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:50.179 episodes. He really embeds himself in these established 00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:52.860 worlds, too. Plus other stuff like Sheep in the 00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:55.860 Big City Way Back, Big City Greens, Tuca and 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:58.179 Birdie. He gets around. But if we're talking 00:15:58.179 --> 00:16:00.779 about keeping the network alive during tricky 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:04.240 times like the early days of web video, we have 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.190 to mention waney days. Oh, Wayne -y Days is essential. 00:16:07.970 --> 00:16:10.769 Absolutely essential. Ran for five seasons, 2007, 00:16:11.149 --> 00:16:14.009 2011, on my damn channel. Which was like a real 00:16:14.009 --> 00:16:16.370 pioneer platform back then. Totally. And the 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:18.690 show itself was a masterclass in doing a lot 00:16:18.690 --> 00:16:20.710 with very little. What was the premise again? 00:16:20.830 --> 00:16:23.509 He's playing himself, kind of? Yeah, a fictionalized, 00:16:23.570 --> 00:16:26.549 pathetic version of David Wayne. Navigating, 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:29.250 dating in New York, everyday life, and for some 00:16:29.250 --> 00:16:32.190 reason, working in a sweatshop. Right, the sweatshop. 00:16:32.490 --> 00:16:35.070 So weird. And he'd talk about his problems with 00:16:35.070 --> 00:16:37.529 friends. Exactly. The episodes were short, super 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:39.409 low budget, looked like they were shot in his 00:16:39.409 --> 00:16:42.330 apartment sometimes. But the guest stars, that's 00:16:42.330 --> 00:16:44.309 the key. Yeah. It proved everyone would still 00:16:44.309 --> 00:16:46.250 show up for him, no matter how small the project. 00:16:46.450 --> 00:16:49.070 Absolutely. Regulars included Zandy Hardig, A 00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:52.279 .D. Miles, Matt Ballard. But the guests, Jonah 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.919 Hill, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Corddry, Thomas Lennon, 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.740 Josh Charles. Paul Rudd, Michael Ian Black, obviously. 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:00.879 Of course. It just showed whether it's MTV, Comedy 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.159 Central, or some brand new web channel nobody's 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:05.880 heard of, his people will come play because they 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.940 trust the creative environment. It's fun. It's 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:12.299 safe. And Sandy Hardig, who was key to making 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:15.339 waney days happen, she later became his wife, 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:17.619 right? Yep. Which, again, just highlights how 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:20.000 intertwined his personal and professional life 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.740 became in sustaining this whole collaborative 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:25.259 engine. It's all connected. You know, looking 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:26.779 at all this, the thing that really jumps out 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:30.619 is just the sheer consistency of the cast across 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:35.140 decades. Rudd, Marino, Banks, Poehler, Maloney, 00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:38.190 Showalter, Black. It's like a repertory company. 00:17:38.430 --> 00:17:40.710 It's not just random casting, is it? It feels 00:17:40.710 --> 00:17:43.089 deliberate. Like there's something specific about 00:17:43.089 --> 00:17:45.549 the environment Wayne creates that keeps them 00:17:45.549 --> 00:17:47.789 coming back. I think it has to be. It seems less 00:17:47.789 --> 00:17:49.950 like a traditional director dictating everything 00:17:49.950 --> 00:17:52.970 and more like facilitating. He lets their comedic 00:17:52.970 --> 00:17:55.289 voices shine. So they feel valued creatively. 00:17:55.549 --> 00:17:57.750 Exactly. When actors trust the director, trust 00:17:57.750 --> 00:17:59.849 the process, and know they can bring their A 00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:01.569 -game and it'll be appreciated, they return. 00:18:02.029 --> 00:18:04.470 That loyalty, that shared comedic language they 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:06.839 built way back. That seems to be the core of 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.240 it. But shared language is key. Okay, maybe let's 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:11.039 touch on some personal details that kind of frame 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:13.259 this period. He lives in L .A. now, right? Makes 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:15.480 sense for the work. Yeah, based in Los Angeles. 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:18.460 And you mentioned Zandy Hardig, who was so involved 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:21.299 in Weenie Days and other projects. They got married 00:18:21.299 --> 00:18:24.839 in 2009. They divorced later, in 2015, I think. 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:27.799 And they have two sons together. Right. That 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:29.980 constant overlap between the personal and the 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:32.400 professional just seems central to how he operates, 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.099 how this network functions. Which brings us to 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:39.440 his most recent and maybe most unexpected project. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:43.240 The middle -aged dad jam band. I just love the 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.420 name. It's perfect. Isn't it? He started it during 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:48.000 the pandemic, apparently. And he plays the drums. 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:50.220 Of course he does. And guess who else is in the 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:54.119 band? Let me guess. Ken Marino. Bingo. Another 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:56.519 state alum, longtime collaborator, playing guitar. 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:59.400 It's amazing. After conquering basically every 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:03.900 platform, MTV, cable, movies, streaming, he goes 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:06.460 back to the absolute simplest form of collaboration, 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:08.920 just jamming with his buddy. It feels like pure 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:11.279 passion, right? Completely outside the Hollywood 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:13.000 machine, just making noise for the fun of it. 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:15.059 Performance for its own sake. It really feels 00:19:15.059 --> 00:19:16.740 like it connects all the way back to the early 00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:19.059 days, doesn't it? Yeah. Like the spirit of the 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:21.579 state. Or Stella just doing stuff to make each 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:24.640 other laugh or entertain whoever shows up. But 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:26.940 now it's music instead of sketches about, I don't 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:29.119 know, pudding. Exactly. It's like a full circle 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:31.880 thing. Back to pure communal fun. We should also 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:33.720 probably mention he wasn't just making the comedy. 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:35.500 He was also commenting on it for a long time. 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.640 Oh, yeah. Those VH1 shows. I love the 70s. I 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:42.339 love the 90s. Part two. Best week ever. He was 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:44.099 a fixture on those talking head shows. Right. 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:46.859 So he's deeply embedded in the comedy scene, 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:49.519 not just as a creator, but as someone who clearly 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:51.960 loves and understands its history, too. Like 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:53.720 he's both making the history and narrating it 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:57.400 at the same time. Hashtag, hashtag, outro. Okay, 00:19:57.440 --> 00:19:59.960 so wrapping this all up, what's the big takeaway 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:02.220 for you, the listener, from this whole deep dive 00:20:02.220 --> 00:20:05.220 into David Wayne? I think for me it's that his 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:08.900 success isn't really about one single towering 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:11.700 genius figure. It's about the power of the group, 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:14.700 the sustained ensemble. Right. It started with 00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:17.359 the state, got solidified with Stella. That gave 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:19.880 him the trust and the talent pool to even attempt 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.480 something like Wet Hot. And then he used the 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.920 mainstream success from films like Role Models. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:28.539 To basically fund and populate his more niche 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:31.440 -specific TV stuff, like the Wet Hot series, 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.700 like Children's Hospital. It's a cycle. And what 00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:36.259 makes it all hold together, what gives it that 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:38.839 lasting appeal, is that he never really ditched 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:41.319 his core sensibility. Never. Even in the big 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:44.579 studio movies, that absurdist streak, that commitment 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:47.500 to the weird joke, it's always there under the 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:49.319 surface. And because he keeps using the same 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:51.700 core people, the ones who get that language, 00:20:51.900 --> 00:20:54.759 there's this amazing sense of familiarity across 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.440 all those projects. Yeah, you know what you're 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:58.720 getting in a good way. Whether it's a web short 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:01.380 or a Netflix series, you're getting that specific, 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:05.400 reliable, committed, Wayne -iverse voice. It's 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:07.539 comforting almost. It's a really adaptable model 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:10.049 too. Yeah. Based entirely on loyalty. He went 00:21:10.049 --> 00:21:12.890 from MTV to Comedy Central to web channels to 00:21:12.890 --> 00:21:15.230 Netflix, HBO Max. Yeah. He follows the platforms. 00:21:15.490 --> 00:21:18.269 Which leads us to our final provocative thought 00:21:18.269 --> 00:21:20.869 for you to mull over. Given this history of adapting, 00:21:21.029 --> 00:21:23.490 of always finding new outlets, and given this 00:21:23.490 --> 00:21:26.390 latest move, the middle -aged dad jam band. Yeah, 00:21:26.390 --> 00:21:28.569 think about that. His career has always sort 00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:30.890 of moved back towards these lower pressure, more 00:21:30.890 --> 00:21:33.589 communal things, right? From the big screen, 00:21:33.730 --> 00:21:38.009 back to TV, back to web series. And now. literally 00:21:38.009 --> 00:21:40.269 just playing drums with his friend Ken Marino. 00:21:40.829 --> 00:21:43.130 Could this be more than just a pandemic hobby? 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:46.400 Could this shift towards something so low stakes, 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:50.019 so purely about the joy of collaboration? Could 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:52.500 it signal where his creative energy is really 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:55.160 headed next? Like, is he maybe consciously pulling 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:57.599 back from the whole Hollywood feature film grind? 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:00.539 And choosing instead to return maybe more permanently 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:04.359 to just pure communal performance, favoring the 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:06.940 simple fun of playing with friends over the headaches 00:22:06.940 --> 00:22:08.900 of big productions. Something to think about 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:11.059 next time you watch Wet Hot or Role Models. Where 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:12.779 does that energy go from here? Definitely something 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:15.279 to chew on. Okay. That's our deep dive on David 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:16.819 Wayne. Thanks for joining us. We'll catch you 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:17.200 on the next one.