Overview of Ep 258: Judd Apatow
This episode of We Might Be Drunk features hosts Sam Morril and Mark Normand with guest Judd Apatow. The conversation ranges widely — long tour anecdotes from Europe, backstage and red‑carpet stories, deep dives into Judd’s early writing/TV/film career (Ben Stiller show, The Critic, Larry Sanders, Funny People, Cable Guy), documentary work (Norm Macdonald, Carlin, others), and broader observations about the state of comedy, filmmaking and how the business has changed.
Guests & hosts
- Guest: Judd Apatow (writer/director/producer)
- Hosts: Sam Morril and Mark Normand
Main topics covered
Tour & travel anecdotes
- Extensive Europe tour stories: Dublin, Paris (notable Seinfeld hang), Rome, Athens, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan, Liverpool and more.
- Health/travel mishaps: got very sick in Barcelona, hospital visit to get Tamiflu; jet‑lag, canceled trains, missed flights and long connections (e.g., Riyadh/Istanbul).
- Family travel: brief family stop in Athens (hotel with Acropolis view).
- Travel peeves: ATM machines that keep cards, poor coffee culture (Americano fatigue; preference for drip), slow hotel check‑ins, bike culture hazards in Amsterdam.
- Crowd/demographic notes:
- Stockholm and Scandinavian crowds described as very receptive but efficient/less outwardly expressive.
- Amsterdam and Helsinki can be “tough” or quiet; Liverpool was surprisingly passionate and rowdy.
- Tour dynamics: venue size matters — selling out big venues vs. underfilled caverns affects morale.
Stand‑up, clubs & audience dynamics
- The hosts/guest discuss how comics respond to bad rooms, crowd work, and the modern obsession with clips.
- Stories about onstage reactions (crowd heckles and audience members telling comedians it’s their material), and how one bad audience can derail a set.
- The value of live comedy in an AI/streaming age.
Judd’s TV/film writing and career stories
- Early writing: spec Simpsons script; The Critic — balancing writing on multiple shows and being an outlier in an Ivy League writer’s room.
- Larry Sanders: experience pitching jokes, later co‑running the final season with Adam Resnick, and the show’s focus on showbiz relationships and truth.
- Cable Guy: co‑wrote/produced, credits dispute (legal/credit process), mixed reception at release but cultural persistence later.
- Funny People: collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson on editing the film; PTA’s edits gave the movie a distinct rhythm and taught Judd about editorial choices.
- Meeting Warren Beatty and perspective: Beatty’s note — “you won’t know for 10 years” — about whether a film will last culturally.
- Discussed production/notes friction: early career resistance to notes (fear of losing creative ownership) vs. learning to work with execs who “get you.”
Documentaries & preserving comedy history
- Judd’s doc work (Carlin, Norm Macdonald, and others) and the value of documentaries to preserve comedians’ legacies.
- Norm Macdonald doc approach: found footage style, not heavy on talking‑head dissection but letting Norm speak.
- Comments on the boom of comedy docs (Bill Hicks, Scorsese retrospective, etc.) and how docs influence future understanding of performers.
- Anecdotes about Norm Macdonald (firing, interviews, Bill Cosby call story) and the importance of archival material.
Industry trends & the economics of comedy film
- How the loss of DVD revenue made mid‑budget comedies harder to finance; studios now favor horror or tentpoles.
- Streaming and AI will change output quality/volume; live comedy becomes more valuable as authentic content.
- Importance of finding collaborators and financiers who “get you” — smart notes vs. destructive notes.
Notable stories & anecdotes
- Seinfeld hang in Paris: Sam and Judd hang out with Jerry Seinfeld and his wife; group comedy‑nerd conversation followed.
- Rodney Dangerfield in Vegas: brutal one‑liner on Judd’s grandmother — “she was what she was” — called out as a particularly dark insult.
- Liverpool romance turned comic bit: a woman agreed to follow Judd to London then backed out; spawned “trafficking” jokes.
- Funny People edit: PTA reworked the ending and rhythm — Judd notes how an editor/director can dramatically reshape a film.
- Warren Beatty on judging a film: “You won't know for 10 years” — perspective on delayed cultural judgment.
Notable quotes & insights
- “You can’t reduce people to one word who have contributed this much to comedy.” (on controversial figures and legacy)
- “Find the people that get you.” (importance of aligned collaborators and notes)
- “Live is what people are going to want when everything else becomes slop.” (on the future value of live performance)
- Warren Beatty to Judd: “You won’t know for 10 years.” (art standing the test of time)
Key takeaways
- Touring is unpredictable: great shows and rough crowds can appear anywhere; venue size, culture, and audience expressiveness change the night.
- Editing and collaborators can transform a project — bring in people you trust and who understand your tone.
- Documentaries are crucial for preserving comedic history and can reshape reputations long after a work’s release.
- The economics of comedy films have shifted (DVD decline, streaming, preference for horror/tentpoles), so comedy creators must be scrappy, strategic, and often self‑starter‑focused.
- Learning to accept, evaluate, and respond to notes is a craft; not all notes are equal — prioritize the ones that improve the work.
Recommended next steps (for listeners who liked this episode)
- Read Judd Apatow’s book (Comedy Nerd) — discussed and promoted in the episode.
- Watch Judd’s documentary work and films mentioned: Norm Macdonald doc, Carlin doc, Funny People, Pineapple Express, Bridesmaids, Anchorman — to see examples discussed.
- Check Judd’s tour dates if interested in seeing him live (he mentions multiple club and theater stops).
- Seek out the Scorsese doc and classic comedy documentaries referenced (Bill Hicks, Rickles, etc.) to deepen historical context.
Episode logistics / plugs
- Judd mentions his book (Comedy Nerd) and that he’s posting tour dates (various clubs/cities listed).
- The episode includes typical host sponsor reads (earbuds, underwear, meals) — standard podcast ad spots.
Short summary: this is a wide‑ranging, freewheeling conversation that mixes travel comedy and road stories with substantive industry reflection from Judd Apatow — his career lessons, documentary work, the shifting film/comedy economics, and the importance of collaborators and archival preservation.