So awesome, and
such a story. And seriously, it's all thanks to
Facebook. Without a hint of exagerration, this website
has changed my life. I can't help but think of the
certain someone that went apeshit on me earlier this
year for "adding people I didn't know", because the
one year of my life I spent networking on Facebook has
changed my career forever. It was the last piece I
felt was missing from the push to "make it", and every
single opportunity has been touched by this site.
So you all must be
wondering, how the hell did I get Isaac from The Love
Boat? I added Ted Lange on Facebook several
months ago and as I think I've mentioned several times
within these entries - if you were a famous TV actor
in the 80s? I know you, I love you, and I am excited
to meet you. Something about being 7-12 years old, and
the impact television had on my childhood. So it was
cool to see what he was doing. I also learned from the
time I spent with Michelle Greene (LA Law)
several years ago that only idiots consider people
whose careers may have peaked in decades past
"has-beens". If you ever get to that level of fame, it
can never be taken away from you... and you continue
to work, you continue to do great shit -- whether or
not the stars align and it becomes "mainstream". We're
all artists, we do our thang -- and the mainstream
"blow-up" is in all honesty out of your control. Ted
made it, made it fucking big - and I respect the hell
out of it.
One of the goals
for my Comedy Central show was to get a well-known
black actor for Gary to play off of. I really want to
show that my characters are the OPPOSITE of "Borat". I
really don't like the type of comedy where you make
OTHER people look like fools. It's just limiting in
the long run, and the shock factor wears thin really
quickly for me. No, in my case - Gary is absolutely
the fool, and those in a bit with him? Will always
come off smarter, funnier -- and everyone wins. You
can't help but think "Wow Ted seems like a great
guy!". It's the "Muppet Show" mentality of television
where the characters are there to prop up the "star".
Or in Adam's case, get knocked down a few notches. :-)
I didn't have a
script for the bit, I wanted it to be ad-libbed "Curb
Your Enthusiasm" style with specific comedy goals
to reach within. So I honestly didn't know how to
approach Ted. However, once I had "Who's Your
President?" finished, I believed I had the ammo
I needed. And then, wouldn't you know it? Ann
Walker knew Ted!! Her late husband was friends with
him and she mentioned it during one of my infamous
phone calls to friends last month: "Do you know any
famous black actors?". What a hilarious couple of
phone calls THAT was. Never have I felt whiter, or
that I had whiter friends than when I was sitting in a
conversation counting the black people I knew.
LMAO. THAT was a bit in itself. So armed with the bit
and Ann's connection I contacted Ted...
...and he loved
the bit. He gave me his number on the spot we talked
and set-up a meeting for the following Monday. We met
and man, it was just so cool. Talking to him about his
career and all he had been through -- nothin' but
respect for that. It was sooooooooo helpful to talk to
him about where I was and how isolating it could be
going through all this industry bullshit, yet having
no one around me that really knew what it felt like.
The waiting, the guessing, the scheming, the
breakthroughs on your fingertips... it's so
overwhelming -- and here was a guy that had lived it
for 30+ years. And, he was pumped to work with me! How
cool is that! He really liked the tone and feel of
"Who's Your President?" and he knew we'd put something
good together.
So it was up to me
to find some gangsta types - and through talking with
a friend of Remo's, the idea of an anger management
class came up -- and the thought of Gary being around
REAL gangstas? Loved it. How perfect. I put a
status update on Facebook asking if anyone could play
"hard" and the first 2 people that responded? Were the
2 guys in the bit. I mean seriously, how cool is
that site? How cool is it that I worked so hard to get
3500 friends so when I needed to pull shit together,
voila. So let this be a lesson to anyone out there
who, like me, felt all sick to their stomach about
adding people they didn't know -- or who also had
"friends" that gave you shit for who you add... it's a
two-way street people, they don't have to accept the
add. Then again, maybe I'm the only one who stressed
that much.
Now I actually had
5 gangstas lined up, but one guy had to leave too
early to be in it - and two were coming from a
basketball game that ran late, and they were too
tired. In all honesty though - it was the perfet
"3-part" set-up to have just 2 guys; Marshall Givens
and Tim Camarillo. There was no script, I just
knew that I wanted the guys to be angry about shit
that would specifically make Gary uncomfortable.
We sat
around and talked shit through. Because the
bit is so short, we couldn't do a lot of
"free-flowing" improv. We would do that for a
bit, and then - we had to stop and get it
perfect. I actually loved this style. You are
basically writing on the fly. I didn't know
what type of "gangstas" these guys would
be, never met them until the day of, and so
I really had no choice but to write it
ONCE I saw them in character. Then it all
came together. Ooh - this guy is big and
scary, he'll be angry about "wannabes".
The cholo
dude was on his own planet man and the whole
"calculus" thing was all him and funny
as fuck. I even mentioned at one point (gotta
have an outtake video) "why the hell are you
taking calculus?". Totally bizarre and unique
and I never would've thought of it. To make
it work for the bit, I told him the guy's
name that his girl was bangin' should be
named Gary... and voila, seems like the whole
thing was scripted.
WHAT A FUN WAY TO CREATE!!!
And then of course
there is Ted, who just "got it" from the get go.
He's originally from Oakland, so even the sight of
"Gary" probably made the hairs on the back of his
neck stand up. The coolest thing though? When I met
him Wednesday night all dressed up? He rolled down the
window in his car and said "Oh, are you here for the
movie?" thinking I was one of the gangstas. Had no
idea it was me. I said, "Ted, it's Adam.". He flipped
it. Started laughing. Got out of his car and was just
shaking his head "Oh my GOD, I had no idea. This is
gonna be good!". He had seen me just after Spencer
this past Monday and I had just 2 days of stubble, so
it was quite a shock. That made me feel so good
though. In the midst of all the details, you do
forget: "Oh yeah, I really do pull this
character off".
Ted of
course provides the button for the bit which
was the COUNSELOR getting angry and I think
he showed as ALL what actual anger is like.
Usually just being loud is too "easy" but you
could sense a command in his voice, that you
just don't want to fuck with. And the two
middle finger "Isaac point"? Holy shit that
was brilliant. There was supposed to be some
sort of dialogue there, but it was so funny,
I just said "And there's the end". LOL. So
good.
And can I just
unabashedly say really quick: I love Gary. Love him.
It isn't me, I don't even SEE me anymore when I
look at the footage. The "GRAM? Yeah, you want 1 or 2?
HAHA" line is so out-of-body for me I can barely
express it.
I love how
hard he "tries" and I just find him
endearingly funny. He's not mean, he's just
conflicted. And he's GREY! If he would just
shut the fuck up, he could be HARD. I've said
this a million times during the CBS Egos run,
but it just always shocks me how much I truly
care about these characters and how
completely outside of myself that I go when
I'm doing them. I just want to see more of
these guys in different situations. I
desperately hope I can.
The
following day (yesterday), Ted came over to
do the opening portion of the bit and again,
no script - we just talked it out and had a
blast. It was so funny, he walked into my
house and said "Someone's a bachelor". LMAO.
I literally have EVERY Egos/4tvs related
piece of equipment in my living room 'cause
I just don't have time to touch it now.
But it was funny to hear someone just nail it
so quickly. I replied with a very
succinct: "Yes. I. Am." :-)
And then it was
done. I had one 1-hour tape of all these ad-libbed
little moments and I somehow had to make it seem like
one congruent scripted bit and wouldn't you know? It
just fell into place. I must have watched the bit 30
times to edit for pacing and I still watch it now and
giggle. I couldn't have asked for a better bit, and in
many respects it's better than "Who's Your
President?". However as I explained in that entry,
that bit served a very specific purpose. Just as this
bit did. It shows I have some "pull", some respect in
the industry. It shows Gary as a viable and funny
character. And most importantly? It seperates me from
"Borat". People see Gary and assume "Ali-G". He isn't
and never has been. As I said before I feel that
comedy is kinda cheap and inevitably limiting. Cohen
is brilliant at his ability to keep character
throughout and supremely talented... but it's just not
my thing. Good thing though...
...it's why these
characters are going to have a loooooooooooooong run
on TV.
