REShow: Robert Smigel - Hour 3

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Limitations apply. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Tank wisely.

Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Are we going to tank? Meaning the Patriots? Yeah, it's happened. And I keep telling them. They are not.

Because Belichick doesn't tank, man. Earlier on the show, Bengals wide receiver Jamar Chase, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Fox Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman. Coming up, writer, director and comedian Robert Smigel. And now it's Rich Eisen. Oh, yeah. This is going to be a fun hour, by the way, in the next couple of days.

Not that this is an outlier for our program. Lots of laughs, lots of laughs. Robert Smigel is about to come out here on our show. And many of you might know his work for all his years being part of Saturday Night Live's crew, you know, writing in in terms of you call it acting as one of the Swarovski brothers. Sure. You know, I don't know if we have that photograph. I'm kind of running a little audible here.

If you want to pop that up in a second. Mr. Hoskins out there, the Swarovski brothers were, as we all know, Joe Mantegna, who's been on this program many times before. And the great George went, you know, popped in Chris Farley, Chris Farley. Sometimes I think Mike Myers was part of it, too.

And Robert Smigel was one of the Swarovski brothers on the end as well. You know, the fame, the Bears, which everybody still uses that phrase. That's in twenty, twenty three team. Hashtag. Is that what it is? Yeah. Are you serious? On Twitter? Yeah.

OK. So yeah, we we've we've got that all teed up with Robert Smigel. He also is the voice and creator of Triumph, the insult comic dog that you enjoy and enjoyed many years on Conan's program. And he is the co-writer and co-director and also wrote the original songs in the movie film Leo, the animated musical that is killing it on Netflix right here on the Roku channel.

I mean, the Roku platform. So he's about to come out here. And then at this point tomorrow, the co-creator, the creator of the show Bookie, Nick Bakai is going to be here and he's got his own tale of the tape. Should I tell you what the tale of the tape is from back in the Sports Center days?

Or I could save that for tomorrow. Or you want to know now it's it's the brotherly shove versus Swifties. That's the tale of the tape. Oh, gosh. Tune in on our first guest tomorrow in studio is Eric Stonestreet. Hey. Oh, it's the other way around.

Stonestreet's in the third hour and next first hour. Oh, next first. Oh, that got swapped out. Hey, OK.

Breaking news for me. Fantastic. So we're going to lead with we're going to lead with the first hour with the tale of the tape. Fantastic. Lots of entertainment coming up. I thought I love that chat with Bruce Feldman we just had about college football. One million percent.

Because, you know, let's, if you don't mind, pop up the the. Next year's bracket. This we didn't dig into in the first hour because I was too taken by the fact that I, you know, Alabama and Texas appear to be have been leapfrogged by Ohio State. But that said, are you seeing that more clearly now that Bruce?

No, Bruce said he thinks that again, you know, we'll get to that in a second. But I'm I'm conflicted because I know the way that we're going to get to what we see on the screen here and for our radio audience on our terrestrial Sirius XM and Odyssey and also our podcast listeners later on. We're looking at what the college football playoff committee's top 12 teams ordered, how it would look in next year's format when they all make it. The top four teams.

Get a buy into the second of three rounds of a playoff system. And that would change next year, by the way, the current structure, one, two, three, four. Would change next week based on the results of the conference championship games. So there's still going to be a conference championship game next year. Which would cannibalize potentially Michigan, Ohio State, it's entirely possible Michigan, Ohio State next year is for the right to go to the Big Ten championship game.

For one, and the loser record would put them below whoever's third, fourth and fifth place in the Big Ten because it's all one mosh pit. It's not the powerful Eastern Conference against the less than Western Conference divisions, pardon me, in the in the Big Ten conference. Oregon and Washington, two teams, by the way, what you're looking at next year, that's five Big Ten teams there. Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Washington and Oregon. That's five Big Ten teams. Oh, yeah, Washington is Big Ten now.

And maybe USC or UCLA gets it. Which is why, again, I believe Michigan is two. Again, Georgia's one because they haven't lost in a million years. Michigan is the only one with two top ten wins. Anywhere in college football right now, but they're two behind Georgia, which hasn't lost in a million years and has four wins against ranked opponents.

Michigan does not. But the reason why I think there are two is because the college football playoff committee is trying to set up Big Ten Pac-12 for the Rose Bowl, an old school Rose Bowl, one last one of those before the old school Rose Bowl becomes a conference game between the Big Ten opponents. But I'm kind of conflicted about the way we would arrive to this and what it would mean, but.

I mean. That would be pretty amazing, just it would be in the middle of December, I imagine, or it would be Christmas week, it would start. The schedule is already pretty much Christmas week, it would start for the first round of the playoffs, which happened on campus. And again, if you put that up one more time, it would be games in Austin, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Eugene, Oregon. They would all be home games. They would all be home games, which means Ole Miss would have to go in the horseshoe, Penn State into Austin, so on and so forth.

Yeah. So it's been announced, Rich, the college football playoff has put this out for next year. The first round is going to be Friday, December 20th. OK. And Saturday, December 21st. So one game on Friday, three games on Saturday. And then when would the next round be? The next round is going to be let's see, the Fiesta Bowl will be on New Year's Eve on Tuesday, December 31st, and then Wednesday, January 1st. We'll have the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The semifinals are going to be on the ninth and 10th. That's a Thursday, Friday. Not don't want to get into the NFL playoffs. And then the national championship is Monday, January 20th. That's deep in Atlanta.

Wow. So it would be a full month of playoffs. College football playoffs.

Yeah. So with other bowl games around it, those teams that don't make the way. Think about that. We're going to have super wild card weekend. I assume January 18, 19 and then championship on Monday, the 20th. I think January 18, 19 would be a divisional playoff weekend. I think this year super wild card weekend is the 14th, 15th. So maybe you understand.

OK, maybe you're right. You say we're going to have an NFL playoff weekend. Oh, no, it's going to be insane and nuts again.

But it's just, you know, that it's kind of be wild that the only tradition that's left of old school tradition that seems to be left is one thing that I don't think we all consider tradition, but. Well, two things. One is that there'll be.

Always commercial kickoff commercial to take up 10 minutes of your life in the middle of watching a football college football game. Right. That that won't change. Also won't change is, you know, when it comes down to it in these big games at halftime, you'll see the marching bands out there and then people chess, chess passing footballs through Dr. Pepper can't hold awful. That's about it. Other than that, there's really no more tradition. See, I thought you were going to go somewhere different.

No, no, no, no. The Michigan Ohio State stuff is just, you know, rich next year, possibility Georgia, Alabama play three times. They do play in the regular season. Do they really? They finally got around to it. Oh, that's good.

They're giving the people what they want. Pounding the table for that, please. So. All right. Now, just quickly, to answer your question about do I now understand that Ohio State is placed at six? I'm just saying Bruce is just like absolutely Texas and Alabama, if they win, would leapfrog Ohio State. Yeah. And when I say it, it doesn't matter.

But when Bruce, well, because first of all, he's an expert. You are a troll. You know, I'm not. You are trolling. I was not trolling.

You're trolling me. Honest to God, because you thought you literally thought my point was not drawing based on my dislike for the Ohio State University. It's fine. I understand it is not. It is not. But I was not. My issue with you was this is the way I do my power rankings, which which is a snapshot of the moment.

Not to give you some form of, you know, extrapolating out. I understand. Of you having to connect dots, I give you the snapshot of the moment. I need to rethink how I view your power right now. And then on occasion, I will put in there. I think this team is eventually going to come up. But for the moment, they are where they are. Yeah.

Well, but TJ and I were right about the Ravens. I will. I will. I know that we're going to see that. Bottom line is. On the book, Oregon of professional football power rankings.

I just love how he did. I say that right to do with power rankings. And now he's explaining to you how they work. Look at me. I you know what that's called?

You know what? That's called evolving. I'm evolving. It's growth and evolving.

Congratulations again. But I take stuff from you. And then I still stay true to myself, which proves the best thing about us is about us. Isn't the best thing about us, though? It's about us. That's right. We're a team.

In the meantime, hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it, hit it. This is power rankings. There are many like it, but this one is power rankings. Ah, yes.

Which means I am ready to deliver to you the unvarnished truth while pissing off the other guys in the room. Look, I know my team's at like four or five, something to be happy. Number 10 on the list down one spot. I can't quit them just yet. The Houston Texans are on this list.

Hey, let me tell you something. This is going to be very difficult to fill out 10 teams in a power rankings as we move closer and closer to the playoffs. Pal, OK, is it will it will because there's eight teams and then there's the other two spots.

It's becoming like musical chairs. I still love the kid, CJ Stroud. Bless him one day. CJ, you'll be able to win on Thanksgiving weekend.

Trust me, it's going to happen at some point. This means the Steelers aren't on here. The Houston Texans are number 10 on this list because they have the defense and they've got the coach. And I think they've got the kid at quarterback Tankdale. I still think they're one of the best top third NFL teams in the NFL. Number nine on this list.

New to the list are the Pittsburgh Steelers. See, I knew he wouldn't leave him out. I thought you were going to leave him out. No, be honest.

No, no. Look at Kenny Pickett with those hamburger helper gloves. Four hundred yards of offense, baby. He's barely gripping the football. Four hundred yards of offense. It happened first time in fifty nine games that happened.

And he's throwing outside the numbers vertically. What was that down the scene? Huh? Pat Friar, Muth, Muth, Muth over the over the, you know, over the hash marks.

They're back and the defense is Joey Porter Jr. Your defensive rookie of the year. Yeah.

What do you got for me on that question? Rich Eisen, I think. I think the betting people like he would say Jalen Carter. OK, and Carter has kind of been the favorite all year long. Let's talk about the kid on the western part of the state. He's he's mauling out, sir.

Yeah. So the weather spoon, the number nine on my list right here, taking on the Arizona Cardinals this week at home. Number eight down three spots. I'm going I'm I have a level of concern for my Detroit Lions. I think that's fair. I have a level of concern. That's fair. The last two games, the the team that goes for your kneecaps and then for your fleshy part of the thigh. He didn't say that. But it's we need we need to get that Hannibal Lecter back in here.

We got to get the fava beans and the nice Chianti. And and unfortunately for them, as they're in New Orleans, that's that ain't an easy place to play. All I know is just this.

And I don't mean this to troll on anybody. When Jared Goff, if he's going to want to win this game, what Derek Carr throws in the red zone at the end of the game and its past interference, I think the flag is going to come out. Won't happen. I believe this is Jared Goff's first appearance in that building since then.

I think it might be. I don't know if the Lions have been back to New Orleans or if the Rams were before he left. But it's going to be an interesting flashback for Jared Goff.

Yeah, let's see what they can like. Let's go, Lions. Here we go. We need you. Seventh on the list up two spots are the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Quite a stamp on things. That was a big time, big boy pants, huggy dropping W for this team. This is their division, is what they told the Houston Texans. This is their time, not the young bucks in Houston. It's them. And now they can go and win a home game in front of the whole country against the Cincinnati on Monday Night Football and keep moving forward. Their seventh on the list up one spot.

I don't know. I would be interesting if Jacksonville takes on Miami, but at the moment, I'm putting the Miami Dolphins here. The you know, losing Phillips on that defensive line is that one was that's going to leave a mark. Big blow. And the offense still needs to come up with some. Two has been low key struggle in the last couple of weeks.

Well, I mean, the defenses have been able to stop the freight train from running them over. Yeah. So still, though, they're one of the six best teams in the NFL down one spot of the Dallas Cowboys.

What? Down one spot at eight and three. And it just in case you you're wondering if I've lost my mind.

What are we doing? Just in case you wonder if I've lost my mind. I like that the Cowboys would lose ground despite their winning streak and how well they are playing. I just want to reserve judgment when they take on a team like, say, Philadelphia. I'm I'm I'm I'm not completely roosting in the nest of. Yeah, but who have they really beaten? I'm out there.

I mean, we eat turkey out of it. And just in case you think I've completely lost my mind and that I'm biased against Dallas, I've done the same thing. The same thing, dropping an eight and three team one spot to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. I have dropped them one spot as well, even though they finally scored points after halftime.

It is because I believe in this snapshot in time that both Dallas and both Kansas City would lose a football game to the Baltimore Ravens, who are up three spots number three on my list. Now he likes the rain. I do. I do, sir. How I mean, like is Kyle Hamilton, you know, best player in football, is he like a a Navi from Avatar? Like how tall?

How big is he? Six four, right? Dude, that guy is and that's he's on the back end of this defense that marauds up front and in the middle with Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. Remember during the draft, we're like, how did we get the Ravens get this guy? I know that. I know that. And then the run game, Keaton Mitchell is beginning to add a little, you know, lightning to the thunder. I would love to see Mark Andrews come back because if he does, then this team can absolutely win the Super Bowl.

I still think they can. Number two on the list is no change. It's San Francisco. And number one on the list is no change.

It's Philadelphia. So that's my power rankings for week 13. No change at the top.

The rent stays like a before at the top. But there's a lot of juggling around, even though there were some wins. The Lions are the only team with the Texans on my list to have lost in week 12. Browns are out. But the Browns are out. I can't put them above the Texans. I just can't. Not with their quarterback situation in complete flux. And I'd love to see Joe Flacco catch lightning in a bottle, certainly if he's going to start playing some games for Cleveland.

But that's my power rankings for week 13. You just made the list. Let's take a break here on the Rich Eisen show. His film, he's a co-writer, co-director of one of the hottest films in the history of Netflix called Leo.

Robert Smigel, baby, coming up, this will be a lot of fun. All right, folks, let's talk about game time and let's talk about buying tickets to big time events, because it can be worrisome, it can be time consuming and it can be expensive. So game time is the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all the sports, music, comedy and theater events near you. You can see the view from your seat before you buy.

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Learn more at Discover dot com slash credit card. Limitations apply. Back here on the Rich Eisen show with our radio audience as well, Robert Smigel is here again, we just showed a clip of Leo, which has set a record for thirty four point six million views in the first six days, the biggest debut ever for a Netflix animated film. And Robert Smigel, the co-director and co-writer. And you also wrote the the songs for this. I did write the songs. I did make the whole world sing. I'm sorry, I just want to just want Manolo on your right there.

Yeah, I have a lot of Manolo in me. But is this the first time you've done that or you know, actually, OK, I wrote Christmas time for the Jews on Saturday Night Live many years ago. And I wrote well, Triumph had an entire album that was Grammy nominated, believe it or not.

Damn straight. It was songs like Underage Bichon recounting a regrettable incident where he thought the dog was a year old. The dog was only 10 months old. Regrettable, regrettable. But, you know, he opened up and, you know, it was a very raw, honest album. What were some of the other songs on the Triumph album? There's one about cats and I can't repeat the title of that one. Another one about Benji.

I can't repeat the title of that. Oh, OK. But the point is, yes, Grammy nominated.

Point is, you know, when it all boils down. Yeah, Grammy nominated. Yes. You know, back in the day, poop with me is come poop with me. The name of the album with me.

You're looking for it on stream. Is that a synoptics? Is that an omen? Yes, of course. Of course. Triumph's even got like the jacket and the fedora on his head on the cover with two young poodles. Yes, some very hot young poodles. Yeah.

Do you want some other trap names? Please keep going. Keep going.

What else you got? Let's see what you can read. Thirty Seconds of Magic. Yes, that's about sex with Triumph.

That's a love groove. There's a call to a Chinese restaurant. Yeah, that's something that I would get canceled for. Yeah, OK, very good. You have to work blue. That's the longest track at seven minutes.

Yeah, because they always say you don't work blue. But this triumph sang a song about how you have to work. OK, my mama. Oh, that's a really filthy song. It seems like this could be a tribute to someone who just passed away. Bob Barker is the name. Bob Barker.

Yes, that is an angry diatribe about Bob Barker, the most evil man in the world in Triumph's mind because of the all the testicle chopping of your pet's nudity. He just echoes in his head at the beginning of the song. Yes, yes. Jack Black. It's a duet with Jack Black. Correct. I can't believe I'm here and I'm selling a 20 year old album.

I don't know, but it's great because this is, I would say, and for everyone to know, Leo, much more family friendly, much more family friendly, and all the songs are family friendly. It's beautiful, man. I mean, you're very, very welcome. You know, it's just and it's it's just it just strikes a really neat cord. I appreciate that.

You're welcome. It's like I hope people don't think, you know, I'm older now and maybe like, oh, what's he doing? Selling out writing like, come on, this is my life now.

I have like 15 year old boys. They were they were in like fourth grade when I started writing this movie. So is that right? Yeah. When you said you've been working on this for this long? God, yeah. Like fifth grade they were in.

Yeah, that's literally I started it in like twenty eighteen. And a lot of the movie has stuff from my life and my kid's life. And my boys are in the movie, too. Oh, actually, they just they they read the scratch vocals like when we were just putting in anybody. And then Adam was like, you got to keep them in the movie.

And I was like, really happy damage. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, they're good kids. They don't want to be actors. They have much more realistic aspirations about the last year.

They want to be NBA star. I bet the last year of elementary school is seen through the eyes of a class pet. The jaded, if you will, 74 year old lizard Leo, played by Adam Sandler. Yes.

And his his partner in the terrarium is a turtle named Bill, played by Bill Burr. He was here just a couple of weeks ago. We were talking about it with him. Yeah. Yeah.

Smuggles a pain in the ass to work with, but it's worth it. Yeah. He said he loved doing it. That's for sure. Yeah, no, he's great. He loves to bust your cojones.

He certainly does when he's working. He and I imagine the lizard character was Sandler's from jump. Right. In your mind, pretty much.

Well, no. So Adam Adam had the idea to do a movie about fifth grade and the transitional anxiety that comes with going from elementary school to middle school. OK. And he started working on a script with Paul Sato.

But it was a totally different story. And I pulled a couple of things from it, like the drone idea and the kindergartners that are really funny in there. But but my idea was to have like, you know, the class pet who's like, just really jaded and has seen every kid. He's been in this room for like 70 years. He's seen every kind of fifth grader. He pegs the kids and he's really cynical. And then he realizes that he's going to die or at least believes it from overhearing something. And then he decides he's got to make more of his life. So he tries to escape when a kid takes him home for the weekend. He's caught.

He has. And that's the girl. He has a conversation with her and ends up solving a problem based on all of his expertise from looking at kids for 70 years.

And eventually he keeps trying to escape, but eventually realizes he has more satisfaction in helping these kids. Oh, man. Yeah, yeah. I love it. That's so great. Robert Smigel here on The Rich Eyes and Show.

Everybody should check out Leo on Netflix, which is available right here on Roku. When was the first time you met Sandler? Oh, well, I got to I was a I was a co-producer at Saturday Night Live after about three or four years. And so I would get to go to Chicago every summer.

Lauren would want to scout people. And so one year we got to see Chris Farley do the motivational speaker sketch Saturday at Second City. That's where he did it.

Yeah. Bob Odenkirk wrote the original version. And Bob was in the show, too. And he played Phil Hartman's part. And Chris. Yeah, he just that was the easiest hire I think Lauren's ever made done in his life. Like you just seeing Farley do the, you know, bend down by the river and all that bad minutes of Farley. You just know this guy is a superstar.

Right. And and then we went to watch Adam, Chris Rock. They both auditioned as stand ups at the improv in Chicago. And so that's when I met him.

I just kind of said hi briefly. He was very nervous. He had a sort of a very, you know, his his stand up.

He was very meek. It was like a conscious choice on his part. He was almost doing a character. Right. Yeah. But it's close to a little bit of the real thing.

Yeah, a little bit of the real thing. But like, I didn't know I thought his writing was hilarious. I thought he was hilarious, but I didn't know that he could be a cast member off of that. Right. But Lauren hired him as a writer, performer.

And then you just kind of realized pretty quickly. OK, he could do a lot of stuff. Well, when when like so what was your first collaboration with him? Then I think I was I wrote the very first scene that he was ever in, which was the Sabra shopping network, which became later the Sabra Price is Right with Tom Hanks. And, you know, it's where the Sabra Israelis are haggling on every, you know, in the shopping network. And then on the Price is Right.

People are guessing the price is like, no, no, no, no, no. You know, no, this is Hyle. No, he's Sonny Guts.

This is not really about the brand name. He has Sonny Guts. And then that became the Zohan. So it was very strange that like the very first thing. OK. And then another strange thing is like this is Adam doing a cartoon animal. Yes. But his first foray into cartoon animals was something else I wrote at Saturday Night Live, a commercial called The Clucking Chicken, Clucky. And it's like a chicken mascot for a fast food chain.

Yeah. And they ask Phil Hartman asked the cartoon, like, hey, Clucky, why are you why is your chicken so chickalicious? And he says, because I'm flame broiled. And then he takes you through the process. But instead of like a regular commercial where you just see the flame broiling part, it's like, first, my head's cut off. You see the cartoon head go tumbling in the air. Then I'm plucked and gutted and ready to go. Then you chew me up and swallow me and I go out, come out through your digestive system. Then he looks in a toilet and he sees he sees ha, ga, ga, going. And that was Sandler's first foray into animation.

Yes. So your time in Chicago, Robert Smiley, you're in The Rich Eyes, Joe. I imagine you've met many Swarovski brother types through that.

So I went to Chicago to like do improv, to take improv classes. But I was a huge sports fan. I grew up in New York, as you may have.

By The Islander in New York Nets. But I just love these teams for whatever reason. Yeah. And the logos.

Sure. I have a logo thing. Look at that logo. New York Nets, by the way. That's Dr. J. The only thing about being this old, Rich, is that I got to watch Dr. J. And then I got to watch Walt Frazier.

My kids love Walt Frazier, just the announcer. Sure. Of course. You know, the rhymes. Stylin' and beguiling. Oh, that's a great one. And weaving and achieving. My favorite one. Weaving and achieving is their favorite. My favorite one of all time was when Xavier McDaniel played for the Knicks and he made a great basket and he just said excavating.

And I'm like, what's he digging? Like, are you digging his play or is he just I think he just like wrote down a bunch of, you know, a great one is that he says, when someone throws up an airball, he calls it a UFO. I do love Clyde, man. He's amazing. Truly one of the greats in the entirety of New York. He's, you know, incredible. So you're in Chicago and I moved to Chicago and I got to admit that I think Chicago is a greater sports town than New York.

I hear you. I think the fans are so loyal and they have such a great sense of humor. And I noticed like I went to a cup game like my first weekend there. And because I just had to see Wrigley Field and I just went up to the box office and they were like, where do you want to sit?

And I was like, well, just give me what's the best seat? And they actually had seats by the dugout. And I'm like, that doesn't happen at Shea.

Yeah, maybe it doesn't in Chicago anymore. But this was in the 80s and somehow. So I sat behind the dugout and I was like, really excited.

Tom Seaver was pitching for Cincinnati. But then I notice the people in the bleachers are the ones who are having all the fun. They're so creative. They're doing all this stuff. Left field sucks.

Right field sucks. Yeah, taunting each other, throwing balls back. They were the they invented all that stuff. Yes. And they also shunned the wave, which I had a lot of respect for. Yeah, because I would go to Shea Stadium and the game would be tense and some idiot would start the wave. And we're supposed to be doing the wave while, you know, it's like four, three in the bottom of the right. Look at this. It's like, no, this is that game going on.

Yes. And that wouldn't the Chicago that doesn't exist. No one has ever done the wave in Chicago. So anyway, then I went to Comiskey and that's really where I noticed like the walrus mustaches, you know, that badge of virility that they all had back in the 80s. And a lot of them still do. And of course, there was a lot of Ditka worship and this. And they really wore the aviator shades like, you know, those were not in style at that point.

That was a 70s thing. But, you know. So were you the one in the writers room or the producers? Oh, I came up with that sketch. You did.

Yeah, yeah. We actually performed it in Chicago before. With who? With Bob Odenkirk.

So Bob and I knew each other from these classes. I actually ended up bringing him Saturday Night Live, my second year, third year. But during the writers strike of 1988, we did a show in the summer. We went back to Chicago, did another sketch show. And I tried out that concept because I thought it will never work on Saturday Night Live.

It's too regional. So we did it on we did it on stage and it killed. And then when Mantegna hosted two years later, Bob was like, Robert, we should try it.

Come on, Robert. And he suggested that we do it as a sports roundtable show. And then I was like, oh, that'd be great because then they make their predictions. And it's like bear 62 to three, you know, just very casually tossing. Really, I thought that the Rams might score safety to 62 to five. I'm sorry, I'm being a little I still have faith in the Bears.

Don't worry. But so we tried it and it did amazing. But again, then I thought, that's it. We did it once. Joe Mantegna was the host. Then this local radio host, Jonathan Brandmeier in Chicago, just kept playing the sketch over and over. And then he made the Bulls a catchphrase because the Bulls were that was Michael Jordan's first year.

That was the championship year in 1991. Mm hmm. And so by May, George Wendt came to host and we're like, OK, let's do it again. And then you got Mantegna back for that.

No, no. Mantegna only did it like one more time. OK. Then George did it that time.

You know, I'm shoving in for my brother Bill, who's had another heart attack. And then George was the one who kept wanting to come back. Mantegna was doing like David Mamet movies at the time. It was like, you know, it was great.

I had a good time, guys. But so but George was like, yeah, I'm a comedian. When you say we got to get Farley involved. Oh, he was in the first sketch. He was in the first sketch because he's a Midwesterner. So I knew he could do it.

And then Mike could fake the accent. He'd spent a lot of time in Chicago. And then I had written it. I had written Hartman into it. I didn't put myself in it, but Jim Downey knew that I could do the accent well. And he's from Joliet. And he said, I want you to be in it, because he actually thought I did the accent the best.

OK. And he said, you'll be the barometer. So anybody from the Midwest who's watching will hear you. And that will give the sketch a level of authority. And then everybody else can do their variation of it.

I thought it was Farley pounding his chest to get his to give himself CPR. Well, that, too, like it's so funny because like. So then I went back to Chicago and I would meet people and it's like, I ain't no guys just like that. It's like, yeah, look in the mirror. What are you talking about?

You know, guys like that. Robert Smigel here on The Rich Eyes and Show. And then just before I let you go, where to triumph the insult comic dog come from?

Where did that happen? Well, I was the first head writer at the Conan show. Conan was a great friend of mine at SNL. He wanted to be there.

He has had writer and I was like locked in like, OK, this is the most thrilling job I've ever had. And I didn't want us to do anything that Letterman had done. Letterman was all about found humor, like making the stagehands do bits. Yeah. And like for Westminster, he had his joke was others triumph. He had his joke was to have live dogs from Westminster. Just excuse me, run up the aisles.

Sure. You know, and and it was very funny. But so meanwhile, I'm a newlywed at this time, and I go to a furniture store with my wife shopping and there's like a whimsical rack of puppets, puppet heads. And they're all like incredibly realistic dog. And like, there's also a sheep and a cat. And I laugh really hard at the realism of this.

I've never seen a puppet that realistic. So I quickly put a dog puppet on my hand and sniffed my wife's with it in the middle of the store. And of course, she thought it was hilarious. And that's why she's still my wife. She's the perfect woman. And but then she surprised me like my birthday was like two months later.

She she brought home seven of these puppets for my birthday. And then the Westminster was happening right then. And I was like, so what if our version of this? Because my mantra was we're going to be the show that makes stuff up, not the no found humor.

Yeah. So it's like, what if we say, oh, the dogs are just getting more talented every year. And so we would have like a dog sing the theme from the bodyguard or dogs do dueling banjos. And one dog eventually like sought another dog in half or another dog could light his own farts of the best was there was a dog who was like a Jack Nicholson impersonator. So, you know, had hacky Jack Nicholson move where the, you know, you I'm Jack Nicholson. We had a little dog puppet put a little paw over his forehead.

I'm Jack Nicholson. They all talked with Russian accents. They all talked with Russian accents.

That was another rule I set. That's where that came from with the Russian accent is something I've just heard in my head since I was like a triumph for dogs, for dogs, for just dogs. And I have Russian grandparents.

I don't know where it came from, but I always heard Russian accent when dogs would speak in my head. And so triumph finally, like four years later, I just call up. I wasn't even part of the show regularly. I just said to John Groff, the head writer, I got can we do another one of those?

Because we would do them every year. Another Westminster, because I just thought of insult comic. And the whole joke is that he doesn't have any jokes. He just says a compliment and then for me to poop on and like the whole joke was on triumph and it worked really well. But then we realized that he could actually make jokes and be kind of relief for Conan's audience because Conan didn't have like a level guests. A lot of times it's like John Tesh, you know, and the audience is like, OK, Conan's very polite.

This is all very nice, but it is John Tesh. And then triumph would come on and just tear John Tesh apart. So it was like catharsis for the audience.

They were so happy. So we would do this with Hasselhoff, William Shatner. So Triumph was like the most popular character on the show, even before he ever went on the what did he say to Shatner? What did it do? All I remember is, you know, he made fun of his acting and said, you know, he imitated his acting, you know, Spock, we must do this. And then he said, yes, that's tremendous acting for me to poop on. I know we weren't allowed to do to pay jokes.

I had one and I didn't do it. Yeah. Yeah. What's that on your hair? That looks like a Pomeranian I stopped last week.

But we passed on that one. Is a cigar like a Groucho Marx touch? Is that what the cigar was like? Just an old vaudeville because he's like a borscht belt comedian. So that's all that was. And he the gold bow tie, Deb Shaw, the costume designer, just did that for me.

She just came up with that on her own. Which person or group of people did Triumph insult the most? Oh, definitely like Star Wars type nerds and Comic-Con nerds. That's always the most fun. That's you pissed off the most like really? No, they're not pissed off. That's the joy. I like it better when people aren't pissed off. OK, sometimes it's better television when they are.

But for me, I like when people are kind of like able to laugh at themselves and I don't have to feel bad. So they're all lining up. They're all lining up. The Star Wars nerds who were online for Star Wars. They were like I was like Don Rickles to them.

Please insult me. Yes. Like when I met Don Rickles at the Conan show, it was like thrilling.

Yeah. You know, he just you know, of course, he everybody who meets him, he has an insult for because he knows that's what they want. So he looked at me and he said, Hello, Rabbi. Which then I heard later was the first thing he ever said to Jon Stewart. Oh, perfect.

So he's got he's got a little bit of a bag of tricks. Gosh, Robert, this is just an absolute pleasure to have you back on here. Everybody check out Leo on Netflix right here on the Roku platform. Be part of the millions, enjoying it with your family as well. Good to see you, brother. Great seeing you. Absolutely. What a total blast. Robert Smigel right here on the Rich Eisen show will be back to wrap this up. In a moment.

Yeah, I'm not I know people worship that movie putting on airs. The podcast is on YouTube and wherever you listen, the football season is underway and believe podcasts are talking about it. When he went home and went to sleep, Michael Parsons is terrorizing him.

Believe has podcast covering all 32 professional teams and many of your favorite college teams, too. And to be only producing 15 points a game. That's something that is definitely disheartening. Side like the sideline end zone to end zone as a quarterback. I would expect him to be acting like that. Take the accountability. Put that on yourself.

Don't put it on your teammates. Search BLEAV podcasts wherever you listen. Where did Stefan come from? Did that that came from two things?

John Mulaney wrote that with me and John, I deserved a lot of credit for Stefan because he wrote so much of the rhythm of that and the specifics of it. And clearly I found it funny because I laughed every time. We did it. I don't think we ever did it where I didn't laugh. John will put in different things or he'll tell me as I'm walking out. I'll tell you, I know you're not supposed to laugh at this stuff and break in the middle of a scene, but that's I broke every time.

Yeah. The first time was we had a club promoter named Amnesia Burn Bernstein and it didn't really get anything. And then he goes, Amnesia Burnstein didn't really get anything. And he goes, I'll change it to something else.

And then as I was walking out, he goes, I changed Amnesia Burnstein to Gay Leoto. And I started laughing. So the minute I roll out, I'm like, all right, the other one was sorry, the other one that made me laugh was he said he'll change the little things we had we had we had written also at the club was a two year old ultimate fighter, Julie Lips Jackson. He's got fists like empanadas and he's addicted to ecstasy.

That's what we wrote. And then he wrote. So it was like two year old, two year old, two year old ultimate fighter.

Julie Lips Jackson. He's got fists like he's got fists like empanadas. And they turn the cue card and he said, he's my best friend. So when he turns the card and says he's my best friend, but I lost it. Oh, my God, like John and behind the cue cards pass, I can see him in Samberg up against the wall, just watching me laughing like this, dude. Oh, boy, I just love SNL people coming on this show and telling old school stories like that on the Rich Eisen Show radio network. We are both that was a very Yoda way of welcoming you back. I don't know where that came from.

Well, because we're talking Star Wars. I'm sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger has the right product for you.

Call click Grainger dot com or just stop by. That's just so much fun. Is it is my cage is almost four. Is it too early for triumph? Yeah, because I think it's not that because it's, you know, there's an esoteric part of the humor. I think Leo might be I think Leo might be fine. That's on the docket for this.

Yeah, this weekend Leo's good. Yeah, you know, but try if there's a certain esoteric. Right. He might just laugh at the voice or just see the voice and then just seeing a dog with a cigar.

Not understanding what's happening. And plus, you know, even today I can attest 15, 12 and 10 year olds still like the word poop. I mean, it still works, you know, for me to poop on the Russian accent. I know. But he said he's always looked at dogs and thinking that they speak in a Russian accent. I don't know.

That might be a Rocky Bullwinkle upbringing. I don't know. I need to be not there to go dive deep into it.

So funny. Hey, if you are looking for a great holiday gift or trying to take the family for a great holiday event for you to go and hang out and enjoy and game time tickets is is a place for you to go check out right now. You should absolutely check out game time tickets because sports, music, comedy, theater events all near you.

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Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. The New England Patriots, as we all know, are it's so rare to see them with just two wins entering December, but that's the case. It's so rare to see them struggling as they are. You don't like seeing it, Chris, but you see Caleb Williams here on the horizon.

You want them, you want to go get them. You got to lose more football games, got to keep losing. And so their next game, who they taking on this week of the Los Angeles Chargers, Chargers hosting the Chargers, hosting the Chargers, who are in desperate need of a win. This looks like another potential case for evisceration potentially coming up. It could be bad.

Who's going to be the quarterback? Well, I don't know if Bill likes this sort of thing, but this this got out. Is that what I'm saying? Is it?

This is the media portion of practice. OK. Yeah. Yeah. Did you see this?

I saw this. Andrew Callahan, who covers the team for the Herald. That's Mac watching Bailey, Zappi and Malik Cunningham being the only quarterbacks to throw during the media access portion of practice. Does that mean he's not practicing? No, that doesn't mean that. But what it means is he knows the media is there. Trust me, they all know it because they know that what they're showing is something that Bill has no problem people seeing.

I would think. I honestly don't know what's happening. And they resigned Will Greer yesterday.

So who knows? Why not give Malik Cunningham a go? I know why you don't want him to go. He might win. That's it. Yeah. This kid might be something awesome.

Who knows? So then maybe one dynamic college player. I mean, he's kind of a slash right now, but why not see if he's that guy? So you could use that high draft choice on someone else.

What about them? I mean, Cunningham doesn't strike me as a franchise quarterback. But you don't know. You never know. How did the one hundred ninety ninth pick look to you as a franchise quarterback? Did you did you see that one coming?

No, but he was six five. OK. I don't know. I don't want this much.

Malik Cunningham, he was an awesome college player, but we just haven't seen him out there. I know. If you were going to experiment with this, why didn't you do it in week four? I don't know.

But it was obvious it was like I said, like I said, I forget it was yesterday. This is of all franchises that ain't tanking. This is one of them. They're not no chance.

Yeah. Well, we've seen the crafts aren't tanking and the Bell check. But we've seen Zappy.

We've seen families not tanking either. They're not good enough to win games. What happened?

Mac was a million percent good enough to win football games. He lost all of his confidence. If anyone needs a change of scenery, it's him. He won't be back on the team next year. I can't imagine. What are they going to do?

Really? They're not releasing them, that's for sure. Who's trading for Mac Jones? I don't know.

So he's your number three next year. Don't know, pal. Rough year.

Don't know. Thanks to today's guest, Robert Smigel, Bruce Feldman also in studio. And then Trevor Lawrence and Jamar Chase. Lots of fun. If you missed it, stay tuned. We're about to rear on the Roku channel. There's also our YouTube feed as well. That's it for this show. Eric Stonestreet, Nick Pichai in studio tomorrow. That will be also lots of laughs. A younger demo because they're fun to watch and they're great entertainers. Eighty three weeks on YouTube or wherever you listen.