Paul Scheer’s ‘Joyful Recollections of Trauma’ + SNL50 Here We Come!

The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

Comedy Interviews, Comedy, Interviews, Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Tv, Movies, Film

4.6 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2024

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With his delightfully silly roles on shows like ‘The League,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘The Good Place’ and many others, comedian Paul Scheer has always projected a sense of unencumbered fun. That’s partly why, as he explains in both his new memoir ‘Joyful Recollections of Trauma’ and on this episode, he was so hesitant to reveal the very real pain that dominated much of his childhood. Scheer talks about how comedy helped rescue him from the violently abusive household in which he was raised and has continued to be an essential part of his life as he raises children of his own. He also tells some unbelievable stories about his bizarre run-ins with celebrities like Christopher Walken and Bill Cosby, describes the unique experience of improvising opposite Larry David on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and explains how he was able to emotionally move past a whopping four unsuccessful auditions for ‘Saturday Night Live.’

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The Last Laugh. I'm Matt Wilstein from The Daily Beast. In just a bit, we'll be sharing the interview I recorded with comedian Paul Shear, who you might know from shows like The League, Veep, and Black Monday. He also has a new memoir out this week called Joyful Recollections of Trauma,
0:23.1	in which he reveals his surprisingly dark backstory. But first, Allegra is here to help me put
0:29.6	a cap on season 49 of Saturday Night Live and look ahead to what is sure to be a very big season
0:35.8	50 next year.
0:38.4	Allegra, how's it going?
0:39.2	I'm not okay.
0:43.5	It's feeling like it was a weekend, and now it's a weekday.
0:45.9	Yeah, I feel that.
0:46.6	I feel that.
0:53.2	I believe we both actually stayed up and watched SNL live this past weekend, which we don't always do, but often do. You might always do.
0:56.2	And for me, it's not that late because I'm on the West Coast. But what did you think of the season
1:00.0	finale with Jake Gyllenhaal? I saw a lot of people online were very, very emphatically positive.
1:06.7	I thought it was good. Yeah, it was a little mixed. I saw some like, this was the best episode of the season post, and I was like, it was, really?
1:16.0	Right.
1:16.5	I thought Jake was really game and fun in a way I really liked.
1:21.0	But I just thought the writing was off, which kind of is always the case.
1:25.8	But it definitely was not really, especially after Maya Rudolph,
1:30.0	not that I thought that episode was amazing either,
1:32.6	but it feels like they kind of know how to write for her better.
1:35.6	This was very much Jake just kind of being the most game
1:38.6	for some pretty lazy or not memorable sketches.
1:42.7	Yeah, at least he was giving his all.
	...

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