Posted on 04/27/2009
No disrespect to Gil Scott Heron, but the revolution isn’t unique: before long nothing will be televised. Well, at least not ‘televised’ as we know it today. Someday (soon) TV will reside solely on the internet. That’s a pretty huge revolution in its own right, but we’re not there yet. No, instead we live at this ridiculous, bizarre era where the internet is established enough to be absolutely killing traditional media, yet new enough for traditional media to get excited about every little e-fad. It is in this strange middle ground where The Lonely Island thrive.

Andy Samberg (who tends to be the star), Akiva Schaffer (who tends to direct), and Jorma Taccone (who tends to produce the music) met in junior high school, grew up – sort of, started a website, and gained a major cult following on the web for their comedy/musical shorts. They parlayed their internet fame into successful careers in traditional media, having turned a homegrown website into television pilots, high profile gigs at Saturday Night Live, an Emmy (for “Dick in a Box”), feature films, and most recently their debut album, Incredibad. As their careers rise they benefit from the usual trappings, though the real sum of these traditional venues has ultimately added up to more of what put them on the map in the first place: internet stardom. In this day and age of self-promotion, that means these guys are definitely getting the last laugh. Not bad for some dudes who rap about cupcakes and sing about dicks.


OKP: You guys are definitely at the forefront of a revolution in the way people watch TV. You’ve used the internet to great success, but now you’re releasing a music album. Can you speak on the changes you’re helping to usher in with TV, but also address what changes the music industry needs to make to catch up with the way things are going?

Jorma: God I wish we knew.

Akiva: Those are very good questions, but—umm, I don’t know.

Jorma: Akiva take it—You’re the smart guy!

Akiva: Yeah, I don’t know.

Andy: To be totally honest, I feel like we definitely get a lot of credit for stuff, but really all we did was make videos we thought were funny, and we happened to have them do well on the web. We did stuff on the web before we got to SNL, but no one really cared until we were on TV. So it’s a little bit tricky. The two mediums are definitely blending a lot more and will continue to do that, but I don’t think anyone really knows the answer. Especially not the answer to the record industry situation, because with downloads and even just the current climate of the economy, [the industry] has obviously taken a pretty fierce nosedive.

Jorma: It certainly doesn’t seem like TV is going anywhere. People might watch more television on their computers, but it’s still television at the end of the day.

OKP: Are you optimistic that people are going to buy your record in the face of really impressive numbers like 35million views of “Dick in a Box” on YouTube. What’s been the outlook for selling this album?

Andy: We’ll be happy as long as people hear it.

Akiva: It’s nice when they decide to actually purchase it, but that would be unrealistic in this day and age. I’m assuming people will stream it and illegally download it.

Jorma: It does actually make you appreciate fans who want purchase something more nowadays. It seems like the last resort.

Akiva: More people do it as a favor.

Andy: It makes you appreciate people buying stuff a lot more when you’re selling something. [Everyone starts laughing] Up until that moment you’re like: “Fuck it. I’mma get that for free!”

OKP: Given the potential for you guys to benefit as individuals with YouTube, has there been any tension between you and NBC over their tendency to pull things off of there? Does it help you for NBC to pull things off?

Akiva: It certainly doesn’t help us. In a lot of cases it doesn’t really help anybody. But we don’t really have a lot of direct contact with that. It’s a really big company. They’re in LA to be honest, and we’re in New York. We just make the videos. Once again our goal is to just have the most people see the videos or hear the album, so clearly them pulling it doesn’t help us personally in any way.

Jorma: I mean, it’s obviously counterintuitive if you want to make a viral video—which is not a word that I would ever use, but executives might use—but it’s certainly counterintuitive to try to have a ‘viral video’ and only have it on one site.

OKP: Exactly.

Andy: That being said, it’s not like NBC is doing it for no reason. They have syndication deals with other networks, and the reason they pull them is because they’re in direct violation if they don’t. So there are probably a lot of mixed feelings about it if you go higher up in those offices—
—which we definitely don’t.

[Akiva and Jorma laugh hard]

Akiva: They’re trying to figure it out. I don’t think they’re evil or anything – in that regard.

Andy: The best we can do is just make ‘em, and whatever happens—

Jorma: They’re trying to control their product, which is understandable. But this album is slightly different too, because a lot of the music videos that we’re making are actually done with—like any band would do—money from the record label. We’re getting money for, say “Jizz in My Pants” or “I’m on a Boat,” to go and make that music video, and it’s played on SNL, but its not like SNL was giving us money to make those.

Andy: Right, they don’t own it.

OKP: Speaking of the “I’m on a Boat” video. How did the T-Pain collaboration come about?

Andy: He came to SNL with Mariah Carey to do a song with her, and we met him there. He was a Hot Rod fan, and we were big fans of his music already. So we kind of met there and hit it off. Then when we were making the song, we kept saying, like: “Fuck, if we could get T-Pain on this, it would really take it to a different place.” So we just made the call, and he was down.

OKP: Gotcha. And Lorne was cool with you using his yacht?

[All three of them find that joke particularly amusing]

Andy: Totally mellow about that!

Jorma: Well, we broke his stuff so he was kind of pissed.

OKP: Aw, that sucks

Jorma: A couple glasses and stuff

Um-hmm.

Akiva: Um-hmm.

OKP: Since the success with the so-called ‘viral videos,’ how do you follow up something that got 35million views? Has that messed with your heads at all, or is it just business as usual?

Jorma: No, the show moves so quickly that all you can do is what you think is funny. We come in at the beginning of the week and sort of just try to do what we’ve always done, which is just make each other laugh, and hopefully it turns out good.

Andy: Yeah, there are all kinds of ways to quantify whether or not we feel like something was successful. There’s definitely ones that get more views, but at the same time most of the ones that do are about dick. We’re proud of almost everything we do, and you kind of just go with what you got that week.

OKP: Umm, speaking of dicks. Andy, any response to Marky Mark’s physical threats?

Jorma: Heh, “Marky Mark.”

OKP: “Mark Wahlberg,” pardon me.

Andy: Jeez, what?

OKP: Any response to Marky’s threats on Jimmy Kimmel to punch you – in the face?

Andy: I mean, he came on the show (SNL) that week. Did you see that?

OKP: I did not see that.

Jorma: Oh, you gotta see that.

Andy: Oh yeah, that’s all you need to know. He came on and did the bit and was totally cool.

OKP: Ah, I stand corrected. – A lot of the shorts that people have really responded to have been [so popular] thanks to celebrity cameos. Anybody you guys are dying to work with?

Andy: Bill Paxton!

Jorma: Bill Pulman!

Andy: Like, Paxton and Pulman.

Jorma: Together–or separate. Together would be great.

Andy: We would want to get both of them on the track.

Jorma: Yeah.

OKP: That might be like crossing the beams in Ghostbusters.

[Everyone starts laughing] Jorma: The world might implode.

Akiva: To get those guys in a room might be – wow.

Andy: It’s all part of our plan to be transported to an alternate universe.

OKP: What about Obama? Has SNL been actively trying to get him on the show?

Andy: He was on—people don’t remember it as much, because it was before his campaign really exploded, but he came on and did like a Halloween show.

OKP: Well, as president I mean.

Andy: Oh yeah. I don’t know that any standing president has ever been on.

Jorma: Yeah, I wouldn’t want to see that happen, honestly. I would think less of my country.

Akiva: He’s got bigger things to do than telling jokes. I have a question for you—about your website. What relation does Okayplayer.com have to, like, when I was in high school and I got The Roots albums and it would say ‘okayplayer’ in the corner? Any relation?

OKP: Yeah, well it’s The Roots’ official website— ?uestlove from The Roots started it.

One of them to another: Told ’cha.

OKP: They used to just put the logo on the albums, and now it’s turned into a website and a company, but it was really just a logo back then.

Jorma: Gotcha. I just met Ahmir, because he’s at Jimmy Fallon’s show obviously. Yeah, he’s a great guy. [Begins talking to Andy and Akiva] I gave him some CD’s you guys, just to let you know.

Andy: I gave him some daps—

Akiva: How many CDs did Ahmir want?

Jorma: He bought the CD the first day it came out, he said, and he loved it.

Akiva: Did he?

Jorma: Yeah. That’s super nice of him.

Andy: I expect you talked over the fact that I gave him some dap.

Jorma: Oh, and Andy gave him some dap.

Akiva: Some dap? Not a dap?

Andy: You gave him some CDs, and I gave him some dap.

Jorma: You shoulda given him all the daps.

Akiva: That’s nice that he bought it.

Andy: I can’t go around giving away all the daps. You gotta have some dap reserve.

OKP: Most of the dap, maybe?

Andy: Say what?

OKP: Most of the dap would have been okay.

Akiva: Most of the dap.

Andy: Most of the dap!

Jorma: Yeah. He deserves it.

Andy: That’s the name of our next album – that we’re making with ?uestlove. It’s called Most of the Daps.

Akiva: Most of the Daps, yep. You heard it here first – on his website.

OKP: Exclusive!

Akiva: It will be where he reads about it.

Jorma: Yeah, he’s gonna be excited to read that.

Akiva: I heard he’s twittering up a storm, that’s the word on the street.

OKP: Twittering? Yeah, that’s what I hear.

Akiva: That’s what I heard.



OKP: So, you guys are in this legendary pantheon of comedians now, if you could do a short with any past SNL cast member, if you had to pick one, who would you like to work with?

Akiva: Bill Paxton was on the show at one point, right?

Jorma: Nah, he wasn’t a cast member though.

Andy: He just hosted.

Akiva: I mean, we’ve been very luck to have some of the best ones come back, like Steve Martin. We didn’t do a bit with Bill Murray, but he came back and did a bit.

Jorma: Steve Martin was never a cast member.

Akiva: That’s true, but he’s part of that history. What about Sandler. We’ve met Sandler, and he’s definitely one of our heroes, but we’ve never actually done anything with him.

Jorma: Did you guys do a show with Ferrell yet? You didn’t, right?

Akiva: No, but Will Ferrell is someone we can’t wait to do something with.

Jorma: Bill Pulman!

Akiva: Sandler is my big answer I think. Him and Will Ferrell but we’ve never been able to do anything with him.

Andy: Yep.

Jorma: Tracey Morgan.

OKP: Tracey! No doubt. Being a part of SNL, I imagine everyone is pitching ideas to you all the time, like: ‘Oh you know what would be funny?’ Is that the case?

Andy: More our families and stuff.

Jorma: Yeah, I honestly get it from my family more and anyone else.

OKP: Does it ever pan out?

Andy: It literally never pans out. I would say every dinner I go to with my family and/or their friends, at some point someone says something that is maybe mildly amusing, and then turns to me and goes: “Oh boy, you could use this for one of your skits.”

Jorma: Or they say: “Oh no, now I’m gonna see that on the show.” Nope. You’re never going to see that on the show.

OKP: Sort of in that same vein, I think it’s safe to say that lazy frat boys for the rest of all time will always have the go-to Halloween costume of ‘dick in a box.’ Is that—

Jorma: [Laughing]

Andy: So you’re saying, we’ve really helped the world?

OKP: Leaps and bounds, yes.

[All three of them start cracking up]

Andy: Yeah I was in a bar on Halloween, and this guy came up to me dressed as ‘dick in a box’—thrilled—and he’s like: “Dude!! Check it out!!” And he lifted up the box and had a huge fake dildo in it. And I was like: “Cooool!” [sarcastic voice] Like, not happy about it at all. His face kind of fell and he’s like: “Yeah, I guess I didn’t really think about the fact that I shouldn’t walk around showing that to people.” I was like, yeah, don’t show that to any women, because you’ll be arrested. He’s like: “Right on! Can I get a picture?”

Jorma: It’s IN the end of the video – they get arrested!

Andy: [Laughing]

Jorma: You’re not supposed to do that.

Andy: Cautionary tale.

OKP: Well there goes all the good for the world.

[More laughter from ‘The Dudes’]

Andy: But it’s flattering nonetheless that people would dress up like something we did.

Akiva: Yeah, it’s awesome.

OKP: I guess speaking of, uh, awkward male relationships, you guys tend to focus on that from time to time. Andy, I think the new movie (I Love You, Man) seems to be about that—

Andy: Oh yeah!

OKP: —and definitely your past work. How much of this focus on male relationships stems from you guys having known each other since junior high? And can you just talk to me about this in general.

Andy: You know – we’re nerds.

Akiva: I think a lot of what we do in a lot of our things is make fun of jocks—as they are called—or people who are super macho. So that leads to that [awkward male] stuff kind of inadvertently, because that’s the best way to make fun of people being macho.

Jorma: It’s basically the exact opposite of macho—

Akiva: —or macho people’s nightmare. It’s what they’re most afraid of. So it’s the effort to make fun of people who are being macho that leads us in that direction.

Andy: Macho! What an 80’s word.

Akiva: It’s an 80’s concept.

Jorma: I literally hate when I see just some macho guy.

Andy: A macho jock.

Akiva: Just a big hunk. We like making fun of hunks and macho guys.

Andy: Yeah, we hate hunks.

Jorma: Ewww— I HATE hunks.

OKP: Forgive me if this has been explained elsewhere, but speaking of ‘hunks’: Kiefer Sutherland. Didn’t he interfere with you guys beating up an old lady as part of a shoot?

Andy: Absolutely.

Akiva: Yeah! This is a while ago now, but yeah.

Andy: We were living in LA, shooting a short where we were mugging an old woman, who was actually our young woman friend Jessica dressed up as an old woman. We were getting the shot with a cameraman from across the street on Olympic Blvd. in LA. And no one paid it any mind, or stopped, and then all of a sudden a spanking new Porsche pulled up and said: “What the hell are you doing!?” It was Kiefer Sutherland – stopping to help an old lady from being mugged. Then we told him we were shooting and he turned bright red and was embarrassed and sweet and drove off.

Jorma: But it took him a while to get back into traffic, so the moment of awkwardness lasted quite a while.

Andy: Right! He put his blinker on immediately, but—

[Everyone is dying from laughter]

Jorma: —He just kind of sat there.

OKP: Oh man, that’s good stuff. Jorma, what kind of equipment do you use to make beats?

Jorma: I use Reason primarily. But I’ll do live sampling into Reason, just so it doesn’t sound quite so computery all the time. I’ve tried to mess with Logic, but that shit is hard and I can’t figure it out. Then we do everything in Pro Tools once we get a track—whether it’s mine or another producer’s—we’ll bring it into Pro Tools and record on just a little Mbox system.

Andy: The baby Pro Tools, right?

Jorma: Yeah, the baby Pro Tools. The babiest you can get. That’s how we recorded the entire album. Just on, like, an Mbox 2.

OKP: Any aspirations to do non-comical production for people? Has that even entered your mind as a possibility?

Jorma: Yeah, I’d be super excited if anyone heard our stuff and was like: “Man! That guy can make some sweet tracks!!” I don’t know if that’ll ever happen, but yeah, sure.

OKP: Maybe after the ?uestlove album, right?

Jorma: Oh yes, absolutely. I have to work with that guy. You can tell him.

Andy: After Most of the Daps?

Akiva: [Said mockingly at Andy’s expense] “After most of the daps.”

Jorma: Yeah, after Most of the Daps.

OKP: If time remains after all those daps. Alright, well I’ll leave it up to you guys: Anything you’d like to say about Incredibad to wrap this up?

Andy: I mean, I would say it’s the new hotness.

Akiva: Yeah, it’s coppable.

Andy: We’re not swagger-jackers.

Jorma: Yep, there was zero percent swagger-jacks for the album.

Andy: Yeah, it’s all original swag’—

Akiva: All original swag’.

Andy: And, uh: ‘cop dat!’

Jorma: Oh god.

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You heard the man, Incredibad is in stores now. (And be on the look out for Most of the Daps… I hope.) Many thanks to The Lonely Island and Okayplayer.

- M. Steve Hammer.

Watch The Lonely Island's "I'm On A Boat" feat. T-Pain below