In the sixth episode of ‘The Late Show Podcast‘, Stephen Colbert is accompanied by ‘Late Show’ writers Ariel Dumas and Brian Stack.
Ariel worked as a writer on ‘The Colbert Report, while Brian was a writer for Conan O’Brien for 18 years. They also both gained their comedy roots from Chicago.
Brian came from Second City as part of the touring group and used to watch Stephen when he was part of the main stage cast. Ariel also was a member of Second City, but never saw Stephen perform.
Ariel moved to Second City in 2009 when she did not get into any MFA programs and believes it was the best decision she made.Stephen said he applied to graduate school and was accepted, but decided not to go because he wanted to do it on his own. However, after a year, he decided to re-apply and this time, was not accepted. Yet, this ended up leading him into improvising.
Stephen posed the question, “how poor did you get?” Ariel recalled, during the touring company, taking a leftover veggie platter and bringing it home to make stir fry. When Brian first got to Chicago, he was working at an ad agency, originally in the research department. But he later moved into the creative department and wrote a phrase for Kroger food stores, “You’ll be glad you did.” He became so depressed that he wrote that and needed to leave the building to regroup. When Stephen started dating his wife and wanted to visit her for the first time in NYC, it was April 15th and he still had to complete his taxes. He ended up completing the simple form at her kitchen table and she saw that he had only made $8,500 for the year. However, he happily reported that she still wanted to go out with him.Stephen also recalled paying for his bus fare with pennies.
They discussed podcasts they like to listen to and, thanks to Stephen, Brian is now hooked on ‘Hardcore History’. Stephen then went on to imitate Dan Carlin and proclaimed that he would love to have him on The Late Show as as guest. Stephen also likes to listen to podcasts when he’s going to sleep and would realize he fell asleep to hearing “and the mud for dung was 20 feet deep … 10,000 men drowned in their own filth.”
Comparing working with Stephen vs. Conan, since they all come from improv backgrounds, Brian notices there is a love when things go off the rail and people are not afraid to say things that might be a bad idea because it can inspire someone else’s good idea. He finds working with Stephen and the staff to be fun and inspiring, but also challenging in a good way because he gets to learn a new process and have the opportunity to work with a different writing partner each day.
Stephen asked them if they see themselves as writers or performers. Ariel sees herself as hybrid and loves both. Brian also sees himself as both and would miss performing if he ever had to give it up entirely. Stephen sees himself as a performer who learned how to write because, in the past, that was the only way he would get cast.
They closed the podcast by reminiscing about Chicago and all of the great memories they have of the city.
Available on ‘The Late Show‘ website and iTunes.
Late Show Podcast, Ep 6: What Do You Think It's About Chicago?
In the sixth episode of ‘The Late Show Podcast‘, Stephen Colbert is accompanied by ‘Late Show’ writers Ariel Dumas and Brian Stack.
Ariel worked as a writer on ‘The Colbert Report, while Brian was a writer for Conan O’Brien for 18 years. They also both gained their comedy roots from Chicago.
Brian came from Second City as part of the touring group and used to watch Stephen when he was part of the main stage cast. Ariel also was a member of Second City, but never saw Stephen perform.
Ariel moved to Second City in 2009 when she did not get into any MFA programs and believes it was the best decision she made.Stephen said he applied to graduate school and was accepted, but decided not to go because he wanted to do it on his own. However, after a year, he decided to re-apply and this time, was not accepted. Yet, this ended up leading him into improvising.
Stephen posed the question, “how poor did you get?” Ariel recalled, during the touring company, taking a leftover veggie platter and bringing it home to make stir fry. When Brian first got to Chicago, he was working at an ad agency, originally in the research department. But he later moved into the creative department and wrote a phrase for Kroger food stores, “You’ll be glad you did.” He became so depressed that he wrote that and needed to leave the building to regroup. When Stephen started dating his wife and wanted to visit her for the first time in NYC, it was April 15th and he still had to complete his taxes. He ended up completing the simple form at her kitchen table and she saw that he had only made $8,500 for the year. However, he happily reported that she still wanted to go out with him.Stephen also recalled paying for his bus fare with pennies.
They discussed podcasts they like to listen to and, thanks to Stephen, Brian is now hooked on ‘Hardcore History’. Stephen then went on to imitate Dan Carlin and proclaimed that he would love to have him on The Late Show as as guest. Stephen also likes to listen to podcasts when he’s going to sleep and would realize he fell asleep to hearing “and the mud for dung was 20 feet deep … 10,000 men drowned in their own filth.”
Comparing working with Stephen vs. Conan, since they all come from improv backgrounds, Brian notices there is a love when things go off the rail and people are not afraid to say things that might be a bad idea because it can inspire someone else’s good idea. He finds working with Stephen and the staff to be fun and inspiring, but also challenging in a good way because he gets to learn a new process and have the opportunity to work with a different writing partner each day.
Stephen asked them if they see themselves as writers or performers. Ariel sees herself as hybrid and loves both. Brian also sees himself as both and would miss performing if he ever had to give it up entirely. Stephen sees himself as a performer who learned how to write because, in the past, that was the only way he would get cast.
They closed the podcast by reminiscing about Chicago and all of the great memories they have of the city.
Available on ‘The Late Show‘ website and iTunes.