(Mary Ellen Matthews)
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Your Guide to Game of Thrones
Are you ready for the Season 3 premiere of Game of Thrones? We'll help you get ready: Make like Daenerys Targaryen and get ahold of some dragon eggs, hear how linguists invented Dothraki and listen to Fred Armisen tell Alec Baldwin why he loves GOT on an episode of Here's the Thing.
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This week, Alec talks with Fred Armisen. Armisen has been a punk rock drummer, currently he’s a cast member on Saturday Night Live and is also the co-creator and co-star of IFC’s Portlandia. Armisen has always been ambitious; when he was a drummer, he recalls, he always "wanted much more."
Long ago, Armisen played drums with the Blue Man Group in Chicago and he tells Alec he learned a lot: about "simplicity," "reinvention" and "that audiences want to be entertained." Armisen admits that he’s always working; when SNL is on hiatus, he’s producing Portlandia. But he still dreams about what might come next: "I want to invent a type of entertainment that is really blurry between comedy and something else. That doesn’t have a name yet...another level of fooling people as opposed to just doing a character. Something a little bigger than that."
READ | Interview transcript
Comments [15]
Cute guy who seems to love creating fun things. Doesn't seem full of himself at all which is wonderful!
Thanks for fixing the links so quickly. I can't wait to hear it.
The link to this show is broken. There is no stream or download.
What a great find this podcast! I really feel like I'm hearing the real people behind the famous characters.
I must have rewound your rendition of Bif from the Letterman show 50 times. Funny! Funny! Funny!
How about Martin Sheen?!
Do you not know there are people who do interesting things that are not white men? Don’t get me wrong some of my best friends are white men and being one has not tempered my enthusiasm for men of that lack of colour but come one.
Just can't get enough of this series. I wish it was weekly! I now find myself saving some of the podcasts on my iPod and only doling them out very sparingly.
Some other actors and/or New Yorkers I'd love to hear Alec interview:
Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Lo Bianco, Nathan Lane, Ellen Barkin, Pete Hamill, Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Mira Nair, Jeff Goldblum.
I loved the interview with Fed Armison. He seems like such a nice guy.The interview with George Will was great !
I will be in Manhattan from October 11, 2012 to October 14,2012. I would love to interview Alec and ask him all the questions we as listeners would like to ask him.
Excellent interview..love Fred Armisen...hope he gets to Michael Bloomberg one day!
"...another level of fooling people as opposed to just doing a character. Something a little bigger than that."
-- Sounds like politics to me! Write in Armisen!
Alec Baldwin has interviewer chops too. GREAT for aspiring towards 'anything' listeners. The quirky path to success is portrayed in hearing Fred's story.
such an interesting articulate chap........oh,both of them...
Ahhhhh, I wish this was 60 minutes long!
Alec is a very creative individual who loves being around creative people to play off an organized cured meat salesman indeed how he jumps on board is thrilling to hear. Love the show because he brings out the things heres the things people want to hear not the boring stuff of talk TV.
Alec is a reality guy and gets to the truth..keep it up dude great show.It would be nice to have video if done in a fun clean way not like Charlie Rose whom I also love but with quick cuts and reaction shots..light and lovely..
As a photographer myself, Alec captures the decisive moment in conversation the Cartier Bresson of conversation. There are I'm sure some great parts waiting for him the Woody thing was OK but bringing a new character like with Fred would be interesting insite to watch.
What a great interview, Mr. Baldwin you are a good interviewer, questions were relevant, and you are interested in your quest. Great technique! I'll be listening for more!
Enjoyable. Interesting. What a great, fun interview to listen to. Can't wait to see you on Portlandia Alec! Sounds so "fun"! Good Luck to Fred with Portlandia!! Always enjoy seeing you both on SNL!! These HERE'S THE THING interviews are great! Thanks for sharing Alec!
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