I am Nick Rutherford from Good Neighbor, former writer at SNL, AMA!

Hi Nick :)

I'm sure you get it all the time, but across the pond I never hear any news. Any chance of a Theatre of Life return? I've wasted too many hours watching you guys extreme masturbate. Eric needs to be put in his place once more.

Also would be interested to hear the story behind why you were only with SNL for 1 year.

Would love to do more Theatre of Life. Obviously we all got pretty busy and living on two different coasts makes shooting that hard. But I don't think TOL is over just yet... Those days on the beach were too much fun and Eric sucks.

As for writing at SNL for one year, not much of a story behind it. I got hired and then my contract wasn't picked up. I wish there was a "I stormed into Lornes office and pissed on his desk" story but that's just how things go. Thanks, and goodbye.

Nice to know it's still on the cards.

Thanks for the answers and thanks for all the laughs too :)

thank you Matteratzi. Cool name too.

What's your favorite sketch you wrote for SNL? Were there any ideas you had that didn't get made?

So many ideas don't get made there. My favorite sketch I wrote got cut at the dress rehearsal. Here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNc1HkkntIo

I think it got cut because there was a "rape" element to it.... But would have loved for it to air with changes. Happy to defend this sketch till the day I die.

Yo Nick! Will you tell the story about how you guys got the note from Spielberg and because of weird comedy of errors, Spielberg prolly still thinks you blew him off?

Yes.

SO, after "Unbelievable Dinner" we got an email from Steven Spielberg. It said something to the effect of "Hi! My daughter Sasha showed me your videos and I've been howling with laughter. Keep up the good work."

And we obviously freaked out, I think Kyle still has a copy of it in his wallet.

We obsessed over how we would reply. We settled on something like: "Thanks Steven. We've been watching your stuff too. Seems like you are on the right track. Keep making videos."

We sent it to him, and never heard back.

YEARS later I ran into some dude at a bar who was best friends with Spielberg's daughter. He said "Did you ever get an email from Steven Spielberg?" And I said "Yes! We wrote him back and he never replied!" And he said, "Huh. He never got your reply. He was very bummed. He assumed you thought it was a joke."

So his assistant never forwarded our freaking email to him!!!!

If his assistant had, we would all be super successful and in all "The Hangover" movies.

How did it feel when Kyle, Beck, and Dave went to SNL without you? Was there any bad blood for a bit? Did they have a big influence on getting you a job there?

It stunk. I don't blame anyone and I don't think that it could have happened any differently. That show is such an institution that when you get called up to it, you just go. It was a bummer that we never got to do our show with CC, but ultimately I think that show has propelled all of us. Of course B,K and D had an influence.

I don't know how directly, and I really don't know why Lorne and co would break us up to begin with, but when they started doing well on the show, that definitely opened up an opportunity for me to get out there too.

Whatever happened to the comedy central pilot you guys were suppose to do?

Oh man. CC liked it, but their advertisers said "What the fuck is this?" So they basically told us to make another one that they were going to air, around that time, Beck, Kyle and Dave got picked up on SNL and the deal dissolved.

The pilot exists. Only a handful of people have seen it. We are really trying to figure out when and how to release it eventually.

I'm wondering, was it the same one you showed at the Mill Valley library? Because if so, I saw it. Goes without saying, it was hysterical.

lol

Yes. It was. Thank you.

The Imaginary Dinner video was and still is one of my all time favorite YouTube videos. That video was amazing! Any fun bits of info about the vid and how it was made?

Also were you on the episode of the office where Dwight hosts the Garden Party?

Thanks! I feel like we were babies shooting that video. Kyle initial had the idea to do a "Hook" dinner vid, I got excited because I'm always into breaking fake glass. The "magic" is just a whip pan and a poorly hidden cut. For a long time we relied pretty heavily on that camera move. In general we tried to do all effects in camera because that was the limit of our abilities. I also remember hating filming that because Kyle and Beck got to eat this crazy feast, and I just had to be pissed all the time.

ALSO, not sure if people catch this, but in Beck's "fantasy" he is making out with the girl, but not making out with the girl. Basically his fantasy is "fake making out while a girl stands by awkwardly." Deep cut.

And yes, that was me on the Office.

When's the next Good Neighbor vid coming out? Best Kids Awards was such a cliffhanger. How was Aaron's older brother's band? Do you remember the laughter?

Man... I don't know. I think the next GN video will hopefully be a movie. But, that still seems far away.

Do you miss doing theater of life? I subconsciously make fun of people in my head in a stupid voice now because of your show. Can't imagine that's easy to give up having actually done the show yourself.

Of course. It was so fun. We would literally just hang at the beach and make up little stories. Something about it really resonated with people, and that felt awesome.

If theres any advice to gleam from it, we were having a great time, and people like watching that. So do something you truly like, and people will appreciate it. Unless you like having sex with kids or something sick, sickos.

How do you wipe your Butt?

With your moms bra.

How does one get a job in comedy writing?

By writing comedy.

Sorry. Not trying to be a dick, but that is truly the only way. Write write write. Film your stuff on a phone. Edit your stuff. Write more. Keep writing.

Went to one of your shows in Indianapolis a few years back and we grabbed drinks at Kilroy's after the show. Had an awesome time. Thanks for doing this AMA!

What's your favorite memory from when you lived with the Good Neighbor guys? Was it the nardbar?

We had a great party house for a long time. Everything you are picturing is correct. We had a room dedicated to beer pong. We had shitty Coors Light bar mirrors, a fire pit in the backyard. One sudsy nardbar for everyone to share. there was probably broken glass everywhere. It was the best.

And I was just back at Kilroys a few weeks ago. I'm a huge fan of shuffleboard.

Hey nick, thanks for doing this AMA. What was the toughest part of writing for snl?

Fighting off all the pussy.

And also the debilitating hours and pressure cooker environment.

I saw an Instagram pic of your penis the other day.

a) Was that real? b) Have you ever considered a career in pornography?

That was my precious little samurai sword. And yes, I have considered a career in porn. Actually in talks right now with chatterbate.com

But for reals, would it be weird if I jerked off on there for money? Asking for me.

What is a lie you are currently maintaining?

That I am a professional.

How difficult is it to get a writing position at SNL?

It's more difficult to KEEP a writing position at SNL.

Any good stories from The Bone Zone podcast?

Randy is gay and Walsh is Bi. And they really want you to know that. They both have come onto me very aggressively. Sure, I experimented in High school, but those guys don't respect the fact that I got a GF now. It is fun to kiss them a little though.

Saw you guys perform in SF recently. Math Magic was such a great skit. Who wrote that one?

Thanks man! I wrote that! That's really fun to perform and because the cast is so big it's always fun to put our friends in it. Also, Kyle as a heckler and Beck as a business guy can never fail. That SF show was so much fun. We were supposed to do SketchFest again this year, but the dates didn't work out.

Hey Nick, thanks for doing this! Watching Good Neighbor inspired me to go to UCB and write sketch myself.

My questions: What is some advice you have for people who like to write "experimental" sketches as well? And what are you doing since you left SNL? I'd love to watch some of your new stuff.

Thanks again!

All things that you create should be experimental on some level. (Not to be confused with making something weird just for weird's sake.) If people are slightly confused by whatever you are creating, that's kinda a good thing. If EVERYONE is confused by whatever you are creating, that's probably a bad thing.

Since SNL I had a fantastic year.

I got cast in this adult swim show called "Dream Corp LLC" that I'm stoked about. I wrote the episodes with the guy who created it, Daniel Stesson, and the whole process was awesome. It's half rotoscope-animation, half live action and it's gonna blow some minds.

Also, I got to work with my buds at Ralph Smyth again and Rooster Teeth on "Crunch Time" which is amazing. That's also comes out this summer for Rooster Teeth subscribers. It was shot out in Austin, TX, which I fucking love. And working with that production company is a joy. The produced Intramural errr "Balls out" which is a incredible movie that Beck and I got to be apart with. Most all of the people who were behind that movie I still work with and will continue to work with if I have anything to say about it.

Also, ignore the terrible marketing and MGM's huge fuck up and go watch "Ball's Out." ...That's another story.

Hey Nick, who's your best friend in the whole world, Jade or Clark?

Clark. Jade's my bestie too, but I can't tell her about the killings...

I once did the old renegon hold on you at a bar in Chicago. GoodNeighbor has dominated my sense of humor for the last 7 years, not everyone gets it, but when someone does we're instant friends. Thanks for bringing weirdos together.

Question: I feel that SNL forced you guys to dumb down your work for the general public. It felt like a lot of the weirdness that made you guys so funny and original was washed away. How did the writing/review process go for you? Did you feel like you had to make compromises when you wrote?

Making videos with 4 friends is a lot different and less complicated then making videos with 400 people. No one at SNL ever says "dumb this down" but you're audience becomes so broad. Overnight our audience went from "like minded dudes who happened to find our stuff online" to the "The entire United States." It's a whole different beast.

Ever had writer's blocks or problems with being creative while having to meet deadlines?

Yeah. That's part of the process. I find just typing anything helps. I will open up a text.doc or an email and just free flow type.

i.e.: "this is stupid, I can't think of anything to write what is the ending going to be I don't know you can do this just keep typing think think fuck this you can do better then this what if he shot the guy thats dumb what if they shoot the dad no no no no okay, just type you are doing your job I want a salad oh! I got it"

Hi Nick! I heard a rumor that you were a star water polo player before you got into comedy. Is there any merit to this?

I was possibly the worst volleyball player on the team. But I was pretty good at mooning other players below the water. The ol' "Hey, does my toe look weird? I think it's got an infection" They put their goggles on, take a peak under the water, and boom. Buttohole.

How do you get your inspiration?

I make decisions in my daily life based on how much fun it will be to tell the story the next day.

Basically that boils down to me doing really dumb stuff all the time, apologizing a lot, and from that I try and distill some humor.

Will you and Beck ever do another Theater of Life episode? Miss those

I truly hope so. That feels like a whole other life at this point.

Regarding theatre of life: are there any exercises or advice you have for getting better at original and self inspired humor/jokes/content? I feel like I'm a funny person but my humor is only circumstantial and I want to be funnier!! Also I binged theatre of life over and over again for like two years straight. You guys are the best!!!

Thanks!

A good thing is to always be creating whatever it is. A joke, film, song. Just let it pour out, don't judge it. And your personal style will develop. It's hard (especially early on) to not try and think "What do people want to see?' but I think a better angle is to think "What do I want to see?" If you are creating something that excites and entertains you, it's contagious.

Hi Nick!
I'm a huge fan of Good Neighbor, and I LOVE your vids, especially Keyboard.
Did anyone actually try to enter the best videos contest?

What's the process to become a writer on snl?

They like original voices. I know that sounds cliche. But do your thing. Produce your own vids. Work for free for a long time. If you get good, you will get paid for it somewhere or somehow. And if you're lucky, SNL will come knocking.

We made it pretty hard to enter the competition. But reuniting Sophies Choice was awesome. I think they are working on a rock opera now tentatively titled "Griffin's bag"

Hey Nick! I think you watched me and Ben Kronberg eat wings on Periscope once. So that's our personal connection. So you going on tour anytime soon?

I'm going to try and string together some dates this summer actually. I went out to Indy on a whim and did a couple dates and the response was real encouraging. TBH, I'm racked with self doubt and constantly think no one gives a shit about me, (and I'm sure plenty of people do not) but things like this AMA, and having people come out to shows is very very rewarding. It's something I hope to never have to stop. Also I'm a big boozer so being on the road is the best.

Your intro the last time you were on Rooster Teeth's On The Spot had me rolling laughing. Is messing with Jon as much fun as it looks?

Thanks! That's my boy Kirk Johnson. We keep trying to up our last appearance on his show. It's going to come to a head at some point and someones going to get hurt.

Yeah. Rissinger is super fun to fuck with. He sincerely hates it. He's built a whole life around it.

How much of videos like "sporty" or "toast" are scripted vs. improvised?

Sporty I can't really speak for because that's Kyle and Dave just fucking around but Toast was rehearsed and rehearsed and shot over two separate nights. We shot a version one night, decided we needed to go further with it, rejigged it, added the Ex-gf, and the beast, and re-shot it again.

That's a good lesson there. Don't settle. We have a handful of sketches that are fully cut, edited and sit on a hard drive somewhere because we weren't happy with the final product. We were always very critical of our own content. So when we finally got some eyes on it, we had a nice little stock pile of stuff we were happy with.

Any advice to three 20 yr olds starting a youtube sketch group?

Just try and make each other laugh. It's okay to jack some existing styles if that helps you create now, but the quicker you can get away from emulation and find your own brand, the better.

Why did you and Beck stop doing Theater of Life? That shit was tight

He moved to NY. I did not. Then I did. Then I moved back. And also Eric got HIV and was hospitalized for a long time.

Hey Nick! My entire dorm was such huge fans of Good Neighbor, and so many of your videos are inside jokes for us now that we're adults. There's just one question I've been meaning to ask you: what are your views on circumcision?

Haha! My friend JUST had a baby and this topic came up recently. I don't really know. It seems like a it's something that comes in and out of fashion. I got a pretty good cut on me. (see Instagram pic. Actually don't. It got taken down.) But some of those elephant noses out there look pretty good too. To each his own.

Hi Nick! I met you once in Austin a few years back, but you probably don't remember me. Was Donald Trump ever a guest while you were on SNL? If so, how did that make you feel?

No, he was not. And that's probably for the better.

Personally I don't know how I would have reacted to meeting the guy. He's a monster.

I really hope you, Beck and Kyle can get together and make some funny videos like the good ol' times! Have you guys considered putting up new material on Good Neighbor again?

Of course, but everyone is so busy. And we live on different coasts. It get's complicated. I know we will make something together again, it's just a matter of when.

On SNL did you ever get into a situation where a sketch you wrote or were part of that was aired that you felt afterwards just didn't hit like you thought it would?

Literally all the time. You are constantly making sacrifices, cuts, compromises for time, for the set, for whatever. But the show must go on so you just power through it and put on the show.

Does snl hold on to sketches written in the past for a possible revision and airing at a later date? Or does the writer keep the rights to it?

I don't really know... So much content is produced on a weekly basis so there really isn't a need to hold on to something. Some sketches will hit the table read a few times before finally going, but that is rare. The show has this momentum that sweeps up everything, so it's hard to hold on to an idea or be precious about anything.

Which drunk history's did you do? I loved every episode of that show.

The Philadelphia episode 2 seasons ago? And I just taped one for this new season. I was a fucking drunk wreck. Derek Waters has so much dirt on me...

EDIT: This one. http://www.cc.com/episodes/b8enkp/drunk-history-philadelphia-season-2-ep-209

Nick, love and miss you bud. What happened to your series about telling stories while running errands? Ps you're still the king

Seinfeld released a show called "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" and that was the final nail in the "Story Time" coffin.

Thanks D.

Do you view yourself primarily as a standup? Or an actor? Or a writer? Or all of the above? What's your favorite thing to do?

Do you have any plans, or even just any desire, to film a standup special?

All of the above.

And yes actually working on a stand up special now... Not sure where to tape it yet. But I do need an album asap so that's the main reason to hit the road and get those long ass sets.

Do you, Kyle, Beck, and Dave all keep in touch? It seems like them moving to the east coast has meant you guys aren't in the same circle anymore but I'd love to know if you all are still as close as the Good Neighbor Days.

Never shave your mustache.

Don't have the stache currently... But they grow pretty quickly on my dumb face.

Yeah, we are still very close. That shows schedule is crazy, but when we are in the same city, it's like nothing has changed.

Hey Nick, what type of comedy have you enjoyed doing the most since goodneighborstuff? For example standup, writing for SNL/other shows, being in movies/shows, etc.

LOVE GoodNeighbor and Theater of Life, hopefully one day you guys will be able to make some new stuff.

Stand Up has always been my favorite thing to do but I have been incredibly lucky with other entertainment jobs I have gotten. Writting animated shows on FOX (Golan the Insatiable, Major Lazer, Axe Cop) was so much fun and the entire staff, (producers, animators, writers) were all in the same building. It was a great time.

Being on camera is always fun, and I can't wait for you guys to see the stuff we shot last year.

SNL was so incredibly rewarding and exciting and stressful all at the same time and I would never give that experience up.

Thanks. Hopefully we will!

Me and my pals had a successful comedy sketch team that eventually ended due to us not seeing eye to eye. We all remained friends and me and another guy from the group still make videos but it just doesn't feel the same. How did you find inspiration for work after you and your buddies split up?

It was really tough. It's nice having that core group because you have that support around you. It's nice having a crew and people to bounce ideas off of, but there are so many people trying to do the same thing that it is easy enough if you look to find other people to collaborate even if your buds are a continent away.

How and when did comedy call you?

I knew when I was real young that I wanted to do comedy for a living. I was a bit of a child actor, so from the age of 3 till High school I would go on auditions all the time. I worked enough. Nothing that ever made me a child-star (which is probably for the better) but I was always surrounded by the film industry. Even without all that, I got so much satisfaction out of making my classmates laugh, and ideally the teachers too. It seemed to be what I was best at in school and since I cried every time I came up to bat in Little League I figured sports was out.

Hey man, I love drunk history, but when will we see "High Conspiracies" ??

Bonus Q: I'm a freshman in college, taking a media/film production class, kinda dig it. Can you tell a little about the path you took in undergrad to end up doin this cool shit????

Thank! Don't know what "High Conspiracies" is but if it's not a thing yet, you should film it.

I went to school for "Theatre" and "Film Writing" so that led pretty directly to being involved with a comedy group at school (Commedus Interuptus) and meeting Kyle, Beck and Dave in that same comedy group. We did improv every week and sketch twice a year. We started shooting videos with the 4 of us. Kept on shooting videos and when we got good enough and enough people had seen what we were doing it just kept opening more and more doors. It didn't happen over night. Took years and years of performing for free. Making videos for free. Working small jobs, commercials, waiting tables, anything. But we got lucky and we were ready when the opportunities came. There is really no secret way to end up doing this cool stuff. You just fill your life up with it at whatever level you are at, and as you get better you keep working more and more.

Hey Nick, huge fan of all Good Neighbor Stuff! You inspired me to have curly hair, any tips for a young guy trying to break through in the curly hair game?

Man, I fought my curly hair for so long. Growing up, all I wanted was a straight bowl cut like all the kids on "Home Improvement." It was years later when I just leaned into it. Tips? Avoid shampoo. Just conditioner.

Any chance of Kyle and Beck quitting SNL and y'all starting your own thing again? SNL is holding you all back IMO!

Probably not. I can't imagine us not working together again when we find the right project and our schedules line up.

What is the writing atmosphere like at SNL?

People always say it's really competitive. It is, but I think that gives the impression that people are sabotaging each other, or actively trying to ruin other stuff and that is not the case at all. Everyone is willing to help out on other sketches, but the problem is there is so little time over the course of the writing day/night and no one has time to work with everyone or help out on every request. Still, everyone is there for the same goal ultimately and I learned so much over the course of one season. If anything, the biggest lesson I learned is you are never out of ideas. You think you are every damn week, but you survive.

Was Golan the Insatiable a good cartoon?

Yeah! It really fucking was. It got buried by FOX. It was the weirdest thing see firsthand how networks can bury great projects for odd political reasons. (Golan was a Republican)

When you worked for SNL did you work with Danielle Kasen? I knew her in China, she would talk every day about how she was a writer for SNL and knew all of the stars. She also wrote for Homeland Security, all while being an ESL teacher in China. She's a pretty big deal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0BsW402fA

I did not. But she seems like she has good time management skills.