Kind is the announcer and host sidekick on the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing. You must understand — it's anarchy," he says of the show. He spoke with Terry Gross about having ego but no confidence, working with Sondheim, and working in his father's jewelry store as a teen. Ken Tucker reviews Kendrick Lamar and SZA's single "Luther."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: Who is Richard Kind and what is Everybody's Live with John Mulaney?
That's my guest actor Richard Kind in his current role on the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney as the announcer and Mulaney's sidekick. He does sketches too.
The show conforms to the late night format in the sense that there's an opening monologue, but then it becomes a panel discussion on a specific subject like funerals, loaning people money, and getting fired with guests like Pete Davidson, Michael Keaton, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, John Waters, and Wanda Sykes.
Everybody's Live is live on Netflix Wednesday nights and streams after that. Richard Kind has been in hundreds of movies and TV shows. In the series Only Murders in the Building, he was the neighbor Vince Fish, a.k.a. Stink Eye Joe, with a highly contagious case of pink eye. In the animated film Inside Out, he was the voice of the imaginary friend Bing Bong.
Chapter 2: What are Richard Kind's notable acting roles and career highlights?
In the Coen Brothers film A Serious Man, he was the deeply troubled brother. Earlier in his career, he co-starred in the series Mad About You and was a cast member of the Carol Burnett show Carol and Company. His youthful ambition was to be in a Stephen Sondheim musical. He's been in two.
He starred in a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts. And in the musical Bounce, he originated the role of Addison Meisner and got to work with Sondheim. Kind was in the Michael J. Fox series Spin City. In Curb Your Enthusiasm, he was Larry David's cousin Andy.
And I think he's still angry that a recent series he co-starred in, East New York, was canceled after one season. Angry because he thought it was really good. Let's start with a clip from the latest episode of Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. Mulaney explains that Kind got hit on the head with a Kiss album, which left him with a traumatic brain injury, and now he thinks he's Gene Simmons.
He's dressed like Simmons, his hair is like Simmons, and he talks like Simmons, too. After he says something vulgar to Mulaney, Mulaney starts to apologize to the audience.
Okay, so normally I'd apologize for such a crass comment. Gentlemen!
I crave ideas, and when an idea hits me, it grips me, and it tortures me until I master it.
Listen, Gene, I know you think you're Gene Simmons, man, but Richard, if you're in there somewhere, please, just give me a sign.
I didn't expect you to greet me with open arms, but I did expect open legs.
Richard Kind, welcome to Fresh Air. I have to ask you, because this question is as much about me as it is about you. So when I interviewed Gene Simmons many years ago, he said to me, if you want to welcome me with open arms, you'll also have to welcome me with open legs.
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Chapter 3: How did Richard Kind prepare for and feel about his role on Everybody's Live?
Now it's I better be good. We're on live all over the world on Netflix, all over the world. What if I say something that's so unfunny or, God forbid, something I would regret saying? I can't take it back. I'm scared.
Yeah, yeah.
That's part of the fun. Somebody asked, is this the largest audience you've ever played to? I said, yes. The world is the largest audience I've ever played to. Yeah.
You're an actor, and you've been in so many things, but you're not a big celebrity. Like, everybody's seen you in at least one thing. So many people know who you are, but you're not famous in the way that your good friend George Clooney is famous. That is correct. And you've said you like it that way.
I didn't know I would like it that way because my brain, much less my career, has gone through different permutations over the years. When I was a kid... You know, a kid lies in bed and dreams of being center fielder for the Yankees or, you know, being an astronaut, being a rock star. I wanted to be a movie star. I wanted to be up and, you know, on the big screen.
The funny thing is when I was angry at my parents, I wasn't going to write them a note that I'm running away. I was going to make a film and show it in the theater. That's how I was going to tell them I'm running away. A film about them? Yeah, and go, I'll show you. I'm going to go make it big and you'll see. You'll see. You'll be sorry that you didn't let me go see that movie.
And that's what I thought about. So, you know, it was, that's what it was. And I had a dream. My grandparents used to take me to Broadway because they lived in New York. We lived near, we lived in Pennsylvania in Bucks County. And so I would come where I was from. My joke is you either went to the Spectrum to see the Rolling Stones or you went to Madison Square Garden.
I went to Madison Square Garden. All my friends went to the Spectrum and still live in Philly. I went to New York because that's what I knew. My grandparents showed me the city. And I wanted to be Zero Mostel. Zero Mostel and Robert Preston. That's who I wanted to be.
Oh, well, you got to be Zero Mostel. I did. You've been in his role in two shows. And a funny thing happened on the way to the Forum. I did.
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Chapter 4: Why does Richard Kind prefer being less famous than major celebrities?
You're wonderful. You're a treasure. Oh, my gosh, you're the best. We love you. My whole family loves you. And that's one person. And I passed 250 people who don't know who I am. So it's wonderful to get the accolades and it's humbling to just keep walking. I like to keep walking now. When I was a kid, I wanted to be stopped by everybody. Now I have a life.
I want to play a clip from the series Girls 5 Ever about a girl group that reunites.
You really did your work. Yeah, that's a good one.
Oh, oh, oh, wait, wait.
Here's somebody, right? What do I know you from?
Everything. I got an IMDB page longer than a wizard's beard.
You're Richard Kind. Oh, you're Bing Bong. Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?
Why?
My girl group booked Radio City because we're making our big comeback and we haven't sold any tickets because of a variety of reasons.
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Chapter 5: What insights does Richard Kind share about celebrity life and privacy?
CBS receipt.
CBS receipt. That's funny. Pretend I said that.
Can you do something at our show? I could really use someone who could move the needle.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not a needle mover. And that's by design. I've spent the past 40 years striking the perfect balance between constantly working and never getting bugged in a deli. And another thing.
Why would you say and another thing and then take a big bite?
I mistimed it. You overshot. Never chase the big time. The big time is bad news. That's when the fighting starts. People get desperate. Friends turn on each other. What you want is the medium time. Never above number five on the call sheet of life. That's happiness. Look at me. I work every day of my life doing what I love. Well, not today. Today I had a doctor's appointment. I'm fine.
And then I walk by here, I see the spread, I put some tissue in my collar, and I pretend like I'm working here.
What is this, anyway? Euphoria. Did I guest on this show? Eh, it doesn't matter. The important thing is... I don't have time for this!
Zendaya! Maude Apatow!
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Chapter 6: How did Richard Kind come to work with Stephen Sondheim and what was that experience?
Chapter 7: What is Richard Kind's perspective on confidence and feeling like a fraud in acting?
Chapter 8: What advice does Richard Kind have for balancing a career and personal happiness?
I want to talk with you about working with Stephen Sondheim and being, like, originating a role, originating a Stephen Sondheim role. Wow. Unfortunately, it was a show that never quite caught on and went through several iterations and even several titles. So you were in Bounce as Edison Meisner, one of two brothers who, was it Boca Raton that they helped build?
Mm-hmm.
You originated a role, and before we talk about what it was like to work with Sondheim on a Sondheim musical, I want to play a song from it, and it's called Get Out of My Life. And I chose this because it's a good song, and you're really great in it. This song is part singing and part really acting. Thank you. Because you're angry with this. Mm-hmm. And it really shows you off.
There's a song by Stephen Sondheim from his musical Balance with my guest, Richard Kind.
Addie? I just want you to know that I appreciate... Get out of my life!
Get the hell out of my life!
Whatever this race we're in, okay, you win. It's done! And now that you've won, get out of my life! It used to be fun to watch you scheme and even be a part of it.
At the start of it, it got to be fun to stand and beam at the suckers. But I learned that from you. I thought that we'd go from scheme to dream.
But then I thought we were a team. Amen. No.
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