and he also has a new book now an oral history of the office. and it's right here for christmas. how many office fans do you have on your christmas list? brian bombgardener right after this shawn dennis miller plus one. hey folks. welcome to dennis miller plus one. happy to welcome bryan bomb gardner to the show course, best known as kevin malone on the critically acclaimed n b c comedy series. the office, which is it's the classic hi. lo, it's the tigris and euphrates of droll becomes completely an aide in the next breath. one of the funny shows of overseas brian has a new book called welcome to done to mifflin, the ultimate oral history of the office, reuniting the cast of the iconic show and sharing behind the scenes stories. it's

currently available in bookstores and online. and this is our friend bryan baumgartner. hey bry happy holiday is brother. happy holidays. janice, how are you doing? i'm good man. and you know, as i see your backdrop here, i'm reminded that there, there is a whole different world of show business now. and some guys play it so well and are so in demand that you've got to install something in the home that echoes back to like the mo, time studio. so the need goods and that because you're killing the uncanny and so congrats on the cool looking home studio brother. thank you. i can't unlike you, i can find somebody to, to, to pay rent for me somewhere else. no, i just put it right here in my house. there you go. rather than they used to call that the, the, the ramp is room at home. now it's called the right off for because you get to, you get to measure that room and send it into your account. your property taxes.

hey, now listen. welcome to the under missile and i can't wait to read it. the only thing that holds me right now, these oral histories are so great, the bowie one was unbelievable. and then there's a good one right now called take the gun, leave the canolli about the godfather or history. and then there's a great one that i'm currently reading about the sopranos. as soon as i finish that, i'm jumping in a welcome to the under mifflin. but this seems to be sort of a dim song approach to writing depictions of a show that people like tidbits that they can read one of the time from different perspectives. it's a pretty cool approach, isn't it? right? yeah, i mean look, yes and also for me dennis, i have to tell you like the reason this happened was because the office has just gone nuts. right? i mean, you know, the office was the number one scripted show on nbc for a large portion when it was on. but we weren't like, i say to people,

we weren't like friends like we, we weren't, you know, in time square on billboards or on the cover of vogue every other week or whatever . but like, what's happened over the last couple of years with the show 1st it was anecdotal people, you know, talking sort of this research and walking through an airport or are going to dinner . and then when the numbers started coming out, that nielsen released about streaming 57100000000 minutes dreamed in 2020, i like that number is a way bigger than i can even imagine. and so really this, this oral history truly was about me trying to discover why, like, what, how, what, what, how did we go from there to now, not filming anything in 8 years, and it being the most watch show and television. so for me, it truly what i'm not

a reporter, but i was like, i wanted to try to uncover at least try to uncover some of the answers as to why people have, have gone so crazy for the show. the last few years. i would say highly binge bull, probably the most benjamin shell because it runs, it doesn't run hot nonstop. i tried to watch 2 episodes of the vikings one night back to back and i spawn tediously human combust that i can only watch so many people. this symbolic, my lad, the impaler and everything harkins, everybody's whipping bows out. beholden, archer. i couldn't walk. i could watch your 8 of these in a row and just sorta get into it. and like, think of it as a day at the office. when i use the office jobs, it's well written. it's smart. people kill me, i laugh. lot. but it does run so hot, but it hurts my brain after 2 hours. yeah. you know, it's, it's weird something that greg daniels talked about who, who created to show that,

that it was, it was not on purpose, right? because streaming, when we started, didn't exist. but there are there, there are a lot of story lines throughout the show to your point that are told in like 4 to 6 episode chunks. right, like interest alba comes on as the boss for like $4.00 to $6.00 episodes. you know, you know, john present sky or, you know, gym halpert leaves the office for like 4 to 6 episodes and so it can be or what people have talked about. it's like, i can put it on. i can watch this little story and then you know, the next day, watch the next one or whatever, but it wasn't, wasn't on purpose. and also no laugh track, no audience track. i mean, you know, that being you begin to feel like a manipulative. when that happens, i can just watch this and go, that's great. right? i don't have to be coaxed into it by be up skinner or something. i don't, i'm trying to think when you, who i'm intrigued because i have

a guest who would be reticent to the loquacious about this and who would be garrulous, but tell me who jumped on board. i had great stories and love the rec, can't. you know here a true like i know this sounds like like a p r b s answer, but i think because 8 years had passed right. 7 to 8 years since we filmed anything . and because of this research, and so i was talking about before, i was shocked at how incredibly generous people were with their time. i mean, steve caroll for example, was working on space for us at the time. and i was like trying to schedule him and he was very busy as a very busy man. he sat down with me for 3 and a half hours. yeah. and we talked and then left and i was like, oh i'll walk you to your car. we go to his car and we talk for another 30 minutes and i'm like, damn it. i wish i had my camera in my notes or whatever,

but like people are, i think like me, genuinely curious about about what happened and going back kind of to the beginning and looking at decisions that were made that, you know, had that have made it where we are today, you know, i don't know corral, i've never met him. i'm a huge fan. but dana carvey worked with him way back when he, when he was in his embryonic state. and dana told me that he had so eager to please and such a pleasant cat with such great manners. he just speaks so highly of what a great guy to hell, michelle. and it's funny when i watch career, all you forget all hands to me is and i always think of curls. part on the show is like very debonair going and listeners complete, clued clueless, but not in a goofy looking guy. sort of like a guy who would carry some says cache in an office. yeah. you know, jenna fisher actually, she had a really funny bet, which was that there is, there is an unspoken competition happening in hollywood who is the nicest guy. will

ferrell or steve corral like they are both just so incredibly generous and really quite frankly, softspoken you know, the sort of the, the antithesis of, you know, say robin williams or whatever, who was sort of on all the time. always really funny. very soft spoken goes about his business, but when he's on, he's just it doesn't get any funnier. i think carouse moved into the pool position there. since all i just read that will goes to that m a k. in the course of what conversation he just says, have a good life because mccaden call him to audition for a board and something and i will, you don't get that high without having to steal the side. and he just wills in the course of one phone conversation we're, we're talking to our friend brian bombgardener in the book is out. it's called and can you imagine if you who doesn't have an office fan and their family were in the

sweet spot here 2 weeks out. welcome to the under mifflin, the ultimate oral history of the off is, get it for the holidays. what did silverman play and i brothers, he just coming in were sharp elbow to me. i've met silverman over the years. i dig him, but he is the master of carving out turf. did he play any part? is it in a locket tour here? did he just put his exec prod, brand on it? no, no, ben. and i really served as partners. i mean, he, he's really the one who approached me about going through this. deciding how we wanted to tell the story. he felt like it was time and, and that's why, for me, i was, this is such a cliche. but at the time when we started working on this, i had become a fan of true crime podcasts. right. and so what i said to him was okay, luck like we can go back and we can tell stories and there will be that like, will, will tell behind the scenes things that happened. but i was like, let's approach this book. let's approach this story like a true crime podcast,

right? but it's not like who killed who, or where did is this missing person? it's really going in and trying to figure out what happened in terms of who was hired in terms of things you talked about before. no laugh track the moving camera . yes. you know what happened that is given this long jeopardy and no silverman, very enter goal to, you know, i sat down and did the interviews specifically, but in terms of crafting the journey and for writing the book, he and i were total partners. why know daniel's when he was almost embryonic and comedy, he was sancho panza. conan over at s l u c. corner, you wouldn't say much because he's a well man, he was a sweet man. i always thought and what he would talk occasionally you'd say something under his breath burgeon over the years. voting 1st. got i got christ. that's for who is the guy he just drove. he was a master of draw. cough but tell me, tell me about greg. he's a good guy,

right. greg is, i mean, he's the best he truly is a genius and you know, he approach one of the things we talk a lot about in the book is, you know, the 1st episode of the american office right was, was essentially the exact same as the british which people kind of filleted us for . but what he said was, look, i want to build a world, i want to create an environment and began creating characters. but specifically like really hot, you know, everybody who shoots a pilot and all feel shiny and new. and he's like, no, no, no, that guy, kevin malone has been sitting in the corner for 12 years. so we need to, we need to make it feel like he's been sitting in the corner for 12 years. and greg just had this sense. and just like he was dogmatic in his approach to, he would walk around like muttering like truth and beauty, truth and beauty,

truth and beauty and would be like what he's why, what are you talking about? and he's like, everything has to be true. i like be funny, but everything has to be true. and through that, we're going to find little moments of, of beauty, either comedy, beauty, or, or realism, beauty, monday, inverse similitude is an absolutely full place for me to hang my hat, comedy wise, i, li, i could watch it all day. i mean the sinew and gary showed larry said, you know, there was the fireworks, you know, the day, the day when they would nail the, the 9 to 5 of it. and at what everybody sitting on their rage, their joy, those little corners all match together. vague for a beautiful, a crossword for ira, didn't think so. i puzzle. and the show the show was that i, i, well, i mean, i mean biggest fan. so there you go for i got bombgardener is with us. i'm going to talk to him after the break about where he gets his upbringing and what leads him,

tell a what leads him to the show. and also, my man is the he is the, the main guy over on cameo. you know that thing where people right in and there's a way to do it where you look pissy and i think they'll be off your sent in a day. and as a way to do it where you have fun with it and look like you want to do the best for the people. and it's like an ober driver getting all 5 stars eventually they're looking for you. and bry stands a top with cameo world like a latter day colossus approach. we'll pick apart that on the other side of the rake . brian bombgardener, dennis miller plus one ah, who's diagnosed with cancer in 2000. when the doctors told me the cancer was incurable, i knew i had to make a change. so i decided to travel to one of the most toxic places in america.

florida. one of florida is biggest industries and best kept secrets is phosphate mine in the biggest layer is $85000000000.00 industry. is mosaic, and i, there are reports of millions of gallons of contaminated water now flowing into the florida aquifer made from there's the chronic. i don't want to hear that word poaching, but that's what it is. i'm in 2013 my uncle, our family dog. my brother was 21 years old, myself and my father were all diane rob, rob did. they brought a 100. wow. yeah. all right, i'm a good player, right? yeah, yeah. maybe they'll actually learn more help is more important to join me every 1st aid on the alex simon. sure. i'll be speaking to guess with the world,

the politics sport business. i'm show business. i'll see you then the right folks. welcome back to dennis miller plus one. we're joined by brian baumgartner. you know, of course is kept malone on. the genius and b. c comedy series for the ages. now the office has a new book called welcome to de, under mifflin, the ultimate oral history of the office, reuniting the cast to the iconic sho sharing behind the scenes stories currently available in bookstores and on lines. grab one for the holidays. well, the grab is good, where we are born covers what, what, what got in your blood early to begin show bench atlanta, georgia. i came, i came from the deep south. i was an early for me, i was a sports guy early on and some, some things led me to start doing theater to start participating and thinking it

was just a hobby and went to northwestern university. north western university had a program between junior and senior year of high school or were sort of like intensive. and i was like 6 weeks. i was like, i can go away and stay in a college dorm before i've graduated from high school. i am, i am in and really it was about fun and activity for me and, and i fell in love with it there and was like, oh there's, there's something deeper here. i mean, for me it was about being an actor. like it was about creating characters that was just what excited me. and so i ended up going to assume you there in dallas for college and studied theater and acting and, and did theater for a number of years all around the country and eventually found my way to los angeles . i can't imagine how much fun it must be because northwestern. perfectly positive

for your parents didn't say. yeah, go away. you're right up the road from chicago, one of the great old time towns, the only time that could rival the great varsity in atlanta for hot dog sales. there you can be up there safe and it must have been so exhilarating to to be sure that we're able to go over and see any step with stuff on weekends or anything like that. yeah, i did. yes. and, and went to being a sports fan, went to old kamisky park. that was that color gray. and i've never seen it said maybe the dallas stars are close to green and white. they had the great brats, man, i love kamisky. yeah. it was, it was, it was awesome. and, and yeah, i went to steppenwolf and then a lot of the thing, i mean, a huge vibrant theater. seeing that i ended up going back 2 years later when i graduated from college at some time there. but yeah,

amazing. amazing city. i can imagine that. so getting in the blood there because you know badge and between your junior year and your senior year in high school, the worlds are oyster in your mind. yeah. it's only later in life. you find that some people are allergic to crustaceans, but at that moment the world is your oyster. you're right in the game. was the bit of beautiful, exciting. so amazing. and yeah, that's when i, i fell in love with that and decided that i was one of those kids early on. i knew what i wanted to do and, and, and everything from that point on was what was about becoming an actor. well, you ended up in a well, as i said, for all time comedy, but the comedy is dry. it's not like, you know? yeah, yeah, in the world looks wonderful. but i'm wondering early on what is more drama or comedy and what comedians did you like? you know, it's a great, it's a great question that nobody ever asked me. i did much more drama early on in

theater. and i think that actually we, we talk about this a little bit in the book that i think that part of greg daniels genius that we talked about before. and probably the greatest comedy casting director in of all time. allison jones, what they did, whether they knew it or not, but the collection of people that they got to, to, to populate that office, not just as individuals, but their experience. right. so just to name a few like rain. wilson and myself really came from straight theater. then you got corral and angela kenzie. cape flannery who work improper people. craig robinson, i don't know if you've seen crag robinson do see. the funny is one of the funny is he puts on one of the funniest shows of all time b, j. novak did stand up. so i think all of that diversity of experience,

both in acting and, and, and theater and comedy. really all of us together locked in that room with no fake walls and the camera moving around. and us being able to throw the ball back and forth to each other who had this, this variety of experience. i think that is part of what made the ensemble what it was. yeah. and the casting lady repeat her name because i'm an allison jones. allison jones, she killed those 2 leads. kazinsky, are you just look, i mean, he's the guy women. there's often the bad boy that women do fall in love with the cool, funny good who they should love with he and that space and she's like, i don't know. is it possible to find a sweeter sweetheart than her? they were so good together. yeah. unbelievable. well, how do you get from chicago or i don't even know if you go there after northwestern

. do you say you went back to the theatre? seen the segue. do like leap frog to chicago not to al or tell me at all. it happens. yes. so i grudge i graduated from in dallas and then yeah, i started doing that regional theater circuit. right. so the goth or i spent a bunch of time in minneapolis, the ga 3 and i had her perform that's an amazing hitler rating to be at the yes very. and everybody very close and intimate but huge. it's awesome. and berkeley wrap out in california, a c p. and so you know, i just started doing, i started doing that and i really thought that was my, my life was, was theater. i love doing it and, but it's, it's tough. i mean, as you know, it's, you know, 8 shows a week, monday is your day off and who has mondays off like it's, it's really tough. and eventually i decided to move to los angeles. and,

and that was just where kismet happen for me. about 34 months after i moved to los angeles, i met greg daniels and been silver minor. folks on the office. wow. you know what it is debilitating in a way i used to visit already. sure. when he was doing a little me and it shows that he literally was at the pump back and he loved it. he was game for it, but it's debilitating in a way. but i'm reading a great book right now. we're a guy interviews the 1st ladies and for his gentlemen of broadway. i can't remember the guy's name is a great oral history sorta guy. yeah, i was reading donna mckechnie last night and she would talk about a course slide. and she said she was able to grab herself right before she went on stage tickets like 10 bucks or something at the beginning. you know, it became a big thing. but you know, when they were working doing the workshop. but she said, i would tell me that somebody's $10.00, i gotta go kill this and is as debilitating as could be. and i can see why eventually you'd want to get away and get into something a little more or less,

less time, more reward. but it must, it's exhilarating to it's such a it's like right stuff faster. not man. it's exhilarating the know you can play in that circle. right. it is really interesting that that story. i should check out that book too because yeah, there were time. i know if you are seeing that, that movie a great movie, the dresser. sure right. where is doing, you know, his 1000 performance of king lear and there was so now we're going deep dennis. there was a show that i ended up doing and not nearly for that long, but sort of off and on for, for a couple of years. where i played an old kabuki woman or an old woman in kabuki make up so white face with red and black in this traditional and of course they're in the theater. there is no makeup artists, right? like i'm doing it myself and i kept, i would think about that, but the dresser as i'm just like putting on that make up for like the 800 time

thinking can i do this? can i do this? can i do this? and then of course, you know, 5 minutes before you know, you're just yeah, you perform because the people are there and there's nothing like that per, at all. experience smell of the grace plane or the crowd. nobody had a gun to get into it. now you do that, and i mean i was always able to grab it somewhere and just shot up for god sakes, you're comedian. tell joe, get check. people people laugh just slap you on the back. more than people legitimately deserves lapse on the backs ever get. i used to think it was always great, you know, i know you that the offers and now. 4 i pray on visit really is gravy gravy, but man, i always thought about show business. i sense that you did to i'm going to dig this ride. i'm not going to be neurotic about this 100 percent. yeah, absolutely. tell me about cameo, and now this is for the uninitiated audience,

and probably everybody knows this. now this is like another stream of revenue people hook up with people who are famous and asked them to tape messages. well, you explained it better. me to and kevin is the number one i on the number one earner go ahead, poly will not my number one or tell me well, listen, i was very, very reticent and hesitant when it was approached me. i just, i didn't really understand it, felt it just it, nothing about it felt right. and i kept being told by a few people who were on like you should really give it a try because i think it's different than, than what you think. and here's how i view it now. right? is that it's not, it's actually not about celebrity. it's not about me. what it is, especially for me, i mean comedy. so people want to laugh and people have good feelings about the office. but to me, it is a father who watched the show or was

a fan of kevin malone with his daughter or a boyfriend and a girlfriend, or a service member overseas sent by their spouse here at home. it is about them wanting to make a connection together for the special about it's not about me. it's about here, here is a way, here's a show, here's a person that makes us feel closer together. death. so how i, how i go about it is literally that, that i am the conduit between 2 people making a connection. and they have fond memories of me or the show or whatever else that, that i might have done. but it's about that. and that keeps me excited about it and enthusiastic about it and feel actually lucky to be given the opportunity to be

a part of so much human connection. i know that sounds cheesy and i would say to my friends the opposite of teasing. well, it's to me that is, that is what it's about. and i, you know, my joke now is i think i should investigate this. i should now be in the guiness book of world records. i think that i have successfully proposed to more people than anyone else on the planet. now they weren't marrying me, but i asked the question and got a yes. as a response. i think now i think i lead the world of all time or ever and ever you'd have to knock bob evans when he was had a pair of data slot, because i think he's held that what it was. let's, let's call it a post modern handwritten note. you can set hallmark cards in there printed in blog printing, or you can send this thing where it's at least choreographed

a little. there's a request made and like you said, it's to me, it's not quite quill pen. but it's certainly a handwritten notes if somebody had written love letter. and like i said, our friend brian is the most sought after guy over on cameo, which is sweet. brian bombgardener has been joining us last week. and it's nice to meet him. i'm always such a big fan. welcome to dundas mifflin, the ultimate oral history, the office available for the halls here at reunited the cast and the iconic show they sure they're behind the scenes stories available bookstores, online. good to meet your brother. thank you so much, dennis. happy holidays, holidays. ah, very kaiser christmas now santa claus and rudolph were scheduled to deliver

a bounty of toys today. but due to the supply chain constraints and the cost of feeding the reindeer, skyrocketing down there to terminate into the living room, pop stand, collins, to explain all this to us. dan, welcome to our kaiser, christmas show. merry christmas. everybody else look forward to talking to you all that technology should work for people. a robot must obey the orders given by human beings, except where such order that conflict with the 1st law show your identification. we should be very careful about artificial intelligence at that point. obviously is to great trust, rather than fear. a very job with artificial intelligence, real summoning with

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