Andy Richter's Tradesman Mentality Fuels Adaptable Media Career

Key Quotes

"I would say what I like to do and I often I often do this on my podcast is that I have the engineer start recording the second the person walks in the door and often people I'll start we'll start talking I'll start talking to the person and then we'll be talking for five minutes and they'll say like wait is this the podcast and I'm like yeah yeah that's I very much value authenticity in conversation and so when you tease something up with my next guest is blah blah blah blah blah you're already putting it into a framework that isn't conducive to real human interaction you're already putting it into a commercial vessel when you set it up that way."

Andy Richter explains his preference for capturing authentic, unscripted moments at the beginning of interviews. He believes that by starting the recording immediately and allowing conversation to flow naturally, guests are more likely to engage in genuine human interaction rather than feeling like they are performing for a commercial product. This approach prioritizes authenticity over a pre-packaged introduction.

"I will say though that like this kind of conversation is completely different than talk show conversation talk show conversations are they're like gas station food to real conversations you know fine dining because everything is so commodified and so quick and so compressed and and it's about getting it over with in six or seven minutes and and heating a laugh."

Richter contrasts the nature of podcast conversations with traditional talk show interviews. He characterizes talk show interactions as "gas station food" -- quick, commodified, and focused on immediate laughs and brevity. In contrast, he views deeper conversations as "fine dining," implying a more substantial and less rushed experience.

"What I meant by that was that I I had higher aspirations just in terms of being a comedic performer I had gone into the Conan show and it was a kind of a we were starting from scratch and we were kind of doing I don't know what the phrase you know postmodern you know a comment on a talk show more than a talk show and I didn't mean any insult to Ed McMahon I just meant that he was part of an old paradigm that I didn't feel like we were going to be indulging in and that I felt that like Conan's and my partnership and our relationship and our whole way of doing business would have a lot more sort of equity and there'd be more equality between the two of us than there would be between like Ed and Johnny."

Richter clarifies his desire not to be a sidekick like Ed McMahon, explaining it stemmed from a personal ambition to be a comedic performer with a more equal partnership. He felt the Conan O'Brien show was creating a new, more collaborative dynamic, distinct from the older model where the sidekick was perceived as less central. This reflects a conscious effort to define his role beyond a traditional supporting position.

"I mean say I got on a a TV show a multi or a single camera television show and I was working 12 hour days five days a week I don't know if I would be a podcaster anymore because it's this is something I do that is in the absence of other things and I started doing it while I was on the Conan show still and I enjoy doing it but it is you know it's it's not my first thing it's you know this is something that I'm doing like I said in the absence of other things and I don't you know I hope that doesn't seem like I'm devaluing it it's that makes me feel kind of bad why I don't know but like this is the sidekick not the real thing no well you mean for you or you mean for me for both of us oh well I can't help you with that for me podcasting is a real thing now."

Richter describes podcasting as a pursuit he engages in when other acting work is less available, acknowledging it's not his primary focus but something he enjoys. He differentiates his perspective from the interviewer's, who suggests podcasting might be seen as a "sidekick" role, by stating that for him, podcasting has become a significant and valid endeavor in its own right.

"I don't think it does to be frank I think there will always be people that sit at a desk and interview people because it's cheap it's a cheap easy way to get content I mean talk shows exist because they're cheap there's a publicity machine that needs places to display their wares and so networks figured out well we'll just get a desk and a band and a couch and we can get stars in here to fill the time and we can say we have stars on and then they sell their movie or they sell their tv show or their book or their personal brand of chili or whatever they're doing and and then you write some jokes in the middle and it's all very cheap and I have people obviously that I know and love who still work in that industry and you know like I had Jimmy Kimmel on my podcast and I said well you know the ratings are down all over the place or it's just not that many people watching and he said no no no you know there are there are the same amount of people watching they're just watching in different ways and I was like all right because I love him I'm like okay fine but in my head I'm like okay yeah they're watching different ways but there's a lot less people watching they're just they're just is and the number diminishes and the numbers like the tonight show or or Cole Bear's like big numbers now would have gotten us canceled at 12:30 back in the 90s because the the it's just such a different world."

Andy Richter expresses his belief that late-night television, as a cultural force, no longer holds the same significance. He attributes this to the format being a cost-effective content generator for publicity needs, rather than a primary driver of viewership. Richter acknowledges that while the number of viewers might be debated, the overall audience size has diminished significantly compared to previous eras.

"I had no dance experience whatsoever I don't think of myself as a particularly graceful person but what I do know is how to be on television and I do know how to entertain people and for some reason one reason or another whether it was a you know directive from the people up top or what social media has become a very big part of this show and my partner Emma Slater understood that innately um even though she's been on previous years and and never had been as active as she was but she just kind of had decided and she told me the first time we met we're going to do two or three tiktoks a day and then you know and then there was tiktoks go on instagram so it's you know it ends up kind of being cross platform and I said sure I was up for it."

Richter explains his approach to "Dancing with the Stars," highlighting that despite lacking dance experience, he leveraged his television and entertainment skills. He credits his partner, Emma Slater, for recognizing the importance of social media, particularly TikTok, in