As part of Workaholics Week at UPROXX, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm were awesome enough to answer some questions about the show, how they embrace the internet, and how the internet embraces the show. They also indulged some mostly “tight butthole” questions that my buddies and I have discussed over beers. The guys — as expected — are exponentially hipper and funnier than I am and didn’t shy away from subjects like Juggalos, Rugrats, and Wet Guys vs. Dry Guys.
Since we dedicate the majority of our time at UPROXX to the intersection of web culture and entertainment, that’s where kicked things off, followed up by some quick fire questions that paint a clear picture (even if you don’t watch) of why Workaholics is a hit. A new episode airs tonight at 10:30 EST on Comedy Central with an in-show hashtag #TakeItSleazy that is just begging to become a trending animal.
With Workaholics being such a web-friendly show, do you guys actively discuss the internet while making it? Like, what aspects of the show will be embraced by the internet, lines that will get quoted, scenes people will love repeating on Twitter and Tumblr, that sort of thing?
Anders: Sure. The web is as relevant as TV or movies or music these days, so we’d be ignoring a major aspect of our culture if we didn’t talk about it. As far as quotes go, those just happen. Either the network or the fans will bite on something and it will end up with a life of its own.
Blake: I think its impossible not to actively discuss the internet anywhere anymore, unless you’re some really old old oldold. The internet is my favorite form of entertainment because it’s completely custom. But we don’t sit around the writer room saying “Hey what’s the next GIF and T-shirt!?!” It kinda happens organically, except for “tight butthole.” We definitely had a meeting where we decided we wanted to be the show that said “butthole” the most times in TV history.
How much time do you spend on the web and where do you spend it? Any particular sites or services you like to hit up for reactions or coverage?
Anders: I’m on Google News, What Would Tyler Durden Do?, Facebook (no so much anymore), my buddies blog Ignored Prayers (the realness), Deadline Hollywood, Pitchfork, and to top it off Sartorialist. And porn sites. As far as reactions, I just look at Twitter on my phone. The website sucks, the app is legit.
Blake: I have a blog routine I hit up, Ignored Prayers, Mishka Bloglin, Steaktooth, Pitchfork, Dior Paint, and then Twitter 800 times in between that. I really like putting “Workaholics” into Tumblr and seeing what the fans are doing. Turns out they’re smoking lots of weed… who would have thought?
Do you do the actually posting to your Tumblrs (The Ders Report and Blake’s Fun Time Place)?
Anders: We don’t write the Tumblrs. We’ve got two young go-hards on our staff named Steve “The Beef” White and Tony “The Choad” Goodman that do all the hilarious work on there.
Blake: No. That’s our Homies Oakland Tony and Beef. My official Tumblr is Uncle Blazer.
What are the most common things people say to you or ask you when they recognize you in public? Are there certain lines from the show people repeat without fail or will yell at you from across the street?
Anders: People will just say, “What’s up?” or shout, “Ders!” which is weird, just because only people that really know me called me Ders in the past. There goes that. Haven’t heard tight butthole for a while, which is a good thing.
Blake: A lot of “butthole” talk, which is all good as long as everyone I’m rollin’ with is clued in. I’ve had a few romantic dinners ruined by strange dudes coming up and telling me I have a tight butthole.
Whose idea was it to implement the in-show hashtags? They really hammer home the inside jokes and verbage of the show and seem to help build an even more loyal audience, was that the idea?
Anders: The hashtags were a good idea by the network. Every show is doing it now, not that we started it, but it gets the kids all wet, so I say, “Hoorah.”
Blake: That was all Comedy Central’s internet marketing. It’s cool when a hashtag takes off. For the most part they pick em but I fought really hard for #FreeKarl season one.
If you could choose one Workaholics Word of the Day (i.e. “Tight Butthole,” “Torqued,” “Crank Zone,” etc.) to really catch on in everyday vernacular which one would it be? Which one do you use most?
Anders: I suppose hearing a mom busting her kid for “Cranking Down” would be pretty funny. I don’t know what I say the most. I’m pretty heavy with the term “cat.”
Blake: In the high school episode Ders says, “Darius Rucker said it, so you know its real.” You would be surprised to hear how much we say that. Especially when we’re drunk, its like every other sentence, to the point of, like, you might punch one of us. “Darius Rucker tweeted so you know it’s real” is an alternate version as well.
@ 1:00 mark…
Do a lot of the plot ideas spawn from real life experiences or do they lean more to being totally random?
Anders: Ask Blake, if ya know what I mean.
Blake: Almost every idea spawns from something real we just expand on ideas and take them to the next level.
With everyone’s comedy background, how much dialog is ad-libbed?
Anders: Maybe 30 percent is off the top of the dome.
Blake: We have a pretty tight script but after we do a couple takes of the page we get real loose, like anything goes, lets see what happens, type stuff.
Will there ever be an origins episode?
Anders: Maybe.
Blake: If we can get me a good enough afro wig, yes.
What kind of research did you guys do for the Juggalos episode? Immersing yourself in that culture is a bit of a scary undertaking.
Anders: We watched like three internet videos and fell in love with the culture. Went from there.
Blake: We got A TON of free music and hoodies from the ICP camp so it got pretty deep. I’d always know about juggalos, there were a couple at my school who would rock ICP hockey jerseys. BADASS. But I’ve never been to The Gathering, still waiting for an invite. I’m not scared though, I think it looks like the most fun on earth.
How weird is it seeing Topher/Bieberhole69 on an NBC sitcom and not chilling in the Penthouse Penthouse?
Anders: Chris D’Elia is a homie to Workaholics from before we even had a show. He and Adam were LA standups together. I hope he’s on NBC as long as he wants to be stacking that network paper, telling jokes, dogg.
Blake: Chris D’Elia is one of the funniest standup comedians I have seen. I’m proud of him and if you watch Whitney with the backstory that he is in fact a child predator it only makes the show funnier.
How does one formulate an output of “SWAG”?
Anders: Very carefully.
BA: Lots of cooking and praying to BasedGod.
How did you guys pull off getting Marc Summers on the show? Did you really pay him in bear jacket?
Anders: We had a fallout trying to get a real NBA player to do the show cause we are nobodies with a cable show, but we swapped in the idea of Marc Summers and he was fully down. It was a mind blower and we’re all still best friends with the guy.
Blake: I still don’t know!!! That guy is a hero legend and I’m not just talking Nickelodeon here, Unwrapped is one of the rawest shows on television. But with that said he did not get the bear. I will be buried in that coat sir.
Who’s your all-time favorite professional wrestler?
Anders: If I had to choose one, and for this interview I guess I do, I would choose Lex Luger: The Narcissist. Cat was concrete.
Blake: Hollywood Hulk Hogan. When you’re nWo, you’re nWo 4 Life.
Does Blake use mustache wax?
Anders: Only if you consider alligator j*zz mustache wax.
Blake: No, but I get taco grease in it. Does that count?
Who’s going to sleep with Alice first? Can’t say Jillian.
Anders: We want her to start bucking a big name celeb to break Adam’s heart. Problem is we can’t get any big name celebs. We’re holding out for Jake Gyllenhaal. You’re welcome, Maribeth (actress who plays Alice).
BA: Jet Set already has. Waymond is next in line.
Wet guy or dry guy? Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain.
Anders: All dry, all the time.
Blake: Ron Paul: Wet rub, dry fire. Mitt Romney: wet. He uses his hair gel. Herman Cain: Former chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. That’s all we need to know.
Who’s your favorite Rugrat?
Anders: That black chick sounded kinda fine. What was her name? With the pig tails.
Blake: R.I.P. Melville. Chuckie’s pet rollie pollie. He was a muthaf*ckin soldier.
Many thanks to Blake and Anders. Check out the rest of Workaholics Week here. Enter our caption contest to win a t-shirt and Workaholics season one on DVD.