Adam McArthur on Anime, The Simpsons & the Sweetest First Kiss Ever

Chris Parnell joins Nancy Cartwright for a hilarious conversation spanning Saturday Night Live, Rick and Morty, Archer, voice acting, comedy, and the unforgettable sketches and characters that have defined his career. From the truth behind SNL’s legendary “More Cowbell” sketch to playing Jerry Smith across the multiverse, Chris shares stories from a career that has made him one of comedy and animation’s most recognizable voices.Chris takes Nancy behind the scenes of “More Cowbell,” revealing how Will Ferrell wrote the sketch, why Christopher Walken was the perfect host for it, and how Ferrell made one very important wardrobe choice: getting his famous shirt a size or two too small. Chris remembers struggling to keep a straight face as Ferrell played the cowbell inches away from him, while Jimmy Fallon famously cracked up in the background. He also clears up one important piece of SNL history: no, that wasn’t actually Chris singing the Blue Öyster Cult track.The conversation also explores Chris’s years on Saturday Night Live, including the painful experience of being fired—and the remarkable story of fellow cast members reportedly going to bat for him before he was eventually rehired. Chris discusses why he memorized his scripts instead of relying heavily on cue cards, how that once backfired when a sketch was rewritten without anyone telling him, and why live television leaves very little room for improvisation.Animation fans get plenty, too. Chris talks about recording multiple versions of Jerry Smith in Rick and Morty, his early exposure to voiceover through his father’s home recording studio, and landing Archer, where he spent 14 years playing Cyril Figgis. He also reflects on conventions, his castmates, and the strange experience of people recognizing Jerry’s voice without necessarily recognizing the man behind it.Chris and Nancy also compare the worlds of The Simpsons, SNL, and animated television, talk about raising kids around video games, auditions, anonymity, musical comedy, and what it takes to stay working in entertainment for decades. And naturally, there are donuts—including an extremely serious debate over whether Chris is more of a ghoul or a pastry.Chris also looks ahead to new projects, including the animated series Breaking Bear and a dramatic role in the film Wake, offering a glimpse at a performer who continues to find new territory after decades of making audiences laugh.Whether you know Chris Parnell from SNL, Rick and Morty, Archer, Anchorman, “Lazy Sunday,” or “More Cowbell,” this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes stories, comedy history, voice acting insight, and plenty of laughs.

Voice acting legend Steve Blum joins Nancy Cartwright for a hilarious, heartfelt, and deeply personal conversation about Cowboy Bebop, Wolverine, Venom, Star Wars, anime, video games, and the extraordinary career that made him one of the most prolific voice actors in the world. From painful character voices and wild recording sessions to vulnerability, mentorship, and finding purpose through fans, this episode goes far beyond the microphone.Steve opens up about his Guinness World Record for voice acting, explaining how a career he never planned grew into thousands of performances across games, animation, and anime. He shares how he first discovered that voices could be a kind of superpower while dealing with bullies as a kid, then accidentally stumbled into voice acting years later after being offered free pizza to perform a creature in a Japanese animated project.The conversation dives deep into Cowboy Bebop and the role of Spike Spiegel, one of the performances that changed Steve's life. He explains how director Mary Elizabeth McGlynn pushed him to access a level of vulnerability he had never been comfortable showing before, and how that breakthrough changed both his acting and his personal life. Steve also shares how the English dub of Cowboy Bebop came together with unusual creative freedom, helping turn the series into a landmark title for generations of anime fans.Steve also reveals the physical demands behind characters like Venom, Green Goblin, and Wolverine, including why some sessions are limited to just an hour or two to protect his voice. He recalls an audition where he screamed so hard that he actually passed out in the booth, only to discover weeks later that the recording of the incident had been passed around among engineers.Nancy and Steve also talk about Star Wars, Call of Duty, Digimon, Transformers, fan encounters, conventions, their shared love of animals, and the importance of keeping creativity playful. Steve explains why imagination is still at the heart of his process and why he teaches aspiring actors to rediscover the kind of fearless play they had as children.Along the way, Steve shares stories about being recognized in bathrooms and hardware stores, an underwater wedding in Hawaii, disastrous stunt burps, elaborate donuts, and the unexpected moments with fans that gave his career a deeper sense of purpose. He also talks about Blumvox Studios, where he mentors aspiring voice actors and brings in working professionals from across the entertainment industry.Whether you're a fan of Cowboy Bebop, Wolverine, Star Wars, anime, video games, or voice acting, this episode is packed with unforgettable stories, laughter, hard-earned wisdom, and a rare look inside the life of one of the most iconic voices in entertainment.

Disney Legend Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy and Pluto for nearly 40 years, joins Nancy Cartwright for a funny, nostalgic, and surprisingly moving conversation about A Goofy Movie, Disney history, voice acting, and the extraordinary journey that took him from small-town Kansas to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in animation.Bill shares how he started out studying broadcast journalism and electronics, worked in small-town radio, became a stand-up comedian, and eventually took a chance on Hollywood. Just months after arriving, he was asked if he could do any Disney characters. He chose his childhood favorite, Goofy, studied the original performance by Pinto Colvig, and walked into an audition without knowing that roughly 1,100 other actors had tried out. Nearly four decades and thousands of performances later, he's still Goofy.The conversation dives deep into A Goofy Movie and the unexpected emotional legacy it has built across generations. Bill reveals how Disney originally experimented with changing Goofy's voice to make him a more conventional father before ultimately finding the balance between the classic character and the emotional performance the story needed. He also shares the touching memory of watching an early pencil-test screening with his five-year-old son, Austin, who burst into tears when Goofy went over the waterfall because he thought it was actually his dad.Bill and Nancy reminisce about their early years together in animation, including Goof Troop and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while Bill shares memories of Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, working with celebrities like Alice Cooper, and performing as Goofy before 17,500 people at the Hollywood Bowl.The episode also explores the craft behind the characters. Bill credits legendary voice acting teacher Daws Butler with teaching him one of the most important lessons of his career: voice acting is acting. He and Nancy discuss performance, emotion, confidence, improvisation, and why aspiring voice actors need more than the ability to imitate a voice.But some of the most powerful moments come from Bill's encounters with fans. He recalls meeting Muhammad Ali, who called Bill his hero after learning about his work with children, and tells the emotional story of a fan who said A Goofy Movie helped him through an extremely dark period and ultimately gave him hope to keep going. Those experiences changed how Bill views his work: it's not simply about performing a character—it's about what that character can mean to someone else.Of course, there are plenty of laughs along the way, including Goofy and Bart swapping famous lines, Pluto impressions, wild Disney recording stories, fan questions, and a strawberry cronut so good that the usual 1-to-10 donut rating system completely falls apart.Whether you're a fan of Goofy, Pluto, A Goofy Movie, Disney, The Simpsons, or the art of voice acting, this episode is packed with animation history, laughter, heart, and unforgettable stories from a true Disney legend.

Geek culture icon Felicia Day joins Nancy Cartwright for a hilarious, heartfelt, and candid conversation about The Guild, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, voice acting, anxiety, independent filmmaking, and what happens when creators stop waiting for Hollywood's permission.Felicia looks back at how The Guild helped prove that creators could make their own shows, build their own communities, and succeed outside the traditional entertainment system. Nearly two decades later, she reflects on seeing a new generation of filmmakers follow that path and why she believes creators have more opportunities than ever to connect directly with audiences.She also opens up about the Kickstarter behind her return to The Guild, the realities of financing an independent movie, and why she's putting the project directly in the hands of fans rather than changing her creative vision to satisfy executives or industry expectations.Felicia shares the incredible story of how a nerve-racking audition for Buffy the Vampire Slayer unexpectedly became one of the most important breaks of her career. After struggling with her original audition, a spontaneous cold read landed her the role of a Potential Slayer and helped her realize that her wonderfully nerdy, unconventional self had a home in Hollywood.The conversation gets personal as Felicia discusses the anxiety that followed her through the early years of her career and the pressure she put on herself as both an actor and creator. She reveals what she wishes she could tell the younger version of herself making The Guild on a tiny budget and why learning to stop anticipating disaster changed her perspective on creativity and success.She also tells a brutal-but-transformative Hollywood story about showing up to work on a major network comedy pilot only to discover that her character had been written out—and nobody had told her. That painful experience ultimately helped push Felicia toward investing in The Guild, her own creative work, and the community already waiting for what she wanted to make.Meanwhile, Felicia turns the tables and interviews Nancy about the origins of Bart Simpson, including Nancy's original audition for Lisa, recognizing herself in Bart instead, and landing the role on the spot. They also revisit the earliest Tracey Ullman Show recording sessions and how those tiny animated shorts eventually became a television phenomenon.And, of course, things get wonderfully ridiculous. Felicia shares the hilariously humbling experience of seeing her "Do You Want to Date My Avatar" costume displayed at the Smithsonian, only to stand beside it unnoticed while museum visitors focused on Xena. Nancy and Felicia also talk My Little Pony, memorable fan encounters, rate donuts, and perform an unexpected crossover featuring Nelson Muntz applying to join The Guild.Felicia also discusses her graphic novel The Lost Daughter of Sparta, what's next for The Guild, and why creating art can have an impact far beyond anything its creator could ever predict.Whether you're a longtime fan of The Guild, Buffy, Supernatural, My Little Pony, The Simpsons, or simply someone chasing a creative dream, this episode is packed with laughs, behind-the-scenes stories, hard-earned wisdom, and a powerful reminder that sometimes the best response to a closed door is to build your own.

Animation powerhouse Chris Prynoski, founder of Titmouse, joins Nancy Cartwright for a hilarious and fascinating conversation about breaking into animation, working on Beavis and Butt-Head, building one of the industry's most influential independent animation studios, and helping creators bring some of today's most original animated worlds to life.Chris takes us back to the early days of adult animation, when he began working as a storyboard revisionist on Beavis and Butt-Head at MTV in the 1990s. He shares what it was like learning the craft before today's digital production tools, working with film and tape, and realizing he was part of a groundbreaking series during an era when shows like The Simpsons were redefining what television animation could be.The conversation dives into the unlikely origin of Titmouse, which Chris reveals wasn't originally intended to become an animation studio at all. What began as a small T-shirt business eventually evolved—with an important push from his wife, Shannon—into a creative powerhouse with studios in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, and Paris. Chris also explains what he looks for when evaluating new projects, revealing why the creators behind an idea can matter even more than the concept itself.Chris also shares some unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories, including an absolutely wild Snoop Dogg recording session that ended with the fire department arriving at the studio. He and Nancy talk about casting, pitching projects, navigating setbacks, working with writers and artists, and why even a "bad day" in animation can still mean getting paid to come up with creative ideas.The episode also touches on The Legend of Vox Machina, Motorcity, Metalocalypse, the lasting influence of The Simpsons, and Titmouse's exciting partnership with Meow Wolf, including experiential projects and a television series. And, naturally, there are donuts, fan questions, Bart Simpson, animation memories, and the surprisingly philosophical question everyone eventually has to answer: Are you a ghoul or a pastry?Whether you're an animator, aspiring creator, longtime Titmouse fan, or simply fascinated by how animated shows actually get made, this episode is packed with industry insight, creative inspiration, hilarious stories, and a rare look inside the world of one of animation's most influential creators.