Andy Sandberg | Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping | The Lonely Island | Talks at Google

TL;DR

The Lonely Island discusses their movie "Popstar" and their creative process in a humorous and candid interview.

Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] DANA HAN-KLEIN: Hi everyone. Welcome to Talks at Google. Today it is my pleasure to welcome The Lonely Island for "Popstar." ANDY SAMBERG: Yes. DANA HAN-KLEIN: Thanks you guys for being here. ANDY SAMBERG: Thank you for having us. DANA HAN-KLEIN: Could you tell us a little bit about the film? ANDY SAMBERG: Akiva, why don't you just ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤑 The writing process for The Lonely Island involves brainstorming ideas for songs and jokes, writing them individually, and then coming together to choose the best ones.
• 💨 The success of "Lazy Sunday" and "Dick in a Box" on YouTube helped propel the popularity of online video content and paved the way for their future success.
• 🥹 The trio's friendship and shared sense of humor kept them together throughout their career, and they made a pact to not hold each other back if one of them got a job opportunity.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did The Lonely Island find a balance between writing songs and the plot of "Popstar"?

The balance was achieved by writing songs and brainstorming the script simultaneously. The songs were free of the story initially, but as the story developed, specific moments were identified for specific songs.

Q: Did The Lonely Island take a different approach to writing songs for "Popstar" compared to their usual style?

Yes, the songs in "Popstar" were specifically written for the characters in the movie and were more in-character. The songs were comedic and inappropriate, reflecting the characters' untrustworthy narrator personas.

Q: How was it for Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer to be both behind and in front of the camera on "Popstar"?

They found it both exhausting and enjoyable. Their shorthand and experience working together made the process easier, and being in front of the camera allowed them to bring their comedic skills to the film.

Q: Are there any plans for The Lonely Island to appear on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"?

There were talks of Jorma Taccone appearing in a previous season, but it didn't work out due to his schedule. There are no immediate plans for the other members to appear on the show.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• "Popstar" is a musical movie mockumentary, inspired by the genre of pop-umentaries like Katy Perry's "Part of Me" and Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never."

• The idea for the film came about during a conversation with producer Judd Apatow, who suggested the concept after The Lonely Island considered making a pop-umentary themselves.

• The writing process involved brainstorming ideas for songs and plot simultaneously, with the songs being shoehorned into the story as it developed.