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  • (title music)

  • (tape rewinds)

  • (upbeat music)

  • - Know what the format

  • is with this interview?

  • - It's not Q and A, is it?

  • - It is.

  • - Oh shit. Morisha?

  • - What do you got against Q and A?

  • - Can you make some more coffee?

  • - Oh, no, I had to do one the other day

  • and I was little sloppy for it.

  • I saw this guy going--

  • Just that realizing he would have

  • to make me sound for him.

  • (laughter)

  • - Hi.

  • - [Bill] How did you get that away from me?

  • Get out of here,

  • that's my mopping my brow material.

  • - [Bill] What the hell?

  • You! These are Italian trousers!

  • (growls)

  • (dog barks)

  • - [Bill] Can you take these dogs away?

  • - [Bill] I realize it's impossible

  • to have any sympathy,

  • and I mean true sympathy,

  • for people that are famous.

  • People usually go through a bad period

  • when they first get successful.

  • You're new and you're hot,

  • things go wrong,

  • so you're not really used to all the attention.

  • People treat you differently,

  • and then what happens

  • is you start taking that seriously,

  • and then you start becoming an ass,

  • and then they treat you like an ass, and then--

  • - [T.J.] Was there a period like that for you?

  • Where things were a little out of control?

  • - Right now.

  • (upbeat music)

  • - [Bill] One of my favorite things used to be when

  • in traffic in New York,

  • and there's a Cadillac honking

  • or something,

  • a Mercedes honking,

  • I used to do this all the time

  • before I was famous.

  • I would jump into the middle of the street

  • and say "Excuse me, there's a Mercedes

  • "that's got to get through here."

  • You know, and I would push people out of the way,

  • and "Get out of the way!"

  • You know, " Let him through!"

  • You know, smacking their cars and stuff,

  • just like "whack", you know,

  • you just jump into, you know?

  • And, you can't do it,

  • because now you do it

  • and they go "Hey, hey, hello, hey!"

  • "Meatballs."

  • The whole things is lost,

  • the point you were trying to make

  • or whatever fun you were trying to have

  • is sort of on your cock.

  • - [Bill] The money thing

  • is this sort of Elvis Presley thing

  • of buying your mother a car is great.

  • My mother has learned how to spend money.

  • I mean, she used to call and say,

  • "Bill, we really need a boiler."

  • (laughter)

  • - [Bill] And I, just for the hell of it,

  • I would say, "Well, why don't you shop around,

  • "and see which one.

  • "You know, don't blow a lot of money,

  • "just get a bargain."

  • You know, and a boiler in a house

  • to keep the house in the winter,

  • in Chicago.

  • So, finally I bought her an American Express card,

  • and the numbers she puts up

  • are geometric, every year.

  • I mean, the first year,

  • I think she bought a tow

  • when her car broke down.

  • The second year, she went to dinner

  • on her birthday or something.

  • Third year, she rented a condo

  • in Florida for the winter,

  • and took a couple of cousins

  • and friends down.

  • She's figured it out.

  • - [T.J.] Wow.

  • - [Bill] I mean, you know, she had nine kids.

  • Technically, she could commit murder

  • and get away with it.

  • So, whatever number she runs up on me

  • is not even a misdemeanor.

  • - [Bill] I know it could've been anybody,

  • it's just a weird, lucky thing, really.

  • It could've been any actor,

  • there are a lot of actors that are more talented than me,

  • at Second City,

  • who quit it before they even got

  • to a paying status, you know?

  • Weird luck. I had no other option.

  • You know, I'm still just like a punk kid, really.

  • You know, I'm just an obnoxious guy

  • who can make it appear charming.

  • That's what they pay me to do.

  • (music)

  • - [Bill] I'd sort of gone through

  • some sort of spiritual change in the late 70's,

  • where I sort of saw there was some other life to live.

  • It changed the way that I worked,

  • just having a different presence

  • and a different attention.

  • That's the reason I'm not the one that's dead.

  • Because, the attraction of the fast life

  • is very powerful.

  • Even today, I could go at any time.

  • Something wild can happen to anybody.

  • And I caution anybody that walks down

  • on the street, settle your accounts

  • before you leave the house every day.

  • - [Bill] The only good thing about fame that I've gotten,

  • is I've gotten out of a couple of speeding tickets.

  • I've gotten into a restaurant

  • when I didn't have a suit and tie on.

  • That's really about it.

  • And you can talk to girls more easily.

  • They will talk to you.

  • You don't necessarily do any better with them.

  • But, they will talk to you.

  • It's almost like being in the ladies' room sometimes,

  • because they feel comfortable with you,

  • and they will say a lot of things

  • they wouldn't talk to anybody

  • they would think of as a potential suitor.

  • They think of you as like some freak.

  • You may as well have an elephant on a rope,

  • you know, the way they deal with you.

  • (drums)

  • (upbeat music)

  • - [Voiceover] This episode is sponsored by Dropbox.

  • Whether you're designing, presenting,

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  • Dropbox makes it simple to work together

  • on any file.

  • Because, if you can work with anyone,

  • anywhere, any way you want,

  • the world will be full of more interesting things.

  • Dropbox. All yours.

  • Now, back to the interview.

  • (jazz music)

  • - [Bill] I act like a jerk sometimes

  • and that's sort of what the product is.

  • And you get these people

  • who act like "What the hell?"

  • When you act obnoxious toward people,

  • like on a movie set,

  • they say, "We're ready for you."

  • And I said, "Oh got to hell,

  • "my feet hurt and my head aches."

  • You want to have a margarita

  • for lunch, you know?

  • And people like these little A.D.'s

  • and production assistants,

  • like, "Well, he's drinking again."

  • You're like, "Drinking again?

  • "Go to hell. All I ever do is make some movies

  • "that made a lot of money.

  • "Now, leave me alone.

  • "I want to have some fun."

  • On Ghostbusters they had somebody

  • Following us. Following us.

  • You'd walk down the street,

  • you'd turn around

  • and somebody would duck into a doorway.

  • (laughter)

  • Just to control us.

  • To make sure we didn't do anything too weird.

  • It's like, what the hell?

  • I didn't get in this position by being like a stiff,

  • sitting on the set in a folding chair.

  • I did it by walking around

  • on the streets and stirring things up.

  • (music)

  • (tape rewinds)

  • Subtitles by the Amara.org community

(title music)

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