Jon Glaser might not be a name you recognize immediately, but you definitely know his work. He spent years working on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, playing a slew of different cast members. He’s also Jeremy Jamm on Parks and Recreation, Laird on Girls, and Jon on Delocated, in addition to a slew of other projects. His current show, Jon Glaser Loves Gear, just kicked off it’s second season on truTV.
Glaser will be performing at SF Sketchfest on Saturday, April 19th at Cobb’s Comedy Club, and then heading up the coast to play shows in Seattle and Portland. If you can’t make any of these shows, you can always check out new episodes of Jon Glaser Loves Gear every Wednesday at 10:30/9:30CST.
Spinning Platters: My first question to you is about your show, Jon Glaser Loves Gear. You present a lot of products in the light that could be embarrassing to a company, maybe. Have you ever gotten any push back for a product that you’ve, quote, recommended in Jon Glaser Loves Gear?
Jon Glaser: I don’t know. What’s your example of a product that was portrayed in an unflattering light?
SP: I guess it’s the product not portrayed in an unflattering light but it’s like you’re in an embarrassing situation and then it’s like, “Oh by the way, he’s wearing this belt.” That type of thing.
JG: “Oh by the way, he’s wearing this belt.” [laughs] I wish we had done something that funny. I don’t know if I agree with the assessment, I guess. I think it would be up to the people to see the show to decide if they think it’s not a show they want to be a part of but I have certainly never tried to portray a product unflatteringly. I think it’s more about the show. I’ve never heard of a complaint or if anyone’s declined to send us stuff. That’s certainly their prerogative, if they don’t like the show. That doesn’t bother me. I understand we’re not going to appeal to everybody, but we never try to intentionally make a product look bad. That’s not the point of the show, but I don’t know if it’s been an issue or not. I don’t think so. If it is, we’re always certainly able to just purchase a product if someone doesn’t want to send it to us.
SP: When you pick a product on the show, are you finding products and deciding this is something that fits the storyline well or are folks actually sending you stuff saying, “Hey, we’d like you to incorporate this into Jon Glaser Loves Gear“?
JG: It’s a little bit of both. There might be an episode topic that we come up with and then we will research some products or items that might work for the episode; or it could be vice versa where we see something that’s cool or interesting and see if maybe there’s something that we can write around it. Usually it’s the first one. You know we had in the last season’s final episode, there was this pink hoodie that I wore that I thought was a really weird, interesting thing. I can’t remember if we looked it up based on the topic… I think we did. It was about this cool looking item, and they were nice enough to send us one. We try to be pretty upfront with people, too, when we do ask for products. Letting them know that there’s no guarantee that it will be used in the show, we try to focus whatever we can, we can’t show everything.
SP: Have you ever come across something that was really amazing and you just couldn’t figure out a story arc for it?
JG: That’s a good question. Let me just think for a second. I feel like there must be. Maybe it’s not so must that we couldn’t think of a storyline but there was no way to fit it in. The first thing that’s popping to mind is this thing from, I think the company is called Rumpl. They make blankets that you can use outdoors. I don’t know if they made jackets but they sent this thing that I really loved. It looks really weird and cool. It’s sort of a poncho, basically you wear it and it has a hood but it looks like a sleeping bag. So it seems like you’re wearing this big sleeping bag, poncho. It’s very strange looking but that’s what I liked about it. It looked really cool and it would be a nice thing to have if you’re ever just hanging out. For me, I thought I would wear that all the time to my kid’s games in the park, when it’s cold, like it’s an extra layer but it’s a really strange looking thing and we weren’t able to get it in the show.
SP: I can picture what you’re talking about.
JG: It’s called The Puffy Poncho.
SP: Awesome. So you’re about to go on tour to promote the show. The live show you’re doing, is it like a live version of the show? What can we expect from the live performance?
JG: I’m doing a few shows. One is in San Francisco with Sketchfest and that’s just going to be me and John Hodgman doing individual stand up sets. There may be some gear talk but not necessarily. Then we will be doing a joint Q&A together where we will talk to the crowd about the show, we’ll probably show some clips. And then I’m doing a couple of solo shows after Sketchfest. One in Seattle on the 20th and Portland on the 21st and at Columbia City Theatre, Mississippi Studios, respectively. Those are just me doing solo shows that are not necessarily about just gear, I may show a couple clips and talk about it, but it will just be me doing little more bits.
SP: Mississippi Studios is such a good room. I’m really happy you’re playing there.
JG: Yes, I’m really excited. It looks beautiful.
SP: Yes. That space is excellent. Cool, okay so the tour is really just 3 dates when you get to visit us in the Pacific Northwest in January so you get to see it at it’s dreariest. So I hope you enjoy that.
JG: Well, we’ll see. I don’t personally mind some grade A’s. I’m hoping to squeeze in a run when I’m out there. Just depends on if I have time. I was hoping to get out on a trail run but we’ll see.
SP: Yes. Portland has got some great waterfall hikes.
JG: Yes. I remember visiting, I was there years ago very briefly for a couple of days and remember seeing the Columbia River Gorge. There are some really beautiful waterfalls… Just stunning!
SP: Alright, I want to take this to your general, overall, acting career. You’re really good at making kind of pompous and narcissistic, sort of evil people seem weirdly likeable without justifying their evils. What do you dig into to make someone like Jeremy Jamm both despicable and relatable?
JG: I think it comes from a couple things. It’s still a comedy show so we’re playing for the comedy and even though this is a distinct person that’s being presented comedically, the writing is what does it really. I have the good fortune because of that show, I’m that character, trying to create laughs, saying they handle it very well, it’s very nuance so it’s not too mean. Even when it’s aggressively obnoxious, it’s at least being played for laughs, for the most part. So that helps and you just have to be mindful of the performance and make sure it doesn’t ever feel unfunny because then it just feels mean.
SP: In Parks and Recreation, you have one of the few catch phrases that came out of the show. Does that ever haunt you? Do people ever ask you if you’ve been “jammed”? Does it come up in your life?
JG: It does. It never bothers me. I think that’s the kind of thing, if it happened constantly, maybe I would lose my mind, but it doesn’t, thankfully. Whenever it does, it usually it means someone is a fan and they’re being complimentary, and it doesn’t bug me.
SP: You’ve been part of quite a few incredibly gifted ensemble casts like shows where there’s a slew of characters and all of them are pretty wonderful and memorable. What would be your favorite ensemble cast in TV history? Not that you’ve been part of, but overall.
JG: I just watch so little TV… Tough call. The first thing that’s coming to mind is Cheers, just because I thought that show was so funny. Such good casting. Let’s just go with Cheers.
SP: Alright. That’s not a bad choice. I think it might be kind of the show that kicked off the workplace ensemble cast, in a way.
JG: So funny. Such good performances all around.
SP: Yes. I concur. Okay, I have a really dumb question so I’m just going to throw it out there and you can–
JG: No such thing.
SP: Alright. You, of course, are Jon Glaser. There is an actor that you’ve worked with on occasion, by the name of Jon Hamm. Has it ever once dawned on you that you guys need to get together and start a cured meat company called “Hamm Glaser?”
JG: [laughs] Oh my God. That has never occurred to me and I’m stumped that it has never occurred to me. Maybe we’ll start a podcast called Blown Opportunities. [laughter] That’s what we really should be talking about. What did you call it again? Ham on Glaze?
SP: No, just Ham Glaser. That’s it.
JG: Ham Glaser.
SP: The one who glazes the ham. Yes.
JG: We blew it. I’ll mention it to him. Maybe it’s not too late.
SP: If it does happen just let me say thank you. Or say thank you in one episode of the podcast. That’s really all you need.
JG: We’ll get you some kind of finder’s fee.
SP: Excellent.
JG: It’s your idea so you’ll get full credit.
SP: Excellent. And an actual glazed ham that the two of you worked together on. That would be perfect.
JG: Oh my God. Yes that’s what it should be, “Glazed Ham” right? Was that the thing you said the first time?
SP: I said Ham Glaser. But “Glazed Ham” might even be better.
JG: Glazed Ham, I think that seems like the winner of whatever the project is going to be. Glazed Ham. Whether it’s an actual ham, like an actual product, whether it’s a podcast, whether it’s a show, whether it’s the name of a pet. It’s got to be Glazed Ham.
SP: I’m honored that you’re at least willing to run with this for a solid few moments before you get another amazing offer for some incredibly well written and articulate piece of programming because you’re in so many good things. And that’s just me buttering you up for no good reason.
JG: Buttering up the Glazed Ham.
SP: Yes. Delicious. On that note, I’m pretty much at time and that was the last question I wrote down and I was almost too embarrassed to say it.
JG: [laughs] I hope you’re glad you did though.
SP: I’m very happy with it.
JG: Will you have regretted not asking it or asking it? Which one?
SP: I think I would’ve regretted not asking it. Especially considering your response.
JG: I think so to.
SP: Excellent. Well I’m going to let you get to your day. First episode of the new season was wonderful and I’m excited for you to come round to our fair city and enjoy the west coast for a few days!
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If you enjoyed my chat with Jon Glaser, you can continue to enjoy him on the internet. Well, on Instagram @jahnglayzer
