Golf with Brian Baumgartner
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Born to Love is back! In their first episode since the dawn of Brat Summer, Ellie and Scott welcome Brian Baumgartner, best known as Kevin Malone from The Office, to wax poetic about his love of golf. The three of them talk about the pleasures of singular focus, moderately high stakes, and the right kind of country.
Brian’s new book, The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin, co-authored by Ben Silverman, is out November 5, 2024. Find it wherever books are sold.
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Transcript
SPEAKERS
Ellie Kemper, Brian Baumgartner, Scott Eckert
Scott Eckert 00:10
Ellie, I’m not sure that that your singing matches our new theme music.
Ellie Kemper 00:14
Don’t care. Scott, hi, everyone. Welcome to Born To Love the show where we talk to the people we love about the things they love. I’m Ellie Kemper.
Scott Eckert 00:24
And I’m Scott Eckert.
Ellie Kemper 00:26
And today we are talking to my friend Brian Baumgartner. But first, before we get to Brian, Scott, how was your week? How have you been?
Scott Eckert 00:37
How have I been since it’s been a couple months, Ellie, I’ve been great, and I just have to say as an aside, I’m very excited to talk to Brian. I’m excited to talk to Kevin from the Office of just a just a beloved figure in my life, and I’ve never met him. What am I excited about? What have I loved these past few weeks? Months, Ellie, I’ll tell you one clear answer my hedge trimmer.
Ellie Kemper 01:03
Scott, I wish you had given me the opportunity for three guesses, because hedge trimmer would have been the third. It would have been the third guess.
Scott Eckert 01:11
What would the other two guesses have been?
Ellie Kemper 01:13
Cheetos.
Scott Eckert 01:14
Cheetos, I’m not really a Cheetos guy.
Ellie Kemper 01:16
Well, that’s why it was a guess, not a fact. And the other one would have been the fireworks of the Fourth of July, because, Scott, it has been that long.
Scott Eckert 01:25
It has been that long, and I do love the fireworks from Fourth of July. If we were recording this in July, I might have said fireworks, but we’re recording it right now. And the thing that I love most right now is my hedge trimmer. I got it over the summer. I got it for my birthday, and I’ve really enjoyed trimming those hedges. Ellie, it’s not an every week kind of thing. It’s a special treat I do about once a month. I should probably do it more, but there’s something special about going into my yard for maybe an hour, ripping on a loud machine full of knives and just chopping through stuff.
Ellie Kemper 02:03
Wait, I okay, so I don’t have I should, I should amend that. I am new to having a yard. I This isn’t about me, but I didn’t used to have a yard. Now I do not a big deal.
Scott Eckert 02:15
But she just moved Look at that. It’s been so long. The last time that we were chatted, Ellie, you were in New York City, and now you’re in Los Angeles, California.
Ellie Kemper 02:24
With the guard, thank you. That’s not why I slipped that in there. I promise. My point is that I’m not familiar. I’m not as familiar with maintaining a lawn or a yard, or a, more specifically, hedge. So when you mention it as a treat that you get to go out there. You say, I should be going out once a week. Is it a treat, or is it a chore? Like if you should be going out once a week, why aren’t you treating yourself to that every week?
Scott Eckert 02:49
Well, that’s the eternal question. Ellie, is it a treat, or is it a chore? Obviously, it’s a chore. It’s work that should be done. Some people pay their gardeners to do it. Some people have their children do it. We don’t. We don’t have a gardener. Well, I meant like yard maintenance, right? That’s what I was really thinking, right? So the work falls to me, and I don’t do the work as often as I should. If I did do it as often as I should, I think it would feel like work. But instead, when I go out there and I’m ripping the leaves and the and the branches off these darn hedges. It’s pretty satisfying. It’s pretty satisfying, I have to say. And you know, I put on my work gloves and pick up the branches and toss them into the big, giant bin, and at the end, I look with satisfaction on my perfectly manicured hedges. Now my wife, she disagrees every single time she looks at them and she’s horrified, and she’s like, we should pay someone to do this because, not because she wants to spare me the effort, but because she she is disappointed by how it looks. She thinks that the work I do is bad, but I say no.
Ellie Kemper 04:01
She think it’s jagged? I know so little about trimming a hedge. I would say the only main requirement is that it’s flat, right? That it’s like not crooked and jagged.
Scott Eckert 04:11
Well, the one, number one requirement Ellie, is that it’s done.
Ellie Kemper 04:17
Like a sick burn though it.
Scott Eckert 04:21
Was a cell phone. Self effacing burn. Maybe my hedges, I wouldn’t necessarily describe them as flat, and I Yes, I think the word jagged is apt, and that’s why she doesn’t really like them. But here’s the thing, with hedges, Ellie, they grow like I have the same opinion about hedges as I sort of do haircuts. Caring about them too much is a mistake, because just give it like a week or two, and then it will be fine. Could not agree more. Could not agree more. I don’t want my hair too long. I also go for too long without getting a haircut. I need one right now. It looks kind of bad, and then finally, you get the haircut. And good or bad, it needed to be done. Done, and in a couple weeks, you’re going to be happy. That’s my hedge situation.
Ellie Kemper 05:03
I completely and I also just want to point out, I don’t know who gave you the hedge cutter. Who gave it to you your wife, Vanessa?
Scott Eckert 05:11
Yes, Vanessa gave.
Ellie Kemper 05:12
A complicated relationship.
Scott Eckert 05:13
Brett’s giving me the hedge trimmer.
Ellie Kemper 05:16
I bet, but Scott, in the meantime, not only are you getting something, some necessary work done. But you didn’t really talk about this too much, and I just want to let you for a second or two, the actual release. I mean, operating giant. I don’t know if it’s giant operating powerful machinery like that must feel exciting.
Scott Eckert 05:36
It’s a very masculine activity. And for a for a man who’s not especially masculine, it makes me, it makes me, it puts a it’s a special charge in my step, I guess. All right, but I just really John Wayne, all right. Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, trimming trimming hedges.
Ellie Kemper 05:56
Okay, you just named a lot of men trimming hedges. I’m gonna say what we’re all thinking right now, which is that women can cut hedges too.
Scott Eckert 06:06
Ellie, I think that we figured out what you’ve got to do before next episode. And let’s come over, borrow my hedge, borrow my hedge trim or let it rip.
Ellie Kemper 06:13
Yep, let her rip. I now have a yard to trim hedges, left, right, front, center and backwards, and I’ll be stop and fly picking up that hedge trimmer, and then we’ll do tit for tat. Now, I don’t know if it’s tit for tat, but I’ll be trimming some hedges, Scott, I’m so happy you love doing it. I say, thank you for doing it, and it’s so great to be back talking with you about things that you love, that’s that’s what I love. So far, this week is talking to you about what you love.
Scott Eckert 06:43
I couldn’t agree more, Ellie, but you know what I am going to love? Talking to Brian.
Ellie Kemper 06:49
Yes, today we have very special guest, this is a personal favorite of mine […] favorites, but I this guy’s my friend. Brian Baumgartner is an actor and my good friend from our time together on NBCs, the office. I mentioned NBCs because I didn’t sometimes when I just say the office, I want to make sure that people know I’m not talking about a workplace. So let’s be clear, this is the American NBC version of the office, and that’s how I know Brian Baumgartner, where he portrayed the beloved Kevin Malone. Brian is a podcaster and avid chef, and now he is the author of a beautiful Christmas book, which is called The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin, which is just a delight. It is so perfect in time for the holidays. I loved every Christmas episode of The Office. I’m talking about before I got a job there, I mean, just as a viewer, and then once I got a job there, I love, love, love Christmas episodes of television. So I am so excited about this book, and I’m so excited to talk to Brian.
Ellie Kemper 08:08
And we’re back, you guys. I am so excited. We’ve been catching up a little bit off air, but now we’re recording, and we are here with Brian Baumgardner, Brian, hi.
Brian Baumgartner 08:19
Hi, I mean, what’s going on? I thought Scott and I knew each other. Apparently we don’t. I don’t know what that means.
Scott Eckert 08:27
No total strangers. They’re just a big fan. Total strangers. Though I was flattered when you thought you recognized.
Brian Baumgartner 08:32
I did. I thought you never came to anything with Ellie?
Ellie Kemper 08:35
No, we weren’t speaking. Then, right? Scott, no, I’m kidding.
Brian Baumgartner 08:38
It’s probably just his face. He probably has a familiar face, which is good.
Ellie Kemper 08:44
Do you do people stop you and ask for directions. A lot you have a very
Scott Eckert 08:48
Friendly face. I might go so far as to call myself adorable.
Brian Baumgartner 08:53
I wasn’t going for that. I was saying like, a familiar face, like, ordinary, like a face that many people have. That’s what I was saying. Nice.
Scott Eckert 09:09
Just blends together so.
Ellie Kemper 09:11
So recognizable that you thought you did, in fact, already know Scott.
Brian Baumgartner 09:15
I know like 25 Scott’s God, 25 is not a funny number. Yeah, I know like 23 and a half Scott.
Ellie Kemper 09:22
Yes, exactly. And he’s one of them. And Scott happens to be one of them. Brian, this is a show where we talk about to the people we love about things that they love. You’re a lover of many things, Brian, but one thing I know that you love is golf.
Brian Baumgartner 09:37
I do love.
Ellie Kemper 09:38
I want to hear about this because I have, I’m ambivalent about golf. I should. I’m not a golf player. Okay, you are.
Brian Baumgartner 09:45
So you a golf a golf player. When you texted me yesterday and said, Let’s golf, that was a lie. Like you that was a lie you have no.
Ellie Kemper 09:55
It was it, I would, I almost would rather caddy. Yeah. Was almost, I would almost I, you know what I would I would rather, because then I know what, exactly what I’m doing. I’m carrying your golf clubs.
Brian Baumgartner 10:08
You know, Caddying. Now this is not really the subject, but catting is more difficult than you might think. It is. Okay now, well, so, you know, I now play in, truly, I am a professional golfer, Ellie. Now by that, I mean I’ve made a sum of money playing golf, which makes me professional right now, because I, you know, I play in these, these celebrity tournaments, and some with professional players. And so I when I started doing this, and All right, let’s back up. Let’s just take it from the beginning. Let’s take it from let’s take it from the top, and then we’ll get into cutting. But I was, I did theater, as you know, before, of course, my new, career started, and I do, by the way, consider it a new career. When I moved to Los Angeles and got into film and television, I consider that like a new career, but when I was doing theater, so I never golfed in high school. I never golfed in college. I never golfed as a kid. I never golfed at all. We played tennis. I played basketball, obviously, and I I never golfed, but when I was doing theater, and I was stuck inside this dark theater place like rehearsing and doing shows, I needed a way to get outside. And because I played these other sports, I was competitive, and I enjoyed that aspect of it. And so I started playing, and then I just was all in it is the only time of the week, because I don’t play every day. Is the only time of the week play maybe once or twice, usually, or whatever, where everything goes away. You know it there’s a joke, I think there’s, like, a social media joke, right? Where the wife asked the husband, oh, you just played golf with Bill. How are his kids? And the guy is like, I don’t, I don’t know. And he’s like, Well, how, you know? How is this work? You know? I don’t know, because all we were doing was playing golf. We were not, we’re not talking about personal things. We’re not talking about work or it’s just, literally, for that amount of time, four hours. It’s just trying to get that little ball in, in that hole. And this sounds stupid, right, but it really, it’s, I think it’s like other people with like yoga or meditation or whatever, where you just everything else goes away, and you’re focused singularly on the downward dog or the whatever it is, right? This is what you’re focused Yes, and it’s just breathe through the for me, it’s like, how do I get this ball in this hole and and so I love it, and it does it is a gift for me when I play. And I think it makes me a better person.
Ellie Kemper 13:14
Brian that you, I don’t know if you, if you prepared that, if that’s if that’s a philosophy you’ve, you’ve come up with already, that was such a succinct and whole way of summing up why you love golf. And I think you’re, you’ve, you’ve, your point resonates with me completely, because it is a type of meditation where isn’t that they’re all different forms of self reflection and meditation. But my my sense is that one of the ideas is that you should be so singularly focused on that task or on that event that everything else sort of flitters, flutters, goes away, and that is what it brings for you.
Brian Baumgartner 13:55
It does. It relaxes me. I don’t consider myself incredibly high strung. But I it does relax me, and it makes me truly a better person, like in the rest of my life, when I when I get to golf.
Ellie Kemper 14:11
I so every long time listeners, Scott knows this well, my only outlet in life is running. I’m exaggerating, but I do love to run, and I achieve the same. I mean, the ideal is singular focus just on running. And I’m not like an expert runner, but I do love it for that very reason. Yes, Brian and and I am a high strung person, so I appreciate that. It relaxes me. Scott, you have, well, what is you’re singing.
Scott Eckert 14:40
I’m totally unable to focus, so I I’m watching this with just envy, listening to the both of you. Brian, I’m a terrible golfer. I’ve only golfed a handful of times. It’s shameful. I have a question for you about this idea of being present or being seen. Literally focused. One of the things that, first of all, I love just the golf course, right? I mean, it’s just, it’s a quintessentially beautiful place, and especially if the weather is good, like, why wouldn’t you want to spend four hours, right? But, but the idea of staying focused on getting the ball in the hole for that period of time where I struggle is that there is actually, and maybe I’m wrong, kind of a lot of time between shots, right, especially if you’re walking so so that my only instinct would be, all right, I’m gonna try to hit this ball as as well as I can, and then the next, I don’t know, 10 minutes, I’m just like walking to the ball. I probably wouldn’t be thinking about golf. Then that’s when I wouldn’t that’s when I would be the annoying guy trying to chitchat with all the other golfers. So in those sort of between shot spaces, are you truly just like calculating the the next club or or what’s going through your mind in those moments?
Brian Baumgartner 16:01
I think you bring up a really good point, but Right, there’s a lot of different things that you can do that enable you to sort of stay in the moment out there. And, you know, I don’t know, it’s hard to articulate in a way, first off, like, if you’re really playing, and you’re focused on really playing you. It’s not that far a walk. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, it’s not, like, it doesn’t that is the sort of the reputation and, you know? But I think that that, you know, if, if I had, if I wasn’t waiting on anyone in front of me, oh, I would, I would play so fast you you can’t even, you can’t even believe it. But yes, you don’t have to immediately begin calculating your next club or exactly what you’re going to do as you’re walking to it. But it’s about not distracting your mind with outside forces that you’re then suddenly now you’re going to carry around with you, right? So, like, for example, yeah, if I’m playing with someone, I may chit chat, but I’m not going to go deep about, like, really, like, I’m not going to really learn what’s going on with them, I am.
Scott Eckert 17:17
Like, how someone’s marriage is.
Brian Baumgartner 17:19
Yeah, like how’s it going, you know, and little things may come up here and there, but, but the the focus immediately turns back. I certainly because there’s the wild card, I certainly am not going to look at my phone. You have no idea what message you might get right, or who may be snarky with you, or what was that tone or like? And I’m not even talking about spouse or whatever, but I just mean like a publicist, a lawyer, a manager, an agent, a mom, right? Like anything outside of it that you may hear and be like, god damn it, like you know, or like, worse, fire back a text, and now you’re thinking about that, and you’re not, you’re not sort of out there. So I really do, you know, so I don’t want to be like, it’s like, I’m a monk, or don’t speak, or like, seven iron, seven iron, seven iron. But, like, but, but the focus is on that, and it is it, you know, you are playing with other guys, and hopefully they’re guys that that you like. But I’ll tell you this for sure, it may happen once, it may probably won’t happen twice. It definitely won’t happen a third time, where, if you’re playing with someone who does the kind of things that you were alluding to like, so tell me about your kids, you know, and like, wanting to get like D and it’s like no, this is not your time. This is not your time. This is my time. No, we’re not doing that. Yeah, we’re not doing that. Well. We just don’t play again.
Scott Eckert 18:58
Uninvited.
Brian Baumgartner 19:00
We just won’t know. And it’s like, maybe a great guy, but.
Ellie Kemper 19:04
But that’s not the time lunch, a beer, uh, dinner, a beer, but what those are the times you could catch up on that. And I have the same thing with running. I actually don’t like running with people.
Brian Baumgartner 19:17
Yeah? I was gonna ask you that. I was gonna ask you that, yeah.
Ellie Kemper 19:20
I don’t. I don’t like having to keep up. Or, yeah, it’s mostly keeping up or, but mostly talk.
Scott Eckert 19:28
Well, that’s interesting. Does that that so? Ellie, you’re running as independently, or, obviously you do races, but it doesn’t seem like you’re ever really trying to beat any particular person. Brian, what? How does the competition feed into it?
Brian Baumgartner 19:41
See, that’s interesting. That’s interesting. And this is gonna sound a joke, and it is funny, sort of, but I, I don’t play if it’s not for money.
Ellie Kemper 19:55
Listeners a joke.
Scott Eckert 19:56
He literally leaned back from the mic After saying that, like. I mean, guys, I’m for real.
Brian Baumgartner 20:02
So I the one of the very first, like, golf podcasts, maybe, like, I don’t know, vlog things that I ever did, and I sort of wasn’t thinking about positioning myself in this way. But the the like, the the setup right was, I was gonna play nine holes with this guy, maybe 18, I don’t remember, and they were gonna film it, and there were drones. I mean, this was, like, a whole thing, and beforehand, we’re about to tee off, and they’re filming. And I said, What are we what are we playing for? He’s like, what you mean, like, money. And I was like, yeah, like, what are we playing for I don’t play if it’s not for money. Now, again, I can tie these two seeming meditation and gambling seem like they’re not related, but actually they are. And I’ll tell you why. Tell me exactly. Because if you are just out there playing, and this is where the running thing for me, there’s a number of reasons the running thing would not be my thing. But for me, if I hit a shot, well, if I’m attempting to be focused on hitting a shot, and it is good, bad, whatever. But there’s no consequence. It’s harder for me to focus, right? So like, if I’m just out there playing like, and this is, this is an evolved thing now, because it was used to be, like, I love the game I want to play. But like, if I go on vacation and I don’t know people that are going with me. I don’t, I don’t bring my clubs, which seems like crazy for someone who’s someone to golf, because for me, the idea of, like, going out and playing 18 by myself, I don’t, because there’s no because then it’s like, oh, oh, the bird distracted. Let me that wasn’t real. Let me just hit another shot. I’ll just you drop another ball down. You hit another one. So see, for me, part of what the joy is, for me is like having every single shot matter in one way, or the race. And so if you’re it doesn’t, it can be $5 right? I’d prefer it to be more, but if, but whatever it is, a bad shot equals bad things, right for for me, or just lose material, a loss, a loss and not a like that hurt my feelings, loss, because I do have that within me, but an actual tangible I’m gonna have to go into my pocket and I’m going to have to pull out $5 and give it to the other person, I don’t know what it that, just that part of it helps me to stay in it.
Ellie Kemper 22:52
That, in fact, never sounded like a joke, and in fact, sounds like a very logical way of of of approaching the whole game?
Scott Eckert 23:02
Brian, I have a question for you. I think that every the question ever in everyone’s mind at this point when we’re talking about betting a golf is, is, I think, obvious, so I’m gonna not ask that. I’m gonna ask a spin on it. When you’re about to tee off and you say, What are you playing for? What is the the highest amount, oh, boy, that you have said no to where, where you’re like, that’s too rich from my blood.
Ellie Kemper 23:28
Wow. Scott, I didn’t know you’re not asking.
Scott Eckert 23:31
what you’re normally the stakes the highest.
Ellie Kemper 23:35
Wow. Still you’re kind of asking.
Brian Baumgartner 23:40
Let me just say this. Let me just say this. I have a lot I have a line. Okay? I guess I’m a horrible, cheap sitcom actor, because I do have lines. And my line is typically, if it’s someone that I don’t like, normally play with, what are we playing? What are we going to play for a version of that? And it’s always, especially with people who I don’t know. Well, it’s always like, Oh, well, whatever, you know, whatever, what do you usually play for? And my line is, I want to play for whatever makes you uncomfortable.
Ellie Kemper 24:15
Whoa, but you know what I am. I think that’s the line to have, because that’s exactly what my sense is, that any sort of, any activity that’s sort of worth doing, you should get into that zone of discomfort, right? Yeah, so that you you stretch yourself.
Brian Baumgartner 24:39
I agree. That’s why I prefer to not play for $5 but, but here’s to answer your very direct question about I’m not going to answer, Scott, I’m going to, I’m going to, I’m going to deflect about exact numbers, but I will tell you this what I won’t play for with people that. I sometimes play with is a number that does make me uncomfortable, that I know doesn’t make them uncomfortable.
Scott Eckert 25:10
Oh, yeah. So somebody with deep pockets.
Brian Baumgartner 25:13
With really deep pockets, that might say a number that is going to make me uncomfortable? I would say no to that.
Ellie Kemper 25:23
Well, listen, you add some. You certainly add some spice to every game by by making it essentially a gamble.
Brian Baumgartner 25:31
It for me, it’s again, it makes it, it weirdly brings me closer to that other place of singular focus, because I feel like there are consequence.
Ellie Kemper 25:46
Brian, even just talking about this, I guarantee you, if someone said, Okay, if you can run three miles in this amount of time, you’ll get $50 unfortunately, if you don’t, you will have to pay $50 right? Yeah, you better believe that I will be running well. I mean, it depends on the time that they throw out, but I mean, it’s motivation. It’s very, very real, correct motivation and purpose.
Scott Eckert 26:09
Now you need to organize like a gambling runners club, Ellie.
Ellie Kemper 26:13
Forget what I said about not running with other people. I am all I’m exclusively running with other people right now, and it’s a Gambler’s group.
Scott Eckert 26:21
I like that. This conversation started from a place of, you know, why? Why should we love golf? And now it’s ending in a place of, let’s just, let’s just encourage kind of medium stakes gambling in a lot of different respects.
Brian Baumgartner 26:35
Look, I’m not.
Ellie Kemper 26:37
That number Brian.
Brian Baumgartner 26:39
Look it, but it is about that thing. It’s about that it, no, it is about.
Ellie Kemper 26:48
Is about a million dollars. You’re gonna say the number five. Hey, this is your long winded way of asking me to caddy for you. I will okay, I’m there.
Scott Eckert 26:56
I’m pleased, Brian, you’ve converted Ellie into a gambler and a caddy. So I consider that a successful podcast episode. We like to play a little game with our guests. We have a couple of minutes Brian called Love it or loathe it. All right, great. Well, then stick around listeners for love it or loathe it.
Ellie Kemper 27:30
Guys were back now we are with Brian Baumgartner. He has been sharing his love of golf with us. It has I related on many levels. I have agreed to caddy for him. Going forward, many deals have been made, and now we are going to play a game Brian called Love it or loathe it. The rules are simple. No, he already you’ve already won. All we’re going to do is we’re going to lob a few items at you, activities, hobbies, meal, things, anything in the world, things, things, for lack of a better term, and you will tell us whether you love that thing or you loathe that thing. And I have to tell you, Brian, there’s no gray area. There’s no meh, there’s no.
Brian Baumgartner 28:12
I can’t give a man.
Ellie Kemper 28:13
No man.
Brian Baumgartner 28:15
love it.
Ellie Kemper 28:16
love it or loathe it. No, men so.
Brian Baumgartner 28:19
Ultimately, I can do what I want. I mean, yes, correct, yeah, but Okay, gotcha all right.
Scott Eckert 28:25
That’s the objective. Win break the rules. Okay, I’ll put five bucks on this. Let’s, let’s get him interested.
Brian Baumgartner 28:33
No, so wait, so here, no, actually, here’s what, here’s what’s interesting. Scott, how many questions are there?
Scott Eckert 28:39
There are four questions.
Brian Baumgartner 28:40
Oh, that’s not enough. Well, okay, what is the the over under is two for loving, it will I love this is impossible, because then I’ll.
Scott Eckert 28:52
It would seem like Ellie and I would need to bet you and your performance, but you want to have skin in the game? No, it’s okay.
Brian Baumgartner 28:57
I think it’s okay. Yeah do you want to do it, two, well, you guys, you, know the list. I don’t know the list.
Ellie Kemper 29:05
Oh, we know the list. That’s true. We have, we have a but you don’t know what I’m gonna say. Oh, that’s true. Okay, yeah. So are we betting? What happens in there?
Brian Baumgartner 29:14
So what, so you gotta set a number, right?
Ellie Kemper 29:17
And now I’m gonna, it’s gonna be $5.
Scott Eckert 29:20
No, $5 all right, I’ll bet $5 sorry, Brian and Ellie can get it. I’ll bet $5 that you’re going to be over on loves over the over under as well, I guess. Yeah, no, I’ll put, I’ll set the over under a two and a half.
Ellie Kemper 29:34
Now, you got to tell me what’s over under mean.
Brian Baumgartner 29:38
All right, so what that means is, I’m gonna say love to three things. Three out of the four things he’s saying, I’m going to love.
Ellie Kemper 29:45
Okay, and what’s over, under? Have to do with it.
Brian Baumgartner 29:49
Over or under two and a half.
Scott Eckert 29:51
I’m taking the over so I I’m getting, he’s gonna, yeah, he’s gonna say that he loves three
Ellie Kemper 29:57
I’m gonna do, I’m gonna do the under.
Brian Baumgartner 29:59
There you go, right, you’re you guys are betting, so I’m unbiased. I’m just going to answer the questions. I have no skin in the game.
Scott Eckert 30:06
All right? Brian, first one, love it or loathe it? Country music.
Brian Baumgartner 30:10
Love now.
Scott Eckert 30:12
Bam.
Brian Baumgartner 30:13
That’s a love. That’s a love but it’s also a loath. So that’s not by no that’s not how.
Scott Eckert 30:22
The game works, especially now that we got money riding.
Brian Baumgartner 30:24
No, but I will tell you this, just to be clear, this is more clarifying factor. Yeah, my favorite. It’s so funny that you brought that up. It is hard, but I said, I said, Love. My favorite type of music is old country. Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, all right. Merle Haggard, love I went to Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party at the Hollywood Bowl, which was a two night concert extravaganza. Life changing. Chris, Christopher said, now my least favorite type of music, new country. Oh, makes my ear. I can’t even do it.
Ellie Kemper 30:26
Well to me, who is not a connoisseus of country music. What? It’s French. I took French in high school. It I understand that there is a difference between the old country that you just were talking about versus new country. My ear can hear a difference, so I understand it that that it’s a complicated topic, because there are layers to that country.
Brian Baumgartner 31:36
There are layers. But I said, Love all right.
Ellie Kemper 31:39
That’s fine. I’m losing so far, but I understand what you mean. Okay, okay, all right, Brian, love it or loathe it? You know which one I’m hoping for, but don’t let that influence your answer. Wired headphones.
Scott Eckert 31:54
Listeners. Brian is making his decision. He’s thinking now.
Brian Baumgartner 31:59
I loathe them.
Ellie Kemper 32:00
Yes, right. Answer,
Brian Baumgartner 32:06
Yeah, I mean, how can you? How can you love them?
Ellie Kemper 32:13
Who goes around and is like, oh my gosh. I love my wire, I do.
Brian Baumgartner 32:19
What is the Well, see, I but again, here’s why it’s difficult and why it paused I’m sorry to both of you. I’m sorry to all potential listeners, even I was talking to Rainn Wilson about this guys the he does it, so that’s what I’m saying. I love him, but walking around with the wireless things in public. That’s just like, I just can’t, I just can’t. No walking around and the airport he was talking about. I just put the these things that I have on right now, these big I just put them on in the airport and no one will recognize me. And I’m like, but you look like a moron.
Ellie Kemper 32:58
Yeah, anyway, by the way, they would recognize him, but like a moron version of it exactly. Yeah, it’s one on one. Um, okay, Sam, take it away.
Scott Eckert 33:08
Third one, love it or loathe it? Brian, salmon, he’s thinking he’s like, absolutely.
Brian Baumgartner 33:17
No, I absolutely hate salmon. I loath it.
Ellie Kemper 33:21
Thank you, fish. I disagree with you. I love salmon, but it’s not my.
Brian Baumgartner 33:27
This is, this is the easiest question that you could have possibly asked me. In fact, we did. It is often the only thing that I’m allergic to avocado. So that’s a one thing which is there, but like, salmon is like it, and I think it is so many banquet salmons that turned me off of that fishy, disgusting pink meat that is fishy tasting, yeah, and They’re like, this is different. This was just caught last week in Seattle. I’m like, I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t want it.
Ellie Kemper 34:07
He hates it. Well, the I listen, I couldn’t be happier that you happen to load it because I’m winning. Yeah, in fact.
Scott Eckert 34:13
I think I’ve already lost. There’s no way to win.
Brian Baumgartner 34:15
I wanted to leave it to the end. I wanted to leave it for the end, but I couldn’t, because that one, yeah.
Ellie Kemper 34:22
It’s just you couldn’t even lie. I couldn’t I understand, and I’m glad you didn’t lie, because it’s a it’s a game, and you shouldn’t cheat, Brian, take us. Take us home with this one. I’ve won victory lap for me, arguably a victory lap for you. Love it or loathe it, bedtime stories.
Brian Baumgartner 34:39
Like to have them read to me?
Ellie Kemper 34:44
Yes, or to read them to someone.
Brian Baumgartner 34:47
Well, I don’t know, but let me just tell you this the night before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin, by the way, this was unplanned. Everyone right here, right now. It is. Coming out in November. I will love, I will love it to read it to all people across America. In fact, I think I’m recording, maybe later today or tomorrow, the audio version of The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. But, yes, so I love.
Ellie Kemper 35:24
You love that good. I don’t. It’s great that you love it, because I already won. So I had no, I had no skin in the game. But I want to know, are you doing? Please tell me the answer is yes. Are you doing a book tour?
Brian Baumgartner 35:36
We’re doing of this. Yes, we’re doing, we’re doing a book tour. Or I’m doing a, we, the royal. We doing a book tour, yeah, I mean, we’ll, we’ll go around. We’ll do the things and the yep Today Show, and, the do some signings in places and.
Ellie Kemper 35:55
Yes, I want to know if, well, you, you will post where these stops are, I hope, on various channels and web channels and social media sites, because I would love well, as we know I’m, I’m in California now we don’t know Scott and I mentioned that earlier, so I hope you tell us about your California stops, if there are any, so that we can come say hi. I have a bedtime story read to us.
Brian Baumgartner 36:22
I will. I’ll read you the bedtime story.
Ellie Kemper 36:26
Brian, thank you so much for joining us today.
Brian Baumgartner 36:30
Thanks you guys.
Ellie Kemper 36:31
We’ll talk to you soon.
Brian Baumgartner 36:32
All right, bye.
Ellie Kemper 36:36
Well, Scott, that was a lovely chat with Brian. I only feel sorry for you, though, because you are $5 less rich.
Scott Eckert 36:45
I have already gotten a Zell request from from you on my phone. I gotta so you can’t even wait until we’re together. He was such a delight. It was a delight. So Ellie, is there anything you’re looking forward to next week.
Ellie Kemper 37:01
One word for you, Scott, Halloween. Two words Halloween season. I am looking forward to all these little cutie pies, kids in costumes with their little school parties. And I always feel like Halloween stretches like, you know, a week or two long now, not too long, T, W, O, long, like two weeks long, and I’m really I’m looking for it. It’s fall. I’m excited for candy. I’m excited for all the things that make Halloween exciting. Scott, what about you? What are you looking forward to?
Scott Eckert 37:30
I’m looking forward to the same exact thing like you say. The anticipation has been building for weeks, and now it’s about to finally pay off. So I’m also looking forward to our episode next week, because it’s Halloween themed, and it might just be you and me, very exciting, and those are always my favorites.
Ellie Kemper 37:47
Honestly, I love it when it’s just you and me. I’m sorry. We get more time to talk. Thank you so much to everyone for joining us for another episode of Born To Love. If you want to find me, I’m @Ellie Kemper on Instagram.
Scott Eckert 38:02
And I’m @meScottEckert on Twitter. We’ll be back next week with more Born to Love, so take care.
CREDITS 38:08
There’s more Born To Love with Lemonada Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content where we flip the script and talk about something we don’t love. That’s right, you’ll get to hear us complain, but only if you subscribe now in Apple podcasts. Born to Love is a production of Lemonada Media our producers are Kegan Zema and Aria Bracci. Our engineers are Ivan Karaev and James Sparber. Our SVP of weekly production is Steve Nelson. Executive Producers are Jessica Cordova Kramer, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Ellie Kemper and Scott Eckert follow Born To Love. Wherever you get your podcasts.