This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] John Hill: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the fabulous Feinstein's/54 Below. Before we get started this evening, just a polite reminder. Please take this moment to silence your cell phones. Also, there is no flash photography. Thank you. Enjoy the show. Ladies and gentlemen, John Hill.

[1:19] Nella Vera: Welcome to the Feinstein's/54 Below podcast, where we take you behind the scenes at Broadway's Supper Club. Our guest today is an actor, producer, TV and radio personality. He starred as Jason McConnell in the off-Broadway cult favorite, BARE: A Pop Opera, and also performed in productions of Hairspray, The Boy From Oz, and Miss Saigon. Currently, he is a producer of Bravo's Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and co-host of Andy Cohen: Live on Sirius XM. He also hosts his own show, The Feels on Sirius XM. On March 11th, he brings his signature brand of performance to the Feinstein's/54 Below stage for the East Coast premiere of The Feels: Live, where he will mix the high energy of his live radio show, his insider Bravo gossip, and his cabaret musical theater chops for a very special evening. Hi, I'm John Hill, and you're listening to the Feinstein's/54 Below podcast.

[1:23] Nella Vera: John Hill, welcome to the Feinstein's/54 Below podcast.

[1:26] John Hill: Oh my god, you deserve a round of applause. That was so nice. It sounds so classy. I'm such an amateur though, compared to what you do. Oh my god, I'm worthless. That was so you have such a velvety, clear voice. That was I feel like this is definitely the classiest podcast I've been on. I'm usually just like surrounded by trash. But look at us. We're like in a nice, like beautiful stuff. Don't you wish everybody could see this?

[1:47] Nella Vera: Yeah, I do. I that's bad for radio. Our podcast we should say we're looking out on the East River. This is East, right?

[1:54] John Hill: Who knows? You're great. Thank you for having me. I'm honored.

[1:58] Nella Vera: You have managed to cross over to film and television work after beginning in the theater, which is amazing. Can you just tell us about that journey and where you are with your current career and how this all happened?

[2:11] John Hill: I mean, career, yeah. Let's see, nowhere. But also, yeah, reading that, it sounds like I actually have done stuff. So let's talk about it. Everyone who's on stage always is like, I want to transition into TV and film because they want to be like, you know, well, because we're narcissists. But um, I did that, but then went behind the camera, so I'm still a narcissist, but like still frustrated. So I'm just kidding, by the way.

[2:32] John Hill: Um, I when I was doing Broadway shows, and I just want to plug myself. The only thing that was um wrong in that bio is I was in the original casts of Hairspray and The Boy From Oz. Just not like a replacement. Of course. Not that that's bad.

[2:44] Nella Vera: Well, no, we're gonna talk about that in a second.

[2:46] John Hill: Oh, okay. Yes. Um because yeah, so I did those shows, and then I didn't grow up watching TV really, didn't watch TV, and then Andy Cohen, who we we've we're working together on this, we'll talk about who is gonna appear at the show. We'll get there, I'm sure. Um, when we met, he was a TV executive, and I had an idea for a movie, and he was like, Look, this is a great idea, but you should go to LA and pitch it as a documentary series. So I did that, and that's how I started producing television, still performing, but then that's well, that's how it started. That with one kind of idea, which was a theater-based idea, but televised.

[3:25] John Hill: So it was a documentary television series for MTV, and we made the whole thing, and then there was a scandal, and it was about a high school, and then the entire thing is still sitting in a basement at World of Wonder, who produces RuPaul's Drag Race, and it'll never see the light of day. But it's a great story sometime when I'll when I take you out for drinks something.

[3:42] Nella Vera: Oh my gosh.

[3:43] John Hill: Yeah, that's so crazy. That just happened to my boyfriend.

[3:46] Nella Vera: Oh my gosh, who's your boyfriend?

[3:48] John Hill: Am I your boyfriend?

[3:49] Nella Vera: I wish.

[3:50] John Hill: Um he's much shorter and less cute. But adorable. I'm sure it's amazing. No.

[3:56] John Hill: Oh no, he just sold a television show to a production company, and unfortunately there was a Me Too issue with the source material that it was based on. And as he was flying to LA that weekend for his first meeting, the source material, okay. The whole thing got canned in unfortunately. But at least he didn't have to spend a year of his life in West Virginia shooting with a high school and then the Me Too movement happened.

[4:25] John Hill: Well, it was worse than a Me Too movement. It was like an actual assault. So I think I signed an NDA for that, but it's been 10 years, so who cares? But um best of luck to your boyfriend. I'm sure he's gorgeous and very tall.

[4:36] Nella Vera: So do you think that your theater background helped you with your television, your radio work?

[4:44] John Hill: A hundred percent. A hundred percent television, yes. Um, because a lot of people who go into television go in from a technical background, maybe. I found well from my experience, I found that going in as a director I was immediately a director and a PR with talent. So I was I was always building the story and basically, you know, even doing unscripted television, I was always writing on the spot, telling people, you know, how to express themselves.

[5:10] John Hill: So say we were with um someone who'd never even seen a camera in rural West Virginia, which is where I was doing my first show, telling people, okay, this is a camera. What are you feeling today? I'm nervous about this or that. And then I'd say, okay, you know, and a lot of people think of it as manipulation or you know, reality shows are fake or whatever, but it I've had a lot of heart going into that. And a lot and coming from a storytelling background, I do feel like that gave me and a lot of people didn't understand that who had just come from a straight up like radio television film degree. So yeah, a hundred percent.

[5:44] John Hill: Radio's hard for me because I'm dramatic, as my friends like to say, and animated, and I a lot of times think I communicate with my body and my face and my hands, as you can see as I'm basically like punching you in the face with my hands right now. My coffee's gonna spill. But um, so sometimes I have to remember that my voice is doing the talking and not my facial expressions, and I have to communicate with my voice.

[6:06] John Hill: But I don't you think that uh helps. They always tell you when you're doing voiceovers or when you're reading a script to actually smile or to flash.

[6:15] Nella Vera: Sure.

[6:15] John Hill: And that that translates into the voice and the tone.

[6:15] John Hill: 100%. Yeah, at Andy Cohen Live. So I get up in LA and I do the show at 7 a.m. I have to I get up at five, I walk my dog, I shower. I was I was like, I'm gonna roll in in my pajamas and just do it from the LA studio. But what I and I tried that a couple times, but I had such a terrible energy, my vibe was wrong. Because in New York, every the lights are on in the studio, he's in a suit, and uh me being the co-host out in LA just did not work with being a schlub.

[6:42] John Hill: So I get ready, I show up like it's my job for two hours, even though it's seven in the morning, and then by nine o'clock it's like lunchtime for me. But it does add to my performance, not really performance, but like to my, you know, I show up and I engage.

[6:56] Nella Vera: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

[6:58] Nella Vera: Well, you let's talk about your theater because we in the office were reading these credits and we're so amazed and wanted to ask you so many questions about it.

[7:08] John Hill: Are you serious? Are you being honest?

[7:09] Nella Vera: Um no, we love it. Well, first of all, the owners of Feinstein's/54 Below were the producers of Hairspray. Who Richard Frankel, Tom Bertel, Mark Brown.

[7:18] John Hill: Oh my god, stop it.

[7:19] Nella Vera: So they the four of them owned 54 Below. And so we walk in every day and we see the poster of Hairspray with everybody's names on it.

[7:28] John Hill: Do you see my name?

[7:29] Nella Vera: In the hallway, yes.

[7:30] John Hill: Oh my god.

[7:31] Nella Vera: Um, so and you were also you were in the original cast of Hairspray. You were also in the original cast of The Boy From Oz, um, as well as BARE, which I'm kind of obsessed with because it was one of the it was groundbreaking for its time.

[7:46] John Hill: Oh my god, I'm loving that.

[7:48] Nella Vera: Just the subject matter, the fact that it was, you know, not Little Shop, but it was about a real topic. And I know so many people still hope that it has comes back and has a run. And I've had friends who've tried to produce it and for whatever reason just hasn't come back. But we can think about it.

[8:06] John Hill: We can think about it with fond memories.

[8:10] Nella Vera: But what was the experience like to be in Hairspray in The Boy From Oz and you know, originating a show like that with that are shows that are so iconic?

[8:22] John Hill: Ah, lights long cigarette, sits back in chair. Uh let's see. Well, which one do you want first?

[8:28] Nella Vera: Well, let's talk about Hairspray because obviously that's the fun one. A show that means so much to so many people that I think it's one of the most produced shows uh high schools across America.

[8:40] John Hill: Yeah.

[8:40] John Hill: Um and too bad I don't get residuals.

[8:44] Nella Vera: Well, if you were originating now, you probably would.

[8:47] John Hill: So you gotta you gotta come back and originate a part in a hit show and then you'll be set for life.

[8:52] Nella Vera: Okay.

[8:53] John Hill: Um, so what was that experience like? Did you know at the time that it was gonna have this impact?

[8:58] John Hill: Yeah, for sure. So I got cast in a really weird way. You want to hear the story?

[9:03] Nella Vera: Yes.

[9:03] John Hill: Okay. I think people probably already heard it a million times because it's like, well, maybe not. Let's act like they haven't.

[9:09] John Hill: Um, that was the charitant part. So I was friends with Craig Burns, who's Bernie's Helsey casting director. I think he's so we met on a train. He was like, I know you from Miss Saigon. I was like, How do you even know that? He's like, I'm a savant, I know everyone. So, and then I had done a commercial with Matt Morrison for MasterCard that also didn't air. Not a Me Too movement thing, but we were we were playing male Barbie dolls who were nailed into life-size coffins.

[9:35] John Hill: So it was weird. It didn't air, it didn't air. There's also a live zebra and like a little girl. It was weird. So it didn't air, but he and I became friends, and he was casting Hairspray. My roommate was in Mamma Mia, and there was all this stuff happening, and all of a sudden, James Carpanello played Link. He left to go to do the film Face Off, as everyone is a fan of that brilliant movie with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, Face Off. Brilliant move on James Carpinello's part.

[10:05] John Hill: He left to do that. Matt Morrison, who was playing Fender, got bumped up to Link. So leaving open the spot of Fender. They said, Craig calls and he's like, We need someone tomorrow. They leave, Hairspray leaves for uh Seattle pre-Broadway tryout. In two days, they need someone now. So can you come in tomorrow? You'll just get the part. I know you can do it. She's gonna be you and like three other people were gonna show to John Waters and Mark Shaman. I said, Yeah.

[10:30] John Hill: So keep that in mind. The other thing is I already knew of the show because I knew Matt was in the show. I knew my friend Katie Grenfell was in the show. Katie Grenfell used to be my waitress at a Greek restaurant in the village. I just was like, this show's gonna be amazing. I love Hairspray. So I went in, and of course, there weren't five guys there. There were 75 guys there, all dressed the same, white t-shirt, jeans, and I was like, Well, I'm not getting this. I should just go to my waitering job.

[10:49] John Hill: Jerry Mitchell comes in and he's like, Okay, we're gonna dance first. And I was like, Well okay, I'm really screwed because I can't dance. So I said, instead of dancing, I'm just so because I wanted to get out. I didn't want to stay through like maybe call back, call back, call back. So I went to the very front line and I showed how bad I could dance, and he was like, You can't dance, but you're really funny, so stay.

[11:09] John Hill: Cut half of everyone, everyone left. Then we sang next. And I could sing, but the I didn't have a book. So the only thing in my book was literally this is like um what is that thing called? Luck? Right. So then I had my book. I don't know. Uh, and in my book was I did I wouldn't go to musical theater school, but I did have things in a binder, which is technically a book.

[11:33] John Hill: And one of my songs was Uncle Fucker, which was written by Mark Shaman. And I opened my I didn't know he had written that song. Oh wow. And I was like, here's my book. And he was like, Oh, that's funny that you brought this. I'm like, why? Do you want me to sing that? He's like, I w that's my name. I was like, Oh, who are you? Then there was like, so he thought that was funny. I sang. They were like, Okay, we like you. It was down to two of us, and then they we they read us as it were.

[11:56] John Hill: So then we read, they brought in Katie Grenfell, who was my waitress at the Greek restaurant. Remember, she came in and read for Tracy. I was reading for Link, and she like gave me a wink before, and she's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember you, Lemon Chicken. And I was like, here we go. Read it, and like, because like I would have shied away had I not had a friend reading with me. And then John Waters walked in right as I read the scene, and then I left to go do I had been cast in another commercial, I think for like oh, I was in a boy band.

[12:23] John Hill: I know I did four commercials as a bad dancing boy band member, four of them. One was for Nintendo. Anyway, I'm headed down to that one. Bernie Tulsi calls and he's like, You're gonna make your Broadway debut.

[12:32] John Hill: Can you leave in two days for Seattle? I was like, I can't do this commercial anymore. So that's how I got cast. Oh my god. That is the best story ever. Okay. That's incredible. So that was my audition. So, you know, the I guess the lesson is if you can't dance, be funny.

[12:49] John Hill: Well, yeah. I mean, I didn't have the chops, but I tried really hard. And I danced really bad, really hard. You know, like I gave I like gave it. I love it.

[12:59] John Hill: Yeah, I mean, you know, the show. That was the best show. We're all still family, like literally like you know, Margot Lyon just passed away. We've all been just like heartbreak emoji, just like broken heart. We all flew to New York to do um the benefit and for uh uh lung health and Julie Halston's husband, who also, you know, it's just been a big deal for all of us. We're all there for each other at all times, always on a text chain. Best friends.

[13:23] John Hill: I love it because m uh Matthew Morrison sometimes plays at 54 Below, and he does a Hairspray mega mix. Oh, and he always talks about how much he'd love to do the show again. He'd have to be corny or something. I would be um Dick Latessa. Yes, or he does this whole bit where he does a bunch of songs, even some of Tracy's songs, and he does the choreography, and the audience goes nuts because not just because he's doing it, but it the show is so beloved.

[13:53] John Hill: Yeah, um, adults and kids, and it means so much to kids. I I've heard Mark Shaman talk about high schools who write to him, and they say, Well, we we're not we don't have you know that many African American pseudo-I've seen White Motormouths, yes, and he says before high school, yes, just go ahead and do it and go go with God and God bless and skinny Tracy's I can't tell you how many I've seen and it always is it doesn't matter because the point is not that, and especially for high schoolers and middle schoolers, young kids, especially, it's about being on the outside and finding your way to be integrated into whatever it is, being bullied, especially people who are ostracized, not in the popular club, not in the popular clique, you know, um, and being able to say, like, okay, step aside because I'm here too.

[14:39] John Hill: And now that sounded kind of earnest. Let's talk about Boy from Oz. That one was different.

[14:43] John Hill: It's a different experience. Yeah. I mean, you're working with the mega mega superstar on that, and people like Stephanie J. Block.

[14:52] John Hill: Stephanie, I knew from Disneyland. You did. Yeah. We were cast in the Hunchback of Notre Dame in Hunch in Disneyland, uh, in LA when I was 19. She was cast and she showed up to rehearsal. I was so excited because I was like, Oh my gosh, I have a job singing. She showed up and we were singing through the show, and she was like, I'm gonna quit.

[15:14] John Hill: She was too talented, so she left. And I was like, I'm gonna play Quasimoto for a summer, so that's fine. I was literally Quasimoto. Hilarious.

[15:21] John Hill: So that was totally different experience, star-driven show. So, what was that like?

[15:26] John Hill: Well, at that point, just to be honest, I had a bad attitude in life. So I was like really, I was I loved Hugh, and I was like, This is gonna I really they had me go to Lincoln Center to watch the workshop with Ruthie Henshaw and Isabel Keating and Hugh, and I watched and I was like, Hugh Schmu, Ruthie Schmouthy, but Isabel Keating.

[15:49] John Hill: Like, like I c I had like stood up and like banged my head against the wall. I couldn't handle it, how good she was without any makeup or hair. Yeah.

[15:56] John Hill: Like, like take your Renee Zellweger and like teach her a lesson. Just kidding, love you, Renee. But um, that was the performance of a lifetime just so anyway.

[16:07] John Hill: I want I said, yeah, okay. Not that I was like deciding to do the show, but I was like, yeah, I'm excited to do this. Cause they, long story short, they offered me before like eight months before the show started, even rehearsals.

[16:19] John Hill: I walked in and they said a few things. They were like, I well, I walked in and I was his measurements. They were because when you're casting for an understudy, really the main thing is like, do we have to spend money on costumes that aren't gonna fit? Like at a big thing.

[16:31] John Hill: And he had a lot of them, yeah. And a pinch, could you fit the actual person's costumes? And they're like, okay, good. At that point, I had a better frame.

[16:38] John Hill: Uh so I walked in, and there's that's like a good that was my first thing, good thing. The second thing is I looked more like Peter Allen than he did, even he looks like he could be my uncle.

[16:47] John Hill: Um so, like, okay, that. And then they said, Can you do an Australian accent? I was like, it's the only one I can do.

[16:48] John Hill: They said, Can you a Texan accent? And I was like, I'm from Texas, and they said, Can you play the piano? And I was like, Yeah, and they're like, Can you sing and play the piano? I said, Yes.

[17:00] John Hill: So done. Cast. I was stoked. I was like, I get to leave. But then he was shooting X-Men 2 for like nine months.

[17:07] John Hill: So I had to stand in for him and read with all the Lizes because I hadn't cast one yet. So, like, Beth level came in. I was like, Who is this? And I was this young person reading with these great people, uh, standing in for him, and then they decided to cast to put me in the show as Mark Heron, Judy's husband.

[17:22] John Hill: I had a little scene, I had a little song. I think the point of the question is though, I didn't understand at the time the earnestness of that show.

[17:31] John Hill: I didn't understand how you could be in a show with a person playing Liza Minelli and a person playing Judy Garland and have it not be like a comedy. I didn't get that yet.

[17:40] John Hill: I was like, isn't anyone else seeing this? Like Yeah are you are we anyway so I was a little bit of a class clown and I kinda like a high maintenance bench a little bit.

[17:50] John Hill: But I look back on it very fondly and I think it was very entertaining to the cast. Like I definitely my goal was to just make Hugh crack every night and I did.

[17:57] John Hill: So since we're name dropping aside from Hugh when you come across somebody like Stephanie or Matt Morrison or Laura Bell Bundy, do you know when you're working with them that these people are destined to be musical theater greats or does everybody kind of have to do it.

[18:19] John Hill: I think it is great in a way I mean like I walk just for example like when I would go on for Link I would look down and like Shoshana Bean would be sitting there and then I had to do this thing where she humped my leg.

[18:27] John Hill: So at that point I guess my brain is still stuck in those days where I think everyone is a superstar but most of all myself. Sorry. You know what I mean?

[18:34] John Hill: Like I think we're all when you're in that mentality you're like this is you know we're young people trying to make it and like I thought Matt was a beyond superstar and I met uh Laura Bell Bundy before Hairspray on Guiding Light.

[18:46] John Hill: I was like an under five she came up to me she was like hi who are you I'm Laura I was like hi I'm John She's like I'm from Kentucky I'm like I'm from Texas she's like sorry I gotta go to my scene now by so like every there's no one I met who was ever like a diva or actually we were all divas maybe but like I everyone I worked with I thought was a superstar instead of i except for the ones who were clearly not and like where are they myself included.

[19:09] John Hill: Oh please do you have any Stephanie I mean like yes this per this person came into singing Esmeralda for Disneyland and she left. I was like, trust, work, yes, live.

[19:21] John Hill: Superstar Tony. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's so funny because we, you know, we do about 700 shows a year in in our club, and every now and then I just watch, you know, a night full of unknown musical theater actors who are probably working, yeah, but not they're not Stephanie J. Block.

[19:40] John Hill: And I'll just say that person should be used. Why isn't this person a star? And it kind of blows my mind the amount of talent because everybody's good.

[19:49] John Hill: I mean, out of the 700 shows we do, maybe there's two a year where I think the talent, but for the most part, everybody is fantastic. And then there's a few people where you are like, How do I latch on to them so that you know I can watch them become huge stars?

[20:07] John Hill: Like Luann.

[20:08] John Hill: Yeah, which Luann?

[20:10] John Hill: Oh my god. That was the last time I performed at the Luann. And I tanked.

[20:15] John Hill: Yeah. Now you are fabulous. Everybody was fabulous.

[20:19] John Hill: Because everybody's not the Giovanni night. This is an off night. But everybody has fun when it just it's just joy and fun.

[20:27] John Hill: Yeah. Those nights. Um, there's no tanking on the show.

[20:30] John Hill: Also, everyone show like Schwastid wasted when I was there, and I was like, uh, they don't know even what I'm singing or saying, so it doesn't even matter.

[20:38] John Hill: They just love it. Yeah, they love it. I hope, and please, if you're coming to my show, please get shwasted so I don't have to try so hard.

[20:44] John Hill: Speaking of Bravo, Bravo has so many shows with a cult following. Uh Real Housewives, R Project Runway, even top things like Top Chef were you know huge.

[20:56] John Hill: And they have a fan conference called BravoCon, which actually blows my mind to think about, um, that takes place here in New York. And we just mentioned Countess Luann played a bunch of shows at Fine Science 54 Below, also sold out.

[21:10] John Hill: Why do you think these shows and why do you think these shows have such a rabid fan base?

[21:17] John Hill: I'm caught now between my TV executive brain and social analyst brain, I think, because like looking at the numbers, people who started watching reality TV, so like Simple Life, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Survivor back in 2000, American Idol, those things.

[21:34] John Hill: Real Housewives and you know, Bravo used to be symphonies and Tori Amos concerts. And Andy was a trio.

[21:41] John Hill: It kind of blended and then got kind of sucked into Bravo. Um, but then people who were watching Bravo at that time were also watching certain kinds of shows.

[21:50] John Hill: Basically, I think looking at the timeline of TV, people who were 30 around the time of Housewives of New York, it got them really good. They stayed with it, you know.

[22:02] John Hill: So the people who were and then it just became one of those shows that stuck. Um, then they had they became like the aspirational network.

[22:10] John Hill: So Top Chef, which I worked on, that was one of my first jobs. I love Top Chef is my favorite of all reality shows.

[22:16] John Hill: Um I love it. I love that job. That was one of the best shows I worked on.

[22:20] John Hill: I worked on Project Runway when it was still at Bravo. Welcome back, Project Runway to Bravo.

[22:24] John Hill: Um, and so that was like my school of hard knocks for TV as well. So after my first show, then it became Project Runway, Top Chef.

[22:31] John Hill: So I was always at Bravo, um, mostly because I was in that family and working for World of Wonder, which has RuPaul's Drag Race and talk about a con, Dragon.

[22:41] John Hill: Yeah. And a Vegas show that just opened. So yeah, um, why do I think they're iconic?

[22:46] John Hill: I think a lot of times because they're also uh super campy. I think it's like the new camp, honestly.

[22:50] John Hill: Like, I think gay people and like queer people enjoy a camp moment. It's like camp as it's happening.

[22:55] John Hill: You don't have to look back on Mommy Dearest to know it's camp. It's like it's happening now.

[23:00] John Hill: Like these people are like it's live camp happening now. You don't have to wait for, you know, because camp usually you look back and you're like, wow, what a camp classic.

[23:07] John Hill: It's like literally camp as we're watching it. Yeah. Is that a good answer?

[23:10] John Hill: Yeah.

[23:11] John Hill: Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's it's so the phenomenon to me is really fascinating.

[23:15] John Hill: I think part of it is also its guilty pleasures. Totally.

[23:19] John Hill: And like you said, aspirational. Who wouldn't want to be dressed in jewels and be on a yacht somewhere?

[23:25] John Hill: Exactly. And and I was listening to this old uh documentary about about an old HBO executive who was saying, like, okay, we have Sex in the City, you know.

[23:32] John Hill: If that's not for you, then you have Game of Thrones. If that's not for you, we have Westworld. If that's not for you, we have comedy, if that's not for you, we have sports.

[23:39] John Hill: So having these different buckets, and I think Bravo does that well. If you don't like Housewives, you have Million Dollar Listing, which is kind of like an HD TV-ish kind of but upper echelon, glossy kind of show about like really rich homes.

[23:53] John Hill: You want to dream about that home you want to own one day. If you want a slightly cuter version of like women behaving badly but still rich, then you have Housewives that are married to medicine, and then like my dad's favorite show is Below Deck.

[24:05] John Hill: So you have something for everyone, and they've done a really good job of programming Bravo.

[24:09] John Hill: And then you have something late at night, which like encompasses the entire thing, which brings us to Watch What Happens Live, I guess.

[24:14] John Hill: Yeah, absolutely.

[24:17] John Hill: What's it like being part of the Bravo family?

[24:20] John Hill: Um uh I did it, I've been there since well, not at Bravo, but I've been doing Bravo Bravo shows since 2008.

[24:27] John Hill: So that's what what is my math? What's that? 10, 12 years? This is 2020. Right.

[24:30] John Hill: Okay. Well, just barely 12, yes. Um, so it's been a long time for me.

[24:34] John Hill: I was very young when I started, and I was going from show to show mostly because uh that those were my connections, like those production companies that were making those shows were people that I had known, you know, when I was transitioning into television.

[24:47] John Hill: But then after Watch What Happens Live, I kind of made a decision, along with starting to do the radio show, still staying with Andy and doing our show together, which grew and wasn't a nice progression from working on Watch What Happens Live, which was four years, which was uh every single night, which was something I really wanted to do, but I didn't want to do that forever.

[25:05] John Hill: Um, I like writing my own stuff, I like doing my own stuff, I love performing my own stuff, I love being on the radio, and I like selling my own TV shows and uh writing scripted shows, which is what I'm doing more of now.

[25:16] John Hill: And so I don't consider myself a Bravo employee necessarily, but I'm Bravo adjacent, and people come to me a lot of times for Bravo Insider Scoop, but I don't always have it because I'm like, I don't know who the housewives of Orange County are anymore.

[25:29] John Hill: Sometimes I watch them, but at Watch What Happens Live, we had to watch them every single day. And sometimes I'd be like, you know what, I want to watch, you know, I don't know, like a Machumander, a shit's creek. You know what I mean?

[25:40] John Hill: Like I didn't always I don't study them as much, and that's the great thing I I have at Sirius is that I don't like you have Amy Phillips on reality checked and Jeff Lewis, and you have your Bravo Bravo Bravo stuff and Andy, but I get to sit and kind of like make jokes about other stuff and do the news and do other pop culture things and music and movies and TV.

[25:56] Nella Vera: Your upcoming 54 Below performance is actually.

[26:00] John Hill: It's a live taping of your radio show, The Feels, which is on Sirius XM for those who are looking for it.

[26:09] Nella Vera: What first tell us what's going on?

[26:11] John Hill: Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea. Tell us what your show is, and then we'll talk about how that's gonna work live in a cabaret space.

[26:22] John Hill: Okay, right. Well, starting in 2004, Ben Remelauer and Brian Nash and I started doing solo shows. You know these people.

[26:29] Nella Vera: Yeah.

[26:30] John Hill: Absolutely. Yeah. 54 Below regulars.

[26:33] Nella Vera: Yeah.

[26:33] John Hill: But back in the day, it was just three of us at the duplex, just kind of doing again, like around the YouTube times, which are like not to be revisited, but a little bit like experimental, like envelope pushing um ridiculousness. A lot of a I mean, the whole a lot, the whole gimmick, it's kind of like come and see this show that seems like it's gonna be fancy and nice, but really when you get there, it's just like a complete shit show, and you walk out saying, like, what did I just see? But I think I enjoyed it. That was the shtick then.

[27:01] John Hill: Then we kind of refined it because as an older person, it's not as cute. That being said, maybe it is gonna be like that. Well, we did. So this is the second time we're doing it. Everyone who's doing podcasts are kind of bringing it live to their fans and audience. I did it in San Francisco. People came out, it was a it was uh a great show. It was a little of a free-for-all.

[27:20] John Hill: I when when I do my show, I write the whole thing out word for word, and kind of the whole thing is planned, especially with Brian. Like I don't really go off book a lot, but I do go um there is a section that's a little bit improvised. So uh it is like standard cabaret, but a little bit of like um gosh, how do I explain it? Insulting. But then there's also so but as it helps us having the radio show there because to to go off of because people know what to expect.

[27:47] John Hill: The radio show itself now is an offshoot of I'm Andy, I'm Andy's co-host on Andy Cohen Live in the mornings for two hours, and it's an offshoot of that. We continue that onto The Feels, which is kind of like what have we felt for the week. I usually have a guest, we like guest co-host, you know, not like in straight up interview, but we just talk about what's happening, talk about our feelings, talk about what we're feeling about you know pop culture.

[28:08] Nella Vera: Do people call in?

[28:09] John Hill: I've got to be able to do that. And people calling, yeah, we're live, so that's the most important thing to me. I love that. I love hearing from people. They call up and say all sorts of things. A couple days ago, they were saying, like, can men wear tights? I'm like, I have no idea. Sure, go ahead. So it's a lot of just like whatever you want to talk about. Um, we've been doing it for five years, and I still have a hard time encapsulating what the show is.

[28:28] John Hill: Are we we've gone through some slogans? One of them is um like The Feels, what the fe what the fuck is even happening, even that was one slogan. The other one is gross, okay, and the other one, so we've gone through a lot of things, it's just kind of like whatever you want to talk about. So the show is songs, uh, original songs, a mix of stand-up and guests.

[28:49] John Hill: So Andy's our guest and Michelle Collins. Right. And then you have other guests as well.

[28:53] John Hill: We do. I can't announce them yet, but they're massive celebrities. And on your radio show, you have guests different from so since we were talking about this before we started recording. So if I came on and I said, Let's talk about West Side Story that which you just saw, and we would just talk about that, and that would be the show part of the show.

[29:11] Nella Vera: Yeah, and I would talk about like what's it like to record your podcast in an apartment, or this beautiful studio, rather.

[29:17] John Hill: Right. You know, okay, and then we talk about that, you know, and your life. And then what we would talk about West Side Story, and we talk about like what happened last night, or like what you did this morning, and then it leads to bigger topics and deeper things, you know, even though we're all shallow, you know.

[29:31] John Hill: There's a depth there, shallowness. And my lady gaga. What far from the shallows now? Sorry, okay. Stars Born. Thanks. Where's my Oscar?

[29:39] Nella Vera: So for your live show, uh, can people expect uh musical numbers as well?

[29:45] John Hill: I think keep the expectations real low. That's just what if there's music or not. No, um, yes, there's gonna be song, there's gonna be a couple of original songs, and then some other ones that are just um, yeah, and the whole thing will be underscored by Brian Nash, who's a longtime collaborator of mine. He and Natalie Joy Johnson and I have done Joe's Pub shows for a long time the first one being Natalie Joy Johnson is Relentless, Full Bush and um our last one which I forget the title of because it was such a piece of shit. But come to my show.

[30:14] John Hill: Fantastic. Really it will be a great time. I it's gonna be a great time. I'm I'm not like downplaying it. It will be very very very audience is very integrated into the show. There's a lot of audience interaction which I used to be really afraid of. Now I love it.

[30:29] John Hill: Um I like to think I'm a very nice insult comic. So what was the inspiration for you wanting to go out and do this kind of a live show?

[30:39] John Hill: Money? Well I know we're not paying you that much so no you're not um but um you can move me. No you are oh my gosh you're being so sweet. Um I did do Feinstein's like I missed so I do my shows in LA too.

[30:52] John Hill: Yeah I miss doing it and um it's nice to get up and do it again. It's nice to be a little bit in front of a live audience too.

[30:59] Nella Vera: Versus in a studio with for sure yourself.

[31:01] John Hill: Yeah yeah so it's kind of like your way of getting out and to be somewhat theatrical.

[31:08] John Hill: Yeah as I've gotten older I look back to when I was you know you look back and you say what would I put on the put on this planet to do and it's like what have I and it's the answer is always what have you always done that's probably what you're supposed to do on this earth.

[31:19] John Hill: And since I was two I've gotten up and just like entertained whoever. So like it makes sometimes I get frustrated so I'm like well I'll just book myself and then we'll do a show and I'm always like super happy to do it. Makes me happy.

[31:31] John Hill: It's gonna be different than it has been. It's gonna be definitely the first one. Last time last time I did it I I've been sticking to definitely more of a live theatrical that's my comfort zone is entertaining live.

[31:45] John Hill: So understanding that every podcast is going out and they're literally just sitting at a table chatting. That's not my comfort zone because I feel like that's boring to a live audience. So I'm leaning into that.

[31:55] John Hill: I feel like I really want to deliver and like get up and just like give it all I have. So this is gonna be a little bit different in that they will get a little people will get a little bit of that, but they will also get a lot of conversation because it is gonna air.

[32:06] John Hill: Well, let me explain it this way. When I was 14, I heard Sandra Bernhardt's show, Without You Know I'm Nothing. I got a bootleg DVD from like some queen I did a show with, and he's like, Hey, you should listen to this because like clearly you're gay. And I was like, Thanks.

[32:18] John Hill: I listened to it and I would just listen to it at night, and I couldn't hear what I could hear her say one word, I would hear the audience go crazy, but I couldn't see what was happening. I didn't know what was funny, but I was saying she's doing something that makes them laugh, and I don't know what it is, but I'm gonna go to New York and figure that out.

[32:33] John Hill: And I feel like a lot of times when you hear the audio of my show, especially from the one I did on the East Coast, it doesn't translate because I won't be saying a whole lot, but I'll be getting laughs because I I kill.

[32:47] John Hill: Um short. But um so I think this time it'll little be more it'll since I have been focusing more on the material being written out more specifically and audio focused and not just about like, you know, pratfalls.

[33:01] John Hill: Because I like doing a fall. I'm just kidding, I hate doing that. I'm not too old to do that anymore.

[33:05] Nella Vera: Yeah.

[33:06] John Hill: I don't know. I think you can handle it.

[33:07] Nella Vera: I'm pretty a good pratfall.

[33:09] John Hill: Okay. Well I might damage your room.

[33:12] John Hill: We just had Tony Yazbeck tap dancing on it for the biggest.

[33:16] Nella Vera: Yeah, but he's so talented.

[33:17] John Hill: I'm never gonna give you Tony Yazbeck. It's hard tap dancing.

[33:20] John Hill: So if he didn't break the floor, he also has like a hot body, he's gonna take up his shirt and like entertain the crowd. Like I have to work really hard.

[33:26] Nella Vera: No, he doesn't take off his shirt because he's you know, he's doing Gershwin Classy, so he's in a tux and tap shoes.

[33:31] John Hill: But that's yeah, it's it's really hot. I thought too.

[33:33] Nella Vera: Yeah.

[33:34] John Hill: Well, you have a such an amazing, flourishing career in television or radio. But is there a part or a role that could lure you back to the theater?

[33:45] John Hill: Oh my god, I would any part literally. I would play like a dead body with no lines for sure. Or Scarlet Johansson playing a tree. I would do literally anything. It's the best job in the world. Don't ever leave Broadway if you have a good career.

[33:56] John Hill: Like, I don't regret that, but I also kind of do because how fun. It's the best job in the world. I'm so grateful for those years I have.

[34:03] John Hill: The camaraderie, the small spaces, the complaints, you know, your like 18 inches of space that you're allotted by equity. I liked all that stuff. I was so I'm glad I did it when I was really young.

[34:14] John Hill: But there is no other job in the world like it. And I know there are so many people who come here trying to do that that don't get to and deserve to, and are way more talented than I am, you know, or at certain things.

[34:25] John Hill: And it I was gonna say about what you're talking about before, like there are so many people who are so talented, and why is it not happening this time or that time? Think of it in terms of I thought Stephanie J. Block should have won a Tony for a bunch of other shows before Cher.

[34:37] John Hill: No shade to the Cher show, but I'm like, wait a minute, for the Cher? Even the paragraph. The paragraph, even if the show meeting or what does the show, but company. What is that other show? Falsettos.

[34:46] John Hill: Oh my god, falsettos. I thought she was gonna win for sure. So, like all these things remember that like Dick Latessa winning for Hairspray, and he was 75.

[34:55] John Hill: Like, there's plenty of time for these people to come out of the woodwork and to earn their things. See, Leah Kenan Bulger. Like, like there, there's lots of time for these people.

[35:02] John Hill: Like, she should have won a million years ago. Uh, there's a lot of time for people to like, I do have faith in the process in the system that people will get their due when it's time.

[35:13] Nella Vera: Final question, and then we'll let you go.

[35:16] John Hill: Okay.

[35:16] Nella Vera: What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about?

[35:20] John Hill: Well, the easy thing to say is that I've recently signed a very important non-disclosure agreement with what I'm working on, so I can't even tell you. But it's all really important.

[35:29] John Hill: But I am gonna be coming back to back from New York. Uh, I have I rarely come back to New York, but I'm gonna be coming back a lot more. And um so I'm working just down the street.

[35:37] John Hill: Um and more live shows. So we're doing a tour. That's the whole point of this is that we're starting to get booked in more cities. So this is kind of like the start, the kickoff of that.

[35:45] Nella Vera: How do you get the energy to do all do all of this?

[35:49] John Hill: That's easy for me. Like, this is super easy. You get up and do a radio show in the morning, you do this in the afternoon. That's easy.

[35:55] John Hill: And then you're doing shows at night and developing a million other things. That's hard. I don't like doing the normal job.

[35:59] John Hill: I don't like doing management like the boss managing stuff. I do it for the money, but like this is easy. I could like talk and be an idiot all day long, or like get up and sing and be stupid. That's easy.

[36:15] Nella Vera: Well, thank you so much for joining us.

[36:17] John Hill: I can't wait for my show. I did such a good job of selling it. I'm so excited for your show because I think it's gonna be unlike anything our audiences have seen.

[36:25] John Hill: Let me ask you something though. Like, are your audiences easily um offended? Because like in San Francisco, like during rehearsal, they were like, We're gonna. But no, they eject the pe they had to keep people away from the show because it was so filthy.

[36:40] John Hill: So, like, do I need to take that into account?

[36:43] Nella Vera: Uh, probably for our regular members. There's just some visual aids that are really shocking. But I'm trying to like maybe okay.

[36:51] John Hill: I'm gonna revisit some of that stuff. I just want to like know who I who's coming. But also your fans are coming who want to see.

[36:57] Nella Vera: They're pigs, they're pigs.

[36:58] John Hill: Exactly. Yeah, so you gotta keep that in mind too.

[37:02] Nella Vera: Of course.

[37:03] John Hill: Okay. Of course.

[37:04] John Hill: Okay, I don't know. I think you can handle it.

[37:05] Nella Vera: And I love it all.

[37:06] John Hill: Okay, so I'll I'll love it. Trust me.

[37:10] Nella Vera: Um excellent. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, John.

[37:14] John Hill: Um March 11th, 7 p.m. Find Science 54 Below. Tickets at 54below.com.

[37:21] John Hill: And uh we will see you then.

[37:23] Nella Vera: Thank you for having me. I had such a great time talking to you.

[37:26] John Hill: Thanks.