Andy Samberg with Asa Taccone (Electric Guest)

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got two old friends who’ve worked together on such culture-crushing songs as “Dick in a Box”—one of whom is known more for the music, and the other for the funny. It’s Andy Samberg and Asa Taccone. Samberg you surely know for his years on Saturday Night Live and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and tons of big movies. Before all that he was part of the trio The Lonely Island, which blew up on SNL with “Dick in a Box,” among other hilarious jams. The Lonely Island also features Jorma Taccone, and when Samberg and Taccone needed some musical help for their SNL shorts, they would often call Jorma’s brother Asa, who helped them shape “Dick in a Box,” “Motherlover” and plenty of other songs. But Asa’s less inclined toward the funny stuff that his childhood friends are known for; he’s been making his own decidedly less silly music since 2011 in collaboration with Matthew “Cornbread” Compton under the name Electric Guest. The duo just released their first album since 2019, and it’s called 10K—you’ll hear the meaning behind the name in this chat. As you’ll hear, there’s no jokey rap to be found, just a compelling mix of soulful pop: You might not be surprised to learn that in recent years Taccone has also collaborated with the likes of The Weeknd and Carly Rae Jepsen. Check out “Play Your Guitar” from 10K right here. As you’ll hear, Samberg and Taccone are pretty comfortable with each other, because their friendship goes way back. They talk about Samberg’s decision to take a swing at the big time, Lonely Island deep cuts, and the alternate name that Electric Guest briefly considered. Enjoy. Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Andy Samberg and Asa Taccone for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by The Range. Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.