Seth Rogen in conversation with Evan Goldberg at Live Talks Los Angeles

LiveTalksLA
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About this episode Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss Rogen's book 'Yearbook,' sharing candid stories from their youth in Vanco… AI summary

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss Rogen's book 'Yearbook,' sharing candid stories from their youth in Vancouver, including their intense Bar Mitzvah year, high school antics at 7-Eleven, and underage drinking at the Arts County Fair. The conversation also covers professional mishaps, such as the dangerous tiger scene in 'The Interview' and the security aftermath of the film's release, highlighting themes of youthful rebellion and the chaotic nature of their early careers.

Key takeaways 5
  • Bar Mitzvah culture in Vancouver involved attending approximately 100 ceremonies in one year, creating a unique social environment where teens bonded over shared rituals like wearing identical green suits and participating in specific party traditions like the 'Hey [__] Get Laid' chant during Billy Idol's 'Mony Mony'.
  • The 7-Eleven store served as a central hub for local youth, functioning like a Western saloon where dangerous activities occurred, including thefts (such as stealing a nacho cheese dispenser) and fights, due to a lack of other social venues.
  • The Arts County Fair was a massive student-run event that operated with minimal alcohol oversight; attendees used a hand-stamp system to enter the beer garden, which could be easily transferred by licking the stamp, allowing underage students to drink openly.
  • Filmmaking decisions often involve risky compromises; for 'The Interview,' Rogen was forced to act alongside a real tiger due to budget constraints and scheduling errors, leading to a traumatic experience where the trainer used urine to provoke the animal.
  • The security detail provided after 'The Interview' leak was temporary and unannounced; it lasted only a few weeks without explanation, leaving the creators feeling vulnerable once it was abruptly removed.
Notable quotes 4 AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.
  • “I remember when they came over and they were like 'that should come,' yeah he was like now it's time for Seth to come over and meet the tiger and I was like okay I guess I gotta go beat the [__] tiger now and like within a minute I'm like like petting a [__] tiger like playing with this [__] tiger that I do not want to be playing with”
    ▶ 41:43 Rogen describing his immediate fear and subsequent forced interaction with the real tiger during the filming of 'The Interview'.
  • “George Lucas... started to explain to us that... he thought in it was December of 2012... that the world was going to end... certain parts of it we're going to slide into the ocean”
    Rogen recounting George Lucas's serious prediction about the 2012 apocalypse during a meeting with Steven Spielberg.
  • “Magic's too magical drugs are two drugs all you see is the deception... all of a sudden you're like this person is fooling me that's all this is you're trying to [__] with me”
    ▶ 49:29 Rogen explaining why being high undermines the experience of watching magic tricks at the Magic Castle.
  • “I would say like um probably if you believed in Y2K i would argue you believed in that this was gonna happen... he said it with an amazing amount of confidence”
    ▶ 24:28 Goldberg reflecting on George Lucas's demeanor when discussing the end of the world in 2012.

Chapters & Sections (37)

0:00 Bar Mitzvah Year Memories and Experiences chapter 4
0:00 Bar Mitzvah Year Memories and Experiences
2:29 Childhood Memories of Bar Mitzvahs and Fashion
4:03 Childhood Memories of 80s Pop Culture Phenomena
5:30 Rituals and Traditions of British Fraternities
6:54 Childhood Memories of a Local Convenience Store chapter 3
6:54 Childhood Experiences at a Local Convenience Store
8:49 Life in a High-Risk Environment
10:07 Encounters with a Serial Child Molester
11:31 Childhood Experiences and High School Antics chapter 2
11:31 Childhood Experiences and High School Antics
13:35 Arts County Fair Underage Drinking Scheme Exposed
16:01 Youthful Rebellion and Underage Drinking Experiences chapter 4
16:01 Youthful Rebellion and Underage Drinking Habits
17:20 Overdose Incident at a Music Festival
19:51 Childhood Experiences with Karate and Violence
21:07 Meeting with Hollywood Legends and Industry Insights
23:04 George Lucas' Beliefs on Apocalypse and World Shift chapter 3
23:04 George Lucas' Belief in the World's Imminent End
24:33 Predictions and Contingency Planning Failures
25:56 Security Measures for High-Profile Interviews
27:41 Experiences with Private Security Services chapter 2
27:41 Experiences with Private Security Services
30:20 North Korean Hackers Behind Sony Cyber Attack
32:34 Celebrating a Disaster: Mixed Emotions and Patriotism chapter 4
32:34 Celebrating a Disaster: Mixed Emotions and Politics
34:10 Film Making Mistakes and Creative Problem Solving
36:53 Filming with a Real Tiger in a Movie
38:45 Safety Concerns on Film Set with Wild Animals
40:36 Working with a Large Tiger on Film Set chapter 2
40:36 Challenges of Working with Unpredictable Animals
42:08 Challenges of Working with Wild Animals on Set
44:45 Company Bonding Experience at Magic Castle chapter 4
44:45 Visiting the Magic Castle and its Atmosphere
46:10 Volunteering for Magic Show Goes Awry
47:56 Experiencing Chaos in a High-Pressure Situation
49:17 Criticisms of Magic Shows and Illusions

Transcript

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