Summary
Overview
Dax Shepard reunites with his Groundlings friend Guy Stevenson for a wide-ranging conversation covering their comedy days together, Guy's Marine Corps service, his multiple open-heart surgeries, careers as bouncers, and their shared love of motorcycles and physical comedy. The two reminisce about their unusual friendship at the Groundlings where they bonded as the only members who lifted weights and had been in real fights.
New Wave Origins and Long Island Upbringing
Guy discusses growing up on Long Island with two brothers, including an autistic older brother he frequently had to defend. His parents were both teachers, and despite their profession, he was considered the bad kid who struggled in school. From an early age, Guy found himself in physical altercations protecting his brother in an era when it wasn't considered uncool to pick on autistic kids.
- Guy's favorite New Wave bands were Depeche Mode, The Cure, and The Smiths
- His father was a gym teacher at Nassau Community College and his mother was an elementary school teacher
- Guy's older brother was diagnosed as autistic at age three and was non-verbal
- Guy was known as the bad kid that other families warned their children not to hang out with
- He frequently defended his brother from bullies, starting in elementary school
" The first group that stopped picking on them were the burnouts because they just found other better stuff to do. That's why I gravitated. "
" My dad, who was a gym teacher, was like, you're going to rise to the level that you're at. So he was in regular school. Got a regular diploma. "
Groundlings Days and the Dax-Guy Dynamic
Dax and Guy were unusual members of the Groundlings comedy troupe—two tall, muscular guys who had won fistfights and lifted weights, creating an unlikely friendship. Their first interaction set the tone when Dax asked who would be the alpha between them, and Guy simply responded 'pick another sport.' They bonded over primates and wrote sketches together, though Guy's writing talent exceeded his character work.
- They were the only comedians at Groundlings who lifted weights and had won fistfights
- Dax lied to Guy about training at the Kronk Gym in Detroit to establish credibility
- Half of Guy's sketches involved gorillas, and his brother owned a gorilla suit
- They planned but never executed a stunt where Guy would dress as King Kong and Dax as Godzilla to run onto a Padres field
" I said to you, like, what are we going to do? Like, who's going to be the alpha? I think we're going to have to fight or something. I'm not talking that much. And he just goes, pick another sport. "
" When you go up to them and they're flailing, they'll make you drown. He's like, you first thing up when you get to them is you fucking bonk them in the head. So they kind of get disoriented. and then you can get in the position you need to be in. "
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