Bill Bellamy on '90s MTV & Beach House

0:00Nicky Glazer, this stunning tour. The thoughts of death I don't like to dwell on them for longer than like 10 or 15 hours a day, so... November 19th, Yamabah Theater No wonder women rushed to have kids were being trained for it since we were kids. They're like, here's a baby doll. Here's an easy-bait coffin! I got one of those, I stuck my head in it. I was like, I want out of this narrowness. Tickets on sale now at Yamabah Theater.com Don't miss Nicky Glazer, Yamabah Theater. Welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. I'm so happy. Every once in a while, I get to talk to my real baby daddy. Bill Bellamy. I love you Kennedy. I mean, you know, this is over 25 years of, you know, love fest, you know, comedy. I saw some clips that we did. Like, I don't even know if we could do the same stuff we did back in the day.

1:03No. No, and there's nothing now because everyone is on, you know, various apps and social media and TikTok and Instagram and they get all their stuff from so many different places. Like, it's so hard to explain to our children that there was only one thing. There was, there was no social media when we started. The only thing we had after 1995 was AOL Jailroom. In my space or something like that, I don't know what we had. We didn't have all the channels and the thing about MTV that I always tried to explain to people. You got all your information like you got music, you got fashion, you got, you know, pop culture, you know, tidbits and you actually got news, which was it. Politics and news. Yes. MTV news. When you and I got to MTV, MTV news was the most gigantic thing in pop culture.

2:04Because, you know, it really made a name for itself. And then 1992 presidential election when Bill Clinton was elected and you and I really hung out for the first time in DC in January of 93 when Clinton was in. Yeah, we went to rock the vote, which was my first time ever like getting like sort of entrenched in that political world because obviously I never really did the whole, you know, Republican Democratic Convention thing, blah, blah, blah. And they just threw you and I in there and I just never, I never forget this. I never seen you dressed up before. And it was like, you look so nice. I was like, Kennedy, you are really pretty. You like really? Like I was like, Kennedy, you look so nice. You were like this really beautiful gown. And we had our little hinty. We were like trying to be real journalist. Yes. Yes, we're trying to master as journalists, which was so funny, but they always, they always stuck us together. And in 1994 at the video musical awards, it was, it was the first time that they put two VJs on the show because the VJs were allowed to go to the VJ awards for whatever reason.

3:13It was never allowed to be a part of it. Yeah. So that year, Bill and I were giving out the viewer's choice award. And, you know, it was, it was supposed to be an incredible might and you and I had to go backstage after I performed. And I performed an oral act on a microphone with that time was marriage, Julie Arnie Kennedy to this day. I do not know what made you do that. Like it was just I don't know it. It was so bananas. I never I got into it. And she like, he was, he was talking about something and you just started, oh my God, I looked at the right corner. My eyes and no, she is not no. And that was, that was, that was viral for that moment. That was viral. Can you imagine if there was social media, I don't know if that would have ruined me and I would have had to have moved into a cave, but it was because Rosanne went out and said that I was, she saw me backstage.

4:23She said this on air in her monologue at the 94 VMAs that I was giving Rush Limbaugh a job. And so we come back. It's you and me and Julie Arnie on the balcony, a radio city. And the crowd starts to boo and all I can think is they're booing me because they think that I was performing a marital act on Rush Limbaugh who wasn't even there. And so I panicked and started doing that to the microphone and almost like that's the close. I don't even think you never almost got fired. No, no, no, no, you almost got fired several times. Like I know several times. This is definitely her last day. I think she is definitely pushed and pushed it to the wall. Like you were the first female that not only were you very committed to me. And you were very just, you know, unpredictable and interesting to watch like we never knew what you would do what you would say or whatever. You were very, very in the moment, which I thought was really good.

5:25And I just didn't know how you got away with it, but it was just so dope. I never forget. I never forget how you are. You didn't tell nobody that you I think you did a photo shoot for paper was a paper. No, that was for us magazine and you were on the donkey naked. And they didn't so they MTV sent the press guy that from MTV press with me to the photo shoot. And he looked around and he was like, Oh, great. You know, they have a fruit plate for you and some more drop here. And he was like, OK, I'm going to go to brunch with my friends because it was a Sunday. And Mark Seliger, the photographer was like, we have a donkey that we want you to sit on. I'm like, Oh, that's great. And he's like, we have this cute little outfit. But I really think it would be more impactful if you weren't wearing any clothes. And I was like, Oh, I don't think I can do these. No, no, you can totally do it. And he's like, I will be so tasteful. You won't see anything. I'll shoot around everything. Like I will protect you. And he really talked me into it. And I was like, and it like it took a lot of talking into.

6:32And I was like, Oh, my God, that sounds amazing. Like you're an incredible photographer. And so the photo editor from the magazine called Cheryl at MTV press and was like, these nude photographs are amazing. And Cheryl thought she was kidding. She was like, Ha, ha, yeah, nude photographs. Right. She's like, did you not know? And Cheryl's like, no, what? And she's like, Oh, no, there are two nude photographs that were including. And she was like, well, you can't do that. And she's like, well, too late. Well, too late. They're going to print. Yeah. You may like that was provocative at that time. Like you know, MTV was known for pushing the envelope. But of course, to me, I think you made an effort. So by being you know, sort of like this, you know, unpredictable. You try you west of the 90s, you know, you just don't know what you're going to say or do. I thought it was dope. And then so video just resurfaced this. No, you and I after we both left MTV, we did an interview that was so much fun. And we got to we got to do the interview together where they were asking us about the beach house and about all that stuff. And it's so funny. Like that was my Seattle era. So I have like a

7:49Bob that looks like an espresso brown, caretop haircut, which we can say because he survived. And with like two breads and like bad glasses. And I'm explaining that women really did throw themselves at you when we were at MTV. And it was like, it was, it was like, and I forgot because like you and I were like brother and sister. Even though we did we did joke that we were having a baby. And we did that in the press room at the VMAs and people like, what? Like yes. But I forgot that you were a sex symbol. And women would like go insane. And not just like extras from the party. And you know, it was so crazy. You know, when it was happening back then, I did a really like I was kind of like laughing off everything because I didn't know I knew at this job. You know, I don't want to do anything that, you know, my cross the learn whenever so like I almost just like blushed every time. Like I wasn't necessarily responding. You know, those days I was kind of like, but like Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey,

8:57you were the only person who could interview Mariah Carey. Like when Mariah Carey or President Clinton were anywhere near the MTV studios, like all of a sudden I had to do a remote shoot in Pennsylvania. But Mariah, like Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson would be interviewed by you or John Neures. Yeah, they would ban your ass. They would put you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I had a hell of a no form, but something really even. Yeah, I'm like, I'm going to a pumpkin patch again in November. Like, come on, man. And then I would look at the studio schedule. And we'd be like, choose or lose Q&A with Bill Clinton. And I'm like, why can't I go there? I thought it was very entertaining. I could not for the life of me believe what made you do it at the time because you got to know I didn't hear Rosanne's thing. So I didn't know the reference. I just started. I thought you

9:57just try to be funny. Like let's do something crazy so we can get you know, get some love or whatever. I didn't know that you were responding to something at that time, you know. But you know, I love you don't worry. You know, I'm not mad at you. I love you too. I love your comedy. Like I always watch your clips, whatever you post on Instagram. I watch everything. And I'm obviously so proud of you. But aside from that, I'm deeply entertained about what you're doing. And you know, the stuff that you write about and the story that you tell and the way you perform. But I do have a question. Do your children think you are as uncool as my children think of me? My kids don't know how cool I really am. They just think I'm their dad. Like they're like that. But then when they see clips, they'll be like, they're like, Dad, old man. You did that too. You know, they'd be like, Oh, you interview Michael Jackson or they'll see a clip from a movie.

10:57And be like, Daddy, he was me in that movie. You know, and I mean, but I just think what's so cool is that everything is kind of documented. So you can catch old school Bill Bellamy young. You can catch me now as a mature man. You can catch me in my interviews. You can see me do stand up or you can listen to my stories, which is the newest thing that is so bugged out that people love so much. Like now I got to tell them every week because people want to hear these like nostalgic stories that they just didn't know how I was connected to this and that and the other. And it just it just that's the power to internet. You know, it's like a movie. My stories are like little movies. Yes, absolutely, but you're absolutely right. There is such a resurgence of that. Of that because we didn't get to share it the way this generation does. Like this generation. They get to make reels and they get to document their life in a way that I have so little MTV stuff and there's a guy who's got an account on Instagram called MTV historian.

12:09And he posts the most random stuff, but it makes me so happy because I don't have any of that stuff documented. And I figured when I left him to be like, I live that I don't think I'm going to want to see it again, but there's an entire generation of people like Gen Xers who want those stories. And you and you really had some great interviews too, you know, to me like I go back every now and then and just hit YouTube and I'll see, oh my god, I forgot about that. Yeah. And to be quite honest with you when I was writing my book, that's how I had the idea for telling my story in 3D because like when you go, I always took pictures remember I always had my camera. So I always took pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures, right. So when I was doing my book on top, Bill and I was looking at like buckets of pictures from our 90s days, you're in them. John sent you dials Cindy Crawford. We got John stored in there. Adam Sandler, Daisy Fuentess, Jenny McCarthy, like Jenny McCarthy and John Stewart.

13:21People don't realize were some of these days with us like it is like people don't even realize that was a big deal to be a VJ back then. And so when I look at those stories and those pictures, I'm like, who's going to tell them if we don't like no, they'll just go away. So I think you should definitely tell some of your stories or maybe go to some of the clips and tell the behind the scenes of how you work, what were you thinking, what made that happen because we will be like, what? Yeah. So when I do my life shows, I tell the story of you and I like that was supposed to be the biggest TV night of our lives because for the first time they were letting VJs be part of the show to this global audience, a billion people watching the VNAs. And I, you know, it's like I torched myself by blowing a microphone next to Rudy. Bill Maher of our people, the new mayor, like he was, he was elected in November of 1990 and he'd only been mayor in New York City for a few months.

14:23Right. He wasn't even creepy yet. We just knew him. We just knew he was Rudy. Where were you? We didn't know one day he was going to be creepy and ever here died dripping down his four yet. I showed that picture on stage too because every producer in the building that I worked with had this look on their face because they assumed that I was getting fired. Therefore, they thought they were getting fired. So Adam Freeman and Tim Healy saw me doing that on stage. Well, that's it. It was fun. You know, that's kind of stuff always rose down here. You just think everybody in that line is gone. You know what I'm saying? But they don't know we were all so young and our producer were young. You know, we were all like in basically like a college campus just making great music TV. You know, pretty much. That's exactly what it was. I mean, everyone there, you know, they were our age. They were early to mid 20s and like I'll never forgot the first beach house because they had everyone living and working in the beach house.

15:31Like that was the set and the hotel. So they have like APs sleeping in the same room with each other. And so all these young attractive just out of college kids started sleeping with each other. And after a couple of weeks, they all started breaking up and no one was talking to each other. It was so crazy. Like I didn't know that like I remember one day we had a you and I had a conversation like the sun's going on. Like we're like, we're like, we're going to be shooting our show and we just feel like energy like we don't matter. And then we do we found out like later that there was a lot of sort of like, you know, couples will be, you know, they're going out for drinks afterwards. Those guys are hanging out and now they're making out. Then they break up and now they're with somebody else and they all work together. Yes. That was the first that was the first real world of you want to be honest. That was more real world. I know that was the really real. There was no there was no escaping it. You could not escape the beach house because you were working there.

16:31And a lot of people would stay there on the weekends like John Stewart would would get a ride with one of the van drivers back to the beach house because his apartment was so small. You were you were staying to be. Yeah, she would go to the beach house and stay for the weekend and that's like you're welcome. Thank you, John. And you better not forget about us. We were there for exactly. Don't go anywhere. More Kennedy saves the world right after this. Nick Eklaser, this stunning tour. The thoughts of death. I don't like to dwell on them for longer than like 10 or 15 hours a day. November 19th, Yamavath Theater. No wonder women rushed to have kids were being trained for it since we were kids. They're like, here's a baby doll. Here's an easy bake oven. I got one of those. I stuck my head in it. I was like, I want out of this narrative. Tickets on sale now at Yamavath Theater.com. Don't miss Nick Eklaser. Yamavath Theater.

17:32This fall, build a wardrobe for the way you live with exceptional designs and personalized help from client advisors at Neiman Marcus. For weekly meetings, social events and everyday luxury. Neiman Marcus has it all from the refinement of Brunello, Cuccinelli sweaters to the confidence of Christian Louboutin shoes and accessories and the technical perfection of a Montclair down jacket. There's something for every style this fall. Discover an unrivaled variety of world class brands. Shop Neiman Marcus today in store or at neimanmarcus.com. So how do you build? I've been I've been good. I mean, it's like busy. It's fun. Like I look around and I'm very happy that I'm still working and writing and on TV. And you know, it's like doing stuff just like you like you got to keep going. We're all, you know, we're old school talent. You know where we work hard. We love what we do. We're passionate about it. You know what I'm saying? Very creative people always have something going on because we just keep thinking I knew things to do or adding pieces to your portfolio.

18:33Like to me, I just shot a thriller. I never knew that I would ever do a movie that style. You know, I don't say it where it's serious. I'm playing a leading character, but you know, I'm a dad and I'm going through a tough situation and is information is slowly coming out that there could be a serial killer. Like I've never done anything like that before. It was just so different. Like it was so exciting to to step off into something I've never done before. So I was like, I'm, you know, I'm always done comedies and you know, dramas, but a thriller is a certain feel to it. You know, it's just a different piece. And it sounds like it's a lot of work. Like it's a lot whenever I think of thrillers, I think of people running. Like they're always have to be a lot of running. And the good scream. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Only makes them one of them. Absolutely.

19:33When did you really come out of the holidays? So yeah, great. The title, the working title right now is called the Steps song. So I don't think that's going to stay the way it is, but I'm definitely, you know, the lead in this thing and it's crazy. I wish I could show I can't leak it to you, but if I could show you the poster you'd be like the old Text me the poster. I will not show it Okay, when you're when you're back in New York City Will you come by for a happy hour so I can make you a cocktail and if you don't drink I'll make you No, no, no, I drink I drink I drink I like real liquor. Um, I haven't got to the point when I have to have a Martell So I'm still good, you know, I drink naturally. I still love a good tequila I love, you know, a good I will make you a casual either bourbon-based drink or tequila I will call it the top bill. Yeah, and I will make a cocktail just for you Thank you so much. Kennedy. I'm so proud of you made anytime you name me you call me You my sister you know, I love you like that your families. I'm standing you are just a wonderful person. I'm very proud of you

20:40I'm so proud of you too and I adore your family. Please tell Kristen and your kids that I said And I will see you in person. Yes, my friends No, no just kidding This has been Kennedy saves the world along with Bill Bellamy. I'm Ken log Listen ad free with the Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcast and Amazon Prime members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh go ahead and leave me a review while you're there I'd love to hear what you have to say you've been listening to Kennedy saves the world on the Fox News podcast network Nicky Glazer this stunning tour the thoughts of death I don't like to dwell on them for longer than like 10 or 15 hours a day. So November 19th Yama Vaugh theater no wonder women rush to have kids. We're being trained for it since we were kids They're like here's a baby doll. Here's an easy bait. Go then. I got one of those. I stuck my head in it

21:44I was like I want out of this narrative tickets on sale now at Yama Vaugh theater dot com. Don't miss Nicky Glazer Yama Vaugh theater