"Everybody's Live with John Mulaney" Season 1 Episode 2

In the second episode of “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney,” the witty comedian takes center stage once again to talk about cruises. The show featured special guest appearances from Ben Stiller, Quinta Brunson, Nick Kroll and industry expert Anne Kalosh.

In a change of format, the show opened with two performances from Kim Gordon and Kim Deal.

Gordon is known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and performed a song from her sophomore album, “The Collective.” Unfortunately, it lacked flare and was quite underwhelming due to the lyrics being a jumble of different words and phrases.

Mulaney then does a bit with his co-host Richard Kind, which transitions to Deal’s performance of a track from her album, “Nobody Loves You More.” The Pixies singer’s soothing vocals and unique instrumentation make an excellent performance.

The next section of the show focuses on the topic for the week, being cruises.

First, Mulaney invites Stiller and Kalosh to the stage and asks about their experiences with cruise ships. Stiller notes that he has never been on a cruise, but he loves the movie titled “The Poseidon Adventure.”

Kalosh has a bit more experience as the senior editor of the Seatrade Cruise News. She adds that the Titanic was not actually a cruise ship and more of an ocean liner because it had a purpose and destination.

Mulaney shifts gears to audience call-ins to hear others’ experiences.

Caller Oran says he worked as a chef on a cruise, and one time a passenger sadly passed, and they did not have a proper morgue. To solve the problem, they put the body in his room and blasted the air conditioning, waiting two days to get back to port.

Another caller, Angela says she lives on a cruise full-time, with her husband and 300 other residents. She said after retirement it is easier to travel the world and enjoy a constant change of scenery.

Mulaney then invites Brunson and Kroll to the conversation.

Brunson says she would never go on a cruise because you feel trapped in one place for too long. Kroll adds that he has never had a cruise experience except for a Galapagos booze cruise that had around 50 to 60 people.

Taking more calls, the group talks with cruise director Joshua, who explains there are different codes for naval communications. He starts to take a while explaining, and Mulaney unexpectedly ends the call, saying you cannot waste America’s time in a joking manner.

Another caller, Richard, says he went on a KISS cruise, celebrating the band. He mentioned that every day the guests woke up and put on the band’s classic makeup, similar to a big Halloween event, and even got to meet the actual band members.

The last call of the night, and most memorable, comes from James Anderson, a Saturday Night Live writer and friend of Mulaney’s. Anderson worked as a musical theater dancer on a ship and remembers that the crew had a gun included with the supplies in case someone was a threat to the guests.

Overall, the episode was filled with humorous anecdotes and quirky moments, making for an entertaining hour.

Rating: 3/5

Allison Curley is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email amc9204@psu.edu.