What Should Your Kids Be Watching?
A guide to the complicated world of childrens movies and television.
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As it happens,New Yorkhad available an interviewer in the shows target audience.
After school on a recent Tuesday, the two of them sat down at a cafe for an interview.
Alex himself wrote the questions he asked, with some very light coaching from me.
Carbon copy of me at 10.
John Mulaney:In a Sentimental Mood, by John Coltrane, is playing.
you’re able to add that.
Alex Bonanos:Ive heard this song about 47 times because they always play it in school.
:Theydo?When and where?
:When were working.
Our teachers are allowed to put on music while we work.
This happened a lot during second grade, and for some reason they think second-graders are interested in jazz.
First question: How did you come up with the name The Sack Lunch Bunch?
I became acquainted with them through the albumReally Rosie,and I wanted something like that.
And atSaturday Night Live,I had a sketch that was cut multiple times called The Scrapyard Gang.
A scrapyard is like an old … A.B.
:I am aware what a scrapyard is.
:Sorry, sorry!
:No, its fine!
:And then I thought that might kind of jinx it because the gods of television had cut it.
Sack Lunch Bunch kinda came from that.
[Pauses] Theyll all be this long, my answers.
:How did you choose the kids?
:I saw probably a hundred or so kids coming from all over.
We were interested in young people who had some experience but were not too polished.
We got the 100 kids down to 30?
And then we made the hard decisions.
It was kind of like putting together anSNLcast.
Like Lorne would go, That guy can play a senator, he can play a father.
Not that any of the kids could play a father.
One of the proudest parts I am of this is the cast we put together.
I take no credit for their talent.
:Did the kids have fun on the set, in the song segments?
:You mean the larger-scale theatrical segments?
:Yeah, like Grandmas Got a Boyfriend.
:Ah, yeah.
Based on true events!
:That sounds like the opening to an episode of an old TV show.
J.M.:Yeah.
Based on true events but all names have been changed.
I changed David to Paul.
Thats a very good question.
And anytime we had downtime, we played games.
When the 15 Sack Lunch Bunch kids were together, it was incredible.
They bring each other a lot of energy.
:Did you get along with Andre De Shields?
I really admire him.
He made an extremely impactful impression on me from the first time we met.
You saw that we interview him in the special, and he talks about how he has no fears?
:When he talked about that, it really made me think.
And I said, Oh,what?
:Like, You think very highly of yourself?
:Well, no it was very interesting.
He said, Now, do I have fight-or-flight?
- But I have grown out of fears.
You know how one of the segments is Mr. Music with Jake Gyllenhaal?
:I wanted [laughs] he was my No.
And he started laughing and said, Oh, mmmkay, all right.
I didnt say anything aboutOkja.
Theres a moment near the end when hes staring off and I say Mr. Music …?
:Thats one of my favorite lines, Is Mr. Music okay?
:No, hes having a lot of trouble.
Also the kids are really laughing in that shot, which I enjoyed.
We did a take, only one, where Camille de la Cruz calls him Dad.
:I was wondering about that.
:Some jokes make no sense and are just so stupid.
:Like when one kid calls you Mom.
:Well, a few of us in our childhood accidentally called our teacher Mom.
I dont know if youve ever done that.
:I accidentally called one of my best friends Mom, and he gave me alook.
J.M.:Yeah.
Its strange when those wires are getting crossed.
Mr. Music was revealed, I guess, as Camilles dad?
I dont stand by the continuity of it.
:They might not live together.
:Maybe hes a deadbeat?
Afterward, I researched whether Jake Gyllenhaal has a child.
:Oh good, I like that thats good.
:[Long pause; looks at list of questions] This is about Richard Kind.
:[Laughs] What a serious tone you took on!
Like Now, we really have to talk about your divorce.
I would be remiss to not mention your arrest.
We need to talk about Richard Kind.
:Do you know if he got along with the girls in the Girl Talk segment?
J.M.:Yes.
I cant tell you how much [good stuff] we had to cut out.
That was a pretty much improvised conversation.
Even when he kept addressing the three of them as Girl Talk, over and over?
:No I told him, yo begin or end every sentence with Girl Talk.
[All laugh.]
:Did anything go wrong on set?
What was the worst part?
J.M.:Time.
A.B:[Quoting a line from Mulaneys stand-up] Strange, the passage of time.
It was nine-and-a-half, ten shooting days.
:[Laughs]
J.M.
:And Im all for the laws.
:In the show, you asked other people how they want to die.
How do you want to die?
:I asked other people how they want to die?
:Yeah, how they wanted to die.
Oh, well, I asked everyone their biggest fear
A.B.
:Yeah, but you also asked … J.M.
:Oh, Natasha Lyonne!
I think she was talking about ways she didnt want to die, and I did ask her.
And everyone would go He was perfect, a great great person.
I used to think that.
:I also hope you’re free to do stand-up for a really long time.
:Thank you very much.
I think my persona will make a lot more sense when Im 80. :Thats very funny.
You and my mom want to know about that.
