Adam DeVine: The Culture Brats Interview

If you or your kids (or you and your kids) are fans of Cartoon Network's Adventure Time or Regular Show, there's a damn good chance you'll be fans of Uncle Grandpa, which premieres tonight. Uncle Grandpa was created by Peter Browngardt, who also worked on Futurama, Adventure Time, and Chowder. It tells the story of the titular character, his talking belly bag, a dinosaur named Mr. Gus, a Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, and Pizza Steve, an egotistical slice of pizza who is voiced by Adam DeVine from Workaholics and Pitch Perfect. Adam was nice enough to take time from filming the upcoming season of Workaholics to answer a few questions about Uncle Grandpa, his favorite cartoons, the upcoming season of Workaholics, and more.

How are you doing today?
I'm tired. We're in the midst of shooting Workaholics and my brain is melted. Besides that I'm great. Hopefully this breakfast burrito will get my mind right.

Tell us about Uncle Grandpa, your new show on Cartoon Network.
It's a cartoon I would have loved as a kid and would still love as an adult. It reminds me a lot of Ren & Stimpy in how cool and raw the animation is.

I've watched the "Tiger Trails" and "Belly Brothers" episodes and feel that fans of Adventure Time and Regular Show are going to love Uncle Grandpa. What attracted you to the series?
I thought the shorts that were on YouTube were awesome. So it helped that I didn't think the show was gonna suck. Truly, I wanted to do something that my extended family could watch and not think I'm a drunk/drug addict maniac who shouldn't be allowed at Thanksgiving. I'm sure that's how they think after watching Workaholics.

You play Pizza Steve, a cocky, talking piece of pizza. Is that the strangest role you've ever played?
It's definitely the most delicious role that I've ever played. Pizza is my life blood so it really is a dream role.

What are some of your all-time favorite cartoons?
Ren & Stimpy, Rugrats, TMNT, and DuckTales. I almost broke my neck as a kid trying to dive into a pile of change. I dunno how Scrooge McDuck pulled it off.



I'm a big fan of Workaholics. Have you started writing the new season yet? Anything you can share about what we can expect in the new season?
We are shooting the new season right now! I'm writing this from set. If you like Workaholics, you're gonna love this season, and if you don't like Workaholics, just go to bed, you're no fun.

What else are you working on right now?
I have my own stand-up show coming out on Comedy Central this fall called Adam Devine's House Party. I basically have a giant house party and invite my favorite new stand ups to perform in my backyard. It was bonkerz. Also, I'm gonna do a few episodes on Modern Family this coming season!

Best of luck to you with Uncle Grandpa, Workaholics, and everything else!
Thanks! Let's be best friends or something?

Here's a preview of "Tiger Trails," one of the two episodes that premiere tonight at 8:00 PM on Cartoon Network:

Jeremy Shada: The Culture Brats Interview

On January 24th, Cartoon Network debuted Incredible Crew, a half-hour sketch comedy show produced by Nick Cannon. One of the show's six young stars is Jeremy Shada, who also voices the role of Finn on Cartoon Network's Adventure Time. We were lucky enough to sit down and speak with him about both shows and we even got our kids involved!

Is Incredible Crew improvised at all? Are any of the actors involved with the skit writing or creating?
Most of the show is written but there's some improv'd lines here and there and all the hidden camera bits are improv. None of the actors are involved in the creating or writing of the show, that all comes from our writers and producers.

You're also the voice of Finn on Adventure Time. Which is harder: voice acting or physical acting?
Physical acting is definitely more challenging but in the end there's a lot more reward from a performing standpoint and you're able to do more.

How did you get into voice acting?
I actually started with live action stuff like commercials, movies, and TV shows and then my agent decided to send me out for some voiceover spots. I was pretty good at it and it just kind of evolved from there.

You've had lots of big name guests on Adventure Time. Who were you the most excited about meeting?
That's a hard question but I would have to go with Mark Hamill because honestly, how often do you get to meet a Jedi?

You've performed a few songs so far on Incredible Crew. What was that like? Could you see yourself releasing a CD one day?
Recording songs is a total blast and super fun to do. It's a great experience and I love doing it so like I say with most things, I wouldn't be opposed to maybe doing something like that down the road if the timing and direction is right.