Mom's Car: Tim Lovestedt

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• Dax Shepard and guest Tim Lovestedt reminisced about their early friendship forged through shared experiences at The Groundlings, including their mutual, long-standing admiration for Brad Pitt.  Copied to clipboard!
• Tim Lovestedt revealed a history of fabricating personal achievements, such as claiming to have trained at Detroit's famous Kronk gym and being a Marine boxer, to establish credibility with peers.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation highlighted the complex dynamics of fame and success among friends, contrasting Dax Shepard's experience of feeling shame over being kicked out of The Groundlings' Sunday Company with Tim Lovestedt's more positive retention of those friendships.  Copied to clipboard!

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Brad Pitt Interview Aftermath

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(00:00:00)

• Key Takeaway: Brad Pitt was casual and enjoyed his recent interview, which included Dax Shepard disclosing his long-standing crush.
• Summary: Dax Shepard confirmed that Brad Pitt was in a great mood and casual during their recent video interview. Shepard had to confess to Pitt about his frequent public declarations of admiration, which Pitt took with good humor. Pitt also shared that he maintains separate mental images of people he knows versus their famous personas, citing Robert Redford and Sean Penn as examples.

Podcast Production Timeline

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(00:07:08)

• Key Takeaway: Podcast recording turnaround times vary widely, sometimes requiring quick five-day edits or being scheduled a month in advance based on project timelines.
• Summary: The time required to release an episode depends on scheduling, ranging from last-minute four-day turnarounds to pre-planned releases a month or more out. The editor’s deadline is dictated by the need to finalize fact-checking before the release window opens within five days.

Tim’s Wine Job and Drinking Habits

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(00:07:47)

• Key Takeaway: Tim Lovestedt works in the wine industry, covering sales counts, and prefers drinking tall boys, especially the 24-ounce ‘Worker’ can.
• Summary: Lovestedt spent the morning checking floor case counts for wine inventory across Burbank, Glendale, and Eagle Rock while covering for a representative in Budapest. He admitted to having a healthier relationship with alcohol now, contrasting with his past habit of bringing Coors Banquet tall boys to movies. The 24-ounce ‘Worker’ tall boy is his preferred beer, which requires quick consumption before it warms up.

Childhood Truck Identification Skill

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(00:10:08)

• Key Takeaway: A childhood skill involved identifying semi-truck manufacturers like Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mac, and White Freightline based on their appearance.
• Summary: Dax Shepard recalled a summer camp counselor who made children guess the truck manufacturer before it passed on the freeway. This led to developing the specific skill of distinguishing between major brands like White Freightline and Kenworth. This memory was linked to an early shared enjoyment of truck-centric movies like Black Dog.

Tim’s DUI and Father’s Career

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(00:10:55)

• Key Takeaway: Tim Lovestedt was arrested for a DUI at the police department where his father, an LAPD detective who retired young due to health issues, used to work.
• Summary: Lovestedt experienced the embarrassment of being bailed out of the jail where his late father, an LAPD detective, had worked before retiring at age 42 due to smoking and drinking habits. His father retired early, around age 42, after about 18 years on the force because of poor health.

Early Friendship and Grocery Store Jobs

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(00:15:49)

• Key Takeaway: Early in their friendship, Dax Shepard and Tim Lovestedt had vastly different financial situations, with Shepard having rigid work schedules while others had capital allowing more time for comedy.
• Summary: The two friends met through a mutual acquaintance and bonded over simple activities like cooking dinner, despite having different levels of financial freedom. Lovestedt worked various jobs, including as a clerk and checker at Vaughn’s and Gelson’s, while some peers had enough capital to focus solely on classes and auditions. Shepard noted that having a regimented work schedule made it challenging to dedicate sufficient time to writing and comedy development.

Groundlings Mythology and Competition

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(00:18:39)

• Key Takeaway: The Groundlings environment fostered intense internal competition, leading to disappointment for those who had to repeat classes or felt overshadowed by exceptionally talented peers like Josh Nathan.
• Summary: Shepard recounted being disappointed after being asked to repeat an advanced class, while Lovestedt later joined Shepard’s group after someone quit, which was initially daunting. They recalled the high standard set by peers like Josh Nathan, a writing machine whose consistency was unmatched. The environment was competitive, with performers often feeling panicked about being kicked out of the Sunday Company.

Lying About Past Accomplishments

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(00:40:49)

• Key Takeaway: Both Dax Shepard and Tim Lovestedt admitted to maintaining long-term lies about past achievements, such as boxing experience or military service, to impress others.
• Summary: Dax Shepard confessed to lying to Guy Stevenson about training at Detroit’s Kronk gym to prove his toughness, a lie he maintains to this day. Tim Lovestedt admitted to lying about being a Marine who boxed, even claiming he boxed on a ship, to maintain credibility, especially since his father was a police officer. They noted that adding unflattering details, like killing women and children (which Lovestedt’s uncle claimed from a MASH episode), can sometimes build false credibility.

Fame Trajectory and Friendships

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(00:34:24)

• Key Takeaway: Dax Shepard realized that the peak experience of The Groundlings was the sold-out Sunday Company shows, and he is grateful for Kristen Bell’s success, which allows him to experience a more comfortable level of fame now.
• Summary: Shepard stated that the Sunday Company sold out every night, and that experience was the greatest it ever felt, making the subsequent two years feel like a race against being kicked out. He expressed gratitude that Kristen Bell is now more recognizable than him, allowing him to enjoy fame more comfortably without constant attention. He also reflected that people who stayed local with family support might have avoided some of the intense pressure he felt moving to LA solely for comedy.