Penny and Sheldon

Guest DJ project - Jim Parsons by kcrw

Jim Parsons plays one of the funniest characters on TV - the genius, albeit neurotic, physicist Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the CBS show "The Big Bang Theory." In his Guest DJ set, Jim gets "hopelessly deep" over Steely Dan, proclaims his admiration for Elvis and explains the therapeutic nature of piano playing, all while sharing personal and poignant stories about his life. This week, the Emmy-nominated actor receives the Television Chairman's Award at the NAB Show.

Tracks

1. Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
2. Madonna - Don't Tell Me
3. Bach - Sheep May Safely Graze
4. Pixies - No. 13 Baby
5. Steely Dan - Deacon Blues

Hey there, it's Dan Wilcox from KCRW and I have the distinct pleasure of sitting here with actor Jim Parsons, who's best known for his Emmy-nominated role as the genius, albeit neurotic physicist, Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." Welcome Jim.

Thank you for having me.

Today we're going to be playing excerpts of songs that have inspired him over the years as part of KCRW's Guest DJ Project. So Jim, what do you have for us today?

The first one I have is "Suspicious Minds," by Elvis. I found Elvis, musically, in my grandmother's house through albums that they had. And my image of Elvis, that I knew from my grandmother's records, was of a guy that managed to be both cooler than I could even fathom being and a better son at the same time. He was just such a good mama's boy and bought his mom that house and what have you. And I thought, how are you doing…you're outdoing me in both ways!! But anyway, the reason "Suspicious Minds" sticks out for me is because when I first heard that, or when it first came into my consciousness, I could not believe the theatricality about it. And between the back up singers and the horns and whatever, it was…I guess this is much more judging — ‘what do you mean you couldn't believe Elvis had theatricality? — but, like I said, I had the younger one in my head…

That doesn't sound like the Elvis I know.

*laughs* But I identified with that. I was like, ‘I get that. That is an Elvis I do have something in common with.'

This song gives me the feeling of a show that I REALLY want to be a part of.

That was Elvis, with "Suspicious Minds." Ok, this next one, you've got some explaining to do, what gives…

Are you upset that Madonna's on the list?

No, not at all. I'm just…it's interesting. Not only just Madonna, but this particular song.

Really!?

I'm very curious to hear.

My relationship with this song "Don't Tell Me" is very… it was an odd confluence of events. I was in grad school for theater and my best friend in the program was a big Madonna fan. I had been young and I enjoyed Madonna, like the "Borderline" stuff. But I hadn't really thought much about Madonna much since then. I knew she was there — how could you not —

Yeah, it's kinda hard not to…

Exactly. But he was a fanatic. And, keep going in time, we're about to graduate, we're working on our thesis projects, which were these one man shows and we'd all perform them in about an hour period, me and my class. And while we're in the middle of working on them, or towards the end of it actually, I find out that my dad passed away in a car accident.

And, life is just completely turned upside down as far as what's happening. And, very specifically for me, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm about to graduate from grad school — what does my family need from me? What does my mother, what does my sister need from me as far as this life-changing event that has occurred? And at some point it just hit me that I will only be of service to my family by doing what I need to do and my path. And that all that other kind of things of how we're going to help each other, that's all going to work out.

So I went back and I decided I'm going to do my thesis project, I'm going to graduate and we're going to go from there. And when I got back, my class is like, ‘you get to pick the song we're going to bow to.' And so I picked "Don't Tell Me," by Madonna, which I really liked and thought it was a good idea. The only thing I'll say is that the beginning part, that stuttering in the music, really kind of came back to bite us in the ass, because when you are taking a bow and music starts up and then it's out, the audience is very confused as to what's happening and they think the sound system in the theater is going out. And so, I'm still happy I picked it, but I don't think I'd do it again because it wasn't really the best thing to take a bow to.

Ok, that was "Don't Tell Me" by Madonna. I'm sitting here with Jim Parsons, the actor, who's going through some music that means a lot to him. And we are moving on to our next pick. Why don't you tell us about it?

Classical song, it is "Sheep May Safely Graze," by Bach. I first got to know this song through the piano. I was taking lessons. I went through a few different teachers and the final teacher I had, Mrs. Griffiths, we really connected at a very soulful level. The lessons were good and we got a lot of work done, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't something therapeutic about them. But it mostly came out through the work. And this is a good example. We played "Sheep May Safely Graze" as, I believe they call it "four hands, two pianos," where she would play a part and I would play a part, that's how the sheet music was laid out. And it's kind of unsurprising, looking back, that this was such a good fit for me because there was a touch of acting in it, in that we had to relate to each other, we had to answer each other and talk together basically through the piano in this song. And it was just as close to a spiritual experience, really, playing that song with her.

Several years after she and I played it together, on my own, I did take out that sheet music again and, for the first time ever, looked at her part. And I played her part. And there was an odd sensation for me because you're so, or I was, so focused on learning my part of it. And to go back and try and play her part,…not only did you find it, difficult, but, also, so beautiful on its own. And I'd never heard her part on its own because I'd never practiced her part. And it was that feeling of something somebody was doing for you that you didn't realize at the time, you know. And there was something kind of bittersweet in discovering that, mostly sweet, cause you're like ‘awwwww,' which is kind of odd to explain I guess, because she was just doing her part. But we were a team playing it.

That was Sheep May Safely Graze, a piece by Bach. Let's move on to our next pick. What have you got for us?

This is off the Pixie's "Doolittle" album, it's called "No. 13 Baby." This album — in particular the "Doolittle" album — was very much a soundtrack to a certain time in my life. And that would have been during undergrad, when I was just getting back involved into doing theater again. I'd kind of taken time off from acting after high school. I didn't know if I wanted to do it. And I was very fortunate to become quick friends with a couple of people, a guy and a girl who were dating. And got a lot of work done, both in the way of becoming better actors — or at least attempting to — literally doing a lot of theater shows together, we were just getting cast in shows together and stuff, which was really fun. And we were doing a lot of work just growing up as very young adults. And we played the heck out of this album. It's funny because I listen to this album, I don't listen to it a lot anymore, and partly it's because it kind of makes me a little sad, for what's gone, and oddly a little anxious. Not in a bad way, but there's a quality to so many of these Pixies songs on this album that the words, and the songs themselves…this one very much so I think exemplifies, kind of going back to that melancholy thing, and there's a little hint of…it's not haunting, but there's, it's almost once again something's kind of not all the way right.

And that was the Pixies with the song "No. 13 Baby," and we are moving on to our next pick. Why don't you tell us about it?

"Deacon Blues," by Steely Dan. One of the things it reminds me of, it's reminiscent of the theme from "Taxi" — "Angela's Song." There's something that that does to me too that this one kind of does. It allows me to feel I'm kind of cool with things, in a way that I don't really by nature. I don't just mean that I'm not that cool, but I'm not that cool with things. There's something about this, they seem ok with it all. It's not all good, it's not all going to work out, and that's ok. And there is a ‘must go on despite all the melancholy' about it. You know, there is a driven force, the heartbeat if you will, that goes not just ‘life goes on,' but ‘the fight continues.' I mean, talk about hopelessly deep on the Steely Dan song, but you get what I'm saying. It is, once again, not as much the words as just the quality of that sound of music.

Jim, thank you so much for coming down here and sharing these songs with us.

I appreciate it very much. I had no idea how close to therapy it would be and I don't have to pay you at the end of it. So this is wonderful.

Bazinga! Sheldon Speaks by Jenna Busch

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons tells us what's in store for our favorite TV geek.

If you had any doubt that geek culture has taken over, check out the numbers for The Big Bang Theory. The writing celebrates our obsession with The Green Lantern, reminds us that we are not the only ones who can say hello in Klingon and keeps us laughing at ourselves. Even the Emmys have taken notice.

I just spoke with Emmy Award nominated actor Jim Parsons, who plays socially awkward — but eminently loveable — theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper. Parsons tells us his theory on why the show is such a hit, when and if love will come to Sheldon and working with co-star Kaley Cuoco. "She's a wonderful verbal dancing partner," he says, though he tells us he is far better at bussing tables. He also gives us a sneak peek at this week's episode. Hint: It involves a ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.

I love the show and I watch every week. And I keep thinking about all the people who said the sitcom was dead. You guys seem to have completely revived it. What do you think it is about the show that turned an entire show style on its ear?

Well for one thing, I don't think there is any reinventing of a wheel going on here. You know what I mean? I don't think anybody's trying to do anything around here that is in any way changing the old school of thought with the traditional multi-camera sitcom. And that may be one of the biggest things we have going in our favor. We're trying to simply execute as well as possible, a format that's been around. That's been related to live theater.

My thing, and I've always said this, and I'm not trying to defer attention or anything like that, is the writing...I've heard it said that it's a writer's medium, and I completely believe that...and in our case specifically, we only have what they bring. [Laughs] We can only play with what they've written, as it were. And we're in a very fortunate circumstance where what they're writing is sincerely funny, you know? And maybe 'sincere' is sort of the key word there. There is a great sincerity in what we're doing here...in deference to the format itself. We're trying to do nothing that different than anything that's been done before. But we're trying to do it as best we can.

And then to these characters...We're trying to be as sincere with them and their situations as we can. Yes, sometimes you'll have a laugh at their expense, but more often than not, you only buy yourself that opportunity because, more often than not, we're celebrating these characters. The writers and the actors all have a sincere affection for these characters. Because they're so fun to play. They have so many wonderful and fun qualities about them.

You mentioned celebrating the characters. You guys have been so embraced by geek culture. I think it's not just the terms that you use, etc. I think it's that you guys have such a great affection for your characters.

Absolutely. I think that's completely true.

You must get asked constantly about how geeky you are. I'd read about your Star Wars figures and how you want an invitation to Hogwarts...

Right.

Do you guys ever feel pressure...I mean, the geeks have sort of made you their standard bearers.

I don't and it may be blissful ignorance on my part. Or it's just not affecting me. But I really don't. What's funny is, some of their more geekish, nebbish, fanboy qualities, if you will, which I can see on the surface what a big part of the picture we're painting, they are. And so much of the humor has come from that, and so much of who they are in a day to day way. But I have to say, in the playing of it and in the feeling behind it, it seems so secondary. I don't know. I feel like, in some ways, these people would be who they are, almost entirely, even if they didn't have any of those qualities. If they didn't read comic books. If they weren't Star Trek and Battlestar fans, or whatever. It's a happy side bar. It's extra colors that are laid on top of these really, really smart guys. And I guess that's it. At the end of the day, when it comes back to square one, the heart of the story is that we're dealing with four geniuses. To varying degrees. I think Sheldon is probably the smartest. [Laughs]

I was thinking about some of your more complex lines, and I had read that the writing really helps you, but that you do sit down with notecards. I'd also read that you play piano. I'm wondering if being a musician helps you memorize. You really do have a rhythm to your speech.

I feel like it must. I do think of the scenes and this dialogue very specifically in a musical way. And it's much more self conscious, I have to say. I am able to consciously realize that I'm doing it. The way that they're writing this, and it's what I felt from day one with this...it wasn't the story that grabbed me, though it was lovely. And it wasn't even the characters themselves as far as who made them what they are. When I first saw the audition sides for this show, I really wanted to leap at the opportunity to get to execute this dialogue. And it was all about the rhythms they put in there. And one of the things the writers are so good at is utilizing, not just scientific terms, but especially in the case of Sheldon, just so many damn words in general, but putting them in a format that has a song to it.

I think there is a musicality to any conversation in general. Some a bit more melodic than others, depending who you're talking to. [Laughs] It's most especially accentuated here. It's definitely highlighted, maybe in any comedy. But most certainly in this one, I think. And it's one of the great joys. And it's one of the ways in which, as an actor, in this show at least, I know when something is not going right. Nine times out of ten I'm right about it. Because suddenly you can't access the rhythm. And either they're about to rewrite something that's going to make it fall into place...or you've got more days of rehearsal and suddenly you're going to feel it...I frequently say, 'That scene sings like a song.'

You know, Chuck (Lorre) was a musician who wrote songs and at least one Top 40 hit for Blondie, I believe. I think any comedy writer has a certain rhythm and I think that Chuck, specifically, has a very...[laughs]...he knows how to make the twenty-two minutes of television play by in the right way. I think it's the reason that his shows repeat so well in audience numbers. Because I feel like the stories are good and the things you discover the first time you watch the stories are lovely. But perhaps its best quality is that the episode itself goes by like a song. Even if you know what's going to happen because you've seen it once or twice before, it's still so much fun to watch. And I think that has to do with the rhythm of it. It's like a favorite song. You know the song, you know where it's going, but it's still enjoyable because you like hearing certain notes hit. You like hearing certain rhythms hit.

I agree. This is a show I would want on DVD, because it really is something I'd watch over and over again.

Thank you, first. And secondly, I agree with you. As much as I'm able to say that without sounding like a complete snot. [Laughs] It just turns into a really good time. And that's not to take away any stories or depth that's actually there. It's all there and it's all good. But at the end of the day, what makes it repeatable...it's fun.

One of the things fans have reacted to the most are the scenes between you and Penny (Kaley Cuoco). What is it about your chemistry?

Well, I think what it was bred of, coming into the first season, and especially hitting its stride in the second season is that...they are the North and South poles of...all five regular characters on this show. I don't know which is which. [Laughs] They're just polar opposites. She's so earth bound. She is our everyman...and Sheldon is the most heady of the characters. The most, I don't want to say without his feet on the ground, but in the truest sense of the word, his life, his existence is absorbed in his head. I think that is the biggest ingredient of it. No matter what you do at that point with your characters, it's going to be a good time, because they're polar opposites.

But then I have to say, I had never worked with Kaley before I did this show, and we started doing these scenes together, and for whatever reason, I just...it's such a satisfying time working with her. It is, aah. I can't put my finger on it, always. But me, as Jim, I have such a good time working with her as Kaley, the actress. And speaking to her through these characters' voices and having her speak back is just...to bring it back to the music thing again, it's a wonderful dance. [Laughs] She's a wonderful verbal dancing partner.

Another thing people have really responded to are the scenes with Sheldon's mom (Laurie Metcalf). Will we see any more of that this season?

I certainly hope so. [Laughs] You have to take the good with the bad, I guess is what it is. The reason I think the scenes are so damn good is because Laurie is such a gifted actress. The problem you have, working with a gifted actress is that she's always working. So both her and Christine Baranski...it's hard to find available times for them! [Laughs] Because they're so good, everyone wants to use them in some way. So I really feel like a combination of whether a storyline occurs to the writers and is she available for it...she certainly knows her way around acting in general and certainly she has done plenty of the half hour work in TV as well. She just couldn't be an easier fit when she comes over here. She's just a good person, you know?

You know everyone wants to know if you think Sheldon will ever find love.

Yeah...I want to guess yes, but I honestly don't hold out a lot of hope. The reason is very specific. I've been part of panel discussions with Chuck Lorre. With Bill Prady. And they have professed that...if these characters change at all, it's going to be very slow. At the rate of watching paint dry. And...I've heard Chuck say this a few times, he has a real aversion to...I think he views Sheldon finding love or the desire for Sheldon to find love as a bit of an attempt to normalize Sheldon. And see the more normal side of Sheldon and oh, he is like us. [Laughs] He's very interested in continuing to celebrate how different Sheldon is than the general populace. And he really likes exploring this version of Sheldon, where Sheldon has essentially kind of opted out of the romance scene. He's not taking time for it. In fact, he's kind of deemed it something that for him, at this point, is sort of a waste of time. There is so much more for him to do, he sees, specifically in science in this case, but whatever.

I hear what he's saying and I actually love what he's saying. And I love making those odd choices, those smallest percentile of the populace choices for Sheldon. But I don't think everybody necessarily wants to see Sheldon normalized. I think that they've done such a wonderful job of creating a character that people have a fondness for. And I think wanting to see Sheldon find love is the same thing as wanting to see Sheldon taken care of in some way. Someone to help him along through things that he obviously stubs his toe through, socially...but that brings me back to why I don't think it will happen. It's half the fun of playing this character...all the situations where he is on his own and he is clueless. It's such a dichotomy. He's a genius and then to get to go through those circumstances where he is clueless...using his big brain for every possibility and just failing, failing. [Laughs] Failure has never been so fun.

I also think that those moments where Sheldon does something sweet for Penny...I think they have more impact if you don't have him doing that for a girlfriend all the time.

Yeah. I would agree with you. It does add a lot of weight to it. They've done such a good job of executing, and I feel, letting play this Penny and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) relationship...they did go against the traditional format in this way. We're not hanging on 'will they, won't they.' No. They're doing it. Let's see what happens. And as far as that relates to giving Sheldon any romantic interest, I think it opens...for the reasons we just said, and others...a much bigger can of worms. And you have to be prepared, I think, as writers and a cast if you're going to dive into that. You can't short change yourselves or anybody else. You can't go in and go, 'Ooh, this isn't working,' and hit reverse as fast as you can with the storyline. I think there is a lot more ground to cover that doesn't require us to jump in there just yet.

But what the hell do I know? I'll be honest with you. I never know what story they're going to deliver. I will not know next week's story...we're going to go on hiatus after tonight. We will come in for a table read on Wednesday morning, and it will be Tuesday night at nine o'clock at night before I even get sight of the next script. [Laughs] They won't tell me a thing. Unless they need to ask me something for my safety, like, 'Are you able to ride a unicycle?' Which they have asked. And I said, 'No, but I'm willing to learn.' It never came up again. That was over a year ago. I'm grateful. [Laughs] I've heard it's dangerous.

Yeah! I would think so! [Laughs]

How could it not be?

And I hear you're diving through balls in Chuck E. Cheese in the next episode.

Yes, and might I say, it was one of the finest ideas the writers have had. Such a simple thing. But it goes back to what I said about the science. Wow! We can end up there. I won't tell you how we end up there exactly. But it's through science that we end up at Chuck E. Cheese in a bunch of balls. [Laughs] I had so much fun doing that scene. It wasn't easy! I was really surprised at the lung power it took to fight your way through a ball pit like that. It felt very much like swimming but there was a lot more, it felt like to me, a lot more force to get through to do that. It was very fun. Very colorful.

I hear you also bus tables at The Cheesecake Factory?

Yes. And may I say that Jim as an actor is better at doing that than Kaley as an actress?

Really?

Yes! I had those plates on my arms and I said it out loud one day. I didn't even think about it. 'Better than Kaley.' [Laughs] And you know...it took me longer in life to hit success than Kaley, so perhaps I had more opportunities to perfect dishes on arms and stuff like that. I don't know.

Kaley Cuoco on The Big Bang Theory by Fred Topel

For fans of 8 Simple Rules, the upcoming season is vindication. The show got off to a humble start but has become a staple of Monday night sitcoms on CBS. This season threatens to link Penny and Leonard in a relationship. Kaley Cuoco filled us in the third season scoop over the summer at CBS's fall TV preview party.

How much fun are you having on Big Bang Theory?

I'm having so much fun. It's a great show, it's doing well. How can you not have fun on a hit show? I'm very, very lucky.

With the big group scenes and the dialogue you have, is there any special fun on the set?

I actually prefer [it]. I love when all of us are in the same scenes together. It happens a good amount but not all the time and it makes me really happy, because the five of us just have so much fun working off each other.

How gratifying is it that it became a hit after a slow build?

It was a slow build, yeah. No one liked us at the beginning. They didn't and it's okay. We reeled them in. We brought them to the geek side and now they've accepted us with open arms.

What do you think it was that hooked people?

I don't know. I think they realized it wasn't "cute girl next door to two geeks." It was so much more than that. It was real people dealing with real emotions. I think it's actually really touched peoples' hearts, especially actors like Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki. I mean, those characters have touched people so deeply and they're really sweet.

Any show takes time to build so how do you think it's grown since the first season?

You know, I firmly believe, only because I've been doing this for so long, every show takes three years. 90% of them don't get three years. It just does. It takes a long time to build a community, build a friendship with your characters. It's hard for people to grasp on and make them care about you. We've been lucky enough to get the opportunity but a lot of shows don't get it. I think a lot of good shows don't make it on the air so it's just a process. You have to grow. You have to learn who you are as a character. You're all of a sudden playing a new person with a whole other life.

How has Penny grown since the beginning?

You know, I think they gave her a lot to do second season. She just loves these guys and loves hanging out with them. I think she's kind of becoming one of them which is really sweet and they finally fully accepted her, thank goodness.

And it's not just a cult hit anymore, it's a broad audience.

I still think it is kind of a cult show but it's weird because I have, like, 10-year-olds come up to me and say they love it and then, like, 80-year-olds. I mean, people love the show and every time I think about it, it gives me a chill. It's just really sweet.

What do you think the show did to win everyone over?

It has a lot of heart. People like Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki and the writing that was in season two I think was the best season. It was so good, it was heartfelt. The love between Penny and the guys I think was really heartfelt. I think at first season, no one believed the cute girl was going to like them and all this silly stuff. I think the characters have really grown and they just love each other. It's really nice to see.

You're going to mess with the setup this season, right?

I hear that, yeah. I guess Leonard and Penny are going to date for a little while and I think that's going to put a little jab between the guys and Leonard. I hope our relationship doesn't last long. I want it to kind of go off and come back, how life really is and I think Chuck wants that to happen too.

Have you picked up any geek interests through the show?

No, just a lot of Guitar Hero and Rock Band and I'm getting really damn good on it to be honest.

Are you Expert?

Uh, yeah. Can I play Expert? Can you play Expert?

I'm up to Hard.

I'm pretty damn good. I like to play the drums. I actually like to sing on Rock Band. I prefer to take the mic.

What songs are you jamming on?

You know what? I don't even know half of them. I just read it off the TV and I am awesome. I'm a good reader.

8 Simple Rules was unfortunately cut short. Do you have a sense that this will go for a while?

I'll never have comfort that it's going to go for a while. I think if I did, I think that's the curse right there. I don't trust anything anymore. I just am riding every day like it is because with what happened with 8 Simple Rules it was so insane, you just never know. So I'm just enjoying this as it goes and I hope that we continue as long as we can.

Are you into gadgets?

My new iPhone, I'm obsessed. My iPod. I love all the Mac crap.

When you're traveling, what's the one thing you have to have with you?

Oh, my iPod and my Bose headset because they sound so frigging good. And it's a sign to people to leave me alone. They are so big, they're bigger than my face and it's basically saying, "Get the hell away from me." I love it.

Do people come up to you anyway?

No, they're very nice. They know and I close my eyes like I can't hear anything. You know what I love? I don't even play music. I just keep them on and I'm kind of going like this and nodding my head like I'm listening. Nothing's going on in my ears.

You must have rhythm if you can sell that.

I've got good rhythm.

What do people want to know about the show when they recognize you?

They keep wanting to know, "What's going to happen with Leonard and Penny? Why can't Sheldon and Penny date?" Which cracks me up. That would have to be a nightmare sequence in season nine because they would kill each other. Penny would kill Sheldon.

There's a lot of anticipation for the relationship, yet we all know how it can ruin shows. How do you feel about how it's going to be done?

I don't know. I have such trust in Chuck. It does make me nervous hearing that we're going to date a little bit, but the way I've seen the show go, I don't think it's going to go well so I'm not worried. I don't think the relationship's going to go well. They've got a lot to learn and we've got a long ways to go.

How did you spend your summer?

I traveled a lot and I have horses on a ranch and that's all I did. I rode and it's kind of a curse knowing you have a show to go back to. You just get a little lazy. I'm like, "Oh, I'm going back to work. I don't have to do anything." And I go back on Wednesday [Aug 5] so I'm really excited.

Do you not look for movies to do during the break?

Not this year I didn't, no. I actually said I didn't want to do anything, didn't want to work.

How long have you been riding?

Long time, since I was like 14.

Why is that a passion?

That's the real love of my life. I think in an other life I was a professional. I love it. I love animals and I feel more of a connection to animals than people. It keeps my mind away from all this and everything that's going on here. If you're not connected to your horse, you're screwed so it takes a lot of focus.

Did you have horses from your family before?

My mom grew up with horses and when I turned 14, 15, she's like, "Do you want to take a riding lesson?" I thought, "Oh, gross, dirty." She was like, "Okay." And then I did and now I'm the one cleaning those damn stalls out. You can't get me away from the barn now. It shocks even me. Trust me. I don't know what happened to me. No heels at that place.

More Bang for the buck with Chuck by Angel Cohn

Chuck Lorre is one busy guy. He's the mind behind CBS's money-making Two and a Half Men and the geekfest The Big Bang Theory. The prolific creator was also the man responsible for Dharma & Greg, Cybill, Grace Under Fire and wrote for Roseanne. He's known for his little snarky signature vanity cards at the end of the episodes of his shows, where he takes aim at whatever issue is weighing on his mind. He usually pulls no punches. So this reporter was trying hard not to ask stupid questions (and probably failing) as she nervously picked up the phone to talk with Lorre about the second season of the addictive and entertaining Big Bang Theory.

Lorre seemed to be in good spirits (sorta) when we chatted during his commute to the office a week ago, even though he had to stop for gas and that's not cheap. Lorre told us all about where Season 2 picks up, guest stars, if he's itching for an Emmy win on Sunday night, Comic-Con, and a potential crossover between his two shows.

I appreciate you taking time out. I'm sure you're busy juggling both shows right now.

It is busy.

So we're chatting about your newish show The Big Bang Theory, which I just adore. What can you tell me about Season 2? Does it pick up right where we left off with nerdy Leonard taking hot Penny out?

Yeah they're going to be coming back from their first date in the first episode. The series picks up with Leonard and Penny coming back from that faithful first date. I can't tell you how excited I am. We've shot two episodes so far and they're great. I mean, I just continually am delighted and amazed. The whole cast is phenomenal. I'm very close to it obviously, but I can be objective enough now to be able to say it's a remarkably, remarkably deep and talented cast. And it's been a lot of fun to write for them.

I especially love Jim Parsons (who plays Sheldon). I just love the way that he rattles off physics dialogue just off in these huge long speeches. They are just really funny.

Yeah. Jim is an amazing actor. It's really exciting to watch him work.

How hard is it to write this scientific dialogue?

There are always moments in every script where we write in parenthesis; in the dialogue it says: "SCIENCE TO COME."

You have a science expert on staff to come help you with that?

We have an astrophysicist at UCLA who is a consultant on the show who we are in constant contact with who helps us get the science right. We made it a point, [co-creator] Bill [Prady] and I, since the pilot to get the science right. So we're not guessing. And he'll tell us, you know. We shoot the show live in front of an audience. While we're shooting we may change a line in front of the audience. If we change a line and we're tampering with the science, some of the dialogue...we are told by David Salzberg, our astrophysicist, that "No, no, no, that's not correct anymore." And we change the line so that he's happy. We don't want to get a bad grade.

Yeah, I'd be afraid.

Then the blogosphere goes crazy if we make a mistake so we work really hard to try and get it right. It's fun too. The challenge is to have these characters speak in their own language and for sort of the rest of us, the civilians, of which I am one, for us to still get the intent and comic intent of what's going on. Even if we don't get the minutia of the math. You don't need to understand the math to get the intent.

Well I kind of like how sometimes you have Sheldon or Leonard explaining things to Penny and I'm like 'Oh. Right. Now I understand what Schrödinger's Cat is.' I've heard it before but never understood it.

Right. Right.

I'm sort of on the Penny science level.

You know, I'm right there with ya. I mean, I'm fascinated by it and since we started working on the pilot, I've been trying to catch up on the great gaps in my education by reading popular books about quantum physics, but I much more identify with Penny.

If it hasn't happened on a science fiction TV show then it's beyond my science knowledge. Do you feel like you related to Leonard or Sheldon when you were creating these characters? Is there a little bit of you in either of them?

I think the part of me that I find my entry into these characters personally is, and I assume it's a universal feeling that rulebooks were issued to walk through this world and you didn't get one. You know that feeling like you know you're just a step behind everybody else and you don't quite understand what's going on? And when it comes to romantic relationships and personal relationships that you're just not understanding and you know you're in the dark and everybody else gets it but you? I think that's what I more closely identify with these two characters. I'm an old guitar player who has fallen into television and is so happy he did. I don't have the background that these characters do, but I get feeling left out. I believe that a lot of the audience connects with them in that they're sort of estranged from the mainstream and Leonard wants very much to be part of it. Sheldon has no interest whatsoever. Howard Walowitz thinks he is in the mainstream...

Oh...Howard.

Poor Howard is completely deluded.

I know some Howards.

You know some Howards who think they got it going on but they don't?

Uh huh.

And he's just joyfully oblivious.

And sweet little Raj, too.

And Raj is so neurotic he can't speak to women, which is an extreme aspect of every man. For every man that ever walked the Earth, except maybe the sociopaths, when it comes to talking to pretty girls... it's just stark terror. We've taken it to an extreme and you know. We made it pathological for Raj.

It worked. I keep telling people to just watch it and they're like "Oh I'm not really into all that nerdy sci-fi stuff that you like, Angel. And I'm like, "No, just trust me, just watch it."

I think a large part of that is this cast of actors. They're remarkable. It's just a remarkable cast and we were repeatedly hit by lightning when we put this cast together. Every part of the puzzle came together perfectly. And it took place over several years too. So it's even more remarkable that it happened at all.

The wonderful ways of TV.

Yeah, I mean it really sometimes is a series of happy accidents.

So did the writer's strike slow down the momentum at all? Were you concerned about keeping up?

It absolutely hurt us. The show was building momentum. It was on eight weeks before the strike started. I think we aired eight episodes and each episode kind of was going up just a little bit in the ratings so it was building. Slowly, but it was building, and it was really exciting because you could see it. A tenth of a ratings point each week going up, that's like one hundred thousand people. A lot of people are coming to the show and that was happening every week last fall and then the strike happened... and it all stopped and it was horrible. There was crying. I mean... there was crying. We had this beautiful little child that got taken away and there was nothing to do about it but hope for the best. And when we came back on the air... three of four months later we had some rebuilding to do. And they moved our timeslot too. Which was a terrific help to us. [He says sarcastically.]

That Monday comedy block, you're doing pretty well there. Both your shows. You're slowly taking over the night.

No, no, no. There's no taking over the night. Just trying to survive the whole process.

Were there any storylines that got pushed up or postponed because of the strike that we'll either see?

No, we're just trying to stay focused on stories that reveal these characters. We're not looking for the big story ideas as much as the ones that... you know the little gems that help you at the end of the episode you kind of feel like you know them better. Those are the better episodes for this genre. It's not meant to execute big moves. It's just not what a half-hour comedy does well. It's a play. Essentially, we're shooting a play in front of an audience. If somebody makes a mistake we shoot it again. But otherwise it's a theatrical presentation. So the smaller ideas present themselves better.

Makes sense. Do you ever worry about putting in too many comic or sci-fi references for the general masses?

I do worry about that. If the show becomes too reference heavy then I think it risks losing a lot of people who are not deeply immersed in the minutia of nerddom. It's a balancing act and every decision is a guess, really. Just making a guess, really. Where is the line? What's too much? What's enough? What's just right?

Does the live audience help with that? You know you hear them and think, "Oh I don't know if they got that?"

You know what's interesting? Now that this is our second year, the live audience generally is full of fans of the show. And they're on top of all the references.

They're like me scanning Battlestar Galactica websites in their spare time.

They respond to Battlestar Galactica references and old sci-fi references. They knew what The Time Machine was last year. And what a Morlock is. So when we shoot the show on Tuesday nights, if you ever come out to LA you should come see it. It's really fun cause the people in the audience are really excited to be there and their response is gratifying. I don't know if that's the same response to people that aren't necessarily living and breathing this kind of material.

I don't know. My dad loves it.

That's good. That's good. That means that the balancing act is working for the time being. It really is a guessing game as to what's too much and also just being true to the characters. You know, you just look at every line of dialogue in every story and say, "Is this legitimate for our show?" And also if it can be done by another show then it's not our show. If it's just a story about a group of guys hanging out, well they're not just a group of guys. They're extraordinary guys. And if we're not reflecting that then it's not.

They can make luminescent fish. They're amazing.

Yes, if they make luminescent fish they're not slackers.

They don't work at your local video store.

No, they don't. You get what I'm saying exactly. We look at every line of dialogue in every story to determine if, "Are we being true to these guys?" Because they're not us so we have to see the world through their eyes.

Any good guest stars coming up this season we should be looking out for?

Well Sara Gilbert is going to be on the show.

I'm very excited that there is a brainy girl too.

And she's terrific. And again it's just another one of those little miracles that we got Sara Gilbert to be part of our ensemble. And we are talking with some other remarkable actors to come on the show. I can't really name names yet cause we're not there yet. I don't want to create any awkward moments for the people we actually haven't signed a deal with. But I hope we can get Laurie Metcalf to come back.

I would love it if she came back. She was so perfect as Sheldon's mom.

That episode just killed. I loved every minute of that. That was one of my favorites last year.

So how did you get this great theme song cause it sticks in your head and there's not a lot of great theme songs on TV right now?

I had the odd idea that you could try and do a twenty second wrap-up of everything that's happened since the birth of the universe 'til now. And I pitched it to Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies and a couple of weeks later he emailed us a guitar vocal demo of that song and it was incredible. I couldn't believe it. I mean we at one point were saying lets just put the demo on and he goes, "No, no no." I want to put the whole band on and do a whole big production number of this thing and I fell in love with the demo."

Well, you being a guitar guy...

We really at some point have to play just the bare bones demo of just him and the guitar, an acoustic guitar. It's terrific. And then the big production number is a whole other animal and now it's the only thing I can imagine being at the top of the show. They just nailed it. All we had to do at that point was just work with them and try and figure out how to edit it so that it could be short enough to air in that tiny window of time at the top of the show. Have you heard... have you seen the whole song? Have you heard the whole song with the pencil line drawing that the guy in England did?

Not yet. I just heard about it.

We found it on youtube. We were going to shoot a video for the song this summer and we found this thing on youtube. This guy is a student in London and he did it as part of a school project. And we just all agreed we can't do any better than this. It's phenomenal. So that's our video. And I think he got a good grade.

I would hope so. So how was Comic-Con for you?

It was exhilarating. I had never been to Comic-Con before and I wasn't really sure if we belonged there. And our reception was, it was, I dunno... I was stunned. I was hoping for a few hundred people in a small room. But what was it? Was it a couple of thousand people? Standing room only and they were so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the show. We left San Diego three feet off the ground. Everybody in the cast. It was a heartwarming experience to see that the show had meant something to people. It was as meaningful to the people watching it as it is to us. That was terrific.

Comic Con is a big deal. Those fans will let you know if they don't like something.

Yeah. I got that. What I took away most from that was the whole atmosphere of it was a celebration of what people love. And the costumes and all that stuff is just an aspect of that celebration. I just thought the energy there was terrific. We walked around. Just wandered around the convention floor and it was just fun. The whole experience was wonderful.

Right. So now that you've done a sort of Two and a Half Men/CSI crossover, are we ever going to see a Two and a Half Men/Big Bang crossover?

We are toying around with the idea of Jake on Two and a Half Men being tutored by Leonard or Sheldon.

Okay. That would be funny. Well Angus T. Jones cracks me up anyway.

Yeah you know. And what will happen is Charlie and Alan will go to pick him up and get in the elevator and get trapped.

Nobody is supposed to get in that elevator!

If anybody gets in that elevator it would be Charlie and Alan.

That's very true. So I know it's kind of a touchy subject but Two and a Half Men is nominated for a bunch of Emmys. Are you looking forward to it?

It's always fun to get to go to a party.

Okay.

I mean, you get to see people that you haven't seen in a long time. You only generally see other writers you know when you're walking around with a picket sign.

Right. Well hopefully, that doesn't happen again anytime soon.

Yeah. But you know... You get at something like this to see people whose work is really exciting. Matthew Weiner, the guy who created Mad Men. And you get to see, I'm looking forward, hopefully, to meet the guys who created The Wire. So I felt kind of as a fan too you get to see some pretty remarkable people and you get to advertise a tuxedo. Once a year that's all we ask, right?

So you think you have a shot this year? For best comedy?

Nah... Not really. Not really but you know, I'm actually very happy to be able to go and I am very happy to be included in it. But if you glean what you read, no we're not really in contention.

You never know. Stranger things have happened. It is the Emmys.

Uh... okay. [Laughs] If you say so.

Well you know you do kind of have a highly-rated comedy. That should count for something, right? At the end of the day the fans love you.

Yeah, Yeah. You know, look. The fact that we get to keep making the show is what is of paramount importance to me. It's a terrific ensemble. A heartbreak is when you make a TV show and you love what you're doing and you love the people you're working with and then it gets taken away. So what's most important is that we are getting to keep making our show.

Who needs that little piece of metal?

Yeah well, that would be nice. But you know it truly is, it's secondary to that. We get to keep making the show and I've lost sight of that in the past believe me so, I'm trying to stay in gratitude for all the good things. I'm not overly concerned about the things that we don't have.

Are you getting mellow?

I'm trying. Yeah, cause the alternative is to keel over and die while creating a sitcom and how tragic would that be? Died making a sitcom? What a dope.

Now you are putting a little stress on yourself though doing two shows at once...

Gee, you think? [Laughs]

What were you thinking?

Yeah it's kind of a little much but you know I just try to figure it as we go.

Do you feel like you have two kids vying for you attention all the time? How do you deal with that?

You just kind of go where they point you and you surround yourself with really smart people I think is the key to doing this. There are two amazing writing staffs for both shows. Both shows have in my mind perfect ensembles. Talented actors. Keep in mind nobody does this sort of thing alone. If you think you're doing it alone you're a fool and you will fail. So I lean heavily on people I love and trust and have been working with for a long time. I've know Bill for 12 years. We go back to Dharma and Greg. Lee [Aronsohn] and I on Two and a Half Men have been working together since he first came and worked on Grace Under Fire '93 or '94. Anyway I'm running out of gas. I'm going to pull into a gas station. And put a hundred dollars in my gas tank.

Yeah. At least. I heard it went down this morning a little.

I'll tell you right now it is pretty good. $3.99.

Wow. Under $4. That's such a deal.

I'm impressed.

Every couple years somebody writes another article saying sitcoms are dying, comedies are dying... Do you think there is any truth to that? Or do you think they're just sort of looking for an angle?

I don't know. It seems to have been a good story for people to write about. But it's always amazes me that they don't take us into consideration. We're doing great. I think we know what we're doing. We try and makes ourselves laugh and hope that the people who watch the show agree with us that what we are doing is funny. You know you can't presume to know what millions of people might like. You can only trust your own instincts and hope other people agree with you. And if they do you get to keep making TV shows.

Right. Are you crazy enough...

(he continues) They don't...

Oh sorry.

Am I crazy enough? Yes. What was the question?

I was going to say are you crazy enough to be working on any other shows or pilots or projects?

I actually was working on a third idea earlier, then the full depth of my insanity dawned on me and I put it aside.

Someone talked you down from that ledge?

Several people.

Okay. So you're running these two shows with new seasons coming up. Any final thoughts?

Very exciting. On September 22nd both shows hit the ground running. You know we have three shows of Two and a Half Men shot and two episodes of the Big Bang shot. And I couldn't be happier. It just feels like all systems are operating beautifully. And the shows are funnier than ever.