Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
“The West Wing Weekly” podcast is series alum Joshua Malina and show fanatic Hrishi Hirway‘s loving ode to the legendary series. Each week, the duo and a guest go over The West Wing one episode at a time. This weekend, Malina and Hirway were in Austin, TX for the show’s 10 year reunion at the ATX Festival, an event aptly named “The West Wing Administration.”
After the event, I got to sit down with Malina and Hirway and I asked the duo which West Wing episodes they were excited to tackle in the future. Hirway said it was “Take This Sabbath Day.” That particular episode was discussed at length at the ATX Panel and Hirway said, “That’s the episode I use most frequently to hook people into the show.” Malina was excited — or was it nervous? — about an inevitable guest.
He said, “I’m anxious – I don’t know which it will be, but having run into [West Wing producer and director] Tommy Schlamme here — and I haven’t even gotten a chance to discuss this with Hrishi…[Schlamme] said a quick ‘Hello’ as we were getting ready for the panel and then he said, ‘I’m really enjoying the podcast.’ And then he walked off, but then he leaned back and said, ‘But I have some bones to pick with you.’”
I gasped. “What could they be?”
“Uh…I pushed him a little bit later,” said Malina. “First of all, I said, ‘Dude, come on! Let’s pick some bones!’ One thing that’s disappointing is when Hrishi and I agree too much or are on the same page. I kind of think that when one of us likes something that the other is not so crazy about, we have a little friction. And so, if he wants to tear me apart, I welcome it”
Hrishi jumped in. “Oh my God, I would love to hear what he has to say.”
“Did he direct ‘The State Dinner?’” asked Malina. “Because I think it revolves around my…maybe some of the criticisms I had. Like he said something about ‘oboe.’ I know there’s a scene where I said, ‘I wish they hadn’t put the plaintive noodling of the oboe.'” [HEAR SAID PLAINTIVE NOODLING IN VIDEO BELOW]
And so I think he’s going to hit me back on the use of music and he has some other bones to pick about that episode in particular. Which, to be honest, would delight me.”
“Maybe I sound entirely sure of my opinion,” added Malina, “but I never am. I’m very open to being proven wrong.”
If you are one of the legions of West Wing fans who couldn’t get into the ATX event, don’t fret! You will still be able to hear every second of the amazing conversation that took place.
Malina explained, “The Festival very graciously allowed us to tape the panel — and this is a classic ‘just give the people what they want’ — we may someday do some sort of live version of the podcast and I think we would still have to discuss what that even means. But in terms of ATX, we’re going to release the panel I guess in its entirety…to give it to the people who weren’t able to be here.”
A new episode of “The West Wing Weekly” is scheduled to debut tomorrow.
