Episode 9: Keith Habersberger
Rachel Kobus 0:09
Welcome to Redbird Buzz. I'm Rachel Kobus, with alumni engagement. Today we're learning a little bit more about what it means to be a YouTube star and work in the digital content world. 2008 School of Theatre and Dance alum Keith Habersberger found a love for improv at Illinois State University and used his talents and humor to help net 2 billion views and 7 million YouTube subscribers as a member of the internet sensation The Try Guys, many may know Keith from his viral video series eat the menu. Keith is also a founding member of the comedy band Lewberger known for songs like "If I were a Disney princess" and "locked in my car." While the band has performed on America's Got Talent and Bring the Funny the best stage Redbirds can catch them on happens to be September 9 In Braden Auditorium. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. Redburd alumni eager to meet the band has the chance to purchase pre show and performance tickets through the Alumni Association.
So excited to welcome member of the YouTube sensation The Try Guys and break through comedy band Lewberger, Keith hubbers burger. So Keith, what's the word? Redbird? I hear a little tweet that we may be having a few laughs with Lewberger on campus soon.
Keith Habersberger 1:24
That's right, September 9, I believe which is Friday or coming out. I'm so excited. I haven't been able to come back and do like a show show at ISU in I don't know a really long time maybe since I graduated. I mean, I've been there for maybe an Improv Mafia reunion since then. But I've never put on my own show there. Which is really cool.
Rachel Kobus 1:46
But have you been on Braden before like onstage as a student? Or is this gonna be your first time
Keith Habersberger 1:50
I don't thinkI ever got to perform in braid. And I saw comedians and musicians and Braden but I think the improv mafia started doing some stuff with like the Welcome Week and braid. And a couple years ago, maybe they still do, maybe they don't. But that was after me. Unfortunately, I didn't get that opportunity.
Rachel Kobus 2:08
So now you get to add that to do it. All the stuff that Keith has been doing, which we're going to dive into, like I said, YouTube sensation. We've seen him on America's Got Talent on national television shows like I said all over YouTube on TikTok. It's exciting to see someone like you, Keith, take your creativity and really just shine with it. And also having you as a caring Redbird is amazing too. We know that you do give back in multiple ways. You may have seen Keith in a calm week, one year or in some of our Birds Give Back videos and you're just like said all around amazing person. So thank you for being with you're here with us today. Yeah, you can talk I'm just so starstruck by you. So you mentioned it already. Improv mafia. That's where you got your start at ISU and learning more about that theater passion, because I believe I saw somewhere you actually started as a French horn musician
Keith Habersberger 3:04
Yes. Yeah. And you can see that I'm not too far away from Brasstown here. I don't know if people have visuals but I have a trombone. euphonium a trumpet and a French horn behind me. Brass Ensemble. Yeah. But yeah, I love french horn. I played French horn all through middle school in high school. I was very, like, super into it. I grew up in Tennessee, and the town I grew up in was really small. And there weren't a lot of performance opportunities in an artistic way. There were church plays that was like the only play that was put on in my town are plays at different churches, and I was in them and I was in other churches, church plays that was how desperately I want to have an actor. Okay. Yeah, I at least leased out to other people. And then, yeah, music was just something I always really resonated with. I loved singing as a kid and doing music and marching band is a blast. And I did that in high school, very into French horn. And so I was very, very good at French horn. So when I was going to school, I kind of thought, well, French horn is what I've invested the most time into. So it makes sense to major in that. But in my senior year of high school in Illinois, I moved up right before senior year, I was able to do more theater and like sort of do some improv and I did the Second City bootcamp in Chicago for like two weeks before going to ISU and right after I did that actually got on to the Illinois State, like message boards--all a long time ago. We're talking you know, this is 2005. Yeah, you're gonna take time and there were some boards for the improv mafia. And I wrote and said, Hey, I'd really love to join this group, because I love improv. And I haven't gotten to do much of it. And Brian Wall who is a bout to be a junior that year responded to me. And he said, Yeah, we have auditions. You can come watch some shows an audition, and I did and I got in and it was super thrilling. It take like three to five people every year. So it's the sort of small group and I was able to do that and that was so fun and as a incoming freshman in theater you really can't do any plays. But improv mafia is an RSO. So it doesn't, it can't it doesn't live under the jurisdiction of, of the majors.
Rachel Kobus 5:11
Freelance artist, huh?
Keith Habersberger 5:14
somewhere in that first week of school, I switched, or maybe it was even preview, I switched to being a theater major and a music minor because I still loved playing music. So for freshman and sophomore year of college, I still was in the symphonic winds. I think maybe one of those higher bands is super fun, and I really loved it. And then eventually, though, by the time I was a junior, you can't be in both plays and concerts because sometimes they both have Sunday matinees and you can't do them both. Physically, you can't do both. So I eventually dropped the music major, but still played French horn and did comedy with it. And then, you know, after school, I stopped, but now I'm getting back into brass and I really enjoy it. But yeah, I did improv mafia, loved improv mafia. They have shows every single Tuesday, which was great, because again, I really just wanted to perform. And as I was there when we started doing more things during my time there, we added into the free stage Festival, and we were put on improvised plays and musicals and sitcoms. I know that something they still do, we had long form improv rehearsals on Saturdays, which they do. We competed in the first and second college and prep tournament. And the second year we competed we won, which is this really awesome. And so we were ranked one of the best college improv groups in the country, which I think then helped the improv mafia become something that was a reason people might go to ISU, which is super cool to have been involved with it as it was growing so big. I mean, it was already 10 years old by the time I got there, but it kept growing and I think it still kept growing. They still have remained a an amazing improv group, which is cool to see because I don't know any of them anymore. You know, we're too far separated, but maybe hopefully, I'll run into them
Rachel Kobus 6:57
I was going to say, stop by!
Keith Habersberger 6:58
in town. Yeah. Great. Yeah.
Rachel Kobus 7:00
So I mean, with improv, then, Obviously, this is kind of led down your career path. How did that create the persona you found in the Try Guys and Lewberger? I mean, did that help figure out the next steps for Keith after Illinois State?
Keith Habersberger 7:14
Yes, Improv mafia absolutely was huge. For me, I also was oh, the first thing I did the most networking and and you know, as you grow older, you realize that it's not just having skills, it's having friends in adjacent fields. And I was able to, you know, have contacts in Chicago. And right after I graduated, I auditioned for a couple improv groups--did not make those but then I auditioned for one called Mission Improvable, which as it would be, it was actually a improv group that I saw, there was a touring group. And I saw the first week I was at Illinois State, in a ballroom or something, and it's super cool. And I auditioned for them, I made it into that group. And I toured with them for four years after school--for the first few years being full time, which is like, somewhere between 150 to 180 shows a year, which is a lot of shows. And then I went down to part time, which is sort of just leading out a group of guys, when they were double booked, right, sometimes, especially in the fall, there's a lot of schools that want performances, and sometimes you'll have two in the same day. And we'll just bring out a different team. So I went with other people had, who had previously toured full time. But anyway, I did that. And that was probably the best performance training I ever had. Because one day I might be performing for 20 people in a library of a small school. And then the next night I might be performing for 800 people in like a theater that's part of like a, like a Parent's Weekend. And then the next day, I might drive 12 hours to do a show for an Iowa concrete worker conference. So it's like, you know, performing for lots of different size audiences performing lots of different demographic audiences. And doing that for so long helped me I guess, learn what version of me most people liked, and how what would the easiest way to make the most people laugh with what I have learned so far, and that I think really helped me develop quickly as an internet personality. Because I just sort of, I don't know I've maybe it just sort of developed this personality that was entertaining to people, as well as I spent time while I was touring with improv mafia or Mission improvable, and I learned how to like shoot video, edit video, oh, record sound, do all of these technical things because I was sort of seeing at that time that the best way to get yourself out there is to put yourself out there so I started making YouTube videos, you know, which some of the YouTube videos I first made still probably have like 30 views like nothing. But it was still experience and I did that for a long time. And then with Octavarious, which was an improv group that was formed out of improv mafia people who had graduated, Brian Wall who I said earlier was also a member and there were basically nine of us Almost all ISU graduates and we did shows in Chicago at the same time. And then at some point, we were like Chicago is great. But we're not getting any work out here. So half of us moved out to LA. And since then Brian Wall and I have are still connected. We're still friends out here. He's taken into doing lots of more stand up comedy. Mark Luzinski is now writing on television shows he was another guy moved out here with and then I'm an internet boy. So all of us were able to find some careers that are still in comedy and in performing and it's been a very fun in
Rachel Kobus 7:50
And stay connected to and stay connected. Yeah. Like you said, that is truly important. So that's amazing to hear. And especially in LA for such a big city.
Keith Habersberger 10:40
Yeah, I'd say that every major city I've been in, I think there's a good sort of collective of ISU alumni that that still do like meetups, there's a guy named Enrico Natali, who just made a film his production company that's actually called like Redbird Entertainment. He like basically continued that brand. And he has used lots of ISU graduate actors in his projects. And he's very talented. And yeah, I've got so many friends out here who were either like two classes above me who I never met in school, but I know them now. And people, you know, a few classes behind me that I never met in school, who I know now. So there's a great community in LA for sure.
Rachel Kobus 11:19
Great. Well, good to know. Just remember LA-- Keith is there and he knows how to network and get you connected. So you're gonna have all these phone calls and emails, even so it's already Okay. Well, you go it will, it'll be anything for you them. So then, you know, skipping ahead, we we know you are part of this group called The Try Guys. But was BuzzFeed your first choice? Is that what you want? Is this what you wanted to do? And I only ask that because maybe one of us watched someone else in a documentary and learned a little bit more about him. So
Keith Habersberger 11:50
Right. On Yeah, so BuzzFeed, very funny. And this is why I mentioned networking earlier is that I spent all my time in college and after college networking and improv, but that didn't give me any networking connections in video production, and LA's a video production town and everyone who moves out here, and they went to video, you know, movie school, and they, their professors know people at places and they have a network when they move out here, and I didn't. And I was really good at editing that was probably like the best video skill that I had. Because editing is at the end of the day, it's timing and comedians, I think are pretty good editors, because they can feel the pace. But I didn't know anybody. So I was like sending resumes, and reels and stuff to mostly post houses, which are basically they're companies that only do editing. So like you send them a project and they make it good. And there's lots of editors or this sometimes they do color correction sounds that are post House does that. So I was I was sending in places, sending in my materials for those places, other places trying to get an acting agent. And things weren't moving super fast. But then again, I was I was only there for like, seven months before I got a job at BuzzFeed. So I'd say pretty quickly. But I was luckily I was working on some stuff back in Chicago, I was editing some projects for some friends. So I had some money coming in to keep me alive. And BuzzFeed--When I first saw, they were accepting applications. I was like, oh, that's not super my tone and brand of humor. I'm nothing against it. It's just not mine. But then two months later, when no one else had hired me, and they still posted that they were accepting applications. I was like, Well, maybe it's not. So I sent in some stuff, and I made like a little video to prove that I could do things. And I got an interview and was able to get a job there. And I started working there. Within a month and a half of Eugene, Ned and Zach, who all started working there independently, none of us knew each other. But we all started around the same time and it was a time of pretty rapid growth for Buzzfeed, they would bring in probably four to six new people every like three weeks, which is a lot. I mean, these were mostly our job was like intern or they made a term called fellow which is basically in turn is you do everything but at least it was everything like setting up lights for a shoot and helping edit a shoot or doing some sometimes you're doing prop runs, which is less glamorous, but most of the time, you actually do some pretty hands on cool stuff and you learn fellow is the same thing, except you also make one video a week, which is pretty fast. But once you become a junior producer, you start making two videos a week and then you eventually move into producer and you're actually your your scale goes down but you might have some managerial responsibilities kind of stuff. But I was very good at making videos fast and at the time we were making videos that were a minute and a half two minutes long--it's a very different YouTube it's almost more like making TikToks in the length. They're very different types of videos but yeah, it was just like that was the world there was short form content and Try Guys came around is kind of an accident. BuzzFeed was a laboratory which they took the approach of like science toward video so If a video did well, you would literally break down all the elements of that video and try and test each element individually with something else. So the best example would be a video that's like eight problems curly haired girls understand, which is would be like a direct ripoff of like a post, that'd be something they would have done as a written post that had gifs and stuff. But you'd like act it out, and you'd write the titles of it, and it would do well. So that Okay, so we know that videos that say eight things that people do, maybe it's something to test, curly hair, things might be something into it to test. So you can take both of those things. And then you can do styles of curly hair, through history, you could do eight ways to style unruly, curly, or you could do all these different types of videos based off the same things that you learned. And if those things still did well, it was kind of something you could rely on. And at the end of the day, you make money on YouTube by having views that have ad revenue on them. So the most views you can get per video, the more money you make per video. That is how the business works. A little farm laboratory situation.
Rachel Kobus 16:02
Art Meets science meets business, this is why you have to go to school and have a well rounded education so you understand it all.
Keith Habersberger 16:08
And the way that relates to Try Guys is that we had seen that people trying Foods was doing really well. So like taste test videos, very simple. And typically it was like Americans try Indian snacks, stuff like that. And then we started to think okay, well, what else can you try? Besides food, food is great, because it's literally something the viewer can't experience as easily. Like, it's hard to get snacks from India, and you don't know what that tastes like. And you don't even know what they look like. So it's there's an intrigue. And then we thought, well, let's we like what's the simplest thing you could do is like, okay, man try woman thing. And that would be you know, we saw that content that showed female identities and explained them was really good. And we thought that maybe men understanding a common problem that women experience would be something that resonated and also could be used as a video to show your boyfriend or your husband and say, See, these people agree. I've been saying this all along. Now you're you have to agree with me, which maybe you should have agreed without that point of argument, but it was there. So we made a video where we tried on ladies underwear. And that sort of it really went well. And then we tested something different that we hadn't tested as we before which was just to put the same people in next video, because normally had been anybody who is available you might grab and put it in a video because there's no like casting budget need to make videos. So fast. two videos a week from like ideation to on the internet. That's fast. So you just grabbed people at their desks and say Hey, can I borrow you for 30 minutes, and I'll have you eat some snacks. Well, we went around, and it was Zack and I and no other guys wanted to be in this video. And Eugene said, Sure. And Ned said, I don't think so. And then we were like, come on, Ned, let's just do it anyway. And he's like, fine. And so the four of us did it, it did really well. And we thought, hey, let's do it. Again, with the four of us. Let's do sexy Halloween costumes, because it's almost the same except that, you know, there there's a very clear line that women's Halloween costumes are overwhelmingly sexy--underwear it kind of is supposed to be in or it can be it's a little more understandable for underwear to be sexy. Whereas Halloween costumes like Well, it's interesting that societally like it is very normal. So we, you know, we're able to do that video, and then that now we've done hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of videos and our videos went from being two minutes long to sometimes an hour long. We have multiple formats within the Try Guys like without a recipe or without instructions, which are the same idea of four of us failing at something someone else knows except we never meet the expert. So we don't get taught how to do it. Instead, we just guess and it's a great way to understand someone's struggle, and then you intercut it with the expert doing it right and it is a hilarious Goofus and gallant back and forth that you get to quote old highlights magazines, and my
Rachel Kobus 18:58
Oh, I mean, and that's it. You went from one minute having four guys that didn't know each other to having billions of views. Yeah, I mean, a YouTube channel now. And you're so how many years has it been since your first video now?
Keith Habersberger 19:11
Eight years? In fact, September is the anniversary I think September 12. Almost right then, yeah.
Rachel Kobus 19:23
Keith's career, I love it. But with that, so eight years, eight years of content. And then we were going to talk more about Lewberger and you have content there as well, too. How do you think of all these ideas? How do you generate content and how do you keep it fresh, biting, on point? I mean, the wording changes every year or two. So
Keith Habersberger 19:43
there's so many ways--simplest would be like, would you brainstorms I mean still kind of get the same thing you look at what has done well, and you try to understand why it did well, you ask why do you think that video got 1.1 million, but this video got 2.1 Or maybe This video only got 600,000 Why? Now, these are big numbers to throw around. You know, we, you know, there's a certain expectation you want in your releases, and sometimes you have to figure out why things did or didn't perform well. And also, we have only so much time. So it's also about like, who else can we put in videos? How can we put fewer of us in videos so that we can make more videos, that kind of thing. But a lot of it, you know, sometimes it comes from commenters saying a really good idea. And we're like, Oh, that's great. Let's do it. Sometimes it comes from opportunities that come or come about, you know, sometimes we'll meet somebody, and they'll be really cool. And they're like, Oh, I also, you know, run a pottery business, and we're like, Oh, that'd be a great video. And we were able to highlight a small business and feature a talented person and then learn his skill and on sort of a win win. And then sometimes it's just one of us wakes up at two in the morning and I'm like, I got it. And you you know, text the other guys and we are always texting, video ideas all the time. They're always happening and then emails we do brainstorm. So just it's so many places that video ideas come from, it's hard to to even explain at this point. I'm thinking of that I was in the airport. And I was like, Oh, what if we did this so I just wrote down in my notes on my phone like a whole series synopsis and like I'll we'll do one episode and if it works, we'll do another one if it doesn't, we'll ideate on something else. Like said
Rachel Kobus 21:23
the whole science behind it makes it so one little detail can explode into a whole series of you do too. So that mean you've you've nailed something I think very, has a lot of longevity to it. I hope Try guys and Lewberger I hope you continue to because there's just--the world happens. I mean, something new, I feel like happens every day. So yeah, good content, basically.
Keith Habersberger 21:45
Yeah. And there's a lot of content out there that you know, there's only that's why it becomes hard to make content is that there's now TikTok is a whole different platform and a whole different set of rules, a whole different set of creators. YouTube already has a whole different set of rules then when we started a whole different set of creators a whole different, like ecosystem. And then there's still, you know, Instagram and there's still there's still Snapchat and Snapchat, while most people don't think it's super vibrant, has a lot of stuff on it. It's just not as popular as Tik Tok right now, but there's so many different things, they have different rules. So it's challenging to stay relevant of it stay evolving infrastructure of how people watch stuff, and I like I've watched more TikTok than anything else. I understand it. It's something I kind of liked it. You could watch TikTok and like, never see a famous creator in like, you know, an hour and I think it's really cool. There's something appealing about strangers.
Rachel Kobus 22:46
And that's too Yeah, yeah. hours at a time. Just look at this!
Keith Habersberger 22:52
Okay, anything. Yeah. I love it. I love how everybody's looks totally different.
Rachel Kobus 22:56
Yeah. Well, and that's another thing too, is you know, watching your videos, you know, watching you work together, both of these groups, you impact a lot of people too. I mean, what again, watched your documentary with the Try Guys, and you have fans that you've changed their lives, all of you have changed their lives. Like they talk about that. And that's so inspiring that you touch one person, you it feels good, but you touch millions of people and make this impact. So how does that make you feel now?
Keith Habersberger 23:25
It's super cool. I mean, especially when you do actually meet people in person. It's, you know, you can read comments and you can see views on a video and those numbers can be big, but it doesn't really resonate until you are in front of you know, even one person who's very emotionally affected or 10 people or maybe you're in front of a crowd of 1000 people and it's super cool. It's always so overwhelming. And like it just like it feels great and I I've always wanted to bring people joy I'm able to do that that's actually what makes me happy so it's a little bit greedy as well you know like I making you happy makes me happy which so at the end of the day, it's so self serving. And I also like love music and being able to do Lewberger and I've always like loved comedy music all my first CDs I bought as a kid, well Weird Al. I loved watching Whose Line Is It Anyway growing up and I I love Wayne Brady and he's so cool and so talented and I've just been inspired by other comedy musicians Flight of the Conchords you know Lonely Island all those guys been very inspired by so be do be able to do something like that now and tour and perform at colleges and comedy clubs and conferences and it's really awesome. It's it probably gives me the most joy. You know, I got like performing in front of an audience live. It's just so much more fulfilling and fun and unpredictable. I love making videos and I love people releasing videos and people having those videos. But mostly I really liked performing in front of people.
Rachel Kobus 25:02
Well, so I mean, that branches off into our next I mean, you are going to get to perform again September 9. Yeah, Lewberger is going to be at Illinois State. So how Where did Lewberger come from? Is this a newer project for you, right after the Try Guys or during?
Keith Habersberger 25:16
Lewberger, Well, if you were to say it as Alex, when Alex and I met, we actually met, I think, eight years ago, two days ago. So it's almost the same, if not the exact same age as Try Guys. We met at a networking barbecue networking there, which is hilarious. But we both were like we both like comedy music. We were both looking for like a writing partner. And so we're like, well, let's try it out. And we did some stuff for a year together. And then we were like, maybe we should have a huge band that would make us different than other comedy acts out there before. And we really like Tenacious D. So we built up to a big band, but it was like it was too much sound, it was impossible to put us in any venues to have like seven people. And also you couldn't hear the joke. So like, Okay, that was too much. So we went back down, and we were looking for a piano player to join us to give us just more sound than just a guitar because I only play brass instruments, which means I can't sing while playing. So it doesn't really help
Rachel Kobus 26:14
you figure that out, though. You'd be a millionaire on top.
Keith Habersberger 26:16
And yeah, so we were looking for someone and we found Huey and Huey is just an incredible musician at the time he was doing comedy like accompanyment for the second city in Hollywood. So he knew how to play music for comedians. He also had in you know, when he was much younger been in like a jug band with his friends, which is very much a comedy band. So all of us had some sort of comedy music, roots with different emphasis on comedy or music. He went to Berkeley to do songwriting. Alex is just the most amazing, you know, not on Broadway Broadway singer, like his voice is so beautiful, but it's very much like a rock opera type voice, which is a super fun voice to have. He also plays guitar super well. So we were able to bring all of our stuff together and you know, create a show that over time grew into being what it was. And now we're at the like the touring phase because you just have to gain your own brand's popularity to sell tickets. So when the track guys went independent four years ago, it was also when I was like all right now we need to also focus on Lewberger because Buzzfeed just and I understand totally wasn't into comedy music content, because it wasn't doing well on YouTube. So in that whole laboratory approach is like, why would we put resources in and music videos are expensive, and they, it won't make its return. So they, it was hard to do all those things and do Lewberger with videos, but now we're able to do it. Now we have a great Tik Tok, we have a format where we do Broadway songs, and Alex knows the words and I don't and I have to improvise them. And that has taken off. And it's been a great little thing for us. And we have a podcast and we do our live shows. And we just did a stage like musical called The Wizard of Friendship. Where again, we were able to put some other ISU friends out here into the show and have other talented people in it. And we basically put songs that we had written and we scaled them up with costumes and lights and videos, and it was a wild thing. And we're gonna bring like little elements of that show on the road with us. Because
Rachel Kobus 28:19
So are we going to hear like if I were a Disney princess?
Keith Habersberger 28:23
Oh, I'm sure. Yeah, typically. Let's see, that one's near the end of the show. You know, it's one that everyone knows and excited to hear. And we have some new songs we're working on actually this afternoon to put into the tour before we go out there so and we'd like to change up every show while we're out on tour we changed around one or two songs or the order of things and it's just that with the with the show we just did I had there was like a three foot paper mache head that I was wearing. There's some things we can't actually bring on the road until we are in a tour bus and you have a couple of trucks behind us so we aren't aren't quite there yet.
Rachel Kobus 28:58
Just like your see you can go into stories and stories of your paper mache head and networking barbecues and things that I wouldn't expect to hear on a podcast like this but we are here yeah. All right. Good. And I will say it goes back to you know, Lewberger has just as much content needed as when you work with a Try Guys, I'm sure I mean you like said you have a celebrities theme song podcast. That was great. The various songs so how do you how do you keep the songs fresh then like where's that inspiration come from? Because it's different, obviously. Like you said, then the YouTube videos you do with the Try Guys?
Keith Habersberger 29:33
Yeah, so they come from all sorts of different things. Sometimes they are songs that one of us wakes up in the middle of night and writes half the song, but typically one of us comes up with a concept. And then we write some amount of it, bring it to the others, we write more of it. And Huey normally helps us figure out sort of the actual chord structure of the song because one of us will bring a melody and some ideas. And then we'll all work together and write more lyrics and then sometimes You'll make up a song, and it's on the beginning of the Trypod podcast and it will become a sound on Tik Tok that starts trending and you didn't put it there. So you're like, well, let's turn this thing into a whole song. And then you have a song called White People Taco Night, it becomes one of the most heard songs that you've made, and people are still at your shows when you sing it being like, Oh, you wrote that song? And we're like, yeah, because it's had its own life, kind of without us like, it doesn't really need us. Which is which, in terms of like making things for the Internet, I'd say that's actually the most viral thing I've made, because viral really means that you didn't plan it. Right? It was like, it's like a video that it's like when someone happens to be rolling during a thunderstorm and a lightning like hits something. And it's like, well, that was just luck. It was luck. And white people taco night, it's just luck. Because I didn't put it out for people. I mean, we put it on a podcast, but someone else wrote the sound, put it on Tik Tok. And it became a meme and a participatory meme. So then we wrote a whole song. And now it's like, the first time we sang that song live, the audience sang along the song with us, which is a surreal experience to never have performed the song before people actually knew it. Yeah, it really
Rachel Kobus 31:18
did you like stop for a second go, we wrote this note, right? This is us. This is like, this is
Keith Habersberger 31:24
super cool. The first time we sang it, we got to drop out and not sing it like the audience sang for us. It was it was very cool and really makes you frustrated when you work really hard to write a song and it's like, oh, we kind of like it. But you know, that's that's it's all trial and error. It's writing stuff and we write from real things that have happened to us or sometimes we make up totally ridiculous scenarios. And and we are always pitching songs to each other in the same way. There's a text thread with Lewberger always just like, texting back and forth, different ideas. We're working on a song, maybe it'll be ready by ISU called fitness equipment.
Rachel Kobus 32:04
Checking it now about
Keith Habersberger 32:05
fitness equipment.
Rachel Kobus 32:07
I can't wait, if you'd like to preview before, please let us know. But that sounds great. Yeah. So how do you manage? I mean, Lewberger and the Try Guys, you're part of these two groups that are doing great things, but different things. So you yourself, I mean, you are one human being and you have a wife, you you have a personal life, you you're owning a production company, how do you balance all of that for yourself too>
Keith Habersberger 32:32
good scheduling? Really, I will say the number one thing you should do when you own a business but aren't a manager is hire someone who knows how to run a business. So he like hired really talented producers, and they are able to help our wild schedules. It's not even just me, it's like this for all of us, all of us have different lives and different other passions and pursuits and, and, you know, trips to see family and this. So there's like four main schedules to work around. And then, you know, I'll be like, Oh, I'm going on tour this week. And we just figure it out. And we have shoots all the time. You know, I've got this, what will we do this, I'll look at my calendar. Right now. I've got to shoot on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday, and all of our meetings on Tuesday. Today, I'm doing this and then I'm gonna go to rehearsal after it. And sometimes we have our rehearsals at night. Sometimes it's on the weekend. Sometimes though, we also shoot videos at night or shoot a video on the weekend, they were just shooting a video yesterday that I wasn't in, which is great. It's just there's just there's just so there's so much you can do. Yeah. And we're gonna do a video with a Broadway musical next month. And we're gonna fly to New York and make it so like, at the same time or as busy sometimes it's also like, amazing opportunities that you just could never have any other way. Yeah.
Rachel Kobus 33:54
So I guess saying that now because I'm just generally curious what has been one of your favorite skits, or favorite shows or whether it's with Lewberger or with Try Guys? Do you have some favorites that just stick with you forever?
Keith Habersberger 34:06
Of course, I mean, any of the videos where we get Eugene to sit in my lap. Probably when we built the fake chair was so funny. And there's something--What's great about those prank videos is that like, they're the most harmless pranks ever, but they give you this energy burst that's really hilariously childish and mischievous. And it's so fun to do. And we're just all giggling the whole time. So that and I love making without a recipe. It's super cool. To make you know, we've built this show that we started out as like a joke that then Eugene and I were like, We should do a video where we make bread without a recipe. And Ned and Zack are like, that sounds like it'll never work. And we're like, Well, we think it'll work and we did it and it worked really well. And now we have a whole franchise of the shows on it. And then we also have a Food Network show that comes out August 31. That's based on that it's the No Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys. It's basically without a recipe except that we are going to restaurants and we're cooking in their kitchens to make something they're known for, again, without knowing how to make it, and, and in a real kitchen is very different than your kitchen. Oh yeah, the fire can get a lot higher at like the kitchen of a Thai restaurant, you can be on a burner that'll have flames that'll go up for feet if you let them and it's crazy.
Rachel Kobus 35:23
So we can expect some great reactions while you guys tried to do all this then. Oh, yeah,
Keith Habersberger 35:28
it was super fun. And we go to two restaurants in each episode, and it's really great and really excited about it coming out. And then with Lewberger, I think all my favorite memories are moments from live shows. And we definitely have some funny videos, but I think the the live shows are always--and I love live shows because every show is always gonna be totally different. Each audience you know, makes the show what it is. And then oh, I also love doing eat the menu, you know, as much as it maybe killing me slowly. It's really fun, simple format that people love. And it's kind of like, it's kind of like TikTok in that. It's exactly the same every time. And the things that do while on tick tock are things that are exactly the same every time. And I think that's why it is successful is something very cathartic. It's like it's laundry TV, it's something you put on while you're doing something else. And I'm fine with that. I love it.
Rachel Kobus 36:24
So do you have to have some type of like workout routine, or you have to prepare your body for when you do the eat the menus, because we want you to be around for a long time.
Keith Habersberger 36:37
I try to work out--I tried to do more aerobic working out to try to up my metabolism. And also those videos take like five hours to shoot. So it's not like a timed, it's not like I'm eating all of that in an hour. And yeah, so it's not the same as you know, there's more most food eating is like sprinting. Mine's more of marathoning. So it's different. It's different.
Rachel Kobus 36:50
Take it one bite-- you bring people on to that show, and they try a little bit with you. A little bit. Yeah,
Keith Habersberger 36:56
I get to feature some of my friends and you know, help them you know, have a have a chance to chat on stage and they're super fun.
Rachel Kobus 37:04
Yeah, great. Well, and then, I mean, speaking of food, the other thing I found amazing that I think should just be the epitome of your career is that you have hot sauces and when I saw that I was like, Oh my gosh, Keith has hot sauces. This is amazing. I want to try them all like so I mean, you have I know you've got merchandise, but the hot sauces like--
Keith Habersberger 37:27
yeah, the hot sauces. And they came about totally from eat the menu. I saw that when I was doing videos for places that right after people would tweet or Instagram message me or tag me buying the thing that I said was the best. I was like, I'm just doing marketing for corporations right now. This is This isn't right. I should. So I decided like oh, and something I have very low spice tolerance, but I love the flavors that spicy sauces have. So I thought what if I made hot sauces that weren't all that hot, but they still have complex flavors. And I bet there's other people like me who want to add a little spice but a lot of flavor. And so I developed these hot sauces sort of one at a time. And now there's three but there's also now a actual hot version of the first one and I actually am making hot sauces. Not just not too hot sauces,
Rachel Kobus 38:17
and you've tried the hot hot sauce then too?
Keith Habersberger 38:18
It's too hot for me. I mean, but you know, it's made for people who want hot. Yeah, so but that's been really fun. And it's had its own life and I love it. And it's such a fun thing to give people, especially people who don't yet know You have hot sauces. It's like a really fun. Oh, and it's also got its own little fan base or people who like there's, there's someone who tags me every time they do it. They buy like 12 bottles at a time. And they are just crushing hot sauce, right? VIP? That's great customer.
Rachel Kobus 38:52
That low spice it's probably like their thing and then too that's perfect, but yeah, how many years? I mean, in a million years. Would you ever thoughtI'm gonna have a hot sauce?
Keith Habersberger 39:01
No, I definitely that wasn't one of my goals no as a creator, but it is certainly -- really fun. And you know, and I get to design the flavors. So it's it for me that that's what makes it the most fun is that I get to make the videos that people see. But I can also make something that people can taste. Yeah, that's super fun and cool.
Rachel Kobus 39:24
You're improving sauces, as much as you're improving.
Keith Habersberger 39:27
Sauces take a lot more work. You gotta just normally like eight versions of each sauce before it gets done in terms of the slight adjustments or temperature adjustments. Yeah,
Rachel Kobus 39:38
well, I mean, Keith, everything you've done, it is truly amazing. And it's fun. It's creative and having laughs, you just your laugh, your personality. It's contagious too. And that's what I love about the Try Guys. That's what I love about Lewberger. It's just it's just fun. And like we said earlier, you bring joy to your fans, so I just want to say thank you for taking the time today Lewberger is going to be at Illinois State University on September 9, the Alumni Association is hoping to have an event as well with that so we hope to have more details and Keith's gonna be hopefully around campus a little bit seen some students I know we have very limited time with you but we were happy that we were able to get Lewberger to come and share in this comedy band love and all the music and I can't I hope you have new songs. I hope you
Keith Habersberger 40:21
it's gonna be so fun I am going to have to reach out to the School of Music to lend me some horns while I'm there. Because there's one piece we do where I try to play four different horns throughout the duration of the song but I can't possibly tour four horns. Yeah, but I want to see if they'll lend me a sousaphone because I've never played one in the show never actually played one but I'm pretty sure I could figure it out in a few hours. Yes and then at least enough to play three notes in the song
Rachel Kobus 40:47
School of Music, KNOCK KNOCK we need a little bit well we're excited to have you Keith and again thank you for everything and good luck on your tour this the rest of this fall and into how long is the tour I guess I should ask before we go?
Keith Habersberger 40:59
oh you know it's it's on and off. So that tour is a week and a hlaf tour but then there's like dates sprinkled that we normally go out from that.
Rachel Kobus 41:07
Nope, that makes sense. So you know keep a lookout for Keith and Lewberger and the Try Guys and everything else. And again, thank you Keith so much. Thank you
That was 2008 School of Theatre and Dance alum Keith Habersberger. Remember to get your lewberger tickets before September 9 and find Keith creating more laughs with the Try Guys and Lewberger on YouTube, social and through your favorite podcast platform. Thanks for listening to Redbird Buzz, and be sure to tune in next time for more stories from beyond the quad.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai