Usually, bonus episodes like this are exclusively for Smarty Pass subscribers but this month we’re sharing them with all our listeners. If you like this bonus episode and want to hear fun games every month, plus ad-free episodes, sign up for Smarty Pass!
Forever Ago host Joy Dolo is producing the greatest film ever made: her life story! The only problem is her friend and script editor Molly Bloom has a few questions about Joy’s story. When did Joy graduate from college? When did she get glasses? When did she start performing improv? There’s only one real way to get to the answers Molly needs and that’s with a game of First Things First!
To get more bonus episodes like this every month, sign up for Smarty Pass at SmartyPass.org.
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
ARON WOLDESLASSIE: Hey, it's Aron Woldeslassie from Smash Boom Best. I've got exciting news. This October, the Brains On! Universe team is sharing some of our super special bonus episodes. If you're a Smarty Pass subscriber, you already know about these episodes, but if you aren't, we wanted to give you a taste of what you'd get if you joined.
All October, we're asking you to support our shows by subscribing to Smarty Pass. And to celebrate, we'll host a virtual Smarty party in November just for Smarty Pass subscribers. Join today at smartypass.org, and you'll have bonus episodes like these, ad-free episodes, and other awesome perks. Again, that's smartypass.org. Thanks so much for supporting the shows.
WOMAN: Now entering Brains On! Headquarters.
JOY DOLO: Hey, Smarty pal. So glad you're here at the Brains On! Headquarters movie set. We've been filming the greatest story ever told, a movie that makes Citizen Kane look like Cars 2, a visual spectacle of the eyes, ears, and soul, a drama that touches on the very essence of the human experience. That's right, we're filming my life story.
MOLLY BLOOM: Joy.
JOY DOLO: Brains On! host, Molly Bloom. Have you finished reading my script?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I have. And I have a few notes. For starters, you can't name your movie, Joymageddon-- The Birth of Joy, Star Wars, LEGOs, Ice Cream Cake Deluxe, Part 1.
JOY DOLO: Why not?
MOLLY BLOOM: It's too long. And also, your script is full of inaccuracies.
JOY DOLO: No, it's not.
MOLLY BLOOM: On page 40, it says you arm-wrestled a bear named Tony?
JOY DOLO: He called me chicken.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Well, on page 52, it says you raced the president of France.
JOY DOLO: He called me Paulette.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. And on page 61, it says you married Keanu Reeves.
JOY DOLO: He called me cute. [CHUCKLES] Molly, the fact that you don't know about the key moments in my life is really disappointing.
MOLLY BLOOM: I'm sorry. I didn't know you were so incredible.
JOY DOLO: Well, if you're going to edit the greatest story of all time, you're going to need to know a lot more about my life. And there's only one way to truly learn about someone.
MOLLY BLOOM: Long, meaningful conversations?
JOY DOLO: Absolutely not. It's with a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHILDREN: First Things First.
JOY DOLO: But this time, instead of boring, ordinary topics, we'll play with important moments in my life. So the moments that we are going to play with are-- when did I graduate from college? When did I first start doing improv? And when did I first start wearing glasses? Which do you think happened first? Which occurred second? And which happened most recently?
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, OK. This is a tough one. Joy Dolo. I'm going to get to wear Joy Dolo's shoes and really be in her feet.
JOY DOLO: Sparkly shoes, yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: Sparkly shoes and see where she's been. OK. I'm going to go with glasses first. Just I'm projecting my own experiences onto you, because I got glasses in third grade, so maybe you did too. OK. Glasses. I'm starting with glasses.
Then I'm going to go improv, because I'm going to guess that maybe, you started doing it in high school or something, as a young teen. And then I'm going to go with college graduation, because that comes after high school and third grade, in my mind.
JOY DOLO: OK. So first you have glasses, and then you have improv, and then college. Is that your final answer?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, my final answer.
JOY DOLO: It's so great because I already know the answer, which is really fun.
[LAUGHTER]
All right, Molly, let's reveal which of our First Things First actually happened first firstly.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
JOY DOLO: Bum, bara, bum, bum, bum. OK. So you were right with the first one.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes.
JOY DOLO: [CHUCKLES] I did get my glasses first. I actually got my glasses when I was in, I believe, sixth grade. And I got them. And my dad, OK, I had to get them because I was the kid that sat in the back of the room all the time, and I could never see the board. And I never said anything. But I was so shy and stuff.
And then finally, my teacher is like, I can tell that you're squinting super hard. And they told my parents, and I had to get them. And I was so upset because I was like, I don't want to wear glasses. I'm going to be so different. But fast forward to me now, and I just wear my glasses all the time for super fun stuff.
MOLLY BLOOM: When you first got them, was it like, oh, wow, now, I can see?
JOY DOLO: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I didn't realize everything was so blurry. And when those of you who don't wear glasses, you don't understand, but those of you who do, when things are just a little bit sharper when you're wearing your glasses, I was so amazed by that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I remember when I first got glasses, and I was outside for the first time, I was like, wait, trees have individual leaves?
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: It's not just like a drawing, like the cloud bush.
MOLLY BLOOM: I thought it was just a blur of weird cloud-shaped things, but they're leaves.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. Yeah. So everything just seemed a little bit clearer, which is really cool and helpful, and really helpful when I started driving later as well. All right. So you got that one right. Unfortunately, the second thing that happened was I graduated college.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, interesting.
JOY DOLO: I graduated college in 2009.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. So if you weren't doing improv in high school, what were you up to in high school?
JOY DOLO: Well, in high school, I did everything but improv. We didn't really have an improv team, so I did theater. And so I did a lot of theater productions. I did speech team. I did choir. I did all the choirs, like the advanced choir and then regular choir.
And I was in chamber singers. I did like Christmas songs around Fridley, Minnesota, going around to the local establishments--
MOLLY BLOOM: Nice.
JOY DOLO: --and singing carols. It was very cool. And then actually, I did have a stint, where I played sports. I played volleyball once. And I played hockey once. And I--
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, ice hockey?
JOY DOLO: Yeah. Yeah. I actually played hockey. I joined hockey so I could learn how to ice skate. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: Nice.
JOY DOLO: A very hard transition.
[LAUGHTER]
But to this day, I still know how to skate backwards, and I'm very proud of myself for that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Incredible. That is a really awesome skill to have. Can you stop? Because I can't stop?
JOY DOLO: I can stop, somewhat. I get anxious about stopping, so I do like a kind of [VOCALIZATION] if you can picture that.
[LAUGHTER]
But there was a long time when I was just running to the sides and just hoping that the wall--
MOLLY BLOOM: That's how I stopped.
JOY DOLO: --would catch me. [LAUGHS] And then last but certainly not least is I started doing improv in 2014. So I was well out of college by that point. And like most actors, I was terrified of improv. I was so scared, because I was like, you're going to be on stage without a script. You've just got to make things up on the spot. How could you possibly do that? So I was very nervous about it.
And I had a couple of friends that were like, you should just come rehearse with us. Come, hang out with us. And I was like no, that's OK. I'm always busy.
And then one of my really good friends called me, because they were doing an improv show at a local college, and someone was sick. And they're like, we really need someone to just hop in. It's a 20-minute show. It's super easy, yada, yada.
And so I could feel like my stomach in my legs. You know what I mean? I was so nervous. And I went, and I did the show. I had a really good time. And they were like, Joy, you did so great. You were so fun. And I was like, thanks.
And they're like, would you be interested in joining the team? And I was like, I have never done improv before. I don't know the rules. I just know how to have fun. And they're like, that's pretty much it. And so I've been doing improv ever since then. I fell into it.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's so cool. Yeah, I mean, you're so good at it. You're such a natural that I just assume you've been doing it forever.
JOY DOLO: Oh, thank you. Yeah. So that's my life. That's my life in a nutshell. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, Joy, I never knew you were so fascinating. Incredible. And all around, the greatest.
JOY DOLO: That's because you haven't had a movie like Joymageddon-- The Birth of Joy, Star Wars, LEGOs, Ice Cream Cake, Deluxe, Part 1 to show just how fantastic I am, but no more.
MOLLY BLOOM: Let's make this movie.
JOY DOLO: And action. [CHUCKLES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On! Is a non-profit Public Radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
MOLLY BLOOM: Bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
All October, we're asking you to support our shows by subscribing to Smarty Pass. And to celebrate, we'll host a virtual Smarty party in November just for Smarty Pass subscribers. Join today at smartypass.org, and you'll have bonus episodes like these, ad-free episodes, and other awesome perks. Again, that's smartypass.org. Thanks so much for supporting the shows.
WOMAN: Now entering Brains On! Headquarters.
JOY DOLO: Hey, Smarty pal. So glad you're here at the Brains On! Headquarters movie set. We've been filming the greatest story ever told, a movie that makes Citizen Kane look like Cars 2, a visual spectacle of the eyes, ears, and soul, a drama that touches on the very essence of the human experience. That's right, we're filming my life story.
MOLLY BLOOM: Joy.
JOY DOLO: Brains On! host, Molly Bloom. Have you finished reading my script?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I have. And I have a few notes. For starters, you can't name your movie, Joymageddon-- The Birth of Joy, Star Wars, LEGOs, Ice Cream Cake Deluxe, Part 1.
JOY DOLO: Why not?
MOLLY BLOOM: It's too long. And also, your script is full of inaccuracies.
JOY DOLO: No, it's not.
MOLLY BLOOM: On page 40, it says you arm-wrestled a bear named Tony?
JOY DOLO: He called me chicken.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Well, on page 52, it says you raced the president of France.
JOY DOLO: He called me Paulette.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh. And on page 61, it says you married Keanu Reeves.
JOY DOLO: He called me cute. [CHUCKLES] Molly, the fact that you don't know about the key moments in my life is really disappointing.
MOLLY BLOOM: I'm sorry. I didn't know you were so incredible.
JOY DOLO: Well, if you're going to edit the greatest story of all time, you're going to need to know a lot more about my life. And there's only one way to truly learn about someone.
MOLLY BLOOM: Long, meaningful conversations?
JOY DOLO: Absolutely not. It's with a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHILDREN: First Things First.
JOY DOLO: But this time, instead of boring, ordinary topics, we'll play with important moments in my life. So the moments that we are going to play with are-- when did I graduate from college? When did I first start doing improv? And when did I first start wearing glasses? Which do you think happened first? Which occurred second? And which happened most recently?
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, OK. This is a tough one. Joy Dolo. I'm going to get to wear Joy Dolo's shoes and really be in her feet.
JOY DOLO: Sparkly shoes, yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: Sparkly shoes and see where she's been. OK. I'm going to go with glasses first. Just I'm projecting my own experiences onto you, because I got glasses in third grade, so maybe you did too. OK. Glasses. I'm starting with glasses.
Then I'm going to go improv, because I'm going to guess that maybe, you started doing it in high school or something, as a young teen. And then I'm going to go with college graduation, because that comes after high school and third grade, in my mind.
JOY DOLO: OK. So first you have glasses, and then you have improv, and then college. Is that your final answer?
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes, my final answer.
JOY DOLO: It's so great because I already know the answer, which is really fun.
[LAUGHTER]
All right, Molly, let's reveal which of our First Things First actually happened first firstly.
MOLLY BLOOM: [CHUCKLES]
JOY DOLO: Bum, bara, bum, bum, bum. OK. So you were right with the first one.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yes.
JOY DOLO: [CHUCKLES] I did get my glasses first. I actually got my glasses when I was in, I believe, sixth grade. And I got them. And my dad, OK, I had to get them because I was the kid that sat in the back of the room all the time, and I could never see the board. And I never said anything. But I was so shy and stuff.
And then finally, my teacher is like, I can tell that you're squinting super hard. And they told my parents, and I had to get them. And I was so upset because I was like, I don't want to wear glasses. I'm going to be so different. But fast forward to me now, and I just wear my glasses all the time for super fun stuff.
MOLLY BLOOM: When you first got them, was it like, oh, wow, now, I can see?
JOY DOLO: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I didn't realize everything was so blurry. And when those of you who don't wear glasses, you don't understand, but those of you who do, when things are just a little bit sharper when you're wearing your glasses, I was so amazed by that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yeah, I remember when I first got glasses, and I was outside for the first time, I was like, wait, trees have individual leaves?
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: It's not just like a drawing, like the cloud bush.
MOLLY BLOOM: I thought it was just a blur of weird cloud-shaped things, but they're leaves.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. Yeah. So everything just seemed a little bit clearer, which is really cool and helpful, and really helpful when I started driving later as well. All right. So you got that one right. Unfortunately, the second thing that happened was I graduated college.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, interesting.
JOY DOLO: I graduated college in 2009.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. So if you weren't doing improv in high school, what were you up to in high school?
JOY DOLO: Well, in high school, I did everything but improv. We didn't really have an improv team, so I did theater. And so I did a lot of theater productions. I did speech team. I did choir. I did all the choirs, like the advanced choir and then regular choir.
And I was in chamber singers. I did like Christmas songs around Fridley, Minnesota, going around to the local establishments--
MOLLY BLOOM: Nice.
JOY DOLO: --and singing carols. It was very cool. And then actually, I did have a stint, where I played sports. I played volleyball once. And I played hockey once. And I--
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, ice hockey?
JOY DOLO: Yeah. Yeah. I actually played hockey. I joined hockey so I could learn how to ice skate. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: Nice.
JOY DOLO: A very hard transition.
[LAUGHTER]
But to this day, I still know how to skate backwards, and I'm very proud of myself for that.
MOLLY BLOOM: Incredible. That is a really awesome skill to have. Can you stop? Because I can't stop?
JOY DOLO: I can stop, somewhat. I get anxious about stopping, so I do like a kind of [VOCALIZATION] if you can picture that.
[LAUGHTER]
But there was a long time when I was just running to the sides and just hoping that the wall--
MOLLY BLOOM: That's how I stopped.
JOY DOLO: --would catch me. [LAUGHS] And then last but certainly not least is I started doing improv in 2014. So I was well out of college by that point. And like most actors, I was terrified of improv. I was so scared, because I was like, you're going to be on stage without a script. You've just got to make things up on the spot. How could you possibly do that? So I was very nervous about it.
And I had a couple of friends that were like, you should just come rehearse with us. Come, hang out with us. And I was like no, that's OK. I'm always busy.
And then one of my really good friends called me, because they were doing an improv show at a local college, and someone was sick. And they're like, we really need someone to just hop in. It's a 20-minute show. It's super easy, yada, yada.
And so I could feel like my stomach in my legs. You know what I mean? I was so nervous. And I went, and I did the show. I had a really good time. And they were like, Joy, you did so great. You were so fun. And I was like, thanks.
And they're like, would you be interested in joining the team? And I was like, I have never done improv before. I don't know the rules. I just know how to have fun. And they're like, that's pretty much it. And so I've been doing improv ever since then. I fell into it.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's so cool. Yeah, I mean, you're so good at it. You're such a natural that I just assume you've been doing it forever.
JOY DOLO: Oh, thank you. Yeah. So that's my life. That's my life in a nutshell. [CHUCKLES]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow, Joy, I never knew you were so fascinating. Incredible. And all around, the greatest.
JOY DOLO: That's because you haven't had a movie like Joymageddon-- The Birth of Joy, Star Wars, LEGOs, Ice Cream Cake, Deluxe, Part 1 to show just how fantastic I am, but no more.
MOLLY BLOOM: Let's make this movie.
JOY DOLO: And action. [CHUCKLES]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by Aron Woldeslassie, Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Pearlman. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati, Joanne Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On! Is a non-profit Public Radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
MOLLY BLOOM: Bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.
