Chris Redd Brings the Laughs to A ‘Resurrected’ Classic

Chris Redd is overhauling one of his favorite pieces of pop-culture history. The former Saturday Night Live comic is the star of Netflix’s Resurrected Rides (premiering July 24th), a revamped version of 2000s classic Pimp My Ride. “I’m so excited,” Redd tells me. “I want everybody to binge it. Even if you don’t like cars, I don’t give a shit. Just keep it on and let it run, baby!” 

I recently spoke with Redd about his new show, how his Chicago improv background prepared him for the highs and lows of SNL and what it was like to chill with his comedic godfather, Eddie Murphy.

Let’s talk Ressurected Rides. You’re bringing old cars back to life but you’re refurbishing an old show too. 

I loved Pimp My Ride. I don’t know who didn’t, growing up. I knew going in that I wanted to have the essence of that show, but do things to these cars that were sustainable. (Laughs) So while we have some silly stuff in there by request or ideas based on the personality of the person, it’s nothing that would shut the car down. We’re not doing any fish tanks or any of that bullshit. But we ended up making it a flavor that I could really fuck with.

Some of the rides look pretty crazy. Do you have a favorite?

There were some cars that came in, and I was like, How the hell you gonna make this something anybody would like? And then they ended up being some of my top cars. I will say the van that’s in the trailer. Super, super, super dope. 

I can’t believe this dude is driving this contraption that could kill him at any moment. And it went to something that you could legitimately live out of. Some of the enhancements, the custom guys that we were working with, it’s just incredible man. They made me want to drive some things I never thought I’d be caught dead in.

You came up in the Chicago improv scene. This seems like a good show to put your improv skills to use. 

Yeah, man, I was doing improv in the Chicago scene. I was also doing stand-up. I just wanted to utilize as many comedic tools as possible. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with this art form. And with this show, it was really important that we had elements of comedy and that it felt like me. 

It gave me a lot of free range to improvise. When someone gets submitted for the show, I roast the shit out of their car. At first, I was like, “Wait, what if I just roasted their cars and we don’t fix them?” (Laughs) But that’s a different show. 

We’re not only making these cars look ill, we’re also helping (the owners). Like a photographer had a car that he just couldn’t let go of and he couldn’t afford to flip it, so we put in things to help him with his job. Those are the things that are really gonna touch people. So we already got the heart right there, let’s make sure it’s funny, too. And I think we got a good balance.

Roasting is making a comeback this year.

Yeah, Tom Brady committed roasting suicide so we all could live. It’s always been a part of my life so it’s never really gone anywhere, but it’s good to see it being embraced. Everybody has been super careful about what they say and they still should be mindful of those things, but getting back to having fun, making fun of people in very fun ways, that’s all a part of comedy.

Let’s go back to your improv background. You were in the Second City touring company for a while. 

I was one of those guys that took every class. I put every last dollar I had into learning as much as I could. I didn’t finish college so Second City, the Annoyance Theatre and (Improv Olympic), that was my college. The stand-up scene and bombing every week, every day, all of that was like my college. 

Pretty quickly, I got to start understudying the mainstage and then I got the tour. That was the first time I got to perform in these different countries. I was in Rome and Vienna, doing improv. It was a completely different experience, but it really helped build those chops up.

The touring company performs everywhere, including for audiences that can be tough. Seems like a great way to prepare you for anything.

It’s difficult in some places and it’s easy in others, but we had all levels of difficulty. It really helped me become fearless when it comes to improv, just taking a shot at an idea no matter how dumb it feels or how weird it feels. Not judging yourself too much in the moment, which is such a big part of being able to find those ideas that you wouldn’t find just sitting down. That’s what makes it special — the danger of it all and how easy it is to fail. 

Bad improv is fucking horrible! It’s worse than bad stand-up. Because you’re seeing a group of people bomb together, and nobody wants to see that. 

That’s a good bonding experience, though, when you bomb with a group of people. You’re bonded for life after that. 

Yeah, it’s like coming out of battle. You and your squadron all have that story. That is better than bombing by yourself.

You auditioned for SNL multiple times, right? What gave you the resolve to keep going back? 

I auditioned two times. I couldn’t get an audition in Chicago when I was coming up. I just wasn’t one of those guys that could get hooked up to one of those auditions. It took me being in L.A. I was actually on tour with Jay Pharoah. I don’t think that had anything to do with it, it just was a coincidence in timing, but they called me to see if I wanted to come in.

And this is after I had done Popstar (with Andy Samberg), and I had worked on this Tina Fey show with Fortune Feimster.

You knew a lot of SNL people.

Yeah, I had different stuff with some SNL alums. And I know that Tina Fey, shout out to her, had a really big part in them at least looking at me. I went in the first year, and I did my thing. I felt good about it, but somebody leaked that I had got the show before I did. I’m not saying that’s the reason why I didn’t get the show, but it didn’t help! And so I was really mad about it.

Then I was like, “You know what? I came up in this comedy thing. I wasn’t expecting to be on that show. It would have been cool, but I don’t need it.” And so, when they came back around, I was kind of reluctant to do it. I was like, “Man, no, cause of the way y’all did me last time.”

Then I was like, “Fuck it. It’s an audition. It’s another show like any other show.” So I did that audition on a night where I had four other shows. I just did it like it was another show.

That probably took the pressure off. 

Yeah, it did. Also, I had been performing so much that my set was super-tight. I just knew how to do my thing. I knew that whatever I had to do, I was gonna nail it. And so I did. 

That second time around, I had already moved on. I had a recurring role on Will & Grace. I was working with Conan O’Brien at the time, so I had some kind of career if this didn’t go well. I was like, “I’m just gonna go have fun.” I didn’t take anything too serious. I didn’t bring a chip on my shoulder, even though I thought I would. And then when Lorne (Michaels) called me about the job, that’s when all the feelings rushed in. Like, “Oh, motherfucker, you want this!”

Eddie Murphy’s new movie also dropped on Netflix this month. You were on SNL when Eddie finally came back. You did Candy Cane Lane. What was it like making Eddie Murphy laugh?

It was a dream, man. We all looked up to Eddie. Eddie is the reason I wanted to go to SNL. The way that he was able to go there and change the game and then leave and have an outstanding career — it’s just something to look up to. 

To be able to work with him was super dope. He’s super cool, very laid back. Chill but so, so funny. We’re all just kicking it on set, trying to make him laugh. You don’t want to run up and be a clown. But at the same time, if you’re having a conversation on set, you want to say something that’s gonna get him chuckling at least.

It was like having a second father on set, like a comedic godfather who you always want to impress. But he really let us play and improvise and find our jokes. I just had an excellent time working with that man.