Hi, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd. I hope you're doing well.

Today, we have an exclusive conversation and interview with one of the most, to me, surprising and intriguing creatives out there on the music scene right now, a guy who is really starting to break into the music world after a long and illustrious career of comedy and writing and various types of content creation, Kyle M (Kyle Mooney), his new record, The Real Me, is out now. We're going to talk about the record and anything else that comes up in this convo.

Anthony: Kyle, thank you for coming through.

Kyle M: Thank you so much for having me, Anthony. This is a real treat. I'm a fan of the work that you do, and I think this is going to be a lot of fun. So thank you.

Anthony: No, thank you. So, yeah, obviously this record, the music, everything, it's a new career move for you. One that I think a lot of people are going to just wonder about. I mean, if you could just put that to words. You're a guy who has everything he could want, the fame, the money, a recalled cyber truck. What's the cause for this new direction?

Kyle M: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting that you say that, and I can understand how people might have that perception that I do have it all and that I've been living the life that makes me happy. But that's not totally true. And I think that a lot of people don't understand that we artists, sometimes we lead multiple lives, and we have different things to say, and we're not always given the platform to say them. I feel incredibly fortunate with the work I've gotten to do as an actor, as a writer, as a filmmaker. But the reality is it's not what I set out to do as a child. It wasn't my dream. I've always wanted to focus on music, and I figured, why am I waiting anymore? This is what I want to do. This is what I want to show the world. What better time is there than now?

Anthony: Okay. Let's start off with the intro to the album. It seems like you put a lot of thought into the messaging on the record and the journey that you're taking us on with this album. With your creative process, at what point did you decide that the intro should introduce the album and start it? You could have put this track anywhere, but you put it at the beginning. Was there something about this track to you that you said this needs to kick the whole thing off?

Kyle M: Interesting fact about the intro that I feel like listeners might not assume. This was one of the last tracks, if not the last track, I recorded for the album.

Anthony: That's how it always happens.

Kyle M: Oh, really? Because I'm a big fan of music. I listen to so much music, all types, truly. I don't want to say I'm an encyclopedia of music, but I love all genres, and so I consume so much of it. But I don't know how other people do it. I only know how I do it. And in this case, yeah, I felt like I had this collection of songs that all say their own thing, but also speak to something larger. And I wanted to help lead the listener into my universe. And if you listen to the intro, it's a transition piece where it's like, oh, this is where we're going. This is the journey. This is the adventure we're going on. And it goes inside of me, inside of the real me, so to speak. But yeah, it was something that just came to me. I found this really cool organ sound. I don't know if you caught that. I just went with it and wanted to do something special to help welcome people into my world.

Anthony: Well, you start that world off with "Kid on the Range", which, not to give too many spoilers on the record, but the album starts with a country twist. Maybe this is not necessarily a sound people would associate you with being a Hollywood big shot and all, but try to lead us into understanding how you get in touch with this sound so well, having roots in the country capital of America, San Diego.

Kyle M: Yeah, it's fine. You say that, but San Diego is actually not really known for country. We're more known for surfers. It's more of a personal perception, I guess. Oh, yeah. And we do. To be honest, I come from a place called Scripps Ranch, and our slogan is Country Living in Scripps Ranch. Makes sense. So it's fitting. Yeah, it might be surprising, but I like country. I like, especially, I don't know if you're aware outlaw country, and music like that, where there's a danger to it. I've always thought that's incredibly interesting and great storytelling on a lot of those records. A lot of times that music presents itself as like, I'm rough and I'm gritty. And as much as I would like to project that I am, the reality is I'm not. Do you know what I mean? I wanted to use that as a vehicle to talk about who I really am and the fact that I'm not this thing that certain people want me to be. I'm not this certain thing that sometimes I want to be. Yeah, it just felt right. It was one of those that came really quickly. Yeah, I'm proud of that one.

Anthony: Is the song really about being gruff and rough and tough? It seemed like you were also making a commentary there about maturity and growing up.

Kyle M: Oh, that's absolutely what it is. What I'm just saying is I feel like there's this cowboy imagery of a person being tough, and the reality is I'm not that. I want to be okay with admitting that I make mistakes and that at times I've lost myself, and maybe I'm not the version that other people want me to be or sometimes even I want to be.

Anthony: Next on the record was a digital society, which, as you know, listening to this one, I feel like I'm stepping into the matrix on this one. With this constant barrage of tech and media hitting us at all times, Flappy Bird, Geocities, all that, how do you recommend everybody else, in their own lives, fight the war against technology, taking over every aspect of their existence?

Kyle M: I hate to use this classic saying, but stop and smell the roses. Do you know what I mean? I think if we allowed ourselves to just take a break, take a breath, and check out the world that's around us, it could probably do a lot of good.

Anthony: Moving on to the next track, "Blue Car", which I was referencing earlier. It really feels like on this one, you're bringing that classic rock and roll surf rock vibe.

Kyle M: I love that you caught that. I am such a fan of old folder style rock and roll, classic rock, blues riffs, just plugged in. I think there's such a great legacy, too, of songs in that realm talking about the love of our automobiles. But I don't know if you noticed that mine takes it into another direction, which, again, I just am trying stuff out and doing what I feel feels honest and real to me, I guess.

Anthony: You recaptured the original sound of the style amazingly. It's very Brian Wilson. It's very Chuck Berry, maybe a little Phil Specter too. Can you go a little into maybe some of the secret sauce that went into making this track sound the way that it does? Are we talking big board, reel to reel tape? What exactly were you doing in the studio to bring us back to that time period?

Kyle M: I wish, and maybe on the next record, I'll have a big studio. That all comes down to people listening to this one and telling their friends about it. But no, this was really I think it was simple, like those old rock and roll records is the way that I understand them. Do you know what I mean? It's an electric guitar. I have some keyboards in there. And again, simple blues rift and some blues licks to get us in there and to just tell the story of what gets me around. You know what I mean? But really, no, nothing special happening here, because I think, to me, that is the essence of rock and roll, is that it is just raw, and it is just going out there and blasting and having fun and telling a story.

Anthony: The next track, which was a bit of a cause of concern for me, was "Gwendolyn Bartley". I mean, obviously, you're an artist who wears your influences on your sleeve a little bit at various points of this album. You're not afraid to borrow some inspiration from a place or two, but maybe I think we've leaned into that on this one a bit too much. I feel like there are aspects of this song, lyrically and instrumentally, that seem like they're really pulling from "Eleanor Rigby" a little bit. I wanted to know if you saw those similarities. Were they conscious? Were they subconscious?

Kyle: Were they subconscious? One, I want to say, I do feel like this song has touched a lot of people. I certainly hear you, and I am aware of "Eleanor Rigby". You've heard? I love. Oh, absolutely. I actually love the Beatles. I think they've made... I mean, how can you not? You consider that they put out – because they started out early pop sound, transitioned into more experimental. I think their music is monumental, and I think has inspired generations. I feel like there are people who are... I was actually out somewhere recently and talking to a friend about music, and he's like, I play the Beatles for my kids. He's like, they're essentially kid songs.

Anthony: You got to put the new generation on.

Kyle M: Yeah. I wouldn't say that they're just kid songs, but it's like, oh, wow, this is something that can be played for everybody. You know what I mean? With that being said, yeah, I am aware of "Eleanor Rigby". I think there are a couple... I can understand the comparison. Just to be a little specific about it, I believe "Eleanor Rigby" is only strings. It's dun, dun, dun. Whereas "Gwendolyn Bartley" is electronic strings, actually. And there is an interesting guitar part going along as well. We also have the breakdown. I don't know if you caught that, where we introduce Gwendolyn Bartley, and there's some horns in there. And generally speaking, "Eleanor Rigby", I would imagine, is about a woman in England. "Gwendolyn Bartley", the story I'm telling, is an older lady here in America. I get it. And who am I to say how things come out of me? I don't know if you've ever heard of the notion of parallel thinking. I don't know if it could be that, but I'd like to think that this is an original story, an original composition, and I'm rather proud of it, to be honest.

Anthony: Okay, we could leave it there. I don't I don't know if these arguments would hold up in court, and I would just hate to see you have to put the blue car up for sale.

Kyle M: That's all I'm saying. Well, hopefully, you don't take me to court, Anthony.

Anthony: Okay. Yeah. No, I don't want to see that either. I'm not wishing that on you.

Kyle M: I appreciate that.

Anthony: We also have "California Summer" – I want to quote from this one. You say on the track, you say, "Hanging out in the sun / Man, it's really fun / Holding on to my bottle of beer." You have such a way with words on this track, really a knack for transporting us to the places that you describe on this track and on other songs, too. Going into this record, obviously, it's your first album, but were there any processes or methodologies that you applied here in order to really bone up your poetry to bring us to the places that you're talking about?

Kyle M: Really, really interesting question. I've always found that, even when I was acting or writing, I've always found it difficult to talk about where ideas come from, where inspiration comes from. But sometimes, it really is just in the moment. Sometimes it's when you're trying to go to sleep, you're in your bed, and you're just consumed with all these thoughts, and all of a sudden you're like, oh, you hone in on one and maybe that's something. Sometimes it's just sitting at the keyboard or strumming the guitar, and it speaks to you in a way. With "California Summer" it's one of the situations where I am from San Diego. I went to college here in LA. I now live here in Los Angeles, and California is inside of me. Do you know what I mean? When writing that one, it probably wasn't difficult to find those words because it's something I've known my whole life. I don't remember that one being particularly challenging. I feel like it came naturally because it is a place I love, and there really is nothing like a California summer. I don't know if you've got to enjoy one.

Anthony: I've experienced it myself, so it's just something as soon as you just open your mouth, it's just coming out of you. Yeah. Okay. I thought the song "Disease" took things in a really interestingly dark turn, and a very creative, conceptual one, too. You explore themes of body positivity and bullying in school and trauma on this one. The part that confused me, though, was from the perspective that you're writing from, there's a point at which you saying the words, the internal monolog of the protagonist of the track who's dealing with his bullies. You say, "My name is Matt." You're working up the power to tell them that and stand up to them. You say your name is Matt on the song. However, the experience that you're describing here seems much too specific and personal to have been made up whole cloth. I'm sitting here thinking, with this being a major exception of many of the other songs here, it seems like we're getting a lot of autobiographical moments, but then we slip in this one moment where we're speaking from another perspective. Is this song actually about you? And it's not about a guy named Matt, but it's just you. Just you're pretending to be Matt. Are you trying to slip one in here in terms of not letting us in, but not letting us in?

Kyle M: Yeah, I mean, obviously, I'm not Matt. I think that we can, as artists, tell our story, but also use avatars, use other personas as ways to convey our story. So a song like this is incredibly autobiographical. I was certainly going back to those moments in middle school, taking the shower during P.E., during gym, the fear that's associated with it. But I also wanted to be able to take some creative licensing. And I feel like you see artists do this all the time. I'm not revolutionary by any means in doing this. But yeah, I wanted to tell the story through this person, Matt, in a way to be able to manipulate my story and also to just really make the music hit hard. Yeah, it made sense to name him Matt.

Anthony: Do you feel like that was because of a need to distance yourself from the story, or did you take too many liberties with the story to make it feel like it was still you when you were singing the song?

Kyle M: I think I wanted it to be the story of Matt.

Anthony: Okay. All right. Okay. With "I Gotta Dance Tonight", you have a very interesting rock and hard place on display, I would say. You are talking about a character's deep-seated desire to dance and be free and give into just this inner drive to let go and express themselves physically. But then they're also having to give into the working class need to make money and sustain themselves and survive and work a job. If you keep putting out songs like this, do you think you could be on track to be this generation's Springsteen or anything like that?

Kyle M: Man, that would be amazing, wouldn't it?

Anthony: I think so, yeah.

Kyle M: I don't really think in those terms. You know what I mean? I can't. If I became obsessed with how successful this music thing became, I probably wouldn't be able to make the art that I'm making. So it really is one step, one day at a time. And it's outlets like this, Anthony, and that's why I'm so pleased that you reached out to speak to me because we could always get more people listening to the album and hearing these stories. If it were to become that thing where I'm on big stages and getting to tell these stories that are incredibly meaningful and truthful and part of me to massive audiences, that is my dream. That's what I've always dreamt of. Do you know what I mean? That was me in third grade drawing pictures of being a rock and roll star. But yeah, it doesn't help me to think about that for the time being.

Anthony: Okay. I mean, I am, and I'll just cross my fingers that it happens in the meantime.

Kyle M: That means a lot. That truly means a lot.

Anthony: If you're not thinking about it, I'll think about it for both of us.

Kyle M: Okay, I'll take that.

Anthony: I also wanted to ask you about maybe the most probably fictional song on the album, "ILY". For anybody who doesn't know, hasn't heard the record yet, this song is about a... Really like a complete and utter loser who gets rejected by a woman. And after telling her that he loves her, how do you put yourself in the mindset of a character like this who you obviously have nothing to do with. Women are throwing themselves at you constantly. I'm sure you have to beat them off with a stick. But still, despite that, you decided to generously portray yourself in such a light. You're like, 'Oh, this thing could happen to anybody.' I mean, again, For you, we know that's not true. But still, you're able to write from this perspective, and I just wanted to know how you shifted yourself into that way to make that happen.

Kyle M: Anthony. Anthony.

Anthony: What?

Kyle M: I don't know where this is coming from. I've struggled meeting, too. I feel like you have this perception of me as being incredibly charming and in love.

Anthony: Hold on. You're Kyle. There's no way.

Kyle M: Kyle M now.

Anthony: Okay, you're right. You're Kyle M. Again, there's truly no way.

Kyle M: I've been through it all, Anthony. I feel incredibly lucky with the life I live right now. But that's not to say there haven't been struggles. And I actually am not great when I interact with people a lot of the times. And I get nervous, I get anxious. I feel like people in my life could tell you that, that I'm not always the best, most interesting person at a party. And that's a lot of actually what the core of this record is, is that I think there's an expectation of who I am or who I should be or how I should entertain you or the people around me, and I'm not that person. And I have dealt with this pressure since the moment I became a public persona. I think that there's this baggage that comes with being an entertainer. And yeah, what you see on TV is just not the reality. And so, yeah, I've been through breakups. I've been denied. I've had wonderful relationships. I've had bad relationships. I've had it all. After all, I'm just I don't consider myself that special, I guess, is what I'm saying.

Anthony: Okay. Yeah. I mean, as you were saying, getting to the core of yourself seems to be the whole point of the record, and it seems like the title track of the record is really what brings all of that back home. It seems like a big point on that track, though, a theme that you circle back to, specifically the expectations that you speak of. Is this freeing yourself from any like, comedy or humor or a need to encapsulate everything in a joke or a gag? I mean, was that a massive challenge for you, creating creatively to have to embark on such a huge project like this in a different medium and not have to lean into goofs and satire and irony and so on and so forth, and be quite serious in the fashion that you are?

Kyle M: I feel like it's not difficult for me to tell that story and to express myself in that way. The challenge is really being open to sharing that. Because I've told this to people I love in my life before. People don't... If you know me very well, you might consider me a quiet person or a serious person. So I don't really have trouble expressing these ideas to people that I trust. Expressing these ideas to the world at large, that is frightening. Because if there's one thing I've taken from my experience as an actor or a comedian, it's that people want to judge. People want to categorize you. And I wanted to make something where I was free of that. And I know people can still judge it, and I know they can still not like it. And that's okay, obviously. You know what I mean? It's on me. It's my own work to maneuver through that and to know that I'm proud of the work that I made and that it makes me happy and that I know that there are other people out there who have heard it, and it makes them happy.

Anthony: That's a completely valid perspective. If I were to give this album a 10 out of 10, do you feel like I'd be doing too much in terms of praising it?

Kyle M: I don't know your process, Anthony, right? I don't know I don't know how you decide those things. I don't know what, and I don't know if me being here talking to you about it is helping the situation or not helping the situation. If that's the way you feel about that, that would be such an enormous compliment. But I don't want to I don't want to jump to any conclusions. Just uttering those words is a win for me, to be honest. The fact that if it means anything to you, it's special to me.

Anthony: Well, I guess what I wanted to ask and explore, jumping into a new medium like this, even for a creative as seasoned and as experienced as yourself, I imagine on some level, there's got to be some feelings of second-guessing and maybe even imposter syndrome, like, oh, can these things that I've done translate over to this? Will people take me seriously doing things that they don't necessarily expect? Not just being more serious about your emotions, but embarking on a different project here, an album. Will people be convinced? Will they see right through me or something on some level?

Kyle M: Yeah, I think I definitely think about that. But I think it goes back to what I was just saying about, what does that get me living in that headspace? And I've lived in that headspace before. I've put out a decent amount of things into the world, and I've been scared, and sometimes people have loved those things, sometimes they have not loved those things. And I do get affected. That's the reality of it. But with this project, specifically, I'm really making an effort to not get caught up in those ideas, not get caught up in those obsessive thoughts about how will people perceive this? Will people buy me as a musician? They don't have to because I made the music. The music is there. I played every single instrument. I sang every single song. You can't take that away from me. If you want to say you don't like it, again, that's fully fair, but you can't say that I didn't put anything out there. And to me, that's a lot more than a lot of people in existence. Do you know what I mean? I'm doing it, and I want to hold on to the fact that I did it. And if you want to buy me as a musician, great, because I want to continue making music for you. This is all I want to do. If you don't want to, live your life. That's okay. I expect that.

Anthony: Wise words. Again, you're doing it. No one can say you didn't do it.

Kyle M: Yeah.

Anthony: I appreciate you taking the time.

Kyle M: Again, thank you so much for having me. I think you add a lot to this world, Anthony. You have so many people who admire your work and who look to you for guidance in terms of what to listen to, what to check out. Let me just say to you as an artist, thank you. You know what I mean? I'm thankful for, I'm sure, all the effort you put into your work. I'm sure getting set up today, getting that microphone plugged in and all the work that goes into keeping your fans engaged, I just can respect any artist, and I'm so thankful that you spoke to me today.

Anthony: No, thank you for taking the time. I'm just listening to a lot of stuff and talking. That's all I'm doing.

Kyle M: Now, you play music, right? I feel like I've seen...

Anthony: A little bit here and there. Some bass guitar.

Kyle M: Yeah, I love all the instruments, I think. Yeah, bass, I feel like people don't always give it the respect it deserves, but I mean, there weren't a lot of baselines on the album, honestly. Well, to be honest, I didn't own a bass at the time. I do now. But if you do listen carefully, there's actually some electronic bass that I played on the keyboard.

Anthony: Yeah. I mean, no, that is true. I'm just saying what you said about the bass guitar there, that sounds like an upgrade for the next record.

Kyle M: I'm hoping that there's enough interest that I get to do a next record. But yeah, I've always said that bass and drums is really the backbone of the song.

Anthony:That's true. Well, there's interest from me. I'll say that.

Kyle M: Thank you, Anthony.

Anthony:I hope you have a good rest of your day, and thank you for lending us all of the insight to the new album and your creative process.

Kyle M: Absolutely. Anytime.