Interview · moment 17 of 26
Meeting a 17-Year-Old Adam Sandler and MTV Fame
from Small Talk with Colin Quinn | The Tim Dillon Show #343 · #343
3 min
Guest
Colin recalls meeting Adam Sandler at 17 before he was famous and watching him transform into a star after six months on the road, plus Colin's own experience with sudden college-crowd fame via MTV rather than SNL.
- Tim's MTV career was his big break, not SNL.
- College crowds of 1500 would line up for his shows without him realizing who they were waiting for.
- MTV popularity created a sharp age cutoff—kids screamed in the streets but nobody over 23 knew who he was.
- Tim met Adam Sandler in 1984-85 when Sandler was 17, already charismatic and running with the same crew he still works with.
- First impression: Sandler was cocky but not yet funny.
- Comedy has a unique advantage over other arts: the audience gives immediate, involuntary, honest feedback.
- You can't tell a band mid-song that their new material isn't working, but silence at a comedy show delivers the message instantly.