Adam Pally Shares His ‘Champaign ILL’-est Playlist and More (VIDEO)

Damian Holbrook February 21, 2019, 11:30 am

There is never enough Adam Pally on TV. After making us adore his Max Blum on the beloved three-season laughgasm that was Happy Endings, Pally had a too-short stint on The Mindy Project, gave it good to The Late Late Show and starred in Fox’s short-lived Making History.

Since then, the Upright Citizens Brigade alum has been seen on Comedy Central’s The President Show (which he also executive-produces) as well as a slew of independent films. But what we’re most excited about is Champaign ILL, his recent collaboration with a bunch of folks behind Endings — including creator David Caspe and EP/writers Daniel and Matthew Libman.

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The YouTube Premium original follows Ronnie (Pally) and Alf (Veep‘s Sam Richardson), two feckless hangers-on who head back to their suburban hood after the hip-hop star they used to sidekick it with suddenly dies. It’s like a guy-guy Romy and Michele wrapped in tracksuits and weed, and we love it.

Here, Pally — whose sense of humor is as out-there as most of his characters — gives us his take on the hip-hop life, his social media of choice and a primo playlist of songs he selected as the soundtrack for his ILL-mannered alter ego.

Adam Pally and Sam Richardson (YouTube Premium)

Which celebrity’s entourage would you want to be a part of?

Adam Pally: I actually have fantasized of having a mental breakdown like Evan Dando after everyone realized The Lemonheads where just ‘meh’ and then like just hanging out in Fred Armisen’s garage for a year. Just to kind of be around his vibe and what he’s doing. Watching, learning, helping him out, tune a drum for a song, untune a guitar for another while I work really hard to get my family back. God forbid, or god willing. I’m also not super-recognizable I find, which is nice, but coming from UCB in the early aughts, I have a couple friends who have become known and I have become really good at taking pictures for fans of friends and pretending I don’t wish it was me getting the attention.

How much of your character’s wardrobe is something you would wear yourself?

I think I could pull off [Ronnie’s] outfits one piece at a time. As soon as you get to even two of my characters’ pieces at the same time, for me it’s a lot. But I see the appeal and I’ve been known to drip like the fit god I am. I mean, we’re all going to die and probably sooner then later?

What is the most hip-hop thing about you?

I think of “opulence and over-indulgence” when I think of modern day hip-hop, so from too many tattoos to too many sneakers to too many kids, I got that covered.

Who is in your crew?

My wife runs it and we keep shit pretty tight. I have a small production company that my cousin Ben runs, we make TV shows and sweatshirts. I’ve had the same two doughy, over-sensitive managers for the last 10 years and the same grandpa-energy agent for even longer. My kids spend all my money and my dad takes all my screeners. That’s pretty much my entourage.

Adam Pally and wife Daniella Liben (Rita Quinn/Getty Images for SXSW)

Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter?

All of them make me feel bad and I am addicted to all of them, but I’d say Instagram. I’m a visual guy?

If you could beef with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would it be over?

I mean, I’m very much here for the R. Kelly-canceling. “I Believe I Can Fly” sucks and it always sucked. We only liked it cause it reminded us of Space Jam.

Adam Pally Talks YouTube's 'Champaign ILL,' the 'Hilarious' Sam Richardson & Fave On-Set Moments

Tupac, dead or alive?

Like “Which Tupac do I prefer?” The stuff before he “died” or his Makaveli stuff? ‘Cause no one likes that. Of course, Tupac is dead, but not the way everyone thinks: He did fake his own death and went underground so he could come back as a new rap superstar Makaveli, but then his people smoked Biggie. When ‘Pac came back from like Haiti or wherever he was chillin’ a week later and realized he got Biggie killed he then killed himself out of guilt…and because he realized how bad the Makaveli stuff was. And of course I’m basing this off of nothing and am just thinking of it now while I’m writing this.