The other thing the programme seems to mention is that Penn & Teller became best mates before starting their double act together; they didn’t get paired up by a producer or whatever and then become good friends as a result of working together.
One of the things I’ve never completely understood (being somewhat socially retarted and all) is how people can work with others for 40-60 hours a week, then willingly hang out with those same people for even larger chunks of the week.
I mean, I can be friends with people I work with, I can see them outside of work on occasion (once or twice a month being good), but I generally feel that I don’t want to socialize with the same people I work with for a variety of reasons.
On the other side, I can detest the hell out of someone, but still work effectively with them. There is no requirement to “be friends” or even “like” the people we work with!
Hence, I wouldn’t be surprised that they don’t get along all that well and that they don’t hang out together after the show.
And on the subject of “Adam used to work for Jamie”, it makes sense that after years of putting up with that kind of boss, he might be a bit more free with his words and his actions, since he’s no longer an employee, but a co-star. That sort of thing might bug the hell out of someone like Jamie, but tough shit.
Just to add on here:
Same for Vivian Vance and William Frawley (Fred and Ethel Mertz - I Love Lucy) They HATED each other and would not even talk to each other unless it was on film.
I don’t have the exact cite, but its repeated enough times in the Bathroom Reader books.
Also, on Mythbusters, I pick up the same vibe. Itunes had a free episode of Myth busters, I think it was related to their third Season… that tackled a bunch of behind the scenes stuff. I believe this exact question was tackled, and both weighed in, on camera, for the special episode.
Abbott and Costello had some problems, but they’ve been a bit overblown. Laurel and Hardy, however, were terrific friends their whole lives. When Hardy died, it devastated Laurel, and he never acted again, despite being asked to. He wouldn’t even do walk-ons.
I’ve met both Adam and Jamie (although notably, not together), and Penn and Teller, too.
Adam and Jamie are pretty much as you see them on the show. They are not putting on personalities. Adam is great fun to be with, a real “life of the party” type guy, and although I had a great time in the few hours I spent drinking with him* (and Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer and the lovely Kari Byron) a couple years ago, I can imagine that some people might find him tiresome after a while.
I think Jamie is that type of person. He’s serious, reserved, and although I wouldn’t necessarily use the term “control freak,” you can tell he likes having things (like his clothes and his shop) “just so.” He’s a much more private person, and doesn’t have the same need for attention and an audience that Adam thrives on.
However, I did get the strong impression that both men respect each other professionally.
ISTR reading in some article about the creation of the show that when the Australian producer approached Jamie for a host of the show, he didn’t see himself as right for the job, and recommended Adam as someone who would enjoy being in the spotlight. But the producer liked the “odd couple” relationship between the two, and persuaded Jamie to sign up, too.
However, I’ve gotten the sense (just from watching) that as time goes on, Adam is still having a good time doing the show, but Jamie is enjoying it less.
As for Penn and Teller, I saw them perform separately at a Renaissance festival in the 1970s before they were Penn & Teller. Penn did a comedy juggling act and Teller was a silent magician. Since then I’ve seen them perform (together) at least a dozen times, and have met them after shows and at book signings several times.
I think what’s been said above is true: they are very good friends and have a lot in common, but don’t need to socialize “after hours” because they spend so much time together working. I think that if they didn’t work together, they would probably socialize more, which is probably not the case with Adam and Jamie.
RickJay: Thanks for setting the record straight about Laurel and Hardy. Thirty-some years ago, when I was a teenager, I knew everything there was to know about them, but it’s been decades since I read any of the several books I have about them.
*Think I’m lying? Here are the pictures of me and Adam (taken by Kari) and me and Kari (taken by Adam).
I still think you’re lying.
The young flodnaks and I like to try to guess what will be the last straw that causes Jamie to kill Adam in his sleep. Please tell me we’re not the only ones who do this? Pretty please?
I know what Adam looks like, but how do we know it’s you? 
Adam sneaks into Jamie’s office, goes into the closet where he keeps his extensive beret collection, and fills all of them, save one, with ballistics gel. He leaves the following note:
Jamie,
The producers wanted us to test the insulating properties of jellyfish in regards to the scalp temperature of bald men. Those fan questions, you never know! I went ahead and used the gel as a stand-in for the jellyfish and left you one dry beret as a control. Good luck running the numbers and I’ll see you tomorrow,
Adam :cool:Actually, according to the sign all Adam has to do is not clean up, and he will die.
Yeah, and Jamie wouldn’t kill him in his sleep. He’d just say “All right, enough is enough” and pick him up and stuff him into a giant trash compactor.
Wasn’t it Laurel and Hardy who, when one had a debilitating stroke leaving him speechless, the other came by to chat. After an hour of silence, the daughter opened the door and saw the two of them communicating with pantomime?
I do get the sense that Kari, Grant, and Tory all get along pretty well with each other.
Not to hijack the thread, but this is not entirely correct. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have known each other since their school days and until recently lived in the same Toronto nieghborhood as each other. (Alex’s house is up for sale, appears to be downsizing now that the kids are out of the house). They have frequently stated that the early stages of music writing or setlist production happen in one of their homes. They are good friends. As to their relationship with Neil, its more complex. After 34 years of working together they are close friends. But events in Neil’s life have caused him to move far away. They stay in touch, and spent months together in a residential studio writing their most recent album.
To relate to the OP, Jamie and Adam have what often seems to be an uncomfortable dynamic on the show. But they seem to get away with it because they can film the show and then go home. Musical or stage acts often have to spend long periods of time together when touring. The ones that are friends will probably last longer as acts.
There are some counterexamples of course: Hope and Crosby, for instance.
Well, where is the photo of Michael Shermer? What’s he, chopped liver?
My partner believes the endless arguing and bickering is 100% real, based on his experiences working in his familiy’s machine shop. His older brother and father were always after each other, just like the two Pauls.
Along the same theme as “frequent pairings” I submit Tim Allen and Patrick Warburton. They were in one of my favorites Big Trouble together as well as Joe Somebody. Additionally, Tim Allen was the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Pixar movie and Warburton was the voice in the TV series.
Okay, here you go.
This happened during James Randi’s “The Amazing Meeting 4” (TAM 4) in Las Vegas, January 2006. I didn’t get a picture of me with Shermer because he left fairly early (~11 pm) in our evening carouse. He had to moderate a session early the next morning.
And look what I just found: Mythbusters meet Penn.
And in case you thought I was lying about meeting Penn, here I am with him.
A bunch of us TAMers went to P&T’s show at the Rio, and met the guys afterward. I took the last shot myself as we were all posing for a group shot with P&T. Note that Penn is looking straight at my camera!
See, I had a different read on Penn and Teller. Teller wrote a non-fiction bit in Playboy a year or two back, and the vibe I got from one paragraph in particular was that, though they’d started out as friends, they weren’t any longer, but they still worked together because, hey, it’s a solid gig and makes boatloads of cash.
And I have a solo pic of myself with Penn taken after the Rio show, as well. He’s an extremely nice guy in person, and seems willing to spend as long as it takes to shake every hand and sign every slip of paper.