Before he was Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk was the breakout star of Tasty Paste. 

Most people haven’t heard of it, probably because it never aired. At least not outside of his home in Naperville, Illinois, where his production equipment consisted of his mother’s typewriter and a $30 Panasonic cassette recorder he’d purchased at a K-mart. Then 11 years old, Bob was already a huge fan of comedy troupes like those on “Saturday Night Live” and Monty Python, so he started creating his own sketches. But it wasn’t a one-man job — his brother, Bill Odenkirk, was there by his side. 

Now, 50 years later, they’re still glued at the hip. It’s a Thursday morning at SIU, and the hallways of the communications building are fairly empty when the pair waltzes in, hats and sunglasses on and Starbucks in hand. All of the students have migrated to the Northlight Studio, eagerly awaiting their arrival. 

“They’re here!” one calls out as the brothers glimpse through the door. A hush falls over the crowd. They make their grand entrance, and that’s when the applause begins. 

Bob Odenkirk, an actor, producer and screenwriter best known for his roles in drama television series “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” started his broadcast career as a host of an SIU radio show. Since then, he’s written for “Saturday Night Live,” created a sketch comedy series called “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” won two Primetime Emmy Awards and received one Tony and one Oscar nomination. His younger brother, Bill Odenkirk, completed a doctorate in chemistry before following in his footsteps, writing first for “Mr. Show,” and then transitioned to animated series “Futurama” and “The Simpsons.” He’s also won four prime-time Emmy awards. Get it wrong, and Bob will correct you. 

Together, the Odenkirk brothers returned to SIU, Bob’s alma mater, for a short visit. On Sept. 11, they conducted two workshops about navigating the entertainment industry and screenwriting for students in the College of Arts and Media. Around 50 students were present in each session, filling nearly every chair, but the energy in the room stayed serene — besides jotting down notes on paper and laptops, the students kept their eyes glued to the duo, watching in awe as the brothers shared their expertise. 

“I think in order to become a master yourself you must learn from the masters,” Dahlia Dahl, a cinema major at SIU, said. “And Bob and Bill Odenkirk are certainly great writers in their field, so I wanted to learn from them.” 

But before they became masters in their field, the Odenkirk brothers began their comedy journey at the dinner table. Every night, they would reenact their day for their mother and five other siblings. 

“I was the headliner,” Bob wrote in his biography “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama.” “Mostly I would stand up and act out some idiocy from the day, make fun of people I met, or just be a clown.”

Bob’s college education began at The College of Dupage, when he was just 16-years-old. He later transferred to Marquette University and again to SIU, where he finally settled down.

“I felt I had the freedom here to write and perform and create here,” he told the students. 

For RTD and animation student Abigael Popp, this still rings true. 

“I’m really grateful for SIU’s opportunities,” she told us after the workshops concluded. “There have been a lot of different clubs and just little things that really help to hone in your skills and I think that’s beautiful and that’s brilliant and I can understand why…SIU has produced somebody such as Bob Odenkirk.” 

Popp attended both workshops, and she said the experience exceeded her expectations. 

“The group was a lot smaller so it was a lot more interactive than what I thought it was going to be and that was pleasantly surprising,” Popp says. “I was close-up, face-to-face with them, we got to have real-time conversations. We got to see how they interact with one another, interact with the environment…Really, what I’m trying to say is we got to see how they are really normal people, and that was awesome.” 

Bob and Bill are fairly private individuals. Ask them a question, and they’ll ramble for minutes on end, but see them passing in the halls, and they’re secluded. We were allowed to follow them throughout their visit, but under certain circumstances: only two reporters could be there, no videos were to be taken at their events (it allows for a more casual, authentic experience — no pressure to say the right or wrong thing, Bob explained at a public event at The Varsity Center), and on Friday, we had just a short time allocated to us at a private interview with the SIU Foundation. 

Studio B of WSIU was set up for the occasion. Two chairs, two tables and two waters grace the stage, but the brothers were given separate interviews. Bob sat relaxed, sporting a maroon and white Saluki hat. He talked with his hands and carried a no-nonsense energy. He explained his college career — how he left SIU early to move to Chicago, but made sure he’d graduate as a Saluki. 

“My degree I got in ‘86 from SIU by taking one final class at Columbia College in Chicago and sending the credits back to SIU,” he told the Foundation. “So my degree is from SIU, even though College of DuPage, Marquette University and Columbia College all want me to be an alumni. But I’m not. I’m an alumni at SIU.” 

He earned a degree in broadcasting and a minor in philosophy. He received an honorary Doctor of Performing Arts degree from the school in 2020 and walked the stage in 2023. He was the keynote speaker during a 2020 virtual spring commencement ceremony, where he stated, “I am a Saluki, you fools, and I will destroy you,” which has become a slogan on SIU T-shirts. 

SIU has followed Bob into his professional career. In 2023, he starred in “Lucky Hank,” a television adaptation of “Straight Man,” a novel written by former SIU professor Richard Russo. While the story is set at a fictional college in Pennsylvania, it was inspired by Russo’s experiences teaching at SIU and other universities. When we asked him if this was a crazy coincidence, he lit up with a smile. 

“It’s just a strange coincidence and funny and great, and that was a really cool show,” he said. “I wish it had lasted longer.”

The show was canceled after one season, but it remained a learning experience for Bob. He played the leading role of William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr., a struggling, tenured professor in the English department. 

“Richard Russo explained to me it’s (the show) really about what tenure does to you,” he said. “When you hear about tenure and you don’t work in academia, it sounds wonderful. It sounds like the best thing that could ever happen to you. You have a job for life. But he said it actually can mess people up, and (he) wanted to write about that.”

He speculated that the show struggled to find its audience. 

“I think it’s a little hard for the audience to go, ‘Wait, so, what is tenure? What is it again? How does that work?’ and ‘Oh that just sounds perfect. I don’t know why that’s an issue.’ When that’s not at all what Richard Russo wanted. He wanted people to perceive the challenges of ‘now you have a job for life, but you won’t really get a raise, and now, how do you differentiate yourself or excel if you can’t get a promotion really?’” he said. 

In the past year, however, Bob has found immense success. He received a Tony nomination for his role in the play “Glengarry Glen Ross” and starred in “Nobody 2.” In June, he told Entertainment Weekly that he would love the opportunity to host the season 51 premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” So we wanted to know, is this still on the table?

“That’s a fine question. I don’t get to decide who hosts ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I would happily do it,” Bob told us. “The show has never left my life; it has always been a part of my life. I have become and have always been friends with people of the show…Everything has to line up time wise, you know?” 

After Bob finished his thoughts, he shook our hands and swapped places with Bill. With Season 13 of “Futurama” premiering on Sept. 15, we asked him to discuss his role and the possibility of future seasons. 

“We certainly hope so, because we, all the writers on the show, love it,” Bill said. “It’s such a creative platform, creative concept for a show, whether it’s science fiction or even something more wacky than that, we can do it there. And what more can you ask for from a show you’re working on?” 

His job with “Futurama” came five years after he graduated from the University of Chicago with a doctorate in inorganic chemistry. It was when he graduated, Bill said, that he was certain he wanted to change courses. 

“When you get a PhD in chemistry and sciences, generally what you do is you go to do a post doc, which is another two years afterwards, and then you have to start the whole process of, well, whether you’re going to go become a tenured, look for tenure at a university or going to industry generally. And I was like, ‘I don’t want to spend two more years doing this. I love writing, and I love being with those writers and doing creative stuff like that.’”

Bob and Bill went from sharing their comedy at the dinner table to sharing it with the world. So we would have been remiss to not ask about how their bond helped them blossom as creative thinkers. 

“I don’t think I would have ended up writing comedy or anything in entertainment if it wasn’t for Bob,” Bill said. “Because it takes an enormous amount of, well — I’ll say it — ego but also just confidence and bravery. And Bob has all those three and, of course, enormous talent… I didn’t have the bravery, and I would say, also talent that Bob has, you know, and so it’s great to be able to caboose — I’m going to use the word caboose — along with his powerful train, and get into the business that way.” 

Bill walked out of Studio B to join his brother for lunch. They had Booby’s, a Carbondale staple, then hosted one last workshop for theater students. Finally, they took the stage at The Varsity Center for a public discussion, concluding their visit to Carbondale. 

Deputy editor Carly Gist can be reached at [email protected], or on Instagram @gistofthestory. Videographer Will Elliott can be reached at [email protected], or on Instagram @cameramanwill06

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