Episode 988 - Brad Garrett

Episode 988 • Released January 24, 2019 • Speakers detected

00:00:00Marc:all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fucking ears what the fucksters what's happening what the fuck gets how's it going i'm mark maron this is my podcast wtf welcome to it oh god i'm gonna sneeze hold on

00:00:26Marc:Oh, it didn't happen.

00:00:28Marc:Oh, I want it to happen so bad.

00:00:31Marc:Goddammit, that's disappointing.

00:00:34Marc:Now I'm gonna try to make it happen.

00:00:36Marc:Hold on.

00:00:38Marc:Just try to tickle it.

00:00:40Marc:Just try to get it out.

00:00:41Marc:went away.

00:00:43Marc:I was so close.

00:00:45Marc:I was so close.

00:00:46Marc:I was on the edge of a beautiful sneeze, and now it's disappeared.

00:00:51Marc:That is so unsettling.

00:00:54Marc:I mean, it's not a major tragedy, but how great are sneezes?

00:00:58Marc:It's a little bit shameful, depending on how you handle it publicly, but internally...

00:01:03Marc:A sneeze delivers, man.

00:01:05Marc:If you let a sneeze go, how great is it just to be outside?

00:01:09Marc:Have you ever just full on just didn't hold back a sneeze at all and just let snot and spit and that spray just come right out of your head out into the world just because you're outside and there's no one around?

00:01:21Marc:The free sneeze, the sneeze of freedom?

00:01:25Marc:It's one of the little things.

00:01:28Marc:It's one of the great things.

00:01:29Marc:It's one of the joys.

00:01:31Marc:Obviously, if you're sick and you're sleeping and you can't stop it, whatever.

00:01:36Marc:But that surprise sneeze or two out of nowhere when there's no one around and you're outside and you can just let it go.

00:01:43Marc:And maybe, you know, blow your nose old style, like just, you know, right onto the ground.

00:01:49Marc:Hold one nostril shut and then the other one.

00:01:51Marc:If no one's around.

00:01:52Marc:Hey, even if there's someone around, you know, life is short.

00:01:55Marc:Fuck them.

00:01:55Marc:Let them judge.

00:01:56Marc:You know, I mean, Kleenex is a racket.

00:01:59Marc:It's a conspiracy.

00:02:00Marc:It's a it's a conglomerate.

00:02:02Marc:It's a large business.

00:02:03Marc:The Kleenex Corporation.

00:02:06Marc:There was a time with no Kleenexes where people were just holding their finger over one nostril and blasting, holding the finger over the other nostril, blasting, then just wipe it on your hemp shirt or your hide skin thing.

00:02:22Marc:Yeah, that's the way it was in the old days.

00:02:24Marc:People walking around sneezing freely and spreading disease.

00:02:29Marc:That happens now, primarily in work environments, not small villages.

00:02:33Marc:I guess that's sort of a small village.

00:02:36Marc:Oh, look what happened.

00:02:37Marc:I didn't do the professional thing I was planning on doing initially, which was tell you that Brad Garrett is on the show today.

00:02:46Marc:Come on, sneeze.

00:02:47Marc:Come on, give it to me.

00:02:48Marc:Give it to me.

00:02:49Marc:Give me something good.

00:02:50Marc:Give me something good.

00:02:52Marc:Nothing.

00:02:52Marc:Well, Brad is on the ABC series Single Parents.

00:02:55Marc:It's on Wednesday nights, 930.

00:02:58Marc:It's going to be in a movie coming up called Gloria Bell with Julianne Moore, and he's here.

00:03:04Marc:The interesting thing about Brad is that I didn't know him.

00:03:09Marc:He's not a stand-up that I, you know, he's been around for a long time, but he was not in the world I was in.

00:03:14Marc:I never saw him.

00:03:15Marc:When he was on the Everybody Loves Ray show,

00:03:18Marc:Everyone loves Raymond.

00:03:19Marc:I didn't know him from stand up, but a lot of other guys did because he's a Vegas animal.

00:03:24Marc:He's a star search and Vegas animal, but like a pro, like a guy's been at it a long time.

00:03:29Marc:But I just didn't know him.

00:03:31Marc:I'd never seen his act, didn't know where he came from or why.

00:03:34Marc:And I always liked him as an actor.

00:03:37Marc:And now I got to know him.

00:03:39Marc:And I think we had a we had a good comic talk jam.

00:03:43Marc:which is something I do here, do the comic stuff.

00:03:47Marc:Talk to the comics.

00:03:48Marc:But I do want to hip you to my own dates.

00:03:53Marc:We had a great time last Sunday at Dynasty Typewriter here in Los Angeles.

00:03:58Marc:It was a great show.

00:04:01Marc:I did about an hour and 20, 25.

00:04:05Marc:Jackie Tone from the show Glow opened for me with her musical comedy.

00:04:12Marc:And she was great.

00:04:13Marc:The audience was great.

00:04:14Marc:My new pal, Tracy Letts, showed up with his wife, Carrie Coon, the actress.

00:04:20Marc:And it was lovely.

00:04:24Marc:We're out there supporting each other.

00:04:25Marc:I'm going to his show tonight.

00:04:28Marc:Tonight I'm going.

00:04:30Marc:I'm going to see Linda Vista, the new Tracy Letts play here at the Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

00:04:38Marc:I'm excited about it.

00:04:39Marc:I'm going to the theater.

00:04:41Marc:And I'm excited.

00:04:43Marc:So we're going to each other's stuff.

00:04:45Marc:Isn't that fun?

00:04:46Marc:It's weird when you're old and you're trying to make new friends.

00:04:51Marc:But, you know, we'll see what happens.

00:04:54Marc:So what's the point?

00:04:55Marc:The point is I've got several more of these dates and I was encouraged by last by last Sunday.

00:05:02Marc:Some new material sort of took shape on stage, which is exciting for me.

00:05:06Marc:That's sort of the process of what I'm trying to do.

00:05:08Marc:Sort of mold this hour or figure out what the through line is.

00:05:12Marc:Explore some of the ideas that I have not quite pulled together yet in the way that I do it, which is I get on stage and I move through it.

00:05:22Marc:And hopefully out of sheer panic and fear and the need to be funny, something will be delivered to me.

00:05:30Marc:I will have the idea, which will many times be kind of funny enough and then not know where it's going to go.

00:05:36Marc:And then every once in a while, hopefully more so than not, I will be delivered the next piece by from the ether, from the muse, from the great.

00:05:48Marc:Collective unconscious where there's just Mark Maron taglines floating freely throughout the collective unconscious that I need to somehow kind of kind of pull down and move through the vessel.

00:06:03Marc:Yeah.

00:06:04Marc:So Dynasty Typewriter here in Los Angeles, February 10th, February 17th, February 24th, March 17th.

00:06:11Marc:Those are the dates.

00:06:12Marc:I'll be at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, March 23rd, and the Boulder Theater, March 24th.

00:06:18Marc:Those are the dates I have available at this juncture.

00:06:21Marc:A lot of feedback came in.

00:06:24Marc:From my Aaron Sorkin interview.

00:06:26Marc:A lot of people love that interview and I'm happy about that.

00:06:28Marc:But more so, I get, you know, it's like I get emails, man.

00:06:33Marc:And, you know, I get moved by it because it's moving and because the type of impact that I can have just by talking about myself or engaging in conversation with you is it's a real thing.

00:06:49Marc:The subject line on this one is Maren saved my life.

00:06:53Marc:Who'd have thought?

00:06:56Marc:Almost a year ago, I was driving from Atlanta back home to Tulsa on a week-long cocaine bender full of wild debauchery that my mid-30s body was finding increasingly difficult to maintain.

00:07:07Marc:I had one plan in mind when I got home, drink myself to death.

00:07:12Marc:Enough was enough.

00:07:13Marc:At some point during the drive, Comedy Central Radio played a short clip from one of your stand-up specials, the one where you recall nights twacked out on coke thinking you were going to die, juxtaposed against your current level of anxiety where you decide you're just going to ride it out.

00:07:31Marc:It made me laugh so hard in this weird sort of visceral comedic truth limelight with the realization that the joke is only good because you were able to come out on the other side.

00:07:42Marc:Meanwhile, I'm right in the thick of it.

00:07:44Marc:Laughter turns to nervous chuckle, turns to sigh of despair.

00:07:47Marc:I didn't really know who you were aside from a vague memory of listening to you talk to Terry Gross, but now you had buried yourself in my head and I couldn't stop thinking about that joke.

00:07:57Marc:When I got home, I decided to grant myself a stay of execution

00:08:00Marc:so I could watch Marin on Netflix and see what you were all about.

00:08:05Marc:It was hilarious, but it also got me thinking about my life and if there was a way out that didn't involve death.

00:08:11Marc:I mean, if someone as neurotic as you could stay sober for that long, maybe I could do it too.

00:08:16Marc:The fourth season was like a ghost of Rumpelmint's future for me.

00:08:19Marc:I walked into AA the next day, red-eyed and hungover, but I was there and I was alive.

00:08:25Marc:I'll be celebrating a year's sobriety in March, all thanks to a chance three-minute snapshot bit from a comedian I hardly knew anything about.

00:08:33Marc:I just happened to hear it on the worst day of my life while flipping through an endless category of satellite radio stations, and it had a profound impact on me.

00:08:42Marc:I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for your honest and fearless humor.

00:08:46Marc:Thanks for being real.

00:08:48Marc:Boomer lives.

00:08:52Marc:And when I read that, it's like...

00:08:55Marc:You know, I feel like I helped.

00:08:58Marc:I feel better.

00:08:59Marc:I feel like I did service.

00:09:01Marc:I feel like I might have saved a guy's life for now, but not in a self-aggrandizing way.

00:09:07Marc:That's the way that we sober people do.

00:09:11Marc:And and, you know, it makes me feel like, you know, I'm here for a reason.

00:09:16Marc:And I just want to wish him say congrats.

00:09:21Marc:Congrats to Jay.

00:09:23Marc:Stay with it, man.

00:09:25Marc:Stay with it.

00:09:27Marc:Oh, yeah.

00:09:27Marc:I want to tell you about Hunt Sales's record.

00:09:30Marc:Hunt Sales.

00:09:33Marc:Hunt Sales was on episode 423 of WTF.

00:09:37Marc:And Hunt Sales is somebody that I tracked down back in the day in the first few hundred episodes.

00:09:45Marc:But that was 423.

00:09:45Marc:Wow, man.

00:09:47Marc:I mean, there was such...

00:09:49Marc:I got people in my mind and I was like, I got to track him down.

00:09:53Marc:Hunt Sales is, he was the drummer on Iggy Pop's Lust for Life.

00:09:59Marc:And when I talked to him, you can go back and listen to the interview.

00:10:02Marc:Him and his brother were the rhythm section on Lust for Life.

00:10:05Marc:And they were also the rhythm section on the Bowie Tin Machine records.

00:10:11Marc:But he also started very young when he was like in his teens with his brother, you know, playing for Todd Rundgren on, I think, Runt.

00:10:20Marc:But Hunt was this sort of mythical figure to me, this like, you know, hardcore...

00:10:27Marc:rock drummer, hard living Jewish drug warrior that I was always mildly obsessed with.

00:10:35Marc:So I had to go track him down.

00:10:37Marc:I literally had to go figure out.

00:10:39Marc:I heard he was in Austin.

00:10:40Marc:I heard he was alive.

00:10:42Marc:And I went and found him.

00:10:44Marc:You know, he's a guy that has struggled, you know, years with addiction and but was just this signature goddamn fucking rock drummer, man.

00:10:52Marc:I mean, the opening drum riff on Lust for Life.

00:10:55Marc:Who doesn't know that?

00:10:57Marc:And how does it sound so specifically him?

00:11:01Marc:But he's just an animal on those drums, man.

00:11:04Marc:So he actually has his debut album out that was sent to me.

00:11:10Marc:It's heavy.

00:11:11Marc:It's personal.

00:11:12Marc:It's a rock record.

00:11:14Marc:It's his band.

00:11:15Marc:And I remember when I was in Austin looking around...

00:11:18Marc:And I, you know, looking for a hunt and I saw, you know, listings for the for the hunt sales memorial.

00:11:25Marc:And I thought I missed him.

00:11:26Marc:I got here too late.

00:11:28Marc:But that's actually the name of his band.

00:11:31Marc:It's the hunt sales memorial.

00:11:33Marc:It's coming out tomorrow, January 25th.

00:11:36Marc:It's called Get Your Shit Together.

00:11:39Marc:So support one of the old drug warriors who's still at it.

00:11:42Marc:He seems like he's sober.

00:11:43Marc:I haven't talked to him lately, but I'm happy to give old Hunt some love for his new record.

00:11:49Marc:So go do that if you want.

00:11:54Marc:You hear that in the background?

00:11:56Marc:The sound of a truck reversing.

00:11:59Marc:Yeah, it's construction time on my street, I guess.

00:12:02Marc:I helped this guy out.

00:12:03Marc:The guy who just moved in across the street from me, he's got kids, and he wanted a street light.

00:12:08Marc:For some reason, there's this one spot on the other street that I'm not on, the street on the other side of the house.

00:12:14Marc:There's no street light, and it's sort of dark right there, and for some reason...

00:12:18Marc:just because it seems to be the one dark patch in this entire neighborhood.

00:12:23Marc:Strange people sort of sit in their cars over there doing God knows what.

00:12:28Marc:Every neighborhood I've lived in, I haven't been that far away from, what are they doing over there?

00:12:33Marc:Why are they just talking?

00:12:35Marc:Why do they park there?

00:12:39Marc:I've always been pretty close to that.

00:12:41Marc:But at other times, it's sort of like, I know what they're fucking doing.

00:12:44Marc:Just don't get involved.

00:12:46Marc:There's that, a little more definitive.

00:12:49Marc:But this guy petitioned the city.

00:12:52Marc:He had me over, nice guy.

00:12:54Marc:And he was trying to get some names together to get the city to put a lamp there, a street lamp.

00:13:00Marc:And it's happening.

00:13:01Marc:And he texted me to thank me.

00:13:03Marc:And now we'll see.

00:13:04Marc:We'll see what happens.

00:13:06Marc:Maybe it'll just provide more light for those people who are parking there.

00:13:10Marc:What are they doing?

00:13:11Marc:Oh, I see what they're doing.

00:13:12Marc:That's not good.

00:13:13Marc:You're right.

00:13:13Marc:That's not good.

00:13:15Marc:That's going to be done.

00:13:17Marc:So other good news.

00:13:18Marc:Sarah the painter got a stellar review in the Los Angeles Times for her current show that is up at Gallery Honor Frazier here in L.A.

00:13:28Marc:through the beginning of March.

00:13:30Marc:If you want to go see the genius, the colors, the paintings, the collage, the stained glass, the painted floor, you can go do that.

00:13:41Marc:I'm very excited for her and proud of her.

00:13:44Marc:And I mean, this review was fucking all good.

00:13:50Marc:Like having been reviewed before and knowing that intelligent reviewers, which this guy was.

00:13:56Marc:You generally will put one sentence or a paragraph in there where you go like, I don't know if that sounded smart, but it's not nice.

00:14:04Marc:That's not good.

00:14:05Marc:I can't tell if he's saying something good or it should hurt me.

00:14:09Marc:I feel uncomfortable.

00:14:10Marc:There's always one of those paragraphs.

00:14:12Marc:Not in his review.

00:14:13Marc:So that was nice.

00:14:15Marc:So Brad Garrett is here.

00:14:17Marc:I was excited to meet him and talk to him because I wasn't really familiar with his comedy.

00:14:22Marc:I'd never met him before.

00:14:23Marc:I think he's a very funny guy.

00:14:25Marc:I always like his acting and stuff.

00:14:27Marc:But this was a real deal comic talk.

00:14:31Marc:Brad is currently on the ABC series Single Parents, which is on Wednesday nights at 9.30 Eastern.

00:14:38Marc:He's also in an upcoming movie, Gloria Bell with Julianne Moore.

00:14:42Marc:And here he is talking to me right here in the garage.

00:14:47Garage!

00:14:47Oh, yeah.

00:14:56Guest:You live all the way on the west side?

00:15:00Guest:Yeah, I'm way out in like Malibu, like north-north.

00:15:03Guest:I'm like far, far.

00:15:05Marc:Oh, really?

00:15:05Marc:Do you live on Bob Dylan's property?

00:15:07Marc:I do.

00:15:08Marc:I do.

00:15:10Marc:Doesn't he own most of Malibu?

00:15:12Marc:That's what my understanding is.

00:15:13Marc:No, those are the old days.

00:15:15Marc:Oh, really?

00:15:15Marc:Those are the old days.

00:15:17Marc:I heard he still owns most of it.

00:15:18Guest:He could.

00:15:19Marc:Whatever happened to him?

00:15:20Marc:Yeah, he's out there living the life that he's designed for himself.

00:15:24Marc:No kids, no wife?

00:15:25Marc:No, he's got plenty of kids.

00:15:26Guest:Okay.

00:15:27Marc:He's got, I think, at least one wife, if not two.

00:15:30Marc:Right.

00:15:31Marc:And I think he's just decided that, and I think it's conscious that I'm going to die in a hotel room outside of State Fairgrounds where I just play.

00:15:39Guest:Oh, I would love that.

00:15:41Guest:Would you?

00:15:41Guest:That's my dream.

00:15:42Guest:Anything that gets you back to the circus.

00:15:45Marc:Yeah, well, I think your version of it would be a room in Vegas.

00:15:49Guest:Yeah, it would be, which everyone knows I'm going to die in Vegas somewhere.

00:15:54Marc:You have died in Vegas.

00:15:55Guest:Many, many times.

00:15:56Guest:You know, it's funny.

00:15:57Guest:I was going to say that, but I was like, I can't be that hacky in front of Mark.

00:16:01Guest:Let Mark do it.

00:16:03Marc:You set me up.

00:16:04Marc:I took it.

00:16:04Guest:I took the bait.

00:16:05Marc:There you go.

00:16:07Marc:So Malibu, though, is that you grew up here?

00:16:11Guest:I grew up in San Fernando Valley.

00:16:13Guest:I'm a native, yeah.

00:16:14Guest:So Malibu was always like growing up that was always like that That was a dream and right go over the tunnel and over the canyon and not over the tunnel through it Why you spend a little time in New York too, I guess.

00:16:24Guest:Yeah, exactly I've always felt like in New York.

00:16:28Guest:My dad was from the Bronx, right first time I went to New York I was a yeah, I never really dug the California I never fit into the vibe and

00:16:37Marc:Well, no, if you're sort of genetically East Coast and it's your parents are first generation, one of them, it's going to absorb into you because you have family back there, right?

00:16:46Marc:Yep.

00:16:47Marc:So when you were a kid, you'd go see the Jewish tribe?

00:16:51Guest:No, actually, they all came out here.

00:16:52Guest:I did have family left in Pennsylvania, but everyone's pretty much gone.

00:16:56Guest:My family's pretty much- But when you were a kid, you didn't have relatives in New York?

00:17:01Guest:Well, no, they were in Pennsylvania, and they always wanted to come East.

00:17:05Guest:Where in Pennsylvania?

00:17:07Guest:Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

00:17:09Guest:What's that near?

00:17:10Guest:Near the Amish.

00:17:10Guest:Oh, really?

00:17:11Guest:It's about 90 minutes out of Philly.

00:17:13Marc:Oh, so the Jews, they thought the Amish looked familiar?

00:17:16Marc:They liked the hats.

00:17:18Guest:They liked the hats and the free dairy.

00:17:20Marc:Yeah.

00:17:21Guest:So they were there a lot.

00:17:22Guest:But the horse and carts, they didn't understand.

00:17:23Guest:That they did.

00:17:24Guest:That seemed a little old bro.

00:17:25Guest:Why the schmeck and the smell?

00:17:26Guest:What is with the knife?

00:17:27Guest:You got the knife and the incense.

00:17:29Guest:So you're running...

00:17:30Guest:You're running one extreme to the other.

00:17:32Marc:You got to embrace all sides of yourself.

00:17:35Marc:And it's all right here.

00:17:36Marc:The broken hammer, which implies I'm not great with tools.

00:17:39Marc:The dice, which are large and silly because I'm not a gambler.

00:17:42Marc:The knife in case, you know, a guest wants to hurt me.

00:17:46Marc:Sure.

00:17:46Marc:The crystal ball.

00:17:47Marc:These are all, you know, tchotchkes that I've picked up over the years.

00:17:50Guest:It's just not stuff.

00:17:51Guest:They all have meaning.

00:17:52Marc:Well, they were on the original.

00:17:54Marc:I just accumulated a lot of stuff over the years doing the show, and this is the new garage, and it's not as cluttered as the old one, and it's not as put together because I still have to do some work in here.

00:18:03Marc:Sure.

00:18:04Marc:But the other one was kind of like massively cluttered, but I kept a little cluttered.

00:18:07Guest:And musty.

00:18:07Guest:Probably musty.

00:18:08Guest:It was musty.

00:18:09Guest:You had a little mold.

00:18:10Guest:A little mold.

00:18:11Guest:Yeah.

00:18:11Marc:Spiderwebby, musty.

00:18:12Marc:Oh, gosh.

00:18:13Marc:The old one was.

00:18:14Marc:You've never gambled?

00:18:16Marc:uh why it i have other problems like what uh well i've been sober for 19 years so i have 21 oh congratulations so i had the cocaine the alcohol right the pot but again we i i'm just of the i you know i never understood the rush of it now i understand that usually you didn't like when you got clean you didn't replace it with something else you didn't feel you had to

00:18:38Marc:Well, right now I'm back on nicotine lozenges, which I'm compulsively doing.

00:18:43Marc:Okay.

00:18:43Marc:You know, sex was important for a while.

00:18:45Marc:That was too for me.

00:18:46Marc:And that's diminishing a bit.

00:18:47Marc:Yeah.

00:18:48Marc:Not because, like, I'm just, you know, I'm with somebody and as I get older.

00:18:51Guest:The disappointment.

00:18:51Guest:Why disappoint two people?

00:18:52Marc:Well, but you know what I mean.

00:18:54Marc:Are you having a problem with the one-eyed liar?

00:18:56Guest:No, not really.

00:18:57Marc:No, I'm just, I'm on to myself in the way that, like, I'm with the person.

00:19:02Marc:You know, I don't need other people.

00:19:03Marc:But there was a period where I needed as many people as possible.

00:19:06Guest:Yeah.

00:19:06Guest:Was that during your addiction when it was... Well, it was more during the divorce, Brad.

00:19:12Guest:You know, that's... Well, being married makes you need other people.

00:19:16Guest:Yeah.

00:19:16Guest:I think.

00:19:18Marc:What I was trying to figure out looking over... Like, the first thing is I don't think we've ever really met, which is odd.

00:19:23Marc:Right.

00:19:24Marc:And that you're about...

00:19:26Marc:You're the generation just ahead of me.

00:19:28Marc:I'm 55.

00:19:30Marc:What are you?

00:19:30Marc:58.

00:19:31Marc:I don't think it's a generation.

00:19:34Marc:No, no, but you're just a different, like, who are the guys you started with?

00:19:38Guest:Oh, let me see.

00:19:39Guest:I started with... Where'd you start?

00:19:41Marc:The improv?

00:19:42Guest:I started at the Ice House and the improv.

00:19:44Guest:Right.

00:19:44Guest:The ice house was my place.

00:19:47Marc:I do the ice house now sometimes to work shit out.

00:19:49Marc:It's great.

00:19:50Guest:It's almost cheating.

00:19:51Guest:Even I could go over there.

00:19:53Guest:Oh, sure.

00:19:53Guest:You could kill him.

00:19:55Marc:If you don't kill at the ice house, there's something wrong with you.

00:19:59Marc:But let's go back first.

00:20:00Marc:So you're in Woodland Hills.

00:20:01Marc:You're being brought up by Jews.

00:20:03Marc:You've got Jewish siblings, I imagine.

00:20:05Guest:I had two brothers.

00:20:07Guest:Yeah.

00:20:07Guest:They're both gone?

00:20:08Guest:They're both.

00:20:08Guest:I lost, unfortunately, my brother's early on a cancer.

00:20:12Guest:I just lost my other brother who ran my club in Vegas in May.

00:20:16Guest:Oh, my God.

00:20:16Guest:Out of the blue, six weeks after being diagnosed.

00:20:19Guest:So that was a nightmare.

00:20:20Guest:What?

00:20:20Guest:We were very close.

00:20:21Guest:Yeah.

00:20:21Guest:I'm sorry, man.

00:20:22Guest:Thank you, man.

00:20:23Guest:And then my other brother was a huge smoker.

00:20:25Guest:He went 10 years ago.

00:20:26Guest:I was the youngest of three boys.

00:20:28Guest:So I'm next.

00:20:30Guest:I'm next.

00:20:31Guest:And soon.

00:20:31Guest:That's one way to look at it.

00:20:33Guest:And soon, did you say?

00:20:34Guest:I'm thinking soon.

00:20:36Marc:I mean, you know.

00:20:39Marc:But when you were growing up, I mean, you weren't in a show business family.

00:20:43Guest:No.

00:20:43Guest:Well, my stepfather was a good guy.

00:20:49Guest:I swear to God, it's been a mini Holocaust.

00:20:52Guest:I lost my mom, my stepdad, my brother like within a year.

00:20:56Guest:Where's the real dad?

00:20:58Guest:Well, my real dad passed about 10 years ago from cancer, but he had beat it 20 years.

00:21:05Guest:So my parents were divorced when I was like seven.

00:21:07Guest:Oh, that's it.

00:21:08Guest:Raised by both of them, but my mom, bless her, you know.

00:21:12Guest:Yeah.

00:21:13Guest:A little out of her body.

00:21:14Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:21:15Guest:You know what I mean?

00:21:16Guest:No, not exactly.

00:21:17Guest:Well, you know, suffered from massive depression, lived in her bed, a lot of pills.

00:21:25Guest:Oh, really?

00:21:26Guest:And my dad, you know, we were very, very tight.

00:21:30Guest:And even though there was divorce, I spent a lot of time with him.

00:21:33Guest:And he was the more grounded in my family.

00:21:37Guest:He was only bipolar.

00:21:38Guest:Yeah.

00:21:39Guest:Oh, good.

00:21:39Guest:Yeah.

00:21:40Marc:So not a complete depressive.

00:21:41Marc:There were some exciting times.

00:21:42Guest:Yeah, there were exciting times.

00:21:44Guest:It's like it's two in the morning.

00:21:45Guest:He'd wake me.

00:21:46Guest:He'd go, let's buy a boat, which we did.

00:21:48Guest:He literally woke me at two in the morning.

00:21:50Guest:I was 11 at the time.

00:21:53Guest:And he's like, hey, I want to buy this boat.

00:21:55Guest:And I said, is it true?

00:21:57Guest:I said, okay, when?

00:21:58Guest:He goes, let's go look at it now.

00:22:01Guest:And I said, it's two in the morning.

00:22:02Guest:And we drove from the valley to Oxnard.

00:22:06Guest:And I go, well, there's no one here.

00:22:08Guest:He goes, no, no, we'll just look at it.

00:22:10Guest:And he literally got the, you know, he's from the Bronx.

00:22:13Guest:So he goes, come on, hop the fence with me.

00:22:15Guest:And I went, there's no hopping of anything.

00:22:19Guest:And we looked at the boat and he bought it two days later and we lived on it.

00:22:22Guest:He was 6'5".

00:22:23Guest:Yeah.

00:22:24Guest:And I was 6'8", you know, at 7.

00:22:27Guest:Right.

00:22:28Guest:And we lived on this boat where we couldn't stand.

00:22:31Guest:And I lived with him through high school on it.

00:22:34Guest:Where, in Oxnard?

00:22:36Guest:No.

00:22:36Guest:He parked it somewhere else?

00:22:37Marc:Tell me it was in the water.

00:22:39Guest:Marina Del Rey.

00:22:39Guest:It was.

00:22:40Guest:Well, you know, he dry docked it because he bought a boat that was 60 years old.

00:22:44Guest:Right.

00:22:44Guest:That had issues.

00:22:45Guest:Yeah.

00:22:46Guest:Why would he make it easy?

00:22:47Marc:So you lived on the boat when it wasn't in the water?

00:22:50Guest:No.

00:22:50Guest:Well, a little time when it was dry docked.

00:22:52Guest:Yeah.

00:22:53Guest:Because he didn't want anyone to take it.

00:22:54Guest:No.

00:22:54Guest:I go, how are they going to take it?

00:22:55Guest:It was, you know, there was stuff there, bless his heart.

00:22:58Guest:I go, how do you take a boat if it's not in the water anyway?

00:23:00Guest:Right.

00:23:01Guest:So then it was moved to Marina Del Rey and where we, you know, he,

00:23:06Guest:He compulsively worked on it.

00:23:09Guest:And I'm not handy.

00:23:10Guest:He was very handy.

00:23:11Guest:Hence your hammer.

00:23:13Guest:And he was like, you know, he talked kind of like this.

00:23:16Guest:And then we got to get up and we got to varnish.

00:23:19Guest:And then we're going to wet sand.

00:23:21Guest:And he was the only Jew that knew how to varnish.

00:23:24Guest:And so we lived on that boat for about two years until I went, I love you, but I got to get out on my own.

00:23:30Marc:So he was really bipolar.

00:23:32Marc:I come from some bipolar myself.

00:23:33Guest:He was bipolar.

00:23:34Guest:Very exciting and scary.

00:23:36Guest:It's scary.

00:23:37Guest:And we didn't know for years.

00:23:38Guest:We just thought he was provocative and impulsive and fun.

00:23:43Guest:And occasionally didn't want to live for weeks.

00:23:45Guest:Yeah.

00:23:47Guest:Yeah.

00:23:47Guest:And then there was that.

00:23:48Guest:But the mom was on a total God bless her.

00:23:51Guest:She was on just a real death march from the beginning kind of of hiding.

00:23:57Guest:And it was tough.

00:23:58Guest:And, you know, we you know, so much of this shit is hereditary.

00:24:02Guest:And.

00:24:02Marc:But wait, but she was able to remarry, so she must have gotten out of bed enough to... Well, she got out of bed to... Well, you know, the third husband was like, this is great.

00:24:12Guest:My dad was married six times.

00:24:14Marc:Your dad was married six and your mother was married three?

00:24:16Guest:Yeah.

00:24:16Guest:Uh-huh.

00:24:17Guest:Yeah.

00:24:18Guest:Six times?

00:24:18Guest:I'm fine.

00:24:19Guest:On the boat?

00:24:19Guest:Six times.

00:24:20Guest:No, not on the boat.

00:24:21Guest:Once on the boat, four times on land, and then another one when he was actually levitating.

00:24:28Guest:And he was like my best friend and really the only one that came to my aid because my mom, bless her, it was... As I got older, I'm like, everyone did the best she could, but it was a carnival.

00:24:43Guest:It was a fucking carnival growing up.

00:24:45Guest:And I had two older brothers that were smart enough to get out as soon as they could.

00:24:49Guest:Everyone moved out, you know, as soon as we could.

00:24:52Guest:Well, I moved out with my dad, to my dad when I was 16.

00:24:56Guest:To the boat?

00:24:58Guest:To the boat.

00:24:58Guest:But I was with him all the time.

00:25:00Guest:But then when I was 18, I went, you know, I can't do the boat anymore.

00:25:03Guest:Did he have a job, this man?

00:25:04Guest:oh yeah my dad worked hard his whole life last 22 years he sold hearing aids yeah uh he was a brilliant salesman he never finished junior high but he could do my high school math but couldn't tell me how yeah he would like do i was terrible he would do my he'd help you with your homework but it couldn't explain the process he couldn't explain it but he would know the answers right it was really odd he was a little bit of a savant with math

00:25:29Guest:I wonder how he settled on hearing aids.

00:25:31Guest:Well, he was in sales his whole life.

00:25:33Guest:He was an incredible salesman.

00:25:35Guest:Old school.

00:25:36Guest:Old school.

00:25:36Guest:When I was nine years old, we drove out to Apple Valley, which was out in the desert.

00:25:42Guest:And he went, I'm selling all this land.

00:25:45Guest:And I went, well, you know, the Indians will never buy it.

00:25:49Guest:You know, I had no idea what he was doing.

00:25:50Guest:But he ended up selling land and parcels in the middle of one of those development things.

00:25:55Guest:Which to this day is is not even I don't think it's empty.

00:26:00Guest:It's pretty empty.

00:26:01Marc:My father's trying to sell me two parcels that he got suckered into by someone like your dad.

00:26:06Guest:And where are they?

00:26:06Marc:He's in New Mexico, so they're out in New Mexico.

00:26:09Marc:I'd love to see them.

00:26:10Guest:Oh, you want to?

00:26:11Guest:I would like to look at the parsons.

00:26:12Marc:You know what?

00:26:12Marc:I've got the information on my phone.

00:26:14Guest:You know, I love the Native Americans because they're drinkers and gamblers like me.

00:26:18Marc:We'll get you in the casino.

00:26:20Marc:You'll do a deal.

00:26:21Guest:You know I've been actually banned from a couple Indian casinos because of my rhetoric.

00:26:27Guest:There have been a couple where I'm not invited.

00:26:29Marc:You mean you were racist?

00:26:30Marc:Yes.

00:26:31Marc:Okay.

00:26:31Guest:Yes.

00:26:32Guest:That's what it is.

00:26:33Guest:I found that, you know, I don't look at it as race.

00:26:38Guest:You know, when I started, you know, unfortunately, there's stuff of me out there that it can't be hackier.

00:26:43Guest:And I found my voice in stand-up about 20 years ago where I'm just an angry Jew.

00:26:49Guest:Yeah.

00:26:50Guest:Doing voices.

00:26:51Guest:Doing voices.

00:26:52Guest:You know, it's like, what if Cosby was a rapist?

00:26:54Guest:Oh, wait.

00:26:55Guest:Yeah.

00:26:56Guest:So you've updated that.

00:26:58Guest:I've updated...

00:26:59Guest:That wasn't the original job.

00:27:01Guest:He used to be a pilot.

00:27:02Guest:I can't tell you how funny that was.

00:27:05Marc:He used to do a Cosby and now you can't do the Cosby.

00:27:09Marc:I do it more.

00:27:10Guest:I open and close with it.

00:27:12Marc:As a rapist.

00:27:12Guest:Yes.

00:27:14Guest:With the people.

00:27:16Guest:And Ray's like,

00:27:17Guest:Why don't you just try writing?

00:27:20Guest:Just write.

00:27:22Marc:Keep it tight.

00:27:23Marc:Ray keeps it tight.

00:27:24Guest:He's a craftsman.

00:27:25Guest:Oh, he is a crowd.

00:27:27Guest:I go out there and make fun of the front row and I go upstairs.

00:27:30Marc:Do some crowd work for 40 minutes and go, that's it.

00:27:33Marc:Should I do a joke?

00:27:33Guest:I think we're done.

00:27:34Guest:I'm telling you that's what I do.

00:27:36Guest:And I'm telling you someone I admire.

00:27:38Guest:What is that, iced tea?

00:27:39Guest:Yeah.

00:27:39Guest:That's nice.

00:27:40Marc:I wouldn't give anyone, but you just went for water.

00:27:42Marc:I guess I didn't make the- It wasn't offered, to be honest.

00:27:44Marc:It wasn't offered.

00:27:45Marc:I said, do you want something to drink?

00:27:46Marc:And I didn't give you options.

00:27:47Marc:And you just said water would be nice.

00:27:49Marc:Water.

00:27:49Marc:And I let it go.

00:27:50Guest:I let it stay at that.

00:27:51Marc:I've only got a little bit of iced tea left.

00:27:53Marc:And you can go fuck yourself just because you're-

00:27:58Guest:What is this style?

00:28:00Guest:Craftsman?

00:28:01Guest:Is that what they call it?

00:28:02Marc:It is a craftsman.

00:28:03Marc:It's fabulous.

00:28:04Marc:It's a unique craftsman because it looks sort of like a Cape Cod house.

00:28:07Guest:It has a Cape Cod thing.

00:28:09Guest:I'm into architecture very much.

00:28:11Guest:We'd like to help you with the molding.

00:28:14Guest:I don't know if you're going to finish any of the crown molding.

00:28:16Guest:I would do some detail on this.

00:28:18Marc:We're going to do some sanding and some varnishing when we're done.

00:28:20Guest:We should start with the bow and the spinnaker part.

00:28:24Guest:Oh, I wish you could have known me then.

00:28:26Guest:I needed a friend, Mark.

00:28:27Guest:You did?

00:28:27Guest:I didn't have many friends.

00:28:29Marc:You didn't?

00:28:30Marc:Why?

00:28:30Marc:Because you were tall and awkward and your parents just left you to raise yourself?

00:28:34Guest:Literally, kind of.

00:28:36Guest:I was six feet at 12 and I'd smell my fingers.

00:28:39Guest:So there isn't a lot of places, oh, let's invite him over.

00:28:41Guest:And I think that was it.

00:28:43Guest:If you're six feet at 12 and you're not a jock,

00:28:47Marc:Was there a concern that you might have acromegalia at some point?

00:28:50Guest:There's no concern.

00:28:51Guest:They were hoping for it out of all the other things I could have.

00:28:54Guest:Maybe we'd get him in the circus.

00:28:56Guest:Yeah, there was a thing.

00:28:57Guest:I was fascinated by the circus.

00:28:59Guest:Yeah.

00:28:59Marc:So out of all the things, you decided that you're not a salesman?

00:29:03Marc:Did your dad want you to be a salesman?

00:29:04Guest:Well, we're all salesmen.

00:29:06Guest:I know.

00:29:06Guest:Aren't you salesmen?

00:29:07Guest:Yeah, but- I mean, who buys our act anymore?

00:29:09Marc:Yeah.

00:29:09Marc:No, I don't know.

00:29:10Guest:But you're good.

00:29:11Guest:You're a writer.

00:29:12Marc:I don't think... I improvise more than you think.

00:29:15Marc:I do all my writing on stage.

00:29:16Marc:I corner myself to where I have to be funny, and then I make note of it.

00:29:20Marc:Yeah.

00:29:21Guest:See, that's what I do.

00:29:22Guest:No, that's what I... I don't deliver, but I corner myself.

00:29:25Guest:I cornered myself.

00:29:26Marc:No, you cornered yourself.

00:29:28Guest:I walked two people at my own club the other night.

00:29:29Guest:Yeah.

00:29:30Guest:They were all, you know, the Raymond fans will come out and they think it's Funny Robert.

00:29:34Guest:Yeah.

00:29:34Guest:You know, and I'm out there going, you know, go to the Titanic exhibit.

00:29:38Guest:They have your luggage.

00:29:38Guest:Uh-huh.

00:29:39Guest:You know, I'm zetsing like this.

00:29:40Guest:Yeah, zetsing.

00:29:41Guest:You know, zetsing is really my thing.

00:29:42Guest:Yeah.

00:29:43Guest:And they were on scooters and they went out.

00:29:46Guest:They were literally in the audience on scooters.

00:29:49Guest:I go, I've walked people.

00:29:50Guest:I've never had anyone drive out.

00:29:51Guest:Yeah.

00:29:51Guest:As they were leaving, you took a shot.

00:29:54Guest:I was taking a shot as they were leaving.

00:29:58Marc:Would you do that?

00:29:59Marc:I think at another time.

00:30:01Marc:I can definitely do crowd work, but there's no way for it not to be hostile.

00:30:07Marc:If it's not established as what you do and there's a warmth to it, I can do the crowd work, but if I really have a problem,

00:30:18Marc:A lot of people are going to be uncomfortable.

00:30:22Marc:I'm going to put the audience in a position where like, I don't think we're on his side on this.

00:30:26Guest:Right.

00:30:27Marc:Right.

00:30:27Marc:Okay.

00:30:28Guest:You write a line.

00:30:29Guest:I'm learning a lot.

00:30:30Guest:What do you mean?

00:30:30Guest:I'm learning a lot today.

00:30:32Marc:But if you do that, if you zits, is that what you call it?

00:30:36Marc:Zits.

00:30:36Marc:You're not a Jew?

00:30:37Marc:I am a Jew, but I'm not that generation.

00:30:40Guest:I'm three years older than you.

00:30:42Marc:Why do you keep saying that generation?

00:30:45Marc:Because I have the sense that you grew up surrounded by a harder core of Jew than I did.

00:30:52Marc:I think your parents maybe are not of my parents' generation, is what maybe I'm saying.

00:30:57Marc:How could they have not been?

00:30:58Marc:We're the same age.

00:30:59Marc:My grandmother spoke Yiddish.

00:31:01Guest:Why anger?

00:31:02Marc:Now why anger?

00:31:03Marc:What do you mean?

00:31:03Marc:No, no, no.

00:31:04Marc:My grandmother spoke Yiddish so I wouldn't understand them.

00:31:07Marc:So, you know, I've got some.

00:31:10Marc:I've got the standards.

00:31:12Marc:Sure.

00:31:12Marc:Schvitz, you know, Spoka, Nebish.

00:31:16Guest:But Zets is another generation.

00:31:18Marc:Yeah, right.

00:31:18Marc:Zets is another.

00:31:20Marc:Some could call it spritzing, right?

00:31:22Marc:Yeah.

00:31:22Guest:Spritzing.

00:31:23Marc:Yep, that's true.

00:31:24Marc:Right?

00:31:24Guest:Right.

00:31:25Guest:Okay.

00:31:26Guest:We've lost everyone.

00:31:27Guest:No, we haven't.

00:31:27Marc:There's three old Jews going like, I love this.

00:31:30Marc:Yeah, right.

00:31:31Marc:And they just fell asleep.

00:31:36Marc:But so why, so your brothers are out, you're on the boat, you're 18, your father doesn't say go to college, your mother doesn't wake up and give you some advice?

00:31:45Guest:I went to college for, no, it was tough with mom.

00:31:48Guest:There really wasn't advice.

00:31:50Guest:We were kind of like

00:31:51Guest:Yeah, it was a thing that, you know, I used to have huge guilt if I ever talked poorly about my family and parents.

00:31:59Marc:So I never, you know, I always... So you take it on other people in wheelchairs?

00:32:04Marc:Yes, scooters.

00:32:05Marc:Scooters, sorry.

00:32:06Guest:You draw a line.

00:32:07Guest:They were fat.

00:32:07Guest:They didn't want to walk.

00:32:08Guest:Oh, it wasn't.

00:32:08Guest:They didn't have real problems.

00:32:09Guest:They were just fucking big and lazy.

00:32:10Marc:Oh, I hope you added that as they were going out.

00:32:13Marc:I did add that.

00:32:13Marc:Oh, good.

00:32:14Marc:And did you walk other people or were they the only two?

00:32:17Guest:I walked two to four a night.

00:32:18Guest:There's actually an over and under bet from the staff.

00:32:21Guest:I know you don't gamble, but you know what overs and unders.

00:32:23Marc:Well, that's where we started with gambling, but now we're somewhere else.

00:32:26Marc:And you started to say that your stepfather may have kind of been in show business.

00:32:29Guest:Boy, how do you remember that shit?

00:32:31Guest:It's my job right now.

00:32:32Guest:It's my job.

00:32:33Guest:Okay.

00:32:33Guest:He was a band leader, like a society band leader.

00:32:37Guest:He would do like bar mitzvahs and weddings.

00:32:41Guest:Oh, an event band leader.

00:32:42Guest:An event band.

00:32:43Guest:Thank you.

00:32:43Guest:Not Artie Shaw.

00:32:45Guest:A wannabe Artie Shaw type of guy.

00:32:49Guest:But he was very multifaceted.

00:32:51Guest:He did a Man of La Mancha tribute where he would actually put on a knight's helmet and a sword and a shield.

00:32:57Guest:I have pictures.

00:32:59Guest:How big a band was he operating?

00:33:00Guest:Well, because it was an event, like you say, he could have a trio, he could have a big band, but he wanted to really be...

00:33:09Guest:an actor, you know, and when I got on Raymond, he was, he really, again, a kind man, but no social skills.

00:33:21Guest:He would, he handed out his card when he would come to the show.

00:33:26Guest:He would hand out the card.

00:33:27Guest:Which is always a good thing.

00:33:28Guest:You know, and Ray was like, I love music.

00:33:31Guest:You know, he wouldn't even like block it for me.

00:33:32Guest:Sure, sure.

00:33:33Guest:You know, and he would get, he gave a card to Peter Boyle.

00:33:35Guest:He goes, if you ever need a, you know, and Peter wanted to hit him.

00:33:38Guest:Yeah.

00:33:39Guest:So if you ever need a what a band leader.

00:33:41Guest:Yeah.

00:33:42Guest:And so it was a little there was no boundaries.

00:33:45Guest:Right.

00:33:45Guest:I think that was the biggest problem with with growing up.

00:33:48Marc:There were no there were no boundaries.

00:33:49Marc:That's what I that's what I relate to.

00:33:51Marc:And I think that's something we have in common and that in the addiction and the Jewish thing.

00:33:55Marc:But

00:33:55Marc:Being with parents that are insanely needy and without boundaries and just kind of blow through you all the time to where you can't even put yourself together.

00:34:05Marc:You know, I think that comedy is, you know, it's a way to own your space.

00:34:10Marc:You know, like this is my space.

00:34:12Marc:I have control here.

00:34:13Marc:If you're going to fuck with me, I'm going to fuck with your back.

00:34:16Guest:Yeah, that's pretty brilliant.

00:34:17Guest:And out of 35 years of therapy, maybe more.

00:34:21Guest:No one's ever put it like that.

00:34:23Guest:Now you're done.

00:34:24Guest:We did it.

00:34:26Guest:I'm being very honest.

00:34:27Guest:This is a little cathartic for me.

00:34:28Guest:This is strange.

00:34:29Guest:I do have to say.

00:34:31Guest:I may need to do a walk around.

00:34:35Guest:Be careful with the guy with the saw out there.

00:34:37Guest:No, but that's really, I think, what it was.

00:34:40Guest:I became very controlling because my childhood, there was no control.

00:34:45Guest:Yeah, you have to.

00:34:46Guest:You must be very controlling.

00:34:47Guest:I can tell things happen.

00:34:48Marc:No, no, I don't think I am.

00:34:50Marc:I think you are.

00:34:52Marc:I think that boundaries are still difficult because we want to be ... The natural thing, I think, when you don't have boundaries is if you run into somebody like your father, a strong personality, you're like, I want to hang around that guy.

00:35:03Marc:Right.

00:35:04Marc:It's just naturally just wandering through the world like a lost child, you know, looking for people.

00:35:10Marc:And in show business, you can sort of find that, you know, there's big personalities everywhere.

00:35:14Marc:But the stand up thing, when I look back on it for myself, was sort of like, I need to figure out who I am and I need my own space.

00:35:21Marc:I just wanted to be in front of people.

00:35:23Marc:You know, it was sort of weird.

00:35:24Guest:Yeah, that is very weird.

00:35:26Marc:But it's a very guarded trip, you know what I mean?

00:35:28Marc:Have you done a lot of therapy?

00:35:29Marc:No, but I think about it a lot.

00:35:31Marc:You've never done it?

00:35:32Marc:No, I've done therapy, sure.

00:35:33Marc:But not enough, I can see.

00:35:36Guest:I think I've done enough.

00:35:39Guest:See, you got no one that you... It's like no kids and no wife.

00:35:43Guest:Yeah, so I have a lot of time to think about this stuff.

00:35:45Guest:You have a lot of time, but you must be...

00:35:47Guest:incredibly not only rich, but happy and healthy.

00:35:52Guest:Are you lonely?

00:35:53Guest:I'm not Brad Garrett rich, but I, you know, it's a different, it's all going.

00:36:00Guest:Are you lonely?

00:36:02Marc:No, no, I have a girlfriend.

00:36:04Marc:I'm not lonely.

00:36:05Marc:Can I see her?

00:36:06Marc:Is she here?

00:36:07Marc:No, she's painting.

00:36:08Marc:She's a painter.

00:36:10Marc:Pictures?

00:36:11Guest:Or like the wall you're getting done outside?

00:36:13Marc:Yeah.

00:36:13Marc:Did you meet her?

00:36:14Marc:She looks like a man.

00:36:15Guest:She has a roller, right?

00:36:16Guest:Yeah.

00:36:18Marc:Did she do that painting when I came in?

00:36:20Marc:No.

00:36:21Marc:But she is an abstract painter.

00:36:22Marc:She's very lovely.

00:36:23Guest:Abstract.

00:36:24Guest:Like the one you have in the hallway.

00:36:25Guest:Yes.

00:36:25Guest:It's great.

00:36:26Guest:It's great.

00:36:27Guest:Pretty amazing.

00:36:29Guest:You can wrap your brain around it.

00:36:30Guest:Well, I'm very much into art.

00:36:32Guest:I like more of an old Barbizon type of old European style, if you will.

00:36:38Guest:I like old, old, you know, everything I couldn't relate to.

00:36:43Guest:You know, old, not that I can't relate to naked fat women.

00:36:47Guest:Do you have any Leroy Neiman prints?

00:36:50Guest:Only one.

00:36:53Guest:Of Ali?

00:36:53Guest:Do you have that one?

00:36:54Guest:No, the roulette game.

00:36:58Guest:I almost bought one when I was like 25.

00:37:03Guest:I started to make a little money.

00:37:05Guest:Of course it did.

00:37:06Guest:It was in the gift shop at the Desert Inn.

00:37:08Guest:And I went, they were selling mink stools.

00:37:12Guest:This is 86.

00:37:13Guest:Sure.

00:37:14Guest:Mink Stoles and Leroy Neiman Prince.

00:37:18Guest:Yeah.

00:37:18Guest:And I literally, I said, is that an original?

00:37:22Guest:And they said, no, but it's numbered.

00:37:23Guest:Yeah.

00:37:24Guest:And I went, I'll take two.

00:37:26Guest:I got 18 and 19.

00:37:27Guest:Gave one to Bubby.

00:37:29Guest:Did you?

00:37:29Guest:Yeah.

00:37:30Guest:She didn't know what it was.

00:37:30Guest:She thought it was Baccarat.

00:37:32Guest:You know, again, a drinker.

00:37:33Guest:Your grandmother was?

00:37:34Guest:You know, I wonder, I know it was all the, and now my dad, you know, had no addictions except for craziness.

00:37:41Guest:Yeah.

00:37:42Guest:But my mom was a pill person.

00:37:43Guest:But I remember my bubby, when I was young, she would put her finger in her cutty sark.

00:37:49Guest:Yeah.

00:37:49Guest:And rub it on my gums.

00:37:50Guest:Yeah.

00:37:51Guest:But I was like, you know, 10.

00:37:52Guest:That's a common thing, sure.

00:37:53Guest:I was 10.

00:37:54Guest:And it was weird because she used to stuch me again, which means slip you something.

00:37:58Guest:Yeah.

00:37:59Guest:She would go, here, here, here, don't tell anybody.

00:38:01Guest:And give you $10?

00:38:02Guest:Meth.

00:38:03Guest:Meth.

00:38:03Guest:Oh, nice.

00:38:04Guest:Back then.

00:38:05Guest:$10.

00:38:06Guest:She made it herself.

00:38:07Guest:We are really...

00:38:09Guest:It's got the kugel or the meth.

00:38:11Guest:But it would be a dollar and a stick of juicy fruit.

00:38:15Guest:A 10.

00:38:16Guest:It would be a dollar bill and a stick of juicy fruit.

00:38:20Guest:It's gum.

00:38:20Guest:Yeah.

00:38:21Marc:Do you remember the bonds you got on your bar mitzvah?

00:38:23Marc:Did you get bar mitzvah?

00:38:24Guest:Did you get any bonds?

00:38:25Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:38:25Guest:I got bonds.

00:38:26Guest:Worthless.

00:38:26Marc:I had some of those bonds.

00:38:27Marc:They're worthless.

00:38:28Marc:I found them maybe 10 years ago, and I'm like, they got to be worth a lot now.

00:38:32Guest:Nothing.

00:38:33Guest:They stop.

00:38:33Marc:Really?

00:38:34Marc:Israel bonds.

00:38:34Guest:I got a lot of checks.

00:38:35Guest:They stop.

00:38:35Guest:Yeah.

00:38:36Guest:Israel bonds.

00:38:37Guest:Yeah.

00:38:37Guest:Well, who would, you know, how do you invest in that?

00:38:39Guest:Yeah.

00:38:39Guest:But that's amazing.

00:38:40Guest:You really had them that long?

00:38:42Guest:See, I got a bit of a spending problem, I think, because I took all my bar mitzvah money and I got my first car painted.

00:38:48Guest:You put it on red.

00:38:49Guest:Yeah.

00:38:50Guest:Funny you say that.

00:38:50Guest:I painted the Pinto red.

00:38:52Guest:My first car was a Pinto runabout, which was my father's car.

00:38:57Marc:See, a little difference.

00:38:58Marc:See, my first car was a Datsun B210.

00:39:00Marc:I'm telling you, the three years makes a difference.

00:39:01Guest:Boy, that was a cool car.

00:39:03Guest:What?

00:39:04Guest:A Datsun B210.

00:39:05Guest:Not really.

00:39:06Guest:Compared to a Pinto runabout where you couldn't go in reverse?

00:39:08Guest:I don't know.

00:39:08Marc:What would you rather have now?

00:39:10Marc:The Pinto.

00:39:12Marc:Yeah.

00:39:12Marc:Are you kidding?

00:39:12Marc:What are you talking about?

00:39:13Marc:A Datsun had no real personality.

00:39:16Marc:A Pinto was like a Ford Pinto.

00:39:17Marc:They blew up.

00:39:18Marc:They were exciting.

00:39:18Guest:Yeah, they blew up.

00:39:19Guest:You couldn't go.

00:39:19Guest:What color, white or orange?

00:39:21Marc:What, the Datsun was like a kind of shitty brown.

00:39:25Marc:Okay, well, that's a combo if you think about a white and orange.

00:39:28Marc:But my friends had cool cars, but this is not the point.

00:39:31Marc:The point is the band leader.

00:39:32Marc:So you had some show business in your life and what makes you gravitate?

00:39:35Marc:Did you try school?

00:39:36Marc:What the hell happened?

00:39:37Guest:Well, I really did.

00:39:38Guest:You know, school was kind of my thing because I didn't have a lot of, you know, I couldn't really find my niche.

00:39:43Guest:So it was like, hey, I'll be good in school.

00:39:45Guest:And I busted my ass to be a strong B student.

00:39:48Guest:That's good.

00:39:49Guest:Yeah.

00:39:49Guest:And then I got into UCLA and I left after six weeks.

00:39:52Guest:Yeah.

00:39:52Guest:What happened?

00:39:53Yeah.

00:39:54Guest:I couldn't hack it, and I was doing open mics, and I was just all over the board.

00:40:02Guest:You were doing open mics then?

00:40:04Marc:Mm-hmm.

00:40:04Marc:You do a lot of voiceovers, right?

00:40:06Marc:I do.

00:40:06Marc:Look how far you are from the mic.

00:40:07Marc:Seriously, just look at it.

00:40:09Guest:Well, if it was a quality mic, this would be perfect.

00:40:11Guest:It's a quality mic, but it's not, you know.

00:40:13Guest:I'm sorry.

00:40:13Guest:Well, you know, in a nice way, you could say, can you sit a little closer to the mic?

00:40:17Marc:Oh, no, no, I overstepped.

00:40:19Marc:I overstepped.

00:40:20Marc:You've got to really be close, huh?

00:40:22Guest:Well, you can pull it towards you.

00:40:24Marc:You don't have to be that close.

00:40:25Guest:You're good.

00:40:25Guest:How's this?

00:40:26Guest:Is this good?

00:40:26Marc:Oh, my God.

00:40:27Marc:Look at you.

00:40:27Marc:Boy, I'm going to tell you there is a difference.

00:40:29Marc:If I'm going to, what is it?

00:40:31Marc:Zets me?

00:40:32Marc:If I'm going to Zets, I've got to be funny.

00:40:34Marc:That was a Zets with no punchline.

00:40:36Guest:I loved it.

00:40:37Guest:No, it was fucker.

00:40:38Guest:Don't know how to use a mic 35 years later, which I love it.

00:40:42Guest:That's why I love you.

00:40:44Guest:Yeah.

00:40:44Guest:It's her best.

00:40:45Guest:I don't do it with everybody.

00:40:46Guest:I know.

00:40:46Marc:So, okay, so you're in college and you just start doing the open mics because of what?

00:40:50Guest:Well, I was doing stand-up in high school.

00:40:53Guest:Again, you know, what if Cosby was a pilot?

00:40:55Guest:That started in high school.

00:40:56Guest:How did that bit go?

00:40:58Guest:Well, we'll lose an altitude.

00:41:00Guest:You know, it was never jokes.

00:41:01Guest:Yeah, yeah, it was just a voice.

00:41:03Guest:You got it right.

00:41:04Guest:Yeah.

00:41:05Guest:And then I went to UCLA and it was really my dream.

00:41:10Guest:No one had gone to college in my whole family.

00:41:13Guest:Actually, my daughter is maybe the first if she hangs in there, which looks like she will.

00:41:18Marc:Oh, good.

00:41:19Marc:But you didn't really stay long enough to focus on anything.

00:41:23Guest:I wish I did.

00:41:25Guest:Again, I was very ADD.

00:41:26Guest:I'm sure I got shit.

00:41:27Guest:There's not a question.

00:41:28Guest:And I know you know.

00:41:29Guest:You're just coming on that now?

00:41:31Guest:You're sure?

00:41:32Guest:I'm sure.

00:41:34Guest:I was sure before you got here.

00:41:35Guest:No, no, no.

00:41:35Guest:I know that.

00:41:36Guest:And you're right.

00:41:37Guest:And your candor means the world to me.

00:41:40Guest:No, it does.

00:41:41Guest:Because coming from you, it's different than some Joe.

00:41:43Guest:If you were a waiter, that would hurt me.

00:41:45Guest:No, it's a gift.

00:41:46Guest:It's a gift.

00:41:47Guest:Is that what you're calling it now?

00:41:48Guest:It's a gift.

00:41:49Guest:I have to.

00:41:50Guest:It keeps on giving, right?

00:41:51Marc:What's the other way to look at it?

00:41:53Guest:Mental illness.

00:41:54Guest:One day I'll be fixed.

00:41:56Guest:yeah no no i stopped all that yeah no you embrace it and then you decide how you're an asshole and you try to do contrary action you say like i'm about to be an asshole and then you try to stop yourself and and are you able to most of the time yeah with certain behavior yeah yeah but not with the mic in the distance from the person who's talking that's an issue i'm sorry let me turn you up a little bit i lost that

00:42:19Guest:See, I can't do that to the king.

00:42:21Guest:I can't do that to the king.

00:42:22Guest:What do you mean, the king of what?

00:42:23Guest:You're bringing it out of me.

00:42:24Guest:You're bringing it out of me.

00:42:25Guest:Oh, I love it.

00:42:26Guest:I'm usually wide open.

00:42:26Guest:Why all the reading?

00:42:28Guest:You don't find that incredibly boring?

00:42:30Guest:Why are you assuming I've read them?

00:42:31Guest:Oh, okay.

00:42:32Guest:I mean, the books, and you have like five, six copies of books, and you didn't even write them.

00:42:37Marc:Oh, that's a book that I love, that book.

00:42:39Marc:And I interviewed the authors of that book.

00:42:40Marc:And I told them that I can never hold on to the book because I end up giving it to people.

00:42:44Guest:What is it about?

00:42:45Guest:Because I hate to read.

00:42:46Marc:It's the oral history of punk music in New York.

00:42:49Marc:So it's like that whole punk scene from Blondie, that CBGB stuff.

00:42:55Marc:And that you love.

00:42:56Marc:Well, it's great.

00:42:57Marc:I like some of those guys.

00:42:58Marc:See, this is the thing.

00:42:59Marc:You're like, for whatever reason, the three years, somehow or another, you're listening to Sinatra.

00:43:04Marc:I'm listening to, you know, Johnny Thunders.

00:43:08Marc:What are you going to do?

00:43:08Marc:Really?

00:43:10Marc:But that's it?

00:43:11Marc:Like, what's your favorite music?

00:43:12Marc:What do you mean that's it?

00:43:13Marc:I'm listening

00:43:13Marc:to ornette coleman i'm listening i listen everything i got like two three thousand records in there it's just a book that i like because uh you know i that period is is um it's all the people that were involved in it and it's just oral history is written you know in conversations with all these different people okay so you can kind of read it nancy is that are they in there they they were kind of in england but this is more focused on the new york but they're they're coming to new york is in there

00:43:37Marc:Got it.

00:43:38Marc:Got it.

00:43:38Marc:Like the talking heads are in there.

00:43:39Marc:Blondie's in there.

00:43:40Guest:Sure.

00:43:40Guest:Okay.

00:43:41Marc:So you're doing stand-up in college and high school, but you're actually doing open mics.

00:43:47Marc:And at that time, you had to go to the club, right?

00:43:48Marc:Right.

00:43:48Marc:You had to go down to the improv and the Laugh Factory or the Comedy Store on Monday nights.

00:43:53Guest:Yep.

00:43:53Guest:Really?

00:43:54Guest:This is pre-Laugh Factory even.

00:43:56Guest:Yeah.

00:43:57Guest:Yeah.

00:43:57Guest:And I was, you know, I was just... I really wanted to do stand-up.

00:44:01Guest:And I...

00:44:02Guest:It was weird.

00:44:03Guest:I got into UCLA back in the day when you could.

00:44:06Guest:I mean, I did not have that, you know, I just worked really hard, and I wrote something that got me into, like, the theater department, and I went, this is gonna be great, and I just, I didn't have the goods.

00:44:16Guest:I don't think I was, I don't think I had the college, uh...

00:44:20Marc:chops just to really i got there and i'm like you know you're coming out of like an emotional war zone where you've been drained of your essence for your entire life you're on boats you got a mother who can't get out of bed your father is calling you at three in the morning to tell you he just sold the house right and you and you show up at college and you're supposed to be able to deal deal with that

00:44:43Guest:Maybe you're being too hard on yourself.

00:44:46Guest:I don't make excuses.

00:44:48Guest:You'd rather beat the shit out of yourself?

00:44:51Guest:People on scooters.

00:44:53Guest:I'd rather take it out on them.

00:44:56Guest:But don't you beat the shit out of yourself?

00:44:57Guest:You did for years.

00:44:59Marc:I do.

00:45:00Marc:It's like a phantom limb now.

00:45:03Guest:I do it, but I know I don't need to do it.

00:45:05Guest:Phantom limb.

00:45:05Guest:Listen to you.

00:45:06Guest:Genius.

00:45:08Guest:Right.

00:45:09Marc:It's like, do I need to do this?

00:45:10Marc:Why do I stink today?

00:45:11Marc:Actually, look around.

00:45:12Marc:It's okay.

00:45:13Marc:I don't know.

00:45:14Marc:Do I need to do that?

00:45:16Guest:And how does the girlfriend understand all that?

00:45:19Marc:Well, she gets, you know, it's funny.

00:45:23Marc:You know when you drive somewhere that you've driven before and you just drive there.

00:45:29Marc:But when someone's in the car, you go, where am I going?

00:45:32Marc:So, like, there's a problem when you're with somebody, you're going to, you know, become a fucking child.

00:45:39Marc:And, you know, at age 50, not attractive.

00:45:42Marc:You know, like, seven-year-old rage at age 50 is ugly.

00:45:47Marc:But, again, I'm...

00:45:49Marc:But I'm self-aware enough to where we work through it.

00:45:52Marc:So they tend to get the best and the worst of it.

00:45:55Guest:Okay, so she must be pretty fucked up to have to deal with that.

00:45:59Marc:Fucked up or maybe strong and together.

00:46:01Marc:That's what she is, isn't she?

00:46:02Guest:Yeah.

00:46:03Guest:You really care for her.

00:46:04Guest:Yeah.

00:46:04Guest:Because you've defended her three times.

00:46:05Guest:Three times.

00:46:06Marc:Yeah.

00:46:06Marc:But because like the thing is, is that you do eventually if you work on yourself enough, you'll attract one that will go like, you know, I don't have to take this shit.

00:46:16Marc:And you'll be like, oh, yeah.

00:46:18Marc:Oh, you don't.

00:46:18Marc:You could.

00:46:19Marc:Yeah.

00:46:19Marc:Okay.

00:46:19Marc:So, okay.

00:46:20Marc:So I'll behave better.

00:46:22Guest:That's where I'm at for the first time in my life.

00:46:24Guest:It's hard, right?

00:46:25Guest:It is hard.

00:46:26Guest:It is hard.

00:46:27Guest:We've been together 10 years.

00:46:28Guest:Oh, boy.

00:46:29Guest:So it's almost over.

00:46:30Guest:It's close to over.

00:46:31Guest:This would be a good, hopefully a good way for her to hear it.

00:46:35Guest:just to go just get some boxes and just just help me yeah yeah i won't be home for six hours you get you know this will be funny i'll post it and you'll be like i'm going to be packing some stuff you want to listen to this great interview i did sure just time it just right i like that but like who's around when you start doing open mics any of the guys you started with still oh let me see uh well i had to follow robin one night we're at the store uh i only did the store twice in my life that was enough

00:47:01Marc:Too dark, too weird, gotta get out?

00:47:03Guest:It was just really fucking odd.

00:47:04Guest:Yeah.

00:47:05Guest:It was odd, but it was the Westwood store that was open for a short time.

00:47:09Marc:Oh, was that when Kennison was managing it?

00:47:11Marc:Yep.

00:47:11Marc:It was?

00:47:12Marc:Yep.

00:47:12Marc:So it was a chaos.

00:47:13Guest:It was chaos.

00:47:14Guest:So you're like, I'm home.

00:47:15Guest:Yeah, it was.

00:47:16Guest:That's exactly right.

00:47:19Guest:And I followed Robin, and they went, yeah, this guy just is on ABC.

00:47:23Guest:You may have seen Mork and Mindy, and I've never seen a guy get a standing ovation in like the middle of his act.

00:47:29Guest:Yeah.

00:47:30Guest:It was unbelievable.

00:47:33Guest:And then I went on with a Quaalude-O-Matic idea.

00:47:37Guest:It was really, really, I mean, just brought the house down.

00:47:40Marc:So you walked into that energy vacuum.

00:47:42Guest:I walked into that energy vacuum, and there were only, everyone left after him.

00:47:47Guest:Sure.

00:47:47Guest:As they're bringing you up.

00:47:48Guest:Yeah.

00:47:49Guest:And then there were five left.

00:47:50Guest:And you're kind of happy about it, though, at that point.

00:47:52Guest:Like, let him go.

00:47:53Guest:Let him just go.

00:47:53Guest:Yeah, let him go, because why?

00:47:55Guest:And then the five that stayed,

00:47:56Marc:uh yeah it was just but but the ice house was my thing and like you say it's a weird lesson though isn't it to learn that moment where you like you you there's no way you can jump on the energy of the person who before you you know like you you know you might know when you're that guy especially right you know and you sort of learn not to bust balls of the guy leaving the stage so i sometimes still do that right but but but it's a weird lesson that like you're gonna have to take the hit

00:48:21Marc:yeah that's right right right sure sure i'm gonna do what i do and it's it's me it's gonna might be bad for a few minutes i learned that like three years ago only three years ago i see where did you start new york obviously right not really no i i graduated college um oh you went to college i did you enjoyed it

00:48:43Marc:Yeah, I stayed there five years.

00:48:45Marc:Yeah, it was all right.

00:48:48Marc:It was good.

00:48:49Marc:Yeah, I did a lot of things I wanted to do, but I came out here, became a doorman at the comedy store, got fucked up on cocaine inside a year, left, went to rehab the first time, went back to Boston, and started in earnest.

00:49:02Marc:So I would say really, in terms of learning how to do it, I started in Boston.

00:49:07Marc:So after rehab, you never fell off?

00:49:09Marc:Oh, no, I did.

00:49:10Marc:Okay, all right.

00:49:11Marc:Took me until 1999 when I finally got sober to really understand how to recover.

00:49:19Guest:Yeah.

00:49:19Marc:You know what I mean?

00:49:20Marc:Yep.

00:49:20Guest:Do you still do the meetings and all that stuff?

00:49:22Guest:I do.

00:49:23Marc:I go, yeah.

00:49:23Marc:I get a little dry and I tend to stay away, but I try to get over there once a week to sort of ground myself a bit.

00:49:32Marc:You?

00:49:33Marc:I don't.

00:49:34Guest:I don't do the meetings.

00:49:35Guest:I've been a few times.

00:49:36Guest:I don't do the meetings.

00:49:37Guest:Yeah.

00:49:37Guest:But you're happy.

00:49:39Guest:I'm grateful and happy, and it's all good.

00:49:43Guest:I started to go to the, and I know the meetings work, but after like three meetings, I was like, this makes me want to use.

00:49:49Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:49:50Marc:No, I get that, but for me, it's just sort of like.

00:49:52Guest:That's the thing.

00:49:53Marc:That's right.

00:49:54Marc:You know, you're sort of grounded in prioritizing the thing.

00:49:56Marc:You know what I mean?

00:49:57Marc:It's sort of like, and when I hear the stories, I'm like, oh, it moves me.

00:50:00Marc:Yeah.

00:50:01Guest:Yeah.

00:50:01Guest:The stories are amazing.

00:50:02Marc:So you follow Robin in Westwood or was it another?

00:50:05Guest:No, it was Westwood.

00:50:06Guest:And that was only the second and last time I ever played.

00:50:09Guest:Early 80s.

00:50:10Guest:What?

00:50:10Guest:Yeah, it was a actually was 78.

00:50:15Guest:Wow.

00:50:16Guest:And you're like, what?

00:50:17Guest:19.

00:50:17Guest:I was just 19, actually.

00:50:20Guest:Yeah.

00:50:20Marc:And then where do you land as a home club?

00:50:22Marc:When do you start to really lock in?

00:50:25Guest:Well, I'm working at Fridays, working at TGI Fridays out in the valley, and I start at the... Well, you must have had a lot of buttons to fill that chest.

00:50:32Guest:Oh, you wouldn't believe the buttons.

00:50:34Guest:My favorite actual size, that got a big laugh when I wore that one.

00:50:39Guest:And yeah, I had all the different hats.

00:50:43Guest:Sure, sure.

00:50:44Guest:It was just...

00:50:45Marc:but let's go let's get well i want to get to vegas because this is this is my assumption about you sure is that you know somehow or another like i think we grew up enjoying the same things you know like the first time i realized that i loved comedy was actually watching jackie vernon on television okay and mine was rickles yeah and rickles but also like your merv griffin show oh you bet

00:51:07Marc:So, like, and I had a very much love for that old guard.

00:51:13Marc:Me too.

00:51:13Marc:You know, the Dean Martin roasts.

00:51:15Marc:Buddy Hackett, I loved Buddy Hackett.

00:51:17Marc:And then I got a little older and I got into Carlin and Pryor and Cheech and Chong, Steve Martin.

00:51:21Guest:That was it.

00:51:22Guest:That was all my stuff, just like you said.

00:51:25Marc:Right, but I had this real kind of love for the kind of old Jewish show business.

00:51:33Guest:I worked with Jackie Vernon at an improv in Miami.

00:51:36Guest:Yeah.

00:51:36Guest:when I just started.

00:51:38Guest:And it was owned by some shady people.

00:51:40Guest:Sure.

00:51:40Guest:And we didn't get paid.

00:51:42Guest:And we had to call Bud because it was one of his, you know.

00:51:45Marc:Yeah, it was a franchise.

00:51:46Guest:Just leave and don't ask for anything.

00:51:49Guest:That's exactly what he said.

00:51:50Guest:And I, you know, can't tell you how he needed the dough.

00:51:53Guest:And Jackie, a buddy came in of mine who was selling fake watches, fake Rolexes, fake.

00:51:59Guest:And he was a guy that was a little shady, but they were beautiful, beautiful counterfeit watches.

00:52:04Guest:And Jackie bought six of them.

00:52:05Guest:For like $90.

00:52:06Guest:Yeah.

00:52:07Guest:And I remember me and Jackie sitting around.

00:52:09Guest:It's very funny.

00:52:10Guest:He was still doing his shit with the slides.

00:52:11Guest:Yeah.

00:52:12Guest:Yeah.

00:52:12Guest:And it was great.

00:52:13Guest:But we literally didn't get paid.

00:52:14Guest:And Bud likes, you know, it went south.

00:52:17Guest:I'll handle you when you're back on Melrose.

00:52:19Guest:Did he?

00:52:20Guest:He did.

00:52:21Marc:Oh, well, that's good.

00:52:22Marc:You made it right.

00:52:22Marc:So when you start to do it professionally, you're working at Fridays, but when do you start to sort of really start?

00:52:28Guest:Star Searches kind of was my thing that got me going.

00:52:31Guest:Did you win?

00:52:32Guest:Yeah, I did.

00:52:33Guest:First year.

00:52:34Guest:What year is that?

00:52:35Guest:For 84.

00:52:36Guest:Okay.

00:52:36Guest:I won that, and then I started opening.

00:52:39Guest:Back in the day, that's when they used a lot of comics to open for a lot of musical acts.

00:52:44Marc:That's interesting, because the comedy boom was sort of starting and happening.

00:52:49Guest:It was a boom.

00:52:50Marc:But there was still that old, because in the 70s, before there were franchise comedy clubs, all the guys that I talked to opened for musical acts.

00:52:58Marc:Sure.

00:52:59Marc:But you didn't have to do that.

00:53:00Guest:You could have went the club route, did you?

00:53:02Guest:I did both.

00:53:03Guest:Okay.

00:53:03Guest:I did both, but I really got into, I opened for some big people in Vegas, and it just snowballed.

00:53:10Guest:How did you know to go to Vegas?

00:53:12Marc:See, in my mind, I don't go there now.

00:53:14Marc:Oh, I love it.

00:53:15Marc:Yeah, see, I think that's it.

00:53:17Marc:I loved what it represented when I was a kid, but I don't feel that day.

00:53:21Guest:Do you like food?

00:53:22Guest:I do.

00:53:23Guest:Yeah, it's amazing.

00:53:24Marc:But I guess my question is, you had a choice, so you're working, and you break on Star Search.

00:53:28Marc:You could have been on the road with the rest of whoever.

00:53:31Marc:We're not clear on who you started with or who you see as your peers in terms of when you started.

00:53:38Marc:Who are they?

00:53:40Guest:Kevin Nealon, who I love, Larry Miller.

00:53:43Guest:Okay.

00:53:44Guest:Very great.

00:53:45Guest:Yeah.

00:53:45Guest:Amazing.

00:53:46Guest:Dennis Miller.

00:53:46Guest:Oh, yeah.

00:53:47Guest:Right.

00:53:47Guest:Those guys.

00:53:49Guest:Those guys.

00:53:49Guest:There were other guys.

00:53:51Guest:Michael Winslow.

00:53:52Guest:Sure.

00:53:52Guest:You know.

00:53:54Marc:But those are guys that really did and hammered the clubs as headliners.

00:53:59Guest:Yes, they did.

00:53:59Marc:Yes, they did.

00:54:00Marc:Some party you found a home in Vegas as an entertainer.

00:54:02Guest:And my agent at the time helped.

00:54:04Guest:My agent was, you know, I was with a big agency because of Star Search.

00:54:10Guest:And they put me with a couple openers.

00:54:12Guest:And at that time in my life.

00:54:14Guest:Opening act.

00:54:14Guest:Yeah.

00:54:15Guest:Opening gigs.

00:54:15Guest:Yeah.

00:54:16Guest:Yeah.

00:54:16Guest:Opening gigs.

00:54:17Guest:And I started out with like Diana Ross, Sinatra, Sammy Davis.

00:54:21Guest:In Vegas.

00:54:22Guest:In Vegas.

00:54:22Marc:At the Desert Inn.

00:54:23Guest:At the Desert Inn at Caesars.

00:54:25Guest:And in those days, I was a little different than a lot of the openers.

00:54:30Guest:And I did a lot of crowd work, mostly because the main act, I got into crowd work because my main stuff wasn't great.

00:54:38Guest:And my crowd work just had a way of bringing them around because no one wants to see the opening act.

00:54:44Guest:And it makes it intimate.

00:54:45Marc:It makes it a nice room for the main act.

00:54:49Guest:Right.

00:54:50Guest:And I would talk about the headliners and do jokes.

00:54:52Guest:And they liked that.

00:54:53Guest:And they liked it.

00:54:54Guest:And it started to just really snowball.

00:54:57Guest:You know, I would go to Vegas a lot with my father.

00:55:00Guest:My dad liked to gamble.

00:55:02Guest:And I saw it early and I fell in love with it.

00:55:05Guest:Gambling or Vegas?

00:55:07Guest:All of it.

00:55:08Guest:All of it, unfortunately.

00:55:09Guest:The good and the bad.

00:55:10Guest:Yeah.

00:55:11Guest:You know, I had a comedian at the club last week when I was there named Mark Getty, okay?

00:55:16Guest:And he brought, he flew in his uncle from L.A., who he was very close with, who was 92.

00:55:22Guest:Wow.

00:55:22Guest:And he ran the Fremont.

00:55:25Guest:Yeah.

00:55:26Guest:Downtown.

00:55:27Guest:Oh, really?

00:55:28Guest:He worked for Meyer Lansky.

00:55:30Marc:Uh-huh.

00:55:30Guest:And he had stories.

00:55:32Guest:I love that era.

00:55:33Guest:And it is very, very different.

00:55:34Guest:I just got lucky.

00:55:35Guest:I got in with the MGM people very, very early.

00:55:39Guest:And they've been amazing.

00:55:40Guest:And that's where my club is to this day.

00:55:42Guest:It's called Brad Garrett's, right?

00:55:44Guest:Yep, yep.

00:55:45Guest:And I know it kind of sounds corny, but I am very grateful and I've been very lucky.

00:55:51Guest:And I always wanted to build a club for comics.

00:55:55Guest:And I built this room that's like a mini theater and it's only one show a night.

00:56:00Guest:And I put the comics in the rooms.

00:56:03Guest:Three-man show?

00:56:04Guest:Yeah.

00:56:04Guest:Three-person.

00:56:04Guest:Three-man show.

00:56:06Guest:Yeah.

00:56:06Guest:And the crowds are great.

00:56:08Guest:Local host.

00:56:09Guest:Sometimes I'll bring in a host or get a local.

00:56:13Guest:I go for it.

00:56:14Guest:I get the better acts.

00:56:15Guest:I put them in great rooms at the towers.

00:56:19Guest:And it's been really great.

00:56:21Guest:And it's helped a lot of people.

00:56:23Guest:And a lot of people have gotten gigs from it.

00:56:24Guest:And then I bring in the old guys, too, and then some of the new guys.

00:56:28Guest:But it just feels good because, you know, a lot of people helped me and were very kind to me and still are.

00:56:34Guest:Comics?

00:56:37Guest:Not comics as much as... I don't have a group.

00:56:40Guest:I was never...

00:56:42Guest:And I wish I was.

00:56:43Guest:I was never part of the hang.

00:56:45Guest:I was kind of looked at a guy that came up pretty quick without paying many dues, though I paid a lot of dues.

00:56:51Guest:But I came on the scene quick because what I'm trying to say is Vegas really became my home club.

00:56:59Marc:Well, that's the thing.

00:57:00Marc:Because I never met you, and I know everybody, and I had no real sort of bearing on your life.

00:57:06Marc:Because it seems to me that everybody...

00:57:11Marc:We started with you.

00:57:12Marc:You know, there was a grail and the grail was, you know, a television show.

00:57:16Marc:It was it was it was Hollywood centric.

00:57:19Marc:But but the thing is, is that you're of a different generation mentally in a way in that, like, you know, I got to work.

00:57:26Marc:And, you know, if I can get, you know, 20, 30 weeks in Vegas.

00:57:30Marc:Yeah.

00:57:30Marc:You know, then I'm in and tolerate it.

00:57:33Marc:So your eye wasn't on like, where's the show built around me?

00:57:36Marc:You know, where you know, how do I get more Carson's?

00:57:38Marc:It's like Vegas was my club.

00:57:40Marc:I'm working.

00:57:41Marc:I'm you know, I'm working.

00:57:42Marc:But I could see how that generation of comics would be like, well, that guy just does Vegas.

00:57:47Marc:You know, we're here trying to kiss ass.

00:57:50Guest:And that's exactly right.

00:57:51Guest:And then I went out, and I did do the clubs too, where I took a few hits and had to learn that tactic.

00:58:01Guest:But like Indianapolis, the Comedy Connection, that was a huge room for me.

00:58:06Guest:Chicken Patty.

00:58:07Guest:Yeah, I did huge stuff there.

00:58:09Guest:He was your character.

00:58:10Guest:Yeah, he was amazing.

00:58:11Guest:He's still alive and hitting 80.

00:58:13Guest:I cut my teeth there.

00:58:15Guest:Why Indy?

00:58:16Guest:You know, Bob and Tom, who were the radio people.

00:58:20Guest:I know Bob and Tom.

00:58:20Guest:It's just Bob now.

00:58:22Guest:It's just Bob now.

00:58:23Guest:I went on for some reason.

00:58:25Guest:I did well on morning radio.

00:58:27Guest:And I think it's because I was so hungover back in those days from the night before.

00:58:31Guest:Not proud of it, but it got me there.

00:58:33Marc:whatever bob and tom was a tight morning show when you're uh with a tight crew like on a morning show it's great it's like exciting it's funny and they had the you know the one producer that did the weird voices in the booth and you got you got chick over there that's right chick mcgee you know and uh is that your memory i mean your memory is pretty uncanny because i'm sure that was a while ago but

00:58:55Marc:No, no, I mean, I did it, like, you know, I would go up to Indy and there was a time, like, I didn't start really drawing people, like, till, you know, I was well into the podcast.

00:59:06Marc:Like, I was a guy that had to do that shit.

00:59:08Marc:Sure.

00:59:08Marc:But now I can draw pretty good.

00:59:10Marc:I don't, I would go to Indy, you know, fairly often.

00:59:14Guest:Will you come to Vegas?

00:59:15Guest:Will you come to Vegas?

00:59:17Guest:Maybe.

00:59:17Guest:I know you won't do a full week, and I probably can't afford you, but if you're working shit out, oh, we'll put you up, we'll treat you like a king.

00:59:27Guest:I can tell you, you need help.

00:59:29Guest:I know.

00:59:30Guest:Just looking around.

00:59:30Guest:Am I close to the mic?

00:59:31Guest:Yeah, you're good.

00:59:32Guest:Boy, I can sure hear the difference.

00:59:34Marc:Yeah, yeah, my girth makes me no no it's not going to be too close But the thing is is like if my only aversion of Vegas is like, you know I will gamble but I don't let myself lose like, you know 800 more than 800 bucks control Kinda, you know, because I feel shitty.

00:59:49Marc:There's no good part of it for me.

00:59:50Marc:Yeah, I understand I don't and I'm not lucky I

00:59:52Marc:I just know that about me.

00:59:54Marc:I'm not unlucky, but I've never had that night where I'm like, holy shit, I'm hitting everything here.

00:59:59Marc:Yeah, I haven't either.

01:00:00Guest:Never?

01:00:00Guest:Well, a couple.

01:00:01Guest:Yeah.

01:00:01Guest:But in 32 years in that town, I can't tell you what I've lost.

01:00:06Guest:And I got a little grip on the chip.

01:00:08Marc:Well, have you ever had to run from somebody you owed money to?

01:00:13Marc:No.

01:00:13Marc:Okay.

01:00:13Marc:No, no.

01:00:14Marc:Who runs?

01:00:16Marc:Yeah.

01:00:16Marc:You negotiate.

01:00:17Guest:You make it work.

01:00:18Guest:Yeah.

01:00:19Marc:Listen, I'll set you up at the club.

01:00:22Marc:Yeah, I wish I had that back in the day.

01:00:25Guest:It was like, you're going to come to this restaurant.

01:00:28Guest:You're going to come to Jiguli's.

01:00:30Guest:Yeah.

01:00:30Guest:And it's my mom's 60th birthday.

01:00:32Guest:And you're going to do a show.

01:00:33Guest:And you're going to do a thing.

01:00:35Guest:And I was there.

01:00:36Guest:And I was there.

01:00:37Guest:And still very close with that guy today.

01:00:40Guest:Yeah.

01:00:40Guest:Because you have no choice.

01:00:41Guest:I had no choice.

01:00:43Guest:Yeah.

01:00:43Guest:Because you're going to go, it's my mom's 60s.

01:00:45Guest:I went done.

01:00:45Guest:Be nice.

01:00:46Guest:And back then I was doing, yeah, I was doing Carol O'Connor.

01:00:49Guest:Sure.

01:00:50Guest:And I was doing, you know, Jim from Taxi.

01:00:52Guest:Gleeson?

01:00:53Guest:All this shit.

01:00:53Guest:Never did Gleeson in the act.

01:00:56Guest:That was, you know, with all due respect, that was not an impression, Mark.

01:00:59Guest:That was a reincarnation.

01:01:03Guest:You played him.

01:01:05Guest:Ray called it Jackie the NBA Years.

01:01:10Guest:See, that's how he supported him.

01:01:11Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:01:13Guest:But I did that little movie.

01:01:16Marc:But were you a fan of Gleason?

01:01:17Guest:I was.

01:01:19Guest:I was.

01:01:19Guest:You're pretty amazing, right?

01:01:21Guest:Did you ever meet him?

01:01:22Guest:I didn't.

01:01:23Guest:His family was very against anybody doing that.

01:01:26Guest:And then after it came out, the daughters ended up visiting me, and it was really kind of cool.

01:01:32Guest:With Jigoulis?

01:01:34Guest:It wasn't a Jigouli.

01:01:38Guest:I did have Jilly give me a sit-down once.

01:01:40Guest:Oh, yeah?

01:01:42Guest:It's a story I've told a lot.

01:01:44Guest:Who's Jilly?

01:01:45Guest:Jilly, Sinatra's guy.

01:01:47Guest:Oh, right, okay.

01:01:48Guest:And it's a story that's been told a lot, so I probably shouldn't... What do you mean?

01:01:53Guest:But I was having a very rough night opening.

01:01:56Guest:For Frank?

01:01:57Marc:How old was he at the time you were opening for?

01:01:59Marc:He was 100.

01:01:59Guest:He was 100.

01:02:00Guest:No, he was up there.

01:02:01Guest:He was up there.

01:02:02Guest:He was, you know, 78, 77, 78, 79, and it was a rough time.

01:02:09Guest:And then there were some nights he was in the pocket, and it was, you know, I love that music.

01:02:13Guest:And with a 34-piece orchestra, I would sit in the wings like an old Jew, and I would quell.

01:02:19Guest:I would just go, I can't believe it.

01:02:20Guest:I loved it.

01:02:21Guest:But there was one night I was just dying miserably.

01:02:24Guest:Were you in front of not your friends?

01:02:25Guest:Did you have a relationship?

01:02:27Guest:We would go to dinner once.

01:02:29Guest:Here's the thing.

01:02:30Guest:He called me Greg, okay?

01:02:33Guest:And when he would introduce me for a bow, he would say, Greg Barrett, everybody, Greg Barrett.

01:02:39Guest:And I would take a bow to someone else's name.

01:02:42Guest:And I went up to Jilly one day and I went...

01:02:46Guest:After a year of being on the road with him, I go, you know, I just can't tell you I'm really having a great time, but is there any way you can tell Frank that my name is Brad?

01:02:56Guest:And he just looked at me with that one wonky eye, and he was like, why don't you tell him?

01:03:01Guest:And I went, well, you know, I don't feel it's my place.

01:03:03Guest:He goes, are you enjoying yourself?

01:03:05Guest:And I said, I'm having a great time.

01:03:07Guest:That's all I gotta worry about.

01:03:09Guest:So one night I'm dying miserably, and when Frank would want to come in, it was still cord mics.

01:03:14Guest:Yeah, I still ask for a cord mic.

01:03:15Guest:There's nothing like it.

01:03:17Guest:To hold on, or just to, yeah.

01:03:18Marc:No, just like a straight stand and a cord mic.

01:03:21Guest:Yeah, you want the cord, because you don't.

01:03:22Marc:Yeah, no, I need to know it's connected to something.

01:03:24Marc:The wireless are too big, and they don't fit in the thing right.

01:03:26Marc:Right, right, so you can't.

01:03:28Guest:Leave the capsule.

01:03:29Guest:It's like I'm hooked in.

01:03:32Guest:So when I started, I would go, you know, how long do I do?

01:03:35Guest:And they'll go, you'll do 15 or you'll do 30 and we'll decide.

01:03:39Guest:And I said, okay, when do you think I'll know?

01:03:40Guest:They'll go, it all depends when you want to go on.

01:03:44Guest:And you'll feel a little tug on the mic and you just rap.

01:03:48Guest:OK, so some nights it was and he would you and you'd see him in the wings and he'd go and he would tug some.

01:03:55Guest:So you don't know, you know, some nights you're doing.

01:03:57Guest:Yeah.

01:03:58Guest:So one night I'm just I mean, I'm just it was I. Where was it was?

01:04:03Guest:It was it was the sands in Atlantic City and it wasn't crickets.

01:04:08Guest:It was crickets thoughts.

01:04:10Guest:I would say was another.

01:04:11Marc:So the silence had a little suction to it.

01:04:14Guest:There was a suction at the time.

01:04:16Guest:So I'm in about 10, and I get a tug, and I go, all right, you're terrific.

01:04:22Guest:Stick around for Frank.

01:04:24Guest:Yeah.

01:04:25Guest:Okay?

01:04:25Guest:Yeah.

01:04:26Guest:Not a huge joke, just a little zitz.

01:04:29Guest:Yeah.

01:04:31Guest:I walk off, and Jilly would stand with Frank, and as I'm walking by them, and it's not like, great job, Greg.

01:04:38Guest:It's quiet.

01:04:39Guest:And I said, stick around for Frank.

01:04:41Guest:And I hear Frank tell Jilly, find out what that means.

01:04:45Guest:Okay?

01:04:46Guest:It means, okay, there's a knock on the door.

01:04:48Guest:It's Jilly and Hank.

01:04:51Guest:And Hank was a guy that would, he'd fill a room.

01:04:53Guest:I looked like his x-ray when this fucker would walk in.

01:04:57Guest:And, uh...

01:05:00Guest:It's a rough night out there, huh?

01:05:02Guest:I said, well, you know, it's, you know.

01:05:05Guest:What does it mean, stick around for Frank?

01:05:10Guest:And I went, it was just a joke.

01:05:13Guest:They didn't get it.

01:05:15Guest:And they went, but they're here to see Frank.

01:05:18Guest:And I would say, hence the, of course, I was just doing poorly.

01:05:24Guest:And Hank is trying to figure it all out.

01:05:25Guest:And he says, well, we kind of feel that you're making, because Mr. Sinatra's late once in a while.

01:05:32Guest:So we thought you were taking a dig at that.

01:05:34Guest:Like, stick around for Frank.

01:05:35Guest:as in he'll be here.

01:05:38Guest:And I would never stick around for Frank.

01:05:44Guest:And I'm making a joke of me because they're not here to see me.

01:05:48Guest:Are you not happy opening for Frank?

01:05:50Guest:The next night, they bring Andreessen, and I'm opening for Liza in Reno.

01:05:58Marc:So this was a little... What, they put a bag over your head and throw you on a plane?

01:06:03Guest:It was a little, you're gonna take a few days, and they brought, you know, and it's like the first time I opened for Frank,

01:06:09Guest:He forgot that I was supposed... Because he saw me with Sammy or something.

01:06:13Guest:So when I showed up, he looks at me.

01:06:16Guest:He was out of it then, but he was still hitting it hard.

01:06:19Guest:And he looks at Jilly and he goes, where's Tommy?

01:06:22Guest:As I'm standing there.

01:06:23Guest:Dreesen?

01:06:24Guest:Yeah.

01:06:25Guest:And they went, well, he's with Glen Campbell tonight.

01:06:27Guest:So who is this?

01:06:28Guest:Remember Frank, you met him last night.

01:06:30Guest:This is Brad.

01:06:30Guest:He opened for us last night.

01:06:32Guest:So it was a little... It was like the home life.

01:06:35Marc:So Dreesen had been his opener before.

01:06:37Marc:Dreesen was the main man.

01:06:39Guest:He was the main guy.

01:06:39Marc:So that's how it worked?

01:06:40Marc:You guys would rotate?

01:06:41Guest:He would rotate people.

01:06:44Marc:But you would just go, but like one night you're opening for him and then he made a call and then you're opening for Liza and Frank still had the run of the, like he could make it.

01:06:50Guest:Yeah, and then Sammy and I would rotate with those three and it was, you know, it was a blast.

01:06:55Guest:What year is this?

01:06:56Guest:They've all got to be 100.

01:06:58Guest:This is 88, 89, 90.

01:07:00Guest:Everyone I was with, I would open for them, they would die.

01:07:04Guest:Dean was gone already.

01:07:05Guest:Dean was already gone.

01:07:06Guest:So I did Sinatra's last couple weeks.

01:07:10Guest:I did Sammy's last couple weeks.

01:07:14Guest:Liza, we're waiting.

01:07:16Guest:But it was a joke.

01:07:17Guest:It was like, put Garrett with him and they'll be dead.

01:07:21Guest:Yeah.

01:07:22Marc:But that was the life, right?

01:07:23Marc:And you enjoyed it?

01:07:25Guest:It was the greatest.

01:07:26Guest:And I came up on that music.

01:07:28Guest:I grew up on that.

01:07:29Guest:First record my dad gave me was Sammy Davis Live at the Coconut Grove.

01:07:32Guest:And with all the craziness, my dad was my guy.

01:07:35Guest:Of course.

01:07:37Guest:And I just didn't know what was going on.

01:07:39Guest:And he wasn't diagnosed until very late in life.

01:07:41Guest:Yeah, like Rodney.

01:07:43Guest:Yeah, and he wouldn't stay on the meds.

01:07:45Guest:And God bless him, he was in and out of...

01:07:48Guest:places, and it's hard.

01:07:50Guest:It's hard to see anyone go through that.

01:07:53Guest:But he was a funny guy, man.

01:07:55Guest:He was fucking quick.

01:07:56Guest:Yeah.

01:07:57Guest:Funny.

01:07:57Marc:So did he live, he was around long enough to see you in Vegas and go out to the shows?

01:08:01Guest:Yeah, he saw Raymond.

01:08:02Guest:He came to the Raymond.

01:08:03Guest:He saw the, you know, when I opened for Frank and Sammy, to him, that was, that was for him.

01:08:09Guest:Because, you know, that was our thing.

01:08:10Guest:But that was important.

01:08:11Guest:It was important and worth it.

01:08:13Guest:And just, it just, thank God.

01:08:14Marc:Did he get to meet him?

01:08:16Guest:He did.

01:08:17Guest:He got to meet him.

01:08:17Guest:Look at that.

01:08:18Guest:It was really great.

01:08:19Guest:And then my mom- Isn't it funny to see your old man turn to mush?

01:08:23Guest:It is.

01:08:23Guest:Right?

01:08:24Guest:And there's nothing like it.

01:08:25Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:08:26Guest:And I know what it meant to him.

01:08:27Guest:Because his childhood was fucked up.

01:08:29Guest:His dad used to beat him up, and he ran away at 14 and never went back.

01:08:33Guest:To New York.

01:08:33Guest:Ran away at 14.

01:08:34Guest:Ran all the way to California?

01:08:35Guest:Yep, with his best friend.

01:08:36Guest:Huh.

01:08:37Guest:and just lived on the street and got a job at 16.

01:08:40Guest:He was a tough cat, but a heart of gold.

01:08:42Guest:Never laid a hand on me.

01:08:44Guest:And he was always fucking batted around.

01:08:46Marc:Those are the Jews that know how to paint boats.

01:08:48Guest:You got that right.

01:08:50Guest:It's so true, Mark.

01:08:53Marc:I've sort of moved away from that weird kind of stereotyping.

01:08:56Marc:Like, I'm a Jew.

01:08:57Marc:There have been plenty of Jews that were cops, fighters, plumbers.

01:09:00Guest:You betcha.

01:09:00Guest:I know.

01:09:00Marc:I know, but there's no humor in that.

01:09:02Marc:Gangsters.

01:09:02Marc:It's true.

01:09:03Marc:That's true.

01:09:04Marc:Yeah.

01:09:04Marc:So you end up in Vegas.

01:09:07Marc:You're still in Vegas.

01:09:10Marc:But the weird thing is you've got this whole generation of dudes.

01:09:13Marc:I keep using that word, but believe me, I'm not far behind you.

01:09:15Marc:But what I'm saying is that all these guys that you started out with, all these guys that you're not a Hollywood actor.

01:09:21Marc:per se, and you're watching them land things.

01:09:24Marc:But that was not your thing, or you were happy doing what you're doing because you could gamble and talk to Frank Sinatra.

01:09:30Guest:Well, no, I wanted to act.

01:09:32Guest:I wanted to act.

01:09:33Guest:All the way through?

01:09:34Guest:Oh, all the way through.

01:09:35Marc:So you were coming back into town to audition for shit?

01:09:37Marc:All the time.

01:09:38Marc:Okay.

01:09:38Guest:Oh, yeah.

01:09:39Guest:Yeah, I didn't live in Vegas.

01:09:40Guest:I was flying out all the time to audition.

01:09:43Guest:I did a lot of voice stuff early on.

01:09:44Marc:I know.

01:09:45Marc:That's how my producer knows.

01:09:46Marc:He's like, you know, there's a whole generation of us that just heard him on cartoons.

01:09:49Guest:Yeah, exactly.

01:09:50Guest:And so I was doing that a lot.

01:09:52Guest:And I was auditioning.

01:09:54Guest:You know, I did a little guest spot on Roseanne.

01:09:56Guest:I did a little shot on the Paul Reiser thing.

01:10:01Guest:So I was doing that about you.

01:10:03Guest:That was it.

01:10:03Guest:That little show.

01:10:04Guest:That little show.

01:10:05Guest:Fabulous.

01:10:06Marc:Hey, you got to love Paul Reiser.

01:10:07Marc:He's like, you know, he finishes that show.

01:10:08Marc:He's like, I'm out for a while.

01:10:10Guest:Yeah.

01:10:10Marc:I'm going to raise my kids.

01:10:12Marc:I'm going to relax.

01:10:12Marc:I'm going to eat good.

01:10:14Guest:And now he's back.

01:10:15Guest:He's back, man.

01:10:16Guest:He's back doing spots all over.

01:10:18Guest:But yeah, no.

01:10:20Guest:So I was always really trying to, you know, find that thing.

01:10:25Guest:I was not a voice.

01:10:25Guest:I never had a special.

01:10:27Guest:Yeah.

01:10:28Guest:Because they would come.

01:10:29Guest:All the things that comics do, you did not do.

01:10:32Guest:Yeah, I didn't.

01:10:33Guest:No Tonight Show?

01:10:35Guest:I did Tonight Shows.

01:10:36Guest:With Jay?

01:10:37Guest:No, I did them with Johnny.

01:10:38Guest:Did you?

01:10:39Guest:I did three with Johnny and I did quite a few with, well, Ed McMahon ran Star Search.

01:10:45Marc:Right, okay, right.

01:10:46Guest:So that helped greatly.

01:10:48Guest:That must have been amazing for you.

01:10:50Guest:I was 24.

01:10:52Guest:It was crazy.

01:10:53Guest:And I was on there and it was okay.

01:10:57Guest:Didn't kill.

01:10:57Guest:I look at the sets now, I cringe.

01:10:59Guest:I did one with Cosby.

01:11:01Guest:And he sat there.

01:11:03Guest:Yeah.

01:11:03Guest:And he said to me out on the plane, you know, it was really weird.

01:11:06Guest:I was at the Desert Inn.

01:11:08Guest:I swear to you.

01:11:08Guest:And I get a call from Cosby.

01:11:10Guest:Yeah.

01:11:10Guest:And I'd never met him.

01:11:11Guest:Stop with the filth.

01:11:12Guest:Yeah.

01:11:13Guest:Well, you're close.

01:11:15Guest:He goes, listen, I'm I'm I'm guest hosting tonight.

01:11:19Guest:It's last minute.

01:11:20Guest:Johnny's not doing it.

01:11:22Guest:I've heard nice things about you.

01:11:24Guest:Yeah.

01:11:24Guest:He's sending his plane.

01:11:26Guest:We're doing it tonight.

01:11:27Guest:Will you be the comic?

01:11:28Guest:And I'm opening for Crystal Gale.

01:11:31Guest:Tough choice, huh?

01:11:32Guest:Yeah, exactly.

01:11:33Guest:I get someone to cover me.

01:11:35Guest:I go out there.

01:11:36Guest:We're on the plane.

01:11:37Guest:This is 86.

01:11:39Guest:He's reading the Times.

01:11:40Guest:He's reading USA Today.

01:11:41Guest:He's on the cover of every entertainment section.

01:11:45Guest:I don't know if it was planned or whatever, but Cosby, the show is gigantic.

01:11:49Guest:Yeah.

01:11:49Guest:So he goes, I hear you do me in the act.

01:11:53Guest:And I went, yes, yes.

01:11:55Guest:And he goes, don't tonight.

01:11:58Guest:And I was going to close with it.

01:12:01Guest:Here I am.

01:12:02Guest:You were.

01:12:02Guest:Of course.

01:12:03Guest:I'm on The Tonight Show with Cosby.

01:12:05Guest:How do I not do Cosby?

01:12:07Guest:Right.

01:12:07Guest:Yeah, you don't need it, man.

01:12:09Guest:Find yourself.

01:12:10Guest:You know, interesting, but I did five impressions that night.

01:12:14Guest:So I start my set, and not great.

01:12:17Guest:You know, it's okay.

01:12:19Guest:You know, it's okay.

01:12:20Guest:I'm not dying, but it's never what I want.

01:12:22Guest:And I'm like, I'm gonna have to close.

01:12:26Guest:I gotta do Cosby.

01:12:28Guest:I just gotta do it.

01:12:29Guest:I do it, the place goes fucking nuts.

01:12:31Marc:Right, because you're sitting there.

01:12:32Guest:Right.

01:12:33Guest:We fly back on the plane.

01:12:35Guest:He's going to Vegas too?

01:12:36Guest:He's working the Hilton.

01:12:38Guest:Headlining the Hilton same night.

01:12:39Guest:Yeah.

01:12:41Guest:Actually, I got back for the show in time because we made it by eight.

01:12:45Guest:Yeah.

01:12:46Guest:Not a word.

01:12:48Guest:Not a word.

01:12:49Guest:And he was, you know, coming up, he was one of my guys coming up.

01:12:52Marc:Sure.

01:12:53Guest:And not a word.

01:12:54Guest:And I'll never forget it.

01:12:57Guest:I'll never forget it.

01:12:58Marc:You know what?

01:12:59Marc:What?

01:12:59Marc:You don't know I'm an apology.

01:13:01Marc:I never apologize.

01:13:03Guest:Too late now.

01:13:04Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:13:05Guest:I think you could.

01:13:06Guest:No, no, especially, right?

01:13:07Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:13:07Guest:That was your point.

01:13:08Marc:No, actually, actually, no, this might be the time to do it.

01:13:11Marc:Hey, Bill, I don't know what's on your mind.

01:13:13Marc:Yeah.

01:13:15Marc:You're probably doing a lot of thinking, but I just want to make an amends.

01:13:18Marc:It's a long time coming.

01:13:19Marc:Remember that night on the plane?

01:13:21Marc:Shut the fuck up.

01:13:22Guest:It was brutal.

01:13:23Marc:But like in all this time opening for people, did you ever open for comics?

01:13:29Guest:In Vegas?

01:13:31Guest:I opened for, when I started out, I opened in Atlantic City for Sinbad once.

01:13:36Guest:Yeah.

01:13:36Guest:But no, never comic.

01:13:39Marc:So how old are you when Ray happens?

01:13:41Marc:I mean, Jesus, you've been making a living doing voiceovers and doing Vegas and everything.

01:13:45Guest:Doing well.

01:13:46Guest:I had a couple failed shows that I was on before Ray.

01:13:49Guest:A couple failed series.

01:13:49Guest:Built around you?

01:13:50Guest:One was built around me and was really not good.

01:13:54Guest:What'd you do on that show?

01:13:55Guest:I played a single parent, ironically, who was from Nebraska, okay?

01:14:04Guest:Yeah, they wouldn't, I said, you know, let's make it, you know, New York, Jersey, or maybe Miami, you know, let's, no, yeah, it's important you're from the Midwest.

01:14:11Guest:I go, well, nothing reads it, so they lightened my hair and they put me in penny loafers, swear to God.

01:14:18Guest:And it was a show on NBC that was on Saturday nights, and I was a voiceover impressionist.

01:14:25Guest:In Nebraska?

01:14:26Guest:Yeah, that had my own ad agency is what I meant to say.

01:14:29Guest:Wow, what a stretch.

01:14:30Guest:Yeah, I know.

01:14:31Guest:I had my own ad agency and I did the voices for the commercials.

01:14:36Guest:Right.

01:14:36Guest:You know, that thing.

01:14:37Guest:Tom Sharp was on it.

01:14:38Guest:It was really funny.

01:14:39Guest:Remember Tom Sharp, the comic?

01:14:41Guest:I do.

01:14:41Guest:Yeah, he did a lot of commercials, a lot of voiceover stuff too.

01:14:45Guest:So he was in it.

01:14:46Guest:And Brandy Gold, who was Harry Gold's young little daughter, played my daughter.

01:14:52Guest:Now she's a giant successful agent.

01:14:55Guest:And so that was called First Impressions.

01:14:58Guest:Lasted six weeks.

01:14:59Guest:Then I was on a show where I played a gay lawyer.

01:15:02Guest:one of the first gay characters really put out on Primetime.

01:15:08Guest:And it was a really cool show called Pursuit of Happiness.

01:15:12Guest:And Larry Miller was on it, who was brilliant.

01:15:15Guest:And it was from the people that also worked there.

01:15:17Guest:How's he doing?

01:15:18Guest:You know, I haven't talked to him in a very, very long.

01:15:20Guest:Since the accident.

01:15:21Guest:Yeah, which was just brutal.

01:15:23Guest:He's one of the nicest men in the world.

01:15:25Guest:He's been opening for Seinfeld.

01:15:27Guest:Oh, good.

01:15:28Guest:So he's back out there.

01:15:30Guest:Yeah, I tried to get him at the club.

01:15:31Guest:No answer.

01:15:33Guest:I just love him.

01:15:33Guest:He's so funny.

01:15:34Guest:And then that was short-lived.

01:15:37Guest:And then I ended up auditioning for Ray's show.

01:15:40Guest:I was 35.

01:15:41Guest:It was in 95.

01:15:42Guest:Yeah.

01:15:43Guest:And you got it.

01:15:44Guest:I got very lucky.

01:15:45Marc:Well, the character was so like, you know, you made it your own, but there was the comedy chops of it, you know, that sort of slow burn, deadpan.

01:15:55Marc:Yeah.

01:15:55Marc:you know, thing.

01:15:56Marc:What was great is that, like, I don't know that that's really what you do, but you're so versed in the style that, you know, you really built a character out of that guy.

01:16:05Marc:Thanks.

01:16:05Guest:You know, right?

01:16:06Guest:Yeah, that was kind of it.

01:16:08Guest:They were not thinking of me and it was tough to get the audition because they just didn't see it.

01:16:13Guest:And that was, you know, they didn't know my stand up and a lot of people didn't.

01:16:18Guest:And

01:16:19Guest:And I hadn't met Ray ever.

01:16:21Guest:Probably better off, though, in retrospect.

01:16:23Guest:Much better off.

01:16:24Guest:Huh.

01:16:24Guest:Much better off.

01:16:25Guest:And you didn't know Ray.

01:16:26Guest:I did not.

01:16:28Guest:I did not.

01:16:28Guest:And I got in and I read.

01:16:30Guest:And now you're cosmically joined with Ray for life, for eternity.

01:16:34Guest:Cosmically.

01:16:35Guest:He's such a good egg, man.

01:16:36Guest:He's doing some amazing work.

01:16:38Guest:Great guy.

01:16:39Guest:Just a great guy.

01:16:40Guest:Didn't change.

01:16:42Guest:That's why I really love him.

01:16:43Guest:It's like he's the same guy.

01:16:46Guest:It's hard not to change.

01:16:48Guest:It's very funny.

01:16:50Marc:Obviously, some things have changed in the external of Ray.

01:16:53Marc:Like what?

01:16:53Marc:Well, I mean, I think his quality of life changed, obviously.

01:16:56Marc:He has a Casio watch.

01:16:58Marc:Okay.

01:16:59Marc:A rubber Casio watch.

01:17:01Marc:Where does he live, Brad?

01:17:02Marc:It's not nice.

01:17:05Marc:No, but I mean, like, I love him.

01:17:06Marc:But what I'm saying is that, you know, you're backstage with Ray.

01:17:09Guest:Oh, sure.

01:17:09Marc:I don't know.

01:17:10Marc:I don't know.

01:17:10Marc:Yeah.

01:17:11Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:17:14Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:17:15Guest:Exactly.

01:17:15Guest:No, you're right.

01:17:16Marc:But no, he's a decent guy.

01:17:17Marc:He's like, you know, a religious dude.

01:17:20Marc:He's grounded in things.

01:17:21Marc:You know, he's definitely one of the great guys.

01:17:25Guest:Yeah.

01:17:25Guest:Yeah, it's nice.

01:17:26Guest:It's nice.

01:17:27Guest:And the show was great.

01:17:28Guest:You did good.

01:17:29Guest:Yeah, I did good.

01:17:30Guest:I'm grateful.

01:17:30Guest:I'm lucky.

01:17:31Guest:I've worked hard.

01:17:32Guest:Let me ask you something.

01:17:33Marc:Sure.

01:17:35Marc:The final season of Till Death.

01:17:37Marc:Yeah.

01:17:39Marc:What was that?

01:17:39Marc:Were people just sort of like, let's just go crazy?

01:17:44Marc:crazy how well I mean it was sort of like you know it was what it was it was you know it wasn't successful but they kept it on because rocks you know wanted to try to show across the finish line sure but it seemed like that fourth season was just like the writing got like pushed you over the top in a way and you know like you know you're breaking the fourth wall and all that stuff it was almost experimental it was experimental and desperate and pushed and

01:18:09Guest:and we had four showrunners in four years, and they just couldn't capture really my voice.

01:18:19Guest:Working with Jolie, she's amazing and fearless, and we had a great chemistry, and it was fun.

01:18:25Guest:We just didn't really know what we were doing.

01:18:27Guest:I had just come off Raymond, and to be honest, I could have been...

01:18:35Guest:I really knew what I wanted.

01:18:39Guest:Right.

01:18:39Guest:And I knew what the network wanted.

01:18:41Guest:And I felt I was gracious with the cast and the people involved.

01:18:47Guest:And when it kept changing... Showrunners?

01:18:52Guest:Yeah, I just... I bucked a lot of it and oversteered.

01:18:58Guest:And my... You know, my...

01:19:03Guest:micromanaging kind of kicked in and my controlling issues kicked in because I came off such a wonderful show where writing was really incredible and I felt this kind of started really really large it's you know it's like you know Phil Rosenthal who ran Raymond

01:19:21Guest:he was like, could this happen?

01:19:23Guest:That's how every story, and even though in comedy you swing big, at the end of the day, could it happen?

01:19:30Guest:So, you know, that kind of was off the table, and some stuff got a little broad, and I just, you know, I have to remember that no matter what situation you're in,

01:19:39Guest:Usually, usually, people are doing their best.

01:19:44Guest:And it's a very, very tough thing to find that great combo of showrunner and cast and writing.

01:19:54Guest:And it's very, very difficult.

01:19:56Guest:And it was my own vehicle, and I had opinions, and I had stuff that I felt could or should have been different.

01:20:09Guest:That being said, the pilot was written, and they found me.

01:20:13Guest:It isn't like this pilot was written for me.

01:20:15Guest:Right, but you were a hot commodity.

01:20:17Guest:Yeah, for 10 minutes.

01:20:19Guest:Yeah, it was a good 10 minutes.

01:20:20Marc:It was a good 10.

01:20:22Marc:So it was sort of a desperation, but I think in retrospect that there were chances being taken

01:20:28Marc:that make it sort of a unique season of television.

01:20:30Guest:Oh, no question.

01:20:31Guest:We had three different daughters, you know, through the whole thing.

01:20:34Guest:You know, I remember, and Fox was very supportive.

01:20:37Guest:I think they forgot we were on.

01:20:39Guest:I don't know how we got four years.

01:20:40Guest:And the head of Fox, before we were yanked, they very nicely called me at home

01:20:46Guest:And the ratings were really dismal.

01:20:48Guest:And he goes, look, we've had a great time.

01:20:51Guest:And I had a great thing with Fox and a great thing with Sony.

01:20:54Guest:And they were really collaborative as well.

01:20:57Guest:And look, we all want to win.

01:20:58Guest:But it just didn't happen.

01:21:00Guest:They said to me, they go, look, we're going to pull the show.

01:21:03Guest:They said, your last time out the gate, you got a point.

01:21:08Guest:0.02.

01:21:10Marc:This is back when there was less channels.

01:21:13Guest:Yes, a lot less.

01:21:14Guest:You had a shot.

01:21:15Guest:0.02.

01:21:16Guest:And they go, you know, I went, whew, that's rough.

01:21:19Guest:And they went, you know, but out of, you know, our relationship and, you know, we just want to let you know before you read about it.

01:21:27Guest:Is there anything we can do before we pull it?

01:21:31Guest:Do you have any ideas?

01:21:32Guest:And I said, give me three more episodes and I could bring you to a zero.

01:21:38Guest:I said, any big shot can get a 1.6, a 2.8, to be able to say, we're so close to zero.

01:21:47Guest:We're not .2, we're .02.

01:21:50Guest:Right.

01:21:51Guest:Give me three more weeks.

01:21:52Guest:I don't know if they got it.

01:21:54Guest:Yeah.

01:21:55Guest:I don't think they got, you know, that was... You were serious?

01:21:57Guest:Oh, really?

01:21:57Guest:Yes.

01:21:58Guest:Did they give you the three weeks?

01:22:00Guest:No.

01:22:01Guest:Oh.

01:22:01Guest:No.

01:22:01Guest:No, but I gave them the zero.

01:22:03Guest:Yeah.

01:22:04Marc:I also like that you did these, like, that...

01:22:08Marc:I don't think people always understand that as a stand-up, if you're not going to be a writer, if you're not going to be a showrunner, that there are jobs in show business that stand-ups do.

01:22:19Marc:You can host, you can open for musical acts, but also game shows were something that stand-ups did.

01:22:26Marc:Oh, I did a lot in the early days.

01:22:28Guest:That took care of my clubs, believe it or not.

01:22:31Guest:I would draw from those things.

01:22:32Marc:Right, but I missed all that, and I don't know how I would have felt about it when I started necessarily, but in retrospect, as a kid, but as I got older, I realized you would watch Match Game or you watch Hollywood Squares, and it'd be like, holy shit, these are some of the greatest comics that ever worked in these boxes.

01:22:52Marc:Doing the, what's the word?

01:22:55Marc:Fish.

01:22:55Guest:Spritzing.

01:22:57Guest:Spritzing.

01:22:58Guest:What's the word you use?

01:23:00Guest:Stuching.

01:23:01Guest:No, no.

01:23:02Guest:Zetzing.

01:23:03Guest:Zetzing.

01:23:04Marc:You know, and it was like, it was always great to see a weird little Marty Allen.

01:23:08Marc:Sure.

01:23:08Marc:Paul Lynn.

01:23:09Marc:Jan Murray used to fucking do the Hollywood Squares.

01:23:12Guest:Sure.

01:23:12Marc:The match game.

01:23:13Marc:It was Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett.

01:23:16Marc:Summers.

01:23:16Marc:Yeah, yeah.

01:23:18Marc:Don Adams would be.

01:23:19Guest:All of them.

01:23:20Guest:And I was a young guy who tapped in all that.

01:23:22Guest:It's like David Brenner.

01:23:24Guest:Yeah.

01:23:24Guest:And when Whoopi was doing, you know, when she was at Center Square, there was Big Doe on Hollywood Squares.

01:23:31Guest:Oh, yeah?

01:23:31Guest:Yeah.

01:23:31Guest:I mean, when I did that.

01:23:33Guest:And when I did the small game shows, like the Tattletales and the one where you would draw with Burt Convy, I mean, you do, you know, you film all five episodes in one day.

01:23:43Guest:Yeah.

01:23:44Guest:You just change your shirt and walk out there.

01:23:46Guest:I mean, I didn't have to go on the road for weeks.

01:23:48Marc:And a lot of people don't realize that comics used to showcase on the fucking dating game.

01:23:53Marc:Yes.

01:23:54Marc:Yes.

01:23:54Marc:I remember seeing Robert Wool.

01:23:56Marc:That's right.

01:23:56Guest:On the dating game.

01:23:57Marc:Tom Selleck.

01:23:58Marc:Yeah.

01:23:58Marc:Yeah, absolutely.

01:24:00Marc:And it's just sort of one of this weird sort of lost chunk of show business.

01:24:05Guest:It was an outlet, man.

01:24:06Marc:And you could be seen.

01:24:07Marc:Yeah.

01:24:07Marc:That comics would do it.

01:24:08Guest:It was a gig, man.

01:24:09Marc:Yeah.

01:24:10Marc:Gone.

01:24:11Marc:So what is this... In terms of being fired from Indian casinos and inappropriate jokes, do you defend it or do you say you're right?

01:24:22Guest:No, they're not right.

01:24:23Marc:No, but I mean you suck it up.

01:24:25Guest:You have to laugh at yourself.

01:24:27Marc:You made a mistake.

01:24:28Guest:No.

01:24:30Guest:I did it again.

01:24:32Guest:Some of the Indians love it.

01:24:35Guest:But it's just... I mean...

01:24:38Guest:People are warned, you know, you're not getting the guy from Raymond.

01:24:41Marc:But do you do the philosophy that Rickles had, and I don't know how well it can apply anymore, that, you know, you're equal opportunity in Salter, and that you... I just don't defend it.

01:24:51Marc:I mean, I'm a lot... You don't defend what?

01:24:52Guest:I...

01:24:54Guest:I don't feel I have to defend the stand-up.

01:24:57Guest:They're jokes.

01:24:58Guest:They're people that don't.

01:25:01Guest:It was a side that unless you see me on the road or in theaters, people don't really know what I do.

01:25:07Guest:And it's a lot of improv.

01:25:08Guest:Yes, 80% is crowd work.

01:25:11Guest:And it's tangy.

01:25:13Guest:I mean, especially nowadays, it's tangy.

01:25:17Marc:You're on a...

01:25:20Guest:Yeah, I am, but you know, I'll tell you where I'm lucky.

01:25:23Guest:I played a doofus and a put-upon guy for nine years on a major show.

01:25:30Guest:So they think you're entitled to the anger?

01:25:31Guest:It's a little bit comeuppance for me, and they end up seeing it as like he snapped.

01:25:37Guest:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:25:38Marc:You know, from all the... So there's... Like the people that see Saget.

01:25:41Marc:This is not the guy that we knew.

01:25:43Guest:Exactly.

01:25:44Guest:And I think people know, I don't mean it.

01:25:47Guest:I think people know that, you know, he's just a big lug anyway, which I really am.

01:25:52Guest:And I make fun of myself and my life and my career.

01:25:55Guest:And, you know, I'm in the basement of the MGM next to New York pretzel and a sock store, literally.

01:26:02Guest:And, you know, it's on the way to self-parking and it's become, you know,

01:26:07Guest:As humbly as it's the club in Vegas.

01:26:10Guest:I mean, it's killing everyone else.

01:26:12Guest:And there's nine clubs now.

01:26:15Guest:And I bring in great acts and I bring in R-rated acts.

01:26:18Guest:And I don't do, you know, the jugglers and the magicians.

01:26:22Marc:So your basic approach is that, look, it's going to get racy.

01:26:26Guest:Literally.

01:26:27Guest:Yes.

01:26:27Marc:And that, you know, we do, we insult people.

01:26:31Marc:And, but if you got, you know, called to, you know, outside of being fired, if someone said, you know, you said this horrible thing about women or black people or whatever.

01:26:41Marc:Sure.

01:26:42Marc:What would you say?

01:26:42Marc:What's your general defense?

01:26:47Guest:I really, I really don't.

01:26:49Guest:You want to know what it is?

01:26:50Guest:Yeah.

01:26:51Guest:Let me give you a refund if you didn't enjoy yourself.

01:26:54Guest:Right.

01:26:55Guest:And we do.

01:26:56Guest:There's no look.

01:26:57Guest:It's like stereotypes exist.

01:26:59Guest:I know it seems like a hacky type of thing.

01:27:02Guest:I think now more than ever.

01:27:03Guest:Yeah.

01:27:04Guest:When we look at our country, which is a disaster, in my opinion.

01:27:08Guest:Yeah.

01:27:09Guest:I think there's almost more room for it because all the PC bullshit has come to bite us in the ass anyway.

01:27:15Guest:Because what is it really, in my opinion, you know, what is saying?

01:27:19Guest:It doesn't bring us together.

01:27:20Guest:It drives a wedge.

01:27:21Guest:That's how I've always felt.

01:27:24Guest:That's how I've always felt.

01:27:26Guest:And being a seven-foot Jew with no athletic ability that came up pretty fucked up, I've always taken shots of myself.

01:27:33Guest:Now I'm just kind of putting up the mirror.

01:27:36Guest:It's like I had the white trash in the front row.

01:27:39Guest:I had a guy with a MAGA hat on.

01:27:41Guest:And, you know, I walked them.

01:27:44Guest:And then Twitter and everything else is this liberal prick and blah, blah, blah.

01:27:51Guest:Oh, yeah.

01:27:52Guest:And the whole thing is like, you know, it's like we're not a lot of, you know, why can't we have an opinion?

01:27:59Guest:Just because we're performers and we have a platform.

01:28:02Marc:Oh, and I agree with you.

01:28:03Guest:And it's always, that's the only place where it's really... They don't think we work.

01:28:07Marc:Yeah.

01:28:08Marc:And that's the thing that bothers me.

01:28:10Marc:Yes.

01:28:10Guest:That's exactly right.

01:28:12Marc:You know, these elites, what do they do, these actors?

01:28:14Marc:Like, we work hard.

01:28:16Guest:Yes.

01:28:16Guest:You know, what do you do?

01:28:17Guest:Yeah.

01:28:19Guest:And that's kind of where it, you know, kind of where it went.

01:28:23Guest:And then I have people that come to the club and they want to keep sitting in the front because they love...

01:28:28Guest:the abuse, but the thing is this, we try to remember, because it's a small room, seats 250, we try to remember.

01:28:36Guest:The people in the back gotta hear.

01:28:37Guest:Yeah, exactly, and also we don't want to keep sitting, my point is some people love it, I think it's almost a release from all the bullshit and the tension

01:28:47Marc:That laughter that can be almost crying.

01:28:51Marc:It is.

01:28:52Marc:It's a profound release to be abused in a context that's entertaining.

01:29:00Marc:I think so.

01:29:02Marc:Is it not?

01:29:02Marc:Thank you.

01:29:04Marc:You get it.

01:29:05Guest:I do, but, you know, it's a difficult place.

01:29:07Guest:You just work harder.

01:29:08Guest:It's a difficult place for a comic.

01:29:10Guest:But you're a great writer.

01:29:10Guest:I've never been a great writer.

01:29:13Guest:My thing was improv-ing, and my thing was, you know, just going for it.

01:29:17Marc:Yeah, but the thing is, it's weird is that, you know, I've been, you know, in a moment, because I'm a club comic by nature, I'm not some alt guy.

01:29:27Marc:I came up, you know, and crowd work was something I needed to know how to do, and I can do it.

01:29:31Marc:Right.

01:29:32Marc:And, and I, you know, but it's like, it's a little out of character for who I am really, but it's a reflex, you know, and I, and I can do it.

01:29:40Marc:Yep.

01:29:40Marc:And there've been moments where I'll do it and I'll realize you're like, Oh,

01:29:47Marc:The scooters are starting.

01:29:48Marc:I heard that guy.

01:29:49Marc:Yeah.

01:29:49Marc:You know, like that was a little much.

01:29:51Marc:But, you know, and then like right after I do it, after I get the laugh, I'll be like, that was crazy what just happened.

01:29:55Marc:Oh, you apologize?

01:29:57Marc:Well, kind of.

01:29:58Marc:I'll try to be diplomatic on stage.

01:29:59Marc:I see.

01:30:00Marc:But ultimately, my grandmother used to go, she used to like to go see, you know, she'd say like, because I loved Buddy Hackett when I was a young kid.

01:30:09Guest:Oh, yeah.

01:30:10Marc:And she would say, well, you go see him in Vegas, but he's very filthy.

01:30:12Guest:Oh, you ever see him in Vegas?

01:30:15Marc:No.

01:30:15Marc:Oh, yeah.

01:30:16Marc:Unbelievable.

01:30:18Marc:And she would go see Rickles.

01:30:19Marc:Yeah.

01:30:20Marc:But I remember she said this to me, my grandma Goldie.

01:30:22Marc:She goes, you know, after the show, he apologizes very nicely.

01:30:26Guest:Yeah, yeah.

01:30:26Guest:And he does a song.

01:30:27Guest:I'm a nice guy.

01:30:28Marc:But it sounded to me like after the show, he would actually apologize.

01:30:32Guest:Yeah, but every show was exactly...

01:30:35Marc:the same i once saw alan king in vegas who i don't like that much who i didn't like that much i didn't i didn't respect that much but like it was like he was sleepwalking yeah and it was uh it was a disappointing to me yeah so this new show uh yes how many did you do 10 12 we're doing 13 and we just got the back nine yesterday

01:30:55Guest:So we're doing a full season, and we're really having a ball.

01:30:59Guest:I'm loving it.

01:31:00Guest:You know, like you, I'm part of an ensemble.

01:31:03Guest:Yeah.

01:31:03Guest:And Taron Killam from SNL is the lead, and he's terrific, and Leighton Meester.

01:31:11Guest:is brilliant from Gossip Girl.

01:31:13Guest:It's really a good show, and it's about single parents and a group of people that are kind of thrown together socially, not that they would ever hang out with each other, but because their kids do.

01:31:24Guest:And I've been a single parent for a long time, and you find yourself in these, you know,

01:31:30Marc:niches that you're like well i don't know if i could go to that birthday party and see tom again you know and you you always say it's not about you right exactly it's never about you which is why you're living great and wonderfully you don't have to worry about that i you know more people are saying that to me than they used to yeah i was at the vet yesterday with my cat right and a woman sitting next to me talking to me about cats so you look like a writer she's like a filipino woman older woman yeah

01:31:54Marc:And she goes, you got children?

01:31:55Marc:And I go, I don't.

01:31:56Marc:She's like, oh, good for you.

01:31:58Guest:Yeah, it's true.

01:32:00Guest:It's very difficult.

01:32:01Guest:It's very difficult.

01:32:02Guest:I mean, you know, it's a lot.

01:32:05Guest:But the material you relate to.

01:32:07Marc:Oh, yeah, big time.

01:32:08Marc:And you still do a voiceover work, too.

01:32:10Marc:I still do some voiceover work.

01:32:12Marc:And I just want to say as we close here that, you know, once I gave you the note, you know, you stayed on the mic, and I appreciate that.

01:32:17Marc:Absolutely.

01:32:18Guest:You know, you're never too tall to learn.

01:32:20Guest:That's what I tell everyone.

01:32:22Guest:And really an honor to be here, man.

01:32:24Guest:And I'm just happy for you.

01:32:25Guest:Thanks for getting me on.

01:32:26Guest:Thanks, man.

01:32:26Guest:Hasn't been easy to get on this show.

01:32:29Marc:Is that true?

01:32:30Guest:Oh, it is difficult.

01:32:30Marc:I never said no to you.

01:32:32Marc:It is difficult.

01:32:32Marc:No, it's not.

01:32:33Marc:I don't want to get into it now.

01:32:35Marc:Who did you say no to?

01:32:37Marc:Who have I said no to?

01:32:38Marc:Yeah.

01:32:39Marc:Well, you know, now because we work with bookers, you know that.

01:32:42Guest:You don't want to say that.

01:32:43Guest:Yeah.

01:32:44Marc:Well, no, there's just lists and it's really just about like, can I talk to that person?

01:32:47Marc:You know, does that person, do I think or do they have enough of a story to do what we do here?

01:32:53Marc:You know, it's never like, you know, it's not about whether I like people or not necessarily, but am I interested?

01:32:59Marc:And, you know, is there a story there?

01:33:01Guest:Right.

01:33:02Marc:You know, and can, you know, with comics, I'm almost always, you know, because we're the same breed.

01:33:07Marc:Yes.

01:33:08Marc:And I never worry about that, really.

01:33:09Marc:Yeah, that's interesting.

01:33:11Marc:I just had Rita Rudner on here.

01:33:12Guest:Oh, we did a bunch of dates together last year.

01:33:15Marc:She's like a real pro, man.

01:33:17Guest:She's amazing.

01:33:18Guest:She would go out first and then after her, I'd go on and it was whiplash.

01:33:25Marc:It's just amazing that there are these women and men, these people.

01:33:29Marc:I mean, she was a huge act and she's never stopped and she's a Vegas person.

01:33:35Marc:But she's unto herself.

01:33:38Guest:Yes.

01:33:39Guest:Yes.

01:33:39Marc:And you get lost in this world like the generation younger than me or two where they don't have any real sort of sense of history except for a few people and everyone's got their people.

01:33:50Marc:But there was that original generation of people after the old guys that she's part of.

01:33:55Marc:Oh, big time.

01:33:56Marc:that were very defined and professional and historical acts.

01:34:02Guest:Yep, you're right.

01:34:04Guest:We had a blast.

01:34:06Marc:That's great.

01:34:07Marc:To answer your question, it's not that I say no to people.

01:34:11Marc:It's just I get a list and I'm like, I'm not really interested or I am interested.

01:34:14Marc:It's not like so-and-so wants to go on the show and I'm like, no, fuck them.

01:34:18Guest:But you've said that.

01:34:19Guest:I have.

01:34:19Marc:You've said that.

01:34:20Marc:I have, but not really, not much.

01:34:23Marc:Not recently.

01:34:24Marc:Well, actually, when you were on your way over here, I was like, he's late, and I'm never late.

01:34:30Guest:I called three people.

01:34:31Guest:I'm never late because I have a thing about being dirty.

01:34:35Guest:And I was crazed, I mean, really.

01:34:38Guest:But thank you for having me, and I'm happy for you.

01:34:42Guest:I think we covered everything.

01:34:44Guest:Yeah, there's nothing to talk about.

01:34:46Guest:It's all good.

01:34:47Guest:We've stretched this to death.

01:34:49Guest:Thanks, Brad.

01:34:49Guest:Thank you, my friend.

01:34:55Marc:Brad Garrett, folks.

01:34:58Marc:He's a one-of-a-kinder, that guy.

01:34:59Marc:So, as I said before, Single Parents is on Wednesday nights at 9.30 Eastern on ABC with Brad, and he's got a movie coming out, Gloria Bell with Julianne Moore.

01:35:10Marc:Dig it.

01:35:12Marc:Can I not play guitar today?

01:35:14Marc:It's 8.15 here right now.

01:35:16Marc:In the morning.

01:35:18Marc:In the morning.

01:35:19Marc:Let me see.

01:35:21Marc:Let me see.

01:35:29guitar solo

01:36:05Marc:Boomer lives.