1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Hello friends. 2 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: This week we are joined by a guest who I 3 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: am such an unabashed fan of. I'm so excited that 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: he's here. We have friends in common who've told me 5 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: I'd love him for so long that I knew today 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: was going to be fun, and it was still better 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 1: than I could have imagined. You might know him from 8 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: his hit show Somebody Feed Phil. You might know him 9 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: as the creator and writer and visionary behind Everybody Loves Raymond. 10 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: You might know him as the author of You're Lucky 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: or Funny How Life Becomes a Sitcom? And you might 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: know him as Murray the Dog's Dad on Instagram. However 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: you know him, you know Phil Rosenthal is hilarious, has 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: great taste in food, and perhaps even better taste in friends. Today, 15 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: he's here to talk about how he managed to turn 16 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: his love of meeting people and breaking bread into a 17 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: hit series on Netflix where he gets to travel the 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: world and do just that city to city, country to country. 19 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: And we're also going to talk about something he's doing 20 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: that really has captured my excitement. He's written a book 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: with his daughter Lily called Just Try It. About a 22 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: food loving dad encouraging his picky eater daughter to just 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: try something new, and as I'm sure you would have 24 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: guessed by now, knowing that he bases just about everything 25 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: on his life and manages to turn his very specific 26 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: into our very universal. Even this book that Phil and 27 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: Lily wrote together is based on their experiences as a 28 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: dad and daughter. Let's get to it. People know you 29 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: from Somebody Feed Phil. People know you from creating one 30 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: of their favorite TV shows ever, everybody loves Raymond. People 31 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: know you from Instagram because they love to follow the 32 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: adventures of Murray the Dog. But I want to know 33 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: who you were before you became the Phil Rosenthal we 34 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: all know today. Were you like if we rewound into 35 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: your early childhood and you were like you would not 36 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: six years old or eight years old? Oh come on, yes, 37 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: I would have. We would have been like, we would 38 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: have been out snacking. 39 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: Would you have been in the in like the after 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 2: school plays and things like that? 41 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? 42 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 2: Oh okay, because that's why I just wanted to be funny. 43 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: I just my dad was funny. In fact, my mom 44 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 2: first saw him he was doing amateur night jokes in 45 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 2: a club in New Jersey. She was on another date. 46 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: Wait, we're in New Jersey. 47 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 2: I don't remember the exact SKay. 48 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: My family comes from Tack, which is why I'm asking. 49 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 2: Ah, eh, it might have been around there. 50 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: Okay, So she was on a date with some other guy. 51 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:03,679 Speaker 2: If you see that episode that was a tribute to 52 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 2: my parents, the from season six. Okay, we did, because 53 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 2: they both passed now. But so my brother and I 54 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 2: put together a tribute to them of all their greatest 55 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: hits from the show and a little bit of their 56 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 2: history and their story. And they got together with their 57 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 2: surviving friends who are in their nineties, and they told 58 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 2: me the story for the first time. I didn't know. 59 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 2: This is how they met. Sure's all. They go to 60 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 2: some club in New Jersey on a date and there's 61 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 2: it's amateur night and people are getting up and either 62 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 2: playing the trumpet or do it. And my dad got 63 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: up and told some jokes. He was a tailor, okay, 64 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 2: in the garment district. 65 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: But unbelievable. 66 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 2: I wanted to tell jokes, so we did. And I 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: always said, if he's not funny on that night, I'm 68 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 2: not here. 69 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: So funny is literally in your DNA. Okay, So you 70 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: come from this great meet cute? Hey, yeah, who are 71 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: you as a kid? Where do you grow up? 72 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 2: Up? 73 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: Were you into food? And were you funny? 74 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 2: Then? 75 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: Were you tell me who you were when you were 76 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: like nine years old? 77 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 2: I was a skinny, little nothing, you know what mubbish means. H. 78 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 2: So that was me, really small, really skinny, jealous of 79 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 2: my very cute younger brother who got all the attention 80 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 2: and still does. And I, you know, I was picked on. 81 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 2: It's such a cliche, like I used funny as a defense. 82 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 2: And also the only way I was going to get 83 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 2: make friends or get a girl to talk to me 84 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 2: was to try to be funny. That's all I could offer, right, 85 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 2: And because my dad was funny. My mom was actually 86 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: very funny too, in a different way. And everyone I 87 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 2: saw on TV. Everyone I saw Johnny Carson, you know, Donicos, 88 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 2: all those famous old borsch Belt comedians. And I listened 89 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 2: to mel Brooks call Reiner Records, you know, the two 90 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 2: thousand year old man. Do you know that? It is 91 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 2: so good? And I just if someone was funny, that 92 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: they had my heart. That was it, and that's all 93 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 2: I wanted to be. And so the school plays were 94 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 2: the only outlet for that, and I started as early 95 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 2: as junior high. I wanted to be in the school plays. 96 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: Not because I thought of myself as a great actor, 97 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 2: but this was the only outlet to be funny, and 98 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 2: because I could do voices and I could do characters. 99 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 2: So I wasn't a stand up comedian. I tried that once, 100 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 2: didn't like it. So if you've ever been in school play, 101 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 2: the audience comes, they sit there and they watch. If 102 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 2: you try stand up, you're in a bar or a club, 103 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 2: and the bar is taught they're not going to shut 104 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 2: up for you, especially there for the first time. So 105 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 2: I liked it better when I was in the show. Yeah, 106 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 2: so I was very encouraged in high school to pursue this. 107 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 2: I was a big star in high school, and then 108 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 2: I went to Hofstein University. I was a big star 109 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 2: at Hofstra and and I moved into New York City, 110 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 2: and nobody called New York City to tell them what 111 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 2: a big story I was in high school and come. 112 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 2: So I turned to writing, and that way I could 113 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 2: eat what I wanted. And I loved to answer your question, 114 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 2: I love food. I just in my parents' house. I 115 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 2: wasn't in an environment where that love could flourish. They 116 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 2: weren't cooks. They they worked. They both worked. And you know, 117 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 2: the cuisine in the house was cheap. Yeah, whatever we 118 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 2: could afford. I used to say. In our house, meat 119 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 2: was a punishment, was dry and tough. I didn't have 120 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 2: steak until I was like twenty three in New York. 121 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 2: Somebody said, we're going to steakhouse tonight. You want to 122 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 2: come in? Who would want to go to a steakhouse? 123 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 2: That's not terrible? Because I had terrible meat in my 124 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 2: and then I so I went and comes this gorgeous thing. 125 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 1: That steak change your whole life. 126 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 2: And I ate like that steak. I went on and 127 00:06:58,400 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 2: yelled at my mom. 128 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, I think I got lucky because okay, 129 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: so not dissimilarly to your parents. My parents have a 130 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: meet cute. Yes, they lived in the same apartment building 131 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: my mom grew up. My mom's family came to the 132 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: East Coast through Ellis Island from Italy on a boat. 133 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: My mom grew up in the Bronx and then eventually 134 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: her dad had saved up enough money to move them 135 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: into a little suburban New Jersey. And my mom's mother, 136 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: you know, my grandmother's mother, My great grandmother was the 137 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: one who came, you know, with her children. And so 138 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: if you fast forward to my mom being a little kid, 139 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: you have this woman who's transplanted from Italy but who's 140 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: still handmaking pasta and you know, her own sausage and 141 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: everything in this apartment building in the Bronx. And my 142 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: mom grew up watching her cook. And it was in 143 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,679 Speaker 1: that era where everybody was trying to assimilate so hard 144 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: that my grandparents said, you will not speak Italian to 145 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: the grandkids. So in one generation they lost language. But 146 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: my mom remembers a lot of the food, and so 147 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: there are things like I grew up with my grandma's 148 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: meatballs in my house. And fast forward to you know, 149 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: adulthood from my mom. She's like tending bar in New 150 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: York and it's wild here, and she gets to a 151 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: point where she's like, I got to get out of 152 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: New York City and decides she wants to move to 153 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: la and she moves into this apartment building in mid 154 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: Wiltshire and her dog is like growling at this guy 155 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: in the elevator and she's like, I'm so sorry. He's 156 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 1: never he's never so much as sniff to person. He's 157 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: so well behaved, I don't know why he has a 158 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: problem with you. You know. My dad's like I was 159 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: shaken in my boots trying not to get eaten by 160 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: a Doberman. But I knew why the dog didn't like me. 161 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: I had a crush on this woman in my building, 162 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: and I didn't know how to ask her out. And 163 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: you know, my mom grew up around like East Coast 164 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: tough guys, and she was like, I didn't think he 165 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: was trying to ask me out. He was like this 166 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: soft spoken artist guy. I thought he was gay. So 167 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 1: it took my parents a minute to figure it out. 168 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 1: And that's that's where I come from. It's a love 169 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: story thanks to a dog. 170 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 2: Your grandmother was a great cook, and your mom watched 171 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 2: her and then brought in some of that. Okay, so 172 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 2: my grandmother was a good cook too, but my mother 173 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:22,680 Speaker 2: didn't watch her. She wasn't interested, She didn't have the 174 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 2: time or the temperament for it. Yeah, you know, so 175 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,199 Speaker 2: it wasn't until I left that house that I had 176 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 2: food with what they call flavor. 177 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. That's wild, isn't it. And it's it's funny too, 178 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: because you know, we all have these interesting markers of 179 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: you know, success, and when you work in this business 180 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:45,839 Speaker 1: and you're lucky enough to write a show or be 181 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: on a show for a long time, and like you said, 182 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: you can go out and you can eat what you want. 183 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: The thing that feels like the biggest luxury to me 184 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: in my adulthood is having time to cook. 185 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 2: Oh that's great. 186 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: Like it is, just I love it so much. 187 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 2: That's great. I can't cook. I inherited that I can't cook. 188 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 2: But you'll never see a bigger fan than me of 189 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: people who can. 190 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: I love it. 191 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 2: I even invest in restaurants because I'm not very bright, 192 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 2: but I love you know, said my wife and I. 193 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 2: We support the arts, and that's one of the arts. 194 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: To me, food is absolutely an art. We're going to 195 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: have to talk about restaurant investing. I want to learn. 196 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 1: I need a mentor pill. I'm signing myself up to 197 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: go to phil school. 198 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 2: I've done pretty well mainly because I don't care about 199 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 2: the money. I don't do it for the money. Yeah, 200 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 2: I do it. Here's my one criteria. Here's my first 201 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 2: piece of advice. You taste of food. Yeah, do you 202 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 2: love it? I mean love it? You can't wait to 203 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 2: have this again. That's a good sign. 204 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that should kind of be it. 205 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 2: That's it. I don't care about the trendiness. In fact, 206 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,959 Speaker 2: the less trendy, the better. Those trends come and go. 207 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 2: Great food if you can maintain it. The first restaurant 208 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 2: I was involved in was a restaurant called Jar Jar. 209 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 2: No Jar is one of the great La classics now 210 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 2: because it's been there almost like is it twenty years 211 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 2: maybe more. It's fantastic. It's on Beverly and it's just 212 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 2: a classic American they call it American chop house, right. 213 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 2: And the chef has stayed there the whole time, which 214 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 2: is another very good sign that the chef is dedicated 215 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 2: and staff is you know, pretty much intact. So that's 216 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 2: all all I care about. 217 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: So cool. Okay, So now you're talking about investing in 218 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: restaurants because you love food so much, and you talked 219 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: about landing in New York as a student and winding 220 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,959 Speaker 1: up a writer. Yes, we've skipped a lot of life 221 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: in between here. 222 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 2: We skipped a lot of hearty I bet a lot 223 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 2: of crying alone in the apartment. 224 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like everybody says, it takes ten years to 225 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: become an overnight success in this town. 226 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 2: By the way, I did that at least twice because 227 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 2: after Raymond, Okay, you would think and people expected, you're 228 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 2: going to write another sitcom. I expected it of myself. No, 229 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 2: didn't happen. The business changed a lot in that time, 230 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 2: and I had this dream to do what I'm doing now, 231 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 2: and that took another ten years wow to get it. Yes, 232 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,559 Speaker 2: even after success. 233 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: I think, I don't know if you agree with this, 234 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: but you know, Raymond, I mean, my god, the size 235 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 1: and scope of that show, what you guys did, and 236 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: to have a show that big on for that long, 237 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: you know, I think about my first show. It is 238 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: a bit like lightning in a bottle, right, Like we 239 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: signed up to do One Tree Hill. We didn't know 240 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: it was going to be on for nine years. We 241 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 1: didn't know it was going to be this cult classic. 242 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,560 Speaker 1: And we were one of those shows. Maybe it's because 243 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: we were young, and it's how they avoided ever having 244 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: to give us a raise. But you know, they would 245 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:55,760 Speaker 1: say every year, while you're on the bubble, you might 246 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 1: get canceled, So we never really even knew that we 247 00:12:58,320 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: were a hit. 248 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:01,439 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and I know that. 249 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: Right, And then in hindsight, it's like, Holy, this show 250 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: is huge, and it stays huge in this crazy way. 251 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: I really do feel as we've come up on this 252 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 1: anniversary of it and we're like, Wow, it's been ten 253 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: years since the show ended. I've done a lot of 254 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: shows in between, and they've been great, But I really 255 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: only feel now like I have fully processed that decade 256 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: and like I'm I'm really ready for the next decade, 257 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: like the next big project, not something I want to 258 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: do for a minute, or a movie I want to 259 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: do for a summer, Like I'm just getting my appetite back. 260 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: Do you feel like that second ten year shift between 261 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: Raymond and your show, your docuseriies, Does it feel a 262 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 1: little bit like that to you, Like in a way 263 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: you had to sort of you had to live as 264 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: long off the show as you were on the show. 265 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 2: Yes and no. So I came to LA. I was 266 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 2: twenty nine, okay when I came to LA in nineteen 267 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 2: eighty nine. Then we did get work right away, writing 268 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 2: on sitcoms ONSA and This Is You and Your Brother. No, 269 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 2: my writing partner at the time. I met a writing 270 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 2: partner because I hadn't written before a sitcom before, so 271 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 2: we wrote a spec script based on something that happened 272 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 2: to me in real life in an odd job in 273 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 2: New York. I wrote a book about this called You're Lucky, 274 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 2: You're Funny. How life becomes a sitcom, And it's how 275 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 2: to take maybe the terrible things that have happened in 276 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 2: your life and maybe use them to do something that 277 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 2: you would never have dreamed of doing, like maybe making 278 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 2: a sitcom. Right, Yeah, I had my pa cocta family 279 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 2: in the back of my head. When I met Ray 280 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 2: Romano five years after coming to LA and working on 281 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 2: other sitcoms, he told me about his family and the 282 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 2: physical aspects of Raymond, meaning the parents that lived close by, 283 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: the brother who was older and jealous, the man caught 284 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 2: between being a wife, I mean between his wife and mother, 285 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 2: being a brother, being a son, being a father. All 286 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 2: that we were taking from our lives. Every single thing 287 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 2: you saw on Raymond happened to me, or to Ray 288 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 2: or to one of the writers. If you work for me, 289 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 2: your job was to go home, get in a fight 290 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 2: with your spouse, come back and tell me about That 291 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 2: was where all the material came from. And that's probably 292 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 2: I would say why it was successful. Because people could 293 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 2: relate to it. The biggest compliment we got was you 294 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,720 Speaker 2: were listening outside our house last ning. Yes, we didn't 295 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 2: have to listen to your house. We had it in 296 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 2: our house. 297 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: It really did feel that way. I don't know anybody 298 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: who watched that show and didn't kind of look over 299 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: their shoulder, going, like, am I in the Truman Show? 300 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 1: What's happening here? 301 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 2: But that's the thing, And this is what I didn't realize. 302 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 2: I learned it by trial and error working on the 303 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 2: pilot script. Right, You write a script and you want 304 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 2: to put in something that you think maybe a funny scene. 305 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: So I put in this scene in the pilot of 306 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 2: when I gave my parents Fruit of the Month club. 307 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 2: You know what that is? Fruit of the Month. 308 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: Club, like a delivery of fruit. 309 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 2: It was called Harry and David's. I don't know if 310 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 2: that's the light. Yeah, I remember though, I sent my parents, 311 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 2: you know, a box of pears, and my mother was upset. 312 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 2: I got your present, I said, that's nice, he goes, 313 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 2: but there's so many this pair. Did you realize it 314 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 2: was a box of pears? I said, yeah, but there's 315 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 2: so many of them. There's over a dozen pairs. What 316 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 2: am I gonna do with all these pairs? I said, 317 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 2: I think you're supposed to eat them and get myself. 318 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 2: I said, wolled, share them with dad? How many pairs 319 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 2: can you father eat? Do me a favor, Please don't 320 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 2: send us any more food again. Oops? And I said, well, ma, 321 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 2: another box is coming next month? And she said, what 322 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 2: more pears? And I said, no, a different box every month? 323 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 2: She said, every month. What am I going to do 324 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 2: with all this? I said, share with your friends? Which friends? 325 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: I said, lion stand? Lion stand by their own fruit. 326 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:06,679 Speaker 2: Why did you do this to me? 327 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: Is this? She said? 328 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 2: I can't talk anymore. There's too much fruit in the house. 329 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 2: I put that in the pilot thinking that, uh, people 330 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 2: will see this and think Rai's parents are crazy, right. 331 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 2: I didn't realize that your parents are crazy too, Maybe 332 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 2: not that exact way, but it's relatable because they get 333 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,160 Speaker 2: upset over something that you think was gonna be nice. 334 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 2: You're right, uh, And so that was the lesson. You 335 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 2: write as specifically as you can. Yes, and therein lies 336 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 2: the universality. We didn't let it's from Sri Lanka. That's 337 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 2: my mother. I don't know your mother in Sri Lanka. 338 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,360 Speaker 1: I was writing my mother and now a word from 339 00:17:53,359 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: our sponsors, who make this show possible. So you've moved 340 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: out to la as you said with your writing partner. 341 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: At twenty nine, when you went to New York for college, 342 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: what happens? What happens in that decade? 343 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 2: Odd jobs? 344 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: Okay, So did you come here for school? 345 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 2: No, I came to so right after graduating college, I 346 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 2: move into the city with nothing. That's nineteen eighty one. 347 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 2: Now I see I don't have an agent, I don't 348 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 2: have any prospects. I go to open calls what they 349 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 2: call cattle calls. Yeah, you walk into a room and 350 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 2: there's three hundred guys there for maybe a walk on, like. 351 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: A one liner. If you're lucky. 352 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 2: It's not what I expected. I heard it might be rough, 353 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 2: but I didn't think it would be that rough. And 354 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 2: maybe you're lucky to get one of those once every 355 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 2: couple of weeks. How are you going to do it? 356 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 2: You're you're one of forty thousand actors in New York 357 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 2: going for the same So I get odd jobs. I 358 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 2: worked as a security guard at the metropolit Museum of Art, 359 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 2: and I worked the graveyard shift at one time, and 360 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,880 Speaker 2: I was fired because I fell asleep on a three 361 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 2: hundred year old bed in an exhibit. Oh dear, yes, 362 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,439 Speaker 2: oh dear, And I was fired. You didn't like you 363 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 2: touching the art, let alone sleeping on it. Turns out, 364 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 2: turns out, And so that was terrible. And then I 365 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:34,639 Speaker 2: worked as a bartender. That was terrible. I worked as 366 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,679 Speaker 2: a temp I worked for a movie company that was 367 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 2: somewhat more interesting, but then that business went out after 368 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 2: three years. And then some friends of mine wrote a 369 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:46,639 Speaker 2: show for ourselves to be in. Finally, after seven or 370 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 2: eight years of knocking around, like what are we doing? 371 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 2: What are we doing? This is terrible. We're not acting 372 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:55,719 Speaker 2: number one, We're not having fun. Number two. I actually 373 00:19:55,800 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 2: enjoyed pursuing the happiness. Like it says in the Declaration 374 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 2: of Independence, we have the freedom to pursue happiness. 375 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. 376 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 2: I love that, being out on my own and at 377 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 2: least going after what I like. Right, And I thought 378 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 2: I was a grown up. I had an apartment I 379 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,239 Speaker 2: shared with another guy. We took the A train all 380 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 2: the way up down. It was it was kind of 381 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 2: fun New York in the eighties. It was dirty and gritty, 382 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 2: and you know, you see it in the movies. Now, 383 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 2: if you look at movies from them, you're like, oh, 384 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 2: people live there. 385 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, well and everybody lived on top of everybody. 386 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: It was so cool. 387 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 2: Times Square was not the Disneyland that it is net right, 388 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 2: it was really rough. 389 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:40,680 Speaker 1: I'm a little but I mean, listen, ah, maybe maybe 390 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: there's something I'm missing. But I kind of I miss 391 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: old New York because I spent my whole life coming 392 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: as a kid, you know, and spending time in the 393 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 1: summer with my family. And yeah, there was something shifted, 394 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: Like it really became apparent to me. It was obviously 395 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: shifting and things certain things needed to be cleaned up. 396 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: Of course I get it. But and now everything kind 397 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: of feels like a pottery barn. 398 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 2: Well, and it looks you know, Time Square could be 399 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 2: Las Vegas, yeah, or any other major metropolitan thing. You 400 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 2: don't want things homogenized. Yeah, just like I said about 401 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 2: writing specifically, we want New York to be specific New York. 402 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: Yes, we want it to exactly go to New York. 403 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 2: We don't want it to feel like La or Las 404 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 2: Vegas or Atlanta or anywhere else. We want New York. Yeah, 405 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 2: that's why we go there. But what if Paris look 406 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 2: like that? Yeah, you go. You ever go to another 407 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 2: country and you're like, I'll be in Venice and it's 408 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 2: the most gorgeous. Oh my god, I can't believe how 409 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 2: beautiful just walking around the canals and the little bridges 410 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:44,320 Speaker 2: and everything. You turn the corner there's a burger king. 411 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 2: Oh no, no, exactly what are you doing? 412 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, get out of here. You're ruining it. 413 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,439 Speaker 2: Get out of here. Yeah, we don't need that. I 414 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 2: didn't come here for that. 415 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: So what happened in eight New York with this show 416 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: you guys wrote? 417 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 2: It became a big hit. It became one of the 418 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,320 Speaker 2: most successful off Broadway shows in history. It was called 419 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 2: Tony and Tina's Wedding. Have you heard of that? Wow? 420 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 2: It's still being done. 421 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: Wait the alarm bells going off in my brain right now, Phil. 422 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 2: Yes, Wow. I wrote that with my friends from college. 423 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 2: I was the original priest in the off Broadway production. 424 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 2: They put a blonde wig on me, and you know, 425 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 2: it didn't end well for anybody. Sometimes things that you 426 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 2: do with friends, they can get ugly and nasty. That's 427 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 2: what happened. But it was a good It was a 428 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,760 Speaker 2: good lesson At the same time, a friend of mine 429 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 2: named Alan Kirshenbaum, who I knew from high school. He 430 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 2: was already working out as a writer in Hollywood and 431 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 2: he was a year behind me. But he said, I 432 00:22:57,280 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 2: don't like this sitcom I'm working on. Let's write a 433 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 2: screen pla. I said, I don't know how to do that. 434 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 2: He said, yeah, but you're funny. We'll write a screenplay together. 435 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 2: And we thought of something and we wrote it and 436 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 2: we sold it. Wow, like all of a sudden, all 437 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 2: these years of trying to make it as a character actor, 438 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 2: nothing's happening. All of a sudden, Off Broadway show sold 439 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:21,639 Speaker 2: the screenplay. God is telling me, be a writer. Be 440 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: a writer. Yeah, now that the screenplay was never made. 441 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,239 Speaker 2: But you know, at that time, I had maybe two 442 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 2: hundred dollars in the bank, and we sold the screenplay 443 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,199 Speaker 2: to HBO for seventy thousand dollars. I was now a. 444 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,880 Speaker 1: Thousand air a thousand air honey. 445 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 2: I could eat whatever I wanted. So I saw me 446 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:39,960 Speaker 2: in the play and said, if you come to Hollywood, 447 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 2: you will never stop working as an actor. So I 448 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 2: packed a bag and I moved to Hollywood, and I 449 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,879 Speaker 2: never started working as an actor. But I did start 450 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 2: working as a writer right away. Right away. Wow, my 451 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 2: friend and I wrote a spec script, a spec Roseanne. 452 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 2: We write him out. I said, what if John Goodman? 453 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,439 Speaker 2: They need extra money? So he gets a job at 454 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,639 Speaker 2: night working as a guard at the museum and he 455 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 2: falls asleep on a three hundred year old bed. 456 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: Incredible. 457 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 2: And people around town read that and said, what an imagination. 458 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: Just pulled from your life. 459 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 2: Yes. And then five years after working on various different 460 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 2: terrible sitcoms, I met Ray Ramondo. 461 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,479 Speaker 1: And when you guys met, did you have just that 462 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 1: instant kind of friend chemistry where you went, oh, we're 463 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: going to do this. 464 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,959 Speaker 2: No. I liked that he was from Queen's and I 465 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 2: was from Queen's. 466 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 1: Wow. 467 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 2: I liked how he talked. I thought he was funny. 468 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 2: I had seen him on David Letterman, and from that 469 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 2: one six minute appearance on David Letterman show, David Letterman 470 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 2: said there should be a show for that guy. So 471 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 2: they set about looking for writers to create the show 472 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 2: for him. That's how it works, And so I took 473 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: the meeting. I don't think I was his first choice, 474 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 2: even I think he wanted someone from Friends, and I 475 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 2: don't blame him because Friends was a big hit. 476 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, but you weren't trying to make New York like 477 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: Os Vegas. You were trying to make a city all 478 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: its own. Thank god, you guys wound up with each other. 479 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 2: I think, But thank god. Right when you look back on. 480 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 1: That now, thinking about, you know, from your meeting and 481 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: then beginning to create this show together, it's such a 482 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 1: big life. Do you have favorite memories that jump out 483 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: at you right away when you think about doing the show. 484 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 2: He was very wary of the business of the of 485 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 2: being on TV, of acting, even you know, we now 486 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,359 Speaker 2: know him as a great actor. Yeah, he's in Scort 487 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 2: Sasey movies. He made his own movie. He did did 488 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 2: something called Somewhere in Queens that you should see on Hulu. 489 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 2: Everybody he wrote, directed, produced and stars it. 490 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: Oh cool. 491 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 2: I couldn't be proud of him. It's a fantastic movie. 492 00:25:57,119 --> 00:26:00,359 Speaker 2: But when he was starting, he was very wary, especially 493 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 2: of me, coming from, you know, having worked on sitcoms. Yeah, 494 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 2: and he didn't want to do a kind of bad sitcom. 495 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 2: I'd blame him. I didn't trust me either, So it 496 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:17,880 Speaker 2: was rough at the beginning. As we're trying to feel 497 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 2: each other out. We don't even know we know what 498 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 2: the story of the show will be, but we don't 499 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 2: know the tone exactly, and you have to find that 500 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,120 Speaker 2: and the only way to find that is by doing it. Yeah, right, 501 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 2: you find the tone. Like I'm sure when you started 502 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 2: your show it wasn't bang. This is the best it's 503 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 2: ever going to get. Hopefully it's good enough to get 504 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 2: on and then it grows in quality. So that's what 505 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 2: we think happened. And we had you know, I think 506 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,680 Speaker 2: we picked a great cast and we picked great writers 507 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,879 Speaker 2: to help us, and that was that was how so 508 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 2: favorite memories are Like the first time we got maybe 509 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:02,400 Speaker 2: it was the third episode that we filmed. The audience 510 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 2: that's coming is maybe people from nursing homes and prisons 511 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 2: because they don't know the show yet. So they're literally 512 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 2: grabbing warm bodies off the street to come please watch 513 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 2: our sitcom taping, right, and they don't know the show. 514 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,679 Speaker 2: It hasn't been on TV yet. This is something that 515 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,919 Speaker 2: they're watching. But we got to laugh a very big 516 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 2: laugh during that third taping that was so big that 517 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 2: went beyond it was a character laugh. It wasn't just 518 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 2: they said a funny word. It was they understood a 519 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:41,679 Speaker 2: relationship between husband and wife and they related. And I 520 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,480 Speaker 2: looked at the other writers at that moment, I said, 521 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 2: we're all going to be millionaires. 522 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 1: That's amazing. 523 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,919 Speaker 2: I didn't really mean it, but I just thought, this 524 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:58,959 Speaker 2: is the I knew enough that that is the secret sauce. 525 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,400 Speaker 2: That's what you need, is that relatability? Yeah, and now 526 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 2: we knew what to shoot for. 527 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: That's so cool. Yeah, and you just kept going yeah. 528 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,199 Speaker 2: And then you know when you're recognized, if you're up 529 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 2: for awards or win awards, those evenings are very special, 530 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,160 Speaker 2: not just because of the wind, but because you're sharing 531 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,640 Speaker 2: the win with your friends. My best friends, and we're 532 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,760 Speaker 2: still best friends. Ray and I. We go on vacation 533 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,360 Speaker 2: together every year with our families that have grown up. 534 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 2: The kid's been little and now they're getting married. 535 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's so special. Is it true that he helped 536 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: inspire somebody feed film? 537 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 2: Absolutely? In between season one and two, I asked him 538 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 2: where he was going to go on his hiatus and 539 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 2: he said, I go to the Jersey Shore. And I 540 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 2: said that's nice. Have you ever been to Europe? You said, nah, 541 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 2: Now I'd been to Europe since I was, you know, 542 00:28:57,440 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 2: been going since I was twenty three. I got a 543 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 2: free flight to Europe when I was twenty three, a 544 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 2: currier flight who yeah, a DHL. Used to before they 545 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 2: would DHL, they would send their cargo as your excess baggage, 546 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 2: so you would be a kid. All you had to 547 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 2: do is bring the luggage tags and there'd be a 548 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,240 Speaker 2: guy at the other end, let's say in Zurich with 549 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 2: as sign saying DHL. You get them the luggage tags, 550 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 2: you're free to go. They don't pay you, but you 551 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 2: get a coach seat on an airline that's going overseas, 552 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 2: and you could even have your friend get the flight 553 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 2: the day before on that route, meet up, have two 554 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 2: weeks to come back, do the same thing on the 555 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 2: way back. 556 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: Amazing. 557 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,280 Speaker 2: So that was amazing. I don't know if that exists anymore. 558 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:38,719 Speaker 2: Maybe if you if you're a drug courier. 559 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 1: Maybe I was going to say, probably not new with 560 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: that whole like did you pack these bags yourself? 561 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,840 Speaker 2: Right? Right? Probably not? So that that was my way 562 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 2: in and since then I was like, oh I realized 563 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 2: right away twenty three years old. First of all, oh 564 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 2: my god, the food. Second of all, this is what 565 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 2: your money's for. This is what you're excess money is for. 566 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 2: For travel, not to buy crap that you don't need. Yeah, 567 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 2: for these experiences. Have you traveled a lot? I have. 568 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: I've been really lucky. I similarly to you, I got 569 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: the bug early and yeah, because you know, I had 570 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: the sort of golden handcuff situation of being on a 571 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: show from the time that I was twenty one to thirty. 572 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: I could never really go anywhere for an extended period 573 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: of time because I was always working. But I started 574 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: to figure out how to navigate, like, oh, if I 575 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: have a Friday off, I can go to this city 576 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: and visit this restaurant. Oh if I you know. A 577 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: couple of seasons into our show being on, I think 578 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: it was like season five, we all put our foot 579 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: down and said, this Thursday Friday off for Thanksgiving is impossible. 580 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving is not a holiday. It's like you jump into family. 581 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: It's crazy, you're cooking, it's stressful, you got to come 582 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: back on Sunday. We said, let's just start three days 583 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: earlier in July, and then we'll do the Monday, Tuesday, 584 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: Wednesday also off, so people get a Saturday to the 585 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: following Sunday with their families and you can actually see 586 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: your family because you know, you're on set one hundred 587 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 1: hours a week. And then I was like, my family, 588 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,280 Speaker 1: I love you, I'm traveling. So I went to Barcelona, 589 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: I went to Iceland. I would take that week and 590 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 1: go somewhere because I'd really never been able to go 591 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: anywhere before, and it really started to change my life. 592 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:33,200 Speaker 2: It does change your life. Yeah, that's the whole message. Yeah, 593 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,959 Speaker 2: you know, I tell everybody it's very good for you 594 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 2: to go because if you're nice, we should That's what 595 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 2: we should be exporting is nice, and what you get 596 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:46,719 Speaker 2: back is invaluable. This new perspective, yeah, on life that 597 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 2: you take with you. 598 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: And you realize people everywhere are mostly the same. That's right, 599 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 1: We're mostly the same. We mostly just want to take 600 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: care of our families and have a good meal and 601 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: have somebody make up laugh. 602 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 2: And it's pretty amazing, great and nice and incredibly nice, 603 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 2: Like you can't believe how nice they are a stranger, 604 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 2: a visitor. 605 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,040 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, Well, and I like that you talk about 606 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: that philosophy and that experience when you talk about your show, 607 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: you really, you know, in reading interviews, you speak about 608 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: how the show is really about human connection. 609 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I'm just using food in my stupid sense 610 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 2: and humor to get you in so that you'll get 611 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 2: the real message. 612 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 1: And I think for me especially, you know, my mom's 613 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: family being Italian and then I'm this whole mixed bag 614 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: of like Italian Catholics, Jews and atheists from Canada and 615 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: my family, it's like it's a wild ride and we 616 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 1: have a lot of very traditional food, which I love, 617 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: and culturally, for me, the experiences have always been about 618 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:57,640 Speaker 1: breaking bread together and then you know, these these other 619 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 1: cultures I've been lucky enough to study in the places 620 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: in the world I've been able to travel. You know, 621 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 1: whether it's sitting down for traditional food with people in Turkey, 622 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 1: or you know, breaking Ramadan with my Muslim friends or 623 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:17,280 Speaker 1: whatever whatever, wherever you come from. The gathering around a 624 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: table and walking people through your food and introducing people 625 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,719 Speaker 1: to where your food comes from and why the dishes 626 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: are traditional. It's like, it's just one of my favorite 627 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:32,720 Speaker 1: things about being a person is getting to have that experience. 628 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 2: Yes, that's great, that's everything. I got to experience Ramadan 629 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:43,960 Speaker 2: this season. Cool by how was it? Workers? Thousands of 630 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 2: them in the street. They laid down tarps on the street. 631 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:52,080 Speaker 2: Everybody comes and sits cross legged on the streets the 632 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 2: c you hear the call to prayer all around you. 633 00:33:55,560 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 2: It's magical, so beautiful. That's in Dubai. You'll see gorgeous 634 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 2: and the people are so sweet and friendly and welcoming. 635 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 2: And it was great. 636 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: Oh, I can't wait to see it on the show. 637 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:11,239 Speaker 2: Anyway, that day, when Raymond said, he goes to the 638 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 2: Jersey store. He said, how about Europe. You ever been 639 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 2: in Europe? He goes, nah, I said why now, and 640 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 2: he goes, I'm not really interested in different. So they 641 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 2: go to Jersey and I'm like, okay, we're gonna do 642 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:25,799 Speaker 2: that episode. He goes, what do you mean. I go, 643 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 2: We're going to send you over as you and you're 644 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 2: gonna come back as me. And we did that episode. 645 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 2: Took four years to get him on a plane. He 646 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,799 Speaker 2: didn't want to fly, but we did it a two 647 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,319 Speaker 2: parter called Italy, and it came out very well. But 648 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 2: the best thing about that is I saw the change 649 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 2: that I wrote in the character. I saw happen to 650 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 2: the person. I saw it happened to ray Ramon. I 651 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 2: saw like he comes running over to me. He goes, Phil, 652 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 2: have you had Jelato? 653 00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:58,400 Speaker 1: Incredible? 654 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 2: Then that got in deep know that you're doing what 655 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 2: you do because you like turning people onto stuff you like. Right, Yeah, 656 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:11,240 Speaker 2: that's why we do things. That's my favorite thing, face this, Yeah, right. 657 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,320 Speaker 1: My favorite thing is to have an interesting conversation with someone. 658 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: And I figured out how to turn it into my job. 659 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:17,399 Speaker 2: That's it. 660 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:21,040 Speaker 1: And the thing I like about it is that I 661 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:23,759 Speaker 1: can kind of do it anywhere anytime, so I can 662 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 1: work it around a TV show or a movie. I 663 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: can I can meet people where they are, I can 664 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: meet people on zoom. It's just this incredible realization that 665 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: much like sharing a meal, I can just share a 666 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:39,800 Speaker 1: conversation with someone. 667 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:44,560 Speaker 2: Well on my podcast, which you're inviting you now, I'll 668 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:49,040 Speaker 2: be there anytime. I hear both. Oh, it's called Naked Lunch. 669 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:50,520 Speaker 1: Love it. 670 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 2: And we film it. We take it right here. This 671 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:59,680 Speaker 2: is my son's old bedroom and he moved out because 672 00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 2: he's because he's an adult. Table and chairs and that's 673 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:05,759 Speaker 2: where we do the podcast. We order in lunch and 674 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:06,239 Speaker 2: it's fun. 675 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 1: Amazing. Yeah, what a dream. Yeah, and now a word 676 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 1: from our sponsors. 677 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:22,920 Speaker 2: After Raymond, I thought, I'm going to write sitcoms. That's 678 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,959 Speaker 2: what I'm supposed to do. Nobody wanted them. Yeah, business change, 679 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,960 Speaker 2: while in those nine years everybody wanted friends. Right, well, 680 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 2: I can't write friends. It's not my sensibility. I like 681 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 2: the show, but it's not me. I write Everybody loves 682 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 2: Raymond or that kind of family thing that I identify with. Right. Yeah, 683 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:44,759 Speaker 2: they didn't want it. They said, just try to you know, 684 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 2: we like you, but just do something more hip and edgy. 685 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 2: I said, well you got the right guy. I'm mister 686 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 2: hip and Edgy. And I knocked around for years. Again, 687 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:58,080 Speaker 2: like I said, but I had this idea, this dream 688 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 2: of doing a food and travel show, and after ten 689 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,040 Speaker 2: years of trying to sell it to everyone, I finally 690 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,279 Speaker 2: walked into PBS. That was the first place that we did. 691 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:12,839 Speaker 2: The show was called I'll Have what Phil's Having, and 692 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 2: I sold the show with one line. This is the line, 693 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:20,240 Speaker 2: I'm exactly like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of everything. 694 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:25,279 Speaker 2: And they understood what the show would be. 695 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:26,239 Speaker 1: They got it. 696 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 2: They got it, and so I did six episodes there, 697 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,799 Speaker 2: and those first six episodes did very well. We won 698 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:39,239 Speaker 2: the James Beard Award for best show. Yeah, and then 699 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:43,440 Speaker 2: we were canceled. Don't know why. I think money had 700 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 2: something to do with it. But there came this new 701 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:49,240 Speaker 2: place Netflix. Wow, and now you're going to see March 702 00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:50,840 Speaker 2: first season seven. 703 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:57,120 Speaker 1: Incredible seven years. Yeah, what do you think when you 704 00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:59,319 Speaker 1: look at these seven because you know, you can look 705 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 1: back at these nine years of Everybody Loves Raymond and 706 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:06,720 Speaker 1: now you're looking back at these seven years of this show. 707 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,920 Speaker 1: Are there similar moments that just sing out at you 708 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,520 Speaker 1: as well? That was exceptionally cool. 709 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 2: There's something in every episode where I never thought I 710 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,600 Speaker 2: would do it, and usually it's because my brother forced 711 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,360 Speaker 2: me to do it. It usually goes something like this, 712 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:25,440 Speaker 2: You're going to jump in that cold water. No I'm not, 713 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:27,400 Speaker 2: He says, yes you are. He said, no I'm not. 714 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,759 Speaker 2: He goes, yes you are. And then I do it 715 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:33,640 Speaker 2: and I may not enjoy it at the moment, but 716 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:37,480 Speaker 2: I'm then glad that I did it. And that baby 717 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:42,280 Speaker 2: step out of your comfort zone makes you braver next time. Yeah, 718 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:44,640 Speaker 2: And for a lot of us, just getting off the 719 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 2: couch and going somewhere is that baby step out of 720 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:50,359 Speaker 2: the comfort zone. And that's who the show's for. Yes, 721 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:53,359 Speaker 2: the show is for if you enjoyed your trip to Venice, 722 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 2: you might enjoy seeing you to get right, But what 723 00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:59,680 Speaker 2: about a place you've never been? And my attitude is like, 724 00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 2: if this puts me can go outside, maybe you can too. Yeah. 725 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:07,600 Speaker 2: I'm not Anthony Bourdaina. I'm not brave like he was. 726 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 2: I'm not an adventurer like he was. I'm just a 727 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:13,080 Speaker 2: guy who likes to be comfortable, to be honest, and 728 00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:16,640 Speaker 2: doesn't like going out of his comfort zone. But that's 729 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 2: where all the magic happens. 730 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:20,920 Speaker 1: I like that though, think about it that way, a 731 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: step towards bravery. And it's not lost on me that 732 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,960 Speaker 1: your brother does for you on your show, what you 733 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:31,280 Speaker 1: were doing for Rey when you made him go to Italy. 734 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, we all need that little push in the tush, right, 735 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:41,239 Speaker 2: we just let's go, let's go move, go. You can 736 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:45,280 Speaker 2: do it. Yeah. Sometimes terrible sometimes, Like in Austin, Texas, 737 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,799 Speaker 2: he put me in the Formula one Ferrari around their 738 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,200 Speaker 2: Formula one track. That was the worst thing that ever 739 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 2: happened to me. Have you ever done that terrifying fast 740 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:55,000 Speaker 2: in a car? 741 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:55,800 Speaker 1: Terrifying? 742 00:39:56,239 --> 00:39:56,719 Speaker 2: You did it? 743 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 1: I didn't do a full Formula one. I did like 744 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:03,120 Speaker 1: a stop at a NASCAR thing, which is very similar 745 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: and fast. Did you go enough that I felt like 746 00:40:06,719 --> 00:40:08,520 Speaker 1: my eyeballs were going to come out of the back 747 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 1: of my skull. 748 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,120 Speaker 2: Yes, I went hundred eighty seven miles an hour. 749 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:13,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a lot. 750 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:16,959 Speaker 2: You it's not pleasant at all. It's very violent. It's 751 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,560 Speaker 2: not And they hit the turns at that speed, and 752 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:23,239 Speaker 2: we see it on TV. Ites goes zoom m zoom 753 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 2: around the track. No, it doesn't. You hit the brakes 754 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:29,200 Speaker 2: as you would have to going into a turn really hard, 755 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:31,840 Speaker 2: and you're thld one side and then the other and 756 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:35,279 Speaker 2: then back again. Foe, I'm old man. 757 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:37,720 Speaker 1: It might not be for people like us. Pill people 758 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,279 Speaker 1: like us want to eat food, not get beaten up 759 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: at Well, that's what. 760 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:44,040 Speaker 2: I couldn't eat for like three days after that because 761 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 2: I was so like. I went from there. I went 762 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:48,360 Speaker 2: to the pepto bismal factor. 763 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:52,320 Speaker 1: That's a horror show for you, it is. It is okay, 764 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:54,239 Speaker 1: So formula one aside. 765 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:55,600 Speaker 2: Yes, some of the. 766 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 1: Things made perhaps like cold plunging. In hindsight, you're glad 767 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:03,800 Speaker 1: you've done it because you knew he'd push you. Was 768 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:06,400 Speaker 1: it nerve wracking to partner with your brother on this 769 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,319 Speaker 1: show or is it part of the reason you wanted 770 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,080 Speaker 1: to do The first. 771 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 2: Call I made was to him because he'd already been 772 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:18,600 Speaker 2: a producer in TV shows and and I don't know 773 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:22,759 Speaker 2: if you're gonna if you get your dream, like PBS said, 774 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 2: we're giving you six on the air, right. 775 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:24,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. 776 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 2: The first person I call was him. I said, I 777 00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:32,200 Speaker 2: got this, this gig. He's really they're gonna let you 778 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:34,719 Speaker 2: go around the world and eat what are they gonna 779 00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 2: call this show? The lucky bastard? I said, quit your 780 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:40,160 Speaker 2: job and come produce the show with me, and we'll 781 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,279 Speaker 2: call our production company lucky bastards. 782 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:46,560 Speaker 1: That's amazing, Yes, yes, amazing. 783 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:48,880 Speaker 2: And now I get to travel the world with my 784 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 2: best friend. 785 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:56,319 Speaker 1: That's all I never he know, well, he won't hear this, okay, Yeah. 786 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,840 Speaker 2: To make sure you have to be team filled, not people. 787 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,800 Speaker 2: I do the live tour when I go and speak, 788 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:08,640 Speaker 2: and invariably somebody will raise their hand and where's Richard? 789 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:10,880 Speaker 2: And I call security. 790 00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:13,319 Speaker 1: Wonderful, throw them out. 791 00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:14,799 Speaker 2: That's right, turn the. 792 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:19,640 Speaker 1: Whole world upside down enough. He's a lucky enough bastard. 793 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:22,680 Speaker 2: But we do have fun and we we you know, 794 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:27,640 Speaker 2: we all I share the food, with the crew and 795 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,640 Speaker 2: with him, and it's just you see it. It's it's 796 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:37,759 Speaker 2: we understand me. Especially how lucky. How that's the I mean, 797 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:39,279 Speaker 2: who gets to do this? 798 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 1: It's so cool? Where are you guys taking us? In 799 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 1: season seven? 800 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:47,120 Speaker 2: Season seven, Dubai I mentioned right, we also go to Mumbai, India, 801 00:42:47,160 --> 00:42:47,759 Speaker 2: have you no? 802 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:49,759 Speaker 1: I haven't. I'm dying to go. 803 00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:55,360 Speaker 2: Amazing, absolutely amazing. Uh. They call it maximum City because 804 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:58,160 Speaker 2: it's everything. It's if you wanted to see New York 805 00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:00,960 Speaker 2: in the seventies and this is like as one hundreds. 806 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 2: You can't believe. It's like the first place I went 807 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,280 Speaker 2: in the show. You'll see it. It's like being dropped 808 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:14,040 Speaker 2: into the middle of a giant Times Square packed with 809 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:19,480 Speaker 2: people really hot on New Year's Eve. Wow, like that 810 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 2: that's the feeling, okay, And with every manner of transportation scooters, 811 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:35,360 Speaker 2: tuk tuks, buses, cars, taxis, cows in the street. Yeah, insane, 812 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 2: and they're all friendly and nice and great, amazing. You 813 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,640 Speaker 2: can't even believe how this is possible. Why there isn't 814 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,960 Speaker 2: a fistfight, but there's no traffic lights. Everyone's honking, beeping, beeping, 815 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 2: but it's not hounk get out of my way, you know, jerk, 816 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:53,239 Speaker 2: it's I'm here. I'm here coming in. Oh okay, you're right, 817 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:58,239 Speaker 2: friendly and sweet. You see rich and poor next to 818 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:03,440 Speaker 2: each other, you see, but you don't see the kind 819 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:06,400 Speaker 2: of things we're seeing in LA and New York on 820 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 2: the streets that I did not see in Mumbai, which 821 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:12,200 Speaker 2: I expected to see. Yes, there are people living in 822 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:15,600 Speaker 2: housing that you can't believe, like ten shacks on the 823 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 2: way from the airport into the city. It's upsetting even 824 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:25,920 Speaker 2: but I didn't see the kind of I don't know, 825 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:33,040 Speaker 2: misery that I see in America. And there's something to 826 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:36,640 Speaker 2: be taken from that. I know there is. It kept 827 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:38,960 Speaker 2: me from going to Mumbai for a long time. How 828 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:43,000 Speaker 2: am I going to have my lighthearted food and travel 829 00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:48,600 Speaker 2: show in such a place with such poverty? How do 830 00:44:48,680 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 2: you square that? And then I realized, I guess I 831 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:54,759 Speaker 2: do what I always try to do, which is try 832 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:56,719 Speaker 2: to leave the place a tiny bit better than you 833 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:00,160 Speaker 2: found it. So we focus on at least one one 834 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:04,399 Speaker 2: or two charities per episode so that you see and 835 00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:06,920 Speaker 2: maybe even get ideas of how you can give or 836 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:11,840 Speaker 2: start something here. Yeah, right, and then you're fun. 837 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,640 Speaker 1: I love that. I love that you try to remind 838 00:45:15,680 --> 00:45:19,680 Speaker 1: people that there is always something to do. Yes, always, 839 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:22,760 Speaker 1: you know, people will ask me, when the world's on fire, 840 00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:26,360 Speaker 1: how do you also have joy? Especially because I do 841 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: a lot. I try to do as much as I can, 842 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,680 Speaker 1: you know, political advocacy and volunteer work and fundraising, and 843 00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: I come back all the time. I've talked about it 844 00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:38,040 Speaker 1: on this show before. There's a I don't know if 845 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:41,960 Speaker 1: you're a poetry fan, but there's a poet called Jack Gilbert. 846 00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and he wrote this poem called A Brief 847 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:49,120 Speaker 1: for the Defense, Okay, And the whole thesis of the 848 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:53,440 Speaker 1: piece is that there is always suffering somewhere, right when 849 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:56,399 Speaker 1: there's a group of people laughing in one city there's 850 00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:59,719 Speaker 1: a group of people wailing in grief in another, and 851 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:03,000 Speaker 1: that this is the way of the world and it'll 852 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,160 Speaker 1: break your heart. But what it cannot do is make 853 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:10,960 Speaker 1: you abandoned delight, because if you are experiencing delight, you 854 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:14,880 Speaker 1: better experience it to the fullness of your being, because 855 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,200 Speaker 1: how dare you not knowing how many people are suffering 856 00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 1: and that you could be the one suffering next, Like, 857 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,359 Speaker 1: when you have delight, you gotta take it. And if 858 00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:30,280 Speaker 1: you can turn your delight into a way to channel 859 00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:34,560 Speaker 1: resources toward others at the same time. Yeah, what a 860 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:37,960 Speaker 1: gift like you can highlight charities on a show about food. 861 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:41,040 Speaker 1: What an amazing thing you get to do, and you 862 00:46:41,200 --> 00:46:43,239 Speaker 1: better enjoy it for as many episodes as you get 863 00:46:43,280 --> 00:46:43,640 Speaker 1: to do it. 864 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:47,680 Speaker 2: Nobody enjoys it more than me. I realize that that's 865 00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:52,839 Speaker 2: maybe the meaning of life at my old age. This 866 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:53,760 Speaker 2: is what I've learned. 867 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:55,040 Speaker 1: Say more about that. 868 00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 2: It's a one way street. Right, Let's assum for a 869 00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:06,319 Speaker 2: minute that maybe there's no heaven, maybe this is all 870 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:10,320 Speaker 2: there is, and then if there's heaven, we'll be delightfully surprised. 871 00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 2: Some of us may be going the other way. But 872 00:47:15,640 --> 00:47:19,320 Speaker 2: let's assume why not live life as if this is 873 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 2: all there is? Because for all we know, it may be. 874 00:47:25,360 --> 00:47:29,080 Speaker 2: So do we want to be happy or saying? Do 875 00:47:29,120 --> 00:47:32,320 Speaker 2: we want to be joyful or terrible? And most people 876 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,680 Speaker 2: in the world that I meet, which makes me more joyful, 877 00:47:35,680 --> 00:47:39,640 Speaker 2: most people are nice. Yeah, you know stuff that we 878 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:42,399 Speaker 2: see on the news. Of course it's depressing, and of 879 00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:47,120 Speaker 2: course I get upset and angry even and frustrated at 880 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:51,200 Speaker 2: the injustices and the terribleness. But we have to realize 881 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:55,040 Speaker 2: that it's on the news because it's out of the ordinary. 882 00:47:57,560 --> 00:48:04,320 Speaker 2: Not everybody's like that. There's not horrible criminals doing terrible 883 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:08,959 Speaker 2: things all the time. In fact, most people are nice 884 00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:11,440 Speaker 2: and get along in the world. I even say this 885 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:14,799 Speaker 2: as a generality. Most people are so much better than 886 00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:20,799 Speaker 2: their governments. Yes, they, like you said, we do all 887 00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:24,719 Speaker 2: want the same thing, a happy, healthy life for us 888 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:30,760 Speaker 2: and our kids. Right, good schools, good food, clean air 889 00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:36,319 Speaker 2: and water. Right, we all want that, and that's how 890 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:39,640 Speaker 2: most of us live in the world. You've seen it. 891 00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:42,560 Speaker 2: If you trap, you've seen it, and there are ideas 892 00:48:42,560 --> 00:48:45,600 Speaker 2: to be taken from other countries who seem to have 893 00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:47,360 Speaker 2: the answers. Have you been to Japan? 894 00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:50,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, once in my teens. I'd really like to go 895 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:51,520 Speaker 1: back as an adult. 896 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,760 Speaker 2: So we go to Kyoto in this season, and Kyoto 897 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:57,319 Speaker 2: is one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been 898 00:48:57,320 --> 00:49:01,440 Speaker 2: in my life. I can't believe how spectacular beautiful it is. Now. 899 00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:03,239 Speaker 2: Monica got to come with me, my wife got to 900 00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:05,400 Speaker 2: come with me, and it was like a second honeymoon 901 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:09,239 Speaker 2: being there. So it was the only Japanese city that 902 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:13,600 Speaker 2: wasn't bombed during World War two and so it has 903 00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:18,000 Speaker 2: over two thousand ancient temples and shrines in the city, 904 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:22,600 Speaker 2: right that are like a thousand years old. Yeah, you 905 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:25,640 Speaker 2: will love it. And of course the food and just 906 00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:31,440 Speaker 2: the way of their esthetic, their way of being. You know. 907 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:34,000 Speaker 2: My line is that you go to the drug store 908 00:49:34,200 --> 00:49:36,400 Speaker 2: and you buy a pack of gum and they wrap 909 00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:38,840 Speaker 2: it for you as if it's for your one hundredth birthday. 910 00:49:41,680 --> 00:49:47,000 Speaker 2: That's the care and attention to detail and kind of 911 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:53,160 Speaker 2: serene beauty that permeates every aspect of life, it seems 912 00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:56,600 Speaker 2: there and you try to get some of that in 913 00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:57,040 Speaker 2: your life. 914 00:49:57,120 --> 00:50:00,200 Speaker 1: Right, Well, it reminds you much like that idea of 915 00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:04,760 Speaker 1: what you were sharing a moment ago. You can choose 916 00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:06,839 Speaker 1: to cling to the joy in every day. You can 917 00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:08,239 Speaker 1: choose to see it every day. 918 00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:09,160 Speaker 2: It is a choice. 919 00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:12,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know you can. You can wrap a 920 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:14,640 Speaker 1: pack of gum if you want to. You can make 921 00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:17,879 Speaker 1: anything beautiful. 922 00:50:18,680 --> 00:50:20,600 Speaker 2: That's right. I got to show you one thing. Can 923 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:22,560 Speaker 2: you see that? Do you know what that is? Can 924 00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:23,080 Speaker 2: you see that? 925 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:25,840 Speaker 1: What is that? It looks like an apple, but I 926 00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:28,400 Speaker 1: can tell it's made of paper or maybe it's candy. 927 00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:31,680 Speaker 2: It's something wrapped in cloth. That's a cloth wrapping. 928 00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:33,640 Speaker 1: Oh, it looks like a green apple to me on 929 00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:34,279 Speaker 1: the zoom scull. 930 00:50:34,360 --> 00:50:37,839 Speaker 2: That's right, it does. Yeah. That is the extra roll 931 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:41,640 Speaker 2: of toilet paper in the hotel, built on a shelf 932 00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:49,200 Speaker 2: designed just for that purpose. It's so grateful. Wow, isn't 933 00:50:49,239 --> 00:50:49,640 Speaker 2: that great? 934 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:50,760 Speaker 1: So cool? 935 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:53,840 Speaker 2: That's just an idea of how it is in Kyoto. 936 00:50:55,080 --> 00:51:00,399 Speaker 2: You won't believe. Whoa, that's an ice cream cone. That's 937 00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:02,320 Speaker 2: an ice cream cone. All of that is edible. 938 00:51:02,640 --> 00:51:03,200 Speaker 1: Beautiful. 939 00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:08,480 Speaker 2: Isn't that gorgeous? And the ice cream store is a 940 00:51:08,480 --> 00:51:13,279 Speaker 2: combination ice cream store and florist. Wow, so there's something 941 00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:17,280 Speaker 2: is your edible flower ice cream cone? 942 00:51:17,719 --> 00:51:18,719 Speaker 1: So beautiful? 943 00:51:19,160 --> 00:51:24,120 Speaker 2: Yeah? How do you not like transform by magic like that? Right? Yeah? 944 00:51:24,239 --> 00:51:26,600 Speaker 2: So special? You see the care and detail and then 945 00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:33,280 Speaker 2: it's delicious too. Mm hmm uh So what did I say? Kyoto, Mumbai, Dubai, Taipei. 946 00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:37,040 Speaker 2: Have you been a Taipei Best street food in the world. 947 00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:40,279 Speaker 2: I gotta go a lot of the Chinese food that 948 00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,560 Speaker 2: we have in La, especially in the San Gabriel Valley. 949 00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:45,000 Speaker 2: You can find a lot of Taiwanese. 950 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:47,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, incredible food in the valley. 951 00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:53,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, Iceland, you mentioned you had been, we go there. 952 00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:56,880 Speaker 2: I love it spectacular. Did you see the northern lights? 953 00:51:57,160 --> 00:51:57,520 Speaker 1: I did. 954 00:51:57,640 --> 00:52:00,880 Speaker 2: I've been a times, a couple of times. 955 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:04,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, I loved Iceland so much. I've now been three times. 956 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:06,080 Speaker 1: I just think it's magic. 957 00:52:07,239 --> 00:52:09,520 Speaker 2: Wow. We were there when the volcano was starting to 958 00:52:09,560 --> 00:52:13,759 Speaker 2: go off. No, yeah, not the giant eruption, but you saw, 959 00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:16,760 Speaker 2: we saw the fire. We saw it stuff. It was awesome. 960 00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:21,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, spectacul Isn't it wild when something like that happens 961 00:52:21,640 --> 00:52:24,279 Speaker 1: and you go, oh, I forgot that We're just these 962 00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:25,880 Speaker 1: tiny little people on a planet. 963 00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:28,719 Speaker 2: Yes, So enjoy every second because you never know when 964 00:52:28,719 --> 00:52:30,399 Speaker 2: the volcano is going to come up underneath you. 965 00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:31,799 Speaker 1: There it is? 966 00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:33,200 Speaker 2: It is it? 967 00:52:33,480 --> 00:52:36,400 Speaker 1: Is it that spirit of joy you think because it 968 00:52:36,600 --> 00:52:38,480 Speaker 1: I mean it just it seeps out of you. Phil, 969 00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:42,960 Speaker 1: It's who you are. Is that something that when you 970 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,200 Speaker 1: think about ways you want to grab it, harness it, 971 00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:46,680 Speaker 1: what you want to do with it? Is that what 972 00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:50,160 Speaker 1: inspired you to write a children's book with your daughter? 973 00:52:50,719 --> 00:52:53,440 Speaker 1: As if you're not doing enough cool things? You've written 974 00:52:53,440 --> 00:52:55,600 Speaker 1: a children's book. Can you walk us through it and 975 00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:59,080 Speaker 1: tell us what it's about? I mean, friends, you know 976 00:53:00,080 --> 00:53:02,960 Speaker 1: how I geek out on great children's books, and this 977 00:53:03,040 --> 00:53:06,719 Speaker 1: one is so special. I need to know how you 978 00:53:06,760 --> 00:53:08,719 Speaker 1: guys decided to do it this year. 979 00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:13,800 Speaker 2: What happened. I have a very smart, beautiful daughter named 980 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:17,120 Speaker 2: Lily who's twenty six now, and she texts me one 981 00:53:17,200 --> 00:53:23,120 Speaker 2: day she found the text from two years ago. Dad, 982 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:26,200 Speaker 2: you should write a children's book about how you eat 983 00:53:26,239 --> 00:53:28,680 Speaker 2: everything and you had a little girl who wouldn't eat anything. 984 00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:33,160 Speaker 2: And I said, that's a great idea, Lily, I'll do 985 00:53:33,239 --> 00:53:35,520 Speaker 2: it with you, and she said you will, I said, 986 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:38,879 Speaker 2: of course. And we wrote it together and we found 987 00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:42,600 Speaker 2: a great illustrator and it's called just Try It about 988 00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:44,440 Speaker 2: a dat who eats everything in this little girl who 989 00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:45,200 Speaker 2: won't eat anything. 990 00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:48,040 Speaker 1: It's so sweet. 991 00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:48,600 Speaker 2: Oh. 992 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:49,920 Speaker 1: Thanks, And we have. 993 00:53:49,880 --> 00:53:52,320 Speaker 2: A little tour coming up where we'll be going to 994 00:53:52,360 --> 00:53:56,200 Speaker 2: like five cities and doing bookstores and yeah, I wasn't 995 00:53:56,239 --> 00:53:59,280 Speaker 2: reading to the kids. Yeah, Lily's really looking forward to it. Yeah. 996 00:53:59,440 --> 00:54:01,719 Speaker 1: Oh, that's it's so fun. What a cool thing that 997 00:54:01,760 --> 00:54:03,040 Speaker 1: you get to do that with your daughter. 998 00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:09,120 Speaker 2: Every morning I wake up and feel grateful. That's I'm 999 00:54:09,120 --> 00:54:11,400 Speaker 2: sure you've heard this from other people that you've spoken to, 1000 00:54:11,800 --> 00:54:15,200 Speaker 2: that that's really the secret, and I'm sure you feel 1001 00:54:15,239 --> 00:54:18,919 Speaker 2: the same way. I'm grateful that I got up. Look 1002 00:54:18,920 --> 00:54:21,080 Speaker 2: at my dog is on my bed and next to 1003 00:54:21,120 --> 00:54:25,280 Speaker 2: me is my wife of thirty four years. Wow, life 1004 00:54:25,320 --> 00:54:27,080 Speaker 2: is good. I have a house, I have a roof 1005 00:54:27,120 --> 00:54:29,200 Speaker 2: over my home. My kids are happy, my son is 1006 00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:32,280 Speaker 2: getting married. My daughter has a nice boyfriend who's a chef. 1007 00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:39,000 Speaker 2: He's a great chef. I win again. So that's the 1008 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,759 Speaker 2: base level is gratitude. Now, it doesn't mean that I 1009 00:54:42,760 --> 00:54:46,839 Speaker 2: don't get angry and frustrated and upset about terrible things 1010 00:54:46,880 --> 00:54:50,640 Speaker 2: that happen. No, of course I'm a person. But people 1011 00:54:50,680 --> 00:54:52,920 Speaker 2: say they see me on the show, you look so happy. Yeah, 1012 00:54:53,239 --> 00:54:57,880 Speaker 2: I'm happy doing that, right, Why wouldn't I be happy? 1013 00:54:58,200 --> 00:55:01,000 Speaker 2: Walk through? Like, here we go again in another place. 1014 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:04,319 Speaker 2: I've gotta eat. No, I'm thrilled to be there. I'm 1015 00:55:04,320 --> 00:55:07,880 Speaker 2: thrilled to see the new place and meet the new people. 1016 00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:11,759 Speaker 2: They're always sweet to me, so I look forward to it. 1017 00:55:12,400 --> 00:55:15,040 Speaker 2: That the hardest part of doing my show is waiting 1018 00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:16,040 Speaker 2: to do the show. 1019 00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:21,359 Speaker 1: I love that if you love what you do for work, 1020 00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:22,959 Speaker 1: it'll never feel like work in your life. 1021 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:27,920 Speaker 2: Right, exactly right. Mark Twain said, make your vacation your vocation. 1022 00:55:28,680 --> 00:55:34,040 Speaker 1: Mm hmm. And now a word from our wonderful sponsors. 1023 00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:43,560 Speaker 1: That feels like a good segue into my favorite question, Phil, 1024 00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:49,040 Speaker 1: because you've nailed it, you know, from the charitable work 1025 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:53,120 Speaker 1: you do on the show, and you know, I even 1026 00:55:53,160 --> 00:55:55,640 Speaker 1: got to read about the incredible work you did hosting 1027 00:55:56,239 --> 00:56:01,120 Speaker 1: rescued recipes, this fundraiser dinner that raised money for Holocaust remembrance. 1028 00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:06,799 Speaker 1: That's such a big, heavy cultural experience. And then you 1029 00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:11,560 Speaker 1: travel the world and you bring joy into these places 1030 00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:15,319 Speaker 1: and these populations of people, and where there is light, 1031 00:56:15,400 --> 00:56:19,680 Speaker 1: there is heaviness, and you highlight both. You highlight joy 1032 00:56:19,719 --> 00:56:23,320 Speaker 1: and culture. You sit down with people who suffer around 1033 00:56:23,360 --> 00:56:26,360 Speaker 1: the world, and you make sure you advocate for their causes, 1034 00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:31,120 Speaker 1: for their communities, for their charities, and then you figure 1035 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:35,799 Speaker 1: out these incredible ways to turn your happiest moments into 1036 00:56:35,840 --> 00:56:38,080 Speaker 1: projects we get to share, like this book that you're 1037 00:56:38,120 --> 00:56:41,880 Speaker 1: doing with your daughter. You remind me that it is 1038 00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:47,080 Speaker 1: possible to do all of it and still carry your 1039 00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:52,759 Speaker 1: lightheartedness in everything that you do. And I wonder when 1040 00:56:54,880 --> 00:56:59,080 Speaker 1: when you think about what's next or how you want 1041 00:56:59,080 --> 00:57:03,719 Speaker 1: to continue you on this path. As you look into this, 1042 00:57:03,920 --> 00:57:08,160 Speaker 1: you know, opening year of twenty twenty four, what feels 1043 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:11,680 Speaker 1: like your work in progress because from the outside it 1044 00:57:11,680 --> 00:57:13,520 Speaker 1: looks like you have a lot of things figured out. 1045 00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:17,040 Speaker 1: So so if you think about a work in progress, 1046 00:57:17,240 --> 00:57:18,920 Speaker 1: are what are you still working on? What are you 1047 00:57:18,920 --> 00:57:20,000 Speaker 1: still tinkering with? 1048 00:57:22,720 --> 00:57:26,240 Speaker 2: The show has my heart And because it's not a 1049 00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:30,440 Speaker 2: year round gig, you know, we can film the season 1050 00:57:30,440 --> 00:57:33,640 Speaker 2: in three months. What do I do the rest of them? Wow? Right? 1051 00:57:33,760 --> 00:57:34,120 Speaker 1: Okay? 1052 00:57:34,600 --> 00:57:39,680 Speaker 2: Because it's usually you know, five six episodes, right, and yeah, 1053 00:57:39,720 --> 00:57:43,600 Speaker 2: sometimes the order is for ten episodes. This order that's 1054 00:57:43,600 --> 00:57:49,720 Speaker 2: coming up season seven is eight episodes, but one season, right, 1055 00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:54,320 Speaker 2: so that's before it would be ten episodes seasons five 1056 00:57:54,360 --> 00:57:57,680 Speaker 2: and six, right, so this is eight episodes, so actually 1057 00:57:58,000 --> 00:58:02,920 Speaker 2: two episodes less, just eight episodes at once. Okay, fine, 1058 00:58:03,080 --> 00:58:06,600 Speaker 2: but now I have to wait to see if we're 1059 00:58:06,600 --> 00:58:10,080 Speaker 2: picked up again. You never know, just like you were saying, 1060 00:58:10,120 --> 00:58:13,360 Speaker 2: you were always on the bubble. That's how I live now. Yeah, 1061 00:58:13,440 --> 00:58:14,920 Speaker 2: But what do I do in the meantime? I do 1062 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,840 Speaker 2: the children's book with Lily. I do the live tour 1063 00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:20,760 Speaker 2: where I go around and get to talk about exactly 1064 00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:23,880 Speaker 2: what we're talking about. This is the message, right, we 1065 00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:26,680 Speaker 2: sure highlight real. I'm on with a moderator for a 1066 00:58:26,760 --> 00:58:29,200 Speaker 2: little while then I open it up to audience questions, 1067 00:58:29,240 --> 00:58:31,240 Speaker 2: which is always my favorite part because I get to 1068 00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:34,520 Speaker 2: meet more great people right around the country and even 1069 00:58:34,600 --> 00:58:37,240 Speaker 2: I've done it in Europe and I just got back 1070 00:58:37,280 --> 00:58:41,840 Speaker 2: from Australia this fall. It's lovely. The best thing about 1071 00:58:41,880 --> 00:58:44,960 Speaker 2: the job, and I'll bet you'll agree about what you do, 1072 00:58:46,600 --> 00:58:50,360 Speaker 2: is meeting the people who are so sweet, right. That 1073 00:58:50,440 --> 00:58:53,640 Speaker 2: makes you feel good about the world when you meet 1074 00:58:53,760 --> 00:58:57,280 Speaker 2: so many nice people. So that's everything to me, and 1075 00:58:57,320 --> 00:58:59,240 Speaker 2: that's the project. It doesn't mean I don't have other 1076 00:58:59,280 --> 00:59:02,480 Speaker 2: ideas try to pursue. Sometimes I'll even have a sitcom 1077 00:59:02,560 --> 00:59:04,120 Speaker 2: idea and I'll ride it with a friend of mine 1078 00:59:04,200 --> 00:59:06,760 Speaker 2: or something, or a younger person who knows more about 1079 00:59:06,760 --> 00:59:11,040 Speaker 2: the world today and what. But so far, I just 1080 00:59:11,360 --> 00:59:13,200 Speaker 2: I mean, I don't have to tell you the business 1081 00:59:13,200 --> 00:59:14,440 Speaker 2: seems crazy right now. 1082 00:59:14,560 --> 00:59:15,600 Speaker 1: It's wild out there. 1083 00:59:15,960 --> 00:59:19,760 Speaker 2: It's wild out there, yes, so can we can either 1084 00:59:20,160 --> 00:59:24,520 Speaker 2: worry about it or get on a plane maybe. 1085 00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:28,360 Speaker 1: I love that. I love that if you're lucky enough 1086 00:59:28,360 --> 00:59:31,040 Speaker 1: to be able to travel, go that's it. 1087 00:59:31,360 --> 00:59:33,720 Speaker 2: And my kids kids are like, oh, well, you get 1088 00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:36,320 Speaker 2: to go, you get to go fancy. I'm like, no, no, no, no, 1089 00:59:36,280 --> 00:59:39,680 Speaker 2: I built my way up to fancy. No, I've earned 1090 00:59:39,960 --> 00:59:42,800 Speaker 2: the right, and I'm the age where I'm going to 1091 00:59:42,880 --> 00:59:47,600 Speaker 2: lie down on the flight, especially a flight that's you know, 1092 00:59:47,800 --> 00:59:49,480 Speaker 2: fifteen sixteen hours. 1093 00:59:49,720 --> 00:59:51,440 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, you've earned it. 1094 00:59:51,800 --> 00:59:53,240 Speaker 2: But when I was a kid, when I was in 1095 00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:57,720 Speaker 2: my twenties, took the coach seat the cheapest, even when 1096 00:59:57,760 --> 01:00:00,960 Speaker 2: I wasn't a courier. They had very cheap flights to 1097 01:00:01,080 --> 01:00:04,680 Speaker 2: Europe at that time. They still have bargains like this. 1098 01:00:04,960 --> 01:00:07,200 Speaker 2: You get the cheapest flight you can because the main 1099 01:00:07,240 --> 01:00:10,200 Speaker 2: thing is to get there. And then you're in Paris 1100 01:00:10,320 --> 01:00:12,760 Speaker 2: and you buy a baguette and a piece of cheese 1101 01:00:12,800 --> 01:00:16,000 Speaker 2: and you sit in the park for free, and for 1102 01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:18,920 Speaker 2: five bucks you're having the most delicious thing you ever 1103 01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:20,840 Speaker 2: had in your life, in the most beautiful place you've 1104 01:00:20,880 --> 01:00:22,440 Speaker 2: ever seen, and you're as good as anybody. 1105 01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:28,800 Speaker 1: Yeah right, yeah, And you know what, the really special 1106 01:00:29,160 --> 01:00:33,560 Speaker 1: thing you learn when you've lived long enough is that 1107 01:00:33,560 --> 01:00:36,320 Speaker 1: that's still the thing you want to do. You might 1108 01:00:36,320 --> 01:00:39,800 Speaker 1: have earned, you know, you might be your age and 1109 01:00:39,840 --> 01:00:42,520 Speaker 1: have earned a better seat on the way over there, whatever, 1110 01:00:43,160 --> 01:00:45,120 Speaker 1: but you still just I still just want to get 1111 01:00:45,120 --> 01:00:46,720 Speaker 1: the bag out and sit in the park, That's right. 1112 01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:50,280 Speaker 1: Sit on the sand, get a cheap bottle of wine 1113 01:00:50,400 --> 01:00:51,360 Speaker 1: with two friends. 1114 01:00:51,680 --> 01:00:54,680 Speaker 2: Hey, they have some pretzels there, Mustard, let's go, let's 1115 01:00:54,720 --> 01:00:55,720 Speaker 2: go fantastic. 1116 01:00:56,240 --> 01:00:59,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, the rest of it's a little bit of an illusion. 1117 01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:01,280 Speaker 1: But when you get on to what really lights up 1118 01:01:01,280 --> 01:01:04,280 Speaker 1: your soul. Yeah, like we said earlier, we're all the same. 1119 01:01:04,720 --> 01:01:06,959 Speaker 2: I love the street food. I'd rather have a great 1120 01:01:07,000 --> 01:01:09,480 Speaker 2: hot dog than a four hour French meal where my 1121 01:01:09,480 --> 01:01:12,680 Speaker 2: back hurt's thinking about it, I'd rather just have the 1122 01:01:12,680 --> 01:01:14,600 Speaker 2: delicious thing. Just give me the delicious thing. 1123 01:01:15,200 --> 01:01:17,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, let me walk around and eat the delicious things 1124 01:01:17,720 --> 01:01:21,200 Speaker 1: and meet new people. Oh, I love it. I can't 1125 01:01:21,200 --> 01:01:22,320 Speaker 1: wait to come over for lunch. 1126 01:01:22,520 --> 01:01:25,000 Speaker 2: Come on, where are you traveling next? 1127 01:01:26,720 --> 01:01:29,400 Speaker 1: Well, I'm on the East Coast this month, so I'm 1128 01:01:29,440 --> 01:01:32,280 Speaker 1: stopping in at you know, all my favorite spots to eat. 1129 01:01:32,440 --> 01:01:35,960 Speaker 2: In New York. And yeah, have you been to the 1130 01:01:36,080 --> 01:01:37,560 Speaker 2: Industry Pizza yet? 1131 01:01:38,160 --> 01:01:40,400 Speaker 1: No? I just went to Ruby Rosa last week, which 1132 01:01:40,560 --> 01:01:41,000 Speaker 1: that's good. 1133 01:01:41,160 --> 01:01:44,960 Speaker 2: Oh, and I want to recommend Mama's too, Okay for 1134 01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:47,920 Speaker 2: the West Side one hundred and sixty Broadway, that's great, 1135 01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:51,600 Speaker 2: all the way up okay, and Raza's and Jersey City great. 1136 01:01:52,240 --> 01:01:53,400 Speaker 1: I'll take your whole list. 1137 01:01:53,720 --> 01:01:57,560 Speaker 2: Okay, people, if you're listening, go to Phil rosenthalworld dot com. 1138 01:01:57,640 --> 01:01:59,680 Speaker 2: You have all my picks from the shows. 1139 01:02:00,360 --> 01:02:03,360 Speaker 1: Oh I love that. Yeah, that'll be a good resource 1140 01:02:03,400 --> 01:02:06,160 Speaker 1: friends at home. We'll put that up on our Instagram 1141 01:02:06,200 --> 01:02:09,240 Speaker 1: resources for this episode, so you guys have a nice 1142 01:02:09,320 --> 01:02:13,160 Speaker 1: quick link. Phil. You're just a ball. Thank you so 1143 01:02:13,280 --> 01:02:17,160 Speaker 1: much for coming on today. I just I adore you. 1144 01:02:17,200 --> 01:02:19,040 Speaker 1: I knew I would because all my friends told me so, 1145 01:02:19,200 --> 01:02:21,720 Speaker 1: but I'm so glad to have finally had a moment 1146 01:02:21,760 --> 01:02:22,000 Speaker 1: with you. 1147 01:02:22,600 --> 01:02:26,000 Speaker 2: Well, Sophia, you do not disappoint as they say. You're 1148 01:02:26,120 --> 01:02:29,160 Speaker 2: lovely and great and sweet things. And we're gonna be 1149 01:02:29,160 --> 01:02:30,400 Speaker 2: friends now and we're going to eat. 1150 01:02:30,800 --> 01:02:31,280 Speaker 1: Can't wait. 1151 01:02:31,600 --> 01:02:32,440 Speaker 2: Thanks for having me