1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Comedy Saved Me. 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 2: Welcome to Comedy Saved Me, a podcast where comedians and 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 2: entertainers reveal how humor carried them through life's toughest moments 4 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 2: and also share profound ways that they've even witnessed comedy 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 2: bringing healing to others. I'm your host, Lynn Hoffman, and 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,600 Speaker 2: today's guest needs little introduction, but I'm going to give 7 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 2: him one anyway, because you've worked hard. Greg Fitzsimmons is 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: a beloved Emmy Award winning comedian, writer, actor, podcast host, 9 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 2: and prolific guest on shows like Howard Stern, Joe Rogan, 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: Adam Carolla. The list just is almost too long to mention, 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: and his sharp wit and honest, self deprecating storytelling has 12 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 2: earned him a huge. 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:44,599 Speaker 1: Devoted following. 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 2: He's also a cool I didn't know this, a pioneer 15 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: in comedy podcasting, launching Fitzdog Radio way back in two 16 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 2: thousand and nine. So beyond the laughs, Greg's journey is 17 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 2: one of resilience, using comedy not just as a career, 18 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 2: as a lifeline during his darkest moments, and lucky me, 19 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 2: he is here to talk to us all about it. 20 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 2: Greg Fitzsimmons, Welcome to comedy save me. It's such a 21 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: pleasure to have you here and a fellow Boston native too, 22 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 2: so that makes me happy. 23 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: Well, thank you for the warm intro. I do have 24 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: to correct one thing you said self deprecating, but I 25 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: would also throw in like a lot of other people 26 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: deprecate me as well, so it's not it's not just 27 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: me they I take my cue from them. When you've 28 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: been deprecated by enough people, you go like a right, 29 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: I guess I'll jump in. I guess I'll let join 30 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: in on it. I love it. 31 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 2: And also I want to start off by congratulating you 32 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 2: on something that maybe people probably know who have seen you, 33 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 2: but if they're just tuning in now and meeting you 34 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: for the first time, something that blew me away was 35 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 2: that you have been sober for I want to say 36 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 2: more than three decades, thirty. 37 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: Five few years. Sure, that's huge. 38 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 2: That's I learned this early on with my dad that 39 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: most people don't make it past five years without going 40 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 2: back and relapsing, and so that's like a massive feet 41 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 2: in and of itself. 42 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: Well, thank you. Yeah, it was a decision that I made. Well, 43 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: first of all, I slipped once in thirty five years 44 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: for one night, and it was the night that was 45 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: Kevin Meanie's funeral. Who I'm sure you knew he was 46 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: around Boston when you were there, I sank, I've interviewed him. 47 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 2: One of my all time favorite Commadians of all time. 48 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, he's lovely, just one of the greatest. So 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: that was the moment. But I quit my father. It's 50 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: funny my father was an alcoholic. But I grew up 51 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: in New York in an area where all my friend's 52 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,799 Speaker 1: parents were alcoholics. It's like it's almost like you find 53 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: each other like adult children or children of alcoholics. I 54 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 1: should say, we were broken toys and we find each 55 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: other like through the anger, through the maybe there's something 56 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: in your eyes. And so I never thought it was 57 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: unusual that there was this much drinking. Not all my reals, 58 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: A lot of my relatives also were alcoholics. And so 59 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: when I got to Boston, somebody brought me to an 60 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: adult child of alcoholics meeting and I sat there and 61 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: I heard people qualify about their lives and the dynamics 62 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: of what it's like to be, you know, codependent, and 63 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: the guilt and the shame and the control, and I 64 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: just burst out crying. The first time, I was like, 65 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,399 Speaker 1: oh my god, this is I didn't feel alone. And 66 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: that led me to quit drinking probably about a year later. 67 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: And I feel like I owe a lot of the 68 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: positive things of my life to stopping I bet. 69 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: Well, can you take us back a little bit, sort 70 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 2: of paint a picture around the first time you realized 71 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 2: that comedy would be more than just something that you 72 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 2: consumed and more something that you could use to navigate 73 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 2: the world. 74 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: Did that come into play? Well, the first time I 75 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: did it, it was actually it was it was my 76 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: senior year of high school, and I was I was 77 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: all coped up and I'd been drinking, so that kind 78 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: of didn't count. That was just pure euphoria. I got 79 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: off stage. I was chopping up lines on the on 80 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: the slide at the playground at the school, and uh, 81 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: and I went up on stage and I started roasting 82 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: the teachers, and so the principal unplugged my micro Folks. 83 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: I was talking about how the Western cief teacher was 84 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: having an affair with the art teacher and uh, and 85 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: they unplugged my mic and so I just yelled out 86 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: the rest of my act without a microphone to the auditorium. 87 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 1: Because it was like it was like a talent night. 88 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: Everybody else was singing songs and whatever, and I got 89 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: up and did stand up comedy, which you know, in 90 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four there wasn't that much stand up around. 91 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: No there was decided to do to roast them. 92 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,919 Speaker 2: Was it a last minute decision or did you know 93 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 2: what you were going to do. 94 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: I think it's what my father was in radio, as 95 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 1: Buzz was just talking about, which is very thrilling to 96 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,159 Speaker 1: hear that. I love when anybody knew my dad because 97 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: it's he died so young that I just I miss 98 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: him and I love connections to him. He was he 99 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: was only fifty three when he died, and I know, 100 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: and I'm fifty nine, So it's weird. It's weird to 101 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: live past your parents, that's for sure. And so he 102 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: was a master of ceremonies for a lot of benefits. 103 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: He would do beauty contests, award shows, and so he 104 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: put on his tuxedo and he'd bring me with him 105 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: when I was like, you know, i'd be like ten 106 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: years old and I would watch him go up there, 107 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: and he had joke jokes, you know, like street jokes. 108 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: He had. He would roast, you know, whoever was running 109 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: the event, and he went right after them because he 110 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: knew that that was going to get the biggest laughs. 111 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: And he told stories about his life a little bit, 112 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: but it was like, essentially he was doing stand up comedy. 113 00:05:57,760 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 1: I mean, you wouldn't have called it that then, you 114 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: would have called it, I'm seeing a dinner. But I 115 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: think I learned a lot of my style. I have 116 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: old audio tapes with my dad's radio shows, and I 117 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: have a video of him hosting one of these dinners, 118 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: and I go back and I go, holy shit, that's me, 119 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: that's my I so much of my voice is influenced 120 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: by how he did it, you know. Yeah, yeah, certainly 121 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: lead by example. 122 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 2: Certain he probably didn't even realize he was leading you 123 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 2: by example at that point. 124 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: Don't I don't think so. But we went to the 125 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: clubs in New York City my whole teen years. We 126 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: used to sneak into the clubs. When I was like 127 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: sixteen seventeen, I'd be at the Comedy Seller watching Seinfeld 128 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: and Paul Riiser and Richard Belzer, and we, you know, 129 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: we used to heckle them. We were like little drunk teenagers, 130 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: the comedians I'm like, I'm embarrassed when I think back 131 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: that we were those guys and the like we went 132 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: hackle it but like if they did a joke, we 133 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: would add like a tagline to their joke. We thought, well, 134 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: that's what we thought. We thought we were helping them, 135 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: and we thought we're part of the show, and then 136 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: they'd make fun of us and they'd get big laughs. 137 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: We felt like we were helping them there too, and 138 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: but I realized looking back and we were probably just 139 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: really annoying to them. 140 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 2: Wow, that's amazing. And your dad also was the host 141 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 2: of I believe Good Day in New York. 142 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: For a while. Yeah, he was the first host of 143 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: Good Day New York and he was there for not 144 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: very long because there was there was some politics involved, 145 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: and my mom will tell me a lot of stories 146 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: about it, but my mom is a storyteller, and I 147 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: never know what's true and what's not. But but yeah, 148 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: he launched it and then but he mostly did radio 149 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: and then he hosted the Jerry Lewis Telethon for last 150 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: fifteen years. I remember that. That's amazing. Yeah, so people 151 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: don't always really that, Like Jerry Lewis would host forty 152 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: five minutes and then fifteen minutes would be the local stations, 153 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: whether it was Chicago or Boston. And so he was 154 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: the New York guy. And he did it with Tony 155 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: Orlando for years wow. And then he did it with 156 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: Patty Duke Aston for a long time. Wow. And and 157 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: we used to go down every year. We'd volunteer, we'd 158 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: help out, and it was thirty six hours long and 159 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: he would go straight through. It was crazy. 160 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 2: I bet yeah, I'm from my kid childhood. I would 161 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 2: just remember the yelling like Timbudy. 162 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: He would scream and they would do the big rollout. 163 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: It was amazing. Yeah. Yeah. And then Jerry would always 164 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,079 Speaker 1: sing You'll never walk alone again at the end, which 165 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: was always funny because these kids can walk. I know, 166 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: everyone's crying, like does he not? Oh my right right? Well? 167 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 2: Growing up in Terrytown, did humor play a role in 168 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 2: your family dynamics, like with comedy, sort of like a 169 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 2: shield or maybe a bonding tool or maybe a little 170 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 2: bit both. 171 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: For you, Yeah, I mean it's very much. Part of 172 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: the Irish culture is the storytelling. We famously are just 173 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: great storytellers. And there's also this we keep each other 174 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: in check if somebody starts to get any kind of 175 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: an ego, you immediately ripped them down again. So our 176 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: dinner table was a lot of that. It was a 177 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: lot of you know, we just roasted each other and 178 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: we told stories from our day. And my father was 179 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: this bigger than life guy. You know, he really had 180 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: more charisma, I think than anybody I've ever met my life. 181 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 1: He was just phenomenal guy. And you know, he had issues, 182 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: but at the end of the day, like we wanted 183 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: his approval. Making him laugh was a big deal. And 184 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: my mom had a great sense of humor. So the 185 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: dinner table felt like the first stage for me. I 186 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: think that I performed at and I kind of shined. 187 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: I was kind of the funny one at the table. 188 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: It was like me and my dad kind of and 189 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: then my sister was the great laugh of all time. 190 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: And my brother just kind of listened and smiled, and 191 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: he didn't he didn't usually add that much. 192 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,440 Speaker 2: He just took it all. It was he the youngest, No, 193 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 2: he was a year older older. Wow, what's your earliest 194 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 2: memory of maybe using humor to get out of trouble? 195 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: Did you ever do that? Well? I wrote a book 196 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: called Dear Missus Fitzsimmons Tales of Redemption from an Irish 197 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: Mailbox and it's I found this, uh, this box in 198 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: my We were going through my aunt's basement in the 199 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,319 Speaker 1: Bronx and we found this box that my mom had saved, 200 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: and it was a collection of all the letters that 201 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: got sent home from school when I was in trouble, 202 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: the funniest stories, like each one of them. You read 203 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: it and you can be like, I can't believe a 204 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,560 Speaker 1: teacher would write this and then send it home. It 205 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: would be telling stories about, you know, how I jumped 206 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: out of the window of the classroom wearing a cape 207 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: during French class, and so it was kind of showing 208 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: how the Irish will always buck up against authority. And 209 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: it was this whole pattern of me acting up in 210 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: school and so I and I would get away with 211 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: it because my parents would sit at the dinner table 212 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: and they'd read the letter and I would sit there 213 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: not going because I could get hit, I could get 214 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: slapped for or I would get a huge laugh out 215 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: of it, and it would become like a legendary story 216 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: they would tell over and over again because they thought 217 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: it was funny. If you got in trouble, but it 218 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: was funny. Then they were behind it, so. 219 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 2: It was so if it was a good story at Thanksgiving, 220 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 2: you were redeemed. 221 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: Yes, that's hilarious. Yeah it was. You know. One of 222 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: them was about Greg was in geometry class and we 223 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: were teaching positions on fractions. Greg then yelled at are 224 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: there any other positions? Is there a sixty nine position? 225 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: She literally wrote that out and sent it home and 226 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: my parents were dying. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, my god. Well, 227 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,080 Speaker 1: the premise of this show is called Comedy Saved Me. 228 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,319 Speaker 1: Here we go. Now we're gonna get all serious. I'm 229 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: gonna get a little serious. 230 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 2: Can you Is there a moment in your life where 231 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 2: you can truly say you know that without comedy you 232 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:25,839 Speaker 2: might have been stuck in a darker place in life. 233 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 2: I mean that's not too serious, but just sort of 234 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 2: in retrospect. 235 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I remember. I mean I've had a lot of 236 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: friends die, I've had an unbelievably like death filled life, 237 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: and the Irish Wake was always something that put things 238 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: in perspective and made you think about how life shouldn't 239 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: be defined by your death. It should be defined by 240 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 1: the people you touched and the laughter that you gave. 241 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: And so the Irish wake is just your close friends 242 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: and family getting up and regaling everybody with the great 243 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: stories of your life and including roasting you, you know, 244 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: making fun of you and the things that were ridiculous 245 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: about you. You know. I don't remember that with my 246 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: father very much because it was so tragic. But like 247 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: my friend Jerror ed Wilson died and he was a 248 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: fellow comic and we were probably about twenty nine or something, 249 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: and he was a school future from Queen's grew up 250 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 1: or and stumbled into stand up and he was just 251 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: like Jackie Gleeson. He was just like this, you know, 252 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: presence in the room and he just immediately just had 253 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: star power. And he got signed to a deal and 254 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: he had his own sitcom on CBS, and he was 255 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:49,080 Speaker 1: he flew over to Hawaii to do an episode of 256 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: Hawaii five. Oho had just been brought back and he 257 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: was doing an episode and he caught spinal meningitis and 258 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: went into a coma and died. And my wife and 259 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: I were like, you know, closest friends with him and 260 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: his wife. It was awful, and we had the funeral 261 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: and then we were out in Queen's at a restaurant 262 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: and Jerry's father said to me, would you mind getting 263 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: it up and saying a few words, And he goes 264 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: and invite any of the other comedians to get up 265 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: to speak. So I got up and I did ten 266 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: of fifteen minutes of great Jerry Red stories. And the 267 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: whole everybody at the gathering was Irish Catholic New Yorkers 268 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: and I'm talented and I am people are just exploding. 269 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: They needed to laugh so bad. He had just gotten 270 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: engaged on the Tonight Show. He asked Kathleen to marry 271 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: him on the Tonight Show like a month before and 272 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: so and then I brought up I brought up David Tell, 273 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: I brought up Colin Quinn, I brought up I want 274 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 1: to say, Jeff Ross was there, and everybody, everybody just 275 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 1: told funny stories and it went on for like an hour, 276 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: over an hour, and at the end of it, people 277 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: are wiping tears. And the father said, we need to 278 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: do this every year. So I started a foundation called 279 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: the Jerry Red Wilson Foundation with his fiance, and we 280 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: held a show a year later at Carolines Comedy Club 281 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: and all the family, all the friends, came out, it 282 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: sold out so fast that the next year we did 283 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: it at town Hall, which holds like sixteen hundred people, 284 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: and we invited all his friends and family, and then 285 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: we had some of the biggest comedians around. John Stewart 286 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: did it and Jay Leno did it, and everybody knew 287 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: Jerry and loved him, so they were willing to come 288 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: on and do the show. And we did it for 289 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: like ten years every year at town Hall, and we 290 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: raised hundreds of thousand of dollars that we gave to 291 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: the Meningitis Foundation. And it was just a when we 292 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: put together a video compilation reel that we would show 293 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: at the beginning of the show because some people there 294 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: did know who Jerry was and wanted to keep that 295 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: keep his spirit alive. And uh yeah, that was That 296 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: was something where a laughter did a lot of healing. 297 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I have been to a few Irish wakes, 298 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 2: so I know exactly what you're talking about. And I 299 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 2: think I think all all funerals should be like that, 300 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 2: you know, celebrations of life. 301 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I think you should videotape them and then 302 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: you have that to look back on for for years. 303 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: That that to me is the ultimate scrap book is 304 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 1: the and now that's my thing is then no matter 305 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: what funeral I go to, people asked me to get 306 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: up and speak like my friend Dave Hallana, like I 307 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: played poker with a bunch of guys here and I 308 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: live in Venice Beach and we played for twenty years. 309 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: And there was one guy in the group, Dave Halenan, 310 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: who died tragically young as well. He was probably not 311 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: much older than my dad and with two young kids. 312 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 1: And it was the kind of thing where we went 313 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: to the funeral and Dave was not one of my 314 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: best friends. He was like a guy that I knew 315 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: from poker night. But the wife came up and said, 316 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: we want you to speak in the funeral, and I 317 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: was like what. So I had like a couple of days. 318 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: So what I always do is I just talked to 319 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: the loved ones and the family. I go, what was 320 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: your favorite Dave story? And I just collect them and 321 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: I tell them for them, because they don't they are 322 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: afraid to get up and do it. And so I 323 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 1: told my own stories that I had about them, and 324 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,159 Speaker 1: then and then I told other people's and then afterwards. 325 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: People just give you this sixty second hug like, thank 326 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: you for doing that for all of us. 327 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 2: Greg Fitzsimmons's funeral Roaster. I could see it's a whole 328 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 2: business now, you could you. 329 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 1: Could, you could see that. I could see that. You know, 330 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: you're always looking for an angle in this world, but 331 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: that's the best angle of all right, Right, And when 332 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,639 Speaker 1: people just lost somebody, I've seen this from funeral homes, 333 00:17:56,680 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: you can gouge them on the money. I could, I 334 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: could a tremendous amount. Oh I wasn't even thinking of 335 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: the money part of it. Oh No, I'll do. I'll 336 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,479 Speaker 1: have a website. You can book me online. Just give me, 337 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: give me a couple of details, and I'll fly into 338 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: Saint Louis. Some bullet points of your loved one and 339 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: I am there. Wow, you know I'm not. They were shocked, 340 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: and don't send bullet points. That would be too dark. Yeah, 341 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: we'll be right back with more of the comedy Save 342 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 1: Me Podcast. Welcome back to the Comedy Save Me Podcast. 343 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 2: Did getting laughs throughout your career sort of give you 344 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:48,720 Speaker 2: a sense of control or empowerment maybe when things felt overwhelming? 345 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: What did that feel like to you when you sort. 346 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 2: Of really were winning them over, like that outside of 347 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 2: the funerals, of course, I mean on the in the comedy. 348 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: Show, like on stage. 349 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like, what was it that kept you going to 350 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 2: doing it? 351 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: That feeling? Yeah, I think it is. It is. I 352 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: think a lot of comedians have social anxiety, and I 353 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: think it's one of those things where you sometimes you 354 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: take your worst fear and you throw yourself straight at 355 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 1: it to prove that you can conquer it. And I mean, 356 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: I don't think many people would think of me as 357 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: having social anxiety, but I really do. And when I 358 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: get up on stage, I can I can conquer that 359 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 1: and it makes me feel more in control of my life. 360 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: It's very funny because I like this past weekend, I 361 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:39,880 Speaker 1: was in San Diego and my friend text me. He's like, Hey, 362 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: can you get my friends on the guest list? And 363 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: I said, I don't really do that. I said, I don't. 364 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: I don't like people coming to my shows that I 365 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,719 Speaker 1: know or even know, because I just like a crowd 366 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: of people that are strangers and if there's somebody out 367 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: there that I know, it makes me very uncomfortable. I mean, 368 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 1: I can do it, but what I'll do is I'll 369 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: do two shows a year in La where I invite 370 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: all my friends and family to come out, get it 371 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: over with, and I get it out of the way, 372 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: get it over with. They're all there at once, and 373 00:20:09,480 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: I can deal with it, but I don't like it 374 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: trickling in constantly because I'm really nervous before I go on, 375 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,640 Speaker 1: and when I get off, I don't want to talk 376 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: to anybody like I want to talk to the other 377 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: comedians because like they're my brethren and they're like, they 378 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 1: know what I just went through on stage, and I'm not. 379 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: I don't want my friend said, oh, you know me, 380 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: my friend, he's a great guy you love. I won't 381 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: love him. I will not love somebody that just came 382 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: out of the crowd, because it's not like what I 383 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: just did with them is a trick. And now they 384 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 1: think I'm that guy. They think I'm the guy that's hey, 385 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: you know, like, and I'm not that guy at all, 386 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: And I never want to be that guy when I'm 387 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:55,239 Speaker 1: not on stage, Like I've grown past that. I'm no 388 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: longer like the funny guy off stage understood. I'm kind 389 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: of serious and that's the place where I can control 390 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: my situation. I don't want to control my life like 391 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: stand up comedy is a very alpha kind of experience, 392 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: and it forces you to wear a mask as much 393 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: as you don't want to. I mean, I think the 394 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: journey of doing stand up is to not wear a mask, 395 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: but you always are, you know, anybody is. I don't 396 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 1: like like like One of the kind of oddest sad 397 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: moments in my life is my son came and saw 398 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: me for the first time when he was probably about 399 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: maybe sixteen or so, and we were in Denver and 400 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: they came out because we're going to go skiing after 401 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: my show. So I said to my son, why do 402 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: you come see me do a show? Finally it's time. 403 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: So my daughter took my wife out to dinner and 404 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: my son came to the show and I went up 405 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: and it's one of my favorite clubs and it was 406 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 1: sold out, and I just crushed, you know, he was 407 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 1: out there and I wanted to do well, and I 408 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:03,600 Speaker 1: mean it was just applause breaks throughout it, standing ovation. 409 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: And then we walked out and we went to get 410 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: a slice of pizza and he's like he's looking at 411 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: me and he's like, Dad, that's the hardest I've ever 412 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: left in my life. He's like that was amazing, like 413 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: how do you think of that stuff? And all of 414 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:18,880 Speaker 1: a sudden he was asking men, he questions the way 415 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: a fan would after a show. It made me feel 416 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: like it was corrupting my relationship with him, because there's 417 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: a power dynamic when somebody sees you do stand up 418 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: comedy at a high level and they suddenly put you 419 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,679 Speaker 1: up on a pedestal and they suddenly don't really understand you. 420 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: And I never wanted that dynamic in my relationship with 421 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: my son. I wanted to be I'm the guy that 422 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 1: played cats with you. I'm the guy that made go 423 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: karts with you. I'm the guy that you come to 424 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 1: and tell me when you're sad, if you're looking up 425 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: to me. It's creating a real distance between us. So 426 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: what did you tell him? I just was weirded out, 427 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: you know. I answered the questions, but there was nothing 428 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:06,720 Speaker 1: I could do. It was like we'd shattered something you 429 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: really I didn't want shattered a little bit. 430 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,840 Speaker 2: I mean that just first of all, the fact that 431 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,960 Speaker 2: you felt that way is amazing. Most people would say, 432 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 2: don't don't, don't give away the secret that you're not 433 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 2: on this pedestal. But it's such a smart thing to 434 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 2: want to instill in your kid that you know, dad's dad. 435 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 1: That's what I do for work. Well, yeah, because but 436 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: also how could you not. 437 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 2: Quell a little bit that he'd laughed so hard, never 438 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 2: laughed so hard in his life, and you're his dad because. 439 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,920 Speaker 1: He already loves me. He already loves me. I don't. 440 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,920 Speaker 1: I don't want to be that controlling guy when I'm 441 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 1: on stage, I'm controlling the crowd. I'm I'm establishing a 442 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: power relationship between us that I don't want with him, 443 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,359 Speaker 1: and I don't like it with my friends. I hate 444 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: when my friends comes to him. You do stand up 445 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 1: give me one reason for that same reason, just that 446 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,120 Speaker 1: I don't want to feel better than that. And when 447 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,919 Speaker 1: I come off stage, I feel better than every single 448 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,400 Speaker 1: person in the audience because they did not speak one 449 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,400 Speaker 1: word for an hour, and I talked NonStop and they 450 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: did nothing but give me adulation and acceptance. And I 451 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,719 Speaker 1: then walk out and now I'm going to talk to 452 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:24,199 Speaker 1: one of these people like we're equals. And so I 453 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 1: don't like that feeling because it's not unique to me. 454 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: I'm just saying that's the experience of being a stand 455 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,159 Speaker 1: up comic. If being any kind of a celebrity, you know, 456 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: like I always feel for big celebrities because they don't 457 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: ever know who wants something from them or who is 458 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: just so blown away that they're famous that they're never 459 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: going to have an equal kind of an exchange anymore. 460 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: Like I have friends that get famous and I feel 461 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 1: it go away, Like I feel myself getting a little 462 00:24:55,720 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: bit different around them than I was before. So you know, 463 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: I have friends that I grew up with that don't 464 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,880 Speaker 1: think of me that way at all, because they just don't. 465 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: The ones that stay my friends are the ones that 466 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: don't think of me different, not that I'm a celebrity, 467 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,320 Speaker 1: but like I keep you grounded. 468 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 2: They treat you like a normal human being, not some 469 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 2: famous person. 470 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I do think that's kind of people will say, 471 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: like I always make a joke like I crawled my 472 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 1: way to the middle and I'm staying right there. This 473 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,120 Speaker 1: is the sweet spot. And I really do feel like that. 474 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,520 Speaker 1: I feel like, like my father said to me when 475 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: I was young, we were talking about why are some 476 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:39,880 Speaker 1: people garbage men and some people are head of company? 477 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 1: He goes, everybody ends up where they want to be, 478 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 1: And I think that's a truism. I think that I 479 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: got to a certain level in this business and I 480 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: kind of went I'm comfortable. You know, I've got a 481 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: wife who I am not away from fifty two weeks 482 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: a year, which I would be if I was going 483 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,639 Speaker 1: after this more. I'm not overly obsessed. I've gone to 484 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:06,919 Speaker 1: therapy and worked on any narcissistic impulses I have. And 485 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: it's a battle to not make it all about myself. 486 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,239 Speaker 1: But it's a battle that I show up for, you know, 487 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: and I don't want to be I go on the 488 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,360 Speaker 1: road sometimes and I'll open for Bert Kreischer in an 489 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: arena with fifteen thousand people and he's got a staff 490 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: of fifty people on the road with him, and like, 491 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: that's a nightmare to me. I go down to Lahoy 492 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:31,679 Speaker 1: with my wife and we stay in a hotel and 493 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:33,920 Speaker 1: you know, we go to the beach during the day, 494 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: and you know, I show up to the show with 495 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: no baggage, no assistant, and you know, and I make 496 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: a very nice living and I don't really want for anything. 497 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: I'm able to be creative without having to deal with 498 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: being on social media seven hours a day building up 499 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,199 Speaker 1: my following, and like I kind of ignore social media 500 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: and I just do the things that I enjoy doing. 501 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: And I've been lucky enough to this all worked out. 502 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, you are, And it's amazing to me because, first 503 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 2: of all, the fact that you suffer from anxiety just 504 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 2: blows me away. But yet I understand it because every 505 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,679 Speaker 2: time I'm about to talk to somebody new, I have 506 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 2: a little bit of anxiety as well. I also totally 507 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 2: relate to you when you're talking about your friends and 508 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 2: people that you know, because you don't want to seem 509 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 2: like you're better than them just because you're doing something 510 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 2: that you love and you're getting the adoration of other people. 511 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 2: I totally get where you're coming from. 512 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think respect is something that you earned through 513 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: your character and your loyalty and your generosity, and not 514 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,639 Speaker 1: through how a bunch of other people are seeing me 515 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 1: and you go like and you see that dynamic, and 516 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: somehow it affects how you respect that. That's not respect, 517 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: that's just like a curiosity. 518 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, Greg, I wanted to take everybody with me when 519 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,040 Speaker 2: I moved to New York to work in television, and 520 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,680 Speaker 2: I wanted to take everybody with me when I got 521 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 2: to the radio station. When celebrities would come in, or 522 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 2: we'd go to concerts. You know, oh Lynn needs sixteen 523 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,120 Speaker 2: tickets for all of her friends and their husbands and kids, 524 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 2: because I didn't want to experience it alone. I wanted 525 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,480 Speaker 2: them to have that same experience. But it got a 526 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 2: lot fast though, because I couldn't take everyone with me. 527 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:28,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, yeah, I know. And it's it's hard too, 528 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: because like, if you really want to do your best, 529 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,719 Speaker 1: you know, I'll get a text, I I if somebody's 530 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: on my guest list, I'll get a text ten minutes 531 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: before I'm about to go on, Hey my name's not 532 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: on the list, or hey I bought somebody extra can 533 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: you add? No, That's not where my head is at 534 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: right now. I'm trying to get focused. I'm nervous, and 535 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: you know, it's just you're trying to be a pro 536 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: and you're trying to do you know, the world that 537 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,920 Speaker 1: you're in, in the world I'm in, is extremely competitive, 538 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: and if you're not giving it one hundred percent, you're 539 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: not going to make it. You're not going to keep going. 540 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: And I see comics that always have friends at their 541 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: shows and they're drinking during the show, and they don't 542 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: progress I see a lot of comics that get high 543 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: before they go on stage and they just slatline. They 544 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: never get better. And you guys that show up late 545 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: for auditions and they just like, hey, so you you 546 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: just didn't get it because you didn't show up on time. 547 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: And I think I learned that from my dad, who 548 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,600 Speaker 1: was in radio, was like, show up on time, be 549 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 1: a pro. You know, remember people's names, just basics that 550 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: you would need in any business, just because it's show business, 551 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: especially in stand up where my workplace is a bar 552 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:51,480 Speaker 1: where everybody's drinking at night, so it's very easy to 553 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: slip into being a part of that instead of realizing, no, 554 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,360 Speaker 1: I'm an employee at this place. Yeah. 555 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 2: So true, and a lot of people would never know. 556 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 2: And it's so nice to hear you say it because 557 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 2: you know it's important. I don't know, I think in 558 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 2: general for just understanding people, and especially people who've been 559 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 2: through therapy, of which you've been open about, and you've 560 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:18,480 Speaker 2: talked about mental health as you've done even on this podcast, 561 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 2: And I'm curious how humor intersects with that journey of yours. 562 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: I mean, do you. 563 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 2: Ever use comedy as therapy in and of itself or 564 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,120 Speaker 2: do you keep the two of them completely separate. 565 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: So yeah, so I had this amazing therapists and sometimes 566 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 1: I would come in with a full head of esteem 567 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: and I would have my anecdotes from the week that 568 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about, like something that happened, and 569 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: she would go, you're performing right now, ooh, And I 570 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: knew that meant that I wasn't. I had the mask 571 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: on a little bit, you know. I was controlling my 572 00:30:56,120 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: emotions and our interaction by being funny. So not that 573 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: there's not a place for humor in therapy, but it 574 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: was a little too pat She'd call me when it 575 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: was a little too pat like to tie down, and 576 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: so that was very helpful. Was it nerves too, Yeah, 577 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: I think it was nerves, and yeah, the fear of 578 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 1: having to go to the actual emotions. I mean, I 579 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: think that My best friend is the guy who is 580 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: very Irish Catholic. His father and my father grew up 581 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 1: in the Bronx together, and our daughters are best friends. 582 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: So it's three generations of dysfunction and he laughs through. 583 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 1: He's a huge comedy writer. We were best friends since 584 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 1: college and we both went in different directions and now 585 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: we're both like we end up working on TV shows together. 586 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: So we've written on TV shows together, and we didn't 587 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 1: help each other get the job. We just ended up 588 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: on them after thirty five years of knowing each other. Wow. 589 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 1: And he can mask anything with comedy and I have 590 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 1: to call him on it sometimes. I think there is 591 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: a way to use it productively. If it's organic and 592 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 1: if it's a moment of discovery and you laugh, that's great, 593 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 1: But if it's a moment of presentation, then that's like. 594 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: I think that a lot of my jokes start with 595 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 1: something like I had a rectile dysfunction. I did, and 596 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: I went to laugh right off the Oh yeah, I 597 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: won't go on stage, and I said, I was in 598 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 1: Middlesex and I had my first bout of a rectile dysfunction. 599 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,800 Speaker 1: And there's nervous laughter. And sometimes I don't even know 600 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,040 Speaker 1: what I'm going to say next, but I know that 601 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: if I say it on stage and all these people 602 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: are looking at me, I'm going to come up with 603 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: something that's going to relieve the tension. And then I 604 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: do get out in there. 605 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 2: You don't even know where you're going to say next, No, WHOA, 606 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 2: that is risky yep. 607 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 1: But it brings me back to the kitchen table as 608 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 1: a kid, where in the moment I have to think 609 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:06,080 Speaker 1: of something funny and if I do, I get a reward, 610 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: I get my parents acceptance. And so I've created that 611 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: dynamic on stage, and then the joke will kind of 612 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: build from there, and then I'll start writing out the 613 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:19,240 Speaker 1: joke once I'm off stage, and then I'll it's kind 614 00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: of like you germinate off stage, you know, writing and 615 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 1: then you bring it on stage, and it's sort of 616 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: like you cook it and it goes back and forth 617 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: that process. And so a lot of my jokes are 618 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: very personal, and a lot of them do make people 619 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: uncomfortable when I first talk about them. I'll talk about 620 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:45,360 Speaker 1: abortion or you know, a racist thought that I had, 621 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:48,720 Speaker 1: I'll say it out loud, but then I'll make a 622 00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:51,400 Speaker 1: joke about it in a way that makes people realize 623 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 1: I'm not a racist, but that I had a racist thought, 624 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,840 Speaker 1: you know, things like that. So as but as far 625 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:03,080 Speaker 1: as like therapy, I think that that can be a 626 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:06,959 Speaker 1: place that jokes start because it's a place where you 627 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:11,160 Speaker 1: are maybe having epiphanies about yourself you wouldn't have had 628 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 1: in a place that's not as vulnerable. 629 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,799 Speaker 2: Yeah, and vulnerable is definitely the world and that is dangerous. Like, 630 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:21,320 Speaker 2: I give you so much credit that you would actually 631 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:23,879 Speaker 2: start a joke on stage that you didn't even work out, 632 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 2: and that you would remember it after the show to 633 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:28,640 Speaker 2: go back and make it even like massage it. 634 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: Well. I videotape everything, I audio tape everything, and I 635 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 1: listened to every day. I listened to my show the 636 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: next day, and I write down notes on what I did. Wow, 637 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:38,800 Speaker 1: that's helpful. 638 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 2: I keep going back to the anxiety part because how 639 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:43,320 Speaker 2: many times did you do Joe Rogan? 640 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 1: How many times? When you're on. 641 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 2: Howard Stern, it's like you're a glutton for punishment. Then 642 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 2: if you're have such anxiety, but yet you keep going 643 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 2: back to all of these incredibly huge shows with massive audiences. 644 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:57,520 Speaker 1: And put yourself out there. Yeah, which just amazing to me. 645 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: Yeah I did. I did Stern like fifty times, and 646 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:03,839 Speaker 1: I've been on Rogan like twenty five times. And it's 647 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,440 Speaker 1: always like jumping out of a plane. Wow, it's like 648 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 1: you show up sometimes you get really nervous, Like Stern, 649 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: I could never sleep the night before and I would 650 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,520 Speaker 1: stay up with all the news bizz before the Internet 651 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: when I started, and I would just get the New 652 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 1: York Post in USA Today and the daily News, and 653 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: I would just sit there and I would write jokes 654 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:25,919 Speaker 1: out of the news I would show. I write out 655 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:28,360 Speaker 1: stories for my life, stuff that I talked to. I 656 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,759 Speaker 1: went on Howard Stern one time. I literally, for the 657 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,759 Speaker 1: first time in my life, I shared something with my 658 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:38,880 Speaker 1: wife and our good friends at a dinner that I 659 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:41,880 Speaker 1: had kept inside that I was embarrassed about and couldn't 660 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:44,919 Speaker 1: talk about. And I shared it with them, and then 661 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: five days later I was on Howard Stern and I 662 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,279 Speaker 1: said it to the world, and it was that when 663 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:55,960 Speaker 1: I was in college, I thought about being gay, and 664 00:35:56,040 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 1: so I went into this area of Boston that's it's 665 00:36:01,239 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: the woods, and it's a gay woods, and I went 666 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 1: in there to I don't know how dirty or show is, 667 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:08,760 Speaker 1: but we first. 668 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,359 Speaker 2: Of all, I'm from Boston, so I'm trying to figure 669 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 2: out where this was. Fay oh okay, okay, yeah, yeah, 670 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,240 Speaker 2: I'm thinking woods like you went into the forest. 671 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: Well, every city has a small wooded area that they 672 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: grow just for gay guys to have anonymous sex. Okay, 673 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:26,040 Speaker 1: And that's the fan right behind Fenway Park and my 674 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:28,719 Speaker 1: apartment was across the street from there. Yeah, and uh, 675 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,480 Speaker 1: and I told that story about going in there and 676 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,439 Speaker 1: I ended up not doing it, but that I went 677 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: in to do it just to see and then just 678 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 1: to see. And then I met a guy and he 679 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:41,360 Speaker 1: pulled his penis out and I looked at it, and 680 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,640 Speaker 1: I was like, Nope, not interested. And I knew I 681 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,400 Speaker 1: wasn't gay check please, I just came out of the woods. Yeah. 682 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,359 Speaker 2: Hey, well you tested it out. That's awesome. I think 683 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 2: that that was pretty smart. Actually, yeah, it's the thing 684 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 2: that I was most remembered for from the Stern Show. 685 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,080 Speaker 2: Every time I went on the show after that, they 686 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 2: would tease me about it and they would bring it up. Well, 687 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 2: you were on Howard one oh one as well. I 688 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,239 Speaker 2: do recall I was there for two weeks. They put 689 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 2: me with Scott Farrell for two weeks. 690 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:10,880 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and I need. 691 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,480 Speaker 2: A defribrillator in the room. I said, you don't need me. 692 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:16,720 Speaker 2: You are like a show on to yourself. Another funny 693 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 2: thing that you mentioned Rogan. I would never be nervous 694 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:22,440 Speaker 2: with Rogan because I went to high school with him. 695 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:25,120 Speaker 1: You did in Newton, I did, and. 696 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,400 Speaker 2: I worked with his sister. She and I were waitresses 697 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:29,640 Speaker 2: at Super Salad in. 698 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: Newton No Way, Yes, really, yes. 699 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 2: I watched him flip his car in the front of 700 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:38,360 Speaker 2: the high school with my friends in it and everyone survived. 701 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: Like that's how what Yeah, I flipped his car. 702 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I had a really bad accident and like all 703 00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:46,840 Speaker 2: four wheels were in front of different houses and the 704 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 2: engine came out of the car. 705 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, and everyone was fine. Oh yeah really yeah, not crazy, 706 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: My gosh, that's crazy. Yeah. 707 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:02,040 Speaker 2: I'm so happy for his all of is incredible success. Yeah, yeah, 708 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:05,080 Speaker 2: that's pretty amazing stuff. Every time I hear people talk 709 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 2: about him, I always get like this goofy smile, like. 710 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:10,160 Speaker 1: I know it. Yeah, that's crazy. 711 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:13,839 Speaker 2: Let me ask you, if someone is listening right now 712 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 2: that's going through like sort of a tough time, what 713 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:18,919 Speaker 2: is one piece of advice that you would give them 714 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 2: about using humor as sort of a coping tool that 715 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:23,200 Speaker 2: you would want them to know. 716 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,320 Speaker 1: Well, I used to, like, I've had friends going through cancer, 717 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: and you know, before there was Spotify, I would burn CDs. 718 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: I collect comedy albums. I've collected them since I was 719 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:39,400 Speaker 1: a kid, and I would always put together based on 720 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:42,040 Speaker 1: who they were and what their sense of humor was. 721 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 1: I would put a playlist together on a CD and 722 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:46,319 Speaker 1: burn it to them and send it to them. I 723 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:52,400 Speaker 1: think that listening to stand up is incredibly therapeutic. Watching 724 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: funny movies, you know, reading a funny book, read something 725 00:38:56,520 --> 00:39:02,160 Speaker 1: by Carl Hyacin or Kurt Vonnegut, and read Confederacy, Gun 726 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:04,799 Speaker 1: Dunce is again things that just are going to make 727 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,680 Speaker 1: you laugh and take your mind out of it, or 728 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: it's very healing. It certainly is. 729 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 2: Do you remember Bob and Doug McKenzie. Of course, that 730 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 2: was my album that I in junior high school. I 731 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,000 Speaker 2: could not get enough of that. And I think, yeah, 732 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 2: Teach and Chong, The Great White North, I think was 733 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:21,640 Speaker 2: their their big album. 734 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:23,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, Teach and Chong. I have. I still have their 735 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,600 Speaker 1: album up in Smoke that has this the rolling papers 736 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:27,319 Speaker 1: on the front of the. 737 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,440 Speaker 2: I wasn't even allowed to listen to that, but I 738 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,320 Speaker 2: got caught listening to that album and I got in trouble. 739 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, of course we've come a long way. 740 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,879 Speaker 2: Do you think that comedy has the power to heal 741 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 2: just anyone or is it more sort of a personal thing, 742 00:39:44,239 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 2: or or does something have to be wired properly to 743 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:48,560 Speaker 2: connect with comedy. 744 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:51,760 Speaker 1: I mean, I think, you know, sometimes I see people 745 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 1: at comedy shows and I'll stand in the back when 746 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: the opener is on, and the opener might be killing, 747 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,440 Speaker 1: and there's still going to be maybe a third of 748 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:06,520 Speaker 1: the room is not laughing and a tenth of the 749 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:10,320 Speaker 1: room isn't even smiling, And you just realize that people 750 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:16,080 Speaker 1: process comedy on different ways. Physically, they just don't have 751 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 1: it in them to laugh out loud. But that doesn't 752 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 1: mean like those same people will walk out. I was 753 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: making fun of a lady because I was like, you 754 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:25,560 Speaker 1: really don't like me, do you, because she was sitting 755 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:27,600 Speaker 1: right up front. I go, you're just nodding it. And 756 00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:30,560 Speaker 1: I'm thinking in my head maybe she's like uber catholic 757 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:33,360 Speaker 1: or whatever. And then she came out after show and 758 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,959 Speaker 1: she goes, I'm so sorry. She goes, I love the show. 759 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,160 Speaker 1: I have resting bitch face. It's just good to ask you. 760 00:40:39,239 --> 00:40:42,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, she was either constipated or had resting bitch yes. 761 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:46,480 Speaker 1: And so I think that like people can ingest comedy 762 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: and just not have the same physiological reaction, but it 763 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:56,880 Speaker 1: still does something. It still reframes things and sad things 764 00:40:56,920 --> 00:41:01,400 Speaker 1: in a way that can relieve some pressure from it, 765 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:02,600 Speaker 1: that's for sure. 766 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 2: Can you please tell our audience, our amazing audience, where 767 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:10,560 Speaker 2: people can find you where you're going to be out 768 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,200 Speaker 2: there your online presence, like you, I'm not on social 769 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:15,480 Speaker 2: media really at all, but is there a place that 770 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:17,799 Speaker 2: people can find Greg Fitzsimmons. 771 00:41:17,880 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, if you go to Fitzdog fitzdog dot com. 772 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,319 Speaker 1: I've got dates coming up in Denver, Colorado, and Connecticut 773 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:34,360 Speaker 1: and Alaska, Vegas, New Orleans, San Francisco. That's all before 774 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:36,800 Speaker 1: the end of the year. Wo So come on out 775 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:40,640 Speaker 1: say hi, all right, and then the podcast is called 776 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:41,680 Speaker 1: Fitzdog Radio. 777 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:45,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, congratulations on that. You have like two thousand and nine, 778 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:47,440 Speaker 2: like you were definitely a pioneer in podcasting. 779 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:49,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean because radio. 780 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:52,520 Speaker 2: I come from radio, and nobody in radio wanted to 781 00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:56,239 Speaker 2: believe podcasting was going to be anything, and you saw 782 00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:59,040 Speaker 2: the future of it. And so congratulations on that. That's 783 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:02,080 Speaker 2: like what over a thousand and people you've interviewed so far, which. 784 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:02,520 Speaker 1: Blows me away. 785 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:06,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, all the biggest and best and they live forever 786 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:07,759 Speaker 2: so you can check them out anytime. 787 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. No, it's nice that I have that behind me, 788 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:12,200 Speaker 1: and I like to think the way I listen to 789 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:15,080 Speaker 1: my dad's tapes. Someday my kids will be able to 790 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:15,960 Speaker 1: listen to me again. 791 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 2: I hope so I definitely won't and you won't be 792 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:20,359 Speaker 2: upset about it if they laugh. 793 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:22,759 Speaker 1: No, but then I'm gone. They can do whatever they 794 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 1: want to God. 795 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,320 Speaker 2: Greg Fitzimmons, thank you so much for coming on Comedy 796 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:30,360 Speaker 2: Save Me, and keep killing it on stage and making 797 00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:33,800 Speaker 2: people laugh and and doing what you're doing and enjoy 798 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,120 Speaker 2: your life. And I'm so happy to have had the 799 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:36,920 Speaker 2: chance to talk to you. 800 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:39,279 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for having me. I had a 801 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:39,960 Speaker 1: great time.