1 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the thing. 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: Well you please welcome Jerry Steinfeld. Jerry Seinfeld debuted on 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: HBO in It was the same year he first appeared 4 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: on Johnny Carson. He was twenty seven years old. Nice 5 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 1: to be here tonight, A pleasure to be here tonight. 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: Seinfeld's material stood out. It wasn't about his upbringing or 7 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: personal relationships. It was about our universal experience of everyday things. 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: For John has have got to be the world's funniest clothes? 9 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 1: Who designed them to look that way? Like a little 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: tiny suit? Notice little collar button down and a breast pocket. 11 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: There's a useful item. Is anybody using the breast pocket 12 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: a John's? Seinfeld asked questions we wished we'd thought of, 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: then he'd answer them with a casual priss vision that 14 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: seemed to spin comedy out of nothing. In eight years 15 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: after his HBO debut, he and Larry David created a 16 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: weekly series that would change both their lives. This is 17 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: the show, and we're not going to change it. Right, 18 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: how about this? I managed a Circus Seinfeld brand for 19 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: nine seasons on NBC. It was a critical and popular success. 20 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 1: The show about nothing, as it's been described, challenged some 21 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 1: long established laws of mainstream television comedy. It was brilliantly unsentimental. 22 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: The characters rarely exhibited emotions other than exasperation what was 23 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: going on and on set, the writers held strongly to 24 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: a principle they dubbed no hugging, no learning. The seventies 25 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: six million viewers who watched the series finale waited to 26 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: see what would happen next to the performers they've grown 27 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: to love, and even though conventional wisdom predicted spinoffs and sequels, 28 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: Jerry Seinfeld went back to stand up and it wasn't easy. 29 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: All of the stuff I've never said before anyone. So 30 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: this hoppen has developed to as you say, it's quite painful. 31 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: He's done a few other projects as well. The latest 32 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: on the internet is a show called Comedians in Cars 33 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: Getting Coffee, which combines some of his favorite things, driving 34 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: while talking to his friends and drinking coffee. It's funny 35 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: that you picked at Jaguar, because I have a secret 36 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: love of Jaguars, but I'm not a car person and 37 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: I don't believe in spending money on cars. And no offense. 38 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: Jerry Seinfeld has it figured out. He isn't destroying himself 39 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: trying to prove something. He isn't tortured by the challenges 40 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: of his art. He keeps things simple and clear. Take 41 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: his regular morning routine. When he wakes up. If my 42 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: wife is up, I like that because I do not 43 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: like cat pulling around. I want to get up. Let's go, baby. 44 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: So the first thing I want, yeah, I want, I 45 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: want sports radio on. And I and I washed, and 46 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: I run the faucets and I start splashing my face 47 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: with water like Mace in the hustler like Mace and 48 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: the how was gonna see more? Like Joan Crawford before 49 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: she goes in the studio to see Gleeson And the 50 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: hustler goes into the bathroom splashes his face with water 51 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: to revive for the next round. I took that. I said, 52 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: that's great. I'm gonna do that. That's how you face life. 53 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: Water the water, if I splash water. What if you 54 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: go on stage? Is that what you do? Do you? 55 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: After I come off? You come off? When I come off. 56 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: The hardest thing when you come off is to return 57 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: to your actual person out. You've blown your personality up 58 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: to this. You know, joker Jack Nicholson face. And when 59 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: you come off stage, I gotta go back to me 60 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: and I need a minute. People try and talk to 61 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: me when I come off. I can't talk to him. 62 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: I got I gotta splash some water. I gotta yeah, 63 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: I got beautiful towels. Give me. That's how I like 64 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: to start the morning. Shades up radio, sports radio one 65 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: splashing yes, and then and then what do you have 66 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: for breakfast? What's breakfast? Oatmeal, hunting and cinnamon. So there's 67 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: a kind of a military theme. There's a kind of 68 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: a military base theme. You at home doesn't resemble a 69 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: military base. I'm not funny. People die, people gonna get hurt. Yeah, 70 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: you want me on that stage? You need me on 71 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: that stage. Is that how you feel? No? No, you 72 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: don't know what word do you just use to describe 73 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: what you do? What word do you use? What describes 74 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: what you do? Well, there's a term for it. I 75 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: don't need to describe it with another called stand up comedy. 76 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: Because you call yourself a comic. You don't call yourself 77 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: an actor. No, I'm not an actor. You're not an actor. 78 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: I have acted. Have you ever considered doing anything dramatic? 79 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: Why to what end? Okay, it's just a waste of time. Yes, 80 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: So when when you saw someone like I mean the 81 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: most you know, blaring example is when Jerry Lewis does 82 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: King of Comedy and crushes it. When Jerry Lewis comes 83 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: in there and plays that kind of just arid, I mean, 84 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: it was so remarkable his performance, it was breathtaking. He 85 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: was breath. You don't remember the movie, yea, I thought 86 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: he was breath And you don't see yourself doing that 87 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: kind of in the hands of someone like that. Of 88 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,119 Speaker 1: course you do something like that, but that's what I'm saying. 89 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: But that's his movie. Are you grading me? Am? I am? 90 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: I not getting it right here. I'm just I'm just 91 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: I'm just riffing with you, and I'm just saying that, 92 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: um what I do is um um the only thing 93 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: that makes sense to me. But I'm not disagreeing with you. 94 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,359 Speaker 1: I'm saying that there are people that come out on film, 95 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: you know, comics, stand up comics clubs, performing, maybe they 96 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: go into sitcoms with the shows or just be b joke, 97 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: be b joke, they tell jokes, and then they go 98 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: into the movie business. And there's some sense that there's 99 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: going to be and again not just stand up people, 100 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: but the improvisatory groups. You know, if they come from 101 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: UCB or Groundlings Corral is a good example, and they 102 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: come on. And there was an amount of acting that's 103 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 1: required when you did your TV show, there was some 104 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,599 Speaker 1: acting that was required. So but you don't but you 105 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: gotta act the whole show. But but some saying, so 106 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: you don't call yourself an actor that you just say 107 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: I'm a comic. If I'm on the show acting, then 108 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: i'm acting. I'm I'm a comedian. Okay, I'm a stand 109 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: up comedian. That's what I call myself. But I can act. 110 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: I just see the need for it. I don't think 111 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: the world needs me to do that. This is Paul Rudd. 112 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: What do you need me for? You got you got 113 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: a guy for that. We got a guy for that 114 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 1: who can do Can he do what I'm doing? Can 115 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: he step into my shoes? Now? There's many people that 116 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: can do that thing and I and I wish them 117 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: all the luck and success. But my thing only I 118 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: can do my own head. My thing is too just 119 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: you know, you probably splashed a lot of water in 120 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: your face. Is shoot, you're splashing an inordinate amount of 121 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: really brisk water. It's almost always three splashes. I'm trying. 122 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: I'm feeling eight or nine splashes. We went on this 123 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: morning because you're loaded for bear. We're like in a 124 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: deposition here. I love talking with you. You know that. 125 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: I love talking with you. Okay, so um? Who makes 126 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: it in comedy? Who are the ones that make it? 127 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: And it's a change in your lifetime? What does it take? 128 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: Who's in show business? Let's answer that question, because I 129 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 1: have I'll tell you who's in show business. You know 130 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: it's in show business? Like who wants to be more 131 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: than anyone else? Those are the people that are in it, 132 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: the people that just go I want to be in it. 133 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: I'm going to be in it. Do I have the 134 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: skill set? Do I have a talent? I have something 135 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: to offer? We'll find out or not. But it doesn't 136 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: I may not. I take on that with between Paccino. 137 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: I said to him, what do you do when you 138 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: do a movie and the other person isn't that good? 139 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: Like you're doing a scene, and I said, you go 140 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: up to the director and give them notes, say tell 141 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: them this other And said, no, I never do that. 142 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: I never do that. No, no, no, I said, I said, 143 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: what do you do? I? I said, what do you 144 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: do when the people that you're working with they just 145 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: I mean, you're so talented, and it's like tennis and 146 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: you and you're and you're hitting the ball with some 147 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: and they're not that talented. And he said, Alec, Alec. 148 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 1: All of us in the business are talented. Everybody's talented. 149 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: Some of us are just more talented than others. But 150 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: everybody in the room when you're working, they've got some 151 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: kind of talent. Like you'd say, he has a talented 152 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: for storytelling. He had a talent for this. But you 153 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: are saying that people who determination is a big part 154 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,200 Speaker 1: of it. I'm saying it's most of the people we 155 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: see in in the arts are there not because they 156 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: had the most to offer, but because they wanted to 157 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: be there the most. You believe. So when you're in 158 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: clubs in your early years and you'd see people who 159 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: were working, did you have did you not? Not that 160 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: you cared about this or you were focused on this, 161 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: but would you Sometimes because my friends who were in 162 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: clubs and who were comics, there was a lot of 163 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: evaluating of each other in the competition. It was very competitive, 164 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: and would you look at people and say, I think 165 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: he's got it or she's got and they're gonna make 166 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: it and they don't or this one doesn't. And and 167 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: a big part of your saying it is just the 168 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: drive as they want it. They're a dog on a bone. 169 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: You see a lot of that, don't you think? I 170 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: think so? Well? In the in the movie business, you 171 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: can see people who they put it before everything else, 172 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: you know, I mean they're not what business? What what 173 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: field of endeavor has the highest bullshit factor? Right? In 174 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: your opinion? Um, because you've been in a number of 175 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: different branches. Now, well, I think, well, obviously a government 176 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: is I think entertainment. Did you enjoy the Anthony Weiner 177 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: Show this season or not? The show put on for 178 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: us when when that was going on? Did you were 179 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: you disgusted? Were you going? I love this? I I 180 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: loved it because to me it was the visible man. 181 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: Let's take off the face of the clock and watch 182 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: the gears and that's what that was. This is you know, 183 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,839 Speaker 1: we're talking about people our ownership show business because they 184 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: want to be he wants to have he just wants it, 185 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: wants and most of most of them have all the 186 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: guyses and veils and and you know police, well, they 187 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: pretend that what you just hit on a very important point, 188 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: which is that they pretend to some degree that it's selfless. 189 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,679 Speaker 1: That also, yeah, that that they don't crave power. But 190 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: the other thing about Weener that I found unusual. I mean, listen, 191 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: this is I'm not going to say anything. I don't 192 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 1: think I'm capable of saying anything that hasn't been said before. 193 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: But the idea that you want to take pictures of 194 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: your genitalia and send it to women that you barely know. 195 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: I wonder if there's an unconscious part of him that's like, 196 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna send pictures of my genitalia to a couple 197 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:19,959 Speaker 1: of women who I don't even know that well, and 198 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: let's see what happens. Let's let's roll the dice here. 199 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: I'm putting all my chips on black. I'm all in. 200 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 1: I got another pile, and I'm all in on sending 201 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: this chicken picture of my you know what, of my personality. 202 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 1: I don't have that desire, right, I'm not exacts. It's 203 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: easier to understand than his get off was. Ding. He 204 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: looks at the phone. Ding, let's it just press send. 205 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,319 Speaker 1: Where where's the thrill? Everybody has a has some component 206 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: of them for what I call negative excitement, like what's 207 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: your thing you want to do that that you indulge 208 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: some weakness of yours? You know what I mean? Some 209 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: people have food issues, they have drinking. Mine would be yours. Uh, 210 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: I don't think I mean beyond tomato sauce. Maybe. I mean, yeah, 211 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: that's not that you are. And for people who don't 212 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: know you, see, this is the thing that in all honesty, 213 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:18,840 Speaker 1: I always when I think about you, the list of 214 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: things I think about is is how not just professional 215 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,080 Speaker 1: and committed in all those other kind of lame were 216 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: you know, lazier words, but how you know, just just 217 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: focused and hard working. You are Like a lot of 218 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: people look at you and view you as someone who 219 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: is but let's be very candid. I mean you're someone people, 220 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,679 Speaker 1: but people view you as someone who is this incredibly 221 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: gifted person. I love this show, right, and no you are. 222 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: But the point is that you like you don't work. 223 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 1: It's like you do things like like you going on 224 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: on a trip to go do some gigs. It's kind 225 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: of a thing. You're probably just doing a favor for 226 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: someone that's more you. I don't think that's the general perception. 227 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,839 Speaker 1: I think that's you. I think you're amn to me 228 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: or what you think. Yeah, I think that's your sense 229 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: I'm projecting. Yeah, I think you're projecting. But you know 230 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: that that's not me. No, no, not at all. You 231 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: know that I love to work. You've incredibly so, but 232 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: but not um, I'm not driven by anything very healthy healthy. 233 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: I'm not driving by anything unwholesome. But you're healthier. But 234 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: you are healthier than anybody else I've ever met in 235 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: your profession. Everybody else I've met in your profession, it 236 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,319 Speaker 1: was you could do Saturday Night Live and be roaming 237 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: the hallways of that building. Yeah, for over the course 238 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: of you know, it's really more like four days, not 239 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: a full week, and you're around them other people. I 240 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: did a sitcom with other people. I've been around a 241 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: lot of people who make their living in comedy. I 242 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,319 Speaker 1: made films with them, and some of them you'd be 243 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: around them. You know, within ten minutes you understood what 244 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: was really their deepest problem that they hadn't resolved. Some 245 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 1: of them took a question a few days. You don't 246 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: have any problems. No, I don't, but I do relate 247 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: very deeply to to all of those people. Describe. In fact, 248 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: I was watching the Emmys. Is the only part of 249 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: the Emmys that I like when they do the Comedy 250 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 1: Writing Award and each Comedy writing staff puts up funny pictures, 251 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: and then when the the actual staff comes up on 252 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: the stage and you see these gnome like cretans just 253 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: kind of all misshapen, and and I go, this is me, 254 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 1: this is who I am. This is that's my group people. Yeah, 255 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: but you don't. Yeah, do you see that in me? Okay, 256 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: well then you've learned something here today. What did I learn? 257 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:39,359 Speaker 1: You learned that despite maybe I am healthy and somewhat functional, 258 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: but I can I see myself as one of those 259 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: guys that that that that group of Colbert Report writers 260 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:52,160 Speaker 1: that are just it looks like we would never let 261 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 1: them speak to Colbert must Now those that's where I 262 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: want to hang out with those guys. You do, Yeah, 263 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: like Barry, Yeah, yeah, you're more comfortable with the berries 264 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: of that. I'm only comfortable only with those people, really. Yeah, 265 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: describe Barry, you have a special relation. Harry Martyr is 266 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: my very special friend. Barry is the author of the 267 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: Letters from a Nut Book under the nom de plume 268 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: ted L Nancy, and he is UM. He's also fascinating 269 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 1: compilation of function and dysfunction, which any interesting person is. UM. 270 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: He's a guy Who's what I love about Barries. I 271 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: can call him right now it's eleven thirty that he 272 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: will just say hello. He's always there, always at home. 273 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: He's got a red couch. His living room looks like 274 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: a murder scene. This, you know, uh, very scary looking 275 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: stains on a white rug. He lives into Lucca Lake 276 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: to Luca Lake, and we talk every day, usually an 277 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: hour on a good day, two hours. And UM were 278 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 1: talking yesterday about chantics, the quit smoking drug commercial where 279 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: they list the side effects, and one of the ones 280 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: that people have experienced with chantics is weird dreams. And 281 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: now we're trying to figure out, well, what's a weird dream? 282 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: And do they have a hotline that you can call up? Say, Bob, 283 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: I got a guy here's you know, woke up. He 284 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: dreamt he had orangutank feet. Is that weird? And he goes, no, 285 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: I've had that one, you know, that's that's weird. Who 286 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:37,000 Speaker 1: who doesn't have weird dreams. There's no dream. It's not 287 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: weird exactly. It's to be done to. I had a 288 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: dream last night. It's funny to say that because I 289 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: don't dream. Do you dream? Or you a dreamer? Everyone dreams. 290 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: I don't remember my dreams very rarely. You're a good sleeper, Yeah, 291 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: the super healthy man that you are, that man the water, 292 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: the revel e, the up in the morning. I don't 293 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: want a cat pour around. That man sleeps well. He 294 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: sleeps well. Yeah, because I I have and you lay 295 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: down in yours to people have nothing to keep me up? 296 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: Is that what kop up? That? I don't think I 297 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: do bad things to people. You know, in the Jewish religion, 298 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: we have a day to day of atonement. It's your 299 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: own kipper. When you think of the things that you 300 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: did during the year. Uh, and you repent. So when 301 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: you say so for you, that's a very short it's 302 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: almost like a moment. Yeah, exactly. You walk down the street, 303 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: you kind of looked down at the crack of the 304 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: cyber food and counter three and go, okay, I'm done. 305 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,719 Speaker 1: I don't you thought I did. I did snap at 306 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: that woman when she spilled the coffee on my I 307 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: would never do that. You would never do that. No, 308 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: I would never snap at somebody, never, never, never. I 309 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: wish I could say the same thing. I have snapped 310 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: at some people in my life. But a certain breed 311 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,199 Speaker 1: of people, people I thought were nothing, gets to me 312 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: more upset than than you paying attention to those. Yeah, 313 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,479 Speaker 1: I don't like that. I do have because you're one 314 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,080 Speaker 1: of the great entertainers that I try to glorify and 315 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 1: call it like I have like a Swayne syndrome. I 316 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: gotta put that cape on, I gotta get the door, 317 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 1: and I gotta straighten these people out. In my mind, 318 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,199 Speaker 1: that light is flashing. Commissioner Gordon is flashing that light, 319 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,119 Speaker 1: and I gotta go downstairs, get in the car, go 320 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: out the tunnel, and Robin and I have to go 321 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: beat the living ship out of as many photographers as 322 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,880 Speaker 1: we possibly can. You talk to him for an hour 323 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: or two hours? Is it? Is it a therapy for you? Yes? 324 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: Because yes, because we don't talk about anything important, no agenda, 325 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: and we could just go on'm bored of this and 326 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: then it just and then just change yourself. You don't 327 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 1: even say I'm bored of this. I'll just change the subject. 328 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: You just are on the same frequency, the two of you. Yeah, 329 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 1: we love the sipping coffee and allowedly you know on 330 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: the phone that you know this this sound. Yes, I 331 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,440 Speaker 1: like to tighten my too. I do type. Do you 332 00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: get back to Barry? Because I have a friend like that. 333 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: My friend an adopts no. But I find that we 334 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: all have to have a person who is that kind 335 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:06,640 Speaker 1: of a soul mate. You can really talk. And it's 336 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: interesting that it's a guy like my wife. Now it's 337 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: very close to that. I mean I can tell her anything. 338 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: I can say anything. I can say anything and she'll 339 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: look at me and she and there will be some judgment. 340 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: Because all women want to fix the man. Therewith. I 341 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: want to think that they have some that they're they 342 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:28,360 Speaker 1: have some kind of supervisory function in our lives. I've 343 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,719 Speaker 1: learned to have my wife take my inventory, tell me 344 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: what's really going on, show me what I'm missing about myself, 345 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: see what you're not seeing is. And now what I 346 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:38,879 Speaker 1: do is I sit there and I go, first of all, 347 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: I go like this, and then's just say, are you 348 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 1: listening to me? I'm like, yes, I'm every word. I 349 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: agree with you. You're totally right. I do do that. 350 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,160 Speaker 1: It's wrong, it's wrong, and I really need to thank you. 351 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,560 Speaker 1: I need to look at that more closely, Like if 352 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: you're bringing that, I call Ronnie, who's my Barry. There's 353 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: none of that, there's no there's no judgment, there's no 354 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: supervisory function. Is that the way it is with Barry Um? 355 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,400 Speaker 1: If I ask for it, I will often I will 356 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:13,439 Speaker 1: ask him, uh, the most challenging questions of life to me? 357 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: Had he work related? Work related? Personal? You know, you know, 358 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: almost every call we have it's why are we what 359 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: are we doing? Why are we here? Why are we 360 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: even alive? And he's give me an answer. He'll give 361 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,160 Speaker 1: me an answer. What does he say? Why are we alive? 362 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: According to Barry Um, he would probably say, um, to 363 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: sit on the stained sofa into Luca Lake and think 364 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: the great thoughts. Yeah, that's right, to laugh, to have fun, 365 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 1: to enjoy ourselves, Yeah, to enjoy ourselves happy. Now he 366 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: gives you professional feedback? Is there someone when you were 367 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: coming up? They gave you a professional feedback? You were 368 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: completely self determining? Yes, Why do you think that is? 369 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: You never turned to people? Not that I'm saying this 370 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: is good or bad. You never turned to somebody's like, 371 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: how do you think I'm doing? No, Look, my mother 372 00:21:08,119 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: is an orphan. My father left the house probably eleven 373 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: years old to work on the street and make a 374 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 1: living on the Lower East Side. You know, they got 375 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,199 Speaker 1: married in their forties. They had no concept of what 376 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:24,199 Speaker 1: a family should even be. And all I craved was 377 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: the same fierce independence that they had in their lives. Instructible, indestructible, 378 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: self contained, self reliant people. This is not great going 379 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: into a marriage, may I say? You know? And I 380 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 1: was that guy saying, well, I gotta go now, I 381 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: gotta go to work. And you don't think that this 382 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: might be a problem for a person that's not used 383 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: to being around that. So it took me a long 384 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: time to learn that. You know that you have to 385 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: be understand because to me, to me, this life, my life, 386 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: what I would call my life in comedy, is a 387 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: life of sacrifice that I am only too happy to make. 388 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: All my relationships I got married at forty five. All 389 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: my relationships were as disposable as a dixie cup. Excuse me? 390 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 1: With women you made, Yes, I gotta work, you've gone. 391 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: But well if you don't, if you don't want you know, well, 392 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: if you if you're gonna be on the road that much, 393 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 1: we can't be together. Goodbye, goodbye. This is this my 394 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: I have had a sense of mission. You were like 395 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: Lee Strasburg in The Godfather Part two. Yes, when he says, 396 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: if I come back here, I have a partner. I 397 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: know I have a partner. If it's not, i'll know, 398 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: I don't, I'll know, I don't what he said, I'm 399 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: going in the other room. It's the last time a 400 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: really out of shape man took his shirt off in 401 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: a movie and it wasn't bad. Hair on the top 402 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 1: of the shoulders, a little little little like a little 403 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: tumbleweeds of hair. Yeah, did you know him? Did you 404 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: know when I studied acting at this school on fift Street, 405 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: When I went and why you I went to Strasburg. 406 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,440 Speaker 1: They assigned you to the studio. You went to Adler 407 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: Strasberg's up. I went to Strasburg, and I had wonderful teachers, 408 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: Marsha how Freckt and Jeffrey horn Is a wonderful too, 409 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: beautiful people. But you know the method of Strasburg was 410 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: very uh severe. Did it work for you? One of 411 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 1: the well it opened up your eyes to the idea 412 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 1: of whatever word you want to use. I'm never going 413 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,880 Speaker 1: to use the right word for everyone. To mind your 414 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: past and mind your emotional fabric to get where you 415 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: want to go. Whereas Strasburg and Stanislavski, both people don't 416 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: necessarily stumble across this fine print and all these writings 417 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,679 Speaker 1: of their where what Stanislavski and Strasburg both said is 418 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:42,639 Speaker 1: that the method, so to speak, is something that you 419 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,399 Speaker 1: apply only if the inspiration fails you. You don't you 420 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: don't need to go off into a room and twist 421 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: yourself into some kind of psychological pretzel to do this work. 422 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: If you can just say the words and you're there, 423 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: you feel connected to the character in and of yourself. 424 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: Do you do you have a desire as an actor 425 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 1: to be one of those guys, one of those I'm 426 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: gonna take my rib cage and separated. When I was younger, 427 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,080 Speaker 1: I did you did when I was younger, I did 428 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 1: did you feel you there was there was there a 429 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: role where you felt you got close? Tonight, when I 430 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: did street Car named Desire on Broadway and Amy Madigan, 431 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,600 Speaker 1: I would scream Stella, stella for her to come downstairs 432 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: and Amy would come in. The minute I would touch Amy, 433 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: I'd burst into tears. And remember I didn't I loved 434 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: Amy more than any woman I ever loved, you know, 435 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: at that moment, I mean and it was real, right, 436 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,160 Speaker 1: I was in love with Amy. Do you think I'm 437 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 1: capable of that kind of work? I think you are. 438 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,120 Speaker 1: It would be a tremendous mistake your car, it would 439 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 1: be a huge would be one of the poorest choices 440 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: probably in show business history, for you to go and 441 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: to say, you want to know, what do you want 442 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: to do? A street car on um. I was in 443 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: an acting class with a guy did have me play Brick. 444 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: But that's kind of know how tin roof He because 445 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: I was able to handle the light comedy so easily. 446 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: He said, you, I need to challenge you more. So 447 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: he had me. Then he said, I want you to 448 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: study the role of Brick. Wasn't that the name of 449 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: the character, And yeah, Maggie and Brick. Yeah. Well that's 450 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: when I left that. There's a girl I could you'll 451 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: you'll appreciate this because you're from Long Island. And I 452 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,159 Speaker 1: met this woman, uh many years later, and even she 453 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,959 Speaker 1: laughed about it. So I can say this, remember Pergament's 454 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: hardware storm. Okay, I went to I went to college. 455 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: I went to g W for three years and I 456 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: went and I took my last year there, my junior 457 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: year before I climbed over the wall there and went 458 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,920 Speaker 1: to end. While you to study acting, I took acting 459 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: for non drama majors. It was a gut course you 460 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 1: take at GW. I took acting for non drama majors. 461 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: And everyone in the class this was one of the 462 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: things that gave me the the impetus to be an 463 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: actor because everyone in the class was so horrible and 464 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 1: I could, I could. I squeaked by like I wasn't 465 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,479 Speaker 1: that bad. I was okay in terms of performing. And 466 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:52,199 Speaker 1: the teacher said to me, I want you to do 467 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 1: a scene from Canta huntin roof of Maggie Brick scene. 468 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: And your partner is Debbie Pergament, who was the daughter 469 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,240 Speaker 1: and then I don't want to call her the heir 470 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,439 Speaker 1: to the Pergaman fortune, but let's just say that for 471 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: our comedy purposes, Debbie Pergaman and literally she was this 472 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 1: lovely girl, adorable, gorgeous, really cute as the day is long. 473 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,400 Speaker 1: But she was from you know, like rosalind or somewhere. 474 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 1: So when she would say she was the only person 475 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: who made brick a bicyllabic where she was like a 476 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: brick brick, I am like a cat's on a Hudson 477 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: roof here, I am so upset. Debbie Pergmant was with 478 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: my partner in a scene study class and it was 479 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: it was eye opening. So where do we want to 480 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: go now? Your your career now? Um you you you're 481 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,400 Speaker 1: seeing another corridor for yourself. Is something you want to explore, 482 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 1: something you have to offer or be honest with me. 483 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 1: Are you just tired and you just don't want to 484 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,360 Speaker 1: travel and shlap and deal with these idiots you want 485 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 1: to know? The truth is I want to be more 486 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:01,399 Speaker 1: like you, really, because you are either re happy, Like 487 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:03,120 Speaker 1: I look at you when I see to myself, everything 488 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: is always like why aren't you doing what other people do? What? Meaning? 489 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,679 Speaker 1: Like the first thing people would say in the business, 490 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: I mean even outside the business, if they have some 491 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 1: savvy about it, what they say, did Jerry want to 492 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: ramp up a production company and just print TV shows? 493 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: I mean, how many sitcoms could you have launched with 494 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: the infra mater of your name, forget it, forget it. 495 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: You could have your own channel, the Jerry Channel. But 496 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: I didn't take that bait. Why because I know what 497 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:37,879 Speaker 1: it is. I know what it is. That's why you 498 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: can't pull that over on me. What what is? I've 499 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: sat in all the chairs, I've been in all the rooms. 500 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 1: I know what it is. Look Alec you you've you've 501 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,560 Speaker 1: been there right, Yes, you can't trick me into thinking 502 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 1: thinking what that's good? That's why, because don't. Most of 503 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: it is not native work and not reaching an audience. 504 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 1: You want to be on the water. How do you 505 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: want to be on the water. You want to be 506 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: on a yacht. You want to be on a surfboard. 507 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: I want to be on a surfboard. I don't want 508 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: to deal with the yacht. That's a yacht. And you 509 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:15,600 Speaker 1: just also some people want a yacht to say, to 510 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: see my yacht, And you just didn't want people do you, 511 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: And you also didn't want to ultimately wind up putting 512 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: your name as is often the case. Look at which 513 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: if you're the goose that lays the golden egg, you're 514 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: the successful person and it all emanates you're the godhead 515 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,439 Speaker 1: if you will comedy wise, and you go launch all 516 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,240 Speaker 1: these other shows, and all those other shows they aren't 517 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: maybe as good, And how much of your well, why 518 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: doesn't he want to do it? How much would have 519 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: to even for much for you to be in there, 520 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: for ones of you just to put whatever it is, yeah, 521 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: whatever it is. Let me tell you why my TV 522 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: series in the nineties was so good besides an inordinate 523 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: amount of just pure good fortune. And most TV series, 524 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: fifty percent of the time is spent working on the show, 525 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: fifty percent of the time is spent dealing with personality, political, 526 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: and hierarchical issues of making something. We spent our time 527 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 1: writing me and Larry the door was closed, some somebody calls. 528 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 1: We're not taking the call. We're gonna We're gonna make 529 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: this seem funny. That's why the show was good. I 530 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:24,000 Speaker 1: didn't want to go from that two. Um you know 531 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: some some H. G. Wells contraption machine you know of 532 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 1: of trying to control the weather. That's what That's what 533 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: these these deals are. That's what making a movie is. 534 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 1: What's a movie. It's this giant machine, is this giant ship, 535 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: and everybody gets on it and they shove off and 536 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: nobody knows where it's going, and the captain is doing 537 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: where's the captain's he's getting high and and and and 538 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: you know, and sleeping with the first mate. Period. Yeah, 539 00:29:55,160 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: so it's too much time and energy spent. That is 540 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 1: not the juice. The really good stuff is a great line. 541 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: So when when you go out a stand up comedian, 542 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: I can control that. So when you go out on 543 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: stage now, so for now, for you, other than whatever 544 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 1: other things you're involved with, writing or comedians and cars 545 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 1: with coffee and so forth, you go out on stage, 546 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 1: you perform live. How many shows you do on average? 547 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: Would you say, I'm not sure. It varies, but you're 548 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: on the road how many? How many shows a year? Um? 549 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: Maybe seventy so so you do seventy five appearances a year. 550 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: And is it just very simply a case where you 551 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,280 Speaker 1: walk out there, that exchange of energy between you and them. 552 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: They want what you've got, you want what they've got. 553 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: You're at home, you feel comfortable, you're happy. It's a 554 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 1: it's a it's it's a very fulfilling, uh unsolvable puzzle 555 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: that is endlessly um it just because it goes right 556 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: to your soul. Does every night need to be different 557 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 1: if you can make it, so do you try to 558 00:30:57,920 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: make it different that there's nothing I can do about that. 559 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:01,920 Speaker 1: It's gonna be different. It's gonna be different. But if 560 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,280 Speaker 1: I can get him right where I want them and 561 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 1: and get myself where I want myself, and the thing 562 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,560 Speaker 1: just explodes, well, you know, it's fun. That's life. People 563 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: who perform live. I'll never forget. There was an article 564 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,040 Speaker 1: like an Esquire magazine or somewhere, and they did an 565 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:19,959 Speaker 1: article about Wayne Newton and they took it was about Vegas, 566 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 1: and I think it was about Wayne Newton, and I 567 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: love this article. And they weren't mean towards him, were 568 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: diminishing him, and they were saying how they thought it 569 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 1: was uncanny how the guy went to the show in 570 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: Vegas with a stopwatch and Newton came out and he 571 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 1: did the same thing every show, the same exact thing, 572 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: the same exact beats. It was just it was just 573 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 1: he just cloned one show after that and he would 574 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: come out, but he would create the dynamic tension that 575 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: this show was different, and he come out on stage 576 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: and people will be screaming, and the women are throwing 577 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: their panties and they're throwing their hotel room keys, had 578 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:51,239 Speaker 1: him his crowd, and then he sit there and he'd say, um, um, 579 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: you know, we gotta we gotta wrap this up. But 580 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 1: you know I love you people. I'm gonna do someth 581 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 1: I'm gonna sing a song I never sing anymore. And 582 00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: the song he just sang, like you know, ninety minutes ago, 583 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: I singing number for you guys, I've never sing anymore. 584 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: I never would never break this one out anymore. And 585 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: he just re created the same, uh you know, mock 586 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 1: freshness of the whole thing, which many performers. I assume 587 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 1: they do that. Yeah, he used to say, tell him 588 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: locked the doors. They don't want me to go long. 589 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: But but this audience, I don't remember. I don't. I'm 590 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 1: gonna do something for you never I'm breaking the rules. Yeah, 591 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: and of course you wouldn't right on the button. You 592 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: performed in Vegas all the time. So they throw the 593 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: hotel room key. How desperate is this entertainer, by the way, 594 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: to just pick up d and go I'm heading over there. 595 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 1: I'm going over there, which one of you was d 596 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: Oh you, I'm sorry, let me give you your key back. 597 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I don't want that Kike coming up. More 598 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: from Jerry Seinfeld. He's got so many years of stand 599 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: up under his belt. When he travels as he does 600 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: most weekends, every move is planned. It is organized with 601 00:32:55,360 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: military precision, not an ounce of fat. It's found on 602 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: the day. It's three guys, three suits, three garment bags. 603 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: We're in, we're out, and we have a great time. 604 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:11,640 Speaker 1: We worked very hard. It's zero dark thirty. It is 605 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 1: you get the lot and go. I thinker put the 606 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: dead bodies. It's a beautiful thing. This is what I 607 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: was given from the TV series that I could live 608 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: like this now on my own terms. That that's what 609 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:34,120 Speaker 1: we're looking for on my own terms terms. Right, God, 610 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: that's such a foreign concept to me. Yes, the lack 611 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: of an actor is anything bust acting, but right, but 612 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:44,960 Speaker 1: this is where we're moving now with Alec God. Yeah, 613 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:50,720 Speaker 1: oh my god, on my own terms. More wisdom from 614 00:33:50,800 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: Jerry Seinfeld in a moment. This is Alec Baldwin, this 615 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 1: is alc Old one. When Jerry Seinfeld was ten years old, 616 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:12,759 Speaker 1: he started feverishly studying the techniques of stand up comedians 617 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: on TV, devouring it everything. That's like, just like my 618 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 1: daughter does Now, my daughters totally got whatever that gene 619 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,720 Speaker 1: I had, She's got it. She can do any voice, accent, 620 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: takes lines. Her brother said to her, this one she's 621 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:32,879 Speaker 1: wearing glass. She has glasses. Her brother said, he said, 622 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: are those are those real glasses? She looked at him, 623 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 1: She said, what do you think that's she's twelve, she's 624 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:48,640 Speaker 1: already she's not ready to go play iron Rand at 625 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:57,680 Speaker 1: the local library and the fake glasses. But um, okay, 626 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: so my house, um, I assume my my childhood was 627 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,759 Speaker 1: My relationship to my parents was you do what you 628 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 1: gotta do. I'll do what I gotta do, and I'm 629 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,120 Speaker 1: just living here untill I can figure something else out. 630 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,839 Speaker 1: That was my house, and to me, that was great. 631 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:18,280 Speaker 1: We've talked about this. You and I was very independent. 632 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:21,520 Speaker 1: My father never hugged me, never told me he loved me, 633 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 1: never threw me a ball. No problem. I'm good. I'm good. 634 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:32,800 Speaker 1: I'm good. He's You're good. You do whatever you some 635 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,800 Speaker 1: time together, right? Who was the guy who blew the 636 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: horn in the in the when the tower and the 637 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: tower fell over? Remember at the beginning of each show, 638 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: I forget what was it? Was it Larry? It was 639 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 1: another No, Larry Storch was a garn he was. There 640 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 1: was another enter, Captain Parmenter. He wasn't really funny. But 641 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: there was another guy, another Larry, who was at the 642 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:00,040 Speaker 1: top of the time the tower would fall over. I 643 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,319 Speaker 1: mean he was that very kind of vanilla looking. Yeah, 644 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 1: it wasn't. It wasn't Larry Wilcox went on to do chips. No, No, 645 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,120 Speaker 1: it was another Larry anyway. But yeah, I was Abbert 646 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: and Costello was. I really became obsessed with them because 647 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,479 Speaker 1: of the precision word play they were. See, that's where 648 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: they went beyond there was there was Laurel and Hardy 649 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:25,320 Speaker 1: and then Martin Lewis, but Aben and Costello had this precision. 650 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: I mean, who's on first is a piece of It's 651 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 1: like that that museum in Spain, you know, the what 652 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: you know? No, the other one that what's his name? 653 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:43,480 Speaker 1: Did that? Yeah? Whose real name is Goldberg by the way, 654 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,680 Speaker 1: yes it is, he changed it in college, Frank Frank, Yeah, 655 00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:53,640 Speaker 1: the what's the name of that museum in northern Bill Yeah, anyway, 656 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:57,080 Speaker 1: that's what Who's on first? This it's like, what a construction, 657 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 1: what a brilliant piece of construction. So and when I 658 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: heard things like that. Um, I just would get very 659 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,040 Speaker 1: excited that you could do things like that with words 660 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: and ideas and attitudes and and have laughs. You know, 661 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:14,040 Speaker 1: I have laughs. I remember when I was a kid 662 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,520 Speaker 1: and my dad would go to work and my brothers 663 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,120 Speaker 1: and sisters would go to school, and my mom was lonely. 664 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: M I probably missed school like thirty or forty days 665 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:26,000 Speaker 1: a year. You did, and it was a game. I 666 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 1: was totally full of ship. I said to my mom, 667 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: I don't feel good. Remember like, all right, you get 668 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:34,319 Speaker 1: in there and go to the breakfast table and pretend 669 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:36,000 Speaker 1: you're going to school until your father and then when 670 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,919 Speaker 1: he's gone, you can go back upstairs. And I would 671 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,480 Speaker 1: go and lie on the couch and they would show 672 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,279 Speaker 1: the same movie five days in a row, so the 673 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,440 Speaker 1: housewives who could only catch a piece of it here 674 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,200 Speaker 1: and a piece so they show Inherit the Wind, And 675 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,000 Speaker 1: by Friday I was laying in bed. I missed school 676 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 1: for three days and Friday Spencer Tracy would say, this 677 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:58,040 Speaker 1: man wants to be afforded the same rights as a sponge. 678 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: He wishes to think, and I my lip sync the words. 679 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 1: I knew that I'm like the door, I became a 680 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: complete movie. So that's where it began. And then when 681 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,799 Speaker 1: we got into the Aaron Spelling years, I abandoned, never 682 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: watched TV again. No Charloie's Angels And now what do 683 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:20,319 Speaker 1: you watch? Uh? Now, come into your house. It's ten 684 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,439 Speaker 1: forty five at night. Everyone's the wife, kids, babies of sleep. 685 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: I'm reading, you're reading, I'm reading on the internet. I read, 686 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: I read up, I read a book, or I read 687 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 1: The New Yorker. To get me a sleep, reading we 688 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:33,799 Speaker 1: get fall asleep. But when I watched TV, God, when 689 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,520 Speaker 1: I NFL, I watched Makeup hooements for NFL sixty minutes. 690 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 1: I watched MSNBC, I watched h I've watched snippets of 691 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:45,080 Speaker 1: these shows, you know, like Breaking Bad and these contemporary 692 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:48,560 Speaker 1: you know, these jokes. I don't have time. I don't 693 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: have time. I don't I don't understand either, And I 694 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:53,440 Speaker 1: don't know where are they finding the time? Did you 695 00:38:53,600 --> 00:39:00,719 Speaker 1: download House to Cards now? Eight hours? It's the first episode. Yeah, 696 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:03,800 Speaker 1: I can't do What are they doing? What kind of 697 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: how long are their days? Well? I always would get that. 698 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,320 Speaker 1: I would always be flattered for a moment. There was 699 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 1: always a double beat there. When someone would walk up 700 00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:11,560 Speaker 1: to me with Lauren and they woke up, they'd say. 701 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,839 Speaker 1: Lauren would say, you know Dave here, Dave Swanson from 702 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,279 Speaker 1: you know, from Comcast, and I'd go high, nice to 703 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: meet you. And he turned to Lauren and go, god, 704 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: you guys, I gotta tell you my son broke his 705 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 1: leg skiing and he was in bed. He was in traction. 706 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:27,200 Speaker 1: And we watched seasons two and three of thirty Rock 707 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: and I thought I'd smile, and then I thought, well, 708 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,000 Speaker 1: that's how you get to watch season's two and three three. 709 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,479 Speaker 1: You gotta go and break your leg skiing. You gotta 710 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:36,799 Speaker 1: go wrap yourself around a tree. Then you can layd 711 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,479 Speaker 1: and binge view all this. I don't understand how people 712 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,719 Speaker 1: are fitting this into their day. So there's not even 713 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: one show that's your I really love Madmen because that 714 00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:48,520 Speaker 1: was my dream growing up on Long Island was to 715 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:52,480 Speaker 1: get us Sampson I briefcase going along Island Railroad. I 716 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: was going to go in the city and I was 717 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,560 Speaker 1: gonna work at a big ad agency and right funny ads. 718 00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: That was my first dream. That was because end up 719 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:03,440 Speaker 1: comedy that I was seeing on the Sullivan Show. That 720 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:07,360 Speaker 1: was too far out. That was these are some genius 721 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:10,799 Speaker 1: alien people. I could never be one of those. I'm 722 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:13,400 Speaker 1: not gonna get that. But maybe I could be a 723 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,880 Speaker 1: copywriter or or something in the ad game. I love advertising. 724 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,439 Speaker 1: I like I like man I love Manhattan. You remember 725 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:23,080 Speaker 1: growing up in Massapeko, Manhattan was was oz. It was 726 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:26,640 Speaker 1: the Emerald City. Tell people when we were kids, there 727 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:31,240 Speaker 1: was no Bergen County correspondent. The Martians could have landed 728 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: out in in in in in Hempstead. No one cared 729 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 1: that the Martians did land in because they knew there 730 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,120 Speaker 1: were no cameras out there. When you grew up in 731 00:40:39,239 --> 00:40:42,040 Speaker 1: art generation, it was like the mayor announced today of 732 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:44,200 Speaker 1: the subway. Today, the cops shot on the I n D. 733 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:46,680 Speaker 1: The prepetated this, the bank robbery, this, and it was 734 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,280 Speaker 1: all Manhattan, Manhattan, the Garden today, the heavyweight show. Everything 735 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:52,680 Speaker 1: was Manhattan, not even the other outer boroughs. Right. And 736 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 1: when you lived at when you lived where we lived, 737 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:58,759 Speaker 1: that was Saskatchewan to the lead. Remember Alan Burke did 738 00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 1: Jeverse Allen Burke. Yes, And they would come up and 739 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:05,799 Speaker 1: they never correctly estimated the average height of New York 740 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:08,479 Speaker 1: of the podium was always way too high, Mr Bike, 741 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:13,080 Speaker 1: I just came in from Mars where the taxi and 742 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:16,759 Speaker 1: limousine commission there. They would be right back to some 743 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,279 Speaker 1: New York issue. So Madman, that is my family said, 744 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:23,719 Speaker 1: when did you cross over and decide I could do 745 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 1: the other thing? Um? It was beginning in college, Queen's College. 746 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:34,640 Speaker 1: What did you study there? Theater, communications, film, all that stuff. 747 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:39,040 Speaker 1: I was, I was circling the field, you know, going 748 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:42,120 Speaker 1: how do I how could I? I wonder if I could? 749 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: You know? Did you decide? Then Andy Kaufman happened. There's 750 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:49,880 Speaker 1: this guy in New York who goes up on stage 751 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:53,920 Speaker 1: and he plays the bongos and starts weeping. He's crazy 752 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 1: to So we all ran in to see Andy Kaufman 753 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:00,120 Speaker 1: at the improv. And as soon as I walked in 754 00:42:00,239 --> 00:42:02,160 Speaker 1: that room and I saw what was going on in there, 755 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:05,320 Speaker 1: I gotta get in on this. Yeah, I want to 756 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:06,879 Speaker 1: be one of these. And when you got up there 757 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:11,279 Speaker 1: and finally through whatever apprenticeship you had, and when you 758 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:12,719 Speaker 1: got up there and you did that, was here a 759 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:14,360 Speaker 1: moment where like some guy comes up to you. I 760 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: don't mean to be too Broadway Danny Roses, Yes, there 761 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 1: was did some guy walcome to and kid, call me 762 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:21,440 Speaker 1: you got yes, there was you know who that guy was, 763 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:28,040 Speaker 1: Jackie Mason. Jackie Mason alec I was doing comedy about 764 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:33,680 Speaker 1: three weeks. Three weeks and I mean stumbling nobody three weeks. 765 00:42:33,719 --> 00:42:37,319 Speaker 1: I'm nineteen years old, twenty years old of going up 766 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:39,120 Speaker 1: on stage. But it wasn't even a stage. There was 767 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:40,799 Speaker 1: a restaurant where they take a table out and they 768 00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:43,279 Speaker 1: would take one of the lights, the lamp, and they 769 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:44,919 Speaker 1: would take the shade off it. That was the show. 770 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:50,759 Speaker 1: He was in the audience people right, was one of 771 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:52,920 Speaker 1: these cabaret things West forty four Ster was called the 772 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:56,359 Speaker 1: Golden Lion Pub. He crooks his finger and he says, 773 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,319 Speaker 1: come over here. He takes me over to the bar. 774 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,879 Speaker 1: He says, you have it. He says, you are going 775 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,680 Speaker 1: to be so big. He says, it makes me sick 776 00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:10,080 Speaker 1: to even think of it, how successful you're gonna be. 777 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:15,480 Speaker 1: And I was just starting wow. And that, I mean, 778 00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 1: that was that was it, because he was, like, you know, 779 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,720 Speaker 1: he was very big comedians, still one of my favorites, 780 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 1: great comedian. But to have a guy like that come 781 00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:28,680 Speaker 1: up to you as a kid, I had that. That's 782 00:43:28,719 --> 00:43:31,279 Speaker 1: still you know when I talked to you about I 783 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:33,120 Speaker 1: went in the improv and I saw all these guys 784 00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:35,200 Speaker 1: and I thought, I want to be one of these guys. 785 00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:38,440 Speaker 1: That's still how I feel now. Was there a moment 786 00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:43,600 Speaker 1: when for me one of the real pure joys of 787 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:46,759 Speaker 1: this business are the people I've gotten to me and 788 00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:48,200 Speaker 1: I don't want to, you know, go on and on on. 789 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,440 Speaker 1: But were there people who came to you that were 790 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:53,600 Speaker 1: like these godlike figures to you? Were you just admired 791 00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:56,200 Speaker 1: them from your world? They came up to you and said, 792 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:58,120 Speaker 1: hey man, they went to you said it could be 793 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: it could be Carson across the room out Jack Rollins, 794 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:04,000 Speaker 1: who I looked up because I saw your movie, which 795 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:08,960 Speaker 1: I loved, Blue Jasmine great, and I see, like Jack 796 00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:13,360 Speaker 1: Rollins in the credit, I look, he's still alive. His 797 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:16,400 Speaker 1: daughter was a waitress at a comedy club on the 798 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,200 Speaker 1: Upper East Side, and she brought him in to see 799 00:44:19,239 --> 00:44:21,200 Speaker 1: me and Larry Miller and Jimmy Broken, and he watched 800 00:44:21,239 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 1: the three of us, and then he sat and talked 801 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,719 Speaker 1: with us afterwards, and he was very encouraging, very flattering. 802 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:27,960 Speaker 1: That was really big because we were in about a 803 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,360 Speaker 1: year at that point. We didn't know there was no 804 00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:32,759 Speaker 1: business to get into. Even if we could do this 805 00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:35,960 Speaker 1: didn't even exist. There was no place to work as 806 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:40,440 Speaker 1: a stand up comic in seven didn't even exist. It 807 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,680 Speaker 1: happened in the eighties. Once they were all these guys around. 808 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:46,800 Speaker 1: Then these clubs started opening around the country. What about 809 00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: someone else, someone beyond year old man have exist. In 810 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 1: the credits of a Woody Allen movie, who was some 811 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:56,600 Speaker 1: iconic gave stand up figure. I saw Richard Pryor and 812 00:44:56,760 --> 00:44:59,520 Speaker 1: in those days, um he would come into the clubs 813 00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:02,239 Speaker 1: and we say something to George Carlin. No, never said 814 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:05,320 Speaker 1: anything to me, but just to meet those people. Was 815 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:07,719 Speaker 1: there one at some point who other than Mason said 816 00:45:07,760 --> 00:45:12,040 Speaker 1: you've got it? Was? No, no, no. If you don't 817 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:17,560 Speaker 1: need that any any self respecting professional comedian, you don't 818 00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 1: need that. You don't need anyone or anything. You are 819 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:26,000 Speaker 1: built for brutality. You have this relationship with the audience 820 00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:31,520 Speaker 1: that is private between you and them. You critics want 821 00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:35,359 Speaker 1: to write, people want to talk. We we have our 822 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:39,680 Speaker 1: own thing that nobody, nobody can break that. Once you 823 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:43,520 Speaker 1: build that, it can't be broken by outside forces. This 824 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:47,000 Speaker 1: is the difference between being a comedian that has his 825 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:50,120 Speaker 1: own thing and everybody else in the entertainment field who 826 00:45:50,239 --> 00:45:56,560 Speaker 1: needs to cooperate to survive. The comedian that you know, 827 00:45:57,360 --> 00:45:59,560 Speaker 1: what do I care what somebody writes about my show? 828 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:04,560 Speaker 1: What do I care? So even doing the series, and 829 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:06,960 Speaker 1: even knowing I had these other avenues, I could pursue 830 00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:10,640 Speaker 1: that that's so pure and so perfect and so good. 831 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:15,640 Speaker 1: It's not easy. It is a rigorous life to maintain that. 832 00:46:16,600 --> 00:46:20,320 Speaker 1: You know, I don't I don't hang out on stage. 833 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: You've seen the show. I don't hang out. I'm I'm 834 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,360 Speaker 1: I'm up here to work. I'm gonna work for you 835 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:30,480 Speaker 1: because I respect this relationship and I want to keep it. 836 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:33,040 Speaker 1: I want to keep it because once you have that, 837 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:44,520 Speaker 1: you can do what you want. Jerry Seinfeld has meditated 838 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:48,520 Speaker 1: for over four decades and it shows. He says, it 839 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:53,480 Speaker 1: makes stress float away. I wanted to find out more 840 00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:58,920 Speaker 1: about Jerry and meditation, so I called him transcendental meditation. 841 00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:03,279 Speaker 1: That that's what I do t M. And how long 842 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:06,520 Speaker 1: have you been doing that? Since? Um seventy two? So 843 00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:08,279 Speaker 1: so when did that come into your life? You like 844 00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:12,200 Speaker 1: saw a billboard when you were at LA station at 845 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:16,440 Speaker 1: Oswego State University, where I was seriously rolled because I 846 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:21,360 Speaker 1: couldn't take senior year anymore. So I left high school 847 00:47:21,520 --> 00:47:25,000 Speaker 1: six months early and got into college and left in 848 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,160 Speaker 1: the middle of senior year. Now I know you didn't 849 00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 1: do that because you were handsome and the girls were 850 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:34,279 Speaker 1: hanging off of you, and senior year was fantastic for you. 851 00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:37,400 Speaker 1: That's what I know. It was a vending machine of women. 852 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 1: Was well, it wasn't like that for me, buddy boy, Alright, 853 00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:43,600 Speaker 1: So I thought, I got to get out of here 854 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:46,440 Speaker 1: and start a new life with people that don't know me. 855 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:50,399 Speaker 1: So I went to Oswego and while I was there, 856 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:53,320 Speaker 1: and I remember, this is a still in the flora 857 00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:59,080 Speaker 1: and fauna of sixties experimentalism, so transcendental meditation. Somebody told 858 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:02,160 Speaker 1: me about it. I don't remember or who, and I thought, well, 859 00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:03,680 Speaker 1: let me see what that's about. And I went to 860 00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:06,560 Speaker 1: the thing and I learned the technique. It cleared up 861 00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:11,200 Speaker 1: my acne immediately. I had this great energy and focus, 862 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:14,279 Speaker 1: and I've been doing it the rest of my life. 863 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:17,960 Speaker 1: So you sound when you say you learned the technique 864 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:20,360 Speaker 1: and clear up your acne and your energy and focus, 865 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:23,600 Speaker 1: it sounds like you ultimately had the sex that had 866 00:48:23,719 --> 00:48:25,760 Speaker 1: been evading you. Up till then before you went to Laswego. 867 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:27,600 Speaker 1: What was it? Correct? So the TM was really a 868 00:48:27,680 --> 00:48:32,040 Speaker 1: pathway to two sex? Correct? How can I do it? Like? What? Like? 869 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:33,960 Speaker 1: Where do you do it? You can? You do it anywhere? 870 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:37,799 Speaker 1: You do it anywhere. I'm going to get you doing 871 00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:41,960 Speaker 1: it now. I want to I want more energy, more 872 00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:44,279 Speaker 1: focused on my acting to clear up. Well, you don't 873 00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:46,640 Speaker 1: need you can't have more energy. You can't even dispose 874 00:48:46,719 --> 00:48:49,600 Speaker 1: of the energy that you have. It's true, but it's 875 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:52,040 Speaker 1: toxic energy. It's more like a chernobyl than it is 876 00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:56,759 Speaker 1: kind of This is a nice energy, really nice. Here's 877 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:58,879 Speaker 1: how I'll describe it to you. You know, have three 878 00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,560 Speaker 1: times a year you wake up and you go, boy, 879 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:04,920 Speaker 1: that was a really good sleep. Yes, imagine feeling like 880 00:49:05,040 --> 00:49:13,880 Speaker 1: that every day. Oh my god, that's what it is. Meditation. 881 00:49:14,520 --> 00:49:19,399 Speaker 1: I gotta try that. This is Alec Baldwin and you're 882 00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:21,000 Speaker 1: listening to here's the thing.