Sal Vulcano: Jokers, Joe's Pizza, & Tanka Jahari

Summary

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Disgraceful with Grace O'Malley

Episode Summary: "Sal Vulcano: Jokers, Joe's Pizza, & Tanka Johari"

Original air date: October 16, 2025
Host: Grace O'Malley
Guest: Sal Vulcano (Impractical Jokers)

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Episode Overview

In this lively and heartfelt episode, Grace O’Malley welcomes Sal Vulcano, beloved comedian, co-creator and star of Impractical Jokers, to vie for the coveted DisGRACEful co-host spot. From viral memes to Mafia nicknames, fatherhood, odd fears of mothballs and the Tooth Fairy, and what really happens backstage (plus: how to skip with joy as an adult), this conversation dives into Sal’s comedy roots and personal quirks. Both hosts riff on family, tour life, and the memes that turn a random bit into cultural legend, all delivered in Grace’s candid, bit-heavy tone.

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Main Themes & Segments

1. Sal’s Comedy Stardom & Meme-dom

• Opening Banter & “Tonka Johari” Meme (01:00 – 12:21)

  • The episode jumps right into the viral impact of Sal’s “Tonka Johari” bit—a one-minute character from Impractical Jokers that exploded on TikTok a year ago.
  • Sal reflects on suddenly being known by new audiences just for this:

    "I swear I have 10% of my audience coming because they know me as Tonka Johari... It’s insane to me." (11:12)

  • Grace notes the sound took off "around November 2024," aligning with a spike in Sal’s ticket sales (12:00).

• The Magic of Relatable Comedy (02:55 – 03:25)

  • Grace: "You're the only thing in my family we can all agree on."
  • Sal: "I never intended that...God bless."

• Mothballs, Memes, and Generational Worries (05:41 – 08:40)

  • Sal hilariously dissects childhood fears about moths versus true adulthood dangers.

    "It just made it feel to me like it was going to be way more of an issue than it actually is.” (06:03)

  • Segues to a lifetime supply mothball gift, riffing on “game show” logic. (07:31)

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2. Tour Life, Family, and Music

• On Tour with the Jokers & Family Adjustments (34:07 – 35:08; 13:16 – 15:46)

  • Touring the US and UK, close road life, and how it gets harder with kids.

    "We did a double decker bus in the UK... it was like a little hotel on wheels. Fun, but hard now with family." (34:54)

• Sports Loyalties: Yankees, Steelers, and Passing on Traditions (13:19 – 14:25)

  • Sal shares his fading Yankee fandom and lifelong love of the Steelers, "because their merch was everywhere" when he was a kid.
  • He’s now passing on musical taste (Devo, Queen, Beastie Boys) to his daughter:

    “She’ll request 'Freedom of Choice' by D. Devo...she knows the Beatles, Queen, Ray Charles, Beastie Boys—she's three!” (15:04)

• Comedians Shaping Childhood Moments (36:00 – 38:18)

  • How seeing big names at the Comedy Cellar as a teen influenced Sal’s career.

    "I would start going all the time...Romano, Gaffigan, everybody." (36:41)

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3. Nicknames, Show Bits, and Insider Jokes

• Nickname Lightning Round (16:50 – 17:56)

  • Sal’s alternate identities from the show: Jacrispi, Kranjes McBasketball, Tonka Johari, Prince Herb.

    "They took my name out of the credits...I had to respond to Prince Herb in every context." (17:16)

• Fan Nicknames & Listener Stories (24:46 – 26:47)

  • Grace reads out fan-submitted nicknames with Sal, from “Jub” to “Candy Cane,” sparking playful riffs about language and childhood teasing.

    "‘Jub’ is a bespoke word. And I will now say ‘jupe’...I love fun words." (24:50, Sal)

• Insider Show Failures (66:11 – 67:38)

  • Unbroadcasted Jokers bits—like being mimes in the park on a 98-degree NYC day, or baby-talking at playgrounds (which led to police involvement).

    “We realized we couldn’t speak...and that there was a redundancy to us miming...maybe five bits that never made the show out of thousands.” (66:11)

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4. Sal As a Fan and Relatable Human

• Odd Fears: Tooth Fairy Trauma (39:13 – 41:55)

  • Recalls the terror of hearing about the Tooth Fairy with no warning, confusing fantasy with reality.

    "I was six, I had six hours to conceptualize it...a foreign woman was entering the house. Why not an even exchange while I’m awake?" (39:23)

  • How he plans to introduce these traditions more gently to his daughter. (40:30)

• Urban Legends: Quicksand, Candy Fears, Slides (42:42 – 44:36)

  • Both riff on irrational 80s/90s kid fears: abductions, needles in candy, and razor-blade slides.
  • Reflects on how “one bad story” changes decades of behavior.

• Adult Playgrounds & The Joy of Skipping (44:44 – 46:32)

  • Sal advocates for public adult play, especially skipping for joy.

    “Skipping should be in there. I think, like, if I—I think we should normalize it.” (45:16, Sal)

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5. Behind the Scenes: Touring, Podcasts, and New Projects

• Career Path and Comedy Hustle (29:09 – 34:08)

  • Sal’s four jobs: deli/pizza, finance (as a business systems analyst at Prudential), bartending, and comedy.
  • Leaving finance for a creative life after severance.
  • Early adoption of MySpace and YouTube for sketches—paved way for Jokers.

    "At one point there were 32,000 comedian pages [on MySpace]...we rose to number one for a year." (31:20)

• Podcasting & New Show (27:33 – 28:39, 28:47 – 28:56)

  • Co-hosted “Hey Babe” with Chris Distefano and “Taste Buds” with Joe DeRosa, both currently on hiatus with hopes to return.
  • Upcoming show: “Manouche”—a blend of sketch and talk, to be released in 10-episode seasons:

    “It’s going to go in and out of, like, sketch and conversation without, like, calling it out.” (28:34)

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6. Quirky Details, Gifts, and Fan Culture

• Props, Gags, and Gifts (07:02 – 08:29; 50:39 – 51:08)

  • Sal’s appreciation of thoughtfulness, from podcast gifts (mothballs, lipstick joke) to getting photorealistic tattoos of Jaden Smith for a bit—one of which Jaden reacted to in person:

    “I have him on my left thigh...on my right thigh, full color...he posed for that one.” (50:48)

• Fan Tattoos, Riders, Touring Essentials (53:40 – 55:35)

  • Some fans have Sal’s face or signature tattooed; he tries to discourage it:

    “Life is long...with everything in my being, this is a mistake.” (52:59)

  • Current touring rider: "Water, Tums, hand sanitizer. That’s it. That’s growing up." (54:42)

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7. Personal & Industry Anecdotes

• Celebrity Run-Ins & Viral Moments (60:16 – 61:39)

  • Stories meeting Nicholas Cage at a NYC deli:

    "Nick Cage tipped Joe twenty bucks for hailing him a cab in a tux—they thought we worked there." (61:12)

  • Backstage dish: “Harnesses are rough around the balls. Nobody tells you that.” (62:46)

• On Fan Culture & Fame (62:13 – 64:53)

  • Discusses the oddity of staged photo shoots and feeling more awkward in those than any show bit.

• Friendships & Comedy Brotherhood (70:47 – 74:32)

  • Bachelor party stories: Sal, Steve Byrne, Bill Burr, Carrot Top in Vegas.

    "That’s such a crazy picture...my bachelor party with that crew is wild...Carrot Top’s the coolest, nicest guy." (73:03)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Going Viral:
  “I have three hundred episodes that are a half hour long and none of them did that. And then this one-minute clip just...It is ridiculous.”
  (12:08, Sal Vulcano)

• On Adult Joy:
  “I think we should normalize skipping...at least 10% of the population just using skipping.”
  (45:16, Sal Vulcano)

• On Stage Riders:
  “It’s water, Tums and hand sanitizer. That’s growing up.”
  (54:42, Sal Vulcano)

• On Giving Up Finance for Comedy:
  “Let me save someone’s job. I’m not staying here, you know?”
  (29:45, Sal Vulcano)

• On Generational Fears:
  “I was six...I had six hours to conceptualize it...that a foreign woman was entering the house. Why not an even exchange while I’m awake?”
  (39:23, Sal Vulcano)

---

Segment Timestamps (approximate)

• Tonka Johari Meme & TikTok Fame: 01:00 – 12:21
• Family & Comedy as Comfort TV: 02:55 – 03:34
• Parental Traditions & Tooth Fairy Trauma: 39:13 – 41:55
• Touring Life, Kids, & Comedy Roots: 34:07 – 35:16, 13:16 – 15:46
• Nickname Lightning Round: 16:50 – 17:56
• Fan Nicknames & Listener Stories: 24:46 – 26:47
• Fan Encounters & Backstage Bits: 62:13 – 64:53
• On Skipping and Mood-Boosting: 44:44 – 46:32
• Rider Reveal ("Growing Up"): 54:42
• Bachelor Party with Comics: 73:02 – 74:32

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Energy & Tone

• The episode is packed with laughter, quick asides, and playful sarcasm—from Grace’s dry delivery to Sal’s self-deprecating New Yorker humor.
• Tangents are celebrated, with recurring callbacks to bits (pizza, skipping, mothballs) and a shared joy in comedic vulnerability.
• Genuine warmth and mutual appreciation run through the entire conversation, with plenty of insider references for Jokers fans and comics alike.

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Highlights for New Listeners

• Sal on TikTok meme fame vs. 10+ years on TV.
• Why “Tonka Johari” has become a catchphrase.
• The philosophy of adulthood fears that never come true (quicksand, moths, needles in candy).
• Tour and backstage stories (clowns, failed bits, awkward photo shoots).
• Musical tastes inherited from and given to kids.
• The evolution of what matters on your backstage rider.
• Relatable stories about parents, siblings, and comedy club nostalgia.

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End Shout-Outs

• Sal gives shout-outs to everyone from his kindergarten teacher (“made me valedictorian”), to his family, pets, “people skipping on the street,” and the pizza guy from Joe’s.
• Sal plugs his "Everything's Fine" tour (through 2026), season 12 of Impractical Jokers, and upcoming sketch/talk show "Manouche" (late 2025/early ‘26).

---

This episode is an exuberant, heartfelt, and bit-packed deep-dive into the mind and life of Sal Vulcano—with jokes and vulnerability in equal measure, perfect for new fans or longtime Jokers loyalists.

Transcript

[Jeff]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me. So, Dana.

[Zoe]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Sal Vulcano]

Wow.

[Jeff]

Impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Zoe]

Nice. Je free.

[Sal Vulcano]

You heard them. T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[Jeff]

So what are we having for lunch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

The 24 month bill. Credits on experience beyond for well qualified customers. Plus tax and 35 device connection charge. Credit send and balance due if you pay off earlier, Cancel Finance Agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs 1099.99 A new line minimum 100 plus a month plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required. Best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Oklahoma Speed Test Intelligence Data 182025 Visit T mobile.com I think.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We do have a delivery here. Delivery for a Taco John.

[Sal Vulcano]

You guys are the surprises. Come on. Is this. If this is actually Joe's, I'm going to house this.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Totally Joe's it is.

[Sal Vulcano]

I didn't eat today.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

But you would never eat a whole pizza to yourself.

[Sal Vulcano]

I mean, I didn't order it. I would never eat a whole pizza for myself. I'll take it though. That's all I've ever wanted.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

In the flesh.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'm talking Johari. But I didn't order a whole pizza for myself.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This is awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'll take it though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You don't know what this is going.

[Sal Vulcano]

To mean to these girls. Coming at you live from a shady Manhattan studio, it's Disgraceful. Featuring your gracious ginger host.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hey, watch yourself. Only I can say that.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay, boss. Whatever you say. You pay my bills. Give it up for Grace o'. Malley.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hi, guys. Welcome back to Disgraceful. This week I'm joined by comedian and co creator, producer and star of Impractical Jokers, Sal Vulcano. How we doing?

[Sal Vulcano]

Good.

[Jeff]

How you doing?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Doing good, doing good.

[Sal Vulcano]

This is cozy.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

There's more here.

[Sal Vulcano]

This is warm. Go, go, go.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

His special, Terrified, is now streaming on HBO Max. And you can watch him in a city near you on his Everything's Fine tour.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Now we clap. Sorry. Should have put the name at the end we're learning. We're figuring things out. Welcome in, man.

[Sal Vulcano]

Dude, thanks for having me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Thanks for coming on.

[Sal Vulcano]

We're on air.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We' live and we could cut anything, so not really live.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's better. Okay.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Can we cut everything so far or not?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm definitely gonna redo that intro when you're not here. Dude, I'm so happy to have you on.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's so nice to meet you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's so nice to meet you.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'm a huge fan.

[Sal Vulcano]

Thank you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I truly and honestly, everything you've done, you just. You're a rock star.

[Sal Vulcano]

Thanks.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I will say you're the only thing in my family that we can all agree on.

[Sal Vulcano]

Wow. For real?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

For real.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, that's so cool.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like, I mean, no, it's that cool general sense, that's horrible. But, like, relation to me, that's good.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, no, it's a beautiful thing. But that's the thing.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's like each other's guts. Oh, well, you know, Absolutely each other. And then the show comes on. You, like, just put each other's necks down.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We literally look like the Simpsons when we turn on tv. We all just jump on the couch. And when we watch impractical jokers, we can all agree from 12 to 52. Yeah, that's a beautiful thing.

[Sal Vulcano]

I never intended that, but yeah. God bless.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, it's good stuff. There was a rule in my house during COVID that me and my father weren't allowed to talk, but we could watch the show together.

[Sal Vulcano]

All right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay. Politics.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We were bumping down.

[Sal Vulcano]

It was divisive. It was divisive for sure.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you. Teach me, Suldanna.

[Zoe]

Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ult pro camera system.

[Jeff]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Zoe]

Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Sal Vulcano]

T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[Jeff]

So what are we having for lunch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

The 24 month bill, credits on experience beyond for well qualified customers, plus tax and $35 device connection charge, credit send and balance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Finance Agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs $1099.99 and new line minimum $100 plus with auto PayPal taxes and fees required. Best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Ooklab Speed Test Intelligence Data 1H 2025 Visit t mobile.com Looking.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

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[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You talk about mothballs. Yeah. And why. Why is it that it's like this thing that you're so concerned about.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like, as older people, like, really was a concern. That was a great point out.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Because I live with my grandparents when I was younger for a bit.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And I was pretty young and they had mothballs in every closet of the house. And I just.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Same with mine.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. I just was like this. Okay, so this is something. This is going to be a thing. Okay. Now, like, if they're. They're dealing with this in every clock and when I get older, I'm going to have to take the reins. I'm going to have to fight these things. Like, it just. It just made it feel to me like it was going to be way more of an issue than it. It actually is.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Well, we're here to take. We're here to ease your mind here on this show. And so we got you a little something.

[Sal Vulcano]

No way.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. Yes, please open. Yeah. Of course. For those of you listening, tune in on YouTube and check it out.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Otherwise you're going to miss all this element of it. You ever get a gift from someone you don't Know whether to open it right then and there. And you're like, you want me to open this now? And they go, yeah, no, we take it. And I never know if what they really want.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think maybe the only time where it's a definite is on a podcast.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's funny.

[Jeff]

It just.

[Sal Vulcano]

Just doesn't pay off. I'm like, no, I'll open it when I get home. No, I insist. No, no, I know.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'm like the little kid in the birthday party. You should really open my present.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's so funny. Like, I'll open it later.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Don't you dare.

[Sal Vulcano]

Props to whoever did this, by the way. I love. Let me tell you something. I love attention to detail. And that is always apparent when you're giving a gift, you know, And I'm sorry to say that I don't live up to those expectations. I can't rap. Well, a lot of times I'll do it in tinfoil. Not to be funny, just because there's no tape, no scissor required, things like that. But like when you're matching, like, foil, like paper to the, to the actual.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Color, that shout out, no, no, that's my sister. That's my sister.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, my God. Yeah, this is enough. This is a lifetime supply.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, Lifetime supply of mothballs.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. On old game shows or something, they'd be like, you get a lifetime supply. I was always like, how do you quantify?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And whatever the. It's like whatever the ad is, and it would be mothballs. Yeah. You got a lifetime supply of mothballs.

[Sal Vulcano]

This is unbelievable. Because. Because not only does it kill the moth, it kills the eggs and the larvae.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, I was worried about the larvae.

[Sal Vulcano]

You want to. What you want to do is you want to wipe out the babies. The infant moths. You want to also target. Yeah, this is so cool. They smell like urinal cakes. And I don't know if they're the same exact thing. I've always wondered if they're the ide. The exact same thing. They might be. And it's a disinfectant. And I think maybe the, the urinal cake repels the moth, but the urinal cake does whatever it does in the urinal as well. And I think that someone found out that they're. They're dual use. But you can't be like, put a urinal cake in your closet to kill the infant moths.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, you gotta, you gotta reshape and resize.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

But I, I, and I don't know. This, this is just me going out on some so Please don't send letters. Don't send letters. But. But I think they're the same exact thing. I think if I dump this in a urinal, it might do the same thing.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You know, I didn't know what a urinal cake was until recently. My dad was telling me some. My dad was super 80s guy.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

He was telling me this story. He's like.

[Sal Vulcano]

He didn't tell you it over covered, that's for sure.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no, definitely not. We've gotten better. But he was telling me the story of how him and his buddies used to. They would bet on who could eat the urinal cake.

[Sal Vulcano]

All right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah. My dad's got a couple loose screws.

[Jeff]

That's it.

[Sal Vulcano]

Let's see what he was eating. Let's see what he was eating here.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think you know who we voted for now.

[Sal Vulcano]

Physical or chemical hazard? Yeah, it is. And it's combustible. So what? What the hell was I just saying?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I don't know. You got so stoked about moth.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, I know. I've never seen a moth by a urinal. I'm not tell you that much. Right. Never seen them off by a urinal.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

At all of those outdoor events and all those Porta Potties because I think.

[Sal Vulcano]

It'S the same thing. And also thank you because I don't think I've ever received a gift. What is this you give me?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You I take for how I return.

[Sal Vulcano]

I know.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Pay what you need. A token.

[Sal Vulcano]

I go to jail if I keep.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

What's going on?

[Sal Vulcano]

Why do we not. Why do we forget how to speak English during that? What?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's confusion.

[Sal Vulcano]

Confusion. Did I not. Did I miss something in there?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No. So I guess there is one more thing.

[Jeff]

What is this?

[Sal Vulcano]

This is Wet N Wild Stoplight red lipstick. Yeah, so that also repels moths.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's a note to Tonka.

[Sal Vulcano]

Ah, I know that. I know that now. Does that piss you off? No. This piss me off?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

Why would it piss me off?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, I don't know. I just. I feel like if you hear something too much.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'm not pissed. Ah, come on. Yeah, we got bigger issues.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, no, that's true.

[Sal Vulcano]

Then hearing something too much. Thank you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Now, I did see you.

[Sal Vulcano]

Nori. Yes, thank you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes, thank you. It's my sister. It means a lot. Yeah, of course.

[Sal Vulcano]

No, no. So what's crazy about this is. So I'm. I've become like. I've had like right now about five very, very insanely popular memes. I had. No, it was no fault of my Own. And there's a bit on Impractical Jokers where I played this character for it was like a one minute scene like eight years ago.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I know.

[Sal Vulcano]

Came and went and then tick tock, tick, tocked it. And then like now I swear I have 10 of my audience, possibly more in my, my shows coming because they know me as Tonka Johari solely like they found jokers through Tonka Johari.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's insane to me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

I know. And I have one where like it's my biggest fat head. It's like a head meme. Like the crying Michael Jordan. And that was like, that was tough because I couldn't escape it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then this one took over and that was. And then another one took over where I was a sketch I did in 2014 with my niece who's now like 18. She was like 6 or whatever the was. And yeah, it's just kind of wild. But people come up and they asked me to say the catchphrase, which is I'm, I'm Tonka Johari, but I would never order a whole pizza for myself. I'll take it though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And that has changed lives, apparently.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It literally, I think it's a year to date that that went viral.

[Sal Vulcano]

Really?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think.

[Sal Vulcano]

How do you know this?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Because I was trying to find the sound myself.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Because I know everyone was using the sound and I was like, that's coming up. That was, that was like around November.

[Sal Vulcano]

Of 2024, I think I saw a boom in ticket sales.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh yeah, yeah. That's huge.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's crazy though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That is so wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

I have three, 300 episodes that are a half hour long and none of them did that. And then this one minute clip of me just. It's, it is ridiculous. I'm in like clown shoes applying make. It's just a, you know, we try to get weird on the show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh yeah, of course.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

I like this. Did you want me to apply it?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, I just, I, I don't know.

[Sal Vulcano]

No, I, I, it's a, not an ad. It's, it's you. It's thoughtful. Why would I get angry at that?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, I just have the whole tonk of it all. Yeah, I did hear.

[Sal Vulcano]

I, I can I put this on your desk? I kind of like just imposed on your desk.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We've got a bunch of nicknames.

[Sal Vulcano]

Crystals.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Make yourself home. When you hear your family. We're all of Garden.

[Sal Vulcano]

Where are you from?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Boston.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Cuz I saw online you went to the Game, right?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes.

[Sal Vulcano]

You threw out a pitch.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I threw out a pitch.

[Sal Vulcano]

How'd you do?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I got it over the plate.

[Sal Vulcano]

You did?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I did.

[Sal Vulcano]

Did it bounce?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I didn't cheat it.

[Sal Vulcano]

It didn't bounce.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It bounced right at the plate.

[Sal Vulcano]

It was obviously the catch's fault. I'm not going to lie. That's 90 percentile right there, dude.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And the funniest thing was my dad. That was, like, the one time he was like, you know what, kid? I'm proud of you. That was it. Everything else. Right.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was playing the Yankees now in the playoffs, aren't they?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I know.

[Sal Vulcano]

Tonight. I know tonight.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

So you're. You. You're Yankee.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. I'm a little out of the loop right now because I. I have a young. I have a family. And. And congratulations. Thank you so much. And so, like, baseball is a little tough to keep up with. And I. I went a while, and then I lost an emotional connection with the team.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like, I was a Yankees fan, like, hardcore from, like, 85 to, like, 2005 or 10 or something like that, you know?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I love to hear that.

[Sal Vulcano]

Why is that?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That you're losing your connection with the Yankees?

[Sal Vulcano]

I love them. It's just. I don't have an emotional connection, you know, But I still keep up with the Knicks and, like, with the Steelers, which are my team. So, like. But other than that, it's like, I got a. I watched during the playoffs and everyone.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Steelers?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Why the Steelers?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. But I was born when they were a dynasty and their merch was available everywhere. My dad, who's not particularly a sports fan at all, took me for clothes for that year and just bought Steelers, and it just. Just kind of took when I was, like, three or four.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's awesome. That's great. Like, here, kid, you're a Steelers fan.

[Sal Vulcano]

So that's the way to do it. Like, just put something on your kid at, like, age 4 and, like, let them just, like, osmosis it into them, you know what I mean? Like, my daughter, she loves Devo now because I got her a Devo T shirt.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

If you even know who Devo is.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

My uncle has a Devo shrine in his house.

[Sal Vulcano]

Really? He really does.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

He has, like, one of the hats in a place.

[Sal Vulcano]

Well, they're awesome. Yeah. So she was like, well, oh, like, I was like, I'll play. I know what she'll like. She's three, but I know, like, if a song has a good melody or a good hook. I know, like, and I presented to her enthusiastically. She'll accept it. And so I showed her Whip it, which is like their big, like, commercial, like, big, big song. And then like, I let the album play.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You show her the mainstream to get her hooked.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes, they get her hooked. And that's how I get her in there. And now she listens to like, like Deep Cuts. No, she, she requests it by name.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

So.

[Sal Vulcano]

How old? Such a proud dad. She turned three a month ago.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, my gosh. She's got, she's, she's like already requesting.

[Sal Vulcano]

From the dj, I swear to God. So she'll be, will be driving to school. She's like, dad, can we listen to Freedom of Choice by D. Divo?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Dude, I don't even know this one. That's wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

She knows like 10 songs from D. But she, to be fair, like, she now knows, like, I'm gonna, I, I. Can I take a moment?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, please, please.

[Sal Vulcano]

She knows the Beatles, she knows Queen. She knows Ray Charles. She knows Beastie Boys. She knows, she knows like, like. And then I'll also show her like one off. She knows around the mc, but like, she requests Friends by the band Houdini. The group Houdini, which is a hip hop group from like, like the late 80s and stuff. It's like, yeah, it's so cool.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I don't even know that guy.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, yeah, they're a group.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

She's got it going on.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, she's cool.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You've made her a cool kid. Yeah, I bet it has a lot to do with your wife as well.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, yeah, we're all in sync. She's like, it's just the coolest thing ever, man.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And do you think you'll have another kid by chance?

[Sal Vulcano]

I absolutely want to have, like, more kids.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes. Okay. Hell yeah. Because I will say your daughter's got a good thing going on right now. And I could have been an only child. And I just wanna, I don't know, I just kind of want to stand up for the kids who could have been only children. That's my sister sitting right there.

[Sal Vulcano]

Wait, so you're bummed that you aren't. I have three sisters.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes.

[Sal Vulcano]

No bros. You do too.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

You guys are just.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

There's four girls and no.

[Sal Vulcano]

No boys.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And, and don't you say, your poor father.

[Sal Vulcano]

No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Don't you say, dude, that's what this is, what people say. That's like their first reaction.

[Sal Vulcano]

You kind of want to be able to experience both, I suppose. But like, I, I, I. My daughter is like. I'm like so infatuated. Obsessed with her, that I'm like, if I could have 10 more of her, I would.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, it's a great thing. It's a beautiful thing. So on the. On the subject of Tonka.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

So I asked people online what their nicknames were and how they got them.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Because, I mean, you've got. You've got yours, I've got mine, which is just my last name and nicknames. What else you got in real life.

[Sal Vulcano]

Or from the show? Because the show is providing me, like, a handful as well.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

List them all off.

[Sal Vulcano]

Rapid firestyle, Jacrispi, Kranjes, McBasketball, of course. Tonka Johari. There's definitely more. Prince Herb.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Prince Herb.

[Sal Vulcano]

Prince Herb. I had to change my name to for like, a year. So they.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

They made me actually legally.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Well, thank God they backed off right there because that would have been like. That would have sucked because that's a really hard process.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

But I genuinely went right. Prince Herb. For the whole season. They took my name out of the credits. They put in Prince Herb. I was only allowed to respond to Prince Her. They only called me Prince Her. And then everything in my actual life I had to ask for as Prince Her. So, like, if I went to, like, get a coffee, like, barista would be like, Prince Herb. I went on like, Seth Meyers. He introduced me as Prince Her.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No shit?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. They put a big billboard in Times Square that had my face on. It said, introducing Prince Her. And then Q was my buddy from the show. Used to own this beer company, and he even made a Prince Herb non alcoholic hot pink beer.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no shit. That is awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. So I did this. I heard that a lot, too. I went to the Yankee game this week.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And they put me on the Jumbotron. And I suppose someone in the control booth was a fan. And they put my name and they listed every single one of those names one by one until they got to Sal Volcano.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no way.

[Sal Vulcano]

And I didn't realize it was happening until someone showed me video after and they rifled through all of those.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Really funny.

[Sal Vulcano]

Appreciate that, whoever that was.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's so awesome. That was. Oh, yeah, that you got, like, on the Jumbo. I actually started a Dexter story.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, really? Oh, cool.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

How was that?

[Sal Vulcano]

It was cool. So I never was on the jumbotron at Yankees. I like, you know, so it was really cool. But they outed where I was like. The guy came over, he's like, I'm gonna come back at the end of the fourth, and I want you to wave. I'm like, oh, cool. And then he came back, and he's like, all right, stand up. And then he's like, all right, everybody else stand up around him and cheer real loud. And then they. And then they put the lights on, and they just. And then he walked away. And then 1,000 people surrounded me. And for the rest of the game, it was light. I was like, I can't. Why did you do that?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You know, when I saw that, I actually was thinking. I'm like, wow, everyone's being really cool about him being there. And as soon as the cameras were off, they just went. Nut.

[Sal Vulcano]

I. I have a show trying to promote my tour, and I have. I'm playing the Beacon on December 27th, so congrats, man. Thank you. So I. I did this thing where Dexter, our manager, was like, we should do, like, a promo where you get the word out. We'll take, like, fans to the Yankee game. And I was like, all right. So we bought, like, 25 tickets.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, sick.

[Sal Vulcano]

And I bought a few friends with me and, like, 20 fans. We, like. We picked them at random, and I met them there.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that could get crazy.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. But they were all chill, and we were in, like, the bleachers, which is kind of cool. And, you know, I kind of like, no one, really. Once I'm seated, you're pretty good. But then they did that, and then it was. And it was in the bleachers, and it was very accessible.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And so then it was just like. It was. I felt. I just feel really bad because everybody around me, like, the people. They don't care that New York is gonna. They just cut right through everyone's bleachers and stand right in front of. Crotch in my face. Like, can I take a picture? I'm like, hey, man, you make me laugh. And they had to, like, send over security. And then, like, the. And then the security shooter went away, and that felt. And then I felt like a dick.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. Then it's like.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then he left, and then he came back, and they. It was a cycle through the whole thing.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh.

[Sal Vulcano]

So. But it was awesome.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And of course, I would be. Just be like. Like you said. Like, I'd be sweating just thinking about, like, the one Yankees fan who's, like, the. Going on here. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

They were people like that, like. Yeah. Oh. So one guy, like, walked through with three friends and this girl. I was like, no, no, no. Come on. He goes, I gotta get out of my seat. But he was older than the other, and he goes, you could have went the Other way. You took the long way just to talk to me. He goes, get the fuck out of here, bro. And I was like, oh, my God. There's gonna be a brawl in the bleachers. And that's gonna be in front of me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hands up.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like you're on a roller coaster.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, we. I mean, when I was going to games as a kid and they would be. The bleachers were like. They were the most rowdy, fun place to be.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

But they were also fights every game, beer throwing. They cancel bat day because people would just whaling each other with the bats.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No. Yeah, they canceled day because.

[Sal Vulcano]

They were beat downs.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow. That's pretty wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Tickets, like, $3. No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. No, that's true. My. My dad's like. My parents say that, like, when they used to walk into Fenway park, it would just be a cloud of smoke.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Because the people were smoking cigarettes, but they were. I guess they were also smoking weed. Yeah, that's. I just can't believe it. It's just like a whole different.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'm old enough to remember, quite literally smoked on. On planes and in movie theaters and stuff.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You were kicking it for that.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was, yeah. I mean, they only. I used to bartend, and they only stopped smoking in bars in the early 2000s.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like 2005.

[Sal Vulcano]

I think a little earlier than that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

So I luckily avoided that. But, like. But no. I used to go to the movie theater, like, as a kid, and people be smoking all around me. Planes smoking all around me. It's wild to think about.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I mean, I couldn't imagine hopping on a plane right now, hungover.

[Sal Vulcano]

I would vomit and smell when people.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Smoke with people smoking. Smoke.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, my God. I would. I almost. I could almost throw up right now. I'm very. I have a weak constitution.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No. I've been a fan for years. I know.

[Sal Vulcano]

I don't know who knows about my constitution.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I know about your constitution. Matter of fact, I've signed it.

[Sal Vulcano]

I feel like I need to know about your constitution now.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's decent. What are we talking about?

[Sal Vulcano]

Does that mean you're Quincy?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Such a fun word for, like, if you get queasy or not.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I've never.

[Sal Vulcano]

I guess it's your. The fabric of your. Your constitution. I guess it's your foundation or your foundation.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I guess.

[Sal Vulcano]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, like you're. But you.

[Sal Vulcano]

But it is. I often refer to it as constitution because there's no other more fun way to Refer to.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh my. Oh my queasy tummy. I suppose.

[Sal Vulcano]

My tummy. Yeah, that's also pretty good.

[Jeff]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me. So Dana.

[Zoe]

Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at t mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Jeff]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Zoe]

Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Sal Vulcano]

T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition.

[Jeff]

So what are we having for lunch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

The 24 month credit is on experience beyond for well qualified customers. First tax and 35 device connection charge credit sending balance due if you pay off earlier cancel finally hands agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs $1099.99 and new line minimum 100 plus a month plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required. Best mobile Network in the US based on analysis by Oaklove Speed Test Intelligence Data 1x2025 Visit T mobile.com Listen, if.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You'Re like me, you could use a good crush right now. I know. I'm looking for any kind of crush because when you have a crush, it makes everything vibrant, everything exciting. So let's talk about Tinder. Or better yet, that deliciously dulu stage of having a new crush. When you have that kind of crush on someone, they could send you you. Hey, smiley face on the worst of your days and then boom, suddenly everything's okay. It's so true that a fun crush will have you romanticizing everything. They're just magic like that. And finding that feeling is easier than you think. Thanks to Tinder. Explore all the possibilities for yourself. Tinder. It starts with a swipe. Download Tinder. Today I'm gonna list off these nicknames and people. People told me how they got their nicknames and we'll just, just shoot the about it. All right. I'm Jewish and have big boobs, so my friends have called me Jub for years.

[Sal Vulcano]

I, I, I. That was my first guest on that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's. Yeah, that's pretty solid.

[Sal Vulcano]

I see where they got it and I like it because Jube is a funny word. It's a fun word to say. I love fun words. Oh, I love a fun word. And jub is a new word because it's. It's. It's a bespoke word.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And I will now say jupe.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Joob. Especially if you. If you're in Hasidic Brooklyn.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Joobs everywhere.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Tubes.

[Sal Vulcano]

A great name for, like, an old Jewish strip club.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. Down to joobs off.

[Sal Vulcano]

We accept coins.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This next one is. So. My given name is Bridget, but my childhood nickname was Bri Tard. I got this nickname because I am Ditzy and my older brother is clever.

[Sal Vulcano]

Our family called him Retard.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's a family that loves you.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's hysterical. Oh, my God.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Can you imagine calling a child, hey, Brita, get here. I actually can't. I come from one of those families.

[Sal Vulcano]

She's Brittany. Don't mind her. She's retarded.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

My mom calls me Tiffany because she said I always get in a tiff. My boyfriend and best friend still call me Tiffany. My name is Stephanie. Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

I thought I was having a stroke during that one. I didn't understand.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Breakfast in your house. I don't know.

[Sal Vulcano]

They call it Tiffany because she. Her name is Stephanie. They call it. That's fun. That's fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Candy Cane. Because when I was little, I stayed the night with my aunt and uncle. One of many nights. I don't like where this is going.

[Sal Vulcano]

There's more.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And just so happened to run around in red and white striped panties all night. I been Candy Cane ever since.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay. I think there was a way to present that in a way that didn't feel like it could be salacious or ominous or something like that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We could get rid of the word panties.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Yeah, panties.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's the first start.

[Sal Vulcano]

Panties on a kid.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No. Whatever. Oh, never. We never say panties on.

[Sal Vulcano]

The papers are off. Now we move to panties.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I don't like that. All right, this one's. I'm not touching that. Neither should have your uncle.

[Sal Vulcano]

She's like, I wore a red and white thong.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. I was in my. My knick. Vinnie, because my husband's sister has the same name. And he heard Chrissy Chaos say he called his girlfriend Vinnie because he wasn't sure if he was gay. And my husband thought it was relatable. Our friend's kids all call me Auntie Vinnie now. Oh, it's a lady. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Chrissy's a good friend. We do. We used to do a podcast. Well, we. Our podcast is on hiatus, but, yeah, he calls. He calls jazz.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Vinnie, when you. When you're on a pod hiatus, like, who's to say when it comes back.

[Sal Vulcano]

Both of us.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. I had two parties. I'm working on a new one called Minouche. It's like, just. It's a talk show, actually.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. It's coming out in, like, the Late Scram. There's enough in this town for both of us. Yes. I had one with. I have one. Have one with Chris called Hey, Babe, and one with Joe DeRose. Another comic called Taste Buds. But we've both got a bunch of projects. We went on a little hiatus. People don't think we're coming back, but I genuinely. I genuinely say this. We're just on a hiatus. We, like, want to come back.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

We just want to do it the right way. We got so busy, so.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, that's the thing. It's like, you want to put out the. The best stuff, and you don't want to leave them hanging.

[Sal Vulcano]

Exactly.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's all.

[Sal Vulcano]

The thing I'm doing now is, like, just. I'm doing it shooting it out 10 episodes and putting it out as a season. Every 10 episodes.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, smart.

[Sal Vulcano]

So it's not like it's. I'm not on a clock for a weekly. I'll shoot all 10 out, then release a season of 10, then shoot all 10. Yeah. So it's smart. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Minouche.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And that way. Yeah, you can get it out there. And when's that gonna come out?

[Sal Vulcano]

Aiming for the late fall, early winter.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Late fall. Early winter. All right.

[Sal Vulcano]

I got a few episodes in the can. I'm editing them now and getting people on.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's like, keep your eyes peeled, kids.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's fine. It's gonna go in and out of, like, sketch and conversation without, like, calling it out.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no, really?

[Sal Vulcano]

That's awesome. Quirky, like, really absurdist thing.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, I love that. That sounds awesome. And it's definitely, like, niche because, you know.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, it's niche when.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

When doing all this. Is. There's a. There. They say they're a dime a dozen.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. No, I like this format. I don't. I don't. I haven't been in this format a lot at all.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Well, welcome in. They don't say this, but pod investing is what, Easy. Yeah. You've talked before that you've only had four jobs ever in your life.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And it was deli pizza. Finance degree. Did you work in finance, or you got. You got a finance degree?

[Sal Vulcano]

Finance. I have a bachelor's in finance. I worked at Prudential Securities.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, gotcha. Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was a business systems analyst.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Business system analysts.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I Don't know what that means. And bartending.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's why I'm not it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And did it go in that order?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You were doing the, the finance and you were like, man, yeah, I was doing.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was. Sorry. That's when I started comedy.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

In 99. The day when I started that job after like four years, I was like being promoted, even though I like didn't want to be there really. And then they had a round of layoffs where they were offering severance packages. I'm like, let me save someone else's job, cuz I, I'm not staying here, you know?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And so then I started bartending. Did you say bartending? Yeah, yeah, so bartending so I could start like comedy full time.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Did you, did you like volunteer as tribute to be severance? You can do that?

[Sal Vulcano]

That, Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I didn't even know you could do that.

[Sal Vulcano]

They were like, they had a hiring boom and then like massive layoffs. And then after I left like a few months later, they offered me to come back as a consultant. Not even like full time. And it was like 65 more money than I was making to come back as a consultant. Which is crazy if you think of what they did. They cut these people like they, they fire people and then they hired them back for more money. I said no, but for you, that's.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like turning down the Saudi festival.

[Sal Vulcano]

It was the same thing. You should have seen what my department did to journalists.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that's good. That's good.

[Sal Vulcano]

We get, we get playful here.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, we get a little crazy. So you started stand up in 99?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, well, I started comedy and I was doing like sketch, improv writing.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then I know I, I did a little bit of stand up right after college. I graduated from college in 98. So I was doing some, some, some stand up, but not like going after it. Yeah, but I was going after it with like the improv and the sketch and stuff like that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And so would you film them yourself? Would you film.

[Sal Vulcano]

We started, we started filming sketches. We would film our live shows, but we started filming sketches. Yeah, we started like making sketches. We would show a sketch before every live show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then in 2000, like 6, I think when like MySpace and YouTube first started. Yeah, we started putting up sketches on, on those.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that was smart.

[Sal Vulcano]

And it was, we, we, we had a lot of sketches. So we had a big content dump. And I think since it was so new back then, they recognized it. And both of those websites would put us on the homepage as feature oh, no. And so that's how we got, like, a lot of views, like, right away. And then, like, MySpace would rank comedian pages, and I remember at one point there was 32,000 comedian pages on it. And we rose to number one for, like, a year, really, because of the amount of plays we were getting from our sketches. And that's when, like, a lot. I met a lot, like, a lot of comics that were doing stamp purely stand up. The. Are these guys.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You were The Rogan of MySpace?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, that's right. I'll take that. We were trailblazers. Yeah. No deal, though. No deal.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Deal or no deal? No deal. Wow, that's wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

I didn't know that was kind of nuts. And that's. And that's how we got our first agent and stuff.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And so that was the. The. The original crew. Was there. Were there ever any. Any extras or.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes, I have a buddy who's still my extras.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'm sorry, they're still your friends and you still work together?

[Sal Vulcano]

We started out in 99. It was. My buddy Mike was with us and not. Not Brian Quinn, who's on the show now. And he would, like, mess around with it, but, like, he wasn't like the founders. And then we kind of, like, stopped performing for a little bit. And then Mike got a six. Very good job and. And is very successful.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You got your old analysis job.

[Sal Vulcano]

He started like, a family and got a really good job, to which he still has both of those things.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that's good.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then in, like, 2006, when we started filming videos, that's when Q came on. And then that kind of like, just charted a different course for us. And he's been with us, like, he's was part of it since then.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no. Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

But he's been my friend since the. We've all been friends since the same. Since 13 years old.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow, that's wild.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Is Mike ever get pissed he didn't run with it?

[Sal Vulcano]

No, he's pretty successful and pretty happy. I mean, I'm sure he's like, wow, what two different. Completely different lives, you know, But. But, you know, he's. He also had a daughter, like, way before. Like, like, the other guys don't have kids, and My daughter's only three.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And his daughter's like, 16. She's the best. And so he was also, like, you know, he was dealing with that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I.

[Sal Vulcano]

And in the beginning, there was not really success.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No more of this funny business.

[Sal Vulcano]

I want to sell that, but I would do the same because, like, the travel and stuff, like I wouldn't have done it. It just. Just lucky the way it unfolded.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, totally.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And so when you guys. So you guys have taken the show on the road. I've actually, I've actually.

[Sal Vulcano]

I.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was a Christmas present to my parents one year. I bought my parents that for Christmas one year.

[Sal Vulcano]

Did you come see us to come.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

See you guys in Boston?

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think. I forget. I don't remember where it was, but.

[Sal Vulcano]

It was either the Wilbur, the Wang or TD I think it was the way TD Garden.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah. My grandma used to work at the Wang. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I got her those. I got them those tickets. And that's crazy. I was just. It was like, I think like the earlier stages of you guys doing that because you've done that.

[Sal Vulcano]

That since 2012.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

2012 was the touring and then the.

[Sal Vulcano]

Show started in 2011.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay, gotcha. So you guys went right on the road that first year.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, but we used to be a comedy troupe.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Gotcha.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay. So we. We were on stage a lot and then we were just like, oh, we should. Now people know us. Let's try that. We started like, you know, in like C rooms and then moved up. It was all clubs and then the. And then we just graduated as the more pop, you know. But yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Which is traveling all of you guys together. Did you do a tour, boss?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

We didn't always. We didn't at first. But like there were, I'd say, I mean like maybe at least 10 tort bus tours.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, we would do like two to three weeks at a time. And then we did the UK on tour buses three times.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow. That's got to be nuts because those are some. Those are some narrow, narrow roads.

[Sal Vulcano]

It is nuts. But we did a double decker bus in the uk.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No way.

[Sal Vulcano]

I swear to God. It was like a little hotel with wheels.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's so cool.

[Sal Vulcano]

Actually, it was so much fun. Upstairs was like a living room.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No way.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, it was like really fun. And we were with like all of our loved ones. It was fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, the bus is cool. Like I. It's hard for me to do now because I have, you know, because my family. But like when you could spare two, three weeks in a. At a clip.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

You know, it's. It's a way to bang it out and then not to. Not to do every weekend or every other weekend. Yeah, now I just go weekends, you know, but like.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, get your family, man. Now.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Yes, yes, yes.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes.

[Sal Vulcano]

So, you know, maybe. Maybe I'll take them if I can, but it's hard to. It's hard to do a different city every night with. With the kids.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

I ask Gaff again. I ask people about it, but like, he's got five he goes with, so it's like, yes, that's. That's wild.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I know. Five kids is crazy. He hates every single one of them.

[Sal Vulcano]

But he's like, no, it's hard because I have to like, also work and focus on the. The comedy and like, they just. They don't allow for that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. You know, I always try to do a Gaffing a Gaffigan impression and nobody ever gets it. And y. Yeah, it's bad. It's. Mine's bad. I can't do impressions.

[Sal Vulcano]

Go to the Cellar. When I was just in senior of high school, I used to go like, I was obsessed with. I used to go like three nights a week.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Like, I went one night. And then there was this old mc, his name was Lewis Schaer. He's. He might still be a comic. And he gave me passes. It used to be $5 during the week to get in. And there wasn't shows, they just had. It was just. It was just nine to two comedians. Right. Like the whole night. So you come in and out all night long.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And it was like five bucks and two drink minimum. And then he gave me passes for, like to come for. So for free.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

For free.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like a stack like that big. And so I didn't have to pay the five bucks. So.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

I would start going all the time and I used to see. I mean, tell Romano gaffing everybody. Gafkin used to do this thing where he used to go like, yeah, man. Now do you know his old stuff where he used to do that? He's. He said, I don't know, it's like when he was first starting and doing like that in monologue, voice out loud, and he's like, yeah, yeah. And I. I don't know if I've ever brought that up to him. He did it like publicly. So it's out. It's not like. I know, like this thing that he did, like, it was a.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

But, yeah, but you got to see it be crafted.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. That's like really cool.

[Sal Vulcano]

And I would go a lot, so I would like really see it, like, you know, you see where they were going.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. Did you. Did you make any friends while you were hanging there? Any other 13 year old kids who were Stoked.

[Sal Vulcano]

There was nobody in there. No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's pretty cool. That's like a. That's.

[Sal Vulcano]

Couldn't drink. I used to order like water and chocolate cake.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

As you can see, that's like, you know, like comedians, when they. When they have like a beginning of their special. Yeah, that could be yours. It's like you're a 13 year old kid. Just be like, one day.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, yeah, one day.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Chocolate cake.

[Sal Vulcano]

I used to get it. There was definitely like prime time slot spots. Like 9 o' clock was like prime time. So like, you know, people like Romano, who I think was already on the air then, would be on around nine. And like sometimes I would get there at that time. I remember because a couple times I walked in, you would always. That's. You would always walk in when someone's on stage because it was just rotating 9 to 2. And I would stay till 2. Like at that time, like Dan Natterman, like there was people on like at that hour. But like when I go at nine and I'd walk in at that time and I had some friends of me. I remember like Romano's go to thing would be like, oh, everybody, the cast of Blossom is here. And I get to say like three times, like, all right, you got a network show. Let's. Let's switch it up a little bit. Come on, you're better than this.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'm a regular. Treat me as such. I come through the back door.

[Sal Vulcano]

I. I was just close to being like. Let me guess, the cast of Blossoms here, right?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Get up here, kid. It's like what you as a little kid, you think that's what's gonna happen? You know what? Why don't you tell the jokes? All right, I will.

[Sal Vulcano]

Ramon. I was like 17. I didn't have like a propeller hat on.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I am picturing you like, hey, man, why aren't you pulling buzz off? Oh, it's like the. The whole cast of sleepers. You don't know what we've been through.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was rape right before I got here. Kevin Bacon Sleepers, right? He was, yeah. Like I was in the. I. I'm just throwing around rape when it was no rape.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You want to talk about it?

[Sal Vulcano]

Clip it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, okay. So you mentioned how horrific it was figuring out that the tooth fairy was a concept as a child. Yeah. Which do you think it. You'll continue that generational trauma?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. I have three therapists. So we're working it out. We're working it all out. They didn't tell me about the tooth fairy till the day I lost the tooth. So I had, like, six hours to. To conceptualize it, and I was six. So I just. It was a hard pill to swallow that a foreign woman was gonna enter the home that evening.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It is crazy. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And in the middle of night while I was sleeping, that was very. Like, I don't. Like. Why. Why not an even exchange while I'm awake? Like, why is this happening? Once I am in a slumber, a woman that I don't know is gonna come in. In this room, you know, and just. I would say. I would tell. Despite the lock, she's coming in.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, she just comes through the keyhole.

[Sal Vulcano]

I. I had issue. I remember, and I took issue with the fact, like, she had no identity. Like, I just was like, well, what's her name? And they're like, it's The Tooth Fairy.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Mrs. Fairy. First name Tooth.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Stop asking questions. This is not.

[Sal Vulcano]

There's no red flags going up for my parents here.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Wait, so have you. Have you continued on with your daughter? She's not quite there yet.

[Sal Vulcano]

She hasn't lost any teeth.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Is that the plan, though?

[Sal Vulcano]

I. I would like her to. I think that I will introduce it to her in a way that is amenable, because I would like for her to share in all the things that are. Can potentially feel like magical things for children, as long as I approach it with her the right way and not make her feel like there was a serial killer coming to take our flesh.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

So you had six hours. You give her an hour right before she sleeps.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's best to have her confused. I think I'll talk it out. Out and just let her know, you know? But so my. Because I. Because when it happened, I was freaking out. I. I was up for a while, I guess. You finally pass out. I remember waking up and feeling behind and feeling the envelope, like the tooth wasn't there anymore. There was like a. A dollar there. And I freaked out because it felt like a violation, like she had entered the house.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You have a literal piece of me.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. And I just. One lousy dollar started screaming, and, like, my. My. My dad ran in, and I was like, she's in the house. She might still be in this house. Like, the house. Like, I. Like, I want to walk the house to make sure the house is clear, you know, like. And he comes in. I'm like, she's here. And he. And I couldn't stop crying. He couldn't comfort me. And he took me into the kitchen, and he showed me, in that moment, the envelope that I left with My own tooth in it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I must have floored you.

[Sal Vulcano]

I believed in the tooth fairy for, like, three hours. And he's like, I'm the tooth fairy. I'm the tooth fairy. And then.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Then stop.

[Sal Vulcano]

You wake your kid up at 2 in the morning when he's discombobulated and trying to understand the whole concept itself, and then he tells me he's the tooth fairy. And I thought he was telling me that he's the tooth fairy, not like a. There was a tooth fairy. I lied. I'm your dad. I did this. And I thought he was like, I'm the tooth fairy. And I was like, know you.

[Jeff]

Like, what is this reality?

[Sal Vulcano]

Like, I. I was like, I do. I call you tooth fairy?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You don't even want to know how many teeth I have in the basement, kid.

[Sal Vulcano]

It was like I was all messed up. Oh, wow. Material.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. No, totally. 100. It's, like, hard to conceptualize things when you're a kid.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I was trying to. I was trying to think of other things that your parents tell you that, like, you lose sleep over that that aren't even real. Like, I don't know. Quicksand was a big one. Like how mothballs.

[Sal Vulcano]

You thought in cartoons, quicksand.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I thought that was going to be a big issue. That. That's a meme. That's not even an original.

[Sal Vulcano]

Well, I always heard, like, there's a van going around taking kids. Which there probably was.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It was.

[Sal Vulcano]

But they would say it, like, so much that every van had ill intent.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like, probably not a way you want, because a lot of vans out there. So I was on. My head was on a swivel. I also thought there was going to be needles in every single piece of Halloween candy.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

That was crazy.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

The needles one.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Maybe there was. It might have been, like, the guy that tried to light his shoes once. And then we've been taking off our shoes for 25 years at the airport.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Is that taking the shoes off, off? Yeah, because some guy tried to light his shoes on fire.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. You don't.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I never knew that.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay. Yeah. One guy tried to light his shoes on fire. They were. I guess he, like, put some fireworks. I don't know, like a bomb in there or something.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, God.

[Sal Vulcano]

And he got caught doing it. And then that. Since that day, no shoes light on his feet. So maybe there was one needle in, like, a. Like a. A way. There was one wayward M M. Yeah. And then that was. That was the lore for.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's so crazy. And then, like, the the razor blue blades on. On in slides.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, I don't know that one.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You never hear that one.

[Sal Vulcano]

I heard about razor blazing apples similar to the needles in the candy. I'm sorry. Razor blade on a David.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

There was. There was rumors that there was razor blades on slides. You just got to watch your slides before you go down.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like someone would adhere one.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

So that when you slide down, it would just shake.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was like a real thing that happened, I think.

[Sal Vulcano]

Are you serious?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, in Boston, I think.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, my God.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. Pretty up.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, my God.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. So we just like double check the slides before we go down.

[Sal Vulcano]

All right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You can never that do. Just be too cautious as a child trying to have fun.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Okay. When was the last time you heard of that? Should I be on alert for that now?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think that was back when we were kids.

[Sal Vulcano]

All right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think we're all past that as a society. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's wild.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Really up. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Cuz I also go down the slide, so. Yeah, I just went down for myself. Just to be clear. Not just the children.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Quite literally just went down a slide. The other day I had to wait in line with a bunch of toddlers.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And it was. But it was. Was like one of the biggest slides I've seen in a while. So I was like, there should be.

[Sal Vulcano]

Adult playgrounds and adult slides.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Totally. 100% there should be. That would be really fun.

[Sal Vulcano]

We need to let off some steam. I would go to an adult playground.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I guess that's just Dave and Busters.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. No, but like a slide for us.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, that would be nice. You know, or like a. Like a. One of those, like, obstacle course places.

[Sal Vulcano]

Bring all that back. I'd like to see more people skipping.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I think, I think.

[Sal Vulcano]

When was the last time you skipped? Skipped?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I can't say I have.

[Sal Vulcano]

There you go. Ever?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Never.

[Sal Vulcano]

You should skip.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I've skipped my lua. I'm lying.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

Skipping is fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, it is.

[Sal Vulcano]

I don't understand why people just don't do it as an option. Like, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna walk a little fast. I'm gonna jog, I'm gonna stroll. I'm gonna, you know, keep a certain. Skipping should be in there. I think, like, if I. I think we should normalize it. Go outside and there's like 10% of the population is using skipping as the. As the mode.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It would really brighten your day. Like, there'd be like birds flying not.

[Sal Vulcano]

To feel something good if somebody skips by you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's Actually, very true.

[Sal Vulcano]

Imagine a guy in a business suit skips by you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, my God. I'd say that's a lot.

[Sal Vulcano]

What's gonna happen to your day?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

What's his name? Must be Skippy.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, I'm. I'm so serious, though. I think we need. You start building up, like, little things like that. You pepper all those things in, and all of a sudden there's this. This little, like, there's these little connected dots throughout the day of things that are making you feel good. And then at the end of the day, you're like, oh, you know, this is. This is all coming together to buoy society and give us all a little, like, smile and stuff like that. Now, it might be a big. A big ask to ask people to start skipping, but I like to put it out there.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I like that. Like, I think that's really good. You have a good, good head on your shoulders, kid. Thank you. Thank you.

[Sal Vulcano]

You know, you should do. You should skip, because I do it sometimes. Sometimes I'll skip just to see the reactions.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

You get some confusion, but you do get smiles.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Do you skip onto stage? You should.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'll tell you right. Right now. I will next week. I will skip onto stage video right now. I try to do some fun, like, fun stuff sometimes when I come out on stage and nobody ever gets it. So, like, I stop. Like, I used to come out to the Pointer Sister songs Slow Hand, which you probably don't know, but it's like this really slow song, and it's like, I want a man with a slow hand. I want to love her with an easy touch. And, you know, it's the opposite of getting the crowd going.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. No, I love that.

[Sal Vulcano]

I love it. I would laugh, but it would be like, it would really set the wrong tone.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I. That kind of reminds me. So my Go to karaoke song is Hurt by Johnny Cash.

[Sal Vulcano]

Sure. That version I'll get people.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'll be like, come on, guys, I got an electric one for you.

[Sal Vulcano]

Let's go.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And I tried doing that at an SNL after party once.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And somebody who. The person who was run, like, running the karaoke. I went to go write it down, and they go, hey, kid, what. What song you doing? I go, hurt Johnny Cash. They go, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, I know.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like, no, no, they. They go. I go, no, it's funny. They go, no, you're going to regret it.

[Sal Vulcano]

They know, though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

They were looking at it.

[Sal Vulcano]

They know because I used to run a bar and I had. I had, like, karaoke at the bar. And it would be like the biggest. It was like a karaoke dance party thing. And when people. People would put something, my guy would be like, I'm telling you, no way. But the hurt is like a thing where you do it and, like, you hear, like, you also hear, like, the dish, like the dishes clanking in the kitchen because, like, there's so much dead space in that focus on the pain.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's a trick. People thinking it's gonna be fun, and then for four minutes they're stuck in sadness. Yeah, I thought it was a funny.

[Sal Vulcano]

Prank, that nine inch snails, right? They. They.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It is.

[Sal Vulcano]

No, I think they were 20 boring now.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, really?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, I missed it when they came through. But, like, that used to be a big band for me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's your daughter's favorite.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's not mine. I haven't shown them. I'll hold a spot.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

We're keeping it happy for now. Okay, so you had a. You had a bit on Twitter for a while where you'd show the view outside of your hotel room based on the city you were in on tour. Will this make a comeback? And have hotels made it a point to give you a better view now?

[Sal Vulcano]

I still do it. It's always my true actual view. And I'd say in. I'm not just since I've done it, which is probably, like, at least I would call it like six, seven years I've been doing it. I think I've had. I'm not kidding, like, five or six times in six or seven years that I've had a good view. And I, I. To be fair, I haven't posted the good views because I don't want to kill the bit. But, but, but, but genuinely, like, it's like 60 bad views a year. It's like the. It's like the roof, like the air conditioning units and stuff.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, yeah. And it's always like, that could be fun to walk on.

[Sal Vulcano]

No, something that is. Yeah, I do feel like that's fun. You know what I really want to do, too? I want to roller skate in a supermarket.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, sick.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Tile. I have done it when I used to play hockey as a kid in the neighborhood and then go to the supermarket to get, like, a drink. I should say, like. Or like a mall. Yeah. Remember that movie, Opportunity Knocks? Do you remember that one? Jennifer Connelly and Frank Whale. No, I was. They get locked in a mall overnight, and she's like, they're like roller skating everywhere. And I feel like that would be like a genie wish if I had one really, like, just like, you know, an open world, like, you know, like, like, like Grand Theft Auto. Like I can go anywhere, like on the skates with no one tell me what to do.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I know that's.

[Sal Vulcano]

You never roller skated, like on, on, on tile like that, you know, it always glide.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It glides.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's, it's just a wonderful, wonderful experience.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Smooth sliding glide.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Skip and roller skating.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This is what I'm about. That's good stuff, man. My uncle, the, the same devo one just recently told me that he was so fast on rollerblades in the early 2000s that he got pulled over. He was in LA.

[Sal Vulcano]

Sound like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. Like, how much you want to be? I could throw a football over the mountains. I should be so fast on roller skate. I was so fast. Believe how fast I was.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, any chance you'd ever get one of your Jaden Smith tattoos removed?

[Sal Vulcano]

You know, I get asked that, but I say in the spirit of why I was given them. It was the permanence. And so I have them unfortunately on me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, the commitment of the bit.

[Sal Vulcano]

This guy, I have him on my left thigh. Jaden Smith. It's a black and white photorealistic. He's 15. And then on my right thigh I have a full color photo realistic. He's about 21. He posed for the one on the right thigh.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes. He was fully consenting with that one, which gave you the, the double consent on the other. Yeah, it's kind of like a blessing.

[Sal Vulcano]

I had this one and I didn't know him, I never met him. And I, I was at Comic Con and there was this like, summer or that he was walking around in a batsuit. He had like this white bespoke batsuit. And so it was in the news a lot, you know, and so I saw a, a white Batman, man. And I was like, that has to be him. And it was. And I, I, I, I was in our convention center and I, like, I was like, oh, my God, I have to, I, I have to show him this tattoo on my thigh. So I, I walked right up to it. I was like, Jaden. I was like, you're not going to believe this, but check this out. And I went to lower my pants, not thinking, you know, nothing, I only going to show my thigh. But he had like a wall of security that just grabbed me immediately. And I was like, no, no, no. And they're like, what the. And like, no, no, no. I'm like, I just, I know what.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This looks Like, I was like, oh.

[Sal Vulcano]

My God, I'm so sorry. I should have explained. I have a tattoo of him. They're like, what?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This is. What? This is getting worse.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then one of the security guys like, oh, no, no, he's good. He's good. I know he's good. And then the guy was like, he's good. And he let me go.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And I'm like, he had you like that?

[Sal Vulcano]

He. He. Well, no, he put his hand right here. Like, I was. I was doing it. He put his hand right here. And then, like, he, like, let go. He, like, moved his hand. And then I showed J. And to be fair, like, my friend tape it. Jaden freaked out. He's like, oh, my God. He, like, got down on his knees.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like, look.

[Sal Vulcano]

And he goes, my. It's my first one. And then as he was doing that, I looked up and M. Night Shyamalan was staring at us because he was walking with M. Night. Because I guess they just did this movie after Earth, maybe.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, he directed it. And so they were there at Comic Con to promote that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

What?

[Sal Vulcano]

And so when I looked up, M. Night was just looking at us, like, looking at me, pants down. And he would just. Just like this. And I was like, oh, hey, I'm Knight.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I'm coming.

[Sal Vulcano]

Crazy. He's like, all right. I'm like, this is cool.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Cool thing.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's not a weird thing. He's like, all right.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's a crazy fan interaction for Jaden Smith.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

What. What's your craziest fan reaction?

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, man. I. I have a fair. I have people with tattoos of me. No, I have people with tattoos of things I said and referenced. I have people with tattoos, and I always talk. Try to talk them out of this, but they asked me to sign their. My name on them somewhere, and then they tattooed that. I'm like, life is long. I appreciate this sentiment. I'm telling with everything. Fiber my being. This is a mistake. It's not going to look good. You're not going to want it. Eventually it's. And they get it anyway. But then I also have. Or. People will say, like, can you write me a note or something? And they'll get what I wrote. But then I also have my face on people. It's a wild thing to think.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, I. I ask a lot of comics that come on the show. Do you have a rider?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes, because they asked for one, but it's bad.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

What is it?

[Sal Vulcano]

It's water. I stripped it down. It was. It might just be water at this Point on tour, I used to have, like, when I. Because I tour alone and I tour with the guys. And so, like, when with the guys, you would have a cold cut platter with a loaf of bread. We would have.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Stereotypes can't be true.

[Sal Vulcano]

A crudite. And we'd have fruit.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then we'd also have hand sanitizer. That's one. I have hand sanitizer. We've had Tylenol.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was gonna be the third gift.

[Sal Vulcano]

And. And like gum and stuff like that. It's nothing crazy. But then, like, I always feel bad because, like, a lot of times we wouldn't touch the food. Then we just give it to whoever's at the venue. Like, sure. People take it home.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

It just felt so wasteful and so that a guy. And we used to also have like beer and Jameson.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Depending like. And then we went to just when it was like, we would have gifted guests. And like now me, I've narrowed it down to like, it's. I think it's water Tums and. Water Tums and hand sanitizer.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's growing up. Yeah, that is. That is. Wow.

[Sal Vulcano]

It's all it is.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Water Tums and hand sanitizer.

[Sal Vulcano]

What do I really need? You know, I roll up to the spot and then I do the show and I leave. And those are the three things I might need.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

You know, the water on the hand side. Definitely. The Tums never want to be cold without it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Thomas is like, we should do Tums.

[Sal Vulcano]

Just get. And you know what they were doing? They would get me like. They were going like Costco and get me like 600 Tums and. And I. And I. Then I had to specialize. You can get me like that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like the little tiny baby. Yeah, the roll. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Or like the little thing. And so then I. Now I just. But now I have like, in my. In my closet at home, I have like 70, 000.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You can never have too many thumbs.

[Sal Vulcano]

This is one of the worst things to be caught without.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like, you're like, oh, my God. Oh, this acid.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I know.

[Sal Vulcano]

And it's like, you. You need it. So I never. I usually never leave the house without a pen, Tums and chapstick.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's like. It's like that Sandler songs like phone, wallet, passport, keys. But it's Tums this.

[Sal Vulcano]

I. For probably 20 plus years, I've never not had this in my pocket.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Have you ever put it under your eyes?

[Sal Vulcano]

No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

So frat boys will put it under their Eyes to stay awake. It'll give you a burn.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, really?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[Sal Vulcano]

You just introduced that to me.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. So if you ever on the road, what happen?

[Sal Vulcano]

Adderall.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

The safe way.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. It's when you can't get your hands on some. On some yummy blue pills.

[Sal Vulcano]

Put peppermint under your eyes.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, pretty much. And it's just like burn. You're like.

[Sal Vulcano]

Like this one specifically.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, Burt's Bees. Oh.

[Sal Vulcano]

Because I've tried like I've run the. I've run the whole thing. I've tried like 50 different kind and this is without a doubt my favorite one.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Let's say right into the camera get you it.

[Sal Vulcano]

I only have to apply it once tops twice a day. And I got moisturized for the.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

In Thailand, Burt's Bees is the only one for me.

[Jeff]

Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you. Teach me. So. Dana.

[Zoe]

Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed. Designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Jeff]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Zoe]

Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Sal Vulcano]

T mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible trade in in any condition.

[Jeff]

So what are we having for launch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Let's wait for monthly bill, credit lines, experience beyond for well qualified customers. Plus tax and $35 device connection charge, credit send and balance due if you pay off earlier. Cancel Finance agreement. IPhone 17 Pro 256 gigs $1099.99 and new line minimum 100 plus a month plan with auto pay plus taxes and fees required. Best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Oaklo Speed Test Intelligence data 1H2025 visit t mobile.com Listen, if.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You'Re like me, you could use a good crush right now. I know. I'm looking for any kind of crush. Because when you have a crush, it makes everything vibrant, everything exciting. So let's talk about Tinder. Or better yet, that deliciously dulu stage of having a new crush. Crush. When you have that kind of crush on someone, they could send you, hey, smiley face on the worst of your days. And then boom, suddenly everything's okay. It's so true that a fun crush Will have you romanticizing everything. They're just magic like that. And finding that feeling is easier than you think. Thanks to Tinder. Explore all the possibilities for yourself. Tinder. It starts with a swipe. Download Tinder today. Here's our last section segment. We. You're. Here's the thing. When you are of such status, your digital footprint isn't as easy to get you because you've scrubbed, and I know you've scrubbed.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You are television clean.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay. I, I've never scrubbed.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay, good.

[Sal Vulcano]

So I don't know what you're, what you might find, but I don't think I've ever. Or. I didn't think I needed to scrub.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, no, no, no, no. Some people do. They're dirty bastards.

[Sal Vulcano]

I did well. Now I'm like, oh, my God. Should I have scrubbed?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, no. So this is the preface for the game called Disgraceful Receipts. And now the stakes are high because you're nervous. Okay.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And that's how I like to present the game. And here's the thing. My sister Nora does a really crazy deep dive, so she will find family members and all that jazz. So let's dive right into this. Here we go. A 5, 6, 7, 8.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's awesome. That was me discovering filters. No, I, that was. Yeah, I, I, I throw that filter on and then I think I posted something like, like, be, like, no filter.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was a classic when it all started out.

[Sal Vulcano]

I think I nailed it with that one. Okay. So they put me in the net at the Devil's Game with my buddy Brian, and they took slap shots at us, and it was, it was bad. So I, I had someone tweet about this. Like, someone that was a sports reporter. Think I could find it? I think, because I, it's in a folder. Because they were like, they didn't know what was going on. And let me see.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, they're just reporting on what they're seeing.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, like, they just saw us in the net. It was, it was like a series of tweets. And the guy was like, this is the worst promotion I've ever seen the Devils do. There's two guys in the net right now getting severely hurt by slap shots.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I don't know.

[Sal Vulcano]

He didn't know it was the show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Whatever.

[Sal Vulcano]

He's like, this was. They will never do this promotion again. These guys. Guys are on the floor.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that was.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes, that. I do look very corny there. That was me bartending on Watch what Happens live with Andy Cohen.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Andy Cohen.

[Sal Vulcano]

So that was a weird experience. It's It's. It's. It's a room the size of, like, this right here.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, it always looks so big to me.

[Sal Vulcano]

It is. There's, like, eight people watching, and they're sitting right in front of it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that's so crazy. All right, up next.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes. So I had just finished filming at the Jewish deli that closed. I forget. It was, like, in midtown for the television show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Which one?

[Sal Vulcano]

A lot of joobs in there. And. And then I. Nick Cage was eating there alone at lunch.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow. And so he does seem like a lone wolf.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, it was kind of wild. And then he got up to leave, and we were like, should we, like, go outside and say hello? Everybody's like, yes. And my buddy walked out and made Joe Gatto from the show. He walked out, and he may believe he was part of the. We were in. We. We were waiters that day, so we were in tuxes, so he may believe he was a waiter.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And he's like, are you wearing it in the picture?

[Sal Vulcano]

I took off my bow tie, but I have the. And he's like, Mr. Cage, right this way. He's like. And they held him. He held him. A taxi.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's so funny.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then. And then Nick cage tipped him 20 bucks, and then he got. I snagged that right before he got in. And he looked. He looks like he's perturbed, but he wasn't. He was. He was kind of mind. He was very, like. He looked like he was spacey, not Kevin. Just like. He just was like. Like can feel. He was like, yes, the cab. Yes. And he tipped $20. And he was like, all right, I'll see you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Well, he was probably a little confused because he was getting tricked.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, he was. Yeah. He's like, why. Why is the waiter hailing me again? Exactly. Yeah. So, okay, for the 200th episode of impractical jokers, we. Every 100. Like, every episode on the hundred 100, we've done live charity events. And this was at Prudential center, and we did a whole obstacle course for charity with the Nitro Circus guys. Oh, who do, like, those motorcycle stuff. Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

They go nuts.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. And at the end, they put me on wires and raised me to the roof of Prudential Center. And then basically. What do you call those? Like, those when you. When you. You hold on and you're in the trees and you, like. Essentially, they zipline me across the whole stadium and smashed me into a wall of cake. And I'm afraid of heights.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I do. I do Remember?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. I'm afraid of heights. And I remember being live and because I felt like I was gonna cry because, like, I'm really deathly afraid of heights. And I remember Q was just like, in my face being like, don't worry, you got this. And it's like, on live television where.

[Jeff]

I'm just like, I can't do it. I can't do it.

[Sal Vulcano]

And that. That was genuinely my feeling.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, my God.

[Sal Vulcano]

And the harnesses are really tight around the balls. They don't tell you that. Yeah, really tight, like, cutting off circulation on your thighs. And they really accentuate your. Both and your midsection, as you notice right there.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

I was always like, okay, this is really pushing in and making me look in my third trimester. So not only was I crying and weeping as I was slowing, but I just was like, I just. Very unflattering.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Have you been able.

[Sal Vulcano]

Thanks for bringing it up.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Have you been able to get over your fear of heights through the show? No. That just doesn't go away.

[Sal Vulcano]

No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I thought maybe, like, by, I don't know, exposure therapy, Nothing will do it.

[Sal Vulcano]

My whole entire body locks. I can't even go, go. And it's weird. It's weird. Like, I can't go, like, near the second floor, like, the mall. But, like, that's not that bad. But for some reason, that. That's bad. You know what I mean?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Or you ever go to, like, an observation deck? It's a glass floor.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I was actually gonna mention that.

[Sal Vulcano]

Never. My body will do. I'll. My body will lock and fall. Like someone that just got tased. Which are fun videos, by the way. Have you seen those tase videos? It's someone who's like, I don't care. It's never not funny. It's never not funny. I make some popcorn, watch a bunch of taste videos tonight. They're on, like, YouTube.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's car crashes and T's videos.

[Sal Vulcano]

There's a photo shoot I did for a magazine where they put a hidden camera and an ice cream cone and gave me a Chihuahua. I, I'm really bad getting photographed. I, I, I don't know what to do with myself.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I can't do it either.

[Sal Vulcano]

And sometimes we have to do these photo shoots, and there's, like, 30 people watching you. And, like, the photographer, it's like, it's like what the real models do. And they're, like, giving them all looks.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And these people, I don't understand why they take themselves seriously. I have two looks. That's one of them. It's a smile. It's literally a smile. And then this where I do the rock. And if you look in any photo shoot I've done, that's the only two things. And then I say to them, I profusely apologize. I have nothing to give you. I don't know what to do. I put my hand in my pocket and out of my pocket as a variant. But I don't know how these people, like, are like, you know, they're just, like, doing all this stuff, like. Or, you know, and I'm just like, people are watching you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like, how are you? Are you not embarrassed?

[Sal Vulcano]

Mortified, I often say. And this is true, like, those photo shoots make me feel more uncomfortable than almost anything I do on the show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, that's. That's fair.

[Sal Vulcano]

I feel so stupid because I don't have confidence in my. In myself.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I think that's what it is. And it's. And it's tough, and. And even people hearing you say that would be like, you should really be more confident in yourself. And it's like, oh, yeah. If it was that easy, pal.

[Sal Vulcano]

I mean, you're capturing. I don't like photographs. I don't know what that is. Apparently, it's my face on a potato. But I. I myself am stumped. That was my face on the potato.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You know, classic.

[Sal Vulcano]

Might have been like a. A promo or something we did, but again, I don't know. Oh, no. Maybe. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. One of our tours for the guys was called scoopski potatoes, which was a bit weird. I think that might have been a promo for that.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Okay, that makes sense.

[Sal Vulcano]

I think it's really fun. I think you could do this thing as a service where you could send someone a potato.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I've done it.

[Sal Vulcano]

And you can get anything you want.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I've done that before.

[Sal Vulcano]

I thought I was going to blow your balls off just now. You're like, no, I do it all the time.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You can also see o'.

[Sal Vulcano]

Malley. Yeah, we invented that. Yeah. You know, potatoes as gifts is us.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

The famine, you know, it's like it's all us.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, that was a bit that never aired on the show because it was horrible. Like, we realized, like, we realized that. We realized we couldn't speak. We were playing mimes in the park in Central Park. First of all, it's a 98 degree day. Immediately, that was in makeup. But when I got out on the park, the. It all just started melting into our eyes. Our eyes were bloodshot red. The makeup was all coming off, and Then we couldn't speak and we were like, where is the comedy here? Like, it's like this is immediately redundant and diminishing returns of us, like, being like to people, you know, and that. That's like one of. So we've got 12 seasons. 12 seasons airing right now. We just finished filming it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, congrats. That's amazing.

[Sal Vulcano]

Thank you. There's over 300 episodes. There's probably an average of three to maybe four bits an episode. So you're talking about thousands of bits. There's been maybe like under five bits that haven't made the show, and that's one of them.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Really?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was good because that was gonna be my follow up, hearing that this one didn't work out.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's why maybe like 5 for all intents and purposes. Like one time we had to go to a park and baby talk. No, we had to baby talk to adults. And we thought the best location for that was a playground because adults will be there with the kids. And then we could start off baby talking to the kids and then talk to the adult and not stop baby talking.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. And.

[Sal Vulcano]

And. But then we realized we were middle aged men in a park.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

No kids approaching kids and going. And they called the cops and stuff.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, they called the cops.

[Sal Vulcano]

You got kicked out of there. Yeah, there's a few, you know, some. Some were just not funny and some had logistical issues.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It's nice to know that the community's looking out.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, it is. I was like, I get it, I get it. The cops come and they immediately like, yeah, we love you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And there's no way you were gonna get the release on those babies.

[Sal Vulcano]

No, no. The cops were called like four times or five times. The history of the show. Every single time the cops got there. I'm like, awesome.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's classic. What do we got here?

[Sal Vulcano]

So that's another photo shoot I did as part of a charity thing. And so this is underneath the Verazano Bridge at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island. It's old. An old army fort. And there's wild goats there.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, really?

[Sal Vulcano]

And so that's nobody's goat. Like, I was doing this thing where they tried to make me look tough and. And then there was a goat walking by and like. But they're like, I guess tame goats. They keep the goats there to eat the shrubs and stuff.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, wow.

[Sal Vulcano]

And they. They want to loose. And so somebody was holding the goat and then they just said, do you want to hold this goat real quick? And normally I would be suspect, but I remember the goat had a great temperament. It doesn't. It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't. It's like. It's very out of context.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You're not like Brian Fellows.

[Sal Vulcano]

No.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Have you ever seen that sketch?

[Sal Vulcano]

I love it.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I love that sketch.

[Sal Vulcano]

Welcome to Brian Fellas. That's one of my favorites of all time. Nobody talks about Brian Fellas.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, I actually posted that, weirdly enough today.

[Sal Vulcano]

Ryan Fellas. I loved it. He used to put like lip gloss in it. You know, that little lip gloss. So good. I'm Brian Fellas. That's Tracy Morgan. That's weird. Oh, my God. I used to love Brian Fellows.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's a classic. Okay. Oh, we got some tweets here.

[Sal Vulcano]

Okay. Okay.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

November 16, 2024. Love a good farmers market.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, well, that speaks for itself.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

November 16, 2024, same day. Love a good general store, don't you?

[Sal Vulcano]

Those are two things I love. That's. That's pretty self explanatory.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

May 8, 2023.

[Sal Vulcano]

A lot of things. Love a good. Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Love a good dramatic set of drapes.

[Sal Vulcano]

Oh, come on. Really tall ones.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's classic. Oh, that's good.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Just.

[Sal Vulcano]

These are things that I. When I feel like I'm like, I. That's. It's kind of like the hotel view thing that I post. Whenever I just. Something would strike me, I would make sure I put it up in that format.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

More people should tweet things they love.

[Sal Vulcano]

Not hate, you know?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, this is a. It's a classic.

[Sal Vulcano]

Adam Ray, a good friend that he is, tweet, sent me a gift in the mail, and it was a big wooden sign that was. Had its own etched out, like. Like carved out. Like it was like a carved wooden sign.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, it's real, like, you know, the love of.

[Sal Vulcano]

Good, good. Love a good wooden sign. Sign.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's awesome. Oh, that's so good.

[Sal Vulcano]

So that's what it's. Love a good wooden sign. Sign. And that was etched into the sign. But it was a fun. But it was no joke. It. I swear to God, it was this big and I was like, what am I gonna do with this?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's so awesome. That's a friend that knows you.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. When I moved into my house, he bought me like a gumball machine that are at my front door when you walk in. He's a great gift giver.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Oh, I love to hear that little tidbit. That's great.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's the. That's the night I met Chris.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no, yeah. Where is this? Is that.

[Sal Vulcano]

That's at the Caroline's.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Caroline.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. It was his first headlining gig in New York and we had been friends on Twitter.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, sick.

[Sal Vulcano]

And talking and stuff like that. And then he was playing there. I'm like, I'll come hang out and meet you. And that was I guess like something like 2013 or something like that. And then even, I mean he was in my wedding party. Party.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No, I didn't know that. Oh wow. You guys really are bs.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hell yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Isn't that cool?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I love that. Oh, there's the jester.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. That was another bit on Jokers that may have never aired.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Really?

[Sal Vulcano]

If it did, I didn't see it or they don't really play replay it often. But basically what it was is. You remember when flash mobs were invoke?

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

So we had all different flash models. I was a mob full of clowns. I was with like 20 other clowns. And like we had to like in the park, like run up to someone. I led the pack and I, I was like huffing and puffing. I needed their help for some reason. And then I forgot the bit what, what it was. But that was the, that was the.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Like it was probably in and around the same time where clowns were scaring people.

[Sal Vulcano]

That was fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That was. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

When like there was just clowns spotted everywhere, like in the middle night just staring at you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

People just like trying to get a middle fashioned scare. Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. But yeah, I remember that day when I went in all in there.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Shit's wild out here in these streets. Now. What's that sign say?

[Sal Vulcano]

Sal, come pet my.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yes.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. Yeah. It's. It's crazy that it look. It looks like we're out of a vigil.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

It looks love this.

[Sal Vulcano]

It looks like a solemn or a poignant moment with the juxtaposition with. With that wording. But like I saw that and I was like, I don't understand these people. That's a wild sign to make. I think in hindsight now, I think it's just registering with me now because I remember that. I think it's. They probably mean her. She means her cat.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Because I don't like cats. But it was received in the moment when I tweeted that, that, that it was like, oh well, I think it was on Tandra.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I think, I think, I think I know what she's doing with that.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah, it was. I think it was a double meaning and it could have went either way.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

And for the last one here. What A crew?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes. This was, believe it or not, at my bachelor party.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Are you Me?

[Sal Vulcano]

That was in Vegas at my bachelor party. We were with, like, 50 people. But that's just a picture of four of us that were there. Now. Burn was also my wedding party.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Steve Burn.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. And Bill is a friend and happened to be out there, so he met us.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

And then, then Carrot Top, he lives there. And then we went to see his show 1. One of the nights that we were there, among other things. And then he came out with us, too.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

No.

[Sal Vulcano]

So it is. That's such a crazy picture. Especially, like, young me looking at that and then to know that that's my bachelor. Like, a picture of my bachelor body is just wild on top of everything. It is a crazy photo. But we went out to, like, a, like a cigar bar kind of thing, a restaurant after, and it was just a fun. By the way, Carrot tops. Awesome.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. I've heard he's nothing but nice.

[Sal Vulcano]

God, is it? He's, he's like the coolest, nicest guy. And then Burr is just the best. But, well, Burn is amazing. He organized, like, a whole night where we did the goddamn comedy jam.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, no.

[Sal Vulcano]

You know.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

Jam. So he got, like, Jeremiah and, and Josh and everything to come, and we put up a show in Vegas. Vegas. That helped pay for everyone's trip.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Oh, yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And we all the comics that with me, did a show, and it was all my bachelor party show.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's crazy.

[Sal Vulcano]

So Burn organized all that. And then Bird, just being the cool dude he is, he was out there performing, heard I was out there, and it's like, I'm gonna come out with you guys and to celebrate and stuff. So.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah.

[Sal Vulcano]

And. And Nick Burr is like, it's so cool. I'm gonna come hang out with you.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Too, you know, so awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

He's a pal. But, like, still having them at something like that is just stuff. It's still. Bur is still one for me where I'm just like, I can't believe I know this person.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. It's literally the LeBron meme. Like, I can't believe this is my life.

[Sal Vulcano]

Exactly.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

I, I, I think this, this picture is literally. Don't they show this at the end of the hangover?

[Sal Vulcano]

Yeah. That's so funny. It was relatively a tame bachelor bachelor party, but. But it was fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's pretty sick, man. Well, I just want to thank you so much for coming on, and I think we do have a delivery here. Delivery for a Taco J.

[Sal Vulcano]

You guys are the surprises. Come on. Is this. If this is actually Joe's, I'm going.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

To have totally Joe's.

[Jeff]

It is.

[Sal Vulcano]

I didn't eat today.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

But you would never eat a whole pizza to yourself.

[Sal Vulcano]

I. I mean, I didn't order it. I would never eat a whole pizza for myself. I'll take it, though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

That's all I've ever wanted in the flesh.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'm talking Johari. But I. I didn't order a whole pizza for myself.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This is awesome.

[Sal Vulcano]

I'll take it, though.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

You. You don't know what this is going.

[Sal Vulcano]

To mean to these girls.

[Jeff]

Yes.

[Sal Vulcano]

Come see me, then. Come to my tour.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Yeah. And so this is actually the time where you just give all those shout outs. Yeah. For me, personally, I'll say, shout out, Auntie Coco. Shout out, Auntie Katie. Shout out the guy at the store who wears green pants. Shout out to my mom. Shout out to my dad. Shout out, Sunny. And shout out, Tonka Johari, everybody. A little like that, if you would. Sure.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes. Shout out to my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Vitali. She's since passed, but she made me valedictorian. Yeah. Shout out to everybody picking up their dog, that's for sure. Shout out to people skipping on the streets. It's crazy out here in these streets. Shout out to my family. Shout out to all my pets that have passed. Shout out to Disgraceful and the whole crew here. And shout out to Joe. Joe, who is my favorite New York slice.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hell yeah. Thank you, dude. And where? Wherever they can find you.

[Sal Vulcano]

Yes. I'm on tour. I'm touring all the way through 2026. I'm adding cities all the time. The Everything's Fine to Our Sal volcano comedy.com for tickets, notably soon. I'm playing the Chicago Theater on November 14th and the Beacon Theater on December 27th. And then season 12 of Joker's out now on TBS. And my new talk show, There's Room for both of Us, is called Manouche, and that'll be out on YouTube and all, like all the channels come late fall, early, early, early winter.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

Hell yeah. Thank you so much for coming on, Sal.

[Sal Vulcano]

That was so much fun.

[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

This has been awesome. Thank you.

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[Host (Grace O'Malley)]

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