Joey McIntyre - Episode 1089 - Fitzdog Radio

Summary5 min read

Fitzdog Radio - Episode 1089: Joey McIntyre

Release Date: March 5, 2025

Overview

In Episode 1089 of Fitzdog Radio, host Greg Fitzsimmons engages in a candid and entertaining conversation with Joey McIntyre, a prominent member of the legendary boy band New Kids on the Block. The episode delves deep into Joey's multifaceted career, personal life, and his latest musical endeavors, all peppered with humor and insightful reflections.

1. Visiting Mom in Florida

Before introducing his guest, Greg shares a vivid and humorous account of his visit to his mother in Florida. He paints a picture of her vibrant community, the warmth of the environment, and the unique quirks of family life in the Sunshine State.

"I like feeling like I'm the most intelligent person in the state, which is not hard to feel." — Greg Fitzsimmons [04:20]

Greg recounts amusing anecdotes about his mother's car, their race against sunset to return home, and the lively interactions in their community. This segment sets a personal and relatable tone for the episode.

2. Introducing Joey McIntyre

At around [18:41], Greg warmly introduces Joey McIntyre, highlighting his long-standing career with New Kids on the Block and his recent solo projects.

"This guy was 13 traveling the world, playing arenas and stadiums in '91." — Greg Fitzsimmons [18:45]

Joey responds with gratitude, acknowledging Greg's support and the dynamic nature of balancing a solo career with group commitments.

3. Balancing Solo Career and Band Life

The conversation transitions to Joey's experiences juggling his solo endeavors alongside his commitments to New Kids on the Block. They discuss the challenges of maintaining personal identity within a successful group and the importance of collaboration.

"It's a process... trying to carve my path and have some autonomy while this beautiful thing rages on called New Kids on the Block." — Joey McIntyre [53:44]

Joey shares insights into his latest album "Freedom," detailing his creative process and the collaboration with young talents like Sean Thomas.

4. Unionization and the Entertainment Industry

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the state of unions in Hollywood, the impact of digital streaming on traditional revenue models, and the struggles faced by creatives in maintaining their livelihoods.

"The only way you have power is in numbers... we need to break the business up." — Joey McIntyre [30:05]

Greg and Joey critique the corporate influence on labor practices, emphasizing the need for stronger collective bargaining to support artists and creators.

5. Personal Life and Moves

Joey opens up about his move to Venice, California, sharing stories about finding his home, meeting his wife, and integrating into the local community. They reminisce about the vibrant and supportive atmosphere of Venice, highlighting its unique charm.

"It's absolutely magical. It's just... dogs and kids are running back and forth." — Joey McIntyre [62:07]

Greg relates by describing his own long-term residence in Venice, fostering a sense of camaraderie between the two guests.

6. New Album "Freedom"

Joey delves into the details of his new album, "Freedom." He discusses the inspiration behind the songs, the themes of personal growth and liberation, and the collaborative efforts that shaped the album.

"It's 10 songs, 32 minutes. So it's like I kind of went there with like, doesn't keep you too long, but packs a punch." — Joey McIntyre [48:33]

They highlight how the album reflects Joey's journey and his desire to connect authentically with his audience while exploring new musical territories.

7. Shared Experiences and Anecdotes

Greg and Joey share humorous and enlightening stories from their careers, including touring experiences, interactions with fellow artists, and memorable moments that have shaped their professional lives.

"What's the closest you've ever got to a fist fight on stage?" — Greg Fitzsimmons [72:50]
"Donnie... we had moments in the show and he would go backstage and play video games." — Joey McIntyre [70:07]

These anecdotes add depth to their conversation, showcasing their camaraderie and mutual respect.

8. Fastballs Segment

In a lively Fastballs segment, Greg and Joey engage in a rapid-fire Q&A, answering quick and quirky questions that reveal more about their personalities and preferences.

"Don't say it ain't." — Joey McIntyre [73:12]
"There are two types of people in the world... Decaf and caffeinated." — Greg Fitzsimmons [72:59]

This segment injects energy and fun into the episode, providing listeners with light-hearted insights into the hosts' thoughts.

9. Upcoming Projects and Tours

Towards the end of the episode, Joey shares exciting details about his upcoming "Freedom Tour," including tour dates and locations. He expresses enthusiasm about reconnecting with fans and performing live.

"Freedom Tour. Phase one is here. Guess what, baby? See you there." — Joey McIntyre [76:30]

Greg adds information about Joey's residency in Las Vegas, encouraging listeners to attend his performances.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

"You shouldn't be sitting alone, staring at Fox News and bitching. You should be in a community." — Greg Fitzsimmons [06:15]
"Being a creator is about getting into different rooms and people seeing what you bring to the table." — Joey McIntyre [55:35]
"Life is about a chip on your shoulder somewhere; gotta have that energy." — Joey McIntyre [49:42]
"The only way you have power is in numbers... we need to break the business up." — Joey McIntyre [30:05]

Conclusion

Episode 1089 of Fitzdog Radio offers a rich and engaging dialogue between Greg Fitzsimmons and Joey McIntyre. From personal anecdotes about family and community life to deep dives into the intricacies of the entertainment industry and creative processes, the episode provides listeners with a comprehensive and entertaining insight into the life of a seasoned artist. Joey's reflections on his career, coupled with his authentic storytelling, make this episode a must-listen for fans of both Greg and Joey.

For more episodes and updates, visit fitzdog.com.

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Transcript605 lines

[00:01]
Greg Fitzsimmons
All you homeowners have unique needs. Some feel the need to paint their door a vibrant shade of blue. Others have the need to decorate their bathroom with fish anchors and other nautical items. And because each homeowner has unique needs, GEICO helps you get the right coverage for your home and what's in it. That way you get exactly what's right for you, even if your needs are unique. Get more with Geico. Hi, welcome to Fitz Dog Radio. I'm Florida Fitz. This week I'm down visiting Mom. If you're from New York, this is a ritual. It's a part of the cycle of life. Your mother moves to Florida and then you go visit her and then you make fun of Florida and then you say, I can't wait to leave. I love it. I love Florida. I like that it's warm. I like humidity. I like feeling young. I like feeling like I'm the most intelligent person in the state, which is not hard to feel. I like her building. She lives in this building. It's not an old folks home. It's just a. It's just a building. It's about seven floors. It's like semicircular and it faces the ocean. The ocean's right across the street and everybody knows each other and they're happy. And I'm sitting in the hot tub yesterday and there's these four older women, you know, 65, 70, and they're laughing and they're telling stories. And I thought, yes, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You shouldn't be sitting, sitting in a little house alone, staring at the fucking Fox News and bitching. And you should be in a community. And she found a really good one, which I love. We almost didn't make it to this community because she picked me up at the airport in her car, which has dents, it's brand new, dents all over it. Life is a bumper car ride. When you're 82 years old in Florida, they say that 95, 95 just stops often. And if it does, you know that somebody plowed into. Say it's all old people crashing and they need to make them get tested again, but they don't. So she picks me up at the airport and drives me. First of all, she, she insists on driving. And usually she's picking me up and it's like she won't drive at night, but she'll pick me up right before sunset. Be like 7:00. And then it's a race. It's a race to beat the Darkness back to her apartment, which is only about a half hour from the airport. And she's talking, and she's turning and telling me, slapping me on the knee during punchlines and pointing out buildings. Meanwhile, she's racing. She's going. It's like, you're 82. Don't drive 82. That doesn't mean that the speed limit doesn't change every year. You get old and, you know, and I mean, drifting. A lot of lane changes. Some are intentional, some are just kind of happening. And she's got the wheel. She puts the seat literally in the most forward position, so her chest is against the wheel. And same radio station on all the time. She doesn't know how to change the station. So it's just on one station, same volume all the time. And. And I flew in. What the hell airline was. Oh, JetBlue, which I like. I like JetBlue, except I would say it's been a solid 15 years since I took a dump on a plane. And on this one, I had a couple cups of coffee, and I was like, no, no. And so I excused myself from the two people, and here's the best. I'm in the window seat, and a lot of times the people will just let you out and then sit down again. These people decided, we'll just stand and wait, stretch a little bit. So I go back to the bathroom. I go in, and I'm lining the seat. I'm trying to put toilet paper on the rim of the seat, but it's got that vacuum, and it's sucking the toilet paper off the seat in, and it's like there's a stain. There's already a shit stain in the bowl. Like, it looks like there was a car race in this bowl already, and you got no room. I don't know how anybody over. I'm five foot eight. I don't know how somebody who's five foot nine does this. And I get in a squat, and, you know, there's pee all over the floor. So I'm pulling my pants down, but I don't want them drooping below my sneakers so they absorb the piss from some guy in row 16D. And so I. I sit down and it is hard. It is not a nice fluid. I had not been eating prunes. And I don't want to get gross. I don't want to get gross about this, but let's just say I go. It takes a long time. And then you go to wipe with the rolls of sandpaper that they have on JetBlue. And now my anus is being blown by a cool wind that comes out of the bottom of the toilet. So now it's drying out. And it was. It was nine to 11 wipes, I would say, each one hurting more than the next. As the cold air is blowing, it's dry. And I find finally. I'm not saying I did a great job. I got through it. I survived. And then I get up, and it's like they get. And then they got the hand lotion. You might as well have some hemorrhoid lotion, too, because you have just given everybody who has sat on that seat a hemorrhoid. And. And I go back to my seat, and they're standing there, and my. My. My roommates are glaring at me like, dude, it's been 25 minutes. What the fuck? So anyway, so I sit down and we get home, and now we're watching the Oscars. So we watch the Oscars. And it's just amazing how they thank people as if the only reason they became an actor was to win an Oscar. And. And the only reason they did this movie was so they could be standing here holding this trophy. Not because there's an art to it. Not because you're trying to pay the bills. Not because, you know, you're. You're narcissistic. And they do it as if they. Hold on. My mom is waiting at the door. Okay, she's back. My mom is back. She was. Just. Had her. Her book group, which they must read short books because she's only been gone for an hour. What do you spend 28 hours reading a book and then an hour talking about it? Popping. They talk about their period. They haven't had a period in three decades. So anyway, we watched the Oscars, and it is just amazing, the narcissism and the fact that they even show up. Get a life. I've won four Emmys. Never went to a ceremony. I won a Cable Ace Award. Didn't show up. I won best comedian at Boston University, 1989. Didn't show up. You're a loser to go to an awards show. To stay and the interview, whatever. I don't want to shit on the Oscars. People do that enough. But it was a lot of foreigners winning. Tremendous amount of people from other countries. And it made me think, you know, I think Hollywood is going to rethink its deportation stance after this, you know, Polish couple is standing there doing. Doing a speech off. Off their phone. Phone. They're reading a text off their phone. And my mom has Got the. You know, the chiron, the. The subtitles running across. She's got it in, like, a 82 font, so it's covering a third of the screen. You can't see anybody's bodies. You just see the tops of their heads and their kneecaps, and the rest is just the words that they're saying. And they're just talking about the courage and the bravery it takes to get 5 million to read words that somebody else wrote while someone gets you cappuccinos. I mean, and, yeah, all the different language translate. Don't pick a winner who doesn't speak English. Well, because it's all about the speech and the show. I mean, McConaughey barely speaks English, but it's fun to watch him try. Give McConaughey another trophy. I don't care if he was in a movie. Give McConaughey a trophy every year. So my mom. And then we're watching the news, and they're talking about Israel. And she said. She was talking about Israel and Hamas. And I said, I think it's Hamas. Like, I don't know that there's a. That there's. It's not a pita dipping sauce. It's a paramilitary terrorist organization. Did somebody order some Hamas? And then. And then they just come in and attack you with AK47s. And I remember my mom's here now, so I shouldn't talk about her, but, mom, do you remember the time you asked me to send you your airline tickets through the intercom? Like she was gonna stand in the lobby of her building, and these tickets were just gonna come faxed out of the speaker? I know I'm still a brat, so. And then my cousin. My cousin Denny. It turns out Denny McCarthy, who I've talked about often, is my second cousin, who is a Pro golfer ranked 30th in the world and ranked number one putter on the tour. Anyway, so he's playing a tournament like, 15 minutes from my mom's house this weekend. So his dad, who's my first cousin, Dennis, was down here with his wife Elena, who's lovely. And then my cousin Robbie, just also, my other first cousin happened to be down here, and. And then my aunt lives down here. So, anyway, me and Dennis and Robbie went to the tournament with Dennis's wife, Elena. And then we went out on the course on Sunday, and we walked the whole tournament with Denny, 18 holes. And first of all, these guys, we go out to dinner the night before at this restaurant, and they're like, yeah, this is thinking about Irish Catholics. Everything is first thing in the morning. I don't know when they sleep. It's like, all right, well, Greg, I'll pick you up. Pick you up at 6:30.
[12:01]
Joey McIntyre
What?
[12:02]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I was like, I just flew in four hours ago. I'm on LA time. That's 3:30am and the thing is that, that's my cousin Robbie. He went to West Point. He's a military guy. Everything is like a mission. I'll pick you up at 06:30 hours, you know. And then he gets on the GPS, like, we're like, we're locating a bunker, an enemy bunker, going through the side streets of Florida, trying to find my cousin Denny McCarthy's house. And you know, and then we get there and then Dennis, of course, is up and he's in the driveway directing us. Like, he's like, he's a traffic cop in San Francisco at rush hour. It's like, okay, you get. You got a circular driveway. I get it. It's not that complicated. And then we get into this truck that's. That looks like one of those vans a bachelorette party would take out in Nashville and throw up in. And we're driving and we're talking about my cousins. And I have one cousin, Brian Mulligan, who's a character where we're telling Brian Mulligan stories. He's sort of like the. I guess you could say he's a little bit of a black sheep of the family. And so he's down in Austin. I was talking about how I went on stage one night in Austin, and before I went on, the host goes like this to me. He goes. I go, how's the crowd? And he goes, they're good. But there's this guy, kind of a scary looking dude on the side of the stage. Just. He hasn't been a problem, but something's going on. So I walk on stage and I'm talking for a few minutes. I notice this guy, huge beard, you know, blue cap pulled down over his eyes. And I finally. And I decide to just break the ice. Cause I want to, I want to get a feel for him. And I go, hey, where are you from, sir? And he goes, east. Northport, asshole. I'm your cousin. It's Brian Mulligan. So we hung out after the show for a couple hours. And now he always comes to me anyway. He's the best. He's living on a boat in Central America now, going from country to country. And so every time you tell a funny story, Dennis McCarthy always goes, you can't make this stuff up. Like he's some kind of a club stand up comic from the 80s, one of those guys with the blazers that he pushes up to his elbows. You can't make this stuff up, folks. So we went to see Danny. He played good, not great. He, he. I would say call it an off week a little bit. I mean, he still made some money. I don't know how much the guy makes money every week, you know, even when you place just decent. But he's. He hasn't won a major tournament or it wasn't. Hasn't won eight tournament. He's gone to sudden death and we need. I need him. I need him right now. I'm the most famous guy in the family and I don't like the pressure. I have, I have off years and I feel like I can't be the guy this year. I need Denny to step up and win a tournament I don't need. Come on. He's. He's the new generation. He is a marvelous golfer. He's so much fun to watch. He is. I put a bunch of money on him to win the masters and the U.S. open this year. I suggest you do the same. He's long overdue. And what a nice guy. Talked to him after the tournament. I've only met him a couple times, but just generous with his time and really nice to everybody. And then. And what am I doing? So I'm here. My brother comes down in a couple days. Walked on the beach with my mom today. Having a lot, lovely time. And if you want to have a lovely time, I suggest you go to Fontana. You go to Atlanta, Georgia at the Punchline. March 6th through 8th, that's this weekend. And then Hollywood for the St. Patrick's Day show at the Improv. March 15th, Hamilton, Ontario. Coming up, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Boston. April 4th and 5th, Escondido, Tampa, La Jolla. All tickets@fitzdog.com and now my guest who's coming up is a guy who is. Is in a band that is one of the top grossing bands in history. The New Kids on the Block. He is the. I guess they're all kind of good looking, but this guy is particularly good looking and super talented. I'll be done in like three minutes. And so he, he joined New Kids on the Block when he was 13 years old. This dude was 13. Traveling the world, playing arenas and stadiums in 91. This band out earned Madonna and Michael Jackson as the highest touring group that year. I mean, look, New Kids on the Block. I didn't notice them. I Wasn't the age to be into that kind of music. I was always like a classic rock guy. I always, I always liked them. I thought they were good. But then you get older and you look back and you go, oh no. These guys were kind of a cultural phenomenon and their music is something that was a part of a time that people felt really in tune with the pop culture scene of the time. You know, it was, MTV was coming out. Well, it'd been out for a bit but you know, but just. I can't tell you. This guy is so amazing. I clicked with him. I know his brother from Boston and we had a couple other mutual friends but he walked in and he was like a minute late and couldn't apologize more. No attitude pulls up in a frickin 15 year old Mercedes and. And we just hung out after the show for a while. We're friends now. We are going to play paddle tennis together. I feel like I made a friend. Irish Catholic guy from the East Coast. Such a, such a good guest. I know you're gonna enjoy the talk with him. Join me now for a conversation with Joey McIntyre. Joey McIntyre is my guest today. He's, he's not slow, he's just. It's an accent from a region that he's from called Boston slow.
[18:42]
Joey McIntyre
I thought so you're a New York guy.
[18:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[18:45]
Joey McIntyre
But you have such ties to Boston.
[18:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I went to college in Boston.
[18:49]
Joey McIntyre
Okay. Yeah.
[18:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And then I started doing stand up there back in 89. So I came up with as you know, Johnny Tobin. John Tobin is one of my best friends.
[19:00]
Joey McIntyre
Yes, well my, you're, you're, you're my, you at least if not number one, but top three of my brother. My brother Tommy is a massive fan and.
[19:10]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, that's nice.
[19:11]
Joey McIntyre
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
[19:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I was the best.
[19:13]
Joey McIntyre
Yes, yes, yes. So you feel very Boston. You've been adopted as like a semi Bostonian.
[19:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know when people say from New York, Are you a New York comic? I always say, even though I only did comedy Boston maybe four, four years. I am so proud to be a boss in comic.
[19:29]
Joey McIntyre
Yes.
[19:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And you know those guys, the Don Gavins and the Steve Sweeney's.
[19:34]
Joey McIntyre
Oh yeah.
[19:34]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And you know those guys that really was.
[19:38]
Joey McIntyre
Did Bill Burr come up in the.
[19:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Same way I started with Bill Burr?
[19:42]
Joey McIntyre
Okay.
[19:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Louis ck, Mark Marin, David Cross, Crazy Dane Cook, Bobby Kelly.
[19:48]
Joey McIntyre
Who's the other guy? The, the writer guy my brother raves about? I'm not as schooled as him in, in the Boston Comic Gang.
[19:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He's a writer guy.
[19:56]
Joey McIntyre
I think Mostly. Right. No, I think he does.
[20:00]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Brian Kiley.
[20:01]
Joey McIntyre
I think it might be.
[20:02]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. Kylie wrote for Conan from the first day of the show until the show, and he was there for, like, 20 years.
[20:09]
Joey McIntyre
Okay. Cause I think my brother Tommy had dinner or drinks or something with you, Brian. Does this make sense? Boston within the last couple of years and maybe.
[20:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
John, last time I saw your brother, we went out to dinner with. Do you know Dave Attell?
[20:24]
Joey McIntyre
That's it.
[20:25]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, yeah. David Tell. Yeah, David Tell. He's a New York guy.
[20:28]
Joey McIntyre
Yes.
[20:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But he was in Boston for the show.
[20:30]
Joey McIntyre
Yes.
[20:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So we all got together and met.
[20:32]
Joey McIntyre
Why I have this in my ear still is. I'm getting answers. I'm getting answers from Boston now. He's gonna come. He's gonna come hard early on, so just be ready. Oh, my God.
[20:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
John Tobin.
[20:48]
Joey McIntyre
I got my brother in my ear.
[20:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
John Tobin's the guy that is friends with your brother. They didn't give you the Italian, so. Yeah. And John's favorite comic of all time was Dave Attell, so he was just thrilled that we went out to dinner and then we went. I've gone to Bruins games with your brother. And he. When he was. He lived in Seattle.
[21:08]
Joey McIntyre
He was commuting.
[21:09]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, Seattle. And he offered me his condo in. In Seattle.
[21:15]
Joey McIntyre
Guys are roomies. I didn't know it was that close.
[21:17]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, it's not, but I want it to be. And I got a girl for him. Oh, is he still single right now?
[21:23]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. Officially, yes. He hasn't remarried, so.
[21:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, well, I got a girl for him.
[21:30]
Joey McIntyre
Oh.
[21:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Mary Fitzgerald. She's from Dorchester.
[21:33]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, so it hasn't happened.
[21:34]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Has it happened yet? They talked on the phone.
[21:37]
Joey McIntyre
Okay.
[21:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But when I'm gonna be in town, April 4th and 5th, playing at Laugh Boston, and I'm sure your brother.
[21:45]
Joey McIntyre
April 4th and 5th.
[21:46]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[21:47]
Joey McIntyre
Nice.
[21:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And then we're going to.
[21:48]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, that might be some magic.
[21:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Opening day for the Red Sox. I'm going to go in there early.
[21:53]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, nice. Nice.
[21:54]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Are you a Sox fanatic?
[21:55]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, of course. I mean, I, you know, grow up in a. Boston. I mean, we're. Jamaica Plain is very close to. So you grow up. Of course, the big four sports, it's, you know.
[22:04]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, right.
[22:05]
Joey McIntyre
You take it for granted. So I didn't know how much of a fan I was until my kids were born. My. My oldest son was just like this rabid fan out of the womb. Yeah. Cause I didn't know. I. I guess I thought I wore it like a loose suit, you know what I mean? But, you know Here he is, three years old, crying at the Bruins game. You know what I mean? Like nuts.
[22:26]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, that's amazing.
[22:27]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, he's in.
[22:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I had the opposite experience. I grew up, you know, Giants, Mets, Rangers fan, and all of a sudden my kid's sitting there, he's got on the Rams and he's got on the Lakers, and I'm like, what? I gotta let him be his own, right? You know?
[22:42]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, I get that. It seems a more practical.
[22:46]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, you're gonna see more games.
[22:47]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah. See more games. Share with your friends and all that jazz.
[22:52]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Now, is this the son I. I hear that your youngest is. Your youngest son is a singer now?
[22:58]
Joey McIntyre
My oldest. My oldest son. Yeah. So I got two boys and a girl.
[23:01]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Okay.
[23:02]
Joey McIntyre
He's been. Yeah, it's just.
[23:03]
Greg Fitzsimmons
What kind of singer is he?
[23:05]
Joey McIntyre
A really good one.
[23:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[23:07]
Joey McIntyre
Son of a gun. Can kind of do it all. And he works hard and does all the, you know, he's been, you know, studying. He can play piano, guitar, sing, dance, and. And he's also a regular 17 year old who, you know.
[23:23]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, he's 17.
[23:24]
Joey McIntyre
He's 17? Yeah.
[23:25]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No shit.
[23:26]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah. He's 17. Yeah.
[23:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Is he, like, recording?
[23:29]
Joey McIntyre
Yes, he is. Yeah. Yeah. He's. He's. Yeah, it's. There's no turning back, you know. Yeah.
[23:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, you started when you were 13, so.
[23:40]
Joey McIntyre
I did. I know, I know. It's. I know the similarities are there, but it feels very different. And as much as it's similar, I. I take no credit for any of it.
[23:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[23:48]
Joey McIntyre
Except that maybe he sees his dad continuing to, you know, challenge himself. But he's incredibly inspiring to me, frankly. So.
[23:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I. I know a guy who's an actor whose son. And he's had a very full, great career, you know, been on series and all that. And then his son is now a big actor. And this little jealousy going on.
[24:10]
Joey McIntyre
Wow.
[24:10]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Which I thought was odd, but are.
[24:13]
Joey McIntyre
You just picking up on it or is he vocal about it? He's sharing with you? Yeah, I'm a little jealous.
[24:18]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, more like, oh. So he's suddenly telling me about agents and what it's like. Like I haven't been. Yeah.
[24:26]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, wow.
[24:27]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. It's a little weird, but I get it. I get it to some degree, but I think that I. Somebody once said that there's nobody in the world that wants you to succeed more than them, than your father.
[24:39]
Joey McIntyre
Mmm.
[24:39]
Greg Fitzsimmons
In general.
[24:40]
Joey McIntyre
Right.
[24:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Do you feel like it's tough? My father was a radio guy in New York, and he was, you know, Famous guy in New York. He was like one of the biggest radio guys. And I always lived in his shadow and I always felt the pressure to try to. I think all boys and men try to succeed as much as their father. Do you feel like it's gonna be hard for your kids to kind of live in the shadow?
[25:03]
Joey McIntyre
I know you're a special guy, Greg. I know you're a special guy. So I'm not surprised by this conversation. But it's, you know, it's. It's timely. No, it's very timely. It's very timely. And it's. And it's. It's interesting to hear you say that because you never know. I mean, I, you know, you know, when you say your buddy has feelings like that, I would think, geez, I would feel so off the hook that my son would have any success at all. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know what I mean?
[25:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. You did something, right.
[25:33]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. Or just. Yeah. Or even in the same business. Right. I think you'd be more detached if he was, you know, a vet or a doctor or a bricklayer, whatever. You know, it's like, oh, okay, good. So, you know, I, you know, I don't. I think he's good and I think it really is about the work. You know what I mean? I mean, this. When you could sit down at the piano and play everything from fricking classical to Billie Eilish, I mean, you gotta feel pretty good about it. You know what I'm saying? That's not necessarily how I came up. So that's how I look at him. You know what I mean? Like. But it's tough, you know, Life is life. Life keeps lifing and the business keeps doing its thing.
[26:17]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, what's great is like, you know, I have my.
[26:19]
Joey McIntyre
How's the close up on the style? Can we check in on that?
[26:22]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Talk about the style.
[26:23]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, you guys, it was. Said it was fine and you know, look, I got these too. We got bits. I thought, I thought.
[26:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, you do?
[26:31]
Joey McIntyre
You're not a big comedy on my show. You're not a bit guy. Yeah, I want to do. I want to do Martin Short on Grand Simmons. You know what I'm saying? Now we can both be the same.
[26:42]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, shit.
[26:43]
Joey McIntyre
Now I look like my brother even more right now. You're talking about Tony. I didn't.
[26:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You guys actually look a lot alike.
[26:49]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, we do. We sound alike.
[26:51]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[26:51]
Joey McIntyre
Not a bad guy to be similar to.
[26:53]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, he's right. And you're. And your brother basically is he's a delegate for the bricklayers union now, which is what your father did as well.
[27:03]
Joey McIntyre
That he could speak to that in a different way. Yeah, my dad was a biggie, as he used to say. I mean, he ended up being the vice president of the bricklayers Union, but came up as a bricky. My brother did the same thing. Yeah. And. And now he's basically, you know, doing what my dad did, but, you know, he's. In his own way. You know what I mean? I think he had to.
[27:24]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know, he told me your dad busted his balls, like he had to work harder than anybody else on the site.
[27:30]
Joey McIntyre
I don't know about that. You know, he. I remember he busted my dad's balls because he wanted my dad to get him a job on, like, mta. Like a bricklayer on the mta. There was like four of them. And they just. Let's just say they didn't do a lot of work. Okay.
[27:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[27:48]
Joey McIntyre
And I remember because I was there, we would have lunch and dinner at the. At the time, right? And my. My. My brother would go in hard, right? And my dad would say, how do you know? How do you know you're gonna like it? And he got him on. And four months later, my brother was fricking out of his mind. You know what I mean? He was bored out of his mind and went back to just being a brick. But he works hard. He didn't know. Suddenly they called him up and he got the call. He's like, you got to go to Seattle. And he's like, you got to be kidding me. Yeah, and he did a great job there. And now he's in Oklahoma doing the same thing there.
[28:22]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He's in Oklahoma?
[28:23]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. Now he's going back and forth to Oklahoma. That's the new.
[28:26]
Greg Fitzsimmons
That's why I might not see him new gig in April.
[28:28]
Joey McIntyre
But he goes. He bops back and forth.
[28:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So why do they send him somewhere else?
[28:33]
Joey McIntyre
He's the fixer now. Tommy Max, the fixer. Yeah. He goes in and, you know, as you can imagine, the bricklayers union is not maybe what it is. I'm acting like I know something and I'm. And I. I'm just. This is Thousand Mile View here. Yeah. I think, you know, he has a lot of experience and he works for the international union, so. Okay, they gotta go in.
[28:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yep, they gotta.
[28:57]
Joey McIntyre
You gotta go in and, you know.
[28:59]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know, dude, the unions are. You know, this country's losing unions. My father was in the. The radio union after I was radio Covered. You know, I'm in the Writers Guild. Been writers Guild for 20 years, getting my insurance. I got a pension. And, you know, big, big business is convincing Americans that it's in their interest to not join unions and to break them up. They've got. They've got, you know, Volkswagen down.
[29:24]
Joey McIntyre
I don't understand it. I don't understand it. The only way you have power is in numbers, right? That you got to stick up other. I. It's. It's why they would just go, it's fine. I'll trust Amazon.
[29:36]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, Right, right.
[29:38]
Joey McIntyre
It's okay.
[29:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[29:39]
Joey McIntyre
Starbucks. Starbucks got my back. It's all good.
[29:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know, I mean, I've read the history of corporations. They seem to take care of people over time.
[29:47]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, you know, Jesus.
[29:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And the fights that people have put up, the lives. I mean, people used to get their skulls bashed in, you know, marching for unions.
[29:59]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[29:59]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And that. You can't get that back any other way than fighting that hard again when you lose it.
[30:04]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, it's.
[30:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Is there. Are you in a union? Is there any kind of like.
[30:07]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, no, I'm in sag, aftra. You know, I've done. I've been lucky enough to do a lot of work and got my card and, you know, movies and tv and then I'm, you know, Equity for actors. Don't get me started about actors Equity.
[30:19]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, really?
[30:20]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, well, there's a line from here to Iowa. Ready to take your spot, Right? So what actor is going to step up and go, hell, no, this ain't right.
[30:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[30:29]
Joey McIntyre
You know, you work your whole life to get in a Broadway show, and they go, maybe we should walk. You know what I'm saying? My grand plan is to merge with Ayatzi.
[30:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I like that.
[30:39]
Joey McIntyre
Hello.
[30:39]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yep.
[30:40]
Joey McIntyre
You know what I mean? Because those guys, they go, see you later, Jeff, you know what I mean? While the chick's on her knees. Me, chick, guy on her knees going. You know what I mean? Like, dying after the show. They're like, see you tomorrow.
[30:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know what I mean?
[30:56]
Joey McIntyre
We need those guys on our team. Yeah.
[30:58]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I don't pick that up. That's Tommy.
[31:00]
Joey McIntyre
No.
[31:00]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. That's not my job. No. And the Yahtzee, if people don't know, is like, it's all the below the line people. It's the camera operators, it's the lighting designers.
[31:11]
Joey McIntyre
It's everybody.
[31:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Where's makeup? And. And so really, you've got the Screen Actors Guild, which used to be set after. Used to mean American Federation of TV and Radio Actors. So Radio personalities used to be in the union. That shit's gone. They don't cover them anymore.
[31:31]
Joey McIntyre
They all. They're gone.
[31:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, once they started, like, syndicating radio around the country, those big guys, the corporate guys, cut out the unions, and so now it's just TV and film. So you've got the Writers Guild, the Actors Guild, Iahtzie, and then some of them are Teamsters, and they all negotiate contracts in different years. So there's never this real collective strength of, yeah, we're going to shut the whole business down.
[32:00]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[32:01]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And so that's why the last four years has been rough, because the Writers Guild had a strike, and then this past summer, Yahtzee was threatening to strike, and they ended up not. But it. Nobody would. None of the development people would put anything into production because they thought there was another strike coming. So there's been three or four years of no work in Hollywood.
[32:20]
Joey McIntyre
It's, you know, as I always grow up hearing this phrase, the AFL cio, the. The Allied Craftsman. You know what I mean? Or the AFL CIO was. Is everybody together? Like, we don't have that in entertainment.
[32:36]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[32:37]
Joey McIntyre
It seems.
[32:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[32:38]
Joey McIntyre
Like. Like, they would. You would hear that constantly. Like, even the fact that that was a thing for the tradesmen. Right. Yeah, It's. It's not in the business. That being said, you know, as you probably know, you talk to producers in the business and, you know, it's all perspective. It's each side of things. But, like, oh, this negotiation or whatever they came to, you know what I mean, after the strike was like, wasn't a good one, I guess.
[33:07]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[33:07]
Joey McIntyre
You know, everyone's throwing their hands up.
[33:09]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right? You mean for the actor.
[33:11]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, for the actor side.
[33:13]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[33:13]
Joey McIntyre
You know, but, like.
[33:14]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, because it's all about digital streaming, because there's no revenue on broadcast.
[33:18]
Joey McIntyre
Well, Netflix killed the business is what I hear, too, which I don't fully understand.
[33:22]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. Well. And now Netflix just announced they're spending a billion dollars for production in Mexico.
[33:28]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[33:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
There's nothing shooting in Hollywood.
[33:31]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, I just. It's. It's not inflation, it's greed.
[33:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. It's just.
[33:38]
Joey McIntyre
It's that. It's very simple.
[33:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. It's just greed. Right? That's it. Yeah.
[33:44]
Joey McIntyre
We want more. More, more, more, more, more, more. That's it. Like, we. There is that, you know, there was a middle class because we were okay with a certain amount.
[33:54]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[33:54]
Joey McIntyre
Like, everybody was okay with a certain amount.
[33:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[33:57]
Joey McIntyre
And that's why we were able to, you know, have a, you know, A Chevrolet and, you know, one pair of sneakers and, you know, patches on your knees. And it was okay, right? You know, and it wasn't embarrassing, right? And you had a good life and you went home and you had three meals and it was okay, but now it's just bonkers. And I'm not saying, obviously I'm. I'm a part of the whole damn thing, too, but.
[34:23]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, but it's just more and more.
[34:24]
Joey McIntyre
Like, why are you going? And don't. Don't wrap it up like that. Well, that's good for Mexico. Like, come on, come on, come on.
[34:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, and it's. And it really is a matter of, like, you're working and then the profits are going to dividends to shareholders. People that don't even know the business you do, they don't show up and put on some work gloves and do something like they're just getting checks every month. So the amount of money you're doing, the worth of what you do is not coming to you. It's going to a third party.
[34:55]
Joey McIntyre
And they're answering to the bottom line and their stock price.
[34:58]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And they always have to cut. Every quarter's got to cut.
[35:01]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, my God.
[35:02]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Every quarter. They. First of all, profit means, like, for me, there's no profit, and I'm very happy with that. At the end of every year, I pay my taxes, I put a little bit into my pension account, and we kind of break even. And I go, all right, that's a good year. But if you're a. If you're a. If you're a corporation, you have to do that plus 25%. So where's that 25% coming from? It's coming off the back of the workers.
[35:26]
Joey McIntyre
I just. I mean, that's it. But, yeah, I mean, I don't watch the news much, but yeah, Starbucks is letting off another, I don't know, thousands of jobs.
[35:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, really?
[35:38]
Joey McIntyre
Because. Because they think, you know, and they spin it, that it's more, you know, streamlined or whatever. It's like, wow. Wow.
[35:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, and more and more restaurants. You go into fast food restaurants or you go up to the kiosk and punch in your shit.
[35:53]
Joey McIntyre
That's true, too.
[35:54]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And then, you know, it's. And then.
[35:56]
Joey McIntyre
And. And I don't mind because I think of, you know, but like, you're tipping the fast food too, right? They want to tip.
[36:03]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[36:03]
Joey McIntyre
And I think, all right, listen, this person is trying to make a living. Of course I'm going to tip them. But it's just ironic now it's like, they're doing less, but now we.
[36:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[36:13]
Joey McIntyre
It's like 20, 22%, 25%.
[36:16]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. No, last night I. I called up this Greek place that I like, and me and the wife were sitting on the couch doing a little streaming. Can you deliver us a couple of falafels? Now you got to come pick them up. Great. Now I got to get up, get dressed.
[36:32]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[36:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Naked on the couch with my wife.
[36:34]
Joey McIntyre
Picture that for a second. Ding. All the way, huh?
[36:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And now I got to drive to the restaurant, pick it up, and then when I don't give her a big tip, she's looking at me, I go, no, the big tip goes to the guy that got in his car and brought it to my house.
[36:46]
Joey McIntyre
Right.
[36:46]
Greg Fitzsimmons
That guy gets 20%, if not more. Yeah, but you just turned around, the cook made it. You just did a 180 and then you came back again. That's not 20%.
[36:56]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[36:57]
Greg Fitzsimmons
All right. Anyway. Yeah, I don't want it. Look, you and I have broken down business, the economy, got it all out.
[37:03]
Joey McIntyre
Of the way, man.
[37:03]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Middle class.
[37:04]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[37:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But let's go back to your childhood a little bit. I want to talk about a guy named. It was a teacher named Mr. Flynn who kicked Tommy out of class.
[37:14]
Joey McIntyre
Wow.
[37:15]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And used to mock the band that he was starting.
[37:20]
Joey McIntyre
Tommy.
[37:21]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh. Or was it you? Oh. Oh.
[37:23]
Joey McIntyre
Well, Tommy's not in the band, so. You bet. I mean, we both went to cm.
[37:26]
Greg Fitzsimmons
John Tobin just told me this story driving over here. Was it you that got kicked out?
[37:31]
Joey McIntyre
Flynn? No, Flynn was. Oh, Tommy.
[37:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[37:35]
Joey McIntyre
Tommy lasted two years at CM for whatever reason, God bless him, and then he went to Mission in Mission Hill, and that was more of a cakewalk, maybe. Yeah. Two Catholic high schools, but CM was all boys, and it was, you know. Yeah. I mean, it was.
[37:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Catholic Memorial is, like, one of the oldest schools in Boston, Right?
[37:53]
Joey McIntyre
I don't know. I mean, there's BC High, there's Don Bosco, there's Catholic Memorial, you know, I'm.
[37:58]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Thinking of Catholic Memorial.
[37:59]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, Yeah. I mean, Catholic memorials.
[38:02]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[38:02]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, it's probably maybe the 60s or something like that. I ended up going there. So.
[38:10]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[38:11]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, the Boston game of telephone and how it relates to France, you know, the classic thing in Boston is, yeah, you were. Yeah, it was you. Oh. Yeah. You know, so imagine, like, even if you were, nobody say, we'll play that game, you know, but if there's any fame involved, like, they are gonna assign you. They're gonna tell you where you were.
[38:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[38:35]
Joey McIntyre
You dated this one, then you fought that one. You got kicked out of this place, you went over here. You know, it's like, aha. Yeah. Okay.
[38:45]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. Right.
[38:45]
Joey McIntyre
So even John Tobin, a dear friend. No, I. No, by the time. So Tommy did his time at cm, and then a couple of years later, I only did ninth grade there.
[38:58]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Okay.
[38:59]
Joey McIntyre
And I wasn't really famous. I was just, like, bubbling under. No one really knew. I might have been in the Globe a couple of times because the new kids were doing a little things here and there. It was the summer after my ninth grade.
[39:10]
Greg Fitzsimmons
That's what they called that.
[39:11]
Joey McIntyre
That. Yeah, that we got a break and went on the road and then. Yeah. So I didn't have to live in that I'm famous going to high school kind of thing.
[39:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So you. You just got tutored after that?
[39:23]
Joey McIntyre
I did. I got my diploma from cm, but I had a tutor, God rest his soul, Marco Dowd. And it was tough. I mean, it was. It was.
[39:33]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He came on the road with you.
[39:34]
Joey McIntyre
He did. It was. I mean, 10th grade, I did sort of the word. I don't want the brothers from cm, like, taking back my diploma. But, you know, it was a joke. I mean, we were playing stadiums by the time I was in my junior year.
[39:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And then you're probably doing radio interviews in the morning.
[39:50]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, signings and roll the. Roll the footage, you know, See, But I mean, I was just like. I did. Instead of graduating, my graduation was I got my diploma in the. In the basement of the Hard Rock Cafe in London. And they gave me, like, the thing, and they gave me the thing. And, dude, it was at the height of our. I was white as a ghost Dark circles under my eyes. I mean, a tale of. What do they call it? A cautionary tale. Yeah, a little bit.
[40:19]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, right.
[40:20]
Joey McIntyre
But I survived, Greg. And here I am talking about unions and what we can do to make this.
[40:25]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, it's amazing. What's amazing is that, like, the work ethic that you really do see, like, Boston really is a town of, you know, grit it out, put your head down, do your job. And I think it seems like you take that work ethic very seriously. Like, a lot of people after the success you've had, would have kind of taken it easy.
[40:44]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[40:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And instead you. There's this amazing story where. I think it was around 99, where you were trying to sell a solo album and nobody was buying it. Here you are, this guy that's like, you know, at one point you were the highest selling artist in the world.
[41:00]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[41:01]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And now you can't Sell a solo album. So you. Would you bankroll it yourself?
[41:05]
Joey McIntyre
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely did that. Which was. Back then, it was still. You're talking about. To make a decent album was like hundreds of thousands of dollars. You know, I got a lot of heat or whatever. Like articles and papers and writers would. Wanted to talk to me about that. There was a hook as far as selling a cd. Making a CD and selling it off the Internet.
[41:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[41:31]
Joey McIntyre
Was a big deal.
[41:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[41:33]
Joey McIntyre
Like, which was funny, I guess, from a guy who was such a pop guy and such a major label kind of, you know, that guy.
[41:39]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[41:39]
Joey McIntyre
To be doing it. But I, you know, desperation is the mother of invention kind of thing. And I did do that. I, I pressed up 2,000 CDs, numbered them. And I always give my lawyer the credit, Jamie Roberts from New York, New York guy. And he's like, what you, you need to be on stage? You know, I forgot about that. You know what I mean? You just got to get out there. So that was the impetus. I said, I scheduled three shows, Boston, Rhode island and New York. And I said, they gotta know the music. So I pressed up the CDs and then I went to Kiss108 just to promote the shows. And, and David Corey, the musical director, he said that song stayed the same. It's great, let's play it. And it was top five request in Boston.
[42:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[42:29]
Joey McIntyre
But the big station Kiss went away. Then it started picking up heat. Providence and then New York was playing it. And then labels started calling me back, you know, because I made my own heat. And I ended up back at Columbia Records, which the New Kids were.
[42:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And, and the, and the album sold a million.
[42:45]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, not a million, but it was gold.
[42:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, it was a, it was a million.
[42:54]
Joey McIntyre
It was a million. Yeah, no, it was top 10, top 10 Billboard charts. And yeah, it was.
[43:00]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So you made your money back.
[43:02]
Joey McIntyre
I did make my money on that and then publishing too, because they all came running for that. I said, let's sign the publishing deal before the album comes out. Cuz I'm always realistic. You know, they always. Everybody gets excited, but the guy who's been there all along, you know what I'm saying, knows best. So I was like, okay, that's fine, but let's sign it before it came out.
[43:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Because otherwise the studio will, the label will take a percentage.
[43:24]
Joey McIntyre
No, just the numbers wise. Because it's almost like everyone thinks it's gonna do better than it is.
[43:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[43:32]
Joey McIntyre
You know, in my mind I'm like, let's sign it before if it. If it blows up, great. But it might not do as well as everybody thinks it is. And then the offers will be. I just always knew that. You know what I mean?
[43:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[43:44]
Joey McIntyre
So, yeah, I did well on that end. And, yeah, I was scrappy. I mean, going back, I did have a dad that would always say, get a job.
[43:53]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[43:53]
Joey McIntyre
You know, and, you know, I mean, the good thing about that is literally, that could have been raking leaves down the street.
[44:01]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yep.
[44:02]
Joey McIntyre
It was about the dignity of a job. He knew better. It wasn't about, go, go be famous. Go continue to be famous. Why aren't you writing it? Records, blah, blah. It was get up and at him. You know what I mean? So it. He did, you know, instill that.
[44:17]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's amazing that they hadn't given up at that point. You're the youngest of nine, and I know I got. One of my best friends is the youngest of seven, and he was the kid that didn't have a curfew and didn't necessarily have clean clothes when he came to school. You know, like, they were tired.
[44:33]
Joey McIntyre
They were.
[44:33]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Your parents hung in there through all nine. Yeah.
[44:36]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, the Irish, you know, Irish Catholic, they just kept going. I mean, my mother was a fricking riot. You know, she'd tell you, you know, the blood is falling out. You know what I mean? She didn't drive, so she'd walk everywhere and take off the ted.
[44:51]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I'm having a kid. It's my bladder. Totally.
[44:52]
Joey McIntyre
Totally. Exactly. And so. Yeah, thank God. Right? Thank God. That's why I can't, you know, bash the Catholicism too much, or I wouldn't be here. You know what I mean?
[45:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's amazing. And, you know, I think growing up in the neighborhood you grew up in, you did you know a guy named Kevin Chapman?
[45:15]
Joey McIntyre
I know Chap Chappie. Yeah. As older. Yeah, Yeah. I grew up in jp. Everybody else was from Dorchester. Very different upbringings, you know.
[45:24]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Why?
[45:24]
Joey McIntyre
In a way, I mean, which isn't it so funny how is parochial the term? Is it like this?
[45:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Very.
[45:33]
Joey McIntyre
Literally. It's one street over, but it's like them against us. It's like literally Boston, but every neighborhood. And I'm sure it's like that in New York and everywhere around the world, really. It's like, oh, not them. We're like this. You know what I mean? Like, JP Is like. You know, is it like New York?
[45:52]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Like, I was born in the Bronx and people identified by parish.
[45:57]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[45:57]
Greg Fitzsimmons
A lot of times it was a.
[45:58]
Joey McIntyre
Little bit of that, a little bit of that. It was just like. But, you know, dot rats were really dot rats. I mean, we called them dot rats for a reason. We believed it. You know what I mean? And then, you know, Jamaica Plain, you know, unfortunately. And they would say Jamaica, Spain, which was, you know, a derogatory statement. Like it was a bad thing that we had so many Puerto Ricans, you know what I mean? And then, you know, or whatever, we were like, you know. And within JP there was, like, Moss Hill. That was fancier and, you know, all kinds of different. It's funny, but that being said, like, I heard like, Joe Rogan talking about JP was the scariest place he ever grew. He grew up there for a while or something like that. It's all relative, you know what I mean? But anyways, Chappie. Where's Chappie from? Do you remember?
[46:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He's from. I think he's from Dorchester.
[46:45]
Joey McIntyre
Okay. Yeah.
[46:45]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But I knew him because he was a comic and he started this club in Quincy. You say Quincy or Quincy?
[46:53]
Joey McIntyre
Quincy.
[46:54]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[46:54]
Joey McIntyre
With his.
[46:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, he started a club in Quincy at a place called Footprints because he was a sober guy. Is a sober guy. And it was this sober club. It was such a cool. Because Boston sober is not like, my life's over, I gotta stay home and white knuckle it. Boston Sober is like.
[47:11]
Joey McIntyre
No, it's like a union.
[47:13]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, right. It's a union. It's a fraternity. They go out and they still party. They still have a blast.
[47:20]
Joey McIntyre
Absolutely.
[47:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So there was this sober club in Quincy and they used to do a comedy night there. And I got to. To know Chappie pretty well.
[47:26]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, no, he's a good dude. It's. I. I hadn't. I haven't seen him in a couple years. But.
[47:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I have a videotape of him. I had a party when I was first starting out and I just had this funny idea of I'm gonna leave a video camera running in the bedroom and everybody gets to go in and just say a message or do whatever they want. Yeah, Chappie came. I don't know if I should. I'll say it. So Chappie comes in and he had somebody behind the camera and he said. And it was a close up of his face. And he goes, greg, I've got a secret. And then the camera pans down.
[47:56]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[47:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And he's got no pants on. And he's. He did the tuck. He did the dick tuck.
[48:03]
Joey McIntyre
Nice.
[48:04]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I have Chappie. I have that. That exists.
[48:09]
Joey McIntyre
So is Chappie a trans man or a Trans woman. What would that be?
[48:13]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He's a trans Am. Yeah. He goes very fast. 1986.
[48:18]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[48:18]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But in the end of the day, you're gonna need a tow truck.
[48:20]
Joey McIntyre
I like that.
[48:21]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[48:21]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, right. Nice.
[48:22]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. So let's talk about the new album. It's called Freedom. It's called Freedom. Fantastic. I listen to it.
[48:28]
Joey McIntyre
Thanks, man.
[48:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, it's.
[48:29]
Joey McIntyre
Thank you.
[48:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's just like sharp. It's very well produced.
[48:33]
Joey McIntyre
Thank you.
[48:34]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Is that the same crew of guys you've always had or is.
[48:36]
Joey McIntyre
No, no, I got a. You know, I lucked out. I. I appreciate that. Yeah. It's. It's 10 songs, it's 32 minutes. So it's like I kind of went there with like, doesn't keep you too long, but packs a punch, which I like. It's kind of like my pitch, but I, myself and Sean Thomas, he's this 24 year old Canadian dude from Vancouver. The Canadian. You gotta love them, right? They have that.
[49:00]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You love the Canadians. They don't love us anymore.
[49:02]
Joey McIntyre
Well, I know, at the moment. I know, I know. But they have, you know, very, very talented kid. I met him through the pop icon, Ms. Debbie Gibson. It was a dear friend.
[49:15]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[49:15]
Joey McIntyre
And so anyways, here we are and we make. We have a great time. And as I'm writing, I'm like, I'm 52, he's 24. So as a writing, I'm like, he's getting something out of this, you know? Yeah. Like, why don't we have this freaking 24 year old? And he's probably thinking, you know, oh, this is pretty cool. I got this pop guy who's got this. I'm learning. So we get, we have good laughs. He's very talented and we put the time in. It's a commitment, you know what I mean, to make a whole album.
[49:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Sounds young.
[49:42]
Joey McIntyre
Thank you.
[49:42]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[49:43]
Joey McIntyre
Well, I mean, you know, I think to make, you know, decent pop music, maybe you have to engage with that younger quality, you know what I mean? And also at the same time, I felt like I was as honest as I ever been. I mean, not that I was explicitly going through things in my life now, but the energy was there. There was a. There's a chip on your shoulder in there somewhere, which I think you have to have for a certain kind of music, you know?
[50:11]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Is that what motivates you still to keep. Cause I mean, we didn't get into it, but there's so much shit you've done, it's kind of mind blowing. I mean, you know, Broadway and films and TV and, you know, going solo and, you know, going back out on the. On the road with the band again and.
[50:28]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[50:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I mean, is it a chip on your. Is it something like, I'm. I want to still be one of the relevant guys?
[50:36]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. I mean, well, at the end of the day, I just enjoy making things, and I think I bring something to the table, as I said, only in the last few years. Turns out I do bring a lot to the table, and I find that out by, for instance, in theater. I originated a couple of roles in theater, and I'm in the room with good people, and I have a lot of ideas, and I share them, and it works out. You know what I mean? So it's all about getting in the different rooms and people seeing what you bring to the table. So I love that. And that's it. But outside of all that and the noise around what we do and presenting things to the world and yada yada, you know, that could come and go. I think there's good days and bad days. Right. You know, as a creative person, I think mostly, you know, what I've been sharing about is being a part of such a success that is no kids on the block is. It could be called the Gilded Cage. You know what I mean? And so that, at the moment is the. What I'm sparring with. It's like, I love these guys. You know, they are literally like family. When you talk about. I'm the youngest of nine siblings. The idea of sibling relationships, I didn't really have that. Cause I was. Tommy's four years older than me, and then everybody's older than me. And I had a great narrative. You know, they wanted to save me. I was blessed. You know, take care of Joe. Save him from the madness of the house, really. So I had a lovely narrative. You know what I mean? I was really. So I was a product of that. Then I'm thrown into this group at 12 with four other teenagers that were, you know, 15, 16 at the time. I'm 12, which is a huge difference. So what I'm really. It's. It's a process. Like, I've been with these guys for 40 years. Donnie Wahlberg, who is, you know, my family, anyways. But, like, we've just gotten closer and closer and closer. But starting out, it was not easy.
[52:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[52:38]
Joey McIntyre
And he's a huge personality.
[52:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[52:41]
Joey McIntyre
A great leader. Born leader.
[52:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[52:43]
Joey McIntyre
He basically, aside from me, put the band together.
[52:46]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, he did, yeah.
[52:47]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was the one guy who. He and Maurice he met Maurice and he basically, Donnie had to go find the group, you know what I mean? He went to school with all those guys. Our story is like lots of times, you know, you think boy band, you know, fluff, you know, manufactured. I mean, it was such an. Up by a bootstraps. Boston working class, like, he was, like, he called Jordan's house, who lived in Codman Square, like in this big Victorian rundown house. This big beautiful family. We were all working class families, you know what I mean? So anyways, and we're still, I think, you know, finding ways to tell that story authentically as we speak. Anyways, I'm. I have. I'm still trying to carve my path and have some autonomy while this beautiful thing rages on called Nick is on the Block. You know what I mean?
[53:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, you must feel like you have.
[53:46]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, I have, but it's, you know, a project at a time. I. It's funny enough. Like here I am, 50 years old, you know, I'm. You know, for my 50th birthday, I played Carnegie Hall. It was fricking. You couldn't for three hours. They had to kick us off because the unions. But it's like a, you know, it's a double edged sword, those unions. So anyways, living my fullest, trying to balance bringing them in. I mean, they were guests for my night. They were such a part of, you know, my story. But being on my own and claiming my space, it's almost like a. You create a monster, you know, you want more of it.
[54:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right?
[54:33]
Joey McIntyre
Meanwhile, New Kids on the Block is. I mean, the State of the Union is fantastic. You know what I mean? Where we continue to, you know, grow and, you know, now we're about to start our residency in Vegas.
[54:49]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You know what I mean?
[54:50]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, it's gonna be fantastic. You know what I mean? So we still.
[54:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, the shows will be fun, right?
[54:58]
Joey McIntyre
No. All the bells and whistles though, you know, so. So it's. Anyways, so this album talks about.
[55:08]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You.
[55:09]
Joey McIntyre
Know what I mean? There's this one song, Freedom, the title track, I guess you want to call it. So in Step by Step, one of our biggest songs, Jordan sings lead. But then we get to the set. Step one, you know, we can have lots of fun. Step two, there's so much we can do. Step three, it's just you and me Step four, I can give you more Then John says, step five, don't you know the time has arrived and it's just a little bit. So in that song Freedom, I say step One. This isn't any fun I'm two steps from the door Close your eyes and count to three Open up, you won't see me Step four. I cannot give you more if I'm ever going to make it out alive the time has finally arrived, and it feels like freedom. So, you know, and some of the fans, the diehards, are like, oh, okay.
[55:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
They don't want it to change.
[55:57]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, man. No, no. They want Mickey and Minnie and they came to Disneyland to see. Which I get. You know, I mean, they're fine with it, but I got to share that way on this.
[56:08]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But what's interesting is a lot of times an artist will be part of a group and then they'll go solo, and they really feel like they want to reinvent themselves and they want to do something that, you know, is a new brand or whatever, however you describe it. But you've kind of kept one foot in each. Each side as you do this, which isn't as clean of a break.
[56:29]
Joey McIntyre
Right. And so it. It, It. It's like. And so as I talk about, the cool thing is, and I'm glad about it, because as I'm writing the record, I'm like, I'm a little bit in my bubble and I'm, you know, I'm embracing that chip on my shoulder or whatever story I have to tell. But now, you know, like, Donnie's been nice enough. He's a great collaborator. He says yes first. He's just said, let's go. Yeah, sure. Yep. You know, and so I've been talking. He hosted a couple of listening parties, and I'm glad that I'm sharing it with him and with our fans.
[57:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[57:05]
Joey McIntyre
And not trying to be defensive.
[57:07]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, right, right.
[57:07]
Joey McIntyre
You know what I mean? And not trying to do it on this podcast and nowhere else. You know what? So. And the question is, can I have it both ways? Can freedom be both?
[57:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right. You know, Steven Nicks went back and forth.
[57:23]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. I mean, you know, and I. It's all relative. You know, I'm trying to, you know, sometimes you want it all or nothing, and you want. You know, but just so happens that, you know, I'm lucky to be in a very successful band. You know what I mean?
[57:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, the plate gets along. Yeah, it gets along. I mean, that's the thing is some people want to get back and tour for the money. You look at Oasis trying to get together and tour, and after two shows, they have to cancel.
[57:51]
Joey McIntyre
Was it. Was it. Yes.
[57:53]
Greg Fitzsimmons
They had a fist fight on stage.
[57:55]
Joey McIntyre
I get. No, they did it?
[57:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yes. No, they didn't have his fist, but it was. Somebody punched somebody. Yeah, there was at least one punch.
[58:01]
Joey McIntyre
They don't. I'm sorry. That. That older brother is such a prick, man.
[58:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[58:05]
Joey McIntyre
Is that Liam? I can't. Liam's the singer. No. Oh, no, no, the older one. I mean, the stuff that he would pull, like, he would make his. The old footage. Like, Liam would be sitting in the back and Noel would be singing this. I mean, he's famous for be. It's sort of his shtick, obviously. You know what I mean? But, like. Yeah, you know, a little bit of that is fine.
[58:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[58:29]
Joey McIntyre
Like, who. Who needs that?
[58:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I know. Well, you know, then you look at, like, apparently, like, the Stones, like, Mick and Keith didn't really talk for years.
[58:38]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[58:38]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And then, you know, Keith's playing a lead and Mick is leaning in and they're sharing a mic, and then they get off stage and just go to different hotels, you know, I think.
[58:48]
Joey McIntyre
I think Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were like that, too. And we had those moments. I mean, historically, I mean, I talk. Donnie and I came from very similar homes, except he had brothers and I had sisters. So it was like we were almost like some teenage married couple.
[59:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[59:05]
Joey McIntyre
You know, he'd be like. And I'd be like, no, you don't. You know what I mean? And then the rest of them would, like, the rest of the new kids would just sit back and watch, you know, eating popcorn. You know, that's funny. But we were very passionate, as it turns out. You know, we become very great collaborators. But to your point, a lot of bands can't get back together.
[59:24]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[59:25]
Joey McIntyre
Because we consistently, for better or for worse, chose family and friendship over the business.
[59:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[59:31]
Joey McIntyre
Which is a pain in the ass a lot of the times.
[59:33]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Sure. You know, and you've got all your agents and managers fighting against you to do it. They want you to stay on the road, they want you in the recording studio. Somebody wants to take a break, they hate it.
[59:44]
Joey McIntyre
Well, that. You know, that was. I mean, we. Earlier, you know, we finally burnt out. And then grunge came along the first time around in. And on paper, we took 14 years off. It's like, how does this work? We'll take 14 years. Stop by taking 14 years off, and then we'll go from there. Yeah. And then since then, yeah, it has been. It's my. It's my piece de resistance. It's my, you know, Mount Rushmore. It's my, you know, Mount Vesuvius. Climbing. It's every I work out all my stuff through the group, basically.
[60:17]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[60:18]
Joey McIntyre
And thankfully, you know, I was able to keep it clean enough. You know what I mean?
[60:26]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I know that would have wrecked you guys if one of you guys had a scandal. I mean, as a teen pop band, that's like. And I think it's different if you guys. I have no idea what it was like when you were touring, but I got a guess. As teenagers traveling around the world, stadiums. It must have been nuts.
[60:41]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, no cameras and no cell phones. Yeah. Thank God. Dude.
[60:45]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You couldn't do that today.
[60:46]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, it was bananas.
[60:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[60:48]
Joey McIntyre
You know, we were 16, going to clubs, and. Oh, my kids don't see this.
[60:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
What do you think?
[60:58]
Joey McIntyre
By the way? I moved to Venice. I know this. When I moved to Boston. I'm from Boston. Yeah, you gotta go to Venice.
[61:04]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You gotta go to Venice.
[61:05]
Joey McIntyre
We had a. I had a crafts. Rented a Craftsman on Nouita Place.
[61:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Dude, that's around the corner from me.
[61:13]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, Above. Above. Abbot Kinney.
[61:15]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[61:16]
Joey McIntyre
Gorgeous. When I first moved here. Yeah. In 2002. I was. 2002. Yeah. My first. I came out with a. The only way to come out here was with a gig. Right. Otherwise. Yeah.
[61:26]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Come out here with the way.
[61:28]
Joey McIntyre
Without.
[61:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
With a gig.
[61:29]
Joey McIntyre
And I was on Boston Public. Yeah.
[61:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Wait, so when you were on Oita. Was Julia Roberts living there at the time?
[61:36]
Joey McIntyre
She had just. Yes, that same year, she. I was on that same block.
[61:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Okay.
[61:40]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[61:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. You know who else lived on that block? Louis ck.
[61:44]
Joey McIntyre
Really?
[61:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yep. He's a good friend of mine, and he moved to my neighborhood, which was cool.
[61:48]
Joey McIntyre
Is that the walk street part was literally this big. It wasn't the big walk street. It was the little one. Like, your front gate was like, you know, right there.
[61:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, that block of Noida is. There's a. There's a grid of walk streets in Venice that's very. I don't even want to talk about it because it's so quiet. Nobody. Like, nobody. It's not like the canals where there's tons of tourists taking pictures.
[62:07]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[62:08]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But it's just. It's a sidewalk with houses on either side, and then they have the alleys behind to park. So it's just. And people take their fences down.
[62:16]
Joey McIntyre
It's gorgeous.
[62:17]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And dogs and kids are running back and forth. I've been there for 25 years. I know every neighbor on the walk street.
[62:24]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[62:25]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's just. It's. It's sort of like. Some neighborhoods have an identity, and our identity is we talk to each other. We go to Each other's houses for dinner. We have block parties.
[62:34]
Joey McIntyre
And it's magical. Yeah, it's absolutely magical. And I was there for my first year out here and met my wife there. She was a real. She was a realtor.
[62:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Okay.
[62:44]
Joey McIntyre
And found me the place.
[62:46]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No shit?
[62:46]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, she found me a place. It was this or a place on Speedway. And we were just hanging out and I said, sounds so stupid. Like I. But I was like. I think I even said, like, if we were dating, you know, which one would you, you know, pick? You know? And she's like, well, not the one with the gray carpet on Speedway that looks like a shanty. That's a beautiful craftsman on a walk street, you know? So I did that one and then I ended up buying a house on the. On the canals, actually.
[63:15]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, you did?
[63:16]
Joey McIntyre
I did. I did.
[63:18]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Was it annoying having people walking by all the time?
[63:21]
Joey McIntyre
No, I mean, I was young enough. I didn't really. Whatever. It was like this, you know, funny enough. And you'll get this. It was a brand new house, like three decker.
[63:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[63:31]
Joey McIntyre
You know, triple McMans. It was a McMansion, you know, and as we had just closed on it, but there was a second one, like a twin one, and we're checking out. We're like, oh, my God. We're like, you know, and some guy, Rufus, and he's probably still there, and as we're passing, he goes, they ought to blow the fuckers up. You know, like he didn't want that. He wanted the little. You know, so it was sort of like, yeah, those little grease wear on the. Oh, fuck. Yeah. Okay.
[64:00]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, the Venice is a really special place.
[64:03]
Joey McIntyre
It's cool.
[64:04]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And our producer here, Paul, is from there. I. So I know him. He lived. He lived three doors down from me and we've been friends for great 25 years.
[64:11]
Joey McIntyre
Three doors down. Name a record. Can't do it.
[64:16]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But I. I actually love their drummer. I saw them Kroc has a Christmas party every year and they played at it a couple years ago. And let me tell you something, their drummer rocks.
[64:27]
Joey McIntyre
You're a drummer?
[64:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I can.
[64:29]
Joey McIntyre
Bill. You and Bill get geek out on drummers.
[64:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, Bill Burr. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love play. I love good drum. No, no, no. I'm starting to play bass. My whole life I wanted to play bass and I just started taking lessons.
[64:41]
Joey McIntyre
Good for you.
[64:42]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. I mean, you got to learn and grow, but no. And you're also friends with Adam Ray, who's a good buddy of mine.
[64:48]
Joey McIntyre
Very. Yes.
[64:49]
Greg Fitzsimmons
We just did a big podcast Together this week over. Do you know Jay Okerson and those guys from New York came in and did this game show thing.
[64:57]
Joey McIntyre
What was. No, I didn't know. He does. I mean, God bless him with the Phil. Dr. Phil.
[65:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And I mean, a year, year ago. I know that guy was playing the same clubs. I was laugh. Boston.
[65:12]
Joey McIntyre
Totally. Totally. No, I mean. And as. I mean, it's almost cliche, but couldn't happen to a better guy.
[65:18]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It really could.
[65:19]
Joey McIntyre
If you. If we earn things in this business. Golly, he earned it.
[65:23]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, yeah. He's a guy that put in his time and he's a good actor.
[65:26]
Joey McIntyre
Is that how you guys know. Yeah, we met. We met in the. On the Heat.
[65:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, no. Melissa McCarthy.
[65:32]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah. And Sandra Bullock. Paul feet director.
[65:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[65:36]
Joey McIntyre
What a trip. That was so much fun. Yeah.
[65:39]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And did you have scenes together?
[65:40]
Joey McIntyre
No, we. We didn't. Completely different. But we met at a screening and you know Adam.
[65:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, yeah. I mean, you stay in his life when you meet him.
[65:47]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[65:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[65:49]
Joey McIntyre
So. And then. Oh, and then we did a. We did a show. I. I created a show for pop tv. It was called Return of the Mac. Was sort of my. My version of Curb youb Enthusiast. Oh, it was scripted, but it was. It was very scripted.
[66:03]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Loose.
[66:04]
Joey McIntyre
Well, it wasn't loose. I'm just saying I did play myself, so it's like. But it was scripted and. And he played my manager. It was eight episodes. It was. The thing is a lot of like it was one of those things did nothing, came and went. But people I respect. Like Bill Burr was a fan. Like he was like, I want to be on second season two. What?
[66:23]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Where was that? I never even heard of it.
[66:25]
Joey McIntyre
It was after Schitt's Creek and it just didn't. I think people wanted this, you know, my fans want this. Like everything's okay, you know, And I'm.
[66:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Doing like stripping cyst on your eye.
[66:39]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, they.
[66:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I mean, it looks like this looks.
[66:43]
Joey McIntyre
Better in Venice too. Now it works.
[66:47]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, yeah, now it works. See how the outfit works? Yep.
[66:50]
Joey McIntyre
This is guy who dressed for the gym. Not going. Yep. But this guy, it all works.
[66:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
This guy owns a coffee shop.
[66:57]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, yeah, exactly.
[66:58]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Look at all your little bracelets. What is that all about?
[67:01]
Joey McIntyre
Well, of course my daughter. My 13 year old daughter's a big, big swifty. But everybody does these. Swifty is. She owns everything. Even stuff that used to be other things. But this is. Isn't that cute? My daughter made freedom.
[67:20]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, that's nice.
[67:21]
Joey McIntyre
Freedom. She made ludgy, which My dog. My. My son. He would go to. He would go to bed at night. And part of the backstory is it my. He's. You wouldn't know it, but he was born. My second son. My youngest son. I hate to call him the middle guy. Yeah. He was born with severe hearing loss. And. Yeah.
[67:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[67:44]
Joey McIntyre
So I had a hearing aids since he was a month old. And if you met him, you really wouldn't notice because. But he's. He's an amazing guy.
[67:53]
Greg Fitzsimmons
But he's got full hearing with the aids.
[67:55]
Joey McIntyre
Pretty much.
[67:55]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Okay.
[67:56]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. I mean, yes and no. He makes you think. He does because of the hard work he does, and he pieces it together. And usually you learn a lot. You know when people sound deaf?
[68:08]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah. They.
[68:10]
Joey McIntyre
They talk that way because that's what they hear.
[68:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right.
[68:12]
Joey McIntyre
I know that sounds dumb.
[68:14]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No, I get it. They're not. But it's because they're hearing.
[68:16]
Joey McIntyre
It's not. The deafness isn't affecting their voice. That he sound. Sound like that way. But if they. They lose different syllables and stuff like that. So he doesn't have that because he has the. Oh, that's hearing aids. However, when you take him out, the cool thing is when you take him out, you get a whisper in his ear, you know, or if you. Whatever. If he was ever having. He can still hear you. You know what I mean? So at night. This is a long. I didn't know we'd take this thing. Sorry.
[68:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, this is what Fitz Dog Radio is all about.
[68:42]
Joey McIntyre
Thank.
[68:43]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Exploration. Yeah.
[68:45]
Joey McIntyre
And it's cute. He used to. When he would go to bed, you know, he'd say in the. In his ear, like, I love you. And he'd say, alleged legit, you know, the ludge instead of love. Like. I don't know. It might have been a kid thing. It might have been a kid thing. Or maybe the hearing, you know, but.
[69:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
With the hearing aid in, he would.
[69:07]
Joey McIntyre
Have been I love you too. Yeah. Yeah. It might have been I love you too, but maybe he was sleeping. But then it became a thing, you know, it was probably kid talk.
[69:15]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, right, right.
[69:16]
Joey McIntyre
Ludgy.
[69:16]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I like that.
[69:19]
Joey McIntyre
So instead of I love you, it's ludgy.
[69:21]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I love it.
[69:22]
Joey McIntyre
So she made me a ludgy, and then I have this one. A fan. Maybe it's all practice. It's all practice.
[69:29]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Mr. Mr.
[69:30]
Joey McIntyre
Guy playing the. The bass.
[69:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
That's right.
[69:33]
Joey McIntyre
Going for it three hours a day.
[69:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I do three hours a day.
[69:36]
Joey McIntyre
No, you don't.
[69:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I do about 20 minutes. I have ADHD all right before we go, we're do a quick thing called Fastballs with fits. I'm going to ask you what's the closest. These are just questions. They're quick questions.
[69:49]
Joey McIntyre
Don't. Don't expound.
[69:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Don't expound. Is that a word?
[69:52]
Joey McIntyre
It's a big word. We check it with the producers.
[69:56]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Put your piece in.
[69:58]
Joey McIntyre
Expound.
[69:59]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, you're right.
[69:59]
Joey McIntyre
Actually, that's a really good big word. Five dollar word. Five dollar.
[70:04]
Greg Fitzsimmons
What's the closest you ever got to a fist fight on stage?
[70:08]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, geez, Donnie. I think it was 91. You know, things were coming undone. We were doing the best we could, but he. We all had moments in the show and he would touch base with the crowd and maybe he went a little longer than normal to the point where we would go backstage and play video games.
[70:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
No way.
[70:33]
Joey McIntyre
So now he was done. And by then, then no one showed up. So then he just made the band play the song.
[70:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[70:40]
Joey McIntyre
So we had to run like crazy because we heard the song and then we were halfway there and he was kind of talking trash and then I talked trash and then like.
[70:52]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And this is in a stadium?
[70:53]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, yeah. An arena, anyways. Yeah. And he's like, every time in the, in the rap that. He said, every time. Every time I look, I find you dissing a mission. That's strictly righteous. He said, every time I look, I find Joe dissing a mission. Strictly righteous. Really. He was acting up, so I acted up and he said that. And when he said that, I left the stage and I hit the showers mid show and they stopped the show and everybody told us to get back there and that whole thing. So, you know, that's good. So we didn't come to blows. But. Yeah, that was heavy.
[71:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I like it.
[71:32]
Joey McIntyre
There you go.
[71:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He's a good actor, by the way.
[71:34]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, he's. Did I hear the spin off of Blue Bloods?
[71:36]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Dude heard that. Jesus Christ. That show. Len Cario is a dear friend who plays his father on the show and 15.
[71:44]
Joey McIntyre
Grandfather.
[71:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, Grandfather.
[71:45]
Joey McIntyre
15 years. It's unheard of.
[71:48]
Greg Fitzsimmons
And he wants more people to understand something. Shooting a one hour single camera is 12, 14 hours a day.
[71:55]
Joey McIntyre
Talk about get a job, though. He's like, he. Yeah, I mean, you could, you could say maybe he's, you know, he likes to be busy, you know, to put it lightly. He didn't. I listen, I'm grateful that I was able to be a friend and see him walk through them wanting to, you know, but wow, it's unheard of, you know, it's almost like he's the last of the mohegans. You kind of got to do it for the history of television because it doesn't happen anymore.
[72:24]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right, Right.
[72:25]
Joey McIntyre
And. And I think. I don't know. Am I giving it away? I think. I mean, he. The guy goes to Boston.
[72:30]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[72:31]
Joey McIntyre
So, I mean, Donnie is.
[72:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So now he gets to live in Boston.
[72:34]
Joey McIntyre
He gets to shoot in Boston.
[72:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
He live in Chicago.
[72:37]
Joey McIntyre
He does.
[72:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, he does.
[72:38]
Joey McIntyre
I mean, it's not. You know, but he. He worked it out. I mean, what are you gonna do?
[72:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Dude, I'm gonna do three more podcasts and retire.
[72:47]
Joey McIntyre
I know, I know, bro.
[72:50]
Greg Fitzsimmons
What is.
[72:51]
Joey McIntyre
Sorry. Here we go. I expounded. Sorry.
[72:54]
Greg Fitzsimmons
There are two types of people in the world. Go.
[73:00]
Joey McIntyre
I was gonna say decaf and caffeinated. I don't know. That's lame. That sucks.
[73:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, you got Starbucks on your mind.
[73:08]
Joey McIntyre
Scabs and union guys.
[73:09]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, I like that.
[73:10]
Joey McIntyre
How's that?
[73:11]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Right?
[73:12]
Joey McIntyre
Wrap it up.
[73:13]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Because that circle deep. That goes deep. Yep.
[73:16]
Joey McIntyre
Let's. Let's. I mean, I don't wanna. I want to either piss people off or have them love me.
[73:22]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You need nothing between. Stay married. They keep their friends. All right. I'm just spitballing.
[73:30]
Joey McIntyre
They'll come shovel your driveway.
[73:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
What's the. What's the last time you apologized?
[73:37]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, golly. I'm like, really.
[73:40]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Like a deep.
[73:41]
Joey McIntyre
No, I'm really good at that.
[73:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Because you're Catholic? We confess.
[73:47]
Joey McIntyre
You know, I like to keep it clean. I'm just good at that. When's the last time I apologize? I probably got a little heated with my son, and I just told him, listen, I got a little heated, but I want you to know, no matter what, where you go, what you do, I'm there for you. But, you know, I guess that's the closest thing that.
[74:12]
Greg Fitzsimmons
To me apologizing to my kids is one of the easiest things and yet the most profound things because you're teaching them to take accountability for yourself and to be vulnerable enough and love somebody enough.
[74:26]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[74:27]
Greg Fitzsimmons
That you can do that.
[74:28]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah.
[74:28]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's a great lesson.
[74:29]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah, it is. It's pretty cool. That's true.
[74:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Last thing.
[74:34]
Joey McIntyre
Don't say. Don't say it ain't.
[74:36]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So, what have you turned down recently?
[74:40]
Joey McIntyre
Oh, my gosh. I'm thinking of the thing I should have turned down, but I'm gonna do. Golly, can't say that out loud. Tell you that afterwards. Hopefully we'll do all right with it. What did I turn? I turned down a lot of cocktails lately.
[75:05]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Are you?
[75:06]
Joey McIntyre
So, yeah, it'll be March 10, will be a year. I haven't had a cocktail yet. Yeah. Aside from three hits off of a pen, it would be completely clean and sober.
[75:19]
Greg Fitzsimmons
So you're California sober.
[75:21]
Joey McIntyre
No, only once for a day. You know, that's what pisses me off about it. It's like, no, I just want. If I was gonna do it. But no, I'm not. I'm. I'm full on. Yeah. Aside from that one day, one time.
[75:32]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah, that's great.
[75:33]
Joey McIntyre
And that's pretty. That's a blow mind.
[75:35]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Yeah.
[75:36]
Joey McIntyre
Yeah. So. Yeah.
[75:37]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Well, maybe you can go to Footprints in Quincy now.
[75:39]
Joey McIntyre
I love it. Let's start at Footprints West.
[75:41]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Me, you and Kevin.
[75:42]
Joey McIntyre
I love it.
[75:44]
Greg Fitzsimmons
I can't say enough about what a great hour this has been. The album's called Freedom. The tour, the residency in Vegas is gonna be coming up and that's gonna be in August 26th through the 29th.
[75:58]
Joey McIntyre
No, August, no, that starts in June 20th. But I gotta hit my dates. I gotta. That's what, that's what most of you guess do, right? Because I have solo dates in April.
[76:09]
Greg Fitzsimmons
Oh, you're gone every Joey McIntyre.
[76:12]
Joey McIntyre
Joey McIntyre.com for all the tickets, but I'm doing basically. Oh, you want to hear my little, my little rap? My En Vogue rap that I'm just doing. I'm going to make a little TikTok about it. Here are the dates. Should I do it as Madonna?
[76:31]
Greg Fitzsimmons
This would be amazing.
[76:32]
Joey McIntyre
Okay, here we go. Here we go. Houston, Dallas and Old St. Lou. Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, two Cleveland, two Ville's, Lewin, Nash, Birmingham. Let's kick some ash. Gainesville, Savannah, Raleigh, D.C. philly, Boston and NYC. Freedom Tour. Phase one is here. Guess what, baby? See you there.
[76:59]
Greg Fitzsimmons
You just kicked some ash on that one.
[77:03]
Joey McIntyre
And I didn't mean to say ash, but it's better ash than ash.
[77:06]
Greg Fitzsimmons
It's totally better. Okay, thank you so much for your time.
[77:09]
Joey McIntyre
Thank you, Greg.
[77:10]
Greg Fitzsimmons
All right.
[77:10]
Joey McIntyre
Appreciate it.
[77:11]
Greg Fitzsimmons
All right, see ya.