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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Hey, welcome to Fitz Dog Radio. It's a beautiful day here in Los Angeles. The rain's about to come in. This is what they call the calm before the storm. I'm gonna run off and play some paddle tennis with Gibbons and then dinner at the Dunsky's house tonight. And then who knows? It's gonna be a rainy week. I want to go see the new Led Zeppelin movie. I think it opens on Friday. Uh, otherwise not a lot going on this week. Doing some spots at the Comedy Store, uh, interviewing the Sklar Brothers on Wednesday. But I'm done. I'm done with my cold weather winter run. I was in Wisconsin twice. New York City. I mean, it's, it was rough. It reminds me. It definitely makes me appreciate coming home. But I did nothing. I had a Sunday night show in. Where the fuck was I? Milwaukee. And I never do Sunday night shows, but it just worked out this way. And the worst is usually Saturday night. You got two shows, they're sold out, and then you get up early the next morning, you fly home and it's all, it's like a big climax at the end. But then if you do a Sunday night show, that means you do the two Saturday night shows and then Sunday you wake up, you got one show that night, generally not sold out, and you just kind of languish all day. You're not focused. You get nothing done. On that Sunday, I had all kinds of plans. I was going to go to the art museum, which is supposed to be very good. I was going to write, I was going to work out, I was going to meditate, did nothing, didn't even masturbate. It was a thankless day. And so, so now I'm back in the airport and I noticed something. Here's what you notice. Good looking people are generally, if they're around other people, they're on their phones. It's almost like there's a subliminal message that they're saying, you are not at my level. You are not the kind of person I would say hello to or hang with. I'm on the phone with like a publicist who's asking me about which party I want to go to tonight. Or I'm on the phone with another really good looking person and we're just, we're arranging where they're going to pick me up in one of those Teslas. That's a truck that people throw rocks at. Or they should. Are they, they should be. If I had a rock near me and one of those was driving by, I might Throw it. Definitely would throw it at a Waymo. Those are the driverless cars in la. But I'm back. I was on the phone with Verizon for 30 minutes yesterday doing something very simple. Why, why do they put you on hold? Why is it that corporate America makes it so that when you call them there's a 12 minute piece of your life that they just abscond, that they just take from you before you get a human on the line? What, what is it about them that's so important that they're paying somebody in the Philippines a dollar a day? So why not hire just a couple more of those dollar a day people for the fucking 180 bucks I spend a month on my bill? And at and t is worse. I was thinking about this because AT&T has been fucking us way long. Here's how long AT&T has been fucking us. Their name is the American telephone and telegraph company. Telegraph. They've been around since like 1880. So your great great grandparents were trying to fucking reach relatives to say that little Johnny died during the Depression. And they were like, dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dot, dot dash, dash. And then they got, and then they got a telegraph back. Dot, dot, dot, dash. We cannot help you right now. Deep, deep. Hold on while we dot dot dot DE put you through to Cuba. Deep, deep. For tech support. Dot dot deep Something there. I don't know. Here's what I love about being a comedian is you don't really have to know anything. Willful ignorance is the equity of this profession. We, we, we just make shit up. We just go down tangents as if we're experts. We know nothing, literally. Sunday paper starts with letter, starts with corrections. All the things we got wrong. What if you could just call comedians on any that might be a good live show to do, is have comics go up and then you get to call them out on anything that's not truthful. Be a fucking awkward show. Yeah, I was thinking about. Nah, I don't want to talk about that. Let's talk about some letters Darren Johnson wrote in. He said, I liked the Road Dog a lot. That was the film I did with Doug Stanhope. Well, it was Doug Stanhope's film. I had a part in it. Very honest. Look at the various levels of comedy out there and how broken most comics are. I can write a solid joke, but the idea of doing years at various Yuk Yuks in places like King of Prussia seem really depressing to me. Who gives a shit about those yokels? Well, listen, Darren, first Of all, with all due respect and thank you for writing in, I doubt you can write a solid joke. People think they can write solid jokes, but the truth is, until you've stood on a stage and put it out there in front of people and gotten behind it, I'll tell you right now, 90% of the jokes you try on stage do not work. They're garbage and they feel solid. That's why you try them. But you don't know until you've done it in front of people. Like in the King. Like in King of Prussia, which I've never heard of. But that's where you figure it out. That's where you bounce this shit off people and see if you're connecting and whether or not the joke has something to it. But anyway, he says obviously it was a low budget movie, but the characters, including yours, were compelling and sad. Thank you. This movie is like leaving Las Vegas for comedians. Remind people it's free on Tubi if you have to be. I guess if it's free, anybody can get it on tubi. Highly recommend it. Doug does an amazing job. He won best actor at a couple festivals and I feel like the film got overlooked. So check it out. Couple overheards Ray Jepsen said, a good looking teen couple at the mall. I pass and hear we have to check their teeth. As I walk away I see the boy gesturing as though opening a mouth. This is nowhere near a farm where one might expect this conversation. We have to check their teeth. Maybe they have children and they don't have a dental plan and so they have to check their kids teeth. But I always think about that when I see these period pieces about people in like the 18th century and they're like having a scene, a man and a woman and he's a warrior and he's just gotten off a ship for two months where he's eaten nothing but fucking smoked meat. And then they, and then they go in for a kiss and they make out with tongues and it's like, do you have any idea how foul their teeth are? How stinky and rotten and germy and they're making out. I can't even kiss my wife unless I literally go in the bathroom before I kiss my wife and I brush my teeth. If I'm going to give her tongue, I'm brushing my teeth first. I'm totally paranoid about bad breath. It's my worst. I know people with bad breath, we all do. And it's a cardinal trait for a lot of. It's the thing you think of there's comedians that have breath. It's so bad that when they introduce me at the Comedy Store and I have to go on after them using the same mic, I will keep the mic in the stand and stand far away from it. I'm not naming names, but you guys know who I'm talking about. No, you don't gotta stop shit talking comics. Frank Nevenan said, a small town bar in Minnesota, Fox News is on the TV and Kristi Noem is on. And I hear a guy say, she can shoot my dog. Well, you can shoot my dog. Well, shoot my dog, shoot my doggy. That's gonna be a new colloquialism. Is that the word? Maybe I'll get T shirts made. By the way, the Sunday papers. T shirts are still available. They're like 25 bucks. Go to fitzdog.com and pick one up. Jeff Falvi said. At the hospital, sitting in a pre op room, male doctor walks into the room next to me, talks to an older couple. Wife asks the doctor if she thinks her husband needs anesthesia. Dr. Clearly agitated, screams to the lady's husband, quote, do you want me to cut your genitals while you're awake? That sounds like bad bedside manner. It's amazing how many doctors have shitty. I just went to visit my, my mother in law's companion in a nursing home and the nurse came in to check his vitals and she was so fucking nasty. Didn't say hi. He asked a question. And then she goes, I can't hear you. Cause he's having a hard time. Um, and these people make a lot of fucking money. Nurses, people like that, they're in demand, they're making bank. So fucking take it up a notch. Speaking of taking it up a notch, I'll be in Fontana, California at Stage Red. February 22nd, Atlanta Punchline. March 6th through the 8th, Hollywood Improv for the St. Patrick's Day show that sells out every year. March 15th, get your tickets. Hamilton, Ontario, at Levity. March 26th. Then I'll be in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Boston, Escondido. Just announced Tampa, La jolla. Go to fitzdog.com, get some tickets, come out and see some live comedy. My guests, I love this guy. I would put him in my top five guests of all time. He brings it every time and he did this week. He's just a joy. He's a bright light in the room. He's funny, he gets it. When you do somebody's podcast, bring some energy, have some fun. I mean, I can't say enough about this dude, you know, I mean, Jesus Christ, he has some songs fly. I mean, he's got. Sugar Ray has songs that have some of the great hooks. They're pop songs and they. He's very self deprecating about the band and I guess they get, you know, shit on a little bit. I don't know why. I think they're just. I think they're. Anyway, you. He hosted Extra. He's got a show on Sirius xm. He hosted Don't Forget the Lyrics. He was on Rock and Roll Jeopardy. Three time champion on Rock and Roll Jeopardy. We get into a lot of good music talk. Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Wife Swap. He was on the Office Workaholics, Celebrity Big Brother, masked singer. Anyway, he continues to do music around the country while hosting and I just so happy to have him on. So please welcome and enjoy Mark McGrath. Well, this is the highlight of my week. And I'm not just talking about your hair, McGrath. Jesus Christ. Is it even a highlight?
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B
I mean, it's just one giant frosted tit at this point. You know, here's the thing though, Greg. Like, I kind of ushered this thing in in the 90s.
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A
You did.
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B
So I'm riding this thing.
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A
You're grandfathered in.
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B
Yeah, yeah. I mean, every 25 years a trend comes back around. The kids have the big baggy jeans now. I'm sure you've seen it. So this is about two years away.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And so you can, you can, you know, you can, you can quote me two years from now.
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A
You're also really not receding much. Just a tiny.
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B
I tell guys all the time, like when my hair started receding just a little bit. I was on Extra in 2004, 2008. So when you're on TV, as you know, you get super vain.
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A
Yeah.
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B
I mean, more vain than you already are.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Which for me is almost impossible. So I'd be looking at the TV and going, oh, my God. You know, follicle 342 is going back a little. We lost some. We lost some turgidity on the right side. So I went to a friend of mine who was like losing his hair, but he stopped. I go, dude, I don't want to, you know, be, you know, I don't want to be offensive or anything, but I notice you were losing a little hair. You stopped. And he stopped me mid sentence and he goes, propecia.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And for those that don't know it's a pill, take a little pill and it keeps the hair you have, it does not give you hair. It keeps your hair. And what guys do wrong with hair loss or hair recession is they're the last guys to tell themselves you're losing your hair. Yeah, you do the comb overs, you know, like, you start doing the spider sides. You push it forward. So I got in early, and in 2004, I got a little Propecia. I'm not a spokesman. I do your own thing. And it's. It's helped.
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A
The only thing about Propecia is I've seen the commercials.
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B
Yeah.
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A
And on the commercials, it literally tells you that, like, if your pregnant wife even touches the pill, your child will be born deformed. Like, how vain do you have to be? Like, your kid's gonna grow up with.
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B
You know, gills and, like, arm out the back. I mean, I know.
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A
Daddy, Daddy, your hair looks really good.
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B
Like, wheelchair.
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A
Yeah. Your kid will never know you have good hair because he's in a wheelchair.
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B
Right. I mean, it's a drag. Luckily, you know, my kids are somewhat normal. Extremely average, but normal.
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A
Wait, but were you on the Propecia when you.
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B
I've been on it. I'm still on it.
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A
Wait, but your. Your kids are what, about 15, 14?
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B
Yeah, good, good.
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A
14.
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B
Good guy. You remember?
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A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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B
They're 14 freshmen, freshman's in high school. I got twins, boy and her girl.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And I just live kind of the euphoria parents life in the Valley. Just trying to keep them off this, get them off that Snapchat. And social media is the worst thing that ever happened to not only human beings, but teenagers in particular.
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A
Well, my kids were the first generation of cell phone using kids.
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B
Right.
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A
Your kids are mid-20s now, 21 and 24.
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B
Yeah, 21, 24, exactly. And I say we're the first parents on social media. The first, like, parenting on social media. Because Twitter came in in 2009, 2010, the rest. So there are no rules on how to parent raising kids on social media when it's too early, when it's too much. So we're kind of Lewis and Clarking the social media thing in terms of parenting, and it's. We're making mistakes day. I know I'm damaging my children. Everything I do. Apparently, I'm the worst dad ever. So it's been really fun racing kids in the Valley. Man, it's tough.
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A
It's so hard.
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B
But getting back to my hair.
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A
But no, but I. I feel like I did the parenting and now I'm getting the report card by looking at how my kids are today.
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B
Well, how are they Must be great because dude, you. You've been so involved in your kids life. We talked about how you sent me a thing. We're dancing and listening to Sugar Ray.
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A
Yeah, we had a Sugar Ray dance party the other day and it's so funny because like I've always put songs. We have a running playlist that, that me and my kids have. My wife's not that into music. You know, she likes it, but she. But I love. I'm obsessed with music.
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B
Do you listen to music in the car or do you listen to podcast?
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A
No, no, no, no. I don't listen to podcasts. Podcasts are for losers.
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B
I agree. Especially those on other people's podcasts. Right. That's a real low barrel moment.
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A
I used to be on Extra.
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B
Come on, man.
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A
I used to work state fairs.
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B
Geez. I still work state fairs. What are you talking about? It's my bread and butter.
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A
Baby said to me once, if you ever smell kettle corn, you'll probably hear some Sugar Ray in the background.
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B
Without a doubt. Yeah. No, if you smell funnel cake, Sugar Ray is probably playing. Yeah. I've used that joke a few times and dude, I couldn't be happier.
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A
Yeah, of course it shows. You are. Here's the thing.
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B
But no getting back to parent as you.
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A
All right, so get back to what.
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B
Is your parent report card then? Because it must be very high because you're very involved since your kids were little. I remember I've been fortunate to know you a long time.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And it's always been about your kids. I got to meet your kids when I used to do the podcast at your old spot. Lovely. We fully just like wonderful manners. Look you in the eye.
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A
Yeah, that's good people.
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B
All I want to do is raise good people. And that's what you've done.
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A
I think we. I know we've done that. I don't know if I have to give myself grades. I would say for they're comfortable in their own skin, which was my number one thing. I want them to have confidence. I want them to again, look people in the eye. I think we got an A on that. I don't know how we did on raising motivated kids, but I don't know how much that's on me. I talked to my producer, Paul. He's got a son who's going through the same kind of thing. There's a failure to launch in their early twenties.
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B
They're passionless.
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A
Yes.
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B
There's no passion now. I don't know if that's because they're being Raised in the digital world. Like, do you remember my passions were so well defined by the time I was 12.
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Yeah.
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Like things that I was interested I would. How far I would go. Like to go to a record store.
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Yeah.
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Like six buses. It took eight hours to get like a loudness record that I brought home and read and just like. But.
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A
And you work jobs to save the money to buy those records.
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B
Like I put in quarters together, paying with change for a record was 7.99. But you couldn't stop my passion. I'm not seeing that in my kids either. And I think it's a generational thing for sure.
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A
What were the first records you bought?
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B
The first record I ever bought was. Was Devo's first record. Now B52's first record. And they were both used like some junkie probably brought, you know, brought them back and they were kind of damaged a little bit and scratched a little bit. I'm fully aging myself. But it was B52s and Devo's first record. Wow. I still listen to those to you today.
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A
Yeah. Are we not men?
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B
Yeah, yeah, right.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Freedom of choice. Come on, dude. Girl, you want.
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A
Oh, my God.
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B
Just. That band is not. Well, they do. They're in Rock and Hall of Fame. They get the recognition they deserve. But they launched alternative music before we even knew what it was.
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A
Well, also when MTV started, which was probably in like 80, 19.
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B
1981. August 8, 1981, but who's counting?
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A
Okay. They were it. I mean, there was those original videos.
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B
Whip It, Whip it.
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A
And then you had, you know, video Kill the Ray. I think that was the first video they ever showed.
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B
First video ever played in mtv. What was the second?
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A
What was. Well, the second might have been like Triumph Fly, right?
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B
Oh, no. Gee, thanks a lot, dude. Am I that old?
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A
Now? When's the first. Now when's the first time you got played on MTV?
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B
Summer of 1997. Wow. And that. You want to talk about a life changing moment, you know, because that was the. That was the Mecca. That was the Holy Land. That was the. The oh, wow. Moment. That was the dream growing up.
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Yeah.
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B
On mtv.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Coming up next, we got a view to buy Sugar Ray. Like Mark Chapman or someone like introducing it. Mark Chapman. That's got the.
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A
Mark Chapman. I remember that. Yeah. And Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart. No, not Stewart. Martha.
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B
Martha Stewart. Martha Quinn.
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A
Martha Quinn Stewart.
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B
I almost went on with that, like, yeah, Martha. Martha Stewart was there on mtv and they had, you know, just a jj, Triple J Jackson. So that was when you first and when it was first in the rotation of mtv, like unsolicited, that's like, meaning like you didn't know it was coming on. You just saw it on. You're like, wow.
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A
Because we sat with it on. I mean, it was on.
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B
That's how we got our music. Yeah, people forget about it because it's just changed so radically. But you know, the, the we. The records came out on a Tuesday. We all bought our record. And I, I. Sorry for jumping around, I'm such a spaz. But the 90s were the last decade where we shared entertainment. When I say that meaning like, you remember, like appointment viewing was on Thursday nights watching Seinfeld and whatever. So we all watch the episodes together. We don't do that now. We stream at our own leisure. And then we used to buy records on Tuesdays. They came out. We all went to Tower Records or wherever you went to buy that record. So there was like a community experience to watching tv, watching movies, you know, and buying records. And that's gone. And that's why I think the 90s has such a stronghold in people's hearts. Because this last decade we all shared entertainment together.
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A
Yeah, I remember that.
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B
Defined. Sorry to interrupt you, but it's hard to define decades. What do you call 2001-2010?
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A
The aughts.
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B
Okay.
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A
It's a horrible, horrible name.
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B
It's not a lot. Not a lot of emotion.
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A
No, no. Remember, the Aughts sound cold.
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B
It sounds kind of. Why. But what do you call 2010, 2020, the teens? I don't know. This is my point.
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A
Odds.
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B
Terrible, man. So like. And it was also no demarcation zone when the decades ended.
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A
Right.
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B
A lot of it was done by fashion, by music. And there seems to be like a lot of the same from 2004 to 2016.
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A
Yeah.
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B
You know, they weren't just like. There weren't Nirvana, nevermind moments, you know?
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A
Yeah. I think politics, like, I think about 1980 as Ronald Reagan getting elected for sure. And I remember music got kind of bad for a little while. Like there wasn't, you know, there was obviously like Elvis Costello was coming out with good albums and. Yeah, I guess, you know, Talking Heads were still putting out albums. REM yeah, it's like post punk.
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B
Like.
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A
Yeah. There wasn't guitar leads for a while. Nobody was playing the guitar.
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B
And if you look at what was on MTV right then, ironically, that's when MTV kind of debuted a year after 1980, obviously. Their playlist was like madness.
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A
Yeah.
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B
The Buggles, Triumph, Donnie Iris.
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A
Like One hit wonders.
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B
Yeah. But just like, bands that, like, you didn't really put a mark forever, with all due respect, on the period, so. You're right, it was kind of a confusing period. Coming out of punk metal was a couple years away with Quiet Riot, Motley Crue and. And Rat. So there was kind of like, who are we as as a music? So it was going through its changes, and it was like the ugly teenage period for music.
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A
Yeah, Dire Straits was good, but they were. There was just a lot of. I think we were taught, like, punk was getting commercial for sure.
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B
Yeah. You know, on its way to becoming commercial.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Back underground. It's not being offensive. You know what I mean?
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A
Well, it morphed into new wave a little bit, which just. Was just a pop.
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B
Yeah. It went Duran Durani and there was, like, Goth and Bauhaus and all that stuff. So it was just a lot of, like, supplicants of the teeth of punk rock, if you will.
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A
Who's the greatest punk band? Yeah.
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B
It's not an argument.
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A
Isn't it funny, though, that they were not a band that found themselves, that they were actually cast and produced.
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B
Well, that's. That's where I'm gonna have to sort of disagree with you.
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A
Okay.
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B
Because you're a very smart guy, and I. It breaks my heart, too, because I tend to agree with everything you do. I named my son Lydon after John Lydon.
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A
Yeah.
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B
So I'm really well versed in Sex Pistols lore, if you will. They were actually together as a band. Steve Jones and the guitar player and Paul Cook and even Glenn Matlock. They had a band together. They were like. They were playing kind of a pub rock band. They were playing covers and, like, you know, trying to kind of just figure out what they were about. And then Malcolm McLaren had that store Sex. You know, he saw all the punk.
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A
Rock bands, you know, who worked in that store.
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B
Alan Klobber. A lot of people did. Vivian Westwood.
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A
Chrissy Hine.
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B
Chrissy Hine, of course, Pretenders of Lore. And Johnny Rotten was on the Peripheral of Friendship with all these folks. He was a regular at sax and would walk in and so they were looking for a lead singer and Malcolm Claren and all his vision just said, I don't know if he can even sing, but he looks great. He's angry. So they put on 18 by Alice Cooper on the jutebox and they go, go ahead, try out for the band. And Johnny Rotten Jadal is like, I'm 18 and just, like, you know, making fun of the song. And they go, perfect. Will do. So that was kind of how he put that together. But it wasn't like a. Like a record label going, we need a guitar player. We need punk rock. They started.
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A
I thought it was like auditions. I didn't know.
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B
Know that that well. That kind of was his audition, if you will. Kind of the best audition.
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A
No, but I mean, I thought there's a studio or like, next.
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B
Next.
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A
Sign in.
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B
No, because they. They started the music. They started the revolution of punk rock.
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A
I think before the Ramones.
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B
Well, the Ramones were happening in New York.
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A
So, you know, I mean, it was pretty. Pretty.
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B
The Ramones were before. The thing is, the Ramones came to London in 76 and played the Roundhouse, which was a. Which a big club in London. And apparently the Pistols were there, the Clash were there, the Damned were there.
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A
I heard that.
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B
And so that started a revolution.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And then.
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A
And they came. They did not stop between songs. They just went, two, three, four.
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B
That's how they stopped. There was never. Hey, glad we're here in London hey, it's raining today. Hey, how about that rain? It was 1, 2, 3, 4. And their. Their sets were like 36 minutes because their songs were 60 minutes set.
- [26:34]
A
And also the. The drums were playing at twice the speed that most drummers go with a.
- [26:38]
B
Little help of sort of other, you know, drugs as well. So there was a double whammy with all that speed or a double entendre there, Greg?
- [26:45]
A
Yeah, but.
- [26:46]
B
Yeah, so there's a. That's, you know, look, the. I'm not an expert. Yes, I am on punk rock, but there's. People will have a different variation, but that is the crux of what happened. So the Sex Pistols were definitely not put together as, like, a label. Let's get this punk rock thing. Because there was no punk rock, you know, it was in the air, I believe. You know, it's some. Some movements have to be in the air. You know what I mean?
- [27:06]
A
Yeah.
- [27:07]
B
Like everybody with the Jackass thing, everybody and their friends would say, like, hey, I was doing Jackass videos too, bro. They just were the ones that made it happen. You know what I mean? It was in the air.
- [27:16]
A
Yeah.
- [27:16]
B
And so punk rock was a lot in the air the same way. Like that.
- [27:19]
A
What year was that?
- [27:20]
B
Well, Ramones came over in 76. And so the pistol started in 76. Never mind the Bullock, which wasn't the first punk record. The Dam beat him to it. They released a record in 1976. But never mind the bullock came out in 77. Because a lot of false starts and things, and record label changes. You know, they. They took £75,000 from EMI and they said, we're too afraid to release the record. So they gave him that money, gave him the record back. And then A and M and actually, I think A M dropped him as well. And then Richard Branson picked him up on Virgin. No. Oh, yeah, no. Yep. He had. He had. Tubular Bells was his big hit. You remember the Exorcist thing for Mike Oldfeld. Remember that?
- [28:02]
A
Sing it.
- [28:06]
B
And so that was his big hit. So he was flushable to cash and he was a young guy.
- [28:09]
A
That's his first money, that.
- [28:11]
B
Yeah. From Tubular Rebels.
- [28:13]
A
No.
- [28:13]
B
Yeah. So he put money into the Pistols and the Pistols record would. It went in at number one, the single did, but they banned it. So if you see the charts that week, there's no number one. And then it says number two, Rod Stewart. So it was just so much.
- [28:26]
A
But then they tried to tour in the States and it was a debacle.
- [28:30]
B
Right, right. Well, they tried to go on a tour of the UK first, and it was debacle because they appeared on a TV show, the Bill Grundy show, and that's when they were like a foul mouth and started cussing. And Steve Jones was saying, you've dirty effing this and that. And it just started uproar in England. So this. This tour they had planned together with Johnny Thunder and the Heartbreakers, the Clash, I think. I think the. I think the Buzzcocks were on it as well. And the Sex Pistols, they had like 13, 15 dates and 12 of them got canceled. They did two or three shows, so that was the whole thing. And they said, we got to get out of here. Johnny Rotten got attacked on the streets. He got slashed and all that.
- [29:04]
A
He got slashed?
- [29:05]
B
Yeah, he got stabbed. To get like, in the face and stuff like that. Punk rock was dangerous, Greg.
- [29:10]
A
Yeah.
- [29:10]
B
People hated it. They were afraid of it. And it was almost political, too.
- [29:13]
A
Yeah.
- [29:13]
B
Yeah. The government hating you, the people hating. It was dangerous to be punk.
- [29:17]
A
It's not like Green Day doing a meet and greet after.
- [29:19]
B
No. They're going to the malls and, hey, I love Green Day and I love the Offspring, but there was zero danger in that 90s punk revolution. Let's make it very clear.
- [29:26]
A
Yeah.
- [29:27]
B
And then they. To get out of the UK and the situation they were in, they went to America to do this, you know, the American tour.
- [29:33]
A
Yeah.
- [29:34]
B
Which they. And they said, I think the best place for the Pistols to do would be The South?
- [29:38]
A
Yeah.
- [29:38]
B
Let's do the worst places in the South. Let's not go to major cities where they might have fans. Let's go to like, Atlanta. Yeah, let's go to Texas.
- [29:46]
A
You think that was deliberate? Of course it was.
- [29:48]
B
Malcolm said it was. Yeah, yeah, we're coming to start revolution.
- [29:51]
A
What was the line that did. Did Sid Vicious say, you must feel ripped off?
- [29:57]
B
Johnny Rotten said it was the last words he said. At Winterland in San Francisco in front of 5,000 people and they're playing no Fun by Iggy Pop because they didn't have many songs, only have one record. Don't forget Sex Pistols had one record and started Revolution. And they were playing no Fun. And Stade was just like this. Bass was off. And Steve Jones was always amazing guitar player, still is a lovely guy. And he goes, you ever get the feeling you've been cha. Like in a snarling Johnny Rotten face staring at him? Ha ha ha ha. Just left the stage and started picking up change on that. People were throwing up and that was it. That was the end of the Sex Pistols live until now. And they're playing again with a new singer, this guy Frank from Frank Carter. So they're out there doing it again.
- [30:39]
A
I liked. You ever listen to Jonesy's Jukebox?
- [30:41]
B
All the time.
- [30:42]
A
It's my favorite radio show.
- [30:44]
B
Remember, it was on Indy 103.1. Yeah, yeah, of course. It was fantastic to get everybody I love on his show.
- [30:52]
A
Yep.
- [30:52]
B
And by the way, Steve Jones loves Honeymoon Suite from Canada. He's just a fan of music. He loves pop. And a lot of the pop sensibilities or the melody came from Steve and Glenn Matlock, who was a huge Beatles fan.
- [31:03]
A
Well, it is. I mean, you look at a lot of punk, got its. Got its inspiration from like 50 surf music, you know, and plays a lot of that stuff. Good point, Joe. And then, yeah, he came on the podcast once. That was a pretty big thrill.
- [31:18]
B
Amazing. Yeah, he's a great guy. He is. He's got a great sense of humor. He loves to laugh, you know.
- [31:23]
A
Yeah.
- [31:23]
B
And it's great to see the Pistols up and doing their thing again, you know, they sound great. And the guy they got, Frank Carter, is great. They're playing all those festivals in Europe and they're getting their due diligence. They're getting their king's ransoms over there in the uk.
- [31:33]
A
All right, I got some.
- [31:34]
B
I didn't think we'd be talking punk rock. I'm sorry, did you like punk growing up?
- [31:38]
A
No, I didn't I discovered it later when I was a kid. It was classic rock. Yeah.
- [31:42]
B
It was all the Cars. Aerosmith.
- [31:45]
A
No, even earlier, it was really like the four British bands. The who, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and the Stones. Perfect. And then for me, I got very into Elvis Costello. Loved the Clash.
- [31:57]
B
Joe Jackson.
- [31:58]
A
Joe Jackson was my shit. I saw him live, like, eight times.
- [32:02]
B
Brilliant.
- [32:03]
A
I mean, Jesus Christ.
- [32:05]
B
We covered. Is she really going out with them? That was the last song to get in the top 40. The creative. The creative. Well, was completely dry by then. Thank you.
- [32:13]
A
I feel like his bass player is the best bass player of all.
- [32:16]
B
Most melodic.
- [32:17]
A
Oh, my.
- [32:20]
B
And it's so locked in. The drummer was amazing, too. I can't remember his name, but, yeah, fantastic.
- [32:24]
A
And then the Pretenders was. I feel like Chrissy H. Is the. The biggest badass chick in rock history.
- [32:30]
B
I completely agree. There's two.
- [32:32]
A
So you do agree with me.
- [32:33]
B
Joan Jett and Chrissy Hine.
- [32:34]
A
Yeah. But Joan Jett's catalog is a little limited.
- [32:37]
B
I don't disagree with that. I don't. But I'm talking pure rock and roll energy. She just lives it. Yeah, she's never not. She goes to Gelson's and she's Joan Jett.
- [32:47]
A
No, I love when she got the. The honoree at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame last year.
- [32:51]
B
Well deserved.
- [32:52]
A
Yeah, that was really cool. And you could see. See, some years, you see the band come out and people are excited, but, like, people went nuts for her.
- [33:00]
B
She's like a cartoon character when you see her. She's just great. Rock and roll. She's just great. She lives it. But Chrissy Hein.
- [33:06]
A
Chrissy's still living it, too.
- [33:07]
B
She's great. She sounds better than ever.
- [33:09]
A
She really does.
- [33:10]
B
God bless the Pretenders.
- [33:11]
A
Isn't it funny how some people's voices just stay good? Like, who did I just hear recently that. Well, Billy Corgan's voice is as good as ever. I saw him live recently.
- [33:23]
B
Billy. Billy Joe from Green Day can sing better than ever.
- [33:27]
A
Yeah.
- [33:27]
B
Just like. He's just got right on.
- [33:30]
A
And Billy Joel.
- [33:31]
B
And Billy Joel. Well done.
- [33:33]
A
His voice is Billy Joe and Billy.
- [33:34]
B
Joel just add an L. Even better than ever.
- [33:37]
A
Yeah.
- [33:37]
B
And still killing Elton John's. You know, he's lost a little the timber and luster, as one will.
- [33:42]
A
Well, he's lost his sight. He's lost.
- [33:44]
B
Yeah.
- [33:45]
A
He said he's got none of his original parts left. Recently. He replaced everything.
- [33:50]
B
I love his, like, transparency with the hair. I'm wearing a wig. I don't care. I like my wig.
- [33:55]
A
What? I'm thinking about this and I'm not. Look, I'm 58.
- [33:59]
B
Yeah.
- [33:59]
A
I've crawled my way to the middle and I'm pretty sweet.
- [34:03]
B
You're physically better looking than you've ever been today.
- [34:05]
A
Thank you.
- [34:05]
B
No, I mean that really, like. Like age has been a. A real friend of yours.
- [34:10]
A
Well, I love to hear that. I don't feel like that.
- [34:13]
B
Cuz you've always been whip smart and funny, which all women love, before the physical thing. I. I promise you that.
- [34:17]
A
Yeah.
- [34:17]
B
And now you've got this sort of like wonderfully refined AIDS gentleman thing going on.
- [34:22]
A
And you're crushing it too, man. Because I feel like my face was microwaved in my neck. But I. But I'm thinking about. Because I grew up, my first influences in comedy were the borsch belt comics. I don't know if you know these guys.
- [34:36]
B
Like Shaky Green.
- [34:37]
A
Shaky Green.
- [34:38]
B
They all have the best names. Who's the guy that just died recently? Freddie Roman.
- [34:42]
A
Freddie Roman was my sponsor at the Friars Club.
- [34:44]
B
You're kidding me.
- [34:45]
A
He was my mentor in comedy when I was a teenager.
- [34:47]
B
So I'm hitting a nerve with these names here.
- [34:49]
A
Yeah.
- [34:50]
B
Freddie Roman must have been 107. Cause he died like a year ago, correct?
- [34:53]
A
Yeah, I died about a year ago.
- [34:54]
B
Did you go to his funeral?
- [34:55]
A
No, it was in New York. But I spoke to his wife and his son was. Here's the story. My dad belonged to the Friars Club. He was in radio.
- [35:03]
B
Yeah, no, I know the whole Howard story. I'm well versed in your history.
- [35:07]
A
So when I was in high school, we had one semester, two weeks in senior year called intercession. And you were allowed to go after whatever your passion was that you think you might do for a living. No classes.
- [35:19]
B
You knew then for sure.
- [35:19]
A
And I knew. I want. Well, I thought I wanted to be a comedy writer. And so my father put me in touch with Freddie Roman. And I'd known Freddie since I was a kid, but Freddie started taking me to his shows. I'd meet him in the city and we would drive up to the Catskills.
- [35:34]
B
How far is that drive, just out of curiosity?
- [35:35]
A
It's an hour, hour and a half.
- [35:37]
B
Is that close?
- [35:37]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [35:38]
B
Okay, so those conversations in the car must have been.
- [35:41]
A
Well, these guys were funny all the time.
- [35:44]
B
Well, let me say something. I saw a Freddie Roman stand up and I was trying to find something funny. With all due respect to his soul.
- [35:50]
A
Yeah.
- [35:50]
B
So can you give me the good Freddie Roman? Jo?
- [35:54]
A
No. It is very dated. It's very Specific to Jewish people in the 50s. I remember he said to me one time, a schmuck is a guy who gets out of the shower to take a piss.
- [36:10]
B
I miss that one. I'm a fan. No.
- [36:12]
A
And he had 10 minutes about how he put his son through University of Pennsylvania and he was shoveling shit. And it was.
- [36:20]
B
Is it the way he told the stories?
- [36:21]
A
His rhythm and timing?
- [36:23]
B
Yeah.
- [36:24]
A
All those guys, you know why? Because they never changed their act. So they got so their act got so tight because they never put it on tv so they could always go to the next city and nobody knew the material.
- [36:35]
B
That's blasphemy. Because in comedy, if you play your greatest hits, you're a hack.
- [36:39]
A
Right?
- [36:40]
B
In music, if you don't, you're a hack.
- [36:42]
A
Right.
- [36:42]
B
That's why I always defer to. And I kiss the ring of comedy because I can't believe what you guys have to do. So those guys even. But they played the same venues every year in the Borch Belt. They got away with the same act after.
- [36:53]
A
Yeah, but the crowds were changing every year.
- [36:54]
B
Yeah, but then same people go to.
- [36:56]
A
The same clubs every year, I guess. But it really was like he did a show, he produced a show called Catskills on Broadway, which was Malzey Lawrence and Dick, Capri and Freddie.
- [37:07]
B
When they got older.
- [37:08]
A
When they got older because they realized they had all these Jews that had grown up in New York City and they used to summer out in the.
- [37:15]
B
Catskills and they just don't anymore because they're old. Right.
- [37:18]
A
Well, the Catskills doesn't barely exist anym, you know.
- [37:21]
B
But I imagine when this was running in the 80s, probably this Catskills on.
- [37:24]
A
Broadway, probably in the 90s.
- [37:26]
B
Okay, so that, that was the end of the Catskills then. For sure.
- [37:29]
A
Yeah. It was over by then because flights started getting cheap and people go to Las Vegas instead or they go to. They go to Atlantic City instead. Those didn't exist in the 40s and the 50s. So they realized they had this audience of older Jews that had watched them when they were young. And it was the greatest hits they wanted to come out.
- [37:47]
B
Right.
- [37:47]
A
And they had a 3,000 seat theater on Broadway. It ran for two years.
- [37:52]
B
That's crazy.
- [37:53]
A
Eight shows a week.
- [37:53]
B
That's crazy. So they were capitalizing on nostalgia. They wanted the nostalgia, they wanted the jokes, they wanted the schmuck take a piss out of the show. Yeah, yeah.
- [38:01]
A
So he was my mentor when I was a teenager.
- [38:03]
B
That's crazy.
- [38:04]
A
And then my dad died and I wanted to join the Friars Club. And he was my sponsor at the Friars Club.
- [38:10]
B
Is there a initiation to join the Friars Club, or is that all cloak and dagger?
- [38:15]
A
No, there's. There's a.
- [38:16]
B
Do you have to give us a set? You have to do a set?
- [38:19]
A
No, but they've seen your set. They have to have seen your set before the ceremony. Yeah.
- [38:23]
B
Comedy DNA is approved.
- [38:25]
A
Yes.
- [38:26]
B
Okay.
- [38:26]
A
And you have to get. You have to get recommended by three people. And it's hard. It's. It's not hard when you're young, because they want. It's hard when you're older and you're not in entertainment. They try to keep it. 50% entertainers or in the business. And then 50% are the people that are kind of float in the club. It's like furriers and jewelers.
- [38:45]
B
Very Jewish, the funniest guy of their friend group.
- [38:48]
A
Yeah.
- [38:48]
B
Yeah. So is it still up and running?
- [38:51]
A
Who?
- [38:51]
B
The Friars Now?
- [38:52]
A
It just closed this year.
- [38:54]
B
You're kidding me. Yeah.
- [38:54]
A
There was some financial malfeasance, and they.
- [38:58]
B
Went, there's not enough rich comedians to keep that thing open. And. And it ended with no fanfare. There wasn't even a, like, sayonara, Friars Club. No. Jerry Seinfeld.
- [39:08]
A
I know Jerry could peel off a.
- [39:09]
B
Couple, just do a weekend of gigs, and you could save everybody.
- [39:13]
A
So that's very sad. There was a set.
- [39:15]
B
Was there food there at the Friars Club?
- [39:17]
A
It was great. It was a lot of white fish, and they had a Dover sole that they would. At your table.
- [39:23]
B
Fun.
- [39:24]
A
Yeah. And so.
- [39:26]
B
Oh, that deboning of the. Sorry. The Dover sole is such a wonderful, antiquated process.
- [39:31]
A
Yes.
- [39:31]
B
Isn't it just? It just. I loved. In the Caesar salad at the table.
- [39:35]
A
When they crack an egg in the Caesar salad. Yeah.
- [39:38]
B
Chef's kiss to that.
- [39:40]
A
And so I sponsored a friend later. Her name was Sarah Fearon, and she was a comedic actress. And I sponsored her, and she bought a friend with her. And I met the friend and I said. I talked to her for 20 minutes, and I said to Sarah, I go, I'm gonna marry your friend someday.
- [39:56]
B
You're kidding me.
- [39:57]
A
And I proposed at the Friars Club three years later.
- [40:00]
B
You're kidding.
- [40:00]
A
Yeah.
- [40:01]
B
That's the greatest. Friars Club, meet Freddie Roman means everything to you.
- [40:06]
A
And my childhood I spent there. I watched the O.J. chase. I watched the. I watched the 76 or the 80 Olympics. Hockey. When the men's team beat Russia. I was there for that. I mean, so many seminal moments in my life were spent at the Friars Club. And we used to go to the brunch every Saturday. And so anyway, this is heartbreaking for you.
- [40:25]
B
This is.
- [40:25]
A
Oh, my God. And then I moved to LA and Freddie put me in touch with his son who was one of the biggest showrunners in Hollywood. And Alan Zweibel. And Alan.
- [40:35]
B
That's Alan Zweibel is Freddie Roman.
- [40:37]
A
Yes. And then. No, no, no. Alan Kirschenbaum.
- [40:41]
B
I'm sorry, I was gonna say Bell.
- [40:43]
A
Was one of the early DNA pool. Alan Kirschenbaum, who created a bunch of shows that you would know. And he's. He started bringing me in on TV shows. And now Alan's daughter is a young writer and I'm mentoring her. I'm trying to get her an agent right now, and.
- [41:00]
B
And the Circle continues. What a beautiful story.
- [41:03]
A
Yeah. Is that nice?
- [41:04]
B
You're full of chocolatey goodness, Greg. No, really, because you just. You're just a good soul and you're like, thanks, man. It's a great family. You're a nice guy. And you don't like. Like, you're always good to me. You don't like. You know what I'm saying? Just a good dude.
- [41:16]
A
Well, who wouldn't be good to you? You're the most positive guy. I needed you today. I've been in a little bit of a dark funk lately. I don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out. And I said, mark's coming in. This is going to make me feel.
- [41:29]
B
See, that's another, like just a glowy emoji to you. That just makes me feel good.
- [41:33]
A
Oh, good. Well, you know that, you know that you lighten up a room.
- [41:37]
B
Well, you're kind to say that, you know, and I, like everybody else, have my dark periods and things, but I think the fact that I still have a uniform here in Hollywood.
- [41:43]
A
Yeah.
- [41:44]
B
After 30 years of mediocre talent at best, there's something. There's something going on. Outside of.
- [41:50]
A
You've written some of the greatest hooks in music, would you consider yourself rock and roll or pop?
- [41:56]
B
That's an interesting thing because as we started the band completely as a rock band, we were playing. We started as a cover band playing Judas Priest covers, Blondie covers, Run DMC covers. That's kind of why we had the diversity in the music that we ended up writing, because we were playing all these just songs that we loved. So we came in as a rock band and we had long hair and stuff. This is late 80s and the sunset Strip and Mattel was happening. So that was. That was the Goal there. That was the aesthetic chase at the time. So we have. We have such a rock DNA amongst us. Apparently we don't do that as well as we write like sort of a. A three chord pop song.
- [42:32]
A
Yeah.
- [42:32]
B
Which was fantastic. But I love the Beach Boys and the Beatles and I love Bread and I love all those bands.
- [42:37]
A
Did you just play with the Beach Boys?
- [42:38]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [42:39]
A
Coachella was it the Rose Bowl.
- [42:42]
B
And I did the Rose bowl with the beach boys on July 4th, and then I played Stagecoach, which is where they do the country version of Coachella after Coachella there in Palm Desert.
- [42:52]
A
So who'd you play with? Mike Love?
- [42:54]
B
Yeah, with the. Mike Love. Which is the. The only. I don't think Brian is performing anymore.
- [42:59]
A
Well, I saw. I took my daughter. My daughter's a surfer, so I drove her down to Orange county to see Brian Wilson about eight years ago.
- [43:06]
B
Yeah.
- [43:07]
A
And they kind of rolled them out to the piano and they did Pet Sounds beginning to end. And we were singing every word and just. It was magical. Amazing. But then he faded right after that.
- [43:19]
B
And I'm not even sure. Sure. And I shouldn't say. I don't know. I don't know where he is performance wise. Let's just say that. But, you know, obviously a legend. And when. When I was at Extra, I have two interviews that I will remember forever at Extra. And I was the worst interviewer ever. Yeah, one was. One was Brian Wilson and he was doing the Smile reissue or first release of Smile. I think that's when you saw him too.
- [43:42]
A
Yeah, that's exactly. I interviewed him at the same time.
- [43:44]
B
Oh, you did?
- [43:44]
A
Yeah.
- [43:45]
B
Okay. You probably interviewed him earlier in the day than I did because I was at the serious. It was at his house.
- [43:50]
A
Oh, no, I did. At the Siri Studios.
- [43:52]
B
It was doing. And it was doing a bunch of.
- [43:53]
A
Tv and he would roll people through. You had five minutes.
- [43:56]
B
You had five minutes with Brian. And I was at the end of the day. So I'm sitting there waiting, nervous, because he's my hero as a songwriter. Yeah, that's not saying much. I think his most. I mean, he writes religious epiphanies, if you will.
- [44:09]
A
Yes.
- [44:10]
B
So he comes down and sits at the piano and starts playing God Only Knows. Now I'm like tearing up because I'm like. It's the greatest song of all time played by the guy who wrote it. He's playing perfectly. He didn't look at me. And he's in his own world playing God Only knows. I've got five minutes. The song's like 2:38. So I let him get to, like, the bridge, you know, which is blasphemy to interrupt him there too. And I go, hey, hey, Brian. I gotta say, you know, God Only Knows is just probably the best piece of music ever written ever. And thank you for that. He stands up and goes, food. And then walked away. That was the interview, and it was the greatest interview I've ever done. I got nothing from him. I didn't want anything of that. I got the best moment of my life musically, and it was food out of here.
- [45:00]
A
That's great. So did you air it?
- [45:02]
B
Of course they did. Well, what Extra does is they go and see Mark's interview with Brian Wilson here. They do a little package, and then at the end they go. Brian was a little reticent to answer questions, but see him this weekend at the Hollywood, you know, that's how they do it at Extra. And so that. That was such a magical moment for me. And then Mike Love was doing a solo record in like, 2014 or 15, and a guy that was used to be my agent, John Farriter, who's no longer with us, a big music guy and a lovely guy, put me together with Mike Love, and I ended up doing a song called Do It Again for his solo record. And then Mike and I kind of hit it off, and he's asked me to join him on Beach Boy shows, and whenever I can, I do it. We do Fly, or every morning I would do a Sugar Ray song, and then we do a couple of Beach Boy songs, and I run around on stage like a puppy, and they kind of are a little bit amused by me until I pee on the stage and they kick me off. You know what I mean?
- [45:48]
A
So Stamos do the shows?
- [45:49]
B
Stamos does, yeah. And he's great. John. You and John must be.
- [45:52]
A
Yeah, I know John.
- [45:53]
B
He's the greatest guy in the world of John Stamos. He's a really, really good drummer. You don't be associated and play live with the beach boys for over 40 years if you're a kind of a hacky, you know, percussion guy. Just because he's good looking, he's on stage. He's a really good drummer and a great singer.
- [46:07]
A
So we all played together once.
- [46:10]
B
Where was that?
- [46:10]
A
We were at, I think it was Jimmy Kimmel's house.
- [46:13]
B
Oh, my God. Howard Stern party.
- [46:15]
A
Yeah, it was. Howard Stern was there and Ben Stiller and Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. And then we. And then Jimmy has a music room, and so we Went back there and Ben Stiller was on drums.
- [46:28]
B
Yep.
- [46:29]
A
You were playing bass.
- [46:31]
B
Bass, Yep.
- [46:32]
A
You were playing bass. And then me and Howard were playing guitar and the women were dancing. Fucking. What's her name was from Cougar Town. What's her name?
- [46:42]
B
I know you're talking about friends. Miller. Krista Miller. Right.
- [46:45]
A
No, Krista Miller was there.
- [46:47]
B
She was there.
- [46:47]
A
She was dancing.
- [46:48]
B
Oh, you're talking about Courtney.
- [46:49]
A
Courtney Cox was dancing. And we're playing in it. And I got this amazing photo. Sadly, you're not in it.
- [46:56]
B
Oh.
- [46:56]
A
But it's bringing that up. Me and. Me and Howard and David Arquette are all like, like leaning into the mic together. Yeah.
- [47:05]
B
That must be hanging on a wall somewhere.
- [47:07]
A
How great was that night?
- [47:08]
B
I remember we played a 30 minute version of Glory.
- [47:14]
A
I showed Coward the chords for that, Right? Yeah.
- [47:17]
B
And it's so funny because. And Stamos was getting. Guys, do we know something else? Come on, man. You know, get our sticks. I mean, we know something else, you know, like, dude, just stay with this. We're lucky. We know one song is a collective, you know. Those are so some really, really fun parties, man. God, Jimmy was so generous. And we just. Every time Howard would come out, the psycho fans, he would invite them all over and you're sitting there with like George Clooney, like, drinking. It was just. Those are. I did not belong there for sure.
- [47:42]
A
Natalie Mains was Natalie Mains.
- [47:44]
B
It just. It was a. Just super, super fun.
- [47:46]
A
Are you still in touch with this? With the Stern people?
- [47:48]
B
You know, every now and then, you know, Yeah, I. I kind of got. For whatever reason, I was just like, you know, biggest celebrity fan when I was having my cup of coffee in the A list in the 90s, you know, and like, I would get off the road at six in the morning and he would call me and go, hey, what's this about you and Carmen Electra? You know what I mean? And so I would stop everything I'm doing. And then when I was kind of like, hey, Howard, I got a new record coming out like, like two years ago. He's like, yeah, all right, good luck. You know, it's like crickets, but I understand.
- [48:14]
A
Well, he used to do five days a week, five hours a day. Now he does three days a week, three hours a day. So. And suddenly he's, you know, he's not asking every guest if they've had a three way or done anal. So now he's actually getting like Jewel coming in and.
- [48:31]
B
Right. You know, and Paul McCartney come in. I get it. Yeah. But the irony is, people think, you know, how it's matured, and, like, you know, I just listened two days ago. It's like, you know, Ronnie's balls were up over his shoulder. He's licking his tan. It's the same thing. I mean, he may be doing interviews, he might not doing as much as he used to do, but all that stuff is still in there. That's still in the DNA of the show.
- [48:51]
A
I still listen.
- [48:52]
B
I do, too. I just love the guy. And I've told you this before, he's a huge part of any success for Sugar Ray. And I know the man takes credit for everybody's career, yours in particular. Anybody's. But because he let us come on and do a version of psychedelic be. In 95, when we released our first record that no one bought, it was selling three copies a week. We did a Hail Mary. We recorded a version of his song Psychedelic Be from his, like, 12th 12 year, you know, when he was 12 years old. Electric Comic Book Band.
- [49:19]
A
Yeah.
- [49:20]
B
It was the crappiest song ever, and we made it crappier, and he just happened to love it. We appealed to his psyche, and we got us on the show. And you know as well as I do, Howard didn't just let anybody on the show. No, we did something Atlantic Records, that they couldn't get on for their major artists like Stone Temple Pilots and bands like that, we got on the show.
- [49:37]
A
Yeah.
- [49:38]
B
So all the people from Atlantic Records came down and said, how the hell did this band should. They're on our label. So the record was done through a cycle. It was. Wasn't selling anything, and we were about to get dropped. But because of our appearance on that show and Howard Stern show, it let us make our second record Floor, which had Fly in it, which sold 2 million copies.
- [49:57]
A
Yeah.
- [49:57]
B
So he's absolutely responsible for any success that we got to make.
- [50:00]
A
Yeah. No, he launched people, for sure. There's a lot of people. I mean, even. Even guys like Kinison. He took to the next level, and I mean.
- [50:08]
B
Yeah. Artie. Artie Lang. Do you know any?
- [50:11]
A
No update on Artie.
- [50:13]
B
How is that possible? I mean, there's no comedian scuttlebutt, unlike the Arty Lanks. Or is that purely out of respect and protecting, which I appreciate.
- [50:20]
A
No, I think he's just laying low. I think he does some limited dates. I think he's very focused on sobriety, and I think he knows that going on the road hard is bad for his sobriety for sure. And he's just one of Those guys. And I miss the shit. There is not a better storyteller alive.
- [50:37]
B
None.
- [50:37]
A
You know, Norm was around. He was up there.
- [50:40]
B
But, yeah, Norm was great.
- [50:41]
A
I mean, Artie can tell his story of words. Yes.
- [50:45]
B
The way he tells a story and sets it up so you get all the detail without all the verbosity.
- [50:50]
A
Yeah.
- [50:51]
B
And it's. And it's like, you know, you've got an incredible talent. That's an amazing talent. You know his comedies in the storytelling.
- [50:58]
A
Yes.
- [50:58]
B
It's not a zip, ping, pow. It's not the hey, get out of the shower and piss thing. It's like that's he storytelling. He's genius at. And that's why he was so good in the show.
- [51:06]
A
Right.
- [51:07]
B
I mean, it's probably the best. I mean, there was. There was. There was a bunch of good periods. Howard Stern. But that serious move with. With RD and firing all cylinders might have been my favorite.
- [51:16]
A
No, when. When. Yeah, when Artie's.
- [51:18]
B
You were on it. You were on it a ton.
- [51:20]
A
Used to go, I did it 50 times.
- [51:22]
B
God.
- [51:22]
A
Yeah.
- [51:22]
B
I don't know who's done it more than that. Not many people.
- [51:25]
A
Not many people did it that much. But. But I would. But Artie and, you know, I was up for the arty chair.
- [51:32]
B
I heard your week. Yeah, I heard it.
- [51:33]
A
And you were great.
- [51:35]
B
So.
- [51:35]
A
Thank you. So Artie came in. I think the. I think what sealed it for him is it was between me and him. And it started out.
- [51:41]
B
Did you know, Was between you two.
- [51:43]
A
Oh, was in the. It was the New York Post. It was pretty, like, well known because it started with. It became a contest.
- [51:49]
B
Oh, no. I remember Jeff Ross.
- [51:50]
A
And I remember.
- [51:51]
B
I remember Stanhope.
- [51:52]
A
There's a bunch of people.
- [51:53]
B
Chauncey Hayden was in there, got away. You know, all those guys, you know, and so Sal. That's how Sal Stockbroker got a week, Remember?
- [52:00]
A
Yeah. And so Artie comes in, and this is what sealed it for Artie. He had. It's a Monday morning.
- [52:07]
B
He came with Norm.
- [52:08]
A
He came in with Norm and he was hungover. I think he just got back from Vegas and he told the story about being in a hotel room, going with a girl and waking up and realizing that she wants money. She's a prostitute. He had no idea. And that she'd taken money from him. And it was just. The story just kept going on and on. And I was just listening at home, gone.
- [52:31]
B
I'm done. I'm cooked. And Howard was like, guffawing.
- [52:34]
A
And I've got stories about my wife. I Put my finger in my wife's ass, Howard. Who cares? You want to do it on camera, then we can talk.
- [52:45]
B
Can we film it, bro? Well, that's amazing. You got to the end because there were some real heavy hitters trying out for that.
- [52:51]
A
Well, I think what it is.
- [52:52]
B
Adam Carolla.
- [52:53]
A
Yeah, Carolla was in it. I mean, the reason I have worked on that show is that I don't suck the air out of the room.
- [53:01]
B
I just don't lay back.
- [53:02]
A
I just lay back. I try to hit some sniper jokes. I try to. If he has a premise, I try to riff on it, but I've never. That's why after 50 times on the show, I'm not a huge name like some people. That line, like, you know, Lisa Lampanelli.
- [53:15]
B
Marty wasn't a huge name.
- [53:16]
A
No. But I was never the guy with the crazy big story. And that's what I think gives people the traction of becoming, like, a huge headliner.
- [53:26]
B
I agree.
- [53:26]
A
And I've just been a guy who. More like, I've done Corolla. I'm the most frequent guest in Corolla's history. I did it 100 times. I've been on Rogan 25 times.
- [53:35]
B
You're the best ever.
- [53:36]
A
But I'm saying, you would think with all those appearances, I'd be selling out arenas, which is crazy, but I know, it's just weird. I'm just. Maybe I've been too laid back.
- [53:44]
B
You're the funniest guy I know. I'm. You're the best. I mean, I've told you, for every one of my favorite standups ever.
- [53:49]
A
Thanks, man.
- [53:49]
B
Ever in a million. I mean, I just. I don't. That's, you know, it's the way that.
- [53:52]
A
When did this become about me complaining about my career?
- [53:56]
B
Don't. Don't. Don't we all do that? Yeah, that's just part of it.
- [54:00]
A
Isn't it funny, because, like, tick tock if you can.
- [54:03]
B
Are you tick tock active?
- [54:05]
A
I'm way too active.
- [54:07]
B
And so you're not on my fyp and you're part of my life.
- [54:11]
A
I'm Instagram reels.
- [54:13]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [54:14]
A
It's the same shit. Yeah, but I. There's so much self help on there that makes sense about, you know, not comparing and being, you know, gratitude and all these things that if I put into practice, I'd realize that my life is perfect. But is it funny how you compare? Do you ever get caught in that? Of course I do.
- [54:34]
B
I'm only human.
- [54:35]
A
Who is your. What's the band that you looked at that went somewhere that you wish you'd gone, that you felt like you compared yourself to more competitive with.
- [54:45]
B
Well, that's really excellent question. You know, I would say a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- [54:50]
A
Yeah.
- [54:50]
B
Because they're a stadium act around the world.
- [54:54]
A
Yeah.
- [54:54]
B
Explain that to me.
- [54:55]
A
All right.
- [54:56]
B
I'm asking.
- [54:57]
A
Well, hot shows.
- [54:59]
B
Yeah. No, no. And incredibly energetic. And like, early Pepper was like, you suck on the tv. And I'm just rapid, like funk and like, it's almost punk rock.
- [55:09]
A
Yeah.
- [55:09]
B
They have the. You know, I mean, Flea was in Fear, for Christ's sake. The band Fear for a while. So there's a rad punk DNA. So I'm looking at this band. I used to see him in 84 clubs. We opened for them at a club in. In Huntington beach in 88.
- [55:23]
A
Yeah.
- [55:23]
B
They had 300 people. How did that band go to play stadiums? You could see, like, the Rolling Stones trajectory, you know, like Good Looking Mick from the Pout and the great bluesy things there. But the trajectory of the Chili Pepper success is. It should be studied.
- [55:37]
A
And the longevity.
- [55:39]
B
And the longevity and the relevancy.
- [55:41]
A
Yeah.
- [55:42]
B
People are still waiting for a Chili Peppers record. Like a U2 record.
- [55:45]
A
Yep.
- [55:46]
B
That's incredible to me. People aren't necessarily waiting for a Stones record. What? They all do one came out a year ago.
- [55:50]
A
Yeah. No, I know.
- [55:52]
B
So that. That's.
- [55:53]
A
Yeah. I mean, when like. And I feel like they went through a little lull and then Californication came out and they were suddenly back in the zeitgeist.
- [56:02]
B
Well, that put them in the stadium.
- [56:03]
A
Yeah. You know what I mean?
- [56:04]
B
The scar tissue word. Yeah. Scar tissue. That record was that. What's that called? California. What was scar tissue off of anybody?
- [56:14]
A
I don't know.
- [56:15]
B
Because Californication was after scar tissue. Yes, I believe.
- [56:17]
A
Yes.
- [56:18]
B
I can't remember what that record. I'm losing my mind. I used to be the Rock and roll Jeopardy. Champion, too. Anyway, so you're right. That's when they went from, like, arenas to stadiums around the world. That's a band I look at. And, you know, Anthony Kiedis is incredible because he doesn't have. He's got a great voice for what he does.
- [56:36]
A
Yes.
- [56:36]
B
You know, you're not going to see him, like, doing duets and Pavarotti or me either, with all due respect. He just learned to be the best guy at the Chili Peppers ever. And I remember one time, as a guy who's had an on off relationship with Key my whole life.
- [56:49]
A
Yeah.
- [56:49]
B
You know what I mean? It's 50. 50. I'm not a natural singer. I was at a Laker game with Anthony once and probably 99. And I go, anthony, I don't mean to offend you or be disrespectful, but, my God, I saw you on TV last night, and you were note perfect, amazing. He stopped me mid sentence. He goes, in ears.
- [57:06]
A
Yeah.
- [57:07]
B
And in ears are the things you wear in your ears. They're little monitors. You go on. You see the artist with the. The wire up to their.
- [57:14]
A
Does that give you the pitch?
- [57:15]
B
Well, it took place of monitors on the floor, so you have it right in your ears. And what's most important and relevant about it is you can dial in your own individual mix in your ears.
- [57:25]
A
Okay.
- [57:25]
B
And that's what makes it so. I hate them.
- [57:28]
A
Yeah.
- [57:28]
B
Because I feel the crowd and the energy, and it just. It feels like I have two fingers in my ear. Because you do, essentially. So you feel like you're underwater, like I'm talking to you now. Just.
- [57:37]
A
I want to feel the connection with the crowd.
- [57:39]
B
Always.
- [57:40]
A
He's doing his own thing.
- [57:41]
B
Right. And I'll put one in and try. I've been. I've been for 25 years, since Anthony told me this. I've been trying to use in ears because no one would benefit more from in ears than moi. Nobody. But I just can't do it. I try every year. Every time I go out on the tour, I'm putting them in style them in, and I just. I can't do it.
- [57:57]
A
Well, what's interesting is we. Somebody told me a metaphor that we were talking about here in the studio yesterday is that some people are thermometers and some people are thermostats.
- [58:07]
B
That's interesting.
- [58:07]
A
And you're a thermometer. You're taking in the vibe.
- [58:11]
B
Yes.
- [58:11]
A
You're feeling it. You're giving them. You're reading the temperature.
- [58:14]
B
Yes.
- [58:15]
A
And he's a thermometer. He's. He's putting out this.
- [58:19]
B
He puts it out.
- [58:20]
A
Yeah.
- [58:20]
B
I bring it in.
- [58:21]
A
Yeah.
- [58:22]
B
That's very interesting. Who thought of that?
- [58:25]
A
Probably a TikTok video.
- [58:30]
B
By the way. You know, I think TikTok and all that stuff has proven celebrities aren't as interesting as they think they are.
- [58:36]
A
Yes.
- [58:36]
B
Because I am fascinated. My children don't even turn on the tv. My son goes, dad, can you take the TV out of my room? It's bothering me.
- [58:42]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [58:43]
B
They don't watch conventional. Delivered by the studios, television or movies. And. And that's Blasphemy. I know. For how we were raised. Yeah, but they're more. Do you see the skateboarder who went from Venice to New York? The guy's a rad. Whatever. That's third guy.
- [58:57]
A
And they have phrases that my kids. We went to South Africa in December for three weeks.
- [59:04]
B
Amazing.
- [59:04]
A
And they were hanging out with kids from South Africa. They're cousins from New York.
- [59:08]
B
Yeah.
- [59:09]
A
And they all have the same language of little meme phrases from the Internet.
- [59:14]
B
Like an internationally known language.
- [59:16]
A
Yes. And it's like you grew up in Orange County. Yeah, I grew up in New York.
- [59:20]
B
We spoke differently, we spoke differently, we.
- [59:23]
A
Dressed differently, we had different haircuts. And now everybody's the same. It's weird.
- [59:29]
B
Isn't that strange?
- [59:30]
A
Yeah.
- [59:30]
B
And you know what's. It's kind of the digital.
- [59:33]
A
By the way, the funny thing about that is everybody's dressing Orange county now.
- [59:36]
B
What? That is the funny thing. Yeah, I knew that then, though. Yeah, I knew we were the coolest. You guys had like part of the middle feathers. I'm like, that's whack. That's not cool.
- [59:44]
A
Yeah.
- [59:44]
B
I always knew we were the best. The tattooed like sleeve tattooed like Mike Ness, social D guy. Yeah, that is everywhere now.
- [59:51]
A
Now, Chuck Taylor, right?
- [59:53]
B
The Chucks and the Dickies and the. And the wife respectors.
- [59:57]
A
Yeah, I like that new phrase.
- [59:58]
B
You like that one?
- [59:59]
A
Yeah.
- [59:59]
B
And by the way, Brandon Wardell made that up.
- [60:01]
A
Oh, good.
- [60:02]
B
Do you know him? Young comedian. He was in Joy Coy's movie Easter. Great guy. I gotta. I gotta give him my credit for that because I steal it and don't credit him. He got mad at me. But. But the getting back to the digital one world on the digital sphere. Go to a mall, in any airport. Gone is the. Oh, look at the mariachi hats. It's all just Sephora, you know, it's just one aesthetic now. And I've learned today because kids in that go to my kids high school, they're going to like, you know, Alabama, they're going to Tulane. Like in Orange county, we all went to like USC or UCLA or San Diego State or if you were really adventurous, you'd go to Arizona State. Like, kids are just friends of the world now. They go everywhere because their world is right here.
- [60:45]
A
You went to usc, right?
- [60:47]
B
Yeah, and graduated. It's always the follow up.
- [60:49]
A
Hey, good for you. Yeah, with.
- [60:50]
B
With Will Ferrell. We were in the same fraternity.
- [60:52]
A
I mean, it was like, you're just.
- [60:54]
B
Gonna blow by that. That's kind of interesting.
- [60:56]
A
It's A name drop sitting right there. I know, but hanging out right there.
- [61:00]
B
I don't have many unique characteristics about me you gotta give me.
- [61:03]
A
All right, I'll say it. Was he funny in college?
- [61:05]
B
No.
- [61:05]
A
All right.
- [61:05]
B
And that's the funny thing, you know, he was. He wasn't unfunny.
- [61:09]
A
Yeah.
- [61:09]
B
But it was like, oh, that guy's gonna make $40 million a picture. And I bought 30. It wasn't that at all.
- [61:13]
A
Yeah.
- [61:13]
B
Yeah.
- [61:13]
A
But it's like when you looked at Anthony Kiedis.
- [61:16]
B
Exactly.
- [61:16]
A
Yeah.
- [61:17]
B
And there was just a.
- [61:17]
A
You don't see it in people, do you? You should never be a talent.
- [61:20]
B
I never saw it in me. There you go.
- [61:23]
A
You know what I mean?
- [61:23]
B
Let's be fair. Fair is fair, Greg. You know.
- [61:26]
A
No, when I went to Boston University, my friends were all going to SUNY Purchase and nyu.
- [61:32]
B
Close.
- [61:33]
A
And I went to Boston, which was like, what? That was like a universe away. I mean, it's a different world because.
- [61:40]
B
They were so smart there.
- [61:41]
A
Well, and also because I grew up, you know, Mets. A Mets fan and you know that.
- [61:47]
B
You're a contrarian, though. Yeah, it's like, I'm gonna be a Mets fan.
- [61:50]
A
Yeah. You know, Yankees, but. But New York and Boston, where, you know, we. We had a big rivalry in sports. I thought it was weird that I'd go there and my mom went to Boston College.
- [61:59]
B
Throwing her out there.
- [62:00]
A
Who did? My mom really?
- [62:01]
B
Rest her soul. Yeah.
- [62:02]
A
Which you see.
- [62:03]
B
Nursing. Big nursing school.
- [62:04]
A
She a nurse her whole life.
- [62:06]
B
Not her whole life. I think she didn't like the sight of blood. Hey, but.
- [62:09]
A
So how long did she last?
- [62:11]
B
I think, like, five, six years.
- [62:12]
A
That's it?
- [62:13]
B
Yeah. Because my dad said, I want you home. Homemaker. You know, he was kind of a Don Draper type dude.
- [62:18]
A
What did he do?
- [62:18]
B
He was a financier in Orange county, so.
- [62:20]
A
Oh, so he made some money.
- [62:22]
B
He did all right.
- [62:23]
A
Did he play golf?
- [62:24]
B
He didn't play. Hated golf.
- [62:25]
A
Yeah.
- [62:25]
B
My dad was not a, like, Brooks Brothers, buttoned up guy, you know, he was like, the Brioni shirt open down, the hair, the hair coming out, gold chains, pinky rings. Really different kind of animals.
- [62:35]
A
He Italian?
- [62:36]
B
No, but he thought he was.
- [62:37]
A
So he was Irish.
- [62:38]
B
He's black Irish. Yeah. Gnarly dude. I love him.
- [62:41]
A
Really.
- [62:41]
B
Smoked cigarettes until his dying, you know, last.
- [62:44]
A
How old was he when he had his last.
- [62:46]
B
6. Fight? No, last fist fight.
- [62:48]
A
Yeah.
- [62:49]
B
There when he passed away, stories came out that I heard.
- [62:54]
A
Yeah.
- [62:54]
B
That my dad got in a fistfight in the 90s, and he was in his 50s, grown ass man. He liked to go back a little bit.
- [63:01]
A
Yeah.
- [63:01]
B
And he was a tough guy. Don't base your appearance. Your. What you think my dad was like, on me? Yeah, he was the nose guard on his football team as a freshman.
- [63:09]
A
No.
- [63:10]
B
So just a hardcore grinder of a dude. Came from Zero.
- [63:13]
A
Yeah.
- [63:14]
B
And made a bunch of dough. And they decided to retire at 50 years old and get into horse racing. So I saw my inheritance. Go chicken. Yeah, but it was his dough. You know what I mean?
- [63:25]
A
So did you get anything when he died?
- [63:26]
B
I got. Yeah, he took care of me, but he's. When I saw what he spent. Horse racing.
- [63:32]
A
No, my mom right now is putting my inheritance into a slot machine in Florida.
- [63:36]
B
So, you know. Yeah.
- [63:37]
A
A quarter at a time, but every.
- [63:39]
B
Day just ringing that bell.
- [63:40]
A
Boom, boom.
- [63:41]
B
Yeah.
- [63:42]
A
You know, I'll call her and I'll be like, where are you? She's like, I'm on my. I'm on my way to work.
- [63:46]
B
Yeah, you're. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. In the back.
- [63:52]
A
Now. Let her enjoy it. I don't. I don't want her. I always say to her, spend it all. Enjoy it. Yeah.
- [63:57]
B
I said I was fortunate enough to make my own dough and do my own thing. And I was time. I was like, 27. I was sad.
- [64:02]
A
I was gonna have, like a million dollars by now.
- [64:06]
B
757. I'm on my way to million. Yeah. I've been very, very blessed and lucky, and I'm lucky to, you know, make that a year. Grinding out these state fairs.
- [64:15]
A
Do you get the kind of royalties, like, has royalties gone down for musicians these days?
- [64:20]
B
They go down as songwriters, but we got a really good deal. There was a company, we're still with them, that decided. Razor and Tie, shout out to Razor and Tie Records, decided to buy out all the debt from bands that were successful. Meaning, like, we probably made Atlantic Records $100 million. You know, we sold about 12 million records.
- [64:39]
A
Yeah.
- [64:39]
B
But at the end of the day, we owed them $1.8 million because it's like a bank. You borrow from them, you know, you're not gonna put your own money in your. You know, we didn't believe in ourselves. Either way, you can fund the next record. So. Ended up owing, like, 1.8 million because you make videos. And back then, videos, like, were 300 grand apiece. So we ended up owing them that. And so it's also a great way for them to keep the masters forever. You know what I'm saying? And that's where the real money is. Which I found out when Razor and Ty bought up our catalog off Atlantic Records. They made a deal, whatever it was, and then they started sharing the masters with us. 5050 in perpetuity. And you know, I've co written some number one songs and I had some nice songwriting coming in. But when you own the masters is where the money is. It tripled what my songwriting was bringing in. And so that's where like, you know, that's when I got to like sort of decompress a little and go, oh, okay.
- [65:24]
A
Is that kind of what Taylor Swift did when she re recorded?
- [65:27]
B
That's why she was so, you know, so vehement about the masters.
- [65:31]
A
Yeah.
- [65:31]
B
You know, she wanted those back. And a lot of bands do that. Which I hate, by the way. Re record their hits and release them by themselves.
- [65:38]
A
Yeah.
- [65:38]
B
Because it never sounds the same. Never does. Taylor Swift can probably make it sound no for no. Perfect.
- [65:43]
A
Yeah.
- [65:43]
B
A band like us could never. And we've been approached to do that. I go, absolutely not. Because I hated that as a fan, being a huge fix fan, you know, Red Skies Tonight and you hear us like, it's like. It's like a different tone. That's not it.
- [65:56]
A
Because it's. If it's not the same studio, it's not gonna have the same sound.
- [65:59]
B
And like the voices change as you talked about bastardization. And each. To each their own. God bless you. But yeah, to me as a fan, I want to. I want. If I'm gonna buy this and put it in my, my, my library, I want to sound like I remember it.
- [66:12]
A
Top three, Top three albums of all time.
- [66:16]
B
For me personally, it's going to be different than yours. Never mind the bollocks first for sure. Number one, Appetite for Destruction, like Guns and Roses changed the game. Not just for me, for everybody. And I have to throw in Pet.
- [66:30]
A
Sounds from Pet Sounds is in my top three.
- [66:32]
B
It's got to be. Gotta be. How about your top 3?
- [66:35]
A
Astral weeks by Van Morrison? Beautiful Beautiful Blue by Joni Mitchell, another great one. And Pet Sounds.
- [66:41]
B
That sounds like a actor's curated playlist. Like your People magazine is gonna ask you. No, dude, you want to be cool. Joni Mitchell's Blue.
- [66:48]
A
No, no, no. You know why Blue? Because it's a great. I have depression, which I think you have depression as well.
- [66:55]
B
Who doesn't?
- [66:56]
A
And when I get.
- [66:57]
B
When I asked you something about depression, I'm sorry to. Like when you have bouts of depression, is it pulverizing and paralyzing or do you just like carry on with your day? I'm trying to gauge my depression.
- [67:09]
A
Well, I have three podcasts a week and then I'm doing stand up usually three to four nights a week. So when I go down, I have to fucking grind through it. But if I have a day or two off, I don't leave my room.
- [67:25]
B
So a day or two off is more dangerous to you than working, right? Yes, because working helps you grind through it.
- [67:30]
A
Exactly. I mean when I'm really down and I'm. Sometimes I'll be. I'm at home with my wife. We just had dinner, we're streaming something on Netflix. And then I go, fuck, I got a 10:15 at the store. So at 9:20 I get in my car and if I have depression, I'm literally sitting on the couch going, I can't do this. I don't know how I can. Because being a stand up means. I mean it's like a musician. You have to be the most fun person in the room for that period of time.
- [67:59]
B
I'm even one up you on that. And you know, I can go into a room and sneak up on people and be kind of funny. People are expecting you to be right. That's the difference. Not just the funniest guy in the room. You're getting this. Make me laugh. Yeah, go ahead.
- [68:13]
A
But I've done it for 35 years.
- [68:15]
B
Oh, it's a must.
- [68:16]
A
Learn how to get myself there. And then when I get off stage, the depression sometimes is just gone. It's like an infusion of oxytocin or whatever it is that makes endorphins.
- [68:27]
B
And.
- [68:28]
A
And then I'm driving home and I'm listening to the. Listening to. But when I go dark, my theory on getting depressed is go all the way down with it. If you fight it, you drag it out. But if you let yourself hit the bottom, then you come back. So I listen. I listen to Blue by Joni Mitchell with headphones and I sit my La Z boy and. And I just, I feel it.
- [68:50]
B
What an incredible compliment to an artist.
- [68:54]
A
Yeah, right.
- [68:55]
B
That a record that she wrote, I'm assume about depression speaks to someone and gets with their depression. Is there a bigger win for a songwriter? Yeah.
- [69:02]
A
She was in Paris. She was. She was bummed out she was missing California and she wrote these. She just had a big breakup and she wrote that album.
- [69:09]
B
Phenomenal artist. Probably doesn't credit as a guitar player too. Incredible guitar.
- [69:13]
A
Oh, is that right?
- [69:14]
B
Yeah. I mean Stephen Stills, it's like one of her. His favorite guitar Players ever as Jody. No, her tuning was always unique and interesting and the way she, like, ran about the fret. She's just guitar players that know. Know about Joni Mitchell and her, like, virtuosity to guitar.
- [69:27]
A
I'm glad she's getting a nod lately. Oh, yeah. Yeah. With.
- [69:31]
B
With Brandy.
- [69:32]
A
Brandy Carlisle bringing out. Yeah.
- [69:34]
B
And you can see she's enjoying it.
- [69:35]
A
Yeah.
- [69:36]
B
You know, she's on her throne, just, like, rocking her own singing a little bit.
- [69:39]
A
Holly Ball this summer. She was the queen.
- [69:42]
B
Do you.
- [69:42]
A
Yeah.
- [69:43]
B
With. I get migraines. Okay. And I feel them coming on. Do you feel the depression coming on? Yeah. Oh, God, Here it comes.
- [69:49]
A
Happens fast. Yeah.
- [69:51]
B
And it's the worst.
- [69:52]
A
And when it happens, I do. I really do have that thought. I go, here it comes. It's like looking at the sky getting dark and moving towards you, and, you know, you can't get out of the way.
- [70:01]
B
Right. That's just common, no matter what.
- [70:03]
A
Right.
- [70:03]
B
I think your. Your luck or because you've done the work that, you know, there's a bottom to the depression. A lot of people depressed don't know there's a bottom.
- [70:12]
A
That's.
- [70:12]
B
Yeah, I think that's a scary thing.
- [70:14]
A
Yeah. There's a book by William Styron called Darkness Visible, and he talks about depression because he was. You know, he wrote Sophie's Choice. He's one of the most prolific writers, but he would get writer's block, and he talked about how he dealt with his depression, and it was. That's the main theme of the book, is that when you're in it, you think it's gonna last forever, and that you have. Once you can acknowledge that, that. That's not the truth. Well, it's cognitive behavioral therapy, which is just realizing your thoughts are not your reality. And then when you're in it. Right.
- [70:43]
B
Whoa. That's the hard part.
- [70:44]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [70:45]
B
It's like being drunk. Being drunk. Like, if you were drunk and you go, I don't want to be drunk right now. You can't not be drunk.
- [70:49]
A
Right.
- [70:49]
B
You got to grind out the drunk.
- [70:51]
A
Right.
- [70:51]
B
So I imagine it's a lot of depression.
- [70:53]
A
Well, depression is also. You don't resource yourself when you're depressed. You know, if I'm good, I meditate, I work out, I write. And when I'm not, I reach out to friends. I'm social. And when I get depressed, I can't be around people. I can't get to the gym. All the things that you need to pull out of it. And that's how you get paralyzed by.
- [71:15]
B
It's amazing. Vicious cycle, isn't it?
- [71:16]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [71:17]
B
Well, I'm glad you know how to deal with it. And able to be the greatest talent that you are, dad, that you are. Husband, you are. It's great. And.
- [71:25]
A
Well, thank you. It's a fistful of medication that everybody as well.
- [71:29]
B
Whatever it takes, right? Yeah. You know, people talk about gangster guys like these prison gangster guys. So tough and hard. The hardest thing ever is being a dad, doing the right thing.
- [71:39]
A
Yeah, yeah, that.
- [71:40]
B
Johnny, wake up every day, do the right thing, pay the insurance, pay the taxes, making sure all this stuff's together. That is the toughest guy to me. And you get no accolades. There's no. Look at that tough dad over there.
- [71:51]
A
Paying all the bills.
- [71:52]
B
Look at that. He's got some savings, man. All the cars are leased and ready to go. Kids are in college. That is a gangster right there.
- [71:59]
A
Yeah, that tough.
- [72:00]
B
That's a tougher.
- [72:01]
A
As a 401k account, that's the toughest ever.
- [72:04]
B
Because it's hard to do.
- [72:05]
A
Yeah. And not at the same time. Trying to keep romance with the wife.
- [72:09]
B
Well, that too, yeah. I had sex last night, man.
- [72:12]
A
Oh, good for you, man.
- [72:13]
B
It was giant. As a married man, it was giant.
- [72:15]
A
Do you cycle through different positions or have you got last night?
- [72:19]
B
We did, partner. Kid.
- [72:21]
A
You guys have been with us for 35 years in a long time, by.
- [72:25]
B
The way, and we've discussed this. The first ten were everybody's nightmare. It was like a Game of Thrones series. Our first 10 years. It was not. It was gnarly and scary and I don't recommend it for everybody. By the grace of God, we got out of that. And we almost got all the nastiness out.
- [72:42]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [72:43]
B
You know, I signed a record deal in 94. I met her three weeks later at the Viper Room. Yeah, I was. I signed a record deal. I'm like, give me my noble rights. Where's. You know, it was all, bring it all on. I want it all. And I met her. So I was still trying to exercise my noble rights but keep a girlfriend at the same time. And I remember. But she was doing her own thing, too.
- [73:00]
A
Yeah.
- [73:00]
B
I think the reason why we can and we have survived is that, you know, she gave as good as she got.
- [73:05]
A
So you guys are both cheating on each other.
- [73:06]
B
Yeah.
- [73:07]
A
Yeah.
- [73:08]
B
Thanks for putting in such a scene. I thought I was being sort of like. I thought I was acknowledging now without saying the ugly part. Thanks a lot, Greg.
- [73:16]
A
I should just say. So you guys were Swingers.
- [73:18]
B
Yeah. Yeah. Well, swinging implies we were doing it together.
- [73:21]
A
Did you ever work a three way with.
- [73:22]
B
No, I never have. And I think I propositioned that once.
- [73:25]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [73:26]
B
Spicy. Come on. I'm a crazy guy. But that wasn't in her now her menu of tricks. For sure. But yeah. No, we were not good to each other. And I think none of us thought we'd get to hear. I'm glad we did. And we waited out. She's my best friend.
- [73:38]
A
What did you learn from that tumultuous period that has given you the tools to make it through all these other years?
- [73:45]
B
That she's only human and so am I. You know, we make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. I learned one thing. I think a lot of women, and a lot of guys too are waiting for that. You know, the. The white knight to come in on the. On the horror. This is the one.
- [73:58]
A
Yeah.
- [73:58]
B
I always say this. You've met three people in your life you could have married and made it worse. I say this. I don't know if you said this before, but. But you've married. I met, you have three loves of your life. I think Charles Palmettieri said, I guess in a Bronxdale. And it's just whether you can go the distance or if the circumstances were right at the time.
- [74:15]
A
Yeah.
- [74:15]
B
You know, meaning that you have to. It's a give and take marriage. It's concessions.
- [74:19]
A
Yeah.
- [74:19]
B
You know, you're gonna hate your partner half the time and that means you're doing it right. Sorry to be so blunt, but it's the truth. You know, human, especially men, were not put on this thing to be monogamous.
- [74:30]
A
Yeah.
- [74:30]
B
So we're fighting history and DNA.
- [74:32]
A
Yeah.
- [74:33]
B
And we're all trying to do our best. So I think understanding that she's not perfect and I'm not perfect has led us to hear laughter. For sure. We laugh at everything.
- [74:41]
A
Yeah.
- [74:41]
B
And she's my best friend. You know, that's. Who's the person you call with good news? Who's the person you call with bad news? That's your best friend.
- [74:47]
A
No. My son said to us recently, he's like, what is it with you two? You're like. You're like, you will call mom on your way home. Like half time. I come in the door, we're already on the phone talking.
- [75:00]
B
I know.
- [75:00]
A
He's like, you've been together all these years. What the.
- [75:02]
B
I was like, how great is that?
- [75:03]
A
Yeah, it's great. It's great. And still has great tits.
- [75:06]
B
Well, there you go.
- [75:07]
A
34 double D's. And they actually.
- [75:09]
B
Were they hers?
- [75:10]
A
Yeah.
- [75:10]
B
She didn't buy them.
- [75:11]
A
No. You know, it helped breastfeeding. She went up.
- [75:14]
B
She didn't lose them.
- [75:15]
A
She went up a cup size when she breastfed.
- [75:17]
B
That's fun, isn't it?
- [75:18]
A
Well, she did it for two years, which I think is the key. God looks down on you when you do that for your child. And he goes, I'm going to keep him like that for you.
- [75:25]
B
You know what? That's a good point.
- [75:26]
A
Yeah.
- [75:26]
B
Let me think about. Because I know some recede and then some look different than when they originally did.
- [75:31]
A
Right.
- [75:31]
B
Luckily, your state. You know what's great, too, is you're setting a wonderful example for your son. You can actually love someone, be friends with them, you know, and it's just. It. You do everything right, Greg.
- [75:46]
A
Yeah.
- [75:46]
B
But getting back to the sex thing, like, the sex thing, you kind of got to work at. Because life gets in the way of sex for married couples.
- [75:51]
A
Yes.
- [75:52]
B
Meaning, like, you're tired because you forgive each other. I'm tired. Yeah. We'll do it later. But you have to work in the romance.
- [75:57]
A
They're not as horny as he used to be.
- [75:58]
B
No. That's for sure.
- [75:59]
A
Yeah.
- [75:59]
B
Not at all. Neither is she. That works both ways, Right?
- [76:02]
A
Right.
- [76:02]
B
Yeah. Are you still, like, driven? Are you. Could you have sex every day?
- [76:06]
A
No.
- [76:07]
B
Yeah. Do you have once a week with your wife?
- [76:09]
A
About once a week.
- [76:09]
B
You liar.
- [76:10]
A
By once a week.
- [76:11]
B
Really? You guys have been together a long time.
- [76:12]
A
Although I have to say this, we just went to South Africa for three weeks where we were sleeping in tents.
- [76:17]
B
Yeah.
- [76:17]
A
And, you know. In walls.
- [76:19]
B
Yeah.
- [76:20]
A
No. So we didn't. We didn't at all for three weeks. And then we got back, and it occurred to me today, with all the jet lag and all shit, that we still haven't had sex. So it's been like five weeks we backed up. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna throw a move on her when I get back to the house.
- [76:36]
B
She has no idea what's going on.
- [76:37]
A
No, she. She has a very good idea because I've been molesting her lately. I've been grabbing her tits and she knows what's coming. She knows who's coming. All right, it's time for Fast Dog.
- [76:47]
B
Fast.
- [76:47]
A
Do fastballs with fits.
- [76:49]
B
Oh, man. Laughing hey, by the way, your nickname, Fitz Dog.
- [76:52]
A
Yeah.
- [76:53]
B
Probably the worst nickname ever for someone.
- [76:54]
A
You know, so many people told me.
- [76:56]
B
That you're not a Fitz Dog. Fitz Dog. Is that. That at the bar, the.
- [77:00]
A
You know, that was the joke in college. I hate it. I hated frat guys. Mike Gibbons, who's my best friend to this day.
- [77:07]
B
Okay.
- [77:08]
A
And as a joke, they started calling me Fitz Dog because I hated the frat guys.
- [77:11]
B
Okay, that makes me like it then.
- [77:12]
A
Yeah. Okay.
- [77:13]
B
That's right. Okay.
- [77:13]
A
The problem, I think when we talk about my. My freezing out at the middle, I think Fitz Dog is a part of that.
- [77:19]
B
I completely got you. Okay, thank you.
- [77:21]
A
Fast Dogs with Fitz. Fast Dogs with. How about this? Guns from Greg.
- [77:29]
B
All right.
- [77:31]
A
Any project that you've done that you regret.
- [77:35]
B
That's interesting. That's an interesting conundrum. Probably not. And I've been into some really interesting projects. Sharknado. Sharknado 2, 2, 3, and 6. Don't want to brag. I think I'm showing you, like, my thespian skills.
- [77:50]
A
Doesn't everybody die in Sharknado? How do you die?
- [77:52]
B
I was the only guy that didn't die. And I have the last piece of dialogue in the Sharknado franchise.
- [78:01]
A
Is that good or bad? Did you sink the project?
- [78:05]
B
You want me to give you the most interesting part of Sharknado history and lore?
- [78:09]
A
Yeah.
- [78:09]
B
I was offered the original lead that Ian Ziering took of Finn. The character Finn in Sharknado. I was offered that. They sent me the script. Go, you're in. We're not looking at anybody else. We'd love to have you. Blah, blah, blah. I read the script and called them and said, there's too much acting in here. I don't think I can do it, really. Now, the reason why Sharknado worked Fitz Dog is because Ian Ziering played the character like he was John McClane from Die Hard zero irony zero, breaking the fourth wall, winking at the camera. He played it like it was the most serious thing on earth. And that's the character Ian's earring is now. I played his best friend in two, so I was in a lot, a lot of Sharknado 2. And I remember when I got to New York to film the first day, I went to go say hi to Ian, and I went up to knock on his trailer. You know, I go, I'm gonna say hi. And there was a PA there. And I bout to knock on the door, and I heard coming from the trailer, yeah. And I look at the pa who's probably writing for, like, hacks right now or something. He goes, I think he's getting into character. And I just moonwalked back out of there and went, oh, my God, this is amazing. So, because he took it so seriously is why it succeeded. And you want to know why? Because they make a million of these shark and whale and movies every, every day. And none of them guys in the.
- [79:27]
A
Office next to mine wrote them.
- [79:29]
B
Oh, they did? Yeah, the asylum guys.
- [79:32]
A
I don't know their name was his.
- [79:33]
B
Name got an interesting name, Camera's name right now. I'm getting older, but yeah, I mean, they make a lot of these movies. None of them caught on like Sharknado.
- [79:42]
A
It was lightning in a bottle. It was just like. The press just got a hold of it and they said, this is so silly and so ridiculous. And they took it the same way that Ian took it seriously. The press, iron. Iron. They kind of went like, this is what they're making in the movies. Like, yeah, it's a fucking. You know, it's a send up.
- [80:02]
B
But it was a perfect storm of everything bad, making it good. And then social media was really responsible for everybody's. Are you watching this? Can you believe it? It just caught on.
- [80:11]
A
Right?
- [80:11]
B
But like I said, they make 10 of these movies every month.
- [80:14]
A
Yeah.
- [80:14]
B
And nothing else has caught on before or since Sharknado. It's just a perfect storm.
- [80:19]
A
Who is your best Asian friend?
- [80:21]
B
So. So to answer that, no, I don't regret anything. And I've been in some real stinkeroos. Yeah, yeah. Do you regret anything? Oh, probably. Your pilot I did for you and Zach Alifanakis. I probably regret that. Hey, come on.
- [80:40]
A
That's the first time we met, right?
- [80:41]
B
You came to Jeopardy. When I was crushing on Rock and Roll Jeopardy. Remember that?
- [80:45]
A
Yeah.
- [80:46]
B
And you guys are just hustling for any D list celebrity. You found me, like, waiting in the F line, and you said, mark, you have like, 10 minutes. You guys were doing it. That's an. And. And I met you and I became a fan. I was like. I was a fan of you before I saw you on a comedy thing.
- [80:58]
A
Well, we were part. Yeah, we were part of the Stern Nation.
- [81:00]
B
Yeah. And that's why I really, like. That's why I go, I'm a fan of yours. And Zach I'd never met before in my life.
- [81:06]
A
Well, Zach, nobody had. He was unknown. And so, yeah, he was the assistant. And the bit was we were interviewing him. We were interviewing you, and Zach is my assistant. And he brought the interview questions. And he was doing the interview and he said, so did you learn a lot growing up in Alaska? And you were just like, what the fuck? And he goes, now you lived in a van for a while. And then I go, Zach, these are jewels. And he goes, yeah, well, the expression is, these are gold. And you just got up and stormed out. And it was perfect because I think you were in. We put you in the mindset of wanting to storm out. It was so silly.
- [81:48]
B
You guys are great at that. And I think I. My acting wasn't good enough to carry the.
- [81:52]
A
No, it's perfect.
- [81:53]
B
It was like a bio misdirection.
- [81:54]
A
I'm gonna send you a clip from it.
- [81:55]
B
I'd love to see it. What was it called?
- [81:57]
A
You Remember, time capsule 2000?
- [81:59]
B
Did ever make it to viewing?
- [82:02]
A
No, but the style that we shot in was very funny. The Office came out not too long after, and it was exactly the kind of style we were shooting, so. And then that became, like, the new way to shoot shows. And Mike Gibbons, who's my best friend, he directed it, and I kind of give him credit for that.
- [82:17]
B
Well, so he stole your ideas.
- [82:18]
A
Nobody stole anything. You know, Nobody stole anything.
- [82:21]
B
All right, all right. It's kind of like everybody stole Jackass's idea, right?
- [82:25]
A
Who is your best. I'm gonna switch it to gay. Who's your best gay friend?
- [82:28]
B
Who? I got a lot of gay friends.
- [82:30]
A
But the best, the one that you really.
- [82:32]
B
There's a guy who's no longer with us who was my makeup guy at Extra, Keith Curry, that I loved. Like a family member. Yeah, I love gay folks, man. I just think they're just. Just fun. And usually, like, the funniest people ever meet are gay folks. Yeah, they make fun of themselves. I don't know why. You think, like, the history they have going through and like, you think gay.
- [82:53]
A
Because gay is.
- [82:54]
B
That is so interesting. I never thought about that.
- [82:56]
A
Maybe it is.
- [82:58]
B
You're blowing my mind right now because I never knew why. Yeah, because gay, like, back in the 50s, like, 30s and 20s. Hey, I got, you know, five foot two, eyes of blue. Anybody see my guy? So like, maybe that's where these guys.
- [83:10]
A
Are kind of back.
- [83:11]
B
I love them. I love all that. Welcome back, Tonic Gay fans. I love it. People yell sugar gay at me all the time, man.
- [83:17]
A
When's the last time you apologized?
- [83:24]
B
Yesterday.
- [83:25]
A
Nice.
- [83:26]
B
Yeah, I do a lot of apologizing being married, you know. I think it comes with the territory, you know? Yeah. I'll miss a pickup here and then at school or practice, you know, as one as well to do. I'm a busy man. I travel a lot, so probably.
- [83:40]
A
What was the apology?
- [83:41]
B
I think it was. I missed a pickup. A lacrosse pickup. I was late to it. Not missed it. I should qualify that because I'm like the worst dad ever. I think it was a 4 o'clock pickup and I got there at 4:15 and I said, I'm sorry, Was it.
- [83:52]
A
Your son or your daughter?
- [83:53]
B
My son.
- [83:54]
A
Was he hurt?
- [83:55]
B
No, he didn't care at all because.
- [83:56]
A
I've done that my whole life. And my son, we had this conversation again. He's 24.
- [84:01]
B
Yeah.
- [84:01]
A
And last year he said something and I went, wait, how do you feel about my parenting? And he goes, oh, you're great. I go, yeah, but there must be some things that. And he's like, yeah, you were always late picking me up and you never remember, you never remember my friends names.
- [84:17]
B
Wow.
- [84:18]
A
I was like, dude, I have adhd, that has nothing to do with you.
- [84:22]
B
And you never knew that and he never told you that?
- [84:24]
A
No. And it kind of hit me for days. I felt so bad because we're very close, of course. But look, that's better than me and my dad, which was like, yeah, dad, I resent you because you were an alcoholic who beat me and tried to make all my life choices for me through guilt.
- [84:41]
B
I have one of those too. Yeah, I understand.
- [84:43]
A
So you know my friends names is.
- [84:46]
B
By the way, exactly on the list of dad, what did you do wrong?
- [84:49]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [84:50]
B
I mean, you know, you didn't go for cigarettes and not come back two weeks later. You know what I mean? I mean, come on, you gotta listen.
- [84:56]
A
Mark McGrath, thank you for coming back on the show.
- [84:59]
B
Thanks for having me, man.
- [84:59]
A
It's been a while. It's so great having you back.
- [85:02]
B
It's an honor.
- [85:02]
A
Is there anything you want to promote?
- [85:05]
B
I mean, look, we're on the website, Mark McGrath.com or SugarRay.com. it's got all their dates on there. If you want to come see us play, we're playing Beach Life, which is a festival in Redondo Beach. A great festival, a lot of great acts and artists and I'm on, I'm.
- [85:19]
A
Kind of dark side of the 90s.
- [85:20]
B
Is that still Dark side Nights is still up and running on syndication. I hope we get another season because I want to get my health insurance. Correct.
- [85:25]
A
Right.
- [85:25]
B
That's always fun. And I'm, I'm kind of involved on X or Twitter at the real Mark McGrath. There's only one. But no, you know, my life is kind of settled into like fly in shows and giving the world their 90s needs and I couldn't be happier. I want nothing. If you want to come say hello, come say hello. If you don't no problem. I get it.
- [85:44]
A
Mark McGrath.
- [85:45]
B
Greg, you're the best, man. Thanks for having me.
- [85:46]
A
All right.