Tom Papa - Episode 1082

Summary

Fitzdog Radio: Tom Papa - Episode 1082 Summary

Release Date: January 15, 2025
Host: Greg Fitzsimmons
Guest: Tom Papa

In Episode 1082 of Fitzdog Radio, host Greg Fitzsimmons engages in a candid and humorous conversation with fellow comedian Tom Papa. The episode delves into a range of topics, from personal anecdotes about wildfires in Los Angeles to deep reflections on parenting, friendships within the comedy community, and navigating the entertainment industry. Below is a detailed summary of their engaging discussion, complete with notable quotes and timestamps to highlight key moments.

---

1. Impact of Wildfires in Los Angeles

The episode commences with Tom Papa addressing the devastating wildfires affecting Los Angeles. He shares personal stories and expresses gratitude towards the first responders while critiquing the politicization of disasters.

Tom Papa [00:11]: "Parts of [Venice Beach] have burnt down enough already... We're very lucky. A lot of people I know are not as lucky."

Tom emphasizes the economic vulnerability of homeowners in LA, noting how property loss equates to financial ruin.

Tom Papa [00:43]: "Intercepted the political layer on everything, even a fire, just adds more exhaustion."

He criticizes the tendency to politicize tragedies, suggesting it detracts from the real issues and the community's ability to support those affected.

Tom Papa [02:15]: "We need to shut up for a minute and just feel bad for these people. Thousands of people that are homeless."

2. Parenting and Raising Children

Transitioning to personal life, Greg and Tom discuss their approaches to parenting, reflecting on the balance between guiding their children and allowing them independence.

Greg Fitzsimmons [18:07]: "I suck my belly in around my wife because I want her to be attracted to me and I'm embarrassed..."

Tom shares insights on fostering confidence in children without being overbearing.

Tom Papa [21:45]: "They're comfortable in their own skin, which I think is the greatest gift we can give them."

They explore the implications of parenting styles on children's motivation and emotional well-being, debating the merits and drawbacks of hands-on versus laissez-faire approaches.

3. Friendships within the Comedy Community

A significant portion of the conversation centers on male friendships among comedians, highlighting the unique dynamics and emotional depth often understated in such relationships.

Tom Papa [40:57]: "Every movie and TV show is about romance... Male friendship isn't really explored that deep."

Greg likens their friendships to brotherhoods, capable of handling profound personal subjects while maintaining a surface of casual camaraderie.

Greg Fitzsimmons [40:57]: "They’re like brothers... we talk about heavy things, like someone's relationship or job struggles."

They discuss the challenges of maintaining these relationships amidst the competitive nature of the comedy industry, emphasizing support and mutual respect.

4. Navigating the Comedy Industry

Tom and Greg share their experiences navigating the comedy landscape, including the pitfalls of early career missteps and the importance of perseverance and self-improvement.

Greg Fitzsimmons [62:35]: "Whenever you hear of hit shows, there was always a little magic behind it."

Tom reflects on the unpredictable nature of television success, citing his own experiences with developing shows and the complexities involved in bringing a creative vision to fruition.

Tom Papa [57:01]: "TV shows, it's like lightning in a bottle when something works... it's just so hard to protect a good idea."

They highlight the necessity of focusing on their craft over the surrounding "scene," advocating for dedication and continuous honing of their comedic skills.

Tom Papa [53:07]: "Shame is great. Jealousy is great. Fear is great."

5. Personal Growth and Relationships

The dialogue shifts to personal growth, with both comedians introspecting on their relationships, the importance of apologies, and evolving friendships over time.

Greg Fitzsimmons [69:24]: "I neglected to keep her in the loop... I had to really own it and apologize to her because I really do care about her."

Tom discusses the complexities of maintaining friendships amidst changing personal and professional landscapes, stressing honesty and communication.

Tom Papa [44:19]: "Things morph in this business, and you're not always even aware... Until it's all of a sudden."

They underscore the value of longstanding friendships and the impact of meaningful apologies in sustaining these bonds.

6. Upcoming Shows and Tours

Towards the end of the episode, Tom and Greg enthusiastically share details about their upcoming tours and projects, highlighting their continued dedication to their craft and connection with audiences.

Tom Papa [73:14]: "Grateful Bread Tour is coming to you in Cleveland... Chicago theater."

Greg lists numerous tour dates and locations, reflecting on the significance of performing in major venues and the community aspect of live comedy.

Greg Fitzsimmons [73:43]: "Beacon, dude, that's amazing."

They also touch upon their respective podcasts and future plans, reinforcing their commitment to providing quality content to their followers.

---

Notable Quotes

• Tom Papa [21:45]: "They're comfortable in their own skin, which I think is the greatest gift we can give them."
• Greg Fitzsimmons [18:07]: "I suck my belly in around my wife because I want her to be attracted to me..."
• Tom Papa [40:57]: "Male friendship isn't really explored that deep."

---

Conclusion

Episode 1082 of Fitzdog Radio presents a heartfelt and humorous exploration of life’s multifaceted challenges and triumphs. Through Tom Papa’s stories and reflections, listeners gain insights into the resilience required to navigate personal hardships, the importance of nurturing meaningful relationships, and the relentless pursuit of excellence within the comedy industry. Greg Fitzsimmons and Tom Papa’s camaraderie shines throughout, offering both entertainment and thoughtful commentary for audiences seeking both laughter and depth.

Transcript

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Foreign.

[Tom Papa]

Welcome to Fitz. Little smoky here in Los Angeles. I, I have asthma and I have gone through my inhaler in about five days now. I got a good. Obviously Venice Beach. We're concrete, we are inflammable. Believe me, this place is. Parts of it have burnt down enough already. We're very lucky. A lot of people I know are not as lucky. I've got some friends that lost their houses. My son's best friend, best friend, but good friend. His whole family, three generations lived in a house that burned to the ground. And it's, you know, it's. A lot of people in LA were house rich and paper poor, paper money. And when the house goes down, it's kind of everything. It's a retake. It was people's retirements, it was their. It's just. Anyway, I don't need to tell you guys, I'm sure watching it on the news, shout out to the police and the firemen who are doing an amazing job. Ladder 63 here in Venice. Talk to some of those guys today. They're working fucking 48 hour shifts. And of course it's gotten politicized. Isn't that amazing? Every. Isn't it exhausting? If you're one of those people that finds a way to politicize even a fire, don't you just get tired? Don't you just feel like, God, I have to add another layer to reality because I want clickbait on the Internet or I want to feel heard or I want to be a politician making a point, because that's my job to make a point no matter what. You know, it's like, oh yeah, it's LA's fault, you know, because they were doing it, an operation on a trans kid and the blowtorch they were using to remove the penis caught fire and it burned because the wind, the wind from all the vegans farting and pal, the Palisades and fucking. What other stereotype do they have about us? All the, all the throuples, throuple parties were urinating their vaccines out and the vaccines caught fire. We just shut up, shut up for a minute and just feel bad for these people. Thousands of people that are homeless. And it's not all. Look, I know the Palisades. There's a lot of rich people, you know, Steven Spielberg does not need my used Costco socks. I put a whole pile of clothes together to donate and then I turned on ktla, the local news and they're like, yeah, we're good on clothes. We got clothes. Like, I You know, it's nice. Everybody wanted to pitch in. Everybody wanted to give stuff. But they need money, so I'll tell you later. A great place to donate money. But for now, let's stick to how it's not our fault, you know, we live in a fucking arid place. It's just we didn't. We. Well, you guys should have weeded, what, tens of thousands of acres? Hundreds of thousands of acres. Oh, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do this weekend. I'll cancel my gig at the. At the Green Bay Chuckle Hut so I can get on my hands and knees and pull out dead weeds in the Santa Monica Mountains. Wait. Shut the fuck up. We didn't weed. Come on. Do you weed? I don't even weed my own garden. If the flames hit my house, we are going up in fl. We're going up fast. Cause I haven't weeded shit. We got a lot of dead plants stuck to the side of my house. Anyway, it's. It's sad because it's. Even in the rich neighborhoods, there's still, like, landscapers whose entire livelihood is in these neighborhoods in the Palisades. These guys can't just, like, go sign up for another job. They've spent decades building up a list of. Of of lawns that they care for. And now you've got hundreds of these landscapers. They can't just, like, go to another neighborhood and start poaching lawns. They're fucked. They're fucked. Housekeepers. I don't know. It's a lot. It's gonna affect us for many years. And first of all, it's gonna be a lot of years because I just put a new gate up on my fence or three gates around my fence. And it took me about four months to track down a contractor that had time to put three gates up. Now, this was before the fires. Excuse me now. Good luck with the fires. Finding a crew, a crew of people to redo tens of thousands of houses as we're deporting people. Half the workforce. Fuck that. Keep them. I think that they should have a moratorium on deporting anybody from Los Angeles for the next two years. I'm going out of San Diego with some fucking wire cutters. I'm opening up. I'm opening up the fence. I'm going to leave tools, tool belts with hammers and saws. We need them right now as we always have. We've always quietly counted on immigrants to do shit. Sorry. That's what I've sounded like for the last five days. Um, landed. Oh, my God. By the way, I can't swear to it, but I got out of the shower yesterday and I walked into my room and I can swear I saw my wife dressing me with her eyes. I can't swear to it, but it looked like she was clothing me. Is it weird that I still suck? Do you suck your belly in around your spouse? Is that unusual? Should. Should you just feel like you can let it all hang out, literally, or. I don't. I suck my belly in around my wife because I want her to be attracted to me and I'm embarrassed that I look like a fucking. Like a skinny snake with a big rat in his belly. A big bulging belly. Good alliteration. That's why my podcast is in the top 25,000 on. On YouTube. Um, yeah. All right, let's get to it. Just got back from South Africa, literally. We landed our. I don't know if I talked about this yet. We. Our plane was landing as the flames had just started. So we saw the smoke and the flames. We hadn't heard anything in the news because we've been flying for 24 hours. It's fucking crazy. And it's been hiding inside this whole time. So. But we land and my kids, honestly, can I say this? My kids were a bit cunty by the end of the trip, but by the end of the three week trip where money was flying out, I mean, if I told you what the airfare was for the four of us, it was ludicrous. And then no thank yous. Nobody said, hey, you know what? Thanks. That's it. Not a word. Just by the end, shitty attitude. And then we land and we're taking an Uber X so that we didn't have to go to the Lyft Uber site at lax, so that we got picked up at the curb for double the price. As we're driving home in that expensive vehicle and they're being shitty. All of a sudden, I hear my daughter get on the phone with her friend. Oh, is she charming? All of a sudden, all this warmth and jolliness pops up. Who the fuck are you? Who were you two minutes ago? Anyway, it's like they're at a weird age. They're in their early 20s, and it's like you're not a child anymore and you're not an adult. So we still buy you everything. We still pay for your trips, but. But you're not at the age where you're expected to say thank you. What the fuck is that? Um, all right, let's get to it. Um, I'll be coming to you this weekend. I'll be in Janesville, Wisconsin, January 17th and 18th at the Comedy Cabin. And then next week, I will be in Nyack, New York, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Following that, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Why am I in Milwaukee twice in the same month? Call my agents, please. Ask him. I'd like some answers. Then I'll be in Vegas at Brad Garrett's Club, Fontana, California. Atlanta, Georgia. Hollywood, California. Ontario, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Tampa, La Jolla, fitzdog.com for some tickets. While you're there, pick yourself up the Sunday papers. T shirt still available? All sizes. My guest. And by the way, keep in mind, my guest I interviewed before I left for South Africa, so it was a month ago. So if we don't address the fires, then understand it was because they hadn't happened yet. This guy's one of my dearest friends. We've known each other for 25 years, and he is just a quality human being and what you consider to be a truly good friend. You know him from his Sirius XM satellite show, what a Joke with Papa and Fortune. Come to Papa. He's on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. He was on the Nick. On hbo, the Informant, the B movie, Jim Gaffigan Show. He's got a new special on Netflix called you're doing Great. Not that new in the last year. You're doing Great. He's got a book out by the same name, and he's the best. I know you're gonna love him. Here's my chat with the great Tom Papa. Tom Pop is my guest. He looks pensive. He's got his fist on his chin. He's. He's trying to figure out what am I doing here? What did I owe Greg that I drove to South Robertson, put on a black suit. Suit, didn't shave for two weeks? Kind of going for a Gaffigan look. Why do I look like Jim Gaffigan?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I feel like Gaffigan and I are crossing because he's on Manjaro, he's getting skinny, and I'm eating lots of chocolates and getting fatter.

[Tom Papa]

Are you?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I feel like we're starting to meld. Meld. And I'm always off. But, you know, Gaffigan's Gaffigan, he's always, like, has his finger on the pulse, and I always show up a couple years late.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

So I'm growing a beard when no one else is. And I'm getting fat when everyone's losing weight, right?

[Tom Papa]

Everybody's losing weight.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I know.

[Tom Papa]

And you're getting bigger.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. I zig when they zag and I'm often wrong.

[Tom Papa]

It is funny when you're trying to figure. Figure out the next thing. And we're doing that here in the studio. We're working on some technological things that are going to be interesting.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, cool.

[Tom Papa]

And I'll keep you abreast because it might be something you want to do in here.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, nice.

[Tom Papa]

Very state of the art. But anyway, I've missed. You know what I caught? I caught what was the first app? MySpace. I was Johnny MySpace. I had so many followers, right. And MySpace was great because say you were going to Toledo, you. You could punch in Toledo and it would hit everybody in that market. It was very specific. And then the next ones, I just was like you said, I was always two steps behind.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

So were you. You were like the pioneer, like Dane Cook days.

[Tom Papa]

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, not as big as him, but like by far my biggest app. Of all the social media platforms, that was the one I was. So I. Cause I had somebody working for me. The improv had like a social media department before anybody did. And they just did all the tricks and they built me up tons of followers. It really worked.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I remember being at the Cellar at the table and some comics were bemoaning Dane Cook's celebrity. He was so huge. And like, why he was huge. And it was after the crest of MySpace, but he was still big, Dane. And some comics were just being like, you know, well, he had MySpace and they're kind of like, you know, taking the wind out of his sails and, you know, just because of MySpace. Just because of MySpace, yeah. And I was sitting next to David Feldman and Feldman just kind of quietly listening to these guys bitching. And he just looks up and goes, I was on MySpace at the same time. That didn't happen to me. He's got something, guys.

[Tom Papa]

I know. That is funny.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, it was, right, you know. Yeah, it's. You gotta be. You gotta be in the thing, but also you gotta have the thing.

[Tom Papa]

I guess I think it's how people look at Hollywood like the 1940s when like you just had to go to Hollywood.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It seems like a star. Oh, yeah. Like when you look back and you watch Turner Classic, you're like, oh, I would have tore it up in the.

[Tom Papa]

40S because they weren't good looking.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

They didn't know what was going on.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, the acting was stiff. It's like, yeah, you just showed up on the Greyhound and they took your bags and they got you one of those hotels on Sunset and they got you under a contract.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. You had one of the first jokes about wheels on luggage that I ever heard. I did, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, I don't even remember it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I'm just picturing like a guy with the suitcase. No one had wheels. Everyone just had to like, carry their.

[Tom Papa]

No, there's a guy who's the driver if you go to. God. What club is it? Tempe Improv. There's a great guy there who's a. They have a limo driver because the, the hotel is a little bit of a distance from the club.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And the improvs are pretty good about sending the limos to pick you up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

You don't always get the best pay, but the perks are good. You know, the hotels are always first rate, the food's always good. At the clubs, it's well run.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Not a limo. Limo.

[Tom Papa]

Well, it's like a, you know, like an suv.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

And so I've gotten to know this guy over the years pretty well. His, his son is a pretty famous, like, Tony award winning musician.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

Anyway, he was a baggage guy for, you know, 40 years at the airport in Phoenix. And it was a union gig. You made tons of tips.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

And he said, and then the wheelie bags came along and my job was over. It's like he's like, the day we saw somebody drag one on wheels, we.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Just looked at each other like, we're done. Grandma can do her own luggage. I watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles as I do every Thanksgiving Eve. Oh, and they get caught on the train and everyone has got to get off the train and walk across the muddy field and everybody's carrying luggage. Like everything in that movie, it's people carrying bags.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

That's not that long ago. And people are just picking up your.

[Tom Papa]

Thing and going, no, I mean, early in our careers, we didn't have the bags we had. I would take a, like a duffel bag over my shoulder.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, yeah. I, I don't. But I do think, like, if you could have just had like a little tiny suitcase gotten out here in 1940, you could have been. You could have been Clark, Abel, me personally. Yeah. You could have just come out and been like, I'm going to run all over these chumps.

[Tom Papa]

Who are these stiffs? Why? What do you think held me back in this career?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Held you back because I was in.

[Tom Papa]

The right places at the right time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Were you?

[Tom Papa]

Well, I was in Boston when all those guys came out of Boston. I was in New York when me, you and Gaffigan and Louis and everybody were coming up, came out to LA at the same time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Right.

[Tom Papa]

And I. I'm not. I'm saying, I always joke that I crawled my way to the middle and I'm staying right there. I kind of like middle and.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

But it is weird when you see some people explode and some don't, and I don't. I don't harbor any ill will. I really don't. I'm very grateful.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I was thinking when you asked me that question, the first thing that popped into my head whether I'm right or wrong. First thing that popped into my head. And by the way, you have made it. But I know what you mean, like, at different levels, is that you were content.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You were happy. You built this life.

[Tom Papa]

Interesting.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

With this beautiful community and beautiful family and pop up to the Comedy Store, do your thing. Got your shows, got your pods, got all your great friends in the comedy community. Everyone loves Greg Fitzsimmons.

[Tom Papa]

That's it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You did it.

[Tom Papa]

Right. Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And you were content. And the idea of, like, blowing any part of that up to get a little incremental bump in something to do what? To be back. Improve that happy situation you have.

[Tom Papa]

I don't know, made my day.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's truth, though. Right.

[Tom Papa]

I love that. That's. That's a really nice way to frame it, and I'm gonna hold on to that.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It's the truth.

[Tom Papa]

Well, it's.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, except for everybody loving you. I know there's a couple people that have a big problem with you.

[Tom Papa]

Dane Cook, for the most part, because of my MySpace, I was. I was right there with him. Yeah. No, it is true. And I see you in the same way. Like, we. We chose to have families and to actually take them seriously.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Actually show up and do some parenting.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

But. And it's nice now as they get to a certain age. Your daughters are out of high school. Almost out of high school.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

One just graduated college last year.

[Tom Papa]

No.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And one is a sophomore in college. No.

[Tom Papa]

Oh. So I didn't realize our kids are the exact same age.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Wow.

[Tom Papa]

I always thought of you as having, like. They were like, two years younger.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No. And I always thought I was a slightly better father than you were, but when I see pictures of you, I think maybe it's wrong, but I always saw.

[Tom Papa]

What are the metrics on you thinking that you're better. Can you.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Only one thing. Yeah, only one thing. The one thing. The one way I thought I was a better father was that regardless of how late I would have A show or travel. When the house woke up, I woke up. Oh, and I know that you would sleep in.

[Tom Papa]

That's right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

When you had a late spot or a late thing. And I was like, yeah, I think. I think I edge him out now.

[Tom Papa]

You got me there. Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Well, then I see how much they love you and stuff. And I'm like, well, maybe it didn't matter. Maybe I could have slept.

[Tom Papa]

You could have slept.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

They weren't happy to see me in the kitchen at that time.

[Tom Papa]

Maybe that's the next of your. That's your next memoir. I could have slept.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I could have slept in.

[Tom Papa]

I think the kids. I mean, you see all these kids that grew up, like, to use an extreme example, like children of the Holocaust who end up. It was always, like, City College in New York that they went to, and then they got a law degree, and then they fought in the war, and then they, you know.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And they built these lives out of trauma and somehow raised kids that were good. And you just go, like, kids will thrive as long as. To me. Give them consistency.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Like, don't set up the expectation that I'm gonna be at breakfast, and then all of a sudden, stop going to breakfast. I was never at breakfast.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

That's the problem. I started it out.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And I just couldn't hear the noise without popping up.

[Tom Papa]

You felt guilty.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I didn't feel guilty. I wanted to kind of see what was up, see what's a part of it, you know, a little bit. But, you know, you hear stories of the generations before us. Kids, like, left home at 10 and just went out into the world. I read Mark Twain left when he was 14, 13.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

12, maybe. And never went home to see his parents again.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Never went home. Out in the world, you got to. All right, let's go.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Like, you know, I think you. I think your kids forget, like, even seeing them at breakfast, if you. If they just took off, they would have been fine.

[Tom Papa]

They would have been fine. And, you know, there is a big argument about the kind of parenting that. That we did with our kids, which was very, like, almost led by them. Like, we support them. We try to allow them to take the form that they're going to take organically and not try to push them into anything or shame them or push them too hard. And really, there is kind of like a blowback from that right now where you're seeing kids that are lacking motivation in some ways.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

You know, like I say with my kids, like, they're. They. They're comfortable in Their own skin, which I think is the greatest gift we can give them. But I don't know that I came out of the gate running out of college.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

You know?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Exactly.

[Tom Papa]

And they're. They're not running.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, no. I think. Yeah. But it's hard because the reason we did it was it was fun to have a family. If I'm gonna have a family, I'm gonna. I'm gonna have some popcorn and watch a movie together. I'm gonna. We're gonna go to a trip together and like, let's do this. Like, this is fun. You know, you hear about people sending their kids like to boarding school and it's like, really, you send your kid out at 9 to A. So it's way before college. But don't you find when you ever hear those stories or talk to people that went through it, it was nothing but positive. They loved it. They have a good relationship with their family and they see them on the holidays and they were just out being.

[Tom Papa]

Raised by each other.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

I mean. Cause you talk to three of my really tight friends. They were my roommates in college and they're still my closest friends. They all went to boarding school together and. Totally well adjusted. Yeah. Are all great parents and. But they said that there was no supervision. Really. I mean, you could get busted for having alcohol where. But they weren't holding your hand. They basically really did. There was a pecking order. It was Lord of the Flies.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And you know, got very into sports.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

You know, thick sports cult. I don't know if it was an all boys school. No, no, it was. It was boys and girls.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You could have survived. You could have done it, you know.

[Tom Papa]

God, would you imagine missing those four years of your kid's life?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's weird. Like, I mean, now they're just gone and it's like, oh, wow.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know? Yeah. Like, why do it?

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Just to see. Just to see them on the holidays.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know what I mean? It was like those years were, they're great and watching them grow and all of it was.

[Tom Papa]

So is Angelina back at home?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, she's living in New York. As a person? No, she assistant directed. I directed Dave Hill in his new off Broadway thing, Caveman in a Spaceship. And she worked on that. She was an assistant on that. And then she's got an ad agency job and she's doing what we did. She's building her tribe and finding her way.

[Tom Papa]

Amazing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Grown up in New York.

[Tom Papa]

Wow. Yeah. My son's moving there In June. I think every kid should live in New York for at least a couple. A couple years.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, it's so great.

[Tom Papa]

It just, it just tightens you up. It gets, gets rid of the fat and you have to learn how to, yeah. You know, get your dry cleaning and then get into the subway and then pick up, you know, a, you know, your dinner for the night at the. You don't shot. You don't shop for the week at the grocery store.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Everyone's hustling. Yeah, everyone's hustling. And it's creative and it's, it's really, it's great. I was, I was just there all last week doing bunch of stuff and I was going out to dinner and there was like a kerfuffle. Like it was just slow getting a table and we had a reservation and it was like, you know, just like it's getting long. It's like went up to the hostess and was like, you know, let me see if I can pressure the situation and make a move and get my table. And she kind of just dismissed me pretty quickly and I was like, oh, wait a minute. Yeah, I'm not, I'm not just. I'm not in, in Iowa. I'm in a city that's filled with people going up to the hostess, trying to make a move. Like everybody thinks they're hot shit. Everybody's doing hustling. And it was like, did you go.

[Tom Papa]

Up and say, have you seen. I love the 70s? Do you have basic cable even?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I had two times in LA that for the first time I successfully pulled out a bribe, slipped a 20 in a handshake and got the table.

[Tom Papa]

That felt good.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I was never able to do it my whole life.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And it was just like, I always feel like, oh, they're not gonna want it and I'm gonna feel like a jerk. They're gonna say, no, you can't bribe me, officer. It turns out they really want it.

[Tom Papa]

What restaurant?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I don't want to say because one is.

[Tom Papa]

Is it a well known restaurant?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, really well known in la.

[Tom Papa]

I feel like the better.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I don't want to say it because I want to do it again.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, yeah, no, I did that at a hotel once. I asked for an upgrade and I slid over my ID with a $20 bill and they put me in a suite for 20 bucks.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Really?

[Tom Papa]

Three nights. I upgraded because what do they care? They have the discretion to do that at any time, right?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, exactly. That's the thing when you travel. You know what they can do?

[Tom Papa]

Let Me point this out. It was not the Four Seasons. It was a guest quarter suite hotel.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

Do you know those?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No.

[Tom Papa]

They're very basic.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

They're very nice and clean and decent.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

But. But, you know, the suite is. Is just basically two rooms.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

It's not like there's no thick robe.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I love a thick robe.

[Tom Papa]

Do you? Do you?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I don't like a thick robe. I like a. I like a thick robe in a hotel, actually, because there's no activities happening.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I don't mind that at home. Thin robe. So. Because I'm usually doing stuff. I don't need the big wizard arms when I'm trying to.

[Tom Papa]

You gotta get stuff done. You need a thin robe. You wanna be like a wizard. Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. You gotta be. Yeah. Thin robe at home.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I like a robe, though.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. I wear a robe every single morning. I have one. It's from Restoration Hardware, some random reason, but it is thick terry cloth. I swear to God, I've had it for 15 years. And I put it on every single morning with my Ugg slippers.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No upgrade, you know, you don't want to upgrade. There's no need. It's just worn in like a mitt, like a good baseball mitt.

[Tom Papa]

Once in a while you find something in life and you just go, this is it. I'm good.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

This is gonna ride me to the end. What about the Ugg slippers? Do you upgrade those?

[Tom Papa]

I've only had. I've had them maybe three. Three years. And I checked in with myself recently. Like, am I. How's my slipper game? And I said, it's still fluffy. Those Uggs, man, they are good. They stay fluffy.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

They do, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

I know you go to dsw, those things are gonna flatten out in that three weeks.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It's bougie, baby.

[Tom Papa]

Do you slipper?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, I just have been starting to slipper. Ugg slipper.

[Tom Papa]

Really?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yep.

[Tom Papa]

Okay.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And it's been a. I think it's been two years and it's Christmas time and I dropped the. Yeah, it might be time to re up these because I don't need anything or want anything.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Until I'll get annoyed. And I'm like, well, you know, it's probably. I could keep going, but they need a gift.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I'm like, let's. Yeah, let's see.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Fluff it up.

[Tom Papa]

Fluff it up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I like it. I like being the Mr. Rogers in the house. I also have indoor vans. I saw a TikTok about this, about, like, dads who think they think they got it together. It's like, I got vans that I take out to the garbage. Then I got my inside vans, and I'm like, oh, I'm a cliche, because I thought I had invented that. But I like the Mr. Rogers indoor sit down.

[Tom Papa]

You have a little bench.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I don't like not wearing shoes in the house, but I get the idea of not taking in humanity's filth into the house.

[Tom Papa]

Yes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

So when you get in, you change into your Mr. Rogers shirt.

[Tom Papa]

Everybody does.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, I just do it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. I don't like being barefoot. I've never enjoyed being barefoot.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I was barefoot last night. Cause I slipped them out of the slippers and I extended them onto the coffee table, and my wife sat down. I was like, this isn't a good look. Just big man feet on the coffee table. It away.

[Tom Papa]

How are your feet? You comfortable with them?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, they're pretty solid. Yeah, they're not a mess. And I. I see them. I can still see them. I'm not like, you know, old dudes stop looking at a certain point.

[Tom Papa]

Right. And then the toenail starts to get thick and yellow.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

That was one of, like, my first jokes when I was at Rascals. We were talking about Rascals was it was, old men don't clip their toenails. They sound like a German shepherd on the linoleum.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, my God. I just don't want to be that so bad. They started to, like, curl, and I was just like, dude, you know, I know we're the only ones that see your toenails, but even for us, it's, like, nauseating.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Or just for yourself, like, how can you handle that Frito thickness.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Orange thickness on your own feet.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

At a certain point, they just don't care. But your dad was showbiz.

[Tom Papa]

He was showbiz, but he was, you know, foot shod. He was never. He was never barefoot on the radio. I mean, that's kind of the beauty of being a radio guy.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Is that, you know, it's not like radio now where we're on camera. How do you like this background, by the way?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, it's really nice. Yeah. I noticed that you've upped your game when on social media. Looks really good. Yeah. You look very professional.

[Tom Papa]

Thank you.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, I like it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, it's. It's time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, every comedian is now a. Is running their own TV studio.

[Tom Papa]

I know. It's crazy.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's. We're building sets and you talk about being running cable.

[Tom Papa]

I talked to Ian. Bag the Other day, he goes on the road with four cameras and a videographer and sets them up all over the stage, and then they're editing constantly.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, Jeez.

[Tom Papa]

And I know Morel does the same thing. There's a bunch of stuff.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I met up with Stavros on the road, and he had this guy just following him with a camera and quietly going off on his laptop and doing it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, Bert. Bert's got a couple guys doing it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Burt's got like a whole bus filled with people.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. Sorry. Stop looking at the fucking screen. I completely lost you.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I know.

[Tom Papa]

Is it cause you have a dark cloud over you? You.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, maybe my eyes are so screwy that it's. I'm not. I'm probably not seeing what you're seeing. I'm still trying to make it out the same way I was trying to make out the GPS with sunglasses on, coming to see you.

[Tom Papa]

Like, what does it say? Wait, do you still have. The last time I saw you had a Tesla that drove on its own when you weren't even in the car, it went forward while you were outside.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Of the same vehicle. Yeah, same vehicle. A 2015 Tesla.

[Tom Papa]

Have you seen now the new bumper stickers? People are putting. I bought this before Elon became an asshole.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yes. Yeah, man. He's dominant. Yeah, Dominant. I mean, he can't run for president, so he just got as tight as he could.

[Tom Papa]

Look, you know, the Koch brothers never ran for president because they were too big for that. You know, if you're. If you're really pulling the strings, that's a sucker job. President.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Total exposure all the time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Forget it.

[Tom Papa]

Now the power brokers are way in the shadows.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I was in a lucid. My friend was trying to sell me on the lucid.

[Tom Papa]

What's that?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's the electric car that was built by one of the original Tesla guys. And the company's not doing that great, but the car is beautiful. Really beautiful.

[Tom Papa]

Wow.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Wow. I just feel like I have. The Tesla, to me, is like an iPhone that still works. And yeah, I hear there's improvements, but do I really need to re up, you know?

[Tom Papa]

So you bought it? You didn't lease it?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I bought it.

[Tom Papa]

Good for you.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I did a game show and took a portion of the money and just online. Just bought the Tesla.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And it felt so insane. Wow. And did they deliver it to your house? I still get in it and get very excited. I get very, like. I still feel like I haven't paid for gas since 2015.

[Tom Papa]

That's amazing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. I Mean, it doesn't have, like, even the. The mirror alert that someone's in the lane. Like, that's how early it is. You know what I mean? So there's definitely little improvements, but I just. I've had not one problem with it. Like a door handle I had to fix. I put new tires on it. Other than that, the thing just. It's great. And I was always out there, just like, my nephews would be like, dude, that guy. And I'm like, he is changing the world.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

There is no. There's no electric cars without this guy SpaceX. And now they see me and they keep peppering me like, dude, this guy. I'm like, yeah, I know. I paid for gas since 2015.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

These rockets land themselves.

[Tom Papa]

It's almost like a 1950s marriage where the guy was, like, a football star.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And then it's like, 20 years later, and he's fat, and the wife is going, no, no, I. I love him. He pays no attention, never takes her out.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

He's the same old Don underneath. Yeah, I know. It's complicated. The world's complicated.

[Tom Papa]

It's very complicated.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Relationships are hard to keep together.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. I think. I think, you know, being married for 25 years, I. Is. Is like, one of the only things in my life that I go, like, all right, I believe in humanity, because this. If we could stay together, you know, and we're kind of meant to be together, but long relationships can exist. I look at, like, you know, my dad had friends, childhood friends, and, you know, I think that those are the things that you can't replace. Like, now we're getting to that age where, for the first time, I checked my. My Social Security payout for when I retire. I'm starting to go like. Like, I have a stockbroker, and he's like, all right, it's time to start planning your retirement in 10 years or whatever.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Wow.

[Tom Papa]

And. And then you think about, like, moving. Like, everybody goes to Florida. Florida when they move, and all of a sudden you're with a hundred new old people that you don't know. Like, that's like. I live in. I live in a neighborhood where I know everybody. I'm staying right there.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Old friendships. That's the key.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It is the key. I just had my annual Christmas dinner when I was in New York. It's 12 of us from high school and grade school. Like, some of these kids I knew since third grade.

[Tom Papa]

That's amazing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

We meet every Christmas in New Jersey. New York. From New Jersey. Yeah. We were Jersey Kids, the old homestead.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, yeah, of course. Down in Chelsea.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. We got a nice little room, but, yeah, it's beautiful. I mean, it's just amazing that we. And you know, it's not like people you kind of want to see. It's like, these are the best people on the planet.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Just love these kids. And I know them from forever.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's really the best.

[Tom Papa]

Just in the same rhythm.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It's just like family. It's literally like family.

[Tom Papa]

And the best part is, like, I have friends like that. Like, I just got to together this summer with two of my best friends that I've known since I was this big. We didn't talk about the past. We didn't sit around and go, remember this? Remember that? We were talking about our lives now.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting, though. I had. I had the opposite when I went to one that was a little. A little further out than that group. Like, it was some other people that we don't see regularly, but you still knew them really well from high school. And I remember leaving the event going, you should only talk about the past. It should only be, remember Mrs. Balciunas. Remember Mr. Conway. Remember when what's his name farted and shit himself in the thing. Because we don't really. We're not like that tight, so we don't really care about your new. Your job.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And where your kids go to school. All right. Those are niceties. But why are we even here tonight? It's because we both changed in the same locker room in third grade.

[Tom Papa]

I forget some great memories. And when they bring one up, it's like a gift. It's like, oh, my God, we passed out in a. In a preschool playground on a Tuesday night and woke up when class. Like, how did I not remember that for all these years? And now I get to re. Experience it again.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, that's true. It's pretty amazing.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I just saw a picture. I was kind of looking for a friend last night online, and I never got to them, but I got to like, people that were close and someone had posted in the 1980s, like the early 80s, the pool that we went to, and pictures of the old mill, you know, it was like, oh, those were the days. And man, it looked like a slum. Like, it was just crowded and people like, in the little. In the kiddie pool, and it was just like so many people in Madison. And I had Share the same memory that the girl who posted it was. It was a magical place. And we all just swam and it Was amazing. And you look at it as an adult, you're like, oh, it's been a nightmare.

[Tom Papa]

Isn't that funny?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Everything looks better.

[Tom Papa]

I remember going to the Ringling Brothers with my kids and, you know, it's three rings. That was the whole thing about the Ringling Brothers. It was the three rings.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yep.

[Tom Papa]

The rings are like the size of this studio. I thought they were like football fields. When I was little, we had a.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Problem with the Ringling Brothers. Someone gave me tickets. When I first came out here to la, I was doing something where they gave me tickets to go to the circus. And my daughters were little, and we're like, we're going to the circus. And we marched. We went to the Staples center or whatever was there at the time, and walking in and people were protesting and getting in our face about the treatment for the animals. And it was like it was just emerging that people realized, maybe this isn't cool. My daughters were horrified. People just interface like, you know what they do to the elephants? My daughter's like, what do they do to the elephant? It was like one of my first show business hookups, and we were like, dealing with the devil.

[Tom Papa]

Wow.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, it was terrible. I bought him one of those lights that you twirl around, and they were okay with it.

[Tom Papa]

Let's go back to your friends because, I mean, kind of like thinking deeply about male friendships recently, because, so, like, every movie and TV show is about romance. It's a guy and a girl, and then a lot of times it's about two chicks having a friendship. But male friendship isn't really explored that deep, deeply. And I think, in a way, we're dismissed. I think our friendships are minimized when they're actually, I think, just as complex as female relationships. They may not express it, but I think that there's under currents that are very strong and different emotions that go into it. Like, how would you describe your closest friendships with guys?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, it's, you know, it's. They're like brothers, you know, and you'll talk about. You'll talk about. I will talk about some heavy things, like, you know, some. Someone's relationship or, you know, their job struggles or, you know, their parents being ill or whatever, you know, like, that's as, like, deep as you kind of go. Guys don't really. But we don't talk about, you know, our relationship.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know what I mean? Do you ever see that Instagram where the guy calls his friend and says, I love you. You ever see that? No, it's just like this dude and calls his buddy and he's like, hey, how's it going? And you have, like, a split screen, and you're seeing the guy making the call, and he's like. He's like, hey, what's up? What's up, Greg? And Greg's like, hey, man, I just wanted to give you a call, you know. He's like, all right. Everything okay? Yeah. Yeah, man. I just wanted to. I just wanted you to know that I love you. Where are you right now? No, man, everything's cool. I just wanted to let you know. You know. You know, you're really important to me, and I really love you. Dude, what's up? Where are you right now? Who are you with? Are you okay? Dude, what the. What the f. What are you. Are you all right?

[Tom Papa]

That's hilarious.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

He could not handle.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, the guy's about to kill himself or get abducted or something.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

He's got a gun to his head. He's waiting for you. What do you need, money? What do you need? He's just like, no, I just wanted to say I love you.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, but isn't that interesting that, you know, it's always on your dad, like. I was talking about. What do you call it when you're about to die? Hospice.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

A hospice.

[Tom Papa]

When you're about to die death. And I just think about, like, what a, like, transcendent experience you're. First of all, you're getting a morphine drip. So you're just open emotionally. And now you've got everybody that you love the most holding your hand, rubbing your feet, telling you all the shit they never said. Everybody's saying they love you. You mean so, like, my kids don't say that to me. If I was dying, it would. Why do we have to wait until. They won't. They won't remember.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

They won't be able to throw it in our face later.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. I don't know, though. Is it that rosy? Like, do you think you're. Do you think you have your wits about you to the point where you're realizing this moment?

[Tom Papa]

Well, that's the way I want to go. I'd like to die with 10 days notice. Like, the doctor goes, you got 10 days left. I'm in a bed.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You're with it mentally or you're.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, with it mentally, but withering. Maybe I got a cough, but I.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Got a little Flemmy.

[Tom Papa]

I got the thumb drip.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. You know, that's all the end, really, is them just pumping you with morphine.

[Tom Papa]

Until you slip Some nurse sponge bathing you while your kids tell you that they always loved you. I mean, what a way to go.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It is pretty nice, the deathbed.

[Tom Papa]

I think they should do that as a spa treatment. You do a weekend in a bed.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

With drugs.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. And everyone comes in.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And then you live for another 20 years, but then you live.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But now you know how everybody feels about you. And you know who didn't show up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, exactly.

[Tom Papa]

Because you got to drop everything if somebody has one of those treatments.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

It's upon you to drop everything you're doing as if they were dying and show up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You should totally show up. Because if the guy can afford the deathbed treatment at the spa, he's got some bank. He probably. Probably behove you to be friends with him.

[Tom Papa]

Yes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

But someone said. I remember someone told me the saying that if you're, you know, the relationship's over if you. If all you do is talk about the relationship in like a. You know, in an intimate way. Like if. If all you're doing is working on the relationship and talking about the relationship instead of just being in the. Just being in the relationship.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Something's amiss.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And I feel like guys, at our best, I think, is that it's like, you know, we know we're really good friends and care about each other and we're always happy to see each other.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

We don't really need to check in and talk about it.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know what I mean?

[Tom Papa]

I remember I said to you once, we were at the Comedy Store, and I go, hey, you know, we should. And we're with Burr. And I was like, we should all go out to dinner, like, bring our wives. And you just looked at me like I was crazy. And you're like, how is it better than this? Like, we're in a hallway riffing with each other and like, you know, we don't deal with a waiter or valet parking or any bullshit. Like, this is it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, exactly. No one's ordering. No one's wife is, like, having dietary restrictions. It is really true.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Very fortunate that way.

[Tom Papa]

The club hang, man.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I know.

[Tom Papa]

It's great.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It is really great.

[Tom Papa]

I really think sometimes, you know, because, look, we all age out of the business is gonna come a time where I put in for spots and I don't get them.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

I get to the point where I step away before I get phased out. Yeah. I'd like to be making the choice.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, exactly.

[Tom Papa]

But either way, if I'm not going to the Clubs and doing those, those back hallway hangs. That's gonna be a big part of my life. I'm gonna miss more than the stand up even sometimes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, I do think that then you do. You can shift it to. I don't know if the wives come, but you meet up at a spot and you know what I mean? Like, you see a lot of older comics.

[Tom Papa]

Fairfax, there's always a hang of.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know, Seinfeld's good about that. He's always meeting at the diner and I just have breakfast with him. And like when I was in New York, he always kind of like had his, like he had breakfast with Colin, then he has breakfast with someone else. And, and it's really. I learned through the years it's not that he particularly, you know, likes anyone more than anyone else. He loves talking with comics. Yeah, he love. And he's not at the clubs all the time. And this is like the comedy hang.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

So I think that's probably a good, a good method for us when we're a little older. Then we'll meet at the diner.

[Tom Papa]

Do you remember the manager, Rick Messina?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Mm.

[Tom Papa]

Well, he's got a house and he built a wiffle ball right field in his backyard.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And all these comics come by and there's like pot. Jars of pot and ashtrays and all these older comics. It's like a retirement home. They all just hang out and they have a blast together.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Really?

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

That's pretty great. And he still does it.

[Tom Papa]

Still does it. Just talk to a guy the other day that was there and it's like Zoe's free. Zoe Friedman, because she grew up, you know, obviously the, the daughter of, of Bud Friedman.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And so she has connections to. We were talking before the podcast about Richard Lewis, like that generation of comics.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And whenever she has a party at her. She and I are very close. So like parties at her house. And you know what? Even when she produces a show, they all show up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And it's just this great bunch of guys that are so. Mike Ivy.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

You know.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And. And you just, you just hang out and.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And it's great. Yeah, it's great. I mean, because you're all just kids. You're all like the, you know, the funny ass kids.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

The derelicts and the, you know, the ones you can really be honest with. I mean, that is kind of a thing. Do you think that you're more honest with your comedian friends than your non comedian friends? I don't know if honest is the right word. But are you more free with them?

[Tom Papa]

I think scatologically I'm freer with comedians. Like, I think I'll tell dark experiences maybe more than my friend friends. But then if I talk about career insecurity, things like that, I don't talk to comedians about that.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Because ultimately you still are kind of peers.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right, right, right.

[Tom Papa]

Although I did with you early in this podcast.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, well, we, I think that's why we're friends. We don't feel like we have to defeat each other.

[Tom Papa]

Right. Who is your person coming up that you were competitive with? I think every comic had, like, not bad. Like, mine was Jeff Ross and we're dear friends, but he was always the guy that I watched. Like, why, why did he get Letterman? I, I, I should get Letterman. And then he grow to a certain age and you both go, oh, we're just journeymen. And we've shared this together.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

But it's a really healthy drive, I think, sometimes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

To have that person. Did you have that person? Was it Gaffigan?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Well, yeah, Gaffigan and Geraldo were, we were all kind of like, started at the same time. So it was, yeah, we were keeping, like, Gaffigan started out getting like tons.

[Tom Papa]

Of commercials, commercials, beer commercials, and we.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Were like, why is he getting like, why is he. Okay, so I gotta hustle up and do that. And then you'd get like a, I don't know, something on Comedy Central, and Geraldo would be like, wait, how did you get that? And then Geraldo blows, like, so it kind of like, Healthy.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know what I mean? Healthy. Not like that always. I remember Geraldo when I first got a TV pilot, I went out to dinner with him and his wife and Esti and Manny, I think from the cellar. And we all just went out to, like, celebrate. And I remember Geraldo saying point blank, I know we're really good friends because I'm so happy for you.

[Tom Papa]

Wow.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know?

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Because even your closest, there's always a little bit, There can be a little bit of a good for you. What's wrong with me? Why didn't I have a thing? And he was so genuinely pleased that I was, had, you know, taken this step.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And I really kept track of that. I do still keep track of that. Like, and you can tell, even, like on social media, it's almost like a knee jerk reaction when you scrolling through and you see someone do something, you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Really? Yeah, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, but I do find, like that that is Very, it's very. It. Obviously it's petty and it subsides the older you get. Yeah. It also, because you found your way so you're can be more generous with your emotions. And I don't know if when you're younger, you know, I always. There's like this thing like, you know, you're in a good place, you have this, you know, good career and nice family. You've done it, you've money in the bank. It's like you're doing it. And when you're younger, you're a little more like, you know, cutthroat and trying to do stuff and whatever. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing when you're young because you have to work so hard to find your way, you know, as long as you're not, you know, really spiteful or that kind of thing.

[Tom Papa]

But I think a little fear of failure.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. And maybe it presents itself in like slightly ugly ways in your own thoughts or whatever, but you gotta. Yeah. The fear of failure, the drive, the. Am I working hard enough?

[Tom Papa]

You know, jealousy and, and I think it also, it forces you to, you know, like, you hear about like Michael Jordan after practice, after working out. He was the guy still on the gym floor working on his step into his pull up jump shot, you know, trying to cut an inch from the side step, you know, And I think the comedy is like that. I think if you want it bad enough, you will tape every set and you will listen to every set with a pen in your hand and you will cut a word.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And you will. And then you will show up at that club that doesn't let you in and hang out at the bar. Like you will humiliate yourself and push yourself past all points of comfort.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Tom Papa]

And I see comics that open for me sometimes and they're drinking.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

They're getting high before they're set, you know, and I just go like, dude, this isn't a party. This is your workplace.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right, exactly, exactly. And that's, that's when you start to become successful, is when you. Or make your way. When it's just that it's. You put the. For me, it was when I put the blinders on and didn't watch anybody or care about anybody and it was all about the pen in your pocket and the writing and the getting sleep and then all that, it just became the, the craft or the, the doing of the thing.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Not the scene. The scene can wreck you.

[Tom Papa]

Yes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It can wreck you. Because what is it? It's just emotions and motion prompting.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It has nothing to do with the work.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, that's why when you find people who are really dedicated, you stick around them.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's like that example. It's like, you know, who's a better example of, you know, writing their ass off than Gaffigan? You know, and he was always that way. So then you kind of, like, pick that trade up.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. I was like that with the tell. I would see a tell go up with new stuff every night. I'd be in bat. The embarrassment of going up in front of people you respect, that's what's great about the seller.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Is you could see the comics in the back hallway watching you, and if it was someone like Louis or Tell, and you were doing shit, you know, they'd seen you do before multiple times, you just, like, you're ashamed, and it makes you write new shit.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Shame is great.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Jealousy is great. Fear is great.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

You know, you just embrace it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, absolutely. And even just in life, like, there. There are people, like, I just watch how they live, just, like, you know, how they are as, like, a dad or how they just kind of, you know, navigate through life and. Right. You hit certain people, and they're like, yeah, I'm. I'm keeping an eye. I want to be more like that.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I want to try and keep getting better.

[Tom Papa]

Right. Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Well, you. You were exposed to Seinfeld pretty young, Right. I mean, didn't you start opening for him pretty early on?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

So that was an amazing role model.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Oh, God. On all those fronts, which is the crazy thing.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Like, watching how he worked as a comic work. How much he loved it, how he treated his family, how important it was to not screw around. Take care. You know, I remember watching him once after a show, and he. We. It was just me, him, and his tour manager, and he got one beer, and he just sat there with that beer. It's like, we're. This was us going crazy. And he had that one beer, and he was not done with it when we stood up to go to bed, and it was like, this guy is disciplined. This guy is not. He's not screwing around.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. So I always say that was the biggest break of my career. And it's. It's more than the career. It really was like, I learned a lot from him. Just how to navigate your way through life.

[Tom Papa]

That's amazing. And then all these years later, you guys are still getting together for Breakfast. It's really nice.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Now, the only time I met him is you brought me in when marriage ref was getting kind of developed. He brought me in for a day of writing. I don't even think you were in the room.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I think I was.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, yeah, you were in the room. It was me, you, Jerry, and then I think a Seinfeld writer.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. And. Yeah, that. Yeah. Good thing you got out of there. Got out of there, out of the marriage.

[Tom Papa]

You got a couple years out of that, right?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, yeah, we had a couple years.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It could have been really huge.

[Tom Papa]

I think it's crazy that it didn't go longer. It was this kind of bright. It was like a bright feel good. But had an edge because you had comedians on it.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

But it was also kind of just like a really positive TV show.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It was a lot. It was too many moving parts, I think, ultimately. And the first year, it was, like, overproduced. Overproduced. Yeah. And. Yeah, by a couple people who really were problematic with the network. And.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, all that stuff got in the way, of course. And then it also became very celebrity driven because the first year was like, all Jerry's pals. And then we quickly went to who can we get? And book three people every day. There was a lot of moving parts, but at its essence, the idea that you could have a show about married couples are going to fight, they're never gonna solve it themselves. You need someone from the outside to be the ref and say, give me your case. You're right, you're wrong. And that's the only way to end a marital fight is brilliant. And that was him and his wife's idea. And that is, in its essence, that is so simple and great. And married people love that part of it. You probably could have done the show without even the celebrities in a way. I don't know. There's a lot of moving parts, like I said. But it was fun. It was definitely fun, but it was tumultuous also.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, I. I think that, you know, TV shows, it's like lightning in a bottle when something works, you know, just because the concept is perfect.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

On paper. Sometimes you. You know, when you have to translate it to camera angles and directors and studio notes and all that stuff, it's just so hard to protect a good idea.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. So many other factors pulling at it. And, like, I don't want to rehash the whole thing, but I remember, like, one big example of that was Leno's show. Remember, he did the 10 o'clock version of his show. And then that crapped out. And they needed to put something in. In that slot. 10 o'clock. And they pitch. We thought the show was gonna be on Sundays at like 7, which is like, married people let us find our way and figure out what the show is. And then his show crept out and they sold us Seinfeld back on Thursday nights. And it was like, jerry's back, comedy's back on Thursday. And we show up with this show with couples. And we don't know how the rhythm of it. And we're like. And people were like, okay, here he goes. And it wasn't Seinfeld. Seinfeld. And people were like, I don't know about this. We didn't have time to grow. They just put the light on it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

So you never see those things coming. And it's so interesting, like way back to when we were talking about finding your way in your career. How little decisions have big impact. Right. In your life and in career. And just. Even on a show just going like, Yeah. I mean, the studio says it's a great idea. They really love that. They're gonna back us up with a lot of advertising. Say, Jerry's back seems pretty good. And you're like, oh, that's probably a bad move.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. You know, because you don't have the experience to know how that can go wrong. You know, whatever. They're like, I remember you and I had development deals when we were young. Comics with no acting chops.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

No writing chops.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

The only thing we knew about sitcoms was the ones we'd watch. And all of a sudden we had a deal to co create a half hour sitcom.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And I go like, I don't even have final draft. I don't even know how to the structure of writing it. And also, you're like, you know, creator of. And so obviously, so few of those went. Right. I mean, I know you had a show come to pop up. Geraldo had his show get on the air for a minute. Everybody did, you know, Tom Rhodes. And it was like this pipeline of Montreal Comedy Festival development deal and then prime time network sitcom. And none of us knew to say no to this. No to this, no to this.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You don't know.

[Tom Papa]

You don't know what writer to get paired up with, to write it with.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I always said that it was you. It. You have to learn it and be great at it at the same time.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Which is really next to impossible. And, you know, whenever you hear of hit shows, there was Always a little magic behind it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

These things that happen, you know, like this break or this person or this thing where there's almost canceled and then it gets rescued. And like, there is a. There's a thing happening around a project and the opposite can happen too, where all of a sudden a lot of gremlins show up and things just start going. Going wrong. Yeah, you know, it's. Yeah, it's. It's difficult, though, because it's that fine line of, like, grabbing onto the steering wheel and getting it done and also letting it go and realizing that you're not really in control of all of it.

[Tom Papa]

It's knowing which parts you can be in control of. Because at first you don't know.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, I mean, when you look at your stand up, like you are Jordan now. Like, you know where to put the work and where to put the time. Compared to when you first start, you're just like, ah, going at it.

[Tom Papa]

Impressions. You're like, I don't know what I.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Am just going 100 miles an hour spending time on the wrong things. You're like. Or like, worrying. Like, I really remark on how I used to show up at the club and be like, why are they going long? Why are they. Why. Why are they going long? You know, and now it's like, I don't care. You can do whatever.

[Tom Papa]

I'm here, somebody.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

All right, yeah, it'll, It'll. It's. It's all going to be fine.

[Tom Papa]

Right?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

But you don't think that when you don't know the experience.

[Tom Papa]

All right, let's get to fastballs with fits.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Fastballs with fits.

[Tom Papa]

Do you have. That's it now, fastballs with fits.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Cut it.

[Tom Papa]

All right, who's the worst opener you've ever had? Back when you didn't bring your own opener or feature, was there ever an experience where you had somebody where you're just like, what the fuck?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, no, it went the opposite. Like, there was a lot of times when I was opening for horrible people, but the people who were opening for me. There was one guy, this was more cute than horrific, but I remember going down to Maryland and performing in like a ballroom club kind of thing, and this kid was opening for me, and he would do these impressions and he was just. He. He did this thing about football. Like, he was always in a relationship, and he would call a penalty and we'd actually take a flag out. No, it's kind of the marriage riff in a way, but it was kind of like. And he'd take the flag out. And be like, no, that was offending the passer of the salt. And I just remember. I just remember after every one of his joke that bombed and all of them bombed without him realizing it, he would go without passing the salt. Did he try another joke and then the car said no.

[Tom Papa]

But he didn't know he was bombing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

He had no idea. He knew he was bombing, but he didn't know he was vocalizing that every joke ended with a.

[Tom Papa]

That's great.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

He had no idea. Yeah, it was sad.

[Tom Papa]

Who do you want to give your eulogy when you die?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Oh, my. To give my eulogy when I die. Oh, man, that's a tough one.

[Tom Papa]

Fastballs with fits is not a walk in the park.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Do you have to swing right away or you can watch the pitch.

[Tom Papa]

You can take a pitch and I can give you a different one.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No, I'll hang in there. Impossible. If I would say my buddy Lou, because he's the most. He's not a comic. I think it'd be bad at your own funeral to have a comic out headline you.

[Tom Papa]

That's true. I like that.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's kind of weird.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And while comics would write something great, it's gonna be a little bit of them in there. I'd like them to come give some follow ups. Maybe they're there at the toasting, then they can do it. The eulogy. My one friend, Lou is really smart. His nickname, even in high school was Grandpa because he was so much smarter than us. He would just have, like, rabbinical wisdom, Jewish family and.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Smart and funny. And he wouldn't blow it.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah, I like that.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, he'd be good. Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Like I've been to, you know, like, Norm's funeral. A guy got up who is a friend of his, and he kind of blew everybody else away. And he wasn't a comedian.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

Because it was so specific.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. I mean, that thing of, like, you know, going. Having a bunch of comics get up and speak.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Is great, you know, especially if you have really good comics who loved you.

[Tom Papa]

That's for the wake, not the funeral.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Or the memorial.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, right, right, exactly. The memorial.

[Tom Papa]

Okay. Have you ever not finished a set on stage?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yes. Very, very early. Very, very early is the only time. And I was at Stand Up New York. It was one of those bringer shows. And we were kind of like popping off with them. Like we were getting good. And I was very physical in the beginning. And I would like, lunge. I would like, kind of do this Elvis lunge thing. And I Had long hair. And I would be like. And I would go so fast because I didn't. I was terrified that they wouldn't laugh, you know, So I didn't give them room to say no. Like, I just would plow. And I got up and I was doing that style of horrible comedy, and I lost my way, and I locked up, and I didn't know what was next, and I couldn't talk to the audience, and I panicked, and I just walked off.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, my God.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And Geraldo came out the front of Stand Up New York, and he's like, dude, you've got great stuff. Like, you're a good writer. You've got great stuff. You don't need all this. It doesn't have to be scripted. You don't have to run around. Like, you can just sit there and let it happen. You don't need that. And I was kind of. I was caught in it, and he got me out of it.

[Tom Papa]

Wow.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

But I remember that feeling. Like, I've never. I've never even been asked that question. Fastball. Yeah, that's. There's nothing worse than, like, other than, like, pooping yourself.

[Tom Papa]

Well, because we've all had nights, and you do corporate events, which can be particularly difficult because they don't always set them up for comedy. And it's a lot of times a company where people don't want to laugh in front of each other at the wrong things, and there's a million reasons why they're tough. And you have to do your 60 minutes or whatever minutes you're doing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

And you can be halfway through and it ain't going well, and, you know, you've already burnt most of your good shit. And there is always that little voice in the back going. You can just walk off, and there's a part of you that is just going, fuck you. You push that voice down. But it's always there during a bad set.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. Whenever I'm in those. And they. Yeah. There are a million reasons why. Like, the culture's weird. It's outside what. Whoever knows what. And when they start going south, I just. I start to trim it. I'm like, you can't not pay me at 50. If I get to 50, 45, maybe if it's a big laugh and just. I don't know. But, yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Whatever it is, if you're ending your set early, something bad has happened.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. It's uncomfy.

[Tom Papa]

All right, finally. When's the last time you apologized to somebody?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

The last time I apologized to somebody would have to be. It was a comedian. It was. It was like, as a. You know, more than, like just a little thing. Yeah, Yeah. I think I can. I think I can say it. Kira Sultanovich. We love Kira.

[Tom Papa]

I know she opens for you sometimes.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

San Francisco. She opens for you.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

She's one of the funniest.

[Tom Papa]

She is the most underrated comic in town.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

She's a powerhouse and great person. I adore her. And she's got a great family. I just love her to death. And we were doing my podcast and my Breaking Bread podcast, and I was going through this flux where I wasn't able to book people, and I was like, maybe I. I was booking it myself and I was like, maybe I should just. Just me and Kira will just hang out and we'll just do it like a radio show. And people at home get to know the gang at the radio show.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And it wasn't really working, you know, and then I ended up with really good guests, and she was kind of, like, still with me, like, interviewing some of the guests and. But then that form didn't really work. It felt. It's, you know, smaller, more one on one like this, and. And I didn't. I didn't understand what was gonna be the new form of the show. But I started just going one on one and not including Kira. Cause it just. It was changing. And in my defense, my small defense was that I really, at the time, did not know what the show was and what was going to be. And in that time of not. Of not knowing and not figuring it out, I neglected to keep her in the loop.

[Tom Papa]

Right. Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And I. And all of a sudden, it became very clear when we saw each other again, like I had just let her dangle. And I felt terrible. I just felt like, oh, yeah. I've been in those situations where you think you're doing something and all of a sudden it goes away. And I had to really own it and apologize to her because I really do care about her. And I completely understood that I was 100% wrong.

[Tom Papa]

Well, yes and no. I mean, things morph in this business, and you're not always even aware that they are as they're happening.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Until it's all of a sudden. You know, you can't always keep everybody up to breast.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Up to speed all the time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. And especially when, you know, all of a sudden I was using a booking agent that was helping me, and it was just going this way. And I always truly in my head was like, but. And then where does Kieran and then what are we going to, like. Are we going to do, like, a side thing? Are we going to. It was. Was always present in my head and still is. Like, I'm so. We're so funny together. I was like, we could be. We could do something.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I was still always thinking we could do something. And while I'm thinking we could do something, a month and a half has gone by because you book, you run these things, you know, you get ahead, and before you know it, you know, you've got a month and a half of shows and she hasn't been included.

[Tom Papa]

Right.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You know, but I should have, and I'm not great at that. Of, like, keeping people completely in the loop, but I didn't really know what the loop was.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. No. You're also doing 8,000 things. And it's hard to. It's hard to communicate with everybody all the time.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

But the bottom line is I could have done better and hurt my friend. And I was like. I had to sit down and be, like, face to face. This is. I have to apologize.

[Tom Papa]

Right? Okay.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Classy. I like that.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah. And we're. Now we're friends again.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. All right. We're going to go out and plug. Oh, my God. You are hitting the road hard, my friend.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

The Grateful Bread Tour.

[Tom Papa]

Is it really?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, I love it.

[Tom Papa]

That's great.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Grateful Bread Tour is coming to you in Cleveland. Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Seattle. Atlantic City. Grass Valley, California. That sounds like a nice place to live.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Santa Rosa. My daughter lived up there for a minute. That's where Charles Schulz is from. From Peanuts.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Really?

[Tom Papa]

Yeah. He's got a museum up there if you get a minute. Were you a fan of Peanuts?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Of course, dude.

[Tom Papa]

Go to the Charles Schulz Museum. It's got all the cells up.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Really?

[Tom Papa]

It's got his workspace where he did all the drawings.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Wow.

[Tom Papa]

It's amazing.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Is that where he pumped them all out from there?

[Tom Papa]

Yep, yep. Biloxi, Dallas, Houston, Honolulu. Flint. Wow. You're. Honolulu to Flint. Is that a direct flight? Chicago, Madison, Portland, Thousand Oaks. There's a nice one. You get to sleep in your own bed at night. Easton, Pa. New York City, at the Beacon Theater.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Beacon, dude, that's amazing.

[Tom Papa]

Congratulations.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah, big one. That one in the Chicago theater. My first time doing both those big venues.

[Tom Papa]

Yes. That's a big one.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

I did Town Hall. I've never done the Beacon.

[Tom Papa]

Nice. Atlanta, Clearwater, Santa Fe, Lafayette. It goes on and on. If you go to tompapa.com, papa.com, you will be able to get tickets. And also don't forget his, his radio show on Sirius xm. What a joke. With Papa and Fortune. And then what's your other podcast called?

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Breaking Bread.

[Tom Papa]

Breaking Bread with Tom Papa.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Yeah.

[Tom Papa]

Good.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

You were just on it.

[Tom Papa]

I was. We had a blast.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It was fun.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

And thanks for having me here. I can't wait to see what the new version of this is going to be.

[Tom Papa]

Yes. We'll keep you posted. Yeah, it's going to be. We'll finally not be two steps behind.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

No. By the time that. Yeah. No, because you have a human working with you, it's going to be all AI. Everyone's going to be doing them for free.

[Tom Papa]

Yep.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

It's going to be you're, you're, you're, you'll always be behind.

[Tom Papa]

Good. All right, thanks, buddy.

[Greg Fitzsimmons]

Thanks.