← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Ron Perlman Unloads On Trump, Venezuela, Robber Barons, ICE and Broken Hollywood.
01:08:35
Ron Perlman is back. The man, the myth, the legend joins Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff on Paul’s birthday for a wild, unfiltered and deeply hopeful conversation that only these two could have, from Venezuela to Hollywood, Trump to Teamsters, the Nuremberg trials to the magic of movies. They dig into why Ron thinks “the cockroaches’ days are numbered,” how authoritarianism spreads, the loss of empathy in our leadership, and why—despite the rage and the urge to burn it all down—there are still far more “beautiful people who just want to love each other and get a fair shot.”
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- [00:01]
A
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B
Mean, our Commander in Chief doesn't even have a feeling for empathy or compassion or allowing himself to look into somebody's eyes and see their pain. Allowing himself to look into somebody's eyes and see the things that they love that are bigger than themselves. He's not capable of that. There's a lot of those motherfuckers.
- [01:59]
A
Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 4104 10. I am your host, Paul Reikoff and it is Friday, January 6th. That means it's Friday. So Football Friday. Friday. Body Friday.
- [02:14]
B
Football.
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A
We taking the stage. It is Football Friday and it's my birthday. And I'm coming to you from New York City, usa, where the weather has been sunny and warm and then cold and dark and then sunny and warm and then cold and dark, which is kind of what America feels like right now. But it is my birthday. I can't believe I'm 40. It's gone by so fast. It's also the birthday of the great Dave Matthews of the notorious Richard Nixon, the lovely Kate Middleton and the dynamic AJ McLean from the backstreet Boys. Maybe most notably, Jimmy Page. I share a birthday with Jimmy Page, the founder and legendary guitarist for Led Zeppelin. We're going to need some Zeppelin vibes today, folks, because what a fucking week. It has been. I'm going to try to share the light and the energy of Zeppelin and of this movement and of goodness on this day. Maybe channel a little bit of my mom and my dad and all the folks who made me exist on this day and give you perspective and inspiration and community and toughness. And our guest is bringing all of that. The great Ron Perlman is back. The man, the myth, the legend. He is coming up next. You know him from stage and screen and if you listen to this show, you know him from the very beginning. He is a guy who speaks truth to power, who is an awesome human and I think my favorite person I've, I've ever had conversations with on the show coming up in just a minute. But there is a ton happening. America is of course very tense and I'm going to try to bring light to contrast the heat. We're going to bring you information, independence and call out bullshit where we need. All eyes are still on Minneapolis, but also on Portland, Oregon. As we were digesting everything happening in Minneapolis, federal agents shot two more people in Portland, Oregon, which puts that city on edge. If you had to pick two cities where this might start, I would probably pick Minneapolis and Portland or a place like Los Angeles. And back in Minneapolis, Jesse Ventura is speaking out. Jesse the Body Ventura, former independent governor, as he always does. What do you say? No, I'm just saying as a graduate of Roosevelt High School and as the former governor of Minnesota, I'm so proud of Roosevelt High School and how they stood up for what, what is supposed to be America and freedom. And freedom is not arresting people without warrants. We have a system here. It's called a constitution. And we have a party, the Republicans, who don't seem to want to abide by the Constitution. January 6th is a prime example of that. And now they're all free and they're in charge.
- [04:51]
B
You know what?
- [04:52]
A
Maybe it's time for Jesse. I only did one term. I'm owed a second. And Jesse Ventura, if you know him, if you've seen him, he never holds back. He's a Navy seal. A lot of folks don't know that, but he loves his country deeply and he knows what it means to fight for it and to serve. And I know because I met Jesse Ventura way back in 2004. I was looking for a senior, well known independent vet to help us get going when we were organizing veterans and there weren't too many out there and even fewer that would step up to help us. I called a lot of people and Jesse Ventura responded. We started Operation Truth in 2004. Jesse Ventura helped us, launched it, launch it. That grew into Independent Veterans of America. And Jesse had our back from day one. So I want people to know that Jesse Ventura is there for our veterans, for our country. He's a true independent American. And he says he might run again for office for governor in Minneapolis. And if he does, watch out. We've been talking about the power of independent veterans. Jesse Ventura has got that power. So stay tuned there. We'll continue to cover it and I've invited the gov the body to come back here on the show. Hopefully he'll be coming up soon. Trump is still trying to take over the Western Hemisphere. The latest on Venezuela that you need to know about is the Senate actually had a war Powers resolution vote that passed. It would block the president's use of armed forces to engage in hostilities within and against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. Problem is, of course, he's already engaged with Venezuela. A small group of Republicans join the Democrats and they passed it 52 to 47. It needed 51 votes to move forward. So here's the deal. Better late than never, but still very, very, very late. And it should have been unanimous. And the 47 who voted against it, in my view, completely abdicated their responsibility to their constituents and to our troops. It's going to go to the House. It will probably fail. But you should call your members of Congress and tell them that no president should have a blank check with Venezuela or anywhere else. There have been no new strikes on boats that we know of. Trump continues to seize oil tankers. We'll let you know if that continues. And in other parts of the world, we must continue to focus on Iran. It feels like the protests in Iran are different this time. They are spreading rapidly. The regime has tried to shut down Internet and social media. They've been using traffic cameras for facial recognition and arrests. And people are climbing poles and ripping them down. The courage of the Iranian people is incredible and attention must be paid. In the midst of everything else. No, the democracy is fighting for its breath in Iran and we must pay attention. Also continuing in Ukraine, of course, after a brutal night. It's 14 day, 1416. Russia's full scale invasion. And there were massive attacks across Ukraine. Some of the worst attacks we've seen. Putin's trying to shut the power down. He's trying to cripple Ukraine. Ukraine, as always, is fighting back. If you didn't see my show yesterday with Tim Mack of the counteroffensive, he came to us live From Kiev. Go back and check that out in politics. Let's move over there. Where has Tulsi Gabbard been? Anybody seen Tulsi Gabbard? She was actually on this show in the first year. If you want to see some weird shit, go back and check that out. But I used to know the old Tulsi Gabbard before, before she became this Tulsi Gabbard. But it turns out she was excluded from the Venezuela plans. Just before the mission was developing, she was on a beach in Hawaii. Unaware of the details, she. So my hashtag, where is Tulsi? Let the memes begin. In culture, here's some good news. This show made number 36 on the Apple podcast news charts. It's the highest we've ever been. We're ahead of Morning Joe and just behind Rachel Maddow, who I'm gonna get back on the show soon, but it's the highest of pods ever been. I just wanna thank you guys, all of you. The vigilant, the very vigilant, the most vigilant that have listened, watched and be so supportive, especially in this last few weeks. Chris and I have been busting our ass to meet this moment for years, and especially in the last couple of weeks since we've gone daily. And I just want to thank all of you. And to the newcomers, welcome. We want you here, we need you here, and we're all in this together. Stay vigilant. Speaking of community, sports is still our kind of bastion. And what an incredible fucking college football game last night. If you got to take an hour or two away from the bombings around the world and the chaos in America. Miami beat Ole Miss in a true classic. And thankfully, college football is the one thing that Trump hasn't fucked up in this country, at least so far. And we get another one tonight. Oregon versus Indiana, an epic clash. We'll talk more about that coming up in. In our Football Friday football segment. But college football is awesome and it's a much needed distraction. So now we return to our regularly scheduled chaos. And guess who is a master of chaos, A master of navigating chaos, creating good chaos and. And bring in the best kind of energy when shit's getting crazy. It's our guest coming up. And now is most definitely a time to stay vigilant. All right, folks, here he is, the man, the myth, the legend, the voice, the face, the energy that is unmatched. A man I've been honored to know, man, I think for almost 20 years now. He is, is graced us on my Birthday as a birthday present to me and most of all to all of you, to independent Americans. The great and powerful Ron Perlman is back. Welcome back, sir.
- [10:16]
B
I bow to you, my friend. And it cannot be overstated, even though it's been overstated already, that today is the birthday of the great American, Paul Rykoff. And he is exemplary of an America that we should always keep right in the forefront of our inner vision, our outer vision, all of our visions. Because he stood a post which fundamentally means that he was a man who was willing to give his life for a cause greater than him. He not only stood that post, but he came back from that kind of service, that kind of selfless service, which is to me the highest form of heroism to create iava, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. That's when I got to know him. I've known him, as he says, for 20 years. And he's the reason people, him and people like him that I ain't worried because there is way more of us that understand self sacrifice and causes greater than ourselves and what the promise and the beauty of this country holds that who are willing to put their life on the line to defend it than there are of those other scumbags. And those guys, they can. They're going to come and they're going to fucking go. And I ain't worried because I got Paul Rykoff and he's got my back.
- [11:56]
A
Dude, I'm humbled. I mean, I definitely have your back. The day, if anything, should be a celebration of my mother who had to deal with me and birth me and it wasn't easy for her and my family. And I'm always, you know, somebody told me once a really great insight on my wife's birthday. I send flowers to her mother every year and my mother gets flowers on my birthday. My mother gets flowers every day, my dad too, and my grandparents and dude, I'm just. I'm great. I'm grateful to be in contact with you all the time. The no shit. Is it like this work over 20 years goes through ups and downs and you're a guy who always lifts me up, man. I remember the first time you walked into our office at iaba. You showed up, which you often do. You showed up in person, you gave us a check, you shook hands, you spent a lot and you sat with the team. I remember, I think you sat. We had a crisis response team that was doing suicide calls and homeless and you sat with them for a long time, man. And that's when I knew we were going to be Friends for a long time. Because you show up for people and you show up for America, and you speak truth to power. You and I were talking last night. I said, you know, you and Jesse Ventura would be a hell of a tag team to defend our democracy and to meet this moment. But I appreciate you, man. You don't. You don't pull punches.
- [13:07]
B
Well, thank you, bro. You know, it is. I'm working on something personally right now, which is one of the reasons why I backed off of my former political kind of rants and raves that I think the last time we came on, I don't know what the fuck we were talking about, but it was some, you know, thing that was gonna come and go and, you know, just very bothersome, you know, we're constantly surrounded by people who are. What is the opposite of pure of heart? And so, you know, whenever you and I get a chance to sit and talk, you know, it's always about the outraged du jour. But I backed off the political stuff because I'm personally working on something that I think is foundationally. I'm not interested in where we are in terms of the tonality, the assault on decency, all of the things that are being thrown at us. You know, the whole flooding of the Zone, to quote the scumbag that is Steve Bannon, you know, just throwing shit at us. Before we can even have a chance to process this, there's more shit being thrown. I'm not worried about that as much as I am about how we got here, because I don't ever want to. In my lifetime and my children's lifetime and your children's children's lifetime. You have little kids. I have grown kids. I'm worried about making sure nobody who calls themselves an American has to watch the assault that's taking place on all of the things that make this place beautiful, particularly habeas corpus, due process, rule of law. But just the norms that are in place that no one has ever fucked with because they're part of the golden rule. They're part of love thy neighbor. They're part of, basically, the teachings of Jesus. And the assault on those things. The assault on those things, the biggest sin is how desperate they are to make what they're doing look normal and necessary when we all know that it's just the opposite. But I digress a bit. I'm worried about the fact that we've now had to endure this bullshit not once, but twice. And what I'm personally working on are all of the reasons why a big enough swath of the American public would enable this would be okay with this? Because if we can address that in my mind, then we go a long way toward preventing it from ever happening again. And I'm glad they're going as far as they are, because, you know, just get all the fucking ugly out. Just fucking show us exactly how fucking ugly you can be so that we can fucking stomp you like the fucking insects that you are.
- [16:25]
A
Anyway, hold there. Hold there, because I want to come back to what you're cooking up. And I think you're bringing the right kind of righteous anger and heat. You know, this show started out as angry Americans. And I said, if you're not angry, you're not paying attention. And you've always been a guy who expresses, especially in your characters and in your personal life, like the grievance that exists for many folks. We've talked in the past about, you know, your work with Sons of Anarchy and others, how a lot of folks from different backgrounds listen to you and follow you. But you turn it in to positivity. You always turn it into great creative, and you turn it into activism, and you turn it into wisdom. You know, My kids adore you. I told you. I think it was like I felt like the moons were in alignment because my kitchen sink flooded the other day. And I got up in the morning and the water was everywhere, and it got into some of my old comic books, and I was like, fuck. Because I had nowhere to put them, and they were next to the sink. I'm trying to save the comic books. And on top was, I have, like, a Transformers number one. And my son Ryder saw it, and he was like, dad, dad, that's your buddy. That's Optimus Primal, man. What's he doing? Where is he? And I was like, you know, that means I need to call Ron and bring him on my show for my birthday. And here we are. But let me ask you, man, before we go deeper into. And I'm just gonna. I can't wait to just give you the mic and let you run with Trump. That's what you did. I think the first time you came on my show, you were driving in your car around California. But let me ask you something that I ask everybody. Where are you and how are you? This is a lot of shit coming to people, especially this week. How are you, man?
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B
I'm home in California with my beautiful wife and my four dogs. My kids are. Well, one of them is living outside the country for the moment. The other one is living in the house he grew up in everybody's, everybody's. Everybody's, you know, doing just, just fine, healthy, relatively happy. Me personally, I've never been better. And this endeavor that I'm working on, which we'll get to, is what I've learned about that because of what a heavy lift it is and what a big boulder it is to push up the mountain is that it's based in. And I never realized this about myself, it's based in pure optimism. I am somebody who truly believes in the positivity of the human spirit. I'm somebody who truly believes that we all long for and wish for and fight for our better angels. But we are so under siege by people who aren't as pure of heart as the. I would say the 75% of us who roam the earth. Not just the country, but the earth. Or don't you know, I mean, our commander in chief doesn't even have a feeling for empathy or compassion or allowing himself to look into somebody's eyes and see their pain. Allowing himself to look into somebody's eyes and see their things that they love that are bigger than themselves. He's not capable of that. He is the most. He's like. And there's a lot of those motherfuckers. And what I have done is, I've identified what I'm now calling the Robert Baron kind of. We've always had them. We've always had the guys who think they know what the world should look like. It needs to be white. It needs to be people who have money and influence. Needs to be people who have power. And those guys are so sure that they've been chosen by God to do all of our thinking for us and all of our behaving for us, that have self appointedly allowed themselves to rule over us. And they're mostly corporate motherfuckers with no soul who worship money and power. And unfortunately, no matter how much money they have, it's never enough. And unfortunately, no matter how much power, it's never enough. These people can never ever be cured of the fucking nightmares that keep them up at night. And they think that if they have enough money and power that they won't have any more nightmares. They'll always have nightmares because they fucking have holes in their souls that can never be filled, no matter how much money they have, no matter how much power they have. And that's a different mentality than the 75% of the people that I'm fighting for who just want to fucking do a hard day's work for A good day's pay. They don't. They're not interested in golden parachutes. They don't even know what a fucking golden parachute is. They think it's something that exists in, in that fucking Tom Cruise movie, you know, with the fucking fighter planes and shit. Well, yeah, golden parachutes, yeah, I saw that motherfucking movie. But all they want to do is raise their kids and retire with dignity. The American dream. They're the salt of the fucking earth. That's all they want to do. All they want is a fair shot. And they have been so fucked by the proliferation of corporate America. The soulless motherfuckers that run companies. And what corporate America does is they identify a really cool idea, somebody builds a fucking mom and pop little idea, it's a very cool idea. And they go, oh, I see the value in that. And they go. And they pay obscene amounts of money to buy it. And the first thing they do is they fire the whole workforce and replace them with a bunch of fucking automatons who are told, hey, open your mouth. There's 15 other guys that want your job. So they degrade the human value of their workforce. They gaslight into thinking that they have no self worth, they have no power, they have no dignity. That's the playbook of corporate America. And that came from my fucking industry, that came from the movie business in the form of these motherfucking tech bros. These, you know, we used even when the movie industry got corporatized back in the 50s, you know, when Sony came in and bought MGM and when Gulf Western came in and bought Paramount. Even in those days when the corporations started to take over the old mom and pop studios that were invented by families and had family name on it and had pride of ownership, even then they knew enough to hire people who actually respected and regarded with great honor and dignity how important culture was to the world until these streamers fucking came around. These tech bros, these guys who are basically just there to sell you telephones and diapers and cheap books and fucking, you know, make sure you don't ever go to the store. Make sure you don't ever support some sort of mom and pop fucking endeavor. Just because $70 billion market cap is not nearly enough to fill these guys empty souls. And they want more and they want more. And they took over my fucking industry, the movie business. And that's where I said, not on my watch, motherfuckers. So I'm starting a company. I have started a company called Asylum Studios. We're up and running. We have Greenlit movies already we're greenlighting more. We're gonna return to the glory and the pageantry of what cinema means. How important it is to shine a light on the human condition, which is what it always has done. Like there's no greater, more potent exploration of the human condition ever. Including all the philosophers you can throw in, all of the psychiatrists, everybody who studies the human. Nobody does it better than cinema. And to have these guys belittle it into fucking home entertainment and turn it into something that's disposable. Home entertainment used to be the last place you went to see a movie after it played in the theater, then after it played on dvd, then after it played foreign, then after it played.
- [24:51]
A
All over the world.
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B
The last place it went to is home entertainment. The way these guys have it now, It's. It's the whole menu. Home entertainment. You can sit there with your piss stained fucking sweatpants and watch great art and think that you're participating in culture. You don't go to the fucking synagogue, you don't go to the mosque. You don't go to the fucking church in your piss stained sweatpants. You go there to be around a conflagration of other humans who are humbling themselves in the eyes of God. So that you can have a collective conscious moment where you're humbling yourself and you're saying, I do believe in God and I do believe in my love of neighbors. You do that in public. That's the way you should be watching movies. Let me pause the corporate mentality. The corporate mentality.
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A
Go ahead.
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B
That I'm describing is what leads to the current cabinet and Commander in Chief. Because if you fuck with the American worker long enough and hard enough, the guy who just wants to fucking do a hard day's work for a good day's pay and mind his own business and raise his kid and retire with dignity. If you fuck with them long enough, if you get them pissed off enough, if you get them to the point where they're ready to burn it all fucking down. Fuck what we used to fight for. Fuck how we used to be the guys who fought against fascism. Let's just fucking welcome it onto our shores. That's what happens when you fuck with the average working man. He gets so fucking pissed off, he says, I don't give a shit. Nobody has my back. Let's burn it all down. Well, I got news for you, bro. You are everything to me. The average working man is everything to me. And I'm building a studio where there are no executives. There's no fucking executive class. There's no motherfucker who's looking at the ticker every month and watching what the quarterly profits are and fellating all of his corporate guys who write him the big checks. None of those guys are welcome in our studio. It's just going to be creators doing creative things. It's just going to be us. And the only thing that these guys have over us is they have obscene amounts of money. And I'm on my way to collecting enough money so that I'm gonna sustain this movie studio, which is run by and for artists, to make beautiful things for the world to share, to be reminded that we are a part of a collective consciousness, that we're shining a light on the human condition, that all of us lose people. All of us have bad days, all of us have great days. But we identify heroism. We identify self sacrifice. We identify all of the beautiful things that storytelling has always done. So that's what I'm working on, bro. And that's why I've turned my back on the politics of the day, because that shit comes and goes. But what I'm talking about is forever.
- [27:58]
A
You'Ve been cooking in the lab and sharing bits and pieces with me. And I'm really excited that you now at a place where you can start to share this vision and the values and the structure and how you're gonna attack this. And I'm gonna keep coming back to what you. What I hear as a through line in everything you do and everything you say, which is values, right? Which is gone in so many places, especially in our institutions and in the White House. And I remember, I always remember when you and I went to see you, you were gracious enough to call me up and said, hey, I heard your kids like the Transformers. You want to go to the Transformers premiere with me? And I was like, fuck, yeah. So we take, you know, Ryder and I and two of our buddies, we meet you out in Brooklyn for the premiere. And this was an incredible experience for my son especially, and to be around you and for him to see you working and. And to see the reverence that people have for you, which is very important. When people meet you, they have a reverence for you because of the way you carry yourself and the characters you choose and the work you do. But we were riding home and we were in like a suburban you up front when Ryder was asleep in my lap. We were going, I think, up or down the fdr. I think you were driving me home. We started talking about what was coming. We started talking about what was coming, and I was. You were optimistic and I was pessimistic. I saw a lot of what we're seeing now start to unfold. That conversation has always burned in my mind because I know that by sharing that pessimism and sharing with you, there was. There's an energy. You know, I've always say we're fighting the forces of ignorance and stupidity and we're greatly outnumbered, but we're coming together, and this moment is bringing a lot of us together. You know, I mentioned Jesse Ventura, you know, have you even Tim Mack on Yesterday? We've had so many voices around us that are coming together like a Super Friends network, you know, and meeting this moment. The dogs are even chiming in, right? So let me, let me, let me, let me shift into what I think is our top topic. With you on this show. We always start with top topic. I just want. I just want to ask you to build on what you're talking about. The loss of values, the loss of honor, the loss of love, the loss of respect for creative. Right. I mean, the erosion of our. Of our heart and our soul, even. And especially around the arts, the cheap ification and just the trump ification of the. All of it, right? And it just. It's all shitty. Even when they. They're going to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America and they throw it up on the Washington Monument, of course it looks cheesy. Of course it looks like shit. That's their brand, right? There's a lack of creativity, but also a lack of respect and honor and nobility. And I think that that is central to understanding this moment because people say, what do we do? I keep saying, go back to our values, right? Someone said to me once that if America was a religion, veterans would be the clergy. We're the keepers of the flame. But you are a keeper of the flame for your industry and for the culture. And that's why I think you're such a conscience for this country. Let me ask you to take that on, Ron. I mean, take him on and take them on. I think about Hegseth, who I see, I know I knew him. I feel like I watch a man sacrifice his soul on the altar of power. And we can all see that, right? I mean, I said, how can you trust him to tell you the truth on Venezuela when he didn't tell the truth to three of his wives? I mean, you can't trust him. He's gone. He's corrupt. And once you understand that Then you can understand what they're capable of. And there's a total failure of imagination in this country. I keep talking about it. People don't think he'll really take Greenland. He won't really hit Venezuela. Well, we're on the way. But Ron, the mic is yours on all of that. The loss of values and honor and respect in this country and how we can take it on.
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B
Well, I refuse to, I refuse to believe that. Yeah, I mean he may take Venezuela today, but you know, there was, There was such a thing as the Nuremberg trials when motherfuckers tried to, to, to squash all decency and replace it with hatred and bigotry and this sort of like white man's burden of like we know we need to wipe off, wipe out the earth of anything that is impure. We've beat that back every motherfucking time. And this time is no different. These guys days are fucking numbered. That's why I don't worry about it. I don't follow it anymore. I can't get down into that. How pathetic it is. How. How it's an extension of the worst, worst impulses in the human condition. I can't get. I can't. I'm too. I have too much faith in what the founders.
- [32:40]
A
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- [33:09]
B
Promised us and how we're going to figure out a way to preserve it. So that guy that was in that, that Ford Bronco with you or whatever. Fuck, I was taking you home. That's still me. I, I'm still, I'm still completely believe that we will prevail. This is a blip on the radar. These, these, these fucking cockroaches are gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna come and go and we're gonna restore. Maybe we'll take Greenland for a month, three months, five miles a year. All that shit's gonna be restored to back to, to where it's because there's too many of us. There's too many. We are the vast majority. And all I'm looking to do is wake up that spirit in the 90% of us who are just trying to get through the day honestly and believe in something bigger than ourselves. And I feel like if I do this thing right, where I truly convince everybody I've created a model, like in Asylum Studios, my studio, every single person that works on an Asylum project is part owner, including the motherfucker that cleans Leonardo DiCaprio's toilet. He owns a piece of the movie. He gets back prior ownership. He gets back, we see you, we respect your contribution, and we're going to reward you for it. He gets back all that stuff. And if I can do that in one industry and show the world it's possible to let people, ordinary people who don't want anything but just get through their day honestly and with integrity and with decency and a couple of laughs, right, If I can let them know we got your back, maybe that'll start to spread. And if that spreads and the average American starts to think, holy shit, there's no reason to feel like I want to fucking burn it all down. Because I feel like somebody sees me, somebody has my back. That's my theory, Paul. That's what I'm going to be working on for the rest of my days. That's the hill I'm going to die on, but it's also the hill I'm going to live on. And I feel as though it's a reaction to 75 years of being on this planet and seeing how beautiful it can be and how ugly it can be, and just taking all the ugly and saying, you don't deserve any of our fucking time. You have fucking shit the bed. You're over here now. We, the beautiful people who just wanna love each other and get a fair shot, we're taking over. And that's my theory. I'm putting it into this little model that I'm making, this movie studio. But it's basically a metaphor for all of the things that I think need to exist in the world that I imagine and that I wanna live in and that I want for my kids and their kids.
- [36:06]
A
I think that that's why it's already so important, because you're putting out there a concept that can be contagious. Energy is contagious. Ideas are contagious. Values are contagious. And the way you're putting out what you're building, you say you're going to die on that hill. You're going to live on that hill, you're going to build on that hill, right? And it's the culmination of all your life to build on that hill. And I think to hear you talk is going to give people a lot of energy because folks feel like they're beaten down. And I think what I've been trying to do, especially on this show and in this movement, is elevate fighters, right? He's going to have a UFC fight at the White House. Right? But this is kind of a fight for the microphone and it's a fight for attention and it's a fight for the narrative, especially to the outside world. When we talk about things like Greenland, we have to communicate to the world that Trump doesn't speak for us and that Vance doesn't speak for us. There are a majority of us that support Greenland and respect Greenland and support Ukraine and respect Ukraine and support people around the world and respect people. And we know that this is wrong, what they're doing and the way they're doing it. So I think it's really important for folks in this moment, there are voices that are really, really significant that are emerging. You are here now, and this is like a reintroduction for some folks who maybe haven't heard you talk about politics and culture and values. Jesse Ventura just got reintroduced to a whole new generation yesterday, right? Mick Foley, my friend Mick Foley is another example, right? Mick is a guy. And you're all guys who connect with the MAGA base and connect with moderates and connect with independents. You're viewed as tough guys, real tough guys. And to have you out in this moment now is so important. So I'm going to go into what I think should be our under the Radar segment. And it's this emergence of the real tough guys. And you're all, you know, you're not young guys, you're in your 70s, but you can sit across from him in the same way Ventura can and Mick Foley can and others can and say, you're a draft dodger, you're a punk, you didn't do what I did. I see you. And to have that head on confrontation over the national narrative and the narrative to our kids, right? Because my kids see Trump on TV every day and my kids have met you and they know that that's what wrong looks like. And you're what right looks like. And mostly because of the way you treat people right. If I was in a car with my kids and Trump, he would not treat them well, right? And the people around him. And you treat everyone well. And that is such an important example. We talk about Manosphere Monday. We need male examples especially. And I will Say it. We also need white male examples to show contrast because a lot of people assume that I'm an ice agent or you're a Republican or Mick Foley is down with Trump, right? And we have to say, no, you know, let's break that, that understanding or that assumption and show that we're much more diverse. So let get to the, the issue of toughness and, and, and, and, and this fight, it's, it is a fight, right? You're a fighter. You're a tough. You've been fighting your whole life. Now you're fighting again to build something. But this fight for the microphone and the fight for the soul of America and the flag that they're trying to co.
- [39:10]
B
What was your question, Paul?
- [39:11]
A
How are we gonna. How you know you're a fighter, man? Tell people how we're not fighting?
- [39:16]
B
Listen, listen, I'm naming names. I'm calling out to people who are trying to Svengali us and trying to fucking piss down our back and then tell us it's raining. I'm calling out anybody who does that. And I'm starting off knowing that the culture behind the CEO, corporate America, the thing that co opts anything that's a beautiful human idea and turns it into something that's soulless and empty. And then the way they treat their workforce, that's the devil. That's the guy. It's not the fucking immigrant. It's not the scapegoats that these fucking fascist punks are telling us we need to beware of. Like, anybody that doesn't go to their country club is an enemy of the public. No, the enemy of the public is the fucking corporate seat. That's the guy who's taking all of the beauty and the soul out of all the things that actually are worth living for and dying for. So that's my enemy. And I'm coming after you. I'm coming after you. I'm coming after you, motherfucker, if it's the last thing I do. And you know what? It will be the last thing I do, because I'm going to keep coming after you until there's. We have, like you say, we have the microphone. And maybe, maybe if you fucking dig deep enough and find some decency in yourself and some. I remember when I had nothing. Hey. I remember when I had somebody who put their hand out and helped me up. If you find that in yourself, you're invited to my party. But if you keep being a fucking soulless, greedy scumbag who just wants to create division in people who just Wants to keep us hating each other, who just wants to keep putting up straw dogs for us to go after, you know, like any foreigner, anybody with brown skin, anybody with red skin, anybody with black skin, you know, if that's what you want to do. And you know in your heart of hearts, that's not the reality, but that's your technique. You are fucking guilty as charged. Because you are just like, first of all, the lying. No more lying, man. No more lying. The truth is the only thing that's gonna set us free. So all of this bullshit about the straw dog, that is the immigrant that are, you know, the, you know, the, the, you know, that's. They're lying to us, bro. And I'm not having it anymore. I'm not having it. I'm not fucking having it. And I'm gonna share that. I'm gonna. Like Bob Dylan said, I'm gonna stand on the ocean until I start singing. I'm gonna reflect from the mountains so all souls can see before I start singing. Motherfucker.
- [42:25]
A
See, this is. This is the moment where the, you know, the truth is essential, right? The thing they're waging war on most of all is the truth, right? And our collective understanding of what is true and what's rising in response is real truth, real authenticity. I keep saying on this show, especially, the Democrats are not going to save you. And people have been waiting for the Democrats to all of a sudden get tough, and they're part of the problem, too. There's the corporate component, there is the party component, and people just sitting around waiting for the Democrats to save you. And I've been saying that the most effective counter to Trump is not going to be the Democrats. It's not going to be the left. It's going to be the core, it's going to be the heart, it's going to be something else. And it's this. It's what you're talking about. And it's that spirit of real toughness, real authenticity and real wisdom. When I hear, and I'm going to keep drawing this line, like you and Mick and Ventura and even West Moore more recently, right? We're talking from experience, right? We're talking from guys who've had hard times, who've lost friends, who've been poor, who've been in handcuffs. Like, I've talked about all those moments myself, right? I've talked about the hardship of that. And I think we have to talk about it a bit more and also recognize it and empathize with it, especially when it comes to shooting a woman in cold blood and seeing her slumped over a steering wheel and motherfuckers who don't even have the honor or the respect or the professionalism to take care of her when she's bleeding out. Like, these moments are clarifying. And I think, as I see people respond to you, and I know they'll respond to this conversation and voices, there aren't a lot of them, but they're very powerful. Like you. You have a unique ability to hit them right between the eyes where it hurts, and to get to people that few other people can get to. And that's why what you're doing with asylum is so important. Everything you're doing most of all, your words, man, your words and your example are so important because it's in direct contrast to who he is and who they are. And that's what people need. They need alternatives to rally around. And I'm going to keep bringing them, and I'm going to keep supporting you as one of them, any way I can.
- [44:25]
B
Appreciate that, bro. Appreciate it. And, you know, the realization that I came to watching all of these cabinet members get, get, get like, you know, the rubber stamp from Congress, you know, I'm not going to name names because, you know, I, you know, I want to live to die on this hill. And I know these, I start naming names, these motherfuckers are going to start coming right after me and my family.
- [44:46]
A
They're. They're listening. They're listening. I know you guys, you know me, what's up? If you're listening, and you're probably listening, you probably are listening. You have. You should have better fucking things to do. But as we saw in the Venezuela operation, you're probably following us on Twitter and you're watching what we do. But I'm sorry, back to you, Ron.
- [45:08]
B
No, but just to watch all of the people who are running the country get confirmed by the Senate and just to watch some of the rulings that are coming out of the Supreme Court, my realization is nobody, nobody is coming to save us except us. The only solution is us. And we the people happen to be the first fucking three words in the Constitution of the United States. And our founders, man, they made a lot of mistakes. They sanctioned a lot of really dark, ugly shit, but they had a beautiful dream. And all we're looking to do is get closer to it every single day, you know, get, you know, like, in search of a more perfect union. And, yeah, we have a lot of stuff around us you can point to that we're guilty of that we should be ashamed of. But the promise of this country and the ability to fucking get closer to it every day is what I live for and what I will die for.
- [46:16]
A
Well, you're not going down yet because a lot of us have your back. And as folks have been listening to this show, especially now that we're hitting this level with the show, where I know we're reaching a lot more people, and folks are going back into the archives, you're going to hear a rhyme to what a lot of our guests have had. I always wanted iconic, important, inspiring leaders on this show, folks that are cracking through and taking us to where we're going, not just where we are. And when I hear you talk, I hear Ken Burns, right? And I hear Admiral McRaven and I hear Asha Rangapa. We've had voices on this show, and they all start to rhyme. And that rhyme is coming together in a chorus now in a very, very important way. Sebastian Younger is another one I think of and so many others that have been on this show. We all have a rhyme to it. Even go back to Bernthal and so many others that have been on this show. And it's coming together, man. And that's why I have an optimism. You get me more optimistic, man. And I do believe that we're at a tipping point where people are responding and fighting back and they're not waiting for anybody else. It's us. You're right. It is us. And Ken Burns always says us. It's about us, and it is about us, man. I want to bring us through. We're going to shift gears, right? Totally different, right? We went below the radar. We did top topics. This is going to be fun. I got you here on a Friday. So that means we get to do football Friday. Body, body, Body. Friday. Football. We taking the stage now. I mean, I don't know if you. Have you ever played a football coach or a player? You've done so many things. I feel like you've had you ever. I feel like you would be a. Have you ever been a coach in a movie or a show?
- [47:50]
B
No. No.
- [47:51]
A
Why the fuck not? Peter Berg or whoever else is doing the next football movie? Why is Perlman not a coach in. In some fucking movie?
- [48:00]
B
Because I feel like if you got. If you got Peter Berg's number, you should drop him a line and say, hey, man, what the fuck are you thinking?
- [48:08]
A
I do. I do have his number. He's been on this show. He's another guy. That kind of rhymes, right? All right, well, anyway, I berg, if you're doing another movie, another Friday Night Lights or whatever, Pearlman needs to be a fucking coach because he's been a life coach for me and so many others. All right, let's hit it, man. We're going to do football Friday. Last night you. I called you, you texted me and said, hey, man, can you talk? I was like, I got to watch the end of the fucking Ole Miss game with Miami because that was unbelievable. It was a fantastic ending. And we have at least this oasis that is football. All right, tonight we got another one. My little guy river and his great Oregon Ducks. You'll appreciate this. He's wearing an entire uniform to school today. He's. He's in first grade, he's got pads in his pants. He wanted to wear a helmet, but I don't think it's. He's got eye black on. He's fucking cranked up, right? And we got Dante Moore, the number two quarterback in the country, against Fernando Mendez, the number one quarterback in the country, Oregon against Indiana. It's a great clash. Probably the number one and number two picked quarterbacks in the NFL and the number two overall next year in the NFL. Indiana 14 and oh. Against Oregon and against Oregon 13. 1. Look, my. My brain says Indiana, and they're just a machine. And Fernando Mendez is so impressive. I hope that the jets take him because I want the jets to not suck. And I feel like this kid's got a. Another level of composure that reminds me of just a very cerebral, calm, thoughtful guy who might be able to handle a place like New York. Dante Moore, also electrifying and, and fantastic. But I'm gonna go with Oregon for my boy River. I want them to upset Indiana here. Who you got, Ron? You got the Indiana Hoosiers or Oregon Ducks?
- [49:42]
B
Well, before I answer, can I ask you, like, what. What is behind Rivers thinking here is, is he just for the underdog or does he know something about the team?
- [49:50]
A
Well, he's like, Oregon, I got the helmet back there. Anybody who knows me close or has been on our sports teams, he was like, really little. And we watched football and Oregon came on. I think it was the uniforms, right? They have the coolest uniforms that finally got his attention. But he likes their style of play. He will tell you he liked all their quarterbacks, you know, going all the way back. He can name all their quarterbacks and he likes them all the way back to Mariota, which might even be before his time. But he's got like an encyclopedic knowledge and Then we went to watch Oregon play Rutgers, which was the closest we could get to him. And he's all in, man. That's his team. I mean, now when you're a young kid, you can pick kind of ala carte. He's a Boston Celtics fan in basketball. Ducks are his college football team, but I love it, man. We got a lot of Ducks gear in this house. But who you picking, man? The Indiana or Oregon?
- [50:36]
B
Well, I'm taking Oregon because, number one, you know, when river grows up, if he decides he wants to be a financial advisor, I'm his first client. I'm never gonna go against river number one. But number two, I just like his style. I like the way he thinks. And I'm all in for Oregon.
- [50:54]
A
Love it. He's my. He's a creative. I mean, I said it the other day. They called us up last year when he had school pitchers, and they were like, he. He has eye black on. We just want to make sure it's okay. I'm like, yeah, it's okay. We talked about it. I was like, if he's going to be the one with a mohawk, purple hair, tattoos, I'm like, he's a creative. He's more likely to be an actor probably than he will be a quarterback. All right, but let's go through. We'll go through these quick. All right. We got a bunch of NFL games coming up. I'm going to rip through them. We got the number four Steelers going into Texas to play the Texans. Aaron Rodgers, who's almost as old as you and me, is going into Houston to play Texans. And CJ Stroud. I'm picking the Texans at home. They don't usually win the playoffs, but I had enough of Aaron Rodgers mouth, and I'd like to see the Texans win. What about you, Ron? What do you got, Texans or Steelers?
- [51:38]
B
Texas. Steelers.
- [51:40]
A
All right. All right. You feel. I feel like you need to be. You and Bill Cower. There's another one like, you and Cower should hang out. I mean, you guys, the two greatest voices I've had around me in the last 20 years. You ever met Cower? You guys would get along. All right, well, I'm to the guest.
- [51:57]
B
Let's go have a beer, man. Let's go celebrate your birthday.
- [52:00]
A
Yeah, we should. I'll tell you what, you guys. You and Cower, you both know how to party. Like you say, you know you're invited to my party. If Ron Ferrellman invites you to a party, you should go. If Bill Coward invites you to a Party. You should go. Their parties are much better. I'm not. I've never been to any JD Vance parties or Pete Hexeth parties, but they're not as fun as yours. All right, let's keep going. Speaking of parties, Buffalo Bills are home against the Jags. This is maybe the best matchup of the weekend. This is going to be electrifying. Jags are on fire. But you got. You got. You know, you got Josh at home here with the Bills. They've been up and down, but the Bills at home are hard to beat. Jags at Bills. Who you got there, Ron? I'm going. I'm going with the Bills. I'm going to go with the Bills at home to beat the Jags in a slugfest.
- [52:42]
B
Yeah, I'm going with the Bills. I got a lot. I got a lot invested in any team from New York. Number one, Buffalo in particular. I'm going with the Bills.
- [52:53]
A
You like Buffalo?
- [52:55]
B
I had some good times in Buffalo, man, but that's where I discovered the Buffalo hot wing. And, you know, after I took my first bite of a Buffalo hot wing from the Anchor Bar, which invented the recipe for that, I said, if I ever get a private plane, I'm getting my pilot, and we're flying a Buffalo to get some wings.
- [53:14]
A
I love it. See, I think you've probably been to every place we're talking to, so this might be a theme here when you come on in the future, too. All right, the Patriots. All right, New England's number two. They got to go out to play the Chargers. They did end up getting the number two seed. I think here it's going to be on an NBC, and I guess it's Sunday night. That is Patriots going in to play the Chargers. I don't know why. Why is that? I hope I don't have this wrong. Maybe I might. You know what? I might have it wrong. I might have the home field. It might be flipped on me. Anyway, it's Patriots. Chargers. I don't think the Chargers are beating the Pats. Drake maybe has been on fire here, and I'm going to. I hate to do this. How the fuck do I do this? But I'm going to have to pick the Patriots. Who are you picking, man?
- [53:55]
B
Chargers.
- [53:57]
A
Chargers. Yeah, I got it backwards. The Chargers got to go in. I had those home. I had those home.
- [54:01]
B
I've taken. I've taken a lot of shit over the years from the Patriots. I just got to go with anybody else.
- [54:07]
A
Yeah, I did have it backwards. The Jags are going to Be home against the Bills. I'm still picking the Bills. And the Patriots are home against the Chargers. Steelers are home against the Texans. I'm still picking the Texans. I don't know. I went on some website where it did like European soccer style where it put the home team second. All right, we got Panthers and Rams. I'm picking the Rams here. I. I like the Rams. I think they're better than a five seed. Panthers have been pretty spectacular at four, but I'm going with the Rams. Who you got?
- [54:40]
B
I got the Rams.
- [54:42]
A
What do you think about the Ram? You're in la, man. I mean, the Rams were gone. The Rams are back. You guys went from having no football teams to now having a whole bunch. What the.
- [54:51]
B
I've been to a few home, home Ram games and they're an exciting team to watch. I root for them. I love their style. I love their doggedness. I'm. I'm going with the Rams.
- [55:02]
A
How sick is that stadium? I've never been there, but that stadium just looks incredible.
- [55:07]
B
It's really cool. It's really cool. Especially, you know, for a motherfucker like me who gets to hang out on the field. But enough about me. Happy birthday, Paul.
- [55:18]
A
I got. I. Thank you. I got. I got two more for you. All right. Eagles at home against the Niners. I'm picking the Niners to upset the Eagles. I think Brock Purdy's got it going on. Can't root against my man George Kittle. I feel like if they do a life story of George Kittle, you could play older George Kittle down the line. I'm taking the Niners over the Eagles. Who you got, Ron?
- [55:37]
B
Well, I could play older anybody at this point. But anyway, I'm. I'm taking the Eagles. Cause my wife, she's a. She's a Delaware Philly girl.
- [55:48]
A
Yeah, these are, you know, I said earlier, the best matchup. These are all good matchups. Shout out to my wife. You know, my wife is now shooting a film in Philly. So I don't care how much they she work she does there. I'm not rooting for the Eagles. You know, I don't hate on the Sixers and the Phillies, but I can't root for the Eagles. I just. I fucking can't do it, man. I can't do it. All right, Bears. The Bears are good. Holy shit, the Bears are good. And they're hosting the Packers. They've been fantastic. Their quarterback, Caleb Williams has been amazing. USC guy. You know, packers are always tough, but I don't think that Jordan Love can pull it off? I'm going with the Bears to beat the Packers. Who you got? Ron.
- [56:26]
B
I'm with you. I'm with you. The Bears all the way.
- [56:29]
A
How about Ditka? You ever meet Ditka?
- [56:33]
B
I played in a celebrity golf tournament and we kind of crossed paths. We had a couple of. Of very spicy exchanges. Yeah. And good. In a good way.
- [56:46]
A
I mean, you got to fight with Ditka on a golf course. That would be amazing.
- [56:50]
B
Oh, no, no, in a. In a good way. Like spicy, extreme. Like, like, you know, he's a guy who likes to poke the bear. He's a guy who likes to be a little provocative. And, you know, he's my type of dude, man.
- [57:02]
A
If you and Ditka were in a foursome in a celebrity golf tournament, I mean, you played a lot of celebrity golf tournaments. Is there anybody you were really, like, excited or you had a good time with in a celebrity golf tournament?
- [57:13]
B
Walter Payton.
- [57:17]
A
Wow.
- [57:17]
B
Sweet thing. I played my very, very first round of golf with Walter Payton, and that was 50 some odd years ago. And I'll just never forget being around that dude was like. That was. You know, you understand why somebody like that is as celebrated and as mythic as he is. He was that guy. Every move he made was like, fucking. The pro is pro. Yeah. And he was a beautiful cat. He was very funny. We laughed our asses off and. Yeah.
- [57:58]
A
Sweet. Dude, first time you ever played golf ever was with Walter Payton.
- [58:03]
B
Yep. And the foursome was Walter Payton, Herschel Walker, me and Meat Loaf. How about that?
- [58:15]
A
My. You played 18?
- [58:18]
B
We played 18 together, baby.
- [58:20]
A
Wow. And then could you tell Herschel Walker was going to end up running for Senate under Trump? Did you see that one coming?
- [58:29]
B
I did not see that one coming, but I did watch how quiet he was around Walter Payton. Walter Payton. Walter Payton is like a Rhodes scholar. I mean, he's not just a top of his game athlete. He was very well read. He was very, very conversational. He was a really bright guy. And, you know, Herschel Walker didn't have a lot to say.
- [58:51]
A
And Meat Loaf. Meat Loaf. Good golfer or what?
- [58:54]
B
He never stopped fucking talking. Meat Loaf was not as good a golfer as he thought he was, which is true of a lot of golfer.
- [59:05]
A
All right, so most important question here. So who won the round? Did Peyton win the round?
- [59:10]
B
Well, no, we. We were foursome, so we were playing against field. It was a celebrity, you know.
- [59:17]
A
Oh, yeah, got it, got it.
- [59:18]
B
You were.
- [59:19]
A
You were a team.
- [59:20]
B
But we did not win. We did not win anything that day.
- [59:24]
A
Do you remember who you lost to?
- [59:29]
B
I think it was Lynn Swan's team. Lynn Swan had a team. I think they won it all.
- [59:35]
A
You know, I met Lynn Swann on a train on the way to the Army Navy game because his son was playing at Army. And then he and his wife, I think came up to our where we were being hosted in a box with a couple of medal of honor recipients. And I found him and his family to be really kind and honorable. It wasn't surprised, but also noteworthy that his son was playing football at West Point. So, you know, we might have to do, might have to get you guys all together at the Army Navy game next year. That would be fun.
- [60:04]
B
Give me, give me, give me a call, bro. We'll celebrate your birthday. We'll keep celebrating it.
- [60:08]
A
We should, we should. And we could do. We, we're talking about doing a pull up contest. You know, you're, you're, you're a couple of years younger than Trump. There's no way Trump could do more pull ups than you. I mean, you could just stomp on him in the pull up bar.
- [60:21]
B
Well, it depends on what you're pulling up to. If it's Kentucky Fried Chicken, he wins that every day of the week.
- [60:27]
A
I love it, man. I love it. All right, I can do this forever with you and I hope you come back and do it again. This has been the best football Friday ever. But we are also going to end the Friday with, with something good. Something good. And I'm coming to you in a second on this football Friday. I'm going to tell you my something good is my mom. I just want to send a big shout out to my mom. This show is finally cracking through. And my mom, I think listens to every episode and supports every episode because she's just that kind of a person. She was my hero, one of my heroes growing up. She was the first woman to try to get in the volunteer fire department in our community. I'll always remember There was a July 4th. We went to a fireworks display and there was a truck that basically blew up because the fireworks went sideways and the fireworks were flying everywhere. I don't even know how old I was. My mother would know. But my mother and my father, like my mother ran in to try to help a kid who had been burned. He was working on the fireworks. My mother went in and help treat this kid and, and she always just showed me what a helper is and she showed me through her example. And in the 70s and 80s when it was really hard for women to break through in a lot of places. She's a nurse and she's one of my personal heroes. You know, without her, this day would not be possible. So my thanks to you, Mom. Of course, thanks to dad and Laney and Lori and the whole family. But most of all, my something good is my mom. And if you all have your moms around, give them a hug, give them some love, and thank the moms and the mom figures in your life. If you want to give me a birthday present, one would be to support some of the great charities that we support on this show, like taps, like Hope for Ukraine, especially that's focused on kids. But thank a mom that's around you. And my mom especially. I love you, Mom. All right, Ron, over to you. What's something good on a Friday?
- [62:13]
B
Well, that's beautiful. You know, I'm going to. If you'll indulge me, I'm going to say two things in the spirit of what you just said. You always say, look for the helpers. My wife, Allison Dunbar Perlman, you know, she's one of the helpers. She's one of God's chosen. She's a big hearted lady who never calls attention to what it is she's doing to support all of her causes. She just does it. She doesn't look for thank yous and everything like that. But the second one, and if you'll indulge me on having two, the second one is patriotism. And I'm talking about real patriotism, you know, and we see it, and when we see it, it's like water in the desert. We see a guy like Jesse Ventura, you know, go out of his comfort zone and talk about how he embodied that word, what he was willing to give up for something greater than himself. And we see an assault on it, which makes us understand even more profoundly how really valuable things, how it's so easy for them to become devalued and to convince people who are vulnerable that things like real patriotism, not bullshit. Patriotism, not. Not. Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth. Patriotism. That's fucking bullshit. That's not real patriotism at all. But how easy it is is to be devalued and how precious it is when you see it in real time, in real ways. And it's what we need more than ever right now is true patriotism. Patriotism, meaning this country is important enough for me to get out of my comfort zone for, and maybe even the last measure of human, whatever that line Was that Lincoln said, the human devotion, you know, when he talked about those men who gave their lives for a cause. The last measure of human devotion is patriotism is at the root of that. And when it's real, it's very, very moving. And we thank God for it, because we wouldn't be as strong and as independent as we are without it.
- [64:32]
A
I love it, man. I'm so glad you end with that. I think your dog was giving you a big ups the entire time, and you appealing. See, the dog knows, man. The dog's like, yeah, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, I feel like that's how this country is going to be listening to this conversation, man. You break it down in such an important way, and you're such a powerful patriot yourself. And patriotism comes in many forms. And you've been continuing to demonstrate what true patriotism is all about in a time when we need it, bro. And you do it the right way. I'm so honored to have you as a friend. You know, I think maybe we might have to spar up in some special birthday episodes. I think the last time we had a birthday was Norman Lear, who I miss. And I know you met as well, and we loved. I was with some friends, you know, last month, and we reflect on how much we miss Norman in this moment. But there's a spirit of Norman that's out there that I want to share, because he was on this show. I think it was on his, like, hundredth birthday. Folks can go back and check that out. But he's another patriot that lives on in all of us and lives on in you, especially my friend. So your wife is coming home. We got to let you go.
- [65:35]
B
Yeah, I got to. I got to put away the groceries, bro.
- [65:38]
A
You do, because you're. You really do that shit. Cause you're a real dude.
- [65:40]
B
It's really nice, really nice to talk to you, but, you know, I gotta do some dishes now. I got some vacuuming, Vacuuming to do. She likes hospital corners when I make the bed. I got a big day ahead of me, bro.
- [65:52]
A
There he is, folks. The great and powerful Ron Perlman and his lovely wife and his dogs. You are an awesome.
- [65:58]
B
Hello, Alison, say hello. Hi, how are you?
- [66:01]
A
Thank you for everything. You guys do appreciate y'. All.
- [66:05]
B
Happy birthday, Paul. Happy birthday.
- [66:07]
A
You're a great patriot, my friend. Thank you for joining us. Stay vigilant, brother. I can't wait to see you soon and give you a big hug.
- [66:12]
B
We'll have a beer real soon to celebrate you.
- [66:15]
A
Let's do it. Man, back at you. All right, everybody, there he is, the great and powerful Ron Perlman. If you're a fan, you just got a wonderful gift. That is Ron Perlman Unchained. If you don't know Ron, you do now. I want to encourage you. Just go back and check out all his work. I mean, I was a fan before I ever met him. I'm even more of a fan, obviously, now that I know him. I mean, I love all that he's done, and I'm just grateful for him. I mean, he's out and he's punching, and he's a really, really good dude. And we're going to try to bring you good people who bring good energy to meet this moment, because there is a lot of crazy shit going on, especially as the news continues to develop out of Minneapolis and in other places around the country. I want to continue to send love and support to Ukraine and to the people of Iran and so many other people that are fighting for freedom and goodness all around this country in what has been a very, very tumultuous week. As you know, we're daily now, so hopefully you got shows all week. If you didn't go back and check out what you missed, we're trying to put them up in the evenings around like, four, five, three, somewhere in there. Let us know what you think about that. Is there another time that you want it? You want it later? Because I don't think I can get them out any earlier, but really excited that we hit at least 36. We might have been higher, but we hit 36 on the Apple podcast charts. That's a big deal. We were ahead of Morning Joe. So what's up, Willie? You know we're smoking you, man. Hopefully. Willie. Guys, to be back on this show, I invite Joe Mika to come as well. But we're getting there, man. This is going. And we're grateful especially to all our Patreon subscribers that have been there from the beginning. We call you the vigilant, the very vigilant, the most vigilant. That's what this community is. You are vigilant. So if you don't already, hit the subscribe button right now. If you're on Apple pods, and especially if you're on YouTube, that really helps us out. And if you want to give me a Christmas present, send it to everybody and ask them to subscribe. You can also get Independent Americans merch. Ron Perlman's got some of that. It is endorsed by him. You can join our Patreon community. Chip in just A couple bucks and you can help us keep this kind of independent content coming. I know it's been a hard week and it's not even the first full week of the year, but I hope that my content and the work we're bringing and the guest voices we're bringing will help you get through it and help you prepare for what's next. Because America is really deeply divided right now. But even more so, I think America's hurting. And independent Americans, we're working to change that, to add light, to contrast the heat and to bring people together in positivity and real patriotism and to fight back and speak truth to power. So if you're among the 50% of Americans who are independent, especially this is your show. And if you're not, you're welcome here. All are welcome here. If you like what we're cooking, welcome to Ron Perlman's kind of party. And maybe we'll do an event with Ron and do a real party and invite y'. All. So stay tuned for that because our independent movement is hope for the future country. Always over party people, always over politics, light always overheat. Challenging the status quo and fueling a new movement that spans all across our society. And that movement is growing, especially in the last couple of weeks, because you know and we know that hope is the oxy oxygen of our democracy. If you enjoyed this episode, Ron Perlman, please share it far and wide. It's a great one for folks who've never heard the show before. Invite them to declare their independence. And stay vigilant, my friends, and stay frosty, but stay vigilant. Because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom and a lot of people are paying it right now. And no, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant. We're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for listening to independent Americans. Keep breathing. Look out for each other. Look for the helpers. Happy my birthday. Slava, Ukraine. Big shout out to everybody in Iran. Keep fighting. We stand with you. Happy Friday. Let's go, Oregon and stay vigilant, America. Stay vigilant. I'll see you on Monday.
- [70:15]
B
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- [70:20]
A
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