Gino Filippone

Summary

Podcast Summary: Joy, a Podcast – Episode featuring Gino Filippone

Released on July 22, 2025

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of Joy, Craig Ferguson delves into the vibrant world of New York City with his distinguished guest, Gino Filippone. A multifaceted New Yorker, Gino is renowned not only as a successful realtor but also for his unique ventures in the tourism and wedding industries. Their discussion traverses Gino’s eclectic career path, his innovative approaches to business, and his deep-seated love for the city that never sleeps.

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Meeting and Early Collaborations

Craig reminisces about the day he met Gino, setting the stage for their enduring friendship and professional collaboration.

“I remember the day we met because I'd heard about you before, but we met on my 61st birthday.” [03:20]

Gino shares how he aided Craig in relocating to New York, showcasing his expertise and deep understanding of the city's real estate market.

“You were very smart to do it that way. You know, you didn't just go out and buy, you want to rent.” [04:01]

Their mutual appreciation for New York’s dynamic real estate landscape is evident as they discuss the nuances of finding the perfect apartment.

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Innovative Tourism: Sex Club Tours

Gino delves into his unconventional approach to city tours, particularly catering to British tourists seeking unique nightlife experiences.

“I started doing night tours with them, taking them to sex clubs, Hell’s Fires and all these things.” [07:08]

Craig expresses fascination with Gino’s tours, highlighting the blend of cultural exploration and adventurous nightlife.

“I find that fascinating.” [52:25]

Gino recounts the vibrant atmosphere of New York’s sex clubs in the late '80s and '90s, painting a vivid picture of the era’s nightlife.

“They were paying a million dollars a week off of me in cash and they loved it.” [08:53]

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Transition to Wedding Coordination

The conversation shifts to Gino’s next venture: coordinating quick weddings for international couples in New York.

“Because two tourists said to me, two British tourists, I'll never forget, they said, we really loved your tour, Dino. I said, well, it's Gino, actually.” [19:36]

Gino explains the logistics and inspiration behind his wedding coordination business, Ultimate USA Weddings, tailored to meet international couples’ desires for swift matrimonial ceremonies.

“We are 24 hours in New York.” [20:19]

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Navigating Modern Relationships and Technology

Gino and Craig discuss the evolution of meeting people, contrasting traditional methods with the digital age's influence.

Gino reflects on his early adoption of online platforms to meet his partner, highlighting the shift from in-person interactions to digital connections.

“And it was fun. It was mysterious. It was that in a nice way, that erotic place of...” [15:11]

Craig muses on the ease of modern relationships facilitated by apps, juxtaposing it with the more tangible experiences of the past.

“I think apps have probably taken that all of that away.” [13:33]

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Real Estate Insights and Market Dynamics

Gino shares his passion for real estate, emphasizing New York City's architectural beauty and the complex dynamics of its housing market.

“I love real estate right now. I mean, look, it's great, but it is a relationship business.” [42:04]

Craig and Gino discuss the challenges and triumphs of selling high-profile properties, underlining the emotional facets of real estate transactions.

“I sold him, then sold it.” [32:36]

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Personal Reflections and Life in New York

The duo engages in light-hearted banter about aging, life choices, and personal growth, all within the context of living in New York City.

Gino expresses his philosophy on reinvention and adaptability, traits he attributes to the city’s relentless energy.

“I'm one of those people, at any age, have no problem reinventing myself.” [41:11]

Craig reflects on his own experiences, highlighting New York’s unique ability to inspire and support personal endeavors.

“I feel like this is the best city for me. I don’t know why. I just feel like this one works for me more than any other place I've been.” [33:11]

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Future Endeavors and Vision

Gino outlines his ambition to expand his services into celebrating life and managing ceremonies, drawing parallels between his wedding business and potential future ventures.

“I would love to do something like the celebration of life thing.” [42:36]

Craig and Gino brainstorm ideas for collaborative projects, including a potential reality show exploring the intricacies of Gino’s wedding business.

“I think you and I should do it together.” [24:38]

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Closing Thoughts

As the episode winds down, both Craig and Gino reflect on the essence of joy in their lives, underpinned by their shared love for New York City and their continuous pursuit of happiness through meaningful work and relationships.

“It's the most amazing city for them.” [34:37]

Gino’s unwavering passion for New York and his innovative ventures serve as a testament to finding joy amidst life’s complexities, embodying the podcast’s central theme.

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Notable Quotes

• “You were very smart to do it that way. You know, you didn't just go out and buy, you want to rent.” – Gino Filippone [04:01]

• “I started doing night tours with them, taking them to sex clubs, Hell’s Fires and all these things.” – Gino Filippone [07:08]

• “Because two tourists said to me, two British tourists, I'll never forget, they said, we really loved your tour, Dino. I said, well, it's Gino, actually.” – Gino Filippone [19:36]

• “I’m one of those people, at any age, have no problem reinventing myself.” – Gino Filippone [41:11]

• “I feel like this is the best city for me. I don’t know why. I just feel like this one works for me more than any other place I’ve been.” – Craig Ferguson [33:11]

---

Conclusion

This episode of Joy offers an insightful exploration into Gino Filippone’s dynamic life in New York City. Through engaging anecdotes and thoughtful discussions, Craig and Gino illuminate the myriad ways one can cultivate joy amidst the bustling chaos of urban life. Whether it's through innovative business ventures, nurturing relationships, or embracing the city's relentless energy, this conversation serves as a beacon of positivity and inspiration for listeners seeking happiness in their own lives.

Transcript

[Craig Ferguson]

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[Gino Filippone]

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[Gino Filippone]

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[Craig Ferguson]

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[Gino Filippone]

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[Gino Filippone]

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[Gino Filippone]

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[Craig Ferguson]

I'm inviting you to come and see my brand new comedy hour. Well, it's actually it's about an hour and a half and I don't have an opener because these guys cost money. But what I'm saying is I'll be on stage for a while anyway. Come and see me live on the Pants on Fire tour in your region. Tickets are on sale now and we'll be adding more as the tour continues throughout the 2025 and beyond. For a full list of dates, go to thecraigfergusonshow.com See you on the road My dears, my name is Craig Ferguson. The name of this podcast is Joy. I talk to interesting people about what brings them happiness. Hello, everyone, my name is Craig Ferguson. Welcome to Brooklyn, New York, to the Kids super studios here in Williamsburg, where we're coming at you live from tent inside a warehouse, which is a studio and also a fashion place. It's a whole thing. Anyway, look, my guest today is a New York legend, a good friend of mine. He's also a realtor as well as. Well, you're gonna hear a whole bunch of stuff. Please welcome the wonder Mr. New York, Gino Filippone. I remember the day we met because I'd heard about you before, but we met on my 61st birthday.

[Gino Filippone]

Did we?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it was my birthday that day.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God. When I put you in my car.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yep, we went in your car and we. First of all, you're the only person ever I ever met who said, I love driving in Manhattan. And you were driving around, man.

[Gino Filippone]

And I have good parking car.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, you have very good parking skills. And you can drive around and you enjoy it. And I've never encountered that. And it was my 61st birthday and you found me a rental apartment on 82nd Street. On 82nd Street. And then I through that period, you said, I remember you said on that day, you'll buy in the next couple of years, you'll move back to New York. Within two years, I had moved back to New York. Whole family moved, everybody back. That was that.

[Gino Filippone]

You were very smart to do it that way. You know, you didn't just go out and buy, you want to rent. And I kept saying, well, the market is really dipping, but it dipped further, more.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's still going to dip a little more.

[Gino Filippone]

You think so?

[Craig Ferguson]

Maybe a little bit. I was looking at some houses on the Upper east side, some apartments in the Upper east side. I'm like, that's very reasonable for what it is. But I do like, like a lot of people. The Trulia app or the Street Easy app in New York, that's my porn.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah, me too. I say that.

[Craig Ferguson]

But you're amongst other things, you're a realtor, though. It makes sense for you to look at it. But the.

[Gino Filippone]

But I'll tell you what I love about it is now there's so much off market opportunity. So there's like, well, there's me in my building. So a broker who knows, who's seasoned, who knows me, is going to call and go, do you have anything coming up? Do you have anybody that you think would sell? And there's always off market opportunities.

[Craig Ferguson]

Now I've already. We moved into our apartment I guess what like three months ago And I'm already looking at the apartment next door.

[Gino Filippone]

I told you to start. I mean, she incapacitated yet, that lady?

[Craig Ferguson]

No, she's fine. She's very nice.

[Gino Filippone]

That's the broker right out.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, no, she's very nice. I keep like a leader over at the top of the stairs. Hey, let me help you down this. Oh no, they. But it's, it's fine. But you know why I was, I was looking at your bio today and I had no idea. None. And I know you pretty well at this point about the wedding thing. What's that? Tell me about that.

[Gino Filippone]

Tell me about that.

[Craig Ferguson]

You're the like.

[Gino Filippone]

I was a New York City. So everything I've ever done has been in New York.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

From New York.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

I just, I'm not from the city, but my grandparents owned a big company and they did all the billboards and my father was a street guy from Parkchester, the Bronx. So we were raised here a lot.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right.

[Gino Filippone]

Anyway, but I mean I grew up in the suburbs a little bit outside and I became a New York City tour guide. I speak, I speak Italian and I used to pick them up at JFK and give them tours. And I hate the Italians because the Italians, all they want to hear about is love stories and they didn't really want to connect. And the British were very refined. They would listen to you. You know, people in the UK have degrees to do this. Yeah, I was just a licensed tour guide and well, I think also it's.

[Craig Ferguson]

Something to do with the accent in Britain as well. People sound smarter than they are. They're not that smart.

[Gino Filippone]

Possibly really like wearing trousers.

[Craig Ferguson]

Now if Americans. I like wearing pants.

[Gino Filippone]

But there is, how do I say this? There is a certain perversity to the Brits that they kind of hide and I was able to tap into. So I started doing night tours with them, taking them to sex clubs, Hell's Fires and all these things. And you'd see these people in literally Burberry skirts going to like at 2 o' clock in the morning and some guy was licking their toe at the bar. But that's what they were paying for. That the first thing I realized was they weren't interested so much in the culture they study. They knew it. I gave them the tour and then it was like, do you really want to see New York now? And so I would take them to a. I wouldn't do the after hours First I would do a night tour where I had a couple in the West Village, Irish, Americans. Need I say more?

[Craig Ferguson]

We're doing the drinking, fellatio.

[Gino Filippone]

And they said. I went to them and I said, would you consider opening your house like three times a week to 50 Brits each time? And they go. And I said to have cocktails. And they went, well, we're middle class. We would have to serve our d' oeuvres too. I go, that's fine. And they had taken out a floor. So it was like walking into a loft with a big garden on Jane Street. It was incredible. I found them just from knocking on doors.

[Craig Ferguson]

You went to people's houses and said, hey, will you.

[Gino Filippone]

Single family houses. Because people, New Yorkers down in the Village are very creative and they like that. So I sold the tour as a night out with the dinner at Chumley's, which was an old speakeasy on Barrow Street.

[Craig Ferguson]

I remember you had to go to.

[Gino Filippone]

Somebody'S house to get in. So first we would go to Bob Jacqueline's place and have. And they had a big rescue. German shepherd, that was crazy. Was knocking drinks all over. And they didn't understand the. The Brits asking. I love the way the British ask for, you know, drinks, you know, as it's poured, you know, Scotch as it's poured, as it's poor and. Or, you know, what is the other line they would say if they asked for. Not ginger ale, was it. What's the common drink anyway? The. The would mix it up and put seven up instead. But all the drinks were filled up to the top. You know, everybody was just out of the town.

[Craig Ferguson]

Is when. When is this? In the 80s.

[Gino Filippone]

We're talking late 80s, early 90s.

[Craig Ferguson]

So like the village.

[Gino Filippone]

17.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. I was going to say the village in the 1980s and 1990s is a different, slightly less family friendly village than it is now.

[Gino Filippone]

I still think it's pretty artsy. And there are some single family townhomes. You know, the taxes became very expensive and they were making. They charged me at the time, $20 per person. So 150 people a week times $20. Who's good with the math?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. What's that, like a million dollars?

[Gino Filippone]

Right. They were getting a million dollars a week off of me in cash and they loved it. I was paying their taxes. It was like having someone.

[Craig Ferguson]

How did you get that, though? I mean, how did you get. That's going to. Oh, right.

[Gino Filippone]

I was doing it and I just thought people wanted. People were bored, you know, when I When you were a tour guide in New York, you always sit on the Empire, the people, to see their reaction, right? And I could see everything was falling flat. It's like being a comedian going, oh, my God, how am I?

[Craig Ferguson]

How dare you? How fucking dare you? Not you, but others have experienced it.

[Gino Filippone]

Anyway, we. I said, you know, let me come up with something different. Because they kept asking, how do people live in this city? And I was like, well, the same way they live in London. But it really. These weren't. These weren't London refined people. These were people from, you know, other parts of the suburbs. Suburbs.

[Craig Ferguson]

Let me ask you this, though. How did you know about the sex clubs?

[Gino Filippone]

And I knew that from a lot of tour guides started after our. There was one guy named Giuseppe who lived on a houseboat on 79th street, and he would take four people. That's all we had were for, like, at the time, nobody was really into it. We would go to do a sex club tour to take. Because they wanted to experience what was on a sex.

[Craig Ferguson]

I've never. I swear I've never been to a sex club.

[Gino Filippone]

Well, I mean, it's, you know, it's pretty much everything that you can imagine.

[Craig Ferguson]

People just, like, have sex and then other people.

[Gino Filippone]

I think it's more about a fetish and less about the sex.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

So it's all of the. You know, there's a lot of licking and there's a lot of playing and toying.

[Craig Ferguson]

It feels like that's dogs. The dog.

[Gino Filippone]

Well, now at our age, of course, it's hard to.

[Craig Ferguson]

I was like, well, I got.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, I get disgusted. My dog lifts up his leg when he goes to the bathroom. I don't want to see that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, wait. So people. So if you're on a sex club tour. Mm. And you go to a sex club, will someone say, hey, do you want your leg licked? And they'll lick your leg and stuff.

[Gino Filippone]

That they loved it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I feel like I would just annoy you and it didn't get your leg.

[Gino Filippone]

And that wasn't an optional tour. That was. That was included in the price. So usually now they'd be going, so you put your leg licked. It's actually, once you go in, you're.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, whether you like it or not.

[Gino Filippone]

Or not. Yeah, that's it. You were just. You had to participate.

[Craig Ferguson]

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

[Gino Filippone]

Well, Hell's Fire used to be below 14th street, where the Guggenheim is now, but you used to have to check your clothes to get in and just have your Underwear on. Then they would say to me, look, you're coming in with these people. We understand, but we can't just have, like, onlookers. They have to kind of participate. So I said, less is more. That was the name of the tour. And we would go.

[Craig Ferguson]

They took their clothes off. Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, 40 people is a lot. I started out with four and four were paying 500 each. It was so expensive. And you know who. Let's talk cultures now. The Italians loved it.

[Craig Ferguson]

The Italians, like, they would take. Hey, love it. I take my clothes off, the lick of my leg.

[Gino Filippone]

The British were wanted. The experience.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'd like to have my leg licked by someone in New York as part of the experience.

[Gino Filippone]

It was magical. And that's how that kind of started. It started for me, just saying.

[Craig Ferguson]

I lived in New York round about that time. Well, I was here in the mid-80s, early mid-80s.

[Gino Filippone]

We probably crossed paths maybe.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I've done. And I remember the only sex club I'd heard of, and I never went there, but I always wanted to go, was a place called Plato's Voice.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, God, that's so 70s.

[Craig Ferguson]

Was that 70s.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God, that was Bazillion. That was like, the first one. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I remember. No, I just remember seeing ads for it in the Village Voice. And I was like, oh, I really want to go. Because I'm like a Scottish Protestant boy. I'm like, oh, I bet they've got their jumpers off in there.

[Gino Filippone]

You were. You were. You were ready to roll. The big one was Hell's Fire. And then the La Scalita, which was underneath Port Authority Bus Terminal. And there were drag shows.

[Craig Ferguson]

I was doing theater then as well.

[Gino Filippone]

You know, when I travel, I know this sounds ridiculous, but I always hire a private. Like in Prague, I hired a private tour guide.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did you go to a sex club?

[Gino Filippone]

I wanted to see everything. Not sex clubs, no, but I wanted to see off the beaten path, the whole thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

What is that? Sex clubs?

[Gino Filippone]

Well, yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, it sounds like they're on the beaten path, if you forgive the pun.

[Gino Filippone]

Well, the. The.

[Craig Ferguson]

The. But I kind of. I'm fascinated by this. But the idea that all of this. Is it still going on? Are there still sex clubs?

[Gino Filippone]

I'm too old. I go to bed at nine now, what do I know? I'm sure they are. I pass the baton to a lovely group of people. The beauty is you buy and you sell.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think the Gen Z is. They don't. They don't have.

[Gino Filippone]

They don't. Everything's done Online now, apparently, yeah. Do you remember the days when you met someone in a bar and then you would hook up and then after they left, you took your clothing and hung it on the radiator because it smelled of smoke and that was the only way the smoke would get. I mean, that's how if I hooked.

[Craig Ferguson]

Up with someone in a bar, I would set my clothes on fire, pretend it never happened.

[Gino Filippone]

You were very, you would have been a star on this tour.

[Craig Ferguson]

But the, the idea of it though, I think apps have probably taken that all of that away, like, because you, you can like if you want. I mean, right back in the day when some of the like real kind of full on clubs in the Village. I think that's probably all on Grindr and Tinder and yeah, that's all gone. I don't think there's gonna, you know, you strap into your leather and get your whistle and go nuts in a dark room.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, I'm too old for this, but I'm hearing now you can just meet people. I mean, they track you. You can be in the same restaurant and say, let's meet in the men's room. I've had friends that constantly say they hook up. Like in the moment.

[Craig Ferguson]

I feel there might be. You can get. There'll be fresh STDs coming or if it's that easy. I mean, I feel like. Shouldn't you interview someone a little bit?

[Gino Filippone]

I would think so. But I mean, they can read your bio.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I guess no one can hide, really. I mean, it's kind of like you can't assume an identity now. You can't.

[Gino Filippone]

Like, I bet the majority of people that are together have met online.

[Craig Ferguson]

You know, I think probably now, I think yeah. If you're. And how did you meet Floaty? Did you.

[Gino Filippone]

Online you met. No, literally, aol. You put money in the machine and it worked. It was one of those.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yep. Wow.

[Gino Filippone]

He's not gonna like that I said that.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I think it's fine. I think it's. I mean, we can cut it out if you want, but it's, it's kind of amazing to me. You must have been quite early adopters then.

[Gino Filippone]

It was the beginning.

[Craig Ferguson]

It was the beginning. Aol, you've got mail.

[Gino Filippone]

Bing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Someone wants to lick your leg.

[Gino Filippone]

And it was fun. It was mysterious. It was that in a nice way, that erotic place of. That took place of going to a sex club because you had this fantasy of what the person was gonna be like when you met them.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

And obviously it worked out. 20 something years.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, yeah. You guys have been together long time.

[Gino Filippone]

Yes, long time, baby.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, but that's okay. That's good.

[Gino Filippone]

Yes, it's excellent.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hello, this is Craig Ferguson and I want to let you know I have a brand new stand up comedy special out now on YouTube. It's called I'm so Happy and I would be so happy if you checked it out. To watch the special just go to my YouTube channel. He Craig Ferguson show and this is right there. Just click it and play it and it's free. I can't. Look, I'm not going to come around your house and show you how to do it. If you can't do it, then you can have it. But if you can figure it out, it's yours.

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[Craig Ferguson]

It's so easy for a year to go by and you're in the same place because there's so much going on in the world today.

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[Craig Ferguson]

So how did that turn into the wedding thing then?

[Gino Filippone]

Because two tourists said to me, two British tourists, I'll never forget, they said, we really loved your tour, Dino. I said, well, it's Gino, actually. And they said, would you help us get married?

[Craig Ferguson]

I'm gonna call you Dino. I like Dino.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, would I help you get married? And I'm thinking, is there a dollar to be made in this? I mean, so I said, I'll get back to you. What hotel are you in? I'll be right there. Ran down to city hall and it's when they had the old bulletproof windows. It was like the set of Barney Miller ticket number. And then I looked a little bit into it. I realized that I could coordinate these weddings because countries are different, like the UK from my recollection, you file and it's 11 days. You have to wait.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. You also have to be interviewed by the reigning monarchy.

[Gino Filippone]

And Paris in France, it's two weeks.

[Craig Ferguson]

And you must eat a Certain soft Vegas.

[Gino Filippone]

It's like, what are you doing later?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

So we are 24 hours in New York. New York.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

And that was always established to give the couple time to realize, are we going to. Do we really want.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, it's not like you can get married 24 hours a day. You have to wait 20, 24. Like buying a gun. Yeah, right.

[Gino Filippone]

Okay, I guess. Is that what it is for a gun? Jesus.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't know what it is in New York where there are certain states. The state where I have my other place, you just go buy a gun.

[Gino Filippone]

I'll remember when I come in business.

[Craig Ferguson]

Remember that when you come. I'm a citizen and I have a driver's license, I think you know what I'm saying?

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God. So, yeah, so I realized I could do it and then I coordinated it and then it just happened. I opened up this company. The tour company was called Ultimate USA Tours. And then I opened up Ultimate USA Weddings. And we had contracts with British Airways, Kuwoni, Virgin Holidays, everyone. So we would package the weddings, Weddings abroad, and they would sell them. And so I would give them a discounted rate. But we would get, you know, you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Come and get married in New York.

[Gino Filippone]

And then we would arrange for the license.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

We would script the ceremony. We would get.

[Craig Ferguson]

You write the vows.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, yeah, I got ordained online. So you're a rabbi, Gino, you're a rabbi? I'm a vicar.

[Craig Ferguson]

You're a vicar or rabbi?

[Gino Filippone]

I'm an officiant.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right, so you have no. It's a secular position. You have no religious.

[Gino Filippone]

No. Well, I mean, I will do anything as long as I don't have to slaughter an animal. There's no sack. Anything I will do. I've done yarmulkes. I've done, you know, I did a Jewish wedding because my friend married an Orthodox guy and for some reason his divorce had not been completely finished yet. And so they had this 200 person, highly orthodox wedding and they went through the whole ceremony, but it wasn't legal. And then three days later when I met them in a Mexican restaurant on 9th Avenue. Cause I'm.

[Craig Ferguson]

See, I like the idea of getting married in a Mexican restaurant. I think that.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, I like the idea. Again, we go back to that kind of slightly perverse thing of like, oh, my God, nobody knows this is a farce except me. And in three days, when the divorce clears, I'm going to meet them at, you know, El Canteona or whatever the Mexican place was, La Cantina. And we're going to make this official. So that's what I started doing.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, we've spent quite a lot of time together talking.

[Gino Filippone]

You didn't know that?

[Craig Ferguson]

It's never come up. You just never do. I talk about myself a lot. Is that what it is?

[Gino Filippone]

No, we talk about you. No, we talk about Megan and how beautiful she is.

[Craig Ferguson]

We talk about my wife and how beautiful she is. She is beautiful.

[Gino Filippone]

She is very beautiful, and she's fun. But I will say I married 2,000 people.

[Craig Ferguson]

Good Lord.

[Gino Filippone]

And 90% of them were Brits. And you guys do it the interesting way. Here's different that Americans should listen to. I can attest to this.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right.

[Gino Filippone]

You meet in school. This is the general Brit, right?

[Craig Ferguson]

It's definitely not my school.

[Gino Filippone]

You date, you buy a house together, you have a child, and then you fly to New York and Dino marries you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, you know why?

[Gino Filippone]

Why?

[Craig Ferguson]

Because the tax. In Britain, you get no tax break for being married. Britain.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, really?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. If you're. If you're married to someone, they file a tax return. You file a tax return. There's no filing, joint filing. There's no. That's not going to happen. So there's no financial incentive to get married. You get married because you. You want to get married, but there's no. Kind of like if we get married, you know, it's. I don't know, it's different.

[Gino Filippone]

Out of 2,000 weddings, I probably did, only 100Americans.

[Craig Ferguson]

Can you tell when people meet immediately?

[Gino Filippone]

As soon as they watch.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did you keep in touch? You know how many of them have lasted?

[Gino Filippone]

I'm dying to know. I do see on Facebook, like, they're having kids, and in my case, some of them are even had their kids are having kids. I want to kill myself every time I see that. I know, but very few times I'll get an email going, hey, he died. I mean, what a show that would be. I'm telling you, if you put me on the evening news in the uk, people would just. Their teacups would shake. They would go, oh, my God, that's our.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's the Wedding Guy. That's Dino the Wedding Guy.

[Gino Filippone]

Dino, the Wedding Guy.

[Craig Ferguson]

My lord, it's Dino from New York. He's back and he's married us. Do you like?

[Gino Filippone]

That would be a fun reality show driving through the UK to see who's. You know.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think that's a great idea, actually. I think we should do it. In fact, I think you and I should do it together.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, I'd be. Who's driving. Well, I can't drive there because I get confused on the other side of the road. I'm such a good New York driver.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'm going to tell you what I tell everyone when they talk about my early sexuality. I said, you got to try it both ways before you know, before you know which you prefer. So, you know, if you like driving on one side of the seat, try driving on the other side. See what it feels like, then you'll know. And sometimes people can drive on any side.

[Gino Filippone]

It's not the size as much. You know what drives me crazy in the uk, the roundabout. Oh, God, they're the worst.

[Craig Ferguson]

They are terrible.

[Gino Filippone]

And you always miss it.

[Craig Ferguson]

And I hate that they're coming to America now and they're starting. Oh, yeah. If you go outside of Manhattan, which I don't like to do, as you know, but if you do, they have roundabouts, they have the traffic circles. And you know, Americans are not great with them. We're not great. We're like, I ain't stopping.

[Gino Filippone]

We're just fly right by. Yeah, I know.

[Craig Ferguson]

Gotta be very careful.

[Gino Filippone]

It's horrible. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

When you go to targets or places like that, you know, in the suburbs, they have them.

[Gino Filippone]

They have them. Okay, well, I'll look out for them.

[Craig Ferguson]

But I think that's a good idea. I could drive you around. I can show you where things are in Britain and we can go and meet the. The people that you got married or the grandchildren.

[Gino Filippone]

It's significant, I'm telling you.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's a lot of people.

[Gino Filippone]

I actually have been in bars with my partner. I was in the Hamptons once and a drink came over and the guy said, that woman said that you married her. And in the uk I got stopped a few times. Every time we go to London, I know the odds and I think I sent a picture, but I was sitting in a cafe in New York City and a woman. I'm sitting and so I'm facing the window with a friend just having like a lunch. And this woman kept walking by staring at me, and I was like, oh, whatever. And I'm talking to her and then finally she put her phone up to the window and it said, gino, you married my husband yonkel, and I 10 years ago. It was the COVID of my book. That's what it is. It's her like this with the picture and on her. Not the picture of her on her iPhone. I was like, oh, my God. Of course I didn't remember her.

[Craig Ferguson]

But, well, see, I get out with late night, I did over 2000 late nights. When I think about it, you did as many weddings as I did on late night.

[Gino Filippone]

That's. Well, let's think about the price difference. Jesus, shoot me. Well, I don't know, like, volunteer work. What I did.

[Craig Ferguson]

I. I don't. How much were they paying you for a wedding?

[Gino Filippone]

Nothing, really. I mean, we would just rack it up with like, do you want hair and makeup? How about a limited sleeve? You know, anything I could sell. I'm the extra guys, you know, I like to sell the other stuff.

[Craig Ferguson]

What about the. Did you ever do like a sex club night before thing? Did you? Because I've taken it back to the sex hotel.

[Gino Filippone]

I didn't do that. But I did marry a couple in bed at the Plaza Hotel. They were in bed, come in. I was like, really?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yes. Who was the witness? Were you the witness?

[Gino Filippone]

It was my assistant, Marissa, who used to come to the weddings with me. And she would have the license and everything. And I go. I would go, what are we walking into? She goes, I don't know. They paid.

[Craig Ferguson]

Blah, blah, blah.

[Gino Filippone]

I said, great. You know, sometimes we would do 10, 11 weddings a day. A day, Things like that. Oh, yeah. I mean, how do you get to 2000?

[Craig Ferguson]

And a lot of these people stayed together?

[Gino Filippone]

I don't know. I have no idea. There was one really interesting one where Marissa said to me, and she was a beautiful. She started alive, beautiful Latin American girl. And she said, I think the groom has a crush on me. And the groom was very handsome. And then the bride came down. It was. I think it was also at the Plaza, down the stairs. And the moment she was at the stairs, she saw the connection between my assistant and, you know. And then she turned around and walked away.

[Craig Ferguson]

No.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah. Oh. I've had a lot of grooms say, I can't go through with it, or brides. That's incredible. The most embarrassing moment, though, is. You know what it is when you go to City hall with a British couple, they have to write down who their parents are on the license. And a lot of them don't know.

[Craig Ferguson]

In Britain.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah. My mother met this guy in the bar.

[Craig Ferguson]

We procreate by children floating down the river on baskets made of reeds.

[Gino Filippone]

I used to say to them all. And then if they say that, they can't go through the paperwork. So we would have to say in advance. So you're clear about you're putting your parents down. Because if not, John Doe is a perfect name.

[Craig Ferguson]

Just anything you want, you're allowed to write John Doe.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah. It just goes on the license. Who cares? Isn't that fascinating, the things you learn? Like, what a moment for somebody to say, I don't know who my father was. My mother met him in a bar and that was it. Now it'd be like, you know, okay, it's probably not even on the license anymore.

[Craig Ferguson]

But I feel like. I feel like soon you'll have to do like, you'll have to give blood so they can keep track of you.

[Gino Filippone]

That was the old days. You had to do blood tests.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did you really?

[Gino Filippone]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

They have that thing and they have that app. You've heard of this app? It's in Iceland. So many people are related that they have this app. So you have to check to see you're not related to the person.

[Gino Filippone]

What else are you going to do in Iceland?

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, yeah, I mean, you know, two.

[Gino Filippone]

Hours of light a day. You're going to.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, you know, let's go and see.

[Gino Filippone]

By the way, reindeer. I don't think so. Yeah, they want to. No, I'm not eating that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, they eat the reindeers. You know, the only time I've been to Iceland, I stopped at Reykjavik airport for the change planes and I had some Icelandic chocolate. The worst chocolate I've ever tasted.

[Gino Filippone]

Did it go right through you?

[Craig Ferguson]

It tasted like seal.

[Gino Filippone]

There's nothing better than British chocolate.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, British chocolate.

[Gino Filippone]

It's the best.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I think so.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God, Cadbury. Forget it. This is crap here. I haven't had a Hershey bar since I was.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't know. There's some pretty good chocolate in New York. But I know what you're saying. The mass produced chocolate is probably not as good as the British stuff. But I will say this. It's the crisps in Britain that get me or the potato chips. They have like duck and, you know, spaghetti flavored chips. I mean, they're unbelievable. They're delicious. And they're delicious. Here. We got your Doritos. You got your Doritos. But what we do here is we dip them in things. They don't dip them in things in Britain because they don't need to.

[Gino Filippone]

Right.

[Craig Ferguson]

They're already delicious.

[Gino Filippone]

Right.

[Craig Ferguson]

I gained so much weight when I go to Britain. Like, I'm still working on getting.

[Gino Filippone]

You are looking very felt.

[Craig Ferguson]

We got. Thank you. I have been.

[Gino Filippone]

I know. You told me. You're really doing it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I've got this game show coming up where I'm doing Scrabble. So I felt like all my late night show suits, I was like, I'll just wear Them on this game show, and none of them fit me.

[Gino Filippone]

So now you're gonna have to borrow my clothes.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, no, it's all right. First of all, I've got the suits, but I can get into them again now. Yeah, I'm very excited, but I haven't had.

[Gino Filippone]

You're a good dresser.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Gino Filippone]

You are, you know. You know exactly what to wear.

[Craig Ferguson]

I feel like if you're in a suit, you're in charge.

[Gino Filippone]

Yep. It's a power thing. Yeah, I know. I still wear them. Yeah. I mean, I always wear a jacket. I mean, look, I'm out.

[Craig Ferguson]

You always wear a nice jacket. I've noticed you on a city bike.

[Gino Filippone]

Bike.

[Craig Ferguson]

Wearing a bike.

[Gino Filippone]

I'm always on City Bike. It's my porn.

[Craig Ferguson]

I love city Bike.

[Gino Filippone]

I live for it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I save thou.

[Gino Filippone]

I don't know if it's just that I'm cheap or what, because I have saved thousands of dollars because I don't love the subway so much anyway anymore, you know, I don't love the crowds. And I get. Because I'm a suburban kid and I grew up on a bike, I get stimulated when I'm on a bike. It excites me. I get really.

[Craig Ferguson]

Okay, explain. Like in a sex club.

[Gino Filippone]

No, not that. We're back to those clubs.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. No, I just find it fascinating that they have sex clubs.

[Gino Filippone]

I just love to get. Yeah. That was. What a life. I love to get on the bike. It makes me happy. I would have rode here, but I.

[Craig Ferguson]

Was like, I'm actually going to take a bike home.

[Gino Filippone]

You are?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Because the. I just found out that you could. There's a city bike place just next to the studio.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, then I'm jumping on.

[Craig Ferguson]

And then you can go over. They have a bike lane on the Williamsburg Bridge. You can go right over.

[Gino Filippone]

Okay, then maybe that's what I'll do.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, Go back that way.

[Gino Filippone]

I just came from a closing from a mutual. Who. You know, a very talented actor's apartment I just sold. What a journey today.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, is that good?

[Gino Filippone]

Done today.

[Craig Ferguson]

We won't say who that closed.

[Gino Filippone]

We won't say who it is.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

But very happy.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'll bet. So he sold it, then sold it. Right.

[Gino Filippone]

Done.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, that's good news. So is he leaving New York?

[Gino Filippone]

No, he has another place.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right. Okay.

[Gino Filippone]

Because that. I sold him.

[Craig Ferguson]

I.

[Gino Filippone]

Which I'll be doing with you two going.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

Are we ready to move?

[Craig Ferguson]

She's not yet. No.

[Gino Filippone]

When we find out what the next door neighbor is going for, like cellular work on her longevity. Yeah, she's. Then you're gonna have to move.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I. I feel like the. When I moved back to New York, like, two years ago, really, when you kind of plugged me back into this city, I kind of regret ever leaving.

[Gino Filippone]

Really.

[Craig Ferguson]

I do. I feel like this is the best city for me. I don't know why. I just feel like this one works for me more than any other place I've been. New York City works for me.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, don't you think you get more material here than anywhere else? My God, I can't even imagine you guys in California. I didn't know you then, but it's like. It's so remote out there.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, the kids were really young, so, you know, we were kind of like, you're in that world and you're kind of dealing with. It's all like.

[Gino Filippone]

But that's one cycle.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, we had two because Milo was young when Megan and I met. And then when he was about nine years old, he was just over nine years old, Liam was born. So you go right back into it again.

[Gino Filippone]

Right, right.

[Craig Ferguson]

And so it kind of lasted quite a long time.

[Gino Filippone]

My God. He's gonna. He just loves New York, doesn't he, Liam?

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, yeah, yeah. He's crazy for it.

[Gino Filippone]

It's perfect for you.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, it kind of. It's an interesting thing because I was talking to Tomas about it today. We were walking over the street here, just in Brooklyn, and Tina, the crossing guard. I've only been working here a couple of days. Tina, the crossing guard, stops the traffic. We're walking over the road. She starts talking about, when did you get your first tattoo? I got my first. She's talking about her tattoos now. We know that when we come back. We gotta get her a nice coffee, by the way, but. And this city has, I think, and people go crazy. Well, people who don't know don't believe it. This is the friendliest city I've ever been in my life.

[Gino Filippone]

This is the fabric of New York.

[Craig Ferguson]

Unbelievable.

[Gino Filippone]

You will never see a more. And I love to know where I stand. And New Yorkers will always tell you. And I'm the same way. It's like. That's a lovely dress. What do you mean, lovely? It's great.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

It's the most. You know, they. And it's not an insult. It's just them. Everyone stakes their claim here. It's just the most amazing city for them.

[Craig Ferguson]

It has a certain directness, which I really appreciate. There was once I was doing. I started doing a bill Clinton in person.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, really?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I used to do that late night. It was like that was pretty much all I did, but it was kind of a regular gig I used to do on late night. And I was walking down the street in New York and a guy shouted, really, literally from a construction site. A guy with a hard hat on went, hey, Ferguson, Nice, Clinton. Like fucking.

[Gino Filippone]

Wasn't that worth it?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it kind of was actually.

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It's so easy for a year to go by and you're in the same place because there's so much going on in the world today.

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[Craig Ferguson]

I'Ve had a lot of coffee.

[Gino Filippone]

Have you?

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you drink a lot of coffee?

[Gino Filippone]

No, I do not.

[Craig Ferguson]

Cuz we got you a coffee.

[Gino Filippone]

I love it. I needed this little thing. These. I'm doing these walkthroughs right now. I have another one today. It's the pre closing. Didn't we do it in your apartment?

[Craig Ferguson]

Nah, I didn't see the apartment till after I bought it. Megan, did you make remember? Because I was.

[Gino Filippone]

I have to say I'm noticing that another thing is I, you know, I will say that I'm coming up with a knack of. Of picking an apartment online and saying that's the one for you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Well, you nailed it.

[Gino Filippone]

Well, you gave me like a five block radius. There was more to that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I was very specific in where I wanted to be. Yeah. I mean because look, location, location, location.

[Gino Filippone]

You scored on that.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's great. I mean we can.

[Gino Filippone]

It's the everybody but you're. But women. I mean, who knows. Cut this out if you don't want to do it. But women are fantastic to shop with for real estate.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I could imagine that.

[Gino Filippone]

They really just kind of get the whole thing. Well, I think men like to come in and they're more about the numbers, definitely.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's my thing.

[Gino Filippone]

And they kick the tires as the approval thing. It's like, okay, what do we got here? What's the pros? And you're much more vocal about the pros and cons. Women. It's more of a nesting feeling. I can see my family in here. It's not so much the kitchen, it's just the whole vibe of the place. And then they throw in their decorator.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hat and it's like, yeah, that's one of the things I'm very glad about.

[Gino Filippone]

Megan is that she's amazing.

[Craig Ferguson]

She's the designer. Yeah, it's pretty good. How did you end up going to real estate from.

[Gino Filippone]

I just love. I've always loved real estate. And we were living out in la, and we used to go to Santa Barbara, we used to go to Palm Springs. And I would look at these homes and go, holy shit, this must be fun. If I can't afford to live in it, I might as well sell it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

And so we were going to make our life out there, but then my partner did the option, the right to Cher's life story and did the Cher show on Broadway. So I knew I was coming back. I was already running the businesses in New York, and they were running. And so I came back and pivoted and just got my license. And then I was doing weddings and real estate, which was incredibly stressful.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I feel like that's a lot of time, because people. You're dealing with people at two different points in their life where there's a lot of emotion involved.

[Gino Filippone]

Right. I already know what my next position is because I am one of those people, at any age, have no problem reinventing myself. I'm literally like a person who, if I'm not happy doing it, or if I'm saturated the wedding business, after 10 years, I was like. Like, I'm done.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

And I was. Had no problem. I don't look at it and go, God, I'm a certain age. I'll never get a job. I don't do any of that. If it's meant to be, I just move forward with it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think that's very healthy. I also think that's New York a little bit. I think this is a city like la, and by extrapolation of that show business, I think, and which everything is show business.

[Gino Filippone]

Everything.

[Craig Ferguson]

Everything Getting old is somehow shameful. Like, you mustn't. You must go. You must, like, have you know, surgeries and stuff. You must look young, feel young all the time. And I think in New York that's less of an issue, is like, have a nice coat.

[Gino Filippone]

Right, right. So I think the next thing for me, Well, I love real estate right now. I mean, look, it's great, but it is a relationship business. Like weddings were a relationship business.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, literally. Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

You know, I mean, it really is. But there is a thing in the UK and I can't remember what it's called. I remember a Brit telling me this, which was that when somebody dies, there's a man that comes in and does the service, but he's called something. He's not the vicar, obviously, he's called the. It's gotta come to me. Anyway, that's what I would love to do in New York.

[Craig Ferguson]

What, death?

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah, Work on. I mean, I'm gonna skip the divorces because who wants to do that? That's just an attorney. There's no fun in that. But like the celebration of life thing. Oh, what are they called? The person who comes in.

[Craig Ferguson]

They're saying a lot now, these humanists. Service humanists, yes.

[Gino Filippone]

And now even religious, like the Catholic Church. No one is doing the wakes and people that I know was just tattoo. They're just doing one day of celebration.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. Change now, I think a little bit. That's true. We had on the podcast William Villanova.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, what a name. I love it.

[Craig Ferguson]

He's lovely, man. He's the head of the, the, you know, the big funeral chapel on Madison.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God. Yes. I go there all the time.

[Craig Ferguson]

Frank Campbell's Frank Campbell.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God, he is.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, he's.

[Gino Filippone]

That's.

[Craig Ferguson]

He's the guy in charge.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, that is a great guest to have.

[Craig Ferguson]

He was fabulous. Why I didn't know about. About funerals and, and like to be in his position. That's like a four year college degree.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, he's like. I mean, I think he does everything though, from, you know, soup to nuts. I guess that is the place and.

[Gino Filippone]

The place to be.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

Honored value that in Riverside Memorial or Riverside Church.

[Craig Ferguson]

So what would you do?

[Gino Filippone]

I would script something like, I love having less is more. I loved writing a ceremony. I had a template. And the bride and groom, I would go, give me something that you love about whatever. And I wouldn't tell her and I wouldn't share it with him. And so it became like a moment. It wasn't necessarily a lot of times emotional, but at least they had. You could feel the moment in the room that's what it's about.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you know what I noticed? You've been to Italy recently.

[Gino Filippone]

Of course.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right? When you go to Italy, do you ever go around the graveyards?

[Gino Filippone]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

Have you noticed this new trend where they have the video of the deceased? Have you seen that? No. Yeah. No, it's weird.

[Gino Filippone]

At the graveyard, on the. On the tombstone.

[Craig Ferguson]

On the tombstone.

[Gino Filippone]

You mean you push something and then.

[Craig Ferguson]

You can make a little video so that, you know.

[Gino Filippone]

That's genius.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hey, it's me. I'm. Well, you know. Enjoy your life.

[Gino Filippone]

I love that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, you put a little video on your tombstone.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God, what a thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. I'm not so sure. I mean, because look, imagine you're like, you're old, your grandpa, and someone goes ahead and says, hey, grandpa, it's time to make the video. You're like, no, I. I'm fine. No, it's time. You know, it's a fine.

[Gino Filippone]

Grandfather would have just given me instructions on life. I told you not to take that job. What?

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, I feel like, first of all, I don't know, how long is that video going to last? I mean, the stone's going to be there for a while, but the video come. I was going to break just thinking.

[Gino Filippone]

I'm just thinking, like, somebody's just going to take it.

[Craig Ferguson]

It. Well, who's got a who? Kind of heartless monster.

[Gino Filippone]

But it's a. It's a piece of like an iPhone, isn't it? I mean, what are you doing?

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I think there's a little. There's a little kind of solar thing on the top for power supply, and then it. It kind of.

[Gino Filippone]

I love that idea.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'm not sure that I do. I think once you go, like, when I go. I'm not going. I don't want to.

[Gino Filippone]

Aren't you going to be cremated?

[Craig Ferguson]

No. Viking funeral, I think.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God.

[Craig Ferguson]

Actually, you know, in all seriousness, taking up space.

[Gino Filippone]

I think that is such an ego thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

No Viking funeral. You get burned.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, you do?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. It's boat. Boat out to sea, and your children fire flaming arrows onto the boat. And then you burn as a. And off you go to Valhalla. The only trouble is. The only trouble is, I think if that ends, if I end up in Valhalla, I'm going to be the sassiest Valhalla there is. I'm no way qualified to sit around.

[Gino Filippone]

You know, you're never going to die. Oh, you've been spared on so many levels.

[Craig Ferguson]

I. You have.

[Gino Filippone]

You shoulda, coulda, woulda. On so many levels not be in this room right now.

[Craig Ferguson]

There's been a couple of times, but things were. Back then, things were a little more like, like in New York when you were doing the tours. Do you ever run in any danger these. Because late night in New York back then was kind of different.

[Gino Filippone]

No, but I do see or hear about a lot of people that I was in business with.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

Are dying. Like, have died. You know the sad things, you know?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Like. Yeah, I. I freaks me out.

[Gino Filippone]

It does freak.

[Craig Ferguson]

People that are contemporaries and they like, died. Like, why can't they die? You know what's really weird? You run into people that you knew from back in the day and they look really old. And I'm like, am I.

[Gino Filippone]

That's a compliment for me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Am I delusional that, you know, I'm.

[Gino Filippone]

Like, do I look. I know. You go back and you go, do I look like that?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I know, I. I do do that.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah. You know what you get for that? A three way mirror. I told my partner that three way mirror, you got to see yourself from every angle.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

Because there are certain angles. I see myself when I trying on a pair of pants and I go sit in this room and I realize it's no old guy in the room with me. It's me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh my God.

[Gino Filippone]

From the side.

[Craig Ferguson]

So as long as I'm looking directly in the mirror and I've got my eyes open, I probably look. Okay.

[Gino Filippone]

Yeah. You remember the old thing about when you see a hot girl, she was hotter, walking away or coming towards you? It was never both.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

You know, I mean, it's. You have to make sure it all ties in.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. I. I don't know that I'm ready for a three way mirror.

[Gino Filippone]

Okay, well, I come and look at mine.

[Craig Ferguson]

What. What happens if you stand there naked?

[Gino Filippone]

Then you change 14. Well, I mean, then you know what you got to do. You gotta call.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't know, I. I'd like.

[Gino Filippone]

You've had no work done. You look great. You're rugged. You're ready.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, God bless you. You know.

[Gino Filippone]

No, not me. I've had work done.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, you haven't, have you?

[Gino Filippone]

Absolutely. Little tweaking here and there.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'm into it. I'm going. I want to mega. I. I want to see a cosmetic dermatologist.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, really?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I want to. I want to have like all the same.

[Gino Filippone]

You want to do that like CO2 laser thing?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. What's that?

[Gino Filippone]

Is that like they burn your face off and come back looking like an 11 year old. I don't think that's the best look for you, by the way.

[Craig Ferguson]

Probably, isn't it?

[Gino Filippone]

It's kind of one of those moments you see them and go, a giant.

[Craig Ferguson]

Baby or something about.

[Gino Filippone]

No, I'm doing. I'm into the stem cell thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

What's that?

[Gino Filippone]

So they do a little. They remove your stem cells.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

I have to go. It's kind of a liposuction thing, which is disgust. I don't do well with needles, so I'd have to be out for everything, which I love.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't mind being out.

[Gino Filippone]

I love being out.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's. Look, it was probably.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, my God. Count back from 100.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

And then they send your stem cells to Virginia to a lab, and they harvest them.

[Craig Ferguson]

Okay.

[Gino Filippone]

And then. And four to six months later, you get some of them back on a drip and they put them in. And all after you do it three times, all the aches and pains start to go away. That moment of getting out of bed in the morning going is gone. You're now the 18 year old. So it's all cellular work and it's age reversal, but not so much the exterior, the interior, which is, what do I care? As long as I'm feeling young inside. Yeah. I'm hearing I have two people that I've tapped into. One is a. A big, big person and. And it's really helped her knees and she's completely. I know. Don't go there. Leave that alone.

[Craig Ferguson]

You know, I just.

[Gino Filippone]

I. Dating those young guys.

[Craig Ferguson]

Is it. Is it very. Is it very expensive? No, I just.

[Gino Filippone]

I know where you were going.

[Craig Ferguson]

I've reached a point like where I hear about stuff for knees and I'm like, oh, but that's what happens.

[Gino Filippone]

You just.

[Craig Ferguson]

Just, you know, don't drink and don't die, as they say.

[Gino Filippone]

Isn't it true it happens overnight, Especially with men. And listen, statistically, men do not last as long as women.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I've noticed that. Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

I mean, that is scary.

[Craig Ferguson]

It is a little bit. Bud. Do you fear the great beyond?

[Gino Filippone]

No. What do you mean? Do I feel like I'm at the end of my life?

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I mean, do you. What do you think happens after you die?

[Gino Filippone]

I think you're. I think it's all energy and you're reincarnated and it's just energy.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So you don't think it's like, you know, angry Santa on a cloud?

[Gino Filippone]

I think you're. I think you're, you know. You know, I'm not. I don't even Think you're trying to work out the stuff you couldn't work out in this life, in the next life. I think you just immediately are reincarnated. It's a soul thing, but.

[Craig Ferguson]

But reincarnated is energy, not like as a hamster or something.

[Gino Filippone]

Maybe. Who knows?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

God, I hope not. I hope I'm a rescue hamster because, you know, the word rescue is just like living at the plaza.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I don't know how many rescue hamsters are living at the. But I don't know if hamsters actually qualify as a rescue animal. I'm sure that there are rescue hamsters, but, I mean, it's usually like cats.

[Gino Filippone]

I've seen them on menus, let's put it that way.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, no.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, yeah. I mean, in certain places, people fry up anything.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, no, I couldn't. I know that Megan, when she was in South America, she. She was offered guinea pig in, I think, Peru. I couldn't eat a guinea pig.

[Gino Filippone]

That's horrible.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, that'd be bad. My dad used to eat rabbit.

[Gino Filippone]

My parents. You'd eat rabbit, too. That's a delicacy. Yeah. It's so sad.

[Craig Ferguson]

French.

[Gino Filippone]

The Italians will eat that horse. Oh, yeah, all of that stuff.

[Craig Ferguson]

I can't eat that.

[Gino Filippone]

God, let's not talk about that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Okay. Well, I'm mostly veggie now anyway.

[Gino Filippone]

You are?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I was vegan for a long time, and then I. I didn't.

[Gino Filippone]

I don't think I could do that. But I'm almost veggie.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gino Filippone]

I'll be a pesca.

[Craig Ferguson]

Pescatarian.

[Gino Filippone]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. I don't. Do you eat the shellfish?

[Gino Filippone]

I'm not as much. Well, my partner's goes into anaphylactic shock, so that limits.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, Megan's the same.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh, really?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, she. She's terribly allergic to shrimp and. Yep, those kind of.

[Gino Filippone]

So is my partner. So. I mean, I'm down to an occasional lobster primavera thing, but I don't even love it that much.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I can't eat. See me. I don't eat. I could eat it. I don't. I'm not allergic to it, but I think it's a bug. I think these things like a crab, a lobster. It's just a large underwater bug.

[Gino Filippone]

Well, they say they're bottom feeders.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, they are bottom feeders.

[Gino Filippone]

So, I mean, what you're eating is.

[Craig Ferguson]

Just a great stop on the sex tour.

[Gino Filippone]

I think I'm.

[Craig Ferguson]

Can we go to bottom feeding?

[Gino Filippone]

I think we're gonna go back to those sex tours again. I want to Go on the UK evening news and go, let's not talk about weddings. Let's talk about how many of you people went on that Geno sex tour.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, the Geno sex.

[Gino Filippone]

Oh my go. It was magical.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it was magical.

[Gino Filippone]

Dropping them off at 4 o' clock in the morning and then getting up and doing it all over again. It was a cycle. They'd come in on a Thursday, we would do Friday tour, Saturday night, Saturday night sex club, Sunday hangover shopping. And then they would leave Monday and I would drop them off and pick up the next group.

[Craig Ferguson]

I find that fascinating.

[Gino Filippone]

It was the greatest gig and I loved it. I loved just. It was just freedom and it was being on, it was reading the room and people were like, you know, the boring tours were when you had like IBM incentive tour and those guys didn't want, you know, I didn't do those. Those were horrible because you're just.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did you learn a lot about New York City?

[Gino Filippone]

I did learn a lot about New York City. I know all the history, which is why we, why I love real estate so much. Cause I love those beautiful pre war, the architecture, the history of New York building buildings around people who didn't want to leave their little rent stabilized apartment.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gino Filippone]

Like on the. I know buildings on the east side. There are books about this, which is fascinating for me. They've offered them millions of dollars. We'll buy you an apartment, we'll move you out and they won't go. And they have to build an entire building around a little townhouse because some woman on the fourth floor, it's like up. It's just unbelievable.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, that's crazy. Thank you for being on.

[Gino Filippone]

Thank you for having me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Thank you for being here. You're the best, Gino. Or maybe if you're, if you run the stakes, you're from Britain. All right, bye.

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[Craig Ferguson]

This is an iHeart podcast.