Ep 584 - The Buzz Man (feat. Marcus King)

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
Episode: 584 – The Buzz Man (feat. Marcus King)
Date: November 4, 2025
Guests: Marcus King (musician)
Hosts: Matt McCusker & Shane Gillis

This episode features an energetic, funny, and deeply personal conversation between comedians Matt McCusker, Shane Gillis (Shane is not present in the studio for this episode), and their guest Marcus King. The trio covers a lot of ground—life on tour, the struggles and stories behind sobriety, the quirks of band and comedy life, addiction, impostor syndrome, and the endless search for a buzz. While laced with characteristic humor, the dialogue also dives deep into vulnerability—offering both laughs and hard-earned insight.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

Touring, Band Life & Making Music

• Marcus brings the Wall of Sound: Marcus describes prepping for a big show with all parts of his band present—horns, strings, background vocalists.

  • "The non cost effective group...Got the horns, BGVs, strings." (00:11)
  • Flying and coordinating so many musicians can be a logistical beast (strings and BGVs are local, but much of the band flies in).

• The Power of Horn Players

  • Matt jokes about feeling powerful transporting brass through the sky.
    • "If I knew I was moving brass players through the sky, I would feel pretty powerful about that." (00:52)

• Quiet Acknowledgement of Musical Peers

  • Marcus is humble about his guitar skills, noting there are plenty of quiet shredders out there, not just him (01:16).

• Tertiary Market Touring

  • Marcus discusses the band's strategy of starting record release tours in secondary and tertiary cities to build buzz, allowing time to promote to A-markets.
    • "The first leg of the album release tour ended up being only tertiary markets, which is kind of nice because it gives us like six to nine months to build the rollout..." (06:34)
  • The band improvises the lineup for different cities (no horns for Madison, Indiana!), and Marcus describes how people miss certain band members, especially his wife, when they don't come (07:49).

• Wives & Recognition

  • Both Matt and Marcus discuss their wives being recognized at shows—a strange, funny side effect of success.
    • "She gets kind of like, she's freaked out...Four-time WNBA superstar." (08:22)

• The “Loggins or Messina” Dump Scale

  • On tour, the band uses a code for bowel regularity: a solid bathroom experience is a “Kenny Loggins,” while a problematic one is a “Messina.”
    • "If we're having solid dumps, we call those Kenny Loggins. If you're not, then it's called the Messina." (03:33)

Sobriety, Addiction & The Pursuit of a Buzz

• Band Hygiene & Tour Bus Woes

  • The tour bus inevitably starts to smell, but it’s impossible to pin down one person. Marcus tells a story of passively addressing poor hygiene by gifting deodorant to a bandmate (04:52).

• Gambling, Addiction Hierarchies & Laxative Abuse

  • Matt and Marcus debate the “lameness” of gambling addiction compared to others, arriving at laxative addiction as the most pathetic (in jest).
    • "I had a problem with laxatives...A doctor told me it's a form of bulimia." (17:36)
    • Marcus describes a harrowing (but now hilarious) story of shitting his pants on tour in Japan due to laxative use and drinking, and how he tried to “get ahead of the story” by announcing it to everyone in the hotel (18:02).

• Quitting Drinking, Slipping Up, & Sobriety Stages

  • Marcus gives a candid account of his journey with alcoholism—drinking from a young age, mixing with benzos and antidepressants, and eventually hitting a wall.
    • "My wife was really the thing that motivated me to change it up...But I just thought I could drink like a gentleman...It would always turn into 18 beers." (28:54)
  • He shares a story of falling off the wagon spectacularly during a podcast appearance with Bert Kreischer, right before a Sober Nation talk.
    • "I was hungover when I got to Bert's house...And the next day, I had to speak at a Sober Nation event." (21:32)
    • On being honest at recovery events: "The thing about the wagon is you fall off the wagon, you get back on." (22:36)

• The Constant Search for a Buzz

  • Jokingly, Matt coins himself (and his dad) as “buzz men”—always needing something to change the way they feel, whether it’s coffee, nicotine, or weed.
    • "I might be. I’m a bit of a buzz man myself. I just need, I just want the buzz." (36:57)
  • Matt tells about his dad quitting booze only to pound 60 oz. of coffee or smoke four cigars a day, and how that need for a buzz is perhaps inherited.
    • Notable quote: "He would drink two 24s and then a 16. I asked him like, why do you drink so much coffee? He was like, did I quit drinking? You gotta abuse something, man." (36:15)

• Microdosing & Managing Panic

  • Both hosts and Marcus discuss the perils and (sometimes) the help of microdosing mushrooms in mitigating anxiety and taking the edge off humiliation (53:19).

• Wanting to Look ‘Normal’

  • There’s a funny sidebar about wanting to be a “tucked in shirt guy”—Marc and Matt both want to, but are too chicken to really pull it off.
    • "I want to tuck my shirt in so bad, dude. I'm too chicken. I like the feeling of having my shirt tucked in." (55:43)

Comedy, Sports, and Social Interaction

• Not Caring About Sports & Social Bonding

  • Both Matt and Marcus express feeling like outsiders among dudes who bond over sports. They try to fake it, but always get caught.
    • "It's so disappointing when you're in a group of dudes and they're like, Eagles fan? And you're like, I don't really care..." (09:05)

• Addictive Nature of Gambling

  • Matt explains the gambling “flow state” for some people, where it's not about winning or losing but the feeling of anticipation.
    • "For some people... it's not even about winning or losing... You're just kind of like, you're fully on while you don't know what's going to happen. They get addicted to that feeling." (17:05)

• Performance Nerves & Pre-Show Rituals

  • Marcus shares, with humor, his pre-show buzz: called a "Carolina Speedball," it's a joint and two Red Bulls. He uses it to combat pre-show anxiety that makes him want to just go to bed instead of perform (38:19).

• On-stage Brain Worms and Handling Tough Shows

  • Marcus and Matt commiserate about on-stage anxiety—Marcus worries people in the crowd are there to laugh at him, and Matt relates to reading negative faces in the crowd.

    • "One of my thoughts last night was like, how willing I am to believe that somebody would buy a ticket just to come and stand in the front row and laugh at me." (42:14)

  • They joke about the unique agony of crowd indifference at music festivals and the power of seeing even a single person—like the ASL interpreter—getting into it (44:37).

Industry & Relatability

• Industry Realities

  • Marcus explains the album-making process: working hard on tracks that don't make the cut for the final record, only to become "B-sides" that he loves (57:59).
  • Talks about upcoming residencies in LA, rehearsals for Austin City Limits, and a special “B-Sides” edition album drop for Record Store Day (58:41).

• Acting Anxiety & Embracing Humiliation

  • Both hosts recount the awkwardness of shooting and sending in self-tape auditions for acting spots, and how they've become less embarrassed by rejection as they’ve gotten used to it (51:19).
    • "I don’t worry too much about humiliation that much, as much as I used to." – Matt (53:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being addicted to everything but gambling:
  "I never got into gambling, man. I've been pretty much addicted to everything else, but..." – Marcus (16:05)

• Marcus’ tour hygiene diplomacy:
  "I had a keyboard player one time I just bought deodorant for. I was just like, hey, man, I got you this." (04:54)

• On falling off the wagon (sobriety):
  "The thing about the wagon is you fall off the wagon, you get back on, you know, which was true. And I really had to finesse that because I felt a little judgment." – Marcus (22:35)

• On inheriting the need for a buzz:
  "You gotta abuse something, man." – Matt's dad, as quoted by Matt (36:15)

• On performance anxiety and the “Carolina Speedball”:
  "My pre-show buzz is like, I'll smoke a joint. I call it a Carolina Speedball…a joint and like two Red Bulls." – Marcus (38:19)

• On humility and microdosing:
  "Microdosing helped a lot with that. It helped with my panic attacks. Like, even now when I get too high, I'm like, just enjoy it because it's going to be over..." – Marcus (53:26)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:04 – Marcus discusses bringing his full band together for the show
• 01:11 – New album ("Darling Blue") release
• 03:33 – “Kenny Loggins or Messina” for tour-life bowel movements
• 04:52 – Handling hygiene issues in the tour bus
• 06:34 – Tertiary markets, tour strategy, and B-sides
• 17:36 – Marcus admits to laxative addiction, a dark and funny tour story
• 21:32 – Marcus falls off the wagon with Bert Kreischer and faces Sober Nation the next day
• 28:54 – On attempts at "gentleman" drinking and why it failed
• 36:15 – The "buzz man" mindset and Matt's father’s coffee confession
• 38:19 – Pre-show rituals: the “Carolina Speedball”
• 42:14 – Marcus' on-stage intrusive thoughts and handling hecklers
• 44:37 – The saving grace of the ASL interpreter at a tough gig
• 51:19 – Awkwardness of acting auditions and dealing with humiliation
• 57:59 – The story behind album B-sides and upcoming Black Friday release
• 58:41 – Details about Austin City Limits, LA residencies, and Record Store Day news

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Tone, Banter & Closing Thoughts

The tone is unscripted, rawly humorous, and often self-deprecating. Their storytelling is highly confessional, swinging from wild road stories to intimate accounts of personal struggle, all delivered with an undercurrent of camaraderie and irreverence. Guest Marcus King proves an excellent fit; his openness about sobriety and self-doubt is met with Matt's honesty about his own habits and imperfections, wrapping up in a spirit of mutual respect and comedy.

Notable final exchange:

"Dude, Marcus, thank you for coming, man."
"Thanks for having me, bro."
"Bought me another week. Now I can survive for one more week and figure it out."
"Anytime, brother."
(59:51–59:58)

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Summary

Ep 584 – “The Buzz Man” is a ride through the peculiar, sometimes messed-up, always funny world of stage performers. From tour bus living and musical logistics to the very real search for a daily buzz—whether through caffeine, nicotine, weed, or the applause of a crowd—Marcus, Matt, and Shane dissect their lives with a mix of joyous absurdity and raw confessional. Perfect for long-time fans or first-time listeners—whether you're here for the stories, the laughs, or the wisdom hard-earned on the road.

Transcript

[A]

The wild wild west.

[B]

Hey. Welcome, everybody. Marcus King. What's going on?

[A]

What's up?

[B]

You're just telling me about the big mighty band.

[A]

Yeah, we got the whole crew coming down for tomorrow.

[B]

Yeah. That's awesome. It should be out tomorrow, actually.

[A]

Yeah, the. The non cost effective group.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. The Wall of sound.

[A]

Got the horns, BGVs, strings.

[B]

Thanks. You got to move every. So you just fly every single person down. For sure. I never really thought about that.

[A]

Yeah, I think the strings and the BGVs are local.

[B]

Cool.

[A]

But my fiddle player is coming down from Nashville and my horns are flying in. That's awesome. It's gonna be fun.

[B]

It's gotta feel powerful to know you have a bunch of, like. What do they call Trump? Not Trump. What is a horn player called? Like, a hornist or, like, horniest?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What do they call it? I guess a trumpeter.

[A]

We just call them horn players.

[B]

Horn players. There you go. My bad. Showing my ass already.

[A]

The saxophone is.

[B]

My thing is knowing if I knew I was, like, moving brass players through the sky, I would feel pretty powerful about that. You know what I mean?

[A]

Yeah. It's a nice feeling.

[B]

It's awesome. All right, well, I thought it was cool.

[A]

It is a nice feeling.

[B]

No, that's awesome, dude. I'm stoked for you. So you just released the. The album Darling Blue?

[A]

Yeah, the album's out. It's nice on it, man.

[B]

Yeah, I was blasting in my house.

[A]

Good. Thanks.

[B]

Yeah, it's awesome, dude. Rips. You might be one of the biggest ax men currently right now, man. Who. I mean, who else can shred like you?

[A]

I'm sure there's plenty.

[B]

True. That's true. There's a lot of. But, you know, I mean, I guess. Yeah, there's a lot of quiet guys just kind of noodling in their room, just like myself. But, dude, Billy.

[A]

You. You. You and Billy are. Billy's really playing some. Some wild stuff.

[B]

Yeah, Billy's been studying, like, almost like classical.

[A]

Yeah. Stuff style with his Scientologist teacher. Yeah.

[B]

Billy takes guitar lessons and. Yeah. There it's. He studies from a Scientologist who kind of like just peppers in a little Scientology every now and again on him.

[A]

I mean, that's the way to do it.

[B]

Like. Yeah.

[A]

Chickera was a Scientologist.

[B]

Really?

[A]

And my keyboard player was like a big Chicker fan. When he went to go see him, you know, he said he hit him with a little.

[B]

Just a little dab.

[A]

Just a little dab of Scientology at the end there.

[B]

I'm so scared of thank you, Elron. I'm so scared of Scientology.

[A]

Yeah, it freaks me out. Yeah, I feel like the better you do in this industry, like, it's. It's kind of looming. Scientology, it's around the corner.

[B]

Yeah, dude, it'd be.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

The only thing I would like about it is just kind of making my wife do it with me. Yeah. Be kind of fun. Just be like, no, we're Scient. She's, like, really into going to church now, and I could just completely dash her Christian dreams with New World Satanism. So that would be. That would be pretty nice, dude. Like, what if instead of all this being nice stuff, he just became as successful as possible? Forgot all this? I mean, I should do that, actually. Make a. Read. Science fiction from the 1950s.

[A]

Yeah. This is what we're into now.

[B]

True. Get both my daughters clear, dude.

[A]

Yeah, dude, we're going clear.

[B]

Have you. Do you know any people? Have. Have you ever been approached with the S or.

[A]

No, no, I've been asked about some other weird.

[B]

Like, what?

[A]

I've just been invited to, like. Like, get togethers, like, out in the redwoods. I'm like, I'm cool.

[B]

What's a gift? What do you mean? Like, I could get like a. Like a naked. You know, Kenny Loggins allegedly played live from the redwoods to, I guess, like a naked crowd.

[A]

To a naked crowd.

[B]

It could just be folklore, but that's what I've heard.

[A]

We call it Kenny Loggins on the road. Like, me and my keyboard player. Like, you know, when you're on the road, like, food is. It's always kind of sporadic, what you're putting in your body. And, like, if you're drinking a lot, too. So, like, if we're having, like, solid dumps, we'll call it. We call those Kenny Loggins. But if you. If you're not, then it's called the Messina. So you're either Loggins or Messina on any given day.

[B]

But, yeah, my. I. I can fly for one day and eat one meal. If as soon as I hit the road, instant diarrhea. It's every time. Instant diarrhea. My ass is a mess. I have baby wipes in my school bag that I always forget about.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I get home and I, like, go to. I always. I get the check from the comedy club, I give it to my wife, and every time I open up for the check, I go, fuck. I had baby wipes this whole time, right? Could have used those, but. Tour bus must be crazy. Just a bunch of Bros.

[A]

Bunch of bros. It starts smelling about two days in. It's a. It's a weird combo of smells and you can never really track it down to one person. So it's hard to go to somebody and be like, hey, man, you know your hygiene's a problem.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because there's 12 bunks, so it's like 12 combinations of odor.

[B]

She's got to walk by each one and kind of.

[A]

Well, it just kind of the whole collective.

[B]

Have you ever confronted somebody for their hygiene on the bus?

[A]

I have.

[B]

How does that go?

[A]

I usually do it in a more of a passive way. I had a keyboard player one time I just bought deodorant for. I was just like, hey, man, I got you this. He just kind of, you know, lightly approach it.

[B]

Yeah, that's a. That's how. Yeah. You handled. You handled the keyboard player like a teenage daughter kind of.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I got you some deodorant. Yeah, you're still beautiful, but you might want to. You might want to try this.

[A]

Starting to funk.

[B]

That's kind of tight.

[A]

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[B]

So how's this. How's this run been versus other runs in terms of the tour? Do you ever get back to a city and just realize, like, maybe how much you've grown as a person since the last time you've been to a place?

[A]

Man. Yeah, this tour has been especially like that. We can really feel it. And like this half of the year has been mostly like, like we were talking about like our B markets, like tertiary markets, to use an industry term.

[B]

Tertiaries. Nice. Tertiary market tertiaries. B minus. I guess tertiary is so nice.

[A]

We're going to put you on. We're going to be doing mostly tertiary markets. So, you know, it's not going to be cost effective for us to do it this way, but we do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I just kind of give you the whole rigmarole.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it's interesting because we haven't really done it like this before. We kind of already had a tour planned and then we moved the record release up. So the first leg of the album release tour ended up being only tertiary markets, which is kind of nice because it gives us like six to nine months to build the. To build the rollout for like our A plus markets within the same, you know, window of release.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is kind of cool.

[B]

That makes sense. And when you say build, what do you mean by build it up?

[A]

Just more time to promote the shows.

[B]

That. That makes sense. I thought you said, like work on the. I guess you already have the album done because that's. Yeah. It's kind of unfortunately in the tertiary markets. A lot. A lot of figuring it out. Yeah, it's a lot of like, hey, guys, I'm going to figure this out in front of you. Sorry. I'm going to do a really good show in Chicago, but yeah, Dennis Moy is getting the crap.

[A]

It's going to be great, man. But Madison, Indiana, you're going to get.

[B]

No horn players for you guys.

[A]

We're filling some things out. Yeah, it's like the. No horn players. And a lot of times what I recognize now is like, you know, a lot of dudes bring their wives and their wives are like, where's Briley? Which is my wife because she sings with us sometimes and she doesn't come out all the time.

[B]

Gotcha.

[A]

But when she's not there, I've seen some. Some real disappointed lady folks.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the crowd.

[B]

No, that's true.

[A]

With trucker hats.

[B]

Just. Just waiting for.

[A]

Unhappy. Yeah.

[B]

Have you ever thought of just kind of like faking them out?

[A]

Yeah, just. How's up?

[B]

Put on the dress, dude. Oh, she'll be right back, guys. Hold on a second. Yeah, no, Brittany gets. My wife gets. She'll go to shows every now. Now she'll get like recognized. And it's kind of funny to like see that and see like people like Brittany. What's going on?

[A]

That's awesome.

[B]

Yeah, it's pretty cool. I don't. I don't know how she feels about it. I think she loves it deep down, but she gets kind of like she's freaked out.

[A]

Four time WNBA superstar.

[B]

Yeah. The first three weeks of that were really like. She was shell shocked because she would just. She didn't realize, neither of us really did. How big, how like wide that went, how far that went. She would just like go out to get coffee and it'd be like four people. Like wnba.

[A]

Yeah. Dude. She'd be like, that sports crowd is like a whole other thing, man. I know when you tap into that market, like those fans are buck wild.

[B]

It's. Dude, it's the. I Would argue it's like the biggest thing, honestly.

[A]

It's like a religion. Like, people feel really like, you know, okay to like, fight about that.

[B]

Yeah. Or just kind of like, I was just at a birthday party recently and it was, you know, there's nothing wrong with it. The guy was just like, oh, it must be like an Eagles fan. And it's just so disappointing when you're in a group of dudes somewhere and you go, yeah, I don't really care. I like, I, like, support them in spirit, but I don't really care to watch it. I don't know anything about it. And you just watch them go, well, fuck, man. I don't know what we're gonna talk about now. Sorry, brother.

[A]

That's my whole life.

[B]

Yeah. No sports.

[A]

Yeah. Like, especially like Briley's friends or like any of our small town friends, like when, like, I'm sure you've been in a situation where you got to meet other husbands and they're like, yeah, man, well, yeah, you know, like, hurricanes are looking good this year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or like, whatever the else they're talking about. And I'm like, I. I don't really. Yeah, I don't really watch sports, man.

[B]

It's a bummer, dude. It's a bummer.

[A]

But I try. But that's almost worse when you try to engage and then they start hitting you with facts that really go over your head.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then you gotta say, I'm just bullshitting.

[B]

Yeah. I'll. I'll try to get Although, too. I feel like in those sports combos, you can be like, I'll fake the funk too. I'll be like, yeah, man. I like, we won the super bowl last year, so you know how that is. And then they'll be like. They'll be like, what do you. What do you think? What do you think about the big man? And I'm like, damn, I don't know who the big man is. And I'll just show my ass. I'll be like, which. Who. Who the big man is? They're talking about the team I'm supposed to be a fan of. They're not even from the city. And I'm like, they're the big man. You speak of Donovan McNabb, perhaps. I don't know. Yeah, it's. It's a bummer. I've. I've gotten more. I. I've, like, just gotten more upfront with it, my lack of sports knowledge and interest. But it is, like, you know, just disappointing because they're like, Damn, dude. We could have like, bonded over this, but I've tried.

[A]

You know, my wife walked in one day and I was watching football and I was, like, actively trying to engage and watch it, and she just laughed at me. She laughed. And she's like, what the hell are you doing? Are you watching football? I was like, I'm trying to. And I just really didn't enjoy it.

[B]

Yeah, if it's on, like, it's cool, but I have to be somewhere with someone else and it happens to be on. If that makes sense, then I can watch it. But, like, to. I would feel insane. I think I've tried it to myself. Like, I'm going to sit down and watch the game. I'm going to be a real guy. And then I sat down. It's just like, oh, dude, this is so fucking long, dude. I wish I could do something else right now. So fucking boring.

[A]

We watched the World Series the other night and that was fun. Our tour managers from Toronto, so he had a lot, you know, on the line, and he was very excited and.

[B]

And crushed.

[A]

Yeah, we all really wanted to see him. We wanted to see the Blue Jays lose just because we knew he was going to be insufferable if they won. But, man, when they lost, like, it was actually really sad for him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we all immediately felt bad.

[B]

That was a tough one for everybody because people were torn between patriotism and how much everyone hates la. Yep. So a lot of people I talked to, like, fuck the Dodgers. I don't want the fucking Dodgers to win. They would just root pretty much against their country.

[A]

Yeah, it was. It was an interesting.

[B]

That's pretty. That's pretty true. Everyone I know is kind of like, fuck the Dodgers. I'd rather see Canada win.

[A]

Not on our bus.

[B]

Yeah, we're rooting.

[A]

Team usa, baby.

[B]

Team usa. I can support that. I was again, just spineless like usual. I was like, oh, yeah. I could see Canada winning. And then like, your Dodgers are winning. I'm like, oh, that's good too. But that's good, too. I never want to empower Canada. That is true. I do feel that way as well. And I feel like being against the Dodgers as a lot of these guys. These guys are. I think it's kind of anti Semitic to be against the Dodgers. So I think you guys should really think about that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think you're. I think your hatred of the Dodgers is really charged by your anti Semitism.

[A]

Stop Asian hate, man. You gotta support the Dodgers.

[B]

Did you do that on purpose? Yeah, that's Hilarious. Saying anti Semite Stop Asian hate is very funny, master.

[A]

I've been. I've been to basketball games. I've been to, like. I've been to football games and, like, hockey games. I like hockey a little bit, but, like, when I'm at the game, like, at a basketball game, I'm like, I'm really. I'm gonna get into this. I'm a basketball guy now and then. It just never sticks.

[B]

No, as soon as. Well, dude, I like, I think, Nate, you probably did you check stats and. Yeah, see, that's where, like, I'm gone. I like, I can watch. I have friends that are like, I thought the same thing. I'm gonna start watching. I'm gonna follow. He's like. I just see him, like, googling stats from all the players. I'm like, bro, I always feel like.

[A]

I'm so behind, you know? It's weird.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by ZIP Recruiter. I'm constantly looking for my keys and my chapstick, my glasses, headphones, and charger, etc. I lose them almost every day. And the longest time I've spent looking for Something is about 17 minutes. I'll tell you what, it'd be nice if we had a superpower that helped us find exactly what we need right at that moment, which I have. It's called a wife. Luckily, my hiring manager. For my hiring managers out there, you've at least got the next best thing. ZipRecruiter. Try it [e-mail] MSSP There's a reason ZipRecruiter continues to be named Zip, the number one hiring site based on, get this, G2. And that's because it does most of the work for you using its powerful matching technology to scan through thousands of resumes and to connect you with top talent almost instantly. Want to know right away how many qualified candidates are in your area? Look no further than ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employees who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Oh, I kind of would like to try that, man. See, I just want to see. I don't. You know, I'm not really hiring currently, but I want to see how many qualified candidates there are. Kind of like Megan's Law, you know what I mean? But not with obviously horrible pedophiles, but with qualified candidates. Check them out on my zip code. And right now, you can try it for [e-mail] MSSP Again, that's ziprecruiter.com MSSP ZipRecruiter the smartest way to live. Yeah, you just got it. I really think you can watch SportsCenter. I think if you were to, like, take 30 minutes a day to watch SportsCenter, you can get through. I think it's a point of the show. You could get through. You could chat enough where you'd be like, yo, you see that catch Sealers. See, I won't catch and like, it let them fill in the blanks and big nod. And I only saw the clip of the catch.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Or just get really into sports gambling.

[A]

Oh, yeah, right.

[B]

That could. That'll help you pay attention.

[A]

It just get really deep into gambling.

[B]

That was the one time I've ever been able to pay attention when I tried to become a bookie in college. And I actually, you know, even then I didn't watch the games. I did one game and I'm like, I see the allure. This is great. And then I was like, all right, I'm going to check my voicemail later and see. And people, yeah, they took advantage of the fact I wasn't watching because they kept just being like, double down, double down, double down. And eventually I was like, fuck. It would hit.

[A]

I never got into gambling, man. I was. I've been pretty much addicted to everything else, but.

[B]

But gambling. But gambling, yeah. That's a good one, though. Gambling is the one that really kind of can get you. And it's also, like. I would say it's the lamest addiction, drugs. It's like, there is kind of like a. It's kind of sick on some level.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It can kill you. It's very dangerous.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Sex kind of sick as well. Hell, yeah. Gambling is just pathetic when you're like, I just thought these guys would win.

[A]

Now everything's ruined. My life's ruined. It's interesting to be addicted to something that takes, like, a little bit of skill and, like, knowledge and like, a little bit of planning.

[B]

True.

[A]

Which I guess drug use takes a little planning as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I was always addicted to things that allowed me to let go of everything and not feel anything.

[B]

Well, apparently I. And the more I've read about it, gambling does do that for some people. For me, it's just. I just have anxiety the whole time until I either win and become euphoric or lose and feel like a loser.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But there's people with gambling who, like, it's more so just that time in between, like, hands or like during the game where they get into a Flow state where it's just like. It's not even. From what I've heard about it, it's like. It's not even about winning or losing. It's about. You're just kind of like you're fully on while you don't know what's going to happen. They get addicted to that feeling.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. It's kind of fucked up, but still lame. Still a lame way to go out.

[A]

It's pretty lame, but I think. I think the lamest would be. I was. I had a problem with laxatives. What?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then I realized, like, a doctor was tell. A doctor told me that, like, it's a form of, like, bulimia.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I. I did, like, when I was like, 19, 20, like, I used to throw up all my meals and stuff.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It was a. It was a shitty time. But then, like, I started taking laxatives, which is like a different form of it, I guess.

[B]

Yeah, I would say the better.

[A]

Yeah, I would say it's. It's a better. It's an improvement.

[B]

How'd you get busted with the lax, dude?

[A]

I shit my pants in Japan.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

I just got, like, completely hammered, drunk, and like, one sneeze sent me over the edge at my drummer's birthday dinner.

[B]

So you were drinking on the Lex?

[A]

Yeah, I was drinking on the Lex. We'd gotten to Japan and, like, you know, we had this great big dinner and I was like, I just got completely hammered and, like, you know, I was speaking the little bit of Japanese I know and just being really loud and.

[B]

Yeah, well, it's just really funny, the thing of a restaurant full of, like, old Japanese people being like, you know, they're probably talking Americans. Like, they're so unruly and like, oh, they're fine. And then you stand up to give a speech, just hammered.

[A]

Yeah, it was me. Would you.

[B]

What'd you do? How'd you. Like, how'd you. Because it's tough. It's one thing if you. Your pants when you're sober. You're kind of tactical about it when you're drunk. It's like, that's a tough. You're on your back foot for sure.

[A]

I'll say. Like, I thought I could save it. You know, I went. I went to the bathroom and like. Like, you know, the boxer briefs are done for. So they. They went in the garbage. And then I went back and, I mean, we were having dinner at the hotel we were staying in.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I could have called it a night, but I went back to the dinner. I sat down again and, like, started drinking more and raging more. And then I. My pants again.

[B]

No, no.

[A]

And then I was like, all right.

[B]

There'S the first time you shit your underwear. The first time.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then you finally shat your pants. Oh, my God, dude.

[A]

And once that happens, you just gotta. You gotta call it a night. And my boy. When my boy Kyle walked me back up to the room and I was just like, you know, when you're drunk, you know, everything's a lot bigger. And I was like, I've always been one to kind of like, get ahead of the story. So I was walking through the lobby like, hey, how's everybody doing? I shit my pants. I was just. But nobody spoke English and I was just yelling in people's faces. But it's probably good that I quit drinking.

[B]

Yeah, I would say. How long did you. How long did you drink for, dude?

[A]

Like, my whole life, man. I started drinking and smoking when I was like 11.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, it was just like part of the biz for me, but I feel a lot better without it. I still encourage people to get drunk around me.

[B]

Yeah, true.

[A]

Because drinking was always this thing to, like, lower that, like, you know. Yeah.

[B]

Unless you lower theirs. That's actually kind of nice.

[A]

Everybody else does it and then you're just kind of, you know.

[B]

Yeah. You look at these drunk idiots. Yeah. It's kind of nice, actually. Yeah, that's. That's kind of nice. You tell everyone like. Yeah, because that's. I guess if you don't drink, I. Yeah, I would worry. People are like, not drinking on my account. It's like. Yeah. You want people to live their lives.

[A]

That's the worst.

[B]

Yeah, that's. I would do that. I would. If I know someone's sober, I, like, won't drink on purpose and I. Yeah, it's like an uncomfortable thing. But I. I knew someone before who did that where I was all prepared to have like a super sober weekend with them. And they just got after it and I was like, oh, this isn't good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But turned out not to be.

[A]

It's always a. It's a good feeling when that tide really turns, though.

[B]

And. Yeah.

[A]

And you do lock in and you start. And you start drinking.

[B]

Oh, when you say that's a fun.

[A]

Feeling when you just say it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I did that with Bert Kreischer one time.

[B]

Just got hammered.

[A]

I just got hammered. Like, I fell off the wagon after like a nine month stint. I fell off the wagon in San Diego and then I Went up and I had the Bert cast the next day. And I was. I was hungover when I got to Burt's house. And it was the first time he and I had met. So this is a couple years ago. And when I walked in, we just immediately just locked in, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He was, like, starting a sober journey. I was hungover. I was like, I'm hurting. And then we just. We really got after it. And if you. If you watch that.

[B]

So sick. You knocked him off his wagon.

[A]

We knocked each other off, and we're both waiting around in the deep end. And then the next day, I had to speak at a Sober Nation event.

[B]

Oh, How'd that feel?

[A]

It felt really bad.

[B]

So funny. So you're at least sober for the Sober nation, though.

[A]

I was hungover. Oh. And I had to speak at this, like, panel, this discussion about sobriety and music.

[B]

How did you handle that one?

[A]

I just had to be honest, you know?

[B]

Yeah. Up.

[A]

First thing I said was like, you know, the thing about the wagon is you fall off the wagon, you get back on, you know, which was true. And I. I really. I really had to finesse that because I. I felt a little judgment.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I bet my management was. They were pretty terrified, horrified. They didn't really want me to do it. And I was like, look. No, I got this. Because, really, that is the thing about sobriety that I think scares a lot of people about it. Like, I think one day a sobriety is just as good as 10 years because you're just as close to fudgeing it up.

[B]

Yeah, true.

[A]

It doesn't really matter, dude.

[B]

I've been. I mean, it's, you know, obviously not the same. I've been trying to get off of coffee, and that was, like, this fucking impoverish because I can, like, take or leave drinking. Whatever. Coffee was one. Like, it's so fucking hard, caffeine in general, so hard to get off of that. Yeah. So, like, you're saying the longer I go, the more likely I am to be like, I'm gonna have a cup of coffee, dude. That shit's not a big deal. Yeah, better. And. And again, it's not like drinking, but it's just tough, man. I don't know, like, how people quit heroin. I'm like, how. It's impossible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I can hardly quit caffeine. I'm like, how. How do you quit heroin?

[A]

That's one that I never got after.

[B]

But that's good.

[A]

I think I'd really like it.

[B]

Yeah. Probably be sick. Yeah. Be awesome, dude.

[A]

I got family members that got into the opiates and they said, it's pretty great.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But they also said, makes you a little constipated.

[B]

Yes. And I said, you got the cure for that?

[A]

Can't do that.

[B]

You got the cure.

[A]

I do have the cure. I guess I could supplement that. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. A lot of people, too. A lot of the opiate people got in meth, made a big, like, it rose in the east coast pretty hard with following the heroin.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So a lot of people I knew who got into the opiates. The meth came around, like, late stage opiate addiction. That was kind of interesting.

[A]

What's funny about meth is like. Like my dad, he was. He's a. He's a boomer generation guy. So, like in the 80s, meth was more like casually used.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, and he would just like, casually do meth now.

[B]

Like snorting. Snorting. Okay.

[A]

When you start smoking it, that's the problem. Like, I actually have a friend in Georgia and her aunt, Aunt Patty, she's the shit. And she's like a massive Kid Rock fan. She's so awesome. And she has like 15 Instagram accounts and she just, like, she forgets her password and she just makes a new one. And she signs everything Aunt Patty or Patty Poo. But she's like, man, I wake up in the morning, do a line, clean the house. It's like recreational.

[B]

It's sick. As long as you snort it, though. Yeah. Oh, wow. I thought it. I thought it burned really badly when you snorted it.

[A]

I mean, ketamine burns pretty bad when you snort it.

[B]

What is ketamine? Okay, that burnt pretty bad. Maybe I'm just a giant. I'm over here talking about quitting caffeine. It's like, yeah, I hear you about sobriety. I've quit caffeine for four days, dude.

[A]

I couldn't quit caffeine.

[B]

It's hard. A quick break from the show for a special segment called More or Less. And it's brought to you by Prize Picks. No matter the season, the action never stops on prize picks. Whether it's baseball, basketball, football, or anything in between, you can mix and match your favorite players, pick more or less on their stats, and play for your shot to win up to 2000 times your cash prize picks keeps the game going all year long.

[A]

So let's get into it. What players from what sports are we looking at? I've been looking at basketball. I've been real big on VJ Edgecomb. That's my guy, right? Now also Giannis Antetokounmpo from. You know. Can I say teams?

[B]

You can say teams.

[A]

From the Milwaukee.

[B]

Shane. You can say teams.

[A]

Yeah. It's been a while.

[B]

Shane. You sound so different right now. Sorry. Yeah.

[A]

Giannis Antetokounmpo more always constantly on Giannis and. And Tyrese Maxey is another guy. I'm pretty excited on. More for points, maybe less assists, but definitely more for points.

[B]

Dude, you took the words right out of my mouth. Okay, so that's our take. Now it's time to lock in yours with prize picks. Don't just stand your faves, stand on business. Win real money with your best takes on prize picks. You can mix and match player projections from different sports. Combine your favorite football players with players from women's basketball, hockey, esports, and much more. Pick more or less on their stat projection for your shot to win up to 2000 times your cash today. Prize picks is available in more than 30 states, including California, Texas and Georgia. And here's the good news. You don't have to make it your whole life. Just submit your picks in 60 seconds or less. Download the prize picks app today and use code drench to get $50 in lineups. And after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code drenched to get $50 in lineups. After you play your first $5 lineup. Price picks. What are you. Gabe? Yeah. So when did. When did you like. Because I started drinking pretty early and then. But like, when did it, like, it never kind of got away from me. When did it start to like, where you're like, this is fully getting away from me was like an everyday, all day thing or just kind of like when you did drink, it was a disaster.

[A]

Yeah, I think, I think too, like, it was in combination with like antidepressants and benzodiazepine.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

So like in. In combination with those other drugs. And then I just enjoyed drinking. So that's where I really started enjoying, like cocaine because it just resets. Just brings you back fake.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then you keep drinking and then you can do that like two or three times in an evening until you just can't anymore and you're like pissing yourself drunk.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then like six or seven in the morning comes around and somebody has to take care of you. And you know, I did that for a while and I think that the thing that really. Well, I mean, my wife was really the thing that motivated me to change it up. But even then, like, I thought that I could drink like a gentleman you know? Yeah. So I tried to do that for.

[B]

Like, a different glass. Yeah.

[A]

I was like, I can have a nice glass of whiskey. And then that would always turn into, like, you know, 18 beers. And I just, you know, I thought, I'm happy now. I can drink. But it just. There's something deep in me, something deeply rooted that just wants it to go completely off the rails, get tore out the frame.

[B]

That makes sense. So after. Yeah, I see we're saying, so you pretty much have a couple drinks and this. The train starts fucking rolling. It's like, all right.

[A]

Yeah. Once I break the seal, man, I'm ready to go for, like, two or three days.

[B]

Yeah. It's kind of sick, though. Yeah.

[A]

I mean, it was fun.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's the other thing, too, is like, I had a good time.

[B]

Yeah, it was fun.

[A]

I had a lot of good times. I had a lot of bad times. But, like, those few bad times were bad enough to, you know, outweigh the good times, I guess.

[B]

Yeah. Well, also, too, I feel like there's a thing with aging where it's like, it is fun. And then the older you get, you're like, dude, like, I have to either fully pursue this and become, like an old drinker or just, like, stop, basically, or, like, really lighten it down. Like, I really. I don't even, like, like drinking that much anymore. Like, it's like, obviously I do. Like, if you give me three drinks, I'm like, I love this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Put me out in the sunlight on the beach. I'm like, this is amazing. But, like, just like, as a daily or even like a semi frequent thing, it's just like, dude, after you stop for a while and you start again, you really feel shitty. Even after only like, three or four drinks, the next day, I'm just like, ugh, yeah, feel terrible.

[A]

And like, three or four drinks and knowing I'm gonna feel bad, like, that's just Exactly.

[B]

It's kind of worse. You might as well not do it.

[A]

Or I might as well just really do it.

[B]

Dial in. Yeah. Yeah. Getting on and off. It would be nice to hire, like, a team of people who could really manage getting off and on the wagon to stay with you at moment. Like, pull you down.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

As soon as you grab coke, they're like, smack it out of your hand. Yeah.

[A]

Or they test it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Test it for you. Calling hookers. They like, ma', am, he's drunk right now. He can't just hang up. Thank you, team.

[A]

Thank you. Like, take your phone from you.

[B]

At that point, it wouldn't be fun.

[A]

I know. Because it is like. Like you said about the gambling. It's like the danger element of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like this guy's got a bag of heat. It might kill me. Or it might be a good night. Might have baby laxative in it, which.

[B]

Yeah, that's a big thing, coke. A lot of laxative and coke.

[A]

Laxative and coke.

[B]

Is that how you got into the lax? Maybe.

[A]

Maybe.

[B]

You were chasing the dragon Lax with the coat. The lax dragon.

[A]

The lax dragon.

[B]

It always made me laugh, the coke. The baby laxative in coke was always so funny because I knew guys who shit themselves at work from coke, they'd be like, I should have fucking baby lax them. They was go buy more coke that day. And I'm like, bro, slow down.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, that's. That's when it really got off the rails for me. I had a guy in Nashville that sold vintage clothing and sold cocaine.

[B]

It's hilarious.

[A]

It was like two of my favorite things.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, he was hooking me up with, like, really pure stuff. And that's when it got to where I was like, I would keep a little corner of a bag to get me going the next day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

If I had meetings or writing sessions and stuff. And that was no good.

[B]

Couldn't even use that like a gentleman.

[A]

No, I couldn't.

[B]

I've talked to people who try to claim coke gentlemen, and I've yet to see it.

[A]

I've seen it. You've seen it go down. And I always thought that I could do it. Like, they have like the nice, like, like silver platters with, like, lines, and they're drinking wine and listening to, like, records and. And I was always really into that idea.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It looks very charming.

[B]

Yeah, it does.

[A]

It would always turn into like three, four guys in a bathroom, huddle around a toilet.

[B]

You see the Chargers game. Yeah. Talk about sports. Yeah. I've heard people try to say that, like. Well, actually in, like, Colombia, they, like, don't even use coffee. They just do, like a little bit of coke every morning. It's just like, how's that going?

[A]

Well, they chew on it.

[B]

Yeah. The leaves. Yeah.

[A]

But it's kind of like. And like in this business, especially, like in the arts community, like, you recognize, like, wealthy people. There's like, like super low brow folks, like, do drugs and smoke cigarettes. And then middle class, like, kind of boycotts that whole lifestyle. And then the upper ash, they do it too.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

You know, people are. That was what I Was really surprised by. Was, like, the amount of people doing casual coke and people smoking cigs. I still rip sigs, but.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, the caffeine sig combo is the.

[A]

It's the best.

[B]

Yeah. Kind of. You can really get by on that. Honestly.

[A]

That's what. That's. That's me right now.

[B]

Yeah. I was a big nicotine caffeine guy before I gave both up four days ago. But I felt I fell to a little. Those little things, not the pouches. The, like, little. They're like a tablet that dissolve.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I would do them, but I have such a sensitive system. I would have, like, a coffee, and then I. Sometimes those nicotine tablets would turn on me, and it's just like the head rush from much nicotine too fast is like, yeah, I'm. Again, I'm just being a giant right now, but those.

[A]

Those z give me hiccups.

[B]

Do they?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, yeah. No. I almost threw up in front of my family. I was walking. I was. We were at the airport. I was with Sean, and I was just trying to be a bad. Just started doing the little nicotine tabs. And I'll be honest, I felt so cool. Like, when I was doing, like, you know, like, when you're a kid, you're like, sigs are cool. I had the nicotine patch. I just. Something about keeping something in your bottom lip just strikes me as so macho.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I was so happy to be like, dude, this is sick. I'm with my kids and with Sean. So walking through the airport, my thing sticking out of my lip. And then we got to baggage claim, and I was like. And I almost found. I didn't take it out. Threw it on the ground. I was like, sean, I'm about to throw the out.

[A]

That's tight.

[B]

Yeah. I'm a giant. But. But yeah, there is something to it, though, man, of like. Because I do have that just desire to constantly time, like, minusculely alter my consciousness. I always want to do something, like. And I've noticed it when I. Without, like, caffeine now, I'm kind of like, I should have one drink before bed. Like, there's always some kind of. That I want to do, like, just even a little bit, the mushroom microdoses. So I've been trying to just like, oh, yeah. Which I'm not against them at all, but there is something in my head where I'm like, I should get a little bit up today.

[A]

Now, me and my dad talk about it all the time because My dad's like that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And like he just, he really especially like going before playing a show, he's like, I don't know what to do because I need something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To alter my state of mind before I go and do this. I just want to feel good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because especially he's got like arthritis and like he's like just. He's 72, so he's tired. He's like he's aging and he doesn't like it and he wants to feel something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So he's like, yeah. You know, I have like, maybe I could do like one drink. I'm like, it's probably not a good idea. He's like, this guy wanted to give me a Jaeger bomb. You think that would be good? I was like, no. I try to get him to do.

[B]

Who is this guy by the way?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Who's this guy being like, Hey, 70 year old, here's a Jaeger Mom.

[A]

That's what I'm saying. Like people have like no inhibitions when they're like getting fucked up, they want to drag somebody else down. 72 year old, man, that's low hanging fruit.

[B]

Even with the bomb.

[A]

We'll bring this guy down. Down with me.

[B]

Oh, that's crazy. Yeah. My, my dad quit drinking when I was probably in like 4th or 5th grade and I remember but he, dude, he would drink like 60 ounces of coffee a day. Not exaggerating. He would drink two 24s and then a 16. And I remember asking him like, dude, like what's up with. Because I would like go to work with him and try to even drink one 24 ounce cup and I, you know, I'd be spinning out and I'm like, why do you drink so much coffee? And he was like, did I quit drinking? You got to abuse something, man. He's like, you gotta. He just held it down like that. Now he's, he's like slow. He had some atrial fibrillation so he chilled. He doesn't do as much coffee, but now it's just like four cigars a day. He's got to get. He's addicted to the buzz. I might be. I'm a bit of a buzz man myself. I just need, I just want the buzz. I don't want to get super up, but I do need the buzz.

[A]

Bit of a buzz man myself.

[B]

Bit of a buzz. Aldrin, was it?

[A]

I can't remember if it was you or your brother that said. One of my favorite quotes of all time I think was from your dad was like, I need you from the neck down.

[B]

That's. My dad hit me with that.

[A]

That's so tight.

[B]

Such a.

[A]

That's a great line though.

[B]

Yeah. I was working. I was working demolition with him and I was like trying to give. Because, like, eventually I went to college, I became a man. I was still doing demolition with him. Yeah. I was like, what if we did this? And yeah, he hit me with. I just need you from the neck down today, bud. I don't need any thoughts from you. I need you to move those rocks from A to B.

[A]

That's so good. That's too good.

[B]

Yeah, he killed me. Yeah, that was. I really loved working with him though, because I was so bad at that. Kind of like, I was. Demolition was okay because it doesn't take as much. Like, it's not carpentry where I gotta like note line stuff up. But there is just something really fun because I would always be like. I talked about it. My first special, I'd be just like so stoned at work with my dad and we'd be like, in like a trench down in like, the ground was like in like the dirt. And I was just like, be high. Like, damn, this is so sick. Me and my dad are five feet underground right now. It's so tight.

[A]

That's awesome.

[B]

It was tight. He. Every chance he got, he'd be like, bro, you gotta figure something. This is not. This kind of work is not for you. And I'd be like, right on, right on, right on. You could tell I was kind of a space cadet.

[A]

Yeah. I'm trying to get my dad on like, like my. My pre show buzz is like, I'll smoke a joint. I call it a Carolina Speedball.

[B]

That's not bad.

[A]

Smoke a joint and drink like two Red Bulls. Sugar free Red Bulls. And then because like my anxiety, my stage fright, all that is like, you're tired, you should go to bed.

[B]

Really?

[A]

That's what my anxiety does to me. Like, right before I have to do something important, it's like, no, you're actually really tired. Because it's like a defense mechanism. It's a fight or flight kind of thing. So I supplement that with like Red Bull. And it's not the best, but again, to your point, you know, I gotta abuse something.

[B]

Yeah. Well, dude, here's my thing. I've tried. I had big dreams of being like, cup of coffee, hit the stage kind of guy. Panic attack.

[A]

You had a panic attack?

[B]

Oh, big time. I've had them. I've had like 50 on stage. But this was a. This was a big one where I was like, oh, my. I got. I was telling me. Me and Nate were. This is kind of cracking me up, but slightly unrelated. But last week we were in Tulsa and one of our friends out there gave us some really nice weed that he grow. It was phenomenal. So we did the shows because. I know enough, because if I. If I get high before I do stand up, because it's just like so many words involved. It's like a nightmare for me to get stoned. But we did the. We did the shows and we're going to do the meet and greet after the show. So after the second show, we smoked. This guy left his baseball bat of a joint. We smoked half of it, and we'd started doing the meet and greet. And I almost. I was so high that I almost pulled the plug on the meet and greet, which would have been a total disaster to get like seven people in, to have like 30 people left and be like, guys, I'm sorry, I'm too fucking high. I gotta get out. Or just like make up some. Yeah, dude, there's pictures. I have a picture of my phone. It's. It's. My eyes are crazy. Just like. But yeah, that was. I was talking to my friend Del Carlo. He's like, you should have stopped. Every single person shook their head and like, sorry, I'm canceling the meet and greet. I'm too high.

[A]

Oh, John Del Carlo.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

He's hilarious.

[B]

He's so funny. He's actually here. He's here right now. But yeah. Yeah, that was. Yeah, for me. I'll. I used to. When I asked you earlier about the. Go to different cities and you're like, wow, years have passed and I just feel like a different person. I had that in Buffalo. The first. One of the first headlining things I did was in Buffalo. Just an absolute nervous wreck of being like, I shouldn't be here. This is up. I'm gonna. This up. I'm gonna ruin. It was just non stop. And then I got there this year and I just felt great. And I was like, damn, I was up. I didn't realize how I was like three years ago. It's pretty cool.

[A]

It's fun when you go to a new city and you know you can feel that growth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But I was too high on stage the other night, actually.

[B]

You got too stoned in Little Rock.

[A]

No. Yeah. And it was Halloween, so I was dressed like an. And I was too high. And I saw a video of myself and I Was looking at my eyes and, like. But on stage, what was happening was like, I get so high that I have, like, this, like, outer body, you know? Like, you know, I can kind of see what's happening, like, and then I'll come back to it. I'm like, I'm singing right now.

[B]

That's wild.

[A]

I'm singing. I'm yelling at these people.

[B]

Dang.

[A]

Through a microphone. It's crazy.

[B]

Do you. So is that a good. Do you feel good when you go out of body like that, or. Okay. I was going to say it's not. I've done that during stand up, and I'm like, I am glad you enjoy that, because I don't like that at all. I completely leave my body. Body. And I'm speaking in my brain. I can hear other words in my brain.

[A]

It's not good.

[B]

No, it's. That's why I can't. I can't smoke weed to do stand up. I can maybe a little bit, but if it's like a. Like a show where I've sold tickets or anything, it's like, I. I. Because I would. Like when people would happen to me is like, I would. I used to be. I wanted to be one of those guys, too. Like, get blazed and go do standup. And, like, people would laugh. And while people were laughing, I would just, like, almost forget what I was doing. I'd be like, all right, I have to keep talking now. This is weird. I'm eliciting this, like, primal response from them. It's just not. It's not good.

[A]

I was thinking about it last night, like, actually playing a show, like, because, you know, when I'm playing, I've worked really hard to try to be as present as possible and try to be in the moment as I can. But sometimes you just can't help but, like, have outside thoughts that come in. Yeah, it's like transcendental meditation. You got to just try to find your. Your happy place again. But one of my thoughts last night was like, how willing I am to believe that somebody would buy a ticket just to come and stand in the front row and laugh at me, you know?

[B]

So that was a. That was. That just brought in you. That was a brain worm. You had a brain worm?

[A]

Had brainworm. Oh, rfk, man. It slipped in there, and it was like, these guys are laughing at you right now.

[B]

What?

[A]

I don't know why it came into my brain, but it got in there, and I was like. I just battled that. I was like, nah, there's no Way they're laughing at me. That would be.

[B]

I would never even think it for a second.

[A]

Yeah, it's really weird.

[B]

No, I get it though, dude. Well, I mean, with mu. At least with music, it's like people can talk while you're playing. You're not like, expecting them staring ahead silently stand up. If I see someone even whisper to their friend, I'm like, they hate me.

[A]

It's all over.

[B]

And it's like I'm watching it go down or I will see people's faces. And I'm like, because if someone. If you're playing music and someone's just staring normal, are you like, what the fuck? Why is that person not smiling or anything? Or you just play?

[A]

I mean, we played a festival the other day. It was like the worst crowd of the.

[B]

Of the whole tour, really.

[A]

We were on, like, right before Riley Green. And Riley Green has a pretty specific fan base. And everybody in, like, the, you know, the VIP pit. It's the worst when they have like the VIP pit and then the GA is in the back because, like, all my people are back there.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, because they're like, we're spending.

[A]

$30 for a ticket, you know, like, we're not headlining. So I get it. All my people are back there. So I'm trying to keep that in mind. But everybody up here just doesn't give a. So hard that it's. It's, you know, offensive.

[B]

Yeah, that sucks.

[A]

People are like leaning on the rail, like, texting or like scrolling on Instagram. And like, I'm just watching these people just, like, yawning and just like sitting down and like, talking to each other, like full volume to talk over what I'm doing.

[B]

Oh, but pissed me off.

[A]

But the ASL lady was like, super into it at that festival and that kept me going.

[B]

Oh, you had a sign language lady there.

[A]

Yeah, she was rocking.

[B]

What? She was doing your lyrics. Yeah. That's kind of nice. I never thought about that.

[A]

It's always fun to watch. But we did like a last minute set list change and I wanted to go ask her, like, what she did for that because we added a song to the set that we didn't, like, brief her about.

[B]

She was able to kind of let.

[A]

It fly, like, on the flies. I like, what is she saying? Like, is she. Is she saying it like. Like, after I say it, she says it because obviously she can't do it at the same time.

[B]

Yeah, true.

[A]

Because I didn't tell her this song. So, like, is she kind of like bullshitting the Folks in the crowd, she's like, he's saying this right now. But I actually said it on the last verse.

[B]

Dude, I can't get over the thought of just a guy going to one of your shows. And then the middle is being like, yeah. And laughing. That'd be crazy.

[A]

Yeah, laughing.

[B]

That'd be crazy.

[A]

It is crazy.

[B]

That's all I want. I would love that's. It's nightmare. I'm going like, dude, that's my best case scenario. This guy's a dumbass and just laughing at me. So I'm like, perfect. Yeah, that's funny. Well, I would say I've liked. I talk to people who do music and they're like, I don't know, stand ups harder and. I don't know, I've played music before live, and it's like getting the instant feedback with Stand up helps big time. But, like, that was my big thing. You've done a song and you're like, I don't know if they. I'm like, I don't know if people like this or not. That like, kind of fucked me up.

[A]

We try to. We try to do our set, like, where there's not any dead space.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

There's no. No moment for a lull.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because that's the part where you start to feel any kind of hesitation.

[B]

Yeah. Like, how do you battle through that? Again with Stand up, it's like you get laughs or you don't. So you're very clear. You're like, I'm doing great, I'm doing bad, whatever. But yeah, with music, it was just kind of people just like, staring at you, talking and listening. And then afterwards you get like your smattering of applause.

[A]

But it's interesting because you. You come around to, like, when you have a. When you have a house full of people who all came to see you, that's when you get like the real, like, reciprocation and you can tell you're doing something right. But you do have to go through, like, a number of like, stinkers, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when you have like two or three of those in a row, which is. Which was kind of the case this last week, was like two or three in a row where the crowd was just like, not great.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And like, it's nothing to do with them. Like, sometimes it could just be like, it's a Thursday night, everybody worked all.

[B]

Day.

[A]

The show goes to like, 11 o', clock, people are tired. You know, whatever it is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You can get in your head about it. But then you finally get to a show where everybody's locked in, it's a weekend, everybody's happy to be there, and they really give you that reciprocation. That's what. That's what we're hunting.

[B]

Yeah, true. That makes sense. That was. I remember I had a. With. With acting, I was always like, well, with acting, like, you just can't tell if you do good or not. Like, stand up, people laugh. Acting, you just do it. And that's just it. And I had that in my head where it was kind of like just me coping. Like, you just never know. Then I was on a set and everyone. Someone finished or seen the whole set burst out in applause. And I was like, fuck. God damn it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There is a metric for acting. I've just never gotten it before.

[A]

Oh, man, that's a tough realization.

[B]

Acting is weird because it's like, you're just like. You do your best, and they go, all right, that's good. Move on. And you're like, what the fuck? Is it good or not? Yeah, we'll. We'll figure it out.

[A]

You're like, it's kind of like that in the studio when you're recording.

[B]

Really? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I guess you do have someone there. It's like, all right, all right, well, we'll. We'll mash it together. Oh, yeah. That would make me nervous. Yeah. This is an ad by Better Help. Things always seem to get frantic and overwhelming as the end of the year approaches and the shorter, colder, darker days don't help. It can make you feel gloomy and melancholic at times, to be honest. That's why now, especially now, it's important to take a second and reach out and connect with the people around you. Meaning, like, if you're on a crowded subway, grab their arm. I've been thinking about checking in with. I've been thinking about checking in with my daddy. And I actually did talk to my daddy. He caught a fish and he sent me a picture. I said, that's a hell of a fish, Daddy. I love you, Daddy. He said, don't talk me like that, boy. But I will kiss him before the New year's over. Taking that first. I mean, you know, like a peck. Taking that first step to check in is an easy and simple thing to do. More often than not, you'll probably be kicking yourself why you didn't do it sooner. And guess what? That's also true for therapy. All right, there's another rift. There's another rift here. Here we go. Therapy is an excellent addition to any support system because, well, I've already said this before, most of your friends and family are probably giant dumbasses. So it's helpful to have somebody with a little bit of goddamn education talk to you about your life problems, although sometimes they can just be dumber than your family in other ways. So you got to be careful. But it is an opportunity to get outside perspective. It can teach you positive coping skills. Talking with a qualified therapist can make a world of difference. And thanks to BetterHelp, it's never been easier to find the right therapist for you. They have over 12 years of experience matching people with credentialed therapists. So this month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in with a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take the first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] MSSP that is betterhelp hp.com MSSP Guys, in terms of shows, I will actually be in Naples, Florida this weekend. Please come out. 11-7118. That's this weekend, Naples, Florida. It's going to be huge. Comedy on State, Madison, Wisconsin. I believe it's sold out, but I think I added a early Saturday show. So Madison, Wisconsin, get on that if you wish. And then 12, 19, 12, 20, Funny Bone Comedy Club, Syracuse, New York. Get out there, guys. You can go to mattmcusker.com for tickets.

[A]

And tonight, the day this comes out, November 4th, come see me, Lemaire and Sean at Optimums at Creek in the Cave. And there's another one November 18th. That's another Tuesday, 2nd, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays every month. Come see me, Lamar and Sean. Thank you so much.

[B]

We do the Chappelle Show. Back to the show.

[A]

Have you, I guess you've sent in, like, audition tapes.

[B]

I did one before.

[A]

That's a pretty terrible feeling.

[B]

Oh, it was pretty horrible. I sent one in.

[A]

I sent one in for this Netflix thing.

[B]

Did you? Yeah, I sent one in. Guess what? I sent one in. I just. My one connection in the life. I happen to know the producer of the show. No callback. I thought I was gonna finally get the Nepo baby out. I was like, dude, I know the producer. Producer. Slight little family, you know, little family action. I was like, here we go. I was. I was. I would have taken in a heartbeat. I don't care. But yeah, no call back.

[A]

Damn.

[B]

Ncb. And then I met. I was on a plane with somebody who was working. I saw they had like, A bag. They're on that show. I should have just pressed her and been like, yo, what the.

[A]

What's going on?

[B]

The. Do you know who my cousin's uncle is?

[A]

We got to get kicked off this flight.

[B]

You mean to do who my cousin's uncle is? Who I've met once?

[A]

I did. I actually got a call back, but I was out of the country.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Good for you. But what. You're doing some acting.

[A]

I thought about it, man. They caught. They called me because they wanted me to do this part and like.

[B]

Oh, dude. Yeah. You had a. You were yours. You're.

[A]

I kind of had a. But it was like. It was a small part, but still. Yeah.

[B]

Mine was minuscule. Yeah. No, call ncb.

[A]

Ncb.

[B]

Sending the tape, bro. It feels. Although I've gotten better with that. Like, the. I've gotten out of my head about a lot of that, where it's like, just do it, man. Who cares? Yeah, just show your ass.

[A]

I just like. Have you ever seen, like, people's, like, audition tapes when they, like, get out there? They're like, here's an audition tape. It's like, they're always so embarrassing.

[B]

It's totally embarrassing.

[A]

So I'm really worried about that.

[B]

There's one of me now floating around, stinks. And I just. Yeah, but I. Again, I've just learned to just be like, whatever. I don't. I'm just gonna let it kind of rip and.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Yeah. You know, I don't. I really. I don't worry too much about humiliation that much, as much as I used to.

[A]

I know, man. And I. And I don't either. I try not to. I think, honestly, like, microdosing helped a lot with that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It helped with my panic attacks. Like, even now when I get too high, I'm like, just enjoy it because it's going to be over. Just let this be an experience.

[B]

True.

[A]

I just look at my drummer, like.

[B]

That is the key. If you're too high, you do have to tell a person.

[A]

You gotta tell somebody.

[B]

If you don't tell anyone, it gets worse and worse and worse. I. I myself recently on an edible, and I, like, I held it in for the longest time, then I eventually just told one person. Instantly, I feel so much better.

[A]

Oh, dude, I quoted you on Halloween. Actually, I got on the mic was like, we're through the worst of it now.

[B]

I really did thought I had acid figured out. I'm like, guys thought I was. This was three hours in. It's 12 hours long.

[A]

We're through the worst of it now. And I said that to the audience, and they're like, what?

[B]

What are you talking about?

[A]

And I almost broke that fourth wall and told him, like, I'm going to be honest with you guys. I'm way too high to do this. But you can't say that.

[B]

I feel like they would like it.

[A]

They would enjoy it.

[B]

I think.

[A]

So I'll tell them next.

[B]

As long as you're not at the sober nation, dude. But guys, got to be honest. I'm way too high for this, right? Yeah. So they wouldn't appreciate it, but, yeah, that, yeah. Weed for me is a. It's an interesting one. I. That was when I started early. I. At 19 years old, I was like, this is the answer to literally all my problems. And then it started just bugging me out in, like, my mid-20s, late 20s. Every. It was like a guaranteed panic attack. And now, now it's the same thing. Like, if I start. I've bugged out so many times that I just look at my, like, watch and I'm like, all right, well, I'm gonna bug out now for an hour, and then, you know, it'll be over, and then that's it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So sometimes I do wonder. I go, why do I even do this? But what. I feel like I need a little bit of THC in my brain. Fully leaves my system. I can feel it. And I feel, like, weird.

[A]

It's interesting.

[B]

I feel, like, serious.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When I swear to God, when the thc, when it all goes, I get real. Like, I'm like, I'm gonna confession and go to confession. Yeah. I get, like, really serious. I'm start practicing the sacraments.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Or just whatever other stuff, too.

[A]

That's sick.

[B]

Yeah. Become like a 1950s father.

[A]

Oh, wow, dude.

[B]

You know what I mean? I just feel like. I don't know. It's a weird feeling.

[A]

Start tugging your shirt in.

[B]

I, I want to tuck my shirt in so bad, dude. I'm too coward. Too chicken. I like the feeling of having my shirt tucked in, man. Like, I genuinely really enjoy it. I'm just too much of a coward to pull the trigger. Running all the time.

[A]

When I started wearing my pants high and tight, you know, bro. And my true waistline, tucking my shirt in, I felt like a real.

[B]

You feel amazing. Yeah. You feel amazing.

[A]

Ready to talk about sports?

[B]

I'm gonna, I'm gonna talk. I, I, I'll get a good day where I'll be tucked in, and then I'll just. I'll just doubt Myself. Yeah, I'll untuck, but that's kind of where I'm at right now. It's a nice talk. Yeah. What do you guys think, man? Dude. Well, dude, this is your second time here. Dude, you're a. Yeah. You're one of the best guests I think we've ever gotten.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I'm telling you, next time it's in the cards. Third time around, we'll get the big Shane.

[A]

You'll be in the beautiful big dog here next time.

[B]

Big dog. It'd be nice. That's what. Hey, my theory of podcast is more the merrier. Whenever Shane's, like, we have a guest, I'm like, yes, easier. Now we have three brains.

[A]

You guys. You guys make it easy. It's just a. It's a fun. It's a fun way to do it.

[B]

Yeah, it is. I did notice that when I did my little, like, press thing. A lot of podcasts do have a lot of formulas. Yeah. So, yeah, we don't have any, so. Oh, yeah. We have a formula here. If we run out of material or stuff to talk about, we turn on Sean Le Marinate. We start to attack them very personally. And. And if that. And if that fails, then we just make basically, Nate Lemaire do stuff from their podcast on here. Like, do that thing you do on your podcast that we like. Then we do that. So that's our formula. Talk as much as we can. Turn on them. So what's next, man? What's. What. What do you got going forward? You got the album out, man. The album rules. I'm dead serious. I was blessed in that thing. It's awesome.

[A]

Thanks, man. So we got the B sides coming out, which. There's a song on the record called no Room for Blue. So we were calling, like, the B Sides release, like, the deluxe edition. We're calling it no Room for Blue. There's all the songs we didn't have room for.

[B]

Oh, that's cool.

[A]

Yeah. And there's a bunch of tunes on there that we were excited about. But that's kind of the deal with, like, making a record is, like, you work really, really hard, and then the label's like, not yet. You know, go back in, do some more. We don't really hear anything yet. And then all the stuff that you really like, you get opportunity to release it on, like, the B sides. So that's what's happening on Black Friday. It'll be out, oh, nice For Record Store Day, and you can get that in a physical copy. But we'll be releasing it digitally in April. On Record Store Day in April. I don't know if I was supposed.

[B]

To say that, but we can always believe it if you can. Yeah.

[A]

It's all good, though. I don't care. Yeah. But tonight we're rehearsing for Austin City Limits, so we're doing Austin City Limits tomorrow, taping that at the Moody Theater. That'd be a good, good opportunity for us to play all these songs live with the strings and the horns and the background vocals and finish up this run, man. I'm going out to la, doing a residency out there with Chris, Dave and Corey Henry at the Blue Note, then off for the holidays.

[B]

Oh, that's nice.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

How's the residency work? You just get to chill there for, like, how long?

[A]

I think we're doing four nights, two shows a night.

[B]

Sick. Yeah. That's awesome.

[A]

It'll be fun. It's kind of post up in la. It's a good opportunity to get together with folks you don't get to see that often.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You know, that's cool.

[A]

And it's also. It's a different thing. It's like a different. We play, like, jazz fusion, so we just kind of let everything go.

[B]

That's cool.

[A]

Everything hang out.

[B]

It's kind of around.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Nice, man. Well, hell, yeah. Yeah. Well, dude, Marcus, thank you for coming, man.

[A]

Thanks for having me, bro.

[B]

Bought me another week. Now I can survive for one more week and figure it out.

[A]

Anytime, brother.

[B]

Dude. Thank you, man. Thank you. Later, watch new episodes of Matt and Shane's Secret podcast on Spotify. Do you.