The Weight Is From Within (w/ Marc Maron)

Summary

Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally: Episode Summary Episode Title: The Weight Is From Within (w/ Marc Maron)
Release Date: July 31, 2025
Hosts: Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally
Guest: Marc Maron

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Staying Alive, hosts Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally welcome renowned comedian and podcaster Marc Maron as their special guest. The trio delves deep into the intertwining worlds of comedy, acting, personal wellness, and the internal struggles that shape their lives. From comedic anecdotes to profound discussions on mental health, the conversation offers listeners a candid and insightful look into what it truly means to "stay alive" amidst the chaos of life.

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Comedy and Acting: Navigating Dual Careers

Jon, Adam, and Marc kick off their conversation by reminiscing about their paths in comedy and the challenges of balancing multiple facets of their careers. Marc shares his journey from stand-up comedy to acting, highlighting the difficulties of securing roles and the emotional toll it can take.

Marc Maron [11:14]: "The weight is from within, you don't have to show up anywhere unless you're lucky enough to get a gig."

Jon echoes these sentiments, discussing his own experiences with acting and the internal pressures that come with performing both on stage and in front of the camera.

Jon Gabrus [20:07]: "If you're trying to write jokes and also act, it's tricky because your comedic perspective is all about seeing the unusual in situations, whereas acting requires you to embody a character without that judgment."

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Challenges in the Industry: Authenticity vs. Commercialism

The trio delves into the complexities of maintaining authenticity in an industry driven by algorithms and commercial success. Marc criticizes the current state of comedy specials, noting the shift towards shorter formats dictated by audience attention spans.

Marc Maron [18:24]: "Everyone can't pay attention for longer than six minutes. Who the fuck are you talking about?"

Jon adds his perspective on the corporate influence over comedy, emphasizing the loss of genuine voice and creativity.

Jon Gabrus [20:48]: "If you're molding your entire point of view around small clips, whatever freedom you think you have, it's a lie anyway."

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Personal Health and Wellness Journeys

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the hosts' personal health and wellness journeys. Jon discusses his commitment to a vegan lifestyle, motivated initially by health reasons but later embracing it as an ethical choice. He shares his culinary adventures, from cooking Indian dishes like chana masala to experimenting with cold-pressed oils for their brain-boosting benefits.

Jon Gabrus [55:22]: "I got into it just as an experiment to see if it would change my cholesterol and sugar levels."

Adam Pally complements this by talking about his fitness regimen, favoring gym memberships like Equinox to maintain consistency and avoid the uninspiring environments of hotel gyms.

Adam Pally [46:37]: "Having a good gym helps, especially when you're on the road. It keeps you grounded."

Marc Maron introduces the topic of wearable fitness technology, specifically the Whoop watch, which he uses to monitor his health metrics diligently.

Marc Maron [43:40]: "The only question we ever ask our guests, and we'll do it right now, is what are you doing to stay alive?"

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Overcoming Addiction and Maintaining Sobriety

The conversation takes a poignant turn as Jon and Marc discuss their battles with addiction. Jon shares his long-term sobriety journey, highlighting the challenges of overcoming nicotine addiction and the strategies he employs to stay clean.

Jon Gabrus [58:06]: "I've been sober for what, 25 years? So, like, that shit's way back. Old memories."

Marc relates by discussing his own intermittent struggles and the importance of having something to look forward to as a motivator for sobriety.

Marc Maron [46:12]: "You got to leave something in there. You got to have something to look forward to."

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Production of Comedy Specials: Crafting Intimacy and Meaning

Jon provides an insider's look into the production of his comedy special, emphasizing the significance of venue choice and stage design. He describes his experience shooting at the Barney Bam theatre, where the production designer incorporated the Japanese art of Kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold—to symbolize healing and resilience.

Jon Gabrus [64:52]: "He created this space with lights and with the Kintsugi pattern during the trauma bits, making it poetic and visually impactful."

Marc appreciates the thoughtful design, noting how it complements the emotional depth of the performance.

Marc Maron [65:08]: "It's also, like, weirdly symbolic. Like this wall that's done so much and been through so much changes."

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Industry Criticisms: Anti-Intellectualism and Societal Issues

The hosts delve into broader societal issues, criticizing the rise of anti-intellectualism and the empowerment of ignorance in public discourse. They discuss how cultural phenomena and social media contribute to the polarization and misinformation that threaten societal cohesion.

Jon Gabrus [59:19]: "It's a celebration of stupidity and empowering the worst."

Adam Pally [59:40]: "Trust the people that know what they're talking about."

Marc highlights the dangers of this trend, emphasizing the ease with which misinformation can lead to harmful outcomes.

Marc Maron [59:54]: "Don't settle for snake oil. Trust the experts who have spent their lives learning about this area."

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Final Thoughts: Authenticity and Self-Acceptance

As the episode wraps up, Jon, Adam, and Marc reflect on the importance of authenticity and self-acceptance in both personal life and creative endeavors. They share mutual admiration for each other's commitment to staying true to themselves despite external pressures.

Adam Pally [72:00]: "One of the things I really love about Mark is that he doesn't have a problem talking about himself like that. Positively and negatively. He is the most authentic."

Marc Maron [72:24]: "He just turned on and off. And that makes him seem so authentic."

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Conclusion

This episode of Staying Alive offers a rich tapestry of conversations that blend humor with deep introspection. By inviting Marc Maron, Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally explore the nuances of maintaining mental and physical well-being while navigating the demanding worlds of comedy and acting. Listeners are left with valuable insights on the importance of authenticity, resilience, and the continuous journey toward personal growth and health.

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Notable Quotes:

• Marc Maron [11:14]: "The weight is from within, you don't have to show up anywhere unless you're lucky enough to get a gig."

• Jon Gabrus [20:07]: "If you're trying to write jokes and also act, it's tricky because your comedic perspective is all about seeing the unusual in situations, whereas acting requires you to embody a character without that judgment."

• Jon Gabrus [55:22]: "I got into it just as an experiment to see if it would change my cholesterol and sugar levels."

• Adam Pally [59:40]: "Trust the people that know what they're talking about."

• Marc Maron [72:24]: "He just turned on and off. And that makes him seem so authentic."

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and providing memorable quotes to give readers a clear understanding of the conversation's depth and breadth.

Transcript

[John Gabrus]

Smart, Less medium.

[Adam Pally]

I like doing it alone, but I. When you have someone, there's a comfortability because you're like, oh, John will cover that.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know what I mean? And so.

[Marc Maron]

And that's why I play the theremin on your special.

[John Gabrus]

Nice.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

Do you know how to play it?

[Marc Maron]

No, I wish.

[Adam Pally]

Well, you don't see many male theremin players.

[John Gabrus]

Is that true?

[Adam Pally]

I just. In my head, it's therapy, dude.

[Marc Maron]

Welcome to la AD I love when you're out here.

[Adam Pally]

I love being.

[Marc Maron]

I mean, I love being in New York to record, too, but having you.

[Adam Pally]

Out here again, we say it all the time. One of the perks of this job is being able to hang out. Yes. Truly.

[Marc Maron]

Like, we couldn't really convince people in our lives that we can hang out with each other unless we were making a little bit of money. A very little bit.

[Adam Pally]

Part of. Part of, like, what we're learning in our Staying Alive journey is that the older you get, the weirder it is to just hang out with people.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know, it's like you. Like, if you see two men hanging out.

[Marc Maron]

I live in West Hollywood and I'm always like, these two guys are just hanging out.

[Adam Pally]

Hanging out. Like, what's going on over there?

[Marc Maron]

Something called Vaseline Alley.

[Adam Pally]

I love your new place, by the way.

[John Gabrus]

Thank you.

[Marc Maron]

Great view. Thermal vision goggles.

[Adam Pally]

But I love. I love being in la, especially because I get to hang out with you. And we got to do our. What is becoming a new Staying alive custom.

[Marc Maron]

Yes. We have really locked into a way to take care of ourselves and help us stay alive. And this will be the second time in a row that you've come out to L. A and we tripped on shrooms by the hotel pool.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And. And, and this one was a little weirder.

[Marc Maron]

There was more kids.

[Adam Pally]

This one had more of a family vibe without my family. So I was not as into seeing those kids running around, but those kids.

[Marc Maron]

Were not as into seeing me lay out in a Speedo dripping ball, either were their parents. But I was right next to the pool.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. My favorite response you had was when one of the kids jumped into the pool and splashed you and didn't really apologize right away. And the dad was also kind of like doing that dad thing where they go, like. Like, oh, he'll, he'll. He. He'll obviously understand. We don't need, like, you know what I mean? He's like, we don't. This guy looks like he's fine with being splashed. And I believe you responded to the kid like, it's okay. I'll survive.

[Marc Maron]

That's what I said.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. I thought that was so funny. It was like such a dig at the dad too, who was being like.

[Marc Maron]

What a great afternoon. Drinking Japanese whiskey on mushrooms by the pool. It was like 3:30 in the afternoon.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, it was great. But I had. But it was also one of those Sundays because one of the things I love about being in la, especially like your first Sunday when you're here for like a longer period of time. Your first Sunday in LA is so great because you're not acclimated to time yet. So, like, even though we were out, we stayed. We stayed out on Saturday night.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, we're so cute. We're supposed to work on Wednesday. We hung out Saturday night and Sunday.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. Even we were out Saturday night late. And still I popped out of bed at like 8am Feeling good. I worked out. I did all the like, errands I had to do. And so by the time 3:30 came around and we were hanging out, I was like, well, my day is done, right?

[Marc Maron]

I'm just winding down.

[Adam Pally]

I'm winding down. Ship at the sushi restaurant is that it's 100%. I got in Waymo and I went to my favorite sushi restaurant, Shout Out Sushi King in Santa Monica.

[Marc Maron]

I had to go do plans or else. That is part of our tradition is having a sushi feast. We believe that's healthy to eat 6 gallons of.

[Adam Pally]

It was not healthy the way I did it. I tell you that right now. I. I was unleashed. I hadn't eaten all day, bro.

[Marc Maron]

They ordered pizza at the poker night I was at. And I was like, I'm trying not to eat pizza. But then I was just like, also, I definitely was not ready to drive.

[Adam Pally]

Well, I wasn't ready to be in a Waymo.

[Marc Maron]

I was. I was like, I need a different song. I was like trying to change the music because I think I was still a little shroomy.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And I'm like changing the song.

[Adam Pally]

I know I was a little.

[Marc Maron]

I was doing the opposite of staying alive.

[Adam Pally]

I know I was a little shoomy because I got in the Waymo, sat in there and just immediately went on my phone.

[Marc Maron]

I kept asking that, Kept asking the driver, hey, can you turn the AC up?

[Adam Pally]

No. I was just like scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Five minutes go by. I'm like, I got to be there soon. I look up, I didn't even press the start thing. We're just stat in the same place.

[Marc Maron]

Do you sit in shotgun in the Waymo?

[Adam Pally]

No. I sit in the back. But that's part of the problem in the Waymo is that there's very little things to remind you that you're like, you know, a guy. Like, a person. If I had sat down in a cab, if I got in a cab, not said anything and just looked at my phone, eventually the person be like, hey, where are you going?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, talk to me. Engage with me.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Like, I'm a person.

[Adam Pally]

But I was just like, in robot land, you know?

[Marc Maron]

Welcome, Mr. Pally.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Based on your swamp ass, I realize it must be I turn the air on feeling your swamp ass.

[Adam Pally]

But then. But then today is my last day in la, and I. And I checked out this morning from the hotel and I realized that I'm playing medication roulette.

[Marc Maron]

Okay. Explain that, because I like gambling also.

[Adam Pally]

Okay. So I, I, you know, I packed up all my bags and got. And before I got in the shower, I took out all the medicine I needed from their individual pill bottles.

[Marc Maron]

For your day.

[Adam Pally]

For the day. Cause I take them all in the morning. Right. Put them on the sink, put the bottles back into the toiletry kit. Put the toiletry kit in the bag. Then got in the shower, brushed my teeth, washed my hair, got out, got dressed.

[Marc Maron]

Do you brush your teeth in the shower?

[Adam Pally]

I do.

[Marc Maron]

Me too.

[Adam Pally]

Don't remember if I took the medicine or not.

[John Gabrus]

Ooh.

[Marc Maron]

And you don't want to double up.

[Adam Pally]

Got here and was like, I don't think I took that medicine. So I doubled.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, so you're.

[Adam Pally]

Because I was worried that if I didn't, I would have been, like, all out of it.

[Marc Maron]

Right. But now you're gonna. That's double the dose of Viagra. So you're gonna be like, rock hard from. Or it's like eight or it's like eight fiber pills, a blood blister.

[Adam Pally]

Pop out a water balloon.

[Marc Maron]

We have, like, potentially a dream guest for our podcast.

[Adam Pally]

Like, Yeah, I mean, the. The.

[Marc Maron]

When we were referring to, like, who we be dream guests for the podcast, we, you know, you think of, like, athletes or whatever, but we have, like, the OG Podfather. Like, the first podcast I ever listened to was hosted by this guy.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. And, like, I think even. Even I. I remember listening to Mark like, on when. Remember when the liberal radio station came.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

In New York. And it was like the. It was like him and Janine Garofalo.

[Marc Maron]

Yes. I forgot what that was called.

[Adam Pally]

Well, I. I forget what that was called. I was listening to him on that. You know what I mean? Like, he. He's he's been like a comedic voice in my head, I think since I started getting into comedy. Because his, his, his half hour. Like, remember those Comedy Central premium blends and stuff? Like, he was the best.

[Marc Maron]

He was so funny. He was so everywhere. He's a very distinct voice. We are going to unlock the gates and let him on to Staying Alive.

[Adam Pally]

We have Mark Marin.

[Marc Maron]

We have fucking Mark Maron. I cannot believe we have not recorded with him yet. He's. He's on his way in. This is the intro. We. I think it will safely say. I'm worried how nervous we're going to be.

[Adam Pally]

I'm so excited. I mean, I.

[Marc Maron]

We're interviewing. It's like Howard.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

We're talking to a famous interviewer.

[Adam Pally]

I know, I know. And I remember, I remember listening to his description of Howard Stern and putting me at ease because he's. I'll probably. He'll. I don't know if he'll tell the story, but he, he was saying that like he was so nervous to meet Howard because Howard was his Mark Maron to us.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And the first time he went and he walked in and Howard's just like eating cantaloupe at his, at his desk in the commercial break. He's like, hey, how you wet juicy cantaloupe? And Marin's like, oh, he's just a Jew eating cantaloupe. You know what I mean? Like, aren't we all? And I think. I like to think we all are just Jews eating cantaloupe. But yeah, I mean, like, do you.

[Marc Maron]

Remember the song Cantaloupe?

[Adam Pally]

Oh, of course.

[Marc Maron]

Bibbidi, Biddy bop, flip, fantasia, Funky.

[Adam Pally]

Funky. That was part of that like run of songs like Mambo Number five. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

The amount of songs that are in my head that like, when I think of them, I'm like, why did I like this at all?

[Adam Pally]

Cotton Eyed Joe.

[Marc Maron]

You know what song I always think about is the Live. The song by Live. The one that's about abortions.

[Adam Pally]

Lightning crashes.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Oh my God.

[John Gabrus]

That's.

[Adam Pally]

First of all, that's not to be put in that other category. That is an amazing song.

[Marc Maron]

It's. It's a pretty good song, but it's.

[Adam Pally]

Name her better song about a stillbirth.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, fuck, dude, you're right.

[John Gabrus]

But no, I guess what November rain.

[Marc Maron]

What I'm saying is more like I would be singing along to the song, not knowing at all what like is going on. And it's like I'm like a 12 year old kid, like rolling thunder, chasing the wind, I can feel it coming back again Like a rolling thunder Chasing the wind. Mark Marin, everyone.

[John Gabrus]

Are you guys starting?

[Adam Pally]

Oh, yeah, we just start. We don't.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Whenever you want to.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, it's like. I know. I invented that, so.

[Marc Maron]

Well, yeah, there's a lot to talk about there.

[Adam Pally]

Well, I mean, that's our number one thing is just like, before we start anything, I feel like we have to do our. You know, we're so thankful that you're here. And also, like, we would not be here without you.

[Marc Maron]

Obviously, we're a little nervous interviewing the interviewer of our lives. You know, like, you're the first literal, first podcast. Like, I had to learn what a podcast was to listen to. Wtf, right? And it was you. You and this American Life were the only two things on my phone when I was like, 25:20, and we're from New York.

[Adam Pally]

And I was saying, like, I remember. I feel like I told you this. I remember the radio station.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. Air Americ America.

[Marc Maron]

We couldn't place it before, like, that.

[Adam Pally]

Was like Janine, you, Cedar Franken. Michael Ian Black had a show maybe, or. No, no, no, no. He was.

[Marc Maron]

He was still, like, in a basement with Jolo Truglio putting on wigs and.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. I don't know what Michael was doing, but it wasn't that.

[Marc Maron]

We never really know.

[Adam Pally]

No, I mean, I don't know what he's doing now.

[John Gabrus]

Every time I do, he's on a CNN thing.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah, yeah. He's always doing something and maintaining a sort of interesting level of cynical depression that seems to serve him well.

[Adam Pally]

A certain bitterness that radiates from Connecticut.

[John Gabrus]

I don't know if it's bitterness. I think he's genuinely a depressive and, you know, everything is sort of. It's just amazing force of will for him to do anything.

[Marc Maron]

I guess maybe I'm a little depressed.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I thought I was just fucking lazy.

[John Gabrus]

Well, no, it's hard, man. It's hard when you have to self generate because the weight is from within. You don't have to show up anywhere unless you're lucky enough to get a gig. And then everything else, it's like, fuck, I got it. I guess I got to do it.

[Marc Maron]

The Wait Is from within is a TED Talk title right there. That's some shit.

[John Gabrus]

That's my next phase in life. I'll be touring with the Wait Is from within doing the TEDx circuit.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. You know, things have gone bad. If you're doing, like, long talks on, like, how to get through tough times in your life.

[John Gabrus]

I do it twice a week.

[Adam Pally]

What are you talking about? I know, but, like, I mean, alone on a stage with a headset.

[John Gabrus]

Again, like, doing that my whole life without a headset.

[Marc Maron]

No, I'm doing that multiple nights.

[John Gabrus]

I know.

[Adam Pally]

With the.

[John Gabrus]

Hold a microphone.

[Adam Pally]

Maybe it's just the headset's making me sad.

[John Gabrus]

The image, the headset. Anytime anyone wears one of those headsets, I'm like, oh, fuck this guy.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, yeah.

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[John Gabrus]

Are you hiding a Jew in the corner?

[Adam Pally]

Yes.

[Marc Maron]

We should make that announcement. We are willing to hide Jews.

[Adam Pally]

I just. It's tough time. This is my cousin Ari. Stand up. You're making Mark uncomfortable.

[John Gabrus]

I just. I just saw a head and a keypad, and I was like, what's happening?

[Adam Pally]

This is another form of union busting.

[Marc Maron]

Because, like, he's operating 11 cameras.

[Adam Pally]

11 cameras at one time, and they make him sit in here in case one of them, like, goes, I shot.

[Marc Maron]

TV shows with less cameras than we're.

[John Gabrus]

Using for a podcast. Easy, man. On my new special, the Fine Arts, the director, he did, he put nine cameras in there. And it's. It's a great thing because, you know, for years, the. You kind of caught onto the trick of comedy specials where if they. They do, they. They'd have audience cuts. They'd cut to the audience when they needed to cut the stand up. So anytime you saw an audience shot, it just means they were, you know, moving things around.

[Adam Pally]

Right, right.

[John Gabrus]

And who the hell wants to look at those people? I mean, it's like, it's not their show, whatever it is.

[Adam Pally]

I can't stand an audience shot. And I always.

[John Gabrus]

It was only for editing, almost always.

[Marc Maron]

Well, because, like, there's also a little bit of, like, hey, idiots at home. Laugh. Like, I guess you're supposed to do, like, it's like a visual laughter.

[John Gabrus]

They don't age well. The audience shots with nine cameras, you can. You can cut anywhere you can do. It's the same with this.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, I Feel like that was like a Bo Burnham early on. Like, I feel like his. His specials were the first ones that I caught in a way where I'm like, wow, they're really not cutting to the audience.

[John Gabrus]

I don't know. I think we were. I mean, I was aware of it. I mean, people have been aware of it.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, everyone knew, but you felt like you had to. I feel like it was a network.

[John Gabrus]

No, you make a choice.

[Adam Pally]

I feel like it was a network saying, like you were saying, like, it's like a business thing. It's like we want to feel like we're in the club, we're in the room with them.

[John Gabrus]

We want maybe years ago.

[Marc Maron]

Dumpiest Freak clapping. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

All those Specials from the 80s with just your room full of mullets, you.

[Adam Pally]

Know, like, they look like bad shirts.

[Marc Maron]

I watch bad shirts.

[Adam Pally]

Benson Boone, one of those flips went bad and he went through, like, physical rehab.

[John Gabrus]

I look like never quite got back.

[Adam Pally]

Now he's doing his get well podcast.

[Marc Maron]

I'm his before picture or the sad after picture?

[Adam Pally]

Well, after he.

[Marc Maron]

Dennis Birds himself.

[Adam Pally]

Mark, were you on the road for this special? Did you, like, start it all again or were you? I feel like no.

[John Gabrus]

I've been touring this stuff for probably almost two years. It seems like what I do is I tour what becomes the hour or so for a year and a half, two years. Oh, wow. And then it got interrupted, the tour, because I took that job on Stick and then I got back to it. But usually heading into a special and at the beginning, you don't even know if you're gonna get one, you know, so just by being a comic, I seem to generate an hour and a half or so every year and a half. And, you know, at the beginning, like, I don't know if this is gonna end up anywhere, if it's gonna live anywhere, but it's what I'm doing. And then when the special is sort of on the horizon, then you can start really shaping things. But I kind of hold off on that until pretty close to the wire anyways.

[Adam Pally]

That's pretty good.

[Marc Maron]

I mean, like, WB sent us the special and it was nearly impossible to get through all the authentications and shit like that. But I was able to watch a large chunk of it this morning and. Fucking rip. I love the last one too. And this new one. Fucking rips.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, thanks, man.

[Marc Maron]

The bit where you are kind of shitting on the right wing and then go, and progressives. We gotta stop annoying people into becoming fascists.

[John Gabrus]

Well, that was the. That was the that line came to me, like, days before the special because, yeah, we've gotta. The progressives really gotta deal with this buzzkill.

[Marc Maron]

Yes.

[John Gabrus]

Element. And then I said, yeah, no one can room a barbecue quicker than a progressive, you know, so true. But then the line that I was very proud of, because it really happened the week before, was that we actually annoyed the average American into fascism.

[Adam Pally]

Right. No, I mean. I mean, you see that in, like, everyone's Instagram handle when. When it's like, a grandmother. A grandmother of, like, five with a big American flag. And then their. Their comment when you follow them, their comments on the thing are like, die, liberal scum. You're like, that could only have happened by someone annoying that woman to the point of, like, sure. Radicalization. We nagged her into radicalization.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. I mean, you know, I think it's pro. Obviously, it's broad, and it's more complex, but I think the fundamentals are there. I mean, we were up against A lot of very.

[Marc Maron]

People are on that precipice on their own.

[John Gabrus]

Well, they know the garbage machine that we all look at all day long is. Is very good at sort of isolating what, you know, angry, needy fucks need. And if you happen to sort of fall on the side of hate, it's all right there for you, right? Hundreds of things day to day. But. But moving into the special, what's interesting is I've been doing this a long time, and I've done. I don't know, I guess this is my sixth or seventh major comedy special. And I don't know that my system is going into it. I got about an hour and 45 minutes of shit that I'm doing out there, and I try to keep it fluid. I try to keep room for stuff to happen. And then, like, two weeks before I've got to shoot a special, my brain kind of crunches it. I pull out the redundancies, I figure out if there are callbacks I can use. I leave some space. And in my mind, this is what kind of amazed me. If I can talk about myself in that way, please. Because the last special I did From Bleak to Dark. All right, so that was an HBO special.

[Adam Pally]

Which intro? Best intro joke ever.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Where you're like, I've.

[John Gabrus]

I really don't think anything's gonna get better ever again.

[Adam Pally]

Punch to the face.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, and then this one has. Well, it's great, right?

[John Gabrus]

He did it.

[Marc Maron]

He did it great.

[John Gabrus]

So great. How's it gonna get greater? But, like, they let me do 73 minutes. And I had that time in my head because it was an HBO hour, because everyone. Now it's like, you know, people can't pay attention for longer than six minutes. I'm like, who the fuck are you talking about? You know, like, this idea. People are doing specials in comedy clubs that are 35 minutes long. And I'm like, that's not a special. That's a relatively strong feature accent.

[Adam Pally]

But.

[John Gabrus]

But, I mean, it drives me n. I mean, for me, the job was always, you know, you work towards the hour. And because it's hbo, I was thrilled about that. You know, I did a couple of specials with Netflix. But then Robbie over there was like, I don't know about Marin. It's like, well, I don't know about you. Go fuck yourselves. All right, so fuck that guy. I mean, like, you don't know about me. And then apparently, after. I'm sorry, I don't. I don't move the algorithm like the meathead dumb fucks that you want to showcase every five minutes.

[Adam Pally]

So, honestly, sometimes when I hear you, I feel like I'm looking at myself.

[John Gabrus]

Good. I'm here to service you, truly.

[Adam Pally]

Because I have gone on the same rant almost every episode.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, I know.

[Marc Maron]

I feel bad because we're about to have comics come out who are nearly homeless and do one minute in front of us and see if we like them or not.

[Adam Pally]

Kill Tony style.

[Marc Maron]

You see?

[John Gabrus]

I mean, like, I have problems with that whole algorithmic expectation thing, and also that it's. It's also created this kind of world of malignant crowd work that is infecting everything. And the truth is, is that. But when I started this, you were doing it as a. Fuck you. You know, I can't live a regular life. I don't fit into regular society. I kind of want to do this thing, and it's all I want to do, and I'm going to fucking do it the best I can.

[Marc Maron]

No, Marc Maron dds, where you're like a dent, like an alternate.

[John Gabrus]

No, no, it's never going to happen. I mean, at best, like, I thought maybe I could be a teacher. And as time went on, it was like. Of what? Like, you know, like, if they offered a course in Marc Maron, I'd be great at that.

[Marc Maron]

Like Sam Kinison in Back to School, screaming students and shit.

[John Gabrus]

No, I'm a. I'm a thinky fuck. So, I mean, I talk about stuff, but I think the idea of. Of winning based on, you know, whether content, you know, gets you enough likes or Traction to. To sell tickets. I mean, then you're really just an employee of a corporatized platform because you're molding your entire point of view around these small clips. So you don't. Whatever freedom you think you have, it's a. It's a lie anyway.

[Marc Maron]

It's not like the Louvre is going, hey, this painting's moving tickets.

[John Gabrus]

Or even that you're, you know, you're honoring your own voice. I mean, if you're just trying to do. Any idiot can do craz crowd work with a, you know, a certain amount of confidence. A high school kid could do crowd work. I mean, you can watch, you know, Matt Rife is a good example. So, like, it's fine. It's a tool you should have. You should be able to do it to manage a shitty situation, but to just do it to generate attention anyway, that's a different subject. So. Okay, so the last special. Sorry, am I talking too much?

[Marc Maron]

No, not for us.

[Adam Pally]

This is like. I mean, well, I was going to ask you if you feel that. I was going to ask you a question, if that's okay.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, and I'll get back to it.

[Adam Pally]

Unless you.

[John Gabrus]

No, go ahead. I can handle it.

[Adam Pally]

Cause you're now also a really established dramatic actor in a lot of ways.

[John Gabrus]

Kinda.

[Adam Pally]

I would say that just from being on the other side and castings and stuff, your name is in that threshold now. And that is a different part of your brain than writing.

[John Gabrus]

That's a whole different thing.

[Adam Pally]

Do you have to put some of that thought away to do the other?

[John Gabrus]

Well, all right, I'll answer that. But what I wanted to do is. Is just finish this 73 minute thing. No, that's a good question. And I'll.

[Adam Pally]

Fuck you.

[John Gabrus]

There's the Adam I knew back.

[Marc Maron]

Just ask me. Good.

[John Gabrus]

What happened to Cranky Adam? He's back.

[Adam Pally]

I'm working.

[John Gabrus]

Where's the miserable that came to my garage?

[Adam Pally]

I'm working. I usually. I want to be. I'm there.

[John Gabrus]

He is interesting.

[Marc Maron]

You like Cranky Adam? He is my. As my creative partner. Not a fan of Cranky Adam.

[Adam Pally]

I don't want to be doing a podcast.

[John Gabrus]

I know.

[Adam Pally]

I am a movie star.

[John Gabrus]

I know. Here we go.

[Adam Pally]

This is a mistake.

[John Gabrus]

Finally, the fucking movie.

[Adam Pally]

Yes, small ones. Small ones, but still movies. Definitely. Television on, streaming.

[John Gabrus]

Sure, sure.

[Adam Pally]

Why are you happy about this? You made me do this.

[John Gabrus]

Fuck.

[Adam Pally]

I mean, this kid, this little Jew is making me uncomfortable.

[Marc Maron]

Hey, if that's clipped like that, you're.

[Adam Pally]

This is why I don't want to be here. I don't want to be part of this.

[Marc Maron]

You rather be doing Sonic movies?

[John Gabrus]

We got.

[Adam Pally]

It's pure.

[John Gabrus]

The small part in the Sonic movie.

[Adam Pally]

That's my f. I had a spin off. They spun me off. How small? This sucks. I did not expect this.

[Marc Maron]

Okay, well, if we're okay.

[John Gabrus]

So anyway, this is the best job.

[Marc Maron]

I've had in years, unfortunately for my career.

[John Gabrus]

So the 73 minutes. What? Adam, it's all right.

[Adam Pally]

No, you're doing okay, so 73 minutes.

[John Gabrus]

Okay, so. So what happens is, so I. As I go head into the special, I got an hour and 45 minutes, and in my head, I got 73, right? And, you know, HBO was like, no, we just want an hour. And I'm like, give me 70. And I still knew 73. But the weird thing was, is as I trimmed the hour and 45, you know, within weeks to get it down to what it was, both sets. I did the night in New York for the special. 73 minutes on the dot. I don't even know where that comes from.

[Marc Maron]

That's like Ron Jeremy, who can, like, know exactly. He can count down from 20 to.

[John Gabrus]

Come, you know, do that anymore.

[Marc Maron]

No, trust me. He's ruined a lot of my parties. I love waking up in the morning taking off my. Whatever nasty underwear I slept in, throwing, slapping on fresh Voris, and then hitting the gym hard.

[Adam Pally]

100%. I mean, who is it, you know, that. That I only want to look good because if you look good, you feel.

[Marc Maron]

Good, and if you feel good, you look good, you can tackle anything when you're wearing your Voris.

[Adam Pally]

I ordered a hoodie.

[John Gabrus]

Ooh.

[Marc Maron]

Okay. I wasn't even. I went full all, like, performance shorts.

[Adam Pally]

I like to exercise in a hoodie.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, you do.

[Adam Pally]

Well, I also. I. This is dumb, but it reminds me of, like, high school football, like, where it's like, you're getting that extra sweat, like, having the hoodie tied tight, and you're, like, getting.

[Marc Maron]

You know what the gym nuts call wearing that big hoodie over. They call it the pump cover.

[Adam Pally]

The pump cover.

[Marc Maron]

So then when you're lifting weights, you don't get to see until you're ready to reveal the pump to yourself.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, hell, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

And then you pop your pump cover off, and you're like, oh, yeah, the buys are flowing.

[Adam Pally]

It is really dramatic tracks for me.

[Marc Maron]

It does feel like, you know, you turn your head around, it's your. And it's a switch or whatever.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, I like that.

[Marc Maron]

That's.

[Adam Pally]

I can't wait for it to get here.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, well, I'm. I'm stoked. I. I'm in New York now, but I have ordered shorts to my LA apartment, so I'm gonna arrive to some.

[Adam Pally]

Some course best when I'm leaving on a plane from my house, like when I'm on the Runway, will order something to be delivered to my home so that I know when I get back from my trip, there's just a little treat for myself.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, hell yeah. I cannot wait. And also when I need to jumpstart my fitness, like, a little gear is inspirational, of course. Yeah, yeah. So when I get home and I have my fresh pair of core shorts waiting for me, that's going to make me want to go for a jog or make me hit the gym.

[Adam Pally]

So when you buy Vuori, not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but enjoy free shipping on any US order over $75 and free returns go to viori.com staying alive and discover the versatility of Vuori.

[Marc Maron]

Clothing exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.

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[Adam Pally]

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[John Gabrus]

So the acting thing, Adam and I'd like to talk to you about it. Really? Really. Are you upset that you lost your shit? I think it's good radio.

[Adam Pally]

It was good for the comedic value. I didn't want to do it because I've done that rant so many times on this show. Yes, and I.

[John Gabrus]

So it's a Regular thing.

[Marc Maron]

But it's worked for you, though. You've been getting more movie roles from. Start screaming about how you're a movie star.

[John Gabrus]

Right? It's working.

[Adam Pally]

It's not working. Yeah, no, I haven't worked.

[Marc Maron]

Speaking of not working. You're right.

[Adam Pally]

I haven't worked in a while. And. And I'm. And no, no, I didn't know how to set up Lost my. I. I was gonna. I was doing it for effect.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. So. But you were like, you're. But you're a real actor. You know, I kind of come around the side of it. Do, you know, like, I. In terms of, like, different, like, figuring out how to do it. Like, I always wanted to do it as a comic. You were kind of. It was sort of like, you want. Early on when I started. I'm older and I'm old now, but, you know, you were. You do comedy, you get a development deal from people that think that they can base a show around you. And then that was sort of the. That was the plan. Like, you do comedy. Even my comedy was never the kind that would warrant that. But I got a couple. But that was the model. It's like, you know, we got one.

[Adam Pally]

That went for, like, three seasons.

[John Gabrus]

I went for four seasons on ifc. But, like, by that point, you know, like, no one that wasn't the model.

[Marc Maron]

But you kind of, like.

[John Gabrus]

I kind of was.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. It wasn't the model anymore.

[John Gabrus]

It was more a Louis model. Yeah, but. But no one really watched it too much. But that was the thing about the acting was I always wanted to do it. And there were different points in my life where I did that little part in, like, Almost Famous. I was in Mitch Hedberg's movie. That's very hard to find. I did a little. Little things, but I couldn't hack it.

[Marc Maron]

I don't think.

[John Gabrus]

I had representation for years. I had a big manager, and he'd tell me, like, I want you to meet these agents. And I'm like, okay, I'll go meet an agent. They sent me out on one thing, and then I'm like, then I didn't have an agent anymore. I just never really had an agent because I couldn't make anybody money. I wasn't getting parts. I didn't know how to. To audition. I couldn't stand it. But as time went on, because the podcast and whatever else, I got that opportunity to do that show. But I knew in my head, the first couple seasons are probably gonna suck. Cause I don't know how to be on set I don't know how to do this, but I'd watched enough other comics do it and saw them suck for a year that I was willing to be like, all right, so that's just gonna be the way it's gonna be.

[Marc Maron]

What a way to learn how to do that is. Well, yeah, I'm on the show called.

[John Gabrus]

Marrying, where you're like, you're in every scene.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. And if there's a role that you can maybe have one foot towards playing, it's a version I did.

[John Gabrus]

Okay. You know, And I think I do better. Like, I, I. My thing is, like, I wasn't sure I like doing it because I don't like to wait. I don't know. I. I'd rather do what you're doing, whether you like it or not, than sit in a fucking trailer all day.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, well, yeah, that's. That's different. But. But that's also a different type of acting as well, because that's like, what, trailer acting? Well, like, yeah, like, not, not like, lead. Like, you know, like when you're. When, when you're doing your, your, Your shows now or your movies now, where, like, you're. The days are like, okay, Mark's coming in. Like, it's like, way more. It's different, you know, it's like, really?

[John Gabrus]

I don't know if that's true. I mean, really. Like, I did, like this, this role on Stick, like when I did that movie to Leslie, which was. That was pretty good.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And. But that was during COVID the guy shot on film. He shot it out in, like, three weeks. That was crazy.

[Adam Pally]

Right?

[John Gabrus]

And it was still sort of a supporting role, but once I was in it, I was in it, and that was okay. And then I was on the set of the joker for, like, 12 days, you know, with very little to do.

[Adam Pally]

Right.

[John Gabrus]

But that's fine because you're kind of watching these gu.

[Adam Pally]

Norm.

[John Gabrus]

But.

[Adam Pally]

But waken's not. And that's something like. Like, there's always.

[John Gabrus]

No, I get that. But that's a lead part.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. That me and I.

[John Gabrus]

But when you're supporting part, it's a lot of trailer time.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, that's my. I've only ever worked one day, and all of a sudden you got three lines and all your pressure of, like, your entire career is on. Just like, I think we have to open the elevator, you know? And I'm like, I can't. I'm overthinking it. And they're like, oh, what are you doing? And I'm like, well, what led me.

[Adam Pally]

To ask that, that question that you, that you were judged so, so nicely was, was that I, I know from you, like, it's hard sometimes when you're comedian and you're, the point of view is to like, bird's eye out and like, what's on, what's unusual about this situation and how can I, like, you know, it's all me. Yeah. And then when you go into acting, you have to almost be like, I'm not judging this. I'm not, I'm, it's like this is the, this is the, the part. So how do I do my best? My, my best version.

[John Gabrus]

That's interesting. Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know, it's like, so that sometimes for me at least those two things really do go at each other. And I don't know if it, if I do better work or worse work, but I do realize that I have to like slow one side down or the other.

[John Gabrus]

Well, I find that like, you know, it was a, it was kind of a weird struggle. I just did an indie movie where, where I was the lead. It's not out. And that was a different experience. But doing stick, which is a high profile, you know, kind of comedy mushy, you know, thing, you know, when I read the scripts, I was like, it's okay, you know, and, and I, and I don't need to do anything, you know, we, I, I've done, you know, I don't have to, I'm not desperate in any way.

[Adam Pally]

Right.

[John Gabrus]

But then, you know, all these other things come into question. For me, it's like, I don't like to be away from home, you know, I, you know, it's a supporting role and it's okay. I don't, you know, like, where are we shooting? What is. And, but the idea was for me, because I need to know how to make the two or three minutes of work you're gonna do in any three hour chunk of time from all different angles. How is that compelling enough and engaging enough to me to think it's worth it? What do I gotta do craft wise or what do I gotta do to make acting feel like I've made a bunch of choices? I'm doing the job. It was satisfying, you know, in the four lines or whatever.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

So that, that was really the struggle. But I took the gig because I like Owen and I thought the, the show, like the character's not really a stretch for me, but, but I, I, I thought if I want to act, I should do it if I get the opportunity. And they wanted me to do it. And what I learned from it is just that if I'm. If I'm going to do it, you know, you got to figure out a way to make all that. That frustrating time, you know, of waiting or whatever. Because like, no matter how many movies or TV shows you do, at some point you're in the trailer and, you know, and two hours have gone by after they said a few minutes and.

[Marc Maron]

You finished Instagram reels and.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, but you just sit there going.

[Marc Maron]

You're like, what the are they doing?

[John Gabrus]

Right, but it's just the nature of the thing.

[Marc Maron]

And then when you come out, they're like, mark, we. We only have like 8 minutes to hurry up or I'm.

[John Gabrus]

Or I'm pissed off and I gotta regroup.

[Marc Maron]

Right, right.

[John Gabrus]

But what you're saying, though, it's tricky because when you write your own jokes and you have a sense of comedy that's your own, and you're looking at these jokes on a page, you're sort of like, that's bad joke. But the fortunate thing about where I'm at in my life is that I give like very few fucks.

[Marc Maron]

And that seems pretty evident.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, but no, but it's a good place to be, as opposed to like when I was younger and you're like, oh, yeah, I'll try to make it work, you know, and there were real issues around, you know, all. A lot of the other characters were a lot more fleshed out. And my guy was really built to kind of be a comic relief guy. And because of that, they didn't really think about him much. So when I was on set and they were gunning for a joke that was kind of mediocre, I'd be like, you know, there's no reason. You can't let the emotion just sit there. You need to button it with that. I don't think this guy would say that. And I think that, you know, we got to rethink that it. And they were collaborative like that. And I was able to make that guy something because the thing that was appealing about that role in Stick is I don't care about golf. But the idea. You got two kind of washed up guys that are paralyzed with grief and have a fundamentally codependent relationship, both in the past, professionally, now as friends. That, I mean, that seemed interesting.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, definitely. I love. I worked with the kid, Pete.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah, he's good.

[Adam Pally]

He's good. He was. I. We did an independent film together when he was like, like really young.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And he's got a Good family. And I was like, oh, this kid's going to be Spider Man.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. It's so funny, that kid, because, you know. Yeah, his. His parents are divorced, but his dad used to be in a band.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. And his mom is like, Hot smoke show.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, totally.

[Adam Pally]

And his sister is.

[John Gabrus]

I don't know if I met her. Oh, really?

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

The mom's very pretty, but the dad was in this kind of one album band, and they kind of got lost, lost in the mix back in New York. And they were around the time of punk rock. But I, I, you know, I'm a record guy, and there's a label called Reminder Records that reissued his dad's record. And, and, and the dad didn't know it. Peter didn't know it. And I didn't know till he mentioned the band. I said, I think I have that record. And he's like, no way. And I'm like. And they, and I. And I was able to show him that they reissued it. And the dad was very excited.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, that's amazing.

[Marc Maron]

That's the business. They don't even know your own albums being.

[Adam Pally]

I like, you know, sometimes you work with a. Like a kid sometimes, and it's hell, you know, where it's like the, the parents are bad and, and where you.

[Marc Maron]

Almost, like, want to intervene, where you.

[Adam Pally]

Almost want to step in.

[Marc Maron]

Hey, kid, you don't have. This doesn't have to be like this.

[Adam Pally]

You know what I mean? Like, I've had a couple of those.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And then you work with someone like Peter when he was young, and immediately I was just like, oh, well, this.

[John Gabrus]

Guy'S gonna be all right.

[Adam Pally]

He's. Yeah. Like, I gotta worry about that. Like, that kid's gonna be James Franco before or Dave Franco. That kid's go be Dave right now.

[John Gabrus]

Sure. I think he was good. You know, I watched the. I didn't, you know, Owen doesn't watch anything he's ever done ever, ever.

[Marc Maron]

That's relatable.

[John Gabrus]

And, you know, I watch primarily because I think I need to get better. You know, there's something that. That kind of annoys me, and it's annoyed me about doing standup as well. Is that for me, I. I'm sort of all in as me, you know, on some level. And I found that with acting, that's sort of what actors do, but you just have to figure out, well, this guy's not neurotic, so I gotta shut that off.

[Adam Pally]

Right.

[Marc Maron]

And, you know, you just.

[John Gabrus]

You can honor the bill.

[Adam Pally]

Bill Murray said everyone's every character's a thin veil.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah. And it's just a matter of, like, take the parts of you that are not needed for the guy and try to cap him off.

[Adam Pally]

Right.

[John Gabrus]

But, like, there's still sort of this element where I was with Judy Greer on the junket, and she said, you know, the best. She's the best. Yes. She said, you did. You did an amazing job with that guy. Because, you know, any other actor would have gone broad. And I said, I don't really think I know how to do that. And she goes, no, I don't think you do either. But then there's part of me that's like, well, why can't I be broad? I'd like to be broad.

[Adam Pally]

No, no, Mark, you've been broad.

[John Gabrus]

I have. But no, there are some comic actors. I think that if they come out of scale, that there is a comfortability with locking into weird characters almost innately from experience, that they can manifest them comedic characters fairly quickly and know the comedic timing of that character just based on their own timing. I do not have that muscle at all. And there's part of me that would like to get it. I'd like to figure that out. I think maybe if I worked with a coach or something.

[Marc Maron]

Mark's next special is called Five Wigs, and you're doing different characters.

[Adam Pally]

And he's like, hello there.

[John Gabrus]

I'm this guy.

[Adam Pally]

Look when you had a neighbor up there. No, I think you're right. I mean, like, coming. One of the. The Coming from sketch. And then. And then I did my first special this year with hbo, and it was. It took.

[John Gabrus]

I think it's stand up.

[Adam Pally]

Stand up. Six years.

[John Gabrus]

Did you stand up?

[Adam Pally]

I wouldn't call it stand up. I would think that would be an insult to. To other comedians. I would call it whatever I could do to be on stage for an hour. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

She gets a guitar up there.

[Adam Pally]

Yep. It's like really, truly like anything I could. And it took six years to put it into an act.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

It was the first time I ever did that on my own. I came up with John and Sketch Improv. UCB was like a different muscle.

[John Gabrus]

Sure.

[Adam Pally]

But the thing that that does, which is, I think is what you're talking about, is it tell. It teaches you really early on, like, you can't judge the character or the. The. It's like they give you a wig. You're just doing the best version of that person in that wig.

[John Gabrus]

That whole thing. It terrifies me that I.

[Adam Pally]

Right. I know. And it's really, for me too. Because I feel like I share this with you as well, or, like, my characters are, like, the thinnest of veil. It's like it's me doing whatever the thing is, like, so. But in that, it really becomes. You start to learn how it becomes your, like, superpower.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, sure.

[Adam Pally]

I bet that, like, no matter what.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You're going to shine through, right. In that wig, in that character, in that thing, and it lets you approach it without, like, worrying about, I don't know, like, outcome of peace.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know, which is, like, a huge thing, I think, when you're.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. I don't. I don't have that. I. I find that there are certain things that are. Because I'm. I'm kind of, you know, just beneath the surface, very, very raw and. And very, very sensitive, and I'm aware of that. That. And I think there's some part of me that kind of, you know, has masks, that. But, you know, generally, people who. Who know me who innately, like, I'm one of these people that a lot of people think, like, well, that guy's kind of a dick, right? Is he an asshole? But people who know me is, like, that guy. No, he's not an asshole.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, No, I. I would say he's.

[Marc Maron]

Just kind of loud.

[Adam Pally]

You are. Of all. Of all my friends, you're the easiest to text because it's like, no pressure, you know? You know that feeling when you have with friends, like. Because, like. Yeah, like, we'll text it. It's just like, what is happening?

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Here's a guitar picture. It's, like, very simple.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Other friends. Sometimes you'll be like, what are you doing? It's like, I need to borrow $25,000. And you're like, let's not even. Let's not do this bit.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

I'm just seeing how worse.

[John Gabrus]

I was on a group text for a while with, like, Mulaney Kroll Peretti, and I'm like, this is too much pressure.

[Adam Pally]

That's a lot of pressure.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, my God, that's a lot of pressure. And you're, like, watching the jokes flying. I'm like, you know, I'm trying to come up with things.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You're like. I'm like, I need a writer's room for that.

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[Adam Pally]

I noticed your Zen. Yeah, and I noticed your brace. Not your good art stuff because I love your watch and your bracelets, but your whoop. The whoop. What are you doing on the road like this? Like, how are you so fit? You look fitter than the last time I said.

[Marc Maron]

The only question we ever ask our guests, and we'll do it right now, is what are you doing to stay alive?

[Adam Pally]

Oh, well.

[John Gabrus]

Well, this is not part of the.

[Adam Pally]

Workout regimen, but I. But it is something you're doing.

[Marc Maron]

It's keeping you alive. Smoking.

[Adam Pally]

Because we don't. We're. Look at us. You think we're fucking influencers? Like we don't know No, I mean.

[John Gabrus]

Like, okay, so the whoop watch. I thought we were gonna promo that. I thought they were gonna, you know, do ads, and they didn't. But they sent it to me, and once I put it on, I was like, okay, so you get kind of addicted to certain elements of it. The Zins. I've been on and off nicotine since I was 14. So they're, you know, one way or the other. And these seem in terms of, you know, if you're going to honor that addiction, which I'm about done with. I'm actually, you know, charting my zinus on an app because I've been off nicotine for two or three years at a time and here and there. But it's better than. I haven't smoked a cigarette since probably 2000, 1999.

[Adam Pally]

Wow, that's amazing.

[John Gabrus]

I've gone through cigar periods. I've gone through real snooze tobacco periods. But the idea that there's no tobacco in this.

[Marc Maron]

I remember when you talk about snus on the show way back. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

When I was getting it from Sweden. Yeah, that was fucking nuts.

[Adam Pally]

But those.

[Marc Maron]

I remember just hearing the word snooze for the first time for you. And I was like, time to go home and Yahoo it.

[John Gabrus]

Or Google. Oh, my God, he's get it from Sweden.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Adam Pally]

Those ins are this new. This, like, wraparound. Like some. Like the way like a Bernie Bro wraps around to January 6th is like Zins are. This tobacco is. Is good for your brain. There's like a nicotine.

[John Gabrus]

I don't know if I. Nicotine is like this kind of tricky drug because it can go either way. Way. Like, it's either a stimulant or a depressant, but it can do for me, it doesn't jack me up. You know, I do a Zinn and I'm like, on heroin. And that seems to be okay for me. I'd like to get off them. I do a lot of coffee, too.

[Marc Maron]

But in terms of forgive me, Father, for I have Zinned.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, but.

[Marc Maron]

But my brother has a T shirt that says that. Of course he does.

[John Gabrus]

But how the right wing, sort of how the meatheads got onto it, you know, it's good for Zinn. But Zinn as a company was a Swedish company.

[Adam Pally]

Right.

[John Gabrus]

And. And this new stuff has always been in Sweden. And they. Well, most was tobacco. It was just dip. You didn't have to spit, and you put it in your upper lip. But I don't know that the idea was like, it's better than the other one, but I don't know if that's even true for me. Like, I was on the lozenges for a long time. Just Walgreens nicotine lozenges. I fucking loved them. It's just very hard to get off of nicotine if you get into it when you're a teenager. And once you get off it, you're okay. But you just don't know why life is worth living.

[Marc Maron]

You got to leave something in there. You got to have something to look forward to.

[John Gabrus]

But aside from that, in terms of my regimen, I. I think I've been vegan for almost two years. Oh, wow. And, you know, that was a big change. And in terms of exercising, you know, I've been pretty on it for a lot of years. Not like in high school and stuff, but at some point I started in my 30s and I stay on it.

[Adam Pally]

Are you a hotel gym guy or are you a get out and run the city guy?

[John Gabrus]

I don't. Running on asphalt or concrete, it kind of beats you up. I don't love hotel gyms because they're really probably the saddest spaces in the world. Especially if there's just two treadmills and there's a guy on the other one. I'm not going to do it.

[Adam Pally]

I don't even like staying on the floor where the gym's on. Yeah, well, because, like, sometimes the gyms on a floor on the same floor as other rooms.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And I always feel, like, sad.

[John Gabrus]

I will go out to other gyms. I've done a lot of exploring. I mean, I do, like, I'm. I belong. I finally expanded the Equinox membership to. Because when I was in Vancouver, like for the shooting, they had a gym in the place I was at, but I didn't like it. But the Equinox is like five minutes away and they're all very consistent. We have the same.

[Adam Pally]

The Sutton.

[John Gabrus]

No, I, I. Because I was there for three months. I didn't too long to be at the Sutton. Yeah, I was at the. I was at the Georgia Residences. You know the Hotel Georgia?

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

It's beautiful. But they have a, A condo building. And, you know, I subletted one of those.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, that's not bad. Yeah. And the Sutton is like a place where I feel like actors die.

[John Gabrus]

It's dirty, man.

[Adam Pally]

You know, it feels like, like that's where you hear, like, this actor died.

[John Gabrus]

And also the bar there, it's like, you know, I. After you shoot all day, you want to Go and like, oh, there's Pedro Pascal. I don't really know him, but maybe I should go meet him.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And then you're like, who needs that pressure?

[Adam Pally]

And then you' hey, I'm shooting, I'm shooting.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

He's like, who the fuck are you?

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're both here doing a thing.

[Adam Pally]

We're both working for the same.

[Marc Maron]

There's this beautiful wife with you.

[John Gabrus]

I'm just going to go to my room and I guess I'll jerk off and probably sleep, you know, so.

[Marc Maron]

Hey, man, you're saying that a lot louder than you think you are.

[Adam Pally]

Well, there's like, you know, comics on the road. It's like, it's the tale is all this time, like, how do I not not kill myself after?

[John Gabrus]

It's weird, right?

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. It's like, how do I not.

[Marc Maron]

You start out, at least in my experience, going hard. You're like, well, if I'm away, I got a hotel room. I'm going out. Oh, I'm in this new city. I'm partying.

[Adam Pally]

Baltimore. I'm getting crabs.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, I'm doing this. I'm doing this. Well, that's good.

[John Gabrus]

And then eventually, you're like, getting up with strangers from the club with an eye patch. That sounds bad. Yeah, crabs is good.

[Marc Maron]

The craziest one is when I was on Torco and you'd perform at a college, and then you'd go to a college party and you were like, you're winning beer pong. And they're like, you're the funniest. And I'm like, thank you.

[Adam Pally]

They're like, you drank 35 beers, man.

[Marc Maron]

You're the coolest. I'm like, I know. And I'll always be the cool. And then, like, cut to, like.

[John Gabrus]

And I gotta go so I don't get arrested.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, that. Oh, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Just stand in some kid's room while he's, like, trying to pack a bowl.

[John Gabrus]

And I'm like, always, like, anytime.

[Adam Pally]

They're like, oh, we have a nitrous tank. It's always the waiting for it to get filled up. It's like, oh, I should not be doing.

[Marc Maron]

And then the other performers you're there with are like, hey, we're gonna head out. I'm like, I'm waiting for the nitrous to come to my good man.

[John Gabrus]

I'll talk to you guys tomorrow.

[Marc Maron]

We're at the days in six hours away.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, I'll get so many times.

[Adam Pally]

You find yourself just walking back with a jug of water. Yeah. Picked up from A.

[John Gabrus]

Like, I've been Sober for what, 25 years? So, like, that shit's way back. Old memories.

[Marc Maron]

Sober and cigarettes happened around the same time. Like, you stopped smoking and.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, that's a lot. I mean, it was the first few years sober, wrestling with the smoke folks. And I don't really have any compulsion to, to smoke cigarettes. I'll go. I go through cigar things, but I'm not like a cigar bro. I'll just, I'll just sit on my porch and sweat, you know, I just get the buzz and I'm like, I got a nap now.

[Marc Maron]

I can't smoke cigars because I only, I never, I never smoke cigs. I've only ever smoked weed. And when I go to. I can't not inhale.

[John Gabrus]

But when I was off cigarettes, this last. Or off nicotine, this last time, I'd been off for like almost three years. Years. And Andrew Santino, man, that devil, Chicago devil.

[Adam Pally]

He's a Loki chaos agent, but he's.

[John Gabrus]

He likes to create it.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

So he can watch it.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

But he don't live in it.

[Adam Pally]

No. He's a baby.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, I know. I know that type.

[Marc Maron]

I love a dish or not a taker.

[Adam Pally]

He's a dish or not a taker. Yeah, he's a deep fisher.

[John Gabrus]

He's funny guy, though.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

But we were in, we were in Canada. I can't remember. It must have been a festival. And he was like, hey, man, you want to get a couple Cubans? And just. And I'm like, I can't do. Because if I smoke one, you know, within weeks, I'll just be sit my porch sweating, you know, half nauseous all the time. I can't do it. He's like, come on, man. Just. We'll just have a couple of good Cubans. I'm like, all right. And sure enough, within two weeks, I was like, God, you on my porch to a day.

[Adam Pally]

But yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And he didn't. He's not that guy. No.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, the, the current shirt and mustache, that's like a, A Cuban cigar is not like a weird add on, you know, it fits in the vibe. It's like, it's so.

[John Gabrus]

I like them. I mean, I, I, I've always. I like tobacco of any kind of. Yeah. From when I was really young. I was just fascinated with it. You know, all my heroes smoked. And there's this documentary that Fine Arts made, took three years to make that we, we premiered at Tribeca and at south by. And it's like the only thing that makes Me cringe is this really old footage I gave him from videos I shot at home, like in between college, in between high school and college. Or this just like these videos I was doing or after I got back from la when I was a door guy at the store, and it's just me smoking at 22, and I'm like, look at that fucking guy. Who did he think he. Yeah, yeah, I know. Did you.

[Adam Pally]

Were you a smoke to. I have two questions there. I don't want to forget the second one.

[John Gabrus]

But the first, the one that just.

[Adam Pally]

Came to me was, were you one of those 80 smokers from the. Like, the way you see, like, catcherizing Star who would be like, smoking in the act? Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John Gabrus]

I smoked on stage.

[Adam Pally]

And that's like, what. How many you go through?

[Marc Maron]

Only one person's doing that these days.

[John Gabrus]

Chappelle.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, yeah. Like, we're like, how many. How many go through in a. In a. A hour and a half on stage? Right.

[John Gabrus]

Like, I don't even know. But it was just like. It was just part of the fabric of everything. I mean, I. I definitely smoked and, you know, you eventually use it for timing. It feels so long ago. It's kind of a. Like, I don't really have any real recollection of. Of the. But I. I just knew. Yeah. I mean, I was smoking a pack. Pack and a half a day. Yeah. I started with Marble Reds in. In high school. Just different and. But like, being on the road now, I love it, you know, like. And I. All. I. I used to. There was something about being on the road when you're younger where you really feel like you're on a different planet and it's just sort of depressing and weird because they, you know, you. You put in a hotel, you wouldn't have a car. You'd have to like, kind of walk to the mall or, Or.

[Marc Maron]

Or like, usually like alongside a highway where you come from, like New York or la. You're like, oh, it's just right. It's only a mile away.

[John Gabrus]

Like, walking, you know, and no one is walking. And it was really kind of like. It was the suicide thing. Like, you made a joke about it, but it is. It was profoundly. And you're only, like, you're away for two days, but the loneliness available. No, of course, it's. It's kind of.

[Adam Pally]

It is.

[John Gabrus]

It's weird, though. But now, like, you know, I'll stay at a nicer hotel and, like, I'm like, I don't have to clean it and you know, it's quiet and you know, I'm fucking fine, dude. I'll figure out like, because I'm vegan, that becomes sort of not a challenge. But it's interesting because on the road a lot of places have, you know, plant based places, some that are junk food, but you know, if you go Indian or you go Middle Eastern or Ethiopian, I started to eat. So now you're looking for places in cities. Like, yeah, there's one Ethiopian place. I'm like, right, all right, it's gotta be good, right?

[Adam Pally]

And that area is usually kind of cool.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, kinda. And it's like I'm pretty good on the road and I always go like, I'll go to Whole Foods and I'll stock up on shit I need.

[Marc Maron]

Almost easier to lock in at this age too. Almost easier to lock in on the road because I'm like away from all my relief. Yeah, yeah. Whether it's my family, my partner, my home where all my, you know, I'm like, oh, I'm in the hotel and specifically I only have to do something at 7:30pm tonight, right? Oh, fuck.

[John Gabrus]

All right.

[Marc Maron]

I have the whole day. I could do the gym, I'll go for a walk, I'll go to Whole.

[John Gabrus]

Foods and it's nice and new place, coffee.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, I'll try a cool coffee shop.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, exactly.

[Marc Maron]

And that's like. And then all of a sudden you're like, I used to get so fucking hammered and like party all day, jerk off in one bed, sleep in the other, you know, now it's my night now I can sleep in my own cum now.

[Adam Pally]

Why you've grown.

[Marc Maron]

When you get a king size, you.

[Adam Pally]

Know, you drink up.

[John Gabrus]

I always go to Whole Foods so like for some reason it's grounding like.

[Adam Pally]

And when I do the road too, to like walk through.

[John Gabrus]

Sure. And I, it's consistent, you know, it's like, oh, I know this.

[Adam Pally]

So money, money helps.

[John Gabrus]

Sure, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Having, having a good fun beverage that is na and delicious in your fridge.

[John Gabrus]

Like, oh, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's like when you're, when you don't want to stay at the club and drink or at the venue or whatever and you're like, oh, at home I have that like chloroph lemonade. I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm gonna go to the hotel room and fucking drink. What are some of your go to vegan? Like at home if you're making a meal or snacks and stuff. Like, what are like things you're like.

[John Gabrus]

Well, I mean, I just like the vegan thing for me. I do feel like I'm, you know, ethically better than other people. But that wasn't the reason I got into it.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, that's good though.

[John Gabrus]

I got into it just as an experiment to see if it would change my cholesterol and sugar and stuff like that.

[Marc Maron]

And I'm assuming it's did.

[John Gabrus]

It does. Yeah, sure. Some of that's genetic. But then I just got into it because I like to cook and I, and, and I like the sort of challenge of it. I, I mean there's a lot of things I make at home that are, that are, that are vegan that are go to, I mean, ultimately one guy years ago wasn't a comedian, but there was, there's a guy like in aa, I think his name was Mitch, you know, and I was always struggling with food and like, you know, not wanting to get fat and everything else. And I asked this guy Mitch, I'm like, how do you just stay, you know, this the same, you know, and it was early sobriety too, so I'm like just eating ice cream every night. And this guy Mitch goes, oh, it's easy. You just eat the same thing every day. Yeah. And I'm like, all right, I don't do that. But it's like you kind of do that anyways.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

So, you know, you figure out what your staples are and then you just cook enough for the week. If you're going to be around, like, I'll do, I'll cook Indian food. I make this chana masala that I like. I like tempeh a lot. I like seitan, which is sort of hard to find, but you can cook that like chicken, do brown, brown rice, do greens of all kinds.

[Marc Maron]

Hell yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And you know, and if I, if I'm working out and stuff, I'll do plant based protein.

[Adam Pally]

You find that you're cooking more than going out to eat.

[John Gabrus]

Totally.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

Because in general it's because, you know, a lot of times, unless the food is specific type of food that is best made by the people that make that food. Yeah. I could probably do it at home, right?

[Adam Pally]

A great sushi place in Vancouver or something.

[John Gabrus]

Sure, man. I mean you're not going to get that or even like, you know, ethnic foods, I mean, why bother trying go out and eat them.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And there are places around, you know, this is why these Asian, Asian vegan places. I don't know, it's not a hassle for me to do it and I, I think that, I don't know if I feel A ton better. But I do know I've also become obsessed with, you know, with oils because there's certain challenges with vegan where you can't get. You got to take supplemental, supplemental B12 because you're not going to get anywhere else. So you got to do that. But there's also this omega thing, like, because, you know, most omegas are from meat or fish.

[Marc Maron]

Fatty fish. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

But the thing is, is like nuts, man. And they make omega supplements from algae and shit. But nuts, like walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and shit, I mean these things are magical. Right? So that's where you kind of can get a lot of your omegas. But then I started to be like, I knew they made walnut oil. So no one, I don't know anyone else who does this and maybe I'll find out. It's really bad for me. But I found these places that do cold press oils. Like I have like, I have pecan oil, you know, walnut oil, like okra seed oil and pumpkin seed oil. And I'll just use them as a supplement because I'm figuring like, if, if that's good for your brain, for everything else, how can it not be good in oil form? And I just been doing that.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And the one thing I noticed, I think the inflammation thing, whatever the fuck that is, I think it's better when you're not eating meat.

[Marc Maron]

It's gotta be. Yeah, yeah, you're eating seed oils.

[Adam Pally]

Oh God. Fucking Robert Kennedy's here.

[Marc Maron]

In your special you say we got the worst. Kennedy?

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, the shittiest.

[John Gabrus]

Kenned.

[Adam Pally]

Absolutely.

[John Gabrus]

He was at Air America. Dude, he's been out of his mind for a long time, you know, like totally out of his mind. Look, as a recovering addict, I know when someone's not, not quite locked in, right.

[Adam Pally]

He has a lot of those chips are like falling all over.

[Marc Maron]

And as a gym bro, if you work out in jeans and no shirt, you. You're not playing with a full deck.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, no one likes.

[Marc Maron]

I saw him at the Austin Gold's gym.

[Adam Pally]

Really?

[Marc Maron]

And yeah, and he was, he had his shirt on because I don't think it's. But he was lifting in jeans. And I just went over to him and I hey, good luck. This election. This was when he was back.

[John Gabrus]

Now he's just another fucking collaborator. I mean, he won.

[Marc Maron]

He did win.

[Adam Pally]

He beat you.

[Marc Maron]

I know, he totally beat me. But not on the incline bench press. He was doing like 115. Like it was a big deal.

[John Gabrus]

But this whole anti intellectualism, anti elitism, anti science Thing. It's so. It's such a celebration of stupidity and empowering the worst.

[Adam Pally]

I don't understand that. That's one of those things.

[Marc Maron]

It makes dummies feel better, which is like 75% of the cause of problems in the world. It makes dumm feel better to eat chicken nuggets.

[Adam Pally]

Everyone's like, dummy. No one knows how anything works. Like I. No one knows how an airplane, like airplane flies, vaccines, it's like, whatever. Like just trust the people that know what they're talking about.

[Marc Maron]

Trust the guy who. The person who spent like a better part of their lives learning about this area and not the guy who's. Who's also saying like, drink Celsius, promo code, whatever, you know, like you can't.

[John Gabrus]

Snake oil. Yeah. I mean, I don't know, man. We empowered government of dummies is, you know, the. They're so threatened. That's really the scary thing. You know, it's a short leap from them to kill them.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

You know, all it requires is permission and a presidential pardon is a good incentive. So like, it's kind of scary that, you know, how are these people so threatened by everything? Like the idea that culture is just going to be these douchebags wearing their dumb baseball hat hats, eating only meat and you know, doing their own research. It's fucking nightmare.

[Marc Maron]

It's terrifying. Like, I'll be on Long island and I'll hear some shit from someone and I'm like, when have you encountered a non binary person? And you're like, no. I'm like, then what does it even matter? Like, why is this, why is this something that's giving you ire right now? The amount of people from Long island who reached out to me about the riots in la, and I'm like, I'm like, this is my street. Like it's the suburbs. Like nothing thing is going on.

[John Gabrus]

There's. There's some problems and, and they're, they're righteous problems. But it was, you know, three or four blocks and it was over managed.

[Marc Maron]

Yes.

[John Gabrus]

In a very authoritarian way.

[Marc Maron]

And people.

[John Gabrus]

And then people just made clips.

[Marc Maron]

Yes.

[John Gabrus]

And is your whole state on fire? Not from this. Yeah. But it's seasonal and it's going to happen.

[Marc Maron]

It's coming, it's coming in soon.

[Adam Pally]

I can't wait till tanks are in my neighborhood in New York and Harlem.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, dude, I had it.

[Adam Pally]

How are they going to get through? On alternate side street, during the George.

[Marc Maron]

Floyd, there was Hummers and guys with machine guns on my corner at. On Melrose and It was like, I'm like, I'm like, I don't know. This guy, he has a machine gun. Why is he allowed to have that?

[John Gabrus]

That's going to be happening in a week.

[Marc Maron]

Those are guys who famously. The phrase is one week end a month, two weeks a year. That's who I'm supposed to trust to stand in my street corner with a gun. It's like a 19 year old from Alabama with a fucking.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Or from anywhere. A 19 year old from anywhere with.

[Adam Pally]

A rifle who like apparently has like not been sleeping and has been like no place to take all this aggression out. Yeah. Those trigger fingers are.

[Marc Maron]

Who is the dumbest guy in his high school class and is now the dumbest guy in his platoon and he's like in charge of a rifle and a humvee with an M60 mount on top. It's sick. It's awesome.

[Adam Pally]

The rules. Well, Mark, we let you. Is there anything that we didn't talk. I feel like we, we.

[Marc Maron]

We should talk about the new. This. We're dropping this episode right before the special.

[Adam Pally]

Day before special. Is there anything that, that you want to talk about besides that we didn't hit?

[John Gabrus]

Oh, no. But I think the special is, is good work. You know, I wasn't. I was very sort of focused, very prepared and you know, I, I had overcome a lot of obstacles that j plague me before shooting one of those. In terms of anxiety. I was very sort of in the zone. And the thing about that special too is like I was very specific about the theater, you know, like. Cause after you are in this long enough, you really believe like there's. You can't reinvent a comedy special. A lot of people try, but it's really just a guy on stage one way or the other. But I got very obsessed with this theater. I was gonna shoot it at Town hall again, which is where I did Bleak to Dark. But I was like, isn't it there? Town hall is very wide and it seems like 2000 plus. And I was like, is there any way there's got to be a theater. It seats like 800 in New York and I'd like to do it there because I can make that intimate. And we found this place, the Barney. The Bam. Barney Bam has the opera House, but they also have a smaller theater called the Barney. Now it's fairly cost prohibitive. Initially it was expensive and I went to look at it. It seats about 850, but it's an old vaudeville theater. But they haven't restored it. They've Kind of just maintained it in this kind of interesting state of decay.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, it looks great.

[John Gabrus]

And. Well, the weird. That's the real wall. I became obsessed with that wall. Like, when I saw the place, there was nothing on it. There's no proscenium stage. It's just like a flat space on the stage. And then the first row is. Seats is right there at the end of it. And. And we didn't know we were going to build the stage or what, but I was like, that wall, it was the back wall of the theater that, you know, is 100 plus years old and had been painted to different kinds, and there's chipped. It's just. It had so much personality. I'm like, I need that. That needs to be as important as me in the special album cover.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

It's also, like, weirdly symbolic. Like this wall that's done so much and been through so much changes. Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

So, like, the production designer, Mark Janowitz, who did From Bleak to Dark, he's kind of a genius, right? So he's there and I said, look, man, that wall's gotta be it. You know, whether we build the stage or not, the wall's gotta be it. And he's like, yeah. I'm thinking Kensugi. And I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about. And I look it up, and Kintsugi is this Japanese art of restoring ceramic pieces.

[Marc Maron]

When they break the gold, it makes them stronger.

[John Gabrus]

That's right, yeah. And I'm like, all right, well, whatever you're thinking, just roll with it. I'm good. So he created this space with lights and with the. You saw those lines. That's all based on Kintsugi.

[Marc Maron]

Oh, that's cool. So I pick up on that.

[John Gabrus]

So it integrated the entire space. And then towards the end, when I'm doing the trauma bits and the heavier bits, he actually fades up on the wall, the Kintsugi pattern during the bit, like in that 30. So there is a theatrical element to it that I don't want people to miss. It was. It was thought out poetically and. And it. And it looked great and my shirt worked out, you know, the hair was good. That's rarely the case with me. And I can't tell you how many appearances I've made on everything where I'm like, what the fuck was I wearing? I bought that that day.

[Adam Pally]

We always think that. I mean, I never look at it. And I also think that you're a.

[Marc Maron]

Clothes guy, and then you still are like, look at yourself. Like, why the fuck did I wear that?

[John Gabrus]

I made so many bad choices. I talked to shows, specials on the West.

[Marc Maron]

When we did Seth, my bottom button on my Hawaiian shirt opened and my gut was, like, sticking. People were.

[Adam Pally]

People were circling it and writing that he was showing hole.

[John Gabrus]

Wow. Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

It was like. But like, I. First of all, sitting in those chairs is always, always slouching. I've never worn a suit in those chairs that didn't come up like that. I look like talking heads in every seat.

[John Gabrus]

There's so many things just even, like. It's like acting choices. Like, pull the back of the jacket down before you sit down.

[Adam Pally]

How to do it.

[John Gabrus]

Well, you got to think about all that.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

And I think I nailed my last Fallon. I was like. I was sitting right. Wasn't slouched. I had a nice coat, a nice.

[Adam Pally]

Shirt on, found, won't have me on.

[Marc Maron]

Every time someone has said slouch, by.

[Adam Pally]

The way, Seth, first.

[John Gabrus]

Well, you used to go away a few months.

[Marc Maron]

No, every time someone says slouch, I've adjusted how I'm sitting. It's like a trigger. Someone just saying slouch. I'm, like, going. I'm, like, becoming aware. I know.

[Adam Pally]

Exactly.

[John Gabrus]

I'm just more comfortable slouching. Because they've got this, like, weird innate fear of fat. Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

I mean, well, chubby growing up.

[John Gabrus]

Chubby. Yeah. You're always sucking it in. You swatch it.

[Adam Pally]

Always knowing that you can't do this. No. And you never want to be exposed.

[John Gabrus]

No. Right, Right. Because you're like. You have that, too.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. It's part. It's like my chubbiness is so much like my Judaism growing up.

[John Gabrus]

Same thing. Yes.

[Adam Pally]

Because it's like you're. You're. You're doing everything you can to not be singled out and exposed for it.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

So you're, like, interesting learning how to, like.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. And you mutate your body.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

But then you also.

[Adam Pally]

Now I find myself sitting in ways that.

[Marc Maron]

That.

[John Gabrus]

Right.

[Adam Pally]

Like, I'm like. I've worked my life not to worry about this.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. And then the reverse is when you pop your shirt off, you have to learn how to sit. Like, the other way.

[John Gabrus]

I can't even just see doing that. I can't.

[Marc Maron]

I end up, like, whenever I have my shirt off, I'm like. I have to be leaning back and shit like that.

[John Gabrus]

I can't. I can't even stand up straight, you know, because of fear of that exposure. I also feel.

[Adam Pally]

I also feel like growing up in New York City, too There's a certain element of jacket, like, you know, you like, you're just so used to like, head down, walking forward. You're like, I feel like I'm always leaning forward, just like ready to kind of move, you know, like.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah. Plus my shoulders are weirdly, like rounded like this.

[Adam Pally]

Now, what's your jacket size? 31, dude.

[Marc Maron]

My jacket size?

[Adam Pally]

You're an odd jacket.

[Marc Maron]

Here's a quick aside. A friend of mine dressed as David Byrne for Halloween and I was like, oh, that's a great costume. He's like, I just went to the guy and said, give me the largest suit you had. And he's like 54L. I'm like, that's my size. You're wearing it as like a joke costume on me. I would wear that on tv.

[Adam Pally]

Well, dude, you like, you know, one of my idols.

[John Gabrus]

Thanks, man.

[Marc Maron]

Before you got here, we had like a 12 minute conversation talking about our favorite WTF episodes.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, that's a good. We wanted to ask you. Well, I have a couple favorites, but.

[Marc Maron]

My all time favorite is P.T. anderson. Oh, yeah, that's a really good.

[John Gabrus]

Where I was like, explain.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, explain. But also you were bringing in references and stuff and I was just like, God, this is like my. My cool comedy uncle talking to my cool movie uncle. And it was like, I loved it so much. And also so much Los Angeles and California. Totally.

[John Gabrus]

Ye.

[Marc Maron]

What was the one I.

[John Gabrus]

The fact that his dad was Gulardi and then buddies with Tim Conway. It's like he's just this valley kid and you're like, I thought he's some dark, mystical wizard goofball.

[Marc Maron]

Cinema Lab. You're the first crawl, you said.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, I like Crawl one.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah. Chupacabra.

[Adam Pally]

Because. Well, I like it because it's so early on. And it's early on for Nick too.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And like. And Nick and I came up together.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And so I have the initial jealousy and bitterness of like, what the fuck is Nick doing there?

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know?

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And then to hear you have that same thought and to hear Nick, who is one of my favorite comedians and. And also friends.

[John Gabrus]

Also the most grounded, confident fuck.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[John Gabrus]

I know.

[Marc Maron]

Only does drama movies. He's like the funniest person I know. And he's always like.

[Adam Pally]

But also someone like, I know Nick, like, to the bone.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

Like, so to hear it like, that's something I have gone back and listen, Kroll1 is a fascinating one. But then there was another one I said. Because the room was saying Gallagher.

[Marc Maron]

Right?

[Adam Pally]

Oh, Robin.

[John Gabrus]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Robin is my Galler's a great one.

[Adam Pally]

Robin's my number one. Because it feels the mo. It's very emotional.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

It's very raw and like.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah. It's a singular thing with him. That conversation is singular in relation to. To that guy. Like when he died, it got around a lot because it was the only thing like that available.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah. I remember listening to it on a road trip way before because of the controversy. It was around the time of, like, Dane Cook and all that stuff going around.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

Like his.

[Adam Pally]

That his controversy came up again. And I feel like that episode kind of was the best conversation of it I've heard. You know what I mean?

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah, it was pretty great. Yeah. It's funny in, you know, Crow. So I just had him on again. We have.

[Adam Pally]

Good, good.

[Marc Maron]

I haven't heard.

[John Gabrus]

Is this Crow 4?

[Marc Maron]

Some of the. You said the girl is so funny.

[John Gabrus]

You're like about the movie.

[Adam Pally]

Oh, I love that.

[Marc Maron]

I saw that clip you're going to. And you directed it. He's like, no, you're like, why did I watch this thing?

[Adam Pally]

I liked it. Okay.

[Marc Maron]

I'm watching you. You're doing the thing.

[John Gabrus]

What I say. It's all there.

[Marc Maron]

It's all there.

[Adam Pally]

It's all there. The guy that you don't have to play the thing, you don't think is going to go to the place it goes.

[John Gabrus]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Pally]

No, he took it pretty well, dude. Oh, thank you so much, Mark. You're like, you being here is not just a great for us to have you here. It's an honor.

[Marc Maron]

Thank you very much.

[John Gabrus]

Well, I appreciate it, fellas.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah, please, anytime.

[Adam Pally]

That was like a dream come true.

[Marc Maron]

That was insane. That was awesome. I'm gonna. Devin, if you could do me a favor and chop that episode up into what seems like an episode of WTF that I'm a guest on. That would be real.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah, you gotta get it under the W. Let his.

[Marc Maron]

Let him do his intro.

[Adam Pally]

And you gotta get in under the wire. Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

I should have brought up. I'm doing some Chicago standup dates. I'm a standup comic now, too. To have him just absolutely hate me on the show.

[Adam Pally]

Well, you know, you gotta learn how to unabashedly talk about yourself without ego being any sort of downfall.

[Marc Maron]

I mean, it's a bummer.

[Adam Pally]

Comes pretty naturally to daddy over here.

[Marc Maron]

I'm pretty good at talking about myself if I'm the punchline. I have a hard time talking about myself in any.

[Adam Pally]

But you know what? You know what?

[John Gabrus]

I.

[Adam Pally]

One of the things I really love about Mark is that he doesn't have a problem talking about himself like that.

[Marc Maron]

Positively and negatively.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

He just turned on and off. And that's makes him seem so authentic.

[Adam Pally]

He is the most authentic. He is the read the good and bad reviews in a person.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

You know, he's just like, I am who I am, and sometimes that's going to be good and sometimes there's going to be warts and whatever. I'm still Marc Maron.

[Marc Maron]

I can't believe we interviewed Marc Maron.

[Adam Pally]

I wouldn't call it an interview.

[Marc Maron]

No. I think we said four or five things and we let him go because I was not going to stop. I was. I was enraptured. The dude was in my headphones for like two hours a week for like 10, 15 years.

[Adam Pally]

Like.

[Marc Maron]

Like, I'm sitting across from him. I'm like, just let it rip, Marin. Just go talk to me about. And talk to me about the production designer of your special. That is interesting.

[Adam Pally]

No, I know. I love it. I love it. I mean, I. I become quite friendly with him over the. Over the last bunch of years. And, like, he's.

[Marc Maron]

You guys are both guitar freaks.

[Adam Pally]

We're guitar freaks.

[John Gabrus]

He.

[Adam Pally]

He likes good clothing. He's really well dressed.

[Marc Maron]

Yeah.

[Adam Pally]

And he likes to talk about it a lot. And we. I found myself in the first run of working on material for my special, like, six years ago on a similar west coast run as him. And so we kind of hung out for a little bit in the cities and, like, and then just texted. He's just like an. He's like an old Jew. You know that, like, I love. I love him and I love. And I loved him before I met him and, like, loved his work and I loved his, like, who he was. He's like a punk rock comedian.

[Marc Maron]

Yes. And he's always, like, had a good perspective, good beliefs, and he stuck by them like, his whole life.

[Adam Pally]

Yeah.

[Marc Maron]

He's evolved and also remained true to him. Like, I think it's like one of the strongest things you could do as you age is evolve and stay true to yourself at the same time. And he's like an absolute masterclass in that complete. Also didn't know he was vegan. And in case you're listening to this and not watching it on YouTube, the dude looks great and made me want to drop meat and cheese.

[Adam Pally]

61. Get out of here.

[Marc Maron]

I know.

[Adam Pally]

He does not look 61.

[Marc Maron]

I. He's 18 years older than me. That's crazy.

[John Gabrus]

I know.

[Adam Pally]

And you're going up for the same roles. That's what I kept thinking. I was like, you're going 61, we're going up.

[Marc Maron]

I don't frequently have a mustache and I'm sitting across from Marin in a mustache. He's got flip flop shorts and like a button down on his dress. I'm like, holy shit. I bet you I would kill to look like.

[Adam Pally]

I bet you Mark would never say this, but he's beaten me out for roles of a younger character and he might.

[Marc Maron]

What? He might have.

[Adam Pally]

Maybe he would say that without embasser abashing. What is that? That's not a fucking word.

[Marc Maron]

Hey Adam, I'll see you next week, but make sure you stay like.

[John Gabrus]

You.

[Marc Maron]

Have been listening to Staying Alive with John Gabris and Adam Pali A Smartless Media production in association with Sirius xm.

[Adam Pally]

Produced by Devin Tory Bryant and Anne Harris. Engineered and edited by Devin Tory Bryant, who also wrote the music.

[Marc Maron]

Associate producer and video producer is Matty McCann. Social media producer Tommy Galgano.

[Adam Pally]

Assistant engineer Kyle McGraw. Special thanks to Jared O' Connell at SiriusXM.

[Marc Maron]

Executive producers are John Gabris. Ooh me. Adam Pally. Ooh you Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Richard Courson and Bernie Kaminski. Do us a favor, just rate and review the podcast. Podcast. It actually helps.

[Adam Pally]

Just so everyone knows we do not have a discord.

[Marc Maron]

Don't reach out to us.

[Adam Pally]

See us on the street. Walk the other way or you'll catch hands. I don't like personally like song parody stuff, so it's like trying to find a way to hello Mother, hello. It all feels like that. It is all that feels like.

[John Gabrus]

Smart glass medium.

[Adam Pally]

Dreaming of a modern oasis, AllModern has you covered with the best of modern furniture and decor all in one place and all hand vetted by our design experts. Whether you're on the hunt for a new outdoor dining set or a versatile sofa, our premium quality designs bring form and function to any space. And they're available in every style of modern.

[John Gabrus]

For real.

[Adam Pally]

Every single style. Oh, and did we mention it's all delivered for free in days, not weeks. That's modern made simple. Shop [e-mail].