127 - The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday - Craig Shoemaker

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers

Episode 127 – The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday (with Craig Shoemaker)

Release Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Josh Adam Meyers
Guest: Craig Shoemaker

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the end of 2025 for "The 500" podcast, where host Josh Adam Meyers and his guest, comedian Craig Shoemaker, dive into The Byrds’ 1967 classic, Younger Than Yesterday—number 127 on Rolling Stone’s 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums. The episode blends deep musical analysis, comedy touring stories, reflections on the era of harmony bands, and personal anecdotes. Craig and Josh riff on everything from the culture of the late '60s to the healing power of laughter, making for a lively, tangential, and heartwarming year-end conversation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast & Year-in-Review Banter (03:02–08:21)

• Josh opens with a recap of 2025’s podcast highlights, listing notable guests and albums from throughout the year.
• Tone: Playful nostalgia, gratitude toward listeners and contributors, excitement for the year ahead.
• Preview of 2026: Upcoming albums and guests teased, including Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Radiohead, Miles Davis, Prince, and more.
• Quote:
  "We are literally a half a year away from cracking in to the bottom hundred. I swear to God. There better be fanfare." (06:13, Josh)

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2. Comedy Road Stories & Touring Life (10:16–19:19)

• Josh and Craig swap tales of touring America, including Craig’s exploits in every state and some truly low-rent comedy condos.
• Reflections on the rituals of hotel living for comics, the difference between Airbnbs and hotels, and outrageous “comedy condos” of the past.
• Quote:
  "I swat flies—the entire time I was there, that was my entertainment. Swatting flies was my entertainment. And you know it's a low rent place when there's a plunger next to your toilet and you have to use it." (12:02, Craig)
• Memorable Moment: Craig describes motels so grungy even Robin Williams’ pubic hair might still be in the shag carpet from the 1970s (17:00).

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3. Music, Weed, and the Evolution of Getting High (19:31–23:11)

• A nostalgic talk about how music, particularly albums and cassettes, was a companion for comedians on the road; includes classic stoner stories.
• The techniques used to “clean weed” using album covers or CD cases; comparisons to today’s dispensary culture.
• Quote:
  “The poor kids today, they just...they don't know what they're missing. USB drive and here, do a little line of coke on it.” (21:02, Craig)

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4. The Healing Power of Laughter (23:30–25:59)

• Craig shares his work with “Laughter Heals,” explaining that intentional laughter brings profound health benefits—citing the longevity of comedians who avoided heavy substance abuse.
• Quote:
  "There's a whole neuroscience of joy out there and that's what I'm really about these days." (24:19, Craig)

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5. Segue to The Byrds and Album Sentiment (26:21–30:25)

• Josh notes the diversity and unpredictability in comedians’ album choices for the podcast.
• Craig explains why he picked this album: the Byrds’ diversity mirrors his own, their harmonies, storytelling, sarcasm, and authenticity all resonate.
• Discusses how musical authenticity mattered more in that era compared to today’s more manufactured pop stars.
• Quote:
  "Diversity is so important in my storytelling. And they're storytellers, too..." (27:13, Craig)

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6. The Byrds: Historical Context & Influences (32:55–41:25)

• Josh provides an overview of The Byrds’ evolution—from folk roots to pioneers of psychedelia and California rock—while Craig emphasizes the immersive act of listening to records, the culture of album art, and the importance of musical experience as ritual.
• They play a snippet of “Thoughts and Words” (39:02), noting its studio experimentation and sonic ambition.
• Josh muses on how contemporary listeners might not “get” the album immediately, but how transportive it was in its time.
• Quote:
  "If everybody [would] go back and listen to 'Thoughts and Words'...this record...where I went from being on the first listen...to understanding what they were doing." (39:04, Josh)

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7. Harmonies, Influence & Modern Comparisons (41:25–49:44)

• Discussion on the decline of bands built around vocal harmonies, with contemporary examples (Radiohead, Coldplay) not matching the classic style.
• They fondly recall CSNY’s “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes” (42:32) and how songs can ground and comfort.
• Craig reminisces about exclusive celebrity jam sessions at Jeff Franklin’s (creator of Full House) LA mansion, often attended by music legends.
• Quote:
  “That’s the thing—the Byrds are old LA. It’s the sound of Laurel Canyon. All the greatest music people hung out around there...” (46:22, Josh)

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8. Reflections on Comedy, Legacy, and Purpose (54:34–59:42)

• Craig discusses his current mission of teaching “laughter wellness” and the spiritual/psychological impact of comedy.
• Touches on the “gunslinger” days of New York comics, working alongside Richard Jeni and John Mulroney, and how formative those tough rooms were.
• Quote:
  "There's a divine connection that takes place with an audience. It's ethereal and it's beautiful." (54:59, Craig)

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9. The Byrds’ Tensions, Innovation & Place in Music History (60:46–65:33)

• Deep dive into the internal conflicts within The Byrds as the album was created—escalating egos, creative differences, and the sense of impermanence underlying the music.
• The episode frames Younger Than Yesterday as both a product of its fractured band dynamic and groundbreaking experimentation.
• Quote:
  “It was a tapestry. It has all sorts of elements...all their albums were different—nothing was ever the same.” (64:35, Craig)

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10. Final Takes: Album Wrap-Up & Listener Guidance (70:14–74:43)

• Favorite Tracks:

  • Craig: “Younger Than Yesterday” (title track) (70:34)
  • Josh: “Thoughts and Words” (70:38)

• No-Skip Record?:

  • Craig says it’s an “experience,” not a collection of singles to skip.
  • "I’m a big album guy. The whole thing is an experience." (70:50)

• Sexiness/Utility: Can you “make love” to this record?

  • Craig: “Yeah, sure. Put a tambourine over your balls and go do it.” (72:56)

• Elevator Pitch:

  • "If you want to step back to another era that doesn't exist anymore, if you want to really see history, you want to feel history, you want to hear the sounds of history—this album, this group that doesn’t exist anymore, it was a place in time." (73:32, Craig)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Craig on Touring America:
  “I’ve been to every state in the union. Yes. Favorite? California, because everything’s here...beach, mountains, parks.” (10:44)
• On Weed Culture vs. Today:
  “Our bong was a potato you made...it smelled like French fries.” (21:57, Craig)
• On The Byrds’ Diversity:
  “You almost can’t come up with anyone as diverse as the Byrds...They’ll come out with a country album, then suddenly it’s a rock album, now it’s an album you listen to when you’re on acid.” (27:13, Craig)
• On Harmonies:
  "Well, David Crosby got kicked out of the band, but then he ended up with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, which—that’s another band I absolutely love. I love harmonies, and I love harmony in life, ironically." (27:34, Craig)
• On Music’s Ritual Power:
  "Buying an album was an event...It was an immersive experience." (34:17, Craig)
• On Living the Message of Laughter:
  "If comedians don’t get into drugs and alcohol, heavy duty, they live a long life...they are bathed in the healing powers of laughter." (24:04, Craig)
• On Album Experience:
  "It's a marathon, not a sprint. Every time I'm on stage, I do 90 minutes...that's what happens in this whole album." (70:50, Craig)

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Timestamp Guide to Key Segments

• Year-in-Review & 2026 Preview: 03:02–08:21
• Comedy Touring Tales: 10:16–19:19
• Weed, Music, and Technology: 19:31–23:11
• Laughter, Healing, and Comedian Longevity: 23:30–25:59
• Byrds, Album Selection, and Musical Diversity: 26:21–30:25
• Harmony & Influence Analysis: 32:55–41:25
• Song Snippet and Analysis (“Thoughts and Words”): 39:02–40:18
• Modern Music Comparisons: 41:25–49:44
• Comedy as Purpose/Legacy: 54:34–59:42
• Byrds’ Breakup and Musical Innovation: 60:46–65:33
• Final Album Thoughts & Wrap Up: 70:14–74:43

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Episode Tone & Flow

• Language/Tone: Conversational, irreverent, sincere, and nostalgic; seamlessly blends humor with analytic insight.
• Structure: Tangential but thematically consistent—moving from life on the road, to music’s cultural role, to the inner workings of both band and comedian.

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Concluding Thoughts

The episode is a love letter to music as time machine, to the value of artistic risk and honesty, and to the enduring strength of harmonies—both musical and human. Shoemaker’s wit and wisdom, mixed with Josh’s fanboy enthusiasm, create a memorable wrap to the podcast’s year.

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Craig Shoemaker Plugs:

• CraigShoemaker.com
• Instagram: @OfficialCraigShoemaker
• Laughter Heals / Laughter Wellness Program information there
• Stand-up tour info and more

Next Episode Teaser:

• Catch a Fire by The Wailers—first episode of 2026 (#126 on the list)

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Transcript

[Craig Shoemaker]

Next Chapter Podcasts.

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[Josh Adam Myers]

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[Josh Adam Myers]

Enjoy the drive in blue cruise enabled vehicles like the F150 Explorer and Mustang Mach E. Available feature on equipped vehicles. Terms apply. Does not replace safe driving circumstances. For more details this show is brought to you by Distrokid. Bring your music to the masses.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

The 500. The 500.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Nothing to you Hundreds more to go and in need of a friend the king of peace for angelo Talking the 500 until the end Talking the 500.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Until the end with my man JL.

[Josh Adam Myers]

On the 500 Talking the 500 until.

[Craig Shoemaker]

The end.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

So you wanna be rocking Listen up to what I say Just get an electric guitar and take some time.

[Josh Adam Myers]

This is so you want to be a rock star. It's by the beads and it's the last record that we are doing for 2025. It comes in at 127 from 1967. The album's called Younger Than Yesterday. And this is the 500. What's up? Hi, I'm Josh. Adam Myers. We are going through Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums, the 2012 list because he updated it in 2020. I mean, I don't think anybody's just. If you're just jumping in for this episode, I mean we've been doing this for years. Happy New Year, everybody. Happy New Year, man. It's been a great year. It really has. We started the year on New Year's Day with Lisa Traeger doing abba. I mean, just thinking, some of the great ones. Fetterman. How many times has Federman been on this year? 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold on. They need a break. All right, let's look, let's look, let's look at. All right, so Fetterman first came on this year. All right, boom. The Carpenters on the 29th of January. Then we brought him back for Rod Stewart on February 19th. Then we had him and Morty, which is a double dip. We should have had him on for the Birds, too. We should have him joined. That was literally the next episode. Then we went months, months and months. But think about some of the great ones that we had. Joe Mangianello doing Metallica, Michael Shannon doing the who, if you haven't listened. Sebastian Bach, Godfrey Swartzen. Finally we had the return of Peter Asher for Linda Ronstadt. I finally got to make up for that. We had the incredibly long. But over. I mean, really was longer than it should have been. The one with me and Nick Thune, where I just had no idea what time it was. I had no idea how long we were recording. We ended up doing like two and a half hours. And I was like, what the fuck? Paul Stanley. Kiss in May. What the. Colton Dunn, Paul F. Tompkins. Burr coming back for Led Zeppelin. Jeff Daniels. No shit, dude. Oh, my God. Mike Portnoy. I mean, we've really had some incredible. And then I took off and I went to Europe for a while. So all of that was just. I mean, Rob Lowe, right before I left, Ricky Smiley, then three Fettermans. So, yeah, so Fetterman then. Then right, in a row, dude. Three fettermans. Dr. John the Gris, Phil Spector, Christmas gift, B.B. king. And then he came back a few weeks later and did Elton John, which we just did. Which, I mean, we. We actually had a second guess on that. Be real. I mean, this was such a great year. Wil Wheaton, Martha Plimpton, I mean, and then closing it out with Greg Probs, one of our lovers, Jim Norton. Oh, we love him and all. And dude, Tom Murillo, everybody. That's been a part of it. I mean, that is. That was such a great episode. If you haven't heard, the Black Sabbath, paranoid, Jim Norton, Uncle Joey Diaz, Bill.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Burr.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Florentine and Tom Aillo all dropped their science on why they love this band. And now we're closing it out with Craig Schumacher. So I want to thank everybody that has been listening the entire year. And before that, like, I love you guys. We're almost There, man. We are. I mean, dude, we are literally a half a year away from cracking in to the bottom hundred. I swear to God. There better be fanfare. There better be, because people thought we were going to quit this after Spotify dropped it. And all the people that hated on saying there's no way they're going to finish this. We did it. Big ups to Jeremiah Tittle, the producer. Big ups to Emily. Big ups to Morty. Big ups to Fetterman. Big ups to Wayne. A huge big ups to Adam Bernard. I love you, Adam. I'm sorry if I'm a dick. I just get very. I don't know, man. You just keep doing this thing and you want people listening, and then you're like, oh, no, there are a shitload. Because I see you guys out there. Either way, it's been a journey, and I'm excited for 2026. We got some incredible records. What do we have coming up, dude? What do we got? Oh, Derek and the Dominoes, dude. The one that I'm so excited about is Janis Joplin, Pearl. I already listened to it, and good fucking God. It might be one of my favorite records we've ever done on this. We got another Birds coming up. Run dmc. Hopefully we get the Guess who we're supposed to get for something else. We got a Kanye record, Radiohead, the Bends.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

The Bends.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I think the last one we're going to do is Kid A. What else we got? Oh, bitches brew, baby. We got a Bob Dylany. Real good Bob Dylany, Freewheeling Bob Dylan. We might have to have the dude for messing them back on. That Mob, Bob, Giant Steps, James Taylor, Prince, Signed of the times, Hank Williams. Finally. Yeah, we're getting into the thick.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, what else?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Bruce Springsteen, Born in the usa. I mean, you're just looking good by Yellow, but it just goes on and on and on. What are we gonna. We're gonna start the year. What are we starting the year with? We're starting the year with some Bob Marley. And we're closing 2026. We're with James Brown. Oh, Back in Black. Otis Redding. I mean, just looking over this shit, it's just awesome.

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify)]

Dude.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Axis pulled his love. Oh, my God. The Wall at Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash. I feel like a little girl. Like, oh, my God. We're gonna be fucking doing Pink Floyd, the wall, Buddy Holly, 20 grand.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Great.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Come on, my love. Oh, and Curtis Mayfield's Coming Back. I'm that be Boo bom Boo. And then we do 2027. Then we're in the thick of it. So we break the hundred in July. That's the last hundred. And then 1999 or not 1999. 99 is slide in the family stone. There's a riot going on. I mean, and that should be it. We should be the biggest podcast in the world at that point. Either way, I got a lot of dates coming up in 2026, and my agent hands them to me. I don't have the calendar in front of me. Just know February is getting busy. I don't know if January is busy at all. I think I'm just going to go to London again, but I got to bring my equipment. Either way, I love you guys at Josh Adamiers. Josh Adamyers.com for tickets. Thank you for everybody that came to all the shows this weekend. I'm gonna be in Milwaukee at the Improv opening up for Big J. Just so I don't sit around and do nothing. But, man, I love you guys. Join the Patreon. Patreon.com backslash the 500 podcast. Come on. Support the show, guys. Emily needs tickets to BTS Craig Shoemaker. He is the love master. He is one of the funniest comics I know is. It's a really. This is a. This is a different episode. We got a little off topic a few times, but I feel like we still function enough and I think you guys will dig it. Great way to end the year with this incredible episode. Raid review. And most Importantly, subscribe to the 500 listen free on all platforms. Anyway, you get your pods. Follow me at Josh Adam Myers and the podcast at the 500 podcast. Email the [e-mail] Crazy Evan runs a Facebook page. I think. I have no idea if that's still even happening. For all things 500, go to the website the500podcast.com all right, y'. All the birds younger than yesterday at 127.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Is that Kenyon from Ohio? Is that the shirt you have on?

[Josh Adam Myers]

I think so, yeah. It says Kenyon is not. Is not a. I bought this at a vintage store years ago.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, okay.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You're not near Uganda.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You are not repping Ohio Kenyan University.

[Josh Adam Myers]

But that's what this is, though.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I know.

[Josh Adam Myers]

How did you know that?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Well, you know, when you're. When you're. When you've done every state in the. I've been to every state in the union.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Everyone.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Everyone. Every one of them. Yes.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Favorite one? Favorite one. What's the first one?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, boy. Wow. You got me the California. California. Because it has so much. I mean there's. Everything is here. I mean if you ignore the politics, ignore the homeless, ignore the, you know, the taxes and all that kind of crap is absolutely beautiful. There's. I mean, I'm within 20 minutes of a beach. I'm in the mountains. I mean I've. It's just as everything is in, is in LA or California, all of California, all the parks and everything. So got to go California. But it's a beautiful country. I mean I was just in Montana this year and man, that was a. I mean I had been there before, but not in this section. It was so flat. I, I just couldn't believe how flat it was. I was. It went on forever. And then suddenly we hit mountains and. And then I hit a rodeo. I played a rodeo, right? I played in front of horse manure is. The smell of horse manure was in. I played the stands of the rodeo. I've done it all.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That'll wake you up too, by the way. That's like. You ever see those like bodybuilders do smelling salts? Like, what a great way to prep you before your show is just take a bump. A bump of.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

All right. Are you ready to do this? We're doing 15 minutes, 20 I'll hour, I'll do 45. If you need me, I'll do 3 hours with this.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I did, I did. I, I gave it to them. I figured if I'm here, I was staying at a, at a motel. Not a hotel, but a motel where I had to have a towel to swat flies the entire time I was there, I'd have a. I was. That was my entertainment. Swatting flies spot and flies was my entertainment. And you know, it's a low rent place when there's a plunger next year next to your toilet and you have to use it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I wish that every hotel would do that because I've had to have that phone call where you call the front desk and you've asked and that's as embarrassing as embarrassing could ever possibly go is being like, Sorry, this is Mr. Myers in room 347. Could you mind sending up. And they bring it in a bag. They have one. They have to have one. It's got the bag. The guy comes in and he does it. You know, hopefully it's right at the beginning when I got in there. So my room's not trashed yet because.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Exactly.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I don't.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I'm not.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Are you. Are you, Are you by the end of a weekend, how is your room? Would you feel Comfortable with somebody walking in there and seeing your hotel room?

[Craig Shoemaker]

No, I, I go within the first 10 minutes. I'm a dump out guy. I just dump everything on one of the beds. I'm one of the few people that likes two beds instead of one giant single because the other bed is for my, all my stuff goes on there.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Really? I, absolutely, yeah, go ahead.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I lay it out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And then I can see it as opposed to in a drawer, you got to go underneath, you know. But no, it's, it's all right there. I lay it out. My notes get laid out. My comedy notes. Everything gets laid out. So you can tell that I haven't been sexually active with anyone in a while on the road because no one has seen this.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's ten minutes into you staying at a Marriott. Bonvoy room looks like Kevin Costner's desk in jfk. Yeah, just like, just everywhere. It's like, I think we got the case cracker tonight.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, I, I'm definitely, I, I actually love hotels for that reason though, because I, I, I just spread out. I, I, you know, I throw towels around, you know. Yeah, it's, it's wonderful to be, you know, they're part of the room fee is they're going to clean this up, you know, I mean, I'm not rude about it. I don't make, but I'm eating bed. I just, Everything that you don't do in your own house, it's the best.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It really is. You know, it's, that's why I'll never do an Airbnb over, over a hotel. Like the idea. Because that's somebody's house, they own it. Yeah. You know, I don't want to that up. And you'll go to like a comedy condo sometimes and you're like, oh, man. Like, and I don't, I'm not gonna muck it up anyway. But like, you know, you might leave some towels on the floor, but you, I try to do that anyway. So you go, these are the ones that are used to, these are the ones that are clean. There's no stains. I'm not doing anything weird or whatever, nor would I so much in a hotel, but I like to know that I could in a hotel. That's gonna get weird. But I know, I like to know that, that if I, if I just want to just, just jizz somewhere.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Guys, they're, they're a corporation too. I mean, it's like, you know, it's always about the taking down the man. This is your a little form of that. It's like, I'm paying for this. I'm paying a bunch of money. Well, actually, the, the comedy club.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, but it's your money. It's your money.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It's coming out. They sometimes they deduct it too. So I'm, I just played. I just did my first condo in years just last week in Key West.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You played.

[Craig Shoemaker]

He goes, oh, you're gonna like it. And I went, I went in there, I'm going, what am I liking here? This guy was very short and literally it was. There was this, this ceiling that was like. I banged my head on the ceiling. And no, I did not like it. So next time I go there, I'm gonna, you know, I'll pay for my own hotel room. I just really like the luxury. I've been at this a long time and I deserve it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, yeah. You know, I, I wanted to, I wanted to back you up on that Florida thing. There's something about Florida, and I'm not gonna say the club. And it's one of. It's a great club and I love them to death. But when I first went to go do it, they said, you know, I'm driving down and I think I was a fill in for a headliner that dropped out like maybe like three weeks or a month before or something. So they, they threw me the bone. And, and I go down and they're like, yeah, it's a condo. And I, and I have a rental car because I had to go to Naples or somewhere else. And like I, and I pull in and to the condo area, I'm like, okay. And it's like, it's a decent area. And then I open up the door of the condo and I just hear somebody. I hear a TV on. I hear somebody go, hey, what's up, man? And I'll go, oh. I'm like, oh. And then I look and the opener is, is awesome.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I know the place you're talking about. And then the opener snags the better room and you feel like a jerk going, hey, look, I'm gonna, I gotta play you here. That's my room.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He was in his comfy clothes watching Training Day and I just looked at him and I went, no. I just immediately called my agent and I was like, dude, I'm getting a hotel. Like, there's no. If it was just me solo at the condo, I'm all in. I'll do that.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we can do that. But yeah, the roommate situation is not happening.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's too much.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You have I've been through it, you know, and I've. I actually have photos of condos from way back when. And it was classic. Just the. It's just the mold and the. Just there's a. There was a condo for the Comedy Store. And you, like, you're. You're literally like, Robin Williams's pubic hair is still there. I mean, from back in the 70s, they ever had this condo. It's been going. They literally had a condo since the 70s. And they said, this is where you're staying when you play the La Jolla Comedy Store. I know, you know you want to be in La Jolla. Sounds all ritzy and everything, but this kind of condo was on the ocean, which was nice, but it was not clean. And you know, that shag carpeting that has. You could probably end up with a complete bowl of weed if you just went in there and picked up. Picked it up. And maybe some coke while you're at it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Definitely coke, definitely weed. And definitely the shag carpet. I know exactly. That condo. They don't do that anymore. Now they get you a hotel room right by this. By the La Jolla Comedy Store, which is nice.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It's really.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's still right by the beach. It's by some restaurants. It's not like. Because the condo is always down, like, more like in like, like not. It's not La Jolla. It's like pb. So it was like a. It was, you know, it was like, we're like where the college kids hang. So if you're young, in your 20s, you know, or even early 30s, and you still drink. Yeah, it's the place to be and go out, meet girls. But I mean, I think the first time I did it, did that club, I brought my girlfriend down because it was like me. Brett Ernst was headlining, and it was just me and him. And I guess they had a local guy, so we had the condo to ourself. And I mean, it's like you said, dude, it's. It's old, man. No, no, no air conditioning. I need air conditioning.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Do they still. I haven't played there many years. They still have a piano guy that they insist on having the piano.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I. I don't know if on the.

[Craig Shoemaker]

During.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I know exactly what you're talking about. Not. Not on the weekends that I had been there because I, I always like to play with when I headline now I always just have a guitarist come because I do like a mixture of like, musical and. And. And whatever the. You call it. A regular stand up Obviously. But there is they. They keyboard this guy who I. I have to pay out of my dollars to the guitarist. If they just had the keyboardist, I'd be fine with that.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Okay. Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Because I can make anything work.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I remember he. It was like, it was old school. He would do like the little, little ditties and stuff and. Oh yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Hello my baby, hello my darling hello my ragdom. Yeah. Oh, right now there are people like, you know, how is this going to relate to the birds? How is this gonna. How do we. How do we se.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Tie that up to the birds? Tie it in a condo. I was listening to the birds harmonizing on my Rickenbacker.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, you get. You did. You're doing some of my heavy lifting right now.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I was on my. I was on my Rickenbacher with some, some harmonies and. Yeah, I mean, it's an easy segue because music is so much a part of my life. And even if you wanted to really do the segue touring, you would play music to keep you happy. Obviously it was a different type of play. You. It would be a cassette. And when a cassette would get tangled, you would take a pencil and remember. I don't know if you're old enough to remember that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm 46, dude. Dude, listen, I. I go all. I mean, my first thing was. Was albums. I was, I think Michael Jackson, Thriller was one of my first records. My parents had sergeant Pepper. Then we motivated the tapes. I go to the Waxy maxi. You get your little cassette. That $18, which is crazy that albums costed that much. At least 10. It was at least a 10.99.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Maybe it was season or 18, but they're around that. Yeah. And then, and then you cleaned your weed just to bring it back to the condo again. You cleaned the weed with the album and, and the seeds go down to the bottom. And then the, the CD case became your clean the weed.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I can't tell you how much, how many drugs I've done off of a CD case. We miss that with MP3s. You can't do it on your, on your MacBook. You can.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You know, the poor kids today, they just. They don't know. They don't know what they're missing. USB drive and here do a little line of coke on it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, it's a little tiny thing, just a little bumpy. The, the thing that was so funny that you said that is that you said about the seeds falling out. We used to do that in drawers. We used to take one of the drawers out of the out of the.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Out of the.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You know what he called the dresser. And then we'd break. Because it was always shitty weed. Break it up. Up top. And all the weed would stay up there and all the seeds would roll to the bottom. And whoever. Whatever genius taught us that, that changed our lives.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, yeah, that was when you had a lot of weed, though. That was. That was a lot of weed. Because really, beach weed. Beach.

[Josh Adam Myers]

We'd be going to the beach. Ocean City, Maryland.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And to improve the weed, we did something called a shotgun, which kids have no idea what that is. Do you remember the shotgun?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Is that where you. You roll a blunt and then you. You. You kind of blow it into somebody's mouth?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, but you have lit. Sparks are in your mouth. This is how, what, you had to get high and you blew it into the guy's face and he sucks it in. And you were trying to improve the oregano. Something that made you high. You know, everything is so different. Our edible was. You see a cop, you pop the whole lit bud in your mouth. Our bong was a potato you made out of, like, MacGyver. He made up. It smell like French fries. And then. Or now they have a dispensary. You choose your high. We went behind a dumpster, Matt still, and reached in his crotch, pulled out a dime bag filled with seeds and stems and seeds explode. Sing your eyebrows. Half of your smoke is even a pot. It's Matt Stillwood's pubic hair. Because we had pubic hair.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, my God. I. I just.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It's a whole other high now. A whole other high experience now.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You take one hit, and if there was a seed in there, you'd have a headache for five days. Dehydrated and just popped vomit out of nowhere.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And then you throw the seeds in the back. I threw the seeds in the back of my old car. I always bought cars that were like a couple hundred dollars. I just run them till they dropped. I literally had pot plants in the back in the seat of the. Of the car because it was so moldy and everything. It just caught on. And these little plants were growing in my car. This is.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And that's funny is that's the weed that you only assume that the birds are smoking because this is, what, like, 67? Like, there's no such thing as kind bud and hydroponic. Like, they had no idea about science back then. You know what I mean? There was, like, one vaccine, and it was polio.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It was. It was a whole other world of vaccines than it is now. You Know, I mean it was, it was a whole other world and now it's just different. And I just really, I really have a different take on health and I'm very happy that I do. And actually I teach some of this with laughter heals is. Laughter is the greatest medicine and yet nobody deploys it at scale. You think about that. It's good laughter, best medicine. You hear it all the time. Are they prescribing this? But I had a situation where my friend got brain cancer and they gave him three months to live. And I came up with all these proprietary methods of laughing intentionally with no jokes because it's very subjective. Laughter jokes or comedy is very subjective. What somebody laughs at another person might not. So it's this volunteer laughter, guided laughitation, chuckle, chatter. So he shows up for all of it. He lived 15 years past that prognosis. So that's what I do. I fill myself with laughter and joy. I coach it. I really around it a lot obviously to stand the. Being around the crowds. And I don't know if you realize this. If comedians don't get into drugs and alcohol, Heavy duty, live a long life. That list is long. I mean Dick Van dyke just turned 100. Betty White, Phyllis Diller, Bob Newharb, Don Rickles, Mel Brooks is still alive. Carl Reiner went to 98. I'm telling you, the list is really George burns performing at 100. This list is long because they are bathed in the healing powers of laughter and people don't give it enough credit. There's a whole neuroscience of joy out there and that's what I'm really about these days. I love that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, I agree with you. I completely agree with you. It really is the best medicine. And music too. You know, it's. These are the two art forms that 100 that that bring out. You know, I mean both like I, I cry more for music and from LA and from laughing. I mean like, you know, it's. That's one of my favorite. Like when you have one of those all time, you know, like, like I'm talking top five laughs of your life.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You know, it's like can't breathe. Stop the projector. I remember Planes, trains, automobiles when I was younger. I, I wanted them to stop the projector. You had just. You, you got to be kidding me. It was un. I, I was, I couldn't breathe. Scene after scene after scene in that movie is absolutely brilliant and touching and make you cry the other way too very. When Candy says that, you know, the whole thing was made up about his wife, she'd been dead. I mean, it was strong but brilliant performances. A long way from the Birds.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, no, no. Because we never, like, I love Dude. It's. It's always like, how do you start? It's like sometimes we used to just jump right in. And so what. Tell me about your love of. Of. Of New Order. And then you go right into it, and then it's like, but I've been a fan of yours. I'll just say that straight away. I've been a fan of yours for years, man. I remember seeing you at the improvs and. And. And just, you know, some of your. Your Comedy Central, you're just for Laugh Set.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Just.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Just, you know, like I said, the you you've been working for and been successful and, you know, developed your own thing, which is great. Which is now to see if I can segue this back into the Birds. It was also shocking. Not shocking. I think that's definitely the wrong word to use. I would say. It's always interesting to find the. What the comedian chooses when we reach out for. For them. We like, oh, I'm a fan of this guy. I want him to come on the podcast. And then they pick a record. Like, I mean, there'll be records where I'm like, how are we gonna. Like, who's gonna like this record? And it's not a knock on the Birds, but it's just. I. I just never would have thought that this would have been the record you would have chose, especially with the character, you know, the love master. Because I would have thought it would have been like, you know, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, or something like Barry White. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

So I have. I have reasons. I have reasons for it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Tell me.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I consider myself very diverse, and you almost can't come up with anyone as diverse as the Birds. They'll come out with a country album, then suddenly it's a rock album. Now it's an album you listen to when you're on acid.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, and.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And that. That's. That to me, diversity is so important in my storytelling. And their storytellers, too. You know, the rock and roll band. They're telling a story about. You can be a rock and roll star by putting. Having long hair and. And all this. And so they have sarcasm, which I have sarcasm blended with spirituality. And that's. They have so much that. So many layers to. To their work. And I love harmony. They have always loved harmony. It's why I love. Well, David Crosby got kicked out of the band, but then he ended up with Crosby still and Young, which. That's another band that I absolutely love. I love harmonies, and I love harmony in life, ironically. So there are many harmonies these days. There's so many things that you hate to go these days and all these kids today, but there are so many things that are missing. Even. Even the needle that we used to have to buy, and we treated it like, you know, like gold. That. The needle. You didn't want to touch the needle or you get hepatitis. I mean, it was like. And then you put quarters on top of it if it started to skip and all the little traditions. But the sound that came out with an album was so different than today. And you knew the players.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That little sizzle. That.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Exactly. Little sizzle. And you knew the players. I talked about this. Someone's argument. I think it was even yesterday I said, you can't name band members anymore that go from this band to that band. They say, oh, yes, you can. I say start. Start right now. It ends with Slash. I mean, with Guns N Roses. And that was 30 some years ago. I can't think of anybody that goes from a Buffalo Springfield over. You know, I mean, like, you would see these. These people that would. Jeff Beck would leave and Derek Clapton was with different bands and things like that. You knew the drummers. Yeah, yeah, you knew the drummers. Ginger Baker, you knew these people and the Birds. You know, Roger McGuin. I think he's still around, you know, doing his thing, and he's. And they have different styles that they. They. They. They try different styles and things. So it's really. It's. It's. I believe that music is. It's. I think it's very unfortunate what it's turned into, because it was a collective as opposed to an individual. Now it's an individual. And they're made. They're manufactured. It's not. The authenticity. Isn't there as much? I'd say in the last few years and last 30 years, Alanis Morissette would do it does it for me.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, I love that. I love that. Yeah, she's great.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I was. I was at. I was at her concert in a bar a week before her album came out. And so my buddy owned the bar, and he goes, you got to come see her. And I couldn't even pronounce her name. I'm on the phone, on a payphone, on a payphone back east, going to my DJ friends, go, you got to play her on the radio. Or Elena Minisect. I couldn't even pronounce her name. She blew me out of the water. It was so original, so authentic. And that's what I love. And that's why the birds is one of my choices, you know, I mean, they're authentic. You can't get much more authentic than them.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Some say they, you know, like you'd mentioned, like the. The Falcon and. And the rock and everything. Some say they might have had one of the first psychedelic, you know, rock songs. I need to put a pin in this for a second. I got my. I gotta get my dog's ball or she's not gonna shut the up. I don't know if you can hear. No, hold on. You can keep talking if you want.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Is that adobe right there?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Do you have any dogs?

[Craig Shoemaker]

I can go get mine right now. I have my little Buffy. Buffy the Heart Slayer.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, mine is. Mine's like a dog. She's an 80 pound, nine year old Doberman.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It is adobe that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I fly all over. I fly all over the world with her. I bring her to London because I've been spending a lot of time in London. We're going to Milwaukee. She's a service animal. Service animal. But she's for real. Better trained than 90 of the dogs in the world. That's. I. I did a amazing job.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Ours is a rescue. Can't. She can only be trained so far. I can never take her anywhere. She's, you know. But she's been with us two years and she was a true rescue. She was going to be put down by the kennel, you know, a week later. She was there the longest. And she was tough at first. The first time we had her Halloween, we went out and we came back and she got in my protein powder. The place looked like the last scene from Scarface. She's there with the powder on her face. Say hello to my little friend. It was a classic. And she. Protein powder was everywhere. I'm going. Oh, boy. Okay, we got to put things up on refrigerators now. Yeah, but she's gradually getting better, you know, the more comfortable they are. She still has abandonment issues. She's outside the door right now. I should go get her.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, go if you want to go get her.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah. Hold on, hold on.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Let the dog in. Come on, dude.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Come here. Buffy. Buffy.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Buffalo fagus.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I'm sure she's. Come on, girl.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Ah, Buffer gold. There it is, dude. In life and now.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Ah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That looks like my friend's dog.

[Craig Shoemaker]

She's. Yeah, she's flipping out when she sees me. Hello, girl.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Buffalo. I love that. That's the best. Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Good girl.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yes.

[Craig Shoemaker]

She's a little much. A little much. She's obsessed.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They're supposed to be. I, I, that's what you want.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Well, especially since I have no, I have no woman. So this is it, dude.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's, it's me and the dog, dude.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Any woman. I tell you, man, our society, that's the other thing about our society right now. You can't get that kind of love. But with touching and looking and taking someone in and, and back to the music. The same with the music. I mean, they had, they had a 12 string guitar. Does anybody play a 12 string Rickenbacker anymore?

[Josh Adam Myers]

I don't know. I mean, somebody's got to. I know, like, you know, certain artists will still pick out the 12 string for certain songs, but you know, the, the birds. The birds that are really weird. Not weird, but their career arc is a little interesting because, you know, they're. Because as we're talking about all this, it's like I'm looking over everything and I'm like. Because I'm not the biggest fan of theirs, we've done, I think, one of their other records. Alex, would you check and find out what record we did? I wonder if it's, if it's on the, if it's on the one sheet that you handed me. Yeah, find out for me because I'm pretty sure we, I know we've done one of their records, at least two of theirs. I know we've done both. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Right.

[Craig Shoemaker]

But I mean, just look at their fans, how diverse they are. They're like an original indie band. Think, think about that. That. And I love indie bands. They were, they were like, you know, grunge before, you know, Seattle. I mean, it was really a very unique sound. Album covers were unique. And buying an album was an event. That's another thing. Sure. Well, you didn't just go press a button and there it is. No, you went to the store and you sifted through, oh my God, look at this. And there was an attractive album cover, which really wasn't attractive. They're very dirty. They look very dirty. A lot of these album covers. Sure. But it was just, there's. I believe that that would be something that would help our society is to have albums like that. Where I remember Deep Purple had a side of the album, I would put it up against anything. One side of the album had three songs and they were all unbelievably wonderful songs. Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Trucking. And you just Sat there. I would put. I would go same with the birds. I would put my speakers next to me, these giant speakers, remember the big Morantz and all those stereo systems. And I'll put the speakers on either side of me and just completely go away and be immersed in this music. It was an immersive experience. Before they had literally immersive experiences that they do now, you know, did Mr. Tambourine man in the Notorious Bridge?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Ah, we did do that early. That's the early. So there. So just Dylan.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Dylan, you know, they're the.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They are the American. Or they were. I'm not gonna say they are or were, but I feel like a lot of this was kind of like the reaction to the British, you know, pop invasion, you know, in the early 60s, you know, where you have. Roger performed with folk ensembles and he accompanied for Judy Collins for shifting into electric music. Gene Clark, a songwriter from the new Christie Minstrels folk group McGinn began working on a new direction for folk songs at Energy and Drive soon after David Crazy. David Crosby, even though he's not crazy, but he's one of my favorite. Bringing his interest in modern jazz and Camaro sounds later, bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Mike Clark. Roundout and. And like I said, they are their folk sensibilities with crisp melodic pulse of British rock.

[Craig Shoemaker]

How many people did they influence? Tom Petty, Eagles, Very big influence.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Well, I mean, it's just depends on what version. Well, it depends on what version you want to talk about with this brand, because there are. There are subjects. There are like you have the beginning, which is obviously the folk, you know, where it's like that's kind of what's big. That's doing the Dylan, you know, they started 65 with the Mr. Timbering man goes to number one on the U S charts. That's a Dylan song. Bright 12 string guitar, like you said, Tight harmonies, thoughtful lyrics, became the soundtrack of a generation.

[Craig Shoemaker]

That's right. They were.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Like I said, they were that answer to the British invasion. Following the breakthrough hits, they have Turn, Turn, Turn. And now they're starting to go and find their place at the vanguard of folk rock. Now the album before this let me.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Find the title out of that one.

[Josh Adam Myers]

From 64, fifth dimension from 1966. So I'm so yeah, so this is 67, younger than yesterday. I'm skipping ahead a little bit. But fifth dimension in 66 is where they start branching into what you would now call psychedelic rock. Eight miles High. I'm pretty sure this came out before Tomorrow Never Knows or Tomorrow Never Dies by the Beatles. I might want to double check that math. This is where somebody that's better at knowing music would be good. Eight Miles High, planting their flag in the emergent sound of cosmic rock, modal improvisation. Love that song, by the way. The Air Explanation exploration, Cult Me culminated in the Fifth Dimension and then this record, Younger Than Yesterday, where the band experimented with unconventional song structures, new instrumentation, and studio effects that expanded their sonic palette. Now, I really wish I knew music better because I want to check to see if this is before or after Pet Sounds came out, because I always thought Pet Sounds or Pet Sounds came out okay. 5-16-66. There's some on this record in particular, I want to get the song right, because as I was listening to it, I stopped and wrote Thoughts and Words. The song, track seven, Thoughts and Words, is the perfect example of them using the studio as an instrument, much like Brian Wilson did. But Pet Sounds, or. Which goes on to be George Martin and so on and so forth, you know, where it's just. It's. It really is a moment.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Alex, would you be a favor and.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Pull up Thoughts and Words? And I would say, go to minute one, second 45. Tell me when it's ready. But we don't need to listen to it. Yeah, we're ready. Oh, you are ready. I had it queued up for you. So go. Yeah, go to like. It's like. It's like right around 1:40, I would say. I didn't really write it down, but, yeah, hit that. This is just.

[Craig Shoemaker]

This is a moment where I was.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Like, whoa, this is not what I was expecting from this record. I was expecting it to still be a little too. From the beginning track, I was like, oh, this is going to be very tambourine. Manny, hit it. Just hit it. Kick it. There you go. We like this. Now I'm gonna talk over this while we play it so we don't get taken down. But mostly, if you listen to this with headphones, Craig, it's. It's going back and forth.

[Craig Shoemaker]

That's right.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And it's really. It's. It's really cool, man. And I think you cut it off. I mean, if everybody go back and listen to Thoughts and Words and I mean, this record, where I went from being on the first listen, I was like, I don't know why the. We're talking about this record. Like, I'm not. No, it's not a bad album. It's just another one of those things that Old White Men probably put on. Because, yes, it influenced Rem and Wilco and so many other bands that you're talking about. I just didn't appreciate it until, you know, yesterday and today, where I was like, oh, okay, I understand what they were doing. And I. And you gotta go back. You gotta. You gotta put yourself in the shoes of somebody from 1966 hearing this for the first time.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Right?

[Josh Adam Myers]

How legendary that would be.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And by the way, it was not my era. It's before my time, but I. I ended up listening to it. When I was starting to get into Zeppelin and Deep Purple and Eagles in the late 70s is when I started listening to music. I was a kid and, you know, smoking pot and, you know, in my fort with the speakers and we. Me and my buddies, that's. That's what we did. We just. But this. This would hit that. The psychedelic element of it and the. The sounds that are just. They literally went through your body. That's so unique. And so I like things that are unique. It's like. Like I said Alanis Morissette, when I heard her for the first time, I go, that's unique. That is a groundbreaker. And so. And so were they. They combined a lot, but a lot of people copied them, so they weren't considered original because some people overtook them as far as popularity, like the Eagles. But this. And Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the harmonies. Well, I don't even think they exist anymore. Can you think of any. Are there any bands that harmonize?

[Josh Adam Myers]

I mean, now. I mean. Yeah, you have. You know, you have. I mean, they're not. Not like this. You know, there are. But yes, there are like. I mean, Radiohead and Coldplay, and every band has a certain level of harmony, but they're not doing like, what the Everly Brothers did. You know, that's. That was a. You know, my dad was very big into the. The vocal groups, the Four Freshmen. I mean, I love it. My. So one of my favorite bands of all time, which I get on is the. The. The Ink Spots.

[Craig Shoemaker]

The old.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Like, if I didn't care. Like, I love that. And that's why. That's what. Dude, you know, from doing csny. Because I like that record more than I like the first one. The first track on there. I mean, it's some of the best. Like, it's like rock and roll harmonizing. But what.

[Craig Shoemaker]

What was it. What was the first. Try to teach your children.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Well, no, that's. That's no first. I'm. Dude, I don't wanna. Because I know we. Hold on. When I. When I was doing. I was doing Riyadh Comedy Festival. I was opening up for Burr and Riyadh and I was getting ready to go on stage. I was so nervous. And right as I'm waiting, they're about to call me. They started playing Sweet Judy Blue Eyes. And you just hear that, you know, if.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Can I tell it like it is it. Listen to me, baby.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And I'm just like, I. I just, it was just that thing that I needed to like be the totem to bring me down and go, oh yeah, I know what I'm doing. This is, this is just like any other thing. It's like it's their people and this is a song and they're listening to music. It's not like, it's like it was literally they're listening to one of the. You know, it would have been funny if they should have been listening to the Marrakesh Express.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It becomes, it becomes like a foundation and it's familiar and it's just. And it really does bring you back to authenticity of who you are.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yes.

[Craig Shoemaker]

That's what, that's what songs can do. That's what songs. Especially from the past.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Hey everybody. So you guys have probably heard me talk about how I've been in bands my whole life. I love writing songs and performing in front of crowds. Just like with comedy. As a musician, it can be kind of hard to cut through the noise and really stand out as an artist. I feel like half the music projects I've been in have ended just because we couldn't figure out the answer to that eternal question of how do we get people to hear us? But then again, that was before there was Distrokid. Distrokid is a digital music distribution service that brings your sound to the masses. It's a one stop shop for getting your songs on itunes, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal, and many more. What's these? I never even heard of Deezer. How many of them are there? I know all that. That's like the holy grail of streaming services though. And, and getting paid. They want to. We want to get you paid for your music. That's huge because a lot of bands go broke before they get big. But Distrokid collects earnings and payments and sends 100% of these earnings to artists minus banking fees and applicable taxes. And that's just one of the tons of benefits of using Distrokid. You can send big files to anyone with their instant Share feature. You can use the Hyper Follow feature to promote your release and get pre saves on your song. You can even create personal landing pages for yourself, your band, your brand, and whatever you like. It has a free Spotify Canvas generator too to generate your own Spotify Canvas for your songs. And the Mixia feature instantly masters your tracks for higher quality audio. So if you're ready to bring your band to the next level, it's time to check out Distrokid. The Distrokid app is now available on iOS and Android. Go to the app or Play Store to download it. Listeners of this show can get 30% off their first year by going to distrokid.com VIP the 500. That's distrokid.com VIP the500 for 30% off your first year. Dig it.

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[Craig Shoemaker]

You know, I got to know even personally, my friend, you should go. I should take you one of these parties. My friend, Jeff Franklin, I don't know if you know, he is. He created Full House, Fuller House. He has a mansion. He has a mansion up in the hills. It's actually where the Manson murders took place. He leveled it. Yeah. So. And by the way, albums were created there. I don't know if you realize that was studio.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I know the whole. I'm very, very fascinated by that. That whole summer. And like. Yeah, it's. It's a dude.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Old.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Old LA is my favorite. I love.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Right, right. And that's the thing. The birds are old la. I mean, that's another thing.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I know you live in. I have to cut you off. But that's the coolest about when you're driving up Laurel Canyon, going right there. What would be Crescent Heights? And you're like, this is where all the greatest music people that walk across.

[Craig Shoemaker]

The street and they're hanging out with where Pache is.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Where Pache is. And that. That little corner store.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah.

[Josh Adam Myers]

On Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Or Crescent Heights.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I don.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Where it converts into one or the other. It's like that's. They used to just sit there, smoke joints and like hang out and play guitar. So it's. Oh, dude. It's the sound of It's La and.

[Craig Shoemaker]

The hang, you know, Linda Ronstadt, I mean, all these unbelievable voices. But they're only. Not only voices, they were great songwriters. These were really true original songwriters. And that's. That's another thing. Now there's one. So Jeff Franklin has jams at his house. Ooh. And I mean, you cannot believe who's in his living room. It's be like Beach Boys, Macy Gray. Mick Jagger walked in one night.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Stamos is there for sure.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Drums. Oh, absolutely. He's on drums. Every single Beach Boys.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. He brought Mike Love on. We had him want to do a Beach Boys record. And in the middle, he surprised us with Mike Love.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, of course. Mike Love is there all the time. And yeah, Sugar Ray, Bobby Brown, I mean, all Tony Orlando jams with Tom Jones. It's crazy, but I'll tell you, I hadn't. What happens is sometimes if it's your parents. Music. When I'm a kid, I'm not into it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

This age, I'm a huge Tom Jones fan now.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm Tony Orlando, dude. Not three times on the ceiling if.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You want me Twice on the pipes. If they answer no. And they sing together like Walking on Memphis, they sing other people's songs. But Tom Jones has the most unbelievable voice maybe in history. And if I'm going to give you a little tip to go check out.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Sure.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Go see his duets that he did on his television show. It's like in 68, 69, 70, 71. Watch him with Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye. It's beyond.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, he holds his own. No, he's a. He's a white boy. No, I know, but look, dude, you're. Dude, if you look right there, I have Otis Redding. I think Otis Redding is the greatest song, right? The songwriter, rock star that's ever lived. And to be a white boy, that can go. And, and, and, dude, that's why, like, Annie Lennox like that. She's got one of the strongest soul voices. We have Janice Joplin coming up. And I. And I never had listened to her like that. We're doing Pearl and I'm like, this might be one of the greatest albums I've ever heard in my life. Like, I love her one listening. So. So, Tom, I've always been. I've always had. I've had a connection to Tom. And then like, the cheesier Jewish version. Neil Diamond. I mean.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I. I heard that. I heard the, the. The. The movie's great.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, dude, I want to see him. Dude, I want to see him.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I heard it's Great. But I was, I was. I'm with you on the cheesy thing, you know, it's just. I'll have to get over that. Although the songs are all sing along songs, they're great. I'm sure I'm gonna have a wonderful time. But Tom Jones is in Jeff's living room. Jackson Brown is from me.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I've jammed with Jackson before.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, amazing, amazing. So he's got these people in his living room and I, I have a new appreciation for some of them, which I never. I didn't appreciate Tom Jones. I thought it was cheesy, like we were just saying with the panties and everything. But the dude, oh my God, he's such an original. I mean with his voice. He doesn't write his own songs, which I. That always disappoints me. I was never a big Elvis guy, even though I was really tight with his daughter and I even know Priscilla a little bit. But who goes to Jeff's parties, by the way, with, with Elvis's. With Elvis's manager Jerry Schilling. And Tom Jones is up there with a cocktail glass telling stories about Elvis, who was his very good friend. It's just so surreal. I, I love going to these parties. It's like once a year and they're the best jam sessions. If you can appreciate the music, if you appreciate where these people come from. Sure, yeah. I mean they're, they're up there now. He's in his 80s, Tom Jones, but you can still bring it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I mean most, most of the, you know, the, the rock stars are still working. Aside from Frankie Valli who needs to be put down like a 17 year old dachshund. Like he. I mean there's like.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Just watch this documentary. I can't believe you said that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

They're wheeling him out there and he's just like lip syncing but he looks like a. Like an animatronic. Have you seen it?

[Sponsor Voice (Shopify)]

Dude?

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's like.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It's almost documentary. That's lip synced.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Oh, it has to be. It has to be. My God. And that's what I respect about certain artists. Oh wow. Well then my Frankie Val.

[Craig Shoemaker]

My.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He's the 90 year old guy that did you know. It's that love.

[Sponsor Voice (State Farm)]

It's that feeling.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I can't see him in 90 dawn.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, he's doing. He's going somebody better than Morning night.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh wait a minute, wait a minute.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude. Alex.

[Craig Shoemaker]

No, no, I take it back. That's not who I. Paul Anka is who I just watched A documentary on Paul Anka.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Pull up. Well, I want to go over because I want to go over. I know we only have you for a little bit longer, so I want to go over some of these interesting things about the record. But. But, Alex, do me a favor. Pull up Frankie Valli in concert, and we'll end the show with that after we do the final questions.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Where are you, by the way? Where are you located?

[Josh Adam Myers]

I'm in New York City right now.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, really?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, I moved here five years ago, and. And I've been kind of, like, dragging my feet about moving to London a little bit, but not, like, fully, but just, like, going there as much as I can. I love the comedy scene out there. You know, you were talking about women. The women out there, just. They're the best.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You're gonna bring me there as your opener.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, my God. Please, please come. Dude, I would go.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Come on.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You would bury me, dude.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You're.

[Josh Adam Myers]

You know. But I'd have to go full Tom Jones, rip my shirt open, chest hair out just to make this work.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I'm. I'm actually told that a lot, and I get it. But there are three comics that I couldn't follow myself in all my history. Who would. Alonzo Bowden.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, my God. When Alonzo. Dude, when he connects that motherfucker, he's one of the better. One of the most underrated comics out there, for sure.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah. And this was at NA convention filled with people who look like him.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

With tattoos and motorcycles. Black. So I went on after him. Wasn't. Wasn't the best. Dustin Ibarra. He's new.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, I know Dustin. Yeah, dude, Dustin's great. He's a very funny guy.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Again, that was a convent. That was an AA convention. That was tough because there were. All his fans were there. And then Mitch Fattell, a long time ago in New York, that was. I remember him being tough to follow, but other than that. Yeah, I mean, I. I bring it. But to tell you the truth, I'm shifting out. I'm shifting out. I'm just about. I'm literally about the healing powers of laughter. I go to really about purpose, and I find that I'm not a narcissist, which is rare for our business. I'm really not. I'm affected by narcissists, but I really am about other people and making them happy, and sometimes the material doesn't make them happy, and. But I don't want to tailor it around, you know, kissing ass or what. I'm going to do what I do. But I just find that it's the laughter that's most important and I can't stand promoting myself. That's the game. I'm out. I used to send postcards, you know, to fan clubs or remember stapling telephone poles. A million staples were there. The poster comes down, the staples stay on there. That's how I used to promote and even. But then I, I enjoyed it. But I do not like talking about myself. And it's, it's really difficult for me. And now I'm just going to corporations and companies and teaching them how about laughter wellness. How you can be well from adding more laughter in your life in a funny way too.

[Josh Adam Myers]

In a. Very easily died because you're obviously you're, you're, you know, you've been doing it for so long and just being funny is just something that, that's just in you and, and so you get to do help people and still make them laugh while you're giving them good information, useful information. And that's brilliant, dude.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Useful information about the neuroscience of it, about the spirituality of it. People, comedians don't realize they have a lot of say that I'm an atheist or whatever.

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, you're not.

[Craig Shoemaker]

If you're telling the truth, that's God to me. That's. That's God. Laughter is God. And you just don't call it that. You're. Everybody thinks it's the guy in the beard in the sky and all that, but. But I think it's God. I think it's God's work. I think it's a gift. I think we share the gift. There's a divine connection that takes place with an audience. It's ethereal and it's beautiful. I remember the first message I got about this powers of laughter. I was really picked on when I was a kid. I. Very tough, difficult childhood. I was kidnapped. But I'm taken away by anyway to get a hotel. I was beaten and we went to different neighborhoods. I was in this rich neighborhood. We. My mom moved us there to keep us safe out of the city. And I was picked on. Oh my God, the rich kids were horrible. I hated them and they were so bad to me. But one day I started telling a story about my mom beating me because I. I broke a vase and I watched pop, pop, pop, pop. I'm watching all this, all these people just from sharing my truth and bam, bam, bam. All of a sudden they're noticing me in a different way. They're laughing. It was just magical. So I started exaggerating I learned exaggeration. I said, yeah, she beat me. I was a pinata. I had candy coming out of my mouth. Ah. And the next day, the teacher took me and tied my hands behind my back. She says, he'll never do this again with blue yarn. And locked me in a closet for a day. I'm there like a hostage all day. 10 years old, fourth grade. And she said, you're going to think about this. And that's the day that a voice came to me. Some powerful voice said, no, what you're going to do, this is what you will do for the rest of your life. And you will extend your life by doing it and extend other lives of other people. I. This pastor I know, he gives me credit for saving his life. He's going to commit suicide. He listened to my cd. So that's the gifts that we have that need to be shared. And it's not Pollyanna. Like, you know, comedians are so sarcastic and cynical. It's like, take that out. You can be vulnerable. It's okay. It's okay. You don't have to be like that. It's a front. We all know that underneath your tender and sentimental as well. And by the way, I started in New York with. We were like gunslingers, me and Richard, Jenny, who I think is one of the most brilliant underrated comics ever. We started together, and another guy just died today. Did you hear about this? John Mulroney? Really?

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Oh, no.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, it just died today or last night. And I moved out here to Los Angeles on October 20, 1986. We came out like gunslingers because we worked the rooms of Jersey and the city and outside the city and bars and where they had. They still had the disco ball up. They had the. The mechanical horse. You know, they. That's what we worked. We had our chops. We came to Los Angeles. It was easy to do comedy because we really knew how to handle any combatant out there. And I'll never forget, I saw Chris Rock. I even think he knew who I was backstage. He was opening for me because he wanted to work out his Oscar material. This is, you know, what, 20 years ago. And Richard, Jenny was in the dressing room with him writing comedy for the Oscars, and I was headlining. He used my audience. And I'll never forget him saying. I said. I said, hey, Jenny's back there. And. And I didn't even think he knew what he was. And I said, I moved out here with him and Mulroney and Chris Rock goes you, Jenny Mulrooney.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's a good.

[Craig Shoemaker]

He was so, like, impressed and it was so cool to know that I was being acknowledged that even you today. I didn't know you knew I was. To hear this. The greatest comedian out there, in my opinion is. He's one of the five.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Sure.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Mount Rushmore. Telling me that he has followed me and he knew me. Jenny Maroon. He knew our work and that we were powerful gunslingers that are in this business and we're kind of. It's raw and real. But I can't believe both of them are gone now. I mean, it just happened. Yeah. There's so many, so many stories with the two of them. Richard Jenny walked on stage the first time. Mulrooney brought him to my place in Philadelphia where they stayed in my house. And I booked a one nighter there that all the greats were playing this one nighter. It was a very popular Tuesday night outside of Philadelphia. And he says, I got this guy, he's really great. His name is Richard Jenny. And he goes, but just give him a guest. Give him a guest spot. And he, he had, he taped dollar bills over his entire body for one joke. He walks up, he goes, I made him money. That was it. He fucking bombed. I made him money and he bombed. And I said, mulroney, what are you seeing in this guy? And then it turns out he turned out to be one of the greatest comics ever.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, that's. That's such a sad story of him, too. Yes, especially. Especially because it's like, you know, there's so many comics that. That could have been even bigger than they were, but they just died before. Whether it was, you know, you know, disease or just addiction or whatever that could have happened, you know, it's just that's, it's. This is a profession of, you know, well, just life in general. There's always. Oh, they always take the good ones before they take the bad ones. The bad ones live forever. The, the live for ever. The good people, they, they only have a short shelf life. And, And I think that's kind of the reason I think they're supposed to come here, teach the good and, and, and give us like a bunch of, you know, positive energy and make us feel good about ourselves by them seeing how selfless they are and how. No. How they have no egos and anything and, you know, and then, and then they pass and then you remember that and try to hopefully be a little bit closer to them. Them by being nicer to people and caring about, being empathetic or whatever. Yeah, it's It's a bummer not to. Not to find the weird segue, how to bring this back to the birds. To the birds.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You know, David Crosby died.

[Josh Adam Myers]

He died. You know. Well, this is the interesting thing about what I've been. When I had the research that I had done about this is this band, is. This is. Especially with David, like. Like, they're. They're not. They're not doing well. Like, they're not. The tension in the band is. Is escalating. Crazy. You know, you could kind of see it in the themes from what this record is. Like, a lot of the themes are like, you know, I got from some of the songs, like the. The loss of idealism. There's like, almost like, how. How fame. They're. They're just. They're over it. They're over being famous. Yeah, there's. There's all this political anxiety, Vietnam era start to creep in and, you know, and then there's also the past and where. Where they're going in the future. And also the fear of becoming irrelevant, which, as comedians, we always have that thing in our. In our back of our heads. It's like, are we still. And that's what's so brilliant about what you're doing now is kind of like, all right, well, you know, I've. I've done all this and now I'm gonna move and move on to this section. But with the band, it's. It looks like there's, you know, David is pushing, like, his. Because he comes from, like, a jazzy, you know, background jazz chords, long, long songs. He also, of course, has this ego. The band starting to have this. This escalating tension. You know, this is the same year, or right around the same year as like, sergeant Pepper and Are youe Experience and Velvet Underground. So I think they're trying to, like, push themselves. And the counterculture is. Is. Is getting. Is starting to, like, the. The optimism of it is starting to crack. It's a very. Where did I find that thing?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Well, you know, bands. Bands in general, when you think about it, they all have to kind of find their voice and find their place, which they did, by the way. They. They exchanged lead singers. I mean, suddenly. Suddenly it. You know, there's one lead singer, then the next one. And then David Crosby, apparently was a big mouth. They didn't like it. He was.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And then there's the politics, as a matter of fact. The Eagles. If you look at the Eagles, the way they threw out Don Felder, I mean, it was. It was over Politics.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

They would argue on stage and scream at him and everything else and. And he had probably one of the greatest guitar solos in history was Hotel California. But that goes. Egos that are involved with a band. I mean think about if you went out with five comics and. But not only five comics, that's individuals. If you did go out with five.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Comics, like a five comedy troupe, like.

[Craig Shoemaker]

A troop, about it being. Being a cohesive unit. There are very few that stay. I mean I can't believe the Rolling Stones have lasted all this time. I mean that's. That's just ridiculous. I mean there are very few that. That ever could. I mean look at the Beatles broke up and everybody. They. They break up because it's very hard to hold on to that. And you all want to expand. You're expanding it. You're on spiritual levels, different levels and so on. So it's really difficult to. And they had a very difficult. They broke up very quickly. I don't know if you knew that they were. They were cooked by 1971.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You know they've done a couple reunion. Did a couple reunions here and there and. But that was it. McGuin had a decent career afterwards and he had his own voice.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. But David definitely has the. Has the biggest career after all of this. I mean when you think about the Birds, you think about him. You know, it's. But it's so funny when you. When you look at this like this record as how they're having all of these problems and yet they're still able to make this. I mean it really is, you know, a brilliant, brilliant album because it was.

[Craig Shoemaker]

No, no pun intended with Carole King. It was a tapestry. That's what I. That's what I like about the album. It's a tapestry. It has all sorts of elements. It has even different styles and genres all within the album. All their albums were. Everything was different. There's nothing that was ever the same other bands. It was like a consistency though. You can hear that sound. Although the long lasting bands. I'm very good friends with John Oates of Hall and Oates, they adjusted all the time. I mean they adjusted to the times all the time. Like their stuff from the, from the. From the 80s was different than the 70s. There were more rhythm and blues and soul and stuff, the Philly sound. But then they started to get into like the. An 80s sound and so they adjusted. So a lot of the ones that do last, they do adjust. Even Freddie Mercury, he started coming out with like disco Y stuff.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

You know, so they, they do make the adjustments, but I think the birds really did. So in a way that was really, you know, that Rickenbacker, that 12 string, it's like. It chimes like. Like church bells. And it, like, it like shimmered. It shimmered like a California sunshine. It was very California ish. And I'm from back east, so that's, you know, I was never, by the way, another admission. Not a Beach Boys guy.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Guy.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, really?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Not a Beach Boys guy. Never.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Interesting.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Been around them, with them. I sang with them. I went up on stage and sang with them. Not just. That's not my. Not my thing. I was gonna say not my jam, but it's crazy.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's crazy. It's not crazy. I mean, it's.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I.

[Josh Adam Myers]

It's one of those things where there's certain bands that I. I was like, I don't really with them. And then you're like, oh, no, I get it.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It just.

[Josh Adam Myers]

That's why this podcast is so great. Because there were a lot of bands that I just really slept on for years. And you say you get to sit with them and you're like, oh, this is one of the greatest bands that's ever. Right. Been together.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I like what you just said, though. You gotta sit on it sometimes.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah, Sometimes you're not ready.

[Craig Shoemaker]

It's marinate. You're not ready in your point in your life. You're not ready for that.

[Josh Adam Myers]

And I'll throw this to stand Up Comedy. It was. I remember when, you know, before we do our final questions, I know I only got you for four more. The. We used to chase my first year of stand up. We used to follow around Chappelle. When you'd come to la, if you go to the Comedy Store or the improv or whatever, we.

[Craig Shoemaker]

We'd.

[Josh Adam Myers]

We'd all have this text message and we'd run there to go catch a set. And I remember he took questions in this media in front of my rail battle, said, what do you do with the. That you know is funny, you know, but it's just. You haven't found a punch yet. He goes, maybe you're just not ready to tell that joke yet. He's like, how long you been doing it? He goes, year and a half. He goes, oh, yeah, dude. He goes, hold on to that because that might be a 10 year, 15 year joke. You have no idea. You just. You just need to have the confidence to be able to sit in it and believe in it. And it's like when you're a young comic. Like, you know, all the, all the, the, you know, you're still figuring out how to drive the car. You know, you start figuring out where the turn signal is, where the this is. It takes years. Took me. I'm, I'm in August. I'll be 18 years. And it's like, oh, I just figured this out.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Believe me, you. Same here. I teach it now.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And I love teaching it because I, I watched this one guy, he's a retired lawyer, and he goes up and he utilizes my techniques and he gets applause breaks and I watch his whole vibration shift. Everything's about vibration, by the way.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Always.

[Craig Shoemaker]

And I'm watching this and I'm just going, oh, my God. I feel better than me getting the laughs. Knowing he's. He's utilizing these techniques and employing them. It's. I just, I just, I love it. And. But there is a technique to it, by the way. Dave Chappelle, his first job ever, 15 years old, opening for me in Washington D.C. above a strip club called Archibalds. It was Comedy Cafe. And he is to this day, he teased. I go to his house in Ohio and wait. I tease him. I go, I say, you did all right. You know, he did all right. 150. He made opening for me. I was hilarious. I was like 22 or something. I was a very early headline. I started when I was 17.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh my God.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Comedy. Yeah. So I was Ava Tamini's backyard. And. And then I just stayed with it, put me through college. But it's also led to all these businesses. I have movies, television shows. Because to me, everything's about tapping into your creator. You tap in and allow that genuine energy flow to happen and it manifests itself in every direction. That's again, why I like the birds. How many different types of sounds and everything they were putting in there. I feel the same way about. I have a horror film now. I have an animated project. All these things they just come out of this creator doesn't come out of. Always a stand up comic. And I'm only a stand up comic. I think stand up comedy is the greatest start to a creative career because if you can do that, you can do anything.

[Josh Adam Myers]

100. All right, let's do our final question to get you out of here. Craig, please come back. This was so much fun. It really was, dude. And we've got something.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I'll pick an album next time that you like.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, no, I did, dude. You're not wrong, but you're not right. I'm telling you, this this. I'm glad this came up and I'm. And I'm glad I got the extra days to listen to it. It really did could put it over the edge of, like, what I. Why I get. Is it my favorite? No. Do I. Do I see why it's on here? It's. You know, I'll be curious to find out. Alex, please find out if this record is on the. The list on the 2020. Let me see, is it on the 2020 RE ranking? I don't think so.

[Craig Shoemaker]

I don't.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I don't think this would make it on the 2020 re ranking.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Did it hold up?

[Josh Adam Myers]

No, we don't have that in there. Do you have that? Yeah, we got to start putting that back sheet again. Yeah, put that back on the one sheet sheet. You're killing it with the one sheets, by the way, bud.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Thanks.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Thank you very much. Alex. Alex. Big ups to Alex, ladies and gentlemen. A little unknown fact. He is the brother of Peter, formerly play this Peter, when we used to play music all the time. All right, favorite song on this record. Craig, what do you got?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Oh, man. Younger than yesterday.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Oh, interesting. I. I'm gonna go with the one that I said earlier. I. I really loved. I really love thoughts and words. All right, is this a no skip record or is there a song that you skip over?

[Craig Shoemaker]

No, because of the diversity. You don't skip over anything because it's an. It's an experience as opposed to just listening. It's an experience. The whole thing is an experience. It's like, listen, it's similar to my comedy. You know, I always look at it like, I love Springsteen for this reason. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Every time I'm on stage, I do 90 minutes. It's a marathon. It's a story that's being told, and its story has so much detail to it, and it takes you in all different directions. It's mood shifts and all of that, and that takes place in the whole album. So I'm a big album guy, so of course.

[Josh Adam Myers]

But I'll tell you this from doing this podcast, and I am a Bruce fan. Not the biggest, but not the. Not the least, least the, you know, one thing about Bruce is like, it. It took, you know, every record. I would always need one or two at least two to three listens where I'm like, okay. Or some songs would be too long or whatever, but we did. What is it? His second record, Wild Innocent. Yeah, what is it, dude? Is that it or is it? Yeah, the Wild. The innocent and the E. Treat Shuffle. Yeah, that was the first Bruce record that. I mean, immediately I was like, like, oh, yes. More of this. Yeah, this is why. And that's. And it's like getting him right before he blew up.

[Craig Shoemaker]

So when he does what he did, Jungle Land and. And Clarence comes from the rafters, from the gods with that solo in Jungle Land, to me, there was nothing like it. I went to a concert of his in 1984, born in the USA and I sat there and I go, that's what I want to do in comedy. I want to bring it from the heels, really exhaust people, give them an experience they've never had before. Sweat, tell my story. I remember him telling a story about going to Graceland. I remember it like it was yesterday. And that separated him from anyone else. Even his interstitial stuff was great before between the songs and that, to me, give people an experience and that. He became my. He became my idol in comedy, people, who's your. Who's your mentor? Who's your idol? That's who my idol is in comedy is Springsteen.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. Oh, he's the best. Can you. To this record. Can you make love? Can you have intercourse with this record playing in the background?

[Craig Shoemaker]

Yeah, sure. Put a tambourine over your balls and go do it.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I don't know if it's. I don't know if it. Listen, it's not. It's not. Not. There's been. We've. We've done records on here that are definitely harder to probably to. I think you could probably screw it. It's like. It's folky, rocky. It's nothing too obtrusive. I don't think it's. It's going to take away from it. I don't know if it's going to add to it either, but it's not the worst music.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Music.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah. And what would be your elevator pitch to get someone to listen to this record? Like, how do you sum this album up to get someone that has never listened to the birds younger than yesterday?

[Craig Shoemaker]

I'd say if you want to step back to another era that doesn't exist anymore, if you want to really see history, you want to feel history, you want to hear the sounds of history. It's history. It's got a little Vietnam in it. It's got a country in it. It's got a whole California vibe. The Laurel Canyon. All of those things take place in this. In this album, in this. This group that doesn't exist anymore. And it was a place in time, a time That I wasn't. You know, that's not my time. But I love going back in different eras. You know, Benny Goodman. I can listen to Benny Goodman. You know, it's. It's just. It's different.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Yeah.

[Craig Shoemaker]

But I. That's what I would say is go, go get a little piece of history.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I can't agree with you more. I'm excited to do the record probably before this. Oh, by the way, Alex, did. Did you. Is it on there?

[Craig Shoemaker]

No. Yeah, I looked it up and it's not on this one. Did not make the cut for 2020.

[Josh Adam Myers]

I knew it. I knew it would not. I knew it would not. Now that's not saying it's a good or bad. I just. I was like, dude, I knew it. But I'm glad we got to listen to this and I'm glad I got to sit down and talk to you today. Craig, thank you so much. Coming up. Before we go any further, dude, please promote away. Where can we find you? What do you have going on.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Folks? Tell me you heard me on here say that it was worth my hour and 15 minutes and bumping my meeting and to follow me. I want to see followers official Craig Shoemaker. It's no mocker, no umlat. Not off the boat from Bavaria. Craig Shoemaker. Craig Shoemaker.com Check out my coaching and also stand up. I'm still touring with stand up and. And all the other things that we that come with these. The eclectic nature of this business. Just go there, follow me, stay in touch with me. I talk to everybody. I'm not like one of these people. I don't. You know what I mean? I. I love connecting with people. It's been my jam for a long time.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Dude, you're the best. Thank you so much brother for coming on, man.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Thank you. Thanks for having me. And laugh on everybody.

[Josh Adam Myers]

What I tell you? What I tell you. The one and only freak Shoemaker. Follow them on instagram and and website www. Craig Schumacher.com For Craig Shoemaker's current stand updates and for info on his winning for laughter program, visit craig shoemaker.com support this guy. He rules for new music we just listened to younger than yesterday by The Birds from 1967 DistroKid, our proud sponsor has brought to you September November sometime by the long riders. And you can find links to the music on our website the500podcast.com. That's what you're listening to now. Dig in to the whalers catch a fire at 126. It's the new it's the first album of 2026. Ooh, how cool is that? Next week is 126 and it's our first album of 26. See you guys next year.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

Call it out across the world. Are you ready for a brand new tweet in June? Might get here soon but I'll see you at the brand new Break up and see you at the break of See you at the break of noon September November sometime the crack fell so softly with time the seven guns on one long hard climb My band of hoops is riding against time Riding against a sea of holes While wearing black to take my rock the task I chose the life I lead before a judge I never plead, never bleed never would conceive September November sometime Day by the borderline September November sometime 12 weeks for data crime I guess you say the crime don't pay Let them guess what I've stashed away Stashed away I cannot say but it is more to keep me warm Keep me warm till I end my days September November sometime crime Facebook never does rhyme Then may come and step lazing under the Alamo Crawling out behind the wire Escape the thief his gun for hire his gun for hire his gun for sale his only thoughts stay out of jail out of jail and right beneath the moon September November Sometimes September November sometime September November sometime September November sometime September November sometimes Sometime September November sometime. Sometime. Sometimes Time.

[Josh Adam Myers]

Keeping It Flee See for the Fleece.

[Craig Shoemaker]

Nation.

[Musical Performer / Singer]

On the 500 the 500.

[Sponsor Voice (Distrokid)]

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[Craig Shoemaker]

Gist of It Feed Next Chapter Podcasts.