JEFF GARLIN Talks Curb Your Enthusiasm, Epstein, Photography

Summary

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The Adam Friedland Show

Episode: JEFF GARLIN Talks Curb Your Enthusiasm, Epstein, Photography
Date: February 27, 2026

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Overview

In this lively and irreverent episode, Adam Friedland hosts legendary comedian and actor Jeff Garlin for a far-ranging conversation. Topics include the improvisational magic of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the realities of comedy stardom, tales from showbiz history, Jeff’s upcoming photography book, improvised “revelations” about Jeffrey Epstein, and affectionate reminiscences of comedy greats. The conversation is filled with candid insights, comedic riffs, and heartfelt moments.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meeting Larry David & The Origins of Curb Your Enthusiasm

• How Garlin Met Larry David
  • Jokingly claims: “Gentle lovemaking seminar. We were the TAs.” [00:02]
  • Truth: Met in NYC during the late '80s standup scene, developed friendship at clubs, particularly Catch a Rising Star. [31:07]
  • Larry’s unique approach: would sometimes bail on sets if he didn’t like the crowd, which Garlin describes with affection and awe. [31:45]
• Genesis of Curb Your Enthusiasm
  • Garlin suggested to David: “You could do a special about you making a special. And at the end, you don’t even have to do a special. That’s the whole special.” [32:28]
  • Garlin originally wanted to direct, but David insisted he play the manager and serve as executive producer. [32:52]
  • The improvisational format: “Curb is entirely improvised and shot without a script.” [01:45]

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2. Improvisation and Set Dynamics on Curb

• How it Works
  • No rehearsal, actors don’t prepare jokes or lines in advance—“we just want it fresh.” [42:17]
  • Garlin comes to set not knowing which scene he’s shooting until just before cameras roll—“I have no idea when I arrive to set what I’m going to be shooting.” [43:02]
  • Writers exist (including Carol Leifer) but the show isn’t joke-driven. [42:33]
  • After each take, producers (including Garlin, David, Schaeffer) discuss adjustments. [43:03]
• Favorite Improv Moments
  • Dish-washing argument and “special hands” [43:47]; airplane scene choices [44:16]
  • The now-famous Bruce Springsteen “floor” line originated with Garlin but was wrongly credited in the media—“That line... are the best lines I ever fed someone.” [44:54]
  • Sometimes improvised lines just “explode” on set. [46:52]
• On Not Over-Talking
  • Knowing when not to speak: “The best thing for my character to do is just not say shit.” [49:10]
  • David’s advice: “You’re never gonna have this much fun on a set ever again in your life.” [49:31]

Memorable Quote:

“Curb is entirely improvised and shot without a script, so how in the hell do you make that stuff up?”
— Adam Friedland [01:45]

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3. Comedy Heroes, Mentors, and Legends

• On Being Considered “Iconic”
  • Garlin is uncomfortable with the “legend” label, recalling an unnamed famous comedian’s response when praised (“Why?”). [04:34]
  • Anecdotes about working with and learning from Jerry Lewis, who was both complex and beloved by the French (“the least funny people on earth”). [05:24]
  • Lovingly details comedians he’s met or worked with: Milton Berle (“to the knee, apparently” [53:28]), Sid Caesar, Shelly Berman, Catherine O’Hara (“hero,” “genius” [55:22]), Bob Einstein (“one of my closest friends” [56:00]), and Richard Lewis (“might have been the first alternative comedian” [59:49]).
• Eddie Murphy Stories
  • Murphy’s improvisational speed: “There wasn’t one time what he said wasn’t a million times funnier than what I was going to say. So you’re just looking like, okay, you’re Babe Ruth and I’m on the all-star team.” [14:28]

Memorable Quote:

“Larry David and I—gentle lovemaking seminar. We were the TAs.”
— Jeff Garlin [00:02]

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4. The “Epstein Emails” Skit & Comedy Risk-Taking

• The Roast with Adam, Jeff, and Epstein Bit
  • Adam shares the insane story about meeting Garlin at a charity event for Richard Kind, where roast jokes—including a Jeffrey Epstein bit—bombed with the older, confused crowd. [10:02–12:31]
  • Garlin: “What makes the joke even funnier is Richard holding on him for that!” [12:04]
• Mocked-up Epstein Email Reading
  • Adam and Jeff perform a fake, escalatingly absurd set of email “leaks” purportedly between Garlin and Epstein.
    • Surreal banter about improv, acting, and best friendship.
    • Garlin, as himself, stresses the seriousness and all-in nature of improv.
    • Satirical and deliberately tasteless, illuminating the dark edge of modern comedy. [19:12–26:07]
• Meta-commentary
  • Adam: “I don’t know why everyone’s laughing. This is disgusting stuff.” [23:59]
  • Garlin: “This is sublime.” [26:15]

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5. Curb, Fame, and the Weight of Character

• Blurring Lines Between Actor and Role
  • Garlin notes fans have difficulty distinguishing him from Jeff Greene: “It’s still hard not to imagine Susie like, wants to cut your dick off.” [04:08]
• Being Approached by Fans
  • “Anyone who comes up to me … I took a picture with [this Swedish fan] happily. I gave him a pack of baseball cards.” [50:51]
• Sitcom Rankings
  • Curb: “Top 10, easy. … All in the Family. Mary Tyler Moore. Full House.” [49:52]

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6. Addiction, Recovery, and Real Life

• Jeff’s Sobriety Journey
  • Talks candidly about his struggles with food, alcohol, and weed abuse.
  • Credits Richard Lewis for taking him to his first AA meeting—initially it didn’t stick, but after a breakdown (13 years later), it became foundational for his sobriety.
  • Celebrates four years sober as of February 4. [62:38]

Memorable Quote:

“Seventeen years ago, [Richard Lewis] took me to an AA meeting because I had trouble with food…he profoundly changed my life comedically…heroes, mentors, close friends.”
— Jeff Garlin [61:09–63:23]

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7. Photography Book and Visual Storytelling

• About the Book
  • Best Seat in the House—photos and essays from Garlin’s life, on-set snapshots from Curb, Babylon, and candid shots of various comedians and celebrities (Margot Robbie, John Mulaney, Jennifer Coolidge, Brad Pitt). [02:46, 63:26–66:03]
  • Emphasizes environmental portraits—not staged or cropped, always natural light.
  • Essays documenting the stories behind each shot, as a means of recording showbiz history from an insider’s view.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Roast Comedy:

  “Like a lot of people … Richard Kind changed his name when he got to Hollywood. Richard Kind used to be named Zalman the Rapist.”
  — Adam Friedland [10:25]
  “That got a big pop… No, that was legitimately crazy funny.”
  — Jeff Garlin [10:38]

• On Improv and Acting:

  “Improvisational comedy is an all-in thing. This isn't some hobby you can half-ass…You're gonna work your ass off night after night, you're gonna be pushed to your limit. The rush is irreplaceable.”
  — Jeff Garlin (as himself, in the mock Epstein emails) [21:36]

• On Eddie Murphy:

  “There wasn’t one time that what he said wasn’t a million times funnier than what I was going to say... you’re Babe Ruth and I’m on the all-star team.”
  — Jeff Garlin [14:28]

• On Comedy and Trauma:

  “The only thing that surprises you in editing is... when you steal a shot. Like it’s someone’s reaction from another scene, but you use it. It’s beautiful.”
  — Jeff Garlin [44:54]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:56–02:39: Introduction and Garlin’s background, photo book preview.
• 04:08–06:27: Fans and character perception; French comedy.
• 09:40–12:31: The infamous charity roast / Epstein joke moment.
• 19:12–26:07: The “Epstein emails” comedy reading.
• 31:07–36:28: Origins of friendship with Larry David, Curb creation.
• 42:17–44:15: Set structure, improv, keeping performances fresh.
• 49:31–51:13: Reflecting on Curb, fame, interacting with fans.
• 61:09–63:23: Sobriety and the impact of Richard Lewis.
• 63:26–66:03: Upcoming photography book discussion.

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Takeaways for New Listeners

• Expect a heady mix of serious insight, deeply irreverent humor, and showbiz storytelling.
• Jeff Garlin reveals both the joy and chaos of working on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and how personal relationships run through the fabric of his comedy.
• Garlin’s approach to both improv and photography revolves around authenticity, spontaneity, and a deep connection with his subject—on camera and off.
• The episode’s wild comedy bits (like the Epstein email reading) typify the risk-taking humor and inside jokes that define the show’s tone.
• Brief, heartfelt discussions about addiction and gratitude offer a sharp, grounding counterpoint to the episode’s absurdist riffs.

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Transcript

[Adam Friedland]

How'd you guys meet?

[Jeff Garland]

Larry David and I. Gentle lovemaking seminar.

[Adam Friedland]

Really? Really. He was teaching.

[Jeff Garland]

We were the TAs.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you ever get tenure in university?

[Jeff Garland]

You're really funny.

[Adam Friedland]

You're a funny guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Because I don't think people are funny.

[Adam Friedland]

You're a piece of. That's what you are.

[Jeff Garland]

I'm a hot piece of. And you're a funny. Where are you going with it?

[Adam Friedland]

Nothing. I don't know. I was just going with it.

[Jeff Garland]

I don't like that direction.

[Adam Friedland]

Hello, and welcome to the Adam Friedland Show. I'm Adam Friedland. My guest this. Oh, hey, babe. Sorry. My guest this week is legendary comedian and actor Jeff Garland, whose new photo booth. My guest this week is legendary comedian and actor Jeff Garland, whose new photo booth. My guest this week is legendary comedian and actor Jeff Garland, whose new photo book releases later this year. If you're a fan of Jeff's acting and standup comedy, you're going to love his photos. Now, this one is one of the rare interviews where we actually break a pretty major story during our conversation. I don't want to spoil it quite yet, but.

[Jeff Garland]

Ah.

[Adam Friedland]

Help.

[Jeff Garland]

Am I making too much noise?

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, it's fine.

[Jeff Garland]

Don't worry. Welcome home.

[Adam Friedland]

How's your. I know that was your surprise. Yeah, I'll just come out and say it. I'll just come out and say it. Apparently, and I can't believe I'm really saying this. Curb your enthusiasm is entirely improvised and it's shot without a script, so. How in the hell do you make that stuff up? How in the hell do they make that stuff up? Fascinating. Please enjoy my conversation. Jeff Garland. Okay, sorry, I'm at home today. I have Covid. It's a blizzard. We had a blizzard in New York. Our next guest is a legendary American comedian. His new book, Best seen in the house is a book of photography and essays. Comes out in September. Everyone, please give it up for Jeff Garland.

[Jeff Garland]

Nothing like a delightful smatter smattering of applause.

[Adam Friedland]

And.

[Jeff Garland]

And there's 600 people here. That's what they don't know when they

[Adam Friedland]

hear that we got the fattest tourists from Times Square. We went to the M and M store and, yeah, we put a sign up that says M and M store on the door.

[Jeff Garland]

Look how confused they are. I was in New York a number of years ago. This is when I wasn't living here. Cause I lived here a long time ago. And then I live here now with la. But we're visiting and we're not yokels in Times Square. I think we're going to a show. And I went into that M and M store and the sugar, the, you know, the sugar free chocolates and stuff. And I go, this is great. And of course, the second we sat down for the show, I'm Baron von Diarrhea.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, it goes that fast?

[Adam Friedland]

You crapped your pants? What were you seeing?

[Jeff Garland]

No, I did not crap my pants.

[Adam Friedland]

So you're at la.

[Jeff Garland]

I went on stage and crapped in the middle of the stage. That's how you see Broadway.

[Adam Friedland]

You crapped your pants on stage?

[Jeff Garland]

No, I went to the bathroom. What the fuck?

[Adam Friedland]

But what. You're in the middle of a scene.

[Jeff Garland]

I'm not in the middle. I'm not performing. I'm watching. Okay, fine. Although we did that. What would you do? Richard Lewis had diarrhea in the scene and was so funny.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, he's on stage. You hear the grr?

[Adam Friedland]

He fought through it.

[Jeff Garland]

No, it's fake.

[Adam Friedland]

It's fake acting. Oh, okay.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. And sound effects.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, so you're telling me that that show is fake?

[Jeff Garland]

That's real to me.

[Adam Friedland]

It's so real.

[Jeff Garland]

Well, that's me.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, like, you play a legendary character and, like, for me, it's kind of still hard. I mean, we met like, like a month or two ago, but, like, it's still hard to not imagine that Susie, like, wants to cut your dick off. Like, I just.

[Jeff Garland]

Like, it's because I just left her and I'm sitting down.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, and like, you're like, you know,

[Jeff Garland]

thank God she's one of my best friends.

[Adam Friedland]

But, like, it's so three dimensional. Like, if I say, if I see Michael Imperioli, I'm like, Christopher, you know, like.

[Jeff Garland]

Right. No, I get it. I actually appreciate that. If I'm feeling remotely iconic, I appreciate that because I'm a big. Not believing the hype. Like, people would come up to me and say, I'm a legend. And I did not know how to react to that because that's the last thing I am in my mind. And now I've just said, thank you. Like, I learned that a very famous comedian, I once told him how much I loved him and what a great effect he had on me. And he looked at me and said, why? And I went, oh, who was it? I'm not gonna tell you.

[Adam Friedland]

Just say why?

[Jeff Garland]

Because I still love him.

[Adam Friedland]

You're being dicking me a little bit. Like, oh, yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

No, here's the thing.

[Adam Friedland]

No, you're doing a thing where a

[Jeff Garland]

lot of people might love.

[Adam Friedland]

It was Jerry Lewis.

[Jeff Garland]

I don't know.

[Adam Friedland]

It was Jerry Lewis, actually.

[Jeff Garland]

I spent time with Jerry Lewis and had fun.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, really? He wasn't a dickhead.

[Jeff Garland]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Apparently he's the biggest dickhead in the world.

[Jeff Garland]

No, you know what it is? I don't know what his mental illness could have been, but he is a complicated guy.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I know.

[Jeff Garland]

You know, Chevy Chase is similar that way. I wouldn't say they're evil or horrible people. They just relate to the world and they, you know, Jerry Lewis. You name any Taylor Swift. Okay, Jerry Lewis. Martin and Lewis. There's a great picture of Martin and Lewis in the Times Square area, and they're outside of a window looking down, and there are people everywhere. Like New Year's Eve everywhere. They were that popular. Like, they were. To say they were huge is very much appropriate.

[Adam Friedland]

The French love Jerry Lewis.

[Jeff Garland]

They do. But also. Well, here's the thing about Jerry Lewis

[Adam Friedland]

also, the French are the least funny people on Earth. So it's like. It's not even that good of a compliment.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, there's not a lot of great French comedies. There have been some. Well, Jacques Tati, it wasn't.

[Adam Friedland]

But it's not. Lol, bro. It's not Borat. Didn't Jerry try to bring over that French guy to America to break, to have a crossover? It's God El Maled or something.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, didn't he win an Academy Award? Oh, no.

[Adam Friedland]

He was the biggest comic in France. And everyone was like, what the fuck

[Jeff Garland]

is this French guy talking about? He actually is a very funny man. And we had a falling. We never had an original thing. Ira Glass asked myself, Colin Quinn, and somebody else to.

[Adam Friedland]

Who's the other person?

[Jeff Garland]

I don't remember. But to listen to his set that. They gave us a copy of his set because they were talking about him learning the thing, learning English, trying to do it for both. And I gave my thoughts, and I was not mean. I just gave. And the one constructive thought that I'll explain a second, was that he did two Starbucks jokes, like, in there. And my reply was, do you really care about Starbucks? Is that an area that needs to be examined? And that's what I said. So the next time I see him, which was at the Comedy Cellar, and I was looking forward to meeting him, not thinking that I said anything wrong because I said all this stuff, you know, Colin did too. And I walk off stage and I go, hey, how you doing? He goes, you think you know everything.

[Adam Friedland]

Shut up, you French.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, no. But the point is, what are you

[Adam Friedland]

coming over to this talking about Starbucks sometimes great restaurant.

[Jeff Garland]

Sometimes people in their lives are not remotely enlightened. And so he was at that point where he was fragile and ego. He might still be that way, I don't know. However, a few years later at the Comedy Store, we. We totally made amends and hit it off, and we're good.

[Adam Friedland]

He should have apologized to you.

[Jeff Garland]

I don't.

[Adam Friedland]

Look, because if it weren't for us, he'd be speaking German, that's for sure. I don't know. Sorry, guys.

[Jeff Garland]

That's so awesome. Do you have any idea how funny that is? That is so awesome.

[Adam Friedland]

If it weren't for us, dude, they'd be speaking fucking. Yeah, in Vichy French. We're going to cut that. Anyway, guys, can we talk about when we met each other?

[Jeff Garland]

Please do.

[Adam Friedland]

It was the most insane night of my life, and I've never talked about it.

[Jeff Garland]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

And I'm afraid even to talk about it now why I met you at that charity benefit thing that.

[Jeff Garland]

Richard.

[Adam Friedland]

Richard Kind.

[Jeff Garland]

Honoring Richard Kind. What was it for? The.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know what it was for.

[Jeff Garland]

No, it was for, like, the Creative Coalition.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, sounds good.

[Jeff Garland]

They go to Washington for what I'm about to say. Yeah, no, you can say what you want because I'm not a fan. I'm not part of the creative.

[Adam Friedland]

Jeff and I walk up to each other, we're like, do you know what the fuck this is? And both of us were like, where the fuck are we right now? I was told an hour prior to going, I was invited to co host a charity event with Richard Kind. I was like, that sounds nice.

[Jeff Garland]

By the way. That was the thing that fucked up the whole night. The term co host. Because everyone who went up to do either a set or talk about Richard, they labeled as a co host. Jeff Ross was the host.

[Adam Friedland]

He was the roast master general. Exactly. So I was told 45 minutes before that it was a roast hosted by the roastmaster general himself, Jeffrey Ross, who's one of the. One of the people I respect most in life. And I was like, I don't. So I. I farted out a roast set. I was like, are you going to do roast? Did you know this was a roast?

[Jeff Garland]

You're like, no, it wasn't a roast.

[Adam Friedland]

It was a roast.

[Jeff Garland]

No, it wasn't.

[Adam Friedland]

You left early because you're a celebrity.

[Jeff Garland]

But like, yeah, I was one of the first three or four people who came up, and it wasn't a roast.

[Adam Friedland]

So I went up after you, and I was like, guys, I don't know My. I wrote some nasty joke. I didn't know this was to be roasted. Jeff Ross, you know, and they were like, say the joke. Like one of the old people. Say the joke. And so I was like, like. Like a lot of people, you know, Richard Kyne changed his name when he got to Hollywood. Like, Jon Stewart used to be named John Lebowitz and Richard Kahn used to be named. And I was like, zalman the Rapist. And it got a pop. And I was like, wow, by the

[Jeff Garland]

way, I was there for that.

[Adam Friedland]

You were. That was it. That was not bad.

[Jeff Garland]

Walking out and I heard, no, no, not bad. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

That got a big pop. From the.

[Jeff Garland]

No, that was legitimately crazy funny.

[Adam Friedland]

From the. You know, the. From the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. They loved it. And then I was like, don't worry, it's a family name. It was. It was changed from Rapowitz at Ellis island and his grand. And there, his grandfather, Moshe Rapist, he was the founder of the Creative Artist Agency. And there have been rapists throughout the industry ever since. And when I said rapists throughout the industry.

[Jeff Garland]

Dead.

[Adam Friedland]

That bombed. What's going on with this crowd? So I get through the. Whatever. The crap that I farted out. And then the last joke, I was like, oh, you know, I'm like, this is safe. This is like. And I'm like, the last joke is like, oh, I didn't. I guess it's a roast. I should go around the dais and crap all over you guys. And I was like, jeff Garland's here. I mean, this is behind your back. I apologize, but he's here. Give it up for him. And I was like, hey. Hey, you fat fuck. You know, Susie, whatever. Ha ha. And then Jeff Ross is here, and I'm like, we all know what you did, you know, And I don't know why I didn't have anything. And then I was like. And Jeff Epstein's here. Where the hell have you been? Right? And it dies. It goes silent.

[Jeff Garland]

You told me that on the phone.

[Adam Friedland]

The air leaves the room. And I was like, what? I thought it was safe. I thought it was like, it's in the news. And then I was like, did you guys know him? And Richard gets on the mic. He's like. At him. I think it's because he's dead. And I was like, I didn't mean to.

[Jeff Garland]

Well, by the way, Richard, hold on him for that. What I mean by that is to say that sincerely, that's what makes the joke even funnier.

[Adam Friedland]

Obviously. Makes it funnier.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. I'm sorry that you had to deal with that.

[Adam Friedland]

No, it's not sorry. It was the most insane moment of my life. And then I'm like, I'm sorry.

[Jeff Garland]

You tell Richard I said, go.

[Adam Friedland]

Guys, guys. His body's barely cold. I didn't mean to offend. Speak ill of noted pedophilic sex traffickers.

[Jeff Garland]

Did he say it like this? He's dead.

[Adam Friedland]

He's dead.

[Jeff Garland]

He's dead. And I was like, I loved him, but I never took a photo with him and I never got in a plane. I once was on here. Hold on.

[Adam Friedland]

But just last time, my friend Ari, who's talking to all these old people at the table, having a great schmoozing, having a great night, this guy next to him looks like this, and he turns to him, he's like, I knew Jeffrey Epstein. And I was like, oh, my God, they all did. They all knew Jeffrey Epstein. I didn't know he was a real guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Island, all that shit is a real guy. But I just thought of a thing for Richard. Can you imagine Richard going about to. He's dead. My memories. I knew Jeffrey Epstein. I would never take a picture. I once took a train with him. That's pretty good. Yeah, it was pretty good. Is this actually a positive look, leaning back like this?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I think so.

[Jeff Garland]

It's like you're in my living room and I have a lot of Eames furniture.

[Adam Friedland]

It's a relaxed show.

[Jeff Garland]

There's a great scene. Maybe in the Nutty professor, he goes to the dean, and the dean's chair, you can't help but slide. And he's trying to stay in the chair while he talks to the dean. Perfection in the Jerry Lewis one. Yeah, Jerry Lewis one. By the way, in terms of the Eddie Murphy one, in my opinion, as a comedian, that is the greatest acting performance I've ever seen.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, the clubs.

[Jeff Garland]

Howie was forget like, that's why the Academy Awards are bullshit. They never respect comedy. Only one is one ever in Annie Hall. Throw that all aside. This guy, what he did in that, you can't name an actor who could pull that off. You can't.

[Adam Friedland]

You were with him at Daddy Dacre.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, I work with him. Daddy Dacre.

[Adam Friedland]

Tell us about Eddie.

[Jeff Garland]

I'll tell you something. First off, very generous. Good guy. Great guy. We came up with the same comedians, like older comedians. So Eddie and I would dedicate takes to these comedians that no one would know except us.

[Adam Friedland]

Shecky Green?

[Jeff Garland]

No, the Sheck. He's known, but no one would know him. No. Here's the thing about Eddie. This is the thing that knocked me off my feet. I gave you the background, though. When something happens on a set, like if you knock something over and let's say I'm just a dramatic actor and something gets knocked over, you'll have a quip. You'll have a quip. It's just. You're the comedy guy. You will have a quip. So I'm on the set and I think I'm quick. Do not get me wrong. And so something would happen. I think of what I'm gonna. This is microseconds. Think of what I'm gonna say. Go to say it. There wasn't one time that he didn't say his first. And there wasn't one time that what he said wasn't a million times funnier than what I was going to say. So you're just looking like, okay, you're Babe Ruth and I'm on the all star team, you know, so it was remarkable to see his mind work that fast. Yeah, he's.

[Adam Friedland]

He's a good guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, I love working with him. And then also, he's just. He literally is comedic genius for what he does. There's, you know, I don't throw that around. You know.

[Adam Friedland]

Why is he around as much? I mean, he was the biggest star in the world probably in the 1980s, right?

[Jeff Garland]

Like, no, not the world. Because black leads in films didn't really score that well in internationally, but certainly in the United States.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, they didn't like it when a black guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Well, no, I don't say they as like all of them, but it didn't score like it did in America.

[Adam Friedland]

So you're saying America's the. The least racist country in the world?

[Jeff Garland]

No, I'm saying there's a lot of Portuguese visiting here currently. Yeah, so. Yeah, but he was the most famous person in the United States, I would say.

[Adam Friedland]

He had a number one hit record. Party all the time.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, Party all the Time. And also his albums of a stand up, you know, sold a ton. His specials. He was the first guy to perform in like, the equivalent of Madison Square Garden, you know, he was the first one because prior to that, I remember seeing George Carlin, 3,000 people. Rodney Dangerfield, 3,000 people. All the comics. Even Richard Pryor wanted his great first album. Well, first he had older party albums. I'm doing this, but they're amazing, too. But he performed it at the Long Beach arena. That holds like 2,400. So even Eddie took that to an. Now guys like Kevin Hart are selling arenas. No, stadiums.

[Adam Friedland]

Shane is doing the Eagles stadium.

[Jeff Garland]

Right, well, that's where watchamacallit performed too.

[Adam Friedland]

Who, the Eagles?

[Jeff Garland]

No, Kevin Hart is from Philadelphia.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

No, I'm saying. So that's where it is now.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. You know, would you go to Philadelphia, like if you had. If they said you sold out stadium.

[Jeff Garland]

Give me a scenario. Like, play it out. I want to hear if I. I

[Adam Friedland]

mean, like they say, listen, you sold out Lincoln Financial Field. You're gonna make $5 million from the show. But you have to go to like that disgusting, gross monster with those monster Philadelphia, you know, would you do it? Is it worth it, you think?

[Jeff Garland]

What the fuck are you talking about?

[Adam Friedland]

Those awful. There's. There's just subhuman, just.

[Jeff Garland]

You're not getting to the point of who you're talking about. Is it what a subhuman person just, you know, those disgusting women.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, why don't you try our disgusting sandwich? Yeah, we have a racist sandwich.

[Jeff Garland]

The steak sandwich?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Every place you go, there's a disgusting sandwich.

[Jeff Garland]

In Philadelphia?

[Adam Friedland]

No, on the road. Like Caleb and I were talking about that. Every city you go to, it's like, what should we eat here? And the Uber driver tells you a disgusting sandwich. Like in Pittsburgh, they're like, we have our own disgusting sandwich.

[Jeff Garland]

You didn't use those words.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, they don't say disgusting, but it sounds revolt. It's like a throw up.

[Jeff Garland]

You didn't try it.

[Adam Friedland]

It's throw up. It's baby diaper.

[Jeff Garland]

You didn't try the sandwich.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, of course I tried it. Yeah, I got the T shirt.

[Jeff Garland]

And by the way, I know you liked it. Yeah, yeah. Because no one says that about sandwiches.

[Adam Friedland]

So you're thinking rochester is good garbage. The garbage plate. I mean, at least you're honest about. It's macaroni salad. It's like a chopped cheese filling macaroni salad. What else? It could be either two cheeseburgers or two hot dogs.

[Jeff Garland]

Red hot. Can I ask a question?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

People watch this. Yeah. Why? This is insane.

[Adam Friedland]

Why?

[Jeff Garland]

Charlie, that tuna salad, was it chicken of the sea? Oh, what was it? Was it. You know, and then when I had that orange juice, was it from a concentrate or did you shake the car or was it one of those juice stand? I don't remember. I sound like Larry doing that.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, I didn't want to do this,

[Jeff Garland]

but I don't care what you asked me or talking about.

[Adam Friedland]

Listen, we booked you before. Obviously the horrific leaks of the Jeffrey Epstein emails came out and so I had To. It's my journalistic duty to. I'm not a journalist. But you know, I had to search your name and I just want you to account for what we found.

[Jeff Garland]

Please do.

[Adam Friedland]

I think what we could do is I'm gonna read the Jeffrey Epstein emails and you could read your own emails and then it's. I'm shocked. It was shocking. What I.

[Jeff Garland]

So you want to do some sort of play acting?

[Adam Friedland]

Sort of play acting? No, this is from the Real Pet.

[Jeff Garland]

This is redacted.

[Adam Friedland]

It's what your.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, this is awesome. Who did this? Did you do this? No, this is the redaction. This is awesome, man. All right. This is great. Do you. Do you.

[Adam Friedland]

So I want me to read Jeffrey Epstein and then you could read your own emails. Yeah, it's weird. When you guys heard his voice, were you surprised?

[Jeff Garland]

Who.

[Adam Friedland]

His voice is like, can you. His voice is.

[Jeff Garland]

You want Jeffrey Epstein? Yeah, he's like, what if I told

[Adam Friedland]

you I went to bed with the gift? He looks like kind of macho with

[Jeff Garland]

all the names this last time and this, that and finding out this guy's a scumbag. I don't give a shit. So I'm not even. Hey, I subscribe. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, all these things on my phone. Read them once a week, tops. Yeah, yeah, because if something interesting were to happen and we're at dinner, you might bring it up and I'll go, whoa. And then when you bring it up, then I do my due diligence to read about it. But in general, I go through my days trying to rise above the noise.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, that makes sense because of your longtime correspondence. And best.

[Jeff Garland]

All right, let's do it.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, so this is from Jeffrey Epstein to Jeff Garland.

[Jeff Garland]

It's me, Jeff.

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, I'm reading the Jeffrey Epstein parts. Jeff, it's me, Jeff. Lol. Still can't get over how funny it is that we have the same name. Was watching an episode of Curb the other day. Felt inspired. Comedy has this ability, even for a short while, to make the world forget about their problems. I was wondering if you have any recommendations on introductory improv courses. Seems fun. Second City comedy, sports. I've heard good things. I don't feel comfortable being associated with the UCB theater after reading about their history of sexual abuse. Sick stuff. The COVID up too heartbreaking. I'm leaning towards comedy sports because it has the funniest name. Best. Jeffrey Epstein. Okay, now your response.

[Jeff Garland]

Okay. Hey, Jeff. Jeff here. Haha, brother, the name thing gets me every time.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, that's funny.

[Jeff Garland]

It's the gift that keeps on giving. Glad you asked about improv. I think this is a great idea, but I want you to listen to me very carefully. Improvisational comedy is an all in thing. This isn't some hobby that you can half ass. You're gonna work your ass off night after night, you're gonna be pushed to your limit. And at the end of the day, it's all worth it. The rush is irreplaceable. Better than drugs or sex. I know a lot of people have lost their minds chasing the dragon. You are embarking on a journey that will fundamentally change you as you email. But let's keep going because truly, Jeff, nothing comes close. You were one of the funniest people I ever met in my life. The funniest. And I know Eddie Murphy from when I was in Daddy Daycare. Love, love, Jeff. P.S. i've never said this to you before, but I consider you to be my absolute best friend in the world. I'd like to assure you that any secret you share will go to the grave.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay then. This is the monster. Jeffrey Epstein's response. Hey Jeff, it's me, Mohammed. Just kidding, It's Jeffrey Epstein. What I wouldn't give to see your face reading that. Haha, no, of course my name is still Jeff. First off, thanks for the sage advice. I swear to you, Jeff, I will take improvisational comedy very seriously. Anywho, Stephen Hawking seems to have taken a shine to your daughter, Sammy. He asked me to reach out and negotiate a price. A couple questions.

[Jeff Garland]

This is really funny.

[Adam Friedland]

A couple questions. What's her take on this Palestine nonsense? What's it like when you have sex with her? And is, is there any world where Susie isn't going to be a total bitch about this? Then here's your response to the noted monster and pervert sex trafficker.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh dear God. This is wrong. Brother, you fucking got my ass. I literally went into a cold sweat thinking some Muslim named Mohammed somehow got my email. I don't know how to say this, but bro, I think you misunderstand. That's not actually my daughter lll. That's a child actress that got to play my daughter. I'm what's called an actor. We pretend to be other people. Susie isn't my wife. She's a Jewish woman pretending to be a wife. I can put you in touch with her parents. Her dad is a class act and her mother is out of the picture.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know why everyone's laughing. This is disgusting stuff. So the monster responds just Putting it out there. If you wanted to change your name to Muhammad, I'd do it too. Reacting. That blows my fucking mind, dude. Did you invent acting or is there other ones?

[Jeff Garland]

It would be pretty awkward if we did that. Lol. Muhammad actually happens to be the name of the first Muslim guy. Bro, you need to get out more. This is crazy. Everyone on the show is an actor, you numbskull. Wait till the guys find out about this one. Chomsky's gonna piss his pants.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, so then the. So then the.

[Jeff Garland]

By the way, seeing names like that on the list are awesome.

[Adam Friedland]

It's awesome. Stephen Hawking's the best one.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

So then the monster responds. Lol, bro. Let's convince Dersh that we changed our names to Muhammad. So anyway, so you mean to tell me that Kobe Bryant from the Lakers is an actor? Also? What about President George W. Bush? What the hell is even going on? What about Ashton Kutcher? Am I being punked? Your response?

[Jeff Garland]

All jokes aside, I wasn't too hot on my name for the longest time. I often think about changing it. That was until I met you. I love being Jeff with you. Oh, brother. I'll try and ask you your questions one by one. Kobe Bush, not actors. Kutchner is an actor, but not on the show. Punk'd. Okay, Jeff, I have to say something because I love you. Hearing that you don't know what actors are worries me. I see that you're a man with deep dedication to his passions. I see that your work demands all of you. Jeffrey Edward Epstein, you're a man on the island, but you're also on an island. There's a whole world outside of that beautiful paradise you've built for yourself on the little St. James. I don't want you to look back on your life with regrets, wishing you got out of your comfort zone a little more. I don't want life to pass you by. And then that's what I think that the improv classes will be for you. A great help.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

I love you. Please. Never.

[Adam Friedland]

All right, so this is Shocking Revelations. What were you thinking?

[Jeff Garland]

Did you write this?

[Adam Friedland]

No. These are from the Department of Justice.

[Jeff Garland]

Pam Bondi, whatever these are. This is perfect. This is sublime.

[Adam Friedland]

You want to keep it? I mean, it's all over the Internet anyway.

[Jeff Garland]

No, I'd love to keep it. This is so good.

[Adam Friedland]

You could have both copies.

[Jeff Garland]

No, I'm not going to redo a

[Adam Friedland]

reading one for later.

[Jeff Garland]

Sorry.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. Adam here. I'd just like to thank our members for supporting us here on YouTube. You guys make the show possible. You keep the lights on. We couldn't do it without you. Members get access, as always, to all of our episodes early. And if you join at the second or third tiers, you get your name in the credits of this fine program. If you'd like to join the Friedland Family foundation, you could do so by clicking the join button at the top of your page here on YouTube or by clicking the link in the description. You can also support us on Patreon if you prefer. The link for that is also in the description. Thanks a lot again. Thanks. I'm going on the road folks. Helium Comedy Club Portland, Oregon March 27th to the 29th side Splitters Tampa, April 17th to the 18th San Francisco, California Cobbs Comedy Club, May 29th to the 30th. And of course I'll be at the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles, California on May 9th. There's a link in the description for tickets and we'll be adding more shows for cities later this year, so stay tuned. AdamFriedland show and Rest in Peace to the one and only Robert Duvall. This was the copy from last week, but we're gonna leave that in anyway. And Jesse Jackson recipe and everyone, anyone else who died. I think you know that midday slump when your focus just dips. This is my little fix for that. It's super refreshing. You just pop it in, crack the capsule and boom. Instant flavor hit. That's kind of like my secret weapon for staying sharp when I'm working or filming. And you can even get it delivered on a subscription basis so you never run out. But yeah, this one's been in my routine lately. Lucy Co knows what's up. 100% pure nicotine. Always tobacco free. Lucy breakers are nicotine pouches with an extra little surprise. Each pouch holds a capsule that can be broken open to release extra flavor and hydration. What's my favorite flavor? The minty one. What's my favorite strength? The strongest one they have. And when do I use it? All damn day. Lucy is the only one that gives you long lasting flavor when you need it. So get 20% off your first order when you buy online with the code TAFS. And if you don't want to wait, head to Lucy Co stores to find Lucy near you and grab it today. And here comes the fine print. Luci products are only for adults of legal age and every order is age verified. This product contains nicotine and nicotine is an addictive chemical. When hair starts to thin, confidence can too. And that's why HIMS makes it simple to feel like yourself again. With access to personalized care that fits your life. Tired of trying to figure out what actually works for hair loss? Through hims, you can get access to clear solutions, expert guidance, and an online process that takes the confusion out of care. You've got places to be. Sitting in a waiting room for hair loss treatment isn't one of them. HIMSS makes expert care accessible to your schedule so you can skip the line and focus on feeling like yourself again. HIMS offers convenient access to a range of prescription hair loss treatments with ingredients that work, including chews, oral medication, serums and sprays.

[Jeff Garland]

Dr.

[Adam Friedland]

Trusted ingredients like finasteride minoxidil can stop further hair loss and regrow hair in as little as three to six months. You shouldn't have to go out of your way to feel like yourself again. Hims brings expert care straight to you with 100% online access to personalized treatment plans that put your goals first. No hidden fees, no surprise cost, just real personalized care on your schedule. Think of HIMS as your digital front door that gets you back to your old self with simple 100% online access to trusted treatments for real health concerns all in one place. For simple online access to personalized and affordable care for hair loss, weight loss and more, visit hims.com tafs that's hims.com tafs for your free online visit himss.com tafs featured products include compounded drug products which the FDA does not approve or verify for safety, effectiveness or quality. Prescription required. See website for full details, restrictions and important safety information. Individual results may vary based on studies of topical and oral minoxidil and finasteride. You guys. How did you guys meet?

[Jeff Garland]

Larry David and I. Gentle lovemaking seminar.

[Adam Friedland]

Really? Really. He was teaching.

[Jeff Garland]

We were the TAs.

[Adam Friedland]

You're the teacher's assistants?

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, both of us. And we actually clamored for our teachers attention.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you ever get tenure in fuck University?

[Jeff Garland]

No, we were a teacher's assistant. Really? Our teacher was tenured. Really? Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Who was that? Mary Kay Letourneau?

[Jeff Garland]

No, the Weeknd. We met here in New York City. We were both doing stand up comedy. And is it in the 80s? Yeah, late 80s. We were acquaintances. And one of my favorite things is when he would come in to do a set at Catch a Rising Star and one of two things would happen. One would be, he's gonna do the funniest material that's gonna kill you. He's gonna bomb kill you. No, that's not it. Because comedians will laugh. We all went in the room. But the more likely one was this. He'd start. He'd look in the crowd and go, eh, not tonight. And walk off the stage.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. I heard he used to just bail on sets.

[Jeff Garland]

Bail on sets. I saw him do it, and it was awesome. Oh, what are you looking at your watch for? Ah, fuck this. And he would be gone. I swear, this is 100% true. Yeah. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Because he had a contempt for the audience.

[Jeff Garland]

Yes. And then years later, I was performing in Chicago and he was coming through town to go to see Comiskey park before it was torn down. We had a nice conversation then. This is all we knew of each other. And then in la, we talked a couple times. You ran into each other. But I never got to audition for Seinfeld, which, when I told him that, he was pissed off. But I find that hilarious.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, everyone was on the show. Literally.

[Jeff Garland]

Yes.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, it's kind of offensive.

[Jeff Garland]

I knew if, you know, everyone in comedy, almost every guest actor who was remotely comedic, I did know anyhow. So years later, we were at lunch, and he was asking me about the comedy scene, and he said, hbo really wants me to do something. And I said, well, I've got the perfect idea for you. And I had been on the road with Jon Stewart and Dennis Leary, helping to develop their specials, their HBO specials. And it was really fun and, you know, developing all that. And I said to him, I go, you know, you could do a special about you making a special. And at the end, you don't even have to do a special. And that's the whole special. And he. I love that. And he went and talked to his wife. We're gonna do it. And I was thinking of only directing it. I didn't even think about being in it. That wasn't. I wanted to direct it. And we had lunch the next day, just excited, talking about, I want you to play my manager. It was as simple as that, you know. And then he said to me, and you'll be no directing. You'll be an executive producer. It's better, trust me. And I didn't know this at the time, and it is a much higher stature. So that's how it started. And that was my relationship leading to then. Oh, I left out one part, which is an interesting part, I think. So Larry was writing at Castle Rock, the company that produced Seinfeld. I was writing with a guy named Alan Zweibel. Same suite of office. There are three offices in the suite. Zweibel he, he co created it's Gary Shanley show and he also wrote for Gilda Radner on SNL all her bits. Roseanne, Roseanna, Dana. He wrote all her bits. So he's. He's very funny, very accomplished, very kind man. So. And Billy Crystal was in the other office. So that's it. So I would go, I would go into. He was very nice to me. He would go into. I go, I'd walk into Larry's office and I don't know if it was he or I who did it first. Started singing the Codfish bowl by Shirley Temple and we realized that both our kids, same age were both watching the Best of Shirley Temple. It was a very popular tape thing then. And I knew all the songs and so did. So we'd sing Shirley Temple songs that got us closer. It really did. And we'd laugh. And Larry came into Alan and my office's Alan's office where I was at. He said, you want to go to lunch? And Alan couldn't go. And I went. And then the conversation I told you about happened in a kookaroo across the street from Nate Nals in Beverly Hills. And by the way, when you tell your idea to a comedic genius. Oh, fuck. Yeah. So I am surprised because we were doing what we thought was funny. But Larry, I mean, I look upon all the episodes, not a clunker in the bunch, every one of them, you know, it was shocking to me. But we didn't think we were going to be a hit. And also the other side of the coin is. And I'm not going to name a comic to mess with them, but I could have told it to another comedian. If I had told that to somebody else, we wouldn't be here talking about my great idea. Oh, no, no, no.

[Adam Friedland]

It was the perfect.

[Jeff Garland]

It was. Well, that's how things happen sometimes. And you know, the lightning hits a tree, you know, or whatever.

[Adam Friedland]

It is the basic premise of a guy who has ostensibly a billion dollars, yet the entire world, when they look at him, just sees him as bald and annoying. That the money has done nothing to earn the no. 1. It's a show that's another God's last

[Jeff Garland]

on a core of reality.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, yeah, I know he's like the co creator of Seinfeld, but to, to everyone, he's an ugly Jewish bald guy.

[Jeff Garland]

He's not the guy on the show that he's on.

[Adam Friedland]

Right, exactly.

[Jeff Garland]

So right now in real life, it's

[Adam Friedland]

an incredible premise for like a comedy series.

[Jeff Garland]

Larry is truly iconic. Truly iconic. But if you get to the core of where he was at then, which is actually now, but he lived in the Palisades, which is near the beach. It's just, well, burnt down. What the fuck am I talking about? Do you know that the costumer, the DP, and the editor all lost their homes?

[Adam Friedland]

It's terrible.

[Jeff Garland]

From Curb youb Enthusiasm and those three people, those key. Yeah, key departments. But sorry, no, but he would lay. We would talk about this. He never had to use air conditioning in his house. Cause the breeze would come in from the ocean. You see the ocean. And he would lay on a hammock in his backyard. And he would tell me what he would think about and that all he did was ruminate. He was filled with anxiety. So he's got all this money, beautiful house there, and he would lay in there and be the guy that you see on Curb youb Enthusiasm. So that's based at the core, a real thing.

[Adam Friedland]

So much of the two of you guys as a comedy duo is just at restaurants, right? The two of you.

[Jeff Garland]

Like, we've been in our share of restaurants.

[Adam Friedland]

You just like, just kind of like him presenting you with a sociopathic idea. And you be like, larry, that's a great idea, right?

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, that happens a lot.

[Adam Friedland]

Is the dynamic of your friendship, like, it feels real to me. Is that the dynamic of, like.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, he's one of my closest friends. I feel being with Larry like I would being with my kids. It's just normal, you know? It's not like I'm sitting with Larry David, which many people would feel that way. So when I'm with him, we talk about everything. I make him laugh hard, which thrills me to no end. Like, that is like.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, it feels amazing.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, it's like you. I have his number. Like Zach Galifianakis, for me, just has my number. He can make me laugh. The wind changes directly.

[Adam Friedland]

He's the funniest guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. And so I do that for Larry, and it just kind of. And he'll laugh hard, too, at my nonsense and non sequiturs, all of it. But, man, oh, man, I got some serious shit going down. He's going to be one of the people I call to tell me he picks up.

[Adam Friedland]

Does he pick up?

[Jeff Garland]

He does. Like this. Like he's Shelly Berman in a skull. Hello? Hello, Jeff?

[Adam Friedland]

He'll pick up if you call.

[Jeff Garland]

What are you talking about? Caleb?

[Adam Friedland]

Is it okay if I. Yeah, let's go.

[Jeff Garland]

What is. What is this?

[Adam Friedland]

Caleb? This is Caleb. He works on the show.

[Jeff Garland]

I think he's Blocking my camera.

[Adam Friedland]

It's fine. You're gonna feel bad about saying that in a minute. There's. He's. Larry Davis is, like, biggest hero in life.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. And. Oh, but that's not cancerous. No, no, that's a sidebar. You have beautiful hair on the side. If you were Larry David, you could grow that hair. If you had curly hair, the Larry David look. So what's to say?

[Adam Friedland]

We don't have much time.

[Jeff Garland]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

And.

[Jeff Garland]

But he's healthy.

[Adam Friedland]

No, no, you don't know that. Can we. Can Caleb just say hello real quick?

[Jeff Garland]

No, I mean, this ain't the Make a Wish foundation, pal. Get the out of here. Who is. How you interrupted me with a fake cancer story because he's Bri.

[Adam Friedland]

I didn't say.

[Jeff Garland]

But I was thinking when you took off your head. Hold on. I was thinking when you took off your hat. That episode where the head shaving show.

[Adam Friedland]

You're gonna feel so bad when he dies of cancer tomorrow.

[Jeff Garland]

I have dear, dear friends. I don't know if I believe them, who state just to, like, give me this, that they've never seen the show, and I love it. That corrects, by the way.

[Adam Friedland]

They haven't.

[Jeff Garland]

I don't care. Anti Semites, probably, but the point, though, is that I go to him for all of it. He's like a big brother to me, to be honest with you. We're very close friends, but he. I look up to him as a person, as a friend.

[Adam Friedland]

Sounds like you won't even help Caleb out with his cancer. It could save him.

[Jeff Garland]

Are you gonna stay on that?

[Adam Friedland]

I'm sorry, dude. I just thought it was a good trick and. And it didn't work at all. Because he saw your side of the side of the side of your ball. Right. You could have shaved his head.

[Jeff Garland]

Did you say my bad? That's awesome. I don't understand that. My mistake is much better.

[Adam Friedland]

My bad.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, that sounds like it was invented at a place for mentally challenged people. Like, they play basketball, and one of the kids would go, my bad. And then one of the people who worked there said, oh, I like that, and spread it from there. But it started with a mentally challenged person. It does sound like my bad mistake is really not saving you much time. I mean, costing you any time.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

My bad. My bad. That's stupid shit.

[Adam Friedland]

Tell me about, like, how the show, like, the set was run and how it was structured. Like, there's.

[Jeff Garland]

It was different for me than everybody else. So I'll give you my observation of what's going on and what I was doing. So I get there, let's say seven in the morning. We're gonna start shooting at eight. Okay. And, you know, I go through makeup, put on usually a suit, and then I mosey my way to craft service and see all the people, all the departments, say hello to everybody. And then you get on set where, let's say it's in my house, my character's house, lights are all set up like this and everything's ready to go. And you see the DP talking with the director, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And we don't rehearse. We move so the camera can know kind of where we're going. We do not rehearse. Actors will come on and they'll start doing the scene. We go, no, no, no, no, no. We will do it when we do it. We're not going to do this.

[Adam Friedland]

Is he one of the reactions to be authentic?

[Jeff Garland]

Maybe always, yes. And we also don't want people trying to be funny or have written things and prepared. We just want it fresh. And if that does happen, it's gone by the second take.

[Adam Friedland]

Does someone pitch lines, though? Is like Larry pitching lines?

[Jeff Garland]

No, there's only three. Well, there's Carol Leifer among some other people. There's some excellent writers and they do come up with great ideas. It's not joke driven the show. So it's not like lines this, that. But for me, in that situation, here's how far I go. I will literally, Jeff Schaeffer, the executive producer, director, will come over to me and go, what are we doing? I have no idea when I arrive to set what I'm going to be shooting.

[Adam Friedland]

That's so fun.

[Jeff Garland]

And he tells me, you know, he points it out and I go, great. And then we start the scene. We do that now after every take. I don't. I used to be in this all the time. The executive producers are Jeff Schaefer, myself and Larry. If it's a scene I'm in, we go have a creative discussion about what's working, what can be done like this. Don't like this. If I'm not in the scene, I stay at video. I used to go, we have that meeting or be, you know, I don't do that anymore. Now if I see something, I go to Larry and Jeff, like on the monitor. If it's a scene I'm not in. But that's how it works. We just redo it until we have what we have.

[Adam Friedland]

What's your favorite thing you've ever just off the Top of the dome.

[Jeff Garland]

Just the one I remember just improvising was Larry talking about washing dishes in hot water. That he had special hands. And I started screaming at him that he didn't have special hands. That argument is brilliant because you're Larry David and you happen to like wearing women's panties. That is in the outline. So I'm just. That's Larry David, you know, me doing it. So much fun. And I try and do something different every take. Unless Jeff Schaefer says to me, we don't have this. Will you do this?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

Larry's even said to me. There was one scene he and I are riding on an airplane. And I chose to. It was a clear choice I made that. I'm sitting like this in my seat next to Larry. And he says, what are you doing? I go, we're gonna take off. He goes, you got a book? No. He's asking me different things. Well, what are you doing? I go, just sit here. He said to me, don't do that again. Don't. Did a bunch of other stuff. What I did was in the episode.

[Adam Friedland]

Is Larry in the edit.

[Jeff Garland]

There's Larry in the edit. Larry.

[Adam Friedland]

Larry.

[Jeff Garland]

Every single take. Every single take. Which, like, if I direct a movie or something, I'm editing while I'm on set. And I know if I got it. And I don't need to see 400 different things. The only thing that surprises you in editing is. Is when you steal a shot. Like it's someone's reaction. They're wearing the same clothes, but from another scene. But you use it in the scene, you know, I mean, that they're not in. It's beautiful. That's the time you use it. Editing. But. So Bruce Springsteen, who, by the way, was everything. I dreamt he would be everything. I was very nervous to meet him. What a guy. Fantastic. And we had. We had a great time that day. So we're shooting a scene. Susie's standing in the kitchen. Bruce and I are sitting across from each other at my table in my house. Larry's at the head. And standing behind Larry is Bruce's assistant, who in this scene, we come to find out, used to be a woman. And he. Oh, Larry.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, Larry.

[Jeff Garland]

He says that Larry dated him when he was a woman. And of course, the horror on Larry's face is just. That's one of my favorite looks that he's ever given on the show. He's given great ones. And the guy goes. And the guy gives a piece of information where Larry used to love fucking on the Floor. That was his thing. So we film it a couple times, and then I lean over to Bruce and I go. Because I had it like this, I'm recreating. I said, take a beat and then say, larry, I never thought of you as a floor. Wait till the end. Because Jeff Schaefer is so great, he doesn't yell cut right away. He lets it live for a second to see if someone, you know. So Bruce says that line, cut. The place explodes. Floor. The ceiling went up and down for him to say, I never thought of you as a floor. What am I supposed to do at that moment? I came up with it. I. I thought of it. So I didn't do that.

[Adam Friedland]

You're gonna think this bastard Springsteen came up with it.

[Jeff Garland]

So six months later, whatever. When it was premiering, eight months later, when Larry and Susie, I'll just point out those two did interviews, they said Bruce came up with it. And I called them both after they were driving insane. But no, it was fine. But after I called both of them and they were very apologetic. Why didn't you tell us? I'm like, why am I going to tell you? That's just so stupid. So now in my book that you're going to mention. I've mentioned it there. I've mentioned. I'm going to mention it everywhere. So now I'm doing my own. Because that line, that is my tide for my two lines that I fed somebody that are the best lines. What was the other one? The other one was jb. Myself and Larry are at a table and JB is talking all about the big Johnson community. Who's welcome? You know the thing. And I whispered to jb, next take, I'm going to tell Larry to ask you who is in charge of the big Johnson media? And then the answer that I told him to say was Horse Cock Williams. And he told him, everybody laughed. And again, what am I supposed to do? That was mine, you know, So I

[Adam Friedland]

would just whisper loudly.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. So people hear it. No, because I don't want the thing about it.

[Adam Friedland]

Also, Larry saying that Bruce Springsteen came up with that on tv was. He was with you for sure.

[Jeff Garland]

But by the way, Bruce Springsteen, he gets enough credit for his songs.

[Adam Friedland]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jeff Garland]

That's me. The credit on the comedy. He was great, by the way. Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Wait, so do you. You miss making the show? Because.

[Jeff Garland]

Terribly.

[Adam Friedland]

Because what you say, you describing it like just saying there's a loose concept. They're like, we'll like hit the red light, will go on. We'll fucking do it.

[Jeff Garland]

We will just fucking do it.

[Adam Friedland]

Because the outline's having fun, right?

[Jeff Garland]

Well, yes, but the outline is so good and so specific that if I'm just true to the outline, certainly I'll go off because I've gone somewhere and we've used that sometimes, but it's all there. So if you're present in the scene and you know your part in the scene. There are a lot of scenes with me in it where a bunch of people are talking and I'm not saying a word.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

Because it almost feels like you're competing to get the thing out. And I'm just sitting there going, the best thing for my character to do is just not say shit.

[Adam Friedland]

But seeing Jeff just sitting there not saying shit is like, that's what. There's something that's a good choice.

[Jeff Garland]

People know. It's intelligent choice. Yeah. It is the right choice.

[Adam Friedland]

Myself out of this one.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. But. But the point is, Larry David said to me one day we were shooting Season three, probably, he goes, you. You're never gonna have this much fun in a set ever again in your life. You don't be in a show this funny.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

And I said, that is 100% correct.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you conceive of it as being the greatest sitcom of all time? A lot of people say that.

[Jeff Garland]

No, but top 10, easy.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. I mean, honey. Owners. Mary Tyler Moore, Full House. Full House. The fact that you gave a great fake reaction to that, to my fake naming it. I mean.

[Adam Friedland]

All in the Family. All in the Family.

[Jeff Garland]

All in the Family.

[Adam Friedland]

Have you ever seen Keeping Up Appearances?

[Jeff Garland]

What was that?

[Adam Friedland]

The British.

[Jeff Garland]

I've seen a lot of British shows. One of my favorite.

[Adam Friedland]

Hyacinth. No, it's about this. This woman that's like, whatever me and my family used to watch on PBS on the weekends.

[Jeff Garland]

By the way, that's how I discovered Monty Python. Watched all the English shows. And years later, easily in my top, my personal top five is Toast of London.

[Adam Friedland]

If someone's seeing Jeff Green, you walk around the world, people like, if I see Sarah Jessica Parker, I'm seeing Carrie Bradshaw. You know, you play such a. Like a iconic. Something that's so ubiquitous.

[Jeff Garland]

I am, you'd think I'd go. But when that happens, or people come up to me, anyone who comes up

[Adam Friedland]

to me, because they like the show.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. Cause they. I had a guy, a Swedish guy, like 6 5, wearing a sweater. I don't know where he came from. You know, he talked about how much he loved the show all this stuff. And I took a picture with him happily. I gave him a pack of baseball cards. I'm apt to do that. I carry packs sometimes.

[Adam Friedland]

You're a funny guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Well, I might be too, but you're really funny.

[Adam Friedland]

You're a funny guy.

[Jeff Garland]

Cause I don't think people are funny. You're a fucking people. I'm a hot piece of ass and you're a fun. Where are you going with this?

[Adam Friedland]

Nothing. I don't know. I was just going with it.

[Jeff Garland]

I don't like that direction.

[Adam Friedland]

Why would you.

[Jeff Garland]

Stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

Just like it is stupid. It would be stupid if we. If you. If we had sex with.

[Jeff Garland]

No, no, you would use the word we. It would be you having sex and having forced me into it.

[Adam Friedland]

But it's we having sex.

[Jeff Garland]

Just like Richard Kyne's original name. That's what you'd be saying.

[Adam Friedland]

Zalman the rapist. Wait, so you. I want to talk to you about stand up.

[Jeff Garland]

Like, I'll talk about stand up for hours. Okay, so like, so I've been doing this for 43 years.

[Adam Friedland]

So you did you like watch on late night television? You're like, that's my guy.

[Jeff Garland]

This is the thing you want.

[Adam Friedland]

Who was your hero?

[Jeff Garland]

From the time I was a little kid, I tried to make my parents laugh. I was always the funniest kid in school. I would sneak up late to watch Johnny Carson to see the comedians. If I knew a comedian was on. I love comedy. My first album was a Cheech and Chong album, Big Bamboo. I remember. You know, I didn't know it was rolling paper type thing for the COVID But I love comedy my whole life. So you tell me. Rodney Dangerfield, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, my favorite comic.

[Adam Friedland]

He was a great comic.

[Jeff Garland]

Give me credit, by the way. That's what broke my heart about it is like, you're an iconic.

[Adam Friedland]

He was so good at comic.

[Jeff Garland]

He really was. But it's. You know what I did one night at the Comedy Store? I went up and I gave away all my Bill Cosby albums after all that shit happened.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, People took them.

[Adam Friedland]

And they were original rapists probably took them.

[Jeff Garland]

Right.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you have them?

[Jeff Garland]

Just molesters.

[Adam Friedland]

Molesters. There's a big difference. There should be different.

[Jeff Garland]

So the point is, you say high school, man. In high school, I would watch everything, all of it. I remember seeing Eddie for the first time. Showtime. Showtime's the big laugh off. This would have been 1980 or so.

[Adam Friedland]

He was probably 18 or something.

[Jeff Garland]

Very young. Yeah, yeah. When I started.

[Adam Friedland]

You like Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman.

[Jeff Garland]

Love Andy Kaufman. Oh, my God. You understand, Those guys are just like. I had lunch once with Milton Berle.

[Adam Friedland]

Apparently, like, to his knee.

[Jeff Garland]

No. Yeah, that's.

[Adam Friedland]

Apparently.

[Jeff Garland]

That's. That's what I hear. That's what I hear, too.

[Adam Friedland]

I know every guy.

[Jeff Garland]

You don't know that about Richard Cotton. Yeah. Richard Cottage. I was at the Friars Club and I had lunch with him. I've had lunch with Sid Caesar. I got to work with an amazing array. Shelly Berman. I've worked with people that I. In my mind, when I'm doing a scene with them, I'm going, oh, my God, this is amazing. Yeah, it's incredible. It takes me out of the scene, kind of. But I love comedians. I love comedy. I despise bad. You started at 20, so SCTV. My God, the fact I worked with Catherine O' Hara on. Not only worked with her on Curb, supposedly had sex with her. And we recorded those sounds.

[Adam Friedland]

It was real sex.

[Jeff Garland]

No, no. We recorded those sounds in a laundry room. But it was so embarrassing. Here I am with. Truly a hero of Mine, and we're making sex sounds, and she's saying, fuck me, fat boy and all that.

[Adam Friedland]

I thought of her as my mom because of Home Alone.

[Jeff Garland]

Home Alone. But yeah. A movie I've never seen.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[Jeff Garland]

Yes. Just surprised. I auditioned for it, for the Daniel Stern part. And I knew I didn't try because I'm gonna be honest. I read that script that I went, this sucks. Yeah. And I'm not gonna try.

[Adam Friedland]

The amount of violence.

[Jeff Garland]

100. True.

[Adam Friedland]

The amount of violence enacted by a child on adult men.

[Jeff Garland]

In that.

[Adam Friedland]

It's baffled. It's actually. It's. It's a horrid. It's crazy.

[Jeff Garland]

Well, it's an absurd. John. John. John Hughes.

[Adam Friedland]

John Hughes.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah. But there is a bit of absurdism in all his movies. People falling a certain way. And, you know, it's there. But so it kind of can be cartoonish, the violence in that. You know, I don't know if that's better or worse.

[Adam Friedland]

It inspired me to beat on my parents.

[Jeff Garland]

What are you talking about?

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know. I'm having a great time. What, your point. No, your point was about. Your point was about Catherine making sex noises.

[Jeff Garland]

Catherine Ryer. And then having a scene with the dinner table. We're making sexual faces at one another. I mean, to me, what the fuck, man? Yeah. Yeah. And I'm devastated that we lost her. She's always been great to me, even before we worked together. And she is a fucking hero. And it kills me She's a genius. Genius, genius. No, it is.

[Adam Friedland]

She's one of the.

[Jeff Garland]

Yes, I know. Madeline Kahn. Yeah. Catherine o'. Hare.

[Adam Friedland]

Can you tell us a little bit about Bob Einstein and Richard?

[Jeff Garland]

Sure, I'd be happy to be.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, Bob Einstein is one of.

[Jeff Garland]

From what I hear, you're asking me about stand up comedy. That's what it was.

[Adam Friedland]

Well, we're going a million directions. We'll get there.

[Jeff Garland]

Okay. If we do, let's do Bob Einstein first. Bob Einstein was one of my closest friends. Bob would. After we're done filming a scene, you'd be driving home, the phone would ring and it'd be Bob going, wasn't that great? That was so great. Wasn't it so much fun. And this is not. This is like, that's it. He would call Susie and do the same thing. And also he knew so many great jokes. They just tell you at lunch.

[Adam Friedland]

The episode where he tells Jerry the.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, you want to hear a secret about that episode? What we filmed was maybe twice as long.

[Adam Friedland]

Super Dave, man.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, it was Super Dave.

[Adam Friedland]

Marty is also just the funniest character because like Larry just like literally just has no respect for this human being whatsoever.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, no, it's.

[Adam Friedland]

He despises him.

[Jeff Garland]

He always comes up with ideas. It was a joy to be around him. He and his wife were very close with my wife and I. My ex wife and I that. See again, you lose. In my photography book, which we'll get to. You go through it. I think half the people that I took pictures of are dead.

[Adam Friedland]

Don't take a picture of me. Oh, you did?

[Jeff Garland]

No, no, not. No one. Young is dead. Dead. It's like people who died of old age, what have you. And so Bob, he was great. And he also, he told me this one story about Red Fox he was producing because Bob in the day was a producer of variety shows. Dick Van Dyke, all these variety shows. And he was the executive producer of the Red Fox show. They're about to shoot. Nobody can find Red. Okay. And Bob goes to go. I'll go to his dressing room. And he goes to his dressing room. Red, are you in there? What? Red, are you in there? What? He opens the door and he's sitting in the makeup chair, leaning back, and the makeup lady is sitting on his face. And Red Fox says, and this is true, because Bob told me, this is the best. This is the punch. Red Fox says to Bob, bob, we gotta do the show. And Red's response was, can't a man relax? Is that nice? So he had a Million stories like that. So he would tell those stories. And also, you know, he was out of the show. He had pneumonia, and he was getting better. And then he said, I'll be back in about two weeks. In two weeks, he was dead from cancer. They found it was. And so that really ripped us all apart. And at lunch sometimes we would walk away, like, overwhelmed. And we all knew why. Whoever one of us walked away. It had a profound effect on their show. And Vince Vaughn coming on as Funkhouser's cousin or whatever it was, was fantastic. Totally different than Bob, obviously, but Vince was a joy to work with. And then, as far as Richard's concerned, that's also one of my closest friends, Richard. I used to tour with Richard. We'd go on the road together. We'd be on the road, and when I'd be on stage, he'd stay in the car because he was afraid he'd put something in his head off what I would say. Robin Williams had the same thing where it would just fly in there and then, like, come out a year later, you know, And I need more water. Can I have a normal water? I don't want to pick this shit up anymore.

[Adam Friedland]

I'll pour it for you.

[Jeff Garland]

All right. He's gonna pour it for me. It'll be fine. So Richard, obviously, one of my comedy heroes, did things like he was to me. He was kind of like, sure. There was Lenny Bruce, who was a great influence on Richard, and Richard Pryor, Richard Lewis influence. But he might have been the first alternative comedian. He'd lay out his notes on a piano and go into things and grab his hair. He was unlike anyone else, and I was awe of him. To be on the road with him and be close with him. He. His best acting on the show was the last year. Yeah, it was sad seeing he really couldn't move around. He was in bad health. A lot of scenes he did sitting down, actually, most of them. But he did great work. His last.

[Adam Friedland]

Kind of beautiful that he, like, meant something to.

[Jeff Garland]

Yes. And we didn't have to deal with him dying because we were done. Unlike Bob, who we had a lot going on that season. Story wise. And our friend wise, ironically.

[Adam Friedland]

Also, Everyone in Marty's family dies on that show. Like his father.

[Jeff Garland]

The. The mother. Yeah, the three wood.

[Adam Friedland]

The mother. Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

Just like his daughter, Larry stealing the

[Adam Friedland]

flowers from the roadside memorial.

[Jeff Garland]

Of course.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, That's a great one. So then ironically.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, Marty also.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, he did that. I have so many more stories I could tell, but Richard. Yeah, go ahead. Not Only do they have a profound effect on me. Seventeen years ago, he took me to an AA meeting. And the reason he took me was because I had trouble with food. And I thought that was gonna be the answer. There were gigantic rock stars. And what were their days? He and I were the only comedians. There were some famous actors. But when I say gigantic rock star. So I'm in this room, everyone's talking about their alcoholism. And I started talking about my food. I felt embarrassed, but also the way it went around. I turned to the guy behind me and I go, this ain't for me. Didn't go back until 13 years later. I was. Went back in. And Richard originally took me. I just had a nervous breakdown and was suicidal. So I was really down health wise and everything. And I had gone away to rehab for mental health and also abusing alcohol and weed. Drank a lot of beer. I drank to get drunk. I smoked weed both to escape. And I didn't do them as a habit. I did them when I felt self medicating. Self medicating. But still, food is what I had bottomed out on. Food. So someone took me to the meeting. And I will celebrate my sobriety date. February 4th. Four years for being.

[Adam Friedland]

Congratulations.

[Jeff Garland]

Thank you, pal. And the guy, I said, this ain't for me, not even realizing it because he told me the story. He's my sponsor. So I globbed onto this guy. He said, yeah, I'll sponsor you like three weeks in. He went, do you remember me? And I go, no. He tells me that story. So I think that that is one of those universe things that full circle around. And. Yeah, so it's. He profoundly changed my life comedically. Taught me things in every level. He taught. He just, you know, I learned from. You say mentor. Yeah, those were mentors to me. Heroes, mentors, close friends. I was. I was really grateful to have that.

[Adam Friedland]

I do want you to mention your photography book.

[Jeff Garland]

And the name of my book is Best. The Best Seat in the House. I forgot the sub thing. It's funny actually, like pictures I've taken of people that nobody asked for. Just like something stupid. But it's really. It's a good quip anyhow. It's pictures of me. No, I'm in one shot, which is me and Amir for my intro to the Book. But I'm not in the pictures. It's pictures I took during Curb Susie, Larry, you know, jb and pictures from. I was in this movie, Babylon. Got pictures of Brad Pitt. My favorite picture in the book is one I took of Margot Robbie. I've got musicians. Jeff Tweedy. I've got an amazing shot of. These are all people that I'm working with when I take these pictures. John Mulaney. I have an action shot of John Mulaney. You think of John Mulaney as just sort of. I've got one that if you see the picture, you go. You'd think he's more like Sam Kinison when you see the picture.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, he's screaming.

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, he looks like he's screaming. I don't know what he's doing. But I got that. I got all sorts of comedians, heroes of mine, and they're all the shots from set. But all my shots on set are environmental. In other words, there has to be a boom in the shot or something, because then I'm treading on the set for Photographer's Place. So I show people in a scene, like Larry in a scene, but there's all the stuff around it.

[Adam Friedland]

What happened that day? Is that what you're saying?

[Jeff Garland]

Well, I'll talk about maybe. Yes. I go into moments.

[Adam Friedland]

Craft Services.

[Jeff Garland]

One of Richard Kind. That's a great story. Another time. But it's all these essays I write for every one of the pictures as

[Adam Friedland]

a means of documenting your career. It's a really neat way to do it.

[Jeff Garland]

It is kind of a neat way to do it. Although, like I said, I'm not in the shot. I am in two of the shots. Reflection. There's one of Jeff Ross in a window. I'm in the reflection, which, when I took the picture, I did not notice. And one of Jennifer Aniston.

[Adam Friedland]

No.

[Jeff Garland]

You know, she talks like this.

[Adam Friedland]

Coolidge.

[Jeff Garland]

Jennifer Coolidge. I've known her since the 80s. Anyhow, she's getting her makeup put on, and I take a shot of her. Did not notice that I was in the mirror. I don't want to take a picture if I have anything to do with it. But those are in there. But no intent. And it's not. It's really all about these beautiful people and funny people that I've known and work with.

[Adam Friedland]

Through your point of view.

[Jeff Garland]

From my point of view, it's kind of cool. And they're. All. The set shots are environmental. The portraits are all environmental. Nobody. I'm not setting up anything. It's all in the moment. I love using natural light. I don't crop. It's just a very specific way. I should. Actually, I want to take a picture of you right now. To end the show.

[Adam Friedland]

I was gonna ask.

[Jeff Garland]

Yeah, no, no. That's why I'm. I think with these lights. A four. It should be four. Let me just see some here. It might be blown out. Let me go to. Hold on. Let me go to five, six.

[Adam Friedland]

How do I look?

[Jeff Garland]

Oh, very beautiful. But you don't have to. Even the fact that you're posing is hilarious. You're very funny, dude. All right, let me see if I. Oh, they're great. They're great.

[Adam Friedland]

Jeff Carlot.

[Jeff Garland]

There we go, Sam.