Gianmarco Soresi - SoresiDew

Summary

Podcast Summary: Gianmarco Soresi - SoresiDew

The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler
Episode: Gianmarco Soresi - SoresiDew
Release Date: October 28, 2024
Host: Ryan Sickler
Guest: Gianmarco Soresi

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Introduction

In this heartfelt and candid episode of The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler, comedian Ryan Sickler welcomes Gianmarco Soresi, also known as SoresiDew, to delve deep into Gianmarco's turbulent upbringing, complex family dynamics, and his journey toward finding his passion in comedy. Drawing from his own adverse childhood experiences, Ryan facilitates a conversation that highlights the struggles and triumphs Gianmarco faced growing up in a fractured household.

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Early Life and Family Background

Gianmarco Soresi hails from Potomac, Maryland, a place he describes as "very boring" (04:38). His upbringing was marked by his parents' divorce, which introduced him to a life split between two households. Gianmarco's mother was a lawyer, potentially representing major corporations like Exxon Mobil, while his father was an entrepreneur involved in oil spill cleanup and scrap metal recycling (05:04). This ironic juxtaposition—where his mother's legal work might indirectly support his father's environmental cleanup efforts—sets the stage for the complex family dynamics Gianmarco would navigate.

Notable Quote:
"Exxon and your dad's cleaning the shit up." — Gianmarco Soresi (05:43)

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Parents' Divorce and Custody Arrangement

Gianmarco's parents divorced when he was an infant, leading to a strict custody arrangement. His time was divided between his mother and father on a rotating schedule: four days with his mother followed by three days with his father, and so on (08:02). This arrangement disrupted Gianmarco's sense of stability and fractured his perception of weekends, making activities like trips or extended family visits challenging.

Notable Quote:
"It just kind of fucked up. So it was bad." — Gianmarco Soresi (08:35)

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Life with Stepdad

At approximately three years old, Gianmarco's mother remarried, introducing a strict stepfather into his life. Unlike his carefree biological father, his stepdad was highly disciplined and often imposed rigid rules. Gianmarco describes his stepdad as "the enemy of my childhood" due to his strictness and lack of emotional connection (15:17). Despite occasional moments of creativity, such as organizing elaborate Beanie Baby scavenger hunts, the overall relationship remained distant and strained.

Notable Quote:
"He was the enemy of my childhood. He was just strict." — Gianmarco Soresi (15:17)

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Impact of Stepdad and Relationships with Siblings

The strained relationship with his stepfather left Gianmarco feeling isolated. While his siblings on his mother's side experienced their own struggles, Gianmarco developed a closer bond with his sisters, appreciating the unique connection they shared despite the fragmented family structure (23:02). As he grew older, Gianmarco recognized the depth of these relationships, especially during challenging times like dealing with parents' illnesses or navigating adulthood.

Notable Quote:
"I love my siblings much more deeply than I knew how to fully when I was, you know, a kid." — Gianmarco Soresi (23:02)

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Educational Experiences and Regrets

Gianmarco attended the University of Miami, Florida, majoring in musical theater. However, he harbors significant regrets about this decision, feeling that the program did not prepare him adequately for the realities of the entertainment industry. He criticizes the structure of arts education, arguing that it often leaves students with substantial debt and limited practical skills necessary for career success.

Notable Quote:
"An arts degree is foolish, especially in today's world." — Gianmarco Soresi (52:21)

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Finding Passion in Comedy

Despite his initial focus on acting and theater, Gianmarco found his true calling in stand-up comedy during his college years. He reflects on how early performances in school plays inadvertently prepared him for a career in comedy, even though it took him longer to realize this path was his true passion. Gianmarco emphasizes the importance of self-motivation and resilience in pursuing his dreams, traits he feels were lacking in his upbringing.

Notable Quote:
"I had to become my own pusher." — Gianmarco Soresi (37:08)

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Advice to Younger Self

When prompted to offer advice to his 16-year-old self, Gianmarco underscores the importance of engaging in physical activities that one enjoys. He regrets not participating in sports or other athletic pursuits, which he believes could have instilled discipline and resilience earlier in his life. Instead, he suggests exploring non-traditional physical activities like martial arts or yoga to build a strong foundation for personal growth.

Notable Quote:
"Do something, do some, it doesn't have to be a traditional sport." — Gianmarco Soresi (57:33)

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Reflections on Education and Career Paths

Both Ryan and Gianmarco engage in a critical discussion about the value of traditional four-year college programs, especially in the arts. Gianmarco expresses frustration with the lack of practical training and networking opportunities, feeling that institutions often mislead students about the prospects and realities of pursuing careers in fields like acting and comedy. They advocate for more flexible and practical approaches to education that better prepare individuals for the challenges of the industry.

Notable Quote:
"The arts is too unstable of a business and too chaotic to spend four years anywhere." — Gianmarco Soresi (55:25)

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Gianmarco promoting his tour and podcast, The Downside with Gianmarco Soresi. Throughout the conversation, both Ryan and Gianmarco highlight the importance of resilience, self-motivation, and finding one's true passion despite challenging circumstances. Gianmarco's insights offer valuable lessons for listeners navigating their own personal and professional journeys.

Notable Quote:
"You're going to take that guy over? This guy or lady who fucking hustles, who's really going to show up?" — Ryan Sickler (56:35)

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Key Takeaways

• Family Dynamics: Gianmarco's upbringing was significantly impacted by his parents' divorce and the introduction of a strict stepfather, leading to feelings of isolation and instability.

• Educational Critique: The traditional four-year arts programs are criticized for lacking practical training and relevancy to the current entertainment landscape.

• Self-Motivation: Gianmarco emphasizes the necessity of becoming one's own motivator, especially when lacking supportive and encouraging parental figures.

• Finding Passion: Despite early setbacks and regrets, Gianmarco found his true calling in stand-up comedy, highlighting the importance of perseverance and self-discovery.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Exxon and your dad's cleaning the shit up." — Gianmarco Soresi (05:43)
• "It just kind of fucked up. So it was bad." — Gianmarco Soresi (08:35)
• "He was the enemy of my childhood. He was just strict." — Gianmarco Soresi (15:17)
• "I love my siblings much more deeply than I knew how to fully when I was, you know, a kid." — Gianmarco Soresi (23:02)
• "An arts degree is foolish, especially in today's world." — Gianmarco Soresi (52:21)
• "I had to become my own pusher." — Gianmarco Soresi (37:08)
• "Do something, do some, it doesn't have to be a traditional sport." — Gianmarco Soresi (57:33)
• "The arts is too unstable of a business and too chaotic to spend four years anywhere." — Gianmarco Soresi (55:25)
• "You're going to take that guy over? This guy or lady who fucking hustles, who's really going to show up?" — Ryan Sickler (56:35)

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Final Thoughts

Gianmarco Soresi's episode on The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler offers an unfiltered look into the challenges of growing up in a fractured family, the pitfalls of traditional education systems, and the relentless pursuit of one's passion amidst adversity. His story serves as an inspiring testament to resilience and the importance of self-driven motivation in overcoming life's obstacles.

Transcript

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[Gianmarco Soresi]

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[AT&T Advertiser]

For example, Juan's as he drifts away to nirvana after only the first chapter.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Is different to Maya's when she discovered the narrator was in fact the evil twin, which is also different to Noah's. Aw. Anytime the cute cyberpunk is mentioned, even.

[Ryan Sickler]

Though in reality he'd be totally out of his league.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

From two to Amazon books, that reading feeling awaits.

[Ryan Sickler]

Detroit, Michigan I'll be there Friday, November 8th at the Magic Bag, Minneapolis, Minnesota I'll be there Saturday, November 9th at the Parkway Theater, Madison, Wisconsin. I'll be there Friday and Saturday, November 15th and 16th at Comedy on State and Portland, Oregon. I'll be at the Aladdin Theater Saturday, November 23rd. Get your tickets to those shows and all shows on my website@ryan sickler.com the.

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Honey do with Ryan Sickler.

[Ryan Sickler]

Welcome back to the Honey do y'all. We're over here doing it in the Night Pants Studios. I'm Ryan Sickler. Ryan Sickler.com Ryan Sickler on all your social media and I'm going to start this episode like I start all our episodes by saying thank you. Thank you very much for your support. I can't tell you how grateful I am to be able to do this for a living. Thank you for watching the shows, for supporting the Way Back. Make sure you're subscribed you're getting new episodes on this feed every Tuesday and Thursday. All right? And if you got to have more, you got to check out the Patreon. I'll never stop talking about it. It is this show, the Honeydew with y'all. And you can only imagine the stories that y'all have. It is the best show on Patreon. It's your show. It's five bucks a month, and it hadn't changed. There's literally hundreds of hours of the wildest stories from y'all. And if you or anyone you know has a story that has to be heard, please submit it to Honeydew Podcast gmail dot com. Come see me on the road if I'm in town when you're around. Tickets are available on my website@ryan sickler.com all right, that's the biz. You guys know what we do over here? We highlight the lowlights. Always say, these are the stories behind the storytellers. I'm very excited to have this guest on. First time today. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Gianmarco. So, Raisi, welcome to the Honey. Hello, young man. Did I say it right?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Thank you. Thank you for calling me young man. I appreciate it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Brother. How are you?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I'm good.

[Ryan Sickler]

Nice to meet you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Good to meet you, too.

[Ryan Sickler]

I've never met you before. Thanks for doing this.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, I appreciate it.

[Ryan Sickler]

It's also early, earlier than most comments would be.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

East coast time, though, still. So in my head, I'm like, I feel my life feels in control. I'm like, ooh, I get up at 6 now.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. All right, so I'm good.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, before we get into whatever we're going to talk about, promote anything you'd like, please.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yes, you can find me everywhere at My name at John Marco Seresi. John Marcos. Spelled with a G. G, I. A John Marcos Suarezi. And I'm on tour. I'm just traveling around the country. It's called the Leaning In Tour. And I post about it everywhere again at jamarcusarezi. And I got a podcast called the Downside with Joe Marco Suarezi. So if you look up the Downside, you can watch it on YouTube or subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right, so let's get to know you a little bit first. Where are you from originally?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Potomac, Maryland.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. Yep. You know, I got love for anybody from Maryland.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Potomac was very boring.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. How long were you there, though?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I mean, I. Well, my parents were divorced, so kind of in D.C. for a couple years on my Mom's side, but Potomac at my dad's side forever. He's.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, okay. So you really grew up in Maryland? You didn't bounce out of Maryland after?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right, so let's talk about it. So your parents were. What did they do? What did mom and dad do?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

So my mom was a lawyer. I'm not sure exactly what she covered, but one time I did an event where someone from Exxon Mobil recognized her and she liked. So not necessarily the good. I mean, maybe that's why I haven't asked more. And then my dad, he's always been. He's like a. I guess entrepreneur is the right word. But he had a company that basically their main thing was oil spills, which was like a big thing.

[Ryan Sickler]

Hold up. Are you for real?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. Like, if it was something, Mom's repping.

[Ryan Sickler]

Exxon and your dad's cleaning the shit up.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I never put that together, but yes. Are you never. Hey, that's. That's the union. Holy shit. I did not.

[Ryan Sickler]

These two are in cahoots.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I was like, how did they meet? Probably at a fucking convention where they're like, fuck you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

We're cleaning that shit up.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm representing these people. These are good people. An accident happened out there in the ocean. Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think college. There's not a lot of. There's not a lot of, like, convos about, like, how I met your dad.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

You know, those. Those. So I never got little pictures. That's all I have.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right, so Mom's an attorney for. Who we assume is representing Exxon. Dad is an entrepreneur who has a company that cleans up oil spills.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

In the. In the oceans and stuff.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

In the. Anywhere. In the ocean, I think. Anywhere, though. And. And. But he's like. He works. He likes. It's like a mix of the construction business and the, like, chemical cleanup. But now he does scrap metal recycling under the same name. So he, like, Rob Brothers. He deals with, like, you know, workers. And in Maryland. In Maryland, D.C. virginia.

[Ryan Sickler]

What's the yard called?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Oh, God. I don't know what. It's still called Remac, as the company. I don't know what he calls the yard today.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'll bet you he knows exactly who that is.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Re.

[Ryan Sickler]

Mac.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Rematch.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're going to look that up.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure, sure. Give us some work.

[Ryan Sickler]

It'd be hilarious if they've bought stuff from each other, because I have a good friend and my brother both do scrap metal. One in Maryland and one in Delaware. They do. They own junkyard.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

You'll have to ask. We'll see if it's a positive review or if it's that fun guy. I wouldn't put it past it. Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

So that's what mom and dad do. And they divorce when you're how old? Young.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

You know. I stayed seven days, but I think it probably like four months, five months. But I.

[Ryan Sickler]

Baby, baby, baby.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Definitely no memories.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No memories of happiness.

[Ryan Sickler]

And are you 50? 50. You spending time with both parents? Mostly mom, mostly dad. Like how's that work?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

They did. There's only you spell it out. So be it for starting a cycle. Mom. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Dad's Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Mom's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Dad's Thursday, Friday, Mom. Saturday, Sunday. So that was the cycle. And I think at the time my dad got the better deal. And it was bad overall because I was either at my dad's for the weekend, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So we could go do something. Every time, every time.

[Ryan Sickler]

I see.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But I don't know why the fuck they did this or they didn't change it. But I would spend Thursday, Friday with my dads and then I'd go to my mom's on Saturday, Sunday. Which just kind of fucked up. If you want to go on a trip or anything. It really. And it fractured my sense of weekend. So it was bad. I don't know. I don't. If I were to, I'd say week, week. That's how you should live life. If that's what you're gonna do. Week, week.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's interesting. Cause my daughter we have a 4, 4, 3 schedule.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Really? Tell me.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, sorry, I lied. 2, 2, 3. So it'll go. I'll go Monday, Tuesday. Her mom will go Wednesday, Thursday. I'll go Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And then that week flips next week.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Well. Cause that's an improvement. At least the full weekend.

[Ryan Sickler]

You get the full weekend. And then we work together too. If I'm like, hey, I wanna take her to on a back to Maryland to visit relatives or whatever, then you know, it's not a problem. It's not like, well, those are my days. None of that. We did.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Those are my days. We did. Those are my days. We did a lot for a lot of. Oh, it just felt. The complicated one was if Monday was off. So if my dad had Memorial Day, Saturday, Sunday, he'd say, well, the day is off. What are we doing? And there was a couple awkward like in the living room. Is mom picking me up or am I staying here? Am I going to have to make a choice? There was always this, like, looming. I didn't like spending time with my moms, partly because my stepdad was very strict and my dad would always drop a. Like, if you want this to change, you could maybe testify. I think there was some kind of implication. There was some fear in my head as a kid of I'm gonna be asked to testify and I'll just say I wanna go to my dad's and hurt my mom's feelings.

[Ryan Sickler]

Going to court, first of all, for a kid then and. And have to speak is terrifying.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then you're gonna hurt your mom's feelings.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

Or your dad's. It's a lose, lose.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It was gonna hurt my mom's at the time because my dad. It's one of those very classic where my dad was like, the good guy of my childhood, and then I get older and I'm like, oh, you were the instigator for so many of the bad things. So that was. I had a full narrative switch as I became an adult. Yeah. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's a fight club. Okay. All right, so wait, so they sp it. Let's talk about mom remarrying first. How long. How long before you have a new stepdad or a stepdad?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

She dated here and there, but again, she got married probably when I was 3 or something. Because my sister and I have the exact same birthday and she's four years younger than me.

[Ryan Sickler]

Get the out of here. Are you serious?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

You guys have the same birthday? Same birthday, same moment, same mom, and four years apart.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's fucking. That. What are the odds of that? Have you ever looked that up?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, that's a lotto ticket odds.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But people are. More. People are having sex. I thought it's like in the. As it gets a little colder. So what would August be? That'd be November.

[Ryan Sickler]

I don't know.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

If you're trying to get with my mom, I think November's the month to get.

[Ryan Sickler]

But the land on that day is you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Why this four days after that later. Yeah. And I swear, if he had been born in that fucking day, I would have been pissed. It is not cool to share a birthday with a family.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, I'm a twin, so I have a. I have a shared birthday.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

But I couldn't imagine having to share because I feel like that one would make me feel like. No, fuck you. This was mine first.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

This was mine.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Now you come along. It's hours. Fuck that. When you come out of the gate, within hours, there's Nothing you can do about it.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

But to have to now share your birthday and your mom.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And my mom could have clenched a little harder and maybe.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know what I'm saying? Like, just get to midnight.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, just get to midnight.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wow. Okay, so you have. So what? You have two.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Four younger half siblings.

[Ryan Sickler]

Four younger.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Three on mom's side, one on dad side.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay, so dad had one, too. All right, so we'll stay with Mom. So mom marries this guy.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Marries this guy. He was a lawyer for my dad at some point in his career. I now, I don't know.

[Ryan Sickler]

Listen, for people who deal with oil, there's a lot of slippery shit going on in your story, bro. I gotta tell you. So wait, mom again, reps potentially Exxon?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Potentially.

[Ryan Sickler]

Potentially.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

At a low level. At a very low level.

[Ryan Sickler]

But she's on that side.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Well, no. So then she. My dad asked her to quit to raise me. So I think she. Whatever trajectory she was on, she stopped, per my dad's request, to raise me. They got divorced because he was cheating and.

[Ryan Sickler]

And then she ends up with one of his attorneys.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, I don't know if it was like, he was. Like, they were still working together, but they definitely met. They had a history because of my dad working with this guy.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wow. Okay.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But he, again, like, my dad was. He was just a. He was just like a serial cheater. My mom caught him on a. So someone went to my mom and she said. At a party, she said, my husband thinks your husband is cheating on you. Like, she passed along a message, no proof.

[Ryan Sickler]

A stranger, a friend, someone who knew.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

My dad, who worked with my dad. And, you know, they had talked and my mom was, like, pissed. She was. You know, you get mad at the messenger. Also, there's no evidence. So someone's just saying, like, I think she calls my dad. This is what I've been told, you know, later she called my dad, said, a friend saw you with another woman at a restaurant. Lie. And my dad goes, I'll be right home. So just. She felt it. She was pissed because something in it resonated. Did a full. Like, someone saw you with another woman. And my dad felt a moment's notice, just said, I'll be home. They had their fight. My dad said something like, I'm never going to change. That was kind of the line. I'm never going to change.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you hear this stuff, or is this told to you?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

This is told to me later by my mom. Way later. Way later. I think my dad. I don't know if I ever asked what instigated the breakup? But my dad would always just paint it as like, they just didn't get along. So. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And how was the. Your. How was having a stepdad and how was he?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It was very different. My dad. My dad was like, fun and loose and let me do whatever I wanted. He was a bachelor, so we were having fun. And my stepdad, he was very strict. He was born in Ohio. And I think his family was shocked. There's some story of him telling his Catholic family, like, I met a woman, get ready. She's Jewish, divorced and has a kid. And they were like, it's just shocking. And like, why? Why make it so hard?

[Ryan Sickler]

Why?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Why make it so hard? It's hilarious.

[Ryan Sickler]

Why?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I just felt like he was. He was extremely strict. I don't know. Why.

[Ryan Sickler]

Was he harder on you than your other siblings?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, because there was like, there was a boundary of like, he can only be so hard because again, with custody and with a kid, there is always the possibility that the kid could say, I want to go to dads. And depending on how big that gets, it could become a problem. I've seen. So he was extremely. With my sisters, he would do the lightest form of physical anything which was present your hand. Then they would. And he'd go. And I don't even know if it hurt. But he had built up the shame very strongly. But he would never do that to me. So he was kind of hamstrung in that event. And maybe that made him harsher in certain respects because the most he could tell me to do is to go for a timeout. But he was not. We weren't allowed to watch the Simpsons because he saw on the news the Simpsons was subversive, whereas my dad's. I was watching Species and just R rated movies out of too young an age, probably. So it was a real. Like, my stepdad was the enemy of my childhood. He was just strict.

[Ryan Sickler]

Exxon. He's Exxon.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure, sure. Pretty much.

[Ryan Sickler]

And so did you have a relationship with him, though? Or was it more like just sort of a. You know, he was scared.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Like, he had a weird thing where, like, certain things would bring him to this really fun side that was kind of shocking, was board game type stuff. He would do this thing he called a Beanie Baby hunt, which. Where he. Beanie Baby was really popular. And he would hide one in the house and he would write out this like elaborate scavenger hunt clue system all around the house. And it's. It's crazy because it was this like artistic expression from an otherwise extremely. People would describe him as on the spectrum. I don't fucking know. But I mean, like, just very incredibly focused on just lawyer stuff. He was an intense, intense lawyer. And so. And then moments, he'd have this beanie baby hunt and suddenly he was like an artist and he was writing poetry and clues. And it would be incredible because that was so much fun. But I think.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you ever see any, like, sort of intimacy? And obviously I don't mean anything gross here, but you're between him and your mom. Like, were they huggy, kissy, lovey dovey at all?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No.

[Ryan Sickler]

So he was very.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, he would do like. He would do a kind of like, you know, a spank now and then in a way that. And my mom in no way was like, ooh. It was just like. There was not a lot of love between.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, I think holding hands in public, things like that. Do you remember at least.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, no. Holding hands. I think they were. I think they had a sex life. Cause I walked in once on him.

[Ryan Sickler]

No, you didn't.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, like, right. Like right before in the middle or something. But I remember distinctly.

[Ryan Sickler]

How old were you?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

How. Seven, eight.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. Young. Okay.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I just remember my stepdad answering the door or being at the door looking so mad at me. And only later it clicked. I was like, oh. Cause like he was finally. Finally getting a blowjob for the first time in three years, I guess. And then fucking. I have a nightmare. Some guy who looks like your wife's ex.

[Ryan Sickler]

He's, like, about to ruin your birthday. Motherfucker. I got one for you nine months later. Oh, man. But so you never had. He was never a guy you could go to and talk to about life or no problems or with school or grade, none of that? No.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I mean, he drove me to school every morning.

[Ryan Sickler]

More of a caretaker, would you say?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. I mean, he'd talk at you. He would talk, like about, you know, work or politics, but I didn't feel comfortable sharing.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I was so. I was such a.

[Ryan Sickler]

You weren't watching sports with him or whatever it was. Bonding with him in other ways.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, I wasn't a sports guy. I think if I had been, maybe he likes comedy in his own way. And I wish we had found that.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. That have been.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But he was strict. He wouldn't let. It was the Simpsons.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is that South Park? What I want to say this is, is he. And he's this way with your sisters as well. Not just you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

He was. And you. You Watched the breakdown. And then the fourth kid, my brother on that side, you know, got. He was watching South Park. I was going to say it breaks down. It breaks down.

[Ryan Sickler]

You can only fight for so long.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It's. It's a losing battle.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. And did he and your father get along? Did they ever spend any time, like have to spend time together or anything?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

There was, there was a couple like, let's pretend it's okay Thanksgivings and that's funny. And my dad was like, he was nuts. He was nuts. And I remember the last one. I don't know if my dad brought one of his girlfriends or whatever, but my stepfather did the hand slap thing to my sister because she was like playing with her food. And my dad confronted, said, that's crazy. She was just playing with her food. And parents, when parents critique each other's parenting, I feel like that's gotta, that's gotta feel really personal, I imagine. And that was the last one. So there was just. It never was nice. Never. And I. And I think behind the scenes there was, you know, custody fighting. There was a lot of alimony fighting. I'm sure a lot. Is that at alimony with. Yeah, I'm sure there was a lot of that that I wasn't privy to at the time. So it just came off like, why aren't you guys getting along with my dad? He would call. We'd have like hour long phone calls every day. We were just so close. And I think whenever I was there, he was either working during the weekdays, he would spend all his time with me in a bad way. Like I didn't go out and meet friends because we were always watching Seinfeld.

[Ryan Sickler]

Wow. Is that right?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, he just never, he didn't have any friends. So when I went to my dad's for the weekend, which as I said, was pretty much every weekend if you think about it. I would just be there and we would just be on the couch in our underwear and a wife beater, as we would have called it, and just watched the Seinfeld Naked Gun and that was it. So he didn't have a lot of friends and wasn't good at socializing. And those Thanksgivings were probably. It's a fool's errand to pretend.

[Ryan Sickler]

And are you close with your sisters?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

A lot closer. As I've gotten older, two of them live here and I saw them and there's only been a couple times with. It's very different relationships. The three on my mom's side and the one on my dad's side. Because she went back and forth, too, so it just took longer. But my siblings. I love going over your childhood trauma with your siblings and hearing the different angles and what they saw and what you didn't. It's so much fun. So much fun.

[Ryan Sickler]

You've done that and you remember. Do they remember things you don't?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. And they had such a different experience because I was going back and forth. In a way, I do mourn or I wish I had what it could feel like to have a full sibling. Not because of the blood of it all, but because you spent that much time together. My siblings on that side, I'm sure it was frustrating because, I mean, if they had struggles with their parents, I got a break from it. In their mind, I didn't have to deal with this part of stuff.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, you're lucky. You get to leave for three days.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. And so I think they'll always have a bond that I can't connect to. I think my oldest sister and I have, like, a bond that is very special because, you know, there was a brief moment where we were each other's only sibling. So there's like, there's just those errors of your life that you can't recreate in any way, shape, or form. And so I really. I really. As I get older, I love my siblings much more deeply than I knew how to fully when I was, you know, kid, or even when I was in my 20s, in my 30s, I'm like, oh, this is, you know, you think this is the fam. This is the partners I'm going to have as our parents get older and dealing with, you know, sickness, death. And so I love them. I love my siblings a lot, but I didn't really hit me until my 30s, I think, kind of just how special.

[Ryan Sickler]

I say that all the time. Like, it's a long game. You don't figure it out till later, and then you look back or even you have kids, you're like, how the fuck did you do all that?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And my. My. My sister on my dad's side, it was just more distant because basically my dad, when I was like, a teenager, started dating someone. It was an accidental pregnancy, and then they got married. It happened very fast, but she was. For my all intents and purposes, I saw her as my stepmom. Legally. They didn't have a. A wedding. They had a fake wedding. I don't know why. I don't know whether that was just for the pomp and circumstance of it all, but she was my stepmom. To my mind. And then one day, at least when I was a kid, my perspective was she just started sleeping in the basement. And as my dad painted it, like her family was fucked up and she was just going a little bit crazy. I don't know if you use the word crazy, but definitely was like, she's just childhood trauma. He would use therapeutic terms. He'd weaponize them in a way to not say, she caught me cheating. And so she just was like this.

[Ryan Sickler]

Why is she in the basement?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Because I think she was. So she was pissed. I've never asked her directly, but she was probably just pissed. Found out, said, I don't want to be here anymore, but didn't have a place to go. Maybe they'll work it out. When my mom and stepdad split up, that was also the same thing. She stayed in the basement for almost a year. Over a year.

[Ryan Sickler]

Your mom?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yes. Because in Maryland, and I don't know if this was overturned, but at the time, to file for divorce, you had to live under separate roofs for a year and apparently not have sex in that year. That was part of the law.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're 100% right. It's an old law. Crazy still on the books. Because they say a lot of people will, you know, rethink it or decide they may not want divorce. They don't want to, you know, back the courts up. So you do have to be one year. Here's the other one I did know it's one full year unless you prove infidelity. And I had a friend of mine who hired a PI, got the photo he needed, and then he was able to get a divorce immediately. He didn't have to wait the year. I didn't know about the sex part though, which is interesting.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Don't you. Well, don't you think, though I understand it's painted as you might change your mind, but don't you think that it's just kind of a watered down form of. What's that term, no fault divorce. You can't get a divorce unless you prove something where. Like it's in the benefit of the patriarchy in the sense of whenever it started, men were probably more often the breadwinner. So you're a woman, you want to get divorced, you have to live under said roof for a year. Where. How are you going to buy that? How are you going to pay for that? So you've essentially, it gives a power to the money earner, which with my mom, she could have been a money earner, but my dad, the previous marriage got her to quit, hence the whole system. And so I feel like that law has to be originally because some guy didn't want a divorce. And let's say that she lived under another roof. And he said, can we add a thing that if I say that we fucked, it doesn't count. I mean, it all feels very in favor of.

[Ryan Sickler]

I believe Maryland, I believe, is still a very old Catholic state.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It's like the first state. It's gotta be old school.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know, a lot of rules that benefit the old school. Bullshit. Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

That should. Yeah. Okay. So when does dad meet the lady? He. You said you viewers or stepmom?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I was. Yeah. I was middle school. So what's like sixth grade?

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Eleven, maybe. Ish.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So they're not dating. You say this was just sort of a fling and she got pregnant?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, I think they dated. My dad had, like, a lot of girlfriends.

[Ryan Sickler]

And you would see them meet him. Okay, so you're meeting all these ladies or.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

She. He was dating my kindergarten teacher for a little bit. Did he really? And again, here's like, another double of.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's messy.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It was messy, but she was cool. She was a cool teacher.

[Ryan Sickler]

Very messy.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Like, I was very. I was excited. Of course, there was no downside of. I never. As a kid, I was like, well, I'm worried. This is kind of disrupting the orders of my life. But then the way my dad painted again was that my mom had her fired from the school. Now my mom says they were passing each other messages via my lunchbox. And one day she picked me up from school and opens her son's school box, and there's a message. Who knows what it says? I doubt it said, like, I can't wait to you. But it was just like, she's like, this is wrong, and reported it to the school. And.

[Ryan Sickler]

And they fired that lady.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

They fired that lady. And my dad, again, painted it that my mom was just kind of just a bitch. Just like these. These. These fucking. Oh. Oh, they. They have. Oh, what's wrong with this? The fact that it's a kindergarten teacher.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is what makes me laugh about it. Like, that is wild shit. Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I mean, those.

[Ryan Sickler]

We just need to get you through. We got to get you to read it. Write and learn the Alphabet. And you got love notes going in your lunchbox.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

So he. He just. Like, I had women who are, like, in my life and then would just disappear. And sometimes there would be a. There was one very specific woman who. I remember we went in the car and we used to play Monopoly all the time. And she said. She said, I got a promotion at work and I'm probably gonna be a little too busy to be here as much anymore. And I remember saying, oh, can we still play Monopoly? And she foolishly. But who could blame her? She was like, yeah, I'm sure, someday. And then years later, I saw her at a Rite Aid with another man and a baby. And I think, again, it was like a weird. Like, oh, that's what happened four years ago. And I didn't really put it together.

[Ryan Sickler]

Did you say hi or anything? Or did you just see her?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I feel like there was a high, but it's. It's uncomfortable, I still feel, with my ex stepmom or another. Another woman that my dad dated for a long time, like six years. And we had a relationship. And then it still is a little bit strange to see them. It's hard to just have a relationship completely outside the context of dating. My dad, we could complain about my dad. It's like, we don't even know how to talk about my dad. Because for them, it's their ex. And people have all sorts of. Some people view their exes as people, and some people view their exes as like, this fucking vile. Vile, which is so poison, which I always find. I loathe that. And I think I loathe that because I see the consequences if you have children or if you have a community. And, like, why do you need to think like that? You're so full of shit. Where people talk about their ex and I'm like, well, you. You. You stayed with them for four years. So it's a reflection on you, what you're talking about. If you hate them, you hate yourself too, or what you were. Were you pretending you were. So I loathe. Obviously, there's. Sometimes exes do things that are worthy of hatred. But I've just seen both sides. I've seen both sides too intimately to buy any single narrative.

[Ryan Sickler]

So when does it shift for you that your dad's a shit stirrer? When does that sort of present itself? And I think. Why.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think the real breakdown was so him and my stepmom got divorced.

[Ryan Sickler]

I'm sorry, Real quick. They have a child though, right?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yes. So one of the reasons they had that wedding perhaps is this accidental pregnancy.

[Ryan Sickler]

You have a brother or sister with them.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

A sister.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you have all girls. Are you the only boy?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I got one brother at the bottom.

[Ryan Sickler]

Of the baby brother.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, but there's two sisters, and then that's the baby.

[Ryan Sickler]

Got it.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

He's the youngest. Youngest.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

The baby they tried to have to save their marriage.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. Are you close with your sister from your dad?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It's very complicated because I think they had their own custody battle.

[Ryan Sickler]

And also I know people are going to be like, shut up, Ryan, let him answer. But what's the age difference at this point? It's like 10, 11 years. Right. We're talking about sixth grade issue.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yes.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay. So that's what my, my daughter and her brother are. 10 year difference.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure. And that's obviously that takes time to get close. It's just a kid, but it was, I think what happened is my dad and his ex had a custody battle over her that was very intense. The levels of it that I believe Ready, set, gift.

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[Gianmarco Soresi]

Autotrader occurred was that they got joint custody. My dad appealed because he wanted full and then he lost all. That's how I was told it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Okay.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I think I witnessed a couple things. I think my dad, especially when he lost all custody and saw her, you know, once a week, two days, two days this one afternoon, the next, was so desperate to be the fun parent that he spoiled just the ever living fuck out of her in a way that I think he did with me. But suddenly I'm the older one and I am completely in service of like entertaining this three year old girl. So what movies we see, what we do, where we go, it's all kind of to keep things good for her. And my dad is like always determined, like, I need both of you together. He wants to feel this thing that he calls family. And for him it's his two kids being there at the same time. So everything was together, everything was in the service of her. And suddenly my dad, who had like spoiled the shit out of me, spoiled me, let me do whatever I wanted, be as lazy as I wanted, eat whatever I wanted, watched movies with me. Suddenly all he was worried about was this little girl. And it made her kind of very bratty. Very like we would go to dinner and no matter what, she just wanted butter noodles. And my dad would, no matter what, just give it to her in a way where I would just watch it even at a certain age and going like, what are you doing? You're spoiling this child. You're gonna fuck her up. Like you never challenge her to do anything and she's gonna suffer for it. And I knew that because I was suffering for it. I was suffering that I got to quit whatever thing I wanted to. And I was never pushed. And I felt my shortcomings in high school.

[Ryan Sickler]

So. Can we talk about that for a second? You like, I hear you getting passionate about it. So yeah, you actually you regret or you would have rather been pushed?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Very much. So, yeah, I had to become. And I'm.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about that.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think, I think I was, I was. I consider myself lazy, but it was a developed habit. And so I would.

[Ryan Sickler]

You said, for example, if you said, all right, I'm going to play soccer. And then you start playing soccer like, I want to quit. Quit your dad Wouldn't be like, nope, you. We made a commitment that you're a team member. We're gonna do.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I quit the swimming team because I said the pool was too cold. And my dad. My dad. Out of here. There was no. There was no, well, maybe it's important. And I used to think it was because my dad spoiled me. I think it's because my dad said, yeah, you know what? I don't want to drive you here every Saturday either. Let's get the out of here and.

[Ryan Sickler]

Go watch tv instead of being like, let's build up some metal here. Let's toughen you up a little bit. Let's commit. Let's show you what. Get what. What commitment is and schedule and routine and.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And so you.

[Ryan Sickler]

You would have liked that.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I would have liked it. I think that's why I'm a little bit crazy today, because I think I hit an age where I realized I had to be my own pusher. And so I'm that voice in my head in a way that, you know, I can be a worker. I could just work every second of my goddamn life. And I think it's because I hit an age where the desire to, at the time, do theater, I felt it so badly, and I was like, well, to do that, I'm going to have to work my ass off because I haven't practiced anything. And I had to become my own neurotic voice of push yourself. Come on. I had to become that for myself because my dad certainly wasn't. And I think it was his version of his family. Sounds like they were. I mean, his father sounds like he was a monster. And again, I'm only getting one angle of it. I've never talked to a man who's loved him, but he had a second family that he left my dad's family for. There was physical abuse, as often was, and, you know, Catholic schools, nuns hitting. And I think my dad was like, I'm never going to do that to my kids. And you think he overcorrected that? Overcorrected. But also, like, I think he thought he was doing that, but he also was lazy and narcissistic. And so he thought, like, it was very easy for him to go, oh, he doesn't like swimming, as opposed to acknowledging, oh, I don't want to do anything on a Saturday because I'm depressed. And I think if I ever had a kid, it would be the opposite struggle of, like, let them have fun, let them go, chill, let them relax, because I so wish someone had pushed me To, I don't know, stick with piano. I don't know, just do a sport. Fucking A. Like, do a fucking athletic something daughter.

[Ryan Sickler]

Right now, like, she loves soccer and she's really good at soccer, but now she's doing gymnastics and she's doing this cheer and she's like, I've been saying this. Like, she's like. She's in the back of the car the other day and she's like, did mom tell you we're not going be able to do soccer this year? Because I was a soccer player and I love soccer.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And I go, we're not. How come? She's like, well, because it overlaps with cheer and gymnastics. And I was like, okay. She's like, okay. I go, yeah. She's like, man, mom thought we were going to have to have a family meeting.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Oh, really?

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, listen, bro, we've never had a family meeting. I go, this is what you think we're going to have? I go, no, but I said that to her. I go, here's the deal. I do want you to play a team sport. I want you to understand what it is to be a good teammate. I want you to understand what it is to be a good loser.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

I also want you to understand what it's like to have a shitty teammate. Somebody that does let you down and that you can't count on. I want you to know the difference between good coaches and, hey. Some bad ones.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I want you to see where you're like, this coach sucks compared to the one we had. It's a microcosm of life and it's a commitment we're going to make. And there's a schedule and there's a routine and I want you to love it. But the minute you and take it seriously, and the minute you don't, then we're done.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

We're not going to quit in the middle of it. We're going to ride it out. If you don't have a passion for it for the next season, okay, that's fine.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

But we're here. We made a commitment. We're sticking to it.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And she's in all in and loves it. So now I just go to cheer and gymnastics. I don't give a shit.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I just want her to be happy. I told her, you don't need to do shit. I did.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

You know, like, I don't care.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Oh, gymnastics if I wish. I wish I did gymnastics. If I could be one of those people that just, like, does a backflip and Just can do it. And like, it's been 10 years. I'm like, okay, let's do it.

[Ryan Sickler]

We always talk about the kid that could do the flip. There's always like one kid, like, ah, anywhere you went, the kid did a flip and get a party started or whatever.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, yeah. It's funny. I'm sure there's a phase like in the beginning, the moment they get that backflip, they become the most annoying human being in the face of the earth. Everywhere they go.

[Ryan Sickler]

Watch this, guys.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

There used to be a comedian, I can't remember who it was, and he would close the set with the backflip.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Dylan Adler.

[Ryan Sickler]

I don't know.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

He does a backflip.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well, if he's still doing it, then it's not Dylan Adler because that's what we thought about. Like, bro, you ain't going to be able to keep closing on that.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

Not forever.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

Sooner or later you're phasing the flip out. You know what I mean? You got to like, it's cool.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Closing. You were at the show where it finally didn't work, where he didn't quite make that flip on your back and knock out.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Oh, man.

[Ryan Sickler]

But I, I'm with you. I hear you on that. That's interesting. So. So then you have to become your own, basically your own hustler and figure out how to turn what that is, turn that gear on and tell yourself to keep fucking going.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, I think I just ain't too cold.

[Ryan Sickler]

You should have a shirt, bro.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Ain't too cold.

[Ryan Sickler]

Ain't that cold. Yeah, full. Ain't that cold.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I only think it's because I loved, I loved performing so much that it made me just figure out how to become a worker for that.

[Ryan Sickler]

So you found passion. I mean, that's a big part of it too. Like, hey, I'll this, I'll do this shit for free. I love this.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, I was always, I, I was always into theaters from like, I knew I wanted to be a performer since I was so young. I feel like in first grade I would have told you, like, I'm gonna be an actor.

[Ryan Sickler]

You never did plays or anything in elementary school?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

No, I did, I did some. I did. Like, but that's where I found it. Like I did, I did the Princess and the Pea and there was like one moment where I said, I love you to maybe the Princess. And at the time all the guys would go like, talking about girls. And I did it on stage, like, you know, And I remember it got A laugh. I'll bet. And I wasn't. I didn't even consider myself a comedian. I really considered myself an actor. It wasn't till later I really felt differently. But I remember that laugh. I remember in third grade, we did a French play for French class, like during assembly called Strega Nona, which was a kid's book where the noodle maker will only teach women. And I wanted to learn. So I dressed up like a woman and I put on that dress for this assembly. And it just fucking crushed. I remember it crushed. And it crushed so hard that they said, oh, let's have them put this on for the upper middle school. So that was the lower school, crushed kindergarten through fourth. And so then they had me perform it for the fifth through eighth graders. And in fucking tanked. And I remember. I remember I was like, what Saved into comedy. Interesting. And I'm in third grade, so I don't. I don't understand. I'm like. I'm like something. What the fuck is going on? This thing gets laughs. It really understanding the difference of that. And I had. Before I was a standup comedian, certainly, I had a couple plays in high school. I did a show called on the Razzle and I was the comedy butler. I was buttoned up. And I remember we did a matinee. We was bombing. And at intermission I started crying and I said, why aren't they laughing? And it's like those lessons. I didn't even really make the connection to stand up until now, where it's like those lessons happen because I was a part of those things at such a young age. You have it in your. The same way where they're like ball control skills. It's the kid who's been doing it for 20 years, just casually, like. I think that got in my DNA of the pain and the love of being a performer.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, there's no doubt. There's no doubt. And it's funny when you look back at life about how you realize, like, oh, this was just prepping me for this.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Like, I wish I could look. I feel so. I'm so mad at myself for going to college and for musical theater.

[Ryan Sickler]

Why?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Because.

[Ryan Sickler]

Where'd you go to college?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

University of Miami in Florida.

[Ryan Sickler]

Oh, shit, you're a hurricane.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah. I went to one football game. We lost 39 to negative five, and I never went back. What would make you go to a.

[Ryan Sickler]

School like that, though?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

There was a musical theater program and there was a teacher who really. He was like. He brought me to the show when I Visited and said, you see that guy? The leading man? I want you to be the leading man here. And I'm like coming in my chair and I didn't get into nyu. I only got into a couple conservatories.

[Ryan Sickler]

I didn't know that Miami has a good acting school.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

It had. I mean, I'll shit talk it. It had. For a really brief second it seemed like it might. It's no Juilliard. It's. No, it's, it's. And then it kind of in my, like the head of the school left and they had a new chair search. And so it really was in the worst chaotic element. And no, I would not say it has as a good program. There was a couple. There was a couple good teachers there for sure, but it was a mistake. It was a mistake. I wish I'd become a comedian earlier, you know, and I wish I could. I'm not someone who's able to just go, well, all those. Well, if you didn't do all those things up to 27, then you never would have been who you are today. I still long to have started down this path when I was younger. Starting at 27 still feels like, damn.

[Ryan Sickler]

That'S when I started.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

I mean, I told you outside 20, I dabbled and then life happened. I didn't get to start again until 27. And I wish I started earlier too. I feel like when would you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Would you have wanted to be like Chappelle? 13 year old?

[Ryan Sickler]

No, when?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

What age?

[Ryan Sickler]

No, I feel like, I mean, when I started at 20, I think that would have been fine if I had kept going.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

I feel like I would have loved to have had that seven years of just again, stage experience, what a crowd experience before I came to la. It would have been nice to have a seven year, you know, experience under my belt before I came here and really started doing comedy.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I wish, I wish. I basically started stand up. I did between junior and senior year of college. I did a class at Caroline's, Caroline's Comedy Club in New York. So I did like an acting school and I just did that. And then I went back to college. I like did an hour of like the dirtiest. The dirtiest hour for all my peers. Just every time I had fucked up to that point, it was going in the actual. And it wasn't until years later that I realized standup was like. Right. Was just kind of the thing that I was looking for. It took so long to find it. So long.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, but think about what you're Dealing with in life before people don't. I don't know, a lot of us don't give ourselves enough credit. We're going through so much to then be like, what do I want to be? When you're just trying to be like, I want to. Can I get to tomorrow as a person?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

What do you want to be in your group? I don't know. I just, I'm trying to figure out who the I am today. Yeah, I want to do that again tomorrow and try to be a better thing of that. What do you mean, what do I want to be? Sure, you know what I mean.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Sure.

[Ryan Sickler]

I don't know. You don't find it out till later.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think college is such a. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about that.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I, you, you want to go to these colleges because they, they really present it as you're going to get real training, you're going to become like, really talented. And then at the end, they never really explain how they're going to go from that to working in the business. And I think, first of all, some of these teachers, they do not have four years of curriculum in them or you don't need, you don't need three years of voice and speech classes three times a week. That's insane. They run out of things to do, so they're just fucking around. And ultimately, like college, the more important aspect is the community aspect of it. You're meeting people that are going to be involved in your life, whether it's your direct career or your life or general. You're making that web. And to go to like a small conservatory where you're going to go and just get to know nine people really well, seven of whom will no longer be in the industry that you're in at the end. It's such a waste going away for four years as an artist. I just remember when I graduated and I, you know, I got some meeting with some fucking little manager and they said, you're a little bit old to have no TV credits. And I was like, well, it was impossible to have TV credits. And I'm sure they sucked. It doesn't matter. But they didn't set me up. They didn't set me up for this world. And I needed to be meeting people, learning my lessons, not being stuck for four years. An arts degree is foolish, especially in today's world. And I'm of the era, a little bit before social media, but especially when social media hit, you go, no one cares about the training anymore. Now I still think people should be trained, and I hope we all, I hope, I hope all our media fucking dips to a point that we all go, jesus Christ, could someone train someone before they put them in front of a fucking camera? Everything I watch sucks right now. I hope we go back. But all that training for four years, being isolated and just trying to fulfill the whims of a couple teachers who worked Once in the 80s is a fool's errand. And you suddenly you're in New York with no one, no friends, no connections, no anything. And I loathe it. I think the arts is too unstable of a business and too chaotic to spend four years anywhere. I love training. Two years, two years tops, bro.

[Ryan Sickler]

Listen, I'm with you on the college thing. Like I went to college. I've got a four year bachelor of science because I fucking even in mass comm. I started as a, I wanted to do physical therapy. So I started with human anatomy, physiology, all these classes and I was like, man, this switch to mass comm and I end up with a bachelor of science instead of arts. And I'm lucky to work in what I do. Most people don't even work in the major that they major in when they get out. So I told my daughter's mom, we talked about it, and I was like, I don't know about college. Like if my daughter wants to be a doctor or a lawyer, something that you have to go to college for 100%. But if she wants to be an artist or an entrepreneur, I could, I would rather, because I did community college for two years, got the associate's degree, then went to the four year. I 100% agree.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think it depends what kind of.

[Ryan Sickler]

Kid, like two years is it?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Again, these are institutions that have to pay bills, all that shit. So they overdo and you're taking these courses, blah, blah, blah. But if I could go back and do it again, I would have gone two years and I would have made myself a little more well rounded. I would have gone and taken maybe a business course so I could learn a little bit finance instead of just all diving into this one thing. It's like, well, what I'm. I don't know about this over here.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

My dad told me to take an accounting class and I was college for musical theater. I said, absolutely not. I need to take, I need to take ballet 301. Are you insane? 301. I need to take ballet 301. And if there's one thing I don't think I've ever told him and I really should, if there's one thing that he was right on the money. It was like, I should have taken a fucking accounting class. It is bad, dude. It is bad. I can't believe it.

[Ryan Sickler]

My 40s, I just started learning. I was like, I don't even know what to do with this stuff. I would have loved to take a business. I would have loved to take it on some sort of entrepreneur clan. Any of those, I would have just. Who cares about? Like, I. I just had this goal. Like, you got to get that paper, that certificate that says we did this.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

No, you don't.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And here's the other thing. I want to go back to a point you made, like, for this agent or manager who said, you're a little old to not have any TV credits. Okay. Right? Yeah. And now, what the fuck's tv?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Of course. What's tv? Of course.

[Ryan Sickler]

You see where life goes.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

What's tv? Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

What are you talking about?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

You don't even need them.

[Ryan Sickler]

Just. I got YouTube right here. What do you mean, TV?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Of course it's over.

[Ryan Sickler]

So that also just shows you that no one really knows where the fuck anything's going.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But that's why. That's why I feel a kind of an anger towards the institution of musical theater degrees. Unless you're at college where, like, you go to Michigan, that showcase, everyone's going to be there and you could start a career. But anything that less than that, I go, you are lying about what you're able to provide over the course of four years. You're bullshitting me a little bit. And you're not going to prep. You're not going to prep me. And I remember they would do shit where there was a woman who got onto so youo Think youk Can Dance. And she was in the ensemble of hello, Dolly. And they were like, well, you can't do it because you're in the ensemble of Dolly. And you look back and you're like, you fuck. How fucking dare you? She's on one of the biggest reality shows right now. And you were saying, you need to be in the ensemble of hello, Dolly. Go fuck yourself. And there's those kinds of micro things that I go, these institutions, they need to be broken apart. Or we really need to be honest about it. Because high schools were at least mine. They didn't specialize in arts degrees, so they didn't know how to inform my parents. My parents don't know what the fuck's going on. I think I know what's going on. Cause I'm a kid. And I wanna pursue this and I get tricked. I think we were duped and I feel a lot of resentment at those schools. I would love to be hired or to make a speech or maybe I'll just do it one day of telling high schoolers like hey, you wanna get into the arts? Let's just explore what the array of options are from someone who like. And again my view is probably dated. It would be better if I was 24. But someone needs to warn these kids that a lot of these four year programs are them just going to go into debt getting older in an industry that just values youth and that there's certain aspects of a four year program that they are wasting their time and ugh.

[Ryan Sickler]

Well look, I can't tell you how many people I went to college with that I was no parents. I'm fully supporting myself. I'm on. They're like are you claimed on your parents taxes? I'm like no I'm not. I mean I had to fight to be an individual in my community college. Once I established myself as an individual. I watched all these other students that got the financial aid and stuff and the free books and stuff never show up. I knew him. I knew her. They're not in class, but I'm here, I'm here every day and I'm doing it consistently. And you're not giving me the, the same respect or help that I deserve. Because why? Right?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

So then you go like you say you're in debt for it. It's just a. I don't know, it's. It's an archaic system. I think that any person who would say well you have to have this piece of paper to work for me. Well again, sure. Bum over there that showed up half the time he might have squeaked by with that piece of paper. You're going to take that guy over? This guy or lady who fucking hustles, who's really going to show up? I'm with you. I'm nervous about college. I'm nervous about it.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And I had two siblings. Two of my siblings, they were in college during COVID and my God, did they get fucked. And they had to spend still so much money. The break. The amount of money they took off for your fucking zoom. College was humiliating. People didn't revolt then Bro, don't even get me started.

[Ryan Sickler]

I was a homeschool teacher during the pandemic.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And all you parents who did it, there's they we should have 100% had a tax write off.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Uh huh.

[Ryan Sickler]

Also not teacher now Give me a tax break. Can I get a 10% tax break for that? I got to stay home and teach my kid like you, dude, thank you very much for doing this. Hey, it's been a pleasure to talk to you. I love your passion and as I mentioned to you off camera before I ask everybody advice and this is going to be interesting because you've thrown out a few regrets and things here, so. Advice you'd give to 16 year old you.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Yeah, I mean, I already did the college one in full.

[Ryan Sickler]

You really did.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think it's really about to do something athletic and to like find something I enjoyed. I came close with Dance Dance Revolution. Like, that was the closest I got to like, I was moving, but I just, I hated sports because I was so bad. I was just. It's. You look back like, yeah, I hate it of course, because I couldn't do it at all. And it's like just to find something physical. Maybe yoga, but something.

[Ryan Sickler]

Swimming could have really been good.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Swimming could have been great. If they would get a fucking heater for that pool, I'd be there. But it's too cold.

[Ryan Sickler]

You've got a swimmer.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I think I have sensitive skin. I really do. I want to get tested because I really do think it's worse than other people. It really is. But yeah, I do do. Do something. Do some. It doesn't have to be a traditional sport. I think that was the problem is I viewed it as like, it's gotta be soccer or baseball or basketball and I suck at aiming.

[Ryan Sickler]

Do you think it's too late now to pick up pickleball or something like that? That's really hot for you right now.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

I should. But it's one of those things where it's like, you know, I do yoga and stuff. Like the moment I do an athletic thing, that's when I get injured immediately because my body's not used to it. I dream about basketball. I think it would be a lot of fun, but maybe martial arts. I want to learn how to fight. That would be. I got to learn how to fight. I got to learn.

[Ryan Sickler]

Why are you planning on getting your.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Ass whooped here in the coming days? Because my girlfriend's like, she's a. She's a fighter.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is she?

[Gianmarco Soresi]

And not trained, but by the streets. She. Before I knew, someone stole her phone and ran. She. She tackled him to the ground and got it back.

[Ryan Sickler]

Listen, I'm not even doing that. I don't mind fighting, but I'd be like, you can have Adam.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

But she's. I know she's going to one day there'll be a confrontation and the expectation is that I'm the warrior and that's what I got to get ready for.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right. Yeah, great advice. Promote whatever you'd like.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Again, find me everywhere at John Marco Seresi. I'm touring all over the country constantly and my podcast. Listen to it. The downside on my YouTube or Spotify or anywhere you get podcast the Downside with Joe Marco Serrese.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right man. Thank you very much. Thank you as always. Ryan Sickler on all your social media. Come see me on tour. Tickets are on my website. We'll talk to you all next week.

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[Ryan Sickler]

You're pretty smart when people talk about you. Too smart comes up a lot. So why are you trying to prove them wrong? Why aren't you pushing the limits of science and powering the nuclear engines of the world's most powerful Navy? If you were born for it, isn't it time to make a smart choice? You can be smart or you can be nuke smart. Become a nuclear [e-mail] nukesmart America's Navy.

[Gianmarco Soresi]

Forged by the sea.