The Wayback #58 | Rachel Feinstein

Summary

Episode Summary: The Wayback #58 | Rachel Feinstein

In episode #58 of The Wayback with Ryan Sickler, host Ryan Sickler welcomes acclaimed comedian and actress Rachel Feinstein for an engaging and heartfelt conversation. This episode delves deep into Rachel's nostalgic memories, family dynamics, and formative experiences that shaped her comedic voice today.

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Introduction and Welcome

Ryan Sickler kicks off the episode with enthusiasm, expressing his admiration for Rachel Feinstein's work. He warmly introduces Rachel, highlighting her Netflix special, Big Guy, and encourages listeners to watch it:

"Go watch Rachel's special. Go see her on the road. She's one of the best out there doing it." (01:52)

Rachel responds graciously, confirming the correct pronunciation of her last name and reiterating the promotion of her Netflix special:

"I have a special out on Netflix. It's called Big Guy. Watch it." (01:42)

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Childhood Memories and Family Dynamics

Family Car Adventures

Rachel fondly reminisces about her childhood, particularly focusing on her family's red Datsun station wagon, affectionately nicknamed "the bulldozer" by her father:

"That was our wagon. My dad called it the bulldozer." (03:02)

She shares a humorous yet chaotic memory of her father accidentally tipping the car on its side:

"Fully over on its side? Yeah. How does it tip on its side?" (03:39)

Rachel recounts how her father, Howie Feinstein, would attempt to revive the overturned car by revving the engine persistently, much to the amusement and distress of his children:

"My dad, the Dawson, fell fully over on its side, and my dad just kept revving the engine like he was gonna hit the car back up again." (03:39)

Disciplinary Methods

The Feinstein household was anything but typical, with Rachel describing her father's unconventional disciplinary techniques:

"My whole childhood just was in half nelson. I feel like I was never not in a half nelson. It was so irritating." (17:42)

She humorously details how her father would hurl his children as a form of discipline, leading to memorable (though embarrassing) incidents:

"When my brother was... he would take his dirty sock on. This would happen when I get off school. He take... he would take his sock off, roll it up into a ball, put it on my face... do some sort of countdown." (18:07)

Rachel also touches on her mother's role as a social worker and her attempts to moderate her father's extreme methods:

"My mom... you can't throw them like you used to, Howie. You can't throw them both." (20:29)

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Family Vacations and Hershey Park Chaos

Trips to Ocean City and Rehoboth

Rachel describes the Feinstein family's vacations to Ocean City and Rehoboth, primarily revolving around outlet shopping to satisfy her mother's penchant for brand-name purchases:

"My mom wanted to go outlet shopping. She wanted to go Claiborne Outlet." (13:07)

She humorously reflects on how these trips were less about relaxation and more about shopping frenzies:

"If you're from Maryland or that little pocket of the eastern coast, a vacation is driving to Ocean City for a week." (13:24)

Hershey Park Mayhem

One of the most vivid anecdotes Rachel shares involves a disastrous trip to Hershey Park. The day begins with excitement over chocolate chip pancakes, a rare treat for Rachel:

"We get chocolate chips and pancakes. No sweets." (20:13)

However, the outing takes a chaotic turn when her father's habitual hurling leads to a public spectacle, resulting in an ambulance visit:

"We were ordering the chocolate chip pancakes... all of a sudden, my dad's laying in this booth... the ambulance calls... he was laying like this, like screaming in a tiny restaurant." (21:15)

Rachel details the family's embarrassment as onlookers watch the Feinsteins' distress unfold, culminating in her father being wheeled out in a stretcher:

"Everybody's just blinking, just watching all of this, just like, what the... What the heck is going on with this family?" (22:44)

The episode captures the blend of humor and pathos in Rachel's recounting, painting a vivid picture of her unconventional upbringing.

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Jewish Sleepaway Camps and Unsettling Encounters

Camp Louise Experiences

Rachel recounts her time at Camp Louise, a Jewish sleepaway camp that provided a backdrop for early social interactions and friendships:

"We would have a dance with the boys camp. I made a friend and we would call each other lesbian lovers." (25:37)

She shares the innocent beginnings of friendships that later took unexpected turns, particularly involving a campmate who became an obsessive stalker years later:

"She ended up stalking me and like sending me a lot of crazy messages. I had to get a restraining order." (26:51)

Rachel humorously reflects on her brother's reaction to her stalking ordeal:

"My brother thinks it would be really funny to get a sweatshirt made that said, 'I'm on Annie's side' because of the courtroom." (28:11)

Despite the unnerving experience, Rachel maintains a lighthearted tone, discussing the complexities of her relationships formed during her camp years.

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Early Life Challenges and Transformative Moments

Academic Struggles and School Experiences

Rachel opens up about her academic challenges, including being pulled out of middle school due to failing grades:

"Before I was finally pulled out because I was failing." (07:02)

She also shares an embarrassing moment from her childhood when she was interviewed at the beach, proudly declaring her nationality only to be laughed at:

"I said, 'I'm from the United States of America,' and everybody laughed. I was like, wait, why are you guys laughing?" (14:49)

This incident marks one of her first experiences with public ridicule, shaping her understanding of social interactions.

Sibling Dynamics and Personal Growth

Rachel discusses the intricate dynamics with her brother, who was deeply influenced by wrestling from a young age. The revelation that wrestling was scripted led to unexpected behavioral changes:

"When they found out that it was pretend... he went into some sort of like depression." (18:07)

She humorously describes his exaggerated reactions and routines, highlighting the lasting impact of their father's disciplinary methods:

"He'd put his sock off, roll it up into a ball, put it on my face... do some sort of countdown." (18:07)

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Conclusion and Promotion

As the conversation draws to a close, Rachel Feinstein reiterates the availability of her Netflix special, Big Guy, urging listeners to watch and support her work:

"I have a special out called Big Guy. It's out right now. It's on Netflix." (29:10)

Ryan concludes the episode by congratulating Rachel and encouraging the audience to explore her comedic endeavors:

"Congrats on everything. Go watch Rachel special for sure. Big Guy on Netflix." (29:26)

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Notable Quotes

• Rachel Feinstein on Dad's Car Tipping Over:

  "Fully over on its side? Yeah. How does it tip on its side?" (03:39)

• On Being Disciplined by a Half Nelson:

  "My whole childhood just was in half nelson. I feel like I was never not in a half nelson. It was so irritating." (17:42)

• Hershey Park Ambulance Incident:

  "He was laying like this, like screaming in a tiny restaurant." (22:44)

• Stalking Experience:

  "She ended up stalking me and like sending me a lot of crazy messages. I had to get a restraining order." (26:51)

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Key Takeaways

• Rachel Feinstein's upbringing was marked by unconventional family dynamics, particularly her father's unique disciplinary methods.
• Family vacations, while often chaotic, provided memorable experiences that Rachel reflects on with a mix of humor and nostalgia.
• Early social experiences, including time at Jewish sleepaway camps, played a significant role in shaping Rachel's interpersonal relationships.
• Despite facing challenges and public embarrassments, Rachel developed a resilient and humorous outlook, which is evident in her successful career in comedy.
• The episode underscores the importance of embracing one's past, no matter how tumultuous, as a foundation for personal growth and professional success.

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This episode of The Wayback with Ryan Sickler offers listeners an intimate glimpse into Rachel Feinstein's life, blending laughter with poignant reflections. Through candid storytelling, Rachel illustrates how her unique experiences have forged her as a comedian, making this episode both entertaining and inspiring.

Transcript

[Ryan Sickler]

Guys, we have a new tier on our Patreon, and it includes exclusive bonus content. Listen up. Right now, for just $5, you get the Honeydew a day early. You get it ad free, and you get a full bonus episode of the Honeydew with you all, where listeners highlight their lowlights. And it's gonna stay that way. Five bucks. And for just $3 more, you're also gonna get the Way Back a day early. And. And ad free. But that's not all. You'll get exclusive bonus content with the guests, some fun segments, maybe some games, and we'd love to get you guys involved. And that's all for only $3 more. And there's no censorship on any of the Patreon episodes. Subscribe now. Hey, baby, we gonna be here all day. We gonna be here all day, baby. I like this kind of party. Welcome back to the way back, everybody. I' Ryan Sickler. Ryan sickler.com and Ryan Sickler on all your social media, thank you. As I say in every episode, thank you for supporting me and whatever I do this show. I'm loving this show. I'm having so much fun. So many of you on the road are coming up. Like, I'm loving the Way Back, and I love to hear it. Also love our guest on here today, ladies and gentlemen, very excited to have her on here. Please welcome Rachel Feinstein.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Thank you for having me. No, but it's okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

God damn it. Hold on. Is it how. Say it.

[Rachel Feinstein]

It's Feinstein.

[Ryan Sickler]

God damn it.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

Hold on.

[Rachel Feinstein]

I like that. He kind of yelled at me. Say it. Oh, my God. Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rachel Feinstein.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Thank you for having me. You've got it right that time, Ryan. Yes. It's Rachel Feinstein. I have a special out on Netflix. It's called Big Guy. Watch it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Go watch Rachel's special. Go see her on the road. She's one of the best out there doing it. And I got a special place in my heart for you because you're a.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Maryland girl, a Merlin girl.

[Ryan Sickler]

And I want to first, I always usually ask people, did you ever, growing up, sit in this seat? Did you know anyone that had this seat in the back that faced out the window?

[Rachel Feinstein]

What kind of car is this?

[Ryan Sickler]

This is just the old Caprice right here. But any station wagon ever that you sat in the seat, this was the vibe for sure.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. Like, it was stuff like this. Yeah, we had. We had a. I'm not name dropping, but, you know, we had Dodson.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah. You mentioned on a Honeydew Go watch your honeydew. I wanted to ask you about this. You had a Datsun. Do you remember what it was?

[Rachel Feinstein]

We had a red Dotson. All right, you guys, so off my dick.

[Ryan Sickler]

Was it a sedan or a way.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Obviously generational wealth. Okay. It was a station wagon. I forgot the difference. It was a station wagon. It was a red dots in the station wagon. And none. That was it. Oh, my God. How'd you do that so fast? But it was, like, more maroon. Can you look up maroon Dotson? That'd be fun. Yeah, that's what it looks like, huh? God, what a piece of that car was.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's your wagon right there.

[Rachel Feinstein]

That was our wagon.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah, that was our wagon. My. My dad called it the bulldozer. I don't know what it was accomplishing. It wasn't, like, a big car, but my father once. So, you know, I have, like, a Jewish dad. They're not known for their, like, you know, physical prowess. You know, they're more. He, like, couldn't operate a fuse box, didn't know how to fix our car. Open it up. So. And I remember one time we went over to my friend's house. Oh, that's my d. Yeah. We went over to my friend's house, and my dad, the Dawson, went fully over on its side, and it.

[Ryan Sickler]

What?

[Rachel Feinstein]

Fully over on its side? Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

How does it tip on its side? Right?

[Rachel Feinstein]

I don't know, but the Rubinos are gonna have to answer this. Maybe they'll call in. We can go to a caller. But my dad, apparently, this is a famous story in their home because Howie was, like, the Chevy Chase of our area. So he was always doing something dumb. He always had, like, snow on top of his head. Being interviewed by the local news or some. So apparently my dad, the Dawson, fell fully over on its side, and my dad just kept revving the engine like he was gonna hit the car back up again.

[Ryan Sickler]

Like it was gonna.

[Rachel Feinstein]

She said her dad was like, calm. Howie's outside. You guys have gotta see this. Get to the window. And they. They were screaming their kids. And they were like. By the way, they were in my dad's band, the Vomitones again, name dropping again. But they were all like, get to the window. And apparently she said my dad would just kept revving and revving, and they were all just crying, laughing. But my brother barfed in that many times that he called it. It then changed the name to the Feinstein Barf Mobile. And I remember that I would go in the backseat of The Datsun. And for some reason, there was this commercial. I'll definitely age myself. But Tawny Catain was like. I don't know if I'm saying her name right. Do you remember her? Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yes. Rest in peace.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Okay. I didn't know she passed away. Okay. And there was another movie.

[Ryan Sickler]

If you don't know who she is, she was the White Snake girl. She's the lady that danced on the jack.

[Rachel Feinstein]

She was really hot.

[Ryan Sickler]

Of the White Snake. And she was in Bachelor Party with Tom Hanks.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yes. And I thought she was really hot. Her and Kelly LeBrock.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Okay.

[Ryan Sickler]

Science.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. Weird science. So I wanted to look like her and have, like, that big hair. And there was. I think it was like a shampoo commercial with Kelly LeBrock. I'm not sure. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Yes.

[Ryan Sickler]

Don't.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Don't hate. Doesn't you have an accent? It was like, don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Yeah. So I just used to try to talk in my mirror, like, Kelly LeBrock. And then I would. I decided that for some reason, I thought it was cool. I think my friend told me this, that you have to. If you want to look hot to men, you have to put all your hair over to one side of your head and kind of go like this. I have a picture of myself doing this. I'll send it to you. And go like that. And kind of like, that was the expression. So I would just, like, like, press.

[Ryan Sickler]

Up the messy hair.

[Rachel Feinstein]

That's what I do in the backseat. That was from Kelly LeBrock. And so I would.

[Ryan Sickler]

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yes, I'm beautiful. And then I would go to look at the guy, whoever was driving behind us, and I would try to do this sexy look. Okay. Can you imagine some guy child. Yeah. And like, this guy's trying to get to Target, and then he's like, what the hell is this girl? And by the way, my parents knew about this game so much, and that. That my dad would just hit me when I was doing it. Like, there wasn't any deeper discussion of why is she, like, just hitting on strangers? But my dad be like, stop playing sexy. He knew what I was trying to do, which is fascinating to me because, like, he's. So. That's what I'm through.

[Ryan Sickler]

Sexy.

[Rachel Feinstein]

And I. I would just, like, hold it until I'd see a guy look at me. Like, my brothers. I had brothers. They were playing with action figures, and I was just sitting There like this, like just glaring at strangers. It was so disturbing. But that's what I do in the back seat of the Datsun because I.

[Ryan Sickler]

Want to be like Kelly LeBrock on the honeydew. That that thing was all started falling apart. And yeah, you had to get in.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Dotson was jacked making a mistake.

[Ryan Sickler]

You're to high school. And you would have to climb out of the back.

[Rachel Feinstein]

So humiliating. None of the doors worked at all because my would just. She would just go to any mechanic and believe anything they said.

[Ryan Sickler]

She'd be like, how are you getting in and out?

[Rachel Feinstein]

We would. Okay. None of the doors worked. And then there was only one door that worked which was in the back. But it. The springs on the door didn't work so it slammed shut. So my dad took a broomstick and he would put it in the back of the Datsun and that's how we had to climb in and out of the Datsun, which was by the way very dangerous too. Like any of us could have gotten a limb cut off in that thing. And that's how he would drop me off at, you know, Tilden Tilden Middle School. W.J. before I was finally pulled out because I was failing. But that's how he dropped. Dropped me off at school is he would put the stick up in the back and the Dotson and he had a lot of. He had a lot of like kind of lines that my dad would have about why we had to spend no money on anything. One of his was he would be like, hey, if it's good enough for a cowboy. And I'm like, that doesn't make sense at all. Also, cowboys don't drive Datsuns. Yeah. He'd be like, hey, if it's good.

[Ryan Sickler]

Enough for a cowboy, it's good enough for us either.

[Rachel Feinstein]

What he would say when he would just like burn our breakfast cuz my mom was at work. He'd be like, hey, it's good enough for the cowboys. And I'm like, what's, what's you been a cowboy? Your name is Howie Feinstein? Yeah. You can't like ride a horse. That was his answer for everything. And then also for birthday parties, we were only allowed to get $3 or no, I think it was $7.50. My dad said, hey, good enough for the cowboys. I'm like, do the cowboys really have a specific budget? Yeah. And so what are you getting for seven? Nothing, Ryan. Nothing. So then my friend recently showed me like a. A video from her birthday party when we were kids. And it Just says everything about, like, why I became a comedian. Because the. The kid was opening all these presents. Just delightful things. Cabbage Patch Dolls. All her dreams are coming true. And then Rachel Feinstein's present. What is she open? I think colored pencils. And then she was looking around for the second gift. And you can see in my face. I'm like. You could see the anxiety. Like, I'm gonna need to hold a room hostage in Tampa because of this moment. Make them listen to me. Yeah. And then I just read. I come over to her, and I just started rubbing her back. Like, I thought, that's what I'll do. I'll just soothe her instead, since all I have is, like, pencils and markers for her. Because my dad was like, hey, it's good enough for the Cowboys. Cowboys good enough for Kristen Paisik.

[Ryan Sickler]

All right, You're a Maryland girl. We mentioned talking before you and crabbing as a kid. Where would you guys go?

[Rachel Feinstein]

We.

[Ryan Sickler]

How would you do it?

[Rachel Feinstein]

So I don't know the names of the restaurants, but we would go to Ocean City and Rehoboth, and those were. Those were some of our vacations. And we would. I remember we would go out with the whole family. My dad was very spastic. He didn't really, like, teach us how to eat crabs. I just remember that things were. I don't think he was doing it right. You know, people watched us in restaurants a lot because we were just that mess of a family, you know, like, I came late to my own bat mitzvah. You know what I mean? Like, was the vibe we were crapping. Like, we needed a lot of help. It was definitely like, you know, when they take, you know, like, very mentally ill kids on, like, a special day field trip and help them, like, streamline them into main society. That was our family. Like, I always just wanted, like, a normal dad that smells reasonable. You know, my dad had a theory that you don't have to wash denim. He's like, good self cleaning.

[Ryan Sickler]

Self cleaning.

[Rachel Feinstein]

It's not. It's not true.

[Ryan Sickler]

Never heard anybody. If it's good enough for the.

[Rachel Feinstein]

It's good enough for the Cowboys. Again, I'm like, you're Howie Feinstein. You can't name check the Cowboys. You're not a cowboy. Yeah, like, it's self cleaning. Like, he was just. We just. Yeah, like, it just. My dad still has. What's it called? What's the thing? The Walkman. He's a Walkman still? Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Got one right over there.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Wow, you have a Walkman.

[Ryan Sickler]

Grab it. Kirsten you mind?

[Rachel Feinstein]

And those striped socks, you know, that men had in the 80s. Yeah. Like two stripes. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

This guy here, this is what my.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Dad had dropped me off.

[Ryan Sickler]

And I couldn't find. I've got the old school orange headphones with it over there, but I couldn't find. There was a yellow one, the yellow plastic headphones that went with this. And then you opened it up.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Put your cassette in there. I had auto reverse. This was a good one. This was the one right here.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. Everybody knew Howie.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, we knew.

[Rachel Feinstein]

And he'd met. He memorized every blues album, everything. And he thought there was nothing funnier than British royalty. And so what he would do is he would have these dreams about the Queen puking on different British royal figures. And he would laugh hysterically in his sleep. And my mom said sometimes he puts his Walkman on in the morning and tries to record a little song about it. He listens to a piece of music that he finds for inspiration. And then my dad would basically have these dreams about blues musicians puking on the Queen. He would narrate them in his sleep again. I wanted a normal dad, just a dad with a Ned that just mowed along one or something, you know, just. But my dad was like. He was in his sleep. He'd be screaming. He'd be like, ah, look at that. Right in the Queen's purse. And then he would rate it like a sports game or something. He'd be like, oh, that's 400 points if you puke on the queen inside her purse, which she's about to be anointed. He's like, oh, that's at least 50, 60. 60 points right there. And he would have different blues musicians doing it. Like, Sunny Boy Williamson just puked right in the Queen's hair. This is going to be huge. You know, they're going to the super bowl or whatever. It was very strange. My dad was very funny and very weird and. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Tell me about vacations. Were you guys driving family? A flying family? What do you.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Never flew anywhere now, Howie, Come on. It's good enough for the cowboys rolling in the dots. There's no Southwest. When is the last time you've seen a cowboy on JetBlue? It's not gonna happen. No, we drove everywhere. I remember farthest.

[Ryan Sickler]

You did. Where'd you go?

[Rachel Feinstein]

I'm trying to think. We did a lot. A lot of our vacations were outlet shopping. My mom wanted to go outlet shopping. She wanted to go Claiborne Outlet. I believe it was in, like, Redner, Pennsylvania. I don't. I mean, if that's Google, there's one.

[Ryan Sickler]

On the way to the beach too.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah, so we usually just stop for at least one night so my mom could go outlet.

[Ryan Sickler]

That's what I try to explain to people, at least on the west coast. And any you out there, like if you're from Maryland or that little pocket of the eastern co east coast, a vacation is driving to Ocean City for a week.

[Rachel Feinstein]

It's Ocean City, you're flying the Grand.

[Ryan Sickler]

Canyon or any you're going to Rehoboth or Ocean City or Delaware somewhere down there for a week. And you're gonna walk the boardwalk, you're gonna hit the outlets, you're gonna have some meals.

[Rachel Feinstein]

And you guys went outlet shopping too. Yeah, that was our vacation. It's always built around the outlets because my mom wanted her friends, Liz Claiborne stuff or whatever. So we go there and then Delaware.

[Ryan Sickler]

Is no sales tax.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Which by the way, it's really funny that you say that because my husband, when he proposed to me, he said he wanted to ask my dad's permission. And if you watch my other podcast with Ryan, my dad's not particularly protective, but I was touched that my husband wanted to do that. And I was like, that's swee to drive down and ask my dad's permission to ask me to marry him. He goes, yeah. I also got the new iPhone tax free in Delaware along the way. So there was that too. I'm like, you're not supposed to tell me that part. He's like, come on, it's tax free. Yeah, that was the main reason, I believe that he wanted to drive down there. But. But yeah, we would go to, to Rehoboth. And one time we were on, we were on the beach, I think it was Rehoboth or Ocean City. And they were doing like a, a morning, I don't know, some morning news, like fluff piece about kids on the beach. And they stopped and interviewed me with my family. And I was like very excited for my big interview. And I think they said, where are you from? And I said, the United States of America. And everybody laughed. And I was like, wait, why are you guys laughing? I'm from the United States of America. And that was kind of my first experience of like getting a laugh, you know, but it wasn't for the right reason. Like I was trying to figure, I was like, wait, how did that happen? You know, Were they laughing at me then? I learned later, yeah, they absolutely were. They probably still are. A lot of the Time. But, yeah, that was my first laugh. The United States of America. I was, like, so proud. And everybody laughed, and I'm like, wait, why are you guys laughing?

[Ryan Sickler]

What about camps? Did you sleep away camps? Did you go to any summer camps?

[Rachel Feinstein]

We did. We went to. Let me think here. So sleep away camp we went to. Oh, wait, before I say the camps, the other vacation thing I forgot to mention as we went to Hershey Park. Did you ever go to Hershey Park Park? Yes. Okay. We went to Hershey Park, I believe my mom.

[Ryan Sickler]

Big Park. Super Duper Looper.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

That was the roller coaster. They sold a shirt. I had it. I survived. The Super Duper Looper T shirt.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yes.

[Ryan Sickler]

That was, like, black, I want to say, with white. Right? God damn, you're making me think of.

[Rachel Feinstein]

By the way, that thing was terrifying.

[Ryan Sickler]

It was. Now it's nothing.

[Rachel Feinstein]

That traumatized me when I was a kid.

[Ryan Sickler]

And they also, if you remember, this is Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they make all the chocolate. And right next to it is the Hershey tour.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

And we were just dumb kids. And we would go by and I'm telling you, Rachel, at the time, they. We. There was just. Just chocolate open area. We're spitting in it. People are throwing change and shit in it. And the next year we went back, there was glass up. There was definitely glass up. But we would do the Hershey tour. Yeah.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah, we did it. Yeah. It's funny. It's funny because, like, I remember that, like, looking at the big kids and they were doing stuff like that, and I was like. Like, I think I was maybe 8. We did the Hershey Tour. And I was like, wow, the teenage. Remember you looked at teenagers and you were like, they're so exciting. I remember that. We were like, in. I think it was Giant grocery store. And they. And I saw a teenager put their hand into the candy and, like, take a. Meanwhile, like, five years later, I was tripping on acid, but I saw them, like, come in, like, take a handful of, like, raise the deaths. And I was like, mom, that's a robber. Like, in my mind, that's what a robber is. And I was like, you have to call the police. That's a robber. And she's like, no, it's. There's sort of small robber and large robber. What? I was like, okay. But I remember. So exciting to see, like, a teenager do something that wasn't, you know, like, rebel. Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah.

[Rachel Feinstein]

But, yeah, we go to. We went to Hershey park, and my dad, I think people. He used to sort of give us A throw. When we were in trouble, we were always hurled. Now we. He wouldn't like really hurt us, but if we were doing a bad thing, you just pick your body, you feel your body get picked up and just hurled like. I just knew my brother was always wrestling me. He was obsessed with wrestling. So I was. My whole childhood just was in half nelson. I feel like I was never not in a half nelson. It was so irritating.

[Ryan Sickler]

I love that you know what a half nelson is too. You were definitely in this.

[Rachel Feinstein]

And my dad sexy. Get her out of the nelson. Get her out of a nelson and stop doing sexy. So I was always in a nelson. My brother by the way, favorite son cuz you know that was like their whole world. So when, when, when my brother found out that like, like by the way, I think it was that WWF wasn't real. By the way wrestling is kind of real. Like they're still doing it.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yes.

[Rachel Feinstein]

But when they found out that it was pretend or whatever, he went into some sort of like depression and we all had to have quiet time all day. And I'm like, why? Because this found out that like his wrestler isn't always doing everything in the moment. I'm like wait, the whole house has to go into mourning. But that's what the first son is like. They just loved him so much. Mom's like just let him do the headlocks. He just figured out that some of it is rigged. I'm like, excuse me. When my brother was. When whenever he would like find me, he would take his dirty sock on. This would happen when I get off school. He take by the way now he's like the lovely, the most gentle guy. He would take his sock off, roll it up into a ball, put it on my face and then do some sort of countdown. He'd be like 10 not. I'm like, what the. There's no. Nothing's gonna happen. I'm just gonna be laying still with the same sock in my dumb face. You know he's always like narrating everything like it was a wrestling match much or he would do. He put me in under the pool at ymca. He would put me under the water and be like Chinese water torture. And then he would just make these like Chinese again, this is a kid being racist, so don't give me. But he would just make what he thought was Chinese sounds. He'd be like hi. And then just make this bad weird in his 10 year old mind like what he thought Chinese sounded like. And he'd be like hana like Chinese Sock torture. No, it's just yourself. Don't drag China into this. It's just your sock. And you'd be like, hola. Say not. You have to do your Chinese water torture. And the way I got out of these different things was I would had to bring him a constant stream of cereal while he was watching wrestling. So what would happen is I'd be in the middle of doing a bad thing. And as I was this week in Hershey park, and my dad picked me up and. And hurled me and picked Justin up and hurled him. So the second hurl, we were usually hurled towards safety. But that's how you found out you were in trouble. You just, like, your body was like, hurled, and they put you on the three on the couch. And so he threw his back out throwing my brother. Okay. And my mom was like, they never questioned that throwing us would be the best way to handle these conflicts. My mom was just like, you can't throw them like you used to, Howie. You can't.

[Ryan Sickler]

You can't.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Not with your back. You cannot keep hurling Justin like you used to. You're getting older. So it's not that this is not the same. Nobody questioned is giving out was the best thing to do with us. I was always thrown, always. And my mom wants to just throwing.

[Ryan Sickler]

Your kid, like, sanity to me.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Like now I'm like, I overthink. Never heard of that. I overthink every aspect of how I talk to her. I'm like, I have to fill her with my parents. We were just hurled. Forget. They didn't have the time. They were, like, working too much. We were just hurled. And so we were in Hershey, back in Hershey Park. My dad threw his back out hurling Justin. So then we go to. This was little adorable. It was like a little cabin restaurant. But again, we were just. We didn't fit in, you know, we were that Chevy Chase kind of family. So we were in the back of this restaurant in Hershey park, and we were ordering the chocolate chip pancakes. We weren't allowed to have sweets when I was kid, so this was so exciting. I should get chocolate chips and pancakes. No sweets. So now I'm completely obsessed, and I always want to have snacks.

[Ryan Sickler]

Park, for God's sake. Yeah, yeah.

[Rachel Feinstein]

So we were. This was exciting because we were going to allow be allowed to have chocolate. So we get there. My mom was always in some kind of like, slim, fast, no fat, 80s fad diet. We were at the back of this restaurant, and then all of a sudden, all of a sudden, my dad's laying in this booth. Like, he just dropped. He. He was like, ah. He started making these weird, like, man cries, you know. He's like, ah. Then. And I guess he had some kind of back spasm. And that's what my mom was like, I told you not to throw him. Throw one or the other. You can't throw them both.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yes, you can't. Can't do two anymore. It's still okay to discipline like that. But dial it back.

[Rachel Feinstein]

I got. She goes, when you remove one from the conflict that she. You're not allowed to refer to it as a conflict, by the way, if that's your resolution for it. She's like, when you take one out of the conflict, you don't need to hurl the other one, so don't hurl them both, Howie. You're showing off with the second hurling. So she was like, this is what happened because you hurled Justin and Rachel. And then he was laying down in the booth at Hershey park, screaming. Everybody's staring at us now and again. We're always that family that was getting looked at, you know? So everybody's looking at us. And then all of a sudden, my younger brother takes his entire cup of milk and pours it slowly because he was 2 on my dad's head. So now we have this man, like, down in a booth. Howie Feinstein is there with his big Afro and white stuff all over his head. And then they called the ambulance.

[Ryan Sickler]

No, they did not.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Hershey park ambulance called.

[Ryan Sickler]

This is a terrible Hershey park trip.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Ambulance called. And he's laying down in the booth. And then the ambulance calls. Takes my dad out on a stretcher. Everybody's just blinking, just watching all of this, just like, what the. With this family? And then my dad just gets taken out. My mother just sitting there. She was probably just losing her mind. She's a social worker with, like, three young kids. She just started slowly crying as she's eating. And we all just finished our breakfast. Breakfast. And then she goes up to pay the bill. And there was this glass case. I remember in this restaurant, you could see all the big chocolate, the special things you could get, you know? And so there's big, huge, giant chocolate kiss and all these special chocolate things behind glass. And I looked at my brother, and he was like, we were a team every once in a while, you know what I mean? And he was like, if mom's ever gonna let us get, it's gonna be now. And I'm like, yeah, you're right. You know? So we kind of we got on the same team for a second. We knew she was, she was broken down, you know, she's basically drunk. She let us do anything at this point. And so somebody like, ma'am, somebody's paid for your breakfast. Of course. Cuz they must have felt so sorry for our mess of a family. So then my mom started sobbing. My brother was like, now go. So I was like, mom, can we have this? This, this? She was just putting it out. Like we never thought she would say yes to these things. You know, we got our toys from Toy Traders in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I don't know if it's still open, but we had to return a toy if we wanted a new toy because. And so for me, like, like, you know, I would have to. It was like the Sophie's choice of toys. You'd have to say goodbye to something you weren't ready to. I got a toy, a Barbie, and she had like eyeshadow on her cheek. Like she looked like some. She been an abusive relationship. And I would just put foundation on her. It was like one of those Barbie makeup heads. So that was it. My dad went to the hospital. We got all the chocolate. My mom said yes to everything.

[Ryan Sickler]

What's the matter with him? He just had to get. Just get.

[Rachel Feinstein]

You just had like a back spat him because he's through. Through us.

[Ryan Sickler]

The ambulance came. That's so embarrassing.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Ambulance came. He was laying like this, like, you know, like screaming in a tiny restaurant. It was like a little family, you know, like Wood country restaurant. Imagine that. Just that. Everybody in that tiny space just watching us, like enjoy their breakfast together. Yeah, so that was that. Yeah, that was our Hershey park experience. And then we got my dad from the hospital later. They brought him out in like a wheelchair. We were like. Yeah, like we were cheering. We were such a mess. And then we went back and my brother probably puked in the car and that was it. So Jewish camp.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, tell me about Jewish camp. We went sleep away camps or sleep away camp. Okay.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. So there's like a brother and sister camp. My camp was called Camp Louise. What Camp Arian Louise? Yeah, that was our kid camp. We would go to camps. One legacy, it was boy camp and a girl camp.

[Ryan Sickler]

I see. And how old are you when you're here? Middle school, elementary school?

[Rachel Feinstein]

No, younger. Probably like 11 or something. And I remember that we would have a dance with the boys camp. I made a friend and we would call each other lesbian lovers. I don't even think we knew what lesbian was. We just Was like, we're lesbian lovers just because we were friends, you know. And I would do, you know, try to make her laugh and she was very funny. And we would hang out together and then we would have a dance with the boys. Dance school and, or camp. And then we would all, you know, try to make out with the boys. And I think they chose her instead of me, strangely enough. And she'll never see this, so I guess I can say it. Then she started. She was the hot girl in school, okay. And my brother like loved her. Everybody loved her. She was that blonde, blue eyed, perfect looking Jewish girl. But look like she was kind of waspy. It was like just the perfect cocktail but like still like kind of smart, swarthy, mediterranean, like looks at the same time, but blue eyes. Anyway, everybody was obsessed with her. Later she ended up kind of stalking me and like sending me a lot of crazy messages. I had to get a restraining order.

[Ryan Sickler]

What?

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yes. We ended up years after seeing her at this camp. We ended up in the same high school. And my brother was in love with her. He thought she was so gorgeous. And later on she stalked, started stalking me. And I told my brother, guess who's been stalking me? And then, you know, let's not say her name. And then my brother is like, no way. Like I had the biggest crush in her. I was like, yeah, it's getting a little weird. So I end up having to get a restraining order. My brother thinks it's so funny that this hot girl was stalking me.

[Ryan Sickler]

He's like, can I ask you, how do you, if you have a restraining order against someone that goes to your high school, how do they manage? Managed to stay away from you.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Oh no, this wasn't the restraining order. Wasn't until like I was like in my late 30s. What? Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

It went that long?

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yes. Oh yeah, this. Oh man, clarify all of this. So I knew her in Jewish sleepaway camp. I saw Ice Bump. We ended up in the same high school many, many years later when she's. We were kind of friends in my. I see early 20s. And then maybe 19, 20 actually. Then, then many years later she saw me on tv. She was then pretty full blown into her throbbing mental illness. Started stalking me around that time.

[Ryan Sickler]

Copied it.

[Rachel Feinstein]

My brother thought it was so funny that this. Because she was so hot. How would she be stalking me? Like she's just forever the hot girl.

[Ryan Sickler]

Yeah, yeah, right. I know. That's dudes though.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sickler]

But wait, she's hot.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Yeah. What's the problem? Yeah, by the way, that was everybody's kind of reaction. Reaction. They're like, who cares? Come on, she's hot. So my brother thought it would be really funny to get a sweatshirt made that said, I'll have to change your name for this. I'm on Annie's side because of the courtroom. And then he put her mug shot in the middle. Yes. And got that made because he thought it was so hilarious. And he would kept calling me during this entire situation. She ended up pleading and there was no court. But like, during this entire situation, my brother was like, don't be mad. But I. We had coffee because he just thought it was so funny. He didn't have coffee in my stomach, but he thought it be funny to say. He's like, annie and I talked and she made some good points. And then he made that sweatshirt and he still wears it when he's like, sitting around playing video games. He has the sweatshirt of my stalkers, which shows you, you know, like where your family's from. Exactly. Anyway, Jewish Camp.

[Ryan Sickler]

Rachel, thank you for doing this episode.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Thank you.

[Ryan Sickler]

This has been great. Why don't you promote your special again for us and everybody?

[Rachel Feinstein]

I have a special out called Big Guy. It's out right now. It's on Netflix. It's on right now.

[Ryan Sickler]

And go watch it.

[Rachel Feinstein]

Go watch it. It's my first hour special. Thank you so much for having me.

[Ryan Sickler]

Congrats on everything. Go watch Rachel special for sure. Big Guy on Netflix. As always, Ryan Sickler on all your social media. We'll talk to you all next.