Ep 229: Steve Schirripa

Summary

Podcast Summary: "We Might Be Drunk" – Episode 229: Steve Schirripa

Host/Author: Sam Morril and Mark Normand
Guest: Steve Schirripa
Produced by: Gotham Production Studios, LLC
Release Date: April 28, 2025
Duration Covered: [00:06] to [37:05]

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1. Introduction to Steve Schirripa's Comedy Roots

The episode begins with Mark Normand and Sam Morril welcoming Steve Schirripa, who reminisces about his early days in the comedy scene. Schirripa shares his transition from acting back to managing comedy clubs, revealing that he "started in '86 running the Riviera" ([00:53]). He reflects on the vibrant comedy boom of the 1980s in Las Vegas, highlighting the Riviera Hotel as a hub for emerging talent.

2. The 1980s Las Vegas Comedy Scene

Steve delves into the bustling comedy environment of the 1980s, mentioning iconic venues and comedians who graced the stages:

• Notable Comedians: He recounts working with legends like Dana Gould, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, and Robin Williams. "We could go on and on..." ([00:59]).

• David Fry Anecdote: A memorable story involves Dana Gould's colleague, David Fry, known for his stint impersonating Richard Nixon. Fry's unique pre-show ritual—cooling his "dick and balls in a bucket of ice"—is humorously detailed, showcasing the eccentricities within the comedy community ([02:24]).

• Club Management Challenges: Schirripa discusses the complexities of running a comedy club, from handling star performers who struggled with substance abuse to managing logistical issues like bombastic behavior. For instance, he narrates an incident where a headliner became overwhelmingly intoxicated during a show, necessitating his intervention ([03:36]).

3. Interactions with Comedy Legends

Steve shares candid interactions with several comedy greats:

• Don Rickles: While Rickles was persona non grata in certain venues, Schirripa describes him as a "really nice guy" despite his tough exterior ([07:25]).

• Robin Williams and Damon Wayans: He expresses admiration for Robin Williams as an actor over a comic and praises Damon Wayans as "very, very funny" and underrated ([07:51], [08:09]).

• Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood: Schirripa recounts his experiences working with iconic actors like De Niro, emphasizing their professionalism. He shares a humorous audition story with Woody Allen, illustrating the high-pressure environments in the acting world ([48:14]).

4. The Sopranos and Hollywood Connections

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around "The Sopranos," where Steve discusses his role and experiences:

• Favorite Episodes: He cites "White Caps" as his favorite episode, appreciating its emotional depth and character development ([28:03]).

• Behind-the-Scenes Insights: Steve offers insider stories about filming, such as dealing with casting challenges and the influence of real-life figures like James Gandolfini's portrayal of Tony Soprano. He laments how the documentary portrayed Jim (Gandolfini) inaccurately, emphasizing his genuine and generous nature ([41:05]).

• Impact of the Series: Reflecting on the show's legacy, Schirripa highlights its groundbreaking nature in depicting a morally complex main character. He also shares his thoughts on memorable characters like Paulie Walnuts and the ambiguous ending that continues to fuel fan debates ([35:11], [75:00]).

5. Navigating the Entertainment Industry

Steve provides valuable insights into the challenges of the entertainment industry:

• Casting Struggles: He shares anecdotes about auditioning and casting, illustrating how factors beyond talent—such as physical attributes and networking—often dictate success. For example, his frustrating experience auditioning for a role with Woody Allen underscores the unpredictable nature of casting decisions ([47:25]).

• Running Comedy Clubs: Schirripa discusses the operational aspects of managing comedy venues, including booking acts, handling difficult performers, and maintaining a profitable club. He highlights the evolution of the Las Vegas comedy scene and contrasts it with today's more saturated market ([65:03]).

• Mentorship and Support: Emphasizing the importance of supporting fellow comedians, Steve recounts how he helped launch careers by giving comedians like Drew Carey their first big room performances. He also touches on the camaraderie and conflicts inherent in the tight-knit comedy community ([12:16], [21:35]).

6. Personal Reflections and Legacy

Towards the end of the conversation, Schirripa reflects on his career and personal journey:

• Balancing Personal Life and Work: He discusses the toll of hectic schedules and excessive partying during his club-running days, expressing a desire for a more balanced lifestyle now ([82:55]).

• Continued Influence: Steve underscores the lasting impact of his work, from managing influential comedy acts to contributing to iconic television shows like "The Sopranos." He also mentions his ventures into writing, including selling a book to Nickelodeon and engaging in various creative projects ([57:20], [73:09]).

7. Closing Remarks

As the episode approaches its end, Schirripa shares his ongoing commitment to the comedy world, promoting upcoming shows and tours, while Mark Normand and Sam Morril express their appreciation for his candidness and contributions to comedy ([84:25]).

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Notable Quotes:

• Steve Schirripa ([02:24]): "He has to dunk his dick and balls and ice to get ready."

• Steve Schirripa ([07:25]): "He was a really nice guy. He was really Don Rickles in person."

• Steve Schirripa ([28:03]): "White Caps... that's where she admits that she had a thing for Furio. Good work, the two. And that's a real fight there."

• Steve Schirripa ([41:05]): "I didn't like how they portrayed Jim. They made him sound like he was this raging junkie, which he was not."

• Mark Normand ([57:16]): "Did everyone know what they were up to?"

• Steve Schirripa ([73:09]): "Be yourself. This is what the show is. Whatever the movie. It's the two of you."

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This episode offers a deep dive into the intertwining worlds of comedy and acting through the lens of Steve Schirripa's extensive experience. From managing legendary comedy clubs in Vegas to his unforgettable role in "The Sopranos," listeners gain an intimate look at the highs and lows of entertainment, the importance of genuine relationships, and the relentless pursuit of artistic passion.

Transcript

[Mark Normand]

Are we rolling?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

All right.

[Steve Schirripa]

You didn't know I used to put comics.

[Mark Normand]

I. I did, but I forgot. Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Before I was an actor, Dana Gould.

[Mark Normand]

Told me a story that you actually. That you got mad at him because he went on stage with his underwear over his pants one night in Vegas. Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

What?

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. He was just trying to.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't remember, but probably. I mean, Dana worked for me a long time ago. Who. He wasn't a bad guy.

[Mark Normand]

Great guy. Great comic.

[Sam Morril]

Great comic. Brilliant dude.

[Mark Normand]

What?

[Steve Schirripa]

He was married to the girl for hbo. I pitched her.

[Sam Morril]

That's right. Now divorced.

[Steve Schirripa]

We pitched her a show. Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Who do you remember booking, who was. Who was great and who do you remember who was an.

[Steve Schirripa]

Are we on the air?

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sam Morril]

We're having fun.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know you like to beef with everyone.

[Sam Morril]

I don't want to be.

[Steve Schirripa]

Listen, I started in 86.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Running. It was. It was the Riviera, Right?

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And it was an improv.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And you know everyone. Spade, Rob Schneider, Rosie O'Donnell and DeGeneres, Bill Maher, Bells. We could go on and on and on and on and on.

[Sam Morril]

What year are we talking?

[Mark Normand]

He said 86.

[Steve Schirripa]

The 80s.

[Sam Morril]

Wow. Okay.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was in the Riviera Hotel.

[Mark Normand]

And this was like. Was this a boom? This is like.

[Steve Schirripa]

This was during the boom.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

There was a comedy store down at the Dunes, and they would have, like, five headliners. They would have, like, Dice, Jimmy Walker, you know, at the time, maybe Carol Leafa, Roseanne. They had, like, these incredible shows.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

And we. And it was a bigger room. Right. And then we had this club. It started out small. Did you know. You know, David Fry was. David Fry was a very famous comic. He did Richard Nixon. Okay. He did Richard Nixon. This was his thing. All right.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Very famous headline. Caesar's Palace.

[Sam Morril]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

Okay. When Richard Nixon was in. Okay. He was a drunk. Like, he was about like, five foot, two five, one. Okay.

[Sam Morril]

Okay.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was a drunk. He was hanging around the show.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I said to Bud, why don't we give. Throw David Fry a bone? You know, don't forget, it's Vegas. It's the 80s. We put him up on the weekend.

[Sam Morril]

Uh.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, he's wearing the tuxedo.

[Sam Morril]

Okay.

[Steve Schirripa]

He had been sober every night. I saw the guy for months.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, boy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Come in. Meet the comics. Comes in. There's a little room in the back for the comics. I go back there, he's got his dick and his balls in a bucket of ice.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, fun.

[Steve Schirripa]

And I just turn around, and I, like, did a double. I Said, what the fuck are you doing? And he says, I don't know, I just have a thing. This is my thing before stage. Now, this guy, whoa. Had been around, he was with Rodney, he was with all these guys, you could look him up. David Fry, he was a trust fund then. He was probably in his 50s and 60s.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Goes on stage, he has to dunk.

[Mark Normand]

His dick in balls and ice to get ready.

[Steve Schirripa]

His dick and balls and ice.

[Mark Normand]

Take a cold plunge.

[Steve Schirripa]

Before, I'm not kidding, he had a bucket of white. Bucket of ice.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

All right. Yeah, that's him. Okay, headline, Caesar's Palace. Very famous guy, he goes on stage, Bud comes in from LA for it. It's a Saturday night. He so, so the first show he's sober, but he just does okay. Yeah, between shows he disappears, he comes back, he is fucking hammered. I mean hammered.

[Sam Morril]

Hoping.

[Steve Schirripa]

He's wearing a tuxedo. I mean, you're in a comedy club, he's wearing a tuxedo, he's hammered. Bud Freeman brings him on, he can't hardly stand, he's gone. Bud comes on, he says, go and get him. I had to get in the middle of the show, I had to take him off the stage.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, damn.

[Sam Morril]

Hope you use different ice for the drinks, David.

[Steve Schirripa]

Wow. I mean, there was, I mean, Rick Reynolds, I mean, I'm talking all the guys that you wouldn't know. He had a one man show. Yeah, Famous one man show. San Francisco comic. He liked to break people's balls in the audience and called the guys, he said, you know, well, you know, he had that, that bit like. And it was very famous. He got a sitcom out of it. He was like, it became a very hot comic for a while. He was from San Francisco, Rick Reynolds. And he. Pull him up, he would do a thing. Hey, would you, would you fuck him for $5? You know, $10? You know, how about a million dollars? So you are a whore. Guy gets off stage, the boyfriend. Fucking blast.

[Mark Normand]

Whoa.

[Steve Schirripa]

Down for the count.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Knocked him out for the count from the back of the head.

[Sam Morril]

See, now that could launch a career. That's what happened to Jim Jeffries.

[Steve Schirripa]

There you go. I mean, there was a guy, Larry Beezer, he wouldn't come out of his room.

[Mark Normand]

I haven't heard of any of these guys.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, listen, they're all the comics from the 80s. Yeah, you guys are young guys.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, but we know comedy. We got. Look at all the comics we got up there. We're fans, we know, we know comics.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, Bob was a friend of mine. I loved.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

I did his show. Greg.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I knew Colin pretty well.

[Sam Morril]

You knew.

[Mark Normand]

You knew Carlin well?

[Sam Morril]

Come on, Vegas.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know Colin pretty well. He would come around, you know. His opening act was Dennis Blair.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And Dennis would work with me. He would come around.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

I knew Rodney pretty well.

[Mark Normand]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

Rodney? Yeah. Who was my. He was my all time favorite guy.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then I get a message on my answering machine. This is like 88, maybe. 88, 89. Hey, Steve, I heard you're the guy, you know, would you call me back? I need some help. I can't do Rodney's voice. So he wants.

[Mark Normand]

I'll tell you, I'm trying to get my balls in this ice bucket.

[Steve Schirripa]

He wants to open a comedy club.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

At the El Rancho. So he needs my help, you know, so I help him, you know, blah, blah, blah. I meet him in the lobby of Bally's, where he's playing. He's wearing the tank top and the shorts, like from the. Like from back to school or something. Back to school.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Right. And then the guy's like, going, hey, Rodney. Hey, Rodney. He goes, what time are you due back on the set of Deliverance? He tells the guy, we go see the show. I'm with my wife. We weren't married. Then we go backstage. He made a big deal. We got a booth for you. He really made, like a big, big deal. He was very hands on about his comps, you know, he sold out. He played the Hilt. And I saw him a bunch of places. And the first time I saw him, he actually opened for Frankie Valli. That was early on.

[Sam Morril]

What a show.

[Mark Normand]

That is crazy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Go backstage afterwards. He's wearing the robe with the fucking cards. His balls are.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Getting down, you know, always like a.

[Mark Normand]

You saw a lot of balls in your time in Vegas?

[Steve Schirripa]

Like a grandfather clock.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And he's there. He drinks Giant vodka. Jesus. Just like that.

[Mark Normand]

He was not a healthy man.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, but he was fine. A lot of fun.

[Sam Morril]

What a pro.

[Steve Schirripa]

We hung for quite a while.

[Sam Morril]

His balls, just great. Yeah, he's the man.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, I saw, you know, Rickles, I was friends with and. Whoa. I know. I saw Sinatra, like 40 times.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

So you see Rickles open for Sinatra?

[Steve Schirripa]

No, no, no, no. Rickles played the Sahara. He was his own guy. Nicest guy. He played there. Then he played the star.

[Mark Normand]

Did he insult you the first time you met him?

[Steve Schirripa]

He around, but he's really nice guy. He was really.

[Mark Normand]

You want to be insulted by Rickle?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, I didn't want to be, you know. I love Don Rickles personally. He didn't make me laugh that much. Hockey and all that. Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Who are your favorite?

[Steve Schirripa]

You know who else? Robin Williams, who's a great guy. And I got to know him. I liked him better as an actor than a comic.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

I didn't care for him.

[Sam Morril]

You like hard jokes, like a Rodney.

[Steve Schirripa]

I like Rodney. I like Damon Waynes.

[Sam Morril]

Love Damon. Very funny, underrated guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Very, you know? Very, very funny. I like Nick Depaulo in the old days.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

I like David Tell. Work for me.

[Mark Normand]

Sure. We love a tell.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know. Who else? I don't know.

[Sam Morril]

So Damon Wayans just did.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't like Ellen DeGeneres. She was an asshole then.

[Sam Morril]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

Really, she was. She got proven to be an asshole, but she was an asshole way back when.

[Mark Normand]

What do you think? Do you think so she does the dancing. She does all the. It's like such a cover up, right? The people that.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's like her whole show was an act. I mean, that was all. She wasn't a nice person.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

A lot of it came out.

[Mark Normand]

Was she mean to you?

[Steve Schirripa]

She tortured well. She worked for me in Vegas. She wasn't mean then. It's before she had hit it big. She was very nice. And then I don't know how many Years later, maybe 10, I'm at the Emmys with the Sopranos. I never say hello to anyone. Kind of first because I'm always afraid you're going to get dissed. Like some guys are assholes. Right? You know what I mean? I don't know if it ever happened to you. What's happened to me?

[Sam Morril]

Many times.

[Steve Schirripa]

Who hurt you? Go say hello.

[Mark Normand]

Who hurt you, Steve?

[Steve Schirripa]

Well, I'm fucking telling you right now. So I go up to her and I say, hey. I go up to her and I go, hey, Ellen, I don't know if you remember me, you know, Steve, I ran the review comic. How hard am I to fucking remember? Right?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And she does dismiss me like. Like I don't even think she said anything. And she was with two other people and I just had a tuxedo on. I just slinked away.

[Sam Morril]

Wow. Yeah. You can do that. Well, she's a. You are what you eat.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's it.

[Sam Morril]

If you let me get one in. They're not bad.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then she, you know, it came on, you know, De Niro too was an to me. Really?

[Mark Normand]

That must have. But you must have.

[Steve Schirripa]

You could barely. You know what?

[Mark Normand]

You must love De Niro though.

[Steve Schirripa]

I did not like De Niro before what? Come on. I like Robert De Niro now.

[Sam Morril]

Come on.

[Mark Normand]

What did he do to you?

[Steve Schirripa]

You. You say hello to him. He's stuck for a fucking answer. This guy is a zero. Now, if you don't have a script in his hand, he can't speak.

[Sam Morril]

Interesting.

[Mark Normand]

So you should have written hello in a cocktail napkin and handed it to him.

[Steve Schirripa]

Probably. He would have answered back.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, right. Wow.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, there was a guy, Larry Beezer. You won't come down for the show. He was a Comedy Store guy. I go up to his room, knock on the door. He won't answer the door. He's in there. I get security, open the door. He's got the mattress off the bed. He's lighting fucking matches. Trying to light the mattress on fire. He's fucking hammered out of his mind.

[Sam Morril]

Yikes.

[Steve Schirripa]

I kid you not.

[Sam Morril]

You ever work with Jerry?

[Steve Schirripa]

Who?

[Sam Morril]

Seinfeld.

[Steve Schirripa]

I did not. I know Jerry. I like Jerry.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah. Nice guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

I do not. I did not. He never worked there. He was. He was too big by then.

[Sam Morril]

Really.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was already big.

[Mark Normand]

How about like Bill Hicks? Did he ever come through?

[Steve Schirripa]

No, he didn't.

[Sam Morril]

Like Vegas, I don't think.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, no.

[Mark Normand]

He just doesn't seem like a Vegas act.

[Sam Morril]

No.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't know if he played. He might have played Vegas, though.

[Mark Normand]

How about like Robert Schimmel?

[Steve Schirripa]

He used to work for me.

[Sam Morril]

He's funny.

[Steve Schirripa]

He worked for me all the time.

[Mark Normand]

Roberts, he's the type of guy that you liked, was that he had hard jokes.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I like. I like Robert a lot. He was a good guy. I mean, I liked a lot of comics. I like Andy Kindler. Right. Doesn't make anyone laugh. You know, I'm the only guy that laughs, but I love him.

[Sam Morril]

Comics Lab.

[Mark Normand]

He played to the back of the room. Always.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was. He's. You know, I love when guys bombed. I would love.

[Mark Normand]

On certain cops.

[Steve Schirripa]

I would get a kick out. I would love when they bomb.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Not. Not to hurt their feelings. I just thought it was funny. Especially if a guy is funny.

[Sam Morril]

It's fascinating.

[Steve Schirripa]

I forget, in Vegas, you're dealing with, like, a weird audience.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

Drunk tourists all over the country. Especially then now it's a little bit. It's bigger.

[Sam Morril]

That's true.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's a small town.

[Sam Morril]

Right, Right. Well, like Norm, my hero, he would bomb all the time, but still. Brilliant.

[Steve Schirripa]

Brilliant.

[Mark Normand]

Did he work for you there?

[Steve Schirripa]

No, he didn't work for me there. No. But I knew Norm from. Just from around, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I knew Norm. From around. I knew Saget. He never worked for me, but I knew Sagitt from being around, you know, Like I said, then, guys in the big room. I gave a lot of guys their first shot in the. In the big room. Drew Carey.

[Sam Morril]

Whoa.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, he played the clubs, but Damon True, Carey, Spade, Schimmel, Bobby Slayton, Pitbull, Jeff Dunham.

[Sam Morril]

Whoa.

[Steve Schirripa]

Dennis Leary.

[Sam Morril]

What?

[Steve Schirripa]

I had to show Bobcat and Gilbert together, the voices. I was trying to do different.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, I get it.

[Steve Schirripa]

I was just trying anything, you know, I mean, the Riv was a second, you know, like you. You know, like you played the Riv on the way up or on the way down, kind of.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Like I always said, I had the best shows in town if it was 1975, you know, so it was like that, you know, but the big room, a lot of these guys were just starting to, you know, you know, Ray Romano, Kevin James. First shot in the big room for those guys.

[Sam Morril]

Do you miss that world, that comedy world? Or was it too. Too hectic?

[Steve Schirripa]

Not for me.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, we can be a lot.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, no, it's a lot. A lot of guys are trouble guys, and I like them. I have some that are good friends. But you're dealing with four guys every week, you know?

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Two of them are in a meetings. One guy goes off the fucking wagon. Guy's gambling, other one's late. You know, guys, 8:00 in the morning, he's in the employee cafeteria drinking beers.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

The executives are on their way into work.

[Sam Morril]

Then there.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Then I get. Comic goes on the air. He's ripping. He's doing press for us, like on a Friday morning. He's ripping the hotel apart. The towels are hard. That is hard.

[Mark Normand]

I'm going, the towels are hard.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, my. The boss calls me and he said, who's this guy? It was Tim Meadows. No, it wasn't to Meadows. He was already outside in that life. I don't know, it was whoever. Whoever was Tim something. Fat guy.

[Sam Morril]

Tim Dillon.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, it wasn't him. And he says he was 8 years.

[Mark Normand]

Old at the time.

[Steve Schirripa]

And listen. And he said pals were definitely hard.

[Mark Normand]

After Tim used him.

[Steve Schirripa]

The guy's killing us. So it doesn't make any sense. We hired you, right?

[Sam Morril]

That was a tough hotel. I've done some gigs there and that hotel has seen some.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's years.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, well, some of those Vegas hotels were really nice for like one decade, and then they just stayed in that decade forever. Yeah, it's like, still the.

[Steve Schirripa]

The Riv was a high Line place early on and then. Yeah, it kind of went south in 2000.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Started going closer. 2015 and went south. You know, Tropicana, you know, they don't keep anything around.

[Mark Normand]

Was Tropicana where the shooting was? Because I definitely died there. But Mandalay. No, I've done Tropican. I've done the win. Yeah, we've done. We've done the Sellers.

[Steve Schirripa]

Did you did the club at the Left Factory? Was at the Truck.

[Sam Morril]

I did that once.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, there was a theater at the Trop. It was nice. It was a really nice.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, that was good. A lot of old people though. Yeah, I had some real bombs there.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Oh yeah.

[Sam Morril]

You would have loved.

[Mark Normand]

Better than. Better than Reno.

[Sam Morril]

I just did Reno. It was exactly. I did Atlantis two weeks ago. Was killer.

[Mark Normand]

Back in the day when I did Reno though, it was like a. A full week and it was like. Oh, you just take it on the chin every night.

[Steve Schirripa]

What do you do? You know, you know, the thing about playing in the clubs. Even Atlantic City. Right. You know, you know, what do you do all day? You know, I mean, you do nothing all day long.

[Sam Morril]

You try not to kill yourself, you.

[Steve Schirripa]

Know, like in Atlantic City in the winter.

[Sam Morril]

Oh.

[Mark Normand]

I think my opener in Reno was Wow, I've never seen fake tits in an oxygen tank on the same person before. This is the rough town. There was a guy in the sound booth too, who was just always reading a gun magazine. I'm like, this guy's just waiting to snap. I'm waiting for this guy to snap on.

[Sam Morril]

That guy went to Mandalay Bay.

[Steve Schirripa]

You see the video of that? The comic? The guy was heckling him and then he hits him with the guitar.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

One of the greatest videos of all time.

[Sam Morril]

Is that Boston. I think that was in Boston.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't know the guy. I. I don't know if the guy, you know, the crowd started turning off.

[Mark Normand]

Of course now, now that guy would have had a three camera shoot. It would have been like angles now. Cuz everyone's got the whole camera crew.

[Sam Morril]

Out there viral on Tik Tok.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, look at this. This is old.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, you know, he told the guy, don't come any closer. I don't know if he was right or not.

[Sam Morril]

But yeah, he went a little hard with the whole. The whole. He had a weapon.

[Steve Schirripa]

Have you ever had guys come after you?

[Sam Morril]

Sure, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

You know, really don't mess with.

[Mark Normand]

Guitar acts are always this close to snapping though. Anyway.

[Sam Morril]

That's true. Uh oh. Got the harmonica on the neck too. Look at this.

[Steve Schirripa]

It looks like it's a joke. Oh.

[Mark Normand]

He'S not checking a bag on the way home, I guess.

[Steve Schirripa]

I'm sorry, man.

[Sam Morril]

The guy came at me.

[Steve Schirripa]

What do you think, folks?

[Mark Normand]

No trying to tank the jury with that.

[Steve Schirripa]

First of all, he shouldn't have asked that.

[Sam Morril]

What do you. No, no.

[Steve Schirripa]

Should have just hit him and they should have walked off.

[Sam Morril]

Right. Damn.

[Mark Normand]

I mean, I guess you don't think of a guitar as a weapon, but I guess you got something you could stick with.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He broke the bottom. Yeah, well, he's out of comedy. I never heard of that guy or anything, you know. Did he do the Riv.

[Steve Schirripa]

You guys are young guys. I never did the riff guys are young. I'm an old man. I was there. What year were you born?

[Mark Normand]

86.

[Sam Morril]

83.

[Steve Schirripa]

So that's what I'm saying. That's why you don't know any of those comments.

[Mark Normand]

But we. But we watch a lot of the old. Like, we watch all the comedian specials and stuff. Yeah, like we. We know a lot.

[Steve Schirripa]

Like, we know Rodney specials.

[Sam Morril]

I love them. See them all.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, yeah. He gave an intro to Bill Hicks. It's one of my favorite intros ever. He goes this. This next comic so far ahead of his time, his even met yet.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's funny.

[Mark Normand]

Give it up for Bill. Like, he jokes in the setups. I mean, Rodney was great.

[Steve Schirripa]

Well, you know, almost. Almost everybody became a star.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Crazy.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Roseanne Seinfeld, Robert Townsend, Bill Hicks.

[Mark Normand]

He was in that one town.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, I think Leafer did one. Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

A little crazy.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

She's a little crazy. She used to. She came around a few times looking for comics. Like, she never played there, but she came around. She was out of a Miho and Tom Arnold. They came like running through. That's when they were running wild, the two of them.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Pop up.

[Sam Morril]

You know, she had a nut farm for a while. Remember that? Yeah, yeah. How appropriate. Yeah. Weird. Weird. She had a weird trajectory, that lady.

[Mark Normand]

Steve, I got a question. I can imagine that working at a casino in the 80s, you're probably dealing with some actual wise guys.

[Sam Morril]

Is that some.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, well, I knew Spilotro. I knew Tony Sparrow. You know, the Pesci character, Casino.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

You knew him personally?

[Steve Schirripa]

I knew him personally, yeah. I know him very well.

[Sam Morril]

He was a big guy. Right. They made him little in the movie.

[Mark Normand]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Is that a joke?

[Sam Morril]

I thought he was actually tall.

[Mark Normand]

Like.

[Steve Schirripa]

They called him Tony the Ant. Oh, nickname. He was a very nice guy to me. I Don't know. You know, I don't know all that stuff. He used to, you know, I worked in all the nightclubs before I worked at the hotel. I was a bouncer. Paul Anchor had a club. I was a bouncer in a bunch of clubs. And he would come around, always tip me a 20. He was a good guy. I got to know him. I knew his son. Always very soft spoken, you know. I knew those guys. I didn't know the De Niro character.

[Mark Normand]

Did you?

[Steve Schirripa]

I didn't know him.

[Mark Normand]

Did everyone know what they were up to? Like, you're like.

[Steve Schirripa]

Everyone knew what they were up to. They knew to stay awake, you know? Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Which Rickles. Like, who do I not do crowd work with before?

[Steve Schirripa]

Well, no, he wasn't allowed in by then. He was blackballed. What, there's a blacklist in Vegas? Yeah, there's a whole list where you can't go into the casino. So he never went into the casino. I saw him in nightclubs and bars and all that, you know, before time. Do you ever see those guys get.

[Mark Normand]

Violent, though, or no. You ever see any of those guys get violent?

[Steve Schirripa]

Never.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

I never saw any of that, but I assume it existed. They do it, you know, they had that hole in the Wall gang. They were robbing people's houses and doing that. Like I said, there he is.

[Sam Morril]

I My experience with him, he does.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was a really good guy in my experience. He used to say, anybody bothers you, you let me know. Because a lot of people would say, you know, like, you're throwing them out. You know, you're throwing a guy out of the club and out of the nightclub and. Oh, yeah, I know Spilacho, he's my uncle that.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Then you say, yeah, we'll go tell him and go, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Tell him. You, your uncle. I threw you out.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was a lie, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

Hey, there was a bunch of them. Her guy, Herbie Blitzstein, was a good guy. I worked his son's wedding. I worked the door. My instruction was, don't let any FBI guys in. How am I supposed. I'm thinking to myself, how do I keep them out?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, they got the earpiece. How do I know, you know, geez.

[Mark Normand]

That'S a Jewish mob, too. Herbie Blitzstein.

[Steve Schirripa]

Is there a. Herbie was with Spilotro. He was his right hand man.

[Sam Morril]

Somebody's got to do the books.

[Steve Schirripa]

So, you know, I know you know, a lot of the older comics, but then I had the club in 95, you know, shimmer. Let Open the club. And I used, you know, Sebastian worked there. I mean, a lot of guys. I mean, I don't know you name him.

[Mark Normand]

So you live in Houston.

[Steve Schirripa]

It looks like he's out of central casting.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, right. Like, Brandon.

[Steve Schirripa]

Really, really good guy. I was very close from the.

[Sam Morril]

Did you do any. Any Dice stories? You work with Dice?

[Steve Schirripa]

No, I know Dice, but I know.

[Sam Morril]

Come on.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was. By then he was working the Comedy Store. You know, Bud Freeman wouldn't let the comics work wherever. You know, like, you either work for him or.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

He wasn't allowing that. You know, him and Mitzi were in that big battle for many, many, many years.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, Dom used to work for me. Dom Herrera.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Worked for me a lot. But, you know, Dom is one of the few guys that didn't listen. He said, I'm working where I want, you know, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, but Bud used to do that. And so you worked the Comedy Store or you worked over there? It was only two clubs in town. Then Catch, A Rising Star came in, and I think Hicks worked there once.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, okay.

[Mark Normand]

That was supposed to be the big room in the 80s in New York, right?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Catch was apparently, like, bigger than the Cellar back then.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Catching the strip, I think.

[Steve Schirripa]

Seinfeld and Larry David and them, you know, I think that's where those guys played, you know?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, yeah. Do you ever do the one in Princeton, New Jersey?

[Mark Normand]

I. Many times. It was awful. Really awful room. But I was like. I was like, it's easy to get to. Yeah. I nearly got fucking attacked on the train on the way back once. I was just taking the New Jersey transit late at night, and it was just getting through that weekend. I was like, I'm killing a fucking bottle of Buffalo Trace.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh.

[Mark Normand]

And a guy just. I made a mistake. A guy was fucking with me on the train tracks, and he had, like. Something was off about him. But I was. I had a few drinks. I was kind of like, yeah, I'll fuck with this guy back. Fuck this guy. So he's just going up to everyone like, how do you feel about immigration? And they're all just like. Just like, what? And then he came up to me and I was like, I think they're taking their damn job. Just trying to be funny. And he was just like. He was like, you're fucking racist. I was like, no, it's a joke. And then he goes, I should kill you. And he started following me on the platform. And I had to weave and hide. And I got lucky. Cause he popped shit to the wrong guy on the train. He was looking for me and then he found some other guy and he goes, how do you feel about immigrants? And it was like this big tough black guy and he was like, East New York. And they had to stop the train cuz he was going to kill him. And I was like, that was like my guardian angel.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Crazy.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. Catch sucked. That was like.

[Steve Schirripa]

Where did you grow up?

[Mark Normand]

You grew up here in Manhattan? Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh yeah. What about you?

[Sam Morril]

New Orleans.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh yeah.

[Sam Morril]

What about you?

[Steve Schirripa]

Brooklyn.

[Sam Morril]

What part? That's where I live now.

[Steve Schirripa]

Bensonhurst, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Fort Greene. All right. For green was shitty.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Now it's so much nicer.

[Sam Morril]

Very. Not very residential family. A lot of strollers.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was bad.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

All those neighbors were really bad.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Back then, you know, they cleaned all that up.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

My neighborhood's like Asia now. It was all Italian. It was a big mob area.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Growing up in Bedside Nurse in this very Italian neighborhood. Very Italian neighbor. Was. Now there's still summertimes, but it was. Now it's like Asian. You know, everyone's sold out. And they moved to Staten Island.

[Mark Normand]

Were you there for the Saturday Night Fever?

[Steve Schirripa]

I was doing those. I saw them filming that.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

The Bus. Going to high school.

[Mark Normand]

Did you like that movie back then?

[Sam Morril]

I guess, yeah.

[Mark Normand]

What do you like? What are your top. We talk movies a lot in this pod. What do you like? Your favorites, of course.

[Steve Schirripa]

The Godfather.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Dirty Dozen. You probably don't know Bang the Drum Slowly. You know, Bang the Drum Slowly.

[Mark Normand]

I don't know.

[Steve Schirripa]

Movie with Daenery was an. But.

[Mark Normand]

They handed him good words for that one.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

That. I mean, there's so many that you kind of forget, you know, like you go to. I like the Bronch Tale.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

It's a great one.

[Steve Schirripa]

Right.

[Sam Morril]

We had shares on.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Chad's a good guy.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

He's a man.

[Steve Schirripa]

He's a good guy.

[Mark Normand]

He's awesome.

[Steve Schirripa]

A really good guy. Really, really smart guy.

[Mark Normand]

Great storyteller.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. A really smart guy. You know what I mean? I'm trying to think of any new movies.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, like the new movies. Like, what was that? You know, they're not like.

[Sam Morril]

It's not the same.

[Steve Schirripa]

They're like, okay. It's not something I'm gonna watch again.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

You go, you know, I like. Believe it or not, I like Jerry Maguire.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Forrest Gump. I know people don't like that. It gets knocked. I like that movie.

[Sam Morril]

I like it.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, I like some Sandlers. A lot of Sandler movies.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, for sure.

[Sam Morril]

See? Two girls, one cup.

[Steve Schirripa]

What's that?

[Sam Morril]

Pull it up.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, I know that. What is fake video.

[Sam Morril]

It turned out it was fake. Yeah. Soft serve ice cream. They just packed it up there.

[Mark Normand]

Damn. I couldn't watch it.

[Sam Morril]

It was.

[Mark Normand]

I couldn't get it through. I couldn't get through it. That was all the rage.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah. This was hot.

[Steve Schirripa]

But it's fake.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, but still pretty. Pretty wild. All right, we don't have to watch it. I can't. I can't do it right now.

[Mark Normand]

Even knowing it's fake, I can't watch it.

[Sam Morril]

Same, same.

[Steve Schirripa]

What movies do you like?

[Mark Normand]

I mean, we like all kinds of movies, man. Like, you know, I'm not a horror guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

I'm not a.

[Mark Normand]

Me neither.

[Steve Schirripa]

Sci fi guy. Star wars once, years ago. I hate it.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Hate it. Don't know anything about. I did Pyramid. They were asked one of the categories for Star Wars. I made a fool of myself.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know nothing. I don't know Yoda from the other guy. I don't know.

[Mark Normand]

You know, I watched the other day is new. That's actually not bad. Is the new Donald Trump movie with Sebastian Stan. It's surprisingly good.

[Sam Morril]

It's like, he's good.

[Mark Normand]

It's like. It's like a co version of New York in the 80s where it's like. It made New York, like, look like kind of grimy and cool. It was fun.

[Steve Schirripa]

I like movies. I like to see.

[Sam Morril]

I'll watch that.

[Steve Schirripa]

I like to see New York in the 60s, the 70s. I like those.

[Mark Normand]

That was a. That was a good era for movies, man. Midnight Cowboy and stuff like Taxi Driver. Those are like. It's a cool era.

[Sam Morril]

The Bob Dylan movie. The best part is seeing old New York.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. Like the Village.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. I like that movie. That was a good movie. Yeah, that should have won the movie. That one was like, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Brutalist.

[Mark Normand]

No.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, that's Brooklyn.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was in Mill Basin.

[Mark Normand]

It was good, though.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, it was good. It was a movie, but not something I would watch again.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's a good movie. The girl did a great job.

[Sam Morril]

She was hot.

[Steve Schirripa]

And I'm glad she won. Yeah. And I'm glad she won. I don't want to hear Demi Moore speech. You know, every year there's that underdog that.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then they have the speech to come back thing, you know?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, I. I usually tape it like the Oscars I would tape. I watched the monologue. Right. Which Conan was great.

[Sam Morril]

Great.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then I fast forward everything else. Because I don't want to hear all the bullshit speeches. I think, you know, I find a lot of actors, not all to be full of shit.

[Sam Morril]

Of course.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

So I don't want to hear that. How much they love. And I don't want to hear it, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

I got to ask you. We got to talk some Sopranos. I know you're sick of talking Sopranos, but like, what's your all time episode of Sopranos? You think, what's your favorite?

[Steve Schirripa]

My favorite one, what I liked a lot was one White Caps, which you don't probably know when Tony. They were gonna buy the beach house.

[Mark Normand]

That was a good one.

[Steve Schirripa]

Then she admits that she had a thing for Furio. Good work, the two. And that's a real fight there.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's very real, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

Pine barons, everyone loves.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

I'll tell you a funny story with Pine Barrens. We didn't shoot in the Pine Barrens because there was a politician as a scumbag named James Treffinger and he wouldn't give us the permits. He said it made New Jersey look bad, made Italians look bad. Made. You know, it was just bad for the state. He would not give. So we shot near West Point and James Treffinger pulled that prick up. Yeah, look at that prick, if you know him. And he was arrested and went to jail for fraud and all kinds of shit.

[Sam Morril]

Take it. Triffy.

[Mark Normand]

I was hoping you say fucking kids. That would have been. That would have really been the nail in the coffin for this prick. But that's bad. Fraud is bad too.

[Steve Schirripa]

Look at him.

[Sam Morril]

Look at that.

[Steve Schirripa]

Come look he. Prison. And he wouldn't give us. So we shot it up there and it just happened to rain. It happened. No, it wasn't supposed to take place in the snow.

[Sam Morril]

So it made it, you know, it made it better.

[Steve Schirripa]

We were up there. We. I remember. I remember we went out the night before. We were like in some bar up there. And Steve Buscemi was. He directed it. He was singing I want to Be Sedated with the band. It was like three in the morning and I left. I said, man, we got to get up early, you know. You know, everybody stayed and hell yeah, a lot of fun.

[Mark Normand]

But some of your lines are. I mean, my favorite things about the Sopranos is how funny it is. Like, it's. You talk about like rewatching stuff like it is. Oh, yeah, you have one of the funniest lines ever when in season one when Tony is trying to take down Junior and you go up to him and you say, to the victor goes the spoils.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's my first scene I ever shot.

[Mark Normand]

It's such a funny line. And he just immediately goes, shut the fuck up.

[Steve Schirripa]

Quotation book up your fat fucking head. You know, I wore a fat suit the first two years.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, yeah.

[Sam Morril]

No way.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. And then I guess I got fat enough on my own, but, you know, when I got to jokes. Right. That's it.

[Mark Normand]

No, don't play it. Because we can't. They won't let us play it.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's the first year I have a shot. But, you know, like, I had gotten the script and there was all these fat jokes. You're calzone with legs. You should start. Seriously consider eating salads. All these things. And I'm going, I'm not that much fatter than him. Yeah, jokes don't make sense.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then they said, hey, you gotta come in and get fitted for a fat suit. So.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

They made this ridiculous fat suit. And I was parading around in front of the producers. It was.

[Mark Normand]

That's got to feel good. You're not fat enough for the fat job.

[Sam Morril]

Flattering.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. And I got the job without being fat enough.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Your delivery way into it. Delivery on the Santa Claus episode. I'm shy.

[Steve Schirripa]

They gave me some good stuff.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Gave me some really good ziti. You know, they gave me a lot of.

[Mark Normand]

But they made your. The beauty that show is that every character has this incredible, like, three dimensional story. I mean, like, the Karen ZD arc is so fucking sad.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah, listen, it is.

[Steve Schirripa]

The writers are brilliant.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, they are absolutely brilliant. You know, and when you say it's. It could be a comedy, it is 100%. The stuff is so funny. And when we did our podcast and I had to rewatch because I hadn't seen it in years, I mean, you're laughing out loud. I mean, you're catching things, you know, you catch shit.

[Sam Morril]

And 100%. You know that scene, the. That we talk about all the time, but the. When they give him an intervention. Chris.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, one of the.

[Mark Normand]

It's brilliant.

[Steve Schirripa]

The best scenes in the whole. The whole series.

[Sam Morril]

I love it. He sits on the dog, calls the mom a whore. Paulie punches. It's gold.

[Steve Schirripa]

Paulie. Tony Sirico and Paulie were very similar.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, I was, I guess, Very, very, very. He didn't see me. Like, he didn't strike me as a chameleon actor, but he had been acting.

[Steve Schirripa]

For a long time.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, he's. I remember him in Bullets Over Broadway. I remember him, a lot of stuff.

[Steve Schirripa]

Woody Allen loved him. He grew up a Woody Allen's sister. Oh, and I did a movie, Wonder Wheel.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Woody loved him. And Tony would tell him stories. Yeah, Woody. I used to carry my gun over here. Woody was, like, fascinated.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

With Tony stories. Tony was a great guy. A lot of laughs without even knowing it, you know what I mean? Like, one time we were in Atlantic City doing a signing, and the guy says, hey, hey, Tony, my friend Louie, could you sign a picture to him? He's handicapped. He can't come in. Tony wrote to Louis, the best handicapper in town. He had no clue that.

[Sam Morril]

That's funny.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, he was a real tough guy, even into his 60s, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

With him, he lived in Brooklyn. He lived on Shore Road and Bay Ridge. You know, he's from Brooklyn.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And, you know, when he was younger, he used to shake down bars.

[Sam Morril]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

Even ball mob, you know, not only for the mob, but bars that were owned by the mob. He used to shake them down. He was a legitimate tough guy.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, look at that.

[Steve Schirripa]

There's this crazy film where he's. A black and white documentary where he talks about. I forget it, but if you. You find it, he says some serious stuff. I mean, Tony is, you know, he was a good guy. A lot. A lot of laughs, like, crazy. Crazy stuff. He was a germaphobe. He had these crazy eating habits. You know, when anthrax was going on.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Remember all that?

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

So he thought he, like, he was going to get anthrax in the mail.

[Mark Normand]

Like he was gonna get it.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

The big star.

[Sam Morril]

Right, Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

He used to go to the mailbox with the dish, dish.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, my God.

[Steve Schirripa]

Put it in the microwave to, like, offset it. He put his mail on fire.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

Wait, so that would. That would offset.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's what he thought, you know, that's what he thought. He, you know, a lot of the stuff they got from Tony's, you know, his real life, you know, I mean, he's, you know, he went to jail. He came out, he wanted to be an actor. You know, he did a lot of charity work. He's an iconic TV character forever.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, when he got the job, when Tony got the job, he was living on a car in his mother's one bedroom in Marine park in Brooklyn.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Dead busted. Look at these. Look at these headshots.

[Sam Morril]

I know. What a hunk.

[Mark Normand]

He looks like a wrestler there.

[Steve Schirripa]

Very funny.

[Sam Morril]

Look at that. That's a Coney island sexy dude.

[Steve Schirripa]

What is that? I don't know what, I don't even know what that is.

[Mark Normand]

When people come up to you on the street, what do they usually like? Is there an episode they usually mention? Is there a moment they usually mention?

[Steve Schirripa]

They just say, bobby. I get some. Of course. I was on Blue Bloods for nine years. I get some. Anthony.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I get Bobby. Bobby, Bobby. They used to ask about the. A lot of young kids watch it now. In one, he's, you know, in their teens and their 20s. They used to ask about the finale. The ending. The ending.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Know.

[Sam Morril]

Well, what do you think?

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, for a long time, I thought he. For a long time, I thought he was alive. But then after doing the podcast, interviewing, I, I think he died.

[Sam Morril]

You got whacked.

[Steve Schirripa]

I think he. I think he got whacked. I, I, maybe it was wishful thinking, thinking he was still alive, but I think he got killed.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

The fact that we're still talking about the ending, though, is kind of a worker genius.

[Sam Morril]

Brilliant.

[Mark Normand]

David Chase's part.

[Steve Schirripa]

And, you know, we watched it together. It's the only thing we ever watched together. We did this appearance down in the Hard Rock in Florida. So there was nine of us, you know, Jim and me and Lorraine and Michael and Sirico, and, you know, and he, we were like. And I knew how it was going to end, but, like, we were stunned. Like, we, we watched it like everyone else, like, what the fuck happened? And then, you know, we saw, you know, it was, like, kind of stunning because it said, fade to black. I didn't know it was going to be abrupt like that.

[Sam Morril]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

So, you know, some people like it, some people didn't like it, you know. You know, so, Rico, we would do these appearances in the casinos, and, you know, sometimes people were like, you know, like, they would say to him, and, like, he would be there like this, you know. You know, a guy, you know, you're like Santa Claus at Macy's.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, they stand behind you. Yeah. Give that shit. Tell your mother hello. Your mother hello. He was. There was no one he was afraid of.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, that's the thumbnail. Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

No one he was afraid of.

[Mark Normand]

You know, what's another iconic episode is the one with your dad, played by Burt Young.

[Steve Schirripa]

Great.

[Mark Normand]

I mean, that is where he wants to do the one last hit, remember?

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yes.

[Mark Normand]

The violence of that season would show. I mean, every, you know, every once in a while you'd be like, holy shit, the guy just breaking the head in with a golf club. Yeah. That was one of the most Shocking scenes.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And Burt was a great actor. Very underrated actor, you know, I think, you know, he was a very serious actor. And then I think with the Rocky movies, you know, people thought he was Paulie, you know?

[Sam Morril]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was a really good guy. Really good guy.

[Sam Morril]

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[Steve Schirripa]

You know Triumph had a the dog. You know Robert Smigel had a sitcom. You know that he had a sitcom.

[Mark Normand]

For a little while with Burt Young.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yes.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, no. No.

[Mark Normand]

No. Okay. That's a weird pairing.

[Steve Schirripa]

So he. He hired Bert, me, Kathy Moriarty from Raging Bull. Raging Bull, Yeah. Paul Savino, maybe a couple other people. And we did two shows, like an early one and a late one. And Bert love to drink. And Burt went downstairs and got demolished.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And he couldn't do the second show. He couldn't speak. He had a lot of lines, so they gave them to me. And I can't learn on the fly, so, like, I'm doing the best I can. I had to give a eulogy. And, like, one of the producers go, hey, you know, could you get a little. I said, are you kidding? You gave this to me five minutes ago.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

The thing is this big, and so Burke, like, barely said anything at all. And it was all of us, you know, Bert was a. A great, great, great guy. He only did one episode of the Sopranos, but it was very memorable.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, my God, it was crazy.

[Steve Schirripa]

And the other guy died that played Mustang Sally.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Sam Morril]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

He died young. Overdose. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was a good actor. He was a real New York actor. You know, Bert was in Chinatown.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Nicholson.

[Mark Normand]

Back to school.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yes, back to school.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Classic Crushes. He crushes the napkin holder.

[Sam Morril]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

I would imagine him and Rodney hung out pretty good.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, good guy. Yeah. Listen, there was no bad Soprano episodes. I know you like better than others, you know?

[Mark Normand]

I agree. I mean, it's funny that you could tell. Did you watch the documentary they did on hbo?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, we had a thing at the Beacon last year.

[Sam Morril]

I liked it.

[Mark Normand]

What do you think of it?

[Steve Schirripa]

I liked it. I didn't like what they did with Jim. They made Jim sound like he was this raging junkie.

[Sam Morril]

That's true.

[Steve Schirripa]

Which he was not.

[Sam Morril]

Made him sound like an angry guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was not. He was a really good guy.

[Sam Morril]

He's kind of a hippie, right? Birkenstock.

[Steve Schirripa]

He would listen to music. He was really generous. Like, you know, he had this big contract dispute in 2004 against HBO, and it got really ugly. And when we came back in and he finished it, all the regulars, he gave us a check for $33,000.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

$33,333 in 2004. So he bought, like, everybody a car, basically.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, he was really generous guy. At the Rat, when we wrapped, he bought everyone watches, the cash, the crew, you know, like, you know, the cast, $10,000 watches.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was not. He was really serious about the work. He was a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs. We hung out a lot, all of us.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Went out all the time, you know, back then, you know. But I thought the documentary, though, I loved it. I thought it was really good. I did not like how he was portrayed in it.

[Mark Normand]

I hear that. I heard that from other people too.

[Steve Schirripa]

I didn't like that. It's like. It's like he was a junkie acting. He was an actor that had a problem, you know. Not always. Not always. I mean, the performance is flawless, man.

[Sam Morril]

It's.

[Mark Normand]

You feel like he made everyone up their game like crazy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Of course.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. I mean, it's so cool when, like, someone goes that hard with the. I mean, you can't picture anyone else in that role.

[Sam Morril]

No.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, it came down to three people. Stevie Van Zandt, Michael Ruspoli. You know, Michael Ruspoli, he was on.

[Mark Normand]

The show still, right? He's Jackie, wasn't he? Jackie.

[Steve Schirripa]

Jackie June.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And Michael's a great guy. Great actor.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

The three of them tested for hbo. It came to the wire. The three of them.

[Sam Morril]

Well, they went with the right choice, you know.

[Steve Schirripa]

And Jim, in a scene, I mean, you see him angry, sad, raging. You see four different, you know. You know, you see four different things. Of course, he upped his game. He was really serious with the acting.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's no secret there were some problems, you know, that he liked to go out maybe a little too much, you know, who doesn't?

[Mark Normand]

Do you think it sometimes, like, goes hand in hand, though? Like, when you burn that hard on one end, you need a release of some sort, you know, I don't.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, I don't know about that, you know, I mean, you know, I've thought about that. I personally, probably. I'm not a good enough actor. I can't go out and then go to work the next day. So I never, ever go out the night before. I don't go out like I used to, anyway. But years ago, we were out. I was out, you know, five nights a week. You know, we all used to hang together.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Go into a restaurant, stay out all night, go to after hours, get off it, finish work at three in the morning and then go out. You know, we all.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, we were all hanging out. We used to do casino appearances, travel together.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

We almost beat this guy up in there. Was this guy, like, bothering us at the Hilton, like a real obnoxious asshole. We were in the Elvis suite with the high rollers and we bit our tongue and let it go.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then he showed up again, like two Years later at the Golden Nugget, and before he said a word, you know, Jim said, that guy is here.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

He says one word, let's beat the out of him. We never did it. Let's do it. Right. And luckily, I told the host and the guy, you know, they told the guy to leave.

[Sam Morril]

Imagine that story. You're not gonna believe who beat my ass.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, Jim. Jim was a lot of fun. I mean, he was very smart. Very, very smart guy.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Into a lot of stuff. But that's what I didn't like about the documentary. I like David's stuff and it shows you. David, you know, he's a genius, but.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, he's got problems. Yeah, well, I didn't know so much about the mom. I didn't know Sopranos really started with his mom. And then it just grew from there.

[Mark Normand]

It's crazy that if that actress doesn't die, the show could be something completely different.

[Steve Schirripa]

Some different Nancy Marshawn. You know, they said they audition a whole lot of actresses, Some really big actresses. And he said that she came in, she's not Italian, and she, like, channeled his mother. Yeah, it was scary.

[Sam Morril]

She's amazing.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was scary.

[Mark Normand]

Isn't that amazing? It doesn't always go to, like, maybe the biggest actor. It's just like, oh, that reminds me of my fucked up childhood the most.

[Sam Morril]

Of course.

[Mark Normand]

That's crazy though, you know?

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, getting a job as an actor. I mean, do you guys act?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Is that a. Is that a. You want it?

[Mark Normand]

We wrote a movie for ourselves that we're trying to do, so if that works, that'd be very cool. But, yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, I can't act.

[Mark Normand]

He's better than he's saying he is. I mean, none of us are going to be Johnny Depp. We just play ourselves.

[Sam Morril]

I can drink and hit a wall.

[Steve Schirripa]

Okay, but. But you know what I'm saying? I mean, it's. You know, it's so hard to get a job because.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, like there was this guy, can't come in. And the director. This director told me the story. He wanted to hire, you know, Joe Blow. He said, that's the guy. Don't even show me anybody else. That's the guy. And the producer says, hey, reminds me too much of my boyfriend.

[Sam Morril]

Exactly.

[Steve Schirripa]

Not gonna be able to handle three months.

[Sam Morril]

Exactly.

[Steve Schirripa]

So the guy who did a great job doesn't get the job. And then there's. I remember on the Sopranos, there was a thing they read for an FBI agent and they hired, okay, her. Her and her. Oh, wait a minute. That's three blondes. One, right? Get her out. Get the other one in. It's like, you know, how do you even get it?

[Mark Normand]

You could color. You can color your hair, you know, Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, it's got to be lined up. There's so many factors.

[Sam Morril]

Great point.

[Steve Schirripa]

Years ago, I. I read when I first started for Chuck Norris thing, and it was a great read. It was a mob guy. It was a great read. And. And the. The casting director said, man, you know, I was just starting. It was in la. I was living in Vegas. I would go to LA all the time to audition. And she said, that was fantastic. Where have you been? You know? And then she said, they'll never hire you. He's five, eight. I'm six, two. She said, he'll never hire you.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, so it's like, it's not about talent.

[Sam Morril]

Talent's out. It's just the luck of the draw.

[Mark Normand]

Was there anything you ever read for that? You're like, fuck. I really wish I got that. That didn't go your way.

[Sam Morril]

Good question.

[Steve Schirripa]

I was up for a big role. I didn't read for it, but I had worked with Clint Eastwood before in the Jersey Boys. That Christopher Walken role.

[Mark Normand]

Oh.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I was up for that. And I didn't get it. I got. I think I came pretty close down to the wire. And then he offered me to play a barber. Four lines. What was I gonna say no to?

[Sam Morril]

You gotta take it.

[Steve Schirripa]

I. I liked him a lot. Cause I had played a chef. I had a bigger role in another movie. And we kind of hit it off and we went to dinner and so I did it. I was shaving Christopher Walken all day, putting shave agree on him, you know, but that I would have liked.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, Eastwood's really cool.

[Steve Schirripa]

Great guy.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, no bullshit there. You better be prepared. No bullshit. You come in, you know your stuff. He's not babying you. You know, you don't work long hours, couple of takes. Boom, boom, boom. No bullshit. No coddling, you know. Oh, yeah, it's gonna be okay. You better be prepared. That's why he hired you, right? Do your shit. There's no, like, like, well, let me work my way into this. And.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, you know the nonsense actors do.

[Mark Normand]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, do your get in. Boom. He was very nice. We spoke at length.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, really?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, we spoke at length. What are you talking. Talking about? Vegas in the old days. He was good friends with Jimmy Durante.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, nice.

[Steve Schirripa]

Wow. Like the old Days. He. He went back there.

[Mark Normand]

He's like 95, right?

[Steve Schirripa]

He went back to, like, in the 50s. He was in the 50s.

[Sam Morril]

Look at that. Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know. You know, so we talked about that, and then I enjoyed that. Then he went to a restaurant here that I liked. I had taken his cameraman, and then he called me, said, clinton, he wants to go. So I met him there. You know Woody Allen, who I was the biggest fan of.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

What's your favorite?

[Steve Schirripa]

Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of the. You asked me what movie.

[Sam Morril]

That's a great.

[Steve Schirripa]

The best movie. It Race.

[Sam Morril]

It bombed, too, at the box office. But it's so good.

[Steve Schirripa]

Great movie.

[Mark Normand]

It's.

[Steve Schirripa]

That.

[Mark Normand]

That's hilarious. And it's got the great. I mean, he does a similar. Hannah and Her Sisters, where they have the two. Great.

[Steve Schirripa]

So great.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, he's made so many great movies. So I always wanted to work with him. I auditioned for him for this. He did a series for Amazon.

[Sam Morril]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

So I read it for the role. I don't know what the role is. They don't tell you. So I go there. My agent says, they, you know, they want to see you. So I go to this place on Park Avenue. It's an apartment, like, office apartment. And I go in. There's no sides. There's nothing to read. And so she comes over and she hands me this. She said, you got five minutes.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, good.

[Steve Schirripa]

What? He's not going to say anything.

[Mark Normand]

Young just dropped out.

[Steve Schirripa]

She said, you got five minutes. He. He's not gonna. He's gonna. He can't hear, so speak up. He's gonna know in 60 seconds. You got five minutes to learn the shit you get. He's going to know in 60 seconds.

[Sam Morril]

Jesus.

[Steve Schirripa]

She said, don't, Don't. Don't take offense.

[Sam Morril]

The pressure.

[Steve Schirripa]

So. So I go in. I'm reading. It's a role of a highway patrol guy. So I look it over, you know, it's not that much. And I look it over. I'm going to have the paper in my hand. So I'm saying, like, what the fuck? It's all dark in there. I walk in the room, it's all dark, and he's in the corner. It's like a. Like a scene from a movie. He's in the corner. He's wearing the corduroy pants with the jacket with the patches.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And he's in the corner, like, in the dark. She said, he's not gonna shake your hand. So he was like. Like there, right? And I'm like, how you doing, Woody? Thanks for seeing me. And I'm saying, like, what the fuck am I gonna do? So I start talking about the Knicks. Knowing he's a Knick fan. I figured, let me. So they don't let me. Maybe he could get to know, you know, something. So we talked a few minutes about the Knicks back then. This is 2018 or something, right?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Talk about the Knicks, blah, blah, blah.

[Mark Normand]

That was a rough year, too. You're like, how about Bargnani?

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, we're talking about the Knicks. And then I didn't get it. And then when he did this movie, they just gave it to me.

[Sam Morril]

Hey.

[Steve Schirripa]

And I got to talk to him. He was shy for. I worked like eight days, nine days. He was very shy. But then I started talking to him about stand up in Vegas. He headlined Caesar's Palace.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

He was a great stand up.

[Sam Morril]

Great.

[Steve Schirripa]

He would love to do. I said, you think you'll ever do it again? I said, it's so hard. And we're talking about Shecky Green, who I knew and I worked with and, you know, some of the old Vegas comics we were talking about. And, you know, he loved Bobby Slayton.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Sam Morril]

Really? What? That's incredible.

[Steve Schirripa]

Bobby saying. And he said, bobby's a really good actor. He put Bobby in three or four of his things. Bobby's got a great scene in his Amazon show playing a writer in a diner. Like a four or five page scene. Wow.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. He liked. He liked. He liked him.

[Sam Morril]

That's so intimidating, though. The dark room with Woody in the corner, the camera. It's like Basic Instinct, you know, that.

[Steve Schirripa]

Was, you know, and I had heard, and I don't know if it was true, but people had told me that he didn't want to meet the actor. So sometimes he would be in another room.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

On camera, listening.

[Mark Normand]

Like a police interrogator.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. Like, he wouldn't. Like, he would go like this. Like, I put his head down and just like, listen to you. Dominic T Uncle Junior told me he auditioned for a play and that's what he did.

[Sam Morril]

Weird.

[Steve Schirripa]

So that was kind of odd. He wasn't weird on the set. Yeah, you know, he was. He was very nice. You know, nice. But once he got to know me, you know, the Jim Belushi was in the movie. It wasn't one of his better ones.

[Sam Morril]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

But we work with Kate Winslet, Jim Bellucci, and Sirico. And Sirico would tell you, you know, Sirico would say, hey, after you say that line. And look at me, you know, let me get my mug in there.

[Sam Morril]

Look at me.

[Steve Schirripa]

Give me a look.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, he would actually tell you to look at him. You know, he's directing you. What?

[Sam Morril]

Right. Hey, well, he had a mug.

[Steve Schirripa]

Let me get my mug in there.

[Sam Morril]

You said you worked with Walken. How did you get to know him at all?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, I got to know him the first time I met him. I did a movie, Kill the Irishman. He was in it.

[Mark Normand]

That was a pretty good one.

[Steve Schirripa]

We didn't have scenes together.

[Mark Normand]

The actor passed away recently, didn't he?

[Steve Schirripa]

Ray Stevenson.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, he was grading them.

[Steve Schirripa]

Great, great. I had a big scene with him. Yeah, good guy. Yeah, we had fun. We shot it in Detroit. A double for Cleveland. Christopher Walken. He. He just came. He was. We were shooting another scene and he was wearing jeans and a rope as a belt. We had a rope. He was saying, I was. I'm starting to watch that show. His wife cast the show. Georgia Walken cast the entire run of Sopranos. She cast me. And he said, I'm starting to. I'm starting to. I'm just starting to watch that show. I think the show is over. You know, but he was great. And then, you know, we talked.

[Mark Normand]

But I watched the Sopranos afterwards. Like, I mean, I guess I came in at the very end, but, like, it feels weird to have to wait a week to see the next episode.

[Sam Morril]

We would wait, we'd have big parties, watch parties.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's a lot of people. David Chase loved that. You know, so many people had these parties and Italian meals and all this stuff on. On, you know, it's crazy. Listen, we had the premiere of a TV show at Radio City.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Every year, 6,000. The first year was at John's Pizza. And then every year after that it was at Radio City. Oh, my God, People were dying to get tickets. It was like the hottest ticket.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I think at my kids school, I auctioned off $10,000 for two tickets, you know, and then we would have the party at Radio City. And if the ice wasn't at, like where the ice is, that would be the, The. The after.

[Sam Morril]

Oh.

[Mark Normand]

Sorry.

[Sam Morril]

That's crazy.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, it was like crazy.

[Sam Morril]

It was.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's.

[Sam Morril]

It's so funny that the Italians got so mad about this show. Like, I don't. I'm half Italian. Who. Who gives you. What. What about. How do you feel about Luigi then, if this show bothered you? You know, he's like a real attempt.

[Mark Normand]

Well, some people love him.

[Sam Morril]

That's true.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. I mean, that's what. First of all, it's all, you know, I had a guy, you know, I wrote a book called Nikki Deuce and we turned it into a movie and Gandafini's in it and Michael and Sirico and a couple other people. And I wrote the kids book and then I sold it to Nickelodeon.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

And so I was going around doing book signings.

[Sam Morril]

Nice.

[Steve Schirripa]

And I was going around doing book signings and this guy was like emailing and writing letters to the bookstore saying how I make Italians look bad. You know the story, it was about a kid in a neighborhood in Benson, Harrison, you know, blah, blah, blah. Right. So I'm going like, you know, what do you, you know, what's this guy talking about? Some organization. It was some bullshit organization. So finally I called a guy, uh huh. And I said, I think his name was Joe, of course. I said, what can I do for you? What is it that I could do for you? Because you're harassing me. What is it that you want from me? And I said, this is the world I grew up in. This is what I know. Yes, this is what I know. You know, rap is right about, you know, the hood. This is what I know. I know what I know, it wasn't autobiographical, but, but you know, there was stuff in there. It's like Brooklyn in the 70s. He said, well, if you make a donation to my. The fucking guy tried to shake me down.

[Sam Morril]

Wow. Very Italian.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, he's the one who's doing the best.

[Sam Morril]

Exactly.

[Steve Schirripa]

So you know, and I used to, you know, people would say, you know, I don't watch that show you're on. It makes Italians look bad. I said, have you seen it? No, I don't watch it.

[Sam Morril]

Well then how do you know exactly.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, this is a slice of Italian American life that exists.

[Mark Normand]

You could argue it makes any group you can argue makes Jews look bad. Hesh is your fucking one Jew.

[Sam Morril]

Right?

[Steve Schirripa]

Absolutely.

[Mark Normand]

Argue makes anyone, anyone can get offended.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, if you're ignorant enough to think that every rap is a gang member, then you're an asshole.

[Sam Morril]

That's a good point.

[Mark Normand]

There's also that character, Lorraine Bracco's ex husband on the show. He's kind of that guy that they're making fun of. He's always like, this makes us all look bad. But you're like, that's, that's the, you're.

[Sam Morril]

That guy that was smart to write that guy in.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, they, it was such a self.

[Steve Schirripa]

Aware show, you know, and then they had that thing, remember The Columbus Day Parade.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. In that episode, he's a cop.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, yeah, Nick was. Nick was in. I. You know, I. Nick got the role on his own, but I think I might have helped him get together. Oh, yeah, Well, I certainly talked to them. I said, if it's. I can't get you the role, but if you, you know, if it's on the fence over. He did a great job. Yeah, Nick was a crazy Soprano fan.

[Sam Morril]

Oh. I mean, he had a bit about Sopranos.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, we. We used to do a lot. We do a live show now, me, Michael, and we're going to be at Sony Hall, August 18th.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, that's cool.

[Steve Schirripa]

And we do it all over the country. We taught Australia. We're touring the UK in the. In the. In the spring next year.

[Mark Normand]

Do you like touring with them?

[Steve Schirripa]

It's great. Yeah, it's great. We. We tell behind the scenes stories, funny stories. We do Q and A, meet and greet. We show clips, slides. You know, if you're a Soprano fan, it's. You don't want to miss. It's really good. And we sell out most places.

[Sam Morril]

Nice.

[Steve Schirripa]

We do theaters, you know. And so Nick, we used to do a show early on called Comedy you can't Refuse. And we would have a couple of comics, you know. And Nick. Nick Depaulo did Westbury, you know, in the Round Long Island. Long Island. He came. He came out and he said, welcome to Juville.

[Mark Normand]

I think that's how he introed me on his radio show, too.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's what he said. I mean, that's what he said, you know, and then in Vegas, I mean, he had one of the best sets I had ever seen, really. But now he's like. He went way to the right. I did his podcast. It was like. I don't even know if he remembered who I was.

[Sam Morril]

Nick, he can find a way to get to Hillary, but he's fucking hilarious.

[Steve Schirripa]

Really.

[Mark Normand]

Some of those classic albums have some great.

[Steve Schirripa]

Really funny man. I mean, funny guy. He used to. He. He wrote some stuff. For my first book. I did that Goomba's Guide to Life. You might be a Goomba if we did a bunch of those. You have more pinky rings than Pinkies. I think he wrote the one. Nathan Lane. You know something? You never hear a gumbo say Nathan Lane. I adore Nate. Nick wrote that. Nick wrote a bunch of shit. You know, he helped with the book. Yeah, he. I think the first two books he wrote some good stuff. Really funny.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah, super funny.

[Steve Schirripa]

I said, I think I called him Once he was. We used to do this Triple X show like it was called Extreme Comedy. Joe Rogan did it years ago in the 90s. Vegas Joe did it. And, you know, bunch of. Nick maybe a tell a bunch of. It was like midnight on the Saturday, you know, real blue. As blue as you wanted to go. And I called Nick, I think he was in his room. I went, hey, what, miss? I said, hey, well, how grumpy are you today? You know? He said, I know you're Mr. Happy all the time.

[Sam Morril]

I love to go on back first. I love that you called that guy. Just to get straight to it. The guy was offended all the time.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

That should be a TV show. Italian guy from Brooklyn. If you're offended, we'll call you and we'll talk it out.

[Steve Schirripa]

Absolutely. I used to call comics. Well, you know, comics could be annoying.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

So I ran a few rooms in Vegas and they wanted work, Right. I did one in Houston. I had the Maxim Hotel. I had the Riviera.

[Mark Normand]

That's not still around, is it? The Maxim Hotel.

[Steve Schirripa]

I think they changed the name. That's not around. They had a comedy, small comedy club. Right. And I used to book some acts into the Trop. I had a little agency there years ago while I worked at the Real. And there's guys I just didn't want to use for one reason or another. And they would like, keep calling and calling. And then I would, like after the second call, I would call them and say, I don't want to use you.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, take a hint.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't want to use you.

[Mark Normand]

This is before even email.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, I don't want to use. Yeah, I never use email. I said, I don't want to use you. That's it. I mean, you know, I get it. I know you're a great comic. Enough for me.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, because I know guys were pain in the ass. I used to try to book guys that didn't bother me. I don't want to be bothered. I don't want phone calls at night.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Just do your fucking act. I didn't even go see. I didn't even go see your act. Like. Like there was this girl came and she said, you know, she was working in the club and she came over and I was walking through the casino. She said, hey, are you going to come and see me or what? I've been here like since Monday. I went, let's leave well enough alone. Yeah, if I see your act, I may not book your act. Just do it. Leave me alone.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

I Don't get complaints on you. Come on time and leave me alone.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, well, that's the thing. We know a lot of count. You never heard a comic go, man, I'm not that good. Yeah, you know, they all. Every comic thinks they're good enough. That's the problem.

[Steve Schirripa]

But it wasn't even that. It was like, for one reason or another, you know, a lot of comics would call on their own. A lot of guys weren't. Didn't have represent.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Especially in a club, you know Richie Miller. We were talking about Richie Miller.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

He used to call. He would say, hey, so and so's been there before. You gave him 1200. You think you could give him 1250? I went, wow, you're a great agent. I said, how about if I give him 1300? You know what? I'll give him 1400. Does that make you a great agent? Like, I didn't care.

[Sam Morril]

Right, right.

[Steve Schirripa]

The hotel's budget.

[Sam Morril]

That's Dennis Miller's brother, Dennis.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

He ran down in San Antonio. Right. Is that what he did?

[Mark Normand]

Cap City for a minute.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah. And Philly.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't know. Is he still doing it? He's a good guy.

[Mark Normand]

I don't know. He got very mad at me once. I remember I told you before, but I missed a morning TV spot, but my phone broke. I was just like. I wasn't on purpose. Yeah, But. Yeah, I overslept, and he was not happy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. But, you know, so, Sam, when you're booking the acts, there's so many guys are so crazed. Not all comics, but there's so many of those stories. This guy did this, this guy did that. This guy. You know what I mean? Like, you were all over the place. So you don't get. They don't get the benefit of the doubt.

[Mark Normand]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

Unfortunately.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Mark Normand]

You know, you know, you can't. Especially when you're not selling tickets at that point. You got it. You got to. Not up at all.

[Sam Morril]

Exactly.

[Mark Normand]

Up.

[Sam Morril]

So, yeah, they were being nice by having us.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah. Well, that, you know, that. That was it. It was really the same three comics, you know, I mean, at the river, it was three shows a night at one point. Three shows a night, seven nights a week, 21 shows.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

Freeman would play the open of $500.

[Sam Morril]

Whoa.

[Steve Schirripa]

Room and food in the employee cafeteria.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was making a fortune. Yeah, he's making a fortune. And, you know, there was four comics on the bill. The two comics in between made 800 to open 750. And the headliner got maybe 2500.

[Sam Morril]

For a week.

[Steve Schirripa]

For a week.

[Sam Morril]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, and you know, the club is doing well. You know, people got bang for the buck. The show came with two free drinks or a buffet at the time.

[Mark Normand]

Hey, that buffet was fun, man.

[Sam Morril]

That was.

[Steve Schirripa]

I love.

[Mark Normand]

I love a good buffet.

[Sam Morril]

Good eating, especially when you were broke.

[Steve Schirripa]

But the rib, the one at the river was a shitty one.

[Mark Normand]

They always say that, but I always find. I like. They're like, this one sucks. I'm like, nah, I found some good.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, they got some deep and jello.

[Mark Normand]

Gonna walk, right?

[Steve Schirripa]

But there's a lot of clubs in Vegas now. Oh, yeah, now there's a lot. Back then, there was only a couple back, but now there's.

[Sam Morril]

There's Jimmy Kimmel. Have you done Tommy Seller? Many times.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, done the Seller, Kimmel, Brad Garrett.

[Sam Morril]

I think there's a wise guys there now.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, there's a couple of wise guys. That's all after me. That's all after wise.

[Mark Normand]

Got. But wise guys is off the Strip, which is. Which seems kind of nice because, like. Oh, that's the best part of Vegas is when you get the locals.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah, they're in a strip mall.

[Steve Schirripa]

They got two of them. There's two different ones. I think there's two wise guys, one of the arts district. And there's another one, the Utah one is great.

[Mark Normand]

That's a great club.

[Sam Morril]

Great club.

[Mark Normand]

Salt Lake Stubbs. Keith Stubbs.

[Steve Schirripa]

You guys still do clubs mostly?

[Mark Normand]

Sometimes, yeah. I mean, we do both. We do theaters and clubs, you know.

[Steve Schirripa]

But you tour together?

[Sam Morril]

No, no.

[Steve Schirripa]

Why don't you tour together? Does that make sense?

[Sam Morril]

You have to split the money.

[Mark Normand]

You split the money?

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, but you play a theater.

[Sam Morril]

We could do it. Theaters already?

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, you're doing theaters?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Did you do Montclair then? I asked you that. Did you?

[Mark Normand]

I don't think I did Montclair. I. Maybe I'm doing.

[Steve Schirripa]

I might do thousand seaters, 1500.

[Mark Normand]

It depends. It depends on.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, you gotta sweat it out, though. You know? I sweat it out, like when we have a show, you know, if we're gonna sell out or not.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, always.

[Steve Schirripa]

Listen, I would say to us, this is just like kind of a hobby. We do it here and there. You know what I mean? I'm not trying to make a living at it, you know, it's just. No, but still, you want to do well.

[Sam Morril]

Tickets are everything. And sometimes you'll be like, oh, we're at 60. Then two days before it'll hit 90, and you're like, thank you.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. No, it's cities. You're just like. Like Phoenix, Houston. It's like they buy the. Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

At the buzzer.

[Steve Schirripa]

That sucks. You know, listen, when I was doing Ray Romano, I think the first time it was a thousand seater. He did 250 people. Kevin James did 200 people.

[Sam Morril]

Oh.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was like kind of before their time.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Mark Normand]

But they were already good comics.

[Steve Schirripa]

They were great comics, but has nothing to do with that.

[Mark Normand]

Totally. Yeah. You gotta.

[Steve Schirripa]

You gotta build it, you know, I mean, there was. There was, you know, I mean, you play in Vegas. There's a million things to do.

[Sam Morril]

Yep.

[Steve Schirripa]

Paul Rodriguez used to work for me. You know Paul?

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I, you know, you know, you, You. I was the first guy to use him. Not on, you know, Hispanic holidays.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then I did gay shows. Nobody did gay shows back then. I was doing gay shows at a casino.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

Who do you. Who do you use? Like Mario Cantone?

[Steve Schirripa]

No, not Mario. Mario worked at. I didn't catch Scott Thompson. Oh, yeah, there's a guy, Scott Tennant. He passed away. We did an album. An album? Gabba. Leah Delaria.

[Sam Morril]

Huh?

[Steve Schirripa]

She worked for me. You know Leah?

[Mark Normand]

No.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, she's comic and actor. She was on Orange is a New Black.

[Sam Morril]

Okay.

[Steve Schirripa]

But nobody was doing gay shows.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

Even though we had a female impersonator show in the. So there was three rooms that I ran. It was a comedy club. There was a topless show and then a female impersonator show. They were all like, in one complex.

[Sam Morril]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

So you had like, you know, a guy with tits and a dick and then you. Tits downstairs.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, we still have that now. Just different. Different names for it.

[Mark Normand]

I gotta ask you, because you, I mean, you've worked with Eastwood, you've worked with Woody Allen. Is there anyone that you're like, oh, I'd love to work with this person.

[Steve Schirripa]

I don't care.

[Mark Normand]

You don't care?

[Sam Morril]

Come on.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, I, I Scorsese, I work with him on Casino. That's why I got my sharecard. I don't really care, you know, if something good comes along and I like the material, I do it. I'm lucky. I don't have to work. I'm doing Dexter now. That's Blood was good. I was on another show after the Sopranos that I did 110 episodes. So I've been very lucky. And I really am not that guy, you know? I mean, if it's a good director, I'd love to do it. If it's a good role. And if not, you know, listen, I'm not starring in no movies. I know my reality, you know, I know what's what. You know, I'm not going to play an English professor guy.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And that's it. I've done okay so far.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, you've had a great career, man.

[Steve Schirripa]

So far, so good.

[Mark Normand]

It's nice to be in that.

[Steve Schirripa]

And if it's over, it's over. I'm all right. It's. I'm old. You guys are just starting.

[Sam Morril]

Well, how'd you sell a show to Nickelodeon? That's genius. I would never even have thought of that.

[Steve Schirripa]

I sold the show to Nickelodeon. I sold numerous shows. I showed one to FX at one time.

[Sam Morril]

Really?

[Steve Schirripa]

Fox at one time. ABC. I had a sitcom deal in 2004.

[Mark Normand]

What was that about?

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, at the time, they had Damon Waynes, my wife and kids. They had George Lopez, they had Jim Belushi. And this was going to be the Italian version. And we, you know, we made a deal, wrote the pilot. It didn't work. Then they put me with another guy and the guy flaked. A big, big creator.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And he just, like, flake. Like. We went to lunch. We went to lunch at the Palm.

[Sam Morril]

And Chuck Lorre, you come back, and.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was chewing a steak and spitting it in his napkin. We went to the Palm over here on 15th Street.

[Mark Normand]

What a way.

[Steve Schirripa]

And I thought, like. I'm thinking to myself, like, you know, like, it was weird to me, but I don't know the guy, you know, there's a guy, you know, the first person I pitched with, she wrote the pilot. It didn't work, and they wanted to continue on with me. Me and not her. So they found me, this guy who had created a huge show and.

[Mark Normand]

And he didn't swallow.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was very, very weird. And we had meeting after meeting after meeting, and it. He never. He never wrote anything. He just like, disappeared and the thing ran out and that was that.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Well, what's the secret? We're trying to sell. How do you do it? What's the move in the room? Is there any.

[Steve Schirripa]

I'm pretty good in the room. I mean, I've sold like six things. Discovery Channel, I sold. Wow. A cooking channel. Be real. Be yourself and tell the story. I mean, I'm. Don't be shy and don't be robotic. Go in there, tell them what you're doing. You look like a guy that's nervous. You're gonna crack under the.

[Sam Morril]

I make jokes and I go too far and I blow it.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, don't tell the story. This. Hey, this Is about the two of us. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. This is what it is.

[Mark Normand]

I feel we're gonna. We'll figure it out.

[Steve Schirripa]

You guys funny guys.

[Mark Normand]

Thanks, man.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, I'm being serious. I'm not even talking about your act. You guys are funny guys. So a lot of comics are not funny at all.

[Sam Morril]

That's true.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Sorry.

[Steve Schirripa]

Like De Niro.

[Mark Normand]

Like this guy over here.

[Steve Schirripa]

Listen, you couldn't have a conversation with Robert De Niro, but if he's got a script, he's a wonderful actor, Right?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Taking that away, of course. Be yourself. This is what the show is. Whatever the movie. It's the two of you.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. All right.

[Steve Schirripa]

It took me seven years from when I sold it to get it made.

[Sam Morril]

Jeez. That's a nightmare.

[Mark Normand]

That is crazy.

[Sam Morril]

Jesus. That's tv. That's production.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, Jim did it. Jim. Jim seen in this. Hilarious. It's one of his last movies.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Sam Morril]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

One of his last movies.

[Mark Normand]

It sucks that we didn't get to see him do more. He had such range, you know, I know.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was. He was a good guy. A lot of. A lot of fun, man. You know, we had a lot of laughs. That's. That's why I didn't like the. Well, I liked the documentary. I thought it was very well done.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I won an Academy Award at Alex Gibney.

[Mark Normand]

I could have taken another couple episodes. I was like, this is so entertaining stuff.

[Steve Schirripa]

I didn't know a lot either.

[Sam Morril]

You're right.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, day when we had the podcast, David Chase listened to every podcast.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

And he came on three times. Wow. He liked it. Which, you know, we got his blessing because he's very particular. This is his thing. And he liked it, so we were very happy about that. Michael wrote five episodes.

[Mark Normand]

That's incredible that he did.

[Steve Schirripa]

So he is much more knowledgeable than I was. He was. He was there, you know, behind the scenes. He was there from day one. So he knew, you know, and how did that.

[Mark Normand]

How did that happen? Like, how did. I mean, you cast him as the actor then how do you know he's a writer?

[Steve Schirripa]

He wrote Summer of Sam.

[Sam Morril]

He wrote that with Leguizamo.

[Steve Schirripa]

Wow. Him and another guy wrote that. That with Lucazamo and Spike Lee. Right.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Right. And he had written other stuff, you know, and so I guess ax if he wanted to write. So he was in the writers room. He was privy to all that.

[Mark Normand]

Damn.

[Sam Morril]

Damn.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, and. And what detail, like, to the show, like, you know, like, if it said it's got you know, whatever Eminem's in. In the bowl, it had to be M M's right? Said, you know, if it said spaghetti at the table, it couldn't be a.

[Sam Morril]

Different kind of rigatoni.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, no, no, no. He would go crazy, David. It was very specific. He's wearing this coat, he's doing this. You couldn't change a line. Not a word. Whoa. Not a word. People said, hey, that was you. You ad lib that. No ad lib.

[Mark Normand]

Not one ad lib.

[Steve Schirripa]

Way out of there, you get killed.

[Sam Morril]

Interesting.

[Steve Schirripa]

The fucker kill you off.

[Sam Morril]

Wow.

[Mark Normand]

Do you think he killed anyone off because they were just annoying?

[Steve Schirripa]

I think it might have. Maybe.

[Mark Normand]

Wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

I think maybe, you know, maybe. I don't, you know, I don't know for sure.

[Sam Morril]

Richie. April.

[Steve Schirripa]

No, no, I think he knew they only had one.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, that was a great. When you said jacket. Of course, I think the jacket.

[Steve Schirripa]

Yeah, I was in that scene. Yeah, I was in that.

[Mark Normand]

Great.

[Steve Schirripa]

But you know, when. When David Paval came on the screen, you kind of got uncomfortable.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Got scared. He was like crazy, you know, major crazy.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, he was. He was great.

[Steve Schirripa]

Crazy. He was great. You know, he was in Mean Streets, I remember. Yeah. And, you know, they became stars. He didn't. He struggled the whole way.

[Sam Morril]

Right.

[Steve Schirripa]

He's an acting teacher. This was his thing. He came on the podcast, he told us that he flew here on his own and he read with Jim and he said he was staying somewhere in their Central Park West. He said when he got into the hallway, he could hear the phone ringing, you know, coming from the audition. And he got in the room, he picked up the phone and his agent said he got the role. He said he broke down on the bed crying, he said, because he felt he deserved it. Yeah, he said, I deserve it. He said all these years of struggling, that was it, you know.

[Sam Morril]

Well, he killed it too. He's the scariest guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

He was the scariest of all.

[Sam Morril]

Easily. The Janice with the gun into her head, all that.

[Steve Schirripa]

Ralphie was.

[Sam Morril]

Ralphie was scary too.

[Steve Schirripa]

Ralph. He was scary in a different way, like a crazy way. Janice was one of the worst characters.

[Sam Morril]

She was great.

[Steve Schirripa]

She was a murderer. Yeah, she was a murderer. Manipulator. She stole the girl's leg.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

She was like her mother, like an insane.

[Mark Normand]

She was great in the show.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. So good.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

The boob, the tit.

[Mark Normand]

The way she manipulated Tony too. I mean, she was so. It was such a great.

[Steve Schirripa]

She was one. I think, to me, she was one of the most horrific characters.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. Very Layered.

[Steve Schirripa]

Don't forget, she murdered him.

[Mark Normand]

And then, you know, he did have it coming, though. I mean, that was definitely.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, no. That's something.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Luigi, yeah. Luigi, yeah. Listen, if we're gonna do that, half the city deserves.

[Mark Normand]

I know, but this babe. But Richie April was a bad dude.

[Sam Morril]

Yes, yes.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Horrible.

[Sam Morril]

They all are.

[Mark Normand]

And he just.

[Steve Schirripa]

When you think about it, they all.

[Mark Normand]

He hit her and then he mocked her. It was kind of like, you know, they all are.

[Steve Schirripa]

We rooted. That was the genius.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

Tony Soprano was horrible guy. He murdered people. He ripped people off. Not just in it. Not other mobsters, you know, I don't want to hear that. Just. Or they hurt each other. Christopher murdered, I don't know, 16 people, I think.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And then he sat on the dog. The people were mad about the dog, right? Mad about the people.

[Sam Morril]

Exactly.

[Steve Schirripa]

Right. I mean, a lot of those people.

[Mark Normand]

Did something to deserve it. That dog, Cosette, didn't do anything wrong.

[Steve Schirripa]

But all these people murdered, yet we like them.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

We thought they were funny and they were. I mean, Paulie Walnuts, how many people did he kill?

[Mark Normand]

Well, it would remind you every once in a while. They would remind you. Like when he killed that old lady, you're like, oh, shit. Yeah, he's a fucking bad guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Whenever you got comfortable, they showed you.

[Sam Morril]

Good point.

[Steve Schirripa]

Killed the lady, smothered her, you know, in that they wanted him to choke her. But he was very protective. Tony Sirico was of Paulie, and he thought if he choked her that the audience wouldn't like Paulie. And so he said, could I smother her with a pillow? And they said, yeah. And he liked that.

[Mark Normand]

Okay, now he's likable.

[Steve Schirripa]

One of the few times they let you change the line was they called him in. One of the two of the characters said, I'm afraid of Paulie. He's a. He's a bully. And he went to the writers and said, paulie is not a bully. I don't like that. You got to change that. I don't like Paul. He's not a bully. Of course, Paulie was a bully.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

So they change it to, I don't like that. Paulie, he's a psycho. And Tony like that.

[Sam Morril]

Okay, that's good.

[Mark Normand]

Interesting. Well, I liked in the doc when they said HBO was really against having Tony kill the guy in the Witness Protection episode, the College Visit. And David Chase was like, he's gotta kill him. And it makes you realize how groundbreaking that show was. There had been nothing like this where the main Character is just a cold blooded murderer.

[Steve Schirripa]

Kramer never killed anybody.

[Mark Normand]

Killed his career.

[Steve Schirripa]

One of the Friends.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

You imagine that, what he did.

[Mark Normand]

You shouldn't do that.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean. Yeah, but could you imagine? I mean, this guy seriously had an.

[Sam Morril]

Incredible, incredible, brilliant comedic actor.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I mean, that's one of the greatest sitcom actors ever.

[Sam Morril]

Totally. We should get his career up on the wall.

[Steve Schirripa]

You should have him up.

[Mark Normand]

He was a bully.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. He didn't think there would be a phone camera. That was when phone cameras were brand new.

[Mark Normand]

That's right.

[Sam Morril]

So that's what he was.

[Mark Normand]

The first phone camera cancellation.

[Sam Morril]

Totally.

[Steve Schirripa]

Come on. But just to do that was insane.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. I mean, you shouldn't do it regardless of technology.

[Steve Schirripa]

You know, like, he.

[Sam Morril]

That was a good bit.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

But I read his book and he kind of apologized.

[Mark Normand]

But not apologized, more n Words and Huck Finn.

[Sam Morril]

No. All right.

[Steve Schirripa]

Not that apologetic.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

Whose book is that? Who do we have there?

[Sam Morril]

Steve O. We got Offerman.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah.

[Sam Morril]

Segura.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah. Well, you're going to.

[Steve Schirripa]

You're going to work for me in Vegas.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, he lived in Vegas.

[Mark Normand]

Oh, wow.

[Steve Schirripa]

I helped start him. I got him on Evening at the Impromptu.

[Mark Normand]

We love Doug, man. Doug's a classic.

[Steve Schirripa]

He does his own thing.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

He does it his way and his own thing, that's for sure.

[Sam Morril]

Not for everybody, but a brilliant guy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Where does he live? Out in Arizona.

[Mark Normand]

Bisbee, Arizona. We had him on here one night and I did not expect Doug, God bless him. He showed up loaded at like, what, noon? And then he said, I'm gonna come by the Cellar tonight. And we're like, yeah, right. And. And 7pm I got a text. He goes, I'm here. Hung with him till 2am we had a great night, man.

[Sam Morril]

He's a good driver.

[Mark Normand]

I love Doug.

[Steve Schirripa]

I haven't seen him in a long time. He did very well for himself.

[Mark Normand]

Well, tell us where you're gonna be.

[Steve Schirripa]

With, you know, Stony Hall, August 16th. There you go with the Sopranos.

[Sam Morril]

No smile.

[Steve Schirripa]

You're a Soprano fan. You're gonna like that.

[Sam Morril]

Look at the hair on you guys. It's phenomenal. The Italian hair really stays in there. Well, not on him, but, yeah, you know, we went.

[Steve Schirripa]

Jim was like the Bacchus at the Mardi Gras one year.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And we all went down there and we had a good time, but we went to. That was it Moscone's, the place on the outskirts of town. They said Al Capone used to eat there. They hosted us. You never ate?

[Sam Morril]

No.

[Steve Schirripa]

From New Orleans.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. But you Know I wasn't allowed there.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, really?

[Sam Morril]

Moscone's. Pull that up.

[Steve Schirripa]

I was wondering. I was wondering if you.

[Mark Normand]

It was good.

[Steve Schirripa]

It was good. It was good. It's like a famous place. I was wondering if you had ever been there. You know, they were very nice people. I think it's the same family. It was called Moscone's. It's. It's in New Orleans.

[Sam Morril]

Huh?

[Steve Schirripa]

I think it's called Moscone's.

[Sam Morril]

Doesn't ring a bell. My mom's a big Italian foodie lady.

[Steve Schirripa]

I think it's like the most famous Italian restaurant down there. What do I know now?

[Sam Morril]

Oh, in Met. That's why Moscone. Yeah. I never went to Met. That was like the Long island of.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, really?

[Sam Morril]

Yeah, Yeah. I couldn't go out there a lot out there. Well, met.

[Steve Schirripa]

Oh, shitty.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah. No offense.

[Steve Schirripa]

Okay.

[Sam Morril]

It's not the same.

[Steve Schirripa]

I got you.

[Mark Normand]

All right, Mark.

[Steve Schirripa]

Where.

[Mark Normand]

Where you going to be?

[Sam Morril]

Moscas. That I've heard of.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know. There you go.

[Sam Morril]

You made it more Italian again.

[Steve Schirripa]

You guys are getting drunk all day. When I was your age, that's what I used to do.

[Sam Morril]

All right, good.

[Steve Schirripa]

Unfortunately. Enjoy yourselves. I wish I was. I wish I could still do it.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Mark Normand]

What was your drink?

[Steve Schirripa]

I would drink tequila. Yeah, I still drink, but not like that. Yeah, Yeah, I would drink tequila. Chilled it up. Patron.

[Sam Morril]

I was hungover the other day. It lasts two days.

[Steve Schirripa]

I can't. I can't deal with the hangover anymore. That's the problem.

[Mark Normand]

It's bad.

[Steve Schirripa]

I can't deal with it. That's the problem. Not the going out part.

[Sam Morril]

Sure.

[Steve Schirripa]

It's the fucking aftermath.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I used to be able to bounce right back.

[Sam Morril]

Oh, yeah. What about Little Nose?

[Steve Schirripa]

In Vegas one time I counted, I went out 70 something nights in a row.

[Sam Morril]

Jesus.

[Steve Schirripa]

70 nights in a row. Like I. I was. I lived nocturnally for a long time there. Like working in the clubs.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

I worked 1 at night to 9 in the morning or 11 to 7, and then go out. Yeah, there was places that like you go at one in the afternoon. They're absolutely packed. Wow. You can't see your hand in front of your face. Right. It's that dark.

[Sam Morril]

Yeah.

[Steve Schirripa]

And you know, so I would get home, you know, 12, 1 2:00, and you know, go to bed, wake up and say, I'm not fucking going out. That's it, I'm done. Yep, that's it. I'm going right to bed. Then like about, you know, midnight or whatever time. 12, 2 o'clock in the morning, you start. But you know what? I kind of feeling. All right.

[Sam Morril]

Yes.

[Steve Schirripa]

Do it again.

[Sam Morril]

Door of my life. Little nose candy.

[Steve Schirripa]

Do it again.

[Sam Morril]

Little blow, a little yam yam. No, I'm saying is that, that doesn't hurt out there in the. The desert, if you know what I mean.

[Steve Schirripa]

Two day hangover. You're still doing it.

[Sam Morril]

Just if you need to pick me up.

[Mark Normand]

These are your dates, Mark.

[Sam Morril]

All right. Hey, I'm in New Brunswick, New Jersey. That's almost sold out. Then we got Ithaca, we got Reykjavik. I'm going to the UK and all that good stuff. London, whatever. Rochester, Port Chester, Albany. I'm staying on the east coast. There we go. Wisconsin, Green Bay, Eugene. Come on out. And then we're going to Australia, so we'd love to have you out there. Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, you name it, we told Australia.

[Steve Schirripa]

Have you. It's your first time?

[Sam Morril]

Second time. I fucking love Australia.

[Steve Schirripa]

Australia. We went.

[Sam Morril]

I always say Australia's like America in the 80s.

[Mark Normand]

I got Phoenix, Arizona. We got San Diego, Sacramento, SF, Portland. Added a late show on a Monday. Please come out. Seattle, Vancouver. We added a late show, so please come to that. And then we got Boise, Idaho and Denver, Colorado. And I just added Montclair, New Jersey. The Wellmont, July 11th and the 12th Red Bank, New Jersey, Count Basie. And then in August, we're adding, I think a few at the Wilbur. So see you guys out there. Love it. And you know, great suspension, Montclair.

[Steve Schirripa]

That's what I told you.

[Mark Normand]

I know. I don't think we talked about it.

[Steve Schirripa]

We played the Walmart and we played Count Basie. It's great.

[Mark Normand]

Excited.

[Steve Schirripa]

Well, Australia, I've done.

[Mark Normand]

Yeah, Australia is great.

[Steve Schirripa]

Australia.

[Sam Morril]

Love Australia.

[Steve Schirripa]

You guys are out there, man. You're making me tired. Just think about that.

[Sam Morril]

Great.

[Mark Normand]

I've never. We never really talked to you. Yeah, great to me.

[Steve Schirripa]

I know I'm not a comic, so I'm not going to take my shirt off and all that.

[Sam Morril]

We're happy about that. Keep it on.

[Mark Normand]

It was awesome, man. Thanks for coming by, Steve.

[Steve Schirripa]

Pleasure.

[Mark Normand]

All right, all right, all right.

[Sam Morril]

Comedy Sunday's the day for my next offender. A bit of piva wreck. You know, the beer juice.

[Steve Schirripa]

Close.

[Sam Morril]

I've had a little too much burping. And Norman's talking shit about the fucking Pope. And I get down in the same way up on the roof like the cops coming. And naked Samuel is feeling dangerous. I'm out to lunch here in New Orleans.

[Steve Schirripa]

This woman doesn't look like I remember.

[Sam Morril]

And I get down in the same.

[Steve Schirripa]

Way we might be true.