Episode 571 - Jimmy Dore

All right, let's do this. How are you? What the fuckers? What the fuck buddies?

What the fuck sticks? What the fuck knobs just made that one up sort of guy just came out of me welcome to the show I am mark mary. This is WTF. I'm glad you're here if you're running.

How are you keep it going do it? Keep going. Yeah, sweat it out today on the show Jimmy door the comedian comedy and everything else you can get his book It's got a book your country is just not that into you. It's available right now.

Where you get books I'll have I'll talk to Jimmy in a second Jimmy was one of those guys man He was before I really started doing the podcast or maybe right at the beginning I went to his home and he had me on his podcast and I was able to see that that's how it went That's how it goes that was back in the day when we were all starting out though Jimmy was doing his a little longer than anybody else he used to do it originally Todd glass comedy and everything else and now He's he does it with his wife Yeah, it was when he was one of the guys that inspired me to do it Give me my first break on the on a podcast him and Jesse Thorn and Keith and the girl They were the ones that that had me on and made me realize that wow I can do it I can do it right in my house. I've always wanted to do it right in my house So so this is a little tip of the hat for Jimmy door finally I didn't have mom for a while I hadn't scheduled and I know my not thought there was tension between us and turns out there really isn't He's just a cranky guy I'm just a cranky guy and that's the way cranky guys are they wander around thinking other cranky guys are mad at them when really they're just mad Sensitive sensitive fellas we are I went and saw Selma last night because I thought it was my responsibility as an American and as a man And as a white person to go see it. I wanted to see it. Of course.

I like movies I like Hollywood movies at times. I like big movies. I like good acting. I like a good story I like a historical biopic occasionally.

I enjoyed that James Brown movie the last half hour that movies bizarre I thought Selma was good and I thought that the directors sort of focus on King as a man as a human man was great the story of of racist politics and racism in the south and Tensions and violence from that period. I mean a lot of times I think people need to be reminded of that I know I need to be reminded of that Sometimes movies are just provocative and that embarrassingly if I could share my subconscious with you embarrassingly I dreamed last night after I saw Selma that I had a really horrible set in the south that I was bombing on stage in The south and it went on for a really long time. So that's some part of what my brain did with that personalized it Which is not not it's not surprising for a selfish man But I thought it sort of captured the you know that the inherent white guilt and also the self-centeredness of how I would take a story like that But but it was devastating to devastating movie and it's surprising. I I believe that that that the reality of it was probably much worse Obviously then even what the movie could capture in that you know that was this country and that was this country You know 50 years ago in most of our lifetimes in my lifetime in my lifetime the year ago was up a few months ago in This country Yeah, it's fucking astounding man still there I um I You know what I wanted to talk to my buddy Nick DiPolo in just a minute.

He's got a special out in me and Nick go way back I did one of my first gigs opening for Nick DiPolo at Captain Nick's in a gunkwit main Yeah, I was right 22 years old Nick's not really that much over to me maybe a year But uh, but Nick's got a new special out and I wanted to give him a call So listen up me and Nick DiPolo started out together He's I gotta get him on here for an hour, but he lives in the little he was in outside of New York a little upstate I just gotta get I gotta get him on but right now His special another sense was killing is now available at at his website at Nick diP.com and get there for eight bucks Let's call Nick DiPolo let me call him Hello Nick. Yes, how are you buddy? What are you doing? Can you hear me all right?

Yeah, so what you have wait what out in the country in a bunker on the way can't peaches spam Chester I'm like 40 miles north of the sea. What's nice? My comedy cell mark door to door. Oh god.

That's a long haul. Nice. Yeah, I love my house I love my privacy, but holy shit. So what happened?

So last week wait, you and I are okay, right? How many times have you got sent in when you talk to people probably 10 times a week? Well, it used to be more I thought I cleared everything up with everybody over 500 episodes. I thought I Know you have like Mel bro in the rock Jonathan and butch Patrick and Oh, yeah, all those guys me in the rock.

He's here now He stayed over last night cuz you gotta do an interview this morning It was so funny cuz I got an email from some guy added nowhere through my website It said so you're an asshole and great good Simmons and Nick DiPolo think you're an asshole And I wrote back I said well that's a couple of assholes going an asshole and asshole so you must be an asshole for believing that I never called your NASA. I just on my podcast I talked about when we're up at Montreal We just done you know, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah You would tell like Billy burned eight other comics. Yeah, that's crazy And then somebody said something about me and you go who the bottle either relevant. Oh, and I went that muddlest fuck Yeah, I had a comment.

I had a comment. What is this special dude? When did it come out? It's on you go to Nick DiP.

It's called another central killing. It's like in the top 50 in pre-orders right now in iTunes and it's been Last week you're relevant to that guy I try to get acne in Minneapolis That's the best I've used it intimate, you know, oh, yeah, well acne is a great club Oh country that I love me if you have a fucking metaphor guy Then I mean I walk out of my shot there I take two Charles and I got a Tuesday night and I walk out the at work on like a lot of money my pocket on top of it No, he's a good guy aside from the fact that he banned me from his club for 12 years But you know that I guess in his mind there was fairness there somehow you said he was a well-de-comedy No, I think I took one of his waitresses back to the condo not The truth story. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no I mean, I don't know what the hell I did but he was a little weird like that but you know we made up everything's all right He was banging her. I don't know I just I think sometimes they just don't want you know the comic animal interacting with their pristine staff of Virgins and princesses.

Yeah, exactly like most of them are comedy and making machines. Oh, well, I gotta say that You've got the record of prescriptions well, I'm sorry the special is called another sense was killing How long is it that was a long set? It's an hour? I shot at the Louis Actually told me that he was talking I went to his house in New York the last time I was there We're just hanging out and you know, you know, he said because it's not it's taking up too much time, right?

It's not necessarily gonna stay relevant. I'm in the public first while I caught I watch all the time It's like ESPN for me. I love it. You know people are I mean, that's a really popular thing I felt you but it was kind of it's fun mark You've got good instinct because when I put it in there originally the material like that I just thought what that in there or yeah I kind of questioned it myself, so it's gonna be said it I'm you know, I was like, yeah, he's probably right.

Oh, I'm mean I was just ripping on the personality then oh and you love it So he's probably did you probably did you favor cuz it's not interesting that you love the food network? Just you just said to me you just sound like you build your life around this fucking network and you take a dump on the fucking personalities I love and it's weird right God forbid we let anybody love us right? I was making it on front of the other contender. I said you have the hand and forearms of you know, Alan Hey, you're sitting there with an apron cooking with her on doing one of her recipes I loved to cook man.

I've been like I was away from it for a while now. I started doing it again I love it. It's therapeutic. Very my problem is like I can spend hours making something that I can eat in three minutes That's right.

That's right. Yeah, I'm gonna lose the same 18 pounds, but yeah, you go there. I can't go out But you're not gonna play football anymore. I get this check again.

Oh, my hips are shoulders of a 90 year old man And you got to pick up other shit. Yeah, it's hard like I'm trying to lose it Wait now cuz I quit nicotine and I can't feel like my whole metabolism changed and I used to be able to knock off like you know Ten pounds in a month or so, but now it's a little harder. I've never seen you did I think you were fresh on a rehab and we did camp So whatever I'll get that's right. I open for you one of my first paid gigs of Captain Nixon a gunk quit main Yes, you were very nervous because you hadn't been on stage like a few years And you only have to do like 15 minutes and you were shitting your pants.

Yeah, yeah I really know if you were that point but then when I saw like all this kind of vet training over the fucking phone I was a mess. I was probably a little doughy. You know little doughy I tried to think when that was it must have been like right after I run the one the riots I was like 88 89. Yeah, I will still had a little rehab weight on me.

Yeah You're a good you're in shape. Yeah, but yeah, like I said, yeah, the frank zap would go T going That's what I got going now. Yeah, everything's going now. Yeah, you look good.

You look good at my wife ago It's man looks look like you should be famous. Thank God. It's about time. I'm working with personality.

I mean, I look at the roof Yeah, I know I got that one problem my personality. What's your podcast called? Where's your podcast at? Cast calm.

It's called the Nick Apollo podcast. How's that doing? Buckmark, Marin? Time comes to yury.

Oh, nice. I think it'll be too hard to find on the internet. So yeah, Nick Apollo podcast at write cast I was going okay. I love doing it man.

And you're a pioneer. So I thank you for plowing away. Yeah, are people enjoying it? It's like a quick.

It's like check on every couple days. Yeah, I'm the ranking. So it doesn't really tell you how much right It's always up there. So what's great, man?

I'm happy man. You sound good. You sound good to me. I'm happy to hear that Alright, why glad I caught you a good time?

It's not true if you want to give me a little notice we could have sat down for an hour next time you're out here Let's just do an hour that man. No absolutely A little warning With your Alright, buddy. Well, I love you man. I wish it best of luck with with the special.

It sounds great. I'm gonna go get it All right, that was a smile buddy Nick go check out his special another senseless killing and say bucks at Nick dip calm So crisis averted. I'm trying to do things differently folks. I'm trying to do things differently I'm trying to you know dating somebody and I'm trying not to be a dick and I felt I felt a dick fit coming over me last night I know people can relate to this.

I don't know if women can relate to it. It's got to be both sides both sexes have to feel this so where I Don't know how emotionally available. I've ever been in any my relationships. I know I've been a mess with people I know it's been crazy.

I know I engage in drama But you know how you know how much have I opened my heart how much does anybody really open their heart and just be comfortable being open-hearted and trusting somebody else and letting Them in like that. I don't know that I've ever done it successfully or for real for very long like generally I get it open I'm like oh god and I snap it shut sometimes I take someone's hand off, you know, it's dangerous my loser hand my heart but Last night we went out we saw Selma and we started talking after the movie and then you know It's something you know She said something that kind of stuck in my crawl a little bit But I didn't really say anything about it because I thought it was petty just bullshit It's about nothing it was about you know director's job or DP's job who did what who was responsible for what and particularly whatever doesn't matter All right, but she was wrong, but it doesn't matter I believe she was wrong I didn't need to bring that up It wasn't you know why it caused that kind of trouble but it's sort of stuck in my craw and then you know Everything else was just filtering through that little thing. You know got stuck in the got stuck in my brain engine So now all the information was coming in everything every interaction everything was coming in during our interaction was sort of running past that thing That was just stuck there just you know stuck and it was it was making everything shitty And by the time I got home, I was like, you know I was kind of like I wanted a fucking fight man I just and I knew it was just something it turned and I just wanted to fight and I just sat there and she's like Well, all right. What happens now?

What are we doing? Well? She's like well, it's just relaxing hang out, you know and enjoy each other's company I'm like, I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know if that's gonna happen and it was just stuck and I told it and I didn't And then she said something I snapped out her a little bit She just want to fight and I'm like ah Yes, I do I do just want to fight and I've had entire relationships like that that go on for years Where I'm like this where I just want to fight and I don't want to fight But I don't know how I'm gonna get through this I need to get through this feeling right now It's so fucking childish if you have this thing because you kind of just want to cry or just you know throw a little tantrum over bullshit It's fucking grow the fuck up I don't know how people have relationships and just keep that thing that kind of thing in them just that festering resentment on both sides It just sort of never goes away And that's the baseline just sort of you know just you know keep your feelings to yourself You know man up or whatever, but like I just sat there and I told her what was going on I didn't tell her why I just said I got I got wait till this passes I assume it'll pass and Then like it started to you know just whether you know just kind of talked it out played a little guitar Had something eat how to eat shoved a lot of shit Just stuffed a lot of cereal over my feelings and some yogurt some berries which is relatively healthy for stuffing Feelings all I know is I didn't fight and I've been in relationships where we're fighting and just tearing shit down Was basically for play but all I know is that we got in a bed We did have sex that happened I think there was an argument to be made that we should have done that right away Maybe right when we got home there was an argument to be made for that But something just why was not there, but I'm not gonna say that the tension didn't make it better. I'm not gonna say that Because there's that I would be lying But but I do know that it uh that it was not a destructive situation now. Let's talk to my old friend Jimmy door you can as I said before you can get his book your country is just not that into you It's available wherever you get books and and we get through the crankiness semina. We do it We get through it we get past it we get into the real thing You can see there was work being done on this workbench at some time or tools used things happening Somebody was grinding down a thing.

Yeah, a lot of grinding some hounding maybe some valve repair Was there a vice anywhere hooked up to that? I think the vice was over here somewhere because there's some padding here. I don't know I haven't put it all together I'm not detective Jimmy. I mean nor am I you know, I'm not a forensic.

I don't do forensics on the on arcane mechanical Platforms I'm not into talking about I do do some forensics you do you do some some cultural forensics. Yeah, you're deconstructing that This is correct. That's right. That's right.

That's right. That is heavy duty to get into that. Yeah, man You're a cultural forensic examiner. Yes, I know that's right.

Yes. I know I'm the Quincy of culture That's right. Thank God someone's doing it because no one understands how it died Man we're operating on all cylinders already was it was it ever really there people say where do we ever really have culture? I don't know I think that there's this idea that we had civilization and that yeah, there was culture I think at different points, you know, culture has been higher and lower.

We I think we're at a low point We certainly are low point. You know, we're certainly at a low point doesn't seem like the standards are holding whatever They might have been you tell me you think the housewives New Jersey does not reflect well on our car No, I don't think so I think there's just too many outlets I mean, there's too many outlets before which is three stations everybody was on the same page Norman Mailer would appear on the tonight Yes, remember those days kind of cut me to as a kid I would fall asleep waiting for the comedian to come on right and but I would always have some author on who I couldn't give a shit About now is a grown-up. I'd love to see those guys. Yeah, they're hard to see you got to go find him somewhere Nobody talks anymore, Mark.

That's why podcasts are so big That's right. I think they do talk but just not on the outlets We're familiar with necessarily and the few guys that do that type of talking might not be our cup of tea because there's only one It's like you're gonna watch Charlie Rosa you're not Don't even make time for him. I don't even make time for Bill Moyers and every time I watch I'm like That's mine, but you know why cuz I think it's always a little depressing it hurts It hurts. I mean you're better off just it kind of coming up with your one-liners about the the fall of Rome as opposed to having it All explained thoroughly and you realize not only am I right, but it was much worse than I thought it was We're watching guys who actually do the work.

Yes. Oh, I'd rather not know I'd rather just think this is a you know Like a heat wave. It's not really kind of change happening right now 120 degrees right in September in Los Angeles I thought you were meant you were using that as a as a metaphor for the end of everything Oh, like every day like I drive around and there's these moments where I'm like, it's nothing It's not coming back whatever it used to be Whatever there was some sort of value system in place that shit is over we get because of the you know Internet access and just the the ability for everybody to sort of kind of have no boundaries It's become a completely predatory culture and yeah, and the the planet seems to be heating up. No definitely the planet seems to be heating up also people's You know bad behavior seems to be heating up, you know people It's just hard to keep up with all the kind of meanness and society for proof Just go to any YouTube video click on the fourth commenter and the fourth commenter always mercilessly rips the third commenter And then for then the fifth commenter the newcomer tries to create like a little common ground and for that the sixth commenter impugent sexuality Sure, so that's this is what's happening.

That's commentary and a culture we live in and it's a cat video. Yeah Yeah, and everybody's opinion matters as much as everybody else's opinion You know used to be a time you're right talk about cultures used to be a time when there were people whose opinions mattered more than other People's opinions right for him opinions used to think yeah, and form. Yes, exactly now It's just it's just it's just malignant punditry. Yeah everywhere.

Yeah, everybody's a talking head. Why is this guy talking? Who is he? I don't know but he seems confident and you never get discredited anymore Do you never you once you're a semi-famous person or you're in you have a cue factor?

You never go away anymore people will always keep bringing you on like you know what I talk about in my new book is you know Look at all the rack or people nobody's ever discredited or even yet right and if they are discredited or they are Taken to task that that news is not as interesting. How about Mike Barnacle? No, he's a perfectly affable Boston Boston perfectly affable fellow columnist columnist plagiarizer and still has a show right there out NBC still has a and he doesn't have His own show, but he's still a panelist what was did he get a key was it Carlin years ago that he Slades rise Carlin and so on and that wasn't the old that was the one that cost him his job That was the tip of the iceberg. He cost him his job at the paper.

Yeah, but he got promoted until right Yes, but he's a he's a working man because you know he likes to give that appearance that he's a working man because he doesn't get his teeth fixed Even though he's a millionaire right and his wife is the vice president of Bank of America But he's a he's a man. He's the voice of the working man. She's the vice president of all Bank of America She's she is an executive at Bank of America She's probably I don't know what other 15 vice president But then it gets to the point though Jimmy where you're like alright, so that guy is he the enemy is he an annoyance Is he really the guy we got a rally to get taken off? No, I mean I disagree with the rally to get people to take it That's all these backfires.

I think you know the the boycotts to get rid of people like when they got rid of Glenn back They're like yeah, we're gonna replace him with five more yeah, it's like a hydra you just cut the head off and then yes Yes, and five more peer exactly right now. There's bad as Glenn Beck but Glenn Beck went and found his own way somehow Yeah, and back he got his people and now he still has a probably half of them So I got to say to you I apologize for taking so long to get you on the show because I I owed you a debt of gratitude for having me On your show very early on when I like I think before I even started the podcast I think you were one of the guys that I was like what do we do? We do this well, I remember when I first started listening to your show I liked it a lot because I would I like the part where you talked and the interviews with less I mean I like oh yeah, but when you talked which is the opposite of what most people say no What is it? I don't know yeah when you talk because I would always learn because you're so versed in self-help And you know my own my own method, but yeah, but I was I was having I would have this problem with my wife Yeah, so you co-host your show with so we Podcast called comedy and everything else which we started with Todd glass and then left after episode 60 right and then we ended up doing about 180 total.

Oh, you don't do it anymore. So it's in hiatus right now We wanted to start doing live show with it, but I got really nice names were step Samarano. Yeah. Yeah, everybody loves her So she always had a problem like so I would get upset about something Yeah, and then you know like me like once I get upset about it and then it gets resolved It's over it's out of me.

It's over. How are you and into her? Well, that's what you said you were talking about when you were married or whatever and you're you would tell your wife Hey, it's over. I'm over with you.

Yeah, it's out of you and now it's in me Yeah, and I was like oh I didn't realize that was what exactly what happened with Steph It would be in her now. She'd be upset for a while and would take a while for it to get out of her Yeah, and I didn't really know when you said that I was like wow really open and help my marriage a lot I'm not kidding. I that's not blowed spoke up your ass. I was like that really helped me Oh, I'm so glad and so that's what I was glad to have you on the show I think I shared it with you then so even that little thing it's really it can take it Sometimes it is just a little thing that like those are the things that kind of make you think different.

Yeah, especially if they're easy Yeah, like it's very easy. Yeah, because everything's so fucking complicated and you're like this has got to be deeper than this You just don't do that I didn't realize that was an option I can just stop doing that I have choices in life over my behavior, but but when did you start podcasting? I'm so we were pretty early on I think we might have started in 2008 Wow, maybe right? I can't remember it again We weren't you weren't necessarily the first but the landscape when you started also when I started was so so it's just a handful Right.

Yeah, it was just a handful of people Jimmy parto was the first one I remember yeah, and then I don't maybe Adam Corro and Kevin Smith So yeah Kevin Smith correct, so then we got in right around then right and Todd had a bigger vision for it Then I did I thought it was just gonna be us kind of talking and goofing off I didn't realize what it could be right like you've realized what it could be I mean You know like I don't know that I had any vision other than you know I can do whatever I want and And it sort of evolved into this thing where I need to talk to people yeah Yeah, but you've been doing comedy how long so I started my first open mic 1989 right so I moved out to LA in 1995 from where from Chicago So you're Chicago. Yeah. Yeah, born and raised in Chicago Chicago in the city Yes, right in the city right by big way airport really blue collar neighborhood really blue collar or as I like to describe it racist What neighborhood is that it was vidham park southwest side of 23rd district? Yeah, I don't know like it's interesting because I go to Chicago.

I've not spent an extensive amount of time there But but you know there are certain cities in this country where you're like those are real things so I was a real city Yeah, it's like it's like Philly Chicago, New York Los Angeles, San Francisco I think Boston Boston definitely those are real cities. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you can walk around it still got a personality They have a pretty exactly they do have a person an identity in Chicago by the way My neighbor is a great neighbor I tease them by being racist because they were so like we collar neighbors Like what is primarily Italian or so Irish Italian Polish. Uh-huh. Yeah, what are you all?

I'm Irish and Polish really yeah, but everybody always thought I was Italian I don't know what you got brothers and sisters. Yeah, I come from 12 kids So you really Irish and so that's kind of yes really so that's where 12 fucking kids dude. That's well So I think you know you know yes Can I tell you the joke I tell about a joke is that I come from 12 kids and people say you learn a lot about life grown up But a big family which is true and I think the biggest thing I learned is I'm easily replaced Right like I knew if I died it wasn't gonna put a big dent in their plans. Can I imagine get a major my mom sitting around?

Oh, no Jimmy's dead what am I gonna do now with just 11 of you? There's a head count every day. I think we're missing one. Yeah, I wish there was there wasn't sometimes and then they would leave you behind on the Campion that's not true usually I talk to people from from big families their relationship with the parent is is There's always a different relationship, but they all seem to love the kids as much as the other one Yeah, I felt favored actually.

Yeah, I was the youngest so you were the youngest 12 So do you have siblings that are 70? Yeah, so I have not have I have a brother who's at least 63 at least you don't even quite know that's they're very old I don't remember my oldest brother living at home. He was like an uncle I never remember living with him. So yeah, it really it's really like in fact he had a kid who's older than me So I have an nephew older than me stuff like that.

So it's way it's wild. It's fascinating. It's me So you all lived in the same house kind of was there maybe what 80 you there the most so there was probably I think at Any given time there I think the most we ever had was 10 but but when I went to school my mom Literally didn't know what to do with herself all day right because she's used to 10 kids Oh, so now we're all in school and she went and adopted two more kids. No, she did Yeah, so I we had 10 kids and she adopted two more so then we had 12 one boy who was older than me one year older than me Who could beat the shit out of me?

Hey, thanks. That's what I need another guy who can beat the shit out of me in the house Yeah, now you went and wonder why I'm going to comedy yeah, and then I had a little sister who I love it was great having a little sister My little sister Dolores fantastic. So what's your dad do what I mean? He was a he was a cop and he was an honest cop what sucked for me because you know we had to wear hand-me-gowns and and eat the Pouted milk nothing.

I wasn't taking anything under the table. I'm saying what she would have was he like a beak-hop was he like a Regular copper detective he was he was just a beak-hop beak-hop and that was it yeah, he's a drive a patty wagon really yeah Yeah, and yep, mm-hmm is he still around and yeah, he's still alive Yeah, and he worked his other job was he would do masonry and then and then the sun's we would work with him in the summer doing masonry work Which if you know if you're gonna want to fuck up your relationship with your parents work with them Yeah, that's especially doing shitty grunt work like that works in the hot summer and the human side It's great. It's really good for relationship, but I can't understand so how many sisters you got how many sisters? Seven boys five girls in my family and do you are you in touch with them?

You know what's funny is that we were we were pretty close I used to enjoy my family's company a lot because my brothers are funny and my mom is a good sense of humor in my dad No sense of humor. So was he a hard ass? Yeah, just really shut down. Yeah, and So here's the thing his my grandpa was an alcoholic So my dad was gonna do him one better and he didn't drink it all right So that was my dad's attempt to do better so my dad But my dad still had all that anger and rage you have an alcoholic so we never so you know we got to have all that Yeah, we never got to experience any of the fun drunk times right?

Yeah, no relaxing He's a constant current of varying degrees of rage. Exactly. Well the way I described it I say my dad had two emotions angry and not angry yet. Oh My god, so how the hell is he people how do you manage 12 kids?

He didn't manage it? Well, he was he wasn't around much because he's working all the time and then he was homies grumpy and hitting us Oh, really there was some beatings going on all the time. Are you kidding poor? We grew up poor people beat the shit out of each other everybody's saying everybody's they're hitting me at home They're hitting me at school.

I go to the park We hit the fuck out of each other everybody's being the fuck out of everyone grow up poor I don't know if people realize that where else you're gonna put the anger Yeah, justice. No justice. No, just that explains your comedic disposition. Yes, the little guy there you go Little guys got a fight back.

That's why I'm always punching upwards. Yeah. Yeah, it's equally as futile as it was when you were a child Yes, exactly exactly right people appreciate your sentiments. Yeah, that's all I was.

That's all I want. Hey, I appreciate that sentiment You're fighting a good fight. We're gonna go to our house now where it's comfortable. We're gonna turn on our corporate television Exactly.

Yeah, but well, that's interesting. So you were getting it from all hands. What did he beat you with? Were there instruments involved?

No, mostly hands. Oh, yeah, that was a big motherfucker. Oh, yeah, no belts. No sticks Didn't need it.

No, no, no, no, no, my dad punched me one time so hard. I pissed my pants. Oh, it's horrible. Yeah, it wasn't fun How old are you?

Now the first time I was five seconds time I was 16 piston Oh, so there was a there was a 11-year gap between the the pissing of the pants. Yeah, but did you go out? I mean was it like were you yeah, not just the second time. Yes, so he punched you.

Yeah, right in the face Oh my god for what I was drunk. I came home drunk Uh-huh and I was on the corner of my block and I was yelling like I was being drunk yelling this time I don't know maybe it was 10 30 at night or something in particular No, that was there was a friend of mine Jerry Snyder. We were both hammered and I was like Just kind of like spotting yeah, and all of a sudden my friend Jerry's He shut up here comes a cop and I look up I go that's no cop That's my dad. Oh, no, my dad just walks up just fucking plows me And that was it what did you get in the car?

He picks me up and then he put me in a headlock and he punched me all the way home. No way. No way. Yes, Mark Come on.

I grew up blue comms. These are men. No, but that's what the child abuse I agree, but that was commonplace. You know my next-door neighbor was an alcoholic marine and he was constantly yelling and so we thought we had It much better right so we really we were like it was kids everybody his wife is kids the paper man And I'm marine.

Oh, I don't know maybe who knows but he was a big drinker and but at least he was like I would see him every once I would have block parties and he would be giggly I'm like I wish my dad was like that once a block in a drink dad never had one drink one time I saw him have a he got he had some champagne at my brothers, and he got a little tipsy one time Did you know your grandfather the drunk? Yeah? Yeah? Yeah?

I didn't really know so I just want to go over there and he died when I was a second great Was he like in the neighborhood was just everybody in the neighborhood your other grandparents your mother's folks? Where were they my mother's folks very it's all very secretive my mom won't tell me about her family She goes all the building burnt down with the records of my family and really I was like what I was convinced for a long time My mom's mom was a prostitute because they all had funny name my mom's name is Yvonne my aunt's name is Aloma Huh like I'm like oh was she like is that a pimp giving names out or something? You know but that's not turns out that wasn't it but you find out what it was I think something those names came from operas or something but where's it but what no I don't know what it was It was your a smart secret secret secret never you never went went into the reason your mom still around yes Yeah, and now at this age you don't sort of like come on Well my grandmother died my mom didn't even tell us Wow and you and she went to the funeral and all that stuff I'm sure all my cousins went and I'm sure they're wondering where the fuck are the rest of the doors That sounds interesting to me and you never like what stopping you from pursuing that information. You just don't care What I just really don't care.

I really couldn't care less about my mom's family I couldn't care less about my extended family. I really couldn't I have some fun cousins. I like I have some fun nieces and nephews I like them a lot you know But I don't really care about like when I was a kid I can't hard like I said I hard track keeping track of my brothers and sisters Sure, and then we would have these big family things with the cousins and the uncles and the sister uncle Ned This is your uncle for I couldn't keep them strike couldn't give a shit. Yeah, they're tough say hi to your uncle mush I don't know a guy named uncle mush say hi to your uncle.

I'm like I don't even I can understand that but I guess like you could I forget I'm sitting here grilling you one time. I don't keep up with my cousins I don't you know one time this is one time my brother and so we did masonry and then my dad retired So my brother kept doing the business brother Tony. He's a third oldest boy, and so he goes hey I got this job come help me. I gotta fix this chimney on this house He goes there are relatives of dads its dads cousin or something yeah, he goes They're gonna start don't let him know you're a door.

They'll never stop talking to you right? So I go okay So we go to fix it and I'm just gonna run up the ladder and fix the chimney what the bricks or whatever the guy comes out Starts talking to Tony and I was like okay, so he's we come down. Hey come on and have lunch. Yeah, yeah, my brother Okay, I was like no that's so we have to we go in to have lunch and we're so the whole time I'm pretending I'm not Jimmy door right I'm someone else and the woman is look and she brings out the family chart They have it all like the tree.

Yeah, and she starts going out and I see my fucking name on it Yeah, and I'm sitting there and she and I look just like my brother. I look just like my family everybody in my family You know blue eyes dark hair exactly like right right right and the woman's looking at me and she said I could just knew she was bullshitting Two weeks later. I was out of wedding. She was there Because my brother told me she never she didn't like call me out right there, but she I knew she knew yeah, yeah So that was kind of funny it's but it's it so do you I mean do you check in with your brother's occasion?

Yeah, check out my brother miles in Tony. I'm tight with yeah, we have my family kind of paper So like I said my parents were adult children of alcoholics. Yeah, never really fixed it So they were with dry drunks. Yeah, right and both of them.

I don't know about my mother's I'm only has some drama issues. That's for sure. I would say so and I think her mother's identity would be one of them. Yeah, those are secrets right?

That's the shame spiral right you're only as sick as your secrets. They say they say right so yeah, so we're paper over our problems pretty well Yeah, I moved out here 95 so I really didn't see my family that much since then over you 30 yeah Yeah, what would you start doing comedy? So what we can say your family what they so not but I kind of kind of fallen apart a couple years yeah tough to cold. There's a lot of people yeah, I gotta come I gotta be honest I got some knuckleheads in my family sure like what kind of knuckleheads like a real knuckleheads But I got some great people to my family to I want to share my political problem.

Yeah, not only that yeah, there's that yeah I got yeah, I don't want to say it's not good. It doesn't reflect well on me to speak You have to love your family market builds character sure sure you gotta pretend to publicly is what I'm doing That's what I'm doing you have to pretend to but my brother feels coming anyway Let's go one shot in a pill. Can I tell you the care here's the joke I wrote my brother Phil yeah? Here's the joke.

Here's who he is okay, okay, okay, so my brother Phil Made about 50 grand a year selling how he was a real estate I didn't do well, but he was but he took a job driving a school bus with the health insurance Mm-hmm and one day I'm out his at his house out of nowhere. He starts complaining about the estate tax He goes hey, we gotta get rid of that estate tax. I'm like sure Phil what the fuck are you talking about? He goes that's if you die and you have millions of dollars the government just takes half of it Yeah, I was like that's horrible Let me know when that becomes a problem, but until then maybe you should turn off your am radio get invited to your own life Okay, I'm sure the estate tax sucks, but I'm pretty sure states don't have two cars that don't work on the front lawn You should be worried about the t-shirt tax at Walmart your dickhead So that's who he is he picks up the talking points and runs with it hard Yeah, and then threatens to beat you up if you don't know what's interesting is that how One of the things I learned from doing political talk and you know in my personal revelation around it was that if you are fundamentally angry You know you pick your side and you work those talking for that You know like it's interesting You know how many people are really actually committed ideologically to a facilitating change or working quietly to make it happen Those people are sort of like they're they're the they're the unsung heroes the people that actually chip away at a grassroots level The change the organization.

Yeah, sure. You're on a city level. There's a group I'm involved with now called wolf pack and they're dedicated to getting money out of politics because people when I go and To promote this book all around people always go all Jimmy So you've identified the problem What's the solution they don't expect me to have one and the solution is you get money out of politics? And there's a great group called wolf pack wolf dash pack calm and they started they want to pass out constitutional amendments around this issue to get money out of politics Which you can you know every generation has passed a amendment except out so it's about time right and they started with New Hampshire They got New Hampshire to pass it.

What's it? What is the exact terms of the legislation? What does it mean to get money out of politics? So that you put it with ceiling on it?

So what they're gonna do is I think they're gonna call for public financing of all elections as opposed to private Finance and then people will have cost a lot of money Well, you and I both know market costs a lot more money Right to not have a public finance right because the reason why people finance elections is so they can rig the system in their own favor That's special where the other either either either in a very dubious way or just by pummeling us with advertising and right misinformation So it's people said you can oh, sir. You got New Hampshire It's a small state, but you'll never get a big state like California where they have defense contractors and oil money There's too much money here California passed it to and now last week in the Senate They passed a resolution to open debate for calling a constitutional amendment on this issue the ball is moving people are getting awake Awake to this I bet you politicians ate it too politicians ain't raising money. They spend most of their time raising money I'm sure they would love to get money out of politics. Well, it's interesting how many people will it really comes down to how many People get active around this stuff I mean I'm sitting here with the you know I've avoided jury duty once and they sent it back They sent it back they sent it want me I'm like is there anything I can do to avoid my civic duty to go You know sit quietly and judge in a context where it's actually invited That's right.

Do you have you gone? No, I want time I got called and I called in and I was lucky because it was Christmas So they're you know so I didn't get all down there And then I got another one they didn't hit me every year I don't get any break from it and I you get one One out and then so I took that and now they I got the thing and they want me to show up and it's hard with what we do I mean I think those rules were made when people just had jobs where they worked in town I mean it's like I can't what do I got to do I don't can't imagine how someone could sit on a jury trial for more than a couple Days, you know, I mean like even the Zimmerman trial so then he makes you wonder who are these more people you think they're more Rons right I'm like who are the people who aren't smart enough to get out of jury duty or don't have a life that this would disrupt enough I have to get out of jury It's interesting you talk to people like I talked to people and my friends were intelligent people and in their in their guts They do see it is like well, you got to do it. It's just weird. It's a civic duty and there's like there's so few So we're actually healthy, you know like obeying laws is that should be sort of a passive thing Yeah, like there's one thing where it's sort of like can you show up and you know?

I have a heart side. It's really I someone told me just don't return the notice that's what I heard too But I'm yeah, I'm I guess I'm the only idiot that's compelled by guilt to say like all right What do I gotta do oh my god? I can't do it on the positive side mark I've never ever heard of a prosecution over someone not going to jury duty. Have you no they threatened a thousand dollar fine And up to three days in jail yeah or community service, but I've never heard of it happening Have you no, but there's always a first they're gonna get example I don't even know if I go down there and I say look I you know I run a radio show You know I have a voice in the world and I the guy you want on this because because are they gonna swear me to secrecy?

They can't do that oh maybe they can sequester you right where they yeah I mean I make a big a gag rule on you. Yeah, but why would they bother they'd be like next yeah, you're right? You know, you're right. We you know, yeah, I did political talk radio for three years, you know I've a substance abuse issue on sober 15 years.

I don't know from the guy I have a big mouth Yeah, I'm a stand-up comedian with a podcast, but I'll do it if you need a guy. I'm willing to fill in So what what did you do to college? Yeah? I wear it well?

I went to Illinois State for three years You know what they say if you can't go to school go to state yeah, but sometimes you know state schools No, I would say I'd say school colleges a scam and I got my degree from Columbia College in Chicago not Columbia University, right? But I just put Columbia and Facebook so people know the different right is that the one you can do online now? No, no, this is a it's an art school in Chicago It's actually a great school now when I went there I went there because they took all my credits from Illinois State they were the ones who would take most of them We're studying underground what we said communications and I was gonna go into advertising. I got my degree in marketing communications Yeah, you're gonna go into advertising.

Yeah, I was gonna write coffee right beat laying bricks That was my other I'll show there's creativity to write in coffees Yeah, and I like the thing I like about advertising mark is that there's no rules so you can write a one-word sentence with a period You get a period after one word I like that so fortunate now that culturally there are no rules anymore now there are any rules that because of tweeting and all that There's no more you can do whatever you want right? So but that's what drew me to writing copy for advertising that there were no rules So I didn't I couldn't do it wrong right so it freed me up creatively right but I never got a job because as soon as I got out of college I What right into doing stand up what you what so you did one year at the art school? Yeah about Three semesters and what were you doing there? You were actually trying to write copy?

Yeah, I was learning advertising I'm a lot about it. So you applied for ad jobs for not one not one I got out I was like you know what I want to get a job this summer I'm gonna have one more summer where I drink my head off Yeah, and have fun with my friend John Maguire Yeah, and John Caparelli we're gonna go drinking and then during that time I started doing comedy my friend John Caparelli said hey You know there's an open mic at this comedy club over here and I was like get out of here And I said he said yeah and the guy who wins on Thursday gets to go up on the Friday and I was like I'll go Are you are they comics John Maguire? No, these are just guys. He was a job.

I brought was a cop friend of mine in Chicago and John Maguire is a works for the Chicago Transit Authority. I think I know Chris Maguire. He's a guy writer for a comedy center Yeah, yeah Chris Gewear great guy, but yeah So that I went to the open mic and that that was at the time when you know they were handing out comedy club jobs You know I mean I got a comedy I went to a place called the comedy womb That's where and their thing was that where comedy comedians are born get it. Come whoever.

Yeah, you should have offered to write them some Act up If you get different angle on that that was the play I mean to me that was like Taj Mahal but knows I was a Taj Mahal I was a Taj Mahal sure I worked in he sure but like that was I waited to go to say Because I was intimidated like to me that was the big place it was a big place But what year was this 1989 that's about that's the boom baby. That's when the fun to the moon Yeah, well as the end of the first boom kind of mmm-hmm because I started in I started working professionally in 88 and they're already people Like that's not what he used to be. Oh really? They're already saying that then to you.

Yeah, but that was the end of that first weird 80s Yeah, well cuz clubs were still opening in Chicago until about 91 and then that was it yeah It just bad went fast really yeah went really fast club started closing left and right What was it to be there was an improv which was a 450 seat room and there was a place called a funny firm literally around the corner from each other in downtown Chicago both 450 seat rooms obviously there isn't it? There's any problem Chicago, but it's not where it was. Oh, okay. Well, I am so what were you sort of focusing on initially as a comedian?

What were your guys like the ones that you listen to and so, you know I mean I had the usual favorites George Carlin right boy that was such an awakening when I heard him I loved him so much and then I also loved Jerry Seinfeld and right and then I thought I was pretty good I was like I got this I think I know what I'm doing with comedy I was in about three years in I was like I'm pretty good. Were you featuring? Yeah, I was featuring the guy's headlining B-rooms featuring A-rooms I was like I know what I'm gonna be a headliner soon that guy look out for me I know what I'm doing and then I saw this guy named Bill Hicks Yeah, he came to Chicago and I sat down and watched him in my special spot and the first five minutes I was like wow this guy's really something ten minutes I was like somebody get me a drink and after about 20 minutes. I was pretty sure I was quitting.

I got to go Bill seems to have covered everything because I always thought you know like I could you know be the best if I do everything right I could maybe be so you saw him in the late 80s and I saw no early 90s like 93 right before he does like maybe 92 Maybe even so because I saw him probably I would say at least 50 sets I saw him do at Chicago and because he played there four weeks a year and so I would go anytime He was in time I'd be there right after I saw him that first time and I was thinking I always thought I could be Do you ever see him walk a room? Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I half heavily so I thought that I could be the best someday And then when I saw Bill Hicks, I knew that for the rest of my life I was gonna be competing for second place and that really hurt. Well, but why I don't know why because I was immature And I thought I mean we all do it but there is a sense after I mean took me 20 years to realize like I do what I do Well, that's what I had to realize realize well He did what he did well. Thank God he died and I didn't have to compete with him.

So I Had that girlfriend like that's really nice of them to go young no So I know really I realized that after he died everywhere I went somebody was trying to be Bill Hicks, you know trying to be in their face and smoking on stage Which is the least bad-ass thing you could do I think I was one of those it's that's okay Yeah, and so but you didn't do it like I'm in your face smoking right? You were one of those guys Where I don't know like I really was fairly careful not to to watch him too much You know but I think there was something about there was a lot of people that were actually kind of doing his cadence and stuff Oh, don't doubt and you know, but it was still it took a unique type of comic to even attempt that I mean like you see that all the time. I mean you know, there's certain people have a contagious cadence a tell you know Todd, you know, there's certain people that are sort of stylized in how they deliver Joe Hedberg Yeah, you know, but but you know, I mean I think that's part of a comic's growth and you know, hopefully you get out of that or at least make it your own You know Brian Regan I'm right around recently, you know, when I first worked with Norma Donald I sound like him for about two weeks. Yeah, it's hard You think like if you're a writer you do that, you know, you read a book and then I was saying like oh my god I'm Vonnegate But but I don't think that's abnormal But but the content of what Hicks did the thing is just like Hicks, you know held a line where you know There was so you know, there was an aggressive lack of pandering You know to the point where you know the territory that he claimed for himself on stage was uniquely his because he didn't you know His his satire was so deep and the type of truths that he decided to eviscerate and do it so lyrically We're so kind of raw that people did not know how to contextualize him as stand up So like the people that understood it and were like this guy's the second coming, you know, we're far outnumbered by the people like He's making me uncomfortable, but that's the way it's supposed to be yeah So everyone likes him that it makes it less special in a sense There's just no way because he was really you know He had taken up the the torch of you know hardcore satire and speaking truth of power in a way that no one really had But but unfortunately as we've talked about earlier They the culture was changing and relevance became harder to sort of garner, you know, like at the time Lenny Bruce was around whatever, you know when Lenny Bruce got busted nine times I mean it was gonna be carried by the national media.

Yeah Hicks walks a room. There's three comics going That was cool. Yeah, so yeah, you didn't get arrested. Yeah, I mean any should have yeah, it just certainly would help Yeah, but yeah, but you know what you know what an expect when he got canceled from David Letterman that was also That was like one of those things that got him notoriety right But he wasn't actually doing that so late so late.

I felt that too. So how did you regroup? I mean, you know, okay So you watch Bill Hicks so when I saw these other people that I thought we're doing an impression of him and it kind of repulsed me a little Or made me not want to be that I was like I don't want to be that and then I just realized that I got to be who I am and I didn't want to be angry on stage like them Right? I wanted to be able to like not be that way so I went the other way little control So I upped the charming part of myself on stage a little even though I still had maybe a little bit of rough edge Because I come from where I come from and so I did it that way and I instead of being that confrontational I would be more confrontational with the ideas and not my person not my manner.

Yeah, well Yeah, that's that's a good choice I don't I never made that choice it had to happen naturally because a lot of that for me was just you know I was angry, but I was just angry You know I could sort of like I was saying before is that if you gave me a reason and I thought well That's a good reason I'll just redirect some of the anger that I have my parents into this reason So like it was more of a psychological thing for me that I couldn't stop being angry until I got comfortable with myself Like it wasn't a choice I made it was like some of it naturally went away And that was a sort of like you know what are you really doing up here? Because you can hide behind anger angers are easiest thing in the world to fucking it's hard to make money I imagine this is one of those times when I'm learning from you. Oh, really? Yeah But I mean it's like a lot of those guys I bet you're talking about now that where are they?

Right, I mean like that's the weird thing about angry comedy is that there's only one or two guys And any given time that can pull it off and then there's a lot of guys thinking they can but it It's it's hard. It's easier to be cranky. Yeah. Yeah, I would say Lewis black is cranky.

No, he's a great crank Yeah, yeah, I mean it's a rare thing and it's one of the it's one of the greatest comedic art types There are because like your letterman's are honest crank Yeah, to be an endearing crank is such a fucking gift. Yes, because you can't manufacture it. No, and if you're too angry There's no charm to it but to be the guy that's like what's going on? I like I like George Carlin when he was angry in fact He got angrier's he got older it looked like I think he's got a profound impact on him I think so too.

I think so too and I think it it seemed like he was kind of like what I did was trying to confront With the ideas and be kind of charming which is how he was and then maybe Bill Hicks influenced him Go ahead Just be angry if you feel like it and he was old enough to read and give it That's right. I really I mean it's too bad We don't have the option to ask him But I think he's made comments about Bill and and I think that like it was clear to me that because Carlin was really the the the Sort of precedence for what you do in a way, you know to do to be I'd like that He's my more of my template right to be clever to be smart to take on sacred cows But not get you hit over the head with it necessarily and if you're gonna to make sure you got a good button on it, right Yeah, yeah, and I think that like you know something later in his life You know outside of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel or whatever is it? I'm sure he would say it was a light but he was like what do I care? I can do an hour a year and if it gets more weird and more angry who cares like there were points in later car room We're like what hello.

I saw him though right before he died I saw him do a set at the comedy magic club And I'd never I'd only seen him in big venues right and so I got to sit in a club and see him And you know when you when you're in a room that's small which is I think a better I don't know shape for comedy Yeah, that's the best you could I could feel the funny in his bones instead of the funny in his ideas Right so I could feel the funny in his bones just the way he looked or his eye went up I could see his eyebrow go up and I could see the way he paused and the look in his eye You know that's that's to me the the the moments in between like the jazz players talk about those are the moments I picked up on it's in the comedy club and it was thrilling Oh, yeah, no, it's great to see comedy like that and also I think carlin was you know insanely controlled that I from what I understand Everything was written every decision that he made was on the books. You know was on his paper was in his mind You know the there was like the one thing about Hicks in seeing Hicks was that whether it was all written out or not There was a menace to it And you know at any given point in time you didn't know whether he was just gonna like you know You know where it was gonna turn and it was like fuck all of you Right and there was an improvisational element just to that sort of like this could go really bad really quickly Where's I think carlin even even later was very controlled? I mean you never got the feeling he was improvising ever right now I did it but the beauty of George Carlin also for me one of the things I like is that he remained an outsider even though He was a cultural icon He still I think always made stood a step or two outside of the culture which gave him that thing You know Jerry Seinfeld talked about it on that HBO show where he was given that award He'd rather be standing in the corner making fun of me if you're getting this award and that's kind of where George Carlin stayed which is what I think helped keep he was on the cutting edge of comedy till the day He died well that's also because he was only ever a comic that you know Whatever that was always his job and whatever you know TV opportunities which were minimal and they came and went and he was never He was never anything but George Carlin right there guys There's only a few guys now that really do that that were like because I watched gapping in the other night And I didn't seem to want him like I gotta go back to like it used to be I'd see Hicks I'd be like I gotta rethink everything now like to see gaffigan skill set right even though he talks about what he talks about the flow The jokes per minute the sort of comfortability this sort of groundedness in his in his person He's a guy that does comedy what 200 nights a year for large rooms. He's completely clean.

He's a family It's his job Brian Reekins another one and you know someone like carlin that's it. That's all he did and this thing with you No, no, I'm doing lots of other things though So that's I was just telling you before we started doing this that I have to get back on stage more often I've kind of let that let you know about Pasadena now and I work all day writing for my show I have another show on the web and and so I'm always doing something I'm hosting a show for this the young Turks I work for so I'm busy all the time now and so when nighttime rolls around I want to smoke a joint relax Yeah, and I can't smoke a joint if I'm gonna go do comedy So I gotta put that off to know what fucking midnight You know, I know that happens But it's just like it's interesting because I'm just starting to realize this now that the guys that we you know Even like the bigger comics now like they are doing a lot of other things and with Carlin You know, I really think at some point he settled into being carlin in you know He'd do Vegas sometimes he'd do like he was just he wasn't you know an icon But he was all only ever a comic they're right, you know They didn't have a sitcom for a little while in Fox right and he was a little bit and he did some act I can drive her something with me. I don't watch it, but everyone gets her little shot even Rickles But like the wrinkles is another guy a comic his whole life. That's it CPO sharky was a gem.

Are you kidding me? All right, I mean he did some TV, but you know what I mean Have you ever just poked around on YouTube and watch those motherfuckers when they were in their prime and just like it just watch Like I was watching Dangerfield on tonight show just the other night I somehow was on YouTube and someone sent me a look to them So I watch the danger field with tonight show appearance spectacular because like it was like a lot of times guys like us You know either you know guys are overly personal or message guys political guys You know you get into this weird insulated place in your head and then you know You just you just take a minute watch one those old guys just do straight up fucking pure comedy stand up You're like oh my god, this is like unbelievable It's just unbelievable like I went from danger field to a rickles thing and I'm like oh and I'm laughing out loud You know the seeds rickles do Pam nobody does that nobody does that when Sinatra was a guest He came out on the tonight show when Sinatra was sitting there just as a surprise and it was it was so very He had you know it's weird because you talk about Hicks, but Rickles had huge balls. Oh you had to insane because he takes it right to the edge Yes, you know if you're like oh my god, I couldn't anyone say that to Frank, you know like Granted it wasn't he wasn't taking down corporations But you know he was speaking truth the power when he was a thing. Yes, I'd like you know Mr.

Gambino said to me No, he you know what that was the sense of when late night talk shows You had the sense of anything could happen and what and they're kind of like doing something they're not supposed to do You know so but the entire culture knew who these guys were and that's yes the entire culture knew They were you know was like there's a guy on Rickles was on the thing now like you know somebody watches I'm on television and you like did you see the thing like I didn't know I was on yeah Is that a new show? Yeah, where do you get that what network? I don't know if I get that network. Can you keep away?

Just to get to the guy I get that I get that work. I don't even know if I get that That's my life. I tell my parents. I got a show and I have seen I don't even know if I get that I tell my parents.

Yeah support of my comedy career when my hours special on Comedy Central it got the Punch line magazine the name in five top DVDs of the year and so I told my dad I go tickets what punch like Name my special top five DVDs of the year he goes punch line magazine and I never heard of it With that tone never heard of it and I was like here. I am 40 years old still fucking getting blindsided by my father When am I gonna realize he's exactly the same it's hard. You always think about able to be honest I don't know it's always gonna trigger that same. Yeah, we know what I'm going through now is I'm realizing You know like I tell people people how you do and I go well my life has exceeded my dreams many times over And I still managed to be miserable most of the time So I don't know how I'm doing it But it is and I realize that we all think the reason why I tried to achieve try to be a good comedian do things right have discipline Was because I thought that if I achieve something it would make me feel the way I thought I wanted to feel which was whole and complete And like I was worthy and it doesn't no matter what I agree No matter what I achieve like I've but you get a little self-esteem I mean that's the way thing is like when you do achieve something you at least feel like I know from doing this Because I'm the same way that like it's alright well I'm honoring myself at least I have that like I'm being true to myself and that part is it feels good There's a wholeness there but this sort of like the component of happiness or or feeling like you know I did it or that like everything's okay now because I know what I'm doing It's still that's not there and it comes down to what I think you're heading out is that you know if you can't give the approval You were expecting from your parents to yourself at this age that holds always gonna be there.

Wow. That is you know what? That is probably right because you know you keep thinking I keep thinking that happiness is on the other side of achievement Well, if it's always in the future on the other side when I get there How will I know and I'll still be looking towards the next thing which is how my life has worked out Yeah, and so I just finally so now here I am and not only have I achieved more things than I ever think I could have but here I'm I'm supposed to have arrived. I don't feel like I have an in fact I even feel a little bit fucking cheated because I've achieved what they told me was supposed to make me feel great And yet I don't you know so it's just like I still have this empty feeling so now I'm starting to I have to like reevaluate how I relate to work because I don't have any motivation to work anymore Because if I know my achievement is gonna make me feel good.

What's the point? Yeah, so I have to read I have strictly yeah It's very down go through a thing. Yeah, I just find that um Like there's something about being denied something early on like whether it's love or support or whatever that there's still some party Because it comes it's supposed to be from your parents where you're like you will still expect it like there's some sort of like I'll get it eventually Yeah, yes I think you're right and like the hard switch to make is sort of like that guy's not gonna give it to me So like either I got it sort of say like you did good I'm proud of you and put your daddy mask on or you're just gonna kind of keep wandering through life, you know with that empty feeling I struggled all time and I also struggle with the idea sort of like well, you know, I'm making a living I got health insurance That's all I need I might not die broke now. What do I like to do?

I don't fucking know Should I do more what I like to do? I like to do three things. Yeah, like what what you know what are the things that I got a wife? I don't got any kids.

I don't got you know, I don't need dependence I don't have a woman in the house making me nuts right now. So it's like why I get the world's my oyster I guess I'll sit here and jerk off I can do anything I want I like that porn clip I had yesterday turns out this is what I want. Yeah, yeah Oh boy, this is revealing to myself, right? But for yeah, and so for me I just feel like You know the whole your whole life you're told to prepare for this thing Hey, you got to get good grades in school because you got to go to a good high school when you're in high school You better get good grades on your SAT so you can go to college when you're in college get where you got to do good Because you're getting ready and then you start your job whatever that is They tell you got to work you're at the bottom wrong you're gonna get to the top then you get to the top of the room It's the same shit.

Yeah, it's you're still like what but we both know I mean, you know We're in a similar like a sphere is that you know in our business You know, there's always gonna be the guy that that hits the grail so there's always that issue of like sort of like yeah I'm doing okay, but like you know, I'm not set You know that I mean, yes, it's like, you know in my mind. It's like if I ever got set I do nothing You know what I mean? Well that whole thing if I got set what would I do? Well, I think I'm already doing it I think I'm already doing it right guys that are said you see Jerry Seinfeld out doing dates again like why why?

Well in the movie in his movie comedian he asked he answers that question they people always ask me why what am I doing this for? And I don't know I just feel like there's something that I have yet to discover and that's why I keep doing it And I love Jerry Seinfeld. I just love every most things he's so right about comedy and you know And it's funny we do such different types of comedy and I can't see that we ever would get along at all Like I like you know, they see the thing is this weird and it's something you have to it's interesting because you know If you come from a crazy household or you come from you know, I don't know where he came from but like seems very normal I don't think so. There's no fucking way really.

I mean, I think that's you know He's chosen the domain of normalcy to exhibit is genius But there's something else taken there But the one thing I do know about Carlin too and about why my guys are you know that more I more gravitate towards prior Is that you know, I'm no control freak, you know, like I like to go up there and it's sort of like I hope something fucked up happens You know, like I like when control freaks lose their mind. It's one of my great I'm a chaos guy and there's definitely chaos guys and there's control guys, you know and sign bells to control guys Like he's all about the craft. He's all about the work ethic. He's all about this and I'm like well That's why I don't see who the fuck you are.

I don't know who you are if some guy loses a shit I'm like, I know who that guy is okay. Yeah, and that you know, like it's just it's a different thing with me because I think the risk of comedy Is not wondering if this bit that you've labored over for months works I've got more of this I've had to force myself to do this where it's sort of like I'm gonna work on a bit for four months I mean, I got a 10 minute chunk here that want to you know Stay a story and I'm gonna put my craft to work and I'm really gonna work this thing and then I find any do it on TV And it's right. It's garbage now knowing it like I'm not done with it But it's rewarding but there's nothing more rewarding to me than like something that I can't recapture Wow Yeah, you know, I'm one of the control. I'm on the control end, right, you know Not not having my stuff not knowing exactly what I'm gonna do makes me nervous It gives me comfort to have my jokes in my pocket I think that's a you know, and a professional and a personal choice that makes sense And yeah, and then what but when I do that show setlist like that's why I do that because it scares the shit out of me every time I do it yet.

It always goes well. Yeah, and so professional. I forget that's I guess I've been doing this half my life You know what's gonna happen up there? The words if I start crying that'll be new.

Yeah, I've never cried on stage. I came close I have but not at a stand-up show per se, but I've gotten emotional really I You know whenever I got up, you know, I would notice that my anger on stage would be that I Didn't feel like my comedy was gonna go over like there Why are you hampering me one one time I walked the room in Detroit and it was the only time I ever did anything I've been through something and they've been really yeah, what did you do? It's a long long story. I got time So not just a table of women who didn't want anything to do with the show It was the second show and they wouldn't shut up and I stopped to you Did you say cons?

Yeah, okay. Yeah until they left over and over. Yeah over and over But in a funny way like lyrical I would sing it sometimes and I would just keep saying it But everyone left eventually decided with them. Yeah, the waitresses started yelling at me.

Not a full house to begin with No, it's pretty full. Oh boy. When you lose the wait. Oh, yeah, that's it.

Yeah, and they just want to go home early So it served them either way, but you know, but that's one of those things I had to go through You know, I think I had to I had to do that I had to do that I mean we do that I mean I do that thing where you know you look at a crowd or you get to the club and you make these weird assumptions like you're already at odds You even get out there. I'm in trouble. You know and when you do politics that exacerbates it that like you know I knew when I did politics and I would go do gigs not only did I guess what less people to the gig being built as a political comic But there's already people coming in going like now. Let's see what team this guy's on Yeah Yeah, and if they already decided you're not on their team not gonna go to the club so you already have you know cut off yourself from a good deal That's why I've been fighting against that moniker of you know, I like to think of myself more I tried it I tried to be more of a George Carlin esque, you know and less of a I don't know One of them, yeah, Bill Mar but even he's pretty good.

Yeah, so I mean I Like people come out telling I'm not telling I'm not telling jokes about the Taft Hartley act I'm telling jokes about health care explain that to me No, and I you know, I tell you even talk about in the book, you know Like I talk about gay marriage and and it's pot smoking and I talk about sex and Mary and all that stuff I talk about all the things it's but it's the things people think that politics is a game They can play sometime in a perfect example is this guy Andy Cohen who hosts that show on Bravo, right? So about a year or two ago He was making the rounds on all the talk shows and he wanted to talk about gay marriage and he would come on every news talk Show because I watch him also I would see him over and over say the same thing which was you know on my show I'm not political at all and I was like really you're not political at all on your show you're a gay guy hosting a national television show That's fucking political right there. That's like a Jew hosting a television show in Germany 1930. You're already political So you can't be so he's like I'm not political Oh except when you stop to talk about the most incendiary political issue of our day then your political But but also though he has a right to it because it affects him like extremely personally See that's what I found about politics is that the thing is if you talk about it in a general way first of all It's very hard not to be happening very hard.

Yes It's very hard to actually have your own point of view on talking points on me the side And that was one of the issues I have with doing political talk is that like one day you wake up and you're like none of these are my ideas right and And you know I'm not saying they're not important ideas, but you know whom I carry water for but also like you know if you can't speak sometimes From a personal place like how does it affect me that really became sort of the deciding factor for me Right am I if I sit here and I really engage and I'm incredibly disengaged. That's also your choice as an American as a person It's sort of like I'm not paying attention. Well, why not? I'm like because I can't I don't have to pay attention You know I'm all right I pay my taxes What I have to fucking pay attention for and but I feel guilty about that like if I was to really sit down and you know think about the Palestinians or Think about you know racism in this country which I do occasionally but you know more so than not I end up thinking about myself and is there a crime to that?

No, but is that where I'm doing my comedy from? Yeah, does politics sometimes get involved not as much as it should but it does occasionally But I have to come from that place or else I don't feel like I feel like I'm doing myself to service I feel like I'm being disingenuous. Yeah, well you have to speak for wherever you are emotionally That's where you have to speak from you know, but the problem I have with a guy like Andy Cohen saying that because it makes it sound like Politics is a game you can play sometimes that nice people don't ever really bring up. It's rude almost to talk about it He's he's just talking about this one little thing that happens to be inextricably tied to every other fucking thing But he's just talking about he's he's letting you know he's not like one of those strident political types Who's gonna say anything that makes you uncomfortable?

He's a good guy good as if it gives you a false sense that politics is a game you can play sometimes what I try to tell people is that you know Everything is politics you want to smoke power without going to jail? That's politics you want to be able to marry somebody of the same gender that's politics you want to be able to get the bottle Fix in front of your house. That's actually politics So everything is politics and we do and if you think it's not you're just letting other people rich people decide what your community should look like Okay, I understand being disengaged is like on purpose like you are you were super engaged and then for whatever reason emotionally or Artistically you deengaged that's different. You're not pretending that politics is the game You can play it's also but the choices it's weird thing with politics sometimes people like to keep it private Sometimes like when you just say that's politics.

It's not essentially politics until you need to sort of figure out Well, why isn't this happening? Like how is it how is it unfair? Like if I want to go to a doctor and not go bankrupt? Like oh, right politics turns out right?

Yeah, but a lot of people like you know I don't even know how my insurance works, but you had health issues. Yeah, so it became a fairly big deal for me What was the story that what happened to you? So now I had they couldn't diagnose it for a while and I just kept kind of my it's my condition deteriorated and What was it turns out was a bone pro I had a tumor very rare disease like maybe two people a year get it How long ago did it first start happening? So it started happening around 2004 and then I just kept going and I was just in pain and everywhere and then I had Dead bone in parts of my body my hip and then I had a couple of vertebra break I broke my back three times and because of this condition.

Yeah, what's it called? It was coloste omelasia hypophosphatema No, well, he's kind of funny stories as they would I would go to these doctors and they would go Oh, we think you have this and then I turn six months later I get worse like oh, you have something else they don't know and I go who should I go? We should go to this guy dr. Sharp.

He's the best guy. Yeah, so I call him up and he didn't take insurance I was like, oh, I can't it's gonna cost me a thousand dollars to walk in the door I can't buy what an idiot right so finally I'm just about dead I go here Let's see that dr. Sharp and he figured it out like that and he goes all you have this thing Nobody's ever gonna know what this is I saw this once before 1968 blah blah blah blah so then he got me on the right treatment And I feel good, but what was the struggle with insurance? I mean, were you paying out of pocket?

Yeah, I was right left and right. Yeah, I cost a lot of my head a couple of spine surgeries And so yeah, everything costs a lot of money yet, and I didn't have a benefit I didn't do that because I was dumb I was also also caused a depression mentally in me depression So I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to do that. I don't want to look weak like I can't pay my own bills I didn't have one of those things I just paid for anyway But so yeah, so that made me political and that made me change a lot of things in my life Maybe look at things a lot differently It was one of the yeah, it was what I was definitely like a welcome Robin Rob Williams or you know, I was like I know exactly what that's like I know exactly you want to be right like there's a real fine line yep between Crossing that light and I cross in that line could be just a bad morning Yeah, yeah, you know and I think you know as an artistic type, you know, I gotta remind myself every morning This is going away.

Yeah, right? I do that too like I was fairly despondent and I felt a weird kind of heavy-hardness the last couple days and because Like I'm a sober guy and like you know, I've been through before I had to say like there's a good chance This might go away. Yeah, you know the same every day. This ain't gonna be the rest of you And it does you know unless you hold on to it.

Yeah, I'm not going away. We just talked about it for now I know but didn't help maybe you're committed to it now. Fuck you now. You're part of the problem But I'm it's great, you know, I feel much you know, I couldn't be happier now I mean the last time I am we had like always felt like the weird thing with you and in terms of me is that you know I knew that you know when I did your show you why if we had nice time But I've seen you a few times and I like if you're an angry guy I was like being a Jew like you know, when I rang up.

Can I tell you one time you were at the improv and you were on stage and you were doing the joke about Santa Claus? What was that? It was a long time ago. I don't remember having a joke about Santa Claus.

Jesus Santa Claus is something You had a joke and it was funny and I let and it was like a small crowd at the problem And I left you know, I have a loud laugh I let it go and hold that in yeah, and you thought I was mocking you and you go oh fuck you Jimmy fucking mocking me I didn't want to yell out. Hey, no, I've been joining this I didn't want to get any more into your set so I just shut up about it and then I didn't tell you afterwards I think I did go up to you and say you know I was really just laughing I enjoy your comedy and then you Like yeah fucking Jimmy. They're sitting there mocking me. I wasn't mocking you.

I'm so insecure I remember one time I was on the road and because I'd never give you a New York guy So I didn't really see you that much and there was a middle and I'm like I'm pretty sure that's a mark my joke So I went online to look for your stuff and I hadn't seen your letterman sets and I was like well It was a really good. Yeah, and I emailed you I was like those are fantastic Well, here's the weird thing about angry people and about like what I maybe I've done with you in the past because I I thought we had a problem around you know Todd coming out No, you and I did not know I know that and but you see the thing about anger about the other thing about the laughter thing Is that you know, I'm going up there with this stuff and you make this assumption in your head that like, you know People aren't gonna like it. You know, I'm putting you know, this is not gonna be for everybody So then what you end up doing is literally projecting the voice inside of you Which is like this, you know, they don't like you or this is gonna suck or whatever and you put it on other people It's a load off. So like, you know, some guy like you know, I don't know that well I'm like well, you just did what I assumed everyone would do right and you know, and I know you did that Yeah, I didn't have a real issue with this shit perception Yeah, you know what what am I making up and what is real especially when it comes to other people most of the time you're making it up?

Yeah, a lot of time. It's projection. Yeah, yeah, a lot of time. It's projection It's crazy and it like, you know, if you keep pushing the projection enough eventually they'll be like, yeah, I don't like it Right now I don't like it But I and then I was you know when I was coming back in when I was getting better and healthier I went through a thing where I was I got nervous to be on stage.

Yeah. Oh god I was like are you fucking I was like that made me angry like I made me angry like I was angry at this emotion inside My son, but but that helps me you know, I can help me get on stage like it kind of reawaken an anger or something And so my anger was stronger than my fear and I don't know why like Richard prior said the only enemy of creativity is fear because you know And that's gonna come yeah, you know in that feeling of liking especially if you spend 20 years of your life up there and all of a sudden You hit with this like the vulnerability. Yeah, vulnerability. That's it.

Yeah. Oh for the I remember I was on stage at the left Factory in Long Beach and I remember I went through my head. What if they don't laugh? Yeah, I never really thought that before really I don't know what if they don't like what if they don't like I always knew they were gonna laugh I'm gonna do get in like what if it's quiet silence.

Yeah, there's nothing with boomy do something Yeah And I had that fear and they of course they laughed and everything but I got I was shooting my pants for some reason I couldn't wait to get off stage Which I don't like that I never had that feeling before I can't wait to get off stage What the weird thing is like you know like if that vulnerability is up right up next to you You know, I tend to you know It's sort of like try to live in it a little on stage, but if it's right there and it's not quite in line Like if it's like a fear thing or a sad thing like that, you know when you're up there It's like if that gets out, you know Oh, that's rough like there's a moment there where you like it because I was doing these huge shows And I'm like if I really like let myself be like the sort of frightened vulnerable person that I am right now They're not gonna have a thousand people going like what's happening with a weird silence like, uh-oh I know that's right there and and that moment where you're in that battle like that can't win I think you know you being vulnerable on stage It has to be a very controlled vulnerability because it's you know the old analogy people used to make about the comedians like a lot Like a pilot on a plane. You don't want your pilot to be nervous. Hey, it's right. That's true That's true.

You can't expect the audience to sort of parent you right in a way. Yeah I go up there like dumb laws. You know where my mommy is. Yeah, you know, you have to have that under control They're like, okay, if you know how this is gonna work out, I'll let you be vulnerable.

Yeah, yeah, yeah We trust if I have a feeling that you know where this is going I got a handle on it. Yes, so that's the trick that yeah, that's the the catch 22 So what so tell me all the things you got going on right now? So I got this book which is of your country is just not that into you I'm real proud of how's it doing happy about it doing great. It's doing really good Then I have a web series with the young Turks the Jimmy Dor show is over there And I have the Jimmy Dor Show podcast and radio show no more a comedy and everything else Yeah, it's a hiatus like it's still a lot people still download We still get about 17,000 downloads a week and I think people like listening to those shows Yeah, and but no we haven't done anymore.

We haven't done it I just been too busy doing other projects. I was doing a tour with the young turk for doing live theaters and stuff So now Ben Mankiewicz and I and the good check you guys. Yeah, so they got a big operation over there Yeah, yeah, it's really nice. So I'm making a living and I can do it Yeah, I can do and say whatever I want which is the greatest thing We should be great and I'm happy that you're happy.

Well, thank you for the most part. I'm happy. All right. Thanks, Jimmy Thanks for having me work That's it.

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