- You're six feet, that's nice, dude. - Six feet, that's nice, dude. - For Hollywood, that's for Hollywood six, eight. - Well people over six feet don't actually care about how tall I am. - Oh, they don't care. - It's the shorter people that are like I'm five, eight and a half. - Five and a half is, I'm a, I think God I'm five, ten. - Every inch is so, like-- - I used to put five, ten on my resume because I didn't-- - That is so annoying. - No, 'cause it was supposed to, you wanted to-- - Why do you do, why? - You wanted to be below six feet, so you didn't seem too tall. - My culture is not a costume, sir. You can't, I imagine like, actual culture warrior. I didn't know that. - Only about this one topic. (upbeat music) - Welcome back to the Out of Freedlet Show, I'm Out of Freedlet, I'm going back on the road. End of this month. Emerald City Comedy Club Seattle Washington, January 22nd and 24th, five shows with Caleb Pits. Get tickets at emeraldcitycomedy.com. There's a link in the description below. Guys also, happy new year and I'd like to thank all of our members here on youtube.com. You guys are fueling us into the new year. You make our show popular, seriously, thank you guys. If you'd like to join, members get access to all the episodes early and there, and if you pay a little bit more, a couple of checkles more, the second and third tier, you get your name in the credits of this fine program. If you'd like to join the Freedlet Family Foundation, you can do so by clicking join here on youtube or by clicking the link in the description below. Also, there's a Patreon set up if you prefer to use Patreon, link is below as well. And there's merch, the Out of Freedlet Show, fucking get the merch, I mean, it was just the holiday season, you know, just buy the crap. So you can get a bomb on the show, my guess this week is Mr. Romantic himself. John C. Riley, he's hitting the road in 2016, you can get tickets at, yeah, it's been a long year, this is not January 15th, what day or December 15th? My brain is shutting down guys, this is the last thing I have to do. The year I'll be back, second week, okay, nothing. My guess this week is the legendary actor John C. Riley, his new live act, Mr. Romantic. He's hitting the road in 2026, get tickets at MrRomantic.com. They're also selling these awesome Mr. Romantic black plates, what is it? They're also selling these, it's so stupid, this is a kill, this is one of the stupidest ones. It's not even black. Guys, they're also selling these Mr. Romantic black plates, no, I'm leaving your copy as you wrote it. Come with the vinyl record in a way that damages it. Please enjoy my conversation with John C. Riley, guys, thank you, Boogie Nice, that boy had a big piece, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to introduce a legendary American actor and now folk artist John C. Riley, everyone, give it up there, be big, thank you very much. The talk show debut, how are you? I'm good, it's thrilling to have you here, I don't know, you've been tricked or something or, I feel like I lied and make a wish scenario and now I'm like, you have to hang out with me. I wasn't tricked, someone said this is a good idea. Well you were lied, but I've never seen your show, I have to admit that. Really? Was I supposed to do homework or something? Well, I thought you were a member of the Manosphere, just like me, like I thought you were-- Are you a member of the Manosphere? I do, I thought we were going to talk MMA, I thought we were going to talk what's the sex change in your story, I don't know, I'm trying to stay abreast of contemporary topics, but yeah, I don't know-- I don't pay attention. I don't have much to say about MMA, other than it's too violent. Really? Yeah, I think it's not violent enough if you ask me. I've only watched it recently, and it kind of-- there was something there. I didn't expect for something to be there, but I was like, there's something about these guys who are like, they put everything into it, and there's a passion that I was a discernible. Well, when I was a kid, I was a wrestler for a while, because one of the only kind of sports that we thought was cool in my tough little neighborhood in Chicago, and wrestling is one of the most humiliating things to lose at, because like a baseball team, like you're like, well, I missed the bat, and some of the other guys also got struck out, so our team lost. When someone beats you at wrestling, you have tried with every ounce of anything you have to get them off you, and you failed, and you would get pinned, and you've lost. So it's so deeply humiliating that, yeah, I don't know where I'm going with this. You were like Andy Kaufman, wrestling girls, but no, no, no, no, no, no, the way you're talking about the humiliation was as if-- Well, it is. Yeah. You want a wrestle? You're being-- you're tall, glass of water. I don't wear a wrestle. No, I love it. I'm a huge fan. It's really cool. I mean, historically, I'd say probably, since I was 15, my favorite movie has probably been "Buggy Dines." I think it still is. I think it's kind of that, and Barry Lyndon are my two favorite movies. And-- Barry Lyndon. They're kind of similar movies, right? They're like "Rise and Fall" movies. That's true, yeah. Yeah. Like, a Nimrod is, like, nature forces him upwards, like a leaf being blown around in the wind. This is a Nimrod at the beginning. I think, yeah, huh? Eddie? Eddie Adams from Florence? Yeah. Well, he's a sweet boy. Yeah, yeah. His mom's mean to him. It's just a very special film for me. Because it's a-- yeah, I mean, there's also a lot of Altman in it, too. And like, it just got me in the movies, I would say. Paul just made a new 70-millimeter print of "Buggy Dines," which I highly recommend. You see, it was a revelation. Yeah. They've screened it a couple of times in L.A. recently, and I mean, the photography, of course, in a 70-millimeter print is incredible, but the sound was so much better. Yeah. It's like a bigger negative has more room for audio information, and it was like, yeah, it was like another movie, in a way. It's really cool to revisit movies like that in a cinema, and like, kind of-- because I never saw it in the cinema, right? I was like, I rented it from Blockbuster, because I heard that it had sex. You know? I saw a taxi driver in the movie theater only recently, and I'd seen that movie a hundred times, right? But I wasn't alive when it was out in the theaters. And it played like a comedy, right? So which is-- It played like a comedy in the theater? In the theater. Interesting. And it is kind of funny. Is that because everyone knows the movie so well already, and maybe? Maybe. Iconic lines and whatever. Yeah. Maybe it's like-- Looking at me? It is funny to take a girl on a date that you're like creeping on to a porn theater. He called you a piece of chicken. Yeah. Yeah. It looks like Michael Jackson, basically. But to think that this is what adults do, this bizarre guy thinks that adults-- when you have a crush on a girl, you take her to a dirty movie. That is very funny. Like-- Travis. Travis Pickle might not be your average date, Gore. Yeah. I worked at Jordy Foster, and I think that was a really surreal moment in her life, too. I mean. She came off doing Bugsie Malone, just kids musical. She was like a 45-year-old, like, 10-year-old. You know what I mean? Like, away. But you know why? Because she was acting since she was literally a baby, and she was the main breadwinner of her family. So she was a veteran. In fact, she told me I was like, I love the movie Bugsie Malone if you've ever seen it. Yeah, of course. Yeah. This great gangster movie. That's all played by kids. And they should have seen the big video that rips that off. The notorious B.I.G video. The sky's the limit, I think, but it's all kids, right? And there's a little kid wrapping-- anyway, go ahead. But Jordy said, I was like, what was it like at Bugsie Malone? Like, this one of my-- it must have been so cool. She was like, torture. It was really hard, because I was a professional actor. I was someone who had so much-- I've been acting since I was an infant, literally. And all these other kids were like, maybe, what's his name? Scott Beo maybe had some experience, but all the other kids were just found off the streets. Whatever, the first time actors. And they were just regular kids. And the tour is-- Yeah, and they thought she was like-- they almost treated her like one of the adults or something. She got bullied. Sounds like she got a little bit. Yeah, a little bit, it sounds like that. - Yeah, it's interesting, 'cause I actually didn't like when
that partner Nick who worked on the show with me and he's now doing other stuff. But we directed kids Nick wrote this short that we made and it was amazing because the kids communicating intention to a child actor and like a kid understanding emotion and intention is really difficult because you have to be really emotionally intelligent, right? And the kids we had on it like got it and it was really incredible to like see it. And like also to see Nick like communicating it over to them. And you know like when you watch Disney Channel, right? They're like, today I went to this door, you know, they can remember the words, but it's difficult. - Like little robots. - Yeah, yeah. - And they've been practicing with their parents all day. - Yeah. - I've directed a lot of children's theater actually. - I wanted to go there. - I worked with all ages and theater and it's an amazing experience to watch someone like the therapeutic qualities of theater and acting like with little kids that are not necessarily. Like I did this at a Waldorf school and it was part of the curriculum. It wasn't like these kids wanted to be actors. Like maybe one of them had some interest or something but all the other kids it was just what they had to do for class. So I watched how acting can like bring someone out of themselves and we used to cast the plays in that way too. Like, you know, we did like, we do like Nor Smith's or like Greek stories and one of them was Thor betrayed and all the kids were like, oh no, so-and-so, Adam should be Thor, Adam should be Thor. - No certainly not. - Yeah, I don't have it, I don't have it. - And so we wouldn't pick that kid, we would pick the kid who needed to be Thor. - Yeah, yeah. Because there was something about him that needed to grow and so we let him be Thor and suddenly, you know, anyway, it was really cool. - It sounds like some participation in Trophy's snowflake kind of, no, no, just kidding. - No, it's literally like finding out like who they are and like finding their interest rate, yeah. It's kind of cool. - But when you mentioned Taxi Driver, I always think about Jodie because here's someone, she was probably pre-sexual in her own life, you know what? I don't know, but she played like a flusy and adult. - In Bugsie Malone, she plays like a, what do you call it? Like a burlesque dancer. - Yeah, yeah. - Then she goes from that to playing a prostitute in Taxi Driver, like all when she's pre-sexual or whatever, like not, I don't know. That must have been a really confusing time to be a young woman in movies, like. - I feel like I can't do that, that's the kind of. - And yet, there's still, whatever, these movies are still beloved movies somehow, but I watch Bugsie Malone, that's the one part, I'm like, hmm, I don't know, this, it's sexy outfits is a little, it's rough. - When did you start acting? - When you were a kid? - It was about eight years old, yeah. - And not professional theater, like a school, like a community theater. - I was in the park near my house. - I was in mid-Summer night's dream, fifth grade, as park. - As park, wow, yeah, like one of the leads. - Yeah, yeah, but I had to wear tights and I was really scared about it, yeah, yeah. And. - Were you tall as a kid? - Oh, actually, - Did you seem pre-sexual? - I don't know, I'll tell you why, but you seem long and long. - What are you doing right now? What do you say? - What do you call me a tall, I don't even drink a water. - You're six foot, oh, you're six foot. - I love it too. - I'm six, two. - Hasn't fit. - That's nice, dude. - For Hollywood, that's for Hollywood, six, eight. - Well, people over six feet don't actually care about how tall they are. - It's the shorter people that are like, "I'm five, eight and a half." - Five and a half is, I'm a, I think God, I'm five, 10. - Every inch is so like-- - I used to put five, 10 on my resume because I didn't, that is so annoying. - No, because you wanted to be below six feet, so you didn't seem too tall. You can't, well, I imagine, like, - Actual culture warrior. I didn't know that. - No, no, I don't care anymore. But like, no, I hit puberty late. So, so everyone sprouted. It's kind of fucked up because you're with everyone, you're age, right? But there's some guy that looks 45 and I looked like six. - Well, when you direct kids' theater and you see the girls are like this and then some of the guys are like, "Hey, when I go on a date, "the difference in their development is insane." But I also bloomed kind of late in terms of my tallness. And when you did finally grow, were you a little bit like, "Oh, yeah." How you like me now? - No, I was like, I was mad at God. I was like, "How dare you?" I was like, "No, yeah." I was like, "Just counting-- - You're not listening. - You're not listening, you're not really. I literally, yeah, when I got one, I was like, "You or she or not listening." - There's nothing up there, dude. You know what, what's up there? Fricking, just nothing. - He seemed confident. - I was gonna say, I thought I was gonna come up with something good and I started a sentence I had nothing. Rock and roll, dude. You know what's up there? - The only God I believe in is Fricking Rock and Roll, dude. - It's gotta be something. It's gotta be something. I'm not saying I know what it is. I'm not saying it's God or Jesus or whatever. - I think it's love, dude. - Well-- - Seriously? - I'm gonna be a smart-ass the whole time. - No, no, seriously. - No, no, seriously. - I thought this was like, to have it, where we could actually get into some fucking ideas here. - I cut that, cut that. - Instead of just snarky bullshit, smart-alki. - I said smart-assically, but I watched Magnolia recently and after losing a parent, it hits completely different. And it was like, I loved that film and then it was a completely different film. I lost my mother and that was the first time, I said, "Love, Sarkat, I'm such a shit guy." Why do I act like crap? But the only thing as a transformative experience that I like, it was like the first time I realized what's the point, is that it like, yeah, it's like having love and giving love. The fact that we were all together. - I think Paul lost his dad shortly before we made that movie. So it was definitely coming from a personal place with him. - Yeah. - The question people always ask me about that movie is like, what's up with the frogs? Why the frogs? Why the frogs? Well, the first thing is that it's real, frogs do fall out of the sky. Philip Baker Hall, who is in that movie, experienced a reign of frogs in the 50s in Germany where he was working for the government. Anyway, he was a spy. - Yeah, he worked for like the precursor to the CIA. What was it called, the Naval Intelligence? - Yeah, that another name for it before it. And he would, in post-war Germany, he would drive around and do the government's bidding. - Those guys had amazing lives. - But the point is that frogs falling out of the sky makes about as much sense to a person as getting hit by lightning or your father or mother getting cancer. Like, it doesn't make any sense. - Chaos. - It's this thing that happens to us, you know, and I think Paul has never explained to me what he felt the metaphor was. But to me, that's what it is. Like, your father dying of cancer, like, my father died of cancer. And you know, I asked the doctor, like, what is it? And they were like, well, it's a tumor and I was like, so, what, what is that? You know, why did it happen? He was like, you know, I realized like, you don't know anything. - There are idiots. - This is very primitive where we are with this science. And so, yeah, it might as well have been a reign of frogs. - You're like an incredible comedic actor, right? And like, you're one of the best. Like, and I kind of just like coming from a theater background. I can imagine like, you know, there's some classically trained actors that, you know, just can't play comedy, you know? And like, coming from your background in the theater, like, how did you kind of learn that? Or is it inherent to you? - It's funny that you, I actually don't think of myself as a comedian or like a comedic actor per se. I think I'm just an actor is someone who really, who knows how to commit to make believe ideas and believe that they're true, and believe that they're true for me, you know, like, like someone like Will Ferrell is a brilliant comedian, you know, he can make literally reading the phone book funny because he just has some kind of magical quality, you know, like, who else is like that? - My brothers are the funny, what are the funny things? - Yeah, so I understand that I have been funny in things. I accept that. I'm not like saying like, I'm not a funny person. Like, I've been in funny things, I get it. But my approach is totally different than a comedian. My approach is like, okay, what are the facts of what we're talking about? Okay, this, this, this, we're gonna go chop pumpkins in the garage with a samurai sword. - That's funny. - And if you commit fully to that, like, it's a serious thing, you're in a comedy. Like, that's how I know how to do it. - If Chris Farley's doing that, it's funny 'cause there's an inherent thing. - But that's another guy, he just will something to be funny. - Brother, you got the sauce. You have the sauce. I'm saying it. I know. I mean, it's not who cares. - Maybe I have the sauce 'cause I don't think I have the sauce. - Yeah, of course. Yeah, I mean, in separate, there's like, you know, the basic premise of like, two unemployed 40-year-old man behaving like 11-year-olds. I mean, it's just like, it's always going to be funny. - Yeah, it's the same. We took stories from our lives when we were 11 years old. And we did, and we told them as 40-year-olds, like, therefore, it's a comedy. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Yeah, a lot of that stuff really happened to me. You know, one of my brothers played the drums, and was inspect the drumsticks if there were any marks. He'd be like, "You, I know you touch my drums." That was all real. That was just real for my life. I got jumped by a gang of kids once when I was, me and my friends were out looking to try to start a gang fight with the Catholic school, I went to a public school. And they all ended up going to a liquor store to try to get beer, and I was alone, and got jumped by the other guy.
gang they left you yeah and like there comes like you know like the flying monkeys in the worst of all I like like just telling me a part you got a couple in though or they it was a melee I said he said what school you from it because it was kind of a school based game like I was like I'm from Everhart but I didn't come to like punch right in the face before I could even say I didn't come to fight I was just trying to like talk my way out of this like I think of the school your parents put you to like say you too that's so funny though it's so arbitrary it's very like Chicago is very like little you know kingdoms little city states where is Chicago you from South South Park yeah um yeah I was just there it's uh it's kind of like it has a very bad reputation among Jewish people in Chicago Jewish people have a bad reputation no I think every park has a very bad reputation among Jewish people why because the neo-Nazis of the 1970s started in Marquette Park no they didn't well they want to scope cream court case right they were from Marquette Park my neighborhood Frank Collins and all those goons that started the neo-Nazis movement in Marquette Park because there was this big black white divide and you realize like this is the perfect place to be a Nazi he went to Skokie to march because it was primarily a Jewish neighborhood yeah there were a lot of a Holocaust survivors there too exactly so anyway swap the music swap to talking about what do you want to do oh I don't care I mean obviously that's why I came here was it talking about a new end up romantic we're gonna we're gonna talk about it because I want to talk about music for a while because I think it's kind of a Jewish phrase what's not to love yeah yeah to love what's not exactly love I am a little Jewish I name my album that yeah it's uh let's I don't want to watch the music yet though because I want to talk about like a little bit more film and then I mean you want to stay forever you want to have a sleepover whatever man yeah yeah um you know I was excited to be on the Dicabit show but he's he's 98 years old he's and he lives in modern talk I mean I mean a format like the Dicabit show I was saying to my friend on the way here like I've said so many times why don't we have a Dicabit show anymore why isn't there a central uh square of our culture that can talk about ideas that can get into like what we really believe why is it always like oh I'm here I'm just gonna keep it light and talk about my project and oh they were great to work with they were great to work with meanwhile there's more going on and all the shit like that was what I loved about Dicabit you could have Tennessee Williams on there you could have Marlon Brando on there and they would tell you what they really thought it was afraid to express themselves as citizens of the country where's the last time you talked to Paul McCartney no I'm just kidding I did meet him once yeah he's the best who's your fit wait this is a stupid question but like top five saw who are your top five song my top five Beatles no songwriters top five Beatles Brian Epstein there's only five yeah Brian Epstein would count Billy Preston it's such a pure soul and he was part of so much other stuff that we love yeah and some yeah anyways I tell me he was a child prodigy too I believe I think yes I mean like I was talking the other day and it's like it's kind of like a dorm room conversation but I'm like for for me it's like Paul Bob Dylan and then and then I don't know then then I can I can argue for a number of people after John Lennon doesn't even get in after Bob Dylan like I think it's pretty important important part of that band I'm not saying I'm not diminishing him and I'm not saying Bob Dylan's in the Beatles that's the problem with these numbered lists it's a stupid thing people get it's very yes it's very yes but in my heart and like in my formative like experiences in music those I mean Bob Dylan's probably like made the biggest impression on me have you made him no but I was on his radio show a couple times which is a funny experience because actually I know because you don't meet him when you're on the radio he doesn't do the radio show anymore was he nice you don't meet him you sit with someone else this guy Eddie who puts the show together for him and he's like okay like we just talk about whatever and like you know like what was like just tell me something interesting happened you were well what when were you the most lonely he's like well the most lonely was one of my parents left me and that it but he's like but phrase it like you're talking to Bob and I'm like well Bob I was the most lonely when I was when my family left me in a truck stressful I know but no it's not but listen then so then you hear you listen to the radio show and it's like I bet John C. Rowley and Barnes and Noble he had this to say about loneliness and then they play this clip of me talking to Eddie and it sounds like I'm talking to Bob it doesn't matter you know like so Bob does all the kind of transitional stuff yeah introduces the song he has a big part of choosing the music obviously that he plays uh-huh but the guests and stuff and I don't think anyone ever talks to him but then you're like I would just and I'll tell you why I didn't want it yeah because he I hold him in such a high place as an artist that I was like actually don't want to meet the human being I don't want to meet the human you would hate me I want him to live in the place where he already lives for me it's already perfect I don't need to know that he doesn't like asparagus or something I don't need to know did you see the rolling he gave me visions of Johanna you know I don't need to know like what his favorite beer is or something you know do you see the rolling thunder uh yeah I say I loved it I love that it was hat half it was kind of a Nor Mcdonalds memoir that he published was also the same thing was half true half fake oh it's like it's a really like awesome way to tell a story but one thing you see is that like there's this notion of genius and then you kind of look pull back and they say they were all these geniuses but then you see how people interact with him and it has to be very lonely because everyone's trying to say the most incredible thing they've ever said when they during their or some their meaningful gratitude that that will land with you Bob no you don't understand how much and I was like everyone's trying to blow his fucking mind I was invited to Thanksgiving dinner with them one time with his family I know why didn't you go because I was like I don't want to know why I don't want to see like the weird interactions at Thanksgiving I have my own weird interactions we would be best friends with him dude no I'm just I get it I get what you're saying chances to meet him he's not gone you know like but for you know I've met some of my heroes and a couple of them were exactly like I wanted them to be and a couple of them I was like oh shit this was a better hero to me before I met them you know and I just didn't want to take that risk what was the what was the what were nice was what's the worst Nicholson oh my god exactly like you want him to be it says if you have a dream of Jack Nicholson and it's exactly that it tells you stories about Dennis Hopper tells you stories about Stanley Kubrick he just totally free like a man's man like just shooting the shit like exactly like you want Jack to beat was the worst one I don't like to talk shit about people well just it was bad enough I don't need to publicize it you see can you tell who it was I'm trying to do like what were you saying the metaphysical you know there's just you just see like they have you know that music person when you don't meet someone you can just see them without their flaws you know you just see like all I see is tangled up in blue when I look at Bob Dylan you know like I don't see like oh he was mean that when he talked to his assistant in a weird way or you know I don't just just garbage that's mean have you been going to the to his shows recently the last couple of years no he's locked in he's locked in it's amazing because you're it did you like that last record that you put out I love that contain multitudes I loved it I absolutely it's incredible I loved like he west oh my god he's just there's something about he just wants to be on the road the rest of his life and this goes back to what I'm saying is like everyone's trying to be the most profit you see Alan Ginsburg stressed out around them right you see like you see a fucking patty uh Smith like and she just like fuck I'm a loser like just walking away and it's just like you realize that genius is just as rare as it always has been right and um that has been really you think of himself as a genius you know no he thinks of himself probably is like everyone's fucking being lame my whole life because and I'm and uh it's probably a very lonely thing yes lonely at the top I've heard that before I think he I think I mean what I've read about when he talk what he talks about himself or how he sees himself like especially that era when everyone thought he was the political leader of a new movement that he was going to him and Joan Bayaz we're going to change the world forever she was maybe he was going to be president or something he was like no man I write songs I'm a contemporary songwriter and you can see it Louis even this you know him and the Rolling Stones are like that a little bit too they're like no I'm not some I'm not like I don't have some particular thing that I do over and over I'm trying to move with the culture I'm trying to find out what do people want to hear from music right now and villains like that you know it's like describe himself as a tinpan alley songwriter it sounds like good in the old fashioned way of the brutal building like you go in you knock around some ideas you know that's that sound I put some words maybe that I don't change that word he didn't see himself as like God has told me how to lead the people you know like well no one the only way you could say productive people die who are treated like that and that's probably in his era was probably like no man they did this to Martin Luther King they did this to Bobby Kennedy you're not doing it to me oh I'm a songwriter it was going to kill him no that you think you're going to urge me up a some kind of thought leader that some people are going to be pissed off a enough with to kill
It's just like if you want to make songs for 60 years, you don't think about what impact this has on the zeit guys You just make you go to the fucking studio. You make more songs, you know You can't like get lost in your own legend You're like I want to make more songs. Maybe this album is gonna sound like this Maybe I'm gonna get slide Robbie because I'm done with my Christian stuff Maybe I'm gonna start working with Daniel and Juan now, but if you look at Helen stuff like if you go there's a great exhibit of him at the Jewish Spurball Center in in California and there's there's this footage of him when he was like I think he was speaking on behalf of Meg or Evers or something like that. That song is so good. He must be like 19 years old Maybe 20 years old. He's in a field playing guitar surrounded by black people and overalls and shit I love that clip. He's just a song of righteousness and the so Even though what I just said about his point of view about not being a genius and not being a leader and not being Part of me feels like but Bob you are Bob you can deny it, but I see it You know you look at that film and you watch him standing there in front of those people coming up with the times they are changing Coming up with the the words to express the injustice of the time You're like no, you weren't just a tinpan alley songwriter. Yeah, you were someone that was tapped into something You know like he just want to play a lecture guitar man. I mean in retrospect like watching those the clips of like the people I like you know don't look back. Yeah, like what are you people looking at like you guys are fucking pussy's like what I came here for a Fucking full concert. Yeah, it's like what's raw? He's he's playing also like the best music for call 76 best Bob Best Bob, best Bob. I've only listened to the bootlegs that he released out of respect. He was the video Him doing idiot wind and his life was falling apart and he was drinking so much and he he was playing terrible shows up until that point and something clicked and Sarah Dylan and his mother were the front row and he's singing idiot wind and he's so angry He's singing it's so pissed Wow, and it's like like your wife is like like it's a wonder you know how to breathe like he's talking about her I think it's about that. Yeah, he's pissed at his wife. No, what do you think that song's about? I don't know. Maybe it maybe I don't know He'd never told me what it was about. I you know you will you never got to ask him. I thought I when I listen to the song I think it's about some idiot Oh, maybe I'm just I got a fight with my girlfriend and I connected on a different level once but uh, no Lou and every time you move you mouth. Yeah, it's a very sexist song, but it's just like is it it's a well good No, you know what it's a woman. You know why? Because that album's a a breakup album. That's why So that's why I always thought that I try to take the songs that Bob offers like he wants them off Or like this is just a song I wrote don't make it about my life. It's about some idiot and then it's a then it's my song too Then when I listen to idiot win. I'm not like man. He should have been more fair to his wife I don't listen to it being going. Yeah, that person was a fucking idiot I wish I thought of this song to say to them when they when they treated me that way. I know she was being an idiot No, but I know in the context of that it's not about like celebrity whatever that I want to know about his Relationships or something. It's that why is this performance like so passion is because his life is falling apart and Something clicks in that concert and it's also filmed, you know, so that that entire concert is like, you know Was a television broadcast on ABC or something and I haven't seen what you're talking about You the one where he's Has the thing tied around his head like because it's raining. He has like a t-shirt tied around his head. He looks like He's like in the middle east or something and he's he does that whatever. Okay. I think you haven't seen it I think it can be interesting to delve into what an artist was going through when they made a certain piece of art like when like for instance when Buster Keaton the famous shot of Buster Keaton the house falling on him and the just misses his head What's fascinating about that? I mean it's funny as a count as a bit of comedy film, but what's fascinating about it is like he was on the verge of Suicide his life was ruined. He was bankrupt. So he didn't care if the house hit him Damn, so that makes that we're much more poignant, but like have you ever been in a like a Where your personal life is like Effected a performance like that. Yeah, of course. Yeah, I don't think you can be a really true artist if Your own personal experiences are not informing everything that you do. That doesn't mean you advertise it or you tell people that But for sure. Yeah, and you're as an actor you're channeling stuff that you went through, you know a past experience Yeah, of course. No, but it's just it's interesting the same father died when I was making the River Wild Which is this you know you could say a chit whatever Silly kind of Hollywood movie about a family gets taken kidnaps on a river rafting trip But my father died while I was making it and at the end of that movie when I'm broken and my arm is broken It's the final kind of you know end of the movie and I'm weeping on a rock I was weeping because my father died and he just had just died right before that so but you didn't know that right When you watch the movie you're like oh, yeah, that guy's fucked up cuz they got caught and they right whatever, you know Have you heard that yoko? Oh, no album season of glass? No, so it's seen the new yoko and John dock No, where's what's it up should we watch it after the yoko and I or something or I get we really want really good. It's really good It's really good. I mean I can that relation I could go on about you were gonna ask me something But I can tell you my album three months that came out three months after this the The why am I the assassination? I was I must say suicide three times my brain is mentally I'm the I'm the I'm just nervous for it. Okay, I made an album and the artwork is amazing because it's they gave her his glasses and it had a his blood splatter from and and it's right next to a glass of water and it's taken from the Dakota and Central Park is behind it And she took a picture of his glasses in front of the window and that's gonna make me cry But the album is just the purest expression of Anguish and love and like in the context of that and in the context of like we know this guy John and we love him And this woman is like in pain. I mean it does contextualize this like amazing album that I can't just view as like that song is good, right? And like so sometimes I agree with you like sometimes it's art from the artist, but other times it's like Yeah, that makes me appreciate this deeper. Yeah deeper. Yeah. Yeah, well also cuz I'm obsessed with Dylan Like I just like tend to know where he was in his life at that point and we were born on the same day May 24th May 24th Having minutes no one of the most beautiful things about that let it be documentary that Peter Jackson did I will I watched it three times it It was like a gentle rain washing away the misogyny that people treated you're with she was vindicated It was like a gentle rain that showed you like no these guys loved each other. They loved each other This whole thing of this whole bullshit story. We've been told that John and Paul hated it But it's all bullshit. Well, they love how can they have done all that with with that bullshit storyline like so that was a real gift That I thought Peter Jackson gave to the world that he showed like no there's there's a there's a much more interesting story here Than that original movie. There's a moment where Paul says John loves her and if he wants her here I want her exactly how nice was that yeah? How about George helping me go with like, I don't know actually you should do the Change here when I'm octopus garden, you know so stupid with babies on and actually and it gave me a lot more respect for Paul to tell you the truth Because John guy well, I just kind of bought into this thing of like oh Paul was the pop one He was just always trying to keep things light or whatever like actually. He's a workhorse. If you watch it He was the one just like ideas ideas ideas ideas. You know first guy in last guy out There's a really heartbreaking thing that happens in that movie, but I'm sure you've noticed But beginning I think John and Yoko were doing smack at the time or doing heroin and they were a little checked out and John said He would do it. So he shows up with Yoko. They're there, but he's kind of like not really participating for a while And then George and Paul started like come up with something maybe a little bit interesting suddenly John perks up There's a good idea on the floor and he moves in with Paul suddenly John and Paul back together and George is left Like yesterday so mean to and that's when he quits the ban. Yeah, that's when he was like I can't take this hurt again It was you know watching it from the outside. You're like, oh wow like it's so obvious what happened there Anyway, they were also like 27 and also the the yeah super young and the and the and a costume designer friend of mine pointed out Something really interesting about that movie, which is that first. I forgot who the first one is who comes out I'll blinked out. I think it might have any wringo one of them shows up like with clothes, you know Yeah, and then the next day one another one shows up. You got a pervast on that like and by the end of it They're all stunting with all those hips. Yeah, they'll all be cocking for each other kind of yeah Well, the my understanding of the dog my reading and it's like the cool thing about that Peter Jackson thing was
was like, I was going to live the rest of my life and never expect to see that, right? I had no expectation, and then it happens, and I'm like, I'm so lucky. This is something you imagine, I have imagined. It's like, that happened before I was born. It's like seeing pictures of your parents before you're born. You create a narrative and a story in your mind, but it doesn't, you have to, it's not real, right? You're not there. And so like, that, like, those sessions, like, I knew that they were recording it all live. I knew Billy Preston came in, but like, I didn't know anything, the fuck else. I need a job. - You know what, I didn't know that those recordings on the roof are on the album. I didn't know that. - Is that right? - Yes, fuck, dude. Some of the greatest songs on that album are from the fucking show on the roof. - Have you heard that? - I was looped, it was wired to the studio. - Oh, that's right. Yeah, I remember that. Have you heard that? - I thought the concert on the roof was like a little thing they did for fun at the end. They were recording it, it's on the album. - They were locked in on that. Have you heard the isolated tracks of like Paul's bass on like, "Don't let me down" and stuff? It's like, he's played like Jack, like, it's like, "Jaco Pistoria." - You don't realize like, this guy, like, until you watch that, that like, this guy, in the same way as Bob just cares about making songs. And like, his friend is in pain. I just read a book about them. Oh my God, I can talk about this forever. When he wrote yesterday, the band was John, kind of, as a featured, you know, John Beetle. And then, and they were best friends since childhood. They probably fucked one time, a couple times. John also let-- - Hot take. - It's implied that when they went to Paris, they were in love with each other. And, but they were also like, there's a-- - Nothing wrong with it by the way. I just had never heard anything like that. - John also let Epstein hit once too, 'cause Epstein was in love with him. That's why he signed them, he was in love with John. - I don't understand. - I heard about David Bowie and Mick Jagger. - David Bowie is like, apparently, you only tried once and he's like, it's not for me. - Really? - That's what I heard. - You have all the, like, game-- - I know, every guy who's had sex with every guy, yeah. But no, I don't know any-- - Because they're all just the same. Anyway, that's what we-- - No, no, but that's what I'm just talking about on this album. - Gay sex. - Yeah. - Well, the fact that love is love, it really is. This character's trying to fall in love with someone during every show. And I start out talking with women at the beginning. I go into the audience, and the idea is that Mr. Romantic is this mythical character. He lives in a steamer trunk. That's been traveling the world for thousands of years. These four musicians are carrying around the steamer trunk. They know, they remember, but they're caught in the kind of purgatory. He comes out of the steamer trunk and he has no memory of the past. All he knows is that he has to stay inside the steamer trunk. And when he comes out of the steamer trunk, he has to put on a show. And he doesn't have to go back into the steamer trunk if he can find one person in the audience-- - It's a fuck? - Who will love him forever. - Right, so then in the beginning of the show, I start talking with women, right? And then at a certain point in the show, I walk out and I start talking to men. And the guys are like, wait, what? And I say, look, I'm not gay or straight. I'm desperate. - Yeah, yeah. - I told you I had to go back in that box. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - So then what happens in the room is like, all the women, first of all, go, oh, thank God, it's not gonna be just him leaching on all of us the whole show. And then all the men go, oh shit, it's on me, too, to think about love. - Oh, you're famous, dude. Why is it Mr. Romain? So what it does is it brings everyone into this present moment. And like, when you talk about this gay stuff, why is it like this scandalous thing that you don't see it scandalously? I meant it as like. (upbeat music) (whimpering) - Literally, like, literally, that was mentioned in the book that there was a, like, a connection there. - Hmm, here we go, real quick. They need to rap, so we'll talk about it. - Well, it's great, here we go. - Hey folks, Adam here. I want to talk to you about Zockdock, fighting an actual doctor that you actually like sometimes. Hey, babe. (laughing) Hey folks, today I want to talk to you about Zockdock, fighting a doctor that you actually like sometimes feels like fighting a diamond in the rough. We all know the feeling. Sometimes you want to find somebody in the network. Sometimes you want to find someone that's nearby, someone with open time slots. And let's be honest, that's just the start. You deserve someone that really listens, makes you feel comfortable, makes you calm your nerves, explains that I think clearly tells you that things are just gonna be okay. Remember, is your kids' names? I don't know about that. Do you want them to? - If they're pediatrician, you want them to remember it. - Yeah, if they're pediatrician, you want them to remember your kids' names. But sometimes they want one that roots for your favorite sports team and makes you laugh, makes you laugh. That's, that, and still gives you a lollipop even though you're a full grown adult. Your diamond in the rough doctor exists and finding them is easy on Zockdock, okay? Raise your hand if you've been putting off dental cleaving and you will check up on honestly any doctor's appointment. Yeah, that's my hands, both my hands are up there too. 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[email protected] for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year at Monarch.com/@Monarch.com. That's 50% off your first year at Monarch.com with the code. T-A-F-S. This podcast is off. This episode is off. This episode is, can you tell us about one little bit just like that. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Thank you Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform designed to help you stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or scaling your business, Squarespace gives you everything you need to claim your domain showcased your offerings with a professional website to grow your brand, get paid, all-in-one place. I've used Squarespace before. When I was first starting out comedy, I made a website on Squarespace where I posted all my tour dates and where people could go and see me perform all around the DC metropolitan area where I started comedy. 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And when you're ready to launch, use offer code TAFS to save 10% off your first purchase of a website domain. It's pretty exciting, your first website folks. That's squarespace.com/tafs for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code TAFS to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Thanks a lot. There's some things I wanted to talk about. Let's get into it. And it's not just promoting this product, which is actually not probably going to make me any money. It's just sort of a gift to the world. But what I wanted to talk about was, and let's act like I thought of the question. Empathy and missanthropy. So what do you think about empathy and misogyny, missanthropy? Empathy, when this weird moment where empathy has become uncool, even Elon Musk said empathy is weakness or something, like the empathy trap or whatever, and he's completely wrong. And empathy, to me, is the foundation of civilization. It's the only way that civilization actually works is if I care about you, and even though I don't know you, I care about you. Yeah. Alright, so. Being nice. Well, just trying to understand what it's like for another person and giving them the benefit of the doubt and understanding, like they deserve dignity, they deserve kindness, they deserve whatever I deserve, because they're also a human being, like me. Like I do think that's, we're at a really a juncture in the world where, or a junction or whatever the hell is. Junction. Junction. Junction. Junction. Junction. I don't know. Do you have misanthropy? Oh, yeah, sorry. Is this really, there's a trend right now among people that tell stories that make television shows. I do reality TV that make movies where it's this, it's, it's, it's posture people take where the world sucks, okay? This is what's wrong with the world and there it is. Watch this movie. You'll understand why the world sucks and people are ultimately stupid and they're not smart and there's no redeeming characters in this story. There's nothing good. You're going to walk out of here and realize the world's a piece of shit, right? Uh-huh. Except I already know that. I read the news every day. So this whole trend, to me, people who are misanthropes are overly sensitive. People who have decided if the world's not perfect, it's a piece of shit. And I think the truth about life is actually much more nuanced than that, you know? If you're at a funeral, someone will make a joke and you might smile at a funeral. If you're at a birthday party, you notice like, oh, that kid is having a hard time, you know, like, so to me, that's the truth about life. So when I see art, I want it to reflect the truth about life that it's complicated. That sometimes people are shitty, but sometimes even shitty people do something good because at the bottom of it all, all of us have good and bad in us, right? Uh-huh. So to take this posture of a misanthrope and to be cynical about the way the world is, I think it's lazy, I think it's immature, I think it's something like a 15-year-old who listens to death metal, you know what? Fuck it, man, the whole world sucks. Well, if you grow up a little bit, you'll see-- Adolescent thought. Yeah, the whole thing doesn't suck. There's joy out there every day. There's something out there every day. There's something out there every day, right? I think what I'm picking up on is that just the fucking movies are all trying to engage with a discourse these days and about, you know, the public contemporary moment, and sometimes you just want to see a movie about, like, this kid has a big dick and then he starts doing porn, right? And then he starts doing coke. But you know what that movie's about? You know what Boogie Knight's is about? Boogie Knight's is about choosing your family and finding your family. But we get that. It's a family movie. We get that in the context of, like, this kid has a big dick and he's a-- This mother's a nightmare. So he finds another mother. He finds Julianne Moore instead of his actual mother. He chooses his family. And at the end, he's happy. He's found a family that loves him. Yeah. I mean, it's not about porn, actually, to me. But I think that that-- I've read Paul saying that about the movie, too, you know? And, like, when you go like this, they dream that-- Yeah. I don't know. I wasn't aware that I did it. When he-- when apparently he takes out the mom story, yeah, yeah, so funny. I mean, that is a sexy scene in that movie. And you don't see any nudity in it. Her first scene with him is, OK, if I come in you, yeah, maybe whatever you want. Like, there's something so hot about that. It's not even the explicit part of the movie. Don't-- you know her probably, so don't tell her, but I was so in love with her is crazy. When I watched that movie-- You include that in this segment, she's going to find out-- Heather Graham? She's going to watch this. Heather Graham? I was talking about Julian Moore. Roller Girl. Oh, no, no. That scene, dude. I thought the first-- Julian Moore's first scene was-- That's Julian Moore. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That one. I thought it was an intimacy. When Roller Girl does the-- Yeah. That's for a 15-year-old boy. Yeah. That was my bar mitzvah. Yeah. That was a-- that was a forwardive moment in my life. I had a similar experience when I watched-- --dangerous liaisons. And Uma Thurman does that. I literally-- I was with a wonderful, dear, departed, dear friend of mine, this gay fellow named Ted, went to see that movie with me. And after we came out, I was like, I turn, I was like, oh my god, I said, how about that girl? And he's like, oh, I know you like that. And I was like, what? And he's like, you really don't know what you said? And he said, when she lifted up her shirt like that, you said, oh my god. You didn't realize. Out loud. And the audience laughed at me. And I was completely like, you were in a dress. You have children? I do. I have two sons. One thing, my friends are becoming parents recently. Look, this guy's Jewish, this guy's Jewish, and this guy's Jewish, these two are Catholic. You can't-- oh, cousins, nice. You're Irish Catholic? Yeah, I'm Irish Catholic. Yeah. That's people are at the Irish. Are they? I think so. Yeah, they're pretty good. There's a soul. They're going to nice little democracy over there right now. I'll tell you that. Do you feel like why are they coming over here taking American roles? One of those bastards go back over-- I'm not going over there playing-- I'm not going to play Chinato Conor, go over there, even though I feel-- You know, the crazy thing is that what they're saying about people from Latin America about coming and taking jobs. This is exactly what they said about Italians and Irish and Polish and everyone else before. It's the same old song, you know, but they're better.
Are they acting with us now? - Well, I do have a little bit of a bone to pick about. Some of that, like the Australians, like try going to Australia as an actor, as making it in movies. - Whoa, that's awesome, really, it's hard, it's amazing. - There'll be like, what are you doing here? - We're the best. - You're not Australian. Why would you come here to tell Australian stories? But somehow, we were much cooler, but. - Some of the worst comedians go over to the London, they get big, 'cause they don't understand what's funny over there, yeah. - And stand up. - That's not true. - No, no, their satire is better than us. - Steve Cougan sells out stadiums, they obviously understand what's funny. - Their stand up isn't good. Their satire isn't miles light years ahead of us. - Because it's. - I haven't seen enough stand up there, but I might agree with you. - All the stand up is like, oh, and if you don't think that a trans person is a human being, maybe stop it? And then it's a huge laugh. And it's like, it's not a joke, and it's a good. - That sounded like New Zealand, that accent, but. - If you don't think, if you don't think a trans woman is a woman, maybe not doubt, and then that they laugh. But it's that, which I agree with, but it's like, they make points like a. Their satire is amazing, because they used to run the world, and then they had to go back to their sheenie, gray place. - That's the key to understanding the English. - And they just can't believe, they don't have the world anymore. - Only they would listen to us again. We could fix all of this. There's an inherent irony in that. So you think that they're like, they just had to say goodbye. Like, you know, they were like, goodbye. - There's a little more violent than that in Ireland. - Well, and in India. - I mean, Ireland is the Palestine of England basically. - Well, that's why, yeah. - I think the Irish are so supportive of the Palestinian people because they understand what it's like to be under the heel of a superior military force. - But you just want them out of Hollywood. - The Irish? - Yeah. - They take it all our jobs. - No, man. - Come on, new country. It's still a free country. Who's this kiyogin thinking he could? - He's great. - That is great. - Yeah, he looks intense. - So I just want to talk like moving forward. Like, you have a music project coming out. Transition and career-wise. Like, is this just something additionally? You want to do or something you want to focus on moving forward? - Yeah. - Well, music in general for me is like something I have always done since I was a kid. I've been doing musicals, but since I became a professional actor, something I've always done to keep me from doing things I shouldn't be doing in movies. 'Cause I know as an actor and I know actors in general like to feel like we're working, we're useful. The world wants me to work. And so we end up taking stuff we shouldn't take. - Yeah. - So I started doing music so that I would have enough patience to like wait for the next good thing to do. And so I could have something I was inspired by and then I thought gave something back to the world and this one in particular, this project in particular was really about like trying to address what's going on with this lack of empathy in the separation between people. Computers have done a real number on us. - The last thing is like in terms of like the music that you're influenced by and interested in, it seems like it's heavily influenced by Americana and like American folk music. - Like like Bob Dylan, I contain multitudes. I hate to have a blues band, I hate to have a folk band that did like roots music for lack of a better word or country music. And now I have this sort of vaudeville act that does a song for the American song book. A few Tom Wait songs. - Look at this beautiful insert. - Where is that? - This is a photograph. - It's on a fake, yes, it's a photograph. That's a real photograph of me. These rocks are real. And then this is a painting that they put behind me. - Why they paint you six, three though? (laughing) - Yeah, I mean, I think that's like-- - Steven Berkman, you should look up his work. That's who shot this photograph too. - And this photograph. - This is a photograph that's been painted over. - So you get MCU offers, then you're like, I'm going to the studio? - Yeah, basically. - That's kind of chill. (laughing) - I did do one MCU thing and I was like, that's enough. - Which one do you do? - I was in Guardians of the Galaxy. - Oh, that was fun. - Yeah. - I found it really hard. I found it hard. I couldn't like, anyway, I don't want to get into this. - Well, it's just like, it's all like, what I understand is like, it's like blue screen. - There's a lot of that. It was also, for the first time in my life, I found it hard to memorize lines. Did you have like, there were no like, there was no emotional content to it. So I'll just like, facts and plot points and things about spaceships. And I was like, I just couldn't get it into my head or into my heart or something. - You didn't have to wear one of those motion tracking. - No, that would have been cool, right? - The guy, yeah, the one who's playing the role, the guy who was doing the raccoon was in a green morph scene. - Bradley Cooper? - No, the director's brother was actually on the set in a green, and he's like, crazy, actually. - Cooper's like Bob Dylan. He's making some other Schmuck go out there. Instead of the coupe play of the raccoon, the director's brother played the raccoon so that people had something to look at. But he was like, much taller than the raccoon. So it was very strange. He had to wear this morph suit than he would crouch down. Like, I don't know, it was very strange. - It's insane. - Look at like making all of the Guardians of the Galaxy. You'll see, it's crazy like, well, how do you pull that off? - Do you have any projects coming up that you wanna plug or anything you're excited about? - A few movies coming out. One is called "Heads or Tails" or "Testo Ocroce", a Italian film I made where I played Buffalo Bill Cody. - Awesome. - I have another movie coming out called "A Prayer for the Dying" where I play this doctor in the 1800s, dealing in Wisconsin dealing with this plague. Or is there something else? - I don't think so. - Who may, and who direct those pictures? - Girl named Darvon Ducin. A woman named Darvon Ducin directed a prayer for the dying. And these two guys, Matteo and Holescio, they're directed the Italian one. - And the film you just finished. - Oh, right, yeah, I'm in a new movie too called "How to Rob a Bank" with a bunch of the young kids, Zoe Kravitz is in it with me. I play an FBI agent who's trying to catch a bank robber. - They respect you on set, the young ones? - Yeah, they do. - Your elder statesman. - Although-- - Not that elder, but you're-- - Oh, I was way older compared to them. - Yeah. Do you ever intend on directing and-- - Yeah, I would like to direct, actually. I think I'd be pretty good at-- - So you've done it before? - I've done a lot of children's theater. Like I've done a lot of theater directing, but I don't know, acting's kind of a demanding job. Like you're kind of always on this treadmill. And to direct, you have to like get off the treadmill. I'm not gonna even consider acting offers. I'm just gonna dedicate two or three years, or seven years of my life to getting this story told. And I just can never quite find myself in that spot. Like, no, I must tell this story. Like, I'm someone that's used to telling, you know, just being a vessel for other people's stories. - Well, that, I was gonna follow up with that because it's like, I imagine a director has to-- Have you ever had a guy just like fucking with you just to get the performance he was? Like a psychopath? Like, like, I imagine-- - You have to eventually spot those people before you sign on, and I don't sign on with people. I don't like people that are like patronizing like that. - Yeah. - You're not doing like a hurt-- - And I don't like-- - Verna Herzog with the gun. Like, by the way, yeah. - If anyone ever tries to bully me, or bully someone in my presence, they're gonna hear about it. And I'm not gonna be working with that person anymore. There's no time for bullying. Were you close with Phil Hoffman? - Yeah, very close. - I mean, he was perhaps the best act. Every, he's the best, right? - And a lion, a lion among men, I would say. Yeah, really, like, he had gravitas as a young man that was a mystery. He was like, how do you have this gravitas? We're both the same age, like, I don't know. He had a lot of respect for Phil. We did a show on Broadway true best together. - I know, I was gonna ask for that. - Yeah. - They have to go. - No, I have to go. They have to go to the airport. It's just no negotiating with airplanes. - Please, yeah, I appreciate your time. And it's weird to throw the Phil off. - It's something at the end, but I hope you've enjoyed it. Yeah, it's funny because I do some earlier interviews and other people mention him too, but, yeah, you know. - One of the all-time greats. - I associate you with like, in a ensemble. I think because of all the PTA movies. - Yeah, we were part of that ensemble together, definitely. - It was kind of like a crew that was like, oh, these are the best, but yeah. If you say so, thank you. - Thank you. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)