Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 238: Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother)

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

Nick and Andy will break you down just to build you back up again in their own image. And daaaaang may we say that you've never looked B E T T E R. What are you doing later tonight? Wanna hang out? Oh! You're planning on listening to the Interview Hour in which Andy discusses a burgeoning new music career with TV's Josh Radnor?! We can't argue with your decision making there. Lots of good stuff about ayahuasca! Maybe some How I Met Your Mother gossip? Plus: a special message from our very own, Dolav Cohen?!  Watch this episode streaming now!! Psyched to partner up with our buddies at Volume.com! Check out their roster of upcoming live events and on-demand shows to enrich that sweet life of yours. Call, leave a message, and tell us if you think one can get addicted to mushrooms: [phone]  Check out our new album!, L'Optimist on all platforms Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, the band and/or the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com Check out our good friends that help us unwind and sleep easy while on the road and at home: dialedingummies.com Produced by Andy Frasco, Joe Angelhow, & Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Arno Bakker Brian Schwartz

Andy, it's Schwartz. Listen, you got to stop bamboozling me. You got to stop pulling the wool over my eyes. I am your manager. That means I'm on your team. That means in theory, we're supposed to have a shared vision and shared goals in mind. And then we have a plan. And then we try to collectively achieve our goals. What I don't want to ever happen again is for you to be like, Schwartz, hey, man, you got to call this guy. This is the expert. Two of my dear friends are using this guy online and he's like blowing them up. He's getting them followers.

He's getting them engagement. He's getting them reaction. Schwartz, you got to talk to these people. I want to see you close. Okay, what do I do? I get on the phone with this guy who happens to be wonderful and really knowledgeable, but he doesn't even fucking work with the people you told me he works with. And I'm talking about, I'm saying names. He's like, I'm sorry, who are you talking about? And in theory, I've been bamboozled again. You're telling me to do calls with people based on the fact that he's done great work for your two friends, and he doesn't even fucking work for your two friends.

Now, the guy happens to be, again, knowledgeable, and he gave me some really great helpful hints, and he's going to put a proposal together for us. That's one thing. Please, in the future, don't fucking bamboozle me. Just tell me the truth. Brian, I think we should do this. Could you call this guy? I heard he's good. The other thing is you got nominated for a Signal Award. Great. You deserve it. You've earned the nomination. But what do you do? Andy, shoot myself in the foot.

Frasco, what does he do? He posts a video and he tags the award people and he has to talk about cum. Andy, no one needs to hear you talk about cum. Not me, not the Signal Awards people, not Nick, not Artie my dog, nobody, nobody except the person that you're putting your penis inside of should hear the word cum ever. On stage, off stage, it's a bedroom thing. It has nothing to do with the Signal Awards. And so, thanks for fucking ruining our chances for getting nominated. I appreciate it. Boy, that was awesome.

Alright, and we're back. Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast. I'm Andy Frasco. I have Denzel. The podcast dog is in the studio. He is hamming it today. He is hamming it.

Last time he slept the whole time. Now he's excited. We got estrogen in the building. I know. He freaked out. He could feel it. I told you that he loves women. And right when your manager's assistant walked in, he ran down there.

He fell down. He fell off the stairs coming back up. We got Nick Gerlach, my co-host. A big week for the podcast. We have Josh Radner from How I Met Your Mother. I used to watch that show when it first came out. I love that he was into being interviewed by us. I feel like that was one of the last big, great sitcoms

because they don't really make them anymore. Streaming kind of killed the sitcom. Right. Because I think it came out in 2005. I can't believe that show was on for nine years. Yeah. It was kind of like the Friends of Millennials, too. He's got a solo record.

He was a collaborator with... What's his name? Ben Lee. Ben Lee, yes. I used to... You interviewed him 18 minutes ago. My head's everywhere today. I know.

I used to watch that show. He played this guy, Ted Mosby, a forlorn guy looking for love at all times. I forgot how good of a director he is, too. He directed Liberal Arts, which I loved. Is that the one about the guy dating a way too young chick? He does some talented shit.

Now he's doing music. I'm stoked for you to listen to this because we also talked about ayahuasca. He's a big ayahuasca fan. He did that. He's done it multiple times. I think you're going to really dig this interview. So yeah, Josh Radner's on the show.

It'll be fun. Good looking guy. Yeah. How's your week? He is hot. And he looks like he's getting hotter. Yeah, that's embarrassing. No, I'm just kidding.

That's good. Not me. You just told me last week I'm aging like a snail. No, I didn't say that. I just said, do you look old for your age? My week was good. I had a good weekend. What did I do?

I played a Coltet show at Serves. And then I played a wedding. Oh, nice. That was okay. It was a lot. I played this Wook Fest called Wormtown. It was awesome. Oh, yeah. That looked pretty fun. It was cool. It was all, you know, it's like... Who else was on it?

Some friends. Motet, Dogs in a Pile. Did you see the Motet at all? Yeah, I hung out with them. New singer. She's fucking badass. Yeah, I played a gig with her, too. I don't know when. It doesn't matter, but she's great. I just love this community we have in Denver now. I'm really adjusting to living here for a while.

Yeah, it gets kind of, kind of draws you in, doesn't it? I'm in now. Everything, here's what I like about Denver. Yeah, it doesn't have everything LA and New York has, but it has a lot of what they have. Right. It has just as talented people. And it's just so much easier to get around here. I know.

Also, both, you can fly places easier. Yeah, two hours everywhere. That's one thing I love Maybe three yeah I'm like yeah If you want to go to like To Boston or something Yeah it's like three and a half

That's not that bad No It would be like six from LA Right I don't understand why Any touring band would live in LA Or yeah Or the East Coast

Or New York Or anywhere It's just like That was the best thing About the Cosby sweaters We weren't making a ton of money But we ended up making money Because we all lived in Indianapolis.

Yeah, you could go left or right. And my rent was like $250 a month and shit. Let's go. Yeah. Shout out to Indiana. Indiana. $250. No, this is like before everything got inflated and shit too, though.

Yeah. You know what I started? Jeremy Sulkin. Yeah. Sulkin. Sounds like he's like sulking. Jeremy got me for my birthday and i finally got to use it he's talking to jordan oh okay just pimping jordan right there um i uh talked to um

so he gave me this transcendental meditation class three days and i'm on day two who uh jeremy oh for my birthday he's like i think I really like this. It'll teach you how to meditate while you're in the road and stuff. Is it online? It was a Zoom class with 20 other people. And I did 15 minutes. And I thought I was going to be fucked up. I thought I was like, oh, shit.

I can't even be alone in my thoughts. You know me. I love having people over all the time. You're the opposite of me. I love being alone on my thoughts. Sometimes I can't fuck with it. I need to do that two hours a day or I go crazy. Just chilling by yourself?

Just thinking. Sometimes I do it in the middle of the night. When I can't sleep? You just sit up in bed. I don't do anything. I just lay there and think about stuff. It's fun. I get a lot of good thoughts going.

It's okay. You gotta face your demons at thoughts going. I would hate that. It's okay. Yeah, you like it. You got to face your demons at some time. Yeah, but I felt like I was asleep. I fell asleep. But I guess that's part of it. Because they teach you how to channel in the breath. That's the point.

You're transcending. But finally, no thoughts were going through my head. I'm like, oh my God, this is fucking awesome. And then you died. And then I died. That's crazy. Let's go. I think Josh Radner's into that too.

Yeah, Josh loves it. That's the only thing I wish that we talked about it, but he was such a great interviewer, just talking for an hour. I was like, holy shit. He's like, you know, sometimes- He's from the Midwest, that's why. Yeah, Columbus.

Midwest people are chill as fuck, dude. Yeah. And like, you know, sometimes actors, they don't want to open up, you know, and he was totally talking. I'm like, anything about everything and he said everything he's like i mean i could talk about this i guess maybe that's the musician side of him like musicians love to talk about yeah actors like they're always trying to put on a facade which makes sense it's like their job you know i mean so like they can't really get also if they say anything

dumb or like anything that goes over the line they can just lose it all because their whole career is based on other people hiring them. It inspired me. I want to start taking ayahuasca. Sure. I want to go shit myself in the forest of Brazil and fucking find God. Go ahead. Sounds fun.

Sounds a little fun. Just throwing up and detoxing. I get it. I get why it's the appeal. Yeah. I'd rather just do it at my apartment. I feel like I want to shaman.

I want to like do some like spiritual, like howl at the moon and shit. It'd be fucking awesome. You can do that. You don't have to go to Brazil to howl at the moon. I just want to go to Brazil. Go outside. Just do it right now.

In the middle of the day. Sometimes you can see the moon during the day. Yeah. You know, right now. In the middle of the day. Sometimes you can see the moon during the day. Yeah. You know how sometimes you can see the moon in the day? Yeah. Yeah. But it was great. I mean, I really, like, I woke up from it because I was, like, really burnt out.

Like, me and Bo had a full-on blackout on Sunday. Full-on. Where? We got back from, our flight was at, like, 7 a.m. It was a two-hour drive from Boston. Oh, my God. We were like Greenfield. We were playing in Greenfield,

and then we had to drive two hours to get to the airport. Jesus. So you left that night? We left that night, and then we got in around 3 o'clock, 2.30, and it was kind of up. We were watching the Deion Sanders game. I fucking love Deion Sanders.

Shout out to Colorado Buffalo. Let's go. I watched that whole game. Let's go, Buffs. They're going to probably lose this week. Yeah, they played someone really hard this week. But that's okay. Six and six is a win for them. Oh, yeah. That's huge. That's amazing. People thought that they were only going to win two games.

It sucks Travis Hunter. That was such a fucking cheap shot. Little bitch. Four columns. And then he was celebrating. No, Colorado State's whatever. They've always been the better football team. Oh, I think Denzel's about to throw up. That's okay. Let him throw up. It's not that bad.

So I was like, okay, cool. So I got home. It's 5 a.m. He's having a weird episode. He's running off talking to chicks. He's heated. He's in the heat. His brain off to throw up. Jordan is young. Jordan does that to people. He's heated. He's in the heat. Yeah. His brain off to throw up.

Jordan is young. Jordan does that to people. He loves women, man. So we were doing... I got home. We got to the hotel around 2.30 and we had wake up call at 5.30 because Sean has all this shit. So I

stayed up and then I went. And we're like, let's just watch football. Let's go to Stoney's and watch football. Yeah. And we're like, we're just going to have a beer, a shot. Yada, yada.

Sunday. I'll get you, man. Seven shots later. Yeah. I'm buying a nitrous tank. I'm at home and we're, we're doing bad decisions.

And I, Bo went out to go hang out with some friends and I'm like, I'm going to keep going. So I went to death and co and I, Bo went out to go hang out with some friends and I'm like, I'm going to keep going. So I went to death and co and I with who, just like some people I met at the bar. I didn't even know these people. I was like, I'll go with you guys. Fuck it. Great way to get robbed. Well, like, you know, like they put you in all your sections like, and they, I think they knew my band cause it was Buffalo. They were rude to Buffalo. So we went to Death & Co. I got a nitrous tank.

And then I ended up staying up until about 4 a.m. And this girl I met at the bar. Jesus Christ. She was leaving town. You love when people are leaving town. Well, I'm a commitment foe,

but it was cool. We had fun, but it was a good time. So shout out to Buffalo. Buffalo always brings wild shit. Shuffle off the Buffalo, baby. Speaking of wild times, we just announced our New Year's Eve show

at Outer Banks. I saw that. That looks fucking great. We're staying at a hotel and it's in the hotel. So for two nights, I'm with the boys. It's going to be fucking awesome. I might go. Just kidding. Come on. All right. I'll hire you.

I know you don't go anywhere with me unless I'll hire you. Well, yeah. I mean, that makes sense, right? It's not fun if you're not working. Yeah. Being at a concert? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was realizing that when I was at a show. Flying to the Outer Banks and going to an Andy Frasco show? Shut the fuck up. For free? I mean, I've been that when I was at a show. Flying to the Outer Banks and going to an Andy Frasco show? Shut the fuck up.

I mean, I've been to a hundred of them. How many times do I have to hear the dancing on your grave? Shut the fuck up. I could sing the third harmony at this point. You have a good impression of me. It's a fine song. I've just heard it a lot. Speaking of fine products, shout out to everyone who's been buying tickets to our tour.

Fuck yeah. We sold even a bunch more tickets this week. So keep selling them. We're about to leave for tour. Fall tour starts today. Do I have to pump you guys up? Guys, buy tickets. We got a whole new record,

and I've already made seven songs off the new new that's not even now there's a lot of new songs you're still gonna hear dance around my gray so too bad nick no i don't care that song i'm not knocking the song i'm just saying i've heard it a lot okay yeah well anyway fucking christ dude like some confidence come on out i don't have confidence i'm jewish oh Oh my God. Stop blaming it on your Judaism. Why? Steven Spielberg's confident. No, he isn't. Oh, he's insecure as fuck. Woody Allen. Oh my. Are you kidding?

I fucking hate you. I know exactly what you're doing and it's not going to work. He seemed pretty secure. So buy tickets to our fall tour. He's pretty brave. Shut the fuck. Woody Allen's pretty brave. Oh, I just got that with him marrying some kids. He's pretty brave I just got that Him marrying some kids He's pretty confident

He's brazen that's for sure Josh won't even be able to promote this This episode because we're just talking about Having sex I think he's had sex before He's a famous actor God he was so nice Multi-millionaire famous actor

You called me out on this and I do it I'm like hey can we be friends so fucking lame and I Instagrammed him DM'd him my number

you did yeah and he gave me my well maybe he wants to be your friend because you're in a more you know your band's more famous than his and he wants to open for you or something you know I asked him to sit in at our Brooklyn Bulls show

he's like no that's where I get intimidated but he's like I had a great talk with you we should be friends so I'm like okay why does he want to sit in with you maybe he doesn't do that he just doesn't do it he's like maybe he just does his own shit yeah he's an artist you know he's an artist some people

are musicians some people are artists some people are but i love carpenters director friends like he's a he's a really good brain about figuring out how to he's like i was picking his brain about that because i eventually want to direct a film. It's a certain thing, yeah. I have no desire to ever do that, but it's cool. Speaking of amazing products, Dialed and Gummies, baby. Dialed and Gummies, Colorado area, the best. I sold some the other day.

Man, I had one last night. I slept like a fucking baby. I was at Cush Club, and I talked a girl into buying a couple tins. It was awesome. Do they still have the R's in there? I think they were sold out of R's, actually, but it was fun. I sold her on them. She was talking I think they were sold out of ours actually, but, um,

it was fun. I sold her, I sold her on them. She was like talking to the guy next to me and I was like, try these. Yeah. It's like, also guys,

it's like, you know, I was thinking about it. Like some people don't like smoking, like just smoking anything. I'm here. So, uh,

he's, he's, he's, he isn't too good for us today. He is fucking on one right now. He just wants to stay there and have Jordan look at him. He wants to be in the artwork, he said. He says bullshit he's not in the artwork.

Who? Denzel. Your dog? We'll get him his own dialed in gummies. Some people don't like smoking weed, and that's fine. Maybe you still need that THC. You might as well try edibles. These are the best edibles. I'm telling you, these are the best edibles in the market. I'm not blowing smoke up your ass

just because they pay us. They fucking are good. They taste good. but they do pay us, but they are good, but they do pay us, but they are good, but yeah,

they give us some money, but they're very good. But yeah, we get a check every month, but they're my favorite, but also, yeah, they do give us money.

And they're homologized. Homologized. You're never going to say that word right, are you? I think that's why I think I'm dyslexic. Homogenized. Homologized. You're never going to say that word right, are you? I think that's why I think I'm dyslexic. Homogenized. Homogenized.

That means every bite has the perfect amount. So if you only want to eat 10 milligrams, you eat the whole thing. If you only want to eat 3 milligrams, you eat a third of it. Yada, yada. You'll know your doses. I only like to eat a half and see how I feel. And then another half and then two more. I'll eat another half if my brain chemicals get me going.

What are you going to do today after this? Do you have a free day? I'm getting a haircut. Who cut your hair? Bridget. I love Bridget. Edward Scissorhands. She does cut it a little too short.

So always like the first tour. Dude, that'd be a funny skit. You should get like an Edward Scissorhands guy to cut your. Yeah. That would be actually pretty funny. What if your Edward Scissorhands guy to cut your... Yeah. That would be actually pretty funny. What if your Edward Scissorhands will just put you in like... Nicholas Normal Hands. Nicholas Normal Hands.

I've still been insecure about when you said my hands look like dog paws. They feel like dog paws. I don't know what they look like. They're weird, though. There's something going on. I think I'm dehydrated. I don't think you fully developed in the womb. My dad has fat ass fingers,rated. I don't think you fully developed in the womb. My dad has fat ass fingers, too.

I don't think you fully developed in the womb. I don't think so, either. How long were you in there? I was in there a while. I was premature. Six weeks. Oh, damn. I had to be in an incubator for two weeks after I was born, just staring at a light. My first mom was a light bulb. That's why your brain didn't develop

happiness. I'm happy. I don't understand why you happiness. I'm happy. I don't understand why you never think I'm happy. I don't ever see you happy. It doesn't matter. I don't have to express happiness. Why not? If a guy has $200,000 in his bank account and you don't know about it, he still has $200,000. What are you rich

with? What do you mean? What do you feel like you're rich with? I got a good, cool dog. You got me? Yeah. I got a good cool dog you got me yeah i got a pretty cool some cool like my career's pretty cool your career's great i don't make like a ton of money yet i think i'm going to i think it's coming i'm rich with love with from you beau my fam oh you mean like yeah like what are you rich with like if i do think my career weirdly people would think my career is not going well right now just based on like, I'm not

in a famous band, but it actually is secretly going very well. You're in a famous podcast. Yeah, we'll see. Let's go. Our numbers keep getting bigger, people. Thank you so much for all your support. There's a ton of new people that showed up. I really appreciate it. We love you. You know what I really want to be rich

with, though? What? If I could have... Okay, if you could be rich with one thing, what would it be? Money. Yeah, me too. Let's go. Fuck all that other shit, dude. No, actually, Josh and I talked about that. He had the money, and he still... It wasn't making him satisfied

because... Artists, too. Actually, I declined that. I could have all the money. I was still sad. I make money now. I make pretty decent money now. I'm still kind of sad. But when I do make great art, I'm then. I could have all the money. I was still sad. I make money now. I make pretty decent money now. I'm still kind of sad. But when I do make great art, I'm happy. Yeah, but you also make more money when you make great art. True. Some people don't.

Maybe you're just a little bitch. Maybe it has nothing to do with your career or the money. Maybe you could be doing anything and you'd be like this. When I was editing our podcast last week, I was so stoked because I felt like we really did have a good product last week. I think you're going to love stoked because I felt like we really did have a good con. It was a good product last week. And I think you're going to love this energy with Josh too.

It's always a good product, bitch. So head over. If you want to watch all the great product we have. No, but if I could be rich, it would definitely be like hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars. It'd be tight. But I have a lot of friends who have hundreds of millions of dollars. You do?

I have a few friends. Yeah, it's true. You do. I've met a couple of them. I have a do i have a few friends yes true you do i've met a couple of them i have a friend that's a billionaire actually yeah he's pretty happy honestly he's pretty content in his life yeah yeah i have friends like that and i mean some are happy some are you know still striving money can't buy happiness but except for yes it can you know what i mean true yeah volume.com. Shout out to Volume.com. They are the best. I heard they might re-up with us.

Ooh. When did you hear that? I just made that up in my head. I didn't hear that yet. That looks exciting. I'm just manifesting it. Yeah, I am manifesting it too. Have you ever womanifested something? What?

I never thought about that. Is manifesting. Have you ever womanifested something? What? Woman? Oh. Like woman? I never thought about that. That's where you get. Is manifesting being sexist? No. Here's what womanifesting is. It's when you get the thing you want, but it's only 78% of it. Oh, my God.

Like the pay gap. Jesus fucking Christ. Nick! I fucking love you. That's pretty good for just being in the moment. I love you. So head to good for just being in the moment. I love you. So head to volume.com.

You can hear all of Nick's hot takes because this season is just filled with Nick Gerlach hot takes. World Cup. That's like when the World Cup, Women's World Cup, they lost the final one to zero in a trivia. I was like, they lost.78 to zero. Oh, my God. Chill, chill, chill, chill, chill. Oh, women's sports.

Catch the fever. Jesus, fuck. chill, chill. Oh, women's sports. Catch the fever. Jesus, fuck. Women's sports. Yep, it's still going on. You're fucking ridiculous. Women's sports. Jordan's listening to this right now like, fuck these guys. I like women's sports.

I'm just fucking around. Women's sports, ESPN2, Sunday, 2 p.m. Volume.com. If you want to watch any live stream, they have great live streams on there. Or if you want to stock any live stream They have great live streams on there Or if you want to stockpile your Watch our podcast You want to go on a binge Maybe a Sunday binge

Go listen to all the podcasts for this season Head to volume.com Watch us Watch this beautiful dog throw up all over my house He didn't do it He might have It's not going to be bad if he did He gets like stomach thing

It's like you kind of And if you're a creator, head to volume.com slash creator and get yourself in volume.com. I'm guys. You can make money on there, by the way. You can make money. They got those.

I can't remember the money. There's like a thing on there. It's called, and you can tip people. It's kind of like Twitch. It's like everything. TikTok has that. Make the money.

Get your money. It's good to have your content, not just on YouTube or Facebook or Instagram. It's good to have all your content and on YouTube or Facebook or Instagram. It's good to have all your content on all these platforms. It just fucking helps. There's fan bases for every platform. You might as well grow your fan base, so head to volume.com.

And they don't make you pay to be on it like Twitter. Yeah. They ain't doing that shit. I mean, that hasn't happened yet, but that's funny. If you pay to be on Twitter on that website now... I'd pay. You would? It's so shitty now though i love it still i do too but i'm not paying to only use it right you're paying to be verified that's a little different thing because it can monetize your shit but paying just to read other

people's shit no yeah no silly i'm not paying to listen to matt walsh so head to volume.com okay guys we have a great show we got to get out of here because oh shit that went fast yeah because josh's interview is an hour and i really want you to hear this whole thing because i learned so much super famous dude super great artist sitcom sitcoms he was in how i met your mother he was a director hunters he was in hunters without pacino arts he was a director for Liberal Arts and now Browns fan. So now Josh is promoting a new record. He's going solo

like Tupac up in this motherfucker. Tupac got murdered. We don't want Josh to get murdered. We love Josh. He was a fan of our band. I couldn't believe it.

He's like, yeah, man, I heard your song on Sundays. Yeah, he seems really smart. He seems great. So Chris, play some Josh's music and are you ready to have a great week? song. Yeah, he seems really smart. He seems great. So Chris, play some Josh's music

and are you ready to have a great week? Yeah. Oh, yeah. All right, guys. Enjoy Josh and we'll see you next week. Bye. Bye, Denzel. Bye. Bye. Bye, Denzel. He's done. He's done. All right. Bye. What a dog. The family name you fear dirty laundry air. I fear living and dying scared. No, do not tell me I don't know. I got voices in my head.

They won't shut up till I'm dead. But all I This is awesome. How you doing, buddy? I'm good, man. How are you? I'm doing good, man. Where are you at right now? Are you in LA or Columbus? Where are you at? I'm in Brooklyn. I've relocated back to New York with my fiance. I got engaged and we got a place in Brooklyn. So I'm here back to New York with my fiance. I got engaged and we got a place in Brooklyn. So I'm here. Yeah. Where are you? I'm in Denver right now. Yeah. I'm from LA, but I've been spending most of my time, you know, the music industry is pretty neat out here. So

the road to red rocks, that's what we call it. Okay. I heard, I listened to an episode where you guys were talking about All the great trumpet players In Denver Was that right? Yeah yeah exactly Yeah All the jam bands All the handsome

Sexy trumpet players Yeah So I heard you're doing music bro This is exciting What do you First I want to talk to you About Ben Lee Because

He's Amazing And then now you're going solo Like Tupac Josh I love it So I want to hear That's right We'll talk about the music first.

And I want to talk, I got a couple of questions about your past life too. What made you want to do music? Well, first I want to say, I really love your music. I, I, I scooped you. I think, um, did you have the closing song on the Gary Goldman special? Yeah. Yeah. Some days. Yeah. Yeah. Great tune. So I snagged that one. Then I noted after I got the offer to do this, I was like, oh, I've pulled a

bunch of your tunes. I really like your stuff. Let's fucking go. I'm going to clap for myself. Let's go, Josh. Thanks, big dog. I appreciate it. I appreciate it, man. Yeah, I scored that film. Gary is one of my closest friends. Him, Todd Glass. I mean, they all... I love the comedy world, so it's pretty badass. Yeah, I've known Gary for a while, and I was actually at that taping. Were you there?

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay, yeah. I was at the second taping, and then I re-watched it, and I noticed your tune in there. and I noticed your tune in there. But I guess, you know, the way I started doing music in some ways was like, I've always been like a crazy fan, a crazy fan of music. If I had to choose between like watching a TV show or a movie or a book, like my first thing is like,

I want to listen to music. I want to watch music. I want to, you know, go to shows. And so when I started writing songs with Ben Lee, he'd been a friend for about a decade and uh he said let's write a song together um and and i approached writing music as a fan you know like ben would always tell me if you've been doing music a long time you start writing music to impress other musicians a little bit like you don't want to make you know you want to make the

cool the cool move and i would always be like what no, no. I don't want to listen to that. And he said, it kind of kept him pure, like, like coming back to the listener and the fan, you know, um, I, I, I had, I still continue to have some insecurities about, about this kind of mid career pivot, even though I've never, you know, I'm still acting and writing and directing and doing all that. But, you know, I always thought, I don't know when you started playing music, but I always thought you had to start

when you were like 10 or 12 and have the band in your parents' garage and do that whole thing. And I just started later. But I think there's something cool about starting later because I brought an older sensibility to my music right away, you know? And so Ben and I put out two records

as Radner and Lee. We wrote a lot of songs over a couple of years toward, I learned so much from him about songwriting. Um, so I got this great kind of like, I was both doing it professionally with Ben and I also got this kind of songwriting apprenticeship with him, you know? Um, cause he's written so many great songs and he is, he's so skilled, not only at writing them, but articulating what, what he's written so many great songs and he is he's so skilled not only at writing them but articulating what what he's doing which i don't know if everyone can do that in some ways um but we put out these records and then uh 2021 i put out a five song ep on my own i i didn't even play guitar when we started i just picked it up about six years ago let's go songs kind of love it yeah

i don't know if you remember like was guitar your first instrument piano piano is always but like i started when i was 20 or 19 too so i was like i started late i was i was managing bands uh encouraging um but i don't know if you had that experience of like your first couple years of songwriting when you're you're just learning how to construct things and what chord progressions kind of work together. And it feels like unlocking this code or world. And songs just exploded out of me. I don't write at the furious pace I used to in those first couple years, but I still write probably at least a song a week in some ways. That's what I wanted to ask you. I, I bet the first, like first couple sessions with Ben were like,

were you intimidated to even like show him ideas? What's in your head? Like, Hey, what about this? Ideas. We just, we just like had like a,

like a friend date to hang out and write a song. And then we would talk. And then out of our conversation, I find I've done a lot of co-writing and I find like, that's the best thing is just have a conversation. And out of that conversation, I've done a lot of co-writing and I find like, that's the best thing is just have a conversation. And out of that conversation, something will resonate or be like vibrating a little bit. And you'll be like, I think that's a cool idea. Like, let's see if there's a song there.

And we've been friends for so long that it was the safest possible collaboration I could do while being a novice. Totally. And like, you know, we forget that like music is supposed to be fun. It's not supposed to like, we're always trying to like make everything so fucking serious. Like I feel like in maybe in your way, you know, you're with, you're with how I met you, you were with your show for nine, what, nine years, 10 years. I felt like, you know, you needed something else to do. Like, what's a, do you feel like you needed a curveball in your life was everything kind of mundane like why why did you decide music when you when uh things was going like was out yeah i think um i think it's like you get to you get to a kind of peak of one thing and you're like like i got offered a lot of similar

things after how i met your mother ended and i would i said no to all of them just because it's like i can't do that again you know like i already did that there's plenty of evidence that i could do that explain explain that transition from how you met your mother to being a musician again, so we could. Yeah. So I think we started writing songs either right when it ended or it was right at the tail end of it, like when it was ending, or maybe we had written a couple of songs while it was still on, but it was definitely like, I could feel that chapter coming to a close. I think, you know, the way that it makes sense in my head as not being like such a curveball is I still feel like I'm telling stories.

I participated in a nine-year story, and then I've directed movies, and that's like a 90-minute story. And now I'm doing three to four-minute stories. And sometimes I feel like you have to look at the idea and say, this is actually just a four minute idea, right? Or this is an idea or this is, this could go 10 years, you know? It's so true. So it's kind of like the, the, the, the content dictates the form, if that's the right way to say that. Um, but being, uh, being such a fan and being so moved by, by good music or what I consider good music. And then, you know, I always thought people who could write songs and play songs, I just thought it was like this weird alien superpower.

But once I figured out I could do it, it just became more and more exciting to me. I was like, wait a minute. Like, I could be like one of those people that actually write songs that move people. Like, I just thought it was the thing in the world. And it was, it was great to discover that. I think like when you're a kid, you stick with what you're good at.

Like you, or you, you, when you're a kid, you try and fail at a lot of stuff, but then you find your lane. Yeah. And then if you ordered for it,

it's hard to jump out of your lane and do something else. Cause you have to suck for a while. Right. And adults good at that. Like we don't want to suck for that long or that publicly. So I had to jump to the valley of being not as good. But because I had Ben as this little security blanket in some ways, it helped me. I could both learn and do the thing at a pretty high level all at the same time. Yeah. What do you think that is? You think that's just ignorance is bliss? Like when we're younger, we're more fearless. And then as we go through life, we're kind of like,

you know, start second guessing ourselves. Like, are we like being in new things? Like, what's your take on that? I think so. I think that like, in some ways when you don't have a reputation right it's a lot easier to risk you know what i mean like you don't have anything that people are like play your old stuff or whatever like you know like you don't have old stuff you just have you right right so i think there's something that if you're if you're hungry and if you want to try things you're basically toiling in obscurity until something hits and And there's something, you know, I think people write a lot about failure, but I talk with a lot of people who are doing art at a

pretty high level and no one really talks about success and how hard success is and what a prison success can put you in, you know, because you then have to rebel thing that came before. Right. Right. Exactly. It's like, um, like,, I was going to ask you, what's more intimidating? Developing a character for nine years or directing a film or making a four-minute piece of music? Is it all the same to you? Do you have this thing in your brain that's wanting you to be the best at everything? Maybe that's why we're afraid of failing. Yeah.

I mean, I'm sure I have that, uh, you know, I, but I also, I've done it enough to know that like discomfort and struggle and bad first drafts are like part of the thing.

So like, I don't, I don't sweat that as much as I used to. I don't sweat the fact that not everything I touch is a masterpiece, you know, I don't, I don't sweat that as much as I used to. I don't sweat the fact that not everything I touch is a masterpiece, you know, like I have some like working knowledge of like the process. Um, but you know, I have, I definitely have like anticipatory anxiety. Like I've directed two movies and like when that financing comes through and you realize that you're going to have to actually make the thing that you promised people you could

make. And you just have that, that sleepless night of like, I'm not, that's not going to happen. I'm going to lose people some real money here. Um, but you know,

I don't know if you're like that. I just have to sometimes sweat out the worst case scenarios. Right. I just get to work. Yeah. Like, yeah. Tell me about liberal arts. Like, uh, that must've been a dream I just get to work. Yeah, tell me about liberal arts.

That must have been a dream of yours to do that. Yeah, I mean, I directed this first movie, Happy Thank You, More Please, that was real low budget, but we got to Sundance. We won the Audience Award. It was a real thrill. And then the money for liberal arts, which I had written

pretty quickly after that, came through real fast. And at the time, my agent represented Lizzie Olsen, who had only done one movie. So we got her like really at the right time. And we went back to my college in Ohio, Kenyon College, where I went to school. And I got to bring a film crew there for two months and, you know, make a movie. It was a real thrill. We went back to Sundance and, you know, make a movie. It was, it was a real thrill. Uh, we,

we went back to Sundance and, you know, it was a great experience. I have, I have some heart sickness that I haven't directed a movie since then. I've directed a couple, you know, music videos and other little things, but I really want to get behind the camera. Cause I, cause I love it. I'm, I'm in this weird thing where I'm like, I'm, I literally, I'm doing all these different things because I'm, I think I suspect you, it sounds like you're in this weird thing where i'm like i'm i literally i'm doing all these different things because i'm i think i suspect you it sounds like you're like this like you get restless just doing one thing yeah right and uh but it's hard to it's hard to manage multiple kind of careers right uh because put energy into one and the other one kind of has to go dormant for a little while so it's tricky yeah and it's's kind of like, I won't call it retirement from acting,

but some people don't have that chance to finish a project up at such an early time in your life. People don't, and you can move on as an actor and do this or be a director. You also did Broadway. I think it's so cool that you could do a full circle of things. Why the fuck not? With your did, you know, Broadway. It's like, I think that's so cool that you could do a full circle of things.

Like why the fuck not, you know, with your brain telling you this, of course you could do music as well, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know.

I, I think other, a lot of people will sit in the audience and watch something. Like I don't, I'm not going to do standup. Like that's an area I'm not going to,

but I love good standup. Like I'm a real big fan and it's one of the few things that like music documentaries and stand-up I'll watch any time I have less patience with like other storytelling forms for some reason but but when I watch stand-up there's a part of me that's watching it but I'm also watching and thinking how would I do this if like I had if someone forced me to get out there and do it I used to watch music like this like how would I do this? If like I had, if someone forced me to get out there and do it, I used to watch music like this, like how would I write songs? I guess I'm always projecting myself onto stage, not in a way that I can't appreciate another person's artistry, but I'm curious about how are they doing this? Like I'm, I'm, it's sometimes hard for me to get

lost in art. Cause even, you know, with films, films i'm like i'll know when there's a long tracking shot and there's been no cut right like i'll notice that and i'll tell my fiance like have you noticed they haven't cut the can't and she's like no i have not noticed that until you pointed it out right so i think i dissect things a little bit technically and i'm curious like how you're doing this like why is it working you I hear a song I love. I look up the chords immediately. I'm like, how'd they construct this? I want to look under the hood. You're a problem solver.

When did you start learning? Let's go into directing first, then we'll go into music. Did you start when you're filming how you met my... Sorry, it's morning. When you're filming your TV show, were you in the director's ear, looking at how they're processing Sorry, it's morning But when you're filming your TV show Were you kind of like In the director's ear

Looking at how they're processing Shots like that When did you start falling in love with directing Was it a few years in Or have you always been in it Because you went to NYU and stuff, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah That was for acting

But I worked with some really high-level theater directors. And I was always curious of what's going on behind the camera. I was always actually a little jealous of directors. Got to stay in their own clothes, didn't have to go through hair and makeup, but still got to be incredibly artistically fulfilled and in charge. Maybe that was some of it um there's a certain like powerlessness to acting that is like you don't get to do it whenever you want you kind of get you have to get called off the bench like you need permission to do it i mean it's the same for directing but um i was always a little jealous of the people doing it i when i remember first

season of how i met your mother pam fry Freiman, who directed almost every episode, she pulled me aside and she was like, you're not going to get everything you need from this show. Like artistically, you're going to have to do other things, whether it's acting, writing, directing. Um, I guess I was never, uh, you know, a multi camera show is like, they have four cameras going at all times. It's a, it's a little more of a math equation, how they covered it. And she was able to do some really artful things on that show. But that particular form is not, um,

doesn't allow you to, to kind of pull it apart and go crazy as much as like a movie. But, um, I think I was just, I'm interested in like well-told stories and that's that's what directing is. It's communicating to everyone, this is the story we're telling. This is what I need from you. This is what I need from you. And almost being the gatekeeper of the tone. If you want to cast people who are all in the same

movie, when someone's miscast, it's like, you're in a different movie than everyone else. Like that's not quite the world that this exists in. So I think I just had an intuitive sense of how as an actor for so long, I think I'm a, I don't, I don't always think I kill it as an actor, but I'm a pretty smart actor about story and about rhythm and about where the jokes are. Like I kind of understand all that stuff intuitively. So it's not hard for me to guide people through, especially when I've written the script and have a real sense of the music of it.

I just kind of knew how to do it. It's weird. I don't know. I didn't know where the camera was supposed to go. I had to get a DP to talk me through that. Know what lens we're supposed to use. That was the DP helping me through that. I didn't know what Bibi's dorm room was supposed to look like.

I had to get Jade Healy, our production designer, to do that, you know? And then I'd sign off. I'd say, yeah, no. But like, you got to hire people who make you look good. Totally.

And now going back to when Pam said that to you during the show, why do you think she was saying that? Were you not, were you having a little existential crisis during that moment? Like, why do you think, why did she say that to you?

That's a great question because I actually wonder in this moment. I'm like, did she say that to the other cast members? Was there something about me that compelled her to say that? I think that I had been on Broadway at that point and I'd done a bunch of pilots, but everyone else, except maybe Kobe, but everyone else had had some real big visible things. So I think my, uh, entry into the kind of like network TV, you know, um, landscape was a little rougher than other people's. Like I, I, i i i i it was like losing anonymity was weird and hard and complicated as it always is for people but i think that also i expected

once i got a hit show on a big network that i would just be happy all the time. And like a lot of, you know, it's solved. I did it. But like a lot of people, I think you get to that kind of place you thought you were going to be in like the carrots moved, right? It's no longer where you thought it was going to be. And you're just chasing the horizon. And I got a little depressed my first two years. Like I really, and I got a little depressed my first two years. Like I really, I, I, I was having a hard time enjoying myself. And I think it wasn't until I started writing and doing my own projects and, you know, I had to, I went into a kind of spiritual crisis. I started, you know, drinking tons of ayahuasca at these ceremonies in South America.

Like I was just trying to do everything I could to figure out what was real because some of the world I was in was both lovely and also felt a little artificial. And I, I was just so hungry for something that felt like sustainable and solid, you know? Well, you know, it's like you said in earlier in the conversation, there is no finish line in art. So why did we put a finish line in it? You know? Well, it's kind of like capitalism demands it, right? Like, like it's like, it's only valuable if it's monetized, if tons of people know about it and love it. And that's just such a terrible

thing for, for an artist to, to, they're hard waters to swim in as an artist, you know, success versus something, you know, that feels really right and what you, what you want to communicate. I mean, it's lovely when the two can kind of come together and I don't, you know, if we, if we knew the secret to that, we'd all be doing it all the time. Right. Um, just like you meet your moment sometimes. And other times you you're just making thing because you've got to make it. Yeah, exactly.

It is halftime at the Andy Fresco interview hour. Hello, everybody. Welcome to Sports with Dolav. He's talking shit about the game. He's got a weird fucking name. It's Sports with Dolav. He's got a weird fucking name In sports with Don't Love This week we're going to be talking Some NFL football

That's right baby, we back baby The NFL season has kicked off And we're fucking in full swing. One fucking game into the season and boom. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets season is over. He fucking tore his Achilles. All the fucking hype. All the hard knocks.

All the shit. And it's done. That's it. They're done. Fucking devastating. So devastating for all the Jets fans. For all of football. It's fucked.

On more exciting news. Fantasy Football's back. Best time of the football. It's fucked. On more exciting news, fantasy football's back. Best time of the year. This is awesome. I love it. I'm addicted to it. I'm in five leagues. I'm fucking killing it.

We got Frasco in the mix in one of my leagues. Frasco's doing fantasy football. He's in a couple leagues. Yeah, that's right. And he fucking doesn't know shit. So we had fucking Gerlach co-manage. And it's going to be fun to talk shit and kick his fucking ass because he's a little bitch. I don't know.

Lakers suck. Okay, go Jazz. Go Steelers. Westside. It's sports with Doloff. But that's football, baby. Wee-wee. So tell me about this ayahuasca trip.

Did you tell your parents or like, Hey mom, Hey dad, I know you're lawyers. I know you're a camp counselor. You're a school counselor. Like I'm taking drugs and going to the forest. I told her I was going to Brazil for three weeks and I told him I was going, it was a meditation retreat is how I described it. I ended up, I ended up telling them, I did a lot of ceremonies over, over kind of like a decade or 12 years. And, um, I ended up telling them,

they thought I had gone off the deep end. I came from a real, like, just say no. My mom was like a real, just say no kind of Nancy Reagan era mom. And, um, so they thought I was like, you know, doing drugs, like doing the very thing they told me not to. But interestingly, I stopped drinking alcohol because of ayahuasca. Like it actually tuned up my life in a pretty healthy way. Um, and now, uh, I actually met my fiance doing psychedelics, so they love her. So I'm like, well, you know, there was a bit additional benefit to it. But, uh, but what was that going through? Yeah. Like what were you going through that made you want to keep going? You felt like the first time wasn't enough or you're still feeling sadness

where you're still feeling like you weren't complete. Like go through the process of how long it took for you to finally love yourself, I guess. I mean, I don't know if I'm there. That's why I'm asking. Yeah. Some days. I don't know. When people would ask me why I had to do so much ayahuasca, I would say, well, if you were looking for a spiritual home and you were searching, I would say, well, if you, if you were looking for like a spiritual home and you were searching, searching, searching, and then one day you stumbled into this church and the pastor just gave this sermon that lit you up and the choir was incredible.

And everyone was so friendly and you, and you left like, like lit up, you were just so excited. And then you said, I'm going to go back next week. And people would be like, why do you have to go again? You went once. I think spiritual things are, we forget. We forget what we get. And then we need a tune up or to go back. So I want to talk to you about that 2021. Your girlfriend that inspired that EP. Is this a new girl or did you guys mend that relationship or was it... The EP was previous

to that. The EP wasn't about that. I had a relationship that started in the pandemic right around election day of the pandemic. That was about a 13-month relationship. It was someone I knew for years. We were really close. We were always on and off, toying with whether we will, we won't. And we decided to go for it.

And it just ended very badly and very dramatically. And I went back to Columbus, Ohio, where I'm from. My parents were in California. And I was staying at my childhood home. And I was just, my parents were in California and I was staying at my childhood home and I was just kind of, you know, nursing my wounds. And my buddy Kyle Cox, who's a songwriter in Nashville, he said, why don't you come out to Nashville? And a bunch of our friends had some time and he said, let's make a record, you know? So I went out to Nashville in 2022, February and March for a month. We rented an Airbnb, We turned it into a studio and I just

had like the time of my life. And right around that time I met, I met my fiance. Um, so it, um, it wasn't like, it's kind of a breakup record, but it's not quite a breakup record. Some of the songs were about that relationship, but a lot of them were just like songs. I just had a trunk full of songs that I hadn't recorded. So we just had a month making a double album and it's taken a while for it to come out for a couple of, you know, just logistical reasons. But we just released the first single Red last week on Friday and we're rolling out another, you know, singles every three weeks until November when the first volume will be out.

And yeah, I'm just excited. I got, I got so many more songs to record so I need this thing out, you know? And isn't it amazing? Like, you know, I love going to those songwriter circles and like writing with all those guys who are just like, they're kind of like therapists, you know, they're so quick with pulling out ideas out of your head. Like what was, what was the right, did you write with more than Cox or did you, did you write just with him?

I wrote, I co-wrote a couple couple songs with him that ended up on the record. And then we made some significant kind of changes. Like this guy, Corey Quintard, who records as Volunteer, who's an awesome dude, awesome songwriter. He helped us crack the chorus. He sings on one of the songs. He helped me reimagine a couple of the songs, like, rhythmically and just the vibe of them. We changed up. But I didn't do a lot of co-writing in there.

We were really just, like, taking the songs I had written and trying to, you know, find the best version of them. Um, but I love, I love writing with like really high level songwriters because, you know, I, I do certain things really well, but there are certain things that I need, I need a better, you know, kind of player on or a better, I have a real taste for co-writing. I really like co-writing. I think it's like, I think Keith, Ben always used to say, Keith Richards used to say, I like songs written by two people better than songs written by one person.

And there's something about like, by the time a co-written song is produced, it's like they've found the best idea between the two of them. Like they've vetted each, everyone has to agree on it, you know? So there's this kind of like deeper editing process that goes on. Yeah. What's your approach on writing a song versus writing a screenplay?

Like, do you feel like you have more time to get to the arc versus when you're writing a song as a songwriter or do you, is it, what's, what do you think, what is harder is what I'm saying. I think screenplays are harder because there's a lot more moving parts

and pieces it's a lot bigger and it also is having it has multiple kind of elements to it and and arcs to it i mean a good song will have kind of a uh a three-act structure or a change at the at the end but uh i think you can take something very simple, like the smallest seed of an idea, and write a song out of it. And a screenplay at least needs a heftier kind of idea, even though a song, I think, can be just as moving, if not more, than a good movie and just as profound.

But the heft of a movie is just bigger. Right. Have you ever tried like acting while tripping dick? No, but I did. I did an ayahuasca ceremony and had to do a Broadway play the next day. And I was nervous about it because it was like a hard ceremony. But I'm telling you what happened. I crushed or I crushed it like I was so present and on it like and I and I was really

nervous because I was like, did I push my nervous system in a way that I'm being irresponsible? One night on one day on how I met your mother, I think I can tell this story now that it's been a long time, but we were supposed to have eaten these pot brownies or pop cookies. And, uh, we were outside and it was the last shot of the day. And I think it was like a Friday night. And I don't think all of us did, but a couple of us, you know, the props guy was like, do you want a little little assist? A little inspiration? The reason we did it was because all we had to do was giggle.

We didn't have to say anything. We just had to look high. So it was like, you know what? Otherwise, I don't perform under the influence. I find, especially when there's paying customers. I worry about that. What about you? Do you

when you're fucked up or not really? I don't... I'll drink when I'm on stage. I don't drink before shows. I don't start taking mushrooms before shows. But when it's showtime, I'll start eating a microdose. I need to be in control because I'm a frontman.

I can't really... I still need to be the point guard, you know, and still have everyone run through it. And that's why I was like, because some people like need it for their anxiety. Like what was, what was your anxiety? Like when you were a kid, like, did you, were you neurotic? I mean, you have Jewish parents. I have Jewish parents. Like I, my, I was my neurotic. I was always felt like I wasn't good enough my whole life. And that's what kind of sparked me, my work ethic, but it kind of fucked me up too. Like how, how was your anxiety when you were a kid? That's a great question. Let me, let me think about that for a second. I mean, I think, you know, Jewish parents, especially for boys. And I think Jewish parents parent girls different than boys.

I have two sisters and they were raised differently than me, you know? I think there's a kind of like Prince kind of thing with the Jewish boy where, you know, my parents like said they love me unconditionally and I believe they, they did and do. But boy, when I brought home that A+, I felt the love a lot more. Oh, they fucking loved you, brother. No? Like when I was excelling, when I was bringing pride to the family through achievement, that's where I really felt their love most strongly. And maybe that was, I don't know, you know, in some ways they, they, they want to, you know, orient me towards success and

accomplishment. I don't, I don't know if that's bad or wrong. I don't know. I just know. Um, I just know I had this burning feeling like I had to do something great or be excellent in the world. Um, and, and some of that was insecurity. Like I wasn't enough just as me, right? Like I had to go out there and really burn pretty bright. You know, I did, I did a, I did a show with Al Pacino for the last couple of years called hunters, this Nazi hunting show. Yeah. I remember when I was, uh, I had a great part. I had such a good time doing that show. And, um, I remember I killed my audition. Like I crushed the audition and I thought I was going to get an offer that afternoon. But the head of the network who actually knew this woman, she was out of town. So I had to wait. I did audition on a Monday. I had to wait till a Friday to see if I got the part. And I was going crazy. Like I just wanted this offer so bad. And I was like, why do I want this so bad? And when I really got honest with myself, it was because I wanted to tell my parents I got cast in a show with Al Pacino. I knew

get that right. Um, Ben told me a hilarious thing that he said, I, I decided I'm not going to tell my mom when good things happen in my career. I've been doing that too long. I'm not going to tell her. I'm just not going to do it. And then a couple of weeks later, I asked him how that was going. And he was like, yeah, I just started to feel like what's the point of success if you're not calling your mom and telling her how great things are going. Yeah. It's like we do this to share it. I think. I want my parents to be thrilled. I remember I did this play Disgraced on Broadway about a decade ago. And the opening night was really just wonderful. And we got this standing ovation and I caught my parents out in the audience and they were beaming in a way that they don't let me see. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah. Like I got to see the light coming out of their face of how joyful and happy and proud they were. And they're just much more muted around me. I think they don't want to pump me up or they're worried. It's going to, I don't know. I don't know what it is, Midwestern something, but, uh, but it was a really cool thing to see how happy they were and how excited they were. And it was, um, yeah, I'll never forget the way they looked that night. What about, um, how they look at you when you're out there on stage doing music? Well, it's dark mostly. So it's hard for me, but they've, they've come to a bunch of shows, you know,

at hotel cafe and stuff when they're out in California. And they, they, I remember the, I played them a bunch of songs one night early on when I started writing songs and they were just really stunned by it. Like we had we have a pretty we had like a musical household when I was growing up. A lot of, you know, Simon and Garfunkel and Jim Croce and John Denver and Peter, Paul and Mary and classical music and show tunes. Like it was just like a big musical house. And I think because of that, I have like a taste for like folky kind of

storytelling singer songwriters. And, and that's the kind of music I respond to and kind of the music I make in some ways. So I just felt like they couldn't believe that I was doing this, you know, they were really floored by it. And my mom in particular, really, she's got the real musical ear, the two of them. So she really, I think, understands what I'm up to and loves it. Yeah, I don't see any difference between any art you do, just as long as you do art, especially if you have that tick, right? I think so. Again, I think it's all storytelling. And it's like, you know, I always think of it like a campfire.

Like, tell some stories like a campfire like yeah like i tell some stories around this campfire and if and if these stories resonate with you have a seat you know right but if they don't there's campfires like go go you know there's plenty of them around but uh but i like having a spot where i can where i can tell stories and and hear stories and move people and uh it's a it's a real thrill. I mean, music for me has always been the quickest way in for me. I agree.

Like a good music, it's like there's nothing quicker to change me. Totally. I mean, you're dealing with emotion really quickly. It doesn't take 90 minutes to feel something from a movie. You're like, oh, fuck, I'm in my feels right away. Yeah. And it's also mysterious and almost spiritual.

I read somewhere that music is the only non-representational art form. So sculpture, dance, theater, they're all like painting. They're all like material. It's like the physical realm. You need the physical. Whereas music is like, where does it come from? Like, it's like this mysterious wafting thing that just like, you, you, you can't hold it. Right. Like it's just, I mean, I'm sure, you know, they can measure it and stuff, but it does feel more, the most mysterious and holy of art forms. Right. Yeah, totally. You know, it's like, I always thought about,

like I did a sketch comedy show. I got with Adult Swim for a little bit and I got to write everything and kind of make the sketches. And it was really Adam because it was COVID. And I was, I always thought about this, like musicians want to be actors or directors. Directors want to be musicians.

Where did you get more side glares of when you from an actor going into a director or or when you told your friends you wanted to be a musician like oh this motherfucker you know there's nothing more side glare inducing than an actor being like hey i put out an album trust me i know that the the actor to musician pipeline is not that the musician to actor pipeline has some real, real victories, you know,

but the other way is much harder. Um, so I'm aware that that can be, especially the thing that helps me is I believe in the songs I'm making. I think they're good. I don't, I. I have good taste, so I'm not going to put out anything that's embarrassing, at least to me. But yes, I think I still have some very good friends who are like, oh, the music. I bet.

The song, and they'll be like, wait, this is really good. And I'm like, I know I'm taking this real seriously. What about directing? It's a weird thing. People want you to stay in your lane. I don't know what that is. What the fuck is that bullshit? They get uncomfortable when you do too many things. I don't know what

it is. What about when you got that... You're so talented, Josh. You screenplay, you direct. What about going from acting to directing? Were people side glaring you in the industry saying like, this motherfucker, why are you doing all this? The only thing

I felt around that time was that there was some amount of gatekeeping disrespect from a multi-camera sitcom with a laugh track into like the world of cinema. And I felt like there was some, I felt it less on liberal arts, I think because people were like, oh, this is like, he's real serious, but like happy. Thank you. Was I love that movie, that first movie I directed. And there was some in the press, I noticed there was some kind of sneering condescension to the movie. And then they would say like, oh, it's like a sitcom. And it's like, it's not. It's really not. And I felt a little bit like it was, again, like hard to escape from under the shadow of that kind of juggernaut.

that of that kind of juggernaut um but then i don't know i i find like i don't know how sensitive to critics you are i i find most artists are pretty sensitive yeah i'm pretty fucking sensitive yeah yeah and uh but it does feel like if you keep going you get the last laugh right you know if you just keep making it and then eventually you know you go from like you know being derided and being mocked and being hated to like getting a lifetime achievement award at the end of the day you know what i mean like it like someone like like adam sandler who i really admire who who liked those early movies and he was so widely disrespected critically i know and now people are like you know the vener Adam Senior, he won a Mark Twain award for American humor.

I feel like if you just stick with it and you trust your voice and you keep going, eventually, the tides change. But I'm pretty thin-skinned around that stuff. I can't read a lot of criticism. Yeah, me either. Do you feel like you haven't got your flowers yet for all the things you've done? Yeah.

Same. Same. Same. That's why we're going to be friends, dog. I'll talk. Yeah. What is that? What do you think that's in us that make us still feel like we're unsatisfied or we want the respect? I'm like, you have such a great, I mean, your resume is unbelievable, Josh, and we still feel like we don't get our flowers. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if that's how we're wired and we're specific, or I think there's something in the human. I think it's pretty human. I think like I know some incredibly honored, like in the Pantheon kind of actors and directors,

and they feel the same way. You know, a friend of mine told me his therapist told him, he said, the thing you have to get is there's no such thing as a winner's circle. Yeah. Like I keep, there's some room that like Scorsese and DiCaprio are just in like swig and

champagne laughing and having the best. And it's like, no, they're worried about their next gig. They're doing, you know, I can't speak for them. I don't know. But, um, but there's this kind of idea that when I get here, the Dean, the, the yelping dog in my chest will stop. And it never does, but, but I don't know if it does. And maybe like the thing is make peace with, with that and just keep going. And, you know,

when you hear that, that voice of like, I didn't get the flowers or whatever, just, you know, thanks for sharing. Yeah. We're going to,

we're just today. There's no other, there's no other thing to do. Right. Like, what was it like being in the presence of like a Pacino? Like what was his, was he calmness or was he always like trying to get better with his stuff? Like, what was it like being in the presence of like a Pacino? Like what was his,

was he calmness or was he always like trying to get better with his stuff? Like, it's like, you got to learn from those people. Right. Yeah. He was incredible to me because he, I mean, he was 78, 79 when we were working together and he was like as hungry as ever. Like he, he just wanted to stay until he got it right he wanted he tried so many different things i felt like he was um one of the best examples for me of like failing like like like being unafraid to fail right like you think that an actor like that is just gonna everything they do is gold and it's just not true you know it's kind of like if someone saw your first drafts of like songs or something you're writing you'd be humiliated right because you got to work on it you got to you got

to cut out the bad bits and and rewrite and you and i got to watch him edit like as an actor like each take i got to watch him refine it figure it out he'd go i i figured it out let's do one more let's do you know and it was always like he would always get to some place really brilliant and really subtle and interesting but watching him get there was totally fascinating like i you know but i also i also he doesn't walk around being like i've got all the oscars and all the awards and i am happy perpetually like he's still a man living a life, aging. Do you know what I mean?

Nothing gets you out of it. It's hard to be here. It's hard to have a body. It's hard to age. It's hard to have an ego. Do you think that helped you when you're doing your takes in music? When you're in the studio and you're like,

I didn't get the right impression on that song or I didn't really feel like that lyric came across. You felt like it helped you be better in the studio? Well, one thing I like about... I mean, I love doing one take straight to tape or something. But there's also something really thrilling for a perfectionist when you can just head back in the booth and grab that one line that you don't like and just get it till you like it. You know, I love the editing process because it just allows you to like chisel away and, and sand off the bits you don't like and, and highlight the stuff you do. Um i really enjoy that that part of it um yeah what's that what's that like for you are you yeah are you are you on yourself when you're

making it yeah because like you know i'm a live band we're punk rock like we're always like one take if you don't get in three takes don't you're not ready yet and um, um, I like that idea, but I also like kind of like taking my time. Cause normally we're, when we're doing 250 shows a year, so we get, I get six days to make a whole record. It's not like I get two months or three months. So it's like, I kind of forced my brain, like, let's get this thing fucking popping. But this new record I'm doing, I'm taking my time. I actually have time to fucking do it. And it's like, I love the experience. It's so much better when you're taking your time with your art, right?

Do you have any projects you felt like you rushed, like a directing gig? Great question, but can I ask you something? Because I'm super curious. Do you take songs out on the road and get them where you want them before you go into the studio? Sometimes, sometimes. But then I realized that I'm catering to my live show versus not catering to just trying to make a timeless piece of music. It's like a juggle. Because sometimes the live setting wants a more funky baseline, but that doesn't translate as well on,

on record. So it's kind of like a balancing act of, all right, the fans like, it's more of like, I think of like, all right, the fans like this chorus.

It's a hooky chorus. You know, then I go to fine tune it in the studio. Right, right, right. I've had the experience though, of like you release a track and then you figure out how to play it

exactly and then you're like oh man and it's not even the band right it's not even the band that recorded right because if you're going on tour with it you hired some Nashville guys right to make the record yeah I mean we made it

and yeah yeah yeah we hired I mean they played on a lot of the record the guys i made it with but we brought in you know the horn player and the keys player and vocalists you know who who just you know upped the the quality of the thing considerably um but what was your question it was about if you if i'd rush something like do you ever do you ever feel like you rushed a project like you're like you know director maybe ran out of budget on a directing piece or like felt like you didn't really give it your full energy at abroad when you're acting in a Broadway show.

Like, do you ever feel like you lose sleep over something that you felt like you could have done better as an artist? If you do an eight month run on Broadway, you're going to have nights where you're just, they're not your best, you know, and you got yourself for those.

But, um, I'm trying to think i i i had a movie that uh someone was ready to pull the trigger on and finance and i was like it's the screenplay is a b plus right now or a b and i i don't know how to fix this right now and so i said no to doing it because I knew that it would have been, uh, it would have been undercooked in a way that I would have had to then work really hard in the edit to, to cover the seams or change something. So I said no to that. And, um, I think in some ways I can probably err on the side of being like overly cautious and overly like I overdraft.

I, I, um, it's a difference between me and Ben, like Ben and I would do something and he, he has very little lag time between idea and execution. He just wants to like do lay it down and get it out in the world. And I'm like, shouldn't we take a couple more whacks at this thing? Like, I think we can get this better. And I think there's benefits to both. Because sometimes I think I overthink things and I spend a little too long staring at them.

And he is not like that in a way that I actually admire. And I think on Ben's reasoning is because he plays these songs every night. Or he has this setting where he's playing music at a club every I think on Ben's reasoning is because he plays these songs every night or he, you know, he has this setting where he's playing music at a club every night and he's

not stressing over like, fuck, I fucked up that version of the song. Cause he feels like maybe tomorrow will be better version of that song. That's, that's like my mentality on it. Like doing so many shows has been, I mean,

I've grew up listening to fucking Ben dude. And he was the man. And I've always saw him. He was a workhorse. He was gigging. Now I see him doing DJing and shit. It is fucking hilarious, man. Oh, I know.

It's incredible. I think part of where that comes from in him is he trusts that there's going to be more. Right. Like he doesn't have an impoverished idea of his own relationship with his creativity he's like yeah we this is what we made today we will make something else tomorrow it's not a big deal let's just let's just move on let's get it out there um i i'm just more of a chiseler you know i

i i like to hone it a little bit more um but i think he... What I thought was cool about our partnership was like he got something from my way of being and I got something from his way of being and out of that, I think we made some pretty cool music. Well, sick. Well, keep chiseling away. I know you got to get out of here, Josh. But you've done so much in your career with your resumes. Unbelievable. And I think about this, what do you want to be remembered by? I mean, I want to be... I don't know.

I'm thinking real... It's like I'm about to get married. I want to be a good husband. Yeah, sick. I want to be someone who made some things that moved people. someone who, who made some things that moved people. Um, you know, I, I don't, I don't know if, uh, you know, when I watch certain people and they're playing stadiums and everyone's going

crazy, I don't know that I need that energy. What I, what I, what's real sweet to me is like a dark room, you know, where people are really locked in yeah and listening and moved and grateful yeah you know i yeah that that's it i i mean i mean look i want i want the flowers i want the success and all that but but i'm rescaling my ambitions and uh i just want to make good stuff you know i want to see what what comes out of me so yeah art is key and however you know like that's why i always talk about this with my stand-up friends. It's awesome playing the theaters.

It's awesome playing the arenas. We're going on tour with Burt Kreischer. They're doing their arenas and stuff. Then I talk to my boys, like Todd Glass, where it's like he loves the theater because you're in control of the energy. I feel like it's all about doing your best work. It doesn't matter how big the rooms are. Right.

Yeah. And I think different artists like art, they're tailored to a different space. You know, it's so important. Like where do you, what, what kind of space can you fill? What kind of space do you want to fill? I want to hear about Red Rocks at some point. Cause I just, that seems like such a unbelievable experience it's unbelievable man just you know 10 000 people and it's just vertical and like you know it's the most one of the most beautiful venues in the world besides like the

the gorge or four i love forest hill in new york that's a great room that looks um where is that that tent into the old tennis stadium where they used to do Wimbledon. Oh, okay. In New York. Yeah. It's, I don't know.

I'm in this point. I've been a club guy for 15 years and the last two years we're finally getting, you know, some, we're getting our flowers, but so it's cool. But it took a second for you.

I hope I can see you soon. You will buddy. So, um, stay happy. Um, new record coming out. I can't wait. Let's will, buddy. Stay happy. New record coming out. I can't wait. Will you send me the record? Will you tell your bubbles to send me the record?

It's out November 17th. It's called Eulogy Volumes 1 and 2. Can't wait. Keep fucking things up and be good to yourself. You're a good man. You too. Take care, Josh. There we go. That was, Josh. There we go.

That was fucking awesome. Let's go. You tuned in to the World Saving Podcast with Andy Fresco. Thank you for listening to this episode. Produced by Andy Fresco, Joe Angelo and Chris Lawrence. We need you to help us save the world and spread the word. Please subscribe, rate the show, give us those crazy stars. iTunes, Spotify, wherever you're picking

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