Blocks w/ Neal Brennan - Tom Green

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

Neal Brennan interviews Tom Green (The Tom Green Show, Freddy Got Fingered, This Is The Tom Green Documentary) about the things that make him feel lonely, isolated, and like something's wrong - and how he is persevering despite these blocks.  ---------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Intro 00:33 Testicular Cancer 3:44 White Rapper 4:59 DIY roots 6:18 Norm Macdonald & Letterman 9:44 Experiencing sudden fame 15:05 Hosting SNL 19:08 Sponsor: Harrys 21:10 Sponsor: BetterHelp 23:13 Early adoption of creative technology 26:45 Negative reaction to fame 30:05 Shell shocked by fame 32:10 Downside of sudden fame 35:45 Relationship with Drew Barrymore 37:07 Anxiety 41:16 Testicular cancer 48:41 Difficulty of public relationship 51:39 Sponsor: RocketMoney 53:10 Moving back to Canada 1:03:29 Positive Thoughts 1:06:30 Procrastination & Indecision 1:15:26 Keeping the Dream Alive 1:17:05 How His Relationship with Himself has changed ---------------------------------------------------------- Follow Neal Brennan: https://www.instagram.com/nealbrennan https://twitter.com/nealbrennan https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnealbrennan Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557 Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234 Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased). Edited by Will Hagle ([e-mail])  Sponsors: An exclusive offer for our listeners -- Get a $10 trial set for just $5 at https://www.harrys.com/NEAL  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/neal and get on your way to being your best self. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to https://www.RocketMoney.com/NEAL today. Sponsor Blocks: https://public.liveread.io/media-kit/blocks ---------------------------------------------------------- #podcast #comedy #mentalhealth #standup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi guys, it's Neil Brennan on the blocks podcast. My guest today, um, he's got one testicle So right there get right into it. Yeah right there. Uh, he's hosted the tom green show Freddy godfinger road trip where they confused austin and boston austin, massachusetts You mean boston massachusetts? That was a big plot twist. Absolutely. Yeah, and uh now he's got a farm he's got a he's got a document on Amazon, which I watched, not knowing he was coming. And it's very exciting. Tom Green is here later.

Which we know. Tom Green. Thanks, man. Awesome. Awesome. I do have one testicle. Yeah, well, I lost my testicle in 19, what, it was 2000. You'd think I'd remember the year.

Yeah, I was doing my show on MTV. And we filmed it all. We filmed the whole ordeal. But I still have the left one, I was doing my show on MTV and we filmed it all. We filmed the whole ordeal, but I still have the left one, so everything's fine. That must have been so surreal. It must have been like, what? Yeah, it was kind of a curve ball for sure. Cause it's, that was one of those,

the most recent one in culture was like, Luca Donchic got traded from Dallas to the Lakers, right? The big sports thing. But it was that big a plot twist where it was like, what? Yeah, yeah, it wasn't good timing for sure. I mean, it's never good timing to get testicular cancer, but it was particularly bad. Because the show had just come on MTV,

things were going good for me, and then I had to kind of stop it then. You were cresting. You were crowning. You were like ascendant. And you were also rare in that you were under 30, right? Yeah, 28. And nobody was really young in showbiz. There was like the pop stars, but you seem especially young back then. Yeah, it was a lot going on. I just moved basically to the United States from Canada, but really just moved to Los Angeles.

I was in New York for about a year with the show on MTV. Then I just moved the show out here, and that threw us for a little bit of a loop there. But you know, dealt with it, we filmed it, put it on MTV, and the cancer special, you can watch it on YouTube. And it was helpful in terms of like, everybody talks about awareness,

and you get checked yourself, and how to diagnose, but like, it actually probably demonstrably saved thousands of lives. It's pretty wild, like, when I'm on tour doing standup, at least a couple times a month, somebody will come up after a show with their wife, and they'll just say, -"Man, I went to the doctor." -"It's funny, you can tell them."

You can probably tell immediately what they're gonna... Like, this guy might be a ball cancer guy. Yeah, for sure. It gets kind of emotional. They'll start crying, and I sometimes even get up, a little kind of worked up about it, but it's nice to see. You know, it only hits young guys, right?

You can't get it if you're, I mean, you don't expect to get cancer when you're near 20s. So a lot of times guys don't do anything about it because they're embarrassed. Yeah. And they don't go to the doctor. What do people think it is? Just like, ah, my ball's being weird. Yeah, they think it's something

that'll go away on its own. They don't want to go to the doctor. I got misdiagnosed. They thought it was Epididymitis, they said. They gave me antibiotics, and then that didn't go away. But yeah, I think it's ultimately, some young guys aren't as paranoid as I was. You know, I immediately went to the doctor.

Were you a bit of a hypochondriac? Yeah, yeah. And even more so now, because once you... Once you're right once. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You just like, the moment there's anything even suddenly wrong, I'm just immediately at the doctor. So, but I'm lucky I did, because if you wait around, then it spreads.

Otherwise, it's a pretty curable disease. There was a lot of stuff in the documentary that I was surprised by or that I guess I just didn't know One of them was that you were a white rapper. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah Tom Green was a Successful white rapper about as successful as successful as white rappers can. I mean, they only let in about one every five years. It seems like it would be an epidemic, but it's about one every five years.

Back in 1992, it was the Beastie Boys and Vanilla Ice. Yep, that was from 1988. Third base. Third base, of course. They were great. But we were kind of, definitely loved hip hop music. I did a radio show at the college station when I was in high school. I'd go down and do a rap music show.

And I made beats. That was kind of how I got into kind of technology and video and everything was through the rap group Organized Rhyme. I'd work my summer job, I'd save up, I'd get a sampler, and then we just started sampling records and rapping. Was Organized Rhyme spelled correctly? It was actually spelled correctly, very Canadian of us.

Huh, yeah. Yeah. Okay, and yeah, that was another thing I liked about the documentary, was how... DIY your whole thing was. Like, it really was, you went... Because we're around the same age, like, you had to go rent a camera

from either your school or whatever, and then make a thing and put it out and see if people liked it. And it's hard to root against. Do you know what I mean? Like, once you know that, you just go, oh, well, this guy, he did it the right way. Like, he ran for local office, and he won. And then he ran for national office, and he won.

And then he ran. And even the windup to MTV was long. Yeah, yeah. It seemed to my eye, it was like, oh, who's this guy? You know what I mean? Yeah, I think that probably, a lot of people felt that way, because it was, I mean,

been doing in Canada for probably 10 years, really, you know, if you include the rap group, right? And then, you know, obviously MTV is such a, especially then was such a, you know, you get on MTV and they were playing the show five times a day. It just sort of thrown right into American culture. It was a real whirlwind. But yeah, it was exciting.

You know, I did stand up when I was like a kid. Like when I was like 16, I started doing it. And I stopped when the rap group got the record deal at about 19 we stopped but at yuck yucks in Ottawa where the same club where Norm McDonald started. I was the weirdest gift to give somebody a lottery ticket you know. Here you go nothing. It's a chain in Canada. It's like sort of like the improv of Canada and and Howard Wagman is a manager there, still runs the place. He's Mark Breslin's nephew who runs the whole club.

But I was just a kid doing it, and it sort of, because I'd go down there to see Norm. I'd go down there, I want, because he had not come to the States yet, and that was sort of a moment where I realized. Was he, was Norm doing especially well in Canada? Was it a bit of a word of mouth thing. Was Norm doing especially well in Canada? Was it a bit of a word of mouth then? He was the headliner in Canada.

He hadn't moved to... And there probably, I guess there were a number of headliners in Canada, right? Or were they bringing in Americans? Yeah, there were Canadian comics that would sort of, you know, before they, you know, if they moved down to the States back then, they would just sort of tour the yuck yucks chain.

And so Norm was kind of at the top of that group. And then shortly after I discovered him, he moved down into LA and started working as a writer on Roseanne, I think. So, but I remember when that happened when he went to Roseanne and then Saturday Night Live and I was just like, wow, he was just here in this little dark basement like a few months ago. And was it the same kind of jokes like obtuse and weird? Yeah, that was sort of the thing. It was sort of the first, you know, the first time you're really going out

to see comedy in a live venue, you're 16 years old, you're just kind of excited to be in a bar, you know? Yeah. Somehow they- That's one of those luck things where, and it turns out to be one of the best comedians ever. Yeah, and then he's, and it was out to be one of the best comedians ever. Yeah, and then he's, and it was just, he was, you know, he was in his twenties, you know,

and it was just mind-blowing, you know? Because obviously there was, was weird comedy back then, but he was sort of the one of the ones that really stood out that I saw live that was sort of more out of the box than a lot of the more sort of straight edge kind of comedy that was going on at the time. Yeah, he had like fucking great tastes and great instincts and like not a hacky bonus, but just had like new, he had like ethics. Yeah, yeah.

And just shocking, I wish I could remember some of the bits he did back then, but it was just, it was that sort of idea that you can just sort of turn the whole idea of stand-up sort of upside down and do it differently and kind of confuse and shock everybody, which was kind of amazing to me. Yeah, but it's hard doing stand-up when you're 16 years old and 17 years old. It really was never-

People don't like you to talk about certain... I remember Chappelle started when he was 14 and he did sex jokes and somebody told him like, you can't do sex. Like people don't want that from a 14 year old. Yeah, and for me it was just the confidence. I was terrified, you know? Yeah.

And you're performing to a bunch of college kids, you know? And you just didn't have that kind of confidence to or life experience or anything to really add. So it was more silly, you know, silly plays on words and silly ideas. But you know, I wore beige khaki pants and sneakers in my dad's suit because I wanted to look like Letterman, you know, so because I love Letterman. That was really why I went down there. I just love Letterman.

So. like Letterman, you know, so, because I loved Letterman, that was really why I went down there, I just loved Letterman, so. All right, so within the context of the movie, the thing that I was curious about is, so you really got shot out of a rocket, and how did you handle it? Meaning, did you get arrogant, did you get petulant, Did you know what was happening? Did you think you were exceptional? Did you think, you know what I mean?

Like what was it like? The amount of times I've thought in my life about like, oh, if I could go back to that moment, what would I do differently? Cause there's a sort of, you know, the sort of weird moment that happened where all of a sudden I was you know the show was a hit essentially and I'm I'd like to reiterate you earned it it's again well back then I was I had the reaction everybody has to a new person on MTV which is like arms

folded like I didn't know, who was this? I don't know who this new VJ is, so you like resist it, and then, but the shit was good, and then watching the documentary. It's like, and it was honed. Yeah, yeah. And you're, so I, so you don't, I don't have any of the resentment a person might have

of like, who the fuck is this guy. Now go back to your answer. I just want you to know that you have my respect, okay? Like you have my respect and I wanna know what it was like. Yeah, well okay, that makes it easier. You know, look, you have to have a certain amount of unbridled, even if it's misplaced confidence to be able to just have the gall to decide to do that.

You know, like we're gonna go, you know, paint my parents car and film it and expect somebody's gonna think that's interesting and just the amount of work that we put into filming it every day it's sort of slowly built its Following on the Public access station and but even that was slow according to the documentary Yeah, it was a couple few years and we did the show for probably four years without making money doing it Then we got picked up by the Comedy Network the year before MTV picked it up which was a little new cable network. But we sort of had this sort of, I guess I'd say

sort of a skateboarder mentality. I watched all the Bones Brigade, Stacey Peralta, Future Primitive Animal Chin. The idea of watching them go just, you know, cruise down the street on their skateboards and cause chaos with... It was the first time I'd ever seen that, you know, because there hadn't really been video cameras before that. You know, all of a sudden you're sort of seeing a professionally produced video, but it's not totally professionally produced. It doesn't totally look like what you see. There's something amateurish about it, because they weren't professional actors. Yeah, yeah.

And I would also like to mention the BC boys being part of that. Like they were early 90s, like homemade DIY fun, silly. Yeah, and so when you're in that skateboard world, it brings you into listening to rap music too. You're listening to music that was made in a basement somewhere. And there was a little bit of a feeling of, you know, we're going to dismantle the way television gets made.

You know, a little bit of a kind of a youthful naivety kind of thing, you know? And then all of a sudden, you know, I'm getting asked to go on The Tonight Show or, you know, Conan or Letterman. And Letterman was the first show that I went on that was, the first two shows as a talk show I went on was Oprah and Letterman. And I was... Yeah, the Oprah one in the documentary. He did Oprah?

And he's my favorite. Like, she said something like very favorable, which I found funny. Yeah, the Oprah one in the documentary. I was like, he did Oprah? Yeah, yeah. And he's my favorite. She said something very favorable, which I found funny. Tom Green has been pulling Franks on his own parents since his days on radio. Yeah, it was surreal. And I was somewhat subdued on those two.

I mean, I didn't have the, I think, the guts to go on. Were you humble, or were you scared... I was terrified, I'd say. On Letterman, on Letterman. I mean, I was definitely, you know, he was my hero. I watched everything he did and I just loved the fact that I was getting asked to be on Letterman. And it was the first show and it was all kind of new. So I was definitely kind of...

very sort of, you know, I did not try to go on and light the couch on fire. All right, yeah. Okay? Yeah. But then once I got into sort of the feeling of that these things were working, all of a sudden I was getting a lot of attention for it. I really wanted to try to do sort of something crazy every time I went on a talk show.

But I'm not talking about talk show, I'm talking about, did you think like, I'm kind of the shit. Well, I guess what I'm sort of saying is, yeah, like I kind of think that like, to think like, maybe to jump ahead a year, I hosted Saturday Night Live, okay? And I had a couple of friends who worked with me on the show

and I asked them if they could come kind of help write some skits with us, right? So they said, sure, right? So we're down there and they give us a little room and writing skits. And in hindsight, I kind of think, man, I should have just not tried to write anything, you know, like, cause it's like, you know, we were trying to go, let's make this so should have just not tried to write anything, you know?

Because it's like, you know, we were trying to go, let's make this so, let's make this the craziest episode, you know? And you know, I think that kind of was maybe a little bit much, you know? And also, you know, going on The Tonight Show and I just go on in the sort of some outrageous, you know, dressed as a tree or something. I think a lot of it came from sort of a fear of failure by just doing it normal, you know, just going on and being funny, you know, in a normal way. I thought, well, I can hide behind some outrageous sketch. Then

another part of it was that also I loved watching Chris Elliott come out from under the stairs on Letterman and turn the whole show on. Chris Elliott, Chris, why don't you tell the folks a little bit more about this lovable character? Well, sure, Dave Dave I think the character is kind of an extension of myself simply put I live here underneath the bleachers and I'll be interrupting the show from time to time yeah I think it was like maybe sometimes I think in hindsight I think about this a lot actually I would think you do yeah because it's really just gone, the show was so nuts, I probably should have just gone

on the talk show and been normal. I remember when you hosted SNL, and my buddy Mike Schur was right in there, he didn't, I don't, he would tell me generally when someone was being a pain in the ass, I don't remember them saying anything. Yeah, yeah. Has anyone said anything in retrospect, or like?

You know, a couple times you hear, he brought his own writers or something like that and it's like well it wasn't really, it didn't really bring writers. It was more like I wanted my high school friends. Yeah, but like so did Ray Romano brought his own writers. They wrote that sweet sassy molassi sketch, the ESPN, Dave brought me. You know, if you have a thing, sometimes they don't mind. Yeah, okay that's cool.

That makes me feel better. 20 years of anxiety over it is now resolved. I believe it. No, cause like, you know, a lot of it was also just about wanting to bring your friends with you, who came up with me and be part of the SNL experience. But you know, I mean, it does definitely kind of, you do get a little bit- But was it arrogance?

I mean, this sounds like fear, and even the thing of doing things your way. Anything original can sometimes be from a place of like I can't do it normal. I'm not I don't have that skill set. Like I don't think Andy Kaufman would have been a good comic. But yet, Seinfeld told me on this podcast, I went to a comedy club the first time to see Andy Kaufman. You wouldn't believe you were inspired by Andy Kaufman. Most square comedian that, you know what I mean? Most analytical, Jerry's incredible,

but he's fairly what you'd call conventional. It's done incredibly well. So I'm not mad at the idea that you have to do things your way, because I don't know, who knows if you'd be as good in a sketch as Will Ferrell and Chris Catan and Molly Shanley. I don't know. We were in a sketch before, you know?

Yeah, exactly. So let's just dress up as eagles and run around and scream at each other. You know, like. Yeah. Yeah. That's kind of like the thing. before, you know? So it's like, let's just dress up as eagles and run around and scream at each other. You know, like. That's kind of like the thing. I wrote these bits that were more just sort of like, you know, explosively strange,

but not necessarily involving a whole lot of acting, you know? But, you know, I think that what happens also is, or what happened to me was all of a sudden there was all these opportunities and they were opportunities that like, I felt like I don't know how to do that you know and it's sort of like well maybe I'll pass on that not because because I don't do good for it or whatever it's more like I'm afraid of not pulling it off you know yeah and

so that may sometimes have come off as as as arrogance or something when really it was more probably fear driven again, you know, so there's a lot. But did so. Guys, hi, I'm comedian Neil Brennan. And you know what's funny to me? You want to know what's a joke? The price some companies charge for razors. But Harry's prices are no joke.

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Guys, I do a podcast called Blocks that you're watching right now and all we do is talk about pretty much mental health. I'm nosy and I don't respect boundaries and I ask people overly personal questions, but it works as a podcast. And by the way, we almost always mention therapy having helped them. Mental health awareness is growing, but there's still progress to be made. We got a long way to go. 26% of Americans who participated in a recent survey said they have avoided seeking mental

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Betterhelp.com. You gotta do it. When you think about that time or your entire career, is it, have you ever thought like, did you ever get like, you know, I'm kind of a visionary. Have you ever entertained that part of like, you're a, you're forward, you know, like you're the shit, you're incredible. This is going much better than I thought it would.

I was expecting you to grill me a little bit, Neil, to be honest with you. No. No, I'm really curious as to what it was like. This is fun. Because I've never, because from the outside in, I had no idea, because I didn't know anyone who knew you. And it was like, I don't know what's happening here.

You know, it was kind of like, I think when I got that sampler and the drum machine back in 1985 or whatever it was right? Did you think I was gonna grill you because I didn't respect you? No I just watched the show and I know you can be kind of a little kind of like edgy with people you know? I thought you were gonna razz me a bit. No no no I'm unaware of my edgy. I really am. But no no no I want to... okay good. I'm scared. Okay so you got your...

Plus just again fear. I'm naturally always assuming I'm about to get to- Yeah, your sampler. So you had a sampler. Yeah, yeah. And you were just sort of trying. Yeah, and it was the realization that like, oh, nobody had a sampler in Ottawa. And so I realized early on, technology's changing at a rapid pace.

If you get in there with some little creative piece of technology before anyone else has it, then like I sometimes joke, I say, if you're the first person to do something, you're gonna be the best at it, right? Because you're the only person doing it. We were the only rap group in Ottawa, so we were the best rap group in Ottawa.

By the way, not bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The songs were not bad. Like the songs in the doc, I wasn't like, I don't like white rappers generally. But it wasn not bad. Like the songs in the doc, I wasn't like, I don't like white rappers generally. But it wasn't bad. Yeah, we were very Canadian. But we loved it.

I mean, and I liked making the beats. And Greg, my friend from high school, was an incredible rapper. And we had a good time. We went down to New York when we were 17 years old. He was a little younger than me. Maybe I was 18, he was 17. And before we got the record deal, we had an opportunity to come down to New York City and record. Just completely independent with this producer that was in the documentary,

Boogie Bradley. And that was kind of like, okay, this is cool. He showed us a lot of cool techniques for making beats and stuff and rapping. And first thing I wanted to do when I got to New York was go to the Letterman show. So I went and stood in line at six o'clock in the morning. Like a real rapper, yeah. Yeah, like a real rapper, exactly. So it was sort of this idea that I started thinking about what technology was out and the video cameras were exciting. We got to shoot some videos when we made the rap album, so I started seeing cameras and

filming as a sort of a means to getting your creativity out there. And that was kind of it. It sort of quickly, I went to school, took broadcasting school, learned how to run cameras so I could get a hold of the cameras and the editing equipment. And then I just sort of was always kind of looking at technology basically at that point.

So that was, I was aware that we were trying to use video cameras in a way that nobody had yet. We were trying to, there was not a reality TV show yet. There was no reality shows or anything. It straight up worked. Yeah. Then what did you think? I need to protect this level of success? Did you ever think I'm the shit?

I was right about me? Fuck everybody who didn't believe in me. Were there any of those negative fame thoughts? I'm sure there were. It fortunately didn't last too long because then you start getting some negative sort of response from things. Like when my movie Freddy Got Fingered came out, that was the first sort of, wow, this is not fun. You know, people are being really mean, you know, like the writing up, you know, Roger

Ebert and stuff, and saying stuff that was just incredibly, you know, terrifying, you know, to hear. And then you sort of kind of go through a little bit of a crisis where you're going, well, do I have the confidence anymore to go out and just kind of go for it? But also, at the same time, nobody comes in and tells you, okay, a year ago, nobody was expecting this, but now they're expecting this.

So when you go do something crazy, they're expecting it, so it's kind of a different job. And it kind of happens so fast, you don't really necessarily calculate that until all of a sudden, okay, now I'm going, you know, bat shit crazy on Conan or something like that. And, you know, maybe I should just go on and just, you know, talk about, you know, what I'm doing or something.

Yeah, or, but, so. Would you listen to anything? I guess, let me try and say it better. It's like, when you're kind of like, just a kid in Canada, and you got no, I had no money. I didn't have any money, you know? And I didn't have any sort of, you know, you're kind of like rebelling and wanting to make noise and wanting

people look over, look at me, look at me, look what I'm doing. Then all of a sudden when everyone's looking at you, that's kind of maybe a good time to kind of not be like that, but you're still kind of flying forward, you know? Yeah. So, so that's when sometimes I think, man, there should be kind of a little, little handbook for gross out comedians who get a big show or whatever. You know? Okay, so.

Would you have, I say this legitimately, you should write it. It would be an interesting, it would be an interesting exercise. It'd be interesting to read, because it is like, what's gonna happen? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or what may happen. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, or what may happen Yeah, my question is if somebody had told you that

Hey, here's what you're going through and here's what like could you have helped Johnny Knoxville? Could you have helped? The and I'm not like those guys. I mean it seems like everybody did pretty good But some of those other guys say my dad might have maybe could have used a little Little help because you, because I know them all, their friends, but people, it's tough on anybody. And you see it happen to a lot of young people who go through the wringer and get thrust into the spotlight.

But it's not the kind of thing you can sort of spend your life complaining about, like, oh, geez, I've mishandled that six months of my life where everybody was looking at me too much, you know But yeah, but you know, you're still kind of in the back. You're not it's still a little played that my question is My question is and you are you a little shell-shocked. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah That's when I see you you seem

shell-shocked you seem like and I don't know what you were like before, it really was like, not the dog that caught the car or something, but like you did it, you did it correctly. And without thinking, what is there a potential downside to this? Is there a potential, you know? My dream. Second step. Potential downside to this. Yeah, is there potential? My dreams second step

The month before I got an MTV my dream was to be able to get a job in television So I could like, you know get an apartment or something. I thought you know move out of my parents basement and It wasn't host Saturday Night Live or direct a movie. It was... It really, that truly was beyond your wildest dream. Yeah, I mean it was maybe in the back of my mind I thought maybe in five years I could maybe host a talk show or down the road like, or the show could lead to something else.

But see the power of MTV was something I didn't anticipate. It was different back then. because you're not even American we didn't have MTV we didn't have MTV so like I knew what it was of course but like we didn't grow up watching MTV yeah I didn't really understand the way they do the programming was back then there was like five other shows there was a like a real-world Road Rules Total Request Live Daria and Celebrity Deathmatch were the Live, Darya, and Celebrity, Deathmatch were the five other shows, right? And so because of that, they would run the Tom Green show like six times a day in blocks.

And so it was very instantly sort of like... Ubiquitous, yeah. It was a wallpaper. Everybody did the show very quickly. So it did happen quickly, but it was exciting. And I feel like I was humbled somewhat quickly though. What's the downside of the being, getting that famous that quickly? Probably just the idea that there's not enough time to kind of acclimate to this new reality

and sort of adjust, you know, sort of at appropriate rate, you know, where to really kind of, you know, because I was not just adjusting, I was just adjusting to, just being in Los Angeles was crazy. Not even, like I didn't come here to sort of, you know, go on auditions and work my way up. It was just instantly here, the show got moved here, you know, Todd Phillips asked me to be in that movie Road

Trip and then it was... And the Pepsi commercial. And the Pepsi commercials. I forgot the Pepsi commercials. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Today we're going to do a taste test between Pepsi One and the Goldfish. I mean, I'm not complaining about it, but it was... I'm not, yeah, I know, I'm not...

It was sort of an interesting adjustment for sure. Yeah, I'm not even saying like, what, you poor thing, I'm literally like, hey man, what was that like? It's like watching a good car crash. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Someone referred to it as a catastrophic success.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Where you just go like, boy, that looks, that's pretty extreme. And did you have anybody share it with? Was there any, it was so unique. That's the thing about it, it looks so, culturally it was so unique. It was like, it wasn't like a boy band

because there was no other boys in it. Yeah, you know, it know, I was fortunate. I did have a really good manager who I'd met in Canada, the late Howard Lapidus. And he set me up with a business manager and an agent. And everyone was really kind of sort of supportive in that way. I felt like I had a good and my parents were very good with with the whole thing so

I didn't feel like I was kind of lost at sea or anything like that but but you know it was it was it was yeah it was it was pretty pretty wild crazy time for sure yeah absolutely yeah and and you sort And you sort of, you know, then you find it's very surprising when, you know, when I put out the movie, Freddie Got Fingered, it was just sort of such a whiplash effect, you know? Where it was like one second they're, you know, saying your shit don't stink, and the next second, oh, this really, this shit really stinks.

Yeah, this really stinks like shit, yeah. It was supposed to stink, but so that was kind of depressing, you know, actually anxiety inducing and sort of tough, but you know, you get over it, you know? I want to hear more about what it was like. Tell me more about what it was like. Cause I know you're shell shocked. But I wanna know, you're not telling me enough about for my satisfaction about what it was like. What it was like to be you, wake up in 1999, 2000, 2000.

And like, you're in a movie. It's like a montage of success. Went and bought a Porsche and a Range Rover. And I'm driving around a montage. Yeah, I success went bought a Porsche and A Range Rover and I'm driving around a Porsche payments or cash. I Forget what they they had me do but it was like, you know, whatever was best for the taxes I think it was a nice actually. Yeah, but but but you know, so I had these two sweet cars although the Range Rover broke down right away. Did you do it cuz? Cuz I want to talk about the relationship with Drew as well because I

Part of me thinks like when you're famous like that you go like well. I should get a famous Partner bride cuz that's kind of what you do Like I that kind of just happened somewhat, uh... Like, she asked me to be in Charlie's Angels. So that's how I met Drew when she asked me to be in Charlie's Angels. I'd lived in Los Angeles for, like, a day or something like that, and I got a call from her and I met her at a... Again, part of the montage.

Restaurant down here, downtown we met, and then she asked me to be in Charlie's Angels, and that's how we met, and then she asked me to be in Charlie's Angels, and that's how we met. But that obviously added to a lot of the hoopla around things. There was this sort of much more of a, I think that was a big part of what actually made it much more complicated was because

the show that, although it was really doing well, and was, I think the insanity of the show that although it was really doing well and was, I think the insanity of the show contrasted with the sort of more, sort of, you know, mainstream world of show business that Drew was in, doing Charlie's Angels, it kind of was a bit of a clash there. Was it stressful? Like was having the show stressful

and then getting these opportunities, were you a bit like, cause you have anxiety is one of your blocks. This sounds, again it's good anxiety, but it's still anxiety. Oh yeah, it was stressful. Yeah, it was definitely,

and you're not used to being stressed out about something like you said, good. You know, like you're stressed out about something like you said, good. You know, like you're stressed out about something going good. It was more like, oh, I don't want to screw this opportunity up, which is more stressful than having nothing. You know? Yeah. It's like, well, you know, I've got nothing to lose watching now.

I've got nothing to lose watching. I have something to lose, you know? And I don't want to screw up this opportunity. This is a one shot, you know, you got here to blow its opportunity. This is a one shot you got here to blow its opportunity. So yeah, it becomes much more stressful. Life became much more stressful even though it was still also very exciting and fun at the same time. And you have a hard time instantly understanding how to just sort of navigate through relationships in the world. Yeah, what was that like?

Did it affect personal relationships or did you? I think sometimes you'd sort of feel like maybe, you know, like you didn't really want to, or know how to share the excitement of it with people that weren't necessarily benefiting from't necessarily going through the same thing. So the world does change a little bit. But again, these are sort of first world problems. Again, this show is first world problem.

And by the way, we live in the first world. Yeah, yeah. We're not, no one's had starvation as a block as of yet. So yeah, I'm just more curious as to like No one's had starvation as a block as of yet. So yeah, I'm just more curious as to like the what it's like when, walk people through that, what you just said quickly about. Well, I mean, I think when you're,

like I was like, before I had cancer, I was 50 pounds lighter than I am now in the same height. So I grew up extremely thin, right? So I was always very insecure about my weight, even high school. I'd be so thin that I was kind of embarrassed of it. My legs were so skinny. So I was used to being kind of like, you know, definitely, you know, not the cool kid, you know?

And so you kind of come up with a way of navigating through the world when you're that person. You know, I'm gonna walk into class and I'm gonna trip over the garbage can and all the kids are gonna laugh, you know? It was sort of like, you know, how I realized how to make friends when I was in grade two or second grade, right?

We say grade two in Canada. Thank you for making that American. Yeah, Americanized it for everybody, yeah. So I do that on stage a lot too. I'll say Canadian stuff and the audience just kind of. But so then it's a pretty big shift. Did you resent it? I don't think that dawned on me instantly. you know, it does, it's a pretty big shift, but... Did you resent it?

I don't think that dawned on me instantly, you know? Because you still are the person that you are, right? And it takes maybe even years for you to realize, oh no, no, I'm not the same person I was just six months ago anymore, because it's the way, not even, or maybe you are the same person, but maybe the way people perceive you is completely changed.

Completely changed. The way sort of the world perceives you is different. When you're a kid living in your parents' basement and you're running around taping pork chops to your head with a video camera, people are like, oh, isn't that cute? You're trying to do your little show. Now the show's a big hit and people kind of maybe are even a little bit sort of resentful, like you said, or that you're... why'd you get that show just about taping meat in your head, you know? Whereas six months before it was kind of funny that you were taping meat in your head, you

know? So when people sort of respond differently to you and you don't really understand why, it takes a little bit of time to kind of process all that. And you kind of almost have to kind of rejig your whole kind of act a little bit, you know, but but so you throw Going through cancer in on top of that which was extremely

extremely Physically demanding it was you know, not not the the right testicle removal was nothing, right? They go in they just shuck it out like a oyster. They cut you up here, by the way. They don't cut through the scrotum, okay? Just so you know. They just want you to know that my scrotum's like, there's no scars. It's not scarred up or anything.

I'm sure it's an incredible scrotum. I'm sure it's one of the more beautiful. I just like people to know they don't cut through the, they cut you up. There's already a seam. I don't know if they've thought about this. There's already a seam. They could just use the...

That's true, but it's even, they just cut you out kind of under your pubes kind of thing. And then they go in and they kind of pull it out from above. So you gotta be intact, scrotum, just so everyone knows. But to clarify that part, that detail, but so that was essentially what I'm saying is that was a very simple surgery.

Did you take? But then they go here. They go, they took some lymph nodes out to test them. Did it get to the nodes or they had to test them? It did not, but they had to test them. And then that was sort of this weird elective surgery that I had to test them because it was maybe not there yet because they couldn't see it in the MRI. So I elect to do the surgery.

That was sort of a decade of pain basically. Literally? Yeah, yeah, yeah. After that you were in pain more or less for a decade. Yeah, absolutely. Did you take anything for it? I did initially. There was sort of all the...

I never really got... I got off the painkillers right away, I just sort of suffered through it really, but it was kind of like, it was a kind of a pain that went from extreme pain to sort of within a few months, more of a dull sort of constant sort of aching in your body that was sort of terrifying, right? And so then that's kind of-

Terrifying, how come? Terrifying because you're like, is this going to go away? Yeah. You know, is this going to ever stop? I can't do what I normally do. I don't have the energy. I don't have the kind of sort of unbridled sort of positive sort of... You're kind of feeling just sort of pushed down. Did it feel like a Greek tragedy? Did you look at it in a religious way?

Did you look at it in a spiritual way? How did you? If you say a religious way, I do, I'm not like, you know, I did actually pray, you know, for real. And you'd never really done that before? Yeah, I'd been to church as a kid and I, you know. You're aware of it. Aware of it all. But I wasn't, you know, not sort of, not from an extremely religious background, you know,

just sort of culturally religious. My parents took us to church when we were kids and stuff. But then, you know, here I was, you know, when I had the cancer, and I was like, so, you know, on one hand, so excited that things were going well with the show. And on the other hand, like, oh, my God, I'm gonna fucking die right now. This fucking sucks. So it was like, I remember just sort of sitting there,

I'm going to pray, you know, to God, you know, like completely, 100% seriously. No, you know, in in the hope that Not as a bit. Not as a bit. Inside my head. I don't even know if I told anybody, you know, but but but but then you know, then you end up surviving and you know, that worked, you know, that worked. Did you honestly did you kind of think that? I definitely I definitely allow myself to believe that it's a possibility now, you know, like sort of like a Pascal's wager kind of think that? I definitely allow myself to believe that it's a possibility now.

Sort of like a Pascal's wager kind of thing. Yeah. Did you see it as punishment for success? Or do you know what I mean? Was it a biblical story of the man, pride cometh before the fall, et cetera? I didn't take it that far. I just considered it really, really bad luck, you know?

Really shitty timing, bad luck. But yeah, so it was crazy shit. So the 10 years of a mild throb, a consistent... Yeah, and it's sort of kind of, yeah, it was kind of also just sort of a loss of energy, you know? I mean, you can sort of see pretty dramatically the difference in just when I would do a show or something. Before it was, I was always screaming,

running, jumping, throwing my body through things. And then I became more like, okay, let's try to, I think it's partially physical, and partially due to just getting older, partially due to just all the other sort of just changing life things that happened. But I think it all added up to a different sort of,

different way of performing. It's interesting, it's like an athlete getting injured or something. And you just take it as fate, or take it as like one of those things, just bad luck. That's the way it went. You got the cancer and then went through the treatment and

The pain and ache that's when you're doing Freddy got fingered It was actually just before so we were getting ready to shoot and I Directed Freddy got fingered which was sort of a you know double doubly difficult Yeah, I kind of asked to direct it. They initially said no, and then I went in and asked again, and they said yes.

But so then we were getting ready to shoot, and I got cancer, and it was delayed about probably close to a year before we shot the movie. They waited for me to get better. So maybe not even a year though like I was I Was kind of in pain when I was shooting Freddie got fingered for sure You know like I was it's kind of healing and stuff So would you share it with people or would you just kind of quietly sold around I didn't really?

Really, I didn't really share it with people. I didn't talk about it publicly. I've started to sort of Occasionally mention it not too much, but you asked so I'm talk about it publicly. I've started to sort of occasionally mention it. Not too much, but you asked, so I'm talking about it now. But... Can you believe this fucking baby? Won't shut up about his chronic pain that he got from cancer. What a fucking pussy, am I right? Yeah, yeah.

But yeah, you know, so it's kind of... Yeah, yeah, but yeah, you know, so it's kind of, yeah, it was, it's, yeah, I don't know, I felt like it was, I don't know, I just didn't really feel like it was a very funny thing to talk about. Yeah. And I also was kind of under the impression that it was going to go away. And then it sort of, like, you were, you thought you had a deal where you had to do the treatment. Yeah, it was getting a little better, and then it would be like six months, it's like you were you thought you had a deal where yes Or like it was creating a little better And then it would be like six months was not going away

And then then you'd sort of get more then you start to get to a panicking and then it just keeps going but but so that leads to kind of in the back of your mind sort of very sort of Tough emotional things to deal with you know that you kind of eventually sort through over time, but but it feels like you had that you kind of eventually sort through over time. But, but. It feels like you had 20 years of life in about three years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was weird.

And at the same time, you're grateful, because I met a kid in the hospital who was 24 years old and he was a fan of the show, he was a snowboarder, and he had the same thing and he didn't make it. So I was like, you're like, oh, you can't be complaining too much, you know? Yeah. When you look at the relationship with the,

can you explain the higher level of difficulty of a public relationship? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it was. Relationships are very hard to begin with. Yeah. I mean, I think that's kind of, particularly, was made more difficult because I was just brand new in town.

You know, I didn't even really sort of... I was still navigating just being in the public eye in general, you know? And then that sort of fast-tracked it into sort of a different sort of... sort of level of scrutiny, you know? Yeah. And, uh, but, uh, I mean, like,

I think you hit the nail on the head. Relationships are difficult in general. Um, especially when you're young and you're busy. Yeah. And you throw the two people who are busy and you're being pulled in all directions. It's probably not, I mean it's, without getting into detail, right? Yeah. It's just probably, as overcomplicates an already complicated situation, you know?

So yeah. Yeah. And the complication being like there are people prying, trying to get information about us and trying to look for, they're on the rocks. And you're like, what? We are? Yeah. Writing mean things, especially about me.

It was kind of easy to kind of pick on me, I think a little bit, because everybody has known her her whole life, and here's this new sort of weirdo coming around to do crazy shit. Yeah, and then you don't resent her directly for that, but there's probably some amount of like, are you cool with them saying this? But meanwhile, she has nothing to do with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, it's definitely,

but, you know, I'm, you know, I learned a lot about the business through Drew. I mean, she was always very supportive and, you know, was producing that movie and to be able to be there and to observe all that happening when I just got here was kind of an amazing thing, you know, and, you know, that's cool. And you know, she's, obviously I just did her show a couple years ago and she's like doing great. And I just got engaged, you know, so I'm engaged.

Yeah, what's the, how is that? That's great, you know, I moved back to Canada and I live on a farm now and I met in the most Canadian way possible, well, maybe in the most Canadian way possible. Well, maybe not the most Canadian way possible because we met on Instagram, but I was putting videos up of me playing hockey on my pond. This is the Canadian part. And she sent sort of a meme video of a homemade Zamboni, right? And then we started talking about that and turns out we're from the same small town,

both from a Canadian military background. We have an army up there. And my dad was a captain in the army. The Canadian army. Yeah, yeah. Exactly, we might have to try it out soon and we'll see what happens. But no, but it was,

yeah, so it was great, so it's going great. Guys, you know that I have a little bit of gold. Did the joke where I said I have a little bit of gold on one of three mics, I think. But I'm a little tight with... I'm kind of a tightwad. I'm a... That's why I like Rocket Money. Guys, I've used Rocket Money and I'm using it as we speak. They have found subscriptions of mine that I forgot about. Certain newspapers, certain cable companies that I was double, they were double dipping. I was being

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going, let me, do I have any other dreams and goals that aren't so money status based? And how did you come to it and did it feel like success or failure? Yeah, it's cool. Like it's, I'm not, I didn't, I'm not retired, you know, like I'm not retired. So it was more of a kind of a lifestyle choice really. Part of it was like COVID happened, the pandemic happened. So you know, for the last, you know, I don't know, almost 20 years I've been touring all the time, right?

You know, just going out on the weekends and doing stand-up and you have a year booked of shows ahead of you. You know what you're doing and then you remember they cancelled all the shows. I got this camper van, I got my dog Charlie and I started going out in the desert and film and stuff and kind of getting, you know, into figuring out some film stuff, some lenses and things I hadn't really ever gotten around to doing, you know, with some of these new cameras. I just...

My a7S III and it's getting different kind of lenses. I just realized the difference between lenses, like I can tell you the difference between 15 and a 35 and a 70. Yeah, yeah. So it was always... Especially when, you know, when doing the show back in the day, we were using video cameras, we have a zoom on it, you didn't think about it, but now you start getting into that and the technology that's changed

and editing again on a laptop and all of this. And so I built this little studio and was going to the desert doing all this stuff and all of a sudden realizing, I've got a television studio in my van. It was a year of not really going to, you know, a meeting in Hollywood, you know, getting on the 405 and drive out to a meeting. But we were having a lot of meetings, you know, on the Zoom call. I'm like, oh, get on these Zoom calls.

I don't have to go anywhere. And you know, just kind of planning what I'm gonna do. And the show that I did on Prime, you know, we sort of started talking about some of these ideas I had with people. And it sort of dawned on me, I don't have to really be, I don't have to be in Los Angeles if I don't really need to be here or want to be here.

I love Los Angeles, and I'm gonna come back all all the time, but I wasn't married, didn't have kids, there was nothing holding me here. And my parents are doing great, but they're getting older, I want to kind of spend time with them. So I was out in the desert in this van, I'd wake up in the morning in the Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, outside of some Native American ruins. I'd be making coffee by my, watching the sunrise and, you know, getting a nice shot of it over. And I'm just thinking, now this is a way to live out in the wilderness. I love this. I love it.

So it actually felt better. Yeah, I just loved getting up in the morning, being all alone out there in nature. And, and, you know, at the same time, you know, you could continue to do what you do. So I just started working with a new manager right before, he was a great guy, you probably know him, Rory Rosegarden, and he, I was like, do you think I need to stay in Los Angeles? I kinda wanna maybe move back to Canada.

And he was like, well, he produced Everybody everybody loves Raymond and his raised manager for years. He was I flew down every week for Ten years or whatever it was, you know, so Any come where's he live Canada in New York? Yeah. Oh god in Long Island. Yes. So it's completely just kind of You know, of course you can live wherever you want. So that was encouraging, you know, I hadn't really Sort of I wasn't sure what he was going to say. Oh, you should probably stay in LA. But it was purely for, I wanted to be close to my parents and my brother. And you know, I'm 53, I was 50 at the time, but I was kind of thinking, you know, I've

been here 20 years, it might be fun to go try something different. I didn't move home to my hometown, I moved out to sort of the wilderness, so that's sort of not exactly where I grew up, completely different life than I ever had. I've got this mule now, which has actually been kind of the most amazing thing, learning to ride a mule as a regular thing that I do now. Like I get up in the morning and I'll go out to the barn and I'll saddle up this giant 1400 pound animal. The mule's half horse, half donkey.

So she's a persheron horse and a mammoth donkey mix, right? You know, towering over you. And you know, on the show that we did for Prime was, you know, she arrives on camera, when I got her, that was coming up on two years ago now. So the first year of on my own going out and learning how to saddle up this giant animal and ride off into the wilderness by myself was not easy, right? Like they don't listen to you all the time. They say stubborn as a mule. Mules are real.

Are they erratic or they just are like quietly? So this is the part that I think is kind of- Like can you be injured? Oh yeah, you can be injured, yeah, because it's a long way down if you fall off. They buck and everything? Well, she was a well socialized, she's 10 years old when I got her,

so she so far hasn't bucked, but you know, they can spook or jump and you can fly off. Got it. But I've been fortunate to not fall off, but too much, twice I did. But it's more about just kind of learning to, I think you'll find this interesting.

I found it completely fascinating. Because, you know, initially I thought, okay, pull the rein this way, she'll go that way. Pull the rein that way, she'll go that way. And then if you look first, okay, then they kind of follow your movements. You know, push with your foot and look, and she'll go that way. You pull the rein that way, she'll go that way. And then if you look first, okay, then they kind of follow your movements. You know, push with your foot and look, and they'll follow your movement.

You say, oh, that seems pretty straightforward. I know how to look that way. Yeah, like a car. Yeah, it's a big deal, you know? So, you know, it's working great for a few weeks, and then all of a sudden she stops turning left. She just won't turn left anymore. And every time I go to turn left, she refuses. You know, now I'm like kind of battling with her and she won't turn left and now I

can't go for a ride and I'm getting increasingly frustrated and I built this fence and I got you know, we're supposed to be riding through the wilderness together, right? Part of my idea. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Mule. This was something that I was just, this is ruining the whole plan here. I started getting sort of some more, the people that raised her came back and met with me and we went out and they gave me some more, more tips and tricks.

But the thing that was really fascinating about it was, so the reason mules are considered stubborn is because they're extremely intelligent. They're smarter than horses, okay? Donkeys are even smarter than mules, and they're half donkey. So because they're so intelligent and intuitive, they feel your energy more than a horse. They really sense, like, what you are going through as a person. Like they can sense if you're nervous. It's almost like what they say dolphins are like. Yeah. Yeah. It's...

They can almost read your mind. Yeah, exactly. It is definitely like that. So, you know, it all kind of came together one day. I was out riding her and the people were showing me, you know, some lessons, I guess, and they were on an ATV in front of me. And they had already told me, okay, Fanny's doesn't like ATVs, so we're going to stay for our head, right? Doesn't like the sound, doesn't like them. So whenever I would get near an ATV or an ATV, which she would really kind of resist, I think I over or misunderstood what they, when they said that she doesn't like ATV, which she would really kind of resist. I think I over or

misunderstood what they, when they said that she doesn't like ATVs, really it's, I took it in more of an extreme way. So really what was happening was as I wrote towards them this day, she stopped, she wouldn't go towards them, and I just said you know, oh she doesn't like the ATV. And they told me that like a couple weeks earlier. So no, no, it's not that she doesn't like the ATV. And they told me that like a couple weeks earlier. So no, no, it's not that she doesn't like the ATV, it's like you're worried about the ATV. I'm worried about the ATV,

so then she can tell I'm worried about the ATV, so she doesn't wanna go forward, right? So they're always feeling your energy and your confidence, right? And the reason they listen to you for that confidence is because they have to trust you to be their leader, because you're the one deciding to go off in the wolf and bear-filled woods.

And if you're an idiot and don't know what you're doing, then you could get her hurt, right? And since they're so smart, they're being protective of their own, you know, self-interest, and they'll decide to not go if you seem nervous. So... it opens up this whole new sort of realization of like, okay this is how animals

communicate to each other through energy, right? This is probably how human beings communicated to each other before we came up with language, right? So you know follow that guy. By the way and still communicate to each other. Exactly and then these start to go okay you know maybe that's why you know, like, you know, if people talk about manifesting things, right? Well, maybe you're manifesting things when you feel confident or you think of something you're hit you can make it happen Maybe it's not some you know, you know spiritual sort of Goo-goo-ga-ga kind of thing. Maybe it just is happening because

You believe it could happen. So then others around you who can assist you in making things happen of a goo goo gaga kind of thing. Maybe it's just happening because you believe it could happen, so then others around you who can assist you in making things happen believe that you believe it, and then you march forward in a positive way, right? So that was kind of amazing because now when I, and then you learn lots of other little things which are more obvious but weren't obvious at first.

Like things like, you know, bring an apple with you and when you get to the furthest point on the ride, give her an apple and then she's always going to want a ride out there. But you know, so when I get up every morning and go out and saddle her up and get on her and she's my buddy now and we're friends and we go for a ride and I'm sort of feeling how I'm feeling. And if I feel she's sort of uncertain about something, I'll try to control my breath, you know, try to control my energy, try to say positive thoughts in my mind.

We're gonna go down that trail. Not, oh, she's, as soon as you hear yourself in your head say, oh, she's not gonna wanna go down that fucking trail. Instead you say, we're gonna go down that trail. And then she goes down the trail and it's like kinda mind-blowing. And are there times where you fake it and she knows you're faking?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you kinda gotta get good at really, kind of really believing it that you're gonna go down the trail. Okay, now the obvious question is, are you doing it in the rest of your life? Staying at the farm, absolutely, yeah. No, no, no, are you doing it in the rest of your life? Staying at the farm, absolutely. No, no, no, are you doing the energetic direction,

the idea that everyone has some form of ESP or something? Are you bringing it to audiences? Because people say that about audiences, I'm sure as long as you've been doing stand up, and you kind of don't know what they're talking about. I am trying to do it in regards to performance. You know when you get, like, I always get anxiety before I go on stage,

which I kinda love, but sometimes it gets a little too much. There's a line where, I mean, anytime I've not been nervous before I've gone on something, it's not gone well. But too nervous is also not good. So to find that sweet spot, I'm drawing from this because you go, okay, this is going to go well, feel good about this, don't say positive things in your head, you know, and, you know, sort of be aware of that kind of negative thought that might be in your head that could be holding you back.

But so, yeah, I think it does translate into lots of aspects of life, just relationships and you know, just even in general conversation with people, to just, simple way of saying it, just keep it positive. But it's also deeper than that, because it's like, it had never occurred to me that you can keep it positive on the outside, but your inner voice being nagging away is still causing a problem.

Even though nobody can hear it. You can sense it. You can sense it, yeah. I feel like, I don't know if it'll be in our lifetime, but I feel like at some point they're going to have instruments to measure what we now consider intangible, like energy or some vibe, like a. Yeah, like a vibe-ometer of like that guy Whatever. Yeah, I really believe that yeah

you have on on here a Procrastination and indecision These fucking phones man, they drive me nuts Like yeah, how what's your farm, what's your farm policy? Meaning, do you have a, ideally on a farm, you're just riding mules and shucking and hiding. That's cool, I actually came up with a way of not being on my phone.

I got an Apple Watch for when I ride and I leave my phone at home. I had to bring my phone, cause you know, if you fall off and yeah break your leg or whatever you gotta call somebody. So and then you know I'd be out in the beautiful field and checking my taking pictures for Instagram yeah and reading the comment, oh look at the tree I just took a picture of four seconds ago. So you know you kind of like ruins the ruins the whole point. So I got an Apple

Watch. That was actually good because it kind of keeps me off my phone. But it still has fall detection too. But even if I often now will just wear the Apple Watch and leave the phone at home and you can't get sucked into that social media world on the phone, but you can still call for a tow truck or something like that if you need her or an ambulance. Do you find your need for likes, approval? I'm old enough to know, like, I had this before phones. You had it before, but you had a television show based on likes and, like, you were the most,

you were like a social media person before social media, right, like, do you find it getting better with age? Are you disappointed that it's not getting better with age? Are you finally going like this is, have you accepted it? Like what's your approach? Well, this is sort of, and it ties into procrastination because I think my, what I do when I'm procrastinating is I go onto doom scrolling and watching, you know, and I don't and watching. Instead of doing what? What would you rather do?

Maybe I would have watched television before. I honestly don't watch much television anymore. I go on there and I've actually now started to try to watch more television because as a way of not being on the phone. The healthy choice. Yeah, exactly. But I've come to the conclusion that it's not exclusively just sort of this search for sort of attention from my own validation. It's also just these things are addictive.

Like it's a drug. They've got us by the short hairs here. They have us caught up in this thing. And when I'm on that phone sometimes for an hour or whatever just flipping through, looking at all the stuff that pops up, I have kind of gotten to the point where I'm starting to really kind of resist it even though I still am on it too much. And it's scary to me. I mean, it's clearly something that I,

I've wanted to get rid of the phone entirely. Like I wanted to get rid of it, and I still may. I'm trying to find an alternative, but I do like- There's that light phone. The light phone. Yeah, yeah. They just came up with a new one. Yeah, I had the first one of that, actually.

Yeah, I just had just two Yeah, wasn't quite efficient enough, but so I may do that because but then you know else, you know at the same time It's like I do like I Film stuff and put it up on you know on my social media. I enjoy that so it's just trying to find a way to kind of Not get caught into that sort of trying to find a way to kind of not get caught into that sort of... I'm not so much reading the comments anymore as I'm just looking at stuff. I go on TikTok, and for some reason TikTok really just kind of gets me. It's hyper addictive. It's a better addiction algorithm than Instagram.

Unbelievable, yeah. And it's starting to cross over into a place now where I've maybe not as addicted to it as I was because I've sort of lost a little bit of interest and that Apple Watch was helpful. I find the more I go out without my phone and spend a full day without my phone, it's very quickly I'm less addicted to the phone. So that would be my procrastination solution to tip.

What would you like to be doing? What are you not, when you're procrastinating, what are you avoiding? So I'm, yes, and I want to talk about this because I think, you know, we've probably talked about this before, but because this may be sort of a normal thing to talk about when it comes to being creative, right? But it's like this sort of feeling of I'm making music now, so I just put out a little country album, right? And I like to write songs.

I'm trying to learn how to play the guitar better. So I want to practice the guitar. I want to learn new chords. I want to learn how to play the piano. I have sort of lessons that I teach myself. I have to, you know, I like to write, you know, write jokes. I go sit down and go through my phone or where I... That makes it worse too when you put notes in your phone because then every time you go to look at your notes, you're back on the phone. But, but, so I have to organize all these thoughts and ideas and but then in your mind you kind of sometimes think, you know, What if I read a song and it sucks? You know, it's not gonna be any good, you know?

Yeah, so your the negative voice comes in and so then you know, you go, well, I guess I'll look at my phone for a minute. Yeah, I can't suck at this. Think of something and then then all of a sudden you're on the phone for two hours and you're tired and you didn't write a song you know. So that's the kind of thing I just I do want to keep writing new stuff new material yeah I have to put pressure on myself to make sure because you know it's like when you stand up if you don't force yourself, push yourself to do it, then you stand the same buck and joke for two years, it's like, then that's annoying. So that's, I'd say, the thing that is the most

frustrating about these phones and about procrastination is like when you stop, you know, doing what you know. And then as soon as you do sit down to write something, let's say a song, anytime I sit down to write a song it actually turns out to be kind of like well it's a song I don't know it's still better than not yeah right and I kind of like it and it becomes something and then you know three weeks in between trying to do it again you know because I was looking at tik-tok for three weeks so you know so it's like yeah every time you kind of eliminate those distractions that are taking, you know, so it's like every time you kind of eliminate

those distractions that are taking you away from something that, it's not like it's taken me away from going out and working in a coal mine or something like that, you know? It's like, it's kind of, it's a fun thing that I'm wanting to do, you know? But I guess it's, you know, you have that fear of failure every time, I have, every time I think of writing something, oh, I'm gonna spend the whole day making a beat on my computer and it's, you know, you have that fear of failure. Every time I think of writing something,

oh, I'm gonna spend the whole day making a beat on my computer, and it's not gonna be any good, and I've wasted the whole day doing that. So then you go waste the whole day looking at your Instagram stuff. Listen to you talk about creativity, whether it's beats when you're 16 or 18,

whether it's white rap, remote, you know, man on the street pieces, movies, now country music, stand up. You'd prefer, that's your preferred mode of communication, isn't it? Over talking to people. Like meaning there is something, or even like falling over a trash can.

Right. Like, have you been accused of not liking intimacy? My point is I realize I have a lot of friends that don't especially like connecting intimately. Not even intimately, like sexually, I just mean like me and you on the phone for an hour and a half just bearing our, or me and you walking, or me and you whatever.

There's also a thing where guys generally don't like, guys don't like face to face conversations. That's why we like looking at. I might be a bit different in that. I'm pretty, like with my friends, I mean, we talk a lot. Oh great. Yeah, I'm an open book with people. But I do have a somewhat, I mean I'm sitting here talking about my testicle for half an

hour with you. Yeah. But I don't think I have a problem with honest, intimate conversations. Maybe it's just Canadian-ness that's flaring up. Yeah. Like, there's sort of like, you want to keep it like, sort of cordial and not like, well, let's not get crazy now. Yeah, yeah.

Let's all be sort of, you know, except publicly acceptable. Yeah. Cause you're right, the cancer special is like a very uniquely intimate thing. Yeah, yeah. No, I feel I'm somewhat comfortable with that. I've just always kind of felt like, okay, I have to do something every day that's going

to keep the dream alive. I'm going to write a song or write a joke, I gotta go on tour, I gotta book a tour. So I'm a little bit maybe. What's the dream, Tom Green entertainer? Probably just to like, you know, not have to get a real job or something like that. No, I mean, you know, it's like, you know,

it's sort of like, yeah, just to kind of, you know, I've, you know, it's a of like, yeah, just to kind of, you know, I've, you know, it's a bit of a bit that I've done. It's like, I don't know. I say, you know, I was a lot more stressed out when I was young because you have your whole life ahead of you, but now it's a lot easier to be less stressed because I've got so much less of my life left to ruin. Yeah, that's your idea.

I completely agree. It's sort of like easier to be a little calmer now. I could probably just do nothing and kind of coast to the finish line on this one and wouldn't have to worry about it. But when you're 20 and if this shit, this joke. We're in our future. Yeah, yeah.

We're in it. This is our future. We're looking at our future. This is the future we catastrophized and dreamt of. This in it. This is our future. We're looking at our feet. This is the future we we Catastrophized and dreamt of yeah, this is it. That's fucking podcast Tom grain. Absolutely. Absolutely. This is it. Yeah, so so But but you still kind of are so used to kind of that sort of and it's probably something that's much deeper than just Personal it's I'm sure it's in our DNA, right? Yeah, just and do something every day. Kind of, you know, we're not going to... Yeah, exactly. So it's...

You know, but, um... Has your relationship with yourself changed? Yeah. I mean, yes. I... I think... in the most dramatic fashion, literally in the last few years, moving back to this country... setting... where I get up in the morning and I go outside and breathe some fresh air. moving back to this country setting,

where I get up in the morning and I go outside and breathe some fresh air. And the seasons too, by the way, help. When you go outside and there's snow on the ground and it's cold and you get this dopamine rush from like a cold blast of air hitting your face, that kind of jolts you to attention a little bit too. And honestly, I think it's kind of has an impact on your mood being freezing cold.

You know? Yeah, those ice facts. You hear about people that ice plunge. Yeah, well, it's going outside in Canada half the years in a natural ice plunge just this edge of the house. So it kind of... People complain about the cold in Canada. People are like, why did you leave Los Angeles?

It's like, you know, I kind of like the cold. I feel my mood has improved since I've been home in Canada. But it's also hard living in Los Angeles when you're in this business, because you're just surrounded by so much creativity. You know, like so many people doing what you do, what you want to do. And they're all at Starbucks.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's like, you kind of, in some ways, it kind of be, you can't get away from it ever. You know, you can't get away from, you know, work. Yeah, yeah. And so- You're constantly being sized up or sizing yourself up against other people, yeah.

And so, so now it's kind of like, feels almost a little bit more like it felt like before I ever, right, before I ever came here when I was just a kid in my basement making rap beats. Now I get up in the morning and I go outside and I go, well, I don't have to go make a song or write a joke today because nobody else is doing that around here. You know, like my neighbors, you know, got a beekeeper over here and they're farmers and they're not writing jokes and yeah

And so now I'm just gonna probably some white supremacists. No No, not in Canada. Okay, we don't have that up there. Yeah, you have nothing to be supreme over. It's all white Yeah, it's it's it's it's No Toronto's Toronto's the most multicultural city in the world, yeah, yeah. But it is sort of... So it sounds like it's easier on your constitution problem. Yeah, it is, it makes it kind of feel like you're,

it also, I find, and maybe this is just, hopefully this will last, but I feel like, it feels weirder to be a comedian living in the wilderness. It feels weird, whereas sometimes, you know, all my friends are comedians. Yeah, it's a unique thing to be in a way that's probably energizing.

Yeah, yeah, it kind of feels like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing, you know, which is kind of why I got into it in the first place, you know, so that's, I think, been good for me, and I'm enjoying it. And, you know, the great thing about doing standup is that I leave the wilderness all the time.

I just had sushi at Sushi Yaw. I used to go there all the time. I haven't been there in four years. I get to go get sushi every once in a while. And do some city things. And how's the relationship with your partner? It's really great. I mean, we're getting married this year,

and that's also kind of a nice sort of settling thing, you know, oh, don't have to worry about that, that, you about that entire part of my life anymore. Yeah. Which is always. Were you worried that you weren't gonna find anybody or you'd die alone or any of that stuff?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, not worried about it, but I've certainly joked about, I don't wanna die alive, a bit about that. You know, I talk about it, but I've certainly joked about you know, I don't want to die alive a bit about that You know, I talk about having you know wanting to you know, I Won't do a bit but but but but I talk about that a lot, you know, and so it's like

Yeah, it's a good feeling to you know what you know what it is know what it is? I'm trying to think of a good answer. And I'm actually really just thinking about the answer to this. The idea of like, I lived by myself for a long time, right? So it's kind of nice. Or on this tour, like Amanda's on this tour with me, we're driving, right? I bring my dog Charlie with me. And, you know, I've done tours before just myself and my dog Charlie. And I started worrying about Charlie, actually, more than myself. I'm thinking, God, what happens if I had a heart attack while I was driving down

the highway? What's's gonna happen to Charlie? You know what I mean? She's just gonna be like, you're gonna put her in the pound and you know, and peoria and then she's just gone. So it's like to have somebody there to kind of like, you know, if you have a heart attack in the middle of the night or if you faint or something,

there's somebody there to kind of, and also vice versa, to help someone else through life and to have that kind of partnership is kind of a nice thing for sure. You know, I don't know if that's a selfish reason to get into a relationship, to have somebody there to scrape you off the floor, but you know, it's kind of a calming thing. We all have a reason. It is a calming thing to have that kind of partnership, you know. Because, and so, you know, this is, and we just did this tour this winter from January till April. I took my camper van and did a stand-up tour. Amanda came with

me. We drove all the way down through, you know, Nashville down to Houston and over to Phoenix and I'm into shows every night and How many shows do you do? It was due. I was doing one nighters all the way across of didn't like probably for months Yeah Well, I take a kind of public nights off here and there and I took a few weeks off in the in the southwest to go Explore some Native American ruins, but yeah, I did like, you know, probably steal your ruins steal some ruins. Steal some ruins, steal some old arrowheads and pottery and stuff. Yeah.

Yeah. But, you know, to... I was saying it's pretty amazing that we've been sort of able to literally... I mean, we're not sleeping in the van every night when we're on tour, we get a hotel, but then we go out and do these adventures and these camping adventures. But to be just in a small consume space with someone for two and a half months is pretty new for me actually, to be honest with you. I've never really found that kind of level of comfort with even in relationships before, where usually after

a little, you know, after an overly lengthy vacation, you can't wait to get home so you can like go on tour or something for a few weeks, you know. Haven't gotten to that point here, it's not at that point. And then of course, you know, she really lucked out, right? She could still travel around in a van with me and then, you me, and then people keep sending us the Gabby Petito story. So it's like... What do you think the difference is? Why can you do it with her?

Is it because of how much tolerance you have for her, or how much tolerance she has for you? If you know what I'm asking. Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, for one, I'm, I mean, I think I'm in a calmer place now, just like for all the reasons we talked about. Just, she's from where I'm from.

Like, we went to the same elementary school. Not at the same time. But she's a little bit younger than me. No, it's Shubbous. 15 years difference. Yeah, she's, but. 15 years, is that right? 16, 18?

Yeah, yeah, something like that. She's 35, so a little bit more than 15 years. Okay, good, Shubbous. Yeah, but. It's the law. Yeah, absolutely yeah, absolutely. Yeah, but but I think we kind of have similar sort of sort of sort of You know outlook on things and then you don't get in her you don't think about what she's thinking and is she mad

Is this okay? And it's you know what it is is, I always try to be careful because it's not like, I had nice girlfriends in the past and everything, it's not, but there's something about moving away to a city that you're not from. And often, if you're in a relationship, those people are often not from here either, right? So there's sort of a, kind of, just kind of a disconnect with where you are, actually where you are.

Like your family is over here and over here, and a lot of people are here to pursue some sort of lofty idea. But when I'm back home in Canada and my parents are down the road and her family's down the road and everybody's sort of there and we're all comfortable and we kind of feel like we're at home, I think it does make things a bit easier. So, and also just her in general, she's very positive sort of energy to her that is very supportive and helpful for me in my life.

So yeah, it's good. Yeah, someone who's not as anxious as you are. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. All right, well it was great talking to you, man. Love you, man. You too, buddy. Thanks, Neil. Good to see you. Great stuff. Cheers. Everybody wants to have it, wants to have it there, my man All you have to do is open, open up your hand, my man