Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 77 - Ricky Velez

Episode Date: October 26, 2021

Tom shares pastries and laughs with Ricky Valez as his standup special, Here's Everything, launched on HBO.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Insurance isn't one-size-fits-all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed progressives' name-your-price tool for years. With the name-your-price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they show you options that fit your budget. Enough hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to see your options. No guesswork, no surprises.

Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the name your price tool a try. Take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. It's time for breaking bread with Papa. Hey! Don't you know?

Hey, it's how we're going. It's time for Breaking Bread with Papa. Hey, don't you know? Hey, it's also a show. Hey! Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Breaking Bread with Tom Papa. I am Tom Papa. Thank you for joining us here at the table.

We're very excited to be back in the studio. I just wrapped up a great conversation with our good friend, Ricky Veles, who's a great comedian actor. You know him from the King of Staten Island. He has a new stand-up special that is coming out on HBO Max. It is out now by the time you hear this called Here's Everything. He's very, very funny. It's one of those guys that when I was in New York and some of the established comics like Colin Quinn and were like, do you know Ricky? You should know Ricky.

You really should be in tune with this guy, which is always a great sign. always when when grizzled comedians are like yep another one here here's one that's going to stick around then uh you know it's worth paying attention to really had a great time with him he's uh very talented he's from new york we got the rare appearance of him uh here in los angeles and it's uh you're really going to enjoy it as we're moving uh into the into the colder the colder periods the colder months. I know that, you know, I bake a ton of bread, and we share a lot of bread with you on this,

and we send you over to my YouTube channel where people actually follow my directions and make bread. And that is really where you should stay. I get things where I go to the New York Times cooking and all these different things. And everybody at this time of year is like, you should really soups. this is the time for soups.

And if you bake bread, Tom, you should learn how to make soups. And if you can learn how to make really good soup, then you actually learn how to do all sorts of cooking because soup is the basis. Soup is the... I get it. I'm not making it. I'm not making soup. It's too much.

There's too much work. There's too much to put into it. I know there's more simple ones. I... You know what? I'm just declaring that there are some things. that you should buy. There's some things that you should get from others, and there's some things you do yourself. And we all have our different path. We all have our different ways. If you make

soup, I'll eat it. If you point me to some restaurant that has good soup, I'll buy it. I'm not making it. It's too much. It's too much work. We all have our little expertise, and I'm sticking with the baking. I'm sticking with the Italian cooking. You can have your soups. The Italian master soup, still not making it. It's not going to be my thing. For Ricky, I was enabled, I baked him bread and then decided not to give him bread because he's in a hotel. He's running around. He's doing things.

He's doing a bunch of podcasts. I regret it. I probably should have just given it to him. Why am I determining what he's going to do with it? But I know for a fact that when people give it to you on the road, it's not really the best thing. And to be honest, I didn't want him to, like, eat a little bit of it and be like, yeah, that was good. And then the bread is, you know, I'll give it to him in New York. He's going to do my live Come to Papa show, which is so great.

It's a great conversation. I hope you enjoy it. This is Ricky Feles, enjoy and go watch his special. You've seen him on crashing. You've seen him on Masters of None. You've seen him on the King of Staten Island where he really stole the show in the scenes that he was in. And now his stand-up special. here's everything and here's our conversation enjoy well this is so great we get to do this this is so

nice to be at the table cheers let's cheers we got to do the over zoom and then this mm-hmm which as much as like the doing the zoom thing seems like yeah this works this is good no it's not I like saw what you posted oh really zoom I have it underneath my chin I like it's hard for me to look fat but on Zoom that every time it happens. Well, welcome to my world. Stop. Every angle you put, you're like, oh, cheese. It's so funny.

So it's good, though. I mean, you were in New York class to talk to you. Now you're out here making the rounds. Like, this is a, it's a big deal. It's a big deal. I have an HBO special and have people out there wanting to spread the word and talk to you. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. So when you're landing in L.A.,

when you're flying in and you're like, it's a different feeling when you've got something in the bag of something that's coming out. Well, LA just feels different now. Uh-huh. LA feels like hanging out with a canceled comedian. Where you're just like, are we still doing this? Do you guys, are you working?

Like, what's happening? Like, it's very uncomfortable. It's changed a lot. In what way? In one way? Oh, really? Yeah, with pandemic and the rest of it. The last time we were here,

we were watching the locked cut of King of Staten Island. Really? Yeah. Oh, wow. It is such a weird thing that we all have to add in that two-year, like just, well, of course, then we have that, yeah, that pause. It's so bizarre, but it really does count. It does count.

So what do you mean it's weird? Like, when you, what are you feeling? I just like, it feels, I always feel like L.A. is isolated, and it even feels more isolated than that, because, I mean, I went to, like, a restaurant yesterday, and it's just like, I feel like L.A. still like eight months behind like New York. Pandemic wise. Yeah.

Yeah, 100%. When you're here, you're just kind of like, oh, this is just the way it is. And then traveling anywhere else, you come back, you're like, oh, yeah, no, we're in lockdown. Why are we in lockdown? Everyone else is moving on. I took a picture of the FedEx line yesterday. And it's like people standing six feet apart from each other down the wall. And I was like, oh, what?

Just drop off your box and leave. What are you guys doing? I know. We've gotten through this. in New York. Why are you still? I feel bad. I feel bad too. We're all vaccinated. Just let us roll. Let's just let us let it go. I know. We were very protective. It'll be interesting to see what the numbers are at the end. Like did it make sense to be that protective or it's probably all going to even out. That's going to be funny that there's just like projections. Yeah. Of dead people. The numbers.

I know exactly. Oh, we did good. We did good. We far fewer dead people than Florida had. But I bet it's all going to be kind of close at the end. And no one just understood what it was. No. But that aside, let's get the troubles out of the way. You, I know just from experience that there are times when you come out here early in your career and you're on the plane and you're like, L.A. Jesus, what the hell? I don't know what's happening.

I don't know where. No one knows me. I'm going to, I've got to try and do something. And there's a very different feeling when you're on the approach to L.A.X. And you're seeing the city below you. and you know you've kind of done something like you have you've shot your special and it's like coming out it's like there's a different calm and and joy really that you've uh you've ticked up yes right and i'm somebody that only comes out here to work right i don't like to spend a lot of time here

yeah and when i do i always stay with like friends because i do the back to the isolating yeah part of this right because i don't drive you don't no i retired you grew up no i do you grew up no i do you I used to drive. I lived at the edge of Queens. So people did have cars and whatnot. And then I just got to a place where I was like, I'm retiring. I'm not driving. Yeah, I don't like driving anymore. That's so great. Right? Yeah. Because you can. My wife hates it. Does she? Yeah, everybody hates it. So did she ever look at you and be like, can't you just go pick the kids up? Yeah, I can get in an Uber and go get them. What made you do this? I just, the responsibility of driving is a lot. What if I get in an accident? I don't like the

possibility. Let it be somebody else. I've been thinking about it recently because here in L.A. where I'm driving around at night, people just walk in the middle of the streets. Like people, yeah, in all black clothing, skittering across the street like squirrels. And, you know, I don't want to run. run someone over. I don't want that on my resume. You need the Tesla. I do have the Tesla. Self-driving. I do, but it doesn't stop with the people. I think they're waiting for the update.

But Ninja People is not one of the things it breaks for. Okay. Yeah. I don't, yeah, that's the car. But I feel what you're feeling. Like, I don't want the responsibility of. No. And you know what? There's so many people, especially out here, just like smoking pot so casually that I don't want to be responsible to drive next to them. Yeah. And I like smoking pot.

Yes. So I retired. Also, my license expired in the midst of pandemic. And I was like, I'm not going to the DMV. My wife was like, fix it. I was like, I'm retired. Retired. That's so brilliant.

I love when people come up with things and you're just like, can you do that? Like, you know what I mean? Yeah. Like, oh, I could just retire from driving. That sounds pretty great. I'm going to retire from a lot, I decided. Are you? Yeah.

Yeah, this sounds good. Let's go through the list. Marriage. No, I'm kidding. Stand up at one point? No, probably not. Mark Marin is always making jokes about that. He would always be like, are we allowed to stop?

Can we stop? Is that in the cards? It was one of my favorite Nate Bargetti jokes. He goes, even if I wanted to quit, who do I call? And it was before Cosby was Cosby now, but he was like, do I? I caught Mr. Cosby. I'm done and then hang up. Yeah.

And does anybody notice? How long would it take? How many people have you seen Quick Comedy and no one cares? Yeah. It happens a lot. It does happen a lot. I mean, go to any comedy club and look up on the wall of all those pictures, black and white shots of all the comedians that came through there.

And you can, there's a handful. Either they're dead or teaching a yoga class. Everybody goes really healthy once they're, quit comedy. Yeah, we're so real estate. There's a lot of realtors. Yeah, what else could you retire from? I would like to retire from, I like traveling. Do you like traveling when other people are doing it? Like going to on vacation or during our job? Doing our job. I don't like that part. You don't? No. I like being home a lot. Yeah. I would get a stair lift and stop doing stairs. Oh, retire from stairs. Yeah. That's a pretty good one.

I was watching this documentary on Netflix about, oh, what was his name? Oh, damn it. I'm going to space on his name. He was the Mr. Olympia for eight times. Giant Powell's spacing. But he was like this massive man. Like he was the Adonis. He was like the biggest musly Mr. Olympia.

I think I've seen the cover. It's on Netflix. Yeah, it's on Netflix. Yeah. And he can't walk. He's just like, and he's got stairs in his house. And he's got like, hop, up. He's got this great attitude, but it's rough to watch.

And it was like, the whole time I'm watching the thing, I'm just like, get a ranch. Get a one floor ranch. The day you see me, Instagram me on a stair lift, I've made way too much money. With just a big joint hanging out of your mouth. Sunglasses on. Zzz. As my kid walks next to me up it. It's great.

Nate, you have a, how old is your kid? He's three. Three. Yeah, he's so cool. What a good age. He's so fun now. And the first two years was all about mom. And now it's all about me.

And he thinks I'm the coolest. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's great. It's fun. That's amazing. I was just putting up Halloween decorations by myself because my kids are now 16 and 19. Oh.

And I was like, oh, man, when they're, They were three. You break open the box and you're like, oh, yeah, this is great. Everything's like a mystery. Everything's wonderful. And it was great. And it was a nice run. And now they just like go tear up the neighborhood and shaving cream and do shitty things.

Right. Exactly. Yeah. They're just like, no, dad. You can decorate, but we're going to buy a provocative Halloween costume and go out. You have a girl? I've got two girls. A two girls.

Wow. Yeah. Totally different vibe. I imagine. I was three boys. You were, oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, that's a madhouse.

Yeah, it was fun. Where are you in the three? Middle. Oh, yeah? Yeah. How was the older one? He was the best. Really?

Yeah, yeah, he did everything good. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, yeah. I was trouble, and the younger one was his own thing. Oh, yeah. But he's a lot younger than me and my older brother. Oh, yeah, like a reboot. Yeah.

Right. The remix. The remix. Which is funny because he's a DJ. Is he? Yeah. That's funny. So who did the cooking when you were free?

Mom. Mom. She was one of those people that would just make a giant bake ziti at the beginning of the week. Oh, nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What's your ethnic background? I'm Irish and Puerto Rican. Irish and Puerto Rican.

Yeah. It's a good combo. It's not. It's a very New York combo. Oh, yeah, you don't see that anywhere else. No. It's a, yeah. I was thinking, I was working on a joke about how any joke you have about any ethnicity

that, you know, that's very tricky. and people are, you know, are going to trigger. And even if you're complimenting, they just hear something and they want to attack you for it. Just replace whatever ethnic group you're talking about or race or sexuality or whatever with Irish. Because they're the only ones that don't care and keep laughing at themselves. You know what I mean? Absolutely. They're a very easy target.

Yeah. You want to make a big penis joke about an Irishman? He'll roll with it. Someone had it that there, the Puerto Ricans of whites. Someone's joke is that Oh really? Yeah, I've heard it before That's cool

So did you feel Did you, what part of that culture Did you feel more growing up? It was both sides Both sides were around But I mean, they're both very like intense Oh yeah Yeah

Yeah, passionate And my wife is like Jewish So it's like I had like the most intense Like growing up And then her family's just calm and nice Just chill Got it all figured out. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Jewish families, and I, whenever say this to my Jewish friends,

they kind of like, you don't know the real story. But from the outside, it seems like they have so many, as a culture, they have so many things figured out. Like, they really do. They, they grieve the right way. They marry the right way. Puerto Rican funerals. Have you ever been to one? No. Oh my God. They put the fun in funeral. It's incredible. I've been to a funeral with a fight. Oh, yeah. And they love taking pictures with the body. It's amazing. Just like, yes, I swear on everything.

Really? Yeah, I've seen every, I've seen it numerous, numerous times. Oh, my God. They love taking pictures with the body. Although Irish leave the bodies out for a long time too. Traditionally they do. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, like five-day wakes.

My grandfather on my Puerto Rican side was that long. Was it really? Yeah, and then we, we, we, did it in Queens, and then we did it in Puerto Rico. Whoa. Yeah, it was long. And my aunt kept trying to change his clothes. And by the time they got to-

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You did it in Queens and then you did it in Puerto Rico? Yeah. The body showed up in Puerto Rico? Yeah, had to go on the plane. No. Yeah. And then was put out?

Like, was shown? Yeah, yeah. Whoa, you went on tour? He did a couple different spots, yeah. And by the time he got to, my aunt wanted to change his clothes again. once we got to Puerto Rico. And the funeral guy was like, yo, like, you can't, like, you can't change him again or things are going to start falling off. Like, stop this.

Oh, my God. I think more than his pants are going to come off. Oh, that's terrible. Yeah. Wow. But it worked? Like, I guess everybody there wanted to see him. Yeah, yeah.

No, absolutely. Yeah. It was long, too. Wow. They would be all day. We're Italian. And they were kind of like in the middle of that. Like you're Jersey Italian

Jersey Italian Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah and uh Yeah they would have the wakes and stuff But it seems like it's falling out of favor now Like it's going to

COVID really did a number on funerals Yeah everyone's just getting cremated Kind of send flowers Right Except flowers or money to a charity Yeah You say you're going to send two and don't Oh it's not just me

No Yeah yeah we should Put a tree up in Bob's honor. Have we done that yet? I thought about it, so I'm a good person. Yeah. So that's why I brought you some Italian pastries. This is from Monte Carlo here in Burbank.

And you can take these to your hotel and do what you want with them. Or you can eat them now, whatever you want. I'm just going to show up to another podcast with them and be like, look what I brought. Or just show up and be like, well, Tom gave me these. Yeah. I don't know what are you guys. Yeah, what do you have? But yeah, that was a, it was big Italian.

So she, so wait, so Irish and Puerto Rican, and she's making a big big Ziti. So if you mix Puerto Rican and Irish, do you get Italian? I mean, we were just Queens. I always say this about Queens. It's the most diverse borough in New York City. So, like, it was like all types of food always. Yeah. Yeah.

And my mom was born and raised queens. My dad was Bronx. Right. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So let's just. New York permeating.

Yeah. Was most of the food Italian? We ate a lot of Italian. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But she was also like her rice and beans were incredible too.

Really? Yeah. Oh man. That's, yeah. See then you get a couple different. Yeah. Your mom was cooking queens. Yeah.

She was basically. Right? Yeah. That's what we had. So why were you the, the wild child? You just born that way? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I wasn't allowed to sleep out, like like, like sleep over people's houses. because my parents knew I'd leave. Right. So, like, until I was 18, I'd never slept at someone's house. Because you did it once. Because my parents were like, you're going to go do something and we're going to get sued.

So you come home every night. At what age did you start realizing, or even did you realize? At what age do you think you just started acting out? Well into, like, junior high on. Junior high. Yeah. Yeah. Because it was fun.

Yeah. It was a lot of fun. Yeah. Yeah. I did like bad things and it was fun. What kind of things? I don't know. Like me and my friend were real wild.

He actually ended up robbing a bank. I had a friend that robbed a bank. Robbed a bank? Well, try to. Really? Try to. Try to. It was like dog day afternoon in Queens.

He actually did it in, because we lived on the border of Queens and Long Island. He did it in Long Island. So we went over to a lot. How old is he when he's a bank robber? Oh, 25, 26. Oh, boy. So it was real. But this was, yeah.

Well, no, he was high on heroin. He got caught up with the hole. It was really sad. Oh, geez. But he burnt down his, like, grandfather's garage, too. Like, these are the people I used to, it's funny. Yeah. Yeah.

Do you know the details of him robbing the bank? It's kind of sad. Is it? Yeah. He was too high and asked for a certain amount of money and then nodded out until the police came. So it was like, like, no one was scared in the bank. everybody was just like what's happening the guy's got his hands up and then all of a sudden I can probably put them down now that's terrible yeah it's a bank robbery oh that's too bad

no is he alive yeah he is yeah yeah yeah yeah is he free uh I don't know I heard he's doing better the last time I saw like family friends that's it is the worst one that is the worst it's just like a lifelong affliction for 99% of people that get caught up in it that i mean that hit our neighborhoods really bad yeah all that pill stuff yeah i actually lost a friend from it too yeah we all have yeah it's just it's the worst you know and uh it's amazing that that that the pill thing is uh i mean the numbers are equal to the covid was that's crazy i did not know that yeah and it's like so you're gonna why wasn't that why wasn't that Why wasn't the alarm bells going off for all of that?

Years ago, too. Slow, it was creeping. It was creeping in. But that was the thing, like, everybody from, like, Queens, like, where I was from was, was like, we got to move out of this neighborhood. It's not good. And then they moved into Long Island and got these pill addictions. Right.

Yeah. Higher class addiction. It was crazy. And that, yeah. So when you were, were you into drugs when you were a kid? No. That's good. No.

Yeah. Yeah. And I have only really. That's really the key. Yeah. really is the key. Like, you know, we were all nutso when we were little and running around and my friends were the same, like delinquents and that kind of thing. But if you stayed off drugs, you had a shot. And the couple of guys that didn't, you know, their lives were derailed.

Yeah. Right. Yeah. And, but I mean, like, you can get away with doing something bad and the cops will give you a slap on the wrist. But the minute you have, like, drugs on you, you're done. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Toast. Yeah. So you just, uh, you just ran around and we, ran around with my friends and just like we were like Bayside queens and whatnot and starting fights and you know so where's the creative part of you where did that start a junior high school there was a drama program and then I ended up going to that Frank Sinatra school of the arts in high school wow that's great I didn't know you went there yeah that's cool I talked to someone recently that went there did so Matt Richards at the comedy seller who's a host there right went there but Seinfeld

spoke at our first. I thought I told you to. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Our first graduation. Right.

Right. Oh, that's the coolest. And he murdered. He did. Yeah, yeah. He killed. Did he really?

Yeah. What year would that have been? Um, I graduated 2007. It was the first class. So it was my brother's age. So 2004. Okay. 2005.

And he killed. He murdered. He closed with like telling, like telling them take the FDR over like something like he had like driving directions and he just walked off on that and it was great he's the master he's unbelievable yeah so good so were you thinking when you were when you in junior high and they have that program are you thinking comedy at all no but we were writing nothing but like silly sketches and performing them in front of the class like that's as far as the theater program went right right yeah right we did like one performance a year that was like done at night uh-huh and other than

that like yeah were you a fan of comedy as a kid yeah yeah yeah my older brother introduced me to all of it oh really yeah yeah he like a daily show was like his first thing that he was obsessed with and then you know they dude yours the half hours when they used to just play them right until the daily show came on in the afternoon so i used to sit there and just watch those with him oh that's the coolest yeah so at what point do you think or do you step out and do it solo 19 19 at. New York Comedy Club when Al Martin still owned it. Oh, right, right, right. Right. So what made you, where was your head at? Like, why? I had dropped out of college at this point. Okay. I went to a college that is now closed. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. There no longer exists. Um, so from there,

I started, I tried to join the military. That didn't work out. Right. And then I was just laying carpet from my buddy's company. Right. And I was miserable and at nights when I wasn't working because we usually worked nights. I was just to try to go do stand-up. Yeah. So that's a, that's a very, it's a very tumultuous time. If your school's not working out and you're just, you're kind of flailing a little bit, right? Oh, beyond, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At what, do you have at that point did you have confidence like like desperately i want to figure out what's happening or was it overwhelming like i'm getting lost here i kind of knew i was good at it you did when i did stand up yeah within the first couple times like because you know you do those bringers and whatnot

yeah and i slowly like they had an intern program through new york comedy club and broadway comedy club right and uh within like a couple months i was already getting intern spot and i was already getting an intern spots. Right. So I was, and then I started doing that. So that's the solve. That's like when you're,

I didn't need, when you're confused and stuff, as soon as you go up and you realize, ah, wait a minute, this might be the spot. Yeah. Right?

Because I was also like on those bringer shows, they would sprinkle in probes. And then like, sooner or later, one came to me and was like, you should try to get an internship over at the Broadway. And that's what happened. And I ended up working for Broadway.

Right. And my deal with them was if I worked there, I got to do every show. Right. And they had three rooms. Right. So I sat there for three years doing three shows a night and making money taking tickets. Right.

Oh, that's perfect. Yeah. And Mike Vecchio-Oen told me he was like, stay here. Do not try to go to other clubs. Just get a good five minutes down. And I just stayed there for three years. It's so remarkable. It really, just you saying that, like Mike knowing, like you know when you see all these people like going through and trying to make it,

trying to tell jokes, trying to find their way. in the very beginning. But it's very clear who has the stuff, even without the jokes, even with, right? You know what I mean? In a way, when you see somebody, you see somebody. Yeah, like, Becky own seeing you is like,

that is a very, I mean, it happens repeatedly. But there's just something in that raw, unmanufactured thing, that comedian, it has the elements. There's a lot of work that has to be done. That's him telling you don't go for a bit to other clubs. But you can, you know that, It has all the raw materials.

Yeah. Everything's in the box. But yeah, you just see that thing. Like, there's this new kid, Peter James Fowler. And he's so, so funny. And, like, but he's just so young. Like, you just know, he just needs the time and he's going to be incredible. Right.

Yeah, really. Yeah, yeah. There's a lot of people that, like, right away. And this kid has only been in the city for a year. He's already doing regular spots. Oh, that's great. Yeah. See, that's what I mean.

It's such a unique thing. It's very rare that someone is like, people are ignoring or no he doesn't have it and then it emerges yeah it at least has the kernels of it you know so i sat and i sat and then the first thing the first club i got like actually passed without working at the club was the comic strip oh that's so fun that that room how long were you there um the comic strip i i i've for a long time yeah and i started out hosting and then i got past the carolines and i was hosting there and whatnot and then once I got into the seller I never host it again right that's great like SD has never even asked me to oh really like okay I guess I don't do this anymore it's good yeah

because you learn a lot from hosting I mean it definitely it equals out your voice like your regular thing to your there's so many benefits plus you need to know a certain level of crowd work yeah yeah and that crowd work is is a way to bridge between now I'm doing my act and now I'm talking to you. Like it evens all that out, which is valuable because you have to be natural up there. Yeah. But I also don't like, not that I don't like, but it's hard when I see hosts only doing the crowd work. Oh, yeah, 100%.

Because then they're not ready for an act. Right, exactly. And I do believe in the act. Well, there are people that they are going to remain hosts, right? Yes. That is their thing. That is their thing. you know and they're gonna they're gonna do that but yeah no you're right did just people someone give

you that advice early on or were you thinking what the act yeah that i think i think i've heard were you aware say it yeah he talked about the act and like what that means and what it was and i was like oh okay that's what you do right right right so uh so when you are knocking around new york where they're who are your contemporary who are your buddies it's um me p davidson and jordan rock Oh, okay. Yeah, we were like the closest of like, and we would run around together and we were just like these young kids. Right. Kind of playing an adult game.

Right. And some people loved us. Some people didn't. Uh-huh. Yeah. That makes sense. There was a lot of people that didn't. I remember when time being on, on Opie and Anthony, I don't know what version it was.

Like who was left. Yeah, who was gone. And Pete was on. And it was the first time I had met him. And it was like me and I don't know, maybe Colin, maybe a couple other people. And at one point, and we were all just comedians of doing that. And someone made a joke or something. And Pete made some joke to the effect of, well, yeah, I mean, you're all, I guess that's true if you're all old comedians.

And it was, you know, it was really fun. But it really kind of like, I was like, he's right. Like, we're not all of the same age. Like, you always, comedians always think you. You always think of the same. And Pete was like, no, man, I am 30 years younger than you, I think. I made the mistake once, and I'm not going to say his name. We'll talk about it afterwards.

But there is a comic that was once a teacher. Uh-huh. And he was a teacher while I was in elementary school at my elementary school. And he was in my, like the para of my class. Oh, really? And I told him that. And I swear to God, I might as well have told him that I slept with him. that I slept with his mom, the way he reacted.

And I'm just like, whoa, man, just trying to relate. Like, I like your comedy. I love you, Mr. Johnson. Yeah. Yeah, I was only calling him by his last name. Still. Mr. Johnson, do you mind if I go on before you? But now that I think about it, like, it would infuriate me if a young person did that to me.

No. I don't know. maybe. I don't know. I think for me, and maybe this is because I'm on the other side of it, is that when I would always watch comics, I knew when I was a young comic watching older comedians like come out, like we're older, like, you know, like Mel Brooks or those kind of guys. And I remember watching and thinking, oh, this is a game that can keep getting better the older you get. Like there is these people, you know, in the beginning you're funny and you've got this stuff, but you don't have that much life experience. And you can progress. It's not like, like music where you show up

cool and you have to maintain that level of you have to be that guy and then, you know, you become Madonna. Like trying to still be that sexy version of yourself. Comedians are, you can kind of, they do kind of age. But at the same time, there's still, there's still a good group that just tries to hold on to it. Yeah. You mean comedians? Yeah. Yeah. Well, if they're the version of, of if they yeah you mean like if they show up and they're young and cool and they're right i guess i i took comfort in because i always felt like i was a 40 year old man when i showed up at 20 20 okay yeah that makes sense you know what i mean i i would say you're ageless yeah thank you there's a few guys like that you nick riffin yeah yeah yeah another guy that like i couldn't tell you how old

it's really true there's there's a bunch of it yeah my wife always asked me like she's always kind of in tuned into age and she'll always be like she'll be like how old is sarah you know whoever the comedian is i'm like no idea i never even thought of that about that but your age is how long you've been in it yeah that was something that Seinfeld said in the comedian documentary oh yeah with Mario Joyner mario joiner says that he goes yeah but comedians you're basically as old as you've been in comedy as long as you've been in comedy it goes back to like i always talk about him because he was one of my favorite but like Mike de Stefano Mm-hmm.

Like, he was 10 years in when things started, like, exploding for him. Yeah. And he was just, like, the best. The best. And he was so fast, he knew who he was the minute he got into comedy. Yeah. He didn't need to search. God, man, he was around so, for so short a time.

It was crazy. Crazy. That was really an upsetting one. He was such a badass, too. He would just park his motorcycle in front of the club on the sidewalk. It was like, oh, this guy's the fucking man. Damn. The best.

Oh, that was so sad. He was so explosive. Hard not to watch. Yeah. Right, exactly. Yeah, what's it, what's he going to do? What's happening now? Yeah.

So when you show up, who was the intimidating people that were at the cellar at the time? Because when you first get there, it was like, when I were six years ago. That was, yeah, right. Keith was still healthy. Norton was still around. No, no. Yeah, those guys. It was those guys. But at the same time, like, I was coming in with the nightly show. Right. And everybody was trying to get spots on the nightly show. So there was a lot of people nicer to me. I'd show up with Larry a lot. That's great. But no, I mean, I've taken my fair share of licking at that table.

Sure. And I actually got to sit at the original table. Yeah, right before at all. And I never. ever hung out there before I was passed there. Yeah, me neither. Gave me a lot of anxiety. I didn't want to become a target. No, exactly. Who comedically, though, like when you would see people on stage where you're like, oh, shit, I got work to do.

Attel is always one of them. For everybody. And no, it was cool for a long time, me and Atel were going back to back. But of course, like the guys that were doing in it anywhere, like Greer Barnes. And Esty for a long time would make me follow Greer. Really? I really think it was her just testing and being like, get this, get here, get, yeah. That's a tough follow.

Oh, he's just, one of the worst bombs I've ever taken was following him during a check spot at the Broadway comedy club. And a guy in a suit stood up and he went, it's just not yours today. It's just not yours today. And I put the mic back in the stand and I was like, you're right. And I walked off. I love that. I know what that guy's face looks like.

If I ever saw him on the subway, I know exactly who he is. It's just not yours today. It's actually, it's actually kind of kind. Yeah. It's like, maybe tomorrow. Yeah, not today. Greer is the hardest foul atel. Yeah, they change the energy of the room.

Colin. Who else was there? They literally changed the atmosphere. That's why it's difficult. You got to ride out the change of energy back to you. when you walk up after like a towel and when i got there that's when train wreck had just happened uh-huh so amy was in there rightly like it was it was a lot yeah yeah it's so great though i mean it's so cool yeah it's the fire it's like yeah are you gonna stay are you gonna be burned up

it's still you still get lost that's the one place my wife will not call me and be like where are you because she understands getting lost in the table Oh my God. Where it's like three o'clock and you're just like, oh, I've been sitting here talking shit for this long. You literally know when you get off. All right. If I go out the front door, I can get home by 11. If I go upstairs, it's a hostage situation.

It's so good. You get caught in that corner. It's the best. It's so good. You're beloved there. You have your own style of nachos. That's right. Yeah.

Tompapas. I was grandfathered in. That was me and Geraldo and Colin and Nick DePaolo. And that was all like when Manny was around, which you never got to meet Mani. No, I never got to meet Geraldo either. Yeah. That was one and I've always wanted. I was always looked up to him coming up.

Yeah. No, that makes perfect sense. That makes real sense. He's a Queens boy. His son was working there this summer. I know. Yeah, really nice kid. I know.

Really, really nice kid. He's such a nice kid. I couldn't believe when he was. And his other son was going to get a job at New York comedy club. I don't know if he ended up doing it. But yeah, it was pretty great that they both wanted to go and just be around there. It's like, it's that's a, that's a pretty profound thing. To understand that you want to do that at that young too. Yeah. And just to be in a lot of ways, it's like to be as close to Greg as you kind of can. Like that was his world. But then every

comic gets wasted and wants to tell a story. Yeah, I'm sure. The poetic part of it probably runs out pretty quickly. He's like, I'm going back to school. No, but they're beautiful kids. They're great. Greg's really cool. I really liked. Enjoyed him this summer being there. He was really nice. No, it's really pretty remarkable. And a big credit to Marianne, his wife, that they are like those great little people. I mean, that there was a big, a big blow. But it would have been, yeah, that's a shame. Like, I mean, not a shame, but yeah, I guess it's a shame. But you would have loved meeting Greg for sure. And Manny. from who, you know, built the whole thing, Nome's father.

Those were, he would drive us home at the end of the night. Yeah, and he was always like, I just take the Artie Fuqua ride home. No, man, he was the worst driver in the world. He could not drive. And he would have to go up to Westchester after every night. And he'd get his, he'd get his burger and food and we'd go to the parking garage. And he would drive us. And he would be on sixth avenue, like going 10 miles an hour. We were like, oh, we would, Greg would text me. I got home. No, I'm sitting in your lap.

Noam in the car seat. And yeah, but because of those old days, I have my own nachos. I got grandfathered in for sure. That's great. But it is a family, and it's amazing how it's an extended family, because, you know, you have all of the crew that you came in with. Yeah, with Joe Liz, and Mark Norman and Sam Morrell. Yeah, no, it was really, I really love, like, the guys in my class.

They've always been really good to me, too. Yeah. And I definitely work different. than a lot of them and they always respected it. What do you mean? I mean, I have always wanted to be like an actor and all that stuff. And like stand up is definitely something I'm beyond passionate about. But like those guys write differently, work differently.

And like we all just have this awesome mutual respect for each other. Right. You really did stand out in the king of Staten Island. It was just like, I don't even know if I knew you yet when that came out. I don't think so. But just in that first scene. and it was just like, oh, I mean, you popped. Like, that's a pretty unusual thing.

I mean, Judd really let me go off. He really let me have my time in there. And, like, he just makes it so easy to be creative. Right. You've worked with him. Yeah, not in his films, no. No? No.

Just crashing? Not even crashing. Just stand-up. Oh. Yeah. But I just think his environment that he makes is just, it's just smart. Like, he makes you so. comfortable to go out and do things you wouldn't do right right in front of other directors or

yeah people in comedy yeah well it's because he comes from comedy right like yeah right it gives you that thing so did you feel the love after that did you feel yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah right right and just even like within the industry which was really cool that is really cool just uh I mean but at the same time like me and judge just kept working together and that's been the coolest thing oh yeah yeah because he's somebody I've always looked up to and like for a long time like I remember being around him at the cellar but we didn't know each other so it's just like kind of stay away from him right and then when he like finally came around to working with me like we just work really well together oh that's great yeah he's

such a cool guy he's got such a good uh just a good comedic mind like you he he has the he has the the gift of making you feel comfortable and like it's just you're just hanging with another comic but then you just see like the way he the things he brings up when he's trying to articulate what's going on artistically you're like oh he's much wiser than oh yeah just the guy's hanging out here like but that was the cool thing about it like i came in and he ended up putting me as one of the punch-up writers on the movie and then also i would just stand next to him and hand him jokes that I thought was funny during scenes. And he puts you in a place where you never feel uncomfortable to pitch.

But at the same time, he also doesn't make you feel weird for asking questions. And I'm one of these people that will ask any questions. From a young age, I've talked about it a bunch. But when I started, I wrote letters to every comedian I liked. Only one wrote me back. Really? And it was his Zsari. And now he's a very close friend of mine.

But when I was super young, he was just writing me back and giving me all this. awesome like advice. Wow. That's amazing. Like I've always been like not embarrassed to ask questions. Yeah. And Judd is great. Right. Right. Yeah. Oh, that's great. Because I do want to direct and produce one day. Yeah. Yeah. You have some ideas? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Which are moving forward and we're doing all the stuff. Oh, cool. Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. And is there a role for a comedian with glasses? who fakes bread. Tom, I would have love to have you all. Just have you at craft services with the bread.

I'm playing. Tom, we have an opportunity for you. It's a little outside the box, but hear me out. Stop it. You love bread. People love that you love bread. Like I said, your bread is a small circle. It's a small circle.

It is small. And I really regret. I was like, I'm not going to bringing bread because I've been given I get given bread a lot on the road and people come to my shows and bring bread. Do you take that? Yeah, I do. Why? Do you try it?

Sometimes if it looks good. I treat it like that I can't do. Like even weed, my people to give me weed, yours give you bread. Yeah. Even I'm like, yeah, I don't know. I'm sorry. But think about like how devious an evil plan it would have to be for someone to like go after your, like we're going to, I'm going to, I'm going to. I'm going to recruit a middle-aged woman.

She's going to bake the bread. She's going to get tickets to Tom in Wisconsin. She's going to hold on to him for a year. And then we're going to poison it. You just gave them the plan. I can't help it, though. It is my weakness. Maybe that...

There's worse ways to go out. What's the headline? What's the headline when it goes down? Yeah, something with baked. Yeah. Something, yeah. Yeah, I don't know. You like acting.

Colutin free. Yes, I love acting. Yeah, I started as an actor, really. Really? Yeah, because I always wanted to be a comic as a kid, but I went to college in New Jersey. Which one? Writer College. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And it was very much like yours. It just hasn't closed yet. And I just went into the theater department there. You don't look like a guy. I went to a college with a commercial. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. I do. That makes me feel good about my future. Now I know what you're talking about when it comes out to the... The way I describe Ryder is it's down the street from Princeton. Yeah. Which it was.

It was like I used to deliver food. I used to deliver buffalo wings as my job. I would have my car and I would deliver wings. Strictly wing. Strictly to Princeton. The kids at Princeton. and there was a, what was the name of it? Not MacArthur, that was the theater.

But then there was like a, what was when kids go away to school for high school? Oh, boarding school. There was a boarding school in Princeton that was all like the senator's kids and 11-year-old, and I used to deliver them food. When was your first stand up? 1993, June 12th, 1993.

Wow. Yeah. At the New York Comedy Club. And Greg Geraldo was the only other comic on it. I'm just looking at my future right now. I'm very happy. Yeah, yeah. And we became best friends immediately.

He was the only one there. We was no beard. And he was freaking out so nervous to perform in front of six people, five of which I brought. And yeah. And it was, yeah, it was pretty great. But it was acting, it was all acting in college. I just did all the plays and all the classes and all the stuff. And then, but then when I got out, it was like, oh, I have to audition.

I would bang around New York. I was like, how's this going to happen? And then saw the village voice. I could go just call this number. And they gave me June 12th to go on stage if I brought to a couple of friends. And I was like, well, this is easy. I'm like what you were talking about when they'd put sprinkle pros into those shows. I was like, oh, this is, I was keenly aware.

this is a back door into show business. Like, if I'm going to share the stage with John Stewart. Exactly. Yeah. If I'm really funny. It's so accessible. It's accessible. And I think that's what made me right away stay.

Right. It was when I was able to like be like near the guys that I watched the half hours of when I was sitting with my brother. Right. And being like, they're right there. Yeah. This is amazing. But it's so funny when you start in comedy, you just believe all. those guys are millionaires.

Like, you just think they're doing so good. Their lives must be amazing. They live in penthouses. I know. Then you slowly meet them and you're like, oh, I got to start acting. I have a nicer apartment. They're living with their mom too. Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, my God. There's, yeah, there's definitely, it's very rare. There's only, there's maybe two or three guys. that just did pure stand-up as the root. Attel. Atel, Chappelle, Sebastian. No.

Right? Like, those guys didn't have any television, any acting until... That's why I just... They became really big without that stuff. Do you think Chappelle would be as big without the Chappelle show? No. Yeah, I agree. Because that came out while.

I was in high school. Right. And I remember it took over my high school. Yeah. It took it. Like we were just, I'm Rick James, bitch, to our teachers. Like, totally inappropriate.

But I remember it like the days after things came out. Yeah. It was crazy in high school. Yeah. Yeah, that's a really good point. He like went viral without the internet. Right. Yeah.

No, that was really. That's so great to think of it taking over high school. so great so powerful it was on like a weird day too it wasn't on like a Thursday it was like on like a Wednesday yeah yeah yeah no that was that was a huge thing he's uh yeah he's going through it right now it's interesting I mean I don't know I don't think he's going through it I think everybody around him is is fighting about it I knew yeah I don't think he's really kind of concerned you know what I haven't watched it I watched it so I like I feel ignorant having an opinion.

Yeah, you can't. My nephew literally texted me. He's a really smart kid and he's like, what do you think about the Chappelle thing? And I was about to text him back. I'm like, this is bigger than a text. And so I delayed. And then he wrote back, haven't seen it yet. And I said, well, watch it.

We'll talk. Because what are we talking about? Then we're just talking about other people's opinions and other people's little sound bites. But it is pretty interesting though to, to, you should check. it out for sure. Just because it's, yeah, you know, it's, it's, it's, he mixes in, I didn't want to get into it too much, but he, yeah, he mixes in like this, he mixes in, I love you all, I love all people, I love everybody, and then he'll slam you with a joke, you know, so he'll be like, I love this group of people, and then here's a heinous joke about it. And you either buy

that he loves you and is, and that we're all friends and we can laugh about it, or you don't buy that he really loves you and he's using that as a device to shit on you. It's a very complex thing. But, you know, that's what art is. It's something that he put something out and the conversation is still going on weeks after. So that's a pretty powerful thing. No, I've definitely seen write-ups about it, but I just, I haven't had the time really with all the press and all this going on in the last two weeks. It's been wild. Yeah. Well, you got your own special. Yeah, I'm sick of watching it. Yeah. Isn't that the most brutal?

So brutal. But you know what? That's the way it's supposed to go. You're supposed to be like into it and then you walk away. Do the edit and you're just sitting there and you hate yourself by the end of it. I know. The first watch is the hardest though. It was my favorite.

It was your favorite? Yeah. The first time I watched it was my favorite. Yeah. Because I mean, I didn't get to see any of the shots that night. I didn't get and I worked with Michael Bonfaglio. Do you know him? No.

He did the Patrice documentary. Oh, okay. He's doing the Carlin. in one now. He did Seinfeld special and Goldman's. Oh, wow. And he was, he's just like, the shots are beautiful. Right. Yeah, no, he did an incredible job

shooting this thing. That's great. Yeah. See, there's not really a cinematographer or a director that could shoot a shot beautiful enough of my, of a close-up of my face and chins. For me to call it beautiful. There's no way. You could take someone from the Godfather. I'm not looking there jerking off to myself, Tom. How about throwing up when you will see it?

No, I need to have the first one wash over me. I'm like, okay, that's what I look like. And I'm thinking that the whole first way through. And then I can watch it objectively. But that first one is brutal. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yours is so good.

Oh, thank you. And, you know, you're in this cool spot because you can tell. that it's a, you know, a lot of people have, like we said, like purely the stand-up thing and then people kind of come in at the back door after they've been acting. You seem to have like built up this without, I don't know if it's planned or not, but you've built up this kind of pyramid where you're going to put in that block and that block on both sides and you're. This is, I've never done any stand-up on television.

Zero. And I've been touring for like six, seven years consistently now. So it's like, I'm really excited to get this out. It's so great. And it's such a cool thing to like have it be on HBO, which is a classically a great place for standout. Where I used to watch StanLoss. I've watched my favorites and like on it.

So it just feels. Once I saw those letters come up, I was like, This is fucking cool. Jum. It's like, oh man, this is awesome. Oh, it's so great. Well, this is so good. I'm glad we got to spend some time.

Thank you for having me. Yeah, for sure. And we'll hook up in New York. Please, Tuesday. We're going to do the thing on Tuesday. Yeah, that's going to be great. This box is yours. I enjoy it.

You've got some scatia and some canoles. You can get it in an Uber. And when you're done with it, you're going to retire from pastries. And it's also why my rating is so bad. Right. He ate too many pastries in the back of this car. My car is covered in powdered sugar. All right, man.

Thanks. Thank you. All right. Got it, Aaron. All right. that's another edition of Breaking Bread. I hope you had a good time. I hope you enjoyed Ricky. Go check out his special for sure. Go to my website, tompapa.com. My family reunion tour is out and rolling. We're going all over the United States of Americas. And you can also get linked up to my What a Joke and the books and all the rest of it. Make sure you like and subscribe to this podcast. It really does help. Give us the comments. Keep the conversation going. You guys are the best. enjoy your day. We'll see you next time.