Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 85 - Duncan Trussell Returns

Episode Date: December 28, 2021

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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 so much for joining me at the table once again for the final show of the year. Back from a one-week hiatus where we got to stuff our face. and stretch out and travel around and see family and do all the crazy things you're supposed to do. And now we're back, baby.

We are back in a big way with a great friend, Duncan Truzzle. Duncan has been on the program before. I love him so much. He is such a great perspective and he's got new kids. When I say new, I'm saying like four and younger. And who better to talk to about the holidays than someone that's. it's got those little ones running around. That is prime time. You're coming into your own as a parent when you start spinning the mythology and creating the memories and it's not always pretty.

A lot of times, things are out of your control, but they pile up, whether the attempts are good or bad, seemingly successful, or big flops. They all got added to the kids' memory banks and yours. The kids will hang on to it more than you will because you're have too much responsibility and you're thinking about a bunch of other stuff and that's where the photos come in handy. There's entire years, I believe, that I don't remember and I see photos and oh yeah, right. We were at the beach then, I guess. So Duncan Trussell is a great friend and it's going to be nice talking to him about his country Christmas adventure. ventures. He's moved out of L.A. for a bit, and we'll find out in this conversation what his plans are next.

I mean, that's the whole Hallmark movie paradigm. You give up your career in the big city and head to the country and go to a tree lighting and make cookies and live that little tiny one-pick-up truck life. Let's see how it works for the mighty Dunkin' Trussle. Today's show is brought to you by Dadgrass. Dad grass, Dad grass, Dad grass is smokable hemp. Smokable hemp gets delivered to you in this beautiful packaging, some single joints, some cigarette pack looking things. And we just want to relax and you want that CBD easy kind of a feeling. but you don't want to just take like a little gummy or whatever and you want to actually smoke it and like enjoy yourself and just kick back without having to hide from your family because you're doing

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I'm wearing a Christmas sweater, and I'm smoking an empty pipe. I tried smoking in it last year, so it still has a faint smell of tobacco, and that's kind of enough. I really don't need to stuff this thing and be puffing away real tobacco. Not that it's really even that bad smelling or bad in the house. It's just a pain in the ass. I'm not really a pipe smoker, but it seems like a good accessory for the holidays.

I've been enjoying it. haven't been going too crazy. I definitely have run into some friends, been reacquainted with people, got a couple dinners in that were very fruitful and rewarding. Nothing like sitting back in getting that cold martini in a nice crisp tablecloth environment, sitting with a friend you haven't seen. These reunions are definitely carrying a little more weight, similar to when I go out to my live shows right now, carrying a little more weight. Of course, because we didn't get to do all of this in any natural way over the last two years. It's always been a little Frankenstein. It's still a little Frankenstein, but it's a little less Frankenstein for the moment.

I have some people that have been knocked out again and back into their hobbit holes. But yeah, it's amazing how the years now, they gave us. It's really two years of it and not really out of it, going to linger, going to be fits and starts. There's going to be flare-ups of something. There's going to be another name given some scary name, given to some new variant of some sort. And should we worry? Should we not worry? Definitely more than we bargained for.

Let's just put it that way. And the resiliency, I have to say, this is a big thank you to everybody that listens to this podcast. and everybody that comes out to the live shows, the reception has been remarkable and it's been really fun. And I say kudos to you because it is not a small thing, not really that you can actually fight it all that much. But it is not a small thing to get out there and go see people and go see live stuff and participate online with this podcast and send me your messages and show me your fails and your successes. And there is a craving not only for good food and good comedy, but for connection.

And good on you for doing it. I've been all over the country. People are turning out in a very big way. And it's been just cathartic and fun and enjoyable. And we're resilient creatures. I don't even want to, it's almost like, you know, we shouldn't even, you know, you don't even want to mention. like the obstacles that we have to get around because that's kind of our life now at this point. We're freshly out of it. So the obstacle, I guess, has to be mentioned to some degree.

But we're going to just continue and there will be obstacles of this sort that pop up from time to time and screw it. Screw it. Whatever we have to do to soldier on and go do it, let's do it. I mean, this year has been an amazing list of guests from all these people in the food world, from all the comedians and actors that we've spoken to. And everybody kind of has a similar story of, yeah, it's been weird. Yeah, the years have screwed up my math about my own life. But we're doing the best we can, and that turns out to be better than what it was last year and even better than two years ago. So it just keeps improving.

And, you know, it happens with everybody. It's just you got to do what you got to do. You got to get through what you got to get through, try and protect the people around you. And everybody from the food world who's probably struggled even more than the comedians, smiles on their faces, celebrating, doing stuff with their families, and we're going to continue on that way. We're looking forward to another great year of this podcast. will be bringing in a lot of great new future guests. The food people are really expanding.

That, to me, is really a lot of fun. Sit down live in person is definitely a great thing. But to be able to Zoom with people like today, with Duncan being on the other side of the country, that's been a blessing. Don't have to not talk to Duncan Truzzle because he's in the woods somewhere in North Carolina, wherever he is.

We get to actually sit down and spend, quality time and have laughs. And that is thanks to figuring out a new way. And that's good. That component will still be here. We're going to of course sit with people and hopefully drink wine right while we're looking at each other's faces. There's nothing better than reaching across and filling up the glass of the person across from you. That's the optimum, I think. But when you're just talking about talking with people, I think going forward, it's going to be a mix for sure. And I love having people in and being able to give them bread, but it's also nice to call Duncan and not have to bake in bread. It actually isn't true.

Actually, in my mind, whenever I'm with somebody and they don't get it, there's a mental note that I owe them. So that's kind of just the way it goes. I just got to keep on baking it and making more. Not really sure what I'm doing for New Year's. Hope your New Year's is going to be okay. I'm not really too sure. Last year featured caviar. There was a new caviar place opened up by us.

And I snuck down there and bought some overpriced fish eggs. But man, it was good. And that was a very small affair with just my wife and my daughter and me eating eggs. We dressed up, we did the right things, we celebrated in a big way. This year, I'm not sure. I figure the kids will probably be running away from us and trying to go capture a New Year's party that encapsulates the last three years in total and really is a blowout. And who knows, maybe that means we stay in.

Maybe we get more caviar. Not really sure what to make. I have to say going through the holidays and as we journeyed through and got tips from all of our food people and cruise through the Super Bowl and the 4th of July and Halloween parties and Thanksgiving and the big Christmas Eve feast of seven fishes and then coming into New Year's. Nothing is bigger and more daunting than Thanksgiving. I think I'm coming down on that once and for all. It's not because it's more difficult. It's not because the dishes are even that much more complex. There's a lot going on in Christmas Eve making lasanas and stuff like

that, but it's that giant bird taking up all that space in your oven for such a long time. And that just throws, you're just a slave to that cooking schedule. And that's what I think makes it all so difficult. That is a tough meal. It's great. It's rewarding. It lasts for a week. But, man, the feast of seven fishes and cranking out all these different dishes and

throwing in lasagnas and doing veggie stuff and meat-based stuff. it seems like a walk in the park compared to Thanksgiving. It's truly amazing. But those are all these things that we learn, and I got some good cookbooks through the holiday, and I'm excited to go forward and make more stuff and continue the conversation with all of you, and I hope you enjoy all of this, and keep your messages coming and keep participating, and we'll just move forward, and hopefully it will always become, continue to, grow and become bigger and better. And I raise a glass, a metaphorical glass to all of you and wish

you happy holidays. And let's cross our fingers. I almost don't want to say it out loud, but I will because I'm an optimist. And it's going to be a good, it's going to be a great 2022. All right. Now, let's invite Duncan Trusselin. Great guy, great comedian. a great podcaster. He's so great. He's just got such a fresh perspective. He really does not need much of an introduction other than I'm really looking forward to this conversation of someone that actually left the big city and went to the little small country town and is there starting his Christmas with his children and his family. And let's see how he's doing. Let's see how he's celebrating. Let's see if we can't help him out. Enjoy the great

Duncan Trussell. Good to see you, Duncan. Happy holidays to you. Happy holidays. How is life? I haven't seen you in quite some time. Oh, man, life's pretty good. We're up here in the mountains of North Carolina.

And, you know, we've been, you took our kids to the Christmas lights last night. You got a nice, like, arboretum here, and they throw up some Christmas lights. Nice. This sounds like a Hallmark movie. Hallmark movie. hell is what it is. You know, I mean, it's like, like you want, as a parent, you're like, this is going to be amazing. You know, I've been at work all day. I'm going to take my kids to see these beautiful lights and not be it'll be an hour past this bedtime. It's going to be this magical thing

and this Christmas. You get there and it's just kids freaking the fuck out. They're cold. You know what I mean? Like, who cares about the lights everywhere? It's like, It's like the beginning of Jacob's ladder. I don't know if you remember that. Kids confused, tripping out. Like, what do we? Why did you do this to the tree? Why am I up late?

Why did you give me sugar on top of this? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, because they're just, okay. So that's the other part. Our son has allergies. So we have to check everything. So we wanted to get him some hot cocoa. Right.

And so I'm like, can I see the ingredients? And it's got in the hot cocoa, something called titanium dioxide. What? Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm like, titanium is in this hot cocoa? Like, you know, and you're hearing, in the background, children are just like,

ah! Oh my God. Drinking titanium-laced cocoa. It really is that thing. It's like, you are going to make Christmas magic happen. It's just going, you are going to force it down their throats. That's fine. Exactly.

And then, so then, you know, Forrest is, he actually started enjoying it. I'm not trying to throw him under the Christmas bus here. Like, he liked it. But, you know, he also wanted to run. Why wouldn't you? Of course. He wants to run fast. Not just through the lights, in the lights.

It all makes sense from his perspective. Yeah. Then my wife and I are fighting because we're like trying to find an orange for him. And it was, you know, you're in like the dumbest fight of maybe your whole life. Just exhausted, confused. Yeah. How old is he? He's almost three.

He's almost three. All right. Yeah. So this is really getting good. Yeah. Actually, yeah, it's, it is. Yeah. All of that stuff.

I mean, it all speaks for how wonderful it is to have kids because all of that stuff and my former incarnation is a single childless person. Yeah. Yeah. Literally, if you told me that, I would think that sounds like, like hell on earth. I know. And yet, it's still the best night.

It's still the coolest thing. Yeah, exactly. But it's just weird. You can't kind of roll up there by yourself without a child. Oh, you sure can. These Christmas lights, there's either people with kids or people on a bunch of mushrooms. You know, like, because they want to see the lights, man.

So it's like either like, you know, people in this tie-dye, sweaters. Right. And your children's screaming. So what is the, do you have a tree in the house? Yes, we do. Nice. And yes, we've got the, we're in full effect.

We've got the lights outside on the front, blasting out the neighborhood. And then we've got, we've got the tree is all set up. The biggest thing, my highlight is the village underneath the tree with the train going around. You did that? Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's my, that's my, that's been my, my, my, uh, my passion project since I was 10. That is so cool. I want to get forced a train.

I just don't think we're there. I think it's like he's still a little too young, especially for the train under the tree. Mm-hmm. That's going to be, they're not going to be able to not. Right. And rearrange it and stuff. But I think that's so cool. Maybe in a few years.

It is cool. It's, there's something I, can't, I don't understand why. But the, something about. about the little lights and the little shops. It's very, it just kind of sucks you in. You really, you really get fooled by this little diorama that you create under there. And you're like, it is another world. Like you set it up.

We've been doing it for 20 years. And it's like, oh, they're back. Good to see you guys. Oh, yeah. I, listen, again, I don't mean to like do some weird missionary breeder work here. because anyone who isn't having kids, I get it. And, but, you know, like, before you, like, everything you just said to me, before I had kids, yeah, just it would go over my head or I'd be like, ah, great, I ate a diarrhea, I don't know, that's cool.

Yeah, I get it now, because you're holding a baby who's looking at a Christmas tree. Yeah. And is, like, stunned by how beautiful it is and mysterious it is. And it reminded me when I was a kid. Yeah. Looking at the tree and the depth that it's given with the lights and every ornament seems to mean something, but you're not sure what. So the train addition is just a mind blower.

Yeah, it's completely insane. It's really, it's very strange, though, because there's, you get into it. Like, you know, we always loved it. Like, my wife and I would, we wouldn't do the train, but we would do the tree and everything before the kids. And then when the kids come, it goes full bore, exactly what you're in. It's like lift off for, you know, 15 years of just constant, just trying to create magic. And then, and now they're getting a little older.

And now they're starting to dip out. And I find myself under the tree by myself setting this stuff up. Yeah. And, you know, but that is the world that we're living in right now is such a tight-ass world. that to be able to successfully, without feeling shame, have a thing like that under your tree, you need kids. You know what I mean?

If you do it by yourself, you can do it, you're a hobbyist or whatever. Most people there's going to be a sense of like, am I doing all right? Is something coming really bad? Like am I about to make a really bad decision? You know? Yeah.

But once you have kids, you get to live like a, human. Yeah. That stuff is the best. Oh, it is the best. It's totally the best. So what is the, what is the Santa, uh, story? What, what's far as getting as far as Santa? We're doing classic Santa. We talked about it. You know, we, so my wife got the freaking elf on the shelf and we started watching an elf on the shelf. It films and I'll be honest, like, Elf on the shelf, we, we, we stop pushing it because it's like, it's a panopticon, man. It's, it's a It's like George Orwell. Elf on the shelf is like a snitch.

He flies back to the North Pole. So like, but it's a, but also on top of that, there's a, it's a literal, like, I know Santa is something of a conspiracy that you're introducing to the children. You know what I mean? But Elf on the shelf is like freebasing that conspiracy. Now, it's not a camera, but it might as well be. It's something worse than a camera. He's just appearing every single day, every morning. he's been running around your house at night.

Yeah, he flies back. If you touch him, he loses his magic. But the whole thing, you know, you watch the elf on the shelf, there's like 15 Elf on the Shelf cartoons. Oh, really? Oh, really. Like, you know, the underlying message of Elf on the shelf. Right.

It's like the reason you should be good is because there's now a kind of like, I guess you could call it like secret services, some being that works for Santa. Who, by the way, if that thing was like six feet tall, it would be horrified. You know, just watching you unmoving

unless you're not looking and then it can suddenly move. So out on the shelf, we kind of gave up on that. Oh, man. I know. It really is kind of frightening that he's just walking around your house

all night long while you're in bed. Watching your kids. Just staring at your kids. at your kids using what is I don't know the elf on the shelf's ethics system I don't know what what's its religion what is alpha how does it know what's right what's wrong I would uh I would keep him in a box somewhere though because once he gets to school around other kids there's going to be a little elf on the shelf pressure peer pressure which is you know well my other three friends that elf shows up and he does stuff every night where's my elf that's what kind of happened to

us. And then you kind of wrote it for a while. And then like 14, 15, they're still asking for it, but they know how it's moving. They really understand. They know mom and dad are involved somehow. And now we find, you find yourself putting them in all these things and they like get up in the morning like with a cigarette and just like, oh yeah, cute. He's, he's on the mantle and knocked over the candle. Yeah. Yeah. No, I don't know what we're going to do. I don't think he, I don't think it's really caught his attention yet. Right. He kind of understands there's this creature that some, but he doesn't seem quite fascinated.

That would be confusing at three. It's like just wrapping your head around Santa's enough. Exactly. And now he's got like a lackey that just hangs around the house. Yeah. No. It's, it's really, it's, up on the shelf, it's really dark. It's a dark, it's a dark.

We don't have an elf on the shelf to be good. my uh my santa strategy which holds to this day and my kids are 16 and 19 is that i i i 100% if they approach me and ask any questions about the the tale or the reality uh i 100% believe and i don't know what you're talking about what do you mean there's people that say that he doesn't exist and i've held on to it at 16 and 19 i still to the day that is that's the story i'm not gonna i'm not gonna falter i stick to it and then you know it takes on different meaning as they get as they get older but it's a good strategy i highly recommend it well gosh i'll think about that one i mean like i i think i'm gonna do uh well you know on on this

based on i think what you says way cooler so i'm following something super cool it's something that now that having heard what you are doing it seems really lame But my plan was to say, well, you know, Santa exists, but sort of on a different channel of reality. Right. When he's 16, he's going to like, okay, acid head. Right. Yeah. And then we use, but if you could just say to him, oh, like, totally.

What do you mean he's not? What? Yeah, totally real. So who, wait, where does all the presents come from? What? Yeah. That Santa thing is a fascinating deception. I remember being like pretty let down when my mom told me there's no Santa Claus.

And also I remember feeling a lot of like cognitive dissonance. Like what the fuck else have you lied to me about? Right. I know exactly. It is upsetting. But then if you play dumb and you're just like a Forrest Gump who still believes, they can't bust you on it. You're like, well.

They're always going to want to play. Then you reverse it. Yes. They know it's not real. they don't want to hurt your feeling. That's exactly it. That's cool. I like it.

I like them. I look at it. That's awesome. Yeah. Once you're in, you're in. It's like, you know, if you, you're not going to get to 22 and say Jesus isn't real. Once you start, you're in. Well, I think, can't we expect our kids to, I mean, I don't know what, what religion you're all practiced.

But we can, if we talk to our kids about Jesus, which we do. Yeah. I think it's a safe bet that at some point they're going to be like, come on, that's not real. Yeah, 100%. I'm excited about that moment. You know, edge lording to me, because I'm like, oh, really? You're going to try to like seem edgy saying Jesus isn't real because I did that for like 15 or 20 years. Passionately proud of my seeming brilliance and deconstructing something that obviously isn't necessarily meant to be taken literally.

Yeah, exactly. I'm excited for that. Is there, is there, is there, is there church involved? Not yet. Not yet. Because of COVID. We, we moved up to the mountains. Right. A big period. I don't think you could even go to church. Right. You can. But we are planning to come back to the West Coast. I'm excited by this news. I'm sorry to jump in the middle of the thing, but I'm too excited. This is, this was news to me. Oh, you, you know, a lot of my friends like, you, they kind of like gave me various warnings about, you know, because I lived in L.A. for, my wife and I lived in L.A. for a long time, longer than, I grew up a year up in the mountains,

but I lived in L.A. longer than that. Right. Everyone was like, you're going to come back. Like you, you know what I mean? Different versions of like, well, you could try. Oh, it's cute. You're doing that. That's cute.

Yeah, yeah. A little different versions, different versions of that. And I read some key assignments. Feld wrote about like going off to live in Florida and really in like how that's just going to, you know, and like the way he can. Yeah. I was pissed when I read it. Oh, really? I think I tweeted some snarky shit about it too because I'm like, fuck that guy.

He's wrong. That was the New York, the New York article? Yeah, go fuck yourself with your whole New York thing. I could do. I'm going to go be a prepper up in the mountains. Why would I miss L.A.? I was only there for 17 years. I'm not going to miss that.

Why would I miss that? All my friends are there. Why would I miss that? Wait, did you stand upstairs. Why would I miss that place? I could do it in a small town with no friends. Was it too isolating?

Yeah. Well, it's a lot of different, it's a lot of different things. All of it mainly boiling down. And I'm glad we did it. Because a lot of people have the fantasy of, you know, I'm going to go up to the country. Yeah.

Have a nice quiet place. Right. The birds and the silence. And hike, hike, make jams, make some jams. Maybe start to be a beekeeper. I'm going to at least be friends with a beekeeper. You know, it's going to be. Make some candles.

I'm going to make candles. It'll be great. It'll be great. Yeah. Store up ammunition, but. No traffic. No, you know, all these things. And then you experience the reality.

Uh-huh. And you have like Los Angeles. demands that you're trying to apply to a place that's like this is not Los Angeles. Los Angeles demands, what do you mean, like your own demands? No, like you expect things to work like they do in a big city population density and like, you know, you expect that kind of, you know, that way of being, which is for better or for worse. Right. Kind of at a certain pace, a faster pace, then you're going to find it a small town.

and you're used to that and you expect that. And so you're not going to get that in a small... I mean, none of this is like rocket science or anything. No, but it is... I am leaning in because that is the... You know, we travel all the time, and you go to these smaller places, and you're like, what if I were to live here?

Like, how would... What would this be like? And as much as you kind of can daydream about and think you know what it is, you really don't until you do what you did. You really don't really... What would I miss? Would I, would I be comfortable?

What was the things, what were the L.A.? What was it like having restaurants? Was it just the rhythm? Well, yeah, it's a lot of, well, I mean, Asheville, where I'm at right now is, is dealing with, like, a real problem that a lot of, like, cool, small places are dealing with, which is there's a massive influx of people like me,

locusts just flying into the cities, with the agrarian fantasy and we're all coming here and like you know driving up the driving up prices also creating like a serious

problem with resources because it's you know these these cool small places they can't expand fast enough so you get a shit ton of us moving in and we all want this and that and stuff and work done on our freaking houses and all this stuff.

And it's like there's just isn't, there's not enough people here to accommodate it. You know, so you get this sad collision between people who are, I think, justifiably irritated. Mm-hmm. The fact that all of a sudden there's all these people,

there's more traffic than there's ever been. Right. It's increasing. So you get this kind of like, um, real xenophobia that's like rooted in a legitimate shit. and the ability to live in the way you were living in the place. Right.

On one side, then on the other side, you get people like us who are having these, like, insane expectations and somehow blaming it on the place that we moved to. Right. Like, in a really ridiculous kind of privileged way, which is like, what? Why aren't you suddenly, why don't you suddenly have, like, the best sushi on the planet? Why aren't you suddenly, why can you eat any second that I want, get, like, an incredible house cleaner and have my house, you know, have like additions put onto my house and all these, wait, why isn't this just happening right when you want it instantaneously? And so,

you know, one thing is smashing into the other, kind of like, selfish, privileged attitude, meeting a kind of small town protective xenophobia. Yeah. That creates a lot of sparks. Right. So that's got to be, yeah, so that's got to be some kind of, that's, so you kind of actually feel that tension as you're, it's not like an idyllic, if you were to go to even smaller place that wasn't so cool where a lot of people weren't going. I mean, Nashville's kind of, you know, that's on everybody's mind when they kind of have those fantasies. I'll get, but what if you went even smaller? What if you went to a place where there aren't a bunch of people from New York and L.A. moving in. Would that be too small? Well, look, I, I kind of thought about that because at one

point when we were looking for places and we were shell shocked from l.A. and the pandemic and we both were kind of freaked out by watching the city closed down and watching like all the problems that appeared yeah city and like you know just like having young kids trying to go to a playground you know a naked person's throwing a hatchet into the ground or whatever you're like what the fuck is this yeah it got it got scary for a beat yeah it did and so we were like we were prepper adjacent and really almost bought a compound up in the mountains. Thank God we didn't. We came within inches of buying a ton of land.

And we didn't do that. I'm so happy we didn't do that. But my feeling is, you know, maybe it would be better. But it would require a complete realignment of priorities. Yeah. Yeah. Things that you like. You like what you like.

Yeah, exactly. You like. Nothing wrong with what you like. Right. I know. I pass your place all the time because I drive down, I drive that way a lot to take my daughter to dance and stuff. And yeah, I miss having you over there. I miss knowing that you're in that space. Thanks. But it does kind of feel like you've been on vacation. It does feel like, oh, like I never thought, I thought you were staying. But in my mind, I was like, oh, he's going to, I wonder when he's, I wonder if he's home. I wonder if he's coming back. Yeah, that was, you know, yeah, I think what the other thing, you know, when we were first talking, that was during the pandemic.

Mm-hmm. And so there was this kind of natural isolation that was happening within the city. Yeah. And then in that natural isolation, I think I made the really idiotic, I thought something really dumb, which was, this is enough. Zooming with people will be enough. Why do I need to be in close proximity of anyone? We live in a new world where we can be separate and still be together. That's stupid.

There's so much dumb hubris and just what am I, a fucking alien? Like both my wife and I are like, what are we thinking? Yeah. At least she was pregnant. Right. She was having pregnancy hormones that were like, I want to go to a safe place. Sure. Hatch the baby.

Yeah, right, right. I don't know what I was thinking. Yeah. Well, no, you know, you weren't alone. A lot of people fled. I mean, you know, when you say like going to the comedy, doing your stand-up here and being with your friends, a lot of your friends are not here anymore. That's true.

Right? I mean, a lot of people, I mean, they show up often, though. That's the one thing I notice. Like, there's a lot of people. They were like, I'm out of here. Went to Nashville or Austin. And they seem to be in the Instagram of the comedy store weekly. You know what I mean?

They were all coming back. It's very interesting. All right. Do you want to be the most chill guy at the Hollywood holiday party? Not necessarily at Hollywood, but you want to enjoy yourself this year? You want to cut down on the stress? Look, we go run around and do the whole holiday dog and pony show. It's rough.

You know, you land someplace and you get rental cars and you go see your family one after another. There's no downtime. It's just dinner after dinner after dinner after chore, after getting presents and more parties and more presents and trying to squeeze in a couple emails here and there. It's a lot. It's a good celebration, but there's a price to be paid, and that isn't stress.

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Things change, but this is a good company and anybody that can make your life a little easier and go run for you to the store and leave you at home, drinking your martini, making your hot chocolate. and taking one element out of your day and making it easier, why not? Door dash.com. All right, guys, back to Duncan Tressel. Well, you know, this is a cheesy, this is a cheesy thing to say. But I think if you, this sounds really cheesy. I love cheese. L.A. either accepts you or rejects you.

This is superstition maybe. And if L.A. accepts you, it's not an easy kind of acceptance. but, you know, I know a lot of people, and I feel like I'm one of them where the city gave us a life and gave us a career and gave us, like, the ability to improve our craft until, you know, and so I feel very sentimental just about the city. Like, not just like the people who are there, but there's, you can get a kind of, I don't know how to put it, but like a, almost a weird, I don't know, love affair with the city, you know what I mean? and deal a real relationship to the city. I know that sounds cheesy. No, it's true. I mean, that's what you're going through right now,

is this relationship isn't really working out. It's like, I thought you'd were cute, and I thought this would work, and now you're both looking at each other, like, I mean, we could still be friends, but. That's what it is. That's exactly what it is. Right, yeah.

And now have to go back to L.A. and be like, are we cool? I knew you'd be back. There is something still, still. And this is, well, this kind of is where I always end up is I'm New York and L.A. Most of the time, my whole adult life. And then I see places like I did a show in Barry, Vermont, small little town, southern Vermont. It was like, so nice.

And you're walking around. You're like, could I? Could I? in breakfast here. There's a reason there's a hotel here. There's a reason there's Airbnb if I want to stay even longer. Yeah. Slide in, stay a bit. You don't have to live there. You don't have to up everything and move. You know, you can go visit these spots. That's right. But it is so seductive. These places are, and also, when you're there, you're usually there, you know, maybe you're doing stand-up, maybe you're there on vacation. But no matter what, you're the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the,

thing you're experiencing is so far away from, you know, six months into this day, eight months in, you know, when you've been doing it all of the six good restaurants. Right. Yeah. But which is why there's something incredibly beautiful about people who are, who have found, have harmonized with nature. Sure. And I'm asking for more and aren't, you know, on fire like people like us are.

I know. I know. But I have to say, like, even in, like, here we are in the holidays, and you're just doing, talking about the lights, I'm sure, I'm sure downtown Nashville is probably idyllic. I bet there's lights. I bet it's like this cool vibe. I bet the shops are all transforming into the holiday mode. It's got to be that cool country, Christmassy vibe to it, for sure. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, yeah. Yeah, for sure. I mean, what's cool about Asheville is it's a collision of, it's like, I don't know, someone took Portland and Seattle and then just smashed it together with a hallmark channel town. Yeah. You know, so it's like such a cool mixture of things, you know, you do have all of that stuff. But then also, like, you know, MoG, the company that makes some of the greatest synthesizers on Earth is here.

and, you know, like, probably like, I don't know for sure, but if I had to bet, I would imagine there's some, like, anarchist and environmental people here who most definitely are on the FBI's wanted list. You know what I mean? If I'd bet where they're at, you're going to try around here somewhere. You know, you get this whole mixture of, you know, so much here. So, yes, it is really. Yeah. And they all show me. And they all show up at the tree lighting.

Yeah, they do. Yeah, yeah, they do. Some are protesting. They're excited about it. But, yeah, you know, it's just, you know, I just think, for me, it's, what I've learned from this is, be who you, you got to be who you are. Like, I want to be harmonized with nature guy. I want to be beekeeper guy.

Right. not to be the guy who gardens or does puzzles. You know, I'm not. No. I mean, what you're describing actually could be a retired person. Like, you may get there in 40 years.

Yes. In 40 years, I'll get there. But, you know, I think maybe one of the reasons retired people are overjoyed by that. Yeah. Is because, like,

they are all medicated. Like, that's like infinite benzos, endless supply of ambient insanity. Well, that's where I always come back to also. Whenever I'm, like, fantasizing, like, could I live at the Jersey Shore? I love the Jersey Shore. It's beautiful being on the water, being at the beach.

And in the winter, everybody leaves. You're just, it's you and 20 other people left on the island. Could I do it? And I always come down to, yeah, I probably could. But I'd be really high. I would have to be so high all the time to stop the part of my brain that is active and wants to go do stuff. That's the secret. that's what we got to do.

I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do that. I can't be that high all the time. I got kids. No, you're going to get a call. Someone's going to need a ride. You're going to have to meet with a teacher.

You can't. Exactly. Every day, it's somewhat miniature, like, catastrophe. Right. Red alert. Yeah, you're a fireman. You're literally a volunteer fireman now for the next 16 years. That's exactly what it is.

Keeping the phone on, watching. just making sure, you know, especially with the kid with allergies, you know. Oh, my God. So what is the, what's the, in the house, in the house for the holiday celebrations? Uh, is there anything going on? Is there any cookie baking? Is there any cinnamon sticks on the stove filling the house with a, with a, with a, a warm holiday smell?

I love that. We're going to do this. This is what I'll give you our Christmas map right now. Okay. And I think you're going to be able to help me. make it cooler. So here's what we got. We got the Christmas tree.

Right. We've got stockings in front of the fireplace. Nice. We have lights out front. Nice. A collection of lights. And I felt the thing. My neighbor's lights are better than you're my wife.

And my wife keeps fucking talking about to people. Like I keep hearing, say, like, talking about him. Oh, he went up so high. And I saw I'm putting the lights up and I'm like jealous. I'm feeling like real. I know. Look at his snowflakes blinking. Yeah.

And yeah. And like I said to her, I'm like, I'll go up and put the lights up high. And she's like, no, you won't. You can't like it because she knows how clumsy I am. No, yeah, you're not going up there. No. Here's a solve I had for that is I went with. the bigger retro lights,

like the ones from like a Christmas story, like a 1950s house, like the beginning of all of this insanity. So if you go retro, a little vintage, you're supposed to be a little lame. You're supposed to be, you're not going to be,

you're not going to be Christmas vacation with a thousand lights and animatronics and all the rest of it. So if you kind of like lo-fi it, it's like we're vinyl. We're vinyl. I love it. I love that.

That's great. Maybe next year we'll do that. But my wife wants, she wants a hardcore. She wants hard. She wants basically like Coachella or Bernie. Downtown Disney. Yeah, she does want that. Like she was like we were in the morning in bed watching TV with the kids. She pulls up some YouTube video of someone's house.

It's honestly doesn't look that cool. It's just normal lights. And then all of a sudden some kind of music kicks in. And it's the most of the same shit you've ever seen. Everything sync to the music. And she looks at me. She's serious, by the way. There's no sarcasm.

She's like, I want that next year. Oh, no. $1,000 a month for the power bill. Like, not to mention, like, I don't know. I'm going to have to get, like, professional projectionists. I know. Yeah. And then store it in the off season.

Oh, yeah. You'd have to rent a storage unit. But, okay. That's good, though. you're going to have to up your game. I have to up my game. She's demanding it. So we've got Christmas tree.

We've got stockings, and we have all the toys that we're going to wrap and leave under the tree. But honestly, that's kind of real. Food? Well, as far as the food thing goes, it does get a little challenging because the forest has some allergies. So we have to figure out how to, like what, you know, what he can eat. So many things have, he's allergic to pea protein, lentils, eggs, and peanuts. So we have to like, just be careful.

Because that's the thing we don't want to happen during Christmas is to have to give him like an epi shot. Yeah, yeah. No, you don't want that. But there are a lot of, I mean, those things that you listed are not found in a lot of Christmas cookies. Yeah, right. It's true.

but the scary thing about it is like when you is because introducing new foods to a kid who has allergies just don't know and so you should be super careful we're figuring it out a little bit at a time it's just like got it we're just it's a slow roll out of like okay right pirate's booty and he can eat yellow mushroom pizza and he can you know but like the last time he had to get epied it was from that I want to make my kids life magical I don't know what happened.

I was late at night on Instagram and saw someone making ice cream. I was like, oh, I'm going to make ice cream with forest. I get this expensive fucking ice cream machine. I'm so excited. And you know the thing where you have like the dad fantasy? I'm like, here's what it's going to be like making ice cream with my kids. And it's the most transcendent, beautiful bonding experience. They're like, wow, you're making ice cream.

up at you. Wow. Look at my dad. This is look at him making ice cream. So I get this ice cream maker, throw in the ice cream, the ingredients, which are eggs. Uh-huh. Within like three minutes of watching this, he's like, I'm going to go in the playroom. And that's it.

You're alone making ice cream. Yeah, he didn't give a shit about making ice cream. So the ice cream gets made. Yeah. So good. I give him some. And then, Aaron and I go out,

my mother-in-law is there. So we go out on a date. And then within like, you know, five minutes after sitting down, it's in text. I think he's having a reaction. Oh,

no. Then you got to epi him. And then if you're going to epi a kid, you have to take them to the ER for observation. Like there's, that's the protocol because you just don't know. Right. So,

So anyway, it's like, or that puts you in a place. Right. You start getting really careful. Yeah, I would imagine. Yeah. No, absolutely. Any allergy parents listening to this, tweet at me what Christmas cookies are safe, if you know. Like, let us know.

Because that's the whole thing is you get this network of allergies parents that will tell you. Oh, this is good. This is good. And also, I'll tell you, we got the healthiest kids on earth because you don't, you know, we're You can't really take them to McDonald's or stuff. That's great. Yeah, no process stuff. Maybe one candy cane.

They can get one candy cane. Tell him the elf on the shelf said, you're allowed one candy cane and you decide when you can eat it. That's cool. Yeah, he can eat candy canes. We gave him, we give him bits of chocolate and stuff. And, like, you know, we've, because of his allergies,

he hasn't had a lot of candy. Right. For Halloween, we gave him candy that he could eat. Yeah. It was the crazy. as shit I've ever, I've never seen any, it's like, you would crazy? Me, when the Adderall kicks in or like, like, it's, it was, I've never seen, it was, it was, the transformation was so immediate, where it was, there was for us my son. And now all of a sudden, there's this thing that's just running back and forth, running back and forth in the kitchen, screaming, running back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

until he like fell down coughing breathing it was like it was crazy it's like he's in a dog run yeah yeah it was wild to see it's amazing our nervous systems are like melted candles you know like we've been throwing that shit in our bodies for our whole life right exactly yeah it's so true yeah you get a little cranky that's all that happens to us yeah it's a little cranky all right last question before we go about our day. Is there any grown-up thing during the holiday? Is there any scotch? Is there any cigars?

Is there any grown-up things that you crave? Whether or not you do them or not. Right. Yeah. You know, right, yes. Right now I'm doing a booze fast. So it's just, you know, yeah, whiskey. You know, my, my wife went to, our friends had a whiskey and, um, cookie party.

Right. And like, it was just like, and like, I wanted to go so bad. But I'm like trying to be out of this butt. So it's literally my, two of my favorite things on earth, by the way. So that would have been a, I would have really enjoyed that, you know. That's, that's all right to abstain. That's all right. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, I think that there's like, you know, over like the problem with the holidays is they last a long time a long time all the way to new year's eve and and so thanksgiving so yeah we have this chunk of hedonism right like right in the part of the year where if you're going to get fat that's where you're going to get fat because it's you know what i mean yeah so so it's it's it's a quarter of the year A quarter of the year. Yeah.

And so if you tell people, you know what, I'm going to try to like be healthy during this quarter of the year, it's kind of a bummer. Yeah. Maybe they didn't slack off the rest of the year. Maybe they exercise it. Uh-huh. They're excited. They're geared up. Yeah.

So I'm, I miss that. But on the other hand, I don't know. I don't really have. Yeah. Something like adult. I'll be honest with you. I hated Christmas until I had kids, Tom. I would get depressed around this time.

Right. I would just try to get as drunk or high as I possibly could to put myself into a coma and not like think about anything to do with anything. I celebrated my aloneness. And it was at the time I thought it was kind of heroic. But looking back on it, I feel like it was pretty tragic. Right. Well, you're getting through it. You're getting through it.

And this, now that you've got kids, this is a whole other world. This is, this is the thing about building a family. It's like, oh, okay, this isn't about me. I mean, the greatest thing about having children is it takes the spotlight off of you, finally. And puts it on someone else. It is, that is the joy of the thing. Yeah. And it's like that, you know, I'm so lucky because my wife is like very into Christmas, very sentimental.

and is like, you know, has been pretty much in charge of the festivities, but I'm kind of a Christmas illiterate. So can you recommend like some kind of adult thing that you do on Christmas that I could adopt, even if it involves booze, because I am not afraid of maybe like, yeah, a little drink or something. Well, yeah, I do believe one of the moments that I always fantasize about, and sometimes to pull it off and sometimes with the kids and the running around we don't pull it off. But because we had one night where the two of us just sat by the tree late,

everyone's asleep with a lagavulin, like a nice scotch. And you're not about to, you're not going to do like 20 of them, maybe one or two. But just the two of you, just taking a breath for like an hour just sitting and lights off around the place,

just the glow of the tree with a nice, Scotch. That's your vacation. That's beautiful. Yeah. Doing that. That's the coolest thing ever. I love that.

You're so cool. You really are, you're the coolest. I mean, literally, I was like, what am I going to do? For Christmas, as we're getting into this holiday season,

there was only literally, and I'm not blowing smoke. There was only one person that I was like, this is about like reconnecting with a friend and seeing somebody that you haven't spoken to in a while. And I was like, this was a dream come true. I was so excited to wake up and do this.

It's so, thank you. It's the best to chat with you. I cannot wait till we can hang out in person. Yeah. Yeah, next stop, Laga Vulin. Lagovoolin. And then next stop next year, you bring the kids over, and I'll have somebody to set the village up for.

Oh, yeah. They will love that. You will have a three-year-old. and a one-year-old who will freak out. It'll be perfect. All right, Duncan. Thank you so much, man. Merry Christmas.

Thanks, Thomas. Merry Christmas. All right, that's it. That's our final show for the year, everybody. Thank you so much for being here at Breaking Bread. You guys are the best. Thank you to Duncan Truzzle. A big thank you to him.

Have a good, healthy, happy New Year celebration. Ah, deep breath. enjoy your life and I'll see you soon.