Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 99 - Paul Virzi

Episode Date: April 5, 2022

The very funny Paul Virzi comes by and we bond over pepperoni and cheese. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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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.

Thank you so much for being here. We have an amazing show for you today. Very funny comedian and all-around good guy. Paul Verzi is on the program today. So funny, so great, so Italian. And we have a great conversation that you're really going to enjoy about all food, tradition, life, it just takes so many deep dives and so many great directions. And I knew when I sat down with him on my way to the program that just bringing out some pepperoni and some Parmesan cheese,

I would unlock the soul of Paul Verzi. And I did. It was very on point. And you'll, you'll hear why when we get into the conversation, you're really going to enjoy it. Thank you so much for being here. I'd also like to thank the people at Trade Coffee Partners with the country's best craft roasters. Trade coffee, they hook up with all of the country's best craft roasters that give you the freshest and best tasting coffee. I did it.

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Very cool. Thank you for being one of the sponsors on today's program. I also like to thank the good people at every plate. Every plate is America's best value meal kit. While most meal kits come with a premier price tag, every plate offers delicious dinners that won't break the bank. Try every plate for just $1.79 per meal. That's up to a $104 value.

Go to everyplate.com and enter the code Papa 179. Go to everyplate.com and enter the code, Papa 179, and start getting great, affordable meals to improve your life. So Paul Verze is a very funny comedian. You've seen him. Go to the YouTube if you haven't. He was part of Bill Burr Presents, I'll say this, on the Comedy Central. He's touring all over the place. He's got dates coming up in Tampa. and Buffalo and San Diego. He's just super funny. He has the Bill Burr seal of approval. I remember when Bill and him started working together years ago, and Bill actually introduced me to Paul. And Paul and I have had cigars in Montreal, and we've hung out a little bit, but to actually sit with him and be able to really

get into his story. And I just, it was one of those guys that you just have an instinct that you're going to be able to, with very little thought, just roll along into such a great conversation about family and food and the whole thing, all the stuff that we love. I mean, great comedian, great lover of food, great lover of family. It's a really good one. I really hope you enjoy it. He's so damn funny. So enjoy Paul Verzi. Thanks for being here. This is really great. Thank you for having. This was such a nice little treat to, uh... Dude, you're the best. So I appreciate you.

You're coming in. Now, I apologize. Okay. Because, and I will rectify this at some point. Yeah. But because we were doing this last minute, um, I didn't get to bake you bread. Okay. All right.

So, I know, I know. So, but I did stop at my favorite Italian market. Okay. And, uh, and, and, and I just decided, let's just throw all Italian at you. Okay. Uh, so you got some salami and some, uh, parmesan. John, this is a bread you can eat now or take with you. And then as a...

I really appreciate that. And then as a backup, because you know these, right, from your childhood. Yeah, I mean, you kidding me? Come on, right? Oh, my God. Yeah, the Toroni. You want to laugh as soon as I got here and I said hi to you. I couldn't even take my eyes off to cheese.

I saw you and I said hi and thank you. And then when you see a piece of cheese like this, because I grew up like this. I know. It's impossible. Exactly. So you're Sicilian as well, right? My father's 100% Sicilian. Do you know where?

Yes. Yes. It's a little village right outside of Taramina. Some of the beautiful beaches in the world. Oh, my God. Okay? My grandmother came here from Sicily, 10 years old, didn't speak a lick of English, and, you know, they just kind of settled in near the Bronx.

Uh-huh. And, you know, the rest is history. But this is my dad's snacks. Like, there was no. Oh, my God. Yeah, like, my dad's snacks were meats and cheeses. Right. people would be, other people would just have like, my dad's like, no, no, no, we're going to have

sharp provolone chopped up. There was like chujut and soup asada. Yeah, and maybe some olives. Yeah, and, you know, you just, yes, olives with garlic. Yeah. And then he would get the, um, the, the, um, the Mitzidel balls in the, in the water. Uh-huh. And just, and that would be, just eat them. So I would be like 10. And my friends would be like, what is, what is that? Opening up your lunchbox. Taking out a white napkin. That's the best part about being Italian is, yeah, your, your, your palate and taste buds. So young. I know.

You're hitting these things that like, how many eight-year-olds are eating prosciute on a, you know, like kids have fruit roll-ups? I know. Your hands are greasy. I literally, I took a picture. Let me show you. I wanted, because I wanted, because this thing, like, whenever anybody tells me, like, you should, like, be vegetarian or you should not eat certain things or whatever, it's like, this beats all of it. When you walk into that Italian deli. and the cheeses and the pepperonies and all the stuff is hanging from above.

And the sausages, yeah. I mean, you can't compete with that. If you walked in like that as a child. Right. Well, this is a true story. My mother, my parents got divorced. My parents were to, it was brutal, actually.

How old were you? I was five. My brother was 10. And I'm not trying to talk bad about my parents. I love both of them dearly. I'm close with them. Yeah. Or my dad, you know, my dad didn't have that much time.

with the court, the courts only gave my dad eight hours on Sunday and three on Wednesday. No. And it was a, I mean, it was like textbook, like how not to handle the divorce kind of. It was in the 80s and my dad's Sicilian. Right. So my dad's, I mean, so it was like against everything. Oh my God. And he was just like, I can't believe this.

You know, I do a joke in my act where I just like, come here, boys. Let's talk about this divorce your mother did. You know, because he was like, that wasn't him. It wasn't him at all. He wasn't him at all. He couldn't even fathom it. Oh, my God. So I lived with my mother.

I live with my mother and stepfather. And one time, my mother and I go to the grocery store. And I'm just around high school. And I was kind of going through a tough time because we had moved. Right. I moved a lot, you know? And I think that's kind of why my comedy and storytelling really came about because I kind of used that. Because when I'd be new, people would go, he's funny.

Listen to him, tell the story. So that was kind of my thing. Your thing. Like my thing or my defense, maybe. Did you either of your parents have that skill? Were they? No, but oddly. oddly, man, even though they're very different,

SNL would always be on. Johnny Carson were always beyond. My father took me to see Dangerfield at Radio City when I was like nine. No. The one that got me, though, the one that got me, Tom Bigg was in 1987, Eddie Murphy Raw

came out in theaters. And my grandmother and mother were like, you can't take him to that. And I was like, Dad, and he did. And I remember being like, that was the one. That was the big one. I'm in the theater. I'm a little kid, and I'm watching this guy

in a leather suit saying all this. wild stuff and he's talking about his drunk dad and not allowing the mother to leave the house and and the you know the the ice or the burger his grandmother made him the burger with and i remember like even the jokes i couldn't understand when he would talk either sexual or whatever because i'm nine yeah but i just remembered like you put painted that picture impact yeah and that hit me hard um so my mother takes me grocery shop in one time and i'm around high school and we get in the car and she looks at the receipt and she says uh I don't see the sharp provolone is not on the receipt

I had stole it I put a hunk of sharp prop like I was literally like I think a freshman in high school or no no eighth grade so I was like 13 and we go in there and my mother goes did you she goes this is a $12 hunk of cheese did you she goes you're gonna go back in there and I go come on don't make me go back

she's like you put sharp provolent but it was because when I would visit my dad right because my mom wouldn't eat that because my mother was Greek and like there wasn't that So the small visits of my dad were this. Right. Was this. Right.

So in his fridge. So she's like, she's like, this is 12, you just stole $12. So she made me like promise to never do it again. She didn't make me go. She didn't make me go back. She almost, I like really pleaded. Yeah. And I was like, because what if they arrest?

Like, you know, I kind of painted the picture like I did something. I never did it again. But I mean, I was stealing sharp pro bono at 13. To bring it to your dad. To make sure you had a good time. Yeah, like, but that would be proud. He couldn't get mad when she told him. He wasn't mad. Well, that's the thing. I mean, there's family roots to this stuff.

Yes. There's just that you can unravel. There's no way. It's impossible. It is. It is. It's embedded. And even qualities that my father have good or bad, it's amazing that you can see what you have in your mom and what you have in your dad. Yeah, I know. We all are part of that. Like, your kids are part of you and your wife as Lucas and Sophia are part of me and Stacy. It's crazy. Yeah. Do you have, does your dad have a... a temper? No, my dad is, no, my dad is, my dad is, my dad is weird, though, he's mellow, but my dad is like,

like, my dad does, like, root for the bad guy in movies. Like, he's one of those where he's just, like, good, like, a very against the grain. Right. Like, like, good. No, I hope that, yeah, he does that. What was his job? What did he do? He was, uh, he was in, um, he had his own company that sold car insurance. Okay. And then he was also in real estate. Right. But it's funny. My dad's a street kid from the Bronx, but he's educated and smart. Like he went to University of New Mexico, all A's, then came back, went to Iona and New Rochelle and did great. But he also has that, the, like, mob guys would approach my dad, or at least I, because I would be like in a diner. Because he's 100% Sicilian, so you know what that means. They know that and it's like

that whole pure blood thing like in Goodfellas is real. Right, exactly. He hasn't been tainted by any Germans. Right. And they could trace you back and all that. I remember we'd be like eating in a diner and there would be like an old guy with like those glasses, the shaded glass. And like he would just like go like this and my dad, our thing was picked up. And I would be, my dad would be like, oh, he paid for and I would be why. And I didn't understand. Right. But he always would say like, don't get involved in that.

Oh, really? Don't ever get involved in that. Without even having to define what it was. He just knew like as I started to get older and knew he would go like those, you know, it's an uneducated thing and it's not smart. So he would always, my father and I have a unique relationship where he wasn't. in my life that much as I wanted because of the divorce. And there was some, you know, there was back and forth between him and my mom. It got ugly.

Yeah. He always would say, don't do drugs, don't commit crimes, don't be with bab. He would always say things. He would like, sometimes he'd be, like, irresponsible and say things he shouldn't say. Right. Because he wouldn't talk to me and my brother Christian like we were kids. He would talk to us like we were adults. Uh-huh.

And he would just always, you know, he'd be like, hey, you know, your mother, like, you went, you know, the devil invaded our family. He said, I was like, what? I mean, what is it? I live with the devil? Like, you know. Is that how it went down that she met someone else? Well, they split.

And then my stepfather came into my life when I was five and they're still together. Right. So my dad just didn't, you know, if I'm being honest with you here, the cheese got me going. But I'm just telling you the truth. Like, that's really what happened. And, but he would say, Tom, he would be like, don't ever do drugs. You're going to need your mind. He said some things that really came to pace.

He said to me one time, you're going to need your mind in life. and the drugs takes away your brain, so don't, and it's kind of funny. What's a simple way to put it. You know, yeah, he's like, and he's like, because you do drugs, you ruin everything, and then you can't even work. And like, now I'm a comedian that, you know, has to think, and we think on our toes, and we have to see the world. So thank you.

So he did in some weird way do that fatherly thing in the short time that we were together. Was it hard for you? Five is such an early, also formative age. Yeah. When did you, were you angry for a while? Were you like, no, I was really, I was insecure and scared. I was insecure and scared because I thought things were happening to my mom. Right.

You know, I was worried that something happened to my mom. My dad was like this outside thing and it wasn't really a warm civil break. Right. So me and my brother were kind of just caught up in the middle. Yeah. And again, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to my parents and we, I've talked to them about it. They've appellate like, hey, we wish, you know, and to be honest with you, Tom, I look at it. Like they were young too.

You know, they're in like, you know, they're in there like probably mid to late 30s or 30s when this starts to go down. Right. And they're kind of, you know, now I see how I was at 30 and they kind of, and it's the 80s divorces. And no, no. My mom just wasn't happy. My dad's saying horrible things. My mom, you know, you know, combating that. Right.

And me and my brother, Christian, were like, what are we? All right, we're just going to. Yeah. But it sucked, you know, this Christmas with this one. And then if you're late at this holiday, why are you taking, why are you there longer? Even if they didn't say that you felt it. And hey, when are you going to be here? And me and my brother had to deal with that.

Yeah. And how old are your brother? Your brother's... My brother Christian is five years older than me. Five years older. So he's like the little man now. He kind of took a lot of bullets for me. Right.

You know, he kind of took a lot more. Because I have like vivid memories of my parents together, but I was five. Yeah. So it was tough, but I was afraid. I had a lot of insecurity. And I started to develop anxiety young. Uh-huh. My first real episode, I was like in grade school and I had to say to my mom, like,

what, my mom deals with anxiety. Uh-huh. And she had to say, like, look, you're panicking for, and, but I was a kid, I would act out. Yeah. Because I didn't. You didn't know what's going on. No idea. Yeah.

You're just this little ball of emotion being formed and. Yeah. So I would do something stupid with friends like act out or do something. Right. You know, oh, yeah, I'll drink that sip of beer at like 12 just so people would laugh and think I'm cool. Yeah. Now I'm old enough to realize why I did it. Right.

Of course. You know. Were grandparents around? Yes. Grandparents. On both sides? Grandparents were around. My grandfather, my mother's father, which is my babuli is Greek for grandpa.

Right. And Yahya is the grandmother. Yeah. So my Greek grandmother, Yaya, she lived until a year and it's almost, two years, 99. Oh, wow. But my grandfather passed away at 66 when I was like seven. And me and him were close. Oh, God.

My other grandparents, my father's, uh, parents were around for most of it. So five in, they're split, and then seven, you lose him. Yeah, there was, I remember. It's a tough little run. That's funny you bring that up because I remember being at his, as, his, you know, he taught me how to ride a bike. He would take us to the movies.

He was really great. Yeah. And he was funny, too. His name was Gustin, but they called him Gus. And my grandmother was very proper and the hair done even when she never left the house. You know, like that generation of like everything. It was house immaculate hair done. And he would just bust her chops like they'd be in a supermarket.

And he'd be like, yeah, my love machine over here. She's wild. And she would be, oh, my God. You know, like he was like a goofy, fun guy. Yeah. And everybody says I was very similar to him. But at his wake, I was in the back room where they have like the chairs. And I was acting out.

And people said it was almost like my first show. Oh, really? I was like standing on chairs. I was doing things. And I don't know if I was acting out because I was nervous or scared. But the first time I'm around death. Yeah. And my mother was erect because her father was young, only 66.

And I was just this kid. And I remember the neighbors laughing going, wow, this kid's wild here. But I think it was something hit me. Yeah, no, I remember early death things where it was, I was literally just thinking of when my aunt had died. And she was young. She had complications. And I remember, like, being at the lunch after. And I was making jokes like, no.

nonstop. I was like, I literally was thinking this the other day. And it was like, it was totally a defense. Like, everyone was being like respectful and, you know, you're supposed to have a nice time after, but not like a big boisterous time. And I was with my cousins just like letting it rip and making these jokes about that song Sky Pilot. I remember. And I'm like, you know, and you feel a little shame like, what was I doing? But you were coping. You were trying to just get through it, you know, and that's how we learned to navigate through life. It's like, yeah, get chatty, avoid it, turn it into something else. Yeah, and you get on stage and then you get that acceptance and all of a sudden you're doing something that's difficult that not

many people do and you're getting acceptance and you're good at it and it gives you some sort of like validation. So maybe when I was little and I saw Eddie Murphy on that screen, maybe part of me was like, oh, like, I can do that. Maybe I should do, you know, and then you did to find out that he was kind of a little recluse and a little shelter. Like a lot of these talented, talented people have that. But I was talking to somebody yesterday about this. And the same thing we're talking about is when something happens when you're young. Yeah.

And you need something else. Angry people and people that are upset, you know, I did this acting thing and I was talking to people in makeup. And I was talking and I said it, you know, and they were like, thank you so much for you're so nice. And I'm going like, well, what, what does everybody else do? Exactly. And then I said, like, do you have pain in the asses coming here? Do you have, and they were like some, and just people being mean or like, why did you do my makeup like that? And it's all projection.

Always. It's just. So it's fear. And those people are, those people are like, remember when we were, I don't know if you remember this, but remember like in early hip hop or not early hip hop, but I remember the 90s it was there was a big thing. What are you looking at? Why are you looking at? Why are you looking at? There was a very like, what the hell is he looking at?

Uh-huh. But it was like somebody said, it might have even been Jay's egos, they don't want you to see them in their scared thing. Right. So when you look at somebody and they're like, hey, what do you, why you look at it? It's because they're scared. Right. Exactly. 100%.

And they think you're seeing that. Right. And it makes them combative. And it always amazes me that what you go through in the mind, like in your mind when it starts to develop is who you're going to be or at least a big part of it. Yeah. And that it scares me with my kids. So I'm always, I chose not, I don't slap my kids, I don't hit my kids. Right.

It's just something that me and Stacy, going back, me and Stacy, you're like, we should have, maybe a little thing. Yeah, I know. I always say that at least they should think you might. You never even have to do it. The possibility of the fear. But yeah. Yeah.

The one time, I remember the one time my daughter, and we didn't do it either. And the one time, like, my daughter was just being really rough to my wife, dinner. Like, they were, like, they were. little, you know, which she was really going off. And my, her, my wife was offended and her. And I took my daughter by the arm and marched her down the hallway and had her sit down by the bed. Just that. And it wasn't in a violent way. It was just like, you know, big, much bigger person, taking the little person. Just doing that and putting her down and like, and she's crying. And I was kind of like upset. The next morning, we both had like, like the flu. We both were sick.

just from the stress of like, this was so far into us. I was such a wreck. You hurt you. That I completely fell apart. Wow. Yeah, it was horrible. My daughter was being just unreasonable and part of me wanted to do exactly what you just said. Yeah.

And she's like, she let me have a bond. And part, she was just being unreasonable. I don't care this and that. And like, I don't care that I'm wrong. Yes. I don't like that. Just the test. And I wanted to grab her from like under her on.

and do the drag and sit down like you did. And I wanted to, but my son, my son has almost admitted, like there was a couple times where he should have been spanked. And what's hard with my son, Lucas, is he's so, both of them are incredible students, but he's like a good athlete, but he's respectful. He's a good student, like he's a, he's never not made, all through junior high high high honor roll. Right.

Never. Yeah. math comes to, it's like he looks at math, it's just easy. Yeah. 97's without trying. Amazing. So he's like, and he's respectful to his elders. But to us, he'll say things and do things.

And we can't say that's why you're doing bad at school. We can't say you're not respectful to elders or you're not going to. Teachers write us a note going. He's one of the most delightful kid we've ever had. And then he'll just be like, sometimes just say stuff. And you're like, my wife is like, and my wife is definitely tougher discipline than me. I am, what you see is what you get. I am easy going, man.

Drives my wife nuts. Like, I'll tell you, actually, she won't be mad at me for telling this. So we all have finance guys, right? You have a finance guy that does all your stuff and you get to lower, you're counting and all that. And I'm laying in bed. And I just like to chill. I'm chilling. I'm just, you know, and Stacy goes, we are guys on the phone for the account for the taxes.

Okay. I go, and, you know, we had a little better year. So it was anticipated. that we would owe more. Uh-huh. And he goes, yeah, guys, and we're on speaker. And he just starts saying, like, what we owe. Uh-huh.

I totally expected it. Right. And she's just, and she starts to, like, get our eyes water. And, like, she starts to get a little upset. And I'm like, what do you? And then, so we get off the phone and I go, like, can you stop panicking? And she got, what do you mean? And she said, oh, you're so notchling.

I go, we made more money. We're paying more taxes. And it's going to be fine. She's so organized and, like, used to, you know, we both didn't grow up. rich. Right. You know. Yeah.

And you know. You get those big bills. You're like that we're going to be behind. It's panic time. She was like, things were easier when we were broke. And I'm like, can we just, and I'm just hanging out. Like, can we just, listen, the more money is means that we're making more, everything is good. But that's who my wife is.

She's very, she can get that little. Well, don't you feel that it's your job actually is the father and the husband is almost just, it's going to be all right. We're going to, it's going to be okay. It's almost like let everybody know. even if you have moments that you don't feel that way or whatever, either there's sickness or who know, whatever hits you, you have your moments,

but it's kind of your job to buck up and be like, it's going to be all right because probably will be. I agree with that 100%. I think that even sometimes if I question something that could be a little scary. Right. I'm still going to be like, look, whatever is going to be, we're going to get through it.

Yeah. And that is also who I am. Right. So, and my wife is not, my wife is, I mean, organized, very, very intelligent. I mean, it's like she's incredible, but she's very much like, this has to, like, this has to have, where they're going to? She's, I mean, she's so, she wants to be four or five steps ahead. Right. And I'm like, let's be maybe one or two. Right. Or let's not pay attention

at all. Let's let let let's not pay attention. Let's just, let's go get some cheese and relax. Yes. I'm very big on like, like, you know, not to, not to get this dark, but you know, you know my my my he wasn't my manager at the time that he was killed but david kimowitz who was part owner of the stand yeah yeah he was he was murdered and it was brutal and he had these two beautiful little girls and a beautiful wife and he was managing comedians and he was half owner of one of the biggest best new clubs in new york he had every house down at lBI and he just everything and and i get to chills thinking about because he was taken so senselessly so i think do you my me asking what the circumstances were. Yeah, the circumstances with that was the nannies,

the nanny had an issue with the boyfriend. Oh, right. And the boyfriend came from the nanny. And the boyfriend, like, was there. And luckily, luckily David's family was not there. Right. They were down at that. But, but, you know, she, I guess they wanted to have a talk and he was like, listen, I'm tired and I got somewhere to be tomorrow and blah, blah. And then he just came in and all this violence happened. God. And it's, and it was just, like, the crossfire of this passionate thing. Right, where it was just like, and it, and it gutted me. Yeah. It really, really gutted me.

But I could, I could tell you, I could tell you that, well, I'll go back to that. Okay. I, I always use that. And I, you know, I've even said to Stacey, and she got mad one time, but I'm like, you know, Stace, like, things, horrible things happen and people get sick. And I was like, we're healthy. Our kids are healthy. You know, we're both making a decent living and our kids are healthy. Like, life is really good.

And it doesn't get her upset when I say that because she's like, yeah, but things need to be done, which I get. Right. But I always go to the bigger grand scheme. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I know sometimes people like that can be annoying. Yeah, if you're not built that way, it is. Yeah, like if you're not, she's not built to be like, oh, we'll see what happens. Right, right.

And I'm, listen, things are good now. Yeah. Bills are paid. We're good. But she's kind of, let's be a step ahead. Let's get in front of this. Right. You know, like if I told you.

Because, you know, it's funny about that is you're both right. You're both right. Right. Like, okay, this moment is really great. Holy cow, what a day. Let's son, the kids, the thing. And you also, and she's also right. Well, what's around the corner? And there's going to be obstacles coming. And we, you know, so there is that thing. That's why you're married. If it was two of either one of you, it would be horrible. It would be a big problem. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if we got like five million dollars in cash today, she would go, she would plan every, like, I'd be like, we're going to literally take the weekend to just understand that we have five million dollars cash that we've. Did not have, but her mind would be, okay, so we're going to get an IRA then, and we're going to do, all right, so the kids college. And I'm just like, and I'm like, let's just enjoy the, like, can we go like to a beach house for a couple of days and like get some champagne and talk about it? Yeah, can we go buy something stupid? Let's buy something stupid.

Yeah, let's buy something that we shouldn't buy, eat some cheese, drink some wine, and then make the decision. I don't want a pool table. You don't want a pool table. Let's buy a pool table. We don't need a pool table. And I don't even like pool. That's great. Oh, that's great.

So you'll get a kick out of this because you're, because obviously you have the mind, the comic. So when David, when that happened to David, and I was really, it was brutal and I was sick for like a week. Yeah. I didn't get on stage or anything. And then I go down to the city because somebody was like, there's no way to make this funny,

but I know David likes dark kind of stuff. So I'm down in the city and I was with my way. And the guy sees me and he says, hey man, I'd love for you. He was a younger comic. I'd love for you. If you want to jump on the show and do seven minutes, that'd be great. My wife goes, you know what?

You haven't been up. You've been kind of down. Why don't you go up there and tell a couple jokes? And I go, all right. So the guy says to me, yeah, I said, thank you so much for putting me on. I said, you know, it's been a, it's just having kind of a rough thing. And he goes, well, if you don't mind me asking, what happened? And I said, well, a friend of mine, you know, was, you know, stabbed to death in his home, him and his nanny.

And the guy just goes, been there. I go, I go, no. And I just. It was so funny because it was like getting, it was like he got a parking ticket on fifth, like a speed trap. Like, like, and it actually made me feel better. And I know David would appreciate that because he just goes, been there. And like, how many, first of all, how often is this happening?

And he just made it like, and that actually made me feel better. And that's the beauty of what we do. Yeah. Yeah. Something like that. Totally. And then a guy goes, been there. Just the way he did it.

The release. It's a release. Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah. 100%. And it's, there is that thing. It's like, it doesn't really matter how heavy your, your load is when you're little. You're little and you're emotional and you're, you're aware of everything, especially if you have the ability to be a comedian, you're like this little antenna

that's open to everything. So you're receiving all this stuff. And some of it can be really heavy and some of it can just seem heavy to you at the time. Yeah. And we get this, every comic I know has this one thing of like, it doesn't matter how heavy the big grown-up things come at you when you're an adult, you will, like a jujitsu, like you will make this funny and put it in perspective and get through it. And it's a, it's kind of a, it's kind of a gift. I think people around this sometimes, um, want us to be more sincere about stuff at times. But I think that that, and it definitely is a way to deflect. But it's, kind of a great way to live

because it's not all that serious. Right. And that's a really good point you make Tom because maybe that's what I did at my grandfather's wake. Right. Right? So, and I think that that's kind of what happens. And there is funny in everything

if you just do it. I mean, Carlin did a rape joke and people like, how's it funny? And he made it. And women are laughing. Right. You know, you can find something because if it's done correctly and it's done cleverly, you're actually making fun of the lunacy of it. Yeah.

You know? The pain, the lunacy, diffusing it. I was just talking about this before, so, you know, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but somebody was like, I was like, the fact that it's terrible that Asian people are being punched because of this. It's crazy. Right. So, you know, a couple of my friends are, you can't do a joke about that.

And I'm like, of course you can. There's got to be. So I went on stage and I found a way to do a bit on it and Asian people in the crowd are banging the table laughing. Because if you, first of all, if you pay for a ticket and to see comedians, okay, we're talking about the lunacy. So if I make a joke about it, I'm saying how crazy and stupid does the person that's punching. Right. But we're going to make a joke and make light of it just so people, you're at a comedy show and it kind of releases.

And you're saying we're all in this together. We're all together. There are forces that are not and they're not here and then partaking in the joy that we're going to find in our common ground. Yeah. You know? Yeah. No, it's, it's, you're, you're one of the guys that like, because when I was coming up, you were at, I remember seeing you at the cellar. Uh-huh.

And we were talking about this the other day, how comedians now can be doing it for like, not to knock anybody, but you could do it for six, seven years and like, get a special. Right. But I remember when I started comedy, guys like you and, and Geraldo and Burr and guys were in the business 15 years and then got a, or like, oh, a decade. and then got a half hour, right? Yeah, exactly. Where it's like different now. Yeah. You know?

Yeah. But I love that because the seasons guys that have tested and 10 years turns into 15 and 15 years into 20. Yeah. And then you see things happen. That's how I came up in comedy. Right. And I think guys that that do that are able to take something that's darker because you're more skilled. You're just have the experience.

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And you're bouncing around now between these homes. Yep. What was, so you've got Greek in there. You've got Sicilian in there. You got those, your Greek grandparents. Yeah. What was the main happy cuisine? What was the main happy food at the holidays?

So, so my mother rebelled against my grandmother, so she did not go hard with the Greek because my grandmother went too hard with it. Oh, really? Yeah. Her mother? Yes. Right. My, my, Iya, was very much.

Greeks are the best. Like she would see a good singer on TV, but he must be Greek. It could be like Lionel Richie. She'd be like, he's Greek. He's like, yeah, he's not, I don't know. Look at his hair, you know. She was just like that. And Greeks had to marry Greeks.

That's a very big thing. So when my father's parents, my grandparents on my father's side came over, there was a little bit of a, you know, they obviously didn't say anything, but my mom told me like there was a problem. They're not. They're not Greek. So, yes, there's, you know, the spinach pies and all the stuff that you would get at a Greek restaurant was there. But on my dad's side, it was like my Sicilian grandmother made meatballs that I still, as I'm telling you now, I know how they taste.

Right. That's how it was just a meatball that I, it's a meatball that I just can't. I've had like maybe two different places close, but could never duplicate her meatball. Really? And the sauce weighted overnight, so the fat rises to the top and she scrapes it off. Oh, my God. I mean, her lasagna. So that was just.

And you got to see her pretty often? Well, every Sunday. Right. We would, Sundays, my dad would pick me and my brother up. And instead of going to a restaurant, we'd go to a restaurant sometimes. Yeah. But a lot of times we would go to my grandma's house so she could see us. And she would have the pasta and she would make the meatballs and all that.

And it was a special thing. Yeah, no kidding. I mean, talk about making the most out of that Sunday Wednesday visit. Yeah. It was eight. It was from noon to eight on Sunday and from five to eight on. So we would do dinner. on Wednesday, but that Sunday, and another thing my dad was big on movies. So we would go to my

grandmothers, we would eat around like one o'clock, we'd have a big Italian thing, we'd be done by two, and then we would probably, we would go to the movies. Oh, that's good. So that's where the Eddie Murphy Raw, right, right. A fond memory that I have is we saw the untouchables. Remember the untouchables? Oh, God, yeah. One of my, one of my all-time favorites. We loved it so much that me, my dad and brother, we just sat and waited for another show. Oh, really? They ran it back. The same thing. They just ran it back and we just watched it twice because you showed my dad was in the next. And like those are some fond memories that I have.

Yeah, sitting in a theater for five straight hours just to watch. Yeah, that was a great one. I remember that. Oh, ma'am. It's funny when you say one o'clock and then you're done by two, I've been doing this thing where I cook every Sunday for my family. Okay. And I've been trying to perfect my meatballs and I'm getting there.

But I keep moving it early. earlier in the day. Like, there's something great about Sunday. Like, I'm right now at like four to five o'clock, like four, so you're done around five. And the whole night's yours, you know, you're not doing dishes late into, you can just really relax into the evening. But when you, literally when you said one to two, I'm like, huh, that's a pretty good idea, too. Yeah. One to two. You start smelling it around like, you know, one and then like you sit down around 1.30. Yeah. And then by like, two 30, you're so full, but you're like, have that, you know, you have that relaxed. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And then you'll just go and snack a little later. But the only problem with this scenario is that you need a, you need someone in the family who is your grandmother getting up at nine and just living in the kitchen all day. But they love it, though. They totally. And they're built for it.

That's their day. 100%. Like the kitchen is where they make their moves. And so, knowing that you're coming, that your little face is coming and you're going to down those meatballs, forget it. And they love watching the pleasure. That's one of me and my older brother, my older brother Christian has such an amazing,

amazing sense of humor. Yeah. Like we still, to this day, yesterday we did it. We will always text about naked gun and airplane. If somebody doesn't think naked gun or airplane is funny, I can't. I mean, those are two of the greatest.

You can't relate to them. Oh my God. So it was David Zucker. Yeah. David Zucker. So I did the impractal Joker's cruise, right? Uh-huh. Not to get off topic, but I met him.

I met him. Wow. And I'm talking to him. And we start having a good talk. Yeah. And then Bobby Kelly gets off the elevator and sees me. And all of a sudden, me and David Zucker are having this amazing moment. And Bobby just goes, what?

You don't say hi, dude. What is he famous? And he just starts, and I'm going, no, dude, it's airplane. Bobby. Dude, Dick, it's airplane. It's airplane. And he was just kind of busting chops. Yeah.

But it was just like, no, dude. And then that made him go, whoa. Like, what's with your friends? And I'm going, you just ruined. I was about to have this epic, and he, like, wanted to talk. We're about to, like, board the ship. It's like, on the impractical Joker's crews, we're about to board the ship or get shuttle to the ship. And I'm talking to David Zucker before this cruise starts.

I could run into him now at the casino. I'm going to ask her, and Bobby, what is this? Who is that? And I'm going, oh, my, Bobby. I mean, me and Bobby got it. Perfect timing. Yeah, perfect timing. But my older brother Christian has a really great, like, sense of humor.

Oh, that's great. And it's, dude, he's just like, we have the. But I lost, what got me to that? Well, you said, going to the movies, no. Oh my God, I want to, yeah. So Christian has a really good sense of humor. And we always, to this day, text about, like, naked gun and airplane.

We're just saying this the other day. Yeah. Yeah, it was something, it was something about how like my brother, you know, he did. He took a, he took a. When you guys were eating with your grandmother? You got me. You got it. So me and my older brother who has an incredible sense of humor, we love watching Italians eat.

Because the pleasure, thank you for bringing me back here because you're going to love this. The pleasure of watching an Italian, specifically a fat one, eating, watching somebody fat enjoy food is really, it's a pleasure. It is. It's like watching Jordan, if you like basketball, it's like watching Jordan hit like just a pure jumper. Yeah. Watching. So we are at Yankee Stadium and we see. see this heavy set Italian kid and you didn't have to, we didn't have to be told he was Italian. Right.

He made me look Polish. Right. This kid was Italian and he's sitting there, not huge, but just bulky. Yeah. And I don't know how, I don't know where they sold it, Tom, in the stadium. Where he could buy. He's got this chocolate glazed donut. So it was either a crispy cream.

And me and my brother watch him. It was one of the biggest bites. It was one of the, it was one of the single biggest bites of a donut. but any more of the mouth opening and the thing is going down. The whole thing goes down. And he's chewing it and there's just like a chipmunk. There's this thing.

And we're just watching his face and he's looking at the baseball game and he's chewing with pleasure. Just joy. With the pleasure and joy. And my brother and I are like hitting each other crying. And the guy could care less if there was like grease or chocolate. He's having a moment.

He's watching his Yankees with a chocolate glaze, crispy cream half in his mouth. And we were just like, that is the Italian, because we, this matters, dude. Right, exactly. I was just going to say, like, I bet you if you had the opportunity to ask that guy, tell me about the donut. My grandmother used to make the best donuts in the basement in Newark. Like, he would have a connection to it.

And we're the only, I think one of the only cultures that will make our own wine. I got friends that hang sausage from the garage. Right. Even like my, I have friends that are Greek, but they don't, you know, they're not, they're not their own spinach. I got friends that make their own wine. Really? Oh, they'll make their own wine. Where? They make, um, they got the barrels in their home. In what, what coast? Oh, New York. In New York? In Westchester County. Really making their own wine? Do you know, uh, you know Dom Mardosie? No. He was in, um, you would know Dom. He was in the Irishman. He was in the wire. Do you watch the wire? Oh, yeah, yeah. He was the cop in the wire. Did you ever watch Entourage? Yeah. He was the bald friend Dom. Dom. And on to us. You know what I'm talking about. He's amazing. He's a great actor. Big HBO guy. Yeah, he's a great actor. He's a great actor. And, uh, yeah. So, um,

And your buddies with him? And he would go, yeah, yeah. So, uh, I did a, I did a small part on King of Staten Island. I played Pete Davidson's dad on King of Staten Island who got killed in a fire, but they cut it because, uh, Judd Apatow, they changed the, they changed the, they changed the, opening scene of Pete trying to hurt himself in the car. Right. Kind of made my, they didn't want to go too heavy. Got it. So, so. So, And it sucked because it was a great thing, but I met Dom there. Okay. And Dom was one of the firemen in the movie.

So I went to his house and his guys. I bring him wine, you know? And he goes, oh, thanks. He goes, try mine first. And it was incredible. It was. And he's got big barrels. He posts on Instagram of him and his fiancee stirring sauce.

And he, like, it's the only, I don't know, all my other friends that are other things other than Italian, don't do that. I know. We're the only people that we love it so much. We're like, I can't even. wait. I'm just going to learn to make it. I know that's literally what I've been doing with this bread thing. For like, it's been years of me. I have

barrels of flour in my kitchen. My wife is like, why is this in here? And I literally caught myself the other day like, what am I doing exactly? Like, I can't stop making bread. I can't stop making it. I love it. I love the smell.

I love the whole of it. All that stuff you're talking about of like, I'll just do it myself. So you, yeah, like, you basically are doing what he does with wine and homemade pasta you just love it's funny pandemic turned comics into like bakers there's like comics like making like knitting yeah derosa has a whole sandwich shop now yeah right yeah i that's the one positive thing about the pandemic yeah kind of let you know i feel like comics were on a hamster wheel we're on a hamster wheel before this yeah because it was like we got it we're gonna go do spots right we got to do this or well i haven't been up and then it's like

Well, I've also been doing this for a long, long time. And I remember I wasn't up for like five months, like everybody. But I got caught. Me and my whole family had COVID early. We had COVID early. Oh, you didn't? The March version? 2020 March.

When they called it Corona. Not only 2020 March. Like day, like I'm not joking. I joked on stage. I said, like we got it like we were waiting for an album to drop. Like online at midnight. March 11. Like we were waiting and I lost a sense of smell and taste.

But that allowed me to go out. That allowed me to... Oh, because you had the antibodies. So I was able to go to like Arizona or a place that would do 50% capacity. Yeah. You know, and I was like, am I going to be able to... And I got to be honest. It was like, yeah, no, I can do this.

Yeah. But in our minds, it was like... Oh, you mean after taking the break, that realization? Yeah, because so many people were worried. Right, because we never take off. It was like, if you took a week off, it was a big deal. And Tom, I realized that like I left my little boy and little girl on a Tuesday night to go run to the seller or the stand to do a $25 spot on a Tuesday.

And I'm going, no, I'm a national headliner. So how about I pick my, I'm going to go on the road and make sure that I get my, our money is Saturday, Friday, Saturday or whatever. Yeah, go to work. And then I'll pick and choose my weak spots. Make sure I stay fresh or if I'm working on something. But this rat race of like leaving my family for like every single night. And COVID really made me say, I'm staying with my family.

family now multiple days during the week. Yeah. I'm gonna load up on a couple days of sets. Right. And then I'll go on the road. But I'm not doing that anymore. I know. My life has been...

Funny thing is, life's been better, career better. Right. Yeah, exactly. When we let our minds go of what we think we have to... We're so nuts. We get so... Everything got tight. Everything was very tight and like all in here.

And that really just opened it up. I hope we can hang on to it. I think so. I think the smart people will. Yeah. I think the people that... But look what you making bread did for you. You probably don't even fully know what it did for your soul because you're just in it and doing it.

But there was something when you're making that bread and you're smelling that and the yeast and all that happened to you that, like almost needed in a way. And pandemic, the pandemic kind of gave you that. So I think people that can understand that. It's a big thing. No, it is a big thing. I'm still curious how he makes his wine. He takes just he gets grapes and. And in Westchester County is...

Yeah, I could find out. Yeah, I could find... And I'll tell you... I got to follow him on Instagram. And I got a bottle of it was Austin Hope. It was a really good bottle of red. And he goes, he goes, oh, thank you. And he goes, I have mine out on the table already open.

So when we finish it, we'll go to yours. And I just didn't want to stop. His was all bottled up. He's got tons of bottles. Oh, my God. He cans, he jars his own sauce. He makes his own wine. It's amazing.

He's just, he's so Italian. And he's so great, but the food is incredible. Yeah. And he's just, yeah, he's a great guy. It's so great. But he's one of those guys that, like, can do things that I could never do. He dug his in-ground pool. I saw, like, a single-person bulldozer in his backyard.

And he goes, yeah, I come back from the set. I just started digging. It might not be, he goes, he goes, it might not be perfect. Isn't that funny? Like, he's so, like, he could do it himself. Like, he's just like, I will figure it. I had a couple of friends. We patted it down.

He goes, it might not be. And he's got this, and I mean, beautiful in the ground pool. Like, with the cement around it. But he's just, he's just one of those guys that, like, everything he could do himself. Yeah, there is that thing. I remember my neighbor in New Jersey, it felt like it went on all summer long. And it was, like, his three sons, me and, like, another kid from the neighborhood. And we dug and worked on putting in his botchy court on the side of,

his house. That's amazing. Amazing. I want a botchy court at my house. I do too. Do you ever go the one in New York that restaurant that has the botchy courts in it? I know, I know, but I never did it. Oh man, I'm spacing on the name. My father loved it. Uh, I think it's still open. And you could just, like, if it's, it's an indoor restaurant and there's botch, there's two botchy courts over there. Yeah. Yeah. And with the same thing. Like, no one there, there was no YouTube. There was no manuals. It was like we're going to make a botchy court. Yeah. Let's get these young kids in their work boots and shovels and let's start to make it.

It was never really that perfect. Yeah. But we put in a botchy court. But they did it. Yeah. Railroad ties. I don't have that like for me. No.

You know when people say, I'm sure you've heard this a million times you've been doing it longer than me, but when people are like, I don't know how you guys do what you do, right? Yeah. We hear that our whole career. Yeah. I don't know how these guys build decks. Oh, please. That's like learning Japanese in a day for me.

I know. Like they're like, oh, I built that house. All I need is the measurements for the framing. And I'm like, what? I know. I'm like, you got a house. My wife and I were looking at these lights over our counter, these four lights, and they all went out.

They're just electrically failed over time. And we've been staring at these for two years. We're like, I don't use them. Finally got our ass to call an electrician to come in. We found the lights. He replaced these lights in 45 minutes. Two years of like, it's impossible. How can we possibly get new lights in here?

Yeah, yeah. Forty-five minutes. Oh, right. That is so... But you got to know your skill. You got to know that I'm not that person. Yeah, no, I mean, I think we know because of what we do. That we're...

Like, we're... I mean, listen, I'm sure that there are some comedians that can do some things like that, or maybe that that was their trade before. Yeah. But, like, for the most part, I think somebody that can build a house with, like, five friends. Yeah. That's just to me. me, that's like remarkable.

Even to like get the wood and to just start and no, now did you, did you grow up? Where did you grow up? Are you? North Jersey. Oh, okay. Yeah. So like Bergen County? Bergen County.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Like, like Montfail, Wilcliffe Lake. Oh, okay. Park Ridge. Okay. Yeah. Okay.

And then you started, did you start stand up in New York or Jersey? In New York. Okay. In New York. Yeah. June 12th, 1993 at the New York Comedy Club. Wow. Yeah.

So the first, yeah, one of the first, so you, so you've been doing. about eight years more than me because New York Comedy Club on 24th Street, I did, I had to do a bringer. And this is like two. That was mine bringer. Yeah, you got to bring three people and they always told you you'd go on at 930. You went on at like 1115. They saw like 20,000 comedians. I was nervous out of my mind. But New York Comedy Club was the first, uh, that's funny. It was the first, was the first, was the first place. So how long have you been? So mine was the, it was above a cowboy bar. It was a country bar. And it was, it was the, the original location, I guess. And then they moved it to that one. And it was, this one was bring a couple

friends. And it was at like five in the afternoon. Oh, wow. And I got there. First time ever. First time ever. First time ever walking in a comedy club. I'd never even been in a comedy club. I just booked the date and walked in. And the only other comic waiting to go on was Geraldo. Wow. Very nervous little baby face, Greg Gerardo. And we just started talking and hit. it off and we went it up and did our spots and that was it and then that you got the bug and that was it and that was it and I would just commute from New Jersey until I moved into New York what did you do before comedy um I worked in advertising in like a small ad shop oh okay it was family run and and but it was just I was just treading water until I could get comedy going wow yeah that's and

and and your wife was with you through the whole thing or no No. No. No. Uh-uh. I met her later at the comic strip. Okay. So that was 93.

And I met her 98 at the comic strip. And she grew up in Park Ridge and went to the same kindergarten that I went to one year apart. Wow. And we never met. Wow. Same summer job. Same everything. And she was a comedian, Cynthia Corey.

She was a comedian at the comic. strip and I was too and I drove her home for Thanksgiving once. Wait, your wife's a comic? Yeah, she was a comic. Wow. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Wow, that's bizarre. It was really bizarre. To have the same kindergarten, same like growing up. We worked in the same hotel, the Wilcliffe Lake Hilton. We worked at the same hotel. I was bus boy and she was a cocktail waitress. And we never met until sitting backstage at the comic strip. That's so, you know, that lets you know. That doesn't let you know that like things are, there's something, man. Totally. There's a full. I actually believe that.

I believe that there's a force or something, you know, and whether people want to say it's religion, whatever, but there's a destined thing, man. I think too many things have happened. I've seen and felt too many things in my life happen where you're like, wow, like, that had to happen. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, of course, you can, a cynical view would be like, well, it's just numbers and it's just this or whatever. Yeah, I prefer to believe in something a little more magical was going on.

Yeah, because all this is so wild. Yeah. That's another thing. I don't know who was saying that. I don't know if it was a scientist or somebody was either on Rogan or there was a scientist or it was that like so much is so crazy. That there's so, that when you look at mountains and then you look at everything in the world, and you're like, this got to be, there's a very, this is unbelievable. It's incredible.

It's so incredible that you're like, this can't be just, I can't, you know. No, I know. And then you'll have somebody like you said, like, you said, like, this is unbelievable. Like, you know, would it have a bill birth that something? He goes, or people just can't accept that they're not going to exist one day. Which, you know, maybe, but I think. Yeah, which is kind of true too, but. But I choose to not.

Yeah. I choose to want to, like, wonder how amazing if, you know. Were you raised Catholic? Well, my father was Catholic, but my mother was Greek Orthodox. So we were kind of just like we would go to both churches. Right. What do you do now? You know, I want to do something with my, because we, we kind of both didn't have, me and my wife

kind of both didn't have a set thing. And but I want my kids to have, we were talking about, I want my kids to have a little like structure in that. And so I'm going to actually, it's funny you as I'm going to actually, I'm actively going to start to find some place around where we are and do that because I think it's important for them. Yeah. And it's something that I want them to at least, at least make their mind, let them go and hear things and get a feeling.

and then see. Just explore that. Just explore it. Do you miss it? Yeah. For yourself? I believe, I'm, I'm, you know, I pray a lot. I pray a lot, you know, I pray a lot and I, you know, I've, I don't know,

things have definitely, I have a connection I feel like some way. And I just, I just do. Right. And I want my kids to, you know, to feel that, you know. Right. So, yeah. Yeah. Are you guys, do you guys go to church or?

No, that's, we also went to the same church as children. Oh, okay. We were both at the same church and Park Ridge. Wow. Yeah, and never met. And I came out of it with a little bit of, no, this kind of made sense to me. I know all the problems. I know all the stuff, but I kind of connected with it.

Yeah. And she came out of it like, well, I'm never doing that again. Right. So with our kids, it was. should we go? Should we not go? And my one daughter was like, no, not interested. And I don't have to.

And like for whatever weddings or whatever kind of ran into it and was just like, no, I don't see it. And went with like my wife's thinking. My other daughter was like, I'll go to church with you. And we started going. And she's very just a little more exploratory spiritually. And we went to the Catholic. church. Yeah.

And I had a great bit about taking her to Catholic church for the first time in her seeing like Jesus hanging off the cross and all the scary music and all old people. And it was like a haunted house. It was like this horrible experience. And then when we moved out here, we went to Catholic again. But then we went to like a Christian, like Episcopal or something. And it was like guitars and just the no, and none of the scary parts. And everyone was like, just handing out bread and singing songs.

And it was very delightful. And we came out of there and she was like, well, that was nice. And I was like, yeah, was it? Doesn't feel like church to me. Yeah, yeah. I didn't feel scared. Yeah. I need the priest, the big mean priest to the guilt.

Yeah, the guilt and you're all sinners. That's church. Like, what did I do? But you know what? During the pandemic, we, I actually just asked her, we were on a ride the other day. And I said, I wonder how many people haven't gone back to church since the pandemic. because no one could go for all that time. And it was already the numbers were going down.

It's like the film industry. The numbers were already going down. And then the pandemic was like, we haven't been back. My mother and stepfather are big Christian. So they very big Christian churchgoers. My mother was diagnosed with a very rare stage four cancer in 1997. And it was real bad. and then two months before her last relapse,

a test drug from the Dana-Farbron Institute in Boston, did a test study on like 100 people. My mother was one of them, and it worked. And then it worked on, like, then people started to get it, and then the number got dwindled down to only work into 26. Wow. And she was one of the 26, and then that started to get dwindled down to, like, 10.

And she's in that, and now here we are. So that was 1997, and she's in her 70s. The medicine beats her up, so she'll get a little tired or like her immune system or whatever. But she got to see weddings and grandkids and me and my brother. And then I have a half brother, half sister, but they're my brother and sister. So she got all these amazing things. But just had faith.

And really just is, and they're not like weird, you know, because I know. But they just, they go, they believe. They believe in the Bible. and like they're very happy with that. Yeah. And it's like, so I don't really judge anybody for, I don't, what I don't like is when people get the weird. Yeah.

Like, can we talk? Or like, you know, you're online somewhere and you say something and somebody's like, well, that's because you don't have Jesus in your life. And that's like, that's where it's like, all right. Time in a place. Yeah, or I'm trying to decide what burger to get. Like I don't. Right.

Exactly. Oh, geez. Yeah, I don't like what people do. I don't like when people put like, reject their thing and then they look at everybody else as that. It's like if somebody wants to be vegan, then I'm never going to, I'm not going to judge you, but like don't judge me if I'm going to have like chicken palm or a steak. Right.

Because I'm not judging you. We don't all have to be on the same team. We can get along and not have the same beliefs. And I really believe for the most part, Tom, I really believe for the most part people if they weren't told that they needed to be on a team. and it works for anything. Religion, politics, all the things that we're afraid of. If you could sit down like me and you are now

with a bottle of wine, cheese and bread, and had totally different things, I'm sure there would be a small percentage of people that are just like, I can't sit with you. And I think that those people really stink. But I think for the most part, if you can do that and actually kind of come to some... 100%.

Like if you were somebody that would never eat meat, ever, vegan, and you looked at me and I was somebody that would never do what you do, we would eventually be able to kind of get up and laugh. Right. And be like, hey, you know what, do what you do. I do. Best to luck.

The biggest mistake people make, which is a modern thing, is every other generation new, don't talk politics and religion. Just keep that out. Why bring that in? Once you bring that in, you're screwed. And now people are leading with it. That is like their opening statement. And it's like, well, now where are we going to go?

Now I've got to get beyond that to just talk about our kids. That is actually the best. I haven't heard anybody say that like that. It's like, that's why you're right. It's like you're going to lead. Yeah. Like we just got to a barbecue. Like I want to play beanbag toss and like, you know, get a hard.

I want to talk about the hot dog. Yeah, I want to get a hard seltzer and talk about which hard seltzer company is better because there's 90 of them now. And, you know, and you hear somebody like you'll, you'll hear like, well, that's because this happened. Right. And then you're going like. Oh, boy, here we go. It's like that should never even come up. We should get through this barbecue.

without really knowing what your opinions are in any of that. And then, you know what? We could actually possibly be friends. Yeah. You know, I had the first Thanksgiving of my entire life. The first Thanksgiving I've ever had this past one, everybody sat down. Not one awkward thing came up.

Not one political thing came up. Yeah. And it was the best one. It's the best. Because what are we talking about? Like, what? Like, so you're going to be beholden to this team so much with these guys who don't give a shit about you, really.

Right. Any of these politicians, they don't care about you. They don't give a shit. So you're going to really just fall in line with them to the point where you're going to ruin Thanksgiving with the people you know and love? It's, why? Keep it out of it. It's so true.

It's like. And you know, and here's the other thing about it. There's a selfishness to it. There's a selfishness to it, Tom, because that person who sits at your Thanksgiving table and does go, well, the problem with Vladimir Putin and Joe, right? The person that does that,

they kind of know what they're doing. Because it's like, because you feel the moment. Right. And the moment is, it's Thanksgiving, we're here for a holiday. Right. Pass to mashed potatoes. How's your kids?

How's everybody? How's everything? That's really what should be going on. And you know that. Right. So the fact that you're going to be shitty because you need to get your Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Joe Biden thing out. You're now, you're now inserting that. And I don't like that.

And the people that do that, there's like a, it's almost like a little bit of a game. Like, oh, here we go. Well, that's the, that's the, my biggest problem with people leading with it. It was like, they've been. come in recent years, they became emboldened with it, and it became like, okay to be an asshole. Yeah. It was like, it was like, assholes got a pass. Like, it's, we're allowed to be loud in public.

Yeah. We're allowed to wave shit. We're allowed to provoke people. We're allowed to get in fights with people at the store about a man. It's like, no, no, no. You don't get to be an asshole. Yeah. This isn't a pass.

We're all human beings. We all got to be around each other. So just turn it down a notch. Yeah, it's funny. There's like this entitlement now of like, I can say or, do whatever I want. And it's like, nobody's really telling you you can't, but why do that? Why pick that? Yeah. And if you were going to, don't do it here. Or like if you're, yeah, if you're loud, do it about something that's not. Be loud about like the meatballs here are great.

Like, yeah, like that glazed donut at the Yanke at the game. Yeah. Yeah, we are in a weird. Yeah. We're in a weird time. I feel like people are burning out on it, though. I do feel like, I can, like you said like that Thanksgiving was like nobody had a problem. And I, do feel like people are just tired. And young people that watch all these older people act like assholes, I don't think they're going to be leading with it as much, I hope. I also don't like when if, like, see, I'm very, this is where I, I'm very much like, I can pick on everybody as far as like politics.

Of course. And I, and I, you're not a team. You're a comedian. Yeah, I could see the left, the right, the middle, and I could see something wrong. But if somebody hears you say that, then they go, oh, that's where he's stand. Right. But then one of the best things ever that I ever experienced as a comedian, it made me feel really good. I was at the punchline in Atlanta, and somebody came up to me and they go, hey, man, when you went into that one, he goes, I'm very conservative.

And when you went into that one joke, I was like, oh boy, but you really walked the line great, and I thought it was great. And in that same show, a woman came up to me and says, I'm very liberal. And she said the same thing he said. And it let me know, you know that you just don't, even in common. comedy. Like we did the, we did the Patrice O'Neill Benefit, not this year, but a couple years back. And it's at the John Joe's beautiful venue. Yeah. And everybody on the lineup, the lineup was incredible and everyone on the lineup killed. And I don't want to mention names here, but one comic just goes up. And all the first thing they said was, yeah, I hate Trump. And if you know, if you like Trump, I can't stand Trump and it. And it may, you could feel the crowd. Yeah. Now we're, whether, whether they agreed or didn't, the comedy, show which everybody's killing on it now became that and there wasn't a and it wasn't a joke right there was just like uh-huh i don't give you know and it just was like uh like why yeah why it went from a comedy show to a political rally and what are you gaining from what are

you gaining from that so let's say half or whatever yeah is is like yeah but the comedy show is now changed and like are do you feel good i always wonder if those people like are like i told them right exactly like do you leave going I brought that up that I hate him. Yeah. And then all you're doing is, yeah, I think that too. Like, okay, so the people that are with you, they're applauding. They're not even laughing.

They're applauding. Yeah. It's not comedy anymore. And then the other people that you just, that are the opposite. Do you think, what are the chances? What percentage of those people say, huh, they got a point. You know what? You're right.

Yeah. My mind has changed. And forget this comedy show. That's the other. thing. Yeah. You're never going to, you're never going to change. I love the fact that like, and I tell my kids, because my kids will come off the bus and go, I heard this at school, dad, I heard that. And I go, listen, you judge people by what you see, how you feel about it. Right. Okay. And if you would, if you agree with that. And if somebody tells you, because like, sometimes, unfortunately in schools, especially during the last bitter election, which is just bitter, you're going to, the kids are going to hear things that are very certain. Right. From their parents. Either, either like, well, my dad said this. and then they're on the bus. And so if our kids come home and go, well, so-and-so's dad said this, like, what are you thinking? So I just tell my kids, never judge anybody.

You know, people may not be as good as you think. They may never be as bad as people say. So I want my kids to have the open mind that like everybody's a human being. You treat people the way that you want to be treated. Eventually, I'm going to have to say there are some assholes that can't be helped. And you have to maneuver around that because that's just life. Yeah, because they're just out there. They're just out there.

And there's what scares me. know you feel like this as a dad, it's like, there's evil out there. And like when you hear about like the evil things that happen, like these, whether it's mental illness or just people that want to commit crimes, like you hear these horrible stories, people being attacked on trains with a hammer. And you're going like, you have to let your kids know, hey, like not everybody's going to keep your eyes open. Keep your eyes open.

I know. I remember one time walking with my kids downtown in L.A. And we're going to the bookstore, the last bookstore. It's like this great shop. And we're walking with my kids and my nephews and we're walking to the car. And it was dodgy. There's like, there's some, you know, homeless stuff going on and some not well people on the street. And my nephews were like a little concerned.

And my daughter came up to me on our way to the car. And she said, they're, you know, my cousins are acting like, like, like, it's dangerous here. Like kind of laughing it off. And I was like, yeah, they're right. Well, yeah. It is. It is. Yeah.

odds are we're going to be fine. It's going to be cool. But they're sensing something that's very real. And you've got to keep your eyes about you. And it was like, huh. And you can see a register like, oh, okay, it's not always going to be great. You got to keep your eyes and ears open. It's funny.

You said that because we went to the garden. I was taking my kiss of garden. Garden's one of my favorite places in the world. Diehard Nick fan. Yeah. And my son and I bond there. And now my daughter too, because they're both good and basketball. It's great.

Yeah. And things are not that great around there. Yeah. And I remember my son was like holding me a little tighter and closer because he started to see there was a lot of, you know, there was a lot of hustling going on around there. There was a lot more homeless. Then you start hearing what's going on on the subway systems. Yeah. And I told us, like, you're not going to, we're going to be, I told my wife, like, we're not going to go to any event and go walking around.

Right. And it sucks to say that about my city. I know. And one of the best cities, and you've done stand up there for so long. I live there forever. You live there forever. And it's like, this is the, when this city is thriving, there's really nothing like it. and the fact that you got to worry about your kids being attacked on a train.

Well, don't you think we caught it, we caught it at a really unique moment. Oh, yeah. Like that moment when you were running at the stand and coming into your own as a comic, like that was kind of a golden age. It was. At 2.30 in the morning, everybody just getting on the subways looking like money and no worries. Going to get a slice of you, walk to get a corner, get a slice after shows, and not even think twice that it's one in the morning.

stuff in your car and not having it. Every time you part your car in New York, before that happened, before that golden age, you would get smashed. Everyone's radios were stolen. People were putting radio gone on their dashboard because people were, it was just chaos and shit. And then we had that very pure little moment where it was all, it was very pristine and very clean and very safe. It was unique.

It was amazing. It was an amazing time. Hopefully they can get back to it in some regard. Yeah. I really, I hope so. I think any city as beautiful and as great and as big and grand as New York to just kind of feel like now it's like what somebody says, it's like Gotham of Batman. It's like, and there's certainly, especially, because I have some friends that are cops.

Yeah. And they're going, they said like, hey, you're going. I said, yeah, I'm taking the family down. We're going to go. He goes, you're not taking a train, are you? I said, no. He said, don't take the train. And then like, sure enough.

Don't take the train from Westchester? Yeah, that I didn't know why he said that because I feel like I didn't. I didn't think Metro North going to Grand Central would be a problem, but what's going on in the subways, I mean, a comic was at the stand the other night going, uh, punched in the face, spit on. What? Joe, you know, Joe List, too? Yeah, yeah. Joe List, uh, you said, it's almost like tried to get, like, he felt something.

Really? And then, um, yeah, the guy hit the lady with a hammer and then people are pushing people off. Oh, my God. And it's like, it's turning into this, like, if like, like, I don't want to go to the subway and go enter at my own risk. I know. Even if it's like 90% nothing's going to happen, but 10% chance something really bad can happen.

It's like, I don't want that. I know. You know, so it's, it's, and when you, I'm just thinking back to my last trip there when I, just, I was lazy and just took the train down to, to, uh, the hotel and so, and I was the only person. What, it was, it was, really? Like, yeah, it was like, that's bizarre.

Yeah. And I was, you know, kind of late. It was kind of, maybe a Monday, maybe that was it. And, but it was like, I shouldn't be, you shouldn't be, you shouldn't be doing. that anymore. The old version, who just showed up in New York, would never be on the subway at that time. And you wouldn't be alone. You wouldn't be alone. Yeah. And if you are, if you're going to meet one other person at that moment, it's probably not someone great. Now, do you have your favorite Italian restaurants in, so do you have Bergen County and New York or do you just, you know,

more Jersey? It's new, yeah, it's New York. Yeah. And I was just writing about this in my, in my, uh, I haven't, my next book. And I was going through all of the history of, it's great Italian restaurants that we've gone to as families and stuff. Yeah. The Supreme Macaroni Company, which is no longer there anymore and all these great places. But the one that I'm like stuck on right now, which I go with Dave Hill, comedian Dave Hill. Okay. We go to Jeans on 11th Street, 11th and 6th, which is just red sauce, been there since over 100 years.

Oh, wow. And I, it's like I would go there. I lived around the corner for a while. And I found out that he goes there. And we were like, it was like two people, two drug addicts who realized we've been going to the same dealer for our whole lives. So now I go with Dave and like, and it's, you know, it's like that really basic kind of, but great. You know what to. Yeah.

And you know what to expect every time. 100%. Okay. I got to check that one out. Yeah. It's good. Yeah. Sit at the bar and it's a good classic.

I didn't go. Have you been to the one that's like a six month wait if you don't know somebody? Reos. Yes. Yeah, I've never been. Only in Vegas, there's like 100 tables. And the meatballs are off the charts, yeah. Oh, okay.

Yeah, I have not been to one. I haven't been there either. What about, what about, you know, Molino? No, I've not been. I've not been. That's pretty great. You know, it's funny, I got Italian friends who go, this is my favorite thing about Italians. Yeah.

Because you got an Italian friend, go, no, if you want to go to Rios, tell me. I'll make sure. Right. There's only six tables and there's like a two-year wait list. I know, trust me. I get you in. Yeah, I actually have a, I have a friend who actually does apparently have a hookup with that. But I would like to, I would definitely like to do it.

Let's do it. You know what I never got into until now? This is bizarre. Eggplant and eggplant palm. So this whole eggplant palm thing is like new in my life. Right. So eggplant is just hitting me like a title wave. Yeah.

Because I didn't realize a good eggplant. So there was like this. Amazing. There was this place that had the thin. thin, thin bread. It's so thin in the layers and the sauce. And I just, and I said to my wife, I go, this is, this isn't, what happened? Where was I?

Where was I? And I figured out why. Why? My mother would keep the skin on it. Uh-huh. So some people keep the outer layer on it. Yep. And when I was little, I, and I cut it, that, that was the problem.

That's right. And it's funny, it kind of come full circle when you're young. So eggplant to me was like, Oh, that black stringy stuff, I don't, because my mom would slice them in discs. And they were, right, exactly. She would slice them in the discs. Totally. The, you know, the black or purple outer.

Yep. And it ruined it for me. Now I had it like without that and lean. Yep. Oh, dude. Lean. And then when you make it, you put it in the colander and, uh, and you dredge it. You just put salt on it and just leave it.

Oh. And all of the moisture, bitterness comes out of it. Wow. And you leave it for like an hour and all of the bitterness just drains from it. And now you've got these thin slices. When you get it really done well and you can just take your fork and go through all those layers without moving the rest of it, then you're like. And this is like it's new in my life and I'm so grateful. It's so great.

It's almost like if so, you know when somebody tells you, you didn't see that movie? Yeah. And then they're jealous because they know you're going to experience it. That's what's happening with me with eggplant. And I'm so excited about it. so great. It's so eggplant parm is so underrated because you know the go-toes are the the chicken. Yeah, yeah. My dad's a big veal guy. Right. You know. But there was a place he still talks about under the train. Remember the tram that went to Roosevelt Island? Yeah. There was a place. I think it was on like 60 something

or 59th Street right under it called Eduardo. Eduardo's. Idle vagabando. That's the botchy place. Oh, okay. Okay. So there was something called the veal that they had. It was called Veal Eduardo. And my dad took us, and I remember to this day there was like this brownish cream sauce on top of the Veal. And I remember, and I was like I said, I was young, but I remember how incredible it was. Apparently Sinatra went in there and loved it so much that they named it Veal Sinatra. And then the place ended up going under, but that's another one that my dad said he can't, not under, but just after. I think it was one of those that was there 80 years.

And then it had its run. Yeah. But my dad said to this day, he can't get that. He said he's had like something that resists. resembles it, but he can't, that's what I mean. Like, Italians are the only people. It's so nuts. I know.

Because you'll listen to somebody go, like, remember Patrick Ewing had that shot? I mean, I'll do, but they'll remember, they'll talk about a meal. Like, you know what? I remember. And then, you know what they're big on too? Either how wedding cocktail hours are? That's a big one. No, no, they were cheap, but that's, no, they could.

But then there was one, like, no, they had a tower of shrimp. And it was before you even got to the meal. It was unbelievable. and they're like proud. Yeah, 100%. It's my favorite thing in the world. I'll close with this. I had one last story.

The Italian guy loving food, like seeing that guy, that big Italian guy, a big Italian guy enjoying food is like nothing else. I was in a restaurant in New York on, like in the, like in the, like in the 12th, 13th street on, I'm Broome Street. not Broom Street, off Hudson. And I forget, I'm spacing on the name of it, but that's where Gandalfini would eat with his family. Oh, wow. And at one point, we were there. And he was at the end of a table,

his whole family around him, all his kids and everybody else. And he had the napkin tucked into his shirt. And he's just hovering over a meal and just plowing it, like laughing, like look, just like out of the Sopranos. Oh, my God. I was, that was a, just watching that. A perfect one. It's a perfect.

It's a perfect one. So I'm gonna, I think like, I don't want to be rude, but I want to start documenting these. I know. Like, if I could just have a picture of the guy. Like, like, and not even to make fun of them, just to be like, I, you're enjoying this in your life. It should be a coffee book, a coffee table book.

It's so, and why not? You know what? If that's what, if that's what's going to give you the pleasure. Oh, God. I mean, there's the worst things to be, the fact that you just love food and you just, it's the best. It's the best. Well, thank you so much for doing this.

This was really perfect. I knew, I'm literally, I mean, because we don't hang out. We haven't hung out a ton. No, no. But I knew that we would sit down and have this and it would be just go. I didn't even have to prepare. I didn't have to do anything. I knew this was going to be so much fun.

I think we've hung about two or three times, whether it would be Montreal or a cigar or talking in a green room in Montreal. But like, you're always just so delightful, nice, funny, easy to be fun. to talk to, so I really appreciate you having me on. I really enjoyed it, man. The best. Awesome. We'll spend, we'll spend some time in northern New Jersey or lower West Jersey. You know what we should do. We should eat an Italian meal in New York when you're there. Yeah, that would be perfect. And we'll go to a good spot. All right. All right. Thank you for having me. All right. We got it, Aaron. All right. So there it is. There's Paul Verzi. I told you we

touched on everything, right? What there was, I don't think there's anything more for us to do than to hook up in New York and go out for a great meal together and then give you the rundown of what we did. Great comedian. Go to Paul Verzi.com, look up all of his stuff. He's going to have a big announcement in a little while. Great comedian to have on your radar if you just like comedy. And of course, we'll have them back here to talk about more things.

Food and Italiano and delis and wine. That was the only shortcomings that we didn't break open the wine. But, you know, you can't drive home drunk all the time. Never, kids. Never. All right. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for being here. Like and subscribe and all that good stuff. Keep spreading the word. When people responded off of our good friend David Newman from the olive oil podcast, he was so grateful. And I want to extend that to you. He was so grateful that we had such a great response. And he got to all these people turned on to his book and his olive oil. And it just shows me that the community is growing and it's becoming more powerful. And we're really getting the most. out of this. I want us to enjoy it. I want us to get everything we can out of this podcast by talking to funny people, talented people, celebrating food and comedy. It doesn't get better than that.

All right. I have to go because I have bread that has been sitting on the counter too long. It's going to overproof. So I've got to get it into the fridge or else I'm going to blow it. And I don't want to be mad at myself. So until next time, see you around. Thank you.