Fitzdog Radio - Joey McIntyre - Episode 1089

Episode Date: March 5, 2025

From the New Kids on the Block, Broadway musicals, movie and TV, my new friend Joey McIntyre is here!Follow Joey McIntyre on Instagram @joeymcintyreWatch my special "You Know Me" on YouTube! http://bit.ly/FitzYouKnowMeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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sportsbook worth a celly, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Hi, welcome to FitzDog Radio. I'm Florida Fitz this week. I'm down visiting mom. If you're from New York, this is a ritual.

It's a part of the cycle of life. Your mother moves to Florida and then you go visit her and then you make fun of Florida and Then you say I can't wait to leave. I love it. I love Florida. I like that. It's warm. I like humidity I like feeling young I Like feeling like I'm the most intelligent person in the state, which is not hard to feel I Like her building she lives in this building it's not an old folks home it's just a it's just a building it's about seven floors and it's like semicircular and it faces the ocean the oceans right

across the street and everybody knows each other and they're happy and I'm sitting in the hot tub yesterday and there's these four older women you know 6570 and they're laughing and they're telling stories and I thought yes There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow You shouldn't be sitting in a little house alone staring at the fucking Fox News and bitching and you should be in a community. And she found a really good one, which I love. We almost didn't make it to this community because she she picked me up at the airport in her car, which

has dense it's brand new dense all over it it. She's, life is a bumper car ride when you're 82 years old in Florida. They say that 95 just stops often. And if it does, you know that somebody plowed into, it's all old people crashing. And they need to make them get tested again, but they don't. So she picks me up at the airport and drives me for as she she insists on driving and

usually she's picking me up and it's like, she won't drive at night, but she'll pick me up right before sunset, be like seven o'clock. And then it's a race. It's a race beat the darkness back to her her apartment. She's only about a half hour from the airport and she's Talking and she's you know turning and telling me so she's slapping me on the knee during punchlines and Pointing out buildings. Meanwhile, she's racing. She's going it's like you're 82 don't drive 82 that doesn't mean this the speed limit doesn't change every year you get all and you know and

I mean drifting see a lot of lane changes some are intentional some are just kind of happening and she's got the wheel she puts the seat literally in the most forward position so her chest is against the wheel and same radio station on all the time she doesn't know how to change the station so it's just on one station same volume all the time and free and I flew in with the hell airline was a jet blue which I like I like jet blue except I would say it's been a solid 15 years since I took a dump on a plane and on this one I had a couple cups of coffee and I was like no no and so I excused myself from the two people and here's the best I'm in the window seat and a lot of times the the people will just let you out and then sit down again these people decided and

we'll just stand and wait stretch a little bit so I go back to the bathroom I go in and and you I'm lining the seat I'm trying to put toilet paper on the rim of the seat but it's got that vacuum and it's sucking the toilet paper off the seat in and It's it's like there's a stain there's already a shit stain in the bowl like it looks like there was a car race in this bowl already and And you got no room I don't know how anybody over I'm 5 foot 8 I don't know how somebody

who's 5 foot 9 does this and I get in a squat and you know these pee all over the floor so I'm pulling my pants down but I don't want them drooping below my sneakers so they absorb the piss from some guy in row 16 D and so I I sit down and it is hard it is not a nice fluid I had not been eating prunes and I don't want to get gross I don't want to get gross about this but let's just say I go it takes a long time and then you go to wipe with the rolls of sandpaper that they have on jet blue and now my anus is being blown by a cool wind that comes out of the bottom of the toilet so now it's drying out and it was it was 9 to

11 wipes I would say each one hurting more than the next as the cold air is blowing. It's dry. And I find it finally, I'm not saying I did a great job. I got through it, I survived. And then I get up and it's like, they get and then they got the hand lotion, you might as well have some hemorrhoid lotion too, because you have just given everybody who has sat on that seat of hemorrhoid. And and I go back to my seat and they're standing there and my my my roommates are glaring at me like, dude, it's been 25

minutes. What the fuck? So anyway, so I sit down and we get home. And now we're watching the Oscars. So we watch the Oscars and it's just amazing how they thank people as if the only reason they became an actor was to win an Oscar. And the only reason they did this movie was so they could be standing here holding this trophy. Not because there's an art to it,

not because you're trying to pay the bills, not because you're narcissistic, and they do it as if they, oh, hold on, my mom is waiting at the door. Okay, she's back. My mom is back. She was just had her book group, which they must read short books because she's only been gone for an hour. What, you spent 28 hours reading a book and then an hour talking about it?

Poppins. They talk about their period! They haven't had a period in three decades! So anyway we watched the Oscars and it is just amazing the narcissism and the fact that they even show up get a life I've won four Emmys never went to a ceremony I won a cable ace award didn't show up get a life I've won four Emmys never went to a ceremony I won a cable ace award didn't show up I won best comedian at Boston University 1989 didn't show up you you're a loser to go to an award show to stay and the interview whatever I don't want to shit on the Oscars people do that enough but

it was a lot of foreigners winning tremendous amount of people from other countries and it made me think you know I think Hollywood is gonna rethink its deportation stance after this. You know a Polish couple is standing there doing a doing a speech off off their phone they're reading a text off their phone and my mom has got the you know the Chiron did the the subtitles running across she's got it in like a 82 font so it's covering a third of the screen you can't see anybody's bodies you just see the tops of their heads and their kneecaps and the rest is just the words that they're saying and they're just talking about the courage and the bravery it takes to get five million to read words that somebody else wrote while someone gets you cappuccinos. I mean and yeah all the different language

translate don't pick a winner who doesn't speak English well because it's all about the speech and the show. I mean McConaughey barely speaks English but it's fun to watch him try. Give McConaughey another try. I don't care if he was in a movie. Give McConaughey a trophy every year so my mom and then we're watching the news and they're talking about Israel and she said she was talking about Israel and hummus and I said I think it's Hamas like I don't know that there's a that there's it's not a pita dipping sauce it's a paramilitary terrorist organization did somebody order some Hamas and then and then they just come in and attack you with AK 47s. And I remember my mom's here now so I shouldn't

talk about her. But mom, do you remember the time you asked me to send you your airline tickets through the intercom? Like she was going to stand in the lobby of her building and these tickets were just gonna come faxed out of the speaker I know I'm still a brat so and then my cousin my cousin Danny it turns out Danny McCarthy who I've talked about often is my second cousin, who is a pro golfer, ranked 30th in the world and ranked number one putter on the tour. Anyway, so he's playing a tournament like 15 minutes from my mom's house this weekend. So his dad, who's my first cousin, Dennis, was down here with his wife, Elena, who's

lovely. my first cousin Dennis was down here with his wife Elena who's lovely and then my cousin Robbie just also my other first cousin happened to be down here and and then my aunt lives down here so anyway me and Dennis and Robbie went to the tournament with Dennis's wife Elena and then we went out on the course on Sunday and we walked the whole tournament with Denny 18 holes and first of all these guys we go out to dinner the night before at this restaurant and they're like yeah this is think about Irish Catholics everything is first thing in the morning I don't know when they sleep it's like all right well uh

Greg I'll pick you up at pick you up at 630 What I was like I just flew in four hours ago. I'm on LA time That's 330 a.m.. And I think is that that's my cousin Robbie. He went to West Point. He's a military guy Everything is like a mission. I'll pick you up at oh six thirty hours Everything is like a mission. I'll pick you up at 0630 hours You know and then he gets on the GPS like we're like relocating a bunker an enemy bunker Going through the side streets of Florida trying to find my cousin Denny McCarthy's house and You know and and then we get there and then Dennis of course is up and he's in the driveway directing us like he's like he's a traffic cop in San Francisco at rush hour.

It's like okay you get a circular driveway I get it. It's not that complicated. And then we get into this truck that's that looks like one of those vans a bachelorette party would take out in Nashville and throw up in and and we're driving and oh and and we're talking about my cousins and I have one cousin Brian Mulligan who's a character where we're telling Brian Mulligan stories he's sort of like the I guess you could say he's a little bit of a black sheep of the family and so he's down in Austin

I was talking about how I went on stage one night in Austin and before I went on that the host goes like this to me he goes a I Go, how's the crowd he goes? They're good But there's this guy kind of a scary looking dude on the side of the stage just he hasn't been a problem But something's going on so I walk on stage and I'm talking for a few minutes I notice this guy huge beard, blue cap pulled down over his eyes. And I finally, and I decide to just break the ice

cause I wanna get a feel for him. And I go, hey, where are you from sir? And he goes, East Northport asshole, I'm your cousin. It's Brian Mulligan! So we hung out after the show for a couple hours and now he always comes to me. Anyway he's the best. He's living on a boat in Central America now going from country to country. And so every time you tell a funny story Dennis McCarthy always goes, uh, you can't make this stuff up

Like he's some kind of a club stand-up comic from the 80s One of those guys with the uh with the blazers that he pushes up to his elbows. You can't make this stuff up folks Uh, so we went to see danny. He played good. Not great. He uh He I would say call it an off week a little bit. I mean he still made some money I don't know how much the guy makes money every week. Yeah, even when you place just decent But he's he hasn't won a major tournament. He wasn't hasn't won a tournament. He's gone to sudden death And we need I need him. I need him right now I'm the most famous guy in the family and I don't like the pressure I have I have off years and I feel like I can't be the guy this year I need Denny to step up and win a tournament. I

Don't need come on. He's he's the new generation He is a marvelous golfer. He's so much fun to watch. He is I put a bunch of money on him to win the Masters in the US Open this year I suggest you do the same he's long overdue and what a nice guy talked to him after the tournament I've only met him a couple times but Just generous with his time and really nice to everybody and then And what am I doing? So I'm here. My brother comes down in a couple days

Walked on the beach with my mom today having a lovely time And if you want to have a lovely time, I suggest you go to Fontana you go to Atlanta Georgia at the punchline March 6th through 8th that's this weekend and then Hollywood for the st. Patrick's Day show at the improv March 15th Hamilton Ontario coming up Toronto Pittsburgh Boston April 4th and 5th Escondido Tampa La Jolla all tickets at fits dog calm and now my guest who's coming up is a guy who is is in a band that is one of the top grossing bands in history the new kids on the block he is I guess they're all kind of good looking but this guy is particularly

good-looking and super talented I'll be done in like three minutes and so he he joined new kids in the block when he was 13 years old this dude was 13 traveling the world playing arenas and stadiums in 91 this band out earned Madonna and Michael Jackson as the highest touring group that year I mean look new kids on the block I didn't notice them I wasn't the age to be into that kind of music I was always like a classic rock guy I always I was like them I thought they were good but then you get older and you look back and you go oh no these guys were kind of a cultural phenomenon and their music is something that was a part of a time that people felt really in tune with

The pop culture scene of the time, you know was MTV was coming out Well, I've been out for a bit but you know, but just I can't tell you This guy is so amazing amazing I clicked with him I know his brother from Boston and we had a couple other mutual friends but he walked in and he was like a minute late and couldn't apologize more no attitude pulls up in a frickin 15 year old Mercedes and and we just hung out after the show for a while we're friends now. We are going to Play paddle tennis together. I feel like I made a friend Irish Catholic guy from the East Coast

Such a such a good guest. I know you're gonna enjoy the talk with him Join me now for a conversation with Joey McIntyre. Joey McIntyre is my guest today. He's he's not slow. He's just it's an accent from a region that he's from called Boston Slow I thought so you're a New York guy. Yeah, but I you have such ties to Boston Yeah, I went to college in Boston. Okay. Yeah, and then I started doing stand-up there back in 89

So I came up with as you know, Johnny Tobinin. John Tobin is one of my best friends. Yes. Well, you're my, at least, not number one, but top three of my brother. My brother Tommy is a massive fan. Oh, that's nice to hear. Tommy's the best. Yes, yes, yes. So you feel very Boston. You've been adopted as like a semi-Bostonian. You know, when people say, you're from New York, are you a New York comic? I always say, even though I only did comedy in Boston maybe four years, I am so proud to be a Boston comic.

And you know those guys, the Don Gavins and the Steve Sweeney's. Oh yeah. And you know, those guys that really were. Did Bill Burr come up in the same kind of way? I started with Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Mark Maron, David Cross, Dane Cook, Bobby Kelly. Who's the other guy, the writer guy my brother raves about?

I'm not as schooled as him in the Boston Comic Gang. He's a writer guy? I think mostly writer,? I think mostly write. No, I think he does... He's Brian Keighley. I think it might be. Yeah, Keighley wrote for Conan from the first day of the show until the show, and he was there for like 20 years.

Okay, okay, okay. Because I think my brother Tommy had dinner or drinks or something with you. Brian, does this make sense? Boston within the last couple of years and maybe John. Last time I saw your brother, we went out to dinner with, you know, David Tell? That's it.

Oh yeah, David Tell. Oh, David Tell. He's a New York guy. Yes. But he was in Boston to do his show. Yes. So we all got together and met. Why I have this in my ear still is.

I'm getting answers. I thought you had a hearing is... I'm getting answers from Boson. He's going to come hard early on, so just be ready. Oh my God. I got my brother in my ear. John Tobin's the guy that you're just friends with your brother. They didn't give you the Attell answer though. Yeah, and John's favorite comic of all time was David Tell. So he was just thrilled that we went out to dinner.

And then I've gone to Bruins games with your brother. And he, when he was, he lived in Seattle. He was commuting, yeah. Commuting from Seattle. And he offered me his condo in Seattle. Look at that. You guys are roomies. I didn't know it was that close.

Well, it's not, but I wanted to be. And I got a girl for him. Oh. Is he still single right now? Yeah. Um, officially, yes. He hasn't remarried. So, uh, yeah. Well, I got a girl for him. Oh, Mary Fitzgerald. She's from Dorchester. Oh, so it hasn't happened? Has it happened? They haven't met yet. They talked on the phone. Okay. But when I'm going to be in town April 4th and 5th, playing at Laugh Boston, and I'm sure your brother will come out. April 4th and 5th. Yeah. Nice. And then we're gonna see some magic happens. Opening day for the Red Sox. I'm gonna go in early. Oh nice. Are you a Sox fanatic? Yeah, of course. I mean, I, you know, grow up in a boss. I mean, we're, Jamaica Plain is very close to family.

So you grow up, of course, the big four sports. It's, you know, you take it for granted. So I didn't know how much of a fan I was until my kids were born. My oldest son was just like this rabid fan out of the womb. Really? Yeah, cause I didn't know, I guess I thought I wore it like a loose suit.

You know what I mean? But here he is, three years old, crying at the Bruins game. You know what I mean? Nuts. That's amazing. Yeah. I had the opposite experience. I grew up Giants, Mets, Rangers fan.

And all of a sudden, my kid's sitting there. He's got on the Rams, and he's got on the Lakers and I'm like what? I gotta let him be his own. Right. You know? Yeah, I get that. It seems a more practical.

Well you're gonna see more games. Yeah, you're gonna see more games and share it with your friends and all that jazz. Now is this the son, I hear that your youngest, is the youngest son is a singer now? My oldest son, I hear that your youngest, is the youngest son is a singer now? My oldest son, yeah. So I got two boys and a girl.

Okay. Yeah, and he's been, yeah, it's just. What kind of singer is he? A really good one. Yeah. Son of a gun can kinda do it all and he works hard and does all the, you know, he's been studying, he can play piano, guitar, sing, dance, and he's also

a regular 17 year old who, you know. Oh, he's 17? He's 17, yeah. No shit! Yeah, yeah, he's 17, yeah. Is he like recording? Yes, he is, yeah, yeah. He's, yeah, it's, there's no turning back. Really? Yeah, he's- Well, you started when you were 13, so I guess that makes sense. I did, I know, there's no turning back.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah, he's just. Well, you started when you were 13, so I guess that makes sense. I did, I know, I know. I know the similarities are there, but it feels very different, and as much as it's similar,

I take no credit for any of it. Except that maybe he sees his dad continuing to challenge himself. But he's incredibly inspiring to me, frankly. I know a guy who's an actor whose son, and he's had a very full, great career, been on series and all that, and then his son is now a big actor, and this little jealousy going on. Wow.

Which I thought was odd, but- Are you just picking up on it, or is he vocal about it? He's vocal about it. Or is he sharing with you? Yeah, vocal about it. Are you sharing with him? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a little jealous. No, more like, oh, so he's suddenly telling me about agents and what it's like to get his love.

Like I haven't been, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's a little weird, but I get it. I get it to some degree. But I think that, somebody once said that there's nobody in the world that wants you to succeed more than them than your father. In general.

Right. Do you feel like it's tough? My father was a radio guy in New York. Oh wow. And he was, you know, famous guy in New York. He was like one of the biggest radio guys. And I always lived in his shadow and I always felt the pressure to try to,

I think all boys and men try to succeed as much as their father. Do you feel like it's gonna be hard for your kids to kinda live in the shadow? I know you're a special guy, Greg. I know you're a special guy. So I'm not surprised by this conversation. But it's, you know, it's timely. No, it's very timely.

It's very timely. And it's interesting to hear you say that cause you never know. I mean, I, you know, you know, when you say your buddy has feelings like that, I would think, geez, I would feel so off the hook that my son would have any success at all. You know what I'm saying?

Like, whew, you know what I mean? Yeah, you did something right. That's your core card. Or just, yeah, or even in the same business, right? I think you'd be more detached if he was, you did something right. That's your core card. Yeah, or even in the same business, right? I think you'd be more detached if he was a vet or a doctor or a bricklayer or whatever. It's like, oh, okay, good. So, you know, I think he's good, and I think it really is about the work, you know what I mean? I mean, when you could sit down at the piano and play everything from fricking classical

to Billie Eilish, I mean, you gotta feel pretty good about it, you know what I'm saying? That's not necessarily how I came up, so that's how I look at him, you know what I mean? But it's tough, you know, life is life. Life keeps lifing and the business keeps doing its thing. Well, what's great is like, you know, I have my. Life keeps life-ing and the business keeps doing its thing. Well what's great is like, you know, I have- I was a close up on the sty.

Can we check it on the- Can we talk about the sty? I mean, you guys said it was fine. And you know, look I got these too. We got bits. I thought, I thought, I don't know. You're not a bit guy. Oh, you're doing pop comedy on my show?

You're not a bit guy. Yeah, I wanna do, I wanna do Martin Short on Greg Simmons. You know what I'm saying? Now we can both be the same. Oh, shit! Now I look like my brother even more, right? Damn, now you do. Now you're talking about Tony.

I didn't really, yeah. You guys actually look a lot alike, yeah. Yeah, we do. We sound alike. Yeah. Not a bad guy to be similar to. No, he's right. And your brother basically is he's

he's a delegate for the Bricklayers Union now, which is what your father did as well. He could speak to that in a different way. Yeah, my dad was a biggie, as he used to say. I mean, he ended up being the vice president of the Bricklayers Union, but came up as a brickie. My brother did the same thing. Yeah. And and now he's basically, you know, doing what my dad did, but,

you know, he's in his own way. You know what I mean? I think he had to, you know, he told me your dad busted his balls. Like he had to work harder than anybody else on the site. He, I remember he busted my dad's balls because he wanted my dad to get him a job on like the MTA, like a bricklayer on the MTA. There was like four of them. And they just, let's just say they didn't do a lot of work. Okay.

Yeah. And I remember, cause I was there. We would have lunch and dinner at the time, right? And my brother would go in hard, right? And my dad would say, how do you know? How do you know you're gonna like it? And he got him on and four months later, my brother was fricking out of his mind.

You know what I mean? He was bored out of his mind and went back to just being a bricky. But he works hard, he didn't know, suddenly they called him up and he got the call. He's like, you gotta go to Seattle. And he's like, you got to be kidding me. Yeah.

And he did a great job there. And now he's in Oklahoma doing the same thing there. He's in Oklahoma? Yeah. Now he's going back and forth to Oklahoma. That's the new gig in April. But he goes, he bumps back and forth. So why do they send him somewhere else?

He's the fixer now. Tommy Maxx the fixer. Yeah, he goes in and, you know, as you can imagine, the Bricklairs Union is not maybe what it is. I'm acting like I know something. And I'm just, this is a thousand mile view here. Yeah, I think, you know, he has a lot of experience. And he works for the International Union.

So they got to go in. So they gotta go in. They gotta go in and you know. The unions are, you know, this country's losing unions. My father was in the radio union, AFDRA was radio covered. I'm in the Writers Guild, been in Writers Guild for 20 years, getting my insurance, I got a pension. And you know, big business is convincing Americans

that it's in their interest to not join unions. And to break them up, they've got Volkswagen down in Texas, voting to not have a union. I don't understand it. The only way you have power is in numbers. You gotta stick up for each other. It's why they would just go, eh, it's fine, I'll trust Amazon.

It's why they would just go, it's fine, I'll trust Amazon. Right, right, right. It's okay. Yeah. Starbucks cut my back, it's all good. I mean, I've read the history of corporations. They seem to take care of people over time. I mean, you know, ah, geez Louise. And the fights that people have put up, the lives,

I mean, people used to get their skulls bashed in, you know, marching for unions. And you can't get that back any other way than fighting that hard again when you lose it. Yeah, it's a... Are you in a union? Is there any kind of like musicians? Yeah, no, I'm in SAG after.

You know, I've been lucky enough to do a lot of work and I got my card and, you know, movies and TV. And then I'm, you know, don't get me started. Plus equity for actors for Broadway, right? Don't get me started about actors' equity. Oh, really? Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, there's a line from here to Iowa

ready to take your spot, right? So what actor is gonna step up and go, hell no, this ain't right. Right, right. You know, you work your whole life to get in a Broadway show, and they go, maybe we should walk. You know what I'm saying?

Right, right. My grand plan is to merge with Ayatzi. I like that. Hello. Yep. You know what I mean? Because those guys, they go, see you later, Jeff. You know what I mean?

While the chick's on her knees, me, chick, guy on her knees going, you know what I mean? Like dying after the show. They're like, see you tomorrow. You know what I mean? We need those guys on our team. Yeah, I don't pick that up.

That's Tommy. No. That's not my job. That's Tommy. And no, and Iazzi, if people don't know, is like, it's all the below the line people. It's the camera operators. It's the set designers.

Lighting. It's the costumers. Everybody. Makeup. Everybody. And so really you've got the Screen Actors Guild, which used to be, after used to mean American Federation of TV and radio actors. So radio personalities used to be in the union.

That shit's gone. They don't cover them anymore. They all- They're gone? Well, once they started like syndicating radio around the country, those big guys, the corporate guys, cut out the unions.

And so now it's just TV and film. So you've got the Writers Guild, the Actors Guild, EATC, and then some of them are Teamsters, and they all negotiate contracts in different years. So there's never this real collective strength of, we're gonna shut the whole business down. And so that's why the last four years has been rough because the Writers Guild had a strike,

and then this past summer, Iazi was threatening to strike, and they ended up not, but none of the development people would put anything into production because they thought there was another strike coming. So there's been three or four years of no work in Hollywood. It's, you know, as I always grow up hearing this phrase,

the AFL CIO, the Allied craftsman, you know what I mean? Oh, the AFL CIO was, it's everybody together. Like we don't have that in entertainment, it seems. Like they would, you would hear that constantly. Like even the fact that that was a thing for the tradesmen, right? It's not in the business. That being said, you know, as you probably know,

you talk to producers in the business and you know, it's all perspective perspective it's each side of things but like oh this negotiation or whatever they came to you know what I mean after the strike was like wasn't a good one I guess you know everyone's throwing their hands up right you mean for the actor side yeah for the actor side yeah you know but like well because it's all about digital streaming because there's no revenue on broadcast anymore. Well, Netflix killed the business is what I hear too, which I don't fully understand.

Yeah, well, and now Netflix just announced they're spending a billion dollars for production in Mexico. Yeah. There's nothing shooting in Hollywood anymore. I mean, I just, it's not inflation, it's greed. Yeah. It's just, it's not inflation, it's greed. It's just, it's very simple. It's just greed.

That's it. We want more and more and more and more and more and more. That's it. Like we, there was, you know, there was a middle class because we were okay with a certain amount. Like everybody was okay with a certain amount. And that's why we were able to have a Chevrolet and one pair of sneakers and patches on your knees,

and it was okay. And it wasn't embarrassing. And you had a good life, and you went home, and you had three meals, and it was okay. But now it's just bonkers, and I'm not saying, obviously, I'm a part of the whole damn thing too, but. No, but it's a consumer. It's just more and more like, why are you going?

And don't wrap it up like, well, that's good for Mexico. Like, come on, man, come on, come on. And it really is a matter of like, you're working, and then the profits are going to dividends to shareholders. People that don't even know the business you do, they don't show up and put on some work gloves and do something. Like, they're just getting checks every month.

So the amount of money you're doing, the worth of what you do is not coming to you. It's going to a third party. And they're answering to the bottom line in their stock price. Right, right, and they always have to cut. Every quarter's gotta cut. Oh my gosh.

Every quarter they, first of all, profit means, like for me, there's no profit, and I'm very happy with that. At the end of every year, I pay my taxes, I put a little bit into my pension account, and we kind of break even. And I go, all right, that's a good year. But if you're a corporation, you have to do that plus 25%.

So where's that 25% coming from? It's coming off the back of the workers. I just, I mean, that's it. But yeah, I mean, I don't watch the news much, but Starbucks is letting off another, I don't know, thousands of jobs. Oh, really? Because they think, you know, I don't know, thousands of jobs. Oh really? Because they think, you know, and they spin it,

that it's more, you know, streamlined or whatever. It's like, wow. Mm. Wow. Well in more and more restaurants, you go into fast food restaurants, or you go up to the kiosk and punch in your shit. That's true too.

And then, you know, it's, and then. And, and I don't mind because I think of, but you're tipping the fast food too. They want a tip. And I think, all right, listen, this person is trying to make a living. Of course, I'm going to tip them. But it's just ironic now.

It's like, they're doing less, but now we have, it's like 20%, 22%, 25%. No, last night I call up this Greek place that I like. but now we have, it's like 20, 22%, 25%. No, last night I called up this Greek place that I like and me and the wife was sitting on the couch doing a little streaming. Can you deliver us a couple of falafels? No, you gotta come pick them up.

Great, now I gotta get up, get dressed, naked on the couch as my wife. Picture that for a second. Home ding, all the way, huh? And now I gotta drive to the restaurant, pick it up, and then when I don't give her a big tip, she's looking at me, I go, no, the big tip goes to the guy that got in his car and brought it to my house.

Right. That guy gets 20%, if not more. Yeah. But you just turned around. The cook made it. You just did a 180 and then you came back again. That's not 20%. Yeah. All right not 20%. Yeah.

All right, anyway. Yeah. I don't want to, look, you and I have broken down business, the economy. We got it all out of the way, man. The middle class. Yep. But let's go back to your childhood a little bit.

I want to talk about a guy named, it was a teacher named Mr. Flynn, who kicked Tommy out of class. Wow. And used to mock the band that he was starting. Tommy. Oh, or was it you? Joe.

Oh, oh. Well, Tommy's not in the band, so you bet. I mean, we both went to CM. John Tobin just told me this story driving over here. Was it you that got kicked out? Flynn? No, Flynn was, oh, Tommy, yeah, Tommy lasted two years at CM for whatever reason, God bless him.

And then he went to Mission and Mission Hill and that was more of a cakewalk maybe. Two Catholic high schools. But CM was all boys and it was, you know, yeah, I mean it was... Catholic Memorial is like one of the oldest schools in Boston, right? I don't know, I mean there's BC High, there's Don Bosco, there's Catholic Memorial. Oh, I'm thinking of Catholic Memorial. Yeah, I mean, Catholic Memorial is, yeah.

I mean, it's probably maybe the 60s or something like that. I ended up going there. So yeah, I mean, the Boston game of telephone and how it relates to, you know, the classic thing in Boston is, yeah, you were, yeah, it was you, oh yeah. You know, so imagine like, even if you were, nobody'd say, we'll play that game, you know,

but if there's any fame involved, like they are gonna assign you, they're gonna tell you where you were, you dated this one, then you fought that you where you were. You dated this one. Then you fought that one. You got kicked out of this place. You went over here. It's like, aha, yeah, OK.

So even Jon Tobin, a dear friend. No, by the time. So Tommy did his time at CM. And then a couple of years later, I only did ninth grade there. Okay. And I wasn't really famous. I was just like bubbling under, no one really knew.

I might've been in the Globe a couple of times because the new kids were doing the little things there and there. It was the summer after my ninth grade. That's what things took off. Yeah, that we got a break and went on the road. And then, yeah, so I didn't have to live in that I'm famous going to high school kind of thing.

So you just got tutored after that? I did, I got my diploma from CM, but I had a tutor, God rest his soul, Marco Dowd, and it was tough. I mean, it was- He came on the road with you. He did, it was, I mean, 10th grade, I did sort of the work. I don, it was... He came on the road with you. He did. It was... I mean, 10th grade, I did sort of the work.

I don't want the brothers from CM taking back my diploma, but you know, it was a joke. We were playing stadiums by the time I was in my junior year. And then you're probably doing radio interviews in the mornings and signings and... Roll the footage, you know, Siva. I mean, I was just like, I did, instead of graduating, my graduation was, I got my diploma in the basement of the Hard Rock Cafe in London. And they gave me like the thing

and they gave me the thing. And dude, it was at the height of our, I was white as a ghost, dark circles under my eyes. I mean, a tale of, what do they call it? A cautionary tale a little bit. Right, right. But I survived, Greg, and here I am. Talked about unions and what we can do to make this.

Well, what's amazing is that the work ethic that you really do see, Boston really is a town of, grid it out, put your head down, do your job, and I think it seems like you take that work ethic very seriously. Like a lot of people after the success you've had would have kind of taken it easy. Yeah. And instead you, there's this amazing story where, I think it was around 99, where you were trying to sell a solo album. Yeah. And nobody was buying it. Here you are,

this guy that's like, at one point you were the highest selling artist in the world and now you can't sell a solo album. So you, would you bankroll it yourself? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely did that, which was back then it was still, you're talking about, to make a decent album was like hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I got a lot of heat or whatever, like articles and papers and writers would wanted to talk to me about that. There was a hook as far as selling a CD, making a CD, and selling it off the internet was a big deal, which was funny, I guess, from a guy who was such a pop guy and such a major label kind of of, you know, that guy to be doing it. But I, you know, desperation is the mother of invention

kind of thing, and I did do that. I pressed up 2,000 CDs, numbered them. And I always give my lawyer the credit, Jamie Roberts from New York, New York Eye, and he's like, what, you need to be on stage. You know, I forgot about that. You know what I mean? You just gotta get out there.

So that was the impetus. I said, I scheduled three shows, Boston, Rhode Island, and New York, and I said, they gotta know the music, so I pressed up the CDs, and then I went to Kiss 108 just to promote the shows, and David Corey, the musical director, he said, that song's state of the sands, great, let's play it.

And it was top five request. In Boston. In Boston. But the big station, Kiss 108. Then it started picking up heat in Providence, and then New York was playing it, and then labels started calling me back, because they made because they made my own heat and I ended up back at Columbia Records, which the new kids were.

And the album sold a million copies. Yeah, not a million, but it was gold. It was gold. No, it was a million dude. Let's call it a million. No, it was a million. It was a million. It was a million.

Yeah, no, it was top 10, top ten billboard charts and yeah it was a moment. You made your money back. I did make my money on that and then publishing too because they all came running for that. I said let's sign the publishing deal before the album comes out because I'm always realistic. You know, everybody gets excited but the guy who's been there all along, you know what I'm saying, knows best. So I was like, okay, that's fine, but let's sign it before it came out because...

Otherwise the studio will, the label will take a percentage of the publishing. No, just the numbers wise. Because it's almost like everyone thinks it's gonna do better than it is. Right. You know, in my mind I'm like, let's sign it before... if it blows up, great, but it might not do as well as everybody thinks it is, and then the offers will be, I just always knew that, you know what I mean? So yeah, I did well on that end. Yeah, I was scrappy, I mean, going back,

I did have a dad that would always say, get a job. And you know, I mean, the good thing about that is literally That could have been raking leaves down the street. Yep. It was about the dignity of a job. He knew better It wasn't about go go be famous go continue to be famous. Why aren't you writing it records? Well, but it was Get up and at him. You know what I mean? So he did, you know, instill that. It's amazing that they hadn't given up at that point. You're the youngest of nine. And I know I got one of my best friends is the youngest of seven.

And he was the kid that didn't have a curfew and didn't necessarily have clean clothes when he came to school. Yeah. Like they were tired. They were tired. Hang in there through all nine. Yeah. I mean, the Irish, you know the Irish Catholic, they just kept going.

I mean, my mother was a fricking riot. She'd tell you, the blood is falling out. You know what I mean? She didn't drive. So she'd walk everywhere and take buses and trains. I'm having a 10th kid, it's my bladder. Totally, exactly. And so, yeah, thank God, right? Yeah, that's why I can't, you know,

bash the Catholicism too much. I wouldn't be here, you know what I mean? It's amazing. And you know, I think growing up in the neighborhood you grew up in, you, did you know a guy named Kevin Chapman? I know Chappie. Chappie? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but as older, yeah. Yeah. Did you know a guy named Kevin Chapman? I know Chappy. Chappy? Yeah, but as older, yeah. I grew up in JP, everybody else was from Dorchester. Very different upbringings, you know?

Why is it? In a way, I mean, isn't it so funny how, is parochial the term? Is it like this very, literally it's one street over, but it's like them against us. It's like literally Boston, but every neighborhood, and I'm sure it's like that in New York and everywhere around the world, really.

It's like, oh, not them. We're like this. You know what I mean? Like JP is like, you know. Is it like New York? Like I was born in the Bronx, and people identified by parish a lot of times. There was a little bit of that. A little bit of that.

It was just like, but dot rats were really dot rats. I mean, we called them dot rats for a reason. We believed it. You know what I mean? And then Jamaica Plain, unfortunately, and they would say Jamaica, Spain, which was a derogatory statement. It was a bad thing that we had so many Puerto Ricans,

you know what I mean? And then, you know, whatever, we were like, you know, and within JP, there was like Moss Hill that was fancier and, you know, all kinds of different, it's funny. But that being said, like I heard like, Joe Rogan talking about JP was the scariest place he ever grew, he grew up there for a while or something like that. It's all relative, you know what I mean? But anyway, where's Chappy from? Do you remember, is he? I think he's from Dorchester.

But I knew him because he was a comic and he started this club in Quincy. You say Quincy or Quincy? Quincy. Yeah. Yeah, he started a club in Quincy at a place called Footprints, because he was a sober guy. Is a sober guy.

And it was this sober club. It was such a cool. That's right. Because Boston sober is not like, my life's over. I got to stay home and white knuckle it. Boston sober is like, no. It's like a union. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Right, right. It's a union. It's a fraternity. They go out and they still party. They still have a union. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a fraternity. It's a union, it's a fraternity. They go out and they still party. They still have a blast. Absolutely. So there was this sober club in Quincy, and they used to do a comedy night there.

And I got to know Chappie pretty well. Oh, yeah. No, he's a good dude. I haven't seen him in a couple of years. I have a videotape of him. I had a party when I was first starting out. And I just had this funny idea of I'm'm gonna leave a video camera running in the bedroom, and everybody gets to go in and just say a message

or do whatever they want. Chappie came, I don't know if I should, I'll say it. So Chappie comes in and he had somebody behind the camera, and he said, and it was a closeup of his face, and he goes, Greg, I've got a secret, and then the camera pans down, and he's got no pants on and he did the tuck. He did the dick tuck.

Oh, nice. Chappie, I have that. That exists. So is Chappie a trans man or a trans woman? What would that be? He's a trans am. Yeah, he goes very fast. 1986, yeah.

But in the end of the day, you're going to need a tow truck for it. I like that. Oh, nice. Yeah. So let's talk about the new album. It's called Freedom. It's called Freedom.

It's fantastic. I listened to it. Thanks, man. Yeah, it's very. Thank you. It's just sharp. It's very well produced. Thank you.

Is that the same crew of guys you've always had? No, no. I got to, you know, I lucked out. I appreciate that. It's very well produced. Jesus. Is that the same crew of guys you've always had? Or is this new? No, no. I got to, you know, I lucked out. I appreciate that. Yeah. It's 10 songs. It's 32 minutes.

So it's like, I kind of went there with like, doesn't keep you too long, but packs a punch, which I like. It's kind of like my pitch, but I, myself and Sean Thomas, he's this 24 year old Canadian dude from Vancouver. You gotta love him, right? They have that special sauce.

You love the Canadians. They don't love us anymore. Well, I know, at the moment. I know, I know. But they have, you know, very, very talented kid. I met him through the pop icon Miss Debbie Gibson. Okay. It was a dear friend.

And so anyways, here we are and we have a great time. And as I'm writing, I'm like, I'm 52, he's 24. So as I'm writing, I'm like, he's getting something out of this. You know? Yeah. Like why don't I have this freaking 24 year old and he's probably thinking, you know, oh, this is pretty cool. I got this pop guy who's got this, I'm learning.

So we get, we have good laughs, he's very talented, and we put the time in, it's a commitment, you know what I mean, to make a whole album. Yeah, it sounds young. Thank you. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, I think to make, you know, decent pop music, maybe you have to engage

with that younger quality, you know what I mean? And also at the same time, I felt like I was as honest as I ever been. I mean, not that I was explicitly going through things in my life now, but the energy was there. There was a chip on your shoulder in there somewhere, which I think you have to have for a certain kind of music, you know? Is that what motivates you still to keep? Because you, I mean, we didn't get into it,

but there's so much shit you've done. It's kind of mind blowing. I mean, you know Broadway and films and TV and you know going solo and you know going back out on the road with the band again. And I mean, is it a chip on your, is it something like I wanna still be one of the relevant guys?

Is that it? Well, at the end of the day, I just enjoy making things and I think I bring something to the table. As I said, only in the last few years, turns out I do bring a lot to the table. And I find that out by, for instance, in theater, like I originated a couple of roles in theater and I'm in the room with good people,

and I have a lot of ideas, and I share them, and it works out, you know what I mean? So it's all about getting in the different rooms and people seeing what you bring to the table. So I love that, and that's it. Outside of all that and the noise around what we do and presenting things to the world and yada yada, that could come and go.

I think there's good days and bad days, right? You know, as a creative person. I think mostly, you know, what I've been sharing about is, you know, being a part of such a success that is Nukes on the Block is, you know, it could be called the gilded cage, you know what I mean? And so that at the moment is what I'm sparring with. It's like, I love these guys.

They are literally like family. When you talk about I'm the youngest of nine, siblings, the idea of sibling relationships, I didn't really have that. Because I was, Tommy's four years older than me, and then everybody's older than me, and I had a great narrative. They wanted to save me. I was, Tommy's four years older than me, and then everybody's older than me, and I had a great narrative. They wanted to save me.

I was blessed. Take care of Joe, save him from the madness of the house. So I had a lovely narrative. You know what I mean? I was really, so I was a product of that. Then I'm thrown into this group at 12 with four other teenagers that were 15, 16 at the time. I'm 12, which is a huge difference. with four other teenagers that were 15, 16 at the time.

I'm 12, which is a huge difference. So what I'm really, it's a process. I've been with these guys for 40 years. Donnie Wahlberg, who is, my family anyways, but we've just gotten closer and closer and closer. But starting out, it was not easy Yeah, and he's a huge personality. Yeah a great leader born leader Yeah, he basically aside from me put them band together. Oh, he did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

He was the one guy who he and Maurice he met Maurice and he basically Donnie had to go find the group, you know what I mean? He went to school with all those guys. Our story is like, lots of times, you know, you think boy band, ah, you know, fluff, you know, manufactured. I mean, it was such an up by a bootstraps, Boston working class. Like he was like, he called Jordan's house,

who lived in Codman Square like in this big Victorian rundown house this big beautiful family is we were all working class families. You know what I mean? So yeah anyways It was still I think you know finding ways to tell that story authentically as we speak anyways I'm I have I'm still Trying to carve my path and have some autonomy while this beautiful thing rages on called Nukes on the Block, you know what I mean? Well, you must feel like you have. I have, but it's a project at a time.

Funny enough, here I am 50 years old. For my 50th birthday, I played Carnegie Hall. It You know, I'm, you know, for my 50th birthday I played Carnegie Hall. It was fricking, you couldn't write for three hours they had to kick us off because the unions. But it's like a, you know, it's a double-edged sword those unions. So anyways, Living My Fullest, trying to balance

bringing them in, I mean, they were guests for my night. They were such a part of my story. But being on my own and claiming my space, it's almost like you create a monster. You want more of it. Meanwhile, Nukes on a Block is, I mean, the State of the Union is fantastic, you know what I mean? Where we continue to grow and now we're about to start a residency in Vegas, which, you know what I

mean? Yeah, it's going to be fantastic. No, it's not. Vegas is awful. So we still. The shows will be fun. Right. All the bells and whistles, though, you know what I mean so Vegas is so we still well those will be fun right no all the bells and whistles though you know so so it's anyways so this album talks about do you know what I mean there's this one song freedom that title track I guess you want to call it so So it's step by step one of our biggest songs. Uh-huh.

Jordan sings lead, but then we get to the set. Step one, you know, we can have lots of fun. Step two, there's so much we can do. Step three, it's just you and me. Step four, I can give you more. Then John says, step five, don't you know the time has arrived? And it's just a little bit, so in that song, Freedom,

I say step one, this isn't any fun. I'm two steps from the door. Close your eyes and count to three, open up, you won't see me. Step four, I cannot give you more. If I'm ever going to make it out alive, the time has finally arrived and it feels like freedom. So, you know, and some of the fans, the Diehards are like, okay. Yeah, they don't want it to change. Oh man, no, no, no. They want Mickey and Minnie, and they came to Disneyland to see,

which I get, you know? I mean, they're fine with it, but I got to share that way on this album. Well, what's interesting is a lot of times an artist will be part of a group, and then they'll go solo, and they really feel like they want to reinvent themselves and they want to do something that, you know, is a new brand or whatever, however you describe

it. But you've kind of kept one foot in each side as you do this, which isn't as clean of a break. Right. And so it's like, and so as I talk about the cool thing is, and I'm glad about it because as I'm writing the record, I'm like, I'm, the cool thing is, and I'm glad about it, because as I'm writing the record, I'm like, I'm a little bit in my bubble, and I'm, you know, I'm embracing that chip on my shoulder or whatever story I have to tell, but now, you know, like Donnie's been nice enough.

He's a great collaborator. He says yes first. He's just said, let's go. Yeah, sure, yep, you know. And so I've been talking, he hosted a couple of listening parties and I'm glad that I'm sharing it with him and with our fans.

And not trying to be divisive. You know what I mean? And not trying to do it on this podcast and nowhere else. You know what I mean? So, and the question is, can I have it both ways can freedom be? Both right, you know Stephen Nicks went back and forth. Yeah, I mean, you know and I

It's all relative, you know, I'm trying to you know Sometimes you want it all or nothing and you want you know, but just so happens that you know I'm I'm lucky to be in a very successful band. You know what I mean? Oh, the plight. That gets along. Yeah. That gets along.

I mean, that's the thing is some people want to get back and tour for the money. You look at Oasis trying to get together and tour, and after two shows, they have to cancel the entire tour. Was it? Was it? Yes! They had a fist fight on stage. I get it. No, they didn't.

Yes! No, they didn't. I don't know if it was fist, but had a fist fight on stage. I get, no they didn't. Yes. No they didn't. I don't know if it was fist, but it was somebody punched somebody. Yeah, there was at least one punch thrown. I'm sorry, that older brother is such a prick, man. Yeah, is that Liam? I can't, Liam's the singer, Noel.

Oh, Noel is the, no, the older one. I mean, the stuff that he would pull, like he would make his, the old footage, like Liam would be sitting in the back and Noel would be singing the song. I mean, he's famous for being, it's sort of his shtick obviously, you know what I mean? But like, you know, a little bit of that is fine. Like who needs that?

I know, well, you know, then you look at like, apparently like the Stones, like Mick and Keith didn't really talk for years. And then the, you know, then you look at like, apparently like the Stones, like Mick and Keith didn't really talk for years. And then, you know, Keith's playing a lead and Mick is leaning in and they're sharing a mic and then they get off stage and just go to different hotels, you know? I think Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were like that too.

And we had those moments. I mean, historically, I mean, I talk, Donnie and I came from very similar homes, except he had brothers and I had sisters. So it was like, we were almost like some teenage married couple. You know, he'd be like, and I'd be like, no, you don't.

You know what I mean? And then the rest of them would like, the rest of the new kids would just sit back and watch, you know, eating popcorn, you know? But we were very passionate. And as it turns out, you know, we become very great collaborators. But to your point, a lot of bands can't get back together. Because we consistently, for better or for worse, chose family and friendship over the business.

Which is a pain in the ass a lot of the times. And you've got all your agents and managers fighting against you to do it. They want you to stay on the road. They want you in the recording studio. Yeah. If somebody wants to take a break, they hate it. Well, that was, I mean, we finally burnt out,

and then grunge came along the first time around. And on paper, we took 14 years off. It's like, how does this work? We'll take 14 years. Stop by taking 14 years off, and then we took 14 years off. It's like, how does this work? We'll take 14 years, stop by taking 14 years off and then we'll go from there. And then since then, yeah, it has been, it's my piece de resistance,

it's my Mount Rushmore, it's my Mount Vesuvius climbing, I work out all my stuff through the group, basically. And thankfully, you know, I was able to keep it clean enough. You know what I mean? I know, that would have wrecked you guys if one of you guys had a scandal. I mean, as a teen pop band, that's like,

and I think it's different. If you guys, I have no idea what it was like when you were touring, but I got to guess as teenagers traveling around the world in stadiums, it must have been nuts. Oh, no cameras and no cell phones. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, thank God, dude.

You couldn't do that today. Yeah, it was bananas. Yeah. You know, we were 16, going to clubs and, oh, my kids don't see this. What do you think, your kid? What kind of lighting is this with this thing? By the way, I moved to Venice. and I hope my kids don't see this. What do you think our kid? What do you think your...

By the way, I moved to Venice. I know this. When I moved to Boston, I'm from Boston, he gotta go to Venice. He gotta go to Venice. I had a... rented a craftsman on Noita Place. Dude, that's around the corner from me. Yeah, above Abbekinney. Gorgeous when I first moved here.

Yeah, in 2002, I was. 2002. Yeah, my first, I came out with a, the only way to come out here was with a gig, right? Otherwise, why do that? Come out here with a what? Without a gig. Oh, with a gig.

Yeah, yeah. And I was on Boston Public. Yeah, with David Kelly. Wait, so when you were on OEDA, was Julia Roberts living there at the time? She had, yes, that same year, I was on that same block. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. Gorgeous. You know who else lived on that block? Louis CK. Really? Yep. He's a good friend of mine and he moved to my neighborhood. Which was cool is that the walk street part was literally this big.

It wasn't the big walk street, it was the little one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like your front gate was like, you know, right there. No, that block of Noida is, there's a grid of walk streets in Venice that's very, I don't even wanna talk about it because it's so quiet. Nobody, like nobody, it's not like the canals where there's tons of tourists taking pictures.

But it's just, it's a sidewalk with houses on either side. And then they have the alleys behind the park. So it's just, and people take their fences down. It's gorgeous. And dogs and kids are running back and forth. I've alleys behind to park. So it's just, and people take their fences down. It's gorgeous. And dogs and kids are running back and forth. I've been there for 25 years. I know every neighbor on the walk street. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's sort of like, some neighborhoods have an identity and our identity is we talk to each other. We go to each other's houses for dinner. We have poker nights. Block parties. It's magical. It's absolutely magical. And I was there for my first year out here and met my wife there.

She was a realtor. Okay. And found me the place. No shit. Yeah, she found me a place. It was this or a place on Speedway. And we were just hanging out. And I said,

sounds so stupid. But I was like, I think I even said like, if we were dating, you know, which one would you pick? And she's like, well, not the one with the gray carpet on Speedway that looks like a shanty, the beautiful craftsman on a walk street. So I did that one and then I ended up buying a house on the canals actually. Oh, you did? I did, I did. Was it annoying having people walk by all the time?

No, I mean I was young enough, I didn't really, whatever, it was like, you know, funny enough and you'll get this, it was a brand new house, like three decker, you know, it was a McMansion. It was a McMansion, you know, And as we had just closed on it, but there was a second one, like a twin one. And we're checking it out, and we're like, oh my god. And some guy walked, Rufus.

And he's probably still there. And as we're passing, he goes, they ought to blow the fuckers up. You know, like, he didn't want that. He wanted the little, you know. So it was sort of like, do we swear on the, uh? Oh, fuck yeah the little, you know. So it was sorta like. Yeah, those little crafts. Can we swear on the. Oh, fuck yeah. Oh, fuck yeah, okay.

No, Venice is a really special place. It's cool. And our producer here, Paul, is from there. So I know him. He lived three doors down from me, and we've been friends for 25 years. Great band. Three doors down, name a record.

Can't do it. I don't even know, me neither it but I actually love their drummer I saw them K-Rock has a Christmas party every year and they played at it a couple years ago and let me tell you something their drummer fucking rocks. You're a drummer? Yeah I can. You and Bill get geeked out on drummers? Oh Bill Burr? Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah I love good drummers. No, no, I'm starting to play bass. My whole life I wanted to play bass and I just started taking lessons. Good for you. Yeah, I mean you gotta learn and grow. But no, and you're also friends with Adam Ray, who's a good buddy

of mine. Very, yes. We just did a big podcast together this week over, you know, Jay Okerson and those guys from New York came in and did this game show thing. What was, no, I didn't know, Jay Okerson and those guys from New York came in and did this game show thing. What was, no, I didn't know. He does, I mean, God bless him with the Phil, Dr. Phil. He's killing it. 5,000 seaters. It's like, what? And I mean, a year ago, that guy was playing the same club as I was, Laugh Boston, for

God's sake. Totally, totally, no. I mean, it's almost cliche but couldn't happen to a better guy it really good if you if we earn things in this business gal yeah he earned it yeah yeah he's a guy that put in his time and he's a good actor is that how you guys know we met we met in the on the heat oh no Melissa McCarthy yeah yeah and Sandra Bullock, Paul Feig, director. Right. What a trip that was. Wow.

So much fun, yeah. Did you have scenes together? No, we didn't. Completely different, but we met at a screening and, you know, Adam, he's like... Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, he's just... You stay in his life when you meet him. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. So, and then, oh, and then we did a show. I created a show for Pop TV. It was called Return of the Mac. It was sort of my version of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It was scripted, but it was very scripted. It was loose.

Well, it wasn't loose. I'm just saying I did play myself. So it was like, but it was scripted and he played my manager. It was eight episodes. It was, the thing is a lot of like, it was one of those things did nothing, came and went, but people I respect, like Bill Burr was a fan. Like he was like, I wanna be on season two.

Pop TV? Where was that? I never even heard of it. And it was after Schitt's Creek and it just didn't, I think people wanted this. You know, my fans want this. Like woo, everything's okay. You know, and I'm doing like.

You don't want a fucking dripping cyst on your eye. Yeah, they, god damn it. I mean, it looks like. This looks better in Venice too. It does. Now it works. Yeah, yeah, now it works. See how the outfit works.

This is guy who dressed for the gym, not going. This guy, it all works. This guy owns a coffee shop. Oh, yeah. Exactly. Look at all your little bracelets. What is that all about? Well, of course, my daughter, my 13-year-old daughter,

is a big, big Swifty. But everybody does these. Yeah. You know, Swifty is, she owns everything, even stuff that used to be other things. But this isn't that cute, my daughter made Freedom. Oh, that's nice. She made Freedom.

She made Ludgy, which my son, he would go to bed at night and part of the backstory is, you wouldn't know it, but he was born, my second son, my youngest son, I hate to call him the middle guy, he was born with severe hearing loss. And yeah, yeah, so I had hearing aids since he was a month old. And if you met him, you really wouldn't notice because, but he's an amazing guy. But he's got full hearing with the aids? Pretty much. Okay. Yeah.

I mean, yes and no. He makes you think he does because of the hard work he does and he pieces it together. Right. Usually, you learn a lot. You know, when people sound deaf, Yeah. they talk that way because that's what they hear. Right.

I know that sounds dumb. No, I get it. They're not as crisp because they're not hearing the... It's not the deafness isn't affecting their voice that he sound like that way, but if they lose different syllables and stuff like that. So he doesn't have that because he has the hearing aids. Oh, that's amazing. However, when you take him out, the cool thing is when you take him out, you get a whisper in his ear. Or if you... Whatever. If he was ever having... He can still hear you. You

know what I mean? So at night, that's a long, didn't know we'd take this thing, sorry. Well this is what FitzDog Radio is all about, it's an exploration. Thank you, thank you. Yeah. And it's cute. He used to, when he would go to bed,

you know, he'd say in his ear, like, I love you, and he'd say, I love you too, love you too. You know, the ludge, instead of love, like, I love you and he'd say, I love you too, I love you too. You know the ludge instead of love, like I don't know, it might have been a kid thing, it might have been a kid thing or maybe the hearing, But with the hearing aid in he would say it this way. I love you too, yeah, yeah, it might have been I love you too but maybe he was sleeping

but then it became a thing, you know, it was probably kid talk. Right, right, right. Ludgey. Yeah, oh know, it was probably kid talk. Right, right, right. Ludgy. Yeah, oh I like that, ludgy. So instead of I love you, it's ludgy. Yeah, I love it. So she made me a ludgy.

And then I have this one a fan made me, it's all practice. It's all practice. Mr. Guy playing the bass. That's right. Going for it. It's all practice. Three hours a day, I do three hours a day.

No you don't. I do about 20 minutes. I have ADHD. All right before we go we're gonna do a quick thing called Fastballs with Fitz. I'm gonna ask you what's the closest? These are just questions. They're quick questions. Don't expound. Don't expound? Is that a word? It's a big word. Is it we check it with the producers? Put your earpiece in. Guys, X-Pound?

Yeah, you're right, actually. That's a really good big word, $5 a word. $5. What's the closest you ever got to a fist fight on stage? Oh, geez. Donny, I think it was 91. Things were coming undone. We were doing the best we could, but he...

We all had moments in the show, and he would touch base with the crowd, and maybe he went a little longer than normal, to the point where we would go backstage and play video games. No way! So now he was done, and by then then no one showed up. So then he just made the band play the song. So we had to run like crazy because we heard the song and then we were halfway there and he was kind of talking trash and then I talk trash. And then like... And this is in a stadium. Yeah, yeah, an arena anyways. Yeah, and he's like every time,

in the rap that he said, every time I look I find you disin omission that's strictly righteous. He said every time I look I find Joe disin omission, strictly righteous. Right. Because he was acting up, so I acted up, and he said that, and when he said that,

I left the stage, and I hit the showers, mid-show. And they stopped the show, and everybody told us to get back there, and that whole thing. So, you know. That's good. So we didn't come to blows, but that was heavy. I like it. There you go.

He's a good actor, by the way. Yeah, he's got the spin-off of Blue Bloods, dude. I heard that, Jesus Christ, that show, Len Cario's a dear friend who plays his father on the show. And 15 fucking- Oh, grandfather, yeah. Grandfather. Dude, 15 years, it's unheard of.

15 years, and he wants more. People have to understand something. Shooting a one-hour single camera is 12, 14 hours a day. Talk about get a job though. He's like, yeah, I mean, you could say maybe he's, he likes to be busy, to put it lightly. Listen, I'm grateful that I was able to be a friend and see him walk through that morning too.

But wow, it's unheard of it's you know it's almost like he's the last of the Mohegan's you kind of got to do it for the history of television because it doesn't happen anymore right and I think I don't know am I giving it away I think I mean he the guy goes to Boston yeah so I mean Donnie is so now he gets to live in Boston he gets to shoot in Boston doesn't he live in Chicago he does yeah he does I mean it Donnie is, you know. So now he gets to live in Boston. He gets to shoot in Boston. Doesn't he live in Chicago? He does. Yeah.

He does, I mean, it's not, you know, but, he worked it out, I mean, what are you gonna do? Dude, I'm gonna do three more podcasts and retire. I know. I'm done. I know, bro. What is, uh. Sorry, here we go. I expounded, sorry.

There are two types of people in the world. Go. I was gonna say decaffeinated, I don't know, that's lame. That sucks. Well you got Starbucks on your mind. Scabs and union guys. I like that. How's that for a tough one?

Right. Wrap it up. Because that goes deep. That goes deep. Call back. Yep. Let's, I mean, I don't want to, I want to either piss people off or have them love me. You and your guys stay married. They keep their friends. All right. I'm just spitballing here.

They'll come shovel your driveway. What's the, what's the last time you apologized? Oh, golly. Like a deep apology. No I'm really good at that. Because you're Catholic. We confess. You know I like to keep it clean. I'm just good at that. When's the last time I apologized? I probably got a little heated with my son and I just told him, listen, I got a little heated but I want you to know no matter what, where you go, what you do, I'm there for you. But you know, I guess that's the closest I... To me, apologizing to my kids is one of the easiest things and yet the most profound things

because you're teaching them to take accountability for yourself and to be vulnerable enough and love somebody enough that you can do that. Yeah. It's a great lesson. Yeah, it is. It's pretty cool. That's true. Last thing. Don't say it. Don say, saying ain't so. What have you turned down recently? Oh my gosh. I'm thinking of the thing I should have turned down, but I'm gonna do. Golly, can't say that out loud. Tell you that afterwards.

Hopefully we'll do all right with it. What did I turn down? I turned down a lot of cocktails lately. Are you sober? Yeah, it'll be, March 10th will be a year I haven't had a cocktail. Oh, congratulations, man. Yeah, aside from three hits off of eight pen,

it would be completely clean and sober. So you're California sober. No, only once. That's what pisses me off about it. I was like, no, I just want if I was going to do it. But no, I'm full on, yeah. That's great. Aside from that one day, one time, yeah.

That's great. And that's a blow mind. Yeah. Yeah. Well, maybe you can go to Footprints in Quincy now. I love it. Let's get out of footprints West me you and Kevin I love it I can't say enough about what a great hour. This has been the albums called freedom the tour the residency in Vegas is gonna be coming up and that's gonna be in August 26 through the 29th?

No. No, that starts in June 20th. But I gotta hit my dates. That's what most of you guys do, right? Because I have solo dates in April. Oh, dude, you're going every night in April. JoeyMcIntyre.com for all the tickets. But I'm doing basically,

oh, you wanna hear my little my little rap my yeah, yeah in vogue rap that I'm right I'm just doing I'm gonna make a little tick tock. Yeah Here are the dates Should I do it as Madonna's amazing, okay. Here we go. Hmm Okay, here we go. Here we go. Houston Dallas and Old St. Louis, Chicago Detroit, Toronto, too. Cleveland Two Ville's Lou and Nash, Birmingham. Let's kick some ass. Gainesville, Savannah, Raleigh DC, Philly Boston and NYC.

Freedom Tour phase one is here. Guess what, baby? See you there. You just kicked some ash on that one. I didn't mean to say ash, but it's better ash than ash. It's totally better. OK. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you, Greg. All right.

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