Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - GATES MCFADDEN: Turning Down Star Trek, Crazy Stalker Stories, Behind the Muppets & David Bowie Memories

Episode Date: June 6, 2023

Gates McFadden (Star Trek, Labyrinth) joins us this week to share her decades worth of experience with Star Trek - from her true feelings about certain storylines, to her bond with the Next Generation cast, to her favorite reveals in Picard. After some ‘inside baseball’ talk about our shared passion for podcasting, Gates shares terrifying stories of coming face-to-face with her stocker multiple times… before there were safeguards or laws that protected women from predatory men. We also talk about her love for David Bowie, her forgotten kiss with Bill Murray, and her time working alongside muppet master Jim Henson. Thank you to our sponsors: ❤️ Betterhelp: https://betterhelp.com/inside 🟠 Discover: https://discvr.co/3Cnb1V8 🧼 Dove Men Plus Care __________________________________________________ 💖 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/insideofyou 👕 Inside Of You Merch: https://store.insideofyoupodcast.com/ __________________________________________________ Watch or listen to more episodes! 📺 https://www.insideofyoupodcast.com/show __________________________________________________ Follow us online! 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/insideofyoupodcast/ 🤣 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insideofyou_podcast 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insideofyoupodcast/ 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/insideofyoupod 🌐 Website: https://www.insideofyoupodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum. I have allergies and my eye is really red and hopefully you won't see it. Don't zoom in. Don't be a dick. I'm going to continue. Hi, Ryan. Well, cheese.

You're a well of problems today. Yeah, I am. I am well of problems. This dog, I'm allergic to the dog. I've got these allergies. I went to the doctor. You know, I got these eyedrops. I got this cream.

Nothing's really happening. I'm not sleeping. I haven't slept much in the last two months. I'm up like, I usually try to sleep to eight hours. And now I'm sleeping average four and a half five with the dog. It's getting a little better. But something's causing my irritation. And I don't know.

Is it just allergies? I sure hope so. I sure hope so. You know, I want to thank everybody for listening to the podcast and a good shout out to my patrons. You know, I talk about this a lot. But inside of you and Talkville, we really have. success, some success, or I'd say we're really, it's working because of the patron family who give back to the show. So all I'll say is if you really enjoy the show and you want to get back

more, go to patreon.com slash inside of you and become a patron. I'll message you. And it really helps the show and there's lots of perks. I send packages like boxes of merch and little notes. I write them all. I pack them. And so there's that. I do want to talk about a couple little things. first our handles, Ryan. At Inside of You pod on Twitter, at Inside of you podcast on Instagram and Facebook. Thank you, Ryan. And a big shout out to Warren Eckstein,

my uncle. It was a great episode last week. If you didn't listen to it and you're here for Gates McFadden, I understand. But it was the first time I interviewed a family member. And it was really fascinating.

He's like a pet expert and author. And people really loved it. So whether, you know, you want to take a listen, listen to me and my uncle have a chat about life and things. It's interesting. It really is.

I was surprised how interesting it would be. not that he wouldn't be interesting. No, he's very interesting. Yeah, he really was. He is. A few of charities I want to just mention. One is this charity that I can't go to, but I want to, but there's a, it's called Crazy Game of Hockey Charity Weekend.

And you can go get tickets. It's for the Wild Foundation charity. And wild.com slash crazy game. You can get tickets. There's, it's, July 8th is a charity hockey game at 12. with teams compiled of alumni, current NHL players, musicians, celebrities.

OAR, the band, and Corey Wong concert at the Armory. Pretty cool. A lot of great stuff. It's July 7th and 8th in Minneapolis. It's in St. Paul. Crazy game of hockey, wild.com slash crazy game. I get it.

Yeah, yeah. And also just a shout out to food on foot for the homeless problem that we have in this, in not only this country, but in the state of California. My dogs are barking. Foodonfoot. dot org if you want to give to the homeless crisis here in Los Angeles great charity

Rob who's in Sunspin the band with me he is head of marketing or does all that also animal rescue mission my friend Cheris charity and I've never seen someone so passionate about I mean it just stresses her out constantly because she's always saving animals and and she's like well you know I want to act more and I'm like because she's done a lot of stuff but I'm like hey this is like a purpose you have purpose you're saving animals you're rescuing animals that's a huge thing so kudos to shira and the animal rescue mission if you want to get back to that and echoes of hope for foster youth that is an amazing charity luke and stacia robatai speaking of hockey um the inside of you online store is

available tons of cool merch a lot more smallville stuff coming new tumblers that you have to see and um that's there i will be in niagara falls this coming weekend for a con very excited about that and then look for me elsewhere at other cons and i might be going to wales again i might be going to wales uh i know we had to cancel the trip was canceled but uh i talked to jamie the promoter and we're going to see what we could do in november try to get me out there again we're working on it i just have to see if i can if my schedule is available but uh i want to say thank you to everybody patrons you rock we did a zoom with all the top tier patrons, and it was a blast.

And then we did another one with Talkville. You could also get Zooms on Talkville and tons of other stuff. So thanks for listening to the podcast. This guest is just, she was phenomenal. She looks fantastic. I hope I look half her age when I'm her age. Gates McFadden. We talk Star Trek.

We talk life. We talk about career. We talk about, she's so honest and open about, you know, what it's like to be a woman. and you know as you're getting older i mean it's you know it's hard enough you know as a man and a woman but for women you know it appears to be harder especially for work and um it's crap because she's phenomenal and i can see her on so many things um so if i did i have i said um a lot or it's it's fine we'll cut it out okay jason cut my ums out um you know my friend conner he's irish

and he always goes in instead of like uh like we go uh i don't know he goes em Yesterday was like, so he goes, em. I don't know why he does that, but I like it. It's cute. They do vowels different over there. They do vowels differently. I think you're throwing it forward when you're speaking the Irish accent. Cars in the table.

Cars in the table. Cars in the table. Speaking of Irish, I think Gates McFadden, is she Irish? I'm not sure. Could be Scottish. Could be Scottish. Could be English. Oh, man.

I'm really bombing. It doesn't matter. I love you guys. Enjoy this episode. I know you will. We've had a lot of Star Trek people on lately because they're phenomenal and I'm going to have more if you're digging this. So right into the show and without further ado, let's get into Gates, Mick Fadden. I love you, lady.

It's my point of view. You're listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum was not recorded and from a live studio audience. Gates, you walk in here and you're already a bundle of energy and joy. I mean, I can tell you're a little stress because you're traveling tomorrow.

Yeah. And the drive over here wasn't as easy as you thought. I know. Where are you coming from without giving your address? Well, I was coming from Beachwood Bronson area, but it was that I did not, I thought I remembered where the route was to Jonathan's and I went up the wrong street.

I went up. So I'm going up there assuming I'm doing right and I went, wait a minute, this is not looking familiar at all. Anyway, I figured it out. But I couldn't get my GPS to work when I was up in the canyon. But luckily, the Amazon delivery guy.

Helped you out? He did. He said, heads up. This is not. That's up the road. You know, the GPS and the canyon is not great. It's spotty. shoddy or doesn't exist in certain areas here's the deal though okay do you have ways i don't i used to it's an app i use it now the thing that sucks is now uh my road is sort of a shortcut for people and now there's more cars than there ever was and so it yeah it pisses me off

okay i'll keep that in mind i actually when people drive down my street fast i'm one of those old guys like slow down right one guy like stop he was going so fast and he stopped and he started to back up. I don't know what was in my mind, but I ran after him. Like, oh, yeah. And he sped off. Like, he's like, this guy's crazy. But if I didn't, I think he would have been trying to beat me up or something. No, that's why I love this show, beef. I mean, it is just so fabulous how. Beef? I get road rage, you know, I sometimes have. And then other times I'm super polite. And I'm like, absolutely. Just go right in before me. Absolutely. Oh, you know what, two of you, go ahead. I've got time. And then there are other times like, don't you? You know, like,

I will slap you up. Oh, God, yeah. Do you, like, throw F-bombs of people and cars? No, I don't. Not, no. I don't usually do that. You're not an F-bomber. No, no.

I'm a, get the rifle. No, I'm not. I just really, there are times when there are certain people who like to just speed up and they've been going illegally and then they want to speed up and get in before you. And I, I suss them out because we actually think alike. But I've been, I've chosen that. day to be kind. And so then I don't let them in. And they get very aggressive, but it just doesn't bother me. Do you ever pull up next to someone and just look at them? Yeah. Yeah. And do they ever look

back? Yeah. And do they ever say, F you? Yeah. And what do you do? I just give them a peace sign. Just give them peace. Yep. You know. But if I'm wrong, I always apologize to somebody. Wow. Like I'll do a whole, yeah, no, I do a whole like wave and I'm sorry and thank you. then you know so you're i would say just by hearing this and hearing from brent spiner and hearing from jonathan freaks it like this is one big family and i i don't i don't i buy it but i'm like you know every family has dysfunction oh of course so you know but we you know we actually are friends like we know what drives us crazy about the other person but then we also love them for it doesn't bother like like brent will say oh god that is so you gay

right it's that sort of thing now if that was my husband it would not be done in that way probably really well that's so gates it's just it's different we we kind of love each other for the idiosyncrasies at this point and that's kind of cool you know it is it's unusual because I remember at the airport or something you and Jonathan were goofing around like oh Brent late again yeah or something like you know I I didn't know. But you guys obviously joke and have a rapport. And your son is, he's the godfather of your son. That's right. He is. Brent Spiner is. That's right. He's the Jewish godfather. Don't tell the Lithuanian priest, though, will you please? Why? Because he thought it was pretty funny. I had two Jewish godparents. This was for my mother, of course. Right. And he was really looking at me like, you have ruined this child's soul. And Brent has always said, okay, if you die, I'm very,

bringing them up Jewish, as if, as if, I mean, it's just funny. You know, I, uh, I have a godson and I didn't want it. In fact, really? Yeah. So, uh, Tom Arnold, good friend of mine got, you know, kind of got me in the business years ago. I don't see him very often anymore. Uh, he's got his own life.

But he's like, him and his one of his ex-wives called me and, uh, and they said, hey, we thought about it and we want you to be Jack's's godfather. And I immediately was like, no, don't make me the god. No, no, buddy, buddy. Because, buddy, you don't have to do anything. Just show up at his bar mitzvah or something like that. You don't have to like, you know, you're not like. So in the beginning, I felt like, you know, I went to his birthday, sent him presents.

And I'm like, I'm not, I can't. I just, I got, I'm a single dude, you know, whatever. So I felt this pressure. And now it's been a while since I've even seen him is Brent sort of hands on. Does he call your God, your son? And, hey, how are you? Oh, yeah. Oh, shit.

Every, every month he sends him. you know a couple grand and uh stop it you're a liar no Brent is Brent's been great he's been very much there every birthday he never forgets he doesn't forget um Christmas he always does something for those two times and when he was you know when when it's when your son's growing up in particular and when um Brent would like he took him do one of the things when it was Pinocchio and it was an opening and he would do things with him and uh even that he'd No. Even now.

Yeah, they go and they sing songs together and they play and no. My son's got a whole life and career. How old is he? My son is going to be 32. Wow. Yeah. And so, yeah. How do you look so good?

I'm not blowing smoke. But how do you look so good? Because I'm telling you. Yeah. I have seen women a lot younger or men that don't look. that doesn't look like you. You just seem together the way you dress, your style, your face. You just have this like, I don't know, this innate usefulness about you. Well, Mondea. Well, I actually, um, what do you do? What do I do? Well, I've always done a tremendous amount

of moving around. I move, I move like I do. The choreographer. No, I, yeah, I'm a choreographer, but I also did tons of anything movement. I mean, I, did tai chi i did karate i did i did i've tried just about everything you can do and i just like it so my energy always is moving around like if i'm reading something i'm sometimes doing pleia it's just it's just me you know it's not that i'm a dancer i don't think of that that i'm really a down although i could tap dance for you right now but i'm not going to it's not enough room in there but i'd say do no oh yeah you can do it i would just ruin your wooden floors i wouldn't care yeah the puppy i have, Charlie is ruining my fucking hardwood floors. Well, anyway, I think it is an attitude thing.

How do you eat? I eat now. Um, I have these major gluten and dairy allergies, which just sucks. Yeah, they developed for me too. Really? Yeah. I, I, I had a guy when I was 24 in New York and I was still teaching at universities then and I was, you know, acting in different stuff. And he did this test. And he said, you know, you're really allergic, like really allergic to gluten and dairy. And I was like, yeah, that's like all I eat. So shut up. And yeah. And then he said, no, you really are. And he got me very scared. So I tried to go macrobiotic, which is all you could do then. Because if you go into a deli, there's nothing gluten for yours without dairy. I mean, come on. So I did my best. I failed. And then I went back to, you know, eating gluten and dairy.

And then I started to get migraines. And they would last finally for three. days. And the day I stopped gluten and dairy, I didn't have another migraine. So I knew that there was truth. And then if I would start to cheat, I would start to get a headache. I could feel that that was going to turn into a migraine. So it's a drag. And I have to be very careful. For different periods, I was vegetarian, I don't eat any red meat and stuff like that. But I don't think that has really anything to do. Yeah, my grandmother, Blanche, who's 95 in June. Oh, you named your dog after Blanche. Well, yeah, and she's still alive.

And my other dog was Irv, who's named. After your grandfather. I was like, what the hell are you naming a mirth? I'm not even dead, you know. But Blanche is one of those that it just defies, like, all science. It's one of those things where I go, she doesn't drink water. Get out of here. I got to hydrate.

I haven't hydrated in 94 years. What am I going to do? She's my kind of gal. And she's like, she'll eat whatever she wants and she does this. And she, all her foods were fatty and oily. And I mean, and so she's 95. She's still walking around. She walks better than my 76 year old grandmother.

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Rocket money. Well, you see, I think it depends on your metabolism. You know, it's like I have one cat. One's really heavy and one's really thin. And the cat who's thinner has this metabolism that goes crazy. And I think I have that sort of a fast-burning metabolism. But, you know, who knows? I don't know.

I'm told every time I go to the doctor, you need to drink more water. I mean, the woman who was my tie, I was going to go for a little. Thai acupuncture and she said stick out your tongue and I stuck out my tongue and she went I mean the look of horror on her face and she was like you need to drink more water you know like like I was like okay do you have some whole drinking it look like I was going to die I have to force myself to drink water right there next to you really yeah okay see we're gonna both well you're making me want to drink well let's have a little drink of water guys out there drink water I'm trying I really have problems I

don't really have a normal thirst all the time, right? Anyway. You know why? Why? Why? You know, but you got to do it. You have to. It's, it's, it's, I never do.

I always like a ANW root beer or grape juice, sugary shit. And it's probably, where did you grow up? All right. You grew up in Ohio. Did you? I grew up in Indiana. I was born in New York, but I grew up in a small town in Indiana, southern Indiana. All right.

So there's something we have in common. Yep. You were Akron? Akron. Akron. Yep. LeBron. James and me and Pat Benich.

Aquin General Hospital. They've got a great Knights in motel that we used to stay in on our way to New York. Like what? Oh, really? Mm-hmm. Okay. You could have called up my folks. They would have, you know, you could have stayed at all right.

They would have housed me? No, they wouldn't have. My dad, I almost said, God bless us, so he's alive. My father, you know, he was a frugal man. He has a frugal man. But we would go to these motels, Ryan. We would go to these motels. And it'd be me, my sister, brother, little brother, mom, dad, two beds and a cot in one room.

And the hotel was probably $39 a night. Right. I'm like, get two rooms. I know. And not only that, but I'm doing armpit farts to like two in the morning. And my dad's pissed, but he's kind of laughing, but he's pissed. Cut out. Damn it.

See, that's the kind of motel rooms that I cleaned one summer for trying to earn. money for college, yeah. Really clean motels. I did once. I bet you find some stuff. Oh, God. They had a little envelope that said, little envelope for the maid. I cannot tell you how many pubic hairs I would find in that envelope. Oh, my God. People would really do horribly, you know, but they were down with their friends drinking parties and stuff. And laying out pubes. I guess. I mean, that's what they're doing. I mean, really, it was pretty gross. But it did teach me, I don't want to do that for a living. Yeah. Did you, were your parents cool growing up? Were you like, did you have a good family? I adored my parents growing up. I just, you know,

I looked up to them. They pushed us. My mother in particular really pushed my brother and me hard. I mean, we were like everything, like we had to be, just do everything. Cleaning, studying, everything. You know, Girl Scouts had to do a sport. I had to do violin, the poor teacher, my poor Russian teacher. He would go, it was Arpad Karinsky and Arpad, and he'd go, Sherolin, Sherlin, you got to practice, practice. I would have just done like 10 minutes before he arrived, right? But there were just too many activities. And every night I'd go to the dance studio for like hours after school. And I think in retrospect, I don't know, I never asked my mother this because it only has occurred to me really late in life.

Everyone's always freaked out when they see how bad my scoliosis is. I have a really bad scoliosis. Really? Yeah. And I suspect that the doctor when I was born said, the good news is she's alive. The bad news is she's got a really bad scoliosis. And I think my mother got me,

she had me doing dance when I was two and a half years old. So it made it worse. No, it made it better. You think it made it better movement. Oh, God, yes. Yeah, I understand that because I've had a lot of back surgeries, a lot of back problems. Have you? But when I'm, oh yeah, like eight spine surgeries.

But when I, when I'm stagnant, when I'm not doing a lot, I feel like it's worse. When I actually go and do things, it's good for the brain, but it also, which your brain and the pain are kind of connected. Arthritis is also something that it's worse if you don't move. It's really weird. You really have to get the blood circulating and do stuff. I was told like 20 years ago, I needed a knee replacement right away. And I said, nah, not doing it. And I've really worked on just building up the muscles around. And I'm still good.

You know, I can't do, I can't go up and down on one leg like I used to, but I can at least do a ton of stuff. I think it's really about, I mean, I don't claim to take care of myself that well. I just. Genetics. Well, my grandmother did when she was 100. She did have beautiful skin, I got to say. A hundred? Yeah.

We had longevity in my. Are your parents still alive? No, they both died within a year of each other. It was really tough. My mother got muterine cancer. My dad had ALS and was pretty brutal. When was this? This was right.

It's kind of when I stopped going up for anything. And my agents said, you're not going up for anything. Goodbye. That was like, I don't know, 35 years ago. Wow. It's been a while since that happened. Maybe that's too much. Yeah, yeah, it's too much.

But you still think. So 20 years ago, 20 years ago. They say, you know, I can feel this with, you know, with my grandmother, past and I could feel it with my dog where you still think about them. Oh, all the time. Yeah, all the time. I still want to call my grandmother. Right. 516, 6, 78, 5075. I know the number. But what's great is actually, I'm, I was really off. I don't think it was that far. I think it was like about 15 years ago that that happened. Maybe, I don't know. How old am I? I have no idea. But at any rate, I have no idea. It was just a horrible period. And it was awful because it was

like right in that one year they both I lost them both but I would say about two years afterwards like I felt them always with me it was like okay they're part of me I you know it's cool and I wasn't missing him in the same way like I'd sort of like uh I felt their their presence in me right and that was kind of nice but when I went away to college people I would hear someone on the phone and they'd be going all right you bitch yeah okay goodbye and I go oh my god who was that my mom You know, and I'm like, what? Wow. It didn't even occur to me.

You never talk like that. Oh, I never did. Never did. I couldn't refer to my mother as she or my dad would get pissed. Well, she said, don't you refer to your mother as she? Really? Well, it! Yeah.

You know, you couldn't do that. Where'd you go to college? I went to a school called Western Kentucky University, the Hilltoppers. Okay. I've heard of that. I graduate from Brandeis. Brandeis? And I taught at Brandeis for six years, too.

Didn't you also teach at Harvard and Pittsburgh? I taught two seminars. Harvard. And I've taught, yeah, I was, I was not full-time faculty at Harvard. I was full-time faculty at like several schools. But I taught at a bunch, like Brandeis full-time. I taught Marta Kaufman and David Crane. Really? Yeah. Did you want to, did you want to become an actor? Is this something you had a passion for? You really wanted it. You had other stuff going on. Well, I think I, when I was a kid, I've said this in my podcast. I mean, I was always building houses. for my dolls or making Air Force bases and stuff.

I really liked construction. I'd go in the dirt pile. I'd make cities. I think that had I been left alone to my own devices, that would have been my direction. Like I didn't like playing with dolls. I liked making houses for them. Wow.

Because my mother and father both loved, you know, the cinema and all of that, I think that they were kind of hoping I would be like Grace Kelly, kind of win the Academy Award. and then marry a king i think that was kind of their agenda for me die on a cliff sort of yeah she did she flew off a cliff i know you know she's my favorite i always think of when she was betty davis and grace kelly unbelievable yeah really really awesome i agree i liked barbara stanwick too

she was pretty cool yeah she was pretty cool um yeah i don't know i think like my brother i mean he went to harvard law school and business school the first joint program they ever had so there was something, it's because they didn't have the opportunities. Like my mother had gotten scholarships to a couple of universities and they needed her to work to make money. And I think that growing up as they were both in the Depression period and stuff, it just changes how you think about stuff. But yeah, I was very close with them and they were great. And my brother now is, he just moved to L.A. for part of the year he's going to be in L.A., so that's nice. do you think i'll get off the death subject but um you know well look you're a little older than i am

not much right but you've probably experienced more death than i have the obviously the older you get my grandmother like is 95 and she has no none of her friends are alive not know the people she loved except her like some of her you know her immediate family so i can't imagine it's like how do you deal do you start to become numb and just accepting i i just don't know how how I'll deal with death. I was talking with Kate Mulgrew about this because she was feeling that. Like, oh, my friends are dying. And I had a really wonderful friend who died a couple of weeks ago, who was just

fantastic actor, Carol Locatell. But actually, I've had so many friends who are younger than me because I don't know if it was from teaching or what. I think when I moved to L.A. and left my New York community, because I had a real community of friends that were there. And it was harder to stay in touch with them. I think that changed. But I also have very close friends who are younger than I am.

But we always hang. And I think that makes a difference just having a good cross-section of friends. My friends are not all my age. And then, of course, probably the next-gen cast, we'll just all die at the same time. Yeah, that would make sense. inside of you is brought to you by rocket money if you want to save money then listen to me because i use this ryan uses so many people use rocket money it's a personal finance app that helps

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I find it interesting, and I hope you haven't told this story, but I know you have. But like, when you started acting, you started getting. work you start seeing like you know uh things are working out i'm getting you know but when you first got star trek next generation i read that is this true that they fired you after the first season after well they don't call it firing they say you're not asked back no you were fired um no but you know here like maurice hurley yes head writer and showrunner did not like working with you and under her at her demand, you were let go. Is that true?

It was like he. I think it is true. But see, I don't know that. I don't know that for sure. But here's the thing. I think they had, like I had said no to Star Trek twice and went to do a play for 400 bucks a week with Linda Hunt. So I was not, I was, I was a person who wanted, it came from this,

let's change the world, let's do something. And I wasn't at all into the business aspect of, be it theater even or cinema I didn't that that's not where I came from I came from like okay guys we're gonna make this the best we can make and so many of the things that I'd done had been collaborations like complete collaborations with people we would develop a piece and I loved that

so when I um or it was a brand new play and then we'd have weeks to work on it so I didn't get this whole Hollywood thing and there really are politics Oh. Yeah, well, I didn't know that. And I think, and also it was a different time. They really, they wanted women to look pretty and be a certain way, but they really didn't want you to like, you know, speak up as if you were they're equal, I think. So I don't know. I think I definitely pissed him off Maurice Hurley because I kept saying, why is it that I've raised this genius kid Will Wheaton's character, Wesley Crusher? I mean, the guy's saved the so many times, right? And audiences didn't like that in the beginning. But I mean, clearly, I had something to do with it. It wasn't just this dead husband. And yet every time there's anything even possibly serious, it's only the male characters that talk to him. And I know he doesn't have a

dad, but all of you ever have Beverly Crusher doing is, oh, Wesley, you know, why didn't you do that? And I'm like, wait a minute, she's a scientist. I'm not buying this. This is like leave it to beaver kind of mother thing. And so I had a problem with it. And I thought certain, like, I thought Angel One was a really silly sexist script of there's this planet of women and they're doing really well and they all happen to be really good looking, which is, you know, fortunate. But then all of us... That's my kind of planet. No, I'm kidding. And then all of a sudden, Will Riker, Jonathan Frakes, goes down and they just, they lose their mind because, like, you know, it's a man. It's a man. It's a man. I mean, things

like that and I think that really pissed I know it did piss him off and I and Gene didn't love it either so especially since I had been so I'm not sure I want to do this in the beginning right so that's what happened and and whereas my agent had said oh no your character's like the third most popular character blah blah blah I have no idea of of any fact because it was in social media when I first started no there wasn't but you had sort of like people would still rate things or something right anyway I have no idea but then I thought that was over and I went and did a play in New York and did hunt for Red October, which was supposed to go into being in the second movie. And then Alec Baldwin asked for too much money, and they recast both characters. Yeah. So there you go. But I did do a play that I loved in New York City,

and it was very successful. It was, actually. I loved doing it. Yeah, I love that. But then they asked you back for season three. Yeah. And you were probably like, F you. You know, it was weird because they, they, they, it was Patrick who first called me.

And Patrick said, it's not working so well, darling, you know, and would you consider coming back? And then Rick Berman called me. I think Gene, I think it was probably Rick and Patrick who talked the studio into having me back, or not the studio, but I think Gene was, because Gene loved Diana Maldar. He had worked with her for a long time. and it was more of that kind of the character of bones, but as a female. Anyway, my agent was a huge Star Trek fan, and she was more upset at not being brought back than I was. And so she was so chomping at the bit to get me back on. And I said, I want to make sure that it's really the character

who's the love interest of Picard. And she said, yep, yep, same character. That's what they said. And, of course, it wasn't. it took a long time for the character to sort of find its way because it was sort of like Diana Maldar's character they had you know how they get scripts ahead and if I had been smarter about the whole system

I probably would have said well let's see some of these scripts or something but I just wasn't but I hope you fired your agent I didn't fire my agent no I don't because they do that I know but I don't do things like that really I don't know I there's so many things No, neither do I. I don't do that. I don't. I don't do it when it's warranted.

Look, I've had two managers in my life. That's it. I've had, usually I've stayed with my last agent, who is my agent now for many years. But you have to know it's a business. And what they do is they want to get you in something so they can make money and then you're out of sight. I know, but on the other hand, I agree. But on the other hand, you know, she was the one who talked me into going up in the first place.

Right. That was a fluke. I was on my way to the airport, and she's from something else I had tested for. She's like, no, you've got to have, you know, I mean, that was a fluke. So, again, I think what's weird and what I realize now in my life, I'm putting together the fact that like sort of three of the most important things in my life have kind of come through the back door. Like I've said, no, no, no, no.

And then finally I go, okay. And they end up being something that is on some level. level or another life-changing. It's not like it's all good. What are those things? Well, one was doing Star Trek, okay, because I said no twice. And the other one was, I said no to labyrinth a bunch of times, working with Jim Henson. And then I said no to the podcast. And I think what I've learned from the podcast is that no matter how much I complain, I actually like learning new skills. And I like sort of testing myself. on, you know, can I do this? And what is that? Give it your best shot. Like, I want to be successful. I want this to work.

I don't know. I don't think it's that. No? No, I think it's more like, what is this? Is this something I like? Is this something I don't like? Oh, here's how you edit. Oh, that can really change how something appears.

I love that. I'm interested more in, it's like teaching was that way. I didn't go off trying to be a teacher. It was thrust upon me because I was recommended by my teacher and it just happened and it was better than cleaning motel rooms right so that's how the teaching started i was teaching all different places in both new york and cambridge taking the greyhound bus making paper machine masks for my mask class and you know i mean i i worked my butt off for it but again i got to direct and that's what i loved i directed a lot of plays when i was in academia

and I really think those are some of the best things. I mean, I really love directing theater a lot. And that's why, you know, I built a theater in L.A., you know? I mean, it's, it's, I didn't want to be really artistic director of this theater, but then the only thing. It's still here, too. Yeah. Oh, yeah, it's successful.

Well, it's the Outwater Village Theater. Yeah. And the Echo, a lot of companies now sort of take credit for it, but I know it was me, the first person who went in there. And I sold almost all my. memorabilia and I put the money into building it. Wow. And that, again, is going back to building something, go back to being a little kid. I think I love building things from the ground up a lot. I don't care if it's a theater piece, if it's, you know, I love collaboration of that

sort where you can get into arguments, but it's about what the, you know, making the piece the best it can be. Yeah. And that to me is where I am happiest. I don't care if it's even, You know, you're doing a recipe. It's like I love that kind of experimenting, trying to figure that out. I love that. That's inspirational. I wish, it's not that I'm not like that, but I feel like I see something. I have a great idea.

It's hard for me to want it to come to fruition, but all the work it will take is daunting usually. And I'm kind of like, just don't think I'm going to be able to have the time to do that. Because I'm not going to make the time to do it. And it's just so much you have to pick your battles and pick your passions and pick your, you know, and sometimes you're like, you know, I could have put more work into that. I could have put, or am I wasting my time on something that I really don't love doing? Right.

And that's something I've thought about for a while with acting. You know, it's something that I think I was good at. I worked hard. I became successful. So I'm like, why don't I want to do this as much? why don't and i'm sure there are a lot of different reasons you know uh you know working hard and then nothing comes it doesn't do well doesn't do well uh you know not it just there's a lot of things and then 14 hours on set all these things that i just was like you know i like sitting here yeah

this is fun i get to see ryan's handsome face every day i get to see your beautiful face meet new people i'm good with people and i'm but i feel guilty there's that side of me that's going, why aren't you doing that? And your agents and all these people are saying, dude, why aren't you acting more? Well, I wish I was acting more. I would really... You love acting.

I really do. But you are acting. You're on Picard. Yeah, I know. But, I mean, I wish people would let me do some of the character and funny stuff. I remember going in and doing a pratfall in my spike heels, like in early, in the 80s sometimes people just freaked out, whereas I knew how to do prattfalls. You were like a Chevy Chase in the eight, right?

I was. I love that kind of stuff. I love... I love physical. Yeah, I love physical stuff like that. And I also love being like a Margaret Dumont character. I'm a really good mean straight. You know, I love all that thing.

What happens when you get out here is people see you as only a certain way, you know. It's a shame because I could see, like, I'm looking at you. And I'll be honest, I wasn't a big Star Trek fan. I'm a Star Wars fan. So I've sort of been, you know, I dabble in it. And I'm like, this is pretty cool. But I haven't gone deep like a lot of the people. people listening are, you know, a lot of Star Trek fans or will become or become fans of yours.

But where was I going with that, Ryan? You were about, I could see that or something. Oh, yeah, you and you. Yes. What I'm saying is, let's talk about me, please. But no, it's true. I look at you and I'm, even when you were doing that Russian character a little while ago, I was like, she could probably do anything. I mean, I could just see you as, I mean, I don't know why you're not like. See, I love to do accents. I mean, I did accents when I did stage stuff in New York. And I don't know. I mean, I think it's because I started getting an agent and doing it in the business when I was already in my 30s, you know, and I think I did a whole

bunch of stuff that was just like less on the radar. I was working on experimental projects and doing stuff like that. I don't know. Yeah, I think the European model was one that I was more comfortable with where you really had time to develop stuff. No one has time to develop projects anymore. I'd cast you in something for sure. That's what it's going on in my head, thinking of projects that I'm going to create and do and like things that I'm doing. I'm like, there's got to be something. Something for gates. No.

I know. I mean, I'd write a character. I think you're just super talented and super fun to work with. I can't believe like you're older than I thought when I met you at a con and then at the airport. Right, right. I was like, she's probably in her early 60s, you know. Yeah. I, it's just like you, I don't know.

Well, I mean, I think I have never seen the age that I really am. When I was younger, I always seemed older. And as I got older, I always seemed younger. And I, that's really the truth. Like, I was faking my age with agents in Ohio and going to Oil City, Pennsylvania. Falsies in my costume in sequence. Falsies? Yeah, well, I was like 14.

They called them falsies then. They were like, I don't know. different from what they have now, I'm sure. Or fakeies, falsies, fakes, fakeies. Exactly. And then I was like 14. My mother would pull this makeup on me. And I'd sing, you know, I'd sing a song, Basin Street, you know, and I'd start the tap

dance and then take off the skirt and tap a little more. And, you know, I'd have like a trumpet player, a guitar player, and a drummer. And then the host would say, yeah, let's see it again. She's the Anne Margaret of Ohio. do it again, give her another round, and then they'd want me to do that number again? And I'm going, your smile when you have lipstick on, your smile is fixed. Wendy's most important deal of the day has a fresh lineup. Pick any two breakfast items for $4.

New four-piece French toast sticks, bacon or sausage wrap, biscuit or English muffin sandwiches, small hot coffee, and more. Limited time only at participating Wendy's taxes extra. But she made yourself look older. older than you were yes yes and by the way i could see the anne margaret thing did you have sex with elvis no oh if only would you have well if you met elvis one night after she goes hey how you doing and you just said let's go to my room up at the uh i think i would have tried to to say why don't we just tell stories to each other oh thanks baby i need a storytelling i won't do that on stage well you know you never know when he was young oh yeah but then you know yeah then the drugs and the toilet and all that

stuff that didn't work out. But, you know, we were talking about cons. Yes. And that's where we met. And we both do the cons. I met you at an airport. Yeah, we met in an airport. I think I came up to your table at a con once.

You don't remember me. Because you liked Star Wars. You're thinking of. No, but it's not I don't like Star Trek. I do. I just am not as deeply invested as. Take a note on that. Take a note on that.

No. But I wrote down sex with Elvis and I'm on the next things. Okay. Okay. But, you know, and I, know like for instance one of my co-stars um she had like a stalker she had someone come to the show oh really at the show and she she she they like got him out of the con she like he showed up and that was somebody who was sending these messages on it's so creepy and it's so creepy i know that you had something

like that she was really i was like what can i do i'll go handle it i you know i mean well and you stop going the cons because of no no no no i was afraid to go to them i was stalked when i was teaching at University of Pittsburgh. What? Yep. And it was terrifying. It was before the stalker law was even, you know, before Rebecca Schaefer was murdered. And it was really, really scary.

He almost, I mean, he, then when I got, I wanted to get out of there and there was nothing I could do, he would just be everywhere. He would know where, when my lights were off. I mean, no matter what, he would, I'd get, I'd get. big missives that he would write and I'd tear them up and then I'd just go a few paces away and then there'd be a new one that would be in my purse. I'd like, how is this happening? It was like really scary. And he followed me when I changed jobs and went to Brandeis and then he had written all these open postcards. I didn't even know the people who had hired me. I'd met them once when

I had, you know, you're sent and you're supposed to be tested like the students like her. You teach for a day, right? You teach all the classes and then they decide if they want to hire you. And I got this offer as an assistant professor and um i arrived there the first day in the office and all the people in the office are looking at each other like yes well here here's some cards that have arrived they're sort of personal and it was like cards that he had written talking about our relationship and all of which was fabricated and they didn't know they're like they didn't know it was so weird and then that winter like in december there was a huge snowstorm and uh i mean nine feet of snow had fallen and we were all trying to dig our cars out. So I was on this, I had gotten an apartment

in Cambridge and there were some people. We were all on the street trying to dig out the street and there's a guy who, we had seen each other and he taught photography at RISD, Rhode Island School of Design. And we were doing it for hours and he said, hey, you want to come up for my place was just to have a hot toddy or something? And I said, sure. I'd never met him. That was the first time I'd met him. I go up, the guy's parrying a drink and there's a knock on the door and open up and there is my stalker and he grabs me by the hair i mean it was like amazing and uh yeah i mean here he is in another state on a snowy night and he was he looked like tony perkins and psycho it was like scary and this other guy had a fake gun and he put the fake he went and got it

and uh and then we called the police and the police said there's nothing we can do until he hurt you and i said well he grabbed me he assaulted me in that way and they said no but we are there bruises and i I went, well, no, because of the guy. Are you fucking kidding me? So I, you know, yeah, I slept with a butcher knife under my pillow for a while. Well, how did it end? It just sort of trailed off. He sent me dead flowers.

I just sort of trailed off. Dead flowers. And I never knew when I'd run into him. Look, the guy probably had mental illness. I don't, you know, I'm sure that he's probably. Probably. Well, I don't want to, you know, what if he was really someone who just, I don't know. It was really scared.

though and um that's why i didn't want to go to cons because i thought i'd see him because you're like almost inviting him inadvertently like look i'll be at here i'll be right right so i sort of was like always trying to not do stuff like that yeah oh my god i'm so sorry you had the deal with that that has to be the most terrifying like he thought he he owns you yeah well no and you fabricate it's amazing actually it's the fabric you cannot say anything he was a graduate with a student, well, I shouldn't say more details because I don't want him to. Anyway, they will, no matter what you say, it feeds into something that they're going to justify. So you just can't engage. And I'll tell you, this was the most weird thing. So I was

teaching a class called playwriting through improvisation. And the very first day, this was like my second year, I'd been teaching it there. And there's like 40 students. And he's in the class. And he's like, I have to talk to you. I have to talk to you right now. I have to go out in the hall. And I'm like, well, can't it wait for after? No, it has to be now. And that's when it started.

And he, you know, he just went, you know, we are, we are lovers. We've been lovers. We have to stop doing. I mean, it was just like this whole fabricated thing. And you're like, you have to go. I was like, this is my clay. Yeah. I mean, I was really young.

I was in, oh, my God. I was in my 20s. It was like scary. You know, and it's people, just guys will not, men don't understand how. invasive how intrusive yeah you know and i on a smaller scale i've had a couple where i'm doing stand-up and someone shows up that she's always showing up where i am hey hey and i'm like how's going how are you oh cool and this time i'm about to go on stage i'm I'm going to go on stage.

And she goes, look, grabs my hand at, we, we have something here. And I go, what are you talking about? I listen to your podcast. You're single. I go, no, actually, I'm dating so much because no, you're not. Right. And it was intense. I go, all right, you crossed the line.

Stop it. Stop it. I've been a nice guy to you. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I'm going on stage. Goodbye. and she just, and then I fucked off, you know. It's easier for guys to do that.

That's why I'm saying. It's easier for guys to do that. And maybe women can do it more easily in my generation, in the younger generations, but in my generation, it was pretty tough. I mean, because, you know, when I would ever speak in that sort of way, I mean, that's when they'll fire you. You know, they don't want really. I think that, and again, maybe that's just my projection.

Maybe I was just a complete asshole and deserve to be, you know, I don't know. One never knows the other side of something, but yeah, it's awkward. It's weird when someone's... All right. Let's go to a happy place. Okay. I hope it was a happy place. The Jim Henson, working with Jim Henson, was...

Maybe not. Because, look, you get this sort of, you know, in my perception, I guess a lot of the people in the world, like, you know, this quiet, reserved genius who is humble. I don't know. I don't know anything about him other than he created the Muppets. And wow, this is great. But I'm looking at you right now and I'm saying, well, maybe he wasn't the nicest person to work with. You know, let me say this about working there. I love Kermit. Okay. Kermit is definitely very special to me. Why is that? I think it's how he copes with being green. I think he really is a coper. He knows how to just deal with that.

And he's just very lovable. You know, he really is. He, we communed. It was good. I like that. Yeah, no, he was good. I think it's a lot like Beirut. You go and he lets people fight it out.

He really puts a group of terrific people together, but they might not all work together well. And you have to sort of fight it out. It was something that was the only reason I took it was because I, I had lost two other fabulous jobs because I had a skiing accident. I was supposed to be in Hannah and her sisters. I had five scenes. The part was just cut out. And I also was shooting a television thing and it was going to be a two-month gig.

And I had shot, I think, a day. And I was recast because I almost died. But my life was saved. Yeah. And so, you know, I mean, that was a good thing. But things had been going really well, acting-wise. And that was the period. were, and Jim had seen me do Cloud 9, Tommy Toon's production of Cloud 9.

I was a replacement cast, brilliant play. It was the first, it was how I got my equity card, actually. I did it for, I don't know, quite a few months. And what an amazing. It was the triple role. It was fabulous. And he had seen me do that. I didn't know it, but he had seen me do that.

And he knew I was teaching at NYU Tisch at the graduate program. He knew I was teaching acting stuff and doing comedy. I was doing clown in the theatrical clown. I taught that for years. And movement. Well, yeah, but mainly at that point it was theatrical clown, which was really about finding your own comic persona, your own point of view of the world,

and just being so present, you know. And anyway, I think it was just this tough time for me. And I went, well, I have to earn some money. And so I said, yes. I had done this other. So I said yes, and then he had me do this other. movies sort of to try me out. And I loved that process. It was with a director named Gavin Miller. It was called Dreamchild. Dreamchild. With Ian Holm.

Wow. Coral Brown and Peter Gallagher and Jane Asher. And I was in charge of directing the fantasy sequences for Gavin Miller. So I would direct all of these fantasy sequences with the Mad Hatter and all of this stuff. And he liked that. And then he would say, yeah, but I like this. version. I would give him like three choices. He'd say, I like this and can you do the, you know, and it was great. And I loved the way he directed. It was super fun. Even though it was like a condensed period and I had never done any of this before. Again, it was like, you know. You're building it. You're creating it. Well, I didn't work with, you know, the animatronics. It's like you'd have all these buttons. And just to do the mad hat or mouth, there were seven people on it, on the face,

seven people. You had people doing the jaw up and down. Then you had people doing the lips. You had people doing the eyes, the eyed lids. Anyone messes up. Well, exactly. And then you have three or four characters in the same setup. And then we had a live British actor who I would have do the voice. I mean, it was complicated. So anyway, I ended up doing it.

It was a year of my life. And then I was, Frank Oz said, do you want to do little shop of horrors and do the plant? And I went, no, I think I want to go back and do acting. Thank you very much. And I loved Frank. I loved Frank. But I just, it wasn't my genre. What can I say?

Did you have him do the Yoda voice? No, I didn't. No. I would have done it. You would have. Can you ask me in your Yoda voice and I'll consider it? Join me. Riddle shop of horror.

I'm sorry, that's terrible. It was really fun working with David Bowie, though. I'll say that. Labyrinth. Then you went to Labyrinth. Yeah. David Bowie was amazing. He was amazing.

Well, he was amazing. I don't think I really, I think I was shy and I sort of, I cover up shy and us by being business-like or something, you know? Yeah. I think so. I think that had I really allowed myself to just go, wow, David, effing, wow. He was so cool. Just because he was so unpretentious.

Yeah. And so gifted. I mean, there's very few people who could pull off that character. I want to tell you. You know, really. I love David Bowie. Yeah. I loved his last video.

My God, that was so. Oh, the documentary? Well, no, but his last music video he made. I mean, it's just like amazing. Yeah, he was revolutionary for sure. He really was. He really was in so many ways. So, you've done all this stuff.

It's just unbelievable. I could talk to you forever. Picard. This is, what is this? Season three? Yeah, season three, the final season of Picard. Yeah. Right.

What can you tell us the biggest secret? It's been shown. It's done. They've aired it. With data. Data. I always say that. Data.

I know, I love it. It drives me crazy. It was a huge reveal. Well, there were lots of reveals. What's your favorite reveal besides data? No, the reveals were all over the place. It's the fact that I had a son that Picard didn't know about and it was his son. That's the biggest reveal.

That is the biggest reveal. That was the biggest one. When you read that, were you like, oh my God? Well, I knew that it was there because if it hadn't been an interesting storyline, I don't think I would have done it. I think that might be true for several of us. But because the parts have been pretty much nothing for my character in the movies. It was just like, oh, yeah, well, right, we got to put it in a couple of scenes. That's got to be so annoying.

It's disappointing. I mean, they'll pay you. It's annoying isn't the word, but it is disappointing. You want to be more of an integral part of it. Again, it goes back to the thing. It's, for me, it's not about, I mean, I'm sure there's, there's tremendous ego. I'm sure, all sorts of things. But I know for me, I am happiest.

I don't care whether I'm directing at the 99-seat theater, 100-seat theater, and Atwater Village. I forget to eat. I forget I'm hungry. I forget if it's the process. I get into the process. I really do. I mean, it's not bullshit. I really do love it.

I don't care if it's teaching. It's watching the people get it, you know. And if you don't feel like you're a real part of the process, you don't. You feel like sort of bored. You feel well, bored or disappointed or you feel ancillary. You're just not, it's not very important. It's not challenging. And then you go, well, okay, people go, well, they, yeah, I'm doing this and they're paying me that much.

And I don't, it's tricky. You know, I would much rather feel really great about the part of what it is or be challenged in some way. But you love the show. I do, I do. I think it's, and I've learned how to love it. I didn't watch Star Trek. I didn't watch Star Wars either. I mean, I didn't have a TV when I lived in New York. I know. No, no, no. Seriously. But I think, oh, by meeting the fans, I've met some really interesting people. And you learn about the economy and the socioeconomic situation of the United States of America when you go to these places. And, you know, you can tell where you're near a military base or in the South when it's like, yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. And other places it's not. And there are places where there are places where, people obviously don't have dental care and their teeth are just like, so you learn a lot. And most of the people really believe in the future and they care about it.

And it's not so much, I don't think they just go, oh, you're Dr. Crusher. I don't think so. I think it's more like they believe in what the whole Mishigas of Star Trek is. Mishigas. I don't use that word. What's Mishigas, the whole story? Gestalt. Okay.

The gestalt. Yeah, the gestalt. Can you do a good German accent? Spachens yet I'm not going to do it for you right now. Fine. But it was a great experience. Picard, it turned out to be...

Oh, it was great. I mean, Terry Matalas, I cannot shout his name enough. He really was just fantastic. He was the showrunner. He was the guy who was the head of it all. And he really, really took care of all of us. Everybody has great moments, and that's really hard to do with a big cast. And we were.

And he did it. I think he honored everybody's characters, and he listened to people's input on things. And I think they cast the tiniest parts brilliantly. Amanda Plummer's amazing. So important. Oh, it is. The little parts are the most important. Really?

If you forget about those, it takes you out of it. Yeah, it does. And these people were like, on it. They were so, so talented. Every single one of them, I was very blown away by them. Who makes you laugh the most when you're acting with them out of the Star Trek eyes? Oh, I don't, there's not one. I mean, Brent's very funny.

It depends. Everybody can be very funny. Patrick's even funny? At times, yes. Who's the most moody? Well, Brent would probably say me, but others would say Michael Dorn. So I don't know. Could be a little moody.

But you guys get each other. You just know. Oh, we do. All right. This is called shit talking with Gates McFadden. These are the top tier patrons. It's rapid fire. Okay. I don't know this at all. So I just, shit talking with Gates McFadden. So I just ask you questions from my patrons. Oh, I see. Patron.com slash inside of you. I love you. Thank you for all your support as you know. And so you rapid fire. If you want, if you really want to take the time, do it.

Leanne, how do you feel about the progression of Dr. Crusher and Picard? Do you feel she is a good role model for young women? Yes, absolutely. I think she's ethical and she does it. You know, she rock. She can fire those weapons and she walks the walk. Michelle Kay, I heard you got to work with David Bowie and Lavinth, which you talked about. You already talked about that experience. Was there any one particular story that you remember with David? Well, what I remember is he came in looking really tired one morning. And I was like, okay, so we're going to start and do this.

And he went, I'm tired. He said, yeah. Mick and I were up all night. We shot the video dancing in the streets last night. And they hadn't slept. And I'm like, there's like the fan girl and me going, oh, my God. God, I wish I could have been there and... Dancing in the streets!

California, Rio! That's right. That's amazing. 99 more. Did you take the chair with you or any other items from set? For Picard, no. They were honest.

No, I wanted the jacket. I wanted any of my jackets. I loved Michael Crow's designs for me. I had some hot jackets. And you didn't want to take anything? You know, if I couldn't take the one jacket, forget it. There was, you know, no. Do you have anything at your house

from any of the Star Trek movies? Not really in my house. house I have some stuff in the storage thing that I will I always sell stuff because I have a website and I put my I put things for sale there but it's almost always for the theater or some project that's an original project what is that website that people it's it's called gates macfadden dot com and I've got all kinds of stuff up in there and you know they can find out where I'm going to be and which conventions oh yes I like it uh Raj tell me about a personal or professional goal, you are currently striving to achieve?

Well, I can't talk about one of the things. I would definitely, well, I'll tell you what I'm striving to achieve is my freaking remodel new construction in my house that because of COVID has been going on for three years and I'm living in the backroom. Of course, the back room is bigger than my New York studio apartment was. But still, that's what I love architecture. I love design. So I'm very, very involved.

I know what I want. but I want to do I want to do more acting that's what I want to do but I also am trying to do some writing and we'll see and there is a project

that I can't talk about but I'm just waiting for those acting roles to just come on in Oh they will Yeah DJ Kento By the way you were in War of the Worlds

Well I was in the John Delancey version Right she said With the Nimoy Absolutely wonderful version of War of the Worlds Where they gender swap The lead for her And she crushed

It got me through a very scary ER trip before COVID, always wanted to thank her for that. Well, thank you for listening. Glad, glad you liked it. Bill Murray once kissed you, you were in the audience. How'd you know that?

Somebody said that. He found it. Unbelievable. Well, here's what was funny about that is, so some fans said, oh, yeah, on Twitter or something. Yeah, Bill Murray. And I went, no, I never was kissed by Bill Murray and Saturday Night Live.

And they said, yeah, yeah, you were in the audience. I said, no, no, I wasn't. they showed me the video. And I couldn't even recognize myself except for one thing. I knit the sweater I was wearing and I remembered the sweater because it took me a long time to knit it. And I kept it for decades. I wore that thing out. And I went, it's got to be me because that is my sweater.

I mean, that was like this very striped weird thing. Was it a big kiss? Oh, he went right in. Tong? Oh, yeah. No, no, no. He didn't know him. He just went up to you in the audience.

What happened was, because I, first of all, it all has, it's kind of come back to me vaguely. There was somebody in New York who was worked on Saturday Night Live, who was a friend of mine. And she said, we've got to go. I've got a seat. Let's do it. And I thought, well, that'd be fun. Sure, I'd love to. And I do remember now that it was very specific that we were sitting right in the front row.

So I think she knew that this was going to happen. I had no idea it was going to happen. So he jumped off the stage. Yeah. And he played some big old kiss. He wouldn't be able to do it now because, yeah, no, but. Were you kind of like, whoa. I was like, Bill, give me a phone number.

I'll call you later. I'm surprised he didn't call you or try to get in touch with you. Why would he? I don't know, you're beautiful. Uh-huh, yeah. He's a, he's, he's Bill Murray. What do you mean? I mean, back then, I'm surprised.

Like, now you hear all that stuff with Bill Murray and you're like, well, you know. Well, whatever. Isn't that something I, you know, you find out about your heroes and you find out. Hey, I was on the Cosby show. And I am thanking my stars that his wife's best friend, Carmen DeLavallad or something, was on the show that episode too. So his wife was around. And I'm like, I'm glad that was happening because who knows. Jesus.

Was he nice to work with then? Well, he was like, oh, come on. It's like three lines or something. I don't know. Oh, right, right, right. No. Jeez. You had such a life.

Look at you. Such a live. Three lines here. Not that. No, I mean, look. Look, again, I was on, I was on small votes to get the keeps on giving. You go to conge. You do this. Well, my other thing is, is that I have this little house in France, which I did the electrical plan, the plumbing plan. I designed the whole thing. And it was, and it's not a big, you know, we're not talking chateau. We're talking this non-touristy village. And it took me 16 years to get it together.

And I love this place. It's really, it's kind of. I'm going there, like, so I'm so excited when I walk in. Yeah, go tomorrow. Yeah, I'm so excited when I walk in and I just go, yeah, this is me. This is really like, I love the place. It makes me very happy. So I can't wait to take the walks on it and everything.

Because when I studied, I was the first person in my family to go to any foreign country. And I got a scholarship to study with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. So I went there. Jacques Lecoq? Jacques Lecoq? My dad would say, Thecoq, yeah. But anyway, he was pretty amazing. that so changed my life. And that was really daring. All my other friends from Brandeis

were going to get agents in New York. I didn't get an agent until I was in my 30s. I just didn't even, I didn't understand it. Like, obviously, I might have had a much better career. It just took me a long time to understand so many things. Last, I'm not taking time your time. This has been awesome. And I'm going to let you go because you have so much to do. And your GPS, I hope to God, will work um oh you shut up no but do you think if it doesn't i'm coming back and i'm taking one of your dogs okay you can take the puppy but you like you're so well versed you do all these things you teach you act choreograph you get build projects you theater all this stuff it could seem a little um intimidating why to um to well to some men probably because you don't really need them oh it's

you know what i mean like you met how long you've been married Well, I'm now divorced. Oh, okay. Okay, well. That feeds into that. But you were married a long time. Well, I'm a serial monogamous. That's who I am.

I happen to a doorman, actually. So, you know, I don't, I think, I don't know. I don't know. But does a guy have, but what I'm saying is, does a man that you're seeing, does a guy that you're seeing, does he have to do a lot of these things, like be hands on? No. Do you date someone who's not? Totally. Are you kidding?

Really? Really? Oh, yeah. So have your own thing. Yeah. Just be not, I mean, be kind and handsome. Just be present. Super handsome. Yeah, exactly. No, but I really think it's about, I like people who feel okay with themselves. I find that very attractive. People who really like who they are. Yeah. I like that. That's important. You know, love yourself. I always say that. That's sexy to me. That is a big thing. And I think. that's probably true with women you know so uh what can i tell you i don't know no i love it i was just i was thinking because i think it was like i was thinking of myself going man i wonder if i could you know what could i would i be enough for a woman who who does so much let me give you a strength test and then i'll give you an answer okay should i be honest with you no no i was hoping you give me it i was like oh my god just give me a test thank you for being here i mean the world that you showed up thank you i knew you were busy and you're like can we switch it

And you got your stuff going on. So you came here. If you ever want me on your podcast, I'm there. Oh, nice. Thank you. I really adore you. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much.

All right. Be cool. Bye. That was a lot of fun, man. I really enjoyed her. I didn't know how she would be. And she was just lovely. You were here.

Wasn't she just freaking lovely? She was. Beautiful and talented and insightful. And thank you, Gates. I can go on about you. again join patron dot com slash inside of you to get back to the to the uh the podcast inside of you we need you we love you we uh i think we thrive on um patrons patrons patrons support um without them i don't know what we do um also i just did a youtube live with my patrons that was a lot of fun

i play guitar i answer their questions um all right thank you for listening inside of you online stores hot lots of cool shit going on right anything you need your life you want to discuss in my life still going to better help betterhelp.com slash inside of you i am inside trying to drink more water i know clear my throat i am too i am too everybody's getting sick yeah lately i friend jess is sick um that's all i can think of right now it only doesn't tell like very many maybe i only have one friend top tiers this is the top tier patrons uh they give a lot to the show as you know patron dot com slash inside you here we go nancy Leah S, Little Lisa, Yukiko, Jill, E, Brian, H, Nico, P, Robert, B, Jason, W, Sophie, M, Raj, C, Joshua D, Jennifer, Ann, I just sent boxes to all these folks.

I'm almost positive. A lot of these people I did. It was their turn. And we sent boxes. Joe comes over. We go through each box. Oh, this is a three-year patron. Oh, let me get a little more here. Oh, this is the first time this person has a box. Oh, okay. Well, they're going to get, you know, some cool stuff and a little note from me. and we do that. Jennifer and Stacey L. Jamal F. Janelle B. Correct. Mike E. L. Duns, Supremlo, 99 more.

Santiago M. Chad, W. Lian, P. Maya P. Maddie S. Belinda and Dave H. Sheila G. Dave H. Sharaada. I like saying Dave H. Because, hey, Michael. How are you? He's just, I always say, he's just lovely. I love his accent.

He says very, well, you know, You know, everything's going all right, just working, you know, working. It's very calm. Is he in the Rolling Stones? He's a Rolling Stone. But I love Dave Hall. I love seeing him. Keith and Mick, you know, he's like...

Yeah, Dave and Mick, you see, like that this. He's like, you know, I listen to him inside of you. And, you know, it's all right. It's not a complete shite. No, it's all right, isn't it? Tab of the T, Tom, and Tilia M. Betsy D. Where are you, Betsy? I miss Betsy.

Chad B. Angel M. Rand and C. Corey K. Deb Nix. And Michelle A. Jeremy C. Brandy D. Joey M. Eugene and Leah always love seeing you guys always. I love seeing all you. Corey Heather L. Jake B. Angelina. Angela F. Mel S. Orlando C. Caroline R.C. Caroline R. Andrew M. You know what's funny besides clowns and Buddy Hackett is, you know, if I'm like, if I have allergies, if I don't say something about it, I'm like, you know, a lot of something. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I. I. I. I don't like when people do this. It's not just like listeners. It's, uh, friends. They'll say things like, you know, you have a friend you come, you see them. They're like, you know, you look skinny. Are you, is, are you okay? I'm like, oh, God. Fuck. I, I, or you look tired. Yeah. I'm like, I don't, if I know I look tired and then you're saying you look tired, now it's in my head. Yeah. What can I do? It stresses me out. You know, on today's show, you sounded really just not happy. Leave it. Leave it. I love you. I know you're concerned. But leave it. That's why you have friends

and therapists. Yeah. You know, my doctor says, Michael, Dr. Unger. Michael, you know, you lost a little weight. You might want to, you know, enzymes. Then I'll listen to him. He's my doctor. Andrew M. Timel. Amanda R. Gen B. Kevin E. Pick my nose real quick. Stephanie K. Jore L. Jammin, J. Leanne, J, Luna, R, Mike F, Stone, H, Brian L, KDB, Aaron R, Kendall, L, Meredith, I, Kara C, Jessica B, Kyle F, Marisol P, Estevan, G, Kaley, J, Brian A, Ashley F, Alvi, Marion Louise L, Romeo, the band, Veronica Q, Frank B, the Weird Scientist, Chris D, and Jen T. Guys, I love you. I really appreciate you. Thanks for listening to the podcast. I hope you enjoyed this one. If you're new, please write a review. and subscribe and spread the word from Michael Rosamom. I'm here in the Hollywood Hills of California. This Michael Roosevelt,

Tom. I'm Ryan Tears, and I'm also here. That's Ryan Tares. Yeah, it's Ryan Tears. I couldn't do it without Ryan Taos. No, yeah, dude. On a wave to the camera. We love you guys. Be good to yourself. I'll see you next week.

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