Podcast: The Ride - Unlocked: Michael Meets Eisner

Episode Date: August 8, 2025

Enjoy this sample of P:TR - The Second Gate. Find even more Second Gate episodes at Patreon.com/PodcastTheRide Mike posted a photo of himself and Michael Eisner a few weeks ago. This podcast is the story of that photo. FOLLOW PODCAST: THE RIDE: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/PodcastTheRide⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/podcasttheride⁠⁠ BUY PODCAST: THE RIDE MERCH: ⁠⁠https://www.teepublic.com/stores/podcast-the-ride⁠⁠ PODCAST THE RIDE IS A FOREVER DOG PODCAST ⁠⁠https://foreverdogpodcasts.com/podcasts/podcast-the-ride⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hello. Welcome to podcast, the ride. I think the second gate, I'm guessing that's where this is coming out. But we got an energy here. Man to free it is so strong. You monsters, how dare you paywall this? At the same time, we're talking about a man who found a lot of ways to cause things to need to be paid for.

He found a lot of good growth avenues for the company. And is that not what we're doing with our company? Absolutely. The podcast The Right Company, as we are all the chairmen and CEOs of the podcast the right company. Yeah, that's no, that's absolutely right. We're following the model that he put forward that he created in a lot of ways. Right now, we're only using the word he in sort of a biblical sense.

I guess we should introduce ourselves real quick, too. I mean, before we just got so excited. I guess it doesn't matter. I've never felt like I've mattered less. Well, that's true. We don't matter very much. But now that I'm part of his story, I feel like we should. I should say, my name is Mike Carlson.

And you know what, we matter because we're part of your story, a guy who met him. That's right. So I'll say it proudly under that lens. I'm Scott Gairdner. Yeah, and there we got over here. I'm Jason Sheridan. I'm back. He's back.

He's back. From my unexpected sick leave from Florida trying to kill me. Florida, the only place with COVID, as we know. Yeah, yeah. Well, we're happy to have you back. I'm sorry I'm going to be so shot out of a canon here about my story. No, I was living vicariously. from you. I forget, you might have done this the first day. I was home from hospital.

Or I might have been in the hospital and like, oh and I believe it was radically, it was way different than those days, but, right? I don't know, honest. Oh, yeah, it was last Tuesday. Yeah, so you were home for a while. I was home. Okay. Yeah. Did you, by the way, not call it the hospital? Did you say home from hospital? That's, right. That's the British or Australian say that. I like it, but I don't know. Yeah. Well, we're happy you're back. I'm glad you were enjoying my antics. Yeah.

My story. You were living my story through them. It's all we could do because we weren't part of it. I think, you know, Jason for his own reasons and me, I ended up not part of it kind of by my own choice. And that's something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life. So what we're talking about today is that there was an event where the great Michael Eisner, former CEO of the Walt Disney Company spoke on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his book entitled Camp. And this was taking place at the Skirball Center, which is over, I guess, right by the Getty Center.

Not that that helps anybody, but it's in Los Angeles. And it's something that was a couple people alerted me to it. But I don't know that it was so publicized. I definitely got like three, four, five messages. It was a cultural event, not something that was advertised on the front of ticket master. Because if it was, it would have been a staple center event. It would have been a massive sellout. No, sometimes you want to do a small venue just to connect to your roots, even though

you know you could sell out MSG for five nights in a row. Skirball Center, I think, Mark, it's primarily two people 30 to 40 years older than us. Oh, is that right? I think so. Oh, I didn't notice when I was there. I didn't know. Pico, yeah. I didn't know there was some older folks there.

Oh, interesting. thing. Oh, okay. Yes, Skirball is a Jewish cultural center, and they had a Jack Kirby exhibit that was there. Oh, were you able to go through it, or was it closed for the day? No, it was open. And Jack Kirby, of course, created, co-created many of the most famous characters in superhero movies and comics and stuff, and he's great.

There's so much cool Jack Kirby stuff, and I breezed through it just like, because I was so on edge about what I was about to go see. Priorities. And it sucks because I was like, oh, I got to go back. Because I walked into a room of this Jack Kirby exhibit, and there's so much original art. I've never seen this much original art of any comic artist. Wow. Jack Kirby's art is so cool and dynamic.

I kind of got like chills. I was like, whoa, look at this. And I'm like looking at all this stuff. And I go, no time. Got to go. Got to go sit. Got to go wait for the great Michael Eisner to speak. I can't be in here enjoying this in the way I want to be.

I don't want to jump around in your tail too much, but do you think that was self-applied, or did you, was there truly something you felt like you had to be doing? Like grabbing a perfect seat or being possibly in the presence were you to have an encounter with the man himself? As usual, I put a lot of useless pressure on myself for no reason. But in this case, merited. I say you should and you must and I'm glad you did. right but I did I was like I'm not sure what the auditorium looks like I don't know what's going on and I also have to mention that as I entered the scurball center 30 seconds behind me came Michael Eisner and his family right away walked in the door I was a little early I turned around

Michael Eisner is walking through the door with his family he has like a full entourage it felt like 20 people it was probably seven but still I was like oh shit like And you slammed the door in his face. You were trying to be the out of the other. Yeah, I said I'm the only Michael that's born on March 7th that should be in here, sir. No, I would never. How, how, are you crazy? I would never do that.

But since you forget the birthday share, that you were both March 7th, Eisner's. We are both March 7th, Eisner's. No, you were not. We're both not, Eisner. We wish. I wish I was an Iiner. I had a choice of two words, and I chose the incorrect one. I would, like at the end of Rise of Skywalker,

I'm going to just pick up the Eisner name. Like how Ray says, she's a Ray Skywalker at the end. There's going to be a point in my life when someone goes, what's your name? And I go, Mike, and they go, Mike, what? And I go, Eisner. Duran, do, do, do. And then the credits roll.

And it was perfect. That's always what it was. That's always what he was. Right. You found that that was the meaning inside him all along. That's correct. So I should back up a little bit. So, yes, we were talking about this.

I got tickets. You got a family thing going. on, which... I feel like I, I mean, maybe multiple people alerted you to that, but I definitely recall an exchange that, I don't know if I had found it, but in my had possibly, we at least had touched base about the fact that there is a Michael Eisner speaking engagement. We did, and you said, yeah, buy a ticket for me. I said buy a ticket for me.

Yeah, yeah, just kind of like, I assume that will be open and fine. Right. Now, what else about this thing? Because was this not also a Q&A or like a, you know, a discussion with, you know, a discussion with, I forget. Ben Menkowitz was there, of course. The great Bang Mankowitz, especially Jason's guys, I feel like.

Yeah, because he hosts, what, Turner Classic movies? Turner Classic movies, yeah. But one of all of our guys, due to his participation, and Tracy zooms in. Well, of course, yes. He's part of the Dick Tracy. He's part of the trilogy of Dick Tracy films, only one of which was shot on film

and had a story like a film. But I'll tell you this, I like two and three, a lot more than one. Yeah, I think I agree with that This special three Mankowitz pops up a lot He's popped up in AEW There's a wrestler named Tony Storm

Who's like an old starlet So he's done intros for her On certain shows And I think he has no idea what he said I don't know what I'm doing But I'm happy to do it Is they're in the Warner family They're both in the same

Family of cable channels Seems like a nice guy Yeah he's funny He likes the jokes He likes to goof around Seems much nicer than old man You know? Well, Mank was through a lot.

His dad. His great uncle or his great grandfather? I forget. Oh, I don't know specifically the Mank from Mank. Is that his dad or is that his uncle? I'm not sure. He's in the family. Yeah.

I forget how. Well, there's some like Mankowitz's lore that happens at this as well. Wow. Now, I didn't know if there was necessarily a Q&A or not. Maybe I missed it, but I wasn't sure what the deal was. You mainly knew this was a 20th anniversary celebration of his book camp about his days in summer camp. Now, it's been on our schedule for a long time to at some point do an episode about camp. Yes. And then, with that even earmarked for a long time, suddenly

we got the word that the book is being re-released. Re-released. There's special new, the special edition, the special edition, the remaster has happened of camp. So, all right, well, now it's even more pressing that we do something about. Right. So I think it, what that created here, even just in the, you know, in the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, we don't know, we don't want to talk about this, but we're going to have to include that in the camp episode. And it was you just now who said, yes, that's, I think these could be two things. We do not want to wait for, we don't, we don't want the audience to wait for all of us to read a book in order to get, this hot, pipe and hot, hot, fresh story. This all, by the way, just a little bit of backstory. We came in, I was, well, I want to say prepared, but I don't know if I was mentally prepared. This is our hero worship these days. We were about to sit down and record the episode about Brian Wilson and in the key of Disney.

And I was kind of expressing to you, I don't know if I feel up to it. Right. Because of the gravity that I... Right. Because of how good in the key of Disney album is, I have to give it my all, but I was a little off. And you said, I got you. I got your back. I want to tell this story.

I said we could do it. And it'd be more respectful to the man to just tell the story now. And then, in a similar way, fully absorb camp. Make camp part of us. And then present. And we also have to have the discussion and maybe we can yay or nay it in the room. We all vote. Shouldn't we technically do Camp 1 and then 20th anniversary camp as his own separate episode?

Because just to give proper time and do to, whatever was added in the remastered edition. Look, I'm fine with it. Jason and I are fine with it. You know us. We'll put camp three, four, and five if we really, like, want to break it down. We can write a sequel to camp, too. We could do more camp.

Oh, sure. Further, kind of a fan fiction. We sent it to another summer at camp. I don't want to burn all the camp stuff, but did either of you guys go to the summer camp? Never. No. No.

Okay. No. Speaking of that, though, Jason, this is actually, it does kind of thematically tie in that it is it is about camp and that I didn't go to summer camp and basically what I'm experiencing right now is my first summer of my life. Aaron and I both are our first summer ever of we have two children at home all day every day. And I think because neither of us did summer camp, we thought, well, that's probably not going to be our oldest son's jam. Let's not make him do that. You know, he can hang out at home and we'll figure out some

some fun stuff to do at home. Cut two, we're about halfway through the summer, and we are dying. This is never, now that we have experienced losing a little bit of time to TK, we did a first year of school, so we've experienced some months of a manageable balance of kid or not kid at home or just the baby, and just even half a summer of both kids all day every day. And I think other parents know what we're talking about. It is like, what have we done? This kid is going to have to be a summer camp kid.

There is no other way. We cannot maintain as a family unless we make up something arbitrary for him to do. Yes, I can see that. Well, you can always call on the third parent that rate helped me in the summer. Television. Oh, believe me, we are. We are. But that's part of the problem.

We're on a spectrum where the program, Cayu, is the least annoying thing that is on all day, every day. I don't know how experienced everybody. I don't know. He can do the Burbank Library summer reading challenge. Oh, we are, Jason.

Oh, yeah. Wow. I'm only five days and my son both are doing that. What are you vying for on the adult level? Oh, I haven't seen what the prizes are yet. I've only got to a five or six days streak. I was a little preoccupied to start in the summer. Yeah, sure.

That's funny Well, I wonder if Because I don't remember what our prize is But I'd have to assume that stickers are involved And I hope stickers are involved for you too That'd be sweet Now were you going to incorporate a reading of camp Into the summer

Oh, I can Yeah, I think they'd count camp I'd better count camp I've been making my way to Margot's God Money Troubles Okay Which is soon to come to Apple TV Oh right

I've been reading that novel I've been reading Swag The Humor Leonard book has apparently a Quinn Tarantino favorite but I noticed that neither of those

are the memoirs of a CEO about his special days and summer they're not well I'm a little intimidated to start yeah

yeah yeah my one my one Kindle purchase a year I got what a few years ago mostly to borrow library books on

so yeah yeah so you did purchase camp I did purchase camp okay I guess we're jumping all over here but I have first of all I have an apology for both of you okay here's how sort of like stressed and nervous I was yeah uh going into this is that there was a little table with books with camp

books on it and I was like I'm not sure I'm not going to buy whatever I'll buy one later whatever and then like right before going in I bought camp book for $20 I didn't realize that they were all signed by Michael Eisner I would have bought everyone a book oh I didn't realized that they were signed by Michael Leiser until my dad cracked one open, cracked the book open Saturday. Wow. And he said, did you get this signed? And I go, I only had, I wanted to ask one or two questions.

I didn't want to ask for too much stuff. And he cracks the book open. And he goes, it's signed. And I go, oh, no, they were all signed. I should have got, they were only $20. It wasn't like, so I apologized. I should have gotten everybody a book. Oh, don't.

I blew it. Oh, that's right. Don't worry about it. Now, keep in mind, I did accidentally end up with a book that is signed by Michael Eisner. And that is something that I was weighing at some point where, like, I took a bunch of time in an episode once. I believe when I got COVID, like, to talk about a happier thing. And then I turned the page and the man himself. And I'm like, okay, this show is like our level of talk about it for 40 minutes is you accidentally encountered a book signed by this guy.

you've met this guy now what do we even do that's why we just had to dive in and not intellectualize it too much this is reminding me that I promised ages and ages ago bringing in an artifact and I don't know that I ever did

what was the artifact I well I have coffee table book for one of those imaginering that there was like two volumes these imaginary coffee table books the one was long out of print And then at like a Burbank collectible store, I found it. And it was a little dinged up, but I bought it anyway.

And then when I got to the car, I was flipping through it. And there was an inner office envelope in it for imaginering in each line signed by a different person. Didn't you bring this in? Did I bring it in? Or am I thinking of a different envelope you brought to the podcast? I mean, that's my, I might have brought this in. Someone else, someone in the audience help us mentally sort through Jason's various. How many envelopes is Jason brought in to the show?

I honestly, I feel familiar, but maybe I'm thinking of something else. I may have shown it to you some other time. But like. You went to have it assessed by the pond stars. Yeah, we went to the pond stars. Mike joined the show. Yeah, Chumley was trying to stiff me up then. Chumley is like, this garbage.

Yeah. Worthless. So I apologize. I should have, I was like, literally there's five days later when I realized this signature was on the book. No, no, no. Don't, don't worry about. it. Now, let me also just say that what I was saying about, you know, I bet I've got to get

these kids in campus. Oh, yeah, go ahead. That that, this, this is the backstory to why I was not there, because as of the day before, there was still two tickets. I was supposed to be there. Right. But what happened in the summer of, oh, my God, they're all around every day. How do we entertain ourselves? Madness. We had to, it was like, we got to get out of here. We need a trip. We need a trip so bad. And we did a fun. trip where we traded where like I died I did a night with our oldest and then I went back home and I took care of the baby and Aaron did a night with our oldest and we did the trade at Trader Sam's oh yeah a trade at Trader Sam's and fat and spent some time around there and did a lot

of like delightful Orange County stuff and it was like idyllic wonderful you know like the most fun we've had all summer as a family so feeling good no regrets and in my head I'm like you know I can miss some of it's gonna be a guy talking at the scurball. I think I can manage. I think families got to come first. Then when the photo came in, oh no.

What if I could have gotten my mom over here or something? My God, family last. Family last from now on. Yeah, the FOMO, as they call it. Oh, yeah. Mike sold your ticket to Breck Eisner in the parking lot. You think they would have led him in for free. But no, Mike sold it for two dirty.

Tens, like dirty, greasy tens. The guy's got to make money, you know. You don't just comp family automatically? I didn't make money in that. It's $20 ticket. I sold it to him for face value. I didn't say you made money. I just said you sold it to a Hollywood director for dirty cash.

Breck was not there. I think Eric was there. Eric was there. Wow. From the dog of romp.com. Jake's, what was the name of that? I don't remember. Jake's Booty call.

That's on the list, too. Wow, Mr. Jets. Also on the, that's a long list. Unless he just mentioned Eric, I can't remember if Eric was there or not. And you did get me of some of those. Sure. That 30-year-old gum is still good. I don't care what anyone says.

I met a listener of Podcast the Ride who got Eisner to sign his Tops card, which was pretty cool. So there was a card in the mix. With a card of Michael Izner? Yes, he has a couple of cards of himself from the Tops days, from when he owned Tops. Wow. So he got that and then got a photo as well. Oh, my God.

Thomas is the listener's name. Shout out to you. Good job, Tommy. You were smart. You're smarter than me. He was, I was, I was just yelling to him after we were leaving the event. I must have sounded like a madman. But so I.

We're alive, Thomas. To your. We're the kings of the world. It's all happening, Thomas. I ran out. the middle of 4.05. So excited. Big freeway. You both, the sprinklers came on at the Skirball and the two of you took your shirts off and tumbled down. The Nicole Kidman like free shot or like that's memed. She's after the divorce. So I, but I didn't, yeah, I didn't know either

because I don't have never been to the scurball. I didn't know what the auditorium in, when you're even thinking of like a theater show, you're like, you know, somebody comes from backstage. This is a theater gig. Well, I'm just saying you come, come, you know, the performance. former comes out from the backstage and goes back in the backstage and leaves out of back door. I didn't know what the details. Crowd gets on their feet for an encore. Right. I'm just saying, more camp, more camp. Right. I just, I didn't know what the deal was either. I would, if I knew what the deal was, I might have been like, ditch the family. This is going to be a big deal. But I didn't know. So, grab some Jack Kirby art. Let's run. I was. Maybe they'll give us a deal. It's a little

fucked up. So I didn't know what was going on. But I thought, oh, maybe. I should put a suit on for this. Maybe I should wear a suit. Because who knows? In my mind, I thought maybe there's a chance I could meet him and take a picture or something. But at the very least, I'll get some fun photos around the Skirball Center beforehand to post the social media. I'm dressing up, you know, just for the event. Obviously, this might be a class event.

Now, I wasn't the only one dressed up. There was some older folks there that were in different states of formal dress. no tuxedos or anything but like at the very least like khakis and a nice polo shirt I suppose but I was in a full suit and I got there pretty early obviously I saw Michael Eisner and I breeze through everything and I saw Michael Eisner he goes they have like a pre whatever a reception for him in this part of the scurball and there's like one security guard who's in charge of keeping people away and then you and you peered in there it's kettle one vodka Eminem's with Casamigos with the brown hold on it's eisner's tequila it's all his own brand yeah that's on the list too hello tequila uh i'm surprised he should he should do it uh so honestly sometimes i've told sometimes when i'm at like a convention or something i've told these stories before i do get in a little bit of a scampt mode there's been times at d23 where i might go through a door and end up in the main hall and i should necessarily be there so i'm justin you can't put up he's trying to get your

scamped thread. I'm just Jason he's baldly using the word. I told him he should have said oh I'm Mikey

I'm the new intern at the Eisner Foundation. He did say that. He did say that. Just grab some snacks just pile up some sun chips or finger sandwiches.

I snuck in I've snuck into Hall H and I've snuck into whatever they call the big hall at D23 for the big whatever movie thing.

So months and a while all of movies you'll hate. Two and a half stars. The olive C plus. So I've done both of the things. And there's sometimes so that kicks in a little bit of like, is there any way where I could like go in a little door and just hang out in the reception area? Probably not.

So there's like a, the room is, there's a courtyard. There's a big room for the reception. Then there's this room here. And you have to go outside to get to the reception area. And then across the courtyard, there's like a little cafe. So I keep going to the cafe. to like kind of scope out what's going on. And I'm like, I don't, first of all, I'm just hoping, like, for some reason, I know someone in there.

That's really my plan. I'm like, I don't think, I don't need to get kicked out of the Skirball Center. This is also something that occurred to me also in giving up my ticket. And then you went and asked for a refund. And I'm glad that that worked out. Because for a minute, I was treating it like a concert where I was like, oh, I can find somebody else to go. Then I thought, do this. I got close.

I got close. Really? Yeah. I did get close and I feel like if I worked a little harder I could have I could have done it and if I treated somebody to it but I needed that 20 those two dirty tens like Jason said so I wasn't really going to yeah I really wasn't planning to break in to anything or sneak in anywhere but I was walking back and forth to kind of go like God do we know like maybe there's a person in there once in a while you know somebody doesn't always happen but once in a while so I walk back and

forth and I'm like ah this is pretty much this is a dead end I think like there's nothing Hey, you may have heard of Hello Fresh. You know, they send chef crafted recipes and fresh ingredients to your home. But guess what? This summer, they made their biggest menu upgrade yet. This isn't the Hello Fresh you remember. It's bigger. Hello Fresh has doubled its menu. Are you kidding me? Now you can choose from 100 options each week, including new seasonal dishes and recipes from around the world. Dig into bigger portions that'll keep everyone satisfied. It's also healthier and tastier. This sounds good, folks.

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Hey, Forever Dog listeners, this is Tom Sharpling, the host of the best show, and this year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. That's right, 25 years of the best show and counting. And to celebrate this milestone, the best show is going on tour this October. We're coming to New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and tickets are on sale right now. Go to thebestshow.net to buy tickets. That's thebestshow.net. And we will see you this October for the best show's 25th anniversary tour. So I walk back in.

I think that's when I bought the book. and that's when I met Thomas and that's what I'm just trying to figure out like, okay, let's scope out the actual room where this talk is going to happen. And I walk in there, I'm like, this is tiny. This is small. I mean, 200 seats or less maybe. And at first I was like, I was like, I'm going to sit front row. And I like sit.

And then I was like, nope, those are reserved. Okay. I'm going to sit fourth row. And I sit down. And then I realize it's like 45 minutes to go. Jeez. Yeah. This was all very early.

I go, okay, I don't want to, and it's hot in that room for some reason. I go, okay, I'm wearing a suit. A hot 200-person theater. This is like you're seeing Eisner do monologues at ASCat. Oh, please. Can you imagine? You got to, somebody get him to do that. Well, Patrick Contner.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just do pocket. Pocket cards right first, but then we'll. Fine, yeah. Yeah, lead them to that. So I walk back out there. I think about going to see the Jack Kirby thing. I decide against it.

I start taking some pictures. And there's like, four. 45 minutes goes by quick because I'm trying, at first I'm trying to think of like, well, what am I going to ask him? What would I, in case there's a Q&A, what am I going to do? So I'm rolling some of those questions around. And I'm like, oh, I think, like, is a King Cooper's cool cartoons? Do I ask him if you got that show canceled that we've talked about before? Do I ask him about to a what? Well, that's, well, that's not why. That's why I didn't ask that. So I'm thinking like, so a Soren golf ball. We know it's not the case, but it'll be interested. We'll see what he says in or whatever. If you, well, if that's the reveal at the end of this episode where he says, it is me. That would be a good closure. Your friend's an idiot. They didn't put me on the call sheet.

They didn't want people to be weird. Golf ball wasn't CGI either. So I'm good of a shot. I said, can you hit it right here? I said, uh, with my eyes closed. Right. So I'm, I'm going through all that and I'm like, okay, well, I'll just have a couple and just see, I'll see how, what the tone of the talk is even.

So 45 minutes goes by, quickly, very quickly. I go back in, it's pretty full. My fourth row seat is gone. I sit up in this kind of like weird little, almost like balcony area where there, I don't know, there's like just like a row of chairs. And I sit down in my own like three chair row. No one's in there or whatever. And then, you know, what I don't, I want to say lights go down.

I don't think any lights went down. But Alan Parsons song, the Bulls pump up music plays. Ladies and gentlemen. Comes in on a wire. Peter Pan. Hello. They do the flash bombs Where there's one of him on the left

And there's one of him on the right Then one of him in the back And then he comes up through the middle of the stage He rode toothless the dragon in I trained him My friend Let me borrow this He's untrainable I trained him

So he comes Or so somebody did an intro Pretty quick intro And then Mankowitz and Michael Eisner come out And yes It is like 80% older folks in there A couple of younger people for sure but yeah a very respectful crowd I guess I should say

and no women taking their tops off nobody's flashing the guy not that I saw but I was a little up so perhaps in the front row I don't know they did it subtly or yeah they like they cut up their shirts and did a little like yeah that first row was reserved for the Eisnerettes like a Molly crew concert

in a lot of ways. So, Mankowitz comes out, Michael Eisner comes out, and they start talking about camp, the book camp and summer camp. Book camp. I guess now we probably got to remind people,

none of us have read the book camp. None of us have read the person who's sitting there. I have been to, it was a week-long Boy Scout summer camp that I went to a few summers in a row. Well, that doesn't count as reading the book camp. No, no, I just, I mentioned earlier, I asked if you guys had been to camp, and I meant to say, like, I have been to a kind of summer camp. You know what? We did not ask you in turn, have you been to camp, and that would have been the polite thing to do.

I assume, I think that we've talked about it. Yeah, got a, got some merit badges out of it, we've to tiny basket. We've talked about your merit badges, I think. So, so you'll be the camp expert. If I say something like, I'd, and then they went into a canoe on a lake, and I don't know what that means, you'll tell us. mess hall uh what do we why would you go into a hole that's just a bunch of mess bunking

so they start talking about camp and there's I don't want to I don't want to maybe I'm guessing here but it definitely felt like Mankowitz was trying to figure out his angle the whole time you know a lot of times he would be talking about his family and Ben Mankowitz kind of has this really good delivery kind of talks like this and uh you know my daughter went to camp and she hated

it uh so we're not really like he's trying to weigh in and and michael isner's talking about camp or whatever and i think within the first 10 minutes all of a sudden almost like i don't know something compelled him he starts telling a story about the disney magic and and i have a little clip and he and he maybe hold on let me just see if this will play here i have a clip here and i have a clip here and he comes to life. Now, he was perfectly lively and as charming as he always is. But then he starts telling a Disney story and he like comes to life here. Wow.

This is where you think you're getting like all, only the new album and then like parade hits. When he says Grand Floridian. I was like, I don't think you can hear me hooting and hollering or anything. but he says Grand Floridian and I got so excited and I think the audience got so excited too can you hear that

Disney coming out for you Disney so he said he had married to Disney Magic how is that possible so he says Menkowitz got married on the Disney Magic which is also interesting

the cruise ship yes wow wow yes I'm sitting making something I got married on the ship kind of design because I didn't like what they were doing.

Well, they can't, we decided, endless stories about Disney, but they had a license with big red ship, and all I got, when I first got there was mail, about how disgusting it was. And so I decided that I would go on this ship And I got Andrews my son and a friend to come with us. And as I was leaving LA, I decided I couldn't handle it. And I got his oldest brother to come with us.

And I snuck on the ship, this horrible, disgusting ship. And snuck off and left Greg and these two little kids on the ship. I went back to the Grand Frillion Hotel, the Waffles, they were old. You hear people go, Very happy there. Brett calls me up in the middle and I'd say, Dan, you were missing the greatest thing. We're in a hurricane, the water is coming over the top.

This is the most exciting thing I've ever been in. So we decided we have our own ships, and we hire, I said nothing to do with camp. He goes, this has nothing to do with camp. He keeps real life, but I'm like, yeah, just go with it. Look, you got an audience in front of you. These admirals, these people from Norway and all these places,

and they came back with ships that looked like last famous with gambling and they're 12 stories high. And we decided we were not to do a ship that looked like a real ship. The first shit we did was the Disney magic, but you had the intelligence being maddened. I'm still there. It works. It works. This is, and you know what, as I hear this tale of hating the big red ship and sneaking on

of the big red ship and the storms on the big red ship, and I hate the big red ship, but we got to do our own ship. Immediately, I'm drawn. I've never cared about the history of the cruise ship. We've done such a little cruise ship talk. Yeah. And he's just pulled me right in. Big red boat, right? He got that wrong.

Right. Isn't he talking about the big red boat? Big red boat. Oh, is it? Did he use the wrong branding for it? I think, but I don't know what the behind-the-sems name is. I love if he has such a little respect for it, that he doesn't owe it the proper ban.

Vitriol for the big red boat. Yeah. And it's only weirdos like us who would even remember that. He'd because, you know, what people will remember is the Disney Magic. Right. We won't remember which one it is. Yeah. He tried to make it look

When they did their line They were very much Like we wanted to look like a Cunard liner Like the Queen Mary So it's got a lot of wear imitation at the front It has these smoke stacks Which haven't been practical on a cruise ship For many decades

Oh but they do it just because it recalls Yeah yeah What the ship in your dreams is Yeah Huh So he does this And the place came alive A little bit

I would say Not that it wasn't a nice little friendly conversation with jokes here and there about camp, but this anecdote about Disney, you could tell he started giving the people what they want it. Yeah. I told you, there's a gas. There's a woman who gas swore gasp when he says Grand Floridian, which is so funny. Something about hearing him say it. Something about him saying Grand Floridian.

Because he said it to, we're on the Grand Floridian with Foszie Bear and his mom. Yes. Muppets are going to go to Walt Disney World tonight. Let's see what kind of fun they have. Yes. And this, this, so he does this. And I'm like, oh, man, he needs to be on this podcast. He's fun, like, he's being funny.

He's making fun as shit. The whole time. Understatement, yes. He's, uh, he's pretty self-deprecating in general. And at this point, I go, oh, man, fingers crossed. Let's just get away from camp a little more and do Disney stuff. Because obviously he got so excited talking about Disney stuff. Yeah.

Uh, it didn't have. happen. Oh. Well, I'm at least a little less jealous now. It didn't happen. So there's a lot of camp talk. You did a good fake because I didn't know which way that was going to go. You did some good ducking and weave in there.

So I'm like, I got really excited because I was like, okay, there's going to be a lot of camp. And again, I'm fine to hear 20 minutes of camp, but it's just this man has lived a crazy life as CEO of Disney. And we're all obsessed with it. So obviously, there's these buildings that exist because of him exclusively. So what, like, I'm happy to go and watch half of the new album from an artist, but the encore should be a little, some of the hits. Yeah. So, and when is the next time I'm going to see this guy talk, too. So when he's in, when he's in this room.

Well, when he's in this room is the answer. So there's a lot of camp talk. And there's a lot. Menkowitz is, God bless him doing his best to try to figure out angles on this. And it's about, you know, persevering and what a character. and what you learn going to camp. You don't stop paddling. That's the thing on the book.

Don't stop paddling, which is, sure, I agree with that. You know, I've been told that paddle is coming for my ass, so I don't know what to believe in. Well, a different CEO, every CEO has a different paddle philosophy. Paddle-based analogy. Some people like to paddle, and what are some people like to paddle asses? And some of them are the paddle. Yes, and some of them are the paddle. So there's a lot of camp talk.

and at this point I'm enjoying this but it feels like okay we're this is a pretty serious camp talk I don't think there's going to be a Q&A

it doesn't feel like it that's not set up in a ComicCon way for microphones ComicCon there would be like mic's in the back or whatever and it just doesn't feel like

it and it's also signals like we're almost done right so I'm like despite the sheer volume of people dressed like him in the audience right

but it's dark but you can't see how many you're right so it's so I'm like okay that was I got a little Eisner that's great I'm honestly my expectations now are this is it this is over I'll go out maybe he'll be in the lobby or something I don't know what's going to happen and right before this a whole talk started I was feeling like a little bit fried a little tired so I chugged a diet Coke not a good idea for me to do that especially when I'm feeling a little anxious because it can make my heart rate shoot up. Oh my. And it wasn't a problem. I'm watching this.

I'm kind of lull. Because also I should mention this right when we got back from Florida. Lindsay has a full-time job now. And I went right into potty training our daughter. All right. You left that dangling in one of the live shows. Oh, you just took it over immediately. Yes, I took it over.

Oh, boy. So that was a deep end. And honestly, she's doing great now. Okay. Um, but yes. So, so I've been mostly parenting weekdays. And you're saying that this, uh, you know, had the effect of, I don't know, numbing your brain where any time you talk to an adult, you're afraid that they're going to say,

what? Yes, that happens. Yes. Something that I feel in almost every social engagement at this point. I'm so tired. It's wild. The naps are all screwed up too. So like sometimes she's going to bed too late.

and then she gets up early, regardless if she goes to bed late. Yes, what is this trick? It's interesting. How is there not a fair trade? I know there's no fair trade. So I'm just extra tired. And so I'm like, let's just have a little. So I drink a full die coke.

And one of my many trips to the cafe to kind of get a look and see what was going on in the reception area. So I take that die Coke. I chug it. And honestly, the whole time, it kind of just brought me up to a fine level of energy while I'm watching this calm, you know, light discussion of the book camp. Everything's fine. So, Menkowitz says, you know, we're about to wrap this up.

This has been a really lovely talk or whatever. And I go, okay, well, that's it or whatever. And Manquit goes, but first, uh, let's get some questions from the audience. I, my heart rate shoots up. Book club on Monday. Gym on Tuesday. Date night on Wednesday. Out on the town on.

Thursday. Quiet night in on Friday. It's good to have a routine. And it's good for your eyes too. Because with regular comprehensive eye exams at Specsavers, you'll know just how healthy they are. Visit Spexavers.cavers.cai to book your next eye exam. Eye exams provided by independent optometrists.

So fast. And I just like, I sit up straight and I went, oh shit. I got lulled into a sense of like, of like, whatever, not security, but like a sense of like, oh, I'm not going to have to do anything. I'm not going to have to perform. I'm not going to have to formulate anything. And I'm like, shit, shit, shit. So now I'm sitting here and I go, I feel the weight of the podcast on my shoulders.

I feel, I don't want to be, I don't want to be a jerk either. Yeah, you know what it's like he's asking some snide question that's spoken fun at something or that's like from some negative aspect. Right. And I also convey how we feel about him, which. Yes, which we do so frequently. Also part of it. I have to convey that as well.

And I also, yeah, I don't want to confuse him because the King Cooper's cool cartoons. He might not remember what that is. Chances are he doesn't. And how mortifying, you've been to a lot of Q&A's, how mortifying is it when something is brought up that whiffs? And then everyone's time is wasted

and you're getting a moment with a hero but they don't know, but it's an awkward moment and the crowd's not into it either. Yep. Yeah, you don't want to do that. because I've seen oh my god it's it's 80 to 90 percent duds at comic con Q&As 80 to 90 maybe higher well the worst is a long explanation before the question yes well and also oftentimes the question is just an anecdote

about the person that they want the person to know you need and like it's like too much information and you're like rip it up hell rip it up like that happens a lot yeah the non question question question which is just like I want you to know me I want you to know who I am, which I understand the instinct. I get it. Once in a blue moon, I feel like they're cute. They're like, hey, my wife and I on our first date, saw your movie. Isn't that nice?

But very rarely is it that cute? It's a long-winded story, and it might be, yes. So that happens at Comic-Conn's all the time. Grant Morrison, I've seen, is the best at dealing with it. Grant can turn any question into gold. I've seen it happen so many times. where just you're getting a long-winded, like, here's the thing about me,

and when I was 12, and when blah, blah, blah, and then Grant just goes and says something really impressive and interesting that it'll come out, spin out of that. But I don't want to, I know Eisner is going to be good. I know he's going to do a great job, but I'm trying all of these things.

There's like four or five boxes I'm trying to check. And how long is this going to go? And how long is it going to go? So I need to go fast. Yeah. And just to be clear, one detail, I mean,

you've saved this entire story, from us, but we definitely Jason and I don't know what you end up doing. You don't know what I have here. We're on pins and needles too. You don't know what I have here. And oh, I should also say this.

Two questions get asked before I get to ask my question. And they're both about camp. They both are related to camp. So I have all those boxes to check and in addition, I have to tie it into camp. That's what I've tasked myself

with doing. I want to be on topic here and not just take it off in a Disneyland, even though I want to take it off in a Disneyland. This is a very difficult. maneuver you have ahead of you.

It's, I felt so much stress to do it. And at first I was going to try to do soren. Then I go, I don't know what is enough to do with camp. Like, did you like? And then I think, and then I think I have it. I go, oh, wait, here's a question. Did you green, was, were any of the things that you green lit at the Disney company, as far as the theme parks, did any of them remind you of your camp?

This is what I think is a good question. And I'm sitting with it for like, uh, 60 seconds. And I go, this sucks. This question sucks. I was sure I had it. If you told us that was it, we would have said a good job. I had it. That's a good, solid question.

It's interesting. But it doesn't, it doesn't check all the boxes. It didn't check all those boxes. It didn't provide me to tuck in a moment as far. I wanted to give him a piece of what we bring on the, a piece of what we say about him on the show. I wanted to do that Because again, I don't know if this is it

This might be the only time we ever get to do it So I was like, no, that's not good And then it almost like It appears to me You know like kind of I almost see the sentence Out loud and it's a little clunky and I'm trying to edit it In my mind as we go

But I'm like this is it And I will play you the audio And you can tell that I wrote all of it Up until the last sentence which the grammar in the last sentence that I say is all over the place. It's really, I think it's actually, I was so scared to listen back to this because I didn't know if I sound stupid. I actually misremembered what he said to me even a little bit.

So I was like really nervous, but I listened back and I was like, man, I think I did a very good job into the last six or seven words. I so understand where you're coming. I'd be, I'm sure whatever it is is fine, but if I were in your shoes, I would be thinking the absolute worst of whatever. Yes. I didn't help that he went, Michael. That was not a great question. You really fumbled the last six or seven words.

I was with you until I wasn't. Goodbye. So, sit down. So I'm like, I'm like memorizing how I want to do it because I'm going to make sure to tuck something at the front, then question, then tie in. And I'm like, and again, this is happening. I don't have much time.

There's been a couple questions about camp. Have you found a buyer? for your Malibu property. So, okay, let me, there's going to be a little bit, a little bit up top here. But this is, this is what I end up on. I feel like I just chugged a Diet Coke. This is, this is what I ended up asking. There would be, uh, the rafters.

Oh, I'm far away. I could shout it would be. So here's what happened. The first two questions were down on the floor so the woman could get the mic to them easy. I am in this weird moment where I'm like, I'm so locked and loaded and ready to go. I just decide, as you heard, I decide to stand up in this weird balcony area and shout my question. Project, Michael. I don't know why I didn't wait for, I couldn't wait for this microphone.

I easily could have waited, but I could not wait. So I stand up, I'm wearing a suit. I stand up in this thing and I just shout this question at him. They're on the stage, like, oh, this weird is about to kill us. I would have been afraid of me, too. I would have been afraid of me too. So, and I'm also working, and I'm like, as I'm doing it, I go, why aren't you waiting for the microphone?

He's an older gentleman. Is he going to hear it? Is it going to like, oh, that's true. I go, why? There was no sign that he was having any hearing loss. You called an audible. Just like we called an audible on the topic of this recording. I called an audible, but as I was calling the audible, I went,

Just wait 15 seconds for the microphone, you dummy. So anyway. Excuse me, sir. How would you like to go to camp forever? I didn't wait. And I asked this question. Mr. Eisner, I think I speak for a lot of people my age that have a lot of affection for you as a performer doing intros for many specials. We watched it when we were kids.

Was there anything at camp that prepared you. to perform to wait can you pause it i i sort of was what if i if you made me guess your area yeah i was kind of wondering if that's a way you could tie it together right summer camp performances that's genius that's great yes wow yeah i was like well what's the number one thing we end up talking about on the show is these these videos it has to be it has to be it has to be i'm juiced i'm juiced that this is where you got i'm sorry to interrupt that's okay you're gonna get do before we give the man I trail off with just the worst grammar of my life here introduce things in the way that you ended up doing so much of it in the way that you ended up

doing so much of it not the fun you're fine you're fine whatever don't even don't even worry it's fine I'm just saying bad finish to it you're on the fields don't worry so okay I asked a question and I'm like oh you did it you did it you asked the question like and it came out pretty much right it came up I got the compliment in there I was I was pretty thrilled now do you feel like the audience did anybody do you feel a little chuckle a little smile anything I felt nothing. The room was cold. And the room was not so cold to hold.

Like they were laughing at things and they were enjoying things. But they don't know you. They don't know me. I'm not sure what the end. I'm sure the energy was bad that they were sensing from me. But they don't know me. They don't know. Who's this whippersnapper?

I don't think I. Who's this young 41 year old whippersnapper? I tried to. The summer Republican podcaster? What is this? Who brought their son in here? Who brought their kid? Is what somebody shouted.

Who went to Baby Gap and bought him. suit. An incredibly tall suit. Baby tall gap. Tall baby gap. For tall babies. So the room was cold, but I didn't feel like they were like confused because I don't, I really wanted to make sure I didn't ask it in a jerky way or anything.

And it's not that I don't believe what I said either. I also wanted to make sure I wasn't like lying. I wanted there to be sincerity. This is a good question for Mankowitz, too, because he introduces. Well, if he gets a little joke, he gets a little joking at the end. You're actually getting ahead of it. Wonderful. So there's a, it feels like there's a minute pause between me asking this question.

And I'm like, did he hear it? Does he know? And he's just looking at me. And I'm like looking at it or making eye contact across his auditorium. What do you think? I'll just, what do you guys think he says? No. You have a guess?

God. I mean, I don't think you're going to guess, exactly. I mean, it's some like roast of you for being. little dork who's hung up on that kind of stuff let me play it because there were like skits at summer camp there was like performing stuff at summer camp so here we go

of course that's why I asked you all hear that you must have been on some kind of psychedelic drugs whoa Michael Eisner says I must have been on some psychedelic drugs and I'm elated

I'm so happy I cannot believe. Here, let me play the last of that chunk and they'll go back talking. Nobody has been worse than me. Nobody has been worse than me, he says. That's a big laugh in there.

Wow. It's, I'm on, I'm floating. I'm like, yes. You set him up for a score. You gave him the assist for a dunk. Yes, I'm like, punching the ear in my brain. I'm like, yes, yes, yes. He goofed.

on him. He roasted me. And of course, then I'm like, he needs to do the show. He would be good on the show. He would make fun of us. That would be so good. Well, is this the point where we start listing our impressions so that we can start feeding those to his team? Maybe, yes. How bald do we need to be about this? Very. So then he gets excited. He ignores the camp part of the question completely. Does not answer it. Okay. And then goes into, an interesting story about how he came to do the intro Oh!

I decided actually Frank Wells who was the president that the company when I came there needed a rudder and the way to have a rudder

was to put it back and have a host and we went to a bunch people with the Captain Graham and Julie Andrews he says they tried Carrie Grant and Julie Andrews

to do the intros tried to them? Like, didn't just talk about it? That's what he says. Frank said, you should do it. So, I did a test. I did 68 takes. We then went, I'm sure Jane went with me.

We then went to a research place where you, the two-way mirrors that you can look in and see these eight people around a table who are shown. thing. It started all pretty good. Some woman said, not bad looking. Somebody else said something nice. And then a guy said, who the F does he think he is? He is awful. How dare he do that? That could be back a little bit. Then I thought, now I'm going to do it. So I figured out that I'm talking to the audience and I could have a telepractor on the camera

because I couldn't remember a minute with a dialogue. But with a teleproctor there, I could read it. Then I hired a guy who did political commercials, Bill Bradley, Ted Kennedy. And then we made 102 of the stupidest in productions ever, ever. So I don't know what you're talking about. We love that. We love them. I go, we loved him.

Yeah. That was great. All right. I don't think I've ever heard him really talk about that aspect of the whole thing. I know. You really got it. I got it. And this is where I texted you right after that going, I just ask a question,

l-ol because i was high from that yeah because i was like that was just on that breathe the picture couldn't hey right i go that could not have gone better that's great and we got it was a good little that we had never heard yeah so then there was some more questions trivia frank well and then just right sides the and the and him making fun of me is all i ever want oh my god that that's great what was mankowitz's joke he said i mean it's here here you go it's uh standing in front of the teleproctor telling a story you can't just get anybody to do that it's an incredibly difficult job only no you know what's funny that i don't think the audience quite understood

i thought it was solid it is i'm just saying i don't know that the audience knew he's talking about it but making a joke self-depriated they're both being very self-deprecated yeah so yes that and then wow i liked hearing him swear i like i like the guy saying is the this guy think he is i know So, yeah, and yes, that's, because sometimes, I mean, it would be amazing to have them on the show, but I always have had a little bit of a question of like, is he really going to like get this show? Like he would answer questions, but I'm like, I don't necessarily get such a sense of him. But after I got made fun of a couple times, I was like, God, this really would be a good interview, I think. Suddenly he's, yeah, suddenly he's part of our bits. He's like, you're like...

Florida, Mike. More Beach Boys talk. Sorry, Jason, can you say Tower of Terror again? Let's hear it. Somebody's got a bad case of Hogi mouth. Slapped the Hogi out of your mouth, Jason. I wouldn't have built California Adventure if I knew it would enable so much drinking, Scott. Yeah.

I'll blow it up to help you. Yeah, he'll be like a regular... 12 ounces of Diet Coke to enact like it was a speedball acted like it was cocaine. Yeah, I didn't say that I could have added that. I just had a diet Coke, Mr. Reisner.

My voice is very high. The octave was an extra octave. Excuse me, Mr. Eisner? I just want to say. Because he aged down, because he just having that experience aged you 12 years backwards. That's right.

So then there's a couple more questions about camp to that point. And then there's, wrap it up five-ish minutes later, 10 minutes later, and everybody's leaving. And I look down and I expected him just to leave quickly the way he came and all the family to go with. That's not what happened. He's kind of just milling about with the family down on the floor. Wow. And I go, well, I guess we got to let's fucking go, I think. Like, I think we had to do it. So I wasn't

going to be like, I right. I was not going to be annoying. I, like, I wasn't really going to like run up to him or anything but I'm like he seemed like hanging out so I'm walking out and a gentleman who I don't know he stops me and he goes and he looks me he one of the most like sincere just his eyes were so sincere is the way he said this he goes that was a great question he goes that really opened him up did you see that and I go yeah yeah I only know I like I almost wish there's a he goes it's a great question like he was so quite almost like like. Thank you. I'm something of a tastemaker, so I hear that a lot. It was almost like I was getting visited or something by like God himself telling me,

great job out there. You know you did a good job. That's what he's always wanted. So I got a couple of other people were like, great question. Great question. When does this happen? I don't know. I don't know. So I'm walking down there and I'm just kind of like, I'm just going to, I'm going to hang out and see what happens, you know? That's all I can. can do is hang out and see what happens and he's talking to people and I'm like I'm not going to be pushy I'm not going to run in there or whatever if he like kind of comes around I'm going to say something to him if he invites you to Sherman Oaks Wild Wings oh boy everybody getting the limo we're all going we're all going it's a close to the abandoned arc light pineapple hills saloon

need what I come be on my team I've eaten there with Nick Mundy before I know you have too Mike, I have. So I'm just hanging out, and he's just talking to people, and I'm basically, I plant myself by the stage, no one is telling us to leave, and I'm just like, he's going to, if it comes by here, I'm going to just say whatever, and I don't know. And I don't see him taking pictures with anybody. I just see him talking, and I go, hey, if I only, if I just get a couple more, like, seconds with the man, whatever, that's fine.

And about two or three people ahead of me, I see somebody else for a photo. And I go, yes, president's been set again, yes, president has been set, whatever. And I see that Jane, his wife is there, wants to leave, definitely. Okay, clock's ticking. But he tells her, oh, there's a couple more points like at the general vicinity. So he very much a man of the people. Wow. Points, sort of.

He's talking a couple different people ahead of me. And I'm pretty sure I'm the last guy. So just show you how not pushy I was being. I was a last guy there. See, I feel like you. an in like I feel like I ask question yeah you just go in for a handshake and you go hey thanks for it thanks for answering my question yeah there's a start you're right yeah I'm not a masterful aspect can I get a photo do you mind yeah a minute so I my friend Jason knows camp

Jason's a camp about camp I have a friend who's camp stuff if just if you ever want to talk about that it's insane being without air conditioning for a week in the middle of the summer it's a fool hearty idea so I don't remember exactly what I said here I think it was along the lines of just reiterating that we that you know I

well first of all I said I do a theme park podcast I made sure I said that I don't know that he knows what those words mean but I wasn't gonna because every single person who I've talked to about this in the last week says the same thing or ask the same thing

will you get him on the yes one to be on the show and I go it's not as if this is the easiest thing that's not this is what you yeah Mr. I is there I was a theme park podcast. It's on Apple Podcasts, and we're on Forever Dog, and here's how you can get to the studio.

Like, there's just too much information to convey. It's actually pretty easy from here. You have to change freeways. It's got a lot of tiny towns. The other one has got Tiny Towns and he's got this funny guy. He's got this weird presents. People don't like Bugmaid and some people came out of this year. And it's by the Big Man, do you like the Big Man yet?

Have you been the Universal, sir? Like, it just doesn't feel like the right time, especially when Jane, his wife wants to leave. I'm not going to, like, force him to say, like, obviously I would like to do that, but I've already, I don't want to be greedy. I've already gotten so much on this night either. I don't, I want to be grateful. I don't want to be greedy.

I also know I'm about to ask for something else. No. So, like, yeah, because, like, am I going to ask for a podcast appearance and have a no? Or am I going to just go right to a photo and get a yes? Yeah. You want the guaranteed yes. And you know what? It's just you.

You, like, you needed to live this moment for you. Right. Don't let us drag you down. You're a shining star. So we get, we got a little, there's a little more, a little more magic. So I say something along the lines of, of, I do the theme park podcast. We talk about the intros all the time. So many people have, whatever, I say some version of affection for whatever.

And a couple people now appear out of nowhere. People go, and still, yes, me too. I'm going to say. And they go, we love. the intros or whatever like that. And now, were the figments of my imagination? Maybe. But two like women appear out of nowhere to just be like, yes, we love the thing.

And he says something. You a beautiful mind to people to appear and back you up. It's possible. It is possible. Get to Toronto's main venues like Budweiser Stage and the new Roger Stadium with Go Transit. Thanks to Go Transit's special online e-ticket fairs, a $10 one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel on any weekend day or holiday, anywhere along the Go Network. And the weekday group passes offer the same weekday travel flexibility across the network, starting at $30 for two people and up to $60 for a group of five. Buy your online go pass ahead of the show

at go-transit.com slash tickets. No frills, delivers. Get groceries delivered to your door from No Frills with PC Express. Shop online and get $15 in PC optimum points on your first five orders shop now at no frails.ca it is uh so he says something self-deprecating anything again and then there's a pause and he goes yeah you know i wasn't very good at those or whatever there's a long pause and he goes but they worked that's it you know that's what's important so he's accepted the compliment now yeah it's a full certain like it's we've completed the arc even he's completely accepted the compliment which just a little like you know because Because, like, we remember these, right?

We look these up. And it's not, you don't even have to be, if you just, like, kind of like, 80s, TV oddities. Right. It's just, it was a part of, like, being, of watching TV at that time. And I don't, you're not correct. Maybe I'm wrong or something. But, like, can you imagine that 30 years in the future, people are going to be talking about, like, you know, the, like, fondly, like, doing super cuts of when the people from dancing with the stars say, we're here at the, we're here at the theater for first time in forever, a frozen sing-along event.

And we're going to, like, you know what I mean? Like, it doesn't have the personality. Yeah, yeah. Like, and there is, you know, when something works, it works. It doesn't matter if there's something hokey about it. Yeah. It was like, it was a part of the fabric of 80s television. Yes. And his stiffness did not negate the fact that it works.

It works. And it's obviously this podcast is proof that many of our psychotic lists are, our, uh, listeners who are on psychedelics also have a lot of fondness for that and and who are all willing to purchase a 20th anniversary edition of a book about camp yes correct let's be very clear so he then yeah he goes but they worked or whatever and then he says and he's trying to remember and he never really I don't think he fully remembered he goes I just got sent a video because I got sent a video did Tony did Tony Baxter just text me a video of and he never figured out I he never but it sounded like perhaps Tony Baxter had

just texted him an old video of him doing an intro for something which also was another little nugget where I was just like, yes, yes, yes, yes. Tony and, wow. Tony and Michael text. And then I said So maybe he does

know podcast because when you start up a new phone the podcast app is kind of near it's all on the same page. I believe he's heard of a podcast I do think he knows what that is. But yeah, I got the this little nugget.

Wow. And then that's when I said, well, thank you so much, sir. Would it be okay if I, if we took a picture? And he said, of course, took the picture. I took two options.

They look almost exactly the same. And then I ran out of there like I had stolen millions of dollars. I ran like as if I had to like get like preserve the audio somewhere and the photo like as if somebody's going to take it all from me and say it didn't happen. I ran out. of there. I was going to ask if he was signing after or the books were pre-signed. You answered that already. I did, yes. I was going to ask the book came with your ticket because sometimes that happens. It should have, but it did not. Well, usually those events are like $40 includes a copy of the book.

So you're like, oh, I've essentially bought the book and then paid for the ticket. That would have been fine. Yeah. It would have been fine. But yeah, so I ran out of there and I just could not contain my excitement. I couldn't believe it. You texted as fast as you could, and it's seemingly, and you said you felt insane. I felt insane. Yeah. I don't, I'm trying to think even the last time I felt like that. I'm not sure.

I felt so high. Well, knowing you were there and that I had said, like, you know, obviously give updates when you can. And the final update was that. Like, my God, it all played out as perfectly as it possibly could have. I know. now my jealousy like knowing that I had a ticket that I could have been in the room

my jealousy was high I had to get to bed and take care of the baby the next morning and I was sort of like I think I was coping with it or I think I was kind of like you know but it's okay because you got to do and then like you know the feelings come out in the middle of the night then I'm then I'm then I'm tossing and turning

Eisner Eisner no guys are I miss it like Like he's floating down a hallway and dissolves into dust. No! No! That's her! And then you just wave menacingly.

Like, no, don't go with him! I should be there too! No! Don't live for all eternity with it! However, that all being said, I, having heard this tale now, I'm positive it had to be you. There's something about it. I think it had to be you. The magic?

Did I have the magic? I think the March 7th, Michael's. had to had to be to get, I think, I don't know. Yeah, because it was, if it was me, I would have flipped through the book after I bought it and seen the autograph. Your question would have been,

hey, are copies of this included with the ticket or is this an extra, this is an upcharge? I think I got charged twice for this book, Michael. I look at my phone here. They charged me for a can of Diet Coke. I wasn't sure if there was one refreshment included. Like in these Q&As have free snacks. Michael, you haven't touched that bottle water down there?

Is it okay if I come over and grab that? I just want to take that for the road if that's okay. It's arrowhead. It's good stuff. It's going to get thrown away. Either that or it goes in my mouth. So, just saying, I'll come up and get it if that's okay. Environmentally friendly.

No, I don't know. I think I would have changed the chemistry somehow. Not to say I couldn't have added to this. And not to say I wouldn't have ended up with the victory that you had. But I'm, look, hey, let's Optimus Prime it. I'm proud of you. Wow, thank you. This is a beautiful tale.

This is, thank you for that. I'm honestly really psyched that you had this. Getting to getting now to hear, you're exciting. It felt. He's returned. He's returned from Zanadu. It felt like a seal, like a seal team mission or something in a lot of ways because I was solo. So I guess if you're, if you're riding solo, you can make all the decisions because I guess even I'm not, if we could go back.

If I knew for sure there was a Q&A and you were going. Yeah. I was thinking about what our plan would have been. And I think we would sit on opposite sides of each other in the auditorium. So we don't seem like the two knuckleheads together. Exactly. But then we would have asked a two-parter or we would have asked, one of us would have maybe done that question.

And then maybe one of us would have done a sillier one. Yeah, yeah. But you know what? You asked something perfect. It led to a perfect moment. And you know what? I'm blessed. I have two beautiful children.

and I have a picture with you and Robert Earl what more can I ask for that's another weird sorry Jason we don't know that's okay Robert Earl and Michaelizer within four weeks of each other well yeah well well I don't know how much of a story there is there but I and I don't want to detract less of a story no he was on the plane with us we wrote on a plane with him from Orlando

but I really this is I'm gonna put this energy into the universe It's just like it didn't feel like the end to me. It felt like the beginning. I don't know. Maybe I'm too bullish on this idea. I'm too optimistic. But I was just like it felt like the universe was opening up in a way where like Eisen should be here. I want it.

Like it didn't feel like, oh, well, that was fun. That was the time I'm getting to talk to him. It felt, I don't know. It may be I was too high from the moment. I was on the psychedelic. So that'll be it. That'll be the only interaction we have. But it would have been very funny if he had taken psychedelics.

If I had taken psychedelics, I would have fallen out of that balcony, and I would have, like, run. I don't know. I can barely handle- In the end, by psychedelics, you mean a puff of weed at the Riloh-Kiley concert. Yes, yeah. A one-thirty-second of a pot brandy. There's a man riding around the four or five in the supposed to pass. He's wearing a full suit and waving copy of Michael Eisner's 20th anniversary edition of camp. One puff it, just like Heaven Fest, ruined me.

and I did the same way but you feel like this is I don't know it just felt like it felt like I couldn't see how he fit into our world and now he fits into our world as a man in a perfect way like that is weird I don't want to speak in like this weird language but like

it definitely felt like oh man we need to have him on and I don't know we'll see that maybe that's wishful thinking well that's a question for the handlers I know you know just it was but in a wonderful moment where there were of no handlers, you connected.

At the very least, I connected. Just two Michaels, sharing ideas. Right. One, one who enchanted the other from the opposite side of a TV screen and the other who was changed forever. And you felt like, maybe to put it in terms, he'll understand,

it didn't feel like goodbye. It felt like, hello. You survived podcast the ride. Thank you for subscribing to the second game. Tears on the microphone. If you want to dig even deeper, join us on our VIP Patreon Tier Club 3, where you get one more bonus episode every month and our regular episodes add free.

That's a tier where you vote for the topics. And if you want to vote for next month's topic to be Mike just tells the story again. Yeah. Well, I'll tell it again. He probably left out details. Like, was that Diet Coke fountain or can or bottle? Can. I guess I should have saved it, but can.

You think Fountain would have? You think like this? I don't know. They would have given me a little extra buzz, I think. Oh, I was going to say fountain's a little smoother. Yeah, you might be right because it could be like flat, depending. It could be more flat. Cans always have that pressurization.

Count can versus fountain diet Coke. This is the kind of thing that is waiting for him to talk about if he ever wants to join us on the show. Yeah, I agree. Well, we'll wait and see. But one of us lived the dream. I did. And I'm happy for you. Really?

I am. Thank you. Forever. This has been a Forever Dog production. Executive produced by Mike Carlson, Jason Sheridan, Scott Gairdner, Brett Boehm, Joe Sillio, and Alex Ramsey. For more original podcasts, please visit Forever Dog Podcasts.com and subscribe to our shows on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keep up with the latest Forever Dog news by following us on Twitter and Instagram at Forever Dog Team and liking our page on Facebook.