The Bobby Bones Show - Ed Begley Jr. To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!: A Memoir

Episode Date: October 24, 2023

In this episode of Takin' A Walk Buzz Knight talks to Actor Ed Begley about his new book called "To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!: A Memoir."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Vodam. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. It would not be...

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens, correct? I doctored the test ones.

It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast, Money and Wealth with John Ho'Brien, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts. Too many of us were never, ever taught. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcast.

Taking a walk. I once made the huge mistake of trying to outdrink Harry Nelson. I did not try that a second time. And one day we were drinking in New York a place called the Robitae Room. We were having lunch and so he said at some point, you want to join me for dinner with some friends tonight? I went, sure.

And he picks me up in a taxi. We go to the Dakota. So Buzz, I'm thinking, no, when he said dinner with friends, he couldn't possibly mean. Then the door opens, and there's John Lennon. Welcome to another edition of Taking a Walk. with Buzz Knight. Today, a returning fan favorite. Buzz Knight's guest has appeared in nearly 350 projects between his television and movie career. He's earned six consecutive

Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe. He hosted his own reality TV show and he's been an environmental activist since 1970. Ed Begley Jr. is here to discuss his new book to the Temple of Tranquility and step on it. Ed has a candid discussion about his demons, his love of music and life. Here's Ed Begley Jr. on Taking a Walk with Buzz Night. Ed, it's tremendous to be with you, sir. Not as good as our delightful walk that we had in person last year. You were so gracious to my friend Ruth and I.

That's right. Coming back a flood of memories, they had something on the list. Johnny Rock and Minneapolis, and now I know I'm talking to my pal Buzz. This is so great to talk to you. What a treat this is. Walk along the L.A. River there. Thank you, Buzz. Oh, you're the best. Congratulations on your book to the Temple of Tranquility and step on it. I want to ask you, was writing the book therapeutic for you, and are you and your lovely wife still speaking after that process? We are somehow still speaking after many processes we've been through, not the least of which is our reality show. The fact that our marriage survived that is a miracle.

But I love her a lot. And most importantly, we have a lot of laughs. You know that. You're around us, both. But this book, she's loving it now. She's finally just now not reading it because she doesn't like to read out of a book. She's listening to the audio version now for the first time. And I finished a book a year ago.

I was trying to get her to read it. But finally, she's listening to it, which I'll take. That's fine by me. And, yeah, it's only made it as closer this. whole process. He's happy to have me get out of the house and do a book drawer. So it works in every possible way, Buzz. You know, your transparency in the book is really not surprising to me. You discuss personal struggles with alcohol. You reveal your fight with Parkinson's. Have some been surprised by your openness? Yes, many people that I've even known for 20, 30 years,

they didn't know that part of my life that ended back in 1979, which is a good many years ago. Gosh, that's 43 years ago, almost 44, when I quit drinking for this last time back in 1979. You know, I drank a quarterback every day from 1971 through 1978 and tried again one last day in 1979, and it just stopped working, buzz. And that's the challenge for people who have an addictive personality, that addictive gene, even when it's not working, you still do it. You're addicted to something, and you can see it's destroying your life and your family, then you persist.

So I finally got well. There's a saying, I can't, but we can. There are groups that help people like that, and I found one of them, and in a group you can finally really get some support to do what you must do, which is to end on a daily basis, not forever. You never say, I'm never going to drink again. I'm never going to take pills again. You say, I'm not going to take pills or drink today.

and you can get through today. That's a one bite at a time kind of meal you can eventually get through. And that's what I did, and it's been working since 1979. Yeah, that line in the book where you say, my consumption was such that it was a growing concern for John Belushi. That's quite a statement. My dear friend, John, was my salvation on more than one occasion. Save me from a mad amount of drinking. He and Judy were concerned about me. They pulled me out of the bar in Durango, Mexico. where I was really drinking him out of alcohol that was extremely unhealthy.

And, you know, he was a great, great talent, a great comedian. I remember for that and try not to spend too much emphasis on other things, other parts of his life. But he did indeed save me a great friend. And Judy is my dear friend to this day. I love her too. And his brother is fantastic. You know, you talk about your time as a stand-up comic. What was your act like?

I was one of those prop comics, Buzz. You know, I wanted to, I didn't know it at the time, but I think I was trying to make my life as difficult as possible. First of all, just to carry around, to ship around, you know, to different cities, all those props. A big rigmarole. And finally, I had tape playback, audio tape playback, and I had a slide projector with different slides

I projected up on a screen behind me and hired my dear friend Tony Amatula to join me on the road with that. You know, I just, I'd much rather just tell jokes if I ever did it again, but I couldn't possibly do what these great comics are doing today. It's just amazing, the kind of humor that's out there and the talent that is out there doing it today. They're such good comics.

I'm sure you see a lot of them yourself on Netflix or somewhere else. It's amazing the work they're doing. And you were on the bill with some pretty cool music acts when you were doing your stand-up, right? Yet the troubadour I opened for Dave Mason. I opened for Candide. I opened for Neil Sedaka, Don McLean, all kinds of wonderful people on the road. And at Nassau Calcium, I opened for John Sebastian, Poco, Logging to Messina.

I played the bottom line opening for David Bromberg, Maxis, Kansas City, opening for lots of acts, Manhattan Transfer and others. I just love being on the road and doing stand-up, and it's good as an actor who wants to do comedy to learn, you know, what's making people laugh throughout the country. That's a very important lesson. So it was not time wasted doing stand-up. It helped inform me as an actor. Never with the Eagles, though, on a bill, huh? Never. I'm good friends to this day with Don Henley.

I was a good friend with a great Glenn Fry for many years, and Joe Walsh is a dear friend of mine. I'm just blessed to know these terrific people. And Timothy Schmidt, wonderful musicians, wonderful friends, great artists. And keep in mind, Don also saved Walden Woods from being developed. So another reason they'll love the great Don Henley, not just as great singing and songwriting, but he saved Walden Woods from having, you know, like a commercial structure on it. And let's give a shout out to the great folks over there, Kathy Anderson and her whole crew at the Walden Woods Project. They're the best.

Absolutely. The Throw Institute and the Walden Woods Projects doing great stuff to this day, preserving the greatest collection, the largest collection, the best collection of Thro's writings and other works. It's very, very impressive what they've done, and they continue to protect land in that vital area, which for me was like firing up a foundry in the Sistine Chapel to put a development like that in a place like that. It was the wrong message to send, and Don with a few friends was able to stop it. So thank you, Kathy Anderson, for keeping it going to this day. Describe your relationship with Tom Waits, which I was fascinated by. He and I met. I just done a club in Bryn Mare called The Main Point, and he was coming into the Main Point to do his wonderful act,

and I heard his music and just fell in love with his artistry, and him as a person. So we had a good many great years together, just hanging out and being friends. And he was there the important night that I met my first wife, Ingrid. He was talking to her, and Ingrid and Tom had a connection. So became a connection for me, and I wound up dating her and then getting married just a few months after starting to date her. We were wed and had two wonderful children.

We're now 46 and 45 years old. So Tom was instrumental in that. Another reason to love Tom Wait, not to mention his wonderful recent work he's been doing with his wife, Kathleen. And you're still in touch with him? I am. I spoke to him. I sent him a copy of the book, hoping he'd like it, because I do talk about our time together, and he seemed to love it. We talked on the phone at length, and he and Kathleen really liked it. So that's the highest phrase I could guess, that Tom and Kathleen would like this book, and the way I speak about their artistry, they seem to okay it. And I agree with you that the hardest Saturday night is one of

the greatest songs ever. It is that. It's a great song. The whole album is fantastic. And as many other albums, get behind the mule and bad as me. He's an amazing performer, amazing writer. Everything about him is just one of the greats of all time. And then you talk about your time with the wonderful and notorious Harry Nilsson. Oh, we had some fun together. He had a thirst like me. We liked our gargle, and we certainly would hang out at a lot of different things. pubs, you know, in New York, in L.A., wherever we could, you know, find a time to get together, you know, away from our work. We'd certainly take the time to go and explore different establishments around L.A. I don't know how we lived through it. I once made the huge mistake of trying to outdrink Harry Nelson. I did not try that a second time.

And he was really the entry point to your ultimate meeting with John Lennon, wasn't he? No question. One day we were drinking in New York at a place called the Robita Room. We were having lunch and having some Japanese food and beers. And so he said at some point, you want to join me for dinner with some friends tonight? I went, sure. And he picks me up in a taxi. We go to the Dakota. So Buzz, I'm thinking, no, when he said dinner with friends, he couldn't possibly mean. Then the door opens and there's John Lennon. Come in, come in. Yoko, look. Who's this lad? I know this lad. here. John Leonard is acting like he knows me. After about five minutes, I realized why. He goes, oh, Yoko, for God's sake, it's Mary Hartman, Maddie Hartman. It's a deaf mute. Steve, they're like fans of the show, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman from the 70s, that Norman Lear show with Louise laughter. And he's acting like a fanboy to me, you know, what's Louise Latter like and tell me about Mary Kaye Plays and what have you. And I'm trying to keep my face from crystallizing and, you know, falling to the floor talking to John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and they had no help there.

They were just, she made a macrobotic meal with no distance or what have. They just lived a very simple life there in New York. It was not, you know, some mansion, not that the Dakota is some cheap apartment, you know. It's a beautiful, extraordinary building, but they were very simple, wonderful people who couldn't have been nicer. So I was very lucky to know them. And I love how you describe your relationship with Cass Elliott, how she was really this entry point into some great experiences, too, wasn't she? She was.

She did a similar thing to what Harry did to me. She said, oh, I'm going to go hear some friends play downtown. We get downtown at the Music Center, a big venue there downtown L.A., and who's playing is Joni Mitchell with the opening act, being someone I had never heard of, nobody had ever heard of, for the most part was that Jackson Brown. And he was brilliant, of course, and Joni always brilliant. And we're still friends to this day, Jackson and I, whenever I see Joni, you know,

I know her a bit too, I just love her. And that's the kind of thing Kattele would introduce me to. Oh, we're going to have dinner with friends up at their house like John Lennon. You know, she says the same thing. And so I'm brought up to dinner with some friends. And the friends are Jack Nicholson, you know, and Michelle Phillips. So it was just incredible knowing that wonderful lady, and I know her family to this day. And you talk about your friendship with the Monty Python crew.

I have to ask you, did you ever do the ministry of silly walks while you were hanging out with the boys? I hadn't a nerve to do that, the John Cleese. That was his wonderful bit. But I know Eric Eiddle as well, and I see Eric often. And Tanya and Eric Eiddle, who dear friends of mine, John Cleese, we did a show together, became very good friends. Monty Python is one of the great comic experiences of my youth and remained so to this day. It's just amazing work, and I love seeing the films and the TV show and the different

films that they've done, the comedy albums that they've done, extraordinary stuff, hands up, you know, holds up to this day. And I know there's going to be a next spinal tap coming out. Do you have any part of this possibly? I've signed an NDA, so I can't talk about it, but I'm hoping that even people who've passed away in the Spinal Tap saga might be thought of or remembered in some way. That's all I'm going to say. I'm hoping that different people will be remembered from the great story. This is Spinal Tap and there are many drummers and other performers.

Oh, I love it. Well, I want to close with a couple of comments and quotes here and get your reaction. First, I love the Alan Watt. quote, where he says, drink deep from the well of friendship and cherish this moment now. Can you talk about that? Yeah, that, believe it or not, I have the nerve to kind of mix that in with Alan Watts, quote. That's something that I actually have said and mean, you know, my friendship with Eric Idol,

you know, and with Dave Merkin and Beverly DeAngelo and Bruce Wagner and all these wonderful people, writers and friends who have done such great work. We get together and remember our dear writer and friend, Carrie Fisher, and we are able still to gather and drink deep from the well of friendship. And it's one of the things that sustains me to this day. I'm so lucky to have friends like that, talented people like that that inspired me to write the book and to continue to work as an actor. I'm just blessed. I won the lottery. I didn't even buy a ticket, Buzz.

And then the last quote there out of the book, Focus on your breath and nothing else. everything else slip away right now, and then where we all visualize a better world, and we strive to make it that way. That's so beautiful. Bless you for saying that, Buzz. I find solace in those words and in those feelings, and I think that we're supposed to do. Once we, who have been fortunate up to do some of the kinds of things that we've just spoken about, I think once you're settled in life and know that you've covered those important

matters. We need to help others, and that's what we're here for, I believe. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to meet up with you again, and I can't thank you enough. Congrats on the book, Ed, and I wish you and your lovely wife and your family well. I want to see you next time you come to L.A. Let's take a walk again, Buzz. You got a deal, my friend. Thanks for listening to this episode of Taking a Walk. Please share this with your friends and find Taking a Walk on the the IHeart Radio app and wherever you get your podcasts. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist, they take matters into their own hands. I vowed, I will be his last target.

He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. cost. What's up, everyone? I'm Ago Wodom. My next guest, it's Will Ferrell. My dad gave me the best advice ever. He goes, just give it a shot. But if you ever reach a point

where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah. It would not. not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins. But the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice in so much, correct? I doctored the test ones. It took an army of internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing. Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini. My mind was blown.

I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. Laura, Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On a recent episode of the podcast Money and Wealth with John Hobriant, I sit down with Tiffany the budgetista Aliche to talk about what it really takes to take control of your money. What would that look like in our families if everyone was able to pass on wealth to the people when they're no longer here? We break down budgeting, financial discipline, and how to build real wealth, starting with the mindset shifts.

Too many of us were never, ever taught. If you've ever felt you didn't get the memo on money, this conversation is for you to hear more. Listen to Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant from the Black Effect Network on the I'd Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. Hit Your Podcast.