THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Finding The Strength Within To Never Give Up w/ David A. Arnold

Episode Date: September 6, 2022

💙IN LOVING MEMORY OF DAVID A. ARNOLD So what is “That Thing“ you gotta have about you in order to be successful? To separate from the pack? To make a dream a reality?This week you are gonna hear from someone who knows.BECAUSE HE'S LIVED IT!My guest this week is David A. Arnold.Not only is he a brilliant standup comedian, David channels his life’s observations as a SITCOM  WRITER, PRODUCER, and ACTOR as well.After I watched his Netflix special, IT AIN’T FOR THE WEAK, and laughed my ass off, I made it a big priority to get him on the show. When you hear his takes on life, parenting, hard knocks, and more, you’ll understand why.  This is a man with a lot of takes you’re going to love hearing about.Part of what I love about him is that David struggled in the backwaters of comedy for a long time before he broke through. He’s used the TRAGEDY and PATHOS in his life to fuel a brand of comedy that is INSPIRATIONAL for everyone going through stuff right now… which is basically all of us.He’s blowing up now after working in the business for more than 25 YEARS, building an impressive resume as one of the MOST SUCCESSFUL people in front of and behind the camera in the entertainment business. When you hear David talk about his WORK ETHIC, you’ll know there were no shortcuts to him earning everything he’s achieved.David’s source of strength through it all has been his connection to his family. Not only are they sources for a lot of his material, they’re also what drives him to keep working at “THAT THING” as he likes to refer to it.David gets into why it’s important to REFUSING TO LIVE WITH EXCUSES or challenges you faced growing up. It’s a fascinating look at someone who’s overcome unusual family dynamics, addiction, and being incarcerated (for a fix-it ticket!). As you’ll hear, BREAKING THROUGH is not for the weak.We’re also going to talk about David’s creative process for generating material, how he deals with imposter syndrome, and having A WILL TO SUCCEED that’s not for sale. The bottom line is that making people laugh is HARD WORK.You can’t talk to David for an hour and not touch on KIDS and MARRIAGE.  David’s down-to-earth take on both is filled with spot on insights that will make your life and your family relationships better.We are going to wrap up with advice on other parts of your life David wants you to know about too.You’re gonna LAUGH this week.You’re gonna THINK about what you hear too.David A. Arnold has got the goods.So listen up…This is a FASCINATING hour with a man who has used a lifetime of paying his dues to create a universal WISDOM that’s perfect advice for us all.

This is The Edmila Show. Alright, welcome back everybody. Today's really something I've been looking forward to. Let me tell you why. I have only done this twice in my entire life, but I'm watching Netflix a few weeks ago, and I just watched this brilliant piece of art that was not only hilarious, but it inspired me. And I'm watching this man communicate and perform what he's great at doing. And I just see a depth to him. And I'm like, I want to talk to this person about his life.

I have a feeling it's going to be one of the most inspiring episodes we've ever done before. And sure enough, I messaged him in about 42 seconds later. He messes me back. And here we are a few weeks later. So I'm not busy. Yeah. We're both doing the business human beings on earth. He just literally landed at the airport. And we made this thing happen because I think we both had a sense we should do this together. So his special is called it ain't for the week on Netflix right now. It is gold 10 out of 10. If there was a higher number, I could give it. I would. You will be laughing the entire time, but you will also leave there different. You will leave there inspired. And I'm hoping that happens today

as well. David A Arnold Arnold, welcome to the show. Hey man, I'm so excited to be here, man. I, you know, so funny. Literally, because I told my sister I was coming. And she is so excited. She's like, I can't wait. I listen to her all the time. Like she's like, when she started firing off all your guests

and everything and then she went, where are you doing over there? Like your family. Your family is always the last people to believe in anything that you're doing. But I do when I, you know, when you hit me and you said what you said in the message,

cause I get a lot of messages. And, you know, obviously you look at the people who are verified first, cause you go, okay, they've been through. It might be a real person. Right, it might be. Exactly. And I looked at it and I, you know, of course,

I went, oh, okay, I know. And then when you get it from somebody who makes a living, recognizing certain things, it's different than, oh, you're funny. It's a different type of compliment that, oh, you're funny. I know exactly what you mean. It hits you in a deeper space. Well, your stuff hits me that way.

I mean, I just mean it. And by the way, all the way back, I watched Fat Ballerina, your previous special. And I was, it's watching with my wife, and I was like, this guy is brilliant. way. I mean, I just mean it and by the way all the way back I watch fat ballerina your previous special And I was watching my wife like this guy is really how come I don't know him right and that's the that's kind of what I want to start You are right now blowing up you got the Nickelodeon show. Yeah, you got your tour. Yeah, you got the Netflix special You're doing a movie right now like you're the dude. Yeah, it's working. You're this overnight success that took 27 freaking years. I know. So take us back a little bit, because I just think this is one,

I think they're inspiring people. But then I think they're people who've lived inspiring lives. You're both. Wow. So did it really take you 20 plus years to actually really make a great living and break through doing this? No. It didn't take time to make a great living.

It's been, I've been making a really good living for about 10 years, you know, because I've been writing and producing television from house of pain and meat, the Browns for Tyler Perry, to Real Husband of Hollywood for Kevin Hart, Fuller House on Netflix, the reboot of that. I mean, I've written and produced a lot of television for a long time.

And now, you know, with the show that I created, that girl Lay Lay, that's on Nickelodeon and got picked up on Netflix, which is like the number one show on their network is killing, you know, creating that show made me only the six black man in the history of TV to have a soul created by credit of a TV show, which I didn't even know until it happened, you know.

When Will Packer called me up to do it. So I've been making a living sure, you know, a good living for a minute, but like now to a point where I'm starting to, people are starting to put my face with the comedy. Yes. That's been in the last couple of years, the pandemic, social media.

It's, I tell people there's all the time, it's never been one thing. It's been a lot of little things that I've consistently done, but all driven towards the same goal. Was this the goal? So first off, so about a decade, making a good living, but public notoriety that people walk down the street go, Hey, there's David A. Arnold. That's been recent.

That's been the last couple of years. The last couple of years. Yeah. And so was this the plan? Did you always want to do stand up? Did you want to write or do you want to do all of it? All stand up and two things I wanted to, when I came to town that I wanted to do, which was 25 years ago.

I wanted to do stand up. I wanted to be known for doing, I wanted to be respected by the people in the stand up community and wanted people to know that that's what I did. And I wanted to do, I wanted to play a dad on the sitcom. Even before I was a father, before I was married, before I was even old enough to play a father, that's always what I wanted to do, I wanted to play a dad on the sitcom. Even before I was a father, before I was married, before I was even old enough to play a father,

that's always what I wanted to do. And you know, that's one of the things about your special, I was wanna say to you. I love, I think I love it for a couple of reasons. One, I love, I get a motion on a wire and saying this. I love how you are open and honest and how you talk about your family. Yeah.

And yourself as a father. Yeah. Also think if I'm being honest with you, I think there's a layer to it that I respect and admire more and that there's a Something beautiful about a black man also doing that on stage talking about his family and his children Is that when you conscious of that like I want to make sure that I've Honored my wife and honored my children as I've got this far down the road Or was it just that it's just so damn funny you talk about it?

I think it's probably a combination of both. I've always thought that what is going on in my house is hilarious and ridiculous and painful at times. You know, and I think it was the same way growing up. I knew, I bring my wife and children out on stage with me at the end of my special. And I decided to do that somewhere like somewhere in between my tour, when I was preparing to film the special, I was like, I was just running on treadmill.

And that's where I do a lot of my thinking when I'm working out, right? And it's something just said, you know, people know me already, and people who follow my social media, my Instagram and stuff, and Facebook and all that, they know me and my family, because I've been posting videos for the last couple years

that have just exploded. Viral videos. Right, it's just unbelievable. And I was like, they already know this world. I'm about to go out on stage and talk about this world. Why not bring the people out that I'm talking about? It's beautiful. And that has resonated with people more than so much

that even the documentary that's attached to the end of the special even makes more sense. So I think it was it was a conscious thing, but it was also an organic thing that just made sense. Yeah, I love the documentary at the end, which we're gonna talk about a little bit. It's really cool to hear someone talk about their life and then actually see the actual people at the end that was brilliant that you did that. Thank you. But I want you said something to the special. So here we go guys, we're gonna get into the stuff that's gonna like you're gonna go, okay, this is why I wanna share this.

This is what I'm gonna take away from this interview because this man's story is so inspiring. Having said that, you say this thing in there that like I stopped it and I made my daughter watch it. Wow. There's a couple things. How does your daughter? 18.

Okay, so I have 15 and 17. I know, we're right in the same globe. So I relate to the stuff you talk about during COVID and all the other stuff you talk about, right? Believe me, I relate to the frosting being off about during COVID and all the other stuff you talk about right believe me I relate to the frosting being off the cake and from Fab Ballerina. I relate to the cookie the other day With someone ate half a damn cookie and then All that stuff like the reason it's so funny is when you have kids you relate to this But the thing I really related to is you say I got that thing

I got that thing Yeah, and I'm like Bella watch this. Yeah, this is what I've been trying to tell you right here that thing your dad I got that thing. I got that thing. And I'm like, Bella, watch this. This is what I've been trying to tell you right here. That thing, your dad's got that thing. That's sometimes it's like this dog in me, this relentless thing, that it's invisible, but it's tangible. It's this thing, right?

And I want you to talk to that, because I think people watching this, like, hey, they try to get these notes. This is what I need to be successful. This is what I gotta think. That's what I gotta read this book, that you're underneath all that. You gotta have that thing. You got to have that thing.

It's that thing inside of you that it cannot be given to you. You have to find it. You can see it from others in the examples and you know that you've seen, my grandfather had that thing. My grandfather put all of us through college with an eighth grade education. You know what I'm saying?

He laid asphalt in Cleveland, Ohio. And that was my summers from seven years old to 17. We went out and worked the summers with my grandfather laying 800 degree asphalt in the heat. That's where I learned to get that thing. My stepfather who started the OJs and then quit the day before they made a million dollars and went on to watch them become the biggest thing ever, right? And he went on to try to prove and be a producer and never hit that level of success again.

But I watched him chase that every day. He had that thing. Yes. And that thing is something He had that thing. Yes. And that thing is something that you have to find it. You know what I mean? And a lot, and it can only be, when I got sober, it was that thing that told me, I don't want to live like this no more.

And I deserve better because I grew up around greatness. Yeah. So like why would I sell myself short? And that's when I tell my daughters, they play volleyball, whenever they try to, from the volleyball, from making friends, from being better in school, you gotta have that thing inside of you

because life is always coming for you. That's so true. And that's what I try to give them. I said, you ain't got to be, I didn't, listen, I woke up at 29 years old. That's when I decided that I wanted to be different. Is that right? Does that mean you had so many?

Yeah, I got so far at 29 permanently. I got so far twice before that. You know what I mean? Once would last at 18 months, the other last at nine months. But, you know, this time, I had started doing stand-up and I knew inside that I had it, that I had what it took to be great.

And I knew that I needed to drop that habit. I needed to get rid of that. That's a big lesson, by the way, everyone, just to step back. A lot of things, it's not just always the things that you have to do. It's actually something you gotta drop, that's a habit. By the way, that habit could literally be just like worrying.

That habit could be over sleeping. It could be drinking too much. It could be, but a lot of times like, okay, what do I need to do? What's the thing I got to do? Well, maybe there's a thing you need to not do also in your life, right? Wow.

By the way, even if you're a guy watching this, there's a lot of you guys watching this. You're young, you're 28, you're 29, you're making a bunch of money. You got 18 different women in your phone right now. And you're successful in spite of the fact that you do that by the way. And eventually that distraction, that lack of focus,

that stress, that holding it all together, will steal from your business life also. There's a price to be paid somewhere along the line. So maybe it's things you have to stop doing in your life. Now you said 17, your lifehmm. Your life is so. This could go five hours from me. Like I know a lot about you, right? Like, all right.

I love that. It's 17. Just correct me when I'm wrong all the way along. Sure. But also it's 17 because there's, listen, you had this hard working grand father. That's an incredible story. And he honors these three men, by the way. He honors Eddie.

He honors Charles Joshua who was the OJs. No, that was my Joshua was my grandfather. Grandfather Bobby was my father, Bobby, Bobby, father, father and OJs. And like literally the day before all the money comes in for the OJs. And you'll hear him honor these men and the special. But also at 17, yeah, you get another giant piece of news that could a lot of guys just go, okay, I'm out, man, I'm just, I check out like this is, you know, this is devastating news. I'm going to use this story as an excuse to be a really average dude the rest of my life. Exactly. And tell us.

Tell them what you find out of something. Which I talked about in my first Netflix special, Fat Ballerina, I talked about how I was 17, I found out who I thought Eddie was my father. I found out was not my biological father that I was, he actually adopted me when I was six months old. And there was another guy who I actually knew because he was a friend of the family. So he was around and I played with his children as friends, not knowing they were really my half brother and sister.

And my mom told me at this age, like this is, this is your real, this is who made you. And you know, yes, sure, it could have sent me into a tailspin, but it didn't. What it did is it made me understand in that moment the difference between being a father and making a child. Because that's what my dad is. My dad is my, like that's when I say my dad, my father, that's Eddie Arnold. Mike Payne who made me I Call him my maker

You know me, but I will never disrespect my father By giving Mike pain the title of dad or and which he's a dad and father to other children that I know You know, he's just not that to me, you know, and so here's, and this is what I say to people who have come to me and I've talked to about things that have happened to us in our life, which everybody gets things that happen that are unfortunate. You find out your dad is this, your parents on drugs, you were abused as I, I always say this. I hear everything you're saying.

And I want you to know that you're right, that that was unfortunate and wrong that it happened to you. And it was painful and unfair. Yeah. Now what? Right, right. We got nobody, everybody stops there, but you gotta go past that. You gotta go now what?

Because there's no line to get in for everybody who was mistreated. So where you can just stand in line and be like, everybody who had a bad childhood come over here, we're going to give you a stipend for the rest of your life. It doesn't work like that. So true. You have to figure out how to get around that. And that's when I realized after the third time being in rehab, I was laying in rehab. I went to rehab here at the VA in Westwood and here in Los Angeles. And I remember my first night there, and I was landing this big,

this huge room that had like tons of, you know, racks, beds, you know, bunk beds, just lined up into like army barracks. And it was only me and one other guy across from me. And he was going through withdrawals in the middle of the night. And I remember I was landing there, and I remember saying to myself, I don't belong in here.

And then right behind that was another voice that said, see, this is why you're here because you're arrogant and you think you're better than, but you're not. And then right behind that was a voice that my father, Eddie said to me when I was 19, and I was doing nothing, and I was living with him. And he said, the only difference between you and the bum outside is that you live with me.

And all of these voices hit me back to back. And then the next voice was you've gotten sober for one time it was not get kicked out of the Navy the other time it was for this girl wouldn't break up with you. Now none of those things, you have none of those things. So what you gonna do? Do you care enough about you?

You did, you tried to do it for the Navy, you tried to do it for a girl, do you care enough about David? To try. And it was in that moment that I realized I did not want to have, that I had something greater to do and I wanted to live a different life. Brother, that's incredible.

You and my dad, by the way, got sober about a quarter of a mile from each other. Wow, which is crazy. And my dad ended up being sober for 35 years. And when my dad got sober, because he had tried a bunch of times like you did, he did say, hey, look, I'm gonna get this one more try because I don't want to lose my family. That was his reason when he tried. Sure. But his reason for staying, he told me later, he goes, I'm actually doing this for me. Yes. I'm doing this for me. And as like really, really telling things, I think sometimes really good people are so unselfish

They're unwilling to give themselves the gift of changing sure and also they love telling that story that old story Wouldn't it be a shame if your whole story was just that hey I had this upbringing found out my dad was a my dad and I did some coke and I just That's my story. Yeah, my story was alcoholic dad not things great when I was a kid I just keep telling the story into my 50s. But at some point you've got to start writing new chapters of your life. You said something. I write your stuff down.

Oh my gosh. You said, so many people live their lives making excuses. I refuse to live in the shadows of what if. And then you talk about your family wanting to be. Because this is a thing. This sounds really good now. Like okay, you got all this stuff going on with the Nickelodeon show, you're blowing up. Yeah. But I'm picture in this dude, kind of going to comedy stores all those years, working on his act. I pictured

the guy, I want you to talk about this, because you tie it together so freaking brilliantly your work, where your OJs dad, yes, Bobby, Bobby, he has this deal where you got to get juice tickets. You need to tell them this. And then I need them to see the special. But you fight a glass of one glass of juice on the water the rest of the day. But you actually, to make your dream come true. Yes. Kind of become him for a little while through necessity.

So just give them this. Please, I want them to pay, because there's a lot of people right now, they're driving right on the treadmill or they're listening to this going, I got a dream and there's no evidence I should keep pursuing this there's no evidence. It's like I'm not profitable In fact, I'm losing money. I'm bleeding money. I'm going through my old 401k from when I used to work somewhere else

Yeah, and the pressure is caving in is this a sign and maybe it is for some people sure But is this a sign how I got a packet in so take them through that? I just remember like coming up as a kid, you know, my stepfather, you know, just money was tight. So he had, we broke rules. You know what I mean? Which was, you know, like one glass of juice per kid per day was what we grew up with. I'd never, you know, and of course the comedy is, you exaggerated to me, you gave us drinks in here. But you know what I mean?

Which, that's what it felt like. You know what I mean? I'm like, when I walked into the room, he was like, I think you had Joe Glass of that's what it felt like. You know what I mean? I'm like, when I walked into the room, he was like, I think you had Joe Glass and juice earlier than 11, 15 this morning. I'm like, how do you know that, right? But like, that's how he was. You know what I mean?

So I hated it. But then later in life, when I quit my job, where I worked full time as a nurse during the day and I started pursuing my standup. And we were just, we were broke. And I just remember starting to have moments where I was like no more like generic cereal. You know, you, you, you,

my children don't even know what cool lady is. Which I feel like as a black man alone, I feel, oh man alone, like my children like looked at cool. I like this. What is this? Like you know that girl with real juice. I didn't have real juice till I was 32 These kids been living a real real juice. They hold like so like I literally remember When they were two and four like That we lived we cut quarters. We like, where you assist, but I don't think Ashland, my youngest wore her oldest sister, Anna Grace's clothes for the first four years

of her life, pass them down to her. She don't know. Yeah. You know what I mean? So it's little things like that. And I just remember what like people don't, I used to stand outside one of the clubs called the comedy union, which is no longer there. And it was the club that I, I was an urban club in Los Angeles, people in the Brea, where I spent a lot of time honing my act. They're the Comedy Storn and Lafactor.

And I would stand outside that club and sell DVDs of my standup, which was from other places where I recorded different material, $10 a DVD. And this is not the town that you stand out in front of the club and sell DVDs. Like this because your peers are here. Like you do that on the road. When you're doing it in front of the club and town, you really need money. And I would do it. And my wife tells the story of how I came home one night with $150. Because I sold 15 DVDs that night. And she said, the pride that was on your face,

I will never forget. And I remember that now. You know, and it's like, so now when our lives are different, it makes me think about those times and realizing that you have to, I had to go through that to see how much I love it, how much I want it. Yeah. If it's in me, if I got that thing, you know what I'm saying? Like that's, and I do, and that's why I'm still here.

This phrase you use all the time, which is funny, but it ain't for the week. No. And it's not like winning, winning life, breaking through, ain't for the week. It's just isn't. And I don't know that, I think a lot of people are always looking for techniques instead of this internal fortitude to strengthen this. Get up and go. Go, right? There's this, there's this is a part of people that are successful that that you got a dig for that in your life. Don't you also think I want to ask you this? I don't know how

spiritual or religious you are, but maybe like this is just the time you were ready for this. Yeah. One hundred. I know that would elaborate a little bit. I think I'm picturing you at 31, you're sober a year or two. I'm like, I want to have that. But I'll be your son. No, no, no, I wouldn't be married. I would, you know, none of these things would be what it is. I 100% know in the getting this in my 50s is when I,

when I needed it, when I should have it. My daughters are at the age where they need me in ways that they didn't need me before. My wife, all of you know me like it's not there is it's not lost on me. That. The creator the higher power whatever works for you. Brought these things into my life at this time in my life because I even the thing walking through the airport'm walking through the airport in Atlanta, headed here, and I got stopped maybe four times for pictures, and they say hello. And it feels great.

It really feels great. I'm not going live. It feels fantastic for people to recognize something that I've been working on every day for 28 years. It feels good. But there is a, there's a glass ceiling to that feeling.

It only goes so far. You know what I mean? Because I can see beyond that. I do. And for so many years, I've been in this town watching people blow up and go away. Yeah, that's so true. And I've seen people be famous, but broke.

Me too. And I don't want to be any of those things. Anybody ever think you're Maxwell No You have got your a bird is maybe his older brother. Yes, I'm on any light skin The bone structure All you guys just Google Maxwell and they're watching There's just a little shred that I'm right about it.

Okay, just trust me. All right. So you can use it. No, but so there you go. There you go. So I'm curious what this process is like. I want them to go through this grind with you. You have an hour act, right?

So and I speak and I know what it's like to even get tired of hearing from myself. What does it look like when you start creating material all the way to the special? How many hours go into this? When are you writing? When are the concepts come up? How many sets do you have to do to where you're like,

this is tight now? I own this. This is the creative process to have one special. Because I think the other thing that's underestimated is just the amount of precise grinding and working required to become outstanding at what you do. Yes. That part of the process.

Yeah, that's a great question. Every comedian is different. Some comedians would like to go, I don't write nothing down. It's all, I'm not that person, I'm not that good. My bits come from being in the moment and living and having experiences. You know, and the experience of miscapsure, even the experience going, this could be a bit any experiences. Okay. You know, are you in the experience of a researcher, are you in the experience going, this could be a bit?

Yes. Okay. I'm, comedians are very, you know, introverted people. We, we're very on top of everything we're thinking and feeling, like everything, like all the information that comes at us

as it's coming to us, we're evaluating and giving our opinion on it in our head. Like so, any interaction with you, my wife, the, like constantly, that's just where I'm at, right? And so like for me, when I started going out and working out for, uh, to do it in a for the week, um, I went, I think we did, um, I, I want to say we did 30 cities, which is comedy clubs. And you know, I do five shows a weekend.

So you take that 30 times five, it's about 150 sets, right? An hour and 20 minutes is normally what I'm on stage doing. And you do this again and again and again and I record all of my material. I record every set that I do. And I go back and when I'm on the treadmill

or I'm in the gym the next day working out, I listen to it. So I can go, oh, that's good. Nope, that's no good. I don't need that I do. And I go back and when I'm on the treadmill or I'm in the gym the next day working out, I listen to it. So I can go, oh, that's good. Nope, that's no good. I don't need that. Like, it's work. It's a process. And that's how I do it.

Again, it's reps. It's like, you know, it's like how you get toned. Again, again, again, again, again. Like that's literally it. I think the tolerance for that is for very few people, brother. I mean, this and everything, like even sales people that are listening to this right now. Like, do you, are you that on your presentation or you that on your

clothes or you that on your nuance? I've been watching you. Even some of your, my, some of your transfers of your laughing and the rhythm and how you keep it together. Shepela bump bump that might go to the leg, right? Like these are little things that if you're watching the best of the best, you should be breaking them down in the subtleties of what they do. Sebastian, men of scalco will goco will go very long, me too. Won't go that very long until he moves his body a particular way, right? Like, it's not a stand still guy. Right.

But in every career, it's the precision. It's Nick Saban for Alabama says, we don't practice until we get it right. We practice until we can't get it wrong. That's right. And it's just a different standard of the best and and David you guys is the best I think for me right now. It's the best set that I've watched maybe ever but certainly as long as I can as long as I can recall that that you know what I tell like because I teach one of the largest standup Comedy classes in the country. I didn't know that I've been doing it for 10 years. And I stopped doing it during the pandemic. I have well over 300 plus people on my waiting list.

And I'm about to do a seminar. I've been trying to have it done in two years. I'm about to do it in like next month and we're just doing two days. And I miss it because I love talking about the art of stand up. And one of the things that I tell people when I do my stand up, it's in my muscle, it's in my muscle memory.

Like when I start to do material, and I start to tell stories, I'm in a certain place when I hit this joke. When I'm like, there's, it becomes that, where it's locked in, but there's still enough room for me to be David. There's still enough room for it to be the same, but it's a little different.

Yep, yep. You know what I mean? And so like even now, like working on, I'm working like the night I did in A for the week, that night I have not done any of that material since that night, not one joke. And the next day, the next week I was onto it, I'm doing a new tour called Pace yourself now.

And I've been out, we're doing 30 more cities. Go see him. And I literally have not done what and I'm doing a whole yourself now. And I've been out, we're doing 30 more cities. Go see him. And I literally have not done what, and I'm doing a whole new hour and 20 minutes. Now, this is the benefit. This comes from having done standup for 28 years under the radar. Nobody's seen me.

So they don't know that I'm like this, this caged animal that's been working forever. And now I'm finally getting a chance to run out in a while. It's amazing to me. You know. It's one of the best stories ever because you know, although you have had this financial success you were talking about.

Sure. This notion of all this time under the radar to be that good. Now let me ask you this. By the way, one little lesson he said there's I wanna add everyone just so everyone's listening. I think you had to be that good. Now let me ask you this. By the way, one little lesson he said there's want to add everyone just so everyone's listening. I think you have to be obsessed. So like it's really, comedy's really never off for you. Like you're with your family, your president. But like you're still looking for your craft in it.

I can't help it. Right. That's the greats at anything. Like I can't help it. By the way, you entrepreneurs, like there's healthy obsessions in life. Right. And like, so no matter what I'm ever doing when I'm watching someone do some, I'm watching them speak. I'm looking for a business clue. I'm watching a television, and like that strategy would work in this business I've got. It's never far from me.

I'm always amazed by people say, I wanna be the best or I wanna be great or I wanna be a millionaire. Yes. Yeah, they're willing to escape their craft for long periods of time. Oh, I can't do it. And me either.

And then I'm on vacation. I'm still sort of in my mode. Looking at people, picking up stuff. That would be inspiring. That might be a business I could solve. That problem with this product. It's always there. Yes, always.

It's as when you, because it's who you are. Yes. And you can't, when it, when what you do is who you are, you can't turn it off. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, my family knows when they're around me, like here he goes. Yeah.

That don't start. Like if I pull out my phone and start texting, what are you talking about? They're like, don't, uh-oh, that's not gonna be a bit. Like they know when it hits me in the moment, like because I see life through a different comedians, we see life through a lens that civilians do not. That's just how we're why I've been wired like that now.

Like the more, some unfortunately, the more tragic it is, the quicker comedy comes to us. Like we've had friends who have died in the comedy community that passed away. If you were on some of these text threads, what else comedians, it's dark right away. Even me, like everybody's waiting for, how long before we could,

like, how long, well, do we just, can you see the funeral home behind you in the rearview mirror? Let's go, like we start, and they're knowing that the comedian who passed away, if they were here would be on that thread. They'd be laughing their ass off with that. Exactly.

Yeah, I remember when we all, I remember when Norm died. It was like immediately good friends of mine. I was on some threads with them. Wow, this quickly. This is what she's, my God. Look at all those gambling right now. No Bob Sagan who I had a chance to work with. Same thing.

Yeah, like right away. Exactly. But it's just because it's in us, it's who we are. And if you are a salesman, if you, whatever you do, if you work, if you're a trainer, if you are a nutritionist, you see life through a different lens. You just like you, somebody will bring you a,

what could look like a beautiful meal to me? And a new nutritionist will look at that and go, all the sodium, look at all and go, all the sodium. Look at all, like, something I will never see. Yeah, exactly right. Yeah, those are people that are great. Those are people that are great. I'm just telling you, there's this whole thing in personal development right now that's

like, you need to be present where you are. Yes. I completely believe that. Agreed. That doesn't mean, like, you probably have this too, even with my kids, like, I do sometimes I need to consciously put this phone down. I'm just being there present, sure. But at the same time, I never escape who I am,

even in those moments. I might not type at that minute, I'm going, this would be something inspiring. And I got a hold on to it. I'm sorry, it's not coming off. And I think people take this stuff too literally, where they're like, I escape their business or their craft.

This is part of, when I'm dead, I would like to be remembered for some of these things someday, right? Nice. Do you, do you ever think about like, I suffer still, if I'm being honest, from some in posture syndrome, okay? No matter how far down the road I've gone to whatever success there is or isn't that I've had,

I still feel like this could go away tomorrow. And I work to keep it away. Now, I don't know if that's an unhealthy thing or a healthy thing, but this idea, I don't have like this notion that I've made it or this is it or I'm here. I'm just wondering how you are on that. Like do you have a little bit of that?

I'm running court something, but I'm also running away from being broke again. I'm running away from being irrelevant again. Sure. I think probably, because I'm still not where I wanna be, I'm not where I don't think as much about it going away yet. You know what I mean? I think when you maybe hit like,

I don't know, a certain pinnacle you might feel. I don't feel that as much as I feel like I have more that I wanna do and I'm continuously looking for ways to Accomplish things that I want to accomplish, you know what I mean? Is this always cracked up to be? Really the answer that real like where when you got here 25 years ago You had this vision of hey, I'm gonna have I'm gonna be writing on all these TV shows I'm gonna have the number one show on Nickelodeon I'm gonna have a special that everyone on the planet

is talking about. There wasn't any social media, but Man, I'm all through airports, people are gonna know me. I'm gonna buy a Porsche like you did last week when you put this thing, right? Like all the stuff that I know, wait, I'm actually, it's sort of so much I know about it. It's creepy.

But is it what it's cracked up to be or not yet? Not yet. This is what it's cracked up to be or not yet? Not not yet. This is this is what it is and this is what I believe and I'm like I said I it's not I'm not done. I know I have so much more to do, but what I can say Is that and I heard Oprah talk about this and you hear people say it and you don't believe it until you get there But it truly is about the journey I care people say it and you don't believe it until you get there, but it truly is about the journey. It really is about the journey. I don't wanna be broke again.

But I, and I do want, like, I'm just, like I'm starting theaters in the next month, right? I'm going from comedy clubs to theaters, which is small theaters, just because I, I guess I do have a fear because every time my agent's calling me with another gig, I always think nobody's coming. Yeah, every time.

Yeah. Every time they're like, I'm doing, I'm doing Pittsburgh, the Carnegie music call in Pittsburgh. Nobody's coming. Like that's all I'm like, they call me and that's all I can, like that thought keeps me up in the middle of the night sometime. I love that though.

But that is also the thing that makes me get up and create. I think that's one of the elements of that thing. Yes. I think it's one of the little subparticles of that thing. Yes. Is there like, hey, I do. I just feel like it's something that I want to always expose like little element.

And for everyone's recipe and formula of success or bliss or happiness is somewhat different. Sure. But there are, I think if you cut open you, myself, anybody else that might be achieving beyond what a lot of people thought they would. Yes. There are elements of if you cut us open that are very, there's this, the sounds hokey, but there's this are hearts similar. This heart, I mean, it's corny, but like this part of a champion, this will, this will, my new, I might even be writing about this next. I used to have this talk I gave called,

My Will to Win is Not for Sale. Meaning, I think a lot of people in life, you could have done this. You have this precious, beautiful family. If this is amazing wife who's stayed by you through difficult times and, yes. You have these beautiful daughters, and I've got a beautiful family as well.

There could have been, people would not have criticized you had at some point 15 years ago, you just gone, look man, I made a run at it. And it just didn't break through. I'm gonna go back to being nursing, I'm gonna go sell Mercedes, I'm gonna, like, and no one probably would have blamed you for that. But there was this thing in you,

this is what I'm watching this man perform. I was like, this dude's will is different. He wouldn't sell his family's dreams. He wouldn't sell his dreams. Most men, most women, they can be bought with enough failure. Their will can be bought. There's a price tag. They're unwilling to pay.

In other words, the price tag just gets too high. Yes. And that's a poverty mentality, by the way. When I was broke, when I went shopping, I didn't get the thing I wanted. I get the thing I could afford. So I would flip price tags. What's it cost?

What's it cost? I think in life, if you're obsessed with what something's costing you, you're going to lose. But if you become obsessed with whether it's worth it, then that's different. That's true. And for me, I think most people, by the way, winning can buy someone's will to win. You've seen this in sports. Guys, when fights like crazy

with the heavyweight champion in the world, gets there, the will has been bought with that belt with a couple bucks. Yes. And that's the people that you described earlier in my opinion that go away, that become broke, that aren't famous anymore. Because you start to believe the things

that people are telling you. Yes. You know what I mean? Like you've said some fantastic things about me, which I truly not only agree with. I'm like, listen, a part of the successful is also believing that you deserve to be there. You know, and I agree with it, but it does not fuel me or fool me to believe that there's not more and or that this can go away very

quickly because I eventually at all go listen to it all come down exactly. The curtain comes down on every show. Michael Jackson was one of the biggest shows ever. That's right. And the curtain comes down Frank Sinatra some of the best Joe Monta, like some of the Mike tight, like they're the greatest ever at whatever it is you do. Michael Jordan, the curtain always comes down. And what you have to look at is the things that I did, did I give it my all. And once I had the best that I could possibly be, listen, I could stop today. And I can tell my children that I was successful. When I moved to LA, I had the best that I could possibly be, listen, I could stop today and I can tell my children that I was successful. When I moved to LA, I had two trash bags of clothes and three addresses to three comedy clubs.

That's it. I didn't have any friends. I didn't have anybody who'd tell me, hey, man, you know, you should go nothing. And I walked from the rehab, which people did not know to there, to the comedy store, which is like five miles to go do open mic. And sometimes I went there and it was the wrong day. Newer performing. And I had to walk back, but I did it every single time

that I knew that that microphone was there. Oh, wow. And nobody knew. And there was times when I got on, when I showcased for Mitzi at the comedy store, one time and I got in because I was ready. Wow. I showcased for Jamie at the LaFactery one time

and I got in because I made sure that I have been doing stand-up in other places, little bars everywhere where I could get up. So when I got a chance to go where I really wanted to go, I was prepared. You know what I mean? So like, oh, so I don't, I don't get caught up in a lot of, you know, the hype of a lot of it because there's still so much more I want to do. Yeah, but you were willing to do things. Most people weren't willing to do. By the way, this is confirmed. So there's a part of his special. Everybody where he's, he's, he's becomes his

grandfather. And you're talking about he gets, you know, I was six years old. I'm way, this is confirmed something. There's a part of his special, everybody where he's, he's becomes his grandfather. And you're talking about, he gets, you know, I was six years old. I'm eight, you know, I'm four, I started working. I was four years old. It's hilarious. But then there's this part. I wondered I was going to ask you this where you talked about. He's not lazy. Yeah. And he walked. So there, you were actually referencing something that was true and especially about your walking. That was, that was, that was, it spires me so long. Yeah, that was a true story. I mean, like, that was, I remember walking, there's a distance between the comedy store and the laugh factory on sunset,

which I don't know, maybe it's a mile and a half, maybe two miles, I'm not sure, but I've walked that hundreds of times since I've been here. Like back and forth, maybe I can get on stage here or no, I can't get on stage here. So, and I remember walking at night, back and forth, maybe I can get on stage here. No, I can't get on stage here. Some and I remember walking at night back and forth between these clubs. And I remember thinking about my grandfather. And I knew that he knew that I was not lazy like I was when he used to call

me when I was a kid. I was in nine and didn't want to work at lay-ass for all day. But I just had to find that thing inside of me. That was worth it for me to walk. Okay. I want to find out because you're gonna make me cry. So I want to find out what stuff is kind of true and what stuff is stretched a little bit. Okay.

So so you first off, I'm just picturing this man walking with his family, little girls at home or whatever and just rooting for him to make it. Like I just picture this dude, right? They did that not at all. Yeah, my children don't even know I yeah, but I'm rooting for you back then It's what I'm saying, right? But maybe it's such a great visual. Maybe it's good for them to hear this though Like I said we know a lot of it But I mean, that's just remarkable that you would do that for you and your family What what yeah, but this idea that were you really, so I'm just picturing this guy,

like those of you that sit in there going, and it's not gonna happen for me. A picture of a guy who's using drugs, has been arrested multiple times. This is all true, right? Yes. Okay, buys himself many years later. Now he's sober, but he's still walking

to even get gigs, right? Yes. People don't know, was it, was any of the part about you being incarcerated for nine days or whatever is that actually true? 100% true story, Bakersville. God, I got arrested for a fix the ticket. I was driving a car that did not have blink,

no, didn't have seat belts on it. They wanted me to put seat belts in the car. I found it had cost $600 to put seat belts in a car. I paid $600 for. I'm not going to do that. So I was like, I'm going to drive this car till it falls over and it did. And I left it on the side of the road. I just walked home and I never thought about that car ever again. And I was somewhere drinking with my friends

at Edwards Air Force Base like two years later. And they ran my name and a warrant came up. And it was a fix it ticket that it turned into a warrant. So they took me to a baker's field and kept me in jail for seven days. And I just, I realized, I ain't got it. That ain't dying about that life. One of the funny things I've ever heard. Sure it's true. I didn't want to get out of jail.

No, all of that is true. The salt. The store. Tell me what I tell you. Please of jail. All of that is true. The salt. The story out. Tell him what I tell you. Please tell him. Please. This is unreal.

So this is how disconnected I was from this world. Okay, they need to know this to compare to where you are now. So you get locked up for a car. You just left somewhere. Yes. Two years ago. It's a DFC, though, so I just left it. Okay. And then I went to jail. Like two years, two years later, because it didn't have seat belts. I just left it. Okay. And then I went to jail.

Like two years later, I got picked up party when my friends, they ran our name. My name came up, they took me up. And one county can only hold you for so long for another county. They're not coming, LA is not coming to get me. They're not, you know what I mean? Like they're getting real criminals.

This guy had a, he didn't have seat belts in a, and so I'm not coming, nobody's coming to get you. And they, somebody they can only home me for seven days. So I knew I was going to have to do seven days. And I sat there for seven days. And for seven days, the hardest part of being in there was eating that food without any salt. That is what I, I was like, I can't, I can't live in a world with no

seas. Like literally, that is who I was and my mother was like, what is wrong with you? Like, she's like, you're not worried about any of the other things that could happen. They're raping people in there. People are getting shaked in your complaint is that there is no salt. That's who I was. It's true. It's story and real. And just flash that forward to now. It's just it's like probably even for you, it's funny. But to hear from an outside perspective, like, my God, it's a remarkable life. It's a remark. And it's a testimony to like just wanting something so bad. Isn't it? And working so hard at it.

Yes. It's that thing. And I st- and was crazy is like, and I- and I don't know, and maybe you can tell me how sometimes I'm afraid to say out loud what I really want because I'm afraid that I'm going to fail and not get it. Yeah. So, if I don't say it out loud, yeah, it's not out there. And therefore I didn't fall short. Yeah. Like, and I'm gonna say this for the first time here. I want to play in arenas. Okay. I've never said that out loud. I can see it on your face. Look at you. I've never said that. I believe that I have it. The work ethic that I put into my craft deserves it and I'm good enough. And I'm good enough. And so like now as I'm going out to perform in these,

you know, these thousand, 1200, maybe the biggest is 1800 seed venues. And I'm nervous that I'm gonna be performing for 300 people in a venue that I was 18. Like that is my biggest fear, right? That even if that is the case, that still will not stop me. I love it.

You know what I mean? Like I remember standing in, I remember performing in New York at Dangerfields. I needed to do a half hour to get the $150. I needed for my rent that night. And it was a room that held 350 people and it was two people in my audience. And I did that time. The week after my this last Netflix special,

it ain't for the week, I put it in the can. I'm in a theater in Cleveland. The next week I'm in Columbia, South Carolina. Room hosts 400 people. There were nine people in the audience. I did an hour and 45 minutes at night. I had one of the best sets I've ever had in my life because I knew now that I was in my element. So I know what I wanna do and I've never said that out loud.

This is why I do what I'm doing. I'm gonna be there when you do it. I'm gonna be there when you do it. And we're gonna help you do it. I see it be there when you do it. And we're gonna help you do it. I see it on your face, like it's really deep in you. You wanna do that. I didn't get into this business to be one of the people that, oh yeah, and he's funny too.

I got into this business to be one of the best storytellers and to be one of the funniest people and to cut across all nationalities, all ages of everything because I believe that the stand, I mean the stuff I do is family and life and to me that's universal. Let me say something to you. One, I am blessed that I do get to sometimes speaking in big arenas. So when I watch people, it's, man, I just wish I was recording the conversation the night that I watched you

because it doesn't even matter. You wouldn't believe me anyway. But I literally said this dude should be in the arenas like sub-assionists for a couple of reasons. One, you already have the type of, you know, there's a different projection, a different energy to fill a big room that it is a small room.

You already kind of, you fit the room, but you could easily overwhelm the room. Like you have the presence in the charisma and the energy to do 50,000 people if you wanted to. That's number one. The other thing you do that's really uniquely nuanced. You do crossover, you do meet everybody, yet you do it in a way, and this is really unique, where although you're

completely aware of who you are still. So although you do reach all demos, some people do that by sort of a lack of authenticity about who they really are. Still very clear who you are, still very clear where you come from, still really clear how you were raised, yet you are able to nuance that in such a way that you do reach all different types of people. Someone could be black, white, Hispanic, Asian, religious, non-religious, 65-year-old laugh

in their ass off at your content or 19 years old laugh in about stuff too. It's, so that's absolutely a fact for you. And we're gonna help you do that. I like, I can see how big deal is. That more important to you than even like being on TV, being in a're gonna help you do that. I like, I can see how a big deal is that more important to you than even like being on TV, being in a movie, being anything like that.

Um, the movie, the movies have never been something that I was like, well, I want to be in a movie. Like I've always wanted to be a dad on TV because my grandfather, my dad, those were the funniest people in the world to me. You know, and the examples that we saw from the TV fathers, I grew up with Bill Cosby was one. Unfortunately, it comes with an asterisk next to it now,

but I still connected to that character. And that's what I've always wanted to do. The two things I've always wanted to do was to, when my name goes up on a marquee, I want people to see it and wanna come and know that this dude is gonna take us. You think the deliver, it's an experience. Yes, it's gonna be fun.

One other thing, and I'm gonna stop complimenting you. There's no, usually when you listen to an album, if somebody, I'm talking to music, I'm gonna be like, these two songs play well. These are the six fillers. Exactly. A lot of comedy specials, you're like, hey,. I'm just like, these two songs play well. Exactly. These are the six fillers. Exactly. A lot of comedy specials, you're like, hey,

you gotta hear him say these two bits, right? These are the jokes, right? That is not your stuff. Every freaking minute is full. There are no down ones. I'm telling you, it's an experience. And that's why I wanted to see, what's he like in person too,

which is exactly the same way. I'm gonna a couple more things I want to ask you because you're too valuable of a brain not to pick it some more. What do you tell your daughters about either life or success? They're watching you. There's some notoriety aspect of yours, but like I could tell,

there's a closeness there that's pretty remarkable with your family. Obviously your wife is an amazing woman. She is. And I love what she says even in the documentary about you, maybe the two of you were like soulmates born with you with each other. You know, she says that,

you know, I'm sure on the good days, on the bad day. Maybe she's, she would leave. She questions that. But what do you, what do you do, do you have those conversations with your daughters about success or life? Sure. What do you tell them? Sure.

I tell this in success. Every, and this is something I was going to start earlier when I was telling you about where I came from in the clothes, a trash bag of clothes, success is relative to everybody's life. You know what I mean? Like success does not mean that I have to be an arenas. I started with two trash bags and three comedy clubs. If I'd never do any more than I did right now, I'm successful. I started with nothing and I have two very good standup specials and I can make a great living, performing a comedy club's the rest of my life if that's what I wanted to do.

I'm successful. I think that success is relative to who you are. I tell my daughters that all the time you have to decide what you deem success to be. Because success for one person could mean. I'm not successful unless I win six NBA titles. Some people's success could be because success for one person could mean. I'm not successful unless I win six NBA titles. Some people's success could be, I just made a live in Planned Basketball.

And I put my family through college and I did all the things. My grandfather, like I said, owned an asphalt company with an eighth grade education and put all of us through college, some medical school. We have physicians, and all in my family. And this from a man who had a eighth grade education, he was successful.

Big time. He was so, my grandfather was so successful. That Cadillac, he drove us to church in every week. That he was, there was nobody more successful than my grandfather. My dad, an engineer and a race car driver. He's 72 years old right now, my father. He pulls his race car with his pick up trailer all around the country and drives.

He, all those this pit crew and his friends have passed away, but my dad still goes out there and races by himself. He's successful. He is successful. I have a sister who's a school teacher. She's blind pretty much. She's legally blind. She's successful. He is successful. I have a sister who's a school teacher. She's blind pretty much. She's legally blind. She's diabetic.

Super successful because she's living her dream. See, I think success is that when you're the life you're living, matches your expectations and vision for it. That's right. And for you and I, it's just, it's hard to be married to sometimes too because like, it's going to keep growing. It's going to keep expanding. And sometimes you let people are like, hey, wait a minute. I's gonna keep expanding. And sometimes you'll have people are like,

hey, wait a minute, I thought this was it. Not then we were gonna relax. You're like, that's not, it's the journey. It's not just one place. I wanna see, I want my own expansion as a person. Yeah. My reach, you know, what makes me happy. By the way, Eddie, your dad, my dad's name was Eddie also.

But my, but he reminds me the way carries himself in your documentary of my dad. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he reminds me the way he carries himself in your documentary of my dad. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's a, my dad had a, even though my dad was a drinker, you know, when he was, it's always my dad. It's kind of just this over and out too. Is that right?

Eddie? It's interesting. Yeah, I don't know. There's a, my dad had a, a dignity, or an elegance to him, that just, I don't know what you'd like to kind of have. It's a pride kind of have pride. Yeah, pride.

And I saw that in your dad just in the little interactions you had with him. That's my dad. Yeah. I want to ask you a couple more things just as I'm so fascinated about you and in your daughters. Is it accurate? Because you seem to have this great marriage. Was there really a really in the fat ballerina you talk a little bit about a bumpy time in

your marriage? Of course. What really changed it? Like how have you built a good marriage? Like people listen to this and they're like, hey, I'm blowing up in my career. And the truth is, every time most people ask me, how do I get the support at home? In other words, oftentimes their career success seems to be creating friction in their relationship.

No. Not for you. No, okay. Well, my wife is a performer. My wife was the third African American woman to dance online with the New York Radio City Rockets. She was a rockette when I met her. She was, when my wife also toured and danced with Jimmy Buffett

in his band, a core ripper band. She was in his band for five years. My wife has done many Broadway tours. She's done hundreds of commercials. She hosted a TV show on ABC called Made in Hollywood. She's knows this business. She was successful when I met her. She was way above and beyond what I was doing. My wife was flying around on private jets when I met her. Would Jimmy Buffett? You know, I was like, I remember the first- You took her all the way to one juice. Right. Exactly. When I met my wife, I was like, I remember the first. You took her all the way to one juice. Right. Exactly.

When I remember one of the three, you should come see me. You should come see me perform. I'm at, I'm gonna be at the comedy store in the belly room. It's about, you know, hold about 80 seats. And my wife for a long time never told me what she did. And then one day she was like, you know, I'm gonna be performing in Vegas. And I went, she's stripping. Right.

And I went to Vegas and she had these tickets they left for me And I'm like were you performing she said mgm grand and I said what I walk in her Jimmy Buffett on stage That you know they got the jumbo trunks. Yes camera hits my wife and she winks because she knows I'm out there somewhere And I said I gotta have it I gotta have it so like when you have a woman who knows I've never once ever heard anything from my wife, except for keep going, go do it, do it. You got it.

I love it. Now, do we argue? Yes, we argue. We almost got a divorce many years back, many years back because, you know, of life, I'm messed, you know, I messed up as men do. I've done all the wrong things. I've, I called her father and told her father that I messed up. I called her parents and told them, I want that's the thing that comes with being sober and, you know, I'm not afraid to be wrong. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not afraid to be wrong. Yeah, yeah. I'm not afraid to be wrong.

I've like, I did these things, but let me explain to you why. And we had our whole, like we went through a lot of stuff, but I think, and now me and my wife argue, like we argue, we'll argue in front of you. You know what I mean? I think I talk about that in the special, like that's who we are. Like we do, we are the most real people.

And yes, sometimes I wanna leave and sometimes she wants me to leave. But I don't know where it is, how it is. We, me and my wife can have a drop down, drag out, fire of an argument. And then soon it's over. It's like, so what would you wanna eat? That's awesome though.

I don't know how we got there. I think it's because I don't know. I don't know how we got there. I think it's because I don't know. I don't know. But I think people don't take, I don't think people in anything in life have an appreciation for like experience and longevity together, even in anything. Like one of the reasons you're successful in your comedy career is like you just got a ton of experience. Yes.

It's a ton of experience. Like there's not a tap to you. Yeah, like that's a, that's a, that's a really, really big deal. Same in a relationship. Like if you just got experienced together over time, there's a depth to, I mean, 25 years. Yeah. I've been married 19. Yeah. I met my wife when I was five and we dated in high school.

That's no joke. Wait. What? Yeah. I know. Wait. Wait. What? When you were five. Yeah. Yeah. Literally. We didn't, you know, we, with the same school, but she grew up down the street for me.

We went to the place together. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I know. And by the where are you from? Well, we grew up in Southern California, I was born in Boston, but I grew up in Southern California. Oh, I'm going to Boston. I'm doing a Wilbur theater in Boston.

Well, you're doing some other things in Massachusetts that are really cool, going up like today, as a matter of fact, too. Your life's unbelievable. All right, last thing I want to ask you, I want to first of all, I want to have you back when you do your next special. Oh, my God.

I want to have you back when you, when we're doing arenas. I want to make sure that I have you back. Now, I feel pressure. No, set it out loud. There's been very few people, listen, I've done hundreds of shows. I've got, you know, I've got a family and businesses and speaking and all this stuff that I do.

And I got my own show out right now Nozzy change with it my that on Nozzy, but But I got to tell you I'm like Super interested in you obviously I feel like I know maybe a creepy amount of information about you at the stage for only knowing who you were for a little Window of time, but like I know a lot by the way We got through like 5% of my questions. What? Yeah, because I know so much about you. But let me ask you this last, someone ran into you with a Starbucks right now, right? They've listened to the show, they're like, I was really inspired by your story, by the

type of life you're living, what you breakthroughs, the struggles you've had, you're upbringing, all of it. The way you communicate, obviously your heart, too, you tell you're a good man. It's like I was in jail for a week. And now he's, you know, get the best special on the planet Earth. It's unbelievable. And they said, Hey, I want to be successful. And I'm just like, I'm just tread and water right now.

And could you, I get those. What would you say to me that might nudge me for? It could be any piece of information, anything I should remember, anything I should think or do. I mean, just anything if I had two minutes with you, what would you say to them? I would say that what you're feeling is exactly what you're supposed to be feeling because anything worth anything is not supposed to be easy.

It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to make you feel like you feel, which is maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe this is a mistake, maybe I should quit. Nobody around me believes in you. And the hardest part is sometimes the people that are closest to you will be the ones that will give up on you first, even your agents, even your, your, like, if that's real, you have to want what you want hard enough that cuts through all of that and you have to find

That thing and whether or not you have that thing that makes this thing that you want Not having it unacceptable It has to be you can't you have to be able to go can I live without it? Can I go to bed at night? So can I live without it? Can I go to bed at night? Wake up one day knowing that I said I wanted to do something and I gave up and I'm okay with going, I'd let that one go. I can't do that.

Not for something. There's some things where I'm like, I'm going to jump out of plane. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm a jump out of plane. Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah. I'm a past that. Right, you know what I mean? But like, there's some things that, some things are not negotiable, and there's some dreams that are not for sale.

Oh boy, that's really, really good. Really, really good. Yeah, I don't even wanna add to that except for that negotiable part. Negotiate the price in advance. And just not to pay it. Yeah, no, you're worth. One of my favorite conversations of all time.

Dude, I gotta be honest with you. I've been, because I've been on a little tour, doing a lot of media stuff, you know, because for the special, you know, when you sit and talk to somebody who really has done their homework. Yeah. And I've did the same.

I watched a lot of your work. And I was like, this dude is like, it is firing on a different frequency. Thank you, bro. And everybody does not do that. Yeah. I know when I meet someone, I'll know the rest of my life. And I'm going to know you the rest of my I feel like that. I agree. I just feel like that. I hope I'll live you. But having said that, you look like you go. He's dude is in shape. I feel like I need to go do some projects. You're in great shape, too. I said you look like Maxwell. The best compliments I could ever give you in your life. Trust me, everybody. So where you want to go? Where do you want them to go? We want to go get you on the road on this tour. So we start filling up a ring.

Oh man. David A Arnold dot com right now. The tour is called Pacia's self. Um, you can see it. Obviously you can go. You have to put in the A. A lot of people put in David Arnold. If you put it, if you put in David Arnold, you're gonna get the white guy that does the soundtracks with James Bond, that ain't me. You got to put in David A Arnold. You can get me on social media as all across the platform. And if you go to my website, it'll take you right to the cities where we're going and this is just the first half.

Like the next, we haven't even announced the back, you know, the back. I'm gonna drop an email for you, I told you that. Oh, we've had that. So guys, listen to me, his social media is so damn entertaining. You'm gonna drop an email for you. I told you that. Oh, he has that. So guys, listen to me, his social media is so damn entertaining. You're gonna be wanna watch it just because your life will be enriched by it.

And by the way, go get it, ain't for the week on Netflix. And that girl Layla on Nickelodeon is the number one show on there right now. It's just guys got a lot going on right now. So I'm really grateful you made the time. It's snuck in between flights to be here. So glad to see you, man.

I'm looking forward to lunch and everything. Yeah, me too. All right, everybody, God bless you. Share this show today. You know this one's gonna be fire. It's gonna be viral. Share it man. I'm looking forward to lunch and everything. Me too. All right, everybody. God bless you. Share this show today. You know this one's going to be fire. It's going to be viral.

Share it with as many people as you can. Go get the power of one more of my book. It's still out there. No more book in the world. God bless you. Max out. This is The End My Let's Show. you