The Nick DiPaolo Show - Colin Quinn | Nick Di Paolo Show #1736

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

In this episode Nick interviews Colin Quinn! To watch FULL EPISODES and get ALL RUMBLE PREMIUM content AD FREE, join by clicking the link below, then the red RUMBLE PREMIUM button.  https://rumble.com/c/TheNickDiPaoloShow/exclusive MERCH - Grab some snazzy t-shirts, hats, hoodies,mugs, stickers etc. from our store! https://shop.nickdip.com/ TOUR DATES AND MORE - https://nickdip.com 5/15-16/2025 - Zanies, Rosemont, IL FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS -   https://nickdipaolo.komi.io/

Music What's the idea? Get upstairs. There's no upstairs. Folks, how are you? Welcome to the show on a Wednesday. Great show today. Got a guest. We've had him on a few times because he's my closest friend in comedy. And I bet you're a million people say that, because he's that good a guy. And any comic that goes through New York, use this guy without even asking. You'll ask him about it, and he takes you on his wing and scolds you.

He used to tell me to calm down on stage and don't call everybody a fucking liberal asshole, and they don't laugh. And I go, why not? The great Colin Quinn is going to be with us. Excuse me. Sat down here and we talked about everything from living in LA next to each other, to politics,

to how it is at the Comedy Cellar table, how the comics are different. And he's a wealth of knowledge, as they say. So without further ado, here's my buddy, The Great Colin Quinn. My guest today, ladies and gentlemen, you know, I'm obviously from SNL, a tough crowd, his one man shows, which are killer. I went and saw him so many times, he goes, hey, you have to pay this time.

I was just like freeloading. Long story short, unconstitutional. The New York story, red blue states. It's a great friend and my best friend in the business, Colin Quinn. Hello, Quinny. Hi, Nick. What's happening? Oh, nothing. I'm just sitting around. I was just sending a nice video and having a few laughs. I'll get to that in a second. If you guys don't know Colin he loves just loves Billy Crystal videos he thinks he's a terrific writer and actor and I disagree with him wholeheartedly and he and yeah fuck it let's get right to it. He sends me clips for the last 10 years of anything that

any movie billy crystal's in steve martin um who's the other one oh mrs. dove fire um and he just you guys if i showed you the clips he's something you're like oh that's funny because you don't do comedy and can't write like, you know. Well, go ahead. You just said me. Go ahead. Yeah. My dream, which the fans would probably appreciate

is to have you tied down in one of those easy chairs and make you watch Madding Hill. Oh God. My life in ruins. There's two I haven't seen. And a couple of maybe a couple of chick flicks and maybe city slickers to legend to curl his gold. He just, just Colin just sent me a clip of city slickers too.

And I just, it's so funny I gotta be honest Colin I mean you sort of most comics that come through New York get educated like you know Colin as to what's garbage or whatnot when you show up your young comic you don't know but even I when I was a little uneducated in a comedy there's something very corny Billy Crystal I Billy Crystal. I didn't know I didn't dislike him I mean I used to see him on... He was the best Oscar host ever by far. Oh I like the you know who who do I I'm thinking the Yes piece I was thinking of Norm. Nobody was even close. You know who was good no I

know he's perfect for that right so what you're saying is that's what he should be doing. Yeah, no, he's great at that stuff. The one line stuff. But I, Colin would leave me a message or text me going put on I think I've told this the last time you are but put on HBO right now. They're doing a documentary on Bill Hicks. And I'd flip into it. And it was like Mrs. Delfire. Fucking you know, direct is direct is some shit. And you're always thinking what the hell what? I would literally get excited because I thought it was a Hicks thing and what it like what is your what is your beef did you see Billy Crystal's one-man show? No. Oh Jesus. Did I? This is how old I am. Why do I think I saw it? 800 Sundays? Whatever the fuck. Yeah, I didn't see it. I didn't see it. I heard it was good.

It was 700. Felt like 800. I was too busy watching old tapes of Teddy Bergeron. Jesus. Teddy Bergeron, folks, is a comic from Boston and had one of the greatest sets in the history of the... and this is what Johnny Carson was hosting at Tonight Show and literally blew the place apart and they offered him a deal right there and remember like a what a weekend later? He hadn't even left LA. Somebody one of his family members gets hit killed by a car, right? Something, yeah. family must get hit killed by a car right something yeah or something yeah and he had to leave LA that like that was it and really bad alcoholic but just

a phenomenon I mean a really really he let's put it this way you know better than Billy Crystal and he would be like blow me why don't you blow me? Yes he would sing a synoptic to him but it was only blow me. And he's blow me you don't know me so blow me. Tonight. That's right he would end with it. You know the last time I saw him was Mike Reynolds was hanging out with him. Oh, they're both in Vegas both down in their luck and Yeah, Mike Reynolds would take pictures of Teddy and Teddy might still be alive, but barely but Mike's gone You know Mike was another one some of these people That it got like Mike Reynolds was a funny comic, but he wasn't the greatest comic, but he was the funniest guy.

Oh my God. He would get in these situations, like with Teddy and just be, I mean, Mike's famous too for one time he was, you know, he was famous. Chris Rock said, Mike Reynolds is the only non-celebrity that gets celebrity level women.

You know, he's just a handy guy. And one day when he was in Baltimore, he took a girl to a diner after the show and these construction workers walk over and start trying to harass her and degrade Mike. Mike stands up, punches one of them, knocks them out, goes to the other one's, you want some of this? And they all back off. And the next day the paper says, comedian knocks out heckler. They always get it wrong.

He was that scrappy, yeah, how tall was Mike? Six three. Six three and just lean, but not where you'd go, ooh, I wouldn't want to fuck with him. Just a wiry guy. Like Clint Eastwood, yeah. Yes, perfect, like Clint Eastwood and he got another story I think you Zook or you told me or both some cook like at the improv in Florida was

bad-mouthing him so tell him how that one ended. Well the guy what the guy did was he he flipped Mike he was into judo or. He flipped Mike and really hurt Mike's side. So I knew what was coming. Because for two weeks on the phone, I was like, I mean, the guy really hurt my side. They were playing, wait, were they playing around at that point? They were playing around, but he didn't wanna play around.

The guy flipped him, you know? Right, right. And he hurt his ribs. Right. He goes, they can't really hurt my ribs. I mean, the guy gets coked up. He hurts my ribs. He was talking about for two weeks

that something was gonna happen. And Zook was there that night. And he goes, I saw the way Mike, because Zuck's a cop. He knows when it's happening. He goes, I saw, I wouldn't have known it was gonna happen. He goes, I saw the way he was looking. He goes, I'm leaving. I don't want to get in. You know, you'd have to arrest him, you know. So he goes, I'll get out of the bar. And then Mike said, and I'm walking out the parking lot with the guy and I go, you know, you really hurt my ribs. And he goes, you know, so he goes out of the bark and then Mike said and I'm walking out the parking lot with the guy and I go you know, you really hurt my ribs and he goes I know I'm sorry he goes I mean they're still hurting he goes hey I apologize if you don't accept it fuck you

and then Mike hits him so hard that he ruined his he really hit his face his face broke his face but then I was in Florida the next week. So every day we'd have to walk out to the parking lot with bats because his friends were looking to kill Mike. So they were calling out, we'll kill you. This was before cell phone. So we'll walk out to the parking lot with bats every night to go to our shows because we know

these guys are going to be looking for him in his apartment car. He was that good. Yeah. Yeah. But Mike was one time Mike was having dinner. Remember when he lived in LA, he lived in a house that the best way to describe it was Nick.

Nick lived down the block. I was staying next door. Yeah. Yeah. And Nick is the house the kids avoid on Halloween. It was. It was on this is Beverly. Beverly Hills wasn't it technically? Yeah technically. On Doheny. Beverly Flats. Beverly Flats. Not the you know on Doheny. I lived in an ice and apartment building. That's still one of

my favorite places by the way. That's where I got a headshot taken by a guy who was telly Savalas a star on kojak his sidekick this guy took my headshot for like seventy five dollars he's a photographer and Kevin Dobson no this guy well what was the on kojak Rizzo was it detective Rizzo he had an Italian last name on kojak but he was on there for years. He was kind of a name, but but he but he took he took people's headshots He was out of the business and I went in there He and he had pictures of Michelle Pfeiffer when she was 19 and just showed up in LA and all this shit And he took my headshot up on the roof He took a bunch of them for like $100 or $50

I it's still hanging up at the comedy cellar on the wall, the one where I look like a mafioso. And he goes, so later on I hear after I moved out of the building, he got arrested because he was running prostitutes in and out of his apartment. Oh my God. Well, and that's the same, that's the same building where one time I was on the phone with you and you start banging on the wall, you go, I'm going to kill my God. Well, and that's the same building where one time I was on the phone with you and you start banging on the wall, you go, I'm gonna kill my neighbor. He's playing this stupid rock music too loud.

That's the different. That was in West Hollywood in Sierra Bonita, which what Colin's talking about is, I think I've told this on the show before. I was knocking on the wall, it was the guy who was playing guitar. First of all, the superintendent goes, what colin's talking about is i think i've told us on the show before i was knocking on the walls guys playing guitar first of all the sub superintendent goes hey you're comedian so the guy that was next year

and i go who is he goes in the head burger something this before mitch was really big i go i don't think i know him uh... and then i would hear guitar and shit and people sing it like a fucking manson family and i would bang on the fucking wall and it would stop for a few minutes. Then it stopped playing.

Anyways, long story short, as Carl would say, Zoe Friedman, who booked the comedians on Letterman, she texted me, she goes, hey, Mitch Hedberg's gave me his set list and the third joke down, it says DePalo, neighbor. And it was about, you guys, you Hedberg fans know the joke. I would bang on the wall and he goes, there's no handle on this side, come around.

It was something of that fucking nature. So funny. Oh my God. Mike Reynolds, his report was on the first floor. So sometimes, there was always something going on. There was always drama. So one time he, I'm on the phone. I'm not even home.

He's having dinner with that girl, Natalie. Remember you had that- Natalie, this is what in the house, again, that was next to my apartment building. I would be all, I would look in the window in the morning, Colin would be staying there. We're talking to Colin Quinn, but if you don't know from his voice,

I look in the window and Colin will be laying on, not even a, it looked like a fucking mat you do sit ups on. It was about a quarter inch thin, no blankets. It was like for a dog bed. And the sun would be coming in. There's no curtains, typical comedian. Colin's laying there in the feeding position, sun beating on him.

And that seems like, one part of me seems that, like that seems like five minutes ago, another part of me seems like that was 50 years ago. Yeah. Did, how, we had a good time. But Natalie and him. Yeah, Natalie was about a 10 on a scale of eight. Yeah, Natalie and him having a nice dinner,

they get the window open, he's on the first floor, window open, it's a little bit of a, it's a question from Ralph's Supermarket. Yes, yes. So question, so some guy comes to the window some drunk guy so Mike was like the worst gambler that's right he was his whole life was about going to the track we'd go to the track all the time I go with him Hollywood Park betting the horses but but I wasn't addicted to it like he was right he's sitting there and the guy goes, hey, hey, he just comes up to the window.

Well, having a nice dinner with the window open, it's a hot day. So I go put him on. So Mike puts him on the phone with me and I start cursing at the guy and he goes, he goes crazy. And Natalie goes, oh my god. And Mike and him getting in a fight, the cops come, they arrest the guy. And when they arrest him, to some reason a screenplay fell out of his back pocket. And it was a screenplay about the track called like, Win, Lose, or Draw.

Oh my God. Only in LA. That is right out of like, that's like right out of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Yeah, only in LA. You'd be at the dentist, your dentist would be going, oh, you're in show business. I'm writing the spec script for fucking Cleveland. Do you know anybody I can get it to?

And you're like, hey, fucking how about my teeth, asshole? LA in the nineties was like a really, like I once the perfect example is I saw Brad Pitt hanging out with this guy at like one of the, one of the coffee guys from this coffee place on Doheny or something. And then like friends just hanging out. I was like, Brad Pitt was already kind of famous. It was just like everybody it was such a it was a great time. That was the night early 90s was the best time to be in LA. Now it's too crazy. Yeah we had such a but it wouldn't have been fun if you weren't there or um no we had fun. We fucking me calling it the same managers for a while right. David, Christine, we used to go right at that office we'd go right in their office and and I told I know I told this the last time you're

on but Colin is going we're going through the our manager's desk and he finds a fucking it was VHS tape wasn't it of a Jeff Dunham and Peanut because our manager was thinking about signing him so he opens the window we're on like second floor throws it out in the middle street and a truck runs over to this day it's the funniest fucking and Jeff Dunham wants to do my show and I've met him since I didn't bring that up but that maybe we would get nothing done we would start you know coming up with fucking shit and then we would go downstairs. nothing double if we take those joke

We said the I know I was never in a funnier environment than me and you in that office in my life of comedy No, I know there were no more. I mean everything came out like a joke. It was amazing Yeah, we would just exchange bar and that's what happens you get around Quinn you want to up your game and fucking and Just and then we'd end up I know the Italian restaurant downstairs that had great pizza believe it or not in Beverly Hills and what into mezzo

Fuck would you remember that into mezzo? I don't know. Oh my god Nick. What about the time? No McDonald's a yow. So he goes Nick DePaulo He goes he's the only simple he goes, he's the funniest, I mean, he speaks in real life, only it comes out in punchlines. And I go, that's a great compliment. What Norm didn't know is a lot of Bostonians, at least kids I hung around with, you know, you're talking short form as you know What's his name said it Shakespeare that brevity is the soul of wit whatever the fuck right and that's how like

Massachusetts kids we hung around with each other You did talk and punch like Bob Murphy I always talk about Bob Murphy my buddy Graduated first in our class still the funniest one of the funniest guy if not the funniest guy I'd ever met. He was like David Letterman before Letterman. He should have been fucking Letterman. And, you know, went to work at a think tank for some shit. But yeah, that's how we talked. And that was- Have you ever talked to him since then? To Murph? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He's got a wife and kids and like everybody else. He grew up,

I didn't. I feel like Mansonon when Manson said that on the stand. But I told you about my I have a couple of friends that are so funny and you just like these guys are just they're just hilarious and they're so dry. But you want you know like being as we both know being a stand up is if I knew what it took to be a stand up I never would have gone into it but I mean it's so much of your life you know what I mean yeah but you would have you have to because you're it's in your blood there's no way you weren't going to be a comedian still let me here's the thing about quinn he's got a ton of credits you know a great resume but here's what

we all admire about him best colin still goes down to the comedy cellar. And to work out shit. Now, you're a year older than I am, I think. I'm a lot older. A few years. No. I was born in 1959. Like I said, you'll be dead soon. Wow.

All right, he's almost three years older than me. Like I said, you'll be dead soon. Wow. All right, he's almost three years older than me. But to go down there and I don't mean he took time off and we're out in LA together and working on it. But to this day he still goes down. That's what you do. It's why like I don't live. I don't have access. And the comedy seller really is the most valuable and and that's how you know he's the real deal. But I don't know too many who else what other comics that have been around as long as you or your age would still go, is still going down their work on their act. Anybody?

Well, only if they have to, I have to. What about, but you know, but it's also only three stops on the train and three stops on the train is plenty. That's still enough to get stabbed in the ass. Three stops on the train now is like 12 stops when I was growing up. You see more. What did I see? The other? I don't want to say it because it's going to disgust you, but I'll say it anyway. I go to the subway. It was the perfect trinity.

I see a pile of human feces. Then I see a homeless guy staring at me like, you know, lying down, like looking like, yeah, what's the problem? And then, by the way, this is not dark yet. It's not it's still day light. Yeah. And then a rat scurries out of a hole that's what they call the Gordie Howe hat trick on the subway yeah that is that's called the New York story like it one of your plays was yeah I do what you all put your

stuff now because I finally realized all these years subway jokes I realized the subway is my car My whole life. Yeah My life I'm going on the driveway Whoever I'm with goes there's a guy in the back seat with no shirt on Doing martial arts had threatened to kill us and then you go. Oh, just ignore him and sit next to him for the next 45 You believe I used to take it in from Queens. I'd have to, I took, I lived at the very last stop of the end train and right at the end of my street. So I would get on that, take that into Manhattan, then transfer it like 50, whatever 50s. I can't believe I did that call. You know me,

I wouldn't even know how to. I, nothing, nothing. And that was right after we moved to L.A. We both moved back to New York. Back to New York. I say whenever I do my comedy, I go nothing in the history of comedy. Nobody was ever funnier than Nick getting off that train and going on at the cellar. And his first five minutes would be just free associating. I wish we just would have recorded all of it and put it out as a special called the train because it was so brilliant. It was so vivid and colorful and painted the perfect picture. I grew up in New York and I couldn't paint the picture like that. You nailed the neighborhoods the whole thing. Remember the whole thing about wouldn't want to be a pig in a story after midnight? Yeah. You always love my

Queens shit. Oh my god, it was massive. Yeah, but the only thing funnier than that, Colin, was when I got a car and stopped taking the training from Queens and I bought a fucking Camry, used Camry, and I used to drive in from Queens into New York and there was a course I'd get stuck in traffic, I'm running late, and I remember you said to me at the table, I'd come in steaming, and Colin goes, of course, he goes, DePaul, the only one that still surprises traffic

in New York every fucking night, he's like, it's brand new to me. And I would go, it doesn't matter, it's still aggravating. I don't care if it happens a thousand. And then I would go on, I'd run down the cellar and unload. And that's when you fucking, even like a towel would come down and watch me or whatever. Yes. It was, it was, it was watching real a work of genius watching. I wish the audience saw it that way. We told that story last time I think right about the time you got stopped when we were driving in a fish contact. I think we told that

yeah and you were like what's going on I know these guys. That was funny. Folks if you want to see me do stand up comedy tomorrow night and Friday night I'm gonna be at Zany's in Rosemont Illinois that's May 15 and 16 so please come out and also if you want to support my show you go to nickdip.com and we have a merchandise page second to none only one that's might be better is Seazin Robuck. I don't remember them. They were canceled a few years ago But hats hoodies dildos nipple clamps and you know what snorkels we just had it So go there at nickdip.com you can watch full episodes of my show and louder with Crowder which I'll be on tomorrow morning again

All exclusive rumble Premium content ad free with just one subscription makes it very easy. So join Rumble Premium by clicking in the link below. You'll be glad you did. Without further ado back to my conversation with the great Colin Quitt. Hi, good night everybody. I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man Wow! I'm gonna be a man Thanks for watching!