WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1059 - Danny DeVito

Episode Date: October 3, 2019

Danny DeVito is one of America’s most beloved actors and that’s true across multiple generations. Whether it’s because you came of age with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or watched Taxi every week or accepted his version of The Penguin as definitive or followed his antics with The Gang for 14 years on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Danny is probably someone you feel like you know. Marc takes the time to know more about Danny, finding out about his Jersey Shore childhood, his days as a gardener and hairdresser, and his life behind the camera, directing favorites like Throw Momma from the Train and producing movies like Pulp Fiction. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace and SimpliSafe.  Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's winter, and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs, mozzarella balls, and arancini balls? Yes, we deliver those. Moose? No. But moose head? Yes. Because that's alcohol, and we deliver that too.

Along with your favorite restaurant food, groceries, and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series,

FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life when i die here you'll never leave japan alive fx's shogun a new original series streaming february 27th exclusively on disney plus 18 plus subscription required t's and c's apply all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fucksters

what's happening what the fucking nuts how's it going everybody all right i'm'm Mark Maron. Nice to meet you, or welcome back. This is my podcast, WTF. It's been going strong for over a decade. We're a decade in or so, a little over. Isn't that insane? When you've been doing something a decade, when you've been doing something twice a week for a decade, putting something up twice a week, two a week for a decade. Hey, look, man, I know a lot of you got jobs. You've been showing up for years.

Some of you have been at the same place for 20, 30 years. It's weird, though, right? It's weird to have a gig for that long. 10 years. This has been my gig. Thanks for hanging out. Danny DeVito is on the show today. But I was so glad to have him he's genuinely one of the

the most naturally funny fuckers around and I and I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier but he was right here in this room in my house hanging around talking to me and you'll get to hear it in a second or a few minutes depends how handle this. Really depends on how you listen to my podcast. Next week, I'll be at the Miriam Theater in Philadelphia on Thursday, October 10th, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Friday, October 11th, and the Schubert Theater in Boston for two shows on Saturday, October 12th. Then I'm heading to Nashville at the James K. Polk Theater on Friday, October 18th, the Tabernacle in Atlanta on Saturday, October 19th, and the Masonic in San Francisco on Saturday, October 26th. You can go to wtfpod.com slash tour for tickets. But here's the big news.

I will be taping my Netflix special at the Red Cat Theater here in Los Angeles. That's in the Walt Disney Concert Hall Complex. Two shows on Wednesday, October 30th at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Those are on sale as well at WTFpod.com slash tour. Los Angeles, come out. I would grab these. It's not a big place. It's only a couple hundred people for show, give or take.

All right? Right down here at the Red Cat Theater. It's going to be fun. It's going to be exciting. It's going to be different. I don't know how different it's going to be. It becomes sort of a tricky thing. You can't reinvent the wheel with a comedy special,

but sometimes you can get some different angles. You can make it look a little different, but by coincidence, I don't know if it's by coincidence, but I was going to do it at the Schubert and we couldn't get some shots that we wanted to get. And the Schubert is not unlike a lot of theaters built in that, you know, in that time, probably early 1900s. A lot of the specials you see, a lot of the mid-sized theaters that we play as comics are those theaters, vaudeville theaters, some stage theaters built in the early 1900s. And they all have the same vibe.

Some of them have different ghosts and slightly different decor, but it's sort of the same vibe. And you get it. You know it. You've seen it on other specials. Sort of the same vibe. And you get it. You know it. You've seen it on other specials.

And we just couldn't pull off what we wanted to pull out there, which was really just a couple of shots that would have been difficult to execute, if not impossible, given the structural problems. So now we're at the Red Cap, which is where we're going to shoot the special on October 30th, day before Halloween, 7 o'clock show and a 10 o'clock show. Los Angeles. That's where we're doing it. Grab those tickets. I'm repeating myself, I know, but I'm just telling you you should get them. But this is a classic kind of mid-sized black box theater where we can really do whatever we want with it, but it's going to have a different space to it, a different vibe. I think it's going to feel different.

It's going to look different. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to go about doing what we's going to feel different. It's going to look different. I'm not exactly sure how we're going to go about doing what we're going to do. Lynn Shelton is directing, and I'm excited about it. I think I'm going to approach the material a little differently than I usually do. I've been working on this stuff for over a year, and I've got to make some choices. This is the final phase of the process which is choosing the bits fitting them together and figuring out what the arc is or if there's a through line which i have done but i don't know if i've really tightened up to the set to the point where you know because i get on stage man

and i want to go like an hour and a half two hours it just seems to be sort of where uncomfortable but i really got to get this down to like 70, 75 minutes. So that's the trick. But I hope as many of you can come as possible. I'm looking forward to doing it there at the Red Cat and right here in town, right here in LA. How do you like that? I'm excited about how aggravated our president is. I'm excited excited at how uh freaked out and angry and scary he's gotten because of these impeachment proceedings because he he fucked up for real again and got caught in a way that you know might stick it's hard to know how this system is going to handle anything but thrilling times nonetheless i'm not sure we're going to beat out the environmental collapse, but

exciting stuff. And he's a scumbag. He's a first class, one of the great scumbags of American history. That said, how do I address this other stuff? It seems that I get pressured to react to things. And I just want you to know that uh there's a lot of things as i get older like people are asking me what do i think about todd phillips what he what he said in an interview about uh why he doesn't make comedies anymore he's directed the joker and it's because you know you can't be funny anymore it's gotten too difficult to be funny with woke culture you know that tired saw that old saw uh you know there's plenty of people being funny right now not only being funny but being really fucking funny there are lines still lines to be rode if you like to ride a line you

can still ride a line if you want to take chances you can still ride a line. If you want to take chances, you can still take chances. I mean, really, the only thing that's off the table culturally at this juncture, and not even entirely, is shamelessly punching down for the sheer joy of hurting people, for the sheer excitement and laughter that some people get from causing people pain, from making people uncomfortable, from making people feel excluded, you know, that excitement. And as I've said before, it's no excuse. I mean, if you're too intimidated to try to do comedy that is deep or provocative or even a little controversial, you know, without hurting people,

then, I mean, you're not good at what you do. Or maybe you're just insensitive. And look here, this, I think this is what I wanted to talk about a little bit is that throughout my career as a comic, which is going on 30 some odd years since I've been working, I've done every kind of comedy. Early on, I was just trying to figure out how to write jokes. And then I was in the provocative school of comedy where it was part of the agenda. And I still, I hear it ringing around today with this sort of anti-woke racket, the anti-woke bunch, the edgelords, as my friend Brendan calls them, is that, you know, hey, man, you got to challenge yourself to make the worst things funny,

the darkest things funny, the most heinous things funny. And I remember being of that school, like if a tragedy happened, you know, how do we make, how do we turn it right away without any consideration for how it'll be received? Really? The challenge was, can you do it? You know, despite the fact that it might be insensitive or wrong-minded or hurt people. It's just like that didn't matter. It was really about, can you make it funny? And I believe that there is an earnestness to people who say that's what they want to do. I believe they don't think they hurt people. I believe that they don't think that they're causing trouble. I believe they just enjoy the challenge of pushing the envelope just to see if they can do it. But I understand it. And again,

here's the deal. If you want to quit making comedies like Todd said he did, if you want to quit doing comedy, fine. Just quit. Just don't do it anymore. But to sit there and complain that, you know, that it's gotten too difficult. Well, then what do you you just you just not good enough or you can't rise to the occasion or you can't figure out a way around a new perspective. I mean, that's just a deal. Maybe it's time for you to quit. Maybe maybe that's what's happening. Sometimes it happens. Maybe it might be like coal or any other element that loses its use or it's no longer necessary.

And you adapt to the new thing. Maybe that's a way to look at it. Or you move on to another gig. But bottom line is, and I'll say it again, is that no one's telling you you can't say things or do things. It's just that it's going to be received a certain way by certain people and you're going to have to shoulder that. And if you are isolated or marginalized or pushed into a corner because of your point of view or what you have to say, yet you still have a crew of people that enjoy it, there you go. Those are your people. Enjoy your people. And somehow or another over time, I've really kind of brought together an interesting audience. My audience is generally fairly grown up people.

They're usually sensitive, creative people. They're people that understand my mindset, maybe a little self-involved, maybe a little aggravated, maybe a little existentially despairing sometimes. I can't generalize. I know it's not a demographic. It's more of a disposition. But the one thing I know is that there are no people out there who are going to cause me problems. There are no people that misunderstand where I'm coming from. There are no meatheads or the free thinking crowd or the the drunky kind of, you know, where's the pussy jokes? And look, I've in my career done plenty the material it's just now i've leveled off into being a little more vulnerable a little more concerned a little more reflective a little older and that's the kind of conversation i want to have i'd kind of like to have an adult conversation and not some sort of like a strange man-child, adolescent, aggravated, angry, entitled conversation. I'm just a fucking grown-up.

What can I tell you? And I'm a grown-up without children, which honestly, that worked out for the best, I think for everybody. On the other side of the thing, I'm getting a lot of these questions about the controversy. What is really controversial? You know, what is manufactured and what isn't? There's controversy over... Look, I don't know.

Look, I did one scene in the fucking Joker movie and I did pretty good in it. And, you know, I know there's a swirl of questions or whatever you want to call it, some sort of cultural, psychic whirlwind around, you know, some sort of cultural, psychic whirlwind

around the timing of the movie, the nature of the movie, and whether this is the right time for a movie about a guy who's mentally troubled and snaps, all that shit. I understand, but shouldn't the focus be on maybe health care, mental health treatment on a national level? Shouldn't the focus be on gun issues? I understand progressives and people who are fighting and working hard to create policy that will benefit all people in terms of health care and also in terms of guns. in terms of health care, and also in terms of guns. And it's frustrating because there's a lot of obstacles right now because there's a sort of nihilistic crew of apocalyptic morons in charge on all levels with different variations of apocalyptic, from religious to just, you know, fuck you, fuck me, fuck it all. And I know that that anger doesn't always have a place to land,

but it can't land on movies. I mean, if anything, the media sort of debate of it is trying to provoke something awful happening, but movies don't cause this. And I don't see how blaming movies is going to help anything. I do not think that movies are to blame for mentally unstable people taking action in a criminal, violent way. All right, so Danny DeVito is here, who I love. Who doesn't love Danny DeVito? How can you not love the guy?

The 14th season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is now airing on FX. New episodes air Wednesday nights, and he's also in Jumanji, the next level, which will be in theaters this December, directed by another guest we've had, Mr. Jake Kasdan. Okay? So this is, enjoy Danny. He's very enjoyable.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by

the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series, FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global best-selling novel by James Clavel.

To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series streaming February 27th exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. I was doing a play. I was doing the Sunshine Boys at the Savoy Theater, which was really great. It's funny, right? It was a great fucking funny play.

I mean, it's like really great. And I was working with Richard Griffiths from With Nail and I. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like a staple. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Really wonderful actor. Was he able to do the yelling Jew thing? He did a great job. He did a great job.

It was really great. But what I was getting at was that we did it at the Savoy Theater, which is built on what they call the embankment. Right. Oh, yeah, yeah. And so when you walk into theater, if you're going into the theater and buy your tickets, you go into the gods. Like, in other words, they call the gods, the top seats.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. So the stage is built way the fuck down on the- Right, on the bottom right yeah yeah okay yeah so basically what it was 70 steps from the stage door to the fucking stage 70 steps yeah and that did you in well we did eight shows a week man man. So, I mean, you figure it out. You want to stay down in the bottom there all during the fucking break between the matinee and the thing? Yeah.

You know? Yeah, you got to go up. You got to go up. So you go up is okay. You're walking up is okay. But what you find as you get a little older, your knees start getting a little dodgy, sketchy, whatever it is. Oh, shit. Is that what I have to look forward to?

Yeah, it's going to be great, man. It's fucking great. But the secret, listen to me, the secret is backwards. Right. Yeah. Backwards. You go down backwards.

You hold on to anything you can, a wall, a railing, or whatever, and you go down backwards carefully, and you have no fucking problem. So you're going to do that after this? I'm going to go. I'm leaving your place going down backwards.

I'm a little disappointed I'm not in the garage, by the way. Go fuck yourself. I'm sorry. That's okay. First of all, the mythic garage doesn't exist anymore. It doesn't exist. I figured that. But the new garage is beautiful.

It's just not ready yet. It's like a weird thing. No, I know. But if we would have done it a few years ago, I mean, was that my fault? Yeah. How was it my fault? What do you mean? You were doing it.

I know. I was around. What the fuck? I talked to- You never asked me to do it. I never- No. I talked to McElhaney.

Bullshit. All right. I have a feeling that maybe we- I don't think so. Well, it's nice to see you. It was nice to see you. So what is this? the 19th season? 14th.

It was so fucking crazy, right? 14th seasons. I remember the day. Yeah. The guy says to me, I'm not going to say who, says, Danny, what are you talking about? You're going to do this show? Yeah. You're an actor actor was on an

iconic show on television taxi yeah now you're gonna do this show this show yeah it's like a blip on the radar it's nothing it's nothing it was more fun than you could ever imagine it looks fun so much fun on this show it looks fun yeah and they're all nuts and it's lovely and i love them and they're crazy and it's just uh you know, I don't like getting up in the morning is the only thing about it. I don't like – I would like if you could – In general? In general, but if you could move the time when I had to be there. We only do it 12 weeks a year.

Right, three months. My mother would say, you're crying with a loaf of bread under your arm. You know what I mean? It was like, you know, it's really cool really cool it's good don't get me wrong i just don't like getting up at six o'clock in the morning getting in the car yeah and going to makeup and sitting in makeup and hair which i don't need makeup in here except that i don't dye my hair usually yeah as black as they want it for frank yeah so i but i do so so I get pampered. It's really nice. Don't get me wrong.

I love it. They don't make you walk downstairs? I just don't like, no. No fucking stairs. That's in the contract. It's in the waiver. From here on out, no stairs. No.

Or I will be carried up and down. Up, okay. Yeah. Down, no good. Down, I may be carried. Or backwards. I did a play once where the door opens and there's a guy standing there with me in his arms.

Yeah. What play was that? It was called Shoot Anything With Hair That Moves. When was this? It was done in 1960-something, like eight, down in the village. It was off Broadway. 68. Yeah, something like that.

Yeah. 68, 69. Was that like the beginning of you? It was like in the early days. Yeah. Well, the beginning was in the early 60s. That was when I started. But the 68 play, door opens, there's a big guy there with me in his arms.

Yeah. I'm selling pot, right? That's my thing. I'm selling pot to these girls in this apartment that's up on the third or fourth floor. Right. So I come in i have they sit me down i show them what i got i show them this i got that i got the different kinds of pot they buy the pot we smoke a little pot right let's say goodbye money exchange yeah the

guy picks me up takes me out of the thing and one girl says the other one says frank is such a nice guy it's too bad he can't walk and And the girl says, oh, he can walk. Thank God he doesn't have to. Big laugh. Big laugh. I'm going to ask you a question. It's a weird thing. When I was in college, it's a strange thing that I remember.

I went to school in Milton, Massachusetts, outside of Boston. We drove into Boston. This is 1981. Me and this guy, Rene Fouquier, who was a roommate of mine, a British guy. We drove in. We went to the Bull and Finch. It's a bar, right, that Cheers was based on. Yeah, the base.

Okay. Well, for some reason, you and your wife were there. And I don't know why you were there. Okay. But it must have been the only night you were there. Okay. It probably was. When did? 82. Okay. It probably was. When did?

82. Okay. So you were scouting it out, checking it out. What the hell is it? What the fuck is this? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And you talked to my friend for a long time.

Oh, good. And I just sat there and looked at you. And I'm like, that's martini. That's martini. That's martini. It's martini. It's that little martini. And also, there's another connection is that my people are from Jersey, many of them from

Asbury Park. Yeah. Did you know that? I didn't know that. Yeah. Asbury is the greatest. Well, you seem like a Jersey guy. I love Jersey.

Jersey is the best. Do you go back there still? I go back there. Yeah. I got a place in... My mother passed away a few years ago. Oh, she lasted a long time. Yeah. She passed away a few... My sister died a couple years ago. Oh, I'm sorry. It's a long... Anyway. Oh, she lasted a long time. Yeah, she passed away. My sister died a couple years ago.

Oh, I'm sorry. It's a long story. Anyway. Yeah, all right. So I had a house there that they all lived in, in Interlaken, which is right next door to Asbury. It's across the lake. Yeah.

Asbury High School's over here, and then there's the lake, Interlaken, and then right there's Allenhurst, Manisquan. I know Allenhurst, Deal, blah, blah, blah, blah. Deal, where the big houses were and when i was a kid we'd go to deal and they used to say this is al capone had a house here all the gangsters had houses big houses now it's all persian jews i think beautiful big houses on the beach and like all nice yeah we have a house in this very uh my uh my mom lived in i sold the house. I had another house that my niece and her husband live in now, and it's close by, but I don't get down there as much.

Although I did go down a few years ago when they said they were going to give me an honor. And it was a film festival. They do a thing in the summer. It's really fun, and a lot of people go, it's beautiful. The shore is the greatest. It's the most beautiful place in the world i love it so much and i love the atlantic ocean and you do but yeah yeah so it's different you know it is different yeah my parents met in asbury park yeah and so i went down because they gave me they said to me dan you come down on this night they were going to give me a bench.

And I said, I don't know. I don't know a bench. You'd be there for the bench presentation? You know, I don't want a bench. They're going to name me or give me a street. Yeah, a street's good. You know? A bench.

And then I said, not the bench, you know. And they said, we'll give you a plaque. I don't want a plaque. I'm just fucked up, man. I don't want it. So they said, what else do you want?. I don't want a plaque. I'm just fucked up, man. I don't want it. So they said, what else do you want? I said, give me a beach. Yeah.

I'll take the 2nd Avenue Beach. We'll call it Danny DeVito Beach. Right? Yeah. And it was going on, going on, going on. Negotiations. Really good. Yeah.

And then they, last minute. Yeah. No beach. No. Okay. I'm going to the thing now. It doesn't matter. I'm going to the thing.

Yeah. Anyway. beach okay i'm going to the thing now it doesn't matter i'm going to the thing yeah anyway and then they called me up and they said we'll give you danny devito day so i took that so november 17th is danny devito day down the beach down the shore so if you go down there what happens on that day you just do any i said whatever you want to do that makes you feel good. Yeah. Do it on that day, as long as you're not hurting anybody. Now, do you, do you have a, do you know Bruce Springsteen? I know Bruce. I met him in the 80s. I didn't meet him down there.

No. No. But do you share stories? Yeah. Well, we've haunted the same places. Right. You know, we go, like I lived, I was down the boardwalk every day. Yeah. So when I was a kid. I remember the boat, we go, like I lived, I was down the boardwalk every day. Yeah.

So when I was a kid. I remember the boat, didn't they have the boat ride? Well, that was on, yeah, on Wesley Lake. They had the little boat ride and the swan and all that shit. And then they had the merry-go-round, which was beautiful. And the casino building? And the casino was like, that's what the merry-go-round was. Yeah.

And then the convention hall was where Paramount Theater is. Right. Down the other end. Yeah. Now, the merry-go-round is a very funny kind of story. Because they fucked it up in those days. They screwed the shore big time. All the politicians and all the developers and whatever, they were doing stuff.

Back in the day. Yeah, they were pulling shit out. They were pulling stuff out. Oh, right, right. Big time. Gangsters too, probably? Somebody. Who the hell knows?

Like, the first thing that happened was uh walter reed had two big theaters there yeah um mayfair st james and they he they wanted him to he needed them to lower their taxes because what was happening was in the in the milieu of the whole thing shopping centers were coming into play yeah like close by right in the right outskirts of and people weren't shopping they weren't shopping downtown anymore they're going to these shopping centers why because you didn't have to there were no parking meters yeah you know what i mean so downtown was all parking meters you get a ticket blah blah blah yeah you know why go you're gonna go to woolworths or you're gonna go to lig Liggett's Drugstore and get a parking ticket.

You drive a couple miles out into the circle. It's beautiful. And you got parking and you get all these stores. So that started happening. Walter Reed says, I want to lower my taxes. The theater guy. They wouldn't do it. He tore down these two movie...

I hate the guy for doing it, but I also hate the people who made him do it. And it's all, you know, basically. The movie palaces, old style. Yeah. Mayfair and the St. James, they tore him down, made him parking lots. Unbelievably, like a knife in your heart when that happened. And then that was like, that was early days.

You knew things were happening. There were a lot of race riots. But you remember going there when you were a kid? All the time. Every week. Because you grew up there from childhood, Asbury Park. 1944, I was a baby. Yeah.

And as soon as I could go to the movie theaters, they took me to those ones. And what did your folks do? My father had a candy store on Springwood Avenue. Like hot dogs and sodas. Head creams. Whatever. Yeah, like hot dogs and sodas. Head creams. Whatever. Yeah,

like a counter, have a counter. Notions. A little counter. He'd go to the, he'd drive, this is funny, he'd go up to New York on a bus.

Yeah. Go buy things, little wallets and this and that. On 14th Street. And put it, and put it all in his,

he called them notions. He'd come with a box and come down, come back down and we'd open it up, and he'd have all these little cufflinks, stuff like that. Cheap stuff and made it look good. Yeah, made it look good. He had a pinball machine in there. Was it a hangout? It wasn't really a hangout.

I don't remember. Because pinball requires hanging out. Yeah. I was too young to really experience hangout. I don't remember. Because pinball requires hanging out. Yeah. I was too young to really experience that place. Yeah. I was more put me up on a stool, give me an ice cream cone edge. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Yeah. And then if I was playing the pinball machine, I barely could see over there. Right. So they put the box there and I'd get up on the, you know, play the pinball machine. It was like really a cool place. My grandfather was a tailor.

He came from Italy, came right down to the shore. Yeah. A lot of them ended up there. They loved the shore. Yeah. They got off the boat. Got off the boat. Got off the boat, went right down the shore.

My mother was born down there. So he came in the 1800s. Did you know him? I didn't know him. No. His name was Lodovico, and he was amazing. Yeah, I've seen pictures of him. Did you ever do that genealogy show?

No, I haven't done it. You should do it. Yeah, why not? I'll tell the guy. Fuck. Find out what the fuck's going on. Yeah, you get pictures and everything. I mean, holy shit.

Scared the shit out of me. Would you? I don't know. No, I'd do it. You know how far back. I want to find out things. I want to turn over rocks, man. I want to find out shit. Scared the shit out of me. Would you? I don't know. No, I'd do it. You know how far back. I want to find out things. I want to turn over rocks, man. I want to find out shit.

Where does it come from? Sicily? What part? No, no, no, no. Sanfele, which is above Naples, above Sorrento there in the middle. You go up the mountains. Yeah. It's a mountain.

It's as high as it goes. And it's a little place. You can look it up. It's called mountain. It's as high as it goes. And it's a little place. You can look it up. It's called San F-E-L-E. And it's a little medieval town, like, just plopped in the middle. That's where one of my grandparents is from. Another one is from Potenza, which is a big city, which is a little farther down. It's nearby.

And then there's Calabria. So I got a little Calabrese in me. You know what I mean? That's what they say is that good yeah it's good it's all good italian all italian yeah i was just hoping for vikings because i'm a jew it's all jew but some of the vikings came down and did what they did in poland yeah so i was hoping just a little bit of viking no viking you know the vikings yeah invaded uh sicily sure that's why you got all know, there's all kinds of mixtures down there.

Yeah. You know, the Moors, the Vikings, the da, da, da, da, da, all over the place. Italy is like my, like I have a daughter, Gracie, who's got green eyes and like brownish light hair. How'd that happen? Yeah, it's my grandma. I remember one grandparent and Gracie looks exactly like my father's mother. Is Ria Jewish? Ria's Jewish.

Her dad was born in Poland. Yeah. Her mother's family's from Minsk. Oh, yeah. It's standard. Standard stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Grandmother came over here when she was 16. Right. Alone. Yeah. Guess where she went? The beach. Long Branch. They love the beach.

They love Jersey Shore. Yeah. Man, what the fuck? All those chews down there. Just go right to the shore. Get good vegetables, clams. Oh, man. God, clams.

My father never shuffles up about steamers. Got to get the steamers. Get the steamers. Yeah. We used to go out. Like when we were kids, we'd get a boat. It cost you like 70 cents, 50 cents. You get a boat, an old fucking rowboat that just barely was floating.

Yeah. Right? You go and you get your bathing suit on and you get a hook. Yeah. And you go with your pals and you go out to the mud flats in Shark River. Yeah. And get on the mud flats, pull the boat up, right? Yeah.

Dig for clams. Yeah. And fill that thing with cherry stone clams. Yeah. Not the little steamers. Right. Mid-size. The piss clams.

Yeah. The mid-size. Yeah. Right? Stick them in the boat. Now you got a whole boatload of clams. Like, really? And then you get in the water and you swim it.

Yeah. Pull in the boat. Back to the dock. Yeah. Right? Yeah. In the river. Yeah.

It's not dangerous. Yeah. Right? Yeah. In the river. Yeah. It's not dangerous. Right. You got bags, burlap bags. Yeah. And you stuff the clams in these burlap bags. And I mean, you get like two, three, I don't know, maybe four bags. Yeah. Big burlap bags full of clams.

Yeah. And you hook them on the bottom of the dock. Yeah. Right? With a hanger. Right right and it's called floating them yeah so they'd stay there overnight in the bags yeah and they stay alive and they stay open yeah and all the sand would come out ah okay yeah and then you take them from there you put them, you could sell them to the local guy or you bring some to each person's family. What do they do? Make chowder?

They make everything. Sauce? They open them up. Yeah, sure. You chop them up. Spaghetti clam sauce? Or you eat them raw. Eat them raw?

Cherry stones. Yeah. Amazing. Chewy. Beautiful. Yeah. Beautiful clam. Yeah.

Good. Yeah. Make me hungry. Go for a little, you know, a little bit of horseradish. Yeah. So good. Yeah. Jersey had good produce too.

Always good. Yeah. Apples, tomatoes. Tomatoes. Moonshine. Yeah. Moonshine, really? Yeah.

You knew a guy? I knew a guy. Yeah. Always know a guy. There's always a guy in Jersey. Yeah. You knowhine, really? Yeah. You knew a guy? I knew a guy. Yeah. Always know a guy. There's always a guy in Jersey. Yeah, there is. You know what I mean? Or wherever.

But the amazing thing about Jersey to me is there was a period there where you could get pretty great Italian food anywhere. Yeah. You just drive there. Everyone's got a place. Let's go to Joe's. Where the hell is Joe's? It's over at the thing.

All right. And it's the greatest. My brother-in-law had a pizza parlor. His father had a pizza parlor in Long Branch. Freddy's. Yeah. You couldn't go by there without stopping. The best.

You would hunt. You were full. Yeah. And you'd stop and get a pizza. Yeah. You know, it's just like so good. It feels like all that stuff is gone. It's gone.

Yeah, a lot of it's gone. Florida kind of. A lot of it's gone. Yeah. You didn't get it up. You don't have a place in Florida, do you? No. No, I don't.

That's not your thing? Not my thing. I had a place in Florida, do you? No. No, I don't. It's not your thing? Not my thing. I had a place in Florida. You did? For a very short period of time, I had a restaurant in Florida. Like Danny DeVito's? I put my name on it, and then it turned into something that was not very good. Not on the level? Not on the level.

And I found out about it, and I got away from it. It wasn't a food problem. No, it wasn't a food problem. It was a people problem. Oh, yeah? Yeah, but I was not there all the time. What is it with you celebrity fellas? I don't know.

With the restaurants? I don't know what the hell's the big deal. No, but why? It's not an easy business. No, I did it as a kind of novelty. I didn't have to invest any money. I gave my name. I went down. It was beautiful money. I gave my name.

I went down. It was beautiful. They tricked it all out. It was a gorgeous place. Food good? Went a few times. I brought McElhaney and those guys down there. To DeVito's?

To DeVito's. It was good. They'll tell you all about it. It was kind of, it's a little sketchy. And then it was South Beach. And then it lasted a few, you know? It was like, you know. Oh, yeah, yeah. And then, you know, it didn't last. It lasted like a few years. I can't remember. And, you know, the only thing it cost me

was a little bit of, like, going down there and once in a while, you know, being like, what do you call it? Like, passed around a little bit, you know? Yeah. I was like one of the hors d'oeuvres. Right, right. So that was it.

Here he is. Here he is. Danny's like he is here he is daddy's here good and then you didn't have to go to court or anything no no it's nothing like that good no so when does it you got how many siblings you have i have two sisters who pet no i'm not there there's nobody around now it's like really a tragic thing you hate it when they die it's really. It's like really a tragic thing. You hate it when they die. It's really awful. It's like really sad. My sisters were like 16 and 10 years older than me. So my oldest sister, Angie, was my real, like she was like my mom almost. And she was, and my mother was like an amazing woman.

It's just that Angie took over a lot because my mother had me when she was in her mid-40s. And so I was the baby. I was the prince. I was the boy. They had a couple other kids who passed away during the Depression during the early days with the whooping cough. And then they were in the breadline. cough and and then they were in the bread line you know in the years ago people don't don't remember a lot of stuff that happened in our country in the days of the depression where people were really uh hurting they had no jobs they had no they had nothing to you know things

were really really really bad cold water flats that kind of thing yeah and if you had kids you know there was no you know the doctor was a thing that you had. It was very hard to keep them healthy. And two babies, one was in the hospital, a boy who I always heard about. And one was a little girl who was actually a couple years old who got the whooping cough in a cold water flat during the during the depression yeah then they they extricated themselves from the they were there they were in the city yeah yeah because they my mom who lived in jersey he married her it was really like you know but he wanted to be in the city he was yes he was a guy from brooklyn he was he he did a lot of like he had a pool hall your old man my old, you know, worked all the time.

Yeah. And went back. But his family was there. Yeah. So he was with his mother and his father. Right. That kind of thing. Yeah.

And then they had some things with the babies that didn't work out. Then they all came back down to. The beach. To the beach. And they went. My grandfather was a tailor he had a little store that he had a tailor shop yeah but still it was hard time so he went to work for a big department store he made fine he made clothing like really it was really good

stitching yeah but then he went to work for a department store and uh did the same thing tailored tailor here's the guy they brought tailored tailoring he was the guy they brought out like let's get the guy to come out and do the pants right yeah but he stayed there and did he did a lot of suits so my the store was empty right my father was enterprising what he did was he took it over and put a candy store in there get it and then again my own my grandfather owned this little building yeah right in a downtown in a on springwood avenue and it was like um it was the the the normal thing where the was that the big street that was one of the streets asbury avenue was a big street cookman

avenue that was more mainstream springwood avenue was a little bit farther which one was the dirty street with all the dirty business on it, hookers and whatnot? I don't know. I mean, there was hookers everywhere. I mean, it's like a business. Everybody's trying to make ends meet some way. At that time. I mean, it's a lot of difficulty out there.

People are suffering. People are starving. In those days, this was like, I guess it was before FDR. Well, it was around that time. I had a couple of uncles who worked for the park system. Yeah. You know, and that was because of that. Yeah.

It was a big deal. It was all, you know. The new deal. The new deal. The new deal. Yeah. Yeah. Bringing people out of the poverty level.

Yeah. So you had the two sisters and one was sort of a surrogate mom yeah and then she was the one who had the beauty pal my uncle john who was a hairdresser yeah she worked for him this is your mother's brother or your father's brother this is like a uncle john that you call an uncle john who's because his wife is best friends with your mother right Right, yeah, Uncle John. So Uncle John was my, you know, and he took care of Angie in a big way. My sister Angie, who needed a job, and she went to work for him in the beauty parlor. Right.

She went and got her license and the whole deal and blah, blah, blah. And then Angie, Uncle John was getting old, was into like finger waves you know like he had like the real old clientele from the Jersey Shore right they did all these like you know finger like in the 30s like the flapper oh yeah yeah that kind of shit really watch him I watched him work when I was a kid right you see it's a grattail comb, you know, and you do the things. Right. And it's like, it comes out like really, really beautiful. It's like a little work of art.

Yeah. Anyway, my sister worked for him. And I was doing things like gardening. Yeah. Worked for a gardener, Giacomo Dosarno. Yeah. Really great guy. Yeah. Giacomo de Sarno. Yeah. Really great guy. Yeah.

Giacomo? He had his, you know, like he was a college graduate. He had his, you know, I don't know if he had a master's or what he had, but he was like a real smart guy, historian, guy into history. Yeah. Couldn't get a job. No. No.

He was a gardener. He had a real nice truck, and he was a real nice guy, and he was smart. You learned some stuff smart and i learned some stuff i work with him i don't do that every year pulling weeds and learning about history learning about shit man and when does uh when does the desire to act that doesn't come for a while so you're gardening what other odd jobs okay so my sister got me. Yeah, Angie. Angie says one day, why don't you come to work? So she goes from Uncle Johnny's, and she opens up this place. Beauty Poet.

Oh, man. Yeah. On Asbury Avenue. So she says to me one day, what are you doing? I mean, I wasn't going to go to college. You're gardening. I'm gardening. I just graduated high school. Yeah. But I got a good job. Right. And in the winter, what are you going to go to college. You're gardening. I'm gardening. I just graduated high school.

But I got a good job. And in the winter, what are you going to do? Well, we shovel the snow. That was the business changes. The business changes, man. What do you do? You rake leaves. You burn leaves.

You shovel snow. In the garden. When the flowers are coming. Do the beds. Do the thing. Snip around the who's and what's, and you got a nice garden. And if you get three or four houses in a row, you don't have to move the truck.

Right? Right. Her pitch is you become a hairdresser. I said, what? She says, you go, I send you, she sends me to school, which is right down in Asbury. Yeah. And I say, come on, man. I send you. She sends me to school, which is right down in Asbury. And I say, come on, man.

I mean, I don't know. I work with my hands. That's what you got to do. You work with your hands. It's the same thing. Okay, so long story short, she sends me to this thing. I prepare all summer. You go to school to learn to be a hairdresser? All summer, if you can imagine this, I'm like always on my bicycle,

always on my friends, always down the boardwalk, always bird-dogging women, always trying to get like, you know, this is a Jersey guy. We're down at the, you know, this is like what we do. You know, you hang out, you go to the pizza parlor. It's still happening. It's always that way. It's the life.

It's eternal. It's the life. It's eternal. It's the life. You know, it's, so now I'm going to dances, going to things. I'm like a young man. I got to drive a car. I got a little shit box. I got to, I'm working as a gardener and she's got me doing hair to my mother, my aunts, my cousins, anybody she can get to sit in the thing.

She buys me all the stuff. And, you know, I started doing it. You were cutting hair? I didn't start cutting hair. They didn't trust me with a scissor right away. Right. But eventually, yeah. Really?

Yeah. Eventually, I did it all. And then I went to school. So she sent me to this place. Beauty school. Yeah. Wilfrid Academy. So you went?

I went. And you learned how to cut hair? For real? Yeah, you learn a lot of things. You learn how to do pin curls, rollers, out what about men's hair men's hair i didn't do men okay so i know she knows it's a beauty parlor angie's angie's beauty salon now i'm going this thing she get me the the smock the the bag with all the shit in it yeah everything i've been working in the summer learning how getting a little head start yeah i know i got

to go up a little nervous gonna go up to this place in wilford county it's up there on cookman avenue yeah i walk up the stairs open the doors i look inside yeah there's 35 girls in there yeah okay you're like all right pretty good so i thank my sister she was really instrumental in teaching me a lot of things and I never forget her for that and she was beauty

and she died a few years ago she's a gorgeous she was great she was the best she was like one of the you know

the rare you know one of these rare mentors like that was like really great how long did she keep the shop she kept the shop

for quite a while I worked there for about two or three years, and then I left. I went to New York, and I went to school in kind of an odd way. How did you tell her you were leaving? I just told her I was going. It's cool. We were all cool about stuff like that.

Do you think you could still do hair? I could probably still. You can't do, you know, I mean. Styles are different, but you think you could, like if you were. Yeah, I probably could do it. Like at gunpoint? Oh, it wouldn't need to be gunpoint. Yeah. No, no. I like doing it. I think it's a really cool thing. Yeah.

Yeah, I used to cut my hair. No, I just mean like if you had to really, you know. You mean go back to work? No, I mean just sort of. I'd do that. Like could you do a style, a head of hair? Yeah, I could do it. That's good. I have no problem with that. It's like riding a bike, right? It is kind of like riding a bike. So you go to New York?

I go to New York, and I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but that's another story. One thing leads to another, and you never know what's going to happen around there. Who was your guy at the Academy of Dramatic Arts? It was a guy, Mr. Barrett was this guy. I called him Mr. Barrett. He was a guy who taught acting styles, and talked about people that I'd never heard of, like Stanislavski, and introduced me to playwrights that I'd never read.

I never saw a play. What compelled you to do it then? Well, I got up. The machinations of getting there was the whole thing. Angie telling me to go to New York to try to learn how to do makeup. And we were going to open up a makeup stand in the place. I went to this place for kind of convoluted reasons. Anyway, once I got there and had enrolled in the, I enrolled in the night school.

And once I- At the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Mm-hmm. And then once I got up, it's almost like as a stand-up guy. I've never done stand-up and it's got to be the most exhilarating thing in the world once you get up and do it. Right. Because I know that that's what happened to me. Once I got up, you know, after sitting in-

To do a scene. And I was in there with the classmates and whatever. Yeah. Once I got up and I started connecting the things and starting to feel like I was, I had something under my feet. Yeah. And knew what I was doing. Yeah. And could do more than one thing at the same time yeah like think about the thing that you're up there and then you're trying to figure

out what the character's wanting and doing and then all of a sudden the fact that's maybe some things click right and you feel like there's a response because that's part of it too. The audience is a big part of it too. Right. Then that thing happens. It happened to you, I'm sure. Yeah. You know where you go, holy shit.

It's like this. You go down to shore. It's a real, real hot day. You're looking at the Atlanticlantic ocean and you start walking in and your feet immediately get frozen and you go oh and then it's better and you go to your ankles and then it's better and go to your knees right and then your thighs a little bit yeah and then your balls yeah and then you jump in. You stay in for a minute and you're like, No, you can go away.

You're okay. Swim out there. You swim out there. And that was the feeling. I think so. Yeah. And so if I remember correctly, it was like I got hooked on myself. Yeah.

Yeah. And you told your sister, like, no makeup. And I came back and I said, boy, this is really interesting. You know, you're reading of mice and men. You know what I mean? Yeah. And that was it? She was happy for you?

Oh, yeah. You got her blessing? Always got my blessings from my sisters and my family. So how do you start working in the biz over there in New York? You just start doing shows where you're a pot dealer who's carried by a man? Well, you do. No, you start other ways. You go, you know, like, it's not, that was the big time.

Oh. That was a paying job. You're making it. You know, you're making it then. No, I was doing like, you know, I did like what they call summer stock, which is like I took, I got a play. Early 60s? Yeah.

Early 60s, Goodspeed Opera House, Dennis Playhouse, Children's Theater. On the Cape? Children's Theater. In Dennis, Massachusetts? Wow. Played the Wicked Wizard in some made-up play. Yeah. All for kids.

Really great. And you got an agent that's booking you on this stuff? No, no, no, no. I didn't have an agent. What, did you just look it up in the paper? Yeah. Backstage, show business, those papers. I didn't have an agent. What, did you just look it up in the paper? Yeah. Backstage, show business, those papers.

We used to look at it. You'd go on open calls and stuff like that. But you're doing children's theater? Yeah, and you'd wind up getting called for something. Yeah.

And it's a job, it's a job, it's a job. Was it all comedy? It was mostly comedy, yeah. Were you being typecast? It was all funny. It was all comedy. Yeah.

I don't think it was very tragic. No. It was really straight. For. Were you being typecast? It was all funny. It was all comedy. Yeah. I don't think it was very tragic. No. It was really straight. For the kids? Children's theaters? Yeah. Yeah, everything was like, you know, over here. You know what I mean?

That kind of thing. Yeah. It was all fun. I got a cape in one show, the Wicked Wizard. Yeah. Come on, scare the shit out of everybody. You know what I mean? Yeah.

And also, you know, it had a lot to do with your you know i guess you know when you say top casting i i don't know if anybody knew the only thing you get you have is you yeah so you're what do you think the type is who's hiring you right now yeah uh you think i'm a certain type yeah great're going to pay me? Yeah, I'll take it. You go do it. What was the first serious role? That's a tough question, man. Have any of them been serious? Have you ever been serious?

How do you mean? Give me one. Oddly, I can remember the movies, but I'm saying that when you were like uh when you were younger was there a play where you had this sort of like there was a weight to it you know it wasn't just sort of like hey look at this we're connecting we're getting laughs where you're sort of like holy shit like i mean like i did small parts and things like i did um uh clerk in a in a pirandello play that was serious play yeah i don't think I did anything that was like, you know, the fucking pawnbroker or something like that. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So how do you get, like, how does, like, the first movie happen? Well, like, for instance, I was doing an off-Broadway play. Right. The one where you carried the pot dealer? No, no. This one was called The Shrinking Bride. Yeah. This was at Mercury Theater.

It was on 13th and 3rd Street. And a guy from NYU came to see it, and he recommended me to a guy who was doing his thesis. Yeah. A film student. Sure. And I did a movie. It was my first movie.

Is it around? Yeah. It's called Hot Dogs for Gauguin. He's laughing. You can't. How would that, why? Fucking funny.

That's why. Of course it's funny. I'm glad you got it. Is it online? What do I look like? I don't know. I don't know if I can, I don't know.

It's not even on your credits. Want to look? No, Hot Dogs for Gauguin. I don't know. I don't know if I can... It's not even on your credits. Want to look? No, I mean, hot dogs for Gauguin. I don't know. I mean, I... That's the one you should see. Out of all of them. Yeah.

That was probably my best work. Oh, my God. Without a doubt. NYU, are you kidding me? It's a great school. What was the part? It was the part of a photographer who was trying to take, he was a down and out photographer. He had no dough.

He lived in a little apartment, but he heard about a guy who took the picture of the Hindenburg blowing up. He happened to be there. Right. When the fucking Hindenburg was just about to hit the mooring station. Yeah. And. And he knew that guy. Yeah. No, he heard about him and he knew the guy became famous because he was right there to take the picture.

Yeah. So all I have to do is take a picture. Yeah. Right. Yeah. But I can't wait for the fucking another Hinden picture. Yeah. Right? Yeah. But I can't wait for the fucking, another Hindenburg.

Ah. Gotta make something happen. Well, should I tell you? Don't spoil it. I'm not gonna ruin it. I'm not gonna say another word. Try to find hot dogs for Gauguin if you wanna know what happens. There you go.

But how do you get Cuckoo's Nest? I love that one. I did Cuckoo's Nest off-Broadway at the Mercer Arts Center for almost a year. Was it Kirk Douglas? No. He did it in 1964 on Broadway. He played McMurphy. I did it.

on Broadway, he played McMurphy. I did it. What happened with Cuckoo's Nest is it was way ahead of its time when Dale Wasserman wrote that play that Kirk actually commissioned. He did the play on Broadway. Keezy wasn't happy. Nobody was happy. It didn't do well. Nobody went to see it.

Right. Keezy couldn't have been happy for anything anyway, I don't think. Anyway, what happened was Kirk tried to get the movie made. He couldn't get it made. With him. With him. All of a sudden, in San Francisco area, these two guys, Rudy Golan and Jay Sankiewicz, put the play on. The play.

Yeah. The same play. Yeah. And they play. Yeah. And they were successful, but that was in the, it was like in 1970. Yeah. Because at that time, people started catching up to Kesey. Right. Sure.

Yeah. And now everybody was reading his book, and they were looking at what was going on with mental health. And now they were throwing everybody out of the hospitals. And it was all about pills every week in the doctor's office. Lobotomies. Lobotomies. And the total shit hit the fan.

And the play was successful in San Francisco. They brought it to New York off-Broadway. Yeah. And I auditioned for the part of Martini with Lee Sankovic and got it. And how did the play do? Great. And Bill Devane played McMurphy. Oh, wow.

I could see that. Yeah, he was great. And we were at the Mercer Arts Center, and we ran for like almost a year. I left after, and this is an actor who needs work. Right. I left after a year. And I had another job, so I got another job. But the idea is, you know, you get a part.

I didn't think I'd ever leave a play. And I love doing it. I love doing it. Well, Martini was sort of like. Martini's a great character. Yeah, childlike. It must have been fun. Yeah, a lot of fun of- Martini's a great character. Yeah. Childlike. It must have been fun. Yeah.

A lot of fun. Yes. Give me. Yes. Yeah, pencil. Take a pencil. I need a pencil. I need a pencil.

It's two pencils. You put them back. Yeah. There you go. Right there. Martini's right there. He came back. The only thing I'm not doing is sitting on my feet.

I should do that. And then they just thought of you for the movie because you were the guy. Well, they saw it. Milo saw it. But I first auditioned for Hal Ashby. Hal Ashby was going to do it. Really? Yeah.

There was a very brief period of time when Hal Ashby was going to do that. He could have done a good job, too. He was a great director. Yeah. And I auditioned for him and it was kind of like I had a friend on the inside, Michael Douglas, who I met at

the Eugene O'Neill Foundation in Waterford, Connecticut in 1960-something. We were smoking a lot of pot together and did that whole thing. That's when I was doing my summer stock thing. Oh, and that's where you met Michael Douglas? 64 or 5. What was he doing up there?

He was actually in school in UCSB, but he was doing a summer program in Connecticut. Ah, and that's where you met him. And he's championing the thing. He's championing the thing, and he was in my corner. Yeah. Then Milos did his great audition process, which was so amazing.

We'd go to this place, the Harlequin Studios up in midtown Manhattan, and you go upstairs and there's a semicircle of chairs and one chair in the middle. And all these actors, and Milos was the big nurse. Yeah. And he would improvise with you and ask you questions. So if you're Martini, he'd say, Mr. Martini, what'd you do today? What did you do today?

What was your day like? Yeah. And you go, well, I did this, that, and then he'd go, well, Mr. Harding, what do you think about how Mr. Martini conducted his day? Yeah. And then Harding would break my balls, and then I would attack Harding, and then he would get Scanlon in there,

and he would get... So he got the entire group. Was Christopher Lloyd there? Okay. So, no, because, well, every time you go back... Yeah. Right?

Yeah. He was there eventually. Right. But every time you go back there were some people were the same and some people were different yeah and so he was what he was doing was building his cast i think i auditioned like it got to be five six times and it was all through improvising all through improvising wow so you'd go you would seem to be a constant he was you were and then you'd see vin you would seem to be a constant. He was, you were in.

And then you'd see Vinny Schiavelli there twice. Yeah. And then you'd see Lloyd there. They were also, that was like a great time. It's life changing, right? A great time. And people like, it's odd. I would imagine that even with Taxi, even with this, Sonny, there's still people that

like, you know, Martini. Yeah, they love it. They love it. It's a great movie. Milos made a great movie. And it was a great project all around. And everybody was really fun in there. And I got to work.

And Scatman was like, oh, such a trip. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. And Jack, when you met Jack. Jack was the best. Was that when you first met him? That's when I first met him. And you're both Jersey guys.

He's from Madisquan. I'm from Madisburg. Yeah. But we were born in the same hospital. Are you guys still pals? Mm-hmm. Is he all right? He's good. Good. I. I'm from Asbury. Yeah. But we were born in the same hospital. Are you guys still pals? Mm-hmm. Is he all right? He's good.

Good. I've known him for a long time. So like after Cuckoo's Nest, were you living here? I came out here after Cuckoo's Nest because that was like a movie. After it. Yeah. Where did it shoot? Here?

It shot in Salem, Oregon. In Oregon. In the hospital. And most of it was in the hospital. And then we did Depot Bay for the fishing scene. That was really fun. Except we all got sick as a dog. On the boat. And then we did Depot Bay for the fishing scene. That was really fun. Except we all got sick as a dog. Because Milos wanted to go out 15 miles out into the water.

He didn't want to see land wherever he shot. And so we had boats with us, like a police boat and a ba-ba-ba boat. And then we did that. Then I came back here. I came to California. And I was doing little parts. It's a back here. I came to California, and I was doing, like, little parts. Like, I did some policewoman. I did a starskiing hutch.

I did a couple other things. And then I did going south. That was fun. And then in 78, Joel Thurm, who's a casting director, asked me to read this pilot. And that was that. That was that. Yeah, I loved it. That was great.

Yeah, yeah. Really fun. And that was with Brooks. 78. Yeah, Brooks Weinberger, Stan Daniels, Dave Davis, the whole pack. It was like an amazing experience. Let's talk about life-changing. I just talked to Mary Lou.

She was on the show on Monday. God bless her. Ask her if she remembers what shirt I was wearing when I went to work. I would have. So you get that script, you get cast in it. Well, you get that script and you got to go meet them. So I did this thing. It's a famous story that you've heard a million

times i i got the script i love this part um louis was a great part yeah it was now you got to go in and meet them and joel said you know these are guys i didn't know anything about them because i'd never seen mary tyler moore i'd never seen any of these shows. No. I was doing other things, man. I didn't even watch television. You know what I mean? So it was cool. I went to Paramount. They had this beautiful office. They were all in there. I'm at the doorway. Brooks is in there. Weinberger, Stan Daniels, Dave Davis, a couple other people. Weinberger's got his sleeves rolled up and a script in his hand, right right and there's a chair right across the way from you and you know that's the hot seat yeah

so you're at the door they're sitting at a table they're sitting around like a like a real soft cushy place behind a a coffee table very well appointed office there's the chair beautiful and there's the chair that you know that so well we do we know so you go and so therm joel thurn says this is danny devito this is how you do i say one thing i want to know before i start who wrote this shit and i threw it on the table and that was it they fucking there was one step, man. It was total terror. I thought, man, you fucked yourself out of a job. Nothing.

And then they fucking hit. And you know, Brooks and those guys, I just didn't know them at all. They laugh like, you know, they have their own like fucking patented. And they went crazy. They were all over. Now, I walk to the the chair i know where i am

yeah it's my room right you got big enough you did it it's my room yeah i couldn't say anything that wasn't funny i said and and they fucking piss i go so boom you know what I mean? So it was a gift. It was a good one. And then I got to meet all my best friends. I met the whole cast. They've become my best friends.

We did it for five years only. People think we did it longer. I mean, I'm doing Sonny now. These guys are terrific, and I love them. 14 years we've been together. Really? 15 years. That's true, right? Because we've been together. Really? 15 years. That's true, right?

Because we took a year off when Caitlin had babies, one of the babies. So they're like family. So they're my kids. I feel like they're my getting older kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have younger kids. And everyone from Taxi, you guys. No, we're good friends.

Yeah? Yeah. I work with Judd on my show. He played my dad. We did the Sunshine Boys downtown. So with Richard Griffiths, I did that in London. He passed away. And then Judd came in, and we had a ball down here.

Can you imagine? Yeah, it was fun, right? Oh, we had so much fun. And there were a couple things that were really cool doing it with Judd because he was coming in to the play. Right. So I had it down. I had done the show 400 times or something. He comes into the show, and there were a couple of nights where he looked at me, and we have the same kind of relationship.

Right. In a way that Judd and Louie, and one time he looked at me in the middle of the thing and he went louis and you know and we just took that one little beat where we said he didn't know he didn't know he didn't know it was like really cool he was in the moment he was in the moment we were doing it i was breaking his balls and he's going louis and then yeah willie you know it's very easy to make we had so much fun oh that's so hilarious after 113 Louies

I love him right he's gonna of course it's in his brain oh yeah you're Louie we had a great time and I see Tony all the time

you do yeah Mary Lou once in a while and Carol Kane and Chris Carol Kane Chris and I see each other in New York

Lloyd is great huh yeah yeah all he lives in New York he other in New York. Lloyd is great, huh? Yeah, yeah. He lives in New York? He lives in New York, yeah. And Jeff passed away. Jeff left. Yeah, and Andy left.

And Andy's gone. Yeah, Andy, my boy. Good boy. How was it working with Milos on that? It was a complicated shoot. Yeah? But I love Milos. Oh, because the man in the- It was a complicated shoot. Yeah. But I love Milos. Oh, because I saw the documentary about Jim, too, so we all know it was complicated. Yeah.

But we had a good time. I mean, everybody was, you know, everybody was smiling. We had a good time. Yeah? Yeah. Do you think it honored the story? You think it honored the story? I think it was, it wasn't exactly Andy, but it was like, it was damn close.

The spirit of? Yeah, he was like really, I think more childlike Andy was more like, there were simpler things about Andy. Yeah. And when you, I guess when you do a movie, you're only going to the extreme stuff. But there was some simple things. Andy would be like sitting in his dressing room eating sushi during the day. Yeah. And you could go in and talk to him and hang out with him without having to worry about becoming part of his art project.

Right. Which most of the time you were. You know, like there were a couple times that I was in, when we first met and when I'd be in the hallway hanging out and he's there and he'd come out of his dressing room and all of a sudden some woman would come in with a package like delivering. You know, like UPS person or a postal worker right yeah and he would start on her and they go what are you doing taking a job away from a man you know you should be in the kitchen you should be going and then she'd get pissed off at him and then we would all come out

i'd be out in the dressing in the hallway what's going on out here? And they would be rolling up their sleeves and wrestling. And they would get on the ground and they would wrestle. Now, here's the thing about that. I didn't think about it until many years later. I bought it. And everybody else bought it. But I suspect that that woman was on the payroll. Okay?

Yeah. That's how fucking crazy Andy was. Yeah, of course. She came in dressed in a uniform. Yeah. To put on a show. Right. Okay, well, maybe I'm a little slow.

He did the thing really well and we all bought it. Like, what are you doing? A little slow took years. Took years. Yeah, a Little Slow. So when do you, like, after Taxi, when do you start producing? Like, how does that happen for a guy like you? Well, I'm on the direct always, so I did a few Taxis.

I did a couple of short films. And then I, you know, and then Throw Mama came along, and they offered me the part of Owen, and I said that I would do it if I could direct it. You love directing? Yeah, I love directing. So that was nice. Because I was doing it like as a, you know,

the first time I wanted to direct was when I saw Battle of Algiers, Pana Corvo's movie. It was in the 60s. About the revolution in Algiers. In Algiers.'s movie. It was in the 60s. About the revolution in Algiers. In Algiers. Yeah. You know. Black and white.

It's an amazing movie. Yeah, it is. And so I thought, what the fuck does a director do? You know? And that's when I started like exploring it. And then,

so I got the chance to do Throw Mama, which was, I had a lot of fun. They wanted you in it and you said, I want to direct it, too. Yeah.

And they were like, okay. Yeah, and they went for it. Billy and... Billy. Crystal. Oh, yeah. You're still buddies with him? Yeah.

Yeah. And Larry Bresner. Yeah. Passed away, but he was a good guy. He produced it. That was Billy's manager? Mm-hmm. Yeah.

But that movie did okay? Did okay. Did really good. And then I went and did um after that i think was war of the roses that was that did good that did really good yeah that was i remember that movie yeah i love that and you're still acting but you're directing that right and you're in that i'm in there and you got michael douglas in it from the old days and then i you know then i then i like decided to uh start a a company called Jersey that would basically, it was a weird thing that happened in those days where it was like right on the tail of the auteur kind of movement.

From the 70s? Yeah, with De Palma, with Scorsese, and with all these guys. So in my deal, I had a good deal for my directing services. And what I was thinking was I could open that up to other directors that I liked and that I thought would be good. So I started this company and basically wanted to make sure that I would find young, new, talented people. You partnered up with a producer guy? Yes, two people I partnered up with.

And then we did some movies. You did big movies? We did big movies, yeah. I mean, Pulp And then we did some movies. Did big movies. We did big movies, yeah. I mean, Pulp Fiction is a big movie. Pulp Fiction was like, yeah, that was my... The way that happened was one of my partners gave me Reservoir Dogs to read. And I said, this is amazing. I want to do this movie.

But the Reservoir Dogs was already being made. Yeah. So I said, well, okay. I want to do this movie. But the Prince of Ordos was already being made. Yeah. So I said, well, I don't, okay. I'm sorry, I missed that one. Right. But I'd like to meet the guy. Right. So while he was editing, I hadn't seen the movie yet.

Quentin was editing, and I had a meeting with him. And I said, I'd like to do your next movie. And he knew you? Yeah, he knew me. He knew me. And I had also an entree from Stacy, who is my partner in the company. And I said, I'd like to make your next movie. What is it?

And he said, well, I don't know what it is. It's like, and he started saying, I have these stories. It's intertwining. I said, listen, I have these stories, he's intertwining. I said, listen, I love this Reservoir Dogs, I'm too late, but I would like to do your next movie, whatever it is. Can we make a deal right now? Right?

He said that. I did. And he said yes. And we went to TriStar, I had my deal with TriStar. And I made a deal for his next, paid for his, whatever his script was. Yeah. Make his next movie. Yeah.

I didn't know what it was. Yeah. But you knew he was something. I knew who the guy was. Yeah. Who the guy was. Yeah. Yeah.

And a year later, I was in my house, and I had called him. I knew that his movie was a success. I'd seen Reservoir Dogs by now. I knew he was promoting it all over the world, and just was so happy to wait for what was coming. Yeah.

And it came. And it was great. And it was Pulp Fiction. Yeah. You read that thing, and you're like, holy shit. Holy shit.

This is amazing. Thank you, God. Yeah. You read that thing and you're like, holy shit. Holy shit. This is amazing. Thank you, God. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. But that was a big couple of years. You did Pulp Fiction, Reality Bites, Get Shorty. Yep.

So that was how you entered the production world. Big time. And those were all- All fun. They were all big movies. And all made by people that I cared about. Yeah. Yeah.

And you stayed in it for a while, right? You did, what, Erin Brockovich? Yep. That's a big movie. That was big. Did you win an Oscar? We were nominated. That's good.

Yep. And then- She won an Oscar. Yeah. Julia. Julia. Yeah. Gattaca.

Garden State. Garden State. Nice. You had to do that- Because of Jersey. Had to do that. Zachattaca. Garden State. Garden State. Nice. You had to do that. Beautiful. Because of Jersey. Had to do that. Zach. Zach.

Love Zach. Had to do that. Pam Abde. Pam Abde was like my, she was my driving force for all of that. Oh, yeah? Jersey girl. Yeah. She worked at the Jersey film?

Yeah. She started out as a, she came from Emerson. Yeah. Emerson. Yeah. In Boston. Yeah, inerson. Yeah. In Boston. Yeah, in Boston. She was answering phones at Jersey, right?

Yeah. Jersey Films, Jersey Films. I'd see her all day when I'd go to work, right? And I'd say, what's up, Pam? What's going on? I'd start talking to her. She's from North Jersey. I said, no kidding, where?

And then we started talking Jersey. Yeah. Okay. you know and then we started talking jersey yeah okay uh next thing you know she's um working as my assistant moved her to there because i we had a lot in common a lot of talk yep met her father mother really sweet people she was like oh man great people from jersey and she says to me you got to watch this show that's on. I said, what is it? She said, it's called The Sopranos. I said, oh, what is it about?

She said, it's about mob guys in New Jersey. I said, oh, Pammy, you know, come on. Do I have to just inundate myself with mob guys? Is there anything else in the world for Italians except the mob? Yeah. And she says, no, Danny, you got danny you gotta you know she's got the accent the whole thing you gotta watch this show this is really good i said pammy i'm not gonna watch that show all right okay now every week yeah she's going you damn not what you're missing

you know what i mean yeah and i'm going i'm not gonna watch the show yeah so i get you know like just yeah this thing you committed to it yeah this thing this little game yeah okay she becomes she was my assistant for a while yeah she becomes a story editor at the company yeah she's the head of the story department and then she becomes the president of the company jersey yeah jersey films right she does she produces um all the movies that you were mentioning uh garden state all these movies yeah she becomes the producer the president of the company cut to all these years go by yeah and we're still very very close yeah you. She's amazing. She's still in movies?

Big time movies, right? Big time. She's producing, doing all kinds of great stuff. Cut to many years later, and our company has dissolved, and I'm doing other things, and whatever. Why did you dissolve solve the company we had like differences in in the in the hierarchy you know you got in the business you got out of the production rack yeah you know we just got we separated the the people who were in the company but you were done i still do the i still do producing you do yeah i still have urine i have

the first look deal at fx and i do like that. I'm doing all that stuff. And I'm making movies. I'm making a couple little things. We're doing another. That's a whole other story. But what I was getting at was my big resolve here coming up. Yeah, I'm ready. Okay.

I find this movie that I was thinking about directing and there's a great part in it for a really good actor named James Gandolfini. Yeah. So I say, oh, wow, this would be great. If I could get Gandolfini in this, I think I might do this movie. Which movie? I'm not going to say. All right. So I contact him.

Now, it's way after his show's off the air. He's doing theater. He's doing all kinds of stuff. I saw him. Gods, it's way after his show's off the air. He's doing theater. He's doing all kinds of stuff. I saw him. Gods of Carnage. Gods of Carnage. Great. Okay.

Lunch. Okay? Lunch with Danny and James. Yeah. And I got the food and my house. So he goes, Bob, we're talking about the about the script right and there's things to talk about you know there always are and this and that and the other thing the end of the meal we said we said we're having a great time yeah and we're going to get together again and i said i'm going

to say to you something right now that i don't think any other producer in Hollywood can say to you. He says, what? And I say, I have never seen The Sopranos. And he goes, what? That's fucking great, man. You've never seen it i say not one episode and then i tell him the story and then must make him feel good yeah then in some weird way and i went out and bought the box set and watched every one of them in four months great though right great show wasn't it great satisfying fat when you can watch it and

then i got to then i gotta have another lunch with him and talk about it and he didn't remember shit oh really yeah that's the kind of thing yeah do you remember that show where you didn't know nope uh you just burn right through it i worked with him once in uh he was in get shorty oh what oh that's right he's the thug and that's right gets thrown was the thug. That's right. Gets thrown down the steps. Yeah, he had those little thug parts. True romance, too. Yeah. He was a thug. He was good.

Yeah, he was great. He was great. He was a nice guy in the Julia Louis-Dreyfus movie, that last one he did. Right, right. He was a sweet guy. Right, on the steps. It's very hard to see him as a sweet guy.

It was a hard transition. He was. He was a sweet guy. You did Death to Smoochie too which great people love some people love it some people don't yeah i don't know if they get i don't know if they get a great experience yeah great experience i'm working with robin yeah oh man did you know him from before yeah oh yeah you know and edward edward's the best he's the greatest guy to work with he's just like. He's good.

He's fun. I just interviewed Norton. Oh, he's a great guy. I haven't put it up yet. What a great guy. Oh, man. Smart guy. Smart guy. Intense.

Intense. Really good. Hard worker, right? Very hard worker. I love him so much. It was so good to work with. And we did it in Canada. We did it in Toronto.

However you say it. And we had a lot of fun. It it in Toronto or Toronto, however you say it. And we had a lot of fun. It was really good. And Robin was amazing. Oh, God, just the work. Yeah. Really good. Fun, right?

What an experience, man. What a good experience. But you haven't directed a film since then? No, I did a short film called The Mudgeons. Okay. Did you see it? No. Where did you get that one? You can see that on vimeo okay i'm vimeo yeah curmudgeons who's in it me and david margulies you know david margulies i know the name you know david right yeah david he passed away but he's such one of those guys i'm getting i'm just getting that picture

david margulies i met on the Pirandello play I told you about. A million years ago? One of the fucking supreme wonderful people in the world. Yeah, yeah, yeah. David was my buddy. And we did so many cool things together. Forget about even on film or in things that we were in. But just like, you know good readings of things you know oh there's a script we read at est i'm a member of the ensemble studio theater in new york

with the with that kurt uh dempster started and anyway uh we would do things like oh dang we're gonna read this play. We're going to read it for backers. Okay, we'll go. We all go. The actors go up into the, you know, in this shitty elevator room. You go upstairs and you're on the fifth floor of this building that's like just barely held together by rat shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Wooden floors that are all broken. Yeah, all fucked up. Yeah. And we're all in a circle, and it's actors just talking. And what have you been doing? This is the thing. How's it going? Is this happening?

What's going on? And we're waiting, and we're waiting, and we're waiting. And David's going, dear hearts, just a moment. I don't know when these people are coming, but these women have the money, and we've got to wait for them. Okay, we keep going, keep going, keep going. And all of a sudden somebody comes running into the room you guys the fucking elevator is stuck between floors i don't know how long it's been like that holy shit we go down two flights they're in between

the third and fourth floor the people the We're supposed to be the backers. It was like arsenic and old lace. We pried them out of there. They were in little gingham dresses and shit. You know what I mean? They look like they had pin curls. It was like hysterical. We pulled them out.

What happened to the project? They didn't back it. I think it was a John Noonan play. John Ford Noonan. All right. So I just want to say a couple of things before we talk about Jumanji, which I think is very important. Okay. I thought your performance, I was so thrilled with the penguin, I can't even begin to tell you. Oh, man.

I had a ball doing that. But I mean, it was like, I remember when I saw it, and I like, how did DeVito, you know, get such depth to this thing? This guy, like, you know, it was heartbreaking and beautiful and funny, but like, it was almost like a fucking opera. It was operatic. I love that. I love that. I've never seen anything like it before. I love that.

It's free. I was free. And you put, you know what it is? It's like, we all wear masks. We all do. Everybody does. We know that, right okay uh this was really the ultimate i was in that makeup trailer for three hours putting oswald on yeah nose yeah this that and the other thing hair and tim is like one of the

most inventive directors. Tim Burton, yeah. Yeah, Tim Burton. I mean, it's basically when you're on set with him, you're watching him paint. You're watching him take that piece of your Oswald. There's Batman. There's the Catwoman. There's the duck.

There's the this. There's the penguins. There's the sets. And he's like, you know. Catwoman, there's the duck, there's the this, there's the penguins, there's the sets. And he's like- It's almost like German expressionistic cinema. You're watching him do it. Yeah. And it's like amazing.

And he's running around. He's on that side of the set. He's on that side of the set. Yeah. He's here, he's there, putting it all together. And somehow in that context, I become a free man what was the prep? I think

I did I went down to I went down to San Diego I walked in and saw the King Penguins I was with a I remember one kid was in a Jake must have been in a little wheelie thing. He was really young. Your kid? Yeah.

Yeah. And I was with Ria and the kids. Everybody came. We went down to visit the penguins. Yeah. And we had a nanny, an English nanny. She was a really great woman, Sandra. She was really terrific.

sandra she was really terrific and i remember what the guide was saying we're going to the penguin cage now and uh the king penguins grow uh 90 to 100 pounds and uh we're going to go in there and danny's going to be able to go in there and be with them and the woman there was a beat and we're walking yeah and and the british woman said a 9200 pound penguin uh no 9200 pounds anyway we went in and uh it was cool but i don't like the idea of the zoo i you, you know, it's just, it's, it's, it's, I'm not into like the, you know. Animals in captivity? I don't like the animals in captivity. I'm doing a movie now that's about it. That is like really.

About what? It's about a gorilla. It's called The One and Only Ivan. And it's based on a true story about a gorilla, Ivan, who was brought from the lowlands when he was a baby. Yeah. He was taken. But he lived with people who cared about him. Yeah. Like as a baby.

Yeah. But then got big and they put him in a roadside attraction in Florida. Oh. That's pretty sad. I'm already sad. But the good thing, okay, Ivan. True story? It's based on a true story, yeah.

So the family, this happens with tigers too, you know. Yeah, I know. People buy a tiger, a baby tiger gets big and they can't. You know, animals shouldn't be in cages. We know that. But here's the thing. So what happened with Ivan, which is in the movie, it's written by this woman, Applegate.

It's a kid's book. Yeah. And in fact, I won't even tell you any more about it. Don't. You should read it. Okay. Get it. It's called The One and Only Ivan.

And it's going to come out in a year from now. So that sounds great. Really cool. Heavy. Yeah. But the penguin, though, like you're free. You're free. Yeah.

I felt that. So you get into that thing and you're in behind that mask and you're going along and you've got all this padding. I'm like a bulbous kind of, I've got layers of shit on me that all feel like mine after like an hour yeah you know what i mean and my face v neil did the makeup and i feel like it live you can live in it you can talk and i had teeth and i had this you know mouthwash that I put spirulina in. And it squirted into my mouth. I could drool.

And I could do anything I wanted. I could take the place apart if I wanted. You know what I'm saying? And that was so good. And Tim let you go. Yeah. And it was good. And I never had more fun.

I mean, I have fun on all the things I do, but. Yeah, I bet. And I, I. This one was like. I love Michael Keaton's Batman. Yeah, Michael's so sweet. Yeah, he is. And great. And I, you know, I could be around Michelle Pfeiffer all day long.

I mean, that's like a. She's great. Is she nice? Really sweet girl. Oh. I just love that movie. a... She's great. Is she nice? Really sweet girl. Oh. I just love that movie. The people were really nice on the whole thing

and I had all... Vincent was on that movie. Vincent Schiavelli was in that. He played one of my henchmen. Yeah. And... The guy from Cuckoo's Nest? Yeah.

Yeah, Vincent's in there. I thought... And also, the other thing I want to say is that I thought that you... Like, I like this movie and no one talks about this movie, but The Rainmaker, I love that there. I thought, and also the other thing I want to say is that I thought that you, like, I like this movie, and no one talks about this movie, but The Rainmaker, I loved that movie. Oh, yeah. And I thought you were, that was a great performance.

Tried six times to pass the bar. Couldn't pass the bar. Yeah. But he did, finally. Yeah. And you working with Mickey O'Rourke. Yeah. Mickey O'Rourke.

Mickey O'Rourke and, yeah. And Damon. And Matt Damon yeah it was such a sweet fucking dynamic loved it that movie

loved it and Francis was he all together Francis was great yeah yeah Francis was great we had a good time and

let's see Mary Kay Place yeah oh that's heavy you know it was yeah it was good

it was really it was a lot of fun. People don't talk about it as a Francis movie, though. It's kind of interesting. There were a couple of things that were really fun. One, you always expect something. You hear

stories about him. You expect that he's not going to be on the set. He's going to direct from The Silverfish. One day, I said to him, man, you know, he was on the set every day. Yeah. I said, you know, I'm not getting the full Coppola experience, man. You're on the fucking set. Yeah.

You know, you're talking to the actors. Yeah. Say, you know, get out of here. Yeah. And the next day I came to work, there were big speakers. I didn't really notice it. I was just breaking his balls. Next day, Danny, move over camera right.

There's a big speaker. And I said, you motherfucker, you did it. And that was good. He came back the next day. He's a sweet guy. He would have his way there. We ate l'ambrisounes all day. What are those?

These little onion things that you fry up. Oh, did he make them? Mm-hmm. He's a cook. He's a cook. All right. So, okay. So, I just wanted to say that.

Yeah, thank you. I wanted to give you some love for that performance. That was a lot of fun. And that character. And Jake Kasdan, I've talked to many times. Sweet guy. Yeah, Jake was great. And Jumanji, this is the third one?

Yeah, I think so. Well, you got Robbins, and then you got the next one they did i don't know but it's fun i got to work with danny glover who i love he's a sweet really good guy and how's the new season of uh oh we had we had a great time we finished with sunny we finished our 14th season we did a noir show. We did a couple interesting things. Well, you seem great to me. In? Life? Yeah. Oh, good. Thanks. You too. Your brain's working good? Hmm.

How are the kids? Kids are great. And you get along with Ria? Get along with Ria, Lucy, Gracie and Jake doing great. Gracie's painting. Lucy's acting and producing and Jake is producing. Ria's painting. Lucy's acting and producing. And Jake is producing. Rhea's doing a movie in New York right now. It's all good.

It was great talking to you, man. Great talking to you, man. And he did walk down the stairs backwards. I watched him do it. The 14th season of Always Sunny in Philadelphia is now airing on FX. New episodes air Wednesday nights. And Jumanji The Next Level will be in theaters this December. That was Danny DeVito.

And that was a fucking great time for me. You gotta love Danny DeVito. I'll play some guitar. Just some sort of ethereal, echoey, country-ish, three-chord progression. Dig it. © transcript Emily Beynon guitar solo Boomer lives. It's a night for the whole family. Be a part of Kids Night when the Toronto Rock take on the Colorado Mammoth at a special 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, March 9th

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