WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 689 - Michael Rapaport

Episode Date: March 14, 2016

Michael Rapaport thought he was going to be a professional basketball player. That didn’t happen, but Michael happily surprised himself with an acting career that saw him working alongside childhood heroes and legendary directors. Michael and Marc talk about all of it, even if Michael gets sidetracked thinking about sitting where the President once sat. 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. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, 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. the fuck buddies what the fuck wads what the fuck adelics mark maron here this is wtf this is my

podcast welcome welcome to the show how are you i will be in iowa city iowa at the mission creek festival the englert theater on friday april 8th i will be at the rococo theater in lincoln nebraska on saturday april 9th and i will be at the Arvest Bank Theater at the Midland in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday, April 10th. Those shows will be a mix of some of the new stuff I'm working on and some of the stuff from the more later special. If you haven't seen that and you live in those places, maybe wait until I come to watch it. If you want to watch it, that special is available on Epix On Demand.

It's also available now on Hulu and Amazon. My more later special that I'm very proud of and I'm glad that people are watching it. And again, I appreciate the feedback on it because we live in a media world where only a few people can get the things that you do or know that they're out there. So hearing from you is nice. I assume that my life has gotten very small in the last six months.

It's all working on the show and doing the podcast. I barely watch television. I'm barely abreast of the situation. I know things are going on. I know that there's a charade of a political circus happening. You know, many people try to pressure me to weigh in, to get involved. Well, look, here's my belief. I don't believe America is, I think it's a troubled country, and it's certainly not fair for everybody, but it's not. It is not bad. It is not a bad place to live there are certainly problems

but this framing of uh let's make america great again america's pretty fucking great and i know a lot of people are in trouble and there's a lot of problems there's systemic problems there's injustice there's horrible uh issues with how things are are regulated or aren't regulated and you know who's in charge and what greed does and how people are getting fucked i'm aware of a lot of those most of those racial problems i'm i'm highly aware and abreast of those things that are currents of uh horror in this country and need to be changed. I have my own ideas about, you know, how to change things, but it doesn't matter. It's not the type of show this is. You know, I deal with sadness, existential anger, the frustrations of just being alive, trying to be a compassionate person

and know yourself in the world and try to act from your heart if possible. And I believe in what's left of democracy to some degree. I believe that if everybody out there truly voted their heart, however broken it is and what you do with that heartbreak, that's really up to you and your brain and your conscience. But I think that if everybody went out there and voted what they really believed in their heart, that things could change in the progressive and proper direction for America. Because at some point, America is a great country. But when spectacles like what are happening now are happening, it's fucking embarrassing. It's embarrassing. embarrassing. It's embarrassing. Sometimes I get embarrassed for our political system and I get embarrassed about certain parts of our culture and population. And there's some part of me that

thinks, hey, maybe it's time for this country to grow the fuck up, you know, and behave like a responsible nation, responsible to each other. People who have beliefs that are unshakable, that's what they're going to do. People who are driven by a selfish and self-destructive fear out of desperation, they're going to do what they're going to do. But I think people with a little sliver of hope and with a certain amount of decency and tolerance,

if all of you went out there and voted your heart and what you believed in i think that uh that that change can happen and continue to happen that's what i believe that's what i look it's no great courage or or risk for me to say those kind of things in the general way i'm saying it but i do think that being part of it, whether you think it's bullshit or not, is important. Be part of it. Go do your civic duty. Look, I can't even avoid jury duty. I'm certainly not going to avoid voting. All right, let's talk about the big events in my life. My cat shit in my pants today. That's what I woke up to. My cat shit in my pants, did I mention Michael Rappaport is on the show today, I should mention who's on the show, takes me a long time sometimes, I get rambling, but

Michael Rappaport, who I met briefly, like many years ago at the improv, he was not pleasant, very cocky, he was just coming up, and then I ran into him at Sarah Silverman's party, like four or five months ago and it was great to see him we talked i've always liked the guy he's a straight shooter he's a real new yorker i always find him entertaining i think he's a good actor and i was happy to have him here in the garage so he's coming up but my cat shit in my pants this morning how does that happen no i wasn't wearing the pants i's a, you know, it's probably a good setup for a Groucho style joke. That was brought to my attention on Twitter. But, but, uh, yeah, that's what I woke up to. I put my pants in and like

three or four, uh, small, uh, you know, well, cat sized cat turds fell out of my leg. I felt them with the leg going in. I knew exactly what was going on. I looked over at monkey and I said, are you fucking kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to shit in my pants? I've never really received a clearer sort of message that the litter box needed to be changed. Yeah, he shit in my pants. So that was exciting. What other updates do you need to know? The buzz, the buzz in the office, the turntable buzz, the panic that I was experiencing. Sort of, there's a whistle to it, which is really fucking annoying. I had the electrician check the currents at the building and they checked out fine, whatever that means. checked out fine whatever that means but the indicator are after troubleshooting that all of these receivers these two receivers and this one app were picking up that frequency on some level leads me to believe that the building's fucking grounded in a not a good way and i told the

landlord and she's like no i haven't had any complaints that's because no one's using stereo equipment and i don't know really what to do with that. If the building's fucking grounded wrong. Now, there's still the idea that would. Here's my question to you nerds. And a lot of you guys helped out. You sent a lot of things. A lot of people were. The basic one was like, your turntable needs to be grounded.

I'm not a moron. I know that. But the question was, was my cartridge, which is a sensitive cartridge. It's a Sumiko Bluepoint point two which is unshielded uh was picking up the antenna frequency from the roof that was some of the assumption that i thought so like if if there's a like a person who works in stereo like for reels in los angeles and you want to email me and maybe you know come try to figure this out because i want to be able to listen to the records you guys send me in my office you got a better shot at me listening to it if it works there I don't know if that's

incentive my buddy Langhorn Slim Sean Skolnick apparently had some uh some part in designing a hat for Stetson because I got this hat in the mail. In a beautiful hat box. With a card. A little note from Sean. Saying look at this man. I helped design this hat. And it's one of those hats. It's not a cowboy hat.

It's not really a derby. But it's sort of that midway point. It's got sort of a high top. Rounded. With short sides. So it's a bit of a derby. But it's a little higher. With a little bit of a wider brim. It's a, a unique thing. It's a high end hat felt beautiful black hat. And I don't know how you guys feel about hats, but I've bought a lot of hats in my life. A lot

of hats of this sort that were not, not caps. They weren't baseball hats. I've never been that guy. But fairly dramatic, demanding hats. And I've bought them on my own volition. I've been in stores, hat stores, places that dealt in high-end hats. And I've put them on. I said, yeah, man, I can fucking do this. This is a fucking amazing hat. But it doesn't ever stick. You wear that hat out of that store with a certain amount of confidence, but not as much confidence as you need to carry that hat.

And you start to feel it kind of chip away. You start to realize, like, now this hat is drawing not necessarily positive attention. Then you kind of fight with yourself. But I like the hat. There's no reason I can't express myself with this hat. And then you look around. It's like no one else is wearing hats like this. I can't express myself with this hat.

And then you look around. It's like no one else is wearing hats like this. And the people that are wearing hats like that, you probably made fun of or you probably think look kind of stupid, except for that one or two people like Beck. And, you know, maybe a few retro 70s rock sort of dudes can pull off that hat. And by the time you get home, you're like, oh, well, this I like this hat. Yeah, maybe I'll wear it. And then then it becomes a house hat. So it's a hat you wear around the house. And then it just becomes a hat that you have up in a corner.

And you're like, I still like that hat, but I like it on the shelf. I like it hanging on the wall. So I don't know. I don't think I can adjust my entire lifestyle to the hat that Sean sent me. But I do like the hat. And there's part of me that wants to wear the hat out there. sent me, but I do like the hat. And there's part of me that, that wants to wear the hat out there, but I just, I just, I, I don't want to be one of those guys where, you know, you can't see past the hat. You know what I mean? I think I've, I'm old enough now to, to realize that maybe I don't need a hat. It's sort of a red flag in a way at my age, it's a reasonably priced midlife crisis.

And, uh, you're going to look stupid out there. So I've got a new house hat and I'm going to go put it on right after this podcast, the journey of the hat. But it's a nice enough hat that if I hang it on the wall, it'll look good as just a wall hat. I've got the house hat that will slowly become a wall hat. We've got the house hat that will slowly become a wall hat. Right now, I'm going to talk to Michael Rappaport. There's a lot coming at you.

Strap in. All right? Before we go to that conversation with Michael, I want to mention that he has a podcast called I Am Rappaport. So go check that out. If this rhythm of what you're about to hear resonates with you, go check out I Am Rappaport, his podcast.

Okay. I'll see you on the other side. 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 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

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To show your true heart is to risk your life. 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 Michael Rappaport. I never give anyone an intro. Like, you know, I've known about you and I've seen you around forever. Did I run into you at that party? Yes. Sarah Silverman's party.

She got a good party. It's a good party. I didn't stay the whole run, but it's a nice party. It's a good party. I see a lot the whole run, but it's a nice party. It's a good party. I see a lot of people there who I only see at that party. So I like it. That's a good party. It's like a low-key celebrity party.

And you know what I liked about the party? And I told her I was impressed with the party. Nobody was on their phone. Right. Which in this day and age is the sign of a good party. And Senator Al Franken showed up. I didn't see him. Yeah, that was something else. a good party. And Senator Al Franken showed up. Did he? I didn't see him.

Yeah, that was something else. I was like, that's Al Franken. Because now, you know, I've known Al for years and I did Air America with him. But now it's like, that's Senator Franken. Right, right. Hanging out with the showbiz types. Right, right. And then, you know, and of course it's the Sarah Silverman party.

Not to say that Senator Franklin had anything to do with it because I didn't even see him there. But, you know, everybody was, you know, it in Los Angeles, openly smoking marijuana and eating stuff and all that stuff. But it's a good party. New York pizza brought in from Joe's. Yep. Good party. Do you know, is there a good pizza here?

I think there's good pizza. I think the whole pizza culture in general- It puts some thought into it. It's changed. It's like, you know you know like now like there's good pizza here it's different i think like pizza in new york is no is no fucking uh nothing to be so proud about couple there's a couple there's got to be a couple there's good places but it's not like where it was like you know church and state where it was like just good pizza in new

york and then like mulberry street opened and now there's all sorts of different kinds of pizzas there's fancy pizzas there's vegan pizzas wood oven mozza there's all sorts of shit where do you go in new york do you go i i go i go go to like you could get a good uh pizza at a local place like a local slice place so i go to my local places but i go to patsy's i like yeah but i'm not waiting on a line for a slice of pizza right i don't give a fuck if god shat it out of his ass i'm not going for uh uh uh i'm not waiting on line because there's that whole thing too so but i like joe's downtown joe's you mean on six carmine six that's always good right yeah i think that's the best one yeah i think it's you know i don't know if it's the best i'm sure there's other ones but i'm not

like a pizza pizza scavenger me neither but there used to be a place on like 48th right off of broadway there that was really good i can't remember what the fuck the name but they had that grandma slice right right which became popular i like that and now two boots open downtown which i didn't realize good two cornmeal crust i remember when the first one opened on avenue a i think yep and they put a little one right downtown here i don't know who goes to it but no it's pretty good p two boots is good i like but you know i like but again i'm not going all out of my way and all that shit for any kind of food. Yeah, I won't wait online either. I'm not waiting online for-

You go to Austin? No, I've only been to Austin once and it was just briefly. Why? It seems like you should- They've never had me out there. Yeah, for any reason? There was no reason. For any particular reason.

I've never had any reason. For Rappaport to go to Austin. does it live up to all the expectations and hype no but there is i was just the reason i brought it up is because there's a barbecue place ah called franklin's that's the hipster barbecue place people wait in line three fucking hours that shit how the fuck can i can kill my own cow barbecue myself in the time that would take you all right so let's go back over because i'm trying to think when i first you know i knew you were alive i guess it was around what the zebra head movie yeah zebra head uh was uh was when i first made my enormous splash but am i mistaken in that you were a stand-up because i remember there's some contention uh over the fact like who's this

guy michael rapaport is he a fucking stand-up? What's he doing up there? I don't know him as a stand-up. Right, right. Well, at the time, there was a little contention. My stand-up career was short-lived. So I came out to Los Angeles in 1989. From New York. From New York.

I was 19. And I started, you know, I never really was like, you know, like a, you know, I never really consider myself like a stand-up. Like, I didn't understand the whole idea of making an act. I was 19. Right. So I would talk a lot of shit, pretty much the same thing I do now. Right.

But more unstructured shit-talking than I'm actually even doing for you right now. Right. Because right now I have like a beginning, middle, and end to some of my shit-talking. Okay. Oh, yeah. You've honed it. I've honed my shit-talking. The life story.

Exactly. Yeah. So as far as like my stand-up yeah i was doing stand-up but i mean i would host i would i you know i had my 20 minutes and all that stuff i didn't know that there was contention but you know i felt like you know like at that time with stand-up comedy was like it was like disco it was the disco era of stand-up comedy and there was like you know there was a lot of good stand-ups hanging around especially the improv yeah yeah which which was my stomping rounds.

But were you affiliated? Were you a relative? Is Claudia your cousin? Claudia is my sister. Claudia Lonow is my sister. Claudia is my half-sister. Her actual name is Claudia Rappaport, and her stepfather is Mark Lano. Right.

Who owned the improv with Bud Friedman at the time. Exactly. But I did my shit there. You know what I mean? Like, I would go up on open mic and all that stuff. But I was doing my thing, Mark. Like, I wasn't a chump. Right.

Like, I wasn't like, you know, Chris Rock or Jay Leno. But when I got up there, motherfuckers laughed. Yeah, it was real. I get it. And at the end of the day, it's like you get up there and either motherfuckers are going to laugh or they're not going to laugh. But so, wait, I don't understand. So wait, so Mark Lano is not your stepdad? Mark Lano is my half-sister's stepfather.

So she remarried. That's why I try to keep the short version. Yeah, so Claudia, and I would come visit my sister, and I would actually come visit her before I even thought about becoming a stand-up comic. When I was 13, I'd come- Where are you growing up now? Manhattan, New York City. You did?

All New York, everything. Really? What part of New York? East side of Manhattan. Really? Yes. So you're a real Manhattan kid? My whole life.

How old are you? 45. So you're 27, right? Right. Absolutely. So even when you were a kid, like when I was younger, so you remember when New York was full of drugs and great and the disco time and you're running around? Of course. you go to cbgb's when you were 13 no no

no that wasn't your thing that wasn't my thing that wasn't my thing i mean i started going to hip-hop clubs when i was 15 oh there you go and it was like you know it was like it was probably more like cbgb's than you would think because it was definitely like an underground yeah no i never knew about the hip-hop thing where'd you go? I would go to like Union Square, Latin Quarters had a big hip hop night that was like a big thing.

Then we started going like to a place in Harlem called The Rooftop. These are like sort of quintessential hip hop spots before like the spots before that. And you'd see live shows?

Live shows. Do you remember who you saw? Shit, I saw everybody. I saw Biz Markie. I saw bismarcky i saw fucking big daddy kane i saw you know kris i mean i saw like you know it was emerging yeah yeah you know and and and in the clubs that i went to there was no um there was no alcohol served so all ages i was in there as 15 with grown men and there was fights and there was girls with fat asses. And it was a wild thing to see.

I was 15 years old and, you know, people would be getting the shit beaten out of them and music we play. And people get carried out. Girls will get the earrings snatched. And, you know, I love the music. And we just went one weekend and I was like, we just kept going. So did you grow up? What were your parents? Are they in show business?

No, my father was the general manager of a radio station speaking of disco of a radio station in new york called wkt disco 92 yeah was the first station in new york to play disco music in the 70s in the late 70s well in the 70s they played mellow and then in like 78 79 they he was the one who said we should play disco they went from the bottom of the charts to the top of the charts so your dad was on the cutting edge of all that dance-a-terious shit, Studio 54 they called him Disco Dave

oh my god he was just a Jew from the east side trying to raise a family is he still around? did he have his time? did he party? he had his time and he partied more than I think he shares with me but he was a single dad. I was with my father most of the time. But my mother and my father divorced when I was young.

But he was just a guy raising his kids. But he had his nights at Studio 54. He was doing his thing. And he was running the hottest radio station in New York City at the time. So it was a big deal. And it was disco and it was studio 54 and cocaine and I don't know what the fuck he was yeah but it's it's interesting though because if he was running the station you know the relationships are sort of uh you got you had

access yes sometimes you got free shit yes you know like I'm sure it's like we want a car I got I got a guy right like cars sneakers there was all the sneaker thing was cool because the radio station had some deal with a a non-chain sneaker place in in new york called fuck on the run yeah and they had a deal with them so i'd go in there and get free sneakers sometimes and as a kid it was like a you know i was like yo i could go and get free sneakers it's important yeah so so it was it was cool and you know and because of he worked at the radio station you how I got exposed to all sorts of music. But hip hop is like, in 1979, he brought home a test pressing of the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight.

It was a promotional copy. Right. And he was like, we're going to start playing this on the radio. It's called rap music. Yeah. And that was it for me. I fell in love. I was nine.

I fell in love. And it was like, at the time, there was no internet. There was fell in love. I was nine. I fell in love and it was like, you know, at the time, there was no internet. There was no, plus I was nine so when I got the record, it was like,

you lived in the record. You would play it over and over and over and it was so unusual. You know all the words? Of course. Of course. Of course.

I mean, of course, rappers lie. I knew the, and there was a long version. It was a 33 inch so I knew the long version and there was a long version, it was a 33 inch, so I knew the, I knew the long version

and there was a short, but there was like a 15 or 20 minute version of Rapper's Delight and we, me and my brother and then finally he bowed out and my father was like,

turn that shit off. I was like, you brought it home to me, you know, but I just, like it was like a love affair. Like I fell in love with that music

as a kid innocently. Yeah. And it was just you and your brother and your father? Me and my brother and my father and my sister, Claudia, who started this whole fucking thing. Yeah.

She lived with her mom, and then she was an actress. My sister, she was actually a teenage actress. She started acting early. She got a part. She went to music and art in New York City. Right. And her mother is an actor, right? Joanne, too.

Yeah, she was an actress, right? Yeah, and she's still alive. But my sister got a part on the TV show Knot's Landing. Right. city right and her mother wasn't is an actor joanne too yeah she was an actress yeah right yeah and she's still alive and but my sister got a part on the tv show knots landing right she played uh diana on knots landing right um and that's kind of like how uh you started coming out i started coming out visiting my sister but when i was 13 the the the what i was telling you about the improv i would come visit i didn't know what anything was but she would say let's you about the improv, I would come visit. I didn't know what anything was, but she would say, let's go to the improv. And I saw everybody perform. I saw Seinfeld, Leno,

Keenan Ivory Wayans was the first person I saw on stage. I saw Arsenio. I saw Eddie Murphy. I saw Robin Williams. When there would be four people in this, I mean, every single person. And I was just a kid. What year was that?

This is 83. So it was all happening. That was like the middle of the boom kind of. Yeah, and so it was like a unique thing. Like Eddie Murphy, I mean, everybody would come to the improv. It was like the spot. It wasn't 15 comedy clubs like they were in Los Angeles. No, no, it was it.

There was only two. It was comedy store and improv. And it was like sort of like, you know, church and state. It was like you're either a comedy store guy or an improv guy. And I was improv. I was like, in my head, I was like, fuck the comedy store. Like, I hang out at the improv. I'm 13 years old.

But, you know, like. And Claudia's older than you? Claudia's older than me. Yeah. We'll tell, for this sake, because she's probably going to listen, we'll say she's younger than me. Okay. But she used to host there, too, after a while. You know, I don't know when.

She used to host there, yeah. Yeah, she used to do some comedy. I remember her. I mean, I know her. I've hung out with her before. Did you fuck my sister, Mark? I did not fuck your sister. I did not fuck your sister.

Okay, okay, okay. But it was just an exciting time and it exposed me. At the time, I had dreams of being in the NBA. I wanted to be a basketball player. You're a tall guy. Tall guy. Could you play? You know, in my head.

My head was a lot of things going on. But you never wanted to rap? Never wanted to rap. I was just a fan. to be a basketball player you're tall guy tall guy could you play you know in my head my head was a lot of things going on you never wanted to rap never wanted to rap i was just a fan just a fan never wanted to rap never wanted to be an actor never wanted to be a comedian like i was going to be in the nba at 13 but you liked comedy i loved it you know but i didn't know what it was but you met bud and everybody i mean of course everybody because i remember like after zebra head like i was 89 now right but i know but i just remember walking into the improv and you were like holding court yeah yeah yeah and also i had been there i'd been hanging out there 13 since i was literally since i was 13 but in 80 and 89 it was like you know you fucking not quite

but yeah were you you weren't around there yet? No, I wasn't. They never really put me on that much. One time I went on around probably 92 or something. I was there. And Mark was there. And I was a very angry guy at that time, very angry comic. And I did my shit.

And it was like, it was uncomfortable. And I walk off and Mark's standing there by the door going out to the hallway. And he looks at me, and goes, very uplifting. And that's saying something coming from him. He was mocking me. Right, right, right. But he's all right. Yeah.

So, all right, so you're 13 and you're going back and forth. I'm going back and forth. I'm getting kicked out of New York City public schools and private schools. Oh, yeah. Why? Are you a criminal? I wasn't. I was so, the only thing that I was was disruptive.

Yeah, sure. I was so disruptive that I got kicked out of PS158, which is a public school in the third grade in the 70s. So you got to be... I think back now, to get kicked out of a public school in the 1970s in New York City, you got to be such a fucking pain in the ass. There was no fire starting. There was no violence.

Right. There was no anything. Just old school smart ass. Just old like on steroids like i was like a fucking pain in the ass i have no memory of it right but i just think back like how do you get kicked out of the school in the third grade like that's an accomplishment right sure so you put that on your resume exactly like you know and then it was just i went to one school to the next school and then my father tried me a private school and that was a waste of money. He said, where'd you go? I went to.

Since you had a state or no? No, he sent me in school and went to, I mean, I went to, I went to McBurney. I went to a school called Robert Louis Stevenson, which was like for like, you know, middle class kids with like, it was like basically like a high end place to send your kids that are like on the path to nowhere. Yeah. But it was Nework and it was time but like i just the one thing that did keep me focused is that i was going to be in the nba

yeah so there was no drinking there was no i didn't care about girls i didn't care about it i just played ball stayed out of trouble talked a lot of shit i i loved um i like the the idea of a school for kids who are on their way they're nowhere they still have them i know like my you know they have private schools where they're like, you know, they're going to get you out of high school. Right. And the parents have money, and they're going to pay for you to, like, you know, do whatever the fuck you want.

Liberal learning, different ways of learning. You'll get. Hopefully you'll work out somehow. If you get kicked out of those schools, you're a piece of shit. Like, because they're being paid a lot of money to keep you. So, like, the threshold is high is high jail's the next step jail or like you know rehab or like forest programs or stuff like that like you know wilderness shit here's your gear right hit the mountain exactly because if you get kicked out of that shit and it's always you know more privileged

kids than than than not so you know like you know my you know, so anyway, I got, I wound up getting kicked out of one of those schools. So that was in the eighth grade. In the ninth grade, my father sent me back to Wagner Junior High School, public school. And then 10th grade, I tried to live with my sister. I went to Fairfax. Oh, out here? For a year, I was in 10th.

But I just missed New York and missed my friends too much. And then I went to Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. And if that school that year was voted in the daily news in the new york city the worst public school in new york city yeah which is means a lot yeah because i mean it was like a fucking riot zone did you literally out of there they asked me not to come back they didn't kick me out but they said you know what the fuck were you doing i just was a motherfucker and then at this point I thought I was hot shit. I had a bunch of wild, restless, you know, thug friends.

I was the only white kid in the entire school. And this is a rough school. And it wasn't like, well, you must be a tough guy. Like I just had a lot of friends and, you know, everybody had their thing. Like some dudes could fight. Some dudes could play ball. I could talk shit. Like I could snap, you know, like I could could fight. Some dudes could play ball. I could talk shit. I could snap.

I could talk shit. So I could play ball. I was just, I knew how to use my mouth. That was my weapon. And you never got arrested? I got arrested once in 1989 for some loitering bullshit. Nothing to be proud of. Loitering?

Loitering in a mall. And then it was like a quick arrest. some loitering bullshit nothing nothing to be proud of loitering loitering in a mall and you know like in and then it was just some it was like a quick arrest it was like i got arrested because i the reason why they out here in virginia it's nothing to be nothing good and then actually yeah but not nothing i i got a couple little small things like that but nothing like you know worth mentioning like no stories no story behind getting arrested in Virginia? 19. It was literally loitering.

I think the only reason why they arrested me because I didn't have ID. What were you doing in Virginia? Visiting my friends that were, quote, unquote, going to college down here. Mingling in small time drug dealing. Yeah. Small time.

Yeah. Doing dumb shit. Yeah. Doing dumb shit that Disco Dave's son and June Brody's son shouldn't be doing. Doing dumb shit. Doing really stupid shit that when I think about this little period of time,

I shudder of what could have wind up happening to me. So did you somehow get scared straight or you just fucking found show business? You know what? If you see my left ear, Mark, see my ear? Yeah. I got into a fight, like a street fight, and with a bunch of dudes that were really bout it, bout it, and got my ear bit off. And if you see the shape of my ear,

and at this point I knew I wasn't going to the NBA. No college scholarships had come in like I had dreamed and practiced for hours and hours. For the guy who got kicked out of school every year, there was no college scholarship? No, for the 6'2 Jewish kid from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, strangely... Smart-ass

big-mouth motherfucker. Who averaged 11 points. That was his high. No colleges came knocking down my door. I don't know why to this day. I feel like a lot of the biggie schools missed out. But that incident, I called my father. I was like, Dad, I've been in the hospital for the last day.

And I got my, you know, I told him. He was like, you know, listen to me. And he said to me, this is a true story. He said to me, I'm afraid the next time you call me somebody's gonna tell me you got a bullet in you yeah and and i remember i don't have a great memory but i distinctly like remember like like like a shiver going through me and i was like that that really like in my head that could happen right and then i actually came back to los angeles um and and and and got an apartment for $325. What was it?

So how old were you when the fight happened? 19. Yeah. And then I came to Los Angeles. And you were just hanging out with some bad guys and the shit went down? Like, I mean, like real rough dudes, like real rough dudes. But were those the dudes you were hanging with regular at that time? Oh, yeah. I was hanging with rough guys and I was taken care of and protected.

But like I was hanging, you know, like. My friends were all from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, which is the ungentrifiable section of Brooklyn, and Harlem. And they were street dudes. And I fancied myself a street dude. But I was not. But I was around them. And it literally started over some, like, what are you looking at shit? And the next thing you know, we're in a four-on-three street fight.

And people are throwing rocks and throwing punches. And I was actually getting the better of this dude and he bit my ear. And at this point I had a looming thought that I would be a standup comic. And while he was biting my ear, I said to him, you're biting my fucking ear. I swear to God. And as I pulled away from him, I touched my ear and I couldn't feel it because it went numb. But no bullshit. The first thing that popped in

my head was, you can't be a stand-up comic with one ear. Like, that's no bullshit. I was like, how am I going to be a stand-up comic? I thought you were going to say like, I'm going to get 10 minutes of material out of it. No, no, no. I had never even tried it at this point. Right. I'm going to be the one-ear guy. I should have went with that. See, that's

why I wasn't a good stand-up i had things most of your ear did not have to put it back on well they had i got a skin graph all right so so you know uh anyway that that kind of woke me up and that thing your dad said like if you know it and you feel it and you know you you know he says something like that and you realize you look at your life and where it is and it lands it's terrifying and it and it was great luckily it didn't go any further, because I had no business doing the shit that I was doing. And I was, you know, and I just was, you know,

I was young, man. I was so fucking dumb. Like, when you're 19, it's the dumbest part of my life, yet the time that I thought I was the smartest in my life. Of course. Now I know how dumb I am. Yeah.

And I know, like, what my parameters are. But at the time, I thought I knew everything. Yeah. And I was the smartest in my life. Of course. Now I know how dumb I am. Yeah. And I know what my parameters are. But at the time, I thought I knew everything. Yeah. And I was untouchable. And I was dumb as shit. And it wasn't tough. And I was just dumb. Isn't it weird, though?

You have kids now? Two sons, yeah. You have two sons. 15 and 13. Really? Yeah. Already? When did that happen?

When I was 30. Do the math, Mark. Come on, man. I know. I'm with you. I know it's crazy, though. Yeah, because I don't know. You're one of those guys I think I know, but I don't know. No, on, man. I know. I'm with you. I know. It's crazy, though, right? Yeah, because I don't know. You're one of those guys I think I know, but I don't know.

No, no, no. I know you're from movies. No, I'm just playing. But when I look back on it, or I even see young people doing comedy now, and they're saying all this shit, and there's part of me that's like, that's not going to happen. Right. What are you thinking? Right.

But when you're in it, even if an old guy says to you, like, what the fuck are you doing? You're stupid. You're like, right. Right. What do you know? Exactly. And now you're an old guy, and you're in it even if an old guy says to you like what the fuck are you doing you're stupid you're like right right who what do you know exactly and now you're old guy and you're like yeah i know and now i have teenage sons how are they doing they're doing good you know like they're they're they're ahead of me um you know they're they're they're doing well in what way just in terms of where they are in their lives you know i mean good students and whatnot they're they're good students they're getting there i mean I mean, they have the Rappaport name and they're boys. So, you know,

there's sort of a genetic disposition to be a fuck-up. But in general, they're good kids and they haven't gotten kicked out of school yet. So let's just put... They're sweet kids and, you know,

and they're good. They're good boys. So you move out here, you get an apartment for 300 bucks. 325 bucks. Yeah. The 25 changes the game. So if you say 300, it was 325. It's 1989. So it's okay. 325 bucks. Yeah. The 25 changes the game. So if you say 300,

it was 325. It's 1989. So it's okay, 325. You know, it wasn't 375. I don't think I could have afforded it.

Where is that? It was actually, it was one of these apartments that sort of talked about by comics. It was like this, it was on Carlton Way in Hollywood.

And a lot of other comics lived there, like J. Anthony Brown. Yeah. Jimmy Woodard. I remember Jimmy Woodard. Yeah. What happened to that guy? Jimmy's, lived there, like J. Anthony Brown, Jimmy Woodard. I remember Jimmy Woodard. Yeah. What happened to that guy?

Jimmy's, I think, still around doing his thing. But it was like the comic place. I started doing my little stand-up, and I was able to pay the rent. And you're 20? I'm 19. Yeah, so you're doing mostly at the improv. Well, at that point, actually, I didn't start doing stand-up. I didn't make any money for about a year.

I mean, we're talking like $25, $50. Were you working another job? Yeah, I was a messenger. Yeah. A driving messenger. Yeah. Which was actually fun because it helped me learn the city. Because I didn't know how to drive.

Had your Thomas guide. Thomas guide. Yeah. And I would deliver scripts to actors and agencies. It was a fucking messenger. You'd have packages. Did you Thomas Guide? Thomas Guide. Yeah. And I would deliver scripts to like actors and agencies. It was a fucking messenger. You'd have like, you know, packages. Did you meet some guys? I remember that I delivered a script to the guy from Dukes of Hazzard.

And he came out and I was like, oh shit, that's a dude from Dukes of Hazzard. But like at the time, I was like, you know, he came out and got like the package. I think it was a script. But that was like a big deal. Like, yo, that's the dude from Dukes. Not that I gave a fuck about Dukes of Hazzard, but I went to his. And I was like, in my head, I was like, yo, I know where the guy from Dukes of Hazzard lives.

The blonde had a dude. Schneider, I think his name is. John Schneider? I don't know. Did some singing, too, I think that guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And so, but I would see people.

But I wasn't impressed. You know, like I wasn't, you know, whatever. The job was good. But I kept that messenger job for about a year, a year and a half. And you had family out here, and you got along with Mark. You could eat at the Improv if you wanted. I could eat at the Improv. Yeah.

And the cost of living was just so cheap then. Yeah. It's definitely different than New York, right? It's a fucking shithole. And my mother gave me a used car. Yeah. And, you know, I was off and running. And at this point, I was going to be the next Eddie Murphy. In my head, I was going to be Eddie Murphy. and i was at this point i was going to be the next

eddie murphy in my head i was going to be eddie murphy yeah that's like what i was going to be but i had no sort of plan or how to get there and i was not a great stand-up comedian uh nor did i understand what it takes to become a great stand-up comedian and then after about a year year and a half of doing stand-up i would go on late or real early. Right. Like, I was never prime time. Yeah, of course. You know, a casting agent saw me doing stand-up, and they were casting the movie Zebra Head, and they were like, yo, you want to come in and audition for this movie? And at the time, like, that's like, like, I was like, Zebra Head was like, it was like

perfect time. It was the perfect storm. Yeah. Like, it was like the perfect part. Right. At the perfect time and when I read the script, I was like,

I'm going to get this part. Like, I knew in my head. your life. It was like my life. It was a softer version of my life. Yeah.

But like, I related to the whole culture, the music, the sort of outsider aspect of it all and the interracial and at the time, like,

I was like, I flew myself to New York. I auditioned. And it was a small movie, you know. It wasn't like a, you know, a big movie. And I auditioned and I auditioned. And I was like, in my head, I was like, there's no way I'm not getting this part. Yeah, and you did, right? And I got the part.

And you, more than the movie, you got sort of noticed. Yeah, yeah. And then I was an actor. And then I was like, I'm not Yeah, yeah. And then I was an actor. And then I was like, I'm not doing stand-up anymore. I'm an actor. I quit. And then I remember Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller and Sarah Silverman and Dave Schwartz. I don't do this shit no more.

Fuck stand-up comedy. I quit. I'm an actor. And I made like $27,000 before taxes. But you're 20, 21 years old. That's big. That's fucking huge. And you think you're on your way.

I think I'm on my way. And you were kind of. I was kind of. And I bought a Honda Accord. And I was like, yo, this is it. You know, like, and you know, and I, you know, fortunately, I started working. Like, I know you're still frugal. Like, yeah, I bought an Accord.

I'm a practical guy. No, I was always good with money. I was always good with money until I got divorced, but that's a whole other fucking subject. I know that one. You know that one, right? Yeah, I do. Yeah. Yeah.

What, from the mother of your kids? I got divorced once, and that's all I'm saying. I'm not saying anything. I'm not saying anything. It's over, though? You know, the kids are still alive, and there's still bills to be paid. Yeah, I get you. Were you divorced?

I was, but I got no kids. I was divorced twice. Oh, shit. The second one hurt because I had some money. Fuck. It hurts when you got money. But I imagine if you have kids, it's a whole other ballpark. Well, you know what?

I don't understand because you seem like you're a smart dude. And also, I need to ask you, was the president sitting right where I'm sitting? Yeah, right there. Wait a minute. Yeah. Right right where i'm sitting he was sitting in here yeah when he walked in was he like this is a fucking hovel like did he like has he been in a place like this what he said exactly was a lot of pictures of you around here uh sort of narcissistic isn't it mark so he took a shot at me right out of the gate and were you like oh shit this isn't going on no no no he was making a joke i did and It was very relaxed. He listened to it. No, I've heard it.

Were you tripping out? Yeah, dude. I mean, I had fucking secret service all over the place. There was LAPD here. They tented my driveway. We're waiting. We see his helicopter's coming over. I mean, he's the fucking president.

It's not a casual event. Got five people on headsets out there. It was nuts. Gets out of the motorcade, comes up through that gate right at the end of this way. The same gate that I walked through. Right, and I'm standing in front. They told me to wait here for him. He walks in with all these people

coming up the driveway, the staff and everything. I didn't even see him. And all of a sudden, out of the crowd, I see Mark, and there's Obama waving at me. And I'm like, Mr. President.

Did chills go through you? Yes. Yes. That's crazy. Chills went through me knowing that I was sitting in the same spot. This is his cup. I put a little glass dome on his cup.

That's fucking cool. That's fucking cool. It was insane, dude. Like, did you sage the place? Because I'm not saying in any disrespectful way, Mark, but it's got a lived-in smell. And not bad, not good. A little musky.

It's got a lived-in smell. But, I mean, Well, it's got, it's got a lived in smell, but I mean, this is where it all happened. Yeah. They swept it. You know, they took all this stuff in here. Yeah.

They took like, they took things that look dangerous off the desk here, like that hammer and the knife. Did you, did you ever in all of your podcasting ever imagine that as good and as revered as you are? And it's so, so much of a staple and sort of like a monumental pillar of podcasting.

Did you ever even think that that would even be remotely something that could happen? No. Like you'd be interviewing the president of the United States? No. It was crazy. I mean, I had done political talk radio years ago, but even then, to get a president just never happened.

And I never set out to get him. I never I don't even do politics anymore. And I'm like, what the hell? You know, I had no idea. And then people like, well, how are you going to follow that? I don't know. I got Rich Voss on. Michael Rappaport's coming on.

But what else are you going to do? Right. You know what I mean? I don't want to interview candidates. It was an amazing event. I was thrilled that, you know, he thought this would be a good outlet for him to talk to people about himself, which he did. And from everything I've heard, there was not much backlash negative from either side.

Why should there be? It was a great interview. Well, because there's a bunch of assholes on both sides. They don't shut up. Right. And there's always a fucking problem. But a lot of people are like, I forgot how much I like that guy. They're like, yeah, now much I liked that guy. Right.

They're like, yeah, now I know why I voted for him. Why can't he stay there? Right. And then there were people that are like, never liked him, but that was great. Right. Yeah. So it worked out. Did you find yourself, like when you were looking at him, were like, was it surreal? And like, were you like ever thrown or like, were you like going through like, did you

ever sort of like feel totally relaxed or were you always sort of like on cloud nine of it like you know like probably right now that you're interviewing me there's probably a nervous excitement right of course yeah just like when obama was here that's what i'm saying so did it ever go away like you feel like i feel like you've relaxed into the regular mark maron but with obama did it ever go away well i was i was pretty open and pretty you know kind of vulnerable and nervous but i also knew that i wanted to do what i do so you know i wore my plaid shirt right and but i i prepared more than i would otherwise because i had a tight hour right and there was some things we had to

cover and there was other things i wanted to get to i wanted to frame it so he didn't get lost in politics or it didn't get too wonky right you know we stay i wanted him to connect with me right so that happened pretty quickly like he disarmed me pretty quickly, made some jokes. And very quickly he's sitting there and I'm like, I see a guy there. There's a guy there. Right. And he was connected. That's what I felt like I heard.

Like I felt like I heard the guy. Yeah. And that happened. So once I started happening, I mean, if you listen to it, like 10 minutes in, I'm calling a man and, you know, and I'm finishing his sentences. So there was, you know So there was a comfort there. And he's very adaptable in that way. But I really felt like he was present and it was a guy.

And pretty quickly, I stopped thinking about everything that was going on outside. You were able to like throw in. Right. Because I had questions and I don't usually. Right. And I couldn't just fly by the seat of my pants on that one, or else I risk having an incomplete interview. And I think I covered everything I wanted to cover. No, it was good.

It was good. So now that you did Obama, did interviewed Obama, who was the top three people? Aside from this, you could check me off. Who's the top three people that you would want to get to now well there's a lot of people even in show business i like if you could pick three like if you were like these would be the three of your favorites yeah albert brooks would be great oh that would be cool right uh you know this part i really i i want to talk to lily tomlin about the old days okay you know it'd be i think it'd be pretty exciting to talk to Coppola, right? Of course.

I don't know, man. There's always people that... I talked to Bill Friedkin the other day. Yep. In my mind, sometimes because I've run through my Rolodex, so now we get pitched people, and someone like Friedkin, of course I want to fucking talk to Bill Friedkin. Right.

Director of the French Connection. Right. He was here for three fucking hours. That's crazy. So if I'm interested, it doesn't matter where they come from right politicians i'm not so interested in right i hear you yeah would you would of course trump would be fun right i guess but he would just steamroll me what are you gonna do with that guy i mean like he's gonna blow through me like people say that does he blow through or is he just he's talking bullshit right

well yeah he is i listen to him and i'm like, I feel like I could be the president. Right. If this motherfucker's taking it that far, like, he doesn't know shit. I don't know shit. He just talks some fucking random greasy shit. Yeah. And he's just, like, I'm like, yo, I could do this. Like, that's the thing that I think is almost good about him running. Yeah.

This motherfucker makes it feel like anybody could be president. Like, this motherfucker doesn't know anything more or less than I do. He has no, like, I've never heard somebody double talk so well. Right. Like, he just, like, doesn't answer the questions and, like. Yeah, he works the room. He works the room and he makes bullshitting attainable. Yeah.

But I don't know if that's good or bad in politics, but I'm like, I'm going to run for something. Like, I would be the fucking, I'd be a fucking, I seriously feel like I could be the mayor of New York. Yeah. If this fucking guy could run for new president i could at least be the mayor schwarzenegger was the fucking governor of california reagan was the fucking president i mean you know actors have done you know to meet it's possible it's possible but yeah no but i i don't know what i do with them because like there's like here's the problem and even with obama but not not so much

when i talk to him is that they have an agenda and if they have an agenda everybody sort of has an agenda right uh so like you know that agenda like you said the ability to deflect uh questions and deflect conversation to sort of service what you want to talk about anyways is annoying so you know like i knew like with obama they didn't tell me they didn't they didn't give us questions they didn't they give us final edit they knew he's a pro so like anything that guy you're not going to trip up obama that's right so anything they don't want to answer they're just going to be like well that's a that's a good question i'm going to talk about something else you're going to take it on a fucking lake that's right you're going to be down a lake and by the

time you realize you're at that lake you're going to be like too far to hike up you're going to be all and like and you're going to be on a pond somewhere right yeah so i don't i don't really want to deal with the the campaign what were you saying that we were that lake, you're going to be like too far to hike up. You're going to be on a pond somewhere. Right. Yeah, so I don't really want to deal with the camping. What were you saying though? We were talking about divorce. You said, I'm a smart guy. I've been married twice. Oh, I don't know.

We were talking about divorce, child support. Yeah, but I told you. The reason I was going to ask you, Coach, so you don't have kids, because child support. Yeah. I'm not going to say or not say whether I deal with this, but just in general. Yeah. And you would think, what does a random person bringing up child support? He's probably dealing with it, but I'm not going to say or not say whether I deal with this, but just in general. Yeah. And you would think, what does a random person bringing up child support? He's probably dealing with it, but I'm not going to say either way.

But child support, I just want to throw this out there. But you don't know this, but I figured you were probably smarter than me, is a motherfucker. Yeah. Because with child support, you get forced to pay a certain amount of money each month. And there's no proof of receipt on where that fucking money is going right and i thought because i like your point of views on things if you had experienced that you could really break that down yeah because it's a motherfucker and as far as like i don't know if it's state by state or a national thing but like i feel like the second amendment and the child support laws don't

change those are the only fucking two things that change. Like iPods improve, cars improve. But those motherfucking things, child support. But I think your issue is. And this has nothing to do with me. It's a cousin, a friend of mine. So your friend, I think the issue he's dealing with is the basic sort of like, what's she doing with the fucking money? Why is there no proof of purchase?

Where's that fucking money go? Again, this has nothing to do with me. I understand. I just heard a guy talking in the coffee shop down the street. I know. I'm with you on that, and I feel bad for that guy. Yeah, me too. I don't even know his name.

But the truth of the matter is, I guess you could ask the kid, where's the new shoes that your mother said that she got? Your pants look too small, and you look thin. You don't seem like you're eating good. I don't understand. I sent her money. You don't seem like you're eating good. I don't understand. I sent her money. Where's the fucking money going? I understand.

And why don't you have like a seven foot Christmas tree? You got that bullshit Christmas tree. And why is she driving a new car? I mean, not my kid. Not me, the other kid. The guy at the coffee shop. The guy at Starbucks, right. No, I know.

Like, I guess I dodged that bullet. But all of that shit, as soon as lawyers are involved, it's a no-win game for anybody. It's fucked up. And those no-good fucking judges, they truly do judge you. Yeah. They judge you. It's their job. Yeah, I know.

But until you're actually judged by a real judge, you've never been judged. You can be like, well, that girl judged me. My boss judged me yeah no until you're in there with that no good judge and he's really fuck and he's seen it all yeah all of it like there's not like all your fucking like rhetoric all your bullshit it means nothing to this guy a judge a judge because they're like all right that's fine but let's talk about the issue at hand and he's gonna do it in three to five seconds and you're not gonna know what the fuck happened to you until you're at the fucking bank pulling out money,

and you might as well just be in Vegas just gambling it away because it's going nowhere. Yeah, to the lawyer. There's more paperwork. Those fucking no-good lawyers, too. Yeah, I know, I know. You know what got me is the disclosure process. Right.

That killed me. I was like, you know, I don't have kids, but I'm like, I'm right i you know i i have a just fucking fight here and then they have you do we need all your phone bills for 20 years whatever the fuck it is i've never been more organized in my life i was at kinko's three hours a day putting shit together for her dumb lawyer not realizing that all their it's a fucking shakedown it's a fucking shakedown and then you you you're at kinko's for three hours yet your court session's like 36 seconds. You don't even go. You get a piece of paper that says that it was filed for $2,000.

It's motherfucking... Oh, you mean the lawyer bills? Yeah. That's a fucking... See, that's what I don't understand. Those motherfucking lawyers. Yeah. Those divorce...

That's a show. On both sides. They're fucking skullbags. The more you argue, the happier they are. Exactly. They divorce, that's a show. On both sides. They're fucking skull bags. The more you argue, the happier they are. Exactly. They just want to keep going. Yeah,

and your lawyer is acting like you're a therapist, but he's really just going, ka-ching, ka-ching. Oh, sure, sure. I guess we can try that. That sounds like a good idea.

Yeah, no, fuck her. I don't like her. Well, what do you think of her lawyer? And he's, oh, we're going to game plan. It's like he thinks he's fucking Bill Belichick

and it's the super, no, it's just a bunch, it's a fucking racket then after that you know they go home and they call the other lawyer like how you doing i'm good they're probably fucking each other somehow somehow shake that then but that's the operative word for me with that with all that stuff is that really does become a shakedown and the only way it ends is when the guy with the money goes all right i'm done i'm. I'm done. I've had enough. I've submitted. You put me in the figure four. I got it. You win.

I can't take it anymore. Exactly. And then all that money you spent being righteous, it's like, why the fuck? Because any motherfucker, I'll tell you this right now, any guy who's been through it before will tell you right to your face,

pay her. Just give her what the fuck she wants. Off the top. Just pay her. Because when those what are they what is it l esqs what's the thing for a lawyer esquires when they get involved that's when the fucking party's over yeah and you think and then you think you're like in some sort of fight but it ain't the thriller in manila no no it ain't pacquiao versus mayweather it ain't rousey

versus the other girl it It's a fucking slaughter. It's fixed, and the guy with the money's going to lose. Yeah, Don King's coming in for the fucking fix. Yeah. So anyway. But you're all right, though. I'm all right. I can't complain.

The kids are all right. The kids are good. Good. All right, so now going back to your story. So Zebra Head, so you're launched. I'm launched. You got an agent, big agency. I got a manager.

You're going out. I don't think people realize. I don't think I realized until I looked at the filmography. I mean, you've been in like a fucking hundred movies. Yeah, I mean. One way or the other. Yeah. Good, bad, and indifferent.

But yeah, I've worked nonstop since 1991, man. And I've had the fortune of doing a lot of great movies with a lot of great people and work with a lot of great directors. And I've learned a tremendous amount. Like your fifth movie you did was True Romance. That was big. Everyone loves that movie. I watched it recently.

I got it on Blu-ray. You're great in that movie. Thank you. Thank you. It's a good movie. It's a sweet part. It's a sweet part. That's really who I was at the time.

I was like an actor who wanted a break. And that's why I got the part, because they were casting that film. And it was actually uh you know that was at the time when scripts were scripts they weren't sent they weren't um emailed yeah so you'd get them and the word around town was was big about the true romance script for the actors and and and and quentin tarantino had had just done reservoir dogs and then around this time um Natural Born Killers had come out. Yeah, so he's hot.

He's hot and it's exciting. And so this true romance script that he's directing is being passed around. And like, you know, all my actor friends were auditioning for one part or another. And, you know, we started hearing, oh, well, Christopher Walken's going to play the mobster. Oh, shit, the mobster. And they're like, well, Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, who had just come off a really good part in the Indian Runner. They're going to, oh, that's cool. And then Dennis Hopper's going to play.

Oh, shit, Dennis. Oh, so Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken are going to be doing that scene. Yeah, that fucking eight-page scene. And so it was just this anticipation. And I had auditioned for a mobster part. Yeah. About Gandolfini's part no just small small part yeah a small part i'll actually say which part it was because i never liked to

sort of discredit but it was a part that my friend an actor friend kevin corrigan yeah oh yeah yeah so that he wanted to play so i had auditioned for that part and i was in the loop for that and and i was like you know like i interviewed him he's good dude yeah great guy and and me and kevin have worked with each other a lot. Like, he was in my first movie, Zebra Head. And Kevin had already done, he'd done Goodfellas. He had done Men Don't Leave. And I was like, yo, that's Kevin.

You know, like, I knew who he was. Yeah, yeah, you knew him, yeah. And he just, like, working on a film with Kevin was kind of like the first time, when Zebra Head was the first actor I saw act the way I wanted to act. Like, he exploded. He had a small part in Zebra act yeah like he exploded he had a small part in zebra but he exploded at me you know when cameras are rolling and I was like yo this guy's like Al Pacino yeah and I was like I want to do that and then

we had pizza and like you know we became friends and the rest is you know friendship history but um the casting director who was um Mary ver knew she was the casting assistant while they were were trying to cast Dick Ritchie, she told my agent, yo, that guy, Michael Rapoport guy, should come in and read. He's like that. So I went in and read on a Saturday

with the great Tony Scott. And I remember behind me was all the photos of who the people were going to be in the movie. So I'm looking up there, and they were like Xerox copies of Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Val Kilmer, Samuel Jackson, James Gandolfini, who was nobody at the time.

Yeah. And so on and so on. And I'm like, and I told Tony Scott, who passed away, and I said, please don't let me leave here until I get this part. And he said, all right, mate, you know, we'll try. And I just read and read and read but like I think just like that earnestness was really made sense well you probably had to peel back it's a pretty vulnerable part yeah it's who I it's who I was sweet kid almost sweet kid who just wanted his big break and right you know you're so naturally

filled with bluster I imagine Tony was like all right turn, turn it down. Yeah. Turn it down a little. Well, at the time, you know, I don't know what the fuck was going through my head, but I knew like somehow like this was for me. Yeah. And there's been certain moments in my career, like Zebra Head was the first one and True Romance was the second one. I was like, this is for me. This is my part. Right.

And I got it. And doing that film was like, you know, I would show up on set when I wasn't in the movie because, you know. Yeah, i got it and and and doing that film was like you know i would show up on set when i wasn't in the movie because you know you got it like i was on set when they did the the dick the um the christopher walken dennis hopper scene and right james gandolfini yeah yeah he was just a guy like me we were like i can't fucking believe this and gary oldman was like i remember being in the makeup trailer and gary oldman was over there doing like a hair test because he was and i was like what the fuck they were actually considering me for that part at one point wow that's a big part it's a heavy part right it was just a privilege to be in it and and and Tony Scott

was so welcoming with all my thoughts and ideas and I was going to be Marlon Brando and I I have these ideas and I'm going to create and some of the things he would say no no no and some of the things he would say yeah yeah try it but he never told me to shut the fuck up. Right. But before that, Poetic Justice, that was a pretty big movie. Right? Was that Janet Jackson? Tupac.

Yeah, yeah. And I just had a little part in it, but I wanted to be in it because I loved Tupac. And I knew how special he was, like a lot of other people. Like, you knew you were around somebody who was special. And then, like, just to go to the cast reading and the rap party, fucking Janet Jackson was there. And this is when Janet Jackson was like Janet Jackson. Yeah.

And Tupac was there and Regina King. These are your heroes. I'm like, yo, and John Singleton, who had just done Boys in the Hill. I'm like, yo, I'm 25 years old. So I remember just like, I don't care how big the part is. It was with Tupac. I went to the fucking cast read-through, and I went to the rap party. is you know i'm 25 years old so i went i remember just like i don't care how big the part is it was with tupac uh i went to the fucking cast read through and i went to the rap party and i remember it i remember the rap party like it was like janet jackson was like oh i saw true romance i love that

and i was like this is fucking crazy here this is crazy and tupac and i got a polaroid with tupac you still got it i still got it that's sweet, man. Singleton's great. I think that movie, Baby Boy, fucking masterpiece. Me too. I love that fucking movie. Boys in the Hood's good too, yeah. He's discovered so many great actors. Yeah, I love his work. I'd like to talk.

He's another guy. See, we bring it up. I'd like to talk to that guy. I can connect you with him. He's a good dude, easy, good dude, low-key, loves movies, loves talking, loves actors, loves film. Oh, wow. And just like a like a like a

good the same dude he's always been a good dude really smart he's like a fucking encyclopedia he's like one of these encyclopedias film nerd of course yeah he's a nerd nerd i'll tell him this to his face i love john he's a nerd nerd who's also a film nerd i'd love to fucking talk to that guy he's good people all right so you do that so you do true. And there's a lot of movies here that I haven't seen. Some of them aren't that good, Mark. Some of them aren't worth seeing. Some of them might be good, but listen, you don't never know. But you'll take the gig.

I'll take the fucking gig, and you go into it thinking everything's going to be gone with the wind. They ain't gone with the wind. Kiss Toledo Goodbye up there, that's one of the things you've never seen. Don't fucking see it. It's a piece of shit. Great cast, but it was with Christine Taylor, Christopher Walken, a lot of piece of shit. You never know. But you're one of those guys that's going to represent himself no matter what.

There's a baseline to your personality that's not going to go away. You're not going to disappear. So anything you're in, you're like, that's Michael Rapaport doing some variation of that guy. Listen, when you're just an actor. Character actor, right? Yeah, but when you're in you're like that's michael rapaport doing some variation of that guy i'm not listen when when you're just an actor character actor right yeah but but when you're just an actor you're solely responsible uh and you could drive yourself crazy and this is where i think actors get a bad rap because especially the more and more successful you get and the more pressure but when you're just an actor like the only thing you can control is your performance.

And even that, at the end of the day, a director and editor have the final say in it. Right, right. You know, but I could see like why stars, you know, you hear about like stars fighting with studios or stars fighting with directors. Like your fucking ass is on the line. And your pedigree and your ability to continue to star in movies is on the line. And the business of show business, you know, I could see how, like, you know, Brando was the most famous for sort of despising it outwardly and openly first. Right. How it could drive you fucking nuts.

Yeah. You know, because you become a commodity and then you can't even control what you're doing. So, but for me, like, you know, I go into, you know, especially when I was young, everything was, like, just earnest. You know, like, I like i was like kiss toledo goodbye that piece of shit amongst other things and we went into it thinking it's going to be this great mobster comedy and it didn't turn out that way but at the time you don't know but you were in like higher learning that was a big movie yep and basketball diaries that was a good movie basketball working with leonardo right a little dicaprio he went on to bigger and better things.

He did all right. He did all right for himself. The funny thing about Higher Learning is that he was actually going to be in Higher Learning. The original cast for Higher Learning was Leonardo DiCaprio, Tupac, Gwyneth Paltrow. And I was going to play a different part. And then for some fucking strange reason, DiCaprio decided to do some movie about a sinking ship. I don't know what the fuck he was thinking.

I don't know what came of that thing. What a mistake that was. It was some fucking piece of shit he wanted to do about a ship and James Cameron. Some guys just make the wrong choices. I don't know what the fuck he was thinking about, Mark. But anyway, so, you know, but yeah, I mean, basketball dies. And then you work with Woody. Woody Allen.

That was a big deal. Of. That was a big deal. Of course it was a big deal. It was a big movie. Oscar winner with what's his name? Mira Serino. Mighty Aphrodite. Yeah. And that was big for me.

It was exciting. Most of the people I talk to that work with him, he's pretty low key, right? He kind of counts on you to do what you do. He counts on you to do. He doesn't count on you to do what you do. You know what he wants? Yeah. The first thing he wants is he doesn't want to talk about him being woody allen that's number one yeah like say he doesn't want any sort of fanboy shit about like what was it like when you did manhattan he doesn't want he doesn't want to talk about himself but you know

i got him to talk very open and sort of regularly about basketball yeah um fast food in new york chinese restaurants and jazz music. Because I knew going into it, don't talk to him about any... Don't ask him... His movies. He doesn't want to talk about that. But if you talk to him just regular

and you're not extra giddy with him, he'll talk to you. But as far as his process, he writes a script. It's actor-proof. The way he shoots things is very contained. He doesn't do a lot of coverage um everything looks beautiful he doesn't rehearse anything so like we would have like you

know five six seven page scenes and he would be like let's just shoot it and see what happens and like i mean i'm talking about like you don't run the lines like he would kind of like do this part over here do this part over here walk there walk back and then we'll see what happens and and a lot of times it just works yeah and um and but there's there's definitely a method to the madness yeah and the method to the magic yeah but he just sort of scales down all the bullshit right and at the at the time i was like you know what the fuck he's got complete control and he's not complete control and that makes a big difference great people you know in the film the writing anyone could do a good performance in a woody allen film right the writing itself is so good yeah no there's a there's been quite a few good ones and then like uh cop land where that was the next that

that should have been a huge movie i kind of like it it's a weird ass movie yeah did you get to work did you get to talk to sly and everybody all of them yeah all of them. And I was like a fucking kid in a candy store. Yeah. Like I was- Leota. Ray Leota, De Niro. Yeah. Sylvester Stallone. And like Sylvester Stallone, you know, like Rocky was the first movie I ever saw that moved me.

Yeah. I was six when I saw it. Yeah. But somehow it got me on an emotional level. And then De Niro and then Harvey Keitel. But to be on a set- New York guys. I couldn't fucking believe that.

Like, I couldn't believe. Is Swy from New York or Philly? Philly. Philly, yeah. But he was like a fixture in my life. And De Niro was a fixture in my life. And the first day on the set of Copland, like I'm on the set with Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel, and fucking Robert De Niro. In a movie

we're shooting downtown by one police plaza and I'm just like floating yeah floating through air like I can't believe that I've done this

yeah and you know I knew to keep my fan shit you know this is before cell phones and all this stuff but like I remember like

you know writing in my journal like you know in the thing like know, writing in my journal, like, you know, in the thing, like, I can't believe I'm going on set.

I'm about to do this scene with De Niro and Stallone. And it was just a great experience that James Mangold directed it. And, you know, the film turned out good and it was, there was so much excitement and hype on it. Cause it was going to be Sylvester Stallone's return and I'm going to gain weight and all this stuff. And,

you know, I mean, it was just a, it was a, it was fun. Peter Berg was in it. I know Berg. Yeah. So I live with him briefly. briefly did you really in culver city when we were when he was starting out i was starting out steve brill me steve brill oh shit and berg briefly live with

each other that's crazy and they pushed me out they got rid of you that's a crazy bunch right there yeah yeah and then we were kids but uh so did you talk to de niro were you able to sort of get a little? You know, we had a little exchanges. I knew better than to fucking, again, like I just like I don't have Tourette's, but I felt like I had a raging bull Tourette's. Like I was just going to be like, raging bull. Taxi driver.

Travis Bickle. Casino. But I kept it under control. You know, we had funny exchanges. He was very polite. Very like I treated him like a professional. He treated me like a professional. So when I was in front of him, I knew the best thing to do was to just bring it to him. Just be a pro and be as good as I could possibly be.

Stallone was a different story. I was with Stallone like Rocky 1 through 6. Every single line from every single movie we would do I would do Paulie lines. Yeah. He would do Rocky lines. I would do

Rocky lines. He would do Adrian lines. I would do his lines. He would do other people's like he loved it.

Yeah. He answered every single one of my Rocky fantasy questions. Yeah. Burgess Meredith

questions. My Carl Weathers questions. My Stallone every single fucking question. Yeah. To the point where James Mangold was like, do not talk to him. Don't fucking speak to him.

This is Copland. This isn't Rocky III. He's not talking about Clubber Lane. Don't talk to him on the set unless it's within the character. So it was, but it was, he was cool and very generous and totally like, you know, appreciated it and never like annoyed. And like, He was cool. Did you become friends?

Until the last day, and I haven't seen him since. I saw him at a basketball game two years later, and he looked at me like I was an usher. Listen, and I get that now. Did you see the new one? Loved it. I got to see it. For Sylvester Stallone to get nominated for Best Supporting Actor

for essentially Rocky VII, it's almost like it for for sylvester sloan to get nominated for best supporting actor for essentially rocky seven it's almost like you know like it's a rocky story within rocky seven yeah but he deserves it and he was great in creed i loved creed and i was as cynical as anybody going into it i had fucking tears coming down my face sure it's it's great creed's great and michael b jordan is great and and and the thing about creed that it does is that it serves, it creates a new movie for all of us. It's not kind of, it refers to the old stuff and you get the old Rocky magic. And also for your kids. Exactly.

Yeah. Exactly. All right, then let's get a bamboozle that you were great in that. That's a great movie. Spike Lee. I love that movie. It's a good movie. You know why I love that movie?

Because, I mean, he shot it on digital, I think think one of the first movies on digital yeah and i know there's but but the way they they produced the minstrel show yes as television yeah and they showed it with those colors and it was disturbing yes and beautiful like you know that's what it would look like and how different is that yo from you like it was powerful to me yeah just specifically the way they shot those minstrel shows it was fucking devastating yeah no it was very very uh was that hard for you to do to go against character a little bit um because you were kind of the asshole the insensitive yeah nah i loved it you know like as an actor like you'd love that shit like spike was good to work with spike was spike is very similar to woody like's very much like, he loves the actor to do his thing.

Yeah. Very sort of, you know, empowering and lets you do your thing. And because it was one of the first films on digital, I mean, I'm talking about digital, like, it was small little cameras around the room. Yeah, yeah. We had cameras, like, we would do fucking 10-page scenes. There were long scenes. And we'd be done like that because there

was i was like did you get the coverage he's like yeah there's a camera there's and i was like oh shit you know it was like there was a camera surveillance cameras almost and and uh if you watch the film again and it definitely deserves a second watching or first watching you'll see that like the way it was shot was very unique and exciting cast and spikely movie in new york and um you know i'm proud of that movie you know and then you didn't i didn't really i didn't realize till now because i'm this is how i do it but you did you did two with you did two with woody two yeah that's that doesn't happen all the time no i know i got invited back now now now i'm concerned that i didn't get invited back for the third time i'm like did i fuck up did i did i step on his toes

but no i'm sure i'll get a chance what but but there's so fucking many movies what other ones that other than the ones we talked about here really made a mark on you and who you work with and what happened i mean beautiful girls is a movie people talk to me about uh that's a that's a good movie yeah um and then you know and i directed a couple of docs recently i directed a doc called beach rhymes in life about the group of tribe called West. Oh, that's right. That's pretty recent, right? Yeah, and that was a big thing for me to do

and to pull off. And you got the Gimme Shelter poster. Yeah, yeah. That's a film that I reference a lot making that film because Gimme Shelter to me is perfection. Oh, yeah, it's the greatest. Yeah, and I love that poster. But that was a big deal

because I had always wanted to direct something. And I just kind of fell into doing the Try movie. And, you know, the success from that was cool. And, you know, just everything it took and the challenge of it and the frustration of it and the work of it. But, you know, it won awards. It's fucking certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which, you know, you're like, yo, we're certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. That means something. And, you know, so it's been a bunch of shit and you know and i've been

fortunate you know to do what i do you know and you know and do good tv shit to do you know direct shit and now the the you know i started doing you know i gotta tell you you're one of my inspirations for doing my my podcast the i am rap report podcast how often you do it twice a week oh yeah you got the model yeah yeah and you know and and like just even like you know the the because i was gonna call it the motherfucking yeah i am rap report podcast right but you know i didn't think that would be sellable no not that even the i even wtf is a little bit of an obstacle exactly exactly but you know like i just you know like being with you and doing this show with you means a lot to me because

you know as far as i'm concerned i mean you know this you you you know, like being with you and doing this show with you means a lot to me because, you know, as far as I'm concerned, I mean, you know this. You know, podcasts are becoming so part of the culture now. Yeah, yeah. But you've been doing this shit for so long. But what I wanted to ask you is how, what made you start doing it when nobody was doing it? Desperation. Like, what do you mean? My stand-up career was not happening.

My acting career wasn't happening yeah my acting career wasn't happening you know uh the radio thing was over and i you know i didn't know what the fuck i was going to do right and and that's really what happened all we committed to was two episodes a week no matter what new episodes we drop them like clockwork and see what happens at the beginning it wasn't even an interview show it was sort of a mishmash of things the idea of wtf was really about a theme that we were going to have segments and stuff interview show it was sort of a mishmash of things the idea of WTF was really about a theme that we were going to have segments and stuff and then it just sort of once I moved out here I set up in here we were doing a third act occasionally that was a comedy piece and then that

just started to go away and it became what it became that's crazy man yeah it was just persistence and sticking with it and there was no way to make money at it for a couple years right and then all of a sudden it was just good cosmic timing for once in my life. You know, I had a certain skill set that I didn't think I had. Right. You know, I would never have thought that I'd be thought of as this interviewer or a good interviewer. Right. I still don't like the word interview.

I like to have conversations. Right. And it just sort of grew. It just, I happened to be there at the, you know, at the first wave of popularity of this thing. Right. And define my little nook of it. Right. I'm happy that other people do it.

I'm happy I helped define the medium for some people or gave some people hope that they can succeed at it. But it's like anything else. There's a lot of them out there now. Yeah. See what happens. Yeah, well, I mean, it's a good time. And honestly, with all the bullshitting and shit talking and all that stuff that we're doing, like I really respect, you know, like what you've done.

And I'm sure other people feel like you've inspired them because you definitely inspire me because you do make it a conversation. You do do it in layman's terms, which is something that I could definitely respond to because when it gets too highfalutin. Yeah. I'm like. But it's also a personality driven thing. And you've got that in spades for fuck's sake you know so what's the angle of yours you know i just talk shit you know we talk about you know you have guests you have a sidekick i have guests my sidekick is actually my best friend i call him the black ed mcmahon but his name is gerald moody

yeah and uh you know he's been my best friend we've been friends since like 1982 and at first it was just me and then i was like like, yo, I'm doing this podcast. Like, come when I'm recording one day. This was early when we were doing it. We've only been doing it a year. Yeah. And I was like, yo, I'm going to ask you some things and you just do what you do. And he was totally comfortable.

And then I was like, yo, you got to do it with me. But we talk shit. We have fun. You know, we do the sick fuck of the week. Yeah. Which is an award that is earned, not given. So you can know we do the sick fuck of the week yeah which is a an award that is is earned not given so you can't just be a sick fuck you got to be a special kind of sick fuck yeah um one of the segments that people like a lot is famous white people with no lips which is again

and then charlie sheen actually inspired me to give he was a double winner because he was the first person to win the sick fuck of the week and a famous white person with no lips. So I like to have fun, talk about music, sports, and just enjoy. I like interviewing, but only if it's somebody that I really am curious and excited about. Yeah, yeah. So you mix it up. I mix it up. You got some comedy segments and some themes.

Exactly, exactly. And how's it going? It's going good, man. People coming around? People are coming around, and it's fun. And for me, it's fun, and at times it's challenging, because you know sometimes you're like, oh, shit, I've got to record. Oh, yeah.

But not challenging, like I've got to go build a house. No, but you've still got to show up for it, and you don't want to autopilot something that you're in charge of. Exactly, because that's the thing that I like about it. It's like you can't, I can't't although i'll find a way to complain about anything yeah because that's what i do like i'll just i'll complain about the podcast that i'm doing that i have total control over because that's just what jews do we just tend to do that especially abrasive big mouth uh you know uh Jews. I got my own version of that.

Exactly. But I just love doing it. And, you know, people have loved doing it. And, you know, we're carving out a little niche. And I try to keep it honest. We don't fact check anything. Yeah. That's one of the things I pride myself on.

That'll get listeners excited. Oh, yeah. It's the only non-fact checking podcast. You get a lot of emails that way. A lot of emails that way. And there's really no accountability because it's a non-fact-checking podcast. Sure, and then people are just like, you fucking idiot. Right. And then you get to read that on the air.

Exactly, exactly. And I didn't know that to begin with, but I was like, you know, I didn't want to do it in front of a computer because when you first do a podcast, you're just like, you're talking into a mic alone, which is like a crazy person. Hard to master that. Well, it's an amazing skill is what it is. I mean, if you think about radio broadcasters who do that for hours, I mean, it's like, it's a fucking skill. And once you learn how to do that, I remember the moment where I'm like, I can own a mic on my own for a couple hours if I have to.

If you have to. Right. On radio. Right. And that day was sort of like, all right. It's like an amazing skill set to have. It's liberating. It is.

It's liberating. So that's one of the things when I say fun and challenging, like finding that within me and trying to just make your point of view honest and genuine without being TMI, without telling too much. I don't mind too much. I mean, but you could be like too much. Yeah, sure. You know what I mean?

Like too much. Well, you don't want to be sad. You don't want to be sad, pathetic, or you just don't mind too much i mean but you could be like too much yeah sure you know i mean like too much you don't be sad you don't want to be sad pathetic or you know like you know like you just don't want it like you have to find like you know what the parameters are like i'm being 100 honest but not 150 i don't want to drag you into my shit so i'm going to stop there right but i want to drag you in but not totally drag you in it with me like i want you to feel my pain but don't you i don't want you to live it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, so like just kind of, so I love doing it. And, you know, in between things, you know, it's a fun thing.

I just, I enjoy doing it, and it's exciting. Well, good, man. Well, congratulations on that. Are you doing any movies right now? I just finished a movie with Liev Schreiber. I feel like the title might change, but it's called The Bleeder. It's about Chuck Webner, who's actually the person that really inspired Rocky. He's a boxer that was sort of a ham and egg boxer.

He fought Muhammad Ali. He knocked Muhammad Ali down. He almost went the full distance. Essentially, that was what his career was defined by until the actual movie Rocky came out. And when the actual movie Rocky came out and Stallone was talking about being inspired by Chuck Webner, it essentially drove the real Rocky, the real Chuck Webner, crazy

because he was like, that's my fucking life. And it's a great script. Liev is fucking awesome. And a great story. Is he was like, that's my fucking life. And it's a great script. Liev is fucking awesome. And a great story. Is he still alive, Wepner? He's still alive. So he must be feeling good about it. Yeah, man.

And he's literally like the real Rocky. Like his, you know, like his whole life. And, you know, like the way that movie affected him, the success of Rocky and him being like, wait a minute. That's fucking me. And then no one sort of, they're like, you know academy awards he's like well i won they're like you didn't win shit rocky won yeah and it affected this guy and it's why i ever reach out yeah yeah yeah sly reached out and there was stuff i don't want to say too much or say too little in the movie well it's in the movie not that i'm giving away things but there was legality things right but

it's all stuff that's it's you know, it's out there. Yeah. They came to a settlement because when you look at it, like it was, he talked about it, you know, when Stallone did Rocky,

he didn't know it was going to be Rocky. It was a million dollar movie. Yeah. It was like a fucking independent movie starring a guy named Sylvester Stallone. Yeah. Who was not Sylvester Stallone at the time. But, you know,

that was one of the things. Right. I'm going to star in my movie. Like, we're going to get James Conner, fucking Paul Newman. And he's like, no, that's the way we're going to make the movie. So that's a great story.

But that movie, seeing that and hearing this guy talk about, well, I was inspired by Chuck Webner fighting Muhammad Ali, it drove the real guy crazy in a way. Right, right. So this movie's about that part of his life. And it's a good- That sounds interesting. Yeah, it's good. Who directed it? This guy named Philippe Fardu. He's a good, you know, it's a good. That sounds interesting. Yeah, it's good. Who directed it? This guy named Philippe Fardu.

He's a Montreal Canadian. Yeah. He's a French Canadian. He's a Montreal Canadian. But so I can't, I'm not pronouncing his last name good, but he did, you know, a few movies and he's good and it's a good pedigree of people. Oh, great. So you're working, man.

You're always working. I can't complain, man. I'm not going away. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Thanks for talking to me, buddy. Yo, I appreciate it, Mark. And, you know, like it's a privilege.

And I'm going to take this chair and put this fucking thing on eBay. Is that cool? No, no. No, okay. All right, fuck it. All right. Maybe I'll give you, I'll find something you can have. All right.

Well, if there's a guy, they should frisk me because I've been pocking and shit the whole time. Like I'm thinking like maybe Obama touched this. Maybe Obama touched that for the first ever. I could give you anything. Be like, yeah, this is... Right. Yeah, touch this piece of paper. This bag here, this Target bag, he spit into that.

All right, buddy. Thank you. All right, that's it. That was invigorating. Talking to Michael Rapaport is invigorating. I like him. That was fun. Go to WTFpod.com.

A lot of posters going out lately. I like the posters. Maybe you will too. Get hooked up with some JustCoffee.coop. Get the WTF blend. Get on the mailing list. Go there. Go.

Go. Guitar? Why not? Thank you. Boomer lives! Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, 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. 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

at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will get a Dan Dawson bobblehead courtesy of Backley Construction. Punch your ticket to Kids Night on Saturday, March 9th at 5 p.m. in Rock City at torontorock.com.