WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 928 - Eleanor Kerrigan

Episode Date: June 27, 2018

Comedian Eleanor Kerrigan knows a lot about The Comedy Store. Not only did she become the club's head waitress, she also became a confidant and sometime-assistant to the owner, Mitzi Shore. After a stint as a professional wrestler and an opener for Andrew Dice Clay, Eleanor finally found herself on stage at The Store and she hasn't left since. She tells Marc what it was like to get to know Mitzi, why she can't escape her South Philly roots, and how she's trying to pass along the history of The Store to new audiences. 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.

Be honest. When was the last time you thought about your current business insurance policy? If your existing business insurance policy is renewing on autopilot each year without checking out Zensurance, you're probably spending more than you need. That's why you need to switch to low-cost coverage from Zensurance before your policy renews this year. Zensurance does all the heavy lifting to find a policy, covering only what you need, and policies start at only $19 per month. So if your policy is renewing soon, go to Zensurance and fill out a quote. Zensurance, mind your business.

Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series, FX's Shogun, only on Disney+. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that. An epic saga based on the global bestselling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun, a new original series, streaming February 27th exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply.

Lock the gate! all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fucksters what's happening i'm mark maron this is my podcast wtf welcome to it how are you uh i don't want to be negative i don't want to be uh seemingly cynical i don't want to be uh accused of being hopeless or or uh or defeatist but on some levels governmentally it's starting to feel like the jig is up the screws have been put to this country by uh many of the worst of us and the rest of us are going to have to live with it somehow and push back where we can i don't know really how america adjusts to living under a sort of uh kind of american style authoritarian system but i guess we're gonna we're gonna learn because that's uh that's where we're at as i've always said i hope the voting works i'm not hopeless but uh but in order not to get

kind of leveled and fall into ourselves or or um give up or just go blank go dark go dead uh we have to figure out you know what what our coping mechanisms are and and how those can help other people i i talked to my buddy dan pashman who was just in town here for a minute and we were talking about his show the sporkful and i said well why you know why do you do the show and he said i guess it's my coping mechanism and and when i think about doing this show i think on some level it's also a coping mechanism to have a voice to think things through out loud to talk to other people to share those conversations some uplifting some disturbing all of them seemingly very human and and poignant in that way and grounding for me and for others who listen to it and i think if you maybe you should really think about your own coping mechanisms what are you

doing are they healthy and and can they be helpful because uh coping is going to be a lot of what we're up for you know coping and action where we see fit and action that is you know responsible uh in terms of of you know the focus of it and not endangering yourself or others but action nonetheless i mean this weekend saturday the 30th protests against the policies at the border are happening all over the country you can go to families belong together.org to find out where uh the closest one to you is and whether or not you want to make that. Obviously, a show of support and bodies and anger and speaking up is not meaningless.

If anything, it's completely powerful in that, you know, people know that there are those who have not given in or given up and still are fighting forward. Keep fighting, keep fighting keep pushing keep speaking out it's important it's important to maintain your own sanity by doing that in any way you can and it's also good to sort of think about you know what your coping mechanisms are and can they be you know manifested into something that helps others because learning how to cope is going to be an important part of the next uh forever and uh you have to we're gonna have to stand up for who we are and who we

you know what we believe in and and how to keep our man our sanity and help other people you know i mean it's just it's just a reality of it keep speaking up today on the show eleanor kerrigan is with us eleanor is uh is a comedian she has worked at the comedy store in many different capacities for many years she came out here as an actress from philadelphia she ended up at the comedy store she was a waitress for a while but she was also sort of mitzi shore's assistant and confidant towards the end of her life now this was recorded shortly before Mitzi died. Mitzi Shore, the owner of the comedy store, died April 11th. God, time is just flying by. And she was a very mysterious and powerful woman to very many of us, especially those of us

in comedy, especially those of us in comedy who started at the store and were almost you know kind of always reacting to her it was a mind blower the dynamic of the comedy store back in the day and you know how much we needed her approval and her and for her to validate us and and and uh coronate us uh into the world of comedy but eleanor had uh had some sort of very specific and very personal stories about the comedy store, about Mitzi, about Dice, about, you know, the sort of goings-ons there. But I do need, again, to preface that this was recorded before Mitzi died. But I still think that it doesn't need to be changed that much. But I just want you to know that, that since we talked about it mitzi was certainly ill and she had been for years and eleanor sort of talks about you know dealing with some of that uh but uh but it was before she passed away so what have you been doing

what have you been doing as nero fiddles what have you been up to you're watching things you're filling yourself up with uh with stuff that's provocative or or relieving or challenging what are you letting into your head conspiracy theories bad news are you finding any you know reprieve i it was weird because a lot of people have been uh sort of you know telling me to watch uh hannah gadsby's uh nanette on netflix to the point where i'm like why better watch it i and to be honest with you i wasn't avoiding it i i don't watch a lot of things uh generally speaking i i i don't hold on a second i dropped my pen i'm back. But I heard that, and I think she would be an interesting conversation. And the special is very unique.

It's incredibly compelling. About halfway through, there's an incredible turn. And it was really a sort of provocative and challenging, intellectually satisfying second half of this special. It was more of a theater piece that dealt with the nature of comedy the nature of anger the nature of shame the nature of sexuality you know the the the nature of art how uh you know patriarchy misogyny mental illness all play into this stuff abuse i mean like it was really i'd not seen anything like that put together in that way probably ever.

And it's got me thinking, you know, day later, two days later about a lot of stuff that she said about our shared profession, about, you know, gender relations and judgment and and just being a different. And, you know, the price one pays for that so after that i i did i think the opposite thing and i i went ahead and i watched uh uh steve martin and martin short doing a comedy special and the juxtaposition was astounding that there is an element in uh in hannah's show about you know comedy not really being sufficient at least for her to process her real trauma and her feelings and her story. A lot of the show that she did is about that and that she doubts its capacity to do that fully. But then I watched Steve Martin and Marty Short and I'm like, well, sometimes it's just silly shit. And that's going to make you feel better.

It might not help you process anything, but it might make you feel a little bit of a reprieve. But I'll tell you, you forget that Steve Martin, sometimes you forget how funny he can be. And that show was interesting, too. After all is said and done, you know, after watching that entire show and after sort of like kind of being annoyed with Steve Martin's departure from comedy. But he did do some classic sort of Steve Martin comedy on this special. But being annoyed with him for just sort of like, you know, retreating into banjo land, I'd never seen him really sit down and play it.

And in the middle of this special, he sits down and plays a medley of his own compositions. And then a band comes out and plays with him. But seeing him sitting there with that banjo, doing his own compositions, the way he was relating to the instrument the way he was feeling that instrument that that instrument has a very specific feel and to have control over that particular instrument and to hear that control but uh as a listener and to see somebody who is so connected to it i gotta tell you it was um it was pretty transcendent and uh and i feel like i was watching steve martin

do maybe the one thing he really loves doing and he does it very well he also did comedy very well but i i just saw him lose himself in that banjo and that made it all worthwhile you know and it was something that wasn't comedy you know and i watched uh hannah gadsby lose herself ultimately in her anger and transcended her shame and and her sense of victimhood uh which she she is not through through anger and owning her story and you know and that was moving you know there is something fairly amazing about about losing yourself in in order to express yourself but also finding yourself in order to express yourself and uh and sometimes it isn't funny sometimes it's beautiful sometimes it's raw sometimes it's it's disturbing sometimes it's provocative sort Sometimes it's raw. Sometimes it's disturbing.

Sometimes it's provocative. Sort of what I was talking about, those coping mechanisms. You know, how can you share those things to help others? And, you know, how can you share your own feelings of what you're going through to elevate and not to distance? Because we're going to have to come together somehow. So, folks, now we're going to talk to Eleanor, who's got a great story, who's very sweet and very funny. And I'd known her, I'd seen her around for a long time. We were never really close.

We never really talked much, but it was a long time coming. She co-hosts the Comedy Store podcast. You can get that wherever you get podcasts. And this is me talking to Eleanor Kerrigan. And again, this is before Mitzi Shore died on April 11th, but a lot about Mitzi Shore. Rest in peace. 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 talked 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 5pm in Rock City at torontorock.com I'm trying to get a timeline because I don't really know you that well,

but a lot of it has to do with the fact that when someone's a waitress at the store or an active waitress, I'm friendly, but I don't engage at all, really. No, I completely understand. And there are so many comics like that. Are there? Yeah. Some guys do, but I guess there are other guys

who are sort of like, I'm not going to even. Well, the guys that do are usually the ones trying to sleep with the waitress, so it's a little different. That still happens, right? Oh, of course. Of course, yeah. I used to hire them, and I'd see the look in a comic's eye,

and I'd be like, oh, God, she'll be gone in a week. This is going to be a problem. Someone's going to fuck her out of a job. Or I'd hire a waitress and she'd be like, oh, my God, does Polly Shore come here? Oh, no. And I'd be like, all right, you could just give me your apron. Give me your apron. No.

So when did you start working there? I started March 93. Oh, 93. Yeah. So I'm gone already. You're gone, but then you came back a little bit. Right. Yeah.

During the 90s, like in and out, but it was still weird for me there. Like I don't. So many people say that. But in 93, so you were a waitress. Yeah, I was a waitress. And then I quickly moved up because not that there's an up in waiting tables, because I didn't think of that. I moved here to be an actress.

But there's a system to the store. Yeah. Yeah. Especially the store. And what happened was she fired four waitresses in one night because they were eating carnies. In the kitchen? In the kitchen. And she hated the smell.

She banned carnies and she fired four waitresses. She hated the smell? God, I think I should have known that. I mean, when I was a dorm guy, I used to drive the Jeep to have to go get her that chicken salad, the Chinese chicken salad from Chin Chin. So you knew her when she was cognizant and wearing her feather boa and driving her Jag still? Sure. And if certain people came to the house, she'd make me hide her monkey furs. Oh, really?

I was like, I don't. What does that mean? But apparently they're not only are they illegal, but they're very expensive. She had monkey first so she has two of them you dealt with her at the house early on no this wasn't until later as i'm saying like i moved up because those girls got fired so i was like new i was like three months in they were like oh you have to take the whole main room i'm like what yeah they're like yeah everybody got fired tonight so i was the whole main room was it but that was in the dark days

right was it filled up then? Ish. No, 93 was still good. They were still doing three shows in the OR and two shows in the main room. Oh wow.

Yeah. So it went down to like two shows in the OR for a while and then one show in the main room and then it became like benefits.

Yeah. I remember seeing Not even weekends? Weekends, Friday and Saturday, of course, but like during the week Nothing. Benefits or nothing. Yeah. So remember seeing. Not even weekends? Weekends, Friday and Saturday, of course. But like during the week. Nothing.

Benefits or nothing. Yeah. Yeah. So it got weird. And the belly room was always busy. Yeah. Yeah. Because that was always an outside promoter.

Yeah. When I was there, the belly room was for non-paid regulars. Yes. Yeah. Wow. That's amazing to me. Only, right? Yeah, pretty much.

And we had to pull audiences out of people leaving the other rooms that's hysterical you know we'd be like you know we'd be like waiting around wondering if we could do a show okay you want to come see exactly come on like hold on i have to seat these two people more comedy yeah yeah more comedy upstairs we have we get into trouble if we divert them to the free show upstairs of course you're like the last one left outside of a couple of comics that that knows the old order yeah i mean like yeah well that that was the weird thing about like tommy for all his all for whatever it's worth even though i didn't know he pretended to know it but he tried to keep it up right he tried to honor it yes and i don't know how he learned it from her yeah but she was

still like functioning when tommy started there yeah because she she was in the beginning stages of dementia so she took she he was very soothing to her so he would she would call up and be like oh that's happened because she fell asleep with the news on right and she'd think it happened to her and so uh this one night i remember at the comedy store she called and she was like i I was just raped. So Steve Ranazzisi, who was working the cover booth, ran to get Tommy in the main room. But in the meantime, he stopped me in my section while I was serving drinks and goes, Mitzi was just raped at her house. And I'm like, I looked up at him like, you son of a bitch, because he didn't know.

And then he walked away, got Tommy and I gave my drinks out, went back to the cover booth and I'm like you son of a bitch because he didn't know and then he walked away Got Tommy and I gave my drinks out went back to the cover booth And I'm screaming at him and as I'm screaming at him Vince Vaughn walks up and he's like hey guys Did I rape Mitzi Shore? I don't know I mean rape is a horrible word, and I'm like what how does he know? He was sitting in my section when Steve said it so So he followed me to yell to see what I was going to do. But nothing happened to her. No, she fell asleep. She would watch the news and then have these bizarre dreams that things were happening to her. Oh, wow.

So Tommy would calm her down and then go to the store. And then she'd come back to, you know what I mean? Because it was the beginning stages of dementia or whatever. Dementia, I think, is the best one yeah wow and but she has parkinson's right well if you say that she won't talk to you but i don't we don't know every time i would take her to a doctor if a doctor would say parkinson's or parkinson's or alzheimer's yeah she'd leave and i'd be like but we're not we're not getting anywhere yeah and then if they said dementia she'd be like well that one's better i'm like you can't pick what it is lady but she was nuts like that and i remember like one time we uh

she was when she was she had gotten stem cell injections and they're illegal in the united states so one guy took her this guy bob wheeler took her a long time ago. Yeah. And she came back doing backflips. Yeah. So she thought, okay, this is the cure. Right. And then a few years later, she was like, I'm going to go again. And she brought me with her. And this is the first time I'm leaving the country.

Like, I'm an inner city kid from South Philly. What year was this? 2001. Yeah. No, no. 2001, 2002. Around there. And are you a comic or a waitress?

Waitress. So you're the head waitress? I'm the head waitress. I was her assistant. Baptism and fire. Yes. You carried the main room. Four people out.

I know when I first got the job there, it was like a week before I was head doorman making schedules. Oh, yeah. Because they go through them like water. Yeah, because no one wants that job. They're comics. We were all immediately afraid. You didn't even know why exactly, but you'd start working there.

I was a doorman there. And it was just sort of like, you just knew, don't let anyone sit in any of her booths. Right. And don't, God forbid, someone takes that parking space. And make sure you have peanuts and popcorn. I don't remember that part. And German wine. I don't remember that part.

That was later. We were just terrified. And then everybody would try to get in front of her. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, to get the she i remember like the very first night i waited on her uh i was like hi mitzi can i get you something and i squatted down which she was very excited about because she did not like waitresses standing up yeah you block the show it's not about you blah blah she gave you the whole speech in the beginning you're nothing here i'm like but wait a minute yeah but it's i get it what she meant was don't block her show that's the bread and butter and meanwhile we were the bread and

butter selling the drinks right that's how she made her money right but whatever and so i squat it down and she goes give me some quarnine water i'm like what and that you can't make her repeat herself because that's another thing what time quarnine water is quine i can't even her repeat herself because that's another thing. What tonic water do you mean? Quarantine water. Quarantine. Quarantine. Is that how you say it? Quarantine water. I can't even say it right. What is it? Is it the same as tonic?

It's tonic, right? I had no idea. Yeah, yeah. I'm in the kitchen sweating trying to explain the Thai guys. Quarantine. Quarantine water. Well, let's come back around to the trip to Costa Rica. So you don't know, when you come out here, you grew up where?

South Philly. So that's hardcore, right? That's inner city. Yeah, we're a little nutty. I'm one of 10. One of 10? Like big Catholic family? Big Irish Catholic, nine brothers and sisters.

How many brothers? Six boys, four girls. And where'd you come in the lineup? Number eight. Really? Is everyone still around? I lost my sister Kathleen about nine years ago. She had a

polycystic kidney disease that she was fighting her whole life uh-huh we didn't know and it's weird because she always used to tell my mom she was adopted and she was supposed to be with a wealthy family somewhere else and then when she got this polycystic kidney disease they said it's hereditary and none of us had it and she's like i knew it i it. I want my rich parents. She was like, it's so funny. Like the funniest person in the world. But unfortunately she lost her battle with that. And she was on dialysis for like a little over 12 years,

which is kind of unheard of. Usually you use that to get in and out or it didn't work out. So 12 years on there. Yeah. It's a lot. She hung on for a while. Yeah. She's amazing. But she would go there and she would bring to her like when she would go to dialysis

she went like three days a week yeah and she would bring cupcakes and cat and i go cath a lot of those people have diet or diabetes and she's like oh who gives a shit like all right but that's how we are we're like goofy like that but like did you grow up like what was uh like what'd your dad do oh that's amazing my dad's a typewriter repairman that's true that's a real thing because i saw your bid on it oh yeah how embarrassing but yes he uh he had a typewriter it was my grandfather's and my grandfather made tools that actually only worked on typewriters so he he never marketed them because he's Irish. You know what I mean?

We just keep it to ourselves. Yeah, we don't want to let this out of the... Don't let anybody know anything. We can fix them faster and better. Everybody will come here. Nobody came there. And so my dad took it over. And then my parents split up when I was like seven.

And I would always go to the typewriter store because it was kind of a way of keeping us off the streets as well. Like if you may feel like you had a job kind of thing. Did you have a lot of derelicts in your family? What do you mean a lot? I'm kidding. And we like added the 10. I'm kidding. How many of them did jail time?

We all are amazing, good kids. No, my mom gets mad, but I mean, we've had our problems. But overall, it's amazing. She's still around, your mom? Yeah, we just celebrated her 80th. I just came back. That's why I was in Philly. That's nice.

Not only is she around, she's relatively young to have that many kids. Yeah, she's so cute. She's really little, though. I say each one of us took a vertebrae on the way out. She's starting to shrink. Poor thing. But we gave her a surprise party last Sunday. So it was like a big deal.

Oh, is that why you were in Philly? Yeah. And then I stayed to work at Parks Casino. How'd that go? It was great. But it's just pay for the trip kind of. Sure. Like, Mom, I love you, but I'm broke.

You've got to go do the jokes. Yeah. And she didn't come this time because she got mad at me last time. But whatever. Why'd she get mad at you? Because you... Because I did a dirty joke about rosary beads and she was mad. Oh, really?

Yeah. So she hung on. She's hanging on to the Catholic. She still goes to church. Like for Lent, she gave up... She goes to church every morning for Lent. That's her thing. And then she gave up ice

cream and picking on my brother tommy so everything's working younger brother no he's oldest you have two younger ones though i have one younger brother and one younger sister really so but like we all got in trouble growing up like i have two friends doing life in prison one's a guy one's a girl so from from when high school let's see. Doing life? They kill people? I guess. You don't know. The one girl I lost contact with. The one guy we were still trying to help out. And then he messed up after my brother Jimmy tried to help him out and give him a job.

And on the job, he killed two people. So it was bad. Oh, Jesus Christ. Yeah. We have some crazy people in our neighborhood. Well, there's that Irish Philly, and then there's Italian Philly. And we're in an Italian neighborhood. So our neighborhood is predominantly Italian.

But nobody really bothered us because I have six brothers. Right. So if you fight one Kerrigan, you got to fight the whole family. Nobody wants to do that. And then there was the Gallaghers and the Duffies, and they were 11 and 11. So there's a few of you holding down the Irish end and the Italian end. Yeah, we're just angry. Yeah, but there's a type of disposition

that is uniquely Philly. Oh, yeah. There's the type of Philly dude. They all have the same haircut. They wear roughly the same clothes. You mean the denim jeans? Yeah, but it's sort of a short haircut, right? Yes.

And if they get glasses, they all have the same frames. Pretty frames pretty much yeah they all look a little like joe de rosa you know like they're oh he's a suburb kid but yeah but you know what i mean just kidding i like to shit on joe yeah yeah but you know what i mean like yeah sure sure but there's different variations and they're all loud and intense and like it's just you don't have to tell me but it's unique to jersey and philly oh okay don't put us in jersey no there's two different kinds yes but it's definitely an east coast type it's not in chicago no it's in some parts of of new york the island and stuff yeah not really the city but you know brooklyn the bronx queens you know like out and you know out there on the island but but it's a very certain type of disposition you know what i

mean i know it's my weakness yeah oh you like those guys yeah that's right you were dice he's a sheep's head bay he's a sheep's head bay yeah he was it was like uh for my mother it was like guess who's coming to dinner but for my brothers they were like yes like they when i broke up with when andrew and i broke up, the only one that cried was my brother Johnny. He's like, he's not going to be related. Like he wasn't related anyway. They all talk like him.

Yeah. I go, you're what he emulates. You're what he's making fun of and you don't even see it. No, he's not making fun of us. No, he's one of us. No, he's making fun of you. Jackass. I'm not sure it was clear to Andrew for a while.

It still isn't, but I am. Yeah, he seems like a solid guy. It's hard to get a word in, and you're not sure he's listening. He's one of those guys who's like, I'm going to have a conversation, but I'm just going to start it. If I had to write a thousand-page essay on all the words I got in while we dated, I wouldn't have enough words. Really? Yeah.

I imagine that's true. Yeah. Just. So, all right. So you're in Philly and when you, when you leave there to do whatever you're going to do, was it like, you know, you were running away? Well, to an extent, because it was like, I kept getting in the same circle, you know, you can't, you can't get out.

Yeah. It's on repeat there. And it sounded dangerous. I would fight a lot. I had a lot of anger issues. So I would constantly get into a fight. And if you fight with one person, they send 50 other people after you, spread a rumor. But the neighborhood seemed like you were doomed.

Yes. In a way. And you just kept going in this never ending circle. Yeah. And so I was like, I tried to get out. I started taking classes at Temple University, you know, and I'm going to Temple. I'm a theater major and I'm wearing a Fila suit doing Shakespeare in North Philly. You know what I mean?

It just, something wasn't, I wasn't getting out far enough. So North Philly wasn't. You could still drive home. Or we'd take the subway back and take with all these like normal nice little college kids and then one time this uh homeless guy pulled a gun on us but it was a revolver yeah and i remember it was broken and you could see that there was no bullets in it and they were all scared and i'm like get the hell out of here and i stood up to him and they lost their minds like what is she i'm like what is she pay attention there's no bullets in there this guy hasn't eaten in five days we could take them they're fine like they

always wonder why you didn't get off the train with the rest of them why she's still on there she still wants to fight that guy no i gotta keep going guys i can't afford to live on campus yeah but so i uh me and one of my exes i uh my ex mario that's what i did a lot of marios oh my friend happened all the time oh yeah of course irish italian they love it love to hate and love one another yeah well they it's like they they were always together they were always a couple of blocks apart as immigrants when they came here in new york and in philly and everywhere so it was like you know one had better food i'm not going to say which. I'll get in trouble. You don't want to insult your mother?

That's what my friends used to go, let's go over to the Kerrigan's and get Irish meatballs. And I'm like, what does that mean? They're like, they're not Italian. That's all we're going to say. But my mom makes the best meatballs. They were an interpretation. But they say for the Irish, they're not bad. Oh, right.

Yeah, sure. That's kind of a compliment. But they would always the Irish, they're not bad. Oh, right. Yeah, sure. That's kind of a compliment. But they would always say, oh, it's Eleanor. She's Irish, but she's more like Irisho is Italian. Everyone thinks I'm Italian, but I think it's because the way I talk. Yeah. The hands go up. Oh, yeah.

But I don't look Italian. No, I don't know. I have no pigment. I don't know, but you don't look that pasty. Well, that's, what do you call it? Foundation. If I took my clothes off, you'd be like, oh my God. You are Irish.

Look at her. You could see through her. Like, it's just so bad. But yeah, so me and Mario moved out here and he, it just, I wanted to stay. He didn't want to stay. I got a job at the comedy store. He couldn't find a job. What was his plan?

I don't, his plan was to make me not move here, I'm assuming. But he came out with you just because he was with you and you wanted to come? Yeah. And he was like, I'll come with you. We'll go see. Because, you know, I kind of want to be an actor too. I'm like, you do? Meanwhile, I was like going to classes and everybody was picking on me saying, you know,

what do you think? You're better than us. Oh, from the neighborhood? Yeah. Oh, really? All of a sudden, you're going to be like an saying, you know, what do you think? You're better than us. Oh, from the neighborhood? Yeah. Oh, really? Oh, all of a sudden, you're going to be like an actor, movie star, whatever. So I was like, whatever. Trying to hold you back.

Hold you down. Yeah. Now they love it. Now they're like, oh, she's a comic. Oh, you got to see what an idiot she is. Oh, yeah, yeah. It was great. Thank you.

All right, so you come out here with Mario. Yeah, Barrio. Barrio? Mario. Mario, sorry. Yeah, that's okay. You say Mario. You've come out here with Mario. Yeah, Barrio. Barrio? Mario. Mario, sorry. Yeah, that's okay. You say Mario. You've been out here too long.

But okay, so. He yelled at me for that. He goes away? We came out, then I got the job at the store, and then he didn't get a job, and then he tried to convince me to go home. I couldn't do it. Go home? Yeah.

To go home? He was like, if you go, we'll go back, we'll make money, and we'll come back with more money and i'm like that's never gonna happen like i know it's never gonna happen if i went home yeah yeah the summer you had street smarts enough yeah you've you have four kids please my nerves if i did that uh but he he got freaked out and uh when i was gonna stay he freaked out and we were living in going to stay, he freaked out. And we were living in this house, renting this house up in the Hollywood Hills. And he just lost it. And he came in.

He's like, you're going home with me. I'm like, no, I'm not. And he hit me. And I've never been in a thing like that. I was like, oh. You didn't see it coming? No. He snapped.

Like, swung to you? Yeah. Like, hit. In the face? Yeah. He hit me in the jaw jaw i lift it in the doorway and i went down and i was like holy shit like for a second i was like my norm would be to attack somebody but i was like there's something wrong with him he never did that before so i just grabbed the phone and i locked myself in the bathroom yeah and i i just called my brother jimmy and i'm like you're not gonna believe Jimmy and I'm like, you're not going to believe this. And he's like,

did you kill him? Like, you know. I was like, no, no. I go, I'm a little bit in shock. Yeah. But this is what happened.

Good that you called your brother in Philly and not the cops. I know how to work this. He went home later that day. Yeah. And then his father gave my brother permission to kill him

if he ever came near me again. We don't need cops. That's how fast it works. Mario's father gave him permission? So your brother called his father? Yes. And they gave him permission. We don't do cops where I come from.

Not even a thought. No. I didn't even see Mario that day. He just... So his dad got hold of him yeah he was gone and that was it wow i see him from time to time in the neighborhood he's doing great but i knew there was something mary's got kids yes and i i don't hate him i don't i knew there was something off he snapped out we were together for like seven years oh so we were kids you know

right so it was like i knew he's not I knew there was something wrong. It was something different. It wasn't, it wasn't just your average eye hit. He doesn't do that. He's never done that again. He felt completely out of control. I think so.

And completely in an alien environment and he snapped. Yes. And I always felt really bad that that happened because he's just not that person. Well, okay. Well, that's good.

Thank God. As long as you didn't say I felt really bad because it was kind of my fault. Well, okay. Well, that's good. Thank God. As long as you didn't say, I felt really bad because it was kind of my fault. Oh, no, no, no. It's always my fault. No. But not this time.

No, good. Yeah, I've been to Al-Anon. Good. Good for you. I had my second ex-fiance. I mean, my first ex-fiance was an addict. So we went through some troubles. Yeah. And that was a guy out here? Yeah. Comed-fiance was an addict. So, we went through some troubles. Yeah.

And that was a guy out here? Yeah. Comedian? He was out here. No, an agent. And great guy. And I met him like a year after living, working at the store. And he was a booking agent for comics.

Yeah. And then we got together. Everything was great. Yeah. And he just went, again, my fault that he got. No, I'm kidding. Yeah, right. Yeah, of course.

Yeah. But when he- I did everything I could to help him.. No, I'm kidding. Yeah, right. Yeah, of course. Yeah. But when he. I did everything I could to help him. I did. I tried everything. I'm a fixer, you know. Yeah, sure. I tried everything, but I didn't realize.

I never heard of that. Yeah, right. Of course, I was always taking the blame. Yeah, yeah. But that was just the neighborhood. Yeah. Someone's got to. Somebody's got to take the blame.

He can't go in. He'll go in for longer than you. You know that. So after we went to like a few different like promises betty ford thing oh really thing like that i uh i called argus because i needed help and um i said argus this is what i found in the apartment like because he had a bad relapse and i told argus and he's like you got to get out of there you're never gonna see that man again I was

like oh shit it's that heavy yeah and then he was the one that told me about Al-Anon meetings and then I was like okay I get it yeah it's not me I can't fix this yeah it's not my fault but I also can't Argus the recovery wizard yeah so you Mario goes you're Mario. And that was months into you being out here? No, that was one month. Not even. Oh, so he couldn't handle it. Yeah. He was too isolated.

He felt lost. He had no definition. He was losing his sense of self, so he hit you. After that thing happened, he went home. He never came back out here. So you got the job at the store. You're just waitressing a few months. You're head waitress.

And Mitzi likes you. But you're still trying to be an actress. You're not tryingressing a few months. You're head waitress. And Mitzi likes you. But you're still trying to be an actress. You're not trying to be a comic. No, no. I was doing plays. And then I found out quickly no one comes to plays in LA. Were you training here? I was training everywhere.

Yeah, Playhouse West. I was at D.W. Brown for two years. Wow. I mean, I did a lot of Meisner classes. Always took classes. Always tried to stay sharp. And then I would do all these plays no one ever came to. I wrote a one-person show with my friend Jason Hart that Freddie Soto directed.

Freddie Soto is my best friend. And we had a blast. Alan Steven actually helped us punch it up. And we did it at the HBO workspace. And we were going to try to sell it. On Santa Monica? Yeah. Yeah.

And then we did it again at the Complex on Santa Monica, a little further down. Yeah. So we were trying to run it to sell it. Yeah. So we were trying to get that going. Because that was back when a one-person show was viable. Exactly. And you could get some people, get some heat.

That didn't happen. And just too many things were not happening. Then I started wrestling. When did you start dating the agent? Oh, the agent was before him. The agent was in 94. Is he still around, that guy? No.

And he got fired from William Mars for catering to his black clients. And they were like, there's no money in this, right? Yeah, and now he'd be a hero. Well, here's the weird part. He got fired. They were like, there's no money in this. You're wasting your time so he was like okay and he screamed at him and he quit you know because he screamed back at him yeah like with facts of what he was doing they fired him so all his clients left with him and they were martin lawrence chris rock um oh

wow tommy davidson uh tori Del Givens. So he did all right. Oh, they started Def Jam with Russell Simmons. Oh, yeah. And so it just went off the charts. And then years later, William Morris bought him back. Uh-huh. Like, bought his company out. Yeah.

And brought him back with all the clients. And so he was amazing. He was on top of the world. Did he retire? No, I think the drugs just took him out of the game. Oh, so you met him after all that happened? I met him before. Oh, and then he couldn't get off it.

You never got off him. And then he started, and maybe I'm the problem, because he fell down. I'm just kidding. But when he went down, it was just, I tried as much as I could to help him. Yeah. Everything, I was hiding it from his clients.

Like, Chris would be like, what's going on? And I'm like, oh, I don't know. He's fine. Yeah, yeah. And then Martin was hiding it from his clients. Like Chris would be like, what's going on? And I, I'm like, Oh, I don't know. He's fine. And then Martin was going through his own thing. Yeah.

That was when he was on Ventura Boulevard with the gun or something. Yeah. He, we, I remember at Martin's wedding, um, uh, that night,

like, uh, Billy left for a long time and I was like, what, where do you go? And he's like, Oh, just to do some stuff. But I'm so naive. Yeah. I didn't, I don't do drugs. And I was like, where do you go? And he's like, oh, just to do some stuff.

But I'm so naive. I don't do drugs. I've hung around all kinds of people, but I don't do it. So I didn't. You didn't know that. I just assumed, yeah, they were drinking or maybe took a pill or something. I don't know. I didn't realize how far it had gone.

And at that point, he wasn't even bad. He had tried pure cocaine after that and couldn't get high enough right one of his clients gave it to him is that guy still around nope died last year nothing made me happier no i'm kidding that's mean that's mean but yeah uh yeah he was an evil little shit and um but whatever and then ever since then he tried but now he's back and he's doing his thing but not nearly where he was an evil little shit. Yeah. But whatever. And then ever since then, he tried. But now he's back and he's doing his thing, but not nearly where he was. Right. And he's clean?

He's clean. Yeah. And he's got a kid and wife. So I'm happy for him. You know what I mean? That worked out. People who lived through that 80s thing. I agree.

Because I don't know that there are many people living that life now, but it was crazy. Yeah. I mean, I know it's around but it everything because it was so normalized then the the degree to people the way the living that life yeah was so crazy because back then you could find any number of people to live that life with you and i guess that's still true but you don't see it publicly as much no yeah people try to hide it more like yeah i'm good yeah i don't know what's going on a instagram picture with a filter and everybody thinks everything's fine yeah right so their eyes

aren't bugging and no it's a filter that's just a filter i'm fine yeah that's the coke eyes filter they should make that that'd be great yeah yeah but you think of like even like freddie soto uh passing um what he was he fell off the wagon for the third time. And for him, what he did was, I've seen people do that on a regular Tuesday. So it's weird what it takes. Yeah, ultimately. Like if you look up what he passed from. Sorry, I get weird when I talk about Freddy.

But he fell off the wagon he was drinking and then started doing coke but he already was messed up yeah uh inside like he had fatty liver right right he had weird problems going on on the inside already and he didn't know about it yeah and the the coronary said to us if he would the just the amount of Advil that Freddie would take was ridiculous. It's hard on your liver, yeah. He said he would be dead in six months, with or without falling off that wagon. I heard that Advil's bad on your liver. I know, but this idiot, and I could knock him out if I see him.

But he would say, yeah, if you want a prescription Advil just take eight regular Advil I'm like who told you that he's like no that's true my whole family does it and I remember at his funeral telling his family you

people really do this like I got lost they grew up in El Paso and it's just like yeah they make up their own shit yeah they all do it

and they didn't believe me and I was like cause I had a tooth pulled or something like a wisdom tooth and they didn't believe me and i was like because i had a tooth pulled or something like a wisdom tooth and i didn't want the medicine because it makes me nauseous right and so but i was in dire pain and he's like dude just take eight advil and i was like are you fucking with me did you ask a doctor no i did later like two days later because i went in to make sure um get the stitches out or whatever it was. What did they say? And they were like, no, no, that's not real at all. And I was like, oh, because he said this.

Thank God I didn't do it. I mean, cares, but it might not have affected me as bad. Right. I might not have the liver that Freddie had. Yeah, yeah, too bad. I didn't really know him. Yeah. All right, so after the stage show, that didn't take,

but you're still just trying to act and you're waitressing. Yes. And you're becoming closer to Mitzi. Very close. And then when did you, like, how did comedy happen? How did- Freddie.

When Freddie passed. Was that after the wrestling? Yeah. The wrestling happened in 99. After the show? After the one-woman show. And it's almost like the script. I remember reading the script.

But you didn't do a one-woman show. You just did the two- Right. I remember reading the script. But you didn't do a one-woman show. You just did the two, the show. Right. Okay, yeah. It was a play. Right, right. That Jason and I wrote. But, so I guess, what do you call it?

Yeah, it was just a two-person play. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. Anyway, we, after that didn't go, everything was just not happening. And I got this audition for WOW Women of Wrestling. And I was like, I wonder what this is. And it's almost similar to glow like where she didn't know what she was going in for and um i was saying i was waiting tables at the store i was in the kitchen and i was like man i'm i gotta go to this audition tomorrow it's stupid

it's in a hotel room lobby so you know i mean in a hotel lobby so you know it's a great one you know i could get an oscar for this for sure yeah and i remember telling like rogan and freddie and all these guys were hanging out in the kitchen then we started coming out with characters and so i have a baseball bat in my car naturally and i went to get it and i started like hitting things in the kitchen and i was yelling and doing like a heel character and they were like go to the audition and do that and i'm like i'm gonna get arrested are you nuts and i went and i did that and they loved it i was to the audition and do that. And I'm like, I'm going to get arrested. Are you nuts? And I went and I did that and they loved it. And I was like, oh no.

Now I got the gig. So they gave me the job and I call my mom to tell her because I'm like, oh, she's going to kill me. Did you know it was just wrestling at that point? I found out at that point. But I was like, oh my God, my mom's going to kill me because I'm taking this job. I want to get out of the store. That's another endless circle that I'm in.

Right, for sure. I keep repeating myself. I keep doing this stupid thing. So I'm like, I got to call my mom. And she hates it because I'm such a tomboy. You know what I mean? Yeah. She did hate it or you thought she was going to hate it?

Well, I thought she was going to hate it because I'm such a, you know, all she wanted was a little girl. And then I came out rougher to most of my brothers. And she was like oh i can't get this girl in a dress you know and all she does is play football i hate this kid and so now i'm gonna call her up and tell her that i'm following technically her dream because she always wants to be an actress but i'm gonna wrestle yeah so i go um it's gonna be a delicate call so i call her on the cell phone i'm like mom don't get mad at me but uh i went to this audition and i'm gonna take it it's going to be a delicate call. So I call her on the cell phone. I'm like, mom, don't get mad at me. But I went to this audition and I'm going to take it. It's a wrestling show.

And she was like, I'm so happy for you. And I'm like, really? And she's like, oh my God, they have great women characters on that show. And I'm like, they do? It's not even on yet. What are you talking about? And she goes, oh, I'm so happy for you. And I go, you know what? Because it was 17 years ago. I go oh i'm so happy for you and i go you know what because it was 17 years ago i go i'm gonna call you back or 18 years now i'm gonna call you

back from a landline uh when i get home because i don't think you're hearing what i'm saying yeah i get home i call her my sister karen after she goes yo you're gonna be on west wing i go no nope she called the whole family oh no to tell them I was on West Wing oh not wrestling no

West Wing so I have to explain to everyone that I'm not going to be hanging out with Martin Sheen I'm going to have a woman with a mullet

and a sleeper hold so everything worked out and then finally she got into it and she was because I did take the job and what was and what was the process

did you have to learn how to wrestle everything yeah they've trained us to be professional stunt people because where they made the mistake with the glow girls was they didn't really train them properly they kind of just threw them in there and those girls got hurt rather quickly um like one at a time their big their big stars were getting hurt yeah fast yeah. And so we were all, had to be trained, had to go through. I was chain smoking. I mean, I'm- What was the name of the show at that time?

Wow, Women of Wrestling. And was McLean involved? McLean, yeah, David was our guy. Oh, so this was- That's the one you met at the store. Sure, this was his second go around. This was his second go around. From the glow girls.

He was going to make it professional. Like everything was going to work this time. He's a nice guy. guy he's such a great guy i'm still very close to them i do commentary for them for their online show oh really so yeah i love it maybe i should get him in here at some point because of like i wonder how i think he likes glow i think he likes oh no he loves the show he was thrilled for it yeah and i think they tried to help get some of the girls on yeah but i think they just want to, they don't want real wrestlers. They want it separate. They trained all the girls to do it.

You know, and they all can do it now. It's not easy, man. Yeah. Well, they got Chavo Guerrero in there. Oh, that's great. He's the trainer. Yeah. Of them.

Oh, awesome. Okay. Yeah. So he's like on top of it. And they got stunt people. So they all learned how to do it. But I do think that, yeah, they wanted it to be fictionalized. I don't know how the original Glow Girls, all learned how to do it but i do think that yeah they they wanted it to be fictionalized i don't know how the original glow girls all of them feel about i know some of them

are okay with it but i imagine i know there might be some bad blood here and there well if there is it's just because they're not working right you know what i mean that's the problem it's it didn't stay on long yeah how long did you wrestle for we did two seasons so it was like a year and a half yeah and you're into it i loved it we did it at the forum two seasons. So it was like a year and a half. Yeah. And you were into it? I loved it. And we did it at the forum in Englewood. So it was amazing for me. Yeah.

You know, and I remember being at the top of that ramp during training, smoking. And the two trainers would walk by and go, really? What was your character? Easy rider. Naturally. You were a motorcycle girl? We were the white trash biker gang. I was easy rider.

And then there was Thug was our leader. And Charlie Davidson. They're all very talented. Peggy Flower is her name. And Peggy Fowler. And she's an amazing wrestler. Still wrestling? I think she doesn't anymore.

But Selena Majors, who trained us, trains these girls now that do the online. And I believe it's still called WOW. I remember telling Dice, and this was when we were just friends, not dating, but we were friends. And I would say, you should bring the kids to the wrestling. He goes, you're going to hurt your woman parts. I'm not watching that shit. Oh, no. Even Mitzi.

I would show up at Mitzi's. I'd have a black eye. Yeah. My arm would be taped up. And she'd go, what's his name? Yeah, she'd go, you don't have to hide this, and i go mits i'm not i don't know what you're saying i'm wrestling she goes jesus christ who are you wrestling with like she was terrified she couldn't couldn't wrap her brain around no she would like ira came rogan came they would all come to see

me wrestle because i was waiting tables at the store still. Oh, yeah. Well, that's nice they all came, the boys. Oh, yeah. All the door guys used to come. Dom's a nice Philly guy. Dom's one of my favorites. Yeah, I called him back.

My best friend. I got to call him back because it just dawned on me. I was at the store and I said, I haven't seen him in a while. So I texted him. I'm like, you okay, man? Yeah, because I was like in my mind,

I'm like, has anyone got an eye on Dom? Oh, always ask me i'm always talking to them oh yeah yeah i gotta he texted me anybody got an eye on tom that's where we're at anybody got an eye on dom yeah yeah i just want to make sure because i don't know but like he always oh i'll see him tomorrow i think uh but you know because we're always like back to back at the store and and uh yeah and he texted me i'm fine what did you hear and i'm like i'm not gonna did you hear who spread him well no way he said Because we're always back to back at the store. And he texted me, I'm fine. What did you hear? And I'm like, I'm not going to know. What did you hear?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who spread a rumor? Well, no, what he said, his first thought was like, I play a character that's sick on this show. Oh, on I'm Dying Up Here? Yes. Yeah, yeah. No, but he's fine.

Yes. Because they took him to the hospital on I'm Dying Up Here for the show. Right. And so he was like, he goes, people are really going to think I'm sick. I know. I'm sick i was such good acting yeah yeah i gotta i gotta text him i forget to call him back i'm not great at all right so you wrestle for a while but then still when does comedy happen it's not until two i didn't start until 2007 so you you finish wrestling you're still waiting tables don't wait are you getting jaded and bitter about acting and like uh not really but i'm i'm like this is too much i don't know what to do i gotta make a decision here and then i got involved

with dice my second ex-fiance and uh i'm not a closer yeah we dated for like five four or five years really and he had full custody of his kids so i just started like i was still waiting tables driving his kids to school like we were were just playing house, if you will. And then we got engaged. And then when we got engaged in April of 2005. Yeah. And then Freddie died in July 2005. And my world just stopped.

Yeah. It was over. Yeah. And then everything's like, what are you doing with your life? Right. Like everything hits you. And then 20 days later, my grandma died on the 30th. i was like oh my god like it was just like getting all these sucker punches yeah and then i went home for a while to philly and it was just like i couldn't bring

myself back to i don't know what i was doing like it's just weird so by christmas we broke off our engagement and then it was like i would break up he break up. And we went on and off for about, I don't know, five months or so. And then after that, we just like kind of pounded it and called it quits. You know, we're like, hey man, this isn't working out. Cool. But we stayed good friends because I was so close. I am so close with the kids and him. And I love him.

I just knew that I needed something different and I didn't know what. And so I started going back to acting classes and just seeing what the hell I was doing. Were you getting gigs as an actress? No, no, that was the other thing. Did you have an agent? Not at that point, I didn't. But Andrew and I did that reality show.

We were on VH1. So we were still kind of filming that. That was the big reality time years. So I was trying to move things off of that nothing was happening and then i was just i was going to move back to new york i was going to move to new york or philly east coast just figure something out probably marry another mario and uh yeah not that one there's a few others i could get back with so uh that one he's married with kids so there's a few other single ones I'm looking at.

And because comedy is not going great either. So no, but then we got, so I started doing a one woman show at that point. I called Mitzi and I said, hey, would you mind if I did the belly room? I want to work out this one woman show. I asked her and she was like, oh, that's perfect, honey.

That's what it's supposed to be. And I was like, oh yeah. You know, like the one woman show i asked her and she was like oh that's perfect honey that's what it's supposed to be and i was like oh yeah you know like the one woman shows up there so um then i called andrew and i go hey i don't want to weird you out but i'm gonna do this and he's like all right so he brought his new girlfriend who i hooked him up with because i'm good like that and he brought her to the show to see me in the belly room and he was like you're doing stand-up and I'm like no this is a one-woman show I'm telling story doing stand-up he's like it's stand-up stupid like oh how did we not stay together this is weird and so you're so charming but so he but he was kind of right and then he goes look

in three months we're going on the road so you got three months to come up with eight minutes and i'm like what and so i i was i was shit myself i was like oh my god what do i do i started taking classes my buddy adam barnhart classes you're the person that memorized alan stevens act i'm aware of that but I was terrified. I was going on the road with dice. There was four people in the belly room.

We were going to the Wells Fargo Center. 2,500 people. I was like, oh my God, what do I do? And so Adam Barnhart who I love

does Sunday nights. He teaches a class and basically all stand-up classes are they don't teach you how to do stand-up. They just give you stage time.

So he would do that and there was a few comics that I knew in there that we're still trying to get stage time yeah like we'll take a class and they were helping me with tags like who court mccowan oh yeah Melanie Vesey like they're all people that are around that I know and I trust and Cynthia Levin like they were all helping just add tags and stuff to what I was doing. Right. So I did eight minutes,

and I killed in California. They loved it. Yeah. Plus our show was still on. Yeah. Then we went to Santa Rosa, California. With Dice. It was great.

Yeah. Everything goes great. Then we fly to New York, and we're at Westbury Music Fair, Theater in the Round, and Andrew's like, you got to dress like this on you got to wear high boots short shorts show your tough attitude I'm like

whoa short shorts yeah I don't think that's gonna show my tough attitude right and so he was like no they're gonna love it they're gonna you know they're gonna get excited from you I'm like okay and for some reason I listened because I figure he knows something about costumes so I put outfit sure I put this outfit on. You know something about like one costume. You take him out of costume, he's wearing like knickers.

You should wear fingerless gloves. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't, this is weird. Does he wear capri pants sometimes? I think so.

I call him pedo pushers and he goes, I know you're wishing me dead. I go, that's not what it means. I don't know what it means. You're not hearing me. So you put the shorts on so I put the shorts on

and it was like a cute like more of a club outfit I wouldn't call it a go on stage outfit and I went on stage and he put two professionals out first then they took a 15 minute

Don Jameson and Eric I forget his last name they call him the old man but both of them have been doing stand up for over 10-15 years so they

and had opened for Dice a few times so they'd known you know the ropes the audience yeah and there was a fight

that broke out during Jameson's thing and Eric somebody threw up on somebody so they had to move that whole section my sister had drove up

from Philly to see this I got her in and we look exactly like but we're 10 years apart. And so I'm like nervous to perform in front of her and all these people. And so they take the intermission, they send me out. And as soon as I say I'm from Philly, they start boo, fuck Philly, fuck the Eagles. And I'm like, oh my God. It's the worst.

Because the booing just got louder and it went all the way around the room. And your woman. Yeah. And they're from the front, the sides and the back hating me. And then I try to get a few words in. Like somebody was like, where's Dice? And I'm like, he's up my ass. You want to tickle his feet?

Like I lost it a little bit. Like I went to the street and I tried to do my act. I stayed out there for about five minutes. Yeah. I was supposed to do eight. I think I did five do my act. I stayed out there for about five minutes. I was supposed to do eight. I think I did five and a half. And I stayed out there. And I remember catching eyes with my sister.

And she looked at me, put her hands up. Like, what do you want to do? Want to fight this whole fucking room? We'll fight Long Island right now. Like, I saw her anger. Like, I'll fight everybody in this section here. Like, and it was so, like, refreshing for a second. But I was sweating yeah and because of

that sweat is the worst yeah my stupid costume i had a half bra on to try to make me look feminine and it slid down and so now i have these two like what looks like tumors on my belly and i'm trying to like hold my bra up and getting booed and i finished my time and i got off and you guys he did the whole eight I didn't do eight I did like five and a half I think I was supposed to do eight but five and a half

to six was enough yeah sure and I got off and Andrew was like I'm not going out there and I'm like are you nuts

they don't want to see me they want to see you and I built his confidence up like the good dysfunctional wife good codependent you are. Yeah. You're fine.

They love you. It's me they hate. They were mad at you. He was mad at them because of the way they treated you? Oh, yeah. And he didn't want to go out there. And then he went out. I convinced him to go out.

He had the best set I'd seen him have in years. Yeah. Because he was so angry. Yeah. And then I went upstairs and cried in the dressing room and called my mom and my brother Tommy. And and my brother tommy was like they booed blondie they don't know what the hell they're doing i'm like this doesn't really make sense but i'll take it and then i got booed again the next night at the state theater in jersey oh my god me and jameson and jameson was pissed he's like i never get booed i'm like i'm sorry i think i'm bringing this to the room no that's not like that audience could be monsters dude they were and i was like why

like what bird dealt with in philly oh yeah the philly version that was him picking up for dom irer which makes my heart sing for him even more because they booed dom because dom i think shit on the eagles a little bit yeah and so my little sister was working that venue and my brother Johnny was in the audience. Yeah. So they booed Dom and Bill came out, you booed Dom Irera? What kind of people? Like he just lost it.

I was like, yes! The statue, that bit he did, you don't even, you have a statue of Rocky, he's not even a real fighter. It's a fictitious character. Joe Louis lives down the street and you got a statue of Rocky. He's not even a real fighter. It's a fictitious character. Joe Louis lives down the street, and you got a statue of Rocky. Like, oh, he lost it.

And then he's like, remember when the Flyers wore slacks? Yeah, he killed it. Terrific. It was a game changer, that thing. Oh, my God, yeah. Everybody talked about that. That was phenomenal. Yes, it's really great to watch.

So, okay, so you took all these hits. But then i came back and that was my thing andrew gave me uh like a year he goes look he goes uh you know i can't it's hard for me to take you out because if they mean to you like that i can't take it it hurts yeah it's too personal yeah so about he gave me about a year to see if i really liked it stand up yeah yeah and kept doing it and then my whole goal was just to work so hard to never get booed again. Yeah. So far, it's been good.

That's great. Yeah. And I go to Governors. I haven't gone to Westbury yet, but I'm coming back. Governors, it's so funny. Like, my memory of Governors back when I lived in New York was they had a great sound system. But I, like, they had speakers right up there. Right.

But I think the last time I played governor is you could still smoke in there. Oh, that's funny. Oh, you haven't been back? Oh, okay. I was a kid comic and I was living in New York. I maybe did it twice. But I just remember that it was just filled with smoke. Oh, I love that.

Because I remember being a waitress and having to put ashtrays on my tray. Yeah. Yeah, it was crazy just how much smoke was everywhere. Or I'd smoke in the kitchen when they weren't allowed to smoke in the showroom. Oh, right. Oh, really?

Oh, yeah. Do you know my dice story with the quarters? Did you ever hear me tell that? I don't know about that. Didn't I tell that on yours? Quarters? When we caught,

when Schubert got arrested? No. You didn't tell that. I told it here before, but it was such a funny story because I didn't really know dice. Wait, Schubert got arrested? No. You didn't tell that. I told it here before, but it was such a funny story. Because I didn't really know. Wait, Schubert got arrested? Right. So something happened.

I was a door guy. I was living up in Crest Hill. And we had gone home already. But there was some tussle in the parking lot of the store. Something went down. Schubert got in some sort of fight or something happened in the parking lot. And they angered the Philly Irish. Yeah, right.

So they busted him. They took him down to Beverly Hills Precinct. Okay. And he's got to be bailed out. And Todd comes into the house. He's like, they arrested Jimmy. We got to bail him out. And we didn't have any fucking money.

We're just up there like, oh, I don't know what the fuck to do. And Lemish goes, let's call Andrew. And so it's like 2.30 in the morning, right? And Todd calls up Dice and says, Andy, yeah, they busted Schubert. And he's down at the Beverly Hills Precinct. And we got to bail him out, but we don't have any money. And Dice says, oh, I was just up counting quarters. So I'll meet you down there.

Oh, my God. And we're like what that's so mean so we but accurate because I know he was doing that

that's the thing like we go stupid idiot we go down there and fucking Dice shows up in like a tank top and he's got a bag

of fucking quarters and he bails him out with quarters and we bailed him out that was just so funny more change i'm telling you he could buy a house with the change change he has in his house it was just so funny it's like what does that mean because me and tommy like what is it what do you mean he's counting quarters and he did he showed up with a big fucking bag of quarters and he had enough to bail him out well it was part of it you know i mean you know but he did it he bailed him out oh my god i love that so now like out so you're

still doing comedy you're headlining it's going okay yeah yeah yeah and and because you're always working and but like the relationship with mitzi so like you know it's the same timeline but like when do you start like when did when do you start like getting very close to her? Well, when I was, uh, probably like 90, right after I left my first ex-fiance, she, she knew him well and she was going to hire him. Yeah. She was going to hire him cause he lost his job. Cause she didn't realize everything was going down and she didn't understand why it was going down. And I wanted to tell Right. But I also didn't want to hurt him. Right. And a couple days later, I decided not to say anything. I went to my South Philly roots and didn't say a word. Right.

And then a couple days later, she called me in her office. Yeah. And here, she said, I met with him and now I know what happened. And she just took him in like how he was. She didn't ask him anything. Yeah. Why he got fired or anything. They just talked about what they would do with the store.

Yeah. And just from that conversation, she's like, he's a mess. Yeah. I understand what happened. Yeah. So she didn't hire him. And then her and I got kind of close because I kind of confided in her. Yeah.

But I said, please don't repeat that. And then she started confiding in me. And then just one thing led to another. She wants to do the book. She wants to do this. It was more like get. When I first started as a waitress, she would call me Flo. Yeah.

Not a compliment, but okay. But she couldn't remember my name. But she knew she liked me. So she would go, oh, give that to Flo. flow whatever and people would be looking for flow for hours yeah and i think that's me and so uh but then we got closer and you know whatever and then when we went to the dominican republic that was probably 2002 because it was after wrestling yeah i wasn't wrestling anymore so it was 2002 maybe yeah and it was right before i started going out with andrew so uh we went to the dominican republic and i

remember signing this paper that says if she gets sick they won't treat her in the states because this is illegal yeah what we're doing and i'm like oh my god both of us are dressed in comedy store sweatsuits we look like morons you just flew down there and went right to the place? We went to Florida and then there. Yeah. And the whole time, like, I remember going through customs in the Dominican, and she's like, these Mexicans are getting up. And I'm like, nope, that's not where we're at.

Oh, no. Quiet on the set, lady. I'm like, just deflecting every awful thing. And she's walking through customs like it's the comedy store. Like it's hers and she owns it. Yeah. And I'm like, hold on a second. And they're like, like they would just give her a look like she can't just walk through.

You know, I'm like, okay, hold on. Let me get. Is it because she's mentally sick now? No, she just has no time for people. Right. She's just motoring through. Yeah. And then I remember we go, she got the injections and everything, and then it didn't do what

it did the first time. Right. And that's the progression. It does slow it down. Right. But it's not a cure. Right. And that sucks because she wanted to be doing backflips when she came back.

And I do remember signing that paper like, oh God, this is going to be bad if something happens. It's going to be like weekend at bernie's right and and paulie's gonna be pissed at me and peter that i you know didn't do the proper right ever but uh she was i mean she was good but not as good as the last time yeah so it was neat and it was fun just to do an adventure like that i remember in miami that we had to walk about a mile from Customs to the stupid place. I hate that airport, right? And she wouldn't get on the car. She kept saying, I'm not a cripple.

I'm like, no, it's just going to help us. We missed two flights because she wanted to walk tiptoe. Tiptoe through the Miami airport. I know the whole thing in and out. She would stop and look at things. I'm like, we've missed two flights. How are we going to get here? It was, oh, it was brutal.

I lost eight pounds that weekend. I kept tipping because I'd never been out of the country. I didn't know. I'm tipping them $5 because she's calling them Mexicans. Right. And they're rubbing me down. That $5 is like giving a $1,000 tip. I didn't know.

Yeah. So they would show up in the morning. Yeah, Miss Miss Missy. me down that five dollars is like giving a thousand dollar tip i didn't know yeah so i they would show up in the morning yeah miss miss missy yeah now we're good we're good throwing money out the door like go go go away go away so and you've stayed close to her all through it all yeah i try and um i was fortunate to showcase for her only once, like live, like where she came in and she was like, it's cute, honey. Yeah. And I was like, oh my God, that's like a compliment from Mitzi.

But like not, like in the world of standup, they'd be like, that's not good. You were in a tough position because she needed you for other things. No, I was done at that point. Ultimately, I was out. I was way out. This was way after Andrew. This was two years in. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, because I left the comedy store in 2005. I quit. Yeah. And then came back in 2007 as a comic. Yeah. So for two years, I was not working for her. Did she pass you? No.

She just told me I was cute. And then I was like, but that's not bad because I remember I had waitresses that were comics and that's her. She hates that. Yeah. When a waitress does a comic. And nothing more than she just don't want a waitress focusing on when they're getting on stage. Right. Other than how many drinks they're going to sell that night.

Right. That's what she needs you to focus on. So, and usually when a waitress was a comic, they weren't that great. I'm going to be honest. I could think of three of them and they were pretty terrible. And then we had a few that were great, but they came in as comics. But now these girls specifically kind of put a bad taste in Mitzi's mouth. And so there's no comics working now, are there?

Waitresses? Yeah. We have, well, we have male and female waitresses now so we have nick that's uh yeah nick is a wait uh i keep calling him a waitress but that's i can't change that feels new to me he's a comic yeah it is very new but we had this asian guy that we hired tony yeah a long time ago mitzi loved him so much because he was like super gay she hired him as a waitress it's a waiter yeah it sounds it seems like you know everybody's making good good now the change and good money and like the place is blown up and it's a whole different vibe there it's kind of fascinating you almost want her to be around to

see it oh she she turned it around yeah she'd make a mess of it well because she had her own passion her own drive like she didn't like comics that were already comics, professionals. She needed to have an edge on them. She liked the edge. She also liked to develop them. She liked to throw her two cents in. I remember Louis C.K. showcased, and she didn't pass him. She said, he's too polished.

What can I do for him? Well, she told me once that I was a poet, and I should wear a scarf. Okay. I wore one for a while. Good for you. I found a poet and I should wear a scarf. Okay. I wore one for a while. Good for you. I found a scarf. Yeah. Dying it on.

People listen to her. It's crazy. I remember she used to tell me, you need to get pompins. Oh. It was a different time. It was a different time. She did it to Ari Shaffir.

I remember she tried to make him be a duo with this other guy, Dave Taylor, because they were both tall. Yeah, I remember. I was like, I know them, yeah. That's not always the best advice. That's not what makes a comedy team. Yeah, yeah.

One guy, she may go up with a puppet. I mean, a doll. But you know, if you think about those two as a comedy team, it would be kind of interesting. Yeah. Yeah, that might work, but- It would be weird. It would be angry and fucked up. It was double anger. double anger yeah yeah but you go up there and see her now uh yeah i do and um i try to i live close to her yeah now uh so i try to ride my bike because it's simpler to park over

there and um so i'll ride my bike sometimes i would bring comics that make her happy like i brought holtzman oh yeah and holtzman made her laugh this was like two years ago he made her So I'll ride my bike. Sometimes I would bring comics that make her happy. Like I brought Holtzman. Oh, yeah. And Holtzman made her laugh. This was like two years ago. He made her laugh so hard she almost slipped out of her chair. Oh, really? Because he was just shitting on the staff that was working for her.

Yeah. Yeah. And I remember I brought her her favorite cookies from Canner's. And Holtzman ate the whole box. I'm like, dude, really? She doesn't want it. She loves it. But she enjoys the company.

And then she'll recognize you. But she hasn't been speaking a lot, which is annoying. And then I brought my friend Cynthia Levin. And she started talking to us. And we were like, but I couldn't understand her. So I was like, shit. I couldn't make her repeat herself because I don't want to get fired. Right.

She still lives in fear. Does she still have the power to fire? I guess. I don't make her repeat herself because I don't want to get fired. Right. She's still living in fear. Does she still have the power to fire? I guess. I don't know. We all still live in fear, man. Yeah. I don't know. I don't think about it much.

And I don't know if I have the wherewithal to go see her like this. Well, see, I don't think she would want people to see her like that. Does that make sense? Unless she really knows you. Exactly. And I've seen her, like I said, we went to Dominican together. I've stayed in her house, like slept in the room with her overnight when she got real sick sometimes. Yeah.

It was just hard because it was just like sad to see. And, you know, I felt like she needed more professional help than me. And she's got it now, right? Yes. But it took a long time. And like Pollyie i remember this one time we did an intervention because she wouldn't let us yeah so paulie and i uh had this like moment of years of fighting to like just holding each other and kind of crying together

because it was just we were at our wits end why were you fighting with paulie um when i was waiting tables there mitzi would fight with him and throw me in the middle of it. And so he would go, I'm going to fire Eleanor. Okay, maybe Pauly did it too. But he would be like, I'm going to fire Eleanor. And she'd go, over my dead body. And then he'd call me up and I'd be in acting class. And I'm like, Pauly, I can't talk right now.

And he'd be cursing me out. And I'm like, Pauly, I'll call you after acting class. I don't have time for this. You got in it. It was two in it. Again, it was like exactly what I grew up doing, like getting in these ridiculous situations for years. I worked at

the store for 12 years and I've been back as a comic now for 11. February was 11 years I'm doing stand-up. so well it's a good story because now like things have leveled off there it's a different place it's amazing and you and paulie are okay yes he's been on the podcast he came on the comedy store podcast and he sat down and i was like i can't believe he's gonna do this is he gonna curse me out yeah and the minute he sat down he's like dude i want to interview you and i'm like okay and i just let

him take control because i was like i've grown to really like him i feel like paulie has grown though yes there's so many he i was there when he started doing comedy when he was the character we had that sort of before the weasel before oh before the weasel okay before he got the job so like he was just like he was just the owner's kid and he had one of those composite headshots with him in different hats and shit and he used to do like this surfer character he had a like a hat he wore and you know i've seen the pictures i don't i've never yeah yeah and he you know he like you know there was a real there was a contingent of them that like saw me as somehow responsible for sam you know because like uh because like i

would facilitate the parties up there like i was the guy i was the head door guy and i lived in the house and tamayo otsuki who sam used to fuck lived in the house so he bought so he would no cover night was like monday so yeah right so he would give me money and i would go get everything and get ready at the house ready and hide booze so the those of us who were left two days after the party started would have i'd be like i still got some stash like i was that fucking guy and they they started like you know bill kennison and paulie and even mitzi to a degree was like man mark's doing he's in you know like when sam fucking lost his shit on me and pissed on my bed and kicked my door in,

like Mitzi just loved it. And that was the, that tipped me over and I fucking had to cut out because I was losing my mind on Coke. But like they, you know, Bill Kennison,

like, because I used to be in Todd Lemish's little vignettes as John Lennon. Oh yeah. And Bill Kennison would be like, hey John Lennon, you trying to take my brother with you?

Like they were like, and Paulie was like, what are you doing up there? Why are you trying to kill Sam? Like it was like, what, John Lennon, you trying to take my brother with you? They were like, and Paulie was like, what are you doing up there? Why are you trying to kill Sam? I was like, how am I the guy? I'm a fucking Jewish kid from New Mexico. You think I got any control over that fucking monster? You're just trying to be part of the gang, whatever.

Yeah, it was the wrong gang, let me tell you. Listen, I've been in a lot of wrong gangs, my friend. We're still alive. Yes, we've made it. I mean, it's, I don't know. It's hard. But yeah, it is a different place. I hate that I do it without Freddie,

but everything else, it's, you know, and I wish my sister could see more of me doing stand-up, but she did get to see me perform in Philadelphia with Aerie Spears, gave me a guest spot at Helium. I know it was very beginning stages. But again, it's just I know all these comics from all the years. And every time I tell, I'll run into somebody like, I can't believe you're just doing comedy now. Because Rogan and all those guys, they'd be like, why aren't you doing stand-up?

And even Freddie, every night he's like, you should be doing stand-up. I'm like, I am a serious actress. You don't know anything about me? I'm going to replace Meryl Streep. How dare you? And like, if Freddie would come see me do plays, and I'd be crying on stage

because I just lost my whole family or baby or, you know, it was something always awful. Yeah. I'm wondering why nobody comes to see plays. Because they're terrible well you know

you remember everybody well and you used to have nice things to say about everybody yeah but everybody was different and I only had a few fights with people

in all those years at the store and Bobby Lee and I didn't talk for 17 years over Kirk oh wow and Pauly

yeah because we had a big fight and you guys are okay now he came on the podcast we worked it out oh really yeah it was pretty awful but you're you're the you're the last you know between you and the shores you know like you know there's not many people that know the stories you know yeah i wish i could i gotta get back around because we have some great moments like because i would spend. He's here in the valley somewhere. But I would spend days with Becker.

Did you offer to go out there and do it? Maybe that's a better, you know, to do that. We can do that. We're totally mobile. You should. Simple. You should. Well, it was great talking to you.

Thank you. It was nice getting to know you. We never really talked. Yeah, because always at the store, you go on early. You don't do the stinky late night't know i don't know what's going on after 11 there but you know what's great even after the late night spots they're they're killer it's packed it's great yeah people stay late again and it's also a different place after like 11 the turnover and then the freaks come and right still like that all the not you not

the acts but like there must be a whole bunch of people that show up sure we have our shift of people we're like oh there we go yeah this is late night well i'll stay around i'll watch oh that would be amazing all right thanks thank you there you go another classic and and terrific Comedy Store episode. As I said before, I talked to her. Eleanor co-hosts the Comedy Store podcast with, I think, Rick Ingram, who is also very funny. You can get that wherever you get podcasts. I got a little riff.

I got a little riff I'll share. Thank you. Boomer lives! Boomer lives! now. Product availability may vary 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.