April 24, 2024 • 72 mins
I love when I can bring two worlds that seemingly don't connect with one another and for this episode, it's comedy and hardcore. The man to do that with us is Neil Rubenstein who is a stand-up comedian and also the vocalist for the late 90's Jewish hardcore band, Sons of Abraham. We discuss the connection between DIY hardcore and comedy, bringing his friends from the music world into comedy as well as Long Island hardcore. It's a great discussion and you must check out his new stand up special released by our friends at Equal Vision Records.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
If you're listening to one hundred words or less with
Ray Harkins, Welcome everybody. Thank you for downloading this podcast,
and thank you for spending time with people who care
about independent music, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, indie rock, whatever
it is, whatever bucket you want to put it in,
as long as it comes from the whole DIY, small
(00:40):
sweaty rooms, just jumping over each other. Or I was
about to say skanking, but I don't really endorse skanking.
I mean, I endorse like skanking, like you know, circle
jerks scenario stuff. But the other skanking that you know,
I unfortunately witnessed many many times during the Orange County
third wave of SKA. It's a dark period of my life.
But regardless, I'm not going to sit here and judge
(01:02):
those of you that like skaw because that's fine, it's
totally good. But I digress. I have a great discussion
this week with a stand up comedian. His name is
Neil Rubinstein. He just put out a record on Equal
Vision Records called Have Some Dignity that he recorded I
don't know last year. I think in I was gonna
(01:23):
say the Bell House, but no, that's not right. It's
uh oh in Montclair, New Jersey. So yeah, twenty twenty three.
Actually yeah, I was that is last year, because we're
in twenty twenty four. Holy moly, little disorganized. But Neil
Rubinstein not only is he an extremely funny dude, but
he is so down for the core because he actually
sang for a band that I really really enjoyed in
the nineties called Sons of Abraham, one of the like
(01:47):
I really can't think of any other like Jewish hardcore bands,
you know, like where their message is completely built around that,
you know, religion and identity, and Sons of Abraham like
I mean them and indecision, like once they started to
pop off in the New York City scene, I just
I couldn't get enough of that. In Sons of Abraham
(02:08):
was a band that existed for I mean, they only
put out one LP Termites in his smile, which, of course,
the fact that I can just like name that off
the top of my head sometimes makes me sad, but
also gets me really excited because I remember just just
dumb information. I'm sure you're the same way too. But anyways,
Neil is a funny dude. I had to have him
on because obviously he was promoting his stand up special.
(02:29):
But the idea of bridging the gap between you know,
what a comedian's life is like and a touring band's
life is like. It's basically one of the same, except
maybe you're a little bit lonelier as a stand up
comedian because you're not traveling with you know, three four
five other people. But Neil was a great hang and
he has a lot of interesting stories, and yeah, I
(02:52):
just had to have him on. So that's what we did.
And you you right there, I'm pointing at you in
the back of the room. Maybe you just ducked in.
This is your first time lets the show. It's totally fine, welcome,
come on in, take a seat, and just just hang
out for about an hour. But you can support the show.
First of all, you can reach out to me me personally.
I receive these emails and I read them, I respond
(03:13):
to them, I soap them in. You can email me
one hundred words podcast at gmail dot com. That's the
number one zero zero, and yeah, love to hear feedback
in regards to guest ideas and everything else that you
may be curious about. On top of that, if you
want to support the show for absolutely free, zero dollars.
It's going to take you maybe a minute tops of
your day. Just go to the Apple podcast page, leave
(03:36):
a rating, and if you want to write a sentence
or two as far as review is concerned, helps out
the algorithm validate this show, be like, yo, this thing
is legit, it's cool, peace sign, let's go. Or if
you want to dip into the Spotify page, all you
need to do is leave a star rating. All of
those things help tremendously in ways that I can't even
(03:56):
begin to explain in less than two minutes because I
will bore you to death and I don't want to
do that. But what I do want to do, how
about that transition, you know, just like a professional broadcaster.
I've talked about some shows I recently attended. I saw
the Painted Black West Coast tour. They played with Dangers
and Entry, and I missed the first band, Sweat, who's
(04:19):
really really good, but I just missed them because I
was late. But Painted Black it was my first time
seeing them, even though they've existed for many, many years.
I was so excited to see Dan Yeman up there,
Jared the drummer just a great dude, and watching them
play made me really happy. And then Dangers. I actually
forgot how much I like Dangerous and Dangerous is an
(04:39):
incredible band. Love Al Brown had a had him on.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
The show many many years ago.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I can't even remember when, or maybe I'm just misremembering,
but it was a great show. It was that chain reaction.
Love it. And what else did I do?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yeah, there's a I'm going to be going to a
local hardcore show, which always gets me excited when I'm
able to. You know, just watch like a bunch of
like local Orange County hardcore bands. Back to godhead band
called Greed Culture, a band called No Plan that's gonna
be happening in like about a week or so. Anyways,
I just I love going to shows. I'm also seeing
(05:14):
a band, Hot Mulligan. I'm seeing them on today Tuesday
when I'm recording this, and I'm excited about that. So
just just go to shows, you know, Like you don't
have to go three or four nights a week. Maybe
just go once or twice a month. You know, support
whatever scene it is you're supporting. So anyways, let's talk
about weekly recommendations. I've been doing this every week since
(05:34):
twenty twenty four. And I just want to continue that trend.
As we were talking about very good music, very good records.
Today is actually a specific song which I know is
very granular. But if you were familiar with Mike Kinsella,
who was in you know, Captain Jazz, he was also
in Well No, his brother was in jonah Ark. I
(05:56):
always put all the Canzellos together, but you play Michael
also plays American football, but he also plays a solo
project called Owen, and they released a new song they
as he released a new song called Bookoo Bookoo Bookoo.
It's b e a u co ou p Bookoo like
(06:17):
Mercy Bookoo. I've never said that word like out loud seriously,
but it's off of the record that's coming up soon
being released on polyvinyl called The Falls of Sue. But
this song Bookoo, holy crap. Like I have just rinsed
this song on repeat and it is so incredibly intoxicating.
(06:37):
I've always found Mike's work in general to be just
just beautiful, like Tugs in your heartstrings does everything that
you know, a sort of quiet indie rock, emotional rock
record or whatever you want to call it, should do.
But just the fact that Mike can be like this
deep in his music life and just have songs that
really really still land. It just not only does it
(06:59):
make me happy, because obviously the idea as we go
through life is that we get, you know, better at stuff,
and sometimes there's this you know, waxing nostalgic thing that
happens with music, especially the independent variety, where it's just like, oh, yeah,
the demo is the best. I mean, I know, you know,
I'm being you know, hyperbolic or pejorative or whatever, or
it's like that that's saying just you know, rings true,
(07:20):
but it's not ring true for many artists, including Owen.
So please listen to that song. I will include a
link in the show notes to where you can listen
to all of the things that I've been digging this
past year, and that way you can listen to your
heart's content and don't take my word for it, take
your word for it and listen to it. So yeah,
link in the show notes. Let's talk to Neil. I
(07:42):
have links in the show notes in regards to you know,
his newest stand up special. Like I said, they got
released on Equal Vision Records about a month and a
half or so ago. It's really funny, totally worth your
time investing in. And let's talk to Neil about comedy
and nineties hardcore because that's what we do here. You,
(08:11):
in my mind, you've been the person like I'm forty
three years old, so definitely grew up in the nineties
hardcore scene. And Sons of Abraham was a band for
me that I discovered and was like, oh, yeah, like
a Jewish hardcore band, Like that's sick, Like I myself,
I'm not Jewish, but like, do you know, just completely
I loved the fact that bands obviously were able to
(08:32):
attach themselves to a very specific point of view in
the way that Krishna obviously did as well. But anyways,
the point being is that you know, I was aware
of you from that side of things and know that
you know, you traveled in and around with bands like
you know, Taking Back Sunday, et cetera, et cetera. But
then my absolute ignorance where it's like, oh, I didn't
even know you did comedy, and it was like up
(08:55):
until like you know, when Equal Vision obviously was going
to put out your stuff and I was like, oh,
like that's cool, and then obviously looking at the world
that you have been building on the comedy side of things.
I presume just based on like what I know about you,
I presume it's really fun for you to be able
to obviously do the comedy stuff, but be able to
(09:16):
bring in all of your friends from the music world,
either you know, whether it's Dubin taking photos of you
or whatever, like, to be able to bring them along
for the comedy ride, even though they may not, you know,
have a strong affinity for I mean your comedy, yes,
but not like, oh yeah, I'm a comedy head since
the forties or whatever.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, one hundred percent. I love everything
about that, Like you know, I mean I'm just on
the phone with Dubin and he was like, it's like
and he got like a little he got a little
gay about it, and he was like he was, you know,
I'm so glad thirty years later was still doing cool
(09:56):
shit together. And it's like, yeah, man, I'm like that
is fucking cool, Like like we made these lifelong friends
by accident, you know, And it's like, yeah, I love that,
Like I get to do that. And I just posted
the other day, like I posted a thing where it's
like it's a photo someone took from the back of
(10:16):
the room at a show, like a headlining the show
I just did, and like the last the two shirts
in focus is like a Morgasbord xxx shirt like straight edge,
like European beautiful. Yeah, and uh and then I forget
the other the other show was like also a hardcore shirt,
and I was like, I love that, Like this is
(10:37):
what's coming out to see me, you know what I mean,
like dudes who like did record labels or like, you know,
I was joking with someone. I was like, all the
women at my shows like, oh I saw you open
for Parentheses, Emo Band close Parentheses, and all the dudes
of my shows are like just a different version of me.
(10:57):
That's like, ah, so I'm you know, I'm here because I,
you know, listen to sons, are listening to these enzymes
or whatever, you know, and it's like, yeah, man, it's
fucking cool, Like.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Yeah, no it is, and I find it and I
know that it took a person Like I mean, basically
this podcast is just a you know, rip off of
obviously what Maron has been doing for the past you
know whatever, but but obviously just specifically focused on you know,
the independent music world as it were, but it took
(11:29):
me a long time to kind of be able to
connect the dots between the comedy world, the independent wrestling world,
the you know, punk rock world, where I was like, oh,
all of these are literally exactly the same thing, begging
people to show up at a place where a lot
of sweat will be poured out in whatever version. But
it's like everybody right totally. And it was like a
(11:54):
light bulb went off where it was like, oh, we
were all existing, you know whatever, pre Internet, existing in
these weird subcultures of just traveling around the country, and
it wasn't until you know, much later where people were
able to like show those crossover influences exactly what you're
talking about where it's like, oh, yeah, like I saw
you open up for Motion City soundtrack and be like,
(12:14):
oh wow, I never thought about stand up comedy in
relation to band life or whatever.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, Like I mean I remember like when CM punk
like started like got getting like huge, and it was
like just just like a hardcore like what's up with
Like that's so weird, you know, And now it's like, yeah,
like every wrestler, it's like they have incended areas that
walk off music or like you know, like like everywhere
(12:40):
you look, it's like it's a hardcore crossover and it's
like yeah, yeah, it's just like it just makes sense,
like subcultures find each other.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You know, when did you, I guess, make the connection
between you know, the comedy world obviously, like the punk
and hardcore world. I mean, I know you were pursuing comedy,
you know sort of you know, not after your independent
music life, because clearly you still care about it because
that's all you wear from a venture perspective, But like
when did you make that? When did you make that
(13:12):
connection to yourself? Be like oh, like we are just
doing similar versions of a different thing.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I think once I, once I started touring, once I
once I realized that I wasn't gonna get the things
that I needed to get good.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
In my in my like in the region I lived,
I was like, I have to go out. I have
to go out in the world, and like the only
thing I know about going out in the world is
punk rock. Is like just get in the van and
(13:54):
like crash at a friend's house and like call a
stranger and like, hey, we have like one thing in common.
Is that enough to have you? Like be my advocate
in your community, and for some reason, punk and hardcore
(14:17):
seemed to be enough for most people. Like like I mean,
right before we started recording, I told you that story
about Columbus, Ohio and like just total strangers being cool
because we're punk, both punk kids, and like I don't
(14:38):
know who they were, and I still don't know who
they were, you know, but it was like it didn't matter, like, oh,
you like punk rock, I like punk rock. Yo, Let's
let's do this thing. Let's whatever you need. My couch
is your couch. You need a shower, you need a
bull of spaghetti, like whatever. And so I just reached
(14:58):
out to those same people basically like I would reach
out to my buddy Matt in Atlanta and be like,
hey man, I need to find other places, say get
on stage, Like can I crash with you for like
a week or two while I explore that scene and
see what's out there, and then just you know, drive
to Atlanta and then drive to Richmond and drive to
(15:22):
you know wherever I knew people stayed on couches and
like spare rooms and air mattresses and like just like
I did when I was nineteen, and just like you know,
just went to see like yo, like what's your scene,
Like what's where's the cool instead of where's the cool
(15:42):
punk venue, where's the cool open mic, where's the cool
bar show, where's the cool showcase? Who are the cool comics?
Like who are the people that I can vibe with?
Like who are the you know, open minded enough to
accept me? You know, and like you you find it
because we were we were brought up that way. We
(16:05):
were like taught to taught to nowhere to look.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Right well into your and to your point. I think
the you know, build your own build or find your
own culture. Like that's obviously been embedded within the context
of punk and hardcore, where it's like if you don't
have a local scene, you you know, create it, no
matter how small it may be. But I just I
never thought about it in terms of what you're talking about,
where it's like literally pulling up to a city and
(16:33):
you know, getting a vibe of it over a week
and a half cone because obviously banned tour life is
like you just roll through a city twelve hours and
then you're gone. But I like that idea of you
just being like, let me spend some time here, find
out what what's happening, find out if they mess with me,
and then be able to kind of you know, learn
from those experiences. That's really cool.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, it was that bad moves. Okay, they have that
they have that Zong party with the kids that want
to party with you, yep, and like I couldn't. I
couldn't live my life more to that right sentiment, like
find the people that want to fuck with you. Yep,
they're going to be out there. You know, you just
(17:16):
have to uh.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
No, well, I I think it is. I mean, I
know you've shared this in other you know, interview spaces
of the idea that like you knew you were never
destined for a you know, desk job or something that
is quote unquote more typical, and so because of that,
you you know, live this like pirate esque life of
just you know, of finding those spots and finding those people.
(17:41):
But I love, I like it when that's really you know,
whether there's five people there, whether there's fifty people there,
like you're you're happy because I mean, yes, of course
you're happy if there's more people there because you're connecting
with more. But it's just that premise of like, well,
I have to go out and do the work in
order to bring these people to me, because you know
they won't just find me magically on TikTok or whatever.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah. Yeah, And that's a tough Uh, that's a tough
realization of what's happening now is you really need the
robots to connect you. Whereas twenty years ago, I think
(18:29):
you worked harder to find what you wanted to consume.
Does that make sense? Like twenty years ago you just
read the liner notes of a seven inch, and like
then you just bought all those seven inches and then
you know, you went to a basement show and you
got a flyer for another basement show, and you didn't
(18:51):
have to know what those bands were. You recognized fonts
and you were like, oh, I'm gonna go to this
one too, and maybe find five new faiavorite bands. Now,
I think, although it is, I'm not being like, oh
too good old like I'm not right. Everything has its merit.
(19:12):
I understand adapt figure it out. But I will say
it was easier. It was easier to find the like
mindedness back then. I think because it was like it
was I don't know, it was like a clearer picture.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
I think, Yeah, I don't I mean obviously us, you know,
old man on the porch like talking about how things
used to be. But I do I think the the
the difference that I've noticed, and I agree with you
where it's you can discover things and you can find
things obviously very very easily, and like you said, algorithms
help with that. Like all of that is good, but
(19:56):
the thing is is it's it's devoid of context. Like
you a comedian that are coming across people's you know,
TikTok feeds or Instagram feeds, like they're gonna look at
you and obviously just be like, oh, like you know whatever,
funny fat dude doing jokes or whatever. And it's like,
you know, there is a clearly you're I mean, yes,
you are that, but then you're also more than that,
(20:17):
and so it's like you are you're just you know,
a face in the crowd, whereas like if there's any
work put towards like who is this person? Who, like
where did they come from? Then you start to obviously
buy into you know, what it is you are putting
forth and you're like, oh, yes, like he can make
jokes about you know, being fat, because he is like
completely like not only self aware, but like understanding, like
(20:41):
he's doing this because he's trying to normalize the fact that,
you know, maybe people shouldn't bully people, like just like
all all of that like kind of leads into the
what you're talking about, just the context that needs to
be built around people.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah uh yeah. Yeah, it's like why is it? Why
is that the one body shaming thing we're all still
cool with? Right? Yeah, totally, like what are we doing? Yeah? Yeah,
like yeah, And it's just it's just weird to have
to like rely on or not rely you know whatever.
I'm still out there pushing, but you know, you're hoping
(21:17):
for a viral clip yep. And it's like that can't
be the only way. Like I refuse to accept that.
And I don't know if that makes me it makes
it better or worse, But it's just like there's got
to be enough, Like there's gotta be enough people out
there that like want authenticity or you.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
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(22:02):
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(22:27):
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(22:47):
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heart's content. You will put a bunch of stuff in
your cart, you will check out, and you will use
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them that we send you, not some other podcast, not
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(23:08):
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heart's content Rocky Leady dot com. You know, kind of
taking you back to you know, when you were Did
you actually grow up in Long Island or did you
come up somewhere else?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I grew up on Long Island?
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah, okay, cool? And of course you know the I'm
sure you're familiar. I I toured in bands for years
and played the beautiful Backstreet Blues Club in the early
two thousands. Oh of course, yes, yeah, shout out to
Christian doing doing the Lord's work in Long Island, still
(23:52):
doing it, I know exactly. But the something that's always
struck me, and I know, like once I became familiar
with obviously Long Island hardcore and everything else that came
around it, it was always the point of pride that
still exists obviously for bands like you know, Coyo and
everybody else that has come from that area where it's like, now,
(24:12):
we're really different than New York. So like pay attention
to us, and like, did you, I guess, did you
feel like when you started to like go to shows
and stuff like that, did you feel that proverbal I
guess like chip on the shoulder with Long Island being like, hey,
we're different than New York.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
No, I don't know, I do what comedy. I definitely
do more, Okay, I don't know. I always and like
my little crew, we always, you know, we were in
the city easily as much as we were on Long Island.
Like we were you know, CBS and Conyon High and
(24:51):
the Continental and you know, I mean whatever I could
name in a million places, the bag and Tramps, sure Brownies.
So we were like we were in the city all
the time. And like my like one of my first jobs,
like one of my first like high school's style jobs
was a record store in Saint Mark's. So I've always
(25:14):
been like, I don't know, I've always been just like
hanging around the Lower east Side. So I never really
was like us first the m or anything like that.
I know there are some there is definitely a contingent
of Long Island folks that do not leave Long Island.
(25:34):
But I never identified with those people like that, we
are not we are not a.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Kid, right for sure? And what was your initial entry point? Like,
I mean, because did you have you know, older brothers
or sisters showing you stuff or was it just kind
of like permeated throughout you know, junior high and high school?
How did you get into the stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
So here's a crazy story. I in like fifth their
sixth grade, And I could have details wrong because this
is you know, seventeen seventy eight right in like in
like fifth or sixth grade. Me and this kid, Josh Feigelman. Uh,
(26:18):
he was like a little skate rat kid. We had
a music teacher. I think her last name was Ronaldi
or she was she was somehow related to Lee Ronaldi
I think is his name from Sonic Youth, Oh okay,
(26:39):
And she was like she just recognized something in me
and him, Like she just recognized like a counter culturalism
in the two of us. And she was like, Hey,
this is my cousin, I think cousin. This is my
cousin's band's tape. And she gave us Daydream nation. Wow,
(27:05):
in like fifth or sixth grade.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, that's a lot to like wrap your brain around
that you were connected with something that could be yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Yeah, and we didn't you know, we didn't understand the
ramifications of that. We were just like, oh cool, and
like I was like, Yo, what the fuck am I hearing? Yep?
And then it just kind of, you know, it just snowball,
Like I gotta just I just got into punk and
metal and and all that noisier indie rock stuff and
(27:39):
uh yeah. And then just like slowly but surely, you know,
I was lucky enough, smart enough, I don't know what
the word is. I was able to like recognize people
with cool, uh eclectic tastes, okay, And so like coming up,
there was like dudes like this kid Bradley Farrell who
(28:00):
like ended up you know, opening a tattoo shop and
like being like cool like that. He like got me
into like Elvis Costello and like also Antioch Arrow and
this dude Ron Grimaldi who's like a local like legend guy.
He got me into like Jahu and Pitchfork, and like
(28:20):
it was just like I was just lucky enough to
be open minded. And I think it was because of
this woman, this music teacher who just like I don't
recognize the spark and the two of us idiots, and like,
I don't know, it just it just went from there. Man,
it was just like I don't know, I guess I
(28:45):
point to that. I don't know if that's you know,
I don't know if there was something earlier than that.
I mean, my sister Helen Vinyl or Kiss Vinyl. I
don't know if I would like when listening to Kiss
and Van Halen make you open to that stuff, I
don't know. Yeah, well I think it's.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, that's really cool. And I like also the fact
that you know, you named just such a diverse set
of bands, And I think that that's what is really
special as you start to get introduced to this stuff,
is you know, you're just a kid and you're drinking
it in and like you can only differentiate between in
your mind what is good or bad, and there's nothing
really in between. It's like either like it or I
(29:30):
don't like it, and you don't care about anything else. Besides,
you know, it's not like you're aware of seeing politics
or like this band's cool, this band's not cool. We
got a bad review here, or whatever. It's like you're
just like this is good. I like it.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah. Man, It's like I don't know, I never believed
in I never believed in the theory, like the guilty
pleasure theory. Like I always felt like, well, if I
think it's cool, it's cool, right, Like if you think
(30:02):
I'm cool, I'm cool. Like that's it. So like I
wasn't like, oh, if I listened to, uh, you know,
Youth of Today, I can't also listen to Elton John
or like whatever, you know what I mean, Like, I
don't know, you were.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Very Oh you were very open to that. Yeah, And
I think that's to your point too, just like your
openness was you know you that was circumstantial. But then
also the fact that like you kept traveling down like
you were trying to find more whatever that may mean,
whether that's you know, linking up with the music teacher
or obviously just like trying to find other people that
(30:46):
were into stuff that could you know, maybe point you
in a direction that you hadn't been privy to you before. Yeah,
which is I mean that's cool because that's obviously like
you to your point, that really gets you into the
you know, reading thank you list all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Because that was the only way, right, Like that was
the only way. Like you got like a DR album
and you're like, oh, this man sick, and you're just like,
how do I find out more bands like dr I
if I don't know someone who's into d R I. Fortunately, you,
like I was able to like poke my head around,
you know, and there was like Headbanger's Ball at the time,
and so there was like a little other ways. But
(31:24):
then like you always go to that thank you list.
You always go like you know, when you got that
when I got that Heroin LP, like I had to
go to the thank you list, and it's like what
bands are they thinking? Like I should check out those bands.
There's a reason those bands fuck with each other, you know,
likes there's a reason Thursday and take It Back Sunday
(31:47):
fuck with each other. And it's it's it's not because
they sound the same, they don't, you know what I mean.
But it's like there's like a common a commonality, a
common uh you know what's the word. Uh, I can't
think of the word.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
It's okay, common threat, we'll call it.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And so when you you know, were in school and
obviously just you know, being a kid and everyone I presumed,
especially of comedians, where it's just like, oh, either you
were the class clown or you were the people that
you know, you're the person that everybody ignored and like
you just kind of you know, like did your funny
stuff in front of family or whatever.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
What?
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Uh, I guess what side of the spectrum would you
find yourself falling on?
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Were you the guy that was always maker? Was a colblemaker?
I was recently, like I was recently back room diagnosed
with O d D h obstinant defiance disorder. Okay, so
(32:56):
I just like I just had a problem with being
told what to do and a problem with like falling
in line, and like it just never never happened for me.
It was never gonna happen for me. I just I
was miswired early on. And uh yeah, school wasn't it. Man.
(33:19):
I didn't want to talk to anybody. I didn't want
to and anyone anyone talking to me. I didn't want
to listen to being what I was told. I didn't
want to show up. I didn't want to do the work,
you know. And then I would, you know, I would
occasionally find something that gave a shit about and I
would apply myself and people would be like, oh see,
all you have to do is apply yourself, and it's like, yeah,
(33:40):
well give me a reason to do that. I'm a
fair child, you know, Like you guys, you guys are
supposed to be the smart ones. Fucking figure figure it
out for me, you know, like what you like, Like,
you know, I have a hard time paying attention when
I read, so like I'm dumb. I don't think that's.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
It right, You're like, I just need it. I just
need help. You gotta point me in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
I can't you know. Yeah. Yeah, twenty years later, you
give me a pill and I'd be able to read longer,
you know. But right now I'm just write fucking out here,
fucking raw drawing books. It's like.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Totally, You're like, listen, I can't read the Great Gas
this is yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Dude, Like I can't even like listen to like caucasts.
Really like my attention span like like six minutes in
I start like someone will say something, I'll just start
thinking about that thing and then I'll be like, oh wait,
what are they talking about now? Right? And it was
it's like like you want me to read what you
want me to crime and put it get the fuck
out of here. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah, and I'm not going to mess with the dodiofsky.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
I never read a book. Name a book. I'll tell
you if I read it. I never read it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
You're like, straight up heart hard pass on books, got it?
And so when you started to, you know, go to shows,
because I know, like I mean, Sun Say Abraham started playing,
like I mean, you guys formed like ninety six ish
or so roughly or no, I.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Feel like we were together for like six and a
half hours.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Right, right, but I mean a very productive six and
a half hours though, Yeah, sure, yeah, I mean I think, well, what.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
I always think back people like try like because you
try to like put stuff in order, and I'm like, oh,
it was like during this time, so it must have
been like these years, and it's like every time I
try to do that, I'm like it was one month, No,
it was Christmas vacation, one year, yeah, the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
And that to be completely fair, especially like as you
get older like those, that time frame just becomes so
you're just like, dude, I can't believe I did that.
And like, like you said, you know, an evening or
like six months or whatever. I mean, I guess the
only reason that like I bring Sinceay Abraham up is like,
I mean, not only because I enjoyed your output, but
I just think it was like it was around that
(35:59):
time where you know, people across the country broadly speaking,
I mean me being from southern California, it was like
just starting to pay attention to what was happening in
Long Island. Like I was already obviously aware of VOD
because they came out here, but then just like, oh
my gosh, like all this cool stuff, whether it's like
Sunday Abraham, you know, inside the Glass Jaw, like all
this stuff, and it was like, oh, and then here's
(36:19):
this really interesting, you know, metallic hardcore band that sings
from a Jewish point of view. I'm like, that's wild.
And so I'm when I say wild, like that's just
like cool because all that stuff can exist. So I
guess the point of me bringing that up is just
like the did you feel compelled to, I guess, play
in a band as you started to go to shows
or is that something you kind of like had to
(36:40):
work your way out to.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
No, I think yeah, once I started discovering it. Once
I discovered like punk and like basement scenes and stuff,
I was like, I wanted to start a band. I
wanted to be in a band. I did like something
like I did like a high school like one show
thing we like covered through Gauzi and like no one,
no one understood what we were doing. And then uh,
(37:04):
like a year later I started a band called Me
and some guys started a band called Tetsuo, and then yeah,
then I was just kind of like hooked and I
just wanted to like play and tour and then uh,
your life foot like actually started touring. Uh we toured
with Inside and uh then it was like that was
(37:28):
a wrap for me once I Once I left, once
I left the Northeast to like go play shows and
like meet people and meet bands and and like see
what else was out there in the universe, it was
like that was it. There was no there was no
turning back. I always pointing to this one time I
(37:50):
was in like right around when that lady gave me
Sonic Youth, I saw Motley Crue was on the cover
of some magazine. It was like in my in my
middle school library, and it was like Tommy Lee and
Nikki six, just like showing off their full sleeves, and
I was like, I want that. I want to do
all that whatever they're doing, I want to be doing
(38:10):
what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Okay, got it.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And I didn't really understand what it was they were doing.
And then like as I learned about music, and then
as I started touring, I was like, in the back
of my head, I was always like, oh yeah, like
that's those dudes, Like that's what they were doing. They
were just like causing havoc around the country. But that's
so fishing cool.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Sure, sure, And I'm guessing. And I'm guessing because of
the you immediately enjoying the tour experience, like you just
wanted to try to pursue that whatever that may mean.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Yeah. Yeah. And then once my buddy is this band
called Day in the Life, which is George remind of
a Matter and uh uh oh, the bass player of
dvdv DVD the Lace basse player reviewed his brother was
in that band, and Josh DeMarco from uh from Mine
(39:07):
Ever Matter, They asked me to come tour with them
because like I had been to like I had been
touring and they were like doing like a professional tour,
like a real tour, like not basements, you know, And
they asked if I wanted to like come, like we
didn't know that. We didn't know it was tour managing
at that point, but they wanted they want to know
(39:27):
if I wanted to come out with them, and uh.
Once I was like, oh, I can get paid to
do this, like I can like make a living like
I don't have to. I don't have to like also
work in a record store or also work at a
pizza place, like I can just tour right Like that
was that was it? That was like I didn't even
(39:50):
I didn't even playing bands. After that, I was like, yo,
I'm out, Like right, I just want to.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Do right, did you like being you know, a front person?
Like did you like that aspect? I mean, one could
obviously presume where it's the fact that you know, now
you are doing the same thing except you are not
getting up with other bandmates.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
You know.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Did you take to that naturally or was that something
that you had to you know, I guess like learn
by doing.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
I definitely take to it naturally. There is a little
bit of a silliness to it that I kind of
always feel like even still like there's like a silliness
where it's like what the fuck are we doing right now?
Like yep, like I got it, Like I don't know.
It's just like there's like an element of like what
is this? But yeah, I don't know. Maybe that's like
(40:41):
part of it. Maybe that's part of why it's okay
with me, because like it is silly and like I can.
I can take things. I can take a silly thing, seriously,
I can. I can really work on this fart joke, right.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
Yeah, Like I'm gonna home this perfectly.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Yeah. Is it a fart or is it the fart?
Or is it farts? Maybe it's farts? Yeah no, no, no,
it's not farts. It's a fart. Sure, sure, who are
we talking about?
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Yeah? No, I understand. Listen here. Evilgreed dot Net is
an incredible merged company. They have webstore solutions for bands
and record labels of all shapes and sizes. The thing
about them is they have a very specific point of view.
If you listen to the show, I can guarantee that
you will go to their site and find at least
(41:35):
seventeen different things to put in your cart and shop.
I love this company so much. They're based in Berlin, Germany.
They ship worldwide. That exchange rate is very much in
our favor right now here in the United States. I've
ordered from them before, they've shipped stuff out. I've gotten
like eight or nine days. It's incredible. So let me
just list some of the bands that they work with,
(41:55):
whether it's Nails, Drug Church, two hundred, Stab, Wounds Brew.
I love them so much. Like you can kind of
see the theme that they're going for. I like to
call it artistic heavy stuff, which I know is not
exactly like the catchiest, you know, marketing phrase or whatever.
But they also work with a ton of record labels
like you know, Flat Spot, Triple B Records, other people Records.
(42:18):
It is a very specific.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Point of view.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
They kind of act like a record label in a way.
But I love the company so much. They've supported this
show for a long period of time. And in turn,
I want you to point your web browser to evilgreed
dot net and go shopping. I know that I have
spent probably like at least two or three hours just
poking around having a lot of fun on that site,
and I know that you will too, So evilgreed dot
(42:42):
net and go buy some merch, the experience of just
like putting out records and like doing merch and stuff
like that. You know, I'm gonna put this in very
large air quotes as far as like the business side
of music is concerned. Did you enjoy that aspect of
it as well? Or was that something again that you
had to, like, you know, kind of like learn by
(43:02):
doing and learn how to you know, like care someone
about that?
Speaker 2 (43:06):
What do you Sandy? And I'm sorry, No, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
I was just saying, like the business side of bands.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Oh no, I'm terrible, okally, fuck, I'm so bad, dude.
I was talking. I was on a podcast talking about
this not too long ago. Punk rock made it where
like I don't even know my worth, you know what
I mean, because it's like, YO, come play so and so,
and I'm like, Yo, that sounds dope. And then like
(43:33):
I don't even ask, Like I don't ask where I'm staying,
I don't ask how I'm getting there, I don't ask
when I'm getting paid, you know what I mean. And
it's like now I'm starting to get that a little
bit better at that where I'm like starting to advocate
a little bit, but it's still it's fucking weird, and
like I just don't, like I just have a hard
(43:55):
time with it sometimes, and like I hate being like
I don't want it to seem like I'm unappreciative of
what I'm being offered or given where I'm like, oh, well,
could you charge less or could you give me more?
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Right?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Right, You're like this isn't So you're charging ten dollars
and you're giving me fifteen and there were like one
hundred people that showed up. Something seems off.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Yeah, yeah, it's like, well you should have charged my
friends way less to get in, Like that's what I
would do instead of just being like, oh I should
just don't I get like shake it like seventy percent
right now? What what part of this was me?
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (44:42):
And I don't, right, I don't. Yeah, I don't. Really
I'm bad at that. I'm fucking terrible at that. But fortunately,
like as I'm going more and more people around me
are good at that adulting, So, uh.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
You feel protected in some capacity.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
In some it is funny though, because like I'll have
some people in my life like uh, like Liz Mealy
or like uh comedians Amili or this comedian Abby Wi
Shoot to like these women I'm tight with. Uh, They'll
be like, well, did you see the contract? And I'll
be like no, it's like it's my homie. It's like whatever,
(45:19):
like yeah, but you like like there was obviously a contract, right,
And I'm like what, I don't know, man, it's just
like a thing like we just said we would just
do it, and like yeah, but there's gonna be money,
like you right, And I'm like nah, nah, like nah,
And they're like like you got this foreign life without
(45:42):
and I'm like, yeah, oh yeah, I've been fucked over.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Oh yeah, it's like good, good points. I didn't I
didn't mean to sign I didn't mean to sign away
all my rights in perpetuity for the universe. Whoops.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
I mean yeah, yeah, that's a great point. I have
been fucked over.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Right. And when you started to you know, tour with
because I mean I know you went out with like
you know, taking Back Sunday and Motion City Soundtrack, and
you know you were probably doing some versions of what
they would call like a tour manager.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Merchant or whatever.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Yeah, did you did you like that aspect that? I mean,
I know you like touring, but did you like that
aspect where it's like, oh, I don't have to play,
but I just have to focus on the one thing
I'm here to do, whether that's you know, driving, loading
in or whatever.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Yeah, I definitely love that stuff. I would do it again.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
If I didn't have any other options, I would I
would probably do that again. But there's uh I do
prefer not working for anyone.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Right, I do like that, right, being able to call
your shots.
Speaker 2 (46:50):
I just I just want to have fun. I'm okay
old and I'm dying soon. I just want to have
a good time, okay, and like I don't want to
fucking have to like I don't know, there's definitely pros
and cons to it.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
But well, yeah, you know, I mean like some people
would argue, you know, like stability, peace of mind, like
you know, but those things are overrated sometimes, right, Neil.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah, I mean yeah, like I don't have I get
like I get emotional.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
No, listen, we are allowed to express our emotions as
adult males. This is a safe space, so you know
you can express it however you'd like, sir.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
The something I'm curious about in regards to like more
so on obviously, like the comedy booking side of things
like you know, when you're doing you know, multiple you
know dates and obviously doing like here's the seven o'clock
and here's the nine o'clock and you know, we're doing
five shows and whatever two days or what have you.
I'm sure there's a very different energy between you know,
(48:00):
maybe like the seven o'clock show versus like the nine
thirty show or whatever. Do you notice a kind of
ebb and flow as you do that stuff or is
it kind of just like head down you're doing the work.
Speaker 2 (48:11):
There's there's a little head down doing the work. I
will say, as I get better, there is less of
a a variation. Uh okay. I I think that that
you know, when you're newer to it, when it's the
(48:31):
first time you're doing six shows in three days or
you know whatever eight shows in three days or whatever
it is. When like the first time you do that,
there is like an exhaustion and and I think that
goes away over time, like as you build the muscle.
(48:52):
There is a difference in the audience though, because nine
o'clock Friday or ten o'clock Friday night, most of these
people have been up since six am. They worked a
full day, they got home they fought with their kids,
and they've been drinking since seven, and now they're showing
(49:12):
up to your thing where they have to have two
more drinks at ten o'clock. They're tired, foot, they're drunk, right,
they're done, whereas like the seven o'clock these people just
got out to work and they're a little bit more like,
let's have fun Saturday. You generally don't get that much
(49:34):
of a variation between the seven and the ten because
it's like, you know, people who go to the ten
start drinking later. People go to the seven start drinking earlier.
It's like when you have dinner, you know. But yeah,
Friday night, the late show is usually a little bit
more rowdy or wild or less respectful. But yeah, I
(49:58):
mean that's just that's a odd stroke kind of yeah,
of course, but uh yeah, I mean just uh, I
think as you as you do it, as you experience it,
like every other muscle, uh, you know, I'm more prepared
for it. I'm less surprised by it.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
Sure, Sure, And that I mean, and that's really the
space that you want to be in, where it's like
you're able to, you know, roll with any surprises that
do come up. But it's all within the realm. It's
all within the realm of like, Okay, I've handled this
before and some capacity as opposed to like, oh I've
never dealt with a you know, streaker or whatever.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, and it's you know, and
then like it like it that and it moves along right.
Like my first head like this really was like my
first weekend of like just all headlining, like just me
and like me, like everyone at the show was someone
that came to see me, So that was like that
(50:56):
was a first and so like there were stresses there
that I assume will go away as I work. And
you know, the first time I do first time I
sell a theater, I'll be like this is crazy. And
then the hundredth time, I'll be like this is run
of the mill, and you know, and you know, I
(51:17):
see peers or people just above me doing you know,
doing you know, a fifteen hundred person room, and I'm like,
oh my god, that would be so wild. And then
I'm sure once I start doing that, it's a lot
less wild. You know. First time I opened for Motion City,
(51:39):
I was like this is gonna be awful and crazy,
and like they're gonna be noisy and it's gonna be impossible.
And then after forty five days with them, I'm like, yeah,
I'll open for any man. I don't give a fuck.
Speaker 1 (51:51):
Right, You're like I got.
Speaker 2 (51:53):
This, yeah, like this is this is you know, this
is just a day at the office now, man, Like,
let's go right now. Right like those those taking a
holidy shows, people did not want me there at all.
They sure did not care. But it's just like, put
your head down, I'm up here for twelve minutes, ignore
the fucking shatter, tell your dumb jokes, get off stage
(52:15):
and have fun with your friends.
Speaker 1 (52:16):
Right right exactly, It's like, hey, there's a reason i'm here.
I'm invited. I'm not just like crashing the stage. Guys
like deal with that.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah they
before you know it, just go grab a beer.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
Yeah totally, totally. We'll just talk about farts for ten minutes.
We're good. The idea that you know, most comedians now,
like what we were talking about in regards to you know,
being able to be delivered algorithmically to you know, prospective
fans and stuff like that, Like obviously you have to
lean into crown work. You know that's like where you're like,
(52:52):
I can't you know, quote unquote waste my good material
on anything on TikTok or whatever. I'm sure there's all
these calculations of like, you know, the good and the
bad and everything in between there do you you know,
I know you participate in that obviously? Is it? You know,
do you find yourself being like I wish that I
could just like unplug from certain aspects of this or
(53:14):
is it like no, it's kind of like a game
and I have to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Uh, sure, there's a game. Game aspect what I'm about
to say should be behind a paywall. Um. I have
very strong philosophies on that stuff. I think that burning
material ideal is a pro club propaganda meant to keep
(53:41):
independent comedians down. I do not believe in it. The
worst case scenario, the absolute worst case scenario, is eighteen
million people see your eighteen second joke on TikTok. Those
people are still gonna go see your show. Sure you
(54:05):
can still do that eighteen second joke, right, And that
is something that we are fed by clubs and industry
to to prevent us from moving ourselves forward. And I
will not partake I do not believe in burnt material
(54:28):
a B crowd work. I don't understand why you would
ever post something where you are not the funniest person
in the video. Sure, I don't get it. It teaches
both comics and audiences bad behavior. It's nuts to me.
(54:49):
I will always be the funniest person in the in
the in this engagement. And if I am not, I
am deleting this, I am not putting that out there.
That is not a good advertisement for what I am selling.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
Right, that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (55:07):
But again, these are my philosophy's these are not. Of course,
clearly people disagree with me. People are putting.
Speaker 1 (55:14):
Up trash, right, yeah, and then they hope that that
trash will then you know, get them, you know, five more,
five more people at their show, and that will just
like cycle through and you know they won't even care
about that person next time they come through.
Speaker 2 (55:28):
But like do they even care?
Speaker 1 (55:30):
I know, it's true, it's true.
Speaker 2 (55:31):
Is that, like like I hate to be like we're
punks or cooler than everyone else, but we are because
these people, like these these comedians or internet celebrities that
post these things where they're not the most interesting person
in the thing, They're also not trying to like go
(55:55):
do anything right. They're trying to just build their product.
But their product isn't the live performance. Their product is
like their ability to influence, their ability to like sell
you something on the internet, their ability to like, you know,
I want more followers so I can get a discount
(56:18):
code for Verbo, Like I'm not trying to do it.
I'm trying to sell the live show. I want you
to come interact with me in person, come to a show,
have a great night out. Forget that like your job sucks,
forget that your fucking kids hate you, like forget that
you have bronchitis, and just have a good fucking time.
(56:41):
Like that's the product I'm selling. And so I'm gonna
do it. Like if I have one hundred and fifty
thousand followers on the internet that want to come see
me live, I'm gonna go see them live. I'm gonna
go meet them. I don't understand like someone who would
build that fan base and then not be touring it,
(57:02):
you know, or like what, like what are you waiting for?
And this is a very specific This is a very
specific kind of people because a lot of stand ups
that I consider contemporaries or in the class above me,
Like classes above me. They are touring, they are touring comics.
They they are using the internet as a sales tool.
(57:23):
But I see some people that like pop off on
the internet and then they're like doing one week in
a month, and it's like, what do you what are
you doing? Right the point all this?
Speaker 1 (57:35):
Sure? Sure, yeah, well so's yeah, no, And I mean
there's reason I'm asking this because it's like there is
that I mean, every comedian comes at you know, comedy
with a different point of view, but like they're yeah,
I mean, but clearly there is like that through line
of the comics that you know are just like, okay,
I'm using this as a stepping stone to you know,
(57:57):
develop my acting career, to be an influencer of whatever.
And it's like, you know, then there's the people who
obviously care about the craft and are just like, yeah,
I'm gonna work clubs the rest of my life and
that's fine. If I'd ever do a theater like whatever,
it doesn't matter. Like there are people here and they
care about me, and that's what.
Speaker 2 (58:11):
I can Yeah, I mean, there's different there's different colors
of success, and there's different, Like you know, there's no
like road map or blueprint or whatever, you know, and
like the goalposts have been taken down completely at this point.
But I don't know. For me, it's it's always been
like I want.
Speaker 1 (58:30):
To tour, right, that's your ultimate goal.
Speaker 2 (58:34):
Yeah, Like I don't understand. I don't know, I don't know,
I get, I get, I guess I'm answering the question
myself right now. Like you know, they they just have
different goals. But that's my goal. And when I see
people with like it's like it's just like watching someone
waste privilege, you know, like when you meet like when
(58:58):
do you meet like a hot white girl with like
a real rich dad who does everything for her and
then she like isn't backpacking across Europe? You're like, what
are you doing? Like totally right, why are you not
like in China right now? It's fucking exploring, right.
Speaker 1 (59:20):
It's like, you clearly have the space to do that
and the money to do that. Why don't you come on? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (59:27):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (59:28):
I mean the line for people like you and me,
for you putting out something with equal vision and then
obviously the work that you've done previously with enjoy the
ride you know, it makes a whole lot of sense.
I'm sure it just applies back to the principle of like, yo,
if people want to party with me, like obviously I
want to party with them. And so like, was it,
(59:50):
I guess kind of weird and exciting for you to
be like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna put out a record
to Equal Vision and you know, I'm technically yeah, that's
what I'm saying. I'm I'm labeled mates with Bain Like.
Speaker 2 (59:59):
It's surreal, dude, Like I wanted to be on I
wanted to be on EVR in like two thousand and one. Sure, yeah,
And it's like Dan came out to like a show,
where was it? Dan came out to a show in
Connecticut and I'm talking to him and he's like basically
(01:00:20):
like saying like, yeah, we want to be involved. And
I didn't even get it. It didn't make sense. I
called Duman, who, like, you know, he's like my de
facto manager, you know, because he's like he gets the
ship and he looks out for me, and I don't
get this shit. So uh so I called Duman. I
(01:00:41):
was like, yo, I just had this meeting with Dan,
like you know, or he knew. He was like, how
did it go? And I was like, oh, it was
like cool, Like you know, like we're boys, so we're
just like catching up and stuff, and like you know,
he said this, this and this, and he's like, yo, dude,
like he wants to put out the special and I'm like,
what that doesn't makes sense. What're you're talking about? Like, no,
(01:01:04):
he's just gonna like do the vinyl. If we do vinyl.
He's like, no, dick head, listen to the fucking words
you just said to me. And I'm like, oh, oh yeah, fuck.
Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
It right, You're like okay, click yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:01:20):
And then everyone I talked to is like, wait, they
do comedy. I'm like, now they do.
Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Right, yeah, You're like if the person comes from the
hardcore singe, they do hell yeah, yeah, I guess you know. Well,
it's like, I mean, I think it's fun because obviously
it exposes you to an audience that you know, is
like can trace your lineage of being like oh yeah,
(01:01:46):
like I've you know, been around and I'm obviously like
you're punk and hardcore kid. But then it gives equal
vision the ability to have a foothold in something that
they haven't dabbled with, and so it's like it works.
You know, it's a two way street for both of you.
Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
Yeah, And I also think that, like me, if if
I'm a success story, then they can they can now
they can brag, they can be like, Yo, we can
fucking do anything, right totally, Like what's the project you
want to work on? We can do anything. And Dan,
I mean, Dan's like you know, he's like he's fucking
(01:02:23):
as genuine as they come. So like, I mean I've
heard him say more than once like he just wants
to do cool shit with people he likes. Yep. So
it's like whatever the project is, whether it's like reissuing
a cool old hardcore record or a documentary about Bain
or a comedy special, like, he just wants to like
(01:02:44):
do cool things with cool people. And like, you know,
EVR is like one of those things that like, well
if it's with EVR, then it's cool. So you know,
do whatever you want.
Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
Yeah, of course, of course, the last thing I want
to hit on was the idea of like what I
was talking about in regards to you know, comedians having
not everyone, but comedians having some sort of in game
in regards to like Okay, I want to use this
to you know, parlay into this, like do you have
(01:03:18):
And it's okay if you do, Like this is not
meant to shame you in any way, shape or form,
but like, you know, do you have aspirations to be like,
oh dude, it would be sick to you know, do
a movie like I would like to do acting or
is this you know, really the lane that you want
to quote unquote stick in, you know, good or bad?
Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
It would be sick to collaborate on like writing a
movie or writing a sitcom. That would be sick. But
that's not that is definitely not the goal. That would
be like a cool side project for this motherfucker, you
know right. The real shit for me, the real move
is I want to be able to do what I
(01:03:55):
am doing right now without the stress and fear of
one thing derailing it. M Like, like I got rear
ended in Nashville like a year ago, and it was
like it put like a month's worth of touring in
(01:04:17):
jeopardy because like I didn't have the resources to recover
from that, you know, And so I just want to
be in a position where like if fucking bricks can't
let me stay with him in Louisville. I'm not like, fuck,
(01:04:37):
I don't know what I'm gonna do this week, right,
Like I could just be like, oh, yeah, I'll just
get a hotel. It's no big deal, Like it's cool,
like I'm selling I'm selling three shows out like it's
all right, yep, you know what I mean. And and
right now I'm not there, sure, you know, like right now,
like I was supposed to stay with my pal in
(01:04:57):
Nashville and then they were like, oh I got to
go away for the week, and I was like, oh
damn fuck. Right, this is like last weekend's money is
now spent on hotels, right like that I would like
to not stress about sure, right, But I'm not you know,
(01:05:20):
I'm not like a I'm not like a money guy.
I'm not like, oh I need money to be happy.
I need money to not be stressed out all the time.
But I'm not looking I'm not looking to break a bag.
I'm like looking to just like have a good time.
Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
Yeah, now you know, like of course you're not. You're
not looking for stacks on stacks and stacks, you're just
looking for a stack.
Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
Yeah, yeah, I just like to like, yeah, not like
you know, there have been times in the past couple
of years where I'm like, oh, I don't know where
I'm staying tomorrow. We're like I can't afford to go
to the doctor today, you know, and it's like that
I would like to not yes, you know what I mean,
(01:06:02):
where like when my car break finally breaks down, knock
on wood when breaks down, Like I want to be
able to like it's sound to get a new car,
right and not be like, oh man, I hope someone
can donate a car.
Speaker 1 (01:06:18):
Totally. You're you're you're up there, like you know, in
between sets, like as opposed to what bands used to do.
It's like, hey, maybe you have a place to stay tonight.
Like you're like, is anybody a new car? Use good
used car, Like you know, something that we could get
me from point A to point B?
Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
Sign a lease with me.
Speaker 1 (01:06:36):
You're like, I don't. I don't have enough credit myself,
So like, come on, just act like a parrot.
Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
Yeah, I'm definitely gonna go over the miles, but I'll
keep it clean.
Speaker 1 (01:06:43):
Yeah, yeah, I promise we could resolve it at some point.
And I promise is the last thing. I'm just curious
from your own perspective. Uh, and there's no wrong answers here,
but you know, highlighting a band from Long Island like
not they don't have to exist now, that is like
completely you know, just under the radar undiscovered. However, you
(01:07:07):
want to label it something that gets like a you know,
a shout out from that side of thing. It's like
the only reason I mentioned that is because I, like,
you know, mentioning a band like Inside in twenty twenty four, like,
no news who that band is, even though they're absolutely
incredible and same as Dearly Departed. But is there something that.
Speaker 2 (01:07:24):
I'm supposed to say but they're having a reunion in July?
Speaker 1 (01:07:28):
Oh geez, that is that's good a secret.
Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
That's a secret. So don't tell.
Speaker 1 (01:07:32):
Anyone, Okay, Well, anyways, don't.
Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
Put it in this, don't put it in the description.
Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
I will no, absolutely got to get you got to.
Speaker 2 (01:07:40):
Get to minute fifty six to find that information out. Listen, listen.
Speaker 1 (01:07:44):
This is what they call a easter egg at the end.
So I very much appreciate that. But yeah, I won't
put that anywhere. But what so, like, you know, is
there something that kind of sparks your mind of being like,
oh yeah, like there's this, you know, this band that
like no one saw except us twenty people online or whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
All Right, so I'm gonna say a couple of bands here.
I'm gonna say Scapegrace is the greatest fucking Long Island band.
Speaker 1 (01:08:05):
WHOA, I haven't heard it, haven't heard of them?
Speaker 2 (01:08:07):
Okay, Scapegrace is so fucking sick. They were like incredibly
underrated at the time. They were too short lived. They
did another project called The Magna afterward, which was equally
as good like Scapegrace to me, like I named a
band after them, I fucking love them. They just never
got They never did anything more than local, so it
(01:08:28):
never really blew up. Sure, I would be remiss to
not talk about some newer stuff, right because like absolutely
hit it. What's the point you know, of having a
platform and then just like, yeah, just listen to this
thirty year old band that like probably isn't on streaming.
Of course, Family Dinner is a band that's like blowing
(01:08:50):
up right now, our sick Common Sage is awesome. They're
another new band that's blown up. Really cool dudes from
modern chemistry. I know. They're like in the Taking Back
Sunday Family. So people might have heard of them a
little bit, but I don't think that they get the
credit they deserve. And they are like they're one of
the green room hangs is like the most important thing
(01:09:13):
to me, and the green room hang with Modern Chemistry
at the Taking Back Sunday Holiday show was like one
of my favorite green room hangs in my entire life.
Like those dudes were the most fun I've ever had.
So Modern Chemistry gets a huge sound out and then
that's like tons of great Long Island hardcore band's coming
(01:09:34):
up right now, stand still, regulate, dead last heads will roll,
and of course the fucking Goats Pain of Truth is
just like, oh yeah, I don't know. I think they
don't really claim Long Island. They say Northeast hardcore, but
I want all credit for that band that they're fucking
(01:09:54):
Long Island. They fucking rule that is. That band's tremendous.
They deserve everything they fucking get. Man, they are so
fucking sick and so fun live just like such a
great fun like this is what hardcore is supposed to be.
Just fun. Yep, And he's sick. Michael Smith is a
(01:10:18):
fucking sick front man and uh he's done some of
the best shit I've seen live. Once there was like,
you know, like the there was like a pylon for
the mic, and he like tossed the mic at the
pylon like kind of like faking scared of it, like
just toss the mic in it like backed up like
like and it was like no one noticed it but me,
(01:10:39):
And it was the fucking funniest thing I've ever seen
on stage. And then one time he goes, this next
song is my favorite song and then threw the mic
to somebody else and jumped into the crowd Tomash, I
love it. Fucking brilliant. Yeah, those guys fucking rule. That
band should be fucking everywhere. And then not Long Island,
(01:11:03):
but Long Island Roots is edict. It's oh sure, my
buddy Rich CACCIONI he was, he was a Long Island kid.
He moves to Rhode Island and he's in a band
with dudes with from Barrier Dead and Drop Dead and uh,
they're like a sick hardcore band. I think they're on Undefeated,
which might be EVR adjacent to distributed.
Speaker 1 (01:11:27):
Yep, you're right, so like we're kind.
Speaker 2 (01:11:29):
Of label means. But he's, uh, that's a sick that's
a sick hardcore band that they to me, they sound
like Mashi or Bloodlet.
Speaker 1 (01:11:38):
They're all right, yeah, I love it. I've just heard
the band name. I haven't listened to him.
Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Well yeaheah, yeah, great, there we go.
Speaker 1 (01:11:44):
That was Neil Rubenstein. And like I said, please check
out his new stand up special that came out on
Equal Vision Records. In regards to the audio side of things,
I think they actually put it up on their YouTube
as well, but link in the show notes it's called
to have some dignity. It's really really funny. Well worth
your time. Let's talk about what's happening next week on
the show. I have Stephen McDonald, who is a punk legend.
(01:12:09):
Dare I say, I'm not even gonna dare I say,
I'm going to say it?
Speaker 2 (01:12:12):
I just said it.
Speaker 1 (01:12:13):
But he currently plays in the Melvins. He also is
a founding member of the eighties punk band Red Cross
that totally grew up during the you know Black Flag
Descendant Sarah like when punk was really really popping for
the first time here in the States, in the California area.
And then Yeah, he also has a ton of other
credits to his name. In regards to you know, just
(01:12:35):
playing with a bunch of different people, bunch of different bands. Also,
a producer produced the first couple Fun records, so I
talked to him about that and also the format as well.
Oh it's great, but Steve McDonald a dude that has
layers and I love it. So that's what we have
next week. Until then, please be safe everybody,
If you're listening to one hundred words or less with
Ray Harkins, Welcome everybody. Thank you for downloading this podcast,
and thank you for spending time with people who care
about independent music, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, indie rock, whatever
it is, whatever bucket you want to put it in,
as long as it comes from the whole DIY, small
(00:40):
sweaty rooms, just jumping over each other. Or I was
about to say skanking, but I don't really endorse skanking.
I mean, I endorse like skanking, like you know, circle
jerks scenario stuff. But the other skanking that you know,
I unfortunately witnessed many many times during the Orange County
third wave of SKA. It's a dark period of my life.
But regardless, I'm not going to sit here and judge
(01:02):
those of you that like skaw because that's fine, it's
totally good. But I digress. I have a great discussion
this week with a stand up comedian. His name is
Neil Rubinstein. He just put out a record on Equal
Vision Records called Have Some Dignity that he recorded I
don't know last year. I think in I was gonna
(01:23):
say the Bell House, but no, that's not right. It's
uh oh in Montclair, New Jersey. So yeah, twenty twenty three.
Actually yeah, I was that is last year, because we're
in twenty twenty four. Holy moly, little disorganized. But Neil
Rubinstein not only is he an extremely funny dude, but
he is so down for the core because he actually
sang for a band that I really really enjoyed in
the nineties called Sons of Abraham, one of the like
(01:47):
I really can't think of any other like Jewish hardcore bands,
you know, like where their message is completely built around that,
you know, religion and identity, and Sons of Abraham like
I mean them and indecision, like once they started to
pop off in the New York City scene, I just
I couldn't get enough of that. In Sons of Abraham
(02:08):
was a band that existed for I mean, they only
put out one LP Termites in his smile, which, of course,
the fact that I can just like name that off
the top of my head sometimes makes me sad, but
also gets me really excited because I remember just just
dumb information. I'm sure you're the same way too. But anyways,
Neil is a funny dude. I had to have him
on because obviously he was promoting his stand up special.
(02:29):
But the idea of bridging the gap between you know,
what a comedian's life is like and a touring band's
life is like. It's basically one of the same, except
maybe you're a little bit lonelier as a stand up
comedian because you're not traveling with you know, three four
five other people. But Neil was a great hang and
he has a lot of interesting stories, and yeah, I
(02:52):
just had to have him on. So that's what we did.
And you you right there, I'm pointing at you in
the back of the room. Maybe you just ducked in.
This is your first time lets the show. It's totally fine, welcome,
come on in, take a seat, and just just hang
out for about an hour. But you can support the show.
First of all, you can reach out to me me personally.
I receive these emails and I read them, I respond
(03:13):
to them, I soap them in. You can email me
one hundred words podcast at gmail dot com. That's the
number one zero zero, and yeah, love to hear feedback
in regards to guest ideas and everything else that you
may be curious about. On top of that, if you
want to support the show for absolutely free, zero dollars.
It's going to take you maybe a minute tops of
your day. Just go to the Apple podcast page, leave
(03:36):
a rating, and if you want to write a sentence
or two as far as review is concerned, helps out
the algorithm validate this show, be like, yo, this thing
is legit, it's cool, peace sign, let's go. Or if
you want to dip into the Spotify page, all you
need to do is leave a star rating. All of
those things help tremendously in ways that I can't even
(03:56):
begin to explain in less than two minutes because I
will bore you to death and I don't want to
do that. But what I do want to do, how
about that transition, you know, just like a professional broadcaster.
I've talked about some shows I recently attended. I saw
the Painted Black West Coast tour. They played with Dangers
and Entry, and I missed the first band, Sweat, who's
(04:19):
really really good, but I just missed them because I
was late. But Painted Black it was my first time
seeing them, even though they've existed for many, many years.
I was so excited to see Dan Yeman up there,
Jared the drummer just a great dude, and watching them
play made me really happy. And then Dangers. I actually
forgot how much I like Dangerous and Dangerous is an
(04:39):
incredible band. Love Al Brown had a had him on.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
The show many many years ago.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I can't even remember when, or maybe I'm just misremembering,
but it was a great show. It was that chain reaction.
Love it. And what else did I do?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yeah, there's a I'm going to be going to a
local hardcore show, which always gets me excited when I'm
able to. You know, just watch like a bunch of
like local Orange County hardcore bands. Back to godhead band
called Greed Culture, a band called No Plan that's gonna
be happening in like about a week or so. Anyways,
I just I love going to shows. I'm also seeing
(05:14):
a band, Hot Mulligan. I'm seeing them on today Tuesday
when I'm recording this, and I'm excited about that. So
just just go to shows, you know, Like you don't
have to go three or four nights a week. Maybe
just go once or twice a month. You know, support
whatever scene it is you're supporting. So anyways, let's talk
about weekly recommendations. I've been doing this every week since
(05:34):
twenty twenty four. And I just want to continue that trend.
As we were talking about very good music, very good records.
Today is actually a specific song which I know is
very granular. But if you were familiar with Mike Kinsella,
who was in you know, Captain Jazz, he was also
in Well No, his brother was in jonah Ark. I
(05:56):
always put all the Canzellos together, but you play Michael
also plays American football, but he also plays a solo
project called Owen, and they released a new song they
as he released a new song called Bookoo Bookoo Bookoo.
It's b e a u co ou p Bookoo like
(06:17):
Mercy Bookoo. I've never said that word like out loud seriously,
but it's off of the record that's coming up soon
being released on polyvinyl called The Falls of Sue. But
this song Bookoo, holy crap. Like I have just rinsed
this song on repeat and it is so incredibly intoxicating.
(06:37):
I've always found Mike's work in general to be just
just beautiful, like Tugs in your heartstrings does everything that
you know, a sort of quiet indie rock, emotional rock
record or whatever you want to call it, should do.
But just the fact that Mike can be like this
deep in his music life and just have songs that
really really still land. It just not only does it
(06:59):
make me happy, because obviously the idea as we go
through life is that we get, you know, better at stuff,
and sometimes there's this you know, waxing nostalgic thing that
happens with music, especially the independent variety, where it's just like, oh, yeah,
the demo is the best. I mean, I know, you know,
I'm being you know, hyperbolic or pejorative or whatever, or
it's like that that's saying just you know, rings true,
(07:20):
but it's not ring true for many artists, including Owen.
So please listen to that song. I will include a
link in the show notes to where you can listen
to all of the things that I've been digging this
past year, and that way you can listen to your
heart's content and don't take my word for it, take
your word for it and listen to it. So yeah,
link in the show notes. Let's talk to Neil. I
(07:42):
have links in the show notes in regards to you know,
his newest stand up special. Like I said, they got
released on Equal Vision Records about a month and a
half or so ago. It's really funny, totally worth your
time investing in. And let's talk to Neil about comedy
and nineties hardcore because that's what we do here. You,
(08:11):
in my mind, you've been the person like I'm forty
three years old, so definitely grew up in the nineties
hardcore scene. And Sons of Abraham was a band for
me that I discovered and was like, oh, yeah, like
a Jewish hardcore band, Like that's sick, Like I myself,
I'm not Jewish, but like, do you know, just completely
I loved the fact that bands obviously were able to
(08:32):
attach themselves to a very specific point of view in
the way that Krishna obviously did as well. But anyways,
the point being is that you know, I was aware
of you from that side of things and know that
you know, you traveled in and around with bands like
you know, Taking Back Sunday, et cetera, et cetera. But
then my absolute ignorance where it's like, oh, I didn't
even know you did comedy, and it was like up
(08:55):
until like you know, when Equal Vision obviously was going
to put out your stuff and I was like, oh,
like that's cool, and then obviously looking at the world
that you have been building on the comedy side of things.
I presume just based on like what I know about you,
I presume it's really fun for you to be able
to obviously do the comedy stuff, but be able to
(09:16):
bring in all of your friends from the music world,
either you know, whether it's Dubin taking photos of you
or whatever, like, to be able to bring them along
for the comedy ride, even though they may not, you know,
have a strong affinity for I mean your comedy, yes,
but not like, oh yeah, I'm a comedy head since
the forties or whatever.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, one hundred percent. I love everything
about that, Like you know, I mean I'm just on
the phone with Dubin and he was like, it's like
and he got like a little he got a little
gay about it, and he was like he was, you know,
I'm so glad thirty years later was still doing cool
(09:56):
shit together. And it's like, yeah, man, I'm like that
is fucking cool, Like like we made these lifelong friends
by accident, you know, And it's like, yeah, I love that,
Like I get to do that. And I just posted
the other day, like I posted a thing where it's
like it's a photo someone took from the back of
(10:16):
the room at a show, like a headlining the show
I just did, and like the last the two shirts
in focus is like a Morgasbord xxx shirt like straight edge,
like European beautiful. Yeah, and uh and then I forget
the other the other show was like also a hardcore shirt,
and I was like, I love that, Like this is
(10:37):
what's coming out to see me, you know what I mean,
like dudes who like did record labels or like, you know,
I was joking with someone. I was like, all the
women at my shows like, oh I saw you open
for Parentheses, Emo Band close Parentheses, and all the dudes
of my shows are like just a different version of me.
(10:57):
That's like, ah, so I'm you know, I'm here because I,
you know, listen to sons, are listening to these enzymes
or whatever, you know, and it's like, yeah, man, it's
fucking cool, Like.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Yeah, no it is, and I find it and I
know that it took a person Like I mean, basically
this podcast is just a you know, rip off of
obviously what Maron has been doing for the past you
know whatever, but but obviously just specifically focused on you know,
the independent music world as it were, but it took
(11:29):
me a long time to kind of be able to
connect the dots between the comedy world, the independent wrestling world,
the you know, punk rock world, where I was like, oh,
all of these are literally exactly the same thing, begging
people to show up at a place where a lot
of sweat will be poured out in whatever version. But
it's like everybody right totally. And it was like a
(11:54):
light bulb went off where it was like, oh, we
were all existing, you know whatever, pre Internet, existing in
these weird subcultures of just traveling around the country, and
it wasn't until you know, much later where people were
able to like show those crossover influences exactly what you're
talking about where it's like, oh, yeah, like I saw
you open up for Motion City soundtrack and be like,
(12:14):
oh wow, I never thought about stand up comedy in
relation to band life or whatever.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, Like I mean I remember like when CM punk
like started like got getting like huge, and it was
like just just like a hardcore like what's up with
Like that's so weird, you know, And now it's like, yeah,
like every wrestler, it's like they have incended areas that
walk off music or like you know, like like everywhere
(12:40):
you look, it's like it's a hardcore crossover and it's
like yeah, yeah, it's just like it just makes sense,
like subcultures find each other.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
You know, when did you, I guess, make the connection
between you know, the comedy world obviously, like the punk
and hardcore world. I mean, I know you were pursuing comedy,
you know sort of you know, not after your independent
music life, because clearly you still care about it because
that's all you wear from a venture perspective, But like
when did you make that? When did you make that
(13:12):
connection to yourself? Be like oh, like we are just
doing similar versions of a different thing.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I think once I, once I started touring, once I
once I realized that I wasn't gonna get the things
that I needed to get good.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
In my in my like in the region I lived,
I was like, I have to go out. I have
to go out in the world, and like the only
thing I know about going out in the world is
punk rock. Is like just get in the van and
(13:54):
like crash at a friend's house and like call a
stranger and like, hey, we have like one thing in common.
Is that enough to have you? Like be my advocate
in your community, and for some reason, punk and hardcore
(14:17):
seemed to be enough for most people. Like like I mean,
right before we started recording, I told you that story
about Columbus, Ohio and like just total strangers being cool
because we're punk, both punk kids, and like I don't
(14:38):
know who they were, and I still don't know who
they were, you know, but it was like it didn't matter, like, oh,
you like punk rock, I like punk rock. Yo, Let's
let's do this thing. Let's whatever you need. My couch
is your couch. You need a shower, you need a
bull of spaghetti, like whatever. And so I just reached
(14:58):
out to those same people basically like I would reach
out to my buddy Matt in Atlanta and be like,
hey man, I need to find other places, say get
on stage, Like can I crash with you for like
a week or two while I explore that scene and
see what's out there, and then just you know, drive
to Atlanta and then drive to Richmond and drive to
(15:22):
you know wherever I knew people stayed on couches and
like spare rooms and air mattresses and like just like
I did when I was nineteen, and just like you know,
just went to see like yo, like what's your scene,
Like what's where's the cool instead of where's the cool
(15:42):
punk venue, where's the cool open mic, where's the cool
bar show, where's the cool showcase? Who are the cool comics?
Like who are the people that I can vibe with?
Like who are the you know, open minded enough to
accept me? You know, and like you you find it
because we were we were brought up that way. We
(16:05):
were like taught to taught to nowhere to look.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Right well into your and to your point. I think
the you know, build your own build or find your
own culture. Like that's obviously been embedded within the context
of punk and hardcore, where it's like if you don't
have a local scene, you you know, create it, no
matter how small it may be. But I just I
never thought about it in terms of what you're talking about,
where it's like literally pulling up to a city and
(16:33):
you know, getting a vibe of it over a week
and a half cone because obviously banned tour life is
like you just roll through a city twelve hours and
then you're gone. But I like that idea of you
just being like, let me spend some time here, find
out what what's happening, find out if they mess with me,
and then be able to kind of you know, learn
from those experiences. That's really cool.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, it was that bad moves. Okay, they have that
they have that Zong party with the kids that want
to party with you, yep, and like I couldn't. I
couldn't live my life more to that right sentiment, like
find the people that want to fuck with you. Yep,
they're going to be out there. You know, you just
(17:16):
have to uh.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
No, well, I I think it is. I mean, I
know you've shared this in other you know, interview spaces
of the idea that like you knew you were never
destined for a you know, desk job or something that
is quote unquote more typical, and so because of that,
you you know, live this like pirate esque life of
just you know, of finding those spots and finding those people.
(17:41):
But I love, I like it when that's really you know,
whether there's five people there, whether there's fifty people there,
like you're you're happy because I mean, yes, of course
you're happy if there's more people there because you're connecting
with more. But it's just that premise of like, well,
I have to go out and do the work in
order to bring these people to me, because you know
they won't just find me magically on TikTok or whatever.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah. Yeah, And that's a tough Uh, that's a tough
realization of what's happening now is you really need the
robots to connect you. Whereas twenty years ago, I think
(18:29):
you worked harder to find what you wanted to consume.
Does that make sense? Like twenty years ago you just
read the liner notes of a seven inch, and like
then you just bought all those seven inches and then
you know, you went to a basement show and you
got a flyer for another basement show, and you didn't
(18:51):
have to know what those bands were. You recognized fonts
and you were like, oh, I'm gonna go to this
one too, and maybe find five new faiavorite bands. Now,
I think, although it is, I'm not being like, oh
too good old like I'm not right. Everything has its merit.
(19:12):
I understand adapt figure it out. But I will say
it was easier. It was easier to find the like
mindedness back then. I think because it was like it
was I don't know, it was like a clearer picture.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
I think, Yeah, I don't I mean obviously us, you know,
old man on the porch like talking about how things
used to be. But I do I think the the
the difference that I've noticed, and I agree with you
where it's you can discover things and you can find
things obviously very very easily, and like you said, algorithms
help with that. Like all of that is good, but
(19:56):
the thing is is it's it's devoid of context. Like
you a comedian that are coming across people's you know,
TikTok feeds or Instagram feeds, like they're gonna look at
you and obviously just be like, oh, like you know whatever,
funny fat dude doing jokes or whatever. And it's like,
you know, there is a clearly you're I mean, yes,
you are that, but then you're also more than that,
(20:17):
and so it's like you are you're just you know,
a face in the crowd, whereas like if there's any
work put towards like who is this person? Who, like
where did they come from? Then you start to obviously
buy into you know, what it is you are putting
forth and you're like, oh, yes, like he can make
jokes about you know, being fat, because he is like
completely like not only self aware, but like understanding, like
(20:41):
he's doing this because he's trying to normalize the fact that,
you know, maybe people shouldn't bully people, like just like
all all of that like kind of leads into the
what you're talking about, just the context that needs to
be built around people.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yeah uh yeah. Yeah, it's like why is it? Why
is that the one body shaming thing we're all still
cool with? Right? Yeah, totally, like what are we doing? Yeah? Yeah,
like yeah, And it's just it's just weird to have
to like rely on or not rely you know whatever.
I'm still out there pushing, but you know, you're hoping
(21:17):
for a viral clip yep. And it's like that can't
be the only way. Like I refuse to accept that.
And I don't know if that makes me it makes
it better or worse, But it's just like there's got
to be enough, Like there's gotta be enough people out
there that like want authenticity or you.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Know what, listener, I care a lot about merch and
you should as well. And you should go to Rockabilly
dot com and use this promo code one hundred words
or less. That's the number one zero zero words are
less to get you ten percent off of your entire order.
And that's what's incredible about this particular site. Not only
are they this show up with the promo code, but
(22:02):
they have so many different bands where I don't care
if you're into like, you know, Black Sabbath, like Grateful Dead,
bring me the Rise in Machine Gun Kelly, like I'm
just listening a bunch of random bands across all genres
because they sell officially licensed merch from all of those
bands and artists. That means the bands get paid. You
get high quality merch shipped directly to you from a awesome,
(22:27):
awesome warehouse in the Midwest, the mid West, like I'm
putting on some weird accent anyways, jokes aside, I love
this company. I think what they do is incredibly important
because they are a beautiful aggregator of all things merch related.
And uh, you know how much I love merch. I
just love talking about rockabilly as well. But go to
(22:47):
their website rockabilly dot com. You will shop to your
heart's content. You will put a bunch of stuff in
your cart, you will check out, and you will use
that promo code one hundred words or less. It tells
them that we send you, not some other podcast, not
some other magazine. I mean, who really reads magazines anymore?
Secret I do. But beside the point, this is obviously
(23:08):
a very rambling adread, But this adread is uh, it's genuine,
it's from the hearts. I want you to go to
that website and use the promo code one hundred words
or less. So go use that and shop to your
heart's content Rocky Leady dot com. You know, kind of
taking you back to you know, when you were Did
you actually grow up in Long Island or did you
come up somewhere else?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I grew up on Long Island?
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Yeah, okay, cool? And of course you know the I'm
sure you're familiar. I I toured in bands for years
and played the beautiful Backstreet Blues Club in the early
two thousands. Oh of course, yes, yeah, shout out to
Christian doing doing the Lord's work in Long Island, still
(23:52):
doing it, I know exactly. But the something that's always
struck me, and I know, like once I became familiar
with obviously Long Island hardcore and everything else that came
around it, it was always the point of pride that
still exists obviously for bands like you know, Coyo and
everybody else that has come from that area where it's like, now,
(24:12):
we're really different than New York. So like pay attention
to us, and like, did you, I guess, did you
feel like when you started to like go to shows
and stuff like that, did you feel that proverbal I
guess like chip on the shoulder with Long Island being like, hey,
we're different than New York.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
No, I don't know, I do what comedy. I definitely
do more, Okay, I don't know. I always and like
my little crew, we always, you know, we were in
the city easily as much as we were on Long Island.
Like we were you know, CBS and Conyon High and
(24:51):
the Continental and you know, I mean whatever I could
name in a million places, the bag and Tramps, sure Brownies.
So we were like we were in the city all
the time. And like my like one of my first jobs,
like one of my first like high school's style jobs
was a record store in Saint Mark's. So I've always
(25:14):
been like, I don't know, I've always been just like
hanging around the Lower east Side. So I never really
was like us first the m or anything like that.
I know there are some there is definitely a contingent
of Long Island folks that do not leave Long Island.
(25:34):
But I never identified with those people like that, we
are not we are not a.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Kid, right for sure? And what was your initial entry point? Like,
I mean, because did you have you know, older brothers
or sisters showing you stuff or was it just kind
of like permeated throughout you know, junior high and high school?
How did you get into the stuff.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
So here's a crazy story. I in like fifth their
sixth grade, And I could have details wrong because this
is you know, seventeen seventy eight right in like in
like fifth or sixth grade. Me and this kid, Josh Feigelman. Uh,
(26:18):
he was like a little skate rat kid. We had
a music teacher. I think her last name was Ronaldi
or she was she was somehow related to Lee Ronaldi
I think is his name from Sonic Youth, Oh okay,
(26:39):
And she was like she just recognized something in me
and him, Like she just recognized like a counter culturalism
in the two of us. And she was like, Hey,
this is my cousin, I think cousin. This is my
cousin's band's tape. And she gave us Daydream nation. Wow,
(27:05):
in like fifth or sixth grade.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, that's a lot to like wrap your brain around
that you were connected with something that could be yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Yeah, and we didn't you know, we didn't understand the
ramifications of that. We were just like, oh cool, and
like I was like, Yo, what the fuck am I hearing? Yep?
And then it just kind of, you know, it just snowball,
Like I gotta just I just got into punk and
metal and and all that noisier indie rock stuff and
(27:39):
uh yeah. And then just like slowly but surely, you know,
I was lucky enough, smart enough, I don't know what
the word is. I was able to like recognize people
with cool, uh eclectic tastes, okay, And so like coming up,
there was like dudes like this kid Bradley Farrell who
(28:00):
like ended up you know, opening a tattoo shop and
like being like cool like that. He like got me
into like Elvis Costello and like also Antioch Arrow and
this dude Ron Grimaldi who's like a local like legend guy.
He got me into like Jahu and Pitchfork, and like
(28:20):
it was just like I was just lucky enough to
be open minded. And I think it was because of
this woman, this music teacher who just like I don't
recognize the spark and the two of us idiots, and like,
I don't know, it just it just went from there. Man,
it was just like I don't know, I guess I
(28:45):
point to that. I don't know if that's you know,
I don't know if there was something earlier than that.
I mean, my sister Helen Vinyl or Kiss Vinyl. I
don't know if I would like when listening to Kiss
and Van Halen make you open to that stuff, I
don't know. Yeah, well I think it's.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
Yeah, that's really cool. And I like also the fact
that you know, you named just such a diverse set
of bands, And I think that that's what is really
special as you start to get introduced to this stuff,
is you know, you're just a kid and you're drinking
it in and like you can only differentiate between in
your mind what is good or bad, and there's nothing
really in between. It's like either like it or I
(29:30):
don't like it, and you don't care about anything else. Besides,
you know, it's not like you're aware of seeing politics
or like this band's cool, this band's not cool. We
got a bad review here, or whatever. It's like you're
just like this is good. I like it.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah. Man, It's like I don't know, I never believed
in I never believed in the theory, like the guilty
pleasure theory. Like I always felt like, well, if I
think it's cool, it's cool, right, Like if you think
(30:02):
I'm cool, I'm cool. Like that's it. So like I
wasn't like, oh, if I listened to, uh, you know,
Youth of Today, I can't also listen to Elton John
or like whatever, you know what I mean, Like, I
don't know, you were.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Very Oh you were very open to that. Yeah, And
I think that's to your point too, just like your
openness was you know you that was circumstantial. But then
also the fact that like you kept traveling down like
you were trying to find more whatever that may mean,
whether that's you know, linking up with the music teacher
or obviously just like trying to find other people that
(30:46):
were into stuff that could you know, maybe point you
in a direction that you hadn't been privy to you before. Yeah,
which is I mean that's cool because that's obviously like
you to your point, that really gets you into the
you know, reading thank you list all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Because that was the only way, right, Like that was
the only way. Like you got like a DR album
and you're like, oh, this man sick, and you're just like,
how do I find out more bands like dr I
if I don't know someone who's into d R I. Fortunately, you,
like I was able to like poke my head around,
you know, and there was like Headbanger's Ball at the time,
and so there was like a little other ways. But
(31:24):
then like you always go to that thank you list.
You always go like you know, when you got that
when I got that Heroin LP, like I had to
go to the thank you list, and it's like what
bands are they thinking? Like I should check out those bands.
There's a reason those bands fuck with each other, you know,
likes there's a reason Thursday and take It Back Sunday
(31:47):
fuck with each other. And it's it's it's not because
they sound the same, they don't, you know what I mean.
But it's like there's like a common a commonality, a
common uh you know what's the word. Uh, I can't
think of the word.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
It's okay, common threat, we'll call it.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
And so when you you know, were in school and
obviously just you know, being a kid and everyone I presumed,
especially of comedians, where it's just like, oh, either you
were the class clown or you were the people that
you know, you're the person that everybody ignored and like
you just kind of you know, like did your funny
stuff in front of family or whatever.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
What?
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Uh, I guess what side of the spectrum would you
find yourself falling on?
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Were you the guy that was always maker? Was a colblemaker?
I was recently, like I was recently back room diagnosed
with O d D h obstinant defiance disorder. Okay, so
(32:56):
I just like I just had a problem with being
told what to do and a problem with like falling
in line, and like it just never never happened for me.
It was never gonna happen for me. I just I
was miswired early on. And uh yeah, school wasn't it. Man.
(33:19):
I didn't want to talk to anybody. I didn't want
to and anyone anyone talking to me. I didn't want
to listen to being what I was told. I didn't
want to show up. I didn't want to do the work,
you know. And then I would, you know, I would
occasionally find something that gave a shit about and I
would apply myself and people would be like, oh see,
all you have to do is apply yourself, and it's like, yeah,
(33:40):
well give me a reason to do that. I'm a
fair child, you know, Like you guys, you guys are
supposed to be the smart ones. Fucking figure figure it
out for me, you know, like what you like, Like,
you know, I have a hard time paying attention when
I read, so like I'm dumb. I don't think that's.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
It right, You're like, I just need it. I just
need help. You gotta point me in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (34:04):
I can't you know. Yeah. Yeah, twenty years later, you
give me a pill and I'd be able to read longer,
you know. But right now I'm just write fucking out here,
fucking raw drawing books. It's like.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Totally, You're like, listen, I can't read the Great Gas
this is yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Dude, Like I can't even like listen to like caucasts.
Really like my attention span like like six minutes in
I start like someone will say something, I'll just start
thinking about that thing and then I'll be like, oh wait,
what are they talking about now? Right? And it was
it's like like you want me to read what you
want me to crime and put it get the fuck
out of here. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah, and I'm not going to mess with the dodiofsky.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
I never read a book. Name a book. I'll tell
you if I read it. I never read it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
You're like, straight up heart hard pass on books, got it?
And so when you started to, you know, go to shows,
because I know, like I mean, Sun Say Abraham started playing,
like I mean, you guys formed like ninety six ish
or so roughly or no, I.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Feel like we were together for like six and a
half hours.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Right, right, but I mean a very productive six and
a half hours though, Yeah, sure, yeah, I mean I think, well, what.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
I always think back people like try like because you
try to like put stuff in order, and I'm like, oh,
it was like during this time, so it must have
been like these years, and it's like every time I
try to do that, I'm like it was one month, No,
it was Christmas vacation, one year, yeah, the whole thing.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
And that to be completely fair, especially like as you
get older like those, that time frame just becomes so
you're just like, dude, I can't believe I did that.
And like, like you said, you know, an evening or
like six months or whatever. I mean, I guess the
only reason that like I bring Sinceay Abraham up is like,
I mean, not only because I enjoyed your output, but
I just think it was like it was around that
(35:59):
time where you know, people across the country broadly speaking,
I mean me being from southern California, it was like
just starting to pay attention to what was happening in
Long Island. Like I was already obviously aware of VOD
because they came out here, but then just like, oh
my gosh, like all this cool stuff, whether it's like
Sunday Abraham, you know, inside the Glass Jaw, like all
this stuff, and it was like, oh, and then here's
(36:19):
this really interesting, you know, metallic hardcore band that sings
from a Jewish point of view. I'm like, that's wild.
And so I'm when I say wild, like that's just
like cool because all that stuff can exist. So I
guess the point of me bringing that up is just
like the did you feel compelled to, I guess, play
in a band as you started to go to shows
or is that something you kind of like had to
(36:40):
work your way out to.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
No, I think yeah, once I started discovering it. Once
I discovered like punk and like basement scenes and stuff,
I was like, I wanted to start a band. I
wanted to be in a band. I did like something
like I did like a high school like one show
thing we like covered through Gauzi and like no one,
no one understood what we were doing. And then uh,
(37:04):
like a year later I started a band called Me
and some guys started a band called Tetsuo, and then yeah,
then I was just kind of like hooked and I
just wanted to like play and tour and then uh,
your life foot like actually started touring. Uh we toured
with Inside and uh then it was like that was
(37:28):
a wrap for me once I Once I left, once
I left the Northeast to like go play shows and
like meet people and meet bands and and like see
what else was out there in the universe, it was
like that was it. There was no there was no
turning back. I always pointing to this one time I
(37:50):
was in like right around when that lady gave me
Sonic Youth, I saw Motley Crue was on the cover
of some magazine. It was like in my in my
middle school library, and it was like Tommy Lee and
Nikki six, just like showing off their full sleeves, and
I was like, I want that. I want to do
all that whatever they're doing, I want to be doing
(38:10):
what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Okay, got it.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
And I didn't really understand what it was they were doing.
And then like as I learned about music, and then
as I started touring, I was like, in the back
of my head, I was always like, oh yeah, like
that's those dudes, Like that's what they were doing. They
were just like causing havoc around the country. But that's
so fishing cool.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Sure, sure, And I'm guessing. And I'm guessing because of
the you immediately enjoying the tour experience, like you just
wanted to try to pursue that whatever that may mean.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Yeah. Yeah. And then once my buddy is this band
called Day in the Life, which is George remind of
a Matter and uh uh oh, the bass player of
dvdv DVD the Lace basse player reviewed his brother was
in that band, and Josh DeMarco from uh from Mine
(39:07):
Ever Matter, They asked me to come tour with them
because like I had been to like I had been
touring and they were like doing like a professional tour,
like a real tour, like not basements, you know, And
they asked if I wanted to like come, like we
didn't know that. We didn't know it was tour managing
at that point, but they wanted they want to know
(39:27):
if I wanted to come out with them, and uh.
Once I was like, oh, I can get paid to
do this, like I can like make a living like
I don't have to. I don't have to like also
work in a record store or also work at a
pizza place, like I can just tour right Like that
was that was it? That was like I didn't even
(39:50):
I didn't even playing bands. After that, I was like, yo,
I'm out, Like right, I just want to.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Do right, did you like being you know, a front person?
Like did you like that aspect? I mean, one could
obviously presume where it's the fact that you know, now
you are doing the same thing except you are not
getting up with other bandmates.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
You know.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Did you take to that naturally or was that something
that you had to you know, I guess like learn
by doing.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
I definitely take to it naturally. There is a little
bit of a silliness to it that I kind of
always feel like even still like there's like a silliness
where it's like what the fuck are we doing right now?
Like yep, like I got it, Like I don't know.
It's just like there's like an element of like what
is this? But yeah, I don't know. Maybe that's like
(40:41):
part of it. Maybe that's part of why it's okay
with me, because like it is silly and like I can.
I can take things. I can take a silly thing, seriously,
I can. I can really work on this fart joke, right.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
Yeah, Like I'm gonna home this perfectly.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
Yeah. Is it a fart or is it the fart?
Or is it farts? Maybe it's farts? Yeah no, no, no,
it's not farts. It's a fart. Sure, sure, who are
we talking about?
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Yeah? No, I understand. Listen here. Evilgreed dot Net is
an incredible merged company. They have webstore solutions for bands
and record labels of all shapes and sizes. The thing
about them is they have a very specific point of view.
If you listen to the show, I can guarantee that
you will go to their site and find at least
(41:35):
seventeen different things to put in your cart and shop.
I love this company so much. They're based in Berlin, Germany.
They ship worldwide. That exchange rate is very much in
our favor right now here in the United States. I've
ordered from them before, they've shipped stuff out. I've gotten
like eight or nine days. It's incredible. So let me
just list some of the bands that they work with,
(41:55):
whether it's Nails, Drug Church, two hundred, Stab, Wounds Brew.
I love them so much. Like you can kind of
see the theme that they're going for. I like to
call it artistic heavy stuff, which I know is not
exactly like the catchiest, you know, marketing phrase or whatever.
But they also work with a ton of record labels
like you know, Flat Spot, Triple B Records, other people Records.
(42:18):
It is a very specific.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Point of view.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
They kind of act like a record label in a way.
But I love the company so much. They've supported this
show for a long period of time. And in turn,
I want you to point your web browser to evilgreed
dot net and go shopping. I know that I have
spent probably like at least two or three hours just
poking around having a lot of fun on that site,
and I know that you will too, So evilgreed dot
(42:42):
net and go buy some merch, the experience of just
like putting out records and like doing merch and stuff
like that. You know, I'm gonna put this in very
large air quotes as far as like the business side
of music is concerned. Did you enjoy that aspect of
it as well? Or was that something again that you
had to, like, you know, kind of like learn by
(43:02):
doing and learn how to you know, like care someone
about that?
Speaker 2 (43:06):
What do you Sandy? And I'm sorry, No, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
I was just saying, like the business side of bands.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Oh no, I'm terrible, okally, fuck, I'm so bad, dude.
I was talking. I was on a podcast talking about
this not too long ago. Punk rock made it where
like I don't even know my worth, you know what
I mean, because it's like, YO, come play so and so,
and I'm like, Yo, that sounds dope. And then like
(43:33):
I don't even ask, Like I don't ask where I'm staying,
I don't ask how I'm getting there, I don't ask
when I'm getting paid, you know what I mean. And
it's like now I'm starting to get that a little
bit better at that where I'm like starting to advocate
a little bit, but it's still it's fucking weird, and
like I just don't, like I just have a hard
(43:55):
time with it sometimes, and like I hate being like
I don't want it to seem like I'm unappreciative of
what I'm being offered or given where I'm like, oh, well,
could you charge less or could you give me more?
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Right?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Right, You're like this isn't So you're charging ten dollars
and you're giving me fifteen and there were like one
hundred people that showed up. Something seems off.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Yeah, yeah, it's like, well you should have charged my
friends way less to get in, Like that's what I
would do instead of just being like, oh I should
just don't I get like shake it like seventy percent
right now? What what part of this was me?
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (44:42):
And I don't, right, I don't. Yeah, I don't. Really
I'm bad at that. I'm fucking terrible at that. But fortunately,
like as I'm going more and more people around me
are good at that adulting, So, uh.
Speaker 1 (44:57):
You feel protected in some capacity.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
In some it is funny though, because like I'll have
some people in my life like uh, like Liz Mealy
or like uh comedians Amili or this comedian Abby Wi
Shoot to like these women I'm tight with. Uh, They'll
be like, well, did you see the contract? And I'll
be like no, it's like it's my homie. It's like whatever,
(45:19):
like yeah, but you like like there was obviously a contract, right,
And I'm like what, I don't know, man, it's just
like a thing like we just said we would just
do it, and like yeah, but there's gonna be money,
like you right, And I'm like nah, nah, like nah,
And they're like like you got this foreign life without
(45:42):
and I'm like, yeah, oh yeah, I've been fucked over.
Speaker 1 (45:45):
Oh yeah, it's like good, good points. I didn't I
didn't mean to sign I didn't mean to sign away
all my rights in perpetuity for the universe. Whoops.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
I mean yeah, yeah, that's a great point. I have
been fucked over.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Right. And when you started to you know, tour with
because I mean I know you went out with like
you know, taking Back Sunday and Motion City Soundtrack, and
you know you were probably doing some versions of what
they would call like a tour manager.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Merchant or whatever.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Yeah, did you did you like that aspect that? I mean,
I know you like touring, but did you like that
aspect where it's like, oh, I don't have to play,
but I just have to focus on the one thing
I'm here to do, whether that's you know, driving, loading
in or whatever.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Yeah, I definitely love that stuff. I would do it again.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
If I didn't have any other options, I would I
would probably do that again. But there's uh I do
prefer not working for anyone.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
Right, I do like that, right, being able to call
your shots.
Speaker 2 (46:50):
I just I just want to have fun. I'm okay
old and I'm dying soon. I just want to have
a good time, okay, and like I don't want to
fucking have to like I don't know, there's definitely pros
and cons to it.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
But well, yeah, you know, I mean like some people
would argue, you know, like stability, peace of mind, like
you know, but those things are overrated sometimes, right, Neil.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah, I mean yeah, like I don't have I get
like I get emotional.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
No, listen, we are allowed to express our emotions as
adult males. This is a safe space, so you know
you can express it however you'd like, sir.
Speaker 2 (47:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:39):
The something I'm curious about in regards to like more
so on obviously, like the comedy booking side of things
like you know, when you're doing you know, multiple you
know dates and obviously doing like here's the seven o'clock
and here's the nine o'clock and you know, we're doing
five shows and whatever two days or what have you.
I'm sure there's a very different energy between you know,
(48:00):
maybe like the seven o'clock show versus like the nine
thirty show or whatever. Do you notice a kind of
ebb and flow as you do that stuff or is
it kind of just like head down you're doing the work.
Speaker 2 (48:11):
There's there's a little head down doing the work. I
will say, as I get better, there is less of
a a variation. Uh okay. I I think that that
you know, when you're newer to it, when it's the
(48:31):
first time you're doing six shows in three days or
you know whatever eight shows in three days or whatever
it is. When like the first time you do that,
there is like an exhaustion and and I think that
goes away over time, like as you build the muscle.
(48:52):
There is a difference in the audience though, because nine
o'clock Friday or ten o'clock Friday night, most of these
people have been up since six am. They worked a
full day, they got home they fought with their kids,
and they've been drinking since seven, and now they're showing
(49:12):
up to your thing where they have to have two
more drinks at ten o'clock. They're tired, foot, they're drunk, right,
they're done, whereas like the seven o'clock these people just
got out to work and they're a little bit more like,
let's have fun Saturday. You generally don't get that much
(49:34):
of a variation between the seven and the ten because
it's like, you know, people who go to the ten
start drinking later. People go to the seven start drinking earlier.
It's like when you have dinner, you know. But yeah,
Friday night, the late show is usually a little bit
more rowdy or wild or less respectful. But yeah, I
(49:58):
mean that's just that's a odd stroke kind of yeah,
of course, but uh yeah, I mean just uh, I
think as you as you do it, as you experience it,
like every other muscle, uh, you know, I'm more prepared
for it. I'm less surprised by it.
Speaker 1 (50:19):
Sure, Sure, And that I mean, and that's really the
space that you want to be in, where it's like
you're able to, you know, roll with any surprises that
do come up. But it's all within the realm. It's
all within the realm of like, Okay, I've handled this
before and some capacity as opposed to like, oh I've
never dealt with a you know, streaker or whatever.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, and it's you know, and
then like it like it that and it moves along right.
Like my first head like this really was like my
first weekend of like just all headlining, like just me
and like me, like everyone at the show was someone
that came to see me, So that was like that
(50:56):
was a first and so like there were stresses there
that I assume will go away as I work. And
you know, the first time I do first time I
sell a theater, I'll be like this is crazy. And
then the hundredth time, I'll be like this is run
of the mill, and you know, and you know, I
(51:17):
see peers or people just above me doing you know,
doing you know, a fifteen hundred person room, and I'm like,
oh my god, that would be so wild. And then
I'm sure once I start doing that, it's a lot
less wild. You know. First time I opened for Motion City,
(51:39):
I was like this is gonna be awful and crazy,
and like they're gonna be noisy and it's gonna be impossible.
And then after forty five days with them, I'm like, yeah,
I'll open for any man. I don't give a fuck.
Speaker 1 (51:51):
Right, You're like I got.
Speaker 2 (51:53):
This, yeah, like this is this is you know, this
is just a day at the office now, man, Like,
let's go right now. Right like those those taking a
holidy shows, people did not want me there at all.
They sure did not care. But it's just like, put
your head down, I'm up here for twelve minutes, ignore
the fucking shatter, tell your dumb jokes, get off stage
(52:15):
and have fun with your friends.
Speaker 1 (52:16):
Right right exactly, It's like, hey, there's a reason i'm here.
I'm invited. I'm not just like crashing the stage. Guys
like deal with that.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah they
before you know it, just go grab a beer.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
Yeah totally, totally. We'll just talk about farts for ten minutes.
We're good. The idea that you know, most comedians now,
like what we were talking about in regards to you know,
being able to be delivered algorithmically to you know, prospective
fans and stuff like that, Like obviously you have to
lean into crown work. You know that's like where you're like,
(52:52):
I can't you know, quote unquote waste my good material
on anything on TikTok or whatever. I'm sure there's all
these calculations of like, you know, the good and the
bad and everything in between there do you you know,
I know you participate in that obviously? Is it? You know,
do you find yourself being like I wish that I
could just like unplug from certain aspects of this or
(53:14):
is it like no, it's kind of like a game
and I have to figure it out.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Uh, sure, there's a game. Game aspect what I'm about
to say should be behind a paywall. Um. I have
very strong philosophies on that stuff. I think that burning
material ideal is a pro club propaganda meant to keep
(53:41):
independent comedians down. I do not believe in it. The
worst case scenario, the absolute worst case scenario, is eighteen
million people see your eighteen second joke on TikTok. Those
people are still gonna go see your show. Sure you
(54:05):
can still do that eighteen second joke, right, And that
is something that we are fed by clubs and industry
to to prevent us from moving ourselves forward. And I
will not partake I do not believe in burnt material
(54:28):
a B crowd work. I don't understand why you would
ever post something where you are not the funniest person
in the video. Sure, I don't get it. It teaches
both comics and audiences bad behavior. It's nuts to me.
(54:49):
I will always be the funniest person in the in
the in this engagement. And if I am not, I
am deleting this, I am not putting that out there.
That is not a good advertisement for what I am selling.
Speaker 1 (55:04):
Right, that's a good point.
Speaker 2 (55:07):
But again, these are my philosophy's these are not. Of course,
clearly people disagree with me. People are putting.
Speaker 1 (55:14):
Up trash, right, yeah, and then they hope that that
trash will then you know, get them, you know, five more,
five more people at their show, and that will just
like cycle through and you know they won't even care
about that person next time they come through.
Speaker 2 (55:28):
But like do they even care?
Speaker 1 (55:30):
I know, it's true, it's true.
Speaker 2 (55:31):
Is that, like like I hate to be like we're
punks or cooler than everyone else, but we are because
these people, like these these comedians or internet celebrities that
post these things where they're not the most interesting person
in the thing, They're also not trying to like go
(55:55):
do anything right. They're trying to just build their product.
But their product isn't the live performance. Their product is
like their ability to influence, their ability to like sell
you something on the internet, their ability to like, you know,
I want more followers so I can get a discount
(56:18):
code for Verbo, Like I'm not trying to do it.
I'm trying to sell the live show. I want you
to come interact with me in person, come to a show,
have a great night out. Forget that like your job sucks,
forget that your fucking kids hate you, like forget that
you have bronchitis, and just have a good fucking time.
(56:41):
Like that's the product I'm selling. And so I'm gonna
do it. Like if I have one hundred and fifty
thousand followers on the internet that want to come see
me live, I'm gonna go see them live. I'm gonna
go meet them. I don't understand like someone who would
build that fan base and then not be touring it,
(57:02):
you know, or like what, like what are you waiting for?
And this is a very specific This is a very
specific kind of people because a lot of stand ups
that I consider contemporaries or in the class above me,
Like classes above me. They are touring, they are touring comics.
They they are using the internet as a sales tool.
(57:23):
But I see some people that like pop off on
the internet and then they're like doing one week in
a month, and it's like, what do you what are
you doing? Right the point all this?
Speaker 1 (57:35):
Sure? Sure, yeah, well so's yeah, no, And I mean
there's reason I'm asking this because it's like there is
that I mean, every comedian comes at you know, comedy
with a different point of view, but like they're yeah,
I mean, but clearly there is like that through line
of the comics that you know are just like, okay,
I'm using this as a stepping stone to you know,
(57:57):
develop my acting career, to be an influencer of whatever.
And it's like, you know, then there's the people who
obviously care about the craft and are just like, yeah,
I'm gonna work clubs the rest of my life and
that's fine. If I'd ever do a theater like whatever,
it doesn't matter. Like there are people here and they
care about me, and that's what.
Speaker 2 (58:11):
I can Yeah, I mean, there's different there's different colors
of success, and there's different, Like you know, there's no
like road map or blueprint or whatever, you know, and
like the goalposts have been taken down completely at this point.
But I don't know. For me, it's it's always been
like I want.
Speaker 1 (58:30):
To tour, right, that's your ultimate goal.
Speaker 2 (58:34):
Yeah, Like I don't understand. I don't know, I don't know,
I get, I get, I guess I'm answering the question
myself right now. Like you know, they they just have
different goals. But that's my goal. And when I see
people with like it's like it's just like watching someone
waste privilege, you know, like when you meet like when
(58:58):
do you meet like a hot white girl with like
a real rich dad who does everything for her and
then she like isn't backpacking across Europe? You're like, what
are you doing? Like totally right, why are you not
like in China right now? It's fucking exploring, right.
Speaker 1 (59:20):
It's like, you clearly have the space to do that
and the money to do that. Why don't you come on? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (59:27):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (59:28):
I mean the line for people like you and me,
for you putting out something with equal vision and then
obviously the work that you've done previously with enjoy the
ride you know, it makes a whole lot of sense.
I'm sure it just applies back to the principle of like, yo,
if people want to party with me, like obviously I
want to party with them. And so like, was it,
(59:50):
I guess kind of weird and exciting for you to
be like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna put out a record
to Equal Vision and you know, I'm technically yeah, that's
what I'm saying. I'm I'm labeled mates with Bain Like.
Speaker 2 (59:59):
It's surreal, dude, Like I wanted to be on I
wanted to be on EVR in like two thousand and one. Sure, yeah,
And it's like Dan came out to like a show,
where was it? Dan came out to a show in
Connecticut and I'm talking to him and he's like basically
(01:00:20):
like saying like, yeah, we want to be involved. And
I didn't even get it. It didn't make sense. I
called Duman, who, like, you know, he's like my de
facto manager, you know, because he's like he gets the
ship and he looks out for me, and I don't
get this shit. So uh so I called Duman. I
(01:00:41):
was like, yo, I just had this meeting with Dan,
like you know, or he knew. He was like, how
did it go? And I was like, oh, it was
like cool, Like you know, like we're boys, so we're
just like catching up and stuff, and like you know,
he said this, this and this, and he's like, yo, dude,
like he wants to put out the special and I'm like,
what that doesn't makes sense. What're you're talking about? Like, no,
(01:01:04):
he's just gonna like do the vinyl. If we do vinyl.
He's like, no, dick head, listen to the fucking words
you just said to me. And I'm like, oh, oh yeah, fuck.
Speaker 1 (01:01:16):
It right, You're like okay, click yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:01:20):
And then everyone I talked to is like, wait, they
do comedy. I'm like, now they do.
Speaker 1 (01:01:25):
Right, yeah, You're like if the person comes from the
hardcore singe, they do hell yeah, yeah, I guess you know. Well,
it's like, I mean, I think it's fun because obviously
it exposes you to an audience that you know, is
like can trace your lineage of being like oh yeah,
(01:01:46):
like I've you know, been around and I'm obviously like
you're punk and hardcore kid. But then it gives equal
vision the ability to have a foothold in something that
they haven't dabbled with, and so it's like it works.
You know, it's a two way street for both of you.
Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
Yeah, And I also think that, like me, if if
I'm a success story, then they can they can now
they can brag, they can be like, Yo, we can
fucking do anything, right totally, Like what's the project you
want to work on? We can do anything. And Dan,
I mean, Dan's like you know, he's like he's fucking
(01:02:23):
as genuine as they come. So like, I mean I've
heard him say more than once like he just wants
to do cool shit with people he likes. Yep. So
it's like whatever the project is, whether it's like reissuing
a cool old hardcore record or a documentary about Bain
or a comedy special, like, he just wants to like
(01:02:44):
do cool things with cool people. And like, you know,
EVR is like one of those things that like, well
if it's with EVR, then it's cool. So you know,
do whatever you want.
Speaker 1 (01:02:57):
Yeah, of course, of course, the last thing I want
to hit on was the idea of like what I
was talking about in regards to you know, comedians having
not everyone, but comedians having some sort of in game
in regards to like Okay, I want to use this
to you know, parlay into this, like do you have
(01:03:18):
And it's okay if you do, Like this is not
meant to shame you in any way, shape or form,
but like, you know, do you have aspirations to be like,
oh dude, it would be sick to you know, do
a movie like I would like to do acting or
is this you know, really the lane that you want
to quote unquote stick in, you know, good or bad?
Speaker 2 (01:03:34):
It would be sick to collaborate on like writing a
movie or writing a sitcom. That would be sick. But
that's not that is definitely not the goal. That would
be like a cool side project for this motherfucker, you
know right. The real shit for me, the real move
is I want to be able to do what I
(01:03:55):
am doing right now without the stress and fear of
one thing derailing it. M Like, like I got rear
ended in Nashville like a year ago, and it was
like it put like a month's worth of touring in
(01:04:17):
jeopardy because like I didn't have the resources to recover
from that, you know, And so I just want to
be in a position where like if fucking bricks can't
let me stay with him in Louisville. I'm not like, fuck,
(01:04:37):
I don't know what I'm gonna do this week, right,
Like I could just be like, oh, yeah, I'll just
get a hotel. It's no big deal, Like it's cool,
like I'm selling I'm selling three shows out like it's
all right, yep, you know what I mean. And and
right now I'm not there, sure, you know, like right now,
like I was supposed to stay with my pal in
(01:04:57):
Nashville and then they were like, oh I got to
go away for the week, and I was like, oh
damn fuck. Right, this is like last weekend's money is
now spent on hotels, right like that I would like
to not stress about sure, right, But I'm not you know,
(01:05:20):
I'm not like a I'm not like a money guy.
I'm not like, oh I need money to be happy.
I need money to not be stressed out all the time.
But I'm not looking I'm not looking to break a bag.
I'm like looking to just like have a good time.
Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
Yeah, now you know, like of course you're not. You're
not looking for stacks on stacks and stacks, you're just
looking for a stack.
Speaker 2 (01:05:41):
Yeah, yeah, I just like to like, yeah, not like
you know, there have been times in the past couple
of years where I'm like, oh, I don't know where
I'm staying tomorrow. We're like I can't afford to go
to the doctor today, you know, and it's like that
I would like to not yes, you know what I mean,
(01:06:02):
where like when my car break finally breaks down, knock
on wood when breaks down, Like I want to be
able to like it's sound to get a new car,
right and not be like, oh man, I hope someone
can donate a car.
Speaker 1 (01:06:18):
Totally. You're you're you're up there, like you know, in
between sets, like as opposed to what bands used to do.
It's like, hey, maybe you have a place to stay tonight.
Like you're like, is anybody a new car? Use good
used car, Like you know, something that we could get
me from point A to point B?
Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
Sign a lease with me.
Speaker 1 (01:06:36):
You're like, I don't. I don't have enough credit myself,
So like, come on, just act like a parrot.
Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
Yeah, I'm definitely gonna go over the miles, but I'll
keep it clean.
Speaker 1 (01:06:43):
Yeah, yeah, I promise we could resolve it at some point.
And I promise is the last thing. I'm just curious
from your own perspective. Uh, and there's no wrong answers here,
but you know, highlighting a band from Long Island like
not they don't have to exist now, that is like
completely you know, just under the radar undiscovered. However, you
(01:07:07):
want to label it something that gets like a you know,
a shout out from that side of thing. It's like
the only reason I mentioned that is because I, like,
you know, mentioning a band like Inside in twenty twenty four, like,
no news who that band is, even though they're absolutely
incredible and same as Dearly Departed. But is there something that.
Speaker 2 (01:07:24):
I'm supposed to say but they're having a reunion in July?
Speaker 1 (01:07:28):
Oh geez, that is that's good a secret.
Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
That's a secret. So don't tell.
Speaker 1 (01:07:32):
Anyone, Okay, Well, anyways, don't.
Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
Put it in this, don't put it in the description.
Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
I will no, absolutely got to get you got to.
Speaker 2 (01:07:40):
Get to minute fifty six to find that information out. Listen, listen.
Speaker 1 (01:07:44):
This is what they call a easter egg at the end.
So I very much appreciate that. But yeah, I won't
put that anywhere. But what so, like, you know, is
there something that kind of sparks your mind of being like,
oh yeah, like there's this, you know, this band that
like no one saw except us twenty people online or whatever.
Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
All Right, so I'm gonna say a couple of bands here.
I'm gonna say Scapegrace is the greatest fucking Long Island band.
Speaker 1 (01:08:05):
WHOA, I haven't heard it, haven't heard of them?
Speaker 2 (01:08:07):
Okay, Scapegrace is so fucking sick. They were like incredibly
underrated at the time. They were too short lived. They
did another project called The Magna afterward, which was equally
as good like Scapegrace to me, like I named a
band after them, I fucking love them. They just never
got They never did anything more than local, so it
(01:08:28):
never really blew up. Sure, I would be remiss to
not talk about some newer stuff, right because like absolutely
hit it. What's the point you know, of having a
platform and then just like, yeah, just listen to this
thirty year old band that like probably isn't on streaming.
Of course, Family Dinner is a band that's like blowing
(01:08:50):
up right now, our sick Common Sage is awesome. They're
another new band that's blown up. Really cool dudes from
modern chemistry. I know. They're like in the Taking Back
Sunday Family. So people might have heard of them a
little bit, but I don't think that they get the
credit they deserve. And they are like they're one of
the green room hangs is like the most important thing
(01:09:13):
to me, and the green room hang with Modern Chemistry
at the Taking Back Sunday Holiday show was like one
of my favorite green room hangs in my entire life.
Like those dudes were the most fun I've ever had.
So Modern Chemistry gets a huge sound out and then
that's like tons of great Long Island hardcore band's coming
(01:09:34):
up right now, stand still, regulate, dead last heads will roll,
and of course the fucking Goats Pain of Truth is
just like, oh yeah, I don't know. I think they
don't really claim Long Island. They say Northeast hardcore, but
I want all credit for that band that they're fucking
(01:09:54):
Long Island. They fucking rule that is. That band's tremendous.
They deserve everything they fucking get. Man, they are so
fucking sick and so fun live just like such a
great fun like this is what hardcore is supposed to be.
Just fun. Yep, And he's sick. Michael Smith is a
(01:10:18):
fucking sick front man and uh he's done some of
the best shit I've seen live. Once there was like,
you know, like the there was like a pylon for
the mic, and he like tossed the mic at the
pylon like kind of like faking scared of it, like
just toss the mic in it like backed up like
like and it was like no one noticed it but me,
(01:10:39):
And it was the fucking funniest thing I've ever seen
on stage. And then one time he goes, this next
song is my favorite song and then threw the mic
to somebody else and jumped into the crowd Tomash, I
love it. Fucking brilliant. Yeah, those guys fucking rule. That
band should be fucking everywhere. And then not Long Island,
(01:11:03):
but Long Island Roots is edict. It's oh sure, my
buddy Rich CACCIONI he was, he was a Long Island kid.
He moves to Rhode Island and he's in a band
with dudes with from Barrier Dead and Drop Dead and uh,
they're like a sick hardcore band. I think they're on Undefeated,
which might be EVR adjacent to distributed.
Speaker 1 (01:11:27):
Yep, you're right, so like we're kind.
Speaker 2 (01:11:29):
Of label means. But he's, uh, that's a sick that's
a sick hardcore band that they to me, they sound
like Mashi or Bloodlet.
Speaker 1 (01:11:38):
They're all right, yeah, I love it. I've just heard
the band name. I haven't listened to him.
Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Well yeaheah, yeah, great, there we go.
Speaker 1 (01:11:44):
That was Neil Rubenstein. And like I said, please check
out his new stand up special that came out on
Equal Vision Records. In regards to the audio side of things,
I think they actually put it up on their YouTube
as well, but link in the show notes it's called
to have some dignity. It's really really funny. Well worth
your time. Let's talk about what's happening next week on
the show. I have Stephen McDonald, who is a punk legend.
(01:12:09):
Dare I say, I'm not even gonna dare I say,
I'm going to say it?
Speaker 2 (01:12:12):
I just said it.
Speaker 1 (01:12:13):
But he currently plays in the Melvins. He also is
a founding member of the eighties punk band Red Cross
that totally grew up during the you know Black Flag
Descendant Sarah like when punk was really really popping for
the first time here in the States, in the California area.
And then Yeah, he also has a ton of other
credits to his name. In regards to you know, just
(01:12:35):
playing with a bunch of different people, bunch of different bands. Also,
a producer produced the first couple Fun records, so I
talked to him about that and also the format as well.
Oh it's great, but Steve McDonald a dude that has
layers and I love it. So that's what we have
next week. Until then, please be safe everybody,
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