April 23, 2024 • 47 mins
Ellie and Scott are joined by Emmy Award-winning comedy writer, producer, and Ellie's husband, Michael Koman. Michael shares his love of coats and jackets. We hear about how thrilling it is to see if a jacket fits, the impact that his unreasonably large collection of soft outerwear has on his loved ones, and what makes a solo trip to Italy the perfect occasion for a sports coat. Plus, Scott shares with Ellie his love of the TV show, "Monk" - while Ellie casually drops that she knows the show's creator.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
To day Scott.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hey, Ellie, how are you. I'm fantastic, I'm thrilled. I'm
extra excited for today's episode because it's a very special episode, Ellie.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's a special episode for a number of reasons. I
would say the first reason is that this is our
final episode of season.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
One, Season one finale, Guys.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
First season wrap up right here, right now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
And that's not even the most exciting thing about it.
Because it is our season finale. We got I don't know,
maybe our most spectacular guest yet.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I think it is no exaggeration to call him the
most hymn. There's a clue. He's a man. He is
our most spectacular guest, and he happens to live in
my home. We have Michael Coleman, Mike Well Showbiz Comen.
His middle name is Showbiz, his last name is Comen,
(01:05):
and he's my husband, the father of my two children,
and he also is a writer. But he will be
on today to talk about his love of coats and jackets.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Sporty coats and jackets. I can't wait for the listeners
to hear with spoiler, we already recorded the interview. It's
a great one and I'm really looking forward to listening
to it again.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Ellie Scott, I think coats and jackets can be extended.
I think the umbrella is soft outerwear, and I think
anything that falls under that umbrella is game.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Mm hmm. Yes from one of Michael's loves.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Yes, yeah, yep, that's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, he loves coats and jackets. You and no, no, I love,
Ellie Scott. What a little TV show and oldly but
a goodie called Monk.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Oh okay?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yes, Tony Shaloob plays a funny detective who's afraid of everything.
I didn't watch it when it came out twenty years ago,
but I started watching it recently with my kids, and
it might be my new favorite TV show. Have you
ever seen Monk? Ellie?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Have I seen Monk? Scott? First of all, not a
lot of episodes, But second of all, I watched the movie.
There was just a movie out of Monk, like everybody
you know made a year ago or something, so everybody
has returned.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Older, yes, more seasoned, of course.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
But the essence of Monk from the few episodes I saw,
are still in that movie. I loved it, Scott. Tony
Shalouba is fantastic. The show is funny and serious, and
I also have to give a shout out. I'm just
gonna mention this. I've met the creator, Andy Breckman. He
is a gem of person. And don't you always look
(02:50):
I'm taking your love and I'm running with it.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I'm gonna you're just you're just turning this into a
I know everybody on Monk. This is my love, Ellie.
What I don't know Andy Breckman.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I've spoken with Andy Breckman. I know who Tony Shaloub is.
I'm familiar with OCD. I know everything there is to
know about Monk. No, no, no, listen. I just happened
to think Andy Breckman is great. I've only met him
a handful of times. It could not please me more
to hear you say you love Monk.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, Ellie, you mentioned the Monk movie. My excuse because
we've been watching Monk now for like I would say,
eight weeks on the streaming services, right, And my excuse
for bringing it up this week is I just went
to a special Monk event. They had an event in
Los Angeles to celebrate the movie. They had a big
Monk sign, they had Monk trivia. My kids were through
(03:45):
the roof. Last night we watched a Monk Ellie where
let me just lay the mystery on you, because it's
gonna give you a taste for the kind of show
that Monk is a great one. At the beginning, we
saw the crime. There's a home invasion. An eccentric music
producer runs to his panic room with his pet chimpanzee,
(04:07):
and the panic room door closes. There's no way in
or out. Shots are fired. The panic room door opens,
and it turns out that the chimpanzee seems to have
shot and murdered his friend and owner. Oh, mister Monk
needs to get on the case and prove that the
(04:28):
chimp didn't do it. It's a spectacular show.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
The monkey, the monk, the monk, he helps the chimp,
the monkey, and so Scott, which makes me think of
when you said you went to a monk event. It
sounded like you went to a monkey event, and then
like event for a monkey, and then lo and behold
(04:53):
the plot. It's about a chimp.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yes, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
I love words, love wordplay. I love making jokes about
chimps and monkeys. And that's why I love Monk so much.
Scott and I apologize if I misunderstood this event was
set up in celebration of the movie of its release.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yes, I think they were trying to promote the movie
or something. As if you've been to Los Angeles, you
live in Los Angeles, they do a lot of sort
of hollywoody type kinds of things business, and this seemed
to me to be sort of one of those where
they're trying to get people to vote for it or something.
But I wasn't there for that game. I was there
for the trivia. I was there to get a selfie
(05:37):
with a big giant Monk sign. I was going to
see the Monk wardrobe, the actual suits that Tony Shaloub
wore on the show for the movie and that were
approved by your dear friend Andy Brickman.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Monk is a series that you just inspired me to
go back, not only rewatch the episodes that I've already seen,
but to watch the full thing from start to finish.
It's exactly the kind of release I would love at
the end of the day, to get fully in Monk's
world and solve cases and be entertained by the colorful
characters on screen. And it is also just so fitting
(06:12):
because I don't think you plan this. But the reason
I know Andy Bretton is through our guest today, Michael Cohman.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
What oh Michael, Oh my god. That's a cosmic connection.
What a coincidence.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
It's karma, It's coup karma.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
The social the solo eclipse caused it. Scott, I almost
called it a social eclipse. What would that look like?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Welcome to my dating life, Scott.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Our guest today is no stranger to me because he's
my husband. Michael Cohman is an Emmy award winning television
writer and producer. His greatest accomplishment is that he's married
to me. Michael, I wrote this bi min has written
(07:08):
for A Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Saturday Night Live,
and Girls five Ever, and he is the co creator
of the shows Nathan for You and Eagle Heart. Plus
he is a producer and writer on How To with
John Wilson. Today, Michael is here to share his love
of coats and jackets, and I just my mind is
(07:31):
brimming with the possibilities of what we'll be talking about.
Of course, Scott, as you mentioned, we did already record
the interview, so I know exactly what we talked about.
And let me tell you the brimming mind brimmed over it,
brim over with with with chat with chatter. So Scott,
when we come back, we're gonna talk with Michael.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Kay, we're driving the bus, all right, you're a passage
on our wild ride. Okay, host me, Okay, everybody, We
are back as promised with the inimitable Michael Covin. Michael,
welcome to our podcast.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You better step it up, Michael, Well I start talking
in the next word. For those of us who have
video ability, Let's look at the difference in our background.
Michael and I are zooming in from the same apartment
because we do live together as a married couple. I
have the bamboo chair, the janky old lamp, and a
lot of child artwork.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Look at the resolution of my image compared to yours.
Look at the yours is Christmas connection. I can treat myself.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
In the background of your office. You have a flat
screen TV, A very sophisticated work of art. I don't
know if that's a sketch.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
It seems like a classy person sketch, like from the
nineteenth century. Michael, what is.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
It behind me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Now hold on, he doesn't even know he has all
these priceless works of art in his office.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
It's just a little sketch that I like, and it's
just just a little street. I don't know. It looks
like it's somewhere in Paris.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
All of this to say, Michael's place of work is
much nicer and sleeker than what I've been.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Scott beaming in from this. It's like three eighty.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
P calling in from cross country. I guess that. Yes,
then my bandwidth is in wide enough for Michael. I'm
so sorry, listeners. Am I coming across as horribly garbled?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
It's just there's this BBC documentary I've been watching about
the Soviet Union crumbling, and this is the kind of
videotape that they had to smuggle out of the country.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Michael, I'm going to get us back on course here.
You've already derailed us multiple times. Michael, A little bird
told me you are here to talk about your love
of coats and jackets, and can I just put it
in my own words? I would categorize the things you
love as soft outerwear. Oh that would you say? That's apps.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I think that it is accurate. Yeah, I mean by
little bird, I assume you mean your own annoyance with it. Yes, Yes,
our closets are congested with my hobby, I guess of
collecting old sport coats and jackets that I don't need
or wear.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
It borders on an obsession, right.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I don't think it's an obsession. I think it's a comfort.
I think when I get stressed about things, I start
looking at outerwear. I don't know where that started.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That was gonna be my first question. How did it start? Well?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I noticed that when I would watch movies and I
would lose interest in the story, my eyes would just
start drifting to the sport coats that the characters are wearing.
And that was enough to keep me interested in the movie.
And I remember very vividly watching this movie called Flight
with Denzel Washington. Right sure, and it's not a bad movie.
I just a certain point I felt like, all right,
I see what is going and I kind of checked out.
(11:05):
And then there was this sport coat that this actor
named Bruce Greenwood, and there's this gray tweeting jacket, and
I was like, oh man, that jacket is just what
a nice weight, what a nice cut, And then I
zoned out again. And then that jacket comes back later
in the movie, and I got really excited. Oh no,
(11:26):
and I couldn't believe. It was like telling somebody I
think the jacket's back, and they didn't know what I
was talking about. That's when I realized, like, oh, I
must really find this interesting. I must really love.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
As you were going on and on about the jacket,
I google and you are right.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
It was.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Most guests.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
I headed the interview. Michael said, Hey, don't you don't
need to speak to me. I think you use the
word reverence. You said, with the reverence that you use
with most.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
I guess that probably said the basic man.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
You ends up being a compliment, Michael, because there is
an actor, Bruce Greenwood, who is in flight. I'm impressed
that you remembered the actor who donned the jacket. But
so maybe that's where it all. Yeah, right now, we
moved two years ago and we just moved apartments and
we needed movers, and one of the moving men were
marked to me, not in a judgmental way, though, maybe
(12:20):
a little bit judgy that your husband has more clothes
than you do.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, I didn't like that at all. I don't. He
didn't anything.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
He didn't say it. It was just an observation and
he didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
You know, if you keep it to yourself, need to
make observations.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
He didn't observe it just once, Michael, he observed it twice.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Well, actually, you're kind of cleaning up the story. What
he said, because I've never forgotten it is that your
m has more clothes than you do. And it's a
lot of the same thing over and over again.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
I'm the opposite of a clothes horse. I buy all
my clothes at Costco, so like that.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
It's a good place.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Are you talking about like sport codes, like blue jackets,
like you have a whole bunch of jackets.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But I have to explain, I'm not spending a crazy
amount of money on this. What I started doing was
buying nice clothing on eBay, and it took me a
while to figure out what was happening because I didn't
wear that lot. I would buy a jacket and I
put it on, and if it fit, I was really happy.
And then I put it in a closet and never
wear it again. And then I do that again and
(13:29):
it started to seem like I felt like, oh, do
I have a problem. I shouldn't be doing this. There's
no reason for this. But I realized that it's a
kind of gambling because what I liked was finding my
precise body measurements. And even then, if it's something looked
mathematically like it would fit, you wouldn't always fit.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
What fun.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I talking to you about this because it's less expensive
than talking to a professional, But I want an answer.
I don't know why I would do this. You would
thrill me when I would get a notification that the
packet that was going to arrive. I loved opening the package.
I loved slipping it on and when my arms would
go through the sleeves, if it hit right at the
(14:13):
wrist and if the shoulders weren't crazy, it was a
very satisfying feeling. And that feeling would last for about an hour.
But then that it goes away and it's just a
piece of clothing. It doesn't look that good. So it's
in my closet.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Also, Michael, can I interrupt to point out that you
are a comedy writer, you're a television writer. The dress
code at work is usually casual, back when everybody met
at an office anyway. And still now you don't have.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
A fantasy that I would wear this at.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
That's just you don't have occasion to wear it to
the office on a daily basis, and you don't go
to many nice dinners.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
So yes, I'll tell you what I did. That the
only time I was ever able to use it, I
thought that I would walk around New York City into
Sporting Coasting and that somehow that would do something for me.
I would just be treated with a little wink from
the doorman as I passed them in other people's building,
(15:08):
just a little not of appreciation that I was right effort.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Well dressed women, there's plenty of them, but a well
dressed man, I think does command attention and respect for
that matter.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Maybe I don't know if in this decade they do.
I think there was a time when I look at
movies from the seventies, if somebody was wearing a sport coat,
just felt like, yeah, okay, grown man. I don't think
it works anymore. But there's one time where I really
committed to it. I went to Rome with you. It
was completely alone. After we were married. I don't know
(15:39):
we were married.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, we weren't even dating. We were married, was it us?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I think we were completely married, but without children.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Was it a honey?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
No?
Speaker 1 (15:48):
What was it? Was?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Just it was a bit of fun. You just weren't off.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
So to peel back the curtain to the listeners for
a little bit, We've been recording the show for about
a year now. Our very first guest was Michael Coleman.
He was kind enough to donate his time for sort
of a dress rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I'd say it was an honor, but I think you're
basically just testing the mics.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Anyway, I considered it to be more than just testing
the mics. Michael'd be grateful That entire conversation was about
a vacation that Michael took by himself without Elie after
they were married to Italy. So we spent about forty
five minutes in the same way that we're now very
gently grilling Michael about his obsession with sport codes. We
did the same discussion this very strange trip that he
(16:30):
took to Italy alone, and apparently it was the perfect
scenario to wear a tailored sport jacket that you bought
on eBay? Is that right?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Yes, my fantasy did come true. For this very brief window,
I would walk around Italy in a.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Sport coast untothered you by your new wife.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yes. So I had this little list of restaurants and
I wanted to eat it, and I didn't have reservations,
so I thought.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Michael Mike's restaurants. Most restaurants don't take reservations for one.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I mean, but I thought, if I show up in
a little sport code, like a little gentleman, and I
say that I want to heat at this restaurant alone,
they'll think, oh, I must really want to eat at
the restaurant, and they'll be honored and they'll like find
a table for me. And it always worked. These weren't
easy places to get into it, but they would find
a little table off to the side. And I was
really having a disgusting little fantasy of being this well
(17:22):
dressed man walking around eating at nice It was just
a fun thing to do. And I had one of
the greatest nights of my life where I got into
this restaurant in the middle of Rome at ten thirty pm.
It is the first time they'd had a table and
I look up and I'm sitting Can I say the
(17:42):
name of a famous person.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yes you can. Yeah, of course we allow our guests
to talk about famous people.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yes, okay. So I don't mean any disrespect to this person.
It's just something that happened to me and it was
interesting and I'm glad to have. So I looked up
and the director Paul Haggis is a table away from me,
be more than five feet away, and I just looked
up twice. I was like a glance and I'm just
sitting alone in like a little buttoned up shirt and
(18:08):
a jacket, and I'm not staring at I just glance.
I haven't spoken English, so there's no reason he would
think that I was an American. And the second time
I look up, he looks he's already looking at me,
and relockhimized. It's not a large restaurant. It's a small restaurant.
It's quite fancy, and he goes, hey, how you doing,
having a good night? How's your like going. It's just
(18:35):
everything goes quiet, and I stutter, I'm you know, I'm nice,
and I thank you about you. It's great, and I
have no idea what I've done. And now I'm just
red faced and trying not to bother him, and I
realized later I have a theory about what happened.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Well, he was probably wondering where your wife was?
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Well, that was was probably and like, what is this
man with a wedding ring oner dining out at this
restaurant alone in Italy?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Dressed the wedding ring like shiny as the freshly polished mirror.
Certainly this man was recently married. Where's his wife?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Well, he probably recognized the sport that I was wearing
for me, but he probably said and knew that I
was the one who.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Got you outbid him.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah, he was envious of the deal. Well, I think
what happened and just a theory is later I read
that he left scientology, right, and I think that I
was dressed like a scientologist and that he thought I
was there to intimidate them more spy on them or something.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Michael, I don't think that theory is far fetched. We're
going to be getting a lot of the scientologists mad
at us after this, But I do think I think
there might be some truth to that. Michael.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yes, I think it's something that they would do. I
think if a lone scientologist was sent out to just
keep tabs on you and bo they would look exactly
like me.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
How many of the jackets that you purchased on eBay
were previously owned by scientologists?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Would you say, Yeah, that's not in the item description,
but I can ask.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
I have more jackets related questions, just because I'm so
very intrigued by this. Have you ever been to an
actual tailor?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yes, I used to live in downtown New York on
Twelfth Street and there was this little tailor that opened
up around the corner from me. And tailoring is very expensive.
So if you can find a deal on tailoring, it's
very exciting because there's like all these clothes that you
want to fix a little bit. And everyone in the
neighborhood found out that this guy was charging reasonable prices.
(20:56):
And he was literally like just a small man underneath
a mountain of fabric. He was just like six months
behind on everything. He promised to get back to people,
and you would open the door and he would literally
shiver in fear that another person had come and that
you might want to pick up your jacket. Anyway, just
the whole concept of tailoring, getting something that fits you,
(21:18):
it's a very satisfying.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
It changes the whole outfit and That's what I find
to be the trouble with ladies jeans. Although now I
think all pants are big for the spring. In the summer,
I think the new trend is that it's just big pants,
which is great because I wouldn't imagine that requires tailoring.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
At Costco, that's always been the trend.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
You know, do they take things into.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
No, No, No. The only thing that at Costco is
the number of exes we're seeding the size at Costco
there they've got stacks of single, double, triple, and quadruple xes.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Does Costco have their own suit line?
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I have yet to see a suit at Costco. Just
a sweatsuit, you know the tracks it's yeah, Unfortunately, no
evening wear.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
I have a saying that it's like a top of
the Mountain fantasy, which is I've had things that are
made to measure, which I think are basically a suit
that's already made and they will take it in so
it fits. Online. No, so I would say eighty percent
of the things I own are things I bought online
and they just are hanging there.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Right.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Then, there's this one suit that I have that was
made to fit my body, and it's a really nice suit.
To wear. But what I've never had, and nobody cares,
nobody says it looks better. I think it's better because
this is because I went to the Trouble. But the
fantasy is of bespoke suit, right, And that's what I
can't tell. Is it worth doing?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Like?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Is that is that worth?
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Bespoke means something that's made for you.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Is that measure your body and then they sew suit together?
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Michael, I would advise against that. You're never gonna weary body, no,
unless you want to be buried in it, because there's
no occasion for you. Do you see any event and
in your future that would call it.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I have a tuxedo that I've never worn. I already
have a suit or two. I don't know. I would
make myself wear it to dress up.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And well, that's kind of my question, Michael. You have
and I know this because I've seen them with my
own eyes. You continue to hold onto all of these
jackets and coats, some of these suits that have been tailored.
What is your plan with most of them?
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I don't know. The next thing would be to acquire
like a cane or something and just turn it into
a real personality. I think that if we move, I
should just use that opportunity to get rid of all
of this.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It doesn't take a move, and don't make them without
a move.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I'm kidding. There have been times where I prayed for
some kind of a flood or burst pipe to take
care of this for me. I can't bring myself to
get rid of them because they have memory, like I do.
Associate them like those jackets that I were to Italy.
I get more out of looking at those jackets and
to get out of looking at photographs.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
And that's right, And that's two or three jackets, fine,
but you have like forty right.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Maybe what I don't understand is why I haven't gotten
rid of things that don't fit me. I have things
that are too large and too small, And.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Well, everybody has trouble, it's just a matter of going
through it.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Well, Michael, I might be able to help you out here.
I'm sure you've thought of this yourself. But my sister
had a boyfriend who seemed to have the exact same
fascination that you do with buying clothes online. He was
I think, less code focused and more couture fashion focused.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Yes, I mean that's a that's a real problem.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Goofy clothes, furry clothes, just strange items of clothes. But
what was weird was to prove exactly. But what was
even stranger to me, although I think may have had
some wisdom to it, was that the other half of
his obsession was reselling them. So he was actually arbitraging
(24:57):
his his wardrobe.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Well, that's a road that I don't want to go down.
I thought about it because there was a point where
I thought, well, it's okay if I kept ordering these things,
because there was a website called Poshmark and I got
things from there, and they encourage you to sell it,
and I did once I had something that was just
too nice to get rid of it, So I sold
(25:20):
it for very little money. But I felt better because
I thought than someone who likes it will get it.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Well, somebody well, time consuming, but first of all, define
arbitrage for me, Scott, to.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Just systematically sell things for more than you buy them
and make a profit. Exactly what this guy would do
is he would buy these clothes that fit him. I
think he did the same sort of sizing stuff that
you do, Michael. They would arrive, he would photograph them
fresh out of the box. Then he'd wear them for
(25:54):
like a month, and then he would post the photographs
of the item that he'd taken before you wore them,
and then resell them. I don't often on a different
site in order to make more money. So he was
like profiting from his clothes. And yet from what my
sister said, his closet was typically close to bear because
(26:18):
it was just a wasting To.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Me, it's just like you're putting energy that should go
to like people buy and sell companies for fortunes. To
put the same energy into a jacket, it seems just like.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Well that's yeah, that's crazy. And the question is is
there something morally wrong about that? Is there? I can't tell.
I mean I've just been.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
You don't buy anything from these sites expecting it to
be unworn. I mean you know what it is.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Yeah, that's true. But he's basically a profit I find.
That's what I mean.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Yeah, if I sold something, I would sell it for
less than I bought it for, just because I know
that it's older. Now, our jackets like houses, and does
it go up? Is there a market for jacket? It's
are like houses, and so it was market for sweaters.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Right now Michael, it's funny you should say that, because
I was hoping to gently lead us into the realm
of sweaters and pullovers in the same family, I would
say as coats and jackets and Scott was I noticed
very diplomatic to use the word fascination earlier, and I'm
going to continue to use the word obsession because that
has now bled into soft cardigans and sweaters and hoodies
(27:29):
even and I want to know that too. The closet
is bursting forth with these. I guess we should name
brands in here, none of them particularly.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
No, I think it's right. Well, it was a brand
that I do want to mention because I love them,
and it's a British company called Universal Works. And I
kept buying things from this company and I don't think
any of it looked good on me, but I had
this strange need to acquire them. It was very.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
What do you think is what is the whole in
your life? It may perhaps in your family life or
your marital life that is being filled.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Do you think, Well, I don't think that's what it is,
and I'm not saying that just to be diplomatic. I
think that it has to do with things I think
that when I get anxious about something, something meaningless, to
focus on way, it becomes a potain.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Some people have gambling.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I think basically it's a benign form of gambling, That's
how I say it. But it's not benigned to you
because you have like nineteen cardigans stuffing. It's just it's
just to fold your dresses.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
We live in the New York City apartments. There's not
endless space. It's very finite, and I would say ninety
eight percent of the finite noess is filled with universal works,
various shades of gray cardigans. He also likes a company
now that we're naming companies named Charity, which I think
might be recognizable to people.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
That's more for fun and they just make comfortable clothes.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
But when do you wear these? When do you wear these? Closed?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
They don't don't get warn I put them on, I
prance around the apartment for a half hour, usually when
you're gone and I go back in the closet. I
mean half the time. You leave as soon as I
hear the door click and I know I'm safe, Like
I'm off trying on my vests and guard agains. It's
a sick life. You don't know what you married. I mean,
(29:24):
you have no idea. Have you seen the documentary Herb
and Dorothy. No, No, they're a sweet couple. But it's
about this couple who started collecting modern art in the sixties.
They both worked for the Post Office, and they had
such an incredible eye for new artists and their work
(29:45):
that they were able to collect things by like Chuck
Close and Robert Rauschenberg, but people who whose work became priceless.
They got it for like nothing, and they crammed it
all into one bedroom New York apartment. They had paintings
under their beds, stuffed in closet, hanging from their ceilings. Yeah,
and it became a priceless collection. And they eventually just
(30:07):
gave the whole thing to the National Gallery in washingt DC,
and they have a win named after these people. And
I think, on some level, I thought that I was
doing that. I thought I was amassing this collection of
sweater vests that was gonna be worth something one day,
because I've put it all together and I've curated it.
But it's a complete, meaningless pile of garbage.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
There's this closet full of toys and games for the kids.
We have two sons for those of you who never
listened to this podcast before, and it's like overrun with
this soft outerwear and they're like, where's the connect for
I can't find shoots and ladders, and it's like, oh,
it's behind the sweater vest on the right.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, check behind my whole section.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Can I ask a question, Michael, And my uncle has
almost the opposite intuition that you do. He's like, nobody
notices the suit, but everybody notices the tie. So he
has like regular suits from Macy's or whatever, but then
he spends a lot of money on these very fancy
(31:12):
textured ties.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
So my take is probably he notices. I don't think
most people care. So I think it makes him feel good.
When he opens his tie drawer, he sees these nice
patterns and nice little leaves, and he feels good putting
them on. It makes him feel like he has self respect,
So I think that's what it is. I think a
neurologist or somebody with a better understanding of psychology than
(31:36):
I have would have to explain it to me. But
there is something that goes kind of deep with clothing
and what it makes you feel. And I don't know
why one thing does and another doesn't. I mean, most
of the shirts that I own, they've lasted forever that
I bought from like Banana Republic or something. I've had
(31:58):
them a lot of them for twenty years, but they
don't mean anything to me. And then some other little
article of clothing that I hardly have aware is weirdly
precious and it's mysterious.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
Is that be being from your window? Michael?
Speaker 3 (32:14):
It is.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
I'll just wait a second.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
This might be the most fascinating part of the conversation.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
It is a gently profound note to end this conversation on.
I'm glad that your jackets bring you so much joy, Michael,
and I think that you're probably right that everyone's got
their little joy. And maybe it's clothing. Maybe it's something else.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
But maybe it's gambling, maybe it's cocaine. But there's something
that brings meaning and purpose to everyone's life. And Michael,
I'm poking fun, but we are so happy that you've
found joy in jackets.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
I'm so glad it brought you some happiness.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
Well, it brought me happiness. Michael. I hope you have
a couple of minutes to stick around while we play
our game Love It or Loathed fantastic, So stick around
for Love It or Loathe It with Michael Coleman.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Okay, everybody, we are here with the inimitable Michael Coleman. Still, Michael,
have I ever described you as inimitable before?
Speaker 3 (33:25):
No, You're usually saying I'm very imitable.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Anyone can imitate him. Michael. We are going to play
one of our favorite games, and our only game. It's
called Love It or Loathe It? And what we're going
to do is present you with some items. They might
be food, an activity, a sport, to anything in the world,
and we want you to tell us if you love
that thing or you loathe that thing. Now, I want
(33:48):
to tell you that there's no in between, Michael. You
can't feel lukewarm about something. You're all in or you're
all out, and we want you to tell us why.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Okay, So whichever way a tipping, I should just.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Push you know you love it, and that's exactly right.
First one, love it or load that, Michael, Running.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Easy, I loathe it. I yes, when I buy gifts
for Ellie. The only area that I actually feel like
I can depend on is running gear.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Once I saw it was years ago, my birthday, which
is May second, was approaching, and I saw on a
notepad some doodlings and it said Ellie's interests, and it
said running and frozen yogurt, and those were the two interests.
Michael was clearly brainstorming for my birthday. And you know what, Michael,
(34:40):
not much has changed. Those are my two main areas
of interest.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
I would say, complicate.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Have you ever gone on a run with Ellie?
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Not intentionally? And we might have been out once and
we're like we were going downhill or something we started.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
But not like in early courtship phase, you were never
like felt compelled to join her on her run.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
No, I never offered. I didn't care if it would
bring us closer. It wasn't even.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
It's never even come up.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
But Ellie is never invited. I don't recall you Ellie
asking me to go with her.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
On her life.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
No. I mean, in fairness, I don't like to run
with anyone. But that is so interesting. It's never even
cross either of our minds.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
That's strange.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Okay, So that's a hard No. You loath running? We
get it oppositees a tract, Okay, Michael, love it or
loath it going on vacations without your wife.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
I love it, absolutely, love traveling alone. I love anything
doing anything alone. Sure, I mean I love you. I'm
not gonna Yeah, there's some joke imply that I like
going to some of this becausin mother. I love you,
but I love traveling by myself.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
What's the last trip? Well, actually you just took a
trip by yourself, but it wasn't really a vacation.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Was that.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
The last time I remember going to place alone was
to your brother's birthday. I went to Italy?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Is that a different Italy trip?
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
But you've two times. You've been Dantaly two times without Ellie?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yes, And you know why I couldn't go. I couldn't
go on the second trip because I was working. Michael
is just off prancing around Italy. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Have you been on a solo trip without Ellie to
any place other than Italy?
Speaker 3 (36:24):
That's your question. I don't think. So we went to
Japan together. Gosh, we needed to go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Well, this is not the time to plan our next trip.
But yes, he loves going on trips without your wife.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
All right, fair enough, I would prefer to go with you,
but if I have to go my will. I would
prefer to go with you with than anyone else.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Oh well, I'm not offended in the least, love it
or loathed umbrellas.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
I love them because they're like chains, you can twirl them.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Michael, let me clarify.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Let we had the most confused look I think I've
ever seen in this post. He was astonished.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
I was astonished by your blatant lie. Because what I
want to know is, I'll admit I put umbrellas on
the list. Maybe I'll specify kids umbrellas.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Oh you mean, the how miserable I get when I'm
told that I have to bring them home from school, or.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Just anything involving a kid's umbrella. Maybe I'll answer this one.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Yes, somebody else's umbrella. I have no interest.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
But you also are, like you spiral out of control.
You're like, how will I carry this and my bag?
It'll throw my whole body off balance. Taking a child's
umbrella either home with you or leaving it at school.
You're totally thrown by it.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
It's talk about when people talk about marriages, they're always saying,
you know, it's a mystery, like your spouse can be
a mystery to you. Right that I don't think that's true.
I feel like I know you really well. What always
shocks me is finding out how you see me. That
I am this sort of little, screeching, high maintenance guy
(37:59):
who can't hand a small umbrella when it's in its hand.
That's what, right, I don't think she is married to
I think that's how you're seen.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
I don't think it's just.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Me, I guess, but you're the only real reflection, that's right.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Well, I think that's true in any couple. And isn't
it endearing?
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Michael?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Everybody loves the little quirks about you. So, Michael, love
it or load it? Sending food back at a restaurant.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
Oh well, that's a good question. I guess. I love
doing it, but I have done it, I really don't like. Well,
this is a good example. We went to lunch a
few months ago with our kids and it was a
crowded Sunday diner and there was a line outside and
we got in and our kids were like rotating in
(38:46):
their chairs. They were so hungry and impatient, and so
I said to the wait if it's possible just to
bring their food out, that's the only matters. And so
they brought our son like a hamburger and chicken fingers,
and I took it by of our four year old's
chicken fingers and it was like just bread and I
thought like, oh no, there is no chicken in here.
(39:07):
And then he like ate one right away and he
liked it. And then I took a closer look and
the inside of the chicken finger was just raw chicken.
It was completely uncooked. And this is never happening before.
I think Ellie was in the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I was in the bathroom when they brought the food up.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Yeah, yeah, so she didn't see this bar but I
actually disconnected from my conscious brain and I started doing
things without making a plan. I just found myself standing
in the kitchen asking who was in charge of the fryar.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
And I was like this, and.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Amazingly, they didn't throw me out. They're like, where's that
and I said, there's a piece of raw chicken. My
son just ate this, and the guy who worked there,
I was like, oh my gosh. And then I was
like kind of embarrassed because they weren't arguing with me.
They were just like, sorry, stood our concerned, and then
they kept saying like the next time you come here,
we are taking care of everything. And I always wasted
(40:09):
my breath saying, are you row chicken? I'm not coming back.
I don't want to coop on. Let's just get out
of here. But I thought, like, oh my god, we're
gonna have to go to an emergency room. But anyways,
I didn't enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I didn't like that was you Like, literally, you weren't
even sending food back. You brought it back to the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
Yeah, I walked it back to the kitchen and handed
it to the right So that was bad, and so
I hate.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Well, I have to say, Michael, now I'm even more
convinced than I was that you're one of the best
dads in the world. Because the reason that this, the
reason that this item is on the list, is because
we all had dinner together and got into a long
conversation about whether or not it was appropriate to send
a salad back if you found a dead bug in it.
And your position at the time was Americans are too
(40:56):
entitled and like, just eat your salad. And I took
it to mean that you're a rugged stoic, which I respect.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Yeah, I do have a real belief that for the
most part, people have a sense that they're owed something
by businesses that they pay for.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
It, and I respect that, I don't always necessarily agree
with it. But what's interesting to me about the chicken
story is that when the rubber meets the road, especially
when it comes to your sons, uh, you're going to
march into the kitchen itself and confront whoever was responsible.
So a bug in your salad raw chicken. For you,
probably you suck it up and take it. But with
(41:38):
your children, yeah, you turn it into a kind of
a banshee.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Yes, Michael, what would you have done had your own
chicken fingers been raw? Would you have said anything or
just not eaten it?
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I think completely raw? Like images of an emergency room
start going through my mind. I would say I think
the chicken is a little undercooked, and I would show them,
but I would be kind of underselling it, with the
hope that when they saw it, they'd be like, oh
my gosh, this guy was underselling it and this is chicken.
So I would have a bit of a plan. It
was one of the only times where I've had a true,
(42:12):
like paternal instinct kick in where I felt like someone
has to answer for my signs. Chicken right right.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You were blind with rage. You were thrusting the row
chicken in my face. Look at this, look at this,
And then before I knew it, you were back in
the kitchen demanding to know the name of the person
who cooked that or who didn't cook it. I should say, yeah,
I think it's safe to say that you love it.
I agree with it.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
I did try to sell them a couple of old
sports codes.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
The final love it or low that. Michael. Wedding proposals,
Oh boy, I love them. You love them so much.
You did three times for me. Alls well that ends well.
But Michael, in the interest of time, you proposed to
me three times. Each one saw sort of kind of
(43:01):
an actual proposal.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Well look, I'll just say this, and I mean, I
assume everyone in this world is happy with the person
to make married. I am the luckiest man on the
face of the earth.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
You thank you.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
And it's it's the one area where I really think
I did fall down a bit was the wedding proposal.
But I am so grateful to you for marrying me.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
I'll sum it up. Thank you, Michael. We do keep
thank you. Michael's true Okay, I was going to say,
we do keep the show light, so we'll have a nice,
little serious moment. Michael proposed to me once, I would
say two years before we actually got married, and then business,
and then like a year later he was like, and
when we get married, And I said, oh, are you
(43:47):
is this? And then he said, well you had talked
to your dad. He's like, well, I talk to your dad.
And I was like, are you are you married?
Speaker 3 (43:55):
What I thought you only asked the dad. I thought
I would ask you, And I always wondered what he
hadn't gotten.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
To the second time Michael had blown to Saint Louis,
there was a tornado. In fact, your flight was canceled.
You got on the next day to ask my dad
for his blessing or whatever you do. And then like
forty years went by and no proposal for Michael. But
then eventually Michael was dropping me off at lax I
was going home to Saint Louis and you asked me
in the car. It all worked out well.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I was waiting. I was waiting for another tornado. I
thought that would make it special.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
A bookend.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Michael Coleman loves wedding proposals. One was not enough. We joke,
but I'm very lucky to be married to you. But
that's not what this episode is about. It's about your
love of coats and jackets. Michael. Is there anything that
you would like to plug or promote during this time?
Speaker 3 (44:46):
That's so generous. Well, I guess I'm very proud of
the last season we made of the How To John
Wilson Show. So if people want to check that out,
it's on Max.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
You can catch it on Max formerly known as HBO.
It's a great talk about a show that we.
Speaker 3 (45:01):
Love, I hope. So it is a really fun to work.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
Yeah, it's great, Michael. Thank you for taking the time
to chat with us.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
This is a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Well, we love talking with you and we love your
coats and jackets.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
Thank you, Michael.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Well what us chat with Michael comment? I thought that
was great.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
It was spectacular. I hope that the listeners thought that
it was as spectacular as I did doing it and
then listening to it again. I need to get some
sporty coats, Ellie.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
I'm telling you what, Let's get coated up and shoot
for the moon because if we fail, at least we'll
fall among the stars. Scott. We don't normally do an outro,
but because it is our final episode of season one,
we wanted to give some shout outs. So first and
foremost and maybe only, we want to thank our fabulous
(45:59):
producers who worked tirelessly to help us. Scott and I
had not done a podcast before. These people helped us
get it right. They put in endless hours to answer
our naive questions. They are such good kind people on
top of everything else, so we are very grateful to
them for helping us throughout this and making our podcast
(46:20):
as good as it is. So we want to thank
Aaron Kaufman, Zoe Dankla, and Sheena Ozaki for putting it
there all into this. Thank you to them.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
They're the triumvirate of podcast producers. We couldn't be more grateful.
Thank you. Zoe and Aaron worked on another podcast that
we suggest you check out. I love it. It's called
City of the Rails. It's a mini series narrative podcast
about I've riding the rails in the United States of
America in the twenty first century. Guys, there's hobos. They
(46:49):
do interesting stuff. A journalist is on a hunt for
her daughter. It's a great podcast. They did great work
on it. Check it out City of the Rails and guess.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
What, Scott Shina worked on it too. The Great Triumvirate
worked on City of the Rails and I can't recommend
it highly enough. So go on to listen to that
while you're waiting for our second season. And thank you
the listeners for listening to our first season. What a ride.
We hope that you picked up some new loves. We
hope that you felt a little bit of joy for
(47:19):
the thirty minutes Scott and I talked loudly about things,
and I hope that you I was about to wish
them a happy summers.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Guys. Happy summer, guys, Happy summer, say old man. All right,
bye everybody, Bye,
To day Scott.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hey, Ellie, how are you. I'm fantastic, I'm thrilled. I'm
extra excited for today's episode because it's a very special episode, Ellie.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's a special episode for a number of reasons. I
would say the first reason is that this is our
final episode of season.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
One, Season one finale, Guys.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
First season wrap up right here, right now.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
And that's not even the most exciting thing about it.
Because it is our season finale. We got I don't know,
maybe our most spectacular guest yet.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I think it is no exaggeration to call him the
most hymn. There's a clue. He's a man. He is
our most spectacular guest, and he happens to live in
my home. We have Michael Coleman, Mike Well Showbiz Comen.
His middle name is Showbiz, his last name is Comen,
(01:05):
and he's my husband, the father of my two children,
and he also is a writer. But he will be
on today to talk about his love of coats and jackets.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Sporty coats and jackets. I can't wait for the listeners
to hear with spoiler, we already recorded the interview. It's
a great one and I'm really looking forward to listening
to it again.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Ellie Scott, I think coats and jackets can be extended.
I think the umbrella is soft outerwear, and I think
anything that falls under that umbrella is game.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Mm hmm. Yes from one of Michael's loves.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Yes, yeah, yep, that's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, he loves coats and jackets. You and no, no, I love,
Ellie Scott. What a little TV show and oldly but
a goodie called Monk.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Oh okay?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yes, Tony Shaloob plays a funny detective who's afraid of everything.
I didn't watch it when it came out twenty years ago,
but I started watching it recently with my kids, and
it might be my new favorite TV show. Have you
ever seen Monk? Ellie?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Have I seen Monk? Scott? First of all, not a
lot of episodes, But second of all, I watched the movie.
There was just a movie out of Monk, like everybody
you know made a year ago or something, so everybody
has returned.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Older, yes, more seasoned, of course.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
But the essence of Monk from the few episodes I saw,
are still in that movie. I loved it, Scott. Tony
Shalouba is fantastic. The show is funny and serious, and
I also have to give a shout out. I'm just
gonna mention this. I've met the creator, Andy Breckman. He
is a gem of person. And don't you always look
(02:50):
I'm taking your love and I'm running with it.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I'm gonna you're just you're just turning this into a
I know everybody on Monk. This is my love, Ellie.
What I don't know Andy Breckman.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I've spoken with Andy Breckman. I know who Tony Shaloub is.
I'm familiar with OCD. I know everything there is to
know about Monk. No, no, no, listen. I just happened
to think Andy Breckman is great. I've only met him
a handful of times. It could not please me more
to hear you say you love Monk.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, Ellie, you mentioned the Monk movie. My excuse because
we've been watching Monk now for like I would say,
eight weeks on the streaming services, right, And my excuse
for bringing it up this week is I just went
to a special Monk event. They had an event in
Los Angeles to celebrate the movie. They had a big
Monk sign, they had Monk trivia. My kids were through
(03:45):
the roof. Last night we watched a Monk Ellie where
let me just lay the mystery on you, because it's
gonna give you a taste for the kind of show
that Monk is a great one. At the beginning, we
saw the crime. There's a home invasion. An eccentric music
producer runs to his panic room with his pet chimpanzee,
(04:07):
and the panic room door closes. There's no way in
or out. Shots are fired. The panic room door opens,
and it turns out that the chimpanzee seems to have
shot and murdered his friend and owner. Oh, mister Monk
needs to get on the case and prove that the
(04:28):
chimp didn't do it. It's a spectacular show.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
The monkey, the monk, the monk, he helps the chimp,
the monkey, and so Scott, which makes me think of
when you said you went to a monk event. It
sounded like you went to a monkey event, and then
like event for a monkey, and then lo and behold
(04:53):
the plot. It's about a chimp.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yes, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
I love words, love wordplay. I love making jokes about
chimps and monkeys. And that's why I love Monk so much.
Scott and I apologize if I misunderstood this event was
set up in celebration of the movie of its release.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yes, I think they were trying to promote the movie
or something. As if you've been to Los Angeles, you
live in Los Angeles, they do a lot of sort
of hollywoody type kinds of things business, and this seemed
to me to be sort of one of those where
they're trying to get people to vote for it or something.
But I wasn't there for that game. I was there
for the trivia. I was there to get a selfie
(05:37):
with a big giant Monk sign. I was going to
see the Monk wardrobe, the actual suits that Tony Shaloub
wore on the show for the movie and that were
approved by your dear friend Andy Brickman.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Monk is a series that you just inspired me to
go back, not only rewatch the episodes that I've already seen,
but to watch the full thing from start to finish.
It's exactly the kind of release I would love at
the end of the day, to get fully in Monk's
world and solve cases and be entertained by the colorful
characters on screen. And it is also just so fitting
(06:12):
because I don't think you plan this. But the reason
I know Andy Bretton is through our guest today, Michael Cohman.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
What oh Michael, Oh my god. That's a cosmic connection.
What a coincidence.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
It's karma, It's coup karma.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
The social the solo eclipse caused it. Scott, I almost
called it a social eclipse. What would that look like?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Welcome to my dating life, Scott.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Our guest today is no stranger to me because he's
my husband. Michael Cohman is an Emmy award winning television
writer and producer. His greatest accomplishment is that he's married
to me. Michael, I wrote this bi min has written
(07:08):
for A Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Saturday Night Live,
and Girls five Ever, and he is the co creator
of the shows Nathan for You and Eagle Heart. Plus
he is a producer and writer on How To with
John Wilson. Today, Michael is here to share his love
of coats and jackets, and I just my mind is
(07:31):
brimming with the possibilities of what we'll be talking about.
Of course, Scott, as you mentioned, we did already record
the interview, so I know exactly what we talked about.
And let me tell you the brimming mind brimmed over it,
brim over with with with chat with chatter. So Scott,
when we come back, we're gonna talk with Michael.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Kay, we're driving the bus, all right, you're a passage
on our wild ride. Okay, host me, Okay, everybody, We
are back as promised with the inimitable Michael Covin. Michael,
welcome to our podcast.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You better step it up, Michael, Well I start talking
in the next word. For those of us who have
video ability, Let's look at the difference in our background.
Michael and I are zooming in from the same apartment
because we do live together as a married couple. I
have the bamboo chair, the janky old lamp, and a
lot of child artwork.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Look at the resolution of my image compared to yours.
Look at the yours is Christmas connection. I can treat myself.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
In the background of your office. You have a flat
screen TV, A very sophisticated work of art. I don't
know if that's a sketch.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
It seems like a classy person sketch, like from the
nineteenth century. Michael, what is.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
It behind me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Now hold on, he doesn't even know he has all
these priceless works of art in his office.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
It's just a little sketch that I like, and it's
just just a little street. I don't know. It looks
like it's somewhere in Paris.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
All of this to say, Michael's place of work is
much nicer and sleeker than what I've been.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Scott beaming in from this. It's like three eighty.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
P calling in from cross country. I guess that. Yes,
then my bandwidth is in wide enough for Michael. I'm
so sorry, listeners. Am I coming across as horribly garbled?
Speaker 3 (09:39):
It's just there's this BBC documentary I've been watching about
the Soviet Union crumbling, and this is the kind of
videotape that they had to smuggle out of the country.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Michael, I'm going to get us back on course here.
You've already derailed us multiple times. Michael, A little bird
told me you are here to talk about your love
of coats and jackets, and can I just put it
in my own words? I would categorize the things you
love as soft outerwear. Oh that would you say? That's apps.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I think that it is accurate. Yeah, I mean by
little bird, I assume you mean your own annoyance with it. Yes, Yes,
our closets are congested with my hobby, I guess of
collecting old sport coats and jackets that I don't need
or wear.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
It borders on an obsession, right.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
I don't think it's an obsession. I think it's a comfort.
I think when I get stressed about things, I start
looking at outerwear. I don't know where that started.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
That was gonna be my first question. How did it start? Well?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
I noticed that when I would watch movies and I
would lose interest in the story, my eyes would just
start drifting to the sport coats that the characters are wearing.
And that was enough to keep me interested in the movie.
And I remember very vividly watching this movie called Flight
with Denzel Washington. Right sure, and it's not a bad movie.
I just a certain point I felt like, all right,
I see what is going and I kind of checked out.
(11:05):
And then there was this sport coat that this actor
named Bruce Greenwood, and there's this gray tweeting jacket, and
I was like, oh man, that jacket is just what
a nice weight, what a nice cut, And then I
zoned out again. And then that jacket comes back later
in the movie, and I got really excited. Oh no,
(11:26):
and I couldn't believe. It was like telling somebody I
think the jacket's back, and they didn't know what I
was talking about. That's when I realized, like, oh, I
must really find this interesting. I must really love.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
As you were going on and on about the jacket,
I google and you are right.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
It was.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Most guests.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
I headed the interview. Michael said, Hey, don't you don't
need to speak to me. I think you use the
word reverence. You said, with the reverence that you use
with most.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
I guess that probably said the basic man.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
You ends up being a compliment, Michael, because there is
an actor, Bruce Greenwood, who is in flight. I'm impressed
that you remembered the actor who donned the jacket. But
so maybe that's where it all. Yeah, right now, we
moved two years ago and we just moved apartments and
we needed movers, and one of the moving men were
marked to me, not in a judgmental way, though, maybe
(12:20):
a little bit judgy that your husband has more clothes
than you do.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, I didn't like that at all. I don't. He
didn't anything.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
He didn't say it. It was just an observation and
he didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
You know, if you keep it to yourself, need to
make observations.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
He didn't observe it just once, Michael, he observed it twice.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Well, actually, you're kind of cleaning up the story. What
he said, because I've never forgotten it is that your
m has more clothes than you do. And it's a
lot of the same thing over and over again.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It's true.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
I'm the opposite of a clothes horse. I buy all
my clothes at Costco, so like that.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
It's a good place.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Are you talking about like sport codes, like blue jackets,
like you have a whole bunch of jackets.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But I have to explain, I'm not spending a crazy
amount of money on this. What I started doing was
buying nice clothing on eBay, and it took me a
while to figure out what was happening because I didn't
wear that lot. I would buy a jacket and I
put it on, and if it fit, I was really happy.
And then I put it in a closet and never
wear it again. And then I do that again and
(13:29):
it started to seem like I felt like, oh, do
I have a problem. I shouldn't be doing this. There's
no reason for this. But I realized that it's a
kind of gambling because what I liked was finding my
precise body measurements. And even then, if it's something looked
mathematically like it would fit, you wouldn't always fit.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
What fun.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I talking to you about this because it's less expensive
than talking to a professional, But I want an answer.
I don't know why I would do this. You would
thrill me when I would get a notification that the
packet that was going to arrive. I loved opening the package.
I loved slipping it on and when my arms would
go through the sleeves, if it hit right at the
(14:13):
wrist and if the shoulders weren't crazy, it was a
very satisfying feeling. And that feeling would last for about an hour.
But then that it goes away and it's just a
piece of clothing. It doesn't look that good. So it's
in my closet.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Also, Michael, can I interrupt to point out that you
are a comedy writer, you're a television writer. The dress
code at work is usually casual, back when everybody met
at an office anyway. And still now you don't have.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
A fantasy that I would wear this at.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
That's just you don't have occasion to wear it to
the office on a daily basis, and you don't go
to many nice dinners.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
So yes, I'll tell you what I did. That the
only time I was ever able to use it, I
thought that I would walk around New York City into
Sporting Coasting and that somehow that would do something for me.
I would just be treated with a little wink from
the doorman as I passed them in other people's building,
(15:08):
just a little not of appreciation that I was right effort.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Well dressed women, there's plenty of them, but a well
dressed man, I think does command attention and respect for
that matter.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Maybe I don't know if in this decade they do.
I think there was a time when I look at
movies from the seventies, if somebody was wearing a sport coat,
just felt like, yeah, okay, grown man. I don't think
it works anymore. But there's one time where I really
committed to it. I went to Rome with you. It
was completely alone. After we were married. I don't know
(15:39):
we were married.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, we weren't even dating. We were married, was it us?
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I think we were completely married, but without children.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Was it a honey?
Speaker 2 (15:48):
No?
Speaker 1 (15:48):
What was it? Was?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Just it was a bit of fun. You just weren't off.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
So to peel back the curtain to the listeners for
a little bit, We've been recording the show for about
a year now. Our very first guest was Michael Coleman.
He was kind enough to donate his time for sort
of a dress rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I'd say it was an honor, but I think you're
basically just testing the mics.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Anyway, I considered it to be more than just testing
the mics. Michael'd be grateful That entire conversation was about
a vacation that Michael took by himself without Elie after
they were married to Italy. So we spent about forty
five minutes in the same way that we're now very
gently grilling Michael about his obsession with sport codes. We
did the same discussion this very strange trip that he
(16:30):
took to Italy alone, and apparently it was the perfect
scenario to wear a tailored sport jacket that you bought
on eBay? Is that right?
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Yes, my fantasy did come true. For this very brief window,
I would walk around Italy in a.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Sport coast untothered you by your new wife.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yes. So I had this little list of restaurants and
I wanted to eat it, and I didn't have reservations,
so I thought.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Michael Mike's restaurants. Most restaurants don't take reservations for one.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I mean, but I thought, if I show up in
a little sport code, like a little gentleman, and I
say that I want to heat at this restaurant alone,
they'll think, oh, I must really want to eat at
the restaurant, and they'll be honored and they'll like find
a table for me. And it always worked. These weren't
easy places to get into it, but they would find
a little table off to the side. And I was
really having a disgusting little fantasy of being this well
(17:22):
dressed man walking around eating at nice It was just
a fun thing to do. And I had one of
the greatest nights of my life where I got into
this restaurant in the middle of Rome at ten thirty pm.
It is the first time they'd had a table and
I look up and I'm sitting Can I say the
(17:42):
name of a famous person.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Yes you can. Yeah, of course we allow our guests
to talk about famous people.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yes, okay. So I don't mean any disrespect to this person.
It's just something that happened to me and it was
interesting and I'm glad to have. So I looked up
and the director Paul Haggis is a table away from me,
be more than five feet away, and I just looked
up twice. I was like a glance and I'm just
sitting alone in like a little buttoned up shirt and
(18:08):
a jacket, and I'm not staring at I just glance.
I haven't spoken English, so there's no reason he would
think that I was an American. And the second time
I look up, he looks he's already looking at me,
and relockhimized. It's not a large restaurant. It's a small restaurant.
It's quite fancy, and he goes, hey, how you doing,
having a good night? How's your like going. It's just
(18:35):
everything goes quiet, and I stutter, I'm you know, I'm nice,
and I thank you about you. It's great, and I
have no idea what I've done. And now I'm just
red faced and trying not to bother him, and I
realized later I have a theory about what happened.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Well, he was probably wondering where your wife was?
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Well, that was was probably and like, what is this
man with a wedding ring oner dining out at this
restaurant alone in Italy?
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Dressed the wedding ring like shiny as the freshly polished mirror.
Certainly this man was recently married. Where's his wife?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Well, he probably recognized the sport that I was wearing
for me, but he probably said and knew that I
was the one who.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Got you outbid him.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Yeah, he was envious of the deal. Well, I think
what happened and just a theory is later I read
that he left scientology, right, and I think that I
was dressed like a scientologist and that he thought I
was there to intimidate them more spy on them or something.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Michael, I don't think that theory is far fetched. We're
going to be getting a lot of the scientologists mad
at us after this, But I do think I think
there might be some truth to that. Michael.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yes, I think it's something that they would do. I
think if a lone scientologist was sent out to just
keep tabs on you and bo they would look exactly
like me.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
How many of the jackets that you purchased on eBay
were previously owned by scientologists?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Would you say, Yeah, that's not in the item description,
but I can ask.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
I have more jackets related questions, just because I'm so
very intrigued by this. Have you ever been to an
actual tailor?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yes, I used to live in downtown New York on
Twelfth Street and there was this little tailor that opened
up around the corner from me. And tailoring is very expensive.
So if you can find a deal on tailoring, it's
very exciting because there's like all these clothes that you
want to fix a little bit. And everyone in the
neighborhood found out that this guy was charging reasonable prices.
(20:56):
And he was literally like just a small man underneath
a mountain of fabric. He was just like six months
behind on everything. He promised to get back to people,
and you would open the door and he would literally
shiver in fear that another person had come and that
you might want to pick up your jacket. Anyway, just
the whole concept of tailoring, getting something that fits you,
(21:18):
it's a very satisfying.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
It changes the whole outfit and That's what I find
to be the trouble with ladies jeans. Although now I
think all pants are big for the spring. In the summer,
I think the new trend is that it's just big pants,
which is great because I wouldn't imagine that requires tailoring.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
At Costco, that's always been the trend.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
You know, do they take things into.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
No, No, No. The only thing that at Costco is
the number of exes we're seeding the size at Costco
there they've got stacks of single, double, triple, and quadruple xes.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Does Costco have their own suit line?
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I have yet to see a suit at Costco. Just
a sweatsuit, you know the tracks it's yeah, Unfortunately, no
evening wear.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
I have a saying that it's like a top of
the Mountain fantasy, which is I've had things that are
made to measure, which I think are basically a suit
that's already made and they will take it in so
it fits. Online. No, so I would say eighty percent
of the things I own are things I bought online
and they just are hanging there.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Right.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Then, there's this one suit that I have that was
made to fit my body, and it's a really nice suit.
To wear. But what I've never had, and nobody cares,
nobody says it looks better. I think it's better because
this is because I went to the Trouble. But the
fantasy is of bespoke suit, right, And that's what I
can't tell. Is it worth doing?
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Like?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Is that is that worth?
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Bespoke means something that's made for you.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Is that measure your body and then they sew suit together?
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Michael, I would advise against that. You're never gonna weary body, no,
unless you want to be buried in it, because there's
no occasion for you. Do you see any event and
in your future that would call it.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I have a tuxedo that I've never worn. I already
have a suit or two. I don't know. I would
make myself wear it to dress up.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
And well, that's kind of my question, Michael. You have
and I know this because I've seen them with my
own eyes. You continue to hold onto all of these
jackets and coats, some of these suits that have been tailored.
What is your plan with most of them?
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I don't know. The next thing would be to acquire
like a cane or something and just turn it into
a real personality. I think that if we move, I
should just use that opportunity to get rid of all
of this.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It doesn't take a move, and don't make them without
a move.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I'm kidding. There have been times where I prayed for
some kind of a flood or burst pipe to take
care of this for me. I can't bring myself to
get rid of them because they have memory, like I do.
Associate them like those jackets that I were to Italy.
I get more out of looking at those jackets and
to get out of looking at photographs.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
And that's right, And that's two or three jackets, fine,
but you have like forty right.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Maybe what I don't understand is why I haven't gotten
rid of things that don't fit me. I have things
that are too large and too small, And.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Well, everybody has trouble, it's just a matter of going
through it.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Well, Michael, I might be able to help you out here.
I'm sure you've thought of this yourself. But my sister
had a boyfriend who seemed to have the exact same
fascination that you do with buying clothes online. He was
I think, less code focused and more couture fashion focused.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Yes, I mean that's a that's a real problem.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Goofy clothes, furry clothes, just strange items of clothes. But
what was weird was to prove exactly. But what was
even stranger to me, although I think may have had
some wisdom to it, was that the other half of
his obsession was reselling them. So he was actually arbitraging
(24:57):
his his wardrobe.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Well, that's a road that I don't want to go down.
I thought about it because there was a point where
I thought, well, it's okay if I kept ordering these things,
because there was a website called Poshmark and I got
things from there, and they encourage you to sell it,
and I did once I had something that was just
too nice to get rid of it, So I sold
(25:20):
it for very little money. But I felt better because
I thought than someone who likes it will get it.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Well, somebody well, time consuming, but first of all, define
arbitrage for me, Scott, to.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Just systematically sell things for more than you buy them
and make a profit. Exactly what this guy would do
is he would buy these clothes that fit him. I
think he did the same sort of sizing stuff that
you do, Michael. They would arrive, he would photograph them
fresh out of the box. Then he'd wear them for
(25:54):
like a month, and then he would post the photographs
of the item that he'd taken before you wore them,
and then resell them. I don't often on a different
site in order to make more money. So he was
like profiting from his clothes. And yet from what my
sister said, his closet was typically close to bear because
(26:18):
it was just a wasting To.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Me, it's just like you're putting energy that should go
to like people buy and sell companies for fortunes. To
put the same energy into a jacket, it seems just like.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Well that's yeah, that's crazy. And the question is is
there something morally wrong about that? Is there? I can't tell.
I mean I've just been.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
You don't buy anything from these sites expecting it to
be unworn. I mean you know what it is.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Yeah, that's true. But he's basically a profit I find.
That's what I mean.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Yeah, if I sold something, I would sell it for
less than I bought it for, just because I know
that it's older. Now, our jackets like houses, and does
it go up? Is there a market for jacket? It's
are like houses, and so it was market for sweaters.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Right now Michael, it's funny you should say that, because
I was hoping to gently lead us into the realm
of sweaters and pullovers in the same family, I would
say as coats and jackets and Scott was I noticed
very diplomatic to use the word fascination earlier, and I'm
going to continue to use the word obsession because that
has now bled into soft cardigans and sweaters and hoodies
(27:29):
even and I want to know that too. The closet
is bursting forth with these. I guess we should name
brands in here, none of them particularly.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
No, I think it's right. Well, it was a brand
that I do want to mention because I love them,
and it's a British company called Universal Works. And I
kept buying things from this company and I don't think
any of it looked good on me, but I had
this strange need to acquire them. It was very.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
What do you think is what is the whole in
your life? It may perhaps in your family life or
your marital life that is being filled.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Do you think, Well, I don't think that's what it is,
and I'm not saying that just to be diplomatic. I
think that it has to do with things I think
that when I get anxious about something, something meaningless, to
focus on way, it becomes a potain.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Some people have gambling.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I think basically it's a benign form of gambling, That's
how I say it. But it's not benigned to you
because you have like nineteen cardigans stuffing. It's just it's
just to fold your dresses.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
We live in the New York City apartments. There's not
endless space. It's very finite, and I would say ninety
eight percent of the finite noess is filled with universal works,
various shades of gray cardigans. He also likes a company
now that we're naming companies named Charity, which I think
might be recognizable to people.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
That's more for fun and they just make comfortable clothes.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
But when do you wear these? When do you wear these? Closed?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
They don't don't get warn I put them on, I
prance around the apartment for a half hour, usually when
you're gone and I go back in the closet. I
mean half the time. You leave as soon as I
hear the door click and I know I'm safe, Like
I'm off trying on my vests and guard agains. It's
a sick life. You don't know what you married. I mean,
(29:24):
you have no idea. Have you seen the documentary Herb
and Dorothy. No, No, they're a sweet couple. But it's
about this couple who started collecting modern art in the sixties.
They both worked for the Post Office, and they had
such an incredible eye for new artists and their work
(29:45):
that they were able to collect things by like Chuck
Close and Robert Rauschenberg, but people who whose work became priceless.
They got it for like nothing, and they crammed it
all into one bedroom New York apartment. They had paintings
under their beds, stuffed in closet, hanging from their ceilings. Yeah,
and it became a priceless collection. And they eventually just
(30:07):
gave the whole thing to the National Gallery in washingt DC,
and they have a win named after these people. And
I think, on some level, I thought that I was
doing that. I thought I was amassing this collection of
sweater vests that was gonna be worth something one day,
because I've put it all together and I've curated it.
But it's a complete, meaningless pile of garbage.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
There's this closet full of toys and games for the kids.
We have two sons for those of you who never
listened to this podcast before, and it's like overrun with
this soft outerwear and they're like, where's the connect for
I can't find shoots and ladders, and it's like, oh,
it's behind the sweater vest on the right.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Yeah, check behind my whole section.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Can I ask a question, Michael, And my uncle has
almost the opposite intuition that you do. He's like, nobody
notices the suit, but everybody notices the tie. So he
has like regular suits from Macy's or whatever, but then
he spends a lot of money on these very fancy
(31:12):
textured ties.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
So my take is probably he notices. I don't think
most people care. So I think it makes him feel good.
When he opens his tie drawer, he sees these nice
patterns and nice little leaves, and he feels good putting
them on. It makes him feel like he has self respect,
So I think that's what it is. I think a
neurologist or somebody with a better understanding of psychology than
(31:36):
I have would have to explain it to me. But
there is something that goes kind of deep with clothing
and what it makes you feel. And I don't know
why one thing does and another doesn't. I mean, most
of the shirts that I own, they've lasted forever that
I bought from like Banana Republic or something. I've had
(31:58):
them a lot of them for twenty years, but they
don't mean anything to me. And then some other little
article of clothing that I hardly have aware is weirdly
precious and it's mysterious.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
Is that be being from your window? Michael?
Speaker 3 (32:14):
It is.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
I'll just wait a second.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
This might be the most fascinating part of the conversation.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
It is a gently profound note to end this conversation on.
I'm glad that your jackets bring you so much joy, Michael,
and I think that you're probably right that everyone's got
their little joy. And maybe it's clothing. Maybe it's something else.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
But maybe it's gambling, maybe it's cocaine. But there's something
that brings meaning and purpose to everyone's life. And Michael,
I'm poking fun, but we are so happy that you've
found joy in jackets.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
I'm so glad it brought you some happiness.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
Well, it brought me happiness. Michael. I hope you have
a couple of minutes to stick around while we play
our game Love It or Loathed fantastic, So stick around
for Love It or Loathe It with Michael Coleman.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Okay, everybody, we are here with the inimitable Michael Coleman. Still, Michael,
have I ever described you as inimitable before?
Speaker 3 (33:25):
No, You're usually saying I'm very imitable.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Anyone can imitate him. Michael. We are going to play
one of our favorite games, and our only game. It's
called Love It or Loathe It? And what we're going
to do is present you with some items. They might
be food, an activity, a sport, to anything in the world,
and we want you to tell us if you love
that thing or you loathe that thing. Now, I want
(33:48):
to tell you that there's no in between, Michael. You
can't feel lukewarm about something. You're all in or you're
all out, and we want you to tell us why.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
Okay, So whichever way a tipping, I should just.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Push you know you love it, and that's exactly right.
First one, love it or load that, Michael, Running.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Easy, I loathe it. I yes, when I buy gifts
for Ellie. The only area that I actually feel like
I can depend on is running gear.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Once I saw it was years ago, my birthday, which
is May second, was approaching, and I saw on a
notepad some doodlings and it said Ellie's interests, and it
said running and frozen yogurt, and those were the two interests.
Michael was clearly brainstorming for my birthday. And you know what, Michael,
(34:40):
not much has changed. Those are my two main areas
of interest.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
I would say, complicate.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Have you ever gone on a run with Ellie?
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Not intentionally? And we might have been out once and
we're like we were going downhill or something we started.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
But not like in early courtship phase, you were never
like felt compelled to join her on her run.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
No, I never offered. I didn't care if it would
bring us closer. It wasn't even.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
It's never even come up.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
But Ellie is never invited. I don't recall you Ellie
asking me to go with her.
Speaker 2 (35:11):
On her life.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
No. I mean, in fairness, I don't like to run
with anyone. But that is so interesting. It's never even
cross either of our minds.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
That's strange.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Okay, So that's a hard No. You loath running? We
get it oppositees a tract, Okay, Michael, love it or
loath it going on vacations without your wife.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
I love it, absolutely, love traveling alone. I love anything
doing anything alone. Sure, I mean I love you. I'm
not gonna Yeah, there's some joke imply that I like
going to some of this becausin mother. I love you,
but I love traveling by myself.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
What's the last trip? Well, actually you just took a
trip by yourself, but it wasn't really a vacation.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Was that.
Speaker 3 (35:53):
The last time I remember going to place alone was
to your brother's birthday. I went to Italy?
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Is that a different Italy trip?
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
But you've two times. You've been Dantaly two times without Ellie?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yes, And you know why I couldn't go. I couldn't
go on the second trip because I was working. Michael
is just off prancing around Italy. Anyway.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Have you been on a solo trip without Ellie to
any place other than Italy?
Speaker 3 (36:24):
That's your question. I don't think. So we went to
Japan together. Gosh, we needed to go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Well, this is not the time to plan our next trip.
But yes, he loves going on trips without your wife.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
All right, fair enough, I would prefer to go with you,
but if I have to go my will. I would
prefer to go with you with than anyone else.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Oh well, I'm not offended in the least, love it
or loathed umbrellas.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
I love them because they're like chains, you can twirl them.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Michael, let me clarify.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Let we had the most confused look I think I've
ever seen in this post. He was astonished.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
I was astonished by your blatant lie. Because what I
want to know is, I'll admit I put umbrellas on
the list. Maybe I'll specify kids umbrellas.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Oh you mean, the how miserable I get when I'm
told that I have to bring them home from school, or.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
Just anything involving a kid's umbrella. Maybe I'll answer this one.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
Yes, somebody else's umbrella. I have no interest.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
But you also are, like you spiral out of control.
You're like, how will I carry this and my bag?
It'll throw my whole body off balance. Taking a child's
umbrella either home with you or leaving it at school.
You're totally thrown by it.
Speaker 3 (37:36):
It's talk about when people talk about marriages, they're always saying,
you know, it's a mystery, like your spouse can be
a mystery to you. Right that I don't think that's true.
I feel like I know you really well. What always
shocks me is finding out how you see me. That
I am this sort of little, screeching, high maintenance guy
(37:59):
who can't hand a small umbrella when it's in its hand.
That's what, right, I don't think she is married to
I think that's how you're seen.
Speaker 1 (38:10):
I don't think it's just.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
Me, I guess, but you're the only real reflection, that's right.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Well, I think that's true in any couple. And isn't
it endearing?
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Michael?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Everybody loves the little quirks about you. So, Michael, love
it or load it? Sending food back at a restaurant.
Speaker 3 (38:24):
Oh well, that's a good question. I guess. I love
doing it, but I have done it, I really don't like. Well,
this is a good example. We went to lunch a
few months ago with our kids and it was a
crowded Sunday diner and there was a line outside and
we got in and our kids were like rotating in
(38:46):
their chairs. They were so hungry and impatient, and so
I said to the wait if it's possible just to
bring their food out, that's the only matters. And so
they brought our son like a hamburger and chicken fingers,
and I took it by of our four year old's
chicken fingers and it was like just bread and I
thought like, oh no, there is no chicken in here.
(39:07):
And then he like ate one right away and he
liked it. And then I took a closer look and
the inside of the chicken finger was just raw chicken.
It was completely uncooked. And this is never happening before.
I think Ellie was in the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I was in the bathroom when they brought the food up.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Yeah, yeah, so she didn't see this bar but I
actually disconnected from my conscious brain and I started doing
things without making a plan. I just found myself standing
in the kitchen asking who was in charge of the fryar.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
And I was like this, and.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Amazingly, they didn't throw me out. They're like, where's that
and I said, there's a piece of raw chicken. My
son just ate this, and the guy who worked there,
I was like, oh my gosh. And then I was
like kind of embarrassed because they weren't arguing with me.
They were just like, sorry, stood our concerned, and then
they kept saying like the next time you come here,
we are taking care of everything. And I always wasted
(40:09):
my breath saying, are you row chicken? I'm not coming back.
I don't want to coop on. Let's just get out
of here. But I thought, like, oh my god, we're
gonna have to go to an emergency room. But anyways,
I didn't enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (40:21):
I didn't like that was you Like, literally, you weren't
even sending food back. You brought it back to the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
Yeah, I walked it back to the kitchen and handed
it to the right So that was bad, and so
I hate.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Well, I have to say, Michael, now I'm even more
convinced than I was that you're one of the best
dads in the world. Because the reason that this, the
reason that this item is on the list, is because
we all had dinner together and got into a long
conversation about whether or not it was appropriate to send
a salad back if you found a dead bug in it.
And your position at the time was Americans are too
(40:56):
entitled and like, just eat your salad. And I took
it to mean that you're a rugged stoic, which I respect.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Yeah, I do have a real belief that for the
most part, people have a sense that they're owed something
by businesses that they pay for.
Speaker 2 (41:15):
It, and I respect that, I don't always necessarily agree
with it. But what's interesting to me about the chicken
story is that when the rubber meets the road, especially
when it comes to your sons, uh, you're going to
march into the kitchen itself and confront whoever was responsible.
So a bug in your salad raw chicken. For you,
probably you suck it up and take it. But with
(41:38):
your children, yeah, you turn it into a kind of
a banshee.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Yes, Michael, what would you have done had your own
chicken fingers been raw? Would you have said anything or
just not eaten it?
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I think completely raw? Like images of an emergency room
start going through my mind. I would say I think
the chicken is a little undercooked, and I would show them,
but I would be kind of underselling it, with the
hope that when they saw it, they'd be like, oh
my gosh, this guy was underselling it and this is chicken.
So I would have a bit of a plan. It
was one of the only times where I've had a true,
(42:12):
like paternal instinct kick in where I felt like someone
has to answer for my signs. Chicken right right.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
You were blind with rage. You were thrusting the row
chicken in my face. Look at this, look at this,
And then before I knew it, you were back in
the kitchen demanding to know the name of the person
who cooked that or who didn't cook it. I should say, yeah,
I think it's safe to say that you love it.
I agree with it.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
I did try to sell them a couple of old
sports codes.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
The final love it or low that. Michael. Wedding proposals,
Oh boy, I love them. You love them so much.
You did three times for me. Alls well that ends well.
But Michael, in the interest of time, you proposed to
me three times. Each one saw sort of kind of
(43:01):
an actual proposal.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
Well look, I'll just say this, and I mean, I
assume everyone in this world is happy with the person
to make married. I am the luckiest man on the
face of the earth.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
You thank you.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
And it's it's the one area where I really think
I did fall down a bit was the wedding proposal.
But I am so grateful to you for marrying me.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
I'll sum it up. Thank you, Michael. We do keep
thank you. Michael's true Okay, I was going to say,
we do keep the show light, so we'll have a nice,
little serious moment. Michael proposed to me once, I would
say two years before we actually got married, and then business,
and then like a year later he was like, and
when we get married, And I said, oh, are you
(43:47):
is this? And then he said, well you had talked
to your dad. He's like, well, I talk to your dad.
And I was like, are you are you married?
Speaker 3 (43:55):
What I thought you only asked the dad. I thought
I would ask you, And I always wondered what he
hadn't gotten.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
To the second time Michael had blown to Saint Louis,
there was a tornado. In fact, your flight was canceled.
You got on the next day to ask my dad
for his blessing or whatever you do. And then like
forty years went by and no proposal for Michael. But
then eventually Michael was dropping me off at lax I
was going home to Saint Louis and you asked me
in the car. It all worked out well.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I was waiting. I was waiting for another tornado. I
thought that would make it special.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
A bookend.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Michael Coleman loves wedding proposals. One was not enough. We joke,
but I'm very lucky to be married to you. But
that's not what this episode is about. It's about your
love of coats and jackets. Michael. Is there anything that
you would like to plug or promote during this time?
Speaker 3 (44:46):
That's so generous. Well, I guess I'm very proud of
the last season we made of the How To John
Wilson Show. So if people want to check that out,
it's on Max.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
You can catch it on Max formerly known as HBO.
It's a great talk about a show that we.
Speaker 3 (45:01):
Love, I hope. So it is a really fun to work.
Speaker 1 (45:04):
Yeah, it's great, Michael. Thank you for taking the time
to chat with us.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
This is a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
Well, we love talking with you and we love your
coats and jackets.
Speaker 2 (45:16):
Thank you, Michael.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Well what us chat with Michael comment? I thought that
was great.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
It was spectacular. I hope that the listeners thought that
it was as spectacular as I did doing it and
then listening to it again. I need to get some
sporty coats, Ellie.
Speaker 1 (45:36):
I'm telling you what, Let's get coated up and shoot
for the moon because if we fail, at least we'll
fall among the stars. Scott. We don't normally do an outro,
but because it is our final episode of season one,
we wanted to give some shout outs. So first and
foremost and maybe only, we want to thank our fabulous
(45:59):
producers who worked tirelessly to help us. Scott and I
had not done a podcast before. These people helped us
get it right. They put in endless hours to answer
our naive questions. They are such good kind people on
top of everything else, so we are very grateful to
them for helping us throughout this and making our podcast
(46:20):
as good as it is. So we want to thank
Aaron Kaufman, Zoe Dankla, and Sheena Ozaki for putting it
there all into this. Thank you to them.
Speaker 2 (46:29):
They're the triumvirate of podcast producers. We couldn't be more grateful.
Thank you. Zoe and Aaron worked on another podcast that
we suggest you check out. I love it. It's called
City of the Rails. It's a mini series narrative podcast
about I've riding the rails in the United States of
America in the twenty first century. Guys, there's hobos. They
(46:49):
do interesting stuff. A journalist is on a hunt for
her daughter. It's a great podcast. They did great work
on it. Check it out City of the Rails and guess.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
What, Scott Shina worked on it too. The Great Triumvirate
worked on City of the Rails and I can't recommend
it highly enough. So go on to listen to that
while you're waiting for our second season. And thank you
the listeners for listening to our first season. What a ride.
We hope that you picked up some new loves. We
hope that you felt a little bit of joy for
(47:19):
the thirty minutes Scott and I talked loudly about things,
and I hope that you I was about to wish
them a happy summers.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
Guys. Happy summer, guys, Happy summer, say old man. All right,
bye everybody, Bye,
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