Michael Chiklis on Boston accents, John Belushi and ignoring the internet

This week, S.E. sits down with TV legend, Michael Chiklis. Known for his police roles from The Commish to The Shield, Michael shares with S.E. more about his early life in Massachusetts, and finding inspiration and support in the Greek philosophies spun out by his beauty-salon-owning father. They talk about parenting, the social media drain and the story of landing his first major movie that was riddled with controversies. Keen listeners will catch the many times the two “Massholes” slip into Boston accents. And stay tuned for a Boston-themed lightning round!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
People think I have a raspy voice from like smoking
or some shit. It's from yelling to be heard. Yeah,
we were loud, We were you know, we had fun.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to Off the Cup, my personal anti anxiety antidote.
This is a special episode because I'm in studio with
my guest, which is always extra fun, and I want
to warn you at the outset I may slip into
a Boston accent. I can't promise that I won't, because
when I'm talking to people from Boston and about Boston

(00:34):
sometimes that happens. So apologies in advance, but I am
so excited to welcome a claimed actor of film, television,
and theater, Emmy Award winner, Golden Globe Award winner, and
most importantly, fellow masshole, Michael Chickliss. Welcome to Off the Cup.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Thanks for having me. See, I'm thrilled to be here.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
You know what, I worked long and hard on getting
rid of my Boston access in the theater. But already,
as you can hear it, I just as soon as
you evoked that, I'm like, oh, here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Well, I want to talk about I want to talk
about your career, but let's go right to the thing.
You were born in Lowell. You grew up in and
of Massachusetts.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
That's right, that's right, born and Lowell, raised in Andover. Wonderful,
you know, wonderful childhood, had a great time. My father
gave us ten fingers. He didn't want us to well,
you know, Roll was at the time a depressed mill town.
It was before the tech industry came in there. So
he wanted to get us over the line and to Andover,
and you know he did and he did.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Now I didn't go to Phillips. I was a towny,
right but right. I went to Hanover Public School and
it was wonderful and I got a as it turns out,
you know, actually really blessed to grow up in the
seventies in Massachusetts because there was such an onus on
the continuum that is your education. Yes, the thought process

(01:54):
of you know, it's never ending until the day you die.
Every day you you grow, you read, you ask questions.
So it was really a bent on curiosity.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
I felt that way too. Where in Andover did you live?

Speaker 1 (02:09):
I lived on right on right on one thirty three
by uh Lovejoy Road, just as you literally we got
right over the line from low Yes, you know, yeah,
thirty three and Main Street.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
That's ry the corner like Shaw Sheen, Lunch Andette. Yeah,
you know, I'm from andover.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Yeah, I know, but I like, see that's so spawn on.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yes, and that's exactly where my friend Bob Pascarella lives.
And you know, we became best of friends and have
been in every band together.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Since we were eight years old.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah together, yes, yeah, so yeah, I loved as well.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
Me too.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
And I totally know what you mean. It's a part
of the country and I know this because I've lived
in other parts of the country. It's a part of
the country that really does revolve around education. And you know,
you go into Boston and there's like three hundred colleges
and right.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
This is where I went to Boston University.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
If not, Yeah, And you know, it was just you
don't realize how fortunate you are until you go away,
until you sort of go off into the world and
go like, wow, I really grew up in.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
A beautiful place and also was in an innocent time.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
We were talking about this earlier that you know, it's
so crazy right now everything is so intense, Yes, it's
so intense. And when we were kids, we left on
our bicycles and Mom would say, hey, just get home
before the lights turn.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Off, you know what I mean? And yeah, I do,
and we.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Played and you know, sure we were informed about the
broader world via the newspaper, but there wasn't any of this.
I really am concerned for this generation. And I say
it to my kids all the time, who are no
longer kids.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
They're women.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
My oldest is thirty one and a brilliant young woman,
both of them. She's a novelist and a screenwriter, autumnist,
and she's just recently married last June, and really having
you know, of course, her trauma from the internet, you know,
has manifested itself, and her becoming a comedy writer. She's

(04:11):
turned a negative into a positive way. We go, Yeah,
that's right, she went.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
You know, she went for the funny, you know.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
And yeah, because she was she played by daughter on
the on the shield.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
I remember, yeah, And.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
You know, we were very afraid of letting her be
a child actor. So it became like an extracurricular activity
in that we we if she was going to do it.
She did it Fridays after school. We had the one
or two scenes in the show scheduled if it was
during the school year, because I wanted her to go
to school, I wanted her to go to prom, I

(04:46):
wanted her to get her heart broke, and I wanted
her to live through all.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Those yeah, and be a kid, and be a kid.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Go play sports, you know.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
And that's another reason actually why I defaulted into I've
got very lucky. I I think about it now, it's
crazy that it happened. I said to my agents at
the time, I really want to stay in television because
of the regularity of it, because consistency of it. And
I just happened to end up with, you know, about
eleven twelve years of television shot in La in a row,

(05:17):
which now there's no productions there practically. Yeah, and we'll
maybe get into that later on in the state of
our business, which is in real disarray.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
But I thankfully was there.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
I really it was imperative to me that I was
there for my kids formative years. Yes, I coached their
volleyball and soccer teams. You know, I drove them to
school in the morning and then went to work. Yeah,
incredibly important to me.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Well that's important to you, and without them knowing it,
it's important to them.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Too, so they've said as much as women.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
Now before we leave V andover, I'm just wondering when
the last time you saw your high school yearbook.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
Was a long time ago? Did you? Oh my god? Help?
Oh that's insight. That's my ninth grade picture that they
put in your because I missed it. I had mono nucleos, gotcha.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, when I when it was that picture day and
they used my ninth grade and see how I look thirty?

Speaker 3 (06:17):
Then that's why I've always played older people.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
You know, I was the commission twenty seven. People don't
realize that you have.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
A full head of hair.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Well yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
Can I read you something though?

Speaker 3 (06:28):
I don't know?

Speaker 2 (06:31):
So you go through. There's a quote here and then
you list your hobbies, which are football, gymnastics, drama club, baseball, madrigals, barbershop, quartet,
and future plans. Do you know what it says?

Speaker 3 (06:42):
Probably something about the stage and film.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
Become an actor and make films.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah I always knew that. Well apparently I tell you, yeah,
that's me, And I believe I used a queen quote.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
Tell you yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
I think it was from Tao Torrea Torriato.

Speaker 2 (07:01):
Let us cling together as the years go by, Oh
my love, my love, and the quiet of the night.
Let our candle always burn, Let us never loose the
lessons we have learned.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
I thought it was appropriate for So were.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Your parents encouraging because obviously you got into acting kind
of young. You wanted to do it before you even
left school, you know.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Oh, I love that. I'm going to get to tell
this story, please briefly.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
First of all, my mother studied opera when she was young,
and she gave it up and to become a mother
and you know, and stay at home with us. But
she was beautifully talented mezzo soprano, amazing and my whole
you know, young life. She would take me to the theater.

(07:45):
And my father, you know, believe it or not, was
a hairdresser. My father owned a beauty salon and Lowell.
He was a beatnik. He came up during the beatnik
generation and it was about style, you know what I
mean at the time. And I apparently announced when I
was like five years old that I wanted to be
an actor, and of course they were like, okay, you know,

(08:06):
next week you'll be a you know, a baseball player.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well where do you think that came from? At five?
Years old.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
I think it's from the movies, you know, from my
earliest memories of watching movies. I just was like, I
I'm going to do that. It wasn't I want to
do that. It's like, I'm going to do that. It
was very affirmative, right, And miraculously my parents always supported

(08:34):
me always. I remember when I was about thirty five
years old, I had just finished the commission. I was
down in LA and my dad came out to visit me,
and I said, Dad, how is it that a practical,
pragmatic Greek guy from Lowell allowed me to pursue acting,

(08:55):
you know, and like sent me to a private university,
you know, you know, and he.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
Not like a trade school, right right exactly.

Speaker 1 (09:02):
You know a lot of I went to the Vogue,
you know exactly, so yeah, bfa right and and he
looked at me and this is you know, this is
where I could get emotional. And my father is the
quintessential Greek philosopher. And though he's largely an autodidact and

(09:22):
you know, I had to work as a kid, he
would come up with these profundities that he would say
things to me and I would go like, was thatocrate?

Speaker 3 (09:33):
And we'd be like that. So that's me kid.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
Wow, he said to me, fixed me with one of
his looks, and he said, Michael, if I thought you
were sorry, like, catch with it. I go, if I
didn't know it was who you were? Uh, do you
think I would have allowed it?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
And I cried because he was like, I couldn't. You know.
I knew it was going to be tough. I knew
it's challenging. You know.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
My father would say to me, Charlie, what are you
doing letting your kid do this? It's a crap shoot.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
How are you going to allow this? And he said, Dad,
can you picture Michael doing anything else? And he go, no,
I guess not. So they get behind you.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
He saw me and as a kid, especially at that
age when you're trying to become who you think you're
going to be, to be seen by your parents, Oh
my god, it's a it's not a given.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
I can tell you story after story people I went
to college with who didn't hit what they wanted to hit.
And I think I really think a big aspect of
it was there. Parents would like one in particular, and
I will not divulge. But this parent said to me,
why don't you tell my son to get real about life,
you know, right in front of him, and I was like, oh,

(10:49):
I just wanted to say, don't do that.

Speaker 3 (10:50):
What are you doing right?

Speaker 2 (10:52):
You know what I mean so much?

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Especially he was incredibly talented.

Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yeah, that support is I can't It's the difference between
standing and delivering and having that insecurity at the moment
where you know, you know how they say luck is
when preparation meets opportunity. You prepare and you work and
then that opportunity happens. And to me, that last little
bit is having the confidence that's instilled from having that.

(11:20):
Like I always called my parents the battery charge, and
that's what my children do that. Like we talk about
the phones. Yeah, they come to the house. The first
thing they do is they put their phones down and
plug them in to get charged, but to leave them alone.
But now they're personally going to be recharged when they
come into my house.

Speaker 2 (11:38):
That's so great. That's a great way of putting it.
So you go to college, you go to b U,
and then you face the question every actor graduating a
drama school phases, do I go to New York or LA?
How did you make this decision?

Speaker 1 (11:52):
Well, I was a bit of a snob at the time.
You know, it was only because of the way. You know,
I had read about a lot of my favorite actors,
and you know, and some of them, as it turns out,
we were pretty good, Sir Lawrence Olivier and John Gilgood,
right exactly, but you know, and of course on the

(12:15):
American side, all the O's Paccino, Brando Tanio, you know,
and but also Paul Newman and Redford and those guys.
My father would say to me and my mother, listen,
if you're going to pursue this, then watch this guy.

Speaker 2 (12:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
And it turns out that they had great taste, and
they introduced me to the finest people. And then in
reading about it, I've got very lucky. Before we leave andover,
we're going to go back again to when I was
thirteen years old. I played Hawkeye in a production of Mash,

(12:56):
which is unreal when I think of a Junior high
production of Mash. That's a racy and they barely cut anything.
It's crazy that we did that. In any case, that's
when I really got bitten once and for all, because
I got a standing oh the first day, and I
got called up front by a woman was there saying,
you know, she wanted to see me.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
She was from a theater, local theater.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
I came out and she introduced herself, and she said
casting for a summerstock season at the Town and Country
Playhouse in Salem.

Speaker 3 (13:28):
New Hampshire.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Oh yeah, yeah, And it was just.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
A summerstock gig.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
And she said, all the casting for the Leaves is
going to be done in New York and so I'm
out of Boston and the smaller chorus rolls and stuff
were going to be cast locally.

Speaker 3 (13:41):
And you interested, and I was thirteen.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
I was like absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
Yeah, and she cast me. I was in all six
shows and they were musicals. And I went and that's
when I met my theatric, my first theatrical mentor, this
guy named Mark Kaufman.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
And Mark, it's smart.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
I think about all these little things that you know,
when you could take a left, you could take a right,
Yes you.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Do, right, I'm interested in those moments.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (14:07):
Well, I met this man who was you know, he
was I think thirty at the time. His wife was
down here in New York. One of the stars of
a chorus line, Janet Wong, and he you know, he
sort of saw himself and me a little bit, and
he winged me, and you know, and he started like

(14:28):
he if he lived here and the theater was here
and my house was in between. He said to my
parents at one point, listen, I can pick him up
on the way to rehearsal and drop him off. And
they allowed that to happen. Yeah, and you know, I
very good vibe from this guy. Amazing guy, and he
would pick me up. We'd have these amazing conversations. And

(14:49):
then when he come back, my father was always it
was summertime. He was grilling out in the backyard, so
I'd invite him in. We would go in the backyard
and sit and chat and talk about life and everything else.
And one night, one glorious night of my life, Mark
Kaufman said, Hey, where.

Speaker 3 (15:06):
Do you guys go to see theater? Where do you
go to see professional theater?

Speaker 1 (15:10):
And I chimed in and said, well, we go down
to Boston, which is like forty five minutes away. And
he was like, really, now, is there any professional theater
in the Merrimack Valley? And he said no. You know,
he said, and this is another thing I love about Marcus.
Even though I was only a thirty I turned fourteen
during that season that August. He never treated me like

(15:33):
a child. Maybe it's because I looked like I was thirty.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
But.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
He always sort of he just never he was never
dismissive of me and only listened to my parents or
you know. I was part of the conversation and he said, well,
do you think a professional theater could be sustained here?
And I chimed in again and I was like, absolutely,
and let me tell you why.

Speaker 3 (15:56):
And he was like why. I said, well, look at
Summerstock Theater.

Speaker 1 (16:01):
It's sold out for six shows, community theaters, high school productions,
everything sold out because there's nothing to do here. There's
one movie theater. We go and see sports, you know,
the high school sports and stuff. But if we want
to see anything legit, we have to drive forty five
minutes into Boston and it's really expensive. So yeah, I
think a regional theater would absolutely work here, and we

(16:24):
embarked on. I became his little helper and he became
the first artistic director and creator of a nonprofit theater,
regional theater called the Merrimack Repertory Theater in Lowell, Massachusetts
that's there to this day.

Speaker 3 (16:38):
I think it's however, many years ago.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
That is, it's over forty five years ago, and I
had sort of a backstage, literal backstage pass to that
whole thing. And I ended up playing the role of
Samson in Romeo and Juliet. And that's a luck thing.
Theaters that want good luck open with Romeo and Juliet.
Uh huh oh yeah, I don't know where that's I'm strong,
but it's a tragedy and you end up doing this

(17:02):
thing and flourishing. So that was that galvanized a lot
of my ideas about why I went to Boston University,
why I ended up going to New York. Yeah, because
this idea that the best of the best of them
study classically and they have a conservatory. You know, it
was just what you only know, what you know when
you're a kid, and what you're told and what you're taught.

(17:24):
There's no as it turns out, and I say this
to you know, I sit on two boards now, Boston University,
School of Fine Arts and USC for a long time.

Speaker 3 (17:32):
There's no hard fast rules.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
Every single actor has crossover, but a different path.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
Yes, none of us followed the same path.

Speaker 2 (17:40):
Well, I remember Henry Winkler.

Speaker 3 (17:41):
We had on my old friend.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
I think he's wonderful. And he went to Yale and
drama and thought he was going to be you know, Shakespearean.

Speaker 3 (17:49):
After War after Yes, and that's what I thought.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yes, And when he got the series, when he got
when he got Happy Days, he thought, I am you know,
that's too sort of low bred. Obviously he took it.
It worked out right, yeah, and then all suddenly all
of his Yale drama buddies were like, can we get
a walk on? You know right?

Speaker 3 (18:09):
Ye?

Speaker 1 (18:10):
Like it's crazy how urns you plan? And then stuff happens.
I got blacklisted from my first film. I played John
Belushi in the film Wired.

Speaker 2 (18:18):
Yeah, So talk about how that came to you, because
what a coup.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Well, it came to me from Boston University. I'll tell
you how. We have sixteen League schools. They're called Yale,
Boston University, Carnegie, Mellon, Juliar, NYU. And every year they
have what's called the League Auditions, and I believe they
still do it to this day, where the senior class

(18:44):
comes down to New York and now they do New York,
Chicago and La Okay, And it's basically like fresh meat. Right,
we all come down and we do a presentation where
the senior class will do a group piece, okay, scene work,
a duet, and then a monologue. Right, and now it's

(19:04):
like a three day thing, and it's very exciting for us.

Speaker 3 (19:07):
You know. I was beside myself. Another great story about that.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
Yeah, and I was seen during that process by the
casting director who went on to cast me for Wired.

Speaker 3 (19:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:21):
It took three years and twelve auditions and a whole
process and that so I can actually say I got
the first lead of the first movie I ever auditioned for.
But the only thing is they were probably like ten
in between, twenty in between, and I ended up doing
a bunch of regional theater and off off Broadway and
stuff like that. I was doing stuff at Lemama Downtown,

(19:43):
and you know, I had three years of sort of
a dickenzie and the best.

Speaker 3 (19:47):
Of times, the worst of times writing.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Tables at a place called formerly Joe's in the West
Village with Anthony Bourdain. We called him Shucker Tony. Yeah,
he was the oyster shucker.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:01):
Beatie Falco who handed me the phone when I got Wired,
Oh my god, to tell me because we didn't have
cells then, right. We we gave our phone number to
the bartender, you know, our agents to the bartender, and
they'd call the bar if something happened, right or he
had a booking right right. Yeah, So I mean, I know,
I'm sort of skipping all around. It was like just

(20:23):
an incredible time in life where again broke I got here.
So my first Welcome to New York story. I came
down here to do the League auditions. I was with
my roommate at the time. We drove into town. We
parked right in front of the Tower Records that used
to be in front of Lincoln Center, which is where
we did the League auditions.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
Very exciting.

Speaker 1 (20:45):
I'll never forget coming over that rise, coming on the
highway and seeing the city.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
You know, I thought Boston was just you know, a
big city.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
We did.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
I came here.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
I was like, what terrified all of it? You know,
I can hear my father going be afraid and do
it anyway?

Speaker 2 (21:01):
I love. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
He had the greatest catchphrase, philosophy. He was amazing.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
Anyway, I pull up, I park, I opened the door
of my car and there's a news team in front
of me and this Japanese woman.

Speaker 3 (21:14):
Said, why did you buy a Japanese car? I had
a super ru.

Speaker 1 (21:19):
I was like, I go, well, it's economical. It you know,
gets great gas mileage. It wasn't that expensive and it's
really dependable. She goes, thank you very much, and I
was like, okay. So that was a distraction and we
were running late, so we had to get in and
we ran into the you know, we had a rehearsal,

(21:39):
and we're in the rehearsal for just one hour, right,
and I come out and there's the big orange ticket
on my car.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
So she had distracted.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
Me and I forgot to put money in the meter
and we ended up running into the thing.

Speaker 3 (21:54):
Wait.

Speaker 1 (21:54):
So I come up to the car and I'm pissed
off and I hit the hood of my car and
when I did that, all of a sudden, on the
other side of my car, the trunk goes, and I
go and we go around to the back of the
car and the block's been pulled out and all of
our ship's gone.

Speaker 3 (22:15):
No can I swear? Yeah, okay, all of our shit's gone.
And we got robbed and.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
I got to take it and rob I thought.

Speaker 1 (22:23):
In the first hour, I'm in, I'm in New York.
A news crew, a cop, and a robber have been
to my car.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
That happen.

Speaker 3 (22:32):
Yeah, we had to buy all new ship.

Speaker 1 (22:34):
We went to a department store and we had to
all our head shots.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
It was what was he doing with my head shots?
They just took everything and split.

Speaker 2 (22:42):
Well that's a baptism by fire.

Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah and music.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
Welcome to New York.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
Yeah, so and listen. I love this city, you know.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
I often joke I don't have hate for my heart,
in my heart for any person, place.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
A thing except the Yankees.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
I fucking hate. I love New York. I I love
I do. I love you New York.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
I've lived here for probably nine years of my life altogether.
I've done Broadway, I've been I've shot here a bunch
of times.

Speaker 3 (23:08):
I love New York.

Speaker 1 (23:10):
But when someone makes you cry that often when you're seven, yes,
you just kind of have a thing about him, you know,
I will say. One of the prides of my life though,
as a as a odcore Boston.

Speaker 2 (23:21):
Guy, had how I'm with You wicked hot course.

Speaker 3 (23:26):
Check this out?

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (23:27):
When Derek Jeter yeah uh, retired, the MLB reached out
to me to be the narrator on his retrospective because
oh no, yes, oh no yes, And I did it
proudly because he you know, the whole thing is he
transcends the rivalry. And if you can't look at a

(23:50):
Mariano Rivera or a Derek Jeter one of those guys
and tip your hat, then you are then you're not
really a baseball fan.

Speaker 3 (23:56):
You're just an You're just an.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
Asshole, you know what I mean. I'm a real baseball
and I love baseball. The rivalry is a different thing,
and I still understand it's sports.

Speaker 3 (24:06):
You know.

Speaker 1 (24:06):
Some people are a little too maniacal and they like
get into fights and stuff about it. I just get,
you know, all worked up about it, that's all, you know.
But I'd like to think I'm healthy about it.

Speaker 3 (24:17):
I think you in person.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
Take me back to the John Belushi role and wired,
because you get praised for this role.

Speaker 1 (24:37):
But yeah, but the movie I'm aligned and well, you know,
because the movie we made never made the screen, you know,
and I'm reluctant to even talk about it because it's
so far behind me. I'm thrilled to have it way
behind me because it was trial by fire.

Speaker 3 (24:53):
You know.

Speaker 1 (24:53):
Most people get a small role in something they get
to stick their toe in and figure out what it is.
You know, my first movie, I'm the first lead playing
an icon with an Academy Award winning producer. Didn't know
about the controversy. Two months into it, I find out.
I call the producer and the director. I'm like, what
the you know? They come to my apartment tell me.

(25:15):
I'm like, and they thought. I think they assumed I
knew and I did not know. And the controversy was well,
it was based on a book by Bob Woodward really briefly,
and you know, it was heady stuff for me. I
was twenty four years old, right, and you know this,
I know him from all the president's men and being
the guy who took down Nixon. Right, So all of
a sudden, I'm in the company of what perhaps the

(25:36):
greatest journalist, you know, investigative journalists.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
You'll find this fascinating.

Speaker 1 (25:42):
At one point, when we were talking about the controversy,
he got upset with me because, you know, I was
a little loose. I was twenty four years old and
I was a little out of line. I think I
asked him. I don't remember, but I think I said
to him, Hey, Bob, do you ever smoke a joint?

Speaker 3 (25:58):
You know what I mean? You know, I mean it
comes off very judgmental.

Speaker 1 (26:03):
You know the book, you know, it's very sort of
sort of Joe Friday, just the facts, you know, John
did this, John did that.

Speaker 3 (26:10):
No, it wasn't that it was self righteous.

Speaker 1 (26:12):
It was just very sort of you know, just the facts, man, right,
And he got mad at me. I think his face
turned as red as a studio. He's like, I'm an
investigative journalist. I don't write something unless I can corroborate
it from five independent sources, right, nineteen eighty eight. And
even then that made me go, wow, can you imagine

(26:33):
that now?

Speaker 3 (26:34):
Right? Well, I saw a tweet, right, you.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
Know, and it's like in the post, like, you know,
he must really not be okay about any of this,
because he I'm sure this whole thing was.

Speaker 3 (26:46):
I don't I'm not a writer.

Speaker 2 (26:47):
Of prose, right exactly.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
I was asked to write about this. I said no
four times, and the fifth time his widow, Judy asked
me intimated that he may have been murdered. And that's
when my investigated reporters clicked in and I took the assignment.
And this is what I wrote, and now they've rejected
it because it and I said yes, because you understand

(27:10):
it reads as an indictment against not only John but
his friends the people around him.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
This is the reason.

Speaker 1 (27:16):
So I felt like this guy in the middle, like, yeah,
I've always been a bridge builder in my whole life, right,
That's that's my sort of lot in life.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
I see all of it. I'm an observer of human behavior.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
There'll be a great segue into talking about this last
week don in Washington, DC.

Speaker 3 (27:33):
If you've noticed, I don't know if you've noticed.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
I've never really talked about my political leanings or affiliations ever.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
And there's a reason for that.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
Years and years ago, I did Bill Maher's show before
it was when it was politically incorrect for ABC. And
it's during that experience that I realized, oh, this isn't for.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
Me in politics.

Speaker 3 (27:56):
Politics.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
If I'm first of all, if I'm going to be
a politician, I'm going to be a politician.

Speaker 3 (28:01):
But I'm an actor.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
I'm a storyteller, so first and foremost, I don't want
you knowing everything that I think, because I want when
you watch me play a character, I want you to
take the ride with me. And go on this story.
That's right, And I don't want people sitting there in
the theater going on. But I know he thinks, man,
you know, I mean no, no, And I knew that
then twenty five years ago.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
I had that instinct. So that was one reason.

Speaker 1 (28:28):
And the other reason is my job is to be
I observe human behavior. I we're sort of behavioralists, right,
people watch at the next level, you know, because we
don't just watch and observe. We question, We read, we
look into We like when I play someone, I get

(28:48):
into their life, their way of life, their their right,
their backstory, right. And I don't, you know, I don't
want to cloud any of that with politics, right. And
I had the most fascinating week last week. I went
down to I've been to Washington before twice before this.

Speaker 3 (29:08):
Once when I was a kid.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
My parents did the obligatory thing, took us down there
when I was like ten, and we went to the
Smithsonian and all that, you know, all the memorials and stuff.
But then in two thousand and eight I went down
there with my friend DJ Caruso and Shi La Boeuf
and the Spielberg to be in Eagle Eye and I

(29:30):
shot for a week at the Pentagon. I played the
Secretary of Defense and was fascinating. It was really a
great experience. But really, the only you know, official building
that I got to go in was the Pentagon.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
Which was enough for me.

Speaker 2 (29:45):
I got down to a good one.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
I got to land on the lawn there in a
Blackhawk helicopter post you know, well was it?

Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah? Post nine to eleven. And I even said to
the general at the time, was like, he was such
a trope, such a cliche. This guy. He was like six',
five he had a sort of A texan.

Speaker 1 (30:03):
Thing AND i said to, Him, sir he's like a
five star general who was our. Liaison AND i, said
how is it that we're being allowed to shoot in
The pentagon In post?

Speaker 3 (30:11):
NINE i live In.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
America he, goes this is An american, production, Right AND
i go, it sure.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
Is he, goes this is A spielberg, production. RIGHT i go,
it sure, is, Sir and he, goes, well, then what's
the fucking. PROBLEM i was, like no, problem here was
ry none at.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
All.

Speaker 3 (30:26):
Fantastic he was, great he was.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Great this will be uh, well since this will air long,
after just so people know you're talking about The White
House Correspondence dinner. Weekend, well, yes AND i was there as.

Speaker 3 (30:36):
Well, yes and we missed each other and we were
at a lot of the same.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
Party we totally. Were, yeah that's how it.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Goes it was like Your oscar week and you guys
go way harder than.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
We i'm telling.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
You it was like a whole week of. Partying but
Now i'm like killed me.

Speaker 2 (30:49):
Too I'm i'm, exhausted.

Speaker 3 (30:50):
So my wife AND. I but, well that's not what
took us, There, okay it just.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
Was a wonderful byproduct right of being.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
There.

Speaker 1 (30:57):
Then, yes we were there actually with a delegation from
The Creative coalition to advocate for the budget maintaining the
budget for The National endowment for The, arts which is
under threat because Of doge and all the everything being.
Cut so we went in there and went to The

(31:17):
hill and went to The White house and talked with
mainly staff because it was out of, session but some
of the congress people and, senators you, know to advocate for,
this which was unbelievable for a kid From. Boston you,
KNOW i try to tell people, This, really we take
it seriously up, there didn't. YOU i, MEAN i you,

(31:38):
KNOW i, listen The, enlightenment The. Founders it's like a
huge deal in my, world in my, life you. Know you,
KNOW i love this country warts and, all you, know
because we're the first to be so self correcting and
so self, aware you, know and there are certain things

(31:58):
that separate us from everybody. Else and one of them
is The First. Amendment it's the first. One it's not
the tenth. One it's the first, one, right because it's
really super. Important and a lot of people were grossing
about The Correspondent's dinner prior to, going AND i had
never been to A correspondent's, dinner And i'd seen them
on television and laughed and, everything and you, know, people you,

(32:21):
know there are comedians and, everything but people were really
upset by the fact that there Weren't there wasn't going
to be a comedian this year because somehow that would
Be kyle toowing to the administration and. Whatever AND i
just went there with my curiosity radar, up just, like
let me see.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
This AND i found it to be super appropriate because
the tone intenor was. Serious yeah it.

Speaker 1 (32:45):
Wasn't you, Know, look we can joke all we want another,
time but right, now this is a serious, matter and.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
What we do is very very.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
Serious AND i think this was some maya coopa going
on there as well as you, know you know, again
BECAUSE i am so a bridge builder and not talking
about political affiliations or, LEANINGS i just as an observer
found it incredible really also how toxic politics are in

(33:22):
general when you, leave LIKE i went to a bunch
of wonderful brunches WHERE i was approached by pundits from
both sides of the. Aisle pictures were taken of me with.
Them for, Example David urban comes running at.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
Me you guys look like.

Speaker 3 (33:41):
Twins, well this is the.

Speaker 1 (33:43):
Thing for, years we've both been accused of being each,
other and this is, baldism ladies and, gentlemen this is.
Baldism we're. Not he's, terrific and we're not all the same.
People god damn, it we're. Not and the joke was
BECAUSE i was There Dean norris And dean AND I
dean AND i you know What i'm. Saying So dean

(34:04):
AND i were walking around and people were like going To.
Dean they're going like the shield's. Awesome and people are
saying to, ME i love breaking bad And i'm like
we don't even you. Anymore we're just, like, yeah same.
Guy everybody's, bald you, know like, Uh and then he comes,
over so they took pictures with the three of. Us
that's you, know and and it just once proof, positive

(34:25):
once and for. All we're not the same, person, right?

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Funny but, yeah, right, yeah, YEAH i got a. Second
WHAT i know how this? Goes what is?

Speaker 3 (34:37):
Happening you? Know, no it's just this.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
Guy and then in another, Frame i'm with Wolf blizzer.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yeah and oh, yeah, yeah, YEAH i, KNOW i. Know
i'm just, like, wow, MAN i know how it.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
Goes, BELIEVE i know you.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
Do it's so weird because we.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
Got to cut it. Out we have to.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
STOP i HAVEN'T i haven't. CHANGED i haven't changed WHO
i am or WHAT i. Believe and the parties have
changed around. Me So i've gone from being too far
to the left too far to the right. NOW i,
mean you can't. WAIT i haven't. Changed i'm the. Same
but that's what you, know, Politics american. Politics. RIGHT i
wanted to do to put you in a, box and

(35:14):
then it wants to demonize. YOU i wants to tell
you the rate of this person be angry at this.

Speaker 3 (35:19):
PERSON i know. Exctly, well it's this, thing it's this.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Thing, well that doesn't.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
Help it's this. Phone we're on, radio where it's social.
Media it doesn't, help doesn't. Help i'm.

Speaker 1 (35:30):
SORRY i, joined you, know the different social media you
know apps when they first came, out BECAUSE i wanted
to be part of liberal, education a part of the great.

Speaker 2 (35:43):
Conversation, sure, Right and it was that for.

Speaker 3 (35:46):
A, minute yeah it. Was BUT i was so, naive you.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
KNOW i had the first one of the first personal
computers in the late, eighties AND i THOUGHT i was
on fire about.

Speaker 3 (35:56):
IT i was, like, oh the.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
Future it's, right it's it's the communication, age and now
the world's going to be. Smaller we're going to be
less afraid of each. Other it's going to be you. Know,
YEAH i didn't anticipate, trolls you, KNOW i didn't know
haters what that would.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
BE i didn't know.

Speaker 1 (36:14):
THAT i also didn't realize just how much vitriol and
hate there was.

Speaker 2 (36:18):
In this, world seemingly.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
Endless And i've said to my, children you are going
to need to be the single most discerning generation in the.
Humankind because my father used to say to. ME i just, said,
father you did right in your.

Speaker 3 (36:33):
Face you.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
Did, WOW i heard.

Speaker 3 (36:35):
It my father, Said yarry? Did?

Speaker 2 (36:38):
Yerry yeah did? Did?

Speaker 3 (36:40):
Right? Now what was your? Hometown and, no BUT i
mean all the whole.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
Time, yeah the whole. Time yeah he, did he.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
DID i want to pass out right?

Speaker 2 (36:48):
Now what did your father? Say? Year he? Did what
did your?

Speaker 4 (36:55):
Father one of my friends and my cousin, Why oh my,
god so SAL.

Speaker 2 (37:07):
I Did.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
SULLIVAN i knew a bunch of. Them oh my, GOD i.
Did i'm. Sorry we're. Digressing we're having an and over a.
MOMENT i can just go and go all.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
Right my father said to me a, kid and this
is serious. Thing don't believe everything you read and only
half what you.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
See, well now you can't even believe what you.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
See and by the, Way i'm in showbiz Is i've
seen some of the deep fakes that we're capable of.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
Already this is incredibly. Dangerous it's not good.

Speaker 1 (37:38):
Because it's only gonna further exacerbate and bad actress out
in the world.

Speaker 3 (37:42):
To tear us. Apart.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
People this is people have to like take a deep
breath and a big step. Back don't, react don't. Immediately
i'm so fed up with the outrage. Porn it's JUST i,
know it's a it's a cottage. Industry and then this
is where the media is, culpable you, know where you you,

(38:04):
know you're, like, oh you, know this will get them.
Talking you, Know, look if you're a fraudulent person or
you're a provocateur and you have half a brain in your,
SKULL i don't have nearly as many followers on this thing.

Speaker 3 (38:19):
Because i'm not ABOUT i don't give a, shit you.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
Know but IF i wanted to sit here and go
like what'll get them?

Speaker 3 (38:26):
Going AND i just was a provocateur in that, way that's.

Speaker 1 (38:30):
Easy it's easy to just stir outrage and freak people
out and get.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
The medi cheap calories.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
Right And i've tried to explain to. People you, know
as a, parent you don't just feed your kid fruit.

Speaker 3 (38:41):
Loops you, know as a matter of, fact we never.

Speaker 1 (38:44):
Do but you, know a treat is, fine but really
you want to nourish them and you want them to
Be it's the same.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
Thing this. Is this is.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
Poison it really, is AND i have it And i'm
part of it.

Speaker 2 (38:57):
And i'm in.

Speaker 3 (38:57):
It BUT i you're self.

Speaker 1 (38:59):
Aware i'm so aware of, it And I'M i try
to be a force for good in, it you know
WHAT i. Mean and, Again i've always been a bridge.
BUILDER i was that character In, GLEE i. WAS i
was the captain of my football, team BUT i was
a theater, nerd you. Know AND i love The stoners
BECAUSE i was in a rock, band, Right, No SO

(39:20):
i brought friendships together that wouldn't have been and they
love each other to this day because they get from
each other so much more than they take from each.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
Other and that's what we have to get back.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
To, like you, know if you, imagine it's sort of
imagine if every restaurant you were is the same three
items on the Red come, on, man, hey we're so
lucky that we have a sick menu.

Speaker 3 (39:47):
Here it's really, beautiful.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
You, know YES i, do AND i mean on every,
level you, know and. Listen if there's things that you
don't like that or put out there by my, industry you,
know don't watch, it you, know to go like, This
you have a thumb for, this use it for, this
and you, know and speak with your, thumb you, know
and you, know watch something, else but don't be outraged

(40:13):
by or maybe watch it and open your.

Speaker 3 (40:16):
Mind think you, know discuss. IT i always have.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
Said my favorite roles are the roles that With the
trifecta for me is WHEN i entertain, you because that's
my job first and. Foremost but then IF i make
you think and, feel especially, feel IF i jar your.

Speaker 3 (40:36):
Humanity make you feel. Something it's not enough for.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
Me to people to just blithely watch something like that was,
Good well that was. Shit you, KNOW i want something
to stir in. Them, otherwise what are we? Doing it's
just an.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Exercise, well you've talked about, empathy AND i you, KNOW
i want to ask you about that because and this

(41:13):
sort of this marries what you're talking about politically with your.
Work but it's SOMETHING i struggle with Because I'm i'm very,
empathetic almost to a. Fault it gets in the way
of my, job and my job it can.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
BE i can't BELIEVE i actually said that out that
it can.

Speaker 2 (41:29):
Be you can bring politics and war AND i want
to disassociate on the one, hand SO i can do
the job and not take it home with me and
not let it hurt me and and consume. Me BUT
i also don't want to turn it off BECAUSE i
lead with empathy and WHEN i talk about. POLITICS i
start with empathy, first and that's WHAT i. Think you know,

(41:52):
that that's what guides. Me so how do you navigate your?

Speaker 3 (41:55):
Job AND i love that you brought this up as an.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
EmPATH, yeah and not let it get in the way
or take over you to a point where it's.

Speaker 1 (42:04):
Unhealthy back to my mother and, father equilibrium. Balance this
is all part of imbalance in. Life life is very
difficult to navigate for all of.

Speaker 3 (42:18):
Us we're.

Speaker 1 (42:18):
Born here's my father said to. Me we're, born we
live for a, time and then we pass. Away and
it's that nagging reality that drives man to. EXTREMITY i was,
like is That? Aristotle, no? Chicky, yeah but that's, right that's.

(42:39):
Right and we're. Afraid what this amounts to is this
condition of man that we live in makes us. Afraid
and what happens when we're afraid we get fight or flight.

Speaker 3 (42:50):
Syndrome. RIGHT i have to.

Speaker 1 (42:53):
COMPARTMENTALIZE i have to, like IF i believe this And
i'm a good little boy or little girl AND i
do these, Things i'll end up in this becaushy place
up here at the.

Speaker 3 (43:01):
End and what you're from where.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
You have a different, God oh, no like worldview gets
messed With i'm AFRAID i attack you OR.

Speaker 3 (43:09):
I run from. You this is the. Cycle this is
what we get. Into so we have to step, back be,
observational look at, it see why people are. Upset see
instead of just getting caught up in the. Vitriol.

Speaker 1 (43:22):
See for for over a, decade we've been so preoccupied
with the right and the lack of empathy and the
hardness and the sort of, cruelty fish fascist sort of
leanings of some of the people on the. Right people
have lost sight of the fact that when you go
too far with the empathy side of, it you get

(43:43):
into group think and maw and that becomes like, This
it goes full circles meet each other at the other.
Extreme it's a. Fact i'm, Sorry i've observed.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
It it's just.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
True and we've seen this in. History And i'm a history.
NUT i love TO i love to read. History and you,
see oh oh. What i'm Hopeful and this might Be,
POLLYANNA i might be a.

Speaker 3 (44:07):
FOOL i don't.

Speaker 1 (44:09):
KNOW i guess one would Say i'm an eternal, optimist
But i'm also very much a.

Speaker 3 (44:14):
Realist.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
Essie i'm hoping that because our life cycles are, longer
and we do have more information than we ever have
that maybe we can cut this off at the pass
before we get to the. Extreme because people bandy these
terms about, oh civil, War, yeah yet civil?

Speaker 3 (44:34):
War bite your lip? Off do you want to see that? Here,
no you don't, know you don't.

Speaker 1 (44:43):
THAT i, mean, really, REALLY i, mean before you just
talk shit out of your, mouth think about what you're
saying out.

Speaker 3 (44:51):
Loud, look don't you see images From.

Speaker 1 (44:54):
Syria and gods at all these different. PLACES i don't
care what side of it you're.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
On politically you, want that's not what we.

Speaker 1 (45:01):
Want so you have to find your way back to,
cooperation to, understanding to, appreciation first and foremost in your own.
Life and, again these balancing acts start. Personally you, know
there's that great old ADAGE i forget how it. Goes it's,

(45:22):
essentially never allow yourself to get too, hungry too, thirsty too.

Speaker 3 (45:26):
Sad too. Tired it's all the toos, right it's.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
Extremity extremity leads to just, That AND i don't care
if it's on the.

Speaker 3 (45:35):
Far left or the far right or the far.

Speaker 1 (45:37):
Anything SO i go through my life trying to find, equilibrium, moderation.

Speaker 3 (45:42):
Trying to find.

Speaker 1 (45:43):
BALANCE i only have once around in this, planet AND
i don't want to spend it with my hair on,
fire screaming.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
It people are getting screamed. AT i want to live a,
beautiful healthy.

Speaker 1 (45:54):
LIFE i want to enjoy my children in the passage
of the. TIME i know it sounds corny and kumbaya
and fuck, you, yeah that's, right, right, right pardon my.

Speaker 3 (46:03):
Friends that's what it.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Is that sounds like a lofty goal these, days and
it should not be like that's, right that should be
what we all just don't.

Speaker 3 (46:10):
Imagine simplicity seems out of the.

Speaker 2 (46:13):
Question does it? Does but that's WHAT i want, Too
that's WHAT i yearn. For Two AND i have to
find balance in my work in life because my work
is what it, is, obviously but my life. IS i
don't want it to infect my. Life but it's. Hard
there's a lot of. Crossover and by.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
The, Way i'm saying this all out, loud But i'm
also Saying i'm projecting Because i'm saying it to, myself.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
Because you're practicing it and you don't always succeeded. IT
i get.

Speaker 3 (46:40):
A till all the, TIME i get caught.

Speaker 2 (46:42):
UP i do.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
It BUT i am brutally self, aware and i'd like
to think, that you, know you go through your life
with ninety percent experience ten percent. Reflection that's A i
think the proper. Balance you should be going through your
life and doing and achieving and having go and putting things.
Together but you need to spend at least ten percent

(47:03):
of your life really in the quiet of your own.
Thoughts AND i don't mean with anybody. Else you, yeah,
going AM i?

Speaker 3 (47:10):
Okay is WHAT i just went? Through, okay, well you.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
Know and and not to lash out and, blame not
to you, know take a personal, accounting take, responsibility right?

Speaker 2 (47:24):
Heal maybe you, yeah, right go, fishing, right.

Speaker 1 (47:28):
You, know do something that's that makes you, happy paint a,
picture do something that makes you.

Speaker 2 (47:33):
And that disconnects from all the, triggers, right, yeah that's. Right,
Well i've had to become painfully self aware as well
to deal with anxiety and that crossover and the urge
to catastrophize because everything seems awful and, so you, know
but you've got to you've got to preserve those, boundaries
and they become porous. Sometimes but, again here's my.

Speaker 1 (47:57):
Father go, ahead you, know he and my mother passed
away just before the.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
PANDEMIC i missed the. Marribly i'm, Sorry it's.

Speaker 1 (48:07):
Okay, WOW i have a hard time talking about my parents.
Sometimes well that's.

Speaker 3 (48:11):
Beautiful it meant so much to. Me SO.

Speaker 1 (48:15):
I was grousing about, everything you, know you, know with,
this and you, know and he was my. Pillar, he you,
know the one Person i've got broad's, shoulders, right so,
people everyone in my sphere comes to, me, right AND
i take care of.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
Everybody but my father was the GUY i went to
WHEN i was.

Speaker 1 (48:35):
Grousing and he says to, Me, Michael, yeah do you
want to go back to the year of your birth
nineteen sixty? Three you want me to remind you what
was going on in sixty? Three do you want to
go back to the year of my birth thirty? Nine
you want to go back to Your Papuli's, yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:58):
You know, right you, know right.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
Perspective that's always was zooming out my Old, yeah there's.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
Such a safe.

Speaker 1 (49:06):
Philosopher philosopher, really you, know they would they turned me
on to, this you, know That's i'm going to highly
recommend read the, philosophers you, Know and he would say
this is a. Toolkit some of them you'll never use
not some of these, tools and some of them you,
will and and and it's the wisdom of the. Ages

(49:28):
and you'll, see like when you read The, stoics for,
example you'll see How Marcus aurelius in ways is a brilliant. Man,
now he didn't have the benefit of modernity and science
to know all these different, things but that doesn't mean
that everything that he was talking about was, incorrect especially
About one of the things that strikes you when you
read the ancient, philosophers The greeks and, others is that

(49:53):
we're the. Same we're the same as we've always. Been
the human, condition, hate, love the average. Joy, yes all
of that is still as it. Was we might have
fancy computers and, shit but we're the same, principally and
we're still, afraid and we still have a life. Cycle

(50:14):
and as soon as you acknowledge that and hug. It
it's my father always used to, say take the take
the demoned.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
Off your, shoulder and look him in the face and
give him a, hug and then stick get the fuck.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
Out. Yeah have you ever thought about writing a book
about everything your father taught?

Speaker 3 (50:32):
You? Yeah, yeah, yes, YEAH i think.

Speaker 1 (50:37):
So everybody. WELL i wrote a screenplay with my daughter,
recently and and some of these gems are in. This
it's it's about a young man who he and his
sister are sort of lost and on the brink of
losing their. Home through an extraordinary set of, circumstances he
becomes the lowest guy as an intern in an old folks,

(51:00):
home and through his relationship with this one woman in,
particular but all the elderly in, there he learns how to.
Live and you, know to, me S, sie we're you.
Know the theme of this movie is we are made.
Poorer and this isn't a finger wagging like kids these.
Days it's not that at. All but it's about the generation,

(51:22):
chasm because it's not a gap. Anymore it's a, chasm
and it's exacerbated by this shit the PHONE i got pointing.
At and this is where we have to find each.
Other because my life is exponentially better because of the
TIME i spent with my my papuli and all of
their friends and my uncles and aunts and vice. Versa

(51:44):
they were we were energy and life for them and
brought vitality to their. Lives were made. Poorer the elderly
and the young without each other and each Other's and
that's just a. Fact my Favorite greek. Word it doesn't
really translate directly Into. English AND i tell it to

(52:05):
everybody THAT i cares to. LISTEN i even had a
neon light of it made in my. Backyard In greek
blue is perea p a r e a perea, Right
the literal translation is. Company but in my, house at,
least what it meant was life in my, house kids

(52:27):
and dogs and music and, noises. Screaming and people THINK
i have a raspy voice from like smoking or some.
Shit it's from yelling to be. Heard we were, Loud
we were you, know we had. Fun, yeah and we were,
together you, Know and that's the way it is in my.

Speaker 3 (52:44):
HOUSE i love. That it's. BEAUTIFUL i love. That.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
WELL i think we got the title to your, Book.
PARIA i might be, OKAY i want to do a lightning.
Round let's do. It which famous actor did not live in?
Andover Jay, Leno Robert Uric, Tyne Daily, Correct Boston bruins

(53:10):
Of Boston Red.

Speaker 1 (53:10):
Sox oh, REALLY i, oh, oh you know you would do.
That SEE i was supposed to be that's not very,
lightning but so much joy and that.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
No, pass hard. Pass, okay what's your order At? Fenway?

Speaker 3 (53:29):
Fenway, Frank frank and a tall one and. Beer that's right.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
Us we used to learn our lines From Boston university
and the cheap.

Speaker 3 (53:39):
Seats we get a couple of four. Dollars, frank go right.

Speaker 1 (53:43):
BACK i got a dog and a beer and we
sit there and.

Speaker 3 (53:48):
You, know go over Our.

Speaker 5 (53:49):
Shakespeare uh she wolf Of, friends but worse than wolves Of.
France get the fucking do this tongue more poison than
the adder's?

Speaker 3 (54:00):
Tooth how will it be? Seeing is? It?

Speaker 2 (54:02):
No?

Speaker 3 (54:03):
No, god damn. It i'll get exactly that's the way it.
WENT i love.

Speaker 2 (54:08):
THAT i can just imagine. It would you ever run for?

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Office, No i'd rather eat, glass broken.

Speaker 2 (54:17):
Glass same same, Girl, Sam, yeah, okay this is this
is a very important. Question it's the last, question and
it's the question we ask at the end of every.
Podcast it's important to. ME i think you're gonna get this.
RIGHT i want to go out on a limb. Here
when is iced coffee? Season ice coffee?

Speaker 3 (54:37):
Seasons the?

Speaker 2 (54:37):
Summer, okay all, right, okay the.

Speaker 3 (54:40):
Summer that's you, know that's why it's ice because it's.

Speaker 2 (54:44):
Hot it's.

Speaker 3 (54:46):
Who wants a hot coffee In?

Speaker 2 (54:47):
July not?

Speaker 3 (54:49):
Me that's when you go TO i.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
Don't, Either BUT i, ALSO i MEAN i drink dunk
iced year. Round the answer is year. Round it's year.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Round, Oh i'm.

Speaker 1 (54:56):
SORRY i didn't know that was the. THING i you,
KNOW i drink coffee in the, winter, right do.

Speaker 2 (55:02):
That's a that's. Usual that's. Normal you're. Normal you're. Normal
but me and my, dunk my dunk and?

Speaker 3 (55:09):
Ice CAN i?

Speaker 2 (55:10):
UNDERSTAND i want it every day AND i have it every.
Day it's ice every.

Speaker 3 (55:13):
Day are you an? Addiction that's the, thing, right that's
You PROBABLY i need.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
That, well it's, comfort, right we all have our. Comfort,
well you, know some people turn to, booze some people
turn to, drugs some people turn to.

Speaker 3 (55:31):
Food some people want their. DONKEYS i need my.

Speaker 2 (55:34):
Donkeys what's your dunk in?

Speaker 3 (55:35):
Order you, KNOW i hate to admit the salt, lab
BUT i haven't been with duncans in a long.

Speaker 2 (55:41):
Time, okay this but but you, know, OKAY i.

Speaker 6 (55:44):
Would have a large ice, coffee largest, coffee, okay large
ic loge iced with, cream loge iced with.

Speaker 2 (55:54):
CREAM i like that. Order that's we'll cut out the
part where you say you haven't had in a long.
Time we'll cut it. Out we're just gonna cut.

Speaker 3 (55:59):
It, yeah that's.

Speaker 1 (56:00):
Okay it's been well SINCE i was, there which was you,
KNOW i haven't been back To. BOSTON i went to
visit my parents' graves about a year and a half.

Speaker 3 (56:12):
Ago, yes it's a long. Time, YEAH i got to go.

Speaker 2 (56:15):
Back, well let's meet sometime back In boston and have
a dunk. Together.

Speaker 3 (56:20):
DONE i love.

Speaker 2 (56:21):
That, Done Michael, checklis thank you so. Much this is
great for having. Me, OH i loved.

Speaker 3 (56:24):
It cheers.

Speaker 2 (56:27):
And off The cup. Fans i'm really curious because this
has now come up in several, podcasts this anxiety over
our phones and social media and keeping our kids off,
them or or you, know keeping them on in a balanced,
way or or protecting our own mental health from our
phones and social. MEDIA i really want to know from

(56:48):
you at, home what do you? Do what are your
tips and? Tricks how do you protect? Yourself how do
you protect your kids around the phone and social? Media
right to us At off The cup at gmail dot.
Com That's cup with two, p's just like the, Podcast
And i'm genuinely. CURIOUS i need help in this. Area
i've got a little. Kid it's also just such a
part of my. Life tell us what you do and

(57:10):
we'll read them on the next. Episode. Thanks next, WEEK
i sit down WITH tv, chef restaurant tour and all
around awesome Person Andrew.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
Zimmern you, know earlier in the, podcast you asked WHAT
i thought was one of the most insightful questions that
nobody has ever asked.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
Me, oh and then this is the worst got? It
okay about?

Speaker 3 (57:30):
It the worst one is what's the worst thing you've ever?

Speaker 2 (57:33):
EATEN i would never ask you. That off The cup
is a production Of iHeart podcasts as part of The
Reason Choice. Network if you want, more check out the
Other Reason choice Podcasts spolitics With Jamel hill And Native Land.
Pod For off The, Cop i'm your, Host Si, cup
editing and sound design By Derek. Clements our executive producers

(57:54):
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