Dave Hill

Dave Hill seamlessly blends virtuosic guitar playing with razor-sharp comedy, creating an entirely unique performance experience that defies categorization. In this captivating conversation with Greg Koch, Dave reveals the unexpected path that led him from his Cleveland roots as a rock musician to becoming a multifaceted comedian, author, and performer in New York City.

The heart of Dave's artistic evolution came when he discovered audiences found genuine humor in his guitar prowess. "When I realized that people were laughing at guitar solos—not in a mocking way—I started doing things like tapping," Dave explains. This revelation transformed his approach, allowing him to stretch 10 minutes of material into 20 while "getting laughs in different ways" and developing his signature style of berating his backing musicians between impressive solos.

What makes Dave's performances particularly fascinating is his "Chuck Berry style" approach to working with local musicians. Often meeting his backing band just hours (or sometimes minutes) before showtime, he transforms this unpredictability into comedic gold. Whether performing with legendary musicians like Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or with drummers who "own drums at best," Dave embraces the chaos as part of his art form.

The conversation drifts through numerous fascinating detours, from their shared Catholic upbringings to the unpredictable nature of social media virality. Dave shares stories about opening for Tenacious D in arenas, writing four books, and crafting the theme song for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver with his band Valley Lodge. Through it all, his creative philosophy remains refreshingly simple: "You really can only entertain yourself... anytime you're thinking 'what do people want,' that's not part of the equation."

Follow Dave on social media for his hilarious "fake commercials" and check out his band Valley Lodge for a taste of his musical side. As Dave puts it: "I'm feral, this is what I do... now I just have to ride it out until I die, because that's the only option really."

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Ladies and gentlemen, can you believe it?
It's already time for seasonsix of Chewing the Gristle with
yours truly, greg Cox.
So many delightfulconversations to look forward to
.
We'll talk about music.
Yes, sure, but you know whatelse we're going to talk about.
Anything that comes to mind, sostay tuned.
We'll talk about music.
Yeah, sure, but you know whatelse we're gonna talk about.
Anything that comes to mind, sostay tuned.
We got some good ones for you.

(00:29):
Chewin' the Gristle, season six.
This week on Chewin' theGristle we've got a guy I'm a
big fan of, dave Hill, comedianand musician extraordinaire.
If you follow him on his socialmedia stuff he's fantastic and

(00:51):
his live shows, where hecombines music with humor, let's
just say he's a man after myown heart.
Ladies and gentlemen, this weekon Chewing the Gristle, dave
Hill.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys andgirls, once again we gather
around the gristle fire for aconvivial conversation for
Chewing the Gristle.

(01:12):
Today we have a star of stageand screen of the page of the
inner Google, the mighty DaveHill.
You might know him as Dave frombefore.
I just call him kick-ass.
What's going on, dave?
What's happening?

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Oh, thanks for having me, greg.
I'm here in my apartment, wherethe temperature fluctuates
greatly here in New York City,which is why I have a scarf on,
and now I've discarded it.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
I thought it looked pretty kick-ass, keeping with
the theme.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
It does.
I'll just kind of drape it.
I like it.
I like what you've done, thankyou.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Now for the viewers at home.
We don't actually show thevideo from this, but I think
they can sense a little extraoomph, if you will, by having
that glorious rain mint aroundyour neck.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Oh, yeah, yeah at 1, now my.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I don't know if you heard the dog drinking water in
the background I can actuallysee the reflection on one of the
pictures in the back.
There I think I could see acreature lurking oh yeah, she's
lurking around a powerful beast.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Oh yeah, she's a big.
She's like a 65 pound hellhoundyou know, I have Licking her
butthole right now.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
actually, that's all right, a dog's got to do what a
dog's got to do.
Yeah, I was having a deliciouslittle coffee and chat fest with
my buddy Willie Porter, who's agreat guitar player and singer,
fella, and I said I'm about totalk to Dave Hill, I had to show
him some of your videos and, ofcourse, anytime that you engage

(02:46):
in a spirited I'm going to callit a duet with John Mayer, it
just fills me with such glee.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh, thank you.
Yeah, me too, and I'm bummedlike he was posting videos for a
while that you could duet withon TikTok and then he just
stopped.
What a tease.
Yeah, I'm hoping he gets backto it, maybe whenever he
releases another record orsomething.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
I'm hoping he does too, just so I can see your
interpretation of one of hisglorious sonic selections.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah, yeah, it's really I just I run it through
and what comes out is what'smissing from the original
recording, I believe well, oh,I'm spot on absolutely you know.
Thank you for noticing.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Oh, my god, I love mayor camp oh, no more word from
the mayor camp, interestinglyenough no, it's and it's it.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
The silence is deafening because we definitely
have.
You know, they're not even.
We have like mutual friends andstuff.
So you would think, but no, youknow what it's people.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
People are a strange breed.
I don't judge Dave, but I doobserve and comment accordingly.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, and judge privately.
That's what I do Privately.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's what I do.
So let's talk a little bitabout the genesis of the Dave
Hill experience, starting inbeautiful Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
And you're quite the accomplished guitar player,
songwriter, musician.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Too kind.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
But also you put this musicianship together with your
comedy to to make for it's justfantastic.
It just makes um, I waswatching, watching one of the
things last night on the youtube, uh, a show that you did, uh,
one of your comedy specials onthe old youtube, and I was just
howling.
It was glorious, oh, thank you.
I mean the timing and and thethe, everything about it was
like this is right up my alley.
You know, when you hitsomething you're like this guy's

(04:47):
a kindred spirit.
Uh, if you'll allow me forsaying so, and, uh, I'm honored.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
I mean, that's how I felt the first time I I started
watching your videos, which I Iwas trying to think of what was
like the one that sucked me in.
But I can't pinpoint what itwas, whether it was, you know, a
Wildwood video or somethingelse.
But here we are.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Here we are.
So you started in Cleveland,and what was your kind of
trajectory?
Was humor always part of themain thrust of what you were
going to do?
Or you're like, no, I'm amusician.
Or were you always like, hey, Ido all of these things.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
let's see what happens no, I, I never planned
to go into comedy, and there aresome people out there would
argue that I still haven't thosepeople are fools.
But no, I just, you know, likemost reasonable people, young, I
wanted to play in a band, youknow, since I was like eight

(05:47):
years old or something and uh,so that was you know that, and I
was into like visual art and uh, so I formed a band with, like
my best friends in college andand we got signed to Priority
Records, which at the time, andmaybe still, I'm not sure was

(06:12):
primarily a hip-hop label.
Ah, and they kind of did thisrock experiment where they
signed a few bands.
We were called Sons of Elvis,which I love.
That it's a great slash,horrible name, but it's the kind
of name you give yourselveswhen you're in the basement and
you're teenagers and you don'tthink you'll ever leave the

(06:33):
basement, and we just stuck withit.
But so, and we were, and we hadthis key element, I think, which
I have not had since and Iwould urge anyone in any field
is we had such confidence, likefrom our very first we thought
we were amazing and I thinkthat's a really key thing and we

(06:59):
got better.
So when we like a lot of people, you know you're in your early
20s and you get a record dealand we thought we'll take over
the world.
Now we'll be.
We'll be led zeppelin the nextled zeppelin or whatever, which
you know has been my favoriteband since I was seven yes and
uh, and then we got droppedafter our first record, as

(07:24):
happens mostly, and then, justvery quickly, I'll go From there
.
I started painting houses.
Then I started writing, justsort of accidentally.
My sister was a writer andencouraged me.
And then I started writing fortelevision, just kind of
drifting, because friends wereworking in television and
they're like hey, do you want tosubmit some jokes to this thing

(07:46):
?
And I did that.
And then I ended up writing ona TV show in New York and I
wound up writing for anothershow and then I was just on the
show because I was such an idiotin the office.
They're like fine, just be onthe show.
It was this show called CourtTV, which is a daily show kind
of show.

(08:06):
Yeah, it was on on true tv, Ithink.
And um, no, it was calledsmoking gun tv and it was on
court tv, which is now true tv.
I'm sorry you could so much ofthis you can edit out, but
anyway so, and from that of myfriend, tony carnevale was like
oh, I run the show in the backof a bar.

(08:27):
Do you want a comedy show?
And he asked me if I wanted todo it, having no plans to ever
do comedy on stage Becausegrowing up, like, I didn't
understand that Music.
I understood like, oh, peopleform bands or whatever and they
go play.
But comedy I always thought was, oh, this is like me and my

(08:48):
friends goofing around and DavidLetterman was just like the
funniest guy from high school,so his buddy from high school
must be in charge of NBC.
And that's how he got this show.
That's how I thought it worked.
I didn't think it was like, ohno, he worked really hard to get
to this point.
I thought it was just like, hey, dave, we got to fill the 11 30
time slot and, um, so I starteddoing that, yeah, and, like you

(09:13):
know, in the back of bars.
And then I always, just becauseof my reverence, uh, for the
majesty of rock yes, I kept ittotally separate and you know,
around the time started doingcomedy, which was 20 years ago I
formed a band called ValleyLodge, which I still have, and I

(09:34):
formed it with my buddy, johnKimbrough, who's one of my
all-time favorite musicians andguitar heroes.
He had this band Walt Mink andhe's just amazing.
And so we formed this band WaltMink and he's just amazing.
And so we formed this band andwe made a record and then I kept

(09:54):
it very separate.
And then there started to beshows where there would be a
house band Right, my friend TomPapa's show Come to Papa.
My friend Wesley Stace's show,cabinet of Wonders.
My friend Greg Barris' showHeart of Darkness.
And so I just said, well, I'mjust going to bring my guitar
along once they start asking meto do the shows.
And then I just startedberating the band and ripping

(10:20):
solos in between jokes and thenI realized, oh there's, like
this whole.
I think part of the reason Iresisted mixing music is because
, you know, aside from likeTenacious D, who I love and have
since toured with a coupletimes, right, you know, flight
of the Conchords, who are alsoamazing, like a lot of the stuff

(10:41):
I was seeing, like in thecomedy clubs where people were
doing musical comedy, was justkind of like acoustic guitar
strumming and you know open grhyming things with poop and
things exactly, I was like whatI'm like I don't want to do that
.
So then when I realized thatpeople were laughing at guitar

(11:03):
solos not in a mocking way, butI realized because I think I
thought like well, it's notfunny to be good, but once you
start doing things like tappingand stuff which, to the lay
person, people think that's likethe hardest, they think it's
like even though between you andme and anyone listening it's

(11:23):
one of the easiest things to do.
But you do it and then peoplestart laughing at that.
So it started to be this funthing where, first of all, 10
minutes of material is now 20minutes when you're playing
guitar solos and yelling at thedrummer Right.
So I was like okay, stretchingout the act and also getting

(11:43):
laughs in different ways, andhonestly, there's a laziness
factor not performance-wise, butjust in terms of leaving the
house that I only have to leave.

Speaker 1 (11:57):
I still have my band, valley Lodge, which, which we
should say you guys came up withthe theme song to the John
Oliver program.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yeah, yeah, Last week tonight that's one of our songs
, which was an amazingly luckything.
I know John and I know theshowrunner, Liz Stanton.
She just called one day andsaid hey, we just decided to try
your song as an opening.
Now, like 12 years later,they're still using it.
Excellent, Excellent.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
So, and knock on wood , the show will be on the next
30 years, but anyway so we'regoing to have some good material
coming up, but we won't getinto that For better or for
worse, yeah so, but anyway.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
So I just found it was.
You know, I was kind of likehaving more fun, obviously,
playing guitar and and tellingjokes at the same time, and I
sort of it sort of evolved intoI still do just like regular,
I'll go do a show and I'll justtalk for 15, 20 minutes, but
it's more fun to play the guitarand uh, and it's guitar and it

(13:07):
also gives me the excuse orjustifies the stupid amount of
guitars I have in my mind.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
You don't need to justify it.
It's good, clean, fun.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
I know you're right.
I think it's just Catholicguilt.
Why would you have more thanone guitar?
Catholic guilt, yeah.
Why would you have more thanone guitar?

Speaker 1 (13:26):
You know, when you're putting together a set of
comedy versus, of course, a bandthing, what are some
similarities or certainlythere's differences.
But I think you know, whenpeople see comedians they think
that a lot of it is is excuse me, I can't use my tongue right

(13:48):
now Extemporized, yeah, but butthere's.
There's like riffs, right,you've got your riffs and you go
and you, you put those alltogether and they change from
night to night and I wouldimagine, judging from comedian,
there's guys that are absolutelydo the same thing after they've
sussed out their show and thenthey tour behind that to get the

(14:08):
timing just right.
But how much are likeinterchangeable bits versus
what's extemporized, versus youknow, and and what's the the
time that you keep stuff in aset, versus?
Oh, I'm going back to thisparticular town.
I just was there and I did x, yand Z.
You know what I mean.
How does it work in thecomedian realm versus musician
realm?

Speaker 2 (14:29):
It's kind of the opposite, in that musicians, you
know everyone wants you to play.
You know, if you're touring,it's like, oh, cool, they're
playing all the hits, they'replaying the first two albums oh,
this is amazing whereas comedy,it's like.
You know, ideally you want tobe doing new stuff all the time,

(14:51):
right, um, but, and I don'tknow, I mean, I, I berate myself
for literally everything but,um, again getting back to our
shared catholicism, that's yeah,but I, you know, I'm kind of
always like.
I'm like, oh, I feel like ittakes, know, I'm kind of always
like.
I'm like, oh, I feel like ittakes me so long to come up with
like new material and likestuff that I am excited about.

(15:12):
But I think the general rulewould be like once you've
released something on an albumor in a special that maybe it's,
you're done with it, but, um,but is?

Speaker 1 (15:22):
there still that expectation of, like a greatest
hit of your comedy realm wouldbe included in a show, and are
people disappointed when it'snot, or it's just not the same
thing?

Speaker 2 (15:33):
I mean, there's a couple ways I think about it.
Like I remember when andrewdice clay you know his that big
whatever first album came out,which you know I wasn't really a
fan of, and I I say that not totalk smack about him at all
Like I respect him or whatever,but what?
Like the hickory dickory, thedirty Brian, that wasn't my,

(15:55):
that just wasn't like kind ofnot cause it was dirty or just
it wasn't.
I wasn't necessarily into it,but but if you listen to that
record, like the whole arena isscreaming along with him, like
they know the jokes already,Right, and so like, and I think
that was part of the fun of it,Um, but that's a rare thing.

(16:17):
Uh, I don't know if I can namedrop.
Um, my friend, tom papa, who'sdear friend and and and directs,
is directing my off-broadwayshow.
I we were talking about like oh, what's gonna go in the show
and I was like.
I was like can I sneak in likeold bits that are like I feel

(16:38):
would be like really fit wellwith the show?
And he was, and he to name drop, for I guess name dropping once
removed.
He's friends with JerrySeinfeld and he's like I had the
same conversation with him andhe's like Jerry was like how
famous do you think you are?
Like there's billions of peoplelike, relatively speaking, you

(17:03):
know on earth.
Like, and I'm way smaller thantom, like it's like it's like
people haven't heard my jokesand, relatively speaking, no one
has any idea who I am.
So he's like yeah, if you wantto put in some, right, but so
anyway, uh, but yeah, the youknow, the you know.

(17:24):
In the UK, you know people dolike the Edinburgh Fringe Fest
every summer and are crankingout a new hour every year and I
just I don't.
There's some people in theStates that are that prolific,
but I don't think it's as commonto be just cranking out new
material.
Um, also like I, I don't know,I think any of my ideas, whether

(17:48):
they be comedy or musical orwriting or whatever I kind of
look at it as like excretions,like a slug would leave behind.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
It's just kind of what comes out.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
Yeah, I don't really.
I think the only thing that Ido that is like I can sit down
and be like, okay, I have to dothis right now.
It's like when I'm writing abook because there's other
people who are like we gave youthe money, where's the book?
So I kind of have to go, youknow, I have to sit down and be
like I have to turn this inAgain, catholicism again.

(18:24):
I'm like I'm going to be introuble.
I'm going to be in trouble if Idon't send this.
I understand.
So there's some pressure is agood thing.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
But as far as those bits like I mean, how much
wiggle room do you do from nightto night?
If you have your show set, arethere nights where you're like,
oh, I didn't even do X, y and Z,whereas the next night you
might exclude another bit, or isit?
And how much are those thingsdifferent from night to night?

Speaker 2 (18:50):
They're different.
You know, it's kind of modular,like I'd be like I'm going to
do this, this and this.
But, like you know, there's acertain amount of I don't really
do crowd work in terms of like,hey, oh, what do you do for a
living?
I don't really do that.
But, um, which is, by the way,the easiest thing in the world

(19:11):
to do, it's like it's the righthand tapping of comedy, but uh,
um, so don't be impressed bythose uh, tik, tok clips, right,
Um, but you know, there thereare elements of talking to the
crowd, so that, where, you know,I ended up having these
different elements that I cankind of come back to so it

(19:35):
changes.
I mean, like it's, it's reallyfun when you finish a show that
you feel good about and you cantell the audience enjoyed and
you go like, oh, wow, I only didhalf of my material.
That's a good night, right,right, right, right, like.
When you're kind of barrelingthrough it, you're like that's
not really a good night, youknow, when you're, just go to
the next one, you know, I meanit's like same.

(19:58):
You know you probably, you know, playing in a band I have more
fun when I'm like, oh, I wastalking.
I mean, that's kind of why oneof the reasons I started to
enjoy comedy is playing in bands.
I realized, oh, I like thetalking part just as much as
when we play the songs Exactly.
But that's a fun show where youget to talk and you're like, oh

(20:19):
, we got to cut a couple songsfrom the set because I was
blabbing too much.
You know, that's a good night?
I think yeah For me, unlesspeople are like why didn't you
play which wouldn't happen to mebut you know would happen to
you and to people with songsthat people know and want to
hear.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
So do you travel with the same band or do you hire
bands in different regions?

Speaker 2 (20:43):
I hire them.
It's pretty much Chuck Berrystyle and the stuff that I do is
I mean, I dream of getting to apoint where I can kind of
change what I'm doing to where,like, I have a band that knows
complex arrangements but it'sjust not doable to tour that way

(21:03):
, so I intentionally sort ofwrite the music pieces to where
people I mean the kind of thegag and the gag, and usually the
reality is I've just met thisband at 4.30, 6 o'clock,
whatever.
I mean there's been times when,for whatever reason, the
drummer has shown up andcouldn't be there for soundcheck

(21:26):
and I met him when I called theband to the stage.
Right, I did a show once whereI met the drummer who was
supposed to be the drummerbefore the show.
And I just kind of go over likethis is going to be this kind of
bluesy R&B groove and I tellthe bass player the notes.

(21:48):
It's in D, minor, d, pentatonicor whatever, and that's about
the only direction I'll givebecause I want it to be if the
musicians are decent, that'spart of the fun.
And also I don't want it to beperfect because I want to be
able to yell at them and I findit.
I find like the better themusicians, the more the funnier

(22:11):
it is to berate them, right?
So sometimes and you know,sometimes I have, you know, like
when I toured with Tenacious D,I had John and Scott you know,
the Tenacious D rhythm sectionand they're, you know, they're
total badasses and they have agreat sense of humor too section

(22:32):
and they're, you know, they'retotal badasses and they have a
great sense of humor too, sothey can play.
You know, on the first tour Idid with them, I called an
audible in front of like 10 000people.
I was just like I want to dothis other thing and they're so
good that we jumped in andplayed it confidently in front
of, with having never evendiscussed it more than, like you
know, turning them like yellingthe chords let's go, but um,

(22:56):
and it goes the other way too,like in tertiary markets where
ringers aren't available.
no, um ringers are available,there's badasses everywhere,
generally speaking.
But I have run into where, um,I'll, I'll go over, I'll be like
hey, this is really easy, justd-a-g.
And the bass player is likewell, show me.

(23:18):
And I was like okay.
And then you realize, oh, theydon't know the notes.
Like they are looking at myhands because they play it and
they're like no, I'm like no,that's d-e, uh what the hell's
your problem.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
No, I look, it's my own fault, because like they
play it and they're like no, I'mlike no, that's D E.
A is on the other side.
What the hell's your problem?

Speaker 2 (23:34):
No, I look it's my own fault, cause, like a lot of
times, if I don't know people orfriends can't wrangle people.
I'll just do an Instagram postand I'll be like hey, who wants
to come play?
And and that's how it goes.
So, and it, you, and it usuallyworks out pretty well and, no

(23:59):
matter what, it's fun, and Iwould never.
If someone's not a great player, I don't think it makes the
show worse, it's still fun.
It's just more fun when peopleare total beasts, and I am more
entertained knowing who I'myelling at.
Like I did a show I don't knowif you know the Milk Carton Kids

(24:24):
.
They're an amazing folk duo,but we were at the Newport Folk
Festival and they did this showand they had me on as a guest
and Ben Montench from Petty andthe Heartbreakers, of course, an
amazingly nice guy and a totalmusical hero.
I met him before the show, andso the Milk Carton Kids guys,

(24:50):
joey and Kenneth, were like,yeah, he's going to be part of
your backing band, we'll do itand he'll do it, but it was
everyone's running around.
I didn't really tell himanything, so I neglected to
mention it.
Like, oh, by the way, I'm goingto be verbally abusive to you.
And so we're out there and I'myelling at him like goddammit

(25:10):
Ben.
And so we're out there and I'myelling at him like God damn it,
ben.
And he got it right away.
What was happening?
But inside I'm like I can'tbelieve.
I'm yelling at one of mylifelong musical heroes in front
of all these people.
And there was one time in thisone city I don't want to give

(25:31):
too much details because ifanyone heard and figured out who
I'm talking about I feel bad.
But I had put something on theinternet like hey, can someone
come play drums at this club I'mplaying at?
And this young woman showed upwith her drums and I just kind

(25:51):
of went over it verbally, whichis sometimes all I do, like
there's no rehearsal, it's theshow, it happens in the show.
And so I said we're going to dothis, you'll just kind of jump
in after a couple measures.
And then I realized the show,we're doing it in the show.
And I realized oh, she ownsdrums at best, like she cannot,

(26:16):
literally can't, play a beat,and like, kind of, she played
about as well as someone who'sjust trying to play a beat.
Right, and I was at first, Iwas just like frustrated.
Like I didn't yell at her oranything, but I was kind of
internally frustrated.
But then after like 30 secondsI was like I love this woman

(26:42):
that saw my post and thought Ihave drums, I'll go down there.
So so there, anyway, all by wayof saying I I generally have a
really good time, no matter whathappens yeah right.
Well, the key to life you got tobe able to pivot at all times
the only thing I'll say is I, Itruly love reggae and I'm slowly

(27:09):
becoming a an aficionado.
But uh, there's been the onething like given the the things
I'm doing in my show when itthere's been a few times when a
drummer gets like too clever andyou can hear them getting
clever, which I don't want.
I just want kind of I want itto be like you're hired and
you're playing the mostrudimentary thing because you

(27:31):
don't know what's going on.
That's kind of the gag and youcan hear them getting clever.
And the next thing you knowthey're kind of playing this
reggae shuffle and that I haveto go off mic and be like stop
that immediately Because it'stoo clever, way too clever.

(27:51):
Because it's too clever, waytoo clever.
Right, I don't want it to seemlike anyone's got too good of a
handle on it.
Nothing against reggae I lovereggae.

Speaker 1 (28:03):
I know I hear what you're saying.
It definitely messes with thegag, yeah.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
Reggae beats are an aggressive thing for a drummer
to pull out, Unless you're youknow Studio One in Jamaica,
drummer Right.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
We interrupt this regularly scheduled Gristle
Infested conversation to give aspecial shout out to our friends
at Fishman Transducers, makersof the Greg Koch Signature
Fluence gristle tone pickup setcan you dig that?
And our friends at wildwoodguitars of lewisville, colorado,
bringing the heat in the shadowof the rocky mountains.

(28:41):
So would you say?
I mean, I'm just kind ofthinking about all the different
things that you've done.
Obviously, you had to go to NewYork to make, I mean, existence

(29:09):
could still be done if youlived in Cleveland versus your
residency in New York in termsof opportunities, you know,
professionally, so on and soforth.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
I would say a lot of it.
I mean, I know comedians wholive in, you know, and musicians
who you know.
The world has obviously changeda lot.
Where you can, you know, I I'mconfident, like if I moved to
Cleveland, a move back there,that I could still do exactly
what I do, like I wouldn't haveto get a side gig selling shoes

(29:44):
or whatever, which nothingagainst that at all.
I'm just saying like I would bebad at it.
Um, sure, I hear you, not atall.
I'm just saying like I would bebad at it, you know, and I
would, just it would.
The customers and my boss wouldsuffer.
I don't see myself as the ownerof the store is my point, but I

(30:04):
think you know the bigdifference is like, despite any,
you know technology and likeyou and I are chatting in this
futuristic format that wecouldn't have even imagined at
one point.
There is something to so manythings that I've done have come
from just being in the room andwalking out.

(30:29):
I can think of so many exampleslike I.
This is.
This story is very name droppyand horrifying, but I also think
name droppy, horrifying storiesare the best stories, of course
, um, but so many things, uh,you know, like before I wrote my
first book.
Yes, I've written four books.

(30:50):
Stop it.
Yeah, stop it.
But I was kind of gettingtogether the sample chapters and
proposal and my agent was he'slike I was doing a live show of
this American Life, the publicradio show Yep, this American
Life, the public radio show, yep.
And my agent was like why don'tyou?

(31:13):
You know, when Ira introducesyou ask him if he'll say you're
working on a book and you'relooking for a publisher.
So he did and I did the show.
And I walked out of thedressing room and this woman
walked up to me and she sayslike hi, I'm Allison, I work at
St Martin's Press.
We should do a book, oh Jesus.
So like that's the sort ofthing that happens.

Speaker 1 (31:36):
You know more in New York than it would in Cleveland,
correct, because there's allthese people here and like Well,
you're much more likely to runinto the name droppy types in
New York as opposed to inCleveland or, in my case,
milwaukee, and so on and soforth.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
Yeah, but I think, like now, it's where the world
is much smaller and you can, youknow, like before, you know how
many, whatever the internet,however long the internet's been
around I would have to wait.
I would have to wait and followyou.
I would have to wait outside ofa venue and follow you for

(32:15):
blocks, greg, until you know.
I'd be like there's this, he'sgoing into that store, I'm going
to follow him in there andthat's how.
And you know, then I would askthe store owner lock the door
behind me, and that's how wewould become friends.
But but now, but, um, so justthings like that.
I think I think being in NewYork is is good for um, I don't

(32:39):
think it's like you know, Italked to friends in LA and
they're they're like why wedon't even have meetings anymore
.
Everything's remote, on zoomright.
I could could live anywhere,but my kids in high school here,
so that's the only reason I'mhere at this point, stuff like
that.
But, um, I also think, like youknow, just a bigger city,

(33:02):
obviously, like when, when Ilived in cleveland and I, you
know, at the time when I wasthere, aside from from playing
music, I knew a lot of guys inbands.
But I knew I wanted to writeand I knew two guys who I'm like
, oh, they're kind of doingwriting.

(33:22):
A couple local columnists.
I'm like they're doing the kindof writing that I like, and
then I moved here, I like, andthen I moved here and then,
without really trying, you'reall you.
You meet like all these peoplelike, oh, I've read that guy's
book or you know this woman'sbook, and for me, who is?
I'm not like, uh, I think Iwork hard and motivated, but I'm

(33:46):
not very goal oriented or haveany idea how to be.
Like I want to do that I'mgoing to make, to go make that
happen.
So for me to see someonesitting next to me like, oh,
this is the guy that did thatthing and he's just some guy.
So now this suddenly seemsdoable to me.
You know, he just picked hisnose.

Speaker 1 (34:08):
I could do that.

Speaker 2 (34:09):
I can pick my nose and write a book now, so for me
it was helpful.
I don't believe people need topick up and move to the big city
to do less there are moreexotic food options, though.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
Let's be honest.

Speaker 2 (34:25):
Oh yeah, but that goes without saying.
But I think if you do somedigging, I had, I had, I had
Cleveland pretty well mapped outfor I've got.

Speaker 1 (34:36):
I've got the fair city of Milwaukee pretty mapped
out myself.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
Yeah, like I mean, when I came home, you know, I
went to school here in New Yorkand I came home one weekend back
to Cleveland I never left and Imean I came back years later.
But I just I knew I was likeliving in New York and I was
like, well, what do I do now?
And I just got the phone bookout, cause again, there was a
simpler time in the nineties andI just went back to the

(35:01):
restaurant section and was likewhat's that?
And I'm going to borrow mymom's car and drive to that
restaurant, you know.
And that's how I like, oh, nowI got my Ethiopian place, I have
my Thai place, I have, you knowthere's.
Just you know there's not ahundred of everything like there
is here.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Right, so you went to college in New York.
I was going to ask you whereyou went to school.
Yeah, I went to Fordham in theBronx.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
Oh, you did Catholic.
This is, I mean, going back toyou know, five siblings or four
siblings, me being one of thefive, I guess children we were
like raised so super Catholic,like going to Catholic school,
like we weren't.
It was just like it was anunspoken thing that we would all

(35:46):
have to go to Catholic schoolsif we wanted any education.
So that's how kind of I justknew I wanted to be in New York.
So I was like I'll go toFordham, no having no plans at
all to do any and this isobviously a privileged take on
things but I was like I'm justgoing to go and blow my parents'
money and form a band and drawcartoons, which is all I did.

(36:11):
I've not used my degreewhatsoever.

Speaker 1 (36:15):
You know, I was just thinking when you mentioned, you
know, the Church of Rome.
We went on a little bit of atalk about that when I was on
your Axelords and there was aguy who commented who was a
regular on my live streams andhe's like I'm a fan of Greg's
but I won't listen to himanymore because he made fun of

(36:35):
the church.
He's like we're not making funof the church, we're just
talking about our experience.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, I saw that.
I mean, I saw that comment andI was like yeah, that was
interesting.

Speaker 1 (36:48):
But what are you going to do?
But yeah, I grew up the sameway.
It's like my.
I was the youngest of seven,wow.
So by the time they got to meit was kind of my siblings would
say that I got away with murder.
But yeah, it was always.
You know, catholic grades I did.
The only reason why I didn't goto a Catholic grade school is
because my sister that wasclosest to me in age had to go

(37:11):
to the public school for somereason, and so they were like,
well, as long as we're drivingto that public school for her,
we're going to have to take theyoungest one there as well.
But then once I got to middleschool and high school, it was
Catholic.
And then of course I went, youknow CCD and my parents they
were yeah.
So I know exactly what you'retalking about.
As far as that, yeah.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
I mean it was completely like I wouldn't say I
didn't know anyone that wasn'tCatholic until I was 21.

Speaker 1 (37:38):
But if you did, you knew they were going to hell
because they weren't of the onetrue faith.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
I mean I only knew the only people I knew that
weren't Catholic.
Like that I had words, weren'tCatholic like there were, that I
had words, whereas, like Iplayed hockey growing up in the
youth league and like I knewkids on that, on those teams,
but everyone else in my orbitwas like Catholic school people.
So once I find like all throughcollege, so once, like I

(38:07):
finally got out of college, Iwas like a weirdo, like going
around asking people.
You know, once I had all kindsof friends of all different
backgrounds.
I'd be like what's this, what'sthat?
I've been living in the darkall these years.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
Yeah, it's, it's, it's a trip.
And again, we're not making fun, we're just talking about our
experience.
No, so don't get.
Don't get bent out of shape.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
It's interesting.
Yeah, people, I have this onebit on the YouTubes that is
about is like a retelling of aBible story and it's completely
not pro or against, it's just agoofy retelling.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
Oh, I've heard that.
I was listening to that lastnight and I was howling, oh,
thank you.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
But that like there's people I mean one of the things
I didn't do it intentionally tobe neutral, but like I think it
just worked out that way andlike I know people who are in
church every Sunday who love it,and I know people that run in
the other direction fromchurches and they love it.
So but the reason I bring it upis there's still people who

(39:19):
would be like how dare youoffend my?
You know, how dare you speak ofJesus like this?
You know.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
It's like he invented the sense of humor.
Let's just be honest.
Yeah, so I think we're good,Exactly Crazy business.
I was going to ask you.
I had the thought of how is itdifferent from how our audience
is receptive If you're umopening up for, let's say, you
know, mega comedian, whateverover the years, how receptive

(39:53):
are audiences to the comedy ofsomebody else that they haven't
come to see versus bands thatare over, Because with bands it
can be hit and miss.
Sometimes we're like get theseguys off stage, I want to see my
guy, or whoever the case may be.
Is comedy different?
Are they more receptive?

Speaker 2 (40:10):
Or how does it?
I think they're more if it's acomedy show, like if you're
opening for a comedian, they'rekind of like okay, let's do it,
like show us.
You know they're not like getoff the stage generally, right,
not in my experience, of course.
But you know I've been openingfor bands more often, um, or,

(40:38):
like you know, in the case ofTenacious D, like a comedic band
who is also an amazing, they'rean amazing rock band also.
Um, but I those in, uh, youknow, and I've opened for all
kinds of bands Like um, I don'tknow if you know the band down

(40:59):
from new Orleans or, like youknow, kind of a new Orleans
sludgy hard rock supergroup.
So they're buddies of mine.
I've opened for them a fewtimes.
And, and, um, when I do thingsand you know I'm about to start
this tour opening for MichaelShannon and Jason Narducci and I

(41:21):
feel more pressure to whenpeople are there to hear someone
play songs, sometimes playactual songs in my set, even
though most of it is like, Isort of liken it to like when zz
top breaks the song down andbilly gibbons just talks and
they solo like but removeremoves the song, I kind of

(41:44):
let's say that's what I do, likeI've removed the song and kept
everything else, but, um,there's kind of more.
You kind of have to go for it,like, and they're not gonna like
.
I really like I clearly likerambling a lot and a lot of my
bits are like 10 minute bitswhere you kind of have to pay

(42:06):
attention to the whole thing andit's kind of, you know, a heavy
lift and kind of a demandingthing to someone who's just
walking in with a beer and it'slike this guy's out.
So I tend to, when I'm openingshows like that, I tend to try
to do quicker hit things wheresomeone doesn't have to pay

(42:27):
attention for more than.
Because they do get restless andlike, uh, it hasn't happened
yet, knock on wood.
But uh, you know, especiallythe tenacious d shows, like we
last may we did arenas andthat's like you know, 15 000

(42:47):
people right, and it a verysmall portion of 15 000 people.
Even just a hundred of them whodon't want you out there can
get a lot of steam, oh, yeah andum.
So I'm cognizant of that andand just go, I just, you know, I
just try to kick as much ass aspossible.

(43:08):
I mean, I come out as hard as Ican, you know, on all fronts,
not just jokes and guitar.
I have nunchucks, I have a fogmachine.

Speaker 1 (43:18):
You're armed to the teeth.
Yeah, I'm ready to do battle,so anyway Ask any parking pylon
and they will speak of yourgreat savagery.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
Exactly yeah.
So that's the main thing islike yeah, try not.
When I'm opening, I try not tolike, be like here, pay
attention to every word I'msaying and don't get lost for 10
minutes.
Um, you can just kind of likeon the tenacious, the first
tenacious detour I did, I didthis, I did the that bit, the

(43:53):
Loaves and Fishes, jesus Story,yes, and it was like the first
night of the tour and I couldkind of feel it didn't go badly,
but I could kind of feel itdipping down a little bit.
Jason Narducci, who was justhappened to be around, he was

(44:15):
there and he was like, uh, hewas like, yeah, he's like that's
.
It was too demanding for them,like they're just want to party,
right.
So the next night I switched itup and it went great and I did
something else.
I will also say, as long as I'mbringing up Jason, he was at
that show and I'd originally Iwas like, oh, maybe you could
play that night.
And then it was decided thatScott and John was like oh,
maybe you could play that night.
And then it was decided thatScott and John from Tenacious D

(44:37):
were going to back me up on bassand drums, and then I had my
backup guitar on stage andbefore the show Jason's like do
you think I could just come outand play the other guitar?
Like not plugged in, I think hejust wanted to be out there.
I'm like, yeah, and he's anamazing musician.

(44:57):
He plays with Bob Mould andSunday Real Estate and Super
Chunk and all this stuff, sohe's no stranger to the stage.
He's like I just want to comeout there and be out there with
you.
So he's out there pretending toplay my SG for most of the set
and afterwards the monitor guy'slike what amp are you coming

(45:17):
out of?
I was freaking out, I wastrying to figure it out the
whole set.
He's like I wasn't even pluggedin and he's like, oh, thank God
.
He's like I was losing my mind.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
That's fantastico.
So how much of the year are youon the road?
You do you reckon, how manygigs a year do you do, and
what's the balance betweenroadwork and podcasts, and book
writing and TV writing orwhatever?
That's all in your quiver, asthey say.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
I've been on the road a lot more the last year and a
half.
I think just more opportunitieshave been coming along, which
is great.
And also, despite me being amere 23 years old, I kind of

(46:17):
feel like the clock is tickingon, like, uh, maybe
opportunities and my physicalstate being able to, uh, I mean,
I feel like I have plenty ofgas in the tank, but I'm also
like I, I can't, I don't, can't,wait five years.
Right, I want to.
I want to go out and do stuffnow, because you know there's
probably going to be the time Imean, the time is already here
when I bitch.
Anytime I have to leave thehouse, I complain about it, but

(46:40):
I know when I get the weirdthing about comedy and just
performing in general, Iabsolutely love it, but I say
that only because I know I loveit when it's happening, and the
rest of the time I'm completelyhorrified at the idea of going
out in front of people and sothere's a ton of anxiety with it

(47:03):
and where my girlfriend has toremind me she's like you do this
literally every time, youcomplain all day, and then I
talked to you after and you'relike it was great, it was great
for the next one, right?
I mean, I feel that way morewith comedy, like guitar.
I always say like, oh, I wishsome band and I've done this

(47:25):
before, like my friend walterschreifels, uh, as so, from
quicksand and gorillaillaBiscuits and stuff, I played in
his solo band, just Guitar, andI had an amazing time because
I'm like he's singing, he'stalking, I'm just over here, I'm
playing in a show that I wouldwant to be at and that's like a

(47:45):
great feeling, like I don't haveto do anything other than be in
the lobby at the right time andplay the show.
And so sometimes I'm like Iwish I can't even think of what
band it would be but I'm like,oh, I wish someone would call me
, I could just have a cushy.
Not, it wouldn't be cushy Cause,of course we all know that

(48:05):
Rhoda's a cruel mistress.
But, right, and my ego's fartoo big.
I mean as much as fun as I haddoing like stuff with Walter.
And when I do things like that,there is always the moment
after the show I'm like whydoesn't anyone want to talk to
me?
You know, you're like wait, Iwas out there, everyone, right,

(48:26):
what about me?

Speaker 1 (48:29):
I understand.

Speaker 2 (48:32):
But I do like it is fun to.
I can't even remember why Ibrought this up.
I yeah, sometimes I'm.
I think it's like a bit.
You know, the stress is, theanxiety is mostly is from like,
oh, I got to talk and people,they're all going to throw rocks
at me throw rocks at me.

Speaker 1 (48:51):
Well, I do want to talk about your glorious social
media presence.
For those who don't follow youon Instagram, they should, but
your threads game is strong.
Oh, thank you.
Every day, it's another severaldelicious morsels.
I forgot what day it was.

Speaker 2 (49:12):
Like it's Sunday, let's make it about the butt,
and I was like oh, that's a goodgo-to, that's how I can always
come back.
That's sort of my.
I like to do things to whereit's funny on some level
initially, and then it becomes alittle funnier with the
repetition.
Then it's completely not funnyand painful as it keeps going.

(49:34):
Then it comes back around.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
It comes back around, that's my favorite thing.
But I do enjoy your randomInstagram things where you'll be
in front of whatever businessand then you will extemporize it
.
Hey, it's Dave from before I'min front of.
You know Chucho's kolaches andI you know, so on and so.

Speaker 2 (49:59):
Yeah, I liked it.
Yeah, the fake commercials.
And then the funny thing islike, um, yeah, it's I.
I never like leave the house.
It's always I'm just out ridingmy bike or out for a run or
walking around and I just dothem for fun.
And then, but I've hadbusinesses contact me and be
like hey, will you do mybusiness?
And I always I'm like I'm like,oh, you don't understand my art

(50:21):
, it's not a, it can't be doneif you've asked me to do it.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
Right, exactly, it's not part of the thing, you know.
I just was thinking.
I saw the thing Do you do cameostuff?
Do you do stuff like non cameo?

Speaker 2 (50:34):
I do.
Yeah, I'm on cameo and uh, soif anyone please uh I in a
perfect world, that's all Iwould do for money, because it's
fun to be out.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
It takes 60 seconds.

Speaker 2 (50:48):
Yeah, I'll go, you know, and I price them to move,
and I'll just be like sittingwatching a movie with my
girlfriend and I'll be like hangon, I'll be right, I'll be back
in two minutes, and you know.
And then, just well, I've justmade a little money.
I bought us pizza, I got uspizza money, right, you know so.
But it but it adds up and itkind of it kind of ebbs and
flows where, um, sometimes I'mlike, oh, if this keeps up, this

(51:13):
would be a nice little sidehustle.
And then all of a sudden, theworld has decided they don't
want my cameos anymore.

Speaker 1 (51:21):
Exactly when I first joined Cameo I was like, oh my
God, maybe this is like you justsaid.
This is a little side hustle.
This came in and this came inand then nothing.
But that's kind of just thenature of of of the show biz.
You got all these differentspigots, one squirting, the
other one's kind of dripping,and all of a sudden one dies out
and the other one goes.

Speaker 2 (51:42):
It's just like we do what we gotta do yeah,
diversified portfolio, they callit down on well, somewhere.
Um, but yeah, I was justtalking with a friend about that
, about, yeah, just thedifferent things.
Like oh, I gotta, you gottahave the sub stack.
Yeah, I gotta do this, and likeoh yeah and then like patreon,
which I've kind of just starteddipping my toes into, but like

(52:05):
and for every one of thesethings you'll be like oh yeah, I
make like some this is not me,that, this is the imaginary
person talking.
They're like yeah, I make 20grand a month on that and all I
do is brush my teeth and put iton video every two weeks or
whatever.
And it's like what?

(52:26):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (52:27):
exactly what are you doing?

Speaker 2 (52:28):
There's always someone crushing it like way
more, in a way, that's, butthat's.
You know.
You gotta, you know, freeyourself of desire.

Speaker 1 (52:38):
Well, my my motto is like I've encountered people
where it's like they will doanything within reason to go
viral and my wife will be like,well, why don't you do more of
that stuff?
I go because my motto is what'sthe least I can do to go.

Speaker 2 (52:53):
Yeah, well, also, I, you know and this is again not
to bring up probably Catholicismcreeping in but anytime I've
ever, you know, anytime I'vemade like a video, whatever it
is like one of those stupid fakeads or whatever stupid thing
I'm doing, um, anytime I've everbeen like this is gonna get him

(53:17):
, this is a good one.
Like it'll be like oh, no onemight like that one.
Like it got nothing and thenprobably the most popular, like
like one of those fake ads.
I was in portland and therethis not even a store anymore,
it's just the sign from a storethat's now an art gallery called

(53:37):
Trophies Unlimited, on I forgetwhat street, and I was out for
a killer run and I saw this signand I was like, oh, I should do
an ad for Trophies Unlimited.
And then I was like, and I didit in one second and I was like
that is so dumb and bad, Ishouldn't even bother posting it

(54:00):
.
And then I was like fuck it,I'll throw it up there.
And it got like 6 million views, yeah, and like, literally all
these businesses in Portlandwere like come by, do you want
free pizza?
You know, and, and.
But it's always the thing whereyou're just like well, this goes
back to my, my, my sort ofartistic motto is like if you,

(54:26):
you really can only entertainyourself, and it's that was like
the beginning and end of itLike cause, anytime you're
thinking like what do peoplewant, right?
People like that's like so, notpart of the equation and I hate
to use social media as anexample but literally anytime
I'm like, yeah, this is reallygood, this is going to go viral.

(54:47):
Definitely not going to goviral.
Oh, I'm with you.
And anytime I'm like this is sodumb, no one could possibly
like this but me.
That's the thing that always, Iagree.

Speaker 1 (54:58):
I agree with you a thousand percent.
The things that you know from arecording point of view of the
stuff that we've done, there'sbeen stuff where I've been like,
hey, this this sounds cool, Ilike the sound, I'll just make
this thing up, I give a key andaway we go and those are the
tunes that do the best.
And you're like all this othershit where you've you've
concentrated and arranged andmade sure that everything was
this, that the next thing, noone gives a shit.

(55:20):
But all of a sudden someextemporaneous you know kind of
pull it out of your posteriorand it's like, oh, that's what
people like.
But to your point it's likeentertain yourself and don't
worry about it and it'll allcome out in the wash.

Speaker 2 (55:31):
Hopefully yeah, hopefully.
Well, the way I look at it nowis I'm like, oh well, I've I
spent so many years being likewhen I'm when, when is like the
universe going to be on to meand I'm going to be dragged back
to that whatever uh, quoteunquote real world hell that I

(55:52):
was trying to escape, you know,like the shoes store that exists
in my mind, and, um, I used tothink about that like, oh, like,
is this going to work?
How can I just keep being youknow, doing, you know, being an
artist and doing these things orwhatever?
And then now I'm like I'm tooold, I'm feral, this is what I

(56:13):
do, right, and polite societywould never welcome me back.
So now I just have to ride itout until I die, because that's
the only option really.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
I think that's the next book the Feral man.

Speaker 2 (56:29):
But I think that should have been my attitude
from the get-go.
It's just like I'm not goingback.
I'm not going, you know,getting a job like my mother
wanted me to oh my.
God yes of course.

Speaker 1 (56:42):
When are you going to get a real job or when do you
think you're going to stop doingthis?
That was always one of myfavorites, but what are you
going to do it all?
It all pans out at some point,hopefully.

Speaker 2 (56:52):
Yeah, yeah.
Another thing that kept megoing in the lean years when I
didn't have the opulence.
You see the sweet opulence.
But I always thought well, Iknow, as long as I don't
completely alienate all myfriends and family, there's

(57:15):
going to be at least a handfulof buffets with cocktail, shrimp
and all-I-can-eat stuff a fewtimes a year.
As long as I just keep a cleanshirt and reasonable manners, no
matter what happens in my life,I'm still going to get invited
to a Christmas party orsomething.

Speaker 1 (57:34):
And the shrimp is key .

Speaker 2 (57:35):
Yeah, To me that's the, you know.
Yeah, that's what keeps megoing, Just at least
symbolically.
I do like a cocktail shrimp.
Oh, it's a delight.
Yeah.
Especially around the holidays.
Oh yeah, you get a nice sweater, turtleneck maybe.
Uh-huh, that's right, somecocktail shrimp.

Speaker 1 (57:55):
Get together for a little.
Did you do the white elephantgift exchange?
That's always a banger.

Speaker 2 (58:01):
Yeah, well, it's been harder, like with my family,
with nieces and nephews, andthen we did do like a proper
gift exchange, like Secret Santaor whatever.

Speaker 1 (58:11):
Right, yeah, yeah, I did do like a proper gift
exchange like Secret Santa orwhatever, right, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
And my one sister and I love all my siblings, but she
didn't.
She's like I haven't gotten youanything yet, but I'm going to
this is, you know, it's December28th by now.
And then she's like, hey, howabout I donate to a charity in
your name?
And I was like, well, that'snot how this works, but okay.

(58:34):
And then I suggested a charity.
She's like I don't like thatone, how about this one?
And I called the sibling incharge of the siblings and I
said we're done with this, we'renot doing it anymore.
I was robbed.
We haven't done it since since.

(58:54):
Now it's just gifts for niecesand nephews yes, and that's the
way it should be.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
Yep, we had a few funny years.
There was this tradition it waslike spend 25 on a gift in the
you know it's 25 for a boy giftand 25 for a girl gift.
There would be a separateexchange and and one year my
nephew, who was allowed in theadult exchange, he had this big
coffee table book that he spent25 bucks on at Barnes Noble and

(59:22):
it was birds of prey, and Iended up with birds of prey, and
so the next year I just put $25in the Birds of Prey and then
gave it back, and so then itbecame the white elephant gift
and we'd all be chanting Birdsof Prey, birds of Prey, a little

(59:44):
cock revelry.
Yeah, that was good, clean fun,the Birds of Prey.

Speaker 2 (59:48):
I am curious about this book, though it seems like
it would be like a, you know,maybe not the coffee table book
you put on top, but if you got astack, oh yeah, it's a bag Top
three.

Speaker 1 (59:59):
You open it up.
Fierce birds engaging in somekind of hunting savagery.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
Talk about going feral.
Yeah, it's the only time youcan really.
You know it's sanctionedviolence or something, I don't
know exactly.
I watched a hawk eat a rodent acouple years back and it was
just.
I was like I felt bad for therodent, of course, but I was

(01:00:24):
like this is interesting, justwatch just nature.

Speaker 1 (01:00:27):
Well you know what, if you watch one of those videos
on tiktok're going to see athousand.

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
Oh, don't get me started on what the internet
seems to think I'm into.

Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
All I will say is that the wild dog pack is the
most savage thing on the planet.
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 2 (01:00:48):
The wild dogs of the.

Speaker 1 (01:00:49):
African of the Serengeti Stand clear they're a
ruthless, a ruthless gang.
As you pet your dog, Don'tdevour.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
Don't worry, Don't worry poor Lucy.
She's the least ready for thewild dog you've ever met.

Speaker 1 (01:01:10):
I understand, Listen thank you so much for spending
some time with us today.
It was an absolute pleasure.

Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
Thank you, I'm absolutely honored.
I'm such a fan of everythingyou do.

Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
Well, thank you so much, Likewise From the playing
to the humor, to the whole thing.
Well, thank you very much.
I hope we get to cross All thegristle, all the gristle.
Yeah, thank you very much.
I hope we get to cross All thegristle, all the gristle.
Yeah, the sweet gristle, yeah,I hope we get to cross paths in
person one of these days.

Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
Well, I'm coming to Milwaukee March 13th.
I don't know, I haven't crossreferenced your schedule, but I
will be there.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
We do have something in Phoenix on the 16th, but
hopefully I will still be intown then the 16th but hopefully
I will still be in town then,Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
But yeah, I feel like a monster.
I've been.
I physically couldn't be atyour shows the last two times
you've been here.

Speaker 1 (01:02:01):
Oh, that's right, the Iridium.

Speaker 2 (01:02:03):
Yeah, and the first time no one needs to know this,
but the first time it sold outbefore I could procure tickets
and that was a shame on me.
And then the second time wasalso a shame on me because I,
stupidly, was already booked ona show that couldn't get out.

(01:02:25):
I feel like a monster.
No, it's unacceptable.
It's unacceptable, it'sunacceptable.
But yeah, I'm such a fan andyou're I mean you probably more
than anyone else are in thatcategory in my mind, in the
category of where, whenever youplay, I think I should set my

(01:02:49):
guitars on fire.
Don't do that.
You know it's that level.
You know there's other guysthat I won't name where you're
like well, if I work hard, Icould maybe do something close
to that With you.
I'm like why do I have fingers?
This is a pointless endeavor.

Speaker 1 (01:03:07):
Well, I'm flattered.
I don't know about that, butI'm flattered.
Well, listen, my friend, youtake it easy.
Hopefully I will be in town,and if I'm not, we will
hopefully cross paths soonerthan later.

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
Well, leave, you know , tell your family I'm swinging,
I need a place to crash.

Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
So we got a place.

Speaker 2 (01:03:26):
The.
Gristle Castle is yours, allright, my friend, you have a
good one, thank you.
Thanks for having me have agreat day.
My pleasure, you too.
Bye.

Speaker 1 (01:03:37):
Well, thanks for tuning in, ladies and gentlemen,
to another episode of Chewingthe Gristle.
We certainly do appreciate youstopping by.
Make sure you tell your friendsall about us.
I think they might enjoythemselves.
So thanks again for tuning inand we'll see you next time.