Frank Nunz Might Be Better Than Ever

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
For you look up and nagels beak and fallen.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
When you silent. Dabo, he can call him crawling on.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Grinning lock the day that.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
He was born. That's good and all that once was
shining now was long next to you was you know.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
I mean, I've been saying it for a years and
I will continue to say it, much to the dismay
of this gentleman, to the dismay of Freddy Atrow and
for some reason, John manone who doesn't even live in
the state. But I really got to get out and
see the Mediums live. I've really got to cross it
across that. Check that off my list. Let's go to

(01:02):
the Project hotline right now and welcome Frank and Nunziato
to the show. That song, well, that's an original. That's
the Mediums. You do cover music or will you perform
that song? You actually probably will. Eight.

Speaker 4 (01:16):
Good morning, Vinnie. By the way, thanks for having me on.
Before we get into before we get into that, let
me let me tell you what you've put in my
head at seven twenty am. All ready?

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:28):
Is I ever my fan? Yeah? Listen, that was a
little rough because I just woke up. I'm better than that. Yeah,
but you're killing me now because I'll have that song
on my mind all morning.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, it was surprisingly good live because I was always
a fan of the Police, but not so much sting
solo stuff. But frank me and you go so back,
so far back, and you know what it's like when
you go to a concert. Sometimes a song you're not
a big fan of done live, You're like, oh, this
song is killing live, and he killed that one live
last night, Diddy.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yeah, I'm sure he's so. He's so fabulous, yes, yes,
so fabulous.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:05):
But anyway to answer your question, I didn't know you're
going to play that song, but yeah, that song actually
me and my partner Tom wrote a while back and
he just kind of like revented, thank you so much.
Let me put a little a very it's a plug
that my girlfriend will love. So we wrote that song
and the first line is that Michelle and I just

(02:26):
met a girl I fell in love with two years
ago named Michelle. So maybe it was fate, Minnie, who knows.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, but you wrote the song and you named the
girl in the song Michelle, and then met one then.

Speaker 4 (02:40):
Met Michelle two years ago, matter of fact, two years ago,
and the Oldie park a lot two days ago. It
was it's two years November seventeen. Yeah, and I fell
in love. Never ever thought that would happen. I was
single for about one hundred and sixty years. Yeah, playing
out like a maniac, and it just happened. So for
the people who, uh, I think that it will never

(03:01):
happen again, hang in there because I never ever thought
this would happen. And I've never been happier. It's a
really nice thing.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Well, and you deserve it, and you're a very talented
guy and a lot of people love you. I take
I take a lot of heat for having not seen
the mediums yet. But it's John manone who gets me.
You don't live in Connecticut. I'm very surprised you don't
live in Connecticut, Johnny.

Speaker 4 (03:27):
Do you have the right to do that?

Speaker 3 (03:28):
I'm no, he does not. You have to be a
Connecticut resident. You had a It's it's unacceptable. I may
block him now on face.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
Will give you give Freddy h Row and like Johnny
Mendola passed because they live in Connecticut.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Well, first of all, Johnny am Mondola is I bow
to his greatness. He is he is, you know, he's
his song selections that he posts on Facebook.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Are always right on.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
I defer to him Freddy's might you know we are
the same grade? Uh, running buddies and and Freddie is
who I've actually let down the most because he loves you,
he loves seeing you guys life. My god, He's groupie.
He's groupie.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
He's always there.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
I'll tell you Ben, it's you know, we've been We've
been doing this for twenty five years, Tom and I
in the mediums like over four thousand shows. And there
were times where, you know, twenty five years ago, We're
playing to a half a person and I'm driving home
going what the heck are we doing wrong?

Speaker 3 (04:24):
I should have made it onto sixty minutes playing to
half a person. I mean, that's you think I would
have gotten national, national coverage.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Nuns, you know what you know of yours.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
I saw advertised that I was wildly intrigued by and
just congratulations to a duo for scoring this. But to
get asked by the to perform at the Gelston House,
what a beautiful venue and had, you know, right.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Next to the good Speed Operas.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
Uh, will you change the set list due to the
fact that that's it?

Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know it's a.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
That's a classy I would imagine, I mean not greatly
because they know how to get their party on there.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
But I love the gels. I'd love to make it
out for that one.

Speaker 4 (05:08):
Then I'll tell you what. Like I said, we've been
doing this for twenty five years. We played hundreds of places,
and we are so blessed and happy because finally, after
all this time, we're getting the recognition that I feel
we deserve. And to answer your point about changing up
the set list, yes, not many people know this, but
when Tom and I play a gig, we know almost

(05:29):
six hundred songs, so we don't have a set list.
We have six hundred songs on an iPad and we
pretty much feel the vibe and we go from there.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, and it's two guys. You're so sympatico that you
can look at him and whisper you know what we
should do next, and really am Yeah, I get what
you're saying. And maybe it's one you haven't rehearsed a
day before or two days before, but you're a duo
and you're like, I'm feeling like the room will really
respond to this one, which we haven't done live in
a couple and you get to do it.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
You've seen a million faces and you've rocked them all.
But what is this story?

Speaker 3 (06:07):
So you reached out to me a couple of weeks
ago and you're like, man, I've got an uplifting story.
I posted it on Facebook and people are really responding
to it.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
What what what is the story? To take it away? Please? Frank?

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Okay? So, so my first well you you're going to
know everybody in this and I think that's why it's
so special. We I started my first band of fourteen
years old with Ronnie Debuccio, Joey Corso, Gary Corso and
Felix Proto and I was a wreck because all of
them Legend.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
Deb Ronnie he's still putting out great music, Uh yeah, maybe.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
Better than ever.

Speaker 4 (06:46):
And oh my god, and Joey.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
Corso Joey Legend, yeah.

Speaker 4 (06:51):
Go on, Joey Corso music. The kid is an incredible
phenomenal writer. Anyway, So you know, we were playing in
a band called Imput. We played the East Taven High
School and we were fifteen years old and Joey and
I started writing. So we wrote this song called even
Though gott to be thirty five plus years ago. The
song just kind of like it was kind of magical

(07:12):
the way we did it. But Joey moved out to California.
Oh yeah, and he was in a band that was
so close to making it. I know, first it was
called Rockney, then Jungle Alley, but they remade even though,
and then soon after I flew out to California and
to try to quote unquote make it, but I just
wound up doing drugs and coming back home. But a lot.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
Of stories like that, A lot of talented boy, say, a.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Handful of guys out of East Haven with guitars.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
Went out and got so close.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
Was it Corso the one or who's the one who
auditioned Razzie almost got the gig?

Speaker 4 (07:53):
It might have been one of the coursos. I maybe Gary,
I don't know. I mean, listen, they were so close at.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Stories and then the drug them all back home.

Speaker 4 (08:04):
Honestly, Joey and Gary were fine. I was the maniac.
I mean, we all partied this stuff, but I got
a little excessive. But anyway, so they remained even though.
And I've seen this song, and you know, Joey actually
called me and there was some serious, serious interest in
this song and I've seen this song played in LA
back in the eighties to thousands of people waving their hands,

(08:26):
and you know a lot of people through the years said, man,
why don't you just for you know, for time's sake,
and for even forget about making it or anything like that,
but why don't you just remake it? So you know, Tom,
my partner is honestly, I hate using this word, but
he's close to genius. He's just incredible. So I talked
to Joey about it, and Joey said, listen, I completely

(08:49):
trust Tom. Whatever you guys want to do. And finally
we got to the point where we did it. And
if it wasn't for Tom, let me just say this,
we did in Tom's studio, this would have not happened.
So we wound up banging it out and I was
very happy to results. And like I said, Vin, it's
not so much a bottom sixty years old, it's not
so much about making it anymore. But you know, this

(09:10):
is a special song for us. Joey loved it. He
said he was he was crying. I thought it came
out great. Tom did an incredible job producing it. He
did all the instruments, and it's just nice to have
you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (09:23):
Is that the one you posted on Facebook?

Speaker 4 (09:27):
That's the one I posted on Facebook even though yes.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
Yeah, I mean because if you recently recorded it, because
I know you saved it. Kind of a tricky way
you and I were trying. You were trying to get
it to me in a couple of diff ways.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
I didn't realize that.

Speaker 3 (09:43):
I thought it was vin I found this old song,
you know, from.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
Back in the day.

Speaker 4 (09:49):
So this is recorded.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, it's re recorded. I'm surprised we had such trouble
getting it to me. Frank, let me ask you this
and again, mo, I'm with franken unciado. Uh, if you
can see the me see the mediums. I don't know
a single person who doesn't rave about you guys and
say what a great show. It is so much and
you play everywhere I get. There's so many opportunities to see.

(10:11):
I'm just I really am not. I'm just such a homebody.
It's been my homebody era for a couple of years now.
Although I will occasionally get out of my bed just
to get in someone else's, I just don't necessarily go
on listen.

Speaker 4 (10:27):
You know what I tell everybody, and this is the truth.
You know, we're, like I said, we're so blessed. I mean,
I was looking at our calendar yesterday and we literally
have bookings a year, almost a year and a half.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
No, it's that's phenomenon.

Speaker 4 (10:41):
We're booking what over twenty five thirty. It's just incredible.
But I always tell people that apologize, like you believe
me when I tell you a six years old. If
I wasn't doing it, I would be into bed too,
believe me.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Listen, Frank, you're better about me pulling no shows than
atro acts like I'm admitted a crime. You're you're You're
more understanding than Freddie A trow em Anon A Mondola
is a legend. He doesn't care. He's a great guy.
He sees a lot of shows too. I half expected

(11:12):
to see him or you at Sting. I really did think,
you know, I ran into you the Black Crows. I
expected to see you guys potentially. Let me ask you
this though, Frank, you said there was a time when
you're in LA and you're hearing this song that you
wrote that Joey obviously deemed you know, dude, this.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
Is one of our this is one of our really
good ones.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
I'm in a band now and you described to me
I watched people waving their hands. Did that hurt a
little or were you like, nah, man, I just want
the song. I don't need to be performing if the
song's a hit, I wrote it. I mean it probably
hurt a little bit.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
It had to. I've been there that that.

Speaker 4 (11:51):
That's a very interesting question. Then, you know, it's funny
because that and I'm sure you remember this that whole
scene back then, I was I'm so blessed that I
was in it. But it was kind of a whirlwind
because you know, Gary got chosen to get into this
band first, Joey's brother, and that was the time where
it was all here bands. I mean the stripping la

(12:11):
every night, there was thousands of people with aquaint and
they're here and white makeup on posting gigs. And then
here's me, this overweight kid who is like, you know,
very very self conscious in myself, and Joey's like, you
got to come out here. So I wasn't really the
here being guy back then.

Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (12:31):
I kind of adapted. Yeah, I kind of adapted. So honestly,
I was perfect with Joey doing that with his band
because I felt at that time, I couldn't have pulled
it off like they did, so I was kind of
like honored honestly that I was half partner writing it,
but I completely trusted what they were doing. Yeah, but
a great time to be there.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:52):
And you know another thing that you said that I
found really interesting. Although you're making good mind, I mean
the mediums you guys play out and off. You probably
you know, charge a charge of good feed, and you
should so you're probably making some good money performance you
should be. You guys play your asses off, you should be.

Speaker 2 (13:08):
Well.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
The big I think the big thing about us vin
is number one. As you know, you know, bars pay nothing.
I mean we paid, we got paid very well because
of who we are now. But as we started getting it,
as we started getting popular, you start get into corporate
and private parties and country clubs and stuff like that,
and that's where you start making the money.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
No life.

Speaker 4 (13:27):
But I think, I think what separates us from everybody
else is like I said, I mean, we know almost
six hundred songs. If you came and see as Fordyites
in a row, you went to see the same show.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
So I hear that. I hear that all the time.

Speaker 3 (13:39):
But what I'm sing to say, Frank, is you saying
back there, Vin, I'm sixty now, isn't it interesting? I
just went through this. I'm fifty eight. I'm a little
bit behind you. But in the past, i'd say two years.
It's an interesting shifting of the gears of it's not
about making it and I'm not gonna make it. You know,

(14:00):
in my early fifties, I still thought something big is coming.
Now it's whatever I do. I'm doing the like I've
got a new book coming out. Hopefully the publishing world
is as beastly as the record labels. But I do
it whatever, well if it comes out. I mean, I've
written it. I'm very proud of it. But I did
it because I love it. But you do Was it

(14:23):
tough for you to make that decision? Like, of all right,
I'm no longer believing I'm going to tour the country
that I'm going to make it, but I'm going to
play across Connecticut and make a good living and to
let go of the making it concept because for me
it was it was I was about fifty six and

(14:43):
I was like, you know what this, you know you're
going to get your You're going.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
To get syndicated. I had to let go of that,
and it was hard to let go of. Man.

Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yeah, to answer your question, I think because of my
journeys in you know, and you know, I've had a
tough I had a tough journey, but it's been so
beautiful these past like decade. To answer your question, Uh, yeah,
I'm okay with with not making it. Matter of fact, Vin, Honestly,
I tell people this, if I made it back in
those days, I'd be dead. Honestly, I'd be dead. Yeah,

(15:14):
I mean an active addiction. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was.
It would have been a very tough time if I
did make it back then. Number one, number two. Vin.
You know, like this, this thing that we got going
on with the medium is so special, Like if you
take to an event, uh, like it's almost like a reunion.
You know. I get so many compliments that you know,
when they come to our show like this, the songs

(15:36):
we played, the nostalgia, you know, people that that haven't
seen each other in twenty five years meet up there.
I mean, it's a really special thing. To be honest
with you, I there's there's a thing that that could
have happened about a month or two ago that I
had an offer to do it kind of like a
national thing and looking at yeah, and looking at it,

(15:57):
vin uh and the whole thing. It's like, there's a
lot of things to take a consideration. You know, I'm
sixty years old, I'm a diabetic, you know, my sobriety
is very important. I have a family, I have a girlfriend.
You know, my kids are the most important thing in
the world too, So like when evaluating it, you know,
and plus, like you said, we're making good money here,

(16:18):
so to make another thousand dollars a week to be
traveling in a van and motels and you know, it
all sounds great, but there's a lot to consider.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
Yeah, you know, And a lot of people would say
you and you did make it after all.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
Yeah, you know, I got to give it out. Even
my son says, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (16:34):
I had your own radio show for an x amount
of years, your name on a couple of books came on.
Did you not make Sometimes it is all perspective. A
lot of people would say, Franklenunziato, you did make it.
Let's give a little taste. Let's give it a little
listen to this song that you you re recorded, if
at all possible.

Speaker 2 (16:56):
Here uh.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
Mos sleeps, no deep douns your sky leave. When she speaks,
you can tell that she is lies.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
To stop with me. He sounds a little like Hodgson.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
It's a little super trampy, even Monsel.

Speaker 2 (18:02):
She's not going a total shim