Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
James Roda Rodriguez. All three,you get three in one, the holy
Trinity of source. I love havingme on the show. I gotta start,
I gotta start things awkward. Igotta start thing. As my daughter
would say, I've got to startthe interview. Kaf Wow, if you're
all right with that, I feeleducated. I love I love hearing things
(00:21):
that the kids are saying. Solast week there was a flurry of activity.
You know, but this this greatshow coming to town. That really
a wonderful theater. I don't knowif you've if you've touched down yet and
surveyed the area, the Legacy Theater. It's just a beautiful theater. I
have been of there. I wasthere all last week. Oh that's great.
(00:41):
I mean you I'm sure you've heardthe Orson Wells story by now.
I mean, that's really quite somethingto me. And I live right around
the corner. I'll have you overfor a cocktail, but you might not
want to come over after I sharewith you. So in this flurry of
activity, and they're they're they're hittingme with the names of what a great
cast to set bold there, Like, we really want you to talk to
(01:02):
James Rode Rodriguez and I was doingradio morning man things and the name,
you know, it didn't click.And I'm like, well, I can
only tape into you know, WestCoast time. It can be a little
difficult. So then we make ithappen, and here you are. And
I'm realizing today, why didn't theyjust say it's Gary from a Million Little
(01:22):
Things? Dude, I would havecome back in here seven o'clock tonight to
talk to Gary from a Million LittleThings. I didn't put two and two
together. Look, man, mathis not everybody's thing. It's Gary from
a Million Little Things. I can'tbelieve it. I know you probably don't
want to talk about that for butI've had I watched the whole series with
my daughters, now twenty, she'ssixteen or so. I guess mathematically speed
(01:48):
doing the math again when it started, and we would say all the time,
Nobody. A running joke for yearswas nobody has a friend like Gary,
Like Gary's make king every like youwere a running joke in our house,
where like he's making the most difficultof situations comedic. He does not
exist. Yes, that's why hewas a television character. You were probably
(02:15):
the favorite the show character was ofcourse great cast. I actually David June
totally has been on the show before, way back when he was doing Grim.
That's a complicated. I don't knowhow good of friends you all really
were on a Million Little Things,but hell of a ride for you man,
and coming off of Psych too,and we're lucky to get you here
(02:37):
in a little bucolic Branford, Connecticut. I cannot wait. I spent a
lovely week there to kick off rehearsaland sort of said, get to lay
the land. And I'm very encouraged. I've got some really fantastic actors that
are just just thinking their teeth intothis material. And for me, you
(02:58):
know, I started in the theaterand it's always great to be back in
a theater in the legacy. Likehe said, it's beautiful, like that
renovation just that's absurd. Yeah itis. And you know, for it's
it's an intimate room too. Imean you're you're going to be in people's
faces in that room. Uh,it's and for fans of a Million Little
Things, Psych this and I meanyou're right there, but this is is
(03:22):
it safe to say? This isa labor of love of yours? Master?
Of puppets. It's a and a. Were you a wrestling a wrestling
fan? Yes, all those thingsare accurate. I grew up a huge
wrestling fan, and then you know, I, you know, I hit
puberty and I and I got interestedin acting, and I went off to
college and I missed, uh mostof what of what most wrestling fans referred
(03:46):
to as the Attitude era, uh, which you know, early early nineties
into you know, early arts.But then I started doing psych which was
on the US Stay Network. Uh. Yeah. We ended up doing a
bunch of cross promotional stuff with uhwith WWE. UH. And I met
(04:11):
a bunch of those guys and they'reall big sweethearts and became friends with some
of them, and so I sortof decided, you know what I'm I'm
going back as a grown ass man, and I kind of rediscovered pro wrestling
and and have a completely different appreciationfor it now obviously than I didn't when
(04:34):
I was a kid, because nowI just I realized what they put their
bodies through night in and night out. Uh. You know, it may
it may be scripted, but there'snothing there is nothing fake about about the
bumps that those that those guys andgals take and and and they do it
for you know, for our entertainment, and it is theater um. So
(04:57):
I have a whole appreciation for thearts form and and just getting to know
them, uh, you know,took it to a whole, a whole
other level. So that thing said, I've got a buddy that I go
all the way back to college withh and They've been working on display now
for almost a decade and I've beendeveloping it with them. And to call
(05:18):
it a labor of love is yeah, you hit the nail, the nail
on the head. This has beena long time tim Yeah, you know,
as a guy in his mid fifties. I mean I've I feel like
I've had two experience, two experienceswith the wrestling world. My brother was
a huge wrestling fan when I wasa kid. And that's that's the Captain
lew Albano, you know, Era, that's the h Andre the Giant.
(05:42):
Maybe a little we got got intoHulk Hogan and yeah, Hulk Hogan did
play what thunder Lips and Rocky,but for the most part they were contained
to that world. Then I revisitas a dad because I have a son
as well, and all of asudden, you got these guys, you
know, I mean Jayne Johnson andsaid no joke. Actor John Cena continues
(06:02):
to surprise. So you can't helpbut acknowledge. Well, clearly they're performers.
Look at them, they're you know, this generation, this second tier,
if you will. These guys areclimbing out of that ring and turning
in very real performances as actors.I mean, the Rock's the highest paid
actor or now or very least wasat one time. So what an evolution
(06:23):
is is that touched upon and Masterof Puppets at all, the evolution of
the WWE and all that. Iwould say Masters of Puppets takes on professional
wrestling the way that you know,the session takes on. I love it.
You know what whatever empire uh thatis, Uh, it's you know,
you're you're talking about family, you'retalking about marriage, You're talking about
(06:48):
the politics, and within the infrastructureof a billion dollars, you know,
a billion dollars traveling carnival basically,Um, you know what's what's at stake
on any given night the chess moves, the collateral damage. Uh, it's
it's very high drama that you know, it was the backdrop of an industry
(07:10):
that you know, I think it'sfascinating whether you've ever watched a professional wrestling
match or not, it's really aboutthese characters and the way this business works.
And at the heart of the playis a marriage between two billionaires,
which which bay sounds unrelatable, butmarriage is marriage. You know, at
(07:33):
the end of the day, itdoesn't really matter what you're wearing or you
know, how many vacation homes youhave, it's still the vows that you
took, and it's still you know, what's really going on behind a closed
door. And that's the stuff thatI love, you know, It's it's
basically, who's afraid of Virginia Woolfin a wrestling room? So um,
(07:56):
and then you know, and thenyou get all the fun trimmings of of
pro wrestling and you'll you'll walk outof there having learned some lingo uh and
just doing the inner workings of whatof what a night looks like? You
know, when they when they doa live show. So I say that
it's there's something for everyone. Um. You know, whether you think you're
(08:20):
a wrestling fan or not, itsounds fantastic, does Lawrence Davis. Does
he dare to go to the placeof addressing if the the hits are real?
I mean, because that's a controversialquestion still to this day. You're
right to put it the way.People are still getting slam. You're still
getting banged up no matter what youdo. I mean, even if you
(08:41):
want to look at it as stuff. But the controversial question remains, you're
not really taking a shot to theface. Does he go there? I
love it. I'm intrigued by itall the way around. I can't wait
for it to get to the LegacyTheater. Such a beautiful area, and
I mean it just sounds like anextraordinary We're lucky to get a show like
(09:03):
Master of Puppets. Limited run beginsMay twenty fifth, runs through June eleventh,
and it's James Gary from A MillionLittle Things, Rode Rodriguez and the
hell of a cast you've assembled here. Kurt Fuller, I've been a fan
of for years. He got AmandaDeptmer. Obviously the material resonated, or
maybe they owed you favors or alittle bit of both. Yeah. I
(09:24):
would say throw that all into intoa into a blender and come to every
smooth Yeah. And James. Afterwards. One night you come over there,
so we have a couple of drinkson the back deck. We talk about
Gary and how he never really existed. That's true, he never did.
He was a TV character. Hewas a TV character. I get it.
(09:45):
I appreciate you getting up early,my man, and I'm excited to
find out that you've already touched downin Branford and seeing our great little area.
And I look forward to Master ofPuppets at the Legacy Theater. Pleasure
is mind, Ben, Thanks forhaving me from the number I know it.
We'll see you soon, all right, sir,
James Roda Rodriguez. All three,you get three in one, the holy
Trinity of source. I love havingme on the show. I gotta start,
I gotta start things awkward. Igotta start thing. As my daughter
would say, I've got to startthe interview. Kaf Wow, if you're
all right with that, I feeleducated. I love I love hearing things
(00:21):
that the kids are saying. Solast week there was a flurry of activity.
You know, but this this greatshow coming to town. That really
a wonderful theater. I don't knowif you've if you've touched down yet and
surveyed the area, the Legacy Theater. It's just a beautiful theater. I
have been of there. I wasthere all last week. Oh that's great.
(00:41):
I mean you I'm sure you've heardthe Orson Wells story by now.
I mean, that's really quite somethingto me. And I live right around
the corner. I'll have you overfor a cocktail, but you might not
want to come over after I sharewith you. So in this flurry of
activity, and they're they're they're hittingme with the names of what a great
cast to set bold there, Like, we really want you to talk to
(01:02):
James Rode Rodriguez and I was doingradio morning man things and the name,
you know, it didn't click.And I'm like, well, I can
only tape into you know, WestCoast time. It can be a little
difficult. So then we make ithappen, and here you are. And
I'm realizing today, why didn't theyjust say it's Gary from a Million Little
(01:22):
Things? Dude, I would havecome back in here seven o'clock tonight to
talk to Gary from a Million LittleThings. I didn't put two and two
together. Look, man, mathis not everybody's thing. It's Gary from
a Million Little Things. I can'tbelieve it. I know you probably don't
want to talk about that for butI've had I watched the whole series with
my daughters, now twenty, she'ssixteen or so. I guess mathematically speed
(01:48):
doing the math again when it started, and we would say all the time,
Nobody. A running joke for yearswas nobody has a friend like Gary,
Like Gary's make king every like youwere a running joke in our house,
where like he's making the most difficultof situations comedic. He does not
exist. Yes, that's why hewas a television character. You were probably
(02:15):
the favorite the show character was ofcourse great cast. I actually David June
totally has been on the show before, way back when he was doing Grim.
That's a complicated. I don't knowhow good of friends you all really
were on a Million Little Things,but hell of a ride for you man,
and coming off of Psych too,and we're lucky to get you here
(02:37):
in a little bucolic Branford, Connecticut. I cannot wait. I spent a
lovely week there to kick off rehearsaland sort of said, get to lay
the land. And I'm very encouraged. I've got some really fantastic actors that
are just just thinking their teeth intothis material. And for me, you
(02:58):
know, I started in the theaterand it's always great to be back in
a theater in the legacy. Likehe said, it's beautiful, like that
renovation just that's absurd. Yeah itis. And you know, for it's
it's an intimate room too. Imean you're you're going to be in people's
faces in that room. Uh,it's and for fans of a Million Little
Things, Psych this and I meanyou're right there, but this is is
(03:22):
it safe to say? This isa labor of love of yours? Master?
Of puppets. It's a and a. Were you a wrestling a wrestling
fan? Yes, all those thingsare accurate. I grew up a huge
wrestling fan, and then you know, I, you know, I hit
puberty and I and I got interestedin acting, and I went off to
college and I missed, uh mostof what of what most wrestling fans referred
(03:46):
to as the Attitude era, uh, which you know, early early nineties
into you know, early arts.But then I started doing psych which was
on the US Stay Network. Uh. Yeah. We ended up doing a
bunch of cross promotional stuff with uhwith WWE. UH. And I met
(04:11):
a bunch of those guys and they'reall big sweethearts and became friends with some
of them, and so I sortof decided, you know what I'm I'm
going back as a grown ass man, and I kind of rediscovered pro wrestling
and and have a completely different appreciationfor it now obviously than I didn't when
(04:34):
I was a kid, because nowI just I realized what they put their
bodies through night in and night out. Uh. You know, it may
it may be scripted, but there'snothing there is nothing fake about about the
bumps that those that those guys andgals take and and and they do it
for you know, for our entertainment, and it is theater um. So
(04:57):
I have a whole appreciation for thearts form and and just getting to know
them, uh, you know,took it to a whole, a whole
other level. So that thing said, I've got a buddy that I go
all the way back to college withh and They've been working on display now
for almost a decade and I've beendeveloping it with them. And to call
(05:18):
it a labor of love is yeah, you hit the nail, the nail
on the head. This has beena long time tim Yeah, you know,
as a guy in his mid fifties. I mean I've I feel like
I've had two experience, two experienceswith the wrestling world. My brother was
a huge wrestling fan when I wasa kid. And that's that's the Captain
lew Albano, you know, Era, that's the h Andre the Giant.
(05:42):
Maybe a little we got got intoHulk Hogan and yeah, Hulk Hogan did
play what thunder Lips and Rocky,but for the most part they were contained
to that world. Then I revisitas a dad because I have a son
as well, and all of asudden, you got these guys, you
know, I mean Jayne Johnson andsaid no joke. Actor John Cena continues
(06:02):
to surprise. So you can't helpbut acknowledge. Well, clearly they're performers.
Look at them, they're you know, this generation, this second tier,
if you will. These guys areclimbing out of that ring and turning
in very real performances as actors.I mean, the Rock's the highest paid
actor or now or very least wasat one time. So what an evolution
(06:23):
is is that touched upon and Masterof Puppets at all, the evolution of
the WWE and all that. Iwould say Masters of Puppets takes on professional
wrestling the way that you know,the session takes on. I love it.
You know what whatever empire uh thatis, Uh, it's you know,
you're you're talking about family, you'retalking about marriage, You're talking about
(06:48):
the politics, and within the infrastructureof a billion dollars, you know,
a billion dollars traveling carnival basically,Um, you know what's what's at stake
on any given night the chess moves, the collateral damage. Uh, it's
it's very high drama that you know, it was the backdrop of an industry
(07:10):
that you know, I think it'sfascinating whether you've ever watched a professional wrestling
match or not, it's really aboutthese characters and the way this business works.
And at the heart of the playis a marriage between two billionaires,
which which bay sounds unrelatable, butmarriage is marriage. You know, at
(07:33):
the end of the day, itdoesn't really matter what you're wearing or you
know, how many vacation homes youhave, it's still the vows that you
took, and it's still you know, what's really going on behind a closed
door. And that's the stuff thatI love, you know, It's it's
basically, who's afraid of Virginia Woolfin a wrestling room? So um,
(07:56):
and then you know, and thenyou get all the fun trimmings of of
pro wrestling and you'll you'll walk outof there having learned some lingo uh and
just doing the inner workings of whatof what a night looks like? You
know, when they when they doa live show. So I say that
it's there's something for everyone. Um. You know, whether you think you're
(08:20):
a wrestling fan or not, itsounds fantastic, does Lawrence Davis. Does
he dare to go to the placeof addressing if the the hits are real?
I mean, because that's a controversialquestion still to this day. You're
right to put it the way.People are still getting slam. You're still
getting banged up no matter what youdo. I mean, even if you
(08:41):
want to look at it as stuff. But the controversial question remains, you're
not really taking a shot to theface. Does he go there? I
love it. I'm intrigued by itall the way around. I can't wait
for it to get to the LegacyTheater. Such a beautiful area, and
I mean it just sounds like anextraordinary We're lucky to get a show like
(09:03):
Master of Puppets. Limited run beginsMay twenty fifth, runs through June eleventh,
and it's James Gary from A MillionLittle Things, Rode Rodriguez and the
hell of a cast you've assembled here. Kurt Fuller, I've been a fan
of for years. He got AmandaDeptmer. Obviously the material resonated, or
maybe they owed you favors or alittle bit of both. Yeah. I
(09:24):
would say throw that all into intoa into a blender and come to every
smooth Yeah. And James. Afterwards. One night you come over there,
so we have a couple of drinkson the back deck. We talk about
Gary and how he never really existed. That's true, he never did.
He was a TV character. Hewas a TV character. I get it.
(09:45):
I appreciate you getting up early,my man, and I'm excited to
find out that you've already touched downin Branford and seeing our great little area.
And I look forward to Master ofPuppets at the Legacy Theater. Pleasure
is mind, Ben, Thanks forhaving me from the number I know it.
We'll see you soon, all right, sir,
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