September 25, 2020 • 42 mins
There is nobody that hits the spotlight quite like Mr. Pat O'Brien. A FOX Sports Radio alum and legendary television personality, Pat joins Ben and David during a casual day above the clouds. Pat relives some of his fun at FOX along with digging into some of the theatrics that took place while traveling from coast-to-coast covering sports.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Maller
Show weekdays at two a m. Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
If you thought four hours a day, minutes a week
was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of
the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto Cutter the same as the rich
(00:21):
pill poppers in the penthouse the clearing House of Hot
takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller starts right now. We are in the air
everywhere coast to coast, border to border, the vast power
(00:41):
of the I Heart podcast Network emanating live from the
magic audio boxes we often do here and excited to
have you as we begin a new weekend of podcast.
And this is one I am very excited about because
it's another opportunity to chat with an old radio friend,
(01:02):
an old radio friend and just bs with a with
a buddy of mine from my radio past. And I'm
excited about that this podcast available eight days a week.
We got the radio show five days this Friday Saturday
and our Sunday mail bag as well, because four hours
clearly not enough on the overnight and it's all made
(01:23):
possible by cameo dot com unless it's not but cameo
dot com. I'm on there. You can get a personalized
video shout out. I would love to do it for you.
It's not free, but it's not much. I'm cheaper than
most of the people on there. And Gascon's on there,
and he's here right now, there is David Gascon making
an appearance as he comes in with his cameo. I'm
I'm shuffling the analytics around and uh, trying to locate
(01:47):
an appropriate time where we can collectively park our asses
for Bay versus the Penny every Friday, Yes, afternoon, Yes, yes,
it will be sometime on Friday. We I'm not sure
we It's a fluid situation guesst Con, as you know,
but we will tweet out and put on Facebook and
(02:08):
all that the exact time once we nailed down to time.
You think we would know by now, considering this is
already Friday. But we will let the masses know when
when we will partake in the wonderful Benny versus the Pain.
How are the numbers? Last week? They actually doubled from
the first week, and so that was solid and we
(02:29):
did have A couple of people said that they were
looking for for the link. Um, so I think it's
always important to reference like your Twitter handle, so because
you can pin it on your account, I do the same. Um.
But yeah, the live interaction was was really good, and
we're able to throw some of those up there onto
the to the broadcast. But um, I think they'll come
(02:53):
a time during the Benny verse of The Penny Show. Today,
we're gonna have to publicly apologize for such a what
is it lethargic week two? I just well, it was
not you know, so you're wrong. You don't even know
the numbers. I know the numbers. The numbers were not great.
(03:13):
They were industry juicing out you juiced. Yes you've lost
on the juice, but you overall are ahead. You gotta
look big picture. See you don't look big picture. You
look at the micro, not the macro. I'm a macro guy.
I'm Mackerel Maller. They call me macro Matt. We live
in a what have you done for me? Type of world,
and being is not you of all people Jackets should
(03:37):
want me to get the picks right, you dummy, to
make this actually a big deal and not some kind
of disaster, and you are openly, yet again, you are
openly pulling against me, which is going to hurt you.
You are a walking Hindenburg, is what you are. You
are a hydrogen bomb, very flammable. Do you understand how
bad this sounds? Benny versus the Penny, which is now
(03:59):
on YouTube? All right, you gascon should want me to
be the greatest handicapper of all time, and instead you
are enjoying a mediocre weekend of picks. A mediocre weekend.
I'm not enjoying it. But as you know in radio,
this is kind of synonymous for people that make it
(04:20):
or even break it, is that you never want to
be five hundred. You either want to be really good
or really fucking bad. You never want to be middle
of the road at five hundreds. So you know, I
don't want to no, no, no. In gambling, you don't
want to be You either want to be good or mediocre.
You don't want to be terrible because if you're terrible,
you you lose your entire bankroll. Yeah, but that makes
(04:42):
for good fade material for people that don't trust you,
they can fade. Then I'm in it to win it, donkey,
I am in it to win it. Okay, I am
going to neutralize the bookie. Okay, that's what I am
going to do. All's fair and love and gambling. I
do hope that you you recover and and week three
(05:04):
is better than week two. Um, and if you'll be fine,
I like the card better this weekend. I will be fine.
But don't worry about that. Stop stop. This is an interview.
This is a chat with a friend. Podcast is what
this is. Bigger name than you, guess guy. This is
a guy that's had the career you want to have.
He has lived the life you would like to live.
(05:26):
He has been the star, he has been the man,
he's been the marquee. Yes, well you you already know
who's on because you've downloaded the podcast. But Pat O'Brian,
the man has done it all. He's even worked with
me P o b Fox Sports Radio Legend back and
of course most people know him more from CBS Prudential
(05:46):
at the Half at the Boston Garden, all those Olympics,
super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Final.
For the man has done it all in sports television
back at CBS and BC. And he not only had
a very successful career for twenty years in sports on television.
(06:07):
He then crossed over to Access Hollywood The Insider. He
was hanging out with all the moguls, all the big wigs,
all the power brokers in Hollywood in sports for thirty
forty years. He's been doing it and the Pats retired
at this point. But he is a friend I've not
talked to in a long time. Actually, what happened here
(06:28):
is I was curious what's going on with past, so
I text Pat to catch up and see how he
was doing. And then we started texting and I was like, Hey,
I gotta get you on the podcast. So here he is.
We welcome in the Man, the myth, the legend, the
Great Pat O'Brien, who was on the Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller and David Gascon and Pat, what the heck
(06:50):
have you been up to? My man? Right now, I'm
finishing a burrito, um up the stepartment and uh Coca cola. Yeah,
latest and other than that, but you know, nothing, just
hanging out enjoying my life. Yeah. Now, obviously it's been
(07:11):
a crazy year here in so how how has that
affected the life of the Great Pat O'Brien With everything
that's been going on, the restrictions in California and around
the country. How have you been adapting to this? You know,
you know me well enough to know I don't let
much bother me. Um. I've had a blessed life and
(07:32):
I'm grateful for that, and because of that, I just
don't love. A lot of things bother me, and they do.
I get rid of them. That's good. That's good. Now
you are the Are you the most famous person from
South Dakota or you're in the top five? Right, You're
in the top five. Tom broke Off, all right, he's
probably the most famous. Mary Heart Okay. Um, I guess
(07:58):
George McGovern politician wise, and then me. But for the
purposes of this call, I'm the most famous. Well, clearly
you're you're the most famous. When was the last time
you went back to your your roots in South Dakota.
I go back a lot, you know. I love going
back there a lot. I've got a lot of friends
back there and they like seeing me, and I just
(08:19):
go back and hang out. I'm a big you know me,
I'm a big hangout guy. I love to hang out.
So I go back and we hang out and we
drink beer and make fools of ourselves and I leave.
So they you're the social butterfly, and they roll out
the red carpet when p O B shows up the
South Dakota, it's Sue falls, right, is that where you're
(08:41):
You're from the South Dakota. But then on the roll
out the red carpets all the same to me, I
mean before I grew up. Um, my mom passed away recently,
but she was always there and you would love my mom,
by the way, she's the great, greatest woman. Yeah, what
was your mom like? What was your mom like? She
(09:04):
was carbon copy of me? Well, I'm carbon copy of her.
She was strom San and I'm choking in with ato.
All right, Well it's a yeah, that'll the download numbers
(09:25):
will go up, pat if turns into a catastrophe. Yes,
over there, you guys, okay, Yeah. Can you believe p O. B.
That Fox Sports Radio is celebrating twenty years of broadcasting
this year and you are a big part of the
history of Fox Sports Radio and you're run here back
in the day, So twenty years, those are the days
(09:46):
we worked together, that's right. Yeah, well you you of
course with a great Steve Hartman Victor Brick. You guys
were dominating, and occasionally when one of those guys would
be out, I got to do the show with with
p O B. And uh. I do recall, Pat, we
had a big rivalry. You remember the battle we had
to try to get verified on Twitter. Do you remember?
(10:07):
My god, we forgot about that. You We were going
back and it was like in the early days of Twitter,
when Twitter started. We were trying to get verified. And
you know, I'm in a race. Pat, You're like this big.
You know, You've got the history on network television and
you also the entertainment show and all that. I'm just
like a radio scrub and uh. And we were battling,
(10:29):
by the way, well thank you, but we were desperately
trying to get you're desperately trying to get verified. I
remember that you beat me, and I remember you you're
doing a victory lap and texting me that you had
been been verified in the morning. But I got verified
like a couple of days after that, Pat, So it
wasn't like you, you know, there wasn't a huge gap.
It was only a couple of days. Well, I shouldn't
(10:50):
get verified over you. Well, no, you're you're a star. Pat,
I'm I'm I'm nobody. Come on please, guy, Yeah, we're
can stiff. That's the key to my my life. And
I've always saw it myself. It's just a working shift,
you know. I got to work and I do my thing. Yeah,
what was what was it like? We're with Hartman and
(11:12):
Hartman's a piece of work too. Man, that guy, he's
a roll the deck. Yeah. I love Steve harm However,
he's got his issues, but so do I. But he
was He's always been something going on with him. Yeah,
you know, but I love the guy who was great
(11:36):
the drama, Right, there's always some some drama going on.
Well aware if there's no drama he'd created. Yeah, well
it's good life. Life is all about the drama in anyways,
as as you know about creating it, ye your time. Yeah,
there's been a lot of drama this year at p
O B. I mean this has been been wild and crazy.
(11:57):
How much of that are you consuming? I've I've tried
to stay away from as much of it as I can,
but it's everywhere, it's all encompassing, it's all you know,
every in your business, and yeah, it's it's just out
of control. How much of that do you have in
your life? Would you pay attention to the news of
the day and that kind of stuff? You know, Like
I said, I don't love affect me. It's uh, people
(12:19):
come to me with drama. I don't engage. I mean
it's uh, why do that? Oh yeah, why and write drama?
You know? By the way is burritos station? Where'd you
get the burrito from? Up at the corner Deli? Corner Deli?
(12:41):
I'm talking to you. They probably think you're talking. I'm good, Pat,
you know, I'm I'm settled in and we're working from
home now because of the pandemic. So I've I've got
I'm like big time. I'm like a big TV radio
guy because I have the setup. I have my own studio,
so I'm doing the show out of the compound here,
so I have not Yeah, it's wonderful. I didn't think
(13:04):
I was gonna like it, but I love it. And
I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. But
it makes the commute a lot easier. Pat. Uh, Well,
there is no commune from living room, bedroom, kitchen. No. No,
I have like a little office. Yeah, so I have
the bring the gear and set it up for you.
(13:24):
Uh no, no, no, of course not. I had to
buy it. Actually I bought I was doing stuff for
w E I in Boston a couple of years ago, remotely,
and so I built this little studio and then they
did trade some of the raggedy equipment that I had bought.
They put some a couple of new things in here,
but other than that, it's the same stuff that I
(13:45):
had purchased on the internet years ago, a couple of
years back. So they can get your own gear at home.
That's did you ever work out at home? You all
those gigs you had over the years, you were never
able to work out a home? Were you now? Now?
Because I always like going in I could have. I
(14:07):
guess I had the used to do it. But how
is that going in seeing people saying hi, you know,
being sociable. Yeah, well, because that's because you're a social butterfly.
I'm an introvert. Pat, you know that I'm not together
for that knowing TV is the extrovert. Radio is the introvert.
But I always like going in him and being around people,
(14:29):
and you see me in action, I know my thing. Well,
you're the life of the room. Where whatever room you're
in Pat, You're lighting the room up. That's the beauty
of Pat O'Brien. Well, I always look good. That's the
only the only thing I can count to them. I'm
trying to think the last time I saw you, and
I think it was unfortunately at a funeral. Uh was
(14:49):
it the when Joe McDonald had passed away. I think
I I was that, like, yeah, that's the last time
I saw the great p O B. We we gotta
catch Joe McDonald. Legend l A radio titan. He was
the he was the Francessa of l A right back
in the day. He's bigger than Francessa literally and figuratively. Um, now,
(15:16):
what a great guy. Didn't you do a story Joe didn't?
Or didn't you do a story? Pat? On Joe on
CBS At one point, I think I remember something they
did some feature on It was Joe and Doug. Were
you the one that did that? Somebody did that? It
was gave him a nice send off. Yeah, I expect
you to do for me when I go, oh, Pat,
(15:37):
you're gonna outlast met Pat. Come on your p O B.
You're a radio TV icon. Those people don't pass away.
Come on Pat my Son said to me the other day, Yeah,
you get a live longer than all of your friends.
And I said, yes, well, Pat, you have the good genetics.
And I want to put this out now. You have
(15:59):
told me over the years and you've proven it. Actually
before we talked a little bit before we started recording
the podcast. Here you have the one thing genetically that
I wish I had. You have the greatest immune system
that you could possibly have. Like, I eat a couple
of candy bars or something like that, and I gained
(16:20):
five pounds. You, Pat, can literally do whatever you want.
Is this correct? P O B. You can eat whatever
I My mom's that way, my father was that way,
and I'm that way. I eat all day, honest, I
eat all day long. I get up, I have bacon
and eggs for breakfast, maybe some ham, and I have
(16:42):
a snack bit morning, and I have lunch to just
have a couple of burritos. I mean, I eat all
freaking day. A lot of that work, but I did that.
I was like almost five pounds when I was doing that.
Back in the day, I would I would eat, you know,
four massive meals a day, and it showed in my physique.
(17:05):
I'll say it's fun because I don't care and my
like I said, my mom is the same way, my
dad is the same way. My dad always said to me,
eat whenever you're hungry. I said, what if I'm always hungry,
because then you always eat? That is? Uh? Are you
working out at all? Though you get any exercise pattern?
(17:26):
You're just consuming your exercise putting the burrito into the mouth.
Is that your exercise? No? I do um an awesome
number of sit ups today. Eat my stomach, you know,
tender hard, and I run. So that's my exercise. And
I walk everywhere. I don't use In fact, I got
(17:47):
rid of my card. I don't drive anywhere. You don't drive?
Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait you live
in l A. Still right, Pat, you're you're not driving
and you live in Los Angeles. I live in Beverly Hills. Yeah,
so everything I need is within like three or four blocks,
and I walk everywhere because if you drive, you end
(18:07):
up blocking a block after you park your car. You know, Well,
that's true. But what if you want to go to
like the beach or something like you gotta drop that's
different story. I'm just talking about it. Stuff Okay, so
you really but my car? Okay? You know, Bet. What
he's doing is he's being progressive to Gavin Newsom's initiative
(18:29):
of eliminating gas powered vehicles. That's right, Pat, Did you
see that? Pat? They're gonna get rid of all the game.
They're gonna no more gas vehicles. And what fifteen years?
They said? Yeah, what's that happening? Five? Pat? Fifteen years?
I'll be longgo, not long, not dead, but I'll be
way out of here by then. Oh yeah, where are
(18:52):
you going? You leave in California? Pat? Are you? I
think you've actually I go back to the Midwest. I
love you know, I love South Dakota, So I have
to go back to the Midwest. You ever been there?
By the way South Dakota. No, I've flown over it,
but I've never never been there. Everybody's where should I go?
If I if give me you call me and I'll
(19:15):
meet you in the Sue Falls. That's the main place.
And I know literally all hundreds and thirty thousand people.
Is there a sign that are? Is your name on
a sign? When you enter into Sue Falls, the birthplace
of Pat O'Brien. Don't forget Mary hart, Tom broke off
a lot of people from South Dakota. So I'm I'm
(19:38):
like low on the total pole. Yeah, well you're high
on the our totem pole here, Pat. When it comes
to that, I'm yes, very important, very important. Pat. Do
you Hunt? No? You know what, I shouldn't pay guys.
I should have, but I never did because Chas and
Hunt he is a big deal. I just I don't
(20:00):
like being around guns. Never did. A friend of mine
has a head blowing off, sucking around with a gun.
So from that moment on the way to bring the
interview down right, um, but I sat there and watched
the guy you know, blow his head off sucking around
with a gun, So I never, I never, I'm sorry,
did I say that word? Sorry? Messing around with a gun?
(20:22):
And so from that I was always afraid of them
and the only guns out there I've shotgun. So, so
what do you recommend to do then? If we go
out to Sue Falls and I'm I'm escorting you and
Ben Maller around town, like besides handing out autographs and
taking selfies with you, guys, what else is there to
do out there? I'll take Ben to all the good spots. Pat,
(20:46):
you know I'm gonna take you off on this. My
wife would love to go, and she always wants to travel.
I don't. We we haven't gone anywhere this year because
of what's been going on. But now and my brother
about that. You love it there knowing you you love it.
It's uh, it's great, it's easy. The people are nice,
restaurants are great, the food is good. Yeah. Hey, when
you were when you look at John Morrell and Company
(21:08):
to meet packing plan, Yeah, hey, I gotta when you
were working in New York all those years, did you
live in the city or did you live outside or
how did that? How that work? That's your spot? That
was my spot. It's a Regency hotel department in the Regency.
(21:30):
And by the way, I never paid for it, So
I mean you gave me some Pat, You gave me
some great advice. Remember when I was I was traveling
at the time you were working at Fox Sports Radio.
I was doing stuff at the NBC Sports Network, So
I had to go back to Stanford, Connecticut like once
(21:50):
a month and do some some TV stuff which I
sucked at, which I'm not doing anywhere. But you told
me when it comes to travel, remember what you told
me when it comes to the expense is on travel,
pat and how to handle that. Did I say, lie, No,
you said. I think you said something to the effect
that these big media comans, at least at that time. Um,
(22:12):
it was just like a business write off right for
travel a lot of times. So like you whatever, when
you were traveling, you can stay at a nice hotel
because it's just a business expense, right if something that
they don't care. I mean I had a pretty expensive
com because I said, look, if you're taking me away
from my house, my apartment, then you gotta take care
of me the way I would live there. And they
understood that. And by the way, you're right, the travel
(22:35):
expenses a big write off for them, so it's not
a big deal. Yeah, you know if you get a
five bedge of a squeaked and they might give me
a call. But I hear you, Hey, when you were
when you were in New York, did you ever run
with Trump? When when you were in New York? And
did you guys hang in the same social circles back
in those days? Are good friends? We still are. Um.
(22:59):
We were just talking about it the other day. We
used to go out to dinner like once or twice
a week. And that's just when he was Donald Trump
real estate guy. Now look at him, I know he's
Have you talked to him since he became the president?
Have you? Yeah, you have said, what do you expect
you're going to do with this job? What do you
(23:24):
what do you think? What are you thinking? But he's
having a good time. He's actually a pretty good guy. Yeah,
he's been trashed though. Man, it's been vicious fellows. As
you know, everybody trashes me. I said to one of
those guys who's trash, Doble'll get over it, isn't it great? Though?
(23:46):
Facts when he was running around New York and all that,
everyone like, he was hanging out with her, he was
everyone's friend. Everyone loved him. And then he becomes president.
Now he's a pariah and he's he's horrible and all
this stuff. It's just brutal, how vicious it is right now.
I like his trajectory though. I mean, he did this right.
I think he might have been thinking about this all
the time. But now look at him. I said to myself,
(24:09):
I'm not going to call him Mr President, so don't
I don't think that's gonna happen. So how how do
you let me ask you? Now? You you have obviously
Trump's number from back when he lived in New York,
But how if you want to get ahold of he's
the president of the United States. It must have been
difficult to get ahold of him? Like how you can't
just call him up? Can you? I got a cell number,
(24:31):
and he gave his cell number out to very few people.
So should we should dial it? Man? Yeah? Now, Pat?
That see that would make this even better. But not now.
You of course are enough to get the downloads up.
But but that's to know somebody that became president? What
you hang with some high rollers? Pat? I remember, I
(24:52):
remember one time I was on the phone with you,
and I think you had to get off because what
was wh which big name? Yoke? Oh? Or is I
think somebody else a bigger name had called in? If
I remember one time we were talking on the phone,
but you there's nobody bigger than you. Well, who's the
biggest is the president? I would think President United States?
Is is like the what's the biggest name in your
(25:13):
phone right now? The biggest name you have on your
phone right now? That you'd call right this second other
than President Trump, the three of the Beatles. Wow, you
know mccartni, Ringo and uh you used to have Lemon.
But and I see Ringle all the time, so we're
call him Richard down here. A great guy by the way,
(25:35):
but it's so weird growing up. I'm a huge Beetle
fan hanging out with Ringo Starry, you know. Yeah, I
remember one time we were on the phone and he
so I got Ringo on the other line, I gotta go,
and uh, I remember, I remember, I remember that, Like, wow,
I know, I know, but it made for a good
story past. So when I tell stories about you on
(25:56):
the Overnight Show, I was like, you know, I remember
one time I was on the phone with Pat O'Brian
to need this and he did that and all that stuff,
and uh, it's it's hilarious. Do you think Trump's gonna
get reelected? Pat? What do you think? What's the pulse
of Pat O'Brien here at this point with the election? Yeah,
I think he's you know, I'm not fond of his politics.
He knows that, but um yeah, I think he's gonna
(26:17):
go who's gonna beat him? I mean, when you're an
incumbent president. You have everything working for you, plus you
have all the money. And that's what it takes to
win now is money, lots of it. That's why I'm
not running for you all. They wanted me to run
for sentatives South Dakota or governor. Yeah, I said, the
last thing. You want me to be as your governor?
(26:41):
What would you do as governor? If Pat O'Brien was
the governor? What would you do? I want to enjoy,
you know, I would enjoy it. I just don't think
it pays well. Well, isn't politics where you make your
money once you're out of office because you all those
people have to pay you money for the favors that
you give them. I think that's usually how it works,
isn't it. Well, it's a good trans It would be
(27:01):
a good transition for me because everybody knows me. Um. Yeah,
but broke on both of out Dakota and he didn't
want to run, so um, I don't know. I think
being a being governor or being a politician boring for me.
Do you think, Well, it depends how you did it.
Like now, it would be tough, but you could go
to all kinds of social junk's pad and you could
(27:23):
hang out and press the flash. You're you're great at
that kind of stuff. That's true, that's anyway. Yeah, okay,
So if Trump gets reelected, Pat, and he calls you
up and says, hey, I need you on some White
House committee, would you do It? Depends on what it is.
I mean, I love don and I would do that.
(27:45):
But what do I need that? Now? I'm talking to
you on an afternoon. I don't need anything else. You
know clearly your life is complete, right, Uh No, you
know I don't need that. I some people need it
further ego. I have enough things from my ego. Yeah,
(28:07):
do you Pat? Do you miss the radio space here
like your Fox caf? I? Do you do you miss that?
You know? I loved radio more than television, you know
what I I mean. You saw me in there, and I
love just sitting in front of the microphone. You can
say whatever you want almost and I loved it over there.
I had a good time doing that. Do you think
in today's environment that you'd be able to survive it
(28:28):
just with the way that you know you were able
to say and do what you want. Well, I'm a survivor.
And if they hire me. They know what they're getting. So,
I mean he's a pretty good at ten. I mean
the conversation, let's hire paddle Brand, we'll do. You have
to put up with it, yes, Now, Now, Pat, I
(28:50):
love that you're friends with Trump because you are obviously
a Democrat. But you know, Trump's a Republican guy. And
we're at the point now where if you're on its tribalism.
If you're a Democrat, you can't like a Republican. If
you're a Republican, you can't like a Democrat. It's it's
just wild politically. How many presidents do you you you
were friends with the Clinton's right, I think back in
(29:12):
the back in how many presidents have you been friendly
with over the years. Let's see Bill Um Clinton? Yeah, Trump,
I knew Nixon did some things to them, but we
never really clicked. As you can imagine, Uh, what the
(29:33):
kind of guy who go out for a beer with
you know Trump? You did? Yeah, but Trump is great,
by the way, and he never forgets his friends. What
was it like back in the in the eighties and
the nineties with when you were hanging out in New
York going out to dinner and restaurants and running into Trump?
What was that like in those days like it is today?
(29:55):
You know the great thing about being on television as
much as I've been ever, I knows you you know,
which has benefits since travails. But I love going out
in New York. By the way. I always get a
good table, so they don't make you wait. When I
(30:15):
go to New York, they make me wait out in
the street and they're like, we'll get to you know,
you know when your number coming out? Oh was I
was at the four Seasons and in walks Clinton and
I'm at his table and they said, Mr Clinton's here.
I said, so, I mean it's good table. The bottom
(30:42):
line is I was here first. But now it's always
fun to go out in New York. It's expensive, though, jeez, yeah,
spy for a cocktail the way I drink. Do you
still have your place in New York? Do you still
go back there? Yeah? I do, um, and I don't.
(31:06):
I don't get there enough, but I don't. I don't
want to get rid of it. It's good. A little
pricing now, but I can. I can take it off
your hands if you want. And when I'm in New York,
I can stay there. For if you want, you know,
just saying you're welcome to stay there. I was cleaned
and leave in the mailbox a night a night. Uh
(31:30):
that's great. So I told you when we worked together, Patton,
I I remember when I was when I was younger,
and you know, not to make you feel old, but
watching CBS and the Celtics and the Lakers in the eighties,
high to top the Boston Garden for what was the
credential at the half with Pat O'Brien, and uh, what
(31:50):
was it like working those days back in the in
the because the Boston Garden I was never there. It
was a dump, right, It was an old Rundown gymnasium
and it was it's not like these new arenas today
where everything's got the build whistles. You were. You were
by television standards and by sports standards. You were roughing
it right back in those days. Well as you'd like
(32:10):
to say, it had character. And I always said, I
made them make me a spot up for the bell
case said, I sat over Boston Garden. But it has
a lot of character and a lot of and I
knew all the players, so you know, ueah, but the
Boston Garden, we walk in there and there's Larry Bird.
(32:34):
You know you you know you're somewhere, but didn't it
didn't have air conditioning, right, and there we get hot
those conditioning, no fresh air, no ventilation. Yeah, but they
had Larry Bird. So um that saidenough, isn't it? Yeah?
(32:55):
What was the you did the Super Bowl pregame? Right,
You've done everything? What was the What was the event
that stood out and said, man, that is the coolest
thing that I get to do? Is it was the Olympics?
What was you know what? My favorite events were always
the Olympics. I've done like six Olympics And the great
thing about the Olympics that you never get bored. There's
always something going on, and uh, it's just the Olympics
(33:20):
are great. The NBA Finals are always good for me
too because I kind of ran that deal. But the
Olympics is great. What do people associate you with them?
Is it? Is it the To me, it's it's the NBA,
It's the it's the you're doing the pre and the
halftime and all that stuff. Is it? What do you
think most people when they say Pat O'Brien, they is it?
(33:43):
Is it the entertainment stuff? You did after sports, what
would it be? I said, it's still sports. I mean,
most people I remember you on the NBA and college basketball,
believe or not. And in college football I did a
lot of I did a lot of college people forget that.
(34:05):
That's some college kids actually went to school. But I
didn't go to school. When I was in college at too, No, please,
I was the radio nerd. I didn't pay only radio.
I paid attention to pretty much nothing else. But that
was about it. And how much Pat? All the all
the college stuff was a CBS right mm hmm, the
(34:28):
Final Four and all that, right and the whole, the
whole ball of way CBS. I did the Final Four,
the Olympics, a bunch of Super Bowls and all the basketball,
all the halftimes, and never did any research Pat, when
(34:49):
you did the Pat when you covered the Olympics? Was
was most of that on site? Too? Like? Were you
at these these venues or were you? Guys? Hold on,
you're making me get up. I'm totally Chris, I'm getting here.
The owner comes out, doesn't he know who you are? Pat?
(35:14):
Come on, you're Pat O'Brien. You can do what you want.
That's so I think I just swore, um No, the
Olympics was always great because there was always something to
do and uh, if you didn't have something to do,
you find it, you know, And it was great. And
I was kind of curious if you ever traveled intead
the athletes bubble, let's see exactly what was going on
inside the Olympic athletes are a special breed. And you know,
(35:42):
I think about my job was that I was the guy.
You know, that's not like I'm the man, but I
was the guy that had this talk to but they
like to do not so it worked for me. Sure. Absolutely.
How much sports do you watch these days? Pat? Do
you still watching a bunch of this stuff? Are you
doing it again? There's so much on though, you believe
(36:05):
that we can watch anything anytime. When I was doing sports,
it was just the NBA and maybe some football, But
now there's everything. Sure, who you know why? Because people
want it? Who's the who do you think the top
people are that that have done what you did back
into Who are the padd O'Brien's of this generation of television? Well,
(36:30):
there's always Bob Costs, but that's well he's at Is
that too many guys coming up that are are really
really good? You know? Was it? What does it take
to be good at as a studio host on network TV?
What is? What skills do you have to have? How
do you be good? How? How can you follow in
(36:50):
your footsteps? But for something? There's people listening to their
young guys that want to be the next padd O'Brien.
I want to be on TV? What do you have
to do to be good at that job? Trick tells
the police. Umst, I don't get nervous, uh, you know,
don't rattle yourself and be confident. I was always confident
in my skills, So that did I mean, that's to me,
(37:13):
that's that I was that great. But I was very
confident in my skills, so I knew I could handle
anything and did. By the way, that sound like good
schmuck right now? Do not at all? Pat. You are
much much kinder now than you were back in the day. Pat,
come on, please you you're you're doing wonderful. Absolutely, remember
(37:39):
our days, Remember our days back in that radio studio.
I do. I fondly remember some of my my you
busting balls with me. I remember the one time you
you taped you tape some money to the console. Remember
that you it takes some money and then and then
it's some of it is still there. Pat, You'll be
happy to know there's like seven years seven, eight years
(37:59):
ago and it's still some of the tape money is
still in the studio. They haven't been able to get
it off the console. That I think one of those
I think it was a five dollar bill and that
put so much tape on it to take the board
depart to get it off there. Yeah, it's Pat, don't
do this? Said, why well that I remember you gave
(38:23):
me a gift. You went and you had a bag
of like high end watches, you remember that, Pat, he
pick what you want here? And you had the uh
the bag of watches that I was like, I couldn't
afford one of those watches. And you're like, you know,
back of whatever you want, Ben, take care, take one,
go ahead. At least it wasn't a bag of drugs.
(38:44):
Well no, no, I didn't know you at that time.
But how's that going? By the way, the Battle of sobriety? Man,
how are you doing? You sound good? Yeah, I'm great.
It's um no more booze, no more drivers. I'm fine
with it. It's by the way easier. And you think
I have no temptations. I mean now and then I'll
see somebody coming to the restaurant over glass of red wine.
(39:06):
I think, you know, those are the days. And now
I remember trying to crawl home. Um And I remember
one of the first times I met Pat O'Brien, the
Great p o b was at Adults in Burbank. I
think you were doing one of the entertainment shows. I
don't know if it's Access Hollywood of the Insider, but
you would. You would come in there after work and
(39:26):
we were working across the street doing radio at the
local station. And I remember you were busting my balls
because I kept mispronouncing Wimbledon. I mispronounced and you were.
You were giving me a hard time, but you were
drinking the wine. Back in those days, Pat, right that
I love Adults. I used to go there like three days,
three or four days a week. I love that everyone
was hanging out there back in the day. All the
(39:48):
movie studio people, radio people, TV people. Was wonderful back then.
No more hangouts anymore, you know. Well, I was in Chicago.
It was always, you know a place where everybody would
go and you go there and see everybody wanted to
do it. Now there's no no hangouts. People have spread
out all over the place. Yeah that is, or they're
(40:11):
avoiding me. I don't know. No, I remember though that
that place Daltson Burbank. They it was at the bottom
floor of this office tower, right next to Warner Brothers
studios and everyone everyone from Warner Brothers back this back
in the day, and there would be like the cast
of Seinfeld, the Drew Carey Show, like all we come
hang out and you were there, you know, NBC people,
(40:33):
the local NBC in l A. Fritz Coleman would be
in there and and hanging out. And yeah, I mean
there's no places like that anymore. Um, what's the song? Um?
Place we want to go see your friends? What's the song? Um?
I don't know, I can't I can't remember. But there
(40:54):
was a love those places where you go and I
always see somebody you know and just said down and
have a good time. Yeah. So what's day to day
in life like for you, Patt? You just kind of
hang out living the dream, retired, living life large. Yeah.
I don't do a lot, well, actually I do. I
get up, I have breakfast, I see my son whenever
I can. I'm pretty good friends with all my neighbors.
(41:19):
I have a good life. I got the lunch every
day when I got to dinner most of the time.
Sometimes I cook at home. The life of tattle. Brian.
I saw you pretty. I saw you not on. You're
not on. You have a Twitter account. We we talked
about that earlier, but you're not active on there. You
get did you give that up? Patty? You've done with
the the toxic world of Twitter because whatever I say
(41:43):
it gets slaughter reaction. Sometimes I can't be that. I
won't buy not the nicest guy on any things. So um,
but I love Twitter is a great invention. Are you
on Twitter? Yeah, of course, I'm a pet. I'm I'm
I follow, We follow each other, but you're never are
You never tweeted anything? So I don't see your your
(42:03):
comments because you don't. As you said, you don't send
stuff out because you don't want to blow back. I
hear you. That's smart. By the way, you know any
guys have lost gigs because of Twitter. It's it's crazy,
I'm sure because you get real free. You know you think, well,
I can say that nobody will see it when in fact,
everybody sees it. Yeah, hey, Pat, we gotta go. But listen,
(42:24):
we gotta have you on again. I love you, man.
We gotta hang out to we'll get we'll go to
when they when the King of California opens up the
restaurants again. We'll have to go out and break bread somewhere.
Let's let's go out and hang out and then we'll
come out again. I love I love being around you.
All right, you're the greatest. Pat. Take care of man.
Thank you. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven p m. Pacific,
Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Maller
Show weekdays at two a m. Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
If you thought four hours a day, minutes a week
was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of
the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto Cutter the same as the rich
(00:21):
pill poppers in the penthouse the clearing House of Hot
takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller starts right now. We are in the air
everywhere coast to coast, border to border, the vast power
(00:41):
of the I Heart podcast Network emanating live from the
magic audio boxes we often do here and excited to
have you as we begin a new weekend of podcast.
And this is one I am very excited about because
it's another opportunity to chat with an old radio friend,
(01:02):
an old radio friend and just bs with a with
a buddy of mine from my radio past. And I'm
excited about that this podcast available eight days a week.
We got the radio show five days this Friday Saturday
and our Sunday mail bag as well, because four hours
clearly not enough on the overnight and it's all made
(01:23):
possible by cameo dot com unless it's not but cameo
dot com. I'm on there. You can get a personalized
video shout out. I would love to do it for you.
It's not free, but it's not much. I'm cheaper than
most of the people on there. And Gascon's on there,
and he's here right now, there is David Gascon making
an appearance as he comes in with his cameo. I'm
I'm shuffling the analytics around and uh, trying to locate
(01:47):
an appropriate time where we can collectively park our asses
for Bay versus the Penny every Friday, Yes, afternoon, Yes, yes,
it will be sometime on Friday. We I'm not sure
we It's a fluid situation guesst Con, as you know,
but we will tweet out and put on Facebook and
(02:08):
all that the exact time once we nailed down to time.
You think we would know by now, considering this is
already Friday. But we will let the masses know when
when we will partake in the wonderful Benny versus the Pain.
How are the numbers? Last week? They actually doubled from
the first week, and so that was solid and we
(02:29):
did have A couple of people said that they were
looking for for the link. Um, so I think it's
always important to reference like your Twitter handle, so because
you can pin it on your account, I do the same. Um.
But yeah, the live interaction was was really good, and
we're able to throw some of those up there onto
the to the broadcast. But um, I think they'll come
(02:53):
a time during the Benny verse of The Penny Show. Today,
we're gonna have to publicly apologize for such a what
is it lethargic week two? I just well, it was
not you know, so you're wrong. You don't even know
the numbers. I know the numbers. The numbers were not great.
(03:13):
They were industry juicing out you juiced. Yes you've lost
on the juice, but you overall are ahead. You gotta
look big picture. See you don't look big picture. You
look at the micro, not the macro. I'm a macro guy.
I'm Mackerel Maller. They call me macro Matt. We live
in a what have you done for me? Type of world,
and being is not you of all people Jackets should
(03:37):
want me to get the picks right, you dummy, to
make this actually a big deal and not some kind
of disaster, and you are openly, yet again, you are
openly pulling against me, which is going to hurt you.
You are a walking Hindenburg, is what you are. You
are a hydrogen bomb, very flammable. Do you understand how
bad this sounds? Benny versus the Penny, which is now
(03:59):
on YouTube? All right, you gascon should want me to
be the greatest handicapper of all time, and instead you
are enjoying a mediocre weekend of picks. A mediocre weekend.
I'm not enjoying it. But as you know in radio,
this is kind of synonymous for people that make it
(04:20):
or even break it, is that you never want to
be five hundred. You either want to be really good
or really fucking bad. You never want to be middle
of the road at five hundreds. So you know, I
don't want to no, no, no. In gambling, you don't
want to be You either want to be good or mediocre.
You don't want to be terrible because if you're terrible,
you you lose your entire bankroll. Yeah, but that makes
(04:42):
for good fade material for people that don't trust you,
they can fade. Then I'm in it to win it, donkey,
I am in it to win it. Okay, I am
going to neutralize the bookie. Okay, that's what I am
going to do. All's fair and love and gambling. I
do hope that you you recover and and week three
(05:04):
is better than week two. Um, and if you'll be fine,
I like the card better this weekend. I will be fine.
But don't worry about that. Stop stop. This is an interview.
This is a chat with a friend. Podcast is what
this is. Bigger name than you, guess guy. This is
a guy that's had the career you want to have.
He has lived the life you would like to live.
(05:26):
He has been the star, he has been the man,
he's been the marquee. Yes, well you you already know
who's on because you've downloaded the podcast. But Pat O'Brian,
the man has done it all. He's even worked with
me P o b Fox Sports Radio Legend back and
of course most people know him more from CBS Prudential
(05:46):
at the Half at the Boston Garden, all those Olympics,
super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Final.
For the man has done it all in sports television
back at CBS and BC. And he not only had
a very successful career for twenty years in sports on television.
(06:07):
He then crossed over to Access Hollywood The Insider. He
was hanging out with all the moguls, all the big wigs,
all the power brokers in Hollywood in sports for thirty
forty years. He's been doing it and the Pats retired
at this point. But he is a friend I've not
talked to in a long time. Actually, what happened here
(06:28):
is I was curious what's going on with past, so
I text Pat to catch up and see how he
was doing. And then we started texting and I was like, Hey,
I gotta get you on the podcast. So here he is.
We welcome in the Man, the myth, the legend, the
Great Pat O'Brien, who was on the Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller and David Gascon and Pat, what the heck
(06:50):
have you been up to? My man? Right now, I'm
finishing a burrito, um up the stepartment and uh Coca cola. Yeah,
latest and other than that, but you know, nothing, just
hanging out enjoying my life. Yeah. Now, obviously it's been
(07:11):
a crazy year here in so how how has that
affected the life of the Great Pat O'Brien With everything
that's been going on, the restrictions in California and around
the country. How have you been adapting to this? You know,
you know me well enough to know I don't let
much bother me. Um. I've had a blessed life and
(07:32):
I'm grateful for that, and because of that, I just
don't love. A lot of things bother me, and they do.
I get rid of them. That's good. That's good. Now
you are the Are you the most famous person from
South Dakota or you're in the top five? Right, You're
in the top five. Tom broke Off, all right, he's
probably the most famous. Mary Heart Okay. Um, I guess
(07:58):
George McGovern politician wise, and then me. But for the
purposes of this call, I'm the most famous. Well, clearly
you're you're the most famous. When was the last time
you went back to your your roots in South Dakota.
I go back a lot, you know. I love going
back there a lot. I've got a lot of friends
back there and they like seeing me, and I just
(08:19):
go back and hang out. I'm a big you know me,
I'm a big hangout guy. I love to hang out.
So I go back and we hang out and we
drink beer and make fools of ourselves and I leave.
So they you're the social butterfly, and they roll out
the red carpet when p O B shows up the
South Dakota, it's Sue falls, right, is that where you're
(08:41):
You're from the South Dakota. But then on the roll
out the red carpets all the same to me, I
mean before I grew up. Um, my mom passed away recently,
but she was always there and you would love my mom,
by the way, she's the great, greatest woman. Yeah, what
was your mom like? What was your mom like? She
(09:04):
was carbon copy of me? Well, I'm carbon copy of her.
She was strom San and I'm choking in with ato.
All right, Well it's a yeah, that'll the download numbers
(09:25):
will go up, pat if turns into a catastrophe. Yes,
over there, you guys, okay, Yeah. Can you believe p O. B.
That Fox Sports Radio is celebrating twenty years of broadcasting
this year and you are a big part of the
history of Fox Sports Radio and you're run here back
in the day, So twenty years, those are the days
(09:46):
we worked together, that's right. Yeah, well you you of
course with a great Steve Hartman Victor Brick. You guys
were dominating, and occasionally when one of those guys would
be out, I got to do the show with with
p O B. And uh. I do recall, Pat, we
had a big rivalry. You remember the battle we had
to try to get verified on Twitter. Do you remember?
(10:07):
My god, we forgot about that. You We were going
back and it was like in the early days of Twitter,
when Twitter started. We were trying to get verified. And
you know, I'm in a race. Pat, You're like this big.
You know, You've got the history on network television and
you also the entertainment show and all that. I'm just
like a radio scrub and uh. And we were battling,
(10:29):
by the way, well thank you, but we were desperately
trying to get you're desperately trying to get verified. I
remember that you beat me, and I remember you you're
doing a victory lap and texting me that you had
been been verified in the morning. But I got verified
like a couple of days after that, Pat, So it
wasn't like you, you know, there wasn't a huge gap.
It was only a couple of days. Well, I shouldn't
(10:50):
get verified over you. Well, no, you're you're a star. Pat,
I'm I'm I'm nobody. Come on please, guy, Yeah, we're
can stiff. That's the key to my my life. And
I've always saw it myself. It's just a working shift,
you know. I got to work and I do my thing. Yeah,
what was what was it like? We're with Hartman and
(11:12):
Hartman's a piece of work too. Man, that guy, he's
a roll the deck. Yeah. I love Steve harm However,
he's got his issues, but so do I. But he
was He's always been something going on with him. Yeah,
you know, but I love the guy who was great
(11:36):
the drama, Right, there's always some some drama going on.
Well aware if there's no drama he'd created. Yeah, well
it's good life. Life is all about the drama in anyways,
as as you know about creating it, ye your time. Yeah,
there's been a lot of drama this year at p
O B. I mean this has been been wild and crazy.
(11:57):
How much of that are you consuming? I've I've tried
to stay away from as much of it as I can,
but it's everywhere, it's all encompassing, it's all you know,
every in your business, and yeah, it's it's just out
of control. How much of that do you have in
your life? Would you pay attention to the news of
the day and that kind of stuff? You know, Like
I said, I don't love affect me. It's uh, people
(12:19):
come to me with drama. I don't engage. I mean
it's uh, why do that? Oh yeah, why and write drama?
You know? By the way is burritos station? Where'd you
get the burrito from? Up at the corner Deli? Corner Deli?
(12:41):
I'm talking to you. They probably think you're talking. I'm good, Pat,
you know, I'm I'm settled in and we're working from
home now because of the pandemic. So I've I've got
I'm like big time. I'm like a big TV radio
guy because I have the setup. I have my own studio,
so I'm doing the show out of the compound here,
so I have not Yeah, it's wonderful. I didn't think
(13:04):
I was gonna like it, but I love it. And
I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. But
it makes the commute a lot easier. Pat. Uh, Well,
there is no commune from living room, bedroom, kitchen. No. No,
I have like a little office. Yeah, so I have
the bring the gear and set it up for you.
(13:24):
Uh no, no, no, of course not. I had to
buy it. Actually I bought I was doing stuff for
w E I in Boston a couple of years ago, remotely,
and so I built this little studio and then they
did trade some of the raggedy equipment that I had bought.
They put some a couple of new things in here,
but other than that, it's the same stuff that I
(13:45):
had purchased on the internet years ago, a couple of
years back. So they can get your own gear at home.
That's did you ever work out at home? You all
those gigs you had over the years, you were never
able to work out a home? Were you now? Now?
Because I always like going in I could have. I
(14:07):
guess I had the used to do it. But how
is that going in seeing people saying hi, you know,
being sociable. Yeah, well, because that's because you're a social butterfly.
I'm an introvert. Pat, you know that I'm not together
for that knowing TV is the extrovert. Radio is the introvert.
But I always like going in him and being around people,
(14:29):
and you see me in action, I know my thing. Well,
you're the life of the room. Where whatever room you're
in Pat, You're lighting the room up. That's the beauty
of Pat O'Brien. Well, I always look good. That's the
only the only thing I can count to them. I'm
trying to think the last time I saw you, and
I think it was unfortunately at a funeral. Uh was
(14:49):
it the when Joe McDonald had passed away. I think
I I was that, like, yeah, that's the last time
I saw the great p O B. We we gotta
catch Joe McDonald. Legend l A radio titan. He was
the he was the Francessa of l A right back
in the day. He's bigger than Francessa literally and figuratively. Um, now,
(15:16):
what a great guy. Didn't you do a story Joe didn't?
Or didn't you do a story? Pat? On Joe on
CBS At one point, I think I remember something they
did some feature on It was Joe and Doug. Were
you the one that did that? Somebody did that? It
was gave him a nice send off. Yeah, I expect
you to do for me when I go, oh, Pat,
(15:37):
you're gonna outlast met Pat. Come on your p O B.
You're a radio TV icon. Those people don't pass away.
Come on Pat my Son said to me the other day, Yeah,
you get a live longer than all of your friends.
And I said, yes, well, Pat, you have the good genetics.
And I want to put this out now. You have
(15:59):
told me over the years and you've proven it. Actually
before we talked a little bit before we started recording
the podcast. Here you have the one thing genetically that
I wish I had. You have the greatest immune system
that you could possibly have. Like, I eat a couple
of candy bars or something like that, and I gained
(16:20):
five pounds. You, Pat, can literally do whatever you want.
Is this correct? P O B. You can eat whatever
I My mom's that way, my father was that way,
and I'm that way. I eat all day, honest, I
eat all day long. I get up, I have bacon
and eggs for breakfast, maybe some ham, and I have
(16:42):
a snack bit morning, and I have lunch to just
have a couple of burritos. I mean, I eat all
freaking day. A lot of that work, but I did that.
I was like almost five pounds when I was doing that.
Back in the day, I would I would eat, you know,
four massive meals a day, and it showed in my physique.
(17:05):
I'll say it's fun because I don't care and my
like I said, my mom is the same way, my
dad is the same way. My dad always said to me,
eat whenever you're hungry. I said, what if I'm always hungry,
because then you always eat? That is? Uh? Are you
working out at all? Though you get any exercise pattern?
(17:26):
You're just consuming your exercise putting the burrito into the mouth.
Is that your exercise? No? I do um an awesome
number of sit ups today. Eat my stomach, you know,
tender hard, and I run. So that's my exercise. And
I walk everywhere. I don't use In fact, I got
(17:47):
rid of my card. I don't drive anywhere. You don't drive?
Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait you live
in l A. Still right, Pat, you're you're not driving
and you live in Los Angeles. I live in Beverly Hills. Yeah,
so everything I need is within like three or four blocks,
and I walk everywhere because if you drive, you end
(18:07):
up blocking a block after you park your car. You know, Well,
that's true. But what if you want to go to
like the beach or something like you gotta drop that's
different story. I'm just talking about it. Stuff Okay, so
you really but my car? Okay? You know, Bet. What
he's doing is he's being progressive to Gavin Newsom's initiative
(18:29):
of eliminating gas powered vehicles. That's right, Pat, Did you
see that? Pat? They're gonna get rid of all the game.
They're gonna no more gas vehicles. And what fifteen years?
They said? Yeah, what's that happening? Five? Pat? Fifteen years?
I'll be longgo, not long, not dead, but I'll be
way out of here by then. Oh yeah, where are
(18:52):
you going? You leave in California? Pat? Are you? I
think you've actually I go back to the Midwest. I
love you know, I love South Dakota, So I have
to go back to the Midwest. You ever been there?
By the way South Dakota. No, I've flown over it,
but I've never never been there. Everybody's where should I go?
If I if give me you call me and I'll
(19:15):
meet you in the Sue Falls. That's the main place.
And I know literally all hundreds and thirty thousand people.
Is there a sign that are? Is your name on
a sign? When you enter into Sue Falls, the birthplace
of Pat O'Brien. Don't forget Mary hart, Tom broke off
a lot of people from South Dakota. So I'm I'm
(19:38):
like low on the total pole. Yeah, well you're high
on the our totem pole here, Pat. When it comes
to that, I'm yes, very important, very important. Pat. Do
you Hunt? No? You know what, I shouldn't pay guys.
I should have, but I never did because Chas and
Hunt he is a big deal. I just I don't
(20:00):
like being around guns. Never did. A friend of mine
has a head blowing off, sucking around with a gun.
So from that moment on the way to bring the
interview down right, um, but I sat there and watched
the guy you know, blow his head off sucking around
with a gun, So I never, I never, I'm sorry,
did I say that word? Sorry? Messing around with a gun?
(20:22):
And so from that I was always afraid of them
and the only guns out there I've shotgun. So, so
what do you recommend to do then? If we go
out to Sue Falls and I'm I'm escorting you and
Ben Maller around town, like besides handing out autographs and
taking selfies with you, guys, what else is there to
do out there? I'll take Ben to all the good spots. Pat,
(20:46):
you know I'm gonna take you off on this. My
wife would love to go, and she always wants to travel.
I don't. We we haven't gone anywhere this year because
of what's been going on. But now and my brother
about that. You love it there knowing you you love it.
It's uh, it's great, it's easy. The people are nice,
restaurants are great, the food is good. Yeah. Hey, when
you were when you look at John Morrell and Company
(21:08):
to meet packing plan, Yeah, hey, I gotta when you
were working in New York all those years, did you
live in the city or did you live outside or
how did that? How that work? That's your spot? That
was my spot. It's a Regency hotel department in the Regency.
(21:30):
And by the way, I never paid for it, So
I mean you gave me some Pat, You gave me
some great advice. Remember when I was I was traveling
at the time you were working at Fox Sports Radio.
I was doing stuff at the NBC Sports Network, So
I had to go back to Stanford, Connecticut like once
(21:50):
a month and do some some TV stuff which I
sucked at, which I'm not doing anywhere. But you told
me when it comes to travel, remember what you told
me when it comes to the expense is on travel,
pat and how to handle that. Did I say, lie, No,
you said. I think you said something to the effect
that these big media comans, at least at that time. Um,
(22:12):
it was just like a business write off right for
travel a lot of times. So like you whatever, when
you were traveling, you can stay at a nice hotel
because it's just a business expense, right if something that
they don't care. I mean I had a pretty expensive
com because I said, look, if you're taking me away
from my house, my apartment, then you gotta take care
of me the way I would live there. And they
understood that. And by the way, you're right, the travel
(22:35):
expenses a big write off for them, so it's not
a big deal. Yeah, you know if you get a
five bedge of a squeaked and they might give me
a call. But I hear you, Hey, when you were
when you were in New York, did you ever run
with Trump? When when you were in New York? And
did you guys hang in the same social circles back
in those days? Are good friends? We still are. Um.
(22:59):
We were just talking about it the other day. We
used to go out to dinner like once or twice
a week. And that's just when he was Donald Trump
real estate guy. Now look at him, I know he's
Have you talked to him since he became the president?
Have you? Yeah, you have said, what do you expect
you're going to do with this job? What do you
(23:24):
what do you think? What are you thinking? But he's
having a good time. He's actually a pretty good guy. Yeah,
he's been trashed though. Man, it's been vicious fellows. As
you know, everybody trashes me. I said to one of
those guys who's trash, Doble'll get over it, isn't it great? Though?
(23:46):
Facts when he was running around New York and all that,
everyone like, he was hanging out with her, he was
everyone's friend. Everyone loved him. And then he becomes president.
Now he's a pariah and he's he's horrible and all
this stuff. It's just brutal, how vicious it is right now.
I like his trajectory though. I mean, he did this right.
I think he might have been thinking about this all
the time. But now look at him. I said to myself,
(24:09):
I'm not going to call him Mr President, so don't
I don't think that's gonna happen. So how how do
you let me ask you? Now? You you have obviously
Trump's number from back when he lived in New York,
But how if you want to get ahold of he's
the president of the United States. It must have been
difficult to get ahold of him? Like how you can't
just call him up? Can you? I got a cell number,
(24:31):
and he gave his cell number out to very few people.
So should we should dial it? Man? Yeah? Now, Pat?
That see that would make this even better. But not now.
You of course are enough to get the downloads up.
But but that's to know somebody that became president? What
you hang with some high rollers? Pat? I remember, I
(24:52):
remember one time I was on the phone with you,
and I think you had to get off because what
was wh which big name? Yoke? Oh? Or is I
think somebody else a bigger name had called in? If
I remember one time we were talking on the phone,
but you there's nobody bigger than you. Well, who's the
biggest is the president? I would think President United States?
Is is like the what's the biggest name in your
(25:13):
phone right now? The biggest name you have on your
phone right now? That you'd call right this second other
than President Trump, the three of the Beatles. Wow, you
know mccartni, Ringo and uh you used to have Lemon.
But and I see Ringle all the time, so we're
call him Richard down here. A great guy by the way,
(25:35):
but it's so weird growing up. I'm a huge Beetle
fan hanging out with Ringo Starry, you know. Yeah, I
remember one time we were on the phone and he
so I got Ringo on the other line, I gotta go,
and uh, I remember, I remember, I remember that, Like, wow,
I know, I know, but it made for a good
story past. So when I tell stories about you on
(25:56):
the Overnight Show, I was like, you know, I remember
one time I was on the phone with Pat O'Brian
to need this and he did that and all that stuff,
and uh, it's it's hilarious. Do you think Trump's gonna
get reelected? Pat? What do you think? What's the pulse
of Pat O'Brien here at this point with the election? Yeah,
I think he's you know, I'm not fond of his politics.
He knows that, but um yeah, I think he's gonna
(26:17):
go who's gonna beat him? I mean, when you're an
incumbent president. You have everything working for you, plus you
have all the money. And that's what it takes to
win now is money, lots of it. That's why I'm
not running for you all. They wanted me to run
for sentatives South Dakota or governor. Yeah, I said, the
last thing. You want me to be as your governor?
(26:41):
What would you do as governor? If Pat O'Brien was
the governor? What would you do? I want to enjoy,
you know, I would enjoy it. I just don't think
it pays well. Well, isn't politics where you make your
money once you're out of office because you all those
people have to pay you money for the favors that
you give them. I think that's usually how it works,
isn't it. Well, it's a good trans It would be
(27:01):
a good transition for me because everybody knows me. Um. Yeah,
but broke on both of out Dakota and he didn't
want to run, so um, I don't know. I think
being a being governor or being a politician boring for me.
Do you think, Well, it depends how you did it.
Like now, it would be tough, but you could go
to all kinds of social junk's pad and you could
(27:23):
hang out and press the flash. You're you're great at
that kind of stuff. That's true, that's anyway. Yeah, okay,
So if Trump gets reelected, Pat, and he calls you
up and says, hey, I need you on some White
House committee, would you do It? Depends on what it is.
I mean, I love don and I would do that.
(27:45):
But what do I need that? Now? I'm talking to
you on an afternoon. I don't need anything else. You
know clearly your life is complete, right, Uh No, you
know I don't need that. I some people need it
further ego. I have enough things from my ego. Yeah,
(28:07):
do you Pat? Do you miss the radio space here
like your Fox caf? I? Do you do you miss that?
You know? I loved radio more than television, you know
what I I mean. You saw me in there, and I
love just sitting in front of the microphone. You can
say whatever you want almost and I loved it over there.
I had a good time doing that. Do you think
in today's environment that you'd be able to survive it
(28:28):
just with the way that you know you were able
to say and do what you want. Well, I'm a survivor.
And if they hire me. They know what they're getting. So,
I mean he's a pretty good at ten. I mean
the conversation, let's hire paddle Brand, we'll do. You have
to put up with it, yes, Now, Now, Pat, I
(28:50):
love that you're friends with Trump because you are obviously
a Democrat. But you know, Trump's a Republican guy. And
we're at the point now where if you're on its tribalism.
If you're a Democrat, you can't like a Republican. If
you're a Republican, you can't like a Democrat. It's it's
just wild politically. How many presidents do you you you
were friends with the Clinton's right, I think back in
(29:12):
the back in how many presidents have you been friendly
with over the years. Let's see Bill Um Clinton? Yeah, Trump,
I knew Nixon did some things to them, but we
never really clicked. As you can imagine, Uh, what the
(29:33):
kind of guy who go out for a beer with
you know Trump? You did? Yeah, but Trump is great,
by the way, and he never forgets his friends. What
was it like back in the in the eighties and
the nineties with when you were hanging out in New
York going out to dinner and restaurants and running into Trump?
What was that like in those days like it is today?
(29:55):
You know the great thing about being on television as
much as I've been ever, I knows you you know,
which has benefits since travails. But I love going out
in New York. By the way. I always get a
good table, so they don't make you wait. When I
(30:15):
go to New York, they make me wait out in
the street and they're like, we'll get to you know,
you know when your number coming out? Oh was I
was at the four Seasons and in walks Clinton and
I'm at his table and they said, Mr Clinton's here.
I said, so, I mean it's good table. The bottom
(30:42):
line is I was here first. But now it's always
fun to go out in New York. It's expensive, though, jeez, yeah,
spy for a cocktail the way I drink. Do you
still have your place in New York? Do you still
go back there? Yeah? I do, um, and I don't.
(31:06):
I don't get there enough, but I don't. I don't
want to get rid of it. It's good. A little
pricing now, but I can. I can take it off
your hands if you want. And when I'm in New York,
I can stay there. For if you want, you know,
just saying you're welcome to stay there. I was cleaned
and leave in the mailbox a night a night. Uh
(31:30):
that's great. So I told you when we worked together, Patton,
I I remember when I was when I was younger,
and you know, not to make you feel old, but
watching CBS and the Celtics and the Lakers in the eighties,
high to top the Boston Garden for what was the
credential at the half with Pat O'Brien, and uh, what
(31:50):
was it like working those days back in the in
the because the Boston Garden I was never there. It
was a dump, right, It was an old Rundown gymnasium
and it was it's not like these new arenas today
where everything's got the build whistles. You were. You were
by television standards and by sports standards. You were roughing
it right back in those days. Well as you'd like
(32:10):
to say, it had character. And I always said, I
made them make me a spot up for the bell
case said, I sat over Boston Garden. But it has
a lot of character and a lot of and I
knew all the players, so you know, ueah, but the
Boston Garden, we walk in there and there's Larry Bird.
(32:34):
You know you you know you're somewhere, but didn't it
didn't have air conditioning, right, and there we get hot
those conditioning, no fresh air, no ventilation. Yeah, but they
had Larry Bird. So um that saidenough, isn't it? Yeah?
(32:55):
What was the you did the Super Bowl pregame? Right,
You've done everything? What was the What was the event
that stood out and said, man, that is the coolest
thing that I get to do? Is it was the Olympics?
What was you know what? My favorite events were always
the Olympics. I've done like six Olympics And the great
thing about the Olympics that you never get bored. There's
always something going on, and uh, it's just the Olympics
(33:20):
are great. The NBA Finals are always good for me
too because I kind of ran that deal. But the
Olympics is great. What do people associate you with them?
Is it? Is it the To me, it's it's the NBA,
It's the it's the you're doing the pre and the
halftime and all that stuff. Is it? What do you
think most people when they say Pat O'Brien, they is it?
(33:43):
Is it the entertainment stuff? You did after sports, what
would it be? I said, it's still sports. I mean,
most people I remember you on the NBA and college basketball,
believe or not. And in college football I did a
lot of I did a lot of college people forget that.
(34:05):
That's some college kids actually went to school. But I
didn't go to school. When I was in college at too, No, please,
I was the radio nerd. I didn't pay only radio.
I paid attention to pretty much nothing else. But that
was about it. And how much Pat? All the all
the college stuff was a CBS right mm hmm, the
(34:28):
Final Four and all that, right and the whole, the
whole ball of way CBS. I did the Final Four,
the Olympics, a bunch of Super Bowls and all the basketball,
all the halftimes, and never did any research Pat, when
(34:49):
you did the Pat when you covered the Olympics? Was
was most of that on site? Too? Like? Were you
at these these venues or were you? Guys? Hold on,
you're making me get up. I'm totally Chris, I'm getting here.
The owner comes out, doesn't he know who you are? Pat?
(35:14):
Come on, you're Pat O'Brien. You can do what you want.
That's so I think I just swore, um No, the
Olympics was always great because there was always something to
do and uh, if you didn't have something to do,
you find it, you know, And it was great. And
I was kind of curious if you ever traveled intead
the athletes bubble, let's see exactly what was going on
inside the Olympic athletes are a special breed. And you know,
(35:42):
I think about my job was that I was the guy.
You know, that's not like I'm the man, but I
was the guy that had this talk to but they
like to do not so it worked for me. Sure. Absolutely.
How much sports do you watch these days? Pat? Do
you still watching a bunch of this stuff? Are you
doing it again? There's so much on though, you believe
(36:05):
that we can watch anything anytime. When I was doing sports,
it was just the NBA and maybe some football, But
now there's everything. Sure, who you know why? Because people
want it? Who's the who do you think the top
people are that that have done what you did back
into Who are the padd O'Brien's of this generation of television? Well,
(36:30):
there's always Bob Costs, but that's well he's at Is
that too many guys coming up that are are really
really good? You know? Was it? What does it take
to be good at as a studio host on network TV?
What is? What skills do you have to have? How
do you be good? How? How can you follow in
(36:50):
your footsteps? But for something? There's people listening to their
young guys that want to be the next padd O'Brien.
I want to be on TV? What do you have
to do to be good at that job? Trick tells
the police. Umst, I don't get nervous, uh, you know,
don't rattle yourself and be confident. I was always confident
in my skills, So that did I mean, that's to me,
(37:13):
that's that I was that great. But I was very
confident in my skills, so I knew I could handle
anything and did. By the way, that sound like good
schmuck right now? Do not at all? Pat. You are
much much kinder now than you were back in the day. Pat,
come on, please you you're you're doing wonderful. Absolutely, remember
(37:39):
our days, Remember our days back in that radio studio.
I do. I fondly remember some of my my you
busting balls with me. I remember the one time you
you taped you tape some money to the console. Remember
that you it takes some money and then and then
it's some of it is still there. Pat, You'll be
happy to know there's like seven years seven, eight years
(37:59):
ago and it's still some of the tape money is
still in the studio. They haven't been able to get
it off the console. That I think one of those
I think it was a five dollar bill and that
put so much tape on it to take the board
depart to get it off there. Yeah, it's Pat, don't
do this? Said, why well that I remember you gave
(38:23):
me a gift. You went and you had a bag
of like high end watches, you remember that, Pat, he
pick what you want here? And you had the uh
the bag of watches that I was like, I couldn't
afford one of those watches. And you're like, you know,
back of whatever you want, Ben, take care, take one,
go ahead. At least it wasn't a bag of drugs.
(38:44):
Well no, no, I didn't know you at that time.
But how's that going? By the way, the Battle of sobriety? Man,
how are you doing? You sound good? Yeah, I'm great.
It's um no more booze, no more drivers. I'm fine
with it. It's by the way easier. And you think
I have no temptations. I mean now and then I'll
see somebody coming to the restaurant over glass of red wine.
(39:06):
I think, you know, those are the days. And now
I remember trying to crawl home. Um And I remember
one of the first times I met Pat O'Brien, the
Great p o b was at Adults in Burbank. I
think you were doing one of the entertainment shows. I
don't know if it's Access Hollywood of the Insider, but
you would. You would come in there after work and
(39:26):
we were working across the street doing radio at the
local station. And I remember you were busting my balls
because I kept mispronouncing Wimbledon. I mispronounced and you were.
You were giving me a hard time, but you were
drinking the wine. Back in those days, Pat, right that
I love Adults. I used to go there like three days,
three or four days a week. I love that everyone
was hanging out there back in the day. All the
(39:48):
movie studio people, radio people, TV people. Was wonderful back then.
No more hangouts anymore, you know. Well, I was in Chicago.
It was always, you know a place where everybody would
go and you go there and see everybody wanted to
do it. Now there's no no hangouts. People have spread
out all over the place. Yeah that is, or they're
(40:11):
avoiding me. I don't know. No, I remember though that
that place Daltson Burbank. They it was at the bottom
floor of this office tower, right next to Warner Brothers
studios and everyone everyone from Warner Brothers back this back
in the day, and there would be like the cast
of Seinfeld, the Drew Carey Show, like all we come
hang out and you were there, you know, NBC people,
(40:33):
the local NBC in l A. Fritz Coleman would be
in there and and hanging out. And yeah, I mean
there's no places like that anymore. Um, what's the song? Um?
Place we want to go see your friends? What's the song? Um?
I don't know, I can't I can't remember. But there
(40:54):
was a love those places where you go and I
always see somebody you know and just said down and
have a good time. Yeah. So what's day to day
in life like for you, Patt? You just kind of
hang out living the dream, retired, living life large. Yeah.
I don't do a lot, well, actually I do. I
get up, I have breakfast, I see my son whenever
I can. I'm pretty good friends with all my neighbors.
(41:19):
I have a good life. I got the lunch every
day when I got to dinner most of the time.
Sometimes I cook at home. The life of tattle. Brian.
I saw you pretty. I saw you not on. You're
not on. You have a Twitter account. We we talked
about that earlier, but you're not active on there. You
get did you give that up? Patty? You've done with
the the toxic world of Twitter because whatever I say
(41:43):
it gets slaughter reaction. Sometimes I can't be that. I
won't buy not the nicest guy on any things. So um,
but I love Twitter is a great invention. Are you
on Twitter? Yeah, of course, I'm a pet. I'm I'm
I follow, We follow each other, but you're never are
You never tweeted anything? So I don't see your your
(42:03):
comments because you don't. As you said, you don't send
stuff out because you don't want to blow back. I
hear you. That's smart. By the way, you know any
guys have lost gigs because of Twitter. It's it's crazy,
I'm sure because you get real free. You know you think, well,
I can say that nobody will see it when in fact,
everybody sees it. Yeah, hey, Pat, we gotta go. But listen,
(42:24):
we gotta have you on again. I love you, man.
We gotta hang out to we'll get we'll go to
when they when the King of California opens up the
restaurants again. We'll have to go out and break bread somewhere.
Let's let's go out and hang out and then we'll
come out again. I love I love being around you.
All right, you're the greatest. Pat. Take care of man.
Thank you. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven p m. Pacific,
Host
Ben Maller
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