J Ryan Returns And He’s Selling Batmobiles?!

Hey, this is Gabe Abson and you're watching the Letterman podcast.

Welcome once again to the Letterman podcast. My name is Mike Chisum. All right. Uh this is a live real time intro. I'm waiting for our good friend Jay Ryan to arrive. Jay Ryan is of course uh the keeper of the late night playset. also um the host of many shows now that seem to come from be broadcast from uh the set of the same name which uh relies resides I should say in his um very cool apartment uh somewhere near Burbank, California. And the late night playet is just a it's it's a it's a wonderful place. It has an amazing energy to it. It houses David Letterman's original desk from Late Show with David Letterman and the two uh guest chairs, the last remain the last guest chairs from Late Night with David Letterman and uh they moved over and were recovered. They were absconded from NBC uh from 30 Rock liberated um and now reside in the late night playset which is Jay's studio that he uh has in his apartment. Great friend of the show. I appreciate him very much.

This is the first time that he and I have talked for a long time. There's going to be a lot of catching up here and um you know whether or not you're interested. Well, that's what this week's show is going to be. It's going to be Jay and I catching up with each other. I'm certain we're going to be talking about the projects that he has going. I'm certain we're going to be talking about things that have been going on in my life. Uh things I actually really haven't talked about here on the show very much. Um, we might go into um the circumstances around my father's passing earlier this year, which is why, you know, we were weekly um kind of like a watch, you know, we were weekly with this show for the first two years. Um, every week there'd be at least one show and sometimes there were bonus episodes. And then my life got uh, as the Fresh Prince would say, flipped turned upside down earlier this year uh, right around the the the start of the year actually.

And um in that there's been a lot of transition that's happened and Jay and I haven't caught up very much at all. Just little messages here and there uh thinking about each other, love you, brother, that kind of a thing. And so now we are going to catch up and you are going to watch us do it.

Here we go. I'm bringing Jay in. It's going to be awkward at first potentially, although perhaps not. Zoom is not his uh usual persuasion when it comes to this stuff because he's got a state-of-the-art very cool digital studio inside of uh his apartment somewhere near Burbank, California. Uh as we can see, the connection is happening. And oh my gosh, it's the late night place at Oh my gosh, it's my friend Jay Ryan. Hi Jay. Can you I can't hear you. Can you hear me? You can't hear me either. Okay, so what I'm going to do is ask him to unmute. I'll ask him to unmute. Let's see if that works. And uh Okay. Oh, this is great. This is great. Uh can't hear you. No. You know. So, let's do the uh let's do the national sign for I can't hear you. I can't hear you. Okay. So, there we go. We told the audience that. Yeah. Okay. I asked I asked him to unmute. Uh I'll ask him again and see if that works. Yeah. No.

Okay. Okay. You can't hear me, right? Or you can hear me. You can hear me. Okay. So, we just need to figure out a microphone for Jay. This is great. I think we keep this in because that's what we do now, right? Okay. So, you got those. Oh, I feel like No, I can't hear you now. No. No. H. Okay. Do we abort? Oh, it's so good to see. Even watching you shrug. Watching you shrug makes my heart uh like the Grinch grow three sizes too big. And it was already pretty big from the start. Um I don't know what we do here. Uh is it an input thing? Are you on the right microphone on Zoom? No. Okay. This is why he doesn't use Zoom and this is why his setup is not cut. Okay, we're going to cut. All right, we'll cut. Yeah. No, it's okay. We will get it. This happened the very first time we podcasted, by the way.

All right, we started recording again.

Oh, good.

But we have we need a popup. It said, "Do you want notifications?" I said, "No." That's the only thing I said no to. And it's been nonstop notifications.

Uh,

standards of practice do not have to get involved in this episode because we had it paused. when the audio did start working and the first thing I heard was a barrage of things that could not be heard on television. They could be heard on the internet. They don't need to be. I love you, man. It's good to see you. It's really, really good to see you. I love you. I'm sorry I haven't been in contact more. Uh I've had, as they say, a full plate. Uh I know you have, too. I love you. It's great to see you.

Yeah, it's great to see you, too, man. You look fantastic.

I appreciate that. I appreciate that.

You're all tight on the sides there. looks good.

Uh, I have gone on a

I need a haircut. Forgive me.

No, you're great. No, you look you you are a sight for sore eyes. I'm so happy to see you. Um,

yeah, right.

I I have been on a journey. Um,

do hang on. Do is this good? Can you hear me there or should I do this? Let's see if we can screw it up further. Is this better?

Well, I can hear and see, but if it's more pleasant for you with those in, let's do it.

No, you tell me what's better for you.

This is great. Whatever you're doing is great. It's still great. If this is good for you,

whatever you're doing is great.

I love it. I love it all. Everything's amazing.

Before it was pantoime theater and now now we're uh in full, you know, stereophonic audio and it's the sonics are fantastic. I feel good.

Thank you. It's very nice to be here. Thank you for having me.

Hey Jay, so what's new?

Holy What's my beef?

I'm not a fan of Zoom. I even downloaded. I've done I did I don't do I don't like Zoom, you know that. And I've done several this week and it was no problem.

Yep.

So, I blame the Letterman podcast.

Uh please, we'll we'll we'll take it. We We will take the blame.

Yeah, we we the we at the Letterman.

You all look great tonight.

Um how Okay.

And what I also like is that my window is covering the microphone, which makes it better for me. So, I'm happy about that. Oh

But hi to Hi to Sheeki in the back. Did I miss you looking at him already? Did you start looking at

I looked at him. I looked at him.

Good for you.

One of the greatest gifts I've ever received is this is this uh microphone. Okay. Before we before before we get into anything, let's uh do a plug for our friend my friend and yours. Um Mark Malov. Have you heard this week on

Yeah, he's been my guest this week on Late Night playset.

Okay. Fantastic. on Tuesday.

I am so excited for him and uh delighted for him. The book is absolutely incredible. Um I feel like it was written with with with myself in mind like it was that it it hit me right in the heart. It was so good. I'm so glad to hear that he's on your show.

Stoic. There it is right there.

No, I I app I say all of you. I was making a joke. Um I I am too. But he's a he's a great guy. He's a a longtime friend. I didn't get an advanced copy like you did, but I um we talked about it on the phone for I don't know over an hour uh recently and uh and he gave me, you know, some of the details about what's going on in the book and uh it definitely sounds like one I would want to read.

Definitely. Oh yeah.

Or listen to because he did his own audio recording for his audio book which is kind of cool.

That's the way it should be. And with Mark, I mean, especially if for for people who are listeners of the Carson podcast, I mean, I would expect nothing less. I actually want to buy the audio book as well, so I can hear it read in Mark's voice because the entire book, when you read it, if you read it in Malov's voice, it increases the enjoyment from 100% to 130% just by thinking about his voice reading the book. It's so good.

I fully agree. Totally agree with you. And I mean, isn't there a guy on this planet that deserves like like deserves to write a book about Johnny Carson or like like let's even zoom it out even more. A guy who deserves to write a book about the thing he loves so much. Um, you know, any topic, Mark is the top of that list.

I think you should write a book, too.

Uh, there's

not to take anything away from Mark Malov.

Yeah, there's talk. There's talk actually. Um, and it's not precisely a Letterman book, but there is a uh, you know what, that's one of those things that I will tell you off camera. There's a thought that's out there, and if it goes through, it would be something that most people who really enjoyed um, David Letterman would love, but also more so, in fact, it's even broader than that. A lot of people who love show business uh, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s would love this book as well. It's got a lot of stories in it. And so, that that that's the only tease I'll do on camera. off camera, of course, I'll tell you exactly what it is and uh there's talk of that and I would be I'd be kind of involved with it. So, I would be more the the the person who would be writing it would be the subject uh and it would be with the with Mike Chis. I'd be the width and I'd be very happy to be the width in this scenario.

So, we're talking about that. Yeah, it's uh it's an exciting thing. Um how have you been?

Congrats.

Thank you. How have you been

all right? Hanging in, you know, surviving. Yeah. So, it's been a rough year. You know, I don't remember when the last time we checked in was, but it was a long time ago. Uh yeah, it's been a rough year. You know, I'm climbing out. Missed my wife.

Yep. We uh you know, you and I we I said it in the intro a little bit here, but but uh

but no, no, no, just just that we've trade traded messages and that's basically it. We haven't caught up in a long time and we have this this thing where we catch up on camera and whatnot. But we've tra lots of little love you mans and thinking about you and and and that along the way. But

to that point, I'm very very sorry for your loss. You also have had a rough year. I'm very very sorry.

Yeah, it's been Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. It it it was and it started um you know uh I haven't really talked about it on this show. Oh, I thought if I thought if there was one person, you know, there might have been like a couple of people who who might have been able to kind of get out of me a little bit about what's happened uh more specifically. Um but it would it would be you. Um but yeah, my

that's me. I get down to the nitty-gritty.

I mean, I get I get vulnerable very vulnerable with you very quickly and uh and and you have a way of of scanning me um if that's the right word. Uh analyzing whatever it might be, pointing things out. um in in ways that I just that

I think what it is is I'm so flawed it's very easy to see the flaws in us.

Is that what that one

I go oh I recognize that. Oh, I know what that one is. Yeah, I got that. I got that one.

Um my dad had the same dementia that Robin Williams had.

Louis body.

Yeah, Louis body dementia. And it's it's uh you know it's funny um and I'm certain well we talked about this you know people asking you

about Nicole and asking how you are and then the conversation ends up turning around where you're you're kind of consoling them a little bit. Um whenever I would mention my dad Yeah. Yeah. And I mean that's a natural progression of things in in many respects. Um but when people would ask me about my dad's dementia and I say oh yeah he has Louis body dementia or had um but but when he was with us and uh before he crossed over and after he crossed over

people would say oh yes you know and they would talk about how somebody in their family had Alzheimer's or some of these other

um these other things. If you want to know about Louisbody dementia um Robin Williams uh wife has done a TED talk about it. It's a different It's a different kettle of fish than the conventional ways of dementia. And my dad came from a generation um born in 1950 where he just uh he wouldn't be the guy that would tap out. But when you learn a little bit about Louisbody dementia, you think about how somebody might consider if not actually follow through with tapping out early because it's not ugly in the end st it's not it's not it's very ugly in the end stages. And so we went through that. Um, so thank you. I appreciate that very much. Um, the my mom and I talk about this. We were grieving for my dad for months beforehand. Um, and it felt like we were grieving on quicksand and then the moment he crossed over, it felt like we were finally able to grieve on solid ground

because the quicksand was we were waiting for other shoes to drop. um they couldn't put him in a home because he, you know, the 1% of the time where it got ugly, it got really ugly and and and and people physically got hurt who were just trying to take care of him and stuff and it was uh

fight back. They don't know what they're doing. 100% 100% and and and um you know the way he crossed over it was beautiful and and tragic and all of the things that the the poets and the um the literary giants have have have have written about and I just can't um I'm able to articulate it now but I've done a lot of work and that's part of the reason why our show has been as inconsistent as it has. You know for two years it ran like a top. Now it's like every few weeks an episode comes out. Oh, here's two in a row. That's great. But

you know, we did the same thing after Nicole. And your audience understands what you're going through. As long as you've shared with them that you're dealing with something, they they'll stick by you.

And they have worry about any

friends. And uh the friends that stick by you are the ones that you know, it's you know, it's it's one of the universe's uh beautiful beautiful guiding lights as to the people in your life who who who you want in your life. and and uh you know you you included and so many people included um from the audience that that have reached out and continue to reach out and I appreciate them very very very much.

My feeling on that is if somebody you know unfollows you or stops listening or whatever because you had a death in the family and you're grieving. Good reason they weren't your people.

Absolutely. Um and you knew that all the way along too. Who were your people who who who weren't when uh

I don't know. I learn I learn I learned I had to learn. I had to learn it hurts at first when you see numbers change. You know, I told you this whenever when we couldn't do the show at the the last year or so of Nicole's life when we stopped doing the show regularly. Um, you know, that's when we started sharing the the the really vulnerable stuff, the bad days on Instagram. And um,

every time we would do that, those posts, even still to this day, if I post old pictures of Nicole, uh, the engagement is through the roof. Tons of likes, tons of comments, tons of love on them, and I lose a couple hundred followers every single time. And I keep because in my mind, it's there's a weed out process happening. I don't care about it's like if you don't want to know this, then you're not in it for me. If you just want to look at pretty Porsche photos, there's plenty of that on the internet. And it's the same thing here.

Absolutely. Um, the last time you were on, we were talking a lot about Nukems. um how where you've had so many projects and so many things going on in your life.

I can't talk about that publicly unfortunately currently.

Okay. Okay. So,

tons of setbacks. Nothing is good on that front, but we're hoping for a good resolution.

Okay.

There's been a lot of drama and uh I think we announced a lot of, you know, mistakes were made on my part. We made it made a lot of announcements before it was technically done done even though everything looked great and uh you know there was breakins, there was vandalism because nobody was up there and um um you know we never solidified the deal and then some of the places we thought said we can't talk about this. Here we go.

Um some of the places we thought funding was going to come from you know went away politically. Um there was some you know conservation money that was out there that we thought would be from. So, there's a couple things going on now that looks like there'll be a good resolution uh for everybody, for the community, which is my main concern because owning this place is not anything I even really want anymore. I mean, this was supposed to be a mom and pop deal and u without mom, like pop's not going to go live up there. I have no interest in that. I've got I've got I'm rebuilding my life. I'm starting over and um um but hopefully there'll be some good resolutions that'll work out for everybody where I'll still be involved and um you know whatever.

So,

are you still doing GVBC?

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Up there.

Yeah.

Good. Okay. Well, that's that's uh you know.

Yeah. I I mean I could leave and I you could kill the Instagram. It doesn't matter. That'll go forever now. It's it's it's one of those things that just kind of happened. You know, we never planned it. Um, we never planned it. That was never the goal to start a car show. We were going up there to get away from all the people and all of the regular stuff that goes on um down at sea level.

Mhm.

And um and now it's all up there, too. So, you know, it's like what the reason I used to go up was is gone now. Um, you know, Nicole got sick and we started blowing off Friday mornings and it was great for us to have a little bit of an escape, but I'm I I don't want to escape life anymore.

That's a profound statement in itself right there. I love I love to hear that. And that springboards over to um you've got a lot of momentum on a couple of projects that you have going on and talk about them today.

Thing life has been crazy. I haven't even been able to think about it. So, I was so emotionally connected to that place and that project and everything else that I think when Nicole died, I just kind of took my love and energy that I was putting into my wife who was ailing and failing and over into this old building that was aailing and failing and sort of doing the same thing. And um uh I mean like I have no idea who physically broke in and did evangelism or whatever back in you know when that happened last year but uh or earlier this year. Yeah. But, uh, spiritually it felt like Nicole saying, "You need to take a break from this. A little bit of a breather, have some separation." Um, and, uh, and and I think it's probably good for me. I I don't mean to sound like I don't care about it anymore.

I care about it a great deal, but I had to hold back uh and let my partner in this, my longtime adviser partner who you know about uh he's been dealing with everything in the estate and and um and potential funders and buyers in the future. So, I have pulled back from all of that because I needed to uh survive is one and then also I needed to start over. I needed to rebuild myself. I need to figure out what life is without my wife because for the first six months or so I just kind of was almost treating it like she was going to come back. Very strange. Very very strange. Like like we're still keeping the candle.

Very strange. Talk about emotional and confusing and so you know everything happens for a reason. Nicole was a big proponent of that or a big believer in that and I am too. Um, I don't know. I don't know if I told you what you wanted to know.

No, no, no, no. There that's a long answer.

The other thing is, so yeah, I've been busy as hell in every other department of my life,

which is good.

Yeah,

I need to I need to Yeah, I need to start over. I need to literally start over in every way.

I'm I'm I'm also feeling in some of the things some of the some of the things that I've seen and and whatnot, and I've wanted to reach out and ask this question, but it just it isn't the right question over text. A little bit of joy. There's been some joy in some of this stuff that it certainly feels like it's emanating from you. Um when I'm watchful person today,

not today. No, no, no, no. Not today. God, no. Not today. Hell no. No. I'm saying with some of the projects that you've been doing uh you know with Phil with uh you know with the new podcast. I'm sensing I'm sensing um that creative spirit or whatever. I'm feeling like you got some some bloods going to it again if you know what I'm saying. Like it just feels like

I appreciate you saying that. I don't know if it's I don't know if it's true. I maybe it is and I just am not aware of it. I would say that I'm um there comes a time where this this is a process and everybody says it's nonlinear and there's no specific steps to take and the five stages of grief don't come in order and you know all the things people say.

I don't know it was probably around the year mark where I just got sick of wallowing. Um I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think straight. I had like I never got COVID back in the day, but I had like that brain fog of you just it doesn't matter what you put your attention to, you can't focus on it and you can't find a throughine and you can't complete your tasks and very frustrating, very frustrating. Uh, man. And

and Nicole, um, you know, I feel like I got a little taste of what she was going through at the end because she used to be so powerful and strong and she could handle so much bandwidth.

And then, you know, and then she couldn't and it was incredibly frustrating for her

because she remembered what it was like to do all that. She was doing the same stuff and it just wasn't working.

And that's how I felt. And around the year mark, I don't know what changed. Um, I think maybe mentally I gave myself a year to figure it out and I thought something would happen in that time where, you know, you get some magic download or something and you you're fixed and it didn't happen. So, uh, so I started forcing myself to do a lot of things I didn't necessarily or particularly didn't want to do. Uh, public public things. I'm not I'm still don't I still don't like that being being public. Uh, and I'm doing a lot of it these days. So,

trying to um acclimate and be be better about it. Um, and I think it's probably going to help me in the long run. And maybe that's what's helping me. Uh, maybe that's what you're seeing is joy. Maybe I'm faking it. I'm faking it till I make it.

The uh, okay, so the things that are going on right now, and I want to I want to go through them a little bit here. Uh,

please remind me. I want to hear this good stuff.

Well, the the throwback podcast, let's talk about that first. That is a joy. You're right. I I do. I mean, it's work. It's hard, but I do have fun with it. I I've got a Okay, it's called The Blockbuster Year, 1985.

It's a movie dissection podcast.

Uh, and it's an idea that was bred from another idea. And this was we said we have to do this first so that the other thing will work.

Um, talk about the other thing yet. Uh, but um, we literally started a podcast so that we could start another podcast. I know that sounds bizarre. No, that sounds great. I I like that.

We needed to be We needed to see how we were together

uh chemistry-wise, etc. to see uh if this other thing would work so that we could pitch it to some people that we know um and and know that, you know, with some confidence that it would work.

And who's we?

Um okay, so um I've gotten three franchises in my life were very big. Back to the Future, Goonies, and Ghostbusters.

Yep. and uh Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. I have been very involved in those franchises. Um considering I was just a seven-year-old kid when those movies came out.

Y the the the Goonies is something that has happened in the last year or so because of my road trips, my my USA grand tours that I do in the yellow car. Y

uh we made great friends with the Goonies people, the people who own the Goonies House, everyone in Atoria, the Oregon Film Commission, um Oregon Film Museum, uh and and sort of like anybody who is known in that town. We all kind of met and hit it off. And so they invited me back for the Goonies 40th anniversary. Now, this is a thing that people came in from all over the world for. There was like tickets for all these events and everything. I didn't know any of this because I was invited by all of my Goonies friends and my local Atoria people and my friend who owns the short circuit house was like, "Come on and just stay here." Um, also in Atoria, so it was a very easy yes for me and I was already out on the road anyway to go see my mother-in-law who' graduated nursing school. Um, and it just the timing worked out that on the way back I would just pop up to Atoria, Oregon. All this to tell you, one of the people I met up there along with a ton of YouTubers uh that we're all friends with now too, which bizarre y

um is a guy named Brandon Mandell. Uh Brandon Mandell is a 33 year old kid as far as I'm concerned. He was there with his dad, but they together are BC Delorean and they are in your neck of the woods and they have a hundred movie car collection or 100 car collection. Most of them are movie cars, some are hot rods, uh all in your neighborhood. Vancouver in the Vancouver area.

Specifically in the Colona area.

Seriously,

they're not in Colona. They're in some other place that I can't remember, but it's wherever. Where's Michael J. Fox from?

Vancouver.

Specific small town.

Uh I thought was he

They're from

that same area. That same

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And it's right in your neck of the woods. Uh I just can't remember it right now, but um but these guys were awesome. And um me and somebody else, Adam the Woo or Justin Scarard was me and somebody else crashed their dinner at this uh fish house one night just to say hello cuz we were on our way to an event that we were all going to be at later. And everybody kept saying, "You got to meet these Canadians. You got to meet these Canadians. They're into movie cars. They they they already know who you are and yada yada yada." I was like, "Oh, let's let's go." In the process of hanging out with him and his dad and Adam Leoo at at at dinner, we found out that they owned the first ecto that Sean and I built. Small world. Had no way of knowing that. Wow.

Because sold it to a friend of his, a fellow Ghostbuster guy in SoCal, and then they put it up at Barrett Jackson and then these guys bought it.

But we found that out over dinner. Y

and then so that sort of immediately we became like more than just acquaintances and then we started talking talking and we just really hit it off and he's a great freaking guy with a very good heart good person. They both are the whole family is and uh and after the Goonies re uh re reunion anniversary whatever uh we I pitched him this idea and I said you know what do you think of this and he goes oh that's great but as we were talking about it we said we need to do something else first to sort of establish ourselves and um that's where uh blockbuster year 1985 was born uh mainly what we're doing now was his idea I said we should do a movie review you know it it sort of it was it was almost my idea, but what we do now is 100% him. He's like, "Let's do 1985. Let's do let's have a guest here and do this." And um and he sort of I don't know if he runs it, but like we he does the he has the agenda, so I I don't have to do as much work other than write the mo, watch the movies, write the notes, do the production here in the studio.

Um, but there's a little bit of um there's a little bit of like it feels familiar because of what we were doing for so long where I'm like, "Oh, I'm talking to my my buddy with a beard in Colona and I'm sitting over here at the desk." But everything's a little bit It's like Bizarro World from Seinfeld because I don't know if you noticed but or if you watch the show, but we switched it all around. So, it's absolutely right now. Yeah.

Yep. Uh and and we were able to do that, you know, after um you know, we didn't need a fourth chair in there for Nicole.

Yep.

And a hard thing for me to change. And um now I'm just rambling.

No, you're not. It looks And it by the way, I was going to tell you uh the playet looks great um in that familiar format. I do believe the familiar format uh does help for the person who just kind of jumps in and see like it is very familiar and uh and I think that that that that part does. But at the same time when you were doing late night playset with Nicole the way that you were, I completely understand why it was changed the way it was. it needed to be uh for when you had guests and things like that because at the end of the day, your co-host, your sidekick uh needed to be right beside you and in that spot and uh but but but it does seem familiar now. And I do believe that that is uh uh

she couldn't move. She couldn't move. That was the biggest part of why we had to, you know, have it how it was. Uh and this stuff was built for someone else to be used this way.

Yes.

So yeah, it's a big shift. The show is much easier now because of that for me production-wise. It's just it's

it's it's not as confusing. It's a little like the throughine's a little more clear like, "Oh, I see. It's a late night talk show. Oh, I get it. Oh, it's the Letterman stuff. Oh, I get it." Yes. Okay. Get it.

Do you have less uh camera shot camera shots now?

No.

Same amount.

Yeah, I think there's more. We have seven cameras live in the studio at any given time and then there's at least one or two satellite guests usually.

Yeah. And none of it Zoom by the way.

Correct. Not this program is not brought to you by Zoom.

Um

no offense to Zoom by the way. I just don't like what I don't I don't understand why this didn't work today. I don't understand all the popup. Like none of it was easy and everything I do is easy over there. like it just it just works in the TV the way it used to for television.

Definitely. Um again, for anybody who hasn't been to the late night play set, which is most people who listen to this or watch this show, uh but you've you've you've heard or seen enough people on the show who brag about it and talk about it and and and up.

No way.

Oh, it's so good. It's so good. I love the energy.

But no, nobody goes on your show to talk about my show.

Uh uh yeah, I can I can name names. There are people. No. and and no. Okay, but in all seriousness, quite a few people over this last, you know, um hope you're okay, Mike. Oh, but how's Jay? How's Jay? Like I've gotten that a lot. Um you are you like we talk about Friends of the Show and uh our community um of people who who at various levels. That's the thing I love about it. Like I again the man who wants nothing is invincible. I don't want anything. I our community is so great. whatever the level people are at and the ones who do engage many of them have asked about you um and and so so yeah please please know that

thank you thank you

absolutely uh so late night playset is still is still uh putting out episodes or has has has has started putting episodes back out again um

no it's we've been cranking man we've been cranking uh yeah uh it's it's it's a bigger show than it used to be yeah Tuesday live on YouTube in Facebook, but you know, it's uploaded afterwards everywhere else. Um, yeah, the shows have gotten bigger. You know, Ariel is sort of our in-house producer over here. We've got MC3 Films who shoots still photography, and we usually have more than one guest these days. Usually two to three guests.

Uh, not in the format of a late night play, you know. All right, everyone come on. All right, move down a chair. It's kind of more of a party atmosphere, which to me is what late night with David Letterman used to be. Y

they produced the show, but also anything could happen. You never knew and Dave just sort of had to go with the flow. And we've

we've we've adopted that sort of mentality. We were very strict and structured when we had Nicole because things had to be a certain way.

Yeah. Um, but the tone of the show was different because then you've got this guy at the desk trying to wrangle everything and hold it so tightly and just strangle it all to death so that, you know, some episodes were okay and some weren't so good. Um, now it kind of doesn't matter if the episode's good or not good, it's still somehow enjoyable to watch because even when it's not good, you can't take your eyes off it.

Yeah.

The more uncared that the more uncomfortable I am behind the desk, apparently, the more the audience likes it. So, I'm just letting myself eat

Well, Dave, that's um And you're not having to like I I imagine it's a lot more carefree than it was before because, you know, again, in all seriousness, when Nicole was sitting there um and you were maybe interacting with her, you had this other part of you that was always analyzing what she was saying because her yes could have been a no. Quite literally, I meant to say yes, but she was saying no. and and and you had to kind of sift through all that

while running seven cameras and and and trying to keep a show on the rails that was structured at that point, too. So, so it must be a lot more carefree now for you.

You nailed it. Um you nailed it. Uh you know, the bummer of progressive uh multiple sclerosis is that she would often say the opposite of what she meant.

Yeah.

And uh and then if I caught her and said, "You mean no, not yes." Right? She goes, "What' I say?" Yeah. No. No. Uh, and sometimes it was that black and white. So, you're right. There was um I had a lot more analysis going on in my head, which I think you pointed out earlier. And, uh, and I've let that go because I don't need to control this. It's much better when I don't control it. I'd rather have the producer say this or that. Somehow Ariel ended up in the guest chair the other day. No idea how it happened. Found out after the show that MC3 Films, who does still photography, but also helps me produce, uh, he did it. He produced that. So he segment produced that by throwing her in the chair so that she could talk to the the jewelry gold guy. Guy brought a quarter million dollars in gold in a ziplockc bag. All random old stuff, cigarette cases, jewelry, whatever. And it was all going to be melted into a gold bar the next day. And he sent me video of it happening.

Oh, that's great. Fun stuff. Just fun stuff. Uh you you have

and Phil and Phil joined that episode, too. Phil Morris, my my one of my best friends.

Was the next thing I was gonna talk about was Phil. That's But before we do, like uh before we get to Phil and what you're doing with him now as well, again, like you talk about how I I I it feels like you didn't go looking for it, but the universe just dumped a whole bunch of momentum in your lap and different projects to kind of keep you going and and and and get you to rebuild your life. And Phil, I mean, I don't know energetically if there's a better person on the planet that can help you do that. But before we get to Phil, the the people in your life, you have

I don't know, man. I I I can't name very many people who have a more eclectic group of people in your life um that that that you kind of have at your disposal that you can have as potential guests for late night playset. And now um that it is in this kind of new chapter. Um I I'm I'm terribly excited for for for what it is. I just wish the universe hasn't clogged up my Tuesday nights the way that it has. I'm with my granddaughter. We're doing jiu-jitsu. We're doing it together. She's in it and she's killing it. I'm actually I've started jiu-jitsu as well.

Maybe that's why you look so trim and fit.

Yeah. I since dad died like um I well I mean I haven't I do stand up about it and I've put one clip about the standup that I've done. Uh I've only put one clip up. Um the rest of it I'm working on it right now. I'm I'm I'm trying to get just just like Dave back in the day. I'm not trying to be a stand-up. I'm trying to get the discipline under my belt and and uh I've been working on that uh adamantly. So, um I went on a uh a journey. I went on a ketamine journey assisted through a a medical clinic here in town. Um one of the only medical clinics in British Columbia who is um got the full uh support of Interior Health, the Canadian Health Authority, um you know, to do this. And uh a month before I went on the ketamine journey um the counseling that they have attached to it, we talked about it and they asked me what my outcome was. I said, "Well, I've done a lot of research and I said, "My neuroplasticity is going to be turned on for a while." And it's funny, it's been months and I still feel it. Um I felt it immediately as soon as I I I came back into my body. Um but one of the things they said is

I mean that's a disassociative uh experience.

Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um

were you falling in blackness or what is what happened?

No, it wasn't like that. It was uh And yes, also the thing uh that they used uh on your cat before they euthanized it, everybody. Yes, that's the same drug. It's the same thing, you know. I'm pretty sure that's what they used before they euthanized my cat. Yeah, that's the one. Uh I met your cat. Uh they say, "Hi." Um it was just it was it was a crazy uh crazy experience, but I knew that coming out of it, my neuroplasticity would be turned back on. Um and and so we decided the month before I was a full month before I went and had the u uh the anesthesiologist uh you know inject the stuff into me. Um I basically started living the life that I wanted to live even though it was like fighting through fog in in the swamp that was up to my chest. It was the hardest thing in the world. Uh but three times a week I worked out uh with a with a with a world-class coach um you know started journaling, breath work, uh meditation, the whole thing because I wanted to build these habits.

So the moment the ketamine came back, I already had a track record of these habits and then my neuroplasticity is on and then it would just be momentum moving forward and and for the most part since then I've had nothing but forward momentum and uh and so physical uh spiritual emotional all of that stuff. Um so I appreciate you saying it. I do appreciate you saying it and yes um that has that has happened but uh the ketamine journey was like going on a water slide and uh you know when you go on a water slide uh maybe in the dark um you got two choices. You can try and fight it or you can just go with it.

Well, thank thankfully I had enough uh preparation and stuff that I just went with it. And um

you get to a point in life where letting go is the easier choice.

Yeah. Yeah. But some people do fight it and and sometimes it's a pretty ugly uh place. But

it doesn't end well.

Yeah. Well, it ends and many times it does end well, but the journey to end get it to end well. You're forcing it the whole way. You're pushing water up a hill. Thank goodness for me it wasn't like that. Um I could just the way that and I and I actually part of

metaphor for life.

Yeah. Yeah. it uh like okay I don't know out there if there are people who have I actually this is a part of the the standup act uh in my standup act I've been I've been I I've included this one of the things that it does the disassociative part I never kn there were a bunch of terms through personal development through conversations um with with with people in my life where we talk about this stuff you and Nicole certainly included in that number uh where there were terms where I thought I had a pretty good handle on them and and in ketamine land. Suddenly I realized what it was like to dissolve the ego. Suddenly I realized what it was like when I would say everything is temporary. Suddenly I realized what it felt like um with some of these major major things that I thought I knew. Uh shame a big one of them.

Um, you know, you a lot of people have this moment in their life or a series of moments where if they go back and think about that moment could have happened in elementary school and it just makes you cringe like, "Oh, I can't believe I did that or said that or whatever and it just makes you want to kind of crawl out of yourself." In canopy land, oh my gosh, there's no shame whatsoever. You look at that moment, you're like, "It's okay. You were developing. You were at a stage of life and this was unexpected and what else would you have done? Why have you been carrying this for so long?" And there's no emotional connection to it whatsoever.

I don't know if that's everyone's experience or if you are a nurturer by nature.

Yeah.

And that you were being gentle with yourself because that's what you knew you needed. I mean, I think it basically you're connecting with your higher self at that point, right? Isn't that the idea?

Oh my gosh. Was I ever? And and

so you you were being gentle with yourself because that's what you needed and you deserved.

I suppose you deserve to feel shame and guilt.

Yeah. Um

let that go. Oh boy. And do you ever and and uh like it was life-changing in an afternoon. I've got this I've got my iPad's over there. I've got a document of all the things that I have noticed and it's three or four pages long. The first day two of those pages were were were were typed out. Every time I noticed something, I would type it in and oh my gosh uh uh the the the amount of pressure um and and and the waiting that I would give certain feelings completely gone. Completely gone. I'm I'm a completely different person. you you deserved you deserve to uh shed some of that. That's baggage you don't need.

I appreciate hearing that and I agree with you entirely and and and to this to this point where there was a point where uh the facilitator who sat with me while I while I did it and I mean you've got the mask on so you don't see anything and they've got the playlist in and it's it's uh I believe the playlist was called Serenity I believe it was called. Um

I've never done it before but you know somebody very close to me used to go uh twice a month for years.

Twice a month. Wow. Um,

two days in a row. They would always

Oh man. Yeah, they're gonna they're gonna they're going to clean out the closet. They're going to clean out the closet with that.

He he moved out of LA and hasn't been in nine months and he's doing great.

Yeah, that's I I I love hearing that.

Um, but anyway, yeah, it was uh an incredible um incredible experience. Um, and and and I' I'm forever changed because of it. And uh good for you. So, you know, I I I I will say to people sometimes, hey, um just so you're aware, the old me sometimes might have been highrung or might have done things that uh you know, uh just so you're aware, I apologize for those things. And I'm just trying to be a better person every single day. And you know, that's and I say that to you as my friend. I say that to anybody in my life.

Very new.

Yeah. Yeah. So, so, so thank you. I appreciate I don't know how we got down to that P. Oh, Phil Morris. Okay. Yeah. Talking about Phil Morris. I mean, but obviously I've done a lot of that shadow work, you could also call it, uh through meditation and and really just mourning and being alone. Um the life review part is very very familiar and uh the things you said when you were a kid, did when you were a kid. Uh if I didn't have this, if the microphone uh monkey was still on my shoulder, that would have eaten me up and that would have had to go there, too. Um, yeah. I I I everything you just said is very relatable, even though I haven't done ketamine. So, I'm sure we're both a lot different than we were a year ago at this time.

Oh, man.

And and better for it.

The Bible has a has a verse where it talks about how everything will be tested through the fire and and all the chaff will be burned off and what remains will be and and and I very much feel that way. And and what remains um I really love I really love myself uh and the things that have remained

since then. And uh

you deserve to love yourself. Good for you.

Yeah. Well, not not and not based on what anybody else thinks as well, you know. Um

that's tough. That's tough as a human being.

That's work I used to do. Like it was work that I used to do from a a logical personal development standpoint. That was work I would do. I'm going to let go anything that you know people might say that where they misunderstand or they don't know or or or uh you know they don't forgive whatever. I'm going to let that stuff go or whatever. Now it's like, "Oh, no, no, no, no. I don't need to do," it's not that I don't need to. I do, and I check in with myself all the time, but I don't need to do that anymore because on a spiritual level, four 400 spiritual pounds were taken off of my shoulders forever. And it's like,

oh, it's it's it's uh it's night and day, Jay. It's night and day. And I mean, how many times have I wanted to reach out to you and and and talk to you about this stuff? And I and I I do love this little um this little pattern we've got into where we catch up with with the camera on. Uh that being said, um at some point soon, I would like to come down to LA. I would like to hug you. I would like to uh to break bread with you and and and just

I got for you in the green room. I'm colle collecting more stuff for you.

Every time

your proton pack and there's some other stuff I think too. Oh, every time you say you got for me, it's like like

Well, I I it's you know, we like you said, we don't talk a lot, but obviously if I see something that makes me think of you, like I'll grab it. You know, there was an extra Alice pack and I go, "Oh, I know who needs that because you have the Haslab in your collection, but you only have it how it came, right? So,

which is not

the Alice pack makes it much more like the movie ones

and adds a little bit of authenticity to it and you just bolt it right on. So, I figured that that would be a nice little Christmas gift.

I'm so grateful uh for that. Um and and by the way, there are other gifts that you've given to me that you don't even know. Like, do you know how good it feels when I do a standup set and and and I send it to our mutual friend, but he's only our mutual friend because of you. I send it to Gabe Abson and he

Oh, I love him.

And he immediately gets back to me and he's a coach. He's a such a good coach and we're we've deepened our friendship so so much and he's like, "Okay, don't do this. Why are you doing this now? stop start doing this and okay, you did this right and it was just oh it's the greatest feeling in the world knowing that hey one of Dave's monologue writers for years is is is helping me tune up my stuff and and that's because of you and I mean so much and I I I say it all the time. This show doesn't exist without you. It doesn't exist without some of the things and and and some of these relationships in my life and I'm so grateful for you and I'm grateful to be able to say that right now. Um, and it was just the mentioning of Phil Morris's name because this is one of the more more energetic people I've ever encountered in my life. Uh, you and Phil, what are you guys doing?

Hanging out.

Yes.

I don't know what you to what you're referring. Um, we just hang out a lot. A lot. He's one of my best friends in the world. It's very strange how that happened. I never thought I'd be friends with Jackie Giles uh from Seinfeld, you know, in my adult life growing up in the 90s watching that show, but um yeah, I mean, I was I just talked to him right before uh we did this podcast and I was with him all day yesterday and he came and did the show on Tuesday. I mean, we we we probably text back and forth several times a day. We talk almost every day. Um, he's just a same as you, same as most of the people in my life, just a genuinely good human being with a very good heart. And I don't know how I would have made it through this year without some of those people being there for me. Uh, and sometimes being there for me is not bothering me. Like they know somehow they know how to deal with the the difficult uh complex organism that is Jay.

Yeah. Uh, I know that I'm very far from perfect and um and so do they and I'm and they're still okay with it. So, uh, Phil is just, you know, one of the people at the top of that list. Auto Kennel is another one, you know. I mean, he's amazing. I I to me it was very cool. Not that he had cancer and had to go through a horrible surgery and everything this year, but the fact that I was able to be there for him for a change when he's been there for me for years.

Yeah. uh made me feel good, you know. Um yeah, we're nothing without our circle and our community. Nothing.

Yeah,

I'm not anyway without it.

Um

and it's funny you mentioned the show before, you know, and the the eclectic group of characters. You're right. And thanks for noticing that we are sort of leaning again going back to Early Late Night with David Letterman, right? Um the 80s and 90s days. You see Leno on once a month, once every two months. We're just doing that now. We're like, yes, we're bringing in new guests, but also we're trying to keep like this little PeeWee's Playhouse of like, oh, I know these characters um and he's always good whenever he's on and and he always pushes Jay's buttons whenever he's on and she always annoys him when this happens or you know, whatever. And and somehow the show is kind of turning into something. I I in my own opinion, it was not good for a very long time.

Yes.

That's that's me talking. Yes,

have liked it and I really really appreciate that. But it's never been a big It's always been like a public access show that like a few people get and most people it's not my not my bag. Uh lately I've been getting a lot more positive feedback and that's hard for me to hear by the way because I didn't used to believe it. Um and now now even I'm starting to believe it. Now even I'm kind of like yeah all right I I can watch some of this back. Maybe because there's less me, you know, I'm letting everybody else do most of the work and I'm just kind of controlling it and then all of a sudden I'm not annoying myself as much or everybody else hopefully.

Yeah. Well, I'm I uh I'm extremely happy to hear that.

You know how it is when you're the talking head all the time and then you go try to watch that back, you go, I don't like anything I'm saying. I can't stand this guy. You know, all that.

Um, you know, when it's a more of an So, that's it. It's more of an ensemble show now, which it used to not be that.

Yeah. I'd like to say that with J Ryan and Friends.

J Ryan and Friends. And you got a lot of them and they're good ones and they're and they're they're they're fun ones and funny ones and

thanks for noticing. That's very cool. I appreciate it.

Yeah. Well, yeah. I wish I wish. And it's funny. Um I'll tell you this, the other part too. I feel FOMO, you know, it's it's like, oh, I want to be there. I want to be a part of it. I want to be I want to be and I know that that I the door is there. Oh, I know the door is there for sure. And I and I and I've known that as well, but it's more of the it's the bigger it's it's the Okay, so yeah, this is how I'll say it. It's the same FOMO I felt watching late night.

Oh,

it's the same FOMO like, oh, this group of friends. Oh, yeah, there's the, you know, there's the construction guy and then there then barber's screaming from behind the thing and it's just it's that it's that and and and you you want to be in the audience and you're not in the audience. You know what I'm saying? It's kind of that kind of FOMO, too. Even though for a long time I was a part of that show, you know, some twice a week for for for a long time. There's that FOMO, too, but it's more it's more of the FOMO like, oh, it's fun in there. I want to be in that room.

That's such a compliment because like that's that's all that's the show I've always wanted to do.

Yeah,

that's that's the show, you know, late. You're a late show guy. You're a Letterman guy. I get all of that. I appreciate all of it. But what I fell in love with was Late Night. In my opinion, Late Show was never as good because it's not the show that I wanted to watch. It's the show Dave wanted to do and I'm so him for achieving all of his goals.

Yep.

But as a fan, Late Night for me, like the Letterman show was, you know, pre 199 June 93 and previous.

Yeah.

Um and so for Yeah. For you to say, I mean, that is just a huge freaking compliment. Um I feel like whatever we're doing now is the show that I always wanted to do. I just said late show was the show Dave always wanted to do because he wanted to do the Carson show. Sure. I am a 12:30 guy. I I only wanted to do the 12:30 show. If we had the room here, I'd get a big plexiglass vat and you could put me dip me in it, you know, uh with different suits. Um I I I would absolutely do that. That to me was was what I always fell in love with. And that ensemble Bailey literally camera three over here, every every other camera is a real person. Camera 3 will always be Bailey because he was it was Dave Bailey Sto was not only Dave's camera 3, but he was still uh when I was there at Conan, he was still there.

Yeah.

And those little nods in a weird way. Yes. It's very Rupert Pumpkin. Of course it is. Of course.

But um but I don't know. I don't care. I don't care.

Um we've been talking about this and and and it is the Letterman podcast. we probably should talk about. I'm super curious as to how much you have been um paying attention to what's been going on to not the show, but the genre of late night that we love so much and love to dissect and talk about and reminisce about sometimes and and and um

I'm aware of it. I'm aware of it all.

You're aware of it all. Um I I I'm curious as to what you've been think because we haven't even talked about since the Co Bear announcement. You and I haven't really talked um you know of course since Kimmel all that stuff. Uh Dave has of course been throwing shots in um you know with the Barbara Gaines show on on the at Letterman YouTube channel. Um and then putting in compilations uh you know our are the people who produce those videos um have been putting in

Shout out to Walter Kim.

Yeah. Shout out to Walter Kim. um little compilations here and there that have also made comments without making comments about how things have been going on. I'm curious as to your take. You're down in um near the Burbank area, near the Hollywood area where uh entertainment is shifting. You know, they talk about earthquakes in California and the fear of earthquakes. I fear more for uh the the shaking and the changing of show business right now and what's been going on. Um how are things down there? What's your take on things?

Show business is dead here. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, you know, here I am finally ready to go back to work and there's there's no work for anybody. I I um I don't know a single person. Well, Phil Phil's the only one I know who is working regularly, but um you know, he's just he's a legacy and he's established and he's Phil, you know.

Um I there's so many production people uh that I know who are unemployed, moving out of town. Um none of the studios are, you know, uh operating how they used to. Uh, none of the lots are f full and um active like they used to be.

Things are still happening. Yeah.

But they all seem to be like the big things can't get shut down. You know, they're still making Star Wars and Marvel and like that. You know, Tim Allen still has a TV show, stuff like that.

Yeah.

But when it comes to, you know, oh, let's try it. Let's give so and so a chance. Let's let's let's spin the wheel on this or roll the dice on that, that doesn't seem to exist currently. I think everything's just gotten metricked out to like a crazy crazy degree that all of the not major studios are all merging and even the major studios are merging and getting bought out and I don't know. I don't I don't know what the end of it is. I'm I'm not trying to build a future where that's my career. If something fell into my lap, I'd certainly take it. Um, but I just it seems like a fool's errand to try to put my effort into trying to get a job back in show business right now when well, for one, I've kind of accidentally sort of transitioned to talent instead of production. But, um, but beyond that, I mean, there's no there's no work. There's no work. I know people who are very accomplished in what they do and they're unemployed.

Yeah.

And have been for a long time.

That's a I don't answer to that, buddy. I don't know other than I know a lot of people that I love are struggling and trying to figure it out. Uh the late night of it all, which I think was your original question. Uh I I don't know. What do you I mean,

you know, I have opinions, but I feel like the problem with everyone's gotten into gotten themselves into trouble is because they're speaking too much of their personal opinions. Uh when I and I hate to sound like Jay Leno on this, but when I was a kid, you didn't talk about politics, religion, or money in public settings because they were all divisive topics that no two people felt the same about. Like no matter what, if you bring those up, some people aren't going to like each other at the party.

Y

um and the television that I grew up with was similar. Uh you know, you can start with Carson, but certainly even Letterman for years and years and years. Certainly the late night years what I'm talking about that party atmosphere where we're all just good time whatever happens uh that was not part of it and if there were political jokes made there used to be a thing called uh even time is that what it was called whatever it was but where you had to uh I can't I've been out of it so long I forget what

you make sure you get both sides uh correct lampoon in fact it really was more on the on lines of advertising but it seemed like it was grandfa it was it was a gentleman's agreement that that's how the content of the show was as well. And uh you know the John Stewart Daily Show changed all that.

Yep.

And then I feel like everybody wants to be like John Stewart and then you get a Cole Bear show which is produced by John Stewart by the way. Love John Stewart. Big fan. Worked with him for years. I still know I produced the Daily Show live for a while.

I know everybody at the Daily Show.

I'm going to go see it when I go to town uh when I do my next grand tour. Um so it's it's not there's no love laws for John.

No, this is commentary. This is

Yes. It's a matter of what? So then everybody wants to be that and then everybody wants to do that. And when everybody's doing it, it's no longer a thing for one, you know.

Yeah.

And it does shift what the show is. And America seems to like it, which is or at least half of America seems to like it a lot. Uh but I'll tell you what, it alienates the out of the other half. And um and I've always been kind of I'm in the middle. I'm one of those people who's just in the middle. You get your left wing and your right wing and I'm saying in the plane.

I'm that guy too.

Like no no I think everybody makes good points but like there's no good and evil to this. Like everybody's in my opinion this shouting back and forth is the wrong way to do this. We need to be less divisive.

Um and

yes you have the right idea but you're on the other team and so I hate your idea.

Yeah. Kind of kind of. or I won't even acknowledge it because you're the other the other team and um and it doesn't matter how wrong you think the other team is about one point because you're wrong about some of your points that we're all human. Everybody's imperfect, infallible. So, I don't know. I I I I don't like seeing, you know, the late night genre go away, although I think television in general is going away.

Yeah.

So, you know, we're just seeing it right now at late night, but I also feel like everybody's doing it to themselves. Um, uh, I think I don't know what it's so bizarre to me that Co Bear would be surprised by the result. That to me is one of the strangest things.

Um, Kimmel coming back and his uh, you know, his very heartfelt uh, words I think were beautiful.

Yeah.

Um, but at the same time, I feel like he was only brought back because they lost so many subscribers on Disney Plus and whatever. you know, I it's just there's too much politics for me and um and and and that's part of it. That's part of it.

But the world, the country anyway, I should say, is very divided right now. And everybody is getting meaner and meaner out there. And I can't wait to hit the road to see what it's like outside of Los Angeles because here I am in Los Angeles where it is very political and it most people are on a certain side of that. Um um and then I'm in the car world where there's a lot of money and there's a lot of car collectors and they're not necessarily on the same side. So like I'm kind of in the middle of both entertainment and money,

right?

Yeah. I I don't know. I don't know. It bumps me out. It bumps me out because I'm the kind of person can't we all just get along? Why does everyone have to inflame the other one, you know? Um yeah, everybody does stupid but like everybody does stupid Not just one side or the other. Everybody does stupid

Yep. Well, that's they go where the ratings are and that's a sometimes a very uh shortterm perspective on things. You look at where Stephen Colbear when he took over for for for Late Show uh or he created the Late Show. I guess Late Show ended and he created the Late Show and um it wasn't it wasn't the brand that they created the Late Show with.

That's right. That's right. Um and it wasn't as divided and you know people were saying, "Oh, you know what? it was it's not as good. Maybe we maybe should switch places with uh with with with James Cordon. Yeah.

And the moment they went over and started bashing Trump, his ratings went up and it's like, okay, well, they've never looked back since then, even when President Biden was there. Um I do believe that they, you know, lampuned him a lot. But uh but he's got that reputation and and and and I think it's a testament to how good Steven Coar is is that people um he's so good at it that he he rated him rating himself out of a job when uh the new bosses came in. That's what it certainly feels like. The the timing does not feel coincidental. We've had a lot of people on the show who talked about this um uh you know how how it's a farce that he lost that show lost that much money. Dave talked about it in the Barbara Gaines show and um it's it's it's it's a

sad. So that's another thing people I know from my wife I know how to read press releases.

Yeah.

The decision was purely financial. You can interpret that however you want, but I know they meant long term this is going to hurt us moneywise. They're not saying the show is losing money. I don't think anybody was ever saying that.

I don't I never saw that in print anywhere. Yeah, there was an article that came out saying it lost $40 million or something like that, which of course they just all laughed at and laughed at and laughed at. You know, on the Barbara Gaines show, she even talked about that when they put that number out there. Uh she said, you know, there were times where CBS would come to us and say, "Hey, can you trim the budget on this or can you trim the budget on that?" Right.

Um you know, and it's it's it's it's obviously a much bigger picture thing. Um, but he lost $40 million when they had to buy off Conan, you know,

right? Yet, you know, the genre, the show itself, that was the thing that that that surprised me is that they, you know, canceling the franchise. Oh,

not to me. They already killed Coar. It made I mean, uh, you know, well, Cordon was gone, but whatever. The After Midnight.

After Midnight. Yeah.

Or at midnight, whatever they called it.

It used to be at midnight, then they called it after Yeah, that's right. Um, yeah. I don't know. I I think TV is going away and they're all looking for places to trim the fat because it's just all big corporate money now. It's all just it's all, you know, the merger thing. That's all that's all real. So, if the merger didn't happen, that's a financial loss. So, if they're talking about speculative $40 million loss, like, oh, I bet it would have been more than that. But what happens when there's no show at 11:30 on CBS? Everyone's going to change the channel to another show, another uh network. Yeah,

that's my opinion. As long as him or Jimmy or whatever other show is on, I think they'll watch that. And then there'll be the people who enjoy the reruns.

That's right.

Of whatever they put on there, you know, oh, look, it's more Everybody loves Raymond. That'll be good for Dave.

Um, I always talk about uh I've coined a phrase that I that I like to talk about. Whenever there's been circus time in late night, you know, circus time has always made it a lot of fun to kind of watch what's going on and and and everybody talk about it. Yeah. Circus time in '92. It happened of course and then it happened of course again in 0 09 ' 92 with Carson's move and and Letterman in the late the the original late shift was was kind of a it was a circus time moment. Um

I don't even agree with that. It goes back goes back NBC

oh yeah there were other elements of it as well.

Never once handled a uh transition well. Uh the closest was Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon the second Jay departure. But go back to when Carson got the job and they had um was it MV Griffin?

Yeah, they had him they had him waiting in the wings. They talk about it a lot in this book and many other ones being prepped for the same job. They brought him out night on the same set and the whole thing. They're like, "Look, Johnny, just so you know, we're ready if you're not going to do it."

Yep.

Um I don't think they've ever handled a transition well. I think it's almost their way.

And it's funny, it's always a different executive, right? It's not like it's the same people.

Sure. the the turnover in uh in corporate is is is crazy

and the executive comes in and says I am not going to do or we are not going to do what they did in the past and then they go and make it even more spectacular of a failure and and u

and I don't care if we're talking about John Agolia or or uh Jeff Zucker or whoever it was back when you know Carson got the job.

Yep. Yep. Uh a total agreement. Um but the but at the same time um the net result for the viewer or the enthusiast of this stuff uh it's a it's a tremendous amount of fun to watch and and to talk about and whatnot. It gets a little bit of juice into the shows. This week here we had uh the week of the record of the recording of this episode. Uh it's going to be about two weeks late. This week here uh that on Friday that's coming out um is going to be our tribute to Art Kelly. And so with his brother he came on. Arthur Kelly, um, of course, uh, good friend of us and and and so he

I only knew him through you, but he was always he used to send Facebook messages and stuff to me and I I kind of never really knew who he was till I saw the uh, you know, the the the mutual friends.

He watched everything many times. He watched uh, watched me on your show and watched your show. It Yeah, like I mean I miss Arty very very very much. Uh, a beautiful

kind light. What's that?

Oh, I stepped on it. I'm so sorry. I took my earbuds out. No,

no, no. We're good. What's up?

He was the receptionist. Is that right?

Yeah. So, he was uh uh 15 years the receptionist on Dave's floor.

So, so I mean the stories he has of the you talk about interference that he had to he had to make for Dave, the phone calls he would make and we and me his brother and I talk about some of those calls uh the memorable ones that he talks about um on the episode. But but yeah, I mean, imagine being, you know, the kind of that last line of defense u on the floor for David Letterman and that's what he was for 15 years, whatever.

Well, he would have been the first line of defense, right?

Uh well, no, because he's it's Dave's floor. So, like, you know, people to get up there, the phone calls to get through the guy that picks up.

There's a you you probably don't know the buildings, but there's a lot of stuff on that floor. So, every floor had a receptionist or whatever, but then you would have to get to Dave's office. So, you'd have to go through his assistance to get to Dave. That's right. That's right. I was more taken on the f on the phone. He was the guy that would actually transfer the calls through uh to Dave and many times those calls came to Arty and Arty had to make the distinction of okay, do I pass it through or am I the guy that listens to whoever it is and tries to

they would still go to the outer office though is my

I suppose. Okay. Sure. Sure. Yes, that's that's true.

Like a Lori Diamond or a Mary Bar.

Okay.

That's true. But anyway, yeah. I mean, so he was that for a long long time and then and then for whatever reason, um, one day they decide, uh, we're gonna we're going to do something called Coach's Corner. You make a you you have a a tremendous resemblance to Mike Singleary.

That's it. You told me this. Yes.

Yeah. And uh,

back.

And now, you know, he appears on the show, you know, dozens of times as

But you sent me a clip, too. And he's yelling. He's yelling a lot.

Oh, yeah. He yells. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah,

that was a big part of the

big part of the character.

You can cut all this. I'm sorry. I'm back.

No, I'm not cutting any of it. I don't I we don't we don't we don't do that anymore, remember?

Oh, you don't?

We You and I. You and I, we hit the record button and this is us catching up. And this is If it gets awkward, it gets awkward. And that's the fun part. And we

just my episodes.

Uh you and I. Yes, that's right. That's what we do.

You know, we're that way because we do it live. Yes. And I liked that.

Yes. You don't have to do that.

No, I dig it, too. I dig I dig I dig it very much. It It me.

Um, but the week to go back. Oh, yeah. So, the week you and I record this is the same week that there was a mashup. We got to see Jimmy on on on Stephen's show and we got to see Stephen on Jimmy's show. Uh, Conan O'Brien was also on uh on on the Late Show um as a guest. And and for me, those weeks are just like they're the best weeks of they're the best time of my week from an entertainment perspective. I love those segments. I love um you know, to this day, it just feels I don't know. I don't I used to think it felt dangerous. It doesn't feel dangerous anymore, but it certainly makes me want to sit forward and be present and be excited. Oh my god, this is going to be so cool. There's a there's a clip where Jimmy and Stephen are waving to each other and it's showed on both shows, the Simo cast. I love I love that stuff. I'm a sucker for it. I still feel like I'm a kid.

Um this week that was happening and both Jimmy and uh Stephen talked about um their unairrings for the first time in public and they did it on each other's show or opposite each other's show I suppose at the same time. Both would be true actually. Um, and and I just thought that that was absolutely uh if if if Bill Carter was writing a book on this, uh, that would be half of a chapter right there as to what happened this week. And I I I I enjoyed that very very much. Um, if it is going to go out, I love that it's going out with a bang. Um, I feel like NBC is the closest. You know, I I I I watch a lot of the articles on late nighter.com. Um,

me too.

And it it feels like NBC with the monetization. Um, SNL last year had their most profitable year ever and and they're certainly using tactics similar to what they did in SNL for the Tonight Show. They're trying very hard to fortify that franchise as much as they can in this time and place in television and entertainment and broadcasting. Um,

you did a show from Detroit for four.

Yeah. You know, um,

you made a comment about it didn't feel dangerous. I I I don't watch these shows anymore. there's not really there for me because of it's just not what it used to be. The content is not what it used to be.

Uh but I would say I would argue that it is probably more dangerous than it's than it's been maybe ever because it is life and death of these shows happening currently. So I would I would argue that it is much more dangerous currently.

Yeah. Even though that they like each other, even though that they are uh Strikeforce 5, you know, they're they're comrades in arms.

Yeah. To me, that's not it. It's so so maybe it's that's why it's more dangerous. It used to be oh it's this guy against this guy. No, no, no. Now it's all of these guys against all the money.

Yes.

All the corporations, all the politics, all that stuff.

Yes.

And they've already proven that you can yank somebody off the air just like that if you want to.

Y

which I think in the old days I don't think somebody would have yanked Dave off the In fact, there were many nights where you thought Dave might not do a show because things were going on that we don't need to bring up here. Y

where they showed up.

They showed up. They got they still had their slot and they showed up.

They did.

Well, the one the one that you know kind of we've been talking about I' I've talked to a lot of staff I'm going to I'm getting back into the swing of things and some of these staffers are going to be coming back on the show. Um we've been talking anyway talking a lot. It it feels like the Sarah Palin moment on steroids. Um the Sarah Palin moment kind of felt that way. You're like, "Oh, is this going to is it not there's a protest outside that Okay, the protest is only 18 people." Okay. Um, but it kind of fell.

I thought we thought we weren't gonna bring those up, those negative things.

Well, that that's the one I That's the one we've been using kind of as the

Oh, you talk about it a lot.

The one we do bring up and and and and talk about. Uh, but it is a different

Yeah. It's a different alchemy now. And and it is u like you say, life and death. Um, which for people

of the show, I don't think careers will be made or broken based on this. I think that Steven will go on and go. I predict Stephen will go back to Comedy Central. Um I don't know why I say that. The parent company will probably still be the same.

Yep.

Although Viacom itself is not being sold, correct? It's just the CBS property. Is that right? In the merger with Sky.

I thought Paramount

Oh, Paramount Everything

includes more than that, doesn't it?

Paramount is everything now. You're right. Yeah. See, I've been out of it so long I forgot. I remember when CBS and Paramount split because Sar Redstone wanted to see who was going to be the next Sumar Redstone. So, he was like, "Is it going to be Brad Gay or who was the other guy? Less Moon." No, who was the other guy? Brad Grey.

Less Moonveves took over CBS, but um I don't know that

it wasn't he wasn't in contention though for the

They got it back from Westinghouse when that happened, didn't they? I thought it was Westinghouse came back into it again. I was at Paramount at the time working for Everybody Hates Chris. And it's when it's when they ended up uh who the was the other guy. Anyway, it doesn't matter. But one took CBS, one took Paramount, said, "All right, let's see what you can do with each one." And um and and then they ended up bringing them back together again, which was hilarious. And then we ended up with the CW because of the merger with UPN and WB.

WB. Yeah.

Our first year of Everybody Hates Chris, we were on the UPN. And then there second and on, we were on CW. We launched the CW network. It's why every dance Chris was on every bus in Manhattan for a month.

The Gilmore Girls was there too, right?

Was that a CBS show? I guess it was. Huh.

Oh, I don't know now. Now it's all get murky. We're getting old, Jay.

Yeah. Oh, was that on CW? Is that what you're saying? Oh, maybe. Yeah, maybe. I don't remember that because they definitely didn't put the shows together.

Yeah. urban black show, white women in Connecticut.

Um, it is it's it's it's very interesting watching um and and and looking at it at this time and place for those of us who really enjoyed this stuff uh growing up. It's going to be interesting to see what what survives, what doesn't survive. To me, it feels like NBC was the original king before the expansion happened of this stuff. And uh it feels

created late, mate. It was a test pattern before that,

right,

for Steve Allen.

Yep. And uh and it feels like they're working pretty darn hard to keep it that way that they that they uh even if it does, you know, the expansion and the contraction as things contract, it

also the conversation, which I think is a good move.

Yeah. Well, and I mean, you know, Fallon um at at times when the heat was was perhaps

I don't know what's going on. Nobody knows what's going on.

Yeah.

A joke, but without getting involved.

That's right. And he would be he would be criticized for it. Criticized for not you know for going easy on Donald Trump when Donald Trump shows up there and and and you know I Dave made the point about back in the day uh you know during the OJ Simpson stuff you know and oh Leno's starting to beat you in the ratings. He's got the dancing eidos and all that stuff. Well I just don't find double homicide that that that funny.

Let him have it.

Yeah. Let him have it. And and and it feels like NBC is kind of doing that and and might be thinking of the long game when it comes out.

That's what it seems like. It seems like the legacy company well they're I mean CBS is maybe even more legacy than NBC but

they know better than to get involved in the short term of politics etc because the tides change constantly.

Yes.

One announcement in one news cycle can change what everybody freaking thinks.

Yep. Yep. Without a doubt. Um

everyone jumping into a conversation they don't belong in is is I think a mistake. But you know maybe I'm too on the fence. So, I don't know.

I can't support that statement because I believe this show is me doing exactly that. But, you know, other other than that

Oh, that's certainly not what I was saying. I think you do.

No, no, it was a joke. It was a joke. Damn it.

Oh, good.

Um, no. All good. Uh, not a very good one. That's okay. I'm I'm a beginner. Um, but um, what do you have coming up on your shows? Do you have anything Do you have anything fun that you're looking forward to on your shows? Are you just enjoying it in the moment, being present, and just uh letting things fall into into place as they do?

No, I think this is going to be I think this week will be the last one before I go on another road trip. I think Mark Maloff will be the last one because I I'm I think I'm leaving on the 13th. So, uh which is next Monday.

Yeah.

Um a blockbuster year we're going to do from the road. Brandon's going to take over production and I'll just somehow watch a movie in my hotel room and and and or in the car or something on the way. I don't know how I'm going to do it. And then I'll just check in whenever uh you know at 6:00 on wherever that is 6:00 Pacific

wherever I am in the country to do that one. Uh I think late night place will go dark because obviously the there's a lot to do here that I can't do from the road. So um yeah I I mean I'm really looking forward to talking to Mark Maloff. If you weren't busy on Tuesday I would ask you to join us. If you find yourself not busy on Tuesday, please join us. I will.

Um the the show just overall has been different and lighter and more fun, I think. Uh certainly to do. Um yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I've been doing a lot of other people's podcasts lately. It's been crazy. I'm doing a bunch out on the road. I did like three this this is the third one this week.

Yep.

Um I feel like I'm talking too much. I feel like I feel like I'm not that interesting. Um, that's the gig. I I uh I did uh another one this week, a local one um devoted to our local comedy scene uh this week and I and I and I remarked to them. I actually enjoy guesting uh nearly as much as I enjoy hosting. I It's a lot of fun and I'm completely different when I'm a guest compared to when I'm a host. Um even though I'm exactly the same person with exactly the same authenticity, there's a different uh sensibility or a different attitude about it. I'm a lot looser. Um, I don't care anything about format. In fact, if I can somehow monkey with the format or break it a little bit, I enjoy doing that as well. Um, as a guest, and that's a lot of fun. Do you enjoy being a guest?

Uh, yeah. Uh, if I have something to say, like if we're going to be speaking about something where I feel like I have something to say, sure.

Yeah.

Um, just to, um, it depends on what the format of the show is, I guess. Some podcasts there isn't an agenda. you just sit down and, you know, they bring up the topic, whatever the heck it is, and you just go with the flow. Uh, I'm fine with that. If there's an agenda, if it's something that I feel like I have something to contribute, yes, I enjoy it a great deal

because like you said, no pressure.

Yeah.

Um, but when Yeah. I don't know. when there's when there's something that you you just feel like you're not contribute. I don't know. Overall, yes, I'm very grateful to be invited. I just did the Peterson podcast for the Peterson Automotive Museum here in Los Angeles, and that's a pretty high-profile one uh in the car community. Y

and I was really honored that they asked and uh and we had a great time doing it and they were very prepared. You know, they sent me like a whole breakdown of notes of the things we were going to talk about first.

Yep. And I said, "Is it okay with you?" Like, "Is there anything I need here?" I go, "Is there anything that you're there any surprises?" And he goes, "No." And I go, "Then do you care if I just wing it because I'm better winging it then?" Oh, these are the Oh, this paragraph. Oh, let me think about what I want to say about that. And it never comes out how I want it to.

No.

Uh I just I'm not good at that part. Maybe I should maybe I should do more of it that way so that I can exercise that part of my brain.

Y

I'm a wing it guy in life. I kind of go with the flow. Um,

you wouldn't know that from the old podcast because I was wrangling it so tightly, but the new ones, you can tell that just Jay doesn't give a Let's let's do this. It's it's a it's a just a good time. Having a good hang. And when other people have that kind of show, I could do those for days.

Yeah. Um, I could not agree more with that sentiment. I That's exactly how I feel, too. The pre-in uh Okay, you won't do it. I'm not into it.

That's my thing, too. That's That's what I told them this week. They're like,

"Tell story. Tell that story." Holy

They're like, "Have you thought about the question we're going to ask you?" I'm like, "What question?" They're like, "We asked the same question to everybody on the podcast at the end of the episode." I'm like, "No, no, I haven't. And I don't want to. Let me think about it in the moment." And I bet you the answer is going to be great. And by the end of the show, when they turned it off, they said, "Okay, you did that answer better than anybody else uh who knew what the question was coming in." I'm like, "Okay, well, there you go." Like, um,

they're they're doing this Goonies documentary for the uh for the house restoration up in Atoria. Sorry to bring you back. Um, and we were uh included in in that as well. So, it'll be in the documentary, but um they, you know, they do the the interviews afterwards like you're saying, and they asked, you know, 10 or 12 people, however many people they interviewed, the same freaking questions over and over again. And um I was one of the last people to go. Brandon was, I think, the final person after me. And there was the same thing. There was these certain questions that they hit that they wanted to get from everybody so that they could compile all the answers and they I didn't see them asked the question. Other people were there and they were all lined up and they oh they're going now they're going now they're going. Um it Adam the Woo said, you know, we were all sitting there talking and then other people start saying the answers that you gave while you were talking because you planted the seed in their head. Exactly.

So, by the time it got to my turn, three different people had said the things that I was going to say.

Yeah.

And then I was left with, "Let's wing it."

And and they loved my particular answer more than anybody's

because I had nothing left. I would have said the other things.

Yeah,

I would have I that was my intention. So, it's it's weird how that works out. I find that, you know, even for our own show, uh, doing the blue card, as I call it, the rundown, the breakdown, the script, doing the blue card is my preparation. We don't have to stick to the blue card. In fact, we very often do not stick to the blue card, but somehow I'm prepared to do the show because I did all the prep work. It's like when you paint,

right?

There's so much prep and there's so much, oh, I got to cut in and the taping and the stuff. But if you do all of that, well, oh, anybody could go in and roll the rest of the room. No big deal,

right?

And somehow it feels similar. Maybe it's

Look how look how time travel happens uh when when when you and I talk here. I do have a couple things I want to hit though, real quick. One's a real odd one. Um you know, okay, so you have worked um on many franchises. Lot a lot of cult stuff you've worked on. You know, I look at it anything David E. Kelly has done. You know, everybody hates Chris. I think it's I think that that's the status that we're at here. Another sitcom um that I believe to me has a cult following uh is News Radio. And you were on news radio for a long time. I have a I have a just a little radio episode I want to ask you about simply because I've got a precursor. Um I had a bucket list moment happened a few weeks ago with my one of my best friends. Um he's got cancer and and he and I have been crossing some bucket list things off the list because we don't know when. He's not he's not terminal, but at the same time, it's sobering and and so we've gone to some concerts. One of those concerts was Public Enemy and and and uh um I'm a huge Public Enemy fan. He and I have been since we were kids. Um you know, it was one of those moments where I started throwing it out there months and months and months ago. Okay, we're going to meet Flave. We're going to meet Chuck D.

And uh I'd never met Chuck Da. He's one of the people I was always afraid to meet up meet. And um we met him and then we ended up at the same restaurant. And as he was leaving, my friend's name is Mike as well. He looked and said, "Ah, the mics." Looked at us and and call us the mics and smiled. And I said, "Chuck, do you have a moment? Do can I ask you one question?" And that's normally when I meet some of these people how the conversation starts. It's just one question. If they like the question, they dig in. Mine happened to be about news radio. I said, "There was a time." I said, "I've worshiped you like from Oh my gosh." And then I would love when you would appear sometimes in oddball places like you appeared on News Radio and I said, "Phil Hartman up here in Canada." He was, you know, he's comedy legend, comedy royalty, Canadian comedy legend. Um, and the scene that you did with him was absolutely spectacular and hilarious. And immediately Chuck is like smiling as big as that.

Like he's just smiling so big. I said, "How did you end up on news radio?" And then he sat. He goes, "Can I sit down?" And me and Mike are like, "Yes." And he sits down for like 10 minutes. I end up interviewing about Dave. He's, it looks like he's going to come on the show because David Letterman, of course, in New York, he's got a very interesting, very positive perspective about Dave when it comes to hiphop. But anyway, we started talking about that episode of News Radio. Do you remember? Were you were you there at the time was on?

No, I didn't. And I you know I lived in New York uh so they would come to New York and um shoot some stuff from time to time like the the openings um that you would all do on green screen. Now we really went all of those locations all around Manhattan and Brooklyn and everything to get all that stuff.

Uh I did more of that stuff. I wasn't like uh you know daytoday uh on the set here in Los Angeles. Yeah. Um, they would bring I mean they brought the whole cast out. They would bring the producers out. Kent Zabornak would come out. Um, funny I mentioned Brad Gay before. I think that was one of his shows, too.

Yep.

Um, and I think he might have been there, but it's before he was power executive Brad Gray. He was like produc producer Brad Greg.

Y

um um Yeah. So, no, I I I don't remember that and I wasn't there for that and um and I I don't even know what you're talking about, but what I was there second season,

so I don't know what season this was. There were four seasons. Three was still love it.

No, it was before Love it for sure. It was because the whole thing was, you know, Chuck D here, you have one of the most outspoken uh activists in entertainment and he's sitting across from Bill McNeel, Phil Hartman's character. and Bill hardcore.

Bill wouldn't let Chuck get a word. He just he he Chuck could not talk because Bill just kept going and that was kind of the gag and it was over and it was just it was hilarious. Um

and uh anyway

the show the show was genius. I think I told you that uh even back then like um Dave Foley y would sort of

Punchup I don't know if Punchup's the right Yeah, Punchup's probably the right.

How about remix the entire episode real time? Well, that's just it. Like, you know, there'd be a there'd be a script obviously, but it would get reworked on the set in the moment based on he's like, "Well, I think we should change this and that, and maybe the line could be this instead, and then we hit this beat instead." And it was very cool to watch his genius come into play there. Um, which was so different than his character on the show.

Yeah.

Um, and everybody was pretty different than their character on the show. Like Phil Hartman couldn't be less like Bill Neil. I mean, my god, he was such a lover. Uh Joe Rogan, you know who he is now. I mean, he's hilarious and not at all like um I think he still played Joe.

Oh, really?

Yeah. Joe.

Um that was a that was a great experience. And I was so young. I was that would have been at the same time that I was before I moved to LA. Mhm.

That would have been at the same time that I was like I had already was done interning and paing regularly at NBC, but I still was freelancing where I'd get like a day call and come in for a couple days to do Conan, Rosie, whatever.

Y

um so I think it was kind of the same type of job. It was I I remember how I got that job. My friend uh Roman Kajiano in Westport, Connecticut, was the next town over for me. It was the town where Paul Newman and Robert Redford lived.

Yeah.

And so many other Phil Donnie, so many other people. Um, his dad, uh, shout out to John Kajiano, worked for a an ad agency in Manhattan called Cider and Miller. And in this ad agency, they also had an in-house production company called Shoot New York.

And just at Roman's house one night for dinner, good proper Italian dinner with Roman Cajano and his family. Somehow it came up with, "Oh yeah, well we're looking for PAs." And I was like, "That's what I do. Can I I'll come work for you?" He goes, "Oh, yeah. Put your name in." Yeah, no problem. And literally they called me like the next day to come in down into the city. He was like, "Oh, we're doing all these commercials for Cider and Miller, the ad agency." And he goes, "Oh, but we're also doing uh this work for News Radio when they come to town." And and and he called it radio news. The guy didn't even know what um

Yeah.

I was like, "Do you mean News Radio like the NBC show?" He goes, "Yeah, that's it." And I go, "I I'd love to. Absolutely." And that's how I got the job.

Oh, that's

it was it was totally happen stance. And then I ended up like and I had my stu I must have been maybe 19 at that point because I had my 944 Turbo because again my dad passed away so I'm spending money in stupid ways. Nobody told nobody could tell me no. Um and I was picking up I was driving talent around the city. I would pick up people from their hotels. But I remember specifically going to the airport to pick up Ken Saborack who was the producer of the freaking thing and I made the stupid little sign and everything and he came out into my car. He goes, "This is your car?" And I was like, he got in and we drove back into the city from JFK. So funny. They brought him to the production office. Yeah. A lot of meories from that though. I remember uh being in Time Square with um oh, what's his name? He's amazing. Root. Steven Root who played the station manager.

Stephen Root. Legendary. Yeah. I mean, he's been

Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy Jimmy Jones.

Jimmy James.

You know, Office Space. Um, I mean, I just Brother I mean, Stephen Rude is legend.

Milton from Office Space. Yeah. He he we were doing a a thing with him in the middle of Time Square in the old days when they still had the jumbotron and we had a it was the equivalent of having a satellite uplink. We were in in the middle of Time Square when you could still drive through Time Square. So there's cars everywhere, people everywhere, time square tickets, the police station, all that stuff.

Yep.

And we were getting like satellite time. You had to book because otherwise it's all advertising up on that big screen.

So we had to buy and book time to shoot our little thing with Jimmy James.

Yep.

On the street, but also on the TV behind him.

Yeah. him live but with the TV in the background and it was him like throwing away money or something stupid because he was supposed to be a Texas billionaire or something on the show.

Um I remember all of that stuff. I remember some stuff that I don't want to remember too. I've stayed away from that. I stayed away from

I'm sure you can figure out which one it was, but he

I stayed Yeah. Yep.

He was not uh he was not great. He was very nice. A little too nice to me. um young and maybe I was

I can't believe you're saying this. You've told me the story. I can't believe you're saying this right now.

Yeah. Well, I won't tell you exactly what he did, but it was cool. And I ended up I can't remember. I told the producers afterwards and then they were uh they took me off and put me on other people.

He was a little too nice. Everybody

Yeah. I mean, great way.

Here's the thing. I wouldn't be the I'm I I I'm like a person a thousand on this list, so it's not worth uh saying.

Sure. Oh, well, fair enough. Fair enough. Um,

I'm sure there were way worse things done to other people.

I got one last thing before uh before we close up this one here. Uh

Oh, wow. Great.

How are you connected to Okay, I know the Peterson has some amazing Batmobiles and things like that. What's going on with the Batmobile thing?

Thank you. Because I at Mattel yesterday, they going around the room with the judges and we're all introducing each other and there's like NFL stars and radio people and Phil and myself and Uh they say what they say your name and what you do for a living, whatever. I'm like I'm Jay Ryan. I don't My wife passed away. I have no idea what I do for a living. I should have said I'm Jay Ryan and I sell Batmobiles. If anyone if any of your listeners are so wealthy that they want to throw $3 million at a toy, I am indeed selling legitimately

a tumbler

Tumblr Batmobiles for um so Warner Brothers a few months ago announced that they were going to license 10 tumblers identical to filmspec from the Christopher Nolan series. What this means is previously the Batmobiles other than the Baris one which would drive down the street. Most of them

are you can move them but they are not really like

stuntworthy. You can't really drive them. All the Katon ones, all those other cartoony ones, Shoeacher, etc.

Y

everything you see in the Christopher Nolan movies with the tumbr, they did it all. They're really jumping curbs, crashing through cars and walls and everything. They really did it all. So these are that um and I am selling them for the lency. It's it's it's it's a crazy opportunity that fell into my lap. Um my partner happens to own one of the actual Katon Batmobiles that's at a different museum here in Los Angeles, Maronei.

Um and through that he got hooked up with the licency and he said, "Oh, you've done this before. Oh, you know, how can maybe you can help us?" And then my partner's telling me on the phone and I'm still a broken mourning husband who lost his wife can't figure out what's next in life.

Yeah.

And he's like, "Well, uh, and I'm doing this blah blah blah blah blah." And I say, "Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. I would love to help you with that. If there's any way I can do this is my wheelhouse. You know, I know the the the car community and the movie car community." And he goes, "Well, that's why I took it on. I was hoping you'd take it over for me."

Wow.

So, he hooked me up with the license. We had a great uh uh conversation and now I'm the guy. So, um I some are sold, not by me. Some were sold before I came on board, but uh there are definitely some still available. And if anyone wants a Tumblr Batmobile, please please get in touch with me. Uh it's a year waiting list. You pay half up front, you pay half upon delivery. Yeah.

Uh but in the meantime, I can take you to the Warner Brothers archives to look at, you know, what you're going to get because they're made to order. It's not like there's 10 of them in a showroom just waiting to be bought.

Um, and then we can, you know, visit the shop where they're making them. The shop is here in the valley, not too far from here. It's where they make all the Hot Wheels cars that I mentioned before, the life size Hot Wheels.

Um, and it's something I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm grateful to be involved. I still kind of can't believe it. I I also couldn't be more perfect for it because while I am a nerd in a lot of ways, Batman is not my thing.

You're also distanced. Yep. I've made, yes, I've made several I mentioned the first Ecto we built ended up in this BC Delorean collection up in Canada and it's being all over Canada. The second one we built is at Universal Studios Florida to be seen at the parade, whatever their Hollywood parade is that they do.

Um, the time machines we built, one's in England as a char at a charity. Uh, you know, uh, one is at the Peterson Museum, the original screen used one.

That's the one that was on the, uh, the Scream Awards with with, uh, Michael J. Fog or is that the one that went to Britain?

That's the one that's in England now. Yeah.

Okay. Okay. Yeah. Like on the Scream Awards where, you know, uh, Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox reuniting uh, on stage with it. That's the one. Yeah.

So many other things. We did everything for 25th anniversary. I got a bonus feature still on the digital copy. I couldn't I thought it was only on the Blu-ray like 15 years ago. Yep. I I was going through the Apple TV the other day. It's on my own Apple TV. I can watch my stupid self from 15 years ago. Um

the best thing out of that whole thing though, which still every once in a while I will see like in the wild, as they say, for whatever reason, it will just show up was there's the clip going down. I don't know if it was I5. It was somewhere down where where where the time machine was being followed by Ecto one and they got it on a local news broadcast like, "Hey, you don't see this every day."

Excuse me, sir. It was not local. It was the Today Show and it

Oh, that's right. Okay. That's where it was. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. But you see it every once in a while. You'll see it on a compilation clip or something like that and it's just your two cars.

It was Sean in the Ecto and I think me and the Delorean probably.

It's just so great. So, you doing this with the Batmobiles is uh it makes so much sense. Um, you know, once it's uncancled, I'm certain there's going to be something with a General Lee that you'll be attached to or something like that. I mean, these are, you know,

do you remember uh the Kobe Bryant thing? Like I drove Kobe Bryant in the I worked with Steph Curry doing commercials for ESPN. I worked with like hu hu Gronowski, like whoever was kind of the biggest guy in the sport at the time. I worked with them because they knew that I didn't give a about sports. I was the perfect guy to go to Gronowsk's house and and shoot with him, you know, for a commercial. This is the exact same equivalent in the car world because I don't care about Batman. I'm not a I'm not a I'm not a Batmobile guy. I don't really care. Um so I can I can sort of weed through and not be the fanboy about it.

If it was Deloreans or Ectos, I'd be too involved, too attached.

Yeah. Well, exactly. Exactly. But at the same time, um, you know, the level of enthusiasm that you have for these for these very special cars, whether it is a a Porsche that has stayed in remarkable condition for so long, that's up your alley or or something like this, an entertainment uh vehicle in the entertainment world. Um, you have the same level of jism and and there couldn't be a more perfect guy for this. It's it's fantastic. Um, I again if Cand's app and I keep saying it, I always say it, but but it looks like, you know, we've got partners in Atlanta and stuff. If he changed it blows up and we end up with the FU money, I am buying a Tumblr. I love the Tumblr so much. It is so great. I don't know if we can get it across the 49th parallel. Uh, Trump's tariffs are going to suck, but I will buy one of those. That is so cool.

With that, you just ram the gate, right?

I think that's what you do. You just

Right. I um I so I actually it's funny because I'm saying I'm not a fan, but I you know to sort of refresh my memory on all this, I put on the Christopher Nola movies and I I really enjoyed the first one. I did not like the second one and I found the the third one was unwatchable for me.

But I was taken with how much I did like the Tumbr. I forgot the story that it was this military surplus experimental thing with Wayne Industries that Morgan Freeman's telling about. He's like, "Oh, that we call it the Tumblr coming in black." Like that whole thing I liked a lot. and then watching what it could do and then going over to Warner Brothers and seeing the thing in person, the actual, you know, one of the actual ones.

Uh I I did get pretty into it in that like, oh, I could sell this. Like, if I got somebody with the money, I could definitely sell this.

Yeah.

And um and there are a few people on the hook I'm going to see on the way around the country. Um there are a few high-profile buyers in the Austin area that I'm going to uh stop by and see on this next grand tour. Uh so yeah, fingers crossed. Fingers crossed because it would be very good for, you know, I'm starting over in every possible way. That's mentally, emotionally, financially, unfortunately, is one of those places. You know, I haven't worked in 10 years taking care of Nicole. Um, and that that takes a toll. So, it would be really good to sell some Batmobiles. Tell your friends, Dave, Dave, Dave, you can afford a Batmobile. Put it in the lobby of Worldwide Pants. Even in your garage, why not?

Wouldn't that be fun? Uh, from what I hear, uh, uh, that might be trimming he's trimming down the car collection from what I've heard. But, uh, yeah, I've heard that, too. And I would also really like to, this is a shout out to anyone at Worldwide Pants. I would love to, uh, see whatever's left of it. I I certainly know where they are. And in fact, I will be uh, in the same area. You know, yellow car hasn't been washed in 35,000 miles, maybe more than that now. And, uh, there's a very famous automotive detailer named Larry Casil. He's got a ch he's got a YouTube channel with tons and tons and tons of viewers, but um he's also got a show on Discovery, I think.

Okay.

And he's going to watch Yellow Car when I get around town. And his shop is blocks away from uh from from where we're going or where I'd like to go.

What we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. All the same area. All the same.

Wouldn't that be neat if something could be hooked up? That'd be very

It would be fantastic. It would be fantastic. I heard uh I heard a rumor that they enjoy helping people accomplish uh have their dreams come true. I heard a rumor that they enjoy that. So, they love making people's dreams come true. So, let's see if

I'll make a wish right now.

What's that?

I'll make a wish right now.

There we go. There we go. Um I love you so much. I I hope uh yeah, I love you so so much, man.

Well, you're busy on your schedule, right? So there's not a chance that like coming back around the country that you would drive over the border and meet me somewhere if it was up

Oh, there totally is. If you go to Washington, we'll figure that out.

Well, I was going to say maybe even Atoria because I feel like you would really enjoy meeting the Goonies crew.

When Let me know when you're there. If I can make it work, I'll make it work. We got lots of stuff going on, but at the same time, there's also windows of time where we can make things happen. So yeah, if we can make it work, I'll make it work for sure. I will.

And let me know when you're coming to LA to pick up your

Yeah. Well, then there's that, too. and and and uh uh I certainly want to be down there. Um man, but but things are getting easier. We're getting things uh taken off the list of things to do and and and and it is it is happening. I appreciate that. Um thank you so much for taking time to catch up today. I love you.

Thank you for asking me. I I you know, I was despite my gruffness about the Zoom in the beginning. Like I'm in a much better place than I was last time we did this. So, I hope that this was uh I never watched the other one back, but I I hope this was better. I really appreciate you asking.

Uh you know what? Again, no outcome for the show whatsoever except to create community and create conversations and celebrate um you know, this thing that we all love so much. And it all spawns from um you know, the greatest body of broadcast work in history, that of David Letterman and company, and and all of the ripples that are created from throwing that stone uh into the water. and I just appreciate you so so so much. Enjoy your talk with Mark. Um we just had him on the show not that long ago and I've got three pages of notes that are probably going to end up being two appearances um on our show to promote this. He is he is going balls to the wall promoting it. He is just that's all he's doing right now. It's I'm so happy for him.

York on the 23rd event.

Yeah. Yeah. That's right. You're gonna be there. I'll be at Chiller Con in Paripony, New Jersey with Phil and some of our Back to the Future friends and a lot of, you know, autograph signing type people that we know. And I think that that's the same weekend, maybe a day or two before. So, there's really no reason that I couldn't hit it. So, I'm gonna try.

Please, but we're going to try.

Please FaceTime me from there. U jump in on Tuesday. Love to have you.

I I if if I can make it happen, I will make it happen. Um I love you so much. I appreciate you. If people want to find you and follow you, where are the best places to do that?

Thank you for that. Uh, Porsche Life11 is the Instagram. Yeah, late at Late Nightight playset for the show on YouTube or, you know, any podcast or Spotify as well as Instagram. Uh, a blockbuster year is the new podcast with Brandon Mandel, my friend BC Delorean up in Canada. Uh, it's a lot of fun. We've been having, you know, we just started this thing and we've had great guests so far. It's no coincidence we met all these YouTubers while we were up there. So, everybody's doing the show one by one and uh we're just having a blast with it. It's a lot of fun dissecting movies from 1985. Um that's probably it. Good Vibes Breakfast Club obviously on Fridays and uh I'll be on the Grand USA Grand Tour number three. I can't say the sponsor because it's not locked in yet. It's probably going to be locked in tomorrow, but we've got a hopefully a great sponsor.

Yep. uh this year. Um and uh it's going to be, you know, 15,000 miles around the USA. And as I don't know, I don't know if I told you this or not, but the idea is that um this started with Nicole. I'm sorry, your show is going to be so long because I'm so longwinded.

I don't care.

Started with it was a it was a bucket list Goodwill tour across America for Nicole to say sort of goodbye and then I replicated it last year on my own with yellow car and now it's just an annual thing we're going to do forever as far as I'm concerned. But uh 48 years old, the car has now been to all 48 of the lower 48. This will be sort of a tour to tell that story. 49 next year. The idea is to do the same thing, but cut up through Canada and then get up to Alaska for the 49th state and then ideally 50 will be the same thing except once we're done back to LA, car gets on either a ship or a plane to go to Hawaii. Oh,

and that's why I can't say it is sponsored because it's a much bigger thing and we need to lock in all the paperwork before. But, um, this is a cool thing that I'm really excited to be a part of and I'm going to be really excited to do.

Yeah.

So, look for us out on the road, follow the Instagram, and if you see me coming to town, please send me a message. Let me know if there's anything going on, if there's an event or whatever. I'd love to make it uh trying to meet as many people as possible and spread the goodwill because um you know I've been locked up in a house for 10 years. So

you're going to end up in Florida, right?

Oh yeah.

Irene Hoffman is uh definitely going to want to see. Rupert is down there more often than not. So

you may see him in Florida. He may be up in New York as well. But either way, Rupert and Irene will want to see you for sure.

I would love it so much. Do you know what part of Florida?

Uh Tarpon Springs is where she is. But I don't know the geographic uh makeup.

That's all I need. That's perfect. Thank you.

I would love that. I mean, I would

They would love it. They would love it even more.

Never worked out.

Yep.

Oh my god. We're I'm Yeah. I mean, yeah, that's that's doable.

I have to that anyway. If they're just outside of Tampa, that's not bad at all.

That's uh So, anyway. Yeah. So, so they will want to hook that up. So, shout out to, of course, to uh Rupert, Rupert G and Irene Hoffman, uh who we love so so so much. And I Yeah, they're the same thing. I really want to go see them, whatnot. Um

thank you again. Love you, brother. I appreciate you being on the show. Uh I'll cut the show off now and then we'll say our goodbye privately. Um break format a little bit. This has been another episode

of the Letterman podcast with Mike Chisum.

I'm hanging up. I'm hanging up. Thank you for watching everybody. Thank you for listening. Sorry. Thank you and good night.

They don't talk to me.

Yeah,

I don't talk to them. Bang zoom. All right.