#96 Verbal Assassin and Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is Finding The Funny Way After School

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Alright Jay, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get the show going each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 96 of live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I am your host Jeff Dwoskin. Great to be back for another amazing week a podcast goodness that I am so excited to share with you. This week's episode is with comedian Tammy Pescatelli. That's right back to back comedian episodes last week the amazing Rocky LaPorte and of course we kicked off the year with founding editor of the onion, Scott Dikkers so much comedy. It's just a lot of comedy right at you right the beginning of the year. Hope you're taking it Okay, hope you're enjoying it. But I am so excited to share my conversation with Tammy Pescatelli with you Tammy and I worked together not too long ago at Mark Ridley's comedy castle. We became instant buds and she's here we talked about so much we talked about Last Comic Standing, getting canceled, her way back after school special, her cult classic horror movie beauty queen butcher, heading back to the movies for the first time since the pandemic some really good spider man talk coming up. So hopefully you've seen the movie otherwise, a couple of spoilers, but I think it's been enough time. Anyway, that's all coming up so much, Jeff, how did you fit it all? I don't know, editing, but it's all coming at you in just a few minutes.

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Alright, everyone excited to introduce you to my next guest, actress, comedian, verbal assassin, the super funny Tammy pesca tally. Hey,

Tammy Pescatelli 5:53

hey, that sounds so weird now when like someone says that to me, but I thought it was such an amazing title for a new album.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:01

It's a great title. It's right on your website. I got it right off your website. Yeah,

Tammy Pescatelli 6:05

well, it's gonna be the new the new special. And it's gonna say I actually added to it. It's Tammy the bull verbal assassin.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:14

I like that. So Tammy, you're an awesome comedian. We met it seems like what so long ago cuz it COVID But it was March 2018. I had the pleasure of opening for you mark Ridley's comedy castle. Super fun weekend. Great weekend. Yeah, a lot of fun. So thank you for coming on my show. Thanks for slumming it, my podcast with me. No,

Tammy Pescatelli 6:36

I adore you. And I love playing all those hashtag round ups. And I love your wife. And it's so much fun. We had a great weekend, we became lifelong friends and like five shows. I

Jeff Dwoskin 6:46

know right? It's so fun. It's so cool. When you're coming back to Michigan. Well, you

Tammy Pescatelli 6:50

know, that's what people like. It's funny because Mark Ridley, who is an amazing guy, and has a phenomenal called books the entire year on one day, and I never seem to know what that day is. I always call like three days later or two days before. So I don't know if there are other places in Michigan I could play but for some reason I haven't played them for years. So I don't I need to come to Michigan I need to find just a small little theater or another comedy clubs. So basically, I don't know Jeff,

Jeff Dwoskin 7:23

when I first started doing comedy, I'm going back like 18 years so like open mics. Mark Ridley only booked he may have booked the headliners in advance but the features in the MCS it was like a whole thing you would call in on like Friday or was it whatever and then on Tuesday, you would know if you got on the Tuesday open mic or the Wednesday or if you could work Thursday Friday or sad that's

Tammy Pescatelli 7:45

how they do it in LA like the Comedy Store or you know you call your Valles in on Monday, and they tell you on Tuesday, right

Jeff Dwoskin 7:53

so at some point he got I think more efficient. And then again, he books MCS and features the same time I think it's like September every year for the entire year. But if you look at like my calendar, like that first couple of years, I worked with so many cool headliners, because I would just work week after week and it would just be like a day here a day there day. So that

Tammy Pescatelli 8:13

was me in but I was doing the same thing. Let's say you're 18 years, so I'll be 25 years so I was doing it seven years before you at the Cleveland improv where I was like the house emcee. And I would bid for like this comic or that comic or she would always put me the Booker, a woman named Sarah and I would always put me with the very ethnic crowds. So George Lopez guy, Tory, Joe Tory DL once that would be really tough for anybody, especially a young woman, but she knew that I could handle them. And I think that's what made me a better comic.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:48

Yeah, absolutely. Just getting out there and like in the fire. That's that's the only way to do it. It was it was nice, because when I started out, just like you said they do it other places. There were so many more rapid opportunities that you could fight for week after week.

Tammy Pescatelli 9:01

Well, they were Tuesday through when I started maybe they were Wednesday for you, but they were Tuesday through Sunday. The clubs were and there were three shows on Saturday. So it was a full week of work. You really when you worked even though the money is ridiculous. It was horrible. I think I worked 40 weeks and made $7,000 My first year but you had a million shows like you literally did 12 shows in one week.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:26

Right? Right. Right. We had the way Ridley's work. It was Wednesday was open mic Tuesday was an improv troupe and best of open mic. So once you did Wednesday open mic, then you emceed Wednesday, you could then get Tuesday, that was a big deal, because you got 10 minutes instead of seven. Sure. And then you could start to get like a Thursday, Friday or Saturday that was early on. It was really a lot of fun. But now it's like now I'm like sitting here going like I have to two gigs.

Tammy Pescatelli 9:52

Next year. It's it's tough. Like I have a lot of gigs but not a lot of ticket sales. And that's that's scary. It's scary, quite frankly, for me at this stage of the game because I was, you know, we talked a little bit off bear but you saw 2018 19 Up until March 17 of 2020. I was crushing. I mean, I was so excited that I was really blessed to be selling out shows all the time and I made a mistake in 2020. I had a huge year planned. I mean, look, everybody did, but I had an hour special that came out. I was part of an hour special on Showtime. I was the host of like, 10 episodes of this new show called stand up. What's it called? Stand up live from zany. Live from Deniz. I was leading a movie all before March. So I was like, This is gonna be huge year, I was getting a stand, an unmasked from Bennington on Sirius, it was so great today's show tonight show like all this good stuff was happening. And then I lost 238 days in an afternoon, and most of those for theatres. So when we came back, I had to honor those theater dates. Theaters don't advertise the way comedy clubs do. Theaters aren't the first place that people are thinking of going. Sometimes the comedy clubs now is the place to be, but they're not necessarily thinking of in theater. So I'm having a really rough time. It'll

Jeff Dwoskin 11:20

come back. I feel like I just went to the movies for the first time. And that was me, too. That was still weird. And like, I sat next to a guy. And I was like, I put my mask on. Because I'm like, I don't know this guy. I wear masks because I don't trust the other people. And I mean, right and right. And so I said to my wife, I go we go back to the movies. I'm buying the seats on the left and the right of us. I don't and she's like, No, you're like for 24 bucks. Yeah, I am. Yeah.

Tammy Pescatelli 11:47

Well, it's funny. We did a family thing where my husband and my son went with he has two best friends that are twins and we're good friends with the parents. So we went with the four of them to see spider man in a way home on Friday night like I got off a plane rushed home. I was really lucky at a corporate all week long. So I rushed home and we went to see it and like I finally sit down in the theater. It's packed and we're enjoying it. It's weird but and then this guy coughs like a killer whale just and I was like, oh no and like the guy next to me goes oh my god. Like we're all gonna die to see spider man but it was worth it. I

Jeff Dwoskin 12:29

think it's because like, I don't know about you, like I'll be sitting there and like you trying not to cough because you don't want to do that because you know it'll trigger things and then like a little slice of it goes down my throat and I like try and go and then I do it wrong. So it goes down wrong and then next thing you know, I'm like hacking and nobody knows it's just because I smiled like an idiot

Tammy Pescatelli 12:47

why but this let me tell you something. That's how I feel like something went down the wrong pipe, the pipe the wrong Pope, the wrong pipe on the plane and I was choking and I was like, I'm choking. I'm not dying, but this guy had that you know that? It was like oh god everybody in the place knew everybody in place and of course he was behind us. It was like spray and sanitizer in the air

Jeff Dwoskin 13:14

that's why I was like I was a little nervous with the guy next to me but then I'm like he's here by himself. It's likely he probably doesn't go out that much. He probably doesn't see many people I'm probably okay

Tammy Pescatelli 13:24

yeah you know it when did you go see spider man as he went to see yes

Jeff Dwoskin 13:28

yes I think the whole world so Spider Man

Tammy Pescatelli 13:31

without any spoilers I think it's pretty open that some of the other spider man might be involved right Spider Man it sounds like it at a deli is a spider man right right that's that's gonna spoil

Jeff Dwoskin 13:45

I think it's it's funny because the entire internet I've been putting giving us a lot of thought lately too much thought the entire internet sits there and nitpicks every second of the pre trailers, everything to discover what they believe the entire movie is and then the sound the movie comes out. Everyone's like, Don't spoil it. I'm like, Don't spoil it. I just spent three months if I had just gone in with no even idea that it was even possible that others Yeah, no, there's no way I could have been in this movie.

Tammy Pescatelli 14:16

I would have been blown away. I guess I can say that. By

Jeff Dwoskin 14:19

the time they say.

Tammy Pescatelli 14:22

You know, he's somewhere in there. No plot points. But let me tell you this. I did my very first Tonight Show with Tobey Maguire. And he was the hot Spider Man at the time, right? And he was everything to my nephews who who were five, four and five years old. And every time they would act up, I would say I know Spider Man. And I'm going to tell him on you. And they were like, You don't know him. You don't know him. And finally one time he they were at my house and I was watching him and I put in this is how long I put in the tape of me sitting next to Peter Parker in their estimation, and they went crazy. And they were so good for me. And it was like such a chip kid out. And I was like, now my son is 13 and I can't use that. And

Jeff Dwoskin 15:09

well, then that's You sat right next to him. How good did he look for the amount of time? Oh, I mean, it's like

Tammy Pescatelli 15:14

he looked amazing. Yeah, he looked amazing. He looks better now than he did when he was young.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:20

Yeah, he looks it's it's humbling all of them did willing to follow the dakak. I think they DHT him a little bit. But he was great. All of them. It was just, I think Jamie Foxx came back because they're like, We won't make you look like such a dork this time?

Tammy Pescatelli 15:34

Well, I think, you know, listen, I am, you could really tell the different levels. I'm a comic book girl. As I told you, I made $7,000 That first year in comedy. So I went and bought comic books every week from 1994 95. I been buying comic books every single week, because I knew that they would appreciate in value, or at least hold their value. Plus, I loved them for sure. While my friends were getting stock options and 401 K, I didn't have that kind of money. But I had five bucks. You know what I mean? So I'm a huge comic book girl. So you could tell the difference in that movie more than any other Marvel movie? Who was privy to that Marvel Universe? You know what I mean? Like when they saw the outside of the house? Do they go? Like, went in a sector stranger's house? You know what I mean? That kind of stuff.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:29

That movie was pretty epic. I can't wait to see it again. Actually, it's sometimes it's hard to watch a movie like that the first time because you're like, there's so much to take in. I got to go back and see it again. Same

Tammy Pescatelli 16:39

and I'm very glad that I got to see it at a theater. Although I love these new releases that I could sit at home and watch them but I'm so glad I got to see that at a theater. It's okay to watch Black Widow at home, it wouldn't have been okay to watch Spider Man.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:54

i My only wish was that that third act where they do show up was actually pulled back earlier. I thought it was extra fascinating the way they just were interacting and talking about how the different ways they were Peter Parker, and you're gonna put a spoiler alert. So January, so Okay, great.

Tammy Pescatelli 17:11

So let's talk about it. If they don't put the three of them together in the next film. They're the dumbest human beings on the planet. The dynamic between the three of them was so fascinating. So funny. Andrew Garfield was never better. If he was as as magnetic as he was in that film. He would still be Spider Man, Spider Man. Toby was great. So lovable and like, I mean, I got all the fields when you know, and the thing with Andrew and MJ

Jeff Dwoskin 17:42

Oh yeah, that was great. His redemption and Andrew kind of I think stole it a little bit. I mean, I think like he said he was so good. In this movie. I think he he may have out Spider Man, the other Spider Man, but they were all great in their own way. Of course. Yeah. And

Tammy Pescatelli 17:57

I love Tom Holland. I hope they don't bring somebody new one because I heard they're talking about bringing like a female or something. I'm really sorry. Just so everybody knows. I'm at my mother's house. And oh, God, please. And she has a home phone. I don't even think about shutting off a home.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:13

I don't know. Okay, um, I realized,

Tammy Pescatelli 18:16

well, you know what's funny? I just did a joke about that. I can't even unplug it. I just did a joke about this in my act because I said Millennials they don't judge they don't fat shame. They don't slut shame. They don't shame unless you tell them you have a home phone or an AOL account.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:35

Oh my God, then all bets are off.

Tammy Pescatelli 18:37

Yeah, I can't even take the battery out. So just forgive me. Here. I'll take your batteries out there. Know what ring is probably just spam or Tom Selleck calling to reverse mortgage your house that's why

Jeff Dwoskin 18:49

we got rid of our phone and the only people that called us it was on calls. It was like what it was a weird feeling though because it's the same thing with cable. I still haven't gotten rid of cable yet because they keep lowering the price whenever I say I'm gonna cut the cord but these things that we grew up on they were just normal. It's just weird all of a sudden to think you may not have

Tammy Pescatelli 19:07

I know and I keep trying to cancel cable but it's always such a fiasco like at&t and DirecTV merged so they send you over it canceled my phone, but not my cable it was insane.

Jeff Dwoskin 19:21

So alright, so that's really cool that you got so I watched that first Jay Leno Tonight Show clip it's on your on your way. Oh, yeah. Crushed it. That was a that was an amazing first tonight show appearance.

Tammy Pescatelli 19:33

Thank No, that was my first television. That

Jeff Dwoskin 19:35

was your first television.

Tammy Pescatelli 19:37

I had never been on TV until that moment.

Jeff Dwoskin 19:39

I wanted to ask you because then you were hilarious in the stand up, but equally hilarious when you went to sit at the couch, like how much Thank you. You're welcome. How much of

Tammy Pescatelli 19:48

that proudest Yeah, well, so you do four and a half minutes to stand up and they tell you Jays not like Johnny Johnny's gonna be Jays gonna call you to the couch, but it may just be him. Nice job catch Tammy at wherever I said, and then you know, this weekend. And that's it, he may talk to you for a little bit, maybe like a minute or two. So be prepared. I did more time on the couch than I did on standup. And it was so funny because I was petrified. I was really scared. When I was backstage they were, I mean, don't forget, I was 10 years in the industry. So I knew my set was solid, but it also depends on how you deliver it. You know, I was backstage and I was just really scared. And I kept thinking 2 million people, 5 million people, 10 million people, and they were advertising friends. So the commercial right before I go on, they have a TV showing you what the commercials are going to be airing. And I remember, I saw it. And I just thought nobody knew them. Nobody knew those people before they got on friends. And I said, What do you got to lose? You don't have to make 10 or two or 5 million people if you have to make 200 People in the studio laugh and you can do that. You've been doing that for a decade now. And I think I just went out there like, okay, you know, I got this and then when I was so happy when it was done. And then I think Toby became my friend after that because I just kept getting home and you know, my friends always laugh at me because I grabbed my mug and set it down on Jays desk and I'm like hitting Toby and I just felt comfortable che is a comic he makes you feel comfortable.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:24

Yeah, you could tell it was just you just kind of rolled right with that after bed. It was it was it was just as funny as when you're on stage, maybe even a little more comfortable. Because you were like, probably just relieved that the other part was over. But it was

Tammy Pescatelli 21:36

Yeah. Well, to this day, Jay has been such a wonderful person to me, when all of that all those things I told you happen in 2020 I did a spot on was called more funny women of a certain age on Showtime. And I thought that set was the best set that I'd ever done on anything. It was like a development set. And I know they're not really given 50 year old women TV shows anymore. But it was strong. It was solid. I was very proud of it. And that's so proud of how I fit my pants. But I was proud of the set. It came out. And I know it did well, but nothing. I had lost all that, you know all those dates. And I'm sitting there trying to figure out how I'm going to pay my bills. It's like the second week of April, and I'm depressed is crazy. I mean, like just crazy depressed rather and my phone rings. And it's like, Hey, I can't do his voice. But hey, Timmy, it's just Jay Leno, how are you? I just want to tell you that was the greatest set I've ever seen. That was you just really he goes that was one of the best sets. I'll put that up there with anybody set that I see in every comic come on my show. And that seven minutes was great. And my wife and I thought someone was pranking me. And I was like, oh, yeah, Thanks, Jay. He goes, have you had any any hits on it? What's everybody saying? And I'm like, You're the only one was such a jerk. And I was gonna say, well, Thanks, Jay. You know, and I hung up and I call my husband like Who did you have call me as Jay Leno? Like, and he's like, I didn't have anybody call us Jaylen so that I thought I still thought it was another one of our friends. The next day. My when I got canceled. I went with this one old school agent who was not my agent any longer but a good friend still guy named Roger Paul. He's awesome. Roger calls me goes Hey, did Jay Leno call you? Was that really Jalen? Oh, he goes, Yeah, he called me for your number. He tracked me down to get my number, like my number to tell me that. So then I call them back. And I apologize. I said, Jay, I'm very sorry. I thought I was being pranked that no. And I thank you. And he said, Listen, I will put you on my show. As soon as we go back to filming. I know you guys have I go, I'm going to work it to mechanic scratch. That's what I'm doing. It goes I'm gonna put you on my car show. And he held true with that promise.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:53

That's really cool. He's that is so nice. You know, it's people don't understand, like, what those little gestures mean to people. I bump into somebody. I was we were buying bread the other day. And they're like, Oh, your podcast, a great job. I love it. I'm like, but you've never like this is a random person. Right? And I was just like, Yeah, even like one post, you know? I know do a lot of them, you know? So it's like, it's just weird. Like, people don't want to let you know. So it's like it's so special when they do and it's so great that Jay Leno look at someone like Jay Leno would go out of his way. That's That's

Tammy Pescatelli 24:27

it applies to everyone. My father had been very sick. The hospital dropped him paralyzed but paralyzed him and before he passed away literally the Thursday before he died. He unexpectedly died of a heart attack. But he had written a book like two years before because he was a chaplain. He was a professional football player. And he went on to do things like chaplain for sports teams. So he would go in and say a prayer with the team before they would go out and some CBA and arena football, some college and some x fleet that had gotten ahold of his book, found him and called him. And when he called me on that Thursday, you would it's, he would been like he won a million dollars. He was so proud that someone slife had been affected by his words. And I, it's amazing. We're very blessed with

Jeff Dwoskin 25:16

that. That's cool. And I'm so sorry about your dad. I remember.

Tammy Pescatelli 25:20

Oh, thanks. Yeah, first weekend, I went back to work, which is scary about that, too, you know, which is a real mental thing. Because I had to 25 years, my greatest fear had been not being home when I was not needed at home, even when I was just my parents, and my brothers and I. And then here it happened. And I found out after I got off stage and had to drive 624 miles by myself at night, to get home, it created this thing. It's amazing. People don't understand what comedians go through. So not only is it COVID, not only my worried about, like, you know, I have to go to work for money, like COVID be damned. I got to pay for our bills. I'm the person who does that in our family. But now I have this added stigma of Yeah, okay. It did happen. And now I'm going to go again, what if something else happens? So you'd have to constantly battle those things just to try to make people laugh. So I think that's when I snapped on hecklers. That's where verbalist acid came in. Like, this is my job. Shut up.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:24

You said you got canceled. You quickly said that earlier. Did you? Yeah. Was this the whole Amy Schumer thing? Or? Yeah, okay.

Tammy Pescatelli 26:33

Yeah, I lost my agent and my manager, my friends and dates for telling basically the truth, the fourth person to tell the truth, but they made it like it was some chick cat fight thing. And it wasn't I was finally exonerated in the public's eyes. About four days later, when a couple videos came out. I didn't know who put them together. I do now know that person. But it was a hard time. I mean it to be canceled by your peers. Like I've seen people stick up for sexual predators more than people stick up for me for just saying, Hey, man, we love you just do your own material.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:12

But it wasn't just you that came I did wasn't Kathleen Madigan Wendy Liebman. There was there's a lot of people.

Tammy Pescatelli 27:17

Yes, there were four people who spoke out before me I or three, I was the fourth to speak. But I think I was the easiest target because it went from they let the guy off. And then they said three female comedians accused Schumer then it went to just me. And I, you know, whoever has the biggest publicist wins. That got all twisted. And then I happen to say, Look, I'm sorry, I got involved, I should have just kept my mouth shut and talked about it at the back of the room like the rest of the comics do. And the next day, it said, Schumer accuser apologizes, because the biggest public, she had Banos publicist. And for some reason, they just really wanted to crush me, I guess so. But I did take it too far. I did make a joke prior to me to on Twitter thinking that I was just trying to be funny, saying at least Cosby knocked his victims out before he raped them. But I've never told a rape joke. It's not funny in the now in the now at the time. 2016 It was still funny. And it's very comedian joke, because they are tools. That's all we have. Those are babies are jokes. So they were like she's dangerous and blah, blah, blah, blah. It was a lot of chaos. But then the videos came out. And there were two hours of footage where I was the least aggrieved.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:42

Right? Yeah, I saw some of those videos. It was. It was definitely I'm sorry. Yeah, it's funny. I was gonna ask you because I was gonna say Oh, but you apologize. But you got to me first. That's how they twist it. Yeah. I

Tammy Pescatelli 28:52

never apologize to you if Google said I'm sorry. That I got involved. Yeah, it did you think I apologize to like, Oh, I

Jeff Dwoskin 29:01

was gonna ask you I just because I google that and it said in the headlines, like you just said said that you apologize. I was gonna mention it, but you beat me to it with it.

Tammy Pescatelli 29:10

Yeah, cuz there was no point to apologize. I'd already lost everything. At that point. My agent had dropped me my manager had dropped me. You know what I mean? What am I apologizing for? Like, you apologize to save yourself. I didn't feel like I had done anything, any different than anybody else did. And that really happened. I really was a victim of joke theft from this person. So and it wasn't personal. I mean, I kept saying, look, it's not personal, but it's really sad that in IT industry, where there aren't a lot of women. If you say anything, then it becomes a jealousy thing. And jealousy is for people who for girls who go get glamour shots photos in aren't in a male dominated industry, I now the women are different, even from 2016 to 2000. In 21, these girls are girls in this industry, they have a lot of female qualities. Anyone who was a female or was a comic, in my generation, if you're a woman, you had to let that go. I wasn't trying to be a female comic. I was trying to be a comedian. So all that other stuff. Jealousy doesn't come into play with that.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:21

Do you feel it's kind of it's all water under the bridge now, just in terms of not impacting

Tammy Pescatelli 30:25

you hope so. I you know, I mean, I only talk about it in the sense of being canceled, like I brought it up with you. You know, I hope so. It wasn't personal. I don't think she likes me. I'm still blocked on her Twitter or whatever. But she doesn't have to like me. I did everything I could to help her. I let her come open for me for a few different venues. I did everything I could on the way up. So what can I do?

Jeff Dwoskin 30:49

Oh, so you you had a relationship with her beyond that. Okay. Yeah, I

Tammy Pescatelli 30:53

mean, as much as you have when someone calls you and says, Hey, my brother lives in Chicago, can I come open for you and you bring them to the improv and you and you work with them for those shows. And then you take them to another place you take them to Nashville, so yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:06

Alright, let's talk about something else. Let's talk about let's talk about beauty queen butcher.

Tammy Pescatelli 31:12

Oh, Lord. So it's the first thing I ever did. And it took a long time in between me doing another film, but I was cast as one of the beauty queens against this mass murder who kills until she becomes the queen. But the funny part about that movie is it was cute. I only got cast because that was a good sneezer.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:35

I honestly believe you just inhaled it. Yes,

Tammy Pescatelli 31:39

but well, you know where that comes from, by the way, watching back to school with Rodney Dangerfield and Sam Kinison. But anyway, it's a cult hit all of a sudden like I've been asked to come to the chiller calm and that got postponed because of COVID but like there's another one. The horror horror fast or something like that's it's become like the blob of horror film

Jeff Dwoskin 32:05

you play Elizabeth Mackay you feel you should have won the beauty contest. But you were you had an allergic reaction to Phil ASES who's an overweight woman who was entered into the contest to lose on purpose and then she in revenge goes on a murder spree Awesome. Yeah, you

Tammy Pescatelli 32:22

know remember more about it he looked at me I forgot all about it.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:26

I looked it up and you know you can watch it for free on Prime video if you have prime videos

Tammy Pescatelli 32:31

Yes, thank God for prime I try not to make too many jokes about Jeff Bezos even though I made one today on this new little thing I've been doing but if it wasn't for basis all of my stuff would be gone my Netflix specials now on prime my new hour is on prime that some prime the other movies on Prime if it wasn't for prime I wouldn't have a career anymore.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:52

Yeah, between Prime and Netflix they just it's a showcase for tons and tons of great standout

Tammy Pescatelli 32:58

well Netflix is done for me. Like they were very clear that they aren't interested in someone of my age demographic. Well screw them. Well, you just got to take a look all these female comics who who are still working and a good year they don't say to the men, but there's like two women that are over 45 on their Netflix comedy list.

Jeff Dwoskin 33:21

Shame on you Netflix if you listen, shame, shame, shame. Let's I do want to talk about your your special. But let's talk about Last Comic Standing first. Sure. You're on season two of Last Comic Standing. Yes. The winner. John Heffron. And Alonzo Gordon was on that. And you all went on to Season Three and Alonzo one that one? I only specifically mentioned those two, not because they won because they were also on the show. So then I can tell people that go listen to those episodes.

Tammy Pescatelli 33:51

We had an amazing cast amazing means Yeah, amazing cast all very funny and established headliners. I was like the least established as I barely had become a headliner at that point. Yeah, just an amazing cast is funny that has disappeared into the atmosphere, except some comedy clubs still try to use it as my credit.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:14

Well, at the time, it was huge, right? There was like 18 million viewers. You don't get that these days?

Tammy Pescatelli 34:19

No, it was huge. We literally like I'm still really close with John and Alonzo. And Bonnie and aunt and we often talk about it every once in a while, especially John and I because here we were just like these Midwest II comics playing all these gigs. And we've left so we filmed it like in March, we had to live together and then it started to air in June. And it caught on like fairly quickly. And by then we were shooting the lives and um, maybe we weren't shooting the lives. I don't think so. But all I know is that one day we left town and we're at the airport and no one cared. And by the time we came back, people were asking us for autographs at the airport. It was a crazy, crazy time.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:02

That must have been surreal and fun. It's unfortunate that social media didn't exist the way it does now, with that kind of exposure. Yeah, cuz

Tammy Pescatelli 35:09

I had 320,000 MySpace followers a huge mailing list, but it wasn't it's fun for me watching the reality part of it. I had an amazing time living it and actually in the house, so it tells you that it's on the Edit because it was very formulaic. Back then if you're a woman, you were either goofy, you're a bitch, or you were a whole. I mean, basically that's what they did. And they made Bonnie the horror that made Kathleen the weirdo and they made me the bitch and like there were things that were happening. That's not how they played out there was a situation where we were all joking around Alonso and Kathleen were smoking out on the tour it because we stayed in an actual castle from the castle from like a more stay in the time their album and night subsequently. And we I guess people have seen it in porns and stuff, but they're on the tour it I'm sitting on the bed with John and Aunt J. London's in the room with us. And we're we're just talking about the whole thing. And Alonzo says to meet Tam, well, what would what would the Godfather do? And I go, I don't know. But the Godfather I go by Tony Montana and one of his house burned to the ground who wanted his head, you know, like do that. They cut that to look like I'm just sitting with Aunt saying about Chad, I want his house burned to the ground. I would say that over comedy. It was crazy. I went from being super excited watching it with people at my house, to shutting off the lights and hiding in the dark watching it towards the end, I get

Jeff Dwoskin 36:47

it because the reality of those shows is there there's still need to have a narrative and tell the story that they want to tell that these reality shows, especially the early ones, everyone thought it was just the camera on them. And it was real. Yeah. And it's not it's edited to make, you know, like you said, you have different. Each woman had her own role. Everybody had their own role. They're casting a show,

Tammy Pescatelli 37:10

yes. And like you could never get people to believe it because there was a scene that they had where Bonnie and I were in a fight. And I will say that they pit us against each other. We were friends going in. And by the time we left, we weren't friends. And it took us a few years to put it together because she had her reality. And I had mine and now we're super close. And you have to own your own part. But there was a part where it was like we were having a little bit back and forth. I went upstairs or whatever I left. I left but they cut in a scene from me at day 28 Bonnie had been gone for three weeks when it was our very last day, and they didn't have any food and I'm hypoglycemic. If I don't eat, I'm a mess. Like you'll never get me back and all they had was alcohol. So I knew what they were trying to do. And I kept saying, Please, I have to take my medicine, I need to eat something. And they were like, we'll get it we'll get it and they put me off put me off and was like about four o'clock. And they were like when we get back from dinner, we'll have your groceries and everybody was mad. But day 28 I filmed enough to know don't throw fit on camera. Go upstairs. Take your mic off, go get pissed in the dressing room, and then get back and be on camera. I did that. But they cut it to look like I was upset with Barney. And they even wrote the words. They were filming us in the dressing room. So somewhere NBC has naked footage of all of us. Met crazy.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:38

Hang out I'm googling naked footage.

Tammy Pescatelli 38:41

Oh, boy. Yeah. And how about this, when we were the ratings were so high, they wanted to add some episodes, but it was too late to go back into the house. So instead of being the final five, where they had promised us that they did a loser, whoever lost to come back, and then it was the sensational six or whatever. And that's not fair. That's not what they had promised us. So we all the remaining final five said we're not going to do it. This is ridiculous. It's against our contract. This is a game show. And NBC was quite clear to tell us this is not a game show. This is licensed as a reality show The producers reality. And if you don't do this, because I was just going to put my mic down and say vote for Kathleen. And they said if you don't do this, we're going to sue you for $50,000 A piece which none of us had. Well, I should know. I don't know about anybody else. But for me, you could have stopped at 1500

Jeff Dwoskin 39:38

Oh, that's interesting. Because right if it was a game show, then there's very specific rules that you have to follow. And you know, yeah,

Tammy Pescatelli 39:46

well it also lets you know that right then you could call in a vote all you want, but it doesn't matter. The night for me. I don't know if it was that or season three, season three. I was up against somebody and the whole All Midwest went down so they didn't get to see my set at all. And they still counted all the votes which clearly they didn't count votes it's the producers reality who can they sell who can they sell tickets to you know and advertising for

Jeff Dwoskin 40:15

right they got to make their money Yeah, I

Tammy Pescatelli 40:17

mean listen, they left in our in Kathleen will tell you they left in our dressing room. Goodbye packages for me, John, Kathleen, and Alonso who doesn't need a goodbye package. The winner Gary was the only one they didn't create a goodbye package for they had it so he was going to win but once we found out they I think they freaked out so but thank God because I no matter what I think we all want. Look how great Gary Goldman's doing selling out huge theaters.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:45

You're all doing amazing. It's it was quite a. I've worked with Kathleen. I think twice. Kathleen Madigan hysterical. He's great. It was fun kind of teasing John Heffron that he only won 50,002 weeks later, Alonzo won a quarter of a million.

Tammy Pescatelli 41:01

Right? And then 10 years later, Eliza won a million.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:06

Oh, is it a million like that? I think so. Wow. Yeah. It's an it's an interesting show. I wonder if they'll ever bring it back.

Tammy Pescatelli 41:12

I was shocked. So I think it's in a couple we were gonna all do. The week that the George Floyd situation happened. I had John Alonzo aunt and Bonnie, we were all going to do a call together and just talk about that for like a public consumption. And then we obviously pulled it and I still think that we should because I think that people are interested in it, but I'm shocked that it's not like even on peacock.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:38

Yeah, why isn't why can't you re watch this? Probably because it's not

Tammy Pescatelli 41:41

in 4k. Maybe they probably don't want to pay the money.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:45

Probably. They can change that. You saw what they did they get back footage. They can make anything look good these days. No, I didn't see what happened while they took the old footage. Yeah.

Tammy Pescatelli 41:54

Oh, yeah. Get back. I was thinking get oh, no, no. So great to different show.

Jeff Dwoskin 42:00

Somehow. Peter Jackson makes it look like they filmed that today. I mean, that's how good yes,

Tammy Pescatelli 42:05

yeah. You I was thinking get out which is different. But Yoko Ono is just a scary. How about that she's sitting with the Beatles. It's like, go sit on the side with the Harry Krishna guy. Leave these four guys alone. There

Jeff Dwoskin 42:19

was a meme with her from that show. It was like every girlfriend did every open mic.

Tammy Pescatelli 42:25

So annoying. And you can see that the guys don't even acknowledge there's no point even bringing it up like they've already been there with John there's a reason why they hadn't spoken for all that time before they come back for that because clearly John does not care but these are the Beatles bitch backup.

Jeff Dwoskin 42:45

To funny let's talk about your way after school special, which is great. Sure. Oh, I you know before I forget I from your I mentioned mentioned earlier that Jay Leno said that first set the shoot a pilot routine. One of my favorite jokes. So funny. I and it's x it was extra funny listening to it today because we just started rewatching the Sopranos. Yeah, so you hit on average rope from the like, like mob like

Tammy Pescatelli 43:11

it was so hot back then. Like and I was trying to get David chases attention in the worst way. Um, I was trying so hard. So hard. Cuz you know, I mean, that was like Jay said, Oh, what about the Sopranos? Oh, I never thought of that. But don't like please.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:28

So alright, so also on prime, we talked about Amazon Prime being your best friend the way after school special, how Yes, it goes into putting together you shot this at your old high school and like what goes into putting together like the whole process of putting together

Tammy Pescatelli 43:43

that was tough, because I had to put my own money up for it. Because at the time, Netflix had my finding the funny special. And they were willing to give me another special, but it had to be done again, formulaically. They wanted to do it at a theater. Well, first they said you could do what you want. And then they changed their mind. They got a new president or whatever. And they said, alright, we still want to do special but how about let's go over to this theater of his theater. And you know, they're going to march six comics through that theater that weekend to get six specials. That's what they're doing. And that was just like, I've already talked to these people. Because I went, my father got inducted in the Ohio Football Hall of Fame. My old vice principal was there at that thing. I talked to him. He talked to the superintendent, the superintendent was excited because the idea is that look, no one from my little town had ever been on TV. My guidance counselor literally told me could never happen. I said let me have all of the kids in the high school, work with me work with the professionals. We'll bring them in, they can learn about it all establish a scholarship and we'll put the whole town on TV so everybody was excited, but then Netflix pulled out of my special And then I'm like, What am I supposed to do because now I got all these kids are excited they want to do it. So I had to put my own money up on it, which if I would have known 2020 was coming to help people out. But that was just it was a love offering. Because also, people came up like my friend, my whole life since I was four years old, his family took care of the catering for me, for my crew, I got a crew that had just graduated from film school. So they were super excited. And I was really liberal with executive producer credits. And by the time, you know, I had friends of mines that were friends of mines, I'm losing friends of mine who grew up to be cops, they did security for me, the whole town really helped. And so we shot it. And then it took a lot of money to get it edited, which a very good friend helped me with that too, you know, just as a as a complete love offering. But that when you're asking for a favor, it takes a while. So it took almost a year to get edited. And then what am I going to do with it? Because also by the time that's finished now, Netflix is no longer acquiring specials, because when they said, Okay, go shoot it on your own, and we'll buy it from you. Now they're saying, No, we only want to do things that we created. So I'm like, What am I going to do? Then my buddy, Larry, the cable guy came on and said, Hey, I got a label. What do you have? And I'm like, I have this whole special be the EP, and we'll sell it. And that's how how got to prime and that's it.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:29

Awesome. Well, good for them. Yeah, good to have friends. Right? Little

Tammy Pescatelli 46:33

it all fell into place. And then his manager became my manager. And shortly thereafter, everything that I lost was restored, which was great because I had went through a real humbling thing. So I had fallen in love with comedy again, because I knew how much I needed it and loved it.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:50

That's awesome. It's a great special everyone needs to stop what they're doing that we're almost over with this conversation and go listen to an hour of Tammy on Amazon Prime. I love the the Amish jokes and the jaws jokes.

Tammy Pescatelli 47:07

By the way, I have spoken about the Amish people on every single special from Jalen my very first like half hour premium blend to that one to this new hour that I'm preparing. So I think I'm gonna when it's when the new hour comes out. I'm gonna cut them all together and I'll probably have like a half hour on Amish people.

Jeff Dwoskin 47:31

So awesome. I appreciate you hanging out with me. This was a lot of fun.

Tammy Pescatelli 47:35

Thanks for those people don't know I'm at my mother's because apparently a tree fell down in my neighborhood and there's they're going crazy cutting trees down in front of my house today.

Jeff Dwoskin 47:45

Oh my god, I had a tree I was we back up to comments. So like, you know, there's like 15 feet before the main row. Sure. Sure. Sure. We were driving out of the sub i turn. I'm like robbing my wife. Hi, Robin. Look at tree fell, but it fell the other way. So if it had fallen towards My House, it probably would have smashed right through my fence like, oh my goodness, because we've had some crazy that some wind, like, I'm lucky

Tammy Pescatelli 48:07

that I have electricity right now. But by the time I get home I might not because usually that's what happens. Like they cut your stuff down. And then you lose power for a while then I'll probably have to call them when I get home. But I left because of the I didn't want you to hear that.

Jeff Dwoskin 48:23

I appreciate that one way here. We only had one one quick ring the phone.

Tammy Pescatelli 48:27

Yeah. Well, I did take her back to here last year. 700 other people called her it was good.

Jeff Dwoskin 48:32

It was good to hear a landline forgot what they sounded like? Yeah. So where can people keep up with you on the social medias?

Tammy Pescatelli 48:38

Definitely. Twitter. I love Facebook. For me. That's where my demographic is Instagram. I just started Instagram this year paying attention because I just couldn't do it. People are like to Snapchat do tick tock. I'm like, I can't do this much content on everything. So I just do those three. And that's it. I do. I did start a new series that I think might work. I've only done a week's worth. But it's you forgot the card, which is like the card that is on flowers. You know, when you get a thing of flowers, even a man or an arrangement and you're like, there's no card, they forgot the card. So it's just little fun things you know, that are pissing people off and making people laugh at the same time.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:22

That's hilarious. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. It's cute.

Tammy Pescatelli 49:26

We'll see how long I can keep it up.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:27

And here's to a crashing 2022 for you. Your mouth

Tammy Pescatelli 49:31

to God's ears. Let's hope so. Did I not cross my fingers? I just did like this. Well, that's 2020

Jeff Dwoskin 49:38

Thank you so much. Thanks. Appreciate you. Thanks

Tammy Pescatelli 49:41

so much.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:42

Oh, right. How amazing was Tammy Pescatelli, head over to Amazon Prime right now. If you have Amazon Prime check out Tammy's special the way after school special and a bunch of other comedy performances as well. So there's plenty of Tammy Pescatelli near future and if she comes to your town definitely get a ticket and go see Tammy live. She is a treat and a wonderful wonderful human being.

Well with the interview over it's now time to turn to our trending hashtag that's right our weekly trending hashtag roundup family of games add hashtag roundup download the free always free hashtag roundup app at the Apple or Google Play Store be notified every time a game goes live. tweet along with us at hashtag ground up and one day one of your tweets may show up on an episode of live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I'll read the tweets and I'll retweet these tweets at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter. Go find them show them some love. Give them a follow give them a like give them a retweet. You know the drill. This week's hashtag is a special one. This week's hashtag is #AddAComedianToAMovie and guess who the host was of that game? Usually it's a weekly game but this one was a guest game and our host or hashtag add a comedian to a movie was Tammy Pescatelli herself. That's right. Tammy hosted this chart topping hashtag with hashtag ground up so it's my honor now to read to you a few of the amazing submissions and there were a lot so here we go. Here are some #AddAComedianToAMovie Ford versus Adam Ferreira, John Heffron wick and Joe mez John Heffron, and episode 77 of live from Detroit de Jeff Dwoskin Show, Jack Black Panther, burr after reading, wright knights, the good the bad and the DL Hughley, capatch Adams Are you enjoying these #AddAComedianToAMovie tweets there's a lot more the ultimate mash up of comedians and movies smooshed together to make hashtag add a comedian to a movie of dice and men, Benny Hills Have Eyes, The Princess McBride, Bluestein velvet, Steve Bluestein checkout Steve Bluestein on episode 61 of live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show and now back to the tweets.. the letterman Always Rings Twice, how the Groucho Stole Christmas, Norton here's a who, Nepali Shawshank Redemption, Olympus Has Fallen, get Martin shorty, Dennis Miller's Crossing, Educating Rita Rudner WC Fields of dreams, he's there some amazing #AddAComedianToAMovie tweets every which way but Lenny Bruce, Bernie Mac and me, John Candy Man, the Carol Kane mutiny, that Michelle Wolf of Wall Street, Dude Where's My Carl Reiner, Martin Lawrence of Arabia, Tammy pesca tally, Oh someone references the guest of this episode and let's keep going the wrath of metal and chi and they call me Lenny Bruce, Checky GreenBook, gi Jane Curtin, What About Bob cackled? Wait A Bridge Too Far, late star trek to the wrath of Madeline Kahn, Oh Rickles in time, Howie Mandela, what about Bob Saget? The Hunt For Red buttons, Bret Ernst goes to jail Brad earn saves Christmas Brett earns goes to camp check out Bret Ernst in Episode 42 of live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show, after the red fox that was submitted by Mark Hamill. He didn't use the hashtag but I'll let it go. And the final #AddAComedianToAMovie tweet to Ali Wong. Thanks for everything. Julie Newmar Oh, all right. Thanks to all those amazing tweeters. That's a lot of verifies in there as well. That was exciting. I don't forget they're all at at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter, retweet them, show them some love. One day your tweets will show up and they'll do the same for you. Well, here we are at the end of another episode episode 96 has come and gone episode 100 is just around the corner. I'm really excited for that milestone. I want to thank again my guest for this episode episode 96 Tammy Pescatelli. It was amazing catching up with Tammy. And of course I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me and I'll see you next time.

Announcer 54:15

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Now go repeat everything you've heard and sound like a genius. Catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time

Transcribed by https://otter.ai