#170 Comedian Mark Schiff Has Got Chutzpah

CTS Announcer 0:01

If you're a pop culture junkie, who loves TV, film, music, comedy and other really important stuff, then you've come to the right place. Get ready and settle in for classic conversation, the best pop culture interviews in the world. That's right, we circled the globe so you don't have to. If you're ready to be the king of the water cooler, then you're ready for classic conversations with your host, Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:30

All right, Elaine, 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 170 of classic conversations where we just don't have conversations. We've got classic conversations and we got a hilarious one for you today, actor and comedian and author and podcaster Mark Schiff is here Yes, that is right. You heard me correct. Mark Schiff, host of his very own podcast you don't know chef, co author of I killed true stories of the road from America's top comics that he wrote with rich Scheibner previous guest on the podcast and author of why not lessons on comedy, courage and chutzpah available for presale and coming out in November. Mark Schiff is a lifelong friend of Jerry Seinfeld shares a lot of stories about Jerry on the podcast and Paul riser Rodney Dangerfield so many stories chock full of stories this episode is and that's coming up in just a few seconds. And in these precious few seconds. I want to harken back to Episode 168 with Jess Kozar such a fun conversation Jessica star of Gossip Girl The Orville and so much more. Check that out. Also a bonus episode last week from crossing the streams our live show segments taken from the live show put into podcast format and sent directly to your ears TV binge worthy shows for you to consider. Don't skip on the bonus episodes. They're awesome also, but let's focus on the awesomeness in hand. My guest Mark Schiff legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld calls him the funniest brightest stage comics he has ever seen. Paul Ryza loves him to says there is no buddy funnier. I am super excited to share my conversation with Mark Schiff with you. And that's coming up. All right now. Enjoy. All right, everyone. I'm excited to introduce you to my next guest, comedian, actor, writer. You've seen him on The Tonight Show evening at the Improv HBO specials Showtime special comedy legend Mark chef Welcome to the show. Mark how are you?

Mark Schiff 2:59

Hello Jeff. Nice to be here buddy.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:01

Good to have you here.

Mark Schiff 3:02

Nice to be here. I'm glad you're feeling good. Pretty good. Not bad.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:07

Not bad. I'm doing good just the normal Jewish complaints but that's that's about it not then.

Mark Schiff 3:14

You never hear a joke on you said oh how are you? Fantastic. Oh great. I really believable I'm making all the money I need my wife is as friendly as any human being on the planet. My kids are just dreamboats my car never ever needs gas.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:34

Snake is perfectly cooked.

Mark Schiff 3:36

Steak is perfectly cooked the air conditioner bill is low. You were in one of my favorite parts of the world.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:46

Oh yeah. Yeah, big Michigan fan. Or just Midwest right?

Mark Schiff 3:49

There love Detroit. You know I got my gotta my comedy chops. Were cutting Detroit at Mark Ridley's comedy castle. It was in a few different places nine, nine mile and Woodward in downtown and I love Mark Ridley's. Yeah, he was so good to me and so great. And I remember his wife show to open a donut shop there one time and Mark would bring doughnuts and eat and pay us much money. Give us go nuts.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:14

I think the pay might be exactly the same now as it was.

Mark Schiff 4:19

Yeah, something like that. I was here the night that Tim Allen got out of jail and he came straight to the comedy castle to hanging out Tim was in jail for drug sales. And then he came to the comedy castle to hang out.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:30

That's awesome. Yeah, it's funny. I met Tim Allen at the Comedy castle. He came to see Louis black. I was seeing Louis black. And Tim Allen walks in and I said to mark Ridley, I was friends with Mark Ridley from doing the club so much. I said you got introduced me to an owl. And I just remember Tim Allen's like, hi, I'm Tim Allen. And I'm like, Of course you are. But I know you I thought that was cool that he's he didn't assume I knew who he was. But what was he like coming back I mean cuz this is Who else was there cool yay all those like what other meetings were there when he came back from out of jail? No, I I was there were you hanging out with others? I mean, because I know we had Lightning Yeah,

Mark Schiff 5:14

otherwise I would not be there but I was haggling that we can I can't remember who else was there? I have no memory. I did a Showtime special with Tim Allen and Bobby Slayton and we flew or Reno and then you could you can't really fly into Tahoe. It was up in Tahoe the thing. So he flew it into Reno and then we took a limo. They drove us up to the up to Tahoe, and I used to be a bit of a prankster. And remember, I called ahead, and you know, when you get to a hotel you you go to gas can check in and I called ahead and I cancelled Tim's reservation. So he gets up to the front desk goes Hi. Because my damn mountain or sorry, you canceled it? What? And he just then we worked it out. But he was he was so upset. That's really funny. That was my MO. I was like, you don't want other thing we did in in Detroit. Tell me. I was coming through from Canada. And you gotta go through customs. Right, right. Right. So we called ahead and I was working with another comedian, Peter Toski. It was his name. And we planned that Peter would be arrested by customs. And, you know, the customs knew like the comedy club owners, because every weekend another two three people flying in and over a period of years, and they got to know each other. So they did this thing where they arrested Peter at the border, I went in to talk to him and they put them in a little holding cell. I said, Peter there, you know, come clean, man. What did you do? He didn't do anything, man. I didn't really have any family members or like, maybe, you know, did they do something and give your name. I didn't do anything. He was just finally we let him know that it was the whole Ruse and he wasn't arrested. We've just done this to him. And he was a good sport about that. Some of these can really backfire in the face. Those are two that actually worked out well.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:02

With a border is kind of a scary place. I having lived in Detroit or you know, just outside of Detroit and I would do clubs in Windsor Canada. And so when you grow up in Detroit, just so everyone knows I'm going back you know 70s 80s 90s before 911 I should say going to Canada if you live in Detroit was no different than just going to any anywhere. You just would go I need a passport. It was nothing so you don't even think of it as a foreign country almost. It's just so easy to go but the people at the border are the most powerful people in the world I mean meaning like they decide if you come or go and if they don't like you I've been stopped at the border it's it's a very intimidating thing to get out of your car and be standing there and waiting to determine gonna let you go or not tear apart your car. It's it can get nerve racking so very nerve racking. You could have scared Peter pretty bad.

Mark Schiff 7:55

Yeah, I remember one time you know winter guys get a lot of snow and I had done a club in winter and I don't remember the name of it, but they put me up in some home in the basement that apartment in the basement for comedians. And it was like three steps down this little thing and then you go into door and I went to sleep one night I woke up about 30 inches of snow and my door was blocked in and all the windows the snow had gone up over the windows if you went up the stairs and tried to open the door that leads down to the basement that was locked so I just just saw myself being you know snowed in here forever and nobody finding me and finding me dead you know just a skeleton with a notebook with jokes next to me was

Jeff Dwoskin 8:38

start writing your best material in case that's how that's the last thing they find.

Mark Schiff 8:43

really extraordinary but yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 8:45

we get we haven't gotten as much snow as like the East Coast lately. Like you hear like they'll get like 1820 inches we'll get Dustin but yeah Canada too. With a lake effect snow it can be a doozy

Mark Schiff 8:58

once you get a bit older every person has the same story when I was a kid the snow is really something. Let me tell you something. I you never seen snow like I saw when I was five.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:08

We had to walk uphill both ways.

Mark Schiff 9:11

My father walked into a snowdrift never saw him again. was unbelievable.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:16

So funny. Have you been back to Mark Ridlely's comedy Castle anytime recently,

Mark Schiff 9:21

but years ago, I did a couple of never came back for a week. But I came back to do private shows one time really hired me because I work clean, very clean. And he hired me to do a show for a bunch of nuns that were raising money for an orphanage there somewhere in Detroit or somewhere and in the audience were all these nuns and all these priests and I worked very clean, not an issue with me. But the guy that went on before me. Ridley did not fact check this guy and the guy went on and start talking about the priests, you know, having sex and the nuns, you know in orgies. It was really it was it was insane. It was insane. I've had that occur. I put tabs I remember I did a synagogue and they put us in the, in the temple there and at the Torah behind us in the ark and this community goes up and MFTs and so, you know, it was just crazy you know people don't have a don't understand sometimes it's certain places you just to a certain certain audience Go Easy, right?

Jeff Dwoskin 10:21

Oh, yeah, no, I hear you. Yeah, it's it's it's funny. The one time I was told to work super clean was Mark Ridley's, and I don't consider myself a dirty comedian. But it's nice to have a little bit of a heads up. That's true. Not Hey, oh, by the way, this is a church group. Let's keep it a perfectly clean, please. A little prep. I remember I did that. And thank goodness, like two weeks earlier, I had a clean show that I had do a corporate clean show. So I actually had in my head a 20 minute scrubbed version of my x i do they act at Mark Ridley's goes fine. That's the frustrating thing about being a comedian where you can be a little blue. When you do a clean, you still get the laughs You're like, yeah, that works. It's it feels better. Even I think I walk into the bar, a woman walks into the bar after me and says, Oh, my God, you're so great. You remember me, I was at that show. Two weeks ago, she was at the other clean show. I did the random show with 20 insurance people. And wow, the only three times he's ever seen me. And it happened to be those two sets

Mark Schiff 11:19

comedian sitting at the bar. And he just finished his second show. And this person comes over and this woman comes over and says, Boy, you are so funny. I'm going to take you back to my house and just have sex with you all night. Do anything you want. And a comedian looks at and goes which show did you say? always wonder what the deal is. That's the neurosis. Man. That's something I stopped doing many years ago. Even if I feel I had a bad show. I used to do this when I was kind of nude murdered probably for the first 15 years people go Hey, nice. Shall I go? Yes, not really. I wasn't just because I couldn't be I'm sorry. I will make these ridiculous excuses. And they don't want to hear that. They tell you a nice show. What they want to hear us. Thank you. No excuses that you weren't as good as you could be. And I did that no matter how bad my show is. It's certainly not but some days were off. People come over and go. Yeah, that was really great. czego Thank you. That was nice. I'm glad you're here. Could you had a good time, it's none of their business what I'm thinking

Jeff Dwoskin 12:15

I'm with you 100% On that, I always feel like I feel like I have a good perception of I don't have laugh here. It's like I know, like, if it was good, if it was bad, it was if it was in the middle. And I always like to leave a show with how I felt about the show and not have it disrupted by how other people said it because it is weird when you feel like it wasn't great. Or you knew it was a b plus or you know, and B just because of how your delivery ended up going. And they're all like that was amazing. Doesn't make you feel great because you have that conflict in your head and it's the same thing we have a great show and maybe they don't feel they feel intimidated to come up to you so they don't come up to you. And you're like wait a minute I freaking killed come talk to me

Mark Schiff 12:57

right Oh, that's right. He ever Great show nobody right just rushing out of there get the hell out. Even if I have a bad shot. I don't even like to tell my wife you know, I'll come home she'll I was just showing I know she was good. Because I tell her I never great show. She thinks up we're going broke. That's you know, this career. It's all over we're gonna be homeless near because of him. So I try not to spread the wealth because I know the next show will be better

Jeff Dwoskin 13:17

for me my wife it was always keeping her away from the shitty open mic gigs that I would do coming up that I would do. It was always come to mark Ridley, it's, you know, the real the show show. Hey, everybody, just want to take a quick break. Thank everyone for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors, you're supporting us here at Classic conversations. And that's how we keep the lights on. And now back to my amazing conversation with Mark Schiff. We are about to talk about when friends see our shows early on in our careers, and we're back

Mark Schiff 13:53

with you coming up. They don't know how good you could be or how awful you are. Or, you know, of course, I had that my family would come to see me when I was kind of brand new, and I was so bad. And you know, they were doing nice about it. It would go you know, you're better than the last time.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:09

I remember the first time I went on stage. I did well, I did. And then I had my showcase. And it was I took a writing class at the Margaret lesen and then I did amazing. And then the next show I did so bad I tank so hard. I remember my wife coming out to me going oh my god, I don't even know how you're not crying right now. Like she quit that's how bad it was. And like a lot of people had come to see me to that show because they heard Oh, funny I was on the shirt too. And they've never get those people back. That's who they think you are now and here 20 years later that's that's Oh yeah. Oh Jeff still doing

Mark Schiff 14:47

that. Why put yourself through it. I wrote a play with my friend Steve Schafer is also wonderful comedian. Play was doing really well people loving it standing ovations and then one night we got these big wigs with a lot of money coming in and you know, people that could potentially To move it to the next level worst performance of the entire run they just walked out of there so fast you know hiding their wallets it was just awful and yeah so you know those things happen but I guess it was meant to be yeah it's

Jeff Dwoskin 15:14

it's hard when that timing and when you know they it was just so great a minute ago which play was that

Mark Schiff 15:20

for married people married people It played it the year in Los Angeles for a couple of months and it was we raised the money on one of those Go Fund Me Go Fund Me we raised like $35,000 in LA you could put a play up to $35,000 we wanted to move it to New York minimum to 300,000 Oh wow. And that's for small theater so union it's all criminals and we just couldn't get up to do to go there with itself

Jeff Dwoskin 15:47

said I wrote a book is that that I killed with no Oh, that was I wrote that

Mark Schiff 15:51

with rich Scheibner I killed true stories of the road by America's top comedians on Amazon has been on Amazon for years. It was a top seller that great reviews and 200 Road stories from comedians Chris Rock Seinfeld, Leno you name it medium to that they were in there. I have a new book coming out called Why not question mark lessons on comedy, courage and chutzpah and it's 60 essays, a lot of memoir stuff, but a lot of road stuff. A lot of stories, my tales with famous people like Seinfeld and Leno and Katharine Hepburn and Bob Dylan and Anthony Hopkins. All the people I've met and spend time with

Jeff Dwoskin 16:29

that's awesome. I love it. You chose one of the hardest words for Gentiles to pronounce also hutzpah.

Mark Schiff 16:37

Yeah, I know I did podcasting, I was trumpets. I'd even buy the calendar because I knew it's impossible.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:44

It's it's just hard. It's I can't trill ours. But like, it's funny sometimes when people try and non Jews try and speak Yiddish,

Mark Schiff 16:52

he kind of explained to them like try to pull phlegm from the bottom of your foot.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:59

I know it's funny. I've been Jewish to just come so natural to others. It's i It's they look at it. They they look at a CH is a que Where did that get? Or who learns that? Where did you learn? Cuts? Yeah.

Mark Schiff 17:12

So that's that's what I did on my COVID vacation. All

Jeff Dwoskin 17:14

right. So this is cool. And this is coming out later this year, right? November

Mark Schiff 17:18

1, Apollo publishers, were stepped up to the plate in New York and the publishing the book. And these are the best people I've ever worked with in publishing or anything. They're just incredibly nice people. It's a small little boutique publisher power publishers, and they don't do fiction. They do memoirs and book books and stuff like that. So they're just fantastic. I got 35 rejections before they stepped up to play the rich. Yeah, the rejections were he because I don't fit the modern day. You know, I'm a, you know, older white guy. And, you know, they would send back emails, you know, we're looking for people and this and that. And that's what we've been, that's their prerogative. They can look for anything they want. But I didn't fit their you know, their model. But this company stepped up coming out on November. The first, why not lessons on comedy, courage in which

Jeff Dwoskin 18:05

stories need to be told. And I think people are so focused on the now and like, you have so many decades of just rich stories. That's why I like I like on my podcast, I love talking to people. I love sharing old stories and kind of really diving into like, the history of things and understanding and I know you I know on your podcast, you don't know, Chef, you do this. You

Mark Schiff 18:22

don't know chef, you don't know chef, I love that people love that name. You know, it took us like a month to come up to name we had 1000 names we worked on. And then we finally hit on this. That was hard for me when I was growing up your last name. How do you pronounce it? Dwoskin the Washington okay. Did the kids make fun of you?

Jeff Dwoskin 18:38

While Dworkin darqueze There was a veterinarian, Dr. Dwarka so that people would throw ours in foreskin, I think is one that people find clever,

Mark Schiff 18:49

everyone foreskin Yeah, I would just thought of that. Maybe when I was younger with sort of a foreskin Yeah, I had Schiff shit, you know, it's just it was very painful growing up, and it was hard for me to go you don't know Schiff because it reminded me of their awful hazing that they did to me when I was growing up with my name, shiftless, shifty, Swifty, but anyway, we let them know it was a great name. You know, one of the stories in the book, if you don't mind, I'll tell you. Yeah, I would love to. So you know, Seinfeld has a big car collection of Porsches and Volkswagens and Mercedes so when we go on the road together, we sometimes we go to a car place, not a new one, but where they had like, you know, classics and stuff, just to look so we're in Indianapolis and Jerry, were welcomed by this place as early 60s 70s. You know, supercars in the window there and he goes, Let's go in. So we go in, we're looking around, and about five minutes later, I'm looking around and these are the hottest cars Camaros and Mustangs and we'll minds you name a GTO is just min pristine. And he says to me, you know, Mark, pick out anything you want to buy a fear. So I said, really? He goes, Yeah, anything you want and he goes, walks away and talking to the owner and I sat in one car and and now other car another car and I landed on this GTO dislike 67 for the Hemi It was just incredible car. So I get out of the car and I moved back a couple of steps and I look and I go, this is my dream car. I've always wanted this car. So I go over to Jerry. I said to him, Hey, listen, I love that GTL I love the offer, but I'm going to decline can't take right thank you. And he goes, alright, let's go to lunch never even asked me why nothing, just let's go to lunch and walk in other place something it's too late. They ask him I tell him I changed my mind. I'm kicking myself about it. Just kick him out. How could you do this? I get turned down this car. So I get back to my hotel room. And I call a friend of mine who's kind of a mentor. I tell him what happened. He goes you know, when somebody tells you they want to give you a present they want to give it to because they like you. They want you to have it and will make them happy. If you take it hear me? I say well, you know, I was too insecure. I didn't think because to get that next time Jerry offers you a car. You take it? I said I think it who? Who offers a car twice?

Jeff Dwoskin 20:57

You know what I mean? Yeah, that's a one time that's a one time thing. Yeah.

Mark Schiff 21:00

It's a one time one shot deal. Nobody loves cars even once for twice. What are the odds? That's like two lotteries in a row. So I'm in LA, I'm on the 405 freeway with Jerry picks me up in my house. And he's in this beautiful classic Mercedes, a 1982, Mercedes 300 D Diesel, and he knows I love the car. You love it. He says to the thinking of selling this, you want to buy it. I said, I would love to but I can't afford I don't have the money. And he looks at me. He goes, I tell you what you want. I'll give it to you. Now I remember what my friend said somebody who loves your car, you but it take it. So I looked at him. I said I'll take it and he goes good. And he goes, Listen, there's only one problem. The radio isn't working well. You want me to fix it, then give it to you. You want to take it like this. So I remember what my friend said, somebody offers you some thinking. So I said fix the radio. So he goes Okay, two weeks later, I got a phone call from his assistant. He said come on down, pick up the car. It's polished. It's clean new tires, old thing. I've been driving the car for eight years. So my advice if somebody offers you something, whether it's a stick of gum, or an aeroplane take it. That's great advice. And by the way, it made Jerry very happy. Because this was seven, eight years ago, he gave me the car and just about three weeks ago, we were having dinner and I went to meet him and I drove the car there and he was thrilled to see it. He was thrilled to see that it made me happy and I still had it.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:16

That's an amazing friendship. You guys, have you guys go all the way back right?

Mark Schiff 22:20

We started together Jerry was working in a place called Bruin burger. He was a waiter making you know, and he was driving like 101 75 motor scooter or cycle or something. And it would take the bus back and forth and he was living in a studio apartment one room with George Wallace are splitting the rent. So I knew him when he was had no money and no career and just starting out the comic strip and the rest is history. So yeah, we went back and we have a friendship that lasts a long time. And there's a lot of trust there. I would never tell people anything that he told me I would never spill any beans. Not that there's anything anyway. But when you friends trust you and you trust them.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:56

I'm a huge fan of Seinfeld. He was I remember I saw him in concert. And as I when I was starting out I kept that ticket stub I had a little notebook that I would keep with me always just to jot stuff down and I had his tickets duct taped into the notebook and always had it with me for a good 10 years when I started out.

Mark Schiff 23:15

I played this big theater downtown with him in Detroit a few times the Fox Theater. Yeah, yeah. A couple of times. Yeah. Oldest dressing rooms or something. But I remember we were down there Yeah. Together to Fox a couple of times.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:25

The fox is amazing. The back then the whole greenroom and the whole back area the fox incredible event doors of it.

Mark Schiff 23:31

Yeah, I think I wonder if that was where we played No. I was thinking Evil Knievel came back to see us when I thought maybe it was in Detroit. I don't know.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:38

It's amazing. So you must have a million who else you also came up with Paul riser, right?

Mark Schiff 23:43

I certainly did. He was just on my podcast two episodes. We broke them into two episodes, Paul one and Paul to Poland. I go back also we started together. You know on any given night at the comic strip was polarizer Jerry Seinfeld, Gilbert Godfrey George Wallace, you know you name it. That was that was the show on any given night when I first started out but yeah, Paul and I he's been very kind to me put me on a couple of years of TV shows. He gave me a job writing on that about you give me a blurb for my book. Jerry gave me the foreword of the book. So it's all good.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:12

It's amazing. I'm waiting for all the friends I had to get famous. From what I saw.

Mark Schiff 24:17

Yeah, when they do jump on the bandwagon really quick, because it doesn't last forever.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:20

I already have a doubt when they asked me for a car. I'm gonna say yes. Would you like yeah, car? Yes. Yes.

Mark Schiff 24:26

One night. You know, Paul is so funny. He's like one of the funniest cars in the world. And we were in Paris, me Jerry ball, kind of Michael Hampton Kane. And Paul had a pee show, which is a French car and we're walking towards the Eiffel Tower. And he says to me, you know, as long as I'm hearing Brad summers will pick up some parts of my car. And it was just such a funny off the cuff. I almost doubled over I don't know why it just hit me at that moment that it was hysterical. And Larry Larry Miller was the other one part of our group.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:57

That's quite a group. I had an opportunity to work with you I mentioned George Wallace. I worked with him but I didn't really get to meet him. It was like a theater show. So like I went on, he went on and that was that was it. There was no real hangout time. Work with Gilbert Godfried and got to hang out with him. Wow. Backstage a bit. It was always amazing to me. I like I think when the documentary came out, it made it clear to everyone that was different he was when he wasn't that onstage character and really nice guy. Really nice guy. quiet, shy, humble. Yeah, yeah.

Mark Schiff 25:26

I spent a lot of time with Gilbert coming up. When we first started, we would be at the Improv every every night, around eight o'clock trying to get on and we didn't get on for years. We just put our time and and hang around and around 1030. We realized that's it for the day. We're not getting on here. And we would walk about two miles, maybe three miles to catch a rising star and East Side of Manhattan. And we just take a one hour stroll every night together and just talk and then after the show is over and whether we got on or not we me and him and a bunch of people, we'd go out to a place called the green kitchen around four in the morning and just have coffee and muffins and just chat until the sun came up and then we go to

Jeff Dwoskin 26:02

bed. That's awesome. Great stories. Great memories.

Mark Schiff 26:05

Tremendous. I was sorry that he passed on. Yeah, when he passed on.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:09

I felt like it was such a shock. I mean, maybe people close to him knew he was sick, but I don't think it was at all

Mark Schiff 26:14

PITINO. I heard towards the end that he was sick. But I didn't know how sick that was

Jeff Dwoskin 26:17

one of those where everyone like why Yeah, I was like, there's certain people you just always feel they're gonna always be around. They're so bigger than life in terms of the characters that they are.

Mark Schiff 26:26

It's documentary was really interesting, you know, how you know, his wife really was like a lifesaver. You know, just taking care of him and helping him because Gilbert was, you know, he's an oddball, and he didn't know how to do life. And then came this beautiful woman and they got married the kid nobody ever talked to but we get married have kids, but she came along and helped him make it happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:45

It's nice. Sorry to interrupt this amazing conversation with Mark chef amazing stories. Am I right? Gotta take a quick break. And we're back. And now more with Mark Schiff as we dive into his friendship with Paul riser. And we're back. Paul riser. I think like Matt about you. It's just like at that moment in time. I think I remember watching my two dads, but I know you're right. That was but the Mad About You was right. I think at the time where I was a newlywed. It was like him and Helen Hunt like all of us would watch that show. And it just resonated and really clicked with us. I always met his his books, I think at the time like was it fatherhood or something like that? Our parents? Yes, yeah. parenthood fatherhood. Yeah, at that moment, it was so in sync. And then Seinfeld. It's just funny. I remember Seinfeld was like one of those things that college because like, you watch Seinfeld, you didn't have VCRs. Really? I mean, you didn't you didn't really tape there were no, right. I remember like someone calling once during Seinfeld. And I remember thinking myself, who does this? People know not to call it? The right? These. This person is no longer a friend. I just can't have this person. Right my life. starkel Yeah,

Mark Schiff 27:55

right. Yeah, who calls it whenever it was on nine o'clock or something like that? You know what I did when I was working on men about you as a writer. That was the season and Mel Brooks was on the show. And it was one of the highlights of my life not only meeting delegates voters with him, but when you're on the floor, writing your show and taping that night. The show doesn't if a joke doesn't work to the audience sometimes. So they're the executive producer, Michael, anybody got anything there to replace it really quick. Anybody got anything. And I came up with something very quickly for Mel Brooks. And I can't tell you the whole setup. But the punchline was nobody has ever seen a live white fish. That was the punchline. And it got such a big laugh. I was coming out of Mel Brooks's mouth. I could not have been happier. It was almost like getting into the car.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:44

But just even if you saying it now, it's made me laugh because I was like, You're right. I don't think anyone ever has you. They're everywhere every restaurant has. Yeah. It's brilliant. Mark Berle Yeah,

Mark Schiff 28:56

so you have a podcast, I have a podcast or podcast, but he has a party. Everyone

Jeff Dwoskin 29:00

has a podcast. Yeah, it's fun. Because it's like, you know, what other opportunity would you and I get a chance to talk and and and get to hear the stories firsthand. So it's, it's I like I love that the medium exists, and that it kind of bridges that gap between you know, people that don't know each other, but have like interest and want to have hear the same kind of stories and stuff like that. I think it's pretty cool, right?

Mark Schiff 29:23

A podcast is that you know, people are doing it, but it's to do it right is a bit challenging, isn't it?

Jeff Dwoskin 29:28

It's a lot of work.

Mark Schiff 29:29

It's a tremendous amount of work.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:31

I think given editor I added everything myself, I'm a one man show,

Mark Schiff 29:35

they get a partner, I got a co host and we have an editor. It's incredible. Did I get to re listen to them and keep notes? Yeah, believable.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:44

It's a whole process. It's I want to trust someone else to add it. It would be on my life a lot of time. But it's funny. I think the more I do interviews and stuff you become sort of a self editor as you're doing it and you know, like, you know, just to stop for a second if someone cost the right you know, you know, I had to do something if I say something I don't like the way I say it, I'll just repeat it because I know I can edit out the first one and sound brilliant.

Mark Schiff 30:08

Well, you know my prayer for you may become so successful as a podcast, you can hire two editors. I because it takes a lot of sweat off your back. We haven't edited her. She's great, Jennifer and she, I was worried in the beginning is she going to understand where the jokes are? Because she's not a comedian. But she she's great. She's terrific and gets better and better every day. That's awesome. And my co host a little Benjamin is a young guy. He's kind of a nerdy guy, which I'm not. And we got a nice little report going on. He asked really intelligent questions. I just, you know, I don't. And it all works out for the best.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:46

Yeah, it's a good I was listening to Susie Essman interview, she had beautiful interview with her. So sweet. So amazing. I, you know, it's, it's nice to because you can tell you have a good rapport. So you bring out things and people start telling stories. And I think the more comfortable you make people to they, it triggers things in their head that they forgot about. And that you know, then they'll they share those things as well. So it's it's an interesting process, the whole conversation and all that kind of stuff. But

Mark Schiff 31:14

what I tried to do is what you're very good at, I try to just make people feel comfortable. And we're not looking to be the smartest podcasts or the you know, you know, we're not doing politics. We're just trying to have some nice chat, and we can find out a little about each other and nobody gets hurt on the podcast. Nobody says anything nasty about anybody else. It's pretty cool. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 31:33

it's awesome. I kind of approach it like I grew up I love watching like Entertainment Weekly. I love you know, the entertainment shows and reading it like that's, that's something that I really have always enjoyed going to Comic Cons meeting folks there and from movies and TV shows from my childhood or even just recent to me, it's like, oh, to have the opportunity to craft that version of something I'd want to hear, you know, with hopes that other people would too. I feel like that's the approach. I that's the vibe I got from Did you hear my episode with maureesa? Marsh? I haven't I haven't heard that one. Well, when you like Comic Con, this

Mark Schiff 32:06

is the guy. He's pinky in the brain. He does. 500 voices. Oh, and I got I got Maurice on the show is fantastic. He's like one of the top voiceover guys in the business. He's been on a million animated series that you've seen.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:19

Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I'm gonna check that out. I just jotted that down. Marissa, Mark. I'm all over it. Mark all over it. Oh, you know, I had one question for you. I wanted I wanted to ask you about the Bob Dylan

Mark Schiff 32:31

story is Sir, I'm going to see Bob Dylan Wednesday night at the Pantages Theater

Jeff Dwoskin 32:36

in Hollywood. Ooh, I do still know him or did you just meet him once? Or

Mark Schiff 32:40

no, it was a one shot deal. never saw him again. Probably never will.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:43

He was at your house. Yeah,

Mark Schiff 32:44

it's an it's a miracle. I've been very blessed. I will ask people for certain things, which has to do with them spending a little bit of time with me. I never asked people for money or things. But so one night, I'm in New York, I met a place called the bottom line, which was a premier club in New York. Everybody played there is one night there's a singer there. Her name was Buffy Sainte Marie. She was a folk singer. Right before the show. I see Bob Dylan is sitting in the audience with his wife and some other guy. And he doesn't know me never saw me. I wasn't even a comedian yet. Really. I just started right. I went over to this table. I said, Hey, Bob, can I get your autograph. And he signed the menu that I had from the bottom line. And then I just said to him, If you and your friends have nothing to do after the show, you want to come back to my house for a cup of tea. And he looks at me and goes, alright, I'll be there. He said, really? He goes, Yeah, just write down your address, man. And I'll come over if the shoe I just want to see Buffy says I haven't seen her in years, man. So I write down my address and over about six, seven blocks away. And I go home, and I'm upstairs. 20 minutes, a half power. almost an hour. No, don't don't I think he's not coming. And all of a sudden, the doorbell rings. And I have a window that faces the front and I look out the window and there's Bob Dylan, his wife and this guy and about 100 people that followed him from the bottom line because she's like, you know, Bob Dylan, it's like, you know, Elvis Bob Dylan, The Beatles is nothing. I come downstairs he looks at me and says oh, these people this my buddy, man. I gotta go take care folks. And he comes upstairs. He spends 40 minutes in my house and he wouldn't answer any questions just kept asking me questions like What do you do man led been doing it, man how you only be living there, man. Wow, this is cool, man. It was like a dream come true. That is? Yeah, he hung out for 40 minutes. And then he goes, Oh, man, I gotta go. This has been cool, man. Take care. We don't I got to see him five times since then. In concert. I've never seen him again. And I'm friends with the guy that he was with that night. One night I was in synagogue 25 years ago and the guy there I'm talking to him. And he says his name is Louis Kemp. Louis Kemp, that and I remembered I said you We're at my house with Bob Dylan one night. And it ended up that this guy Louis Kemp was Bob Dylan's road manager when they grew up together in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So I became friends with him. I never saw Bob again. But Amazing, right?

Jeff Dwoskin 35:13

That is so cool. Well allow me to share the only rock star that rocks are folk star that ever was at my house. I was too young to appreciate the time but Mary Travers did her Palmera that people in Mary Mary traverse spoke at my temple. And my mom was, I think, maybe on the committee, something that brought her there and they established a friendship. They became friends. And they were talking on the phone long after that, but wow, it must have been after it. She was at my house. My parents house I remember because like she drank from this Tweety Bird cup. We don't have it anymore. But we always just talk about it. And she hung out in the living room talk to my parents. I mean, I would have been so young probably barely even would have known who Peter Paul Mary was, but I knew she was somebody and she gave me an autograph on computer paper. You know, the guy that you would tear off and had to rip the sides. So she she signed. I have a Mary Travers autograph that I have on my wall. And just it was just like, it's just a cool story. I wish I was old enough to appreciate a little bit more. But we did go to the concert and backstage. It was my grandfather's birthday. And backstage they sang him happy birthday.

Mark Schiff 36:21

Oh, unbelievable. Yeah, is that I love Peter, Paul and Mary. In fact, Mary Travis had an apartment on 57th Street that when you came off the 59th Street Bridge, I know for a fact that when you came off a certain exit of 59th Street Bridge in Manhattan, you could actually see into Mary's apartment was only on the third floor of like a little five storey building or something. He I saw them in concert and I love their music. You don't get to see me one night in Detroit, Bob Seger, who's a Detroit guy,

Jeff Dwoskin 36:48

love Bob Seger. I bumped in I saw him and I was at this place called village place. It's just like, This doesn't even exist anymore. Just like, you know, like a diner. And I'm like, I see this older guy wearing a Rolling Stones t shirt. I'm like, holy shit. That's Bob's. Tell me tell me tell me. I love this.

Mark Schiff 37:04

No, no. I mean, I spoke to him at the club once or twice. One of my top favorite 10 songs ever is against the wind, which is above scenery. So incredibly deep and long lasting. Such a great guy. And it's just such a lover of comedy. He used to come to the club, a whole bunch to see people.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:22

I was just gonna say Margaret Lee's got pictures of him and Bob Seger golfing on the wall when you're when you're at the club. Yeah,

Mark Schiff 37:29

very extraordinary. So that's one of the blessings about working with Jerry, every once in a while somebody like super famous that you've always loved. Your whole life comes backstage, you get to meet them and say, Oh, that's always nice. Everybody's always very nice in that situation.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:42

That's really cool. Seeing Bob Seger in concert was one of the highlights I think of of my concert going career. Yeah, no,

Mark Schiff 37:49

I'm gonna see Dylan in $340 a ticket. Yeah. 15 throws center, but I'm thrilled. Bob Dylan is one of the greatest artists the world has ever produced. is nothing like a per solo singer songwriter. There's never been anybody close to him. I mean, you know, Paul Simon wrote songs but don't compose, but He's unbelievable. He's a genius, but didn't come close to Bob Dylan. 39 studio albums, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of songs and writings books. If you never read Bob Dylan's autobiography, Volume One called Volume Two is coming out soon. You should read it.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:22

Okay, I'll check it out. I am a fan of Bob Dylan, a friend of mine was a super, super, super cool

Mark Schiff 38:28

Chronicles. It is one of the great master classes on being an artist.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:33

I want to check that out. Thank you for that recommendation.

Mark Schiff 38:36

I also read another great book the other day travels with Charlie by Steinbeck John Steinbeck. Tremendous book,

Jeff Dwoskin 38:42

a lot of reading and I got a squeezing your book when it comes out. So

Mark Schiff 38:45

yeah, why not?

Jeff Dwoskin 38:48

I did want to ask you about I know what your early influence was. Your parents took you to a nightclub and you saw Rodney Dangerfield and that kind of set you on the path? You got to know Rodney later? Yes.

Mark Schiff 38:59

As they did very well. Rodney changed my life. Right when I was 12 years old, my parents took me to a nightclub called the boulevard nightclub in Queens Boulevard in Rego Park queens. We lived in Forest Hills. I never seen a comedian live. Maybe I saw my TV. We're all dressed up. In fact, hold on one second. Just one second. Don't go away.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:18

This is me not going away. Oh, here.

Mark Schiff 39:20

Oh god. I'm how I'm doing nice things for you. Hold on. I don't know if you can see this. But this is a photo of the night I decided to become a comedian. Oh, that's cool. We're at the Boulevard nightclub. And I'm on shooting time my father's all dressed up my mother and this is the night that Rodney Dangerfield came out and open to show us the first night ever saw a comedian my life as soon as he came out and started telling jokes. And I had no idea what these jokes meant because I was 12 like he would do jokes like my wife has like a car in the winter. Sometimes they can't get a turn over. You know who knows what that joke means. Now I do because I'm married.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:59

Isn't it It amazing though that the rhythm of a joke and just how we would do it would still make you laugh.

Mark Schiff 40:04

unbeli. So I decided that night to become a comedian. I never looked back and I became friends with him. I told him that story we there's a great story, which is not in the book. It should be in the second book, Seinfeld and a comedian named Steve middlemen. One day we find out we're in LA and we find out that Rodney is appearing in Vegas, and we're basically known as before Jerry had his show. We had no money. We got into Jerry's car, which was a Fiat and we drove to Vegas. We had no money, no hotel. We're going to drive there try to see Rodney for free and come home. So we get the Vegas park the car go to the show where Rodney is. The maitre d says, tickets and we say we don't have any We're comedians because you comedians say, Yeah, we're comedians with friends or Rodney. Now, we didn't know Rodney. But we had met him once at catch a rising star in New York for like a second here with comedians. And he said to come by. So the guy says, let me I'll be right with you. He goes backstage, comes back and says, Okay, Ronnie says, I'll give you a seat and then go back to see me after the show. Unbelievable, right? So we're sitting in a booth, we watch the show, which unbelievably great. We go backstage. Everybody's like, Who the hell are you guys? I remember you. And we said that. Yeah, we were catch a rising star. And he goes, where are you staying tonight? So we said, Tell you the truth. Rodney. We don't have any money. So we're going to drive back tonight. We have no money for hotel. He goes, No money. No, you come to Vegas with no money. Were you out of your friggin minds. So he goes, my manager. He tells us he goes my manager. I have an extra room for him. But he's not here. You can have his room if you want. He says whatever you do, don't make any long distance calls and screw me. So then he goes are let's go to dinner. And he takes us out to a Chinese restaurant in in Caesars and the way that goes goes guy who wrote the in writing goes yeah, Want matzah ball soup? Who it's possible soup in a Chinese restaurant. So the waiter knows right. And he goes next door to the deli and gets matzah ball soup and brings it back to Rodney. And we spent that night with Rodney. That's amazing. Yeah, and we had the hotel and then we drove back to there anyway became friends with him. And I'll end the story with when Rodney was dying in a hospital UCLA, his wife called me and said, Ronnie will probably be gone by tomorrow. If you want to go up and say goodbye to him. Please do he won't recognize you. Because he's kind of out of it. You know, he's so I went up there. And there's a Jewish prayer called the Shema. And she might use raw sugar. And that's one of the things that you're supposed to stand a deathbed, if you can remember it, and whatever you're supposed to say to your mom, and I took Ronnie's hand, and he was out of it. But I did dish them out with him. And he passed the next day. So I felt really good about that.

Jeff Dwoskin 42:42

Mark. That's beautiful. Actually. That's really thank you for sharing that. It's very touching. I moved.

Mark Schiff 42:48

Yeah. Well, he was he was a good guy and credible gift for humanity. And I'm glad we had that time. And

Jeff Dwoskin 42:54

everyone has a Rodney story. And they're always great. And it's always how generous he was. And sometimes involves a bathrobe. And sometimes it's always something but there's like, it's nice to know that you know, someone was so great that existed Do you think there's anyone that kind of matches him? I don't mean from a comedy point of view, but just from a generosity point of view right now that gives as much as he gave to up and coming comedians, and

Mark Schiff 43:21

yeah, there's, there's, there's a bunch of people that are very helpful. There's no doubt about it. I mean, Jerry is very helpful to a lot of people. No doubt about that. You know, if he knows you and you need something, he's it makes a lot of phone calls and helps people and stuff like that. When always always very good. You know, there's a lot of stories built I know that say things different if that's not been my experience. Anytime we needed something or something. He was always there. I told him about my son, he gave him a job. And now my son is a big agent at CAA big comedy agent because Leno gave him a break and let him come in as an intern. It's awesome. I found that most comedians have a pretty good heart to sensitive people I

Jeff Dwoskin 44:02

agree. I agree. I think because it's so hard to coming up maybe it's just everyone just happens to talk about rod so much

Mark Schiff 44:09

thank you. Well, he was he was very unique in that respect. You know, who's responsible for Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Kinison. Roseanne Roseanne, he cut a lot of people breaks he got upset at me one time he called me to do his young comedian special and everyone on the show was was really deeply blue act, you know, worked really dirty. In hindsight, I should have done it, I think but I didn't do it. I turned him down. I said, Listen, I don't want to be on a show with all these guys. Personally, I grew up my dad, you know, he said to me, you know, you're on your friggin mind. You know, I'm giving you a break here. I'm trying to help you and I didn't do it. And I don't know if it would have made a difference. I don't think it would have hurt me at all. It probably would have helped me but that's where I was at that time. But again, you know, he just called me out of nowhere and offered me a slot which was forever grateful for

Jeff Dwoskin 44:55

that's really nice. Who else was on the show that was at the SAM Kinison one and all that Yeah.

Mark Schiff 45:00

There was with Sam and somebody else. I remember working with Andrew Dice Clay. When we first started, we worked a place called pips. And Brooklyn was very famous in New York. George Shultz was the owner and he actually gave Rodney his name Dangerfield right before that he was Jack Roy. And though he gave him the the name, and Andrew Dice, Clay wood used to just do impressions of Stallone and this guy, and he were very clean, and he was no resemblance to what he does now. He's truly a funny guy and a terrific actor, Clay.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:31

I think his acting is amazing. And yeah, and that Bradley Cooper movie with when he played Lady Gaga, his father, there was a scene of tremendous. I'm just like, I could watch the scene over and over again. It's like, Yeah, this guy. He was great in Pam and Tom

Mark Schiff 45:48

is terrific. And it was in Woody Allen movie. I'm not sure if you saw that one. But yeah, he also had his own TV show a couple years back on Showtime, which I think was two seasons or something, but I thought it was terrific. He played himself you know, this guy who is a really big comedian, they are wiped down nobody wants to hear from me more and he was trying to come back to a comeback. It was interesting show. I think I remember that was called dice. I think it'd be

Jeff Dwoskin 46:13

nice to see him break out and break you know, re breakout into I mean, obviously he was the biggest at one time. But like, even as an actor, just kind of beggary be seen as that one last question. Louie Anderson, I saw that he had a quote on your book. Were you friends with him?

Mark Schiff 46:28

Yeah. So Lily and I, when I got out to California, he was at the Comedy Store. One thing, Louis and I had something come. We both had wacky childhoods. And we both did family comedy. He talked about his mother, his father and brothers, you know, talked about all that stuff on stage. He also were very cleanly, we kind of gravitated towards each other. And I did family stuff. And he was always very nice to me when I did my first book, gave her story and then he gave me the his for the book. And I was so sorry to see him go to nobody, you know, we didn't think we will you live a long time because he was so heavy for so many years. And you know, I didn't really lose a lot of weight, try to get weak. And when he went to Vegas, he had to sit down and do his shows and stuff. But then he just it just it just disappeared one day but he was a true talent too. And a very, very sweet guy. Very, very sweet guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 47:16

That's the person I had on I was I was like one of the funniest and just seemed like such a nice, nice person. Very

Mark Schiff 47:23

gentle, very funny. And Chad the you know, he had a style guide and he didn't really pound it out and just kind of just chatted it out like an old folk lore guy. I love the tremendous

Jeff Dwoskin 47:33

mark. You got so many great stories. I know you just scratched the surface. I want to thank you for hanging out with me. It's so cool. I tell you

Mark Schiff 47:41

I'm glad we got this together and I'm glad you're feeling okay and go listen to or when you get a chance go listen to Teresa Marsh you don't know on you don't know ship and you can preorder the book anybody that's listening on Amazon. Why not?

Jeff Dwoskin 47:54

Why not lessons on Comedy courage and hutzpah hotspots bah bah. That's it. That'd be the name of the out of the episode Mark Schiff has hutzpah. Good name. So I'll put links to everything in the show notes, your podcast, the book and all that kind of stuff. So appreciate that. Brother, people can get to it and enjoy your goodness.

Mark Schiff 48:18

Thank you. If you get a chance. You come out to LA get in touch with me. And we'll we'll hang out go up to Bel Air and buy a place for 30 million.

Jeff Dwoskin 48:26

And if you happen to offer me a car, I will say yes.

Mark Schiff 48:29

Okay, but it'll be a little it'll be a little a little car. But so. Yeah, so a car. I will offer you when I was what were those cars. We had Aurora in Aurora cars when I was growing up. And like Matchbox cars. Yeah, those are the ones that I was talking about yesterday that you wound up and it went into a wall and exploded it like the doors would fly off. They were crash mobiles.

Jeff Dwoskin 48:51

I kind of get picture here they're talking about but I don't think I had those.

Mark Schiff 48:55

You put it together like six pieces. And then it had one of those windup things that when you let it go the back wheels? Yeah, sure, sure. I did go into a warm boom. You know, the hood would fly off and it was the greatest I could do that for like six hours straight.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:09

Sounds amazing. Well, Mark, all right, brother. Thank you so much, be well. All right. How amazing was that conversation with Mark Schiff. In the beginning of the interview when he mentioned he was glad I was feeling well, it's because I had recovered from COVID I had to postpone the interview. And he was just checking in to see how I was because he's a match so definitely check out Mark's podcast it's really awesome you don't know Schiff you can get it wherever you listen to this podcast. It's everywhere. Also amazing interviews as well. Also preorder and or get his book depending on when you're listening to this episode of the podcast. Why not lessons on comedy, courage and hutzpah? One of the extra perks of this episode is learning how to pronounce the word chutzpah. Get your going DM me on any of the socials if you need help with the end hutzpah so check out Mark's book check out his podcast if he comes to your town check out his comedy as well. Well with the interview over join me one thing that's right it's divert another trending hashtag from the family of hashtags. It hashtag round up, download the free, always free hashtag roundup app at the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Also on Twitter at hashtag roundup tweet along with us and one day one of your tweets may show up on a future episode of Classic conversations, fame and fortune awaits you. This episode's hash tag of course inspired by the episode and I interview with Mark Schiff #AMovieOrShowGetsACar from wag your Tags a weekly Game On hashtag around up #AMovieOrShowGetsACar and we all know now from listening to the episode, if someone offers you a car, you take the car. All right, this is the ultimate mash up of a movie or show and mash it up with an automobile. I know Could there have been a more perfect hashtag for this episode. I do not think so. All right, if you got your own tweet your own and tag us at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter I'll show you some Twitter love in return and the meantime here for inspiration are some #AMovieOrShowGetsACar tweets pretty and pink Cadillacs. Big Chitty Chitty Bang Bang very silence of the Lamborghinis allow Clarys room room How I Met Your motor the man did it over and that's a good one. All of these are awesome #AMovieOrShowGetsACar tweets live in that drive uncle Buick they'll forward in the stone National Lampoon Spring Break br A ke R have a visual and you're listening so I just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page nice signs of anarchy. How Stella Got Her Gremlin back awesome #AMovieOrShowGetsACar tweets. But we're not done and a given 100 Die two inches. This car is gonna move two inches. That was hard and I apologize. Captain America motors A Fish Called Honda my three dotson's hatchback to the future racing Arizona, Indiana Jones and the tempo of doom. And our final #AMovieOrShowGetsACar hang in with Mini Cooper. Oh, right. Those are some awesome #AMovieOrShowGetsACar tweets. If you're inspired, had to Twitter tweet your own with the hashtag and tag us at Jeff Dwoskin show. Like I said, I'll show you some Twitter love. I'm repeating myself, but I think it's worth it. All right. Well, with the hashtag over and the interview over it can only mean one thing. That's right episode 170 has come to an end. Why does the time go by so quickly? I don't know must be because we're having fun. Well, I want to thank my special guest, Mark Schiff for joining me today. And of course, I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me. You know it does. And I'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 53:16

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Classic conversations. If you liked what you heard, don't be shy and give us a follow on your favorite podcast app. But also, why not go ahead and tell all your friends about the show? You strike us as the kind of person that people listen to. Thanks in advance for spreading the word and we'll catch you next time on classic conversations.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai