We All Get Cancelled One Day with Somebody Feed Phil’s Phil Rosenthal

0:00 This episode is brought to you by True Classic. The way they became our sponsor is because I loved their t-shirts. And so we just called them up and asked them if they wanted to work together. And they said yes. So check out their clothes at TrueClassic.com. You created everybody loves Raymond and somebody feed Phil.

0:20 It's always got some name in it. Yeah, so what would you name my show? Somebody talked to Simon. So it's so lonely. Before we turn on the cameras and the mics, I tell every guest who comes on the show that this is not like an interview show that they're used to. It's more like a conversation. I tell them to imagine that we're out for a meal and the people sitting next to us are eavesdropping on us because our conversation is better than theirs.

0:50 Well, for this episode, we decided to do just that literally. As soon as I heard that Phil Rosenthal, the brilliant creator and executive producer behind Everybody Loves Raymond and the joyful heart and face of somebody feed Phil was coming on the show. I wanted to give him food. So we turned our little podcast into an even littler restaurant.

1:13 Please pull up a chair at our table for the latest episode of Somebody Talk to Simon. I mean a bit of optimism. I warned you before we turn the cameras on, which is we have so much damn food that we brought. Yeah. Don't finish anything because we have to get through it all. And I haven't had breakfast.

1:33 So I'm spacey. Great. I had a little protein drink. So that's your hungry too. But good. Oh, yeah, yeah. But that's my secret, by the way. The number one question I get is how come I'm not fat. And it is one reason is I don't finish anything. If you see me eating like crazy on the show. Yeah. I am, but I'm not really unless it's the like most delicious thing I've ever had.

1:57 And I'm no, I'll never get to this part of Chiang Mai again to have this way of cow soy. I'm finishing it. And it may be ordering another one. For your town, that's famous for certain dishes. Yeah. You want those dishes. You have to. Let's get our first dish out here. Let's get our breakfast dish out.

2:15 Because we've got, we've got, we've got not just courses. We have breakfast lunch and dinner. You really thought the sound. We have a lot of food. So what we decided to do is there is a bunch of great restaurants in Los Angeles, which is where you and I live. Listen, if you can't travel, live in the LA.

2:29 They live in LA. And we have a bunch of great restaurants. And so we ordered like some of the dishes from some great places. Look at that. Bring it on in. Thank you, David. So I haven't, I love a breakfast. I love a breakfast burrito. Well, hi. I love a breakfast burrito too. It's one of my favorite things.

2:47 So I love a breakfast burrito. Yes. My favorite breakfast burrito in Los Angeles is from a place called Oak Square, May. Don't know. In Los Filos. We'll go. It's, it's my favorite. But somebody recently recommended these, which is from a coffee joint called, I think it's called civil coffee or civil coffee, civil coffee.

3:05 Civil coffee. Civil coffee. I've never tried this burrito. No idea. I just sat here in Sherman Oates. Yeah, it's not far. It's in studio city. Anyway, there's a cheese an egg. Yeah, and then bacon and cheese or bacon an egg. Wow. I'm trying cheese an egg for going for bacon. Okay. I don't know. Cheers, my friend.

3:22 So it's very good to see you. This is good. Yeah. This is good. I will say this rank is up there is extremely good. It was like, Oak Square, May. Still my favorite breakfast burrito. All right. Happy to try that. So no offense. I'm not finishing anything. No, no, no, take him bites. What made you want to start an eating show in the first place other than the obvious Which is to get paid to travel on the world to eat. It sounds like a good gig. It's a scam You talk to people who leaders in business They're not as honest as I am. It's a scam. Right. It's a scam And what do you seven season in this coming up now is season eight season eight Did you imagine when you came up with the idea that it would get picked up for eight seasons? No, your help open to full one guy

4:12 Yeah, then that right And then maybe they'll let you film one by the way the first time we filmed. Yeah Think it was Barcelona. We started on PBS. Mm-hmm. First one we filmed with Barcelona And I have my first scene, which is a meal. Mm-hmm And the meal was so fantastic. I said if we're canceled right now Dienu. It's worth it. It was worth it. Yeah, everything I went through and it took 10 years to get the show How what yes, but hold on. This is today's lesson. There was precedent. There was precedent like you had Bourdain who did his cooking show and travel around the world He's like, but he was Anthony Bourdain. I mean that was a sexy superstar. Look at me It wasn't an easy stuff So I want to know so okay, so you you had phone numbers because of everyone loves Raymond

5:09 So you know who to call and they'll take your call They don't want that call Hey, you know what I've got for you now after having a somewhat successful sitcom me as the host of a travel show My own agents looked at me as if I pooped on the carpet They didn't want to hear right the reason I shifted gears that way is because after everybody loves Raymond It was over I had been there for nine years the business changed greatly in those nine years. They they Didn't want that kind of show anymore. They wanted hip and edgy shows They were moving from everyone loves Raymond to something like friends. Okay. They just wanted friends got it That was it formula. They wanted young hip Families that comes right looking yes

5:56 And it's you know, we had a hard time selling Raymond when we sold Raymond because it was already the class A Wasn't it's not sexy to people the family sitcom although if you look back at Television comedy history. It's the building block of networks All in the family all the family go back to I love Lucy a domestic a Happy days fast happy days the honey mooners Domestic not workplace domestic family sitcoms with kids are without kids. Yep Well, that's not what a young executive or even an old executive wants on their resume Because that's not cool. And when they get fired from this job They want a resume that says I'm still relevant. Right. I'm not doing old-fashioned Raymond was even though the data shows. That's really funny. That's really funny

6:50 It's number one. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If it's done right if it's done right of course I distinctly remember wanting in the age of Seinfeld and friends to do the opposite not even Because that's all I could do is that because that's my wheelhouse I would know how to do the hip and edgy right young hip sitcom But business-wise, why would you do something that's already exists? It's already there Yeah, maybe you last a season or two and maybe you get a little luckier, but you're copying what's out there now Is that your personality? Are you a contrarian or is it okay? So it's that's funny No, and I disagree with you completely So you're not a contrarian, but you it's for your own creative because doing nine

7:43 Years of a thing. Yes. How do you keep? I mean you're in the writers room. How does it? How's that fresh? I mean we could the whole show about this, but Give me the short answer If you sell something that's high concept Do you know what high concept say say more? Okay high concept would be a show where we're from Mars Our families from Mars and we're gonna live on a street and pretend to be Normal Americans, okay, that's a high concept show now with a high concept show they have to serve that premise every week Right that would get boring and repetitive and can't last very long right because last may be a few seasons tops right Because every week. Oh, no, they're gonna find out where Mars, right? So it's the same story practically, right?

8:33 Yes, you can have little stories that we've in and out But that main premise is gonna have to be served, right? Okay? You know what low concept is low concept is a guy who lives across a street from his parents with his family, right? That's very low concept and it's not hip and edgy and it doesn't sell because it doesn't sound like something novel, right?

8:57 But in television like in movies like in books like in anything we do in life. It's all about the execution, right? So if you execute that premise the guy with his family lives across street from his parents The possibilities of episodes are almost as endless as real life, right? And so if you worked for me your job on everybody loves Raymond was to go home get in a fight with your wife and come back in and tell me about it And that it's every day life every day life is infinite the possibilities are infinite Do you know what I find at least nine years? Do you know not at least nine years? Yes?

9:34 Do you know I find so funny about this which is and it goes to the what you said about the executive who's making decisions whether they know it or not or admit it or not Yes, they're making the decisions for their career The resume not necessarily for the for what people want me a long time to learn that and if you think about it like even the pitches You're talking about which is we we have a show about people living normal lives Yep, where they have fights with their spouses and they have kids and their kids are annoying Yes, we're selling shows for the pitch the day of the meeting exactly not for actual The longevity or the ability to create great entertainment and then you say we have the great writers room

10:09 Yeah, we've got some grit and that's where the magic happens. I'm assuming I hear ideas all the concept is a package, right? The concept any idea is valid. Yeah, it's the excursion look. We just a two breakfast breeder. Yeah We love a breakfast breeder you and I both admit it's a great thing It's breakfast that you're holding your hand if we love the tortilla We love everything about it, but what's in it that makes the difference right?

10:32 Why do you love the one from Oaks more than the one we just ate it had you loved it because it has a fried egg in it We're actually his gooey yolk, which is unheard of in a breakfast breeder. There you go That's what I've had it that way and it I don't know why more people don't do it It's actually tastes better because it's extra sauce It's actually it comes with free sauce it comes with yes. Yeah, so that's we're the same, but That's everything. Yeah, what's in the burrito is everything. Yeah, right not that it's a burrito Tell me what's in it. Tell me how you make it. Okay, so as you and I are talking we have more food coming in here comes Oh, now you may know it's dangerous. This is don't tell me this is this is from Anna Jack time

11:17 This is one of the best. Oh my buddy. Justin. Hi Everybody. This is Justin. He's a genius You've never met no, we've never met. Well, this is nice Justin's well as we should tell everybody this is from Anna Jack Ty There's some of the best fried chicken in the world Anna Jack Ty is a very hard to get into restaurant in Los Angeles That's closed on the day. We're shooting, but you brought us food anyway. Thank you very very much Thanks for bringing it by I didn't even know you were gonna be here. So nice to meet you Justin here. Listen, enjoy. Not only is this Some of the best fried chicken in the world. It will be featured up my daughter's wedding. You're having Anna Jack Ty had a wedding. Yes

11:58 God bless you Well, no, all right. I'm coming in. It's perfect It's perfect. Let's go. Yeah This is really good fried chicken. I only got I've only been to Anna Jack Ty once Mainly because I couldn't get in. Well, this is your Not only did it come to you the guy can't the guy the guy the guy who is I just come. I don't know I've never met him. I never met him. I didn't know he was coming. So that was a real treat We were talking about What I think so interesting about this this idea of the execution you're a hundred percent right But nobody sells the execution they always sell you can't they always sell But it's everything. It's our resumes. It's just it's not it's not just creative products but that's an issue to execution either

12:47 But how do we know how do we know? I mean, I guess that's what I've taken and you you want to take take that's the bet people make right Which is I show you my resume and you're gonna take a bad-educated guess. I went on a tour of apple the apple historian is the guy who took me around and And he was saying one of the cultural things that Steve Jobs built into this place was Nobody cares what you've done. They care what you're gonna do right? It's all about future Right, and they said they they'd hire these fancy people from Facebook or Google these fancy engineers who may have worked on some famous fancy product Right, they'd walk around like they walk on water and like do you know who I am? Do you know what I've done in my career?

13:27 Mm-hmm and invariably somebody will say to them in a meeting We don't care what you've done. We care what you're gonna do and I think the idea of people living on their past accomplishments Yes, and this is sort of because let's be honest. Yes, you could have given what you did with Raymond You could have absolutely showed up and said we're gonna do another Raymond type show of family and you would have been You could have sold at the next day because you've got a quote unquote got the proven track record You want to know the truth? Yeah, had a spin off of Raymond ready ready to go because my I love the writers So much in that writers room and I know knew that this was an exceptional team. Yeah, these are some of the best comedy writers in the world

14:09 How do we stay together? We love each other we know the show has run its course, but now How do we drive the car over here, right? We had a spin-off already featuring the brother the brother's wife and The brother's wife's family now we're gonna shift gears and do another family in a different situation The brother's wife's family by the way was Chris Elliott Georgia Engle and Fred Willard couldn't be better great. They were on the show 30 times so proven right they said no Because the studio said no the network the network because now these people This is not the kind of show we want to do anymore Everyone in your cast is 40 or older we're looking for young They said no, so it didn't matter didn't matter so I tried to write another pilot no my sensibility was not

15:13 So it wasn't the big track on it right didn't matter didn't matter And My agent said they like you just be more hip and edgy that's all I said well, you got the right guy. I'm mr. hip and edgy right and It is funny is it rude to laugh when somebody says I'm hip and edgy It's I do these live shows and I tell the story and I get laughs I say you know, I think they said sexy and my wife fell off the couch So After years of struggling yeah against this tidal wave of hip and edgy right I Said wait a minute. What about this dream that I have to do this?

15:57 I'm gonna beat your head against the wall anyway of show business pick a spot in the wall that you might love yeah And so I did and then convincing people was another Story how many years after Raymond did you start pitching that the the I would say about four so it's a years Okay, so I'd say about three or four years of struggle and Then a whole new struggle now. I did other things in between but always I was driving towards this And then I sold it finally to PBS My agent didn't want what so what so what was the reason they said yes? I sold it with one line I Said I'm exactly like Anthony Bourdain if he was afraid of everything Got it and they said we've been looking for a food and travel show with humor for years

16:46 But I wasn't allowed to go to see PBS by my agents because they said there's no money at PBS Turns out to be true, but they had money for six episodes And we did them and then here kind of Netflix. Oh, so Netflix saw it. Yeah, and came after you They were just kind of starting what I'm trying to get out of your stories where the Lessons are for how people live regular life not everybody's gonna be selling TV shows or is necessarily show business But the idea I mean you've said it if you're gonna have to beat your head against a wall Hmm pick something you like doing and beat your head against that wall the best advice I ever got from anybody was from Ed Weinberger a great show creator and showrunner

17:24 Mary Talimore show and Taxi and great classic sitcoms that are idolized As I'm writing the pilot for everybody who's Raymond. I Asked him for advice. He says this do the show you want to do because in the end they're gonna cancel you anyway That's a life lesson We all get canceled one day. We all get so live the life you want to live. It's the Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so this one food more food. We got lots of food. So this one's great So there is a place. Thank you David. There's a okay. There's a place on Ventura called the joint. Do you know the joint? Nope. Okay, the joint is ah, there's our nori or seaweed So the joint is the best fish monger in Los Angeles Like if you ever are cooking at home and you want to make fish go get their dry aged aura salmon

18:16 He is how good it is as I'm preparing to cook it. Yeah, I'm eating it off the fish That good right and they just recently started offering hand rolls at their joint It's a fish monger and coffee shop. I know what a combination. Yes, anyway, so you can now get hand rolls there So they put together a bento box. You can get it to go. This is how it comes We're supposed to make our own hand rolls great. I'm keeping unbranded. I have Star Wars chopsticks. Oh my god Oh my god, they light up. Yeah, are we gonna do? I mean, I love it. You know, this is fantastic So you can be a good guy or a bad guy. I'd be a little both a little both there you go good and bad And I think this is this was Samuel L. Jackson was the only one with a purple one and I think the reason he asked for a purple one

18:59 Is so he would stand out in the scene also purple cool and he's cool mate. Yeah, so these chopsticks are incredibly hard to use They're pretty but in practice. Well, you're you're free to use fingers to free to use fingers I'm gonna just do use my fingers because I mean I'm the one eating it, but I have to try the I've never made a hand roll for the record But we're making them now well done Food going everywhere What I might do yeah is just eat some of this. Yes, it's a good idea to handle because it looks so good I love sushi Me too. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's gorgeous. Have you been in Japan? I four times. I love it. It's my favorite place in the world I did you have did you have the egg salad sandwich at 7-Eleven? Yes

19:39 best egg salad sandwich of my life so last season we did Kyoto and it blew me away. Did you go? Okay Kyoto yes, I did you go to there's a restaurant in the woods Nope. Oh, I wish I talked to you before you went to Kyoto. I wish you did But I'll be back because it got in deep with me. It really had a profound impact on me Kyoto I thought it was spectacular. Yeah, and there's a great pizza place the best pizza happened my life It's a mother. Yes. Yes. I went there. It was incredible great There's a restaurant. It's in the middle of the woods. It's a tofu restaurant But you sit on the floor of very Japanese. Yeah, and literally you tell the taxi take me here They drop you off in a parking lot and you're like well where the hell's the restaurant? Yeah

20:21 And you put it in your phone and your GPS and you realize you know we're near it And you start walking through the woods. How is that amazing? So fresh and clean and wonderful and they make them for you when you go wow, but my god. I love this place Oh my god Oh, just need a minute Crispy nor everything's Nice so you walk through the woods you're literally walk you're like where the hell is this right you're in the middle of trees everywhere And then in the distance you see a little house And you're like I think that's it and you go to the house the door opens you take your shoes off It's the restaurant you sit in the woods It's the most magical meal Japan is magical Japan is magical they know how live and they don't invent everything

21:08 They perfect everything that's like they didn't invent pizza But my god is the best piece I've ever had in my life whatever they focus on they make perfect and beautiful But I first got to Tokyo. I thought I'm in a pinball machine. I don't get it. I'm walking outside I mean like some kind of time square and then I get on the Subway and go 40 minutes and I'm in another time square I don't know this it's like New York Times Los Angeles. Yeah, you can't believe the density and the scope and the It was overwhelming and I understood lost in translation where you want to hide in your hotel that movie is so good I can't read that feeling however First restaurant I went into Com syrene beautiful magical stuff starts coming to the table

21:52 And you're you're transported and you start to get it really quick that they can't control the outside But what they can control they make perfect and beautiful My joke is if you go to the pharmacy and buy a pack of gum they wrap it for you as if it's for your hundredth birthday And it's just a great way to be the other like mind blowing less than I got Was just little kids on the street. You've even seen videos of this three-year-olds Going in the store for their parents going out into this street like imagine Ventura Boulevard a three-year-olds walking alone Going into the store buying something coming back on the street alone How is this possible? Oh, somebody said uh The community cares for the children

22:36 Oh, I'm like what What but we've forgotten that as a society Yes, we've forgotten that as a society which yes, you know if you go to like lower-income neighborhoods Everybody sits on the front porch and they raise each other's kids And then as soon as you start accumulating any kind of wealth you move to the in middle class and the suburbs and above Everybody moves to the back of the house and you keep your own kids separated from everybody and there's something to be said for Like and I've been to like slums like Darvi in the middle of Mumbai. Yes, just heart this large slum with million people Yes, and one square mile whatever it is. Yes, and kids are running around And they're safe because everybody's looking out for everybody's kids and that's why it works

23:19 But what like like it's we forgot how to care for each other and we put walls up in front of you know Walls up and I mean, but this is city living, right? I mean, that's what that's what urban living is Which is you live in your apartment in New York City Or any city and you have five dead boats on the board because you have to and you don't know your neighbors Even though literally you share a hallway with them forget about a street I live in a very nice neighborhood and people don't come out of their house there I make a point when somebody moves into our neighborhood to go knock on my phone and say hello And it's for a very simple reason. It's like all of us around our might where I live. Yes

23:57 Like somebody will call me. Yes, and be like hey There's a package. It's been outside your front door for two days. Do you want me to go get it? I'm guessing you're not home You know that idea is opposed to having it just sit there and like somebody who's scoping the house But just people look at out for each other It's just a nice thing. It's what it should be. We want to live it and we create the world we want to live it because the world exists But the way you want to use it the way you want to execute it It's up to you Okay, so Netflix picks your show from PBS. Yes. Yes, which is a dream dream they say You're in the big leagues now They actually asked me have the nicest meeting I've ever had. I've been doing show business for 30 35 years

24:41 nicest meeting ever imagine this you go to a meeting and they say Is there anything you didn't have over there at the last place that you'd like to have Who says that to you? Wow I said I'd like a theme song Is that what you asked for? Yeah, they said you can have a theme song So I called this band Lake Street dive who I'd met years before God like them. I said would you want to do a theme song for TV show? They said you're in TV show So yeah, they said sure. So I wrote some lyrics and sent to them and they wrote some additional better lyrics and this catchy tune That nobody skips on the That's your show And it's become my favorite song and what you said before which is this idea that It's actually got make the show you want because it's going to get cancelled anyway. That's right

25:26 So would you get one years or nine years You're going to have a fun time doing because it's the show you want to do Which really is just a microcosm of what life is which is we're all going to die There's one thing that we can I can guarantee is we're all going to die But the problem is is life we hope is long And so we don't live our life with that sense of make the thing you want because we think oh I'll get to it or I need to do this responsible thing first why else are we here why else are we don't if we we can't Know the meaning of life. I mean we could spend our lives studying that right But I think without any studying I think we're supposed to enjoy ourselves. Yeah. Was Raymond your big break. Yes

26:05 So what were you doing before I would say big break would be your first job in television writing at all Which was uh the Robert Mitchem sitcom in 1989. Oh my god. Yes. That's the right response. Yeah. I didn't Terrible no Robert Mitchem had a sitcom. He shouldn't have That lasted seven episodes. Okay, but what you can learn from your first job in the field right you can learn from any job in the field Right, so I learn what that to do I learned how bad it can be what what didn't work there. What was the big lesson?

26:34 I missed number one you don't put Robert Mitchem in a sitcom it doesn't belong but the the story behind that was he had been in in a TV movie When they remember TV movies yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and this genre of TV movies called a warmly A war warmly warmly warm feeling Uh, not a comedy not a drama a warmly. That's terrible. So a lukewarm bath of shit. Yeah Just nothing this I don't know what this is This is a surprise. Hello. Oh my god. Okay. This is totally. I don't know what this is. This is my surprise. This is chicken liver mousse wink wink I don't know where this is from. I don't know anything about this familiar. I know this Why do I know this you got to tell us where it's from Oh, yeah, literal the feb is the great french chef will open pituit what you've been to pituit Wow

27:23 No, no, so he's he's a brilliant french chef. Okay. He's a friend of mine. We filmed with him when we did an LA episode. We didn't have this Hmm Wow I mean shout wow You and I grew up with chicken liver red wine mixed in with us I'm just very different than my mother's beautiful sauteed onions underneath on the freshest bread And when you get to about here about three quarters in yes, that's where you have the heart attack Hey But if you're gonna go it's a good way to go So you have your big break with your seven episode dramedy Warmedy yes, right and and I I start to first of all I'm thrilled because I'm splitting a salary I had a partner at the time and that's a very good way to break in is you you have a partner and what the reason you're attractive to them is because you're two for one

28:23 They pay one salary that you guys split So I'm splitting a thousand dollars a week. I'm getting five hundred dollars a week and within a few weeks I'm a thousand a year And I think this is the greatest thing because I went from eating tuna fish for dinner to eating whatever I wanted and I can afford the rent and I kind of Now, you know, I get that goat gets me another job jobs be get jobs right now. I've had the experience now You know if they like you at all you're you're welcome and after a few years now my partner and I don't need to be partners anymore Nothing nothing personal right. It's just like your career your careers are now solid enough that you can go there and think let's make One salary for one person that'd be good

29:05 And I get a tape of a comedian named Ray Romano Where was Ray in his career he had been a stand-up comedian He's been working 12 years to try to get on David Letterman show and he finally gets on and from that one six-minute appearance Letterman says they should be a show for this Ray Romano There should be a sitcom and Letterman had a producing deal with CBS Now the way it works in Hollywood is comedians and their people start looking for writers to create shows for their clients for the comedian And writers are just looking for comedic talent to write for so you take a meeting over lunch Usually we met at arts deli on Ventura Boulevard where every sandwich is a work of art and uh He had you know a lot of stories

29:52 about his family because I just asked him Tell me about yourself where you come from and he just said I got twin boys and an older daughter My family lives close by and they're always bothering me My brother is older and he's a police sergeant and he lives with them. He's divorced He's jealous of me. He's on a war that I won for stand-up and he said never ends for Raymond. Everybody loves Raymond And I said well it doesn't seem like there's anything there we can use No, but I thought that's a good place to start. I didn't know if he could act even yeah, right? He wasn't an actor. Yeah So making close to himself and I saw this as a vehicle for all the stuff I wanted to do right family What I didn't know about those characters and putting in my characters

30:37 There's a lot of my parents and those parents. Yeah, there's a lot of my wife in that wife There's a lot of me in Raymond. Yeah, and the situations And I write this pilot and I use a real thing in my life that I gave my parents fruit in the month club And they acted as if I sent them a box of heads from a murderer Why did you do this to us this so much fruit? I can't talk any more this too much fruit in the house So I put that in the show That's the scene they tell me that got us on the air why because it was very specific and I learned a great lesson Mm-hmm I thought you would laugh at that because you'd go oh look how crazy raise parents are in that scene right no your parents are crazy too

31:18 You related to it and the lesson is the more specific you get yeah Not just in writing, but in everything in life the more specific you get and you're cooking yeah The more universal it becomes The more people you hit because we all deal in specificities So even if there's a crazy thing about you that is not something I do I'm going to relate to it because I do a crazy thing too Oh This is so good because we try and make things general to have mass appeal But it always fails always feels because it ends up appealing or People can find no relevance of themselves. It's weak. It's weak But if you and it's you know that is there's an irony in this which is the specific when the more specific you are yes

32:00 The more specific you are It's kind of like people who are bad listeners. Okay, right or Or fortune tellers if you're into that right yeah people who are bad listeners, which is you're on a date mm-hmm and Somebody says oh My parents sent me this fruit among the club and it's driving me crazy. Yes, and you're like oh Your parents my parents sent me and it's your tors you're competing in specific stories exactly without this relating But you're relating because the feeling that comes from the story is the same is the same And so the specificity is is a Trojan horse that allows somebody to find their specificity But the it what is general and relatable are the feelings that go along with the stories exactly

32:40 But this but you're to your point the more specific the specific specific is the story so that's right that fried chicken is genius That is delicious in a specific way Not in a general bland way in a very specific way And one of the things we haven't done is talked about the specificity of why we like the chicken liver Which is there's nostalgia if number one if you grew if chicken liver is a nostalgic thing and then it's specifically This guy's treatment of it with the red wine the chives on top the beautiful bread the beautiful sauteed onions underneath Make it delicious in a way and that it makes it it makes it a more As if you can't make chicken liver moose richer. He made it richer. Absolutely. Well, that's a French influence

33:24 And we we appreciate it. Yeah, you can it's hard to argue. That's the best chicken liver. I've had my mother's is good My mother my mother's an amazing cook. We were we were spoiled as kids You're like I was not we were spoiled my mother was such an amazing cook And she would experiment sometimes oh, I know what's coming now Okay, I you're killing me I Invited Ryan Bartlett the founder of our sponsor true classic to sit down for a conversation We call this an ad with authenticity One of the things I like about you and your company, which I think Most people don't know is how generous you guys are You don't advertise your giving. It's not a thing you do for stunts or public relations You are generous because you want to do good. I know this because my family we volunteer for an organization and

34:18 We show up and there's a bunch of true classic t-shirts being given out to the homeless You just send them six pallets of t-shirts. Mm-hmm. There's no virtue signaling about look how nice we are And you should be nice to and you know buy one from us and we'll give one away And it's you just quietly get it done And it's one of the most attractive things about you as an entrepreneur and as a human being Thank you. I appreciate that for a long time I never wanted to talk about any of it because to me it felt Gross to put it out there to the world and it always felt very fake when I would see businesses Just kind of checking the box of this is our mission and we help the ocean and the end I don't want to be that I want to be the people that show up on demand for people. There's a crisis

34:58 I want to be the one that they call and say hey, we lost everything Can you help us out like of course? That's that's exactly what we're here to do not just some arbitrary organization that we're going to donate to I want to make true impact for people right when they need it There was a tornado last year in a brass can we send them by just stuff like just always things that are popping up I'm jumping on them and I'm making sure the team reacts to them too if they hear something or over here a customer lost everything We're going way overboard for them We're sending them stuff that isn't even t-shirt sometimes We're just sending them things that they need it's so magical for them to that a company is thinking that far for them

35:41 This I'm very excited about this is the only one we're getting plates Wow, so My mother's an amazing cook and I remember like we were so spoiled the food was so good Yeah, we didn't know that as kids. We just just dinner and then we'd go to friends houses and we'd be like This is your dinner like like just like this is oh And then we start to realize like moms. Oh great. Oh, we're lucky. Yeah, it's like my parents had a marriage that was far from perfect Holy crap. This is a best cheesecake. It is one of our One of the place we go in season eight is Sense of bastion and the best country you've done it ready you went there ready. Yeah have you been there? I have never Oh, well if you like this little treat. I think you're gonna love this is this is a great story

36:29 Yes, have this is the basket cheesecake from Pajoli in Santa Monica. Oh boy. Yes. I've been there, but I haven't had their best Okay, so I'm gonna tell you yes. I'm gonna tell you the story behind this beautiful. Okay, so my friend Wilga dera. Yes, I think you know He was the former owner of 11 Madison Park. Oh absolutely. So will's a foodie right? Yeah to say the least yet Will and I are having dinner and he says we're doing bang bang tonight Two dinners. So bang bang is we had appetizers in one restaurant main course in another restaurant dessert in another restaurant That's bang bang bang. That's bang bang bang. So we we we moved and by the way the main course was Wovo just that night nice

37:06 Okay, so we're sitting at Wovo. Mm-hmm and he says I know where we're going for dessert. Mm-hmm We're going to Pajoli great. They have this best cheesecake and wait happens two chefs one on Went on vacation. Yeah to the bass region. Yes, and they tried this bass cheesecake and they competed Just for as a friendly bet as chefs do just for fun. Who could figure out? Yes, good that recipe great So the guy who owns the French restaurant figured it out. He won the little friendly contest Yes, so he's figured out the recipe for this amazing cheesecake the problem is he has a French restaurant There is literally nothing in that restaurant That is not French. He cannot serve a Spanish dessert in a French restaurant

37:50 So what he does is every night they made one cheesecake And if the staff liked you They gave you a slice you couldn't order it You couldn't the cheese you couldn't they would didn't charge you for it And if you saw somebody get in but like could I have a slice they go? No Oh, so because wills in the restaurant business He says to me this is one of the top five desserts. I've had in my life He says to me and because he's in the restaurant business He calls up his friend who owns the restaurant and says do you have any cheesecake left? He says we have one slice left Will says hold it for us. We show up. We drink way too much Whatever it's called short truce. Yes, and they they way I was a lot and then we eat the cheesecake

38:29 Yes, one of the top five desserts. I've ever had in my life And it's here. I'm here. It is. Oh man. Okay. So there's only one more funny story to share So you remember you can't buy it. You can't order it. You can't get it. So I I'm on a date and I say to the girl. I got a surprise for you And I take her to poshually and we sit at the counter and I sort of Lean into the to the waiter and sort of put my hand up as if I'm sort of like I've got I was like Hey Is the chef here? He goes no, he's not here today's like and I'm sort of like trying to make his like Maybe maybe he knows who I am like maybe we can do this and I say Any chance you can get a slice of cheesecake He goes I think we can do that. Oh, and I'm thinking yeah, I mean I'm in and he brings us a slice of cheesecake

39:20 And it's the most amazing thing and I've got brownie points because this girl's like this guy can get cheesecake And then he says would you like anything else and I hold up the menu and it says cheesecake best cheesecake on the menu So all I did was surreptitiously order something that's on the menu They put it on the menu. They put it on the menu and I didn't know that they put it on the menu And the turns like wow this guy can really order from the menu exactly So the point is anybody can go to poshually have this cheesecake next Okay, how big a slice do you got it? It's got to be small you got to eat those slice So it's the last thing we have please make it small. Okay, that's good. Yeah, okay

39:55 Okay This is the Oh, this is the shit. It's the shit. Hold on. Hold on. Got to get the middle bit. Oh, man This is this cheesecake. Okay, so for those who aren't looking it is a gooey Creamy creamy cheesecake with a top like all-bast cheese case is burnt. Yep, seared the top of the cheesecake All right, so excited didn't overeat the rest of the meal. So I have Thank you for this. Oh, this is so glad I found something you didn't know because everything else you own the restaurants. No This is awesome. You ready? Here we go. Here we go Dad doesn't get better than that top five desserts of all time, right? Yeah, unbelievable. Yeah, I mean holy cow I don't think there's any conversation we can have right now. I'm so glad I came. Oh

40:45 This could solve wars Yeah, this is something very specific that everybody can relate it's the great. It's the great unless you're lactose intolerant or you can't eat sugar or if you're lactose intolerant take a pill take a pill take a lactate Take a lactate for this one. It's worth it or just suffer. Mm-hmm suffer indigestion Yeah, it's worth it food. I always say it's the great connector We all got to eat first of all everybody on the planet eats But if you and I never met we sit down and we have something amazing like this first of all we're happy because it's so delicious Next we're talking and we're in a better mood because the food was delicious And we might share a smile or laugh. So I always say food is the great connector and then laughs of the cement

41:32 And so now We had a nice lunch and it was so nice. What's gonna happen? We want to eat again. We definitely want to eat again Right, so that's how friends are made. That's how That's how romance begins They called date for a reason, right? You go on a date. Where are you going? You're probably going on the movies, but you're gonna eat Because that's where you get to know the person. Yeah Over a pleasurable experience Did you have a happy family happy children?

42:02 I have to say in retrospect just like you were saying you don't know what you have You go to someone's house. I can't believe the food is so terrible. I must have great food at my house No, we had we didn't have the lousy food and a lot of the time my family was yelling at each other But we were when we weren't yelling we were laughing. My dad was very funny and my mother also was funny Uh, and did you dad know he was funny? Yes, he actually told jokes. Okay. Actually the way my parents meant was my mom was on a date with a fella And she went to a nightclub in New Jersey On amateur night and they listened to musicians and then this young skinny tailor from the garment district gets up and tells old Jewish jokes

42:43 That she thought was hysterical And she said that guy I think I like that guy better than this guy. I am on the date with And I always say if my dad was not funny that night, right. I'm not here So I owe everything my life to Max's sense of humor And my mom's sense of humor for appreciating his sense of humor. It's our most underrated value as human beings Sense of humor is everybody funny no Some people sadly are born without a great sense of humor. But I think It's who we're attracted to as friends. Mm-hmm. You don't have to have my exact sense of humor You just have to appreciate mine and I have to appreciate you. You don't have to be you don't have to be the joke teller But you can be the lafer. Yes, that's your part in the equation a good team. Yeah fine

43:32 I was like on my team for example. Yes, people who are like brilliant idea generators. Yes, and they're terrible at execution But I've got people who are fantastic fantastic executors But they're not the big idea generators not everybody has to have the same skill So you did you wouldn't need them. You need the friend who loves your jokes. Absolutely. That's what makes it work Because you encourage each other you encourage each other. Yes, but I tend to I tend to be attracted to people who are I think way funnier in me in different ways Right, like that's the rider's room I have you ever been in a rider's room. I haven't I've always wanted to It's probably heaven on earth If you like to laugh you're literally getting paid to laugh

44:11 And then the only sunshine coming in this room is the menu for lunch And then you get to order whatever you want from wherever you want this is at the peak of television This may be gone now right this this life right In our virtual world now exactly and and the end of entertainment as we know. Yeah, right where kids can make their own movies on the phone by speaking into it and say make me the Yeah, I want to be an out of space and do my own version of Star Wars And I want to be the hero and I like to girl down the street and make her the girl that I get and make my friend over here The villain and he pushes a button and then this is soon this will happen and then AI creates A movie that not only he can show on a giant screen

44:56 But he can hit a button to distribute it worldwide Why does he need a studio? Why does he need an agent? Why does he need a movie theater? Why does he need doesn't does that bother you? Of course Because the art is gone that but here's the thing. I don't think so What my where I'm coming out on AI especially when it comes to creativity?

45:14 Yes, I think what technology does it reorganizes the focus right? So for example We were an album culture. Yeah, we listened to eight tracks and Records and CDs and tapes. We're an album culture right until the MP3 player showed up And now we're a song and playlist culture right so the technology changed our preferences and our tastes to change our area of focus and who did that screw?

45:38 The artist Screwed some artists gave life to new artists But not the life that You know Beyonce has to tour because the album isn't gonna make her the money that so that she can make our tour Okay, we're gonna go down this rabbit hole. Yeah, okay. All it did to change the business model Yes, and so we can't whine that technology has changed the business model That's like publishing whining that there's an internet. Yes, you know, remember it's it's Netflix that pioneered streaming not the television and movie industry And it's Amazon that invented the e-reader and not the publishing industry right and it's Apple a computer company that invented iTunes and not the music industry It's because they're all clinging to the to the past and missing that technology changes our lives and you can change with it

46:24 Yes, we can go kicking and screaming or you can go out of business. I have nothing against the technology. It's the fairness Fairness. I mean the business models change and so Beyonce yes may have been able to make Tons of her money from selling her albums. Yes, and then the MP3 and the Spotify's I get it. I get it. Yes, unfair took it away Changed the business model, but I guarantee you that Beyonce makes more money on her tours than anybody with a couple of songs Who had a one a one hit wonder through an MP3? Mm-hmm the business model changed and now the better the tours Correct me from wrong though AI Is in a mountain of everything that AI takes from correct. It's driven human It is actually driven so it's a lot like stealing

47:11 It's derivative. How is it not like stealing? If a movie studio I don't know how this right to write a script using AI. This is destroyed IP law I mean, let's start there like the whole IP law probably needs to be rewritten But if if a movie studio yeah, write a movie script using AI, which has stolen Plot lines lines of dialogue from human beings. Yeah, that studio owns that movie don't they?

47:39 I don't know the answer to that like I said, I think this is uncharted territory. Yeah, however What I think is more likely to happen is that a studio will take What it owns yeah and feed it into the system all the movies and IP owns they don't do that or or or let's or let's say take just take take take take from every But I'm saying what if we if we're going to talk legal like where there's no legal problems is let's let's say Amazon that now owns James Bond. Yeah puts all the James Bond movies in right and says make another James Bond movie for us based on all the previous James Bond movies right They own all the IP anyway. Yes, they own the new IP that's sped out for the old IP pretty sure they're not gonna

48:19 Stick to that rule. Yeah, that's the problem. I mean, that's a different like but for example like you can ask AI to write something in the style of me Yes, and it'll go on about why in purpose and all of this stuff. Yes, which is a 15-year-old book You know, it's it's when it's the terrible now. It doesn't know what it's I'm gonna write. Yes, but it's mostly terrible now But you could see in a few years it not being terrible It's not terrible some of it's amazing, but as an artist myself I think what people miss is that we're also result oriented We want the product give me the movie give me the screenplay give me this yeah that they forget that what makes you you Is writing nine fricking seasons of Raymond. Yep, and you are a better writer now

49:05 Then you were from season one you're more nuanced you understand dialogue better you understand conflict better There's no learning if AI does all the work for you. You might produce a good product But you go through life learning nothing growing nowhere and you'll have a class of of artist that will be the same Entry level human being after 15-year career as they were after a one-year career And I think it's the wisdom that we're forgetting it's this very human thing that computers can't give us Which is it's the it's what makes me a better thinker problem solver Better viewer of life pattern connector is not because of my my because you google the answer It's not because I google the answer it's because I struggled to write my own book exactly

49:55 And that's what made me better at what I do and my last book is a much more mature and better piece of literature than my first book First books a nice idea, but it's I wouldn't say it's well written But the computer is gonna get better at that and it's gonna learn the way you learned over time Yeah, and then replace you You're not afraid of this future I think it's we believe maybe naively that we will always have some value as people I remember when the internet popped up and there were same the same things like the death the death of bricks and mortar stores There would be no such thing as a store anymore because we're gonna do all our shopping on the internet And what we forgot is people like shopping they do but some of that came true

50:42 Some of it came to fail but some of it came true Because of amazon's pricing model and amazon's ability to make it impossible to But again, it's convenient, but it's business model right yes at the end of the day We still enjoy going to stores and that I hear you, but I don't think it's because the internet It's because of the pricing that amazon can offer I think it's a little of both because When I can sit it in my bed and order something and it comes by the end of the day That's the problem. I mean remember when the early internet shopping it came like two weeks And so like convenient was going to the store of course But now that you can get your groceries in the same day in the same hour and even other stuff. Yeah, it is crazy

51:23 Well, I think we can agree on one thing. Yes, we don't know what's gonna happen. We're probably all doomed And so So enjoy the moment so enjoy the moment surround yourself with all you want to do because in the end They're going to cancel you anyway and there's that's today's little less There's a little bit of a little bow. I don't even have to summarize And this specific do the show you want to do because they're going to cancel you anyway And everything you talk about be specific. I think so Like it's just like you said you all the the knowledge that you accumulated through struggle and hard work made you Specifically you there is no other you And that applies to everyone and I think so that's a great question

52:07 Which is do we come do we become more specifically us yes Over time of course, so are you less specifically you and your young Yes, a 21-year-old more generic Then you have to be Because you didn't live long enough yet. There's not enough specifics. Yeah, you need the wrinkles Got it the little wrinkles more wrinkles you have as a minute of specific experiences you have that made you you that's right The wrinkles are earned wrinkles are earned the specifics are earned. I really like this It's a great philosophy for life. I thought we were just going to talk about food That's a big part of it and it's a great metaphor for a lot of things in life. Yeah I have a couple of ideas art So it can be yeah, I don't understand people. I think chefs are great writers

52:56 They're right you write a recipe you put Ideas together that maybe haven't been together before Roy Choy for example, you know he is I don't Roy Choy created the Kogi truck You know what that is I don't it changed the world Why because here's a Korean American who? Growing up in LA loves a Mexican food and culture He takes Korean barbecue and he puts it in a tortilla It makes a Korean like a bull barbecue tortilla taco wow Then he takes a truck and paints it with the word Kogi on it and as the internet is coming And people are writing now on the internet the Kogi truck is at Ventura and this Come there and crowds start coming now people go wait a minute food trucks used to be just be for construction sites

53:55 Now they're cultural phenomenon The reason you seek food trucks everywhere on earth is because this guy Brilliant put Korean barbecue in a taco he's the OG Roy Choy wow that's There's have him on because it's a great story And real entrepreneurship and yeah and a work of art That that took took over the world we love a food truck we love it because it's handy It everyone is different you can travel by going to a collection of food trucks Which you know a place like Austin will will take an old parking lot and put a ring of food trucks around it That's been curated we have a Mexican one we have a barbecue one we have an Indian one We have this and you have a food festival why shouldn't chef's be afraid of AI

54:45 Why shouldn't you said that writers are under threat musicians are under threat painters are under threat Well because this AI can do what they do so why not the chef you said their writers they did they they write these recipes Yes, so why not the AI give me a recipe for this kind of dish with these kinds of ingredients because the computerized restaurant Could take their job away if the truck can drive itself and the food can cook itself and serve itself to you They're out of business. I don't think it'll ever happen. I hope not But I'll tell for a very simple reason. Yeah, I want somebody to smile with me of course There's a cookie place in New York City that I went to yeah everything stark white and very futuristic

55:25 And it looks like some Woody Allen movie. Yeah, yeah, and you go in and you there's a screen You go bleep bleep bleep and you say what kind of cookie you want This person the back gets the order on a screen and they prepare the cookie and they put it in a bag and then some then just somebody hands Don't think they haven't you they just put it on the counter with your name on it And the people I was looking the back and the people in the back look so unhappy in a job and it's not the job It's not the mean There's no social connection. It's not the mundaneness of making a cookie and putting it in a bag. Yeah, yeah It's what makes my job fun Is I want to talk to you and say hi and smile and say thank you and say please. Yeah, stupid little shit

56:00 And so you know pretty girl might come in and pretty good But I think what'll happen is people will demand it and I think the companies will always offer what the market demands And so companies might be looking for all this way to eliminate people and eliminate this and all that until The one person who starts the food truck who says you know what we're making our own food So that you can see who makes it and we'll smile at you and hand it to you because you'll know that I made it with love Yes, and that's the one that's going to have the line around the block and all the other AI trucks Are going to put people in it because that's what the market does my ends unless one thing go That's the best cookie ever had in your life. No, I don't even think if a machine made that best cheesecake right now

56:36 Right that we just had all right all right you win You still love that cheesecake right I love the story that goes what does she do? I've got the story of the chef I always say the story makes it taste better. I really believe that and if grandma smiles at me while she's giving me her You know beautiful pasta in Italy. I'm in love with the whole thing. I'll go this far I asked Thomas Keller because I have a podcast too. You'll come online. It's called it's called naked lunch and we eat every time I only eat with you Thomas Keller came into the And I said you have advice for me for the diner and you know he said the number one thing. What do you think it was what Well, you want a guest great staff. That's it service service. That's everything. Yeah

57:18 Especially for a diner you want a warm cozy hug of a place The food has to be good or bad service bad service can ruin good food of course a cab and great service enhances mediocre food and if you've got both you're a winner and if you fall in love with the people in the place Yeah, you're a customer you're you're coming back you're coming back Right we all want to be accepted and that's why I think we're safe from AI taking over the world is because fundamentally people want human beings they want to feel loved and they want to feel held They want to look somebody the eye you know what everybody wants a hug Absolutely a metaphorical hug of of good service. Well, I do know as well as I do that if your staff is amazing

58:00 And a customer comes in they will hug the staff the regulars will get hugs because that's how people are Yes, yes, yes, it's It's vital AI will never take that away, but they could take away a lot So we you kind of I think yes, but I think again again it goes back to the Beyonce challenge which is The enterprising ones will figure it out will figure it out the enterprising ones will be able to put their finger on the zeitgeist And say you know what I can't make money on an album anymore But the album is my marketing tool for my tour I'm gonna do the best tours of anybody the best concerts of anybody right and instead of slaving away Trying to market my album. Yeah, I'm gonna slave away Making the best tour I can make right and I think it just changes the energy and it changes the model

58:49 And so because we're in a period of flux right now The people with the old business models that can't imagine new business models are the ones Screaming the death of everything right for a good reason that's gonna be young people yeah, or really enterprising experience people But young people who who are not encumbered by the old business models will be the ones figuring out the new model Listen, it's always been or the truck a small set of people who make The most out of the business. There's only one Tom Hanks, right?

59:16 There's only there's a very few giant movie stars and And the kid that I described who Talks into his phone and pushes a button and a movie comes out. Yeah The kid who's best at that will be the new Tom Hanks. Yeah You I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard. Yeah, and I'm looking at all the stars of all the famous people Yes, and I didn't know most of them. Yeah, well, everybody gets forgotten and so thanks. I mean this is so what's lifting I guarantee you my my niece doesn't know who on which one's a nigger is You know, I'm pretty confident my niece doesn't know who Ray Romano is and it's no disrespect to anything you or Ray did It's just like time goes forwards, which is why you're doing new things

59:56 You have to do new things. You're like the Larry David of the Ray Romano show Which is I guess the guy in the back. Yes except my show now is you didn't why curbure enthusiasts But why curbure enthusiasm? Don't curbure enthusiasm. That's right. Was there ever a temptation like Larry? Yeah to make a show of you This is it. This is my version. I've used him as an example I am the guy who was behind the scenes and now I'm in the front of the scene, but this is my personality specifically me Larry has said yeah, that he's his show is an exaggerated version of him. It's not I've done his show twice. I know him He might be a little nicer on the show No He's not a people person. No, and I love him He is uniquely and specifically him and there's there is a great need for him in the world

1:00:50 There's nobody funnier. Yeah Every line out of his mouth is an episode of curbure enthusiasts the first time I met him. Yeah, I said hey It's great to meet you episode of party right great to meet you doesn't say hello He says you think it's all right to throw gum in the fireplace He just says that's on his mind. You exist for him to talk to the world is merely a fish bowl for him to swim through it. Let me get your opinion Let me test this theory Yeah All right, I'm gonna have a couple questions here for you created everybody loves Raymond And somebody feed Phil It's always got some name in it to give to that to do something with something to fill. Yeah, so what would you name my show?

1:01:35 Oh, if it's not the optimism a little bit of optimism. It's a bit of that's the name of our show. It's a bit of optimism Somebody talked to Simon So it's so lonely By the way somebody feed Phil the reason I love that title and chose that title is because it denotes someone who can't take care of himself So right away. It's a specific character right that's me right. I can't cook Somebody better feed Phil because otherwise Phil will die And I have my brother who produces the show with me And so he runs the show while I'm the monkey in the middle and he pushes me out of my comfort zone Because he thinks that'll be entertaining for people. I fight him every step of the way and every time I do the thing

1:02:21 That I did not want to do it was worth doing like Jumping in the cold water off the Irish coast. That sounds awful. It is awful But I'm glad I did it because I lived yeah, and I did it I jumped into the ocean with these maniacs who do it every morning. Yeah And I did it. It's in the show. It's in the Dublin episode if you want to see it And I didn't do it at first they invited me. I said no I'll be here on the side with hot chocolate when you get out because I saw the world freezing They jumped in the sea off the Irish coast very crazy people Every day no matter the weather But then I fall in love with the people over the course of the day They're charming. It's like a town full of puppies that nice as people in the world

1:03:03 Okay, and I leave them I hugged them. I have tears in my eyes because they were so special. Go back to my hotel And I'm thinking and I'm thinking and I can't let go of these people and and how great they are and I call my brother He's in his hotel. I said I got good news and bad news He goes what I go I think I know how to end this episode which I never think of beforehand It's made in the editing we put it together and we see the theme develop and and that's the show We get what we get and then we construct something out of that right He said what's a bad news? I got to go back and jump in that water Because I'm feeling like they have something to teach me and I love them and I have to walk the walk

1:03:46 You know, I can't just say try new things I have to be willing to do that. Otherwise, why don't I have a show and he says great. He wants me to jump And we go back and now it's getting dark and it's raining so it's colder than it was in the morning And I strip off and I jump in that thing and I'm telling you it was Crazy cold like I scream you see it in the thing Lasted maybe 30 seconds. I get out shivering You know drawing myself off. I'm happy. Why because I lived I Did it and you're gonna think I'm making this up that was six years ago Every single day since then I take a shower in the morning and at the end of the shower I put it on cold for 30 seconds and it brings me right back there Wow, it also is very good for you apparently. Yeah

1:04:38 The cold plunge they call it right so I do it with the shower 30 seconds. I built myself up from 10 seconds 30 seconds and you can do it and I'll tell you one thing you forget all your troubles Number one number two it's invigorating and you feel round now I'm ready for the day It's almost like I'm thinking about all this crap And now I have a clean slate and now I'm ready. Here I go That can happen because You took that baby step out of your comfort zone and changed your life that changes my life. Yeah You are wonderful you have you you are the personification of swative I am love you love life Because I feel very very lucky. I know not everybody gets to live their dream Yeah, and I'm not discounting that I had to work hard to get it, but I know how lucky I am

1:05:29 And that informs everything I do So when you start with that plateau of gratitude, right? I think but I think but there's a difference there And you just said it. Yeah, the plateau gratitude is not the plateau of luck You said I'm lucky. You're not you're grateful. There's a difference. Lucky is winning a lottery. I did right. I did you did you did Yes, okay, you have to be lucky. I agree and we want you or lucky enough to be lucky You must be grateful for that. I'm not making the case. Oh, you worked hard for it. There's not what I'm saying I'm saying What I think there's something to be when somebody has something that others don't get to have I don't think we want to think of you as lucky But we want to know that if you have something that I either want or

1:06:13 Crave or look up to that you appreciate it. I just want to know that you appreciate it I feel lucky don't get me wrong. I feel lucky for everything that I've had and I know luck played a huge part and timing Played a huge part, you know, I am aware of that All of that said yeah, I have gratitude Right, and I think when I hear of others who Call themselves lucky. I maybe I'm just speaking for myself. Yeah, I just want to hear them say I'm grateful and I'm good I think does that make sense? Absolutely And you because you just said it a platform of gratitude. You have plateau of gratitude The basis is you have to have a good morning. I'm already I'm already a winner. I'm a winner Look, I got my wife next to me for 35 years. I got the dog at the for anyone. I want them already

1:06:55 What happens today every part of the day is is every part of the day after that moment is the lucky yes You start with grateful and lucky is upon grateful and we appreciate what we have and then once you've have that now What how about giving a little back? I agree how about sharing it with the people. It's only good if you can share Life is more fun when you get to share with others exactly I keep trying to end this because as a clock that says you gotta end But I just keep enjoying talking to you. Thank you. Well, we're not dead yet. We'll we'll talk some more I would love that and eat some more. Oh, this was thanks for sharing food with me Thanks. You're a joy. You're a joy. Just a lot of joy

1:07:34 gratitude and joy A bit of optimism is brought to you by the optimism company and is lovingly produced by our team Lindsay Garbenius David Ja and Devon Johnson If I was able to give you any kind of insight or some inspiration or made you smile Please subscribe wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts for more And if you're trying to get answers to a problem at work or want to advance a dream Maybe I can help simply go to simonsavec.com Until then take care of yourself take care of each other