 All right, do not be nervous. Okay. All right. I can I sense a little fear Well, you know, I'm trying to act my way through it. Thank you till you make it. All right J Elvis Weinstein Weinstein or Weinstein Weinstein Weinstein, but I answer to both frankly You're not one of those people who say Yeah, who correct. I'm not a corrector now Yeah, nobody wins nobody really Albert Einstein I guess I guess Albert Einstein sounds better than Albert Einstein I did in fact when I changed my name when I added the Elvis when I joined the writer's guild I considered J. Einstein Weinstein as a pronunciation guide Well, there's a Josh Weinstein, I don't know what she is But I've actually had lunch with him and I've met him a few times from the Simpsons. Yes He's the reason I'm jailed. He beat me by like months into the guild Really, okay. Yeah, I worked with his brother. Oh really? Jacob Jacob Weinstein or steen. He's a corrector. Yeah, yeah, it's just yeah, it's not cool I gotta say he really is and it's it's like Caroline Ray is another person Yeah, who corrects you? Yeah, I guess I guess Mel Brooks solved that with young Frankenstein and Frankenstein that whole thing You know, well once you see that I thought you have to stop correcting So J. Elvis Weinstein, I got it right, right? He did he nailed it. How'd you pick Elvis? It was I well I picked an E because it made my initial spell Jew. Oh, I didn't know that Yeah And it was Elvis Costello, which I was pretty infatuated with it like 22, which is what I did Okay, you're a Minnesota Jew. I am a Minnesota Jew. You're an Al Franken Thomas freedmen from the New York Times Yeah, same subject St. Louis Park. Yeah, they're a special type of Jew and the Cone brothers, too That's right. That's right. They're a special type of Jew all of whom are great except my rabbi I had a rabbi from That area who turned out to be Okay, anyway J. Elvis what I had some rabbis from that area I didn't approve of fully myself And that's the great thing about being Jewish You don't get molested by your rabbi cuz you're allowed to tell a rabbi to go f himself. That's right There's no it's built in it's not easy to be a Jew it isn't but built into the system is the guy who has a direct contact To God is full of crap and and you're taught that at an early age he's just a teacher and Don't right don't be infatuated with him and you have every right to argue with him anyway We're difficult people perhaps even an obligation Oh my god, yes, well, I don't want to do Talk about being Jewish Yeah, and it's interesting I for years I never talked about it my father always said Your last name is Feldman. You don't need to talk about being Jewish The audience doesn't care and the Jews don't want to be identified with So just and so my stand-up act I don't talk about being Jewish But I'm the podcast it's the You know, it's just it comes up. It's a full as part of being it's part of the flow of being a Jew Yes, you talk about being a Jew at times. Well, let me introduce you J. Elvis Weinstein is the director of I Watch I want to kill. I need you to kill. I need you to kill. I need you to kill. It's more emphatic Yes, I need you to kill. It's a documentary about comedy in Asia. Yes And which will be coming out via the company comedy dynamics very soon. That's exciting. It is. Yes I need you to kill. He was a writer producer on freaks and geeks he Appears on my good friend mark Thompson's podcast the Edge You also Appeared on mystery science theater. You dropped out of college to go work on mystery science theater I did I was one of the original guys on that the original gumball machine guy with Frank Conniff And here's how I learned that you broke your mother's heart that you dropped out of the University of Minnesota To go work on mystery science theater. Here's how I found out. There's a new podcast that everybody Will love it's a part of the showbrizz Family it's produced by showbrizz Studios thought spiral it is hosted by J. Elvis Weinstein and D kindler and Andy kindler more importantly, I was gonna say and Andy kindler, but I figured I'd go And the kindler if he was like a 60s talk show sidekick, that's how they'd introduce It's great. It's a great. Thank you thought spiral. I listen to both test episodes. There are two test episodes available on iTunes thought spiral By the way, the running gag is gonna be they're all test episodes That's the title of every show I Compare it. I don't smoke dope but to me It's like being high and listening to two friends talk Where I'm so stoned. I can't move my lips. I'm just gonna listen to my two buddies Make nonsense pretty good. I guess that's pretty good for the first two episodes, you know I'd like to get a little more formed, but not much because it's Andy It's Andy kindler who I call a bumblebee I think that's pretty that's a pretty good image because a bumblebee They can't explain How a bumblebee flies they actually asked And I don't understand how Andy kindler is his I mean, I love him No, I've actually described him as his showboot his act as greater than the sum of its parts The the and he should not fly not only does he do references that only I get sure Well, at least that's the trick. He's like Mary Tyler Moore, you know, every guy thought they were the only one Who thought Mary Tyler Moore was sexy? Oh, that's that was the trick to mystery science theater, too Is everyone thought that that reference how only us me and that Robot puppet know that reference, right? And Mary Tyler Moore took place in in Minneapolis. Also. Yes full circle There you go, but Andy takes it a further step by biting every hand that can feed him Like Rickles and if he's feeding himself, he'll bite his own hand How did you meet Andy kindler? You know, we honestly we can't remember but we have so many common friends It's you know, it's 20 plus years ago now that that had happened. Mm-hmm So I think it was probably at maybe Chris Bliss's house or just one of our common friends houses I think and is Andy a social animal Andy is not I don't his nature isn't to be a social animal He's I think he's a hermit who when he forced into a social situation Becomes a social animal and how do you force him into a social situation? You you schedule a set for him It's kind of like me Yeah, I think it's like most comics. I don't I don't think most comics are social animals for the most part. Why is that? Well, because I think we always feel like the other person isn't going to be interesting enough for us. Oh Was that too honest I oh well because it's either I'm not gonna be interesting enough for them Or they won't be interesting enough For me, but that's kind of interesting that you would lead off with that I oh, I'm always like reluctant to go to parties Yeah, well, I have I have big social anxiety myself me too and cocktail parties are are the absolute worst Situation for me because it's all small talk and you never get to a real conversation And something about that like makes my nervous system go into overdrive Are there any parties where you're relaxed if it's a part if it's a small part like dinner parties are great If it's a table full of people I basically know already then I'm very happy, you know But if it's if it's a room full of strangers, I would much rather be in front of them with a mic Then among them with a drink Do you mind if I repeat a story that you haven't heard what my listeners have? Sure. Okay Before Passover, especially if it goes that direction instead of the other one, okay Before Passover I was hanging out with Gilbert Godfrey, right? Uh-huh, and he was and by the way this story goes nowhere. It's just insight into who I am So Gilbert and I are sitting there with his amazing wife They were talking about trying to get John Davidson on the show do you remember John Davidson the singer good-looking guy son of a preacher man actually was the son of a preacher man and Gilbert remember mostly from God that's incredible and from his daytime talk show, right very pure and innocent Yes So Gilbert was saying he was having trouble Booking John Davidson for Gilbert's amazing podcast. I Said Why don't you call him up and say I'll only ask you about the Beverly Hills supper club You're too young to laugh Let me assure you let me assure you That What I said was absolutely horrid. It was horrible terrible disgusting evil and Gilbert loses it he loses it and he's like I and you know for me to You know have Gilbert losing it over something I said there you go and his beautiful wife didn't get it because she's innocent and beautiful and young and We explained it to her and then of course she loses it and Gilbert loses it and Gilbert goes off To a sader. I don't want to he has a magical show business sader Okay so I have to go to my sader and I'm driving with my sister and some other people I Said I have to go to a sader now and behave and And I can't talk about the Beverly Hills supper club fire with anybody and Gilbert gets to sit with 20 people and Do Beverly Hills supper club references and I just have to smile and answer questions And That's what happened. I Had a ghost for you know the Jewish Inquisition Right, what are you doing a? Giant letdown. How's your marriage? Why'd you get a divorce that that kind of thing? So are we only comfortable around Gilbert Godfrey? I Think it's other comics. I think no specifically Gilbert Godfrey though. Well, you know I don't if I hear that Gilbert's now comfortable with himself, which is a whole different dynamic I remember meeting Gilbert Godfrey. I Just started hanging out with Gilbert seriously And I would just gravitate to him whenever there was a party Like Fugel saying would have a party or something at the Friars Club He didn't really know me and I would just glom on to him So social anxiety Yeah, I heard a rumor that you live next door to Andy Not next door but with like a few blocks and he comes by in the middle of the afternoon to borrow a cup of obscure references, right? So do you hang with him Well, as much as he'll hang, you know, it's it's not it's it's now I hang with him once a week Which is part of my devious plot But since he moved in like a couple years ago, and we only saw each other slightly more than when he lived across town But I but I also started going we really need to do something together. We live too close to not now his temper This is one of the things people don't realize the police are always coming out to his house, right? Absolutely for him. He's reporting himself Domestic self-abuse And he's always fighting with the neighbors the tree is too big the figs are falling into my backyard It's clogging my gutters, right? Isn't he? Yeah, I think he would probably blame his gutters first And then probably rebel against that, you know So where do you see thought spiral going? Do you see live shows? Do you see? getting more political What we're kind of veering away from the political right now just because it's where a it's too much choir preaching Mm-hmm, and there's just there's better people doing that right now who who established a format to their show and things like that So that is very political and he's very political and so am I but if it's it's just wait It's an off-ramp from fun a lot of the time So for now where it's it's more just I Can't it's you know how like when you've you've had him as a guest many times I'm sure and I know you had him recently So and the trick when you're have him as a guest which I've done on my other show, too Is you let him go? So the trick on this show for me is to run alongside him And try you know and try to keep up and try to you know go we got a there's a cliff coming up Let's go right But otherwise, you know, it's pure Andy Uh-huh, and what have you discovered about doing your own podcast that you didn't know before For example, how hard was the license to get the test was was pretty tough, right for the podcasting license. It was really Yeah, it was hard. It was hard, but I studied I studied and studied See, I'm I'm in yes and Always yes and it's yes Andy is what it's we should have called it Yeah, I would say Jews are not good at improv because of the yes and No, if there were no, but we'd be okay. No, you're wrong Why don't you and Andy try to do that as an episode the no-but improv Where you just deny every premise What can we look forward to on Thought Spiral every Monday? We'll be coming out We've got a new one coming out Monday test your number three And I think you know you can look forward to us just getting better, you know I can't really promise anything other than you know, we've got 60 Plus years of show biz under our belt in this show. So we're gonna want to steer towards better I Don't know if you need to be better. I think well, that's very nice I think it's authenticity truth and honesty and it's already there Well, thank you. That's that's what I want mostly, but you know, I also want less of what would I what was I just saying? You know, that's not a great moment. I think when people listen to podcasts, they just want a Human being they want an interesting human being Who is just giving them the the truth? I Have a theory about certain types of podcasts and why I think your podcast is gonna be Great. You want to know why? I definitely do. Okay Most people are isolated Including me. Most people are desperately alone like me. Most people are starving for human Contact intellectual stimulation and friends We're a very lonely people the Americans were very lonely When you listen to two close friends talking It's reminiscent of our childhood. It's reminiscent of our older brother Talking to his cool friend and you know, I'll keep my mouth shut. Let me just come into your room I won't say anything. All right, and that's what a podcast is. That's what your podcast is it's the two cool older brothers who are letting you in to the bedroom so you can just hear them talk about stuff and Wow, we will never get a nicer description than that. Thank you. Really? Yeah, I love that and that's all a podcast has to be Yeah, I kind of agree. Yeah, it's a vibe. I don't I'm being serious. I don't have that So I have to work a lot harder. I'm serious. I'm not cool and I'm not endearing You guys just have this Cool banter your friends. It's a great car. It's a great car ride. That's what people are looking for in a podcast it's also a Medium in and of itself it it when I started I was thinking, okay. Well, this is an extension of my radio show No, it's different. It's It is it's personal and it is what it is Right, it's a podcast don't try to make it anything other than what it is I'm not giving you advice by the way. I'm just giving my like no I'll take it as advice, but I also will take it as affirmation that I kind of agree I don't I don't believe that a podcast is just a radio show with different distribution I think it's a different animal. Uh-huh and Again, I'm not trying there's I'm haunted by my appearance on Mark Marin I was I think his third guest Yeah, I was very condescending to him because I had been doing a podcast for maybe three months longer than he was so I was Skipping him advice. So and then of course I sound ridiculous because I'm Eating his dust. I remember when I was doing stand-up as a guy Sorry when I was a teenager and there was a go on the road with these guys who were just the most grizzled old veterans You go well, how long have you been doing and they'd be like four years? It at the beginning I'm still locked into that when I see Will Durst or Bobby Slayton But when I was starting at they had been doing it maybe four years longer than I had they they were They were seniors and I was Durst was one of my early grizzled veterans. Yeah, and now we're peers It changes. I'll tell you the advice that I'm giving myself Okay, so I don't want to sound ridiculous because a man in my position cannot afford to sound ridiculous Jack waltz Godfather My advice to myself is what I told my son and my daughters at their bar and Bart whatever their mitzvahs Right stay exactly the way you are right now. You're perfect. Oh, thank you. Don't change Well, there's it's kiddler. How much can change really? I make mistakes on this show When I when I change when I forget what this show is Or I get ahead of my skis as they say, right? Just be yourself. Don't change. I Will take that advice to heart Alex Brazil who is your producer you're with showbiz studios, right? Sure We have this we have the saying back to zero We always go it's time to reset back to zero what got us here and that's so remember You're first couple of episodes because you're gonna Stray from that and it may be a mistake. I'm not giving advice. I don't want to sound patronizing Yeah, I honestly don't I can't see a straying too far from what it is because I can't ever see any infrastructure Developing it's always gonna be Andy coming over at nine o'clock Monday night and I'm sitting down and I'm leaving a little after That's heaven That's why I listen that the the thought of being you know, I'm in New York I miss LA and the thought of hearing you two talk It's it's You know, I wish it were in smell of vision So I could get the pheromones the comedy pheromones That are Are you married? I am My life goes to bed when Andy comes over By the way Andy has almost as annoying a laugh as I do almost as annoying Yeah, well he has he has his his his showy laugh and his silent laugh. Yeah, he's got that staccato Teletype laugh that I love that I kind of have and it's just saying I think that's funny I think that's funny. I think that's funny. I think that's funny. Hey, yeah, so in if you're in a relationship My advice is and this is this is I'll give you advice from a from a failed marriage Yeah, yeah, I was about when you said I'm gonna give you advice I was thinking the last time I saw you in person when you were in town for your divorce proceedings The best way to maintain a relationship is remember What got you into that relationship? Working for Greg Keneer Is that how you met? Yeah, she was I was a writer on his talk show and she was his assistant talk soup Well, I worked on talk soup, but this was later on NBC. I love talk soup. Oh his late-night show after Conan, right? Yeah, I was the head writer in the second year, but I was a staff writer the first year Yeah, you know he's somebody you should never underestimate You underestimate Greg Keneer at your own peril that guy when he was in Sabrina by the way He was great in the remake of Sabrina and I remember thinking all right. Come on really Greg Keneer is gonna be an actor He's a great actor Yeah, but he grew into it I was working for him when he did Sabrina and you know I knew all those moves that he used in that movie But he sends grew into being a genuinely good actor and auto focus Yeah Have read a movie Bob Crane one right have you seen that I did yeah, do you remember auto focus? Yeah, it was sort of like the banality of sexuality It's one of the great movie. It is the one of the great Hollywood movies. What's the Ben Affleck movie about George Reeves Superman. I don't know that Great double feature is yeah similar stories. Yeah, kind of dark dark same darkness different eras I think I think he was so overlooked for auto focus if you want a great depressing movie rent auto focus It's the story of Bob Crane from Hogan's heroes who was an innocent and became very successful Got caught up in the world of early porn a video pioneer Pioneer Thought spiral every Monday on iTunes J. Elvis Weinstein. Thank you so much for joining us Thank you. It was fun. I know this now. We're doing the post what we do on my show is A wrap-up after the interview where I tell you what you did right and what you did wrong Okay, good. I'm kidding. We don't I'm here. I'm still in yes ammo. Oh, okay Stay on the line. We're gonna stop it. Stay on the line for a second. Okay