What's up, everybody?

Welcome back to another episode of Paul's Best Podcast.

This is the podcast where we only talk about the best.

If you are looking for negative shit, you are in the wrong place.

My guest today is somebody that I wanted on the show.

I'm so excited.

I'm not gonna say where, but we're actually somewhat neighbors.

Uh, nobody's coming to find the.

Front man Matchbox twenty three Time Grammys, three Grammys.

Rob Thomas is here.

Dude, You're the best.

Thank you so much for being you, for having me.

I'm so excited to talk about positive holiday shit.

What are you well?

I lied we're going abortion trans And then as I just said, Aaron's like, wait, no, we didn't sign up for this.

No, yeah, we just told we're not doing any of that shit.

We're gonna give as.

Long as we're talking about abortion and trans in the holidays, it's gotta be.

It's gotta be into Twine.

Where's not Christmas abortions.

I'm out of here.

I'm just gonna say Christmas abortions only.

Oh, my favorite band they're playing, They're playing Coachella next week, Christmas abortions.

That would be a wild name for a band.

But that's what actually, you know what, I literally just thought of that when you come up with a name for a band, because my little brother was in a band.

There's some band names that are like just simple, Oh we saw a car and did that?

When you come up with a name, how.

Did you do that?

I mean, it's the same kind of thing we were.

We had a record deal before we had a name, and so yeah, so we were like we went through a million I think we were almost called Wood.

We were really close to being called Wood, you know, and and all with no sense of irony, like we weren't you know, we weren't like going for Yeah, there's.

No reason it didn't have like a double meaning.

It was like it was just that and uh, and then we at the last minute, like we saw a guy at a bar and he had a jersey on with a big twenty on it and a bunch of patches, and one of the patches had a matchbox and I looked over it like this.

It was kind of like a frat bar because it was near a college, yeah, in Orlando.

And I leaned over to this guy next to me, this drunk stranger, and I was like, hey, would you would you go see a band called Matchbox twenty?

And he goes Matchbox twenty and I was like, that sounds so good when he yells it, that's awesome, Like, you know, dude.

Me and my wife were on I believe, we were on the Sawmiller six eighty four and we're coming up with names from my son yeah, and she was like, you know, I don't.

I was like, I don't like Luke because it's just a little too abrupt.

I like Luke, but it's a little abrupt.

And I was like, plus they could make fun of it with like rhymes, and the last name is yeah, you know.

So I'm like, I'm like Luke Versey, you know.

And as we're talking, Rob I swear to God, A cargoes by and in big it just said Lucas Oil and I go, Lucas Lucas and I go.

As we're talking about it, we both looked and we go, his name's Lucas Versey and that was it.

It was like happened that way it was meant to, and it just flew by and big let and I was like, oh, I always look at it like a band name is kind of like a name that you because like right now, I don't it doesn't matter.

If we like Matchbox twiny or not.

We think it's a stupid name.

It's that's who we are now.

That's an art, you know what I mean?

Just like you don't know, you give you you you like Paul, it doesn't matter, You're like Rob, it doesn't matter, Like that's what that's what you got.

That's it, you know.

That's that's so funny because I always wonder, like do bands have like a meeting Guys, we're meeting at my house tonight.

We're not leaving until we have a name.

I mean, I'm sure maybe.

What we know you make you just make non stop lists and you still do.

I mean like you just did now with you know, with a Christmas abortion by the way, new record coming next to next year's it's so bad positivity but no.

But but you know, like we still like everything sounds like a band name.

Now.

It's always like, oh, you know, oh that's a good band name.

That's good name.

Yeah, yeah, you hear something wild.

You're like, what about if that for it.

Was a yeah?

And a lot of times I'm like, like my son had a band called handmade house.

And then they did, like he called me up one day, like and nobody knew who the fuck they were.

But he's like, we're revamping everything.

We're gonna do new songs, but nobody knows these songs yet.

And he's like, new songs, new look, new name.

And then they now they call themselves The Lucky, and I'm like that is better.

I like that The Lucky.

Yeah, the Lucky's cool.

That did you start the band.

A match box?

Yea, yeah, I was so.

It was me and uh, two of the guys, Paul and Brian from Matchbox twenty used to be in a band, a local band called Taba the Secret, and we were like the local band like if so if like major acts came in and needing an opener, we would open.

That's awesome.

And then if like, uh, you know, we would we would travel like as far as like maybe Tennessee and down to Miami like van and trailer, you know, doing a few gigs here and there.

But we were like I remember we were a big logo because I remember my my buddy Adam from Counting Crows, like I met him when they first before we were ever doing anything, and I remember introducing myself to him.

This is so cringe.

I said, oh, hey, I'm Rob.

I'm kind of in the big local band.

That's like, yeah, just so you give a ship so you know.

Oh.

You know what's funny is we were talking before we lived where we lived now.

I was telling you before the show we were in.

We were in Mount Kisco, New York, and we were in a restaurant and I'm starting to I'm starting to make a name slowly.

I'm like up and coming comic.

I remember there were comedians like Bill Burr would be like, hey, I want you to open for me.

But I was like, you know, coming up and we're eating and my wife goes, dude, I think Rob Thomas is at the table next to us.

And it's one of those things where like, I would never be the cringe guy to be like, hey, dude, big fan.

I love match.

By the way, so I'm coming up in comedy.

You'd be like, what the fuck does that even mean?

But at the same time, you like, if you appreciate somebody, you feel like it's a little better than if it was just Joe Smith, even though it's not to you.

Yeah, yeah, no, I want you mean like yeah.

So the other day.

The other day, I went to this premiere and it was it was a Hugh Jackman movie, and somebody had told me, oh, yeah, you gotta see he was a big fan.

And so I watched the movie and I know I knew Kate.

She Kate Hudson's in it, and I knew Kate.

Yeah, Like I came over said hi to her and like you Jackman standing there and so I come over with all of this kind of like hey, it's Rob and he was like yeah, and then I was I was I'm in the receiving line, thank you, and I just kept moving on.

But I came in like, you know, I'm not to have a moment, dude, you know with Wolverine.

And it was not that I was like hey Rob, no recognition.

Oh and this is my wife and this is.

My mother in law and it kind of and they almost put you in like because we got feelings, we're vulnerable, right, you almost want to be like, no, do a matchbox when you're but but of course you're not.

My wife was like, you know, if you would have said sure, and she was like well, and also because I was like I wanted to take a picture I knew he's good friends with Ryan Reynolds, and Ryan is my neighbor.

And I was like, oh, I want to get a selfie just chill Ryan.

I thought that would have been you know, but I all these just went right out of me because I don't have that chip in me, Like my wife always says, Like when I was coming here, my wife, don't forget you have a new single coming out next year.

Don't forget you have a record out.

She's like, you're the worst self promoter of all time.

Dude, it's so funny you said that.

I am too, And my wife gives me shit for I'm doing the Grammarcy Theater last year.

And I go, you know what, I never I'm about a merch guy.

I'm just not.

I'm working on my new hour.

I'm not a guy to sell shit after.

And I'm like, you know what, I haven't been to a Grammarcy theater.

What if we do?

Like and it's a good shirt.

It's a good shirt and it said like versy and then in the name it had New York City skyline and it said the date and it said Gramercy Theater.

And it was awesome, and you know, you know, people come out and the theaters.

I'm so excited and I do the show and I just don't mention it.

I just don't mention that I have merch.

I don't tell anybody to mention.

Sure, So there was just somebody downstairs with all these shirts and like, luckily the only way people bought them is if they actually went down to go to the bathroom.

Other than that, I didn't mention it.

I had them printed and it was just like.

Sounds like a good shirt, by the way, And here's why, because it sounds like the kind of shirt that somebody would wear because it looks like a brand as much as it looks like your name.

Yes, like those are my feel like anything.

Yes, the best selling shirts, for some reason are the shirts with your picture on them, which are the least favorite of me because I wouldn't wear a shirt with my you know, with a picture, sure, But like I love a logo, yes, you know what I mean, because if I see the logo of like a band, ye, I'm more likely to wear that.

That's awesome then, you know.

But I like there's all these pictures like of like because every picture of me looks the same, It looks like it looks like me in a video, which is kind of like me doing this.

It's my it's my blue steel.

Yeah, you're like, can it not look like because when you shoot the videos, right, you shoot the videos?

Do you?

Are you the one going?

I want like when I come across from my face is there during that lyric?

I want you don't do that?

No?

No, I mean usually like we come up with concepts like this is the we want this video to be about this, and we find directors that kind of want to work with us on that guy.

But then it's like after you know, you do this for twenty thirty years, and then people are like, oh, you must be a good actor because you do so many videos.

And I'm like, well, yeah, if I'm in a movie, well my character see something interesting far away and his right his left arm hurts, you know, and I am fucking I am your guy?

Yeah, what's the grabby of the arms?

So funny?

That was it Andy.

It was coming up.

It was always like you had to have a picture in front of you there a brick wall or on train tracks.

I know.

It's like you had to be a band and you had to be like one guy had to be like down in the front like boys to men's style.

Not quite squatting, yeah, like a half.

But it's so funny that with that face is a sub girl.

And in stand up comics with I can't stand when you see a stand up comic headshot and they're like, oh dude, this gosh, they're like, I'm like, you fucking sid I already don't want to see your act.

It's like the chiron at the bottom when you're watching a show and it's like some buddy comedy like coming up at eight.

I can't these.

Fucking guys, Oh my god.

Yeah, oh dude, I can't know.

That actually makes me not want to see their act, and I actually judge their act on it.

I'm like, if that's what you're putting out with pictures, I can't.

Yeah, I mean it's got to be so, I mean it's so hard to be because you're the best comedian in the world.

Is gonna be the best version of himself, absolutely, and so yeah, if you're like, if you're not self conscious taking that fucking picture, then you're I don't want to know you, dude.

That is no, that's perfect.

That is perfect, Yes, because it's like I remember like Luis c.

K said this, and it's so true.

It's like when you could be the real, authentic, funny self off stage.

On stage, that's when you evolve, and that's really like what our business is like when it's like, yeah, you may be exaggerated, you may get physical, but it's like it's like what I would sit with my boys and talk about or rant about.

That's what I'm doing on stage.

So those pictures should be vulnerable because you're almost like uncomfortable because you're like, I'm not asking like crying, just the fetal position, dude, you know what somebody was Like, Rob's real cool because you know, here's the thing like when you don't when you know somebody through what they do, Like I'm sure we have mutual friends.

You just told me you've been on comedy pot.

We have mutual friends.

But then when you meet somebody, isn't it funny how you meet somebody and you know right away?

Oh yeah, it's because I can know right away regardless of any of your like anything else, Like I don't care about your view I don't know your views.

I don't know anything you don't know mine.

I don't know your sports teams you don't know mine, right, we could like rival teams.

But you meet somebody and you're just like I can and then you meet.

Isn't it worse when when you meet the opposite and.

So you're about to have to do something with him for a period.

It's like getting a bad massage, you know how, like you know how you know you know in like the first minute, this fucker is just about to rub oil on me for an hour.

This is not going to be as so funny and you're in it.

Having to do one of these with somebody that you immediately don't work with has got to be like an hour long bad massage.

I think an hour long bad massage is maybe like an hour long you know, you know the first you know, the first rub that they're they're don't it's not gonna help, it's not it's not firm, it's not going to really relax you.

And now you're just in it.

I mean I feel that.

I mean obviously that's there's a thing where like I know it when I meet if I step into a car and there's somebody driving the car.

If you if you go to a restaurant and the waiters there, you know what I mean like, because it's an energy that flows off with somebody, and if and it's a giving energy, all right, so withholding energy, yeah, So if they're giving, then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, I can work with that, you know, I mean I can feel with that.

But if it's a withholding in any situation, you're like, oh, you feel like alone, you're closed off from something.

It was funny because I was just talking to another comedian about this an actor where it's like if you go on a movie set, right, like I was on a movie set and they were like, dude, we're gonna just run the lines like six times away it's written, and then we want you to be you.

We want you to rant the way you would normally rant.

That's why you're here.

And they were so cool and nice that all my nerves went away because I'm like, oh, they they But then when you get somebody that's like just like, you know, using their power and it's really not about the what's going on, it's about them.

It's a projection of their power.

It's yeah, and you're just like yeah, it's like you said, You're like, I got to deal with this.

I was doing this thing years ago with Wyclef Jean.

Yeah, and I wrote a song and it was like I wrote a song that he was producing for and I was for Carlos and Big Boy and Mary J.

Blige.

Wow.

And so I'm in the room with Wycleff and I didn't even know why he wanted me there, and he goes and so we sit down and we get really really high and we were still hyph because High Times was there, so it was on top of hy Cluff, who is his own High Times.

Then we had High Times there.

So like we're pretty messed up.

And he goes, so and in the demo that I gave him, I played the guitar and I'm not a guitar player, and I kind of went through it like piece by piece and played this this lead part okay.

And so when I get that, you know, to the moment, and he goes, here, take the guitar cause I want you to play that part.

And I was like, oh, no, man, I don't.

I don't play guitar.

He said, no, man, I like what you did.

I want you to do it.

And I was like, no, man, listen, I don't.

And the light went out of his eyes and he was like, oh, like, ken, we give this look like you're not one of us.

Oh you know yea.

And from that, like, I thought about that moment.

That was fucking twenty years ago, and I think about it all the time because I'm like, always take the guitar, you know what I mean, Like if like, if somebody is there and they're like, you know, like man, you go like, yeah, let me let me do it.

Take the reins, Like yeah, wow, you have a chance to be bold.

Be bold.

Oh that's really honest though of you to like, yeah, to know that.

I saw why Cliff at I saw why Cliff at Vassar College and he played the national anthem his mouth.

It was the craziest shit I ever seen.

He was doing hitting some he was hitting some strings with his and I was like, what.

He's an insane talent.

He is right now, by the way.

I saw him again like ten years after that, and we were at an airport and I was telling him this story.

He doesn't remember it.

No, that all to you.

Yeahh that was I mean, that was all in me.

I'm surprised to you remember that I was there, you know.

Because your insecurity was like when he was like looked at me like, okay, it just it sticks with you.

Because you're musicians and comedians.

They get along in a lot of ways because it's like it's always about our insecurity, Like it's always about the distance between who we think we are and who we think we're supposed to be, and that space in between is like where the art comes from, It's where the jokes come from, it's where the songs come from.

Ude.

So like, I don't trust comedians or musicians who really think that they're cool.

Yeah, you know, yeah, Okay, guys.

Before we continue with the podcast, we have some stand up comedy shows to announce.

I will be performing New Year's Eve December thirty first at the Comedy Connection in Providence, Rhode Island, for two shows eight and ten thirty.

I will also be one of the best comedy clubs in America January the eighth at the Washington, DC Improv.

We also have Valentine's Day weekend February twelfth through the fourteenth one of the best rooms in the country, Tampa Side Splitters, and for more dates go to Paulvursey dot com.

More twenty twenty six states will be announced very soon.

Let's get back to the show.

That's so funny you said that, because I remember as I started to turn a corner in comedy, it was weird.

The better I got at stand up, the more insecure I got, and I had to really call up some people and be like hey, man, like and I you know some monster comedians, some greats.

I would call and like people that were mentors and friends, and I would just be like, hey, something's going on, Like I'm getting bigger gigs, and people are like, things are really working right now.

But I feel like the more that that happens, and they were like, that's growth, that's evolution.

Also because you're not like you're now existing in a plane with with people that are better.

You know, like when you're the big local band, there's a reason why, you know what I mean, Like it's like, okay, you you rose above that.

But the next thing, you know, like we get signed and we go and we plan a show and it was like us we were opening for the Stones.

Wow, it was like we were the first, but it was us Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Matthews and the Stones.

Holy, so like yeah, we do.

We hit that stage with confidence and we leave that stage just standing there going, oh shit, we have so much to learn, right, you know, like oh my god, like like you watching it, like yeah, I don't feel like I'm one of them yet, Like I want to be one of them.

I want that confidence, I want that poise, I want that, you know, whatever that is, and I can only see that I don't have that yet.

So then if you're you know, if you're really working your craft, then you go back and you're just like you chisel away at it over and over and over, and that's why you do, you know, four thousand hours of rehearsals and practices and gigs were you know that you're that you're doing just for you.

And it's like you said, if anybody ever gets off stage and they're like, man, I'm fucking killing it, I'm the shit, I'm like, dude, you gotta like if you do that, you know, it's always like, you know, there's a story about Rodney Dangerfield, my first manager.

Also you know, he he was cool Dangerfield and Dangerfield got off stage after murdering I mean Dangerfield murdered and he got off stage and I was like, Rodney, you just killed and he goes, I shouldn't have said the in that sentence, because he knows that if you would have taken that word out, and it's like, but that's what a real I think, like, that's what really like, if you're really trying to get to the top of your craft, you're doing that.

You're not going didn't I kill Fuck, It's like.

Come on, I can get for myself as I can walk off after what I feel like was a good gig and go that was good, right, right, that's right, it's right baby, my wife.

Yeah that was good to that sound good everything you know, and you're like you kind of get the insurance and you don't want to talk about anymore.

You're like, it's good, that's great.

All right.

So here's how the show works.

I'm so glad you're here, dude, because this is this is gonna be perfect because I didn't know.

And it's funny you don't you know things about people, but you don't know, like how the fuck am I gonna know your hobbies or what you like?

And somebody goes, hey, you know, Rob is like really into Christmas and he's like really into like Christmas movies and decorations.

Yeah.

I was like, that's soon.

Ship when when they first brought this up, and they're like, well, what like what like when you talk about like, you know, we talked about favorite movies, you can talk about favorite foods.

What what you're thinking?

I was like, well, like right, and you know this isn't going to happen in the holidays.

Yeah, and during the holidays like everything like right at Thanksgiving shuts off until after just after Christmas and it's it's all Christmas.

Like right now, I've got people going, oh, are you watching this documentary?

Are you doing this?

And I'm like, well, it's in my queue, but I'm only watching Christmas right now.

So do you are you?

Because my wife now now, my wife will not it has to be Christmas music like in the car And I was like, yeah, but that one song you want to hear that?

She goes, Paul, she goes, and we just put on.

Like you got so you got serious satellite?

You got to go between Channel fifteen, which is Jimmy Fallon's Christmas and then Channel four, which is Holly and there's two are there's we go back and forth between There's there's a country Christmas.

Okay, you know, if you if you're so inclined and there's like old fashion Christmas, which is nothing but like standards, you know.

Okay, there's there's they're peppered all through out there.

But we're Channel four, Channel fifteen.

Child four, Channel fifteen on serious.

Okay, so we decided we're going to talk some Christmas movies.

Okay, well you are the here and I will give you the floor.

Now I'm not understand and by the way, there's no order, so you don't have to it's not like top of it just yet.

Now we have what we call big ticket items.

Now for big ticket items, we can like we can start now, but we can't start too far away from Christmas.

But those are basically like Big Studio you know, Sure, Family Man with with Nick Cage, It's a Wonderful Life, The Grinch with Jim and The Grinch with benn At cumberbatchuh like you know, so those kind of films that Christmas vacation, right, yeah, yeah, that's then there's there's the kind of like lower ticket items, which are like Hallmark movies that are that over the years we started watching like they have these this franchise like Three Wise Men and a Baby and they have like and they're they're they're kind of like of the Hallmark These seem like real actors and real movies.

And then there's another category of before there were Hallmark movies.

Ye, they used to have.

It used to be ABC Family, You do the twenty five Days of Christmas, and they would do one movie a year, and it was like they'd really put fucking effort into it, right, And so two of those stuck around.

The last night we watched one.

It was called Holiday and Handcuffs.

Okay, but I know how ridiculous I sound.

I just want to do no.

I want to preface all this by saying, I know how ridiculous I sound, especially because when I'm not in the holidays, Like all I watch is the darkest shit, you know what I mean, Like it is all like give me the darkest saddest I can find, and then as soon as Christmas comes on, I'm just like it is fucking magical.

That's it's better stay magical.

I was gonna say, this is about Candy and Eli Man's coming to town.

Yeah, that's great, Like like where like where's where's your vibe?

What?

Like do you have do you have a like an order that you can watch movies in I would say this.

I would say for Christmas movies, the ones that I really can't take my eyes off of are kind of the big one, like I'm a big Christmas vacation of course, but it's it's more of Chevy Chase's facial things.

The way he like, there's like I look at it so different, like as like a comedic actor, Like the way he would like even when he was, you know, flipping through the magazine and it's stuck on his in the stickiness and he's going like this and he's trying to take it off while he's talking.

I'm going like stuff like that killed me.

When when Randy Quaid, when he Randy Cidd, he goes over and he's he's got the Marty Moose mug and he's got the Dicky with the sea through sweater.

The Dicky is the fast and he comes over and he's there's that little propeller thing and he hits it and it falls apart, and then he looks at it like it's its fault.

He's like he goes like like like, what's my wife?

And I that's our favorite, Like we've watched these so many times because you can imagine like that if that movie's twenty years old, and it is nine, So I've seen it that many times at least.

Yes, And there's no other movie I can say that about.

But when a Christmas movie like I'll I run through the same usual suspects and a couple of new ones every year.

Yep.

So like that means I've seen it's a wonderful life at least thirty times.

Wow, you know what I mean?

Yeah, of course I don't think twice about.

And we live up in Westchester, which is kind of like where that was supposed to happen.

Bedford Falls is like an amalgamation of of like a bunch of different towns up in Westchester.

Sure, and near me there's a theater, the Bedford Playhouse in Bedford Village, and it's like it's a tiny, little, you know, community theater, not for profit kind of a thing.

And so we every year, my wife and I and friends, we get tickets.

It's a wonderful life in this little theater.

But you got to buy them in the summer because.

They's shell out.

Yeah.

No, that's amazing.

And I love that you said that, because I was talking the other day about that when he went like this and he goes and then he's eating the nuts.

Yeah, and he goes.

You know, but what do you say, College goes Carnival.

Yeah, she moved on with his career.

Oh my god, spready she's she's spready pixie Dust on the tilt World World.

I was like, I'm still trying to figure out how to fit that into a song lyric, like because I just thought spreading Freddy pixie Dust on the tilter World was like the greatest line of all time.

But now my wife's got me into the not into this, but one of my wife's favorite Christmas movies Rob is Arthur Christmas.

Arthur Christmas.

Yeah, sure, you know what they forget the bike with kids and then yeah yeah, home alone of course.

But you know Mike, you know Mike frances Is, you know Mike frances He was a a fan.

He was like, you know, Mike and the Mad Dog.

He just ruined Home Alone from me because he just goes, He just he goes, he goes.

You know, Christmas movies are really tough.

There's not many good ones.

He goes a wonderful life, a miracle on thirty fourth Street and then so they go, but Mike, what about Home Alone and he goes, he goes, it's a cartoon for twelve year olds, and I just and I was like, yeah, so what yeah, And I'm like, yeah, okay, but he's like those you know what, those guys are gonna slip on this and slip on that.

And then I then I said what you said?

Yeah, but you know what I'm going back to because I remember being in the movie thirty Nobody's.

Ever like watched Hold Alone and been like, you know what, what I'm missing is an element of danger.

Did like I never feel like that little fucker is gonna die and that bothers me every year.

Did you see family guy do it?

Oh yeah?

Where he goes, Yeah, the doorknob was hot, but I didn't hold on to it, and he goes yeah, and then the ice on the stairs and he just shot him.

But that's what your friend wants, Like, that's you.

Know, yeah, that's not what it is.

You gotta you gotta Home Alone is from me because I remember where Home Alone impacted me so much.

I remember where I was.

I was in a packed movie theater in Yonkers, New York, off of Central Avenue with my dad and brother and the scene that got me was when the little Nero's guy went around back with the and he heard the gunshots in the pot and he's running through and he's to me like, I'm like, I'm like eleven or twelve, and I'm like, I don't know how old Macaulay Culkin is, but he's probably close to my He's probably in his forties.

And and like, I think I don't know how old he was.

He was seven or eight in the movie.

I'm like, maybe a little older.

And I'm like, dude, Dad got me man, And I was like, he's going against him.

He's home.

He's like, you know, So for me, that one is always going to stay.

You know.

And you know, the common denominator between that and Christmas Vacation is John Hughes.

Yes, incredible who I mean.

You know, like offscript of Christmas, but you know it was responsible for so much of our childhood.

John Hughes movie.

Yeah.

I mean they're like even what like Princes Staines and Automobiles, all the ones like that he wrote and directed, as well as the ones that are like the sixteen Candles and say anythings, and you know the ones that we all know ye to be like him, Yes, but anything that he put his hands on had those had you know, had this kind of magic to it.

And he had a way of doing he had a way of hitting comedy with that feel of love though right like there was there was like them, Oh dude, come on, I mean Candy, Yeah, I mean Candy and Uncle Buck was.

I mean Candy was funny and home alone.

Yeah, you know, I totally forgot about that.

He was in the trouble.

Pok Poka kissed me Poka and she's like, I don't know, there's no way she would know his band.

I mean two weeks.

I do want to say for uh, I mean bad parenting all around.

I mean they made three of those goddamn movies.

That's true.

I mean even thought about it.

Yeah, just neglected parents.

Yeah.

Part four was like they take the kid away like he's in the system.

Another one my wife's all time favorite is elf Elf.

I saw elf like when it came out because we used to go to uh when when my wife's parents still they like everybody from Queen's they moved to Florida at some point.

Yeah, yeah, so we'd always spend the holidays in Florida and the day after Christmas was like movie day and we'd all go and that was the one that we saw.

My wife has this weird thing about gum, gum, gum, mint, candy, like anything gum.

And likes it or doesn't like it.

She gags, like just gags just the thought of it.

Oh, I haven't been able to chew gum for twenty seven years and so.

So gum freaks her out, freaks her out.

And so there's that scene where he's picking the gum from the subway platform.

Remember, like he comes in and first he's just eating the gums.

Yes, so my wife to this day has never seen it because of that you watch it every year.

No, she watched the movie, but she but every time that she goes up and she holds her face until I say, okay, it's clear, and then she comes out and she'll watch the rest of the movie.

But she's never seen that scene.

That is the gross part where he takes it all and he keeps eating it one after the other.

So she got like a so she so you can't you gum around, I can't chew.

Gum around her?

And no mint, but mint is like you know, you find out in twenty three and me, mint and cilantro are two things that, like you you have a predisposition.

Also, she can't she can't smell it or taste mint.

It's like her she has like rose toothpaste because she can't have any mint in her toothpaste.

Like it it makes her gag.

Wow, But that that's it's funny that she's seen that movie again every year since it's come out.

That's so funny.

I just picture your first date and she's just like, Hey, just so you know, you just gotta I just gotta get this out of the table.

No mint.

It's just like it's like I don't mind, I don't mind your cigarette breath, but as long as you don't try and follow it.

With some gums smoke all the weed you want, just don't just don't touch gum.

Wow, that's a I haven't heard that one before, but.

It's in your twenty three and me, like, there's two.

Cilantro and mint are two things that like it shows whether you have an aversion to it, Like I think.

I've heard it's the cilantro one.

Cilantro people are like some people are really weird with cilantra.

Like I don't even notice it.

I don't.

Yeah, I actually enjoy There's really nothing that I I don't eat.

Uh, I mean we're off topic.

No, I don't.

I don't.

You know what I don't fuck with?

I don't.

I don't need corn.

I don't fuck with sweet potatoes.

Really yeah, I had a bad experience, like once somebody shoved in my mouth when I was a kid, and then that was kind of it.

Corn though, I mean there's a lot of corn.

What about corn based products?

Corn chips?

Oh yeah, corn ship.

I'll have just not corn on the pop corn in a movie.

I'll have corn on the cop straight.

Just not a complete freak.

No, no, no, peas.

I can't funk with it's corn, peas and.

Cultill gangster here.

I don't fuck with peas like.

You know, peas and Coastla.

Fuck you get out of my house, you know what I mean?

We can hang out, but.

Are so like, what so you got kids?

How many kids?

I have two kids.

My son is sixteen and my daughter's thirteen.

So what is the when they were younger?

I would imagine then what was the like what was themo like Christmas Day?

Do you have family come over?

Is it bigger for bigger for me and my family.

It was the biggest day for me is Christmas Eve.

Right.

Christmas Eve was like we would all get together.

We would bring like one or two gifts for everybody just to have something to open.

We would eat.

It was more fat.

Christmas Day was cool.

I got into a big argument with I gotta do a big argument with Robert Kelly.

We do a podcast together.

Yeah, Bobby Kelly and we would do that bone to pick podcast over there.

But anyway, and by the way.

My middle name is Kelly, So I'm also a Robert Kelly.

Are you and him and I are both are Kelly's put that into the okay.

Yeah, So we got into a huge well, we got into two huge fights.

One he puts Thanksgiving over Christmas, which to me is it's not even a real It's nuts number one number two Christmas Day to me.

And I know people are like, oh, you know, it's it's Jesus Birthday.

I get all that, But for me, the anticipation of the big Man coming, He's coming right gets night.

Everybody gets excited.

The gifts are under the tree, people are having some drinks, all that, the songs.

Christmas Day is cool, but I feel like after.

That it's already leaving my body.

It's like a Sunday.

Yep, it's like a Sunday night where it's great and it was good, but tomorrow's Monday, right.

I feel like once the gifts are horn open and everybody tries their shit on and then you're kind of like, all right, we're gonna have something to eat, and then it's over.

But the night before Christmas Eve is the greatest night my wife and I.

It's always been so for twenty we've been together for twenty almost twenty eight years, but so imagine for like twenty five of them.

Yeah, ever since we moved out of the city, it's been.

She used to live in Greece before I met her.

So she makes Greek.

No, she's Puerto Rican and Spanish, okay, but she her boyfriend was Greek before she met me.

And uh and rich and and attractive and whatever.

I'm not better Paul and so so but see so because of like she so every night every Christmas Eve she makes musaka.

This this great stort and okay, so so she makes musaka and we have Spanic copa and that's always our that's our our Christmas Eve and so and you know that's an all day you got to cook it all day.

Yeah, you start like in the morning, you gotta blant the eggplant and you gotta you know.

So we do all that and then we used to sit down and watch It's a Wonderful Life.

And now that it's a Wonderful life, we go to the theater.

Our our Christmas Eve movie is Friday Afternext with ice Cube.

That's fucking hilarious, which.

Is a Christmas movie.

It is a full on Christmas movie.

Oh that's right.

Yeah.

It starts off with Santa Claus Robin the House.

Yeah, Ricky Smiley.

Yeah, yeah, see that's Ricky Smiley.

So we I believe Kat Williams is in that one, right, totally.

Oh my god, Pimp and pimpin Pimp.

Yeah, yeah it was.

It's a great Christmas movie.

And that is that is our Christmas Eve ritual every year.

And it's the same thing.

Man, Like I once Christmas Day comes, I'm I'm like, I'm just you know what, Yeah, Christmas Day, Hallmark movies lose their sheen.

So yeah, it's like all of a sudden, that whole like spell that I was under, it just starts to go away, and I'm like, okay, and let's let's go back to Robert Kelly and this Thanksgiving fucking bullshit.

Sorry Robert Kelly, but let me explain something.

So we all now are started going from Halloween straight to Christmas, and that's because a, let's just face it, we need some We just need some good and cheer, you know what I mean.

Like I kind of feel like it's more often as like, okay, please let me just get right to it.

Yeah, give me the like right in my veins, I want the sugar.

Let's go, you know, yeah, and those good feelings.

But also it's like, and this is not a political statement, but the idea that it's a lot of us just don't necessarily buy into the same story about Thanksgiving that we did when we were kids, right, and the reason for it.

And so it's become about family, and it's become about gathering together, and it's become kind of like the opening act for the holiday, right you know.

So like now it's like, you know, you have your Halloween to get ready for the season.

Here it comes here, It comes for us every year.

That's a good way to look at it.

It's the Macy's Day parade.

You turn it on when you wake up on Thanksgiving Day and then when Santa comes down the street, it's Christmas and that's you know, so everything you know.

Thanksgiving is just like, hey, what a great time to be with you give thanks I love that idea.

I love you know, you and your family getting together.

I love like having that bonding.

You know, I love all that.

But it really is just kind of like, you know, it's the opening act to get yourself into the holiday.

Halloween is like you know, when you go to a theater show, Halloween comes out first.

It goes, guys, we got a great show for you.

It's I want you to enjoy it.

Halloween is the MC.

The opening act is Thanksgiving and the headliners like a lot of times we got we have you have three acts, right and stand up?

You have the host, you have the middle, and you have the headliner.

Yeah, exactly, that's exactly.

Did you you never did stand up?

Did you ever do stand up?

No?

No?

Do you have any friends that did like that?

You came up with doing it?

No?

No?

No.

It's weird too because I was a comic nerd.

I always have been.

Like when I was a kid, there was a magazine that was very short lived, but it was called stand Up Magazine and it was like everything and it was about like different stand up acts and they would even do like one like skit or a bit, they like write it out and you would have it like you could read the whole thing.

I remember, like once it was Gary Shanling and it was like one of his whole things, you know, and it doesn't read you know, without that kind of master sure, But it was just like I was.

I've always I was always fascinated everything, like every special everything, you know.

Coming up, especially there was there was that really big boom in the eighties where stand up comedy really kind of took on this kind of rock star life.

Yes, and there was more and more stand up specials and there was more you know, yeah, and so like I that was where I was coming up as a kid of the eighties.

The reason why I asked you is because you have a comic thing.

You have a like That's why I was just wondering, like you ever do an open You have a comic thing about you where I could see you do you know what I mean?

Like a personality wise, right, there's some people that are like Oh, I bet you like that.

Dude.

Is it because I'm dead inside?

Yeah?

Maybe because of all that dark vulnerability.

I'm like, yeah, dude, he's got the darkness because we all it is funny though, how like when I first got into comedy, I kind of rebelled against people saying that yeah.

I was like, what do you mean?

Oh, but you must have had some horrible things happen when you were younger, or like are you like depressed and anxious?

And I'd be like, dude, I'm just like funny, like don't put me in this.

And then as I got older and I started going to therapy, I'm like, oh, yeah, no, I'm fucked up.

I have there's so why are you?

Maybe I am, but why are you so fucking happy?

But that has to be all performing arts.

That has to be musicians too, I think.

So.

I mean again, you know that that kind of like, I mean, there's a sense of like I wasn't a super cool kid, even I knew a lot of people in high school, but I wasn't popular and I was always in trouble.

And I think that was like I was I could, I could get in trouble, and but like that was my attention, you know, because I could be the kid, you know, let me do it for you.

I don't mind, you know what I mean, I'll take this bullet and I'll go, you know, be the one that gets in trouble.

Do you have you come from a broken home or no?

Yeah?

Sure, yeah, yeah, I mean you know you brokesh, you.

Know, not fully broken.

My wife and by the way, and I won't but my wife is like, listen when you go on there, this is this is a positive show.

You know.

My wife, she's listening me.

No, he wants to hear your sad Christmas stories because our whole things is like She'll be like, oh my god, when I was a little girl and my mom would make that da and I'm always like like Kate McKinnon on us and they're like, oh, it's a little different from me.

I remember that one time my mom was making up with that convict and like it was a you know, it got really dark.

So yeah, I think maybe that's part of the reason why I do love you know.

I love that I've been in this great relationship for twenty eight years, and I love that Christmas is a nice, magical time and you know when my son was growing up, That's all he ever knew was you know, between his mom and with me and my wife, it was always just kind of you know, love around the holidays.

And it's funny because like when you have somebody on the show on the podcast, I knew that you knew and was into comedy, which was great.

But then I also started to like hear things about where I really got excited you were coming through because they were like, Rob's a family because like I'm very you know, I'm very much like I'm a family guy.

And not that I am not don't not that I don't love the comedy community.

I do, but I'm not one of those like like I'm not gonna to go to like the community like the comedy baseball.

I'm like, I love my job.

I go to my job.

I love the camaraderie in the green room.

Hey, how you doing, how's your family?

But I go on stage, I do my shit, and I love.

Got some friends that spent all of their life like at concerts and shows and going and I'm just like, how is your wife still with you?

Like are you like you we were just on the road for like three months.

Yeah, you know, we just got home.

Yeah, and then last night you were aware.

And like I've become I don't know about you, dude, I've become a such a big homebody, like to the point where like sitting home, Like I love the gig, I love being on stage, and then I love putting the mic down, getting in the car and just putting a movie on and being at home.

And like the older I get, the more I man.

I just got like because I was in Australia for a month and we and we had just been on the road through the summer.

Yeah, so and my wife because she was having some health issues and she couldn't come with me to Australia.

And that's the longest that we've been apart in twenty seven years, just over a month.

And so when I got home, like I was just like so ready.

And then I had to leave for like a week to go in the West Coast and do some things.

That was the longest week of my life because I was not that like when I'm in I'm ready, you know, like sure, when I'm geared up for it, I want to hit the road.

Let me hit the road.

And I love playing music and I love being around my friends.

And the one thing that that I get that you don't as much as it's it's less solitary the life because I've got a group of people, you know what I mean, Like I've got an eight piece band and we're up there, you know.

But you also have to And the one thing that I admire about what you guys do because I saw it with my little brother too, is you kind of a lot of stuff is dictated by what's going on in each band member's life, right, Like you can have God forbid, something happens, or somebody's got to go, or somebody's sick.

Like the one thing about being a stand up is like it is just me.

I don't have to worry about you know, your mood or you know what.

I feel that way about.

So in my because I have two worlds, because I have Matchbox twenty for the last thirty years and for the last twenty I do solo records.

Yeah, and in solo old there's a less pressure in the sense that like if I can if I don't want to do something, I can just say no and I don't have.

To explain to other people why that's amazing.

If I get sick, I don't feel like I'm letting other people down.

Sure, because my band is still getting paid, you know what I mean, Like they're getting paid because that's the job.

But you know, the other guy like in the match box, like these are my brothers for thirty years.

It's amazing, you know.

And so they you know, they need an explanation and I'm like, I don't want to do that, and they're like, but we all want to do that, and I'm like, fuck, I guess I'm doing I have to do it.

Yeah, yeah, no, that's that's awesome, man, Like I couldn't imagine, Like I just, you know, speaking of I just saw Oasis.

Oh yeah, I was it.

I saw Oasis with my you know, my older brother and a buddy.

We went to the first show they did in met Life and it.

Was just it was everything you wanted it to be.

It was it was everything we wanted to be.

And I couldn't believe how the sounded, how they sound, how he sounded, as you know, he Liam was like.

But it was really like I was like, all right, this is going to be good.

I don't know if it's going to feel like when I was in high school when they don't and dude, it did that.

Many people sharing that moment at the same time.

There's something really special.

It was something where like when people came out and I was really taken back by how people reacted to just their camaraderie.

Like it was like when you knew that there was love again and all the stuff that they when you knew that that was behind them, and they were like here, I think that that even made brought them better.

Yeah, even you didn't even know you gave a shit, and then I.

Didn't even know I give it.

Yeah, Like, and I'm like, I'm the weirdest music like like lover you'd ever I had everything in my like everything like from eminem to jay Z to Matchbox twenty to Stevie Wonder to Cyndi Lauper to Phil Collins.

So like I'm like, people are like you like what I'm like.

The only thing I never really gravitated to and now I'm starting to appreciate a little more is country.

I'm like now that like it's really kind of about.

Like old like Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard and Whaling Jinning's and all that stuff I grew up on.

Yeah, so that was like, you know, that was it for me?

Oh so you started mainly I started with old.

Because I grew up in the south, in South Carolina.

Oh okay, So like that was it.

And when I I wound up writing three songs for Willie and like when he sent me the first drafts of them after he recorded them, I remember just sitting in my house and when I was still in Briarcliff, I'm just crying.

Was like, man, that that voice singing my words.

I mean, that was that was everything for me.

But but but then again, like New Countries taken me a while to kind of you know, like I'm friends with like like I think Brad Paisley and and and uh and like Keith Ourvan.

But those guys are like these amazing players as well.

Like that, you know, there's this there's this musicality to what they do that I really really love.

Well, there's something about the country singer's voice that if it really if it really hits right, you're like, whoa dude?

I think?

Was it?

Was it Chris Stapleton?

Somebody was Chris Stapleton do the I think Chris Stapleton did the Super Bowl national anthem, and I was just like, dude, how does your voice?

How does a voice kel?

Crazy?

Him?

I did?

Uh we I did a I was just in Australia and Teddy Swims came up and sang with me, Wow, if you know that voice, it's just like this power.

It's it's a it's a yeah, there's there's a raw that's a growl.

A country like a really good country singer has got like a growl to it, and you're going like, whoa, man, it's like a different it's like a raspy.

Uh So your Christmas music?

I was just gonna yeah, yeah, like what's.

Your what's your jams?

I mean I growing up in the eighties there was like that whole period of like you know, the like uh, Brian Adams and Cyndey Lauper and you know and the and Live Aid, you know and all those.

That I want to I want to go to a Brian Adams show.

I'm not even joking.

No, it looks amazing.

I want it does and he looks great.

Yeah good.

I just I was talking with him online because we uh.

I put out a Christmas record a couple of years ago, and it's it's called Something about Christmas time, and I cover his song with me and this singer named Ingrid Michaelson.

We both we do we do a cover of his song Wow, like I wanted to get his blessing.

And then just recently my son's girlfriend new girl friend is like working the sound on the bride Items tour.

Wow.

Yeah I would.

I would love to definitely check him out.

But going to the Christmas well, listen, Christmas music can really make the movie, right the score, Like when you score a movie and there's like a Christmas I always had this idea of like a Christmas song on while people are ready to rob a bank, but like the night, like just like the like silent night comes on and it's.

Like it's kind of like that, and like in in Friday After Next?

Is that?

Do you consider die Hard?

Yeah?

And die and uh but was die Hard to a Christmas Time too?

I think so?

But I don't think anybody fights about that one.

But die Hard, you know there's a lot of there's a lot of there's a lot of skin in that game.

I I think the only reason why Diehard two reminds me of was because the snow and like it's the airport, so it's like traveling.

But but any kind of Christmas music in that but going back, I think Silent Night's one of my Silent Night and Oh Holy Night.

I love otis reading White Christmas.

Any any of the soul guys.

You know that they mean it.

You know they mean that shit, right because when they sing everything, almost everything, they have to say twice yea it is Ah, I'm dreaming why Christmas?

You know, it's like they go, they yeah, they mean it.

I got a great story for you.

So there is a Thai restaurant in Vegas called is it White Lotus or there's a There's Lotus something?

Okay, Okay, sorry, it's off the beaten path, it's off the strip, okay, but it's Thaie food and it's incredible.

Okay.

Smokey Robinson is in there around Christmas time, right, Smokey Robinson is in there a Christmas time.

People excited.

Smokey Robinson's eating the restaurant.

He eats his dinner, he eats everything.

He goes up to the you know, to pay his bill, and he says, I want to pay for everybody in the restaurant's dinner.

And he paid for everybody in the restaurant's dinner and then sang White Christmas them and left in the restaurant.

If that's not the most gangster, If that's not the most gangster Hollywood story.

So not only by the way your dinners are on me, but I'm gonna just rip White Christmas for you and then mind my fucking business to get out of here.

And they just and they just and he did it, and they said it was perfect, and he just left and I'm going I got the chill sing about that.

I'm just going, dude, that's.

What was your when you were a kid?

Yeah, what was the go to?

Like for us?

It was a Christmas we pull out that that big red Andy Williams album.

I was like one of the big ones and the Elvis Blue Christmas?

Like, what was your family jam like that?

You guys would, oh my god.

You know it was obviously before before Mariah, right, whenever she did that.

You know, it's funny.

I did.

I did.

I'm gonna think about your question, but I want to tell you a funny story.

I think you'll appreciate this.

So I'm a football guy, I'm sports guy.

So I go on Good Morning, I go on Good Morning Football a lot on the NFL network, and they had a big argument.

They go, Paul, we're here in that Kelly.

We're here that Kelly Clarkston's Under the Tree is getting as big as Mariah's and we're having arguments about it is which is bigger Mariahs are Kelly Clarkson.

And I go, guys, I go, look, I go, all due respect to Kelly Clarkson, I go, you know, Mariah's song was huge before Kelly Clarkson ever got big most literally and figuratively right, totally joking, and they were like, whoa, whoa.

And I'm like, she lost the weight and she's a good sport.

It was just but yeah and uh and never been back.

But for us, by the way, it's last Christmas.

Uh wayam last Christmas, Okay, because we were friends with George Michael before he passed.

My wife, before I met her, was like she was a little girl, like when she was a little girl in Queen's Like she went to go see him at the garden before we got to know him, you know, and she was a little girl just crying her.

That's a great one though.

And he the last last time he played at uh at Wimbley in London.

Yeah, he was all set up to close the shows right before the holidays.

He was going to close the show with Last Christmas and then he didn't.

He wasn't gonna do it.

He was like, I don't want to play this damn song anymore.

Wow.

And my wife was goes back in the intermission crying to him.

It was like, you're gonna tell me that you're not going to do that song.

And so he wound up doing it his last time that he ever played it.

He played it for my wife Wimbley and then you know, with the snow, and it was like at that he wasn't going to do but uh, that's like one of my wife's favorite memories.

Run Run Rudolph.

Oh yeah, but the one that was in Home Alone, of course, of course, and there's.

Was wasn't that.

Wasn't that Brian Adams?

No was he?

I think so Adams?

I think so well, I know he does a version.

I think that's wow.

Wow.

If not, I mean there's the obviously the Little Richard version, right Little Richard, Yes, that's that's that's amazing.

That's also there's a new version with who's the Okay, Uh, come away with me.

What's her name?

Beautiful Norah Jones.

Last year, I think put out a record that has has this really sexy version of Run Running.

I'll tell you what, which did.

You never hear those words coming together?

No sexy version of Run Run Rudolph.

Yeah, it's the hottest version of Frosty and Snowman you've ever heard.

I'll get the vapists.

What about Frank Sinatra's White Christmas?

Dude?

Yes, Frank Sinatra's what Frank Sinatra's voice is?

Any of that?

Any of those crooners at Christmas like that just you get in immediately.

If you're not into that, then you just don't like Christmas.

If you don't like Frank Sinatra's voice coming in a little snow.

Now, I'm big on snow you yeah, yeah, yeah, Like I know you're South Carolina, got a bit, you know.

I love it.

I love the snow.

And I don't understand like in Australia, their holiday is their summer during the Christmas and so it's all barbecues and stuff.

But they grew up on our movies, so like they still have like fake snow everywhere.

It's just like it's like fucking you know, just ninety degrees fahrenheit.

Let me ask you a question.

I know I got you on the show, so you're here.

I got to ask you this, what what gig did you?

Guys?

Play?

It doesn't necessarily have to be the biggest, but what gig will always be?

Like, no matter what you do from now until when you fucking hang it up and you go sit at a beach somewhere or whatever you're gonna do, what gig are you?

Just?

Like that?

That was I don't think it'll ever get better than that, Like that was the one like it was.

I mean, there's so many like little moments, right, but like for me solo, we played at in Philly for that when they redid Live eight okay called Live eight and they and they did it, you know in Philly and London a bunch of different places.

And in Philly we were on the steps like the Rocky Steps whatever they're called, and all like there was a million people there, like it was like they do like like thirty forty thousand people and then they would have speakers and big screens and another thirty four thousand people and speaks and big screens and it went all the way through the city and I played, and then I got up and played with Stevie Wonder, Oh my god, and at this you know what after I did and then for Matchbox I think wow, I think it was and we played it since.

But the first time we played the garden, yeah, just because if you're a band and you you play the Garden, you're like, you know, you you call up childhood Bullies and go, hey, hey, Jimmy, go fuck yourself, you know, and you hang up like yeah, you feel like you got the right.

Like for one minute, you're like, I kind of feel like a big deal.

It's an amazing, it's an amazing and then.

You're like and then you notice it, like the next night the Wiggles are playing there, so you're like, all right, well, well.

That's where the insecure commit.

Oh I guess it's not that big of a deal.

Have any rock bands done like renditions of like Christmas songs that like are like but not like that have made it mainstream?

Right?

Well, I mean the Kinks Father Christmas.

Okay, I mean that was okay.

Yes, right yeah, Christmas give us some money.

Yeah, but there's not many no, right, mean, you know a lot of pop rock haull Of notes their jingle bell rock.

Yeah, yeah, you know, that's that's a good that's a that's that's a staple.

Everything.

Whitney Houston, by the way, on the thing like her Christmas.

Oh my god, just through the roof Whitney I said, to this day sometimes I still play Whitney Houston's National Anthem at the Super Bowl is the greatest thing I've ever heard.

A buddy of mine, there's a great singer songwriter named Matt Nathanson, and he just put out a record and he has a song on it called Whitney Houston Singing the National Anthem, and it's a song about how life is never going to be as good as that moment right there, you know, in that time.

When she goes into the last like oh say, when she goes into that, she's so in yeah, and she's just like and she just hits it so hard.

And I think that that was the first Gulf War.

That was when we mean, that's what started it.

No, No, that was it's her fault.

So like Desert Storm is Whitney history.

Buff.

I guess, all right, so we'll go so before we get out of here, I think so we've said, we've said, I want do you say wonderful life?

It's a wonderful life.

I think it has to be one of the top ones of all time.

Okay, okay, elf.

Elf is definitely one of the funniest of the best Christmas comedies.

What was the one that somebody said it's an underrated You might know this because it's keeps slipping my mind, but somebody goes, Paul, you have to watch it.

It's a Christmas movie with Dennis Leary.

The the ref is that it's got Kevin Spacey and that Benning.

Was it a Christmas movie?

That's where you Okay, it's Christmas adjacent?

Okay, it takes place during like my wife and I like, there's a movie called Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds.

Yes, Like I love that movie.

Wasn't Amy Amy smart?

No?

No?

Yeah, yeah, you're smart?

Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeah.

She's so brilliant in that she's so forgiveness.

Because am I getting am I getting punked?

Where's as?

Then?

Yeah?

Yeah?

She was great, She's she's brilliant.

Is gonna be all bonuie like half a game?

Ness?

Uh?

We we love that movie.

But we have these arguments about I call these movies Christmas adjacent because they happened during Christmas.

But like I always feel like and that's why I always argue about about die Hard, because I feel like a Christmas movie has to be about Christmas.

It has to be about like family, It has to have something to do with either Christmas magic or Christmas time or and Christmas has to be like a main theme and not just something that happens during Christmas.

I feel like just Friends more Christmas than die Hard, though, now what you say, I think so?

Yeah, I think my opinion.

I think the only thing about Diehard is that they bookend it with Christmas songs.

It starts and ends with Christmas songs.

Right, And that's I think what makes people think, you know, I don't really I'm gonna say this on the show, and I know some people can get me.

I'm just gonna I never said it before.

I don't consider die Hard a Christmas movie.

You and a lot of other people.

I don't.

For the sake of my marriage.

I think it's one of the greatest Christmas films of all time.

I think that it's I think that there's a little Christmas flavor to it, but it's not like you said, it's not a it's not a like Christmas Vacation is about Christmas.

Yeah, if you look up Christmas movies like the top one hundred, there's a few that like Kiss, Kiss, Bang Bang, which is a great movie.

Yes, I saw that movie, but I don't know that that's a Christmas movie.

No, no, no, you know, no, you need the holiday spirit.

You need like I mean.

Christmas and Connecticut.

By the way, that's that one old black and white movie with Lee.

No.

Uh, what do you think about a Christmas story?

It's it's that's a classic.

Yeah, I don't.

I think I'm burnt on it.

I don't like I don't love it the way that other people love it same, but I respect the eye.

I get it, and when I was a kid, I thought it was hilarious.

I love it as far as like, yes, I I I understand the you know, they really captured the mall and being busy and Santa and the fear of Santa and the bully.

They got all that.

But I don't they made a sequel to that.

I know, yeah, I know.

I mean, I'm not gonna talk about it because you know, this is called the best no.

Isn't that the worst though?

But you know what, there's some sequels that I won't accept, like, uh, you know, I hate to say because he's my he's my idol, and like who whatever.

You know, when you said that you were before when you said that, you know you were listen to Willie Nelson he sent it to you and you cried like for me, my guy is Eddie, Eddie Murphy.

My dad took me to see in America.

Yeah, I don't even exactly, you know, And then and then you know, and there there and listen, there's no disrespect there.

Their thing was it's just a celebration, but don't do that.

Then you know, like, oh, it's a celebrate.

It almost turned into a musical.

And I'm just going like, you know, like I love the first story and I love the first movie and it was so funny, and then the second one, like they were like, well, it's a celebration, everybody comes together, all the old characters are back, and I'm just like, I feel like, if you're gonna come back and this is just me and some people, if you're gonna come back with a classic like that after thirty years, I'm thinking like don't make it like it's just some like we're gonna get everybody and put it together.

I think, make it a killer, did you.

I enjoyed.

I was started off before just so you know where I'm coming at with this, But I enjoyed the new spinal tap.

I didn't see it, and as a musician, like I made my son watch that at ten.

I think we have to watch it once a year.

It sadly becomes more and more true every year.

Yes, but like they actually didn't just slock on the old bits.

They did new bits, and you know what I mean.

That's and I was like, they look like they tried and they cared, and I and I remember just sitting there laughing, like actually laughing in the film.

I think, so hard to do, to take a beloved film.

And then like, I'll tell you the two best sequels of all time I think, I mean, we're not doing movies right now, but I mean we're doing Christmas movies, but the two best sequels to me of all time is Godfather too.

And I gotta tell you, Maverick, dude, Maverick with Tom Cruise, dude, how good was it?

I don't know that, Like, no, I thought it's fine, but I can't compete with with how my little self like the way that my younger self perceived that when I was a kid.

It's top gun.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, like the reasons why I you know, yeah, it's like I can never watch the movie.

The way I watched it because you're so yeah, because you're so yeah, you're so young.

Father too it was even better.

I mean, I think than I think I think.

I thought it too is the best one.

Did you see this is?

You wouldn't have to put any of this in by.

The way, by the way, no, we're putting it all.

But you know, there was a little Christmas and Godfather's a Christmas movie.

Christmas they had.

There was a there was a TV show called it was a mini like many I guess mini series, limited series, but it called The Proposal, Oh about the making of The Godfather.

No, it's called it was my favorite.

It's called the Offer.

The Offer, The Offer, Dude, How.

Great is it?

How great is the offer?

I'm gonna tell you how great it was.

The Offer is my favorite.

The Offer is my favorite show.

You good as Robert Evans, dude, Baby baby, baby baby.

Sitting in the corner of the thing, and I mean, I thought it wasn't name Miles Teller did a great job.

That was a great, great show.

And how cool was it that spoiler alert?

How cool was it that the scene with the they moved the gun to make Pacino have to search for it a little more to make it he unbeknownst to him friends for a couple goes don't move it.

How funny is it that they thought that this guy wasn't gonna like this guy couldn't do it.

Yes, when you see it, you know what I mean?

And nobody was cooler than Pacino at that point.

No, but you're like two years later, Cirpo Pacino.

Oh my god, come on, dude, I mean, I'm a I'm a Pacino.

I mean, and you know what I'm We're gonna categorize this as Christmas because there is a scene in The Godfather where there's some Christmas stuff up.

It's quick, but and anything anything with Christmas goes now because we're just moving on to it.

But yeah, so I would say, so my three are Christmas vacation home alone, Elf and then I and then the ones that are adjacent.

I guess I would obviously if you put die Hard, I'm gonna put I love die Hard.

It's a great movie.

I don't put it for so much Christmas.

I do like Just Friends though, that actually was a really good that movie like really entertained me the whole way through.

And then yeah, I don't, I can't.

I hate I'm sorry.

I can't put a Christmas story.

It's not my thing.

I'm a it's a wonderful life Christmas vacation.

And that third one's a little harder.

I'm just trying to like imagine my wife right now looking at me, because whatever I say, she's gonna be your an idiot.

Like because I didn't come up with something Christmas songs, it's gotta be Andy Williams or Elvis or the Willie Nelson Dolly Parton Christmas album that was growing up that was like a big one.

Dude, Willie Nelson is such a monster.

And then for food, I don't know anything but turkey.

Oh Christmas food.

Do you guys do?

What do you have?

Like?

You do what you do?

Specific not anymore because we do.

We just did it for Thanksgiving and it's like even before we're totally cleaned up for Thanksgiving.

My wife, like, we're not doing this for Christmas.

We're not.

You have like, you know, ten people at the house or friends and their kids, you know, and it's joyous and it's great, but we're like, we're not doing this for Christmas.

Like Christmas is, we don't do shit, Like we have our Christmas Eve together and the Christmas Day is just her and I chilling out.

Best Animated Before we Go, Best Animated Christmas Movie, old school and New School, whatever you want.

I mean, it's hard to beat.

Okay, it's hard to beat Rudolph, the original Rudolph playmation.

The claymation.

Yeah, that's so.

It's because when you watch it now as an adult, I'm just struck every year by what a dick Santa was like, you know, like it was totally like him, like Rudolph's dad, like yeah, they were just like, oh, you little freak, get the fuck out, and they were like they were so mean, and even Santa Is his wife's like you need to eat.

He's like, like, bitch, leave me alone.

Like he was like I don't know, I didn't realize how much like a Ralph Crandon character Santa Claus it really is.

He was missing was a little claymation beer or a bottle.

Yeah, he really was kind of like he's got his little he had his.

Little wife feeder on and he's just like, why don't you shut up and take that little freak kid with you.

I mean it was so look at that freak put him down, just so brutal.

Yeah, I'm not a big t I wasn't a big Charlie Brown Christmas guy though.

Are you a big Charlie Brown Christmas guy?

Yeah?

I guess not.

I mean I do, I mean, I get it, but yeah, I love the music.

The music is so comforting to me that yes, Vince.

It's a calm Yeah.

Uh, I guess yeah, I guess my wife got me into Arthur Christmas, so i'd have to start one that's I get.

She has it on like it's like one of her like.

It made the It made the list.

A couple of years ago, they redid The Grinch is a cartoon with Benedett Cumberbatch as the Grinch.

Okay, yes, and that is legitimately funny, Like you know what I mean, you watch you're just like like you you're catching yourself just like in real laughs.

Yeah, yeah, you know.

And uh, I heard that, Like Jim Carrey had to have like a Navy seal.

Do you heard about that?

Right?

The makeup for Jim Carrey's Grinch was so it was like an eight hours on and like it was like brutal, and it got to the point where it was wearing on him so much that a Navy seal person had to come and coach him through breathing and coach him through going through all of the agonizing because it was like hours, like it was hours every every day and it started to wear on them.

So they actually brought somebody in to be like all right, dude, like brea thing and stuff like that.

Could you think about it, dude, Like imagine like three hours is a lot.

Imagine like eight seven.

You know, we've all seen the Grinches.

So I think it's funny now that like when somebody wants to talk about somebody hating Christmas, I mean, the Grinch very famously loves Christmas.

Now, I mean we know this now, you know what I mean?

Like the whole story is yeah, yes, you know it's kind of like when when if somebody is like a player, they call him Romeo, right, but dude, Romeo liked one chick and then killed himself for her, like he was the most faithful dude you could ever imagine.

Like, hey, little Romeo, you know, like Romeo is a sap.

Yeah, Grinch is probably not the way you know, they should call you.

Mister Potter.

You're a real mister Potter.

Dude, Rob Thomas, dude, you are the best.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

I hope you have a good fucking Christmas.

Man.

Dude, you too, you too?

Man?

Uh, plug everything you got, anything that you got going on, Please let the people.

I put out a record this year called All Night Days.

It's still out there.

Yeah, we have a new single that's coming out next year, which and to toggle between two different songs, but they're both going to be out there in some form or another.

Uh.

And then I'll be you know, pushing through that until we move into the thirtieth anniversary of Matchbox and at the end of.

Next year, Wow, and then you guys doing something for that, like.

We do something in twenty twenty seven, twenty twenty eight.

But then so the next year is still kind of toggling between a bunch of festivals with Matchbox and you know, and still there's still a lot of a lot of stuff to say with this new record.

Well, dude, you're so awesome and talented, and you know what, we have mutual friends and you're everything and more than what they said that you were.

So I'm so glad that you were here.

Of course, guys from my dates, go to Paulversey dot com.

Providence, I will be in your town on New Year's Eve, and then the eighth of January the DC improv I'll be there, and then Tampa, we're gonna be there in Valentine's weekend.

For all dates, go to Paulversey dot com.

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We appreciate it.

Thank you to the best, Rob Thomas, and we will see you guys next week.