#01 Sexy Boomer Show- John Goodman

Ted Bonnitt: [00:00:00] John, are you speaking just regularly through your phone? 

John Goodman: [00:00:04] Yeah, I've got me earphones on.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:00:07] Ah, okay. Hold  it to your ear and let's see how that sounds. 

John Goodman: [00:00:09] Bunker to bunker to bunker. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:00:11] Oh, much better. 

Phil Proctor: [00:00:13] There. That's good. 

John Goodman: [00:00:14] And you're see here we are.   That's groovy, man. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:00:18] Okay, we are rolling. 

A E Guy: [00:00:21] Welcome to Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show  with your hosts, Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt.

Phil in Ted's guest today is actor and Hollywood star, John Goodman, who shares stories from his beginnings to starring roles in hit motion, pictures and television, including the Conners. And now your sexy boomer hosts, Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:00:46] Welcome to Phil and Ted, sexy boomer show, bunker to bunker special edition.

Phil Proctor: [00:00:51] Today, we're talking with John Goodman, who is an a dear friend for a long time, and we'll talk a little bit about that. Uh, and, and John's stuck down in North Carolina now. Is that right? 

John Goodman: [00:01:03] It's South Carolina. But who cares? 

Phil Proctor: [00:01:05] The war isn't over yet.  So, you know.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:01:09] And in case you haven't heard of John, he's just about America's finest working actor.  And yes, as Phil said, a good old friend. How are you, John? 

John Goodman: [00:01:17] Well, I w I came here. I drove in from new Orleans. Uh, I got unpacked. Got the groceries in, sat down the phone rang and told them, told me they're pulling the plug on my job. 

Phil Proctor: [00:01:29] Wow. 

John Goodman: [00:01:29] It's called the righteous gemstones on HBO. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:01:32] Oh yeah. That's great. It's very funny.

Phil Proctor: [00:01:34] I agree. Oh, thanks. But I guess God isn't on your side. 

John Goodman: [00:01:38] Not this week. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:01:39] Maybe you've been smited for blasphemy. what's going on? What's going on? Is it just nobody knows? 

John Goodman: [00:01:45] I think they've got a, they had a few days, shoot. And, uh, yeah, right now we were supposed to, uh, lay off for two months. And who knows? That might, uh, that might work, I don't know.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:01:57] Are you planning to just shelter in place there. 

John Goodman: [00:02:00] Yeah. I live in new Orleans, which is like right down central. It's bad there. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:02:07] Yeah. 

John Goodman:  So we're just, we're staying here. It's beautiful. Um. They provided a very nice place for us to live. And, uh, so we're, we're, we're staying put. 

Phil Proctor: [00:02:19] Now when you say we are you with Molly Anna Beth and Molly?

John Goodman: [00:02:23] Anna Beth is downstairs complaining about something on the telephone and my daughter Molly is out on the coast as we in Showbiz call it. Just sheltering it place with her boyfriend. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:02:36] Oh good. I've looked at the young people hand in hand out here and you know, in isolation zone, feeling envy of like, well, you know that if you had a good relationship, I'd be pretty sweet. 

John Goodman: [00:02:47] Yeah. Or not. You just ruin it. Yeah. 

Phil Proctor: [00:02:51] Melinda, who sends her love to you, John, of course. My darling wife, Melinda. Uh, I had mentioned, I said, you know, just to imagine how many quarantine babies are going to be born after this. And she said, just imagine how many divorces they're going to be. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:03:07] Domestic issues are starting to, all the things that were there, laying low level are now surfacing and there are people who are starting, you know, a week or two into the cabin fever. The marriage thing is becoming a real issue. 

John Goodman: [00:03:21] I just say yes to your. Yeah, that's right. And usually it just let it go in one ear and out the other. Anyway, so I'm, I'm, I'm practiced at that, so I think we're, we're getting along famously. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:03:33] That's great. You're listening to Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show with our special guest, John Goodman. We'll be right back. 

Firesign Theatre: [00:03:43] See that bear lapping up at old country water? Sure makes a big hairy guy. Thirsty. That's when I wrapped my lips around that tall, sweaty, edible bottle of good old Country Bear Wiz Beer.. As my daddy said, son, it's in the water. That's why it's yellow. Okay. Bear Wiz Beer. There was beer, liquid products and there which brewery animal Missouri.

Phil Proctor: [00:04:10] Now Johnny, before we get into, uh, your career, and I use the word rear, uh, effectively, I'm going to look back a little bit. Uh, but before we do that, what are you actually doing? Are you doing both the Connors 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:04:28] The Righteous Gemstones.

John Goodman: [00:04:29] Yes.

Phil Proctor: [00:04:30] Wow. 

John Goodman: [00:04:31] The Connor starts again. Well, last year, it started in August. Uh, so it's gonna be, it's gonna be rough when we get to that time of the year because, um, I don't know when they're going to want me back, but I probably won't be finished with this so that it'll be some hiatus hijinx. 

Phil Proctor: [00:04:52] Do you know what it, what it really means? How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all? Right? You began really as an audio performer in New York. 

John Goodman: [00:05:03] Well, I was in New York as a theater actor. I, uh, had friends, uh, one of them, Richie Schulberg had a show on WBAI called the Citizen Kafka Show who he was, he was the eponymous citizen. And so we'd go on and, uh. A drink and do just right. We prepare sketches like at the last minute, which is I think the way their best done, but it was a lot of fun. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:05:31] When were you on Bai? What years were you doing Kafka? 

John Goodman: [00:05:36] Oh, between anywhere between '79 and probably '84 and I would, yeah, 84-85 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:05:43] I started my show at BAI in '84 it was called the Bernie Fleshkin Show, and it was also a complete improv comedy radio cartoon where we threw sound effects in and we were doing 10 phone calls, six performers, musicians, and you know.  four reel to reels for cart machines, and then they try to get us to, uh, go on seven second delay. And I was like, you don't understand.  WBAI was such a wonderful place. 

John Goodman: [00:06:11] It was, I remember going there like at late at night, and you had to use the service elevator and the Ukrainian guy that looked like torch on the elevator, and he wouldn't speak. Yeah, he wouldn't speed. Just look at us and, you know, I'm sure he was disapproving, but, and then we go. And it was so cool being in there late at night. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:06:31] Yeah. And, and we always looked at the ceiling tile that was missing as supposedly Abbie Hoffman knocked out. 

John Goodman: [00:06:37] Right, right. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:06:38] And, uh, but, and Bob Fass  used to come in and crawl under the console and just lay down on his back while we were doing our show.  And it was so funny because we had, because WBAI was at 99.5, it had. The strongest signal in the New York dial. We had audience going 75 miles in all directions, and we never knew if anybody excepted pledged time was listening. 

John Goodman: [00:07:04] Oh, pledges. Pledge drive. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:07:06] Yeah, one performer. It turns out we were like a favorite of the cab drivers. I never knew that, but she was in a cab going uptown and he had Bai on, and she said, Oh, you listened to me? He goes, Oh yeah, you can see I do a show. He goes, what show do you do? She said, Oh, you know something. You know Bernie flesh skin. He slammed on the brakes on eighth Avenue to the curve turn him says, you know, Bernie? And the thing I always loved about that was that in 10 years, never broke character. And you could walk out of that building and know that you were completely anonymous. It was the best of both worlds, right. 

John Goodman: [00:07:43] Yeah, it was big fun. Yeah. I wouldn't want to listen to that Eva stuff. 

Phil Proctor: [00:07:49] Now, John, you, you have been nonymous for quite a long time now.Haven't you? 

John Goodman: [00:07:56] Yeah. I had a little trouble with it at first. 

Phil Proctor: [00:08:00] When did you first feel that you were not anonymous when you're doing Broadway shows or when you, did, you know, 

John Goodman: [00:08:06] it was, uh, it was when the Roseanne show got popular. 

Phil Proctor: [00:08:12] Of course. 

John Goodman: [00:08:13] And then it was done. I actually, I hired a press agent at the suggestion of my agent and, uh, tried to get famous.

Phil Proctor: [00:08:22] Well, that sounds, sounds like you hired a depress agent, 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:08:28] but also sounds like you got your money's worth. 

John Goodman: [00:08:30] Got my suit and my pants as well. Yeah. It was kind of fun at the beginning, and then naturally I turned it into a, the van under the stick, just complaining about everything I could. I don't like being famous.

Phil Proctor: [00:08:49] Yeah. Well, you've probably gotten used to it now, and I'll tell you one thing that over the many years that I've known you in the many things. That I've had the pleasure of seeing you in a live and, you know, theater and all, you've always maintained a, an absolute human reality. You know, we all, we all can always have a good old hug or a good old laugh, and, you know, and that's, that's a sign to me that you're, you're doing okay.

John Goodman: [00:09:15] Yeah. Yeah. I just, I guess like to have things to complain about. You know, they, they, they just handed me everything with a shovel and then I complain about it. I kind of got over that. Real quick. But yeah, I try to make it as difficult as I could. 

Phil Proctor: [00:09:34] I think that that may have happened on one level because so much was coming at you so fast, you know?

I mean, I don't know anybody else's career that seemed to have. Taken off with, with such a alacrity. And I was always amazed that you were able to handle that with the degree of humility that, that you, you have managed. And that I think is because, remember we talked about how you don't like to improvise on screen, for instance.

Uh, you want to do those lines. I think that has a lot to do with it. That puts a lot of pressure on you. As an actor, but it also ensures that you can handle what's going on. 

John Goodman: [00:10:19] The thing about improvisation, when it would happen, I'd like to do it in rehearsal. Yeah. Um, when it's fresh, when it's spontaneous like that, I'm, I'm just no damn good at it.

I, I, I tried it, and every time I wind up playwriting, you know, just be in there because I don't trust myself with it. And God, you know, I, I. I was in Chicago a few years ago doing a movie, and I, I went over to second city to see if I get some private lessons. Um, but I was working too much in it and I couldn't avail myself of it.

But it's, it's something, uh. It's something that I'd like to get to. It's the nice place. Ideally, we want to do our lines, and so there are improvisations. Yeah. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:11:05] I was watching some video interviews last night just to remember a few things and "The Big Lebowski", and people found it very difficult for your character that you weren't improving it, like in the bowling alley scene.

And you say, no, I wasn't because the writing is so good. 

John Goodman: [00:11:19] Well, we had the miracle of a couple of weeks of, uh, rehearsing and yeah. Wow. Yeah. You're just reading the script to hear it and they write so well that's, there's nothing one would want to improve on their, uh, or could possibly put it. It just reads, it just reads that way and it it, like I just, one of those films that's a one of those characters, it's all on the page. You have to do nothing. 

Phil Proctor: [00:11:48] I went to, to print out information to re, you know, to refresh my memory as well. And it printed out a book. And I know you and I love you, and I had no idea how busy you've been. So I don't know all the things that you've done. Uh, what do you think was the most fun and what are your fondest memories so far?

John Goodman: [00:12:09] Holy smokes. Sears off off Broadway play I did in 1982 that was probably the most fun. It just did a, well, not just, it's four years now, did a play in London that I just couldn't have gone better. For me, I, I just, it just felt like they had, Oh, one of the things, so Henry, the fourth that you saw San Diego play Falstaff, and there were nights when, um, everything just clicked.

You know, that feeling where everything goes right and you have no idea what happened. But stuff like that. 

Phil Proctor: [00:12:54] That's right. Very true. Yeah. And, and I, the the really, Oh, and your, your Pozzo, uh, in, uh, waiting for Godot, which Melinda and I also got to see with Nathan Lane and, uh, bill, what's his name? 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:13:08] Uh, "Bill Irwin"?

Phil Proctor: [00:13:10] Yeah. Yeah. That was also one of those performances that at least it felt to me in the audience that everything was clicking. And I know that play pretty well.

John Goodman: [00:13:25] Yeah, it was, uh, it was one of those things. I didn't trust myself enough, so I beat up on myself a lot because I wanted every line to be perfect in that I knew it. I was on top of it. And because I pushed so hard, I was, I struggled with it. I was pushing for the wrong thing. Um, I was looking for results instead of. Fabulous dialogue. 

Phil Proctor: [00:13:52] Yeah. But you know, again, the audience just gets the show. I learned a lesson a long time ago. I was doing this musical called an "An Amorous Flea", but I got a cold and I, I had trouble with my voice. You had a similar situation when you were doing cat on a hot tin roof. So I sang as well as I could, and afterwards these two nice people came by and said, you were just wonderful.

And I knew that I wasn't anywhere near the performance that I was capable of giving, but the fact that they loved it, I just took a deep breath and I never looked back after that. 

John Goodman: [00:14:33] Um. It took me forever to learn because when he went, I was a little arrogant when I was like, in college, somebody told me how well I do. "You have no idea. I was so far off." It's just raw arrogance, ego away. But if somebody enjoys it like that and you knew they enjoyed it, it's there's, there's so much to be said for. It's all to be said for them. 

Phil Proctor: [00:14:58] You must've spent some time thinking about the path that you've taken because you've really taken a heroic path, uh, and, and you stayed working all the time through all the changes that you've had to make, all the decisions you've had to make.

But I think that your so-called arrogance was probably more of a defensive mechanism because of, you had a pretty hard. Losing your father at an early age, right? And you were a football star. 

John Goodman: [00:15:26] Well, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't know it was hard. Of course, looking back on it, how the hell did we make it?

Um, do you have a family? How do we do it? Um, but yeah, it was a. Yeah. During the time I was just a kid, just say happy kid. 

Phil Proctor: [00:15:48] Yeah. It's the kind of thing that forms you. What made you decide to become an actor? 

John Goodman: [00:15:55] Here's where it's starting to get weird now. I may not, uh. There are, uh, there are no excuses. It's something that I, I felt a calling to do.  Um, I mean, I would get kicked out of class and I would go into the library and read plays. Why? I'm 14-15 years old. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I start a reading on O'Neil and Tennessee Williams and I, I couldn't tell you why. Wow. It's just stuff like that. Weird stuff like that. My brother and I go get the New York times on a Sunday morning, and I, for some reason, I was glued to the theater section. I liked the way it was printed and I liked the Hirschfeld cartoons. Just weird stuff like that. Yeah. It was just like, I'm supposed to do this. 

Phil Proctor: [00:16:54] Yep. Well you, you are supposed to do this and, and the, the other thing that we have in common, cause I always felt a calling to it as well. The first time I ever performed on stage in grade school doing the female role in Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates of Penzance, I felt totally comfortable. Did that happen to you? 

John Goodman: [00:17:20] No, but I, I, I was doing grandpa Vanderhoff and you can't take it with you in eighth grade and I dropped my lines and then I just, I started improvising a walk around this long dinner table. By the time I got back to where I was supposed to be sitting, I remember my teacher, my teacher, just, uh went nuts.

Phil Proctor: [00:17:43] Well, the thing is though, again, the audience doesn't know what's what's going on. When I worked with Pat O'Biren, a summer tour of Finian's rainbow and Pat O'Brien was a great movie star and very beloved, and he was cast as Finian and I was Og. And he was really, uh, along in years at that time. And every once in a while he'd go up on his lines and I would be like.  He, you know, thrown me to the ground or something and was getting ready to do some kind of a monologue. And I'd look up and I'd see his eyes roll up and I go, Oh he's, he's drying up. And you know what he would do? He would improvise extemporize cause he was Irish. All right. Yeah. He had the, he had the gift of gab, and then he keep going until, I knew there was a point I could get him back online and I write and I throw a line in and on we'd go. And it worked. Yeah. And it was a sense of freedom. It was liberating. It wasn't like, you know, it wasn't terrifying. You're enjoying yourself now. Let's see. You sound pretty happy. 

John Goodman: [00:18:53] Yeah, I am. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:18:54] You said you were getting along and everything's fine, but you know, I was thinking you were in 10 Cloverfield lane and I came to mind and I was hoping you're not a method actor.

John Goodman: [00:19:04] It was great, cause I got to do that in new Orleans and I'd sleep in my own bed every night. 

Is New Orleans your home in your heart? 

I think so. That or st Louis where I'm from, and I, I. Moved to New Orleans because my wife was from near there and I figured I'm going to be on the road a lot, and she, she could use that time to be with her parents while she was, well, she was raising our daughter.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:19:30] It's one of my favorite places in the world too. I went to one jazz Fest and I went to 21 in a row after that.  it's just one of my favorite places in the world, and I would every once in a while we'd run into each other. But you were getting off to the Derby the next day. The Kentucky. 

John Goodman: [00:19:43] Yeah. There, there, there was two years in a row I did that. I thought it would be better off if I went to on state new Orleans and 

Phil Proctor: [00:19:52] John, did you know that Melinda and I are both Kentucky colonels. 

John Goodman: [00:19:57] I am as well. 

Phil Proctor: [00:19:59] Are you too? Well,  hello there brother. 

John Goodman: [00:20:04] I'll give you the secret handshake. 

Phil Proctor: [00:20:06] Yeah, a secret handshake. I'm doing it right now through the screen because I want to keep social distancing or you see that good. And uh, it means that you get free mint juleps if you go to the Derby, is that right? 

John Goodman: [00:20:19] Not anymore.  

Phil Proctor: [00:20:22] Just the mint. 

John Goodman: [00:20:24] Yeah. Just a mint.

John, you 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:20:27] look just so great now and congratulations because taking it off is tough, but keeping it off is much harder. And I'm thinking you're living in New Orleans. The one year we did the one year we did both weekends of Jazz Fest, I really was hovering with gout. I mean, I had to get out of town.

John Goodman: [00:20:44] I've done that before. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:20:45] It's like I cannot have another oyster. Anything fried, 

John Goodman: [00:20:50] if that's the worst, it's still, it's the worst. Your foot feels like a nuclear reactor. And I used to get it all the way up my leg. Ooh. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:20:58] So how do you, I mean, I guess maybe that'll set you straight, but I'm wondering, you know, being in new Orleans, how do you..

John Goodman: [00:21:04] My wife's a great cook. I just, uh, I don't go out there and often like Harry Shearer and I will, the wives will go out and, you know. Pass pass and everything like that when a friend comes through. But, uh, I don't go out that often. I probably should avail myself more, but I'm just lazy. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:21:25] They were going to reschedule the jazz Fest first time it's ever been missed, uh, for fall. Given what this virus is all about, I would say we should be grateful if we're going to have one next spring. 

John Goodman: [00:21:36] Yeah, I think so too. We don't know. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:21:40] You're listening to Phil and Ted, sexy boomer show with our special guest, John Goodman. We'll talk more about the future of new Orleans and the pandemic and beyond, and much more including rare Firesign comedy featuring John and Peter Bergman. After this. 

Firesign Theatre: [00:21:55] Sometimes we own the zeros and sometimes we own the ones. Hey, there's a 10 in my suit. Sometimes we own your shoes and sometimes we own your souls. It's like walking on a cloud of fresh pork. Sometimes we own your mind, but we're always in. Your thought is a pig that looks like a locomotive and tastes like flowers.

What do we own? Souls? Minds? Pork? Kind of. We're U.S.  Plus we own the idea of the idea of America. 

A E Guy: [00:22:30] You're listening to Phil and Ted, sexy boomer show with your hosts, Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt and their special guest. John Goodman. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:22:40] New Orleans is so wonderful, yet it's so fragile and vulnerable, given the unique social fabric, the health issues, and the longterm environmental challenges, the character you played in Treme so represented that.  What makes you love new Orleans and what do you think its future is about? 

John Goodman: [00:22:58] Uh. The future, I'm not sure of. It's, uh, it's an honest central town. Um, as far as any heavy industry or anything like that goes, it would be dismissed easily. But it's a place where people love to go and they love the musical and cultures. Unbelievable. Uh, given us our, our great American art form, uh, jazz and, uh, and gout. Um. You know, if, if you're looking for, for shipping, not so much anymore. I, it's a, it is a gateway to the, uh, to South America. Um, but I, I'm probably, I'm sure I'm wrong. There's a lot of industry there, but it's not what it was. Um, but you know, it, it will never let you down as far as culture, food. Um, I used to say that there's, there's a part of, every once in a while it get somebody with something missing in their DNA and in it. When they go to new Orleans because nobody wants to leave.  

Ted Bonnitt: [00:23:59] The Marvel of a jazz Fest where every social, economic level, every walk of life are altogether happy and there's no tension or violence because every human need is sated there. You've got music, you've got fat, sugar, salt. 

John Goodman: [00:24:15] And everybody wants to be there. Everybody wants to be there. They want to see people they saw the last two years ago or 10 years ago, and that get goes on after the festival shuts down at six 30 or whenever, and it goes to private residences into the restaurants.  They fill up people comparing notes. Um. Beautiful. 

Phil Proctor: [00:24:44] Did you know Harry Anderson when he was, when he had his club Oswald? 

John Goodman: [00:24:48] I never went to the, uh, it was called Oswald. It's unfortunate title, but, uh, yeah. I don't know what the whole story is. What it takes. People resented Harry, um, for moving into what was the popular club space. Uh, well, I didn't end well, 

Phil Proctor: [00:25:08] Harry was a daring, always a daring person at me, and he was the first one. If something horrible would happen, my phone would ring and it'd be Harry. And he tells some terrible joke about some awful tragedy than it just happened. And then he'd go too soon?

Hysterical on the floor when the Siegfried and Roy, for instance, had that unfortunate accident with the tiger. He called up and he said, pardon me, Roy, is that the catheter your face off too soon? John, he is the only man I've ever known who had two electric chairs in his house two!. 

John Goodman: [00:25:56] No waiting. 

Phil Proctor: [00:25:57] It was part of his, his sense of the macabre, right? Yeah. Kind of like I, when I did a television show with him many years ago, uh, which was called sideshow, and it was, you know, it was one of those kinds of dark comic, uh, takes on, on a world long gone now. The carny, you know, the carny world. And, and he was very comfortable in that. But, uh, it was the darn flu that took him out.

They both got it. Elizabeth recovered, he had to go into hospital and he had a little stroke when he was in the hospital. And when, when Elizabeth told us about that, I thought to myself, here's a guy. Who has made his an incredible living as a doing magic patter with great slight of hand and now he can't talk and he can't use his hands.

And I thought. It's, he's going to disappear. It's going to be a vanishing act. And sure enough, I got it. We got a call and and learned that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep with his two dogs by his side, and I think of him almost every day. 

John Goodman: [00:27:06] It's a precious gift we have. 

Phil Proctor: [00:27:08] It is, and I think we're really all realizing that now more than ever. Yeah. We want to get through this and we want to see what the, what the new world might be. Because you know it's going to it we're being rebooted, right? Yeah. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:27:24] John, do you think things are going to be a little different on the other side of this? 

John Goodman: [00:27:27] Yeah. I just wonder for how long and economically I'm very interested in it. Yeah. Yeah. I think for a while people will be very close and then we'll see. But, uh, it'd be nice if there were some longterm benefits. But I, I'll be honest with you, I've hit my nose down watching where my own footsteps are going, just to think about it much. Yeah. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:27:59] I think it's going to reveal a lot of weak points in the country. The health care system for one being unique, uniquely for-profit as a failure. 

John Goodman: [00:28:07] Anything that's not a huge corporation. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:28:12] Right now, the restaurants here in Santa Monica, you know, it's just a ghost town and new Orleans. I think about the maple leaf, you know, how do these places stay alive? Uh, through this long delay?

You hope that the, the bailout supposedly is going to come to the banks, which will forgive the landlords who are given the tenants who will forgive the customers. 

Phil Proctor: [00:28:31] But that's got to happen. 

John Goodman: [00:28:32] We hope that the landlords are going to forgive the, and I don't know. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:28:38] Here in Los Angeles, you wouldn't believe how beautiful the skies are. I took a picture of the Pacific and somebody thought it was Hawaii. Wow. Yeah. It was just so clear and blue, and as we're seeing this, and it's, it must be an environmental scientist dream to be able to study this now. Right. The white house announces they're going to roll back the emission controls right now.

John Goodman: [00:29:00] Yeah. They're killing killing the EPA. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:29:03] It's so tone deaf. It is not that they care because they don't, but you know, I just wonder, are we going to, as a society, be able to overcome greed? 

Phil Proctor: [00:29:14] Essentially it's, it seems to me that if we all make this through, and I think we will. There's going to be some very interesting art that's going to come out of it. I, you know, I'd be very interested to see what kind of scripts come your way after this is over. Cause I know you're a, you're a very humane person and you're going to want to, you know, to help with the healing process through, through the medium of our art. 

John Goodman: [00:29:40] That's what it's for. To reach up to tell a good story and entertain, but the different facets of this plague are all going to be touched on. And it's a. Besides divorces and births, there'll be some new stuff. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:30:00] And maybe a reduction of divisiveness and a little more compassion. Yeah. You do have an ideal platform with the Connors that show looks at serious issues like opioids, addiction, uh, single Parenthood, ice deportation, workplace compensation, same-sex romance, alcoholism, even toxic mold. I just looked it over and I'm thinking, and this is a comedy show?   So I would imagine it would be an excellent forum to address the, the craziness. 

John Goodman: [00:30:27] Yeah. Yeah. We'll be, um, we've been trying to, you know, hit middle America by reflecting it. What's it, a little disingenuous in my case. I mean, that's where I came from, but I still feel like, um.  With the guys I grew up with. I'm just one of the guys. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:30:52] It comes off in all of your work. You're beloved by your fans because you are a normal person with obviously a good heart. And you know, they, they trust you when they see you work, you know, in your characters. And 

Phil Proctor: [00:31:03] Oh listen, John, you played some absolutely, incredibly nefarious characters, you know, drug dealers and what have you, and you've always managed to, at least to me, to make me laugh. Because as real as you are, there's something about somebody like you with your spirit committing so totally to bad behavior. You know what I mean? It's funny. 

John Goodman: [00:31:29] Yeah. It's, it's a nice release and do it as often as I can, but you've got to show a show more sides to the character sometimes that's just humor.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:31:41] When we were on our honeymoon in 2000 in title on, we want to do something so we, let's go to the movies and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" there was playing in a town called Girona. It was completely incomprehensible. You have to hear it, but it was such a funny experience to watch you in this beautiful setting, beating the hell out of people occasionally with great music and not knowing what the hell was going on.

John Goodman: [00:32:06] I get what you mean big right. I'm over the head with a tree branch.

Phil Proctor: [00:32:16] Open your eye and take a look around you. The way I remember you first, John was bursting out of the earth are the mud right in raising Arizona. That movie really changed my feeling about movies where they could go and what they could do. Arizona. 

John Goodman: [00:32:35] Yeah. It was like the second substantial role that I'd have and I would, when I wasn't working, I'd go to the set just to see what those guys were doing because they made me laugh. I think that's how I got the role. We sat in the audition for an hour, just laughing about stuff and then read a little bit. Great there. Yeah. There are a couple of Midwestern, couple of Midwestern wise guys like, Hey, you've done what, five movies with the cone brothers now. Something like that around there.

Phil Proctor: [00:33:05] Yeah. Do they consult with you about, say, Hey John, I think there's be a fun part. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:33:10] They write for you. 

John Goodman: [00:33:11] Oh, they used to, yeah. When they were getting started, uh, they, they'd had a small stable of actors that they knew. And, uh, New York, uh, New York theater guys. Yeah. They wrote a couple of things for me. Um, but it, yeah, it was, it was wonderful.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:33:31] I have a treat for you guys. You remember back in the nineties we all met when we were doing the Proctor and Bergman comedy service. Right? And you would come in and do these terrific things and, and, and homage to Peter Bergman. I have a bit that I want to play in the show here. Um, but because we're in a bunker, I'm going to have to play it through the speakers.

John Goodman: [00:33:51] Oh, thank you. 

Phil Proctor: [00:33:52] Just make sure the speakers are, you know, six feet away from the phone. 

John Goodman: [00:33:57] Yes. You and your social distancing. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:34:01] Here we go. 

Bergman and Goodman: [00:34:01] Proctor and Bergman here in Hollywood with TV and movie star, John Goodman. John, you requested that we conduct this interview in our offices. That's right. Uh, you see I have a few occupations on the side just in case.

God forbid, my fans should figure out that I really have no talent is a major problem in our industry. That's why I took it up. Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging workspace to achieve prosperity through harmony and balance. Yeah. So I'll see that lamp over there. It's just not in balance with that chair.

Well, we'll just move it then. Oh no, we use feng shui

You sliced that lamp in too with your hand? Yes. The half remaining on the desk is in harmony with the chair, but without the light, we can't re yes, but if you sit in the chair and close your eyes, you'll see the harmony. Aha. Now the computer, the printer and the fax machine are not in harmony with the dash.

I think he's having a raising Arizona. That's really fine. No really.

John Goodman: [00:35:16] The Ralph Kramden. Wow. 

Phil Proctor: [00:35:20] I, of course, had an extremely long relationship with my dear departed friend, Peter Bergman, because we met at Yale. He was writing lyrics for musicals written by Austin Pendleton that I've played. I start in and ending up. Really? Oh, you know, with a over 50 year career with Peter Bergman, after knowing him, I, I, it was, it's astonishing to me. And the fact that you became close with Peter, I think he, if I remember correctly, it was because he was raising his daughter Lily, and you were raising your daughter Molly, right? So you had that in common, that human contact. It got in common, but you were really. Oh, a wonderful participant in all the crazy stuff that we did, including, uh, the, the parody of "Myst" called "Pyst". Yes. Right. Which was an interactive, uh, comedy game. 

John Goodman: [00:36:13] Uh, and I had no idea what I was doing with it. I just did it cause Pete wanted me too. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:36:19] You were so gracious. He and I managed to sell to the U S government of theatrical PSA when the government established the official sunscreen number rating. We hustled our way into that. Pete and I had an advertising business for years, and so somehow we got that and we had a 35 millimeter film budget, a soundstage. The whole thing is we've got to call John. Okay. So, uh. You did this and it was going to play in theaters around the country. And, uh, and thank you, John, because I think we got the job because we said we could probably get John.

And then John was like, I don't know how to say this. I hope you get the right way. But it was like you would do anything for Peter. And, and it was like, almost like when you, you have the poor. Pet family pet. They put the mask on and they go, isn't that funny? And the dogs, I go, Jesus.  We put you in these hideous shorts and an S Hawaiian t-shirt. It soundstage was made out to be a beach and we found a hat. That was an umbrella, umbrella hats. Sure. And I'm thinking to myself, John's going to just leave, Pete. You were such a wonderful sport, which is great. 

John Goodman: [00:37:35] Well, I, you know, there's a lot of respect there for you guys. Uh. You know, to me that was listening to you guys was akin to reading up a Harvey Kurtzman and Mad Magazine, right? Yeah. Yeah. I thrived on, that's the same thing with Firesign. If I didn't understand the jokes, I had to look things up and then I dealt with, cause I wanted to laugh so much and if I didn't know what they're talking about, I looked it up and Oh yeah, that works.

Ted Bonnitt: [00:38:09] When I was a kid in junior high, mad magazine was my, it saved me and I wouldn't, I would wait and remember what day of the month it would hit the stands and I would read it cover to cover without jumping cause I didn't want it to savor every morsel. And it really just completely formed my senses of the world in satire.

John Goodman: [00:38:29] My brother walked about two miles to a news stand  to get the very first one. Wow. The comic book. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. 

Phil Proctor: [00:38:40] I had, I had a great collection. I had a subscription to DC comics, and I actually wrote a letter to the Senate when they were trying to shut all of those things down. Right. And yeah. And I had all those first additions. They were in a hamper in my, uh, my room in New York. And my mom put him down in storage in our building. They were thrown away. My retirement! .Oh my God. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:39:15] I interviewed Harvey Kurtzman. In '76 no kidding. And he was just a sweet, funny man. 

Phil Proctor: [00:39:22] What a cultural influence. 

John Goodman: [00:39:23] And the later people he worked with, like Robert Crumb and Terry Gillium. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:39:27] Wow. Really? 

John Goodman: [00:39:28] Yeah. They worked for Help magazine. 

Phil Proctor: [00:39:30] Yep. That, that surely was a tremendous influence on us. And for me. Uh, Bob and Ray and Ernie Kovacs and, uh, Gene Shepherd and, uh, Stan Freeberg, you know, all of the, any of the people who were good at telling stories, good at pretending to be other people, good at making fun of American culture, you know, and, and, and that extra dollop of surrealism of, of goon show. Realism that didn't it me, that sent me on this crazy path I've been on. 

John Goodman: [00:40:01] That's what always got me was the surreal aspects. Just Congress stuff. It shouldn't make way up. Make me cry with laughter 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:40:13] Just before they shut down, I found a Mad magazine at my library maybe two years ago and just sat down and read it and it's still, you know, it's still had it. They stay, they maintained it. It's that spirit, but they're done now. They're just gonna. They were just going to publish oldies. And then I think they even stopped doing that because, I mean, it's print. 

Phil Proctor: [00:40:33] Yeah. My gosh. Playboy is apparently going to finally shut down. Well, really? Yeah. I mean, what am I going to do? I look forward to those articles every morning.. 

John Goodman: [00:40:44] Holding them up with one hand.

Phil Proctor: [00:40:49] John, do you still have a place here in LA? 

John Goodman: [00:40:52] Yes, I do. Um, shortly after I got sober, I got sober out in California, and I thought maybe it'd be a good idea if I, if I had a place here. Uh, so it won't be so far away from work. Maybe I won't be so lost, are lost to people, but it didn't do any good. But, uh, it's a nice place to live.

Phil Proctor: [00:41:18] It is. It's a lovely home that you have there. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:41:20] And, and we, you know, we're speaking to, uh, you know, we're, we're directing our show towards the baby boomers and older audiences, the underserved people, uh, regarding podcasts and anything now, because, you know, when you turn 60, you sort of become invisible. 

John Goodman: [00:41:34] I wish!

Ted Bonnitt: [00:41:36] I remember when we were working on re on Oz with Peter at a studio and we went out for a smoke break and you were just, you know, we just hanging out. Guy just blocked traffic. Got of his car ran over and said, I'm so happy to meet you. I play Fred Flinstone at Universal. How you felt about the Flintstones and you were like, "Uh huh. Uh Huh.

John Goodman: [00:42:01] No, I hope I wasn't mean. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:42:04] Nah, you were just uncomfortable. I could see it. You know what it was like God.. 

John Goodman: [00:42:10] Things you don't want to be known for. I, I'm way too rough on the film. But maybe someday, they'll make a comic version of it. 

Phil Proctor: [00:42:21] Well, I have a little bit of a challenge today. Once we, we, uh, we end our conversation.  Last night., Uh, we've been watching a lot of great old movies on Netflix. Okay. And I've seen movies. I'd never. Thought I'd see like the pride of the Yankees. Oh. And babe Ruth was a terrific, uh, screen presence and you got to to, uh, to play him in, in "Babe". And, uh, did you, uh, did you take a look at some of his movie work?

John Goodman: [00:42:49] You bet I did. Wasn't he something. Well, he really had a presence. He was magnetic, and apparently just a funny guy with a heart. The size of all outdoors, love kids. You are, you're on the screen. Can't take your eyes off him. 

Phil Proctor: [00:43:07] That's right. And unfortunately, however, we have direct TV here and yesterday, for some reason our remote controls  don't work anymore. Listen at, so what are we going to do? We're going to, 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:43:24] We reached the end of Netflix. 

Phil Proctor: [00:43:27] I thought it was like the universe there was always turn around and go back. How are you entertaining yourself? John? 

John Goodman: [00:43:36] Uh, reading, reading. Yeah. That's, you know, going long walks, get some exercise, uh, and allowing myself to do nothing, which is, uh, it's easier than I thought. I thought I'd be going nuts by now, but, um, I'm really not. I've done. Working pretty hard for the last few years and it's, it's nice to shut it down. Yeah. May

Ted Bonnitt: [00:44:01] I just so admire how, you know, he went sober and you lost the weight and you just seem so happy or happier, I should say. For people who are in our audience, who may be dealing with that and likely there are many especially now being shut down and probably, you know, uh, nervous eating and feeling very anxious. Anything you'd like to say as far as, I mean, how did you do it? 

John Goodman: [00:44:24] Well, it's, it's the cliches that they put up in the meeting. Actually. They're cliches because they work and it's easy at a time. Um, I can't tell anybody. To stop drinking or they have to come to that decision themselves. After a while, it kind of had no choice. I was killing myself. Um, but I was, I was tired of it. I was sick of tired of being sick and tired and I got help. Um. Yeah. I don't know what to say, except, uh, if you're, if you're reaching for a drink right now or something like it, just stop and think what, what is it that you really want? 

Phil Proctor: [00:45:09] We're all very proud of you, John.

John Goodman: [00:45:11] It's the thing that touches me is there were so many people that were concerned and I would naturally take that. I get defensive with it because it was embarrassing. But I'm so grateful for everyone. Nobody does it alone. 

Phil Proctor: [00:45:28] I think we've kept you long enough, John, although I certainly think we should maybe do this again when we get to the other side.

John Goodman: [00:45:34] Yeah, yeah. No, it was great talking to you guys and it's great to catch up. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:45:39] Thank you so much for joining us today. Be well, stay safe. 

John Goodman: [00:45:44] Thank you. 

Phil Proctor: [00:45:44] Love you. 

John Goodman: [00:45:45] Love you too. 

Thanks guys. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:45:47] Bye, John. 

Phil Proctor: [00:45:47] Bye. Bye. You know, it's, it's really very significant for me and very moving to have had such a long, extended friendship with a man of John Goodman's enormous talents and kindness and sense of humor.

Yeah. It's really astonishing that he is maintained. His humility and it speak about, you know, it wasn't easy for him to accept his success, you know? But I, I believe that he is in a very good place right now. I'm sure some of that was communicated in our conversation because what she hear is what she got.

His nickname is not goodie for nothing. 

Ted Bonnitt: [00:46:34] Phil Proctor. Thank you so much. I'm Ted Bonnitt. Please join us for another exciting episode of Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show. Until then.. 

Phil Proctor: [00:46:42] Goodbye. 

A E Guy: [00:46:44] You've been listening to Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show., featuring Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt and special guest John Goodman.

Bear Wiz Beer and U.S. Plus we're written in perfored by the Firesign theater. Feng Shui was written by Proctor and Bergman and performed by John Goodman and Peter Bergman. Music by Eddie Baytos, and the Nervis Brothers. I'm A. Earnest Guy. Join us for the next episode of Phil and Ted's Sexy Boomer Show. Produced by RadioPictures.com the makers of fine podcasts for boomers. .Okay?

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