On the pod, the guys revisit The Gang Wrestles for the Troops from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 5, Episode 7.
Charlie Day: Let's take a look at the text chain here. Uh, 10:43 AM on a Monday, Glenn Howerton. “We should start a bit earlier. If we can. We usually take at least 75 minutes with commercials. Can we start at 8:45?” Charlie Day. “Uh, yeah, I can get there then.” Rob McElhenney. “8:45 works exclamation point.” Well, it's 845. Uh, Rob. Glenn. Megan. There's nobody here. There's nobody left at the podcast. This, this is it. It's, it's fizzled down to nothing. Well, now, Rob, how do you feel about the fact that Glenn was the one who said, “Well, let's start at 845.”? I totally agree. And, uh, Megan, you're, you said you weren't gonna be here. That's fair. Well, um, The Gang Wrestles for the Troop. What a show guys. You know, what a show. Like, how does, how does Marc Maron do it? I wonder, you know, he just goes on and on and on by himself. Oh, wait a second. We haven't arriver. We have a, we have someone in the house. And he's not even gonna get the most razzed.
Glenn Howerton: You rolling solo now?
Charlie: Oh, yeah, buddy.
Glenn: Right now, just rolling completely solo?
Charlie: Yeah, I could sing a funny little song, but I'm not in the mood. My spirit is crushed. You know, people are trying to get to work. They’re trying to be entertained. You know, they're up with their morning coffee. They need more, they need more. We got to give them stuff. You know?
*Opening credits*
Glenn: Yeah. This is, this is not something you wanna alone, right?
Charlie: Well, now, you demanded we be here by this time. And I will say, you were one minute late. Which is fine.
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I uh, *clears throat*, I thought I was gonna be, I thought it was gonna be worse than that, and it was uh, total oversight. Yeah.
Charlie: Where is this man?
Glenn: I–well, that’s a very good question. I don’t know. I, I, I’m a little concerned uh, because he’s not one to be late. Generally speaking.
Charlie: Ohhh.
Glenn: Oh, okay. All right.
Charlie: Okay. Okay.
Glenn: I thought–
Charlie: I heard a voice I know.
Rob McElhenney: That’s crazy. I’ve been sitting out for 15 minutes reading my email. Because Glenn he was gonna be late.
Charlie: No, no.
Rob: *Laughter* I swear to god.
Charlie: No.
Glenn: No.
Charlie: No.
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: Unacceptable.
Rob: I’ve been here since 8:15.
Charlie: Oh, well, you have and you haven’t.
Glenn: You really screwed up. You really screwed up.
Rob: Sorry.
Charlie: You have and you haven’t.
Rob: I haven’t been here–
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: Since 8:15.
Charlie: You’ve been in alley way reading emails.
Rob: When I, when I get a text that say, “Hey guys, I’m gonna be late.” I just go, okay, well then, he’s gonna be late. So let’s just–”
Charlie: Yeah. It was–
Glenn: Yeah but I didn’t say how late.
Charlie: He didn’t say how late. And it was bery unyou. I would’ve figured you would’ve been early to give him a little rimming.
Glenn: To razz me. Yeah, I thought you were–
Charlie: To razz him because it was his idea.
Glenn: I was like, you know what?
Charlie: I sat here like a dick. With my dick, in my hands.
Rob: I got this text and thought–
Glenn: Was your dick in your hands?
Charlie: Nah. But it could’ve been.
Rob: –that could potentially be fun. But I’m sure the audience has got be sick of hearing how–
Charlie: Nahhh.
Rob: –one or two of us is late for the show. That they’d wanna watch or listen to.
Charlie: All the time. Meg, you think we’ll cut that?
Glenn: What’s uh–she’s not here. Um, what’s on that piece of paper there? That’s in front of you?
Charlie: These are like, questions. If someone wanted to do–
Glenn: Oh. That’s where I usually sit. She, yeah. She gave me the host questions.
Charlie: Guys. Guys.
Rob: Okay.
Charlie: The Gang Wrestles for the Troops. Holy moly. Did you watch it? Did you see it?
Glenn: I did.
Charlie: Did you enjoy it?
Rob: I watched it.
Glenn: I enjoyed it very much.
Charlie: Oh my god, I watched it too. I enjoyed it very, very much.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah. It’s a good one.
Charlie: There’s a level of silliness to that one.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: That’s just pure joy.
Glenn: Kind of feel like we blew it. I feel like we should’ve bumped it up. So that it was airing on–so that we were dropping it on Memorial Day. But instead, we’re recording the episode about wrestling for the troops–
Charlie: The day after.
Glenn: –the day after Memorial Day.
Charlie: We celebrated the troops.
Glenn: So that’s, that–I mean, you know. I guess that’s a thing. But dropping it on Memorial Day would’ve been sweet.
Rob: Will people be listening to podcasts on–while they’re at their barbecues?
Charlie: They would’ve been like, “Hold the fuckin’ party, they just dropped–”
Glenn: “Hang on a second guys.?
Charlie: “--a military themed podcast.”
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: “On a military themed holiday.
Glenn: Yeah. Dj was like, *DJ noise*.
Charlie: *DJ noise* “Everybody pop those jean shorts off!”
Glenn: “I’m so so–” *Laughter*
Charlie: “It’s gettin’ wild.” How many people you think we’re wearing jean shorts yesterday? A lot.
Glenn: Oh, a lot. A lot.
Charlie: A lot.
Glenn: Yeah. A lot of jean shorts around the pool yesterday. The weather wasn’t great though, here in Los Angeles for Memorial Day.
Charlie: I flew in. I was in New York City.
Glenn: How was New York City?
Charlie: Fine.
Glenn: What were you doin–*laughter*.
Charlie: You know.
Glenn: What were you doin’ there?
Charlie: Uh, we had a little get together for my old man um, who is now 80 years old.
Rob: Wow.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: 80.
Charlie: So 8 0. Yeah, he actually turned 80 in uh, January. But we were like, “We’ll get together in the spring.”
Glenn: Yeah. January. You don’t wanna have to go out there in January.
Charlie: Yeah. It was, it was good.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: It was lovely. You know, family. Friends.
Glenn: Did you do anything else? See a show while you were out there?
Charlie: No. In and out pal. In and out.
Glenn: Okay. So you didn’t, you didn’t watch anything on Broadway?
Charlie: I’m trying to think if I have a really interesting antidote. But I don’t, no. We watched um–
Glenn: Antidote?
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: If you had a antidote–
Rob: Anecdote.
Glenn: –I would definitely wanna hear about that.
Charlie: Anecdote.
Rob: The added C–it’s a sneaky C.
Glenn: It’s a sneaky, sneaky–
Charlie: Anecdote.
Glenn: Anecdote.
Rob: It’s stupid.
Charlie: No. That’s not what I was trying to say.
*Laughter*
Glenn: Now if you’d come back from New York with an antidote–
Charlie: With an antidote.
Glenn: –that’d be, that’d be amazing.
Charlie: I have a really good antidote. For–
Rob: For your dyslexia.
Charlie: –curing your New York ails. What ails ya.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: Uh, season 5, episode 7. The Gang Wrestles For The Troops. Aired October 29th, 2009. Fellas. Uh, It was written by Scott Marder and Rob Rosell. And directed by Randall Einhorn.
Glenn: Randall Einhorn all over this season.
Charlie: Special guest stars, Travis Schuldt. This is–as Ben the Soldier. This is Travis’s first episode with us, yes? First appearance of Roddy Piper as Da’Maniac.
Glenn: Yes.
Rob: Yes.
Charlie: That’s right. He’s been on twice. ‘Cause he was selling Invigaron.
Rob: Invigaron, yeah.
*Laughter*
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: And Don Frye as a wrestling opponent. Huh?
Rob: Okay. Now I’m glad that that was–
Glenn: Oh wait.
Rob: –I’m glad that that was put into the–
Glenn: Oh, Don Frye.
Charlie: That’s who Roddy’s wrestling
Rob: So–
Glenn: Right.
Rob: I ha–I watched the episode yesterday. And it jumped out at me–
Glenn: Don Frye.
Rob: –as soon as the episode began. That Don Frye is–Don Frye is pioneer of ul–of the UFC. He is one of the original–like, when Hoist Gracie was–
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: –he, he was around that era.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: And–
Glenn: Well, so like the early early years. Yeah.
Rob: Really early. Yeah.
Charlie: Pioneer in terms of, he was fighting, or he was like “Let’s build a business called the UFC.”
Rob: He was fighting.
Glenn: Oh listen. Listen. If he had started that fuckin’ business he wouldn’t have been wrestling for us on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He’d be sitting in his mansion somewhere.
Charlie: Well, people love what they do. People love what they do.
Rob: Well–
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Rob: –we, none of us were UFC fans at the time of–
Glenn: No, no, no. I remember, do you guys remember that was when UFC was like, this is my memory of it at least. And you guys tell me if you remember this too. It was advertised on TV. It was like VHS tapes you could buy through the mail.
Charlie: Yeah. I remember in college watching a VHS of Hoist Gracie winning.
Glenn: And it was brutal. It was like people getting their arms broken.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Like it was–it was, it was, it was basically like cage match–like blood sport style.
Charlie: I remember just some dude with a long beard. Who was kinda like heavy set. It was–
Rob: Tank.
Charlie: The Tank. Yeah, yeah.
Rob: No, Tank. You-’re–Tank Abbott.
Charlie: Tank Abbott. Yeah.
Rob: David Tank Abbott.
Charlie: Yeah. All right.
Rob: From Huntington Beach.
Charlie: Mm-hm. I remember him.
Glenn: Okay. Jee–what’d you have the playing cards? What’s happening right now?
Charlie: “I got all the cards in plastic.”
Rob: I watched–I watched the fights.
Charlie: “I’ll trade you Tank Abbott for Hoist Gracie.”
Glenn: *Laughter*
Rob: So, none of us were into the UFC at that time. Or when we shot this episode in 2009.
Glenn: No.
Rob: But by 2009 UFC was, was doing pretty well.
Glenn: Taking off, yeah.
Rob: Uh, but we didn’t realize it–that um, that Don Frye was this pioneer of the UFC. So, subsequently I’ve become a big fan. I’ve gone back and watched all of those early UFC events.
Glenn: All of them?
Rob: I’ve seen every–every one. The first 20.
Glenn: Where does this man find the time?
Rob: Well, if I’m working out or something like that. It’s a good thing to pop on. ‘Cause–
Glenn: Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait. You’ve got UFC in the background while you’re working out? And you’re actually paying attention? You’re like, “That’s–that’s Don Frye.” as you’re doing a set?
Rob: *Laughter* Yeah.
Charlie: I get that. It’s just on. You don’t have to watch–you know. You can, it’s not like a–
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: –film with subtitles. You can look away from the screen.
Glenn: That’s some Beautiful Mind shit, man. Where you can do 2 things at the same time. Like you need to be concentrating–
Charlie: You can’t have like, sports on the TV.
Glenn: He needs to be concentrating on his form. Or he’s gonna hurt himself. He’s in his 40s.
Rob: I find it motivating.
Charlie: Sure.
Rob: To watch that kinda blood sport.
Charlie: Sure.
Glenn: Okay. I’m sorry. I interrupted. Please, continue.
Rob: Are you annoyed by the fact that I’ve found it inspiring?
Glenn: I’m worried about you. I’m worried about your form. I’m worried about your form while you’re working out. You’ve gotta–
Charlie: Mm-hm. You’re gonna lift that neck a little too high.
Rob: I check in and check out.
Charlie: That’s right.
Glenn: On your form?
Charlie: I mean, between sets–
Rob: No, no.
Charlie: Between sets.
Glenn: Between sets you’re watching stuff.
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: Between sets you’re just looking up. You’re seeing some sweaty men. And you’re turning yourself into a sweaty man. And you’re seeing another sweaty man.
Glenn: And you wanna be sweaty like him.
Charlie: And then you’re like, how can I be sweatier.
Glenn: *Laughter*
Charlie: And then you’re watching another man. You’re saying, “If there was another man in here for me to press against, that would be exciting.” And then, on and on, and on.
Rob: Well, if there is a man I wouldn’t wanna press against, it would be Don Frye.
Charlie: Eh, you would and you woudldn’t.
Rob: Done Frye was uh–
Glenn: What was he–
Rob: –was famous for, he was a wrestler.
Glenn: Like a collegiate, American–
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: A collegiate wrestler.
Rob: He was a wrestling coach at, I believe Arizona State. And he was also a firefighter. And this was at a time when you were semi professional. You were a fighter, but you were also like, you had a job.
Glenn: Oh you had to.
Rob: But he, he was one of those guys who came in early. And was able to compete. And I believe he beat Hoist Gracie.
Glenn: Wow.
Rob: If he did, it was around that year.
Glenn: Are you serious?
Rob: Yeah. Mark Coleman I believe. There’s a fight between Don Frye and Mark Coleman that’s one of the most brutal things that’s ever been caught on, on video tape.
Glenn: Brutal–like what happens?
Rob: They savagely beat the living shit out of each other.
Glenn: Well that still happens. What I, what I, what I never saw. And never wanted to see, was–am I crazy in thinking that in the really really early days of UFC, they had a lot less rules?
Rob: A lot fewer rules. If Meg was here, she’d point that out.
Glenn: Ah, fuck–
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: Jesus man.
Rob: There’s a lot less of rules.
Glenn: Okay fine, a lot fewer rules.
Rob: A lot fewer rules, yes. You could, there were–
Glenn: And you could, you could break–
Rob: –groin punches.
Glenn: Right.
Rob: You couldn’t, there was no eye gauging.
Glenn: No eye gauging.
Rob: Uh, but that was kinda it.
Glenn: I mean, you could snap peoples limbs if you wanted to, right?
Charlie: Could you spit–could you spit at somebody?
Rob: You could still do that, if people don’t tap out.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: They’ll break your–people’s arms get broken and things like that.
Glenn: I know. But that, they, they–yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
Rob: It’s, it’s pretty savage.
Glenn: Yeah. But there’s things–like you could–could you, like back in the day. I mean, can you just straight up kick somebody in the knee? And just buckle their knee backwards?
Rob: You could still do that.
Glenn: You can do that now?
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Just break somebody’s knee?
Rob: Yeah. They have rules–yeah. They have rules against elbows, your elbows can only come at a certain angle. Across someones face. Which seems very specific.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: It’s worth–
Glenn: Well they don’t want you upper cutting–you know, they don’t want you getting that, you know, the bone into, into the brain thing. Is that just a–is that a real thing? Is that a real way to kill somebody? To make their nose bone go into their brain. Or is that just one of those things–
Rob: I think that was one of those urban legends.
Glenn: Right. It was an urban legend.
Rob: ‘Cause you don’t really hear about that happening too much.
Glenn: I’ve never heard of that actually happening.
Rob: You’d think that that would happen in boxing from time to time.
Charlie: Mmm, yeah. You’d think–you’d be like, people just like trip and hit their nose on a table. And like, “Op. Went up in your brain. And you died.”
Glenn: Yeah. You’d hear–
Rob: It’s worth having uh, Meg uh, when she comes back to work. Um, put up some of that UFC footage from an early fight. There was, there was one in particular that I’m thinking of. With this guy named um, Joe Son. And Joe Son was on the ground. And there was a guy that he was fighting who was just pounding on his dick. Just pounding on it.
Glenn: *Laughter*
Rob: I mean, just pounding on it. Until eventually he tapped. From groin strikes.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: I believe.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: That was legal.
Glenn: That would be an amazing thing too. If like–if that was like you’re signature move. You know what I mean?
Charlie: *Laughter* Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: Just like–
Charlie: Pounding dick.
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah. Just pounding dicks. You know, in the ring. In the octagon. Was it an octagon back then?
Rob: I think that came in later. It was definitely a cage.
Glenn: Okay. So it was a hexagon? Or–
Rob: Maybe it was a diamond.
Glenn: Couldn’t have been square. Could it?
Charlie: It could’ve been a square.
Glenn: Oh, if it was square that’s just, you know. That’s a mess. Um, so–
Rob: So Don Frye.
Glenn: –Don Frye.
Charlie: Mm-hm.
Rob: And I–I was very struck by it. Because at the time he was just a guy that Roddy was wrestling. Who was clearly an athlete.
Charlie: Uh-huh. I think Roddy brought him in.
Rob: He did.
Glenn: Yes he did.
Charlie: ‘Cause he was like, “I’m gonna have to do a routine with somebody. Let me call a buddy.”
Rob: Mm-hm.
Glenn: Yeah. That’s right, yeah.
Charlie: To make it look good.
Glenn: Now, did Don Frye also wrestle in the WWF?
Rob: Maybe. Maybe he made a–
Glenn: Probably, right?
Rob: Maybe.
Glenn: Hmm. Okay. All right, well–
Rob: His nickname was The Predator.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: He looked like–he had like a predator look.
Glenn: Yeah. I don’t remember–
Charlie: Is he the guy with a big mustache–he had a big mustache?
Rob: Yeah. He had a big mustache. That’s him.
Charlie: Yeah, okay. I remember him now. I remember him now.
Glenn: Okay. Well, should we talk about the episode?
Charlie: I would, I’d love to.
Glenn: I’d love to.
Charlie: This episode is so funny. So funny. Roddy Piper man. I mean, we could just talk about him.
Rob: If there are people under the age of 35 watching or listening to this, they can’t really fully understand, the cultural impact that Roddy Piper had.
Charlie: Yeah. So for us, like wrestling was what TIktok is now. You know? Or youtube. It was like–
Glenn: It was our stories. It was our soap opera.
Charlie: Yeah. Little bits of information. It’s not a full narrative.
Rob: It was–it was at it’s zenith.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: You could argue, right?
Glenn: In the late 80’s?
Rob: Yeah. The late 1980’s.
Glenn: I don’t know dude. I don’t know.
Rob: It’s pretty big now.
Glenn: It’s, it’s–
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: –always been big for…yeah. It stayed big.
Rob: Maybe we were at our zenith.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah. We were–
Glenn: I think it was the zenith for us.
Rob: Yeah. When you hit 12 years–I don’t know. I mean, Hulk Hogan–
Charlie: Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant–
Rob: Roddy.
Charlie: Koko B. Ware.
Rob: Tito Santana.
Charlie: Roddy Roddy Piper.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: The Iron Sheik.
Glenn: The Iron Sheik, yeah.
Charlie: Oh man.
Rob: The Iron Sheik. For christ’s sake.
Charlie: George the Animal Steele.
Glenn: Randy, Randy the hitman savage. Or–no. Randy–
Rob: Macho Man.
Charlie: Macho Man.
Glenn: Randy Macho Man Savage.
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: You know what it was?
Glenn: I was thinking Randy–who was the Hitman Hart?
Rob: Bret The Hitman Hart.
Glenn: Bret The Hitman Hart.
Rob: The Hart Machine.
Charlie: And steroids were like, just, you know. Finding their sweet spot of like, we can really juice a guy up.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: Look what we do to this macho man.
Glenn: Yeah, we’ll turn him into a–*Laughter*.
Charlie: Wanna see how macho we can make this guy?
Rob: He’s more macho than man.
Charlie: First of all, look at his sunglasses. It’s like a windshield.
Rob: But the characters that those guys created, I mean.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: You go back and still you watch it.
Glenn: Fantastic.
Rob: Fantastic.
Charlie: Oh yeah.
Rob: Macho Man–
Glenn: It’s great theater.
Rob: Randy Savage is barely–I mean, he is a true savage. He’s barely a person.
Glenn: It’s great. *Laughter* That’s what happens when you’re living on slimjims and steroids.
Charlie: To what extent is it fake? Is it real? They keep it so–
Rob: I think they take umbrage with the word fake. Because it is–and we kind of addressed this is in the episode. It’s not fake. In so far as they are putting their bodies through that.
Glenn: Oh yeah.
Rob: It’s just that it’s choreographed.
Charlie: It’s choreographed.
Rob: To a certain extent.
Charlie: To an extent, right? ‘Cause you can kinda wing it.
Glenn: You can have signals though. You know, when they do like the *slaps elbow*. The–you know. They’re like indicating to each other like, *slaps chest*. You know. Or the–slappin’ stuff. And they’re like, “Okay. Now he’s gonna do the thing. Like–”
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: There’s little codes, right? That they throw out?
Rob: Yes. I always thought, when you hear that it’s, that it’s choreographed, you have this idea in mind that it’s very, it’s very rehearsed. And before, before the show they’ve gone through all of the moves. And it kinda isn’t that. They figure out who’s gonna win, and they have a couple of moves that they know they’re gonna do. But–
Glenn: And then everything else–
Rob: Andre the Giant would just do whatever he wanted. And everybody had to just go along with it. And Roddy says in his book, I read that his book–
Glenn: Oh yeah. “In the Pit with Piper”.
Rob: – “In the Pit with Piper”. Uh, he talks–
Glenn: I read that book too.
Rob: –about. Yeah. It’s amazing. He talks about–
Glenn: It’s all over the place.
Rob: –Andre–he talks about Andre was so–it didn’t matter who was wrestling Andre. Including Hulk Hogan. And Big John Studd. And like, massive men. If Andre wanted to pick you up and throw you into Neptune, he could.
Glenn: Really?
Rob: Yes. Now towards the end of his–
Glenn: Yeah. I was gonna say, he looked–
Rob: -career he was falling apart.
Glenn: Yeah. He looked big, but not necessarily strong.
Rob: He was so strong.
Glenn: He was?
Rob: They were saying like, the difference muscle and just like, straight up mass, if somebody weighs 5–500 pounds, it does’t matt–if you weigh 300 pounds, if you are Shaquille O’neal. But if somebody weighs 200 pounds more than you–
Glenn: Yeah, you’re picking up Shaquille O’neal.
Rob: You’re picking up Shaquille O’Neal and you’re throwing him.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: That’s wild.
Glenn: Awesome.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah. Imagine being able to toss somebody as big as Hulk Hogan. Or Randy Macho Man Savage.
Rob: Well, you think of yourself as a grown man. And you’re like, well there’s no other grown man–*Laughter*.
Charlie: I do and I don’t.
Rob: There’s a grown man–
Charlie: I do and I don’t.
Rob: –There’s very few grown men that you think could actually like, pick you up like a child. And just throw you. Right?
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: But Shaq could do that.
Glenn: Yeah absolutely.
Charlie: Sure.
Rob: Because relative–
Glenn: He could dunk me.
Rob: Yeah. If you think about your child. Like, no matter what if your child came at you, with like punches. You’d eventually just grab one and throw, and throw him across the street.
Glenn: Right.
Rob: You could do that if you wanted to. Shaq–
Glenn: I wouldn’t do that to my child. But I would do it to another child.
Rob: *Laughter*
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: If another child came at me I would do that.
Rob: Sure.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah. I would toss it.
Rob: But if you outweigh something by 150 pounds.
Charlie: Yeah. Andre could do that.
Glenn: You’d–yeah. You can–right.
Charlie: How tall was he? Do we know?
Rob: They, they list him at 7–almost 8 feet tall, which he was not. I think he was like 7’5. 7’4,7’5.
Glenn: I don’t know. Yeah, I mean, there’s NBA players taller than him. But not bigger than him.
Charlie: Yeah but it’s the tall–it’s the tall with the big.
Glenn: It’s the tall with the big.
Charlie: The, the mass.
Rob: Yeah. There’s photos of him drinking a beer. And the way he holds a beer-
Charlie: Yeah. It looks like a little sippy cup.
Rob: Yeah. Like a sippy cup in his hand.
Glenn: Ugh.
Rob: He could drink a case of beer in a sitting.
Charlie: How tall was the world–the world’s tallest man was like 8’11 or something crazy. Right? It was like in the 40s or–
Rob: It’s weird. I was just looking at–his name was Robert…Waldslow? Or something like that.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: Laldslow? Yeah. And he was 8–8 feet tall.
Glenn: Yeah, no. He was taller than 8 feet. He was, he was like 8–Uh, we need Megan.
Rob: 8’6.
Glenn: We need, we need our, our face checker. ‘Cause I was actually just looking this up the other day too. Because, I don’t know Miles was talking about it.
Charlie: Russell asked me last night.
Glenn: Who the tallest man ever–
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: –was?
Charlie: Yeah. And I was like “Robert something.”
Rob: Well, let’s look it up.
Mara: Robert Wadlow.
Rob: Wadlow.
Charlie: Robert Wadlow.
Glenn: And how tall was he?
Rob: I’m gonna say he’s 8’6.
Glenn: The man himself was what? 8’9? 8’10?
Mara: 8’11.
Rob: 8’11!
Charlie: 8’11!
Rob: Almost 9.
Charlie: Almost 9.
Rob: Well how–how old was he when he died? 36?
Charlie: 9 in shoes.
Rob: Was he 36? He had to be very–
Mara: 32.
Rob: Oh. Wow.
Charlie: 32.
Mara: Oh sorry. 22 guys.
Glenn: Oh no, he was–
Charlie: 22.
Glenn: –22 years old when he died. Of gigantism or whatever–
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: Probably.
Glenn: –what’s the proper term. Is that what they call it? They probably don’t call it that anymore. Right? Because that’s offensive to giants?
Rob: I don’t know. Cut that. Cut that, cut that. Cut that.
Glenn: Don’t cut it.
Charlie: Don’t cut that. Fuck giants.
*Laughter*
Charlie: They have it all.
*Laughter*
Glenn: We used to be able to openly slay giants. Wasn’t that a thing?
*Laughter*
Glenn: Early man would slay a giant. All right.
Charlie: You know, slaying giants is very frowned upon now.
Glenn: I know.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: You can’t slay giants anymore. Back in mythological days that was the whole thing.
Charlie: You can hardly slay anyone.
Glenn: Yeah.
*Laughter*
Charlie: Oh man. I do get–why–
Rob: But Roddy was–was the best. So, the crazy thing about Roddy is if he’s gonna go and wrestle someone who’s 7 feet tall. Or Hogan.
Charlie: Uh-huh.
Rob: Who’s 6’6. Or something like that. 6’7.
Glenn: Yeah. And Roddy was what? 5’11?
Rob: Roddy was not large. Yeah. He was not large.
Charlie: And, he had crossed over into mainstream entertainment just a little bit. You know. This was be–you know, The Rock obviously did it best. But like, Hogan kinda dabbled. But no one was ever like, eh he’s an actor. You know, Schwarzenegger was kinda taking the big guy roles. You know.
Glenn: Right.
Charlie: For big muscly men. But Roddy had a couple like, Indy movies that became like cult classics.
Glenn: Mm-hm.
Rob: They Live.
Glenn: Primarily They Live.
Charlie: They Live was famous. Yeah.
Glenn: They Live’s the most famously.
Charlie: And, um, and he could act. Do you guys remember acting with him?
Glenn: Okay. So, what I remember was when he start–when he came in, he was like, there was like some like method acting shit happening. Like he was in character. Like he would, he would–I mean, he would interact with us. But like, he was, he was–
Charlie: He kinda stayed in character.
Glenn: He kinda stayed in character to a degree. And I remember thinking at the time, and I think I brought this up to you guys. Like, he was so good and playing it so real, and so–his performance was so haunted. That it was like–I was watching him thinking, he could’ve played The Wrestler.
Charlie: Oh yeah.
Glenn: In The Wrestler. Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. He would–he would’ve been amazing.
Charlie: He kind of like–
Glenn: I mean Mickey Rourke was incredible in that movie but–
Charlie: –he kind of would like say the lines. He kind of would say his own thing sometimes. Remember?
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: And it was ha–a little you kinda had to dance around communicating with him although he was nice.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: But like, he didn’t like give off the like, “Hey we’re just gonna chit chat and hang”. I feel like when he came back the second time–
Rob: He did. Yeah I mean, he, he–when we were off the stage, in the dressing rooms, I spent a lot of time talking to him.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: He was a completely different person.
Glenn: Yeah. Totally.
Charlie: Yeah. But on–but as soon as he got on set–
Rob: Yes.
Charlie: –he was kind of in The Maniac.
Glenn: Yes. Yes.
Rob: He was Da’ Maniac.
Charlie: He was Da’ Maniac.
Glenn: He was Da’ Maniac.
Rob: He had the most amazing stories. The most amazing stories.
Charlie: Well, he told me he survived a couple plane crashes. That uh, they would like take these little puddle jumper planes. So they could like do as many wrestling shows.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: You know, they would be in like Ontario Canada. And then they’d be like, “We’re just gonna pop over to some other little town. And we’re gonna do a show really quick.” And they would–then like, occasionally the engines would drop out of these things. He said he like survived, I think he told me at least 3 plane crashes. He might’ve said 5. But that, he like walked away from them. Like–
Rob: He had been stabbed by a fan. Um, or a–I don’t know if you would call somebody a fan who stabs you. But he was at–
*Laughter*
Charlie: “Hey man. Big fan. Sorry to do this. But uh, huge fan, huge fan.”
Rob: Well he would say they would go into these markets and, and Roddy always played the heel. ‘Cause that’s what he was good at. So he was always the guy that everybody booed and like jeered. And people would be whipped up into a frenzy and then they would truly believe that–
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: –this guy was like a bad guy. Evil.
Glenn: Bad guy, yeah.
Charlie: Yeah. He always played a bad guy.
Rob: And so some, some maniac, some crazy person at one of these events just took out a knife just stabbed him a bunch of times.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: As he was headed to the ring.
Glenn: What’d he, what’d he–how did he dispense with that guy? Did he, did he actually like–did he st–did he get stab–do you remember? Did he tell you this story?
Rob: Yeah. He–yeah. He got stab–it’s in the book too. He got, he got stabbed um, and then beat the shit out of the guy. And then, from that point forward, he had a pistol. He had a pistol with him. He would, he had a jacket and he always wore a jacket–
Glenn: Oh, well that–that’s the same jacket he wore on the show.
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: That was his jacket.
Rob: That was his jacket.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: And he showed me where he kept his pistol. Which he kept–he still kept there. In his, in his jacket.
Charlie: Uh-huh.
Glenn: And that jacket looked–
Charlie: Wore a leather jacket to stop the stabbings right?
Glenn: Well the jacket was–
Rob: To stop the stabbings and to hold–hide the pistol.
Glenn: –and to hide the little, his little derringer.
*Ad break*
*Cut that*
Rob: Can I tell you about a personal journey that I’ve been on?
Charlie: Hm.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: A journey with a new friend who’s always with me. One who saved my life.
Charlie: Oh boy, where’s this going?
Glenn: Yeah. Is this, is this Mac talkin’? Or is this Rob talkin’? What are we–
Rob: What I’m talkin’ about is my journey with electrolytes.
Charlie: Oooo. Okay.
Glenn: Okay. All right.
Charlie: I’m happy to hear that, yeah.
Rob: Yeah dude. I’m talking about LMNT. And their electrolyte mix that’s designed to replenish what your body sweats out, even if you aren’t an athlete like myself.
Glenn: Oh, okay. So this is Mac talking.
Rob: LMNT contains a science backed ratio of 1000 milligrams sodium, 200 milligrams potassium, and 60 milligrams magnesium, with no sugar, no gluten, no coloring, and nothing artificial.
Charlie: Oh okay. So it’s made for everyone but it’s extra helpful for keto, low carb, and paleo diets.
Rob: That’s correct. Now, can I tell you how LMNT showed me the error of my sinful ways and helped me turn it all around?
Glenn: Still sounding like Mac.
Charlie: Yeah. Okay, just go ahead.
Rob: No. This is Rob. Because I would dehydrate myself with manhattans. Not, not workout.
Charlie: Oh.
Rob: And eat chimichangas and donuts to cultivate mass. Now I was no stranger to headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, and sleeplessness. But, I looked within and I asked for help. And also googled my symptoms and boom–
Charlie: Mm-hm.
Rob: –LMNT to the rescue.
Glenn: Well hey. Look, if it, if it’s good enough for olympic athletes, navy seals, NBA and NFL, NHL players, it’s good enough for me. You have officially converted us.
Charlie: Right now LMNT is offering out listeners a free sample pack with any purchase. That’s 8 single serving packets free with any LMNT order. Now this is a great way to try all 8 flavors, and share LMNT with a salty friend. Get yours at DrinkLMNT.com/sunny.
Glenn: Now this deal is only available through our link, okay? So you must got to D-R-I N-K-L-M-N-T.com/sunny. LMNT L-M-N-T offers no questions asked refunds. Try it totally risk free. If you don’t like it, share it with a salty friend and they will give you your money back. No questions asked. You have nothing to lose guys.
*Sunny music*
Glenn: Uh, guys. Where do we stand on our uh, Taylor Swift tickets?
Rob: Oh.
Glenn: We can’t miss her.
Rob: You can’t get ‘em. Now I was–I was in line for hours and I got, I got nothing. You could not get tickets these days.
Charlie: No. Look, buying tickets does not have to be stressful. Okay? It–it’s not stressful at all if you use Gametime.co.
Glenn: Oh right, yes. No, Gametime. Of course. Yeah. No, that-that’s the app you use to find flash deals and last minute tickets of–you know, for any kind of event in, in your area. Right?
Charlie: Mm-hm. Yeah. And it doesn’t have to be last minute. You know what I mean? Tay-Tay is not here till August but uh, I found us some, some sick deals on pit.
Rob: How good are we talkin’ about? Like with these seats. ‘Cause I need to be close enough where I can look into Taylor’s eyes and see, when she sings “All too Well”, that she’s singing about Jake Gyllenhaal.
Glenn: What do you mean see if she’s singing about Jake Gyllenhaal? She’s definitely singing about Jake Gyllenhaal.
Rob: I know. But I need to know if she’s feeling it. Or if she’s just checked out.
Charlie: Okay, how ‘bout row 2 buddy?
Rob: Yeah. That’ll do. As long as I can afford them. Are they gonna be reasonably priced?
Charlie: Well let me tell you something right now. With the Gametime guarantee, you will always get the best price. Now if you find tickets in the same section and row for less, Gametime will credit you 110% of the difference. But in my experience, no one else can, no one else can compete anyway.
Glenn: I might already have a thing that night. I got, I gotta run it by Jill.
Charlie: You know, luckily we can wait till the day of. Because Gametime is the place for last minute tickets.
Glenn: Nice.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah. We’ll buy in 2 seconds and then the tickets come straight to your phone. No print, no email, no body, no crime.
Rob: Snag the tickets without the stress, with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account and use code sunny for 20 dollars off your first purchase.
Glenn: Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code sunny for 20 dollars off. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed.
*Ad break over*
Charlie: My–my favorite thing in this episode is the happy accident. Do you guys know–
Rob: Yes.
Charlie: –what it was?
Glenn: The driveway?
Rob: At the very end.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Charlie: So at the end, Roddy had a whole sort of monologue about how much he loves us. And he cares about us and, and uh, whoever was driving the police car, got the cue wrong. So the car just takes off. It was like take one I think, he's starting to say his monologue. He goes, “No, wait, wait!”
Glenn: “No, wait, wait, wait, wait!”
Charlie: He doesn't get to say his monologue. And it just wound up being–
Glenn: It was so funny. Now, wait a minute.
Charlie: So funny. And so much more real, right? It’s like, the cop doesn't wait for you to say your monologue and then drive off right? So like–
Glenn: So is my memory wrong? ‘Cause my memory of that, is actually that he didn’t have a speech. But he had the idea–
Charlie: He wanted to do one.
Glenn: –to do a speech.
Charlie: I think that’s actually more accurate, yeah.
Glenn: And I think he wanted to improvise a speech.
Charlie: Mm-hm.
Glenn: And he told us. And so we knew he was gonna do it.
Charlie: That’s–
Glenn: But nobody told the driver.
Charlie: That–
Glenn: So the driver–
Charlie: Glenn, that is absolutely correct.
Rob: *Laughter* That’s what happened.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah.
Glenn: Is that? Okay.
Charlie: He, he wanted to do a thing.
Glenn: ‘Cause I don’t think it was in the script. Yeah.
Charlie: And we were, you know? We were like, “Yeah. Go. Let’s give it a shot.”
Glenn: “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Charlie: Uh, and no one had told the drivers. So he starts doing the speech.
*Laughter*
Glenn: Ah, that’s so funny.
Charlie: And that is of course so much funnier.
Glenn: Yeah. “Oh my boys.”
Charlie: “My boys.”
Glenn: “My boys.” He grows very close to us. He, he thinks of us as his, as his children. Now, you've talked about this on an earlier podcast, but I think it's worth mentioning again that you had this idea on the day that we were shooting the scene, uh, where he pulls the razor wire out of his car, which was also not in this scr–script. I think uh, we gave him have a bunch of props and then he, he came up with the idea think of like, pulling the razor wire out and accidently hitting you with it.
Charlie: It was his idea to do like a wrestling bit.
Glenn: Yes.
Charlie: Like, “We get you–we get you in the balls.” That’s like, the crowd loves that.
Glenn: Oh, yes. Right, right, right. It was like, bringing a wrestling bit. Yeah.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: By the way I love how, I love how real you play that. And I love you play it till the end of the scene. Like you just, it’s–it never doesn’t hurt. But–
Charlie: I was thinking like, I was thinking, I was like watching it like, “I should’ve played it a little bit in the next scene.” But we might’ve shot the Cricket scene before we decided to do the razor wire thing.
Glenn: Yeah, maybe. Maybe. You had the, the idea of when we asked him about his kids that he goes–
Charlie: That he drifts off?
Glenn: –goes really dark and he goes really haunted. And you don't know what happened to his kids. And that leaves us reeling like, “Did this guy kill his kid– did this, did he kill his kids? What happened to his kids?”
Charlie: Yeah.
Da’ Maniac: Guys. Like, you know, I love you guys. You know, you remind me of my kids.
Dennis: Oh. You’ve got kids Maniac?
Da’ Maniac: Nah, not anymore.
Dennis: What does that mean?
Mac: Uh, okay. All right.
Charlie: We got a problem. I don’t know what, what is he talking about with his kids.
Dennis: I mean, did he kill his kids? Is that what happened?
Charlie: He just drifted away.
Charlie: He nails that delivery. He just–
Glenn: Yeah. You see his–he goes–
Charlie: It’s so real. He plays it so real.
Glenn: He goes–he really goes there.
Charlie: Something sad has happened. He’s lost–he’s lost touch with his, his children.
Glenn: Now, did Roddy have children in real life.
Rob: He does.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: Yeah. He’s got, he’s got a son I know for sure. And, and a daughter. Uh, and I worked wit his daughter. I directed a commercial with um, Ronda Rousey. And she was fighting somebody. It was, it was Rod’s daughter.
Glenn: Really?
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Who’s she?
Rob: She’s in, W–She might be in the WWE.
Charlie: That’s awesome.
Glenn: I miss Roddy. I really mean it.
Rob: He was a great, great guy.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: He was a great guy.
Charlie: He was. And a great actor.
Glenn: I do love this trend of ours though. Of um, and I have tremendous respect for comedians and comedic actors. But I do love that we have this trend of like, wanting to get dramatic performers on our show, you know?
Charlie: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: Like he was always funny, funnier to us. I mean, even initially, when we were you know, going over people that could possibly play. You know, Dennis and Dee’s dad, that we were talking about Ray Liotta.
Charlie: Uh-huh.
Glenn: That we were talking about um–
Rob: Ray Liotta was number one.
Glenn: Ray Liotta was–
Rob: That was, that was our number one. For a while.
Glenn: But that was before Danny came–
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: –Danny had been suggested.
Rob: When we were just knockin’ around the ideas–
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: –we were like, “Wow. Ray Liotta would be amazing.” Imagine Ray Liotta as Frank Reynolds.
Glenn: He woulda’ been incredible.
Rob: It’s a completely different character.
Glenn: It’s a totally different character. A totally different show. Uh, I–my character probably would never have gotten as angry. Because Ray Liotta would’ve taken that role.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: The show would’ve been completely different.
Charlie: Ray is great but like–
Rob: He ain’t, he ain’t that–
Glenn: He ain’t no Danny. Yeah, well–
Charlie: Only Danny can do what, you know.
Glenn: And only Ray can do what Ray does.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: But, you know that’s, that’s, that’s the thing. But, but I liked, I, I’ve always kind of gravitated towards that. I really enjoy watching dramatic actors give dramatic performances in a comedy, where the situation and the character and the want is so crazy, that that's what makes it funny. And the performance itself is very grounded and real. I love that.
Charlie: Well, speaking of drama. The wonderful dramatic scene of deciding what our team name is going to be. And what, what they're what, what, how we describe what they are, and us basically just describing birds to you.
Glenn: When I was watching this episode, uh, yesterday, I wanted to watch those outtakes because I remember them being very funny. And there were some notable missing things. And I don't know why I remember this, but I remember we went on a lot of different riffs. About a lot of different wres– wrestlers. You did a whole bit about Koko B Ware. You did a whole bit about uh–
Charlie: The Junkyard Dog.
Rob: Junkyard dog.
Glenn: Junkyard dog.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: I remember you doing a bunch of riffing on, on a bunch of–
Rob: Wrestlers.
Glenn: –wrestlers. And I remember just crying laughing. At all that.
Rob: I was big into wrestling. So I–
Glenn: Yeah. So was I. And, well, in that particular era. I was as well. So all the–that’s why it was so funny to me. Because I knew all the wrestlers that you were referencing. But had like–
Rob: Yeah. You kinda forget about them.
Glenn: –forgotten about a lot of them. Yeah.
Charlie: We would do like this neighborhood royal rumbles. In my buddy’s basement. Where we would like, move the chairs and–
Glenn: Oh yeah.
Charlie: –into like a ring.
Glenn: Oh yeah.
Charlie: And then the last man standing in the middle wins.
Glenn: Yes.
Charlie: And the move usually was like, gang up on the biggest kid first. Like, everyone go after the biggest kid. Get him out of the ring.
Glenn: Right. Smart.
Charlie: And then we can–
Rob: That’s what they, that’s what they would do in the Royal Rumble.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: They would go after Andre first–
Charlie: That’s where we learned it.
Rob: Yeah. Slowly but surely, you just widdle him down.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: You learn from the best.
Rob: You never know who’s gonna wind up–
Charlie: You never know.
Rob: –winning the Royal Rumble.
Charlie: Yeah. You leave that giant in the ring–
Rob: Anything can happen.
Charlie: You know. So slay the giant first.
Glenn: Again. I, you know, it used to be acceptable.
Charlie: “Chinese silk and hair” who came up with that?
Rob: Rob Rosell.
Charlie: Rob Rosell, right? That feels like a Rosell.
Glenn: “Skin like a hotdog”.
Charlie: “Skin like a hotdog”.
Rob: “Skin like a hotdog”.
*Laughter*
Charlie: Now Roddy had a great head of hair.
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Sure.
Charlie: He did. All the way till the end there.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: How old was he when he passed? 60s probably?
Rob: Too young.
Glenn: Too young, yeah.
Rob: Maybe, maybe 60.
Glenn: Yeah. Maybe 60. But I don’t even think–
Charlie: Hard livin’.
Glenn: Hard livin’. Yeah, his book–that, the book is worth checkin’ out. In the Pit With Piper. I do remember just being absolutely blown away at the stories that he was telling. And it’s, and it is literally just a collection of stories–
Rob: It’s–
Glenn: –he’s all over the place.
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: It’s–there’s no narrative.
Rob: It’s like being in his head. He just jumps all over the place.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: But the stories, the anecdotes, if you will. Are–
Glenn: Sure.
Charlie: Or antidotes.
Rob: –or the antidotes. Depending on–
Charlie: If you find it to be the cure to what ailes you.
Rob: Are really fun.
Glenn: The antidotes to boredom.
Charlie: Yeah. It’s the antidote to boredom. The scene where we meet Ben, and he comes off that bus, Kait–first of all Kaitlin is great in that scene.
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: As Dessert Rose. And she looks so damn funny. The costume work in this episode.
Rob: Costumes fun. Yeah.
Glenn: *Laughter*
Charlie: Is amazing.
Glenn: So on the nose. Everything that she’s doing.
Rob: She looks–she dressed like a rose. She brought a rose. She’s gonna sing Dessert Rose.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: She’s gonna sing “Kissed From a Rose”.
Rob: “Kiss From a Rose”. Sorry.
Charlie: “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Charlie: And then she runs off, and Danny.
Rob: Dan–Okay. This–now this is difference between–
Glenn: One of the funniest, yeah.
Rob: –say Ray Liotta, or a dramatic actor. Versus a comedic actor. Where, Danny doesn’t say anything as he’s, as he’s playing the song. And he’s just lookin’, he’s just lookin’ at her.
Charlie: Or even as she’s trying to bail on meeting him.
Rob: Yeah, yeah.
Glenn: He goes *grunt noise*. He like, does like a noise. He’s like, *grunt noise*. And then he pushes the button. Then he’s like–
Rob: “Eh”.
Glenn: “Eh”. Lookin’ at him like, “Eh”.
Charlie: You know, that scene too like–and then he presents him jean shorts. And he kinda drapes them. And he like salutes them.
Glenn: Just drapes them.
Charlie: It’s the kinda thing that is–I feel like would be so misunderstood by anyone who wasn’t a Sunny fan. Or hadn’t like–if you just watch that scene for the first time you’d be like, “Well this isn’t funny. These guys are going for something and it’s just not working.”
Glenn: Mm-hm.
Charlie: But when you know the show, and you know the tone, and you’ve lived with it for years. It is the funniest–
Glenn: I love it. I love it so much.
Charlie: At least to me. I don’t care what anyone else says.
Glenn: It was one of the biggest laughs in the episode.
Charlie: Yes. It’s incredible.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: On paper you’re like, that’s the kinda thing where people are like, “Wait why–why is this…” Like, if you showed someone that scene for the first time. Or like, so this is the show, they’d be like, “Huh? Jean shorts and saluting a man?”
Rob: Well, okay. So let’s stop down for a second. Because I get asked this question quite a bit. And I, I don't know what the answer is. And maybe we can figure it out on this podcast. There are definitely episode, when someone, someone says “I've never seen your show. But I want to start, because I hear, I've heard enough about it. Where should I start?” I never, I just tell them not to watch it, because they're probably not gonna get it. But, but what's the episode to where you, where you begin? And I definitely know the episodes where you shouldn't begin.
Charlie: Like the pilot.
Rob: Don't, don't start with the first one. Well, I was watching it yesterday. And Kaitlin, I paused it for a second to come into the kitchen, and I was laughing and she's like, “I can hear you laughing in the other room, what are you laughing about?” And I was laughing at how the show is so specific. It's so specific. And this episode is so specific. And I can see why if you, if you like it, you would love it. Because it's very niche and specific. And if you don't like it, I can also understand why you wouldn't like it. And this episode in particular, it feels like to your point, Charlie, you have to know the show so well–
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: –to get so much of it. I think.
Charlie: But I think I'm, I am always of the mindset that you just have to make that. Like you have a vision for a thing, and a voice. And you just fucking stick to it. And they'll either come around to it or they won't. They may never, or it may come late, like a lot of people just didn't get or understand our show. And they all now kind of are like, “Well yeah, that shows great.” Maybe around the time that we were doing that scene. The people who were already in, loved it the people who didn't know would be like, “I don't know what the fuck this show is–”
Glenn: Yeah. I don’t know why people like it.
Charlie: –people dressing like birds and handing someone jean shorts. Why is this funny?” Um. But then, like, over time, the people who are going to come around to it really appreciate the fact that you get so specific. Right? And then the people who are never gonna get it, are just never gonna get it. But if we were like, “We can't really do this scene. We got to do something that reaches a wider audience.” It would kill the show. I don't know. That's what art is right? You just got to fucking, but it's great when you can do both right? It’s amazing if you could do–
Glenn: Yeah. If you could pull off both, yeah. That’s the, that’s the sweet spot.
Charlie: Yeah. But sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you gotta hand someone jean shorts and salute them.
Glenn: And just see what happens.
Charlie: And that’s it. And talk about dessert roses. And dessert grapes.
Rob: The casting of Travis, I mean Travis–every once in a while we’ll write something and then you, you go through the audition process. And you see people come in and, and every once in a while someone will come in and nail it.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: And you’re like, “Yup. That’s the one.”
Charlie: And you can’t imagine anyone else being the character.
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: You’re like, “Well, that’s the guy.”
Artemis: It feels so good to finally hold you.
Ben: Uh, you, you’re biting my lip.
Dee: Hi. Oh! What a coincidence.
Ben: Hey, oh! You’re the girl from the bus stop.
Dee: Yes I am.
Ben: Well, you guys are friends, right?
Dee: Mm-hm.
Artemis: Not really.
Ben: By the way, tell your friend thanks for the shorts. They fit great.
Dee: Yeah. Will do. So, what’s, what’s the deal with you standing. I thought there was a wheel chair. And you were in it.
Ben: Oh, no. No, I twisted my knee getting off a plane in Germany. Uh, um, I was just trying to stay off of it. It’s good now, see?
Artemis: Oh.
Dee: Yes it is.
Glenn: It’s so great. ‘Cause he’s, he’s nothing like that–
Rob: No.
Glenn: –in real life. He’s nothing like that in real life.
Charlie: No.
Rob: But he knows exactly what’s funny about him.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Rob: You know. To come in. He's, he's handsome. And he kind of has that, just that cool. That quality that he can turn off and on where he's just sort of sweet and dim witted. And he's very sweet in real life, but he's certainly not dim witted.
Glenn: No.
Rob: He just knows exactly what's funny about him.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Charlie: That’s why we’ve gone back to the well with him so many times.
Glenn: Yeah. The Travis well. Where did the jean shorts thing come from?
Charlie: Well it was interesting. ‘Cause we talked about it in the uh, the “Extreme Makeover” episode. About, I was wearing longer jean shorts. And you were the cut offs. And you could do the great leg spread.
Glenn: Right. So we already had established–
Charlie: S we had already done a bit.
Glenn: –the jean short bit.
Charlie: But Rosell just has an obsession with jean shorts.
Glenn: Right, yeah.
Charlie: I think that was what–
Glenn: That sounds right, yeah.
Charlie: –he was saying. And then we, you know, we hit it again with Chad later where he was like, “Gotta take the jean shorts off.” ‘Cause you’re gonna blow a hole in the crotch.
Glenn: Well, once we established, once we established Ben the Soldier, wearing those jean shorts in this episode. And being like, “They fit great.” That was it for him. That, that was his–
Charlie: I think we only ever seen his character–no we, we’ve probably seen him in something else since then. But mostly he’s been in jean shorts.
Glenn: If–yeah. If he was in something else it, it was for a very specific reason. But yeah. He just kinda continued to wear those jean shorts. And our character Z, had to, you know, had to let him know you do have to take them off every now and then.
Rob: *Laughter*
Charlie: It’s a funny like, plot too. Do you think we would think of that plot today? To be like, we’re gonna do a wrestling match–for the the troops?
Rob: Oh, I–that was so labored. And I remember it being labored in the–in the writers room.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: We knew we wanted to do something with wrestling. How do we get into it?
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: How can we justify it?
Charlie: It’s clunky as hell.
Glenn: And we don’t really
Rob: So clunky.
Charlie: It just does not matter at all.
Glenn: –justify it at all. Yeah. We don’t really justify it.
Rob: No. The motivation is–
Charlie: There’s something about, maybe us being younger too. Where you still just kinda buy these guys wanting to put on a wrestling match. Like–
Glenn: Yeah. And it feels like maybe the characters are too old for that shit now? In some ways.
Charlie: I don’t know. I hope not. I hope not.
Glenn: Well, I mean you got Rod–
Charlie: Well, Danny wants to do it.
Glenn: –you got Roddy. Yeah. You got Roddy tellin’, tellin’ us he’s, you know. He’s like, “You know, you kids..” He’s callin’ us kids. And stuff.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: And like back then, that didn’t even like–didn’t even fully occur to me that even then we weren’t kids. ‘Cause in my mind, I still was a kid. Even though I was in my 30s.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: You know. Our characters certainly were.
Rob: Or maybe it works because Charlie says, “We’ll do this to celebrate America. We’ll do it to celebrate the troops.”
Glenn: Yeah. Mm-hm.
Rob: “Maybe celebrate ourselves, a little bit.”
Charlie: Mm.
Rob: And that’s when we really get on board.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah. That’s more like it. That’s a lot of good of things. But especially the celebrating us.
*Ad break*
Charlie: This show is Betterhelp.
Glenn: That’s right, Charlie. Betterhelp is an online therapy service that dares ask the question: How much time are you spending on other people, in a given week? Versus how much time are you spending on yourself?
Rob: That's right, it's very easy to get caught up with what everybody needs from you. And you never take a moment to really reel it in and just be selfish.
Charlie: Mm-hm.
Glenn: And a good kind of selfish. Right? Self preserving. Because otherwise we spend all our time giving and we end up feeling depleted and, and, and burned out.
Charlie: But therapy can give you the tools you know, to strike that sweet, sweet balance in your life, you know. So you can keep supporting others without leaving yourself behind.
Rob: No hesitation. No surrender.
ALL: No man left behind.
Charlie: And that’s right.
Rob: And now we know Meg has tried Betterhelp in the past. And she always talks about how beneficial it was to her.
Charlie: Mm-hm. Where is Meg today?
Rob: Uh, maybe she had a Betterhelp appointment.
Charlie: She might have.
Glenn: Oh, okay. Well hey. Good for you Meg. Good for you. Prioritizing yourself and your health over others demands.
Charlie: We love a good boundary.
Glenn: Betterhelp is entirely online. And it's designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. That's all you got to do.
Rob: And you can switch up your therapist anytime fo’ free. So if you're thinking about starting therapy, don't overthink it. Just do it at Betterhelp.com.
Charlie: Find more balance with Betterhelp. Visit Betterhelp.com/sunny today. And get 10% off your first month.
Glenn: That’s Betterhelp H-E-L-P.com/sunny.
*Sunny music*
Charlie: All right, all right. Okay. At the time of this recording, we are days away from the start of the NBA finals.
Rob: And by the time this airs, we’ll be 2 games in. Both teams will be tied 1-1, or someone will be up 2-0. That’s just statistically true.
Charlie: Oh my gosh. That– it has to be one or the other.
Glenn: And who is that going to be.
Charlie: Well, who’s to say man? You know? But we should probably figure that out. Because the books are open baby.
Glenn: No. I mean like literally. Who’s playing?
Charlie: Oh, who’s playing?
Rob: Oh, oh.
Glenn: I have no clue.
Rob: Two basketball teams. The Denver Nuggets and The Miami Heat.
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Glenn: Uh-huh. And your money is on?
Rob: Well, that’s up to you, Glenn. Whichever team you believe in. But you should place your bets on draftkings sportsbook, and official sports betting partner of the NBA.
Charlie: Now new customers can place a 5 dollar bet and score 200 bucks in bonus bets instantly.
Rob: Plus all customers can take a shot at even bigger payouts. With draftkings stepped up same game parlays. Download the draftkings sportsbook app, and use the code always.
Charlie: So just get on to draftkings sportsbook and flip a coin. Uh, think about how much you could win.
Rob: If you have a gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In Massachusetts, call 1-800-327-5050. Or visit gamblinghelplinema.org. In New York, call 877-8-hopeny, or text “hopeny” 467 369.
Glenn: Now, if you’re in Kansas. You’re gonna wanna call 1-800-522-4700. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort Kansas, 21 plus in most eligible states but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details and state specific responsible gambling resources.
Charlie: Bonus bets expire 7 days after issuance. Opt in at, 10 plus leg rec, for 100% boost. Eligibility wagering and deposit restrictions apply. Terms at sportsbook.com. Draftkings.com/basketballterms.
*Ad break over*
Charlie: Here’s a question from Megan. Besides missing a tooth, Cricket looks okay at the start of this episode. It ends up with his first major injury that starts his physical decline. Do you already–did we already have that journey in mind for him? Is that right?
Glenn: Um, I think, no. We didn’t have any sort of a journey in mind for him. But uh–
Charlie: He’d already had bashed his legs up good.
Glenn: Uh in, yes. Uh, he’d gotten his legs bashed up. By the uh, gangsters. But yes. He is, he's relatively uh, clean cut when we go see him at the men's shelter. Um. Some great outtakes from that scene as well. Um, that we can, that we can throw up.
Charlie: He’s pretty great as The Taliban.
Glenn: Let's throw up those, those outtakes now.
Cricket: How do you find me? How do you always find me?
Charlie: You know. We check all the, the suck places.
Dennis: The suck joints and bath houses in the area.
Mac: And we found you at this suck joint.
Charlie: Yeah.
*Laughter*
Cricket: This is not–no. This is not a suck joint. This is an adult mens rehabilitation center.
Charlie: An adult center. That’s the point we’re trying to make.
Mac: We can read between the lines.
*Laughter*
Charlie: His sand move is pretty great.
Rob: Yeah. He had a specific idea in mind of what the sand was gonna be.
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah I liked it too.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: I liked, I liked his style on that.
Charlie: What were we doing with the sand? Were we–what was he blowing into our face?
Glenn: I don’t know. Because he really was blowing something.
Charlie: Something. Right?
Glenn: Yeah. So I don’t–and, and it looked like we were really getting hit with it. For sure. So yeah. I don’t know what we, what we would’ve been okay with.
Rob: It was definitely around the time where it would’ve been something that, that Glenn would have been like, “Wait, wait, can we talk about what this is?” And then you and I would be like, “Shut up. Just do it. Just do it.”
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah.
Rob: And it might have been like asbestos? No, it wouldn't have been but if it was 1975, Charlie and I would have been the same people and you would have been like, “Well, can we talk about what it is we're breathing in?” And Charlie would be like, we'd be like, “Dude, stopping a pussy. Just fucking do it.”
Glenn: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Rob: And then meanwhile, you're getting actual cancer.
Charlie: You’d visit us in our hospital rooms.
Glenn: Yeah. I’d be, “See. Remember.”
Charlie: How ‘bout Danny as the Trashman. What’s your memory of this? Do you remember, he seemed to enjoy it.
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: I feel like he liked being in that onesie. And–
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: *Laugher*
Charlie: –eating trash.
Glenn: He kills it in this episode. Top to bottom. I mean when he, when he’s–you know. When he first comes out as The Trashman. First of all, I love old school–
Charlie: Yeah. The single–
Glenn: Was it George–
Rob: George “The Animal” Steele.
Charlie: Steele.
Glenn: George “The Animal” Steel.
Rob: Now there’s a great–look. And the character was kind of in that zone. Where–George was not really supposed to be–he was part animal.
Charlie: Yeah. Wasn’t his thing, chewing on your head?
Rob: He would–no. He would eat the turnbuckle.
Charlie: Oh. That’s–
Rob: He would chew the turnbuckle. Because he was–he was a beast.
Glenn: Yeah. He was a beast. He was an animal.
*Laughter*
Rob: I don’t know what they were selling, what they were selling there. Was he–he was like raised in the–in the jungle? I don’t know. But he would eat the turnbuckle.
Charlie: He was a barbarian type situation, right?
Glenn: Uh-huh.
Charlie: He was raised in a basement. Which I–since the last time we spoke, I–
Glenn: You saw Barbarian.
Charlie: And I enjoyed it.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: But uh, so yeah. Maybe he was like, they finally let him out to the–
Glenn: Right.
Charlie: –of the place.
Glenn: And he didn’t know not to chew the turnbuckle.
Charlie: No. ‘Cause he was raised by–
Glenn: Yeah. Everything was food as far as he was concerned. If I could get it in my mouth, it’s food.
Charlie: Yeah. Turnbuckles especially.
Glenn: Sure. They’re soft and chewy.
Charlie: Looked like they’re packed full of–
Rob: And, and according to the, the, the stories you might find in “The Pit with Piper”, there, there is some truth to some of the characters. Like, people didn’t wanna hang out with–
Glenn: Right.
Rob: –with George “The Animal” Steele. ‘Cause he was like, really durranged.
Glenn: *Laughter* Yeah.
Rob: Now, he might not be eating turnbuckles, in–
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: –in his off time. But it was like, “Eh. That guy is–keep that guy away from me.”
Glenn: Keep him at a distance.
Charlie: Now, before Vince McMahon sort of turned it into a mega business. Or whatever. Was there another a guy who–
Rob: His father, his father ran–
Glenn: Ed McMahon.
Rob: It was–
*Laughter*
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: Yeah. Well there was–
Charlie: You are correct sir.
*Laughter*
Rob: It was super regional. They had like, the south–the southern belt. And then they had the Canadian–
Glenn: Yes.
Charlie: Yes.
Rob: Like, Roddy’s Canadian.
Charlie: Yes. That’s it.
Rob: So a lot of it was like North America and then
Glenn: There was, wasn’t there WCW? Am I making that up?
Rob: Yeah. And then they just started consolidating them all.
Charlie: Which probably had as much to do with how television worked at the time, right?
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: Was like, you had your local stations.
Rob: Vince is the one that like, consolidated everything. But like, Ric Flair was in a completely different organization.
Charlie: Mm-hm.
Glenn: *Laughing* Organization.
Rob: And then–it was, it was like a more regional–
Glenn: A lot of Ric Flair stories in, in Roddy’s book.
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: ‘Lot of Jake the Snake stories–
Rob: Yes.
Glenn: –in Roddy’s book.
Charlie: Jake the Snake. Who became a governor, right?
Rob: No, no, no. That–
Charlie: That’s Jesse “The Body” Ventura–
Rob: –Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
Charlie: –was not also Jake the Snake?
Rob: No, no.
Charlie: They’re different guys?
Rob: Similar look.
Charlie: Similar look, right?
Glenn: Very similar look. Yes.
Rob: Although Jake the Snake didn’t have the body. So Jesse Ventura had a, like a ripped body.
Glenn: He had the body.
Rob: Jake never had a body.
Glenn: He just had the snake.
Charlie: He just had the snake.
Glenn: He was big and he had a snake.
Charlie: He carried a snake.
Rob: He was tall.
Glenn: He had long hair, did he not?
Rob: Yes. He had a mullet.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: Mullet and a mustache.
Glenn: Yeah. Yeah.
Charlie: Oh, wow.
Rob: And not a great body. But huge, yeah. Probably 6’5. Or something like that.
Glenn: And a maniac of a person also in real life. And he what?
Rob: And he would carry that snake around with him.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Rob: And, he would knock you out. And then he would take the boa constrictor and put it on your body. And for some reason that would cause you to foam at the mouth. There was no science to support any of it.
*Laughter*
Charlie: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rob: The fact that they would torture this poor snake and bring it into the wrestling match…
Charlie: The snake is like, “When do I get to eat one of these guys?”
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah. Am I ever gonna actually get to finish off one of these guys?
Rob: It was a–what was the name of the snake? Clementine, or something like that? The snake had a name.
Glenn: Oh jesus. The snake had a name?
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Oh. I don’t know.
Charlie: Sure.
Glenn: Sure. *Laughter*
Charlie: Sure.
Glenn: Yeah. I don’t know.
Charlie: So wait. Then Ric Flair was like an–
Glenn: He was a hero. He was–
Charlie: Oh no. He–
Glenn: He was like a–yeah.
Charlie: Who was the a hype man guy? With like the mega phone.
Rob: That was Jimmy Hart.
Glenn: Oh. Jimmy Hart.
Charlie: Jimmy Hart. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rob: Yeah. And Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. He was also a hype man.
Glenn: Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.
Charlie: And then there were like the no name guys. That like–
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: –would come and wrestle. And you’d be like–
Glenn: Sure.
Charlie: –this week your wrestling–
Rob: Yeah.
Charlie: –Ah. What were their names?
Rob: It’s cool to kind of like track how some–some guys would start as no name people. And then they would transition–
Charlie: To a character.
Rob: –and they would rebrand.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: Like, Macho Man started off as I believe, “Leapin’”, “Leaping Lanny Poffo”. And then, he had like a completely different–
Charlie: Well, “Leaping Lanny Poffo” was also a pretty good name.
Rob: And then he, and then he just transitioned into a different character. I believe.
Charlie: Oh remember Jimmy–Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka?
Glenn: Oh. Jimmy–
Rob: So, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka got, got almost killed by Roddy. Rod–Rodd-
Glenn: Was that the coconut story?
Rob: Rod hit him over the head with a coconut–
Glenn: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rob: –and like, cracked his fucking head open.
Glenn: Yeha. On TV.
Charlie: Shit.
Rob: On television. And almost killed him. Almost killed him.
Glenn: Yeah. Gave him such a bad concussion–
Rob: Yeah. Smashed him–
Charlie: “Oh. I’m sorry. I thought, you know, you boys, use coconuts. I thought your head was coconut like. And it could take it, you know? Coconut on coconut.”
*Laughter*
Charlie: “Yeah, no. My head is not made of coconut, Roddy.”
Rob: And they were friends.
Glenn: You bash two coconuts together, one of them’s gonna break. And you don’t know which one.
Charlie: Yeah. One of them breaks.
Rob: So that’s the–I think that’s the rub. Of when people say it’s fake. Like, it’s not, it’s not fake. It’s just that, when you hit somebody over the head with a coconut, and you don’t pull the punch a little bit. It’s gonna knock his–it’s gonna knock him unconscious.
Glenn: No. It’s not fake, it’s–
Charlie: Roddy gives Don Frye like a rib kick that seems pretty real. In the, in the–I’m sure we add a little sound effect. But boy it seems like the foot hits the ribs pretty–
Glenn: I mean, these guys were so hopped up on pain killers. ‘Cause they were gettin’ hurt.
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: Like, left and right.
Charlie: Drinking like an advil smoothie in the mornings.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: 65 advils.
Glenn: Yeah. Just vicodin and a bottle of vodka. You know. Pint of vodka. And just–
Rob: Yeah.
Glenn: That’s what’s up.
Charlie: The song. The, the, the Birds of War. Um, we must’ve put that beat in, in post. The, boom, chu…
Glenn: We did. And–
Charlie: And it never matched up.
Glenn: ‘Cause we didn’t have the–we didn’t have the fuckin’ ear wigs.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: We needed the ear–you needed–you gotta have the ear wigs to, to stay on beat. Otherwise you’re gonna speed up or slow down. You know, and–
Charlie: It’s a bummer.
Glenn: We could’ve just had somebody go in, in post. And literally slowed down and speed up with us.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: You know. But uh, you know, this was season 5. So, I guess we weren’t doing that yet.
Charlie: We weren’t there. Yeah.
Glenn: I mean, you know.
Charlie: Edited by Tim Roche. I recognize his voice–
Glenn: His voice, yeah.
Charlie: –he’s the uh–
Glenn: Oh yeah.
Charlie: –the announcer. Of the wrestling.
Glenn: Yeah, yeah.
Charlie: Big picture though. I love this–I love this season.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: I love this season. It just was a great time of our lives.
Glenn: I do think that we had really hit our stride. In this season.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: I remember thinking it at the time. Um, it still feels to me like two, three, and four. We were still tweaking it and finding it. There's great, great, great episodes in those seasons. But like Season Five feels like where we really found it.
Charlie: The, the, the, the scene of him delivering him the shorts feels like the kind of thing you can only do you when you feel as though you found your voice, right? And you're like, we know what our voice is, we feel confident to just sit with Danny, and the song and that, this is entertaining enough for the ,for who we're trying to entertain. The painted abs. Last thing. When did that–was that in the script? Or did we know?
Rob: No. I remember asking Leah Vautrot to do that, and just do it.
Charlie: Yeah.
Rob: And then that was one of those where you were like, “I don't know if we should do this.” And I was like, “Leah just, just, just paint it on. Just paint it on.” And you were like, “I don't know, we should talk about it.” And I was like, “Just, just, just stop. Just stop.” And then nine times out of 10, you do that. I do that. And then I get to the end of it. And I'm like, “Just erase it.” But I did it, and then you looked at it. You're like, “Okay, I'll do that too.”
Glenn: Yeah, that's funny.
Charlie: It’s so funny.
Glenn: Yeah.
Charlie: It’s a good bit. Even the, just the, the costumes. Just the hat. The feathers on the shoulders. Like, we’ll, we’ll describe it a little bit. But then the costume department has to go and make it. And like, between Dessert Rose, and that bird costume, and, and the Trashman.
Glenn: The Trashman and the Taliban. Yeah.
Charlie: They just really knocked it out of the park.
Glenn: Totally. But I, I, I, I regret that we were off beat. On that song.
Charlie: I regret that we were off beat on that song.
Glenn: Because I feel like the song, I feel like song would actually be more iconic. If, if it had been more–
Charlie: If we nailed it.
Glenn: –on beat.
Charlie: Yeah.
Glenn: Yeah.
Rob: This is how well I know you guys. I–it did not bother me but I was bothered for you. And as we were watching it, I was like, “Definitely these guys–”
Glenn: It bugged the shit out of me.
Rob: “--are watching this and it’s gonna bug them.”
Charlie: It didn’t bug me because I knew ahead of time. ‘Cause I remember the trauma of being like, we didn’t nail the rhythm of the thing. But uh–
Rob: Well, I think we nailed rhythm of the podcast.
Charlie: I, I do too. I do too.
Mac: Drop a beat for us. You ready?
Mac, Dennis, Charlie: Stomp. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap. Stomp. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap.
Charlie: Come on y’all.
Mac, Dennis, Charlie: *Singing* Eagles born out of thunder. *Singing* He flies through the night. *Signing* Don’t you mess with his eggs now. *Singing* Or you’ll see a fight! *Singing* Yes we have feathers. *Singing* But the muscles of men. *Singing* ‘Cause we’re birds of war now. *Singing* But we’re also men. Birds of war!
Charlie: *Bird noises*
*End Credits*