Brian rules. Back in high school we used to ride around in convertibles and hit mailboxes with baseball bats. Oh no, wait. That was the movie "Stand By Me." We were in a couple of plays together. He is actually NOTHING like Kevin and is a smart, hilarious, down-to-earth fella. And a freakishly good golfer.
This was elementary school, but once I fell from a swing when I was a little kid cause some bigger kid named Forrest was pushing me too hard. He had me going way too high and the chains got loose and I fell, and I landed on my head really hard. Forrest came up and said, "Are you okay?" and I said, "WHAT DO YOU THINK ASSHOLE?" But it wasn't Forrest, it was a nice teacher named Mrs. O'Tuel. Cause I was a kid, I was dumb, and never even cleared that up with her. Oh well.
I don't know. I remember when I was 9 years old, I would ask the bus driver why he wanted to drive the bus. We would go to Dodgers Games in Brooklyn, and my friends would want autographs, and I would want to ask questions. My 15 year old inherited that gene from me, he is constantly asking questions. I don't know where that gene came from.
That's one of the products of the Jewish faith, encouraging learning. I did not go to college, I only went to high school, but emphasis on learning and being creative.
My favorite question is: Why?
Because Why can't be answered in one word.
My favorite moment was when I threw the big pass that won the game. Or maybe that was Jimmy Hennessey.
Seriously, I went back to Brookline High School about 15 years ago, and it was so much nicer then when I was there. They actually had a sushi bar (not kidding). I felt like I had gone to high school during the Great Depression.
I grew up in Brooklyn in a - it was in Sheepshead Bay. I lived right under the Belt Parkway. And there were four buildings, which was my little universe. My friends - my five, six, seven, eight friends - we all lived in this building. And it was a very happy childhood as far as I remember. We played sports all the time, walked to school, came home from school, played ball in the winter. We'd play basketball in freezing temperatures and every possible - we would invent games. And not too many girls in my life, I must say, though.
I farted when I was born and everyone lost it.
The real moment would probably be my first play. I was in 5th grade and those laughs felt so goooood, baby.
This is how much I wanted to be a comedian and didn’t realize it: I had a paper route for years when I was a kid, and when I was on my route I used to recite George Carlin bits, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy — I used to recite his “Hit by a Car” bit word-for-word. I would fantasize about doing it in front of my entire grade in the school auditorium. But I still wasn’t able to make the connection of maybe that means you want to be a comedian. It didn’t seem possible. But I know the exact moment when it seemed possible. I was working in a warehouse with this guy and he was into comedy — first time I’d ever met somebody who was into comedy the way I was. And I used to go over to his house to drin...
Just whatever it was in my head, it was bleak. I don't remember having any ambitions, any goals, any dreams. It was always, how am I going to get by? What am I going to do? But I didn't really - to be honest, I didn't really give it much thought. Even in college, I didn't give it much thought. I was having fun in college. And basically when people asked me what I was going to do, I just said, oh, something will turn up. What that was, I had no idea. But...
I love commentary tracks!!! Some faves that I recommend... Alexander Payne for "Election"... David Fincher and Robert Towne for "Chinatown"... I've listened to both of them multiple times - mainly because they inspire and encourage creativity if that's your thing!
Favorite comedy movies: Naked Gun, Airplane, Caddyshack, Dumb and Dumber, MacGruber and most recently, Goon.
Serious movies: King of New York, No Country for Old Men
Taylor Tomlinson