Freddy-Interviewing Pauly Shore for his new flick titled THE GUEST HOUSE.
THE GUEST HOUSE is an enjoyable dip in the old 80’s raunchy sleezefest pool. A young couple buys their first home and ends up with an unintended roommate in the guest house. Enter Pauly Shore and all his debauchery. There’s battles and more battles and a decent amount of laughs. A lot of lessons are learned among a lot more nudity. I think I would have done a lot better in school with this thought.
Without further ado, Pauly Shore!
Freddy Beans: Hey Pauly. How you doing my man?
Pauly Shore: Yo! What’s up?
FB: Not much honestly. This COVID stuff keeps me very idle.
I saw THE GUEST HOUSE and honestly it felt like you’d never been away. What was the hardest part of coming back to star in a film after so long?
PS: It wasn’t hard. It’s kind of like surfing. I grew up surfing. I’ve been in Maui during the quarantine and I’ve been surfing at least 15 years probably. You get lost on the road doing standup. Stuck in this abyss of touring all over America. So when I was in Maui I started surfing a couple of times. I wouldn’t say I was shredding but I caught my waves. I’d post up and I know the ocean. Same with acting. Being on a film set is like a circus. You have your Weird Al’ers and weirdos and everyone is trying to get it done on time.
FB: Makes sense. Like riding a bike except surfing and surfing is way more fun.
With THE GUEST HOUSE it felt like a return to the old 80’s, raunchy, bad-taste comedy of which I’m a major fan. There’s still a decent sect of folks that do miss you. Are you coming back to star in movies again?
PS: It’s not really up to me. It’s up to Hollywood and my phone ringing or not ringing. If it’s a good script and good characters and good people working on it, I’m open to it.
FB: I like that.
Randy Cockfield (THE GUEST HOUSE) reminded me of an older “Wiezel.” I was wondering if you’re embracing that character again or was that unintentional?
PS: He is kind of similar to me. Randy is looking for a home. So is Pauly Shore. I’ve been through so much travelling, my parents passing away, and now I’ve moved to Las Vegas. I have a new house out here and a new life. I have thirty more years on this earth, if I’m lucky. I want to focus on joy. That’s where my head is at these days. I don’t’ want to waste time being sad. I want to keep moving forward and just try and stay happy and conserve that.
FB: Absolutely Pauly. Everyone deserves that. I know it’s selfish but you have to take care of yourself first. You have to. Everything kind of falls apart if you don’t.
You’ve been doing your podcast PAULY SHORE’S RANDOM RANTS. I was wondering what advantages you can share about doing a podcast as opposed to an old sit-down interview?
PS: The way I do my podcast, it’s like a show. I don’t think I could do a traditional podcast. Every week, sit on my couch and talk for an hour? At the end of the day, I want to entertain. I have a DJ, a sidekick, a girl that has these cue cards like a ring girl, guests and I have cameras all over my house. It’s more of a show than a standard podcast.
FB: How long do you see yourself doing the podcast and do you have a favorite guest or episode?
PS: I can see doing it for a while. Unless something comes up where I need a break. It’s something fun. I like the structure of it. I’m having a lot of fun with it.
My favorite guest? I don’t’ know. Donnel Rawlings. Bobby Lee. Adam Corrola. I like all of them. I like the awkwardness of it, where people don’t really know what’s going on. I also like the guests embracing the structure of the podcast and I’m the one leaning back going, “Oh my god, this dude is crazy!” If you haven’t checked it out, you definitely should. It’s something different. Today’s episode comes out with Roy Nelson Jr. He looks like a hillbilly, with 6 feet of beard.
FB: He’s an MMA guy. I know him. I will definitely check out your podcast.
PS: It’s totally different. It’s called random rants because I rant on all these different subjects with the guests. I have these new comics, James Johnson and Mike Tran, who are my sidekicks. I’m trying to inject Vegas with Pauly Shore. I think they’re lacking in my style.
FB: Speaking of Vegas, you have the one man show STICK WITH DANCING: FUNNY STORIES FROM MY CHILDHOOD. It’s a reflective set about your personal history, the ups and the downs. It kind of reminds me of an older set with Richard Pryor, where you expel your demons out on stage. A more current version would be that one man show that Mike Tyson did a few years back. Is it hard for you to share yourself so intimately?
PS: It was really hard when I first started doing it. As I did it more and more and used that muscle of reflection it got easier. It’s mentally exhausting. In stand-up, it’s more light and silly. This is definitely more emotional, scripted and taxing. I was able to do stand up at the same time as I was doing the show. Emotionally speaking, I was able to pull it off. Doing two back to back one-man shows is so gnarly.
FB: I can imagine.
Did you find the process cathartic? Or what was your takeaway besides the extra moolah?
PS: Definitely. It’s very cathartic and therapeutic. You’re going back to a time in your past. I don’t know you personally Fred but I imagine you had a childhood that was crazy. Imagine going on stage and reliving it all the time.
FB: I’ve actually thought about doing something very similar. I have a helluva story but I’m not a big enough name that I’d get the audience I’d want. Maybe, I’m working towards that.
Can you share a Sam Kinison memory?
PS: Oh yeah. I’m not sure where we would begin. There’s so many. I think it was his last New Year’s Eve, in 1991. He was performing in the Aladdin hotel in Vegas. I opened the show. In the middle was Tommy Chong. So it was the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s of comedy being represented. The audience was full, guys from Motely Crue, the Eagles, Billy Idol, and a bunch I can’t remember. There’s about 5,000 people in the audience. I go on and do well. Tommy goes on and does great. Towards the end, I’m partying with my friend Dave upstairs and we come down. Sam was on stage and counting down the New Years. I ran straight down the arena and jumped on stage in front of everyone. I hopped on a security guards back and joined in on the countdown.
10…
9…
8…
That was one of the craziest nights ever. Everything was a blur that night. I was in my twenties and was opening for Sam Kinison. It was a dream.
FB: Dude. You took advantage of it. Now you have it etched in your memory. The way you reacted and daring a little made it linger.
My girl and I love THE COMEDY STORE. We usually get out there a couple times each year. Last year we went to see Anthony Jeselnik and Annie Lederman on back to back nights. Bill Burr and Harland Williams were surprise sets each of those nights. It was awesome. Not so awesome, Dave Chappelle was the surprise guest the night we left for San Diego.
PS: You blew it Fred. You screwed things up.
FB: I definitely screwed the pooch. I’m really happy you kept the place going and was wondering if personally speaking you are still doing stand-up or are you segueing into more of a backstage role?
PS: I’m in Vegas now. That’s where I’m at. It’s my new home and where my head is. I might start something out here. There’s a lot of opportunity. I’m doing my one man show and my podcast out here. If I have dates, I can fly out of here as opposed to LAX.
FB: Burbank! (Laughs)
PS: (Laughs) Yeah, Burbank. That’s where my head is now. Waiting for this COVID thing to pass so I can get back to making people laugh and hopping up on stage. Imagine if you’re up here in Vegas. There’s thirty stages and I can’t go on any of them. It sucks.
I also have a karaoke show called Pauly-oke. Singing songs through my youth.
I’m also doing a workout show called Sweatin with the Wiez. Every Monday I’m going to release a new workout video to hopefully motivate and get people off the couch.
FB: I love that. It all sounds like fun.
PS: My energy has been focused on production lately.
FB: That’s the future, I’ll bet. It’s a question of how do you tap into it. Can you be as successful as the fake…er buxom, ladies on Instagram.
FB: You have a favorite joke?
PS: Man. Every single time I’m asked that I’m like, I don’t’ know any good jokes. I really don’t.
FB: They’re also so dangerous in this day and age.
PS: I’ve never been that guy. I hate when people say, “Hey, I got a joke for you!” Immediately, I tune out. Then I feel bad and I’m like all right, what is it? Then for some reason they’re repeating a bad joke and I don’t’ understand it anyway. I’m not kidding. Then they’ll explain it real slow. Finally, I’ll get it and they’ll be like good one right? I just respond yeah. Good one bro. We’re cool. Late.
That’s the rhythm of telling Pauly Shore a joke. I’m just really bad at those type of jokes.
FB: I want to remove Sam Kinison off this list but who would be your favorite comedian of all time?
PS: Why’d you cancel Sam?
FB: We already hit on Sam. (laughs)
PS: He’s my favorite. Him and Richard Pryor. Also, I love George Carlin. You have to love Carlin. They guy did like fifteen HBO specials. Think about that.
FB: That’s nuts. Who’s even come close to that?
PS: No one.
FB: Yeah, I’m thinking three or four at most for anyone else.
PS: Yeah, maybe five or six, at most. No one came close to the amount he’s done.
FB: Some of them are so good they really resonate even now.
Well what else would you like to hype while we’re here?
PS: My one man show. I hate to bring that up again. My vision of that is MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH (2013), which had him on stage telling stories and sharing videos and photos in the background. I’ll try and be a little funnier and sillier than Mike.
I’ll be touring a little bit of stand-up. Doing all that plus the stuff we talked about earlier while developing and creating stuff online. If Hollywood wants me to do a movie and it makes sense, then I’ll do it. If not, I’m working. I think my audience will really like THE GUEST HOUSE. I think it holds up. It will come out and do what it does but I think people will find it. It’s really funny. Hopefully people enjoy it. I think with all the darkness right now I think it’s a perfect contrast of light. You don’t’ have to think heavy during it.
FB: I agree. I enjoyed the movie. I missed seeing you on the big screen honestly.
PS: I did a piece for you guys twenty years ago with Harry. He liked PAULY SHORE IS DEAD.
FB: That was twenty years ago? Fuck, I’m old.
PS: It was 2003. So what do you think? I wrote, directed, starred in and paid for it.
FB: I love that you’re willing to do anything. That’s inspiring you know.
PS: Yeah, well I wanted to do it. So I just did it.
FB: That’s a great life motto brother!
PS: Tell your girl I said hi and take care of Sactown! Hold it down.
FB: Always
Thanks for your time today Pauly. I had a great time.
PS: Yeah, me too. Later
THE GUEST HOUSE is out on demand and digital tomorrow! (Sept. 4th)
Until the next one,
Cheers!
Freddy Beans
