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[0:02] Drew Gasparini: Hi guys, Drew Gasparini here from Now We're Talking with Drew Gasparini.

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[0:48] Drew Gasparini: Hi there, it's everyone's favorite Laura Osnes replacement, Drew Gasparini here, and we are back for season two of Now We're Talking, the podcast that's been approved by the FDA.

[0:58] Drew Gasparini: We're starting season two with a bang.

[1:00] Drew Gasparini: I'm thrilled I was able to share a conversation with this legendary performer.

[1:03] Drew Gasparini: He's a Tony nominated actor known for originating such iconic stage roles as Roger in Rent, Radames in Aida, and he's been seen in several other Broadway hits, including Chicago, Cabaret, and Something Rotten.

[1:15] Drew Gasparini: You know him from movies such as School of Rock and of course Rent.

[1:19] Drew Gasparini: Starting on August 17th, you can get tickets for his streamed concert event, a 25-year career retrospective called Adam Pascal So Far.

[1:27] Drew Gasparini: That's right. Buckle up boys, girls, they're and thems, because now we're talking with Adam Pascal.

[1:33] Drew Gasparini: Here we are with Adam Pascal.

[1:36] Drew Gasparini: I honestly can't fucking believe I am talking to you.

[1:39] Adam Pascal: Wow, that is so kind of you to say.

[1:41] Adam Pascal: You may not feel that way in about a half an hour after you start.

[1:44] Drew Gasparini: No, well, yeah, maybe we become enemies after that.

[1:46] Drew Gasparini: Wouldn't that be amazing if I meet someone I've been a fan of my entire life? And then at the end of the year.

[1:52] Drew Gasparini: It goes so south.

[1:54] Drew Gasparini: Um, obviously, we're gonna talk about the things we're gonna talk about.

[1:58] Drew Gasparini: I want to start with Rent. Do you mind if we start right there?

[2:01] Adam Pascal: Of course not.

[2:02] Drew Gasparini: Are you tired of it yet, Adam? Are you just fucking burnt out?

[2:06] Adam Pascal: I'm not, I I I I'm I'm a little burnt out, yes, but I'm not tired of it. That would be an unfair way of describing it.

[2:14] Adam Pascal: Um, you know, it's just um uh uh you I tend to obviously get asked this many of the same things, and of course those answers are always the same.

[2:23] Adam Pascal: So um it it can get just a little tedious saying the same things over and over again.

[2:28] Adam Pascal: And I certainly and and if for no other reason than you know, it's been 25 years, and a lot of people certainly have heard the answers to a lot of these questions, and so I I'm always like, people are probably so bored with hearing this stupid story over and over again.

[2:41] Drew Gasparini: Not the way we're doing it today, buddy. That's what I promise.

[2:43] Drew Gasparini: Uh first question about Rent. First of all, do you moisturize? You look amazing.

[2:47] Adam Pascal: Oh, you're so kind, thank you. I do moisturize, absolutely.

[2:52] Drew Gasparini: When did you start moisturizing as a man here in this world? Because I feel like I was late to the game.

[2:57] Adam Pascal: No, young, like in my in my in probably in my early 20s, I would say, maybe even late teens.

[3:03] Drew Gasparini: Oh shit, for real.

[3:04] Adam Pascal: Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm actually 15 years old, but you'd never guess by my face.

[3:10] Drew Gasparini: Um well, I knew some 15-year-olds with beards. I remember kids like you.

[3:14] Adam Pascal: Yeah, we we bought the beer for all the other kids. That's what we did.

[3:16] Drew Gasparini: Right.

[3:18] Drew Gasparini: So here's some stupid questions. You may have answered them in the past, but I'm actually really anxious to know.

[3:22] Drew Gasparini: Only because of how I looked at Rent very specifically as a younger person.

[3:28] Drew Gasparini: I think I was in like fifth or sixth grade when I started rocking out to what I thought was like the best band in the world, which was the soundtrack of Rent.

[3:37] Adam Pascal: That's right.

[3:37] Drew Gasparini: And in my mind, I thought you were such a rock star.

[3:42] Drew Gasparini: And you know, but I'm I over the years, and now that I work in the industry, and I'm friends with a lot of people who were in the original cast of like Spring Awakening or shows like that, where you get swept up in it.

[3:56] Drew Gasparini: You get so swept up into how massive and how much bigger than you this thing is.

[4:02] Drew Gasparini: Were there moments when you were originating this role and being on the covers of magazines for Christ's sake, and just kind of being inescapable? Was your head starting to inflate like crazy? Because I can already see me going from complete obscurity to don't you know who I am? I think I would jump there really quickly.

[4:22] Adam Pascal: Well, I never went to don't you know who I am, but I definitely got off on the fact that people did know who I was.

[4:29] Adam Pascal: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um, so I you know, and and yeah, my head did get big.

[4:33] Adam Pascal: And I really thought it didn't. I really thought that like it was something that you know I I was like in control of and I was better than, and I wouldn't that would never happen to me, but it totally did happen to me.

[4:43] Adam Pascal: And not that and it never manifested in any way like towards the public or towards fans or towards friends or family in any way that I was like, oh, I'm too good for you, or I'm a side like it never manifested that way.

[4:57] Adam Pascal: It manifested in in the business sense, like it manifested in the way of like, why don't why am I not getting offered every single job on Broadway? Why am I not getting offered every movie right now? Like, why am I not just getting offered this? Why do I have to audition? Why are didn't they see the show last night? Why don't I you know, like why don't I just get offered? You know, so there was a lot of that, definitely.

[5:19] Adam Pascal: Um, and it took me many years, quite frankly, to and and look, you can't not have an ego and not have it get in the way once in a while if you are in a bus if you are in show business and you have a long career in show business as I have, it's gonna rear its ugly head at some point.

[5:36] Adam Pascal: And luckily, it reared its ugly head a lot when I was younger, and I think I've learned from that. At least I've tried to learn from that.

[5:43] Drew Gasparini: No one can see you right now, Adam, but let me just tell you what I see in the background. Adam is surrounded by pictures of himself, gigantic size all around.

[5:50] Adam Pascal: I'm just teasing your disease.

[5:53] Adam Pascal: Can you imagine if you turned into that guy?

[5:56] Adam Pascal: Well, you know, it's funny. I have um in Something Rotten during the during the um the uh hard to be the bard number, there's a there's a big painting made of me dressed as uh so I have that painting and it's in a room in my other, yeah.

[6:09] Adam Pascal: It's not on a wall, but it will be on a whole at some point.

[6:12] Drew Gasparini: Yeah. I love that so much.

[6:14] Adam Pascal: Yeah. But anyway, so I I I've just I've really tried to not allow myself to be guided by my ego when it comes to business decisions or anything, really.

[6:23] Adam Pascal: But certainly in business, because I've made mistakes uh, you know, in the past, um, because of that.

[6:29] Adam Pascal: Uh and and when I work with young people and I do master classes or I do whatever I'm doing, or I'm doing you know, um, I I I always emphasize that because I'm always asked, like, do you have one piece of advice?

[6:38] Adam Pascal: Yeah, I've got lots of pieces, but that's one big one. Like, don't let your ego make business decisions.

[6:44] Adam Pascal: And even being aware of that, sometimes it's so hard to this is how this is a perfect example.

[6:51] Drew Gasparini: I was I th you were what, 26 when Rent was your when was your

[6:51] Adam Pascal: I was cast, I was 25, yeah.

[6:58] Drew Gasparini: Twenty five years old, Jesus Christ. It's like if I think about what I was like at twenty five anyway, I would have been an absolute wreck if I got the opportunity you got.

[7:04] Drew Gasparini: But I was around twenty six years old and I started writing music for the TV show Smash.

[7:08] Drew Gasparini: And I I literally and I was writing and I was writing on the show, but I got one song on.

[7:13] Drew Gasparini: You know what I'm saying? I got I got that one song on.

[7:16] Drew Gasparini: And then I thought I thought my title should just be Grammy Award winning Ask for like the link was so bananas crazy.

[7:25] Drew Gasparini: And I had such a heart on for what I thought show business looked like and tasted like and smelt like.

[7:31] Drew Gasparini: And you give the impression, I'm sure there's something you've talked about. Theater was not necessarily the end all be all goal for you.

[7:39] Drew Gasparini: Was there more of a rock star kind of uh trajectory you saw for yourself before you kind of stumbled ass backwards into this these opportunities, which ended up turning into this amazing career that you've had.

[7:52] Drew Gasparini: But what would you be doing had you not gone the theater route? Would you be throwing TVs out of a hotel window? Would you be doing all that?

[7:59] Adam Pascal: Well, that was never my style, but I I I definitely was on the rock band path. Like that and I and being an actor and certainly doing musical theater never occurred to me.

[8:10] Adam Pascal: It it just never occurred to me. Um it, you know, I grew up from such a young age playing in bands that uh, you know, I really just I couldn't envision myself doing anything else.

[8:21] Adam Pascal: And interestingly enough, when you know, when I started and so I once I started doing theater, uh what I had found very quickly was that my comfort level being in a show in a musical with a cast playing somebody else was so much greater than it ever was being the singer in a rock band.

[8:41] Adam Pascal: There was always something that felt a little bit off about that. You know what I mean? Like I was kind of like out of place. Like I didn't belong there.

[8:46] Adam Pascal: And as soon as I started doing theater, like I really felt like I belonged in that environment.

[8:51] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, it's so fun. That is just like a common thread throughout these episodes. We've had.

[8:55] Drew Gasparini: Anybody I talk to who's in this field, when you hear of how they landed in musical theater, it always comes from I just didn't belong in the other thing I was doing.

[9:05] Drew Gasparini: And we found this community here because it really is, and I use this phrase all the time the land of misfit toys.

[9:11] Adam Pascal: Remember those creeps in the golf movie? That's we're the creeps in the Rudolph movie.

[9:15] Drew Gasparini: That's that's I totally agree.

[9:17] Adam Pascal: I I cause what we do is very odd, and not many people can do it.

[9:21] Adam Pascal: Um and uh and but but those of us who do do it love it so much, and it's this unique sort of weird art form that we do, you know.

[9:29] Drew Gasparini: Yeah. I mean, okay, so you go from Rent, then you go to Aida. How did it feel being in a giant flop and then getting into another giant flop? How did that feel? Was that crazy?

[9:37] Adam Pascal: Well, you know, I I I I certainly get the joke, but Aida was was I I remind people of this because I we I've been talking about it a lot, and and it it bothers me to this day.

[9:52] Adam Pascal: So I I you know certainly Aida is perceived cuckoo because people love it as well they should, but it's perceived as like a hit.

[10:00] Adam Pascal: Aida was not a hit, and I'll and I'll illustrate that point by reminding you that Aida was not nominated for best musical.

[10:06] Drew Gasparini: That actually blows my goddamn mind.

[10:10] Drew Gasparini: Is that real? Is that true?

[10:11] Adam Pascal: Yes, it's true, and I'm gonna blow your mind even more. Now back then, this is you know, there was an enormous snobbery in the Broadway community towards Disney.

[10:20] Adam Pascal: And um, so that snobbery manifested in the show not getting nominated for best musical. However, it was nominated for and won four Tonys, including Best Score and Actress.

[10:34] Adam Pascal: So explain to me in what fucking universe a show that gets nominated for and wins four Tonys, including Best Music, doesn't somehow even merit a nomination for Best Musical.

[10:45] Drew Gasparini: Now I'll blow your mind even more. Wait, here we go. Gets worse. The show that won the Tony for Best Musical that year was that fucking contact thing that wasn't even a musical.

[10:55] Adam Pascal: It had no...

[10:56] Drew Gasparini: The lady with the yellow dress?

[10:58] Adam Pascal: Yes, it had no live music, no original music, no singers, no book, no nothing. Just people dancing. That was the show that won Best Musical.

[11:07] Drew Gasparini: Oh my god. I hope you're listening, kids. Nothing is as it seems.

[11:11] Adam Pascal: This is actually mind-blowing information. I had no idea.

[11:15] Drew Gasparini: I don't know why I had this assumption that you all just like swept that year.

[11:19] Adam Pascal: Oh god, no. That soundtrack was such a big deal when that came out. That was a, you know, for theater nerds like me in high school. That's all we talked about was that show.

[11:27] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[11:28] Adam Pascal: I want a fucking public apology from every Tony nominator that year. That's what I want. Actually, that's actually the new... I don't want it. I want them to apologize to Disney. Disney deserves it.

[11:38] Drew Gasparini: Disney deserves an apology from every single one of those f that couldn't even find it inside them to nominate the show.

[11:48] Adam Pascal: No, I'm not gonna do that because it's Disney.

[11:52] Drew Gasparini: Wow. Disney, I hope you're listening. Adam's got your back. We're trying to get you an apology.

[11:57] Adam Pascal: Uh I do. Tweet it, tweet it to this podcast at NWT Pod. We want the apology, please. Written out in a statement, something nice. This is not cool.

[12:07] Drew Gasparini: Uh Adam, Jesus Christ. That was so informative. I really, my brain's leaking out of my ass right now.

[12:15] Adam Pascal: Uh and I can't believe the anger you hang on to still after all these...

[12:20] Drew Gasparini: Well, that's yeah, well, that's a whole other issue in conversation that we could have. And why do I hang on to anger for anything? You should see all the things I'm holding on to. Forget about my career. Talk to my ex-wife, to my cat. I've got a million things that I'm holding on.

[12:33] Adam Pascal: Sure, sure, sure. This is actually not even a podcast. You're paying me.

[12:37] Drew Gasparini: Exactly. Exactly. All right, I want to hop into a few silly questions. Actually, before I do, can you give me a rough picture of what it was like growing up? Because I know a lot of theater kids, and a lot of us have the same kind of you'll never please find a plan B because this is not the way you gotta go.

[12:56] Adam Pascal: Uh when you started getting into the rock star or playing in rock bands kind of idea and then falling ass backwards into musical theater, were your parents like, yo, WTF here? What's happening?

[13:05] Adam Pascal: My parents they never gave... they kind of quite frankly never seemed to give a shit either way. You know, like it was just like, oh, this is what you're gonna do, okay. Oh, that's what you're gonna do, okay. I'll tell you what they never did. They never helped me with my fucking homework, and they never... Okay, now you want to get back to anger? Now you're talking about my parents, Drew. Now you've opened a can of worms that I don't want to get into.

[13:30] Drew Gasparini: Fair enough.

[13:31] Adam Pascal: Uh, but did anything about the tune of theirs, did their tune change at all when all of a sudden you're nominated for a Tony for Christ's sake? I mean, like that's of course.

[13:38] Adam Pascal: And they were very, they were extremely surprised as I was and very proud of me, uh, you know, and but honestly, I mean I'm not angry about this. But they were always just like whatever makes you happy. You know what I mean? They were kind of like those kind of parents. So they're, you know, God bless them for that. That's a big thing.

[13:54] Drew Gasparini: Yes, absolutely. So they weren't the kinds of parents that were sort of that actively encouraged anything, really.

[14:01] Adam Pascal: What they actively encouraged was, I just want you to be happy, and if that makes you happy, then that's great, you know. And so you know. I think that they were probably pleased that I was doing something other than playing in a band.

[14:13] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[14:14] Adam Pascal: Because I've done that for so many years to no avail, that they were probably like, oh, well, this is like something else. Maybe something will happen. And it happened so quickly, you know what I mean?

[14:22] Drew Gasparini: Between the time I was cast, you know. From people knowing you from the musicals you do, and I know that you go out and play shows every once in a while. Do you have you ever done like a full tour and really done the thing and like play it all over the country?

[14:33] Adam Pascal: Not with a musical, but like with your own stuff. No, I haven't.

[14:38] Adam Pascal: No, no, it's not. Uh, you know, um, I you know, I I gave up that kind of dream a long time ago. And now I'm 50, and now it's just like it look, it's it's I realize that I have I have a wonderful career. What's not part of my career is that people just aren't interested in original music written by me. And you know what? That's fine. That's fair. In a way, it takes pressure off of me. So I don't I don't want to make my living as a songwriter. No offense, Drew.

[15:05] Drew Gasparini: No, no, none taken. I should have turned right when I turned left long ago.

[15:07] Adam Pascal: No, but it's it's you know, it's it because I I have written songs and I do write songs, I know how hard it is, and I know what it's like, and I'm and and also you know all too well how the industry has changed over the years and how much harder it is as a songwriter and you know, to turn that into an income stream, you know what I mean?

[15:27] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, and so so I'm I'm I'm glad that my career didn't go in that route, you know, down down that road.

[15:33] Adam Pascal: And um uh so but but I I would be lying if I didn't say that every once in a while when watching on YouTube some live clips of you two or Metallica or any of these huge bands playing in a stadium to 100,000 people in the palm of their hand, I'd be lying if I didn't feel that, like, oh my god, that you know, because that was the deal.

[15:53] Drew Gasparini: 100%.

[15:54] Adam Pascal: I I bow to the altar of David Grohl because I am I'm just like the Foo Fighters are doing everything I really sincerely wish I could just go do. It looks amazing.

[16:03] Drew Gasparini: Exactly. Um here's a big takeaway from what you just said, too. You just said you're 50 years old.

[16:10] Adam Pascal: Yes, and you look like my younger cousin.

[16:13] Drew Gasparini: I nothing about your appearance or genetics is is is fair.

[16:18] Adam Pascal: I appreciate that. Thank you.

[16:19] Drew Gasparini: So on Twitter today, I went on and said, hey, listen, Twitterverse. I'm interviewing Adam Pascal, who's got some questions, and I was fielding all the rent questions because I wanted to ask my own. And we're basically done with those except for a few silly ones coming up. But a lot of people, uh a handful of people, wanted to know how you felt about something you did, and I didn't even know this existed, and then I went and found it.

[16:41] Adam Pascal: There's a song you sang called We Should Fuck Other People.

[16:45] Drew Gasparini: And it was on a series called Submissions Only. Do you remember doing this?

[16:49] Adam Pascal: Yes, Joe.

[16:51] Drew Gasparini: Joe Joe Joe wrote it, I think.

[16:53] Adam Pascal: Joe Iconis.

[16:54] Drew Gasparini: Yes.

[16:54] Adam Pascal: Okay. That is some of the most genius lyric writing and genius performance. I mean, but I know. And Joe was on the podcast last season. I've known Joe for years, and it's so his brand and so his style. You delivered this with such sincerity and earnestness. It is hysterical.

[17:11] Adam Pascal: So I recommend everyone going on YouTube and finding we should fuck other people.

[17:15] Drew Gasparini: That is so funny.

[17:16] Adam Pascal: I forgot all about that actually, but that was fun, actually.

[17:19] Drew Gasparini: I loved seeing the title. Your face looked like, what? I did what? Huh? What the hell is this?

[17:24] Adam Pascal: It really, because I forgot what the song was called. I was like, I I don't think that was me, but then when you've written it. It's pretty great.

[17:31] Drew Gasparini: Uh all right. Silly questions with me and my new friend, Adam Pascal. Here we go. Is there a product, Adam, that you use so often that you wish it's sponsored your entire life?

[17:49] Adam Pascal: That's a good question.

[17:51] Drew Gasparini: Thank you.

[17:52] Adam Pascal: Um does pot count?

[17:57] Drew Gasparini: Yes. Pot would have been my choice. I'm really thrilled you said that. Are you in California right now, by the way? Based on the plants, I would assume so.

[18:04] Adam Pascal: No, no, I'm actually in New York. But if I had to honestly choose one product that I use every day, that would probably be the one product. Although I wouldn't want to be sponsored, although maybe that'd be kind of cool.

[18:16] Adam Pascal: Um God, what else? Well, I can tell you lately I'd like to be sponsored by uh bagels and tuna fish because I've been eating a bagel and tuna every day for the past month. I don't know why. Maybe because I'm back in New York and they have such great bagels here.

[18:30] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is there a specific bagel that you uh that you love?

[18:34] Adam Pascal: Uh I'm a pumpernickel guy.

[18:36] Drew Gasparini: I'm an everything guy.

[18:37] Adam Pascal: Yeah, yeah. Everything is the right choice. Pumpernickel is where I tilt my head a little bit, but good for you for having your likes.

[18:43] Drew Gasparini: I don't want to yuck your yum here.

[18:44] Adam Pascal: Not at all. And and I actually just want to give a shout out to one of my favorite restaurants, and I don't really have any other than this in Los Angeles, but Greenblatt's Deli in Los Angeles is closing. And I I'm so upset because it was a staple in my life for the past, you know, 13 years. And and uh, so I just want to give them a shout out. Send them some love and say you will be missed, Green Blats.

[19:05] Drew Gasparini: You will be missed, Green Blats. Thanks for that shout out, Adam. Um, next silly question, if you don't mind.

[19:11] Adam Pascal: No.

[19:13] Drew Gasparini: Who would you want to write a musical about your life, and what would the title be? Bonus points if you say Drew Gasparini.

[19:21] Adam Pascal: Uh, but obviously no pressure. Who do I want to write the musical about my life? That's a great question.

[19:27] Adam Pascal: Um I would have to say Billy Joel.

[19:32] Drew Gasparini: That is a good answer. He's he he'd be coming out of retirement to do this for you.

[19:36] Adam Pascal: You know.

[19:37] Adam Pascal: He would, but but I'm trying to think of like, I mean, look, he's one of my all-time favorite composers, one of my heroes, one of my idols. Um, and you know, and also one of my singing idols. You know what I mean? Like I said, he does not get enough credit for his singing.

[19:49] Drew Gasparini: I agree. Absolutely.

[19:53] Adam Pascal: And I and I I always try and give him a shout-out for his singing. As for Elton, I try to give him a shout-out for his singing as well. Um, but yeah, maybe Billy Joel or or or Bono on the Edge, maybe, maybe.

[20:04] Drew Gasparini: That's not bad either. Although they although seeing what they did with Spider-Man, maybe I'd like to retract that.

[20:09] Adam Pascal: The title of my musical would be Honey, Can You Shave My Shoulders.

[20:13] Drew Gasparini: What would be the title of your musical, Adam?

[20:16] Adam Pascal: I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that.

[20:19] Drew Gasparini: That is amazing.

[20:21] Adam Pascal: Kind of derivative of oops, I did it again, but it's like sorry, I don't know why I did that.

[20:27] Drew Gasparini: That is really funny. Uh, just a couple more questions for you, and then I want to talk about this thing that you have coming up very soon, which I'm excited to talk about. Who's a celebrity? And you've I'm sure you've met so many because of the films you've done, and and by the way, just it how cool is it being a part of School of Rock? That is one of the best movies of all time.

[20:43] Adam Pascal: All time.

[20:46] Drew Gasparini: I agree with you. I agree. Who's a celebrity that you would to this day be starstruck to meet?

[20:53] Adam Pascal: Bono.

[20:54] Drew Gasparini: Bono.

[20:55] Adam Pascal: That's the guy. He's like an idol, huh?

[20:57] Adam Pascal: Yeah. Big time, man. You see, and I've got and I've met so many people, but nobody I can think of, even Billy Joel, even though that has had the kind of effect on me that he has in his songwriting, in his singing, um, in his performance. Um, just he's, you know, uh uh it would have to be him, definitely. 100%.

[21:21] Drew Gasparini: Yeah. Oh man, me too. Bonno would be up there for me. Uh this is for honestly, if I'm being very sincere. So I'm writing this, I'm writing the karate kid for Broadway right now.

[21:32] Adam Pascal: Oh, congratulations.

[21:33] Drew Gasparini: Thank you so much, Adam. One of my big goals, and I don't know how it's gonna happen, I don't even know how this works yet, because it's my first big thing for Broadway. I really want Dwayne The Rock Johnson to come. And I don't know how to invite him. So is there what do you have any advice if I'm trying to get the attention of someone way more famous than me and all of us combined?

[21:50] Adam Pascal: Well, so what you're saying is when the show hits Broadway, you want him to come.

[21:54] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, I want him to have like have a free ticket on me and then to maybe just let me touch his bicep for a half hour after the show.

[22:00] Adam Pascal: Well, that I don't know how you'll achieve. But certainly, if you are the creator of a show that's on Broadway, dude, it's no problem. You just tell your publicist to contact his agent. He'll be there in a hardly.

[22:11] Drew Gasparini: You just made me feel like big dick energy all throughout my body. I appreciate it. Thank you, Adam. Uh, okay. So last silly question, then I'm gonna do one little game with you before we talk about your thing here. Uh, what do you think, Adam, is the grossest part of the body.

[22:28] Adam Pascal: Whose body?

[22:30] Drew Gasparini: I guess let's let's just use your own. What what is the something that bums you out on your body?

[22:35] Adam Pascal: I'll be real frank. My penis. My penis is the grossest part of anybody's body. Go ahead.

[22:38] Drew Gasparini: I would I I I don't disagree with you, but since you already said it, I'll have to pick another one. Um again, I have to distinguish between men and women because there's nothing gross about a woman's body, as far as I'm concerned.

[22:52] Adam Pascal: Sure. No, I am. It's the most beautiful thing in the universe. Um but uh thank you, God. Thank you, God.

[23:00] Drew Gasparini: Okay, well, well, you said the penis, so I'll just take the balls.

[23:03] Adam Pascal: Alright. Hey, that's that's a separate part. And you know what? Balls are a bummer. Balls are a real bummer. Um, all right, here's a little game I'd like to play with you. It's called Cage Match, where I'm just gonna give you two names and you're gonna tell me who you think would win in a fight to the death.

[23:17] Adam Pascal: Okay. Got it. Yep. Sorry to go this route with you, but here we go.

[23:21] Drew Gasparini: Oh, cool. I'm good with this. Mimi, Mimi versus Maureen, who would kill the other in a cage match?

[23:28] Adam Pascal: Mori.

[23:29] Drew Gasparini: Really? You'd think she'd play nasty.

[23:31] Adam Pascal: Well, I think that Mimi is is a drug addict. And I think that Mimi would would very in in all likelihood probably go into a situation like that thinking, let me get high first, you know.

[23:40] Drew Gasparini: You're right, you're right. And so I think that Maureen would just pounce on that. You know, there's a line in Rent where Roger says, uh-huh, I used to be a junkie. And if one word was completely changed, the entire plot is different.

[23:56] Adam Pascal: If you said, uh-huh, I used to be a monkey, then the rest of the show is just how what? How was Roger once upon a time this monkey? Well, let me tell you something. When the show went to Italy, uh, the producer was was uh Pavarotti uh his uh his woman uh girlfriend, fiancee, whatever it was, and she said to our producers, so I know that uh Angel he kills a dog. He kills a dog. We love dogs here, we love dogs. Could maybe he kill a monkey?

[24:32] Drew Gasparini: That is amazing. Okay, how many times have you told that story?

[24:36] Adam Pascal: I never, I really don't ever tell that story, but to me because you said that.

[24:40] Drew Gasparini: Okay, that's amazing. All right. Next in the cage match, uh, movie Roger with the long hair or original cast Roger with the short hair. Who would win in that fight?

[24:51] Adam Pascal: I'm gonna go with long hair, Roger.

[24:55] Drew Gasparini: Because you know what? Why would you say that?

[24:56] Adam Pascal: Because it always it never made sense to me that Roger's hair never made sense to me. And and and well, I mean, it made sense to me. It made sense to me in the sense that that was my hair. And so that's why the character looks that way because that's what my hair looked like when they cast me, and they liked it, and that just became what it was. But if you think about it logically, um Roger's been in the house for I don't know how many months, and he's so depressed he can't leave, his girlfriend killed himself. What's the likelihood that he's gonna continue to cut and bleach his hair?

[25:27] Drew Gasparini: A hundred percent. Right?

[25:29] Adam Pascal: That is. Yeah, to me it made more sense that he would just let himself go and let his hair grow, and you know. Do you ever watch, do you ever watch Rent Now and you're like, yeah, you love these characters, you love what it stands for, no day but today. But then is there is there a part of your adult brain that goes, guys, pay your fucking rent? Is there any part of you that says that?

[25:48] Adam Pascal: Yes, uh yes, and as a matter of fact, I I of course, and and and I remember years ago there were a lot of memes, people would like put out little funny memes basically saying that kind of thing. And I always thought it was really funny, and I was like, yeah, what okay, you know, and I remember posting something on Facebook, one of those exact things like you just said. And everyone was like, ha ha ha, this is so funny. And and Tim Wilde, the the the our musical director, who I hadn't spoken to in many, many years, and I probably shouldn't be talking about this in public, but he got so upset with this, and he called me up and he was like, How dare you? And you wouldn't have anything if it wasn't for Jonathan Larson, and you wouldn't have no any life, and you wouldn't have any career, and you owe everything to him.

And I was like, whoa, take it easy. And then I was like, And my initial reaction was like, I'm gonna come over there and stab you with a fork. And then I took a deep breath. And then I took a deep breath and I said, you know what? I'm sorry, Tim. I I if this bothered you, I really I apologize. And I just took it down because uh, you know, I don't want to, I don't want to get into deep break.

[26:50] Drew Gasparini: Good video taking the high road. That's good.

[26:52] Adam Pascal: Which is unusual for me. But I did do it in that case.

[26:56] Drew Gasparini: Uh I love it. Adam, this is a real joy for me. I can't say it enough. Like I just you taking any time to chat with me and be a part of this podcast is such a thrill. Uh I'm also thrilled to hear that you've got this this gig coming up with uh Art Lab called Adam Pascal So Far. Uh can you just kind of tell us what it is uh people can expect and tickets if those are available and where they can buy them, how this is all working. Go ahead and just tell us everything.

[27:22] Adam Pascal: Yes, okay, so I'll work backwards. If you go to my Instagram or Facebook page, uh I just posted something, and then there's a link for tickets. It is a streaming concert uh that's gonna be available starting uh um August 7th, 17th, and I think it goes through like the 24th. Um and it is um uh an acoustic retrospective of my career. And so I started doing this show um uh right before the lockdown. I did it for about like the year leading up to the lockdown, excuse me, to the lockdown. Um and it is I mean, it's essentially that it's it's me talking about and telling stories in chronological order um what my career's been like up until this point. And so, you know, it took me 25 years to accumulate enough Broadway shows to be able to put a show like this together.

Um, and so I talk about how I got into theater and uh, you know, tell a little bit of that same story about you know how I got my first audition and and how what how that led to rent and so on. So the show starts with my my rent story uh and uh and it goes up through Pretty Woman. And I talk about things that have happened to me in my life, not necessarily the shows themselves, but where I was at in my life and maybe something that was going on in my life at the time that I was in a particular show. Um and I do a lot of talking to the audience and things like that. And so when I decided to re record it, um I was trying to figure out well how the music part I I makes sense. I I set up three cameras and I recorded it into a live studio microphone, and so it's all live. Um, but I wanted to figure out the best way to capture the storytelling aspect of the show.

[28:47] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[28:47] Adam Pascal: And so and speaking to the camera didn't seem like the best way to capture that. So uh I was in living in Vegas at the time, and my buddy Jared Emmick, Tony winner, Jared Emmick, lives in Las Vegas with his family, uh, and we hang out all the time. And I said, Will you come over and uh we'll just have a couple of beers and uh I'll set up the cameras and you'll interview me, you know.

[29:06] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[29:08] Adam Pascal: And he was like, Yeah, sure. And so he did, and that's and that's how we ended up capturing all the storytelling stuff was me just talking to him, you know.

[29:13] Drew Gasparini: Amazing.

[29:14] Adam Pascal: Yeah. Amazing. So this is a real intimate look at your entire canon here.

[29:18] Drew Gasparini: I mean I think yeah, yeah, absolutely. And uh like if you're a fan, this is something you would gobble up in a heartbeat. This is so cool that you're doing this.

[29:26] Adam Pascal: Yeah, thank you. Um, and I had a really good time doing it, and I got to be creative in my uh arrangements of these songs, uh, you know, to to to, you know, to to an acoustic to a solo acoustic presentation, you know.

[29:39] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[29:40] Adam Pascal: Um and that's been a lot of fun for me to to to do that.

[29:43] Drew Gasparini: I love it, man. Well, everybody should go check that out. It starts streaming on the 17th, and it looks like it's gonna be up there for a few days. So go find the ticket link in Adam's socials. He's posted about it. He's gonna be nagging you to go. So better just get the ticket now and go. Uh go check it out. And you actually don't have to go anywhere. You just need to watch it.

[30:02] Adam Pascal: It's true.

[30:03] Drew Gasparini: Even wear your pajamas. Like, look at me right now. I could have dressed up for you. I had a tux and everything. But look, I decided to show you the gun.

[30:13] Adam Pascal: Uh Adam, it really is a joy. And you know, next time there's uh a reason for our paths to cross at some point in this theater world. I'd love to grab a beer with you myself because I just think you're uh a kick ass guy, and getting to talk you with you has been a mighty thrill for young Drew and of course adult Drew. So this is really, really cool, Adam. I can't thank you enough.

[30:32] Adam Pascal: My pleasure. Thanks for having me, man.

[30:34] Drew Gasparini: You got it, man. Take care. Thanks for listening, everybody. Thanks again to Adam Pascal for being a real good sport and being on this podcast with us. Guys, go find him on his socials and see where you can get your tickets to his concert event, Adam Pascal so far, starting August 17th. Now we're talking as a proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. You can find out more about me and this podcast at BPN.fm slash now we're talking. You can also find us on Twitter at NWT underscore pod. And if you feel like being a badass superhero and supporting us by giving us a little chuching cash, go to our Patreon at Patreon.com slash NWT Podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in. Tune in next week for more amazing guests. We're back, bitches, season two.