Inner-View; Interview with Pat Cooper (Part 1)

Interview with your host troll soup with its hits this subject is comedy and we think it's going to be comedians and we think it's going to be comedy but it might be a lot of anger because right underneath every comedian there is perhaps an angry man and I don't know maybe that's true. Speaking to that day Here's Pat Cooper guy. Hi. Welcome. Thanks have. Thanks. You'll notice that we're flanking you and keeping you in some kind of boundary and all comedians love to be and sometimes are out of my class when I tell you. Very happy to be nice to this lazy beautiful lady thought I make a high high on the couch. I. Got over that. We got a few well working entertainers and comedians and the subject is going to be comedy and Tellus. Would you say it again please. I mean it in that wonderful listening right and so that's a trick I hear your name sir. Oh is that oh it was a bet simple rules Saul. I retain Peter Anthony right Glenn. Jerry Brown John remarries.

That's the setup you all in the bet said no thank you very much and I will go to a commercial and I gamble am I right am I right in assuming that underneath every comedian is an angry man. I think so. I think if you think about me I can speak that young lady can speak to the gentleman. I can speak for me. I'm not angry anymore that there's a difference anger is OK you go to bed at night you sleep and I'm with my right my right leg was like a C and I live it live it live it live although not to live it is what I said that the Vidocq know not everybody wants a ton of time but I want to say. I know it's 11:15 I want to think that at times when I get it. Suddenly become picked up you see. Yeah all right you give it OK what does it mean. It means why Stan live it. Yeah. Nah I'm sure glad I mean not that you are willing to try life on the line for your profession. That's what it means live it means that well all right you want to model but then you back off you want to fall

and you hit move and that's the end of that career. I don't want to go into the tulips when they yell. I told my wife when that lake stops do not call a doctor call a priest it's all over because that's it that's how I sleep at my family that it was a bit late. I heard her album of us recently just the other day as my fact and you were saying something about man here I am 38 years of age I'm going out now on the stage tonight you are saying I'm here I am 53 of it and now you're angry. None of that was the best of Pat cool but I'll tell you are you more angry now than you were on treacherous now. For crying out loud why why not your love life is pretty good for you. Life is pretty good but doesn't mean you stand back and say I got mine to hell with all of you. Now's the time to stand up and say hey I'm in a business that's been good to me. So the people I mean your business you gotta know that you appreciate it and you care about them. Just because I had made my few doubt as cruelly as no you say hey now is my time to open my mouth because I used to say I'd come somebody don't do this and somebody else say that I was and I said why don't you say it and I said it. And I think it's a point I think the follow up of pharma realizes

what I'm saying is I care. I look at the raise my prices get the not a ride on the cover of TIME magazine the cover you got to shoot somebody on the cover of Time magazine and they said I just want my business to be good and to stay good and pulling money to all the people who oppressed the business. What kills. You you know you want to might not pity Peter and he's just made a very high limit point to me you know what I mean. You know something I'm not the guy to talk to Charles about Pat Cooper because first of all he's not only a close personal friend of mine. I find him to be one of the great unheralded comedians in the business OK it's fine for Pat to talk the way he does now. And since he began since he was a little serious I I feel I have the privilege also. How it has been around for a long time. He's been he's been working in the vineyard of comedy for a good many years he's been helpful to a lot of people. He emcee that true tribute the other night and did a magnificent job I'm not stroking it I'm just saying

what what is simply the truth. OK. There are people like Pat in this world. Pat's one of them. People are beauty. There are maybe about four or five that I could mention off the top of my head who have had a certain amount of notoriety I mean I've done network shows they've done albums that's done a couple of movies but yet the general public are aware of Pat but they're not aware of pat on the level that I personally think and I think that everyone else can speak for themselves. That he should be appreciated at what level are you known as how do you respond to that. I consider myself a working performer I don't think I I am considered in the same well-known superstar category and you know if he's not checking me. Alan King Joan Rivers I don't feel I'm in the same room. But I disagree I don't have to be made they don't feel you in the sun otherwise I'm not respected in a sense by the public. I'm not angry at all was a type of a Shecky Greene or get a Joan Rivers or a David Brant. You know these people

I seem to be more nation wide respect than a Pat Cooper. I still feel like I'm earning my dues and pay my dues rather you know. But I can't complain that I don't expect to get this far. So who am I kidding you know so it's not no. I'm still ahead but I'm not looking for that I'm just looking to turn around and keep the business gone. Because if we don't add to what our kids are going to drink it. That's my philosophy. So all of that means you have to make some kind of judgments about young comics that you don't think are good enough but I don't think it's yeah. Therefore you should. Oh yeah and I would not I want to make you want to I will tell you if I don't think you funny I'll come over to us I'm sorry you're not funny. How dare you think you're funny. To get on the floor and absolutely offend the audience when you know when ya do not down do you think you should make that kind of a judgment. Well honey chil show my mother. Tell us what you're going to say she's not the Bellarmine that you're not a comedian. No not yet. How do you make good on it. Do you think he has a right to make that kind of a joke. Oh yeah his opinion. Sure to come out strong.

Yes definitely and it's not like Jomana not stalking it's Pat Cooper therefore we are going to listen to him and we're going to take him more seriously and if he says Charles Superman is not a good comedian then people are going to you know take his word for it. Does he have the right to do that. Sure he does but I think that people should have their own judgment and it seems to be good for me child to ask them but then it's not why but when you speak it's not like if they ask me what do you think of this I say you want the truth you want to play games with you. If I didn't love you I would tell you the truth. You're out of order you have no right being on that stage because you didn't pay it. I've seen a lot of performers come in it's not prepared and I name some big stars who thought just because the name is McLean Stevenson they can go to Las Vegas and kind of want to say oh McLean Stevenson I'm on MASH if you don't want to about it don't work. How Barry insult the audience and how they Glen Campbell put him on that show the insult the audience. He was not prepared. He just sat back at them on Wilson. He went out that that that's a 45 minutes. I said come on. How come I can get your job. I don't know just a.. Come Peter Anthony can get you know we funny you're not

funny funny and Sanford and Son. This is not your ballgame. Oh I'm in the ballpark. They look at me like on those movie line it sometimes does it for you I remember in the MGM Hotel and they booed one of the stars from The Mary Tyler Moore Show right off the stage. That was what's his name get the name. Like I said night Ted night night here they look at you guys you know what happens I was one of my bad nights. I see what you want. I mean like what's a bad time but there's a difference. There's a large difference between being a good comedic actor and taking direction under under doing it frame by frame and you don't you do it 20 times until you get it right. And walking out and just winging it and being able to entertain people and deal with the audience which is a different animal every night. You must make that assessment every night you know every comic has feelers and you pick a direction to go with I don't can't erase it you know. Right you have a lot that you take a guy who gets booed off the let's take a guy who was good on a particular TV series and he wants to work and he doesn't come out to let's say his his motives are honorable and he doesn't come out there just for the money. We know a lot of guys will do that just for the money and the heck with it they'll work up a little

routine I'll pay $5000 for it maybe I think they'll make a hundred thousand out of it and the heck with it they don't really care. But I'm talking about the other guys who really say Gee whiz I want to make it in this business and I need six months of trying it out and I don't want Pat Cooper to tell me that in the first month that I shouldn't give the next five months a try. If they know they shouldn't try it out in Las Vegas. I mean why is the entertainment capital of the world I mean and people paid their dues. I mean how long have you been in the business. Well all right see I've been in at 32 I've paid my dues in order to earn the right to be in Las Vegas and I think I feel the same way as Pat. These people who have the television exposure and we don't have the television vision Expos they come into this town and think they can take over and they boot us out of the out of work. It's just like if if you belong to the musician's union you go into a musician's town you have to pay literally pay money dues to get to play that job because they feel that you're

booting their local musician out of a job. We should have the same privilege because we've worked hard to hone our act. We're artists we're not just another act where people come out of the you know we are artists and I say one thing I'm going to drop it. Tom's reason is a friend of mine. I love Times reason times reason every time you see times really tell you how many times a Johnny Carson show 38 times 31 times just nonstop but this is why I love you and I thought your wife was always on that show 31 times I'll be the biggest comic as well. You've been a part of my time they still don't know you want to just stop already not take up to 48 times. But that's ridiculous. Nobody cares how many times on The Johnny Carson Show. Nobody really cares if they can't what are you doing now but when you press in the world they're not going to be times your time to address us forty eight time and you know some. They walk around thinking they are really tremendous stars and they not. I've done more than a lot of in my business I'm not even close to being the stuff I said as a joke before but I meant that I was some I mean I'm a semi name a star in my opinion is a Bob Hope a stipend to Fred

Astaire. I have a pedo is kind adieus. I've been I've been I'm a semi name I'm a name and the painter. What comedians are stars as far as you can. I think Alan King is a star I think. Bill Cosby definitely is a stock I think I don't think Shecky Greene is a star in that sense because he's not known nationally. Do you get mad at me but that's the truth. Shecky Greene is local here because Florida has good Chicago but I think in Utah I don't think they know but they know Allen came to know Bill Cosby. But see Shecky is a great talent. Never had that expose yet. That I caused and that now I think. But then again maybe he's kind of heaviness might not come across the top. I think the key word that you just said was exposure at this point I think the business has changed I've been in it for 23 years and a couple of different facets. But the business has changed from the point where there aren't that many clubs outside of resorts left and unless you gain that national exposure unless they know who you are in the first place obtaining employment becomes a chore. But I must I must be tough. I mean let me just jump in here. I agree and I don't agree with

you. You cannot be serious or funny. I mean I want to know. Let's see what unfolds Charles or not I mean you're doing a show for nothing so I don't ask for too much OK. Looking at talking about exposure I again repeat another gentleman who has my deepest respect people of beauty who we all know here and we all respect him. Here's a guy that's done well over 400. That's a lot of nationwide television shows not only Carson Griffin the whole bunch of them. And yet Pete isn't as well known. As has he should be so I don't know necessarily if if exposure. In that sense is the thing that makes it I mean the people that Pat alluded to earlier like the piece somebody on MASH or somebody on that kind of it when you get that kind of exposure it's instantaneous. Millions upon millions upon millions of people tune in every week. So it's very simple for some agent to say hey we got this guy's going to do a little tap dance you're going to a pop act we know we're talking about. They'll come in and make big bucks they'll bomb but they meanwhile made a hundred thousand a week for a few weeks and they'll go off into limbo somewhere I don't know

what the answer is that's no answer. People who do not come in here with a home run but in a sense excuse that replicates. He did not come in here but couldn't come into Vegas with all the publicity and all that that my manager did the Met when it comes to his demanding performance. We came in here as working performace. I turn it around I live in this time this you got a room with a job I don't need your room I live here. That's unheard of. That's unheard of you Livvy and I think the room we came in here we went to work. OK Peabody came in went to work when it came out all the cute tricks like a couple and we all could pull them. Then I worked with Sinatra and Col. basi. You know I kind of trying to get a press agent come out of school. We came in we did. Why didn't you do it because I felt ridiculous. I felt ridiculous that I got to turn around and tell you that I am a work of Frank's and I want to be me I want to be my own man I was I want to oppress people say look at what we're going to do and all I can do it. I get more press on my own than I've been with all due respect to to the people. I get more press somewhere you understand I don't want to go in

front of things like and show people to fry an egg. I want to say something to the public. You know most of pressure you want to fry and they want to cut a rebuttal to cut the ribbons. I want to go up and say things that I think are important to my business and to the people that I care about and if I don't like them I tell them I wish to fight. I wish the people in like would tell me that I'd stay away from them. At least I tell you if I like I don't like it but I don't mean that I hate you I don't like certain things that are happening in my business right now. We got a problem we got a billion dollar industry that's ready to be chipped away it's called Spado and unknown there's a middle there that there's millions in this country to be made if they'd only calm down and understand. Go to work. I'm talking about the so-called super star. He's got to come back that is time and give this town something and if he don't come back this time to give them something he should be allowed in here no more. We've got many acts that owe this town the Stephenie Teazle of L.A. What is little fellow in a dynamite business that we've got a ton of Call of the first lady of this the second lady and that she got bodyguards outside was nobody out there nobody got it I was hired on.

Did I tell you some I want to but I just walk around so the body gets up to chase away the tension. It's not I'm that's what I'm telling. You. We me. Yeah what time are the ones I want to look at that's. When we were when you were mentioning about having people you know they're not funny and funny it's over and I really would consider you a good judge of that I mean whatever it was. But then all of a sudden we got talking about a level of McLean Stevenson's And you know people who are you know they're really obviously not funny when they perform or night clubs because they're not geared for that. What about people who are on a lower level you know who are you know who have paid a certain amount of DUIs been in a certain amount of time and are struggling. Would you feel that and you could walk up to someone like that and make that kind of a judgment. And then if you did make that judgment would you feel honest about that kind I would say if I thought my kid my own kid wants to be in show but I want to be a drama that's OK by me a set of drums. OK. First up buying up bad mommy daddy

daddy mommy mommy mommy mommy that I started I don't want to be one of my classes. You can go. You want to I'll think it. Then he got tired it out and I want to become a comic. You ain't got a funny bone you'll see. You're not going to Barrus me in front of a body saying You're my son and you want to take my wife please. He said Take my please wife. He even mussed up pipeline pay for giving away but wait it scares me we have to break her and I will be right back out with a person who doesn't possibly have an opinion. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank. You. Iraq

we're in the middle of a conversation with Pat Cooper on the subject is comedy. We think right. So welcome again. Thank you Willow. Judy you know that PR lady that you were talking about before you. Yes I think that exposure without purpose is meaningless I mean when you go on a national show of course you're not going to get known if you do six minutes here in six minutes there. It has to be followed up with something else. Absolutely. And PR Roy is what is needed. You said when you worked with Frank Sinatra that you didn't want to have PR but there's only so many people to go in that show room and see you the people that don't go in also have to know what you're doing because that's how you're going to get to be that superstar that you get away from that semi name.

We're going to clear it. Thank you Mr. Speaker if you could see if you took your own PR and went out and got your own ads in the paper. Now you step on Frank Sinatra's pose which is business respect that you have to do with a different person. I mean if you're working with a different headline you tell them you want to head land you can with your public relations they hate your guts. How dare you do that on this talk. You're clear with me. So what I'm I guess I clearly what you are going to hear what this what am I but you still could have done it. I don't I don't I don't we don't but why did you take advantages Judy of saying why don't you take advantage of the fact that to say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with Sinatra then exploit it as far as I don't like religion my way when I would want to Mike Douglas Show this and would you go as it were Frank Sinatra Count Basie. Funny I've had PR people on his return but I tried everything I that the people you know and it just didn't work for me because they can't give me the same kind of thing they're going to tell you cooking. Talk about your pa and ma That was fun and it's wonderful to a point. But she says you got to say something I think you got to say something but if you sit there and tell the

stories but you find it is a little irony in the fact that in the last year you have gotten more publicity from your angry arguments and polemics than you have in the last five years from your natural gift as a comedian is it is a little irony but I think it's something big. It's not true you know what happened to me. Yeah I found myself I found myself on the stage as a performer I know who I am. Now I find myself as a person what I really want to say I have to say it and it really worked it took me to be a couple of years ago to pounce not to show I was 51 at the time it took me 51 years to finally say you gotta say the things you can't depend on them. You must say you put just jump in the water and that's it and that's what I did everybody see a black ball you never work again. I got to stop because I 51 years go by when you know it's ridiculous. At 37 you blackballed me not at 51. I said because I'm you know I can quit tomorrow and never think it to get this far. My guess is that you're working more this year than you have you know because of the you know

Samantha was having a job as I think we get you know it's happening I'm working three days a week two days we are making more money than if I was working seven days. This is great but I want to come and take the door you know. I forewarn room all to warm up at the door. It's a doll's cup which I shall take the eight I pay the opening you know whatever. So I take the chance I'm going to show you the people free to take their chances. I'm sorry but you're proving my point though. Now you're becoming a person to the public not just somebody that's on stage doing your routine and you're you know whatever it is and that's what PR does it shows the different aspects of a person a person is not just what they are on stage they've got a lot of things when you do the ribbon cuttings when you do these charity events whatever that's making you a person a well-rounded one. And the public can identify with that person much more than the person on stage and that's why there is a need for PR. That's why the exposure goes hand-in-hand with building the superstars. Some PR people just can give you so much and they can give you no more. You're on a local level on a national and new pay a thousand dollars a week which is OK. Plus the telephones and

expenses. Funny that one of the biggest PR people the kind of foreign you know I don't write off hand I can't get a name they want a thousand a week they get paid I say fine. Can you give the parents not a show well now well now wait a minute wait a minute I'll get the times I pick up the phone and I got I want to go if I want to before you get me to terms like they can this is we can guarantee can you get me a cover of something. They said well we can't guarantee it but I guarantee to thousands you must guarantee me something that will guarantee a nothing. That's what I'm saying. So I set about to take a chance to do it myself and I will give up comics and comedians in the PR but that's all for Jordan who you know will George is the guy that originated the great itself from diverse a nation. Comedy album he put out maybe twenty years ago he's relating a story about himself he went to a PR person he scrounged up the last few hundred dollars he had he gave it to his purses make sure and let the public know who I am. So the guy goes and looks in the newspaper doesn't see anything funny cause the guy says Hey what's happening. Don't worry baby they're talking about you talking about you.

Now the week goes by looks at all the cons nothing's there because hey what are you talking about your baby daughter goes on 3 4 weeks money goes Hey I gave you all of my love my case money I don't see my name in the papers and they're talking about your baby daughter matches what he's saying is that whatever happened I will George. I'm. OK. Let's let's go back and be a little self-conscious about comedy. What Pete did was you know that's that's a gift. This is led me into Here's a conversation here Judy and I you and I were talking about and all of a sudden he's on the same track. Something triggered in his mind a story he leads it in and it wasn't a one liner that you know we might be prone to do. And he leads on a story what is the genius of comedy. What what what makes that happen and why are some people. We're able to do that what Pete just did what you do what the other comedians can do here what and some of us can't do what is the difference. We have what we call mechanical comics and we have natural comics that's just it becomes how it's such a it's a Jewish press bookselling it makes you feel

so good. I get I love to see people in my mind's eye like a gun all the time I got my Beaton's and my table for my father my father said you're never going to wind up in a kind of you all you're never going to wind up in a kind of a hole. He said a few years one that I were kind of you know come back stage what it's done to make a fool out of me. I'm just glad that your comment if he was my father you know I broke my father's body figure I went there because I know how it is for me now. This is when I look at all this is not true. This is not true. This is natural. This is not all these people a natural one on one level what you just described your father is not a very funny story that someone knew your father would say you broke my heart. That's a very said. Now what what is it that since someone like yourself that can make a potentially tragic very sad surely poignant story into something that's absurd and funny. I blocked out his sadness. I don't want to know that much so you know I do want to make the most of my fight as I don't want to saying that I made the gig out of it. My father said to me I'm a Jew I can kill you.

You know I mean just like yeah and you know he meant it. Now my father hit me it wasn't funny but I make it funny now and make it funny you know why I make it funny because I I look at it and I said my so I I cannot believe that that man with with with me for what reason. So now I use that and all that energy all that anger and I bring it up on a stage and I talk about my father I find that everybody is the same father the same mother who went through many difficult things years ago and I thought my mom and dad were very cruel I Father would you know as the absolute geniuses. I was never my father says a run away from home but don't come back what about police. He says You think you're such a smart man I come to this country Lebanese all I was Buddy and I support my mother for me that's when you know you are a man and school lunch will be a men fight then you'll go to school. Big mouth by the way when the basics of living and I like that and now you've got something to say say it. That's what I do and then when you turn around and talk about your father it becomes funny.

They all relate to it you know it shows that you know I don't want to be monopolizing a spy thing while I was you I think is easier is you know nothing only Yet again it's not my thing I want to know and I tend to agree with pets and I think there's a basic Navitas talent that is contrary to this I think there's a basic knowledge for your box. I mean I think you need a national I think you know a person needs a natural ability to be a comedian OK. Another case in point would be if someone is tone deaf there are a lot of people who are tone deaf and I were the last thing for a tone deaf person is to try to get into music or learn violin or something like that would be silly. One person was colorblind to try to manufacture or traffic lights or something I don't know. So there's a certain basic talent I think that one needs in order to be a comedian. What's important is I think delivery and I think attitude also I think it's a discerning sense Charles I think the real but the real heavyweights in our biz the Shockers if you will the comedians they have a discerning sense they can sense

when to go in first of all. But even before that they can sense what's funny and then have enough confidence in their own ability to go forward with it. A lot of times you're at a benefit or some something back before you does something and all of a sudden you come out to do your turn. You've already picked up on that you heard you can kind of get right on it and carry the ball and go on and that can jazz players will do that when they're playing a lick. Another guy will come in to his course and he'll kind of do a quote from him. So I think comedians are the same. I think the basically the same thing applies here. The important thing Charles and I don't want to make this sound corny talent. Talent in show business especially as a comedian. Let me go back. A person can get a job in a corporation if he has juice. If he has a pool someone like some or something you can get it. Get lost in the shuffle you can shuffle papers around possibly and just be a lot of coffee breaks. The for the business we're in you're always there you're always up

front there's no one to kind of prop you up when you go out and you bomb and get the sweaty palms. You're the one who's responsible. There's no way out of it. When you're when you do well it's all you can die in 10 seconds 10 seconds before you have to go to find talent. Is that impossible and right when you define talent I don't know I mean in my opinion sensitivity that's right. Natural ability to want to be talented. Natural ability to want to be. We have many people with talent that one of the natural ability never to come in showbiz as Robin and the man who sang it. It's one of the funny guys the one of the really funny guys he had to leave or you know I go believe it or not.