Christopher Fasano:
In a world of change and uncertainty. The one thing that should always remain constant is being true to yourself. Join us.
Christopher Fasano:
All right. Welcome back to another episode of the Get Overit Podcast. I am your host, Dr. Christopher Fasano. And before we begin, I just want to remind you guys out there listening the easiest we way to get new episodes of this show or to subscribe to your favorite pod player, Apple podcast, Spotify. If you prefer to watch the show, subscribe on YouTube and remember, please leave us a five star review. Let us know how we’re doing. That’ll help the show move up. So more people can hear our guests and tell their stories about how we all can get over it.
Christopher Fasano:
So let’s get on to the show today. Our guest today is Greg Aidala. Greg is an award winning comedian, actor, producer, professional MC fundraiser. All the things that I once was in life, based in New York. He’s performed in New York city to LA with such comedians as my hero, Jerry Seinfeld, Colin Quinn, Kathleen Madigan, and Dave Attell. He’s not really my hero, I guess, he’s just someone that I love so much. And recently Greg jumped into the political arena. God bless him. And I’m trying to understand that a little bit from him. We’re going to talk to him about all of these things right now. Greg, welcome to the show.
Greg Aidala:
Hey, thanks doctor. I appreciate you having me on. It’s great. And I just wanted say you did a great job with Hamilton.
Christopher Fasano:
Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you.
Greg Aidala:
Have you ever got that? Has anybody ever said that-
Christopher Fasano:
It’s so weird. You’re saying this right now. First of all, for everyone listening, I want to caution everybody. You have two Italian people going back and forth. It might get loud. I might knock the microphone out of the way. So apologize as we go. I was just in Florida visiting my parents, they’re down in Delray Beach. They live in one of those 55 plus communities. So, we go there, we’re swimming. And there’s this woman, this older woman doing her back and forth lap. And she’s staring at me. She’s like staring at me in a weird way.
Christopher Fasano:
And so I felt like she wanted to say something to me. So I stopped and I said, “Hello.” And she goes, “Are you Lin Manuel Miranda?” And I’m thinking to myself, “What could I do here? What should I do?” And I’m like, “I’m not.” ANd she’s like, “You look just like him.” And I’m like, “Well, I wish I had the talent of Lin Manuel Miranda.” But I’ve gotten that before. I don’t see it though. I don’t see it. Maybe it’s the hair, he’s got this coif in the front thing going down.
Greg Aidala:
Well, Italians, I think we all have that coif thing going. But you do resemble him and it’s uncanny.
Christopher Fasano:
Really? All right. Well, so then I need to pick up maybe another side hustle and that’s like a doppelganger. Maybe I can just go pose as him somewhere. I don’t know [crosstalk 00:02:43]-
Greg Aidala:
You should. And people ask for a picture, it’s five dollars a picture.
Christopher Fasano:
That’s all, I might do that. Sold. That’s so weird that this year literally just came off a sighting of that. So that’s really funny. That’s why I got the Hamilton reference so quickly. So Greg, a lot of people are listening to the show, they live where we live in the Albany area, the Albany DMA, the Metro. But there are people that are listening that are not. So for people that might not be familiar with yourself, can you just introduce yourself a little bit? Tell us a little bit about yourself currently. What you do, who you are, really? I want to go back then and we’ll talk about how you got there.
Greg Aidala:
Sure, yeah. Well thank you. Well, I was born just in the suburbs of Albany, New York in Loudonville, New York. And you’re really talking to a very fortunate guy. I’m one of eight children.
Christopher Fasano:
One of eight children?
Greg Aidala:
I’m one of eight, Italian-Irish Catholic.
Christopher Fasano:
How wide is the range, the youngest from oldest? You know what I mean? Like, so what’s-
Greg Aidala:
11 years.
Christopher Fasano:
11 years is the spread? Okay.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, my mother had all eight of us naturally in 11 years. God bless her.
Christopher Fasano:
God bless her.
Greg Aidala:
I know. And I have four older sisters, two older brothers, and a younger brother. And I have a unique situation in my life. My grandfather, we were talking a little bit off air about my grandfather was born and raised in Sicily, Italy. And then came over to the US and started a small auto dealership in Albany, New York in 1943. Which is still open it’s we’re celebrating 79 years this year. My father and brothers are-
Christopher Fasano:
Same place, right? Same place?
Greg Aidala:
Yeah.
Christopher Fasano:
Same location, I should say. Yep.
Greg Aidala:
Correct. Yeah. Quail Auto Sales. And then my mother lost her battle to breast cancer 1981.
Christopher Fasano:
Oh, I’m sorry.
Greg Aidala:
My parents were both 43 at the time.
Christopher Fasano:
And you were how old, Greg? How old were you at the time?
Greg Aidala:
I was seven.
Christopher Fasano:
You were seven. Okay.
Greg Aidala:
And my father, and I’d written about him in magazines, interviews, I’ve brought him with me all over the states and for magazines. And I like to share my 20 year career with him because he really is truly amazing. You should actually interview him. He never remarried, he never smoked, he never drank, he never hit us, he put us through school, he married off my sisters, all while running the business. And I’ll never forget this, Chris, because your study is this. When our mother died, my father gathered us together and said, “We’ll get through this with three things. And that’s love, teamwork, and humor.”
Greg Aidala:
And we had such a great support system growing up with family, friends, neighbors, and that are still in our lives today. And it really made a soft landing for something that was very difficult. Now, as I grew personally, and I’ve written about this and talked about it, and keynote talks, there were definitely struggles that I had internally. On the outside, it looked okay. But growing up, you’re wondering, “What the hell just happened?” And then you have your teenager years-
Christopher Fasano:
I would expect nothing else. I mean, you wouldn’t be human if you were not internally struggled, especially with an experience like that.
Greg Aidala:
Correct, yes. And then it comes up at ebbs and flows throughout life. But I always, and I could speak on behalf of my brothers and sisters with this, we always had a base to come back to that was supportive, positive, and loving. And if you think about that in today’s terms, family life is… It’s just broken. And I don’t take that for granted of what I had. And I still don’t. In fact, my father is 83 years old and he calls and we talk to him every single day, all eight of us.
Greg Aidala:
And it’s very important to me because, as you know, being Italian is we had Sundays were Italian day, right? We had church and then my father cooked us breakfast and then we went to my grandmother’s house. Every single Sunday. And I know that still happens in today’s society, but I really think that that fabric has been torn and stretched. I hope that we can get back to those type of traditions, especially in the states, to show and to celebrate who we are, where we come from, and to not take that for granted.
Christopher Fasano:
Greg, I’m sorry, interrupt you for one sec because-
Greg Aidala:
No, please.
Christopher Fasano:
My grandma and grandpa on my dad’s side… My dad has a lot of siblings, aunts and uncles. Together, I think there was like 24 cousins or something like that. And every single Sunday or it was every other Sunday because I would spend the other Sunday at my other grandparents’ house, right? So they were both Italian so we would alternate. But my grandfather passed maybe four or five years ago, he was 91 when he passed. And we were reflecting back on that. And like you said, which I think is interesting, is that we don’t have those Sundays we used to anymore.
Greg Aidala:
No, we don’t.
Christopher Fasano:
We live in different places, is it’s a little bit of a different logistical setup. We still get together. But when I think back about what was done, having eight adults, 20 some odd kids, one woman really, my grandmother, cooking for everyone, every single Sunday, the amount of effort that took to maintain was incredible. Knowing now what I know what it’s like to be a parent, just to be an adult. When you’re in it, it’s just fun. You’re going to hang out with your cousins. It’s fun. When you’re older and you look back on it, you realize that it gave you a lot more than just that fun. I always knew that no matter what happened to me or where I went wrong or where I went right, there was someone, one of 38 people, that I could always find and find solace and comfort and come back to. Like you said, it was like this place that was provided beyond my family of five, my parents and my two brothers, I had this other crew that would roll with me. And no matter what happened, I had them.
Christopher Fasano:
And I don’t really talk to my cousins that much anymore. Some I speak to more than others, but I know I could pick up the phone at any time and I could call them and I could say to them, “Listen, I need your help with something.” And they would be there for me immediately. And it was all because of that foundation that they built for us. And I agree with you. I don’t think we have that anymore. And I don’t know if it’s logistics or if it’s just the importance is gone. I don’t know where that lies, but sometimes I get frustrated in our own lacking in mind.
Greg Aidala:
Well, it’s funny because I’ve had that discussion before and the three things with Sundays at my grandmother was this, it was fantastic. She always had a new joke every week. She would tell us, and this was every week, she would tell us to say yes to life, do what makes you happy. And I remember this, she said, “You can do anything in this world.” And here’s something where she taught us and it’s something that I’ll never forget. She taught us perspective this way, seriously. She talked to us every week, either one on one or in groups, while we were talking or playing in the yard. And that house is still in our family, by the way, where my dad grew up. But she had said this. She would say, “What happened with your mother is a horrible thing. It’s sad and we’ll get through it.” And she said this, she said, “Remember, there’s always someone worse off in this world.”
Christopher Fasano:
Right. You’re like-
Greg Aidala:
How do you accept that as a seven year old? I couldn’t even make sense of it. But as I got older and I reflected on it and I espoused that in my talks or in coaching that I said, “Well, damn, that is severe perspective. That gives empathy, understanding, the benefit of the doubt.” When we’re driving and someone aggravates you driving and you’re like, “Ugh.” But you don’t know what that person’s going through.
Christopher Fasano:
Correct.
Greg Aidala:
I always give that benefit of the doubt. And I know it goes back to my grandmother and my father reinforcing that. And also, excuse me, one time after church I was with… Oh this is years ago. I was with one of my priest friends and some older gentlemen, we were just out and he goes, “This is why I feel what happened in this country is because Sunday is not sacred anymore. With everything open, it’s become a Tuesday. So there’s no day really of rest. And there’s no…
Christopher Fasano:
There’s no feeling that this is a day where you should just sort of be something.
Greg Aidala:
Exactly because first of all, in this world, there’s too much stimuli. No human brain, as you know, you probably know best, cannot-
Christopher Fasano:
It was designed for that. Yes, correct.
Greg Aidala:
… digest. It’s not.
Christopher Fasano:
No, it’s not.
Greg Aidala:
It’s too much.
Christopher Fasano:
It’s too much.
Greg Aidala:
And things change and grow and families move and distant, but I think if you can even have that connection and that’s why even when we each talked my dad every single day, we’re drawn back into that feeling of a solid foundation and in a safe way.
Christopher Fasano:
Yeah. I mean, I think that’s really the word. There’s a safety around thinking back to those days of coming together. Because like I said, I remember even being like a teenager in high school, going through stuff teens think of, I still was going there on Sundays. It would be a reset for me before my week, going to grandma’s house. I remember the smell when I walked in the house. I remember the steps going into the basement. In fact, I was just talking to my cousin about this for Christmas time. There was no room with all of us, so we’d have to sit up the steps and watch people open up gifts. And those memories are so strong. But they set us up. They set me up for trying to make sure my kid, at least, always understands that there is this family situation and it matters.
Christopher Fasano:
And it matters not just because they’re your family, but it matters because life is uncertain and life is going to be throwing a lot of crap at you. And you need to know that there’s a place to come back to. And it goes beyond just your mom and your dad. You have other people around. So like going along with your story, you had this tragedy, this loss, that affected you, you had a family to round you, to help you through. You mentioned your grandma with joke. And so like there was a lightness there. So your comedic venture, did that come from there? Did you explore comedy as a way to lighten and as a way to make the… Tell me how you go into that comedic exploration. Was it just that you just enjoyed it or did you find it as an outlet to explore, to let yourself down a little bit?
Greg Aidala:
Well, I guess it encompasses all of that. So the genesis of that is my father and my brothers and sisters have really quick wit and humor does heal, right? So we would watch… Oh my gosh, growing up, obviously, it was like cartoons and even something as silly as Tom and Jerry. Cartoons are like acid for kids because you’re like, “How the heck did they do that?” And you’re trying to figure it out.
Christopher Fasano:
Right. Colorful and everything’s running around. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah. And then Wile E. Coyote falls off a cliff, but the next episode, he’s alive again, like, “What?” It’s crazy. We watched Three Stooges and just really fun stuff to take away from that. And then I started playing music in third grade, my grandfather played trumpet and we had almost… Geez, we had seven instruments in the home. And we played through school. So I played trumpet third grade through high school. And then I picked up guitar, harmonica, and drums to the day because it really means a lot to me. It’s a gift from my grandfather. And it’s an escape.
Greg Aidala:
In fifth grade, I’ll never forget my friends and I did a skit called The Wrong Brothers. And we would just tell jokes as we were dressed as hobos. I posted about it a few years ago because I found the picture. And then there was always something about, I guess, an escape, but where everyone felt good. So in high school I was asked to host a couple of events, like variety show, battle the bands. And I really liked hosting. I really did. And then I went to college and then my senior year, I had enough credits my spring semester so they said, “You can take what you want.” So I took a theater class. Excuse me.
Christopher Fasano:
What was your major in college? Were you in arts or were you-
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, it was arts.
Christopher Fasano:
You were arts, okay.
Greg Aidala:
I had art, my social sciences. Like you, about the brain, I really wanted to see what’s really out there. And so I took a theater in acting and I took up a relationship, still to the day, with my acting professor who really just opened me up to a whole world and said, “You’ve never done this, but you’ve got something. And I was like, “Okay.” Because my mother, I didn’t get to know her, I got to know her through stories. My parents are both college business grads but my mother was a painter, we have some of her journals, she liked Broadway plays. And I started to feel this mix coming together of my parents into me.
Christopher Fasano:
Right, the combination, yep.
Greg Aidala:
Yep. So I did, I had fun. I wound up doing a couple plays. I don’t want to upset anybody, I love live theater, I just couldn’t stand the drama of the people in casts at times. It was like, “Oh my gosh, it’s too much for me. Get over it. Literally, get over it.” Right, see? So then this happened. I was 27 at the time. And I saw an advertisement in the back of a paper in Albany, New York, they were looking for standup comedians to perform with Colin Quinn from Saturday Night Live. And it was a benefit show over at a theater in Troy, New York. This is all absolutely 100% true and I can’t believe it happened because I would never let this happen on the show I produce.
Greg Aidala:
So I reached out to the guy, there was a number and I said, “I’d like to perform on the show.” Never done stand up before just a big admirer of it. I was a big Letterman fan. I used to watch Rodney Dangerfield’s New Year’s Eve shows on HBO. And actually I used to sneak those. And then I called the guy and he goes, “Have you ever done it before?” And I said, “No, I haven’t.” He goes, “I can’t do anything for you.” Another week went by and something just kept pulling me, you know that magnet pull-
Christopher Fasano:
Yep. Yep.
Greg Aidala:
So I called him again and he said, “Didn’t I talk to you last week?” And I said, “Yes.” And he goes, “I can’t do anything unless you have a tape.” “All right.” Third week came around. So I called him and I said, “Something’s pulling me to get on that show. Could you give me a shot?” And he said, “I need a tape.” And this is all, I have no idea where this came from, but I said, “I only perform on Southwest and Amtrak and they don’t allow me to tape.” I have no idea where that came from, by the way, Christopher, I have no idea. So it went silent and I thought, “Okay. It’s over.”
Christopher Fasano:
That’s it.
Greg Aidala:
Right? I mean, it was silent. And then I heard a voice and he said, “Let me call Colin and I’ll get back to you.” “Okay. Thank you.” And I said, “Well, that was a good try.” Well, he did. He called me back about three days later, I believe it was, a long time ago, three days later and said, “Colin said he’ll give you 10 minutes. And this is a quote, but you better be effing funny.” Uh oh. So I had six weeks before the show, it was August of 2001. And I got my family and friends together. And what we did was, the formula was, “Let’s take funny stories of us, stuff we like, and then try something.” So I did. Christopher, there was 400 people that showed up for this show and they put me on first.
Christopher Fasano:
Oh boy. So the crowd’s not even ready. You got to get… yeah, yeah.
Greg Aidala:
I’m like [crosstalk 00:20:51]-
Christopher Fasano:
Was your family able to go? Were they in the room?
Greg Aidala:
I had 35 people, myself, that I know.
Christopher Fasano:
Okay. You stacked it a little bit. You had some laughs going. Okay, all right.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah. Well, yeah. Out of those 35, I think three.
Christopher Fasano:
So how did it go?
Greg Aidala:
Here’s the thing, it went well. And this is how I know it went well, all though it was like a tornado. You can’t remember everything, but a couple of the jokes landed. And then afterwards, all I did was I pulled a chair up and I sat right behind the curtain. So I could just watch everything. And at the time Nick Di Paolo, is a good friend with Colin Quinn and was opening for him. So I just sat and watched and learned. And I’ll never forget this, just looking out at the crowd, it was like something went off, like a light bulb. It said, “This is what I like, bringing people to together.” And they’re getting through possibly their tough day or tough week through laughter. And I could relate to that. So after-
Christopher Fasano:
It’s kind of like our Sundays. They were going to a place, different, but the concept was they had a bunch of crap and they were coming to this place to sort of forget about it for a little while and feel safe in whatever the situation was. And you were there to provide some comfort in a way.
Greg Aidala:
Correct. And being from a large family, it felt very much like home. Which actually I taught workshops and pretend you’re in your living room and how do you want people to feel in your home? And that’s how I actually try to calm people’s nerves… So I’ll never forget, the host was from PYX 106 in Albany. And he said, “Hey, that was pretty good set. How long you been doing it?” And I said, “That was my first time.”
Christopher Fasano:
“This is my first time.”
Greg Aidala:
“My first time.” And he said, “Really.” And I said, “Yeah.” He goes, “Well, you got something.” Well, after that show, I didn’t know because Albany really didn’t have a scene at all until I heard PYX 106 was having a standup competition in Albany. And you had to win by audience applause. I think it was five weeks long, every Friday, different people. And then if you won a certain week, it got you to the finals. So I went the one Friday and I got to the finals and then I wound up winning, but I had no idea what the hell to do. I’m like, “I don’t know. Albany’s not a mecca for entertainment.” It was years ago before we walked the planet, but it’s not anymore. So I’ll never forget. I wound up doing that. Let’s see, it came up late that fall of ’01 into ’02.
Greg Aidala:
I met a guy that was directing a play at Capital Rep. It was an experimental play and I auditioned and I got part. And then I met a couple guys in there that were into standup and they told me about a club that was an hour outside of Albany. So I went, I met the owners, auditioned. They offered me a hosting job. Five shows a week for six weeks. And then from there, Chris, excuse me, I met pro comics from the road. But what really catapulted it was this, and I’ll make this brief because there’s so much to it.
Greg Aidala:
I loved hosting. And it goes back to Sundays, just bringing people together. I never set out to be the funniest person in the world. I didn’t, it wasn’t me. I know I’ve got wit, but I like being a host. I’ll never forget this. It was a guy from West Virginia named Chris Ciardi and it was the last show, it was right before 10 o’clock show. And I was taking notes and he came over and he said, “It was a nice week working with you.” And he said, “Listen, you’re organized, you’ve got presence. You can host, you should consider producing shows as fundraisers for like fire departments, elk lodges, and stuff.” I said, “I appreciate that.”
Greg Aidala:
Not a month went by and I got a phone call from the fire department in my hometown, Loudonville, that said, “We heard you’re doing this. Would you help us put a show together?” I said, “Yes, I will.” And at that time I just got involved in New York city, the scene. So I was bringing up professionals, friends that I met, and then that landed the fundraiser. And then it started to open up a little bit. And then the local newspapers wrote about me. And then I got on my first radio show, which was a guy named Dan Lynch. He passed away, but he was so great to me.
Greg Aidala:
He invited me in and I’d never been on the radio before. And after that, the next day I got a call from the local Budweiser affiliate and they wanted to meet with me and they liked this young approach. And they were really pushing like Bud Light and Mic Ultra. And I sat and met with them and they wanted to sponsor me. And they wanted to sponsor me for 10 years.
Christopher Fasano:
Really?
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, covered my promo material. They paid for ads, shirts. I was so fortunate and thankful for that. And then it really started to open up to where-
Christopher Fasano:
But they were sponsoring you doing what now? Is it comedy routines or anything you did, your hosting efforts? What was it?
Greg Aidala:
So what they did is they paid for the ads in the paper. They did all my promo material.
Christopher Fasano:
Oh your promo. I see, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Greg Aidala:
It was all promo. It was like five or six cases to each club where I was playing. So there were specials.
Christopher Fasano:
I see.
Greg Aidala:
Promo material is expensive and I still have it. I had all the comics sign them along the years and I was so thankful to all them. And then I started doing independent shows in Albany. I knew friends that managed. And then from there, I started getting west coast shows and then in ’05 I wanted to be the entrepreneur because I come from family in my bloodline and I formed my own company in ’05, Radio Gauge E.ntertainment. In ’06, I launched the Brew Ha-Ha Comedy Showcase, which I toured right up until COVID, that’s a 90 minute show I hosted and it had two headliners. And then from there I got an agent, it went into commercial work. Then I got film work, then national work. And you’re just in it, you stay positive. I did Positive Psychology. What built my name a lot was this alone.
Greg Aidala:
I would pay each performer, and I still do this by the way, I would pay them in full before the show even started. So they didn’t have to worry about that. The business is over, let’s focus on the show. And I had a blast. I don’t have one regret at all in 20 years that I put into entertainment. I really don’t because I got involved in charities. I got on board members of the foundations, helped raise money. And the Capital District is a very giving area. And to have them come in and help them raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, literally, means a great deal to me because it’s giving to people that really need it most. Now all along there, I would still put in 30 hours a week at our family business until finally I had to take a break from that.
Christopher Fasano:
Oh, you were still doing that. Wow, okay.
Greg Aidala:
Oh, because Italian family. So I’m trying to do it, but they were very flexible. I’m very blessed. And then I finally broke off of that. And so it was a thrill to, within those 20 years, to be invited to these events, to meet celebrities that are just regular people, anyway, by the way, [crosstalk 00:28:55]-
Christopher Fasano:
Right. With their own issues.
Greg Aidala:
Just to lift that veil. I don’t get goofy about it, but it was cool to meet people that was like, “Wow, holy that’s… ” Now I’m in the same room with these people. And that was pretty cool. I kept my friends in my life off stage, my guy friends, my five guy friends from when we’re children. And we still talk once a week and we’re all spread throughout the states. I kept grounded people, come into my office and they’re like, “Where are all the pitchers with all these people that you met?” And I said, “It’s nothing. I have it nice and neat tucked away. Those are memories.” But I was ready for-
Christopher Fasano:
Right, exactly.
Greg Aidala:
I’m always ready for the next challenge and venture, experience.
Christopher Fasano:
Okay. I want to understand quickly the business model of the comic. I never understood that. So the comic that does the standup, they’re touring around, they’re doing shows, how are they making their money? I always wondered that. In other words, is it based on how full it gets for them or do you get a spot in a show and they say, “Look, we’re going to give you the one o’clock in the morning spot, and we’re going to pay you 50 bucks.” Is it all hammered out? Or if you bomb completely and two people show up, you don’t get paid as much? What’s the economics of it. I was always curious to know that.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, no, you’re guaranteed money. You are.
Christopher Fasano:
You are? Okay, [crosstalk 00:30:20]-
Greg Aidala:
You are guaranteed money and clubs don’t pay much at all. That’s why you, especially like in the city, you got to hustle around to get four or five spots. When I started to grow my audience and 200, 300 people, that’s when people start paying attention to… And they would buy my showcase. So contract worked out beforehand, it’s guaranteed money. And I also push it. I do a lot to help those people make that money. So it’s a win-win for everybody. But if you’re contracted in, you’re making that money. And to that point, the catch 22 is New York City is the mecca. And you hit the clubs and the agents and all that, but you’re not making money in the city. That’s why you go on the road to try to make one to two grand a weekend. That’s how that works.
Christopher Fasano:
I see. But you’re going to New York City because, first of all, you’re getting reps. I have to image it’s a craft, like anything, you have to practice. And also, you’re trying to build a following, right?
Greg Aidala:
Correct.
Christopher Fasano:
That’s what you’re trying to do. It’s about money later really. You’re making money now. But you’re trying to build something for later.
Greg Aidala:
Or that’s right. It’s like the golfing aspect, right? I don’t golf, but my brother’s golf and they say, “Don’t worry about distance. Just get it straight. The distance will come.” Same thing with the money, be true to your heart and the money will follow. So go ahead, sorry.
Christopher Fasano:
The other thing I want to ask you about comedy is, I was talking to Adam a little bit before we got on, is that comedy has, in our world today, has taken a weird turn in that comedy used to be this thing where, like you said, I go in, I buy a ticket, I sit in that room. And there was an understanding there that what was about to be said was in comedic value. And I feel like nowadays, you can’t say anything anymore, even in the vein or veil of comedic entertainment. And I wonder from the comedian and the artist’s side, what is that like? I mean, has it made it more difficult as a comedian? Not to suggest that all comedians are out to say bad things or do bad things, but comedy used to have this sort of understanding, I felt like, what’s being said or what’s being done is in the form of entertainment.
Christopher Fasano:
And for that regard only, and there’s this mutual sort of relationship that, or contract that gets entered into when I agree to come visit you or watch you or listen to you, I’m open to what you’re going to say. And I’m not going to take anything personal and/or literal. It’s there for that art, if you will. And nowadays it’s very difficult to say anything or do anything without it being scrutinized or evaluated. So, I mean, how has that affected comedians? And what it’s like, has it made it more difficult or do comedians just not care? I mean, do you have to not care?
Greg Aidala:
Some just got to not care, but being sensitive to what is happening in the world. But you cannot be ordered around in this world by people that weren’t even on the planet while a joke you’re trying to talk about 20 years ago or something. You can’t do that. And for people to apologize, I’m bewildered by that. I understand being compassionate. I had a really vanilla routine and plus I was hosting and it was just really to [crosstalk 00:33:55]-
Christopher Fasano:
Right, you weren’t a controversial comic or anything. Right.
Greg Aidala:
No, no, no. Not at all right. I’m a hype man, right? To build up for my friends that are on the show. But when I do listen to like really successful top tier comics talking about “I don’t know if I really want to go out anymore and do this.” I go, “That is not good for any type of society to not have that outlet or release of laughter, of understanding of satire. I mean, at some point you got to say to people like, “Grow up.” I mean that in a real supportive way. If you’re really being bogged down or something because someone sees your life as this way, you can’t assume that they’re the devil. It’s a joke. And-
Christopher Fasano:
But that’s so hard nowadays. It’s really like, it’s so bizarre to me. Also Adam and I were talking about trying to go back and back and back and back and find people’s some things that they’ve done 20 years ago in a time that was 20 years different than now. And not evaluating the person for what they are today and what there have been done and their progress. Because as humans, the goal of being a human is to progress. To suggest that all humans are good and always have been good and always will be good is insane. No, that’s not true. What is it? People that live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Christopher Fasano:
But if that person has done something wrong and continues to do wrong, and always has been wrong, that’s one thing. But if people have done things that now 20 years later are deemed to not be correct, and that person acknowledges it and they want to move forward from it and keep moving and doing better, shouldn’t we be judging them on that progress? And I think that’s, for me, the world that I’m trying to grapple with today. We should be focused on the individual and the progress that they’ve made. You know what I mean?
Greg Aidala:
Right. And that’s exactly it because I find in this society, people want the benefit of the doubt, but they don’t give it.
Christopher Fasano:
Correct.
Greg Aidala:
And so you’re going to point the finger, you’re going to throw the stone at the glass house for what? like you’re perfect? That’s impossible. I’d love anyone, anyone, and I’ve challenged people that, because when I entered the political arena, people were trying to dig stuff up on me and I go, “You got nothing, you’ve got nothing because I’m not [crosstalk 00:36:30]-
Christopher Fasano:
They’ll find stuff and they’ll twist it and they’ll try to make it a certain way. And I think the only thing you can do is say, “Look, this is who I. This is what I’ve done. This is who I am. This is what I’ve done. And let’s talk about it.” I think transparency and being open in my opinion is the best cleanse, right? So like, “You want to dig up all this stuff on me, bring it here and I will happily talk to you about everything you have right there, because I’m not ashamed of it. And I know who the person I am.” And people that are truly bad, won’t be able to do that. They won’t be able to talk about it openly.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah. And I agree with that, that’s why I say, “Bring it to me.” But this world is full of keyboard warriors. And they’re ghosts. And some of these people are just meaner than evil. And they don’t understand, they’re so hypocritical and there’s a lot of people with hate in their heart. They want to be forgiven, but they won’t forgive.
Christopher Fasano:
Greg, I think that’s one of the major problems that we have. We’re just too hateful. We’re too angry as a nation, as a society. And I think that’s part of the problem. We’re always trying to bring down or destroy. And we get some sort of like good feeling about that. And I don’t know where that came from. In fact, you mentioned challenging to find the perfect person. I just did an episode. I host another show. It’s a mental health show about mental health for kids.
Christopher Fasano:
And the episode that just came out today was raising imperfect kids. And my message there is that you should instill in young people this concept that it’s okay to be imperfect. What matters more is that journey and how you live through those tough times because life is not perfect. You will not be perfect, but being okay in the imperfection and recognizing how to build through it. Like you went through a tough time, you got through it, you had something, that’s the bravery and the courage, that matters more than the perfection because perfection cannot be realized. It just can’t be.
Greg Aidala:
It can’t. But to expound on that and juxtapose an example that I espouse to that point is this, look, I try to tell people this, every single thing you see on TV from the news to a movie is scripted. It’s fake. I’ve been part of reality shows, there is an element of complete surprise and element. Okay. That’s true. But there is also a script to it. What happens is-
Christopher Fasano:
Right? They’re just not up there freewheeling and doing stuff. They want them to do certain things.
Greg Aidala:
There’s a course allows you the freedom to do what you like.
Christopher Fasano:
Correct. But you got to follow the course.
Greg Aidala:
Right. So to your point about imperfect, everyone’s seen on TV, “Oh, this person’s got that, this person has this, everything looks perfect.” So they’re imploding, in my opinion, because they realize that’s not it. So they’re being lied to and they’re being fed lies every single day and they’re letting everyone else dictate how they should feel, what they should look like, what they should wear. And I feel they don’t have a supportive base that helps celebrate who they are and celebrate their imperfections. And I think that is the real struggle of what is really happening here. And no one talks about that.
Greg Aidala:
It’s a shame because you’re going to have to go through hell before you get to heaven on this one. And it’s going to be a little bit of a long road, especially after this reset coming out of COVID. And I feel that I try to espouse positivity that if this was a global reset, then dig deep within yourself and set this course because if you’re here now and you made it and you got a second chance in life and not too many generations and decades, the history of this world, get that chance. So don’t blow it.
Christopher Fasano:
Correct. I agree. I look at back at these two years, my kids just went to school today without a mask for the first time in two years. And I’m thinking back and I’m like, “You know what? So many things were done, experimentally, social experiments that we would never want to do. What would happen if kids went to school from home, what would happen if we masked kids, what happens if we all went home from work?” All these things have happened. We have remarkable perspective, like you said, if you’re are lucky enough to… And people have suffered through this, don’t get me wrong. There’s been terrible suffering, but people have come out of it. And we now have a chance to look back on a terrible set of time and use that as a tremendous opportunity for growth and learning, right?
Christopher Fasano:
To look back and say, “Man, what an awful time. What a terrible time. I couldn’t see my family. I lost family. I lost friends. I didn’t see people. I’m back. How do I now want to live my life differently? And what can I do to use that as like a learning opportunity?” And I try to tell my son, I’m like, “You don’t even understand when you get older, you’re going to look back. You’re going to be reading about what has happened here as a once in a lifetime, I hope, once in a lifetime event that we went through, that we got through. What have we learned from this?” And I don’t think people nowadays are willing to look at how to learn from hard. It’s sad. And I think like you said, it’s because we’re so trained to be perfect and see what’s supposed to be and not willing to look at what’s wrong or flawed and value the flawed.
Christopher Fasano:
So just looking at the time because I want to get to this quick, what can you do to help change? Well, you can help with yourself. You can look inside, you can talk to people around. You could get into politics and try to change it systemically. And so you made the decision that you wanted to try to jump into that arena. And just with a little bit of time, I want to understand were you just at a point where you’re like, “I really want to try to do something”? Where was that impetus? Tell me about when you finally were like, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to do it.”
Greg Aidala:
Well. So where our business is located in Albany is in the West Hills section. And the West Hill is a very economically challenged place. There’s a 19% high school graduation. There’s great people there that want help, t’s white, black, Asian, Puerto Rican. It’s great. We have trust, we’re out on the street, there’s consistency. And that area’s really gone down the tubes in the last, geez, 20 years. But there’s really of people there. And I’ve done a couple mission trips with the poor around the world. And my first one in Central America, I coined a term that I wrote about, and I feel a lot in America especially, that we’re failing an open book test. The answers are right there and we’re just failing it like day in and day out.
Greg Aidala:
So what happened with the genesis of politics was this, in 2018, four years ago, the first murder of that year in Albany occurred in front of our place. It was a drive by, one of the stray bullets missed my dad’s office by seven feet, it hit the daycare next door to us. It was very scary. So I remember I was on the road for a show and I got back to Albany and I told my dad, I said, “Look, I think I’m going to reach out to the administration, the mayor, let’s sit down, let’s talk this out, extend the olive branch. What can we do even more? We’ve got to show the community and capital district of, look, this is real and it’s got to end.” I sent an email, didn’t hear anything for three months, nothing. So I got my film crew friends together. I started documenting it with videos about what was going on and doing interviews. Well, that caught everyone’s attention-
Christopher Fasano:
I’m sure that got people’s attention.
Greg Aidala:
It did. In the papers locally, nationally. And everyone’s-
Christopher Fasano:
And then you got a phone call, I’m sure. Did you get it?
Greg Aidala:
And then I got a call that day and the mayor said it on the news. She goes, “We lost his email.” And retort was, “Well, if you’re losing my email, what else is being lost at city hall? Because it’s your job to be on top of this.”
Christopher Fasano:
You know where you are, your family’s been there forever. Come find me.
Greg Aidala:
Exactly. So we finally met. And still, even to the day, even through the campaign, I didn’t go below the belt. I extended the olive branch because I’m staying to my message and I’m not getting mixed up in your mire. I’m not doing it. So all these hints have been going on for three years at that point until last year. And then I really prayed on it. And then there was more drug activity, there was more shooting, more deaths in 2020, right on our block. And I said, “All right, that’s enough. I’m going to put my 20 year career on pause.” I lived off what I saved in 20 year career. 15 months, I did that. And then I got a team together, advisors, a PR firm, people I trusted. And when I started putting it out in the atmosphere, the Democratic people in Albany wanted me to become a Democrat. The Republicans wanted me to become a Republican. And I’m not, I’m an independent, I’ve been that way since I was
Christopher Fasano:
And that’s how you ran. You ran as independent-
Greg Aidala:
[crosstalk 00:45:45]. Yeah. I’m sorry?
Christopher Fasano:
You ran as an independent, right?
Greg Aidala:
I did, I did. And I’m staying true to myself. I said, “I’m not going to flip flop and change come hell or high water. And this is not about party. This is about people, period, for me, no matter where it goes, I’m going to get this message out.” So I did. And it took off and I espouse this to people and convey is, “Just stick to your message no matter what it is in life, no matter what your occupation is, just stay true to that. And everything else will fall into place.”
Greg Aidala:
So I did, but it was tough in this way. You meet people that are very, very bitter and angry. And I said, “You’re not getting involved enough.” On the flip side and the filthiness of politics, because there is such an aspect to where there’s lot of people that don’t care. They are just ripping you off, period. But I met a lot of great people too. And I couldn’t say everyone in politics, because that’d be unfair. But there were people telling me, “Get out of the West Hill.” And I said, “No, I’m going to focus on… ” Because my mind works like it’s a jigsaw puzzle, it’s piece by piece neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block. I stayed there. More people in the inner cities in Albany knew who I was as opposed to the educated areas of Albany. Okay?
Greg Aidala:
And then the hard part was I did see my neighbor murdered by a drive by last May and they interviewed me and all that. That was a horrific thing to see. I watched him die in front of me. I can’t imagine what the military folks go through, the police, the firemen on a daily basis because it really, really is something that you can’t get out of your head. And I just stayed to message. And you know what? At the end of the day, I got 17% of the votes and I was 11 votes behind the Republican who had two endorsements of parties and I knew it was going to be a win-win it. I mean, I lost 10 pounds because I slept about four and a half hours a night because I took it seriously.
Christopher Fasano:
Right. Yeah. You were doing it.
Greg Aidala:
When you’re in a relationship with someone and you break up, it’s hard. Well, I was so serious about it that when I didn’t win, it’s like breaking up with 98,000 people. But I stay involved, I’m a community liaison for the police department. I help new recruits. I’ll do anything I can when I have the time to help out. And what’s really sad though, is a lot of people, especially in Albany, these elected officials are such hacks and so weak that they don’t even denounce crime. They don’t denounce it. And you’ve got like people in the Ukraine and I know it’s two different and stories, but in the way of some of these officials and leaders, they’re out there with they’re with guns-
Christopher Fasano:
They’re out there fighting.
Greg Aidala:
They’re out there fighting and you can’t get any of these hacks to… And I have to use that word because I was in it and I learned, that they won’t even defend it because they’re afraid of what the party’s going to say. I go, “It’s not about the party.” So we could go on for an hour about that. But I know you got the sake of time, but I have not one regret.
Christopher Fasano:
I was going to say like did you feel good when you were done? You felt good about everything you did and you wouldn’t go back on it, right? You-
Greg Aidala:
Well, that’s the first question people ask like, “What are you going to run for next?” And I go, “It to took me two months till the second week of January to just unwind.”
Christopher Fasano:
To come down from it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, yeah. It was that intense, which I don’t mind. I’m an intense guy. I like to work. But I definitely feel good about it. There’s no triggers, there’s nothing negative because I stayed true to myself. And I always said, “If I can inspire people, even the young students that are studying government or political science, if I can inspire people to get involved, great, because that’s what we need.” You got to have term limits. You got to have new blood, new ideas, and motivation will follow that way. And I think things will get done. Until that day, it’s going to be an uphill battle. But no, it was all positive.
Christopher Fasano:
No regret. And bring it back full circle, as we close here, you said stay true to yourself and these are all, and that is I’m sure, a concept and a value that you learned way back in the day at Sundays around your family, where they taught you and always told you, You got to be true to yourself and always do what you value most.” Same with me in my life and my career. I’ve done a lot of things and I’ve bounced around, but I’m always guided by a common value and a common theme. And I feel like as long as you have that running through you, it doesn’t matter what you do, if you’re just true to what it is that you’re here for, that can manifest in different ways as a politician, as an entertainer, as a fundraiser, as a neuroscientist, as a podcast host, it doesn’t matter.
Christopher Fasano:
As long as you’re true to yourself, I think that’s what comes through. And I think people will feel that in you, there’s an energy. You have it, I can feel it through this camera. And I think that matters the most to people because people nowadays more than ever want to know and feel real. They want to feel that there’s a real and a trueness that’s still out there that they can vibe with and engage with. I really do believe that.
Greg Aidala:
The world is screaming for authenticity.
Christopher Fasano:
I totally agree.
Greg Aidala:
Screaming for it.
Christopher Fasano:
In a world that is just trying to make you think that everything is so real, but it’s fake as hell. People want to feel that somebody is actually speaking to them genuinely with a real tone to that. So, unfortunately we’re out of time, Greg, I could keep going with you. But we got to wrap it up. So I want to thank Greg Aidala for coming on the show today. I just want to quickly mention anything we talked about, if there are links, you can actually go to… I’m going to give you gregaidala.com. Is that the best place if people want to find out more information for you [crosstalk 00:52:15]-
Greg Aidala:
Sure. Yeah. And then it links to all sorts of stuff off that.
Christopher Fasano:
All your stuff that you got going on. And then any of those links, we’ll put in our show notes. I just also want to thank Adam Claremont, who you guys never see or hear, but he’s here directing and doing all producing, all of this stuff behind the scenes here. I want to thank Adam. And if you’re looking for any more work with that, you can check out overitstudios.com and see what we can do for you guys. Greg, thanks so much, man. I really enjoyed it.
Greg Aidala:
Yeah, same here, Christopher, keep doing great things and thanks to my friend, Adam there and Dan and Michelle at Overit. They’re great people. They got good things going on. So thanks so much for having me on and I hope to see you again soon.
Christopher Fasano:
Thanks, Greg.