(upbeat music) - Now back to the Pete McMurray show. Here's Pete and Lisa. - Paul Mecurio works on the Late Show at Stephen Colbert. He's an Emmy Award winner. Where do you keep your Emmy Award? Because my wife lost ours. I have an Emmy Award. I lost it. - It's in my pants. Hold on, I'll get it. - Oh my gosh. - Paul is on tour with his award-winning Broadway show. It's called Permission to Speak on Friday, August 23rd. He'll be at the Al Larson Prairie Center for Performing Arts in Schomburg for tickets. Go to Paul Mecurio, M-E-C-U-R-I-O.com. Let's welcome in our buddy, it's Paul Mecurio. How are you, man? It's great to see you on Zoom. - It's great to see you guys again. And first of all, you look like you're like part of the force. Like you're like Luke Skywalker's accountant. That's what you look like. - I have a blurred background. It's not a big deal. (laughing) - He's a big deal. - And Lisa, last time I saw you, you had long hair. I love your short little do thing going on there. - I did. I cut off like six inches. It was time. - Well, last time we hung out on stage. Yeah, it was awesome. - Oh, what I've learned about Lisa over the years, she'll go from one to super dark brunette. She'll go from long hair to short hair. Every time I see her, it's like a new person. - Well, maybe she's living a secret life, a second light. Maybe she's like a CIA operative. Maybe-- - If I was half as attractive as Carrie Russell, then maybe that would be what's going on. - Oh, stop. - I am not living the Americans. - Stop, you're lovely. I was when your lawyer husband was hitting on you behind his back to fellow lawyers. (laughing) - So what he's talking about is the last time Paul brought his show to town, Barry, my husband and I thought it sounded so interesting. And without telling Paul, we bought tickets and we went to the show. What I love about Paul is imagine you're at a party where you don't know anyone. If Paul's there, he will find people and somehow immediately pull the most interesting thing about them out. It's like you're meeting strangers, but it's never boring. You learn something magical in like two minutes, sometimes 30 seconds. So it's like this fun ride of like what's gonna happen next? What's going on? It was so, it was just light and fun. It was a great time. I recommend it. - Oh, thank you. Come here. I'm kissing you. Come here. (laughing) - Well, you know, the premise of the show is we-- - Yes. - Yeah, sure. So it sort of came out of my stand up, which a lot of people know what is cry work. You're on the stage, you start talking to somebody. But usually cry work is like, oh, I'm gonna talk to you about your hat and make fun of your hat or something like that. But I started asking more and more questions. I was talking to people. And then one thing led to another and like we were getting these amazing stories and then some producer saw me doing it. We turned into a Broadway show and Frank Oz is the director who created them up as a Jim Henson, directed "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", both finger, he's the original Yoda, speaking of "Star Wars". He is actually the original, which is like a nightmare when you go to dinner with him. It's like, everything's backwards. Like, "Stake, I will have, I'll be getting Frank." We get it, you're a Yoda, we get it. Oh my God. It's like talking to Pete. It's like, just going on and on and on. I love talking to Pete. We need to do it while I'm flying to plane and I'm running the crane and I'm saving the body. Hey, I'm saying, I gotta go. I'm like, I'm back, I'm back, all right, I gotta go. I love you, I love you, I'll play you back. - Got a lot going on, I can't help it, yeah. - He does. - Lisa, I just hadn't met her before. I just done radio with her a few days earlier and I'm like, and I just randomly go, you and you come up, right? And there's also stand up in the show that I do and there's some of the stories that I tell. So it's this mix of stuff. - But I want to say-- - So I brought her on stage and we started talking and I'm like, oh my God, like, literally I met her. Oh my God, I just was already with you. And she was amazing. She had a great story about how she got into radio and everything else and then I brought this guy up and I didn't know who the guy was. It turns out he owns an institution in Chicago and 'cause I said to him, what do you do? And he explains. - I own diversity rock 'n' ball. (audience cheering) First control of Bank of Essence Software Company left that job to buy the bowling net for two dollars with my friend Gary. - Well, you needed a friend 'cause you didn't have two dollars? (audience laughing) - Well, he still owes me a buck. - Gary. (audience laughing) - He sells it. - Gary, I got a great deal, but I only have a dollar on me. (audience laughing) - So the guy owned diversity ball. - Yeah. - Sorry, by the way, can I interrupt? 'Cause my favorite part of that clip in the show is Lisa. 'Cause when you hear people hearing this that, you hear the room and go, that's Lisa standing right next to me, it was so awesome. And now I look like a complete ass 'cause like there's, I don't know, 300, 400 people who all are in on this and I don't know what diversity rockable is 'cause I'm not from Chicago. They're like, duh, idiot, it's like only the coolest. So Lisa jumps in there. - The coolest bowling alley around. It's been held forever. Like when you were living in the suburbs with your friends. - It's an institution. - And you're 16, you're like, let's go to the diversity rock and bowl. Like we don't wanna go to our local suburban bowling alley. We don't wanna go to the city. Like it was a big deal, it was a big deal. - Paul, we're talking with Paul Mercurio. He's gonna be at the L Larson Prairie Center for performing arts in Schomburg. For tickets, go to pomacurio.com. So you meet a lot of celebrities, especially on Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But someone left a message on your phone. And this someone Lisa loves more than her husband Barry. Can you tell the story? - Well, let's just come out with it. That's someone is me, everybody. Lisa is infatuated with me. Lisa has a parking spot in the bushes outside my house. - So, yeah, and that's why she cut her hair because it was getting long and tangled in the trees. - Camouflage, baby. - Yeah. - Yes, Paul McCartney is who we're talking about. He was a guest on our show, and I got him on my podcast, and it's crazy how I got him. So he had just done rehearsal at the show, and I was now running to go into the studio to film something. And I round the corner, and there's Paul McCartney, all alone, standing in the hallway, like all alone. Just like leaning against the wall, like he's chewing me, literally chewing gum, looking up at the ceiling, he was waiting for a bus, and he was all alone. Who's nobody with him? No manager's not a parent on his shoulder, nothing. And my whole world slows down. I'm like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. - I wanna die. (laughing) - And I'm like, I say hi, I should not say hi. And then I'm like, you know what? He's alone in a hallway with no security. He's like a gazelle on the Serengeti planes. I'm a lion, I'm gonna pounce, right? Right? - He's used to it. - I go, it's an honor to meet you, huge fan. Can't wait to see your performance, and I walk away. And he goes, wait, come back. I'm like, what, what, what do you want? (laughing) I'm freaking busy. I gotta go on the, I gotta go on Pete's show for God's sake with you. - Right. - Come on, Paul. - He goes, what's your name? I go, Paul, he goes, oh, Paul, that's a good name. I'm like, I'll do the jokes, buddy. And then he goes, what do you think I'm gonna stand up? We start talking, oh, I love standing over here. You got a kid, I got a kid. So we're talking, five, 10 minutes go by, we just chit chat in the hallway. And I'm talking to him, like I'm talking to you. Now on the outside, I'm snooing. I'm like, hey, I'm talking to Paul McCarty. On the inside, I'm like, what the hell am I hiding? Like, I was out of my mind. - Right. You're a general fan girl, I get it. And as I'm talking to him, I'm getting closer and closer to his face, because I'm checking him out, because he's freaking Paul McCartney, and he looks amazing. And I was so, and he couldn't get away from me, because he was pinning against the wall. So I was like, this close, you're a close talker. Oh my God. Like, you know, the chimps on the National Geographic channel where they clean fleas off their mates. I could have, I could have cleaned like ticks off his eyebrows. I was like, that close to him, right? So then I leave, I go into the bathroom, I call my wife, I'm hyperventilating. You're not going to leave, I'm at Paul McCartney. And then I get this thought in my head. Paul McCartney should do my podcast. Like, I blurt that out on the phone in the bathroom to my wife. So I go, I knock on the dressing room door. I go, look, I just love to talk to artists, especially about how they do what they do. You're a brilliant musician. I would love to talk about how you make music. Would you do my podcast? He goes, yeah, sure. Just like that. Wow. Now. Now. Now. Anybody listening? Anybody? Anybody? You had that hot girl, hot guy. You wanted to ask him out. They would bite way above your pay grade. You're like, you know what? I'm going to ask him out anyway. They're going to say, you know what? But I'm like, that bad. I know. I asked, but instead they say yes and you don't have a plan, that was me. Because he goes, he threw me, he goes, yeah, sure. And then he goes, how would we do it? And I'm not making this up to be funny. I started rocking, rocking back and forth like, brain man. I'm rubbing my right thigh for some reason. And I'm like, how would we do it? I'll come to London. And he's like, we're in a room in New York together. Why would you come to London? I'm like, and then he goes to me, is it easy to do? And I actually said to Paul McCartney, oh, it's really easy, I don't want to be a bother. You can do it on your phone naked from your toilet. I'm like, what am I saying? No, you did not. I swear to God. I swear to God. So I'm like, I got to get out of here before I ruin this. I go, look, end the story. I will set it up with your assistant, and he goes, no, no, no. He goes, you and I'll do it. I go, what do you mean? He goes, you and I will set it up because they're going to make it too complicated. So we're just going to exchange phone numbers for when I-- Get out, get out. That's my move. That's my move. I always ask for the phone number. You're using my move now. So I'm handing in my number. My hand on a post is shaking. And I hand in my number, and I go, I'm not going to sleep with you, oh, man. And then I'm like, I'm going to sleep with you, oh, man. You're a beetle. I'll do whatever you want. So I hand in my number. He has me a phone number. I think, OK, this is like a number to a Chinese restaurant. Right, it's a Chinese name, not right. Yeah, yeah, long hose. And he does the show. That show was over. That taping. I had to get to another taping. I'm rushing. My phone rings. I don't recognize the number. I let it ring the voicemail. Oh, my God. And this is the message on my phone. Hey, Paul, it's Paul McCartney here. I'm going to bring you back in five minutes to do the podcast thing. I got some time now. Otherwise, I'm going to run out of time. So if you're there and five minutes time, you got me. OK, bye. The greatest. How does Paul McCartney leave a message like that? He just sounds like the most likable guy ever. Oh, he was so nice. And my favorite part of that message is he felt he needed to give you his entire first and last name to identify who it was. Like, yeah, oh, that Paul McCartney. And then we played phone tag because I lied. I didn't have anything to set up. So then I had to call my studio, which was in LA at the time. And I go, I need a recording line right away. I have Paul McCartney ready to go. And there was this young intern who probably didn't even know who Paul McCartney was. And he goes, yeah, hold on. Let me check. Yeah, there's somebody in the studio right now. So a nice snap that I became. This guy went, hey, did you not hear me? I said, unless you have Jesus Christ or John Lennon in that studio, you get out of it right now. And you get me a line, right? And then we did it. And then I literally had to stall him for an hour until I got the line set up. And then we did it. And he couldn't have been cooler. And all we did was talk about music. And yeah, it was really awesome. Lisa, how jealous are you, Lisa? I'm a lot jealous about the line. She's a huge Beatles fan. I love Paul McCartney. He was always my favorite. I know I'm supposed to like John's cooler, but I'm not cool. Paul's my man. I made out with him. He was awesome. I kind of want to touch you just so I can feel like I touched Paul. That's the perfect ending right there. I made out of him. [LAUGHTER] Go see Paul. Go see Paul at the L. Larson Prairie Center for Performing Arts in Schomburg, Paul MacKurio. M-E-C-U-R-I-O, PaulMacKurio.com. Lisa, can you tell why we became fast friends? I mean, can you feel the energy? Yeah. I mean, I love you guys. You're the best. Seriously, I feel like I've learned you guys a long time. I thought I needed more coffee. But now I don't. I love you. We'll see you next week when you bring the show to Chicago. I love it. Absolutely. We're going to see you guys. Miss you. I'm excited to see you. And Lisa, I will touch you for Paul MacKurio's sake. Thank you, brother. I love you guys. Thank you. More of the Peep of Murray show next. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
