What Really Happened to Fiveish the Clown? | Feivish Adams

You really are a clown. >> My whole [laughter] life. >> Wow. Amazing. Okay. This is exciting for me. >> Yeah. Exciting for me too. >> Well, why is it exciting for you? >> I was interviewed five weeks ago by Kolib, which is the kida radio program from New Square. >> What did the kid want from you? >> I am their number one gymnastics coach for New Square in Monroe. Believe it or not, the world of casum in Monroe and New Square and that type is changing where they used to be so strict that a person would get kicked out of school if he played through a basketball. Now they realize how important physical fitness is, exercise, and to get the ants out of your pants so you can learn. And I'm telling you, as soon as I put my ads in in the myy view and the community connections, I started getting calls um from parents and also adults ages 19 to 33. It's it's incredible. 70% of my students are kidish and 70% of those are adults. It's a dream come true for them. They always wanted it. They could never do it. Tremendous amount of course to I have from them and they from me. >> This is new for you. >> Well, I've been teaching my whole life since I'm 17. But I opened my gym in 1993 called the Flip Factory. Sold it in 1998. opened up another one in 1998 called the Gymnastic City in Stony Point. Sold it in 2009 and then I bought my house in in and Wesley Hills on Powder Horn Drive. Very nice neighborhood. I was able to So I partly retired. Retirement was not good for me. And I just reopened the original Flip Factory in my basement. So I have no overhead, no employees. I've got over a hundred students, but from private to classes and business is booming. It's crazy. >> Wow. Okay. I can't wait to get into it. This is exciting stuff. >> Yeah. Imagine they'll see them doing flips. Flips with twists. Um round off double back handsp springs, dive rolls. Why do they want to do it? They want to per They want to dotick hassas. They want to perform at porum time. They want to do >> So, you're helping them do thetik at the weddings. >> Absolutely. And and now I have a group um uh I now have a a group of casum five that want to do a professional show where they're going to go around to weddings. >> I have to say I I know you I know your last name as the clown. I don't know I don't know your real last name. >> It's crazy. >> It's the oldest last name. >> What is that? Con >> Adams. [laughter] Pish Adams. Welcome back everybody to another incredible episode of the None of Your Business podcast. I'm your host, Michael Greenfield. Today with me is Fivish the Clown Adams. I'm sorry I have to call that. >> That's all right. That's >> That's how I remember you as. That's >> That's right. Well, I want you to know throughout my life. I tried to keep it a secret. [laughter] >> You're kidding. >> Yeah. I always felt like I performed on stage and I made my musical tape. I don't know if you knew that. I perfor I traveled with Uncle Moy for 6 months and I have my own musical tape that came out in 1990 called Fiveish the Clown and the Sima Circus. Right now on YouTube, there is one of my songs. Someone found my old song. It's It's on It's on cassette, old old cassettes. Someone found my song, reproduced it, so there's no fuzz, and put it on YouTube, one of the songs, and it's getting a lot of hits. I I couldn't believe it. I'm so excited about it. >> Chorus. >> What? What do you mean by chorus? >> The song I'm saying, what's >> Oh, it's called It's called the Cautious Symbol Song. >> Okay. And >> I have to find out more about this. I you know I I remember as a child hearing your voice but I have to get back into it. First >> many voices. >> First I want to thank our subscribers, the commenters, all the people that are involved in listening. We really appreciate the feedback. Thank you of course to the Prime Source production team and don't forget if you are running any type of facility, healthcare facility, hospitality, and you're looking to save money on your expenses, reach out to someone from Prime Source today. Five-ish so many voices. What for? Let me hear some of them. Um, what was the most famous one? >> Oh, Mrs. Shapiro. Oh, m Mrs. Shapiro, I'm going to do my assign. Don't Don't yell at me, Mrs. Shapiro. It's okay, Mrs. Shapiro. I'm going to do my assignment right now. [laughter] >> That definitely brings back some memories. You know, it's funny. I just went recently to a Guns and Roses concert. >> Wow. >> And I'm like, "Oh my god, these guys still have it. This is something that like you'll always have in your vocals." Like, you know, no matter how old they How old are you now, if I may asked? >> Well, let's see. 111 years ago, when I was only 10 years old, my family was bushwacked and scalped by the Pyute Indians. Only my sister Caroline and I were left alive. But they treated us m good. They fed us boiled dog. I'm 67. [laughter] >> Okay. Wow. Okay. I I did not know that. And I'm I'm a little taken by surprise. shows how old I am also because I'm remembering as a child listening to this. So, I'd love to know who you are and how you got involved in this. How did your voice get picked up by Uncle Mishi? First of all, who is the real Uncle Mishi today? I know there's like a whole controversy between like >> two different ones and just >> right, you know, I haven't been in contact with him, but >> I'm sure you know some of it. >> I've been bounced into him a few times in a shul in uh Kins in Kensington Burough Park. >> I've met him a couple times, but I went with him. I traveled with him and it was a great experience. >> How long were you with him for? Six months. >> So fiveish fiveish >> fiveish the clown went with Uncle Moshi for six months to Texas to Canada to Boston. >> Yeah. >> But your voice was used throughout um his cassettes in general. >> No, I was never in any of his cassettes and or or any of his famous tapes. No, these were live productions. Oh, I see. >> When he did live productions somewhere on stage in front of big audiences, I went with him. >> Oh, that's when you went with him to perform. Got it. >> And he gave me an opportunity to do a small part of my act. >> Okay. >> But the other parts I was helping him out in in his act. >> All right. So, you went from being a voice actor, let's just say, is that? >> No. Well, actually, I was a voice actor since um a freshman in high school. >> Really? >> Not a real voice actor, but me and my friends used to have a microphone and a cassette tape. We used to have so much fun making voices and characters. I loved it. That's where it started. >> Did you try to make >> My mother was an actress, by the way. >> Your mother? >> My mother was an actress. >> You know what? Let's go back. Tell me who you are, where are you from, who are your parents, what's their lineage. Just give me a little bit of flavor as to the colorful five-ish who you are, where you from. >> I'm the youngest of five siblings. >> Okay. >> My uh oldest has passed away, my sister Alice. Um uh my brother Ruain is a huge to Kakam and he's still in Kell at the age of 78 years old in Staten Island, Nishiva under Ruain Fe um Ruain Feinstein. Beautiful. He's a he's a huge to and but a great personality. He's got a he's got a really nice sense of humor. But uh um uh my brother Andy is a uh g ex geologist who survived a volcanic eruption. 20 people on Mount Galleris in southern Colombia. Only three survived the eruption. My brother Andy was one of them. Came out it with no injuries. Southern Galler Galleris 1993. You can look it up. And it was it was on the news. It was uh on television. They happened to have been there during the eruption. >> He was a scientist and they were trying to save the town of Galleris below the mountain because I think 20 years earlier, not my dates are not exact, um there was an eruption and 20 30,000 people were killed through mudslides, ash, poison gas. It was terrible. So they came again many years later to see if they can have an early warning system. I believe they were setting up uh units to go inside detectors for early warning. and uh it erupted. He was inside the volcano. They have a policy that they have to take a break every hour and a half because even though you have gas masks and you're breathing in oxygen because there's poison some poison gas down there like sulfur gas, um the it still leaks in. So every hour and a half you have to clear your lungs, get out. My brother Andy said, "Boss, I'm taking a break." It was an international group of scientists, by the way, from China, England. >> Taint the picture for me for a second. How are you hanging out in a volcano? What do you do? You climb in like >> Oh, so there's the classic idea of a volcano is this big mountain that goes up and on the top is flat. It's not really flat. There's a caldera which is like a moat for a castle that goes down and up again with a mini mountain. The moat mini mountain like a castle and then that's where the hole goes down. It comes in multiple types of shapes. They were um so you climb up the mountain there. There was a base down below. You climb up the mountain. You go down into the moat, go up the moat, go down into the hole with rock climbing gear, mountain climbing gear, ropes and hanging down there and doing your work. The mount the the mountain had erupted 20 to 30 years earlier. There was no sign of eruption and it happened absolutely suddenly after my brother Andy said to his boss, I want to take a break to get clear my lungs. The boss said, I'm going to go with you. And so did the assistant. So three people survived. They climbed out. They were down in the caldera when it erupted. Um, the two, other than my brother, the two who survived were horribly injured. We're talking the worst injuries you can imagine. A pebble shot through the boss's head from this side to the next, redot, carterizing as it goes, so he wouldn't bleed to death. And he survived. And it hit a part of the brain where you can't see any change. That's one of the many injuries. My brother Andy came out with nothing but small burns. He he had protective gear. See, in those days, a lot of people, you you visit 20 mountains, you 20 volcanoes, you're not scared anymore, and you start not taking the precautions. My brother Andy always warned them, take the precautions, wear your fireproof gear. And as a result, >> he was not burned hardly. >> It's interesting as a brother, you get to learn about an industry that normally you would not know about. And that's why I'm I'm I'm fascinated by this topic in general, right? >> Would love to learn a little bit more about it. So, just curious for what you know. So no warnings come and like you know so these guys are spending their whole life studying something that you know the world >> but then what's the point if you don't know whenever it's coming so what are you trying to figure out exactly like >> um they they're try okay so they're trying to figure out early warning system they're trying to figure out can we get >> three four maybe a week early notice that there's going to be an eruption are there any signs you know you have this geer counter type of a thing you know I don't know what call. I forgot. You know that if there's a earthquake, it goes, right? So, if if you see things happening, that is an early warning system. You have to know what you're doing. Okay. Um they uh there was another scientist that was not part of the group who was an enemy of the leader. That scientist had according to the book on the what happened, it's called No Apparent Danger. Um you can buy it on Amazon. It's an old book though. They almost made a movie about it. My brother was used as the specialist who went all over the world with the movie producer um being interviewed. Uh they never ended up making the movie, but uh um this this guy had an early warning system that had warned of eight volcanic eruptions successfully. This other guy and he was at a station, you know, 20, 30, 40 miles away where they had his machine, but he wasn't there. He had to leave. So he left his assistants involved. He had Spanish assistants. Golaris is um southern Colombia. They were Colombians. So they were watching it and the early warning came in. What is it? You have this jumping up and down with um geer counter type of a thing. And if you use a microscope and look deep I think this how I'm not a professional, but this is what I I believe when I read it. You if you look deeply with a microscope, you can see little squiggle lines within the big squiggle lines, you know. So these micro squiggle lines are an indication of an upcoming volcanic eruption. They were getting those, but the the leader of my brother's team would not listen. He did not care. He didn't like the guy's philosophy. And um there was a big makus and >> Oh, okay. Now that makes it much more interesting. So there so now they're I guess learning from that from all those >> Yeah. I don't know what they're doing now. My brother >> I'm imagining now there's much more indication of things that are coming up. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty fascinating. I've seen a a volcano, by the way, erupt uh in Iceland. >> Oh, right. >> And um it was f one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life. >> It's part of the circle of fire. The circle of fire is a giant circle that covers a third of the world from Canada down California down into Mexico and across to the Pacific and all the way through Japan and Iceland. Big gigantic circle called the ring of fire. It's Yeah, that's the circle of volcanoes. I myself, as a backpacker, I that was one of my great hobbies was backpacking. I did a solo around one of those mountains called Mount Hood. It was a three-day solo backpacking trip I did by myself, but that was not active volcano at all. Had a great time. >> So, circle of fire is something of fire. >> That's like I guess what the world is made up of. That's right. In terms of uh all over the world. That's pretty fascinating stuff. Okay, cool. >> I'm not a scientist. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, it's okay. Okay. When I was at Shea Spring Valley that in those days I taught him um gymnastics and fitness. >> You taught Stefan. >> Yeah. He just reminded me [laughter] >> Stephan you look great. >> He did like [clears throat] >> Yeah. Let's do it right now. Come on. [laughter] >> Oh, that's right. Seismograph. I couldn't think of the word. Yeah. So, and then and they also taught science and I told them about my um at my brother's uh adventures with the mountain. Yeah, I I spoke about that in class. >> All right. So So that's another brother. Keep going. You fascinating family over here. >> Yeah. Then I have a sister. None of them are from by the way. My one brother is from the one in Staten Island. He has a story. My the my brother Andy um is not not from Never. >> You all did not grow up observant. >> No. No. Not at all. >> Got it. Okay. So where your parents from? >> My parents are from uh Brownsville. Okay. New York where I grew up kosher because you couldn't buy non-cooser food back then in the day right back in the Jewish mob Jewish mafia back in those days 20s30s that's where they grew up everything was kosher you couldn't eat tfe um everybody went to shul Friday night it's just that the people that a lot of people after they left shul they uh got into some limousine and took off and did business whatever it was >> very different environment back then >> that's cool >> that's my my parents were from that generation and they moved to California in the 50s All of my family were born in New York except I was born 1959 in uh California and uh my father became a newspaper liner type operator or teletype operator, one of those two and for the major newspapers in California. He his whole life. >> And your mom became an actress. >> My mom was an amateur actress. She worked as a um she had a second job in a in a hospital working in dietary. Okay. But she was also her passion was acting and she acted constantly. She was in plays, on stage, in theaters. She got write-ups in the newspapers, many, many awards, offers to be professional, always canceled out because she felt her family is more important. She was a great actress and I I was definitely influenced by both my father and my mother in a really deep My father's a box. It's another story in my father growing up became a boxer and he became a really good amateur golden glove boxer. Amateur golden glove boxer. Um during World War II, he was he enlisted and on his way to Japan um they had boxing tournaments against the Navy, the Army versus the Navy. And my father made it to the finals and the finals him against the Navy. Whoever won this was the champion. So on the way um they were treating him like gold. Eat whatever you want. Made him comfortable. All the guys were betting on him. And then one guy said, "Come lay down over here." And he laid him down in a cot outside on top of the deck of the ship as they're going to the Pacific. And my father woke up with a horrible sunburn. His whole body like a like a crab, right? Lobster. And he had to fight like that and he ended up losing. >> Oh boy. >> One of my father's stories. >> He didn't set him up for failure, that guy, did he? [laughter] >> I don't know that. I don't know enough about >> he was in from the other team, right? >> Right. >> Okay. Uh, so you grew up mostly in California then? >> Until 1983. Then I moved to New York. I became a Boua. >> Oh, okay. So what? Tell me about that. How did that happen? Well, first of all, I lived a completely different life. Um, I was on the gymnastics. I I did gymnastics since I'm 13. Um, made varsity as a freshman in high school and all four years I was on the varsity team. And then, um, I went to junior college and competed for two years in junior college. Did very well. And then I got a scholarship for my last two years at Soma State University in Northern California. And they paid my full tuition. Full tuition, books, dormatory, food, everything. >> You must have been good at it. >> I was good. They wanted they were trying to build the team. So me and my best friend, they he didn't get a scholarship, but he came along with me. He he was also a gymnast, very good. And uh Mark Lundy was the coach, and he was a really great coach. He treated us like his own family. That's the difference, by the way. And as a as a gymnastics coach, it's important for me to say this. There's a difference between a good teacher and a good coach. Teacher teaches. A coach also teaches, but he also is a brother, a father, a friend. He's a mentor. He's everything. That's a real coach, not just a teacher. So Mark Lundy was that. He was a really wonderful person. He died very young. Um after I left Sonoma, he a few years later he got cancer and passed away. Um his son never never met him unfortunately. And I'm in communication with his son a little bit here and now here and there because he wants to hear stories about his father. Do Mark Lundy. My last year in college um my my money ran out because they dropped the gymnastics program. Although I was the first person in the university to go to nationals, I com they have a football team, wrestling team, basketball teams and never made it to nationals. My very first year in gymnastics, I qualified for nationals and competed and took ninth place national. Eighth place would have meant I could have been getting prepared for international competition, but I took ninth place, so I didn't make it. And it's okay. But uh >> what was gymnastics like? When you say gymnastics, sorry for someone who doesn't follow it. Does that mean you're jumping up and down? Explain to me what >> have you ever seen, have you ever watched the Olympics? The summer [laughter] I'm not very well verssed in gymnastics. >> That's okay. So there's a summer Olympics. Okay. >> And you have famous names today um female gymnasts and men men gymnasts. So gymnastics is a sport. It's an actual sport. It's divi and for men it's divided up into six events. Each event is its own sport with a whole system of learning unbelievable stuff. For women, there's four events. The four events for women are were produced since the Greek times. The first Olympics was in Greece back in the times of the Greeks. Okay? And that was the first Olympics. Um, and gymnastics was was one of the events then. They didn't have women's gymnastics then. It was just men's gymnastics. But, uh, women's gymnastics developed in a way that is good for women. Men's gymnastics developed in a way that's good for men. I'll give you I'll tell you what I mean. In women's gymnastics, you have the balance beam. Balance beam is if if you fall with your legs spread on the balance beam and you're a man, you have to go to the hospital. If you're a woman, no. Okay? And I'm not trying to be funny. In uneven bars, that's we have a bar down here and a bar up here. Women's gymnastics doing all sorts of stuff on the top bar, then the bottom bar. They bounce off the bar. They don't get hurt, but if it's a man, he can go to the hospital. So, and also women have less upper body strength generally speaking. I'm not putting down women because some of they're some of the great athletes of the world are women. But, um, it's but they don't have naturally more body strength, upper body strength than men. So, that's why men have the rings. You heard of the rings, the rings, iron cross, right? And amazing things. And they have the parallel bars, the horizontal, but all upper body strength stuff. Women have tumbling with dance and music. Men have tumbling with no dance and no music. So, they formed two different sports for men and women. They're they're similar but different. So, I uh and now I'm going to tell you how I got into it. So, I'm 13 years old. First of all, I was already in my front yard. I used to always already could walk around on my hands. I could I was the fastest tree climber on my block. You know, I I wasn't great at at popular sports. Like, I was good at football in baseball, but I had a problem. I caught the baseball with my left hand, took off the glove, and threw it with my left hand. That was a problem. Um, but I was good. Um, but I was I never joined any of the team sports. Gymnastics just was something that I was excited about learning. Similar I think with the cedum we're experiencing now. Flipping, handstands, cartwheeling, performing. That's what I liked and that's what I think I see from coming out of New Square now. And I'm going to give you some examples of people who are going to become famous soon. So I I started when I was 13. I took a couple classes in summer school. Then in 14 I joined the gymnastics team in high school. I I started on the football team. I joined my peer pressure, my best friends, my next door neighbors. Come on, join football. Join. So, I joined. I joined football. And then we had practice with full equipment. And one day the coach is, don't laugh when I say the name, coach Bastion. It sounds like a bad word, but it's not a bad word. Coach Bastion saw me in my football gear like using the the goalpost, the big goal like 15 feet up as a balance beam walking across. He goes, "Adams, get over here." Right? So I hung by the coal post, let go, landed, went running over me. He goes, "Follow me." He put his arm around me and we walked to the basketball gymnasium. These days he would have gone to jail for putting his arm around me. [laughter] In those days, no. And he brought me to the basketball gym, opened the door, I walked in, and I saw gymnastics going on. Real highlevel gymnastics. We had a really good gymnastics team. Some of um Buddy Frottton, [clears throat] John Bernal almost made it to the Olympics and that was it. I did gymnastics for the rest of my life. I joined right away. I made the varsity team because I was talented already. And I never left gymnastics through high school, through college. My last year, I had to leave Soma because gymnastics is not a money-making sport. So, they dropped it even though I went to nationals and then I injured my arm. And then the next year, the second year, uh the team made it to nationals, but I couldn't because I had a broken wrist. Then they dropped the program. And we all went to Long Beach where I had a gymnastics teacher, not a gymnastics coach. is a great great gymnast. Yishi Ta from Japan, four-time world champion. You can look him up. I think he's still alive. He was our gymnastics teacher, but I would never call him a coach because he was I think he was an anti-semite and he was abusive specifically to me. So, that was my last year in gymnastics. I had a bad year recovering from injuries, but I made it. >> He knew you were Jewish, I'm imagining. But you weren't practicing then, right? >> I was not practicing. >> You're saying you felt the negative? >> Somehow he knew. I don't know. I don't know. Somehow, somehow he knew. What did he do that made you feel that way? I'm just curious like how how did you know that he was picking on you? >> He never said anything Jewish specifically, but if you want me to get into it, it gets pretty dark. >> I I'm curious experience. Yeah, >> because people feel that experience now as well. So, I'm trying to connect the dots. >> Right. So, first of all, the the team reflected the coach. No one was friendly. Nobody cared. There was no we there was no team spirit. Everyone was on was for themselves. I hated it. Okay. at Soma the women's team and the men's team we worked out together everyone was best friends were like a family men and women like a family helping each other and it was really great Sonoma Long Beach it was like women the women were completely separated from the men not because it's neiest reasons just because of an unfriendly atmosphere um so anyway I I'll just say that I was recovering from a wrist injury and I did recover and I was doing very very well um I was I had potential to qualify in my opinion on horizontal bar and maybe on floor exercise. Horizontal bar is a single bar where you're flipping around the bar like this, letting go, catching again. Okay. Tumbling, that's floor exercise is where you're doing roundoff back handsprings, back flips, cartwheels, handstands, double flips, multiple twists. So, I uh I broke my wrist at two weeks after taking ninth place. I wanted to take first place. So I started learning some crazy moves and uh that's how I broke my wrist and but after I healed I was I I was becoming one of the top in the country on horizontal bar. So we had our first competition. Um and okay first I had a series of injuries before that. So um we visited a school nearby. It was California State University Long Beach and nearby was the junior college called Long Beach Junior College. We were friends. They had a team. We had a team and we decided to have an outing and go visit them and work out with them. I get to the gym. I see their high bar high bar. Beautiful. Okay. It's my first event. I'm going to go jump on it and have some fun. I jump on. I get up under the high bar. I swing my feet up in the air. Start swinging around and around and around and around. And that was my warm-up. And I said, "Okay, I'm going to let go and jump down onto the mat." So, I jump like I do did a thousand times. I jumped down onto the mat. Unfortunately, there was a 1-in mat. And under the mat was a fat 8-in mat, which is fine, but there was a hole in it, hidden. I stepped I landed from a high level right into that hole and broke my ankle. It was a terrible break that is affecting me till today. Okay. But it healed enough that I could start I could still live a normal life. My ankle was this big. I had to have a cast on. But it healed that night from from the injury. Um I dec I decided to just go to emergency. I hopped to into my car. Someone helped me and it went to the emergency. Um I was I had the insurance from my high my college take care of it because it is an event from the college. I I'm poor. I was poor back then. My my father had died um when I was 14. He never saw me do gymnastics by the way. And my mother was working part-time as an actress but working till late at night in dietary at the hospital. And we had no money. We're in the on the other side of the railroad tracks literally. And uh so I had money until I was 20 till I turned 22 because I had my father's um I forgot it was called for the military. I it was social security money came to me to help me pay for pay for my last year in college. My last year at Sonoma State was my third year in college. But then that ran out when I turned 22 and I was completely poor. I had to work at Jack in the Box until 3:00 in the morning after after uh being in the library at college at midnight. And uh so I I I had to use their insurance and there's no question anyway. It's not a it's they're responsible. So I did it. I was out for about 2 weeks and then with crutches I came to visit the gym and here's the first instance of coldness. Not necessarily because I'm Jewish, but when it happens over and over again, you start thinking that maybe it's because you're Jewish. The truth is I only started recently thinking that it's Jewish after my my my problem with coach T is that I had so much in my opinion real abuse and I even got to the hairy stuff that I tossed and turned in bed even after I became a bulshua even till now I have dreams about it I toss it it has been a focal point in my life and might be one of the reasons why I never gave up gymnastics I'll show you take I'll show you and I never all my friends gave up. All my great gymnastic friends who were really good, they all gave up right after college. I never gave up. I made a comeback even when I was in my 40s and competed for four years from 42 years old to 46 years old and did very very well as a older gymnast. But uh I could never forget what T did to me. So when I when I got to the gym in my crutches, the team captain came up to me. Take is very angry at you. So I went up to him, what's the matter, coach? He didn't say, "How are you? How's your ankle? Are you okay?" No. First thing he said was, "You you should not have used the school's insurance. We have a hard enough time keeping our gymnastics here at the gym, you know, paying for it, and here you are using the insurance for the gym." And he really gave it to me. That's the very first instance of me feeling very guilty. You want to hear the worst thing? I could jump to it right now. The worst thing. Here it goes. Um, things happen over and over again. Okay? But the climax was this. It's embarrassing for me to say and it might be a little bit private um when if you play it publicly. So I'm going to leave it to you. Decide what you want to do. Okay? It was a different life, you know, and I would never do or have there would never be a suspicion of anything these days. We had a three-day competition in San Francisco. San Francisco and some other cities near San Francisco. Uh famous cities. I can't remember their name just off the hand. Three-day competition. I did very well. I took first place in San Francisco on almost every single event. And uh then we did uh the other school and I ended injuring my ankle. The one that I already injured, I injured it again. Okay. And I still competed with the injured ankle, but I didn't do well and I was very upset at my performance at the um then that night we all met at a pizza place to have pizza after for dinner after the competition and I saw my coach Mark Lundy who's you know still alive at this time and and the other gymnasts from my old team. They all came to watch me from Soma which is an hour about hour and a half drive to San Francisco. They all drove to watch me compete and have a reunion. So they're sitting at a table and they let me know that they were there. And I said, "Oh, I can't believe it." Me and my other buddies who went to Sonoma, we got up and start walking. Coach Take said, "Sit down." They would not let us go up and visit them. Why? You can't visit them. This is your This is your team. You stay here. We just want to visit. Nope. Got to You got to sit down right here. You can't get up. So everyone complied, but I didn't. I said, "I'm sorry. These are like my family. I'm going to go say hi." That really angered him. So I went up to go say hi. We laughed a little bit. I came back. No words were said. Then that night co they at the hotel someone said, "Coach Kotake wants a meeting with everyone." We all had a meeting. I want you to know right now that I was in the greatest shape of my life. I was almost 6 feet. I have and now that I'm old I've shrunk a little bit. I was almost 6 feet tall. 5' 11 and a half back then. Now I'm 5' 10 and a half. So the coach wants us to meet him at his hotel room. So we all went up there. And my body fat was extremely low. I was top gymnast, not fat at all. Okay. And coach says, "Line up." So we had about 10 guys on the team. We lined up and he walked from one side of of the in a line from one to the next going like this. You samurai. It's crazy. It sounds [clears throat] like something out of a movie. You samurai. He's Japanese, right? You samurai. You samurai. And then when he hits to me to to me, he goes like this. He passes me. He goes, "You samurai. You samurai." Then he comes back to me. He goes, "You fat. You no samurai." Right? Because of my injuries. Um, add more. I agree with that he should be upset because I had lots of injuries, right? Lots of them throughout that last year. I haven't even, you know, it was a bad bad year, but he made me feel really, really bad. And it's not finished yet. Third day of competition. Um we had a really big hotel after the thing and uh we all went to the hotel after the competition and I was had a roommate who was a boy who was a low-level gymnast. He was a he was competing but not very and he I put he was under my wing. I used to help him a lot. So, they put us together and um at the competition I saw my ex-girlfriend at the time, my ex-girlfriend who was I was really mad about her. I mean, we really at least a year we were together and she broke up with me. Okay. But at the competition, she was there. God, she's here. She's here to see me compete. She wants to get back together. So, I was flying, right? So, I decided, she told me where her hotel room was and I went to visit her at her hotel room and she said, "It's not like what you think. it it is over. We had a nice nice little meeting. It was friendly and I said, "Okay, thank you." I turned around and went back, took the elevator down to the floor where my room was and all the gymnasts were on the same hallway, you know. So, I open the elevator opens. I walked down and I smelled something. Smell pot. Okay. My room's on at the end of the hall on the right and across my room is another room. I don't know whose room it was, but it was one of the gymnasts and there was a party going on in there. You could hear the music. So, I knock on the door, they open up, and they come on in. Come on in. So, I go in, I'm there one minute. One minute. I don't do anything. I just see everyone rolling around laughing and drunk. And, you know, athletes do that. Athletes get wasted, unfortunately. And I didn't. So, uh, all of a sudden, there one minute and someone yells out, "Take is coming." Everyone runs into the closet, hides underneath laundry, goes into under the bed. I casually walk out and go directly across to my room, close the door, and my roommate was in there, and I sit down, turn on the TV, or was already on. Then there's a knock on my door. Five minutes later, there's a knock on my door. I shouldn't have opened the door, but I did. I didn't feel I did anything wrong whatsoever. I open the door. Okay. Smells my clothing from that room. He goes, "You." And he said a very bad word to me. And he beat me up. He pushed me. He hit me. Open palm and uh knocked me around. My both my contact lenses flew across the gym, across the room. And uh his face was red, angry like I've I thought I thought he was going to kill me. But I didn't I didn't defend myself. I just kept my hands down and let whatever happened happen because that's who I was at the time. I respected him. I didn't like him. He was mean to me. He was horrible. But I I respected him. He was the one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Four-time world champion. Take respected him. And that respect gave gave him an opportunity to really abuse me. I didn't tell you. Oh, so now comes a conclusion. Then he leaves. My roommate goes, "Oh my god, he helped me find my contact." So I said, "That's it. I can't take him anymore. I'm can't remain on the team. I can't continue with this. So, in that my mind, I quit the gymnastics team and I couldn't stay in the room. I went downstairs to the lobby. The the the bus was supposed to leave at 7 in the morning. I had no money, no nothing. I had like $2, okay? And uh the we're supposed to get on the the school bus. It's a yellow bus. And soon the gymnasts start coming down into the lobby. They start going outside to get in line by the bus. Then, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? So, a nice guy on the team, Chris Rem, said to me, "Don't worry. It's going to be okay. Just, you know," I said, "I'm quitting. I don't think I can get on the bus." I said, "Get on the bus. It's going to be all right. You'll talk to I'll talk to T. It's going to work out. It'll work out." And I said, "Oh, no." He talked me into it. So, after everyone was gone, I ended up following them to the bus. Pake was standing by the side of the entrance to the bus, the door, and people were slowly going in. When it came time, my turn to step up onto the steps to get in the bus. He goes like this. He goes, "You can't get on the bus unless you apologize to everybody." So I said, "Apologize for what?" He goes, "No apology, no get on the bus." Said, "What did I do?" He would never tell me what I did. Um, I was so confused that I didn't really know the right things to say. I should have said, what I should have said was, "You guys on the bus, did I do anything last night? Did Did I I was there only for 45 seconds. I should have said that, but I didn't. Even my best friends, they should have stood up for me. Nobody stood up for me. My best my best friends, even from California, I mean, from my previous colleges and high school were on the team, they didn't stand up for me. And uh and they got on the bus, the doors closed, and they took off and left me alone in San Francisco. The bus went to Los Angeles. And here I am 400 miles away about from Los Angeles with no with couple bucks. That was that was really hard, right? I couldn't believe it was happening. The bus just disappeared down the road. So $2 was enough to get on the Bay Area Rapid Transit called the BART in San Francisco, the subway type of thing. And that took me all the way out of San Francisco to San Jose. I had to change from the subway to a bus. And the bus ended up in San Jose. From there, I had to do something I never did in my life. I had to hitchhike. I had to stick my thumb out scared. I was 23, but still I'd never done anything like this before. And I stuck my thumb out and I had to hitchhike with all sorts of scrupulous people, all sorts of different people, you know, and uh I didn't make it all the way cuz the nighttime came and I had to find a place to sleep. So, it turns out on Highway One there's a place called Hurst Castle. Hurst was a famous newspaper producer and he was a probably one of the early billionaires. Okay. and his his castle was turned into a a museum. So I I went into So I did I hopped the gate like 12 midnight, hopped over the the you know iron gate and I slept in the front yard of Hurst Castle and I hitchhiked the rest of the way. And that's the story basically. That is it. About a month later I um people were telling me we're doing so bad. We're not winning any competitions. Please get back on the team. Get back on the team. He'll forgive you. Work it out. I said, "Okay, I'm going to try." So, I ended up visiting the gym, right? And everyone's, some of the guys were glad to see me. Team captain was glad to see me, even though he was never nice to me either. And then, uh um the team captain says, "Coach T wants to talk to you." Said, "Great. Maybe we're going to work it out." I walk up to him, he goes, "I'm glad to see you. We really could use you on the team." Said, "Great. I'm really eager to be back." He goes, "Okay, you could be on the team, but you have to go apologize to everybody. >> [laughter] >> So I said that's it and then that was the end of my career until I made a new career in in at the age of 42. Yeah. >> First of all, thank you so much for sharing that. I know it wasn't easy. Um >> I'm so curious what you learned from that experience and what we can learn from that experience. >> Well, one thing I I've thought about it. Like I said, I rolled back and forth in my bed. Even after I'm married, even after I have kids, even though I'm an adult, 40, 50, 60 years old, it still comes back to me when I'm falling asleep. I keep going chewing it over my mind. What should I have done? What could I have done? You know what that's called? That is called trauma. I had real trauma. And I never knew what it was. I never knew I had trauma. But that affected the whole direction of my life. That's I believed I truly believe although I never had analyzed that that's why I'm a gymnast today because of t. I couldn't let it go. I had to prove to him, although he doesn't had never heard from me again, that I am not what you think I was. I am something special. And I and I am. So, >> well, I guess that's the uh that is the lesson to be learned. Um >> kind of crazy that, you know, what I'm learning from this is that these kind of things never really go away. >> Yeah. Um, and it's just imagining, you know, your scenario back there and playing it over in your head over and over again. >> Right. >> So much that I'm learning from this type of story is also to stick up for your friends and, you know, family. And uh, >> absolutely. >> I I love the way you described uh, you know, the coaching versus teaching. >> That's right. >> I think that's really >> that's my definition. >> You know, I never heard it anywhere else. >> I like it. I like it a lot. >> Um, let's move along. So you're you're learning that concept of hitchhiking, [laughter] what it's like to be alone. You're shaping your life in the you know in your young 20s and you're heading weir. So I mean we could be here hour there's so many stories. So my father died when I was 14. My brother Ruain who had already been from he came to the funeral and he told taught me how to say kadesh. And then after the funeral was over he gave me my first pair of fillin. I was 14 and he gave me my first pair of fillin and I put them on for the first time and I never put them on again ever. I never put them on again but I always kept them with me. The fillain I put them in the fillain case and zipped it up the blue felt and I kept my fillin with wherever I went. When I went to when I was home I kept it in a drawer. When I went to Sonoma State University I took them with me. Why? I don't know. Something about it. I put it in a in a desk drawer and I just kept it with me. um in 2003 after I was finished and I was performing by the way at this time as a comic acrobat/clown. Okay. And I was already performing back then and I was taking classes and I had a great coach um Fred Chek who was unbelievable training me in classic not just we're not talking about birthday parties here blowing up balloons and animal balloons. We're talking vaudeville Charlie Chaplan. You heard of Charlie Chaplan? >> Of course. Yeah, Charlie Chaplan, Buster Keaton, um Jerry Lewis, and Fiveish Adams. Frank Adams, that's my English name. Frank Adams. And I took it very seriously and I worked hard at it. Um so you have to cut this out probably edit it because I don't remember what where I was going. >> Fill in. We're good. I'm with you. That's what I'm doing here. >> Yeah. So in 2003, I'm 23 years old. My brother Ruain had been trying to macccarve me every year. Eravuis, he'd call my mom. I was always changing phone numbers. He couldn't reach me. But my mom, you know, could could reach me. So my brother said, "I want him to come for I want him to come for." And I always said no. Why would I always say no? Three years in a row, I said no. So the reason is why do I want to give up my lifestyle? Why would I want to? I'm a gymnast. I'm an acrobat. Um I'm starting to get paid as a performer on stage in theater. Not just in a in on on clowns, but actually in real theater. I'm getting the parts I want. I did my first um voice over um in an actual movie um Francis Ford Copala movie and I just feel like I'm getting on my way on my way. I had taken courses at Long Beach in theater and acting and one of the things I didn't want to do was just be a a a student of acting for the rest of my life like so many of them are. That's why there's so many actors but so many of them end up sweeping cleaning the bathrooms at theaters. They're not they're they're not they're taking lessons, dance lessons, acting lessons. They don't go out there and really give them devote themselves to make money. And I decided, you know what? I'm I'm going to finish with the classes. I've done enough. I've really grown at it and I'm going to go out there and make money. That was my desire. That's one of the reasons why I did clowning as well and comic acrobatics because I get jobs right away. But as an actor, I got jobs much less. I had to go and and audition for parts, you know, and I would get parts occasionally. So in 1983 and and at the same time all this is going on. So my every year he he'd invite me to and I always say no. I didn't want to change my lifestyle. I didn't want to look like my brother. Black hat, white shirt, Fitz is hanging out. Um you know I I didn't it it wasn't I didn't see myself like that. Why would I want to do that? I I did have a a I did believe in God and I did appreciate my brother you know and but I I just I just felt I couldn't live like that. So at the same time this is happening after my father died my mother after several years started dating and eventually she dated a guy by the name of uh Sam can't Sam I think his name was and he was Jewish he was a cohen and both of his children boy and girl ended up marrying Goyam okay he felt guilty about that he was not religious but he felt guilty about it and even though he was not religious he was always always tell me remember you're a Jew and make sure you marry a Jew say that all the time, Sam. So, uh, that was going on for several years and I really liked him. And, uh, then finally, and and every year, no matter where I was, he would send me a Hanukkah card. And that Hanukkah, it was the same card every year. He probably had a stack of them. The Hanukkah always said at the end, the bottom of the card, remember you're a Jew, always marry a Jewish girl. Make sure you marry a Jewish girl. year after year. Okay, that little quick quip at the end that didn't mean anything to me. And then in 1983, my mother called me. She said, "Do you want to go?" And that same time, it was around Hanukkah time, I got the card. Got the card. So the phone and the card at the same time, I looked at I said, "My brother's inviting me and remember you're a Jew." I said, "Put a card away." I said, "I'm going to become religious." This is 2003. >> 2003. Just like that. I said, I'm going to become religious. I may not dress like that, but I'm going to go and I'm going to give it a try for at least one year full on. >> You're saying the sign of the phone call, the card. >> The card. Yes. >> And it was like the message year after year and it penetrated. >> That's correct. >> Interesting. >> Right. So, I said to myself and and not only that, I had the logic the this the mindset which I don't know where this mindset came from. I said you can't do anything well unless you envelop yourself with it. That means if I am going to become religious, I have to become really religious for one year full on full-on religious to get to get a true honest understanding of it. How how else can I do this? That was my mindset. I don't know where where I got that kind of a strength from, but that's what I want and I wanted to do. So I move I came for Shvas and uh that was it. I learned all night. Gomorrah Shabas, I believe it was all in. >> All in. That night, Shu night, I learned with my brother at a big yeshiva in Burough Park. Can't remember the name of it. And we stayed up all night learning Gomorrah mixed with all sorts of stos also having fun and talking and all that stuff. But I remember it was crazy. I was able to learn Gomorrah. I didn't know the olive face. I didn't know anything. But my brother was translating it and we were getting involved in it and it was fun. It was interesting, you know, and that was pretty cool. So, that was and I remember at after that when it's time for me, I told my brother, I have to go back home. He says, "Don't go home. Don't I have to I have all my things. I have to sell my car." I said, "I I I come back. I promise I'm going to come back." He goes, "Don't do it." He was so worried. I said, "Can I ask you a question?" He said, "Yeah." I said, "Now that I've been religious for like a week." I said, "Am I allowed to do a sin anymore?" He goes, "Nope. >> [laughter] >> That was very naive kind of a thing. He goes, "Nope, you can't do it." I said, "Okay." >> What were you thinking? What do you want to do? You wanted to get a cheeseburger out of the way? Like, >> no. I don't know. Girls mainly back [laughter] in those days, you know. >> Yeah. >> But um so uh I went back home and uh two weeks later I sold my car and two weeks later, 3 weeks later I came back to New York and I've lived here ever since. I have visited but I've lived here. >> Wow. Okay. So you're in your young 20s. >> 23. Exactly. >> 23. And you had a beautiful shoo experience. >> That's correct. >> You're like, I'm all in. >> Yes. >> And that's it. You came to New York. Where was it? >> My brother Ruain set me up at a Baltua camp in Connecticut called Mudus. Mudus. It's called Mudus Connecticut. >> It's a Baltua camp. And I stayed there for two months. And I met um Reb Shiman Schwab privately. I met uh great Sadikin came there. I mean the greatest. >> I I never knew that such a thing exists. So I'd love to learn about this. Valua camp. >> A Baltua camp. In those days, 1983, it was in the midst of the Baltua movement. >> Okay. >> There was Orsame, there was Kol Yakov. Okay. Um and there was uh Asia in Israel. Okay. When my brother became from in 1972 73, there was no BU camp um um yeshivas anywhere in the United States. Maybe a little bit of Kabad. And then there was a place called Shemay Israel in Jerusalem which was a combination of Orsame and Aish. They split up became their own. Okay. So my brother actually went there when he became. So but in America there was nothing in my brother's time but now there was >> this is 2003 and you're going to Buba camp. >> Balchuva camp and then in the >> baseball swimming in the rivers >> and they're bringing rabbis inspire you I guess >> rabbis to inspire and teach. We had um Mishna every day we had humish every day. We had lashes every day. We had the greatest halakashir I've ever had was there. It's a we sat down with chairs near a tree. Okay. And the the the son-in-law of Ribshin Schwab, Rabbi Rosenberg was his name. Um he sat down and here's the here was what it was. You choose the subject. So it could be subject could be twillin, it could be tits, it could be shamirian and it could be girls whatever it was you choose the and and he would would talk about it in depth with lots of questions and answers and it was absolutely fascinating for about 45 minutes every single day around that tree. It was great. That's a style you know u when it came to tishabove because I was in camp during tishabove they gave us something to read. They gave us burnt bread, a burnt egg, and they told us, "Go out for a half an hour by yourself somewhere in the woods and think about the temple. Think about what it meant and give something to read." I remember that was so I never experienced that before. It was the first time. So these are kind of the things. >> Was there a time during this process that you ever said, "Ah, I'm not doing this. This is crazy." Or, "No way am I going to be able to do that." Like was there anything like that that happened during this summer camp program or during that one-year process that >> well I never said this is too tough but I did said certain things are too tough right now. For example >> after Mudus I was set up at Kolya Rabbi Tropper. Do you know do you remember Rabbi Tropper? Yeah. So Rabbi Tropper um he was my Russa and he visited um once a month to the camp to motivate guys to come and join the yeshiva. So, um, it was my turn. And he was a wild guy back then. I mean, really wild. I saw him. A guy Bucker would get into his car and he'd go driving in the through the woods over hills like, you know, thought it was going to crash. He did that with me as well. And he talked me into going and my brother Ruain set me up that there's all sorts of miracles as everything I'm telling you right now in between the lines. There are all sorts of interesting miracles that happened like how I ended up what was my first e moment I stepped into the yeshiva what happened. So I'd like to share that with you. It's an amazing thing and and it's inspirational. So um someone drove me and I didn't get to my until about 2 in the morning. When I got to the yeshiva with my suitcase, it was all locked up and dark. I didn't know what to do. Front door I knocked. Nobody answered. So I went down. There was a basement door or what once was a garage and there's a door. I knocked on the door. Knocked again. Okay. So, I just said, "Okay, I'll sit out here for the rest of the night." Finally, the door opened and someone lets me in. A Spanish um cleaning person. What's it called? A person. >> Spanish cleaning person. >> Spanish cleaning. A man. A man. Spanish cleaning person. He says, "Come on in. Come on in." He was mopping and cleaning garbage. It was air. It was Thursday night. >> Some people will call them an ice favorite. Oh, there you go. [laughter] Right. Right. >> You were looking for custodian. >> Custodian. >> Oh, thank you. >> Custodian. That's right. >> There you go. >> And he spoke Spanish. English was not his language, but he could he could speak. >> That's not ours either. >> He could speak a little bit of English, you know. Um, and he said, "Come in. Come in." All right. So, he said, "Sit right here and I'll be with you in a minute." And he went and he did some more cleaning and he came back. He goes, "Follow me." So, I followed him. He led me up the stairs to the top level of the yeshiva down the hall to the right last room on the right and he says sh there was a bunk bed and with one someone sleeping on the top and there was two other beds you know buckram right older buck she older buckram right 20 and [clears throat] uh and the bottom bunk was open he goes that's your bed in in broken English okay that's your bed he goes here the closet see the section of the closes that's yours See these two drawers? These drawers are yours. I said, "Oh, thank you very much. I appreciate it." He goes, "No problem." He turns around, he disappears. And I go to sleep that night. Okay. In the morning that we're waking up for diving and uh in the middle of Shamanray, I look and I see that uh um I found basically I found out that he was not a Spanish immigrant. He was he was from Spain, but he was a g he was a g. And he took on the idea of cleaning all night air of chabas Thursday night. And he gave me his bed and his closet and his and his drawer. >> Wow. >> Gave it to me and I never saw him again cuz that was his last day. That evening he left Araf Shabas. He went back to Spain. >> You never seen him since? >> Never saw him since. Abraham. I wonder what happened to him. I think he became a rabbi in in Spain. Abraham Amikai. >> Well, you could say thank you now to him. He's he's probably gonna be watching. >> Arai, if you're out there, thank you very much. Little things like that change the course of people's lives. >> That's really amazing. >> Yeah, that's one of the miracles I had there. So, uh, >> it's funny because I'm asking you for things that were challenging and you're hitting me right back with things that are inspiring and I I like it. >> That's right. That's right. >> I like where this is going. >> The inspiration, every inspirational thing changes people's lives. left, right, forward, unbelievably bad things can also happen, you know, but uh by and large I I'll tell you what really helped how good the food was. You know, people always ask me even today, how could you become from don't you miss the food? You know, pork and [clears throat] and crab and squid and all that stuff. I said, well, in those days, I really didn't eat that much of that stuff anyway. Okay, h lamb chops and I mean pork chops. Yeah, I used to have, you know, stuff like that. But it doesn't compare to Shabas food. I can't I my first Shabas I was at the camp. I was blown away. I It was almost like a spiritual experience. I never had kala before. I had bread but never kala. So soft baked in the bakery kitchen at the uh the camp from an expert baker and geila fish with cranes on it. I never had such a thing. and and the schnitle it was it was unbelievable. I didn't even when I became before I became fum okay I had junk but I never had that that that quality of food. So I never never missed um the the food from before I became religious. Never missed it. >> Is there anything that you miss? >> No. But it does lead me to a very exciting story. >> Let me hear >> very funny funny story and it's embarrassing another if it's a little embarrassing it means it's going to be a good story. That's it. I'm ready. >> Okay. So, this is a whole another thing. This is going to open a Pandora's box because I haven't mentioned this person yet. Um, and it's going to have to be another interview probably if you want me to talk more about him. Uh, he's also a part large part in my life. I had a friend who was a Muslim. Now, I never had a Muslim friend. I never knew a Muslim. And I was scared of Muslims because when I was 13, I saw I was watching on TV when the Munich Olympics happened and the Jews were murdered. The wrestling [clears throat] team and the weightlifting team, they were murdered. I saw it happening live in black and white. And I'll never forget uh John McCabe, who was the sports newscaster, famous with tears in his eyes looking at the right at me from the screen said, "They're gone. They're all gone." I had affected me so much. I was 13 years old and I never and that gave me my Jewish identity the first time. Made me feel like I'm Jewish and afraid a little bit throughout high school. I never let people know I was Jewish. They probably figured it out. But I never came out. I I hid my Judaism because I was embarrassed. I said people don't like Jews, so I'm just going to stay quiet about it if I and if I ever went on a date, which I really didn't do until I was in college, but I would if I would never tell a girl I'm Jewish, you know? I just felt so uncomfortable. So that sets me up for the story. So I'm at Sonoma State University with my scholarship working out. We're about two weeks in and coach and coach Mundy says we have a new gymnast that were recruited from Iran. He was on the he was on the Iranian team. He was actually on the Iranian Olympic team which was a garbage team because it's easy to make the Olympics when you're if you're from Iran, right? [laughter] So but he was on the team. So he um came to Sonoma State and he was on the team. His name was Muhammad Resza Hussein Zad. Four Muslim names. His nickname was Farhad, but if the and most people I called him Farhad, but people didn't know him. We'd call him Fred. So I stayed away from him because he was a Muslim and I was I was afraid of him. I stayed back. if we were in line for parallel bars, which is one of the events to to practice with coach Lundy watching and helping us out, I would stay three, four people behind him to take my turn. I didn't want to be near him. I was afraid. And uh and that's just the way it was for the he was there for two weeks, three weeks. I didn't say hello to him. I didn't speak to him. I just stayed away. And he probably felt something about me also because I was staying away from him. He probably felt I didn't like him. I'm assuming. Then one day he was on parallel bars and he kicked up into a handstand on the parallel bars. Okay. And all of a sudden in the middle of this he went like this. I said, "What?" And I don't know why he used my name. He goes, "Frank." And he falls falling off the parallel bars onto a mat. He's not hurt, but he's wiggling around like a crazy worm. He goes, "Frank, help me. Help me, Frank. Help me, Frank." I said I said, "What is it, Farh? What's the matter?" He goes, "Help." I said, "What do you want me to do?" He goes, "GRAB THE HAIR ON MY LEG AND PULL IT." All right. So I said, "What? Grab it." So I take a hu a tuft of hair and I go and he goes, "Thank you, Frank. Thank you." Again, AGAIN, [snorts] thank you. Thank you. [laughter] I So what happened? He had a muscle spasm that was totally out of control. You know, even muscle spasms sometimes that that hurts like hell, right? >> If you pull the hair out, it helps. >> So, he had this technique if you pull the hair out, it helps. >> I never heard of such a thing. Never. >> I heard of eating a banana. >> That Yeah, cuz of potassium, right? >> Yeah. >> But how do you get immediate relief from a muscle spasm? I can never get immediate relief. I don't know how to do that. But he apparently it worked for him. So, it was a mystery. cuz he ended he ended up becoming my best friend. So now I'm best friends with a Muslim. By the way, just to confirm this, many years later, in 2006, I got married to my wife who's from Iran. A Jew from Iran. >> Look at you. Wow. [laughter] Full circle. >> It's crazy, right? >> So my wife's name is Mitra. Her last name, her maiden name is David Gola. And all of her sisters and family moved to Muny. They all became froen. So my wife's sister's husband, his name is Beerus, from Iran. So I've become very close with him and over the year and one about 10 years ago I asked him I wanted to find out about this. I said is it true that if you pull the hair on your leg if you have a muscle spasm it works. He goes yeah it it's true >> cuz all the women do it too. >> That I don't [laughter] know. I don't want to go there but yeah. >> Wow. >> Yeah. >> Wow. So I I'm still curious why he called your name. There's so many people on that line behind him. >> I do not know. To this day I don't know. To this day I do not. >> He trusted you for some reason. for some reason and I don't know why but but here's the weird thing. We became best friends and we got a job together working for Neil Shooter which is a landscape contractor for major corporations big factory buildings so we worked for him for a season and he sent us okay so and and we were the only like citizens. Fair HUD was a citizen. Everyone else was like uh Hispanics and every once in a while you'd see a van coming and capture a bunch of Hispanics and take them away because they're illegals. Right. At the on Thanksgiving he had like a hundred employees working out in the in in in different uh um flower beds and you know decoration outdoor decorations. So um one day it was it was Thanksgiving. It was the e the day before Thanksgiving. A big van comes in, opens the van, and it's full of turkeys. And he gave out a 100 turkeys. So all they always gathered, all gathered for this, and they all gave out 100 turkeys to everybody, okay? All the Hispanics, and they're so happy to take these big turkeys home. And then we were last. We were always last because we were new, we're new to the company, right? We were didn't have any respect. We were last. And by the time they got to us, they ran out of turkeys. But they did have canned hams. Now I'm a Jew and he's a Muslim. [laughter] He goes, "I can't believe it, Frank. I can't believe it." Right? So he gave me his Now I'm Jewish, but he gave me two. So I had two canned hams. So we were renting an apartment at the time and we I put the canned hands up in a high closet. Didn't see it for a few months, you know. And then one day, this is a little bit of an embarrassing story. I'm not religious at the time. One day we the two of us come home and we're exhausted and we're hungry and we're tired and I and there's nothing to eat. I said, "I'm going to have some ham." He goes, "Don't do it, Frank." I said, "I have to. I have to. I'm starving." He goes, "Frank, don't do it." I take that canned ham and has comes with a key. Put the key in the middle. You start turning it and unwraps the metal top like rolls it out, right? And then then the smell of the pork, the ham wafts through the apartment. And he goes, "Frank, please don't. I can't take it, Frank. Don't do it." I said, "I'm going to do it. Don't." I take a fork. Oh, no. I take a knife and I cut a strip of that pork of that ham. I pick it up and it's dangling from my finger. He goes, "Please make don't do it." And I go like this. I'm I'm I'm milking it for all it. I go like this. Don't do it. And I eat it. He goes He looks at me like this. He goes, "I'm more Jewish than you." >> Where is this dude now? >> Okay. So, first of all, best friends means we did everything together. We were like brothers, the Muslim and the Jew. We were like brothers. We doubled dated. We did gymnastics on the same gymnastics team. We studied together, ate to we did everything together. We boarded, roommed together. He was my my brother. And that's it. That we it was great. It was a really great friendship I had with with this Muslim, right? Um, but after I became from, I was in communication with him a couple times, but I never saw him again. And then I lost contact, unfortunately. I think now I know where he's at through through AI and through my my nephew, who's a a computer wiz. He thinks that he may have found him. Believe it or not, I don't know yet. I have to This was about two months ago. He told me this. I think I may have found him. And and it all adds up. It looks like it's him. This is the proper name. I couldn't find him because of the name of there's too many Muhammad Resa hosen zades. Okay. And uh now we have technology to to find. So he believe it or not if this is the right guy and it looks like it is he lives in Brooklyn. He gotten involved in in clothing industry and selling clothing stores and um successes and failures. Now he's in Brooklyn and he married a Korean girl. I thought you say Jew. [laughter] So there's a story to that. I had a reunion after I was married and and I got all my gymnastic buddies together to visit my mom's house and we all met at my mom's house and we had a nice reunion. Fairhod was there. Other many of the guys from the gym we had a great time and my wife was there wearing a tickle. I was wearing a yarmaka. They're all Fairhad saw me with Muhammad Reszo saw me with a yamaka for the first time. He goes, "I can't believe it, Frank. You're Jewish." He knew I was Jewish, but I became religious. He always wanted to become more religious. I don't think he ever did, thank God. But he always felt becoming more religious is a good thing. From a secular mind, it's like a good thing to become religious sort of, but if you're actually really religious Muslim, it's a bad thing. You know, I think so. Um, at the meeting he met my wife and they they talked privately for a little while in Farsy in the Persian language. And, uh, and after he spoke with my wife, he and the party was over, he wanted to meet with me privately. He goes, "Frank, please. I want you to help me." I said, "What is it, Fairhead?" He goes, "I want to marry Jewish." So, I just, you know, didn't I just didn't give him too much to think about, you know. >> Wow. I, you know, that would be some reunion, by the way, getting you back together with him. >> Yeah. Yeah. I I I have to do I have to get the courage and just uh I have I have a number. I may have may have changed it already, but I I have to see what I could do about it. I should I really should. >> I want to do this with you. >> Okay. >> Okay. Okay, I'm going to be along the ride for this [laughter] journey because uh Brooklyn's my stomping ground, >> right? >> We lived around the corner from uh some of the masterminds of some of the worst disasters in the world. I mean, they they they did uh arrest some people around the corner from where I grew up in a mosque. >> Wow. >> Or uh the f first World Trade Center uh bombing, you know, remember in the uh >> Yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, uh >> like 19 90 something, >> something like that. Yeah. It would be interesting to to figure that out. Fiveish. There's a lot that we're uncovering and that's right. There's much more >> and and I'm appreciating it and and I really uh you know it means a lot to me that you're going through this process because I get to uncover your world and such amazing parts of it and the uh signs of Hashem and the inspiration and you becoming religious. So I want to expand on that a little bit more. >> You asked me before anything did bother me. So I refused throughout my time at my yeshiva which is about 2 years. I refused to wear black and white or a hat. >> This is kyako. >> Kolyako. Yeah. I ref I wore jeans and a t-shirt with tits under the t-shirt you know. Um I just I did I became I was learned all day long morning to night. Rashiva saw an asset in me because I was a comic acrobat and he used me in a good way to to mar people and I traveled. So there a lot of good things that happened. I did a lot of shows. I started making a name for myself without even trying you know um everyone wanted me at their oh god in my I the all wanted me and the lifisha all wanted me to perform at their for five minutes I'd go in I'd do a five minute in in the circle and then get out but they all wanted me and I got paid for it you know so uh one day uh someone said I really want you to do the for my cousin in New Square which I did and they liked very much. So I said, "Okay." And he paid me and it No, he he didn't pay me yet. He's going to pay me after the performance. He got a taxi for me, set me up, and brought me to New Square to the Big Sh. And he gave me a room to change in. It was in the old days, so it was a little different. And he gave me a changing room. He says, "When I come and get you, you'll have five, you have like three or four more minutes, and then we're going to open the doors. You're going to go into the sh." I said, "Great." So I got in my costume, my makeup, all my props, everything ready. He comes, he goes, "It's time." So, I went to the entrance but waited. He says it could be about three more minutes. During that time, um, a group a kid came and saw me, right? Like maybe 10 years old. And he looked at me like I'm from Mars. He never saw such a thing. Remember, there's no internet in those days. There's no YouTube to see. Everyone is knows no one's naive anymore. Everyone is totally experienced in the from world now, unfortunately. And nothing impresses them as much as it did then. So, this little kid looked at me, his jaw dropped, and he looked like me. I'm from Mars. So, I saw that and I thought maybe I'll break the ice and I squeezed my nose and made a squeak sound and the kid got frightened and ran away. Came back about 30 seconds later with 20 kids [laughter] and they all crowded me looking at me like this specimen. Finally, the doors open. He goes, "It's time." So, I go running in there to do my show with my suitcase and my juggling clubs and I start juggling. And all of a sudden, in the middle of like three or four jugs, two must have been 6'5. They were giants. Came up to me, grabbed my arms, lifted me in the air, so my feet were dangling, and walked me outside and closed the door. It turned out that it was the grandson of the big reba of New Square. And this was not really appropriate. Okay. I never had hurt hard feelings. As a matter of fact, I'm happy because it's a great story, you know. But, uh, that was just the that's just a funny funny thing that happened. Um, yeah. So, that's basically a lot of good things happened. I my career I always had money like a lot of the Bakum they didn't have money while they're in yeshiva. >> Well full circle to the now you're servicing them. >> That's right. >> So I I I'd like to get into that in a minute. Sure. So I actually uh have a little bit bit of experience with this. I employed once uh someone who was 17 years old and he wasn't accepted into yeshiva anymore because he was lifting weights. >> Right. >> And it didn't make sense to me at the time of course like what do you mean you're you're you're getting kicked out of your It's goes, right? >> So, [laughter] so he he came to work for me like, you know, right? >> Like, uh, like that'll be any better for his life, you know, in the gyish world. Yeah. >> So, um, I experienced that process, but >> take me through what you're going through now. So, you're you're you're a gymnast now. You're teaching people how to do these flips and, you know, what's the purpose of it? What are they coming to you for? How did this happen? Take me through this process. >> Sure. So, I uh um I got diabetes about 10 years ago because I was very much overweight. I'm 50 pounds o heavier than I am now. And I mean, I'm overweight right now. I have another 50 to go, but I'll get there. But I was overweight and I got diabetes and I had stopped coaching. I was just too tired. Too tired. Always sick. Inflammation all over my body from the diabetes, side effects happening from the diabetes, joints, everything. So, I kind of like was becoming a couch potato. I felt very bad about it. I felt guilty as a husband, guilty as a father that I wasn't have no energy to do anything. I was a good father to my first son, my second son. Now that I have diabetes, I'm not able to be a good father to him and to do things with him. I felt so bad, but that's the way it was. And then uh and that was a way it was about a year and a half ago. I started losing weight before this. I lost 25 lbs. I lost 50 lbs before this happened because once you know you have diabetes, you can start taking medications. I didn't take the shots. I lost most of my weight, my 50 pounds without the shots. But, you know, now now I am taking the the shots and I haven't seen much success with it yet, even though I'm at the highest level. But the point is um uh I decided I have to change my life, started working out. But about a about 10 months ago, maybe 11 months ago, my wife came up to me and she said, "Fiveish, what are you doing? you are the greatest gymnastics coach I've ever known or I've ever even heard of. What are you doing? Get out there and start teaching gymnastics again. And I said to myself and just my eyes open, I said, "You're right. You're right. What am I doing?" And that's what I decided. I'm going to reopen the original Flip Factory, but I'm going to do it in my basement to start off. And I and I then from that I said, I want to inspire myself. So I read the book called 10X. You maybe you read it or heard about it before. 10X is a a real estate guy who's a billionaire at this point who says, "Whatever you're doing now, do 10 times more." And I did it. I went all out. Um built my gym into a beautiful, beautiful gymnastic center. I mean, you took a class back in the day of fitness, but now I've got this really beautiful place in my basement and uh very very proud of it. And uh and then I decided I'm I'm going to I'm going to 10x on advertisement. Oh, I did the community connections. I did the uh month my view and I did half page ads, you know, um for almost the entire year. I I just been pounding away attend ads and I also did the Khhatibore, which is the newsletter. >> What were your ads saying? What were you How were you marketing to people? >> It's a guy flipping with tits beard and hat. >> Okay, that grabs that grabs your attention, right? That's right. So, you're saying, "Hey, men." >> That's right. >> Right. Make something of yourself. It's a It's a It's a solo thing and build up your strength. Uh I guess more than physical. >> I didn't say it in the ad. >> Well, it looks like it though. That's >> Yeah, I didn't say because it's sometimes for advertisement. You know this more than I do. It's sometimes good to say less. >> Sure. Less is more, which is what I'm saying. You have a shagai flipping. That's all you really need to say. >> That's right. >> So, people started calling you. Was that just >> Yeah. They started calling me and then take I I I told everyone take a private lesson be okay take a private that way I can know where to place you or maybe you want to continue with privates. Almost all my citum were taking private lessons and I got dozens and dozens of private lessons. I also have groups and sometimes best friends and uh they they were afraid at first. We know what they call and want to know what it's all about. English is their second language. But I'm very friendly. Like I'm talking to you. I would talk to them very friendly and giving and I said come come just take one lesson there's no obligation if you don't like it that's the only one I don't give free lessons I don't like the idea of come in for a free lesson no I don't I I have to make money so come in pay for one class and uh and you'll decide whether you like it or not that's what I did and it just kept growing and growing and growing until uh now I've got uh a lot of students a lot of students profession >> tell me something that you've learned from the culture of the that you're dealing with. >> First of all, the culture about five about six years ago, there is a guy from Visionets. Okay. I taught a boy at Sharia Resum. I used to teach a Sharia Razim for 11 years acrobatics. >> I didn't know this. >> Yeah. I was the acrobatics coach Sharia Razim 11 years. I even sent they even went to Israel for performances. >> For those that don't know, Rabbi Franl, who by the way, amazing human being. >> Yep. um designed a school, a high school for boys with uh the whole idea, the premise of it is to give them skills for life. So, you know, they would have a car and they would figure out how to take it apart and put it together and they would have a boat and they would do the same thing and they would learn lessons and so I guess he brought you in for the gymnastics program. Well, my son went to Sharia Razam many years ago when he was uh he's 33 now, but when he was a you know 15 14 15 years old, freshman and and sophomore and uh so I already had a um they already knew me. Um and and and they knew somehow that I was a gymnastics teacher, okay, and and five years the clown or whatever. So one day I saw Rabbi Forl at Rockland Kosher. He was in front of me on the cash register and he turns around, he looks at me, he goes, he goes, "Mr. Mr. Adams. That's the way he talks, right? Mr. Adams, do you know how to teach Chinese acrobats? I said, "Yes, I do." And we struck up a deal right then and there, and I started working for them almost immediately for 11 years. >> Wow. >> Yeah. And they made a lot of money. >> Hold on a second. What's Chinese acrobat? >> So, you have acrobats. >> Sure. >> But then you have the acrobats from uh from Asia. You know, the Chinese acrobats uh yinyong or what? You know >> people think Cirus Sole >> Cirus Sole was not Chinese specifically or Asian. No, Circus Ole was a was a mixture of many countries even Americans. A lot of them were ex international level gymnasts who were trained at Circus Ole to become circus performers. >> Interesting. >> Yeah. But these were the Chinese acrobats of a different style of acrobatics. So basically the idea was simply what I developed there was um teaching them routines, exciting routines with exciting music with exciting acrobatics and flips and props and costume as well. So we did some research and we ended up buying um Chinese martial arts costumes. Okay. Pants, shirt, long shirt with the but with the little pieces of wood going down for the buttons, you know. And for yarmakas, we had um what are they called? Uh for the yarmaka, they had to have yamakas that wouldn't fall off. So we had the um brezlove yamakas, you know, and it said MSA missif on it in Chinese style lettering and we did we did shows and it was great. It was >> they did collecting once I think on prim using that type of show. >> That's correct. Every PM they collected they made a lot of money. Yeah. And I used to go with them quite >> I would always look forward for Shah Rosam to come knocking on my door like >> I remember I remember um this is very exciting. They did two shot shows for Shiner >> at his house. Whatever house that was. Maybe he's moved several times. I don't know. Okay. For Shiner and he had a barbecue at a big thing going on, right? They did two shows and he wrote a check for $10,000. >> Wow. >> Yeah. For sure. For for uh for basically, you know, 20 minutes of work. >> That's awesome. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So it worked. >> It worked. Yeah. And then they developed it. Then they started going to California and performing in California to make money in California. Half the troop and the other half in New York. >> Nice. So I I I love what you're doing now. I think it's great. And you're you're I guess we have to thank you because weddings will be more exciting now because people know what they're doing in the middle, >> right? >> You know, that's always a fun time of break dancing and jumping around upside down, inside out, which is cool, >> right? >> Um I have to rewind a little bit because we did skip. So, I I do want to take, you know, go back to the part of you didn't meet your wife yet, right? You only, you know, we were talking about you being friends with that Muslim dude. >> That's right. >> Um, but you know, where you met your wife somewhere along there and you built your family and then you became Fish the Clown >> and you went through that whole process and you did a bunch of different voices. I'd like to hear about that part before we wrap up. >> So, I already performed in California before I became from as Frankie the Clown. >> What's Frankie the Clown? It's a it's it's a comic acrobat with a red no. I I for my clown I I hesitate using the word clown because I I relate more to Charlie Chaplan Buster Katon vaudeville style which was not really clowns but was >> you know um uh >> slapstick performing. >> Slapstick performing. Yes. >> So uh that that's what I I I relate to more. So I kept my makeup at a minimum. I had a pair of pants, aged looking pants with patches on them and suspenders and a and striped shirt. >> Do you have a specific voice for Frankie the Clown? >> Frankie the Clown in those days was silent. >> Oh, okay. >> Except for noises. I used to make noises back in those days. >> What type of noises? >> Um, if something went wrong, I'd go, "Ah, >> okay." >> And the kids loved that, you know. Yeah. Whatever it was, I had so many, you know, different things. Um, I did a an act where I gotten to fight with a fly, you know, and it it's almost a life and death fun interaction with a fly sometimes winning, me sometimes winning, invisible fly. It was pantoime. Sure. >> And I made up the noise. That's all very simple, but it was effective, you know, >> and a whole tugof-war and the fly forcing me into flips because I was an acrobat. was able to do comic flips. As a matter of fact, um, back to just for a moment. Right now, I'm very excited. I'm training I'm training two brothers. It's called the Fromuititz Boys. They're from New Square and they're are going to be within the next five to six months the next Twins from France. >> Whoa. Okay. That's a big statement right there. >> It's a big statement. >> I remember the twins from France. They were very, [clears throat] very entertaining. >> That's correct. And now and then they went away for a while and now they're making a comeback. So, they are doing some shows again and I think some videos. Okay. So, they are making a comeback, but they're getting old. They're probably close to 40 now. Maybe they are 40. >> Okay. >> By the way, when the twins from France first came to America, it must have been 19 I don't know exactly, but when they first came to America, um, they came to me to be trained and I trained them one class and I taught them how to do a front flip off of a mini trampoline, a circus mini trampoline. And it was about an hour class, the two of them, and they've used it ever since. But they never came back. But I had a reunion with one of them at Wesley Kosher about five months ago. It was a very warm reunion. Very nice. I said, "Come to my gym. I'll train you some more." >> So you have the Fromwoods boys now. >> The Fromwoods boys are going to be the next twins. >> Do we have a name for them or is just the next twins? Are they twins? >> No, they're not twins. They're brothers. One is One is 18 and one is probably 23 or 24. Married >> and they're all in. >> All in. And they're from New Square. the brothers from Square. [laughter] >> The the the twins, they're they're the Fromwoods boys or the Fromwoods brothers. We haven't decided out decided which one. >> And uh they are going to be um it's they're going to be great. They're already great. Um and I'm working with them once a week. It's a very hard working with them because Dovy, who's the younger one, is in yeshiva. He's 18 and he's in yeshiva every day till 10 at night. >> Wow. And then he comes they come to me once a week from three to four air of shabas every single week three to four air of shabas. >> You're working on a routine now building up a >> first for the first several months I developed their skills as an acrobat. I taught them pratt falls. I have some videos of some very funny videos of them doing crashes on um double crashes off of a chair. Um and I've also taught them how to do flips and twists, you know. So, they're they're not perfect yet, but they're getting developing their skills, but I also have to put a show together for them because uh they need someone. They need a man. I'm not a manager, but I am helping them in every way I can. So, um yeah. So, I've already taught them routines. They have like three or four different routines. >> So, this is going to be a stream of income for them. They're going to create this as a business. >> That's correct. Yes. They've already made some money. They're already very popular in in New Square. Everyone knows them in New Square. But the world doesn't know them yet. and the world will know them because they are great. >> Okay. I look forward to seeing them at a wedding near you. >> Yeah. >> You know, or a party near you. So, yeah. So, uh we're going back to your finishing up school. You're in Kolakov. You're learning a lot. You're learn, you know, you're developing as a observant Jew. Right. >> Right. So, um, I am in yeshiva learning full-time in the dorm. I've already been performing as Favish the Clown and I becoming starting to become famous and I've haven't gone with Uncle Moi yet and uh haven't made my musical tape yet. I made a musical tape. I don't know if I told you that called Favish the Clown and the Sim Circus. Yeah, I think I mentioned it. So, um, uh, after a year and a half, after a year at Kolyakov of learning full-time and starting to get a handle a little bit on the Gammora and and have been settled in, I I told I told my Russa, I think it's time for me to start dating cuz honestly, I've you know, I've been away from dating for two years and it's not easy, right? So, uh, they said, "Okay, we're going to work on it right away." So, even before they set me up with the first person, um, I got a phone call from a very good friend of mine who was an ex gymnast and we're friends today, um, Queens College. He was an ex gymnast from Queens College. And, uh, he calls me up. He goes, "Hello, Fivish." That's his voice. "Hello, Fivish." I said, "Ruvane." He says, "Fiveish, do I have a shid for you?" Straight from Shmayam. That's the way he talked. So he said, "She's from Iran and her name is Mitra and uh um I would like to set you up with her. She's single." So he he did he um he my my wife or um her sister, she was she was married to a guy and this and uh my friend Ruvane was his friend and and the two of them together said she would be a good shik. So, um, they gave me the number and she was expecting the call and I called her up on the phone and we couldn't get off the phone for 3 hours. You know, that's just the way it went for me, 3 hours. And, uh, 2 days later I called her again. We couldn't get off the phone. I started to suffer because again, sleep deprivation, right? But we couldn't, you know, and then finally we went on our first date and it was a total disaster. You can't imagine how bad this date was. I mean, we got stuck in a blizzard. We ended up um getting lost. My contact lenses got fogged and I almost got in a terrible accident. And she goes, "Watch out." It was it was like so bad. And then we ended up finally uh the pl I was told by my from guy, a yeshiva shag guy, go to this place. I went to this place. He says, "It's a great place for to take a date. All men and goyam in there." And I said, "It must be in the back." And my wife's walking through all these guys looking at her. I said, "Oh, this is terrible." So, we went walked out into the blizzard. What are we going to do? Let's go see a movie. So, the movies are already closed. It's after midnight already. So, what are we going to do? I was I said, "I'm so sorry. We're supposed to have food and everything." She goes, "I have an idea." She Sheard of a place called Jerusalem Pizza >> on 42nd Street or something like that, you know, Broadway >> Broadway 42nd, I don't know, some it was a famous famous pizza place for the for the yidden, right? So, we ended up going there and it just kept getting worse and worse. My friend Ruain said, "If you're ever going to go out on a date and and you go to a pizza place, he goes, "Don't get a falafel." I end up getting a falafel. Right in the middle of eating it, it got wet and it collapsed right on my suit. Everything went everywhere. All right. And then it came time to a bench. So, I didn't know how to bench by heart yet. And there was no benches anywhere. I said, I went to the counter. I said, ' Don't you have benches? We used to, but we keep losing them. Said, "No, we don't have." [clears throat] So, I don't know what to do. My wife knew how to bench because Iran, they know these kind of things. She already knew Hebrew and all that. So, what am I going to do? I'm embarrassed that I don't know how to bench. It's a bula thing, you know, because being a little embarrassed about things. So, I started walking around from table to table. Do you have a ben? Um, do you have a bencher? No. Do you have a bench? No. And I went to this one table had like 10 people on it. one guy with a black hat, right? Pulled down in front a little bit, really cool. And the rest were all girls. This one guy and like nine girls at a table. So I went up to him and I said, "Would you happen to have a bencher?" And he goes like this. Is this the camera right here? He goes like this. Why don't you know how to bench by heart? And I said, "Um, no, I don't." And you know why? Because I'm a bulcha. And he went like this. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. And the girls went, "Really? Really?" It was like the weirdest thing. So, so I ended up having to fake it and then we left and I ended up going the wrong way. Ended into like a horrible neighborhood of all crimeridden neighborhood. I make a wrong turn and we couldn't get out and we saw a dummy hanging by its neck. A dummy hanging by its neck from a telephone pole. My wife goes, "Get out of your fiveish. get out of here. So, that was our first date and then it got better after that. But here's the funny thing is my wife didn't know I was a clown. And while we were dating, I performed at Brooklyn College with with Morai MDavid afreed um country Yasi Mosha Yas all the famous guys were there. Um even some Israeli performer I can't remember his name. and and I did a really great show. It was like a 20-minute performance and my wife was in the audience and then she saw me for the first time performing. [laughter] >> She didn't know and she didn't know you were there. >> She didn't know I was there. >> Wow. >> I didn't know she was going to be there either. >> It's a way it's a way to break the news, >> right? >> Just pop up on Was it like a H concert type of thing or one of those type of >> I don't remember. That's pretty uh >> pretty big uh stuff you got going on. That's right. Big people, pretty big names. Yeah. Do you know Aram Rosenberg? >> Sure. >> Little Zemer boy choir. >> Yeah, of course. >> So, um I also worked with him in training his students in unicycling and tumbling. I also worked with him and him and I have become been friends for 40 years. >> Oh, that's when you know that's back when they the choirs used to put on performances. >> That's right. >> Like legit performances. It was like fun to go to these concerts. >> That's right. His choir was great. I mean Absolutely. >> I I haven't heard music like that since. is really beautiful. >> Yeah. A and I are good friends. >> Very nice. >> Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Okay. So, obviously you guys fall fall in love, you get married, start your life. >> That's right. So, when people ask, so um how did you meet? I always say she's from Iran. I'm from California and we California and we went met right in the middle in my [laughter] >> It's quite the middle. Quite the middle. Wow. Um, I have to tell you these are uh amazing uh journeys that people have that I listen to and um >> Sure. >> hearing your background and where you're from and all the things that are exciting in your life and it it's amazing to me because I've known you for quite some time and yes, I did take a lesson in your uh gym years ago and you know the first time I walked in I was like this guy has a lot of energy. That's just that's the one thing that you stand out right away is the energy that you have. But >> right >> knowing the background and what you went through is uh it's it's pretty amazing to me. >> Is there anything else that um in terms of your history and having your kids and growing up and uh you know being as a Baltua like you mentioned and the family living in California and moving and you said you hitchhiked and you did you know solo uh backpacking trips. >> Yeah, solo backpacking trips. anything else in uh that you look back and knowing who you are now and I'm saying this in terms of not in a negative way but you you just you just had another a wakeup call in your life. You just mentioned that you went through diabetes and now you're you know you're going through that in a person in his 60s you know which is like reborn again and again and again. anything that stands out in your history that you say, you know, this is a lesson that I've learned that is something that people should be aware of or something that I can take out from this and I mean, there's so much that you said already that I can, but is there anything specific that you want to share with me that happens or uh that happened throughout your life that you say this is something important, a takeaway from looking back at your life? Well, I'd like to say that I like to give devour sometimes, you know, for wedding for chevraas and things like that. And uh so I use my background. I have a lot of um stories and and that are fun and exciting, a lot of different things I've learned that most people haven't learned. Um because my I had unique hobbies besides gymnastics and and and all that. I also have some certain unique hobbies and uh I'm able to use those a lot when I when I give a devar tour and I think people appreciate that very much. Um yeah, I don't talk about t in those kind of lessons in public. This is like really the first time I've talked about it really in public like this. Um but uh you know I I don't know. [laughter] Um I do I do help my adult students more than even my my child students with you know see a coach is supposed to talk has a coach is supposed to have wisdom and I believe our experiences our unique experiences if you can find a way to help people um either with motivation or warnings like with my diabetes or you know to how to eat properly what to avoid sugar is absolute killer you know, um, if you can help people in a way that's palatable for them, you know, and you have to be very careful because a lot of people, if I talk to an obese person about it, uh, I don't want to hurt their feelings and I don't want to push them away. So, you have to it's a big balancing act and I think I'm really good at that balancing act. Um, they I I they gain trust in me a lot. I have a student who comes motas from 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. I'm open for I'm open for yeshivas, you know, I have special hours so that they have an opportunity to come. That's why, you know, base measures boys or people in 10th grade, they 12th grade, they can't get out of yes till 9:30. So they some of them they have to take a taxi to my house. So I have classes 10:30 at night for them, you know. So um I have a boy he's 17 years old and he comes to me mozi shabas and he is special needs and one of the worst situations is he doesn't trust anybody. He never does anything. He doesn't work with anybody. He can't work with people because he doesn't has a very big trust issue. And uh he completely and totally trusts me. We have become friends. I think it's because he knows that I truly care about him. I really do. and and and I and and we have a great relationship and he's he's been coming for me for like 6 months now. Never misses never misses a class and he's growing. I have videos of him when he started. He also has physical special needs. When he started he couldn't he couldn't even jump on a rope, jump rope even one time. Now he's able to do 50 non-stop without a mistake. He didn't know how to skip. Now he knows how to skip. He didn't know how to do a front roll. He's just starting to do front roll down an incline mat. This is an amazing thing. By the way, a lot of gymnastics coaches don't have the don't have the patience to teach special needs or even beginner gymnastics because um if if gymnastics came too easy to a gymnast, he's not going to be a great teacher. You have to have problems. You have to have issues. So, my biggest issue has been me gaining weight, not being able to do it anymore. In fact, the greatest gymnastics coach on the planet who brought more people to the Olympics from Russia. He brought uh the great Nadia Kich to the Olympics. He was her coach. His name is Bella Coroli. He was he was never a gymnast and he's fat. The greatest gymnastics coach on the planet. >> What do you think's the secret? >> If you can't do it, you have to find if you you can't do it yourself, you have to and how you can't show it. You have to find another way to teach it. if you can't show it. So, he's become an expert of finding ways to teach it. And I believe I'm that way as well. I I I find ways to be able to teach it by by getting by my own problems of not being able to do it anymore, but also having real understanding of the needs of the person you're teaching. you know the how do how do I how do you break down a skill to its fundamentals and even when the fundamentals are too much how do you break down the fundamental and subfundamentals to be able to make them feel that they can accomplish something and then feel really good about it you know you have to really break things down and then and as soon as they feel success their eyes shine it's an amazing thing >> I think uh you know what I've what I've learned from this is that plus what you mentioned earlier that you care and It's very evident in the way you're discussing it. >> A coach is different than a teacher, >> right? Which is what, you know, looking back at this conversation. Um, I like to end uh, you know, with what I've learned from this is that that is really one of the uh, big prized possessions that I'm going to take from this conversation is in life just being a coach. You know, there's so many things that you want to teach people and uh, if we can just replace the word teach with coach, I think we would have a bigger impact on the people around us. >> Interesting. Yeah. >> Coaching them instead of teaching them. coaching them by showing them you care, coaching them by, you know, having patience. And that's something that I've learned from you also, right? You know, just learning the experience of Balachuva and, you know, what you've been through and just being a little bit more sensitive to knowing that a person that just needs a bencher can be someone who just learned how to bench. >> That's right. >> And uh, you know, being sensitive to that. So, I appreciate this conversation tremendously. Do you have any questions for me before we wrap? >> Well, I'll say one thing in conclusion. I am also an author and I've written five books. Two of them are now published. They're for sale on Amazon. And uh you can look up Frank Michael Adams. That's my full name. That's my author's name on Amazon. They're secular books, but they're >> What are the books about? >> These are for um ages 9 through adult. Okay. But they are um one is called The Adventures of Fiveish the Clown. It's not about me though. I just use the name because it's an entertaining name and I use my experience as a clown to make it very very exciting. Okay. Okay. So, it's Adventures of Five the Clown. It's these are these are fiction. Sure. >> Okay. Fiction, very exciting stories, paperback novels. And the other one is The Magical Mr. Sid. Um, it's about a teenager who is becoming the greatest magician in the world and goes through life-threatening situations in order to accomplish it and what happens to him. It's a it's there. I've been told that people have become readers. The young teens, 10 yearear-olds have become readers because they read my books. >> I love this. I have a son that's an aspiring magician. So, I'm going to get this book for He's 17. >> Okay. >> We're going to we're going to definitely put your links in the description if anyone get wants to get a hold of you. I'm I'm loving the idea that you're available for times that are convenient for others. Great >> so that people can utilize your services from that regard and uh if they want to read uh any of your books, which uh definitely going to buy that one >> and and go through it. So, you know, I appreciate that. And the fact that you had the patience to put pen to paper and write a book, like, wow, that's >> Yeah, >> that's a tremendous accomplishment. So, congratulations to you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Uh, any questions for me before we wrap up. >> Uh, give my regards to uh, Tvia and Zelman. [laughter] >> Well, Naftali Zelman is going to be our super fan of the week because he is the one that recommended you this week. So, uh, we appreciate it. Um, >> thank you. >> Yeah. I know I I just like to give people opportunity to ask me questions if you have any, but if you don't have any, that's totally okay. Don't worry about [laughter] it. We'll save it for off the air. >> Okay. >> Um and um I think from the conversation also, I would like to get Rabbi Frl here to do uh >> Absolutely. Right. Yeah. >> Like he would be a good pick. >> That would be great. >> Right. You think you can ask him for us? >> I haven't spoken to him in a few years, you know, but uh I think I could. >> Yeah, >> I think I could. Sure. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. I'd like to go visit him actually and uh catch up because we have a lot of things to share. >> Well, let's make that happen. And and I appreciate and thank you to subscribers and all our listeners and to the prime source production team and this has been an amazing conversation. I really appreciate it. Fish, I wish you a blessed new year and a wonderful holiday season because we're going to be off the ear for a couple of weeks during the holidays and uh we'll be back in a gif. Okay, that's a wrap. >> [music]