#135: Behind the Bima - David Fishof, Legendary Music Producer

9:00 p.m. Wednesday night, I'm Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, joined by my colleague, dear friend, and tonight's co-host, Rabbi Josh Brody, and we are here to take you Behind the Bima. We're here to take you behind the Bima. Super excited about our guest tonight, David Fishoff. Josh, I know you Rabbi Brody. Oh my god. a fan for a long time. He's known me since I'm a child. Many of our listeners may not have heard of him, but I promise you after you listen to tonight and hear his stories, his accomplishment, and and really ultimately his being at the front lines of trying to make a Kiddush Hashem, fight for Israel, help the Jewish people against anti-Semitism, you'll be blown away by um someone who's really really special. So very excited to have him on. Maybe some of our listeners will want to join me in rock and roll camp, you know. You never know. We'll go together, a little Behind the Bima group. Listen, we have two co-hosts who play the drums. You're only one of them, so you never you never know. So Rabbi Brody, I want to start with this tonight. I read an article recently, one of my friends shared with me, um which was written on a faith website, The Great Pastor Resignation. Hm. And the the pastor was uh explaining his resignation, why he's stepping down. Says, "I've become part of what is known as the great pastor resignation that came in the wake of the pandemic." Barna did a national survey of pastors, and as of March 2022, so March 2022, 42% of pastors considered quitting. 42%. Wow. So let's include for our argument's sake, rabbis, pastors, clergy. And the reasons are myriad, but here are the top five reasons why your rabbi is thinking of moving on to something else. You ready? Can I get a drum roll? You can get a drum roll, but I'm just wondering how many of these apply to us. Well, let's listen. Is it one out of five or five out of Here we go. Number five, I'm not optimistic about the future of my synagogue, church. 29%. Okay. 30% not optimistic about the future. Number four, I'm unhappy with the effect this role has had on my family. 29% also. So nearly 30% look at their family and say, family's been compromised, been affected, not happy. Number three, current political divisions. That's 38%. 40% of rabbis, pastors say I'm thinking about stepping down cuz I can't take how divided, how how much hate, how much criticism, how much venom, how much negativity. Yeah, I can't take it. Number two, I feel lonely and isolated. 43% pastors, rabbis. For I'm not sure this survey again was not of rabbis. So I don't want to get the email. 43% of pastors, but I'm assuming that some element of these this survey applies to rabbis. And number one reason for the great pastor resignation, you ready? The immense stress of the job, 56%. That's a good journal. Over 50%. Thank you. Over 50 Can I go to rock and roll here? Yeah, exactly. Over 50% pastors, rabbis thinking about resigning cuz of the immense stress of the job. So my question is this, Rabbi already, are you thinking of resigning? No. And but but it's interesting. When you listen to each one of those reasons, each one of the five, I would say that there's a part of each one that I do feel. There might be days where you feel like this and there might be days where you feel like that, but each one of those things is something which I think is significant. Absolutely. So I got an email the other day. Every year around this time some newspaper does an article about what rabbis are thinking about, what rabbis are going to talk about, what are the themes this year on the high holidays, on the Yamim Noraim. So I got an email like that from a journalist. And um you know, basically said something about given what's going on, can you be optimistic about anything? And I wrote back, see if I can find this. I I wrote back and I and I hope they use this quote cuz I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I relate like you by the way to all five of those things. I relate to all five of them. So I don't want to minimize anyone who feels that. Like you said, there are days, there are moments, there are interactions, there are experiences, there are emails, there are text messages, there are, right? Today you might be feeling all five. Who knows? No, today I feel great. But how many times have I ever How many times have I said to you Rabbi Moscowitz like That's it. Here are the keys. I'm making aliyah. Don't forget to turn the lights out when you're done. How many times a year or a week? I'm joking. Maybe a month. Maybe maybe a month, right? Maybe a month. Anyway, I wrote back to the person that um Where is this? I want to find it. I wrote back to the person, I've never been as optimistic as I am. I'm more optimistic than ever. Here it is. I got it. You ready? First of all, are you optimistic? I don't I hope I'm not spoiling somebody's article. Are you optimistic about next year as we approach the holidays? Why? I heard I'm optimistic every year. The future is not predetermined or a matter of fate. It's up to us individually and collectively. We have to be optimistic and then take the effort and initiative to bring about that brighter future. We have to take responsibility to shape the world beginning with our world, how we speak, behave, what we believe in, and the differences that we can make. And then other questions, I don't want to spoil the article. What concerns you the most in the coming year? Can you share any resolutions that you have for the coming year? But my point is that I think and I think it's really important in the rabbinate or clergy work to validate and acknowledge all five of those reasons. We all feel them sometimes, but to still be optimistic. Like, yeah, do you not love what you do? I think you and I are very lucky because we get to talk to one another. I'm sure there are pastors or rabbis who are They're the only person in the office and and who do they confide in if they have challenges and Could be. Like we're lucky. Don't be a victim and don't be a martyr. Shape the world. Like, what do you want to fix? What do you want to work on? What difference do you want to make? And you'll say, "Well, you have a big staff or they have a big budget or they have a First of all, we didn't always. And second of all, maybe you can, too. Or maybe within what you have, what what do you want to do? Right? In other words, I'm just a big believer in any job. My wife knows this. When we go somewhere and there's a TSA agent who's like really happy or smiley, there's a server at a restaurant, there's a Whatever you do. I don't care if the guard Whoever the security guard Whatever you do. When like love what you do, lean into what you do. Don't project that you're a martyr and you're miserable and you're a victim. And I I know not everybody has the job that they love and it's not easy and I got it. Some people are just trying to fight through the day. But first of all, then think about maybe maybe you could change your career, maybe you could pivot. Or maybe within what you're doing you could find more happiness. You could dream or you could have ambition and aspiration. But you know, when I was coming back from the vacation this summer, I'm grateful I was able to take one this summer. Um a couple people asked me, "How do you feel coming back?" I said, "I'll tell you, you know, I love being with my family. I loved having a healthy break. But I love what I do. You know, if you go on a trip with your spouse, like you're happy to get away, it's really nice. And you're sad when it's over. You're also excited to come home to your family and your children if you love them. And that's how I feel about what I do. So, I know that you feel that way, too. And I just encourage everybody that like love what you do. Find something to love in what you do. And and try to turn it into a a calling, not just a career. Try to not just make a living, try living through it and making a difference. If you do, there's a lot to be optimistic about in anything in any area that you're working on. So, first of all, it's it's interesting that that that you say it like that because because I guess the difference between many careers on the say someone in the clergy or a pastor or rabbi is that you know, the relationships you have with others in some of those other professions, it doesn't really impact necessarily a lot of people. But here, you're miserable and you you you think everything's falling apart. It's going to impact your whole shul. It's going to impact your whole community. Right. Like you said, maybe it is a a chance to pivot. But but but but you got to get back in the saddle. This is like a serious thing. You got to A lot of people are counting on you. And to quote you, inspire yourself to inspire others. There you go. Yeah. Going into this time of year, especially Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, rabbis convene, they have conventions, they collaborate, every word that starts with a C, they figure out how to work on What are we going to do to inspire the community? And you know, one of my mentors taught me a long time ago and I've tried to work on it is the The thing you could do over the summer and heading into this time of year is to be inspired. Right. Because there's nothing more uninspiring than an uninspiring rabbi, a teacher, a mentor. Exactly. Right. You know? Right. Like you can't just like deliver say over the script or put on the performance of the drasha. Or a teacher in a classroom, too. Our teachers are grossly underpaid. And I hope that, you know, within Florida where we've just gotten this enormous relief, $8,000 a student vouchers, this dream come true, that we could take some of that savings to make our teachers' lives a little bit better. But again, you know, a teacher, they're heroes. In front of that classroom you got to be energized. You got to be on fire because as important as curriculum and pedagogy and all the other tools in the end of the day, there's nothing more uninspiring than an uninspired person trying to inspire you. And you can't fake that. Everyone sees right through it. Yeah. Can't fake it. Yeah. Be a mine of gabbah. Just be overflowing with your own inspiration. Like fill your well and then let that overflow to the people around you. For some of us, we might be go fill that well at Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, you know? Just fills us for two, three days and come back and rock 'n' roll with the community. Some need that. That's okay. Some need to find that break, that inspiration. Some people fly in. Some people go meet with who they need to meet with or listen to what they need to listen to. Or we have Thursday night our annual hisbodedus on the beach. You going to learn something and then spread out on the beach and just different people need different things to just draw energy. Rabbi Wineberg is going to I think coming to be our guest this year. Yeah. He he taught once at a rabbinic conference I was at. I learned so much from him. You know, he talked about the Mishnah about about roots and branches, Mishnah Pirkei Avot. But then he talked about it he's a mental health professional in addition to being a great talmid chacham and an accomplished rav. But he talked about it as he had us all, rabbis, grown men draw pictures. And it was a tree. And there were roots and there were branches. And there was you had to write what gave you energy and what depleted you of energy. Like what nourished you and what empties you. Right. Just identifying, just just recognizing and saying what those things are. What energizes you? What gives you energy? And what, you know, do we ever think about that? And how can we how can we mold our life to be around the people, the things, the activities, the obligations that energize and not the ones that Everyone has things that deplete. Like no one wants to take out the garbage or shop or pay the tax. I mean, there's a million things that we have to do that don't necessarily energize that you have to I don't know people who get energized by brushing their teeth or flossing other than dentists, but you have to do the things even if they don't energize you. But but on the whole, right? In the bigger picture of things. Right. And that was really, really inspiring is to to craft a life a life like that. So, I think it's a real responsibility at every level. Right? Because also, how many parents Parents are in crisis. Children are in crisis. Parenting experts, parenting books, parenting this, parenting that. Doesn't it all start with How you going to inspire your children for the life that you dream for them if you're not inspired? Correct. So, are we invested in nourishing and inspiring ourselves so that I can overflow? Wow. Love it. Starting with clergy, rabbis. What what what nourishes you? Music. Music. Which is interesting also because we're we're you know, we're learning now in the kids are about making brochos on on on things that you smell. It just shows you there there there's many different senses that we have. And music definitely nourishes a certain part of the body, specifically the soul, that nothing else does. And some people connect to music, some people don't. People that connect to music, I think those that can't or don't think it's a little like like I don't understand it. But uh some people actually take it to I get I wouldn't call it an extreme cuz I don't want to say it's like anything bad, but but for me personally, music is is is you get through the day with music. It's got me through some very difficult times in my life, music. You know, it's it's I love it. I definitely hear that. And different people, just like we all have different souls, different things nourish our souls. Some it's art, some it's music. All of us should be Torah. That should be a given, but I I wholeheartedly agree with you, and I think music is a religious experience. Right? The Leviim would sing when the korbanos were being offered in the chazzal debate ikar shira bakli, ikar shira b'peh, is it the music we produce with our mouths that we produce, or is it the instrument that produces it? But, there's there's a lot of Torah about the role. And some of the great rebbe's, the Piasetzna rebbe, Hashem yikom damo, the great Reb Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro of Piasetzna was a composer and a musician. In fact, when his son was murdered from the Nazis, he never He didn't play music again until he was murdered. He couldn't He couldn't express that music that came from his soul. And And how many rebbe's, the Maggid's, others, they composed They weren't They didn't just like tolerate music. It wasn't just like you have to incorporate it into davening to make it pass. Like they viewed that as a religious expression. They They composed. They authored. It was It was a religious experience. Right. Wow. what it is for you. You see that. I love it. I love it. Which is a great segue to our guest. Super excited to bring our guest on. Uh David Fishof, American music producer, sports agent, founder, CEO of Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, now Comedy Camp. Began his career in the Catskills and then went on to represent many sports figures you have heard of, many rock 'n' roll stars that you have heard of, um all with a yarmulke, keeping Shabbos, learning Torah, and all trying to raise the profile of the Jewish people, Israel, advocating for Israel, making a Kiddush Hashem, standing up against anti-Semitism. He's wrote written two books, Putting It on the Line, a book about his experiences in the world of sports and entertainment, and Rock Your Business, What You and Your Company Can Learn from the Business of Rock 'n' Roll. He's uh He's just a wonderful person, a really, really special person who does good and helps other people. And we're really excited to bring on our friend David Fishof. What a great honor, what a privilege, and it's going to be so much fun to go behind the bima with the great David Fishof, a legend, a industry leader, an agent, an advocate, and an incredible representative of the Jewish people making a Kiddush Hashem for many many years. Someone who knows me since I'm a little boy. Thank you so much for letting us go behind the bema together with you. Wow. Well, thanks for having me. You know, my dad was a chazzan. My brother's a rabbi. My My whole family's a rabbi. My son-in-law's a rabbi. I just didn't want to be a rabbi. You didn't want to be a rabbi, but you are a rabbi in other ways, which is actually a great place to start because, you know, the truth is, while so many members of your family, right, your father was a chazzan, a cantor in Hackensack, New Jersey 35 years, your brother a rabbi, of course your son-in-law, a good friend of ours, Reb Einhorn, doing incredible things, one of the most creative, brilliant rabbis I ever met. And and all of them put together, I don't know, represent Judaism to the masses or have had an impact or influence on a large stage the way you have as an Orthodox Jew with a yarmulke, representing Torah Torah values, and an outstandingly successful agent in sports, Phil Simms, the Giants, Super Bowl winners, the Monkees, Ringo Starr. Uh we could go down the list. Rabbi Brody's probably better to do that than I am. But and all of it as a unabashed, unashamed, unapologetic religious Jew. So, in the in many ways you are a rabbi to the masses and to the to the non-Jewish broader world. Is that part of why you went into it? Does that weigh on you? Have you thought about that through the years, what you represent and where you come from? Well, for all I come from my dad's a Holocaust survivor, and he survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald. And it's his inspiration that first of all kept me from, you know, I mean, there's no question. I His stories, his telling me every day, reminding me, good and bad, you know, the the effects, but mainly good. And you know, I always I say to myself, my dad, if he if he could, you know, talk about, you know, Yiddishkeit in in the in the camps and how he got on the floor and and and and matzos, he he just he did anything he could to get to to exchange cigarettes with the Nazis so that he could um um you know you know to get tobacco and make cigarettes so he can make matzos in Buchenwald or or or you know the stories and you know there's a great book called The Yellow Star and it tells of these five guys who survived um Buchenwald and and Auschwitz. And um it's written by a guy named Ullendorff and it was reprinted recently by Corwin Publishing. And it and you know these guys um you know they they talk about how they they lit Hanukkah candles um in Auschwitz and you know that's all I heard from my dad was was his survival, you know, to be a Yid and um so yeah it weighed heavily in in a positive way Right. that if he could do it um then I surely have to do it. And is that part of what informs the work that you do even from the beginning and we'll talk about the work that almost accidentally you went into but but not only being successful in the measures of business and rock and roll and and financially but being successful in terms of you know values and representing Judaism. So what I love now with my work the last um 20 years basically is I went off the road and uh created these rock and roll fantasy camps and now I'm doing a comedy camp with Jay Leno. I love changing people's lives through the power of music and it's it's giving back cuz my whole life all I see is rabbis all you do is give back, you know, you give back to your communities, you know, whether it's my father, my brother, even Rabbi Einhorn constantly just giving back. Here I have an opportunity to give back and change people's lives. So it it definitely has an inspiration, you know, um you know, the giving back aspect of Yiddishkeit is it's just you know, what do we say? It's better to give than to receive and and I think that the rewards that we see and me with these rock camps every day I open up my emails I get two three emails. I'm opening for ZZ Top. I'm I'm you know, I'm recording this record. You know, I went backstage and the stories are just unbelievable. You're helping people's dreams come true, which is really to be to be an angel. That's what it means. It really was great. I 4 years ago, I'm in New York City and and before COVID and and a guy stops me. I was running to have lunch with my son. He says, "Mr. Fishman, Mr. Fishman." I said, "Yeah, yeah." He says, "I just got back from Moscow. My band opened for Aerosmith." I said, "What are you talking about?" "Well, I met Joe Perry, your camp, and I sent his manager our CD and and she said, you know, she said, 'Can we open for you? Can we open for the band?' And she will let me ask Joe Perry and and she takes Joe the CD and Joe says, "This band wants to open for you guys in Moscow." And he says, "Where do I meet him?" He said, "Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp." He said, "Let's do it." And the next thing the guy's working in front of 50,000 people. So, that's the kind of stuff that you really, really enjoy when you're changing people's lives. Have Have you had the opposite experience? Has your Judaism ever been a barrier? Have there been artists who didn't want to work with you or people said, "You're a religious Jew, forget about it." Has it gotten in the way? Well, first of all, has it gotten in the way? I'll never know the anti-Semites who don't want to work with me. But, I will tell you that, you know, when I was in a sports agent, you know, I bumped into, you know, I went to Pittsburgh. I was negotiating a contract and you know, a guy would say to me, "Are you married to some shiksa back there?" And you know, it's like, so I But, you know, people know who I am, what I'm about. So, you know, today's world, um, when a when a when a rocker would turn me down or if if an athlete had turned me down, he probably knew that I was an Orthodox Jew and but I I you know, they I didn't attract them. You know, I attracted a Christian athlete who really, you know, was family oriented like Phil Simms and you know, the whole I had the whole you know, I had the whole offensive line of the Giants and Jim Burt and Phil McConkey and Lou Pinella, and Randy Myers. Had a lot of great ball players. And and and they were you know, I guess they came from, you know, Christian families and religious families. And I mean, Phil Simms is his father said to him, "You know, you hire yourself a Jewish boy. That You're not going to make money, you know?" And Simms didn't know who he was. He was from Kentucky. So, and he was the guy who who would call me every Friday and say to me, "Did you take your Shabbos shower?" And you know, and and and he was just amazing. And you know, and uh you know, they all wanted And it's so funny cuz I remember when I was telling about my dad, I remember Lou Pinella, you know, coming to visit my dad up in the Catskills in in the bungalow colony. We had done an appearance and and up in the camp. That's how I started. And um he he wanted to hear my father's Holocaust stories. And and you know, Coach Parcells Coach Parcells was was amazing. I mean, he said to me one day, he says, "You know, your father has all these He's from Hackensack." I said, "Yeah." He says, "He has his minion minion minion group that comes." I said, "Yeah, how do you know about it?" He says, "Well, they're all my father's friends. And I grew up in Hackensack. So, you know, he knew the the the local funeral director there. He was best friends with them all. So, um it it it's it's amazing how it all comes together. I want to I want to get Rabbi Brody in one second cuz I think this is the most exciting episode that we've ever done for him. Yeah. Um but I want to ask you one more question about your dad because as a Holocaust survivor who then spent a career and his life as as a chazzan. And a chazzan is up there leading the conversation with God, representing the community in appealing to God. What relationship did he have with God after all that he had been through? Right? You you'd expect a lot of Holocaust survivors to say, "God, I don't really I'm not sure I want to ever talk to him again. And I don't hear him talking to me." And here he is on the bimah leading the the conversation with God after all he had been through. And what what did that mean to you? Rabbi, you know, I'm still questioning it. I still question it. You know, I mean, first of all, he was a kosher in in in Brockton, Massachusetts. He was a kosher in in Galveston, Texas. And you know, he almost got fired from a few of these jobs because he was the greatest guy. He's funny. My father was youngest of 12. He survived life by being being humorous. It's in the book that he he would he would entertain. You know, but he would talk about it every day. And you know, I remember you know, when I was in fifth grade, sixth grade, he he came home and the school wanted to fire him because he would tell the students he believed in telling the stories. You know, unlike so many other Holocaust survivor parents who who didn't want to talk about it at all. My father talked about it every day. And um you know, when I came home from from Yeshiva, there would be a half a piece of bread and toast in the in the refrigerator. And I said, "Dad, why aren't you you know, one day I'd come home and eat it." And he I said to him, "One day, why don't you eat why why do you always leave it there?" He said, "Well, you know, for my next meal." And um there's no question that you know, there were he had well, well, first of all, here here's here's another amazing story. My dad, you know, he was a um he was a an a printer. You know, and so he learned printing in the business. His his brother-in-law was Gestetner. As you remember, I don't know if you remember those machines, those Gestetner machines. Well, that was his brother-in-law. And so my father during the war, he escaped Sered, a concentration camp outside of Bratislava, and went into the worked his way to Budapest and was working in a printing store. And at night, he would make false passports. And he saved many Jews' lives. I mean, I I I met so many people in including the Boba Rebbe, you know, when I was 10 years old, my dad took me to see the Boba Rebbe. And the Rebbe turned to me and he said in Yiddish, you know, you probably have a lot of people who speak Yiddish down there. I don't speak Yiddish well, but he said in my guns to your going to hug a mark and mention Yidden. Dein tater to mark a mirror My father made him a passport that you know my whole life I meet people Jews. He said your father made me a My father made him a false passport that saved his life and you know years later I I I you know I asked my cousin recently before he passed away. I said how come my dad didn't make one for himself and you know he said he was doing he was saving people's lives and and eventually got caught and he got caught and he was he was um taken to Auschwitz and right beating the crap out of him and but I think it's my dad's close that I have this wonderful son-in-law that talked about it so It's not my show business life. Amazing. Yeah. Brody. Okay. Wow. First of all it's a big honor. For those who don't recognize that is Rabbi Brody. I don't recognize a rabbi like that. You know I'm going to tell I I I have to tell you a story Rabbi cuz I you know you see I don't know how much time we have here but um you remind me of Joe Perry was at my one of my camps and he gets up there and he says to a does a Q&A and Joe Perry barrels in and he says um See his picture in the back? Oh yeah yeah it's in the back. you. He says to a guy he says well what do you do for a living? He says well you know I'm a lawyer and on weekends I play guitar in my band and he says to him you know he says you know you're full of crap and he he didn't say it that way he said it a bit worse. He He said you're a guitarist first. You do the legal BS to buy your guitars. So you know me right away I call my brother Joey and I said Joey do you know what he what Joe Perry just said? He said David I would give up the rabbinate to be a full-time drummer. So yeah I look at you and and if you guys could be on tour now look at this. Ay ay ay. Ay ay ay you have no idea. So first of all you know for people that don't that don't know the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp when they bring in the rockers, they're called counselors. And I said to my wife, I said, "You don't realize I was probably if if life didn't take me through the rabbit in it, I was going to be a counselor." Because after high school, my plan was to go to Hollywood. Go and play in the Roxy. Go and play in the Troubadour. Go and play in the Whiskey. Wow. Wanted to be there. So, I would have been I would have been one of your guys. Yeah, you probably Yeah, exactly, you know. You know, that's my question to rabbis, you know, someone who starts life and then they they have a choice. They have to they want to be a rock star or they want to get a job and Get a job. Get a job. Yeah. But as you can see, there's maybe we'll end up back at the at the camp one day. But I was just wondering I got some great bunch of fun people they come and you know, it's funny at the last camp I made Joe Perry jam after it was in Florida. You know, I said Joe, well, it's great cuz these rockers like to sleep late but I say you're appearing on Saturday, you got to come after Shabbos. I love that. First of all, I noticed I noticed that this year it actually it it falls out on the same Sunday as the the the Chabad Kinus Hashluchim. So, I don't know how they're You you might you might lose a few there but I have a guy in Florida whose whose father has a private plane. He always he flies up the local rabbi there. So, You get your bounty. But I'm just wondering, you know, you you see many Jews are are in in in rock and rock and roll and you know, Gene Simmons and and Paul Stanley you've had at the camp many times. Do they Is there ever like a conversation that takes place at a very high level? Like they know you're Jewish. You know they're Jewish. Is there any acknowledgement of of the fact that there that that you know, a couple of Jews getting together? Any pride there? My next camp is I have Marty Friedman from Metallica. You know, I love him. I love Max Weinberg, you know, I love the guys who don't change their names, you know, they're my they're my friends. I mean, Max Weinberg showed up to my bar mitzvah and at my son's bar mitzvah in Teaneck and and you no, he's dancing. Um oh yeah, I I have conversations with them. You know, I I have some serious ones, you know, Gene Simmons and I have have had some serious talks. Uh um you know, he he does promote Israel. Uh you know, he he he's recently I was at a dinner with him. He invited me where he spoke for the Holocaust. Her mom was a survivor. But you know, he doesn't uh you know, we would talk about Israel and and he says, "I don't get it. Why is Why does God always have to say I'm great? I'm great. I'm great." You know, you mean he'd rather it say, you know, Gene Simmons is great. That's all he talks about is how great he is, you know. He doesn't say what God says it. Um but you know, I've had many conversations. Um you know, my favorite story I love um you know, I I show up to you know, Lincoln Square as a kid and Paul Shaffer Paul Shaffer, sure. he gets up there, you know, is is you know, with me every morning with me and me and me. And um and I could see but he wanted to get up there and by 6 months in he's you know, he's doing Ashrei and the Bolseon and you know, and he's saying Kaddish from the Bima and it was really beautiful to see see him and and so many artists I've taken I've taken the president of MTV to Mincha every day would call me and you know, I love that. I love when they come to me and and ask me um my brother Joey married a few of these rockers a drummer from Mountain. Wow. When they when their parents die and they call me I send them to my brother and you know, talk to them but um you know, there's a lot of people have Yiddish heart. Listen, you cannot create and write songs and play music in front of these people without having some heart and without having a soul. Thank you. Go ahead, Brody. Keep going. I I know you're on fire. You're on fire now here. I I got so much here. I let's go. You know, You know, you're speaking about the fact that you you your family you know, obviously was in the Holocaust and and we call this rock and roll fantasy camp. They call those the camps as well. Have Is Has been an idea perhaps to bring some of these rockers to the camps? To to to give them a tour and see what where where you're from and and what your family endured? You know, I I not that, but I I really try Israel. I mean, I have I've been involved with with the state of Israel. My my dearest friend is Sam Grunwald who was the Council General from Hollywood, Florida. And he came here to um He came here to be the Council General for 4 years and um He someone introduced me to him and my friend Steve Speer and you know, Steve Speer is the the Vice President of Warner Brothers Business Affairs or the President of Business Affairs and he wears a yarmulke every day and Um you know, I love out here in California. We have I had two I had from YU I had a few interns years ago and one was Gil Goldschein who went on to you know, produce the Kardashians and be the president of Bunim/Murray. I mean You know, a lot of out here in California it's a lot easier if you're in the writing business you don't have to be from. So, you know, we have quite some great writers out here. Um but um you know, I've had a lot of discussions you know, about going to Israel. I I you know, I I planned a 70th anniversary for Israel. We did a a big thing here in Hollywood. I'll tell you it was really hard. It was really hard. I mean I reached out to Billy Crystal and he said yes to me, but I tell you I cannot tell you how many names turned me down because they're scared of their careers. Um you know, recently a very dear friend of mine I finally you know, I said come on. I need you to go to Israel and and get on a plane. I got get someone to take you by private plane. I got you I got you some money. I got you whatever you need and and he just refused and So, I I work on a couple organizations. I have to say um this week my biggest disappointment was Eric Clapton. I mean, he came out and in in in favor of um of Roger Waters and there's no bigger momzer than Roger Waters. I mean, you know, he goes to Israel, takes out $5 million to perform there. He's got a Jewish accountant, a Jewish lawyer, and and but he just so bad. He's such a bad person. And then see Eric Clapton come out and support him. It was really sad for me this week. Yeah, I'm sorry to hear that. Clapton's also got a soul. He's got some some deep music. That's We've always thought, you know, you watch the Jews who've risen to prominence within within the industry and they have a huge platform and they have a huge following and to use it to tell the truth and to inspire people about the light and there's so much negativity and so much slander about Israel, but there's a lot of positivity about the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and allowing people to be themselves and women driving and women's leadership and and people being able to choose their identity and as religious people, however complicated that part is, but it's the only place in the Middle East that you won't be hung and dragged behind a car for for being true to who you are and and the Jewish superstars should be telling that story. They should be telling the story. I mean, Streisand went to Israel years ago, but I can't tell you how many comedians and how many actors have turned us down. And you know, the my favorite was you know, Frasier. Well, what's his name? What's it What who's the actor? Yeah. What's his name? Great Kel- Kelsey Grammer. Kelsey Grammer was great, you know, I remember having lunch with Sam and I had lunch with him and he said, "I'm there. I've never been to Israel, but I want to support." So, you know, it was easier to get Golem to to show up. We got ball players to show up, but I can't tell you how many Hollywood personalities were just afraid. And this was not a non-political event, you know, it was for Yom Ha'atzmaut. We wanted to show Sam came up with an idea to to show the 10 decades of what Israel has done for the world. And you know, that itself is is 20 podcasts. I mean, you know, and I love being involved in that and being involved in in organizations that, you know, to try to combat against you know, these artists who who battle, you know, Israel. And so, it, you know, that to me is is really I enjoy enjoyed but it terrible. It's terrible. And you're you're being at the front lines of fighting for Israel, fighting anti-Semitism is huge and having you inside and having you having that access and having you being trusted by those people, you know, I I don't know that people can fully appreciate the difference that that makes. The people who behind the scenes are in the ear of the people who have millions of followers and when they make a decision, it has it has real impact and and big impact. And and that story, Mr. Fischer, almost didn't happen cuz I watched the documentary about Rock Camp and it's really amazing when you think about the athletes you've represented, the rock stars you've represented and the one theme that comes up over and over is you're not a lawyer, no offense, you're not super athletic and you're not super musical. So, it's not that you're a musician who then became an agent. It's not that you are a star athlete who then went on to represent people and it's not that you're a lawyer who became a lawyer who specializes in this. So, how did it happen and what's your message to other people about fulfilling their dream, about being able to achieve what they hope to do? And I spoke to Rabbi Joey and he and he wants to maybe throw in how he might have influenced you. Yeah, no, no, Joey definitely had an interest. You know, I remember picking up Ginger Baker at the airport and I turned to Ginger Baker, the great drummer from Cream, and I said to him, "Ginger, I said I heard two things growing up. It was God and Ginger Baker." And I said, "My father talked about belief in God and Joey, all he talked about was Ginger Baker." You know, so, you know, definitely Joey had an influence. I'm not a I was never a rock and roll fan. I'm I'm a people person. I I love sports. I have to say that. I love sports but I really enjoyed the neshama of people, especially creative people. And I think that's my bond. I mean, my favorite story was 3 years after I'm representing Ringo and I produce his All-Starr Band. I booked him at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills. Why the Concord? Because, you know, I used to book all my I used to start all my shows at the Concord. Dirty Dancing, The Monkees. Because I could eat and that was important. I got the stage. I got the rooms for free. And you know, and all these musicians couldn't they couldn't find any of their hang arounders and their drug dealers up in the Catskills, you know. What did Ringo say when you're up in the in in in in in the the mountains? Yeah, the mountains. Where they going to go? So, I used to rehearse all my shows at the Concord and I would make a deal with the owner, the Parkers. I said, you know, give me the place. I'll do my first show there. And you know, the biggest show The Monkees was the biggest thing that ever happened to the Catskills and that's a whole other story, you know, there was they so much traffic on the opening of that tour. They that we had to hold the show up an hour cuz the state police said they couldn't stop the traffic and Wow. And then I did Ringo. And but Ringo didn't want to rehearse there, but I he asked me, can Ringo play play in the in the Catskills? You know, can he play the Concord? And and I made a deal with him and I'm in England and an article shows up in the Wall Street Journal. Ringo Starr to play the Catskills, you know, where Milton Berle plays. Where, you know, Tom Jones a Beatle playing the Catskills. So, I got a call from Ringo and he calls me that morning and he goes, oh, no, he's going to fire me, you know, and what does he want from me? And he says, Bob, and I want to take you to dinner. So, I said, oh, no, what did I do wrong? I knew I blew it. So, okay, picks me up. I'm saying, what does he need to have dinner with me for? You know, he he's met McCartney. He's got McCartney. He's got every all his cover there. Go to dinner, kosher restaurant and he always respected it. He's really really really nice. I have to say it all these First of all, the guy I'm with, they respect you. Once they sign with you, they respect you and they they all my clients have been amazing. Um he says to me, you know, Bob and I want to ask you, why did you um what why did you sign me? You never talked to me about music, you never talked to me about the Beatles. You always tell me about the deals you're making. And I and I told him the story that I started in the Catskills and my brother was your favorite drummer and and uh and I and I you know, he motivated me to to go out there and sign you and um and put an All-Star band behind you. So, you know, I I yes, I heard all from Joey a lot um and sports I loved and um and uh he starts laughing, you know, I remember the pasta came out of his mouth. You know, that's why you called me. And um but you know, I I I love and I also wake up every day being creative. I got to come up with new ideas all the time. Um keeps me motivated, keeps me, you know, in the game. So so your success, what would you attribute your success to, right? You're entering an industry where you don't have an expertise and and you don't even have the credentials and yet here you are super successful looking back. So what what was the secret? Being a people person? Being a people person. Um when I would negotiate my sports contracts, I would uh go find these young rabbis at uh students at YU to to help me negotiate my contract cuz I knew that negotiating contracts is like is like Gamara. Um and so I I had some, you know, funny stories over the years. Um one of my favorite was uh I used to learn every Friday morning with with uh Rabbi Charles Werdansky. I don't know if you knew Charlie. Uh Rabbi he used to YU grad and and I was he was a young assistant rabbi and I walk in on Friday morning and and he sees I can't pay attention and he's right. I I couldn't pay attention. He says to me 10 minutes into learning, he says, "What's wrong?" He says, "I see your mind's not anywhere. What's wrong?" I said, "Well, I'll be honest with you, Rabbi." I said uh "I went to see the Mets yesterday. I'm negotiating a contract for Dave Magadan, and Magadan was a at that time wasn't a free agent, but he was up for arbitration. We're we're allowed to go arbitrate his salary with in front of a a judge, and the judge either chooses your number or they choose the player's number. It's not like in between. So, you know, you have to prove really to in arbitration the midpoint of where if you if the player if you want the 1,500 and the team offers you or if the midpoint is whatever the midpoint is, 1,200, 1,250, you got to prove 1,251. So, I you know, I'm at I couldn't pay attention. And he says to me, "Let's learn the Gamara and and let's talk about it afterwards." So, I I learned the Gamara with him, and then he says, "Well, how can I help you?" I said, "You really want to help me?" He says, "Yeah." He says, "I'll whatever you need." And I said, "Okay, come to my office later on, we'll discuss it." I'm walking to my office, and I'm saying to myself, "You know, baseball is comparisons. All it is is comparisons. When you negotiate contracts, you have to compare this player to that player. So, it's it's just like the Gamara. So, I went and came to my office, and I said, "Here's my issue. I said, 'Dave Magadan had a great year. He hit 321. He had 64 RBIs, two home runs.' I said, 'He made 300,000, and the paper said he's going to get a million dollars.' And I go see the Mets yesterday, and they offer me to double his salary, 600,000. I thought I was going to walk in there, and wasn't it going to be within a question, you know, that they were going to give me a million dollars cuz the newspaper said it. So, he said, "Well, what do you need me to do?" I said, "Well, here are the players that the Mets they brought up, and I and these guys are making two million dollars, a million five. I need you to compare why Magadan is worth a million dollars." So, I said, "Give you a few days." I give him a few days." He calls me up Wednesday. He says, "You won't believe it." He says, "I did the research and Magadan, you know, is worth more than those guys making $2 million. He's worth more than than these players making a million 750." And I know these numbers are are small compared to today, but those were big numbers those days. So, I said, "What are you talking about?" So, he shows up to my office and he says, "Well, if you look at Magadan, you know, he might have got 64 RBIs, but those 64 RBIs were meaningful. They were They were the score was two to two, he made it three to two. If the score was two to one, he he tied the game up, made it two to two. He was a clutch hitter." I said, "Stop. Let's go. I'm calling the Mets now. We're going We're going to Shea Stadium." And he says, "What do you mean?" I said, "Yeah, stop." I call up Al Harazin as a Mets general manager and I said to him, I said, "I'm coming with my rabbi in 2 hours. We're coming to Shea Stadium and I want to have a meeting with you." So, I I didn't tell him it was a rabbi. I just said, "Can I come over and talk about Magadan contract?" He He says, "Yeah, come on in." So, I show up and I I bring Rabbi Rudensky and he's holding all these books. Now, you know, not Seforim, but they're He went to Elias Sports office and they had all the statistics in these big books. And what he did was he went through every pitch and every hit that Magadan and he compared it to the first baseman of the Texas Rangers at the time and and the and the Philadelphia Phillies. Both those first basemen were making, you know, a couple million dollars. And uh he walks in and out. At the time, I I wanted a million dollars. After hearing the rabbi's presentation, I decided, "You know what? I'm going to go to arbitration and ask for a million five." Because again, I had to find the midpoint of the whatever the Mets were offering. Anyways, to make a long story short, I walk in there and there's uh Phillips, um the assistant general manager, and Harazin. And I bring in Rabbi Rudensky and he's he's all nervous. I said, "Just follow Let's follow the lead, Rabbi." And uh walks in and I said, I'm here to prove to you with my Rabbi that why Magadan deserves a million five and not a million dollars. What are you talking about? I said Rabbi tell him. So he Charlie this is like a When Magadan hit 64 And they were all meaningful and when the other guy when he went and hit 100 RBIs the score was 92. 92. He made it 11 to 3. He made it 12 to 3. He said everyone of Magadan and then he starts comparing to that player who was making 2 million. And then all of a sudden Harrison said stop. Okay okay you got it. I'll give you the million dollars. I said no no it's too late now. I want a million five and I said I'm going to go to arbitration. Now that I did all the work I'm going to go to arbitration and and I'm going to prove that Magadan's worth a million five. He said get the Rabbi out of the room. I said Rabbi you know you leave and I said if Philip leaves I'll let the Rabbi leave. So they both leave and I knew one thing back then the Mets the Mets didn't like Jews. The Payson family was known they were anti-Semitic and uh so or you know whatever they were they weren't they weren't big favorites. They weren't big lovers of ours. So he said okay I'll give you I'll give you a million dollars. I said no no I want a I want a million five. He said okay I'll give you a million one. I said no I'm not going to take a million one. A million I said no we're not doing a million two. And I kept saying cuz I knew I was going to win arbitration. I get him up to a million 450 and he says get out of my office and I got Magadan million 450. So I remember calling Magadan from the the parking lot and coming out of Shea Stadium and he says to me how did you get me a million 450? Every agent told me they'd get me a million. They tried to steal me away from you. How'd you get a million 450? I said I have a Rabbi. And he was laughing and we laughed and and you know so I used to use Rabbi Hayne has a from from Lawrence, your friend probably has has a son who helped me with the contracts. You know, these rabbinical students, they they knew baseball more than so I I think I think it was a success of having people around me was sometimes was really good, whether it was my brother in the music who loved and he had passion for these people or or these young kids who, you know, the Yeshiva kids, they know more about sports than, you know, you know, today it's unbelievable, the statistics and the players. So, I think that's been a good success. I don't mind sharing it and and asking people for advice, you know. What a What a story. But you're in such a competitive in such a competitive area, right? Every agent's trying to sign people. So, these these Hall of Fame rock and rollers and athletes, they signed with you. What What do they see in you? Why do they love you? Why do they trust you? I think it's my creativity, you know, I'm not afraid to, as you saw in the movie, you know, to do things that aren't hip and, you know, everyone's so afraid to be hip. I'm, you know, I I I'm not afraid to do anything, you know, I'm from the Catskills, you know, I'm Jewish and and you need to like my ideas. Now, listen, it was very hard when I started my rock camp. It was hard for me to get players, you know, for musicians to want to do it, you know, I'm not I'm not jamming with it with a with a stranger, you know. So, listen, I've I've had a lot of rejections, too, and and, you know, with players, you know, I've gone after Not many players. I usually don't go after players. I usually, you know, Phil McConkey lived in in my apartment next door to me and and I said to him, "I want Bavaro." And he calls me back and I said, "I'm a big fan of Bavaro." I said He said calls me back He comes back after practice and Bavaro wants to come to your house for Friday night meal. So, he comes to my house for Friday night meal and I said, "Bring him over this this Friday night." And he went to Notre Dame. He wanted to He He studied Judaism and he wanted to know what a Shabbos was and and he came to my house and and all of a sudden we're sitting down and he sees a hallah and he thought that was his role. You know, these guys they eat a lot. And I said, "No, no, I got to slice that in seven seven, you know." That was great. I don't know. You know, but but I think I've been intrigued to them um and um I you know, and and again I'm a person. As you know, rabbis, you know, it's you really have to sell yourself as a person. So, when I don't sell my you know, and it's funny. I remember showing up the Giants to winning the they're on the way to the Super Bowl and and the players turned to me and said, "What Why did you come to the game? You're never at our games." And um so um I was so busy doing the Monkeys that year. You know, the Monkeys were were so big for me. Um in '86 I brought the Monkeys back and that was the year the Giants, you know, win Super Bowl and and I was so busy that um you know, even Phil Simms says in his book he says, "My agent was so busy doing the Monkeys." And and um but I you know, I always found time. I think it's having a neshama, having, you know, caring for people. Um I didn't talk sports with them. I tried to talk sports, you know, I I realized I remember Simms uh they played a Monday night football game and and Simms threw the ball to Bavaro and and even the 10-yard line he's running running running and then by the by the second down he uh he by his 2-yard line he falls. And I called Simms the next morning and said, "Why did Mark fall? You know, he should have just gone to the end zone." And he said, "Fischoff, he had the fastest guy in the NFL chasing him. I'm so glad he tucked the ball in where he could run it in." And he says, "And then I realized stop talking football or talking sports to these players." And you know, talked about their lives and and and you know, and and talk to people about about you know, the things they need. Everyone talks sports with them. Right. Is you know, you using the Gamara logic, I guess I was I was also bothered. I didn't know if I end up enrolling in the camp, do I take a guy as a drummer? I'm really a drummer. Do I take Steven Adler and then he'll teach me some great things about the the founding of Guns N' Roses or is it do I No, I'd rather take Slash as a counselor because I get to jam with Slash. So, I'm not sure which which direction to go there. But, I'm just wondering, you know, I I guess part of the sale might be when you speak to some of these uh these these these rock n' rollers, these counselors, they don't need the money and they're not doing this for the for for for you know, Roger Daltrey. I mean, these are the greatest. You got the best of the best. Do you do is part of the sale that you you sell them it's it's there's something about giving back? There's something about about Absolutely. I mean, Roger Daltrey is a great example. I mean, here's a guy who who if you ask him what what his biggest accomplishment is, he talks about his tzedakah. You know, he he has a charity called Teenage Cancer America Teenage Cancer Trust where he um opens up um you know, in all the hospitals, you know, kids uh teenagers to get their cancer, um they treatments they have to usually go where old people are or or babies. And he uh came up with uh he supported he found this organization that that builds wings at hospitals where teenagers can get and look up and watch MTV and see posters of M&M and and Aerosmith and the Beatles and they can make them feel better. And he realized that when when when these kids would feel better, they they would they would recover over over their cancer treatments. So, Roger took a loving for this and I remember Rabbi, you'll appreciate this both of you and when um my son-in-law um became a rabbi, he went up to a small community in New Rochelle and and um I went to help him negotiate his contract there. And I love helping rabbis. I mean, I'm I'm the best negotiator when it comes to rabbis. Having a a father who's a cousin and and uh I know how to do the My father even said to the president in his later years, he said, "You know, my next contract, you're going to negotiate with David." He told the president of Hackensack. So, I I um so, the president said, "Have David call me. I go call him and and he said David come see me. And my father was making $10,000 as a chazzan in Hackensack, New Jersey. And I turned to him and I and I said, you know, I want you know, I want to talk to you about my my dad's contract. He says, I know David. He says, we can't afford the chazzan. And and um I think my father was 79 years old. I said, well, let's stop right here. I said, I'm going to write you a check for $10,000 and we're going to double my father's salary and you cannot let him go. And uh And then uh he says, okay, David. I I respect that. And I go home and I say to my father, he says, "Nu, nu, how did you do on my contract?" And I said, "Dad, I doubled your salary." And he turns to my mother and Yiddish, "He should have been doing my contract my entire career." Um but um I forgot the point I was getting to. What you What were you asking me? I'm sorry. About the giving back. That's why they do the rock and roll thing. So, Roger, you know, I remember So, I Oh, that's what I was telling you the story about, Rabbi Einhorn. So, he he's in a small community and I wanted to see my grandson, you know, I wanted to see him every Shabbos. So, I said, you should come to Manhattan and take a job in Manhattan. And there's a job open at the West Side institution. And and he says he comes back and uh he says, I checked out the shul there and everyone told me I shouldn't take that job. I mean, Rabbi Lamb said that everyone told me that it's a small shul and it's you know. And I said, do me a favor. I'll help you. Come take the job in Manhattan. So, we went for the prova. Everybody knows what a prova is. It's an audition. I take him to meet the president of the shul. And what was the prova? The guy turns to me and he says, "What's this week's parsha?" Thank you very much. He hires him on the spot. And we're a minyan every morning and and uh Rabbi says to me, "So, what am I what am I going to do here?" I said, "Here's what we'll do. Let's do rock and roll on Shabbos. I'll get you rock stars to come and you are a Friday night to talk, and you'll talk Torah, you know, and and uh instead of letting someone, you know, you I know you, you know how creative he is. Unbelievable. Brilliant. Brilliant. Stairway to heaven, you know, you know, to Jacob's ladder, and he came up with great topics, Bob Dylan. And I we I got him rock stars. I said, "I'm Jewish rock stars." I got Leslie West to come and Wow. Mountain. Leslie to come and all these great people every year. And then one year, I turned to Roger Daltrey and I said, "Roger, would you come to my son-in-law's um synagogue on a Saturday and and and see what a Shabbat lunch is and just be you don't have to speak." So, I said, "Sure." And he came. And he came and uh and I'll never forget, you know, we went to pick him up because he was living he always stays in in a in a in apartment three blocks in there. And he stays and he says um he comes to the comes to the meal and did a whole speech about all his songs, not the Pete Townshend songs, all the songs that Roger wrote. And he tied it into the parsha and and about giving. And Roger got up there and and and took an opportunity to ask questions. And he got up there, he spoke for a half hour. And he talked about that his love of giving. And I think that that many rock stars today, especially if they're on the the AA program and they you know, I couldn't have done this years ago, but now they're into giving. They the rock camp as you see in the movie from Sammy Hagar on down, it reminds them of what it was like when they first started. So, they are at a stage where they're giving back. The ones who do it for charity is awesome. And the charity is over, you know, Roger's charity has taken over his life and that's his priority in life. Wow. And when a rocker sees a shul on a Shabbat morning, they take that with them wherever they go. And if they're somewhere and someone says something disparaging about a Jew, they say, "I don't know what you're talking about. They're the most beautiful, welcoming people." And all that again. And tell us about where you're going to be at. He Roger said to me to this day every time he says how's your son-in-law and and you know, I remember taking him to meet Queen and to meet you know, he wanted son-in-law loves Queen. So I I called the guys from Queen and and Roger Roger Taylor and Brian May and I said can I bring my son-in-law to you know, one of your shows and and there's son-in-law holding the Gamorah you know, I turned to do something to Brian May and I said Brian he knows more about you than you know about yourself and he's a bucky you know, son-in-law I Meat Loaf too. I've taken son-in-law to meet Meat Loaf. I take him to meet his old heroes and they love meeting a rabbi you know, it just you know, it's they're so used to meeting drug dealers all day. HEY, I WANT TO MEET A RABBI you know, a rabbi they respect. Unbelievable. a lot of funny stuff, you know, I've had a Ringo Starr come to my house on a Friday night dinner and he wanted to know what a Shabbos meal was. Then he came and when I had my grandson and I know we're sitting there and and my daughter says to me you know, every you know, my daughter she always said Dad you know, we have to wash and and we have to do do you know, do all the all the things just because Ringo's I said relax. We're going to wash. Husband's going to do with the bar torah and we're going to do everything and and we get up there and we do shalom aleichem and then we go to wash and and all of a sudden Ringo says I like this family stuff that we do together. I mean he acknowledged how beautiful it was and then I even turned to my daughter I said now Shlomo's going to do the bar torah. I asked him to do the bar torah and he did a whole bar torah on shabbat on notes. You know, to explain it and it was just so beautiful how how you know, how how Ringo just you know, he and they he just loved it and and then I remember we were singing Carlebach. We were we were singing Carlebach songs and I would sing Ringo tapping the table and I'm telling him that if only Carlebach knew a Beatle Wow, was tapping to his songs? We were tapping to his songs, you know. So Wow. I don't really What's the story What's the story once Ringo played the Schottenstein Center? You uh Oh, that was Yeah, no. Well, last week I got to meet the the new owner of of the one who took over ArtScroll and and uh I reminded him a story that um when the when the Schottenstein Center in Ohio, they wanted to open they they they opened an arena there at Ohio State and I got a call from the booker and he says Mr. Schottenstein wants a Beatle to open up uh to be the first act in the arena. And I said you tell Mr. Schottenstein that if he wants a Ringo, I want a free set of Schottensteins, you know. Just a little bit I meant the truth. Truthfully, I meant it. And then as a joke, I said it, you know. So, the guy calls me back the next day. He says, "Mr. Schottenstein said he'll give a set of whole set to Ringo Starr and he'll give a whole set to you on one condition, that he takes a picture holding the Gemaras when he comes to Ohio State." So, uh I said, "Okay." And uh so, I turned to Ringo and like a week before and I said, "You know that gig we're doing in Ohio State? You know Madonna does Kabbalah?" I said uh you you know that's Kabbalah. You know, so this is a um thing, you know, like It's a thing. Like how do I explain him a set of Gemaras? You know what it is and I said, "Would you mind taking a picture?" And he said, "Sure, I don't mind." And I'll take a picture. I can't remember what it was. We walk into Ohio State and here's the entire Schottenstein family and there's a picture in the Jewish Week which I shared with you and it's Ringo and I holding the the the Talmud. And I never forget Ringo said, "Oh, I never thought David so happy getting a free set of Schottensteins." And then I told him what it was and he said I said that takes millions of dollars. He said, "That's cheap." He said to explain that. He was so brilliant Ringo he said to explain and and how they've taken over you know how how they've changed Judaism more than anybody you know how many people are studying Gamara Rabbi with you both of you and through through the you know through what art school has done and so it is amazing how we you know how you know Joe Walsh okay Jody you'll appreciate this I represent Joe Walsh as a as a as a client and I meet him after the the the Ringo go tour and and one day he says to me you know you might know my friend in Memphis you know oh the Bell Gary Belles and he said that his father does something at I said in YU some organization called YU I said yeah my father's in the on the cantorial goes to the cantorial teaches at the cantorial YU school for Belles you know the Belles School of Music and I said wow there's Gary Belles Roger Daltrey not not Joe Walsh Joe Walsh You know it was so crazy you know they all find something that ties them all in so Wow And now and so you you represented sports and obviously your career your your legacy is is rock and roll comedy talk to us about comedy the new comedy camp when when did comedy come in the comedians I know in the documentary I saw you sitting at a table with Jackie Mason and I forgot who the other person was on your other side so how did you connect with comedy what does comedy mean So I you know I started the camp schools I don't play an instrument so I'm doing Adam Carolla's show promoting my film and Adam says to me afterwards he said why don't we do a comedy fantasy camp and and it was right right before Carolla and I said wow that would be interesting that I would love to do after I saw these comedians I I'm not I'm not getting up there doing stand up but that's hard you know so he called me up after Carolla and he says I said you know I said Rabbi I said I said Adam I said it's got to be a fantasy name, you know, I'm in the fantasy business. So, he calls me up and he says Jay Leno and I are good friends. I said ask Jay and he went to Jay and Jay said he'll do it and so we're doing the week after Sukkot we're doing our first comedy fantasy camp with Adam Carolla and Jay Leno and we're going to spend four days and teach people to be stand-up comics. I got a lot of writers coming in to to teach about that and to teach about, you know, writing and and I'm excited about sold out. It's it's sold out right away and I I tell you, you know, you you talk about the Jewish connection. I'm in the bakery at Menchie's Bakery in here in my neighborhood in California and all of a sudden I see Carol and Ray and she's waiting in line to buy challahs and I turn to her and I said, Carol, are you Carol and Ray and she says, yes. The comedian she says, yes. I said I said, would you would you do my comedy fantasy camp? And she said, oh, I'd love to do it. I'd love to do it. And you know, I'm in the bakery. I'm buying challahs standing in I bump into. I mean, the stories are are they're they're they're they're funny stories, you know, and I know I could go on and on and and share stories of of general managers how how you know, they would call me on Shabbat and I wouldn't pick up the phone and and all of a sudden they'd call me up after Shabbat and I was negotiating a contract for a player and he wanted I wanted a 2 million and he only wanted to give me a million dollars. I was a free agent and I had up to Friday I had up to to make the deal up to Saturday night and the phone's ringing all day Shabbat and and I know that I told the general manager I can't make a deal with you anymore and I knew I could call him Friday Saturday night and make the deal. Phone's ringing 1 hour 2 hours. My kids are freaking out back then and and maybe something happened. I said, "No, relax." I come home from shul and it's Buzzy Bavasi of the of the Angels screaming, "Okay, you got the $10 million. Don't ever call me again." And I was That's right. Play hard to get. Did you ever think that you'd you'd see this week Ishay Ribo sold out the Garden? Wow. A Jewish religious guy sits and speaks about from the heart, songs about Hashem, selling out the Garden. Like Jewish music is on the rise, too. Did you ever end think about going into Jewish music? How would you compare Jewish music and and rock and roll secular music, performances, and the industries? All right. Well, I'm so glad you brought that up because I'm the biggest Mordechai Ben David groupie, Avraham Fried groupie, Ishay Ribo groupie. I love Jewish music. And Jewish music is what kept me from There's no question. A big part of my life is Jewish music. I Yesterday, I could create camps, ideas. I put on Shwekey. I put on Mordechai. I I So, it gives me soul. I love Jewish music and and I I'm so excited that Ishay Ribo that he sold sold out the Garden. I'm I love I I see Avraham Fried in Israel selling out arenas and Mordechai. So, Jewish music is what kept me from. Was a big part of it because I'm on the road and and I could I and I I go back to my room, I put on my Jewish music, and just reminded me you're a Jew. You're a Yid first. And you know, everybody else went to the bar. I'd put on my music and and and it Jewish music is my soul. It really is It's amazing and um you know, my funniest story is um I'm traveling with Colin Hay who who was in my one of my Ringo bands and Colin Hay is from the band called Men at Work and he I turned to Colin and I said, "Do me a favor. You're going to answer this question. How do you make a living? You know, how do you make a living? You You know, you're touring with Ringo, but the men of work they don't work. And he says, "You know, David, I sue everyone uses my song. I go to the land down under bar. All right, that is a famous song." He said, "People use it and and we send them suing. I've made millions of dollars. People use that It's a Jewish song. Yeah, it's not a Jewish song. Yeah, it's No, no, I'm saying that there's a cover of Ashira is I turned to him and I said I said, "You got to do me a favor. You cannot sue these guys." I "Please, they have no money. They're the Pimentel brothers. They have no money. It's a beautiful song." And he And I said, "Promise you won't sue." He said, "Okay, David, I promise I won't sue." I put it on and he just he starts laughing. Ah, it's great. Laughing. Um and and he starts Ashira. But, you know, some of those songs, you know, but Jewish music is really my soul. And I I cannot tell you that um it's it's all these singers have really uh you know, so funny. Yesterday I'm texting my son who's in Shalva in Israel, and I'm texting him about Shabbat plans, and all of a sudden I get back it's not your son, it's Mordechai Shapiro. I mean, I was I was I've been sending him my son's uh WhatsApp for the last 3 days. He didn't know, you know? But, the way these guys and the way they're they're they're how big they're getting in the community and um and even Mordechai Shapiro just um it's really great. And I think people the productions are better, the shows are better. Um you know, you go to I went to Shwekey shows in Israel, and I'm afraid the sound is better, the lights are better. They're being influenced. And uh you know, I used to hate going to a Jewish concert because I would get freaked me out that they they they wouldn't put money into the production. But, now they're really they've really upped their game, and it's really beautiful. And I think that Jewish music is really it really deserves and and and they are. you know, listen, every wedding today is hiring these musicians and they're making a beautiful living and Right. Yeah, I'm Jewish music, it's it. That's it for me. you know, he'd be making millions today. He would Listen, we can't thank you enough for your time going behind the Bema. These stories, one better than the other. I know we could go for hours. Tell us what's behind you. Who gave you these guitars? I see I think boxing gloves and a basketball. Tell us what's behind you right now. Well, you know, I'm a I'm a big I'm a I'm a big Larry Bird big Celtic fan. So, someone gave me the the your casino down there running gentleman runs the casino and and gave me a gift. He sent me the a Larry Bird signed by Havlicek and and not by by Larry Bird and and Magic Johnson. Uh Bill Bill Belichick is a dear friend. And then behind me is Don Felder and I you know I Ah, Don Felder, Eagles. I have thousands of guitars, you know, I always get them signed. The problem is they're all to David. So, I got to open up a website one day to David. David. And then and then I can say you know, but you know, I and I love these are great players, you know, Joe Perry is a guy who who did a if you Google him, he did a video about Israel and there's there are a lot of there are a lot of great ones who love the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, but there are a lot of this we still have a long way to go and getting musicians to go to Israel and and they don't realize there's more money in Israel than there are in most you know, European countries. To do the gigs there. Well, Mr. Fischer, thank you for all that you do being on the front lines for the Jewish people. David, thank you for all that you do. Front lines of the Jewish people and we appreciate your time. This is really really amazing. Thank you. And just wishing you the sweetest year of happiness, joy. I wish you get a lot of nachas from your beautiful family that we have the privilege to know and continue to make a difference for us. You know, I think if the knew what the word nachas is, they would they would they would they would get more of it. They would look they would seek that out. Yeah. That's really what keeps me going is the knowledge. Beautiful. Thank you so much for having me. It was a lot of fun. Thank you. Rabbi Josh Brody, finally you get to spend some time with one of your heroes, David Fischoff. Yes. What's your takeaway? What do you think of that conversation? I loved it. I loved it. It was so honest and you know, I didn't realize how connected he was back to Jewish life. I I again, I've only read about him, but you you see you see his honesty, you see his openness and everything he's trying to accomplish is really at its heart at the core it's Jewish. So I love it. I love it. I I love, you know, he's real. He's hartzig. He's a great person and I love that, you know, he doesn't seem to be swept up. A lot of people with the major social currency, I know this one, I met that one, I had this one at a Shabbos meal, I took a picture with this one. He's like, "Yeah, it's cool, you know, and it's my job, but like I'd much rather like my havrusa, Jewish music with Jewish music does I loved what he talked about Jewish music, what that means to him, the Jewish music personalities, the Jewish music superstars. Shottenstein. Shottenstein, the Gemara getting a fast, you know, the stories I could have heard stories all day long from him. But I love that he's not apologetic about the industry he's in, the people that he's with. I love that he's representing the Jewish people and a Jewish way of life to them, but in the end of the day and you look at at the results, look at his family, look at what he raised and you know, he gets it about the role of We don't have to look elsewhere. It's not about fame and fortune and and viral and how many cool people and arenas you fill, you know, what the values that really matter. He seems on board with that and I really came across to me in this conversation. Amazing. I loved it. He's a He's a true true mensch. He's just a great Yid. He is He is and so are you, Rabbi Brody, so Thank you for being back on the program. It's always great to talk and spend time with you and we got a lot to do. We got to go. It's Erev Rosh Hashanah. Everyone's got a lot of work to do, so we'll leave it right there. Until next time. Stay happy, stay healthy.