June 23, 2022 • 45 mins
Sue Poster, the original inspiration for Call Your Grandmother, is back! This time, she’s joined by co-thespian and grandson Jed Levinson, who has a bone to pick after listening to Season 1 and discovering that he doesn’t seem to be the favorite grandchild. Show tunes, prank calls, and a trip to WrestleMania weave through the story of this hilarious pair of Call Your Grandmother anti-heroes.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Peter's grandmother once said to me, when you're dealing with
your children and you're dealing with your husband, you're yes
them to death, and you're about your police. And I
never forgot that that's a good one. He has him
to death. And and what do you do? Well? You
know that the say what makes a good marriage? Two words,
(00:23):
Yes dear. He has to know yes, dear. That's the
two words a husband should know. Absolutely. Can we talk about, say,
being on Indy Cone last night, fan happulo, very harpular.
You know, we did very little. We really did nothing.
You want to know something funny. They gave me a
(00:45):
glass of wine in the beginning, and I was a
little bit the word yeah whatever. The truth of it is,
wherever you went, they were giving your drinks. You came
into the first big room, there was a bar, what
to drink. You went into a little dressing room, there
was liquor. I had to bring a walker with me
last night. He likes to get his guests a little
(01:08):
bit for forskit when certain ones don't have a translation.
This word. I remember my father. You're not drunk, but
you're like a little bit out of it, if you
know what I mean, and that's what he likes to
do because he feels he gets better stuff out of
his guests than when they're straight sober. Not us though,
we're like drunk away. But you know what, so many
(01:34):
people picked up on that he put a straw in
all wine, just sipping away. There was very little that
we did other than apployed Melissa McCarthy. But then he
mentioned Barbra streisand at about three to and I went
to the same high school as Barbara streisand Rasmus while
high school she graduated from. So did we I'm on
(01:55):
the show embtus to her radio birthday party. What do
you think? Sure? And Neil Diamond will pick us up
in his car, right right, Rita Ellen, who are we
going to hear today? Today? We're gonna hear from Sue Poster.
You remember who Sue was? Of course? I remember. I
(02:16):
loved that episode. She was actually the grandmother who inspired
the whole podcast. Her daughter Meryl Poster made the show.
Sue and her granddaughter Eva had a great episode. Let's listen.
She is really funny. Everything she says is like there's
always a joke. She's very musical. She's been a very
(02:37):
very important part of my life. She's the best, and
nobody has given me the joy in my life that
Ava has given me. Oh that was fabulous. I loved
that one. And today she's going to be interviewed by
her grandson terrific. I can't wait to hear it. Absolutely,
let's listen. They should be a good pair. Sue and
(02:59):
Jed expand frame Okay, perfect better? Oh handsome? Why do
you look like Joan? Look a little bit like Joan
Crawford right now, Joan Crawford, it looks very handsome. It's
the hair and the shape face. But you lost a
lot of weight, Jed, I lost sixty five pounds. Oh
my god, that's another little person. I guess how Grammy.
(03:22):
Let's give him a show. There's dope is just like show.
So this is soup poster my grandmother. Don't take grandmother's
like that's we call her Grammy. She's funny, one of
the kind, charismatic. Every one of my friends will remember her,
that's for sure. And she's Jed's very caring. He's a
(03:46):
very sensitive kid. She's like an Oprah if Oprah was Jewish.
I think we're both very empathetic with both funny. Neither
of us know when to stop, so it's like we
getting on a roll and then it's to the point
of the explosion, and then you gotta rein it back in.
I guess we can be loud, Grammy, we're a little bit,
you know much. Jed's a little way out. Sometimes you
(04:08):
never know what's to expect from him. She's definitely a performer.
That's where it has to come from. The entire family
were all extroverted, and it's all derivative of her. It
has to be. That's very nice. Who is Ava? The
question that's defined my life. Ava is my older sister.
(04:32):
Love her. She's a great, big sister. I would say
she's probably a little more work driven and I'm smarter.
Wouldn't you agree with that, Grammy? Yes, you're also very humble. Right,
She's always been Grammy's proverbial favorite. Stop saying that, Jed,
that's unnecessary. It's not unnecessary. If you said she brings
(04:53):
me the most joy in life. She started the episode
by saying, Avo is the person that brings me most
joy in life. Right, Never that quote, Grammy, Yes, yeah,
that was nice. That doesn't the gate the fact how
much I love you. I know, I know the cousins
have a group chat and we already have acknowledged that
Eva was the favorite, but that really, you know, you
really leaned into it. I feel like I'm like Monica
(05:15):
and Friends when it comes to Grammy. But it's all good.
But you know what they took out by mistake is
when I did Avis, I was saying how you really
were my favorite, and they didn't get into Yeah, I'm
sure they took that out. Yeah, I meant to tell
you that just to clarify in this moment, who's your
favorite grandchild? Well, in one Eva was, but now it's two,
(05:37):
so you wore got it? And why why am I
the favorite grandchild? Now? What have I done? It? Pay
a lot of attention to me. You care about me,
how I feel. You're very empathetic to my health issues.
And I'm the most successful and you called me the
most Yeah. Oh I love him. I just love him.
(06:02):
I'm telling you the minute it opens, this big personality.
They both have a sense of human and I wonder
who's going to be her favorite in twenty three? What
do you think It reminds me when I say Rachel
is my favorite granddaughter? But she's the only granddaughter, so
that's not a problem. But I have twin grandsons. One
(06:22):
calls me once in a while and one is just
like Jent. He calls me every week. And if they
keep calling, they become the favorite. In Finean's Rainbow, there's
a song when I'm not near the boy I love,
I love the boy I'm near, And that's how I
feel about my grandchildren. The one nuts with me is
my favorite at the moment, and that's true. But he's
not insulted. He knows his grammy loves him, but he's
(06:46):
always trying to put her on the spot, and she's
got to figure out a way to get out of it.
It's like I kept a mass relationship. He says one
thing and she kind of comes back another way. It's
very cute. What we're hearing, though, is this reparte that
they have, that they're both on the same way. They
get each other. Absolutely. Okay, Rita, the producers have handed
(07:08):
me the park titles, and here's the first one, Part one.
W w E. I wonder what that could I I
couldn't imagine w w E. World War Women's where, women's
where early I don't know. I can't imagine. All right,
I think we're gonna have to listen to it because
(07:30):
we're getting silly. What about Beauty School Dropout, No graduation,
Beauty School Dropout. That movie Greece is on every other week.
I must have seen the Ted Times in Florida this winter. Wow.
Jed's had many interests in his life. He loved w
(07:54):
w E. I think we went to Zack Shuman's house
Grammy and he had Power Rangers, which I loved Power Rangers,
and then pro wrestling figures. Oh yes, I think I
took come home. We watched YouTube videos with the wrestlers.
I was really drawn to the sort of dramatization of it.
It's kind of like drag queens in our way. Wrestlers,
(08:14):
you know, they're just all over the place. And I
was really obsessed. I would have hundreds of action figures,
you know. I mean, I was really into it. So
we went to w w E and the dregs of
society are there. You never saw us so many disgusting
looking people dressed with vests with their tattoos all over
(08:36):
their bodies and jeweled hats. It was just a scene,
it really was. That was what like nine years old,
you know, And I knew more than half of them.
Do you remember that Graham? And he was just a
pain in the ass that night. He was running here
and running. They didn't know what to do, so excited,
they didn't know which way to turn, and the place
was packed and I was only afraid I'd lose them.
(08:58):
And you got these big guys all out, and he
was little jed trying to find wrestler that he saw
already wanted to talk to him. Quite a scene that night.
At one point, we're watching this wrestling match and Grammy goes,
we're going now. I'm done, We're going now, And I'm like, no,
and she goes, we're going now. We got in the
car and I'm so upset. I think. I was like,
(09:21):
I can't believe comely, and she goes, you know what,
I took you to the Wrestling Mania event. Shut up.
And I have a picture of me in the back
of the car being on moody. I'm in the back
of the car taking pictures of myself because I feel
like it's my moody moment because I was so upset.
Here you are driving in the front of the car.
We speaking of the entire car. Right, Grammy, do you
(09:43):
know any pro wrestlers? Could you name any, Grammy? Nope,
you couldn't name one. The one that had that show
on television, that used to wear the band data how
covid Right, the porn star. You know he's a porn star. Now, No,
I don't know that he had like a whole sex
tape that gobb interested ever didn't think you were. How's
your dating life going, Grammy? What's up with that? Nothing?
(10:06):
I don't need a man of eighty five years old
with a walker. That's not what you said last time
you were going out with that guy in Florida. You
know what I'm talking about, right, you said we're gonna
see him again. I'm not saying him again. He might
have died. You're so nonchalant about that. You're so nonchalant
about that that he may have died. Okay, it's hysterical,
(10:34):
that's that's so. She is hot stuck. She says she's
eighty five in a wheelchair. I mean, oh my god,
got a throwaway that is so terrific. Maybe he's dead, well,
that's true, would be hard to get a day. Oh
my god, I gotta say one thing I give her
(10:54):
the biggest props for going to a wrestling thing, because
as much I love my grandchildren, and believe me, I
love my grandchildren, there is no way on god screener
that you would ever get me to a wrestling thing,
I tell you the truth. W w E. I still
don't know what the hell that with me? Is that
(11:15):
the name of a wrestling world? Wrestling something around? Did
you see them? Did you know? Did you never watched that?
Are you crazy? There is no isn't that something? And
she was a good grandmother, She took um, she's the best. Okay,
the producers have handed me the next part, so let's go.
(11:36):
Let's hear it. I can't wait to hear it. To
the pain in the s Meryl and Grammy fight like
cats and dogs. I mean, it's really something else where,
this Jewish family who goes so intense at it. So
one moment they'll be going out at left and right,
and the next moment they'll be talking the most normal
(11:58):
conversation you've ever seen in your entire life. I mean,
it's really some dynamic. It's who we are, I guess
as a family, you know, you never know what you
gotta get with jed, but he was younger. He really did.
He was very complex. I really did know which way
he was going to churn, and he weren't as close
back then, you know, it was difficult. What time I
(12:20):
took him to videat your golf and I picked him
up at his father's house and he said to me,
I'm not going to talk to you the whole time
in the car. I said, I'm not going to talk
to you the whole time in the car. That's right,
that's a little dickie. Continue, well, that's true. And we
played Beniche golf and then I just didn't know what
(12:40):
to do to play Cadam, so I said, you want
to go to the special ice cream store. So he
went to the ice cream store and he he loved
whatever he had bought, and he said to me, now,
I'm not going to talk to you the rest of
the way home, so you know, no, I mean no.
I remember the times where it's like when I was
bad at Amy because she loves to talk, that's the thing.
(13:02):
And only was she talked. She would ask about everything
and anything. I'd be like, I stepped out of the
house this morning. She'd be like, on what foot I
feel bad. I get that from her now too. And
someone's telling me a story at each another time, what
they were eating, how they were feeling. Sometimes it's a
little much, but I mean she's definitely cares, you know,
But I don't know why I would retaliate it. Goods
(13:23):
to you. That was your personality. Sometimes it was yes
and sometimes it was no. You never know what you
got when you whipped it. One day they had grandparents
day in the nurse three school. He was delicious that
whole time, and you made pictures and we left. We
were taking him home and he just would not cross
(13:43):
the street. It's like he weighed like three hundred pounds.
He's stuck so far up to the ground. He just
we could move them. Oh my god, it was just impossible.
He just stood for why. Do you know why? No,
I don't know why. Till this day, you know why.
I was probably in my own world. I think it
all probably just caught up with me in that moment.
(14:04):
I think I probably thought you were abducting Cecy would
take me everywhere. No, we spent the warting with you.
We had a lovely time. It's like, know what I
was painting? He asked, I think we all know that.
But I think my goal growing up was just because
Eva would get all the attention always, she was always
number one. I think I had to be remembered for something. Well,
(14:27):
that's very vivid. Yeah, you certainly were remembered. That is
so funny. He accomplished what he wanted to accomplish. He
wanted to set his own mark. And she never forgot
that incident, never, and that was exactly what he wanted.
You know, little boys are different than the different thing girls. Yeah,
(14:49):
you can't ask them a lot of questions. Every time
I asked my grandson's when they do something and they
go someplace, I wasn't good. That's it, right, one word,
And from the girls she get chapter and verse. Yeah,
you get what they were wearing, who looked nice, who
didn't look nice? Late? Right? And and a boy, did
you have a good time? Yeah? Yeah, But this child
(15:11):
knew how to make his mark. He just stood literally
stood his ground. And that's what killed Sue. When he
says I'm not talking because she's a talker. That must
kill her if anything, just talk to me. But what
you also are hearing is how close they were really
that she went to this and she went to that.
(15:32):
She tried, she really tried. He gets a kick out
of all the things. He doesn't even remember the things
he did. Know. I think we tend to remember things
more than, oh, absolutely, than they do absolutely. I remember
when my grandson went to a Quaker nursery school and
a lady came around with cookies, and he never lifted
(15:53):
his head, and the woman kept on saying, Logan, would
you like a cookie? And finally he looked up. He
must have been three, and he says, no, thank you.
I'll wait for the bagels to come around. That tell
me from a Jewish kid in quite a nursery school. Okay, rita,
time for the next part. Okay, let's here in Allen
(16:16):
Part three. A nice rich father. That's nice. Start spreading
the news. I'm leaving today. I want to be a
part of it. New York, New York. I want to
(16:37):
wake up in the city that doesn't sleep. Grammy, do
you have any wine at your house or something? I'm
on antibiotics. I'm not drinking right now. I have gubby bears.
We um. I don't know if we can say that
on camera. What we smoke? We together A drink? I
mean that's that was gonna say. I mean, that's consisted
(17:02):
of a lot of our activities recently. Well, I was
his father brought me down some gummy bears, right, what
do you call them? Is that what it is? Jed
special gummy bears. I guess he brought them for me
as a medicine for the back. I have a very
bad back, and Jed was in the house and I
had a bad attack, and he kept throwing them in
(17:24):
my mouth, one after the other, and after a while
I was getting moopy. And then I look over and
you're out. You're out like a light. I'd have to
go to rehab. Wait. I want to ask, so, Grammy,
I'm in college right now. Do you have any fun
memories of partying or any of that sort in college? No.
(17:47):
I went to an old girls city college, and I
came home at three o'clock or five o'clock whenever my
class was over, and you didn't go out. You can
go to the clubs. You didn't do anything at the time.
We never went to clubs. You know, as a group,
you had a date with a boy and then you
went out for dinner or something. Well, speaking of dates,
you dated Poppy at a very young age. I mean
(18:07):
you were nineteen, he was what? Right? Were you usually
always attracted to older guys? Was that your thing? No? No,
I dated other guys while I was going with him
because I just didn't think that he was marriage material.
I mean, are you're supposed to keep your virginity until
after you're married in Jewish culture? No? Well, that Jewish
culture and every culture. I'm not gonna ask if you
(18:29):
abide it by that. That's a little personal, but but
I assume not. Um, Grammy, who do you think the
ideal type of guy for me to be dating is?
George Clooney? Yeah? I feel like you would like it
if I was with someone who had talent. Can I
just say? She wasn't very close with my ex boyfriend?
(18:51):
I mean it was really nice. It was like a
whole concerned every she put out. At the point where
I was like, I think I'm gonna break up with him,
she was like, no, well I felt it was too
You know, one minute you were in love and the
next moviute you were breaking up. I wanted you to
be a little more sure of yourself, right, right, right,
right right. I was going through this whole tumultuous situation.
I mean, my grandma was the one who really was
the whole game changer in the way I was thinking
(19:12):
about things. She gave me the lesson of if someone
really cares about you, and that's what really matters the most,
and showing that they care about you. But I told
her at one point, I was like, I don't know
if I trust him, and she goes, well, that's a
big thing. You have to trust someone, that's the biggest thing.
And if you don't trust someone, then you have nothing.
Remember saying that, Grammy, absolutely, But what would be your
(19:32):
ideal man for me? George Clooney? Somebody that had a
very nice, rich father. I agree with that. That was single.
Oh who's also single? Do I date people who are
not single? My home wrecker? The father is singing, Oh,
then the father. So I could take two at once, right,
(19:53):
live in life to the fullest. That's a great No
the father for me? Oh, I thought you were telling
me to take advantage of all of life's opportunities. I mean,
that's something you would do. No, no, no, no, no,
that's something you would do. You would date the father
and the son. I think that's a very supposter move please, no, no,
don't fool yourself here, don't. Let's not get too posh.
(20:14):
You would do it if you had the opportunity. I
can't even walk. You can do things other than walk.
Oh my god, that conversation is priceless. First, feeding this
poor woman these cannabis, COMMI ball till she was looped. Listen,
(20:38):
you've got a bad back, you try anything. And then
she's suggesting a grandson should find a nice young man
with a rich father. So I'm thinking, yeah, everybody should
marry somebody has a rich father. No, not fun. I
think that this whole segment tells the story of their closeness,
(20:59):
of their humor being so into each other. I just
think that this is wonderful. She's a riot and he
plays right into it. I'm telling you that would be
the funniest sitcom on TV. You can imagine every once
in a while, don't you feel like you'd like some
of those gutty bass riata. Oh I don't know. I'm fine.
(21:20):
I'd sleep well. If I have a pain, I'd taken
a leave. It's cheaper than a gunny bear. You know, reader,
that's because you're from one generation before me. That's true.
And you know what's so funny, And he didn't want
to hear the answer. He wanted to know if his
grandmother got married as a virgin. You know, my kids,
I'd tell right out sure, And I said, you know,
(21:41):
I was a virgin, and you were a virgin only
because you didn't have abortions in those days. And if
you got pregnant, you really had a problem. You know,
next subject, next subject. But you're another decade after me,
So moving on, we're not going to ask you. Okay,
(22:01):
that's that time again. What time? What time are you
talking about? Tea time? Tea time? You know, when we
have our break and we have our tea time. It's
nothing like tea time in London. No, there really isn't.
You can go in the city. It's not like London. Now. Well,
my bring is hot water in a bag that you
keep donking in and out. And now that's what they
(22:24):
called tea time in the United States. Okay, tea time
is over. Back to work all and so we can
afford another trip. You know what we do. Maybe we
should try to meditate. And that's when I do a
(22:45):
whole day. I clear my mind and I hoped to myself,
and I talked to my that's my meditating. I have
a chicken in the refrigerator. Chicken is defrosted. Listen it
all right, We're glad we could think the day eftday. Okay, reader,
(23:09):
time for the next part. Okay, let's go part four,
the prank call. Okay. So I have no idea how
this came up, but I saw a TikTok and that
was like this girl used Google Translate to create this
robotic voice, like an automatic voice. I'm like, you know what,
(23:30):
I should do it to Grammy because I think it
would be a good reaction. So in the morning it
was I guess it was up one thirty in the morning.
So I call her and it's like, you have a
collect call from jed Levinson Manhattan Juvenile Center. Press one
if you would like to receive the call. Hello, this
(23:50):
is a call from Manhattan Correctional Center Institution from inmate
jed Levinson jed Levinson. And she goes, what and then
I'd say it all over a guy, Hello, this is
a call from inmate or Levinson. Say yes, if you
would like to accept this call, and she goes yes,
And I go Grammy and I'm like trying not to
laugh at this point because I know she's so into it.
(24:12):
I can hear she's into it, and I go, Grammy, Grammy,
I'm scared, and she goes, what are you doing? And
I go up in jail and she goes, jail. How
do you end up in jail? And I go, I
don't know, and she's like, oh my god, oh my god.
It was petrifying. Mean, I mean, here, I have a
(24:32):
load in the house and he cas me, he tells
me he's a jail and I don't know what to do.
And then I think I just start bursting out laughing,
and she goes, what did I go, it's a joke.
She starts bawling, crying loudly, bawling, crying like a howl
on most of the stars was oh. Right after I
was done, she goes, how did you do that? She
(24:52):
wanted to know immediately after all the details situation. I
mean like she got over at quick. Anyways, we had
to hang up for a second. I call her back
five minutes later, because you don't want to call you back.
I go, Grammy, She goes, what and I go, how
are you doing? She goes, I just say the whole salami.
Why she goes, I always keep a salami in the
house with me, no matter what. I was so scared
(25:14):
a whole salami. Maybe that's why I'm fat. I don't
think you're fat. I just think it was funny you
get a whole salami. I could eat a whole salami.
That it sounds good, I know. Okay, So you want
to know something. This is a god's honest truth. Every
time a person plays a prank, it backfires. You have
(25:36):
to be careful. My sister I once played a prank
on my parents. They lived near us, and they had
built this beautiful new home. We had a key to
my parents has and my sister gets an idea to
make a figure in the bed with pillows and choose
at the end of the bed. And we left and
we were laughing, what a funny thing. They'll come on. Well,
(25:59):
my parents came home in the middle of the night
and my father saw this figure in the bed and
my mother was screaming, what did you stupid girls do?
Your father stow the body and the bed. He nearly
had a heart attack, just like Sue. Couldn't that's a
heart attack. When she heard that he was in jail.
You have to be careful with pranks and you know
(26:20):
who you're playing the mind, especially with elderly people. That's right, absolutely,
Oh but that's soon. She goes for the ride all
the way. Yes, she does. But you know, in a moment,
you're not thinking, Wow, he's playing a prank. You're thinking
to yourself, with my checkbook, I have to bail him out.
You know, if it was me, I would eat a
whole gallon of ice cream. She had a whole salami instead. Okay, Riata, okay,
(26:46):
let's hear it, Ellen, pot five, Tell me about my brists.
Tell me about my brisk. Two people that don't know
what a briss is. Brisk is really a circumcision ceremony,
circumcision for a boy. In Jewish religion, they do it,
but it's more like a religious ceremony. I can't imagine
(27:08):
what Sue was going to tell about the well that
let's cut to the chick, Cut to the cut, cut
to the breast. Oh that's very glever, Ellen. Oh god, okay,
you're the one who planned my breast. What do you
mean I planned the brisk? I planned the brisk. Tell
me about my breast. Jed had a huge would never
(27:31):
say I would never I would say I would never
say to my grandma, tell me about my breast. That
would never be a sentence I would ever say to her.
I just want to let you know that, right. But
she's got to cut that out. She's not putting that in.
That gets cut out anyway. She tell me about my
breast was okay. You were the fourth grandchild, and my
(27:53):
husband this was his only grandson, and he was thrilled
having a little boy. And he did it to make
this a real hooplah. So we had the brists and
we had balloons. So they served nice food the Boyal Cave.
He did what he had to do it, and he
cried a little bit. They took it back home. I
can't believe I had had that. You know, your mother
(28:15):
had all the people that she does business with, it
all have friends. You know your mother had invited you
Jackman to the brists at the cave. So my mom
is a big shot producer. Anyways, you know, it's the
only phone number I've ever stole from mom's phone was Jackman.
Hugh Jackman. I was gonna try to steal Kanye West,
but Hugh Jackman is a great you know. I feel
(28:36):
like I could call him at any moment. You know,
he's a real stand up guy, you know that, right.
You know I thought growing up that Hugh Jackman, because
they saw him as wolverine, I thought he did my
breast with his like wolverine claws. That's what I always thought.
I mean, that's that's what I would always say to
people because that's how I knew him, you know. But
that was not the case, right. I do not like
(29:00):
the mental picture of Hugh Jackman with wolverine claw's doing
anybody's brist That jet is really a character my boys
that never even wanted to talk about it. I once
said something that he might na I don't want to
talk about it. Yeah, they know it. They know that's
something that you might want to forget. But the Brits
is a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a big,
(29:22):
big deal in the Jewish religion. And you know what,
it's a happy ceremony. Only the baby cries. But they
give the baby a little bit of wine on the
legs on a piece of cotton. It's makes him a
little woozy. And the mothers never locked no I never looked.
I never know the mothers never looked. I would go
(29:42):
to Hugh Jackman's briss You would go to his priest, right,
I would go to Hugh Jackman's anything one time. I
tell you, okay, it's time for another break. My walker
is here. Do you mean a walker to walk with
or do you mean one of those guys that scort you? Listen?
If I have my choice, I'd rather have a guy
(30:04):
that it scorts me. Are you kidding? I mean if
I come with my walker walker with another walker, the
walker walker won't want to walk with me with my walker.
If you walk with a walker who has a walker,
then you have four walkers walker together. You know what
I need a glass of Johnny Walker. Johnny Walker, and
(30:26):
that's the walk around walker. I walk with my walker
and had the bottle of Johnny Walker. Okay, we're back,
(30:48):
all right, put back the walker. Let's go back on
that program. Yeah, but I'm gonna sit here with my
Johnny Walker anyway. Okay, okay, rider, let's hear it Ellen
Part six the Entertainers. I'm towah and clean your closer.
(31:11):
I'll just spending all the do have the dctor fix
you know up, baby, don't sweat it. You're a whole
the job benefiting. We're all connected by our love for performing.
Who wants to go to the theater with me, Let's go.
(31:31):
She is the best person to go to the theater
with the best she really, now that I think about it,
Grammy has brought so much culture to this household. I mean,
what brought you into theater? When did you become such
a purveyor of the arts. My mother used to love
to sing. My mother had a nice voice. When I
was a little girl, she used to teach me all
the old time songs like come to Me, my Melancholy Bay,
(31:55):
the one I love belongs to somebody else. He's sing
those favorite songs to somebody else. And even when I
have my arms around him. Are these songs from like
eighteen hundreds or what? No, what kind of hundreds? I
don't know what year they're from, twenties, nineteen twenties, thirties.
(32:19):
I always liked performing, and I didn't even always think
I was the best. I think that as I grew up,
I liked making people laugh a lot. Grammy also helped
instill that in me. You know, at the family gatherings,
everyone was very funny, so it's like, who can top
the next person with the jokes? You know, your biggest
competition was right in front of you. Grammy would go
to virtually all my shows, all of them. He's very professional,
(32:42):
and I love when he sings and when he dances.
Had bonderful shows. You had bonderful poets. I love watching you.
He's really very good. Now. I was also in a
lot of shows where there was a lot of sex,
a lot of sex, and Grammy would be at these shows.
I want to have that experience was for Yeah, did
you go to Heather's when I was a nut show?
(33:04):
I don't think so. I don't think I saw that.
I might have been. I think maybe you blocked it
out of your memory because it was so Maybe maybe
I was only in my underwear for half the show. No,
I don't think I saw that. I would remember that.
You know what, I performed at fine scene fifty four below,
and she was there. I remember that staircase vividly to
get up a dad. That staircase was murder. She has
(33:27):
bad knee. She doesn't need to come to all these things.
Chips to this you did from Chlorous Life, I did
So I in eleventh grade got the opportunity to perform
at Fine Scene fifty four below, which is this huge
Broadway club in New York, and I chose dance ten
looks three from a chorus line, it's all about someone
(33:47):
who gets plastic surgery to get themselves done up, to
have boobs in a butt. It goes how fabulous. She
(34:14):
was the biggest supporter there, absolutely and it really means
a lot didn't cost apportion, neither didn't hurt. I actually
have a performance today right after this interview. You were
probably the first person I called. When I got this part.
Was the middle of this big snowstorm, huge snowstorm, but
(34:37):
most of because was late at night. It has no
idea of time. But what time about go to sleep
Hill clubby twelve thirty? What o'clock? It must have been
for almost two hours we talked. I hate to tell
him that he woke me up, because I loved Liddy
calls me, you know, so I I don't say anything.
I just listened to him. That's very nice. And we're
going to take that to your music class so that
your music teacher could work on the songs with you.
(35:00):
I did, Yeah, I did. You know in the future.
Wouldn't be surprised if one day, you know, I'm writing
a play and then I called Grammy to ask her
insights to be a co creator on it, because she's
so norrish when it comes to creativity and feeling inspired.
My cup brothers over. And that's because who she is
the person. It's not about being my grandma. I'll come
(35:21):
back from the dead like in the Fiddler around the Roof.
Remember she came back from the dead. Now get out
of the shot. I really got shot. God again, go
(35:48):
into that sha God. Oh they are a show, Bob,
a show together. The relationship with the grandmother. The word
he used was nourishing. Oh that was a good word.
(36:10):
It just hit me. That word nourishing. It does she
It nourishes his soul. He's going to use this in
his life's work. It's going to give him the foundation
things to think about it. And she is so patient.
Oh she is. She is hot stuff. I would say
to my grandkids, I can't talk to you at two
o'clock in the morning. She's up there listening. You know.
(36:33):
That's part of their relationship is late night calls. She's
behind him all the way. Well, that's how it should be, Okay,
Rita hot seven, fabulous, fabulous. I'm sorry to see it in.
I have to remember when I danced for Poppy at Hanaka.
(36:56):
Oh my god, when I did Chicago the routine for him.
Were you there? Right? Of course I was there. You
set the scene. We used to have performances on the holidays.
Each one would perform, each grandchild. We always had fun together.
I in ninth grade was doing the musical Chicago for
my theater group. I was playing Miss Mary Sunshine, which
(37:17):
is the drag queen, and Poppy we all knew he
was sick. We all know he probably didn't have much
time left. So they said, Jed, do it for Poppy
because he can't be at the show. And I'm like, oh,
knowing the show of Chicago, what the dance is like,
I'm not really looking to perform it for my grandfather
(37:38):
And like, no, no, no, Jed, you have to do it.
And I'm like, I really don't know if this is
the best idea. Okay, And here I am, for the
entire family performing this number. I just start grinding and
every single direction, my hips are swaying, my crotches out.
It's like a whole thing for my grandfather and all
I because this is the most embarrassing thing I've ever
(37:58):
done in my entire life, the tops, all else, oh god, Okay.
And then when it was done, he though, he went fabulous.
Of course that was great. He loved sports. I mean
that's what he was doing, was watching this baseball game.
(38:18):
Baseball off football, depended on the season. But I remember
it when where he told me he had a gay
football coach, and that was just like he didn't have
to say that. I mean, that was really something else.
I don't know if that was before or after I
had come out, but he cared so much, and his
caring was visible in the most deep way, and he
(38:39):
was so supportive of my mom. It's fair to say
that she was, by far in the entire family, closest
to my grandfather. I remember it so distinctively. I was
in my room. She never cries, I mean, she really
doesn't cry, and she came in and she was crying
and she said, Poppy died. I never experienced death that
(39:00):
stening before, and I think me and Ava really felt
strongly that in order for our mother to also get
through it, it was important that we show our gratitude
for the man he was. I didn't know anything about
what they were writing, so the first time I ever
heard it was at the funeral. But when I go
to Florida in the winter, I take our eulogies with me,
(39:22):
So Grahamy's going to read from the eulogy I wrote
for Poppy. I've been avoiding writing this. It's really been
hard thinking about Poppy and not getting emotional. He was
such an important person in all of our lives. Most
people in our family have huge personalities and loved being
(39:43):
in the spotlight. But what separated Poppy from the rest
of us was that he wasn't like that at all.
He balanced out all the craziness in our family and
was the only sane voice at times. He's more of
a Meths than a day Am Yankees kind of guy.
But it didn't matter that Poppy didn't have an extensive
(40:05):
knowledge of musical theater. He said to me, you're a star.
He believed in me. He believed in all of us
because he had a heart of gold and loved seeing
others succeed. When I think of Poppy, that's the way
I will think about him. Poppy, you are the reason
that I will always feel free to be unapologetically me.
(40:29):
I love you so much, thank you. It wore my heart.
You know, Jed was very difficult to relate to in
those early years. He really was. And then oh yes,
he matured beautifully. He really did. He really is concerned
with the next guy. He's interesting and interested in everything
(40:49):
in life, it seems lately. So I'm very proud of him.
Thank you, Grammys. The matriarch of this family, I don't
know what's going to happen when one day, God, she's
not here anymore, because she really keeps everything in place,
even from day one, even though I was tough deal
with because for so long I was such a pain
in the ass. We always have the connection and I
(41:11):
think just kind of get each other. He let me
come into his life a little bit, and I enjoy
being there. I think I trust her more so now.
That thing makes me more happy than to see this
relationship evolving to what it is now. What has Jed
taught me? You feel like you've learned from me? Really? Yeah,
(41:34):
I think I learned how to look into a mirror. Well,
He's taught me that life is joyous, and he taught
me how to laugh more, and he had taught me
how to have good relationship. He always looks deeper into things.
And I'm just very proud of Jed and I'm very
proud to call him my grandson. That's very nice. Can
(41:55):
I sidebar? Is that? Okay? If I sidebar right now? Sure?
Grammy drove me to I first ever pride. It was
in June, this past June. I mean that's really something else.
Do you remember that? Where was it at something? I
show up to you on a jacket in my underwear?
Oh yes, and then you're having to drive me to
my pride. I mean it was really something else. I
always find myself having a wonderful time with you, Jid,
(42:16):
I really do. When am I going to see you again?
A sap? I really am excited for the next time
we see each other. We'll meet again, don't know where,
I don't know when, but we'll meet again some sunny day.
You killed it. She really is something else, doesn't she. Well.
(42:39):
I think that's a good ending. Thank you so much
for this wonderful, wonderful interview. It really meant alone. It
meant more to be What a way to end this series?
Unconditional love oh my god. If nothing else, if they
listened to this, just this one episode of Call Your Grandmother,
(43:05):
people will see what the relationship between a grandchild and
a grandparent could be. It's something beyond special. This has
a magical quality to it. It really does. I can't
stop wiping away the tears and blowing my nose. I
don't even have a kleenex. And what he thinks of
his grandfather will really reflect in his entire life and
(43:29):
has made him the way he is. Yeah, but although
she made a funny remark, so I told me had
a look in the mirror, and he laughed. Already likes
to look at himself. But it's funny how she picked
that up. Look, he's only twenty years old. He's still
a young man, and so he was a difficult child.
Maybe he there were things about him he knew where
(43:50):
you know, we're hard too, but it took a while
to get to where he is. But he's at a
good place and she's enjoying him as he is now,
and it just encapsulates the word love. Love. It was
just a lovely way to end the series. Unfortunately it's ending,
but this was perfect. Absolutely, Look, they'll all be said
when we go, when the grandparents go. But you know,
(44:13):
when we leave, and we all do leave, the good
memories and the things you did together, that's what they'll
have to hold on to. Kind thoughts. Absolutely, absolutely forget
money or anything like that. That doesn't mean anything. That's nothing,
but the little intricate things of life. That's what we
leave for them. Absolutely, they'll all get on when we're
(44:35):
not here. I'm never dying, reader, I am. I'll never dying, okay, alright,
because I always tell them I'm gonna be watching you.
When I'm gonna be watching you like the Ghost and
the Fiddler. Call Your Grandmother is a production of I
Heart podcast Network and SUPERB Entertainment. Our lead produces our
(45:00):
Shina Ozaki and Laura cb. Executive produces our marrow poster
Nikki Iatore and Anna Stump. Our managing producer is Lindsay Hoffman.
Mastering by Bahid Fraser. A theme song is by Anna
Stump and Hamilton's Lighthouser. Listen to Call Your Grandmother on
(45:21):
the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you
get your podcasts, and don't forget leave us a glowing
five star review you will pick on a couple of
old ladies and give us less than five stars. Would you.
We're not getting any younger, but leave us a review
and we might get more famous.
Peter's grandmother once said to me, when you're dealing with
your children and you're dealing with your husband, you're yes
them to death, and you're about your police. And I
never forgot that that's a good one. He has him
to death. And and what do you do? Well? You
know that the say what makes a good marriage? Two words,
(00:23):
Yes dear. He has to know yes, dear. That's the
two words a husband should know. Absolutely. Can we talk about, say,
being on Indy Cone last night, fan happulo, very harpular.
You know, we did very little. We really did nothing.
You want to know something funny. They gave me a
(00:45):
glass of wine in the beginning, and I was a
little bit the word yeah whatever. The truth of it is,
wherever you went, they were giving your drinks. You came
into the first big room, there was a bar, what
to drink. You went into a little dressing room, there
was liquor. I had to bring a walker with me
last night. He likes to get his guests a little
(01:08):
bit for forskit when certain ones don't have a translation.
This word. I remember my father. You're not drunk, but
you're like a little bit out of it, if you
know what I mean, and that's what he likes to
do because he feels he gets better stuff out of
his guests than when they're straight sober. Not us though,
we're like drunk away. But you know what, so many
(01:34):
people picked up on that he put a straw in
all wine, just sipping away. There was very little that
we did other than apployed Melissa McCarthy. But then he
mentioned Barbra streisand at about three to and I went
to the same high school as Barbara streisand Rasmus while
high school she graduated from. So did we I'm on
(01:55):
the show embtus to her radio birthday party. What do
you think? Sure? And Neil Diamond will pick us up
in his car, right right, Rita Ellen, who are we
going to hear today? Today? We're gonna hear from Sue Poster.
You remember who Sue was? Of course? I remember. I
(02:16):
loved that episode. She was actually the grandmother who inspired
the whole podcast. Her daughter Meryl Poster made the show.
Sue and her granddaughter Eva had a great episode. Let's listen.
She is really funny. Everything she says is like there's
always a joke. She's very musical. She's been a very
(02:37):
very important part of my life. She's the best, and
nobody has given me the joy in my life that
Ava has given me. Oh that was fabulous. I loved
that one. And today she's going to be interviewed by
her grandson terrific. I can't wait to hear it. Absolutely,
let's listen. They should be a good pair. Sue and
(02:59):
Jed expand frame Okay, perfect better? Oh handsome? Why do
you look like Joan? Look a little bit like Joan
Crawford right now, Joan Crawford, it looks very handsome. It's
the hair and the shape face. But you lost a
lot of weight, Jed, I lost sixty five pounds. Oh
my god, that's another little person. I guess how Grammy.
(03:22):
Let's give him a show. There's dope is just like show.
So this is soup poster my grandmother. Don't take grandmother's
like that's we call her Grammy. She's funny, one of
the kind, charismatic. Every one of my friends will remember her,
that's for sure. And she's Jed's very caring. He's a
(03:46):
very sensitive kid. She's like an Oprah if Oprah was Jewish.
I think we're both very empathetic with both funny. Neither
of us know when to stop, so it's like we
getting on a roll and then it's to the point
of the explosion, and then you gotta rein it back in.
I guess we can be loud, Grammy, we're a little bit,
you know much. Jed's a little way out. Sometimes you
(04:08):
never know what's to expect from him. She's definitely a performer.
That's where it has to come from. The entire family
were all extroverted, and it's all derivative of her. It
has to be. That's very nice. Who is Ava? The
question that's defined my life. Ava is my older sister.
(04:32):
Love her. She's a great, big sister. I would say
she's probably a little more work driven and I'm smarter.
Wouldn't you agree with that, Grammy? Yes, you're also very humble. Right,
She's always been Grammy's proverbial favorite. Stop saying that, Jed,
that's unnecessary. It's not unnecessary. If you said she brings
(04:53):
me the most joy in life. She started the episode
by saying, Avo is the person that brings me most
joy in life. Right, Never that quote, Grammy, Yes, yeah,
that was nice. That doesn't the gate the fact how
much I love you. I know, I know the cousins
have a group chat and we already have acknowledged that
Eva was the favorite, but that really, you know, you
really leaned into it. I feel like I'm like Monica
(05:15):
and Friends when it comes to Grammy. But it's all good.
But you know what they took out by mistake is
when I did Avis, I was saying how you really
were my favorite, and they didn't get into Yeah, I'm
sure they took that out. Yeah, I meant to tell
you that just to clarify in this moment, who's your
favorite grandchild? Well, in one Eva was, but now it's two,
(05:37):
so you wore got it? And why why am I
the favorite grandchild? Now? What have I done? It? Pay
a lot of attention to me. You care about me,
how I feel. You're very empathetic to my health issues.
And I'm the most successful and you called me the
most Yeah. Oh I love him. I just love him.
(06:02):
I'm telling you the minute it opens, this big personality.
They both have a sense of human and I wonder
who's going to be her favorite in twenty three? What
do you think It reminds me when I say Rachel
is my favorite granddaughter? But she's the only granddaughter, so
that's not a problem. But I have twin grandsons. One
(06:22):
calls me once in a while and one is just
like Jent. He calls me every week. And if they
keep calling, they become the favorite. In Finean's Rainbow, there's
a song when I'm not near the boy I love,
I love the boy I'm near, And that's how I
feel about my grandchildren. The one nuts with me is
my favorite at the moment, and that's true. But he's
not insulted. He knows his grammy loves him, but he's
(06:46):
always trying to put her on the spot, and she's
got to figure out a way to get out of it.
It's like I kept a mass relationship. He says one
thing and she kind of comes back another way. It's
very cute. What we're hearing, though, is this reparte that
they have, that they're both on the same way. They
get each other. Absolutely. Okay, Rita, the producers have handed
(07:08):
me the park titles, and here's the first one, Part one.
W w E. I wonder what that could I I
couldn't imagine w w E. World War Women's where, women's
where early I don't know. I can't imagine. All right,
I think we're gonna have to listen to it because
(07:30):
we're getting silly. What about Beauty School Dropout, No graduation,
Beauty School Dropout. That movie Greece is on every other week.
I must have seen the Ted Times in Florida this winter. Wow.
Jed's had many interests in his life. He loved w
(07:54):
w E. I think we went to Zack Shuman's house
Grammy and he had Power Rangers, which I loved Power Rangers,
and then pro wrestling figures. Oh yes, I think I
took come home. We watched YouTube videos with the wrestlers.
I was really drawn to the sort of dramatization of it.
It's kind of like drag queens in our way. Wrestlers,
(08:14):
you know, they're just all over the place. And I
was really obsessed. I would have hundreds of action figures,
you know. I mean, I was really into it. So
we went to w w E and the dregs of
society are there. You never saw us so many disgusting
looking people dressed with vests with their tattoos all over
(08:36):
their bodies and jeweled hats. It was just a scene,
it really was. That was what like nine years old,
you know, And I knew more than half of them.
Do you remember that Graham? And he was just a
pain in the ass that night. He was running here
and running. They didn't know what to do, so excited,
they didn't know which way to turn, and the place
was packed and I was only afraid I'd lose them.
(08:58):
And you got these big guys all out, and he
was little jed trying to find wrestler that he saw
already wanted to talk to him. Quite a scene that night.
At one point, we're watching this wrestling match and Grammy goes,
we're going now. I'm done, We're going now, And I'm like, no,
and she goes, we're going now. We got in the
car and I'm so upset. I think. I was like,
(09:21):
I can't believe comely, and she goes, you know what,
I took you to the Wrestling Mania event. Shut up.
And I have a picture of me in the back
of the car being on moody. I'm in the back
of the car taking pictures of myself because I feel
like it's my moody moment because I was so upset.
Here you are driving in the front of the car.
We speaking of the entire car. Right, Grammy, do you
(09:43):
know any pro wrestlers? Could you name any, Grammy? Nope,
you couldn't name one. The one that had that show
on television, that used to wear the band data how
covid Right, the porn star. You know he's a porn star. Now, No,
I don't know that he had like a whole sex
tape that gobb interested ever didn't think you were. How's
your dating life going, Grammy? What's up with that? Nothing?
(10:06):
I don't need a man of eighty five years old
with a walker. That's not what you said last time
you were going out with that guy in Florida. You
know what I'm talking about, right, you said we're gonna
see him again. I'm not saying him again. He might
have died. You're so nonchalant about that. You're so nonchalant
about that that he may have died. Okay, it's hysterical,
(10:34):
that's that's so. She is hot stuck. She says she's
eighty five in a wheelchair. I mean, oh my god,
got a throwaway that is so terrific. Maybe he's dead, well,
that's true, would be hard to get a day. Oh
my god, I gotta say one thing I give her
(10:54):
the biggest props for going to a wrestling thing, because
as much I love my grandchildren, and believe me, I
love my grandchildren, there is no way on god screener
that you would ever get me to a wrestling thing,
I tell you the truth. W w E. I still
don't know what the hell that with me? Is that
(11:15):
the name of a wrestling world? Wrestling something around? Did
you see them? Did you know? Did you never watched that?
Are you crazy? There is no isn't that something? And
she was a good grandmother, She took um, she's the best. Okay,
the producers have handed me the next part, so let's go.
(11:36):
Let's hear it. I can't wait to hear it. To
the pain in the s Meryl and Grammy fight like
cats and dogs. I mean, it's really something else where,
this Jewish family who goes so intense at it. So
one moment they'll be going out at left and right,
and the next moment they'll be talking the most normal
(11:58):
conversation you've ever seen in your entire life. I mean,
it's really some dynamic. It's who we are, I guess
as a family, you know, you never know what you
gotta get with jed, but he was younger. He really did.
He was very complex. I really did know which way
he was going to churn, and he weren't as close
back then, you know, it was difficult. What time I
(12:20):
took him to videat your golf and I picked him
up at his father's house and he said to me,
I'm not going to talk to you the whole time
in the car. I said, I'm not going to talk
to you the whole time in the car. That's right,
that's a little dickie. Continue, well, that's true. And we
played Beniche golf and then I just didn't know what
(12:40):
to do to play Cadam, so I said, you want
to go to the special ice cream store. So he
went to the ice cream store and he he loved
whatever he had bought, and he said to me, now,
I'm not going to talk to you the rest of
the way home, so you know, no, I mean no.
I remember the times where it's like when I was
bad at Amy because she loves to talk, that's the thing.
(13:02):
And only was she talked. She would ask about everything
and anything. I'd be like, I stepped out of the
house this morning. She'd be like, on what foot I
feel bad. I get that from her now too. And
someone's telling me a story at each another time, what
they were eating, how they were feeling. Sometimes it's a
little much, but I mean she's definitely cares, you know,
But I don't know why I would retaliate it. Goods
(13:23):
to you. That was your personality. Sometimes it was yes
and sometimes it was no. You never know what you
got when you whipped it. One day they had grandparents
day in the nurse three school. He was delicious that
whole time, and you made pictures and we left. We
were taking him home and he just would not cross
(13:43):
the street. It's like he weighed like three hundred pounds.
He's stuck so far up to the ground. He just
we could move them. Oh my god, it was just impossible.
He just stood for why. Do you know why? No,
I don't know why. Till this day, you know why.
I was probably in my own world. I think it
all probably just caught up with me in that moment.
(14:04):
I think I probably thought you were abducting Cecy would
take me everywhere. No, we spent the warting with you.
We had a lovely time. It's like, know what I
was painting? He asked, I think we all know that.
But I think my goal growing up was just because
Eva would get all the attention always, she was always
number one. I think I had to be remembered for something. Well,
(14:27):
that's very vivid. Yeah, you certainly were remembered. That is
so funny. He accomplished what he wanted to accomplish. He
wanted to set his own mark. And she never forgot
that incident, never, and that was exactly what he wanted.
You know, little boys are different than the different thing girls. Yeah,
(14:49):
you can't ask them a lot of questions. Every time
I asked my grandson's when they do something and they
go someplace, I wasn't good. That's it, right, one word,
And from the girls she get chapter and verse. Yeah,
you get what they were wearing, who looked nice, who
didn't look nice? Late? Right? And and a boy, did
you have a good time? Yeah? Yeah, But this child
(15:11):
knew how to make his mark. He just stood literally
stood his ground. And that's what killed Sue. When he
says I'm not talking because she's a talker. That must
kill her if anything, just talk to me. But what
you also are hearing is how close they were really
that she went to this and she went to that.
(15:32):
She tried, she really tried. He gets a kick out
of all the things. He doesn't even remember the things
he did. Know. I think we tend to remember things
more than, oh, absolutely, than they do absolutely. I remember
when my grandson went to a Quaker nursery school and
a lady came around with cookies, and he never lifted
(15:53):
his head, and the woman kept on saying, Logan, would
you like a cookie? And finally he looked up. He
must have been three, and he says, no, thank you.
I'll wait for the bagels to come around. That tell
me from a Jewish kid in quite a nursery school. Okay, rita,
time for the next part. Okay, let's here in Allen
(16:16):
Part three. A nice rich father. That's nice. Start spreading
the news. I'm leaving today. I want to be a
part of it. New York, New York. I want to
(16:37):
wake up in the city that doesn't sleep. Grammy, do
you have any wine at your house or something? I'm
on antibiotics. I'm not drinking right now. I have gubby bears.
We um. I don't know if we can say that
on camera. What we smoke? We together A drink? I
mean that's that was gonna say. I mean, that's consisted
(17:02):
of a lot of our activities recently. Well, I was
his father brought me down some gummy bears, right, what
do you call them? Is that what it is? Jed
special gummy bears. I guess he brought them for me
as a medicine for the back. I have a very
bad back, and Jed was in the house and I
had a bad attack, and he kept throwing them in
(17:24):
my mouth, one after the other, and after a while
I was getting moopy. And then I look over and
you're out. You're out like a light. I'd have to
go to rehab. Wait. I want to ask, so, Grammy,
I'm in college right now. Do you have any fun
memories of partying or any of that sort in college? No.
(17:47):
I went to an old girls city college, and I
came home at three o'clock or five o'clock whenever my
class was over, and you didn't go out. You can
go to the clubs. You didn't do anything at the time.
We never went to clubs. You know, as a group,
you had a date with a boy and then you
went out for dinner or something. Well, speaking of dates,
you dated Poppy at a very young age. I mean
(18:07):
you were nineteen, he was what? Right? Were you usually
always attracted to older guys? Was that your thing? No? No,
I dated other guys while I was going with him
because I just didn't think that he was marriage material.
I mean, are you're supposed to keep your virginity until
after you're married in Jewish culture? No? Well, that Jewish
culture and every culture. I'm not gonna ask if you
(18:29):
abide it by that. That's a little personal, but but
I assume not. Um, Grammy, who do you think the
ideal type of guy for me to be dating is?
George Clooney? Yeah? I feel like you would like it
if I was with someone who had talent. Can I
just say? She wasn't very close with my ex boyfriend?
(18:51):
I mean it was really nice. It was like a
whole concerned every she put out. At the point where
I was like, I think I'm gonna break up with him,
she was like, no, well I felt it was too
You know, one minute you were in love and the
next moviute you were breaking up. I wanted you to
be a little more sure of yourself, right, right, right,
right right. I was going through this whole tumultuous situation.
I mean, my grandma was the one who really was
the whole game changer in the way I was thinking
(19:12):
about things. She gave me the lesson of if someone
really cares about you, and that's what really matters the most,
and showing that they care about you. But I told
her at one point, I was like, I don't know
if I trust him, and she goes, well, that's a
big thing. You have to trust someone, that's the biggest thing.
And if you don't trust someone, then you have nothing.
Remember saying that, Grammy, absolutely, But what would be your
(19:32):
ideal man for me? George Clooney? Somebody that had a
very nice, rich father. I agree with that. That was single.
Oh who's also single? Do I date people who are
not single? My home wrecker? The father is singing, Oh,
then the father. So I could take two at once, right,
(19:53):
live in life to the fullest. That's a great No
the father for me? Oh, I thought you were telling
me to take advantage of all of life's opportunities. I mean,
that's something you would do. No, no, no, no, no,
that's something you would do. You would date the father
and the son. I think that's a very supposter move please, no, no,
don't fool yourself here, don't. Let's not get too posh.
(20:14):
You would do it if you had the opportunity. I
can't even walk. You can do things other than walk.
Oh my god, that conversation is priceless. First, feeding this
poor woman these cannabis, COMMI ball till she was looped. Listen,
(20:38):
you've got a bad back, you try anything. And then
she's suggesting a grandson should find a nice young man
with a rich father. So I'm thinking, yeah, everybody should
marry somebody has a rich father. No, not fun. I
think that this whole segment tells the story of their closeness,
(20:59):
of their humor being so into each other. I just
think that this is wonderful. She's a riot and he
plays right into it. I'm telling you that would be
the funniest sitcom on TV. You can imagine every once
in a while, don't you feel like you'd like some
of those gutty bass riata. Oh I don't know. I'm fine.
(21:20):
I'd sleep well. If I have a pain, I'd taken
a leave. It's cheaper than a gunny bear. You know, reader,
that's because you're from one generation before me. That's true.
And you know what's so funny, And he didn't want
to hear the answer. He wanted to know if his
grandmother got married as a virgin. You know, my kids,
I'd tell right out sure, And I said, you know,
(21:41):
I was a virgin, and you were a virgin only
because you didn't have abortions in those days. And if
you got pregnant, you really had a problem. You know,
next subject, next subject. But you're another decade after me,
So moving on, we're not going to ask you. Okay,
(22:01):
that's that time again. What time? What time are you
talking about? Tea time? Tea time? You know, when we
have our break and we have our tea time. It's
nothing like tea time in London. No, there really isn't.
You can go in the city. It's not like London. Now. Well,
my bring is hot water in a bag that you
keep donking in and out. And now that's what they
(22:24):
called tea time in the United States. Okay, tea time
is over. Back to work all and so we can
afford another trip. You know what we do. Maybe we
should try to meditate. And that's when I do a
(22:45):
whole day. I clear my mind and I hoped to myself,
and I talked to my that's my meditating. I have
a chicken in the refrigerator. Chicken is defrosted. Listen it
all right, We're glad we could think the day eftday. Okay, reader,
(23:09):
time for the next part. Okay, let's go part four,
the prank call. Okay. So I have no idea how
this came up, but I saw a TikTok and that
was like this girl used Google Translate to create this
robotic voice, like an automatic voice. I'm like, you know what,
(23:30):
I should do it to Grammy because I think it
would be a good reaction. So in the morning it
was I guess it was up one thirty in the morning.
So I call her and it's like, you have a
collect call from jed Levinson Manhattan Juvenile Center. Press one
if you would like to receive the call. Hello, this
(23:50):
is a call from Manhattan Correctional Center Institution from inmate
jed Levinson jed Levinson. And she goes, what and then
I'd say it all over a guy, Hello, this is
a call from inmate or Levinson. Say yes, if you
would like to accept this call, and she goes yes,
And I go Grammy and I'm like trying not to
laugh at this point because I know she's so into it.
(24:12):
I can hear she's into it, and I go, Grammy, Grammy,
I'm scared, and she goes, what are you doing? And
I go up in jail and she goes, jail. How
do you end up in jail? And I go, I
don't know, and she's like, oh my god, oh my god.
It was petrifying. Mean, I mean, here, I have a
(24:32):
load in the house and he cas me, he tells
me he's a jail and I don't know what to do.
And then I think I just start bursting out laughing,
and she goes, what did I go, it's a joke.
She starts bawling, crying loudly, bawling, crying like a howl
on most of the stars was oh. Right after I
was done, she goes, how did you do that? She
(24:52):
wanted to know immediately after all the details situation. I
mean like she got over at quick. Anyways, we had
to hang up for a second. I call her back
five minutes later, because you don't want to call you back.
I go, Grammy, She goes, what and I go, how
are you doing? She goes, I just say the whole salami.
Why she goes, I always keep a salami in the
house with me, no matter what. I was so scared
(25:14):
a whole salami. Maybe that's why I'm fat. I don't
think you're fat. I just think it was funny you
get a whole salami. I could eat a whole salami.
That it sounds good, I know. Okay, So you want
to know something. This is a god's honest truth. Every
time a person plays a prank, it backfires. You have
(25:36):
to be careful. My sister I once played a prank
on my parents. They lived near us, and they had
built this beautiful new home. We had a key to
my parents has and my sister gets an idea to
make a figure in the bed with pillows and choose
at the end of the bed. And we left and
we were laughing, what a funny thing. They'll come on. Well,
(25:59):
my parents came home in the middle of the night
and my father saw this figure in the bed and
my mother was screaming, what did you stupid girls do?
Your father stow the body and the bed. He nearly
had a heart attack, just like Sue. Couldn't that's a
heart attack. When she heard that he was in jail.
You have to be careful with pranks and you know
(26:20):
who you're playing the mind, especially with elderly people. That's right, absolutely,
Oh but that's soon. She goes for the ride all
the way. Yes, she does. But you know, in a moment,
you're not thinking, Wow, he's playing a prank. You're thinking
to yourself, with my checkbook, I have to bail him out.
You know, if it was me, I would eat a
whole gallon of ice cream. She had a whole salami instead. Okay, Riata, okay,
(26:46):
let's hear it, Ellen, pot five, Tell me about my brists.
Tell me about my brisk. Two people that don't know
what a briss is. Brisk is really a circumcision ceremony,
circumcision for a boy. In Jewish religion, they do it,
but it's more like a religious ceremony. I can't imagine
(27:08):
what Sue was going to tell about the well that
let's cut to the chick, Cut to the cut, cut
to the breast. Oh that's very glever, Ellen. Oh god, okay,
you're the one who planned my breast. What do you
mean I planned the brisk? I planned the brisk. Tell
me about my breast. Jed had a huge would never
(27:31):
say I would never I would say I would never
say to my grandma, tell me about my breast. That
would never be a sentence I would ever say to her.
I just want to let you know that, right. But
she's got to cut that out. She's not putting that in.
That gets cut out anyway. She tell me about my
breast was okay. You were the fourth grandchild, and my
(27:53):
husband this was his only grandson, and he was thrilled
having a little boy. And he did it to make
this a real hooplah. So we had the brists and
we had balloons. So they served nice food the Boyal Cave.
He did what he had to do it, and he
cried a little bit. They took it back home. I
can't believe I had had that. You know, your mother
(28:15):
had all the people that she does business with, it
all have friends. You know your mother had invited you
Jackman to the brists at the cave. So my mom
is a big shot producer. Anyways, you know, it's the
only phone number I've ever stole from mom's phone was Jackman.
Hugh Jackman. I was gonna try to steal Kanye West,
but Hugh Jackman is a great you know. I feel
(28:36):
like I could call him at any moment. You know,
he's a real stand up guy, you know that, right.
You know I thought growing up that Hugh Jackman, because
they saw him as wolverine, I thought he did my
breast with his like wolverine claws. That's what I always thought.
I mean, that's that's what I would always say to
people because that's how I knew him, you know. But
that was not the case, right. I do not like
(29:00):
the mental picture of Hugh Jackman with wolverine claw's doing
anybody's brist That jet is really a character my boys
that never even wanted to talk about it. I once
said something that he might na I don't want to
talk about it. Yeah, they know it. They know that's
something that you might want to forget. But the Brits
is a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a big,
(29:22):
big deal in the Jewish religion. And you know what,
it's a happy ceremony. Only the baby cries. But they
give the baby a little bit of wine on the
legs on a piece of cotton. It's makes him a
little woozy. And the mothers never locked no I never looked.
I never know the mothers never looked. I would go
(29:42):
to Hugh Jackman's briss You would go to his priest, right,
I would go to Hugh Jackman's anything one time. I
tell you, okay, it's time for another break. My walker
is here. Do you mean a walker to walk with
or do you mean one of those guys that scort you? Listen?
If I have my choice, I'd rather have a guy
(30:04):
that it scorts me. Are you kidding? I mean if
I come with my walker walker with another walker, the
walker walker won't want to walk with me with my walker.
If you walk with a walker who has a walker,
then you have four walkers walker together. You know what
I need a glass of Johnny Walker. Johnny Walker, and
(30:26):
that's the walk around walker. I walk with my walker
and had the bottle of Johnny Walker. Okay, we're back,
(30:48):
all right, put back the walker. Let's go back on
that program. Yeah, but I'm gonna sit here with my
Johnny Walker anyway. Okay, okay, rider, let's hear it Ellen
Part six the Entertainers. I'm towah and clean your closer.
(31:11):
I'll just spending all the do have the dctor fix
you know up, baby, don't sweat it. You're a whole
the job benefiting. We're all connected by our love for performing.
Who wants to go to the theater with me, Let's go.
(31:31):
She is the best person to go to the theater
with the best she really, now that I think about it,
Grammy has brought so much culture to this household. I mean,
what brought you into theater? When did you become such
a purveyor of the arts. My mother used to love
to sing. My mother had a nice voice. When I
was a little girl, she used to teach me all
the old time songs like come to Me, my Melancholy Bay,
(31:55):
the one I love belongs to somebody else. He's sing
those favorite songs to somebody else. And even when I
have my arms around him. Are these songs from like
eighteen hundreds or what? No, what kind of hundreds? I
don't know what year they're from, twenties, nineteen twenties, thirties.
(32:19):
I always liked performing, and I didn't even always think
I was the best. I think that as I grew up,
I liked making people laugh a lot. Grammy also helped
instill that in me. You know, at the family gatherings,
everyone was very funny, so it's like, who can top
the next person with the jokes? You know, your biggest
competition was right in front of you. Grammy would go
to virtually all my shows, all of them. He's very professional,
(32:42):
and I love when he sings and when he dances.
Had bonderful shows. You had bonderful poets. I love watching you.
He's really very good. Now. I was also in a
lot of shows where there was a lot of sex,
a lot of sex, and Grammy would be at these shows.
I want to have that experience was for Yeah, did
you go to Heather's when I was a nut show?
(33:04):
I don't think so. I don't think I saw that.
I might have been. I think maybe you blocked it
out of your memory because it was so Maybe maybe
I was only in my underwear for half the show. No,
I don't think I saw that. I would remember that.
You know what, I performed at fine scene fifty four below,
and she was there. I remember that staircase vividly to
get up a dad. That staircase was murder. She has
(33:27):
bad knee. She doesn't need to come to all these things.
Chips to this you did from Chlorous Life, I did
So I in eleventh grade got the opportunity to perform
at Fine Scene fifty four below, which is this huge
Broadway club in New York, and I chose dance ten
looks three from a chorus line, it's all about someone
(33:47):
who gets plastic surgery to get themselves done up, to
have boobs in a butt. It goes how fabulous. She
(34:14):
was the biggest supporter there, absolutely and it really means
a lot didn't cost apportion, neither didn't hurt. I actually
have a performance today right after this interview. You were
probably the first person I called. When I got this part.
Was the middle of this big snowstorm, huge snowstorm, but
(34:37):
most of because was late at night. It has no
idea of time. But what time about go to sleep
Hill clubby twelve thirty? What o'clock? It must have been
for almost two hours we talked. I hate to tell
him that he woke me up, because I loved Liddy
calls me, you know, so I I don't say anything.
I just listened to him. That's very nice. And we're
going to take that to your music class so that
your music teacher could work on the songs with you.
(35:00):
I did, Yeah, I did. You know in the future.
Wouldn't be surprised if one day, you know, I'm writing
a play and then I called Grammy to ask her
insights to be a co creator on it, because she's
so norrish when it comes to creativity and feeling inspired.
My cup brothers over. And that's because who she is
the person. It's not about being my grandma. I'll come
(35:21):
back from the dead like in the Fiddler around the Roof.
Remember she came back from the dead. Now get out
of the shot. I really got shot. God again, go
(35:48):
into that sha God. Oh they are a show, Bob,
a show together. The relationship with the grandmother. The word
he used was nourishing. Oh that was a good word.
(36:10):
It just hit me. That word nourishing. It does she
It nourishes his soul. He's going to use this in
his life's work. It's going to give him the foundation
things to think about it. And she is so patient.
Oh she is. She is hot stuff. I would say
to my grandkids, I can't talk to you at two
o'clock in the morning. She's up there listening. You know.
(36:33):
That's part of their relationship is late night calls. She's
behind him all the way. Well, that's how it should be, Okay,
Rita hot seven, fabulous, fabulous. I'm sorry to see it in.
I have to remember when I danced for Poppy at Hanaka.
(36:56):
Oh my god, when I did Chicago the routine for him.
Were you there? Right? Of course I was there. You
set the scene. We used to have performances on the holidays.
Each one would perform, each grandchild. We always had fun together.
I in ninth grade was doing the musical Chicago for
my theater group. I was playing Miss Mary Sunshine, which
(37:17):
is the drag queen, and Poppy we all knew he
was sick. We all know he probably didn't have much
time left. So they said, Jed, do it for Poppy
because he can't be at the show. And I'm like, oh,
knowing the show of Chicago, what the dance is like,
I'm not really looking to perform it for my grandfather
(37:38):
And like, no, no, no, Jed, you have to do it.
And I'm like, I really don't know if this is
the best idea. Okay, And here I am, for the
entire family performing this number. I just start grinding and
every single direction, my hips are swaying, my crotches out.
It's like a whole thing for my grandfather and all
I because this is the most embarrassing thing I've ever
(37:58):
done in my entire life, the tops, all else, oh god, Okay.
And then when it was done, he though, he went fabulous.
Of course that was great. He loved sports. I mean
that's what he was doing, was watching this baseball game.
(38:18):
Baseball off football, depended on the season. But I remember
it when where he told me he had a gay
football coach, and that was just like he didn't have
to say that. I mean, that was really something else.
I don't know if that was before or after I
had come out, but he cared so much, and his
caring was visible in the most deep way, and he
(38:39):
was so supportive of my mom. It's fair to say
that she was, by far in the entire family, closest
to my grandfather. I remember it so distinctively. I was
in my room. She never cries, I mean, she really
doesn't cry, and she came in and she was crying
and she said, Poppy died. I never experienced death that
(39:00):
stening before, and I think me and Ava really felt
strongly that in order for our mother to also get
through it, it was important that we show our gratitude
for the man he was. I didn't know anything about
what they were writing, so the first time I ever
heard it was at the funeral. But when I go
to Florida in the winter, I take our eulogies with me,
(39:22):
So Grahamy's going to read from the eulogy I wrote
for Poppy. I've been avoiding writing this. It's really been
hard thinking about Poppy and not getting emotional. He was
such an important person in all of our lives. Most
people in our family have huge personalities and loved being
(39:43):
in the spotlight. But what separated Poppy from the rest
of us was that he wasn't like that at all.
He balanced out all the craziness in our family and
was the only sane voice at times. He's more of
a Meths than a day Am Yankees kind of guy.
But it didn't matter that Poppy didn't have an extensive
(40:05):
knowledge of musical theater. He said to me, you're a star.
He believed in me. He believed in all of us
because he had a heart of gold and loved seeing
others succeed. When I think of Poppy, that's the way
I will think about him. Poppy, you are the reason
that I will always feel free to be unapologetically me.
(40:29):
I love you so much, thank you. It wore my heart.
You know, Jed was very difficult to relate to in
those early years. He really was. And then oh yes,
he matured beautifully. He really did. He really is concerned
with the next guy. He's interesting and interested in everything
(40:49):
in life, it seems lately. So I'm very proud of him.
Thank you, Grammys. The matriarch of this family, I don't
know what's going to happen when one day, God, she's
not here anymore, because she really keeps everything in place,
even from day one, even though I was tough deal
with because for so long I was such a pain
in the ass. We always have the connection and I
(41:11):
think just kind of get each other. He let me
come into his life a little bit, and I enjoy
being there. I think I trust her more so now.
That thing makes me more happy than to see this
relationship evolving to what it is now. What has Jed
taught me? You feel like you've learned from me? Really? Yeah,
(41:34):
I think I learned how to look into a mirror. Well,
He's taught me that life is joyous, and he taught
me how to laugh more, and he had taught me
how to have good relationship. He always looks deeper into things.
And I'm just very proud of Jed and I'm very
proud to call him my grandson. That's very nice. Can
(41:55):
I sidebar? Is that? Okay? If I sidebar right now? Sure?
Grammy drove me to I first ever pride. It was
in June, this past June. I mean that's really something else.
Do you remember that? Where was it at something? I
show up to you on a jacket in my underwear?
Oh yes, and then you're having to drive me to
my pride. I mean it was really something else. I
always find myself having a wonderful time with you, Jid,
(42:16):
I really do. When am I going to see you again?
A sap? I really am excited for the next time
we see each other. We'll meet again, don't know where,
I don't know when, but we'll meet again some sunny day.
You killed it. She really is something else, doesn't she. Well.
(42:39):
I think that's a good ending. Thank you so much
for this wonderful, wonderful interview. It really meant alone. It
meant more to be What a way to end this series?
Unconditional love oh my god. If nothing else, if they
listened to this, just this one episode of Call Your Grandmother,
(43:05):
people will see what the relationship between a grandchild and
a grandparent could be. It's something beyond special. This has
a magical quality to it. It really does. I can't
stop wiping away the tears and blowing my nose. I
don't even have a kleenex. And what he thinks of
his grandfather will really reflect in his entire life and
(43:29):
has made him the way he is. Yeah, but although
she made a funny remark, so I told me had
a look in the mirror, and he laughed. Already likes
to look at himself. But it's funny how she picked
that up. Look, he's only twenty years old. He's still
a young man, and so he was a difficult child.
Maybe he there were things about him he knew where
(43:50):
you know, we're hard too, but it took a while
to get to where he is. But he's at a
good place and she's enjoying him as he is now,
and it just encapsulates the word love. Love. It was
just a lovely way to end the series. Unfortunately it's ending,
but this was perfect. Absolutely, Look, they'll all be said
when we go, when the grandparents go. But you know,
(44:13):
when we leave, and we all do leave, the good
memories and the things you did together, that's what they'll
have to hold on to. Kind thoughts. Absolutely, absolutely forget
money or anything like that. That doesn't mean anything. That's nothing,
but the little intricate things of life. That's what we
leave for them. Absolutely, they'll all get on when we're
(44:35):
not here. I'm never dying, reader, I am. I'll never dying, okay, alright,
because I always tell them I'm gonna be watching you.
When I'm gonna be watching you like the Ghost and
the Fiddler. Call Your Grandmother is a production of I
Heart podcast Network and SUPERB Entertainment. Our lead produces our
(45:00):
Shina Ozaki and Laura cb. Executive produces our marrow poster
Nikki Iatore and Anna Stump. Our managing producer is Lindsay Hoffman.
Mastering by Bahid Fraser. A theme song is by Anna
Stump and Hamilton's Lighthouser. Listen to Call Your Grandmother on
(45:21):
the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you
get your podcasts, and don't forget leave us a glowing
five star review you will pick on a couple of
old ladies and give us less than five stars. Would you.
We're not getting any younger, but leave us a review
and we might get more famous.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.