All language subtitles for Party.Dream.2022.720p.WEB.H264-HYMN

[interviewer 1]
Patrick Carney, take 1.

All right, first question.

So, how would you describe
Gil Mantera's Party Dream?

Uh...

Every time I try to explain
this band to somebody,

like, it's kind--
it's really hard.

They're, like, a comedy group
that then started making

really weird synth-pop
with songs

about, like, buffalo tears.

I-- I think they're
the most famous rock band

you've never heard of.

They could do stuff that,
if anyone else did it,

it would've fucking sucked.

But when they did it,
it was awesome.

[Patrick]
A few of their shows were some

of the funniest things I've
ever seen happen in person.

It was all pretty genius.

Their show is basically
illegal in-- in most states.

It was just
a spectacle, you know?

Immediately you go home
and, like, told all my friends,

like, "You guys gotta see
this band, they're so weird".

It's the funniest shit
that I had ever seen.

It would always
end in a disaster.

Fake fighting that
turned into real fighting.

Then they would-- you know,
they would get into real fights

on stage
and they would be naked

throwing beer at each other.

Fucking insane.

Who are you and what
the fuck do you want from us?

[interviewer 1]
Hey, I'm just a regular guy

and I'm looking
for a good everyman's band

that's not weird.

Well, we are
the everyman's band,

we're the people's band,
you know--

We're the people's choice.

The Rock has the people's
elbow and eyebrow

and stuff;
we are the people's band.

[interviewer 1] Oh, wait,
who are-- who are you,

and why should I care?

[static]

[eight-bit music playing]

[Richie] Good evening,
we are Gil Mantera's

motherfucking Party Dream.

[audience cheering]

[Richie] You're probably
gonna learn in, like,

a little bit that you
should be clapping and hooting

and hollering a lot
better than that bullshit.

-That was fuckin' weak.
-[audience member] Yeah!

[Richie] Let me start
this shit over.

Good evening,
we are Gil Mantera's

motherfucking Party Dream!

[audience cheering loudly]

♪ This thing
you take from me ♪

♪ A lifetime to understand ♪

♪ How real it feels ♪

♪ To go to hell
without a plan ♪

♪ Into the wild side ♪

♪ That's got a hold on me ♪

♪ Almost the brainchild
of my insanity ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

[distorted eight-bit singing]
♪ Oh, how I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ Don't know why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ Don't know why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I just don't know ♪

♪ Don't know why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I never know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ Now I know
what it's like to beat it ♪

♪ Now I know
what it's like to beat it ♪

♪ Man, it's overrated,
crazy overrated ♪

♪ See now I know ♪

♪ Oh, now I know ♪

♪ Now I know
what it's like to beat it ♪

♪ Now I know
what it's like to beat it ♪

♪ Why's everybody talking
[indistinct] ♪

♪ See now I know,
oh, now I know ♪

[synth blaring]

[guitar solo playing]

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I just don't know ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I'm out ♪

-[song ends, audience cheering]
-Peace.

Peace for the boys.

[static]

[vehicle whooshing]

[crow cawing]

[interviewer 1]
All right, here we go,

Ultimate Donny house,
scene 1, take 1.

Action.

[interviewer 2]
All right, so, just to explain

the context of this,
we are now, uh,

filming the documentary.

Uh, clearly,
we have Donny in hand,

but we are still
reaching out to Gil.

And, uh, at this point
we are showing Donny the email

that we sent to Gil
and then Gil's response,

but, uh, before you read that,
just to be sure,

it has been four years
since the last communication?

Or when's the last time
you talked to-- to Gil?

I-- I guess it has been--

I-- I think if there
is a stubborn streak-- streak,

he-- it would be
more on him.

Like, he would-- he would
have that more than me.

[interviewer 1] We're gonna
cut there. We're blanking.

[interviewer 2] Okay.
Hold on, I need to re-slate.

-[interviewer 1] Okay.
-[Donny singing]

[interviewer 1]
UD House, take 2.

[interviewer 2] We're set.
You ready?

-Yeah.
-For the record,

what is your real name?

Oh, um, I guess
I have to tell you

the truth now,
which sucks!

What's up,
motherfuckin' Chicago!

I am the Ultimate,
goddamn, motherfucking,

all that pussy shit, Donny!

♪ Designer of the soul ♪

♪ Complicating me ♪

♪ Never give in ♪

[indistinct lyrics]

♪ To always stick to my guns ♪

♪ No matter what the cost ♪

♪ My only fear is love lost ♪

♪ And I won't go ♪

♪ So, I see your hands ♪

♪ You're shouting
in the night ♪

♪ Believing me, yeah ♪

♪

[music fades]

Um, Richard Bernacky, Jr.,

no middle name.

[interviewer 1]
And where were you born?

[Richie] Youngstown, Ohio.

My dad worked at General
Motors, uh, most of his life.

Huge influence
on-- on this area, like,

big, big company here.

[interviewer 1]
What were you like as a kid?

You know,
were you the class clown,

were you more reserved, or...

Kinda dorky.

My hair was
always stupid,

I never had good clothes,
you know.

I felt kind of weird
about myself for a while,

but then sometimes I was the
class clown, like-- but rarely.

Richie is-- is-- is probably
the kindest madman

you'll ever meet.

We had a pretty vicious
social circle

in our, uh, hometown

and they'd always
decide to sort of, uh,

excommunicate certain kids
and I got picked

the eighth grade year,
so I was suddenly just sitting

alone at lunch all the time,

you know, like,
"What happened?"

Uh, and Richie somehow
befriended me

'cause he was just, like,
this good-hearted kid,

so I have ample respect for
his kindness as a human being.

Like, I-- I don't think the guy
has a mean bone in his body.

What you-- what you got
on stage was what he wanted

to present and outside of
the stage, he didn't have any--

he'd left it all there.

[Glen using Vocoder]

[Glen]

[Glen]

[audience laughing]

[Glen]

[audience laughing]

Early on,
a big part of the show,

like, I used
to berate him horribly.

[Glen speaking distortedly]

-[Glen using Vocoder]
-And-- shut the fuck--

Man, I'm serious, this story
hurts a lot and you know

the same story 'cause you're
my fucking brother, dude.

You're younger,
that's my brother.

Shut the fuck up
for a minute.

Couple years later
I think we were in Milwaukee

we were just, like, having
a heart-to-heart about nothin'

and then he's just like,
"Man, I kinda don't like it

when you do all that, you know,

it-- it actually
hurts my feelings."

I'm like-- I was like-- I felt
so bad, like, "Oh, shit."

But as far as, like,
whatever else I said,

he was totally on board with me
being a-- a complete maniac.

[Glen using Vocoder]

As far as
Glen is concerned,

I always knew him
younger to be very shy,

um, which he's not
if you know him.

[synthesized singing]

[synthesized singing continues]

♪

[screaming]

[audience cheering]

I mean, even today,
Glen still keeps to himself,

he likes to do
his own thing.

They would not
impress you as maniacs

if you knew them in per--
I mean, I-- I know them,

so I know that
they're maniacs,

but if you
would just meet them out,

I think people would be like,
"These are the guys?"

Well, the relationship-- like,
he's actually my step-brother.

We got together
when I was, like...

I don't know, I was probably
around eight years old

and he was one.

I took care of his ass,
like, you know,

I was pretty much
his babysitter

and his-- his guardian, like,
I-- I took care of him

all through
him growing up.

So, we were super tight

and then
we became great friends.

Like, me and Gil used to
hang like the Dickens, man.

Discuss music, uh,
you know, like, introduced

a lot of music I was
listening to and then

sometimes he would bring
some stuff even at a young age.

[interviewer 1]
So, when is the first time

you pick up an instrument,
is it the guitar?

When did you, like,
get into music in that way?

Um, fifth grade,
at school,

I-- I decided to play violin,
so I did that for two years.

And that's, you know--
I guess that's where I learned

all about
timing and everything.

I didn't start
playing guitar until 20.

20 years old.

[interviewer 1] So,
how many bands were you in

before
Gil Mantera's Party Dream?

Uh, just two.

And, like, both did really,
really well in Youngstown,

um, and then we did
a little bit of traveling.

So, I definitely cut
my chops in that way

as a front man, learning how
to, like, do a lot of things,

be confident
and project and all that.

[interviewer 1] So, then at
what point along that journey

did you bring
Glen into the fold

and decide you want to work
with him in a musical way?

You know, was playing
in bands with his friends

at the time, like,
learning bass and, you know,

doing some bizarre, like,
crazy metal songs and stuff.

And then our friend,
James Gage,

we all, you know,
got along and had this idea

that we were
gonna do Party Talk.

[Richie, robotic voice]
100% Party Talker.

This is pre-show warm-up.

Actually we are
loading and discussing.

Thank you.

[normal voice] This is Paul.
He's another Party Talker.

This is Dakota from
Columbus, Party Talker.

Show these fuckers again.

Before there was
the Party Dream,

there was Party Talk.

Party Talk was me,
James Gage,

who went by, uh, Tartron,
and my brother.

[indistinct singing]

The thought was
we're gonna be a band

for one night
and one night only.

The-- the impetus of
Party Talk, which, you know,

would evolve into
Gil Mantera's Party Dream,

was to create something that
was, by design, to be unliked.

[indistinct singing]

[audience cheering]

People went crazy for it.

It was the-- it was the
weirdest-- one of the weirdest

nights of my life to see
that, uh, reaction to something

that was put together
specifically to suck.

If you've never been
to Toronto, why you actin'

the fuck like
you been to Toronto?

♪ I'm so proud of myself ♪

[crowd cheering]

[indistinct singing]

♪

Hello, bartender,
I'll take another one!

Oh, thank you.

That was great,
but I think I'm drunk!

[audience cheering]

There was
one-- one show only.

Um, and that happened a week
before I moved to California.

So, for me, it was
just sort of like this

grand fuck-off show
to dick off with my friends.

They took it
to the next level,

but the seed was planted with
that initial Party Talk show.

Christmas Eve 1999.

A friend of mine
was in a punk band

and he had other bands
coming in from out of town.

And it was the blizzard
of '99 so everybody canceled.

He called me up and said,
"Hey, can you do something?

Like, I don't even
care what it is."

It just so happens
that my brother was in

from, uh, Columbus.

And, um, I asked him and he's
like, "Yeah, let's do this."

In four hours or less,
put together the set,

put together our band.

So, when we got
to the club that evening

I said, "Let's call it
Gil Mantera's Party Dream,"

and that was it.

And it was never
meant to go anywhere.

♪ What Gil Mantera
is trying to tell you all ♪

♪ Is that he's
really disappointed ♪

♪ That you didn't dance ♪

♪ He likes when
the broads that dance ♪

♪ Go up and do their thing ♪

♪ 'Cause we got this thing,
it's our own thing ♪

♪ And now you can help us ♪

♪ That's what
Gil Mantera's trying to say ♪

♪ He is Gil Mantera ♪

♪ My name's Donny, girl ♪

We had a lot of fun.

We looked terrible,
we sounded terrible.

I do think we-- At--
at that time, we had a feeling

that we had something
and we definitely did not plan

on doing anything
with that something.

Like, "Eh, I don't know,
maybe we'll do this again."

And we did,
shortly after.

Like, maybe a couple
months later.

Oh, shit! A couple months
later was our CD release party.

Uh, we decided to book
a show as our CD release

and didn't have
any songs.

And so, like--
And that was Best Friends.

We had to bust our asses.

Got the digital
four-track

and just created
some songs

and then we pressed
them ourselves,

like, did all the art
ourselves, like, great.

We're in Columbus.

We've gotta
fuck shit up.

[rock music playing]

We're gonna fuck it up.

[Richie] We did want
it to be listenable

and enjoyable
on some level for sure.

And sometimes it was
how to make the song as stupid

as possible, like,
what doesn't make sense here?

And, like,
let's go for that.

I mean, as a band,
we didn't even make sense.

And I think as individuals
we don't really make sense,

so, like, that was kind of,
like, what we were pushing for.

Let's make some bizarre
music and just have fun.

Bumble-Stiff!

[crowd cheering]

Piece of shit.

[crowd cheering]

[Richie]
We had ten CDs pressed

and we sold 'em out, man,
sold 'em out.

I think there were only
20 copies of Best Friends.

Period.

[Glen] The coat's for sale,
let's bring the coat out, too.

-Seven bucks.
-[Richie] It's six bucks.

-The coat's $6.
-[woman] $6 for that?

Oh, you think that's--
that's not enough, huh?

-[woman] I don't know.
-Sling some beer, get a coat.

[Richie] The wardrobe and props
were always a big thing.

Um, the whole idea, like,
in-- in my mind, I-- I just

did want-- I wanted
to look horrible.

I wanted people to be
disgusted by, like,

how terrible I looked,
and that was pretty much it.

This is some
of the early stuff.

This style,
this beach cover-up crap.

Definitely wearing
a lot of that.

That's a one-piece thing,
it's not just a shirt.

Classic Gil style.

Big leather
ass coat with fringe.

Oh, man,
this stuff's disgusting.

[laughing]

Oh, here we go.
I always liked kitties.

You know,
kitties are always cute.

You'd feel
good about yourself

when you wear
something like this.

Very good about yourself.

I remember,
this was part of

the whole
Western Brotherhood tour

when we were doing
dreamscape songs.

I matched that with some brown
Han Solo leather stuff and wow.

Oh, very nice,
this is, uh,

part of the Dreamsport
touring stuff.

Very sporty
and dreamy about those.

More, looks like, crushed
velour or something' like that.

Nice suit.

Now this!
Ooh, this is good stuff, too.

One piece.

It's almost like
a little wrestling thing.

[laughs]

It's--

I can imagine myself coming
out and trying to look cool

in something' like this,
you know?

But I did!
I did look cool.

♪

Started off stripping
and we couldn't stop.

That's pretty much it,
we can't get away from it.

We couldn't, like--
it's just in us,

we have to take
our clothes off.

It has a lot to do
with just exposing yourself.

There's a lot of raw shit
that happened

with Party Dream,
and that's part of it.

It's like,
"Here I am."

And, you know, like,
even then, you know,

most of the shows I'm probably
about 15 pounds heavier.

I've been telling
every city for the last

four and a half years,
it's like, "Hey, man, I know

I got a little weight
in my gut," and I always say,

"Hey, I'm gonna work out.
Next time you see me

I'm gonna be slim and trim.
I have been lying

for the last four
and half years.

I get-- I get a little--
I-- I put on weight, like,

every goddamn day and,
you know what I'm sayin',

I don't give
a fuck anymore.

Yeah, I looked like shit

and it kind of just
didn't matter.

And we were always just...

"Here we are."

[crowd cheering]

[interviewer 1]
Okay, we're rolling.

[interviewer 2] As long as we
got the guitar fuckin' rollin'.

-Yeah.
-Let's play some shit.

I mean, whatever.

I don't play
guitar very well,

but sure,
I'll-- I'll play all day.

[interviewer 1] But I don't
know if you're talking about

the instrumental, I don't know
if you can even remember that.

Or whatever the hell
you want, like, we don't care.

Um. Oh, man, the instrumental,
now that I remember it,

was in drop D.

I really, like--
I really don't--

I don't play guitar.
[laughs]

[interviewer 1] Fuckin' liar!

I-- I don't play guitar.

You know what I mean?

I can put my fingers
on there and stuff

and hit the strings,

but I don't actually
play guitar.

[interviewer 1] Even if
you're just fucking around?

Is there anything you nor--
What do you normally play

when you pick up a guitar
and you're-- you're warming up?

-I don't do that.
-Okay.

Honestly, like, I-- I--
I've never really picked up

a guitar. I wish I would
'cause there are things--

Sometimes I'll pick it up.
You know,

sometimes I'll just pick it up
and just play, like,

some, like, pretty chords
that are slightly dissonant,

you know, in-- in terms of just
hearing things and writing.

But, um...

On the spot, you're probably
not gonna get much out of me.

It's gonna
sound like crap.

[interviewer 1] All right,
well, we got what we got.

Awesome--

[audience laughing on tape]

[Richie]

[man]

[Richie]

[synth-rock music playing]

♪ I saw you walk away ♪

♪ My love is like
a drama stage ♪

♪ My world, and all
in where they want it ♪

♪ As long as I
become your prayer ♪

♪ But I know
I'll be all right ♪

♪ I know I'll be all right ♪

♪ The sky's
so out of sight, hey, yeah ♪

♪ But I know
I'll be all right ♪

♪ And I know
I'll be all right ♪

♪ And I know I'll be okay ♪

♪ And everything I'm told ♪

♪ Everything sounds great ♪

♪ Let's take it down ♪

[guitar solo playing]

♪ I know I'll be all right ♪

♪ I know I'll be all right ♪

♪ The sky's
so out of sight, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ But I know
I'll be all right ♪

[crowd cheering]

[engine rumbling]

[street din]

[birds chirping]

-[man 1] How you been, man?
-[man 2] 'Sup, dude?

[Richie] I've been--
I've been all right.

-[man 2] Oh, thank you.
-No, look into the camera

-and tell us how you feel.
-I've been all right.

Ever since I got
my fancy haircut,

things have really
been looking up.

[man 1] Hey,
what's the matter with you?

[man 2]
When did you cut your hair?

'Bout two
or three weeks ago.

[man 1] You're not as sexy
as I once thought you were.

Eh. Right...

[man 2] Please.

Tell that-- tell that--
tell that one to the judge.

[man 2] Wanna go outside?
Can we go outside with these?

-[man 3] Yeah.
-[man 2] All right,

that's where I'll go.

I can tell you this,
Gil Mantera's

was-- was in my heart early,

when they were just
kinda figuring out

-what they were doing.
-And pissing you off.

Then they were
pissing me off and they were,

like, pouring cologne
on their balls

and then I had to
clean that shit up

for about two and a half weeks,
and I mean--

But the impact that
Gil Mantera's Party Dream

left on Youngstown
was that old man ball smell.

[Richie]
Old man ball.

[Joe] And that began

the, uh, popularity
of-- of Gil Mantera's.

Love will trick you
and love will bite you

in your motherfuckin' ass.

-[music starts playing]
-Ah.

Are you happy?
Don't laugh.

This one's called
"Blats from the Pabst."

[robotic singing on Vocoder]

I think progressively
every show that they did

there would be twice as
many people, you know?

So, like, when I saw
them there was, like,

15 people and the next
one there's, like, 30.

Whenever they would go
to a new venue

there'd be nobody there 'cause
nobody'd ever heard of 'em.

The very next time
they'd come to town

it'd be, like,
a packed venue.

I don't know,
we-- we kept getting

some interesting
opportunities, you know,

like, we'd get some
shows in Columbus, Ohio,

which ended up being
a really good spot for us.

Yeah, it started
getting wild in Columbus.

And, um, since my brother
lived there,

when we were just doing, like,
one-off shows in Columbus,

we were able to bring
things to the table.

Um, like, we would
bring a recliner,

a microwave,
we brought it all, trampolines.

So, like, it was the stupidest
stage setup ever.

I mean, we didn't know
what we were doing yet.

We definitely--

There was an evolution
for sure.

Like, our-- our characters.

[man] They would have this,
like, brothers dynamic of that

they hated each other, which
is I guess maybe ironic now.

Uh, but they would throw beers
and pour beers

on each other's head.

[crowd laughing]

I remember, like,
back in the day

there was a conscious effort
to outdo ourselves each time.

Especially if we were
playing the same spot.

Like, we gotta
get crazier.

And that's probably
why we started writing music

and getting actual music
instead of just playing crap

and destroying
our bodies.

'Cause we were-
the only way we could

keep outdoing
ourselves was to die.

And, uh, we were definitely
not suicidal, as far as I know.

Like, I think
that's why we were like,

"We should have
some music."

You know, we're both,
like, capable musicians

and, you know--
who like good music.

And then we just
happened upon some,

like, songs that
sounded pretty decent.

I think my brother just ex--
yeah, just,

kind of liked experimenting
with, like, really old,

amazing electronic music,
and getting inspired.

And then when we started
getting a little bit of money,

he figured out
what he wanted to get

to make
the sounds he wanted.

He was doing it mostly
with the stupid,

old Yamaha keyboard.

Eventually Glen got,
like, an MPC drum machine

and so he would hammer out
beats, and then eventually,

I think
he bought a Vocoder

and-- and kind of, like,
changed everything to that.

I don't know why he did it,
but I love that he did it.

It-- it made the band
in a lot of ways.

[Richie] He didn't have
that Vocoder to begin with.

We didn't start with that.

He figured that's
something he wanted

and as soon as he did I just
remember being like, "Oh, yeah.

This-- this is the shit!"

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[Vocoder singing] ♪ Fuck
bullshit, this is real ♪

♪ That's the deal... ♪

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[Richie] I think
at some point it dawned on us

that we just need to do it all.
Like, we-- we have to have

good music and we have
to be our wild selves.

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[Vocoder singing]
♪ Bullshit, this is real ♪

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[indistinct Vocoder singing]

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[indistinct Vocoder singing]

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

[indistinct Vocoder singing]

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

♪ Ain't nobody
gonna tear us up ♪

♪ I give it up, girl ♪

-[crowd cheering]
-Thank you, thank you.

[O'Malley] Before we did
Once Triangular,I was like,

"We need to capture
the live element of the band

because we thought at that
point they couldn't be recorded

because it was so, like--
the energy of the crowd and,

like, the-- the improv
of the vocals

and just the performance
in general were, like--

The only way that
the band could be captured

was in a-- in a live element.

Like, all the-- the lyrics
were improv, basically.

♪ Now? ♪

♪ Can we probe
every lock in town? ♪

♪ Me and you together ♪

♪ We didn't ride around
the corner ♪

♪ The bowling alley
was the first fight ♪

♪ I had you down
and you wanted up ♪

When he finally started
writing real music,

he would write the music,
present it to me,

and a lot of times, I would
hear it for the first time

while we were performing it.

[synth blaring]

[Glen]

When we recorded
Once Triangular,

he would do
different verses.

We would do it, like,

15, 20 times and then
I would go through

and pick the verses
that I liked.

I think once we had that done,
those became like the lyrics

of the song
and he did the-- the vocals

in my sister's bedroom.

I remember, the way we had
the microphones set up,

there was a-- a bookshelf
and it had, like,

a little dra-- stuffed
animal dragon and, like,

a bunch of just,
like, weird girly things

and he'd be looking at that.
He would pull lyrics

off of, like, the dragon
that was on my sister's shelf.

And it was, like, so many
elements of-- of that album,

I kept on thinking of,
like, it was all inspired

by my, like,
14-year-old sister.

♪ I done rode
a dragon before ♪

♪ I done rode a scorpion ♪

[indistinct lyrics]

[O'Malley] "Rock the Show"
I-- I personally loved,

'cause that-- that was
the first song that they played

that had, like,
beats to it and it's like,

"Oh, wow, this is almost
like a rap song or something."

There was like a da-- there was
like the beginning of, like,

"Oh, you could actually
dance to this,"

where you could see
where it could be more

than just, like, a weird
show that you watched,

you could actually, like,
listen to that in your car.

[indistinct singing]

[indistinct Vocoder singing]

♪ Oh, oh ♪

[crowd cheering]

Holy shit! You have
a Grand Buffet shirt on!

-Oh, yeah.
-You gotta show--

We were just-- they were just,
uh, filming Grand Buffet

the other day.
They got a Grand Buffet.

[bar chatter]

Those guys-- I love Grand
Buffet, but I'm not trading

my This Old House shirt
for an extra large

or double XL Grand Buffet
shirt that won't fit me

'cause I won't wear it.

It's not gonna happen.

Kiss my ass,
Jarrod and Jackson!

Fuck y'all!
That's what I'm sayin'!

I think Grand Buffet
and Party Dream were,

in a lot of ways,
brother bands.

I mean this--
there was two guys,

you know,
it was electronic.

I don't consider either band,
like, a comedic act.

I mean, I consider us,
first and foremost,

bands that made music,
that just were willing to do

a lot of different
kind of shit on stage,

you know, as a means
to entertain.

They would tend to do a little
bit more blood and poop jokes.

Like, they would, like,
dry fuck each other on stage

and they would, you know, put
beer bottles up their assholes.

And if someone--
that's something that

if someone described it
to me I'd be like,

"Fuck that, like, that's
buffoonery, like that's--

fuck that," but when
they did it, it was awesome.

The-- the cool shit that
they did does get lost

in translation
to a large extent.

It was a visceral
type of performance.

A DVD or a YouTube clip
of it is cool,

but it's not the same.

I feel like
we probably played

somewhere between
100 and 200 shows

in the course
of ten years.

♪ For once in your life,
give us a break ♪

♪ Think about something,
anything other than space ♪

♪ Stupid dinosaur ♪

♪ One, two, three,
four, eight, nine, eight ♪

♪ This is the way
we celebrate ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumpin' off the bed ♪

♪ I grab a piece of chicken,
wrap it up, I said ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumpin' off the bed ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumpin' on my head ♪

♪ No more monkeys,
no more monkeys ♪

♪ People, are you with me? ♪

[crowd cheering]

♪

[Jarrod] The other thing is,
and th-- this doesn't get

talked about ever, you know,
they had awesome songs.

Like, they wrote
fuckin' awesome songs.

Even then, that early on,
they were a force

in Youngstown.
I mean, they had fans.

Not just, like, friends
of friends, and, you know-

It wasn't like
a local band thing.

It was, like, very early on
them as a young band,

you know, them playing their
hometown, it was kinda, like--

it was comparable
to a national act

coming through
and-- and playing,

which is a testament to--
you know, to the legitimacy

of-- of them as performers.

[bell tolling]

[electronic music playing]

♪ Wizards sometimes get blue ♪

♪ A lonely angel says
I can too ♪

♪ And I got to spare
my sanity ♪

♪ And save all your milk ♪

♪ And save all your cookies ♪

♪ Put 'em in
a great big bucket ♪

♪ Until you offer
anything now ♪

♪ And save all your milk ♪

♪ And save all your cookies ♪

♪ Put 'em in
a great big bucket ♪

♪ Until you offer
anything now ♪

♪

[interviewer 1] So, a girl
meets you after a show,

are you still
Ultimate Donny, or--

wh-- where--
where does that end?

It was, um-- I mean,
it is kind of one and the same.

In my opinion, there is no
substantial difference

between Richie on stage--

You shut up!
I went to everywhere!

I went to the biggest
pizza factory in the world!

You ever been there?

-- and Richie the other
23 hours of the day.

♪ They like to make you pay
a couple of dollars ♪

♪ To eat their pizza
but I swear it's worth it ♪

♪ It really is! ♪

[laughs]

I mean, to this day,
I consider Richie

one of my best friends
and, like,

simultaneously he is
a tremendous piece of shit.

A lot of people
go to Shaolin Temple

thinking that they gonna
come out a princess.

It don't work that way,
motherfuckers.

I'm the ex-Cadillac,
fuck y'all.

He would be
all over the place

and that was
his essence.

That wasn't a fabrication

'cause we would
go out to, like,

the Iron Skillet

or a Petro Gas, you know,
truck stop after that

and he would keep
drinking domestic beer

and just rattling off shit,
and I would just kind of

shut my mouth and--
and just bask in it because,

like, when I was
done performing,

it was kinda like,
"Okay, you know,

I-- I had that catharsis,
now I'm gonna chill."

With Richie
it was just, like,

constant attention, must have
attention all the time,

which is one of the lovable
things about him.

♪ You can
re-slate my asshole... ♪

[laughing]

[interviewer 1] The UD House,
take 9, re-slate the asshole.

You gotta be serious.

You can sing
anything with conviction.

You can ask me about that,

that is my technique,
by the way.

It's say anything
with conviction.

-[interviewer 1] Yeah.
-You know how

everybody says
that, you know,

the human brain
is made of mustard and rice?

And then that's just fact.

You say it like that and you
mean it and that's a fact,

and then you can go into
a real cool story after that.

Dinosaurs had nuts.

Dinosaurs used to smear shit
all over their girlfriends'

nuts at the same time.

Big fuckin' deal,
you deal with this shit.

You move on,
you come to terms, man.

With your own fucking self.

If this ain't you,
then don't be it.

If you're gonna lick a broad's
asshole, do it right.

The first time
I actually saw them,

it-- it wasn't 'til about 2004.

I mean, I think I ba--
basically peed my pants

at their show.

The Black Keys are from Akron

and we were hitting
pretty hard in Akron,

and Patrick just
approached us one day about,

like, putting out a record.

I asked three-- three bands

if they wanted
to make a record.

One was the Party Dream,
one was this band from Florida

that had a pitbull
for a lead singer.

Oh, the third--
the third record,

I was trying to get David Cross
to do a, uh-- a 7-inch.

[Richie] And he really
liked the music,

but he-- he thought
it deserved better production.

And so, like,
he talked to us about it

and we're like,
"Sure, let's do this."

[Patrick] But, yeah,
the Party Dream went

and made a record
that I eventually put out,

I think,
in late 2005.

[Richie] It was--
it was rough, like,

we were in the studio
and we had stuff

that we didn't even write,
you know, like,

we had made up
a lot of stuff,

so it was a lot of pressure.

Like, we were
in New York City.

You know, Gil had
his shit together really well.

Yeah, like, he had
his carefully crafted songs.

I mean, he usually
had the tracks ready to go.

Like, he-- he figured
that out way in advance.

Like, overall, I just think

he's an extremely talented
son of a bitch, you know,

and, um...

he brought the hard work

and I brought
the "here I am."

You know, like, I had to
figure out what I was

going to do in the studio.

Like, I didn't have parts,

mostly because I'm kind of lazy
with things like that.

Like, if I have to think
about something too much,

it-- it cripples me.

I'm more of a--
I respond to being pressured

and whether it's on myself,

if I have two minutes
to do something

that should take two years,

I can probably get it done
if it really has to get done.

Like, "Buffalo Tears,"

the chorus was
written in the studio,

like, I'm hearing it along,
Shane's just playing it,

got it in the system,
I'm hearing it, like,

I'm just-- I'm hearing it--
we're just, like,

drinking,
having fun, I'm like--

♪ I only want just-- ♪

Like, that whole chorus
happened there.

The entire--
Actually, that entire song,

the lyrics
happened in the studio,

or I'm on the mic,
it's one take on the mic.

And that's what you hear.

Which is absolutely stupid.

Absolutely ridiculous.

You get
an opportunity to record

in a nice studio,

you know, Times Square,
um, it's absolutely--

and then,
like, you blow it.

But we didn't blow it somehow.

I don't recommend that
for any band in the studio

when you're
paying for it, ever.

That's terrible.
Be prepared.

Blood Songs,you know,
Patrick Carney put us out

on Audio Eagle,
and it's a crazy album.

It's produced well, um,

and-- and people took to it,
like, they love that one.

On Blood Songs
you hear it very well.

You here, like,
this bizarre, like,

soulful idiot
singing over top

some of this electronic music.

And I think it really worked.

And it was-- I've never heard
anything like it.

I'm almost positive

that they made their money
back on us.

You know, I think,
you know, I lost, like,

$15,000 putting
their record out.

[interviewer] When was
it when you could be, like,

"All right,
I don't need to work anymore,

I'm just in a band?"

Pretty sure that was
the beginning of 2006.

I think we quit. He just, uh--
Gil just finished college.

And, um, yeah,
we're like, "Let's do it."

We were making decent money
for a band out of Youngstown.

You know, like,
our tours are good.

The only thing
that bugged me, um,

when we first started touring,

I had a very young daughter,

and, like,
that used to kill me.

That was the only thing.

Like, other than that, I would
just, like-- I would go.

Their shows were genuinely

some of the best shows
of any artist

I ever worked with.

I'd-- I'd really
get excited.

I think, as an agent

a lot of times
to really sell a band, like,

you know, venues are
most interested in whether

the artists
are selling tickets.

You can see
that their ticket sales

started to spread,
especially in the Midwest.

They were really
selling a lot of tickets

by the time
I started working with them.

And that started
to spread to the coasts.

[dreamy synth music]

-Miami.
-Miami.

-Here we are.
-How you doing?

Thanks for having us.
First time, guys, bye.

[interviewer] To Miami.

To Miami.

[speaking Spanish]

[interviewer] Let's talk
about something, man.

How did you, uh, how'd you come
up that name, Mr. Ultimate Don?

It's just--
it's just who I am.

[interviewer]
I was asking Mr. Donny

how he got his name.

-Ultimate Don.
-[interviewer] Mr. Gil Mantera.

-How did you get your name?
-That's just my name.

That's what it's all about.

The answer is in the question.

[interviewer] Yeah, it's true.

[Glen] It's a fact.

Check. Check. Check. One.

♪ Ballerina, the way
you turn me on ♪

♪ Something inside
tells me something's wrong ♪

♪ Let me be the one
to hold you tonight ♪

♪ Remove you from the shadows
out into the light ♪

♪ Pretty lady,
the way you turn me out ♪

♪ The way you move,
makes me need you now ♪

♪ Let me be the one
to hold you tonight ♪

♪ I am the man in white ♪

♪ Ballerina,
the way you turn me on ♪

♪ Something inside
tells me something's wrong ♪

♪ Let me be the one
to hold you tonight ♪

♪ Remove you from the shadows
out into the light ♪

♪ Pretty lady,
the way you turn me out ♪

♪ The way you move
makes me need you now ♪

♪ Let me be the one
to holds you tonight ♪

♪ I am the man in white ♪

♪

[Andrew] Seeing that sort
of devout sort of, um,

cult following
that's going to go see them

every single time, um,

that are gonna
come back for future tours,

knowing that they're
touring on different albums,

that is icing on the cake

for the venues,
for the promoters,

and they started to sell
out rooms in, uh, New York.

First time I played
in the Knitting Factory

when it was
still in Manhattan,

there were, like, five
different spots you could play.

And we played
the very bottom.

But then it wasn't
too much longer after that

we headlined The Main Room
in Knitting Factory.

And it, like, sold out,
line out the door.

And like,
we got to hear the guy say,

"All right,
nobody else can come in.

It's sold out."

And we were just out in the--

out in the foyer or whatever,

and just drinking beer
and having fun.

We're like-- we looked at each
other just like,

"Holy shit.

We're just two idiots
from Youngstown.

And we just-- we're selling out
a big city club.

It's nuts."

I remember six years ago

when they said, "Oh, yeah.

Gil Mantera's Party Dream.

You guys are from Youngstown.

What the fuck you gonna do?

You can't play New York City.

You can't play New York City."
Well, you know what?

We said, "Fuck you."
We ate a lot of hot dogs.

We talked to girls.
We talked to robots.

We talked to--
to science fiction novelists.

And I guess
everything is working out.

-You know what I mean?
-[audience cheering]

Yeah.

♪

[upbeat synth-rock music]

♪ I only want justice ♪

♪ I only want equality ♪

♪ Can you dig that? ♪

♪ Come dance with me ♪

♪ I only want justice ♪

♪ I only want equality ♪

♪ Can you dig that? ♪

♪ Come dance with me ♪

[interviewer]
In March of 2006, you guys

got voted Best Live Band

at South by Southwest,
by The Village Voice.

What do you remember about
that experience in particular?

[Richie] It was exciting,

you know, you heard
about South by Southwest.

You know, in the music biz,
musical thing.

We went there
and we murdered it.

Murdered it pretty hard.

I do remember it-- we read
that, it was like, you know,

like, thousands of bands
play that and we played

South by Southwest three times.

Like, always had good shows.

♪ I only want justice ♪

♪ I only want equality ♪

♪ Can you dig that? ♪

♪ Come dance with me ♪

♪ I only want justice ♪

♪ I only want equality ♪

♪ Can you dig that? ♪

♪ So, who cares ♪

♪ If anybody else ♪

♪ Has anything else
worth living for? ♪

♪ So, I'd rather
fight than die ♪

♪ Or maybe fight plus die
a couple times ♪

♪ Before I give up what
I've been leaving now ♪

♪ Is anyone truly happy? ♪

♪

[crowd applause]

Um, they did Warped Tour

in I want to say
summer of 2008.

Um, the Warped Tour
people were--

were fan--
were fans of Party Dream

and they were really proactive

in trying to book the band

on the tour.

And I think they wanted
to sort of add some spice

to the aesthetic of Warp Tour,
because a lot of their fans

kind of come
from the same world.

♪ They say it takes a man
a lifetime to understand ♪

♪ How it really feels to go
through hell without a plan ♪

♪ Is it the wild side
that's got a hold on me ♪

♪ Or just the brain child
of my insanity, yeah ♪

[Richie] I can talk for,
like, an hour

about Warped Tour itself.

It was--
it was so many things.

It was so bizarre,
it was so wild.

It sucked a lot.
And it was--

There are so many
great things that happened.

[Andrew] At first, it was
really difficult for them

to kind of wrap their heads
around it and sort of--

And we were very close
to canceling the tour.

[Richie] We did meet
a lot of people

and met a lot of fans.

Um, more so, I guess the--
the bands that played there,

you know, when they found out
about us, it was just like,

"Whoa, these guys are insane."

You know, even Katy Perry
came up and said,

"Like, ah, that was--
that was cool," you know?

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I never know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I don't know why ♪

♪ I don't know
why I love you ♪

♪ I'm out ♪

We had so many instances
where it's going to happen,

like, "Oh shit,
we've got this person

behind us, backing us.

This is going to happen,
this is going to happen."

And every time
it just-- it fell through.

[interviewer]

Well, at the time there was
a lot of shit

going down with that.

They, uh--
I don't know.

Dude's dog was all fucked up
on coke and steroids and shit.

Just, like, I saw that
and we basically freaked

and said, "We don't
want any part of this."

[interviewer]

I don't know.

They didn't want us.

Oh, God.

We didn't like
the business aspect at all.

I mean, like-- I didn't--
I was more the business man,

and I don't like that.

My brother definitely, like,

should never have
any part of that.

Doing all
the business stuff, too,

and trying
to make all these connections,

it's kind of like--
that drains you so much

that you don't have
enough time or energy.

Like, you have the time,
but the energy

to actually put it
into creating your stuff,

it's just--
it's dwindled.

I don't know. I stopped caring,
you know, a little bit.

About creating anything.

'Cause I wasn't
creating anything.

I was letting
my brother do everything.

He did a lot of the work.

And then at some point, he was
doing so much of the work

that he got very, uh--

He wanted
everything his way.

[Richie speaking indistinctly]

[Richie] Almost ruined
our show in our last half.

[Richie] Do we have any
kind of schedule for Sunday?

My brother and I have
some kind of vibes

that we had some bad Chipotle.

[crowd cheers]

It might affect
the performance.

[upbeat synth-pop music]

♪ There was a girl
that I once knew ♪

♪ With hair of blonde
and eyes of blue ♪

♪ I feel a love
that's waiting for me ♪

♪ I own a place
with her inside ♪

♪ I can't deny
even if I tried ♪

♪ Although sometimes
I feel so lonely ♪

♪ Just hear me
on the beat alone ♪

♪ With someone you're
always thinking of ♪

♪ Just hear me
on the beat alone ♪

♪ With someone
you're always dreaming of ♪

[Tony] I think they were really
just kind of sick of, like,

being like,
"Nobody takes us seriously.

Like, nobody thinks
what we're doing is slick.

Or if anything, they just think
we're a couple goofballs,"

but obviously
that's not the case.

Like, there were
a lot of people that thought

more of them,
but in general,

like, they weren't receiving,
I think,

the kind of support
they wanted to.

So, I think that adding drums

was a way for them
to legitimatize,

uh, you know, that--
their-- their music in a way

that like made it--
made them feel

a little better
about what they're doing.

[Don] Gil was the-- the
catalyst behind getting Tony.

He asked him
and he did it.

So, that was all Gil's idea,

getting live drums,
and I loved it,

I loved having Tony
playing drums.

♪ I meet the drummer,
I heard he's from Pittsburgh ♪

♪ I heard
he's in a band, Zombie ♪

♪ So, fuck you, Tony,
fuck you ♪

Because of this asshole
behind the drums,

I didn't get a drummer pussy
on this five-week tour.

You fucking freak.

I don't wanna
talk about you anymore

because you're stealing--

you're stealing
precious limelight from me.

You stupid-ass ho.

But we still love Tony.

We still do love Tony.

First three shows
he did with Tony were huge.

Sold out, and he's like,
"Oh, yeah, cool."

My first show with them
was a sold-out show

at the Knitting Factory
in New York,

and it was--
it was crazy.

Their people were,
like, losing their minds

and then, like, knew
all the words to the songs.

And-- and it was sold out

and there was
champagne in the room

and there were,
like, girls everywhere.

I was like, "What the--"
It was the first time

I had ever thought
playing in a band, like,

"Oh, okay. Maybe--

maybe this is going to bump up,
like, another--"

There's all these
levels you tour on,

and it just felt
like maybe they can bump up.

The best show you'll ever see
in your life, right here.

Gil Mantera.

Number one Goddammed
college tour on the planet.

♪ Don't think,
don't breathe ♪

♪ Don't move,
don't step out of line ♪

♪ You live in us ♪

♪ We need this
not to die ♪

♪ And when the sun sets,
still we'll have all day ♪

♪ And light the fire
to burn it all away ♪

♪

♪ Leave it all behind ♪

♪ And we'll be
in love tonight ♪

♪ When you
leave it all behind ♪

♪ You don't
have to say goodbye ♪

♪ Don't say goodbye,
say goodbye ♪

♪ Say goodbye ♪

♪ Don't say goodbye,
say goodbye ♪

♪ Say goodbye ♪

[crowd applause]

I do have a feeling
we thought we were

going to take
over the world at that point.

That's-- that's probably
were our expectations.

And those expectations
were not met.

[interviewer] Okay,
so there was a four-year gap

between the Blood Songs album
and the Dreamscapealbum.

Why did it take so long
to get Dreamscapeout?

Uh, we were probably
were just busy touring,

you know, understanding
what that was all about.

We-- we definitely wanted--

I think ultimately we wanted
to do an album a year,

you know, like,
brand new album each year.

I mean,
obviously it didn't happen.

-Did it really take that long?
-[interviewer] Yeah.

I think Dreamscape,
you know-- I mean,

it was more of a contrived
thing. And that was Glen.

That was his vision.

And as-- it wasn't mine.

Prior to me joining the band,

Glen wrote the music and Richie
was like the lyricist.

But then,
by the time Dreamscape came,

Glen was, like,
writing lyrics and music.

Any time I tried
to add something, like,

"Oh, that sounds
too American Idol."

Like, jeez.

You know, like, any time
I'm trying to do something

that's just--
that's just me.

The music, while becoming
more involved, wasn't fun.

Like, there was an element
of fun that wasn't there.

If I were to put myself
now back in that situation,

I would have taken
more control and said,

"You're out
of your fucking mind."

Like, what got us to this point
is this dichotomy.

You know, like, no one has
an album that sounds like this.

I mean, I really like
what he's done.

Like, the music's great, I love
the way the music sounds.

If we could
produce that one well,

and I could redo the vocals,

I wouldn't make it dry.

I would make it me,
rather than, like,

Glen's version
of what it should be.

You know, if we had somebody
in our corner

that was just like,

"I know
what this other album's about,"

and I-- I have an idea
of what people really liked,

we could have kind of,
like, interjected that

and we would have had
somebody saying,

"Put out
some fucking videos."

Because we're just,
like, "Uh, videos, who cares?"

♪

♪ Leaving all my love
for you tonight ♪

♪ The feeling inside
is out of sight ♪

♪ I'll tell you what I want,
if that's all right ♪

♪ That's all right ♪

We always felt
we had so many opportunities

and we felt we were
so close to the next tier.

And because it was a business
and because we weren't--

we still had
financial stresses at home--

we weren't making
that much money--

that definitely put a strain
on the personal relationship.

Glen started to really kind of,
like, brood and, like,

Richie and I would
spend a lot of time, like,

maybe trying to, like, keep
things, like, good, you know?

And there were
a lot of, like, arguments

that would happen over, like,
really little things.

We had some times
where it's just like,

we're embarrassing
the shit outta ourselves

in front of promoters
at the end of the night,

just, like, screaming
about absolutely nothing,

you know,
at each other.

Stupid. Wow.

A lot of the things
that happened between them

were just caused
by the-- all the things

that happen
when you're on the road.

You know, the things that you
don't like about yourself

the most
usually end up showing--

you know,
rearing their ugly heads.

[Richie] There were
some really, really bad times.

And just
really ugly times.

There were times
when he was saying,

"I just don't know
if I can do this anymore."

Forgot about those.

I mean, I wasn't
really admitting it to myself

because that was my career
and my identity

and something I loved to do.

So, I definitely
wasn't letting the signs

affect my rational judgment
about it.

Shit happens.

Just-- things fall a part

and you don't know
how that-- how it happens.

But it just does.

[man] Holy fudge.

Ah, thanks.

Thanks for coming.

-What's been happening?
-[Richie] I'll tell him.

Good to see you again. Howdy.

Good to see you, man.

Oh, shit.
It's going wild tonight, man.

Oh, my.

[interviewer] If there is
one thing you could go back

and change
at any point along the way

of the band, what-- what would
you go back and change?

I wish
I'd just managed my time

and actually worked on--
on songs

and worked
on playing and-- and all that.

I mean, this is now,
I know all this shit now,

you know, like,
know what we could have done.

I could've contributed
in different ways,

even if it was just on a--
like a business--

business level and getting
other people interested.

[interviewer] Forget the music,
forget the live shows.

Do you miss just the brotherly
sense of being around Glen?

Yeah, yeah.

But it seems like
those days were so far ago.

And then the last
couple years of the band,

there wasn't--
that wasn't going on.

So, it's kind
of hard to remember.

Like, wow,
we used to just like,

kick it pretty hard.

We were just super tight.

So, yeah,
it'd be great to just like,

take it back
to those days and have fun.

[interviewer]
So, are you surprised at all

when you hear the fact
that they haven't spoken--

really spoken to each other
in about four or five years

-at this point?
-Uh, no.

They really
haven't spoken in four years?

Um, not entirely.

Not at all. Not at all.

I don't understand

why they haven't talked,
actually.

They're stubborn motherfuckers.

Glenn is--
is definitely consistent.

Whether it--
it's with the band

or not talking with fucking
brother for six years.

[laughing]

One phone call from Richie
could have ended

this whole
fucking thing, too.

They-- they've both been,
uh, party to it, for sure.

Party-- Party. Dream.

Oh, my God, guys.

[interviewer] As we said
in the first email

is, uh-- we sent to Gil
a little while back

and we weren't sure if we were
ever going to hear from him.

And we did.
Uh, and here's the response.

Yeah, I know I told you guys

not to, like,
get your hopes up,

but, like, you know?

[interviewer] We got
a response pretty quickly.

You never know.

I'm gonna...

read this right now.

I'm definitely a little nervous
about it, but here it goes.

"I'm flattered you guys
are going to put your time,

energy and resource
in doing a documentary

on my brother and I.

Thank you for all
the nice things you've said

and good intentions.

Unfortunately, I'm not
interested in being involved.

Ultimately, I'm more vested
in the present than the past.

It was fun until it wasn't,
and that's why I left it.

Anyway,
thanks for getting in touch.

It does mean a lot
that people care.

Take care, Glen."

Yeah, I-- I guess
that's what I would expect.

Uh, yeah.

That's what I would--

That's what I would guess.

Like, it--
it was, like, a nice email,

but I-- I definitely
thought he probably

wouldn't want
to be involved.

[interviewer] Was there,
like, a last final day

where this is the last time
I talked to him or--

No, I didn't know he was
going to California at all.

I didn't find out
until he was actually there,

'cause, uh, I hit up
my friend Lord Grunge

and said, "Hey.

I don't have anything to do
this weekend, I'm free.

I'd love to come kick it
with you and my brother."

And he's just like, "Yeah.

He-- he left
for LA, like, a month ago."

I'm like, "Oh."

Like, I didn't know
that was happening.

There was, like,
no definite end.

It just kind--
I think a tour ended

and that was
just kind of it.

I was going to say, man,

a lot of shit
just blew up at the same time.

Like, that was my career,
so when it ended--

and it ended abruptly,
and I didn't have a warning.

It wasn't like, "Hey man,
you've got, like, three--

three months, six months
to figure out a new career."

No, it just ended, like,
"Hey, it's done."

And then, I have
a little girl, I got a house.

You know, I don't really
feel like losing a house

and doing all that shit.

And then on top of that,
I lost my identity.

That was, like, a huge part.

Like, I was Ultimate Donny.

Like, that's what--
Ultimate fucking Donny.

And then all of a sudden,
I'm not Ultimate Donny anymore.

I'm just a fucking loser
just doing loser shit.

And there you have it.

It's been
way more difficult for Richie

to not have the Party Dream be
an active thing in his life

than it has for Glen.

'Cause Glen just kind of
will do his own thing and--

and is fine with that.

Richie, on the other hand,
is like-- that was--

that was--
that was his thing.

Um, yeah. I know he--

he'd probably love
nothing more than to, like,

be able to get out on stage
and do that again.

[interviewer]
Is there anything that can ever

replace that feeling
of being Ultimate Donny?

No, I mean,
I'm sure there are things

that are slightly
better, maybe.

But that--
that was a very,

very particular thing.

And I don't think
there's anything that could

replace that one, exactly.

[traffic din]

[drums playing]

[gentle, dreamy music]

[audience applause]

I joined
Sam Goodwill 'cause Sam,

he needed someone
to play guitar.

He had two months
to get somebody

to know all the songs
before he did a tour

'cause his guitarist
broke his hand.

Something like that.
So, I'm like, "All right."

So, at that point,
yeah, I focused on that.

Just got it back.

I don't know how long
it takes to shake that,

like, identity crisis thing.

It didn't take long 'cause
that wasn't the main thing.

The main thing is just, like,
I need to provide for myself

and-- and my daughter,
you know, so...

If anything,
I got over it quickly.

It's like, "Oh, whatever.
I'm old now.

I'm no longer Ultimate Donny."

Like, I was like,
"Who gives a shit? Fuck it.

Just let me make a-- enough
money to survive and I'm fine."

He's got, like, raw talent.

Like, really-- He can
pick out any note to sing.

Like, he rewrote
a lot of the harmonies that--

we were-- were on the record
that we were playing live.

And I wish I could
re-record the record, you know.

Because, uh, it's just,
a lot of the stuff

that he's brought to the table
is, uh-- is a lot--

In my-- in my opinion,
like, it's a lot better

than what
we actually recorded.

♪ Never underestimate
the power of a broken heart ♪

[interviewer]

[interviewer]

Yeah.

♪

[indistinct chatter]

Oh, we're going
to make the popsicles.

-We're making popsicles.
-[Richie] Good idea.

[Aspasia] We couldn't find
where the sticks were.

[Richie] Here's the good juice.

The good juice? Juice.

[Richie] Oh, here we go.

Oh, there's
the magic sticks.

-[Richie] The magic sticks.
-Do you love it?

I love it.

-Sticks. Sticks.
-[Richie] Okay.

[Aspasia] I don't know
anything about this.

I should have told you earlier.

[interviewer] You really
dropped the ball, Richie.

[Aspasia] You have to put it
in-- back in the freezer.

[Ritchie] Right. There you go.

[interviewer]
All right, No pressure.

[arrow thuds]

-[Richie] Nice.
-[man] Nice.

-[interviewer] On the money.
-[girl] How cool was that?

[interviewer]
What's going on here?

This seems like domestic bliss

with the kitty and the--
and the lady.

-Oh, yeah.
-[interviewer] And the tattoos?

-[Richie] Hell, yeah.
-Yeah, did--

So, did you guys, uh,
have an announcement

you'd like to repeat that
you maybe told us yesterday

-that we didn't get on film?
-[chuckling]

Oh, this wasn't on film.

What's the-- what's the--

[interviewer]
What's the big news?

We decided
that we're going get married.

[interviewer] What?

We decided that we're--
we're going to get married.

-Is that true?
-Yes. Yes, it's true.

All right.
Congratulations.

Yeah. So, no one really--
No one knows this.

Yeah. No one knows this.

[interviewer] When--
When do you tell everybody?

Over the holidays.

[interviewer] Including--

[interviewer 2]
Is there somebody you might

-want to tell?
-[man] Make a phone call to?

Uh...

Uh-oh.

-What?
-[laughing]

-[interviewer] And say it.
-That's a wrap.

[interviewer] All right,
so it's been about three years

since we were last here
and you got married--

Mm-Hmm.
-in the interim.

-That's true.
-[interviewer] You have started

a brewery
called Penguin City.

Let me tell you
a little bit

about Penguin City
Brewing Company.

One night,
my wife, Aspasia and I,

we were just
talking about this city,

this area
doesn't have a beer

that we can identify with.

Thought it'd just be
a really good idea.

Came up with the name
Penguin City.

And from there, we thought

that name
was too good to waste.

I know
that he cannot work

a 9:00 to 5:00 job--

-It's hard.
-and be happy.

-Oh, that's true.
-Not after Gil Mantera.

He needed to do
something different.

-[Richie] Beer.
-[Aspasia] Big.

Something where
he could have this outlet

to have those little bits

of him and, you know,
Gil Mantera.

And I just feel like
this kind of fit that.

There's Ultimate Donny
that still is there.

I-- I would always say
and always felt

that there wasn't-- it--
it wasn't a different person.

Like, Ultimate Donny isn't
a completely made up character.

It's really just an
extension of my-- my goofiness.

[interviewer] I remember one
time I asked you a question,

I said, "Can ever--
anything ever compare

to being Ultimate Donny?"

And you said,
"No, not in that way."

Like, in that specific way.

-[Richie] It doesn't.
-[interviewer] But, like, so

what does it feel like
to make that that journey?

[Richie] I guess the journey
now, uh, being a regular

person, meeting Aspasia, um,
spending lots of time,

marrying her,
that definitely helped a lot.

Giant turning point
right there.

I was able to get
a little more grounded.

Also, I met up
with my brother Glen,

also known
as Gil Mantera, in Florida,

where our parents live.

And, uh, after
hanging out with him,

uh, meeting his wife,

just being able to talk
about all kinds of stuff,

the band, like what kind
of wild ride that was,

it was apparent
to even Aspasia that, like,

I let go of all kinds of, uh--

I don't know, anything
that I was hanging on to

that was negative,
I just let it go.

I was just kind of happier
right after that.

Got a little emotional,
but, like, nothing bad.

It was all--

It was a lot of,
like, reminiscing.

Just discussing,
like, how insane our lives were

as the band, I mean, it was
just-- it was ridiculous.

It's something that
most people don't experience.

And we did.

You know, when I think about
the band and I see some footage

on YouTube or--
or wherever,

I still see it and think

there's never been
and probably never will be

a band like
Gil Mantera's Party Dream.

If we're going to have
some kind of reunion show,

it's going to be
just balls out insane,

exactly the way
we want to do it.

You know, not because of money
or anything like that.

It's just
for the experience.

The band was a wild,

wild ride,
unlike anything else.

So, I'm-- I'm
still proud of, uh...

being part of something
extremely special.

"Emotion Road" by
Gil Mantera's Party Dream]

♪ For once in your life ♪

♪ Give us a break,
think about something ♪

♪ Anything other than
space, dope and dinosaurs ♪

♪ One, two, three, four,
eight, nine, eight ♪

♪ This is the way
we celebrate ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumping off the bed ♪

♪ Grab a piece of chicken,
wrap it up, I said ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumping off the bed ♪

♪ No more monkeys
jumping on my head ♪

♪ No more monkeys,
no more moneys ♪

People, are you with me?

[laughing]

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

♪ We all got to do
what we gots to do ♪

[audience cheering]