Episode 59 — What a story, Mark!

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Greg Sestero aka Mark (Oh, hi Mark!) joins Jake this week to discuss the making of Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic “The Room.” Greg explains how he went from being in a San Francisco acting class with Tommy to moving in with him in Los Angeles, shares the story behind the “Oh, hi Mark!” scene, and tells us why he couldn’t refuse to be in the movie. Grab yourself a copy of Greg’s book, “The Disaster Artist” to read more about the making of The Room & his friendship with Tommy Wiseau. Come to a LIVE taping of THE FOGELNEST FILES on Thursday, October 24th at UCB-LA. Get tickets here!

[DubipR 485]

Jake,

 

 

 

I think the GIF speaks on how great this episode was.

[EddieArafat 18]

Nobody seems to be able to get Tomm Wiseau on their podcast. I would love to see him on any Earwolf show!

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Despite being in "the 1%", I enjoyed this.

[Hot - Slunch 772]

Despite being in "the 1%", I enjoyed this.

 

I suggest watching the Rifftrax version of The Room. While The Room is hilariously inept, it can be a little tough to get through by yourself. So Rifftrax really helps out.

 

Plus this is a great opportunity for me to post this The Room related video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx-Fc0iVF2A

[PuncturedJesus 354]

Great episode.

 

Incidentally, I've only been a listener since the Best Of episode and I've already gone through roughly a third of the episodes. Proof that those compilations hook newbies.

[DEATHMAN 3317]

So, what I gathered from this is that Tommy is a very nice and sincere guy trying to make art, even if nobody else thinks he is good at it, and he gave Greg an apartment and helped his career and the only reason Greg is on this podcast or anybody knows who he is is due to the cult success of The Room... and then Greg wrote a book and comes on here talking shit about Tommy Wiseau and trying to convince everyone he is too cool for The Room and he always thought Tommy was a joke? Fuck you, Mark

 

Maybe Tommy Wiseau's secret power isn't vampirism but that everything he writes becomes true because Greg is a fucking backstabbing piece of shit

[jakefogelnest 517]

So, what I gathered from this is that Tommy is a very nice and sincere guy trying to make art, even if nobody else thinks he is good at it, and he gave Greg an apartment and helped his career and the only reason Greg is on this podcast or anybody knows who he is is due to the cult success of The Room... and then Greg wrote a book and comes on here talking shit about Tommy Wiseau and trying to convince everyone he is too cool for The Room and he always thought Tommy was a joke? Fuck you, Mark

 

Maybe Tommy Wiseau's secret power isn't vampirism but that everything he writes becomes true because Greg is a fucking backstabbing piece of shit

 

Oh hi, DEATHMAN. I can see how you'd feel that way, but Tommy and Greg are still friends! I hosted his book release at the New Beverly out here and Tommy showed up to the delight of the crowd. He supports the book. The only thing Tommy was upset about is that Greg said he dyes his hair. According to Tommy, "for your information, I do naht dye my hair and you need to change that." He also disagrees with Greg's opinion that "The Room" is a bad film. Other than that, Tommy doesn't seem to be upset by what Greg has written.

 

The book is about Tommy and Greg's friendship which is very real and at times bizarre. Greg's story with Tommy is just as bewildering as "The Room" itself. Having met all of the cast and talked with them, it seems like everyone knew the movie was going to be a "disaster." What's interesting to me is that everyone went along with it because at the end of the day, they wanted to be in a movie.

 

It's an endlessly fascinating story and Tommy is truly a unique spirit on this planet. I can totally see Greg's book coming across exploitative to some and if Tommy was completely out of Greg's life it could be very easily dismissed as a mean spirited "tell-all." But the reality is, Tommy is still in Greg's life today. The few things Tommy takes issue with in the book are just as bewildering as everything else in the life of Tommy Wiseau.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

I have not seen The Room, but I have read enough reviews, I've heard the How Did This Get Made episode, I've seen Patton Oswalt's parody video, and now I've heard this podcast. So I kinda feel like I've seen it, without actually seeing it. I'm still kinda fascinated by the stories I've heard of the production and the friendship between Greg and Tommy.

 

I'd be interested in seeing Wiseau's second movie, if he ever makes one. I wonder if his knowledge of the way The Room has been received would affect his writing/directing/whatever.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

I have not seen The Room, but I have read enough reviews, I've heard the How Did This Get Made episode, I've seen Patton Oswalt's parody video, and now I've heard this podcast. So I kinda feel like I've seen it, without actually seeing it.

Nothing beats the real deal, though. It is an experience.

 

Jake, this was great. Mark comes of as such an affable dude, and hearing more about Tommy Wiseau's story really changed my perspective on his movie. The idea that so much in the movie reflects the positive qualities he wants people to see in him -- that really changes how the movie works. It's a Walter Mitty type situation, really. Wonderful episode.

[klemjohansen 748]

When I first saw this movie, I hated it. I hated Tommy for making what seemed like yet another poorly executed vanity project enjoyed ironically by vapid hipsters. It didn't occur to me until years later that my reason for souring on the thing was completely off base- except for the hipsters part.

 

Most of us feel like we need a license to try something big- especially a creative endeavor. We want someone to hire us to write that amazing thing or "discover us," which is a childish idea on its face. Tommy made his own fun. For that alone, I have to respect the guy, regardless of the quality of the output. As time has passed, I think he's become a kind of mascot for people who want to take that big swing, a reminder that you can get out there and do something that is genuine and true to you- and even if it's horrible, it just might be transcendently horrible and become a huge success. That's a thing now.

 

In a weird, unintentional way, Tommy reminds us that the whole idea of needing permission to pursue what you love is almost as silly and nonsensical as his movie turned out to be. I'm not sure that qualifies as irony. I kinda hope it doesn't. We'll just call it a happy coincidence.