The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling Page #9

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and the settlement

was very favorable to Garry.

Charlie Rose:

The lawsuit you settled,

you got that settled?

Shandling:

Yes, I'm happy

that's in the past.

Brad Grey was here

on this program.

How did that go?

- It was fine. Yeah.

- Yeah.

He basically didn't

tell me the nature of the deal.

He said you traded

some properties.

- I mean, it is a...

- Nobody admitted anything.

You just traded properties

and that was it.

It's been printed that I got

ownership of my shows,

which I'm thrilled about.

That's pretty good.

These are very hot...

these are good

properties to have.

So you came out with something,

not nothing?

Oh, I came out with...

Apatow:

As a result of Garry's lawsuit,

it seems to have changed

the business a bit.

DeBecker:

I think that's true.

I mean, people certainly

recognize that you cannot

be somebody's manager

and be the studio

all at the same time.

And that's really what

the legacy of that case is.

( punching bag being hit )

Peter Berg:

When he felt righteous

about an issue,

he was gonna get you.

You know, something happened

at some point to Garry

that created this wild energy

that, you know, lit a fuse,

and beauty and poetry

and art came out of it,

but rage came out of it.

And boxing became

a tool for him.

Shandling:

You can't fake it in the ring.

You've got to really

know yourself.

And the punching and getting

punched has to be one.

It's a very soul-searching,

Zen kind of experience,

because you have somebody

throwing punches at you,

and you have

to transcend that,

which is like

transcending life.

( dings )

( punches landing )

Berg:

Nobody enjoys getting punched.

But some people seem to need

that every once in awhile.

And I think he wanted

to feel that pain.

Garry and I

started this gym.

And this gym

and these people

were a very valuable component

to Garry.

Nobody knew who he was here

other than,

"Garry from the boxing gym."

"Garry who liked to punch and

liked to talk about fighting."

I mean, he would go up

to Ukrainian fighters

when he was hosting the Emmys

and pitch them jokes.

And then not do the joke

if they didn't laugh.

If they didn't laugh.

Oh, he took it very seriously.

Announcer:

Garry Shandling!

( applause )

Apatow:

Well, he was obsessed

with reinventing the Emmys

and worked so hard

on the Emmys,

like it was a giant Garry

comedy special.

Thank you.

This is great. I got to look

at Brad Pitt all night.

Great. It's like looking

at a mirror, isn't it?

( laughter )

I love "The Sopranos."

It's a fantastic show.

- ( applause )

- Here's what flipped me out,

is in the first episode,

Tony Soprano's mother

is literally planning

to have him killed.

That's why I admire

Italian women.

Jewish moms drag it out

a whole lifetime.

( laughter )

I like "Sex and the City,"

but, of course, why wouldn't I?

I mean, it's about four

sexually frustrated women

who sit around talking.

I particularly like, frankly,

the older one.

Wait, I'm sorry.

I'm thinking of "The View."

You know, I shave one leg

so when I'm in bed

it feels like

I'm with a woman.

Listen, you know,

you should come on our show

- and just do a part.

- Oh, "Sex and the City"?

I should be. I have an idea,

actually, for that.

- Oh, really?

- Yeah.

But it's pretty provocative.

Well, that's perfect.

What is it?

- Well, now's not the time.

- No, no, man. Just tell me.

( chuckles )

What do you think?

Shandling:

That was a kickass show,

I have to say.

It got these great reviews.

And I remember walking off

after those four

live hours of TV,

and my best buddy

at the time

was sitting next to me

in a chair.

And I looked at him and I said,

"I think that's it

for a while."

I'd just been on a dead run.

I hadn't really lived.

I'd devoted myself

to working.

So then I started traveling

and growing up

in a more real way.

I'm wearing now... I'm not

wearing any mosquito repellent,

and I'm wearing new car smell.

That stuff you spray in cars.

All the kids think I've got

a new car back in America.

Which I don't,

but I smell like a new car.

Do you think I look fat?

How old do you think I look?

( lowing )

What do I weigh?

How old do I look? How old...

how old do I look?

Oh, here comes a bus.

This is good.

I'll take the average

of what they tell me.

What do I weigh?

( music playing )

Apatow:

How hard is it to slow down,

take breaks, to, you know,

not feel the need to be the most

mega-successful person?

Like, what is the challenge...?

I wouldn't know what that

feels like, Judd.

- ( Apatow laughs )

- I wouldn't know.

( laughs )

It's f***in' terrifying.

It's f***in'

terrifying.

Because, what if

the train leaves

and you can never

get back on?

That's the key.

What if it leaves,

and I can never get back on?

And they go,

"Too bad, dude,

"you looked a gift horse

in the mouth.

You should never

have done that."

But I've gone through a bunch

of different times

in my life like that,

and I think Garry was definitely

going through a...

an identity crisis at first,

and then acceptance.

of, like, well,

if I can show up

and be at sea level

and be really Garry.

If I can be

completely authentic,

then I'll show up.

Otherwise, f*** you.

Whatever I'm risking,

I'm risking to be myself,

to be authentic.

But, like all comics,

at some point,

you starting going,

"Can I survive without it?

Who am I without it?"

( music playing )

Kevin Smith:

I've always wondered,

is there something of, like,

Alexander, you get to the end

of the known world,

you've, like,

"I conquered it all,"

and you weep,

because there's like,

"I've done it."

Like, once you to do something

like a "Larry Sanders,"

it's just like, you...

and you walk away, that's it.

You don't have to do anything

again until the end of time

if you don't want to.

Shandling:

Someone said to me,

"Why don't you come back on TV

and do another series?"

And I said, "Yeah,

I'm thinking of doing a reality

show called,

'Oh, No, Not Him Again.'"

( laughs )

Woman:

This is sequence 201, take one.

- When you guys are ready.

- Shandling:
Okay, yeah.

I think it's a little simpler,

huh?

Man:

I know you're not.

Apatow:

I remember when he did

the voice of the turtle

in "Over the Hedge."

That was very satisfying.

And, by the way,

lots of fiber in there, too.

Apatow:

It was the type of job that you

could've just read the lines

and it would've been

a fun thing to do.

But he took it on himself

to help with the rewrites.

Would walk into those sessions

angry at some times.

I'm with you, I'm with you.

Grayson:

You know, this was not

a gig for Garry.

This was something

that he had to make

as good as it could

possibly be.

Man:

What is that thing?

Ozzie?

Ozzie, get up.

I know you're not dead.

I can hear you--

Ozzie, get up.

I know you're not dead.

I can-- I can see you

breathing.

I can do this.

Karey Kirkpatrick:

At times, I guess

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