In short
Robbie Lowski revisits comedian David Cross, discussing childhood fads (CB radios, “handles,” beer-can collecting), pop-culture memories (the O.J. chase, “Convoy,” Schlitz beer), Cross’s new stand-up special and touring process, and a major travel story: climbing Machu Picchu with Bob Odenkirk.
Guest backgrounds
David Cross is a comedian/actor based in Brooklyn, moved there around Hurricane Sandy (early 2010s). He’s known for comedy work and has a new special on YouTube and a new movie with Bob Odenkirk. He also discusses reconnecting with Sean Penn and Penn’s Ukraine documentary about Zelensky.
Key claims
Cross says he always overestimates how long new material takes (about 12 sets to reach a “phase two” hour). He describes heckling as a “tiny present” because it lets him “humiliate” hecklers. He says Machu Picchu is breathtaking but he wouldn’t do it again immediately.
Notable examples
CB “handles” like “Dr. Death” and “Cottonmouth”; Schlitz’s “when you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer” jingle by the Commodores; Machu Picchu Inca Trail details (Dead Woman’s Pass, “City Above the Clouds,” Sun Gate’s final crawl, altitude in Cusco, guinea pig vs alpaca).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOUpcoming Episode Teaser
0:55 to 1:07
An announcement about a special Father's Day themed episode.
“In an upcoming episode, we are celebrating the dads in our lives with a special Father's Day themed lowdown line.”
Listener Engagement
1:07 to 1:32
Encouraging listeners to ask questions for advice about gift recommendations.
“If you've got a question about me and what to get your father figures in your life or whatever, leave me a message.”
David Cross's Background
2:20 to 3:06
David shares his experience of moving to Brooklyn and reflections on time.
“Let's get our wires crossed with David Cross.”
Memories of Childhood
3:06 to 4:00
Discussion about remembering events by significant life milestones.
“Are you good at like, like people can rattle off.”
The CB Radio Phenomenon
4:00 to 5:26
David and Rob discuss the popularity of CB radios in the 1970s.
“You just do it by going by friend pets, you know?”
Impressions and Handles
5:26 to 6:04
Talking about their childhood CB radio handles and experiences.
“And then the kids had it and everybody had it.”
Status Symbols of CB Antennas
6:04 to 6:44
Exploring how large CB antennas were seen as status symbols.
“hey man, do you see Travis Delancey got?”
The Impact of Convoy Culture
6:44 to 7:42
Discussion on how the song 'Convoy' influenced the popularity of CBs.
“Which I thought, you know, when I was, whatever, 11, I thought that was so funny.”
Beer Can Collecting Trends
7:42 to 9:16
Reflecting on childhood trends like beer can collecting and their absurdity.
“And then Jackson Brown talks about Shaky Town.”
The Demise of Beer Brands
9:16 to 10:18
Discussion about brands like Schlitz and their impact on culture.
“And then we got onto this thing that was also the era of collecting beer cans.”
Show all 25 chapters
Cultural Events and Shared Experiences
10:18 to 14:00
David and Rob discuss how collective experiences in media shaped their memories.
“But it is sad, like, there were, I just saw that, speaking of, did you see the news?”
OJ Chase and Cultural Impact
14:00 to 16:42
The hosts discuss the OJ Simpson chase's significance in American culture.
“He's, and I'll bet you he's in the back of a white Bronco.”
OJ Chase and Cultural Impact
19:58 to 20:53
The hosts discuss the OJ Simpson chase's significance in American culture.
“Summer always changes how you get dressed.”
OJ Chase and Cultural Impact
20:57 to 21:19
The hosts discuss the OJ Simpson chase's significance in American culture.
“Now available in Canada too, that's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash Rob for free shipping and 365 day returns.”
Impressions and Stand-Up Material Development
21:19 to 28:05
The hosts engage in discussion about celebrity impressions and the stand-up comedy process.
“Do you have any other celebrities you'd like to do an impression of?”
The Unique Experience of Heckling
28:05 to 29:23
David Cross discusses his views on heckling during performances.
“When people heckle, and I'm not in any way implying that you have a propensity to be heckled.”
Awkward Encounters at Massage Places
29:24 to 30:48
David shares a humorous story about his experiences at Chinese massage parlors.
“And one opened up down the street for me and I was very excited about it.”
Awkward Encounters at Massage Places
31:06 to 32:01
David shares a humorous story about his experiences at Chinese massage parlors.
“Appointments are often available as soon as the next day.”
Climbing Machu Picchu: A Shared Adventure
33:01 to 35:59
Rob Lowe and David Cross reminisce about their experiences climbing Machu Picchu.
“Because I don't think we talked about this in the last thing because I don't think you've done it yet.”
Reflections on the Inca Trail
36:00 to 42:06
Discussion about the challenges and beauty of the Inca Trail hike.
“but it's got its own ruins and things you can hike.”
Encountering the Ghost of the Virgin Mary
42:06 to 45:29
David Cross shares a humorous and surreal experience involving a ghost and ancient astronaut theories.
“That is what I think she said, because I don't speak, my Spanish is not great.”
Machu Picchu Insights
45:30 to 48:24
Discussion on the hidden features of Machu Picchu and the fascinating experiences of visiting.
“Do you remember where on the trail it was?”
Plans for Future Adventures
48:25 to 49:50
Exploring potential travel plans to Norway and the allure of the Northern Lights.
“then you take a train to somewhere, then you take a van, and then you take literally a sled with reindeer being pulled by reindeer.”
The End of the Beginning
49:51 to 52:44
Conversation shifts to David Cross' new special, exploring the meaning behind its title and reflections on life.
“June 6th at the Tribeca Film Festival is the first, is the premiere screening.”
The End of the Beginning
55:29 to 55:45
Conversation shifts to David Cross' new special, exploring the meaning behind its title and reflections on life.
“there's a break-in every 26 seconds But when intruders step near SimpliSafe Home Security steps up.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Rob Lowe:Confidence. It's listening to your gut. It's moving forward even when the path ahead is unclear. For nearly 160 years, Pacific Life has helped people keep their promises, building confidence for generations. Whether you're confident in your financial future or just beginning to envision it, we're here to help. Ask a financial professional how. Pacific Life. The power of a promise. Pacific Life Insurance Company, Omaha, Nebraska. And in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona. Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building. You're managing all of them.
0:35Rob Lowe:And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog, HVAC on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering, and 24-7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. In an upcoming episode, we are celebrating the dads in our lives with a special Father's Day themed lowdown line. If you've got a question about me and what to get your father figures in your life or whatever, leave me a message. Make sure you leave a few details about who your dad is and what he likes so I can give you a very good recommendation.
1:21Rob Lowe:The number to dial in is 323-570-4551. So have at it. Isn't it great? He probably meant it, like sincerely. He really does like the way he jumps. I like the way he jumps.
1:50Rob Lowe:Hey, everybody. It's Literally, and it is me, Robbie Lowski. David Cross is here. A good friend of the shows was on very, very early on in the Literally run. And I always love having funny, smart people. And it's time to revisit him, bring him back, see what's up with him. He's got a new special on. He's got another new movie with his buddy, Bob Odenkirk. Those two together are always great. Where they go to Machu Picchu, of all things. Let's get our wires crossed with David Cross. See what I did there?
2:31Rob Lowe:All right. We are ready. Mr. Cross. Where are you? I'm admiring your background. Oh, I'm in my office, which is in my house in Brooklyn, New York. Excellent. Yeah. Most excellent. Are you a longtime Brooklynite? No, not really. I moved to Brooklyn in, oh gosh, oh, 2000, whenever Hurricane Sandy was. Oh God, I remember that. 2011, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah, like a year before that. I'm terrible at years. Are you good at like, like people can rattle off. Oh yeah, that was in 2014. I think it was August. I swear to God, I think there's something wrong with me because I can remember years up until my mid twenties.
3:26Rob Lowe:And now it's literally a blur, which is not good considering how old I am. It's a blur. Wait, I don't understand exactly what you're saying. Like you can't, meaning things past your twenties are like, Was that 1997 or 2004? That's exactly right. And I do it by the way you just did it. Like, oh, yeah, there was a hurricane. I can remember it by international tragedies. Let's put it that way. Yes, that's part of getting older, I think, for sure. Yeah, my father's like, I think that was the Korean War armistice. Yes, it was right after that. That's right. You just do it by going by friend pets, you know?
4:07Rob Lowe:Oh, yeah, that's another one. That'll be a fun chapter. I think that's when Murph died. Yeah. Yeah, that'll be a fun chapter for us to start living through. And you and I, because we did this a long time ago, but we had a similar, there was like, we were sharing. Yeah, we had childhood. We got on such a good childhood thing. I remember in my notes I have that we started talking about like. Oh, CBs, right? CBs, yes. CBs, which are in the news. They're in the news. I read a CB story. So CBs out there for all you, because, you know, my demo is so young who listens to this show. CB, there was like a year, I want to say it was like 1975.
4:54Rob Lowe:I'd never heard of a CB, and all of a sudden, everybody had a CB. Literally everybody. And you had to have your hand, and your handle, right? Your handle. Yeah. And CB stood for Citizens Band. And so it was like, you know, when you see old movies or TV shows and like there's a trucker and he's got the, you know, the coiled kind of speaker thing. And he's talking to other truckers. And then that was around for a while. And then the kids had it and everybody had it. Oh, it's great. And then I just remember getting it and then going, uh, uh, like, what do you do? You get on and you have nothing to say.
5:38No, you would pretend. Me and my friends would pretend to be, I mean, we sounded like kids because we were kids. We weren't fooling anybody, but we would just kind of troll other truckers. And then, but I also remember there was like a phase where like having a really big CB antenna on your truck or your car. it was like a status and be like, hey man, do you see Travis Delancey got? Man, I mean, it must be, golly, it must be about seven feet tall, I think. He's got an antenna. Remember the ones that were so big that they'd be tied down?
6:17Rob Lowe:No, I don't remember that. I can picture it. Because you can't have like a five-footer sticky so it would be bowed. Well, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Remember those? They had the spring type of coil. Yes, with a big fucking, yes, yes. With a big spring at the end of it. So if you went under a bridge, it would bend. It wouldn't break. Yeah. Anyway. What was your handle? Do you remember what your handle was? I do. It was, I know one was Dr. Death. Oh, good. Which I thought, you know, when I was, whatever, 11, I thought that was so funny. And another one was Cottonmouth, which, this is all Southern, right?
6:58So Cottonmouth was... Snake. It was, yeah, a snake, but it was also when you were high, you'd smoked weed and your mouth would dry up. So it was called Cottonmouth before I grew up.
7:14Rob Lowe:Did that affect your... Hopefully you were like, there's Cottonmouth. Exactly. There's Cottonmouth. There's a Smoky under the overpass. A Smoky. I was listening to that song again Because it was all based on the song Well Convoy Yeah Convoy by C.W. McCall C.W. McCall Robert we all remember C.W. McCall's Convoy Which turned into a movie Like they actually made a movie About a convoy But that So do you think that was first Or just the Precolence of kids I can for sure in my area of ohio it was the song okay that we're like oh there's a thing there's a cb and like and then that became the the thing and i just remember listening to that song trying to figure out where the where the the cities they were going through because it's like they're going through shaky town and i was like was like just made up then the uh shaky town was either um san francisco or la oh because the earthquake and yeah shaky town yeah never never thought of that shaky town right a mile out of shaky town right and um and they had all these lists of what was so funny is like why wouldn't they just say well see why was it secretive oh i think they're Having a good old time.
8:50Nicknames, you know. Nicknames for the town. So Detroit's the Motor City. Cleveland is the mistake by the lake. Because Shaky Town is...
9:01Rob Lowe:And then Jackson Brown talks about Shaky Town. He has a song about it. So the nickname predates the CB world. I'm guessing. Shaky Town. Makes sense. Makes sense. It's good stuff. And then we got onto this thing that was also the era of collecting beer cans. Oh, God. Yeah, my sister. My sister had a beer can collection. Just disgusting. Shit, like going on the side of the road by the woods and picking up rusted, discarded, nasty beer cans. It was so exciting for me. I'm just hearing you talk about it. That I did not get into. My sister did, though. Sister had a whole collection. God, somebody could.
9:54Rob Lowe:You know what I'm realizing is I was like super gullible to ridiculous trends. CBs and collecting beer cans. I was convinced that like a cone top was like finding a diamond. Well, it was. it was uh you know the rarity of there was like iron city i remember that one yes oh dude and they were illustrated and there were schmidt scenes schmidt beer had all these painted oh i remember it like it was yesterday i wonder if any of that is worth a shit now like no i doubt it i mean he i mean you can go to um any dive bar and they like have those cans up just that's that's how nothing they are, is that instead, they, like, I guess we could recycle them, or I guess we could decorate up near the ceiling, put a plank of wood up there, and put all our old, dumb beer cans up there.
10:52Rob Lowe:But it is sad, like, there were, I just saw that, speaking of, did you see the news? I sound like Jay Leno. Did you see the news today? Did you see the headlines? Schlitz beer. Done. Donezo. Out of business. A hundred and Oh, I didn't even know they were still in business. Well, that was obviously the problem. That was Midwest, right? Yes. When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer. Well, that's the thing. Unfortunately, that's a bad slogan because it's just so demonstrably not true. If you finish a Schlitz, there's plenty of other beer. and so didn't really take I think I love the notion of like the madman scene where somebody says oh yeah for this guys you ready for this bring in the billboard when you're out of Schlitz you're out of beer and they're like no but the one guy in the back is like I don't know you're not out of beer I mean I guess if you're if you don't have any other beer, why don't they just go down and get another beer?
12:08A different kind of beer. Well, that's not really what we're talking about here.
12:11Rob Lowe:We're talking about metaphorically. We're talking about what you've just had you can never have again. You just consumed it. Well, just go get another kind of beer. Well, but we don't want them to do that. We want them to do... All right, I quit. This is not the job for me, clearly. I'm more of a numbers guy. Sorry, I'll leave the room. Um, it, uh, it, seeing the, uh, the news report led me to a link to the Commodores with, with Lionel Richie, um, recording, um, the, when you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer jingle. And it was fucking so sick. Oh, I didn't know they did that. I remember the jingle.
12:57That was the Commodores. Yes. Oh, I had no idea. Wow. Okay.
13:03Rob Lowe:Right. I mean, listen, you can't tell me that the 70s and 80s weren't the best. You can't tell me. I'm sorry. You cannot tell me. I absolutely can. You can tell me? Yes. The 70s and 80s were not the best. What are you talking about? What's better? I think 90s and early aughts. Yeah. I don't even remember them. It's like I said. That's true. Well, 9-11 rang a bell? Yes. Rang several bells. That rings some bells and I remember it, but I don't remember anything around it that was worth a shit. The OJ Chase. How about that? That was the 90s, right? That was the 90s. I remember where I was. I remember that.
13:54Rob Lowe:I actually called that. When he didn't show up for his arraignment, I turned to my wife and go, he's on the lam. Or as they say in every procedural, he's in the wind. He's, and I'll bet you he's in the back of a white Bronco. Ten bucks. Ten bucks as he's... Laying down and crying and telling his best friend to slow down on the 405. And then telling him, tell them that I'm suicidal. Hurry. Yeah, that was crazy. That was... But that's not as fun as CB radio beer can collecting. is it? to me the OJ chase was the first that I can remember like outside of like a collective thing that was happening in real time like I remember the whole country coming together to watch Roots and that was like the biggest event but it was the first event that I can remember that wasn't sports, that was like this thing where the whole country was watching, just stopped and watched this craziness.
15:11Yeah.
15:14I remember... It was a cool feeling, kind of. I was in LA. I just moved to LA, I think. Yeah.
15:23Rob Lowe:I have this memory of, I think I was... is it possible I was playing paddle tennis with Jack Nicholson? Is that possible? I think that was possible. I think I did that. And he was bummed because he had a movie that came out that weekend called Wolf, where he played a wolf. And it didn't do anything because of OJ, the OJ chase. Everybody watched OJ. Yeah, I don't even remember a movie called Wolf. How about this? How about Mike Nichols directed it? Oh, wow. Wow. that I'm surprised that I never saw it. Yeah, a Mike Nichols werewolf movie with Jack Nicholson. Yeah. And I think Michelle Pfeiffer might have been in it.
16:08Yeah.
16:08Rob Lowe:I remember asking Al Pacino, a lot of name dropping going on here, I realize, but forgive me, what he thought of Wolf. He goes, I saw Wolf. I liked the way he jumped. That's kind of a backhanded compliment Isn't it? Isn't it great? He probably meant it, like sincerely I really don't like the way he jumps I like the way he jumps
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17:42Rob Lowe:I've been checking it out, and everything looks super fun. There are many great options, particularly some outdoor chairs that look great. There's lots of great stuff. So go shop in-store and online at Paragold.com. Guys, let's face it. As we get older, we can't just skip sleep and eat whatever we want and still feel great the next day. But if you're entering your men's health era, you know it can feel complicated. Sprouts Farmer's Market makes it easier. Not only do Sprouts have the high-protein foods, nutrient-dense organic produce, and innovative snacks your body craves, it's also got the newest supplements, vitamins, joint support, even creatine to help get you feeling more like you used to.
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20:40I wear the cotton polo all the time. I love the jackets. I love the shorts. I just got a new pair of shorts for the summer. I cannot recommend Quince enough, and the prices are fantastic.
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21:19Do you have any other celebrities you'd like to do an impression of? Oh, I got a lot of them.
21:27Rob Lowe:but it's kind of like I'm trying to think Sean Penn oh Sean Penn he's hard to do he's in a new phase I've actually reconnected with him over the this last couple six months I've just found myself because you know we grew up together in Malibu we grew up and he was a little older you know that thing where like if you're just two or three years older you might as well two or three decades older yeah That time in one's life in the preteens, early teens. Yeah. Yeah. So he was kind of, I knew his brother Chris way better, but I've gotten to know him and he's so fucking funny. My favorite thing ever is the documentary he made about Zelensky and Ukraine.
22:14Rob Lowe:Have you seen this yet? No. No, no. What is it? We're putting together a good list for you. We've got Wolf at the top. Yeah. because you know you want to see how jack jumped yeah i've read it down and okay good and um sean's documentary about um about the war in ukraine and he shot it in the lead up before russia um actually um invaded so what what was what is uh like what's the thrust of the documentary the thrust is um sort of sean to the rescue you know it's sort of like he did it you know during katrina like that's what sean does he goes to haiti yeah goes to hurricane katrina it's kind of great um yeah and uh so it's him with zelinski and you know prepping people and you know why is the war whatever and then the war happens and my memory of it's been a while since I saw it, but I know that, I know, because it's kind of famous.
23:20Rob Lowe:This is my favorite part of it. It ends with the missiles are flying. The war is finally happening. They're in the equivalent of the Oval Office in Kiev. And they're hugging, tears in their eyes. And Sean is going to come back to the United States and raise awareness. Wow. Zelensky is very obviously moved. And Sean goes to leave and goes, oh, one more thing. And then he's had a backpack with him for the whole movie. And he puts the backpack down and zips it, reaches in and pulls out an Academy Award. Oh, I think I remember hearing about that or seeing that, a picture of it, yeah. And he hands it to Zielinski.
24:06Rob Lowe:And then I don't give a fuck whether it's I made him an offer he can't refuse or frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn. the best line in the history of filmed content. He hands the Oscar to Zelensky and he says, when this war is over, you'll bring this back to me in Malibu. Nice. And that's for sure the Mount Rushmore of insane dialogue. He's going to teach Zelensky surfing. Change his life. Spicoli. Yeah. One of the great ones. Tell me about the new stand-up special, YouTube, right? Is it on YouTube at the moment or is it coming on YouTube? No, it's on YouTube, yeah, right now. Right now? Yeah, it was on my...
24:58OfficialDavidCross.com. It was on there. It's probably still on there, but it now is for free on the 800-pound gorilla, which distributes and produces company specials. their YouTube site.
25:15Rob Lowe:I think that's right. So when you're doing a new, how long do you work the material before you feel like, okay, I'm crushing. Let's do this. You know, I always, and I mean literally always, 100 % of the time, overestimate how long it's going to take me to get it together. because you start with nothing and then... You overestimate, not underestimate. You overestimate. I overestimate. I always think it's going to take seven, eight months to get ready for, to really, to start, like do a mini tour. But really in, I mean, it takes about, let's say, 12 shows to 12 sets to get to the point where I phase one is over and now I'm moving to phase two where I'm doing two half hour sets with a guest in between so I can go over my notes and stuff.
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26:29And then pretty soon you've got an hour to work on and that hour always expands. And then it happens every single time where I've planned to go out in such and such a time. Months later, I'm like, I'm good. I can go now. I'm ready. I'm ready to go now. And I'm getting to that part. I've been doing this thing that was actually my wife's idea. usually I'm in a basement in a club in Brooklyn, right? There's these music venues and I'll go down the street. I can walk or ride my pipe to them and I do these sets and then kind of expand to bigger places. And now I go out on the road because it's it's easier to do my stuff.
27:33And I know it's going to go over fairly well, or the way it's intended, at least, in a basement in Brooklyn with the cool kids. But you got to take it out. I'll be in, where am I going? Lexington, Kentucky. It's one thing to do it in Brooklyn. And I love it. I love doing that. I love touring and going out. I hate to travel, but I love just going through America.
28:05Rob Lowe:When people heckle, and I'm not in any way implying that you have a propensity to be heckled. That's it. When people heckle, are you like, yeah, let's go? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I don't mind it at all. I mean, if it's pointless and they're just drunk and yelling, then that's not fun. But I mean, it's like a tiny present because I've been doing this material a bunch. And not that I'm bored with it, but I know it already. So it's this kind of moment of uniqueness to that particular show where I get to fuck with somebody. They've now given me permission to humiliate them in front of all these people.
28:55You know, there's 2 ,000 people there. And now they all think you're an asshole. And it never works well for them, ever. It never works out for them. And sometimes there's a husband or a wife or somebody who's got to yank them out of there. Like, shut up. And that ride home is going to be awful. and uh can you imagine uh but yeah it's like a it's like a little gift tell me about the chinese massage place i'm not going to do that because that's in the special and it's a long probably the longest story i've ever told all 100 true all 100 true it was a very awkward uh you know the you know the um uh in new york there's just that uh they're ubiquitous they're everywhere especially in these village where i used to live the chinese massage places where you know you go you go in there's like three steps down it's like dark it's not there's no ambiance and then these middle-aged chinese ladies uh who don't know how to give a massage just beat the shit out of you just elbows and punch you and rub you.
30:10And it's one of those places. And one opened up down the street for me and I was very excited about it. Because they're super cheap. There's like 50 bucks for an hour. And they're great. And I've been to, I talk about this too, I've been to those fancy spas that are three times as expensive with a real, there's like a diploma on the wall or whatever and you're like, written and it's not as good a massage it's just not and right they know what they're doing but the chinese ladies and they're you know they're like 50 and they just beat the shit out of you and you walk out of there feeling good and it's cheap and it's you know so it's it's about an experience
30:56Rob Lowe:there one of those my my my curiosity is extremely
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33:00Rob Lowe:Oh, I know what we also have to talk about. Because I don't think we talked about this in the last thing because I don't think you've done it yet. I too, sir, have climbed Machu Picchu. Oh, awesome. Yeah. Let's talk about it. When did you go? it would have been oh I'm sorry now I'm asking you to yeah yeah yeah it was right it was post 9-11 and my friend Steve was had not jumped off of a building yet I'm just going through how I'm going to figure out when this actually happened oh my goodness and so yeah I want to say it was four years ago oh wow okay yeah I think we did it two summers ago, Bob and I.
33:45Bob Odenberg and I climbed it.
33:48Rob Lowe:Okay, so the Aztec Trail, right? Or the Inca Trail. The Inca Trail. The Inca Trail. Did you go from the beginning of the Inca Trail or did you hike in? I did the version where you hike in like eight hours. You mean eight hours away from Machu Picchu? Yes. Oh, no, we did the whole trail. There's like a four-day hike and a five-day hike. Yes, you did the whole trail. Yeah, we did the four-day version. Amazing. And yeah, we have a doc about it that's going to be premiering next week, a week from whatever, June 6th, whenever that is at the Tribeca Film Festival. Amazing. Yeah. It's going to be... And it's what I can only imagine.
34:38Rob Lowe:The two of you guys reminiscing, talking, doing your thing as you walk into Machu Picchu. Yeah, it starts with a little bit of backstory about getting together to do it or to talk, me asking Bob if he wanted to do it and then respectively him in LA, me in Brooklyn, packing, leaving our family, meeting up in Lima, and then going to Cusco to acclimate, which I fucking loved. I loved that town. That town was insane. Did you eat any? It's not a gerbil. Yes. No, guinea pig. Guinea pig. Did you eat guinea pig? Yeah, I didn't care for it. It wasn't my thing, but the alpaca was great. I had a bunch of alpaca.
35:33Rob Lowe:That was really good. Yeah, I'm with you. I'm with you 100%. By the way, can we just discuss the altitude in that city? Yeah. They're not fucking around. How about when you check into the hotel and they give you oxygen? Oh, I don't even know if that was an option. I'm sure it was. I'm just not remembering it. But yeah, I mean, Cusco, I really liked it. We were there for three days to acclimate. That's 11 ,000 feet up. And it's also got some, you know, not as majestic as Machu Picchu, but it's got its own ruins and things you can hike. Oh, yeah, I thought Pusco was great. And then we went to Elante Tambo for one night.
36:16I think that's where we, everyone gathered to go to Elantaytama, which is tiny. And then you go take a bus or something to the entrance. There's a big sign. And one of the things that people think or assume is that you just sort of go, I want to go hike. And then you go and you hike. But like, man, you have to sign all this stuff. You have to have a guide. You don't just get to go, all right, I'll see you later. And it's an industry.
36:56Rob Lowe:It's not Fryman Canyon. It's not that now. And so, yeah, we got really lucky, though. The weather was perfect. But it's pretty cool how in four days you go through, I think, 12 of the 15 climates on planet Earth. Isn't it insane? It's insane. Like you're in a jungle, one second. Yeah, yeah. An actual jungle. And then you're in like an arid, like Siberian steppe. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty cool. And then the third, I guess you probably didn't get to do this, but the third, when you go through the two passes, Dead Woman's Pass and whatever the second one is, it's the hardest day, day three. And then you end at this place called the City Above the Clouds.
37:56It's one of the stopping camping sites where you set up your tents and everything. And it's literally above the clouds. and it's one of the coolest things you've ever seen. Looking down, there are peaks that are a quarter mile from you that's sticking out of the clouds. And then there's another huge mountain called Salcante. Yeah, whatever. And some weird language for the name of their mountain. And then it's just beautiful. And the sun is setting. And the night sky is crazy. You can see the Milky Way. And that's one cool thing about, you know, a little side note about the documentary is it's just breathtaking scenery.
38:50I mean, it's really beautiful. Just gorgeous.
38:53Rob Lowe:It's insane. And then the other thing people think is you're actually climbing down into Machu Picchu. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's all up and down. you're going it's a mountain range you know and it's um so it's not like uh ascending everest and getting the top it's all up and down and up and down and up and down and uh and then yeah you did so you didn't get to the sun gate did you get to the sun gate yes yeah so those that those last 50 steps that are basically like a ladder are yes that is such a fuck you to people who have spent four fucking days trying to get there. They make the last bit of it the hardest fucking thing.
39:39Rob Lowe:It is so... I had the same thing. I went with an 80-year-old. Oh, wow. And everybody's like, he's a freak of nature. Right? And we're like, he's really doing great. He's really doing great. Then we got to the sun gate and I was like, oh, this is... We're fucked. We're so fucked. Oh, you're pulling yourself up with your hands. I mean, you're like hands and knees, like crawling. you know, by the time you get there. So did you, and what I thought going all the way to Machu Picchu, it would be one of those things where you go, yeah, okay, I did it. And no, yeah, yeah, no, I'm really glad I did it.
40:17Rob Lowe:It was, yeah, it was great. It was great. I don't need to do it again. It wasn't that at all for me. I fucking thought it was unbelievable and way worth all of the hassle. Well, yeah, you did the pussy part. I mean, you did the easy way, of course. I'm white, you know, eight hours. That's nothing. I should have done the whole thing. I would have done it. I would have, if they were down to clown this group, I would have fucking done it. I believe you. Yeah, an 80-year-old would be, that'd be asking quite a bit. I mean, you're up at 14 ,000 feet above sea level at certain points, and it's no joke, man.
40:56Do you think that this is what gave Bob the fucking heart attack? Did you ever think about that?
41:00Rob Lowe:No, he had the heart attack prior. That's part of the... Oh, my God. So you're trying. You're like, you know what? Let's finish him off. Let's finish him off. It will be amazing for the Mr. Show residuals will be now worth a billion dollars. Yeah. That's threaded through the documentary about... Okay. Okay. You know, he did it in spite of or perhaps because of the heart attack. And, you know, it was – and there's footage of him in the hospital and stuff like that. So, yeah. Jesus Christ. I can't wait to see it. Did you have any spiritual slash supernatural slash ancient alien slash crazy shit?
41:54I mean, I fucked a ghost, but I don't know if that's... That would be up there. That was night two, and a ghost appeared before me. It was the ghost of the Virgin Mary, so I didn't even know they had ghosts. I didn't know the Catholics had ghosts. Anyway, yeah, it was a... I think that's what she said. That is what I think she said, because I don't speak, my Spanish is not great. Look at my face. I'm looking at it.
42:30Rob Lowe:I mean, I want to believe that that's... You're jealous. I want to believe that you're not doing a bit. I want to believe that you had that happen. Well, I'm kind of exaggerating. No, I jerked off. So it's not like being a ghost, I guess. I was going to say, because you want to look through the little dial where the solstice rises and have some shit go down. I did not have any spiritual kind of epiphany or anything like that, except for pretty consistently just a lot of like, oh man, this is amazing. This is beautiful. But I didn't have that moment of like, I should really recycle more or whatever.
43:23I should really embrace AI. I didn't have anything like that.
43:32Rob Lowe:I had a moment where I kept asking the guide extremely leading questions. like trying to like like like what's your favorite movie i've been in what kind of leading questions yeah the leading questions were like to get him to say nice things about me so if you were to meet an actor from california um no they're trying to get him to talk about crazy shit he might have seen oh yeah yeah sure and much like i'm with a group of people and i don't want them to think i'm well but they already know i'm insane but but you know what i I mean, so I was like, so he'd be talking about the Incas of the ass or whatever.
44:16Rob Lowe:So who do you think actually built this? Like that kind of thing. Anyway, after about, I don't know, a couple of hours of this, he took me aside. And he was like, I want to show you something. I want you to shut up, please. I want you to shut the fuck up about your fucking ancient astronaut shit.
44:37Rob Lowe:but he took me to a stone that had a handprint in it. And he says, I don't show everybody this. And he says, put your hand in there and then you're going to feel whatever the fuck energy it was. But like, it was interesting that he didn't show anybody, like people were walking past, you would never have known there was a handprint in it. You had to look up. So what did he think it was? He didn't say. But he said it was special, special, but it literally was like, it looked like if it was like, like Gromond's Chinese theater, except it was a stone. Right. And there was a handprint in it. And there certainly wasn't cement back then or anything like that.
45:17Rob Lowe:No, it was not cement. And I've been, I've been looking through like Machu Picchu stuff going, where's that thing? And I, you don't, and I don't, I mean, I'm sure that there's videos of it, but I, I've not, I've not found it yet. Do you remember where on the trail it was? No, it was in Machu Picchu properly. Oh, in the construction of the building. In the lower terrace area. Right, okay. And then there's another higher up iteration of Machu Picchu, right? That's even higher. Did you go to that thing? Well, that's where the sun gate is. The sun gate... Oh, wait, I know what you're talking about.
45:56Up in the... Yes. It gets built into the mountain. No, I didn't know... Can one access that? I mean, I was told that you could.
46:07Rob Lowe:God, how would you even do that? I mean... I know that there was another hike, trail, expedition, even higher. Man, that's got to be the one kind of behind it and that mountain carved into it. Oh, wow. That's the one. That was very kind of Batman looking, you know. Did you take the train home? Yes, I did. Yes. That train is... I have so many videos on my phone of that stupid train. It was so cool. It looked great, but that was a very unpleasant ride. There's no comfort or shocks. It's a very rattly, jarring ride. Especially if I was against the window and it was just clattering and banging. But it was beautiful.
46:59It was beautiful.
47:00Rob Lowe:I'm psyched of all things. Do you have any plans to do, where else would be your, on your Machu Picchu list? Well, Bob and I talked about this. I'm slowly but surely, you know, ticking these boxes. And one thing that I want to do, and it's, you ever read Bill Bryson? Is it Bill Bryson? I don't think I have. He's an author, but he, amongst other things, he's got a number of, travel books, which are not guides, but him traveling and writing about it. And in one of his books, Neither Here Nor There, he goes to a place called Hammersfest, Norway, which is the northern most town, small city in Norway, in the Arctic Circle.
47:55And at the time of the writing, it had more bars per capita than any other place on the planet. And he went there for the Northern Lights, which is a roll of the dice, a total crapshoot. You can hedge your bets and go when they're most likely to occur, but sometimes they don't occur. But I would like to do that. And the travel is like, oh my gosh, it's a plane to somewhere, then you take a train to somewhere, then you take a van, and then you take literally a sled with reindeer being pulled by reindeer. And then, you know, it's a really arduous to get up there. At least I'm going off the time of this writing, which was 90s.
48:47So I don't know if it's changed.
48:49Rob Lowe:So 90s, that would be, that also would be before 9-11. Yes. And also before my friend Steve. just before 9-11 I'm remembering now and I'd like to do that and Bob wants to do that too so we were thinking if this thing is successful maybe we'll do that in the same way we had a little skeleton crew with us we had a producer who was a cameraman another cameraman sound guy that was it and so fun it was great it was really really really cool and definitely had that feeling afterwards of this is great, but I would not do it again. And then three days later, I was like, yeah, I'd do it. I'd do it again.
49:40Rob Lowe:Yeah, that feels about right. That feels like you had the proper experience. And so that's, tell me again, that's coming out this, June 6th. June 6th. June 6th at the Tribeca Film Festival is the first, is the premiere screening. And then it screens, you know, two, three, four times again. And then we'll see if we can sell it. You know? Amazing. Amazing. Good luck with that. I'm going to check out the end of the beginning of the end, which is like the Churchill quote, right? It's like, it may not be the end, but it is the beginning. What's that crazy Churchill quote? Yeah, it's not exactly that.
50:20It's, but yeah, the Churchill quote is, which I only know because of the title of this special and people have said, oh, is it like the Churchill quote? I hadn't heard of it. This is not the end, but...
50:37Rob Lowe:I can never say it, by the way. That's how brilliant the quote is. Yeah, I can't remember. It's the most circuitous logic. Here it is. Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end. of the beginning. Yes. It's so genius. By the way, I remember dialogue for a living. I cannot remember that quote. I cannot remember. It's the beginning of the end. It's not the end of the beginning, but it could be the end of the beginning. I can't do it, but it's so good. It's crazy because I did this play last winter and I had like three page monologues that I had.
51:19I started in the summer memorizing like long fucking passages and then and it took me a while it took quite a while to to learn and and then i go you know to do like a movie or tv thing i can't remember fucking three sentences in a row it's crazy it's me it's a fucking a day and a half to remember
51:42Rob Lowe:just this nothing dialogue i don't know it's a different it's a because it's going into a different place what you know you're loading your long-term memory for a play and you know like literally like you said it's disposable tomorrow you never have to say it again it's hard yeah it's it's weird it's psychologically a strange thing that i was able to do this one thing that is so hard and then something so relatively simple it was difficult you know the end of the beginning of the end. Yeah. So it is not the end, but we were at the beginning of the end, and it's now the end of the beginning of the end.
52:27And that can be hopeful or pessimistic, depending on your point of view. Sort of like life.
52:36Rob Lowe:Right on. Mr. Cross, we need to do this again every six years. All right. Hit me up. If you're still alive, hit me up. well and I'm expecting you to have gone to Norway yeah I'm trying to think of where else I'd like to see you go I'd like to see you guys in the Amazon oh I would do that yeah I would do that I'd like that you've seen an idiot abroad right oh the Carl Pinkerton yeah it's the greatest if you guys haven't seen Ricky Gervais's an idiot abroad with Carl Pinkerton it's my favorite thing when he goes to the Amazon is the greatest thing on planet Earth. It's so good. It is really hard to believe.
53:20So this guy's 100 % legit.
53:24Rob Lowe:I've met him. He's legit. No, I can tell. I can tell. But you do have that. Sometimes you're like, what? He's a true idiot. I mean, I don't think I'm breaking news here. He's so easily annoyed and so easily like, uh, uh, put off or, or, you know, like, uh, yeah, it's pretty funny. Yeah. So yeah, I like, I like your version though as well. I like Mr. Bob Odenkirk is a, is a great one as, as are you, my friend. Um, thank you. Enjoy Brooklyn. Is it a, I'm sure it's a fine day, fine spring day there. Beautiful day. Beautiful day. Yeah. Amazing. Mid seventies, you know great go ahead and break some new material boss alright and so I shall and then I'll come back after the next special when I'm doing that one I will be right here in the same chair okay thank you thanks brother
54:31hey everybody
54:32Rob Lowe:thank you thank you for for listening that was fun it's inspired me to go online and look at old beer cans that I thought were valuable when I was 12 years old and dumb and living in Dayton, Ohio. Anyway, that's what I'm going to be doing with my day. All right. I'll see you guys next week right here on Literally. You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced by me, Sean Doherty, with help from associate producer, Sean Calvano. Research by Jeff Fox, Engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel Our executive producers are Rob Lowe for Low Profile And Nick Liao, Adam Sachs, and Jeff Ross for Team Coco Booking by Catherine Cook Music by Devin Bryant Special thanks to Hidden City Studios Thanks for listening We'll see you next time on Literally
55:29In the U.S.
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From the publisher
Rob and David both hiked Machu Picchu! The “Arrested Development” star and comedian David Cross joins Rob Lowe to discuss his experience in Peru with Bob Odenkirk, whether the best decade was the ’80s or ’90s, a quote from Winston Churchill, his new stand-up special, and much more.
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