Episode 39
The Crush!
The Crush!
Frankie Peppers, impromptu, stop by! He gets behind the mic and jumps right in! Non-stop banter, You see, Frankie, once in the Reality TV show 'Mystery Diners' on the Food Network, has a crush on Debbie, and it shows!
Italian nicknames are a thing. Are you wondering how Frankie got his nickname Frankie Peppers? Listen to this episode, and you will find out!
Transcript
Frankie Peppers in the Studio!
,:SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Frankie, peppers, people, called, Charlie Ponger, Debbie Nigro, Frankie Peppers Italian, wife, prude, kid, bread, Mystery Diner, deb, eat, hot peppers, frank, restaurant, drink, long, firing, Reality TV, COVID, Monkeypox, Greenwich,CT. Hot peppers, fried Peppers, John DeSilvia, Bellevue Hospital, Lifetime Network, Don Rickles, George Carlin, Bill Burr, Seenager, Teenager, Italian nicknames, Vulva, short bus, Cooking, cleaning, Donuts, breakfast, drinking, underwear, BVD’s, youthful
SPEAKERS
Charlie Ponger Debbie Nigro Frankie Peppers
ebbie Nigro, Frankie Peppers:tradesmen Hey everyone, welcome to the Official Seenagers. I'm Charlie Ponger. And I'm Debbie Nigro, Who the hell is this? Guess who we have here somebody just walking in and I'm walking out and Charlie goes, Whoa, Whoa Whoa,get back, turn the mic on. Oh, buddy. Tada. We have here how many times if we talked about Frankie Peppers and he's in the he's in the studio, Here I am, Debbie, I've been trying to get to you for a long time. Oh that's so freggin funny man.
Frankie Peppers:just driving here there was a van in my way it was like purposely trying to stop me from gettin to you! What is goin on here?
bbie Nigro & Frankie Peppers:what is the Lore? What is the what is the appeal? Frankie?
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:You know a certain point in time when somebody still finds you appealing. I'm all ears. But listen, let me tell you something. Something's always getting in our way. Why? It's either COVID The monkey pox, how about your wife, your husband, your wife, your father doens't like Italians?I don't know what it is. How'd you get the name Frankie Peppers not like now my father my father is long gone, but I feel him and he does guide me. Yeah. And he always he always had very good instincts about men and when I once brought a guy back to my house when I was younger I'll never forget my father always be in his underwear. He come home from work, take off his clothes, sit down at the table in his BVDs my mother be like slapping her head like are you kidding me? So Frankie, so is that why we didn't get your phone not for your feeble excuses, Charlie, you might if Debbie and I just sit on your couch and neck a little bit and listen to these little chemistry. And then if we if it happens it happens. Definitely he would have thrown you out because well he was to do well you asked him a question and then you went off on a tangent. that's what I do it ask the question and go off on tanget. So how do you get the name Frankie Peppers? First my father with the door in his underwear upstairs he wasn't a well guy so the guy wanted the guy the guy walks in my father peeks through he says How you doing and he shuts the door and goes back and right tells me later stay away from him
Charlie Ponger:Are you saying that about Frankie Peppers?
lie Ponger & Frankie Peppers:look how good luck is? You know what I did to my daughter? Some guy came to take a ride he knocked on the door like hey my answer choices is Nicole here she doesn't live here the door he didn't know
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:fathers and daughters you have daughters Charlie Yeah I tell my I told my now son in laws if you're going to show up here bring work boots with you because I'm gonna put you to work some money cuz we want to go out
bbie Nigro & Frankie Peppers:Are you a Seenager? I am a Seenager of course I am a Seenager Now listen, didn't Charlie asked you a question earlier? Yes. Why did you get the name Frank? Frankie Peppers. I had to take some notes. You know, I put it on the back of my senior. My senior AARP letter. letterhead, did you just come here to say hello? Or were you prepared to jump on and hope the mics are on? No. You know, I didn't even think I was coming into the last minute and then I started to listen to the Seenagers I always do. And I said I wonder if Charlie's recording today? the notes on this envelop as I was thinking of you, Debbie Nigro oh mathone, so how did I get the nickname Frankie Peppers Charlie came up with it? You see let me explain. Charlie, when he comes up with nicknames it's all about food. You know, it's like you know SCHAROLE Frankie Scharole or do you think people outside of our heritage have any idea what we're talking about though? I think I think I think there's a lot of people out there that know because they hear it all the time. Yeah, they know they assume that everybody who's Italian has a vegetable last name is that
charlie ponger:name Frankie clams. Well, here's the difference.
Frankie Peppers:In protein double here's the difference Charlie likes to use food you know like oh get the SCHAROLE or Frankie's good old or Vinnie Bagofdonutes or or something along those lines. You know? I like to use I'm more sexual than that. When I come up with names for people I like to use sexual names like Frankie genitalia. So there I mean there it is right there I got the I got the vowel at the end. Maybe Debbie Cardenleanus, I dunno you know Charlie fellatio
bbie Nigro & Frankie Peppers:he talked about this driving over me, Jimmy Vulva
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:locker rooms. This is why you have no girlfriends. Yeah, but the guys like Frankie Peppers come out with you know, really, the women just excuse him themselves. No, they flock to Him I just sit there and watch, they flock to him. It's just like expressions that people use today. They use all of the whole ball of wax and things like that are using wax but I'm not using a bowl of balls. Well I like to use. I like to use an expression like titillating or penalize you don't get out.
Debbie & Charlie:He doesn't get out. We got the name Frankie peppers because he makes the greatest fried peppers. you're ever going to have a now now I'm interested. Yeah, that's the other other crap he just said but I'm interested in his peppers No, He gives women nicknames too. I am a prude. You are dressed in a sexy...
charlie ponger:year a little you
harlie Ponger & Debbie Nigro:You pretend that you're prude. How do you know what I am? I know because I just showed you the L arginine.
Debbie & Charlie:Vitamin Have you said something sexual? And I went oh yeah, well, you didn't you went Oh, I'm gonna give that to Dave I can not say that. Because Dave doesn't need that.
Frankie Peppers:Question. How long do you still hear each other?
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:30 years 20 years explains the hostility
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:No, I noticed something just now good. By the way Frankie's Nice to meet you my pleasure, but I am a prude when it comes to talking about like overt sexual stuff I don't do over I just subtle. Yes. Subtle, like subtle.
Frankie Peppers:Your feeble excuses let's get back on the couch.
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:His wife is gonna beat him to death. Does she know you're here? I told her I was gonna give us a Charlie. Yeah.
bbie Nigro & Frankie Peppers:I'm sure she's a patient. Woman. She is a patient she's at Bellevue now.
Debbie Nigro:Understood.
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:So Frankie, what do you do when you're not making peppers or saying vulgar stuff? Nothing. That keeps you doing he's got a beautiful voice.
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:Are you a singer? Yes. Well, not really. But a
Charlie, Debbie, Frankie:very nice he sings he sings crooner? Is that how you say? crooner? Yeah, yeah, he's a crooner. I sing so low that you can hear me. Do you? Sometimes it's seen by the windows so you can help me out.
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:Oh, man, I know this type. Yeah, right. Yeah. All day long. Yeah, you know, my wife says to me, Don't trip and fall. You only break your tongue.
Debbie Charlie:All day long all day long. And how long you married because
Debbie Nigro:I wonder how long she'd been in Bellevue?
Frankie Peppers:She's been there for a long time. Go ahead. Good. How long you married? I've been married for 30 years to how many? Which wife?
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:To which one? More than one more than one. Now, Debbie.... Yes, this is about you and I.
Frankie Peppers:I only came here to see you.
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:Stop talking about other men and women around here are you I know you're married and that's another obstacle you got married? I not officially married or officially coupled? Oh, you're a couple? Yes. I'm officially with my significant other Dave who I love I day we are late in life. Love Affair one of those ones that people aspire to after they've lovely love affair. Yeah. As they you know, some people think there's nothing else for them again after something didn't work out. And many many years go by sometimes before you hit the bells with somebody because the list gets really complicated of who fits your list. There's too many things. What is the thing that kept you married all these years? Like what what do you what is that makes you get along for that long? She's a great cleaner. Okay. Okay, and what do you do for your immaculate at home? What do you think's very good dinner at night. Oh, man, he's gonna get beaten and no, really? I have to say that. That Mickey is cool name is special in every way. All right, there you go. Yeah, it gave it to her. When she was little the little short bus used to come pick her up.
frankie, debbie, charlie:She was special from when she was just a kid. I liked Nikki's name. I like me. Give me the Mickey and Nikki and KK. Mickey is my wife. Yeah, Nikki is my daughter for Nicole right beautiful case short for Kayla. We call her smiling. I let a case. Yeah, he's a very memorable letter. When you're trying to name like Onko and things. People remember ks and hard letters. Like I have Kristen with a K and Kendall with a K. Yeah, they're both what do you guys meet in the maternity wards and let's just keep the K thing going. Oh, my God. Right. And you know, Frankie peppers was on a reality TV show. Why am I not surprised about Yeah, whose reality what was it?
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:Actually kind of by accident it was with the Food Network and it was Mystery Diners you remember mystery diner now but I liked the idea that they used to come in and do a sting and find out what you know what was going on? The owner would hire them because things were going wrong. No, I don't know that show. So what diner was it? Mystery? Well, was the mystery. It was was restaurants out in California that they were they were using now is cool. Would you have to do on the show? I was. I was the bad guy. I was the lead. I was the partner in the restaurant. That was that was stealing $5. And then people would come back to my family here and say, I can't believe it. Why would he do such a thing? He doesn't need the money.
Debbie Charlie:on him. Yeah. Yes. You own the place?
09:33
No, no, I was we were actor. I was an actor. Oh, but people believe that you were Yeah, they believe that it was really still the $5
charlie ponger:Oh, I got more phone calls and texts from what's wrong really stuck up for me. What's wrong with your friend? Oh my god. I never knew he was lighter. And I'm like, It's reality TV was acting. Come on. Give me a break. But Frank tell the story about when you were you know, doing the audition. It's hysterical.
Frankie Peppers:I got called in To do this audition and I had to come in and they and they said, you're going to be fired by this other actor. I said, Okay, so I walked in and, and the producers sitting on the sidelines and the directors on the sidelines and we go through this, this, this, this pace, right? And guy fires, and it's very slow, and it just didn't seem to have any energy. So then he says, now you're gonna fire him. So I used to be in the food business. And this was, this is about a restaurant anyway. So I just took something from the main main memory banks, and I just, I just went with it, and it worked. And I remember, I remember having to terminate, unfortunately, an employee and, and some other funny stuff started coming in into play. So I just used it. And that's how you got work. Yeah, but the he's not. He's being very humble about it. When he first did the audition. As I remember this, when he did the audition, he walked in, and they said, Alright, the boss is going to fire you first. And let's see how you react. And you reacted in a way and you said, Oh, he's firing me. And I said, You're firing me. You got some bullets firing. Because you stay out all night. I'm doing all your work. I see. You pay me late. You always walk out on Friday. When it's time to get paid. I said, you take money from your mother Social Security money. If you don't pay me what you owe me. I'm going to come over there. I'm going to grab you by your neck. I'm going to leave you where you stand, but I'm getting my money today. So I got the I got it. Great. He just off the top. Whoa. And then and then those Okay, well, we'll call it that. I'm walking through the parking lot. My phone rings. It goes to love you. You got to come back. That's what he wanted. That's great. That's great. You ever been on a reality show, Charlie? Just my life is a reality show. No, no, no, I have you have? Yeah. Do you know about this?
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:Yeah, was was really funny as hell. But it's, I forgot about it. It was called Dinner takes off. And it was a reality show that was very popular in England, they brought over to the US it was on TLC channel, which I don't think exists anymore. But it was five nights, five people, five dinners. Dinner takes all. And you had to vote on the other people on a one to 10 how they didn't. They gave you had to pick a theme. And you had a host one night at your house and the other for nights to go to the other people's houses for dinner. And it was a great what a great show. Right. And my brother had passed away. And I was for so long. I couldn't even speak you know, it was terribly tragic. And I agreed to do this, maybe to get myself out of this Funkadelic that I was in. And I made? Oh, yeah, my theme was Italian festival. Okay, so besides making my special eggplant parmesan surprise, and my stuffed Italian breads, and my Belize and I'm in setting my house. Here's the part that I liked so much, right? I lived in this apartment right in a very nice building very nice apartment. And so my friends knew I was they were taping and I created a game called the ring toss, which you might find in Italian fees only I wanted people to toss their real rings. So I set it out on my deck where people you tossed real rings to try and get win the prize and had the whole place decorated and my friends in the middle of nights like one o'clock in the morning. They're still taping, I'm losing it. They're downstairs, all drunk yellow enough like 20 of them.
Debbie & Frankie:I'm like, oh, man, but Yeah, where's my rings that you're born and tomorrow? So I saw I lost because I was I didn't get the memo. I was being too nice. Give her 10 Oh, that's fantastic. Give me 10 I boxed myself out winning. Yeah, but the show was on all over the world. Every time people were traveling like people in Montana go Debbie.
Debbie, Charlie, Frankie:Debbie, I go you kidding? It was very powerful. That's fantastic. Oh, I know three people that have done shows. Yeah, and too bad. Johnny TV's not here today. Oh, two, as long as we're talking Italian nonsense. They followed me around for the shopping too with the cameras. You know, we got to go the Italian deli to get all my stuff. And I went to the bread department. I go here you see what I'm doing here. Feeling up the bread feeling up the bread tines for Italian sports filling up the bread.
Debbie Nigro:And they follow me in my bathroom get me going. I was hot and sweaty. You know what I'm trying to blow dry bad hair. And behind me I go. I'm like Sofia Loren on crack.
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:People shooting anyway, it was a crazy experience. A lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of work. And a lot of you know signing you had to sign a lot of documents very legal documents that reveal stuff about the show in advance and I was telling Charlie that Yeah. Very very intense. Reality TV That is on now. I don't I don't know that like anything other than like fishing shows I like I like when they go out into the crab fisherman in Alaska. What do you call that? You mean almost. So it's almost like it's almost like a real documentary. Almost. Actually real stuff. Yeah, I like that. But I don't like the housewife stuff. I mean, I can't you know, how about, you know, my favorite
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:reality show? Do you like you know, I really, I really don't watch a lot of reality. You know, like when I when I veg out I like to just watch a comedy somewhere along the way to my .
Charlie, Frankie:Got Don Rickles. Oh Don Rickles unbelievable, right. Yeah, that's still going on. Is he still Oh, you can find him on YouTube and all that sort of thing on Apple TV, Mr. Warmth, right? I think you told me about that. And then I watched an unbelievable seminal cut Insult Comic, but the guy was, obviously
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:he was one of the warmest people in real life. I think men and women are attracted to different kinds of comedy. Now you guys like to know that.
Charlie, Frankie, Debbie:Bill Burr. I love Bill Burr. Yeah. And girls like George Carlin. Oh, he was great. Yeah, he was great. Who now who is really funny to Uber? Uber is so friggin funny. It's remark he's remarkable. Yeah. He's very angry. Very pretends that he's angry. Let's put it that way. Everybody needs an act, man. Yeah, he's got a great watch Frankie, what's your act? When you're not Frankie? Peppers. You got another act? Are you always Frankie peppers? Like when you introduce yourself? I never knew I was ranking peppers until Charlie started a couple of months ago. I decided this room. Are you Frankie peppers? No, it was about a year ago. Or was it about yours? Yeah. Yeah. Well, Johnny TV calls you Frankie peppers. Oh, John. Santa Claus. You Frankie peppers. Frankie renown. He calls you Frankie pet. Oh, they don't? Yeah. Oh, because frankly, Leo calls you Frankie. Frankie Santoro calls you Frankie peppers. Somebody everybody knows Frankie, just about it's ridiculous. I didn't know they knew me was Frankie peppers. But I've
Debbie Nigro:got a reputation deadly. So how come? Are they hot peppers? Because I need to know about them.
Debbie, Frankie, Charlie:It's a mix of both. Okay. Do you think that certain people's taste buds can handle peppers better than others and that it's D in the DNS. When it comes to heat, heat, heat in your DNA? Yeah, we think so. Because you'll sit with these ghost peppers. And like, one person lands in the emergency room. The other person is going he got any more than stuff. Oh, no. I was raised when I was 11 years old eating hot peppers. You know. And Jimmy Santaguido can we can do it. My sister Jimmy Capparelli can do it. What food did you have as a kid that tasted like poison that tastes delicious now? Poised.
Charlie, Frankie, Debbie:Potato potatoes for me. You didn't like potatoes as a kid? Oh. And now I don't think there's anything I didn't like when I was a kid. Broccoli. Rob Louisan. Now delicate question, Deb. It was a good question. Facebook's j
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:change. What do you hate as a kid and let you know I have to tell you. There wasn't really anything that I disliked. As you can tell by looking at me.
Charlie, Frankie:Did you eat sardines, right? Yes, I did. Growing up. Yeah, couldn't stand them. We really grown up in the restaurant business. There really wasn't anything that kind of turned me off unless it was sea urchin, maybe C or C and I can't eat tripe. What can't you? You can stomach lining the kill? No. What about the brains of a calf? Il
Charlie Ponger:grandparent
rankie Peppers, Debbie Nigro:cell. It's a brain brain of the sheep calf. Oh, yeah. Half of they cut it in half and they roast it and then it all depends on cook and Frank Pacheco, the lead for Frank machetes took it was dynamite. Yeah, they need the eyeball and things like that. Anything they serve on your dish with an eyeball looking? To me, it's just it's a deal breaker. It's like really take the eyeball away. I can't look at the eyeball. Okay. They cut the head off when you're eating the fish.
Debbie Nigro:What is the restaurant you grew up in or with business? My parents used only a couple of restaurants in Greenwich. Very cool. Greenwich, Connecticut. Yeah, very cool. Frank. What's that meal that you would make for me in the morning with the eggs and the tomatoes and what what's that called? It's like a jumbolte it's called.
Frankie Peppers:Peppers, fresh tomato sauce. Sausage and he put it all in one pan and sounds good on it and then you dip bread in? The egg is sunnyside up in there and in the pepper. It's it's good. That sounds excellent. For us. That's a 10 pound Yeah, and we should have a drink is the bar open?
Charlie, Frankie:Have you had a drink? I'm spitten dust here today. tonight?
Charlie & Frankie:No, I haven't had a drink yet. Oh, I thought you were talking to me if I did. He said Dang. What time he came in here because you're gonna make me a drink. I'm like all right, and he goes first one today with the left hand.
19:11
First one today
Debbie Nigro:we're doing this we're taping this in October it's sober October. I don't know if you guys know that and a chance to give up alcohol for a period of time. There's a Debbie Downer for
Debbie Charlie:it is this.
19:27
I thought I liked everything about you Deb until just now.
Debbie & Frankie:Some say, Let's get back on the couch
Debbie Nigro:my gosh.
Charlie Ponger:All right, everyone, man
harlie Ponger & Debbie Nigro:You're listening to the official Seenagers alright deb you ready 123 See you later Bye
