Episode 226
#226 - Interview with actor Annie korzen
I had the chance to sit down with Annie Korzen storyteller, humorist, and TikTok sensation. Of course most famous for her roles as Doris Klompus from Seinfeld. Annie joined me to promote her book, The Book of Annie: Humor, Heart, and Chutzpah from an Accidental Influencer. Sharing personal stories, reflections on comedy, and what it means to be unapologetically yourself. Even when it doesn’t always sit well with everyone.
I’ll be honest: this episode was a bit challenging. It began rocky, and while it didn’t go exactly how I imagined, it turned into something real and worth hearing. Annie spoke openly about her late-in-life rise on TikTok. The unexpected audience that found her, and how decades of “being too much” finally became her biggest strength. Whether you agree with her or not, you can’t deny her authenticity, and I respect that.
For Annie's book use the link below:
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Annie-Chutzpah-Accidental-Influencer/dp/B0C4JPK3Q2
Annie's website for press, publications, coaching, and of course live appearances:
Lastly, Her youtube channel, be sure to subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/@AnnieKorzenVideos
We have a magical link below with all our socials and handle so you can find us on your favorite pod spot 🤟.
Transcript
04:18.87
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Unfortunately, i don't have any coffee with me, um but ah definitely ah definitely know what you mean, especially like in the morning and you're exhausted and you're tired.
04:21.50
Annie KOrzen
car
04:29.33
Lost in the Groove Podcast
If you don't have that coffee, I can't function throughout the day.
04:29.94
Annie KOrzen
bottom this like defend
04:33.40
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I can't deal with anybody.
04:34.21
Annie KOrzen
its talking
04:34.60
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I can't talk to nobody.
04:35.29
Annie KOrzen
04:35.99
Lost in the Groove Podcast
That is...
04:37.47
Annie KOrzen
Well, actually, the funny thing is I'm off caffeine. I drink decaf. I did good quality decaf coffee. but But psychologically, ah your body doesn't really know the difference. It has the same effect on me.
04:49.07
Annie KOrzen
It kind of whips me.
04:49.48
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Really?
04:50.39
Annie KOrzen
Yeah, yeah. Yes. ah co So, anyway. Yeah.
04:56.04
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
04:57.59
Annie KOrzen
But um so ah tell me, why did you choose me as a guest?
05:03.39
Lost in the Groove Podcast
um
05:11.10
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I personally...
05:11.83
Annie KOrzen
Okay.
05:13.33
Lost in the Groove Podcast
for years For you, honestly, has to do with the writing, and it has to do with your acting career.
05:13.72
Annie KOrzen
so numbers of volunt reduce involvement
05:18.69
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I've had other actors that have also written books.
05:18.74
Annie KOrzen
okay business
05:21.78
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I've had um filmmakers that have come on that also do other things like photography or even work in, like for example, like the automotive industry.
05:22.68
Annie KOrzen
walking what know but like You know, years ago, i had a shrink who said, if a person is creative in one area, they're always creative in and ah in other areas as well.
05:37.36
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm. Correct.
05:38.79
Annie KOrzen
And I found that to be true. i have friends who are great actors and also great painters. And I have friends who are musicians who are also wonderful poets, you know. So I think the creative mind just is the creative mind. but can i Let me introduce myself to your audience by name.
05:55.22
Annie KOrzen
My name is Annie Corzin, and I'm a an actor. You may know me from Seinfeld. I had a recurring role on Seinfeld, Doris Klompas, down in the Florida condo, for those of you who follow that show.
06:09.11
Annie KOrzen
And I'm also a writer and a humorist. But the main news about me is that I'm 86 years old, and I've recently become a TikTok sensation.
06:20.64
Annie KOrzen
I have almost half a million followers on TikTok.
06:23.32
Lost in the Groove Podcast
True. That is fantastic.
06:24.69
Annie KOrzen
Yeah, so that's that's been a very weird and unexpected journey. So as a result of the um TikTok notoriety, I was able to get a book published, and that's basically why I'm here today.
06:39.52
Annie KOrzen
The book is called The Book of Annie, Humor, Heart, and Chutzpah from an Accidental Influencer. And the book is a collection of humorous essays. I talk about the same stuff that I talk about on TikTok, things that interest me, which is dating, marriage, motherhood, thrifting, eating, traveling, ah movies, TV, books, the kind of the way I see the world.
07:10.55
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. Yeah.
07:11.02
Annie KOrzen
And it's it says and and and they're all human and then i have also just some humorous observations sprinkled in with the stories uh so i basically think of myself as a storyteller and and i have been a story i've worked with the moth i don't know if you're familiar with the moth it's to the great storytelling organization you can go online to themoth.org and when i started tick tock I had all these stories in my background that I had created, so I just reduced them to 60 seconds.
07:39.91
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I had these stories.
07:49.52
Annie KOrzen
and gave the shortened version on TikTok. So in the book, it's the it's the more expanded, more detailed version. And I try to be humorous even when I'm talking about serious things.
08:01.72
Annie KOrzen
I have some serious issues in my book, but I try and look at them through the prism of humor. So that's really what I'm about. And I also teach storytelling because a lot of people out there want to write They want to write their bio.
08:17.03
Annie KOrzen
They want, I mean, they're, they want to write their memoirs. i don't know if you said that one.
08:21.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
08:22.60
Annie KOrzen
And, and, ah and to me, writing a memoir is really putting together a collection of stories.
08:34.47
Annie KOrzen
So I teach the stories. I teach each how to create the, in my case, the humorous personal essay.
08:43.53
Lost in the Groove Podcast
it's a hard um It's a hard thing to be able to do, you know, because it's like it's not only being able to find out a balance, but it's also being able to find the humor in those scenarios.
08:43.89
Annie KOrzen
It's been really, um, basic anything that's moment too volume long you but sex environment and alarm man
08:55.89
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because we do have hardships that comes up, but it's hilarious sometimes in how those scenarios can be portrayed in a comedic way.
08:58.02
Annie KOrzen
attempts of peace and yes but's
09:03.33
Annie KOrzen
of the create a clean Right. Well, you know something, i think that's either you have it or you don't. Comedy and a sense of humor, I don't think it can be taught.
09:15.98
Annie KOrzen
ah I've always seen the world from that prism of humor, always. And so... But there are unfortunately, as you know, if you've been to weddings and funerals and graduation where people have to give up get up and give speeches, unfortunately, a lot of people think they're funny.
09:36.51
Annie KOrzen
And they're really not. ah
09:39.58
Lost in the Groove Podcast
So a rabbi and a Jew walks into a bar.
09:39.97
Annie KOrzen
re manager locks into ah Yeah, right.
09:42.33
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, God, here we go again.
09:42.67
Annie KOrzen
Right. Yeah, right. Exactly. They tell the same old stale jokes. Exactly. Yeah.
09:50.88
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I grew up Rockland County.
09:51.26
Annie KOrzen
currently able believe in but world benefit
09:53.53
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I grew up in a Jewish community.
09:55.71
Annie KOrzen
Oh my gosh.
09:55.98
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And I grew up in the Orthodox community.
09:56.59
Annie KOrzen
Did you grow up in the Orthodox part of that very Orthodox? Oh, whoa. Oh, whoa. That's very Jewish. Yeah.
10:04.04
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's very – you know, it's hilarious because in comedic references, like a lot of stereotypes within like – you know, with the Jewish community specifically in New York, a lot of it is true.
10:07.52
Annie KOrzen
personal important
10:12.26
Annie KOrzen
who I remember those, it's hard.
10:15.57
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it's not even – it's not even made-up comedy.
10:16.17
Annie KOrzen
You're trying to, you're trying to, you're trying to a lot of understand.
10:17.93
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like it's actually coming from true roots.
10:19.11
Annie KOrzen
Right. It's different from true roots.
10:20.88
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And –
10:21.65
Annie KOrzen
And it's sometimes like just so unrelated to those types of genres, because when I talk to you about just, you don't know, it was like, it's right.
10:22.30
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's sometimes like just so relatable, those types of comedies, because you don't just have this within the Jewish community. You have this with Italians. You have people in Boston where they have their own type of comedy where people interact with.
10:30.61
Annie KOrzen
It's just like, it's kind of like, it's kind of like, it's kind of like, it's kind of like,
10:34.45
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's interesting how like each place almost like blossoms their own Right.
10:36.78
Annie KOrzen
different Yes, they're all kind. Yeah, yeah that's interesting. you're actually It's so funny that you have mentioned Boston because when i was, um the first time that I toured with the Moth,
10:50.74
Annie KOrzen
ah we went to different cities and we did storytelling shows, okay? So we did l LA and Berkeley and St. Louis, but then our last stop was the Schubert Theater in Boston.
11:03.52
Annie KOrzen
Oldest theater in America, totally sold out. And I was very nervous because the story I was doing ah The name of it was my son's two Jewish wedding.
11:14.85
Annie KOrzen
I do a whole story about my son. Well, I'm not traditional at all. I wasn't brought up with any traditions, but my daughter-in-law is. And so I had to suffer through this wedding.
11:25.39
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh my god.
11:25.38
Annie KOrzen
That traditions that I never even heard of. And so I was very scared.
11:29.13
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I can imagine.
11:30.72
Annie KOrzen
But here's the interesting thing. I was very scared going. And the story, the full story is in the book. But. I was scared going to Boston because I said, I'm in Boston, Irish Catholic.
11:43.66
Annie KOrzen
how are people here going to relate to my very my story that's very specific to the way to my community and how I was brought up?
11:52.54
Lost in the Groove Podcast
right
11:52.66
Annie KOrzen
I was very nervous about it. and So there's a reception afterwards, and the shows seemed to go well, and I got my laughs, and I got my applause. And a woman comes up, and she said, hi, my name is Kathleen O'Neill.
12:05.56
Annie KOrzen
And I thought, uh-oh, I'm in trouble. And she said, I just need to tell you, how much your story meant to me. My son is having a big church wedding next month and I am going through exactly the same things that you went through.
12:22.20
Annie KOrzen
And that was very heartening to me because I thought, you know, if you tell your truth, your truth will be universal. People will find a way to relate to it, you know?
12:31.21
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm. There's always people that have similar situations in ways that they can connect with one another.
12:35.35
Annie KOrzen
ro
12:41.14
Annie KOrzen
Right.
12:41.25
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, I'm in vocational school, and I have a classmate of mine.
12:41.65
Annie KOrzen
Wow. Okay. Wow.
12:45.64
Annie KOrzen
get
12:46.22
Lost in the Groove Podcast
He's from middle of nowhere in Georgia.
12:49.05
Annie KOrzen
um wow
12:50.72
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And this man, like, he knows I'm not religious, but we still, like, connect on religion because, you know, he has his faith is Christian faith.
12:53.07
Annie KOrzen
is local as okay
12:59.56
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And he asked me, he's like, can we do Passover together?
13:00.21
Annie KOrzen
um so wow
13:04.63
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And I was like, sure. He's like, you know, do we have to be like strict or anything?
13:07.55
Annie KOrzen
Yeah. That's right. second
13:09.16
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I said to listen, we're bringing both of our cultures together and we're just spending time together as friends.
13:13.25
Annie KOrzen
small yeah
13:17.18
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It doesn't have to be crazy. You know, we're like in this together the same way. and you have those dynamics, like you were mentioning with that story.
13:24.21
Annie KOrzen
the um maybe somes allten
13:27.28
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, you're going through this hardship and it's really tough on you.
13:27.96
Annie KOrzen
the reason that is magnificent for look
13:30.58
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And you have somebody from like a completely different world that relates and connects with you in such a bizarre way.
13:30.98
Annie KOrzen
this one guys put so that's right
13:36.44
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's amazing.
13:37.43
Annie KOrzen
No, I love that. And that's really why I appreciate what happened on TikTok. I always thought that my audience as a performer, because I've done solo shows in the past, I've done stuff. I always thought that my audience were people like me, you know, older, urban, educated, sophisticated, artsy women, mostly Jewish. I was totally wrong.
13:58.55
Annie KOrzen
My audience, the people who shot me on the street who want to do a selfie, most of them are in their 20s. Most their kids are in their ah And I have fans from all over because I think, as you just said, if you're honest, people will relate to you.
14:15.66
Annie KOrzen
The best comment I ever got on TikTok was, I do not know why I relate so deeply with an American Jewish woman in her 80s. I am 16-year-old Afghan boy.
14:30.24
Annie KOrzen
old afghan boy That just brought me to tears. I was so moved by that. And so, and then, but then I'm trying to so what is it? Why, why am I attracting all this attention?
14:43.79
Annie KOrzen
And when I asked them, the kids that saw me on the street, I said, why do you watch me? The word they use, I'm not sure I know what it means. I'm sorry that they say, because you're authentic. Well, what does that mean?
14:54.76
Annie KOrzen
Authentic. It means, I guess, I, I'm honest. I say what I think. There's no bullshit. i don't i don't you know i don't try to skirt around. it's just I do not i do not ah go, because I don't want to create any ugliness.
15:07.81
Lost in the Groove Podcast
No.
15:13.07
Annie KOrzen
I don't talk politics or religion. I stay away from those. A little bit religion sometimes, but ah certainly not politics. um
15:21.26
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, that gets...
15:21.58
Annie KOrzen
I don't want to do anything divisive. I want to do things that bring people together.
15:23.88
Lost in the Groove Podcast
That gets muddy.
15:26.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
15:27.57
Annie KOrzen
Right?
15:28.41
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. Yeah.
15:28.81
Annie KOrzen
ah And somehow, but here's the funny thing I will tell you. I have a couple of themes in the book and this relates to one of them. All of my life I've been criticized.
15:40.18
Annie KOrzen
for being too opinionated, too talkative, too outspoken. I was told these were unattractive qualities, particularly in women. Thank you very much.
15:48.88
Lost in the Groove Podcast
and i I disagree.
15:49.17
Annie KOrzen
And I always apologize. I always apologize. Oh, I'm so sorry. Oh, always felt bad. I thought, why can't I be more feminine? Why can't I be more girly? And here's what's... And I've spent my life apologizing for it. And now these fans...
16:05.74
Annie KOrzen
who I mean, they're more than fans. They tell me I'm iconic, I'm their queen, I'm their blah, blah, blah. They celebrate me for the very qualities that I've always apologized for. and so And so one of the themes of my book, or what I want to share with your audience is, I've learned now at my late age, do not be imprisoned.
16:27.54
Annie KOrzen
by other people's negative opinions of you. And that's harder to do when you're younger. You know, when you're young, you want to please everybody. You want to be perfect.
16:35.52
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I
16:35.99
Annie KOrzen
You want to be like, now, if someone said to me, you know something, you really talk a lot. I would not apologize. I would say, you're absolutely right. And maybe you should listen to what I have to say.
16:48.72
Annie KOrzen
You might get something out of it. But I couldn't say that when I was 20 or 30 or 40 or even or years. It's taken realize that and all, but it younger understand that.
17:00.41
Annie KOrzen
with does. does. does. does. does. It does. does. It It does. It does. It does. does. It It does. does. It does. It does. does. It does. does. It does. It does. does. does. does. does.
17:10.61
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It does. You know, I'm 26 years old and even though I'm young, it's weird.
17:11.27
Annie KOrzen
It does. It does. It It It does. It It It does. It does. does. does. does. does. does. does. does. It It does.
17:17.43
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i
17:17.63
Annie KOrzen
It does. does. It
17:18.22
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I've realized as time goes on because, you know, I have friends that are in their forty s you know, and I've
17:18.65
Annie KOrzen
does. It does. does. It It does. does. It It does. does. does. It does. does. It It does. does. It does. It does. does. It does. It It does. does. does. does. It
17:23.91
Lost in the Groove Podcast
been the type of person that I will sit down with somebody that's in their 70s, you know, and just have a conversation or just whatever.
17:24.44
Annie KOrzen
personal of right Right. so' just
17:30.77
Lost in the Groove Podcast
like It's just it's never come to mind to me.
17:32.58
Annie KOrzen
told
17:33.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The thing I've always gravitated towards is just genuine people.
17:36.05
Annie KOrzen
it's just just right
17:38.52
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, as an artist, the thing that I've always loved being around other artists is that genuine honesty, that just like connection where you feel safe, you feel
17:39.81
Annie KOrzen
form the um all them just lucky know first you Yeah, oh that's a good way.
17:49.95
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. Yeah.
17:51.15
Annie KOrzen
That's a nice way. so I like that. Also, I really, really believe in intergenerational friendships. I think it's crazy to just hang out with people your age. What do you get out of that?
18:01.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I don't...
18:01.38
Annie KOrzen
They have the same hangups. They have the same ignorance.
18:03.10
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
18:04.06
Annie KOrzen
They have the same...
18:05.44
Lost in the Groove Podcast
and know
18:05.49
Annie KOrzen
The reason I'm on TikTok is because 30-year-old friend put me there. I never would have done What do I know about TikTok? Nothing. You know, it was a 30 year old friend who said, you should do this.
18:18.02
Annie KOrzen
And I, and it was really actually is another theme of my book. I want people, I suggest to everybody, if somebody suggests something really weird, but there can't be any harm in it, just say, yeah, why not?
18:30.14
Annie KOrzen
And I said to her, this is the craziest idea. Who wants to see me on TikTok? TikTok is about young girls shaking their booties, putting on makeup, whatever.
18:39.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know, um cat videos, dog videos.
18:39.87
Annie KOrzen
selling Selling product. And she said, yeah, right. And she said to me, trust me, Eddie, you will go viral. And I did shortly after we started. We started right before the lockdown, right a week before lockdown is when we started.
18:53.49
Lost in the Groove Podcast
That was really smart. That was really smart.
18:55.08
Annie KOrzen
and um And so so I'm saying, so to say, yeah, why not? I don't regret anything I've ever done, ah including the mistakes. I'm believing I made a lot of them.
19:08.55
Annie KOrzen
I just regret the things I haven't done. You know, and young people like yourself are so afraid of failing, so afraid of making mistakes. I say, try something and failure is good.
19:21.52
Annie KOrzen
Doing it wrong is good because that's how you learn.
19:21.77
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is.
19:24.37
Annie KOrzen
Everybody now wants to be perfect and successful at everything.
19:24.60
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i mean,
19:28.74
Annie KOrzen
Every kid gets a prize at graduation.
19:28.80
Lost in the Groove Podcast
no.
19:31.38
Annie KOrzen
Every, every, you know what I mean? Nobody is told that wasn't good enough. You have to do better than that.
19:37.29
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I mean, for myself, I'm up to plan C.
19:38.05
Annie KOrzen
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.
19:40.17
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it may be I've tried different avenues and different things over the short little span of my life that I've had.
19:40.54
Annie KOrzen
but on sort of physical expected
19:47.50
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And when things have not worked out, I figured out something else that did work and took my energy and focused on that.
19:48.18
Annie KOrzen
ah for for purple john exactly exactly
19:54.89
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, we we all fail.
19:56.12
Annie KOrzen
exactly
19:58.40
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, that's just reality. We're all going to fail.
20:00.81
Annie KOrzen
Hopefully. No, you have to. And it's one of the things, I know we don't talk about politics. It's one of the things i hate about politicians, all politicians on either side. They never admit to failure.
20:12.10
Annie KOrzen
They never admit to a mistake, ever.
20:14.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
never say they're sorry never
20:15.42
Annie KOrzen
Why can't you say, i ah you know, i shouldn't have. I regret this to this day. I wish I could do that moment over. Because they've all had moments that we know they should have done over.
20:28.55
Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah know yes
20:28.61
Annie KOrzen
Right. It would make them so much more human and so much more relatable. And the other theme of my book, I should mention the name of the book again. It's the book of Annie, humor, heart and chutzpah.
20:42.82
Annie KOrzen
from an accidental influencer. You can get it on Amazon. You can get it or order it at the at the Barnes & Noble. ah Oh, another thing that I want to share with people, when I grew up in the Bronx, in a kind of blue-collar immigrant neighborhood, immigrant Jewish neighborhood.
21:03.07
Annie KOrzen
so it was very limited in scope, right? Everybody talked alike, ate alike. There was not a lot of diversity in that where I grew up. ah And the mantra there, when I was growing up, the mantra was stick with your own kind.
21:21.39
Annie KOrzen
Now, I think one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life was to disregard that mantra explore the other kind. the white kind, the black kind, the Christian kind, the gay kind, the you know the other the other political kind, because that's how you enrich your life. That's how you learn.
21:42.95
Annie KOrzen
That's how you grow. And I say, explore the unknown. Travel to unknown places. Try, like you say, try to relate to people who have a totally, totally, totally different background than you.
21:57.81
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Completely different mindset.
21:58.14
Annie KOrzen
One of my favorite people, huh?
22:00.36
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Completely different mindset also.
22:00.81
Annie KOrzen
but hundred door Yeah, yes. Yes, and that as well.
22:06.87
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
22:07.11
Annie KOrzen
um And I have friends that I know their takes on their opinions on certain issues are very painful to me. We just don't go there. We just don't talk about it. But on the other hand, they're loving and loyal and honest and good friends, so I just appreciate what there is to appreciate.
22:28.68
Annie KOrzen
ah So, so those are some of the themes, some of the themes of the book. Oh, and I should tell people, I'm sorry. I know I'm ah pushing myself.
22:38.05
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yes.
22:39.41
Annie KOrzen
I should tell people, please, because of the incident, because I discovered that TikTok has one kind of audience, pretty much young, but a lot of people who want to follow me who don't want to do TikTok.
22:53.46
Annie KOrzen
So for those people, I've just started, I have now a YouTube channel. It's just called Annie Corzine Videos. Annie Corzine Videos. So I would love to invite people to just start subscribing to that because there they can see what I do on TikTok without actually having to join TikTok if that's not their thing.
23:12.62
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, I i totally um like agree with that.
23:14.17
Annie KOrzen
I totally like it.
23:15.29
Lost in the Groove Podcast
like There's something about YouTube ah where you just get a completely different experience, like a different type of audience.
23:15.69
Annie KOrzen
There's something about virtual and where you'll just be moving on before it's very nice.
23:23.59
Lost in the Groove Podcast
you know It allows us different kinds of people to connect more because you never know.
23:24.07
Annie KOrzen
You know, I'm not sure if I can't get it sure if I can't get it wrong.
23:29.27
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Sometimes people will just put something in the search bar and bam, all of a sudden all of your stuff just pops up and they just go down a rabbit hole.
23:35.60
Annie KOrzen
Yeah. I still can't figure out all that stuff. I can't figure out hashtag. I'm not, I'm not actually, even though I'm a sort of a, I guess you could say some kind of social media sensation.
23:47.53
Annie KOrzen
I really don't understand social media. I myself don't use it.
23:49.78
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Neither do Mm-hmm.
23:50.97
Annie KOrzen
I'm an old person. So I use Facebook. That's my, so that's where I, ah first of all, i I, it's only for friends, family and business acquaintances.
23:53.90
Lost in the Groove Podcast
here
24:01.74
Annie KOrzen
I don't use it for the outside world, you know, And that's where I share information. And I like getting it. I like seeing my friends, pictures of my friend's grandkids or pictures of somebody's garden.
24:13.45
Annie KOrzen
that's That's the only. But the other stuff, I can't quite figure out ah what it is that gets that gets a large, a lot of traffic on YouTube.
24:19.78
Lost in the Groove Podcast
and and I know what you mean. Yeah.
24:27.83
Annie KOrzen
I haven't figured that out yet. And you know, it's not rocket science.
24:30.32
Lost in the Groove Podcast
dear
24:31.96
Annie KOrzen
You can't predict.
24:32.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
No.
24:32.88
Annie KOrzen
A lot of these things are unpredictable.
24:36.01
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is. It really is.
24:37.57
Annie KOrzen
rule
24:37.79
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I mean, it's all... They say it's all the the luck of the draw of the cards.
24:40.47
Annie KOrzen
so
24:43.58
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it's...
24:44.04
Annie KOrzen
Yes, I believe that. I believe that that's true.
24:48.14
Lost in the Groove Podcast
But you got to roll the dice.
24:48.16
Annie KOrzen
oh Now, wait a minute. You refer to yourself as being an artist. What kind of artist are you? don't know if I'm professor.
24:54.24
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i I do a lot of different media.
24:55.74
Annie KOrzen
I don't know if I'm professor.
24:56.12
Lost in the Groove Podcast
um I do podcasting.
24:57.24
Annie KOrzen
don't know if I'm a professor. don't know if professor.
24:58.88
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Besides podcasting, I edit, produce, and write my own music that I do personally for myself.
25:03.39
Annie KOrzen
Oh, my God. Wait a minute. Say that again. Edit, produce, and write.
25:08.77
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Produce and write.
25:10.57
Annie KOrzen
You know, I was brought up to be a musician. That was my first my first um ah my first profession. was i was a piano teacher. And I didn't like it.
25:20.31
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Really?
25:20.73
Annie KOrzen
I didn't like it. Well, because again, it was the thing. Well, if you're a woman and you're a piano teacher, you get married, you have kids, you can still give piano lessons.
25:30.29
Annie KOrzen
It was a very it was that very all old way of looking at women and what women can do. So I just did what I was told, unfortunately.
25:41.56
Annie KOrzen
But I do love music. So what what is your main instrument?
25:45.86
Lost in the Groove Podcast
um My main instrument is a guitar. um a lot of the music that I produce is experimental, so it stems from the realms of like 70s and eighty s punk, funk, and disco.
25:48.65
Annie KOrzen
Okay. Okay.
25:54.10
Annie KOrzen
Okay. look at ah Okay. Uh-huh. Okay. Okay.
26:04.25
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I make weird music. Yeah.
26:05.75
Annie KOrzen
That's very cool. That's very cool. And do you work with other people?
26:11.30
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I do everything myself.
26:11.66
Annie KOrzen
Like a band? You do it all? Wow.
26:14.45
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
26:14.75
Annie KOrzen
You're one-man band.
26:15.99
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm a one-man band.
26:16.28
Annie KOrzen
ah oh
26:18.01
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i i I honestly, like, I i think for myself, I'm the type of artist that's more of like ah a delta.
26:21.61
Annie KOrzen
won take home Right. Yeah. Yes. Right.
26:26.26
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, i I travel in my own pack, but I love when I have the opportunity to collaborate or even talk with other people.
26:27.74
Annie KOrzen
that' right until bit
26:33.14
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because, like, even for yourself, you know, to pack that much of life in a book is a lot, right?
26:33.77
Annie KOrzen
yeah
26:38.53
Annie KOrzen
emergency done that
26:41.89
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, you have to...
26:42.59
Annie KOrzen
yes right
26:44.14
Lost in the Groove Podcast
So obviously there's going to be things that are not in there, but still to be able to do that is pretty impeccable because you know sometimes people think that like you know it's just like magic.
26:48.89
Annie KOrzen
Still, to do it is really unhappy because there's so many people think that
26:56.35
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It just happens overnight.
26:56.60
Annie KOrzen
but
26:57.31
Lost in the Groove Podcast
like just Everything just becomes you know amazing, but it's not.
26:58.24
Annie KOrzen
sort
27:01.48
Annie KOrzen
murder like the out of the market
27:01.78
Lost in the Groove Podcast
like There's a lot of hard work and things that go into it.
27:04.09
Annie KOrzen
Of course, of course. Well, but here's the thing. ah Also, as you grow older, as at any kind of creative artists, you build a body of work.
27:15.89
Annie KOrzen
And a lot of it can go unpublished, untouched, people have no interest, but you have it there sitting in a drawer.
27:18.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Thanks.
27:23.11
Annie KOrzen
So when I got the book contract, And as I said, was supposed to be a collection of humorous essays. I went back. And so I've been writing these essays for a zillion years.
27:36.62
Annie KOrzen
So I had all that material. Some of it had been used. Some of it had never been used. And suddenly there was a place for it. Suddenly there was a book there. I was not starting at all with a blank page.
27:48.42
Annie KOrzen
Most of what I put in the book had was material I had previously written and hadn't done anything with or, you know, So you just you just have that.
28:00.06
Annie KOrzen
I have a girlfriend who's a painter. She's an artist, okay? Her husband, her father was a well-known artist, and her husband was a well-known artist.
28:11.84
Annie KOrzen
She spent her entire life taking care of them and their careers. She did her own work.
28:16.69
Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah wow
28:17.92
Annie KOrzen
No one ever paid attention. She did it she always did her work. No one paid attention to it. Around the time she turned 80...
28:27.82
Annie KOrzen
For some strange reason, suddenly there was a glowing review in the New York Times about a gallery show she was in. She had been in a million gallery shows in her life.
28:38.26
Annie KOrzen
No one had ever paid attention. This one review in the New York Times, she called me and she said, Annie, last week you could have bought anything in my studio 250 bucks.
28:53.25
Annie KOrzen
Yesterday, because of that New York Times article, I sold a little drawing for $7,000.
29:00.21
Annie KOrzen
And that's where she is now. Now she's in galleries and I have stuff she's given to me over the years.
29:02.98
Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah
29:06.55
Annie KOrzen
I suddenly have a valuable collection of my friend's work yeah that she just gave me as presents or she did ah a painting of me or a sketch of me and my husband. So it she was 80, okay?
29:20.41
Annie KOrzen
But she's got all that work, but she has it. She has the work there that now is worth, now her paintings, her large paintings are selling in the hundreds of thousands.
29:31.28
Annie KOrzen
She spent all her life just doing the work until fly one day somebody noticed her.
29:39.35
Lost in the Groove Podcast
it's um It's a hard game.
29:39.98
Annie KOrzen
Right. I totally agree.
29:41.58
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I mean, I've talked with other people before, and something you have to realize is you're either doing it to make it big or you're doing it because you want to do it because you love doing it.
29:42.24
Annie KOrzen
No, I agree.
29:45.38
Annie KOrzen
training after is yeah so and doing it keep you see look do
29:55.30
Lost in the Groove Podcast
This is what you want to do.
29:56.96
Annie KOrzen
right
29:57.26
Lost in the Groove Podcast
you know
29:57.69
Annie KOrzen
i totally agree no i agree
29:57.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And that's where that's where the passion blossoms. That's where the passion comes from.
30:02.14
Annie KOrzen
I mean, listen, I would be very happy to be rich and famous. I would like more money. This is true. But what this serves me is nowadays you ask a kid what they want to do, what they want to be when they grow up.
30:07.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
30:14.91
Annie KOrzen
They say, oh, I want to be an influencer. That really just serves me. Because what it means is they want to be famous and make a lot of money, but it doesn't occur to them that you have to have something to say.
30:29.64
Annie KOrzen
I'm happy that I'm called an influencer or a gradfluencer, but I'm on TikTok because I think that my thoughts are worth sharing. I want an audience.
30:39.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
100%. Yeah. Yeah.
30:40.27
Annie KOrzen
I'm really there because I want an audience for my humor, my wit, my wisdom. You know, my intelligence, I want to be appreciated, and but I think I have something worth sharing.
30:54.12
Annie KOrzen
But for these kids to say, I want to be an influencer, that's like saying, I want to be famous. I want to be a celebrity. That's not how it happened. yeah know You know, they don't understand that. First, you have to get good at something.
31:09.52
Annie KOrzen
You have to learn how to do something.
31:12.05
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Annie, you mentioned something earlier, which is so true, where
31:12.35
Annie KOrzen
Right. Right.
31:19.33
Lost in the Groove Podcast
you have to be born with something like you have to be born with some type of artistic spark.
31:19.76
Annie KOrzen
couple until we come up mying out
31:26.73
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I think a lot of people do have that.
31:27.74
Annie KOrzen
but on
31:28.90
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's just either it's not implemented the correct way or.
31:30.65
Annie KOrzen
ah points at the current way right
31:34.03
Lost in the Groove Podcast
eat
31:34.48
Annie KOrzen
yeah
31:34.69
Lost in the Groove Podcast
nobody does anything with it but it needs to be within you in order for you to blossom out and be able to spread that spread that craft or whatever you're doing um
31:36.56
Annie KOrzen
right
31:39.29
Annie KOrzen
ni old Right. hold
31:48.52
Lost in the Groove Podcast
So there's luck that plays in there, but also you play a key role there.
31:52.22
Annie KOrzen
ah
31:52.59
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, if you're terrible, ah like great example is if you're a terrible poker player and you keep playing Texas Hold'em and you keep losing and just keep on going back and back and forth, it's like you can either blame the poker game or you could just blame yourself.
31:54.66
Annie KOrzen
31:58.78
Annie KOrzen
lots of like doesn't criminal the green right
32:05.69
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You're not a good po poker player.
32:07.71
Annie KOrzen
Right. I play poker, but I'm not a good like poker player. Sometimes I win by some luck, but I'm definitely not a good poker player.
32:16.61
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Sorry, I hit a nerve. My apologies.
32:18.79
Annie KOrzen
No, no, that's okay. I enjoy it. To us, we get together with with with three other couples. To us, it's a fun social night. We have a dinner, we you know, whatever, and we and we play. it's it's It's just for fun.
32:31.91
Annie KOrzen
I would not get it. Once in a while, I've gotten to a more high stakes game with serious players. And then I was definitely out of my league. I got out of there as fast as I could.
32:42.41
Annie KOrzen
I and knew I was in the wrong place, you know?
32:45.43
Lost in the Groove Podcast
God, I mean, listen, the sometimes the sunglasses will help, especially with the scarf, but not always, not always.
32:49.94
Annie KOrzen
just
32:53.10
Annie KOrzen
but Yeah. ah But again, that in itself is a kind of a gift, I guess, for certain people. Yeah.
33:07.31
Annie KOrzen
One of my favorite stories, talk about storytelling. One of my stories is is actually on The Moth. You go to themoth.org and you look up, do you if you know poker, you have to know who Annie Duke is.
33:21.55
Annie KOrzen
Annie Duke.
33:22.24
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i
33:22.39
Annie KOrzen
She's one of the few big champion female poker players.
33:26.51
Lost in the Groove Podcast
um I'm going to check.
33:26.74
Annie KOrzen
And her brother's a famous player.
33:28.63
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i I should have mentioned.
33:29.14
Annie KOrzen
Anyway, she has a story. It's one of my favorite stories ever about how she was put into a game just because they needed a woman.
33:31.93
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Let me
33:37.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
see. I know who this is.
33:38.19
Annie KOrzen
and know it
33:39.10
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay.
33:39.74
Annie KOrzen
And they had no expectations for her, of her in any way. It was one of those televised games and one of those, you know, whatever.
33:46.14
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
33:48.64
Annie KOrzen
And I, her brother, who was a big champion player, he was in the same game. It's one of the best stories I've ever heard. ah And, um,
34:03.53
Annie KOrzen
But anyway, you were saying also about creative, you know, it's it's also not just creative people. I like people who are curious about the world. I don't understand, Pierre. When I said before about, I was brought up to say, stick with your own kind.
34:17.24
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I don't like that.
34:17.61
Annie KOrzen
ah At one point, we had a little house in the country. when we lived in in Manhattan, we had a little weekend house. And... And it was in, it was around two hours north, further north than you.
34:31.49
Annie KOrzen
It in, ah it's called Columbia County, the Hudson River Valley, Red Hook Rhinebeck.
34:35.52
Lost in the Groove Podcast
That's right. Yeah, that's right above Sullivan. Yeah, because it's Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Columbia.
34:43.72
Annie KOrzen
Yes. Okay. Well, there's Dutchess.
34:44.75
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
34:45.60
Annie KOrzen
No, Dutchess is before Columbia on on that side of the river.
34:49.73
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right, you're right, yes.
34:49.96
Annie KOrzen
You're on the other side of the river. But anyway, so we were in Columbia County, two hours north of the city.
34:52.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
so
34:56.36
Annie KOrzen
where I have little cottage on a little dirt road, you know, and down the road was a local general store. You just got the basics, whatever.
35:04.29
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Run of the mill, yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:06.12
Annie KOrzen
Ginger ale, terrible bread, whatever. Very bad food, but very cheap. And in ah if you're in a hurry, that's all you could get, right?
35:14.22
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right.
35:15.42
Annie KOrzen
So the guy who owned the shore, Ralph, he was maybe at the time in his mid fifties or close to 60. So I said to him, tell me Ralph, uh, Have you ever been down to the city?
35:29.66
Annie KOrzen
Meaning New York, right? It's two hours ah And he said, with great pride, he said, no, never been out of the county. And I thought, oh, my God, this poor schmuck.
35:42.44
Annie KOrzen
He's proud of the fact. that he's lived in this tiny, isolated, limited rural area all his life. He's proud of the fact that he's never gone.
35:54.82
Annie KOrzen
i mean, how large is a county? I don't know how many miles is that? It's not very it's not a very large, never been out of the county, which means he's never been down to Bard Colleges or Vassar College.
35:59.99
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i i wrote I remember.
36:04.76
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's crazy.
36:08.50
Lost in the Groove Podcast
No.
36:08.52
Annie KOrzen
I mean, there are some schools around there that have great programs and-
36:12.24
Lost in the Groove Podcast
do you know Do you know what's wild? I remember, like this is not as far as Columbia, but even in Sullivan County, where you know we went to you where Woodstock is.
36:15.30
Annie KOrzen
I don't know what I'm saying. I'm not going to the next focus.
36:23.38
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And 90% of all the people that live there remember Woodstock.
36:23.51
Annie KOrzen
Oh. to to the center of all the people we're listening. We're going to go to the center of the room.
36:29.20
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They never left.
36:30.37
Annie KOrzen
We're going to go to the center of the room.
36:30.70
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They have been there since:36:35.45
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They have grandkids, great-grandkids.
36:37.92
Annie KOrzen
ah Wait a minute. I'm not following what you're saying. The people in Woodstock, you're saying, were the original audience who just stayed on? I don't i't follow it.
36:46.44
Lost in the Groove Podcast
No, the people...
36:46.67
Annie KOrzen
but You mean the local people?
36:48.70
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The local people, that's how rural it is.
36:50.33
Annie KOrzen
Yeah.
36:51.78
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like to your point, like these people live in these areas and don't go anywhere. that they Their whole generation, their whole life is just in this rural area.
37:00.06
Annie KOrzen
Yeah. I don't get that. I just don't get that. I really, mean, don't you have curiosity? Don't you want to see a museum or the Sagittarius Liberty or or, sidewalks and stores and Chinese restaurants?
37:07.23
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Right?
37:16.39
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
37:16.48
Annie KOrzen
And I mean, cannot understand that. I cannot understand that. ah Let me mention the name again. It's the book of Annie, humor, heart and chutzpah.
37:30.32
Annie KOrzen
from an accidental influencer. At least you know how to pronounce chutzpah. A lot of times I go on these podcasts and they introduce me. and They had never seen that word before.
37:40.38
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Chutzpah.
37:41.27
Annie KOrzen
Right?
37:41.65
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah. It's funny because I have to sometimes like teach you know the words like chutzpah and meshuggah and like it's dreck or things like this.
37:47.27
Annie KOrzen
awesome right
37:51.41
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm like, well what does that mean? And I'm like, oh god, I gotta explain this now.
37:56.10
Annie KOrzen
I just did a podcast for a friend A friend of mine was looking for people who know words in language in certain languages that cannot be translated into English.
38:07.22
Annie KOrzen
It was very interesting. There are certain words. And so now I speak, well, I don't speak, but I know Yiddish, but my husband is Danish. So I also know Danish. I know some French, Italian term, whatever. I like languages.
38:19.42
Annie KOrzen
But I went on just to talk about a few Yiddish words that cannot be translated. And it is interesting because, you know, your language um reflects your culture.
38:33.22
Annie KOrzen
so the word I spoke about was ah well, there are various for fair variations of a baitunum mafaana mafete ah contain it.
38:42.07
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, yeah.
38:43.54
Annie KOrzen
And is what it means is your married child'sin-laws like my sons mother-in-law is my Maritana, right?
38:54.34
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mahatana.
38:57.31
Annie KOrzen
And I talk to other friends because I have some Latino friends. They say, yeah, you can say there's a word for that in Spanish and Korean. navy There's a word for that Korean. There is no word for it in English.
39:09.58
Annie KOrzen
And I say, because in Anglo-Saxon culture, it is not an important relationship. In these other cultures, when you marry, it's not two people getting married.
39:22.55
Annie KOrzen
is the union of two families. It's like a tribal thing, right?
39:27.21
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is, yeah.
39:28.40
Annie KOrzen
And I spoke to friend of mine who's a WASP from Texas. She said, my parents, I think they met my husband's parents once. That was it, never again, no interest. And so it's a different, it's reflecting the culture.
39:41.25
Annie KOrzen
and in in In Jewish culture, in um ah Latino culture, in Asian culture, that's an important relationship.
39:51.32
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is. i think also, like think about the mother-in-law culture. You know, you go back in time with all the television shows and cartoons and movies.
40:00.51
Annie KOrzen
right, right. And she's always a joke.
40:01.46
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And, right, yeah a monster, like the the the witch from the closet, you got to put back.
40:02.79
Annie KOrzen
She's always a monster. I'm crying. Yeah.
40:07.60
Annie KOrzen
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
40:09.08
Lost in the Groove Podcast
So...
40:09.14
Annie KOrzen
Right, right, right.
40:11.85
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It kind of does trickle down in society.
40:11.96
Annie KOrzen
I'm so much more than woman in the world.
40:13.84
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like there's almost this like stereotype of where, you know, your in-laws are like out to get you.
40:17.26
Annie KOrzen
oh
40:19.14
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, they're on your wife's side or on your husband's side.
40:19.78
Annie KOrzen
right what this Right, right.
40:21.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, they're out to like. The
40:23.75
Annie KOrzen
The the end is of mother-in-law, the battle acts.
40:26.31
Lost in the Groove Podcast
battle eggs, right?
40:27.21
Annie KOrzen
The battle acts, right.
40:27.73
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
40:28.50
Annie KOrzen
The critical and complaining and, you know. I think I'm the world's best mother-in-law, quite frankly. But I made it, I was um determined to be.
40:35.67
Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah
40:39.68
Annie KOrzen
was determined to have a relationship, ah a loving and respectful relationship with my with my daughter-in-law. And I i think i'd so I would say I'd succeed at
40:51.17
Lost in the Groove Podcast
i I think a lot of it like is almost from tough love.
40:52.15
Annie KOrzen
i remember his
40:55.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, i have like with my own mother, my mother grew up in Brooklyn.
40:59.38
Annie KOrzen
ah group fall
40:59.54
Lost in the Groove Podcast
My grandparents were born and raised in New York.
41:02.49
Annie KOrzen
Oh, that's nice.
41:03.72
Lost in the Groove Podcast
the yeah There's this tough love culture within, you know, their generation, um particularly within the Jewish community and
41:04.77
Annie KOrzen
That's nice
41:10.45
Annie KOrzen
that you can say that. But not everybody can say it.
41:15.66
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It doesn't change anything.
41:16.11
Annie KOrzen
but out two thousand ago for another will not in more
41:16.86
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like my grandmother is still a wonderful person. You know, my mother is still a wonderful person to be around.
41:21.09
Annie KOrzen
the oh that's nice that's nice that you can say that
41:22.16
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know.
41:24.76
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, it.
41:26.47
Annie KOrzen
everybody can say Not everyone can say that about their families. You're you're one of the lucky ones.
41:30.39
Lost in the Groove Podcast
True.
41:33.36
Lost in the Groove Podcast
no but, you know, like we take.
41:33.83
Annie KOrzen
Right. Right.
41:37.55
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The way I've always looked at relationships is you can focus on all the bad qualities or you can see all of the good qualities.
41:38.76
Annie KOrzen
step like walking on bill
41:44.16
Annie KOrzen
but
41:45.07
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Because a lot of the times you can have where there's a lot of good qualities and there's just a few bad qualities.
41:48.48
Annie KOrzen
for right
41:50.42
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Being able to just balance those things out is like you can't change people.
41:53.52
Annie KOrzen
to
41:55.92
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You can't change people.
41:56.40
Annie KOrzen
chance he people
41:56.96
Lost in the Groove Podcast
the only person you could change is yourself.
41:59.13
Annie KOrzen
Oh, God, you sound like my therapist when I complain about my husband.
42:04.87
Lost in the Groove Podcast
yeah ah ah That's something I
42:09.76
Annie KOrzen
Yes, you can change yourself. You can change your perception of things. Or as you say, when you get annoyed at somebody's fault or somebody's fault, you can run there are two things you can do.
42:20.12
Annie KOrzen
you could As you said, you can remind yourself of all the good things I do. And I have a wonderful husband, a very loyal, very supportive husband.
42:31.64
Annie KOrzen
And also the one I always forget is you should put yourself in their shoes.
42:37.31
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm
42:37.35
Annie KOrzen
What were they thinking when they did that? What kind of mood were they in when they said that? You know, we forget that. We forget that a lot. Totally.
42:48.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
do.
42:50.50
Annie KOrzen
I forget, it was a story somebody told, and now I can't remember. If somebody's nasty, if somebody's unpleasant, a stranger, let's say, in a store or something, a before you engage in battle, you might wonder what that person has done. Well, all right, here's the best example.
43:09.72
Annie KOrzen
You know, since I am on social media, there are trolls out there. There are haters.
43:14.03
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Of course.
43:14.45
Annie KOrzen
And i don't get to I don't get too much of that, I'm happy to say, because as I say, I'm...
43:18.00
Lost in the Groove Podcast
um I get a lot more than I should be. Yeah.
43:20.74
Annie KOrzen
ah Really? Well, you shouldn't get any and I shouldn't get any. So any amount is too much.
43:26.97
Lost in the Groove Podcast
For sure.
43:27.18
Annie KOrzen
But since I try not to do things that's too provocative, but they're out there and I'll get it.
43:27.45
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
43:34.74
Annie KOrzen
One stupid, one really stupid one was I have a video. I have one of my earlier TikToks that went viral where all I'm doing is sitting in a cafe, having a margarita and some guac and some chips.
43:47.68
Annie KOrzen
And I'm saying, This has got to be the best way to end the day. In a cafe with a margarita, guacos, all right? So would you believe that some fool, right? Oh, there she goes.
44:00.28
Annie KOrzen
Entitled white lady ah doing cultural appropriation. In other words, they were saying that since I'm not Mexican, I have no right to be eating and drinking Mexican wine.
44:12.27
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Can I have two margaritas with the entitled white lady and an extra bowl of tacos?
44:15.55
Annie KOrzen
ah I mean, it was so beyond stupid. And I actually, I shouldn't, but this person i actually wrote back and said, are you saying that only Jews should eat bagels and only French people should have croissants and that only, you know I mean, but here's the thing, but I got to say something about those haters.
44:30.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I need my croissants. I need my croissants.
44:34.37
Annie KOrzen
I did do a TikTok about this. um And I said, When I get a message, a hateful message from from somebody, right?
44:47.62
Annie KOrzen
I think about that person. think, what does it take to sit, I'm going to assume, alone? To sit alone at your on your phone or your computer, sending vicious messages to a total stranger who has never done you any harm.
45:08.38
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You don't even know
45:08.82
Annie KOrzen
and here's wait But here's the thing. I have an answer to that. What it means is when you do that, what you are telling the world is that you have not gotten enough love in your life.
45:22.77
Annie KOrzen
Because loved, people who feel loved do not do that. They do not send hateful messages to total strangers. You have to be, that kind of anger, that kind of rage comes from a lack of love from the outside. And I hate to sound woo about it. It means a lack of love for yourself. Probably you don't love yours.
45:44.76
Annie KOrzen
You don't think that much of yourself. Although I don't know if that's true. I think a lot of evil people love themselves a lot.
45:51.32
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They do.
45:51.79
Annie KOrzen
Yeah.
45:52.57
Lost in the Groove Podcast
But I feel though, you have a point there. When you meet people that are, that know your work, you know, um for example, in your case, know your social media, like for example, have read your book, um know um a bit of your career in regards to your acting, and they meet you in person and, you know, it's not the first thing that they come up to you like, oh my God, but they come up to and you're like, I really like what you did.
45:58.10
Annie KOrzen
and material
46:16.18
Annie KOrzen
sort
46:16.86
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, I really appreciate the work that you're doing.
46:17.35
Annie KOrzen
and
46:19.02
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Like, That makes you feel good. You know, what like somebody appreciates what you do.
46:23.68
Annie KOrzen
absolutely absolutely that's we yeah
46:28.29
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, and that type of experience outweighs all those negative comments of people because those people can never come to you in person and tell you those things directly to your face.
46:34.50
Annie KOrzen
but problem point that appearance what says and so That's a good point. Hey, I'm the one who accused you of, right?
46:45.03
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Good luck.
46:45.43
Annie KOrzen
Cultural appropriation. You're right. I'm the one who, right. oh I did a wonderful story and it's in the book.
46:53.02
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh my god.
46:56.56
Annie KOrzen
I have a very powerful story. My husband is Danish and he's Jewish.
47:00.49
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay.
47:01.67
Annie KOrzen
He's a Danish Jew, which is unusual. And when he was a little boy, he was hidden by Christian family, a religious Christian family. He was hidden from the Nazis by a religious Christian family.
47:13.15
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Okay. Wait, so he was raising the he was raised in the Netherlands, and he came over after Denmark.
47:13.50
Annie KOrzen
and In Denmark, Denmark, Denmark, Denmark. He's Danish. and um And anyway, the whole story goes more than that, how he reunites years later with the members of the underground who then brought him over to his parents.
47:20.68
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Oh, right. I'm sorry. I get these confused.
47:30.01
Annie KOrzen
It's a very dramatic and wonderful story. on But anyway, I did a short version of it on TikTok. I think I showed a po photograph maybe of of Benny when he was that age.
47:46.51
Annie KOrzen
And I gave a very short version. And of course, the point of the story was to celebrate the Christian heroes who did that. They they they did something very dangerous.
47:57.03
Annie KOrzen
Very, very dangerous.
47:57.28
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They could have been shot, killed, yeah.
47:59.13
Annie KOrzen
Yeah, because Denmark was occupied. And anyway, so it's quite a story. It's quite a dramatic story. So one fool wrote, yeah, nice story. And what are you doing about the children in Gaza?
48:13.07
Annie KOrzen
like I'm responsible. i am not responsible for Israel. I am not responsible for war.
48:18.26
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I know.
48:19.26
Annie KOrzen
I hate all of them. I hate the Gazan military, Gazan killers. I hate the idea. I hate killers. I hate men with guns. That's my, that's my take on all that.
48:28.48
Lost in the Groove Podcast
what What I did a
48:28.66
Annie KOrzen
If I were running, but I am not responsible.
48:33.71
Lost in the Groove Podcast
what i did um a while back, kind of after October 7th, I brought on ah friend of mine that I knew in Israel, and she works with a plethora of different organizations that works in regards to meditation, helping rebuild communities, working with broken families.
48:38.62
Annie KOrzen
and wonderful um local experiment
48:47.71
Annie KOrzen
Okay. Okay. Okay. so okay okay
48:53.00
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And I brought her on because I said to myself, you know what, who is the best for us representation?
48:54.52
Annie KOrzen
and and
48:58.98
Lost in the Groove Podcast
She is, she's the best reporter, like she's there, she has her own experience and all that.
48:59.50
Annie KOrzen
um for sometimes it
49:04.35
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And it wasn't even about the situation that was going on in Israel.
49:04.37
Annie KOrzen
okay
49:06.92
Annie KOrzen
like school
49:07.68
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It was just about her career, her experience, what she was dealing with locally.
49:07.69
Annie KOrzen
also can system
49:12.06
Annie KOrzen
okay
49:15.03
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And that is just the story.
49:15.60
Annie KOrzen
Okay. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Right.
49:17.19
Lost in the Groove Podcast
That's it.
49:17.28
Annie KOrzen
No, I'll tell you the saddest thing I learned early on TikTok
49:17.43
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The same thing like the story that you're talking about with your husband. These are just beautiful stories showcasing, you know, freedom, being able to express yourself.
49:24.21
Annie KOrzen
right um right right
49:29.18
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The two doesn't have to do with each other.
49:29.71
Annie KOrzen
but small guys are what
49:31.87
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It's like you're bringing in something that has nothing to do with this for no apparent reason, except starting hate.
49:31.93
Annie KOrzen
right written as all yeah ah right no i'll tell you the saddest thing i learned early on on tiktok When I started 30 year old who made me go on it, she would shoot it.
49:49.51
Annie KOrzen
And I never prepare. I never write it. I never rehearse it. I just get up and I do it. I told a story that happened to me. That's one of my favorite stories. ah And it's true. I was on a plane quite a few years ago.
50:06.27
Annie KOrzen
I was on a plane and next to me was a young man, clearly Arab from MIT going home to whatever, to the Middle East. you know I think we were all making a stop and we would have to change planes somewhere in Europe, right?
50:19.83
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
50:21.69
Annie KOrzen
So I was going to, I forget where he was going to, to one of the Middle Eastern Arab countries. And in those days you could order food in advance. And when his food came,
50:35.33
Annie KOrzen
It was kosher. And so of course I'm such a yet I had to know. I said, excuse me, but I'm just curious. I know you're not Jewish. Why are you eating kosher food? And he was a very pleasant young man. And his answer was, oh in Boston, I go to MIT and in Boston,
50:53.24
Annie KOrzen
All the Arab students only shop at kosher butchers because we can't, and I always get a little teary when I tell this story. We can only eat meat that has been blessed by a holy man. And I thought, how beautiful is that? Why can't we focus more on our similarities rather than our differences?
51:14.14
Annie KOrzen
I finished telling the story. Mackenzie, my 30-year-old, put her hand up and she said, sorry, Annie, we can't ever put that on TikTok.
51:16.83
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Thank you.
51:23.03
Annie KOrzen
And I said, what? What are you saying? She said, you can't put that on TikTok. She said, as soon as you say kosher, you're going hear from all the crazy Jew haters.
51:35.13
Annie KOrzen
As soon as you say Muslim, Arab, you're going hear from all the crazy Arab haters. It's just not worth it. And we never posted that story. Now, isn't that the saddest thing you ever heard?
51:47.10
Lost in the Groove Podcast
It is.
51:47.34
Annie KOrzen
That then we live in that kind of world?
51:49.54
Lost in the Groove Podcast
it is. And, you know, I relate so well with that story because growing up in the community, a lot of the kosher stores, we had Muslims.
51:55.85
Annie KOrzen
but
51:57.03
Lost in the Groove Podcast
They used to come and buy kosher meat all the time.
51:58.20
Annie KOrzen
Really? Okay. Wow.
52:00.34
Lost in the Groove Podcast
yeah All the time.
52:00.79
Annie KOrzen
so okay
52:02.55
Lost in the Groove Podcast
All the time. And the same idea is where, you know, even though it was a very closed sect community and they weren't very welcoming of others, but still, you know, the Arab community, which in Rockland, I never not very familiar with it.
52:08.66
Annie KOrzen
control but
52:16.14
Annie KOrzen
i deliver to publish
52:18.28
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm not sure if it's large. But just being able to see that was a little bit of an eye opening as the kid.
52:21.67
Annie KOrzen
for on wow but
52:24.96
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You know, it's not just Jews that are shopping here. You have other types of people that are shopping here as well.
52:29.82
Annie KOrzen
Wow.
52:30.01
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And. You know, We can look at things from different shades of prisms, right?
52:35.33
Annie KOrzen
look at sort to famous things imp prison
52:38.02
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You can look at things through a black prism.
52:38.54
Annie KOrzen
long of principle all wealth working contest
52:40.06
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You can look look at things through a red prism.
52:42.91
Annie KOrzen
the
52:43.12
Lost in the Groove Podcast
But that story is meaningful and beautiful to you.
52:44.98
Annie KOrzen
funny is long above it to
52:48.00
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And, you know, just the fact that, you know, you have to like restrict yourself for being able to express yourself in that level is it's just so difficult.
52:50.95
Annie KOrzen
all
52:56.21
Annie KOrzen
Right. I wonder if I put it in the book. It's funny that you mentioned it. I wonder, I can't remember if it's in the book or not.
53:00.27
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You should have.
53:02.96
Annie KOrzen
It might be because there I have a chance to do it. I have, I have a lot of things in the book that actually were too risky for tech talk, but in a book you can take more risks.
53:14.24
Annie KOrzen
It's a different kind of audience. If somebody has bought your book, they're not a hater, right?
53:20.52
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
53:21.45
Annie KOrzen
And so they're open minded. So it's true that I have things in the book that maybe are more provocative and more, um as we say, more risky than things.
53:33.90
Annie KOrzen
Now, you know what? I'm going to have to go soon because we actually did more than I thought.
53:36.13
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, I was gonna... i I told you, sometimes you just you just get lost.
53:40.34
Annie KOrzen
because you' fun Because you're fun to talk to.
53:43.86
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Thank you.
53:44.35
Annie KOrzen
But you will tell people. So I want people to, of course, buy the book and please uh, subscribe to Annie Corzine videos on Tik Tok and I mean on, on YouTube.
53:57.07
Annie KOrzen
And if you're on Tik Tok, it's Corzine on Tik Tok, but you're going to post all that.
54:00.53
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Awesome.
54:01.63
Annie KOrzen
Right.
54:01.96
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah, I'm going to, I usually put a post on Instagram, ah usually four days, a few days before the episode goes out.
54:02.52
Annie KOrzen
Okay. Great. was fall okay
54:08.34
Lost in the Groove Podcast
And I'm going to make sure for anybody out there, if you want to find Annie's info, it's going to be in the description box below.
54:11.12
Annie KOrzen
but laws you so
54:15.21
Lost in the Groove Podcast
So just click and find and purchase.
54:16.39
Annie KOrzen
right and
54:20.93
Annie KOrzen
That's right. And if you need me for anything, and contact me at AnnieCorzon.com.
54:26.17
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Awesome.
54:26.69
Annie KOrzen
You know, sometimes people want storytelling classes, writing, writing, whatever, all that other stuff I do.
54:30.23
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Yeah.
54:33.60
Annie KOrzen
ah Anyway, it was, now, where are you located before we say goodbye?
54:36.81
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I am located in sunny Florida.
54:37.16
Annie KOrzen
Where exactly are you?
54:39.95
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I'm Boca Raton, Florida. I mean, we're specific.
54:44.00
Annie KOrzen
You're in Florida and where? Where?
54:45.82
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Boca Raton.
54:45.92
Annie KOrzen
What part of you? Oh my God. okay.
54:49.22
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Mm-hmm.
54:49.24
Annie KOrzen
Okay. So I hope you've watched my Seinfeld episodes, my Seinfeld Florida episodes.
54:53.73
Lost in the Groove Podcast
ah I...
54:56.30
Annie KOrzen
You're not a Seinfeld fan?
54:56.38
Lost in the Groove Podcast
I've watched... No, I've watched all of Seinfeld and i that scene on the plane just...
55:00.50
Annie KOrzen
okay.
55:03.81
Lost in the Groove Podcast
to Oh my God.
55:05.09
Annie KOrzen
Oh, on the plane. But that's a different character. I did two. Well, it's funny. that that I did one character, but then I did a recurring character down in the... ah
55:15.48
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Florida.
55:15.77
Annie KOrzen
down in the condo because my husband is, yes, he's always fighting, fighting with the the pen, the catalog, the, yeah.
55:17.05
Lost in the Groove Podcast
You were the the couple ya right next door. yeah, yeah.
55:24.68
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The pen.
55:24.93
Annie KOrzen
Anyway, okay.
55:25.76
Lost in the Groove Podcast
The pen that went to space. Yes.
55:27.86
Annie KOrzen
And thank you Thank you so much.
55:29.60
Lost in the Groove Podcast
My pleasure, Annie.
55:37.38
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Just for anybody out there, if you want to check out more of the pod, you can find us at Lost in the Groove Pod. Everywhere and anywhere you check out the pastco podcast. So with that, Annie, thank you so much for coming on.
55:47.39
Lost in the Groove Podcast
We will check you guys out next week.
55:51.02
Lost in the Groove Podcast
Peace.
