Joining Us Now: Brian Quinn and James Murray

Welcome to Mark My Words—the blog corner of MarkRosenman.com where, if you hang around long enough, you’ll probably hear me say “back in my day” more than once. Over the next stretch, I’m taking a trip down memory lane—17 years’ worth of producing and booking for sports talk radio on WLIE 540AM SPORTSTALKNY, where my co-host was Aj Carter. That’s nearly two decades of on-air debates, strong opinions, and countless memorable moments.

At one point, I thought about putting all of this into a book and even had the perfect title:

Joining Us Now—because that was pretty much my standard way of introducing the guests. But instead of binding these stories between two covers, I’ve decided to share them here, one by one, as part of a new series.

And what a mix it was. Over the years, I booked and interviewed close to 1,000 guests—from Hall of Fame athletes and journeyman ballplayers to actors, movie producers, comedians, and the occasional moment when I wasn’t sure if I was in the middle of some weird Uncle Floyd–Joe Franklin–David Susskind fever dream. Every week was a treat where I got to hear amazing stories, told in voices that made you laugh, think, or sometimes just sit back in awe.

One other note: this series will be exclusively non-Mets content—the Mets stuff will continue over at KinersKorner.com—so here, we get to explore all the other fascinating corners of sports, entertainment, and the people who make them tick.

So buckle up. Joining Us Now is going to revisit some of those great moments—some famous, some forgotten, all fascinating. Think of it as rummaging through an eclectic attic with me: you never know whether you’ll find a Hall of Famer’s gem, a Hollywood story, a comic’s punchline, or just a dusty old tale that deserves one more turn under the light.

For the first edition of Joining Us Now, I wanted to start with a pair of guests who perfectly capture the unexpected joys of my time behind the microphone: Brian Quinn and James Murray, better known as Q and Murr of The Tenderloins and stars of Impractical Jokers. Why them? Well, I ran into Brian Quinn at a Mets game the other night, and it instantly took me back to December 2012, when I had the pleasure of hosting him and James Murray on WLIE 540AM SPORTSTALKNY just before the premiere of the show’s second season. Even though our shows previous guest list boasts legends like Ernie Banks, Brooks Robinson, and Gordie Howe, I’ll admit I was “just as excited to have these two guys come on than all those guys.”

Q and I ended up talking at length about that radio appearance 13 years ago, how much my family still loves Impractical Jokers, and how my daughter in particular is a huge fan. That’s when Q did what he does best—he improvised. Right there at the ballpark, we FaceTimed my daughter. Of course, she didn’t pick up. Without missing a beat, Q launched into a bit, riffing on the rejection like only he can, turning a missed call into a full-on comedy routine.

That little moment reminded me exactly why having Q and Murr on the show back in 2012 was such a blast. From the moment they were on the phone, their chemistry was electric. “We prefer to speak both at the same exact time,” Murr said early on, and Q immediately agreed .These two high school friends from Staten Island had stayed close for decades, and their bond was immediately obvious. They recounted mischievous early exploits, like Murr’s story from religion class: “He would secretly nose her on her butt as she walked up and down the row. And we would, the whole class would be crying, laughing, and Miss Paduccia had no clue about it.” That sense of fun, and a willingness to push the boundaries, would become the hallmark of their careers.

The Tenderloins were formed in 1999 as a live improv comedy troupe, and while the original lineup included Mike Boccio, Joe Gatto, James Murray, and Sal Sal Vulcano, Q joined later, saying, “They’re better performers than I am, and they got desperate, so I wasn’t with them. I like writing more than I do performing, actually, so when we switched over… that’s when my talents became useful.” He joked about how his addition changed the trajectory of the troupe: “If they want to play 50 theaters, you get a Mike Boccio. You want to be on TV, you get a Brian Quinn.”

The duo shared the nuts and bolts of Impractical Jokers, explaining how much of it is truly improvised. “I’d say 80% of what you see on TV is improvised in the moment… but the basic teaching that you learn is agreement,” Q said. “Most people, when you get on stage and you start to do a scene, you think conflict is the way to go… But in improv, it’s the exact opposite. If you agree with each other, the scene will go much further, and you’ll build each other up.” They described the process behind the show’s challenges, from brainstorming social faux pas to executing humiliating punishments, noting that their shared history makes them fearless. “The punishment really comes from—we’ve known each other for 22 years now, so we know everything about each other,” Murr said. One highlight involved a high school assembly, where Murr was strapped to a lie detector in front of hundreds of students while Q and the others wrote the questions: “The first question was, ‘What’s your name, James Murray?’ The second question was, ‘Do you shave your back?’ And I was horrified to admit in front of my high school, like, yes, of course I wax my back, because I’m a hairy Italian guy. That’s why.”

They also revealed the strategy and psychology behind their on-screen antics. Whether it was Q faceplanting into a plate of food, Murr matching a hyper-energetic roommate’s enthusiasm, or accept a daring to put a strange woman's laundry onto his head, the sequence of who went when often determined the level of audacity. “By the time I got to Q, he was like, ‘I’ve got to step up my game,’” Murr said. “You feed on each other. You grow a set of balls you didn’t know you had, and it shocks all of us.”

Even with all the outrageousness, there was a clear sense of thoughtfulness. Q recounted a day at a donut shop, where they had to assess potential risks: “The guy without the shirt… he had motorcycle patches and a little thing that says one percenter, which if you know anything about motorcycle gangs, those are the guys you don’t want to mess with… I’m looking at this guy, and I’m like, this guy’s going to shiv me in the throat without thinking, and I get a donut.” or his turn as a Costco cashier where he repeatedly addressed one unsuspecting customer as “Mustache.” That sense of fun, and a willingness to push the boundaries, would become the hallmark of their careers.That balance of creativity, camaraderie, and common sense is what makes their work both hilarious and compelling.

By the end of our conversation, they even delivered a promotional announcement in full improv style, with Q intoning in mock Old English: “Good morrow, sir. You are hereby charged to verily watch the premiere of Impractical Jokers, the finest TV show in all the land, this Thursday, 10 p.m. only on TruTV.”

Revisiting this interview reminded me why I loved producing and booking guests over the years: every week was a treat, a chance to hear amazing stories, and a front-row seat to the chemistry that made them shine. Q and Murr were not just funny—they were inventive, fearless, and human in a way that made Impractical Jokers a phenomenon long before season two premiered. And that’s exactly the kind of moment I want this series to capture: stories from the people who make entertainment, inspiration, and sometimes chaos, look effortless.

Here is the full interview :