Neil - Oh, isn’t that a joy! Isn’t that a treat!
D - How ya doin’?
N - I’m very good. How are you?
D - Good. How was your New Years? Do anything big for New Year’s Eve?
N - I was in Las Vegas on New Years.
D - Wow, and I guess the place to be New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas was, of course...
N - The big old Barbara Streisand concert.
D - No, I was thinking of that topless club downtown.
N - Right.
D - Did you go to that concert?
N - I did actually. It was a great, we, uh...
D - You’re a big Barbara Streisand fan, I guess.
N - No, not really. Her last concert was before I was born actually, so...
D - That’s right. She has in performed in 45 years.
N - Something like that. It’s been a long time.
D - Well, how did you go? Why did you go? .
N - We were just going to hang around Vegas. The streets...
D - You and some friends of yours?
N - There were eight of us.
D - Yeah.
N - And I got a call - we were staying at the MGM Grand. We got a call from someone that worked there and they said "We have four tickets - four $600.00 tickets - do you want to go for free?"
D - Wow. That’s unbelievable good luck.
N - Yeah, but there were eight of us so we didn’t really know what to do and kind of squirmed around and they ended up giving us eight free tickets to her show.
D - Now I was under the impression that this thing had been sold out...
N - Completely sold out.
D - So, how do you get eight free tickets?
N - I have no idea. I guess they booted some high rollers out of there or something.
D - Doogie’s coming! Clear table 9! Did you enjoy the show?
N - The show was very nice. Very big and epic.
D - I was there as well. I don’t know if I was at the same show you were there but I was there and it just knocked me out. Roll the tape of me at the show Al. (clip played) That’s enough. All right, stop. Just trying to have some fun for heaven’s sake. You know, I envy you in the respect, well, in may respects, but you’re from, I believe, New Mexico.
N - New Mexico. Albuquerque.
D - The land of enchantment.
N - Yes it is.
D - That’s a beautiful, beautiful part of the world.
N - I enjoy it.
D - Have you been back lately?
N - I was just there between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
D - That must be a great time to be there.
N - It’s fun. Every time I go my brother tries to hood me up with a date, tries to get me out on a blind date.
D - Is that good or bad?
N - Um, it just depends on the date really. Um, this time we went and my date really was interested in intoxication. So, uh, we were at a club and she was drinking a lot. She consumed, like, 28 Jello shots in under a minute which is a real treat to be a part of and...
D - So, when are you getting married?
N - So we got back to the house and she was really drunk and I was the designated driver so I was there trying to hit on her and it turns out she passed out, completely out, got up and threw up all over herself, everywhere and then I put her to bed and that was the story.
D - I would guess Jello shots wouldn’t be too much of a mess. Have you seen the young woman since?
N - Um, no. No, she was out cold and I kinda took off from there.
D - You adiosed.
N - Yes, I did.
D - We were kidding around about you being Doogie Howser. The show was like a huge hit for five years. Was it five years?
N - Four years.
D - Four years on the air and because the recognition is so great, you and Doogie, do you miss this? Are you having difficulty adjusting to the rest of your life now?
N - No, no. I’m very...The show was fun but four years is a long time and I’m happy. I found out the show was cancelled when I read the newspaper actually.
D - Yeah, you keep hearing that over and over and over again, that people read about it. They don’t know from anybody else. They pick up a newspaper and boom! It’s gone.
N - Never got a call from the ABC network to this day. I guess you’d know something about that with the networks but, um, yeah...
D - But I do know, and this is no secret and you know this having worked for a network, they’re just crawling with weasels. And the movie, on which night is it on CBS here?
N - It’s on Sunday night.
D - This is an unbelievable story. It happened about this time a year ago, is that correct?
N - Yes. It’s a true story of the young couple that got lost in the blizzard and they marched 70 miles with their baby and saved themselves and lost part of their feet.
D - This guy has to... He makes it sound a little more romantic than it actually is. But the guy who you play actually has to hike in freezing weather...
N - 70 miles.
D - In eight days.
N - Eight days without food in tennis shoes.
D - How can these people be so remote and lost when they were travelling on a state highway?
N - They weren’t. They veered off the highway because the initial highway was closed and so they ended up on a little tiny road in the middle of nowhere.
D - Where did you shoot this thing?
N - Up in Vancouver and in the Yukon.
D - So you had actual snow conditions there.
N - There was a lot of blizzarding.
D - Was it nasty? Of course it wouldn’t be anything like what they went through of course.
N - No. Some scenes we’d have to have blizzards so they’d be dumping potato flakes on us to get the desired effect.
D - You know those potato flakes are great with Jello shots. Jello shot and a scoop of potato flakes.
N - Mmmm.
D - Mmmm man. You’re living like a king there.
N - Now that’s not funny Dave. That’s just actually not funny.
D - Be careful. You’re a doctor, not an electrician. Stop fooling around with that. Good lord. I’m brooding and dangerous.
