Did you know that Stephen Baldwin, star of Bio-Dome and Threesome, lost his career because of his Christianity? It’s true, apparently. Hollywood couldn’t handle it! They could definitely handle how talented and cool he was, but they couldn’t handle his faith. But no joke, there is a genuine movement to “restore Stephen Baldwin” by donating money to him. I know, it almost makes TOO much sense. Read about it on CBS News.
Comedian Gabe Delahaye and I have been interested in helping Stephen Baldwin for years with our OWN charity, one that collects children up to send Hollywood a very controversial message regarding its treatment of Steve B. We made this video to get the word out about our efforts.
Two other interested New York City comedians, Patrick Borelli (author of Holy Headshot!) and Jon Benjamin (Archer, Home Movies) also decided to do what they could to help Stephen by throwing a Benefit for Stephen Baldwin* at Brooklyn’s The Bell House. Except instead of giving the money to the Hollywood Baldwin, they donated it to Stephen C. Baldwin, a local gentleman they discovered who raises money for Brooklyn parrots and also performs in a Beatles cover band called the Meetles.
I sat down over email with Patrick and asked him some questions about how the event went this past Tuesday.
Q: After hearing the Meatles play, can you say for sure who is the more talented Baldwin?
Patrick Borelli: First, they’re called the MEEtles, not the MEAtles. They’re not a Beatles tribute band that’s also a tribute to various meats. Though that would be a good idea for a tribute band. Here’s what a typical Meatles set list would look like:
- Sopressata (Day In The Life)
- Finochietta (Love Me Do)
- Serrano (Hard Days Night)
- Roasted Heritage Berkshire Ham (Strawberry Fields)
- Pastrami (Help!)
- Roast Beef (Lady Madonna)
- Honey Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast
- Baloney (Don’t Let Me Down)
- Bresaola (All You Need Is Love)
- Schinkenspeck (Twist and Shout)
- Honey Glazed Roasted Turkey Breast (original, not a Beatles cover)
Who is more talented? That’s like asking, ‘Whose car has an engine?” They’re both have talent engines. Does that make sense? Probably not. I’m terrible at making analogies. How about this one: That’s like asking which side of Roger Federer’s face is more attractive? The left or the right. They’re both attractive. Each side of Federer’s face brings something to the attraction table.
Q: Have you been in touch at all with Hollywood’s Stephen Baldwin? If he reached out, what would you say?
PB: I have not spoken with Hollywood/Long Island’s Stephen Baldwin. If he reached out, it would probably be with his right fist to punch me in the face. If could say anything to him post punch (I’m definitely a one-and-done fighter. Even though my jaw’s never been tested in a fist fight, I’m pretty sure it’s made of glass) it would be, “Hey, dude, deal with it.” That would probably be a good opening. Then I would follow with, “Hey, you’ve had sixty-plus film and television roles. I’ve had four. You’re winning here.”
Q: Stephen C. Baldwin raises money for parrots in Brooklyn, who at times nest near power lines and cause outages, thereby threatening the lives of those on respirators and such. Should we really be donating to parrots?
PB: Yes, we should be. I’m a Darwinist but only when it comes to humans. If certain people need electricity to stay alive, maybe they don’t deserve to live. I say that now but really, when the time comes for me to live off of electricity I’ll probably want the parrots nesting on my power lines to be destroyed.
Q: What was your favorite moment of the evening?
PB: Revealing the 36 new social media sites that I think the Restore Stephen Baldwin site should have a presence on. Some of my favorites were rememberaboutit, a site for Italians who survived the holocaust and metuMEETME, a site for self-effacing folks who people never remember meeting, as in, “Yeah, I’ve met you a million times and you never remember me. Now it’s time for you to MEET ME.” OTFU was another one. It stands for Open The Fuck Up. It’s a site for quiet kids who need to learn speak up for themselves. That was another favorite.
Q: Any thoughts to take this show on the road?
PB: We thought about doing it in LA but I doubt that will happen. If a wealthy person in LA is reading this and they want us to put on our Benefit For Stephen Baldwin in LA and is willing to fly us out there and cover our expenses, then yes, we’ll do another show.