Brad Garrett is best known as Ray Romano's sad sack brother Robert in "Everybody Loves Raymond." But Garrett was a successful stand-up comic for twenty years before getting his big break on the sitcom. Now the 55-year-old father of two has penned a hilarious book called 'When the Balls Drop." it is a no-hold barred collection of essays on aging, marriage, love and fatherhood that really is laugh out loud funny. Garrett spoke to FOX411 about his new book.
FOX411: You take Viagra.
Brad Garrett: I do and I sometimes mix it up with Cialis.
FOX411: Ever taken too much and walked around with an erection for four hours?
Garrett: I’m praying that that happens. I keep telling my doctor I pray I get that side effect. He said, ‘If it happens call me,’ and I said, ‘Look if I have a three hour erection I can think of three other people I’m calling before you.’
FOX411: You’re not a fan of the 50/50 divorce laws in California?
Garrett: I think I speak of 90% of the men going through divorce in California or really anywhere. I don’t know if I’m bitter, I think I’m better, I learned a lot. Like I said it’s just so incredibly unbalanced, it’s just a little crazy.
FOX411: You didn’t have a prenup?
Garrett: I did not.
FOX411: Are you kicking yourself over that?
Garrett: I really, really am. That was stupid on my part. I’m hoping people read this and take a lesson. I think guys have to be smarter and wiser because people change, people change all the time.
FOX411: You hate political correctness.
Garrett: It’s just not me. I don’t think we’re politically correct when we’re private. I don’t know what politically correct means. I’m just watching this thing going down in Baltimore, all the officers charged in the Freddie Gray death and I just think it’s wonderful and sad at the time because this has been happening since the beginning of time in America and if it wasn’t for cell phones these cops would be getting off.
FOX411: You're Jewish and you say you’re dad became born again and would only talk about the Second Coming.
Garrett: That’s very true. It was difficult. He was such a great father but because of his mental illness it could have been anything that he attached to it. People who are bipolar they kind of latch onto things that are fanatical sometimes. We were liberal Jews, but still it was odd. If he had said, ‘I’m taking up Christianity’ it would have been different but I would have gotten it but what was difficult and odd was the way he went about it which later in life I found out was just a by-product of him being bipolar.
FOX411: You say Peter Boyle had a flatulence problem.
Garrett: I adored him. To this day we don’t know if it was voluntary or involuntary. It was definitely something to contend with but after we ended up knowing who it was on the set, we were able to get along with our business again. Sometimes it’s just knowing.
FOX411: On a sad note I have to ask you about Sawyer Sweeten [who died in late April].
Garrett: It was devastating. Just broke everyone’s heart. We’re all still reeling from it. Our thoughts and love go out to them and we’re here to support them in any way we can. As a father, I can’t imagine anything more frightening.
FOX411: Are you in contact with your costars?
Garrett: Absolutely. Ray and I are good buds, we’re poker people and we have a game every three months and we golf once every couple of months. And Doris (Roberts) and I chat every once in a while and Patty, being a staunch Republican, it’s difficult but I do reach out, I love them all dearly. I know it sounds cliche and trite, but we really were close so that’s why a lot of the fun stuff did happen on-screen because we really did have that closeness. We do keep in touch. I won’t say we hang out every week, but we’re definitely close.
FOX411: Would you ever do a reunion show?
Garrett: No, that’s really far from Ray’s M.O. Once Peter passed, Ray said that there would never be a reunion and I totally agree with that. Ray was smart to go out on top, very few people do that.
FOX411: Is it like having a money tree being on a hit sitcom?
Garrett: It’s an incredibly unique opportunity. I was lucky. I auditioned for the show, I had been training for twenty years before then. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think, ‘Oh I’m a lucky pup.’
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