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The Observer's Spencer Morgan—who, some might say, resembles a young Charles Grodin—recently took the Metro-North train up to Westport, CT to meet the 72-year-old Beethoven star Charles Grodin. They ate seafood salad together and Grodin sang along to Dido's White Flag. "He turned the song up loud and a faraway look came over him. 'I know you think that I shouldn't still love you,' Dido began. Mr. Grodin sang along. Mrs. Grodin thinks her husband has an unhealthy obsession with the song." You know what else Grodin has an unhealthy obsession with? Himself!

"Mr. Grodin definitely enjoys hearing himself talk," says Morgan, "much more than his wife or kids do. He allows that when he's got a captive audience, he likes to take full advantage." Though if I got a $300,000 advance for writing a book about all the mistakes my friends made, I'd think my words were golden too.
Morgan learns that Grodin

recently finished another play, At Home With Bill, inspired by his frustration with trying to get his wife and two children to listen to his work. "About two years ago, I came downstairs, and I said, 'Listen to this,' and I started reading, and I noticed that my wife headed upstairs a little sooner than usual," Mr. Grodin said. "So I thought to myself, 'You know, I'll bet anything if Shakespeare came downstairs and said, 'Listen to this,' then his wife or whoever would ... In other words, you could be Shakespeare and you still don't want to sit there and say, 'Yes, William.'"

Also, we learn Grodin got fired from Candid Camera, three times! Fired, you're on Candid Camera!

On the way to the train station, Spencer "asked Mr. Grodin how he feels about the snarks at Gawker who try to make fun of him for being an old man. 'What?! Tell them to come to me when they've got a contract with Johnny Carson.'" Grodin also notes that "he was the only contract guest of Carson's who was never tapped to host the show when Carson was on vacation." Well, Chuck G., Choire's on vacation and we've been tapped to host Gawker, does that count? I'll just go ahead and book my tickets up to Westport now.

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