Kevin Meaney is still learning from stand-up comedy (interview)

Kevin Meaney has seen and done everything in the world of comedy a 25 veteran in the game and he’s still learning new things from his craft and how to be a better comic. It’s a drive many of the greats have, to keep pushing the edges just to see how far they can take comedy. Meaney was in NYC to perform a few intimate appearances at NYC’s The Stand.

We got the chance to catch up with him right after one of his spots to find out what he’s still learning from stand-up comedy, new movie and TV projects he’s working on, and also what he’s still learning by bombing on stage every once in a while. Read More

Holliston: Talking to Adam Green about horror-comedy (interview)

Filmmaker Adam Green is pioneering a new hybrid of television sitcom with the creation of his new original series Holliston which has been described as Wayne’s World meets Saw. Holliston is set in the town in Massachusetts of the same name where Green and Joe Lynch play two friends who desire to be successful horror movie filmmakers post college as they work at a local cable access station. Green’s offbeat twisted horror-comedy (a.k.a. ‘horror-com’) is his attempt to turn the traditional TV sitcom into something differ. Holliston debuted on the horror-themed cable channel FEARnet as part of its Tuesday night Twisted Comedy block and was so successful that it was commissioned for a second season set to premiere tomorrow night, June 4th.

We caught up with Green to talk about his love for comedy in horror TV shows and films including his work on films like Coffee and Donuts, and the Hatchet series which has a 3rd installment opening in theaters on Jun 14th. Read More

The many talents of Rachel Feinstein (interview)

Rachel Feinstein rose up the national comedy ranks as a finalist on Season 7 of Last Comic Standing. From there she’s written for The Onion, voiced characters on Adult Swim’s Venture Brothers, released a stand-up album, Thug Tears, and toured the world.

We recently had the opportunity to speak wit her about her experience on a reality show, her work cranking out web series, and her recent Showtime special with Amy Schumer and Nikki Glaser, and how she was almost featured in Vogue Magazine when they confused her with another Rachel Feinstein.

To begin, what was it like moving to New York at 17 to pursue stand-up?

 I was a silly person. I moved here with a guy and his band. I did some theater. I cried a lot and I wore these ridiculous looking overalls every day until someone heckled me and called me “Super Mario Brothers.”

 I worked at some store called “Fat Shoes and Clothes” on Broadway for a little while. Here’s how dumb I was at the time; I thought that I had arrived in some way because I got this job on Broadway. I thought it was big stuff and I told everyone that would listen. I showed up for my first day and I played the Beastie Boys on the way over and was really feline’ myself. I was fired in under 4 hours because I couldn’t fold. I cried while my boss Sharif was firing me. Tears were rolling out but he was right. I had a terrible folding system. My folds looked all mangled and deranged and my hands would shake while I was doing it because I knew they were rancid. Sharif noticed. I saw him looking real grossed out in my direction and I knew it was coming. Read More

Vernon Chatman talks ‘Mindsploitation’ and the fine art of messing with people

Vernon Chatman - Photo: Aaron Farley Vernon Chatman is best known as the co-creator of the of the short-lived wonderfully bizarre comedy series Wonder Showzen on MTV and the recently pick-up-for-season-2 hopefully not short-lived wonderfully bizarre Patton Oswalt series on [adult swim] The Heart, She Holler. He’s also a staff writer on South Park and a Producer on the third season of Louie.

He also wrote a book. Entitled Mindsploitation: Asinine Assignments for the Online Homework Cheating Industry, it’s a compilation of essays he commissioned from a series of online companies you can pay to write various term papers, poems and even eulogies. We recently spoke with Mr. Chatman via email about the book and if the answers to his questions are any indication, you’re in for a “wild ride.” Read More

Julia Sweeney in her own words (audio)

Julia Sweeney is best known as the iconic androgynous character Pat on Saturday Night Live running from 1990 to 1994. What you may or may not know is that she’s also an extremely successful “monologist,” voiceover actress and writer for shows such as Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives to name only a few.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Sweeney after a discussion about her new book “If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother’ (in stores now) with comedian Judy Gold at the wonderful 92Y in New York (visit www.92y.org for upcoming shows) and she told us some things we definitely didn’t know. Listen to the interview below to find out how she became good friends with Quentin Tarantino, how she flunked her first improv class, how she’s an independent film buff and much more. Read More

Bobcat Goldthwait in his own words (audio)

Bobcat Goldthwait is a man best known for his portrayal of Zed in the Police Academy movies and lighting his chair on fire when he was a guest on The Tonight Show in 1994; which is quite unfortunate due to all the other things he’s been up to.

Since 1991, Goldthwait has been directing and writing independent films and television shows; most notably Jimmy Kimmel Live! and World’s Greatest Dad starring his close friend Robin Williams.

But Goldthwait’s first love is stand up comedy and we had the opportunity to speak with him in between sets at Gotham Comedy Club in New York. He spoke with us about directing the new Marc Maron series on IFC aptly titled Maron, his upcoming film about Bigfoot and so much more. Read More

Nick Offerman and his noble pursuits (interview)

Nick Offerman is already off to a busy year. When he’s not portraying the mustachioed meat eating Ron Swanson on NBC’s Parks and Recreation he’s touring the country with his American Ham comedy show, or he’s working on or promoting a film like the recently released independent comedy Somebody Up There Likes Me, or he’s legitimately making things out of wood, or he’s hanging out with his wife, famed stage and screen actress Megan Mullally.

And when he’s not doing one or a mixture of all those things, he finds times to talk with idiots like us. And on that note, check out our interview below. Special thanks to Mr. Offerman for taking the time to speak with us. We follow the rules of Ron Swanson’s pyramid of greatness in great detail so it was an honor.

I wanted to tell you that Somebody Up There Likes Me looks fantastic.

Thank you. I’m really proud of it and I’m so excited to be releasing a little indie movie, the like of which I’ve shot a great many. But we have this wonderful new arena of “video on demand” and I’m really excited to see how a film can play when usually, if anything, you get a little art house release in theaters, but now the whole world can see it at the same time so I’m excited to see if we can do some business. Read More

Stephen Tobolowsky in his own words (audio)

We recently had the opportunity of sitting down with the man, the myth, the legend – actor Stephen Tobolowsky. He’s a terrific character actor for years, appearing in countless TV shows like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Community, Glee, and The Mindy Project. He also has an incredible body of movie work including Spaceballs, Wild Hogs, and is probably best known as Ned Ryerson in the Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day. He’s also starred in many serious roles and been in so many films and TV shows that there’s a documentary about the situation titled, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party.

Tobolowsky is also an accomplished author who was in NY for a signing for his book The Dangerous Animals Club then would introduce a 20th anniversary screening of Groundhog Day screening at 92YTribeca.

We sat down with Tobolowsky to talk a bit about his vast career and he regaled us with stories of life from everything from working with Robert Redford on the movie Sneakers to how he got the last laugh on NBC president Warren Littlefield after the sitcom Mr. Rhodes was canceled. Read More