Who's the best comic in Boston? Al Park can make a really good case for the title. The Improper Bostonian named him the best AND he won the Boston Comedy Festival. So how do you from a Stand Up class to being one of the best in just a few years. Let's find out...
Poor Will Noonan has been haunted by a chicken wing joke he just can't fix for years now. Sure, during that time he's also appeared on Gotham Live, released multiple albums, hosted a hit podcast and been power-bombed by a pro wrestler...but he still can't let go of that chicken wing joke. We'll also talk about whether or not Joe Rogan is the new Johnny Carson on this weeks Bombing!
You may know Tammy Twotone from Glee or The Nightly Show but I know her from being on my very first show at the Comedy Studio 15 years ago. And I still remember her opener! What's changed and what's stayed the same in that time? Let's find out...
How did Brian Longwell become "Brian Longwell"? It's a fun journey that started with an ill conceived comedy contest and ended with a brilliantly conceived character that brings his wisdom to corporations and comedy clubs worldwide!
Shane Mauss is a great comedian. He's had his own specials on Comedy Central and Netflix, done late night TV, sells out comedy clubs, everything you'd expect from a successful stand-up. But my favorite thing about Shane is when he decides to spend an hour doing a deep dive into one subject and pulling every bit of meat on the bone, like with his current one man show on psychedelics. It's a long strange trip on this weeks Bombing.
In addition to a stand up career that saw him on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin, Max Alexander co starred in the definitive movie about comedians, Punchline. We talk about all that AND Julio Iglesias on this weeks Bombing!
So many people move to Hollywood to succeed in comedy. This weeks guest moved from Hollywood to Pennsylvania to feel like a real success. It's a different story for Bombing that goes from Victoria's Secret all the way to World War I!
Benari Poulten is a senior producer for one of the hottest shows on TV, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. Before that? You could find him tweeting jokes as GI Jew when he was stationed in the Middle East. How do you go from hot young comic to the battlefield to the writers room of a late night comedy show? He'll tell us all about it and we'll talk about that controversial White House Correspondents Dinner on this week's Bombing!I
I've known Tommy Rico since he first started. In addition to being a terrific comic, Tommy cares more about comedy than anyone I know and he's not afraid to tell you what he thinks. We talk about his journey from Boston to Hollywood with a quick stop in Texas along the way.
Who doesn't love Kelly MacFarland? I've never met a person that doesn't. She emerged from the woods of Maine and made it all the way to Gotham Live and Last Comic Standing. One of the best things about watching Kelly is that she's always going to surprise you and this week she surprised me with a bomb that delighted me far more than the audiences of New England. Middle aged male cheerleaders, you're on warning.
I got a chance to talk to Dan Soder just after the release of his first hour long special Not Special. He was fresh off a five hour drive, starving, and still entertaining as hell. We got to talk about his evolution as a comic and what changed between his half hour special and hour special, how he feels about retiring jokes, and carrying on the proud Arizona comedy tradition of Garry Shandling.
Ever wondered what it's really like to showcase for the most important people in the entertainment industry? Eddie Pence pulls back the curtain and tells us what it feels like to play the Montreal Comedy Festival. I could talk about his late night appearances all day but I have to admit my favorite thing is to talk Star Wars and Super Hero geek jokes for hours on end with Eddie. Do we manage to cover 9/11 too? You better believe it!
Rick Jenkins never meant to be a comedy club owner. He moved from Buffalo to Boston to take part in the comedy boom and then, when the bubble burst, he found himself lamenting it's passing in the bar of a Chinese food restaurant. That night, a club was born. The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square just defied all odds by celebrating it's 20th anniversary. For most of that time it's been known as one of the smartest and coolest rooms in the country. How does he balance being an owner while still being a standup? How does playing one room 99% of the time affect your joke writing? How does it feels when everyone looks to you for advice, laughs, and a joke about whoever happened to die this week? Let's find out...
Any list of the top joke writers in the country that doesn't have Gary Gulman on it is an incomplete list. I got to talk to him about his new Netflix special It's About Time, his appearances on every late night show (seriously), his albums, and a joke that took 18 years to craft! And we get to hear about a bomb that Mel Blanc would love...
Dan Boulger exploded onto the comedy scene by winning the Boston Comedy Festival just after he was born (only a slight exaggeration). Now as he's releasing his first album we get to talk about a journey that includes basketball,diabetes, Ty Cobb and more!
I didn't think anyone had seen more TV as a kid than me. Then I met the TV Guidance Counselor, Ken Reid. His podcast caught fire in the last couple of years, but we cover a longer stretch of time that started in Boston, went around the world, and ends back in Boston with his new album, The Vanity Project. Television, jokes, depression, podcasting, and more, on this weeks Bombing...
DJ Hazard is one of the rare legends of the comedy boom who managed a seamless transition into the 21st century. Maybe its because he's always been exploring the limits of comedy as a form and challenging himself to find something different. Louis CK called him his mentor and said "I just worshipped the guy". Hey, I love him too! I had a great talk with him and he shared his thoughts on joke writing, stories from the road, and a story that every comedian who thinks he "owned" a heckler should definitely hear!
Are you familiar with the phrase "Working blue"? It meansworking dirty and no one in Boston comedy wears the color bluebetter thanTom Dustin. He's not afraid to say anything andnosubject is offlimits. So what happens when you're working on theedge and something goes wrong?
He was MC Mr Napkins when I first saw him rocking the mic with a comedy rap in Cambridge. Since then he's shed the stage name and is rocking the world as Zach Sherwin. How did the evolution occur? Where does comedy rap exist in the world of comedy? What's it like writing for so many different shows (Crazy ex-girlfriend, Epic Rap Battles of History) and what does it feel like to have your bomb happen in front of one of your comedy idols? All that and more on this weeks Bombing!
A great and far reaching talk with my longtime friend, Rosie Tran. She's a comic, actor, and podcaster originally from New Orleans, now transplanted to L.A. We settle important questions like, "Is there any car better on gas than a Honda Civic?" and "Can Mike help Rosie think of a bomb she's written?" Spoiler alert- we found one!
This week I got to have a great and far reaching talk with the ridiculously talented Joe List. We talked about appearing on Letterman, who gets the material when your fiancée is also a comic, and the life changes he made to get him where he is today. Plus we get to hear a bomb that covers love, betrayal, and email! Not to mention our own tech foibles that we never quite get ironed out on this weeks Bombing!
It's episode 10, but really this is episode zero. The very first Bombing ever recorded and it was with a great comedian and great friend in comedy, Tim Mcintire. We talk Thursday Night Fights, dogs, joke stealing, the good old days and so much more. This was the talk that made me want to do more. Enjoy!
We have our very first three-man podcast this episode! Matt Kona and Shaun Bedgood are great comics in their own right and we talk a lot about their jokes and careers, but they're also the producers of Roast Battle Boston. Mike is known for being anti-roast. Will they change his mind? Find out on this weeks Bombing!
You know Patty Ross. If you've seen The Heat, Spotlight, The Three Stooges, Clear History....actually, I don't have enough space for all her credits. But we spend the most time talking about her comedy and her belief that she doesn't really have any jokes. So how is she such an amazing comic? Find out, this week on Bombing.
Those "Last Week Tonight" clips that everyone shares every Monday? Josh Gondelman helped write that. That new book "You Blew it"? That's him too. The Twitter profile Modern Seinfeld? Josh. And his album "Physical Whisper" AND his TV debut on Conan March 23...clearly appearing on Bombing tops all of that! Listen to another delightful bomb and a truly special story about a night we had on the road with royalty this week on Bombing with Mike Dorval!