Boston Comedy Radio

In 1981, the world of social workers lost one of its funniest workers. But that's all right, because it turns out Tony V's talents for humor were better suited for a life in stand-up comedy, and he hasn't looked back since. Tony has a rare ability to fit in just about anywhere in the comedy world, whether it's improvising onstage with Eugene Mirman at the Boston Comedy Festival, mixing it up with Lenny Clarke at a charity auction, opening for Bill Burr at Fenway Park, or playing supporting characters in one of his buddy Bobcat Goldthwait's films. But in those very early days in 1981, he was a prop comic struggling to find himself onstage, playing gigs where the mic cord didn't stretch all the way from the DJ booth to the front of the stage. We cover all of this and more as Tony calls in from a gig in Aruba.

Paula Poundstone started her career in Boston in 1979, at the outset of the 80s comedy boom that would forever change the nature of the profession. In November of 1980, she landed in San Francisco, having traveled by bus on a monthlong scouting trip of comedy in America and Canada. I have spoken with her in the past for The Boston Globe, but here, we get to concentrate on those early days, what made her start comedy, and what it was like to be a comedian at that pivotal time. Perhaps of equal importance, Poundstone revealed how one of America's favorite singers of the 70s tried to heal the nation, one person at a time.

I was thrilled when, in February of 2024, Steve Morse agreed to be interviewed for what has since become the Boston Comedy Radio Interview Hour. Most know Morse from his decades of writing about music for the Boston Globe, covering everything from folk to prog rock, and chronicling it all with passion and integrity. Somewhat lesser-known, perhaps, was his impact on the nascent Boston comedy scene in the late 70s and into the 80s Boom. Comedy started to creep into his pop culture coverage as the first club, The Comedy Connection, opened in 1978. In episode one of the BCR Interview Hour, Mike Donovan talked about how Morse's coverage helped pack the Connection at a time when most of the comedians were on the cusp of becoming working artists. And his piece "What's so funny about Boston? The comedy explosion" in the January 31, 1980 edition of the Globe captured that movement and helped to crystalize it in the public imagination.

Morse really admired a lot of these comedians – he speaks of their work ethic and willingness to help out with charities. We talked about that flashpoint for Boston comedy heading into 1980, some of his favorites like Steven Wright and Don Gavin, and how both comedy and music changed over the years.

Sadly, we lost Steve Morse in October of 2024 to lung cancer. I'm grateful I got to have this conversation with him, and I'm happy to be able to share it with Boston Comedy Radio listeners.

On Sunday, September 20, Lahna Turner will screen her documentary Come What May at the Paramount Theatre as part of the Boston Film Festival. This was originally intended as a documentary about Ralphie May's weight loss, buoyed by clips of his stand-up comedy. It became something different as May began to lose his battle with food addiction, and the strain on his marriage with Turner became more pointed. May died of cardiac arrest in 2017. The film captures a lot of raw, heartbreaking moments. It's an emotional watch. Turner talks about making the film, and how she still loves stand-up, despite all the things it can't fix. She will also be playing shows with Liam McGurk at Nick's Comedy Stop on September 18-19.

This week's guests are Paul Barclay and Bil Downes, a couple of comedians who took Sean Morey's comedy class at the Charles Playhouse, and then helped create the 80s boom by founding The Comedy Connection at the Charles in 1978. There had not been a full-time stand-up club in Boston until that point, and the Connection gave future Boston comedy stars a place to coalesce into an actual comedy scene. They also started the Ding Ho, back when it was the Springfield Street Saloon, but later left that venue, after which Barry Crimmins ran it. People like Mike Donvan, Steve Sweeney, Lenny Clarke, Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Don Gavin, Bill Campbell, Mike McDonald, and others became regulars, and within a couple of years, the scene was swinging.

Sean Morey is known as The Father of Boston Comedy. He started out as a street performer and comedian in Boston in the 70s, before there was a comedy scene in Boston. At one point, he got out of the cold and into the Charles Playhouse, where he performed regularly and also taught a comedy class. That's where Bil Downes and Paul Barclay formed a partnership that would become Boston's first full-time stand-up comedy club, The Comedy Connection, in 1978. Morey would leave for Los Angeles before the 80s comedy boom and become a popular comedian and musician, penning fan favorites like "The Man Song."

Mike Donovan was already a headlining comedian in 1978 when The Comedy Connection, Boston's first full-time comedy club, opened and sparked the 80s Comedy Boom here. In this interview, he talks about seeing the scene go from almost nothing to a full-fledged scene in a matter of a couple of years. When did the Boom end? For Mike, it's still going. He's also a master comic technician – he has kept notes on just about every spot he's done for 50 years, and is constantly tinkering with material old and new.