Comedy History 101

Kevin McDonald is best known as a founding member of the legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe – The Kids in the Hall –which appeared on CBS, HBO, and Comedy Central, and had a revival season aired on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.

Kevin joins CH!01 with tales of KITH, comedy in general, and his upcoming appearance at

The Second City on April 11th & 12th.

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Comedy History 101 wraps up the year with our best interviews from 2024. Featuring episode excerpts from Arrested Development’s Emmy-winning writer Jim Vallely, Paul Bellini from Kids in the Hall, Joel Thurm – casting director Airplane and Grease, plus histories of The Comedy Cellar, Yuk-Yuks, Moms Mabley with Rhonda Hansome, Sean Cullens, Susan Silver, Stan Zimmerman, directors Brent Hodge, Josh Forbes, Alan Bernstein, and more…

Also, our friend Jean-François Brisson gives a recap of all our Canadian comedy episodes from the year.

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CH101 Select: Chris Farley was one of the most dynamic and beloved comedians to ever grace the stage at both Second City and Saturday Night Live.

And I talk to Brent Hodge, director of the documentary, I Am Chris Farley. We do a deep dive into the life and times of this amazing comedian.

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We talk to Josh Forbes, director of the new documentary on Gallagher, the comedian known for his signature bit, the Sledge-O-Matic, and his watermelon-smashing antics.

Gallagher was one of the biggest comedians of the 80s and 90s and then drifted off to obscurity. You might remember Gallaher from his infamous WTF episode with Marc Maron - or feuds with his brother: Gallagher Too.

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CH101 Select: Kliph Nesteroff is one of the leading comedy historians and the author of the new book: Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.

And we talk about his book, censorship in comedy, how every generation declares that "comedy is over" - and how the old guard often refuses to accept culture shifts in the comedy biz.

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A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows, hawking his fakes on every Shakedown Street around the country.

A cat-and-mouse game ensues between Steven Marcus - the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter, which comes to a head at a Madison Square Garden Dead show.

But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy puts an end to the game for both of them.

CH101's first audio documentary.

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Trailer For Our Upcoming Audio Documentary: The Grateful Dead Counterfeiter

A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter. But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy puts an end to the game for both of them.

Dropping this week on iTunes & comedyhistory101.com

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Susan Silver is a trailblazer in the world of sitcom writing. She began her career on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—during an era when comedy writing was overwhelmingly dominated by men. Starting as a casting director on the iconic show Laugh-In, she went on to write for The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, The Partridge Family, and Square Pegs.

Like a showbiz Zelig, Susan’s path has crossed with icons such as Elvis, Jim Morrison, Lenny Bruce, and Clint Eastwood.

Susan is also the author of Hot Pants in Hollywood, and we deep dive into her comedy history.

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Joey Camen is a Comedy Store OG. He first started performing at the iconic club in Los Angeles in 1974, alongside such up-and-coming comedians as David Letterman, Sam Kinison, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey – and the legendary Richard Pryor.

Joey has appeared on WTF and is also a renowned voice actor who got his start as one of The Smurfs. We dive into his voice work, Comedy Store history, and his Nov 9th solo show at United Solo in NYC.

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Paul Bellini is noted as being the unofficial 6th Kids in the Hall, alongside Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson.

Paul was one of the key writers for the Kids in the Hall's TV series and is also known onscreen as 'the guy in the towel.' Paul was there from the very start, at the legendary sketch group's early Toronto shows, and he gives us a deep dive into his history of Kids in the Hall, his collaboration with Scott Thompson, and the healing power of dark, twisted comedy.

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