After winning The Moth, a mecca for those who love storytelling from the last bastion of true freaks and geeks, actor David Crabb spoke to me about transforming his coming-of-age stories as a gay, goth kid in Texas in the 1980's and 1990's into a live one man touring show and debut memoir. David has the rare ability to suck you into 80s pop-culture and the closeted, bigoted world, without sentimentalizing or glorifying debauchery and anomie. His gift as a pithy, hilarious storyteller are as palpable when Crabb tells them live live as they are on the page. We spoke at the Writers Guild (WGA-East) and you can find out more about David at www.davidcrabb.com or davidcrabb.net. To find out more about Employee of the Month, go to www.employeeofthemonthshow.com. 

www.employeeofthemonthshow.com

DAVID CRABB, on being a really bad kid and winning The Moth over and over.

We spend most of our time working, so what does it take to (mainly) love what you do? How do even the most gifted, talented, intelligent, ambitious, disciplined, imaginative, inventive, and lucky people develop their point of view, find meaning, serve a greater good, deal with work place politics, rejection, finances, boredom, red tape, logistics, and creative roadblocks? What are the perks or enjoyable about forging your own path? Catie Lazarus and her guests delve into beauty, banality and absurdity of work, jobs, and labor.

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In this episode Catie Lazarus talks to Obama’s former Deputy Chief of Staff  of Operations Alyssa Mastromonaco and comedy writer Peter Grosz.

Alyssa Mastromonaco and Peter Grosz on what makes President Obama, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers great bosses

In this episode Catie Lazarus talks to acclaimed actor, writer, and director Tim Blake Nelson and singer songwriter Jill Sobule.

Tim Blake Nelson and Jill Sobule

Adam Gopnik has held many dream jobs, all in the same office. After almost forty years (and counting) at The New Yorker, Gopnik has served as a food, art, and music critic, and he’s written his own novels, children’s books, musicals, and solo shows. His latest (and first) political book A Thousand Small Sanities delves into how liberals can save Democracy. In this interview Gopnik talks to Catie Lazarus about the infighting between liberals and progressives, his upcoming solo show at The Red Bull Theater, and the incalculable torment of sibling rivalry.                                                                                                Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Theme song by Lady Rizo.

Adam Gopnik on Sibling Rivalry, Stand Up, and Liberalism

After making her stand-up debut in Washington, D.C., Aparna Nancherla quickly became a comedy darling in Los Angeles and New York, writing for FX’s Totally Biased with Kamau Bell and Late Night with Seth Meyers. She also became a welcome fixture in New York’s competitive stand-up scene thanks to her smart and self-aware one-liners. When she opened up about her own anxiety and depression, more fans flocked. As a writer and actor, she has worked on HBO’s Crashing, Comedy’s Central’s Corporate, and Netflix’s Bo-Jack Horseman. Now she’s eager to explore new terrain in her next stand-up special but worries what fans and Hollywood will think. In her conversation with Catie Lazarus, Nancherla talks about the solitary nature of stand up and writing, the toll it takes to regularly joke about anxiety, and how to say no to too much work.

Aparna Nancherla On Learning to Saying No and Avoiding Brain Trolls

Adrienne Truscott reveals what comedians mean by “funny is funny.” Her debut solo show transformed #MeToo, #TimesUp and still manages to be hilarious, as she proves just how funny feminsists can be. Plus, Pamela Adlon’s Better Things on FX starts up again, while Orange is the New Black reaches its final season. What do they share in common? Actor Alysia Reiner. The actor speaks about the two hit series and her film EGG, which co-stars Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, and cracks into motherhood and work from a fresh, fun, and smart angle.

DAVID CRABB, on being a really bad kid and winning The Moth over and over.

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