Dr. Lisa Gives a Sh*t

NOTE: To get the full effect of who Tom was 10 years ago when he first started the station, listen to this episode with Tom at the very beginning of RFB: May 15, 2015—⁠ Dr. Lisa psychoanalyzes RFB co-founder Tom Tenney

Tom Tenney, the station co-founder, (along with Rob Pritchard), was my first guest patient when I began my show on May 15, 2015 and this session with Tom is exactly 10 years later, this time Tom is my 10th anniversary guest patient so we have plenty to reflect on as well as looking forward. Tom's entire life was Radio Free Brooklyn for many years in an obsessive way, which as a fake shrink is why he was able to make something so major into an organization that currently thrives with other capable people now leading the charge.Tom's life has evolved during the last 10 years: from Bushwick to Washington Heights, new psych meds, from being single for a very long time, to a successful thriving relationship with a wonderful woman who he lives with in a nice place and a job in retail while he continues to evolve his new ideas. Radio Free Brooklyn had changed so many lives over the last 10 years, but possibly no one more than Toms.Tom's show:
Previous

May 15, 2015— Dr. Lisa psychoanalyzes RFB co-founder Tom Tenney

May 14, 2020— Tom Tenney, Radio Free Brooklyn’s Executive Director return’s to Dr. Lisa’s couch in honor of RFB’s 5th anniversary and it’s on his birthday too!

Nov, 2020—Breaking down the WALL OF LIES experience with creators Tom Tenney and Phil Buehler.

Dr. Lisa delves into Tom's childhood and found out why Tom is driven to do something as crazy as start a new internet station. We find out all about Tom's family and his growing up.

"I find it comforting that, if anything else, what this city gives you is a sense that you're a person apable of making your way in this city, it's really tough and it can be a very tough place to live and work". - David Rogers

This was a really interesting talk I had with one of our newish hosts, David Rogers of the Down in Albion Show. Turns out he moved to NYC from the UK with his wife and 10 year old son about 18 months ago. David has had the wonderful opportunity to reinvent himself from a UK economist to a liaison between great bands in the UK and NYC.) He's also getting to spend more time with his son, who has a spot every week on David's radio show. This is clearly a great time in his life and his families life for growth. David is using this time to great results.

Join host David Rogers LIVE every Monday, 11am on his show, Down In Albion on an exploration of the best new and emerging music from the UK and Ireland. If you’re curious about new music, and wonder what tunes are making waves on the other side of the pond, tune in every Monday at 11am.

About David Rogers

David was born in Scotland, grew up in

Down In Albion

Hosted by David Rogers

Join host David Rogers on an

About David Rogers

David was born in Scotland, grew up in

To really appreciate the impressive amount of progress Calvin Williams has made in the last six years, I encourage you to listen to one of our previous episodes from April 2020 + July 2020.

To enjoy Calvin now—I urge you to listen to his weekly 11pm Tuesday show—Lush Vibes or follow him on Twitch @Mejisticlv or on Instagram sounds.by.calvin

Calvin is one of our most popular hosts. He joined RFB in 2018 with his how Lush Vibes Radio close to his 400th episode. Calvin did two Dr. Lisa episodes at a very low point in his life—he'd experiences a lot of loss—both grandmothers, 2 uncles and he had been recently diagnosed with Type ONE diabetes, a chronic illness that has to be managed throughout the day, day in, day out which turned his life upside down.Cut to today, April 2026, six years later and it is obvious Calvin is thriving. He is integral to RFB now in so many ways as tech director, besides his weekly show he is doing all the RFB live shows at numerous venues around the city, blowing up on Twitch, getting paying dj gigs, PLUS he now has a healthy relationship with an awesome partner that he has lives with — in my opinion as a fake therapist, they are magic together!

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART ONE of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. April 2020

This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now.

About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

PLEASE NOTE: This is PART TWO of a very intense two part session with Calvin Williams. July 2020

This session with Calvin Williams, host of RFB's Lush Vibes Radio is timely inspiration for all of us, because as a society, we are all dealing with health issues right now.

About 5 years ago, Calvin had to deal with losing 3 close relatives in succession and how soon after that he was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes which is rare for someone in their thirties. Calvin takes us through how he went through the hard years and how, just recently, he's starting to recognize himself again.

I'm a big Matt Ruby fan and this is his third time on the show!

I have to say—this was pretty funny—comedian Matt and I got high together and went some places I don't think we would have gotten to—for one thing—I said the way he described his dad was hot.

I also check in with him about what Claude AI said when I asked:"What would be good advice to comedian matt ruby from a therapist?"

We talk about a lot of stuff. Matt describes his parents—a free-spirited woman from Manhattan and his dad, a lawyer, a prosecutor. They were introduced by his grandma and fell in love right away, His father loved comedy which was obv a huge influence on Matt.

We also go down a rabbit hole about the ego and the way ego can affect one's own creativity.

There's so much in here—and SO MUCH laughing!

Sponsored by KOAN pocket elixers.

More about Matt Ruby:

Website: mattrubycomedy

Instagram: @mattrubycomedy

Rubesletter

Latest Special: Bolo

BIO:

Matt Ruby is a comedian from New York City. His smart and dark brand of standup is "button-pushing" and "funny" according to the NY Times. His comedy has been filmed by Comedy Central, MTV, NBC/Seeso, and FOX. His newsletters (The Rubesletter and Funny How) have over 17,000 subscribers combined. He also hosts the podcast Kind of a Lot with Matt Ruby.

His latest standup special is BOLO. Standupworld on BOLO:

“Matt’s a New York comedy beast. He’s sharp, dark, and funny. BOLO is his awesome special on YouTube and it’s something truly worth checking out. It’s Matt at his best: raw, real, and ripping into life’s absurdities with a signature edge the New York Times called ‘button-pushing’ and ‘funny.’ His style’s a mix of cerebral gut-punches and pitch-black humor. We’re diving deep into how he crafted this one, what it’s like to sling jokes in today’s world, and why he’s one of the smartest voices in standup right now.”

Previously: In his comedy doc/special Substance, he performs 4 sets on 4 nights (1 high, 1 drunk, 1 sober, and 1 on shrooms). His previous special, Feels Like Matt Ruby is available on YouTube. His comedy albums (including Feels Like Matt Ruby and Hot Flashes,) are in regular rotation on Sirius and went top 10 on the iTunes Comedy charts. He's also been featured on CNN, The Huffington Post, New York magazine, Time Out, and more. 

He's a regular at the legendary Comedy Cellar and co-produces Hot Soup there (Tuesdays), one of NYC’s longest running independently produced comedy shows, and Good Eggs (Mondays and Wednesdays) at NY Comedy Club. He tours around the country and internationally too. Misguided Meditation is his one-man show about mindfulness, psychedelics, therapy, and death.

Comedian Matt Ruby and I agree there is a lot Non—Trump voters missed (myself included) about how society views a large group of men. It's not simple, especially since we are all in our info silos. Matt put out a great substack opinion piece on this topic. Even discussing this shit nowadays is risky, but necessary for all of us to understand these issues. I was inspired to listen to this Joe Rogan episode after our chat and it was further illuminating. We MUST UNDERSTAND the other people!

Btw: Did you also know that Matt Ruby is an AWESOME COMEDIAN?? HERE'S PROOF

More Matt Here: https://www.mattrubycomedy.com/ @mattrubycomedy/

The substack we discussed here:

https://mattruby.substack.com/p/incessantly-calling-men-toxic-is

It’s my fault. As ambassador of the elites, I take full responsibility for this defeat.First off, let’s admit it: He’s the greatest con man ever. The first time around, people might not have understood what was happening. This time, everybody knew — and they went for it anyway. When you get the marks to volunteer for the duping, you’ve achieved true con mastery.

Am I mad? Nah. Frustrated, but this is just who we are. It’s the same way I feel about the rise in antisemitism. We act like something new is happening, but really we just moved the rock and are now seeing what was underneath all along. I’d rather stare it in the face than pretend it’s not there. This is who we are.

(Also, let’s be real: I’m a white dude who lives in NYC so I’ll probably be insulated from the worst of it.)

Plus, I kinda saw it coming…

mattrubycomedy

#mattruby #mattrubycomedian

A post shared by @mattrubycomedy

“Butts in seats” is the comedy version of elections. It’s our way of saying, “Scoreboard!” The lesson we’ve learned: You can go on Colbert 15 times and it won’t have the impact of one Rogan appearance. Especially if you wanna reach dudes.

Ezra Klein explained this in the NYT:

She should’ve gone on Rogan, and much else besides…But Rogan is symbolic of something bigger. There is an alienation that’s grown between young men and much of the Democratic Party. For years, there’s been no real way of talking about masculinity in liberal circles that didn’t attach the word “toxic” before it. There’s been a reveling in growing female strength and a deep critique of male culture. You can have any view you want on the merits of that, but it’s had consequences.

The Republicans are the roast and the Democrats are the HR department. And America wants cruel jokes more than a DEI seminar.

If any/all of this annoys you, I return to this question: Do you want to win next time or nah?

Because what I’m really getting at…

It’s time to realize that incessantly calling men toxic is a bad way to get their votes.

The truth is men are suffering and retreating right now. Richard Reeves has been discussing this at length. Here's a taste.

I worry that we’re not signaling strongly enough to young men now we need you. We in very different spaces. We the families, we the mothers, we the labor market, we the community. Not just we need people, but we need you. And absent that sense of we need you, I think we see a lot of young men retreating. #mattruby #comedy #comedian

I saw Matt do a super interesting comedy show at a yoga studio last month called Misguided Meditation. It was great and he's doing another one January 22 at Yoga to the People – East Village TICKETS HERE He has a great newsletter too = sign up here: THE RUBESLETTER

He's a really great comedian where you walk out thinking about what you were just laughing about. This episode stuck around in my head for a while—like a good acid trip. Matt really shared a lot of personal stuff.

He’s has a very successful career as a comedian performing regularly at The Comedy Cellar. His comedy is hilarious! Plus exceptionally smart, thoughtful and his work has some great messages about toxic masculinity, which was refreshing to hear from a straight dude. I harassed him to share more specifically about the points he is making, why those issues speak to him and where they come from (a prosecutor dad and artist mom). Matt understand his feelings and is very articulate, There’s a lot to draw you in.

More Matt:

BIO Matt Ruby is a NYC comedian that tells smart/dark jokes for people with a finely tuned BS detector. He's a regular at the Comedy Cellar in NYC, in regular rotation on SiriusXlllllllM, his album "Hot Flashes" went top 10 at iTunes, and he's been seen on Laughs on FOX, MTV's Girl Code, and The Comedy Show Show on NBC/Seeso. He's also the creator of Vooza, a video comic strip about the tech world (called the "The Spinal Tap of startups" by Mashable) and co-producer of Hot Soup, one of NYC’s longest running independently produced comedy shows. H

Outside of standup, he's the creator of Vooza, a video comic strip about the tech world that’s received millions of view and was called the "The Spinal Tap of startups" by Mashable and (SIGN UP FOR THIS!!! ) he’s the author of the Rubesletter, a weekly newsletter with over 15,000 subscribers.

Tim Seeberger s his music. As founder/frontman of PopMusic his band is gatherering heat and opportunities. As he has transitioned from a devoted Christian to a devoted queer musician who is also Christian, Tim has experienced a lot of identity adjustments, starting in a new way when he went away to college. He has a good relationship with his family, lots of friends and above all, his music will always ground him. There’s still some work to do on intimacy but he’s only 27.

Also, on a personal level—I really like this music. It has a genuine uncynical authenticity just like Tim.

Listen to PMFD on Spotify

Watch their Another Screen video

Another Screen by Pop Music Fever Dream, from their new EP, "Songs For Emotion."

Starring T. Seeberger, Carmen Castillo, Domenico Bancroft, and Nicole Harwayne

Directed by T. Seeberger

Produced by T. Seeberger, Carmen Castillo

Cinematography/Vfx by Sam Blieden (Instagram: @s.r.b)

Edited by Sam Blieden, T. Seeberger

Acting Coaching by Carmen Castillo

Special thanks to @TheFilmMakersCooperative

Pop Music Fever Dream is a post-punk/no wave band from NYC.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pmfd.nyc/?h...

Bandcamp: https://pmfd.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0SZRh...

Here's some great interviews with Tim:

https://swimintothesound.com/blog/2024/9/9/the-name-of-the-band-is-pop-music-fever-dream

https://www.bkmag.com/2023/10/02/inside-the-queer-punk-revolution/

#timseeberger #popmusicfeverdream