Hey We're Back!

We meet two guys who have opened a venison-only restaurant in midtown Mahattan; a real life hero of mine, two-time United States table tennis champion Marty Reisman, who tells us about his life then and now. I also spend more time holding for tech support. And finally, I raise the question that all comedians are asked: “Were you a funny kid?” The question and the answer can also be heard on my first CD ever—Jonathan Katz: Caffeinated

Featuring: My sister Phyllis, Aunt Sylvie, Sidney Katz, Tom Leopold
(Venison-only Restaurant) Edited by: Tom Snyder
Music by: Mike Shapiro, Billy Novick, and Guy Van Duser

In this episode, I introduce a new segment called Housecalls. This time, I am visiting a neighbor—my neighbor. I spend some time trying to help out an old friend—Bob Saget—who has fallen on hard times, and I am sharing a non-sectarian Xmas/Hannukah song I recorded a few years ago with The Bobs.

Housecalls is an opportunity for me to “force feed” my comedy on unsuspecting strangers. I love it…

Featuring: Wren Ross, Bob Saget, Kat
Song by: Richard Green and The Bobs
Music by: Mike Shapiro, Billy Novick, and Guy Van Duser

The first scene is a reunion I have with an old Hebrew school friend. The guy was a natural athlete and it was great hearing that he still competes. My next stop is with directory assistance. This is a call I made more than twenty years ago but it still feels topical. I did, eventually, make contact with Mr. Potterton. My dad had a sister named Sylvy. She died about ten years ago but with the help of a medium, I was able to make contact and catch up. And finally I talk about the things that keep me awake at night. Not for the squeamish, not for the Amish.

Featuring: Jon Benjamin
Music by: Mike Shapiro, Billy Novick, and Guy Van Duser

I finally get a chance to talk to Bob Dylan about his life before music. It is a story that you will probably be hearing for the first time. But first, we meet a man, recently divorced, trying to return to the dating scene with no real skills. From there, we go to the airport—a place where cell phones and ex-girlfriends often converge.

Then we return to jungles of South America where I try and repair the damage I had done the day before when I visited my old friend, the world renowned naturalist Sandy Briscoe.

Last but certainly not least, is my interview with the great Bob Dylan.

Featuring: Jonathan Wilson
Music by: Mike Shapiro, Billy Novick, and Guy Van Duser

I experience a rude intrusion into my otherwise sedate life. It happens while I am holding for some help from my bank. Then we hear freelance journalist Dan Snider speaking with a civil engineer who has been asked to design a tunnel connecting the two cities of Newton and Wellesley in Massachusetts. The towns are less than ten miles apart, and the construction has become extremely controversial. Finally, I try and track down an old friend from Chicago—a guy I knew so well. But if you don’t stay in touch with someone, you can lose a piece of who you were.

("Holding For Miss Kiley", a sketch in this episode, was developed into an animated short movie. You can see it here.)

Featuring: Jane Brucker, Tom Snyder, Lauren Dombrowski
Musical Guest: The Gemini
(The Tunnel segment) Edited and Directed by Tom Snyder