Bay Area comedian and Komedio member Stephen Ku joins me to discuss comic books. Having taught a class on comic books at UC Berkeley, Stephen taught me also sorts of rad stuff about comic book art and design, cross-cultural tropes in comic book narratives, and representation in comic book artists and writers. This was a really fun, really interesting episode, and I really hope you guys like it!

Stephen can be found at:

Twitter: @thesuperku

This week, on Hot Gazpacho, I sat down with Bay Area comedian and former amateur boxer Jesse Hett to discuss a subject that is near and dear to my heart - boxing. We talk about the good (hitting people) the bad (getting hit by people) and the ugly (also getting hit my people). It's pretty much the first time i've interviewed someone on a subject that I had some prior knowledge of; give it a listen!

Jesse:

IG: @jessethehett

Twitter: @jessethehett

While I was last up in Seattle, I was lucky enough to sit down with Vee Chattie, who is a PNW comedian, photographer, and sex worker. They were kind enough to educate me about all the governmental horseshit that parades itself as being sex worker-friendly, but is actually the opposite. This episode is particularly topical, as the FOSTA/SESTA bill was recently passed by the House, which would criminalize many practices sex workers use to keep themselves and their colleagues safe and informed.

This week on Hot Gazpacho, Matthew Banks, NY-turned-SF comedian, joins me to talk about his job refurbishing and tuning pianos! We talk about the intricacies of tuning a piano (if you thought it was basically like tuning a guitar, you're super wrong), and what it was like for Matthew, being a concert tech at Carnegie Hall. 

Matthew can be found at:

Twitter: @matthewbankspodcast

Instagram: @mbankspodcast

I had the honor to sit down with PNW comic Alyssa Yeoman! Alyssa works at Year Up, a nonprofit working to overcome the opportunity divide by giving underprivileged individuals the foundation they need to succeed in the tech industry. Alyssa teaches me all about what it really means to have diversity in the workplace, and we commiserate on how hard it is to learn how to advocate for yourself, as well as how much imposter syndrome sucks.

Alyssa can be found at:

IG: @alyssaYEO

Twitter: @alyssaYEO

This week I had the honor to sit down with the delightfully charming Bay Area comedian Vince D'Amico, and discuss the time he spent working as a ballroom dance instructor. We discuss the different types of ballroom dancing, the pros and cons of teaching dance, and the weird, weird stuff Vince saw during his time in that field. 

Vince:

IG: @vincethedamico

Twitter: @vincethedamico

For the first episode of 2018, I sat down with my brother, Jake Cihla, to discuss his love of pipe organs. We talk about the history of pipe organs (first as church organs, and then their transition to theater organs), how these monstrous instruments work (think bagpipes, but with enough oomph to shake your bones), and why pipe organ music is so cool. Also, check out the links below:

Star Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2S72eajLzw

Indiana Jones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBTAJQnUkw0

Happy holidays! This week, I had the absolute honor to sit down and chat with local improviser and opera singer Emily Markoe! We discussed the best operas, the worst operas, what it's like to sing in a language you don't speak, and SO MUCH MORE. I learned so much about opera in this episode, and it was an absolute BLAST. 

Emily is at:

Instagram: iamememisme & postitsurprise

Join me and Bay Area comedian Aviva Siegel as we discuss the time she spent working for a Private Investigation firm. She fills me in about the type of people who become PI's, what her work entailed, and why she eventually had to leave.

Aviva is at:

Twitter: @livinlavivaloca

Instagram: @livinavivaloca

Bay Area comedian and food connoisseur Kristee Ono comes on Hot Gazpacho this week to discuss her one true love - burritos. We discuss her 100-day burrito challenge, how to make the perfect burrito, and the fact that we're unabashedly into novelty burritos.

Kristee can be found at:

IG: rabidpixie

Twitter: @rabidpixie