Ian Talks Comedy

Teri Bolo joined by to discuss the lack of Groundling representation on my podcast; her first vivid memory of seeing Peter Pan on TV; going to see Pollyanna and being told she looked like Hailey Mills; her and her aunt going to Gary Austins improv class, which became The Groundlings; what it means to teach improv or to take improv classes; the rules of improv; whether characters are created or fine-tuned in improv; Laraine Newman; "Tunnelvision"; "If You Don't Stop You'll Go Blind"; The Dating Game; The Gong Show; her role in "Carrie"; being on a big time movie set; the famous shower scene; working with George Burns and John Denver in "Oh God"; being cut out of "Animal House"; going to movie locations while on vacation; Gary Austin; Del Close; improv being collaborative and not competitive; Robin Williams; Fred Willard; "The In Laws"; "Mommie Dearest"; my dad meeting Faye Dunaway and my mom meeting the bank robber from the "7-Ups"; making out with a girl for a scene i "Scarface" that you can only see her arm in; "Pee Wee's Big Adventure"; being a stand in for Julia Duffy and The Love Boat; the Newhart episode where she and Julia Duffy played twins; Bob Newhart not getting recognized at the gate; Don Rickles visits Newhart set; 24; "Little Miss Sunshine";  when to approach celebrities;

written by Ian Fermaglich

cast:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Ben Rosenfeld / waiter..........................Dylan Gottesman www.backstage.com/tal/dylan-gottesman   [email protected]                                 Ashley Martinez / Sophie / Mary ......... Phoenix Loudermilk www.backstage.com/tal/phoenix-ever  ever                                                                           Gary Rosenfeld / Todd..........................Randall Lakefish                                                                                                                                                Stage Directions...................................Ian Fermaglich                       

Special Thanks to Kevin Kelton, Stu Kreisman, Tom Ruprecht, and Sam Sandora

Paul joined me to discuss being happy; Earth Angel; taking a year off from college to write a hit; his management changing his age and name; coming from a musical family; his father hating rock 'n' roll; Elvis; making demos in Nashville; Conan O'Brien; The Pointer Sisters; Brill Building; his hits "When" and "7 Little Girls"; "7 Little Girls" being banned in Boston; performing on Dick Clark's Saturday Night show; almost forgetting the words on live TV; The Beatles changing his career to jingle performer and writer; smoking; crooners trying to sing rock; Elvis' success; Col. Tom Parker; Elvis' generosity; Paul Anka; his jazz quarter made of jingle singers 5ive; learning his parts by computer; scat yodeling; his biggest hit "Roses are Red"; being paid to sing at weddings; trying to make a woman cry each time he sings it; his wife Susan; how his book came about; winning a Clio but not getting the award; Arizona uses his song and the case goes to the Supreme Court; "Hello this is Joanie (The Telephone Answering Song)"; wanting to sing a duet with Willie Nelson.

Jon Schroeder joined me to discuss his fake imdb facts; his influences Pee Wee Herman, Chris Elliot, Garry Shandling; Sledge Hammer; going to San Fransisco State; his first job, copying Fresh Prince and Family Matters episodes for syndication; writing promos for the WB; meeting and writing with Doug Benson; getting hired on The Sarah Silverman Program; her show being more cartoonish than Bob's Burgers; working on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the hiatus; becoming friends with Chris Elliot; Susan 313 pilot; why writers stay on Bob's Burgers; trying to top past holiday episodes; Burger of the Day and Storefront; when Gene repeats things that sound "dirty"; "Sheesh, Cab Bob"; "Carpe Museum"; Regular Size Rudy; my favorite characters; episode titles; "Stand by Gene"; Nora Smith's ability to throw out the perfect line; writing songs for the show; feeling that "Something Old, Something New, Something Bob Caters for You" needed a song and Nora writing it while taking a walk; Bob's Burgers: The Movie; The Oscars; "A Few Gurt Men"; writing Linda stories; differences between Linda and Marge Simpson; age of fans of Bob's Burgers; Teddy episodes; could Bob have been played by Bob Newhart?; guest stars; Kevin Kline as Fischoeder; improv in "Sheesh, Cab Bob?"; "Video Killed the Gene-io Star"; "Dream a Little Dream of Bob" with Jon Glaser, H. Jon Benjamin, and Jack McBrayer improvs; interviewing Bob's Burgers crew or YouTube; not being a performer; writing in the characters voices; Dan Mintz; John Roberts; his podcast "Two Jon's Don't Make a Right"; making lefts are dangerous; Jon Daly's podcast of reviewing podcasts; me talking to people from SNL; going backstage and meeting Don Pardo; 

Joe Grossman joined me to discuss having no early TV restrictions; being a fan of David Letterman since 13 or 14; Chris Elliot; trying at first to be a cartoonist; finding out that Letterman has writers; Lewis & Clark College; learning standup at the American Comedy Institute for an article for Time Out NY; writing a submission packet; being passed over for the job twice; eventually getting hired by the Stangel brothers; getting stuff on the first night; meeting Dave after putting away the Late Show bear; a chance encounter with Dave before in an elevator; almost being run over by Dave in the basement; written into bits by Lee Ellenberg, Jeremy Wiener, and Tom Ruprecht; did not write himself in because he did not want to be a performer; how the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the staff gave us Sherman Grossman, the sneezing monkey; monkey handler stories; how a kangaroo ended up on the Late Show; 2008 Writer's Strike brings comradery; Joe starts appearing telling rehashed jokes about other subjects; Chris Christie; "Ox, the Wilderness Expert"; drinking urine in a lot of sketches; rules of urine drinking for young comedy writers; having Grace Helbig play a love interest in a bit; inadvertently talking like Dave; telling viewers about his birthing classes; Dave announcing his child's birth on air; puns with the Foo Fighters and Wu Tang Clan; his last appearance with a highlight reel; Norm MacDonald; going to the last show party and then watching it in a bar at 11:35; cleaning out his office and taking a few mementos; getting hired at Full Frontal with Samantha bee; having to learn a new voice to write to; and adjusting to a new schedule

Roger Eschbacher joined me to talk about his early influences; Romper Room; Monty Python and original SNL, making videos with high school classmates including Tom Kramer; going to college to study communications; getting a job as a PA on Fridays; working with Andy Kaufman; getting a job on Not Necessarily the News; having Conan O'Brien tell him about the Groundlings; working there with Lisa Kudrow and Will Ferrell; working on a George Carlin special; Sunday Comics; Candid Camera; Cheers; Please Watch the Jon Lovitz Special; writing a story for Star Trek: The Next Generation; "Wagon's East"; writing for Aah, Real Monsters;  The John Larroquette Show; Detention; Friends; Wendy's commercials; writing for Scooby Doo; Tracy Newman; wrote two books for children; writing young adult science fiction novels; reading them as a kid; the difference between hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi 

Amazon.com: Dragonfriend: Leonard the Great, Book One eBook : Eschbacher, Roger: Kindle Store  

Amazon.com: Ghost Star (Ghost Star Adventures Book 1) eBook : Eschbacher, Roger: Kindle Store

Road Trip: Eschbacher, Roger: 9780803729278: Amazon.com: Books

Tommy Kovac, podcaster and comedian, and I discuss what bought us to our podcast, favorite guests, favorite moments and all sorts of fun stuff.

Boyd joined me to talk about watching Love American Style with his mom, and being inspired by Steve Martin and The Goodies; going to Oklahoma Christian University; sending samples of his work to Letterman head writer Steve O'Donnell; being chosen for the job over Conan O'Brien; realizing he doesn't know the show that well; feeling like he was in over his head the entire time he was there; getting let go after two years; Pirate Television for MTV; Garth Brooks; writing a spec Roseanne that got him Full House; writing the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen tv-movie "To Grandmothers House We Go"; Merlin Olsen; OJ Simpson; Little House on the Prairie; getting the job on Nurses; Anson Williams and the Heimlich maneuver; how Nurses saved lives; David Rasche; Sledge Hammer; Robert Wuhl; "Hollywood Knights"; Loni Anderson; WKRP in Cincinnati; Ada Maris; What A Country! with Yakov Smirnoff; getting scared by the made-for-TV movie "Adam"; favorite television shows and the cast and crews love; still hanging out with people from Nurses and Full House today; David Letterman's new show; Lenny Ripps; creating a sitcom for Fox, Rewind; quitting before the pilot was shot; having Rewind cancelled before airing its first episode; writing the Chris Farley film "Almost Heroes"; Chris Farley dying before the movie came out; working with Bette Midler on her eponymous sitcom; Dolly Parton; his art career; Basquiat; everyone should create; Keith Haring; podcasts are a creative outlet; this episode was a back and forth; Harlan Williams hated being around other comedians;

Andrew Nicholls joined me to talk about taping The Tonight Show; early English children's TV; The Flintstones; Monty Python; meeting Darrell Vickers; writing The Blob as a musical; trying to write a book depicting the real life of a comedy writer; how TV is like any other job in some ways; TV being a collaboration - both good and bad; We're Only Joking; how working in Canada gave him and Darrell a full tool kit for writing comedy; the many jobs in comedy he had; Alan Thicke buys some jokes but uses all that were sent; Thicke of the Night; teaming up writers to save money; Wayne Kline; how poorly the show was run; SCTV's parody; babysitting a young Robin Thicke; didn't sit in the audience of the shows he worked on so he has a different experience; writing for Mickey Rooney; working on the pilot Apartment 2C with George Carlin; finding scenes from the Canadian sitcom  Flappers co-starring Martin Short on You Tube; SCTV still holds up; Jimmy Neutron's notes flummox fans; sending a first draft away being like sending finely crafted sausage to a pack of dogs; network notes and suits; David Birney on St. Elsewhere; writing a sample package for Johnny Carson that two agents said wasn't good enough but got them the job; how Shelly Cohen got their package to Johnny; 13 week cycles of firings; Johnny saw their output and they stayed; Johnny firing everyone but them after 1988 Writers strike; meeting at Johnny's home in Malibu weekly; Check it Out; Don Adams; Art Fern, Telescam, Aunt Blabby; Teresa Ganzel; show only stopped tape twice; Overlaying Billboards; my favorite episode from 1990; George Carlin; people who died jokes; Johnny's theory, "If people laugh, it's funny"; Roget's Eulogy; two sketches that were nixed: Tongue Twister Magazine and Limerick Bank Robbery; doing remotes from Kentucky; Dominoes Deliverymen Falling; Sniveling Weasel Awards; Worlds Longest Limo; Johnny did not want to do remotes; remotes dubbed over by Johnny; George Carlin Show; Pearl; consulting on sitcoms; The Magic Hour and Howard Stern; British TV

Gabe joined me to talk about growing up a block away from George Carlin and knowing his mother; doing stand up and later talking on the phone and meeting him; his early act; studying under Lee Strasberg at NYU; explosion in number of comedians; open mic nights; doing improv with Robin Williams; not getting bumped back in the day; writing for Bill Maher; becoming a faxer for David Letterman then head monologue writer; being the head monologue writer when the biggest news was Monica Lewinsky; how Dave constructs his monologue; writing for Tom Green; his famous Dave back from the quintuple bypass joke; 9/11 and things Letterman would not joke about after; George W. Bush jokes; moving to write for Craig Kilborn; writing for Tom Green and Jay Leno; do stand ups make better monologue writers?; writing with Snoop Dogg; 3 lines or less monologue jokes; Weekend Update; Instant Recall with WInk Martindale; performing mentalism on Behind Closed Gates; The Amazing Randi; critiques my Johnny Carson jokes I wrote at 17; today's lazy monologue writing; a joke I can't tell anymore; my late night packet mistakes; why some people teaching comedy and writing are scammers; performing stand up on TV; looking at the audience while performing; switching to mentalism; learning mentalism; does a demonstration of mentalism for me; how you have to limit choices to do mentalism correctly; odd phenomena; "fake" psychics