Can rape be funny? Part two of my conversation with comedian Vinnie Brand hammers away at this and also some misogynistic male comedians - Louis CK, Bill Cosby (of course) - but some good guys like Ray Romano & Eddie Murphy as well. There's a reason why a certain comedian is the only one no longer welcome in his clubs, and it might surprise you.

Can comedy be like sex? What drove his mother crazy? And how I land this interview? You gotta listen!

He may be a comedian and own his own comedy club (the Stress Factory), but that doesn't mean I can't ask him how often he bombs or can he seriously consider himself eye candy. He does a good job at handling hecklers, but let's see if he can handle me.

When I remember my college days, it’s with a fog of late nights and parties and dancing… And classes, of course. The college students I interviewed from the Livingston theater Company production staff apparently had a different experience, because they’re incredibly articulate and able to answer my interview questions about the company’s  performance of beauty and the beast and their backstage roles without hesitation. What is this generation coming to?

I lost my mother about two years ago and think about her every day. Even though she was approaching 101 when she passed away, it was still too early. Luckily, I had interviewed her when I was doing an earlier podcast (Hazlet Coffee Talk), to ask her about what it was like moving to a farm community from Jersey City.

I'm posting this on Mother's Day in her honor. And because those who loved her - basically everyone she knew - will probably enjoy hearing her voice and her laugh one more time.

How difficult is it to have a successful career in the arts when your big brother Steven Van Zandt is a rock and roll icon and a TV star to boot?

As a long time friend, I hit Billy Van Zandt with this question- and other embarrassing ones - before we talk about what it takes to get a TV writing gig, his decades working with his long-time writing partner, Jane Milmore,  a zany almost-meeting with Lucille Ball and an quasi deja vu moment when he actually did meet his comic idol.

https://www.amazon.com/GET-CAR-JANE-Adventures-Wasteland/dp/1734401710/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3J1LCIWQZ80QE&dchild=1&keywords=billy+van+zandt&qid=1615924749&sprefix=billy+van+zan%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

Royce Meier found his place in the arts not in his native NYC roots, but in Asbury Park at the Showroom. Royce and I  discuss how LGBTQ characters - so accepted in the 20s and 30s - end up being victims or villains in later films, why you’ll never see “I Shot Andy Warhol” at the Showroom and who we like better: Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan. 

Is Layonne Holmes a diva? She certainly has the chops. But she doesn't have the attitude. Layonne is one of the most talented yet humble singers I know. But, boy, can she sing! This interview took place at the height of Covid - on my deck - so please excuse the less-than-perfect sound quality. But yes. . . she does sing with me!

Who doesn't love a good true crime story? This week I interview a long time friend whose entire adult life has revolved around true crime dramas. Andrea Lyon, Rutgers alumna and former Deputy Public Defender in Chicago, talks to me about defending guilty people, proving the innocence of death row inmates and helping convince former Illinois Gov. Ryan to abolish the death penalty while exonerating her death row client.

Her stories are fascinating and can be found in her many books, available at https://shorturl.at/beC14

Anyone who has ever seen or heard Jose Loo perform knows what an immense talent he is. Since his stroke in June 2023, he hasn't been able to perform, though he is still the same charismatic, good humored man you can hear in this rebroadcast episode, that features a taste of his outsized talent.

If you haven't heard - or heard of - Layonne Holmes, I pity you. She is not just an incredible performer, she's also the definition of a diva, without the attitude. Oh, and we do a duet in this first episode of my "Best of Series," recorded outside during the height of Covid.

Yes. I made sacrifices!

Click below to listen.