Spieling The Beans

My guess this week is Chloe Radcliffe - a writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a twice national speech champion, a former corporate speechwriter for Target and a standup from Minnesota.

Speaking transatlantically one Friday morning in April, we discussed why The Tonight Show is uniquely tailored to socially-distanced writing, how to characterise Minnesotan comedy compared to that of New York and Chicago, the impact both Judd Apatow and Eddie Izzard have both had on the narrative nature of comedy, what forensicating is, how speech and debate relates to stand up, the comfort of being alone on a stage, an impromptu deep dive into rhetorical analysis on the concept of rhetoric itself, and much more.

My guest this week is Jen Calleja, the 2019 International Booker Prize nominee and the inaugural Translator-in-Residence at The British Library, on why surrealism makes sense, translation vs writing from scratch, the publishing industry under a pandemic, viewing life through the lens of TV, and why Leonora Carrington is like Steve Martin. 

My guest this week is Daniel Matarazzo, a classically trained musical director who, just last week, created a Coronavirus parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to share with friends on Facebook. The song immediately became, ironically, a viral hit of its own – albeit in a very good way. Seen by millions and shared by leading figures in the entertainment world, the song has rapidly spread across the globe. Again, in a good way. In our far-reaching and deep conversation, we discuss what sudden global fame has felt like, how music can tell stories, the importance of the arts in dark times throughout history and especially now, how comedic songs are able to reach people in a way stand-up might not, how to approach musical direction, his inspirations, and creating a very good viral hit amid a very bad viral hit. And, to make it even more special, we’ve a Spieling The Beans first as we end our interview with a full, live performance of another of his viral virus parody hits.

My guest this week is the 1988 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America, the first ever Greek-American US Presidential Nominee, the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history, a four-term member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and a professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University and UCLA. Recorded in 2018, this episode looks at the concept of storytelling in its many guises – be it about the narrative of a political campaign or how comedy can create the narratives we hold to be true about candidates, issues and so much more. Our marathon conversation covers everything from meeting JFK and interviewing Bobby Kennedy as a student, to how to run and win an ethical campaign, to why he loves teaching, to why he's still an optimist, to how late night comedy has changed over the decades, what it’s like to be impersonated weekly on Saturday Night Live, and his view of Jon Lovitz' impression of him.

My guest this week is Dr Joanna Nadin. Starting out as a journalist, she soon entered the world of politics, working in Downing Street helping craft Blair’s speeches. She then turned to novel writing and has since become a hugely prolific, multi-award-winning author. Predominantly writing books for children and young adults, she's been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Prize, the Carnegie Medal, and the Queen of Teen award along with winning many more. One of her novels, Joe All Alone, was recently adapted for the screen by the BBC and has subsequently won a BAFTA and been nominated for an Emmy. On campus at Bath Spa University, where she also works as a lecturer in Creative Writing, our conversation covered how writing a speech is like writing a novel, how you turn dry subject matter into a compelling narrative, what Roald Dahl was like to meet in person, the other side of spin, and how good rhetoric can alter neurological chemistry.

My guest this week is Devin Delliquanti. After getting his start at The Onion, Devin’s written for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ever since Trevor took over the show from Jon Stewart. He’s also written for Kenan Thompson when he hosted the NHL awards and has himself hosted the New York Video Game Awards three times. Recorded the day after Boris Johnson prorogued parliament, our transatlantic conversation covers the less-than-upbeat political similarities between the US and UK, how Trump has changed late night, what people don’t tell you about hosting award shows until you’re doing it, what it’s like writing jokes that play to the audience at home versus those that play to the audience in the room, why stories are vital in both light and dark times, and how not wanting to dissect a fetal pig led him on the road to comedy. It’ll make sense when you hear him tell it, don’t worry.

(It’s no secret how long I’ve been a massive fan of The Daily Show so this was phenomenally exciting!)

My guest this week is Maggie Lalley, comedian and creator of Cold Blooded Witch: The Sex Musical. Maggie’s one woman show about her stint as a teen witch, which after a hugely successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe has since sold out all over NYC, is testament to the power of storytelling and Maggie’s ability to turn even the darkest material into incredible comedy. (Fair warning, this probably isn’t the episode to show your grandmother to introduce her to the podcast, but it’s by far one of the giggliest interviews I’ve ever conducted.) In addition to the musical, her inspirations and writing process, we talk about what it’s like working as a standup in different countries, George Carlin’s report card, why so many comedians have at one point been teachers, and end with a perhaps surprisingly frank and open conversation about mental health and the vital importance in talking about it to ensure no one suffering ever feels alone. It’s quite a journey of an episode.

My guest this week is Byron Lane, an actor, writer, Emmy-award-winning journalist and creator of Tilda Swinton Answers An Ad On Craigslist - one of the funniest plays I’ve ever seen. In the play, Tilda Swinton, played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Tom Lenk, is a modern-day Mary Poppins who finds a depressed gay man, Walt, played by Byron, on Craigslist and dissects his life for a character study for her next movie role. A few days after our interview, Graham Norton would describe the show as “fabulously funny” and Tom Lenk’s portrayal of Tilda as “pure genius”. We discussed the process of writing a hit play, how journalism connects to surrealist comedy, what people don’t tell you about making movies until you begin, what it’s like being the personal assistant to Carrie Fisher, and why all we really have are stories.

My guest this week is Sam Haygarth, a key member of Extinction Rebellion, a playwright, a former member of the Cambridge Footlights and finalist of the Chortle Student Comedy Award. He has also written Extinction, a film starring Emma Thompson, edited This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook, and has appeared in films directed by Wes Anderson (The French Dispatch) and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). As such, he’s uniquely placed to discuss how story can be used in film, comedy, politics and activism. So that’s exactly what we did. Speaking in one of Edinburgh’s green parks, during the run of his Fringe show ‘Sam Haygarth: Climate Crisis’, we discuss the power and importance of narrative in political activist movements and stand up comedy, his experience campaigning with Greta Thunberg as she’s gone from unknown activist to the face of the climate crisis movement, and whether, despite it all, he remains optimistic.

My guest this week is Gabe Mollica, whose Edinburgh Fringe debut hour - entitled The Whole Thing: A True Story of Love, Comedy and Rice Cakes - has seen him be compared to a young Mike Birbiglia. He has also been featured on the NPR / BBC Radio 4 storytelling show The Moth, has written jokes for the New York Video Game Awards and is the host of the ever-popular Funniest People I Met This Month comedy show in Queens, NY.

We discuss why narrative-based stand up is more common in Edinburgh than New York, why someone who did a music degree intentionally doesn’t do musical comedy, how the internet has affected live storytelling, and why Danny, The Champion of The World is the best Roald Dahl book.