Spiraling Up

My friend Tony Deyo has been seen on Conan & The Late Late Show. The Village Voice calls him "one of the tightest joke writers in the business" & I couldn't agree more.

On the podcast we discuss Tony's approach to comedy & why having a strong work ethic is so important in comedy right now.

Plus, hear how to wipe terrible shows off the calendar & how it can hurt to be billed a "clean comedian."

Jessica Brodkin is a wonderfully funny standup comedian, an energy healer & former CIA. Her website is LoveAndLightServices.com

There is a also a New York Post article about Jessica called I left the CIA to become a psychic medium

By Kristin McNamara

First, we get all up in the chakras, learn about Buddha & find out what kind of person may be open to Reiki healing.

Then we learn how being a healer can affect your dating life & we discuss the messy atmosphere in comedy amidst sexual scandal surfacing. Plus, should you have more than 1 career?

I welcome my ol' pal Joe DeVito this week. Joe is a professional comedian to the tenth power. A Last Comic Standing alum with performances on the Late Late Show & Comedy Central as well as a regular panel guest on CNN & Fox News.

In the episode, we reminisce about our early days as stand-ups in NYC. Joe reminds me of a time he was worried about me on stage, we learn what a sip of water can do for a dark joke & Joe reveals what everyone in the world should have to experience.

Then we get down to the nitty gritty & discuss Joe's approaches to handling a midlife crisis. We learn who you need to forgive. Plus Joe shares the advice he got which is as close to perfect as you can get.

[Side note: We recorded the podcast the day the Louis CK news broke. We literally finished recording & started seeing the twitter explosion so that is why we refer to him without addressing the latest news.]

Gary Vider is my guest this week. A full-on joke machine, Gary has appeared on Conan & was a finalist on season 10 of America's Got Talent.

On the podcast I trick Gary into telling some of my favorite Gary Vider bits. We discuss when it's okay to lie a little in a joke, what is an underlooked part of success & how to leave a club when you know you're never going back to it.

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Music from Monogold

An exciting week where I get to talk with my long time pal Shauna Lane. Shauna is a hilarious comedian, a wonderful actor & a sweet soul who has appeared at the Montreal Comedy Festival & co-hosts The Gone Girls podcast.

We learn who inspired Shauna to start comedy, when the ukulele seems like a good idea & how simple structure goes a long way.

Music by: Monogold

This week I welcome the delightful & insightful Myq Kaplan. A man with 4 comedy albums, Myq has appeared on The Tonight Show, Letterman, The Late Late Show & Conan. You may also recognize him from Last Comic Standing or America's Got Talent.

I GET to talk to Myq (foreshadowing) about disarming a potentially hostile audience, Myq explains everything you ever wanted to know about Iowaska & then we breakdown an ideal day for Myq.

It's a semi In the Tank reunion with Dan Shaki.

It was great to be back at the mics with my old sidekick & pal. He had a breakout tv appearance on Live at Gotham, regularly tours with Nate Bargatze as well as Toddy Barry & is a favorite in Green Rooms across the country & in Canada.

In the episode we reminisce about the In the Tank days before arguing the merits of therapy. Then we find out when Shaki first learned he was cynical & how he ended up in Todd Barry's new book.

Giulia Rozzi is a super talent whose presence is felt across podcast, standup & storytelling worlds. She has been a TEDx Speaker & a Moth GrandSlam Champion. She has appeared on Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening & SeeSo's Night Train Show.

We discuss what kind of kooky is okay with Giulia, if being less busy CAN be a good thing & how Giulia got her bright light back.

My guest this week is Mehran Khaghani who is an absolute force of energy on & off stage. A hilarious comedian who has been seen on Last Comic Standing, is a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City & co-hosts the show Hush Money on Monday nights also in New York City.

We discuss how stand-ups are like a gang. Mehran schools me on how how quickly progress can turn around & he shares how wonderful it can be to get a second chance. Plus we find out who Mehran feels like a traitor to & when it's okay to pass on Thanksgiving.

Music from Monogold

Shout out to Grant Gordon for the Spiraling Up theme music

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I'm just back from vacation & so happy to have my buddy Josh Gondelman as the guest this week.

If you are unaware of Josh you are not paying attention to comedy. He has an insightful & refreshing comedic voice that extends far beyond the stand up stage as an author, a twitter angel & a writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. But he is first & foremost a hilarious & accomplished standup comedian. Check out his appearance on Conan as well as his latest Album: Physical Whisper

This week, we learn how The Mighty Ducks helped Josh feel like he had arrived in New York City, where the idea came from for his now famous Twitter Pep Talks & how a positive person can share their positivity.

Music from Monogold

Shout out to Grant Gordon for the Spiraling Up theme music