Stand Up Scuttlebutt

AJ joins Rick to talk about his years working the New England stand-up circuit, the evolution of the local comedy scene, and the experiences that come with making a career out of making people laugh.

AJ also discusses Paperback Comedy and his work producing live shows. And when he's not entertaining audiences, he's helping couples tie the knot as a marriage officiant. Turns out, comedy clubs and wedding ceremonies have more in common than you might think.

Then Rick switches things up with a round of completely random, non-comedy questions that take the conversation well beyond the usual shop talk.

AJ Hapenny is a New England stand-up comedian, comedy producer, and marriage officiant. With years of experience performing throughout the region, AJ is also involved in producing shows through Paperback Comedy. Whether he's working a comedy club, organizing a lineup, or officiating a wedding, AJ knows how to work a room.

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Kathy Gilmour has spent much of her life on the water—and now havigates the Boston comedy scene.

Kathy joins Rick to talk about working on the open water, from New England all the way down to the Florida Keys. With a degree in marine biology, she’s done everything from sightseeing tours and fishing charters to ferrying boats up and down the East Coast during the offseason. With this comes great responsibilities like capturing pirates and punching sharks in the face (not really).

She’s also a member of the Boston Garden Society and that makes her a regular at Boston Bruins games, which means she knows what she's talking about when the team needs to focus on their neutral-zone defense and force more turnovers, y'know?

Kathy is a woman in the Boston comedy scene, but don’t expect a symposium on gender equity in the 21st century. She’s funny, candid, and has some great observations about the differences she’s encountered—and the absurdities that come with them.

About Kathy Gilmour

Kathy Gilmour is a New England stand-up comedian with a background that’s anything but typical. Before comedy, she built a career on the water, putting her marine biology degree to work on sightseeing tours, fishing charters, and boats traveling the East Coast from New England to the Florida Keys. These days, when she’s not performing comedy, there’s a good chance you’ll find her at TD Garden taking in a Bruins game.

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This episode is sponsored by APC Pest & Termite Control. When pests move in, call in the Swat Team.

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Jay “Tank” Renaud joins Rick to talk about his years in Hollywood as an actor and comedian who, ironically, never landed comedic acting roles. From appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Boston Public to touring with Gallagher, opening for Brian Regan, and partying at Donnie Wahlberg’s house, Tank has plenty of stories from his time in the business.

Now back in New England, Tank is putting his experience to work with Spanky’s Comedy, booking and producing shows while developing ambitious plans to help the next generation of stand-up comedians find their footing.

About Jay “Tank” Renaud

Jay “Tank” Renaud is a stand-up comedian, actor, booker, and producer whose career has taken him from Hollywood sets to comedy stages across the country. Today, he runs Spanky’s Comedy, producing live shows and creating opportunities for both established performers and up-and-coming comics.

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Lahna Turner joins Rick while she’s in Boston for the screening of Come What May at the Boston Film Festival. The deeply personal documentary tells the story of her late husband, comedian Ralphie May, from his rise in comedy to his battle with addiction and the complicated reality of loving someone through it all. Rick and Lahna talk about grief, love, family, forgiveness, and her decision to tell Ralphie’s story honestly—both the good and the difficult.

They also get into Lahna’s Pounds of Power comic books, which take the larger-than-life Ralphie May and reimagine him as an actual comic-book superhero.

About Lahna Turner

Lahna Turner is a comedian, writer, musician and filmmaker known for combining stand-up with original comedy songs. Her credits include the comedy special So... I Wrote a Song About It and several comedy albums. She is also the creator of Pounds of Power and producer and co-director of Come What May, continuing to tell Ralphie May’s story while maintaining a comedy career entirely her own.

Sponsored by Winslow Design

This week’s episode is sponsored by Winslow Design, an award-winning residential architecture firm specializing in renovations, additions and new construction. From rethinking the home you already love to designing something entirely new, Winslow Design creates thoughtful spaces built around the way families actually live.

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Rickey “Fish” Fennell is a Massachusetts guy through and through—and if you somehow miss that fact, his accent should clear things up pretty quickly.

This guy has stories! Rick can’t get off the subject of Rickey’s former career working as a unit guard overseeing 70 inmates at Boston’s maximum-security Nashua Street Jail. During his time there, the jail housed some nationally notorious inmates, including Aaron Hernandez, the Craigslist Killer, and the Killer Nanny. Needless to say, Rick has questions. Lots of them.

Eventually, they make it out of jail and into Rickey’s childhood, which apparently wasn’t much safer. There’s the nun who split his head open with a ruler, the time he nearly got run over by a train, and plenty more adventures of a time gone by.

About Rickey “Fish” Fennell:

Rickey “Fish” Fennell is a Massachusetts-born stand-up comedian and a familiar face on the South Shore comedy scene. He regularly performs at venues throughout the area and has shared bills with some of Boston comedy’s longtime favorites, including a recent special-guest appearance alongside 25-year Boston comedy veteran Bob Niles. Fish brings an unmistakable Massachusetts personality to the stage and has become a popular name on local comedy lineups.

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Mona Forgione enters the Scuttlebutt Studio for a conversation that proves stand-up comedy might not even be the most interesting thing she does. Mona performs singing telegrams, which can mean showing up to tap dance for a complete stranger or arriving dressed as Jesus and leaving an unsuspecting recipient dazzled, amazed. Then there’s her former life as a roller derby skater, where the list of injuries is so long it might have been easier to talk about what she didn’t break. We also get into the Boston comedy scene and finding your people within it.

About Mona Forgione: Mona is a Massachusetts-born comedian now based in New Hampshire and a semifinalist in the 2020 Boston Comedy Festival. She has opened for comedians including Eddie Pepitone, Steve Bjork, Jimmy Dunn, and Myq Kaplan, and has performed throughout New England.

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On a very special 300th episode, Rodney Norman sits down in the Scuttlebutt Studio for a wicked fun conversation. You might know him as that hippie on Instagram who interrupts your doom scrolling with daily affirmations delivered with equal parts sincerity and absurdity. Or maybe you’ve caught his stand-up somewhere around the country. Either way, if you’ve ever watched Rodney and wondered what he’s like when he’s not performing, this is the episode for you.

Rodney talks about developing his character, which was partly inspired by his alcoholic grandfather, and why he deliberately takes a different approach from the endless supply of online self-help gurus. He talks about getting recognized in public, why he always makes time for those interactions, and what it’s like having his strange little nuggets of wisdom connect with so many people. And believe it or not, Rodney also served our country in the U.S. Marine Corps. We didn’t see that one coming either.

So kick back, soak up some good vibes with Rodney Norman, and help us celebrate 300 episodes of Scuttlebutt.

About Rodney Norman: Rodney Norman is a nationally touring stand-up comedian, actor, and social media personality known for blending philosophy, motivational wisdom, and wonderfully absurd comedy. His viral videos have built a massive online following through a character who somehow manages to be ridiculous, sincere, and occasionally profound all at once. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Rodney brings a life’s worth of experiences to a comedy style that is entirely his own.

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PJ Thibodeau returns to the studio, and things get weird right out of the gate with funeral plans and taxidermy—two topics that somehow become intertwined. From there, Rick and PJ talk about embracing ADHD, PJ’s liberating approach to getting things done without lists, and their very strong opinions on keeping a calendar. Then PJ gets down to business with some perspective from his years coaching youth basketball: let kids play and have fun, work with coaches instead of against them, manage expectations, and encourage young athletes to play multiple sports rather than specialize too soon.

About PJ Thibodeau: PJ Thibodeau is a veteran New England stand-up comic known for his sharp observations, storytelling, and ability to find the funny in everyday life. Away from the stage, he’s spent years coaching youth sports and working with young athletes and their families. He brings that experience to the conversation with plenty of humor and some genuinely useful perspective.

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Aaron “Tiny” Smith joins Rick to talk about the grind of performing stand-up comedy and the challenge of finding new material at 50. Tiny also looks back at his years as the singer for punk rock band The Thickness and how his time in music compares with life in comedy. Along the way, Rick and Tiny discover they’re both members of the increasingly exclusive no-tattoo club, weigh in on the popularity of video games, and talk about the comedians who have influenced Tiny and still make him laugh.

About Aaron “Tiny” Smith: Tiny is a Boston-based comedian who has performed throughout New England, including comedy clubs and festivals around the region. His stand-up special The Spoons was recorded live at the Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain. Before comedy, Tiny was the frontman for Boston punk rock band The Thickness.

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Hattrick! Mark Riley is back for the third time! Beyond stand-up, he's host of Chirping Zebras, and a former NHL referee. Normally, you're not supposed to like refs but Mark is the rare exception. He shares hilarious stories from the rink and what it takes to control a hockey game when tempers flare.

On a personal level, we discuss the questionable decisions we all made growing up in the late 1900s. Then we wrap up with a conversation about podcasting, including Mark's show Chirping Zebras, which recently featured Rick's childhood hero, Bruins legend Rick Middleton.

This week's episode is sponsored by APC Pest Control. If unwanted pests have moved in, trust the local professionals who've been knockin' 'em dead since 1981. Learn more at apcpest.com.