The Afterlaugh w/ Bill Dawes

The Austin comedy scene is exploding right now, mostly because of recent LA transplants like Joe Rogan, Tony Hinchcliffe, Brian Redban, Tim Dillon, AND "Big Laugh Comedy" co-founder Brandon Lewin. 6 years ago, Brandon moved from Chicago and went from being an open mic comic to the foremost producer, promoter, and booker in the burgeoning Austin comedy scene. Brandon is a smart and driven guy and the conversation covers everything - from the first show at the Vulcan to the Tony Hinchcliffe controversy to what the future of the Austin comedy scene looks like. 

Matthew Vaughan comes by the yard late one night to drink a little, smoke a little, and reminisce about his chance meeting with Bill at the Laugh Factory in 2008 when Matt was a noob from North Carolina in LA for the first time. That meeting has resulted in a friendship over a decade and has seen Matt become an important curator of the comedy world with his company "Rotten Science," which has been responsible for programs like "The Cabin with Bert Kreisher," and the latest hit comedy specials from Lil' Rel and Dan Soder. Why hasn't he hired Bill yet? Well, listen and find out...

Good friend Shaan Joshi (Laugh Factory, "Doomed Tonight" series on Youtube) FINALLY finishes an interview with Bill without a fight. Shaan is a comic and intellectual, having once run a newspaper in Prague. Despite his jaded, doomsday attitude, Shaan is also a humanitarian who created an educational foundation in Haiti this is running to this day. Shaan believes that FOX NEWS has created a near irreparable divide in the culture that accounts for the antagonistic state of the country today and makes a compelling argument for it's dismantling as well as a way to move forward. PLUS, what the eff is up with UFO's??!

Tommy Wakefield comes by the yard after a long hiatus, where he and Bill get into it about the intersection of science and politics regarding COVID and particularly the new and improved strain, the Delta variant. They also talk about the jokes they got out of the virus and the lockdown, and how standup comedy is really a life for silly weirdos pretending to be something more. Plus, they discuss the ultimate cheat code for comics looking for big laughs.... ENJOY!

Nacya Marreiro (making her debut at the World Famous Hollywood Laugh Factory) sits with Bill to talk about her journey from Southern Portugal to Austin and how her passion for standup came about after her time as a flight attendant with United Arab Emirates. In a short time, Nacya has built a name for herself in the burgeoning Austin comedy scene, with a popular show at the new Creed & the Cave called "The Riff" (a show where audience members pick the subject matter), whose guests have included Joe Rogan, Chris Redd, Adam Ray, and yours truly. 

Mel Shoshahi (Laugh Factory, Laughs on Fox) has interesting story - a female comic with Persian immigrant parents who have always been supportive of her comedy career. During the LA lockdown, Mel needed a creative outlet and started writing and shooting sketches based on different characters in her life - sketches which began to generate traction on social media and changed the course of her career. Also, is doing standup as a "character" easier or harder? 

Old friend from Broadway, 2021 EMMY-NOMINEE Chris Sullivan for Toby on "This is Us," comes by the yard to discuss the stratospheric rise of his acting career, and the progression from blue-collar Chicago theatre actor to starring in one of the biggest hits of the last decade on network television. He also performs an acoustic version of one of the songs from his new album, "SIX FEET FROM UNDER," available everywhere now! Follow him on Instagram @Sullivangrams. 

Tommy comes by the yard for a free-wheeling discussion on how comedy is evolving and being received in a Post-Trump Los Angeles, and whether or not certain offensive words can EVER be said onstage anymore, and if so, WHO can say it. Bill and Tommy also discuss times in their life where they were CONNED and tips on how to avoid it happening to you! ENJOY!

Kym Kral comes by the yard to discuss the release of her new memoir, "Confessions of a Recovering Party Girl" -- NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON AMAZON -- and the wild stories captured within. Kym also details the delicate process of telling a "true story" without setting yourself up for the potential of libel lawsuits. Bill discusses his experience working with Tucker Max and the lawsuits Tucker met upon publishing "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell," and why those suits were summarily defeated. The conversation seques into a long debate on the politicization of Covid, BLM, gender rights, and how being a liberal isn't as easy as it used to be, and basically every single thing that can get Bill cancelled! ENJOY OUR LONGEST UNCUT, UNCENSORED EPISODE YET!

Fan favorite Tommy Wakefield comes by the yard to talk about the comedy boom in Austin, the latest developments in his relationship, and is it possible IN GENERAL to go from a committed relationship to an OPEN relationship without things going tits up in a ditch? All of this is interrupted by a naked homeless woman and call to the cops. ENJOY!