To mark the release of his latest album, "Free State of California," I talked with Greg Proops, one of my absolute favorite comics. Greg has one of the smartest, funniest, most thoughtful, and most deliciously disdainful voices to ever work in standup. This was a really fun conversation.

To be honest, I had low expectations for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. I was pleasantly surprised, however. Was the plot ridiculous? Sure, but who cares? This is fresh, fun, light adventure with smart, hot people who have super powers and cool outfits, all in an insanely chic, beautifully designed environment.

Also... I treated myself to an outstanding shave yesterday. Game changer (or at least a day changer).

Since I became an AMC Stubs member, I've been going to the movies a lot. Among the things I've noticed are the numbers of people actually going to the movies and the number of surprisingly good movies to see. I'll be curious to see the numbers of this year's summer blockbuster season compared to the past few years (pre and post Covid).

The joy of going to see shows by myself.

Where do I begin about my guest on this episode? How do I begin? When I was a kid at home, I remember seeing her on late night cable doing standup at the IMPROV, unable get enough of her bawdy flavor of comedy and confidence. Then, in 1989, my dad bought me a cassette of her hit one-woman show "Without You I'm Nothing." Like countless other gay men, I was transfixed. I didn't really know that this kind of performance was possible. Funny, edgy, cutting, relevant, ahead of its time. And speaking of something ahead of its time... If you haven't seen her performance in Martin Scorsese's "The King of Comedy" with Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis, rent it now. Since all of that, she's done sitcoms, movies, tv shows, most recently Ryan Murphy's POSE and American Horror Story. I saw her most recently at her annual holiday run at Joe's Pub on New Year's Eve, back in person after a three-year pandemic absence. She is a comedian... a singer... a writer... an actress... one of our sharpest cultural observers... one of my favorite entertainers... an overall icon... and, this year, my Valentine... Miss Sandra Bernhard.

Dave Hill is a comedian, a writer, a musician, an actor, a podcast host and - like myself - a Cleveland original. He also happens to be an old friend with whom I attended St. Ignatius High School just outside Downtown Cleveland. I was class of '89, Dave was class of '87, as was our fellow alumnus, California congressman Ted Lieu.

Dave came by my studio office in Rockefeller Center the other day, and we a great conversation. We talked about high school, of course, as well as his work as a creative, social media, his permanent ban from Twitter (and plea for reinstatement), our Cleveland roots and our love of NYC.

I really enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you do, too. You can find Dave at his website at https://davehillonline.com. He's also on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mrdavehill) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@mrdavehill). And if you could, please make a plea to the powers at Twitter to have Dave reinstated there, where his handle was https://twitter.com/MrDaveHill.

Award-winning writer and humorist Paul Rudnick is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter. I finally got to sit down and talk with him.

In this episode, I throw down some of my feelings after the 2022 midterm elections. The big takeaway, of course, is that there was no "Red Wave." In fact, it was really more like a referendum on the GOP.

I also have a report on the sad state of sartorial affairs around my new office in Rockefeller Center. Other than the viral boner killer known as the sleeveless fleece vest, the big news is that the necktie seems to be on the endangered species list. I'm doing my part to keep it alive.

The idea of not drinking is weird for a lot of people. More than 20 years after my last drink, I can easily say that getting sober is the best thing I’ve ever done.

On today’s episode, I talk about the best way to get around town when the United Nations General Assembly is in session, taking the streets of Manhattan hostage. I also talk about another visit to Tin Building and why I like talking about that place (and other people, places and things that I like).

To support this podcast and my social media work:

https://georgehahn.com/support

Hahn, Solo is a podcast I do by myself and talk about other things I do... by myself, i.e. solo. This show is usually an exclusive for my Patreon subscribers, but I'm going to keep doing a "Friday freebie." Thank you for your ear and for your support! I hope you enjoy it.