The Other Side

Through the magic of the telephone we have TWO amazing guests! Gilbert Gottfried (gilbertgottfried.com) headlines the Improv May 15-17, and we got the chance to ask him about his legendary career. We also end up talking about Sea Monkeys.

Then we check in with medium Cindy Kaza (mediumcindykaza.com), who'll be helping us reach out to the spirit world on a special one-night event June 10. Cindy tells us what to expect when you see her show, and she also lets us know whether the spirits have a good sense of humor.

VARIETY!

Mike James was born and raised in Nashville. This week, comedy has brought him to DC as he features for the great Loni Love. We talk about performing for moms, the Nashville comedy scene and the joys of raising two kids. And about that record: Nashville comics recently organized a successful attempt to have the longest comedy show ever. Mike gives us his report on the utter annihilation of the old record.

You can catch Mike at the Improv on May 8 and 9!

Loni Love headlines the Improv May 7-9, and to get you in the mood, we're giving you this fun interview she did with the DC Improv when she visited the club in 2011. We talk about her upbringing in Detroit, her start in the comedy business and a few of her hidden talents.

You can see Loni almost every day on "The Real," and she's one of the co-stars in the No. 1 comedy in America, "Paul Blart 2." Come check her out live!

David Misch (davidmisch.com) is a veteran comedy writer. In his long career, he has worked on a Muppet movie, "Police Squad!", "Mork and Mindy" and lots, lots more. He's also a student of comedy. A few years ago, he published "Funny: The Book," a quick and funny survey of comedy through the ages.

On May 8, Smithsonian Associates is hosting David's chat about the history of comedy. We're gearing up for that event by talking about David's comedy career and some of his thoughts on the nature of humor. A fascinating chat with a fascinating guy!

Comedy nerds, rejoice -- we're talking vaudeville, history, and political humor in this special two-part episode.

Part 2: If you're talking vaudeville, you gotta visit the Library of Congress, home to the Bob Hope Collection. Hope started out on the vaudeville circuit, but he went on to become one of America's most beloved entertainers. We're talking to Daniel Blazek about Hope's career -- and the evolution of political comedy over the course of the 20th century. Check out the "Hope for America" exhibit in the Jefferson Building!

Part 1: Woodrow Wilson House, just a mile from the DC Improv, is the last home that the president lived in. (woodrowwilsonhouse.org) They do a great "vintage game night" once a month, and we got executive director Robert Enholm to tell us about it. And naturally, we also get into Wilson's personal sense of humor and his passion for vaudeville, one of the forerunners of modern stand-up comedy.

Comedy nerds, rejoice -- we're talking vaudeville, history, and political humor in this special two-part episode.

Part 1: Woodrow Wilson House, just a mile from the DC Improv, is the last home that the president lived in. (woodrowwilsonhouse.org) They do a great "vintage game night" once a month, and we got executive director Robert Enholm to tell us about it. And naturally, we also get into Wilson's personal sense of humor and his passion for vaudeville, one of the forerunners of modern stand-up comedy.

Part 2: If you're talking vaudeville, you gotta visit the Library of Congress, home to the Bob Hope Collection. Hope started out on the vaudeville circuit, but he went on to become one of America's most beloved entertainers. We're talking to Daniel Blazek about Hope's career -- and the evolution of political comedy over the course of the 20th century. Check out the "Hope for America" exhibit in the Jefferson Building!

Rory Scovel got his comedy start in Washington, but he belongs to the world now: His bold and creative approach has taken him global. Rory is famous for doing some stunningly inventive things with stand-up, such as performing a whole show in a German accent, bringing audience members on stage to soundtrack his act with a piano, and crowdsurfing while telling a joke.

In town to headline the Improv 4/23 to 4/25, Rory talks to us about the DC scene, how some of his comedy experiments came to be, and the value of an "anything can happen" vibe. A must-listen for comedy fans!

The cartoonists are coming! On Memorial Day weekend, the National Cartoonists Society (reuben.org) descends on Washington. A series of great events for the public culminates with the Reubens -- the Oscars of the cartooning world.

Jason Chatfield (jasonchatfield.org) is the most widely syndicated Australian cartoonist. He's also a stand-up comedian. And he's also also the host of the 2015 Reubens! In town to do some prep work for the big weekend, he came by to talk about his comic strip (Ginger Meggs), the world of cartooning, and how to be creative on demand.

Listen! Learn! Laugh! Love! Some other L word!

Story League is (probably) the only comedic storytelling contest in the universe, and it's coming to the DC Improv on 4/26! Story League founder SM Shrake gives us some history, tells us the keys to storytelling success, and explains why farts are always hilarious. As an added bonus, this episode includes a great sample story from Jeff Simmermon, one of the performers featured in the 4/26 show. 

And as a super-double-plus-good bonus, hypnotist Flip Orley sent along another installment of The Flip Side. Awwwww yeah.

Check out storyleague.org for info on the show and the procedure for submitting your story pitches.