The Play Typer Guy

Did you hear my awesome chat with writer/director David Avallone? If not, go listen to episode 9 and then come back. It was so great that we kept talking and today are sharing the rest of this interview. We dive deep into some of the issues we are facing today.

You will hear:

• Could Blazing Saddles and similar films be made today?
• The power/danger of likability in politics
• Is the Republican party separating themselves into good people and monsters?
• And more!

More about David: 

David Avallone is a freelancer from a long line of freelancers, born to a pulp fiction writer (Michael Avallone) and women’s rights activist (Frances Avallone).

Since graduating from Bard College in 1987, David has been involved mostly in independent film production (as a writer, editor, director, producer, actor, etc.), but in 2014 he branched out into comic book writing, mostly with Dynamite Comics. With them, he’s written LEGENDERRY: VAMPIRELLA, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE: RING OF FIRE, BETTIE PAGE and ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK.  For American Mythology, he’s written ZORRO: SWORDS OF BLOOD, and for Kevin Eastman Studios he’s writing DRAWING BLOOD and THE RADICALLY REARRANGED RONIN RAGDOLLS.

He lives in Hollywood, California with his delightful wife Augusta aka filmmaker, costumer and burlesque icon Penny Starr, Jr. and three cats who may or may not be secretly radically rearranged. 

Connect with David:
David’s Website: https://www.davidavallonefreelance.com/Home.html

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Let’s talk comedy!! My guest today is writer/director David Avallone, who’s currently writing some very funny comics featuring Elvira, Mistress of the Dark! We discuss the wonderful Cassandra Peterson, classic comedy, and scoff at the losers who claim “wokeness” would’ve cancelled “Blazing Saddles.” And what about that new Disney live-action "Little Mermaid"?

You will also hear:

• Finding the funny in serious films
• Working with with what you know
• Finding ties between comedy and real life issues
• And more!

We had so much fun, in fact, that this is Part One of our two-part discussion.

More about David:

David Avallone is a freelancer from a long line of freelancers, born to a pulp fiction writer (Michael Avallone) and women’s rights activist (Frances Avallone).

Since graduating from Bard College in 1987, David has been involved mostly in independent film production (as a writer, editor, director, producer, actor, etc.), but in 2014 he branched out into comic book writing, mostly with Dynamite Comics. With them, he’s written LEGENDERRY: VAMPIRELLA, TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE: RING OF FIRE, BETTIE PAGE and ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK.  For American Mythology, he’s written ZORRO: SWORDS OF BLOOD, and for Kevin Eastman Studios he’s writing DRAWING BLOOD and THE RADICALLY REARRANGED RONIN RAGDOLLS.

He lives in Hollywood, California with his delightful wife Augusta aka filmmaker, costumer and burlesque icon Penny Starr, Jr. and three cats who may or may not be secretly radically rearranged. 

Connect with David:

David’s Website: https://www.davidavallonefreelance.com/Home.html

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

On this week’s episode, Rita Harris, State Representative from Florida talks with me about the absurd laws being pushed through in the state and where the focus should really be. Rita also talks about the Florida she wants to see.

You’ll hear:

• How dangerous politically Ron DeSantis has become over the past few years
• The importance of accessible abortions, better sex education in schools, and available birth control options
• The recent gun law which drops the requirement for training on that weapon and having a permit
• And more!

More about Rita: 

Rita Harris is the State Representative for Florida House District 44. In addition to being a public servant, she is a mother, an advocate, an activist, and a twenty-year resident of her community. Rita started activism at Planned Parenthood when she was in high school. As a theater kid, she worked with other teens to develop skits to perform at high schools that dealt with everything from safe sex to drunk driving.

​

Her journey back into activism started in 2017. Rita’s daughter had just started college, so she was deciding what I wanted to do in my next chapter in life - she could go back to school or back to work, but Trump had just been elected, and the threat to our values and way of life was very real. As a wife to a Black man and mother to a biracial Black child, she was horrified by the blatant racism, and feared for their safety, so Rita rolled up her sleeves and got to work with the goal of electing as many Democrats as possible in 2018. She became the events chair for the Orange County Democrats and founded the Democratic Women's Club of South Orange County. Eventually, sheI was elected the Vice-Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party. 

In August of 2022, Rita was elected to office for the first time. She is grateful to serve the great people of District 44 and can't wait to go back to Tallahassee to continue to serve with dedication and hard work. As one of the few people of Jewish descent in the Florida House of Representatives Rita knows that Representation matters. As someone who has struggled with money, she knows what it's like to be unable to afford childcare or pay for medication one week at a time because of the extreme costs of prescription drugs.. 

This district includes Universal, International Drive, Seaworld, and the Orlando airport. COVID has exposed cracks in our system - the people that work at these economic engines should be able to afford to live here, have access to affordable housing, and earn fair wages with benefits and paid time off.

Connect with Rita:

Connect with Rep. Harris: https://twitter.com/RitaForFlorida/media

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

This week, Stephen discusses immigration and the unfortunate right-wing exploitation of a humanitarian crisis with attorney Lily Axelrod, founder of Axelrod Immigration Law in Memphis, Tennessee. Lily shares with us a media-worthy case that she worked on and other issues surrounding ICE and their practices in this country.

You’ll hear:

• Regulations around seeking asylum in the U.S. and abroad
• The uptick in politicization of immigration in the U.S. 
• What will change perspectives on our current immigration policies
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Lily S. Axelrod is a Spanish-speaking immigration attorney whose practice focuses on family-based and humanitarian cases, including deportation defense, waivers for individuals with histories of arrest or immigration complications, and federal litigation challenging unreasonable delays and unfair interpretation of immigration law.

Before founding Axelrod Immigration Law, Ms. Axelrod worked at Siskind Susser, one of North America’s leading immigration law firms. There, she had the honor to learn from some of the country’s brightest and most dedicated attorneys, and received national recognition among her peers for teaching complex and nuanced topics. After years of cheering on many of her own clients starting small businesses, Ms. Axelrod gained the confidence and inspiration to do the same. She founded Axelrod Immigration Law in December of 2022. 

Ms. Axelrod previously worked at the intersection of immigration law and criminal defense at Masferrer & Associates in Boston, Massachusetts.   She represented clients accused of felonies and misdemeanors before local, state, and federal courts, including appeals and post-conviction relief such as motions for new trial. She also defended clients in removal proceedings before the Boston Immigration Court, focusing on finding creative strategies for clients with criminal records.

Links:  

Lily’s Website: https://www.axelrodlaw.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Join us for a fun discussion with Oregon author Ruby McConnell, an outdoor enthusiast and explorer. After finding the world of geology to be a very male-dominated field, Ruby set out to show what she could do and also led her to write a book for women teaching them the skills they needed to get outside and explore the natural world.

You will hear:

• How Ruby became interested in geology and exploring the world outside
• How Ruby positioned her book to be different from all of the male-oriented books in the genre
• The pandemic and how it changed people’s relationship with nature
• The history and politics behind Oregon’s contributions to the USA
• And more!

More about Ruby:  

Ruby McConnell is a writer, geologist, and adventuress whose work focuses on nature, the environment, and the relationship between landscape and the human experience. Her experiences as a researcher, activist, and explorer in the wildlands of the western United States led her to writeA Woman’s Guide to the Wild- the definitive outdoor guide for anyone who identifies as, or loves, women (or just wants to learn how to read a map).

Ruby believes that positive outdoor experiences are the key to healthy living and protecting the environment and is committed to breaking down barriers that prevent all kinds of people from being outside. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Grain Literary Journal, Oregon Humanities Magazine, and Mother Earth News and was awarded an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship in 2016. She is almost always in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, but you can find her online  @RubyGoneWild.

Links:  

Ruby’s Website: https://www.rubymcconnell.com/

Ruby’s Writing: https://www.rubymcconnell.com/writing

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

What accountability should elected officials have to the constituents who voted them into office? Today I am chatting with Sacha Haworth, Executive Director of The Tech Oversight Project, about her work previously for and now against Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) and how that switch came to pass.

You’ll also hear:

• The truth about Sinema’s political party stance and shift after being elected as a Democratic senator in Arizona
• Sinema’s claiming credit for things she didn’t do (drought prevention legislation put forward by other senators)
• What happens when you burn all possible bridges politically
• The Tech Oversight Project and what it stands for
• And more!

More About Sacha:
Sacha Haward, Executive Director of The Tech Oversight Project, is a veteran of political campaigns all over the country and has worked at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Majority PAC, and on Capitol Hill. During the 2020 presidential election, Sacha ran the paid media program for American Bridge 21st Century, which used targeted television, radio, digital, and mail to persuade former Trump voters in rural areas. Sacha received her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy in 2016.

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Do you believe that revenge is a dish best served cold or something to be handled right away? This week we are looking at Chris Rock’s comedy special Selective Outrage with Baltimore Banner columnist and author Leslie Gray Streeter and how he responded to the slap seen around the world. We discuss Rock’s year-long response and our feelings on how it played out in the special. 

You’ll hear:

• How Chris Rock’s retelling of the event focused more on Jada Pinkett Smith and her treatment of Will Smith and left out the lead up to the slap
• The nuance in language used in the special
• The relationship black women have with their hair (and how Chris should have known better)
• Chris’ treatment of black women, both in the special and throughout his career
• And more!!

More about Leslie:
Born in hood-adjacent Baltimore City, Leslie Gray Streeter is a University of Maryland College Park graduate, a veteran journalist and someone always looking for new ways to tell stories, both her own and those in her communities. She also really likes vegan cheese, because she's now a vegan and can’t eat real cheese anymore. But she’s mostly cool with it.

Leslie has done a lot of cool media situations, mostly from some bedroom or other, since “Black Widow” came out. It’s not the tour she chose, or even the world she thought she or anyone else were living in, but this book has found people in their lowest moment and helped them feel they were a little less alone.

Connect with Leslie: 

Leslie’s Book Black Widow: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Widow-Sad-Funny-Journey-Normally/dp/0316490717

Leslie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesliegraystreeter/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

This week’s episode features the amazing Lisa Timmons, who in addition to her roles as an actress, writer, and content creator, has also taken to social media with her social-political commentary satirizing some of the more ridiculous people on the planet. Lisa takes on people like Gwyneth Paltrow eating the poor and Kate Middleton wondering how you raise a child who isn’t ordained by God to rule in her hilarious voiceover skits.

In this episode you will hear:

• The danger of the “California Democrat”
• Are the Hollywood Elite taking over?
• Dismantling White Feminism and other forms of privilege
• Melrose Mania!!
• And more!

More about Lisa:

Lisa Timmons is a writer and content creator with over 20+ years of experience working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Her diverse career choices have earned her skills in TV production, indie film production, sketch comedy, improv comedy, as well as digital media production, including podcasting and social media content creation. Lisa’s passion is to communicate, entertain, and educate through the ever-expanding channels of media.

Connect with Lisa:
Lisa’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/timmonslisa
Lisa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timmonslisa
Lisa’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/timmonslisa

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

This week, I am happy to have Kaitlin Byrd, freelance writer, political commentator, and columnist for DAME Magazine, on the show to talk about an article written by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The article has some wild takes on democracy and what the state’s leadership should and shouldn’t be able to do. We see a tendency for “blue” states to want to dismiss “red” states completely as if people living there are not voting against and being actively harmed by what’s going on with the party in power.

In this episode you will hear:

• How the Republican party made a resurgence in Florida
• The historical significance of how marginalized groups have been treated in the state
• Why we cannot write off these states and still continue to move forward (a raging fire left unattended will spread!)
• And more! 

More about Kaitlin:
Kaitlin Byrd is currently a monthly columnist for DAME Magazine and has written more than three dozen pieces about American events and politics for outlets such as the Huffington Post, The Cut, NBC Think, Bustle, and the Boston Globe. She appears weekly on the news and culture podcast, Betches Sup, run by the Betches Media group. Most active on Twitter, Kaitlin shares thoughts with more than 37,000 followers on national politics, culture, tactics, and policy — with a unique edge and unfiltered perspective. With a particular focus on white supremacy, Black feminism, American history, and where politics and policy intersect with all of the above, she has a singular take on what’s happening and what’s next for the country.

Connect with Kaitlin:
Kaitlin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gothamgirlblue

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Play Typer Guy podcast! My first guest is Billy Corriher, an author and journalist focused on North Carolina judicial selection, voting rights, and the courts. Billy is talking to us about two major voting rights cases that have recently come back before the courts after going through the North Carolina Supreme Court with the influx of the new Republican majority.

In this episode you will hear:

• The history of gerrymandering and voter suppression laws in the state of North Carolina
• Information from Billy’s book, Usurpers: How voters stopped the GOP takeover of North Carolina courts
• The challenges of having partisan courts rather than impartial courts
• And more!

More info about Billy: 

Billy Corriher is a contributing writer for Facing South whose work focuses on judicial selection, voting rights, and the courts in North Carolina. He has also written about these issues for ThinkProgress, The Hill, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and the News and Observer. He has been interviewed by NPR’s "Fresh Air" and other media outlets. His book is titled, "Usurpers: How voters stopped the GOP takeover of North Carolina courts." Before attending law school, he was a reporter for the Clayton News-Daily in Georgia. Billy received his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as a law degree and master's in business administration from Georgia State University.

Connect with Billy: 

Billy’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Usurpers-Voters-Stopped-Takeover-Carolinas-ebook/dp/B09523QWMN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5FXV9V2HDKU4&keywords=usurpers%3A+north+carolina&qid=1678134163&sprefix=usurpers+north+carolina%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1

Billy’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/billycorriher


Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: [email protected]

Join  the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson