The Slade Ham Experiment

I usually rely on summer blockbusters to get me through. I am an unapologetic nerd for all things comic book or sci-fi. Well, not all of them. I do, however, believe that the MCU is mankind's single largest, most impressive art endeavor.

I walk almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Neighborhoods are weird things. Mine is no exception. Walking today made me realize how all these yappy dogs have really gotten out of their lane. We beat them. We de-wolfed them or whatever we did. Also, how to survive if a dog decides to chase you.

With my flagship podcast dropping to a reduced schedule over the summer and my tour schedule intentionally light while I finish a film project, I am looking for what's next. I will likely bring guests back, but for now enjoy short, bite-sized servings of my life as I figure it out.

In a groundbreaking 1000th episode, the Whiskey Brothers welcome back some old faces and cover some new ground. Robert L. Mungle and Chuck Savage converge on the studio with a bass guitar and a bottle of whiskey to help with the celebration.  Also, we give away a thousand bucks!

Chingo Bling built a successful hip-hop persona, and a sizeable social media following. He's collaborated with artists including Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Fat Pat, and Pitbull, and the success of his YouTube channel led him to the stand up stage, which is where I first met him.

It's important to note that he didn't come to stand up comedy expecting instant success. I watched him start at the same open mics as everyone else until he got his feet firmly underneath him. The difference was, he had already spent an entire career learning skills that he realized applied to stand up. Deciding to do something new doesn't mean you have to start at zero.

This is my conversation with Chingo Bling.

Most of stand up comedy works the road. Comedy clubs, cruise ships, military bases, colleges, and corporate gigs. These are the comics who go where the people are. JR Brow is one of those comedians, and one of my favorites.

Appearances on Comedy Central and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson only solidify the obvious. JR Brow is a rock-solid comedian with the added flair of being able to play the guitar really, really well. If you're looking for a poster child for the American working stand up comedian, this is it.

It is comedy unfettered by celebrity, and in all the good ways. Nobody in these crowds is giving you a pass because of who you are. You must earn every bit of it, and 30 years fishing those treacherous waters can't help but teach you some things.

I would like to see what those things are, but first I pick up with JR Brow as we revisit some of our early adventures together. For more on JR Brow, visit JrBrow.com

Follow Slade Ham:

Twitter: twitter.com/sladeham Instagram: instagram.com/sladeham Facebook: facebook.com/sladeham YouTube: youtube.com/sladeham

In stand up comedy there is a lot of talk about finding your voice. The conventional wisdom says it takes 7-10 years, but that's just to your first voice. Who we are on stage, or as artists in general, changes constantly. I am certainly not any of the previous versions of me anymore.

My guest on this episode has reinvented himself multiple times. Billy D Washington is a stand up comedian, playwright, and musician. He's been a cop, VH-1 VJ, guest on The Late Late Show, and while multiple appearances on BET and Def Comedy Jam seem to make sense, Billy began his career in the white male dominated landscape of the late 80s and early 90s.

Clubs, colleges, cruise ships, corporate shows, Billy D Washington has now found his way into them all, and that only happens when you are self-aware enough to evolve. Listen to Billy's new album, The Washington Posts, out now wherever you get your music. Follow Slade Ham:

Twitter: twitter.com/sladeham Instagram: instagram.com/sladeham Facebook: facebook.com/sladeham YouTube: youtube.com/sladeham

At any given moment there are approximately 100 living bladesmiths as certified by the American Bladesmith Society. My guest on this episode is one of those 100. Jason Knight might be familiar to you if you watched History Channel's Forged in Fire where he served as a judge on multiple seasons.

Recognizing that his heart was in making cool things rather than just being on television, Jason now owns and operates Knight Forge Studio. His custom pieces are highly sought after, as is his tutelage. All the accolades aside, Jason Knight is incredibly down to earth and, as you'll see, he bleeds creativity.

I think you'll instantly see the parallels between bladesmithing and your own endeavors. This is my conversation with ABS Mastersmith Jason Knight.

Michael Duff is multi-talented. As a musician he's released several albums, both as a solo artist and as the front man for bands like the 90's rock outfit, Chalk FarM. He now runs Duffweb, a full-service marketing agency that specializes in creatively marrying effective websites with explosive promotion.

There's a lot to consider when you make the transition from mere artist to functional, professional entity. What's the difference between you and the people who are living the life you're trying to? My guess is that they all have addressed the things we'll get to in this episode.

Sure, we talk among ourselves about how, "You gotta take yourself seriously, or how, "We're businesses." But what does any of that mean? I'll talk to Duff about some of the practical things we can do to start treating ourselves as the proper businesses we should be, as well as strategies for building and maintaining our audience.

For more on Michael Duff, as well as answers to all of your questions about web design and marketing, visit www.DuffWeb.com

Follow Slade Ham:

Twitter: twitter.com/sladeham Instagram: instagram.com/sladeham Facebook: facebook.com/sladeham YouTube: youtube.com/sladeham