Two Guys on Block Island

Something funny's going on in this episode. Like...REALLY funny! 

And that's thanks to island funnyman Ben Smith who has dedicated his life to what is perhaps the most challenging form of performance based art known to man- stand up comedy. When it's just you and a microphone in front of an audience all manner of things can happen. In this episode Ben shares with us some of his stories about the ups and downs of trying to make people laugh for a living. Spoiler alert- it ain't as easy as it sounds.

We also talk to Ben about his early life growing up on Block Island. Ben graduated from the Block Island School so he knows a thing or two about living year-round here. And that's provided him with plenty of material for his act. We also find out that sometimes certain jokes about the island (when told to an audience made up of islanders) run the risk of falling flat at best and raising some hackles at worst!

But mostly- we discover that Ben is an intelligent, thoughtful, driven individual who is above and beyond all else...funny.

In this episode Rich conducts an interview with Block Island's most notorious Rock and Roll outfit, The Booze Beggars.

This time around Marc finds himself on the other side of the mic along with his bandmates Steve "Lightnin'" Lighty, John Whitaker, Dominic Nardini and Peter Voskamp. And there's no shortage of stories here although some of the facts get...hazy...to say the least.

Find out how this rag tag bunch of musicians organically coalesced to form a musical outfit that held the "house band" position at Captain Nick's for the better part of a decade. During that time The Beggars' show evolved from a bare bones setlist to a well lubricated spectacle full of inside jokes, shenanigans and monster riffs.

We get to know each Beggar individually- their origin stories, influences and more all on full display. We also come to understand how Block Island's most enigmatic and sought after group of musicians developed their over three hour long set despite never having had one rehearsal. 

At first glance Scott Comings might appear just another earthy-crunchy, tree hugging hippie. And while Scott may not entirely disagree with this assessment his conversation with Rich and Marc reveals a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of our avian inhabitants.

Basically, there's nothing that Scott doesn't know about birds. In our chat we find out that Scott's love for fine feathered friends began as an obsession at a very early age. With Block Island already known for being a bird watcher's paradise, Scott explains exactly why the island serves as a migratory rest stop and when and where to look for a number of rarely seen raptors.

We also talk to Scott about his involvement with the Nature Conservatory, the great strides that Block Island has made in preserving the natural habitat and some of the challenges the island faces in it's quest to hold on to the title of "One of the last great places".

Rich and Marc are rarely the two smartest guys in any given room. This has never been more the case than when Chris Warfel stopped by to chat. 

In our interview with Mr. Warfel we discover what it takes to operate and maintain Sun Farm Oysters, Chris's oyster farm located on a secluded inlet off the Great Salt Pond. Turns out that the area is the perfect spot to raise some of the most delicious bivalves in New England. It's a labor of love with an emphasis on the word, "labor".

Rich and Marc also talk to Chris about his time as a member of the Town Council. While sitting on the council Chris found himself at the center of a number of pressing island issues. He shares his thoughts about some of the challenges Block Island faces as we march boldly into an unknown future. 

Cam Greenlee's grandparents came to Block Island many years ago and purchased a home on Cormorant Cove. The house served as the backdrop to Cam's first memories of an idyllic Block Island childhood. Cam's family shuttled back and forth from their home in City Island, NY to Block Island every summer. We talk with Cam about his family life and early years on Block Island and learn much about this chill dude.

Cam has since gone on to become an accomplished Reggae and Jazz musician and toured the world with groundbreaking Reggae act, "The Skatelites". Life as a musician on the road may sound glamorous but it's not the easiest or most stable life as we find out.

But Block Island has always offered Cam a sense of stability and he returns the favor with gratitude and action. As the creator and curator of Conserfest, Cam has combined his love of music and Block Island into one entity with a singular purpose. The conservation of open space on Block Island is one of the things that makes it a special place. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Cam. It's pretty irie. 

Blake Filippi grew up with his two brothers at Ballard's. His father Paul Filippi Sr. purchased the infamous beach bar after spending a week camping on the beach in a tent. Before that Blake's Dad had opened the first desegregated night club in Providence where Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and other greats performed.

Blake's early days on the island were filled with the usual shenanigans a young person gets into. But after graduating high school Blake went on to college then law school. He passed the Bar and continues to work as a lawyer.

But Blake also felt the pull towards the world of politics and won a seat as a State Representative. Currently, Blake is the House Minority Leader. We talk with Blake about politics on both the National level and here in Rhode Island. It's an interesting conversation with a guy who has an important job. But it's also a conversation with...well...just a guy. A guy you could run into at a bar and strike up a conversation with. And we found Blake to be a fantastic conversationalist. Hope you enjoy our chat as much as we did.

In the second part of our interview with Lisa Starr we FINALLY get around to discussing poetry with the former Poet Laureate of Rhode Island. We all know Lisa can talk but it's her prowess with the written word that has garnered her the most attention.

Don't get me wrong, we talk about a lot of other stuff too. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!