Victoria Rocha! Story-teller! Writer! Friend! Delight! More! You can find her first-ever published creative non-fiction work, "Michael is Gone" in the online journal, Untenured, listen to her perform on the storytelling show Risk!, and hear her read from her childhood diaries on episodes 102 and 204 of Mortified.   Here is the op-ed she references on the show. And here is a message from Victoria that I read in the show's intro and also think it bears repeating, so I'm including it here as well:  "Please remember that people with disabilities are people first with desires for love, acceptance, education, jobs, true friendships, and opportunities. They are not angels or exist on this Earth for your inspiration; instead support them in their inspirations and aspirations. A good starting point is Best Buddies International, a nonprofit focused on creating lasting one-to-one friendships between people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and neurotypical individuals, in addition to getting people with IDD into integrated employment and leadership opportunities (bestbuddies.org)."   We have a really meaningful, enjoyable chat! I hope you enjoy!  AND THAT'S NOT ALL! This is only part ONE. For part TWO of our chat, click here for Patreon! Thanks for being here and doing all that you're doing!

289: Victoria Rocha and Michael Is Gone

Comedian and human Myq Kaplan (pronounced Mike Kaplan) has conversations with friends about the work of their lives (as represented by broccoli) and the joys of their lives (as represented by ice cream). Everyone has the best time and learns a lot forever. Enjoy!

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Allison Raskin! Writer! Comedian! Emotional Support Lady! Friend! Delight! More! Allison has a wonderful newsletter at Substack called Emotional Support Lady and a podcast everywhere called Just Between Us.  She's funny and smart and kind and great in lots of ways and you can hear it all here!   Or at least, you can hear HALF of it here. For the second half of our conversation, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR head on over here to Patreon!

332: Allison Raskin and Emotional Support Lady

Ahmed Al-kadri! Comedian! Friend! Guy with a new special called "Special Not Special"! Delight! Here are some words straight from Ahmed's press release:  Yemeni-American comedian, Ahmed Al-kadri is poised to release his first comedy special, Special Not Special on February 24th via YouTube. As a Yemeni-American navigating the cultural maze of an immigrant household in Dallas, Texas, Ahmed brings his striking goofy charm to tales that span the spectrum of life's absurdities from taking mushrooms at a Lizzo concert and playing Taboo with his brothers to the comedic nuances of dual cultural identities. The hour offers the telling of uproarious misadventures involving drug-dealing escapades, dating mishaps, and a slew of other silly situations as Ahmed turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.    In his own words the special “really just answers the question “who is Ahmed Al-kadri.” But Special Not Special is more than just laughs; it's a rollercoaster ride through the complexities of growing up Yemeni-American, where every moment, whether it's special or not, is infused with Ahmed's unique brand of humor and cultural identity. Said Al-kadri:   “The motivation behind this special stems from a desire to bridge cultural gaps through laughter. Comedy has a remarkable ability to transcend boundaries and connect people on a human level. Writing this material involved mining my own life for humorous anecdotes, embracing vulnerability, and finding the universal truths in the specifics of my experiences.”    Ahmed Al-kadri is a Yemeni-American comedian based in LA. As a young child in Dallas, Ahmed dreamed of being an accountant, but his immigrant parents forced him to be a comedian instead. Ahmed started developing his comedy skills early, doing impressions of his mom’s Turkish soap operas and Mr. Bean, as well as spot-on imitations of his sister and brothers.  Ahmed’s father was an extrovert who loved to help people. Ahmed credits this as one of the reasons he relates so well to everyone- his house was always full of visitors who his parents were hosting; often offering a place to sleep if it was needed. Consequently, Ahmed was one of those kids who was friends with everybody, memorizing one-liners from his dad and trying them out on the kids at school the next day. Between go-kart races and soccer with his five siblings, Ahmed had a classic American childhood, playing “ding-dong ditch” and throwing Taco Bell sauce packets at cars.    He started his career in 2016 taking an improv class at Dallas Comedy House and has been hooked ever since. He has performed in numerous improv, sketch, and stand up comedy shows at his old stomping grounds. With his improv troupe, Sunglow, he headlined Dallas Comedy House on weekends and traveled across the country performing in various comedy festivals before moving to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue a career in Stand Up. Over the last year, Ahmed has gained a following on TikTok and Instagram with some of his most notable work such as "Roommates with Anxiety" , "F-Boi Rehab", or "Arab at an Indian Wedding" ; his was content featured on Buzzfeed and DankMemes. You may recognize him on Fox's Love Connection or “Liam” from the series “David Diamondhands.”   Special Not Special is now available on YouTube for free.    And THAT'S what it is! Myq here again, letting you know that this is only the first HALF of our conversation. For the second bonus half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or click on over here to Patreon! Thanks so much all!

331: Ahmed Al-kadri and A Special Not Special

Ellie Hino! Comedian! Podcaster! Friend! Delight! More! Ellie is a super funny nice comedian person! She has a new album out today called Soft Bones! Get it! Stream it! Listen to it! Share it! About Ellie:​ Ellie Hino is a Minneapolis-based stand-up comic with a heart of gold. She appeared in the 2019 and 2021 Limestone Comedy Festivals, Boston’s Women in Comedy festival, and was featured in “best of the fest” at 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival. Recently, she’s opened for Maria Bamford, Atsuko Okatsuka, Dana Gould and Bobcat Goldthwait. On Thursday nights she co-hosts Darlings with Ben Katzner, a weekly showcase of local and national stand-up comics at Zhora Darling in Minneapolis.   About Soft Bones: Blonde Medicine is excited to announce the upcoming debut comedy album from Ellie Hino, Soft Bones, out April 5th (TODAY!), available everywhere comedy is streamed and sold.  After dabbling in stand-up in her early twenties, she became a member of the main cast at the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theater in Minneapolis. She returned to stand-up when she was pregnant, and is back with a new sense of urgency to follow her comedy dreams. “I was lucky enough to open for Maria Bamford at a big theater show in Minneapolis and she told me it was time to record an album. ‘Poop it out! Just poop it out!’’, she said. So I did!” says Ellie Hino. Soft Bones is a compilation of stories about being an ADHD mom, a weird wife, and a regular human woman.  About this episode of this podcast that this is all describing: This is only the first HALF of my chat with Ellie! For the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR click on over here to Patreon!      ​

330: Ellie Hino and Soft Bones

Danielle Thralow! Comedian! Entrepeneur! Delight! More! Danielle is super funny and kind and has led an incredible life (and is still living it!) and I'm excited we got to talk about all that we did!  Here's a fun nugget from her website:  "In 2013, she sold internet.org to Mark Zuckerberg. Eventually, Danielle sold the assets of those companies she founded. She then turned to performing stand-up comedy, investing in and mentoring other CEOs." We have a real fun chat! You can have a real fun listen!  And this is only the first HALF of our chat! For the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or head on over here to Patreon!  Love!

329: Danielle Thralow and Peepers Dot Com

Chris Martin! Comedian! Friend! Guy with a new album out called "Above Ground Comedian" right now! Delight! And more!  We have a great chat! You can have a great listen! And this is only the first HALF of our conversation. For the second half, subscribe via Apple Podcasts OR click on over here to Patreon!  ABOUT CHRIS MARTIN: “One of the UK’s best young observationalists” according to The Guardian, Martin’s Edinburgh Comedy Festival shows have repeatedly sold out with dates added. His personal, anecdotal comedy has earned him numerous invitations to the New Zealand and Melbourne Comedy Festivals. His international touring continues to yield a diverse, unique, and growing collection of stories Martin loves to share with audiences around the world.  Chris Martin has toured in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. His TV credits include The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS), I Think You Should Leave (Netflix), Live at The Comedy Store (Comedy Central), Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, and ITVs Horrible Science. His first original podcast (The Carl & Chris Comedy Podcast) was invited to be part of Bill Burr’s podcast network All Things Comedy. Now living in Los Angeles, Martin was recently a writer on the The Late Late Show with James Corden as well as XO KITTY on NETFLIX.  AND FROM THE PRESS RELEASE ABOUT HIS NEW ALBUM: Blonde Medicine and Chris Martin are pleased to announce the Friday, February 23, 2024 release of Martin’s sophomore full-length comedy album Above Ground Comedian, available everywhere streaming audio is enjoyed.  It has been just about two years since the release of his debut album All Over the Place, and since then the U.K.-bred Martin has been observing and cataloging hilarious stories about the shortcomings of veganism, surviving marriage and long trips to Vegas, and living in Los Angeles as a Brit: “I have a small dog and I’m vegan so I’ve really assimilated to the culture. I just need some Botox to complete my hat trick of the ‘most-LA’ stereotypes”. Martin deftly mines his cultural assimilation, how his parents inform his own recent foray into parenthood, and of course….his dog’s butt. A stand-up veteran of nearly two decades, Martin was mesmerized as a teen by Eddie Murphy’s Raw.  “I wanted to be able to do that. I wish I could pull off the shiny purple tight-outfit but sadly my legs are too skinny to make it work.” Martin leaned on these years of experience when, the night before recording Above Ground Comedian, he performed a warm-up show in Baltimore that he purports to be his worst show in ten years. A late-show at a venue that never does late-shows, a blind-drunk audience… “When I was newer as a comic I would have been annoyed, but the gig was so unplayable I just started laughing on stage at how bad it was. I knew at the very least my album recording would be better than that!” We’re happy to report that the taping was fabulous, and the proof is Above Ground Comedian!

289: Victoria Rocha and Michael Is Gone

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