The Stand-Up Chronicles

Tommy Johnagin and Alex Stone join me on the show this week.  Tommy finished second on the most recent season of Last Comic Standing.  You've seen him on Conan, Letterman, and Comedy Central.  Alex has been named "Funniest Person in Cincinnati" and "Funniest Person in Columbus".  He's got his own web series called "The I'm So Bored Show".  This week we discuss Tommy's time on TV, how Bob Saget may have saved his life, and the comedy scene in Ohio.

Here's more on Tommy:

Tommy is an autobiographical story telling comedian who is a favorite at comedy clubs all across the country. In 2007 Tommy was invited to the prestigious “Just For Laughs” comedy festival in Montreal, Canada where he was the highest reviewed “New Face.” He has also appeared at Comedy Central’s “South Beach Comedy Festival”

TV credits include: Four appearances on “The Late Show” with David Letterman. His own half-hour special on Comedy Central, Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and, “John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show”. In 2010 he finished 2nd on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He’s also appeared on CMT’s “Comedy Stage” and TBS’s “Very Funny Stand Up Show”

He has also been a guest numerous times on the nationally syndicated radio programs “The Bob and Tom Show” and the “The Ron and Fez Show”.

www.tommyjcomedy.com

Here's more on Alex:

Beneath the ever-present diamond top hat of comedian Alex Stone is a mind constantly in motion. His hard work and determination have led him from his early days as an absurdist joke writer to his current role as one of the most impressive young storytellers in comedy. In addition to the deeply personal material that has become the cornerstone of his act, Alex has written jokes for nationally touring comedians and recently created a successful web series called “The I’m So Bored Show.” His prolific nature and originality have earned him the attention of respected veterans like Drew Hastings, who invited Alex to open for him on his “Irked and Miffed” theatre tour, as well as the management of Rooftop Comedy, who named him one of their featured comedians. Alex’s other accolades include having been named “Funniest Person in Cincinnati” and “Funniest Person in Columbus.” His flourishing sketch comedy career began with his work as one of the original cast members of Underbelly, which Cincinnati Magazine declared the “Best Comedy Show of 2009.” He works as both a writer and performer on the show. As he persists to mine everyday life for big laughs, Alex Stone will no doubt continue to wear many hats.

alexstonecomedy.com

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Nick Griffin and Jeff Bodart join me on the show this week.  Nick has been on Comedy Central, Conan, Letterman, and Craig Ferguson. Jeff has been heard on Bob and Tom and has a new podcast called Sticky Candy.  We talk about the Comedy Cellar, quitting comedy, and his recent appearance on Craig Ferguson.

Here's more on Nick:

Look.

Nick Griffin has been doing stand up for a long time. He's really good at it. You want proof?

He has appeared on the The Late Show with David Letterman seven times, as well as Conan O'Brien and the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

He also had his own half hour special on Comedy Central.

Nick has been invited to the Industry's most prestigious festivals, including the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, The HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas and the Cat Laughs Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland.

He currently lives in New York City and when not headlining a club or theater can be found in his bedroom napping.

nickgriffin.net

Here's more on Jeff:

Since starting stand up in 2001, Jeff Bodart has been making a name for himself performing in comedy clubs across the country. He has appeared multiple times on the nationally syndicated radio show, The Bob & Tom Show.  You may have seen Jeff on the Comcast Cable network as well as The WB.

Jeff's style is so relatable you will feel you know him. Being the youngest in his family has prepared him for a life of comedy. His animated and goofy demeanor combined with edgy quips covering his dating life, working out, his favorite food of cheese sticks, and the fact that he could never be on "Survivor" makes for some great laughs for anyone watching his show.

Jeff has been fortunate to be able to bring is comedy stylings to the comedy festivals: The World Series of Comedy, Laugh Your Asheville Off and was also invited to perform at the Cape Fear Comedy Festival.

Jeff has worked with a lot of the top comedians in the country such as; Greg Behrendt, Ron White, Bobcat Goldthwait, Harland Williams, Tommy Chong and Caroline Rhea. Be prepared to love and become a fan of Jeff's once you have experienced the fun.

www.jeffbodart.com

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Nick Vatterott is my guest this week.  Nick has appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan.  We'll talk about his recent appearance on Conan and his time at Second City in Chicago.

Here's more on Nick:

In 2010 Nick Vatterott performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and The Hollywood  Reporter named Nick one of the "break-outs" of the New Faces showcase at Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. Nick has performed all over the world, from Caroline's in NYC's Times Square to Old City Comedy Club in Istanbul's Taksim Square. He has toured with Chicago's storied Second City comedy theater and his sketch group 'Heavyweight' has performed at Second City's Unhinged and the Toronto Just for Laughs Festival. Vatterott's portrayal of "Don" in The Annoyance Theater's production of the necrophiliac musical "Love is Dead" earned him an After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance in a Play. The Chicago/LA/NYC run of his one man show NO OUTLET received AMAZING reviews. His jokes have been published in Time Out Chicago, Time Out New York, Dig This, and Reader's Digest. And before heading off to NYC in 2008, Chicago Magazine listed Nick "The Funniest Man in Chicago".

Visit Nick's website - http://www.oodlesofpun.com/

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Geoff Tate and Drift Roberts are my guests this week.  Geoff has been seen on Live at Gotham and heard on Doug Loves Movies.  We discuss YouTube, the NBA, and the Walking Dead.  Drift Roberts joins me to recap his Walking for Smile Train.

Here's more on Geoff:

Geoff fell in love with comedy at a young age and knew early on that stand up was what he wanted to pursue. As most of his peers headed off to college, Geoff took to the stage and took his lumps as he refined his observational and sometimes self deprecating humor. Based in Cincinnati, he tours the country performing at clubs and colleges. He has appeared on the nationally syndicated morning radio program The Bob and Tom Show and can currently be seen on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.” In addition to performing he has also enjoys success as a free lance joke writer. Geoff Tate is living his dream of sleeping late, eating sandwiches and watching TV by day and performing stand up comedy by night.

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Caroline Rhea is my guest on the show this week.  We discuss her recent appearances on the Green Room with Paul Provenza and the final episode of Live with Regis and Kelly.  We also talk about her upcoming projects, over analyzing comedy, and the Edinburgh Festival.

Here's more on Caroline:

Caroline Rhea, stand-up comedian and actress, brings a fresh, smart and spontaneous approach to all of her work.

In 1989, Caroline ventured to New York to start her career in stand-up comedy. She studied in the stand-up program at the New School of Social Research and trained at the comedy club, Catch a Rising Star. With nightly gigs at New York's venerable clubs, Caroline's status quickly grew and she became an integral part of the city's comedy scene. Her career was further boosted by numerous appearances on "MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour," "Comic Strip Live" and "Caroline's Comedy Hour." For the last seventeen years, Caroline has continued to perform to sold-out audiences in top comedy clubs all over the country and in Canada.

Her feature credits include, "The Perfect Man," with Heather Locklear, a supporting role in "Man on the Moon," the story of the late comedian Andy Kaufman, co-starring Jim Carrey, "Christmas With the Kranks," opposite Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, and the wrestling film, "Ready to Rumble," opposite Oliver Platt, David Arquette and Scott Caan. Caroline's television career has taken off since she first starred as Aunt Hilda on The WB's sitcom "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch." She will next be seen in Lifetime's made for television movie "Fat Like Me," airing on January 8th, 2007. She was last seen in a one hour stand up special, part of Bravo's "Funny Girls," entitled "Rhea's Anatomy," which aired on Halloween 2006. Other credits include; host of "The Caroline Rhea Show," regular guest on Whoopi Goldberg's "Hollywood Squares," Drew's girlfriend on "The Drew Carey Show," the made for television movie "Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire," "Pride and Joy" on NBC, Host of NBC's "The Biggest Loser", Comedy Central's "Pulp Comic," "Comic Relief 8" and "HBO's One Night Stand 2005." She also appeared in the pilot of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," written by Larry David.

A Montreal native, Caroline currently resides in New York and Los Angeles.

Check out her website: www.carolinerhea.com

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Kansas comic Brad Ellis is my guest this week. We talk about his time as a police officer, what led him to be a comic, and the difference between Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

Here's more on Brad:

Lawrence, Kansas native Brad Ellis has been making a name for himself as one of the hottest new comics in the Midwest.  His background as a U.S. Marine and former law enforcement officer creates a solid foundation for his professionalism.  Years of work experiences continue to shape his unique view on daily situations, while also being a major influence in his on and off stage charisma.

Brad, is a prominent feature on the Kansas City scene, and works regularly at both Stanford & Sons Comedy Club and the Improv circuit.  He is a reguler feature at Stanford's Comedy Club as well as hosts their open mic night every tuesday.  Brad has also done shows for colleges like the University of Kansas, Northwest University and more.  He has shared the stage with nationally touring comics like Doug Stanhope, Jon Reep,  Michael Mack, Dante, Sean Kent, Robert Kelly, Karen Rontowski, Iliza Schlesinger, Mike Lukas, Brian Dunkleman, John Heffron, Steve Kramer, Susana Lee, and Steve Byrn.  Recently, he was hand picked to perform for the high profile 2011 Hyatt Regency New Year's Eve Bash with J Chris Newberg.  Brad's constant schedule has earned him the title "Hardest Working Comic in Kansas City" from many of his peers.

Check out Brad's website - http://www.bradelliscomedy.com/

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My guest was a full-time comic for 13 years before settling down with a family and day job.  He still hits the road from time to time and he was at the Jukebox this past Wednesday.  We discuss his nickname, touring with Weird Al, and getting his start in Madison, Wisconsin.

Here's more information on Chris:

CHRIS "Boom Boom" JOHNSON is one of the most energetic comics performing in the college market today. His fast paced delivery and improvisational skills has made him a favorite at College & Universities throughout the country. Crazy childhood stories and hilarious college experiences retold by CHRIS, makes every college student feel right at home. CHRIS may be the only comic working today that was almost killed by an ostrich, that's right, an ostrich... (Ask him!) If you're looking for someone the college students can relate to... look no further... CHRIS "Boom Boom" JOHNSON is the comic for your next event!

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St. Louis comics Greg Warren and Matt Conty are my guests this week.  Greg has been on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central Presents and has a new CD called One Star People.   Matt has a new blog about fatherhood which can be found at www.wtfatherhood.com.  We discuss sports talk radio and Greg's video One Star People.

Here's more on Greg:

Greg Warren, most recently seen on "Comedy Central Presents", "The Late Late Show" and "Last Comic Standing", has been building a strong fan base around the country with his act inspired by stories from his Midwestern upbringing. His newly released CD “One Star Wonder” (Comedy Central Records) hit the ground running as #6 in iTunes TOP Comedy Albums (June 2009) and together with Greg’s colorful perspective and amazing characters, is destined to be a favorite. Greg attracts a diverse audience spectrum, performing on networks such as BET (as a finalist on “Coming to the Stage”)Country Music Television’s “Comedy Stage”. and Greg is also a favorite on the nationally syndicated “Bob and Tom” radio show, which led him to tour theatres across the country with the “Friends of Bob and Tom Comedy Tour”.

Greg Warren hails from St. Louis, MO, where his father was a high school wrestling coach and his mother made him play clarinet in the band. Greg has captivated audiences with anecdotes about the conflict inherent in meshing two high school identities—varsity wrestler and band geek. Greg’s “Flute Man” bit is a perfect capsulation of the insecurities of high school and the ongoing quest to be cool, and is one of the most requested bits in the history of the “Bob and Tom” radio show. Greg was also a West Point Cadet, where he distinguished himself by amassing an impressive tally of demerits and endless hours of pointless marching. After moving on to the University of Missouri, he studied journalism and was named an All-American college wrestler.

While in college, Greg won a comedy contest and was invited to perform at a local club in Columbia, MO, Déjà Vu. After a stint selling Jif and Pringles for corporate giant Procter & Gamble, Greg made the decision to become a full time comedian. This bold move led to an invitation to the prestigious “Just for Laughs Festival” in Montreal in 2002, where Greg performed as one of their featured “New Faces of Comedy”. He has also been seen on the Comedy Central show, “Premium Blend”. Greg has an arsenal of characters that he brings to life in his act. He also highlights his current life struggles with the service industry, moderation, and “One Star People”.

In addition to his television and festival appearances, Greg can currently be seen on Comedy Central Presents, heard on Sirius/XM Comedy and will continue to tour across the country with “Bob and Tom’s All Stars” in addition to performing his act at Improvs and Funny Bones. Greg’s background recently resulted in a gig doing color commentary on college wrestling for Fox Sports Midwest. Greg’s Midwestern upbringing and his ability to provide humorous social commentary gives him a wealth of material that continues to gain him fans throughout the country.

Check out Greg's website - www.gregwarrencomedy.com

Here's more on Matt:

Originally from the east coast, Matt Conty started his comedy career in Denver, CO. Although he has a headlining set worth of material to draw from, Matt’s true skill is improvising onstage and creating a dynamic show experience. His comfortable, laid-back attitude onstage establishes an atmosphere that compliments his delivery.

Matt was chosen to represent Colorado at the Las Vegas comedy festival, and shortly after that became a regular performer on the coveted Comedy Works roster. In addition to winning countless crowds over, Matt has won the respect of his comedy peers, opening for Billy Gardell, Norm McDonald, and Greg Warren, to name a few.

Costaki Economopolous, a Bob and Tom favorite, recently described Matt as”the best feature act he has worked with in years.” Matt earned the distinguished “Editor’s Choice Award” on the Crackle.com Comedy Channel. With a unique comedic voice and creative material, people across the industry expect a great future for Matt.

Check out Matt's twitter feed - @mattconty ... You can also read his blog on fatherhood - www.wtfatherhood.com

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Rich Pinder and Saad Ahmed join me on the show this week.  Rich is a New York stand-up and co-host of the Anti-Semantic Show.  Saad plays colleges and comedy clubs throughout the Midwest.  With Rich, we talk about the podcast and the New York comedy scene.  With Saad, we talk about being Muslim in Central Illinois and living in LA for 6 months.

Here's more on Rich Pinder:

Raised on the outskirts of the New York City suburbs, "Pinder", as he is affectionately called, brings an outside of Staten Island perspective to the panel of hosts.  Pinder is an aspiring stand-up comedian as well as being the producer and editor for the show and making him responsible for ninety percent of the work and one hundred percent of the blame when the show is posted late or things go wrong.  He enjoys whiskey, dick jokes and the scent of skunk.

http://antisemanticshow.com/index.html

Here's more on Saad: Competitions: National: NBC Stand-up for Diversity quarter-finalist (New York, NY; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco, CA; Chicago, IL)

The World Series of Comedy quarter-finalist at Zanies satellite round (St. Charles, IL)

Local: Several 1st place finishes, including Flappers Comedy Club Soup-Or-Bowl Comedy Contest in Burbank, CA (50+ comedians)

Comedy Clubs: Zanies (Chicago, IL; St. Charles, IL) Improv (Chicago, IL) New York Comedy Club (New York, NY) Gotham (New York, NY) Comix (New York, NY) Laugh Factory (Los Angeles, CA) The Ice House (Pasadena, CA) Punchline (San Francisco, CA) Flappers (Burbank, CA; Claremont, CA) Jukebox (Peoria, IL) Donnie B's (Springfield, IL) Mason City Limits (Mason City, IL) Funny Bone (St. Louis, MO; Bloomington, IL) Laugh (Bloomington, IL) Laugh Out Loud (San Antonio, TX) Glass Full of Laughs (O'Fallon, MO)

Colleges: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL) (Headliner) Bradley University (Peoria, IL) (Headliner) University of Missouri - St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) (Headliner) Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago, IL) Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL)

Charity/Corporate: Animal Protective League (Springfield, IL) Children's Miracle Network (Springfield, IL) Central Illinois Foodbank (Springfield, IL) ACLU (St. Louis, MO) Women's Crisis Center (Jacksonville, IL) Elks Lodge Champaign-Urbana, IL No. 2497 (Savoy, IL) The American Legion Post 211 (Paris, IL)

Other: Gaslight Theater (St. Louis, MO) (Headliner) Memphis on Main (Champaign, IL) (Headliner) Red Barn (Peoria, IL)

Film: World of Wargames (Independent film; 2010)

You can find Saad on Facebook.

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