Henry Phillips is back. He’s our first return guest. Last time we talked to Henry his movie “Punching the Clown” was just opening up at film festivals. This time we talk about those screenings and festivals, travel, and why you shouldn’t judge a crowd before a show. Henry Phillips has performed on Comedy Central, ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and NBC’s ‘Late Friday’. He can also be heard regularly on the Bob & Tom Show.
Episode 45 - Trey Mowder
• January 25th, 2010Chicago comic Trey Mowder is out guest this week. We talk to Trey about the Chicago comedy scene, setting up your own comedy room, and the differences between the stand-up community and the improv community in Chicago.
(1 ratings) Episode 44- Lynne Koplitz
• January 19th, 2010Our guest this week is Lynne Koplitz, who’s been on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson and the IFC series Z Rock. We talk about her time with Joan Rivers and compare stand-up to boxing. We also have more Dave Attell versus hecklers stories.
Here’s more on Lynne:
Lynne Koplitz is a graduate of Troy State University in Alabama and did community theatre in Nashville, Knoxville and Atlanta before moving to New York City where she tried stand-up comedy on a whim. She’s a regular at Stand-Up New York, Comic Strip Live and Gotham Comedy Club. Lynne co-starred on SONY’s syndicated talk show Life and Style with Jules Asner, Kimora Lee Simmons and Cynthia Garrett.
She has her own ½ hour comedy special on Comedy Central Presents: Lynne Koplitz currently in rotation on Comedy Central. She performed at the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival twice. Lynne was also the co-host of the comedy cooking show How to Boil Water on the Food Network and a co-host of last year’s Shop & Style on NBC. Lynne was first noticed as the host of Telepictures Change of Heart, the nationally syndicated relationship show.
She has appeared as a guest host of NBC’s Later, has had a development deal with NBC for her own sitcom, was a featured comedienne on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, and guest starred on NBC’s Extra and NBC’s The Other Half.
Check out her website - www.lynne-koplitz.com
(1 ratings) Episode 43 - Lord Carrett & Jim Tews
• January 12th, 2010We’ve got 2 guests on the show this week - Lord Carrett and Jim Tews. Lord has been heard on Bob and Tom and seen on Showtime. Jim has performed at the Boston Comedy Festival and starred in his own web series, “The Opener.” We’ll talk about traveling in bad weather, how your looks can impact your comedy, and growing up in a bar.
Here’s more on Lord:
Lord Carrett’s comedy is like an iceberg. There’s a lot that doesn’t immediately meet the eye, both in the jokes themselves, and the way he puts them together.
Lord says: “People don’t realize how much they really learn about me from the jokes. Ninety percent of my subject matter is the truth: my dad did own a bar, my sister is super religious, and my second wife did tell me “I want my life back” 90 days after I moved cross country to start our life together. Most of my comedy comes from my trying to make sense of nonsense, or vice versa.”
He’s a ‘recovery artist.” Lord elaborates: “There are a whole lot of jokes that don’t have a set place in my act… they ‘float’—they’re insults to the audience, or jokes about my own discomfort, or the situation I find myself in, and I fall back on them when a joke doesn’t get a response.”
One of Lord’s biggest influences, Johnny Carson, was famous for the same ability. Lord maintains: “Anyone my age that says they weren’t influenced by Carson is lying.” His other influences include radio comedians Groucho Marx, and W.C. Fields, which seems fitting, because radio is where most people know Carrett from.
Lord’s managed the rare feat of headlining theaters without a sitcom or major television exposure. While he’s appeared on television ranging from Showtime to”A Dating Story,” radio is where he’s made his reputation. His ability to work within that medium’s verbal confines without sacrificing any of the impact led The Baltimore Sun to describe him as: “A cross between Sid Caesar and Sid Vicious.”
He’s made eighteen appearances on the nationally syndicated BOB & TOM RADIO NETWORK–reaching more people with each appearance than he would on The Tonight Show. His CD “UNSWEETENED” is in heavy rotation on both XM and SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO’s comedy stations. He also had his own comedy special on XM. All the exposure led to his first CD: UNSWEETENED being re-released on the KOOL KAT imprint and receiving international distribution. (Ask for it at a major retailer near you!)
The idea behind “UNSWEETENED” is as unique as Lord himself. It was recorded in one show, one take with no editing or laugh track added. It’s the only comedy CD with “the heckling left in and a woman thrown out!” Lord explains the concept (from the liner notes:) “Why UNSWEETENED? I figure any idiot can record a couple of week’s worth of shows and edit them into a killer comedy CD, but it takes a special kind of idiot to record and release a single show intact. This is one show, one take, exactly as it went down, with the mindless heckling left in (and a woman tossed out!)”
Lord reaches 5 million listeners with each appearance on the show, which is heard on 150 stations, and many more download the show or listen online. The Bob and Tom Show is now on television, as part of WGN America, one of the largest cable networks in American television. The TV show is an edited version of the radio show, which is being filmed in HD every morning, edited, and then broadcast each evening. Lord’s also guested on the TV show.
For more on Lord… check out www.lordoflaughs.com
Here’s more on Jim: Clubs Improv - Cleveland, OH Pickwick and Frolic - Cleveland, OH Helium - Philadelphia, PA Ground Floor Theatre - Cleveland, OH Bassa Vita Lounge - Lakewood, OH
Radio Heard on Maxwell’s show WMMS 100.7- Cleveland, OH
Misc. Recently, Jim wrote and directed a promo for NBC’s “The Office” and entered it in a contest run by the network. Jim’s promo was selected as a semi-finalist from over four-hundred entries and was featured on NBC.com. This past September, Jim performed in the Boston Comedy Festival. Writer and performer for “Detention”, live and taped sketch comedy show. Jim produces a video podcast available through iTunes and other RSS readers.
For more on Jim… check out www.jimtews.com
(1 ratings) Episode 42 - Dan Tessitore
• December 29th, 2009
Dan Tessitore is our guest this week. He plays colleges, bars, and comedy clubs all throughout the Midwest. During the day, Dan is a college professor at Eastern Illinois University. We talk about being a college teacher, his professor ratings, and setting up your own comedy shows. Check out his website: www.dantessitore.com
(2 ratings) Episode 41 - Michael Kosta
• December 22nd, 2009
Michael Kosta joins us on the show this week. You’ve seen him on Comedy Central and Showtime. You’ve also heard him on Bob and Tom. He’s a former professional tennis player and we talk about the transition from tennis to comedy. We also talk about the number one rule in comedy and his comedic influences.
Here’s more on Michael: Michael Kosta has appeared on Comedy Central’s ‘Live at Gotham’, and at the HBO/ US Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado. His stand up has been seen on TBS during commercial breaks and he’s be showcased on Showtime’s ‘Live Nude Comedy’ (no he won’t be nude) and at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival. Michael can also be heard on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom Radio Show and on the Playboy Comedy Channel on XM/ Sirius Satellite radio. Michael recently hosted his second season of “CCHA All Access” on the Fox Sports Network, where he won a Michigan EMMY as a performer/host. Michael lives in Los Angeles where he hopes to soon become famous and forget all the little people.
Check out his website: www.michaelkosta.com
(3 ratings) Episode 40 - Tommy Johnagin
• December 9th, 2009
Tommy Johnagin joins us on the show this week. He’s been on The Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, and he’s a regular on Bob and Tom. We discuss dropping out of college to pursue comedy, advice from Mike Birbiglia, and why hard work pays off.
Here’s more on Tommy:
Tommy Johnagin started stand-up at the age of eighteen, dropping out of college at twenty-one to become a full time comedian. Tommy vows he will one day make enough money to pay his parents back for the six semesters of college he wasted.
Tommy is an autobiographical comedian who doesn’t curse on stage and has a gift of finding something funny in everyone he meets and everything he does. Tommy takes great pride in his writing. Tommy is already a favorite at comedy clubs all across the country working almost every week. 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: Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham”, CMT’s “Comedy Stage” and “Last Comic Standing”. In May of 2008 he made his debut on “The Late Show” with David Letterman and has already made his second appearance in just over a year. In 2009 he had his own 1/2 hour special on Comedy Central that re-airs regularly.
He has also been a guest numerous times on the nationally syndicated radio program “The Bob and Tom Show”.
Check out Tommy’s website: www.tommyjcomedy.com
(2 ratings) Episode 39 - Chris Schlichting
• December 2nd, 2009 
Chris Schlichting is our guest this week. He’s played colleges and comedy clubs all across the country. In the first half of the interview, we talk about being a teacher and a new dad and how that impacts his comedy. In the second half of the interview, we talk about Teen Wolf, pro wrestling, and Paranormal Activity.
Here’s more on Chris:
Growing up on the mean streets of Iowa, Chris knew that he either had to take up stand-up comedy or join the notorious Iowa gang known as “The Farmers.” Chris has been entertaining audiences ever since a first grade holiday concert where his “six geese a laying” solo stole the show and really frustrated the girl with the “five golden rings” solo. Described as “hilarious” by his mom and as “not having a real job” by his dad, Chris takes pride in his goofy, yet sincere stand-up style. This unique comic is quickly gaining a reputation as the best comedian on the planet, if by “planet” you mean “his street.” With the confidence of a lion, the agility of a puma, and the intelligence of a really smart house cat, Chris is sure to be a comic that will leave you wanting more.
Be sure to check out Chris’ website: www.schlickcomedy.com
(3 ratings) Episode 38 - Tom Simmons
• November 17th, 2009Tom Simmons, winner of the 2009 San Francisco Comedy Competition, joins us this week. He’s also appeared at Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham”. We discuss winning the comedy competition, the difference between performing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and why it’s important to write everyday.
Here’s more on Tom:
Tom Simmons does an unbelievable job of blending comedy and philosophy into one of the best all around comedy shows that you can see. A true comedian in every sense of the word. He has toured practically non-stop for ten years developing his act and himself.
This is truly a great comedian who has a unique ability to make you think differently, question cultural and personal beliefs- all while being incredibly funny. Seriously spit-take funny. Tom’s goal as a comedian is not just to be funny and make you laugh, but to genuinely be one of the best- to be mentioned in the same sentence with greats like Chappelle, Rock, Carlin, Seinfeld.
Come see this show and see what constant work and dedication means. Tom’s comedy takes chances that most comedians won’t take all while embracing the audience and genuinely caring that they laugh and enjoy themselves. The show will entertain with subjects from being a new father and relationships, to socially relevant issues like violence, war, racism, and frustrations we all have with the world and one another. It is easily relatable and seriously funny… Like a Blue Collar Tour for people that read.
He has appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, BET, NBC, and has written for numerous comedians. Tracks from all four of his comedy CD’s can be heard daily on both XM and Sirius radio. He has appeared on Bob and Tom, at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, The Boston Comedy Festival, as well as performing with Comics on Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Check out Tom’s website: www.tomsimmons.com
(2 ratings) Episode 37 - Heywood Banks
• November 10th, 2009Heywood Banks is on the show this week. He’s been on “HBO’s Young Comedians Special”, “Bob and Tom”, and he’s had one of his songs sung on American Idol. We talk about an incident that happened on stage this past weekend that hasn’t happened in his 30 years of doing comedy.
Here’s more on Heywood:
Heywood Banks is simply one-of-a-kind, almost impossible to describe, with a style his very own. Equal parts genius and buffoon, this songwriter-comic-singer-poet-musician has become a cult hero and a pop icon, with a show that appeals to college students, stoners, businessmen, yuppies, rednecks, punks, kids or your grandmother.
Heywood intersperses his humorous observations of life with twisted, inventive, bizarre songs, sung and played in a variety of styles, from folk, to country to rock to pop, and way beyond.
You have to be pretty smart to get Heywood at his deepest level (he demands a high level of pop culture literacy), but you can also enjoy him just for his vocal style impersonations, expert musicianship and just plain silliness.
Heywood has been featured in “Rolling Stone Magazine” and “People Magazine.” He won First Place in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search Contest.
Heywood Banks has appeared on A&E’s “Evening at the Improv,” MTV’s “1/2 Hour Comedy Hour,” CNN’s “Hollywood Minute,” “Caroline’s Comedy Hour,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Showtime Comedy Club Network,” “Dr. Demento Show,” “12th Annual HBO Young Comedians Special with Paul Rodriguez” and is a frequent guest on the national Bob and Tom radio show.
Stuart Mitchell, the creator of Heywood Banks, tells us that his character was born on a mountaintop in Tennessee and lived for many many years in a log trailer. Heywood’s biological parents, Hank and Heyena Banks were killed in a freak revolving restaurant accident back in the sixties - someone had hit the Puree Button by mistake…grisly! Eventually raised by mathematical parents, Heywood was working in a Kroger bagging groceries when he was hit in the head with a can of lunchmeat, giving him spamnesia. This caused him problems for years as he became afraid of the dark, but couldn’t sleep with the light on. “Did that ever happen to you???”
For more on Heywood, check out his website… www.heywoodbanks.com
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