Liste der Folgen

John and Frank discuss his humble beginnings as a musician, early days on the piano, teachers, the temptation of shopping on Skymall, touring, road stories, England and New Jersey, the word "Klannish", the state of the world during the pandemic, how it's changed his art, and a litany of other joyous nonsensical fun topics. Enjoy.

Barry Dougherty is an author, comedy writer, and Friars Club historian, whose own history is tied in directly with the famous club and it's legendary roasts. We talk comedy, writing, comedians, and he gives us the inside scoop some legendary tales from comedy history. Enjoy.

JGrammy award winner Joe Travers is an American drummer who has performed with Billy Idol, The Motels, The Wilsons, Duran Duran, Drake Bell and Z (Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa). Joe is a self-confessed music addict, who experienced both his first concert and his first drum set at the age of five. He joins John and special co-host Brian Brodeur to talk about his life touring with Zappa, Duran Duran, The Motels, and also being the "Vaultmeister" for the Zappa Family Trust.

Singer, Songwriter, Musician, and lead vocalist for the band Milo Greene, Marlana Sheetz joins John to talk about her new EP "At Least I Tried" her obsession with death, touring the country, mental health, and she also manages to squeeze in time to grill John on his lack of punctuality as they discuss their former days as kleptos.

Carl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian, and executive. He is best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws and its first two sequels, as well as directing the 1981 film Caveman. John talks to Carl about his incredibly smooth transition into show business, his bad ass easy rider style motorcycle days, working with and befriending Steve Martin, The Smothers Brothers, Carl Reiner and of course - JAWS.

The legendary Pitbull Of Comedy, Bobby Slayton is in hilarious and rare form all thanks to John giving him the wrong link for tonight's show. John and Bobby talk about Standup, the road, levels of success, what makes someone a legend and how this is Bobby's final podcast appearance.

Allan talks to John about the "real" Comedy Store, wild nights on the road, his time with Sam Kinison, his lifelong comedy buddy Carl LaBove, writing and producing Arli$$, Roseanne, and doesn't hold back on some of the comedy greats he loves and hates. You don't wanna miss this one.

New York native Eric D'Alessandro has always found his place in the spotlight. His passion for comedy is equally credited to his creative mindset, as well as his big Italian family which inspires his raw comedic sketches and uncensored, relatable rhetoric. Eric talks to John about testing material on Instagram, building his fan base, moving to Austin, Texas and how social media is ruining our brains.

The Young Dubliners were founded in 1988 by Dublin native Keith Roberts and Paul O'Toole. The two had been tweaking some Irish ballads of original music and decided that it was time to put a band together. The band consisted of Roberts, O'Toole and Brendan Holmes (bass), Randy Woolford (electric and acoustic guitar) and Douglas James (drums). The Lead Singer of the Young Dubliners, Keith Roberts talks to John about how they got their name, band mates, performing the day before the world shut down, working with some of his favorite bands, Irish politics and his love for comedy.

Dex Carvey talks to John about being an early Twitch pioneer, setting up and producing his Dad's (legendary comedian and actor, Dana Carvey) podcast, how covid caused some weight gain and how Weight Watchers helped him take it off, Standup, corporate gigs and they get into a bunch of fun conspiracy theory talk.

Any time spent with a good friend, even when it's virtual, is time well spent. And if that friend is Camilla Cleese you just can't put a price on it. The hour goes by way too fast and the tangents are numerous and the stories about her time spent as a professional horseback rider are funnier than anyone who rode a horse professionally has a right to be. We also got to talk about her Dad's habit of drawing on her Macbook with permanent marker, the origin of Hercules, her dog, growing up around some funny famous people and pandemic life. In short I miss my friend and an hour wasn't long enough. But it'll do for now. Enjoy.

Although born in France, Gilmore grew up in the Seattle area. After playing in 10 Minute Warning with Duff McKagan (The Fartz, Guns N' Roses), Steve Verwolf, Paul Dana, Bob Groves, and David Garrigues, Gilmore decided to join his friend Duff McKagan when he announced he was leaving Seattle for a new life in L.A, and accompanied him in his early auditions. Shortly after the success of Guns N' Roses, he moved back to Seattle and in the late 1980s Gilmore was a member of the critically acclaimed, seminal Seattle band Mother Love Bone along with bandmates Andrew Wood (vocals), Bruce Fairweather (guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), and Stone Gossard (guitar).[1] After Wood's death from a heroin overdose, Ament and Gossard went on to play key roles in Pearl Jam. Greg talks about his first band in high school, the Punk scene in Seattle, why he couldn't live in LA, the Dead Kennedy's and how he's not a fart.

Tommy Chong is an activist, actor, comedian, director, musician, writer and cannabis rights activist. He is known for his marijuana-themed Cheech and Chong comedy albums and movies with Cheech Marin, as well as playing the character Leo on Fox's That '70s Show. Tommy talks to John about how he started as a musician before he became part of a comedy duo and an actor, his Mount Rushmore of smokers and how he's "not really anything." Enjoy.

Rob Bartlett. That's the description. What more does anyone need? He's done it all. Performing in an improv group with Eddie Murphy, touring all over the country doing stand-up, starring on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and his own one man show, and working on radio doing impressions on Imus, and acting in literally every show on television...I'm winded just writing this. I don't know that I would've gotten the opportunity to meet him had it not been for the pandemic on two virtual charity shows we wound up spending an incredible amount of time on together. There aren't many positive during this pandemic but that's one of them for me. Please enjoy this chat with a great man and good friend.

Bobby is a joy to speak to and one of the best character actors in the business. He talks to John about how he was one of handful of New York guys that moved out west to act, How Joey Pantoliano introduced him to his wife, comparing tough guys in the neighborhood with Robert Duvall, his mount Rushmore of comics and his upcoming projects.

David Champion joins John on the show to talk about touring with his brother as CHAMPS, some road stories, Ana De Armas lip syncing their hit 3000 Miles in the short film Entering Red, sibling camaraderie, guilty music pleasures, pandemic habits and the state of the world. If by the end of this show all the world's problems aren't solved...don't worry, he's coming back with his bro for round 2.

Talking with someone who has spent their entire life writing, and creating and doing it successfully will only leave you wanting to know more about them. Which is exactly what it was like getting to speak with Billy Van Zandt. I got the pleasure to speak with him for a little over an hour about how he met his writing partner and best friend Jane Milmore, growing up in NJ, his acting career, writing for Bob Newhart, Lucille Ball, Richard Lewis, Don Rickles, an - look if I kept going with this list we'd be here for months. Please enjoy the interview, ignore me, and soak up all the knowledge and fun Billy brings as a guest. Enjoy.

Mike Farrell has been fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves long before he was ever famous. In this two part interview we deep dive into his road to activism, both at home and abroad, the causes he's passionate about, personal struggles, growing up as a shy kid, and he even let me dabble in some alien govt conspiracy talk at the end. Thoughtful, intelligent, funny and a true humanitarian - it was an honor to have Mike on the show and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

One of the best parts about doing these interviews is getting to meet people I've admired for years. The other is finding out they're incredibly humble and a blast to talk to. John's been my favorite comic book artist since I was a kid, and that's who I let host the show. We discuss other comic book artists, writers, independent publishing vs the big three, Kickass, the MCU, his dad's influence, the 9/11 comic, John's art style, tequila, comic-con, more tequila and John leaves us with a cliffhanger!.

Loved getting to talk to Cathy Ladman about her stand-up days, who her comedy crew was and still is, how she made her way into acting with some of the greats and some advice for younger comics coming up today. She also recalls her role in the documentary "The Aristocrats" and retells a great Bob Saget story from the film. Enjoy.

Mike Rowe's a true comedy hero of mine. He started out in stand-up, worked the clubs and the road, and switched gears into writing on some of my favorite TV shows, Futurama being my all time favorite. But besides all that his new book "It's a Funny Thing" is the BEST new book about coming into your own as a comedian, and comedy writer in this crazy business. It reads funny, and is wildly informative. Check out his book but before you do that check out this interview for some great stories, and more nuggets of wisdom by one of the nicest guys in the business.

Everclear's lead singer Art Alexakis hangs out with us in one of the most chill interviews I've had so far on the show. He talks candidly about finding out he has MS, his new single Hot Water Test, and goes in depth with our producer Tom Banis, whose wife is also struggling with MS. He also talks about his upcoming Summerland Tour, The NFL Draft, his battle with congress for HR1488, Spam, his missing Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode and more.

The Middle Kids' lead singer/songwriter, Hannah Joy joins me to talk about life in Australia, going to High School in Maryland, surviving this pandemic, her new album "Today We're The Greatest", becoming a mom, never performing in Jersey (we're gonna fix that), and lays down some solid life advice for anyone looking to go into music or any kind of art. Enjoy.

When I was a kid I wanted to be two things when I grew up. A comedian and a cartoonist. For a very long time I thought cartooning was going to be my main focus and one of my inspirations in that field was Steve Breen. He was living in NJ at the time and working for the Asbury Park Press. A paper my parents got every morning. I'd grab the funny pages and the editorial cartoon before heading to school to read both. Comics were my shield against the rest of the world and Steve's biting commentary on both the editorial page and in his strip, Grand Avenue always helped me feel less alone. Getting to finally talk to the self proclaimed good will ambassador for New Jersey and finding out he's just as funny and down to earth as I'd always assumed he'd be was a thrill for me. Hope you guys enjoy this one.

Leave it to Joey Kola to break the record for the longest episode of Dystopia so far. There's a reason for that Joey Kola is one of the nicest men in show business and he knows EVERYBODY and everybody knows him. Close to three hours doesn't even remotely cover every thing that made him who he is as a comedian and a person but I think we come close. Give it a listen and enjoy.

Tom Papa is the most effortlessly positive comedian I've ever seen. Nothing is more evident of that than his last special "Tom Papa: You're Doing Great." Talking to him for an hour on my show was no different. Easy going, and super funny, we talk about his early days in stand-up and the different generations, hanging with Greg Giraldo and Jim Gaffigan, his love of bread making and calling out faux celeb bread makers, the Jersey Shore in the summer, the pandemic, and what advice he'd give to his younger self. Enjoy.

Glen Burtnik and John are leaving show business to become farmers and you heard it hear first. Before that though we do a deep dive into Glen's incredible music career, his insight on the business side of things, his current zen approach to life and the sheer joy he has watching John have a breakdown after his internet repeatedly craps out during the interview. Enjoy.

Julia Scotti - Funny That Way, is not only the name of her new documentary (currently streaming EVERYWHERE) it's a true but humble testament to what a genuinely funny and kind human being she is. In this show there's no hiding the fact that Julia is one of my favorite comics to hang with but she's also a fierce friend and one of my favorite people to talk to. I kept her up way past her bedtime so we pretty much cover all the topics here. Her life, career, her transition from Rick to Julia, Captain Kangaroo, diner food, music, road stories, and hair care products. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Gary Numan is a music legend, and it was an honor to speak with him for an hour. Insightful, and funny, we spoke about his life in music, being a pilot, flying around the world and getting accused of being a spy the first time, but making it all the way around the second which was a truly funny story. Gary also talks in depth about his Aspergers, the climate, and gives us all some great life advice. Enjoy.

Peggy Boyce is a comic and the creator of The Ladies Of Laughter Competition. She and I take a deep dive into comedy, comedians, the history of women in comedy and where she believes it's headed as well as how comedy has shifted into the digital realm, especially during the past year. Enjoy.

Adam and The Metal Hawks, a band hailing from Long Island, NY are coming out of this pandemic swinging. These guys shot to viral fame, gaining MILLIONS of followers and views on TikTok and Instagram by putting out videos covering classic rock songs while using bowls on their band mates' heads in place of drums. They just had Jack Black duet them on TikTok. And now that restrictions are being lifted they're working in studio on an album and gearing up for live performances. It was an absolute joy speaking to these guys about how they formed their band, their lives during the pandemic, future plans, who they'd love to work with and of course, how Ryan was born. Enjoy.

Deylin Sandoval AKA Melloe D is a music producer, remixer vocalist, (LoFi Hip Hop, Pop, Latin, Electronic) a good friend, AND The creator of the Dystopia Tonight theme. She talks to us about her gf getting covid, moving during the pandemic, her music keeping her sane, and picking back up where we left off before the world shut down. Enjoy.

Recently seen in the new Mike Binder documentary on the Comedy Store on showtime Felicia Michales has been a staple of the Los Angeles stand-up scene since she was 18. She has appeared in three movies: Smart Alex, directed by Steve Oedekerk; Los Enchiladas, directed by Mitch Hedberg; and, most recently, I Am Comic, directed by Jordan Brady. She was a regular on the TV show Parental Discretion. She is also a photographer, and her 2008 photography project, titled "Stand Up / Stripped Down", documents comedians and the mystery of what happens backstage in the shadows that lead from the green room to the power of the stage. "Stand Up / Stripped Down" received first place for the people's choice at the 2008 edition of The Prix de la Photographie, Paris, for photojournalism. She is also a recipient of a CINE Golden Eagle Award for In The Weeds, a short film she wrote and directed. We had a blast talking about comedy, the scene she came up in, how it's changed and what's been going on pre and post pandemic. Enjoy.

Joe Starr is an actor, writer, and comedian who has appeared in Steven Spielberg's Adventures of Tintin, Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, and recently as the beloved character Enzo on Kevin Can Wait. He's also one of the few comics to have done The Montreal Comedy Festival 5 years in a row, as well as a regional tour of the Just For Laughs Festival as well as being a part of the largest full national tour. More importantly, he's a close friend, and a true mensch whose knowledge of show business itself would make the last king of Hollywood shatter his glass on the floor and then order another. Enjoy.

One of my all time favorite comedians and the Queen of subtle word play, Wendy Liebman, joins me on the show to talk about getting back to the stage after covid, doing zoom shows, classic television, her first paid gig, therapy, and a couple upcoming projects she's working on. Enjoy!.

It's always a treat when I get to speak to someone whose work I really love and they wind up being, not just the amazing artist I knew they were, but also an incredible person t'boot. This was exactly the case getting to speak to Patty Lynn, one half of one of my favorite bands, The Wind and The Wave.

This one is already going down as one of my favorite episodes of the show. Not just so far, but ever. Kelly Carlin is super funny, smart, and a blast to talk to. We deep dive into everything from social media, creativity, jungian personalities, performing live, comedy and comedians, and perfectionism as well as her phenomenal book, "A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up With George."

Ted Alexandro is not only one of my favorite people but he's genuine, brilliant and one of the best comedians working today. We talk about how his Letterman set saved me from the drudges of a doomed relationship, his fight for comedians to get a pay raise, the frustration with the Democrats fight for "America's soul," capitalism, Bernie, Protesting, and his new comedy CD, "The Lost Album" which can be found at the link below. Enjoy.

Joanne Filan is my absolute favorite person, and comic to travel on the road with. We've done clubs, colleges, theatres, for the past four years calling ourselves "The Misfits Of Comedy" and were going strong before the pandemic hit but we'll be back on the road touring again in the fall with some summer dates sprinkled in between. We goofed around a lot during this show and I wouldn't have it any other way. Enjoy.

Alonzo Bodden is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series Last Comic Standing. He's a legend on the comedy scene, is a motorcycle enthusiast and just an all around badass in everything he does. Super smart, brutally funny and the new host of his own show called "Alonzo Bodden: Who's Paying Attention" On KBLA 1580 Talk Radio. We dive deep into politics, faux outrage, performative activism, the BLM movement, and of course post pandemic comedy, Adam Carolla, and the last time we worked together. Enjoy.

John Fugelsang is a political commentator, actor, comedian, writer, and television personality who currently hosts his own SiriusXM show "Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang." Having had the pleasure of being a guest on his show for the past 3 years it was an honor to have John as a guest on Dystopia Tonight. As a fan long before I knew him personally I can safely say John's the sharpest and fastest political comedian working today. All I can say is for this one strap in and try to keep up and as always - Enjoy.

Actor and Activist Ed Begley Jr. joins us on the show to talk about his new environmentally friendly house cleaning products, the immediacy of climate change, how even the smallest change in your lifestyle can benefit the earth, plus his father's legacy, his advice to gifted actors and his incredible career in the business. Enjoy.