Episode 33: The Jill Bryan Doughnut Delivery Service
| Download | Duration: 01:50:34
Oh good, you’re here! Now we can finally get started on this podcast thingie.
Today’s podcast features our talk with the affable and generous Jill Bryan. If you don’t find Jill particularly affable or generous, perhaps you should do an interview with her so she can change your mind with the gift of doughnuts. What, you already interviewed Jill and she didn’t bring you any doughnuts? Guess she doesn’t like you, then.
Jill’s got plenty of things going on in the Valley, booking monthly showcases at Stand Up Live, appearing on the Lu Valentine Radio Show on Fridays, and running a Tuesday night workout room at Dos Gringos at Priest & Elliot. Going to that Dos is always a trip down memory lane for the S&Mers, as Steve & Jamie first met at the nearby Guitar Center 10 years ago. Oh, how the past just comes rushing back…like a really boring tidal wave.
Anyway, the chat with Jill was easy, fun, and extensive. We covered just about everything we possibly could; her showbiz family, her origins in comedy, and since the announcement had come out only the day before we recorded this podcast, we had plenty of ground to cover on the infamous closing of the Tempe Improv. Enjoy this little time capsule, because things obviously change so abruptly here in our little microcosmic PHX Comedy Scene, you never know what will disappear next. DOT DOT DOT.
Upcoming shows for us: It's all about Comicon now. Comicon, Comicon, Comicon. As part of the Phoenix Comicon, we'll be doing our first ever live podcast at the Hyatt Regency Remington Room at 7pm on 5/26, and a comedy showcase directly afterward in the same room at 9pm. Performers will include Teddy Bearskovich, Ernesto Moncada, Justin Phillips, Jeffrey Wiles, Will Novak, Steve Maxwell, Nate Sinclair, Stuart Mazzeo, and James Mabry! Advance Saturday passes are $30, and are available at www.phoenixcomicon.com.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, come be a part of the writing process, as The Reverend Dan Hull presents another Digging for Gold! The all riffing, all improvising, all totally awkward extravaganza will feature (of course) Dan Hull, Justin Phillips, Ernesto Moncada, Xchel Hernandez, Jim Bambrough, Dave Schnier, Kirk Buckhout, the newly married John Griggs, and the introduction of Phoenix’s drunkest improv troupe, The Morgans!
Pertinent Links:
Twitterin'! @jillbryan @SMComedySucks @JammySands @CaptPiggles
Jill Bryan's webpage: http://www.jillbryancomedy.com/
Stay up to date on Jill Bryan's Comedy Gold Showcase at Stand Up Live!
And be a part of history by viewing our first ever live podcast- purchase a Saturday pass to the Phoenix Comicon! http://phoenixcomicon.com/page/10
We are now fully on the Torch Theatre bandwagon. We had such a great time this past Saturday, with such unbelievably quick, intelligent performers, that we are regularly going to be plugging the hell out of that place. Take a look at their super-sexy, hip website at http://www.thetorchtheatre.com/.
Thanks for listening; keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Confetti Cupcake-Eating PHX Comedy Scene!
We DIO
Guten morgen! Let's all sit down for a quick blog post and a schnitzel!
Our big news here at the S&M Comedy Encampment is Jokeless. It was really, truly, a wonderful time. The show was a great success, and there is no botttom to the well of gratitude that we have for everyone that came out.
That said, what an incredible cavalcade of mixed emotions is still trampling our psyches, almost a week later. The concept for Jokeless has existed since we took over Thursday Night Comedy at Monkey Pants a year ago, but it wasn't until we did our information and advice packed interview with Troy Conrad (Episodes 23 & 24, Jan 2012) that we finally realised how we could pull it off.
So we rented a theater, employed an artist, created a website, printed tickets and flyers and posters, wrote up press releases, spoke with press, and generally stressed the fuck out over our material. And boy, did we stress out- a month's worth of rehearsals and re-writes; this could easily be one of the more difficult things we've ever done, but we did it ourselves, and the tidal wave feeling of accomplishment afterward is intoxicating. The reliving of that teriffic evening could be so habit-forming that we'd never want it to end, and we'd want to do it over and over again, just to maintain that level of elation and joy. We've heard of that before, somewhere...where...oh yeah- crack addiction.
There will be more Jokelesses (Jokeli, if you will) in the future. New stories, new storytellers. Stay tuned.
Upcoming shows for us: Steve Marek will be at Hidden House on 5/16. Jamie Sanderson will be the monologist for The Neighborhood Series at Torch Theatre on 5/19. Both Sanderson and Marek will be at Pranksters Too on 5/22.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, Captain Morgan invites you to set sail on a flotilla of laughter with Justin Phillips, Amy Donohue, Zack Lyman, Brian Lester, Stuart Mazzeo, Colin Casey, Kristofer Royer, Ernesto Moncada, Jonathan Gregory, James Hoenschiedt, and Tusconite Ali Musa! Accompanying us will be $4 frigates of bacon wrapped deep fried hot dogs smothered in nacho cheese and a squadron of racing goldfish!
Pertinent Links:
Twitters are twittin': @smcomedysucks @jammysands @captpiggles
Get passes for PHX Comicon and our first ever live podcast on 5/26 at www.phoenixcomicon.com!
Booking June at Monkey Pants has begun with a vengeance! Send your available dates to jokes@monkeypantsbar.com!
Thanks for reading; keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Brilliantly Burning Incandescent PHX Comedy Scene!
Episode 32: Hal Sparks' Brain
| Download | Duration: 01:13:31
Hey! Ho! Let's go! (listen to a podcast)
Alright, today's podcast is the unstoppable Hal Sparks! You may know him from TV's "Queer as Folk", from his band Zero 1, or his Showtime stand-up special, "Charmageddon". That's a lot of shit, man. But Hal Sparks is more than just relentless onslaught of comedy and music and acting, his brain is like a runaway bullet train, fueled by a quest for knowledge and anger at the modern political system.
We first met Hal a couple months ago, when he was performing at the Orpheum with John Fugelsang (S&M Episodes 30 & 31) on the Stephanie Miller Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour, and when we told him that we'd just interviewed Fugelsang and we'd like to talk to him soon, he was excited to come back and do this very podcast. Crazy- people actually want to talk to us slobs! So fast forward a couple months, and there we all are, huddled around a black table in the side room at the Tempe Improv when he was here headlining, having a great conversation about all his history, his side projects to keep busy, and his disdain for lazy comedians. It's like an audio tornado of information. Put in your earbuds and hang the fuck on.
Upcoming shows for us: Jokeless. Finally. Like you didn't know. Steve Marek will also be at Bridgett's on 5/15. Jamie will be catching up on sleep.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, get ready for Mother's Appreciation Day with Diethrich Shelton, Ronnete Daniel, Nick Paul, Chris Bennett, Laura Wheeler, David Giordano, Josh Dent and Gene Moore, all of whom love their mothers very much, and will love your mother for a nominal fee.
Pertinent Links:
Attack of the Tweets! @HalSparks @smcomedysucks @captpiggles @jammysands
Hal Sparks Fang Page on Facebook- complete with fangs!
Tickets for Jokeless- www.jokeless.net
We'll be doing our first ever live podcast and a comedy showcase at Phoenix Comicon on Sat, 5/26! You can get passes for that day, or for the entire weekend at www.phoenixcomicon.com!
Thanks for listening, keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Steam-Rolling Herculean Juggernaut of the PHX Comedy Scene!
The Comfort of the Finish Line
Jokeless is coming together nicely. We've had a couple of writing sessions over the past few weeks and everybody is pushing themselves outside their comfort zones. It's a bit odd for all of us not to try and write punchlines, but to try and write something a bit deeper then we're accustomed to. The silence doesn't scare us; we're all certain of that, it's just really nice to finally have the show waiting right around the corner, instead of looming like an insurmountable obelisk on the horizon, like it has for the past two months. It's going to be one hell of a show, pick your tickets up at www.jokeless.net.
Next week's show features our interview with national touring comedian, musician, multilinguist, movie and television actor, activist and Jamie's hermano in the struggle against the tyranny of tall people, Hal Sparks. Hal's Henry Rollins-esque work ethic and enthusiasm for life is one that makes even us question whether we're doing enough with our stupid fat selves. If was a fun and insightful interview that we know you'll enjoy.
Upcoming shows for us: Jamie Sanderson will be performing at Filmbar on 5/8, and both Sanderson and Marek will be performing at Copper Blues on 5/8.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, slide down a magical rainbow of laughter into a gumdrop forest of comedy with Ricardo Rocha, Xchel Hernandez, Brian McNett, Matt Anderson, Dave Schnier, Erin Ontko, John Connell, Gabriel Wakow, Jas Clay and Ian Gilb! $4 Captain Morgans, $4 hot dogs, $3000/doz Pegasus Wings!
Pertinent Links:
Jokeless Jokeless Jokeless! I said Jokeless!
Everybody on dey Twitter! @smcomedysucks @jammysands @captpiggles
The first ever live S&M Comedy Podcast will be at Phoenix Comicon on 5/26! Get your day passes to this monumental event at www.phoenixcomicon.com!
Thanks for reading, keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Ferociously Independent PHX Comedy Scene!
Episode 31: The Return of the John Fugelsang
| Download | Duration: 00:59:09
Everybody's Twitt'rin'! @johnfugelsang @smcomedysucks @jammysands @captpiggles
Jokeless is full steam ahead! Get tickets at www.jokeless.net or at Stinkweeds!
Our first ever live podcast will be happening on 5/26 at Phoenix Comicon! Get discounted day passes to Comicon at www.phoenixcomicon.com!
Thanks for listening; keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Lush, Verdant Oasis that is the PHX Comedy Scene!
Swirling
Our boss is out of the office today, and you'd think it would be easier to get in extracurriculars like posting blogs and stuff, but it tends to be quite the opposite when the business employs less than 10 people. It's a bit like the nucleus of the cell has suddenly disappeared, and the all the electrons that have been whizzing about in a tight elliptical orbit are suddenly without a center, without an anchor, and they must find a way to keep it together until the nucleus gets back from lunch. What we're saying is that it's been difficult to find time to post on the blog because we've had to ACTUALLY work at our job. Psshhht. What an inconvenience.
Next week is the second half of our John Fugelsang interview! It's good stuff, really entertaining and extremely usesful information for performers. So stick around, stay tuned, whatever you gotta do- just be here next Weds.
Upcoming shows for us: Steve will be at Hidden House and Jamie will be at Dos Gringo's Mesa on 4/18. Jamie will be at Firestage on 4/20 and Steve will be at Toso's. And both will be at Pranksters and Dos Gringo's Tempe on 4/24.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, there will be a veritable comedy avalanche, with Clayton Perkins, Steve Maxwell, Chris Felix, Ryan Gaumont, Douglas Mize, Kirsten Alberts, Ethan Grimes, Kirk Buckhout, Geof Piccaretta, Kevin O'Dea and James Mabry! Brrr- avalanches are cold, just like a delicious $4 Captain Morgan! See what I did there?
Pertinent Links:
Jokeless is less than a month away; get tickets from any of the performers, at www.jokeless.net , or at Stinkweeds!
John Fugelsang's one man show is coming up on 5/5, get tickets at the TicketMaster!!!
Please share the twitters that we're sharing with you: @jammysands @captpiggles @smcomedysucks @johnfugelsang
Thanks for reading, keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Free Radical, Ionic PHX Comedy Scene!
Episode 30: The John Fugelsang Strikes Back, Part One
| Download | Duration: 00:54:36
So big on politics is The Fugelsang, that he was actually the CNN interviewer that ellicited the now famous "Etch-A-Sketch" comment from a Mitt Romney advisor. We've included that youtube video below so you can get a taste of John's incisiveness. Enjoy watching the squirminess, and then don't vote for Romney. Seriously. That guy's a douche.
A Gaggle of Dicks
Last night was the Farewell Roast of Todd Hibbeler at Monkey Pants, and the place was packed! Thanks so much to everyone that came out; the massive support from the local comedy community was thrilling to see! It was a big party of dickheads on stage; everyone did a great job whipping the quips and taking their lumps, and the audience made some very generous donations to Hibbeler's little gay basket, so there's not a single complaint to be made- except that Hibbeler's leaving. *saaaad faaaaace*
We will miss the li'l buckaroo here at the S&M Comedy Podcast; it seems like just yesterday that we were recording Episode 7 with him and watching him shoot beer out of his nose. Ah, the good ol' days. Go peruse our archives to hear these audio snapshots from simpler times, or you can just check out Todd Hibbeler on Episode 7.
Upcoming shows for us: Steve Marek will be at Filmbar and Jamie Sanderson will be at Copper Blues on 4/10. Dear god, it's April already. Time flies when you're flailing.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, the stage will finally be cleaned up from last night's brutal 12-man gang bang and prepared for the sweet, smooth, one-on-one comedy lovemaking of Xchel Hernandez, Nick Paul, Demetrius Lee, Anthony Desamito, Kinglsey Amukamara, David Giordano, Isaac Orr, Josh Dent, Ian Gilb, and David Mendelsohn!
Pertinent Links:
May the tweets be with you: @smcomedysucks @captpiggles @jammysands
Jokeless will be here before you know it, so get your tickets now! Right now! Go. We'll wait. www.jokeless.net
Thanks for reading, keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Stayin' Put, Not Traveling Around The Country Like A Smelly Gypsy PHX Comedy Scene!
Episode 29: Digesting The London Broil
| Download | Duration: 01:20:51
Today's podcast is our conversation with Duncan, Matt and Louie, more formally known to Renaissance Festival enthusiasts as The London Broil! This is a fun, chaotic talk with three guys that have been infiltrating our beloved PHX Comedy Scene for a couple months at a time the past couple years, and getting to sit down to talk with them all at once was a real treat. A cyclonic, frenetic treat that sometimes sent us searching for our happy place, but a treat nonetheless.
We're pleased to present this conversation this Wednesday, as Duncan, Matt and Louie are at Stand-Up Scottsdale tonight with several of their RenFest bretheren performing as the Almost Homeless Comedy Tour. This is the culmination of all the stand up they've been honing since arriving in town in February at all our great little rooms like Turf, Hidden House and Monkey Pants. Now they're all on the big stage at SUS, shooting their collective wad before leaving us all here to toil in the summer dust, and tickets are still available to tonight's show if you want to snuggle up to the link below.
Upcoming shows for us: Fuck you.
A Lesson from Chapter 58
"Bad fortune is what good fortune leans on,
Good fortune is what bad fortune hides in." --Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching.
Last night, the S&M Comedeers were booked at Prankster's Too in Scottsdale. If you've never been there, Prankster's has a lovely side room with low tables up front by the stage, generous booths on the sides, and a long bar & bench seating all the way to the back of the room. It's a room that's absolutely perfectly designed for comedy. If you have been there, you know that the room, in spite of its ideal setup, is frequently not that much fun for performers due to a lack of audience members. Seems that someone at Prankster's took that "if you build it, they will come" shit a little too seriously.
When we arrived there just prior to showtime, there was one non-performing civilian in attendance. One. The dread in the room was a living, breathing thing. It sat in the middle of the room like an elephant with an upset stomach. It lurked in every dark corner like a waiting mugger. It flapped about the rafters like a crazed bat. Every comedian knows that not only is the sound of one man laughing is not enough to displace dread like that, it feeds the disillusionment like a mogwai after midnight.
But as despair and resignation descended upon the S&M duo, Steve was struck by a heroic idea! Instead of performing our material as though there were an audience to impress, we should perform each other's material, and at least make it fun for us. And by golly, it was fun. We made sure that the "audience" was in on the joke, and everyone had a great time. We laughed very hard at each other, the other performers laughed very hard at us shouting "IS THAT RIGHT?" at each other, and we gave the producer a springboard for the rest of what turned out to be a very lively show on a lovely Tuesday evening. Lesson learned.
Upcoming shows for us: Jamie will be at Space 55 on 3/24. Both Sanderson and Marek will be at Hidden House on 3/21 and at Monkey Pants every Thursday with the hot dogs and the Captain Morgans and the one o'clock shirtless shots.
This Thursday at Monkey Pants, serving up heaping helpings of comedy will be Zack Andresen, Brian Lester, Jas Clay, Ricardo Rocha, Kevin Gassman, John Connell, Tusconites Ali Musa and Glendon McGee, and RenFesters Louie Skaradek, Duncan Pace and Collete Desingue! Bacon wrapped deep fried hot dogs smothered in nacho cheese will be the gravy on your comedy heaping helping! Just go with me on that.
Pertinent Links:
Get info and tickets for Steve & Jamie's new storytelling show, Jokeless, right here: www.jokeless.net
Follow us on the Twitters: @smcomedysucks @captpiggles @jammysands
Thanks for reading; keep coming out to shows and supporting the Live, Local, Ever Learning, Sage-Like PHX Comedy Scene!
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