Podcasts about Richard Pryor

You are in for a real treat on this episode. My guest this time is Greg Schwem. Greg is a corporate comedian. What is a corporate comedian? You probably can imagine that his work has to do with corporations, and you would be right. Greg will explain much better than I can. Mr. Schwem began his career as a TV journalist but eventually decided to take up what he really wanted to do, be a comedian. The story of how he evolved is quite fascinating by any standard. Greg has done comedy professionally since 1989. He speaks today mostly to corporate audiences. He will tell us how he does his work. It is quite interesting to hear how he has learned to relate to his audiences. As you will discover as Greg and I talk, we often work in the same way to learn about our audiences and thus how we get to relate to them. Greg has written three books. His latest one is entitled “Turning Gut Punches into Punch Lines: A Comedian's Journey Through Cancer, Divorce and Other Hilarious Stuff”. As Greg says, “Don't worry, it's not one of those whiny, ‘woe is me,' self- serving books. Instead, it's a hilarious account of me living the words I've been preaching to my audiences: You can always find humor in every situation, even the tough ones. Greg offers many interesting observations as he discusses his career and how he works. I think we all can find significant lessons we can use from his remarks. About the Guest: Hi! I'm Greg Schwem. a Chicago-based business humor speaker and MC who HuffPost calls “Your boss's favorite comedian.” I've traveled the world providing clean, customized laughs to clients such as Microsoft, IBM, McDonald's and even the CIA. I also write the bi-weekly Humor Hotel column for the Chicago Tribune syndicate. I believe every corporate event needs humor. As I often tell clients, “When times are good, people want to laugh. When times are bad, people need to laugh.” One Fortune 500 client summed things up perfectly, saying “You were fantastic and just what everybody needed during these times.” In September 2024 I released my third and most personal book, Turning Gut Punches into Punch Lines: A Comedian's Journey Through Cancer, Divorce and Other Hilarious Stuff. Don't worry, it's not one of those whiny, “woe is me,” self-serving books. Instead, it's a hilarious account of me living the words I've been preaching to my audiences: You can always find humor in every situation, even the tough ones. You can pick up a copy at Amazon or select book stores. Ways to connect with Greg: Website: www.gregschwem.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/gregschwem LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/gregschwem Instagram: www.instagram.com/gregschwem X: www.x.com/gregschwem About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! 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Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:16 Hi everyone, and welcome to unstoppable mindset. Today we are going to definitely have some fun. I'll tell you about our guests in a moment, but first, I want to tell you about me. That'll take an hour or so. I am Michael Hingson, your host, and you're listening to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And I don't know, we may get inclusion or diversity into this, but our guest is Greg Schwem. Greg used to be a TV reporter, now he's a comedian, not sure which is funnier, but given some of the reporters I've seen on TV, they really should go into tonight club business. But anyway, Greg, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. I really appreciate you being here and taking the time   Greg Schwem ** 02:04 Well, Michael, it is an honor to be included on your show. I'm really looking forward to the next hour of conversation. I   Speaker 1 ** 02:10 told Greg a little while ago, one of my major life ambitions that I never got to do was to go to a Don Rickles concert and sit in the front row so that hopefully he would pick on me, so that I could say, Yeah, I saw you once on TV, and I haven't been able to see since. What do you think of that? You hockey puck, but I never got to do it. So very disappointed. But everybody has bucket list moments, everybody has, but they don't get around to I'm sorry. Yeah, I know. Well, the other one is, I love to pick on Mike Wallace. I did a radio show for six years opposite him in 60 minutes, and I always love to say that Wallace really had criminal tendencies, because he started out being an announcer in radio and he announced things like The Green Hornet and the Sky King and other shows where they had a lot of criminals. So I just figured he had to be associated with criminals somewhere in his life. Of course, everybody picked on him, and he had broad shoulders. And I again, I regret I never got to to meet him, which is sort of disappointing. But I did get to meet Peter Falk. That was kind of fun.   Greg Schwem ** 03:15 Mike Wallace to Peter Falk. Nice transition there. I know.   Michael Hingson ** 03:21 Well I am really glad you're with us. So why don't we start? We'll start with the serious part. Why don't you tell us, kind of about the early Greg schwim and growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to set the stage, as it were,   Greg Schwem ** 03:34 how far back you want to go? You want to go back to Little League, or you want to   Speaker 1 ** 03:37 just, oh, start at the beginning, a long time ago, right? I was a   Greg Schwem ** 03:41 very strange child. No, I you. You obviously introduced me as a as a comedian, and that is my full time job. And you also said that I was a former journalist, and that is my professional career. Yes, I went from, as I always like to say, I went from depressing people all day long, to making them laugh. And that's, that's kind of what I did. I always did want to be I majored in Journalism at Northwestern University, good journalism school. Originally, I always wanted to be a television reporter. That was as a professional career I was, I dabbled in comedy. Started when I was 16. That is the first time I ever got on stage at my school, my high school, and then at a comedy club. I was there one of the first comedy clubs in Chicago, a place called the comedy cottage. It was in the suburb of beautiful, beautiful suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and they were one of the very, very first full time comedy clubs in the nation. And as a 16 year old kid, I actually got on stage and did five minutes here and five minutes there. And thought I was, I was hot stuff, but I never, ever thought I would do it for a living. I thought comedy would always be just a hobby. And I. Especially when I went to college, and I thought, okay, Northwestern is pretty good school, pretty expensive school. I should actually use my degree. And I did. I moved down to Florida, wrote for a newspaper called The Palm Beach post, which, don't let that title fool you. It's Palm Beach was a very small segment of of the area that it was, that it served, but I did comedy on the side, and just because I moved down there, I didn't know anybody, so I hung out at comedy clubs just to have something to do. And little by little, comedy in the late 80s, it exploded. Exploded. There were suddenly clubs popping up everywhere, and you were starting to get to know guys that were doing these clubs and were starting to get recognition for just being comedians. And one of them opened up a very, very good Club opened up about 10 minutes from my apartment in West Palm Beach, and I hung out there and started to get more stage time, and eventually started to realize at the same time that I was getting better as a comedian, I was becoming more disillusioned as a journalist in terms of what my bosses wanted me to report on and the tone they wanted me to use. And I just decided that I would I would just never be able to live with myself if I didn't try it, if I didn't take the the plunge into comedy, and that's what I did in 1989 and I've been doing it ever since. And my career has gone in multiple directions, as I think it needs to. If you're going to be in show business and sustain a career in show business, you have to wear a lot of different hats, which I feel like I've done.   Michael Hingson ** 06:40 So tell me more about that. What does that mean exactly?   Greg Schwem ** 06:43 Well, I mean, I started out as a what you would pretty much if somebody said, If you heard somebody say, I'm a comedian, they would envision some guy that just went to comedy clubs all the time, and that's what I did. I was just a guy that traveled by car all over the Midwest and the Southeast primarily, and did comedy clubs, but I quickly realized that was kind of a going nowhere way to attack it, to do comedy unless you were incredibly lucky, because there were so many guys doing it and so many clubs, and I just didn't see a future in it, and I felt like I had to separate myself from the pack a little bit. And I was living in Chicago, which is where I'm from, and still, still exist. Still reside in Chicago, and I started to get involved with a company that did live trade show presentations. So if you've ever been on a trade show floor and you see people, they're mostly actors and actresses that wear a headset and deliver a spiel, a pitch, like every, every twice an hour, about some company, some new product, and so forth. And I did that, and I started to write material about what I was seeing on trade show floors and putting it into my stand up act, stuff about business, stuff about technology, because I was Hawking a lot of new computers and things like that. This was the mid 90s when technology was exploding, and I started to put this into my stand up act. And then I'd have people come up to me afterwards and say, hey, you know those jokes you did about computers and tech support, if you could come down to our office, you know, we're having a golf tournament, we're having a Christmas party, we would love to hear that material. And little by little, I started transitioning my act into doing shows for the corporate market. I hooked up with a corporate agent, or the corporate agent heard about me, and started to open a lot of doors for me in terms of working for very large corporations, and that's pretty much what I've been doing. I stopped working clubs, and I transitioned, instead of being a comedian, I became a corporate humor speaker. And that's what I do, primarily to this day, is to speak at business conferences. Just kind of get people to loosen up, get them to laugh about what they do all day without without making it sound like I'm belittling what they do. And also when I'm not doing that, I work about eight to 10 weeks a year on cruise ships, performing for cruise audiences. So that's a nice getaway.   Speaker 1 ** 09:18 It's interesting since I mentioned Don Rickles earlier, years ago, I saw an interview that he did with Donahue, and one of the things that Don Rickles said, and after he said it, I thought about it. He said, I really don't want to pick on anyone who's going to be offended by me picking on them. He said, I try to watch really carefully, so that if it looks like somebody's getting offended, I'll leave them alone, because that's not what this is all about. It isn't about abusing people. It's about trying to get people to have fun, and if somebody's offended, I don't want to to pick on them, and I've heard a number of albums and other things with him and just. Noticed that that was really true. He wouldn't pick on someone unless they could take it and had a lot of fun with it. And I thought that was absolutely interesting, because that certainly wasn't, of course, the rep that he had and no, but it was   Greg Schwem ** 10:16 true. It is, and it doesn't take long to see as a as a comedian, when you're looking at an audience member and you're talking to them, it, you can tell very quickly, Are they enjoying this? Are they enjoying being the center of attention? A lot of people are, or are they uncomfortable with it? Now, I don't know that going in. I mean, I you know, of course. And again, that's a very small portion of my show is to talk to the audience, but it is something particularly today. I think audiences want to be more involved. I think they enjoy you talk you. Some of these, the new comedians in their 20s and 30s and so forth. Them, some of them are doing nothing, but what they call crowd work. So they're just doing 45 minutes of talking to the audience, which can be good and can be rough too, because you're working without a net. But I'm happy to give an audience a little bit of that. But I also have a lot of stuff that I want to say too. I mean, I work very hard coming up with material and and refining it, and I want to talk about what's going on in my life, too. So I don't want the audience to be the entire show, right?   Speaker 1 ** 11:26 And and they shouldn't be, because it isn't about that. But at the same time, it is nice to involve them. I find that as a keynote and public speaker, I find that true as well, though, is that audiences do like to be involved. And I do some things right at the outset of most talks to involve people, and also in involving them. I want to get them to last so that I start to draw them in, because later, when I tell the September 11 story, which isn't really a humorous thing. Directly,   Greg Schwem ** 12:04 i know i Good luck. I'm spinning 911 to make it I don't think I've ever heard anybody say, by the way, I was trapped in a building. Stick with me. It's kind of cute. It's got a funny ending. And   Speaker 1 ** 12:20 that's right, and it is hard I can, I can say humorous things along the way in telling the story, but, sure, right, but, but clearly it's not a story that, in of itself, is humorous. But what I realized over the years, and it's really dawned on me in the last four or five years is we now have a whole generation of people who have absolutely no memory of September 11 because they were children or they weren't even born yet. And I believe that my job is to not only talk about it, but literally to draw them into the building and have them walk down the stairs with me, and I have to be descriptive in a very positive way, so that they really are part of what's going on. And the reality is that I do hear people or people come up and say, we were with you when you were going down the stairs. And I think that's my job, because the reality is that we've got to get people to understand there are lessons to be learned from September 11, right? And the only real way to do that is to attract the audience and bring them in. And I think probably mostly, I'm in a better position to do that than most people, because I'm kind of a curious soul, being blind and all that, but it allows me to to draw them in and and it's fun to do that, actually. And I, and   Greg Schwem ** 13:52 I gotta believe, I mean, obviously I wasn't there, Michael, but I gotta believe there were moments of humor in people, a bunch of people going down the stairs. Sure, me, you put people get it's like, it's like when a bunch of people are in an elevator together, you know, I mean, there's I, when I look around and I try to find something humorous in a crowded and it's probably the same thing now, obviously it, you know, you got out in time. But I and, you know, don't that's the hotel phone, which I just hung up so but I think that I can totally see where you're going from, where, if you're if you're talking to people who have no recollection of this, have no memory where you're basically educating them on the whole event. I think you then you have the opportunity to tell the story in whatever way you see fit. And I think that however you choose to do it is there's no wrong way to do it, I guess is what I'm trying to get at.   Speaker 1 ** 14:55 Well, yeah, I think the wrong way is to be two. Graphic and morbid and morbid, but one of the things that I talk about, for example, is that a colleague of mine who was with me, David Frank, at about the 50th floor, suddenly said, Mike, we're going to die. We're not going to make it out of here. And as as I tell the audience, typically, I as as you heard my introduction at the beginning, I have a secondary teaching credential. And one of the things that you probably don't know about teachers is that there's a secret course that every teacher takes called Voice 101, how to yell at students and and so what I tell people is that when David said that, I just said in my best teacher voice, stop it, David, if Roselle and I can go down these stairs, so can you. And he told me later that that brought him out of his funk, and he ended up walking a floor below me and shouting up to me everything he saw. And it was just mainly, everything is clear, like I'm on floor 48 he's on 47/47 floor. Everything is good here, and what I have done for the past several years in telling that part of the story is to say David, in reality, probably did more to keep people calm and focused as we went down the stairs than anyone else, because anyone within the sound of his voice heard someone who was focused and sounded okay. You know, hey, I'm on the 44th floor. This is where the Port Authority cafeteria is not stopping. And it it helps people understand that we all had to do what we could to keep everyone from not panicking. And it almost happened a few times that people did, but we worked at it. But the i The idea is that it helps draw people in, and I think that's so important to do for my particular story is to draw them in and have them walk down the stairs with me, which is what I do, absolutely, yeah, yeah. Now I'm curious about something that keeps coming up. I hear it every so often, public speaker, Speaker experts and people who are supposedly the great gurus of public speaking say you shouldn't really start out with a joke. And I've heard that so often, and I'm going give me a break. Well, I think, I think it depends, yeah, I think   Greg Schwem ** 17:33 there's two schools of thought to that. I think if you're going to start out with a joke, it better be a really good one, or something that you either has been battle tested, because if it doesn't work now, you, you know, if you're hoping for a big laugh, now you're saying, Well, you're a comedian, what do you do? You know, I mean, I, I even, I just sort of work my way into it a little bit. Yeah, and I'm a comedian, so, and, you know, it's funny, Michael, I will get, I will get. I've had CEOs before say to me, Hey, you know, I've got to give this presentation next week. Give me a joke I can tell to everybody. And I always decline. I always it's like, I don't need that kind of pressure. And it's like, I can, I can, I can tell you a funny joke, but,   Michael Hingson ** 18:22 but you telling the   Greg Schwem ** 18:23 work? Yeah, deliver it. You know, I can't deliver it for you. Yeah? And I think that's what I also, you know, on that note, I've never been a big fan of Stand Up Comedy classes, and you see them all popping up all over the place. Now, a lot of comedy clubs will have them, and usually the you take the class, and the carrot at the end is you get to do five minutes at a comedy club right now, if that is your goal, if you're somebody who always like, Gosh, I wonder what it would like be like to stand up on stage and and be a comedian for five minutes. That's something I really like to try. By all means, take the class, all right. But if you think that you're going to take this class and you're going to emerge a much funnier person, like all of a sudden you you weren't funny, but now you are, don't take the class, yeah? And I think, sadly, I think that a lot of people sign up for these classes thinking the latter, thinking that they will all of a sudden become, you know, a comedian. And it doesn't work that way. I'm sorry you cannot teach unfunny people to be funny. Yeah, some of us have the gift of it, and some of us don't. Some of us are really good with our hands, and just know how to build stuff and how to look at things and say, I can do that. And some of us, myself included, definitely do not. You know, I think you can teach people to be more comfortable, more comfortable in front of an audience and. Correct. I think that is definitely a teachable thing, but I don't think that you can teach people to be funnier   Speaker 1 ** 20:10 and funnier, and I agree with that. I tend to be amazed when I keep hearing that one of the top fears in our world is getting up in front of an audience and talking with them, because people really don't understand that audiences, whatever you're doing, want you to succeed, and they're not against you, but we have just conditioned ourselves collectively that speaking is something to be afraid of?   Greg Schwem ** 20:41 Yes, I think, though it's, I'm sure, that fear, though, of getting up in front of people has only probably been exacerbated and been made more intense because now everybody in the audience has a cell phone and to and to be looking out at people and to see them on their phones. Yeah, you're and yet, you prepped all day long. You've been nervous. You've been you probably didn't sleep the night before. If you're one of these people who are afraid of speaking in public, yeah, and then to see people on their phones. You know, it used to bother me. It doesn't anymore, because it's just the society we live in. I just, I wish, I wish people could put their phones down and just enjoy laughing for 45 minutes. But unfortunately, our society can't do that anymore, so I just hope that I can get most of them to stop looking at it.   Speaker 1 ** 21:32 I don't make any comments about it at the beginning, but I have, on a number of occasions, been delivering a speech, and I hear a cell phone ring, and I'll stop and go, Hello. And I don't know for sure what the person with the cell phone does, but by the same token, you know they really shouldn't be on their phone and and it works out, okay, nobody's ever complained about it. And when I just say hello, or I'll go Hello, you don't say, you know, and things like that, but, but I don't, I don't prolong it. I'll just go back to what I was talking about. But I remember, when I lived in New Jersey, Sandy Duncan was Peter Pan in New York. One night she was flying over the audience, and there was somebody on his cell phone, and she happened to be going near him, and she just kicked the phone out of his hand. And I think that's one of the things that started Broadway in saying, if you have a cell phone, turn it off. And those are the announcements that you hear at the beginning of any Broadway performance today.   Greg Schwem ** 22:39 Unfortunately, people don't abide by that. I know you're still hearing cell phones go off, yeah, you know, in Broadway productions at the opera or wherever, so people just can't and there you go. There that just shows you're fighting a losing battle.   Speaker 1 ** 22:53 Yeah, it's just one of those things, and you got to cope with it.   Greg Schwem ** 22:58 What on that note, though, there was, I will say, if I can interrupt real quick, there was one show I did where nobody had their phone. It was a few years ago. I spoke at the CIA. I spoke for some employees of the CIA. And this might, this might freak people out, because you think, how is it that America's covert intelligence agency, you think they would be on their phones all the time. No, if you work there, you cannot have your phone on you. And so I had an audience of about 300 people who I had their total attention because there was no other way to they had no choice but to listen to me, and it was wonderful. It was just a great show, and I it was just so refreshing. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 23:52 and mostly I don't hear cell phones, but they do come up from time to time. And if they do, then you know it happens. Now my one of my favorite stories is I once spoke in Maryland at the Department of Defense, which anybody who knows anything knows that's the National Security Agency, but they call it the Department of Defense, as if we don't know. And my favorite story is that I had, at the time, a micro cassette recorder, and it died that morning before I traveled to Fort Meade, and I forgot to just throw it away, and it was in my briefcase. So I got to the fort, they searched, apparently, didn't find it, but on the way out, someone found it. They had to get a bird Colonel to come to decide what to do with it. I said, throw it away. And they said, No, we can't do that. It's yours. And they they decided it didn't work, and they let me take it and I threw it away. But it was so, so funny to to be at the fort and see everybody running around crazy. See, what do we do with this micro cassette recorder? This guy's been here for an hour. Yeah. So it's it. You know, all sorts of things happen. What do you think about you know, there's a lot of discussion about comedians who use a lot of foul language in their shows, and then there are those who don't, and people seem to like the shock value of that.   Greg Schwem ** 25:25 Yeah, I'm very old school in that. I guess my short answer is, No, I've never, ever been one of those comedians. Ever I do a clean show, I actually learned my lesson very early on. I think I think that I think comedians tend to swear because when they first start out, out of nerves, because I will tell you that profanity does get laughter. And I've always said, if you want to, if you want to experiment on that, have a comedian write a joke, and let's say he's got two shows that night. Let's say he's got an eight o'clock show and a 10 o'clock show. So let's say he does the joke in the eight o'clock and it's, you know, the cadence is bumper, bump up, bump up, bump up, punch line. Okay, now let's and let's see how that plays. Now let's now he does the 10 o'clock show and it's bumper, bump up, bump up F and Okay, yeah, I pretty much guarantee you the 10 o'clock show will get a bigger laugh. Okay? Because he's sort of, it's like the audience is programmed like, oh, okay, we're supposed to laugh at that now. And I think a lot of comedians think, Aha, I have just discovered how to be successful as a comedian. I will just insert the F word in front of every punch line, and you can kind of tell what comedians do that and what comedians I mean. I am fine with foul language, but have some jokes in there too. Don't make them. Don't make the foul word, the joke, the joke, right? And I can say another thing nobody has ever said to me, I cannot hire you because you're too clean. I've never gotten that. And all the years I've been doing this, and I know there's lots of comedians who who do work blue, who have said, you know, who have been turned down for that very reason. So I believe, if you're a comedian, the only way to get better is to work any place that will have you. Yeah, and you can't, so you might as well work clean so you can work any place that will have you, as opposed to being turned away.   Speaker 1 ** 27:30 Well, and I, and I know what, what happened to him and all that, but at the same time, I grew up listening to Bill Cosby and the fact that he was always clean. And, yeah, I understand everything that happened, but you can't deny and you can't forget so many years of humor and all the things that that he brought to the world, and the joy he brought to the world in so many ways.   Greg Schwem ** 27:57 Oh, yeah, no, I agree. I agree. And he Yeah, he worked everywhere. Jay Leno is another one. I mean, Jay Leno is kind of on the same wavelength as me, as far as don't let the profanity become the joke. You know, Eddie Murphy was, you know, was very foul. Richard Pryor, extremely foul. I but they also, prior, especially, had very intelligent material. I mean, you can tell and then if you want to insert your F bombs and so forth, that's fine, but at least show me that you're trying. At least show me that you came in with material in addition to the   Speaker 1 ** 28:36 foul language. The only thing I really have to say about all that is it? Jay Leno should just stay away from cars, but that's another story.   Greg Schwem ** 28:43 Oh, yeah, it's starting to   Greg Schwem ** 28:47 look that way. Yeah, it   Michael Hingson ** 28:49 was. It was fun for a while, Jay, but yeah, there's just two. It's like, Harrison Ford and plains. Yeah, same concept. At some point you're like, this isn't working out. Now I submit that living here in Victorville and just being out on the streets and being driven around and all that, I am firmly convinced, given the way most people drive here, that the bigoted DMV should let me have a license, because I am sure I can drive as well as most of the clowns around here. Yeah, so when they drive, I have no doubt. Oh, gosh. Well, you know, you switched from being a TV journalist and so on to to comedy. Was it a hard choice? Was it really difficult to do, or did it just seem like this is the time and this is the right thing to do. I was   Greg Schwem ** 29:41 both, you know, it was hard, because I really did enjoy my job and I liked, I liked being a TV news reporter. I liked, I liked a job that was different every day once you got in there, because you didn't know what they were going to send you out to do. Yes, you had. To get up and go to work every day and so forth. So there's a little bit of, you know, there's a little bit of the mundane, just like there is in any job, but once you were there, I liked, just never known what the day would bring, right? And and I, I think if I'd stayed with it, I think I think I could have gone pretty far, particularly now, because the now it's more people on TV are becoming more entertainers news people are becoming, yeah, they are. A lot of would be, want to be comedians and so forth. And I don't particularly think that's appropriate, but I agree. But so it was hard to leave, but it gets back to what I said earlier. At some point, you got to say, I was seeing comedians making money, and I was thinking, gosh, you know, if they're making money at this I I'm not hilarious, but I know I'm funnier than that guy. Yeah, I'm funnier than her, so why not? And I was young, and I was single, and I thought, if I if I don't try it now, I never will. And, and I'll bet there's just some hilarious people out there, yeah, who who didn't ever, who just were afraid   Michael Hingson ** 31:14 to take that chance, and they wouldn't take the leap, yeah,   Greg Schwem ** 31:16 right. And now they're probably kicking themselves, and I'm sure maybe they're very successful at what they do, but they're always going to say, what if, if I only done this? I don't ever, I don't, ever, I never, ever wanted to say that. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 31:31 well, and there's, there's something to be said for being brave and stepping out and doing something that you don't expect, or that you didn't expect, or that you weren't sure how it was going to go, but if you don't try, then you're never going to know just how, how much you could really accomplish and how much you can really do. And I think that the creative people, whatever they're being creative about, are the people who do step out and are willing to take a chance.   Greg Schwem ** 31:59 Yeah, yeah. And I told my kids that too. You know, it's just like, if it's something that you're passionate about, do it. Just try it. If it doesn't work out, then at least you can say I tried   Speaker 1 ** 32:09 it and and if it doesn't work out, then you can decide, what do I need to do to figure out why it didn't work out, or is it just not me? I want   Greg Schwem ** 32:18 to keep going? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.   Speaker 1 ** 32:21 So what is the difference between being a nightclub comedian and a corporate comedian? Because they are somewhat different. I think I know the answer. But what would you say that the differences between them? I think   Greg Schwem ** 32:33 the biggest thing is the audiences. I think when you when you are a nightclub comedian, you are working in front of people who are there to be entertained. Yeah, they, they paid money for that. That's what they're expecting. They, they, at some point during the day, they said, Hey, let's, let's go laugh tonight. That's what we really want to do when you're working in front of a corporate audiences. That's not necessarily the case. They are there. I primarily do business conferences and, you know, association meetings and so forth. And I'm just one cog in the wheel of a whole day's worth of meetings are, for the most part, very dry and boring, maybe certainly necessary educational. They're learning how to do their job better or something. And then you have a guy like me come in, and people aren't always ready to laugh, yeah, despite the fact that they probably need to, but they just they're not always in that mindset. And also the time of day. I mean, I do a lot of shows at nine in the morning. I do shows after lunch, right before lunch. I actually do very few shows in the evening, believe it or not. And so then you you have to, you kind of have to, in the while you're doing your act or your presentation or your speech, as I call it, you kind of have to let them know that it is okay. What you're doing is okay, and they should be okay with laughing. They shouldn't be looking around the whole time wondering if other people are laughing. You know, can I, can I? Can I tell you a quick story about how I drive that point home. Why not? Yeah, it's, I'll condense it into like five minutes. I mentioned that I worked on that I work on cruise ships occasionally, and I one night I was performing, and it was the first night of the cruise. And if anybody's ever been on a cruise, note, the first night, first night entertainers don't like the first night because people are tired. You know, they're they're a little edgy because they've been traveling all day. They're they're confused because they're not really sure where they're going on a ship. And the ones that have got it figured out usually over serve themselves because they're on vacation. So you put all that, so I'm doing my show on the first. Night, and it's going very well. And about five, six minutes in, I do a joke. Everybody laughs. Everybody shuts up. And from the back of the room in total darkness, I hear hat just like that. And I'm like, All right, you know, probably over served. So the rule of comedy is that everybody gets like. I was like, I'll let it go once, yeah. So I just kind of looked off in that direction, didn't say anything. Kept going with my active going with my act. About 10 minutes later, same thing happens. I tell a joke. Everybody laughs. Everybody shuts up. Hat now I'm like, Okay, I have got to, I've got to address the elephant in the room. So I think I just made some comment, like, you know, I didn't know Roseanne Barr was on this cruise, you know, because that was like the sound of the Yeah. Okay, everybody laugh. Nothing happened about five minutes later. It happens a third time. And now I'm just like, this is gonna stop. I'm going to put a stop to this. And I just fired off. I can't remember, like, three just like, hey man, you know you're you're just a little behind everybody else in this show and probably in life too, that, you know, things like that, and it never happened again. So I'm like, okay, mission accomplished on my part. Comedians love it when we can shut up somebody like that. Anyway. Show's over, I am out doing a meet and greet. Some guy comes up to me and he goes, hey, hey, you know that kid you were making fun of is mentally handicapped. And now, of course, I don't know this, but out of the corner of my eye, I see from the other exit a man pushing a son, his son in a wheelchair out of the showroom. And I'm just like, Oh, what have I done? And yeah. And of course, when you're on a cruise, you're you're on a cruise. When you're a cruise ship entertainer, you have to live with your audience. So I couldn't hide. I spent like the next three days, and it seemed like wherever I was, the man and his son in the wheelchair were nearby. And finally, on the fourth day, I think was, I was waiting for an elevator. Again, 3500 people on this ship, okay, I'm waiting for an elevator. The elevator door opens. Guess who are the only two people the elevator, the man and his son. And I can't really say I'll wait for the next one. So I get on, and I said to this the father, I said, I just want you to know I had no idea. You know, I'm so sorry. I can't see back there, this kind of thing. And the dad looks at me. He puts his hand up to stop me, and he points to me, and he goes, I thought you were hysterical. And it was, not only was it relief, but it kind of, it's sort of a lesson that if you think something is funny, you should laugh at it. Yeah. And I think sometimes in corporate America, my point in this. I think sometimes when you do these corporate shows, I think that audience members forget that. I think very busy looking around to see if their immediate boss thinks it's funny, and eventually everybody's looking at the CEO to see if they're like, you know, I think if you're doing it that way, if that's the way you're you're approaching humor. You're doing yourself a disservice, if right, stopping yourself from laughing at something that you think is funny.   Speaker 1 ** 38:09 I do think that that all too often the problem with meetings is that we as a as a country, we in corporations, don't do meetings, right anyway, for example, early on, I heard someone at a convention of the National Federation of the Blind say he was the new executive director of the American Foundation for the Blind, and he said, I have instituted a policy, no Braille, no meetings. And what that was all about was to say, if you're going to have a meeting, you need to make sure that all the documentation is accessible to those who aren't going to read the print. I take it further and say you shouldn't be giving out documentation during the meeting. And you can use the excuse, well, I got to get the latest numbers and all that. And my point is, you shouldn't be giving out documentation at a meeting, because the meeting is for people to communicate and interact with each other. And if you're giving out papers and so on, what are people going to do? They're going to read that, and they're not going to listen to the speakers. They're not going to listen to the other people. And we do so many things like that, we've gotten into a habit of doing things that become so predictable, but also make meetings very boring, because who wants to look at the papers where you can be listening to people who have a lot more constructive and interesting things to say anyway?   Greg Schwem ** 39:36 Yeah, yeah. I think, I think COVID definitely changed, some for the some for the better and some for the worse. I think that a lot of things that were done at meetings COVID and made us realize a lot of that stuff could be done virtually, that you didn't have to just have everybody sit and listen to people over and over and over again.   Speaker 1 ** 39:58 But unless you're Donald Trump. Up. Yeah, that's another story.   Greg Schwem ** 40:02 Yes, exactly another podcast episode. But, yeah, I do think also that. I think COVID changed audiences. I think, you know, we talked a little bit earlier about crowd work, right, and audiences wanting to be more involved. I think COVID precipitated that, because, if you think about it, Michael, for two and a half years during COVID, our sole source of entertainment was our phone, right? Which meant that we were in charge of the entertainment experience. You don't like something, swipe left, scroll down, scroll, scroll, scroll, find something else. You know, that kind of thing. I'm not I'm not entertained in the next four or five seconds. So I'm going to do this. And I think when live entertainment returned, audiences kind of had to be retrained a little bit, where they had to learn to sit and listen and wait for the entertainment to come to them. And granted, it might not happen immediately. It might not happen in the first five seconds, but you have to just give give people like me a chance. It will come to you. It will happen, but it might not be on your timetable,   Speaker 1 ** 41:13 right? Well, and I think that is all too true for me. I didn't find didn't find COVID to be a great inconvenience, because I don't look at the screen anyway, right? So in a sense, for me, COVID wasn't that much of a change, other than not being in an office or not being physically at a meeting, and so I was listening to the meeting on the computer, and that has its nuances. Like you don't necessarily get the same information about how everyone around you is reacting, but, but it didn't bother me, I think, nearly as much as it did everyone else who has to look at everyone. Of course, I have no problems picking on all those people as well, because what I point out is that that disabilities has to be redefined, because every one of you guys has your own disability. You're light dependent, and you don't do well when there's dark, when, when the dark shows up and and we now have an environment where Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb, and we've spent the last 147 years doing everything we can to make sure that light is pretty ubiquitous, but it doesn't change a thing when suddenly the power goes out and you don't have immediate access to light. So that's as much a disability as us light, independent people who don't   Greg Schwem ** 42:36 care about that, right? Right? I hear, I agree, but it is but   Speaker 1 ** 42:41 it is interesting and and it is also important that we all understand each other and are willing to tolerate the fact that there are differences in people, and we need to recognize that with whatever we're doing.   42:53 Yeah, I agree.   Speaker 1 ** 42:57 What do you think about so today, we have obviously a really fractured environment and fractured country, and everyone's got their own opinions, and nobody wants to talk about anything, especially politics wise. How do you think that's all affecting comedy and what you get to do and what other people are doing?   Greg Schwem ** 43:18 Well, I think Pete, I think there's, there's multiple answers to that question too. I think, I think it makes people nervous, wondering what the minute a comedian on stage brings up politics, the minute he starts talking about a politician, whether it's our president, whether it's somebody else, you can sense a tension in the room a little bit, and it's, it's, I mean, it's funny. I, one of my best friends in comedy, got to open for another comedian at Carnegie Hall a couple of years ago, and I went to see him, and I'm sitting way up in the top, and he is just crushing it. And then at one point he he brought up, he decided to do an impression of Mitch McConnell, which he does very well. However, the minute he said, Mitch McConnell, I you could just sense this is Carnegie freaking Hall, and after the show, you know, he and I always like to dissect each other's shows. That's what comedians do. And I just said to him, I go. Why did you decide to insert Mitch McConnell in there? And I, and I didn't say it like, you moron, that was stupid, yeah, but I was genuinely curious. And he just goes, well, I just really like doing that bit, and I like doing that voice and so forth, but, and it's not like the show crashed and burned afterwards. No, he did the joke, and then he got out of it, and he went on to other stuff, and it was fine, but I think that people are just so on their guard now, yeah, and, and that's why, you know, you know Jay Leno always said he was an equal opportunity offender. I think you will do better with politics if you really want. Insert politics into your act. I think he would be better making fun of both sides. Yeah, it's true. Yeah. And I think too often comedians now use the the stage as kind of a Bully, bully pulpit, like I have microphone and you don't. I am now going to give you my take on Donald Trump or the Democrats or whatever, and I've always said, talk about anything you want on stage, but just remember, you're at a comedy club. People came to laugh. So is there a joke in here? Yeah, or are you just ranting because you gotta be careful. You have to get this off your chest, and your way is right. It's, it's, you know, I hate to say it, but that's, that's why podcast, no offense, Michael, yours, is not like this. But I think one of the reasons podcasters have gotten so popular is a lot of people, just a lot of podcast hosts see a podcast is a chance to just rant about whatever's on their mind. And it's amazing to me how many podcast hosts that are hosted by comedians have a second guy have a sidekick to basically laugh and agree with whatever that person says. I think Joe Rogan is a classic example, and he's one of the most popular ones. But, and I don't quite understand that, because you know, if you're a comedian, you you made the choice to work solo, right? So why do you need somebody else with you?   Speaker 1 ** 46:33 I'm I'm fairly close to Leno. My remark is a little bit different. I'm not so much an equal opportunity offender as I am an equal opportunity abuser. I'll pick on both sides if politics comes into it at all, and it's and it's fun, and I remember when George W Bush was leaving the White House, Letterman said, Now we're not going to have anybody to joke about anymore. And everyone loved it. But still, I recognize that in the world today, people don't want to hear anything else. Don't confuse me with the facts or any of that, and it's so unfortunate, but it is the way it is, and so it's wiser to stay away from a lot of that, unless you can really break through the barrier,   Greg Schwem ** 47:21 I think so. And I also think that people, one thing you have to remember, I think, is when people come to a comedy show, they are coming to be entertained. Yeah, they are coming to kind of escape from the gloom and doom that unfortunately permeates our world right now. You know? I mean, I've always said that if you, if you walked up to a comedy club on a Saturday night, and let's say there were 50 people waiting outside, waiting to get in, and you asked all 50 of them, what do you hope happens tonight? Or or, Why are you here? All right, I think from all 50 you would get I would just like to laugh, yeah, I don't think one of them is going to say, you know, I really hope that my opinions on what's happening in the Middle East get challenged right now, but he's a comedian. No one is going to say that. No, no. It's like, I hope I get into it with the comedian on stage, because he thinks this way about a woman's right to choose, and I think the other way. And I really, really hope that he and I will get into an argument about to the middle of the   Speaker 1 ** 48:37 show. Yeah, yeah. That's not why people come?   Greg Schwem ** 48:40 No, it's not. And I, unfortunately, I think again, I think that there's a lot of comedians that don't understand that. Yeah, again, talk about whatever you want on stage, but just remember that your your surroundings, you if you build yourself as a comedian,   48:56 make it funny. Yeah, be funny.   Speaker 1 ** 49:00 Well, and nowadays, especially for for you, for me and so on, we're we're growing older and and I think you point out audiences are getting younger. How do you deal with that?   Greg Schwem ** 49:12 Well, what I try to do is I a couple of things. I try to talk as much as I can about topics that are relevant to a younger generation. Ai being one, I, one of the things I do in my my show is I say, oh, you know, I I really wasn't sure how to start off. And when you're confused these days, you you turn to answer your questions. You turn to chat GPT, and I've actually written, you know, said to chat GPT, you know, I'm doing a show tonight for a group of construction workers who work in the Midwest. It's a $350 million company, and it says, try to be very specific. Give me a funny opening line. And of course, chat GPT always comes up with some. Something kind of stupid, which I then relate to the audience, and they love that, you know, they love that concept. So I think there's, obviously, there's a lot of material that you can do on generational differences, but I, I will say I am very, very aware that my audience is, for the most part, younger than me now, unless I want to spend the rest of my career doing you know, over 55 communities, not that they're not great laughers, but I also think there's a real challenge in being older than your audience and still being able to make them laugh. But I think you have to remember, like you said, there's there's people now that don't remember 911 that have no concept of it, yeah, so don't be doing references from, say, the 1980s or the early 1990s and then come off stage and go, Man, nobody that didn't hit at all. No one, no one. They're stupid. They don't get it. Well, no, they, they, it sounds they don't get it. It's just that they weren't around. They weren't around, right? So that's on you.   Speaker 1 ** 51:01 One of the things that you know people ask me is if I will do virtual events, and I'll do virtual events, but I also tell people, the reason I prefer to do in person events is that I can sense what the audience is doing, how they're reacting and what they feel. If I'm in a room speaking to people, and I don't have that same sense if I'm doing something virtually, agreed same way. Now for me, at the same time, I've been doing this now for 23 years, so I have a pretty good idea in general, how to interact with an audience, to draw them in, even in a virtual environment, but I still tend to be a little bit more careful about it, and it's just kind of the way it is, you know, and you and you learn to deal with it well for you, have you ever had writer's block, and how did you deal with it?   Greg Schwem ** 51:57 Yes, I have had writer's block. I don't I can't think of a single comedian who's never had writer's block, and if they say they haven't, I think they're lying when I have writer's block, the best way for me to deal with this and just so you know, I'm not the kind of comedian that can go that can sit down and write jokes. I can write stories. I've written three books, but I can't sit down and just be funny for an hour all by myself. I need interaction. I need communication. And I think when I have writer's block, I tend to go out and try and meet strangers and can engage them in conversation and find out what's going on with them. I mean, you mentioned about dealing with the younger audience. I am a big believer right now in talking to people who are half my age. I like doing that in social settings, because I just, I'm curious. I'm curious as to how they think. I'm curious as to, you know, how they spend money, how they save money, how what their hopes and dreams are for the future, what that kind of thing, and that's the kind of stuff that then I'll take back and try and write material about. And I think that, I think it's fun for me, and it's really fun to meet somebody who I'll give you a great example just last night. Last night, I was I there's a there's a bar that I have that's about 10 a stone's throw from my condo, and I love to stop in there and and every now and then, sometimes I'll sit there and I won't meet anybody, and sometimes different. So there was a guy, I'd say he's probably in his early 30s, sitting too over, and he was reading, which I find intriguing, that people come to a bar and read, yeah, people do it, I mean. And I just said to him, I go, and he was getting ready to pay his bill, and I just said, if you don't mind me asking, What are you reading? And he's like, Oh, it's by Ezra Klein. And I go, you know, I've listened to Ezra Klein before. And he goes, Yeah, you know? He says, I'm a big fan. And debt to debt to dad. Next thing, you know, we're just, we're just riffing back and forth. And I ended up staying. He put it this way, Michael, it took him a very long time to pay his bill because we had a conversation, and it was just such a pleasure to to people like that, and I think that, and it's a hard thing. It's a hard thing for me to do, because I think people are on their guard, a little bit like, why is this guy who's twice my age talking to me at a bar? That's that seems a little weird. And I would get that. I can see that. But as I mentioned in my latest book, I don't mean because I don't a whole chapter to this, and I I say in the book, I don't mean you any harm. I'm not trying to hit on you, or I'm not creepy old guy at the bar. I am genuinely interested in your story. And. In your life, and and I just, I want to be the least interesting guy in the room, and that's kind of how I go about my writing, too. Is just you, you drive the story. And even though I'm the comedian, I'll just fill in the gaps and make them funny.   Speaker 1 ** 55:15 Well, I know that I have often been invited to speak at places, and I wondered, What am I going to say to this particular audience? How am I going to deal with them? They're they're different than what I'm used to. What I found, I guess you could call that writer's block, but what I found is, if I can go early and interact with them, even if I'm the very first speaker, if I can interact with them beforehand, or if there are other people speaking before me, invariably, I will hear things that will allow me to be able to move on and give a relevant presentation specifically to that group, which is what it's really all about. And so I'm with you, and I appreciate it, and it's good to get to the point where you don't worry about the block, but rather you look at ways to move forward and interact with people and make it fun, right,   Greg Schwem ** 56:13 right? And I do think people, I think COVID, took that away from us a little bit, yeah, obviously, but I but, and I do think people missed that. I think that people, once you get them talking, are more inclined to not think that you're you have ulterior motives. I think people do enjoy putting their phones down a little bit, but it's, it's kind of a two way street when I, when I do meet people, if it's if it's only me asking the questions, eventually I'm going to get tired of that. Yeah, I think there's a, there has to be a reciprocity thing a little bit. And one thing I find is, is with the Gen Z's and maybe millennials. They're not, they're not as good at that as I think they could be. They're more they're they're happy to talk about themselves, but they're not really good at saying so what do you do for a living? Or what you know, tell me about you. And I mean, that's how you learn about other people. Yeah,   Speaker 1 ** 57:19 tell me about your your latest book, Turning gut punches into punchlines. That's a interesting title, yeah, well, the more   Greg Schwem ** 57:26 interesting is the subtitle. So it's turning gut punches into punch punch lines, A Comedian's journey through cancer, divorce and other hilarious stuff.   Speaker 1 ** 57:35 No, like you haven't done anything in the world. Okay, right? So   Greg Schwem ** 57:38 other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln. Yeah, exactly. See, now you get that reference. I don't know if I could use that on stage, but anyway, depend on your audience. But yeah, they're like, What's he talking   Speaker 1 ** 57:50 who's Lincoln? And I've been to Ford theater too, so that's okay, yes, as have I. So it was much later than, than, well, than Lincoln, but that's okay.   Greg Schwem ** 57:58 You're not that old, right? No. Well, okay, so as the title, as the title implies, I did have sort of a double, double gut punch, it just in the last two years. So I, I got divorced late in life, after 29 years of marriage. And while that was going on, I got a colon cancer diagnosis and and at this end, I was dealing with all this while also continuing work as a humor speaker, okay, as a comedian. And I just decided I got it. First of all, I got a very clean bill of health. I'm cancer free. I am finally divorced so and I, I started to think, I wonder if there's some humor in this. I I would, I would, you know, Michael, I've been on stage for like, 25 years telling people that, you know, you can find something funny to laugh at. You can find humor in any situation. It's kind of like what you're talking about all the people going down the stairs in the building in the world trade center. All right, if you look around enough, you know, maybe there's something funny, and I've been preaching that, but I never really had to live that until now. And I thought, you know, maybe there's something here. Maybe I can this is my chance now to embrace new experiences. It was kind of when I got divorced, when you've been married half your life and all of a sudden you get divorced, everything's new to you, yeah, you're, you're, you're living alone, you you're doing things that your spouse did, oh, so many years. And you're having to do those, and you're having to make new friends, yeah, and all of that, I think, is very humorous. So the more I saw a book in there that I started writing before the cancer diagnosis, and I thought was there enough here? Just like, okay, a guy at 60 years old gets divorced now what's going to happen to him? The diagnosis? Kind. Made it just added another wrinkle to the book, because now I have to deal with this, and I have to find another subject to to make light of a little bit. So the book is not a memoir, you know, I don't start it off. And, you know, when I was seven, you know, I played, you know, I was, I went to this school night. It's not that. It's more just about reinvention and just seeing that you can be happy later in life, even though you have to kind of rewrite your your story a little   Speaker 1 ** 1:00:33 bit. And I would assume, and I would assume, you bring some of that into your ACT every so   Greg Schwem ** 1:00:38 very much. So yeah, I created a whole new speech called Turning gut punches into punchlines. And I some of the stuff that I, that I did, but, you know, there's a chapter in the book about, I about gig work, actually three chapters I, you know, I went to work for Amazon during the Christmas holiday rush, just scanning packages. I wanted to see what that was like. I drove for Uber I which I did for a while. And to tell you the truth, I miss it. I ended up selling my car, but I miss it because of the what we just talked about. It was a great way to communicate with people. It was a great way to talk to people, find out about them, be the least interesting person in the car, anyway. And there's a chapter about dating and online dating, which I had not had to do in 30 years. There's a lot of humor in that. I went to therapy. I'd never gone to therapy before. I wrote a chapter about that. So I think people really respond to this book, because they I think they see a lot of themselves in it. You know, lots of people have been divorced. There's lots of cancer survivors out there, and there's lots of people who just suddenly have hit a speed bump in their life, and they're not really sure how to deal with it, right? And my way, this book is just about deal with it through laughter. And I'm the perfect example.   Speaker 1 ** 1:01:56 I hear you, Oh, I I know, and I've been through the same sort of thing as you not a divorce, but my wife and I were married for 40 years, and she passed away in November of 2022 after 40 years of marriage. And as I tell people, as I tell people, I got to be really careful, because she's monitoring me from somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it, so I got to be a good kid, and I don't even chase the women so. But I also point out that none of them have been chasing me either, so I guess I just do what we got to do. But the reality is, I think there are always ways to find some sort of a connection with other people, and then, of course, that's what what you do. It's all about creating a connection, creating a relationship, even if it's only for a couple of hours or an hour or 45 minutes, but, but you do it, which is what it's all about?   Greg Schwem ** 1:02:49 Yeah, exactly. And I think the funniest stuff is real life experience. Oh, absolutely, you know. And if people can see themselves in in what I've written, then I've done my job as a writer.   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:03 So do you have any plans to retire?   Greg Schwem ** 1:03:06 Never. I mean, good for you retire from what   1:03:09 I know right, making fun of people   Greg Schwem ** 1:03:12 and making them laugh. I mean, I don't know what I would do with myself, and even if I there's always going to be I don't care how technology, technologically advanced our society gets. People will always want and need to laugh. Yeah, they're always going to want to do that. And if they're want, if they're wanting to do that, then I will find, I will find a way to get to them. And that's why I, as I said, That's why, like working on cruise ships has become, like a new, sort of a new avenue for me to make people laugh. And so, yeah, I don't I there's, there's no way. I don't know what else I would do with   Speaker 1 ** 1:03:53 myself, well and from my perspective, as long as I can inspire people, yes, I can make people think a little bit and feel better about themselves. I'm going to do it right. And, and, and I do. And I wrote a book during COVID that was published last August called Live like a guide dog. And it's all about helping people learn to control fear. And I use lessons I learned from eight guide dogs and my wife service dog to do that. My wife was in a wheelchair her whole life. Great marriage. She read, I pushed worked out well, but, but the but the but the bottom line is that dogs can teach us so many lessons, and there's so much that we can learn from them. So I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to create this book and and get it out there. And I think that again, as long as I can continue to inspire people, I'm going to do it. Because   Greg Schwem ** 1:04:47 why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't I exactly right? Yeah, yeah. So,   Speaker 1 ** 1:04:51 I mean, I think if I, if I stopped, I think my wife would beat up on me, so I gotta be nice exactly. She's monitoring from somewhere

Superman (2025) is leaping over box office records in a single bound, so we're reviewing the best film in the franchise, according to Richard Pryor, Superman III! Plus: Trainwreck: Woodstock 99 and The Running Man reboot!Time Codes---------------Host Banter: 1:32Nerdy News: 5:28Film Review: Superman III: 8:24Game: Kryptonian Consequences: 34:38Radical Recommends: 39:11Trailer Review: The Running Man (2025): 42:42

In this lively installment, co-hosts Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan invite you to a sun-soaked, tropical "vacation" where the drinks are (supposedly) flowing and the conversation is all about the magic of comedy. But don't let the tiki vibes fool you—today's theme is comedy alchemy: turning tragedy into hilarity.Alex and Chris dive deep into the art of weaving humor into even the heaviest of stories, sharing their backgrounds in comedy and breaking down classic examples from screenwriting, television, and stand-up. They tackle common misconceptions about writing humor, reveal the importance of character-driven comedy, and discuss how some of the most serious subjects—such as grief, trauma, and social injustice—can be made more accessible through laughter.From the slapstick genius of Laurel and Hardy to the masterful storytelling of Richard Pryor, plus lessons from sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Ties, and Scrubs, this episode is packed with real-world advice for writers looking to bring light into the darkness. Whether you're trying to find the funny in your own writing or want to understand the power of comedy better, get ready for a mix of practical tips, memorable examples, and a healthy dose of classic Chris-and-Alex banter.So put on your sunglasses, settle in, and discover how to turn pain into punchlines—because every great story could use a little laugh.Have any questions, comments, or suggestions?Then, please leave them in the Comments Section.Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.comAnd follow us on ...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TellTheDamnStory.comwww.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/ Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you're enjoying these episodes, please take a moment to help wet our whistle by clicking on the link to ... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tellthedamnstory 

It's Stev3's pick for movie night and we look back at the 1980 comedy "Stir Crazy" starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.   #generationx #genx #livestream #podcast #moviereview #elbowsup #elbowup #80smovies #90smovies #stircrazy #richardpryor #genewilder #comedy #livestream

Allan Katz joined me to discuss Kukla, Fran & Ollie; joining the National Guard; becoming a copywriter; Screaming Yellow Zonkers; George Schlatter calls him; staying in a hotel and writing writing on legal pads; teaming with Larry Siegel on monologues; Laugh In skits almost like an ad; Bill Richmond; meeting Orson Welles; Lily Tomlin; writing freelance All in the Family and Sanford & Son episodes; creating the character of Julio; working on Thicker and Water and pilot Lampoon; ABC Comedy News with Richard Pryor, Bob & Ray, and Albert Brooks; writing for Jackie Gleason & Mary Tyler Moore; M*A*S*H*, Alan Alda a great person person to work with; Alan's wife being in the cast; Cher not caring about comedy on her show, relegating her cast of Teri Garr, Steve Martin & Martin Mull with nothing to do; working on Rhoda; Valerie Harper a perfectionist in the best way; Paul Sorvino could be a jerk; working with Kenneth McMillan, Gene Reynolds, and Henry Morgan; Ginger Rogers on The Love Boat; writing an opera Zapata with Harry Nillson; its star, Sean Elliott; writing two pilots for Karen Valentine, including TV version of The Goodbye Girl; realizing that Molly Gordon of the Bear is his friend Bryan Gordon's daughter; business of TV; Charlie and Company; Flip Wilson is difficult while rest of cast was great; producing a series Roxie, whose star Andrea Martin, wanted to do a variety series; Scorch; writing a very special Blossom; Big Man on Campus; filming a movie Bucky and the Squirrels as a college film course project

This week we talk...SUPERMAN III!#ChristopherReeve #RichardPryor #superheromovies nostalgia, comic book films, 1980s cinema, film review, pop culture, movie analysis, Superman, Gus Gorman, Kryptonite, Smallville, Richard Pryor, Super Dickery, Supercomputer, Movie Review, Comedy, 1980ssummary: In this episode, the hosts dive into a nostalgic review of Superman 3, exploring its themes, characters, and the cultural impact of the film. They discuss Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal of Superman, Richard Pryor's comedic role, and the film's plot involving a scheme to control weather satellites. The dynamic between Clark Kent and Lana Lang is examined, along with the film's special effects and humor. The episode concludes with reflections on the film's legacy in the superhero genre. In this lively conversation, George and Tim delve into the quirky and comedic elements of the Superman franchise, particularly focusing on the character of Gus Gorman, played by Richard Pryor. They explore the absurdity of the plot, the introduction of kryptonite, and the transformation of Superman into a more flawed character. The discussion highlights the humorous antics of Superman, the implications of his actions, and the film's climax involving a supercomputer. The conversation wraps up with reflections on the film's legacy and potential future storylines. Follow Tim on letterboxd!https://letterboxd.com/search/tjhamilton/ See the Seddy Bimco watchlist! Email us at seddybimcoe@gmail.com Most art by Tim Hamilton Music by Tim Hamilton Check out the Seddy website. Website: https://www.seddy-bimco-part-2-the-re... Links: https://linktr.ee/seddybimco Check out George O'Connor's books: https://www.georgeoconnorbooks.com/ Check out Tim Hamilton's books: https://timhamiltonrwf.gumroad.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stand-up comedy has to be one of the purest art forms. One person on a stage, armed only with their wits and their speed. How does someone do it? Why does someone do it?Comedian JT Habersaat literally wrote the book on stand-up with his new "Doing Time- Comedians on Stage." The book is available July 8th from Jawbone Press. And for more info on JT, including tour dates, check out his website.

(Originally posted on June 16, 2023) In the midst of a week of intense personal chaos for Richard comes this episode, a dreamlike outing of the show that balances melancholy with silent-era pantomime. Oh, and there's a good chance a bunch of stuff ended up getting cut by the network so we gotta fill that time somehow! How about some...uh, standup and improv?? Strap yourselves in for a wild one, folks! 

Joel and Andy kick off the month with Superman III, in which Superman battles his shadow self and ... Richard Pryor?

You'll believe a man can sigh as Supergeeks Javi, Paul and - indestructibly - Producer Brad discover the third time's not the charm with Superman III, though it does offer one unforgettable high-concept scene (and a truly funny setup and payoff). Our hosts boldly bend format this episode by picking three scenes each to examine (one of which may or may not involve bowling vandalism via Super-sneeze) as they struggle to maintain their sanity against the artificial Kryptonite of this threequel's seemingly never-ending inanities. In stark contrast to the wonders that Rocky III rewarded us with by adding iconic adversary Mr. T (as recounted in our very first episode!), here we get Superman vs. Supercomputer (that's an Atari) as programming prodigy Richard Pryor is extorted into villainy by evil tycoon Robert Vaughn. Despite their combined talents (and a psychic nutritionist stand-in for Miss Teschmacher), they are no Lex Luthor, just as director Richard Lester is no Richard Donner (and composer Ken Thorne is no John Williams). Still, while Margot Kidder's Lois Lane is conspicuously sidelined for most of the film, we're treated to Annette O'Toole's lovely Lana Lang, and Christopher Reeve gets to play a creepy, scuzzy new character (Man of Heel?). You will not believe a man can ski off a skyscraper and survive, but you will enjoy this episode full of love for Superman and our hosts' entertaining exasperation at this misguided misfire. 1983 Box OfficeJuly 8, 1983 Weekend Box OfficeSuperman III Box Office ResultsRichard Pryor's 1981 appearance on The Tonight Show displaying his Superman fandom.Follow us!InstagramBlueskyemail: Multiplexoverthruster@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles Skaggs & Xan Sprouse watch Superman III, the 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester, and starring Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent, Richard Pryor as Gus Gorman, Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang, and Robert Vaughn as Ross Webster! Find us here:X/Twitter:  @DrunkCinemaCast, @CharlesSkaggs, @udanax19 Facebook:  @DrunkCinema Bluesky:  @charlesskaggs.bsky.social, @udanax19.bsky.social Email:  DrunkCinemaPodcast@gmail.com Listen and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Jason and Dave discuss their thoughts about Superman III and share some fun trivia! Yeah, I know that's a short description, but that's pretty much what it is. Joking about the film, praising Richard Pryor, making fun of Lana's kid and rarely calling him the correct name... that sorta thing.Don't forget, our full-length commentary track on Superman III is exclusive on patreon!Join Our Riotous DC Debauch!Site: https://dconscreen.comStore: https://bit.ly/DCoStorePatreon: https://patreon.com/dconscreenApple: http://bit.ly/DCoSReviewSpotify: http://bit.ly/DCSCREENSpreaker: https://bit.ly/DCoSSpreaker

Actor and improviser David Danipour is blessing us with a conversation about Superman III, starring Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor, who appears to be in his own completely separate movie, but it's Richard Pryor, so who are we to complain? Episode Links: David's Website David's IG David's YouTube Channel David's X Joe's Patreon Mr. Owl's Website

It's Friday, June 27th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Pakistani Court acquits Christian man of blasphemy against Islam On June 25th, the Pakistani Supreme Court ordered the acquittal of an elderly Christian man on death row for 23 years on a blasphemy against Islam conviction, reports Morning Star News. A three-judge bench acquitted Anwar Kenneth, age 72, of the blasphemy allegations. His attorney, Rana Hameed, himself a Muslim, explained that a person of unsound mind could not be held liable for such a crime. He added that this case highlights the plight of dozens of other blasphemy prisoners who are also suffering from mental health challenges, yet their cases have been pending for years. Defense Secretary Hegseth defends success of bombing Iran Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Trump's characterization that the Iranian nuclear sites were obliterated. HEGSETH: “President Trump directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history. And it was a resounding success, resulting in a cease fire agreement and the end of the 12 Day War. “There's been a lot of discussion about what happened and what didn't happen. Step back for a second. Because of decisive military action, President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating, choose your word, obliterating, destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.” At a press conference at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands on June 25th, Secretary Hegseth added this. HEGSETH: “There's a reason the President calls out fake news for what it is. These pilots, these refuelers, these fighters, these air defenders -- the skill and the courage it took to go into enemy territory, flying 36 hours, on behalf of the American people and the world to take out a nuclear program is beyond what anyone in this audience can fathom. “And then, the instinct of CNN, the instinct of The New York Times is to try to find a way to spin it for their own political reasons, to try to hurt President Trump or our country. They don't care what the troops think. They don't care what the world thinks. They want to spin it to try to make him look bad based on a leak. “What do leakers do? They have agendas. And what do they do? Do they share the whole information, or just the part that they want to introduce? And when they introduce that preliminary report, that's deemed to be a low assessment, you know, a low assessment means low confidence in the data in that report. “And why is there low confidence? Because all of the evidence of what was just bombed by twelve 30,000-pound bombs is buried under a mountain, devastated and obliterated. So, if you want to make an assessment of what happened at Fordow, you better get a big shovel and go really deep, because Iran's nuclear program is obliterated. “Somebody, somewhere is trying to leak something to say, ‘Oh, with low confidence, we think maybe it's moderate.'  Those that dropped the bombs precisely in the right place know exactly what happened when that exploded. And you know who else knows?  Iran! “That's why they came to the table right away because their nuclear capabilities have been set back beyond what they thought were possible because of the courage of a Commander-in-Chief who led our troops, despite what the fake news wants to say.” Supreme Court rules South Carolina can defund Planned Parenthood In a 6-3 decision yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that South Carolina has the right to defund the Planned Parenthood abortion business, reports LifeNews. The pro-life state wants to be able to block taxpayer funding for the abortion business under Medicaid, but the abortion company sued to block that action. The Supreme Court ruled that South Carolina has the power to block funding. In the decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court said Medicaid laws do not give individuals the right to bring federal lawsuits against states. The high court's ruling means that the state can direct Medicaid funding—funds intended to help low-income individuals obtain necessary medical assistance—to comprehensive health care rather than entities that exist primarily to perform abortions. South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster issued executive orders barring the pro-abortion organization from receiving reimbursements for non-abortion services like cancer screenings, STD testing, and contraception -- arguing that the funding just frees the abortion business to spend funds killing babies. Governor McMaster is living up to the command of Proverbs 31:8 which says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt weighed in. LEAVITT: “As for the Supreme Court ruling, the President has always maintained that Americans should not be forced to violate their conscience and their religious liberty by having their tax dollars fund abortions, and we're glad the Supreme Court ruled on that side.” Two who stopped gunman at Michigan church hailed as heroes Two members of CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan are being hailed as heroes for helping to stop a gunman who attempted to carry out a mass shooting during the church's worship service this past Sunday, reports the Christian Post. The men, Deacon Richard Pryor and Ron Amann, a member of the church's security team, are being celebrated for their efforts in stopping 31-year-old Brian Browning. According to the police report cited by the Detroit Free Press, Browning, the gunman, was dressed in camouflage clothing and a tactical vest as he approached the church entrance armed with an AR-15-style rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition. He opened fire at the church shortly after 11:00am. Steven Lewellyn, a fellow church member, wrote, "Richard was in the parking lot and saw the shooter walking towards the door. In a moment of quick thinking and incredible bravery, Richard sped towards the man, hitting him with his truck and giving armed security crucial extra seconds to get to the scene and prevent further harm." The gunman shot multiple rounds into the truck, but thankfully did not hurt Richard Pryor, who was running late for church that morning. Providentially, just three days before the shooting, Ron Amann told WXYZ that he was one of three members of the church's safety team who attended training at Peacemakers Shooting Range. AMANN: “When we formed this team, I just knew it was my calling to protect my family and my church family.” Amann described what he heard last Sunday. AMANN: "Popping, a pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop noise that I couldn't quite identify. It stopped. I heard it again, and probably within a few seconds after that, someone came running in the back of the sanctuary and said, there's a shooter out there.” After he sent his family to safety, he ran toward the shooting. AMANN: "He [shooter] was sitting on the ground with a rifle, and he was sitting away from me, so he turned to make a sweep of the glass with his gun and just held the trigger and shot through. "He just started spraying bullets into the lobby, went through the glass, shattered it, and then, that's when it caught my leg and spun me around.” Another member of the church's safety team, Jay Trombley, fatally shot Browning. Amann is convinced that God prepared them for that moment. AMANN: “Being a person of faith and having a relationship with God, I believe He orchestrated all of the preparations and prepared us exactly for what we encountered.” Kate Dunphy, the organizer of the GoFundMe campaign for the church security volunteer who was shot in the leg, wrote, "Ron's tibia was shattered and required extensive surgery to place a rod at the leg injury. This injury will have approximately 3-5 months of physical recovery and rehabilitation. God spared Ron's life and was mighty in His protection over the security team and congregation.” She cited Psalm 37:23-24 which says, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when He delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” I want to hear from children under the age of 18 I would love to share 3 emails on Monday, June 30th from kids between the ages of 5 and 17 who listen to The Worldview.  What do you like about this Christian newscast? And why would you urge listeners who have not yet given, to make a donation to help pay for our team to put it all together? Parents, for the younger ones, please include their full name, city and state. Just ask them those two questions and type up their answers. Better yet, if you record a short 15 to 30-second video on your phone, you can email that to me, and I'll grab the audio from it. Send the email to Adam@TheWorldview.com One last thing. Don't forget to include their age. 6 Worldview listeners gave $1,393 to fund our annual budget And finally, toward our $123,500 goal by Monday, June 30th to fully fund The Worldview's annual budget for our 6-member team, 6 listeners stepped up to the plate yesterday. We're grateful to God for Pat in Park Ridge, Illinois who gave $25, Joshua in Goddard, Kansas who gave $50, and Jody in Westerlo, New York who gave $100. And we were touched by the generosity of Rose in Everson, Washington who gave $118, Ann in Albuquerque, New Mexico who gave $500, and David in Crestview, Florida who pledged $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600. Those 6 Worldview listeners gave $1,393. Plus, we've tallied up the one-time donations to The Worldview between January 1, 2025 and May 31, 2025 and they total $8,625. In addition, we totaled the existing monthly pledges to The Worldview which preceded June 1st, and they total $23,160. Between the 6 new donations which came in yesterday and the donations which preceded the beginning of this month-long fundraiser, listeners have given a total of $33,178. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please.  (Drum roll sound effect) $104,086.55 (People clapping and cheering sound effect)   That means by this coming Monday, June 30th, we need to raise $19,413.45 in just 4 days.  That's $4,853 per day! We are getting so close! We just need to find the final 8 people to pledge $100/month for 12 months for a gift of $1,200.  And another 16 people to pledge $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600. Is the Lord tugging on your heart right now? Go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give on the top right.  If you want to make it a monthly pledge, click on the recurring tab. Help fund this Christian newscast for another year with accurate news, relevant Bible verses, compelling soundbites, uplifting stories, and practical action steps. How awesome would it be if you helped give or pledge that money by 12 midnight central tonight, June 27th? If you've been waiting until the last minute to get us across the finish line, this is your time to shine.  We can do this people! Go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give right now while you're thinking about it. Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, June 27th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Auf diese Folge hat Tobi ein Auge geworfen.Das Foto dazu in den Shownotes. Wie auch zwei Drittel der Gewinner unsere Gewinnspieles.

Na het zware werk van vorige maand met Tarkovski' Stalker was het ditmaal tijd voor wat luchtigs als onze klassieker van de maand en dus kwam Richard op de proppen met de komedie See No Evil, Hear No Evil met Gene Wilder en Richard Pryor in de hoofdrollen. Het plot is simpel met een blinde en een dove die op zoek gaan naar de echte moordenaar voor een misdaad waar zij van worden verdacht maar is een oordeel over de film van Arthur Hiller ook zo simpel? Of kan alleen Richard lachen om dit soort grappen en grollen? Beluister de gehele aflevering via de welbekende podcast-kanalen of bekijk ‘m met beeld via youtube.com/filmerds.

John's Required Viewing pick this week is Superman III, the campy 1983 entry in Christopher Reeve's classic film series, featuring Richard Pryor as a morally dubious computer programmer. Then the guys run down a few other things they've seen, like Celine Song's The Materialists and the live-action re-do of Lilo & Stitch.

It is HoseNose's pick for Movie Night and he is choosing the 1985 comedy "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy. We discuss the movie, the magic of these 2 comedy geniuses and how we would spend 30 million dollars. #80smovies #richardpryor #moviereview #80s #genx #generationx #podcast

“La buena comedia es veraz, y la verdad es cruel”, afirma el stand-up protagonista de Sin supervivientes, la gran novela de Sam Tallent. Para Benja Villegas y Kiko Amat, los cómicos outlaw, indómitos y kamikaze, representan una de las disciplinas más puras que existen. Una “forma de arte ignorada”, que Pop y Muerte celebran en este nuevo episodio, plagado de humoristas no domesticados y, básicamente, gente que era más graciosa que el resto de la gente. Villegas repasa a sus super-favoritos de Saturday Night Live: Chris Farley, John Candy y John Belushi; Gilda Radner, Madeleine Kahn y Andy Kauffman. Amat relata las vidas de dos stand-up que marcaron su vida, Bill Hicks y Richard Pryor, y, en un nuevo alarde de inestabilidad mental, repite de memoria varios gags ilustres. Madres, no dejéis que vuestros hijos se hagan cómicos

Kenya Barris talks about his messy childhood, the do's and don'ts of the writer's room, laying low during covid, Larry David making Kenya take the leap to star in a show, raising kids better than our parents, running a writer's room is like conducting music, making podcasts with Malcolm Gladwell, being pals with Jonah Hill, Eddie Murphy putting points on the board, the pleasure and importance of dressing well, and having people around you who can tell you, you suck. Bio: Kenya Barris is an award-winning writer, producer, director and actor, whose innovative approach to comedy has firmly cemented his place as one of Hollywood's great modern storytellers. Best known as the creator behind groundbreaking series like ABC sitcom black-ish and the Netflix original series #blackAF, Barris has built a career telling powerful stories that reflect our culture and fearlessly tackle an array of topics. Most recently, Barris executive produced Diarra From Detroit, a dark comedy about a divorcing schoolteacher who refuses to believe she's been ghosted by her rebound Tinder date; The Vince Staples Show, a scripted series loosely inspired by the life of multi-hyphenate musician Vince Staples; the final season of grown-ish; and produced The Underdoggs, an Amazon original sports comedy starring Snoop Dogg as a youth football team coach. In 2023, Barris and his production company, Khalabo Ink Society, received Emmy nominations for two of their projects: Entergalactic, a first-of-its-kind adult animated music project that featured new music from the Grammy Award-winning musician Kid Cudi and CIVIL, a documentary that offered an intimate portrait of groundbreaking civil rights attorney, Ben Crump. Barris also made his feature directorial debut with Netflix's hit comedy, You People, which he also produced and co-wrote. Barris and Khalabo have multiple high-profile projects in various stages of development. On the television side, projects include: sophomore seasons of Diarra From Detroit and The Vince Staples Show; The Book of Jose, a television series chronicling the life of rapper Fat Joe; Group Chat, a collaboration with Kim Kardashian, based on LaLa Anthony's best-selling book The Love Playbook; a limited series that will offer an intimate look into the life and legacy of the legendary comedian Richard Pryor. On the film side, Barris is developing projects such as: Get Lite starring Storm Reid and marking Teyana Taylor's feature directorial debut; a remake of It's A Wonderful Life; a documentary on the life and career of rapper Chief Keef; Yumanzu, a high concept family adventure movie; Girls Trip 2; and The Man Who Lives Underground. Additionally, Barris and Khalabo have a first-look deal with Audible and in 2023, launched their first podcast, DJ Drama Presents: Gangsta Grillz. Hosted and produced with legendary hip-hop producer, DJ Drama, the popular podcast featured conversations with notable artists such as Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne and more. In 2025, they also launched The Unusual Suspects hosted by Barris and bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell. Barris and Gladwell engage in raw, unfiltered conversations with some of today's most influential figures and titans across a spectrum of professions, including Ava DuVernay, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Kimmel, Sue Bird, and more. 

A new box Richard Pryor box set is out now on Rhino Records, and comedian and “What’s Good Atlanta” co-host Mark Kendall reflects on the icon’s legacy. Plus, Sarah Higgins, the executive and artistic director of Art Papers, discusses the decision to sunset the publication after 50 years, and we revisit Lois’s 2018 conversation with Atlanta playwright Pearl Cleage as part of our “Farewell Favorites” series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's... Richard Pryor with a supercomputer? On this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback, Tim Williams is joined by guest co-host Laramy Wells to discuss the 80s Flick sequel that nearly torpedoed the Superman franchise with its emphasis on silly sight-gags instead of the Man of Steel mythos.Will they defend the decision to replace arch-nemesis Lex Luthor with billionaire Ross Webster? Will they be able to make sense of a synthetic Kryptonite and that epic junkyard brawl? Stay tuned as they kick off the new Summer of Sequels 2 series with their nostalgic views and rad review of “Superman III” from 1983 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback! Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:When producers were first informed that Lana Lang would be a single mother, a comic book was quickly written to explain how Lana arrived at that situation.The video game that Ross Webster plays was created for the film by the Atari Corporation. Atari had also made a "Superman III" video game, based on the film, for the Atari 5200, but it was never released.Sources:Wikipedia, IMDB, BoxOfficeMojoSome sections were composed by ChatGPTWe'd love to hear your thoughts on our podcast! You can share your feedback with us via email or social media. Your opinions are incredibly valuable to us, and we'd be so grateful to know what you enjoyed about our show. If we missed anything or if you have any suggestions for 80s movies, we'd love to hear them too! If you're feeling extra supportive, you can even become a subscription member through "Buy Me A Coffee". For more details and other fun extensions of our podcast, check out this link. Thank you for your support!https://linktr.ee/80sFlickFlashback

Send us a text Bill and Scott go off on: Paul Reubens' misunderstood legal troubles Kevin Spacey's strange comeback A secret "Schumacher Cut" of Batman Forever James Gunn's Superman edits Richard Pryor's odd fit in Superman III The most coked-up movie set ever?  And how Gene Simmons still finds a way to be... Gene Simmons"Did You Hear About This?" breaks down unusual pop culture topics and news stories that might be new to you. Enjoy learning useless stuff? Welcome home. Please subscribe, like, and review us — we always need support to grow in this algorithmic world. If you don't, we'll find you.Do you know someone who would like our show? Please share. It's the only way a show like ours grows. We aren't afraid to beg. Visit us at didyouhearaboutthis.show

We start off talking about a body part you need to wash more.  And then we start talking about movie and TV show reboots and the wheels come off.  Trey asks Dan to pitch a movie that you can't really belive they made in the first place.  We end with Lethal Weapon 5.  The Treehouse is a daily DFW based comedy podcast and radio show. Leave your worries outside and join Dan O'Malley, Trey Trenholm, Raj Sharma, and their guests for laughs about current events, stupid news, and the comedy that is their lives. If it's stupid, it's in here.The Treehouse WebsiteCook DFW Roofing & Restoration | Dallas, Fort Worth TX | Roofing Company CLICK HERE TO DONATE:The RMS Treehouse Listeners FoundationLINKS:This is the one body part you don't want to forget to washMel Gibson Praises Lethal Weapon 5 As The “The Best Of Them All” & Addresses Why The Sequel Is Stuck In Development HellThe Toy (1982) TrailerThe Toy (1982) Trailer

Richard Pryor as a computer programming villain? Superman's a dick?

Adam kicks off the show by reminiscing about his co-starring role in Wreck-It Ralph and the surprising reaction it still gets from fans. He then unveils yet another classic Al Pacino scene, this time with Jay Mohr putting his own spin on the character—proving once again that Pacino impressions never get old. From there, Adam riffs on coaster weight, the gnarly side effects of Niacin, Biden's cancer diagnosis, the sheer brilliance of pit crews, and the fine line between first and last place—not just in racing, but in life. Next, Jay Chandrasekhar joins the show and dives into:The universal boyhood obsession with foot speed (because being the fastest kid on the playground is basically royalty).His journey through comedy as an Indian kid in grade school, dealing with stereotypes and British influence over India.The decision to cast himself in movies and TV shows instead of waiting for Hollywood (considering the only Indian "stars" he saw were Fisher Stevens and Peter Sellers in brownface).The hilariously awkward story of wearing his wife's underpants (sometimes you just gotta improvise).Why comedy films should be communal experiences—because laughing alone just isn't the same.Jay and Adam also break down the realities of directing low-budget movies vs. TV shows, and Jay introduces his new app, VouchVault, which he swears will revolutionize review sites and help him finally get revenge on Rotten Tomatoes. They wrap up their chat by agreeing that seeing Phish live is overrated, and Jay shares his comedic influences: John Landis, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor. Naturally, both Jay and Adam declare Spinal Tap the greatest comedy of all time. Jason "Mayhem" Miller joins the show and kicks off the news with a must-see clip of Adam singing "Big Bottoms" with John Popper. From there, the trio dives into the top stories of the day, including:Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis.NYC's most notorious repeat offender—a guy who's been caught 134 times for stealing and still hasn't stopped.And finally, the mind-blowing possibility of science turning lead into gold.Get it on!FOR MORE WITH JAY CHANDRASEKHAR:INSTAGRAM: @jaychandrasekharTWITTER: @jaychandrasekhaAPP: https://www.vouchvault.com/FOR MORE WITH JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER:INSTAGRAM: @mayhemmillerTWITTER: @mayhemmillerWEBSITE: magnvs.io/pages/summit?via=mayhemThank you for supporting our sponsors:BetOnlineCalderaLab.com/ADAMGo to https://hometitlelock.com/adamcarolla and use promo code ADAM to get a FREE title history report so you can find out if you're already a victim AND 14 days of protection for FREE! And make sure to check out the Million Dollar TripleLock protection details when you get there! Exclusions apply. For details visit https://hometitlelock.com/warrantyoreillyauto.com/ADAMGo to https://OmahaSteaks.com to shop delicious Father's Day gift packages. And use Promo Code ADAM at checkout for an extra $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply. See site for details. A big thanks to our advertiser, Omaha Steaks!Pluto.tvSIMPLISAFE.COM/ADAMLIVE SHOWS: May 24 - Bellflower, CA (2 shows)May 30 - Tacoma, WA (2 shows)May 31 - Tacoma, WA (2 shows)June 1 - Spokane, WA (2 shows)June 11 - Palm Springs, CAJune 13 - Salt Lake City, UT (2 shows)June 14 - Salt Lake City, UT (2 shows)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Few contemporary actors better represent the bravado and edginess of New York City natives than Natasha Lyonne. Over a four-decade career that began with a role on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Lyonne has become known for portraying characters that are gruff but likable, hard-nosed but sympathetic. She’s exhibited these traits in films ranging from Everyone Says I Love You to American Pie; but her brashness truly hit the mainstream in 2013, upon the release of Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black. That show kicked off a run on television that has found her as the creator and star of recent hits such as Russian Doll and Poker Face, the latter of which just released its much-anticipated second season. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss New Yorkers’ street smarts, why she loves Richard Pryor’s Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, and the genius of Maya Rudolph.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join me and special guest billy woods on Saturday, May 10 at Loudmouth in Brooklyn, for the eighth iteration of Reel Talk, a Reel Notes movie night. We'll be screening the 1997 psychological horror film Cure and talking about his latest album, Golliwog. Tickets and more info here.  If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk archives, and more!My guest this week is Baton Rouge rapper Jireh. We spoke about Richard Pryor's Which Way Is Up, the magic of video rentals, talking leftist ideology with family, Malibu's Most Wanted, eventually turning his own life into a movie, making the transition to becoming a full-time rapper, working his way back from a personal low point, and the creative process behind his last three projects—A Guide 2 Recognizing Your Saints, B-Sides, and last year's Perfect Circle. Come fuck with us.Perfect Circle is available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen. Follow Jireh on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @jirehpcMy first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund,  The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti.  For information about contacting your representatives to demand a ceasefire, finding protests, and other tools, check out CeasefireToday!Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), Bluesky (@cinemasai.bsky.social), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped into all things Dylan Green.  Support the show

Bruce talks about stumbling into writing and finding a home. His feud with Barbra Streisand, writing for Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Lily Tomlin. He talks about how being your own weird self is the best marketing and he discusses his new book “It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote”  He talks about t-shirts, Elmo, Hollywood Squares, The Star Wars Holiday Special and surviving as a writer forever no matter what he's asked to write.Bio: Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor who has won two Emmy Awards for his work on the Annual Academy Awards. He is also known for his appearance as a celebrity participant and head writer on Hollywood Squares for four years. Here are some facts about his life and career: He was born on November 23, 1948, in New York City and was adopted by Jonas and Henne Vilanch, an optometrist and a housewife. He started his career as an entertainment writer for the Chicago Tribune, where he interviewed celebrities and wrote about the industry culture. He moved to Los Angeles and wrote for various shows and artists, such as The Donny & Marie Show, The Star Wars Holiday Special, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, Billy Crystal, Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, Paul Reiser, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. He wrote the lyrics for the farewell song that Bette Midler sang to Johnny Carson on his final broadcast of The Tonight Show, which won him an Emmy Award. He was a panelist and the head writer for Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2002, where he sat next to his friend and client Whoopi Goldberg. He was the head writer for the Oscars from 2000 to 2014, after being a co-writer for the previous ten years. He collaborated with hosts such as Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman, and Billy Crystal. He also acted in several movies and TV shows, such as The Ice Pirates, Law & Order, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Celebrity Fit Club. He performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous in 2000. He played the role of Edna Turnblad in the Broadway musical Hairspray in 2005. Within the last several years, he has written the book for 2 jukebox musicals. He is openly gay and has been involved in various philanthropic causes, such as AIDS awareness, gay rights, and animal welfare

In Soviet Russia, podcast listens to YOU! Yakov Smirnoff—comedian, actor, and professor of laughter—joins Andrew Santino to reflect on Soviet roots, finding the American dream through comedy, and why laughter really is the best medicine. Yakov's journey is unreal — from acting alongside legends like Robin Williams, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Richard Pryor, and Tom Hanks… to buying the house where Lenny Bruce died. What a country!This episode is a blast of nostalgia, insight, and Cold War absurdity, with a heart as big as Yakov's smile.

On this episode we finally revisit a movie we have been talking about doing since we launched the show - Brewster's Millions starring Richard Pryor and John Candy! We also wanted to profile the career of writer/director Walter Hill and we used this as an excuse to check out his early film work, which includes: Intro 00:00:00 Walter Hill's Screenwriting Work 00:11:29 Hard Times (1975) 00:20:50 The Driver (1978) 00:34:24 The Warriors (1979) 00:44:35 The Long Riders (1980) 00:49:38 Southern Comfort (1981) 00:58:34 48 Hrs. (1982) 01:04:25  Streets of Fire (1984) 01:12:05 Brewster's Millions (1985) 01:23:28 Check us out on Patreon for exclusive episodes and content: www.patreon.com/almostcultclassics.  You can also find us on X: Joe: https://twitter.com/joeramoni Ryan: https://twitter.com/ryanlancello And don't forget to check out our website and merch store: https://www.almostcultclassics.com

It's Miriam Shor, y'all! You Might Know Her From Younger, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Magic Hour, GCB, Shortbus, Swingtown, Maestro, American Fiction, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Miriam gave us all the scoop on grounding the zaniness of Diana Trout on Darren Star's Younger, leading the indie comedy Magic Hour, and appearing in "brilliant but canceled" series like GCB and Swingtown. All that, plus Miriam talked to us about being one of John Cameron Mitchell's "players," appearing in Shortbus and, of course, originating the role of Yitzhak in the Hedwig universe; popping up in prestige Oscar films; her musical theatre roots; New York City history; and dying by way of a paintbrush in The Americans. We just LOVED Miriam. Patreon: www.patreon.com/youmightknowherfrom Follow us on social media: @youmightknowherfrom || @damianbellino || @rodemanne Discussed this episode: Genesis' “Land of Confusion” + Garbage Pail Kids + Whoopi Goldberg latex mask Realistic latex masks on TikTok Eddie Fisher was married to Debbie Reynolds but cheated on Debbie with Elizabeth Taylor when her husband (their friend), Mike Todd died  Christina Milian and The Dream; Little Wayne and Nivea swapped Damian loves a sexy network drama and also HBO's Real Sex, Taxicab Confessions People raising hyper realistic fake babies Lars and the Real Girl ; Companion MIriam's first leading film role is in Magic Hour Dons a bald cap in Guardians of the Galaxy III American Fiction had a $5M budget Cord Jefferson's Oscar speech Played Diana Trout on Darren Star's Younger for 6 seasons Darren Star also made Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City, Emily in Paris, Good Christian Bitches Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias Cricket Caruth Reilly Met her husband doing karaoke - also with Bridget Everett Marie's Crisis got a resurgence thanks to Younger St Marks Is Dead by Ada Calhoun Il Posto Accanto (thanks to Debi Mazar); Supper; Gnocco Swingtown was championed by Nina Tassler but killed by Les Moonves Hedwig and the Angry Inch was Miriam's first audition and show in New York Met Lou Reed, Joey Ramone, Elliot Smith, Pete Townsend because of Hedwig Anne saw Debbie Does Dallas in the Jane Street Theatre but didn't get to see Hedwig Shortbus with John Cameron Mitchell Did Fiddler on the Roof tour in 1994 with Theodore Bikel (Captain Von Trapp in Original Broadway cast of The Sound of Music). “Edelweiss” was written for him by Rodgers & Hammerstein  Appeared at Public Theatre's production Lynn Nottage's Sweat (it later won the Pulitzer Prize)  Wants to do Shakespeare in the Park Was Mary in Kennedy Center Production of Merrily We Roll Along (A GREAT DRUNK in a FAT SUIT, her big scene at 15:40) Was a waitress in Todd Haynes' Mildred Pierce miniseries  Was directed by Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro Appeared as lesbian in The Wild Party with Sutton at Encores, played gay in And Just Like That Season 2; and was Yitzak in Hedwig Anne's obsessed with this portrait Morgan Freeman is supposed to have painted of a nude Diane Keaton in Five Flights Up (see right)  Friends with Cynthia Nixon and her wife Christine Played an artist in The Americans (“I'm pulling the drawing OUT of the paper”) Adam Scott and Carol Burnett are great drunks; we love a pilled out Samatha Mathis in American Psycho “Room Tone” is when Sound Dept records sound of the room to lay under the scene if necessary “Corpsing” is when you break character (Peter Hermann is worst) Miriam is Directing a documentary about NDAs Quincy Jones said that Richard Pryor had sex with Marlon Brando We hope Amanda Bynes gets a comeback. Faye Dunaway, Tatyana Ali, Leanna Creel and her triplets. Not Millie Bobby Brown Matlock cast on Jennifer Hudson runway  

 Host Johnny Mac provides updates in the comedy world, including Nate Bargatze being chosen to host the 77th Emmy Awards, highlights from the upcoming National Comedy Center's Comedy Festival featuring Jon Stewart and Bill Murray, and details about the 'Office' spinoff with Oscar Nunez. Additionally, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' celebrates its 20th anniversary with its 17th season, and Richard Pryor's albums get a new box set release. The episode also covers news about Craig Ferguson's new real estate purchase, Tim Dillon's comments on RFK, Tom Green's take on Canadian comedy, and the kickoff of the Sydney Comedy Festival. 00:43 Nate Bargatze to Host the Emmy Awards01:38 National Comedy Center's Comedy Festival03:08 The Office Spinoff: The Paper04:30 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1705:47 Tim Dillon on News Nation and Cancel Culture06:39 Tom Green's Canadian Comedy07:55 Gossip Corner: Craig Ferguson and Richard Pryor10:27 Sydney Comedy Festival Kicks OffUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNITERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!  You also get 20+ other shows on the network ad-free!   This podcast supports Podcasting 2.0 if you'd like to support the show via value for value and stream some sats!https://linktr.ee/dailycomedynewsContact John at john@thesharkdeck dot com John's free substack about the media:  Media Thoughts  is mcdpod.substack.comDCN on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@dailycomedynewsYou can also support the show at www.buymeacoffee.com/dailycomedynews 00:43 Nate Bargatze to Host the Emmy Awards01:38 National Comedy Center's Comedy Festival03:08 The Office Spinoff: The Paper04:30 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 1705:47 Tim Dillon on News Nation and Cancel Culture06:39 Tom Green's Canadian Comedy07:55 Gossip Corner: Craig Ferguson and Richard Pryor10:27 Sydney Comedy Festival Kicks OffUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNITERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!  You also get 20+ other shows on the network ad-free!   This podcast supports Podcasting 2.0 if you'd like to support the show via value for value and stream some sats!https://linktr.ee/dailycomedynewsContact John at john@thesharkdeck dot com John's free substack about the media:  Media Thoughts  is mcdpod.substack.comDCN on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@dailycomedynewsYou can also support the show at www.buymeacoffee.com/dailycomedynewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news--4522158/support.

“I told my mama, ‘I want to take my dad to school,' and she said, ‘Pick a man you like.' I said, ‘Richard Pryor.' She said, ‘All right, that's your daddy.'” That's how Spanky Hayes kicks off a raw, hilarious, and deeply Detroit story in his Detroit is Different interview. From dodging gang members in LA while wearing a bloody borrowed T-shirt, to his Cuban roots in Havana where “it's like being in 1984,” Spanky brings humor and heart. His reflections on Hollywood hit just as powerfully: “To be a star, you gotta be likable—people gotta want to be around you for 30 days straight on set.” He opens up about the ups and downs of holding deals, the pain of seeing his original crew's idea become Wild 'N Out without the proper credit, and how he helped build it from the ground up. “We didn't get the deal, but Nick did—and he kept his word.” Spanky also breaks down how the internet changed comedy forever: “It's not about talent anymore—it's about who's posting the most.” Despite the challenges, he's still committed to the craft: “I'm the Morpheus for Detroit comedians in LA. I've got the keys to the game.” With stories from backstage with MC Lyte to acting dreams sparked by Juice, Spanky blends street wisdom, comedic hustle, and cultural commentary in a way only a Detroiter can. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

This week on the Exciting & New podcast, Jason, Andy and Dana welcome Logan back on the podcast as they discuss the 1985 comedy Brewster's Millions.   In this Richard Pryor vehicle, a way-past-his-prime baseball pitcher inherits an insane amount of money.   But first he must spend an insane amount of money.   John Candy is the awesome best friend.  Stephen Collins is the child molester (in real life, not this movie).   We all have a great time discussing how we would spend $30 million and agree it wouldn't be that hard.   This movie holds up.  Enjoy the podcast!

Former Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principal Timpanist Mark Yancich celebrates 50 years of ASO broadcasts on WABE. Plus, Lauren Amos, co-founder of two of Atlanta’s most successful brick-and-mortar fashion stores, Wish ATL and ANT/DOTE, discusses the history of her stores and her time at Paris Fashion Week. Join Lois Reitzes at the Plaza this Saturday as City Lights Cinema presents “Stir Crazy," starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. As Lois celebrates her 45th year on WABE, this classic comedy celebrates its 45th anniversary! Comedian Mark Kendall joins Lois before the screening to celebrate the movie and discuss Richard Pryor’s inspiration on his comedy. Tickets at WABE dot org slash events. We hope to see you there!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textWe have a special surprise this week; MRT VIP listener and very good friend Andrew is back with us as a guest host!  And we have provided him with his own shake-up for the Eyes Wide Open theme; his pick had to be based on a book. And so he chose the 1985 gem, "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy.  This film's interesting premise requires the main character to spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million. However, there are some. . . restrictions.  The film is based on a novel that's over a century old and has been made into a movie adaptation at least seven times.We also go through our own "Brewster's Millions" scenarios and of course, talk about how great 1980s films were. So join us, as we spend lavishly (and hypothetically.)  And make sure you get a receipt!

EPISODE 83 - “TCM FILM FESTIVAL 2025 PREVIEW” - 4/14/2025 It's that time of years again. Time for the 2025 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival, which takes place April 24-27 in Hollywood California. This year, the theme is “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film.” This week, Steve and Nan offer a fun preview of the highlights of the upcoming festival and they discuss the films they are most excited to see, including great titles such as BEN HUR, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, GUNFI*GHT AT THE OKAY CORRAL and A GUY NAMED JOE.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  The Empire Strikes Back (1980), starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, & Harrison Ford; The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Beau Brides; Cooley High (1975), starring Lawrence Hilton Jacobs & Glenn Turman; Car Wash (1976), starring Richard Pryor, Bill Duke, & George Carlin; Greased Lightning (1977), starring Richard Pryor, Pam Grier, & Beau Bridges; Which Way is Up (1977), starring Richard Pryor & Lonette McKee; Bustin' Loose (1981), starring Richard Pryor & Cicely Tyson; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), starring Peter Frampton & The Bee Gees; The Last Dragon (1985), starring Taimak & Vanity; Krush Groove (1985), starring Russell Simmons & LL Cool J; Beau Geste (1926), starring Ronald Colman; The Freshman (1925), starring Harold Lloyd; Misery (1990), starring Kathy Bates & James Caan; The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, & Barry Bostwick; Babe (1995), starring James Cromwell; The Enchanted Cottage (1945), starring Robert Young & Dorothy McGuire; Jaws (1975), starring Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, & Roy Scheider; Blue Velvet (1986),starring Kyle McLaughlin, Laura Dern, Dennis Hopper, & Isabella Rossellini; We're No Angels (1955), starring Humphrey Bogart & Joan Bennett; Gunfight At The Okay Corral (1957), starring Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas; Cape Fear (1962), starring Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck and Polly Bergen; The Ritz (1976), starring Rita Moreno & Treat Williams; Gunman's Walk (1958), starring Van Heflin, James Darren, & Tab Hunter; Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), starring Robert Mitchum & Deborah Kerr; The Divorcée (1930), starring Norma Shearer & Robert Montgomery; Talk of The Town (1942), starring Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, & Ronald Colman; Moonlight & Pretzels (1933), starring Leo Carrillo & Mary Brian; A Guy Named Joe (1943) starring Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, & Van Johnson; Ben Hur (1959), starring Charlton Heston & Stephen Boyd; Suddenly Last Summer (1959), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, & Montgomery Cliff; Brigadoon (1954), starring Gene Kelly & Syd Charisse; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Film historian and filmmaker Eddy Von Mueller and University of North Georgia professor of film studies Gabe Wardell detail their series, "The Next Picture Show: Revisiting Western Frontiers," at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema April 15-June 3. Oakland Cemetery Director of Adult Programs and Volunteers and director of "Illumine," Sandy White, and Cat Eye Creative founder Adam Crawford discuss the annual art exhibition and light installation experience at Oakland Cemetery. Join Lois Reitzes at the Plaza this Saturday as City Lights Cinema presents “Stir Crazy," starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. As Lois celebrates her 45th year on WABE, this classic comedy celebrates its 45th anniversary! Comedian Mark Kendall joins Lois before the screening to celebrate the movie and discuss Richard Pryor’s inspiration on his comedy. Tickets at WABE dot org slash events. We hope to see you there! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textWhen twin brothers find their father's old iPod in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths start after they listen to the cursed podcasts stored on it. The siblings decide to throw the device away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. On Episode 663 of Trick or Treat Radio we discuss the latest film from director Osgood Perkins, The Monkey! We also talk about our favorite cinematic monkeys, films and shows that feature cursed objects, and the concept of memento mori. So grab your bad luck tiki idol, get your generational trauma in check, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Police Academy 2, MZ's favorite comedy, Kidnapped By A Killer, Steve Guttenberg, Shakma, BJ and the Bear, Every Which Way but Loose, Clyde, Cannonball Run 2, Trading Places, Cannibal Run, Dawn of the Dead, Julia Roberts movies, Axel Foley, Back to School, Richard Pryor, Moving, Sam Kinison, Joe Dante, The Howling, Rick Baker, An American Werewolf in London, Rob Bottin, Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2, House of Wax, Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Multiple Maniacs, Knightriders, Gothic, Species 2, Toolbox Murders, Haley Joel Osment, The Peking Acrobats, Brad Dragon, Pedro Martinez, Updog, Dominican Republic, RIP Octavio Dotel, inside baseball, The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox, Christine, Keith Gordon, Anabelle, Poltergeist, Stephen King, The Mangler, Christopher Hewlett, Friday the 13th: The Series, cursed objects, haunted objects, Talk To Me, the Lament Configuration, Oddity, Shakma, Cannibal Holocaust, Longlegs, Monkeyshines, Gallery Magazine, The Monkey, Osgood Perkins, Gretel & Hansel, The Blackcoat's Daughter, Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood, Yellowjackets, Final Destination, Annie Wilkes, generational trauma, how to properly process grief, Caveat, Ernest Goes to Camp, Nicolas Winding Refn, Anthony Perkins, Jaws 4, do sharks know what revenge is?, Malignant, tracks suits capes and gold medallions, Peter Gabriel, Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho, Parasite, Memories of Murder, Hunkaberry Hound, Sinister Yet Whimsical, Every Episode Dies, and why can't you set your monkey free?Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show

Superman III is when most people think the Superman movies started to get bad. It went all in on comedy, got rid of Lois and Lex, and focused mostly on Richard Pryor. It's most remembered for the Clark vs Evil Superman fight. Is it really that bad? Or does the film have some merit? Find out in this episode!

The guys talk Chris' latest special being released on YouTube, a recap of American Idol, Carrie Underwood's magnificent legs, celebrity couple dynamics, Brendan's desire to get an electric car now, Kanye West's controversial outfit whilst talking to DJ Akademiks, Will Smith getting back into rapping, Marlon Brando's secret love affair with Richard Pryor, Kathy Lee Gifford's viral video, Stephen A. Smith beefing with LeBron James, Kevin's all new (Deserv-ed Scale) video submission and much more! Get two extra episodes every month at https://patreon.com/thegoldenhourpodcastChris D'Elia Comedy Special: Grow Or Die - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSi5zOfEaQEShady Rays - Go to http://shadyrays.com and use code Golden for 35% off polarized sunglasses.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, Hilton Als's essays and profiles of figures like Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Richard Pryor have redefined cultural criticism, blending autobiography with literary and social commentary. Als is also a curator. His latest gallery exhibition is The Writing's on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts, at the Hill Art Foundation in New York. The exhibit brings together the works of 32 artists across a range of media to examine how artists embrace silence. The show asked a powerful question: What do words — and their absence — look like? The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer spoke with Tonya Mosley. Also, Ken Tucker reviews new music from Lucy Dacus and Jeffrey Lewis.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Clint Lanier and Dave McArthur discuss the 1982 comedy album Live on the Sunset Strip while drinking Rum and Pepsi.

Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence and suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GGACP celebrates Valentine's Day 2025 by revisiting this classic installment inspired by the ALLEGED dalliance between acting legend Marlon Brando and comedy icon Richard Pryor. Also in this episode: The Nairobi Trio! “Last Tango in Paris”! “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings”! Gilbert impersonates Colonel Kurtz! And Jack Klugman makes a shocking discovery! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Jake is thinking about Richard Pryor. If Pryor had died after setting himself on fire, would that be the strangest celebrity death of all time? Jake takes a look at some strange celebrity deaths, including Tennessee Williams, William Holden, and more. If you know some strange celebrity death stories, let us know! On Tuesday we're bringing you an episode on one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century - Louis Armstrong. But we're going beyond his musical and cultural impact to explore some of the other surprising stuff he was mixed up in - the mob, international intrigue, and a whole lot of marijuana. Jake wants to know: Which musician's behavior surprised you the most? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 108 - Sex Pistols pt 1. Episode 109 - Sex Pistols pt 2. Episode 193 - The Replacements (All Access) Episode 3 - Sam Cooke Episode 53 - John Denver Episode 153 - INXS' Michael Hutchence To hear an extended version of the After Party and hear Jake's thoughts on the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership. Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch! Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter)  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including descriptions of domestic violence and suicide. If you're thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Which comedian from your childhood cracked you up the most? Why? Let Jake know at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership. Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter)  Facebook Fan Group TikTok To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Jake wonders what might be coming in future disclosures about UFOs, the JFK assassination, and the Diddy case. What happens if the stories we tell ourselves, the grand conspiracies, the intriguing theories, turn out to be false? What if they're true? Are these stories no longer compelling if they reach a conclusion? Can a conspiracy theory ever be truly debunked? On Tuesday we're bringing you an Icons episode on Richard Pryor, one of the greatest and most influential standup comics of all time. Jake wants to know: Which comedian from your youth made you laugh the hardest? Tell Jake at 617-906-6638, disgracelandpod@gmail.com, or on socials @disgracelandpod. For more great Disgraceland episodes, dive into our extensive archive, including such episodes as: Episode 82 - Paul McCartney Episode 71 - David Bowie Episodes 122 and 123 - Lou Reed Episode 140 - Velvet Underground To hear an extended version of the After Party, become a Disgraceland All Access member at disgracelandpod.com/membership. Visit www.disgracelandpod.com/merch to see the latest Disgraceland merch! Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter)  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices