Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

This episode was recorded On The Road Driving from Las Vegas to Los Angeles I continue my chat with legendary punk rock poet Dr. John Cooper Clarke!   Audio Cameo: Alan Ginsberg Reading Howl Audio Cameo: Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver   End Song:  Little Richard   "The Girl Can't Help It"                                                                                                  

  On the road with John Cooper Clarke from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. End song: The Girl On Death Row - Duane Eddy/ Lee Hazlewood  

Rhodesies Smartcamp Book Review: Dillinger's Wild Ride by Elliott J. Gorn (book review) Endsong: Billy Grammer - The Ballad Of John Dillinger 1968 

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild I get viewing copies of each film that is nominated for Academy Awards every Oscar season. It is one of the perks I most enjoy about being a member of SAG. However, because of my busy touring schedule I was unable to watch the movies before the actual Academy Awards happened. Recently when I was home visiting my Mother I caught up on all of the movies I had missed with my Mom and my wife Ashna. I thought it would be funny to get my Mom's opinion on all of these movies since my Mom is a conservative Christian Republican with a much different world view than my own. We watched 3 movies at home and then sat down after each one and reviewed them. The 4th movie we watched was nominated for best foreign film and was playing at the Enzian theater in Maitland, Florida. The Enzian is the premiere independent art house theater of Orlando where I have watched movies throughout the years with my family and is one of my favorite places in my hometown of the Orlando area. The 4 movies

John Rhodes is my big brother and although we disagree on everything politically I love him very much and he is one of the greatest heroes I have ever had in my life and that is why it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only John Rhodes!   This episode was recorded in Claremont, Florida. End song: One Fine Morning by Callahan  

Howard Mabie was my Varsity baseball coach at Oviedo high school and he was one of the most influential people I had during my young life. Coach Mabie had a way of inspiring people and bringing out the best that they had to offer. He is a top quality human being who had a major impact on many lives in his coaching career and he was an integral part of what made Oviedo, Florida such a golden place of memories back in the time period when it was still a charming citrus village. He was not only funny, good natured and made young minds feel valuable but he was also a damn good Science teacher. In today's world with so much perversion, larceny and corruption in our school systems a man like Howard Mabie is hard to come by and that is why I am celebrating him here. Throughout my life whenever there has been a situation where I got to play baseball or softball I am still to this day a deadly hitter and that is because of the skills that he taught me. The wisdom and philosophy in baseball that he taught me I have quo

I first met Nick Doody in Meribel, France when we were both performing at the Altitude festival together. Since then I have worked with him many times in London and Edinburgh. He is a striver and an achiever because he is not lazy and is always trying to bust out new material which I always find inspiring. I like his style and his intelligence that he brings to the stage and most importantly in the course of our friendship we never chit chat about insignificant things but always dig deep into each others brains where the best thoughts live. I have always said that London was the key to getting into the world wide circuits for me but what keeps pulling me back there other than some of the best audiences this planet has to offer is the countless genius comedian friends I have there of which I include Nick without hesitation. I often like to see comedians as gun fighters because of the fearlessness with which they have to stare down threatening beasts. I've seen him tame wild beasts and make them purr by rubbing

Karl Spain is one of the most naturally funny human beings I have met in all my years as a stand up comedian. If you are unfamiliar with his presence on this earth than his wit and charm of this conversation will make you a fan of his for life. He never fails to make me laugh hard gut tightening laughter and that is why it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Karl Spain!   This episode was recorded in Galway, Ireland.

I have been a fan of Eleanor Tiernan since I first worked with her in Dublin many years ago. Since then I have worked with her in London, Chicago and Edinburgh and my strong feelings about her brilliant comedy only gets reconfirmed every time I see her perform.    This past October 2014 I worked with her again in Galway at the Galway International comedy festival. She was doing a shot called the 'National Therapy Project' in which she gives the entire country of Ireland and the entire race of Irish people a therapy session so that they can forgive themselves for past guilt and real or imagined transgressions that have been inflicted upon them.    I loved this show but as I stated earlier I am biased because I love her and think this concept for a show was as joyous of a ride ride as you will ever experience in a comedy or theater festival performance. Even as I type these words her star power is increasing to its brightest wattage and if you are a fan of great comedy and don't know who Eleanor is then you wil

Jesse Joyce is a supreme bad ass when it comes to writing, creating and producing head crunching comedy thunder. I first met Jesse when we both performed on Dave Attell's Comedy Underground show for Comedy Central. Jesse not only performed on that show but he was also the main writer for Dave who helped him shape his monologues for that show. I next saw and worked with Jesse when I did @midnight for Comedy Central. Jesse is one of the main writers for @midnight and his comedy writing talents are in great demand. In this conversation we talk about the joys and benefits of not drinking and the many great comedians who have perished or risen above dying by the sword of booze. It is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Jesse Joyce!   End song: The Rolling Stones - Winter Recorded in Venice Beach, Ca. September 2014.

When I think of Andy Andrist I am reminded of a Bob Dylan quote "Never give anyone a hard time because you don't know what they have been through or what burden they may be carrying."   I met Andy at one of Doug Stanhope's desert parties and admittedly Andy was whacked out of his skull on psychedelic mushrooms at the time.    We recount this story in this conversation because I was greatly annoyed by Andy at the time. Now looking back it is very comical as to why he was annoying me but that is the thing with drugs, while you are on them you have no idea of the amount of people that you are irritating.    Since then I have gotten to know Andy much better and the incredible life journey he has been on and what it took for him to heal from the heinous experiences of his childhood.    Andy is one of the best friends of Doug Stanhope and it was Doug who was instrumental in helping Andy confront the man who had committed the heinous acts against him that rob him of his childhood innocence. I have come to know Andy

Ophira Eisenberg is one of the most lovable human beings and powerful performers I have ever met in all my years in entertainment.   She is the darling of NPR, being heavily involved in their successful story telling series The Moth and she also hosts the weekly NPR game show Ask Me Anything.   Because of these sterling credits I had expected her to be more of a story based performer, but even though her personal stories do pop up in her live performances I was blown away by her stand up comedy skills and how hard she throws down her comedy thunderbolts.    I first met Ophira briefly last summer in Amsterdam when I finished my week at Toomler and she was just arriving to do hers. Even slightly jet lagged her ebullient personality shined brightly and I liked her instantly. This past weekend we were both doing the Aspen Laff Festival in Aspen, Colorado. There were brilliant comedians galore and the camaraderie was tight with all of us watching each other's sets and enjoying our time together performing at the W

Richard Leiby is one of the most respected journalists in the United States. He was one of the first reporters to write about Scientology in the 1980s and he has covered the Iraq & Afghanistan wars. For several years he was the bureau chief in Pakistan for the Washington Post. He is now senior writer and editor Style Section of the Washington Post where he has worked for nearly 25 years.    I have been friends with him for exactly 20 years now, we met at the first HBO Aspen comedy festival in February 1995 and he also wrote about me and my Dad in April 1995 when I made Viva Vietnam! for Comedy Central and that special premiered in Washington D.C. He is one of the wise Buddhas in my life who I can go to to decipher the chaos of world events or if I need a source of higher world knowledge.   We have gotten together every year when I come to D.C. with the exception of those few years he was based in Pakistan. With all of the heart wrenching world events happening lately it was a perfect time to sit down with

Paul Provenza is a true Renaissance man of comedy. Having gain worldwide critical success for his film the Aristocrats, the history of the world's dirtiest joke, he went on to create and star as the host of the comedy cult classic series the Green Room. Then if that wasn't enough to solidify a career he thereafter co-produced the show Set List, where comedians go onstage with nothing prepared and are given their set list on the spot to see what they can invent.   Paul is a philosophical good hearted dreamer who has lived in Venice Beach, CA for 30 years. This past year when I have come to LA I have been staying in Venice Beach. We recorded this on a Saturday afternoon in February in Paul's living room, as much as I always enjoy talking with him this recording has the added bonus that I could see the waves of the Pacific ocean crashing over Paul's shoulder.   He is currently directing Kelly Carlin in her one woman show about her life and being George Carlin's daughter. I had seen the show 2 nights earlier and

Brent Weinbach is one of the most inventive and absurdly hilarious young comedians I can recommend to people at the moment.    I first met Brent many years ago when he was starting out in San Francisco. He is always exciting to watch because you never know where his premises for jokes will come from.    He was also at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2014 and I got to see him destroy the intelligent European audiences. He is soft spoken and never arrogant and looks like he may never have smiled one day in his life. I love him as a human being and a comedian.   His jokes are outlandish and inventive in their absurdity and he never fails to impress me with his joke writing skills. We sat down a few months ago at the Hollywood Improv to record this conversation and it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Brent Weinbach!   Intro song: Cutting Room (Hot Pants) – Oceanliners   Stand-up clip from YouTube: Brent Weinbach at Lopez Tonight   End song:  Finley Quaye – Sunday Shining    Recorded in Los A

Not since Gutenberg's printing press has one human being's inventions improved the quality of life for people as much as Apple co-founder and principle creator Steve Wozniak.    I met Steve last month when he came to my show in Lake Tahoe. Fortunately for me the Woz loves jokes, humor and comedy in general so after sending him several heart felt e-mails requesting to chat with him he agreed, so last week while I was performing in San Francisco I drove down to Cupertino to record this conversation while him. This conversation was recorded at the Mandarin Oriental restaurant where Steve asked me to meet him. There is pleasant violin based classic music playing in the background because the owner politely delinked my request to turn off the music.    Steve Wozniak is not only a creative genius who has improved human life more than any other human being in the last 300 years, he also loves and cherishes humor and the story tellers who create the jokes.    He is exciting to talk to because he thinks so fast and ca

John Cooper Clarke is quite possibly the coolest human being walking the earth and performing on it's stages today. He is the English language's premier punk rock poet who started out in his verbal vocation in the late 1970s performing in clubs with the Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello and Joy Division. For a brief period he lived with Nico from Velvet Underground. He invented the street where street credibility is earned and received.    I first met John in Edinburgh during the Fringe festival in 1999. I went to see his show with Greg Proops and Greg's wife Jennifer. They knew John Cooper Clarke and we all got to hang out together drinking and laughing all night. I have been quoting for years some of the whip crack smart lines I heard John perform that night.    Cut to October 2014 and I am doing the Galway International comedy festival with John Cooper Clarke and we got to rekindle our friendship and get back to our main business of laughing and joking all night.    Born in 1949 he is getting up t

This episode was recorded in Venice Beach, CA   I met Louis Katz in December 2013 when we were both filming Dave Attell's Comedy Underground for Comedy Central in New York City.  I was impressed with his punching power and how offbeat his topics were.  Like a freight train out of nowhere this peaceful looking guy was coming out with dark twisted melodramatic heroic tales in his joke premises and I found it as refreshing as some people do with watching sunsets with cold Pacific winds. Louis was raised in Los Angeles, started doing comedy in San Francisco and now lives in New York. I have bumped into him several times in the past year and fate kept pushing us together to sit down and record this conversation.  I think it is perfect to release this now during the harshest point of dark winter because this was one of my most sunny happy moments of last summer. I was staying at a friend of mine's beach house just one block away from the ocean. It was a brilliantly sunny day sitting on lawn chairs underneath a larg

If comedy were boxing I would rank Paul Ogata in the top ten of the all around, pound for pound, heavy hitters.    I first bonded Paul when we did Beerfest in Singapore together years ago. Beerfest is one of the funnest experiences you can plan for yourself on a visit to Singapore, with it's outdoor music and beer tents but as a comedian with loud music blasting through canvas it is one of the toughest gigs that only real pros could muster. Paul and I bonded over the toughness of those circumstances in Singapore, respected each other for not capitulating and have been close friends ever since.   I first met Paul many years ago when we performed together in Honolulu. Paul grew up in Honolulu and has a Hawaiian laid back chill that makes you think he is mild mannered until he gets on stage and rips the heads off of people with his superior jokes.    Paul is huge in Hong Kong, Sydney and some places in the US but he is one guy I believe in and know it is a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out ab

Robert Hawkins is not only one of the funniest human beings alive he is also one of my dearest best friends. Robert is of those rarest creatures in that he is almost as funny off stage as he is onstage. I first meet Robert in the early 1990s when we were both playing at the River Center comedy club together in San Antonio, Texas. Robert was the MC, I was the middle act and Nick DiPalo was the headliner, what a show!    Robert is originally from Hollywood, Florida. I always love to say to him "You are so Hollywood... Florida." Because we both grew up in Florida we can always laugh about the unique and disturbing ridiculousness of our home state.   He didn't start doing stand until he got out of the army in Texas so Texas is also a major factor in his life as is San Francisco as he and I both lived there at the same time.    Career highlights aside from Conan appearances include being a writer for Christopher Titus' sitcom and for many years now he has been the opening act for Ron White. For me Robert will alwa