Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

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

The day we recorded this, it was brutally cold rain with heavy winds outside.   Todd Barry is a perennial force of continuous head busting comedy for many decades now. The fact that Todd grew up in Florida and that he is one of the most respected comedians to have ever have started out there makes him feel like he is a part of my extended family. As long as I have been around, Todd has been around. From the earliest Comedy Central and MTV comedy shows to all of the best comedy festivals world wide.    He has appeared multiple times on Letterman and Conan, as well as delivering highly acclaimed comedy specials. He is one of the most respected comedians in the business and Louis CK is one of his most ardent supporters, having highlighted Todd as himself as a reoccurring character on the smash hit FX show 'Louie'.     Louis Ck even produced Todd's most recent live audio recording called 'Crowd Work'. Todd's unique brand of comedy as well as his signature delivery has made him a staple on several animated series

  You are about to experience the creative power of Sananda Maitreya!   The man has been a hero of mine since he first burst onto the scene because I had read that he grew up in Florida and then went on to become an internationally renowned artist living in Europe and still tantalizing the world with his creations.   With his last release of 'Return To Zooathalon' and his brand new release of 'The Rise Of The Zugebrian Time Lords' he is in my mind the JR Tolkien of Rock & Roll. Zooathalon is the paradise where we once trusted ourselves to be the masters of who we are. The Zugebrian Time Lords are trying to control your life and tell you who you are. As epic as this multilayered concept is, with it's metaphor of how in our modern consciousness and vanity you can be punished by being cast in a state of scrambled pixilation, I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression that these current recordings are not also packed with his ultimate strength of exquisitely articulated and soulfully expressed love songs

Kevin Meaney is one of my favorites because I will never forget watching him on television with my Dad and he made us both laugh out loud together. From then on my Dad would quote one of Kevin's jokes to me when he thought I might be on drugs "What are you hopped up on goofballs?"   To see Kevin Meaney perform today is to see him funnier than he has ever been.   If Depression, jail time and being stung by hornets can make you funnier in the retelling of those hard luck occurrences than Kevin is at the height of his powers and this episode is going to leave your sides hurting with laughter.   This year has been a tough year on Kevin Meaney especially with the shittiest moment being sent to jail for a misunderstanding at JFK airport when he was on his way to Israel to do shows. As much as I love him and feel terrible for what happened to him I can't help but howl with laughter and that is the gift of a great comedian.   "You can't cry in jail, you have to be tough. You can't show fear in county jail."   He thou

Pete Johansson is someone I always love to run into because when I see him it always results in intelligent lofty conversation. He has never been one to waste his time on small talk chit chat as his brain has more value to offer and he has never been one to bullshit anyone.    Since I first met Pete we have had epic wine drinking evenings where we dissected the world's problems and laughed ourselves silly until the sunrise. He is a part of the Canadian comedy collective of what I consider to be Canada's finest comedians who make their home currently in London.   The philosophical nature of his comedy is why I am a fan of his work but it is his dedication to squeezing every drop of fun out of life is what attracts me to him as a friend.    He was in Edinburgh for this year's Fringe festival where I got to spend many great nights talking and hanging out with him but we did not get to sit down and record this conversation until I was in London performing at the SOHO theater. As The Kings Of Leon sing about Londo

Rich Hall is to comedy what Johnny Cash is to country music.   The man is a living legend, having won Emmys for his writing for David Lettermen, was on SNL and Not Necessarily The News, he invented his own language with Snigglets and he won the grand prize at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2000.    For me personally, Rich Hall has been a great friend and someone I look up to who inspires me, especially with the amount of comedy ass he still kicks. Internationally respected and adored everywhere microphones are plugged in.    When I filmed Viva Vietnam for Comedy Central years ago I could bring one writer with me and I chose Rich. We bonded in 'Nam baby! I've been to visit him in Montana 3 times and I would not know the unbridled glory that is Montana had it not been for Rich. After Rich moved to London he encouraged me to come over because  he thought I would do well there. Not only did he coach me on the right chess moves to getting in with London but for 5 years he let me keep a key to his phenomenal flat

This episode was recorded in Amsterdam. Sander Borst is the quintessential Dutch bad ass. He is one of my oldest friends in Amsterdam. I met him when I first came to Holland to perform at Toomler comedy club where he was a bartender. He was performing in a punk rock band called the Skidmarks when we met and we hit it off easily by talking about music together. After I moved to Amsterdam I had many great music experiences with Sander and The Skidmarks. He has been one of my best friends in the city and he has always been there for me through life's ups and downs. No one knows my personal history of Amsterdam better than him and I also know all that he has been through in his life and the different turns his music career has taken that led him to where he is today. As a man I respect him and the way he has always conducted himself as a human being. He is the strong smart handsome Dutch man hero of my book.  After the Skidmarks came his hard rocking alternative country band called Check 1-2. Sander has given

This episode was recorded in Galway, Ireland I met Reginald D. Hunter many years ago in Manchester while hanging out with a group of comedians. It was before he became the comedy superstar that he is today. I liked him when we met so I have been cheering him on through the ensuing years when I saw him on countless British panel chat shows. Because he is from Georgia I felt Southern comedic pride watching him rise and it made me think that I knew him better than I actually did.  Last month we were both in Galway, Ireland to do the Galway Comedy Carnival and it was the first time we got to sit down and talk one on one.  He left his home in Georgia and headed to England many years ago to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic acting. After graduating he started his comedy career in England and as a result he is a much bigger star in the far reaching signals of the BBC than he is on American television.  Reg is an American original subversive thinker and he is a true master of stand up comedy.  In his own wor

This episode was recorded in Las Vegas. I want to pay tribute to the Amazing Johnathan before he drops dead. We all avoid the thought of death and superstitiously try to avoid the topic but that dirty whore will strike each of us. The Amazing Johnathan has a heart ailment and his doctors have told him that if his medicine doesn't work he only has one year to live. Imagine what you would do if you were told you only had one year to live. After years of touring relentlessly he wants to stay at home, maybe buy a new big screen TV, maybe do heroin, maybe a demolition derby in his back yard? I drove into his swank neighborhood, gated community with plush lawns and green trees in Las Vegas. Rich people can make it green anywhere. His house is a large sparkling palace with classic cars parked all over the front yard and back.  The 17 year old boy in me can't help but smile to see sitting in his drive way a 1967 midnight blue convertible GTO. His tasteful home has been modified to his specifications and every pai

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles. Eddie Pepitone is the darling of the underground comedy scene of Los Angeles. For an older man without a full head of hair to kick so much ass in the city where youth and beauty reigns eternal he must be respected for what he has accomplished. His comedy style is the man yelling to the people who are in the house that is one fire but they cannot see that the house is on fire. He is the angry heckler in the crowd in the crowd who makes perfect sense. He comes from an emotional place as a comedian, he attacks the stage with how he feels. What fuels him now is what is happening in the United States with corporations destroying people.  Anyone who thinks American comedians never talk about anything substantial have never seen Eddie perform. In this conversation Eddie and I talk about how you stay aware of what is happening in the world while remaining sane. Like George Carlin, Eddie Pepitone is an example of how an older man can do his best work in comedy and continue

This episode was recorded in London. Let it be known to the the universe that Tom Rhodes Radio gives Mark Farrelly's one man show 'Quentin Crisp' a 5 star review. This show invites libation imbibement and encourages you to be yourself whatever you wish that self to be. Being exactly what you are even if that is a bore. Mark was doing his Quentin Crisp solo show at the Gilded Balloon for the Edinburgh Fringe festival and I met him about half way through the festival's run at the Loft bar, the private bar for the entertainers and artists doing shows there. I had so many deep conversations with him over the last 2 weeks of the festival and I liked his show much I thought it an imperative that he be a guest on my show.  After our Edinburgh run we both went to London, me to do my show at the Soho theater and Mark to do his at the St. James theater. My wife Ashna and I went to see his show again in London and then we invited Mark over to have a few bottles of wine and record this conversation in our rented flat.

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rhys Nicholson is a star waiting to happen. He is visually captivating with his flaming orange read hair, thick black glasses, high cheek bones, chiseled jawline with powdered make up and his smart style of dress.  His comedy is frank, up front, straight forward, unabashed and unapologetic even when he talks about the details of his sex life. In his own words he told his Grandmother "Being gay is not all anal sex and dancing." He can be unsettlingly graphic on stage at times for normal puritan audience members but he always makes me laugh and it is his sincerity on stage that is my favorite thing about his style of comedy. I first met Rhys 5 years ago when we were performing together at the Comedy Store in Sydney, Australia. Back then you could see that he was destined to do great things as a comedian and it is enjoyable to me, someone who is cheering him on, to see the development he has had and where he is as a performer today. This being his 4th Edinbur

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland   In my opinion Jo Caulfield has the sexiest speaking voice in all of the English speaking comedy world. Her tone, elocution and educated accent is one that makes me tingle like a comfort food and if I owned my own television network she would be the voice of my channel.    I first met Jo when I first started coming to London in the late 1990s. I have worked with her many times through the years and I respect her not only because she has always been kind to me but because she is funny and has a certain authoritative way of carrying herself onstage.   I've always said that when a comedian steps onstage everyone else in the room should lose rank and title and that comedian should become the sheriff of the room while they have the microphone in their hand. That is one thing about Jo's style that has always impressed me, while she is onstage she is the sheriff of the room.   In recent years more women and ethnically diverse personalities have taken to comedy stages

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh. Lynn Ruth Miller is an inspiring risk taker who is attacking life as if she were someone 20 years old. Humbling to learn that she is 80 years old and just moved to Brighton, England last year to pursue her career as a stand up comedian. Born in 1933 she remembers the war years in a way that will surprise you and her opinion of America is ice cold honest from someone who survived much person disaster and incredible odds to be where she is today. Her charm and joy for life is infectious as it is captivating. She has many strong opinions former from a life fully lived. She doesn't believe in fear or evil and she believes that every dream is worth pursuing. I met Lynn Ruth 10 years ago when she started out as a comedian in San Francisco. She had come to see me headline at the Purple Onion then shortly after this she booked me to do a show with her at Stanford University which turned out to be a very special experience for all involved. Through the years I have seen her in