Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

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

This episode was recorded in San Francisco. I first met Margaret Cho when I moved to San Francisco in the early 1990s and because we both developed and came up together she is a friend that I am always cheering for and who I will always be loyal too. I could go for years without seeing Margaret but when we do it is like we never lost a minute together. I have been communicating with her for the past few years about trying to record an episode of this podcast with her but our schedules have not allowed us to make that happen. A few weeks ago when I was in Los Angeles I asked Margaret if she would be in town and she said that she was going to go San Francisco for Comedy Day in Golden Gate park because this year it was dedicated to Robin Williams. Because of Margaret I bought a last minute plane ticket to fly up for it. Comedy Day is a yearly free comedy concert in the park every year that the city of San Francisco puts on. I had not been to one since the late 1990s and neither had Margaret. It was so much fu

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles. Aisha Tyler is an iconic woman who has conquered the stages of stand up comedy, the world of network television and the New York Times bestsellers list of book authors. I met Aisha Tyler in the 1990s in the golden age San Francisco comedy. I remember Aisha when she was starting out as a comedian there and I remember that she always had a pure heart in her pursuit of becoming a master stand up comedian. I remember her hustling around the Bay area comedy scene trying to get as much stage time as she could and always trying to get better as a comedian. I felt like she was Luke Skywalker and I was Obi-wan Kenobi when she would seek out my Jedi warrior wisdom.  She has always shown me respect and been grateful for my influence on her development. In this conversation we talk about how she felt like an outsider growing up in San Francisco, Finding your voice as a comedian, taking giants leaps in developing your material, the influence of the abundant about of humor her dad

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland. Karen Koren is the queen mother of the Edinburgh Fringe festival. She has produced countless shows for the festival for over 30 years and it the operator of the Gilded Balloon, one of the cornerstone venues of the entire Fringe.  It was important for me to do my Edinburgh debut with Karen at the Gilded Balloon because of a disaster I had experienced at the old Gilded Balloon (which has since burned to the ground) at the perennial late night show Late n’ Live many years ago when I was visiting the festival in August 2000. That disaster and the notorious viciousness of Late n’ Live hecklers are discussed in the episode. Not only did I shatter that memory for myself I created the best possible new one from getting to perform my hour show every night at 9:15pm at the Gilded Balloon and be under the loving umbrella of Karen Koren.  At the Loft bar of the Gilded Balloon where this conversation was recorded is the private bar for the performers of this venue who

In comedy there are certain wise men you meet on your journey that are priceless to talk with because they possess the glow of knowledge you hope to gain when you one day pass from warrior to wise man. Tommy Sheppard owns The Stand comedy club in Edinburgh which is the heart and soul of Scottish comedy. It is as perfect of a comedy club to start in as the Cavern club in Liverpool was for the Beatles to start in.  Since opening the Stand in Edinburgh he has branched out and opened satellite rooms of The Stand in Glasgow and Newcastle. He is reputed to be an honest fair man in a business where sticking it to a comedian by undercutting his cash is often one of the occupational hazards. Comedians speak of him with respect and his employees show their loyalty by working for him for years. I was happy to meet Tommy and make friends with him this past month while I was doing the Fringe Festival. Before going into the comedy world by opening his room in the 1990s he was a full time organizer with the British Labor

★★★★★  Tom Rhodes Radio Review for Zoe Lyons in ‘Mustard Cutter’ Zoe Lyons is one of the best performers that I saw at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I love her style, her energy, her pacing and her material. Often when you are seeing multiple shows in a day at the Fringe festival you will look at your watch during a performance and I'm happy to report I did not look at my watch once while Zoe was performing her show Mustard Cutter. I simply got lost in my enjoyment of her show.  Her and I have in common that she also has a Dutch wife and her insights on being married to a Dutch person made me howl with laughter. Her facial expressions as well as her way of expressing how she feels about the life that she is living is of the essence of what comedy is about.  I will now bestow the greatest compliment I could give any performer by saying that Zoe Lyons contains the original energy of joy.  Like all comedians, I'm sure she has experienced a bumpy road but her attitude towards life and performing come

Glenn Wool is one of the finest comedy exports Canada has ever produced. His comedy is philosophical, heartfelt and endearing. He is also one of the nicest human beings I have ever come across in all my years traveling the globe. I met Glenn many years ago at the Comedy Store in London and have since worked with him at comedy festivals all over the world. He is one of the few comedians like myself that has relentlessly toured the world wide circuits proving that his comedy is accessible to laughing brains anywhere comedy microphones are plugged in. He has recently secured a home in Vancouver but that will undoubtedly not stop him from continuing to tour the world circuits. His take and opinion on subjects is always fresh and uniquely his own which makes him one of my favorite comedians to watch. He is also the kind of friend that if we are anywhere within a few hundred miles from each other we always make the extra effort to get together.  Impressively he is a veteran of 16 Edinburgh Fringe festivals and o

★★★★★  Tom Rhodes Radio Review for Hannah Gadsby in ‘The Exhibitionist’ Hannah Gadsby is one of the brightest shining lights on the world wide comedy circuit. An innately gifted story teller whose tales of awkward humiliation and personal triumph will have anyone from any walk of life or age group howling with laughter. I first met Hannah 4 years ago in Perth, Australia when we were both doing a comedy festival there together. In July of this year we worked together again at Toomler comedy club in Amsterdam the week before we both went off to do the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Sharing an apartment together in Amsterdam I was privileged to see Hannah tightening up and putting the finishing touches on what would be her Edinburgh show this year, which made the experience of seeing her finished product at the festival even more enjoyable for me. In this year’s show called ‘The Exhibitionist’ she used a slide show of great works of art interspersed with photos of her growing up through life. It was part art history

Lucie Pohl ★★★★★  Tom Rhodes Radio Review for Lucie Pohl in ‘Hi, Hitler!’ Tom Rhodes Radio give the show 'Hi, Hitler' by Lucie Pohl a 5 star review! This show is so fast paced, character driven and funny that I saw it twice. The eye catching title of this show comes from the adorable tale of how Lucie Pohl as a child thought the Nazis were saying hi to Hitler and not heal Hitler. Is it possible to make Hitler adorable? Lucie Pohl can! She even drew Hitler innumerable times as a kid and wanted to go as Hitler for carnival but that kind of action is illegal in Germany where she was born. Her show is the story of her life and it is greatly influenced by the New York style of one person shows that I hold sacred like Eric Bogosian's Sex Drugs & Rock & Roll and John Leguizamo's Freak. Expertly performed Lucie Pohl keeps you captivated as her story pops from one scene of her life to another.  As a child loving David Hasselhoff in her native Germany, her successful father moving her family to New York City, h

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland. When I moved to San Francisco in 1991 openly gay comedians did not play at the regular clubs in the city, they performed at Josie's cabaret and juice joint in the Castro. It was at Josie's that I first saw Scott Capurro perform. He stood out among all the other comedians that night because he made my sides hurt with laughter.  It was only a few years later Scott would be the first openly gay comedian to bust through the barriers of the regular club scene there. He was like the gay Jackie Robinson busting down the door for all the other gay comedians who would eventually be able to work the regular rooms.  Scott's comedy has always been dark, twisted and controversial just the way I like it. I once had an interviewer ask me of those years in the 1990s when I lived in San Francisco "Did you know you were a part of history when it was happening?" The answer is "No." I just was enjoying my friends killing audiences and getting inspired by them to lift my game h

This episode was recorded in Edinburgh, Scotland Andrew Maxwell is the kind of guy who you would want on your side in a debating hall, on the football pitch or in a barroom fistfight. Andrew is one of the few human beings that tickles the living shit out of me just to hang out with him. He is a street fighting man originally from Dublin, Ireland who has lived in London for the past 20 years.  I first met him 15 years ago at the Comedy Store in London and he has since gone on to be one of the greatest friends I have ever known. He is one of my favorite people to stay up all night with laughing and talking about everything that comes to mind. His brain is packed with vital information concerning life, history and the general Ninja secret of high level comedy performance.  Regarding the Edinburgh Fringe festival, he has been one of my main sources for advice and guidance that I have sought out over the years leading up to me finally participating in it this year.  He is an exciting performer to watch because

 ★★★★★  Tom Rhodes Radio Review for Yisrael Campbell in ‘Circumcise me’ Greetings from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!  At a later date I will talk about my personal history with this festival but for now I want to tell you about the magnificence of the biggest and greatest arts festival in the world. There are literally thousands of shows happening here on all manner of topics but the one thing that all of them share is that they each belong to the family of storytellers. I have been racing around the city as much as possible taking in as many different shows as I can and one of the shows I have loved most and that knocked me out is 'Circumcise me' written and performed by Yisrael Campbell. It is the story of his life and how he went from growing up Catholic in suburban Philadelphia to being an orthodox Jew living in Jerusalem. As is pure in every hero's story it was a bumpy ride to reaching the top of his spiritual journey. Yisrael is a reformed alcoholic, philosophical sage and stand up comedian with cle

A few weeks ago I performed at Helium in Portland and Lucas Molandes was my feature act. Lucas is from Austin, Texas. Austin is a spiritual center of edgy original comedy and Lucas decided to take the trip West with two other Austin comedians, Ramin Nazer and Sara Reihani. The set up showcase sets in California and other gigs around the North West. They called it 'The Good Grief' tour and I got to do shows with them in Salem, Oregon and Arcata, California on my drive back to San Francisco after my week in Portland. While I was in Portland I wanted to watch the World Cup final somewhere cool and Ashna found The Kennedy School. The Kennedy School is a former elementary school that has been turned into a hotel, cinema, bar, restaurants. This conversation was recorded in the back courtyard of the Kennedy School on a lovely July evening the day after the World Cup final and our week together at Helium. I respect any young comedian who invests in themselves and takes a chance to expand his horizons by trying to do

This episode was recorded in Seoul, Korea Nevada Rhodes not only has the best last name ever he is a one man volcano bursting with fabulosity. He is tall, blonde and muscular living in Seoul, Korea where he not only speaks fluent Korean he is also one of the stars of the long running hit Korean TV show 'Strange TV Surprise!' He also does stand up comedy and that is how I met him.  I love traveling and presenting to you the many beautiful lunatics I know all over the globe but Nevada is not a lunatic, he is one of the sweetest, most sincere, loving human beings I have ever met. We recorded this on his rooftop garden in Seoul where two ducks and one chicken live among the bountiful array of plant life. He is like the heroine of a Disney animated cartoon the way he cares of all of the life sprouting on his roof and he also teaches Korean children about musicals. He tells me that living in Korea he feels more free than he ever did in the United States. Of growing up in America he said "Being my fabulous faggot

This episode was recorded in Kuala Lumpur. Jonathan Atherton built the comedy scene in Singapore and now he just opened the first full time comedy club in Kuala Lumpur called The Crack House. When he first appeared on my podcast one year ago I got a tremendous response from people saying that thought he was the most interesting man in the world. His stories about selling shoes to prostitutes in Kenya and smuggling gas into Uganda captivated me and anyone else who heard them. Now he has lived in Malaysia for one year and has just launched the Crack House comedy club. If this podcast had a bigger budget I would have dropped confetti on his head.  In this episode we talk about the disappearance of the Malaysian airlines plane, how he is not afraid to go off and party with angry Nigerians all night, the sad and untimely death of Vernon Lewis "Life is too short to die with bitterness in your heart." How Malaysian police are the best police money can buy, the crude humor that Australians are born with and how

MinhHa Pham is a comedy superstar waiting to happen. She just needs a few more years of experience and developing material. Her love of comedy is pure and she is from the most unlikely breeding ground for comedians of Hanoi, Vietnam. I met her last year while I was performing in Hong Kong and she told me all about the new young comedy scene that is happening in Hanoi and it peeked my desire to return there.  My Father flew helicopters in Vietnam, was shot down, survived, saved another soldier's life and was rightfully decorated as a war hero. I love my Dad and the topic of Vietnam was very dear to our family.  In 1994 I was one of the first Americans to go to Vietnam after the travel ban was lifted and I filmed an hour special for Comedy Central there called 'Viva Vietnam!" Since filming there I have always wanted to return and since it had been 20 years since I had been there I set up a show there on my next tour of Asia. Filming 'Viva Vietnam!" we went all over the country and Hanoi was my favorite place

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles. I first met Jason John Whitehead about ten years ago at The Comedy Store in Sydney. Then I worked with him in Jakarta and Bali. He is from Nova Scotia, Canada, started being a comedian in Edinburgh and cut his teeth Manchester and London. He has done nine one hour Edinburgh shows. He is also a veteran of the world wide comedy circuits and now he is living in Los Angeles. He is one of the most pleasant people in comedy. Last month when I was at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles a young comedian got punched in the nose right in front of us. He go over the details of that epic knock out between comedians, he advises me on doing the Edinburgh Fringe festival and he explains what he likes most about living in North America instead of England. It is my pleasure to present to you the one and only Jason John Whitehead.

This episode was recorded in Burbank, California. Ritch Shydner is a comedian I always looked up to an admired while I was growing up, having watched him on Johnny Carson, David Lettermen and his HBO special. I had known him for years before I ever knew that he was there at El Brookman's in Washington D.C. the night my father took me there to see comedy when I was 12 years old. That night changed my life forever and Ritch remembers some of the details more clearly than I do. The fact that he remembers the night there was a kid (me) in the audience that night makes my love and respect for him hit hyperspace.  He wrote a book called "I Killed" which was a compilation of the greatest comedian road stories of all time. That book remains text book learning for young comedians looking to gain insight on the business of comedy. He writes for Bill Maher and in recent years has been helping turn Bill Maher's book "True Stories" into a screen play. Everytime I run into this man at the clubs he always puts a smile o

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles. I have only been friends with Duncan Trussell for a few years but he has already skyrocketed to the top of my list of people that I love hanging out with. We never talk about mundane topics like sports or weather, we always go to higher planes of love and consciousness as we do in today's episode that was recorded on a pleasant late Spring evening while we sat outside on Duncan's front porch. In this conversation we talk about spirituality, the transformation of evil souls into good ones, neurological science and most bend bending of all is his theory that we are all unknowingly building a time machine for the future. He has his own podcast that I have appeared on twice called the Duncan Trussell Family Hour. I like how when we get together it is mental ping pong hitting ideas back and forth. When we get together it is wise to roll recording equipment and if the universe was balanced correctly he and I would already have a TV show together. Aside from having a bri