Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

"Get that money, get that money, get that money." - Piff the Magic Dragon   In 2014 when I did the Edinburgh festival in Scotland I remember that Piff the Magic Dragon was one of the most popular acts there that year. In 2015 he and his sidekick Mr. Piffles crushed it on America's Got Talent and ever since then he has been headlining the main main at the Flamingo hotel and casino. I was tickled to have this loose and fun conversation with him and I urge you to see his show if you are going to Las Vegas. Vegas is the top of the mountain for magicians and even though this dragon is notoriously grumpy he was kind enough to show me the view from this pinnacle. Hooray for humanity and hooray for Piff the Magic Dragon!

She's smart, she's funny, meet my friend Madison Sinclair! She is from Central Florida and currently crushing it in L.A.   When I first saw Madison Sinclair I was tickled to see such an attractive young woman with such a dark and twisted sense of humor. Watching her perform I laughed out loud at the wicked spin she put on her topics. When I heard her say she was from Florida I instantly wanted to be her friend. The fact that she spent a large chunk of the pandemic in Apopka is in itself rich with fact finding life experience. I like Madison's perspective and the journey she is on in this life while getting stronger as a stand up. You might be surprised to find out that she discovered she was a lesbian while in Thailand and her life has been happier ever since. When I see people with a pure heart and a pure love for stand up comedy I always want to get to know them and be friends because we are a part of the same tribe. As the summer heat arrives let this blast of Florida sunshine along with a cool breeze deli

Rejoice humans! Miracles still do happen. My Instagram was hacked and for 8 days I was locked out of my own account. I was having a terrible week until I saw a woman at the grocery store in a sun dress reach for something on a lower shelf and the sight of her exposed breast cheered me up instantly. In this episode you will learn why the orange Rufus hummingbird is the most special, the power of positive thinking from Ted Williams and the artist's mindset and mission as set forth by Balzac. I will also tell you what Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars triggered in me. Plus you will learn which Beatle I would eat first and which Beatle I would eat last if I had to eat the Beatles in order to stay alive if we were in a plane crash together in the Andes. To cap off this epic blockbuster episode I will tell you about my new project about LA History that I have been working on and the cherry on the cake that it was for me to go film at The Urban Con at the LA Convention Center to talk to people about Low R

Make yourself a better human being by enjoying this fun chin wag I had with Judd Apatow about comedy and the George Carlin documentary he just made that premieres on HBO May 20th. Come get some laughter all over your face! I'll be honest with you, when Judd Apatow told me that he liked my podcast I thought he was bullshiting me. But then after I witnessed a suicide and put out a podcast about what happened and the PTSD that I experienced after, Judd sent me lovely message telling me that he thought it was brave that I talked about it and thought the episode would help a lot of people. Judd reaching out to me at that moment was also perfect timing because I had just watched the documentary Judd made about Garry Shandling and that had helped to lift me up when I was in my lowest, darkest place.   Judd is not only a comedian and comedy film director, he is one of the kindest and most thoughtful people in all of show business. I was tickled that he came to my humble little home to record this conversation with me

I first met Turner Sparks 12 years ago in China where I was performing and he was just starting out as an open micer. Since then he went on to start his own comedy tour of China and bring the Mr. Softee ice cream truck franchise to China. Both of these endeavors were not without complications. He lives in Brooklyn now and he is one of the kindest people I have ever met in comedy. Rejoice in this glorious conversation that we recorded together in Reno. Joy be upon you!

Preacher Lawson is a talented comedian who is now trying to start a career as a UFC fighter. In this conversation I am trying to talk him out of it and trying to convince him to stick with comedy. Joy be upon you and hooray for humanity!

Stay cheerful because there are enough bitter turds on this earth try to see the beauty that exists among all the ugliness.   JT Habersaat is a comedian, author, artist and my dear friend. He is also a Charles Bukowski enthusiast, so much so that he has Bukowski's face tattooed on his leg. In this episode JT and I sit down and talk about the poet Charles Bukowski and why he is meaningful to us. This conversation was also filmed as a part of a secret project I have been working on for the past year and parts of this talk will be puzzle pieces put into that project. Now with all of the hatred and violence set loose on the earth it is a good time to be reminded to stay cheerful because there are enough bitter turds on this earth and why you should always try to see the beauty that exists among all the ugliness. Special thanks to my friend JT Habersaat for flying all the way to California to be a part of my project. Friendships are the greatest treasures to be found on this earth. Hooray for humanity! Glory to Uk

This episode is a repost from September 2014. --------- Recorded at Johnathan’s house in Las Vegas, September 2014 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

In the USA we had a war on drugs, we had a war on terrorism, and now I think we need to declare war on anger. Each one of us should fight to keep that poison out of our lives. Listening to Curtis Mayfield helps. Another sure way to perfect joy is by  listening to this warm and lovely conversation I had with Zainab Johnson. She is someone I love and would always makes laugh. Let some light into your life and rejoice now that the new episode of TRR Smart Camp is here! It is my please to introduce you now to the one and only Zainab Johnson! Joy to you!   Patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

Happy love day February 14! Today I want to introduce you to the bright ball of sunshine, intelligence & hilarity that is my good friend Monique Marvez. She is a fire breathing dragon on the comedy stage and a possessor of great pearls of wisdom from a life fully lived. Get happy with this glorious conversation that we recorded for delight of your brain & all of humanity. Joy be upon you!   patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

Danny Fingers & The Thumbs have a new album coming out on February 22 & he has flown himself down from Bend, Oregon to tell me all about it. Danny is a fellow world traveler and artistic soul and that is why it is my pleasure to present him to you now. Joy be upon you!

My heart took a solid punch of sadness when I learned of the recent passing of Jonathan Atherton. He was a pioneer on the international comedy scene for nurturing and helping to develop the comedy scenes in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. He was a beautiful lunatic with a golden heart who made me and so many others laugh through the years with his all loving comedy in defense of the underdog. It was my pleasure to share many stages with him throughout South East Asia and I am forever grateful to him for introducing me to black pepper crab in Singapore which to this day remains one of my favorite things on this earth. I'm happy to have known him and even happier that I recorded this conversation with him in Singapore in 2013. Rejoice in his stories of a life fully lived and his rich voice full of expression. Performing stand up comedy and passing on the flame to the next generation were his greatest passions in life and it is my pleasure to honor him here and now by reposting this conversation that we recorded. My

Enjoy this conversation I recorded with my wonderful & amazing mother in Mount Dora, Florida. Joy be upon you!     * Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp   * Sign up for a conversation with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

This year has been rough and I have been on a mission to cheer myself up. Comedy, baseball, rollerskating and music have been my tools to repair my joy but most of all, friendships have been my glue holding it all together. I am blessed to have so many good true friends in my life and in this episode I review the many strange and joyous experiences I've lived recently. Hooray for humanity and hooray the many beautiful human beings who populate my life.   Are you interested in future podcast episodes? Support by sharing, donating and enjoying extra's on Patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

Let me tell you about the time I smoked pot with Jack Nicholson at Dodger stadium during a Rolling Stones concert   I blew it! I have been dating an amazing woman and I broke up with her only to find out that my love is stronger than my pride and my principles. In this episode I talk about how I'm afraid to listen to music now because the right song could destroy me. I talk about the death of Charlie Watts and the time I smoked pot with Jack Nicholson at Dodger stadium. Also I remember the best lines from the movies of Jean-Paul Belmondo who also died recently. Special thanks to Erick Urquidez who produced this episode. Joy be upon you!   patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

It is best to stay a bus length away from a bison and a football field's length away from a bear.   Hear the story of my epic trip trip to Montana, from the best place to see bison, to where you can take bubble breaks along the highway and why mounted deer heads on walls all have the same facial expression. Come ride along with me to learn amazing animal facts and to hear stories that will make your belly quake with laughter. Joy be upon you and hooray for humanity!   patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

Never become a bitter turd, no matter what happens to you.   For the first time in 37 years I had to cancel show due to illness because I got Covid 19! I am fully vaccinated so I felt bullet proof and hugged way too many people at the shows in Las Vegas last week. Fortunately I was about to perform at Brad Garrett's comedy club in Las Vegas when I found out that I had it. Brad Garrett is one of the most loving & generous people in show business & the glorious humans who work at his club are like family to me. I was allowed to stay at the MGM Grand hotel & quarantine here. The first few days I felt like a truck had run me over & the big jacuzzi tub in the room was a great relief to my body aches. Las Vegas is currently a hot bed for the Delta variant & it got me. Now this is just one more thing that I have survived. In this episode I talk about how the last 8 days of quarantine have been, the beautiful memorial celebrating the life of Carl LaBove that I spoke at that was held at Brad Garret

Comedians are not fixing the world, we are making fun of it.   Bassem Youssef was a successful heart surgeon in Egypt before he left his career in medicine to become the Jon Stuart of the Middle East. His version of The Daily Show became one of the most controversial shows in the history of television. He was arrested, interrogated and had his life seriously threatened as can be seen in the documentary about what he went through called Tickling Giants. Bassem is one of the bravest comedians who ever lived in my opinion and when his life was being threatened by every kind of fanatic every day in Cairo he told me "I never feared for my life, I would fear the reaction on Twitter. If people tell you you are not funny, that is worse than a bullet." "In the history of the world, people have always done atrocities in the name of God, and they always give a justification for it." After leaving Egypt he started doing stand up in Boston and now he is crushing audiences in Los Angeles. See him this weekend June 25 &

Laughter literally began in our species as a gesture of shared relief at the passing of danger.   The state of California just lifted the restrictions that have been in place for the past 15 months and a big collective sigh of relief along with hardy laughter is ours for now. I celebrated life getting back to normal by seeing the Dodgers at Dodger stadium and it felt so good to gather in a large group of humans again. In this episode I talk about visiting my mom in Florida and the loud Mustang that I rented that was so embarrassing to drive I took it back to the airport to get another car. Because California has so many natural disasters my mom gave me a "Life Straw" and even though I make fun of its concept it just might save my life one day. The three documentaries I recommend you watch in this order are 'The night James Brown saved Boston', 'Soul Power' and "When we were kings'. I talk about how Japan has the longest life expectancy in the world and how in Japan the birth rate is so low that they sell more

Peron means bad ass & other things worth knowing. Last week I was contacted by a listener named Big John who wanted to trade me his baseball cards for anything I could think of. I decided to trade him something that I loved greatly for his cards and to introduce him to my favorite tacos in Los Angeles. Enjoy this conversation I had with a new friend and if you are in Los Angeles, head straight to #tacos1986 as often as you can. Joy be upon you and hooray for humanity! patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp.com