Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

Fun with books is back! In this episode I randomly select choice passages from the biographies that line my shelves. The gritty, grappling lives of heroic characters are served up to you now in chunks of read passages from some of my favorite biographies. Including on the list of books I read from for you now are: Steve Jones - Lonely Boy My Lunches With Orson  Furious Cool - Richard Pryor James Brown- The Godfather Of Soul Brando - Marlon Brando Errol Flynn - My Wicked Wicked Ways The Shameful Life Of Salvador Dali Steve McQueen - Portrait Of An American Rebel Lou Reed - Transformer Led Zeppelin - When Giants Walked The Earth Fill your brain with gladness now!   TRR Smart Camp goodies: * Receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Have a one time private skype session with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) www.tomrhodes.net   SimpleContacts To save $30 on your lenses, just go to or enter the code TRR at checkout

In this episode I talk about my Mom visiting me, getting my first colonoscopy, the Genghis Khan exhibit at the Reagan library, The controversy of Roseanne Barr and Samantha Bee's lack oh humor and the new Star Wars film Solo. I don't think Samantha Bee should lose her job because she used the C word, I think she should lose her job for using the word feckless. Shalom Amigos y Amigas.   * Receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Have a one time private skype session with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) www.tomrhodes.net * More episodes on www.tomrhodesradio.com

Get to know the first comedian ever to have abdominal muscles! Preacher Lawson sky rocketed to national prominence in 2017 when he crushed it on the television show America's Got Talent. I met him last month in Austin, Texas at the Moon Tower comedy festival. I think he is pure comedy gold and he is a super star waiting to happen. I'm proud to say that he is from Orlando, Florida and that I fully endorse him as someone who give me strong belly laughs and I know that he will do the same for you now. Glorious human that he is makes it my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Preacher Lawson! TRR Smart Camp goodies: * Receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Have a one time private skype session with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) www.tomrhodes.net

I have been friends with Carrot Top since 1986 when he first starting coming around to open mic nights in Orlando, Florida. One of my happiest memories with my Dad was watching Carrot Top's show at the MGM with him and I'll never forget how hard my Dad laughed at him. Carrot Top's Dad worked at Nasa and grew up in Cocoa Beach which might be where he got his inventive mind for comedy and the gadgets he has created. I have always loved and respected Scott (Carrot Top) because he is a joke writing machine and in the immortal words of Jim Gaffigan "When I hear people make fun of Carrot Top I feel like they have insulted a family member, because he is a comedian and he is a part of my family." In this episode we talk about our Central Florida roots, his private jet ride with Jay Leno, his friendships with Vinnie Paul and Axel Rose, meeting presidents, what is was like to kiss Elton John and the endearing words he received from Bill Hicks as well as the joy of getting to know George Carlin. He also describes in det

On October 2, 1866 Mark Twain invented stand up comedy, or as he called it "platform speaking." He did not enjoy "mounting the platform" but by 1895 the famous author of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn was in debt from bas investments and publicly disgraced due to his bankruptcy. So to pay off his mountain of debts and restore his good name he embarked on a world wide lecture tour. I just finished reading this wonderful book by Richard Zacks called "Chasing The Last Laugh." It is all about Mark Twain's World Tour and the circumstances that created it. In this episode I read you the highlights and talk about the remarkable moments he experienced as a performer and world traveler.   Mark Twain had a nasty temper, his mood swings were hard on those around him and he had the worst sense of business instincts but he also is one of the most quotable humans who ever lived, had a moral sense of injustice and created some of the most loved characters in the history of literature.   I enjoyed this book so much I couldn't wait

Craig Campbell is a beautiful lunatic and a comedy legend. He is from Calgary, Canada but has been living in London for the past 20 years and crushing it. I first met and worked with Craig 20 years ago when I first started going to London and have since performed with him all over the world. Last month we toured in Asia together and this episode was recorded in Manila. In Manila we rode Harley Davidson's and after the show went to a bar that had midget boxing. I told the owner of the club that in the rest of the world we are now calling them "little people" but he said that it was too expensive to change his neon sign. Fresh back from doing our show and watching "little people" boxing Craig and I sat down to record this episode. I have infinite respect for Craig as a comedian and as a human. He is a bad ass manly man but he is not a bully, he is kind and has an innate sense of justice which always shines through in his comedy. I love this man very much and that is why it is my pleasure to present to you now t

Ashna and I are fresh back from spending a week in Hong Kong. In this episode we give the history of the opium wars and the origins of the dragon boat festival. We also talk about the highlights of our visit and the best travel tips of for visiting the city. I also give the history of Adidas vs. Puma because I had a front row of Germans who worked for Adidas at my show Saturday night and it is an amazing story everyone should know. As we search for the right amount of dragon balls you make Jasmine tea with, we take you to the highest heights of Hong Kong and rejoice in its glorious history. Mgoy Sai! That means thank you!   Sponsored by SimpleContacts.com/TRR > get $30 off!! TRR Smart Camp goodies: * Receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Have a one time private skype session with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) www.tomrhodes.net * More episodes on www.tomrhodesradio.com

This episode was recorded in Singapore. The first time I came to Singapore I hated it because it is so clean and orderly. Now I love it because it is so clean and orderly and that there are no homeless people or street children begging you for money.  In this episode I enumerate the many strange and interesting laws that Singapore is famous for. I talk about the midget boxing match I saw in Manila and how I implored the owner to change the sign to little people boxing. For travel tips to Singapore I suggest you not waste your time or money on having a Singapore Sling at Raffles. Do stay at The Sultan hotel near the Sultan mosque and if you truly love yourself you will make your belly happy by eating mutton murtabak. One of the best culinary delights I have discovered in this life and what I would fly to Singapore just to eat is black pepper crab, I salivate just typing the words thinking of it. Two of my favorite Tom Waits are related to Singapore and are played and discussed in this glorious tribute to Lion

I have been dreaming of going on a motorcycle adventure into North Vietnam since the last time I was in Hanoi and heard of the concept. This was only my fourth time ever driving a motorcycle and I think it will be hard to beat this experience of going the 90 miles round trip journey from Hanoi to the top of Tam Dao Mountain. Yes it was terrifying and yes I felt like a true bad ass with Steve McQueen courage especially after I crashed going up the thin and dusty mountain road. Just as the key to happiness is in lowering your expectations it is equally important to remember that your dreams just might end up killing you if you are not careful. It is a miracle that I was not seriously injured when my motorcycle went sliding out from under me and I was high with joy for hours afterward that I was alive and that I had only lost a swatch of skin off of my elbow.   In this episode I recount my journey to the top of the mountain and the dangers one encounters while operating a motorcycle in the countryside of Vietnam

I unfortunately missed the March in Las Vegas so I decided to interview two people instead. TRR Smart Camp goodies: * Receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Have a one time private skype session with Tom! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) www.tomrhodes.net * More episodes on www.tomrhodesradio.com  

Uncle Bob is dead. Getting the news of his death has left me feeling ashamed because I was mean and cruel to him. I had not spoken to Bob in 7 years because I was angry at him for being mean and cruel to my dad. Hate and anger is poison in your life because the person you are holding a grudge against just might drop dead and then your issue with that person will never be resolved.   The truth of the matter is that my Uncle Bob was a very important person to me. Had he not done stand up comedy in Washington D.C. in 1978 then my dad would have not taken me to see him and I might not have turned out to be a stand up comedian. After he died I was flooded with good memories of him and I will be forever haunted by the fact that neither one of us reached out to each other to fix the ill feelings that kept us using silence against each other.   My Uncle Bob's life was a victory because he found a woman who loved him, he had a successful career and he retired to a lovely farm in Vermont.   This episode is a repeat. It

Praise be to the written word! In my living room I have the walls lined with book shelves holding over 2,000 books. This is my life time collecting books and Ashna's lifetime of collecting books joined together. Since living in Los Angeles we have invented a game we like to call "Book Roulette." This game consists of us randomly pulling a book from the shelf, cracking it open and reading a few paragraphs or highlights from that book to each other. It is our nerdy way of plucking riches of the written word for the delight of our brains. It is our way of entertaining ourselves on cold rainy nights like tonight when we recorded this episode. Living among thousands of books means nothing if you are not gaining anything from them. That is why we invented this game and share it only with good friends who come to our place and like to get cozy with inspiration. So brace yourself and get ready for explosions of powerful words from the shelves of Tom and Ashna. You will most certainly be enriched with pearls of words

This is a warm blast of love deep in the heart of winter! In this episode Ashna and I talk about the coldest winter we ever experienced. The nasty flu I caught from an albino alligator in Orlando, how the dirty money of big pharmaceutical companies keeps health care costs high for all of us and how human turd Martin Shkreli just got his 2 million dollar Wu Tang album taken away. You will learn why Tampa's Busch Gardens has the most terrifying roller coaster on the planet and why the tide of human goodness is turning now and gives us all a reason to yell "Hooray for humanity!” This is a special time in human history and there are many reasons to remain cheerful that we enumerate here for you now.   We also talk about the Oscars for best picture, best actor and best actress. Among the many great things you will learn in this episode is that if you are ever invited to an Oscar party in the Hollywood Hills being hosted by important people you have never met before you should bring a big fat chocolate raspberry

I first met Lucie Pohl at the Edinburgh Arts Festival where we were both performing at the same venue. I may not have won the top prize at Edinburgh that year but my friendship with Lucie has been more valuable to me than any little statuette. She wrote and performs the brilliant one person show that is called 'Hi Hitler', a tour de force of human emotions about her life story as a German immigrant to New York City. I love this show so much that I believe that it would be a crime against humanity if this were not made into a Netflix special. In her new one hour show 'Apohlcalypse Now' she candidly bares a season of bad choices that shadowed her while she was making a film in Turkey. In recent year's Lucie played a wise cracking scientist in the British cult classic Red Dwarf and Rolling Stone magazine recently called her one of The Beatles of voice over work for the character she plays in Overwatch. In Overwatch, Lucie plays Mercy, a Swiss doctor who has the power to bring back players from the dead. "Heroes

This is part 3 of my French Revolution episodes celebrating the Stanley Loomis book Paris In The Terror. Have you ever wondered how people with differing political opinions would hate each other enough to have each other's heads chopped off by the guillotine? The answer to that can be found in this episode about the end of the road for that shifty dirty bastard Robespierre. Robespierre was a mediocre provincial lawyer who came to Paris and became one of the darkest forces in the drama that was the French Revolution. The enlightenment period was when field workers started to wake up and ask themselves "Why do those rich assholes get to live in the castle and wear fine clothes while we do all of the hard work?" This led to the French Revolution where king Louis XVI and his family all got their heads chopped off, then the citizens found out they loved chopping heads off so much they started cutting everyone's head off who may have disagreed with them. Robespierre out maneuvered Danton to become dictator for one

In this episode you will learn about the unsung hero of the French Revolution and all time bad ass woman Charlotte Corday. I just finished the brilliantly written book 'Paris In The Terror' by Stanley Loomis. The book was published in 1964 and UC Berkeley named it one of the best books of the century.  It is a riveting book about the main players of the French Revolution who all get their heads chopped off by the guillotine. In this book I learned about the incredible tale of Charlotte Corday from Caen, France who had never been to Paris before she traveled there at the age of 24 to assassinate Marat, the foul shit stirrer who incited the mob of Paris to violence. This head strong witty young woman from Caen left behind her obscure life to become in one act of vengeance one of the most infamous people of the French Revolution. Her story should be made into a major motion picture but until then let me regal you with this epic tale that you may have never heard before. In this year of women rising up and demand

I am fresh back from Paris! In this episode Ashna and I talk about my quick trip to Paris, the amazing experience I had while performing at Theatre L'Oeuvre and how when I return there on October 15 I want to film it as my next one hour special. We also talk about my personal history with Paris and how I needed to see someone and tell them how important they are to me while I was there. It was an interesting time to be in Paris because the river Seine is overflowing and 50 baboons had escaped from the Paris zoo and were loose running free in the city. Moliere, Voltaire, Camille Cottin and how to transport Parisian baguettes back to Los Angeles are also topics we discuss in this joyous recap of how I rocked the balls off the joint in my favorite city in the world and the best applause break I have ever received in my life. So spray on some Chanel 19, flip your scarf stylishly around your neck and let us take you on a journey to city of love through the eyes of someone who has been maced there and stood on the

Hooray for Hollywood! Forget that the world is falling apart and that our democracy has been sold to the highest bidder. In this episode Ashna and I discuss the year's best films and guide you to what is worth seeing just ahead of awards season. In this episode we talk about: #moviepass The Post Lady Bird Get Out Three Billboards Darkest Hour I, Tonya Call Me By Your Name Mudbound The Big Sick  The Shape Of Water The Bad Manners Of Aziz Ansari Jumanji If cinema is humankind's highest achievement, then we rejoice in the finest fruits of this year's harvest. Get the popcorn ready and spark your brain with joy inducing electrons. Smoothie movie talk has arrived to delight all of humanity. Shalom Amigos y Amigas!   * Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) tomrhodes.net * More episodes on tomrhodesradio.com

"In the creation of comedy, it is paradoxical that tragedy stimulates the spirit of ridicule; because ridicule, I suppose, is an attitude of defiance: we must laugh in the face of our helplessness against the forces of nature - or go insane. I read a book about the Donner party who, on the way to California, missed the route and were snowbound in the mountains of Sierra Nevada. Out of one hundred and sixty pioneers only eighteen survived, most of them dying of hunger and cold. Some resorted to cannibalism, eating their dead, others roasted their moccasins to relieve their hunger. Out of this harrowing tragedy I conceived one of our funniest scenes. In dire hunger I boil my shoe and eat it, picking the nails as though they were bones of a delicious capon, and eating the shoe-laces as though they were spaghetti. In this delirium of hunger, my partner is convinced I am a chicken and wants to eat me." - Charlie Chaplin * Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy

I had the best day in my life at the Charlie Chaplin's museum just two days ago. But now I am stuck in Switzerland because of weather conditions. I got all the time to record this episode so I give you all my Switzerland knowledge nuggets and tell you about Charlie Chaplin's life. Because hey I got nowhere to go at the moment. Enjoy! * Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) tomrhodes.net * More episodes on tomrhodesradio.com