Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp

Bonjour Y'all! It’s winter here so I am freezing but I'm thrilled to be back sauntering along the boulevards and I have lots of fun facts to share with you about Paris from the books that I have been reading and the life that I have been living. Hear about the bad ass story behind the painting The Death of Marat. The history of banquets, the invention of the sorbet and why the French are so pessimistic. So pull out some smelly cheese and nibble on a baguette while I delight your brain with words worth knowing as my history with the city of love grows ever deeper. Au revoir mes amis! * Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp * Buy my newest double album All Hail Laughter (2017) tom@tomrhodes.net End Song: Bob Dylan Tangled Up In Blue  

I am proud to say now that my eyes do know the glory that is Mongolia. This past weekend I performed in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and I now rank it among my favorite places. Like all great experiences you have in life it comes down to the people that you spent time with. From the moment I arrived I was greatly by the comedians of Ulaanbaatar and they spent my few days there showing me everything that was magnificent about their country. To prepare for this trip I read the biography of Genghis Khan and I had in my mind all of their glorious history and the many ways that Mongolia shook the world and shaped human history. In this episode I talk about my own experiences performing in Mongolia and the generous loving humans that make up the comedy scene there. I also read the many highlights I made in the book by Jack Weatherford called 'Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world.' Did you know that Genghis Khan had a policy of religious tolerance of all the lands that he conquered? Did you know that a

I am reporting to you from Tokyo, Japan. Enjoy my observations on this trend setting capital and learn amazing facts about Japan and knowledge nuggets about the secret code of the Samurai. Enrich your life with wisdom and laughter as I send you a respectful Samurai head bow from the land of the rising sun. Enjoy! Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp   

Yes, #metoo. We both. Hear our stories and how it affected and changed us forever. Massage requests, butt squeezes, shame, blame, enablers & abusers. We go right into the Weinstein affaire and Tom's own #metoo story. How it affected him and changed his life perspective forever. Ashna explains how her experiences changed her career path. Our book this week is "Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It by Mae West.  We recorded this episode deep in the AM, right after we landed from Las Vegas and right before Tom had to go to the airport for his Tokyo flight. Thank you for supporting us!  Become our patron and receive podcast goodies! www.patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp   

I'm back in Las Vegas right after the worst mass shooting in US history. I sit down with Brad Garrett, the man who taught me to love Vegas and we talk about how this city responded, bounced back and showed the best that humanity has to offer. We also talk about our bully megalomaniac president Trump and how his supporters are too think skinned to tolerate jokes about him. Northern California wildfires, Harvey Weinstein and everything that is happening in the world now. I have infinite respect for Brad as a performer and as a human being, he has treated me like a king since I first started working for him and he has made me love Las Vegas, a city I once had no desire to work in. These are tough times for America, Las Vegas and the world but Brad easily reminds me that making jokes and helping people forget their problems is the magic power all jokeslingers possess. That is why it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Brad Garrett! #VegasStrong

This episode was recorded in room #4 at the Mill Valley Inn. All important information about America's past and future are answered under the canopy of the ancient redwood trees. Ashna and I talk about the Kurt Anderson book 'Fantasyland" about how America went haywire. We also talk about the Ken Burns documentary "The Vietnam War. Our yearly trip to Northern California is in full swing now and we talk about what is great and irritating about Arcata, California. What trimmigrants are and the old theaters were where Charlie Chaplin and Robin Williams performed. We talk bookstores and classy women's fashions only won indoors by veterans. Pop a wheelie and ride it half way down Elm street! Hooray for humanity!

This episode is a roller coaster of emotions for me because I just received bad news an hour before recording that I am still processing. Not every podcast episode can be happy and cheerful but thankfully, Ashna pulls me back from the brink and helps me to see the bright side of life. It all comes down to status anxiety and that is what we discuss at length in this episode from every angle. We also talk about Allan du Botton, the entertainment juggernaut that is Netflix, the poet Pablo Neruda, my favorite Italian movies and the Ken Burns documentary about the Vietnam war. The number one enemy of happiness is envy. Curb your desires now and enjoy the brains and hearts of the Tom and Ashna show! Shalom amigos y amigas!

Steve Hughes is a comedy legend. He has sliced and diced up some of the best stages that the world comedy circuit has to offer. I've worked with Steve many times, I was even working with him on the night that I met Ashna. Several years ago he had a meltdown that led to him moving back home to Australia. Finally after much worry I got to come back to Sydney and see him. He is as feisty as ever even if he has turned to the right on some issues. Steve is one of my all time favorite comedians and someone I always enjoy shooting the shit with. After not seeing him for four years I am happy to have this conversation with him to catch up, find out how his meltdown happened and how he has recovered from it to be back up and telling it like it is on the comedy stage. There is no one else like him and that is why it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Steve Hughes!

Mickey D is the only comedian I know of who has climbed Mount Everest. I met Mickey while doing the Edinburgh festival several years ago and he personifies everything that I love about Australians. He is brash, ballsy, and good humored about even life's toughest circumstances. I sat down with him while I was in Sydney to delight the world with his perspective on life and capture his unconquerable Australian spirit. He is a comedian and a human being that I love and did I mention that he climbed Mount Everest? He is a unique comedy powerhouse and that is why it is my pleasure to present to you now the one and only Mickey D!

Hello from the other side of the planet! This episode of Smart Camp comes to you from Sydney where I talk with charming Australian comedy superstar Wil Anderson. I first met Wil at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2000. Since then we have worked with each other in London, New York, Montreal and Los Angeles. His effervescent charm and comedic intelligence always delights me when we get to spend time together and this episode is packed with important knowledge that should be living in your brain. Wil and I discuss the championship boxing match of the century, when Jack Johnson became the first black heavy weight champion of the world in Sydney in 1908. You will learn where the term "Great White Hope" comes from and the aftermath of Jim Jeffries getting his ass beat in Reno. (Not the comedian Jim Jeffries). You will learn why there is no pride in genocide and the proper way to arrange statues in Sydney. Why are all Australians made of money and what did the Aboriginal people say when the first white English peop

Patty Farmer is an entertainment historian who has authored the new book 'Playboy Laughs' chronicling the history involving Playboy magazine and stand up comedy. The recently deceased Dick Gregory got his big break performing at the Playboy club in Chicago and used to have to take the bus to get there because he was so broke when he started. For all the criticism that has fallen on Hugh Hefner for being sexist he doesn't get enough credit for breaking the color barrier in terms of hiring performers at his clubs and models for his magazine at a time when the United States was racially segregated. In this episode we talk about my own personal history with Playboy magazine and how the Playboy interviews were a very important part of my entertainment apprenticeship. We discuss the rise of George Carlin and Lenny Bruce who performed at the Playboy clubs and which entertainer who couldn't keep his hands to himself. This important period in American entertainment history and the history of American censorship is but

Ashna and I are fresh back from Europe (Paris, The Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Norway) and we are full of stories to share! This episode is all about war & peace. We talk about our visit to the Nobel Prize center in Oslo. Who decides who gets awarded? What is the link between dynamite and the prize? And learn why Alfred Nobel was a very peculiar man and the extraordinary mistake that changed his life and created the Nobel Prize. Why should you definitely NOT go to the Edvard Munch museum in Oslo to see The Scream. Why should the USA reconsider their fear of paying taxes? What the consequences are of my Instagram obsession. What brilliant strategy did Ashna use to bring peace in her family and what Tom could learn from that to bring peace to his.    What stories in Ireland from Irish folklore should never include the truth? Where did the term "Lynch mob" come from? Where did the expression "Wouldn't give you the time of day" come from? Why should you never let the truth get in the way of a really good s

I kick off this visit to Amsterdam by celebrating my obsession with the artist Rembrandt! In this episode I talk with noted Rembrandt author Nina Siegal about all things Rembrandt. Why did Rembrandt paint so many self portraits? Why did he own so many turtle shells? What were the poor choices he made that led to his downfall? Why did he fall out of favor with the religious society of Amsterdam? Why was Rembrandts body dug up and where is he buried now? You will learn many details about the fascinating life of one of art history's greatest masters. Nina Siegal wrote the best selling book 'The Anatomy Lesson' about the Rembrandt painting 'The Anatomy Lesson Of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp' and aside from being very knowledgable about the life of Rembrandt she is also an expert on the Jewish history of Amsterdam. As a bonus you will learn why true Amsterdammers when they say goodbye, they say "Mazzel" and why the soccer team of Amsterdam "Ajax" get anti-Semitic slurs when they play around Europe. This episode is full of S

Bonjour mon amis! In this episode Ashna and I come to Paris for me to do a show and we stretch it out into a week long visit with summer in full swing. We start the episode with the update on the crazy downstairs neighbors we have who got in Ashna's face and challenged me to a fight right before we left for Europe. If you arrive in Paris we are jet lagged and walking the streets until sunrise. Learn why the apartment we are staying in Ashna describes as the Horror Toilet. We have books on philosophy and jazz records but one theme keeps repeating itself over and over of our Parisian home for the week. In this episode you will learn the best travel tips we have discovered like Rue Montorgueil otherwise known as Tasty Street. Learn how we made an art out of collecting items and perfected the joy of picnicking in Paris. Where are the best places to picnic in Paris? We reveal the feature of our neighborhood in Paris that reminds me of every Henry Miller book I have ever read. My show in Paris was in a sweltering h

For the comedy nerd in all of us I am proud to present to you this lengthy chat I had with Kliph Nesteroff about the history of stand up comedy. Last year Kliph published the excellent book 'The Comedians.' I loved this book tremendously and highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy and is interested in all of its exciting and sordid history. From the earliest comedians in vaudeville to the mafia's grip on the development of stand up comedy as an art form there is fascinating facts to delight everyone's brain who will listen to this conversation. As comedy is my favorite topic in the world and the fact that I enjoyed his book so much there were endless questions I had for Kliph as we gabbed it up for the microphone. He has also been asked to host a show on the Vice network about comedy that premieres on July 10. Kliph's own history with doing comedy, experimenting with acid and giving up drinking also adds to the mix boundless enjoyment of tales of adventure. If you love comedy as much as I do I know thi

How should you act when a neighbor is harassing and trying to intimidate you? Learn the outcome of the ongoing saga we have had with our downstairs neighbors who keep making noise complaints against us. Listeners sent us legal advice, we were acting like civilized adults when everything came to a head when they came to our door accusing Ashna of stomping. I flew home the next day in a fury of anger and had to go talk to these people. This week's movie talk is about Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot's breathtaking portrayal and rebranding of the old red booted Wonder Woman, into the new compassionate feminist icon and ass kicking heroism of this year's cinematic Wonder Woman. The subtle messages in the dialogue were just as powerful as the jumping side kicks and skull crunching punches.  June 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Summer Of Love. Is this the Summer of Love or hate? We conclude this episode with a recap of life enriching quotes by Voltaire, Oscar Wilde, Alan de Botton, Willie Nelson and Geor

What are the limits of freedom of speech? Who went to far with freedom of speech Kathy or Bill Maher? Take a ride out of the doldrums and depression by letting us show you how to look on the bright side. In this episode Ashna and I talk about out trip to New York where we hung out with Dave Attell and Michael Che. Learn how I dealt with following Amy Schumer and her story about paying someone to masturbate her father. Learn how to deal with your buzz kill neighbors the Seneca way and what Netflix really thinks of white guys. Learn who Tony Woods thinks is the second most angry black man that he knows. We also discuss the shooting of Republicans on a baseball field in Virginia and the verdict in the Philander Castille killing. On a happier note we talk about the book Paris, a biography of a city and the excellent Ken Burns documentary The Roosevelts and the lesson to be learned from Teddy Roosevelt's life that can be valuable to all. The Einstein series called Genius gets a favorable mention as does the Jimi H

Emmy winner T. Sean Shannon has written for Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show & In Living Color. He is one of my oldest & best friends in comedy since the day I met him at Yankee stadium when we smoked a joint together in the upper deck. He is the pride of Houston, Texas and will enrich your life with wisdom & laughter! Become a member and support us on Patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp Use our Amazon link (banner on tomrhodes.net) when you shop! Please fill in the shortest survey ever so we get to know you! http://survey.libsyn.com/trr    

Our lives are are collection of stories and memories. I tell the story of smoking pot with Jack Nicholson at a Rolling Stones concert and how people watching in Las Vegas says more about you than the people you are watching. This episode is all about my own personal history with Las Vegas. The city I used to hate and avoid like the plague is now a place I come to several times a year full of entertainment friends, culinary delights and audiences of people from all around the globe. Shalom Amigos!

In this episode we talk about how I surprised the squirrel on my balcony. Trump firing Comey, late night shows and if American satire works. How the 1937 book 'Invertebrate Spain' applies to what is happening in America today. How CNN is responsible for the puppy we just lost. How the Paul Newman movie 'Nobody's Fool' will teach you to make brave choices in your life. And I read you my thoughts on the Spanish conquest of Peru while standing in the main square of Cuzco. Big fresh slices of my life are yours with Ashna's two scoops of ice cream goodness on the side. And finally Ashna and I decide on a kid's name that we both like.