SnarkMonkey

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#52 - Ian Bagg Jun 17, 2016

Show notes

Ian Bagg has been a working comedian for some time now, but got a little bump in exposure after getting into the top 5 of last year's Last Comic Standing. So...who is this Ian Bagg fellow? What's his deal? Why does he talk kinda funny, eh? Well...turns out he's Canadian and grew up in an isolated area of British Columbia, worked in a gold mine (a literal gold mine) and was on the verge of studying Blasting Engineering when he instead decided to take the much more dangerous route of telling jokes on stage in front of people.

Ian's story starts out sounding a little like maybe David Lynch wrote it, but being of hearty Canuck stock and apparently with no fear, Ian's path includes a wild swing across North America from honing his skills in Vancouver, surviving in a youth hostel in New York, and finally figuring out where it's warm ALL the time after moving to Los Angeles.

We cover a lotta ground in this hour-plus, including a little hockey talk, why Ian's style of comedy can throw some audiences off,what the hell Weetabix is (see below) and there's a generous dose of conversation about monkeys. You'll see.

Ian Bagg is performing at the Irvine Improv this weekend (6/16-19) where he will be recording his as-yet-untitled special. Get more tour info on Ian's website ianbagg.com, follow Ian on Twitter @IanBagg and like his Facebook page here.

#51 - Christopher Titus Jun 09, 2016

Show notes

Christopher Titus is probably best known for his half-hour show Titus which aired on FOX-TV between 2000-2002. but he's been an established stand-up doing dark, edgy, personal storytelling on stage for years. It was his one-man show Norman Rockwell is Bleeding - which dealt with being "raised by a raging alcoholic and a mentally ill mother" - that not only set him on a different path with his material, but got him the TV deal. The show was critically acclaimed and performed relatively well, but a fateful meeting with the network president resulted in cancellation and those wounds have yet to completely heal.

Titus gets deep into the nuts-and-bolts of his comedy path, including how he evolved on stage, and why every comic needs to discover how to "spew your pure truth." We also talk Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Peter Farrelly and why he is such a huge Prince fan. No...really...a HUGE Prince fan.

Chris Titus is at the Brea Improv as of this posting (June 9-11, 2016) and will be filming his special "Born With a Defect" on July 9th at the Central Theatre in Escondido. For more tour dates go here. Check out Titus Podcast here, on iTunes or Podbay.. (They'll be live at Flappers in Burbank on August 16th!)

Follow him on Twitter @TitusNation; like his Facebook page; and get all the info you need at christophertitus.com.

Here's a teaser for his upcoming film "Special Unit"...

#50 - Jimmy Pardo May 27, 2016

Show notes

Jimmy is a long-time standing-up comedian (his words) who would have a similar story to many successful comics with one big exception - as a pioneer (my words) in the podcast world, Jimmy started Never Not Funny in 2006 when people had no idea what the hell what that was. Now ten years later it is one of the most downloaded comedy podcasts with a loyal following who actually pay good, American dollars to listen AND watch on video as Players Club members.

Hear Jimmy's journey from the rough-and-tumble streets of Chicago's South Side to a brief flirtation with an acting school in Pasadena - along with stints working in a record store, working in the record business - all the while honing his comedy stylings on club stages everywhere.

We cover his affection for radio, his passion for the band Chicago, his love of music and much, much more. A fast-moving, super-fun episode...enjoy!

Find out where Jimmy will be in your area on his website, jimmypardo.com - if you aren't already hooked, check out his podcast Never Not Funny at pardcast.com (or on iTunes...duh) and you can follow him on Twitter @jimmypardo or Facebook here.

#49 - Kira Soltanovich May 20, 2016

Show notes

Kira is a super funny comedian, TV personality, mom and wife whose stand-up special You Did This To Me - which she did while 7 months pregnant! - is now streaming on the world wide web and is great! Despite having a nine-month-old baby who still isn't sleeping all night, Kira comes in to the MonkeyCage guns-a-blazin' to catch us up on life after Baby #2. We also get some backstory from her early life as a Russian refugee, as a teenager in San Francisco, as a Jew that may or may not have horns, and how her 5-year-old is possibly a spy from another dimension...and much, much more. Kira totally brings the Snark, so hang on to something...

Kira's stand-up special You Did This To Me is available on Amazon Instant Video and iTunes and almost anywhere you can stream funny stuff. Plus Kira can be seen in the new GSN game show WInsanity hosted by Donald Faison starting June 9th.

Follow Kira on Twitter @kiracomedy - on Facebook here - check out her website at kiracomedy.com and watch her fascinating (...ahem...) jogging adventures on Periscope.

#48 - Nina Tassler May 13, 2016

Show notes

Nina Tassler is best known as the former President and then Chairman of CBS Entertainment, shepherding the network to great success and high ratings with hits like the CSi franchise, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, Mom and many others.

We knew Nina loved monkeys!

No longer holding that particular lofty position (but still very much involved in the industry) she has now released a book as a gesture for her daughter but also available to the world called "What I Told My Daughter: Lessons from Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women." A self-proclaimed feminist, Nina was raised in New York state by progressive-minded parents who ran summer camps - she gained a love for theater after seeing shows on Broadway - studied at Boston University - and thus began her particular circuitous route to becoming one of the most powerful and successful television executives ever. Oh...and it just so happens that she is a woman.

Our conversation is inspiring for anyone who aspires to be creative, and also a must-listen for any young women who struggles with their place and identity in the modern world.

What I Told My Daughter from Simon & Schuster is available now wherever books are sold. For more information go here.

#47 - Ratchet &...Qwark? James Arnold Taylor and Jim Ward Apr 28, 2016

Show notes

The game Ratchet & Clank was introduced in 2002 followed by multiple releases over the years and now, the Ratchet & Clank movie is (finally) in theaters in 2016! And two of the voice actors who have been part of the R&C universe for that loooong journey enter the MonkeyCage to talk about how they created their characters, what other familiar voices they're identified with, and give some practical advice and guidance to aspiring voice actors. There's also a lot of silliness and tomfoolery and Paul Giamatti fighting with Paul Giamatti.

Ratchet & Clank is in theaters now!

James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet) returns to SnarkMonkey (hear his amazing personal story in SnarkMonkey #1) and can be seen, heard, followed and stalked on Twitter @JATactor, on Facebook here, on his website and his YouTube channel. (See some of James' behind-the-scenes footage of our podcast session, below...)

Jim Ward (Captain Qwark) is on Twitter @JimWardVoices and Facebook here and can be heard as a lot of different people on The Stephanie Miller Show.

#46 - Barnet Kellman Apr 22, 2016

Show notes

Barnet Kellman is most closely associated with being part of the creative team of the groundbreaking TV series Murphy Brown directing every episode of the first three seasons of the series (in addition to the series finale.) But he's done so much more and his journey to get there included displaying pure chutzpah at Colgate University to working in small theaters in daytime drama in New York to becoming a go-to name in Hollywood for directing TV pilots; a first episode that (presumably) sets the template for what is to come. (And, to his credit, those pilots included Mad About You, Suddenly Susan, The George Lopez Show and many others.) In fact, we get some insight into what can make a television pilot special enough that viewers will want to spend seasons/years with the people in that world.

Now he's imparting much of this wisdom to the young, creative minds of tomorrow as a Professor of Cinematic Arts at USC, as well as going back to his roots in the theater this summer directing Judith Ivey and Estelle Parsons in Israel Horovitz's play "Out of the Mouths of Babes" Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theater.

A smart, funny, talented man - great storyteller - fantastic conversation - enjoy Barnet Kellman!

Also, indulge me for a few minutes as I share a few words about Prince and seeing him live in 1981 opening for The Rolling Stones. Things did not go well for him that day - but it obviously didn't seem to hold him back any. -LM

Revisiting RUSH HOUR with Trey Callaway Mar 31, 2016

Show notes

We revisit, and update, our conversation with Trey Callaway as his show Rush Hour debuts TONIGHT on CBS...

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Writer/Producer Trey Callaway comes into the MonkeyCage with some good talk about being a working creative type in Hollywood - and, wow, what a wide range of stuff this guy has done; a Teen Slasher Movie (the script for I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), a Sci-Fi Medical Drama (Mercy Point), a Police Procedural (CSI: New York), an Action-Adventure Drama (Revolution) and the series that just had its untimely finale after one season, The Messengers. He's also a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts imparting his wisdom to young creative minds.

Trey's journey has taken lots of interesting twists and turns; coming out of radio, of all things, in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma where he was inspired by Star Wars to the training ground of USC's film school, to a short-lived career in advertising and being a part of the Corman B-movie canon.

We cover a lot of ground in this hour-plus conversation, but you'll get some great insight into the value of seeking variety in your creative life and Trey's enthusiasm for how he approaches his work (and life) is inspiring and infectious.

He also makes a pretty darn good pitch for why the new series he's working on - the TV reboot of the Rush Hour film series on CBS - will be worth watching.

Enjoy! -LM

You can follow Trey on Twitter @TreyCallaway

#45 - Lisa Yee Mar 04, 2016

Show notes

Lisa Yee is a popular writer of Young Adult fiction (including Millicent Min, Girl Genius. The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days and many others) as well as the American Girl, 2016 Girl of the Year books. Lisa's admitted geekiness has served her well with the release this week of the first DC Super Hero Girls novel, Wonder Woman at Super Hero High.

An early love for Batman (specifically a childhood crush on Robin) made her well-suited to enter the world of super heroes - but the path there is a circuitous one, including an early inclination to study law.

And even once the decision was made to become a writer, it took years of writing copy, commercials, slogans and even Red Lobster menus (not kidding) before a touch of luck (and wizardry) set Lisa on her creative way...

You can learn more about Lisa on her website LisaYee.com and follow her on Twitter @LisaYee1

Learn more about the DC Super Hero Girls here and the American Girl 2016 Girl of the Year books here.

#44 - Phil Hendrie Feb 26, 2016

Show notes

Phil Hendrie is a brilliant maniac who has carved out a very unique space in the world of entertainment - for years as a terrestrial broadcaster and now a podcaster - creating an entire universe of characters that all come from one brain and out one mouth hole. (He's a pretty accomplished voice and on-screen actor, too.)

Part Jonathan Winters, part Robin Williams, part insane person, Phil Hendrie took a childhood passion for local radio which became a transient career and then became...well, something totally different.

Big comedy, subtle commentary and true humanity shine forth in Phil's work which is unlike anything else being created these days. Take a listen to how this wonderful world was borne as well as Phil (and my) take on the past, present and future of traditional radio and how technology is opening the way for this to be a Wild West of Creativity.

Phil's smart, really funny, tells a great story...it's all good. Enjoy! -LM

Check out The World of Phil Hendrie at philhendrieshow.com - follow Phil on Twitter @realphilhendrie - and on Facebook here.

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