SnarkMonkey

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#43 - Sarah Tiana Feb 05, 2016

Show notes

Sarah Tiana is a very funny comedian who had a huge 2015; multiple appearances on @midnight on Comedy Central, a great gig on a CMT show, opening for arena acts like Brad Paisley and Aretha Franklin while still going up in clubs across the country constantly, plus gaining a reputation as a great joke writer and Roast Mistress. Girl's on a roll, yo.

It was not an overnight process. Coming from a small town in Northern Georgia Sarah wasn't even thinking about being a comic when she made a move to L.A. in her 20s and started the long, laborious process of standing up in front of strangers on a crappy stage and telling jokes.

This is one of those great stories of discovery, tenacity and what it means to be fearless when all the odds seem against you. And notice how I didn't qualify Sarah as a "female" comedian...we talk about the bias of being a woman in a male-dominated form, and how she used that to her advantage.

Sarah in the MonkeyCage rockin' the Waffle House gear...

We also take a quick tour of her hometown Calhoun, Georgia, talk Waffle House gear, accents and breakdown the mechanics of a really great insult that won't get you punched in the face.

Check out where Sarah is performing near you on her website, sarahtiana.com

Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahTiana or on Facebook here

#42 - Gary Kroeger RETURNS Jan 30, 2016

Show notes

It's a rare repeat appearance from a previous SnarkMonkey guest - SNL cast alum, actor, host, advertising exec and congressional hopeful Gary Kroeger is BACK in the MonkeyCage just in time for the Iowa caucus hootenany (which just so happens to be his home state and, yes, they DO call it a hootenany. I mean...it's Iowa...)

In our last conversation (10/28/13) we determined that Gary was politically outspoken, but running for office wasn't necessarily in the cards. Well, things have obviously changed and now Gary is running for the hotly contested Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 1st District House seat. Gary gives us some real insight into the political process - what it takes to run and win - and shares his very candid viewpoint on what we really need in government now. Agree or disagree, you can't help but admire his passion and commitment.

SNL 40th Anniversary - McCartney, Carvey, Crystal...Kroeger!

But, we also cover his adventures backstage and in the audience at SNL's much-ballyhooed 40th anniversary show (where he had an awesome-yet-awkward moment with Paul McCartney.)

And a lot more...

Check out Gary's congressional site at garyforcongress.com and read his writing on the socio-political blog garyhasissues.com and follow Gary on Twitter @KroegerIA01

The Snark Awakens Dec 19, 2015

Show notes

The night started with such promise for the MonkeyDad and his young padawan...

The long-awaited, much-anticipated, heavily-hyped return of...SNARKMONKEY...is here! And no better time than now to resurface with an extensive conversation about a little movie called; Star Wars: The Force Awakens - because you don't have enough white, nerdy males talking about Star Wars in your life. Join Matt Johnson, Mike Ambers, Alexander Morgan and me for an extensive, geeky, nitty-gritty breakdown of J.J. Abrams, new characters, old characters, The Force, insta-bread and other MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!! ***Seriously - if you have not seen SW: TFA and plan on it, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS until afterwards. Then we also do some major conjecture and relate some rumors associated with future chapters of the saga. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! And then leave comments about how wrong we are.*** You will also hear about the death-defying and harrowing adventure that Monkey-In-Chief Larry Morgan and his Monkey Offspring had in the attempt to attend the movie opening night. It is not for the faint of heart...

Hard tickets were acquired and celebratory beers were consumed...

Like Matt Johnson's New Frequency page on Facebook here

Follow Mike Ambers' Blind Reviews on Twitter @blindreviews

Follow Alexander Morgan @AlexMorganMusic and listen to his new album "For The King" now on iTunes here

Nerdy discussion ensued...

And that's when the descent into movie-going hell began....

#41 - Jerry Rocha Oct 17, 2015

Show notes

photo courtesy Arsonhouse Entertainment

Comedian Jerry Rocha's stand-up special "Gabriel Iglesias Presents: The Gentleman Jerry Rocha" airs TONIGHT (10/17/15) on Fuse (check your local listings) and, hopefully, will air again or be available on-demand or streaming somewhere. However you see him, check out this terrific comic's work and see why he's being touted as one of the hottest up-and-comers on the scene.

Jerry and I get in-depth about his Texas upbringing, being Latino in a diverse neighborhood, how he found his funny via Eddie Murphy, Dana Carvey, Paul Rodriguez and the late Mike DeStefano and how big an influence "Weird Al", Hulk Hogan, Star Wars, his 5th grade teacher and Optimus Prime had on him.

It'll all make sense...trust me. Fast, funny, dark but lovable - this is a true gentleman, Jerry Rocha. Enjoy! -LM

Get more info at jerryrochacomedy.com; follow Jerry on Twitter @rochacomedy

#40 - Michael Lehmann Oct 11, 2015

Show notes

Director Michael Lehmann immediately made a name for himself with his feature-length debut in Hollywood - the dark, quirky, decade-defining Heathers in 1988. Then three years later he also helmed the much-maligned Bruce Willis vehicle Hudson Hawk. It was a one-two Hollywood Punch, and could have been a high-profile Fall From Grace, but instead Michael persevered and his particular and unique directorial vision graced a few more box office efforts and a ton of episodic television. (Like what? Like...oh, The Larry Sanders Show, The Comeback, Big Love, Nurse Jackie, The Big C, Bored To Death, American Horror Story, Dexter, True Blood, Californication...basically any good show you've ever seen, ever, he's had a hand in.)

Most recently Michael has been involved with the HBO series The Brink and the Patrick Stewart series on Starz, Blunt Talk. And, who knows, he may have directed another twenty episodes of something new since I had this conversation with him two days ago.

The high points of Michael's path include growing up with eclectic cinema tastes and doing community radio at KPOO in the San Francisco Bay Area to studying art at Columbia in New York and philosophy in Germany to being the receptionist at Zoetrope Studios (via Francis Ford Coppola's babysitters) to pushing boundaries of convention at USC's cinema championing something called Beaver Gets a Boner...and beyond.

Michael is gracious, intelligent, quietly passionate and has unique insight into this so-called "Golden Age of Television" as he just happened to transition into the small-screen world with uniquely fortuitous timing, even if it included some personal resistance.

Enjoy! -LM

Follow Michael on Twitter @docstrangelove

#39 - Martha Davis of The Motels Sep 21, 2015

Show notes

The band The Motels was perfectly suited for the New Wave music scene in the late 70s, as well as visually perfect for the MTV era a few years later. With hits like "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer" they secured enough of a following to put them on the road and in the studio for years to come. But the path to that success was by no means overnight or easy - especially for the voice, chief songwriter and, ostensibly, the face of the band - Martha Davis.

Martha comes in to the MonkeyCage to share her remarkable journey in the music business at the same time she is celebrating the release of a live concert film "The Motels Live at the Whisky a GoGo 50th Anniversary" which will premiere tonight (9/21/2015) at the Regent Theatre in downtown Los Angeles (tickets still available as of this posting). The red carpet starts at 8pm, screening shortly thereafter, there will be a Q&A session with Martha, Emmy winning cinematographer Roy H. Wagner and director Denise Faye, the choreographer of "Burlesque" and the co-director of Cher's current tour. (And while you're downtown, check out Beelman's Pub, as they have been a very kind sponsor for this event.)

The DVD and Blu ray of "The Motels Live at the Whisky a GoGo 50th Anniversary" will be released nationwide on Oct 23.

Thanks, also, to Nicholas Johns, a current member of The Motels lineup, for giving us his perspective as well!

Follow Martha and The Motels on Twitter; @TheMotels on Facebook here and on their website themotels.com

#38 - Jack Epps, Jr. Sep 19, 2015

Show notes

Jack Epps had a hand in writing some very big hit movies in the 80s (Top Gun, Legal Eagles, The Secret of My Succe$s, Turner & Hooch) but getting those hits involved taking quite a few swings and dealing with quite a few misses. Jack talks about the tenacity and discipline it takes to be a screenwriter, including setting a high standard for your own work and the knowledge, going in, that your first draft is probably gonna suck. And that's okay. We also delve into the dynamic of writing with a partner, how television has seen a resurgence, and there's an Ethel Merman reference. (You have to listen.)

Jack is now teaching his craft at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and his forthcoming book Screenwriting is Rewriting will cover similar ground and will be required reading for anyone who wants to know what it really takes to get your amazing movie (or TV) idea into shape for mass consumption. (Hint: your butt is involved. You have to listen.)

Also, hello to fellow podcasters and attendees of the 2015 Los Angeles Podcast Festival - thanks for checking us out here in the MonkeyCage. Enjoy! -LM

#37 - UCB/The Smokes (Billy Merritt, Joe Wengert & Jim Woods) Sep 03, 2015

Show notes

Three great improvisers from L.A.'s Upright Citizens Brigade sit down and get serious about funny stuff. Billy Merritt, Joe Wengert and Jim Woods come from different parts of the country, different backgrounds and different sensibilities but came together when the New York-based UCB founders started a theater on the West Coast to be members of one of the mainstay teams/shows known as The Smokes as well as several others. All three have also taught the school curriculum and coached teams while watching the UCB become a pipeline for talent into the entertainment industry.

We talk about how improv, and UCB in particular, has transformed the current comedic paradigm...if there is such a thing. I don't know, I just made that up and it sounded pretty awesome. Oh, and Billy gets a gold star for bringing monkey facts. Yay! -LM

Follow Billy and Joe on Twitter here; @BillyMerritt @joewengert

UPDATE - Alan Wenkus/Straight Outta Compton Aug 14, 2015

Show notes

We catch up with a previous SnarkMonkey guest to get an update on his life now that Straight Outta Compton has made it into theaters as well as revisit our conversation from back in April on his circuitous path through showbiz...

---

One of the writers of the NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton, Alan Wenkus has taken a circuitous path from the comedy clubs of New England, a wacky 80s teen comedy starring a young Johnny Depp, morning radio in New York, writing syndicated comedy bits in the Valley, and now being a big part of a major Hollywood release. Hear how tenacity, rolling with the punches and keeping your sense of humor (at all costs) can pay off in the long run. AND we'll figure out how one of the most Caucasian guys you ever met could write about one of the most groundbreaking rap bands ever. -LM

Follow Alan on Twitter @alanwenkus

#36 - Yakov Smirnoff Aug 07, 2015

Show notes

Yakov Smirnoff came to the United States from Russia in the 70s and, landing in Los Angeles, literally lived at The Comedy Store in Hollywood where he began to develop his stand-up act. Rocketing to fame in the 80s Yakov was everywhere - The Tonight Show, in movies, his own sitcom and in commercials. But with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the cooling of the Cold War, Yakov's Russian-in-America act and persona began to lose its relevance and impact.

In the process of reinventing himself a faltering marriage drove him to learn more - about love, laughter and how those things go hand-in-hand. Yakov's journey includes revitalization in, of all places, Branson, Missouri, getting a degree from an Ivy League school, becoming a professor and now regularly going up at his old "home" The Comedy Store and bringing a new act and new perspective to appreciative audiences.

To hear more about his early years a great companion piece to this podcast would be Marc Maron's WTF conversation with Yakov, which you can get here as a subscriber, or listen on YouTube here.

Yakov will be appearing at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on August 16th, as well as heading back to his 2000 seat theater in Branson in late September through early December, and will be shooting a PBS special, "Happily Ever Laughter" to air in early 2016.

Get more info about Yakov and his performing schedule at Yakov.com and you can follow him on Twitter @yakov_smirnoff

Enjoy! -LM

Yakov was everywhere in the mid-80s...even in a Miller Lite commercial...

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