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Tom Rhodes Smart Camp — Comedy
Tom Rhodes Smart Camp

About Smart Camp podcast
Tom Rhodes Smart Camp is a festival of ideas, knowledge, stories, books, and adventures. I have been a comedian for more than 40 years, traveling the world to perform comedy. Whenever I can, I will share my adventures with you on this podcast. Together with my creative partner and best friend, Ashna, we ‘re offering a blend of wisdom, humor, and heart.

Tom
I have been a comedian for more than 40 years. I travel the world, performing comedy. Exploring diverse cultures and connecting with people from all walks of life while doing comedy is at the heart of my journey. Whenever I can, I’ll share my adventures and a global perspective with you on this podcast.

Ashna
Ashna, Dutch artist, photographer, and my ex-wife, is my best friend and she’s an essential part of the Rhodesies production team. We’ve traveled the world together for 8 years. With her background in cognitive psychology and her passion for philosophy and the arts, Ashna shares her unique European perspective.

Copyright: © 2011 Tom Rhodes

Latest Episodes:

343 Bassem Youssef Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

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 & 26, 2021 @ The Brea Improv. I worked with Bassem a few months ago and I howled with laughter at his excellently written and crafted material. His goal now is to have an hour special on Netflix as a testimony that he could bounce back from what happened to him in his home country. The ability to reinvent yourself is an opportunity that most people don't have. Don't live in the past and don't listen to advice. Make a new friend today and get to know your new favorite comedian Bassem Youssef here on Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp! You will become a smiley person just like Bassem after listening to this episode. Joy be upon you and happy summer time 2021! patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

342 Forgiving The Monkees Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

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 adult diapers there than they do baby diapers. Also, in Japan black cats are considered good luck. I end this episode with a charming story of why I've held a grudge against the band The Monkees for so long and why now I can finally forgive them. Summer is here and the masks are finally coming off, hooray and hallelujah!

patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp

341 Tacos 1986 with Big John Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

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

340 Death Strikes Again May 03, 2021

Show notes

Life is like a butterfly... One minute you are floating along and then the next... thummppp! Windshield. This past week two men that I love dearly dropped dead. Gerke Nauta was the director of the first two seasons of the Kevin Masters Late Night show that I did in Amsterdam. He taught me how to be a television host and how to look into the cold black lense of the camera and speak warmly to the people watching at home. Gerke Nauta changed the course of my life when he and Jason Tegelaar chose me to be the star of their show. Another great loss to me was the death of Carl Labove. Before I ever met him he was my hero for his mastery of stand up comedy and then in the course of our friendship he was a never ending source of positive energy and an example of someone who never let hardship rob him of his joy for living or diminish his sparkle in any way. Both of these men are heroes to me in the story of my life and I praise, remember and celebrate them in this episode. I also talk about how I fell in love with the Toronto Blue Jays and why Bo Bichette is the Tom Rhodes of baseball. Furthermore I talk about why you shouldn't feed squirrels salted nuts, how to solve the homeless crisis in Los Angeles and the most annoying thing that the artist Rembrandt did to his wife. There is new hope for the planet now that summer is arriving and because more people are getting vaccinated it means that it won't be long before we are allowed to gather in groups again to celebrate the best parts of being human. Hooray for humanity and joy be upon you! Patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp Youtube.com/kingofhaha

339 Pray for DMX Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

I woke up April 5 at 4:44am to a 4.0 earthquake.

Some days the world just tells you to wake up early. The meaning of Easter is that Jesus rose from the dead and I like that we can use that as inspiration to rise from back from the dead in areas of our own lives. If you have been defeated, beaten down or immobilized for whatever reason in your life you can still rise back up as long as you have breath in your lungs. In this episode I give you rollerskating news and the hummingbird update. I'll teach you why those old knives might not be as bad as you think they are and why driving a Toyota Camry hybrid is so fucking hot. I will tell you about the moment of enlightenment I achieved last week in Las Vegas and explain to you Georgia voting restrictions caused me to purchase the entire Dodgers 2021 season from mlb.com. I will watch every delicious pitch this year as an act of political defiance. For educational purposes I will teach you how to properly use the phrase: "Stand down whitey! This is not the slave market." My most fervent entertainment recommendations goes to the brilliant acting in Pen 15, Promising Young Woman and Sound of Metal. Each of those productions are entertainment glory and you should digest them into your bosom. After I put you to bed with a slice from The Daily Stoic I will tell you my best personal news regarding the pandemic. Spring forward into life.

338 Mostly Sunny Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

A Sapiosexual is someone who is attracted to intelligence. After listening to this episode you will become more intelligent & therefore more attractive to Saposexuals.

After months of not putting out a podcast I am finally joyful enough to record a new episode. This episode is called Mostly Sunny because it is mostly about happy topics. Here I give you the knowledge of the orange Rufous hummingbird that spends its entire life in a constant state of migration. Also you will learn about the snuggly curious facts about sloths to the disturbing pervert tendencies of the Borneo moth. I rejoice in the story of how a movie I once tried to make years ago and the footage that I owned but did not possess for 15 years, a story that once brought me grief, now makes me happy because I am now posting this entire movie one vintage short clip at a time on social media. You will also hear the story of the 12 year old boy in New England who wants to be a comedian and has been seeking my advice.

As Spring arrives with the singing birds informing the farmers it is time to plant their seeds there is so much to be happy about as the warm weather and flowers arrive. In my personal life the update is that my mother is among the people who do not wish to get the vaccine. I think that the right wing media led by Trump and Fox news will be to blame if she falls ill. I also think that the Republican party should be banned as the violent Nazi hate group that it is and that is the not so sunny part of my current episode. I only say that because of my overall love of humanity and because they are now putting my mother's life in danger with their lies and misinformation campaigns. Mom hugs are the answer to all of life's problems so let's all hug our mothers as often as we can while we can. Joy be upon you now and forever! Go to Patreon.com/tomrhodesradiosmartcamp for goodies

337 Experiencing Trauma Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

The best thing that you can do with bad memories is to pave over them with good ones. Have you ever had your brain completely fucked by something that you witnessed? It happened to me last week and I now see that I have been misusing the word traumatized my whole life because I was truly traumatized by what I saw. If you have a weak stomach for harsh stories then this episode might not be for you. These are very hard times for a lot of people so I tried to pack a lot of sunshine in this episode as I always do but there is a doozy of a head fuck story coming your way here. My girlfriend experienced this trauma with me and she shares her side of this story with me and how we have been caring for each other since. I also share the philosophy of Seneca and the Stoics, my thoughts on the passing of Diego Maradona, Trump being the biggest snowflake of them all, how to deal with angry pick up trucks in rural areas, what not to do when driving through a blizzard and the mating habits of frogs. There is also the story of how a horse fell in love with me in Oregon and how being among animals can be a powerful healing medicine. The best thing you can do with bad memories is to pave over them with good ones. Hooray for the compassionate and hooray for humanity!

336 Reasons to be cheerful Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Not being dead is the number one reason to remain cheerful.

My girlfriend and I fled Portland last month because of the fires and unbreathable air. For the past month we have been in Los Angeles finding the simple things in life like miniature golf, the zoo and the beach to combat the fear, confusion and uncertainty that dominates life at this moment. There are still many reasons to be cheerful and in this episode my girlfriend and I take you on a stroll through some of the recent joys we have experienced in spite of the fact that we had a near death experience while playing in the Pacific ocean. There are so many things that beat you down in life and disturb our fragile little minds so it is essential to be reminded of the good things in life once in a while. So put on your happy pants and let's get giggly with Tom Rhodes Radio Smart Camp. Joy be upon you!

335 Oregon Is My France Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Let me tell you all about Oregon & why you should be listening to Bootsy Collins & Curtis Mayfield right now. Praise be to the plum wine man!

I was playing the Rick James song 'Busting Out' when I crossed the border from California into Oregon. My girlfriend lives in Portland and for the past month we have been going on driving adventures all over Oregon. I had planned on exploring France this year but that got canceled so instead I am enjoying all of the best that there is to see in Oregon. This episode starts in Whale Cove, then on to Ona Beach then back to Portland. I have circled Oregon and I have some stories to share with you. From Crater Lake and Cannon Beach to the Last Blockbuster in Bend and seeing 'The Outsiders' at a drive in movie theater in Newberg I have been squeezing joy out of this last bit of summer. I went to Plush, Oregon just because I loved the name and slept in a grocery store parking lot in Lake View. On the news Portland looks like a lawless hellhole right now but those skirmishes all happen downtown and I have found the best places in this city to relax with minimal pandemic stress. Let me tell you all about Oregon and why you should be listening to Bootsy Collins and Curtis Mayfield right now. Praise be to the man who makes plum wine and gin!

Hooray for humanity! Joy be upon you! Shalom Amigos!

334 Peach Mango Peru Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

Grab some fruit and let me take you to Peru.

Have you eaten a peach lately?

Try eating slices of one while alternating bites with slices of mango. If you can do it while sitting in your underwear in the sun like I did then you are a true champion of summer in my book. In this episode I talk about Willie Nelson's new record 'First Rose Of Spring', George Carlin, The Wrong Missy, Eurovison Song Contest, Mean Girls, Booksmart, John Muir and his use of the word "Sambo", The Portland Riots and the leaf blowers sending back the CS gas to the unmarked federal agents. I also talk about my book that I'm writing and read to you one of the best parts of my Peru chapter. What could be better than that? Hearing all about my best moment while filming for a Travel TV show in Peru on assignment. Let your brain relax and allow my words to take you to Amantani island on Lake Titicaca. I got to experience the sacred ceremony of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) with the local villagers and I wrote all about it for my book and now your ears. Grab some fruit and let's share this happy summer moment together. If you can listen to this episode with fresh summer fruits while sitting in your underwear in the sun all the better. Enjoy every sunset. Hooray for humanity!

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