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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:

Jerry Rocha Dec 04, 2013

Show notes

This episode was recorded several years ago in Atlanta, Georgia.

It happens periodically that I will work with a young comedian that I love as a person and performer. When Jerry Rocha featured for me at the Atlanta Punchline I was pleased at how hard he rocked the room, warming the audience up rather than fouling up the bath water for the rest of the bathers. On and off stage Jerry is extremely likable. I like his style on stage and that he is not too cool to embrace his silliness. I think that after a few more years of seasoning he'll be a beast on the circuit and on viewing screens that must be dealt with. I love the material he does now and I look forward to seeing what mind bending humorous thoughts he comes up with in the future. He is an undiscovered comedy gem and that is why I am presenting him here with my full endorsement of his skills.

Cathy Sorbo Nov 27, 2013

Show notes

This episode was recorded in Seattle, Washington. I have known Cathy Sorbo for over 20 years. She is not only a brilliant stand up comedian but she also keeps inventing these supremely hilarious songs. She decided to stay based in Seattle to be with her family and I think she is better off for it. Her real life experiences are the gems of her material that makes me laugh the hardest but it is her inventiveness in her style and in her songs that make her a comedy legend. She has been a true friend to me and it would be impossible for me to come to Seattle and not see her. Cathy is one of those rare creatures who personally busts me up with laughter. Her innate silliness perfectly compliments her astute intelligence. She is one of my favorite human beings walking the earth today, she is the one and only Cathy Sorbo.

Drew Michael Nov 21, 2013

Show notes

Recorded in Chicago at Zanies on a Saturday night last September between breaks in 3 shows. Drew Michael was my feature act for the week and I loved what he was doing on stage. He's young, good looking, mildly angst ridden and I believe he will be a dangerously good comedian one day. He is from Chicago but about to move to New York. It was such a busy week for both of us the only time we had to record was during our breaks on a 3 show Saturday. The result is some good examination of the shows and the crowds. Smart comedy has always come out of Chicago and Drew is a prime example of this. I believe in his future so much I wanted to introduce him to you on my show now. Enjoy getting to know Drew Michael!

Des Bishop Nov 14, 2013

Show notes

This episode was recorded in Beijing, China.

I first met Des Bishop many years ago in London when we both performed on a show together. He has had a very unique life story and an amazing career trajectory.

Des is originally from New York but has deep family roots in Ireland. He started his stand up comedy career in Dublin and has gone on to have a brilliant television career in Ireland. For the past year he has been living in Beijing because he wants to learn Mandarin Chinese and perform stand up comedy in Chinese.

On the night I arrived after I dropped my luggage at the hotel I took a taxi to the local Chinese comedian open mic night that Des puts on. I couldn't believe it when I saw it but here was my friend standing there performing to a room full of Chinese people getting laughs in Chinese! I was absolutely blown away by this feat.

In this episode we talk about Des' television highlights in Ireland and how he came to fall in love with China to make a life here. He also explains everything you need to know about modern life in China, the current stand up comedy scene here and the three taboo topics a performer can never mention while performing in China.

It should be noted that Des heard I was booked to do shows in Hong Kong and Shanghai and he put up his own money to bring me to Beijing to headline shows he would host. The sold out shows this past week were at a cool book store with a full service bar in the center called 'The Bookworm.' The shows were billed as 'Tom Rhodes in the humor section.'

I would like to give a special thanks to Papa Razzi who created the song 'Tom Rhodes is a globe trotting comedian' that plays at the end of this episode.

Bill Burr Nov 06, 2013

Show notes

Sometimes with my podcast I like to imagine it as if I were teaching a university course on stand up comedy. That is why it was an absolute joy for me to sit down with Bill Burr and pick his brain about comedy and his thoughts on the importance of turning over a new hour show every year or two.

Personally, for me Bill is one of the most exciting comedians working today. Onstage he is a tempest. He is like watching a major storm develop and then crash down with a fury each new idea he presents. Presently, he is one of the hottest comedians in the world. Touring theaters, giving birth to new hour specials, he even had a recurring role on the critically acclaimed series 'Breaking Bad'. He is a true comedy bad ass.

His 'Monday morning podcast' is one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world right now and I'm very proud that my podcast is a part of the All Things Comedy network that Bill started with Al Madrigal. It is my pleasure to present to you now, the rock solid thrower of comedy thunderbolts that is Bill Burr.

Ari Shaffir Oct 31, 2013

Show notes

The more I get to know Ari Shaffir the more I like him. He is one of the most pleasant human beings walking this earth. Every time I see him he puts a smile on my face. I have never seen him with a dark cloud of emotions hanging over him.

Several years ago he started doing story telling shows and now that concept of his is being produced by Comedy Central digital in a series called 'This can't be happening'.

A few weeks ago I caught up with Ari in San Francisco while he was co-headlining at Cobb's with Joey CoCo Diaz. I watched Ari's fans shower him with gifts of joints and marijuana nuggets after his show and the next afternoon we sat down to have this conversation.

We talk about many great things but most importantly we both agree that "Comedy is a dark room where adults go to hear the truth about uncomfortable subjects."

Carl LaBove Oct 24, 2013

Show notes

I was a fan of Carl LaBove before I ever even met him. When I was 17 I went to see Sam Kinison in Orlando and Carl LaBove was the opening act. Carl blew me away that night with his ferocious comedy cyclone, Kinison was wasted and I left the Bob Carr auditorium thinking Carl LaBove was a name to remember.

Years later I met Carl when we did the Toronto comedy festival together. On the gala television taping for that festival Carl accidentally ended up being on mushrooms for that performance. I never get tired of hearing Carl tell the story of that night.

Through the years I have become good friends with Carl and I see him as a master Samurai warrior of comedy. He is the perfect example to shatter the notion that comedy is a young man's game. Carl continues to be one of my favorite live performing comedians and night after night he harnesses the same enthusiastic high energy story telling power that first blew me away when I saw him at 17.

I'm privileged to have seen him perform countless times through the years and he inspires me because his performances get sharper and his stories and perception never cease to bust me up. He is one of the few comedians who always makes me laugh out loud. This conversation was recorded last month in Chicago as autumn was just taking hold of the trees. We were shooting the shit at the kitchen table of the apartment where Zanies puts their headliners. One of the best human beings in the comedy industry, open your heart for Mr. Carl LaBove.

Rick Shapiro Oct 17, 2013

Show notes

I first saw Rick Shapiro perform when I lived in New York City 1998 - 1999. He wasn't playing in comedy clubs then he had a regular Wednesday night stint at a bar in Lower Manhattan. A musician friend of mine took me to see him and the musician friend told me "This guy does more than comedy. He does raw naked truth". I was ready to not like it but what happened over the next two hours as I sat watching him in this dark bar was uniquely powerful. It took him about 20 minutes to warm up but once he did there were slabs of brilliance. He spoke so freely and candidly about being a heroin addict and male prostitute I was transfixed. The sheer raw power of his honestly as he portrayed different stories of his personal history made me a fan of his work and the comedy thunderbolts he was throwing down.

I didn't meet Rick until about 7 or 8 years ago at a party of comedians in Los Angeles. I must have ignored everyone for most of the night because my main memory of that party is of talking with Rick all night about comedy in the back yard. Sometimes you need to be patient with Rick, just like that first time I saw him in New York, because once he gets warms up it is truly masterful.

This conversation was recorded at Rick's Hollywood bungalow. In this chat a beautiful point is made in that comedy wasn't invented for the young and beautiful. It was invented for the damaged people, the ones with great stories to tell. Few people have lived the life that Rick Shapiro has and I admire him because he weaves his stories throughout his brilliant observations on modern living.

He's not afraid to get angry and yell at the injustice's of the world. I like his vulnerability and his sincerity on and off the stage. I think that sincerity is the bravest choice a comedian could make and Rick is a perfect example of this style.

I respect this man and believe him to be an American comedy legend who will be remembered and studied. Precisely for the very reason how he was first described to me, for his raw naked truth.

I'm proud to present to you here and now the raw naked truth of Rick Shapiro.

Sananda Maitreya Oct 10, 2013

Show notes

I believe this episode is among the very best that I have yet been a part of because of the time, love and preparation that went into making it.

Sananda Maitreya was once known by a former name that I will not speak because I get the feeling that person no longer exists and that is the way Mr. Maitreya wants it. I love and respect this man so much it is effortless for me to comply with his wishes. Earlier this year I discovered his brand new album entitled 'Return to Zooathalon' and it has been in my heavy rotation in the music that I have been using to pump me up and fuel me up to keep motoring down the highway.

For me as a music lover there is no better feeling than when you fall in love with an artist's music to discover that they have an entire body of work that you were unaware of. That is what happened with me after I feel in love with 'Return to Zooathalon', I discovered the period of recordings Mr. Maitreya calls Post Millennium Rock. There are so many smash hits in these recordings! As I got further into his music I went deeper into exploring his website sanandamaitreya.com & sananda.org where I discovered his archive or writings. His writings reminded me of my own comedy notebooks that I have been keeping for years and made me fall deeper in love with the man behind the music.

Mr. Maitreya lives in Milan, Italy with his wife who he loves and inspires him and they have just had their second child. I keep referring to him as Mr. Maitreya because many years ago I was lucky enough to be the opening act for James Brown and Ray Charles. Backstage everyone addressed them as Mr. Brown or Mr. Charles. Even Ray Charles' son Ray Charles Jr. called him Mr. Charles! I believe this is the same respect that Mr. Maitreya commands. In this conversation when Mr. Maitreya refers to an artist that he respects and admires I like that calls them master. I was privileged to have this long conversation with him via Skype and it is filled with wisdom, humor, philosophy and supreme advice from the life of a legendary recording artist.

For the first 5 minutes of our chat I felt like a nervous fan, for the half hour past that I felt like I had been friends with him my whole life, then beyond that I felt like a disciple of a new religion I wished that he would start. There ain't nothing about this man that I don't like! I'm proud to present to you here the one and only divine presence of music and light that is Master Sananda Maitreya!

The songs that I have generously been given permission to use in this episode can be found and available for purchase at the following links:

'Kangaroo' from Return To Zooathalon www.Zooathalon.com

'Ornella Or Nothing' from Return To Zooathalon www.Zooathalon.com

'With A Girl Like You' from Nigor Mortis www.NigorMortis.com

'Hurricane Me & You' from Return to Zooathalon www.Zooathalon.com

Dara Faizi Oct 04, 2013

Show notes

This episode is a heartbreaker. I was shocked and saddened to learn that Dara Faizi died on September 30, 2013 at the tender young age of 25.

I became friends with Dara when he was first starting out as a comedian in Holland. He was a young master of comedy even when he just started. He had confidence as a story teller and a command of the stage you don't normally see in a comedian who is just starting out. He told fierce tales about being from Afghanistan and how his father was killed by the Taliban. He was an only child brought to Holland by his Mother when he was only 9 years old. On long van rides to do theater shows all over Holland he would pick my brain with questions about being a comedian and performing. There are times as a comedian when you see a young performer and you know that they are destined for great things. That is how I felt about Dara, I knew he was going to be a star from the moment I met him. This conversation was recorded on November 1, 2010 in Amsterdam. For years before I started doing my podcast I had been filming comedians for the comedy travel TV show idea that I have about highlighting comedians around the world. Dara Faiza was one of the comedians I wanted to highlight from Holland. Originally I was only going to use a few clips from this conversation for the TV show I wanted to make but since that show is still not in the works and Dara has passed on I see no reason to keep this chat to myself. Since we recorded this conversation his career path had been smart, going in the Dutch tradition of cabaret where you craft hour theater performances instead of a night club act. In recent years he was doing lots of Dutch television programs and being highlighted deservedly so in the Dutch media. His story is epic and he lays it all out for me here. My heart aches to think of his Mother and how shattered she must be right now. In truth everyone's heart should ache because the world of comedy and performance lost a great talent. I still can't believe that he is no longer of this earth but I am grateful that I recorded this conversation with him when he was only 22. I am proud that he was my friend and I'm pleased to present to you here the bright light that is Dara Faizi!

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