Comedy History 101

Yuk Yuk’s is the cornerstone of Canadian standup comedy. The Toronto club was founded in 1976 and has helped launch the careers of such iconic Canadian comedians as Jim Carrey, Howie Mandel, Russell Peters, and Norm Macdonald. And we talk to comedian Evan Carter - who was there at the very beginning on the history of this legendary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dangerfield’s was a NYC comedy club – named after part-owner Rodney Dangerfield. It opened in 1969 (and closed in 2020) and was plain CREEPY. Dangerfield’s can be seen in the movie, The Joker and the legendary Young Comedian’s special that launched Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, and Louie Anderson. And we talk to comedian Dave Juskow about the history of this creepy comedy club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CH101 Select; Michael Small was a staff member of The Harvard Lampoon. He is our guest today - on his history at one of the oldest and most prestigious humor magazines in the world. The alumni of The Harvard Lampoon include such icons in comedy as Conan O'Brien, Greg Daniels, Jim Downey, Colin Jost, BJ Novak - and numerous writers for SNL, The Simpsons, Letterman, Curb Your Enthusiasm - as well as almost every known comedy entity in TV and movies. Be sure to check out Michael's podcast: I Couldn't Throw It Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CH101 Select: In 2006, a producer thought it would be a good idea for double-acquitted murderer OJ Simpson's comeback project to be a zany hidden camera prank show called Juice'd. As in, a prank is pulled, OJ Simpson pops out, and goes, "You've been Juiced," at which point the person pranked goes, "HEY, AREN'T YOU THAT GUY WHO MURDERED THOSE PEOPLE?! And I, Harmon Leon, was hired off an ad on Craigslist to be OJ's funny little sidekick..I pulled hidden camera pranks alongside OJ Simpson. What followed was the worst trainwreck in reality television history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Farley was one of the most dynamic and beloved comedians to ever grace the stage at both Second City and Saturday Night Live. And I talk to Brent Hodge, director of the documentary, I Am Chris Farley. We do a deep dive into the life and times of this legendary comedian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jewish comedians, such as Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers, Gilbert Gottfried, have always broke norms and challenged taboos of American culture. We talk to Eddy Portney of YIVO Institute for Jewish Research - historian and curator of the course: Is Anything Okay? The History of Jews and Comedy in America. We dive into the roots of Jewish humor from the Borscht Belt to modern times. More at Yivo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just for Laughs is (was) the largest comedy festival in the world. Based in Montreal, the festival has helped launch the careers of such comedians as Jerry Seinfeld, Mitch Hedberg, Jimmy Fallon, Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, etc... And it was announced last week that this year's festival has been canceled - due to bankruptcy. We talk to Darren Frost - a Canadian comedian who started performing at the festival in the mid-90s - on the history of Just for Laughs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The legendary Comedy Cellar - is the Yankee Stadium of NYC comedy clubs. Founded in 1982, the club has helped launch the careers of Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Colin Quinn, Dave Attell, Amy Schumer, Ray Romano...(you get the idea). And we talk to comedian Dave Juskow, who is a Comedy Cellar regular - and host of the Comedy Cellar Tuesday podcast, on the history of this beloved club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CH101 Select: Mr. Bill is one of the most iconic characters in the history of Saturday Night Live. Mr. Bill got his start in the first season of SNL - as a viewer-submitted Super 8 film. In his heyday, this bundle of Play-Do was the third most beloved character on SNL - right behind John Belushi and Gilda Radner. And we talk to Walter Williams - the creator of Mr. Bill - who also became a staff writer at SNL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We wrap up the year with a sampling of the best of 2023 Comedy History 101 interviews. Featuring episode excerpts on Kids in the Hall, Mr. Bill, Comedy Culture Wars, Shemp Howard, Found Footage Festival, the Dublin Comedy Scenes, Michael Richards Infamous Meldown, Last Comic Standing, The Harvard Lampoon, Revenge of the Nerds, and more.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bruce Cherry is a comedian who wrote jokes and comedy material for George W. Bush and a host of other politicians. And we do a deep dive into the writing process on creating humor for the Commander-in-Chief. I originally interviewed Bruce for a story I did in Vice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the world of The Three Stooges, Shemp Howard deserves more love. Shemp was the original Stooge who appeared in 76 Stooge shorts. He also virtually saved The Three Stooges, was noted as the Ugliest Man in Hollywood, and is responsible for the phenomenon of 'The Fake Shemps.' And we talk to Geoff Dale, the only man in history to have written a biography of Shemp Howard, aptly titled: Much More Than a Stooge: Shemp Howard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kliph Nesteroff is one of the leading comedy historians and the author of the new book: Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars. And we talk about his book, censorship in comedy, how every generations declares that "comedy is over" - and how the old guard often refuses to accept culture shifts in the comedy biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Katz is a former joke writer for President Bill Clinton. He shares stories about writing humor in the White House, writing presidential jokes during a time of impeachment - and his take on which presidents are natural comedians. (Spoiler: Trump does not fit the mold.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A CH101 Select: The iconic TV show Last Comic Standing - ran from 2003 to 2015. It was a reality show, where comedians competed to be, well, the last comic standing. The show helped launch the careers of such comedians as Amy Schumer, Gary Gulman, Nicky Glaser - and our guest today: Rob Cantrell. Rob was a finalist on Season One of Last Comic Standing - where he lived in a house in the Hollywood Hills with such comedians as Ralphie May, Rich Vos, and Cory Kahaney. Rob tells what it was like to go from obscurity to being on an NBC prime time TV show - as well as tales of the San Francisco comedy scene in the 2000s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Jerry Springer Show has the notoriety of being the trashiest of all the trashy daytime talk shows. In 1995, a group of Canadian comedians pranked the Springer Show - and appeared on a segment entitled: My Husband Slept with the Babysitter. The prank made international news - and inspired many other Jerry Springer infiltrators followed over the years - including yours truly. Our guest today is Canadian comedian, Ian Sirota - who was part of the comedy team that infiltrated the Springer Show - and we share insights on the sleaze that went on behind the scenes. Here's a link to the story on my Jerry Springer in Vice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Irate encounters with Bill Murray. Cary Grant at The Friar's Club. Margarita lunches at The Russian Tea Room. This was all part of being a celebrity journalist at People Magazine in the 1980s - for our guest Michael Small. And check out Michael's podcast: I Couldn't Throw It Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Small was a staff member of The Harvard Lampoon. He is our guest today - on his history at one of the oldest and most prestigious humor magazines in the world. The alumni of The Harvard Lampoon include such icons in comedy as Conan O'Brien, Greg Daniels, Jim Downey, Colin Jost, BJ Novak - and numerous writers for SNL, The Simpsons, Letterman, Curb Your Enthusiasm - as well as almost every known comedy entity in TV and movies. Be sure to check out Michael's podcast: I Couldn't Throw It Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I interview the directors behind the new documentary, Satan Wants You - which tells the story how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by the book, Michelle Remembers. Find out how the book was used by law enforcement to convict innocent people - and was later determined to be a complete hoax. The episode I produced for 99 Percent Invisible, mentioned in our show, can be found at: 99percentinvisible.org/episode/devil-in-the-details Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I talk to Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher curators of the Found Footage Festival - on their love of found videos, infiltrating TV shows, sabotaging America's Got Talent, and their new documentary, Chop & Steele. Learn how posing as a strongman duo landed Joe and Nick in a major lawsuit and what was the reaction when they peed in their pants in front of Howie Mandal, Simon Cowell, and Scary Spice on NBC TV. More at: foundfootagefest.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More Grateful Dead stories? We talk to Frankie Accardi-Peri who co-managed Grateful Dead ticket sales from 1984- 1995- and she has some Dead insider stories to tell. This is a companion episode to my interview with Steven Marcus who was the Dead's ticketing head honcho. My interview with Frankie was part of research for a fiction script I wrote for the podcast Paperless - and my episode entitled: Blinkers. Check it out: https://shows.acast.com/paperless/episodes/blinkers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Raiola was a writer and editor of Mad magazine for 33 years. And he has some stories to tell on how Mad shaped comedy in America - and whose voice resonates through such entities as The Onion, The Daily Show, The Simpsons - and beyond. Take time to 'like,' subscribe, and comment on ComedyHistory 101. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest performance festival in world. It takes place during the month of August and has launched the comedy careers of Monty Python, Eddie Izzard, Fleabag - and just about every major comedy figure in the UK. Its where comedians go to get their Beatles 10,000 hours of Hamburg performing skills. The Edinburgh Festival is both amazing and soul-crushing at times. And on this CH101 Short, Irish comedian Johnny Candon and I highlight the grueling grind of the festival - that makes you a better performer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revenge of the Nerds is one of the classic comedies of the 1980s. And we talk to Andrew Cassese who played child-genius: Wormser in the movie. Revenge of the Nerds featured early roles from such actors as John Goodman, James Cromwell, Anthony Edwards - and Andrew tells us some behind the scenes antics of what it was like to be an onscreen members of the Lamda Lamda Lamda fraternity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Freddy Lockhart has the notoriety of being the very last person to EVER bring up Seinfeld's Michael Richard on stage as a comedian - the night he had his infamous meltdown at the Laugh Factory. Freddy was also there, at the Comedy Store - the night Joe Rogan confronted Carlos Mencia on stage for being a joke thief. Freddy shares these tales & his recent experience taking on an A.I. in a comedy roast battle - at our recent ComedyBytes show at The Ice House in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reprise: Our guest is Art Bell; the man who pitched the idea that became Comedy Central. Art was also the head of programming at the network. We do a deep dive into the origin of such iconic shows as Mystery Science Theater 3000, South Park, The Daily Show - and talk about the early careers of Jon Stewart, Marc Maron, and Bill Maher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mr. Bill is one of the most iconic characters in the history of Saturday Night Live. He got his start in the first season of SNL - as a viewer submitted Super 8 film. In his heyday, this bundle of Play-Do was the third most beloved character on SNL - right behind John Belushi and Gilda Radner. And we are talking to Walter Williams - the creator of Mr. Bill - who also become a staff writer at SNL. Please, like, subscribe, and comment on Comedy History101. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some of the best comedians in the world come from Ireland. We're talking your Dylan Morans, your Ardal O'Hanlons, your Tommy Tiernans - and just about every comedian you've seen on the TV show: Father Ted. And we have Irish comedian Johnny Candon - who joins us to give a brief history of stand up comedy on the Emerald Isle - whose modern day roots begin at a venue called The Comedy Cellar, upstairs at the International Bar. Like, subscribe, and comment on Comedy History101... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I talk to Jordan Belfort - the man whose life story was told onscreen in the Martin Scorsese movie: The Wolf of Wall Street (as well as in the movie: The Boiler Room) - where he was portrayed on screen by Leonardo DiCaprio. We dive into the history of The Wolf Wall Street - as well as what it was like to share a jail cell with legendary comedian Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong. Take time to 'like," subscribe, and comment on Comedy History101. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Kids in the Hall are one of the most iconic sketch comedy groups in history. And we do a deep dive into their origin story with Paul Myers - who knew KITH in their early days. Paul is the author of The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy, the executive producer of the documentary The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, as well a the brother to Mike Myers - and he gives insights into what it was like to see the group emerge onto the Toronto comedy scene. Also, take time to 'like,' subscribe and comment on Comedy History101 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary comedian Rick Overton joins us to talk comedy. Rick's IMDB page is the size of a phone book; and includes Beverly Hills Cop, playing Matt Damon's boss in Steven Soderbergh's, The Informant! - and Showtime's: I'm Dying Up Here. We do a deep dive into Rick's comedy origin story - spanning back to his jazz musician father who played with Thelonious Monk. Like, subscribe and comment on Comedy History101 - where ever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The iconic TV show Last Comic Standing - ran from 2003 to 2015. It was a reality show, where comedians competed to be, well, the last comic standing. The show helped launch the careers of such comedians as Amy Schumer, Gary Gulman, Nicky Glaser - and our guest today: Rob Cantrell. Rob was a finalist on Season One of Last Comic Standing - where he lived in a house in the Hollywood Hills with such comedians as Ralphie May, Rich Vos, and Cory Kahaney. Rob tells what it was like to go from obscurity to being on an NBC prime time TV show - as well as tales of the San Francisco comedy scene in the 2000s. Take some time to like, subscribe and comment on Comedy History101 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our special guest is Wayne Federman author of the new book: The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle. Wayne's impressive creds include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, Silicon Valley - as well as head monologue writer for The Tonight Show. We do some serious deep cuts into the history of stand-up comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a tribute to the great Jackie Mason - who passed away this weekend - we have a reprise of our episode on Caddyshack 2. Jackie starred in the movie - which has the notoriety of being the worst sequel OF ALL TIME! Jackie took on the Rodney Dangerfield role for the movie - in this classic battle of the snobs vs. the slobs, (Spoiler Alert: The slobs win in the end!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary comedian Rick Overton joins us to talk comedy. Rick's IMDB page is the size of a phone book; which includes Beverly Hills Cop, playing Matt Damon's boss in Steven Soderbergh's, The Informant! - to Showtime's: I'm Dying Up Here. Rick also has a new comedy special, out called: Rick Overton's Set List. We do a deep dive into Rick's comedy origin story - spanning back to his jazz musician father who played with Thelonious Monk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the archives: Sasha Baron Cohen plays activist Abbie Hoffman in the Netflix film, The Trial of the Chicago 7. As seen in the film, by day, Hoffman was in the courtroom - fighting conspiracy charges. By night, he would regularly perform at The Second City. Hoffman's stage appearance marked a transition at the theater - from a bunch of squares doing sketches; to progressive radicals that changed the face of comedy; marked by the addition of Harold Ramis as a cast member. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To bookend the pandemic, we have a CH101 reprise on comedy helping to deal with tragic events. We look at comedy right directly after 9/11. They said irony was dead - but comedy help us pull through tragedy - especially with The Onion, SNL, Letterman, The Daily Show, and Gilbert Gottfried's legendary joke at the Friar's Club Roast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest is Art Bell; the man who pitched the idea that became Comedy Central. Art was also the head of programming at the network. We do a deep dive into the origin of such iconic shows as Mystery Science Theater 3000, South Park, The Daily Show - and talk about the early careers of Jon Stewart, Marc Maron, and Bill Maher. Art also has a new book out: Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the archives: I talk to David Litt- former head joke writer for President Obama. We dive into what made Obama funny in the Oval Office; and contrast that to Trump's vastly different sense of presidential humor. (Trump's humor wheelhouse: mocking a disabled reporter and making fun of a sexual assault victim.) You might also know David Litt from his recent appearance on Newsmax - where he was booked to discuss Elon Musk hosting SNL_ but instead blasted the network for spreading election fraud lies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the archives: In 1961, Dick Gregory was the first African American comedian to headline a white club. A pioneer in the world of stand-up comedy, Gregory's material mocked the bigotry and racism of the time. Gregory is equally known for his activism as well as his comedy. He's one of the most influential comedians in comedy history; inspiring the likes of Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our special guest is Wayne Federman author of the new book: The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle. Wayne's impressive creds include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, Silicon Valley - as well as head monologue writer for The Tonight Show. We do some serious deep cuts into the history of stand-up comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Our Archives: Remember in Goodfellas when mobster Henry Hill took his date, Karen, to The Copacabana? That was pretty true to form. The mob actually owned the legendary club. We saw this recently in the movie The Irishman - when Don Rickles was on stage performing for Crazy Joe Gallo. We dive into the mob’s connection with The Copacabana - where you’ll learn such interesting tidbits as what happened to comedian Allan Drake’s wife when she had an affair with a mobster. Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t end well… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Archives: Since the beginning of the 20th century, slipping on a banana peel has been a comedy trope. We’ve seen such legendary silent comedians as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel and Hardy - all do a variation of the slipping on a banana peel gag. But how did the “slipping on a banana peel” gag come into our lexicon? And why don’t we see people slipping on banana peels in 2021? Listen on.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We conclude our 4-part series on John Belushi - with his sad final years. This involves the film disaster, Neighbors - and what happened the night he died at the Chateau Marmont. Ending on a good note - Belushi is ranked #1 by Rolling Stone - as the best sketch performer on SNL. He also has an Albanian stamp with his likeness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Blues Brothers is one of the most iconic screen comedies of all time. The movie held the record for the amount of cars destroyed - and actually had a budget for cocaine. That's why production was a nightmare - largely due to John Belushi and his proclivity for drugs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Belushi, at the height of his fame - was on top-rated TV show, SNL, had the #1 movie with Animal House, and had the #1 album with his band, the Blues Brothers. Belushi created iconic comedy characters while on SNL - but backstage, he was kind of turning into a mess. We cover all this and more in Part 2 - of the History of John Belushi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we cover the John Belushi origin story. From his early days growing up in Wheaton, IL - to his stint in Second City and starring in National Lampoon's Lemmings. Plus, all the other theatrical twists-and-turns Belushi took before being cast on SNL - and changing the face of comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In celebration of the end of a shitshow era - we bring this CH!01 Select: From mocking a disabled reporter to making fun of a sexual assault victim - Donald J. Trump has proven there is a vastly different sense of presidential humor coming from the White House. I interviewed David Litt - head joke writer for President Obama - for a story in the NY Observer, to get his take on Trump as a purveyor of jokes and humor. We discuss his insights and the history of humor coming from the White House. Trump is no comedian. But I’m sure he’d claim to be the funniest president in history – EVER! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Part Two of our episode on the Richard Pryor comedy origin story. We cover his time underground in Berkeley, CA and discovering his true comedic voice. We also talk about the time that Richard Pryor guest starred on The Partridge Family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the early 60s, Richard Pryor was a clean cut, mainstream comedian who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Then he had a meltdown in Las Vegas. Retreating from showbiz, he moved to Berkeley, California and began hanging out with The Black Panthers, the counterculture movement, and African American intellectuals. The experience changed the face of Richard Pryor's comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices