The Big Comedy Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jim McCue
Comedian Jim McCue founder of the Boston Comedy Festival now celebrating 22 years of interviews with the funniest people alive. People like Lewis Black,Robert Klien,Billy West, Gilbert Gottfried and many more.
This is a throw back Thursday intrview I had with the great Nate Bargatze. He was a winner of the Boston Comedy Festival and always as easy going and wondeerful guy you could hope to interact with. Here is his bio Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, rising stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is selling out shows across America. Nate followed in the showbiz footsteps of his dad, a former clown turned world class magician, who's influence is seen on Nate's 2015 debut special 'Full Time Magic' and his debut album "Yelled at By a Clown." Nate's half-hour Netflix Special "The Standups" premiered on July 4th 2017 to rave reviews. In addition to touring the country as a headliner, Nate toured in arenas with Chris Rock on his 2017 Total Blackout Tour. He currently has a deal with 20th Century Fox to develop his own TV show.
Nate's comedy is both clean and relatable, evident in his six appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon six times, following four appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He appeared on Conan four times, was a recurring guest on @midnight, and had his own Comedy Central Presents in 2011. Off-screen, Nate was part of Jimmy Fallon's Clean Cut Comedy Tour, and has done live shows for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait five times. He regularly performs at Bonnaroo, SXSW, Oddball Comedy Festival, Sasquatch, Clusterfest, and the JFL Montreal Comedy Festival, where he's received critical acclaim multiple years in a row.
Nate was featured as one of Esquire's 'Best New Comedians' by Jim Gaffigan, one of Marc Maron's 'Comedians to Watch' in Rolling Stone, one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" for 2015, and as #1 on Vulture's '50 Comedians You Should Know' in 2015. His debut one hour special, Full Time Magic, premiered on Comedy Central that spring, followed by his debut album, "Yelled at by a Clown," which reached #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and remained on Billboard's Top Ten Comedy Charts for weeks.
He continues to tour across the country and internationally.
In his years as a stand-up comic Jeffrey Jena has appeared on over forty national television show, including Comics Unleashed, The Bob and Tom Show, The Dennis Miller Show, HBO, MTV, Evening at the Improv, NBC Friday Night and The Showtime Comedy Club Network.
As an actor he has been seen on Murder She Wrote, Hunter, appeared in shows with Jenny McCarthy and Weird Al Yankovic and in several films including "Raising the Dead" with Allison Eastwood. Jeff has played over 1000 venues including clubs, Las Vegas, and cruise ships. He has opened for acts as varied as Barry Manilow, Jeffrey Osborne, The Temptations, Delbert McClintock, and Englebert Humperdinck.
Jeff Jena has also written jokes for a wide variety of comedians including Ron White and Marty Allen. Jeff is also a frequent guest on the Bob and Tom Show, a nationally syndicated radio show and the Mark Germain Talk Show in Los Angeles. In addition, he had appeared at hundreds of corporate functions and golf outings.
Karen Morgan was born and raised in Athens, Georgia but now calls Maine home. A former trial attorney, she began her professional comedy career as a Finalist on Nickelodeon Television’s “Search for the Funniest Mom in America.” Since then, she has performed in comedy clubs and theaters from New York to Hollywood.
Karen’s latest CD "Mean Candy" can be heard on Sirius XM Radio, and her comedy specials can be seen on Dry Bar Comedy. Her TV appearances include comedy shows and ads for companies like Wal-Mart and Zyrtec. Karen’s clean shows in Performing Arts Centers around the country have made her a favorite among theater audiences.
Kathe Farris is a Boston-based stay-at-home mom, stand-up comedian, and snack cake enthusiast. She hit the comedy scene a little late in life with a different point of view and killer material. After becoming a Comic-in-Residence at The Comedy Studio and a finalist in the Boston Comedy Festival, she recently recorded her national debut with a Dry Bar Comedy Special. "Al Ghanekar is a stand-up comedian in the Maine comedy scene. He was born in Dallas, TX where all he did was drink baby formula for 7 months before his parents moved. The move from Texas had nothing to do with the baby formula consumption.
Special guest
In August, comedian Tony V will be performing at Fenway Park with little known comedian Bill Burr. Tony V. is an actor and writer, known for The Town, My Best Friend's Girl, World's Greatest Dad, Conan O’Brian, and Seinfeld.
Orny Adams was named as "Comedian of the Year," for his career in making people laugh in Boston and beyond for years. Adams, a comedian and actor on MTV's Teen Wolf, said "The greatest honor in the world is just to be called a 'Boston Comic,' when I moved to New York and when people said 'Oh Orny Adams- he's a Boston comic,' that's really the award, so 'Comedian of the Year,' I don't even process that, but to be honored and respected by my peers or where I came from- to me, it's a big deal."
Keith Garde, president of PAID, Inc. celebrity services and founder of PKA Management, brings over 30 years of experience in recording/touring artist management, serving as co-manager from the late '80s through to 1995 for the internationally renowned rock group Aerosmith and continues to consult for the group today.
Rodney Norman Rodney explains how he has found success through avoiding the trends.
If you have been on social media you have seen his face. His videos have garnered millions of views worldwide and his style (or lack thereof) is catching on. Honest and unassuming, his humor will catch you off guard and leave you laughing days later. Rodney Norman is more than an entertainer, he is an experience.
The great Adam Ferrara has always been a favorite guest and you can hear him carry me through this interview the first night of the Boston Comedy Festival and later that night I found out I had covid. So I appologize for the brian fog.
Adam Ferrara is an American actor and comedian known for playing the role of Chief "Needles" Nelson on the FX series Rescue Me. He was a co-host on the U.S. version of Top Gear and played NYPD Sgt. Frank Verelli opposite Edie Falco on Showtime series Nurse Jackie.
Amazing comedian Carolyn Plummer and I trade war stories with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Vicchi Ret about meeting him for the first time on Ft Danger Iraq. Robert is inspiring and lovable who has continue to serve his country and his combat brothers as Northeast Director of Vetrest.org He is a decorated Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and flew over 30 missions as an Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot and commander. “Veech” received his Commission from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1981 as an Infantry Officer, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He was also a four year Army Football player and brings a wealth of leadership and Team focus to our VetREST Team.
Carolyn Plummer and I interview comedy great Al Ducharme. Al is on Cruise ship at sea during interview so please excuse some audio gliches. Al Ducharme is an actor and writer, known for Next Stop Wonderland (1998), Comics(2009) and F Is for Family
Al Ducharme is an American stand-up comedian. With a career spanning 18 years, Ducharme has performed at many of the leading comedy clubs throughout the world including Caroline's, The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong and The Comic Strip Live.
We had a great opputunity to talk to Barry Katz a legendary manager who helped launch the carreers of many comedians, including Bill Burr, Dane Cook, Louis C.K., Wanda Sykes, Dave Chappelle, Whitney Cummings, Saturday Night Live alumni Jay Mohr, Jim Breuer & many more.
Tom Dreesen and I talk about his modest start and his prayer to find his purpose in life. Tom's prayer was answered in a big way taking him on a journey from shoeshine boy in the south side of Chicago hearing Frank Sinatra on the Juke Box to being Frank Sinatra pallbearers at his funeral.
Tom has been on the tonight show over 50 times and has more TV appearances than I can count. He has also traveled the world with Sammy Davis Jr., Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Tony Orlando, and let's not forget 14 years of opening for Frank Sinatra.
Gary Gulman is a guest on Jim McCue's Big Comedy Podcast we talk about all things comedy and then some. Gary was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show Last Comic Standing in its second and third seasons. He released his first CD, Conversations With Inanimate Objects in 2005, and his first television special Gary Gulman: Boyish Man the following year. He last special The Great depresh.
Comedy, Comedians, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Podcast, Humor, Drybar Comedy, Stand Up Comedy, Funny, Comedian, Laugh, gitrdonelarry, Gary Gulman, Bill Burr, Joe Rogan, comedy show, Flappers Comedy , Comedy Cellar, Lalaughfactory, Robert Kelly
Lewis Black saves the Boston Comedy Festival. Lewis shares what he is doing during the pandemic. Lewis shares he views on zoom shows. We discus the distance Lewis projects nasal droplets during a rant. Lewis Black an I discuss our gig on cruise ship. Lewis tells the story of seeing the MLK I have a dream speech at 14. Lewis and I talk about how George Carlin helped Lewis and was a fan. Lewis talks about how working with Craig Kilborn, Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah on the Daily Show on Comedy Central. Lewis and I talk about his doing comedy on Oprah. Check out Lewis Blacks rant cast! Thank you Lewis Black!
Adam Ferrara and I discuss living and performing during a pandemic, performing in Boston with Lenny Clarke and Denis Leary, starting in Long Island, working on shows the Job and Rescue Me, performing at drive-ins, David Letterman, and much much more.
Adam Ferrara is an American actor and comedian known for playing the role of Chief "Needles" Nelson on the FX series Rescue Me. He was a co-host on the U.S. version of Top Gear and played NYPD Sgt. Frank Verelli opposite Edie Falco on Showtime series Nurse Jackie.
It was my great pleasure to have a conversation with comedian, podcaster, and comic book publisher Daniel Lobell. Way back in the early days of the Boston Comedy Festival I met the publisher of a cool comedy magazine called the Comical. The comical became the defacto comedy magazine of the Boston Comedy Festival and Danny at twenty-two years old Daniel was the driving force behind the Magazine and promoter of the artform of Stand Up Comedy. Daniel is now working on other projects including his podcast Modern Day Philosophers and his awesome comic book series "Fair Enough". Before we forget lets never forget that Daniel is a Stand Up Comedian himself.
Listen in on my wonderful conversation with the great Art Bell we talk about his book Constant Comedy is the story of how he started the Comedy Channel and how they merged with the Ha Network for form Comedy Central. Art is a wealth of comedy knowledge and I hope to have him back on the show. After you listent to the podcast don't forget to pre order Arts book on Amazon. I just did.
https://www.amazon.com/Constant-Comedy-Started-Central-Sense/dp/1646040899
The Movie Airplane! premiered in theaters 40 years ago. Here is an interview I did a few years back with the amazing David Zucker.
Wow, what an honor for me to interview the legendary director, producer, and screenwriter David Zucker. I was just a kid when I snuck in to see Kentucky Fried Movie. I could not believe how outrageous and funny it was. I had never seen anything like it. One of the funniest movies ever - an instant classic - was the movie, Airplane. David Zucker also created the amazingly successful comedy movie franchise, The Naked Gun. David Zucker also directed Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. I'm not even close to giving all of his credits, but David Zucker has had a far-reaching impact on everyone in the comedy and film industry. I was lucky enough to meet and honor him at the 2016 Boston Comedy Festival. Http://wwwjimmccue.com @JimMcCue David S. Zucker (born October 16, 1947) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Associated mostly with parody comedies, Zucker is recognized as the director and writer of the critically successful 1980 film Airplane! as well as being the creator of The Naked Gun franchise and for directing Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.
https://studio.youtube.com/video/W7PkoFK-dyI/edit/basic
I have a great convesation with Richie Minervini who is the former owner of Long Island's premier comedy club, The East Side Comedy Club. His stage is where celebrities, Rosie O'Donnell, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Kevin James, and Ray Romano started their stand-up careers.
Richie headlines clubs and Cruise ships as well as staring in many motion pictures Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups ( 2010) and Zookeeper to name a few.
My good friend Comedian Karith Foster has just published her wonderful book You Can Be Perfect or You Can be Happy.
Karith reveals the lessons learned as a wife, mother, comic, radio host and TV personality that showed her how to let go of social media perfection and embrace the beautiful mess that makes a happy life.
Karith talks about her views on how to comunicate with each other about things and how we need to hear each other. She is among other things a diversity engagement specialist.
We talk about hell gigs, managers and hecklers and much more.
I will post this on my Youtube channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/user/MrJimmccue/videos?view_as=subscriber
Buy Kariths new book now on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089G8JM9P
Les owns and runs one of the top clubs in the country and has talked to many of the other top comedy clubs, we discuss when and how comedy clubs may return to the laugh business.
Steve Bjork is a thrity year veteran of the Boston Comedy scene and he is one of the first comedian to start doing comedy for money in the Boston market. He will be performing at a Drive In theatre style venue. So we have a great conversation about the scene going back to 1990 and how the scene has evolved and changed. We talk about the early days seeing Dane Cook and so many more great comedians. We also talk about he amazing adventure in adopting some great kids that were living in a car in Lowell.
Al Del Bene and I started out comedy carreers in Boston back in the 90's. Al started out in a sketch group called Al and The Monkees with Robert Kelly and Dane Cook. Al has gone on the work and live in NYC and LA and now makes his home in Sydney Australia. If you get a chance get out to see Al Del Bene he is a great funny man!
Had a great conversation with the great Ace Aceto about comedy during the pandemic and he faceook cooking show as well as his hit podcast Behind the funny he does with the very funny Scott Higgins.
Ace Aceto
Is a Rhode Island native has worked with moster comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Dunham, Jim Breuer, Brian Regan, Kevin Nealon, Jon Stewart, Dom Irerra, and Lewis Black (just to name a few). Ace has also opened for musical acts such as Huey Lewis & The News, Luther Vandross, and David Cassidy.
I have a great conversation with Boston Comedy Legend Steve Sweeney. Steve has been a cornerstone of the Boston Comedy Scene forever.
Steve has also has had an impressive television and film career in films such as Me Myself and Irene, There's something about Mary and Steve stared in a feature recently called Sweeney Killing Sweeney.
Steve and I talk about doing comedy and doing comedy during a pandemic.
Comedian Frank Santorelli and I talk about hell gigs and doing comedy in the age of Corona Virus. Frank played Georgie on the HBO hit series the Sopranos.
Eddie Brill is one of those guys who seems to have been everywhere that was anywhere from the RedHot Comedy Scene in Boston to start a club in Greenwich Village to Living at the comedy Store not to mention touring throughout Europe. He has some of the best stories in comedy and I'm going to have him share them with you every chance I get because they are great. Eddie went on to become the comedy booker for David Letterman he still is a national headliner and one of the nicest folks you will ever meet.
I got the chance to talk about the last 30 years of doing comedy with my old friend Joey Carroll. We talk about the start of our careers in comedy, making of the Batchelor's of Boston Comedy with acts like Robert Kelly, Dane Cook, and Gary Gulman. Doing the Boston T Party Show in Montreal and our Military Gigs in places like Afganistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain and much more. We also shamelessly plug our upcoming Saint Paddys' Comedy Spectacular gigs around New England.
I got this chance to talk to one of the most respected comedians working today. He talks to me about starting out in Boston, His part in Steve Sweeney's film and being punched after a show for his conservative views.
Here is his bio taken from his website.
In this day of watered down comedy Nick Di Paolo's brutally honest performances remind us of what great stand up should be - funny, socially relevant and a little bit reckless.
His strong political opinions and razor wit make him a perfect fit for talk radio. He hosted his own shows on New York’s 92.3 Free FM, co-hosted “The Nick & Artie Show” and “The Nick Di Paolo Show” on SiriusXM.
Catch Nick on “The Nick Di Paolo Show” now streaming 9:00pm ET.
He has performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Conan O’ Brien. He was twice nominated for an Emmy for his writing on HBO’s The Chris Rock Show. He has also had three half hour standup specials on Comedy Central, a Showtime Special “Raw Nerve”, a self released special “Another Senseless Killing” “Inflammatory” and his newest and most controversial release “A Breath of Fresh Air” in 2019. He was one of the stars on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and a stand out on many Comedy Central Roasts.
Not limited to stand-up, radio and writing, he has had acting roles on FX’s Louie, Inside Amy Schumer, The Sopranos, Cop Show and CK’s critically acclaimed Horace and Pete as well as many other sitcoms.
Butch Bradley is a great comedian and he is currently doing his show at the Stratosphere in Vegas. We share some stories about doing comedy and Butch share some great stories about Rodney Dangerfield and his tricks to get on stage in some of the top clubs in the USA!
OK, this is an interview I had with my great friend and amazing comedian Tony V on my old radio show. Tony has a great story about the Boston Comedy Scene back in the day and a great story about how Bobcat Goldthwaite pulled him out of the audience in England to fill in for Jerry Lewis who was unable to perform.
I got the chance to talk to the very funny Alex Velluto a while back and thought it would be fun to bring back this Boston Comedy Festival interview for Throw Back Thursday.
From his Website:
Alex Velluto is a stand-up comedian and Diet Coke drinker from Salt Lake City, Utah. He has performed at comedy festivals all over the country including the Boston Comedy Festival, Big Sky Comedy Festival, and the Seattle International Comedy Competition. He was named “Best of Fest” at the Golden Spike Comedy Festival and is the winner of the Finger Lakes Comedy Festival in Ithaca, NY.
In 2016, Alex was voted “Best Comedian” by City Weekly Magazine. His debut comedy special "Alex Velluto: Spurious" is currently streaming on Amazon.com.
Karith Foster is a Speaker, Actress, Comedian, and friend of mine. She talks with me about a film she featured in, No Safe Spaces a film reveals how identity politics and the suppression of free speech are spreading into every part of society and threatening to divide America.
Bio was taken from Kariths Website
Her comedy career has not only included headlining comedy clubs and colleges across the country but gracing the stage of the famous Apollo Theatre and assuming the role as a sidekick for Don Imus’ nationally syndicated “Imus in the Morning” program.
Karith has been and continues to be featured on national radio and television. To date highlights include making her official comedy debut on Comedy Central, having her comedy CD “Karith Foster Straight Outta Plano” in rotation and creating and producing her own radio show on Sirius/XM, as well as her own talk show, “Karith Foster: America’s Girlfriend”; Skyping with Oprah as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and numerous appearances on VH-1, BET, BRAVO, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and “Today Show”.
Karith gets nothing but pure joy knowing her story and words inspire others to create and live life to its fullest. Even though she’s only in her 30s, Karith has the experiences of several lifetimes.
Because none of her successes happened overnight, Karith appreciates where she is and how she got here. She is 100% committed to sharing her secret of success, hard work and staying positive with anyone and everyone who needs inspiration and motivation. Karith Foster would love to share her insight, experiences and the gift of laughter with you.
Karith was recently honored by being named spokesperson for the amazing organization Books for Kids Foundation- which promotes literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to develop the critical early foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.
Karith Foster is an American comedian, speaker, television and radio personality, actress, author, and entrepreneur. In 2016, Foster founded the Foster Russell Family Foundation, a 501 non-profit organization that is committed to "Inspiring free speech, social change, and empowerment through education and mentorship."
Kindler talks about is hilarious and talks to me on my comedy show. We mock everyone.
Andy Kindler is an American comedian from Queens, New York. He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter and friend of sportswriter "Ray Barone" on the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, was a regular guest on Late Show with David Letterman, contributor to The Daily Show and has performed on HBO.
Eddie Brill is an American comedian, writer, and actor who started his career in Boston, Massachusetts. He was previously the warm-up comedian and comedy talent coordinator of Late Show with David Letterman. we have a great conversation with Eddie Brill about the 20th annual Boston Comedy Festival.
Eddie is driving while doing the interview so you will hear a bit of traffic sound.
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Gilbert Gottfried at the Comics Con a while back we talked about all manner of things. Some of the best questions came from the audience we had an open mike. Take a listen.
I had a great conversation with the 2019 Boston Comedy Festival champion Wilfred Padua. This was the 20th anniversary of the Boston Comedy Festival and Wilfred Padua had an amazing set in front of the packed 900 seat theater of comedy fans. All the comedians that night had amazing set so it's really a testament to Wilfred's talent that he was able to stand out.
Bio: Stolen from Wilfred's website - http://wilfredpadua.com
Wilfred Padua is a comedian in New York who has an MFA in Writing from someplace in Chicago. He has performed at Bumbershoot, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, 10,000 Laughs, and was a finalist in the Big Sky Comedy Festival. He has been featured on NPR and Sirius XM and was named one of the 50 Best Undiscovered Comedians in America by Thrillist where they said his comedy was “impish” for some reason.
The great Billy West talks to Jim about his career and his Saturday morning cartoons, three stooges. Billy West talks about doing the voices of Ren and Stimpy, Futurama, Sid Cesar, Jonathan Winters. Growing up in a tough neighborhood and using his imagination to escape an abusive father. The strange way he developed the impression of popeye voice. He was really a cool and interesting interview I hope you enjoy it.
Robert Klein talks about his amazing life in comedy. We cover everything from 50 years and 93 appearances on The Tonight Show, his time at Second City, his relationship with Rodney Dangerfield and the differences of doing comedy on Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson and now, Jimmy Fallen. We cover censorship in the 1960s and doing his first HBO comedy special. We also cover the documentary made about him where comedy giants like Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and Bill Maher talk about Klein's influence on them, only to have the film tied up in litigation because of Harvey Weinstein’s involvement, resulting in it being tied up in litigation. We also chat about Robert Klein's two biggest comedic influences: Lenny Bruce and Johnathon Winters. OK - we cover much more, but you really should be listening to this thing by now!
This is a TBT episode of Boston Comedy Radio a few years back when Dana was given the Boston Comedy Festival he is hilarious. (Suzi Berlin-Co host) Dana Gould has performed in several HBO specials, as well numerous guest appearances on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and "The Late Show with David Letterman". As an actor, he appeared on "Seinfeld" and "The Ben Stiller Show". After writing the pilot "World On A String" (with Jay Kogen), Gould co-created MTV's late, lamented, Super Adventure Team (with Rob Cohen). Dana Gould then joined the staff of "The Simpsons", where he squatted for seven years. Stand up remains a big part of his career, and he continues to perform regularly. Check out his podcast The Dana Gould Hour
I get the chance to talk to the First female to ever win the prestigious Boston Comedy Festival. Norton is known for performing high energy, fast-paced shows that ring of universal
truths. You may have seen Nancy Headlining at Comedy Clubs or on various TV showcases over the years: from doing standup on "Evening at the Improv"
on A & E, or in her one-woman show, "The yellowish-green Girl" on PBS and featured on Nickmom Night Out on Nickelodeon.
I'm really glad I got the chance to catch up with her.
Robert Kelly, known to most of his old friends in the Boston area as Bobby Kelly is one of the nicest folks you will meet in the comedy biz. Living with Bill Burr and crazy comedians from back in the day. How it was working with Louie CK on show.
What you Bobby looks for in a hotel room on the road.
Enjoy please share with everybody!
Comedian Artie Lange talks to Jim about his third trimester of sobriety, Conan, Lisa Lampanelli, Fun Memories from Howard Stern program with Gilbert Gottfried and returning to perform in Boston for the Boston Comedy Festival. Sorry about the audio on this one.