1000 w/ Ron Placone

Lucy Aiken is an actress and producer. We met in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival. When she found out I had a show called Anti-Fascist Pasta Night, she shared a story about how she got tricked into being in a Sam Hyde sketch. I was intrigued.

Homer Shadowheart is a comedian and Native American. He’s also a medical anomaly and miracle. Homer is studied by doctors and medical professionals, trying to figure out how he’s still alive. We dive into it.

Joey Clift is a comedian, Emmy-nominated TV Writer, and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. His new book is called “We’ve Been Here the Whole Time.” Goes without saying, especially in October, we had a lot to talk about.

Greg Bixby is a political online personality. It all started with trying to get on Jeopardy to impress a partner, and eventually led to debating Jordan Peterson, yes, that Jordan Peterson.

Zach Funk is a comedian, producer, and suicide prevention advocate. I’ve known Zach for about 15 years now. I knew he lost his father at a young age, and, recently, he learned a significant new detail to that tragedy.

Amanda Andrews is an actress, performer, and mental health advocate. She regularly performs and produces One Woman Rock Shows on the topic of Mental Health. Her newest show, Bipolarcoaster, had a run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, which is where we met.

Jules Oakes is a comedian and performer. She’s autistic, anti-fascist, ADHD, and she has an obsession with pigeons. We met each other at the Fringe while flyering for our shows. Unfortunately, our times conflicted, so we couldn’t see each other’s shows...Fortunately, she was down to record a podcast instead.

Felicia Michaels is a comedian, photographer, and actor. Her episode of Marc Maron’s WTF was one of my favorites. She has an amazing story. This is my second time interviewing her, and based on the rules of 1000, will likely be my last. So, I wanted to cover as much ground as possible.

Colin Hernandez is a Democratic Socialist and Candidate for CA Assembly District 51. He was recommended to me by a trusted colleague, as somebody trying to use the levers of elected office for good. Ahoy! Midterms ahead!

Danilo Napoli is an actor, writer, and producer from Italy. I saw his show, This Show Has Been Canceled (Due To The End Of The World), and it was absolutely brilliant. It tackles climate change, and it’s unapologetically anti-capitalist. Plus it’s Italian? We had drinks after, as Michael Blaha of Fringe Management produced the show and he also produced Termination Fee. Unsurprisingly, Danilo and I...

Cyrus Naderpour is a comedian and, now, an influencer. He also used to co-produce one of the most successful shows in LA before it folded. We talk the journey and finding our place in all of it. Please welcome to the show, Cyrus Naderpour.

Jon Schnitzer is a comedian and filmmaker. His latest Fringe show, “Something Spooky,” took the Hollywood Fringe by storm. His first show, “Just the Tip,” which is about his upbringing learning about Zionism and then later questioning everything, was beloved around the country.

Ester Maria Segretto is a photographer and author. She is an Italian-American, who, like myself, celebrates the culture and food but found herself at odds with the conservative political undertones that often accompanied it. Thanks to organizations like PIACE and Italians Against Fascism and others, we’ve been finding our people and each other.

Adam Cagley is an actor and writer. He’s been doing the Hollywood thing since he was kid. He got to work with Jeremy Allen White when he played Lip’s roommate on Shameless. Then, he walked away from all of it to become a Horror Writer. Books no less. We talk about his journey.

Dennis Trainor Jr. is an actor, writer, and stage performer. He was the Communications Director for Jill Stein, and he was active during both Occupy and the early days of political YouTube with his channel, Acronym TV. We’ve both distanced ourselves from the YouTube space some. Another thing we have in common: We’re both Edinburgh Fringe bound this year, 2026. 

Ready to talk about sex? Billy Procida is a sex-positive comedian and self-proclaimed whore. He’s the host of the Manwhore podcast, and founder of the Naked Comedy Show, which constantly sells out. I met Billy at a comedy festival over 10 years ago when he was still finding his footing in all of this.

Mike Siegel is a comedian, TV Host, and podcaster. He hosts one of my favorite podcasts, Travel Tales with Mike Siegel. I was lucky enough to guest on there twice. We talk the crumbling industry in LA, what it means to be creatively fulfilled, the infectious allure of wanting to see the world, and he’s got a pretty interesting dilemma coming up involving the World Cup.

John F. O’Donnell is a comedian, TV Host, and Mental Health Advocate. We’ve been friends since the Redacted Tonight days. Those were simpler times when people genuinely believed that left-wing comedians were Russian spies. Somehow, things have gotten even crazier.

Laura House is a comedian, podcaster, and an Emmy Nominated TV Writer. CBS, HBO, the BBC, all on her resume. She also has a very helpful perspective on how to handle the times we’re living through.

Brandie Posey is a comedian, podcaster, and record label owner. Her new special, Milk Job, is out now and her label is Burn This Records. She brings a punk rock DIY ethos to putting out comedy albums, which is beyond a breath of fresh air amidst a crumbling, fascist friendly industry. We break it down the only way two lefty millennials know how.

George De Stefano is an author, journalist, and critic. In my show, Anti-Fascist Pasta Night, I make reference to MAGAroni, a new moniker for right-wing Italian-Americans. I knew I needed to find the inventor of this hysterical slogan. Well, George is the inventor! Please welcome to the show, the creator of the MAGAroni tag, among so many other amazing things.

Daniel Mate is a musician, playwright, author, and podcaster. He recently co-authored a book with his father, Dr. Gabor Mate, and he’s the co-host of the Bad Hasbara podcast.

Nick O’Malley is the singer/songwriter for the Wisconsin leftist punk band, The First Rule. Also, as a resident of Kenosha, he has a first hand perspective on the event, trial, and murders, and yes they were murders, committed by Kyle Rittenhouse.

Katie Compa is a comedian. Her new album, Incurable Optimist, is out now. She lives in NYC and was active with the Mamdani campaign. She co-hosts a podcast called Kid/Life Crisis, that goes in-depth about their guest’s decision on whether or not to have children. Which is quite the topic given the state of the world...

Mike LoBello is an organizer who has been instrumental in the rise of the Italian-American Left in New York. He helped organize the Italians for a General Strike demonstration in Brooklyn. His speech was incredible, it was about his family being Partisans. It literally brought me to tears. I didn’t even know he was because he does not use his name for his IG account. I found out who he was, and im...