Carnival Personnel

About six months back Jacques saw this 15-year-old doing Dave Rattigan’s Winner Circle Mic.  One of the best weekly mics in New England, stacked with headliners working out new stuff as well …  as a 15-year-old comic?   That kid is Ethan Printz and his unpaid Uber driver to the show, his Dad, Robbie.  Robbie for 30 plus years, one of the best headliners (and most liked by the comedy community) to...

Jacques, Biff and Joe are together for the first time in 2025 to try to make sense of what's been going on in America the past couple of weeks. SPOILER: it's fascism.   PLUS: The Montreal Canadiens are--get this--classy, Joe beats an Xbox game, Jacques is on a whirlwind 3-city comedy tour, and Biff checks out house prices in Japan (see above).   IG/FB: Carnivalpersonnelpodcast – TiKTok: JacquesFun...

ReporterMatt – aka MATT SHEARER from WBZ Radio Is Kinda Famous and you can see his Lil Chuck “Kinda Famous” show, THIS Saturday Feb 1!   Lucky for CPP Matt isn’t to famous YET to do our humble little podcast.   The beloved WBZ Reporter Matt, to his delight and amazement has “gone viral” and caught the eye of media outlets in (old) England!  His fun quirky stories like the tiny town of Stow losing...

Southern California is on fire.  It’s gonna be the most devastation national disaster in US history and already the GOP and good god- fearing Christians making it worse by saying LA (So Cal) deserves it.    We recap Jacques’ and buddies Wayne and Anthony’s NYE’s gigs as well as Mike Koutrobis’ (and Gianni Saltalamacchia’s) Nick’s Gig.   Jacques also had the privilege of being at the Worcester Brav...

If you’re having a mental health crisis as you’re trying to get to a Back Street Boys concert, comedian Emily Ruskowski is the hero you’re looking for.   A mental health professional (Social Worker) working with kids, Emily truly is a hero.  Also, her passion for getting on a plane to go see her favorite bands makes her a hero to her 15-year-old self who knows she is “killing it” as well as Jacque...

Start with quick recap of Biff’s recent trip to the homeland – Land of the Rising Sun and what Jacques and Joe have been up to in comedy.   Then … the look back on the insane, ridiculous list of sideshow guest we’ve had this year.  So many of New England legendary comics and producers, rising stars in comedy from here and from Canada, authors …       2023 we had a lot of amazing guest but the bar...

Annie Dies A Lot. Jay Dies A Lot.   But this, “bad a video games” (except Madden) team is the amazing brain trust behind the online laugh factor of KO Comedy (ComedyHub)!   Shout out to whoever put KO on Jacques’ radar (we THINK It’s Sally Mullins).  Jacques has been doing shows with KO for well over a year and most Friday’s driving back from shows, he logs on to KO … and … AND the always fun “Aft...

Were you looking for ONE podcast that covered: how to deal with parking enforcement folks during holidays? Colin Jost’s new “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” and what the folks at Buzzerblog.com think of it (that may then lead to chatting - Wink Martindale at age 91 years young, becoming the auctioneer of Howard Stern’s junk?) Were you looking for information regarding the new documentary on Matt and Trey’s...

Special RE-Posting with our good friend BILL FAY.   In this episode from Dec 17 2023 - We talk Bills new Happy Texas play ... where Jacques spend a few days in NYC couple week back hanging with Bill as he prepped for the Investors showcase with full cast and music - figure this be a fun time to repost this one. Enjoy ... again. Legendary Film Maker and … Co-Founder of Legendary Pictures, Bill Fay...

Jacques finally makes it to SNL … as a guest … sitting in balcony off to the side behind a huge 1K light obscuring 75% of studio from view at dress rehearsal last Saturday night.  Truly, one of the greatest nights of his (and Management’s) lives.   Jacques saw Steve Martin and Martin Short last Friday, then SNL (and SNL after Party with his guest … Friend of the show Bill Fay) on Saturday, then sa...

There are so many wonderful people in the dog (animal) rescue world.  There are so many crazy people in the dog (animal) rescue world.  Often … their the same person.   Our guest this week is one such wonderful amazing (crazy) rescue person, Lisa from the 501c, Eddie’s Ranch … named for the love of her life (and IG star) the late, Eddie On Wheels.   ALSO … this is an extra special episode as we ha...

Christine Hurley is the undisputed Queen of New England comedy and this is one monarch that is truly loved throughout the land.   And she made time for us on her birthday to record this episode~   An amazing story of a 40-year-old mother of five who NEVER did stand up, going from auditioning for Nickelodeon’s “Funniest Moms” to a couple years later being booked every day of the month.   Does she g...

How? Why? Not sure … but we talk Jacques starting his new career(?) as a substitute teacher. As if the education system wasn’t bad enough.   Chat another road trip with his little guy and his best pal to DC (another stop on way at Time Square to see the 11:57pm billboard show … give it a Bing or Ask Jeeves, and hit one more 6 Flags.   In DC Jacques dragged boys to West Ham United Sports Bar and th...

Nice guys don’t always finish last – Mark Moccia is living proof.   Every comic and every comedy show producer does fundraisers and charity shows … Mark ONLY does fund raisers and charities.   Marks is only interested in creating shows that work for venues, work for the comics and raise money and awareness for great causes.   85k and counting in his three years of running show!   Jacques recently...

Jacques and Joe regale Biff with tales of comedy and geeking out. Thursday, they saw "Queen of Boston Comedy" Christine Hurley perform live. Friday, Jacques was a finalist at Wicked Funny's 2nd Annual Merrimack Valley's Funniest Person Contest! Then on Saturday, they paid a (for Joe, third) visit to the Shea Family "Back to the Future" Museum in Hubbardston, Mass, and capped the day off with a spe...

Jacques whose home screams Halloween year round … got a late start getting up the 12 ft skeletons and inflatables … but spend weekend making up for lost time (much to the neighbors chagrin.   The three of us do a much deeper dive into the Oreo Coke Zero and Coke Zero Oreo’s then anyone should.   The horrific flooding in parts of the country (followed by the horrific politicalizing the response) is...

YES – Chris aka CPF Productions aka Wicked Funny is in year 3 over at The China Blossom and we chat that a good deal … but FIRST … we chat some award-winning  Grampa’s Homestyle Chili!   This room at China Blossom has been one of the more well-known rooms in New England comedy for most of the last 40 years. This is Chris’ 2nd stint at running the comedy room and every weekend between Labor Day and...

Matt Misci – aka – Mr. Pinky Ring Comedy – aka The Bald Barber is our guest this week.  We JUST met Matt for first face to face last week where he was one of the hosts (and a judge … I think) at CPF Productions (Wicked Funny / Chris Flahive) comedy contest … In which Jacques, Wayne Russell and somehow Anthony Eugenio from Open Mic Pain Podcast, have all advanced to the finals Oct 18, 2024)   And Y...

According to some folks at this past Friday night at China Blossom Restaurant in N. Andover MA, where the comedy room Wicket Funny is, Jacques doesn’t totally stink at stand up … nor does their pal Wayne Russell, who both moved to finals of 2ndannual Funniest Person In Merrimac Valley contest. Jacques learns what a “mom said no” item in a store is, we chat Vegas odds of Oasis tour actually happeni...

Come see the great Tony V. THIS Friday Sept 13th at The China Blossom in N. Andover MA, where he’ll be hosting and headlining night one of CFP’s Wicket Funny’s 2nd annual “Funniest Person In Merrimac Valley” contest – Jacques (and former CPP guests Wayne Russell from Open Mic Pain Podcast and Lauren Simms) will all be participants in. A lot of great stuff has happened with Tony since being on our...

Jacques is (sadly) back in Lowell after a couple super fun (and productive) weeks in Los Angeles – where Biff hosted his yearly (amazing) yearly JFT Hockey team party – as always Biff goes above and way beyond with the food and hospitality and NOT leaving the party to go have his finger sewn backed up after nearly slicing it off in food prep. Joe himself had a pretty great trip since last chat ......

This is a very special episode of Carnival Personnel, but don't worry: you won't learn an important life lesson, or fight drug pushers by just saying "no," or even fend off your handsy neighborhood bicycle shop owner. This episode celebrates the 30th anniversary of FORMAL EDITION! What the heck is that, you ask? Why, it was only the premier source of public access television sketch comedy from Lex...

Jacques is in LA for two weeks mostly doing (what he calls” comedy.  His goal is 30 open mics in 15 days and come home with 7 new(ish) minutes of yuks.  His travels on Wednesday took him to a barber shop in Inglewood CA … could have been Tom Hanks on SNL Black Jeopardy but ended up … getting invited back! Joe chats his goldmine of TV show box sets  (LOTS of 70s, 80s some 90s) he’s acquired and the...

Comedian, Actress and soon to be Author, the delightful Doris Ballard is out guest this week. A life-long love of theater has had Doris on stage for years.  Always active in local politics and local television – Doris’ standing in the Concord NH community really was a road block to pursuing the type of comedy she’s meant to tell … and it’s NOT for the pearl clutching faint of heart! This rapping g...

Where can you go to hear Olympic talk from three guys who haven’t watched ANY of the Olympics but HAVE seen a few memes … BUT did spend the night before recording binge watching 3 Battle Of The Network Stars … right here baby! Where can you go to hear a breakdown of the WRONGFULLY (universally panned) UPN’s 1998 The secret Diary Of Desmond Pfeiffer … (OTHER than the Forgotten TV and Tele-Hell Podc...