Ian Talks Comedy

Joe Grossman joined me to discuss having no early TV restrictions; being a fan of David Letterman since 13 or 14; Chris Elliot; trying at first to be a cartoonist; finding out that Letterman has writers; Lewis & Clark College; learning standup at the American Comedy Institute for an article for Time Out NY; writing a submission packet; being passed over for the job twice; eventually getting hi...

Roger Eschbacher joined me to talk about his early influences; Romper Room ; Monty Python and original SNL , making videos with high school classmates including Tom Kramer; going to college to study communications; getting a job as a PA on Fridays ; working with Andy Kaufman; getting a job on Not Necessarily the News ; having Conan O'Brien tell him about the Groundlings; working there with Lisa Ku...

Tommy Kovac, podcaster and comedian, and I discuss what bought us to our podcast, favorite guests, favorite moments and all sorts of fun stuff.

Boyd joined me to talk about watching Love American Style with his mom, and being inspired by Steve Martin and The Goodies; going to Oklahoma Christian University; sending samples of his work to Letterman head writer Steve O'Donnell; being chosen for the job over Conan O'Brien; realizing he doesn't know the show that well; feeling like he was in over his head the entire time he was there; getting...

Andrew Nicholls joined me to talk about taping The Tonight Show; early English children's TV; The Flintstones; Monty Python; meeting Darrell Vickers; writing The Blob as a musical; trying to write a book depicting the real life of a comedy writer; how TV is like any other job in some ways; TV being a collaboration - both good and bad; We're Only Joking ; how working in Canada gave him and Darrell...

Gabe joined me to talk about growing up a block away from George Carlin and knowing his mother; doing stand up and later talking on the phone and meeting him; his early act; studying under Lee Strasberg at NYU; explosion in number of comedians; open mic nights; doing improv with Robin Williams; not getting bumped back in the day; writing for Bill Maher; becoming a faxer for David Letterman then he...

Franne talked to me over the phone and discussed her first love being clothing; being sent home in high school for wearing jorts; seeing Guys & Dolls with her parents; not being married to Eugene Lee; her first productions in Philadelphia with Danny Aiello; touring with Alice in Wonderland; where she keeps her awards; how Lorne Michaels talked her into coming to SNL; drawing and creating the costu...

Tom Ruprecht joined me to talk about Woody Allen and David Letterman as his comedy influences; getting an internship during the writers' "golden era"; 1990 writer exodus; working at the Tony Awards; being segment coordinator for "human interest guests"; the Farrah Fawcett episode; moving on to researcher; finding a clip of a Jackson 5 special with Dave that he wouldn't let on; selling comedy piece...

Andrew Guerdat joins me to talk about growing up in Birmingham, Alabama;  loving cowboy shows; Andy Griffith; Ed Scharlach teaches comedy writing and introduces him to his partner Stuart Kreinberg; MASH script got them representation; wrote an episode of The Jeffersons that turns up in the background of Basic Instinct; writing an episode of the forgettable comedy Me and Maxx ; moving to Mork...

Scott Jacobson joined me to talk about growing up and being influenced by Letterman, SNL and English comedy; wanting to be in entertainment but not knowing how to get there from Fayetteville, North Carolina; his high school comedy zine; UNC Chapel Hill radio station; interning on the Howard Stern Show ; his father's chance golf game gets him an internship at UCB; meets writing partner Rich Bloomqu...

Larry Jacobson joins me and Luigi from the Married with Children podcast to discuss opening remarks; Gerard Mulligan, his daughter becoming a TV writer; how jokes can backfire; comedy influences; listening to classic comedy movie dialogue; W.C Fields; Grouch Marx; Woody Allen; Jack Benny; Richard Pryor; starting standup; having Paul Rodriguez tell you you're a better writer than comedian; selling...

Gerard Mulligan joined me to discuss growing up in Rhode Island; early TV influences such as Milton Berle and Groucho Marx; Steve Allen's Westinghouse Show and its help in creating the Letterman show; high school writing; learning sensitivity in comedy; being an English teacher; moving to San Francisco and being a notary public in City Hall; meeting a homeless man who had the plan for the country;...

Mitchell Laurance joined myself and James Stephens to discuss Alan Zweibel getting him a job as Lornes gofer; being an extra in "Dancing in the Dark"; "Hollywood Bingo"; being in a Jerry Lewis sketch with Robert Klein as Steven Klaven; playing Eric Idle's nurse, Chevy Chase's model' and Kirk Douglas' leg man; being in Bill Murray's first sketch "Execution Rehearsal"; "Hey You" with Gilda Radn...

Blaine joined me to talk about his first time doing stand up; favorite comedians; his new wave band; Elvis Costello; Fridays; Darrow Igus; Ted Wass; not being allowed to watch certain shows; Andrew Dice Clay; bonding with your dad over comedy; Red Skelton; Patton Oswalt; Small Doses pilot; Mad TV; Artie Lange; Spishak; writing the Claymation sketches; Bea Arthur; Mark Hamill; Donny Most; Mart...

Bill Oakley joined me to talk The Steamed Hams Society and Food Discovery Club; foreign 7-11’s; favorite burger; McRib; Shamrock Shake; best fast food chicken; best fast food pizza; Roy Rogers; Fuddruckers; Jollibee; early TV favorites; Green Acres ; SNL and Letterman ; met Josh Weinstein at 14; St. Albans School; Harvard Lampoon; Sunday Best; Simpsons - Marge Gets a Job; Treehouse - making n...

Peter Mehlman joined me to discuss It's Like You Know ; his pursuing stand up; Seinfeld and my coincidences; college; Shirley & Maury Povich; being a Yankee's fan, MLB's disclaimer; both of us having dogs named Izzy; Howard Cosell; hypocrisy in sports; NFL anti-trust; sports fans in the US: Detroit Lions; Knicks; Lakers; Lifetime's Attitudes; Dick Cavett; Woody Allen; meeting Larry David;...

Mr. Vance joined James Stephens and I to discuss the ubiquity of "Eddie and the Cruisers"; his early influences; Alan Freed; rock 'n' roll; Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers; buying 45's; being one of the first modern "teenagers"; singing doo wop on the corner; Brill Building; doo wop and rap being music movements that started on the street; Jay and the Americans opens for The Beatles and The Roll...

Phil and Tom talk about early influences (Phil - Marx Brothers, Preston Sturges, Tom - Little Rascals, Bob Newhart, Johnny Carson, Woody Allen); Tom's father being head of ABC; taking ratings books to school; having Elizabeth Montgomery over for dinner); Phil gets the acting bug in high school and becomes a playwright in San Fransisco; Tom breaks his leg and watches Johnny Carson every night and d...

Steve and I talk about his early influences (classic comedians and cartoons); meeting his partner, Karl Tiedermann in Horace Mann High School; his college radio show; sending his best bits to the National Lampoon Radio Hour; working with Doug Kenney and Sean Kelly; his first piece Silly Puddy Destroys the World; kids newspaper parody; MOMA Fun Book; King of the Z's a documentary about a cheap 40's...

Wayne Kline talks about growing up with a Methodist minister as a father; Max Schulman; reading because his family couldn't afford a TV; Woody Allen; John Oliver; Alfred Hitchcock; Get Smart ; Gilligan's Island ; Ginger v. Mary Anne; Dobie Gillis ; becoming an Army reserve; selling jokes to George Kirby; never being able to imitate Ed Sullivan; writing The Ed Sullivan Show to sell jokes; reading a...

Mike Sacks joined me to talk about his comedy idol, Chris Elliot; his books being autobiographies of characters he's assuming; Andy Kaufman; how his books fooled his father; Tulane; his magazine writing; self publishing "Stinker Lets Loose"; "And Here's the Kicker"; Buck Henry; Jack Handey; Robert Smigel; mean comedy; Jesse Watters; his character, Skippy Battinson; Don Rickles; right win...

Randy Cohen joins me to talk about the creation of the Top 10 List; growing up in Reading, Pennsylvania; going to Cal Arts to study music and having little talent for it; betting on Johnny Carson's monologues; being a Knicks fan; the solitary life of a writer; first article about Japanese game shows; Modest Proposals a book of satirical letters; meeting the Pope; his first two books; not working w...

Steve Young joined me tot talk about his Emmy; his influences; watching Letterman as a teenager for the first time; going to Harvard; Conan O'Brien and the Harvard Lampoon; the Lampoon Castle; his submission; first National Lampoon piece; not  being a comedy nerd; Not Necessarily the News; The Rachel Sweet Show; sending a submission packet to Late Night in 1990; being the utility guy; man who...

Anson Williams joins me to talk about drowsy driving and his invention Alert Drops; his uncle Henry Heimlich and getting his Heimlich maneuver on the Merv Griffin Show ; the shooting on Alec Baldwin's set; his famous McDonald's commercial; Happy Days v. Good Times ratings battle; favorite episodes of Happy Days ("Fonzie's Friend", "And they Called it Potsie Love"); the difficulty of perf...

Norm Hiscock joins me to talk about his comedy influences: Bugs Bunny, Monty Python , SNL , and the Mary Tyler Moore Show ; liking comedy but not performing; meeting Mark McKinney and forming an improv group; Bruce McCulloch joins; the group goes to Toronto; Bruce and Mark joining SNL writing staff in 1985, launching Kids in the Hall ; running out of material and Norm joining; favorite Monty Pytho...