Carnival Personnel

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...

Joe and Jacques meet Tyler Morrison back in April when he was in town for the Boston Comedy Festival,  Tyler was at the BCF in his role as owner/producer of the comedy label Standing 8 Comedy (taping the two nights of semi-finals) and to record HIS podcast (Fight Stories) in front of a live Boston / BCF audience. Tyler himself is a national touring comedian as well as creator of HIS yearly comedy...

I don’t think we ever had REAL breaking news while recording an episode … but news broke (sadly) Biden is stepping aside … and we talk about … The passing of the GREAT Bob Newhart. Joe chats the new NES Champions DELUX he picks up this week and the history of “The Golden” cartilage! Chat more dead New England comedy summer shows and the few bright spots along the way. Jacques chats his sons sad tr...

Career hockey referee turn headline comedian (turn podcaster) – Mark Riley was our guest this week. It was just Jacques and Mark, so it’s not that the chat went off the rails … there were no railed to keep them on tract to start. Mark has one of the most interesting paths to the mic of any comedian quest we’ve had. Mark’s podcast Chirping Zebra is a must subscribe to if you're a hockey person … wh...

1986 Jacques went to Nick’s Comedy Stop with a buddy from his hockey team … a short 38 years later – He (with Joe there to make it a great night) did a set on the stage the truly launched hundreds of comedy careers. Thank you Mr. Mike Koutrobis! On the other side of the comedy coin, Jacques chats the epidemic of dead shows in the summer and looking forward to LA trip and working with Danta and Sal...

Working comedian Liam Hales was our super fun guest this week.  Liam can be seen somewhere in New England every weekend hosting or featuring. Most Saturday’s Liam is at McCue’s Comedy Club in Portsmouth – Also a regular at Smitty’s Cinema’s (in Maine & NH) as well as City Winery in Boston to name a few places.  He is also an integral part of the Boston Comedy Festival production team. After ti...

Biff and Jacques fly solo this week – chatting Jacques recent comedy adventures: Opening and hosting for ex NHL ref Mark Riley and another show with Steve Bjork where after, Jacques Mom let’s Steve know he is very funny and should stick with this comedy thing. The only thing worse then everything in your house breaking at once is a repair person who tries bullying your wife into writing a better r...

Comedian and a non-toxic middle-aged guy who is NOT afraid to tell his friends he loves them OR to openly talk mental health issues, MYSTARU is our guest this week. Rapper – Break Dancer – DJ – PROUD former Dunkin Donuts alumni turned comic and clearly the guy Ben Affleck modeled his Dunkings persona after – Mystaru is ALSO  a pod (Vlod) cast co-host of “Real Or No Reelz” A competitor in McCue’s 2...

Been a bit since Biff was on the podcast!  Was a delight to have the whole starting line up back. Joe gifted Jacques TWO awesome T-Shirts for his birthday this weed and we talk Jim McCue’s 3rd year anniversary shows at his comedy space in Portsmouth NH … and how Jacques did at that show! We chat the run of great guest and plug next week’s sideshow with comedian Mystaru. A debate raged over Monkeys...

Casey Crawford, Co-Champ of the 24th Annual Boston Comedy Festival 2024, a Jimmy Kimmel Alumni and most likely the ONLY guest we’ll ever have on from South Dakota! Casey made up for a (very) late start in comedy with an insanely meteoric rise the first couple years in comedy … and to do so from Nebraska’s 5-person comedy scene … WHAT? Casey is an absurdist comedian who delivers his out of left fie...

HOLY SNICKIES – 7 YEARS OF OUR CRAP. Yep … 1st CPP was Memorial Day Weekend 2017 – Insane.  Pats were GREAT.  My kids liked me … but 1600 Penn Ave was … not good. Highlights from THIS episode … talking Jacques ripping a tooth out opening his pool (who had THAT on their bingo card), Joe’s kid graduating highschool and on to college, some celeb deaths (Dabney Coleman, Steve Lawrence, Morgan Spurlock...

83-Year-Old-Jewish-Vaudevillian trapped inside a 24-year-old’s body, Joseph Katz is our guest this week. A finalist in the 2024 Boston Comedy Festival – Joseph Katz chats with OUR Joe and Jacques about their mutual love for the Dick Van Dyke Show, Jack Benny and pre-Carson Tonight Show (Note: we all also LOVE Carson’s Tonight Show.)  Katz had a cable access (Daily Show) type program in high school...

Been a minute since Biff Joe and Jacques were on a pod together! Chatted being on a show (and Joe being part of the fun) this past weekend (thanks to pals Wayne and Anthony from Open Mic Pain Podcast) – with them AND Boston Comedy Fest 2024 Co-Champ Casey Crawford (who is our guest in 3 weeks!) As a legit news source for so many, we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t weigh in with our well-educa...

Anjelica Scunnura is our amazingly brilliant guest this week! World Renown Dancer – Actress - Host of the popular YouTube show “Angelica’s Daily Surprise” and … AND the co-Champion of the 2024 Boston Comedy Festival! Zooming in to chat with us from arguably one of the top 10 cities in the world over all and top 5 (maybe top 3) for comedy, Toronto! Incorporating a life time of professional dancing...

Jacques and Joe chat how aside from Jacques sister having a surgery and his brother having a work accident breaking 6 ribs and being in hospital a few days … he not wanting to be left out … took a spill and used his “phone a friend” final answer to say to Joe … hey, keep an eye on me as I might be concussed … again. Jacques chat’s his comedy progress and his trying to be more active for comedy AND...

For well over a year before it came out, Jacques has been following on social media, the process and progress of author Katherine Rye Jewell while writing: LIVE From The Underground – A History Of College Radio. As Katherine would unearth believe to be lost treasures (like CMJ charts, schools play list from 1978, articles in favor of censorship for a college radio station from the same colleges st...

Alana Foden got a late start in comedy and build up her confidence in the most unique way – fighting a traffic ticket in court and running sex toy parties! Right!!! Instantly seeing how awful trying to get booked on “real” shows can be, the scams and how some venues just can’t work for comedy shows, she started producing her own shows. Being very funny, knowing how to produce events and a relentle...

Happy Tax Day – To those who pay them! Joe and Jacques flying solo, they chat this past weeks Eclipses, Joe’s kids being 1 of the 12 Angry Men in the high school play, and semi legit parenting tips (what?  Asshole OJ Simpsons dies (of Asshole cancer … as rare “W” for cancer). We chat seeing last two sideshow guest, Legendary Tony V and the very funny very busy producer, Dave Rattigan at a wanna-be...

Dave Rattigan, headlining comedian and one of the regions busiest comedy show producers - jumped into the world of stand up a little later than most but quickly made up for lost time. Starting with a gift for comedy classes from (his then wife) and being a teacher of public speaking, Dave quickly climbed the ladder. We chat with Dave about (of course) his Dick Doherty stories (and YES, somewhere i...

Jacques spent 6 days – working the Boston Comedy Fest and was able to con Joe into helping a couple times … and having a blast. Hanging with Tony V a couple times, meeting Michael Gross (Dad from Family Ties) and lining up a whole bunch of amazing comics from all over to do up-coming sideshow! Biff is off the injured reserves list and back in the game … talking Baltimore Bridge and INSTANTLY debun...