Aug. 31: Denise Jones

After years of seeing her improvisational brilliance at Vancouver TheatreSports League, tonight I'll meet and talk to Denise Jones. She doesn't have the biggest internet presence so my knowledge is limited but I have a feeling we'll get to know lots about her. Afterall, the one interview I found on her, the writer said she was "uncomplicated, interested, and talkative." Perfect. This much I know: she's also the artistic director of VTSL, is from Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, acted in the short Preggoland, which will be at VIFF this fall, hosts the online series People of the Port (which sounds like a horror film but it isn't) and likes whiskey and wearing shorts.

And joining us again, as she did last week, is my new manservant, Colleen Brow, a former guest and guest host of the show. She replaces Kevin, who's leaving after ten years to spend more time with his family. That's not the real reason, but I always love when the media says that.

So tune in tonight to Co-op Radio 100.5 FM at 11 pm. You can also stream us at coopradio.org.

Aug. 24: Garrett Clark

I'm back refreshed from two weeks off. We played a couple of special encore presentations the past two weeks: Ryan Hamilton last Sunday and Paul Hooper the preceding Sunday. Tonight, though, we've got a live one for you. And a first-timer, to boot. Garrett Clark is a standup comic with footprints all over the map. That hint of an accent you'll hear is Australian, where he grew up. Then there was Toronto. Next was a stint in Kelowna. And now Vancouver. Somewhere in between he spent a fair bit of time interviewing people in Manitoba. And he performs standup all over the place. And I'm not just saying that. He was booked to be on the show several weeks ago but he was asked to go on tour with Iliza Shlesinger in Vermont, or some such place, so we excused him. No excuses tonight, though. He'll be in studio and we'll get his full story. And if we're lucky, we'll play a clip from his new album "Boner Comedian." I'm getting excited already. I'd tell you he also has a podcast, but who doesn't these days? (For the record, his is called Shits n' Gigs.)

Tune in to 100.5 FM in Vancouver or livestream us at coopradio.org at 11 pm until midnight.

Podcast episode 353ish: Gerry Swallow

It's always fun having Gerry Swallow join us on the evening zoo. The guy's a legitimate triple-threat: a successful Hollywood screenwriter (Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, The Babymakers, Black Knight, and Say It Isn't So), novelist (A Whole Nother Story, Another Whole Nother Story, No Other Story, and the upcoming Krool), and standup comedian (five times on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, several appearances on Evening at the Improv, and a finalist on Star Search). Sure, he hasn't done standup in 15 years, but who's counting? Well, I am. I badgered him enough that shortly after appearing on this episode, he got up on stage and did seven solid minutes at The Comedy MIX. Will he do more? Time will tell. In this episode, I also badger him to write a how-to book for screenwriting. Even if he never does, we got enough tips out of him to get you started.

The episode can be heard by clicking the gizmo below. If you don't see it, chances are it's your server. Or you're on a phone. Get over to your computer and it should be there. If not, don't panic. Simply head on over to iTunes, Stitcher, or PodcastLand. It's at all those places, too.