Podcast episode 423ish: Richard Lett

Say what you will about Richard Lett, but the man is compelling. He's been on the show lots and we never run out of things to talk about. In this episode, recorded on a park bench, we talked about acting, auditions, thrift stores, serendipity, addiction, Oscar Wilde and Epicurus. Oh, and his one-man show, Sober But Never Clean. He even spontaneously performs a long slam poem he wrote. I turned it into a beat poem by dubbing in a walking bass line and drummer. Sounds cool. Snap your fingers.

Have a listen. Click below or go download us at iTunes or Stitcher or some place like that.

May 8: Richard Lett

Happy Mother's Day! To celebrate, we have on one mother of a comedian, Richard Lett. Lett, a many-time guest on What's So Funny?, was visiting from his new(ish) home in Toronto a week or two ago and we got together to talk about what's new in his world. We found a park bench and went at it. As always with Richard, it was a rollicking good time. And he even spontaneously performed a long poem he wrote. I added a walking bass line and drums to make it more beatnik.

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM from 11 to midnight. Outside of Vancouver, livestream us at coopradio.org. Or inside Vancouver, if that's how you roll.

Podcast episode 300ish: Richard Lett

The kinder, gentler Richard Lett (left) and puppy

Is this a milestone episode? Number 300? We've done more shows than 300 on the radio, but I have no idea how many (which explains why I always use the qualifying suffix -ish in the count). But I suppose it's something. And what better guest to ring in podcast episode 300 than Richard Lett. Last week I wrote that it would be his sixth appearance, but further digging reveals it was actually his seventh time with us in studio. But this might have been Lett at his most lucid, now that he's sober (but never clean) for almost three years. In this episode we talked about his obsession with quitting things, his move to Toronto, and making amends. Along the way, he recites a poem he wrote in tribute to Tom Waits, deconstructs a fart joke, and itemizes our sometimes confrontational relationship over the years. It's a good one, as it always is with him.

So here you go. Episode 300. Cherish it. Listen right here, right now, by clicking on the gizmo below or download it at iTunes at no cost to you.

Dec. 9: Richard Lett

Richard Lett is baaa-aack! This will be the former Vancouverite's sixth appearance on What's So Funny? and what a roller coaster ride it's been. He first visited us in 2004 with Vince Fluek and has been back on his own four more times, in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Lett has been clean and sober for almost three years so let's do the math here at the end of 2012, shall we? That means his last visit was his most lucid one. But each has been fascinating and highly entertaining.

When he last dropped by, I believe it was his last day in town before packing up and moving to the centre of the universe. Tonight we'll see how the sobriety is going, how Toronto is treating him, and if he's made amends for all his past transgressions. He's also got a new CD so we'll play a track from it.

As always, we're on the air at 11 pm PST until midnight at 100.5 FM in Vancouver. If you're outside the lower mainland, you can livestream the show at coopradio.org.

Podcast episode 233ish: Richard Lett

While you're anxiously awaiting tonight's live episode with Sara Bynoe, why not check out last week's twelve step program featuring the kinder and gentler Richard Lett? It's available now in the popular podcast format. Richard talked about what led him to cleaning up his act. No, not his stage act – that's as edgy as ever – but his life. He talks about getting in his car and driving 7000 kilometres before winding up in a shelter far, far away... or not. But he did log those k's.

Stream the episode here, if you like, or download it at iTunes and listen at your leisure.

May 22: Richard Lett

I don't know which guest holds the record for most number of visits to What's So Funny? but Richard Lett has got to be right up there. Tonight marks his sixth appearance on the show. But how many of those was the real Richard there? Certainly not the last time. I'm not aware of the details on Richard's lifestyle over the years but that last guest spot was a doozy. I do know he's been clean and sober for about 17 months and is so much more sane to talk to now. A quick glance at the podcast schedule and I notice that his last appearance here was 18 months ago. Hmm. Wonder if that had anything to do with him cleaning himself up? We'll discuss tonight.

After years and years (the bulk of his professional life) living in Vancouver, Lett recently moved to Toronto. But he's flying back today for a short stay and his first stop will be the WSF? studios. We'll have lots to talk about and he'll actually make sense this time.

Episodes 175 & 176

It's de rigeur for podcasts to number their episodes. But our show predates podcasts. It's first a radio show that only later was available in podcast form. So I have no idea how many episodes we've done over the past five years. I can't just go back and count the weeks because, as you well know, some weeks we're off the air, some weeks we run encore presentations, and we have no set vacation schedule. I do know that we've done more than are available on podcast. Who knows how many episodes there are?

I used to have to go into the station to download the shows, save them to disc, then deliver said discs to the Comedy Couch mistress, who would then upload the podcasts when her schedule permitted. It was a delicate dance. One whole year we couldn't arrange our schedules so no new shows were put on the podcast. And if I didn't make it into the station for three weeks, the episodes were gone forever. These days I can sit at home on my couch and download shows from the past six months and deliver them electronically to the Couch. So we're a much smoother operation now. We're all caught up and we're pretty prompt in getting the shows to the internet.

Still, I was curious. I just counted the available podcasts and see that we've got 174 episodes available. Well, add two more to that total (my calculator is unavailable at the moment). We've just added another Richard Lett episode, where the newly sober comic swears like a drunken sailor and tells us why he's been booted off so many stages in town. And Bev PoCock and Chris Wes shock the entertainment world with an announcement and make beautiful music together. Jason Bryden and David Milchard make surprise appearances.

Here you go. These episodes, like the other 174, are also available on iTunes, where we await out first ever comment. One day...

Richard Lett, from November 29, 2009:


Bev PoCock and Chris Wes, from December 6, 2009:

Dec. 13: Jay Brown & Eddie Brill

What a Christmas season we've been having on the show. Two weeks ago we had Richard Lett swearing up a storm and talking about Jesus. Last week we had Bev PoCock and Chris Wes announce their retirement from show business to reveal they're Jason Bryden and David Milchard (who knew?!).

This week we've got the always outspoken Jay Brown and Eddie Brill, the comedy booker for The Late Show starring David Letterman, who'll be talking to the both of us by phone. Man, can it get any better next week? Sure, it can! We've got iTunes sensation Marc Maron on for the hour on the 20th.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I haven't seen Jay Brown since I don't know when. Maybe it was the last time he was on the show in 2005. I know he's no longer living in Vancouver. I don't even know where he's living. Toronto? New York? We'll find out. No doubt he'll fill us with Christmas cheer and goodwill.

Eddie Brill has never been live on the show, although once we ran a pre-recorded interview and he's always been a friend to the show. Agreeing to come on the air from 2 to 3 a.m. his time should tell you that much. The guy is friends with just about everybody in the comedy biz. We'll try to pry some stories out of him. We'll ask him who vets his act when he does stand-up on Letterman (as he will in January). And we'll ask him what he was telling Barack Obama (that's Eddie on the right chatting up the President of the United States of America with Letterman ignoring the both of them).

But don't forget. We're in Vancouver. Our start time is 11 pm.

The future

Two items of interest:

1. Just heard that Dave Attell ("with guests") is playing the Commodore on January 15. I notice that tickets went on sale on November 6th so chances are I'm just slow to notice things. I last saw him years ago at Giggles in Seattle. Since then he's gone on to put out CDs and host a couple of TV series (Insomniac and The Gong Show). On the one hand, I'm excited because he's a great comic and I don't know if he's ever played Vancouver before. On the other hand, I see he's playing the Comic Strip in Edmonton. A club! i.e. the perfect place to see a comedian. Oh, how I wish we could have the equivalent of a Comic Strip in Vancouver, a place that would bring in touring headliners from the States. Yuk Yuk's does a fantastic job of spotlighting Canadian comics (who are often just as good or better than their equivalents Stateside), but the more variety the better, in my book. I'm as nationalistic as the next fella, but who wouldn't want to see some of the best from down south in a club setting?

2. Speaking of Yuk Yuk's, I dropped by the office yesterday and found Mark Breslin's audio book (Yuk Yuk's Guide to Canadian Stand-Up) waiting for me. It's an early Christmas. I started listening in the car to the five-CD set and I love it. Breslin starts each "chapter" talking about a particular comic and their place in history. And the bonus disc is the classic live album "The Funniest 50 Minutes Ever!", which I wore out on vinyl back in the day and haven't heard since. I look forward to playing tracks from it on future shows.

But here's the great part: It's not Toronto-centric. I mean, sure, the vast majority of acts featured are from there, but that's just history. Breslin also didn't ignore those who chose not to work his clubs. There's a chapter on Brent Butt. But here's the cool part: Discs 3 & 4 are called The Future. He includes Vancouverites Craig Campbell, Richard Lett, Graham Clark, Damonde Tschritter, and Jeffery Yu. Not bad. Can't wait to hear them. Being a compulsive sort, I can't go out of order. The discs also come with a nice booklet.

Nov. 29: Richard Lett

Regular readers here will note a change to the schedule. For weeks we had someone else listed as tonight's guest. But this being Christmas season, when high-paying corporate gigs come a-calling, you can never be too sure.

But we've got a great replacement. It's a comic who's not afraid to speak his mind: Richard Lett. The stand-up comic, poet, writer, musician, spoken word champ and former high school teacher is one of our favourite guests who always has lots to say, and says it well. I'll put his appearances on the show right up there with the best of the rest. He's got a reputation he cultivates of being rather an insensitive sort, but he's a softie at heart.

So tune in tonight from 11 to midnight on CFRO, 102.7 FM, in Vancouver. Or livestream it from wherever you might be. Give us a call, if you feel like it: 604-684-7561.

Podcasts

We've got three more podcasts for you today. You can listen to them here or at the Comedy Couch, or download them at iTunes. And if you're at iTunes, why not subscribe to us and give us a rating and a review? Be the first!

The Baby Jessicas sketch troupe's Ryan Murphy and Stephen Morton. I can't even remember when this one was recorded. Maybe Ryan or Stephen can help out here.


Paul Breau, from just a few weeks ago, July 19, 2009:


And Darryl Lenox with Richard Lett, from July 26, 2009:


Oh, and while you're at it, this is me guesting (or trying to guest) on The Exploding Sandwich podcast with Devon Lougheed and Devin Mackenzie, recorded last Saturday. The ES is available on iTunes and at their website. Google 'em:


What the hell, let's get all my Vancouver podcast appearances out of the way. Here I am trying to keep up with Graham Clark and Dave Shumka on Stop Podcasting Yourself (available on iTunes and at their site):


It's your one-stop shopping for podcasts.

July 26: Darryl Lenox (and Richard Lett)

Born and raised in the Vegas, Darryl Lenox spent 11 years living in Vancouver before moving back down in 2005. He now lives in New York. I don't know if that situation has given him his unique outlook on life, but he has a comedic voice like no other: A stand-up Yoda who talks of life, death, Socrates, Buddha, and race. Oh, and diarrhea and sex, too. He's human, afterall. There's a real depth to the man and his act. I saw him at Lafflines on Friday night and he held the crowd in the palm of his hand without ever talking down to the audience or compromising his comedy in any way.

Darryl was last on our show back in 2007. He's a great guest, too, with an amazing radio voice. So I'm looking forward to having him back tonight. He always has lots on his mind, so I know it'll be a good one.

ADDENDUM: Just got a call from Darryl asking if Richard Lett can join us tonight. Richard is one of the show's best guests, so it'll be a double-whammy. Of course, I've written all my questions for Darryl, but I'll improvise. Oh, and I just came across this website of Darryl's specifically for his Canadian fans. There are some good stories on there.

Still more podcasts

A bunch of new podcasts have been added to the library. Eight, to be exact. You can listen to them here, or over at ye olde Comedy Couch, or download them on iTunes, among other places. I haven't heard them in a while, but if memory serves these are all good ones. At least I had fun:

Dave Shumka from June 15, 2008:


Richard Lett from August 31, 2008:


Marcus Ryan from January 4, 2009:


Reza Peyk from January 18, 2009:


John Wing from March 8, 2009:


Toby Hargraves from March 22, 2009:


Jamie Hutchinson & Tim Rykert from March 29, 2009:


Darcy Michael from April 5, 2009:

My worlds are colliding

Being a life-long comedy and jazz fan, my worlds had never met before. It was one or the other. When I'm out on the town, it's either for a comedy show or a jazz concert. If I were a little older, I could have indulged both those interests in one sitting. At one time, comics used to open for jazz musicians. How awesome would that have been? Pretty. Jimmie Walker told me he used to open for Miles Davis. Imagine that for a second. Chances are, if you're under the age of 30, you only think of Jimmy Walker as the pudgy guy who shows up on Letterman every half a year or so. If you're a little older, you think of him only as the "Dy-no-mite!"-spouting J.J. on Norman Lear's Good Times. But if you're even older than that, or have read my interview with him, you'll know that he was a pretty hip Black Panther comic and was named Time magazine's comedian of the decade at one point. And Miles Davis is/was Miles freakin' Davis, the epitome of cool.

While I haven't seen a comic opening for a jazz musician yet, my two solitudes have at least come together on the same grounds, if not the same night. The Cellar Jazz Club on Broadway and Alma is about the coolest underground New York-style jazz club in the country. In fact, the venerable Downbeat magazine has named it one of the Top 100 Jazz Clubs Worldwide for three straight years. In the five year's of its existence, I've seen probably over 100 shows there from visiting and local jazz musicians. It's the place to be if you have any interest in the music.

And now they have comedy. Well, at least for this month. And maybe next. I've been the last two Tuesdays. Attendance has been spotty, but I remember the early days of the club and attendance was spotty for the jazz shows, too. Now it's regularly sold out. So I'm hoping they stick with the comedy because the venue is ideal. Not too big, not too small, good stage, good sound system.

Vancouver veteran, and Seattle Comedy Competition winner, Damonde Tschritter hosts. It's a pro night (as opposed to an open mic with amateurs) and what makes it different is that the pros are expected to do only new material. For someone who sees a lot of these guys, it's great for me because I know much of their acts by heart. But it's good for others, too, because most pros are able to make even their failed attempts funny.

What I don't like, though, is the fact that it's the same line-up each week, with maybe one or two different faces added in. The reasoning is that the crowd can sort of chart their progress from week to week. I think that's a lot to ask for. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Repeat customers I'm sure would rather get a full sampling of the town's pro-comic community. But I'm niggling. It's still a fun show and I'm more than happy to make the trek in from the North Shore every Tuesday to see it.

Which brings me, somewhat sloppily, to the topic of gossip. I love it as much as the next girl, but I have enough of a journalist's mindset to want to find out the truth as best I can by asking the subject of the gossip if it's true. There's always two sides to a story.

Well, I was the subject of some gossip recently that took place at the Cellar. After the Snowed In comedy tour last Saturday, I ran into a young comic who said, "Hey, I heard someone yelled at you from the stage at the Cellar last week." I knew exactly what he was talking about, but not because there was any truth to what he heard. That is, I was heckled by a comic. Here's what happened:

I was sitting off to the side of the stage. Richard Lett, who was performing, walked to the piano to tinkle the ivories when he spotted me sitting there. Richard recently battled back from testicular cancer and had just done a chunk of material on the subject. For a while, he was hairless and bloated from his chemotherapy treatment. In his low, gruff voice he said, "The media's here! Nice haircut... Chemo wannabe."

That was it. People laughed. I laughed. It was harmless. Richard and I, while not friends, are certainly friendly. I always enjoy talking to him. We disagree on lots and neither of us is afraid of saying as much. And he's one of my favourite guests to have on What's So Funny? He's open and honest and thoughtful and a little bit insane. So it makes for great radio. So I took the jab in the spirit it was intended. It's a bald joke, for crying out loud. How on earth did someone hear that and jump to the conclusion that there was ill will between us? Believe me, if Richard wanted to, he could have skewered me on any number of issues.

Then this last Tuesday I sat in a different seat. Richard gets up on stage and spots me again, identifying me to the crowd then mentioned that he heard the same rumour about how he attacked me. He didn't get it, either. So there you have it. The original gossip is way more fun and interesting, but there was nothing to it.

My point is, go to the Cellar. For comedy. For jazz. Just go.