January 19, 2015
Published by Amy Hawthorne at January 19, 2015

Colin Quinn is Ready to Teach a Masterclass on Comedy

You may know Colin Quinn from his recent one man show Unconstitutional. Or one of his other one man shows Long Story Short and Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake. Or from his stint as Weekend Update anchor on Saturday Night Live. Or from his time at the helm of the much beloved Tough Crowd. Or from his long and well-respected career in standup. Or even from MTV's Remote Control. My point is, you know Colin Quinn. Or maybe you just think you do. So of course we jumped at the chance to talk with him while he was promoting shows at Helium Comedy Clubs in Buffalo and in Philadelphia this month,. Amy Hawthorne spent some time talking with Colin Quinn about his sometimes misleading persona and the somewhat random evolution of his career.
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January 13, 2015
Published by Amy Hawthorne at January 13, 2015

Ari Shaffir, Home at The Comedy Store

Comedian Ari Shaffir is having a big month, and no, it's not because of the kiss cam video that went viral with Duncan Trussell last week. This Friday at Midnight Comedy Central Presents Ari Shaffir: Paid Regular, Ari's one hour special which was filmed in the original room at the world famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, and then later this month, his new series "This is Not Happening" debuts on Comedy Central on January 22nd. TiNH may be new to Comedy Central, but it's not new to anyone who loves live comedy. Shaffir's series which has funny people telling funny stories has been performed for two years now as a web series, and live at clubs and festivals since 2010. Ari's podcast, Skeptic Tank also had the distinction of being named one of our "Podcasts You Absolutely Have to Listen To." In honor of Ari Shaffir month, writer Amy Hawthorne talked with Ari about his upcoming special and his comedy.
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January 12, 2015
Published by Interrobang Staff at January 12, 2015

Comedian Rick Shapiro Talks About Doing Comedy With Parkinsons

In April 2012, comedian Rick Shapiro was very sick, and didn't know why. He was completely immobilized for about two months. He had spent ninety days in a hospital, sixty days in a nursing home, two weeks in a rehabilitation facility, and was continually misdiagnosed throughout the process. Rick and his wife went through a frustrating ordeal, with some doctors not returning their calls for months, others suggesting that Rick's problems stemmed from an identity crisis. One doctor even told Rick-- under his breath-- maybe you should take up basketball. A year later, for the first time, a doctor told them that she felt Shapiro needed a doctor who knew more than she did, and referred Rick and Tracy to the Mayo clinic.
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January 9, 2015
Published by Interrobang Staff at January 9, 2015

Robert Kelly, It’s His Time

Robert Kelly is already having an amazing 2015. His brand new comedy hour, Robert Kelly: Live at the Village Underground debuts Friday at 12 am et on Comedy Central, and he's incredibly proud of the special, which he produced on his terms. He's also shot the new Denis Leary FX series, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll which is set to premiere this summer. And just last spring he had an unforgettable guest role on Louis CK's Louie. His podcast, You Know What Dude is a huge hit on RiotCast.com. After 25 years of working at it, it's all coming together for Kelly.
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December 25, 2014
Published by Lesley Coffin at December 25, 2014

Heather Lawless Talks With Us About Switching Between Comedy and Drama

How many times have we heard the press talk about being amazed by a comic who is able to “pull-off” dramatic performances?Stand-up comic and actress Heather Lawless is one of those actresses who pulls off dramatic acting performances effortlessly, partially because she doesn’t approach comedic and dramatic acting differently. The soft-spoken comedian spoke to us recently about her career as a stand-up and her two very different projects; Adult Swim’s The Heart, She Holler as Hambroisia and Angus MacLachian’s directorial debut Goodbye to All That opposite Paul Schneider.
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December 18, 2014
Published by Interrobang Staff at December 18, 2014

Five Questions With AGT Runner Up Taylor Williamson

Who says there isn't a way to overnight fame in America anymore? Taylor Williamson became known across America last year when he came in second on America's Got Talent. He won the heart of all of the Judges and the AGT audience, and was only beaten by Japanese dancer Kenichi Ebina. We grabbed a few minutes to catch up with Taylor and ask him Five Questions. You can catch Taylor at Goodnights in Raleigh, NC, where he'll be performing on January 2nd and 3rd, and make sure you follow him on Twitter @TaylorWilliamson. If you're going to be in the area, the Friday early show will be 13+ so you can bring the whole family.
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December 16, 2014
Published by Amy Hawthorne at December 16, 2014

Steve Simeone, Like a Santa Claus You Can Hang With

My first impression of Steve Simeone’s act was that it felt like hanging out at a bar with your funniest friend with the best stories. His friend’s kids are convinced Steve is actually Santa Claus. If you mix those two together, you pretty much have Steve in a nutshell.
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December 14, 2014
Published by Interrobang Staff at December 14, 2014

The Carson Podcast. All Things Carson, From the People Who Knew The Tonight Show Best

Mark Malkoff has become famous for his stunts and challenges, like living on a plane for a month, but this year, he's been up to something completely different but just as entertaining. He's hosted a narrowcast -- a podcast on a narrow topic-- called, simply enough "Carson." Each week he interviews people about only one subject-- their experiences on The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson.
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