If you think of Lenny Bruce, you probably think of the guy who took on censorship and was a martyr for the cause of free speech.  Maybe you've seen the movie "Lenny" and associate him with Dustin Hoffman's huggable heroin addict.  Your first thought mig

Once a month, I'm part of an undeniably awesome theater experience.  Since November of 2011, "A Drinking Game" has taken live  stage readings of the best films of the 80s and combined them with a custom drinking game for each film.  Not only does the a

Before he was Alvy Singer - before he was Woody Allen, even - he was still a writer named simply Woody Allen.  He was turning his behind-the-scenes skills from writing on "Your Show of Shows" and for the stage into a persona to accompany his work.  Thou

It's about time we discuss an album none of us are familiar with and then turns out to be not nearly as good as we hoped.  It's not going to be a regular feature, but this week I figured why not get a little perspective?  Before we talk about "Raw" or "

Happy New Year and happy satire.  Sure, that's an expression.  One of the great, energetic musical comedians, Tom Lehrer is a must-listen (again, another real expression) for those bent on listening to comedy made by intelligent people. Until recently,

...I have no words.  Except Merry Christmas.  This special episode features the one and only Zero Mostel at possibly his most insane, reading Dr. Seuss's timeless "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  There are SO many things going on here, I can't begin

We waited too long to get to this album, since its among the first albums I ever listened to, and it simply blew my mind.  What's disappointing is its the first one I simply have not been able to find locally on vinyl - despite having it in the secret Co

After Monty Python, Eric Idle continued the sketch comedy television with Rutland Weekend Television, which featured "The Seventh Python," Neil Innes.  Best known beyond The Rutles as an amazing absurd satirist, Innes brought a musical legitimacy that Id

Mel Brooks may have made the name he has today with a unique brand of parody, but Young Frankenstein is arguably his masterpiece, and is no doubt the beginning of a brand of pastiche that has informed the work of every great filmmaker of the last four dec

To everyone who is awesome: thank you for continuing to listen.  Thanks for putting up with this pseudo-sode, as I'm calling it, in the hopes it won't catch on.  There are a number of albums coming up, and we're in the planning stages for the second liv