Dangerous Ideas - A Conversation between Dean Mayes & Alice Fraser

I had the opportunity to catch up with one of my favorite people recently. Alice Fraser is a comedian, writer, podcaster and fascinating interlocutor. Alice is performing her new comedy show "Ethos" across Australia and during her run in Adelaide, we sat down in a little teahouse in the back streets of Adelaide's CBD and recorded an hour of really valuable conversation for her podcast "Tea With Alice".

 

We wrestled with some dangerous ideas that were a little hard to coax from me initially but eventually we got into a flow where I was able to articulate some thoughts I had about the #MeToo movement - my perceived exclusivity of the movement and how, as a male who has experienced sexual violence from a female perpetrator, the movement seems unable to handle the lived experience of those who don't fit an accepted narrative.

From there, we ventured into more philosophical territory, exploring how the modern discourse can be overwhelming to someone who is trying to understand and extend their understanding of the world beyond their simple origins. think I made the point at one stage that, as I get older, the less I feel I understand of the world and how to navigate my way through it.

We also talked about my adventures with botox and how it is keeping my throat from killing me. Oh - and my adventures in writing romance...as a man. 

 

Alice Fraser is a rare individual with a lightning intellect, a worldly outlook and a huge heart and I always treasure our catch ups. As I said, she is touring her show throughout 2018 here in Australia and the UK so if you're a fan of thought provoking comedy, I highly recommend you catch her show. 

Download & Listen to our conversation here. 

Visit Alice Fraser here. 

Tweet with Alice here. 

DFA.

Alice Fraser Presents You Her Empire.

The Adelaide Fringe Festival has returned to my City for 2017 and it's a great time to be around such vibrancy and good nature which this renowned festival instills in the community. Of the many Adelaide Fringe shows I've been looking forward to this year, the chance to see Alice Fraser on stage again, was at the top of my list. 

I wrote about Alice last year, having caught her 2016 show "The Resistance" and become a regular listener of her podcast "Tea With Alice". Alice is at once an engaging personality who thinks deeply across a wide range of subjects and she quick witted - both in conversation and in the art of constructing a narrative replete with guerrilla comedic observations. As a performer therefore, Alice Fraser ticks all the boxes that one should tick in deciding who to see.

So, fresh from her run with the critically acclaimed "The Resistance" which she toured extensively throughout 2016, Alice Fraser has returned to this year's Fringe with her new one woman show "Empire". 

Described as a reliably silly, unpredictably meaningful, narratively unorthodox, artful comedy show, Alice takes the stage with a more theatrical presence this time around. She proceeds to take her audience on a hour long journey through a frenetic and eclectic thought landscape where notions of traditional comedy are challenged by whimsical story telling, biting satire and heart warming, life affirming observations.

The subject matter Alice has chosen for "Empire" offers equal measure of comedy but, as she did with The Resistance, Alice has infused her narrative with moments of poignant insight that stop you short. They invite you to see facets of humanity in a way that you may not have considered before. 

Audiences are sometimes brought into the fold to participate in a way that involves everyone in her performance. While it is at once hilarious to witness, Alice's way lends an intimacy that uplifts and that is rare for performance story telling of this kind. 

As I left the venue, I witnessed the smiles of the audience and the babble of their conversation as they dissected the show and the meanings in it and I'm sure that those conversations went on long afterwards. It takes a considerable talent to achieve something so thought provoking.

Alice Fraser will be performing "Empire" at The Producer's Hotel throughout the Fringe until March 12th before taking it on the road to Melbourne, then Sydney, then Europe thereafter. 

Book your tickets for Alice Fraser's "Empire" in Adelaide here.

Book your tickets for "Empire" in Melbourne here.

Book your tickets for "Empire" in Sydney here. 

Visit Alice Fraser here. 

Tweet with Alice Fraser here.

DFA.

At The Fringe with Alice Fraser's The Resistance.

Melbourne based comedian Alice Fraser first came to my attention in 2015 when she featured on Wil Anderson's Wilosophy podcast. Over the course of a couple of hours Wil and Alice explored her life growing up in a Buddhist household in Sydney and how the influence of her paternal Jewish and maternal Catholic family informed and shaped her as-yet-to-be-fully-explored philosophy on life and how she fits into it. I was immediately taken by how Alice recalled the important people in her life, not the least of which was her grandmother - a Holocaust survivor - and I was equally moved by her experience of growing up with a chronically ill mother (who had M.S. and later cancer) and how her family had journeyed through that experience. 

Alice's appearance on Wilosophy lead me in the direction of her own podcast, "Tea With Alice", a weekly conversational in which Alice interviews her contemporaries, often in relaxed settings - be it her Melbourne flat, or a local cafe or even a back garden - the centerpiece of which is a nice cup of tea, of their own choosing. Each episode is a conversation about life and where each guest is in it. Sometimes comedic, often reflective and always satisfying, I always come away from an episode feeling as though I have learned something. Additionally, I find myself shedding previous orthodoxies of thought around beliefs and opinions I have held and I see things from different perspectives. 

That, to me is a powerful thing.

Alice Fraser - The Resistance (image credit; Alice Fraser).

Last night, I got to spend an hour watching Alice Fraser perform her new show "The Resistance" for the Adelaide Fringe. Going into the show, I had a little bit of an idea of what to expect from the conversations Alice has had around her comedy on her podcast but I didn't seek out her previous material because I wanted to watch her show with a fresh set of eyes. 

The Resistance starts subtly, with a warm introduction that brings the audience into her sphere and encourages them to be a participant rather than an observer. Alice regaled the audience with song either played on a stubby little electric piano or strummed deftly on a banjo. And then Alice dropped an observation about the association between comedy and tragedy. It was a subtle one but it intrigued me.

  

Alice Fraser (image credit; Alice Fraser).

Over the course of the first half of the show, Alice took us on a conversational walk through her growing up in Sydney. It centered around her Jewish grandmother - an apparently wonderful and horrible woman who owned a block of flats in Sydney and who referred to a group of locals with varying degrees of derision and affection. Alice recalls one instance where a group of gays found themselves homeless after a fire burnt their house down. Her grandmother observed that the faggots were now homeless, but I must make them a lasagna! She apparently proceeded to house them until they were able to get back on their feet. 

Alice then recalls three key characters from the block of flats, a bi-polar Chilean gardener, an illiterate Hungarian woman who always wore a head scarf and twenty dresses and an Indian woman who donned luxurious, brightly colored dresses and espoused the need to make oneself attractive to men - but who always wore a veil to hide her face. How her grandmother and these three figures informed Alice's childhood and adolescence is hilariously sweet and breathtakingly inappropriate all at the same time and there wasn't a moment in that first half where the audience wasn't laughing or chuckling or appreciating the irony of these characters. 

And then the show took a turn. 

I'm unsure as to how much I should reveal here so, in respect to Alice, I'll keep it brief. The turn that came punched me in the gut. 

Alice's grandmother. The Chilean gardener. The illiterate Hungarian woman. The Indian woman. All of them came to circle in each others orbit through circumstances that are achingly powerful and emotionally bitter sweet. All of them had resisted in some way and it is this Resistance that salvaged them from particularly dark experiences in their lives. At one point, you could have heard a pin drop from the audience as Alice Fraser revealed to us all the powerful notion that the link between comedy and tragedy is such a small one - and indeed, even within tragedy, there lies comedy. And sometimes comedy is the only thing that preserves our sanity. 

At the conclusion, I felt privileged to be able to meet Alice briefly and thank her for such a wonderful performance and I left the theater feeling as though I'd learnt something about being human.

See. This. Show.     

Alice Fraser is an award winning writer, broadcaster, performer and comedian.

She's also an ex academic, ex-corporate ex-Lawyer and terrible banjo player (her words - not mine!).

Alice returned from her debut Edinburgh Fringe run last year with her critically acclaimed solo show Savage, which received four and five star reviews, as well as packed out audiences in Edinburgh after a run at the Sydney Comedy Store. Her weekly podcast "Tea With Alice" welcomes an eclectic group of like minds, artists, comedians and writers to discuss life over a cup of tea. Alice also contributes regularly to SBS Comedy.

Book tickets to The Resistance here. 

Visit Alice Fraser here. 

Tweet with Alice Fraser here. 

DFA.

The Snore Of Destiny.

So...I have a snoring problem.

I've had it for some time and it appears to be becoming more consistent. At least, this is what my partner tells me. For a while, I did the oft-done thing by...well...men and denied it. Told her that she must be dreaming it and I know for sure that I do not have a problem. And here was my first downfall - because my partner has an iPhone...and she knows how to use it.

Now, with this rather sobering evidence in hand, we both agree (trust me, I've checked) that my snore is not ground shakingly terrible, nor is it constant. But it is significant enough that it is waking my partner (who is a light sleeper) at night and forcing her to leave our bed. This is  depressing on two fronts.

Depressing that she has to leave the bed and thus I wake in the morning, alone...and depressing because of the realisation that another night has gone by in which I have snored.

Once I got over myself...and admitted that I have a problem, I have set about trying to solve it non surgically. Since my snore, as I've said already, is not an extinction level event - yet - it is reasonable to assume that I can correct this without resorting to cutting my throat out. I began by trying to contort myself into positions in bed and on pillows in such a way that would enhance airflow into my throat and neuter my snore. All I suceeded in doing was straining parts of my body that I did not think could be strained.

So, I proceeded to the next stage of non-surgical remedies - the kinds that grace many a pharmacists shelf. But herein lies the rub. There are so many non surgical "remedies" out there that it is almost impossible to work out what is B.S. and what is, well, not B.S.

I like to think I have a reasonable bullshit meter but, in the interests of solving this problem, I have committed to trying as many as I to see if I can hit the jackpot.

I first happened upon a packet of adhesive nasal strips or "splints" at my local chemist that are supposed to open ones nasal passages to allow greater airflow into the nose and throat. On night one, I applied one of these strips and, right away, I was dubious at best. At worst, I felt like a dickhead. Come morning, the snore hadn't resolved and the strip had disappeared from my nose and it was a complete mystery to us as to where it had gone.

Until I went to the toilet.

The adhesive is actually really strong. My pubes can attest to this.

The next remedy I tried was an anti-snoring throat spray. "Clinically tested" and boasting a "92% reported reduction in snoring" I gave it a go.

This shit is a cross between that cream in a can you can buy mixed with diesel fuel. You are required to insert the supplied applicator as far back into your throat as possible and spray for at least a full 1 - 2 seconds. It fills your throat with a foam that temporarily blocks your passages until it coats your throat in a disgusting slick.

It didn't work.

Yesterday, whilst on a leisurely drive out here on Kangaroo Island, we stopped by a Eucalyptus Oil Distillery at Emu Ridge.

Entering the shop attached to the Distillery and seeing the rows of little bottles of essential oils on the shelf, I immediately began to wonder if there might be a remedy worthy of exploration. There was, contained in a little booklet, just such a remedy supplied by a lady from Victor Harbour, who I am sure is a lovely lady who wears floral aprons a lot and bakes beautiful sponge cakes. The remedy consists of one drop of Eucalyptus oil, one drop of Tea tree oil and one drop of Lavender oil onto your pillow or a tissue at bed time.

Attracted by the thought of not having to shove a probe down my throat like a Face Hugger from "Alien", I bought three small bottles of said oil. Last night I tried the recipe on a tissue and couldn't decide whether to lay the tissue daintily on my chest or shove it up my nostrils. I tried both and dropped off to bed reading "The Casquette Girls" by Alys Arden.

I woke this morning, alone again...naturally.

These are early days admittedly, and the three failed experiments I have outlined here were always going to be a little out there. But, for the sake of my marriage and a harmonious budoir, the search for the Holy Grail continues. I'm the Indiana Jones on the trail of the Lost Ark of the Banished Snore.

I'm not happy.

Oh, and by the way...Happy Fucking New Year.

DFA.

Knuckle Dragger by Scott Taylor.

There are facets of life that have to be seen to be believed. In the absence of personal experience, there are those who can document and retell them with hilarity, fearlessness and, at times, great affection. 

Knuckle Dragger - by Aberdonian author and podcaster Scott Taylor is a project that he has slaved over for more years than he would care to admit. Having watched the project grow, stall and start again through periods of distraction and self doubt, I can empathize with just how challenging it has been for Taylor to bring Knuckle Dragger to fruition. That it is now in the public realm is certainly a significant achievement for him - if only for the fact that so many people were pushing him to get it out there. 

What would you do if you caught your man-sausage in your zipper at work, then had to race to the hospital where a sleep deprived, homeless looking doctor tried putting it back together with what looks like fishing trawler rope? Or what about having someone try to ram a full twelve inch, burning hot pizza up your nose while you’re driving a car at speed? 

Maybe you too have suffered an unsolicited winky appearing into your toilet stall while you go ‘boom boom’, and then had to batter it away with the nearest heavy blunt instrument you could find. Or perhaps you've watched a bored Highlander tear apart a designer sofa with a chainsaw in the middle of an executive charity ball evening? 

If not, then this collection of tales from over 23 years of working as a club and bar bouncer could tickle your proverbial fancy. Join Scott Taylor as he shines a light on the funnier side of the late night industry and his life around it, and brings you a collection of stories that are sure to either bring a smile to your miserable face, or at the very least bring back up your cheap supermarket lunch all over your stupid designer skinny fit t-shirt.

Of course, the book itself is a significant achievement on its own terms. In Knuckle Dragger, Scott Taylor distills 20 odd years of a life spent 'on the doors' in Scotland's urban jungle into a bitingly funny and sharply observant account that will have your jaw on the floor, your sphincters tensing uncomfortably and your accessory muscles rupturing - and quite possibly bleeding. I had the rare privilege of reading several early drafts of Taylor's work and there was comedic brilliance in it from the get go. He has stuck to his guns and refined the narrative into something special. It is at once, slick and polished but it is an inviting read - if you are one for whom little shocks you. There's a warmth and affection in the way Taylor portrays certain characters, while others for whom he has less affection for, he lavishes with an even greater spread of comedic take down. 

Scott Taylor & "friend".

Taylor's approach in recounting these grand, salubrious and often shocking tales is full of enthusiasm and wit but it is his tome that elevates Knuckle Dragger above the level of the front bar stories told over generous pints. Imagine, if you will, the love child of Noel Coward and Randall "Tex" Cobb combined with the verbose tones of a Frank Thring. Knuckle Dragger has a particular kind of poetry in it's observations of the night time world. 


Scott Taylor is the host of the globally popular DHB Radio Show and a 20 year veteran in the security industry. 

Visit Scott Taylor here.

Purchase Knuckle Dragger here. 

Listen to the DHB Radio Show here.

DFA. 

Emotionally Exhausting - The Liz Miele Experience.

Liz Miele is a Brooklyn based stand-up comic and writer who has cultivated an increasingly high profile over the past 10 years. As an orator, she is witty and whimsical with an infectious appeal. Liz has also earned a reputation as an adaptive and imaginative artist having turned her hand to several successful creative projects in recent years. Notable among these is the web series Apartment C3 and her own animated series Damaged.

As a comedian, Liz has been on the circuit since aged 16 and has amassed an impressive performance CV through extensive touring and developing her signature style. Liz been profiled in The New Yorker, New York Times and the  New Jersey Monthly. Her stand-up - which combines a cooky and high watt energy with astute and whimsical observation - has also been featured at Live at Gotham and Comedy Central.

I was excited to learn from Liz herself that a stand-up CD recording was on the horizon this year. It is one project that Liz has longed to produce and she has finally realized her goal with her audio debut "Emotionally Exhausting".

Recorded live in late 2014, "Emotionally Exhausting" is an hour long hilarious exploration of Liz's growing up with dyslexia, her love of cats (and instagramming them), mishaps with dating on the internet, sexual adventures and whimsical observations about New York City.

I never had any doubts that this CD would be great. Liz is a joy to listen to. Her delivery is pleasantly conversational with a warmth and likability that draws you in and she makes you feel that you're kind of one on one with her. Her polished delivery and comic timing is razor sharp, a testament to her diligent honing of her craft over the past decade and her punchlines are a thing of flawless, hilarious beauty. By way of example, the following clip "Feminist Sexual Positions" (featured on the CD) showcases these ingredients.

In her web series Apartment C3, Liz shined as a sunny eternal optimist, a self deprecator although there were occasions where she could unleash a Jekyll and Hyde genius slap down when it was called for. She brings those qualities to this CD and the results leave you smiling for days.

Emotionally Exhausting is available now through iTunes, Google Play, CDBaby and Amazon.

Visit Liz Miele here.

Connect with Liz Miele here.

Tweet with Liz Miele here.

DFA.

Did Not Play - The DNP Podcast or A View Of Sports From A Room.

I'm an unashamed fan of the internet podcast. Have been for as long as I've had a high speed internet connection and knew how to use it. In my journey through the landscape of internet broadcasting I've come across many fine programs covering many fine topics but, there is no doubt that comedy remains my go to for entertainment, enlightenment and relaxation. 

There is a certain brilliance in comedy that is done well. Sure, it can be laugh out loud funny or razor sharp witty but the comedy that I find most appealing is the type that is thought provoking. When you come away from a comedic performance laughing your tookus off - that is a worthy investment. When you come away from a performance that stays with you long after the curtain has fallen, that is something special. 

You might wonder then, whether a comedic podcast that combines the best elements of performance and wit with an examination of American sporting culture can achieve that alchemic zenith of lingering, thought provoking observation. It can be done and it has in the form of the DNP Podcast. 

The DNP Podcast, a bi-weekly comedy talk radio show, takes its name from a well worn sporting acronym meaning "Did Not Play".

The brain child of Chicago comedians Dean Carlson and Victor Marinier, the DNP Podcast observes and documents American sports in real time. From American Pro-Football, North American Hockey, American Basketball, Baseball and MMA, Dean and Victor review the week within each sporting code, discuss the defining moments from each sporting code and they preview the upcoming rosters and offer their predictions. But it is not simply a clinical dissection of the sports that they admire or the teams they cheer for.

Dean and Victor - bro-time.

Sport can often be seen as a reflection of life. Thus, employing their considerable comedic skills, Dean and Victor extend their observations into a wider discussion about life - particularly life as a sports fan. Their astute and wickedly funny discussions about sporting achievement and sporting failure and how each of those influence us in our day to day is where the genius of this show lies. I have said elsewhere that the DNP Podcast turns the mirror back on this most human of endeavors and pulls it's pants down. 

Further though, their independence from the mainstream media allows them a freedom to explore sporting culture in far more depth than would otherwise be possible. The net result from this is a far more engaging show that is laugh out loud funny but also thought provoking. 

Dean Carlson.

Dean Carlson has been involved in the Chicago comedy scene since he was 15 years old. He has trained with Second City in Chicago (from high school into his adult years) has performed with his own sketch/improv troupe Tortilla Moustache and has been performing regular stand-up throughout Chicago and across the Midwest United States for the past decade. As an acerbic and astute observationalist, Dean brings to the DNP Podcast a keen eye for the minutiae of sporting psychology. 

Victor Marinier.

Victor Marinier has been a fixture of the Chicago Comedy scene both as a performer, writer and editor, collaborating with a number of notable performers including Dean Carlson, Brendan McGowan, Mike Stanley and Mike Bridenstine. Victor brings to the DNP Podcast an encyclopedic knowledge of sporting statistics as well as love of popular culture. 

The DNP Podcast broadcasts bi-weekly across the internet and is available for podcast download from the official site as well as iTunes. 

Connect with the DNP Podcast here.

Subscribe to the DNP Podcast on iTunes here. 

Connect with Dean Carlson here. 

Connect with Victor Marinier here. 

DFA.

Catch the Interview - Dean Mayes one on one with Tania Elizabeth - live now.

Robin Too.

The past 24 hours - give or take - have seen an outpouring of grief at the sudden death of actor and comedian Robin Williams. Celebrated, much loved, kinetic, hilarious, legendary - all are terms that have been associated with countless tributes that have poured in from around the world. He was an actor of a generation, a pop culture icon (?), a figure of inspiration. 

These are all fair assessments of a man who has entertained for nearly 40 years or more. His accolades are deserved - his legacy cemented. But there has emerged, for me at least, another picture of Robin Williams that, while not detracting from my view of him overall, serves to humanize him to a level that is worth exploring.

Last night, I downloaded a podcast from comedian Marc Maron. It was an interview that Maron recorded with Williams back in 2010, book ended with some up to the minute thoughts from Maron about the actor's death. In the roughly hour long interview, Maron and Williams discussed the latter's early career, his comedic beginnings, his successes on stage and on screen and the material rewards that stemmed from that. 

They also canvassed the excesses of Hollywood in the 1980's, the vices that flowed to people like Williams as a result of success - the cocaine addiction and alcoholism and the mental illness. A fact that I certainly wasn't aware of before now was Williams was present the night John Belushi died. It was an enlightening and, admittedly, a sometimes disturbing insight into the perilous nature of success and excess that is not often talked about - though Williams has, in more recent interviews, been willing to discuss these in more detail. He didn't shy away from talking about the destructive nature of it all and how it shaped him.

The other alternate view of Williams came to me this morning via the comedy talk show Keith & The Girl. In it, host Keith Malley was quite forthcoming in criticizing the overwhelming expressions of grief on social media which he believed had gone way over the top in terms of a collective outpouring of emotion. He also broached - actually, he launched head on into - the subject of charges against Robin Williams that he was a joke thief. This, too was something that I was aware of in the past, though I wasn't prepared to give much credence to it. You always wish to see those you admire in the best possible light. 

Without pointing towards specific charges or allegations - you can Google this for yourself - the internet does throw up a number of articles that tackle Williams' apparent joke thievery which cast the actor in a different light. 

Malley's passionate argument around the faux grief and emotion poured into social media extended into his anger at certain comedians, whom he knows personally, who have pointedly criticized Williams in the past for joke thievery - yet they were in their on Twitter, on Facebook or wherever they could find a soap box, mourning, lamenting and telling the world how much of an inspiration Robin Williams was to them. 

There is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that Williams did in fact engage in a level of joke thievery. It's disappointing and saddening. But, in any posthumous examination of a person, particularly a figure as revered as Robin Williams, I think it's a necessary component of that examination. 

I'll continue to watch his movies and admire him as a performance artist of incredible energy and talent. But, I will add these alternative view points to my own impression of the man that Robin Williams was...

Because, at the end of his day, Robin Williams was human...

DFA.

Robin.

I was chatting to a dear friend of mine this morning and we were lamenting that Robin Williams was perhaps one of the most influential actors - nay people - of our generation. 

Sure, there have been celebs who have come and gone, but Robin Williams was something else. He was a pop culture icon before we even knew what they were. 

I watched "Mork & Mindy" on the black and white TV when Channel 8 was the only channel we could get in our house. 

The movie "Popeye" was one of the first films I ever saw on VHS. 

A comedy album he recorded in the early to mid 80's was one of the first "rude" records I ever heard - the kind you listen to in your bedroom with the volume turned way down because you're afraid your Mum might hear it.

"Good Morning Vietnam" was the movie that introduced me to the music my parents grew up with. It was also the film that really brought home to me the futility of war. 

"Dead Poets Society" was the movie that inspired me to read more, to treasure words and to never accept mediocrity. 

Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out! break out now is the time!

Robin was there when I was a kid. Robin was there when I was a teen. Robin was there when I was a young man, tortured by my own darkness. 

He is no longer here. 

I weep for him.

DFA.

Everyone Has A Story - A Look At "Tell The Bartender".

The maxim "everyone has a story to tell" is one that I whole heartedly proscribe to and, it seems to me, the best of those stories often come from the off beat places. There is also much that is true about the bartender being a font of stories. They are in a unique position to absorb and interpret the countless vagaries of the human experience which are often told in a number of situations and emotional states. 

I discovered the wonderful Katharine Heller - herself formerly a bartender - via Keith and the Girl and her show "Tell The Bartender" has quickly become essential weekly listening. 

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Katharine studied at the esteemed Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she earned a BA in Communications and Theatre. While there, she appeared in numerous main stage shows, and co founded the school's improv comedy troupe, Fresh Concepts.

Since returning to New York, Katharine has been performing in theatre, film, television, improv shows, and does voice over work for commercials and animated television. Her official website has a great video resume of some of her work and it displays her considerable talents writ large. Her humorous romance novel, The Boy in the Basement, was turned into a full length play of the same name and has been produced in various locations around New York and the Midwest. 

She is continuing work on her one woman show, My Dad's Crazier Than Your Dad: A Scientific Inquiry which was received with critical acclaim at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival.

And, of course, Katharine was also a bartender for eight years at several fine establishments in Brooklyn, New York. Though not technically a bartender anymore, Katharine still enjoys making drinks and listening to people talk.

And therein lies the genius of the show Tell the Bartender? 

Put simply, it is bi-weekly storytelling podcast hosted by Katharine, featuring tales from everyday people with unique stories. From the first listen, I knew I had happened across something really special. As an interviewer, Katharine approaches her subjects in a way that disarms them - in a good way - and allows them the freedom to explore the story of themselves without hesitation. Heller is able to hone in on specific comments and points of interest and encourages the subject to expand on those which uncover untold nuggets of gold. I have described it is a kind of one on one TED talk, where the subjects are routinely funny, poignant, conversational, emotional and enlightening.

As the show has grown and Katharine's roster of guests grows with it, the true genius of what she does with Tell The Bartender shines. 

Just this week, I listened to the latest episode, in which Katharine gives the floor to an amazing young woman in Micaela Walker. In what is, arguably, the most powerful 20 minutes of audio I have ever, Micaela recounts her experience as a new mother of twins, Roan and Lula. Roan was born healthy however Lula was gifted to her parents with an incredible set of medical challenges that would challenge their very perceptions of life, nature and medicine. On the first listen, I was an emotional mess - and me being a 20 year veteran of both Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. By the fifth listen, I am convinced that the term hero needs to be redefined.

Katharine Heller and her show "Tell The Bartender" are the kind of treasures that should be savoured and kept. Whenever I feel a need to laugh, to cry, to think and to be thankful, an episode of "Tell The Bartender" is a tonic that is more powerful than any medicine. 

Subscribe to and Download "Tell The Bartender" here. 

Tip "Tell The Bartender" here. 

Like "Tell The Bartender" here.

Tweet Katharine here.

DFA.

Dean's novel "The Hambledown Dream" is on tour.

(Click through to the Event Page at FB).

Bastards I Have Met - A Look At The Doghouse Bastards Radio Show.

In the ever evolving landscape that is internet media, there has been all sorts of programs - both audio and visual - which have come along and staked their claim to a patch of the huge real estate offered by this modern form of media. In the broadcast audio medium alone, there is, quite literally, a dizzying choice for the discerning audio listener to choose from and one can easily find something to suit their individual tastes.

I, myself, tend to gravitate towards comedy, satire and dare one say it - gallows humour.  Though gallows humour, by definition, refers to grim and ironic humour found in desperate or hopeless situations, I tend to look upon it more broadly as a more conversational and observational humour that flirts with a line and invariably crosses over it. 

Ricky Gervais is one such example of a wildly successful podcast that mixes humour and satire together brilliantly in a deliciously offensive - depending on your perspective - and thus hilarious brand of internet radio. Stephen Fry has commanded a similar, large following through his more genteel brand of comedy. Regular visitors to my site will know of my avowed devotion to the New York podcast Keith and The Girl where, their similar free reign to talk about any and all subject matter means they can get away with blue murder (figuratively speaking of course) and thus produce a unique brand of comedy, so blisteringly funny that I routinely find myself in tears of laughter. 

Today, I wish to shine the spotlight on another internet radio show which has quickly and affectionately risen to the top of my weekly audio listening roster and now stands as thee source for the inappropriate humour I crave.

Back in 2011, quite unassumingly, a couple of guys got together in the Scottish city of Aberdeen to lay down the first audio of what was to become The Doghouse Bastards Radio Show. Hosted by long-time door steward Scott 'The Sasquatch' Taylor, and co-hosted by the curiously named Peter "Mr Pink" Pink and Steev "Thunderc*ck" Early, the DHB - as it has become affectionately known - presented itself as a mish-mash of political in-correctness and conversational humour that examines sex, relationships, work, play and life from a kind of intelligent, working man's point of view.

I became aware of the show through my friendship with Taylor himself, although he didn't immediately reveal to me what he was up to at that time. I think he was a little hesitant of revealing to much of the show's existence initially because he was unsure whether it was going to work or not.

Suffice to say, The Doghouse Bastards Radio Show, has become somewhat of an internet sensation, rising to the top of the iTunes comedy podcast charts and routinely logging downloads in the thousands.

For all its outward crassness and "blokey" bravado, it's not hard to examine why the show works

The feel of the DHB Radio Show reminds me very much of the kind of conversation I used to observe among the working men who would congregate at the Pub after a long day at work - particularly those men who worked in the coal fired power stations where I grew up in country Victoria, Australia. To point out a more local example (in terms of the show's origins in Northern Scotland) it's a similar kind of humour that was characteristic of the dockworkers of the Glasgow shipyards which gave rise to the likes of Billy Connolly. Among these hard men, some of the rawest observational humour could be found. It was uncompromising, often inappropriate but at the same time it was wickedly intelligent and required a quick mind to appreciate the thrust of the comedy to be found within, Moreover, it was affectionate with a generous slab of self deprecation...

...which thus made it fucking funny. 

Similarly, the DHB radio show takes that kind of witty, workman's humour and loosely structures it into a two hour long radio show that is part sketch comedy, part observational humour and pop culture satire. 

Helmed confidently and with Billy Connolly-esque comedic timing is Scott Taylor, a career door steward and security specialist, who conceived and produced the show and has almost single handedly converted a room in his house into a professional grade studio that is the nerve centre of the show itself. Taylor is also a talented writer, having contributed to a publication a few years ago titled "Bouncers and Bodyguards - Tales From A Twilight World" that chronicles numerous accounts from career security personnel, nightclub doorman and bodyguards and was something of a sleeper hit when it was released, becoming a best seller around the globe.

Scott "The Sasquatch" Taylor.

Along with Scott Taylor is his acerbic and world weary co-host Peter "Mr Pink" who presents 'via satellite' from his remote studio in the north coast Scottish town of Thurso. An in-joke that has become the hallmark of the DHB is the fact that Peter Pink appears weekly, via video, wearing a pink balaclava and sun glasses and thus the audience who tunes in via the live video stream aren't privy to his true identity. This allows Pink the relative freedom of unleashing his own expletive ridden brand of comedy that is lightning quick and razor sharp. 

Peter "Mr Pink" Pink.

Steev "Thunderc*ck" Early can best be described as the gentleman of the DHB in-studio team - a man who offers affectionately wry observations about life that often come out of left field and routinely reduce the team and listening audience to fits of laughter. Similarly, his somewhat pathetic grasp of anything pop culture pre-1985, is a priceless source of comedy that is mined relentlessly on the show. Steev's appearances on air are broken up by long stints away with his work - but his returns are invariably fodder for stories with a comedic bent.

Steve "Thunderc*ck" Early.

Rounding out the team is a Richie Maynard who Scott routinely describes as the "Monday Night Highlight" or the "Money Maker Maynard". He swaggers into the studio weekly with a voice that is caramel smooth and plays in beautiful contrast to the kinetic energy of Scott and the biting satire of Mr Pink. I like to describe him as the Billy Dee Williams of the DHB Radio Show - Women want to be with him, while men want to be like him. In a similar fashion to Steev, Maynard delivers a nuanced comedic contribution to the on air team that hums with an electric energy and routinely guarantees laughs.

Richie "The Money Maker" Maynard.

Regular contributors to the show include Claire "The Fairy Bastardess" Cooper who is a fire cracker of a woman, an uncompromising lass with a potty mouth but a heart of gold, Jo "Jaybles" Banlana and Tracy "The Flaps" Neilly, both of whom have the most unassuming natures, almost incompatible with the kind of wrecking ball humour the DHB serve up and yet both girls can match wits the boys and routinely surpass them, leaving them speechless. 

The team as a whole have a chemistry that is undeniable. It is clear, listening diligently as I have for the past two years, that all of them enjoy what they do immensely, thus the quality of the show - both from a technical stand point and a comedic flavour - works effortlessly.

I have remarked privately to Scott Taylor himself that, working in the high stress job that I do, I like to blow off steam in such a way that I can remain sane therefore I connect very much with the spirit of that working man's humour that the DHB offers up on the good dinner ware week after week. This is a phenomenon I have observed from many who work in similar industries - from medical, to emergency services, law enforcement and the military - and there is a potent validity to the psychological benefits of the occasional indulgence in inappropriate humour. Indeed, I know of serving military personnel in both Afghanistan and Iraq, who download the show as soon as a fresh episode hits.

The genius of the DHB lies in its ability to "take the piss" out of the hyper serious nature of society and modern culture - especially pop culture - where too much value is placed on celebrity and too much stock is invested in political correctness. 

As a social document, The Doghouse Bastards Radio Show has supreme value because it allows us the pleasure of being able to laugh at ourselves and it encourages us to not take life so seriously.

Subscribe, Shop and Donate to the DHB here.

Connect with the DHB here.

Tweet with the DHB here. 

DFA.  

Kick Starting Damaged

I first discovered New York comedian and writer Liz Miele through the successful web series Apartment C3 in which she paired with room mates - photographer Chris Vongsawat, fellow comedian Carmen Lynch and Liz' diva cat Pasta to deliver a hilarious Seinfeld-esque weekly video short that followed the minutiae of their lives in the apartment.

Apartment C3 quickly became a staple for me and I was always pleased to see a new episode pop up in my feed. I blogged about the series last year and remarked at the time that it reminded me of the satirical cartoons my grandfather used to read in the newspaper and always laughed heartily with. 

As the demands of the individual players in Apartment C3 rendered the series non-viable, I remained a dedicated fan of each of the players in their singular pursuits and have been really touched that each of them welcomed my fandom and have stayed in touch with me.

I knew that Liz Miele was a dedicated writer in addition to her stand up and acting career and she had hinted to me some months ago that she was working on a project that she had high hopes for. 

I should at this point give a little back grounder on Liz herself.

Liz Miele  is also a Brooklyn based stand-up comic who’s been on the circuit in her home country at - now get this - aged 16! Liz has been profiled in The New Yorker, New York Times, New York Times magazine and New Jersey Monthly. Her stand-up - which combines a cooky and high watt energy with astute and whimsical observation - has also been featured at Live at Gotham and Comedy Central no less. In Apartment C3, Liz shined as the kind of glue that held it all together - the eternal optimist, although there were occasions where she could unleash a Jekyll and Hyde slap down when it was called for. 

When she's not performing on stage, Liz likes running - a lot - and she regularly competes in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC with her Dad. According to Liz, she speaks three phrases in French.

So, I was hugely excited a couple of weeks ago when Liz announced via her social media platform that she was seeking backing via Kickstarter for the project she had hinted at months ago.

The project is Damaged and it is described as a weekly animated web series about broken teenaged robots that are adopted by humans. The two main characters are Emily and TJ, robots that were given up after they didn't work at their respective factories and are being put through the public school system by their adoptive human parents, Rebecca and Richard. Oh and Emily has a cat, Humphrey, who's a Hitler cat, that hates her.

Liz has conceived, created and written the series and has brought in the significant talents of character artists and animators Adam Record, Ben Luce and Grant Lindahl to give life and visual interpretation to Liz' vision. 

The voice talent Liz has recruited for the series is a who's who of New York's finest comedians and actors including Liz herself, Jermaine Fowler (In Living Color, College Humor), Dean Edwards (SNL, Late Late show with Craig Ferguson, Last Call with Carson Daly), Ted Alexandro (Comedy Central, Late Show with David Letterman), Carmen Lynch (Comedy Central, Late Show with David Letterman, Last Comic Standing), RG Daniels (MTV), Emily Miele (Somethin' Jazz Club), W. Tre Davis (seen off Broadway), Adrienne Iapalucci (Last Comic Standing), Corey Reppond (Great comic and writer in NYC), Joe Machi (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), TJ Del Reno (voice over artist extraordinairre).

As with any Kickstarter, the viability of the project depends on the interest that can be created and the subsequent donations that are made. And donors to the Kickstarter immediately put themselves in line for some cool incentives for coming on board with the project. 

At the time of writing, the Damaged Kickstarter has already achieved it's minimum required amount to ensure the viability of the project. However, any additional funding to it will enable Liz and her team to deliver a product of much higher quality and quantity going forward. Given the already considerable talents of Liz herself and the artists and voice talent she has recruited, I can vouch for this project setting a new benchmark in what independent artists can achieve. 

Donate to the Damaged Kickstarter Today.

DFA.