Stop Me If I've Heard This

Episode 39 / Cris Larsen

Funny man Cris Larsen has performed over 500 shows for the armed forces, produced numerous fundraisers for schools, the Rotary, schools, churches, chambers of commerce, and on and on, too many to list. In short, Cris has dedicated his comedy career to community support. His personable, energetic style has won him numerous honors such as Red Cross Comic of the Year and Navy League Citizen of the Year. On top of all that, Cris is just a great guy to hang out with. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting down with him and hearing some really touching stories of his experiences performing for veterans. Listen to this episode and try not to like Cris. I dare you. 

Episode 38 / Dreams

In this episode, Susan and Art attempt to become amateur dream interpreters, with nothing more to guide us than the internet. And we all know how reliable that is. We've asked listeners to tell us some of their most bizarre and frequent dreams and magically transform into armchair psychologists. No training, no studying. We're just winging it. 

Episode 37 / John Wing

Veteran comedy headliner John Wing has too many credits for us to list here. He's appeared on numerous television shows such as The Tonight Show, Evening at the Improv, and Caroline's Comedy Hour. John was a semifinalist on America's Got Talent (2013) and has contributed to CBC radio shows Definitely Not the Opera, and Debaters as well as hosting his own show on CBC radio called Man, Woman, and Child. John is also a prolific and talented writer, publishing a string of poetry collections and a memoir, When You See the Red Light, Get Off. We previously recorded an hour with our friend John only to see it disappear into the void of technical challenges. So, after one too many apologies, John was kind enough to sit down with us for another hour. Seriously funny. I'm sure you'll see why John has been one of the busiest comedians around for almost forty years. We know you'll enjoy this episode.

Episode 36 / Mohanad Elshieky

One of our most interesting guests yet. Mohanad Elshieky is a Libyan born comedian who started out doing a radio show in Libya during the revolution of 2011, came to the U.S. in 2014, then declared asylum when he was the target of numerous threats back home. Then, he took a comedy class through Helium Comedy Club and has turned into an immediate contender. He won Helum's Funniest Person of the Year competition and now he's close to landing an appearance on Conan. He chats with us about his life in Libya, and his experience of being pulled off a Greyhound bus by immigration officials in Spokane, and his comedy influences. This likable 28 year old comedy prodigy will only be around Portland for a year or two so if you get a chance, go see him! And if you're not in Portland, listen to him right here. 

Episode 35 / Duane Goad

Duane Goad is a Canadian born, Seattle based comedian who was a has appeared on numerous commercials for FX network, Gillette Razors, Ford, and Microsoft. He has also been on the sketch shows Up Late NW, and The 206. Duane's style has been called "quick, sarcastic, and self depreciating". He chats with us about his fathers days in radio, his podcast, and about his phobia of eating in front of other people. He's such a funny and likable guy. I'm sure you'll enjoy hanging with him as much as we did. 

Episode 34 / Barry Kolin

For a quarter of a century, Barry Kolin was the owner of Portland's flagship comedy club Harvey's. A Portland institution, Harvey's helped support the careers of many Northwest comedians and has seen familiar comedy names such as Louis C K, Kathleen Madigan, and Alonzo Boden. Barry talks about his friendship and comedy venture with wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper and tells about the early days from when he transformed an old flop house in Old Town to a restaurant and bar in the late 70's, then fell in love with comedy in the early eighties and established one of the  longest running comedy venues in the country. 

Episode 33 / Leigh Anne Jasheway

What a pleasure to sit and chat with the incomparable Leigh Anne Jasheway. Author, Teacher, Humorist, Comedian, Activist and Former “Slug Queen”.  She has so many hats and wears them all with passion and dedication. She is the founder of the Eugene Laugh off and The NW Women’s Comedy Festival and is a friend and advocate to anything with 4 legs.  

Episode 32 / Milt Abel

Milt Abel started his comedy two years before Susan and Art! That's a lot of comedy clubs, colleges, corporations, and cruise ships. Milt has appeared on numerous tv shows such as Evening at the Improv (A & E), and Two Drink Minimum (Comedy Central), and Comedy Club Network (Showtime). He has also written a series of short stories Stories From the Delux. Susan and Art know him as an extremely warm, smart, generous, and hilarious friend who is always good for a laugh and some great stories from the road. In this episode, he shares about putting the lucrative world of cruise ships on hold to care for his mother and his search for the perfect kidney.  

Episode 31 / Rodney Sherwood

Even though Rodney Sherwood has had numerous film and television appearances (That 70s Show, Friends, Grimm), he is one of the most ego-less and likable performers we know.  His silly high energy style has established Rodney as one of the best of the best national comedians out of the Northwest. He talks about stepping back from stand up for five years to pursue corporate multimedia comedy shows, then returning with a renewed energy and something many comedians don't have - a savings account. He also talks about motorcycle racing and bungee jumping. His latest venture is his YouTube series My Life is a Highway.  Check it out. And check out Sherwood Creative if you need a great boost to your company event. We feel lucky to know him and happy he took the time to sit down with us for some laughs. 

Episode 30 / Joe Vespaziani

Joe Vespaziani Started comedy back in '88 and has established himself as one of the most creative and prolific comedians around, producing two CDs Ribbed 4 Your Pleasure  and  Thank you very much... enjoy the headliner.  Because of his smart, conversational style, Joe won the Seattle International Comedy Competition '98 and has toured the globe since. In this episode, he talks about his health challenges and opens up about his writing methods that have helped him write reams of strong new material every time you see him. Both Susan and Art are huge fans. Joe is both a comic's comic and an audience favorite.