Another booking coup for our favorite podcast: this week on WTF with Marc Maron, the comedian turned podcast king interviews writer/director Judd Apatow. In this special two-part interview, the second of which just went live online, Marc and Judd cover a range of topics, including the deep-seated love of stand-up that took hold of each of them at a young age.

Part 1 includes a major bonus: audio of interviews that Apatow conducted with comedians in 1983 for his high school radio station. This Inception-esque interview within an interview portion features a teen-aged Apatow talking to Jay Leno, Gary Shandling and Jerry Seinfeld, all of whom were working comedians who had yet to become huge stars.

Part 2 is more standard WTF fare, with Marc and Judd talking movies and whether Judd was happy with how Funny People turned out. All in all, it’s just fun to hear two guys who know a lot about comedy talk about comedy. Get the episode of wtfpod.com or download it directly from iTunes.

Since 2005, The Philly Improv Theater has served not only as the only longform improv training center in Philadelphia, but as the area’s strongest source of off-beat comedy shows. It’s grown into a full-blown comedy hub, fostering a comedy community comprised of its a huge network of students, past and present, as well as local stand-ups, sketch comics and established names from out of town (PHIT has produced shows and/or workshops with Paul F. Tompkins, Matt Besser, Adsit and Gausas, and more). However, one thing the theater still doesn’t have is a permanent theater space of its own. Thanks to Kickstarter.com and a lot of support from the community, that’s bout to change. Punchline recently caught up with PHIT’s executive director, Greg Maughan.

Can you give us a little background on the Philly Improv Theater? When did it start? What’s your comedy background?

Philly Improv Theater started in 2005, although we were initially just a school for longform improv classes. At the time the theater started I had been living in Philly for four years, and the entire time I had wanted to see comedy shows at a place like The Second City or Upright Citizens Brigade. For the first couple of years I was convinced someone else was probably working on opening a venue like that – because it just seemed like such an obvious need in the city – but eventually I got tired of waiting.

What kind of training programs do you have? What kind of shows do you produce, improv and otherwise?

We’ve got three main types of training programs as of this fall: improv, sketch, and standup. The standup classes are starting for the first time, and the improv and sketch classes have just been revamped and revised which we are pretty excited about.

As for shows, we produce a pretty wide spectrum of stuff that the theater has come to refer to under one umbrella as “alternative comedy” – which is a fun niche to occupy. Basically we have sketch groups do two-week runs with performances on Saturday and Sunday nights at 8pm and then the rest of our Friday and Saturday is built around improv groups. Earlier in the week we do a lot of shows created by stand-up and sketch comedians around town.

You launched a Kickstarter Campaign to fund a permanent space for the theater. What had the theater been using up until now? How did the campaign turn out?

We did use Kickstarter to begin our big capital campaign back in May and that’s the first real fundraising we’ve done. For a long time we simply weren’t raising funds because we were focused on our continued existence in the moment and everyone felt like there wasn’t enough talent ready to fill a stage full-time. It wasn’t really until the end of last year – after we’d successfully gone from doing one week a month of performances to two – that thoughts of a space got serious. It’s always been the goal, but it didn’t feel like it was really going to happen until we got approached with a potential space last November. That’s when the business plans got re-written and the realistic budget got put together.

Then a super-generous donor stepped in and offered that if we could put $50,000 in our capital account by the end of the year they would match. The Kickstarter campaign was the start of all this effort, and the plan is go back there as the end of the year approaches to finish that way as well. Our initial goal was $10,000 and we ended up raising $15,000 in just 44 days – which was nothing short of incredible.

You’ve described the proposed new theater as, “a home for alternative comedy in Philadelphia.” What does that title mean to you?

I guess we have described the new space in that way, haven’t we? When the Advisory Board for the theater got put together one of things we talked about was the vision for what would be in the space – and it isn’t just meant to be a stage to perform on. The goal really is for the space to serve as a hub for comedy in the city – not just a place to see shows, but also a place to learn, to practice, and to get together and collaborate.

As a comedy dude, what’s kept you in Philadelphia? What’s your take on the comedy scene here?

It honestly wasn’t anything specifically comedy related that kept me in Philly – I moved here almost a decade ago and just fell in love with the place, and then my family lives nearby as well. But the thing that makes all of this fun is what a great comedy scene there is in the city. By and large it’s very supportive, very collaborative. We’re still putting up great shows and recruiting amazing instructors… and we’re not having to make compromises. I think with the way things are going the city will have a pretty solid reputation around the country within a few years as a place to come and find people… All this stuff makes everyone at PHIT very optimistic about the future.

Be sure to check out PHIT next time you’re in the city of brotherly love and looking for copious laughter!

Margaret Cho, as you may well know, has a musical comedy album, Cho Dependent, coming out this coming Tuesday. And yes! Of course we’ve interviewed her and of course you’ll see the full exclusive chat right here on Punchline Magazine. But we first wanted to give you a wee taste.

Our writer Emma Kat Richardson talked with Cho, among other things, about all of the great indie musicians she worked with on the album, how she sees music being incorporated into her act in the future and where the inspiration for the lyrical component of the songs on the album came from. In one song, it gets pretty dark. Check out how Cho describes those lyrics:

I used to go out with this guy, and I really loved him. He worked on All American Girl, which was my first TV show. He really didn’t like me back, and it was a horrible experience; I still liked him for 17 years. Still liked him, like, loved this guy, and I never found out about him, because I didn’t want to know that he was going to be successful and happy and have children and married [sic]. I just didn’t want to know that he could be happy without me, but after 17 years I thought that I should find out what he’s doing.

So I Googled him and something came up that had his name that said like “American screenwriter and producer on All American Girl with Margaret Cho,” and then in 2007, he was convicted of the murder of his wife. He bludgeoned her to death, and then stuffed her body in the attic, and left it there until it had partially mummified.

Make sure you check out Punchline Magazine in the next few days for the complete interview. And make sure you pick up Cho’s album this Tuesday!

Like I say in this here video interview with comedian Ryan Singer, one of the best things about listening to so much comedy every year is that rare “comedy find.” That’s when you’ve never heard of a comedian but then you see or hear an album from said comedian, and are pleasantly surprised by how fantastic it is.

Singer is one of those finds for me. So, it was cool to sit down with the man and chat a bit about his album How To Get High Without Drugs — an album that seamlessly combines the comedian’s knack for theater and sketch with stand-up — and about where his career is headed. If you need further convincing about Ryan’s talents, check out our review here.

Be sure to buy the album. Just click the image below. Do it!

In less than an hour most of the country will be privy to NBC’s finale of Last Comic Standing. Mike DeStefano is one of the final five comedians competing for the crown of last comic. If you’ve been watching the show, or if you’re just such an avid comedy fan you’ve been familiar with Mike’s work, you’ll know that what you’ve seen of him on the show, is a slightly restrained version of the man.

In a few days, we’ll be rolling out a great video interview with DeStefano. For now, before you watch — or maybe during — the season finale of Last Comic Standing, we wanted to offer you this teaser– filled with anger, frustration and lots of bad words. Enjoy!

Earlier this year, Comix comedy club in New York City held its 4th annual March Comedy Madness, wherein 64 comedians competed in a NCAA basketball-style competition. There would be one comedian chosen the winner. That comedian was up and coming talent Sam Morril. This is his story.

Not really.

This is him asking a few questions about comedy and why he was was crazy enough to get into the business. It’s also partly us telling you that he’s opening for Jim Florentine at Comix this weekend (tickets here). And us telling you should go. And maybe you should visit Sam’s official site here.

Now, enjoy our little chat below.

How has your comedy career changed since your Comix competition victory?
Aside from now showing up to my shows in a Hummer Limo, and only hanging out with models, it hasn’t really changed. In fact, I think the following night I was performing in a bar. Every so often a comic will say, “congrats” or “you won March Madness, right?” And I nod. I guess I got some street cred.

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a young up and coming comedian in NYC?
Probably breaking into the clubs. Younger comics need to contend with seniority, and it’s hard to break through. The supply of comics totally outweighs the demand for stage time. There aren’t many clubs that are developing younger comics, but some are starting to.

When you’re in contact with high profile comedians in the city, how do choose to interact with them? (for example, do you ask questions, do you just observe, etc…?)
I don’t ever want to be that young annoying comic so I try to speak only when spoken to. It can be weird unless they initiate the conversation. I obviously want to earn the respect of those comics I admire. Hopefully I get it on the stage and not by bugging them or asking for favors. I feel that if a comic wants to help you, you usually don’t need to ask. There’s a lot of camaraderie in the business.

Many of the high profile comics reach out to the younger guys and offer advice because they remember what it was like. No one blew up over night. Also, I’ve been producing a show called “Sage Stand-Up” with my friend, Harrison Greenbaum for the last three years (currently at Bar 82). Through that, I’ve become friendly with comics I really admire by asking them to do our show.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about the comedy business?
Always be ready for hecklers, and be nice to the staff. I won’t mention the club’s name, but one night I got into a tussle with a guy at Broadway Comedy Club (oops), and I was on while the checks were dropped. This guy was blaming me for how expensive the drinks were and I was like, “Yeah, that’s not what I do here. I do the joke part of the show.” I should’ve mentioned that I was getting paid in chicken wings. It went back and fourth for a while, and things started to get mean.

Read the rest of this entry »

MONTREAL — Our coverage of the Just For Laughs comedy is almost done. But That didn’t stop me from shoving my camera in Todd Barry’s face at the airport here. He was kind enough to chat a bit about his fest experiences and his upcoming dates. Check out toddbarry.com for the specifics. For now, enjoy this horribly unprofessional (on my part) interview Todd.

MONTREAL — Earlier today, Doug Stanhope popped into the Hyatt’s lounge here, ground central for the Just For Laughs comedy festival. It’s noteworthy because Stanhope isn’t one of the many comics performing here. In fact, the road horse comedian trained it up to Montreal for two reasons: to throw a massive party at a car wash (which he did with great success, by many accounts) and to kick off his Canadian tour; you could check out the dates here.

Doug was kind enough to spend a few minutes chatting with me. So, you should check out how that went. Enjoy!

A few hours ago at Variety’s reception for their 10 Comics to Watch, I got to chat with comedian Kyle Kinane, who was one of the comedians to receive the honor. Below is a video of that chat. Be sure to check out Kyle’s album, Death of the Party. You can get it here and read our review of it here.

Warning: vomit talk!

We all remember Russell Brand from his role as rock star and girlfriend-stealer Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marhsall. Well, Brand (as well as comedians Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll) and Snow are back again in the comedy Get Him to the Greek, which opens this Friday.

In a recent interview, Brand handles all topics of conversation, including a comparison of his evolution from party boy to committed boyfriend to the material of poets Hunter S. Thompson and Frederick Locker-Lampson. He also names his top two aging rock stars, shares a few choice words about Las Vegas, and contemplates what the ability to fly would do to the airline industry.

For more on the man behind Aldous Snow, check out Russell Brand in his interview with USA Today.