Catching Up With Comedians

Welcome to the show today, Wyatt Cote. Wyatt had figured out very young that he was a water child. He loved the ocean and by six years old, he was starting to surf the inside breaks in Long Beach and Huntington Beach. He loved the beach vibe and has been a surfer ever since.
Though he attended the University of Hawaii as his father wanted him to pursue a professional career, Wyatt decided early on the collegiate life was not for him and against his father‘s wishes he quit school and decided to start doing something he really loved, which was stand-up comedy.
At the tender young age of 19 years old, he started going to Open Mic. nights in Los Angeles. While his early attempts were hit and miss, he put everything he had into stand-up comedy, going out to clubs night after night and grinding out his material and  within a fairly short time he started to see and feel that he could really make a go at this stand up comedy life.
Now here he is eleven years later, barely thirty years old and those early dues he paid are really bearing fruit.
He generally features or headlines comedy clubs all across the country as well as performing at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, which is the Crown Jewel of Clubs where only the top comedians perform. In addition to that he won First Place in World Series of Comedy Competition in Las Vegas in 2021.
Help me, Welcome a guy who is really going places in Comedy and someone who a lot of comedians both young and old could learn something from, Wyatt Cote.

 
Max Dolcelli is a man who has had to claw and fight for anything he ever had in life.  Born in Liguria, Italy the first son of a ship builder, he lost his father when he was but five years old but under him were a 3 year old sister and a baby brother. Life got immediately harder as mom couldn’t raise three young children without a job so Max and his sister went into a catholic orphange and mother moved in with Grandma with her infant and they would put one foot In front  of the other to cope with the loss of the husband, father and breadwinner. Fortunately for Max and his little sister after six months they were rescued from a torturous place where Max was made to kneel bare legged on rice for hours and his sister left bruised and both were psychologically scarred. Mama Angela would marry Papa Jimmy a year later and he took the entire family to America by way of New York Harbor.  It was no longer Ellis Island but for these native Italians who could not speak English, it was kind of a 1959 Ellis Island revisited.  Plus Papa Jimmy was a black man and that would also make their assimilation less fluid. Max’s journey to comedy was a long one ( as he was barely six when he landed in New York) and many kids gripe about when their family moved and they had to switch schools a few times.Max said his tough childhood made him tougher and he learned how to fight to defend himself and he learned how to get laughs to disarm his combatants altogether.Max took the stage at the New York Catch A Rising Star and through sheer guts and strength he did well enough on his first shot that the club owner told him to keep coming back that he could get regular stage time. Like many comics who I have had on my show, his desire was so great that he rose through the ranks of opener to headliner very quickly. He worked hard at his craft and has never really stopped over the course of forty plus years. He has been working the cruise ship circuit since 1989 which in Cruise years alone is a career and then some.Max still loves getting on stage and that is the most important asset in any comic over 70 who still chooses to perform.  I guarantee if you listen to this just to hear his Sam Kinison story alone you won’t be disappointed.  But there is so much more to Max than just the Sam story. He has had a long and successful career and has made and kept many friends along the wayLadies and Gentleman please welcome Max Dolcelli to the podcast…

Erin started her career in the Bay Area ( San Francisco) after earning her degree from San Jose State in Marketing and Advertising.  She worked for a few years in marketing and walked by a comedy club one day and thought, Wow, what is this?
Just a young woman in her early twenties and comedy was barely one to two years away from experiencing a BOOM! Comedy clubs would be opening in every major city in the country, with smaller satellite clubs putting on amateur and open mic. night comedy nights in every bar, restaurant or room where they could set up a mic. stand and hold people's attention for an hour or more!
So Erin's timing could not have been better. Her experience in Advertising helped prepare her as she had always been comfortable presenting and speaking in front of clients and her life long love for comedy and comedians she loved also helped incentivize her to dive in head first and start hitting the clubs frequently. The one thing that ALL COMICS agree on and it may be the ONLY THING comics agree on is that the  way to get better, learn your craft and develop your skills as a comic is by getting STAGE TIME and LOTS OF IT!!!
Erin prepared her set for her very first spot and unlike a lot of comics ( myself included) who did not have their first set down cold, Erin went up and did well; well enough she was offered follow up work for the following week. 
Erin's Dad had been a sportswriter for all the major teams in The Bay Area and Erin had  worked in Silicon Valley during her career in Advertising. Living and breathing in the shadows of Apple, Google & Microsoft teaches you very quickly that business is not for the faint of heart but for people who are ready to strap in and go for the Gold.  Oddly enough, Comedy may not be that much different for the ones with the ambition to go all the way and try and make it to the top of the mountain.
The truth is only very few comics make it to the height where everyone knows their name.  There are many who made it to the top and couldn't handle it and ended up quitting or getting out when their mental health took precedence.
I say that because Erin is also in a special class, as she has been able to work for her entire life and make a living doing something that she loves. Many more folks have done it and quit or done it as a sideline, but to do it full time and make a living at it is truly the most commendable and honorable addendum anyone could add to their career.
  Erin has been married to COMEDIAN  BOB ZANY for thirty years.  They often work together on radio and television shows and hosted their own podcast.  In addition to  being successful stand ups, they both work with many charitable causes including the Las Vegas and Southern Nevada PET RESCUES.
Please welcome to the mics of CUWC, my conversation with Erin O'Connor 
 
 
 

 
John Caponera grew up in a large family on the south side of Chicago. The family home sat just across the street from a large park which became a playground for him and his friends. No matter what season, they played baseball in the warm months and when the pond froze over in winter they played hockey and fit in every other sport in between.John went to college wanting only to play baseball but he felt he wasn’t getting enough playing time so he took his English Professor's request and auditioned for a main stage production of “ One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”He not only was cast but he was bitten by the acting bug.He would act in all the MainStage theater productions until his graduation. When he couldn’t afford to move to New York where he could study acting at the level he wanted to, he moved back to his hometown and started tending bar.Once again providence kicked in and he was coaxed by friends to enter a comedy contest for $500 prize money.  He won first place and took the laughs and the cash!His final exam in acting was to perform a ten minute comedy act and he had not only gotten an A+ and the reward of honest laughter and applause from his teammates but an additional spark went off in his head that he was getting laughs and encouragement from classmates and teachers who are not always an ideal audience and will be the first ones to tell you if you are barking up the wrong tree. John's journey from this point parallels what every person who ever decides to do stand up for a living should and must do! Get stage time as much as possible even 4-5 sets a night which is why the early stand ups from cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco and others got better faster because in their formative years they are going up five times a night to different crowds and grinding it out. The  second key is to always be writing, never let your act atrophy as John says on this podcast.  Keep writing, keep pushing yourself to not rely on the same jokes that work, because as you go on more and more television shows, repeating material is the sure sign that you are coasting along and just getting by.John, who I have been a big fan of from the first time I saw him on television and live on stages rarely repeated material on successive tv spots and he was always working on new stuff if you saw him performing at the Comedy Store.Beyond doing the Tonight Show, dozens of episodic shows like ER,  L.A. Law, The Drew Carey Show, he even had his own sitcom titled: THE GOOD LIFE which is the brass ring that all stand ups aspired to get at that time. Without any nepotism or connections to show business in the least, John is a great example of what you can achieve if you put your mind to something and work very hard at your craft and always keep learning and keep your eyes on the prize. John was and still is one of the funniest guys I have seen come out of my generation of comedians. Check him out on you tube and the next time you are in Las Vegas where he performs regularly there at the clubs and casinos!
Please welcome to CUWC: John Caponera

Denny Johnston returns for a second episode. After amassing fifty plus years between his musical and comedy career, I feel it is only right to devote at least two episodes to Denny Johnston. I already wrote a lengthy bio for Denny in the previous podcast #43 so let me just say that we go a little deeper into his beginnings. If you have ever listened to the great theme song for the TV show: THE ROCKFORD FILES, you will hear the work of the student who was in the same metal shop class with Denny. None other than Mike Post. Mike, along with Denny's future first wife Susan, performed at a gig and Denny not only dug their music but also really dug their female band member.  
There are many people who have stories of going to high school in LA with people who later became famous or infamous. 
We took a little tangent and talked about Yellowstone and Kevin Costner for a bit with a little Ray Liotta mixed in for variety.
Denny recalls a few falling outs with comedians but so many more that he admires including but not limited to Sebastian, Bill Burr, Louie CK, Anthony Jeselnik and others. 
When you think that Denny was just starting out when Laugh-IN and The Smothers Brothers were on the Television and The Vietnam War was dividing our country.
 He is still getting on stages  but no longer going on "the road" as that is the one thing that all comics must give up at one point otherwise they will end up dying on a road gig; which for some is what they have chosen either intentionally or not. 
So sit back and listen to a guy that has been doing stand up for fifty years and counting and still does it with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.
Ladies and Gents:   Denny Johnston
 
 

Denny Johnston started his entertainment career performing with the Back Porch Majority in 1967-68 and went on to work with The Christy Minstrels in 1969. Young comedian Steve Martin was opening for these musical acts at the time and Denny watched Steve carefully and was amazed how he came out every night to just entertain the audience using every tool he had in his bag to be funny!
 Denny became friendly with Steve Martin, Gary Muledeer and other comedy acts who used musical instruments, lyrics, and singing to add variety and entertainment to their act.  As this was the era of The Smothers Brothers and other anti-war musical acts, It was not uncommon to use songs and musical accompaniment to spread your message however Denny, Steve and Gary were not trying to forge any political statements and if anything they were there really just trying to spread humor, laughs and bring some joy and happiness to a nation and a world that was already feeling the effects of war and a growing sense of hostility between the youth and the older generations.
Denny has worked as a comic for over fifty years which is why I am featuring him in  two separate podcast recordings. His story is quite unique as he never really made the millions that some comics who achieved sitcom level fame and notoriety but as a comic myself and a student of comedy I never saw him do anything but kill on the live stages when I worked on the bill with him or I watched him from the audience. He was a throwback to when comedians of the " olden days" went out every show to KILL, lest they be pulled from the stage with a hook or a hoop or worse yet LOSE a gig or a FUTURE gig if word got out that you failed to produce LAUGHS!
You will hear stories today of his start ups at THE TROUBADOUR in Los Angeles/ reconnecting with his father who had been a famous crooner with Jimmy Dorsey and had a successful film career for a period of time. Denny getting his Carson Spot but with John Davidson and getting his Letterman spot as well.
 His Las Vegas Years, Placing NUMBER ONE and Beating out four other famous comedians for The NATIONAL LAFF OFF in 1980, and second place the next year out of 109 entrants in the highly coveted and respected SAN FRANCISCO COMEDY COMPETITION.
Denny Johnston regularly played all the television shows that featured the top comedians of the time such as EVENING AT THE IMPROV, SHOWTIME COMEDY CLUB NETWORK, THE ARSENIO HALL SHOW, DR.DEMENTO 20TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION and many many more.
Where Denny truly shined, like many other great performers such as Shecky Greene, Don Rickles et al was on the live comedy stage. Some entertainers, and often some of the greatest could not be captured on the small screen as their talent was being in the moment and performing for that crowd that was assembled in front of them that night.
In our discussion here, many reasons why the live performance is the true barometer for what makes a GREAT COMIC, come out organically in Denny's stories of the things that worked in his career and the things that did not. 
I was honored to have Denny on my podcast and if you are a fan of comedy and comedians Denny is a living time capsule on stand up comedy, with over a half century of time where he performed to audiences and with a very high batting average of laughs and success..
Please Welcome to the mics of CUWC/ 
DENNY JOHNSTON

Pete George is one of those guests who comes on and just wins you over immediately. He is a fount of energy and enthusiasm. Every comedian has their own story which is what makes doing this podcast so exciting and entertaining for me, and hopefully for my listeners as well. 
Pete came from a musical background as his Dad played the accordion, which has spawned its share of jokes over the years but he was the first accordion soloist at West Point, and in the course of his duties he played for Presidents and heads of State.
While Pete could play the accordion, he gravitated more towards the guitar and being from Cleveland ( the future site of the Rock and Roll HOF, which he also helped campaign for to be in his home town) he ended up being in many bands in his formative years and always figured the rest of his life would be playing music professionally. 
Well, he was certainly half right. He still plays music professionally but it is presented in the context of his stand up comedy, which he is happily in the thirty plus year club in that profession.
Pete's Uncle, Don George certainly was a big deal in music as he worked for big music companies for his entire career including: A&M, Universal, MCA, Mercury Records and many more. He gave Pete some jobs before he started comedy which gave him invaluable experience on the Business side of show business.
Pete has great stories of coming into comedy and winning a fifty dollar contest on his first shot. He had talent from the start but is quick to point out that luck and good fortune didn't hurt either. Kerry Pollock, a seasoned Comedy/magician took him under his wing early on and from there he was introduced to weeks of continuous work on a circuit above what an opening act would generally be immersed in. He just put his head down and worked hard while keeping his eyes and ears open to what a Pro like Kerry could do with an audience night after night and week after week.
He has quite a story on how being cast ( as a principle extra) in the Film: The Shawshank Redemption, pretty much gave him better experience than he might've gotten had he spent the money and years getting a degree in film.  
Plus some sordid tales he witnessed but never really embarked in from Ye Ole Comedy Road and how he still loves doing comedy but is also enjoying continued acting parts.
Pete never turns down a gig but his management has requested he stay in town ( LA ) more so he can be available for casting in the many streaming series which have really become the best delivery system for comedy and short form episodic shows.
Please welcome my guest: Pete George to the CUWC microphone today! 
 

Comedian Jann Karam started out close to home in Arizona when she embarked on her journey in Stand Up Comedy. She soon traveled to Chicago where she studied in The Second City School of Improv, doing comedy sketches. Before long she traveled To New York City where she ultimately met the people and made the connections with the comics, writers, agents and clubs which helped define the path her career would take for the next thirty plus years. 
She not only got on those early stand up TV shows like "An Evening at The Improv" ( 4 appearances) but also performed on "Caroline's Comedy Hour" and was the lone female comic on what has long been considered one of the best Years/ Versions of "The Young Comedians Special" which aired on HBO yearly and had become the  premier and most coveted spot to show what you had to a national and worldwide audience. Jann appeared on   "The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special" ( 1989)
As her star continued to rise she appeared twice on The Tonight show with Johnny Carson, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The Late show with David Letterman as well as spots on episodic shows like: ER, Mad About You, Diagnosis Murder, Norm and two of the greatest comedy series ever: Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.  We discuss her Seinfeld spot which is considered one of the top episodes ever where Jerry and George try to figure out how to break up with one roommate, to pick up the other one, would best be solved by requesting a menage a trois to which both girls accept.  Jerry scarily rebuffs shrieking, "I CAN'T DO IT, I'M NOT AN ORGY GUY...I'd have to grow a mustache and get all kinds of robes and lotions....I'd need thick carpeting and weirdo lighting and get orgy friends...No, Im not ready for it!"
 
 It was probably one of Jerry's best line deliveries even with the smirk and smile he still pulled it off and George even caved and said,"Yeah, Me neither!"   So Jann Karam as Sandi, one of the potential partners of Jerry, entered into what has been called in SEINFELD LORE and on IMDb one of the top 73, or female dates, girlfriends, encounters with Jerry in the series no matter if it was brief, a date or anything in between.
Jann also discusses her roles on CURB Your Enthusiasm, which due to its long run has had an equally strong impact in terms of comedy as dealing with popular culture and the always changing line of comedy and how close you can get to it and in Larry's case, cross it. 
We also discuss Jann's independent roles and features that she has written and or produced as well as some of the many independent projects she has appeared on to support her friends and colleagues.  
 
Please welcome to the mics this week:
Jann Karam
 

There are more layers to this podcast that could fill the podcast time alone, much less a short description. Film Director: Brian Burkhardt raised in New Orleans had a rather colorful childhood which led him to performing his first stand up comedy in a federal prison in Texas. Mickey Joseph: born and raised in the Bay Area of San Francisco started comedy back in the hey day of the comedy boom and through some rough roads of his own still does comedy today as well as produces and sells some very unique art and enjoys playing and producing music.
It was a Vegas lounge comic named Vinnie Favorito who would ultimately bring these two men together in a joint project of producing a film for the big screen about someone who had risen to headlining clubs and lounges in Las Vegas and becoming the heir apparent to Don Rickles as the premier insult comic" of his time.  Along the way Vinnie had acquired a bit of a gambling problem and had a penchant for borrowing money from folks without reimbursing them in a timely manner.  On July 28th, 2025, their film "Vinnie Plays Vegas: The Con Man of Comedy". will premiere at the Crescent Theater in Beverly Hills and open wide on Amazon Prime streaming services August 11, 2025. Pre Buy on Apple TV -VOD starts on August 5th. Also available on VUDU and will be available in the UK and Ireland.
 Please welcome Brian and Mickey to the mics of CUWC:

Tommy comes back for a part two where he deftly and hilariously lays out the second part of his comedy career;  once the 90's came and out went the once burgeoning comedy clubs.  Thankfully what happened for Tommy and other enterprising and well rounded entertainers were The Poconos ( resorts) The Catskills ( much more varied) than most folks had come to believe, The Casinos, Atlantic City, Day Cruises, and wherever a group of folks assembled of any race, color or creed and entertained the thought of being entertained. 
Tommy is one of those rare folks who has mastered just about every discipline in comedy from Clown, Mime, Prop Comic, singing, dancing, jokes, gags, impressions and anything else that the club promoter decides to add on three minutes before show time.  In Addition to that he is a Great STORY TELLER in every sense of the word.  Every great story teller also needs great stories and lucky for Tommy and his audiences, most notably, WE LUCKY DUCKYS, ABOUT TO EMBARK HERE ON PART TWO:  
THESE ARE HIS STORIES, THAT HE LIVED, which gives them the
AUTHENTICITY
that ultimately makes them so believable, so funny and so real.
please welcome back to the CUWC mics:   TOMMY MOORE