w w w . b o b a n d t o m . c o m
February 27 - March 3 2006
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 March
3, 2006
The
Pain of
Ross Bennett
Comedian Eddy Strange used to be comedian Ross
Bennett, until he switched back to his god-given name, followed by
a change back to Strange, and then finally returning as Ross Bennett,
version 2.0. Got all that? Once he made the executive decision to pick
a moniker for himself and stick with it, Bennett became the "best
kept secret in show business." His entertainment career began when
he dropped out of West Point during his sophomore year in order to take
up a life of comedy and theater. Though his parents didn't find the career
change all that humorous at first, who's laughing now that Bennett has
been able to make a name (or two) for himself in doing work he loves. Ross
recently released his first CD, New
York Country, and he made his first appearance on a B&T
project, with his track about the pain of dating on the new album, Happy
Hour.
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 March
3, 2006
Hello
McFly,
Anybody Home?
When he wasn’t able to break
into the industry as an actor, Tom
Wilson turned to stand-up comedy in order to get his fix
for performing on stage. Though this wasn’t his initial
career of choice, the move was successful and earned him guest
appearances on The Tonight Show with
both Johnny and Jay, David Letterman, Regis and all the major
morning shows. From there Tom was eventually able to break
into acting and has since starred in some twenty-five feature
films and a number of television shows. After all this time,
however, it’s still on stage performing stand-up comedy
where Wilson feels most at home. And with a complete arsenal
of funny stories, solid stand-up, and hilarious music, how
could he not? Wilson recently released a brand new comedy album
which he modestly titled, Tom
Wilson is Funny and he'll be appearing
in the new Larry the Cable Guy Film, Health
Inspector
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 March
3, 2006
Welcome
to Somerville
Even at an early age, Mike
Somerville knew he was different. From leading a rebellion of students
as a Kindergartner to setting off a smoke bomb as part of a sixth grade
talent show, he’s always found a way to separate himself from the
crowd; whether it be by his choice or theirs. Even when he entered the
working world after college after his father insisted that he needed
to find some real employment, Mike found that he didn’t fit in.
All that waking up early and constant personal hygiene was just too much
for him to take. That’s why he decided to fall back on a talent
he’d picked up as a freshman in college, stand up comedy, and he
hasn’t looked back since.
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 March
3, 2006
Shayma
Tash Is
One Busy Woman
With her impressive list of television credits, you’d
wonder how Shayma Tash ever
has time to perform standup comedy. Between working as a fashion expert
on the E! Network, appearing as a correspondent on The
Tonight Show and The
Best Damn Sports Show, Period, hosting shows
on ABC Family, shooting national TV commercials and performing sketch
comedy on The WB, Shayma is one busy woman. However, she somehow still
finds a way to headline the clubs in her hometown of LA, perform for
the troops overseas and continue to hit the comedy clubs around the country.
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 March
3, 2006
Big
Name, Medium Man
He’s funny, he’s handsome, and as you can tell by all the
hyperlinks below, he's got a lot going on. Of course we’re referring
to stand-up comedian and journal writing extraordinaire, Mike
Birbiglia. Whether on the phone or in the studio, we’ve been
treated, for longer than we can remember, to Mike’s monologues that
he calls his "Secret Public Journal.” In these musings, we’ve
learned about his infatuation with pizza, his feelings on falling in
love, his special Mormon underwear and what it’s like to live with
your parents. Mike recently joined BOB&TOM in the Bahamas where he
shared a few of his new SPJ's, and this week he'll be doing it over the
phone, but If you just can't wait for the next entry, make sure you check
out Mike’s website or
his mySpace
account where you can explore his pizza
blog, numerous pictures and a store full of t-shirts, head
shots and CDs including My
Secret Public Album and Two
Drink Mike, that are perfect for anyone who enjoys stuff.
And if you're looking for even more to click on, find out about Mike
finishing 9th in Comedy
Central's Standup Showdown or check out his upcoming Comedy Central
special, Medium
Man on Campus.
FACTOID - If there is a link we forgot
to add, we're sure you'll be able to find it at his website, www.birbigs.com.
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 March
3, 2006
A
Stand-Up Dad
He’s clean, he’s got experience
and he’s a stand-up guy. What more could you ask
for in a stand-up comedian? Well, you’d like them
to be funny too, but considering Milt
Abel comes from good company (he regularly tours with
Dan St. Paul and Tim Bedore as one of the Four
Stand-Up Dads) we’re
not too worried about that. Milt is a story teller while
up on stage and his humor comes from his travels, childhood,
his wife and kids, and sometimes just from getting dressed.
Milt’s comedy has been featured on Evening
at the Improv, Showtime and PBS.
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 March
2, 2006
Shrouded
in Mystery
Chris Porter is
a tough guy to find information about, but one
thing he did make clear last time he stopped by
was that he liked pot, a lot. The only other biographical
info we were able to get out of him was that he
is originally from Kansas City. MO, has been featured
on NBC’s late night comedy show, Later
Fridays, and was a guest
at the 2004 Montreal Comedy Festival. Did we mention
that he enjoys smoking pot? So make sure to listen
close when he makes his sophomore visit to the
BOB&TOM Show, and maybe he’ll help us
fill in the blanks in this bio, if he even remembers
them himself.
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March 2, 2006
Our First Line of Defense Against The
Animal Conspiracy
Since Tim
Bedore's popular segment, Vague
But True, has become
a regular feature on the BOB&TOM show, certain
topics seem to pop up on a regular basis. One of
the most popular subject matters has been the secret
war raging between man and beast which Tim has
dubbed the "Animal Conspiracy." The first
installment of this larger work appeared on the
album B&T Camel Toe almost two years
ago, but as the news stories keep adding up and
listener e-mails keep rolling in, Tim has had no
choice but to continue informing the masses about
this ongoing battle.
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 March
1, 2006
Live
Trucker –
Kid Rock
Kid Rock is a man you can’t easily put a label on. He doesn’t
fit nicely into any specific music genre, which may be why he’s
been able to stay on top of the music scene since his debut album in
1998. In the beginning his sounds ranged from rock to hip hop and even
a little bit of rap, but with each successive radio and album release
his sound would change. While the fans of his music were always guessing
what type of tune he’d put out next, they never stopped buying
his music. Mr. Rock’s
repertoire has expanded over the past few years to include a more classic
rock sound, and even a little bit of country which was very evident in
his big smash hit duet, Picture, with Sheryl
Crow. His most recent release, Live
Trucker, is Kid's first live album. Recorded at various Michigan
locations in 2000 and 2004, Live Trucker finds
the multi-platinum 'Son of Detroit' and his band lighting up homestate
arenas with their genre-smashing high-octane musical brew including hit
songs like Cowboy, Only God Knows Why and American
Bad Ass.
JORDAN WARD illustration
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March 1, 2006
Once A Marine, Always a Marine, or at
Least Entertaining Them
Good friend of the show Mark
Sweeney is a professional comedian, and a very
good one at that, but that hasn't always been his career.
You could call Sweeney-San a jack of all trades, considering
he's served as a bus boy, construction worker, real
estate agent, bartender and copier repairman. In the
arena of performing, he's also been an actor, appearing
on TV shows like Boston
Public, Third Rock From the Sun, and Days
of Our Lives. But looking
through his resume, the occupation that stands out
most is the four years he spent in the US Marines,
or as he puts it, a full time job partying around the
globe. That experience came in handy on his recent
tour of Iraq where Sweenz was entertaining troops as
part of the Comics
on Duty World Tour.
FACTOID -
Mark Sweeney is the oldest of six children, which
he equates to being the emcee at a comedy club.
You come out cold, have to break the ice and everyone
expects you to suck |
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 March
1, 2006
Vintage
Comedy
Ask any artist (yes, that includes comedians) where they find their inspiration,
and they'll tell you that it can come from almost anywhere. Comedian John
Evans found out his muse lives in various thrift stores scattered
across the country. Evans often spends an excessive amount of time wandering
down aisles of discarded vintage apparel looking for more than just items
to add to his snazzy wardrobe, these shopping sprees are actually a metaphor
for how he develops his comedy act. Evans comes up with his material
in the same way he walks through a thrift store, taking old, beaten down,
uninspired topics and turning them into his own premium jokes. For example,
the last time John was on, he told some fantastic stories about riding
public transportation and working at a satellite TV help line.
FACTOID: Tom
thinks John Evans looks exactly like Count Chocula. Yikes!
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 March
1, 2006
Feel
the Byrne
When you are Irish, you can make fun of the Irish. When you’re
Asian, you can make fun of Asians. That’s why comedian Steve
Byrne is so lucky; he’s both. Byrne is half Irish, half Asian
and he lives in America so you know he’s got plenty of material
to work with. And it must be good too, because he’s just released
his first comedy album, Little By Little,
and will be starring in his first Comedy
Central Special. Steve has appeared on almost every major standup
comedy outlet on television and will soon be featured on the show True
Life on MTV as well as the documentary, 13
or Bust.
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 February
28, 2006
Ripped
From the Headlines
It’s time again for everyone’s favorite weekly feature, The
Zany Report starring comedy legend Bob
Zany. In case you’re new to the show or are unfamiliar with
the concept of The Zany Report, we’ll explain how it works. Every
Tuesday, Bob Zany calls in to deliver a handful of jokes based on current
events and comical news stories. Though his intention is to present a
report that is hilarious from top to bottom, it doesn’t always
work out this way. Of course as good hosts, BOB&TOM are always kind
enough to point out which of his jokes came up a little short in the
laughs department. This is where you the listener come into play because
Zany then invites a lucky fan to call in and fix one of his flat punch
lines in a little game he calls Fix-The-Joke Baby! Sounds easy, doesn’t
it? To find out more, got to bobzany.com, baby!
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 February
27, 2006
The
Next Best Protection to Living in a Bubble
To many of us, the things Tom does
to keep himself safe from germs and bacteria seem a bit excessive.
But according to author Allison
Janse, Tom’s beliefs aren’t that far off, and
in fact, in most cases he’s right to be paranoid. Germs
are everywhere. In the new book The
Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu,
renowned microbiologist; Dr. Charles Gerba and Allison Janse
give you the lowdown on how to survive in a world full of danger.
You’ll learn where it’s safe to eat, what hygiene
products really work, how to properly sanitize yourself and
much more. If you’re a germaphobe, this book is perfect
for you. And if your not one yet, just read a couple of pages
and you’ll come to your senses in a hurry.
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