In addition to writing, performing, teaching, directing and editing comedy (including musical humor as part of "The Hollywood Mood-killers" with Bob Mitchell) and studying the psychology of sex and sales .......................................................... RADIO (40s-50s) AND VINTAGE TV (50s-70s) FAN: Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Jack Benny, Harry Lime, Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes, Just a Minute, The Goon Show, Round the Horne, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Fred Allen, Sam Spade, The Saint, Burns and Allen, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, The Mad Russian, Ed Wynn, .... Laugh-in, Martin and Lewis, The Addams Family, Sargent Bilko, Barney Miller, George Gobel, early Saturday Night Live, Jonathan Winters, Jack Paar, Dick Cavett, Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Snagglepuss, Snooper & Blabber, Quick Draw McGraw, Star Trek (especially Next Generation) ... Batman (3 different shows), early "Politically Incorrect," The Steve Allen Show, Mary Tyler Moore & MASH (the latter 2 of which often made me cry, in a good way)
More than meet, I'd like to have John Cleese, Tom Lehrer, Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Bill Dana, Stan Freberg, Alexis Silver, Gianna Michael, Ana, Drew Barrymore, Greg Lobb, Stephen Colbert & his writers, the writers at The Onion, Frank Coniff, Denise Munro Robb, Eugene Silver, Craig Ferguson, Greg Dean, Danny Mora, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman, Hal Kanter, Rosee Brumfield, Mark Evanier, David Billingsley, Ed "Edgie" Glaser, Bob Mitchell, Eddy Ed O'Brien, John Russell, Scott Vigder, Dan L. Fendel, E. C. Archibeque, Erik Haber, Mike Vanier & others listen to my stand-up and hear their laughter, suggestions and possible additional lines (or in some cases, do it some more) ...... I'd like to work for/with Joss Whedon, J. Michael Straczinski, Harold Ramis, Scott Rudin and/or George Schlatter.
Almost anything with a fast beat. Beatles. Louie Armstrong. Scott Joplin. Maria Muldaur. Chet Atkins. Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, Allan Sherman. Bob Mitchell, Dutch Newman's Musical Melodians, Suzy Williams, The Hollywood Mood-killers, Pete Seeger. The Happiness Boys. Richard Cheese. The Mamas and the Papas. The Monkees. Peter, Paul and Mary. Tom Lehrer. Flanders and Swann. The Bilgewater Brothers. Oodles of Others.
God bless Netflix. The films of: Drew Barrymore. Early Woody Allen & Mel Brooks. Marx Brothers films. The Three Stooges with Curly. "Love Actually," "School of Rock." "Men in Black," "Groundhog Day," "Defending Your Life." "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Addams Family." Star Trek 2,4 & 6, Star Wars: New Hope & many Sherlock Holmes including 7% Solution." MUSICALS: Li'l Abner (1959), South Park, Sweet Charity, The Music Man
The current revival of "Doctor Who" (& the 25 years that went before), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" & its spinoff "Angel." "Babylon 5." "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show," Craig Ferguson, Ellen DeGeneres, "The Simpsons" and "South Park" and Conan O'Brien and Letterman, Boston Common, Comedy Central roasts. For shows of the past, see INTERESTS.
I'm currently reading "The Genius of the System." I read a lot about the strategies of show business. A lot of my reading is articles on the web, The Onion and magazines like "The Jack Kirby Collector" and skimming many comic books & buying very few. Lately I'm buying "The Twelve" (by J. Michael Straczinski) and "Tangent Comics." I just bought and am reading back issues of Walter Simonson's run on "The Mighty Thor." I have been a big fan of Gene Colan, Gil Kane, Jim Starlin, George Perez, Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino, Arthur Adams, John Romita Jr. &, of course, Jack Kirby. And "Li'l Abner" and "Pogo."
Sherlock Holmes. Mister Spock of "Star Trek." The Doctor in "Doctor Who." Stephen Colbert. And any happy couples.