Crackin Up! with Gretchen & the Lukes

Gretchen Massey was born to tell stories.
___Well, she was born a Buddhist in the Bible Belt, a white girl in a Hispanic neighborhood and dirt poor to boot, so her point of view is quite unique.
___Gretchen attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts in Dallas, Texas, and immediately delved into the world of professional theater. Wanting to spread her wings, she moved to Chicago, where she helped form ‘The Feral Theater Company’, which focused on writing and producing original theatrical material.
___Since moving to Los Angeles, she’s used her unique background to tell her stories through improvisation, standup comedy and talk radio. She’s starred in the nationally syndicated show ‘Radio Girls’, the Los Angeles based radio talk show ‘Lauren and Gretchen Uncut’, which eventually led to her own show on KLSX, Los Angeles.
___Gretchen finally found her radio match in Mike Lukas, and soon after, ‘Crackin’ Up with Gretchen and the Lukes' was born. You can also catch Gretchen hosting her live daily talk show on CBS.com called ‘House Calls, The Big Brother Talk Show’.
Mike Lukas is one enormously entertaining dude.
___The Lukes (a tall, rangy figure with shaven dome, who cuts a striking figure onstage) operates his comedy act like his own one-man sketch/improv troupe, often deftly weaving in and out of various characters & voices, including pieces where inanimate objects not only speak, but mess with his head.
___Of course, this multi-faceted, multiple-personality approach to his comedy is far from startling when you factor in that he’s long been affiliated with The Second City, the legendary sketch/improv group that’s served as a regular pipeline for “Saturday Night Live” cast members. You’ll find Second City alum in all kinds of films, TV shows, and plays. Lukas worked for a number of years on Second City stages in Chicago and in the national touring company, and more recently, as an opening cast member in a new Las Vegas production.
___Lukas hosted and co-wrote a season of A&E's 'The Straight Dope,' he rocked out as the bartender in Liz Phair's MTV video 'Jealousy' and rocked on the stage at the “Just For Laughs” Comedy Festival in Montreal.
___His other TV credits include multiple performances on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” as well as appearances on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” and “Stand-Up, Stand-Up.”