In our final episode we return to a favourite album of mine, I chat Let's Get Small with Luba Magnus and Yaw Attuah. While this is the final episode of Comedy Album Book Club in its current incarnation please stay subscribed. We'll be bringing one off special conversations as well as coming back with a whole new format in the future. Thanks for three years of support and we look forward to returning new and refreshed.

Comedy Album Book Club

Episode 55 - Steve Martin's Let's Get Small

In celebration of two years in the studio, we re-air this awesome episode featuring Courtney Gilmour where we chat about John Mulaney's Kid Gorgeous at Radio City. Our first full panel in the studio space.

Episode 54 - Memories of John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous

I had an opportunity to talk with the always funny Tracy Hamilton about comedy, self-care and her awesome podcast Love is Everywhere. This was a terrific opportunity to catch up with a funny friend and chat about the realities of the comedy world right now, their inspirations and some of their crazier experiences as a working stand-up (plus what kind of animal her stand-up is).

Episode 56 - Tracy Hamilton

Clare Blackwood and Ryan Hughes of Whisky Kids chat with Matt about the film Easy A, like a high-class podcast for governors or athletes.

Episode 52 - Whisky Kids talk Easy A

In this episode I have the pleasure of chatting with returning guests Alicia Carrick and Emily Milling as well as Julia Jones, Sam Sexton and Jo Anne Tacorda all of Big Chick Energy. It was a real joy to chat with this hilarious group (and do yourself a favour, check out their video Spanx live today). We discussed the incredible Ali Wong and her special Baby Cobra. This is the first of our virtual episodes recorded over zoom so please forgive the audio quality. As always we encourage you watch the special before listening to the episode but please, enjoy.

Episode 51 - Ali Wong's Baby Cobra

I sit with comics by Andy Wong, Christine Kay, Justin Antony, Kenzie Nelligan and Rosemary Quinlan to discuss the disgraced comic Louis C.K.'s album Hilarious. This is a difficult conversation about the comic at a pivotal moment in his career and how his eventual disgrace recontextualizes this earlier work.

Episode 50 - Louis C.K.'s Hilarious

I sit with comedian Joe Vu where we talk about the mechanics of comedy and the life of a comedian. We also touch on his amazing album First Generation Comedian. If you can download it and give it a listen now.

Episode 49 - An interview with Joe Vu

All last week and all this week we're in the throes of the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival 2020! The 15th festival has been a showcase of some amazing talent with both new acts and returning acts. One of the returning acts is Girl Brain from Edmonton. This awesome troupe composed of Alyson Dicey, Ellie Heath and Caley Suliak wowed audiences from the mainstage of Comedy Bar on Friday and Saturday night. I reached out to them and asked if there was any album they'd like to chat about while in town. They suggested Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me, an album I was very familiar with having first heard it as part of an episode of This American Life. Go give the album a listen and if you're a real keener like me check out the This American Life episode as well as the movie adaptation and the special. Feel the full Sleepwalk With Me Experience!

Episode 48 - Girl Brain talk about Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me

This week we sat with the hilarious Martha O'Neill and Karen O'Keefe to discuss their albums Fine Big Girl and Surprised Eyebrows. We touched on the process of recording an album, the state of comedy in Canada and the amazing powers of attraction granted to you on recording a comedy album. Thanks again to Karen and Martha for joining me and please go out and buy their albums today. You will not be disappointed.

Episode 47 Martha O'Neill & Karen O'Keefe

Jason and Matt sit with Jim McAleese and Robin Archer to listen to the career-defining George Carlin album Class Clown. We discuss the impact George had on the comedy world and how he shaped our own views of comedy. We also discuss how his voice changed and evolved, his continued relevance and the lasting impression of his work to this day. We also bid farewell to Jason Deline as the host of Comedy Album Book Club, thanks to Jason for two years of hosting the show. It has been a true adventure and a million laughs, we appreciate all your hard work. Matt Ardill will be taking over full time hosting duties and we look forward to many more conversations with comedians and comedy professionals about the work that inspires and defines their comedy experiences.

Episode 46 - George Carlin Class Clown

In April of 2019 we sat down with funny people Grace Smith and Ryan Hughes to talk about Beth Stelling's awesome album Simply The Beth. We spent a great hour talking about Beth, the accessibility of her material and the power a good burp. After the episode, we decided to reach out to Beth and seeing if we could chat with her about the album, her inspirations and her current projects. This past December we were able to reach Beth after her tour of Oregon and have a great conversation about all of those topics and more. Thanks to Grace and Ryan for chatting with us about Beth's album and thanks to Beth for spending some time with us.

Episode 45 - A conversation with Beth Stelling

It's that time of year again, we're back for our second annual holiday special this year with writer, musician, filmmaker and performer Emily Milling plus writer and performer John Budreski of Weird Town Comedy sat with their fellow Weird Town citizen Matt. We each selected one of our favourite funny holiday films. Emily selected the Gubinator's family-friendly smash fest Jingle All The Way, John picked the cult favourite A Christmas Story and Matt selected Colbert's A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! Time to put a log on the fire, pop in those earbuds and slap on your kerchief for a long winter's nap and some holiday podcasting. Happy holidays from us at Comedy Album Book Club.

Episode 44 - The 2nd Annual Holiday Special

This past spring my wife Heather and I visited the UK, on our trip we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey also known as Flo & Joan. Fixtures of the Toronto sketch community who had returned to their native England sat with us over an initially sunny and progressively rainy brunch to talk about their influences both musically and comedically as well as the challenges and opportunities of performing in Canada versus the U.K., Fringe Festivals and some of their experiences performing. They are currently on tour and you can find more information on their facebook page. Thanks again to Nicola and Rosie for sitting with us and please enjoy the episode.

Episode 43 - Musical Comedy with Flo & Joan

We do a second deep dive into Lenny Bruce's album The Carnegie Hall Concert this time joined by special guest writer, comedian, playwright, educator and activist Lara Rae. Lara has spent many years working with some of the greats of comedy and was able to share their encyclopedic knowledge of comedy with some terrific first-hand accounts of talking with people from Lenny's life. It was a real joy to sit with them and we look forward to doing so again in the future.

Episode 42 - Lenny Bruce The Carnegie Hall Concert part 2 with Lara Rae

Jason and Matt sit down talk with Andrew Lizotte to discuss the immensely influential Lenny Bruce and his seminal recording The Carnegie Hall Concert. It's a really deep dive into language, relevance and how many comedians who model their work after Bruce just can't reach what he's attained.

Episode 41 - Lenny Bruce The Carnegie Hall Concert

Hosted by actor/comedian Jason Deline it's like a book club with comedy albums. First Thursday of every month we listen to an agreed upon/curated comedy album, then we get together and talk about it! Fun, right?

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Comedy Album Book Club

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