RADIO TITANS STAR OF THE DAY: 
DANA CARVEY!

Hear it here: Bit.ly/2bC1pLZ

t’s been over 20 years since Dana Carvey ended his epic run on “Saturday Night Live,” having unleashed both amazing impressions of famous figures including the first President Bush as well as original characters like The Church Lady and Garth upon the world. Yet because of that indelible cast of characters, he remains one of the best-loved cast members in the show’s long history.

While his movie career never really took off outside the two “Wayne’s World” movies, Carvey remains a beloved legend who sells out comedy clubs nationwide.   Carvey talked with Kozlowski about his childhood, his entire career and some of his most beloved characters. He also explained to Kozlowksi how his impressions of President Bush wound up turning into a true friendship that surprisingly lasts to this day.

“[President Bush] was very nice, and now that I’ve known him and was with him in Houston in March, I can see he is a kind gentle man,” says Carvey. “I always want to be funny number one, and political arguments often end up ugly. The idea of big versus small government, equality versus liberty, is something I don’t want to get down in the weeds with and be on the edges because you’ll miss the humor.

“The first two years [as president], Bush was so popular we were just going with what the rhythm was – we also had Al Franken and the more conservative Jim Downey writing him with me,” Carvey continues. “Then when the country’s mood turned and got a little more satirical towards him, it certainly didn’t help him, but he could sense I’m not an ideologue in the traditional sense where ‘someone who opposes me is my enemy.’ I’m an Americanist. I’m a radical moderate. He sensed that and did not take it personally.”

Carvey also talked about performing at a major Christmas event for a secret Hollywood organization run by actor Gary Sinise. Carvey says he’s frustrated with political correctness in show business, and said he feels that President Obama often gets a free pass compared to past Presidents.

“I’m friends with Gary Sinise, and this guy really walks the walk,” says Carvey. “He asked me to come up there to that event and I didn’t change my act at all. Because of the sensitivity of having an African-American president, which is completely understandable, people tend to tread lightly, but policy-wise there was some disconnect because people had complaints [about Obama, and comics were not addressing them]. It took a while to satirize our President but that’s American. It’s what we do.”

Carvey has a problem with what be believes to be the misperception that only the Left can be funny.

“That’s just crazy, left over ideas from Watergate. I always believed, you question authority,” says Carvey. “Whether it’s Asian-American, a woman president, or Native American, you have to hit. What’s happening during this time is that everyone’s afraid of making fun of certain areas because you’ll be given a name [as a racist], and that’s very twisted stuff. If you’re in a liberal crowd in New York and do liberal material, the response is almost like a rally, but it’s not edgy.

True edge is what Dennis Miller did in switching sides, and he got brutalized for it,” Carvey continues. “You will get the PC snake from the left and Republicans are a little lighter about it. I come from the old school that says you go where the power is and make fun of it. When it becomes off-limits to say or do certain things without being brutalized or uncensored, that’s a shame but it’s where the country’s going right now.”

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GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON THE LITERARY HOAX OF THE MILLENIUM!

Once in a while, an interview comes along that's just magic and fascinating and fun, and this was one of them. Jeff Feuerzeig has made some incredible docs over the years, including profiles of mentally troubled musician/artist Daniel Johnston, Jeff Dowd who's the real-life "Dude" of "The Big Lebowski," Chuck Wepner the real-life inspiration for Rocky Balboa, and now the infamous literary hoax known as JT LeRoy, subject of Jeff's brilliant new doc "Author: The JT LeRoy Story." You gotta hear him explain the story behind the story of the biggest literary hoax of the last 20 years. 30 years even, maybe. It's an amazing story with a fantastic tale about the real-life dude behind "The Dude", Jeff Dowd. Tune in. I'm real proud of this one. 

Hear it here! bit.ly/2cdyyKO

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THIS FILMMAKER MIGHT HAVE THE MOST 

FASCINATING TAKES ON RELATIONSHIPS

IN MOVIES TODAY: 

DEREK CIANFRANCE OF "BLUE

VALENTINE," "THE PLACE BEYOND THE 

PINES," AND "THE LIGHT BETWEEN 

OCEANS"

Hear him here!: bit.ly/bit.ly/2c1LA0A

This one is short and sweet, but answers a few questions about one of the most intriguing filmmakers on the American scene today: Derek Cianfrance. Whether exploring the wonderful rise and disastrous collapse of a relationship in "Blue Valentine," how the sins of the father affect their sons in the amazing "The Place Beyond the Pines," or seeing how far people will go to become parents in the new "The Light Between Oceans," his movies are deep, powerful and make you think. Kind of like this Kozversation. Tune in!
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AND FINALLY, SOME TASTEFUL YARD ART FOR YOUR LAWN. START YOUR BIDDING!

Several American cities were subjected to naked Donald Trump statues a few weeks back, and now you can bid on the amazingly unscathed Los Angeles one. Check out the story here, but avert your eyes from the photo within! 

Bit.ly/2bD5v7C

THIS ONE GOES WITH THE TIG BLOG POST TOO... THE MAN WHO TURNED ME ON TO THE IMPORTANCE OF TIG NOTARO, WHO'S NOW ONE OF MY GREAT INSPIRATIONS: BARRY KATZ

PODCAST EPISODE LINK TO BARRY KATZ ON "KOZVERSATIONS": bit.ly/2aESHsu


Check out the other blog post about Tig Notaro for the story behind this podcast episode of "Kozversations." Barry has managed some of the biggest and best in the comedy business, and has proven repeatedly already to be a man who's generous with his time and of great character even as I am working towards the hope of being a client. His podcast "Industry Standard" has great, lengthy interviews with comedy legends and masters, and in this "Kozversation" I turned the tables on him for an interview before he turned the tables on me for the profound life lesson you can read about in the post on Tig.

But check this podcast with Barry out: Its' packed with great stories and advice for anyone wanting a career in comedy..

STAR OF THE DAY: TIG NOTARO

http://www.spreaker.com/user/6733116/tig-notaro

We've had hundreds of stars on Radio Titans (www.radiotitans.com), my podcast network - enough that we were named one of the 50 best talk outlets in the country by www.talkers.com, the talk industry's leading news site! 

Tig Notaro was one of our greatest "gets" ever, thanks to a fantastic woman comic in LA named Merrill Davis who hosted a show called  "Good Talk" with us in our first year back in 2012-2013, in Hollywood. Tig has really blown up even bigger since then, with a terrific HBO special and a stirring and funny new memoir called "I'm Just a Person" which i couldn't recommend more highly. 

She's an inspiration to me because of something that comedy mega-manager Barry Katz (who's handled the careers of Louis CK, Dave Chappelle, Dane Cook, Jay Mohr and many more) said to me when I interviewed him for my "Kozversations" podcast back in December - go find it, it's a great one!

Barry asked me what was holding me back as a comic and writer, since I had points in my comedy career where I'd been a literally paid regular comic at the Laugh Factory here and Zanies in Chicago, and worked with tons of great comics like Chappelle, Lewis Black and Mitch Hedberg. And I told him about my numerous health problems over the past 15 years (which i'm overcoming now to intense workouts and nutrition regimen), and that i had a severe sleep disorder and a chronic leg infection holding me back. 

Barry asked me "Do you have cancer?" And i said "No! Why?" And he told me the story of Tig. How she had been diagnosed with serious breast cancer, was dumped by her longtime girlfriend soon after, how her mother had just died around that time too, and how she went onstage at Largo in LA with all that soul-crushing madness weighing on her .... And proceeded to share it with one of the greatest, most humane sets of comedy and storytelling anyone has ever heard. You can find that recording for sale and you should track it down and buy it, at www.tignotaro.com. 

And Louis CK, who had been on that night right before her, had happened to leave his recorder running and taped her set. And put it on sale with his highest recommendation and raised the money she needed to pay her medical bills. 

And Tig beat cancer. Found a fabulous wife. And that weekend, was debuting a new HBO special. 

"So what's your excuse?" Barry asked me, point blank. 

Suddenly my sleep disorder and my leg didn't seem like anything in comparison. And that weekend, i shot the first day of a sitcom pilot I wrote and star in, and had Stephen Tobolowsky, Ian Edwards, Alonzo Bodden, veteran comedy actor Bill Chott and Chris Walsh of the Walsh Brothers in it. And lots of other things are brewing now too, which i'll bore you with in other posts. 

The point is, "What's your excuse?" 

There shouldn't be any. 

Tig Notaro has taught us that in spades. 

MY NIGHT WITH JAY LENO
The night I got to hang with a hero and then blew it




I've been blessed to be both a comic and an entertainment reporter for a long time now, and my favorite moments are when those two worlds intersect. And the greatest moment they came together so far had to be the night I got to hang out with Jay Leno.

Jay was the first comics i truly was amazed by, back when he appeared on the original NBC David Letterman show throughout the '80s to express his latest beef with the world. He had bite, and was edgy then, like an early version of Lewis Black. He became the safe, softer guy once he took over "The Tonight Show" in 1992.

But it was in 2008 that i got my chance to hang out with him. I needed a couple quotes from him for a story, and I'd been longtime friends with Jay's best friend, the brilliant comic and writer Jimmy Brogan. Brogan told me he could get me a brief interview with Jay at one of his Sunday night shows at the Comedy and Magic Club in the LA suburb of Hermosa Beach. Jimmy said he'd pick me up and take me there.

Imagine my shock when, instead of Jimmy showing up, a giant gold 1950s era car with fins pulled up a half block away from my pickup location and revved its engine loudly. At first, i ignored it. Then, i thought, "OK, i'm impressed. You have a small penis." Then, finally, on the third loud rumble, i turned and waved my arms like "WHAT?!"

And that's when none other than Jay Leno leaned out the driver's side window and yelled, "Kozlowski! Get your ass in here!"

I felt like the wind was knocked out of me, disoriented, my head literally turning in all directions to see if there were hidden camera capturing this as a prank for Jay or possibly for "Punk'd." I staggered towards the car, wondering where Jimmy was, opened the door and... Heard giggling from the back. I looked over the seat and there was Jimmy - a grown man in his 50s- curled up on the floor, laughing his ass off while hiding from me.

I got in and Jay quickly laid out the rules for the night.

"If you're here as a comic, we can talk about anything, as long as it's off the record except what you need for your story. Or if you're here as a reporter, we won't talk about much at all."

The comment seemed innocuous, but it was clear this was a night for comic brotherhood.

"Um, i'm here as a comic!" I replied, stunned and excited at what was about to unfold.

As we cruised down the freeway with the sun going down in a spectacular display, Jay told me his thoughts on Hillary and Bill Clinton, and on Barack Obama. Suffice to say, he's a Republican and has not been shy about it - he introduced both Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor and again on the night he won.

I asked him how he handles interviews with stars he doesn't respect, which is probably a fair amount of them after then 16 years as a host. Or a bad movie. He told me that Johnny Carson taught both him and Letterman to ask things like, "So, how'd you decide to do this movie?" if it was a stinker. It sounded pleasant enough for audiences without being an endorsement of it, while gently scolding the stars under the surface with that question REALLY meaning "What were you thinking?!"

The rest of that first drive has faded from memory, but we got to the club, had an amazing evening chowing down on fantastic food in the stars' green room, with other star comics filing in and out to pay homage to Jay. He killed at his show, back to his feisty 1980s style as he did a 90 minute show and then went through index card jokes to test material for the coming week's monologue..

Then came the ride after. That's when things got crazy.

We were heading back to his place in Beverly Hills when Jay saw a McDonalds. He instantly asked "Who wants ice cream?!" When Jimmy - thin as a rail - didn't answer, i nervously kept my mouth shut. Reporters weren't supposed to get free things from interview subjects, even ice cream. AND i didn't want to draw more attention to the fact i was fat as hell.

But Jay asked again: "Who wants ice cream?!" and then looked over at me and said "I know YOU want some!" And then he poked me in my belly and somehow that was ticklish and i laughed, with a snort.

This set Jay off.

"Are you ticklish?! Hey, Jimmy, he's ticklish! Look at this!" And as we waited to pull into the drive through line, Jay Leno proceeded to tickle me as i laughed uncontrollably, turning purple with deep embarrassment. The more desperate i became, the more he had to keep tickling.

Then, Jay took a break from the tickling and tried to completely cut in line on the drive through. He was coming in from a side lane and breaking ahead of about a dozen cars, which started honking or yelling out "Hey, asshole!"

Well, they did that until they saw Jay stick his head out the window and say "Sorry!" Then, as with all celebrities, the transgression was forgiven.

So we pull up to the checkout window and Jay says "Who wants chocolate dipped?" I was resolute in my silence, and tried to cover my belly instinctively to prevent further assault, but as the checkout lady took Jay's money, he managed to attack me anyway.

"Watch this!" And then he started tickling me again, as the girl stared, and Jimmy left me to suffer on my own, simply laughing in the back seat. I thought i was going to black out before Jay finally laid off me.

But i had my chocolate dipped cone, and so did he. We pulled away and kept heading to his place as we ate them.

About an hour later, we pulled into his driveway. A lone light was on in the house, Jay said it was his wife Mavis inside. Then we went into his garage, and he had some sort of legendary car inside, sorry i forget which. He and Jimmy admired and discussed it while i looked around at an array of memorabilia and photos from his career and travels.

Jay asked me where i was from. I told him Little Rock, Arkansas, and that when i was 16 he came to town and i went to see him and laughed so hard i was literally sore for two days from doubling over laughing. He then said "You know, the city gave me a sign as a gift when i was there."

I remembered a newspaper photo of him holding that sign. I freaked out.

"LENO ROCK! Yes, that was amazing!" I exclaimed.

Then Jay walked over to a corner of the garage, rooted around and pulled that very sign out of a pile of stuff. He held it up and then handed it to me.

I stared at it with awe, a wash of memories from the past 20 years or more of my life flooding my mind. As Jay stood and smiled, i finally asked him a question that i now regret.

"Can i have this?!"

Jay looked instantly flummoxed.

"NO, you can't have that!"

He grabbed it back, put it away in the corner and then told me it was time for me to go.

I knew i had blown an opportunity to be on his good side for life. I had laughed, told good stories, let myself be tickled even.

But now it was all for naught. As i walked back to Jimmy's car, which had been parked in Jay's driveway, Jimmy said "Not the best thing to ask."

Roger that.

THE NIGHT CHRIS ROCK CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER

I'm not very poltiical onstage, but Chris Rock's "Bring The Pain" is the funniest hour of standup i have ever seen, 20 years after its debut, and got me hooked on comedy more than anyone other than the '80s NBC days of Letterman:

Just so it doesn't get buried in this blog post, here's the link to the entire special:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJFS5AFcNtw

When Chris debuted this special on HBO in 1996, he was taking one potentially last swing at greatness. He had left "SNL" a few years before for "In Living Color," only to find it canceled within weeks. His first movie, "CB4," had bombed (he's strangely the star of two of the only 5 movies i've ever walked out on, "CB4" and "Down to Earth") and his only recourse was to go back to standup and crush it on HBO.

He traveled to all 50 states, i heard, during his practice tour getting ready for the "Bring the Pain" taping. He then wound up performing in front of an all-black audience in Washington, DC, unabashedly asking the audience how they voted back in Marion Barry, a convicted crackhead, as their mayor. Along the rest of the hour, he also daringly dissected the OJ Simpson trial, racial tensions in America, the presidential possibilities of Colin Powell and much much more.

I had never seen anything like it. It was jaw-dropping, shockingly funny, gasp-inducing and incredibly inspirational. It came at just the right time, as i was struggling to find my own voice onstage and kept me going as an exciting piece of provocation as well as being incredibly entertaining. I recall taping it and watching the entire special again immediately after again, and like 5 times that week. Certain moments, like about Marion Barry and Colin Powell, i kept rewinding over and over again, laughing til my sides hurt and i simply couldn't take anymore.

It's NSFW, yet the kind of thing that should get you reported or criticized. Everyone knows funny.

Chris Rock is about the funniest man alive and needs to hit us with a new special before the election. We'll see!

A Word From The CEO of Radio Titans

Hi, I'm Carl Kozlowski, and anyone who has spent a lifetime with a mouthful of a name like that winds up shortening it, and the obvious nickname has been Koz. I'm one of the guys who founded Radio Titans (www.radiotitans.com), alongside Jake Belcher (now off in other pastures but occasionally a guest) and Jake Bowman in Titans 2.0. 

I'm currently in Titans 3.0 and i think the proverbial third time is the charm. We are a podcast station that is a reflection of my interests in comedy, politics, pop culture, Christianity/Catholicism/spirituality, and dogs. (Well, I'm allergic to dogs, but "That Dog Training Show" is hosted by one of my best friends and she's hilarious, so we make it work. )

Radio Titans was named one of the Frontier Fifty most innovative podcast outlets - alongside the likes of Marc Maron and Adam Carolla - by www.talkers.com, the talk industry's leading news site. We also have been praised by the Los Angeles Times, and our live comedy/music events have been picked as Pick of the Day or Week by LA Times and LA Weekly on numerous occasions. 

As you'll see exploring the site, Radio Titans is the home to one of the best-kept secrets on the planet: our archive featuring hundreds of stars across the worlds of film, TV, politics and much more. 

I also was the initial Media Specialist for Ferris Fest (www.ferrisfest.com), the three-day (May 20-22 in Chicago) 30th anniversary celebration of my all-time favorite movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." My media planning and connections, along with the wide array of ideas I conceived with Fest Founder David Blanchard, wound up making Ferris Fest the top trending topic on the planet on Facebook on Feb. 20.  So under the umbrella of Titans Entertainment, I plan to continue creating amazing events that will entertain and occasionally enlighten people. 

So what does this all mean? It's 2016, people, and in case you haven't heard, there's an election going on. There's also a lot of crazy stuff happening in the world, and we all need a place to go to make sense of it all and hopefully have a laugh to take the edge off of life as well. 

I want Radio Titans to be that place. I'm a right-leaning Libertarian Ron and Rand Paul fan, but they're not running anymore, so i have to deal with the cards I have left in the sociopolitical arena. I passionately believe in freedom of speech, but not in the abuse of that freedom. I want to create shows and blogs and events that stir people's emotions along with making them laugh, in the hopes of making them think and eventually talk their way through to a solution. 

Our actively produced shows do that, and by way of introduction, here they are: 

"Greatest Hits": Check out the best-kept secret in podcasting and entertainment - the Radio Titans archives! Go here to hear interviews with everyone from Henry Rollins and Kevin Costner to Rachel Bloom and legendary congressman Barney Frank. (http://www.radiotitans.com/Radio_Titans_Greatest_Hits.html)

"Grown-Ass Men": our flagship show, Fridays at 1130am-130pm PST (or thereabouts) I, Ed Galvez and Christina Myers team up to discuss life, pop culture, and occasionally politics in as funny a way as possible, with special guests ranging from superstars like Paul Rodriguez and Jim Belushi to the hottest rising talents in LA comedy, joining us for the fun.

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Grown_Ass_Men/Grown_Ass_Men_main.html) 

"The Koz Effect": My Bill Maher-style political satire panel show, featuring Libertarian me directing the circus, with liberal comic Tymon Shipp as the Black Voice of Reason, conservative comic Thierrion Kagan as our Right Wing Hitman, occasionally comic Toby Muresianu filling in from the radical Center, and liberal yet still funny Dr. David Robinson bringing you the week's best news jokes, and five-time Emmy-nominated comic Will Durst either phoning in from San Fran or sending us a pretaped rant called "Burst of Durst" each week. All at 11:30am-12:30 pm (ish) PST Saturdays. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Koz_Effect/mainmenu.html)

"Kozversations": My one on one interviews with superstars from the worlds of movies, TV, music, politics and more, taped sporadically but with nearly 75 interviews ready for download at its show page on www.radiotitans.com. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Kozversations/mainmenu.html)

"It's Me-God with Elizabeth Thomas." A brilliant mix of Catholic/Christian spiritual talk about life issues, this incredible woman (bio on her showpage at Radio Titans) phones in from Clarksville, Arkansas each week but has more sound advice than a city of 10 million. I and "Dog" show host Tanya F. Yarbrough join her each week, as we also play and discuss popular new songs that have a sense of purpose. Taped around 3 pm PST Thursdays. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Its_Me_God/Its_Me_God.html)

"That Dog Training Show": Tanya Yarbrough uses humor, relatability, and out of the box thinking to help dog owners solve every behavioral problem under the sun.  Taped around 4 pm PST Thursdays. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Dog_Training/mainmenu.html)

"Left of Wrong": Hilarious, insightful and pointedly progressive, this monthly recap of the nation's and world's political events is brought to life by the ace team of comics Jim Coughlin and Randy Harken. Taped first Saturdays of each month. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Left_of_Wrong/mainmenu.html)

"The Futurenauts": Carrying on the tradition of radio comedy that stretched back decades, but making it as hip and innovative as the classic "National Lampoon Radio Hour," comics Jake Friday, Kevin Corcoran and John Nelson team up to bring you outrageously inventive sketches each week, plus they're now doing amazing live shows too. 

(http://www.radiotitans.com/Futurenauts/mainmenu.html)

"The Campaign with Ernie Powell": Ernie Powell has been a lifelong progressive activist with decades of experience working with everyone from the legendary Cesar Chavez to the AARP. His amazing archive of episodes includes talks with 11-time Pulitzer Prize nominee Robert Scheer, legendary congressman Barney Frank, iconic actor/activist Ed Asner and many more. We're hoping he'll be back to add many more new episodes during this vital election year, but you can hear his timelessly fresh past episodes here: (http://www.radiotitans.com/The_Campaign/mainmenu.html)

"To the Manor Borne by Robots": From the inventive mind of an LA artistic icon, John Eder, comes this sci-fi serial that has won awards and acclaim from around the planet: (http://www.tothemanorbornebyrobots.com/).

And there you have it: an incredibly fun and interesting lineup of shows. Go get enlightened and entertained by them. And keep checking back for some really interesting stuff here. 

Thanks a million!

Carl Kozlowski

Radio Titans CEO