SnarkMonkey
102 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsLong-time broadcaster, sometime writer, wannabe director, occasional actor, more-than-occasional voice actor, part-time banjo tuner and former tuna canner Larry Morgan has managed to spend his entire career in radio and other media somehow not pissing people off. So after years of being told to "not talk so much" and "keep it short" he decide to Talk More and Go Longer with some of those people. Having a natural curiosity for others who are creative and how they got to where they are (obviously fueled by professional jealousy) and honing in on the events, people, films, TV shows and books that drove them to create - presented in a snarky, monkey-like way - is what this podcast is all about. Live - laugh - learn - throw a little feces with us and be an honorary Monkey as we bring the snark and go on this historic, ground-breaking audio journey. (Really, it's not that big a deal, but it should be fun.) -Larry Morgan
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Episodes
Once Around The Zoom
November 01, 2020 21:50 - 1 hour - 65.9 MBAt long last we get the Snarkers back together from their respective Monkey Cages to chime in on some of the bingeing they've been doing, including some new release movies that have been made available for streaming while also "in theaters" (whatever THAT means.) We talk "The Witches", "Tenet", "Borat Subsequent Movie Film", "Bill & Ted Face The Music", "Enola Holmes", "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and a chilling little indie called "Fear PHarm." And that ain't even it! Like...what the heck i...
GO TO MOVIES with James Arnold Taylor - "Defending Your Life" (1991)
May 04, 2020 23:26 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBWho better to talk movies on Star Wars Day than the voice of Obi-Wan himself - James Arnold Taylor! Besides Star Wars: The Clone Wars you've heard him as Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank), Tidus (Final Fantasy X), Johnny Test and many many others. But do we talk Star Wars for comfort food movies? No! It's Albert Brooks' delightful romantic comedy from 1991, "Defending Your Life" co-starring a little-seen, barely-known Meryl...I wanna say...Streep? Go back to a long time ago in a decade far, far away...
GO TO MOVIES with Peter Segal - "Heaven Can Wait" (1978)
April 18, 2020 00:31 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBIt's a socially distant discussion with frequent SnarkGuest, director Peter Segal as we discuss his "Go To" Movie for comfort and joy during this quarantine; the 1978 comedy-fantasy-semi-sports movie "Heaven Can Wait" starring Warren Beatty. We also hear how COVID-19 has directly impacted his life with the upcoming digital premiere of his new action-comedy "My Spy" which WAS scheduled to be in theaters right now. Check out the trailer here Also, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of his be...
Independent Spirit Awards with Film Independent's Josh Welsh
February 07, 2020 16:01 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBWhat's the best awards show this weekend? No...not that one. It's the Independent Spirit Awards! It's a treasure trove of riches (...lots of "Uncut Gems" of cinema, if you will....see what I did there?...hmmm, do you?) and I talk once again with the President of Film Independent, the organization behind the Spirities (???) Josh Welsh. We get DEEP into great indie movies from the past year, and make right some snubs from those other awards shows. (Hmmph. HMMPH, I say!) Watch the Independent...
Bad Snark for Life!
January 20, 2020 21:34 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBAfter 17 years (25 after the first one!) WIll Smith and Martin Lawrence are back as those wise-crackin', rule-breakin' Miami cops. They're older...they're slower...but are they still funny? Does the chemistry hold up? Do things blow up real good? Join Larry Morgan with Chris McGahan, Jason E. Kelley, and first-time Snarker (and actually real live lady person) Teo Ashenafi as they answer all of the above - and more; including breaking down Will Smith's extraordinary appeal, Martin Lawrence's ...
2020 Movie Preview SnarkCast
January 13, 2020 17:01 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBAs everybody else is honoring and awarding movies from 2019 (that is SO "last year" of them), Monkeys Larry Morgan and Chris "The McGahan" McGahan and I look ahead to the movies of the future! Including "Bad Boys For Life" with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (opening this Friday), the next thing from Christopher Nolan, the new Bond, the new Ghostbusters, the new Marvel and DC stuff, and a few wild cards that could be interesting. Find Larry on instagram @thelarrymorgan And Chris McGahan o...
The Rise of SkySnarker
December 26, 2019 17:08 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBTHE DEAD SPEAK! As in...SnarkMonkey is BACK from the dark recesses of space to inexplicably reappear to bring you the final SnarkFest of the decade as Larry Morgan, Trey Callaway, Jason E. Kelley, Chris McGahan, Michael Ambers, newbie Jessica Ambers and Alexander Morgan get geeky and granular on the final chapter in the final trilogy of the Star Wars Skywalker saga. Or....is it? Did J.J. pull it off? Could it have been done better? Is there any chance all of us will attempt to rewrite the wh...
Spider Man: Snark From Home
July 06, 2019 20:01 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBLarry Morgan and an all-star Snark Crew gather together for the first big Marvel release since "the blip" of Avengers: Endgame to see how the web-slinger is holding up since the death of a mentor. Plus, he's got more than radioactive spider blood coursing through him right now, ifyaknowwhatImean.... Join writer/producer Trey Callaway, musician/podcaster Alexander Morgan, actor/curmudgeon Chris "The McGahan" McGahan and the Monkey-In-Chief for this swingin' episode. CONTAINS SPOILERS start...
Avengers: Snarkgame
April 30, 2019 21:35 - 1 hour - 72 MBLarry Morgan is joined by his SuperSnark Crew Jason E. Kelley, Chris McGahan, Mikey Ambers and new Snarker, a real, live actual lady, Emily Doyle to pick apart the biggest movie of our lifetime (...I mean, right?!) AVENGERS: ENDGAME. WARNING: The first half contains some mild spoilage, but no major plot points. At the 30-minute-ish mark though we give you a heads up and reveal major plot points. So, Snarkers Assemble...let's do this! *Special appearance by Mary-Alice!
#65 - Film Independent's Josh Welsh
February 21, 2019 22:15 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBThe Independent Spirit Awards are this Saturday (February 23rd, 2019) and some amazing films and filmmakers are nominated and highlighted. K-Earth's Larry Morgan welcomes Film Independent's Josh Welsh to talk about the nominees, the show, the state of independent film, how we watch movies in general and more! Learn more about the awards and Film Independent here, watch live this Saturday on IFC or Facebook Watch. You can follow Film Independent on Twitter @filmindependent
Oscar Reactions and Predictions
January 27, 2019 19:15 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBK-Earth's Larry Morgan & The Monkey Crew is ready to throw poop at the Academy Award nominations - as well as predict winners and give some love to deserving pictures and performances. And we can't help but slide into some Comic Book Nerd territory with a big push for "Black Panther" as Best Picture. AND Shawn alerts us to the Great Brit Infiltration conspirary. Join Larry, Mark S. Allen, Shawn Edwards and Chris "The McGahan" McGahan for some serious, cynical snarking.
#64 - Sharon Lawrence
December 12, 2018 17:09 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBYou know Emmy-nominated Sharon Lawrence from...oh, let's say "NYPD Blue", "Shameless", "Grey's Anatomy", a thousand other movies and tv shows, and maybe the recent original Lifetime movie "Poinsettias for Christmas." She was recently honored by the Cancer Support Community of Los Angeles with a Gilda Award for her support of breast cancer awareness and research. She's lovely, funny, delightful, and can really belt out a Pat Benatar tune. You can keep up with Sharon on Twitter @sharonlawren...
#63 - Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.
October 31, 2018 16:12 - 56 minutes - 52 MBLarry Morgan is joined by co-Snark-host, writer/producer Trey Callaway as they visit the home of singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. We are both huge fans of this man's body of work, from the legendary and influential power pop band Jellyfish to his projects with Imperial Drag, his contributions to many other artists and solo work, including his latest EP "Glamping." Find out more about RJM, Jr. on his PledgeMusic page here, or follow him on Twitter @r...
#62 - Writer Seth M. Sherwood/Hell Fest
September 27, 2018 22:46 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBWe welcome Seth Sherwood ("Leatherface") back as one of the writers of the new movie "Hell Fest" (in theaters NOW) and we take a deep dive into the evolution and success of the horror film and his crusade to put the FUN back in the genre. We talk about Seth's vision for the film, break down the ups and downs of fandom, and get geeky about "Star Wars" for a minute. Follow Seth on Twitter @SethMSherwood Check out the trailer for Hell Fest here and the super cool throwback 80s version here.
#61 - Jennifer Cochis/Director, LA Film Festival
September 19, 2018 16:38 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MBThe LA Film Festival kicks off THIS WEEK (Sept. 20-28) and we snag the delightful Jennifer Cochis, the director of the fest, to come in the MonkeyCage to give us some insight into what to expect. The lineup this year sounds amazing, and of particular interest to K-Earth listeners, opening night features the music doc "Echo in the Canyon" about the Laurel Canyon music scene borne in the 60s and its impact on musicians to this day. For info on the full lineup, as well as pass and single event...
#60 - Paul Feig returns!
September 11, 2018 14:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBDirector Paul Feig (Freaks & Geeks, Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat, Ghostbusters) joins Larry Morgan in the MonkeyCage to talk about his new film "A Simple Favor" (opening Friday, 9/14) as well as his always-fashionable look, why directing a thriller was a natural step for him, why the casting director is the unsung hero of cinema, why "The Blues Brothers" is a Perfect Movie (Paul's words...no kidding) and much more! Follow Paul on Instagram here, on Twitter here, and check out the trailer for ...
SnarkReview - Mission: Impossible - Fallout
July 31, 2018 15:20 - 34 minutes - 32 MBIn what may be the most adorable SnarkMonkey episode yet, the whole Morgan family (Larry, Charla & Alex) saw M:I6 together...and reviewed it together! So how's Tom Cruise holding up? Is it the best of the series? Is it one of the best action movies ever? Can you follow this crazy plot? You may not care what we think, but listen anyway because...well...adorable.
#59 - Terri Nunn and Berlin
July 26, 2018 12:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBTerri Nunn and Berlin will play this weekend (7/27-28) at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown L.A. as part of the 80s Weekend #6 lineup! Terri just recently reuntied with original Berlin band members David Diamond and John Crawford and they join me backstage from a few months ago before a private K-Earth 101 show. They talk about the feeling of playing together after all these years, reminisce about a big show they played with The Police in '83 and how SnarkMonkey MAY have influenced the name ...
SnarkReview - Ant-Man and the Wasp
July 09, 2018 12:50 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MBLarry Morgan is joined by fellow nerds Trey Callaway, Michael Ambers and Chris "The McGahan" McGahan for another cool summer dip back into the Marvel Universe. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" made a sweet $76 mil in its opening weekend...but is it good? Better than the first one? And what is its place in the MCU as a whole? And will Ant-Man show up in the next Avengers movie? And will Michael Pena get his own spin-off! MILD SPOILERS contained in this rollicking romp of a review.
SnarkReview - Ocean's 8
June 11, 2018 15:11 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBThe all-star, (primarily) all-female cast of "Ocean's 8" won the box office over the weekend, so interest was high -- but was it any good? We let you know, with a rare appearance by non-male reviewer in the MonkeyCage; joining Larry Morgan is his lovely wife Charla to give her thoughts!
SnarkReview - Solo: A Star Wars Story
May 31, 2018 15:33 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBLarry Morgan and writer/producer/showrunner Trey Callaway team up like the Han & Chewie of podcasting to break down "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Plus...Trey gets to do some belated "Avengers: Infinity War" bashing in a Bonus Super Snarky Segment.
SnarkMonkey #58 - Richard Blade
May 17, 2018 17:35 - 1 hour - 56 MBRichard Blade (KROQ, SiriusXM) comes in the Monkey Cage to talk about how Dick Shepherd, from a quaint coastal town in England, became the radio/TV/film personality we know today. We talk musical influences, European adventures, and his favorite movies all time (and get ready for a pretty in-depth dissertation on the 1964 epic "Zulu" and the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Richard's book "World In My Eyes" is available now on Amazon and everywhere books are sold. Get more info at richardblade.com, ...
SnarkMonkey Review - Avengers: Infinity Snark
April 30, 2018 16:27 - 1 hour - 65.2 MBSNARKVENGERS ASSEMBLE! The biggest movie in the world is getting the full-on nerd post-mortem, and we are no different. Join Monkey-in-Chief Larry Morgan along with Jason E. Kelley, Eric Schwartz and Chris "The McGahan" McGahan as give the film our rating, the need-to-pee test, The Good, The Not-So-Good, and some wild speculation about what the hell is gonna happen in the NEXT chapter. Agree? Disagree? Have better/different theories? Let us know in comments here, on Twitter @TheSnarkMonkey o...
SnarkMonkey #57 - Karen Mason / "Love Never Dies"
April 20, 2018 15:06 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBKaren Mason is a star of on-and-off Broadway, a recording artist and cabaret performer of renown, and currently can be seen as Madame Giry in the touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Love Never Dies"...the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera." Karen does the big pitch on why we need that sequel...why I should see it...and we delve into the history of a creative "freak" who knew early on that singing and performing in front of an audience was where she was meant to be. Plus we're joi...
SnarkMonkey Review - Black Panther: Snarkanda Forever!!!
February 23, 2018 16:39 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBNow that the hit movie Marvel's Black Panther has been in theaters for a week - and breaking all sorts of box office records - is it really living up to the hype? This group of snarky nerds let you know, as writer/producer Trey Callaway, actor/writer/etc. Jason E. Kelley, producer/writer Michael Ambers, and actor/comic enthusiast Chris McGahan join SnarkMaster General Larry Morgan in the MonkeyCage to break it down. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in comments below, on Twitter @TheSnarkMonkey, ...
SnarkMonkey #56 - No Small Children
April 21, 2017 17:19 - 52 minutes - 48 MBSnarkMonkey returns with a very cool, rockin' ep with the band No Small Children! If you happened to stay through to the end credits of this past summer's Ghostbusters reboot (see previous Snarkisode with director Paul Feig) you heard a cover of the original Ray Parker, Jr. theme covered by these three ladies. As is says on their website - "rockin' chicks by night, school teachers by day." Yep...they actually do teach at the same school in Southern California, but the seeds of the trio were ...
SnarkMonkey Review - Rogue One: A Snark Wars Story
December 18, 2016 18:46 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBIt's become an annual holiday tradition - the gathering of friends, family & Snarkers to geek out on the latest addition to the Star Wars canon. A stellar group of manboys relaunch the group SnarkCast for a round table discussion (it's actually more oblong-ish) of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I'm joined by writer/producer Trey Callaway (CSI: New York and the forthcoming Fox series A.P.B.), entertainment reporter Mark S. Allen (Extra Butter on ABC-TV), musician/actor Alexander Morgan (album ...
#55 - Kari Wahlgren
July 29, 2016 22:30 - 1 hour - 59.6 MBWho does Fooly Cooly's Haruko, Final Fantasy XII's Ashe, Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Letta, Rick and Morty's Jessica, and Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'s Nova have in common? Also Kagami in Lucky Star, Tigress in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Saber in Fate/Zero, Suzy in Phineas and Ferb, Chloe in The Fairly OddParents...well, this could go on for a while. It's THIS lady! Kari Wahlgren is (or should be) well-known as the voice of every female character you've ever loved in ...
#54 - Paul Feig
July 14, 2016 15:49 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBPhoto credit: Larry Horricks Director Paul Feig has been battling the internet naysayers for months, ever since his reboot of Ghostbusters was announced. That reaction was fueled even further when his all-female cast was revealed and it has continued through the release of the film's trailers right up to its release weekend. In our candid conversation we touch on how he has handled this outpouring of negativity, why he was hesitant to take on the project in the first place, and what convi...
#53 - Brad Williams
July 07, 2016 22:14 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBStand-up comic Brad Williams is super funny, not particularly politically correct, really smart and, oh yeah, he's a dwarf. Brad has successfully avoided using his size as a gimmick and, instead, has found a way to be unique, relatable and even inspiring. We get into some serious nitty-gritty of comedy including how edgy material doesn't necessarily have to be offensive, how being on stage means being in complete control, and how being smaller than average doesn't define his material (or h...
#52 - Ian Bagg
June 17, 2016 16:04 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBIan Bagg has been a working comedian for some time now, but got a little bump in exposure after getting into the top 5 of last year's Last Comic Standing. So...who is this Ian Bagg fellow? What's his deal? Why does he talk kinda funny, eh? Well...turns out he's Canadian and grew up in an isolated area of British Columbia, worked in a gold mine (a literal gold mine) and was on the verge of studying Blasting Engineering when he instead decided to take the much more dangerous route of telling ...
#51 - Christopher Titus
June 09, 2016 19:28 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBChristopher Titus is probably best known for his half-hour show Titus which aired on FOX-TV between 2000-2002. but he's been an established stand-up doing dark, edgy, personal storytelling on stage for years. It was his one-man show Norman Rockwell is Bleeding - which dealt with being "raised by a raging alcoholic and a mentally ill mother" - that not only set him on a different path with his material, but got him the TV deal. The show was critically acclaimed and performed relatively well,...
#50 - Jimmy Pardo
May 27, 2016 18:46 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBJimmy is a long-time standing-up comedian (his words) who would have a similar story to many successful comics with one big exception - as a pioneer (my words) in the podcast world, Jimmy started Never Not Funny in 2006 when people had no idea what the hell what that was. Now ten years later it is one of the most downloaded comedy podcasts with a loyal following who actually pay good, American dollars to listen AND watch on video as Players Club members. Hear Jimmy's journey from the rough...
#49 - Kira Soltanovich
May 20, 2016 16:40 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBKira is a super funny comedian, TV personality, mom and wife whose stand-up special You Did This To Me - which she did while 7 months pregnant! - is now streaming on the world wide web and is great! Despite having a nine-month-old baby who still isn't sleeping all night, Kira comes in to the MonkeyCage guns-a-blazin' to catch us up on life after Baby #2. We also get some backstory from her early life as a Russian refugee, as a teenager in San Francisco, as a Jew that may or may not have hor...
#48 - Nina Tassler
May 13, 2016 15:41 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBNina Tassler is best known as the former President and then Chairman of CBS Entertainment, shepherding the network to great success and high ratings with hits like the CSi franchise, How I Met Your Mother, The Good Wife, Mom and many others. We knew Nina loved monkeys! No longer holding that particular lofty position (but still very much involved in the industry) she has now released a book as a gesture for her daughter but also available to the world called "What I Told My Daughter: ...
#47 - Ratchet &...Qwark? James Arnold Taylor and Jim Ward
April 28, 2016 20:19 - 48 minutes - 44 MBThe game Ratchet & Clank was introduced in 2002 followed by multiple releases over the years and now, the Ratchet & Clank movie is (finally) in theaters in 2016! And two of the voice actors who have been part of the R&C universe for that loooong journey enter the MonkeyCage to talk about how they created their characters, what other familiar voices they're identified with, and give some practical advice and guidance to aspiring voice actors. There's also a lot of silliness and tomfoolery an...
#46 - Barnet Kellman
April 22, 2016 17:59 - 1 hour - 77.7 MBBarnet Kellman is most closely associated with being part of the creative team of the groundbreaking TV series Murphy Brown directing every episode of the first three seasons of the series (in addition to the series finale.) But he's done so much more and his journey to get there included displaying pure chutzpah at Colgate University to working in small theaters in daytime drama in New York to becoming a go-to name in Hollywood for directing TV pilots; a first episode that (presumably) set...
Revisiting RUSH HOUR with Trey Callaway
March 31, 2016 21:46 - 1 hour - 84.9 MBWe revisit, and update, our conversation with Trey Callaway as his show Rush Hour debuts TONIGHT on CBS... --- Writer/Producer Trey Callaway comes into the MonkeyCage with some good talk about being a working creative type in Hollywood - and, wow, what a wide range of stuff this guy has done; a Teen Slasher Movie (the script for I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), a Sci-Fi Medical Drama (Mercy Point), a Police Procedural (CSI: New York), an Action-Adventure Drama (Revolution) and the s...
#45 - Lisa Yee
March 04, 2016 23:07 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBLisa Yee is a popular writer of Young Adult fiction (including Millicent Min, Girl Genius. The Kidney Hypothetical: Or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days and many others) as well as the American Girl, 2016 Girl of the Year books. Lisa's admitted geekiness has served her well with the release this week of the first DC Super Hero Girls novel, Wonder Woman at Super Hero High. An early love for Batman (specifically a childhood crush on Robin) made her well-suited to enter the world of super h...
#44 - Phil Hendrie
February 26, 2016 22:45 - 1 hour - 65.2 MBPhil Hendrie is a brilliant maniac who has carved out a very unique space in the world of entertainment - for years as a terrestrial broadcaster and now a podcaster - creating an entire universe of characters that all come from one brain and out one mouth hole. (He's a pretty accomplished voice and on-screen actor, too.) Part Jonathan Winters, part Robin Williams, part insane person, Phil Hendrie took a childhood passion for local radio which became a transient career and then became...wel...
#43 - Sarah Tiana
February 05, 2016 18:06 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBSarah Tiana is a very funny comedian who had a huge 2015; multiple appearances on @midnight on Comedy Central, a great gig on a CMT show, opening for arena acts like Brad Paisley and Aretha Franklin while still going up in clubs across the country constantly, plus gaining a reputation as a great joke writer and Roast Mistress. Girl's on a roll, yo. It was not an overnight process. Coming from a small town in Northern Georgia Sarah wasn't even thinking about being a comic when she made a mo...
#42 - Gary Kroeger RETURNS
January 30, 2016 19:24 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBIt's a rare repeat appearance from a previous SnarkMonkey guest - SNL cast alum, actor, host, advertising exec and congressional hopeful Gary Kroeger is BACK in the MonkeyCage just in time for the Iowa caucus hootenany (which just so happens to be his home state and, yes, they DO call it a hootenany. I mean...it's Iowa...) In our last conversation (10/28/13) we determined that Gary was politically outspoken, but running for office wasn't necessarily in the cards. Well, things have obvious...
The Snark Awakens
December 19, 2015 21:51 - 1 hour - 62.6 MBThe night started with such promise for the MonkeyDad and his young padawan... The long-awaited, much-anticipated, heavily-hyped return of...SNARKMONKEY...is here! And no better time than now to resurface with an extensive conversation about a little movie called; Star Wars: The Force Awakens - because you don't have enough white, nerdy males talking about Star Wars in your life. Join Matt Johnson, Mike Ambers, Alexander Morgan and me for an extensive, geeky, nitty-gritty breakdown of J.J....
#41 - Jerry Rocha
October 17, 2015 21:21 - 1 hour - 69 MBphoto courtesy Arsonhouse Entertainment Comedian Jerry Rocha's stand-up special "Gabriel Iglesias Presents: The Gentleman Jerry Rocha" airs TONIGHT (10/17/15) on Fuse (check your local listings) and, hopefully, will air again or be available on-demand or streaming somewhere. However you see him, check out this terrific comic's work and see why he's being touted as one of the hottest up-and-comers on the scene. Jerry and I get in-depth about his Texas upbringing, being Latino in a diverse ...
#40 - Michael Lehmann
October 11, 2015 18:51 - 1 hour - 79.5 MBDirector Michael Lehmann immediately made a name for himself with his feature-length debut in Hollywood - the dark, quirky, decade-defining Heathers in 1988. Then three years later he also helmed the much-maligned Bruce Willis vehicle Hudson Hawk. It was a one-two Hollywood Punch, and could have been a high-profile Fall From Grace, but instead Michael persevered and his particular and unique directorial vision graced a few more box office efforts and a ton of episodic television. (Like what...
#39 - Martha Davis of The Motels
September 21, 2015 16:02 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBThe band The Motels was perfectly suited for the New Wave music scene in the late 70s, as well as visually perfect for the MTV era a few years later. With hits like "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer" they secured enough of a following to put them on the road and in the studio for years to come. But the path to that success was by no means overnight or easy - especially for the voice, chief songwriter and, ostensibly, the face of the band - Martha Davis. Martha comes in to the Mon...
#38 - Jack Epps, Jr.
September 19, 2015 17:03 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBJack Epps had a hand in writing some very big hit movies in the 80s (Top Gun, Legal Eagles, The Secret of My Succe$s, Turner & Hooch) but getting those hits involved taking quite a few swings and dealing with quite a few misses. Jack talks about the tenacity and discipline it takes to be a screenwriter, including setting a high standard for your own work and the knowledge, going in, that your first draft is probably gonna suck. And that's okay. We also delve into the dynamic of writing with...
#37 - UCB/The Smokes (Billy Merritt, Joe Wengert & Jim Woods)
September 03, 2015 21:58 - 1 hour - 60.3 MBThree great improvisers from L.A.'s Upright Citizens Brigade sit down and get serious about funny stuff. Billy Merritt, Joe Wengert and Jim Woods come from different parts of the country, different backgrounds and different sensibilities but came together when the New York-based UCB founders started a theater on the West Coast to be members of one of the mainstay teams/shows known as The Smokes as well as several others. All three have also taught the school curriculum and coached teams wh...
UPDATE - Alan Wenkus/Straight Outta Compton
August 14, 2015 18:28 - 1 hour - 85.1 MBWe catch up with a previous SnarkMonkey guest to get an update on his life now that Straight Outta Compton has made it into theaters as well as revisit our conversation from back in April on his circuitous path through showbiz... --- One of the writers of the NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton, Alan Wenkus has taken a circuitous path from the comedy clubs of New England, a wacky 80s teen comedy starring a young Johnny Depp, morning radio in New York, writing syndicated comedy bits in the ...
#36 - Yakov Smirnoff
August 07, 2015 20:27 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBYakov Smirnoff came to the United States from Russia in the 70s and, landing in Los Angeles, literally lived at The Comedy Store in Hollywood where he began to develop his stand-up act. Rocketing to fame in the 80s Yakov was everywhere - The Tonight Show, in movies, his own sitcom and in commercials. But with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the cooling of the Cold War, Yakov's Russian-in-America act and persona began to lose its relevance and impact. In the process of reinventing himself a...