Hosted by nationally touring comedian John Poveromo, Dystopia Tonight dares to ask the question: Is this too much? Are we hurtling through a dystopian nightmare, trapped in an endless, self-perpetuating whirlpool of clickbaity headlines, viral memes, and doomscroll-fueled chaos? A carnival of absurdity where every click feels like another nail in society’s coffin? Or is this the moment before we wake up, pull the plug, and rewrite the story — hoping someone remembered to hit record? Either way, welcome to Dystopia Tonight.
Episodes
Jan 30, 2023
Jan 30, 2023
1hr 14 min
Jessica Burbank is more than just a rising social media personality in that she actually cares about the topics she covers. It's not just about going viral, but getting a message out in an effort to connect with people and make real change in a world and system that reveals itself to be broken and rigged for the powerful as each day passes.
From the Regional Field Director for Bernie Sanders' Presidential Campaign to her current work with The Young Turks, A More Perfect Union, and her own social media presence, Jess and I cover the power of messaging through different platforms, her days as a community organizer, Black Lives Matter, Police Brutality, a never before told story about some online creep breaking into her apartment, her rediscovered passion for playing the blues, and more! Enjoy!
Jan 17, 2023
Jan 17, 2023
1hr 43 min
A new variant is on the rise and we decided to check in with our favorite, resident public health expert, Heather! We also do a deep dive into the country’s current mental health crisis. Enjoy!
Heather Butts is the founder of L.E.A.R.N for Life Consulting, L.L.C. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Public Health and St. John’s University School of Law. Prior to this work. Ms. Butts served for over seven years as a regulatory specialist at Columbia University’s Medical Center (CUMC) Institutional Review Board (IRB). She was involved in updating CUMC investigators and IRB members on regulatory changes, as well as training and education efforts of the Columbia University research community. She has authored several publications in the area of health ethics and regulations. Prior to her work at Columbia, Ms. Butts was a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in New York where she performed compliance risk assessments, outreach and education. Ms. Butts received her B.A. from Princeton University. She was a history major, concentrating in American Studies, African Studies and African-American Studies. She received her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, her M.P.H from Harvard University School of Public Health and her M.A. in Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College. While at Teachers College, Ms. Butts specialized in college preparation for students and adolescent psychology and now provides college counseling consultation for students and their parents. Ms. Butts has participated in several seminars and conferences on public health and the law, healthcare disparities, college preparation for the family and research ethics.
Jan 5, 2023
Jan 5, 2023
1hr 8 min
Having Steven Page on Dystopia Tonight was a genuine highlight of my year. Been a huge fan for a long time and getting to talk with him about his new album, his experiences in the music industry, creative process, his time with Barenaked Ladies, how covid his writing process before and after the pandemic, pop-culture, movies and creating art in general was a blast. Hope you enjoy this one guys!
https://www.stevenpage.com/
Jan 5, 2023
Jan 5, 2023
1hr 32 min
For those of us that know SPOOKY season never ends this episode is for you. LVCRFT was one of my favorite episodes and guests and we had a blast talking everything from their expansive careers doing what they love, to our favorite horror films, weird NJ expeditions, personal hauntings, music and of course - the inevitable end of all things. Enjoy guys!
Oct 29, 2022
Oct 29, 2022
1hr 39 min
Dr. Elizabeth Delery and I became friends online over the pandemic over shared science articles, anxieties, ADHD tendencies, general silliness, music, and me nagging her 24/7 about her expertise as a neuro-immunologist. So basically that’s what we discuss here, bouncing back and forth between a wide range of topics including what drew her to her field in the first place. Enjoy!
Oct 25, 2022
Oct 25, 2022
51 min
I truly love guests like Kris Perry. Not that I’m picking favorites here but when you get the chance to speak with someone who’s as wildly intelligent and as passionate about a subject as Kris is you jump at the opportunity to have them on your show. I mean…first get a show. Then jump. You get it.
Kris Perry is the former advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Deputy Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency where she led the development of the California Master Plan for Early Learning and Care and the expansion of access to high-quality early childhood programs.
She is now the executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development! She joins me to discuss just that. It’s a really great talk and I learned a lot from having her on. Enjoy guys!
Oct 19, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
59 min
Dr Katz joins us on Dystopia Tonight for one of my favorite eps of the year as he truly makes himself at home in the world of Dystopia. Answering questions that were never asked, getting us to admit to things we shouldn’t, contemplating the uncomtemplateable, while every so often giving a straight but hilarious answer to something I’m not sure I ever said and always regardless of context being insightful. This one was fun and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Oct 19, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
1hr 56 sec
As if it would come as as some sort of surprise, we had an absolute blast with Rita Rudner on Dystopia Tonight! Hilarious, charming, and chock full of amazing stories which she shares from her new book that can be found here https://www.ritarudner.com/
We discuss her beginnings on Broadway, her road to comedy, family life, meeting her husband, how Rodney Dangerfield helped her career and became a friend, working with Paul Reiser, Bill Maher passing her at Catch A Rising Star, how comedy has changed for better or worse over the years, her positive outlook on life, her new book, love of dogs, and more! Enjoy!
Oct 14, 2022
Oct 14, 2022
1hr 38 min
Maurice LaMarche joins us on Dystopia tonight to discuss his beginning as a stand-up comic, opening for Rodney Dangerfield on the road, his early influences, The Comedy Store, YukYuks, his thoughts on the ever changing comedy scene, how he dealt with the lockdowns creatively, his incredible career as a voice actor, and his most notable roles on Animaniacs as Brain of Pinky and the Brain, and the myriad of voices he's done on Futurama (one of my favs being Morbo!) How he copes when he's down, his possible return to stand-up, love for John Cleese and more!! Enjoy guys this one is one of my favorites!
Oct 12, 2022
Oct 12, 2022
57 min
Mel Draisey joins us on Dystopia Tonight from across the pond to talk about her incredible career in music, her unique style of improvisational performing, entertaining folks in the hospital who are going through a wide range of afflictions, her time with The Clientele, playing different Instruments, finding the confidence in her voice as a vocalist, how she spent her time creatively during the pandemic and more! Enjoy!