Dystopia Tonight With John Poveromo

Day 87 - Ritch Shydner

Ritch Shydner is the absolute best of the best. Incredibly funny, giving, and a wealth of wisdom and stories from a lifetime on the road and in show business as an actor and writer. His documentary “I Am Comic” is one of the best documentaries on comedy I’ve ever seen and his book “I Killed” will actually put you in the time and place of the worlds best comics as they talk about their stories from the road. We cover a lot in an hour but we’ll def have him back for more. Enjoy!

Day 86 - Konrad Wert

Konrad Wert, known as Possessed by Paul James since 2005, is an American folk singer, songwriter and musician from Lee County, Florida. His music is composed of string instruments including banjo, guitar and fiddle with roots within folk, blues and punk.

I saw Konrad live for the first time in 2015 at a Folk-Rock fest in Long Beach, CA and he absolutely destroyed and I’ve been a fan ever since. We talk about his dual lifestyle as a teacher and musician, the connection between virtual gigs, his fiddle skills, being on the road with a family, a broken down van in NJ, Pizza, his album There Will Be Nights When I’m Lonely, as well as his latest album As We Go Wandering! Enjoy!

Day 85 - Dr. Lawrence Krauss

Having Lawrence Krauss as a guest on Dystopia Tonight was perfect timing. We’ve been though a lot the last couple of years and the problems we had before are still staring us right in the face. However, his new book, The Physics of Climate Change, sheds some much needed light on the otherwise abysmal outlook our current leaders have in regard to the topic. We discuss better ways to communicate the next steps needed to take surrounding climate change, science communication, the pandemic, the blurred lines and ever swinging pendulum between the left and right, the value of ideas, and the importance of hearing the bad ones and listening to people we disagree with. Enjoy!

 

Buy his new book here: The Physics of Climate Change https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642938165/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_5K0QB61MM7VW9FNBW5RW

Day 84 - David Firth

David Firth and I have a blast talking about the olden days of the internet, animation styles, comedy, political correctness, how Salad Fingers came to be, the genius of South Park, and trying to adjust to whatever current state of the pandemic we’re currently living/suffering through. Enjoy!

 

Check out his website and buy some merch here - https://www.fat-pie.com/

Day 83 - Shelly Goldstein

Truly a phenomenally funny human with more talent in her pinky the most of us have in our entire body. Shelly Goldstein was a great guest and she came packed with stories layered with experience wit and charm that it was impossible to not have a good time on this one. Enjoy!

 

Shelly Goldstein is a writer-performer who has written for every genre of TV, film and stage. Her one-woman shows play to sell-out crowds throughout the US and UK and she recently wrote the comedy special WAIT! WAIT! DON’T KILL ME & performed in it with Lily Tomlin, Pete Holmes, Kevin Nealon & Margaret Cho. She created the sitcom BINGO with Bruce Vilanch and was Script Consultant & lyricist on Liongate’s UK/European series, COLD COURAGE. Her song “England’s White Rose” is on the Sony Soundtrack CD. She wrote the Emmy winning PBS musical special, CHICAGO VOICES. Her lyric ILLINOIS was sung by the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus in the documentary LINCOLN IS CRYING.

 

She has written (or re-written) sitcoms, dramas, screenplays, lyrics, docus, animation, award shows, jokes & special material for (partial list) Stephen Colbert, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Sacha Baron Cohen, Pete Holmes, Sharon Stone, Jay Leno, Regina King, Tiffany Haddish, Barbra Streisand, Hugh Jackman, Leslie Odom Jr., Chris Pratt, rocker Joe Walsh, Larry Wilmore, Danny Trejo, Daveed Diggs, Kal Penn, Carol Burnett, J Lo, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Laurence Fishburne, Jane Fonda, Isaiah Mustafa, Conan O’Brien, Chris Martin, Dick Van Dyke, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Diane Keaton, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Henry Winkler, Robin Roberts, Quincy Jones, Demi Moore, Al Roker, Michael McKean, Eric McCormack, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber, Phil Rosenthal, Norman Lear, Prince Albert & Princess Charlene of Monaco, George Tenet and Yoko Ono.

SHOW LESS

Day 82 - Kryz Reid

As the lead guitarist and backup vocalist for Third Eye Blind, Kryz Reid was a blast to talk to! Joining us from a bar in Texas where he and the rest of TEB were taking a break from recording something in studio out there for the band’s upcoming anniversary he had a lot to say about their latest release, how their tour got cut short right when it was about to get started, his passion for photography and videography, the as yet to be released Third Eye Blind documentary he had the pleasure of shooting and, how he got started, his influences and more! Enjoy!!

Day 81 - Mark A. Ramirez

Mark’s one of those dudes and comics who’s comedy and point of view always leaves a lasting impression. We talk about his time growing up in the projects, his thoughts on the Chapelle special, comedy, politics, getting older, tech stuff and his new special he’s shooting at the Bell House. Enjoy!

Day 80 - Ron James

Comedian, actor and author, Ron James was a blast to have on the show. Packed with stories from the road, his time at second city, befriending Mike Myers, leaving Canada and moving to LA, odd jobs in between acting gigs when he started out, his own talk show, and a slew of hilarious anecdotal life lessons kept us doubled over with laughter. Can’t wait to have him back on again! Enjoy!

Day 79 - Charles Fleischer

Charles Fleischer pushes the term “renaissance man” to it’s limits by being an amazing comedian, actor, writer, musician, artist, inventor, and creator of MoLeeds!

Best known as the voice of Roger Rabbit, Charles and I discuss his early days as a stand-up comic, meeting Robert Zemeckis, his trajectory as an actor and time at the Goodman School of Drama, his parents, and incredible artwork, and why and how MoLeeds connects to everything. Enjoy!

The Art Of Charles Fleischer: http://www.charles-fleischer.com/

TedTalk: https://youtu.be/UcnYqyQyHd8

Day 78 - Roses and Revolutions

Hailing from Rochester NY, the Roses and Revolutions duo Alyssa Coco and Matt Merritt join us to talk about their incredible upcoming EP, Midnight Monsters, which is the latest of two they’ve released during the pandemic. We also talk horror movies, the creative process, touring, working from home vs a studio, the benefits of being “Midnight Monsters” and more! Enjoy!

 

https://www.rosesandrevolutions.com/