Listen:
Nostalgia time this week.
I encountered Dana Carvey’s new podcast recently, and that got me thinking about Saturday Night Live back in the day (apologies for the bad Carvey impersonations in the intro and outro of this episode – we try our best). I loved Carvey on Saturday Night Live. I also really enjoy his stand-up and, not surprisingly, his podcast. If you can imagine Robin Williams with a podcast, you get the sense of what Carvey’s is like. Just a supremely quick, talented, borderline manic comic personality doing what he does - voices, impressions, impromptu sketches, etc. It’s very funny and if you need a laugh, you should check it out.
You should also check out the recently released extended cut of Chris Rock’s 2018 comedy special Tamborine. It’s on Netflix at the moment and … yeah, it’s Chris Rock. And that’s a good thing. I spent a lot of time talking about it (and my own secret longing to be part of the comedy world) on the episode, with realizations about how you can maybe find your passion in the things for which you’re willing to sacrifice. I’m impressed by people like Rock and Dave Chappelle and others who genuinely express themselves through their art. He opens up about infidelity, porn addiction, and his own frailties on the special, and he doesn’t have to do that. This is true art, and he’s a true artist.
Next we’re spinning the debut album by Black Swan – an ‘80s rock supergroup featuring Robin McAuley (MSG), Reb Beach (Winger), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), and Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big). Basic verdict: Rocks hard and I like it. These guys have laurels to rest on, but they didn’t, and I think they put out a really good rock album that warms my cockles (see below).
Okay, here’s the mannequin from the Manitu in Forst, Germany (read more about it here):
And here's a little Black Swan: