Author: nzaino
The Mads Get Meta with Dark Star: The Interactive Movie
Fans of The Mads and Mystery Science Theater 3000 have seen a lot of odd stuff over the years. They’ve hummed “Torgo’s Theme.”...... Read More
Happy Birthday, Michael Myers
The original Halloween movie was released on October 25, 1978. I’ve enjoyed some of the additions to this franchise, or parts of them,...... Read More
Today’s Album: The Band (second album)
The Band’s eponymous second album was released September 22, 1969. Ed Sullivan introduces The Band in this clip as “the new recording sensation...... Read More
Today’s Special: Eddie Izzard’s Dress To Kill
Eddie Izzard’s Dress To Kill was released June 13, 1999. I hadn’t been in Boston long when a lot of my plans fell...... Read More
Happy Birthday, Alan Bennett
Author, playwright, and sketch comedy pioneer Alan Bennett was born May 9, 1934. If your fandom of British humor starts with Monty Python,...... Read More
New Music: “Happy Yet” from Bleeding Hearts Featuring Bob Stinson
Good news for Replacements fans – you haven’t heard your last blast of Bob Stinson’s guitar. You get the first volley, “Happy Yet,”...... Read More
David Cross Donating Proceeds from New Special to Ukraine Charity This Weekend
David Cross’s new special, I’m From the Future, has been on my watch list since it came out last month, and now I’m...... Read More
S2EP6 – Comedian and Late Night Writer Jon Rineman
Jon Rineman started his career with as tumultuous and triumphant a 15-year run as a comic could envision for themselves. He started in...... Read More
S2EP5 – Stay Scary Podcast Hosts Lisa and Yinh
The Stay Scary Podcast is a silly podcast about serious horror, as described by host Lisa McGolgan. Every episode, Lisa and co-host Yinh...... Read More
S2EP4 – Musician Rob Kovacs
At first glance, Rob Kovacs seems to have wildly divergent interests in music. His latest album, Let Go, is lush and rhythmic piano...... Read More
S2EP3 – Author Paul Tremblay
Last spring, I read a Tweet from author Paul Tremblay apologizing for his upcoming horror novel, Survivor Song. When he had turned in...... Read More
S2EP2 – Musician Jenee Halstead
Being an artist often means you spend your life looking for a place that feels right, finding it, and then leaving it as...... Read More
S2EP1 – Comedian and Daily Show Writer Josh Johnson
I first spoke to Johnson in 2019 for The Boston Globe, and back then he was already an established headlining comic with a...... Read More
The Department of Tangents Podcast – A Brief (Re)Introduction
Season Two of the Department of Tangents Podcast coming Tuesday June 29! Six episodes, guests are comedians Josh Johnson and Jon Rineman, Stay...... Read More
Gary Gulman On Writing Through the Pandemic, Chris Fleming’s Refreshingly Surreal Comedy
It has been a while since I posted here, but I have a couple of bits of comedy-relating news I wanted to share,...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP8 – Bethany Van Delft: Comedian, Storyteller
This week I speak with Bethany Van Delft, a comedian and storyteller and so much more. Bethany hosts Artisanal Comedy every Wednesday on...... Read More
The DoT EP112: Paul Hansen of The Grownup Noise On New Music, New Instruments, and Some Personal History
Welcome back to the Department of Tangents Podcast, a special new episode with Paul Hansen of The Grownup Noise. You may have noticed...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP7 – Gregory Bastianelli: Horror Author, Storyteller
This week I speak with horror author and storyteller Gregory Bastianelli. Gregory released his winter-themed horror novel Snowball at the end of January....... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP6 – Corey Rodrigues: Comedian, Actor, Host of Corey’s Stories
This week I speak with comedian, actor, and now kid’s show host Corey Rodrigues. Corey was working on a cruise ship as late...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP5 – Tanya Gold: Book Editor, Writing Coach, Literary Omnivore
This week I speak with book editor, writing coach, and self-described literary omnivore Tanya Gold about how her job has changed, and how...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP3 – Don White, Musician, Storyteller, Author
My day job is talking to artists for different publications, which means I know a lot of people whose livelihoods have been impacted...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP2 – Chris Johnson, Musician, Sound Engineer
The Artist Check-In is a limited series of conversations with comedians, musicians, authors, and creative people about how they are handling, personally and...... Read More
The Artist Check-In Podcast EP1 – Dave Rattigan, Comedian, Booker, Teacher
My day job is talking to artists, mostly comedians, for different publications, which means I know a lot of people whose livelihoods have...... Read More
Artist Spotlight: The Incredible Casuals Say “Let’s Get Better”
Chandler Travis has released music in an impressive range of styles with his different ensembles, including the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, The Catbirds, and...... Read More
Streaming Spotlight: Artisanal Comedy March 25, 8PM EST
Streaming music and comedy shows keep popping up by the dozens. I’ll be spotlighting them to help you sort through them. Tonight! In...... Read More
Artist Spotlight: Kelly MacFarland – You Woke Up Today! Also, I’m Fine.
The Artist Spotlight posts are meant to help out musicians and comedians who depend on gigs for income. Today’s spotlight is one of...... Read More
Streaming Spotlight: Comic Isolation – Saturday 3/21 at 9PM EDT
Streaming music and comedy shows keep popping up by the dozens. I’ll be spotlighting one a day to help you sort through them....... Read More
Artist Spotlight: Dan Crohn’s Hysterical “It’s Enough Already”
As I said in the previous post, it’s a good day to stock up on music from your favorite indie artists. BandCamp is...... Read More