Rob Mungle: The Reverend

By David Gavri

Both feared and revered, Rob Mungle, A.K.A. The Reverend, has been a staple of the stand-up comedy world here in Houston since the early 1990s. His brazen style and his foul language have caught the attention of comedy fans everywhere. And his near-bloody conflicts with the IRS, anime fans, along with strip-club managers have turned his punchlines into legendary stories.

Mungle is also a voice actor, as well as the founder of the highly successful comedy group known as The Whiskey Brothers. Needless to say, Robert Mungle is highly entertaining. We had the opportunity to hang with Mungle after his set to talk about the Houston comedy scene—what it used to be, and what it still can be. Continue reading

Ali Siddiq: Houston Legend

By David Gavri

Without a doubt, Ali Siddiq is a Houston comedy legend. To date, Ali has toured and has worked with comedy’s most notable talent to date. The list includes: D.L. Hughley, Katt Williams, J. Anthony Brown, Bruce Bruce, Bill Belamy, and Mike Epps, among others. His TV credits go something like this:
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Sheng Wang: Yes, That’s His Name

By David Gavri

Sheng Wang is a Taiwanese Texan who developed and honed his comedy in the thriving stand up community of the San Francisco Bay Area. A working comic in New York City, he has toured with the Comedians of Comedy and American Eagle’s Campus Comedy Challenge. He also appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and was invited to attend the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Canada. Sheng recently filmed his half hour Comedy Central special back in 2011. After that, NBC awarded him with a holding deal that same year. Sheng also appeared on the John Oliver NY Stand Up Show. After headlining at the Improv here in Houston, Sheng gave us his time, as well as his knowledge. Continue reading

Ralphie May: Real Talk

By David Gavri

In 2003 Ralphie May was chosen to compete in the first season of Last Comic Standing. His second place finish earned him respect all over the nation. His career took off from there. Ralphie then appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. There, he became the first comedian in ten years to receive a standing ovation from the audience. His first comedy special Just Correct went platinum in 2004, and the CD version made the top ten list on the Billboard comedy charts. But Ralphie was just getting warmed up. He later followed up with four Comedy Central specials: Girth of a Nation (2006), Prime Cut (2007), Austin-tatious (2008), and Too Big To Ignore (2012).

Ralphie May now lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife, a fellow comedienne, Lahna Turner, their daughter April June May, their son August May, and their two dogs, Pimp and Hoochie Mama. Coming back to Houston this past weekend, Ralphie performed seven sold-out shows here at The Improv comedy club. And after taking pictures and signing autographs with every single one of his fans, Ralphie was nice enough to hang with us to talk comedy.

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Slade Ham: Truth Be Told

By David Gavri

Slade Ham is an established veteran in the comedy scene, with a wrap sheet of achievements. Averaging more than two hundred shows a year, Slade has performed in twenty-two countries across the world on four different continents.

A seasoned headliner at comedy clubs all across the United States, Slade also toured extensively as a feature act for both Ralphie May and Christopher Titus, having the opportunity to open for Titus’s 5th Annual End of the World Tour at the South Beach Comedy Festival for Comedy Central. He has also headlined for XM/Sirius’s two hour long, Best of Texas special in 2006, and all three of his full length albums are played daily on both the Raw Dog and the Blue Collar Comedy stations. He is also a regular on the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show, co-host of The Outlaw Dave Show in Houston, and host of the wildly popular bi-weekly Whiskey Brothers Podcast, which boasts more than 25,000 subscribers.

Slade Ham is on the verge of something huge. As comics, we are all lucky enough to learn from him. He’s here today to set us straight. Slade gets serious about being funny, sharing his insight and advice as he pushes us in the right direction. Continue reading

The Whiskey Brothers: Comedy Rockstars

By David Gavri

Just four guys from Texas who are hell bent on memorbale nights filled with whiskey, mayhem, and jokes. Seeing them live is like drinking with your best friends, only these guys are funnier.

The Whiskey Brothers were not only kind enough to grace us with their presence, but they were generous enough to bring us inside their secret studio. There, we had the opportunity to witness the infamous Whiskey Brothers Podcast in-the-making as they produced their latest episode. Hangin’ with these guys was an experience like no other. What was discussed was highly inappropriate, uncontrollably funny, and overall, wildly entertaining. It’s time to tell the tale.

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Sean Rouse: Hilariously Obscene

By David Gavri

Sean Rouse was one of the breakout stars with Dave Attell, Greg Giraldo, and Dane Cook on Comedy Central’s “Insomniac Tour”. He was in Men in Black II and also on HBO’s critically acclaimed “Down & Dirty” with Jim Norton.

He’s dark, even though he looks innocent. He’s likeable even though he’s highly obscene. But most of all, he’s extremely entertaining. We were lucky enough to catch up with him after one of his shows right here in Houston. Continue reading

John Wessling: Comedian, HCU Founder, Whiskey Brother

By David Gavri

When comedian John Wessling was just 24 years old, he showcased his comedic talent in a comedy show where George Lopez and Carlos Mencia were both headlining. The crowd went wild for Lopez and Mencia. But for John Wessling, it was nothing but hate and anger, with a lot of booing. The crowd of 5,000 gave this opener no respect whatsoever. So what did John Wessling do about it? He did what John Wessling does best. He killed them with laughter. And he’s been killin’ it ever since.

This Houston-born comic is the founder of Houston Comedy Union. He’s also an ESPN Radio sports talk show host. And most importantly, he’s a husband, a father, and a brother of whiskey.

We got the chance to hang out with John Wessling as we kicked back and talked comedy. Continue reading