A Few Words With The Dom

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Interviewed and Written by Al Bahmani

 

On and off stage Dom Irrera is a real likable character. With multiple stand up appearances from his break out performance on Rodney Dangerfield’s “Nothing Goes Right” to multiple appearances on the “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “The Late Show With David Letterman”, two HBO One Night Stands, and voted Number 79 in “Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand ups of All Time”, and a regular every year at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, Dom Irrera is a stand up force to reckoned with. Turn on the tv and you’ll see his face all over it, from films like “Hollywood Shuffle” and “The Big Lebowski” to roles in documentaries like “I Am Comic”, to “The Aristrocrats” to shows like “Seinfeld”, “Everybody Loves Raymond” to “King of Queens” to “Hey Arnold!” to “Bob’s Burgers” and many more. End of the day when all is said and done, Dom’s just a regular guy from Philly you’d share a pitcher beer with to help pass the time. We take some of that time and talk about the comedy business, his comic philosophy and what it takes to last so long in it.

 

I turn on the tv and your on it, what do you contribute your longevity in the business?

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The Truth & Iliza Shlesinger: Uniting Everyone Through Hate

Interviewed and written by Al Bahmani

Photo by Emily Higgins Used with permission of The Laugh Factory

Photo by Emily Higgins
Used with permission of The Laugh Factory

 

To say Iliza Shlesinger has the gift of gab is like saying Martin Scorsese is competent with a camera. Standing tall at 5 feet, 5 inches, Iliza Shlesinger is native Texan with a smile that conceals a sharp tongue that can cut right to punchlines in a heartbeat. In 2008 she was the first and only woman to win NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Her debut comedy special “War Paint” reached number 1 on iTune’s charts and is available on Netflix along with her feature film debut in Diablo Cody’s directorial debut “Paradise”. lliza takes some time off her busy road schedule to talk to Comedy Scene in Houston about her Laugh Factory produced podcast “Truth & Iliza”, her comedic origins and the miracle of uniting people through hate.

 

You begin every episode with the Henry Rollins quote “Nothing brings people together like a mutual hatred.” What mutual hatred can bring the rival cities of Dallas and Houston together?

You’re talking about that mutual hatred for one another?

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