Category: Arts & Culture
-
The Naked Truth: Lewis Black talks education, the presidential race and staying relevant in comedy
For the last 27 years Lewis Black, the famously irate political satirist, stand-up comedian, author and actor, has run the gauntlet in the entertainment industry. But despite being one of the most recognizable names in comedy, Black jokes that the Republican presidential candidates are making him irrelevant this campaign season. “This year more than any…
-
A Mouthful of Shame: Jim Norton talks “Language Policing”, Drug Addiction, Stand-Up Career
Jim Norton has been turning heads for quite some time. His brand of humor is just the right mix of crude and down-to-earth brilliance, and whether it be on the stand-up stage or over the radio waves as co-host of the wildly famous (some might say infamous) WAAF-originated Opie & Anthony radio show (Now titled…
-
I Know What I’m Doing: Jen Kirkman talks activist entertainers, class inequality, new book
Photo: Robyn Von Swank Don’t listen to Jen Kirkman. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. At least that’s how she sees it. The stand-up comedienne and author, who hails from Needham, didn’t have an epiphany, an “awakening”, about wanting to become a comic, nor did she have influences like many others do. It wasn’t even…
-
A Leak in the Ship: Mike McDonald Talks Comedy, Homelessness and Charity
If you’re familiar with the history of Boston comedy and its bricklayers, you’ll know that Mike McDonald is a pretty big deal. He’s from the same stock that molded legends like Barry Crimmins, Steve Sweeney, Lenny Clarke and Denis Leary, and in terms of popularity around New England, McDonald’s “legend” status is nothing to scoff…
-
For Comedy King Sweeney, Poverty Is No Joke
Very rarely do you come across an entertainer who doesn’t want to talk about some current project, their career, what got them started in the industry or some other topic referring to their time in the spotlight. And with someone like Steve Sweeney, the crowned “King of Boston Comedy,” you know there’s a lot to…
-
Hollywood filmmakers turn the spotlight on world’s homelessness crisis
Courtesy of INSP News Service www.INSP.ngo / The Big Issue By Adrian Lobb and Steven MacKenzie Richard Gere is one of the most famous faces in cinema but during the making of his latest film, “Time Out of Mind,” in which he plays George, a homeless man living on the streets of New York, he…
-
Barry Crimmins: Boston comedy legend talks about social activism and homelessness
Photo: Dennis Brennan Barry Crimmins has built a career off of not caring. But not in a bad way, by any stroke of imagination. He does care. The Boston comedy pioneer has cemented his name in comedy history with his upfront, no-holds-barred brand of political satire, his tireless social activism and, just recently, being the…
-
Every Day with Morrie: Mitch Albom on charity and writing
Author Mitch Albom has been a household name in the writing business for over 30 years, and for good reason. Starting out as a sports writer in his early 20s after graduating from Columbia’s School of Business, Albom has since published sports-themed books including “Fab Five” and “Bo.” He has also published four collections of…
-
DAN RATHER: On the decline of investigative journalism
After more than 60 years in journalism, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather still believes that a free and independent press is the “red beating heart of freedom and democracy.” But news organizations aren’t living up to that standard, he says. Nor are they working hard enough to “give voice to the voiceless.” Currently anchoring…
-
WILD THING: This Wild Life's Kevin Jordan on homelessness, police brutality
Kevin Jordan, frontman of the acoustic two-piece This Wild Life, took some time to discuss police brutality, the unfair treatment of the homeless and the Alternative Press tour, which begins its seven-week trek across North America at Boston’s House of Blues on October 14. The tour features This Wild Life, Real Friends, As It Is…