Comedians

The Power of Judyism”: A 1991 Interview with Comedy’s Accordion-Wielding Goddess Judy Tenuta

Bill Thompson

I thought about whether I should put a perennial advisory on this interview. And back in 1991, when I did the interview, I probably would have. By 2025 standards, however, much of Judy Tenuta’s comedy now seems rather tame.

Judy was one of nine kids, born in 1949 in the Chicago area. That’s where she grew up, went to college and began her comedy career.

By the 1980s Judy Tenuta was a rapidly rising star, as her “goddess” persona, quirky comedy set, and her accordion set her apart from all of the more conventional stand-up comics.

Get your copy of Judy Tenuta’s book

Judy wrote two books during her career. I met her and interviewed her for the second of those books, called The Power of Judyism.

We did this interview in the fall of ‘91, the day after her 42nd birthday. But it was certainly not a conventional interview, at least not the kind I normally do.

So here now, from 1991, Judy Tenuta.

Judy Tenuta died in 2022, just a month before her 73rd birthday.

he Timeless Genius of Stan Freberg

Bill Thompson

Stan Freberg had so many hyphens after his name it’s kind of hard to sort out everything he was.

He was a writer. He was a comedian. He was a radio actor. He was a voice actor for cartoons. He was an advertising executive. He was a recording artist.. Should we go on?

The kid from Pasadena who displayed a sardonic wit from an early age created a creative life for himself the made him a star in several media.

It seemed like every few years Stan Freberg was back in the public Spotlight, often doing something new and creative and fun.

And much of his work lives on to this day.

Freberg published his autobiography — or at least, Part 1 of it – in 1989. He called the book It Only Hurts When I Laugh. He arrived at our interview a bit bedraggled by an exhausting book tour, but his trademark wit was on full display.

So here now, from 1989 Stan Freberg,

Stan Freberg died in 2015. He was 88.

History With a Comic Touch, As Told by Paula Poundstone

Bill Thompson

There are many hundreds of thousands of biographies and history books, but probably very very few of them have been written by a comedian.

And, few comedians who write a memoir do so with the help of historical figures.

That’s where the popular stand-up comic Paula Poundstone comes in.

When publishers invited her to write a memoir, she hesitated, until she had a brainstorm.

And the result, in 2006, was her first book, which she called There’s Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say.

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But the road from concept to publication was bumpy. A few years into the writing process she faced legal charges, including felony endangerment of a child.

Get your copy of Paula Poundstone’s book

But instead of abandoning the book Poundstone Incorporated her legal troubles into the narrative.

I met her in the spring of 2007 when she was on a book tour.

So here now, from 2007, Paula Poundstone.

Paula Poundstone is 65 now. She continues to tour the country, and she hosts the podcast “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone.”

With One True Voice: A Popular Comedian’s Life With Puppets

Bill Thompson

Have you ever tried to throw your voice like a professional ventriloquist? It’s not as easy as it looks.

Have you ever tried stand-up comedy? That is a lot harder than it looks.

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And can you entertain an audience with your music? Don’t have to tell you how hard that is.

Get your copy of Taylor Mason’s book

But now meet Taylor Mason, who for the last 40 + years has been a triple threat, a successful comedian, ventriloquist, and musician. He has entertained audiences everywhere.

Taylor Mason was the winner of Star Search in 1991. To put that in perspective, Drew Carey, Norm Macdonald, and Sinbad also competed in various years on Star Search but they never won.

I’ve known Taylor Mason since we were in high school together, so I of course jumped at the chance to interview him for Now I’ve Heard Everything.

Charlie Murphy: From ‘Chappelle’s Show’ to Stand-Up Guy

Bill Thompson
Photo by Timothy M. Moore

If you were a fan of the Comedy Central series “Chappelle’s Show,” you know Charlie Murphy.

The multi-talented actor, comedian, and writer was a popular cast member, especially known for his “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” segments.

His acting career began in the 1980s, but Charlie was something of a latecomer to the world of standup comedy – where his younger brother Eddie was already a major star.

Get your copy of Charlie Murphy ‘s book

As it turned out, Charlie Murphy had a terrific talent for standup. And in 2009 he wrote a book called The Making of a Stand-Up Guy. And that’s when I met him.

So here now, from 2009, Charlie Murphy.

Charlie Murphy died in 2017. He was 57.

Comedy, Red Hats, and Inspiration: Damon Wayans’ Debut Novel

Bill Thompson
Photo by Brian Solis

Some inspirational words from Lionel Richie, and a chance encounter with a group of ladies with red hats, led to the first novel by actor, comedian, and writer Damon Wayans.

From his early years in movies (as the banana man in “Beverly Hills Cop”) to his days on TV’s “In Living Color,” as characters like Homey D. Clown, Wayans has proven his comedic abilities in many ways. And his novel Red Hats demonstrated his keen ability to create memorable, if sometimes irascible, characters.

Our conversation about his book was a little more sedate than his TV sketches.

So here now, from 2010, Damon Wayans.

Damon Wayans is 63 now, and is reportedly working on a new project with ABC.

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Tyler Perry

Candace Bushnell

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A Valentine’s Day Special: Carl Reiner’s ‘All Kinds of Love

Bill Thompson
Photo: John Mathew Smith

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s a day of romance, relationships, maybe even marriage, but most especially it’s a day of love. All kinds of love.

In fact, All Kinds of Love was the title of actor writer Carl Reiner’s 1993 novel. It featured a delightful cast of characters dealing with a variety of romantic situations, with a good deal of comedy thrown in, as we would expect no less from the man who created TV’s iconic Dick Van Dyke show.

So here now, from 1993, Carl Reiner.

Carl Reiner was 98 when he died in 2020.

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Erich Segal

Helen Fielding

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A Daughter’s Loving Embrace: Rain Pryor’s Book About Richard Pryor

Bill Thompson
Rain Pryor (center_ with Bill and Hillary Thompson

The late Richard Pryor was a hugely talented comedian and brilliant entertainer — but, by his own admission, a failure as a father.

In 2006 his daughter Rain Pryor wrote a memoir, a sympathetic portrait of the man, failings and all. Her book was called Jokes My Father Never Taught Me.

So here now from November 2006, Rain Pryor.

Richard Pryor died in December 2005, at the age of 65.

Rain Pryor is 54 now, and is active as a comedian, actor, and singer.

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Bill Kinison

Judith Belushi

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Louie Anderson

Bill Thompson
Phorto: Melly Allen

Today, March 24th 2023, would have been comedian Louie Anderson’s 70th birthday.
I first met Louie in 1989, when he published a book of letters to his alcoholic father, a book called Dear Dad. We talked again about that book a couple of years later, and then in 1993 I interviewed him again, for his book called Goodbye Jumbo, Hello Cruel World.

Louie struggled with his weight, and his self-image, for decades. Of course, he turned his weight problem into a source of comedy that made him immensely popular.

But it was in writing both those books that Louie Anderson really started to figure out who he was, and what he really wanted.

So I’ve decided today to offer you highlights of both interviews , starting with our conversation about Dear Dad. S

The next time I talked to Louie was in 1993. His book Goodbye Jumbo, Hello Cruel World was a chronicle of his struggles with weight. So here now, from 1993, Louie Anderson.

Louie Anderson died of cancer in January 2022.

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Yakov Smirnoff
Gilbert Gottfried

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Edie Adams

Bill Thompson

Edie Adams was a very popular movie and television star in the 1950s, known widely for her comic impersonations of sexy singers, and her own wonderful singing voice.

But eventually she became even more widely known for being the wife of legendary television comic Ernie Kovacs. The two of them were a hugely popular comic duo.

But their story had a tragic end. In early 1962, Kovacs was killed in an auto accident. He was the only occupant of the car, and it was never known precisely what happened to cause the accident.

I met Edie Adams in 1990, when she finally wrote the book that publishers had been after her to write ever since Ernie kovacs’s death.

So here now, from 1990, Edie Adams.

Edie Adams died in 2008. She was 81.

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Audrey Meadows
Judith Belushi

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