Journalist/Comedian Harmon Leon dives into comedy cult classics, comedic influences, and all things comedy history.
CH101 Reprise: We dive headfirst into the wonderfully weird world of comedian Andy Kaufman with director Alex Braverman, helmer of the new documentary Thank You Very Much.
The doc explores Kaufman’s legendary career of comedy as performance art, wrestling women, and the high art of confusing audiences. We talk Foreign Man, performance-as-prank, and what it’s like digging through Kaufman’s surreal legacy.
Before there was Fallon, Kimmel, or Colbert — there was Johnny Carson, the undisputed King of Late Night.
We talk with Howard Smith, author of the book, My Friend Johnny, who was Carson's longtime Malibu neighbor, friend, and tennis partner.
Howard pulls back the curtain on Carson’s private world — from secret card games with Steve Martin, Don Rickles, Carl Reiner, and Martin Short, to the personal joke-writing advice Johnny gave Jay Leno.
We also get tales of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Weintraub, and even a Carson monologue name-drop that sent Howard’s high school friends into a frenzy.
Larry Charles won an Emmy writing for Seinfeld, directed Borat, Brüno, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has collaborated with Larry David, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Bob Dylan .
Larry joins CH101 for some serious comedy inside baseball:
How he helped shape the voice of Seinfeld with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld
The chaos behind Borat's infamous poop-bag dinner scene
What it was really like making subversive comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen
Get the inside scoop on one of comedy's most fearless minds and check out Larry's new book: Comedy Samurai.
