Insanely competitive housewife Gayle Waters-Waters, of Chris Fleming’s Web series “Gayle,” hails from the fictional town of Northbread, Massachusetts. But Fleming will tell you, it’s basically Stowe. That’s where he grew up, where his parents (his mother plays Gayle’s rival/friend Bonnie, and his dad plays Gayle’s husband Dave) still live, and where most of the show is shot. They even share a zip code. More
For decades, Steve Almond spent his Septembers much like any other football fan. He began his love/hate relationship with the Raiders, cheered them on in the excitement of a new season, and felt the heartbreak as the weeks unfolded and the losses kept coming, or thrilled as the team started stacking wins. These days Almond feels a different kind of heartbreak – that of losing his beloved sport to the intrusion of his conscience. He had felt pangs of it before, watching the violence of the game and reading the stories about high school, college, and pro athletes suffering permanent physical and psychological damage from their chosen sport. The breaking point happened when he came face-to-face with the type of dementia players experience in their latter years. His mother had been hit by a truck, and years later, developed a dementia that threatened her life, though thankfully it turned out to be temporary. More
When Michael Ian Black comes to Johnny D’s this Friday, May 30, it will be as a stand-up comedian. But that’s only one of many suits Black wears. He’s also an actor in sitcoms (he’s currently waiting to hear if the retooled pilot for Jim Gaffigan’s sitcom will be picked up), a talented essay writer (his book “You’re Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations” was a breakthrough), an author of kids’ books (he released his fifth one, “Naked!,” in April), and podcaster (he co-hosts “Topics” with his State-mate Michael Showalter). And he had a cameo as himself in the first episode of “Maron” season two. More
Nearly 20 years after they first got together in Athens, GA, Drive-By Truckers are still breaking new ground. Their latest album, “English Oceans,” comes after a three-year break – not an unusual gap for a lot of bands, but unusual for the Truckers, who have released 14 albums since convening in 1996 (including b-sides and “greatest hits” collections). The extra time off allowed guitarist/singer/songwriter Mike Cooley to write more than he ever had, resulting in an album almost equally split between his songs and those of Patterson Hood, whose writing had dominated the past few releases. Cooley spurred them into the studio, and even sings one of Hood’s songs, a first for the Truckers. Cooley and Hood have both said they think “English Oceans” is their best album to date, and it’s hard to argue with them. More
In the past few years, Hannibal Buress has gone from playing clubs like Great Scott to headlining the Wilbur Theatre, which he will do for two shows on Saturday night. He has earned the praise of Louis CK, who cited him in a Reddit interview on a short list of comedians who make him laugh (it was two names, Buress and Zach Galifianakis). And his offbeat point of view and laidback delivery have led him to writing gigs on “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” working in front of the camera on “The Eric Andre Show” and “Broad City,” and doing voiceovers for the new animated FX series “Chozen.” His “Gibberish Rap” was a standout bit at the Oddball Curiosity and Comedy Festival in September on a bill that was headlined by Dave Chappelle and Flight of the Conchords, and his new special, “Hannibal Buress: Live From Chicago” debuts on Comedy Central May 29. We caught up with him earlier this week by phone. More
Andy Daly is a “that guy.” Comedy fans who don’t know his name will recognize him when they see him, “that guy,” who does all those characters on “Comedy Bang! Bang!” or played Principal Custer in “Eastbound & Down,” or stole scenes as the play-by-play man in the Will Ferrell movie “Semi Pro.” He’s got what he calls a “Howdy Doody, Richie Cunningham” look – unassuming, like anyone you might find yourself in line with at the bank. Which also makes him the perfect choice to play Forrest MacNeil, the well-heeled but relentless “life reviewer” and host of Comedy Central’s new show “Review.” MacNeil reviews dangerous things like cocaine addiction, making a sex tape, being a racist, and eating 15 pancakes in one sitting. We caught up with the former “MADtv” star by phone as he was strolling through New York City to talk about “Review” and his upcoming show “The Gas Presents Andy Daly with Andy Blitz” at Great Scott Friday. More
