Comedy World had to have been one the best jobs ever for anyone who worked there. Housed in a giant warehouse on the remote outskirts of Playa Vista, we did live comedy radio 24/7, streaming audio and video until we landed in about 33 terrestrial markets.
Inside the warehouse, we constructed a trailer park, each show having its own trailer with one broadcast studio and one video/green screen set-up that, for the time, was revolutionary.
We all knew it was a great job and we all knew it probably couldn’t sustain itself in a dial-up world, but that didn’t stop us from creating some of the most innovative and provocative radio the waves have ever heard.
I mean who else but Taylor Negron could bring lip synching to the airwaves in an hour show that was part stream-of-conciousness narrative, part an exploration of Taylor’s surrealism.
Then there was Joseph A. Franciosi, who in this clip here plays Extremo The Clown and wets himself in his adult diaper while on-air. But Joe was a programming genius and created a radio show dedicated to pro wrestling, where he booked a number of current and future (John Cena) WWE superstars. Hosted with the incredible bluster of Brett Wagner, this show rocked even if you didn’t care about wrestling.
Paul Gilmartin and Jimmy Pardo did a show for us that was beyond clever and those guys were so smart in their approach.
The awesomely talented Beth Lapides, the founder of alternative comedy for crying out loud, had an amazing show every day where she and Greg Miller would book the greatest comics working. It was smart and funny.
The mighty Mickey Ramos, seen here with her radio partner, J.D., did Call If You Dare, a free-for-all every Saturday night with rock stars and psychopaths coming into our trailer park.
Then there’s Mark Ebner, who cut his teeth exposing the Hollywood underbelly for Spy Magazine and taking on Scientology way before it was fashionable, in fact dangerous, who did three hours every weekend on his signature show, Drastic Radio.
One of my favorite shows, a very proud find for me, was handing the Boone Brothers the reins for what might’ve been the most inappropriate program in a park filled with countless “holy shit” moments. Future superstar Morgan Murphy was an intern at age seventeen, seeing things no one underage should see.
Our tentpole weekly shows featured Greg Berhandt, far before he was a best-selling author, in Manversation. There was the unstoppable Bobby Slayton and the hilarious Sue Murphy, oil and water for two hours a night.
Oh, and Frank Murphy, the pro in the park who consistently broadcast a great and very funny radio-friendly show every weekend and who’s now a radio superstar in Knoxville.
In the video, that beautiful black lab roaming around was Billy’s and my Bob Slobbers, a fixture in the park. I had to say goodbye to Bob while we were living in DC, two yeas after I lost Billy.
We lost Joseph A. Franciosi, (Schmoe), a great guy, father, and husband to C.r. Vanyo Franciosi, this year with whiplash suddenness. That one breaks my heart. I loved Joe.
We lost Taylor, too. And our CEO, Jody Sherman, committed suicide two years ago.
And thanks to David W. Ryan for posting this today. Dave was one of our visionary techs who helped that place run, but he was also a great guy, awesome sense of humor, something you greatly needed to work there.
I made so many great lasting relationships, ones I’ll always treasure and we have this insane common experience to bond us. It was an eighteen month long dream, one which came to such an abrupt and sad end, but man, while it lasted…