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Whether it was after an egg fight with Dom DeLuise or standing amidst the wreckage of a skit that had gone horribly awry, Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson remained true to themselves, and to each other. One would look to the other and say, "Two grown men", while the other would complete the second part of their inside joke by replying, "Graduates of major universities." A little phrase that displayed the depth of a friendship that sustained and carried them through forty-six years of varying levels of fame. Along the way, an intimate unspoken admiration was firmly cemented between these two men, making them the most recognizable, admired, emulated, parodied and well beloved duos in comedic history.

Philadelphia already recognized Ed McMahon's rising star as early as 1952, when he had thirteen shows on the air. Having served in the Marine Corp in World War Two, Ed was once again called into military service to serve in Korea, thus interrupting his burgeoning television career. By the time he made it back stateside, all thirteen of his shows had been cancelled and he was forced to start from scratch, scheduling audition after audition from a Penn station phone booth. Fate intervened one night when he was invited to a party at Dick Clark's apartment and, after conversing with someone named Gordon, was foisted into the role of 'entertainer' for the evening. After telling a few jokes, Dick Clark's producer took notice of him and when an announcer's position suddenly opened up for the game show 'Who Do You Trust?', Ed was first in line. Ed's did not think that his interview with the show's star went well at all. Apparently the show's star, Johnny Carson, thought otherwise.

Dan Cummins has gone through many incarnations since the year 2000, when he started doing stand-up. He has run through musical parodies, sketch comedy variations, characterizations and vitriolic rants. His pathway through the comedy circuit has landed him a prime piece of property on Comedy Central as their latest Comedy Central Presents... showcased talent. His career is one that is full of searching, refinement and finally achievement.

I was recently able to talk with Dan at some length, curious about the evolution of his act as well as the intricacies involved in preparing for such a large production.

A Moment Of Truth With Paul Mecurio

When you go to see Paul Mecurio in action, the seamless, conversational style of his delivery and the provocative nature of his topics, it is easy to see how he garnered an Emmy and a Peabody award for his writing on the critically acclaimed The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Paul, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, began his career as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer for a Wall Street law firm. Making the transition from the world of money to the realm of funny is a move that most people would not understand. Sometimes, the cry from what's inside overcomes the commercial indoctrination defining what success is in our modern society. Sometimes, only sometimes, the truth wins out.

J.T.: With the prevalence of satirical comedy as of late, like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Onion, et al, do you think satire can affect a change in the social conscious of America?

Paul: I don't think there is now because people are too overwhelmed and there are too many messages from too many forms of media. I think in the day of Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl, there were three major networks and one night you hear Don Rickles or, if you're lucky, someone would put on a Lenny Bruce record. You would hear something that would stand out. But I don't think in this day, if you're a political satirist or a commentator, that I or any group of us will be able to really affect a major change with it. I think you might be kidding yourself because there is so much information coming at us right now. Basic cable, cable, the Internet, over your phone, over your I-Pod. I think we're just inundated and it's hard to stand out. That's not to say that it shouldn't be done and that's not to say that I won't do it and that's not to say that it can't happen. But, I think that it would have to be somebody really huge with a regular pulpit. I mean, Bill Mahr is probably the closest to that somebody and before that, Dennis Miller when he had his HBO show. But even Bill Mahr on HBO, I mean, just from the nature of HBO, it does not have the reach that maybe the network does. I think it can help sway people in a certain direction, but I don't think that you can point to it directly and say, 'This is definitely going to affect change.' It's really hard now. But, I think it's necessary and still should be done, you know.

Economopoulos To Entertain The Populous Of Your Metropolis

To pronounce the biggest name in comedy, Costaki Economopoulos, let us first review a simple, easy to use pronunciation key before we hurt ourselves. First, there's Co, as in co-median. Next comes staki, which is a term my mother uses to describe me to others instead of "lardass," which seems to be a much more appropriate term. Well, we're done with the first name. The last name begins with Econo, as in "Lodge" which is followed by mop, like what the skeleton asked the bartender for to go with his beer. Then we see an o, as in "Oh my God! I can't believe how long this guy's name is!" I don't know what the hell a ulos could possibly be.

Costaki is a veteran comedian who began his career in the local bars and pizza joint near the University of Georgia while he finished his graduate thesis. His style is quick, smart and topical without being pretentious or divisive. In his bio, when Costaki is asked to describe where he wants his material to strike, he says, "Picture the MasterCard logo. Imagine that red represents truly good funny and yellow is crowd-pleasing, accessible funny. I'm aiming for that little orange slice where they cross. I want two brothers to laugh hard, but I want the smart one to laugh and say, ‘Wow.'" After seeing some of his stand-up work as well as hearing his Economonologues on the Bob and Tom Show, Costaki is right on target.

As Greg Hahn bounds upon the stage, one is quickly reminded of an overzealous gym coach with ADD. You know, the type of guy who was looking everywhere at once, always gregarious and full of energy, ending all of his sentences with an exclamation point. He would chide the children when they were unable to perform the simplest of tasks that he expected of them. "What do you mean you can't shimmy that rope with your eyelids? Step aside, son!" Then he would proceed to shimmy up the rope with his eyelids just to show you that it could be done. That's when the ADD kicks in. "See, boy, you just have focus! All it takes is foc... oooh! Look! A moth!" he would say as he opened his eyes, lost his grip on the rope, falling a full story and a half as his massive Marine frame landed on your tiny, pale carcass. "Get up, son! You don't see me crying! And I just fell from up there and landed on your bony ass! Plus, I've got rope burns on the inside of my eyelids!"

"I sit here thinking of memories we knew

Life rushes by so fast

We all are blind, and we stumble through our days

As the future turns to past"

Private World

Artie Garr

The digits I had dialed traversed the six hundred miles or so from my home to Art Garfunkel's New York. The call was answered quickly by the friendly, warm voice of Art saying, "Hi J.T. Just let me close the door of my office... hang on." The candid and familiar tone set my nerves at ease, somewhat. The sound of silence was finally broken when he picked back up and said, "How do you feel today?" There was such an actual genuineness in his tone that all of my apprehensions faded quickly away.

Our conversation wended its way through politics, global warming, the environment, the disingenuousness within the recording business, apathy and the role of technology in making us even more apathetic. There were fascinating twists and turns, none of which were covered on my meticulously prepared list of questions. We did however get around to his current project, Some Enchanted Evening and the subsequent tour to support it. Some Enchanted Evening is an eclectic collection of Tin Pan Alley style songs by the likes of Johnny Mercer, Jimmy Dorsey and Rogers and Hammerstein, which is wholly engaging in its selection as well as its execution.

The ever erudite and natty Drew Hastings has a comedic styling all his own. From the theatrical delivery of well constructed, personalized anecdotes to the stage-crafted silences and world-weary sighs, Drew merges the comedy of manners with the dramatic arts. His alter ego, Jack Freeman, is almost diametrically opposed to everything that Drew embodies. Jack Freeman, the self-appointed financial guru, is a fast talking shyster who lets no opportunity pass without wringing it dry of any potential for a quick buck.

Jack Freeman's self-help seminar is titled "The Business of Living" and promises to show how money is all around, waiting for the right opportunist to step forward and wrench it out of the hands of the unsuspecting. Jack will demonstrate how a "Free Kittens" sign is just a road-map to riches. He will share his winning philosophy on how to make yourself look like a winner by surrounding yourself with losers. As Jack says, "You don't need the key to success when you know how to pick the lock!"

Graham Williams, now of Transmission Entertainment which books for several local clubs and puts on Fun Fun Fun Fest, has been involved in the Austin music scene for longer than most hipsters have lived in this fair town. From the days of playing in straightedge/hardcore bands like Direction and New Year (not the Bedhead band) Graham has always shown a great passion for the Austin music scene and has made a concerted towards bettering it.

He became the head talent buyer for Emo's Austin and helped to put it on the map by making it one of the best venues in North America for indie/punk/hardcore and more. During his tenure at Emo's he saw the club develop into three separate venues and even added a fourth temporary venue during the past few years for the South By Southwest music conference. He has helped to further Austin's reputation as an oasis for music and culture in Texas if not the entire region. His plan was always to offer an alternative to Austin's 6th Street district's debaucherous and uniform bar scene. As the years progressed and Emo's became more and more of a force, Graham was being presented with opportunities to book shows that were out of Emo's scope or just inappropriate for the venue.

This year at ACL Fest, I was given the opportunity to interview Dax Riggs, former singer of Deadboy and the Elephantmen. Last year, Deadboy created some rumblings at the festival and after listening to their album, "We Are Night Sky," I became enamored with their stripped down, raw, rock and roll sound. So when the opportunity came to talk to Dax, I jumped on it.

As I mentioned in my ACL Fest Day Two recap here and here, a local radio DJ warned me that Dax wasn't very talkative, so I was a little worried from the get-go. But what the DJ warned me about seemed to be completely untrue, in my case. Dax was very open and articulate in talking with me about his music. And he seemed like a very positive and friendly guy, as well as pretty talkative. We sat under a tent on a table in the media area backstage. And once the tape started rolling, Dax talked a lot about performing at music festivals, what inspires him creatively, the bands he listened to when he was growing up, and his feelings about music journalists. Fortunately for me, I'm a cartoonist, not a music journalist. But I'm a huge music fan and I really appreciated the time Dax spent with me talking about what inspires him.

And for my final interview at this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007, this is what Dax had to say: