Posted on · Amer explains how an unusual offer from his high school English teacher propelled him into standup and what he learned from a chance encounter with the President's son.
Posted on · On Friday's Houston Matters: We learn what drives so many asylum seekers to flee their home countries in Central and South America and make the dangerous journey to the United States. Then, our panel of non-experts discusses The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of The Week’s News. And Houston Comedian Mo Amer talks about his journey into comedy and his fateful plane ride with Eric Trump.
Posted on · Black reminds Houston Matters why he once called a particular place in Houston "the end of the universe." Plus, he discusses his use of anger on stage and his early days as a struggling playwright.
Posted on · On Tuesday's Houston Matters: HISD's board meets tonight to discuss a plan to fix ten failing schools. And a Texas redistricting case goes before the US Supreme Court. Then, a former politician shares the lessons he learned working in small-town government. And comedian Lewis Black reminds us why he once called Houston "the end of the universe."
Posted on · After her brother died of a heroin overdose, Stephanie Wittels Wachs wrote her memoir, Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful, about -- and to -- her late brother, Harris, who was an accomplished comedy writer and producer.
Posted on · Comedian Hari Kondabolu loves The Simpsons overall but has long disdained the Indian convenience store owner Apu and the stereotypes the character reinforces. He tells Michael Hagerty about his documentary on the subject, called The Problem With Apu.
Posted on · We learn about veteran Houston comedian Andy Huggins, who's an alum of both The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and Houston’s Comedy Workshop.
Posted on · Prior to her free show in Houston this weekend, Cameron Esposito talks about all the odd jobs she's had to do before making it in comedy -- and how they helped her career.
Posted on · (Above: Houston Public Media’s Edel Howlin poses in 2015 with comedian Jon Gnarr, who once served as the mayor of Iceland’s biggest city.) It’s not that surprising to find all sorts of interesting people rolling through Houston. It is, after all, the nation’s fourth-largest city. And we’re a major player in all sorts of industries. […]
Posted on · (Above: Cheech and Cohen – Comedian Cheech Marin and Houston Matters host Craig Cohen. Photo: Abner Fletcher, Houston Public Media) Whatever you do, don’t call Cheech Marin “Chong.” The comedian is tired of being mistaken for his longtime comedy partner Tommy Chong, and he discusses his relationship with his former partner – and his career […]
Posted on · (Above: The underground dining area of a WWI French soldier, as photographed by Houston doctor Jeff Gusky. Image Courtesy: jeffgusky.com) When we think of the brutal warfare of World War I, we tend to think of the 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians dead, of infantrymen waging war with guns and grenades, hiding in muddy […]
Posted on · Harris Wittels‘Â success was fast, and it was early. He attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. And, At age 22, comedian Sarah Silverman discovered him at a stand-up club and had him write for her show on Comedy Central. His last project was writing for and co-producing the Netflix series Master of […]
Posted on · Comedian Hari Kondabolu performs in Houston Saturday (Oct. 22, 2016) at The Secret Group. A lot of his act focuses on diversity, race and politics, which he says keeps him “on NPR and off television” (even though he’s on TV plenty). Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty talked with him about his comedy, but first – since Kondabolu […]
Posted on · On March 26, Houston Holi will hold its 9th annual celebration of the Indian Festival of color, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. The event features music, dances and the throwing of color on one’s beloved, just as Lord Krishna did with his lover Radha. The event is hosted by Sunil Thakkar, Houston comedian […]
Posted on · Comedian Paula Poundstone performs in Houston tonight (Jan. 15, 2016) at the Wortham Theatre Center. In honor of her latest trip to Houston, we bring you an encore of a conversation we had with Paula prior to her visit in June 2015 for a taping of NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! at Jones Hall. Prior to that, we reached […]