BS: My Son the Comedian

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: SINSULL
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 07:34 PM

WOW - that's where Rob Reiner and Steve Martin got their start. I think my nephew Chris has performed at this club. I will have to ask him. Our children amaze me sometimes, Poppa. In a million years I would never have considered stand up comedy even for a lark. But off they go...LOL Wonderful.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 26 Jan 09 - 07:45 AM

refresh ~ just once ~ after the weekend

I jut looked back and saw that I had nothing much good to say about Saturday Night Live back in August. That was shortly before they experienced such a resurgence as the Presidential Election approached, especially with TIna Fey as Sarah Palin. Alsao since then, Cass told me that a couple of his yougn friends got hired by SNL as staff writers.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son(S) the Comedian(S)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 23 Jan 09 - 01:00 PM

Both boys have had Myspace accounts for quite a while, but now both are more interested and active on Facebook. I never joined Myspace, which I believe limited what I could see and where I could go. I HAVE just joined Facebook, which seems to require membership to naviagate around at all.

So, for the Facebookers among you, let me recommend that you check out:

Cassidy Henehan, still based in New York, has his personal page as well as FB pages for his weekly "Comedy Club at the Telephone Bar" and "Too Cool for School" showcases. He's also involved in some sort of comedy "competition" in NYC among three-comic teams each repreesnting a different hometown. He and two New Orleans buddies are facing off against a Providdence RI team in the first round of the tournament.

Mike Henehan, aka Spackle McCrackle, is in New Orleans and fronts an ensemble producing the semi-regular "Good God Damn Show," presented live and also on video. Tne "GGDS" also has its own facebook page and its own "group."

And then there's me, Tom Henehan. I'm trying to keep my Facebook participation to a minimum; the Mudcat addiction is bad enough, I don't need more timewasting in my life just now.

Within the first 48 hours or so, I've accumulated a huge number of "friends," almost all of them half my age and younger (since almost all of them are my kids' friends).

If and when I ever get set up with audio and/or video recording, I suppose I'll post a performance or two so you folks can be the judge or whether I have any business spouting off on musical questions. For now, I'm pretty much laying out. (I did use my cartoon self-portrait-as-Poppa-Gator as my Facebook "face," rather than a photo, at least for now. You might find that amusing.)

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Aug 08 - 09:22 PM

Start spreading the news...

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 15 Aug 08 - 01:59 AM

Hey kids!!..How many times have I told you not to do that??..You'll go blind!!!                  


                            V


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                               Hey Dad,..We're over here!

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 14 Aug 08 - 02:34 PM

refresh, just once more.

Then I'll let this lie dormant until the next time either of the boys has anything truly new to offer, any good news, etc. With luck, maybe one of these days I'll be advising you to tune into Letterman or Conan, Colbert or Jon Stewart, SNL, or some other NYC-based telecast.

Well, maybe not SNL ~ Cass feels the same way we older folks do about the current regime on that once-groundbreaking program: it's become embarrassingly dumb and sophomoric. Since he doesn't have much use for their brand of "humor," they probably wouldn't like him very much, either.

Thanks to you, Kat, for the kind words. Neil, I've probably written something years ago, further up the thread, about how funny these guys have always been, even as little kids.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: goatfell
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 10:59 AM

I thought this was about George W Bush by his father George Bush snr

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 10:13 AM

gnu~

I just tried, and that old link from '05 won't work for me either. It's probably long gone from the WWW by now.

Try the two more recent links in my post of last Friday (08 Aug 08 - 12:15 PM), above, and preapre to be offended

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Neil D
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 11:23 PM

Two sons growing up to be professional comedians. I'm guessing you had some lively times around the dinner table. Good luck to the both of them.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: gnu
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 07:17 PM

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Stilly River Sage - PM
Date: 22 Dec 05 - 09:54 AM

http://www.localcomedian.com/tbar/pizzaparty.mov

cAN'T GET THE LINK TO WORK????

Hmmm... not all that ain't workin.... >;-)

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 04:09 PM

I meant to post the other day, Poppa! It's great they are both doing their thing and you've reason to be proud! Thanks for the links!

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 11 Aug 08 - 03:47 PM

refresh

I don't particularly care that no one has anything to say in response, but I would hope that a few of you would check out the videos (see the post before last, dated 08 Aug 08 - 12:15 PM). So, here's another chance; this'll be visible for the next 24 hours.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 08 Aug 08 - 12:44 PM

PS: Cass is still producing/hosting his weekly Thursday-evening show at the Telephone Bar, 2d Avenue between 10th and 11th Sts in the East Village. Somebody please go see him! (I know there's a New Yorker or two out there in Mudland.)

And, sometime within the next week or so, he travels to Washington to perform at the DC Comedy Festival. I tried googling the festival name and got lots of results referring to past festivals, but couldn't find anything about an upcoming event in August or even September of '08. It'll be a new experience for him: decent pay, hotel accomodations, expense-account meals, etc.

And, back home in New Orleans: In additional to his burly-show duties, Mike hosts the weekly comedy open-mike (Wednesdays) at Carrollton Station, and produces "Spackle McCrackle's Good Goddamn Show" one Sunday night a month at Tarantula Arms, two doors down from the House of Blues on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son(s) the Comedian(s)
From: PoppaGator
Date: 08 Aug 08 - 12:15 PM

It's been a while since my technologically challenged son has had anything new in the way of internet accessible video. One of his fellow aspiring comics in New York posted a brief clip from one of Cassidy's performances, featuring a single joke about a particularly offensive word:

The C-Word

In the meanwhile (i.e., since 22 Dec 05), younger brother Mike has also begun performing as a comic here at home in New Orleans. The two boys' styles couldn't be much more different from each other: Cass is determined to be himself and not to "act" ~ he has consistently turned down offers to act in commericials, etc., preferring to rely exclusively on his own real-self standup persona ~ while Mike is nothing but an actor, assuming an outrageous ficticious personality named "Spackle McCrackle."

One of Spack's regular gigs is as emcee for a local burlesque troupe, the Billion Dollar Baby Dolls. They recently posted a 10-minute-long video of one of their performances. Michael/Spackle appears at the very beginning, between each act, and at the end ~ maybe 90-120 seconds total out of the 10 minutes.

If you're offended by naked dancing girls (well, by dancing girls gradually becoming almost naked), don't watch!

Hi Ho Lounge 03May08

(PS: Mike tells me that the second dancer to appear in this performance is a third grade schoolteacher. They didn't have teachers like that back when I was in third grade!)

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 22 Dec 05 - 12:28 PM

I might not be back here permanently ~ I'm still in New Jersey at my mother's house; we plan to return to New Orleans as soon as possible, and once we do so, we are likely to be living in a no-internet-access zone for a while. So don't be alarmed if I suddenly disappear again for a while in early 2006.

We moved Mom into a very nice assisted living home (http://www.potomacgrouphomes.com/) a couple of weeks ago, making life much easier for the time being.

I'm still in recovery from spending 24 hours a day nose-to-nose with a profoundly demented person. The condition seems to be "contagious" in a certain sense; during my couple of months in the caregiver role, I gradually became disinterested and, eventually, virtually unable to engage in reading and writing the way I normally do. Never fear, though: my mental facilites seem to be coming back, albeit slowly...

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Dec 05 - 11:28 AM

Fanbloodytastic! Congratulations and it is SO GOOD to see you back here, Poppagator!

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Dec 05 - 09:54 AM

http://www.localcomedian.com/tbar/pizzaparty.mov

I haven't seen it, it seems to load very slowly, even over DSL.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: robomatic
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 12:09 PM

The experience of being a standup comic has been likened to "standing in front of an audience naked from the waist down."

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 10:45 AM

May he have quality friends like Robin Williams and the good sense of Mel Brooks.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: CarolC
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 10:25 AM

Thanks for posting this, Poppagator, and congratulations to you for having such a fine son (and good luck to him with his endeavors).

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 10:05 AM

Cassidy's buddy/partner Brad maintains a website featuring, among other things, some of the threesome's comedy videos. There are about a half dozen short (and not-so-short) pieces posted by now, including:

Cass's first post-Katrina standup performance (here). The visual is a little dark and murky (poorly lit), but the audio is all you really need.

A stupid but (arguably) hilarious "Jackass"-style documentary filmed during our first visit back to New Orleans in mid-October, when we were first allowed back into our Gentilly neighborhood. Note the intrusion of reality when the enforcers of martial law make a brief appearance.

I can't make a link directly to the page where these videos are collected, because it doesn't have an address line showing its URL (??!?!?!). If you're interested in more of these post-adolescent hijinks, go to Brad's home page, click on the "$1 Room" link at the upper right, and then select "video section" from the next window to appear. The boys tell me that their feedback indicates that "Pizza Party" gets the most positive response...

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: GUEST,wld
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 02:42 AM

refresh away - open a permathread and keep us posted. we knew about him before he was a star....!

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 22 Aug 05 - 01:01 PM

Please forgive me for REFRESHING this one last time. Maybe some of you weekday-only members/lurkers haven't seen it yet.

I'm hoping someone in the NYC area might be prompted to risk ONE DOLLAR to see the boys some Thursday evening, at The Telephone Bar near Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.

The link to last Thursday's article is still working; I suspect that it might disappear when this Thursday's edition appears...

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 11:31 PM

Oh, yeah, this kid has been a comedian all his life. His teachers sometimes wished they could shut hm up, but more than one of them told us they found it impossible to punish him because they just couldn't keep a straight face ~ he'd make 'em laugh despite themselves whenever they'd try to get serious with him, and keep himself out of trouble that way.

He's the one on the left in the photo at the top of the article, by the way.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: number 6
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 10:57 PM

You have a right to be proud of him !!

May the best of luck be with them.

Poppa, did you have any idea when he was younger he'd turn out to be a comedian?

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: bobad
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 10:35 PM

Congrats Poppa

You must be proud indeed to have your son referred to as an "endearingly goofy host" by the likes of an NYC critic.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: Cluin
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 07:37 PM

And what is the deal with answering machines? They never answer you. You ask them any question and you get the same response: BEEP! They should call them Ignoring Machines.


He can use that one if he wants.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: John O'L
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 06:51 PM

It's a hard road he's chosen, comedy, but I imagine it would be one of the most rewarding.

Good luck to him.

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 06:34 PM

My favorite Cassidy quote in the article:

"...I've always been interested, but it's not a conscious thing for me to talk about politics any more than it is to talk about weed or dingleberries..."

I suppose the nut doesn't fall far from the tree!

Pops

Subject: RE: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: gnu
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 04:42 PM

Good on the lad!!!!

Subject: BS: My Son the Comedian
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 04:32 PM

Yesterdays edition of the New York City on-line newspaper The Gothamist ran this story on my son Cassidy and his buddies, who run a regular weekly comedy show in the East Village:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2005/08/18/brad_steuernagel_cassidy_henehan_peter_kassnove_comedians_hosts_the_1_room.php#Scen

Trying to "make it" as a standup comic is probably even tougher than trying to be musician ~ even a folk musician. I'm one proud Poppa to see my boy take his shot at destiny!