Christian Reilly is a musical comedian and self-proclaimed "MMT lover." Are you familiar with Modern Monetary Theory? Honestly, I don’t even know if it’s accurate to call it a 'theory' because it’s basically just the actual way money works. Christian breaks it down, and shares what got him into MMT in the first place.

Betsy Cox is a comedian, writer, and solo performer. Her Fringe show, “Broke B*tch Got Rich”, was among the most popular and talked about shows of the festival. At the award ceremony, she wore a cape that said “ADHD is my Super Power.” At a time when Eugenics is on the rise in the United States, it was powerful and encouraging to see. We talk about what it means, how she got out of a difficult background in New Orleans and got to Los Angeles, and navigating a life where one doesn’t fit in a box.

Chris Smith is a writer and performer. From a small farm in rural California to the movie business in LA, he’s had successes, failures, and has dealt with crushing loss. His Fringe show, Mine For the Tribe, tackles all of this, and takes a one-person deep dive into our search for meaning. I went to his show not really knowing what to expect. What is this tribe, anyway? I guess we’re all still searching, and that’s the point.

Before Lady Gaga, before Madonna, there was Johanna Went. Johanna Went is a performance artist. She found her home in the LA punk scene of the 1970s after a run doing experimental theater. The Minutemen opened for her. I got to meet her in Vetura because she was on a panel I was moderating for a screening of the film Desolation Center. I was stoked when she agreed to do the show.

I’ve known Joy Marie Mann awhile now. We’ve collaborated on a ton of shows. We met amidst the Bernie Movement in 2016, which seems like a different life at this point. In many ways it was. In the time I’ve known Joy, among other things, she lost most of her eyesight. Despite that unexpected hurdle, she’s written a few books. Recently, Joy wrote a book about Temujin Kensu. Temujin was convicted of a murder and has spent the last 38 years and counting in prison. The problem: There’s some serious holes in this conviction. We dive into it.

Jonathan Berman is producer, director, and academic. His documentaries include Calling All Earthlings, My Friend Paul, and Commune. Commune is coming up on its 20th Anniversary. It’s about a commune in California that started in the 60s, financed by rockstars, and still exists to this day. We dive into his origin story, and what made him want to chase the counterculture.

Kerri Van Auken is an actress, writer, and comedian. For a brief period of time, her, myself, and Joe Moran ran a show together at a punk shop in Pasadena. Then, the Pandemic happened. Kerri and I crossed paths again this past June at the Hollywood Fringe. Her show, Blackout, blew me away. It inspired me to write a solo theater show, and I knew I had to have her on.

Jon Bennett is a comedian and storyteller. He’s a Fringe warrior who does more festivals in a year than anyone I know. He’s hysterical, and he’s one of those guys on the circuit who you see and wonder, “how does he pull that off?” In this interview, he gives some insight into that. Also, due to complications at the border and Jon being Australian, he can’t leave the US right now out of fear he won’t be able to get back in. He explains it, and why he had to cancel a Canadian tour. Strange times.