Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon

KiKi Maroon
  • 5.0 (14)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

How do you go from being an alcoholic stripping clown to running a multi-media burlesque circus empire? Well..that’s a long story.

  1. Veronica Young - Finale

    06/19/2020

    Veronica Young - Finale

    Welcome to the final episode of Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon. I’ll explain in the closer why it’s the final episode, but first, let’s talk about today’s show. When I first started the podcast, I decided that a personal rule of mine would be not to have newly sober people as guests. Firstly, because the point of the show was to get advice from people who were more experienced than me on how to handle this new way of being. Secondly, it seemed dangerous. I remember how difficult my first year was; everything was so raw and confusing. I didn’t want to risk shaking up anyone’s fragile, or non existent, foundation for the sake of entertainment.  Well, I f****d up. Kind of. The Dallas Observer had an article called Straight Edge: Performers Explain How They Stay Sober While Working the Nightlife Scene. I got so excited that I reached out to the featured performers without doing research.  Podcast newbie mistake!!! I set up the session with today’s guest, Veronica Young, not knowing she was only 7 months sober. I struggled with whether or not I should cancel, but decided not to. Veronica (also known as “V”) was a party girl known for hosting and promoting concerts and standup shows around Dallas. She had a morning radio show called Hung Over with V where she and her guests talked about local music and current events, while day drinking to get over their hangovers. And that is why I didn’t cancel on her.  She quit drinking, even though it was a huge part of her public persona. I know how difficult that can be, so I really wanted to talk with her about it. Which is how, for the first time in Clown, Interrupted history, I was the one giving the guidance! We talk about being batshit crazy, going on the apology tour, her first sober gig, and a lot more. I hope you like it!  Veronica Young on Facebook Veronica Young on Twitter Veronica Young on Instagram Dallas Observer article- Straight Edge: Performers Explain How They Stay Sober While Working the Nightlife Scene The Science of How Our Minds and Our Bodies Converge in the Healing of Trauma Deep Ellum Arts Festival KiKi Maroon on Patreon KiKi Maroon on Twitter KiKi Maroon on Instagram Clown, Interrupted on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE.

    54 min
  2. Kurtis Matthews - Comedy

    05/25/2020

    Kurtis Matthews - Comedy

    They say that the best standup is real. Yes, you need joke structure. Of course you need punchlines. But it can all feel empty if you don’t hear a real person on stage. They also say it can take years for a comic to “find their voice”. Though I conceptually understood that, I didn’t really get it. Anytime I was on stage, I used an over the top performance voice. Which makes sense. I hosted burlesque shows for years before doing standup. And BURLESQUE IS BIG! IT’S SHOWMANSHIP! But in a comedy club setting, that’s too big, too loud, and very weird.  I felt kind of dumb for taking so long to realize that, but it makes sense. How could I show them the real me when I didn’t know who that was? I only started to feel like a person in the last year, so now I’m finally being that real person on stage.  Someone who is a big part of that is today’s guest- Kurtis Matthews. Kurtis is the owner and a teacher at the San Francisco Comedy College. He’s been helping develop comedians for over 2 decades. He is also an amazing standup who performs, along with other comics, in his show- The Addicts Comedy Tour.  I met Kurtis when that tour came though Houston. It was an evening of jokes and stories about life, love, jail, rehab, and recovery. I spent all night either laughing hysterically or trying not to cry. I laughed because the stories were hilarious. I wanted to cry because I had never heard someone else repeat all the crazy shit in my head.  I hadn’t been that affected by a performance since first seeing Bill Hicks. I’m not going to go into that story again, I’ve talked about it ad nauseam on the podcast. But that’s how deeply that show affected me.  So, it was insane, beautiful, and weird to learn that not only were Kurtis and Bill friends, they even had the same AA sponsor! That’s crazy! Life is bananas! Kurtis has since become a friend and a mentor. I recorded this on a visit to San Francisco. We recorded in the classroom/venue after one of his beginner comedy classes. I hope you enjoy it! Kurtis Matthews on stage The Addicts Comedy Tour Kurtis Matthews on Instagram San Francisco Comedy College American: The Bill Hicks Story Russel Brand’s book ‘Recovery’ How To Break The Pattern of Love Addiction on Psychology Today Love Addiction 101 on Addiction.com KiKi Maroon on Patreon KiKi Maroon on Twitter KiKi Maroon on Instagram Clown, Interrupted on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. FULL TRANSCRIPT KiKi Maroon: Hi! Welcome back to Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon – that’s me! So, everyone says the best stand-up is real. Yes, you need joke structure; of course you need punchlines. But it can feel kind of empty if you don’t hear the real person on stage. They say that it can take years for a comic to “find their voice.” And while I conceptually understood that, I didn’t really get it. I thought, “I know my voice. This is my voice!” Haha. But when I would go on stage, it would be my “PERFORMANCE VOICE!” Which makes sense. I hosted burlesque shows way before I did stand-up. And burlesque – is big! It’s showmanship! It took years to develop into a great burlesque emcee. You know, to really learn how to shake the audience up! So when I started stand-up, that was the only way I knew how to be on stage, which in a comedy club setting, comes off as too big, too loud, and very weird! Haha. For a long time, I thought that was my voice, but it wasn’t. This is my voice. I’m using it. I’m using it right now. Haha. That was my shield, a buffer between the audience and the real me. And while I feel kind of dumb for it taking so long to realize that, it makes sense. How could I show them the real me when I didn’t even know who that person was? This last year, I finally started to feel like a real person and I’m learning how to be that person on stage. Someone who’s a big part of that is today’s guest, Kurtis Matthews. Kurtis is the owner and teacher at the San Francisco Comedy College. He’s been helping stand-ups develop for more than two decades. But more importantly to me, Kurtis is also a hilarious stand-up himself, who performs with other comics in his show- The Addicts Comedy Tour. I met Kurtis when that tour came through Houston. I listened to their stories about life, love, jail, rehab, and recovery. I watched the entire thing either laughing my head off or trying not to cry. Not because the stories were sad, they weren’t! They were hilarious! I wanted to cry because I’d never heard someone else repeat all the crazy shit in my head. I was sitting in this jam-packed audience, but it felt like they were talking to me, about me. Not only about how f****d up I was, but about how healthy I could be, if I… you know… just stuck with it. I hadn’t been that affected by a performance since first seeing Bill Hicks. I’m not going to go into that story again, because I’ve talked about it ad nauseum on this podcast, but that’s how deeply this show affected me. So it was insane and beautiful and weird to learn that not only were Kurtis and Bill friends, they even had the same A.A. sponsor! That’s crazy. If I had the rights to it, this would be the part where I splice in Bill’s joke about God f*****g with people – “Haha I’m a prankster God. I am killing me.” Haha.  That’s how this feels. Life is bananas and God is f*****g with me.  Since then, Kurtis has become a good friend and a mentor. I recorded this on a visit to San Francisco. I sat in on his beginner stand-up class, which I have to be honest, was kind of painful. But it did make me feel proud about how far I’ve come as a comic because I remember feeling that cringy. We recorded in the classroom/venue afterwards, so we started off by talking about one student whose set was particularly brutal. I hope you enjoy it! Here’s my talk with Kurtis Matthews. [Theme song: “Last Call” provided by The Last Domino] Kurtis Matthews: It wasn’t really the misogyny that bothered me. It was almost his racism. I know he was trying to tie it into his bit… KiKi Maroon: Yeah, he was trying to crowd work into his setup.  Kurtis Matthews: This was one of the hardest things I’ve watched in a long time. Just because, consistently, none of them did any work. KiKi Maroon: Do I have to cut all this out since you’re bitching about this? Kurtis Matthews: You can do whatever you want.  KiKi Maroon: Okay. I just wanted to know.  Kurtis Matthews: You’re my friend, KiKi. KiKi Maroon: You’re my friend too, but if I’m going to put this online, I don’t know if I should cut this part out.  Kurtis Matthews: You do whatever you want. If it’s interesting and you want to put it online, you put it online. KiKi Maroon: It is interesting. So, hey, we’re talking to Kurtis! Haha. Kurtis Matthews: Yeah,  you are. KiKi Maroon: How long have you had the comedy school? What’s it called again? The Comedy? Kurtis Matthews: You’re cute.  KiKi Maroon: College? Kurtis Matthews: San Francisco Comedy College.  KiKi Maroon: How long have you had this?  Kurtis Matthews: Since ‘99 in San Francisco. We’re the longest-running stand-up school in the Bay Area. We’re also the most attended in America. You know, what’s interesting is, people keep showing up and I have multiple classes and people just like the community here. Because I tend to weed out the jackasses since I’m a bit of a jackass. KiKi Maroon: Haha I noticed how very honest you were to them, saying, “This is bad, this is very bad.” And I appreciate that. Kurtis Matthews: I normally don’t do that, but there was part of me tonight where I was thinking, “If I never see you again, good, because you have so much work to do.”  KiKi Maroon: I appreciate your honesty. As somebody who has previously taken comedy classes, I like the idea that, “Oh okay, the money is not just for you to jack me off and tell me I’m going to be successful,” You’re not full of shit; you’re actually helping them. Kurtis Matthews: Yeah. I mean, honestly, I have so many students that, you know, it’s not that I can afford to lose any, but I’m here to give them honest feedback and to provide a community for them. Give them direction, being a professional comic since 1984. KiKi Maroon: That’s when I was born! Kurtis Matthews: Yeah? I’m not gonna… Ugh okay. Haha. KiKi Maroon: I’m just saying! Kurtis Matthews: That’s the year I got sober!  KiKi Maroon: Really?  Kurtis Matthews: Oh man!  KiKi Maroon: You got sober the year I was born?! Kurtis Matthews: So you represent my sobriety!  KiKi Maroon: Aww, how fun Kurtis Matthews: Man, I knew there was something real special about you. KiKi Maroon: Wait, you got sober the same year you started comedy? Kurtis Matthews: No, actually I kind of started in ‘82. You had multiple questions there. You asked about the comedy college…  KiKi Maroon: There’s so much now going on. Kurtis Matthews: Okay. Let’s go back to the comedy college. We started it in ‘99. Now, a lot of comedy schools in LA or New York or whatever, they get excited when they have 15 kids. I have 80 to 100. KiKi Maroon: Jesus Christ! Kurtis Matthews: And that’s advanced classes, one-on-one students, you know… KiKi Maroon: So then does all of San Francisco comedy come here, basically? That’s a lot of people!  Kurtis Matthews: No, not all of comedy. There are still people who want to go out and get feedback from career open mic-ers or tell themselves they’re great. Or they’re working comics. You know… I’m on the fence with free gigs. I’ve always said if an audience pays even $1 and

    56 min
  3. Michael Meehan - Comedy

    05/18/2020

    Michael Meehan - Comedy

    I went to San Francisco to meet up with my mentor and sober buddy, Kurtis Matthews (who will be the  guest in the next episode). I asked Kurtis if he had any suggestions for other sober comics I should reach out to while in the Bay Area. He connected me with his friend and today’s guest- Michael Meehan. Michael is a standup comic, sketch artist, and film-maker based in San Francisco. He’s been on The Late Late Show, The Dennis Miller Show, Last Comic Standing, and many other shows and movies. He spoke with me about coming up in the comedy scene in the 80’s and I am so impressed that he was able to get sober during that time! Back then, cocaine was not only the glamor drug of choice, but also how a lot of comics got paid! We discuss that, his relationship with Robin Williams, breaking down the ego, and Bobcat Goldthwait being one of the early sober comics. I loved his story, and I hope you do too! Michael Meehan on Craig Ferguson Michael in the San Francisco Chronicle The Meehan Brothers Punchline Comedy Club Hey Monster, Hands Off My City Shakes the Clown  Robin Williams USO tours Oprah explains her gratitude journal (which KiKi now does too!) KiKi’s outlaw selfie with Bobcat KiKi Maroon on Patreon KiKi Maroon on Twitter KiKi Maroon on Instagram Clown, Interrupted on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. FULL TRANSCRIPT KiKi Maroon: Hi! Welcome to Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon. That’s me! I went to San Francisco to meet up with my mentor and sober buddy- comedian Kurtis Matthews.  He’s going to be my guest in the next episode! While I was up there, I asked Kurtis if he had suggestions for other sober comics I should reach out to while I was in the Bay Area. He connected me with his friend and today’s guest, Michael Meehan. Michael is a stand-up comic, sketch artist, and filmmaker based in San Francisco. He’s been on The Late Late Show, The Dennis Miller Show, Last Comic Standing, and many other shows and movies. He talked to me about coming up in the San Francisco comedy scene in the eighties. Honestly, I am so impressed that he was able to get sober during that time. Back then, cocaine was not only the glamour drug of choice, but also how a lot of comics got paid! We discussed that, his relationship with Robin Williams, breaking down the ego, and Bobcat Goldthwait. After the interview, I’ll explain why that’s super important to me. I loved his story and I hope you do too. Here’s me and Michael Meehan. [Theme song: “Last Call” provided by The Last Domino] KiKi Maroon: How long have you been in comedy?  Michael Meehan: I started in 1984. KiKi Maroon: So 35 years. Michael Meehan: Yeah. Once I started doing it, it was like, “Oh, this is pretty cool.” I got some early successes because I was more outrageous, I think, than other open micers.  KiKi Maroon: What do you mean by, “more outrageous”?  Michael Meehan: Much more physical. I’d jump off stage and do things. There was a comedy club, a hole-in-the-wall called the Holy City Zoo. It was Robin Williams’ home club. They had a tiny stage, but they had this pillar on the stage and it had a rope wrapped around it. I climbed the pole and was doing a set 10 feet above the audience.  KiKi Maroon: Did you acknowledge that you were 10 feet above the audience? Or did you try to do your regular set?  Michael Meehan: I would do, “I will now jump off of this height into a bead of sweat on that man’s forehead!” stupid stuff like that. So yeah, I got some success early on, but to me, the main thing was to get good. And so I did all the TV shows, got on Comedy Tonight. Whoopi Goldberg was hosting. I did two episodes of that, which was very cool.  KiKi Maroon: Oh, wow. Michael Meehan: Yeah, so I got a little buzz. I was kind of like, “Hey, I’m going to make it in show business!” But of course, drugs – well, not drugs – marijuana. Well, marijuana is a drug. And alcohol, they slowed me down along the way. But when I started comedy, it was just like, “Oh, this is great! You get to perform and you get these free drink tickets. This is heaven!”  KiKi Maroon: You get paid in drinks. That makes it really easy.  Michael Meehan: Yeah. And at that time in the eighties, cocaine was rampant. I never got into cocaine because I knew that it was the deep end of the pool and I didn’t want to go into. But people would get paid in coke or do lots of coke. It was a scene that I knew I couldn’t hang with, so I didn’t do that. KiKi Maroon: That’s honestly surprising, that you didn’t get into it during that time. Because I always think of Sam Kinison and that kind of thing, where that was part of the comedy. And it’s hard if you see that, those successes around you, to not be like, “Well, that’s whatyou do!”  Michael Meehan: Yeah. That’s the funny thing, you see people who abuse drugs and drinks and you’re like, “Oh, well that’s what you do. That’s how you become successful in show business.” It was interesting because here in San Francisco, Kinison got a big foothold here and I would go see him. It was like, “Oh my god, this guy is on fire!” The same with Bobcat Goldthwait – Bob Goldthwait got a big start in San Francisco. And so it’d be funto see, although at the time he was sober. One of the early sober comics was Goldthwait.  KiKi Maroon: Really? I did not know that!  Michael Meehan: He would just drink Tab soda, which was the most horrific like… KiKi Maroon: That was like Sprite, right?  Michael Meehan: No, it was some sort of brown cola that tasted so horrendous. He would just chug that stuff. His act at the time was just full-on screaming and yelling, but it was so fun to see. Here’s this one guy taking the whole room hostage with comedy. And I was like, “Well, that’s what I want to do!” So that was one of the early…  KiKi Maroon: And he was sober then?  Michael Meehan: And he was sober! Yeah, he would talk about people offering him a drink. He’s like, “ ‘hey, want to do some coke?’ Oh yeah! You’re the guy I want wired in the house! What do you mean you don’t have any more pets?!” Haha then he’d do a swinging motion around his head, like he’s swinging a cat around.  KiKi Maroon: I’m so jealous that you had that. That was part of what I wanted. I’m very attracted to that magnetic, loud, kind of crazy personality that is so much of comedy. But I didn’t see that sober. So I didn’t think that was a possibility. I’m jealous that you saw somebody do comedy in a sober state. Michael Meehan: Well in hindsight, it was great. San Francisco, at that time, was ground zero for comedy. Even though there were a lot of scenes, like Boston was happening, and some other scenes. But San Francisco really was a phenomenal pond where people were just doing so much crazy, interesting, wacko stuff.  KiKi Maroon: Yeah, Kurtis was telling me about you and your brothers. He kept saying y’all were like the Three Stooges. Michael Meehan: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We had a group. After I got sober, we got together and started doing the Meehan Brothers. My brother Howard and I would always goof on stuff. And my youngest brother, Chris, had gone to New York to study the Meisner Technique of acting. So he came back from New York and was looking for something. By then my brother Howard and I had started doing a bit of a duet. We would just do some goofs. But it was funny because when I got sober, I was like, “Okay, I’m going to get sober. I’ll give up my comedy career if I have to.” KiKi Maroon: “Everything’s going to end. And I’ll deal with that.”  Michael Meehan: Yeah. So I was like, “If I can just stay sober, I’ll be okay.” And what happened was- nothing was funny, of course. I tried going up and doing stand-up sober, but I was new to sobriety, so I hadn’t really grasped hold of what life was about without booze. After a while though, it took off. I started to become so much more cognizant of performing sober and I was like, “Oh my goodness, this is great!” KiKi Maroon: And you said you opened for Robin Williams as well, right? I just want to understand the timeline – the pattern I’m seeing is usually: no success, sobriety, success. So if you had success before, what happened? What was the rock bottom? What led you to decide to quit drinking, if you were already having those successes?  Michael Meehan: Well, my personal life was going to shambles. I was married at the time and had a daughter who was five, and my wife was like, “I can’t take it anymore.” She gave me the boot, and rightly so. During that time, my brother Howard came to me and said, “Hey, let’s do this play called True West by Sam Shepard.” It’s about two brothers. One brother is the responsible brother and the other brother is the alcoholic, crazy brother. I got to play the crazy, alcoholic brother, but it was funny because I had to quit smoking weed and drinking to do the role! To learn the lines and…  KiKi Maroon: To be focused enough to play the alcoholic?! Haha!   Michael Meehan: Yeah! On stage, I would drink those “near beers” or fake beers or whatever. But as soon as it was closing night, I was right back to smoking joints and drinking. And so then, I kind of went on a tear for maybe two months. And then my family, all seven brothers and sisters, and Michael Pritchard, who was a big sober comedian who I knew- he was the biggest sober comedian who I knew- they did an intervention on me.  KiKi Maroon: You had an intervention?! You’re the first person I’ve spoken to who actually had an intervention!  Michael Meehan: Well, it was t

    47 min
  4. Paul McRae - Art Cars

    05/05/2020

    Paul McRae - Art Cars

    If you’ve ever been to (or seen photos from) Burning Man, you are familiar with Art Cars. They’re those crazy mutant vehicles you see driving around, like mobile sculptures. There are so many kinds of Art Cars! Some people paint them, some people do mosaic tiling, some people sculpt around the cars, and one person welded two flamethrowers and a stripper pole on the roof of their car! That person is Paul McRae. I spent more than one drunken night pole-dancing on the roof of his car like I was in a goddamn Whitesnake video, so I was shocked to find out that he’s been sober for over 30 years! He is a staple in Houston’s Art Car scene and in this episode, he educates me on how diverse that scene is. My very narrow field of vision made me think that all Art Car events were mini drunken Burning Man’s, but apparently – that was just me. Art Car parades are family friendly events around the country, many schools even use it as an art project for their kids! It just goes to show: you see what you want to see. While I was a drunken mess, I wanted to see the Art Car scene as crazy people looking for a reason to party. Now I see that it’s crazy talented artists from all around the world, finding new ways to bring art to the public. And I have to tell you, I like this view a lot more. Paul and I talk about that, Mick Jagger, being a control freak, hearing voices, and more: Playing on Paul’s car at Daves in 2013 Houston ArtCar Parade on Getty Images 349 of the craziest ArtCars! Across The Universe Auditory Hallucinations on Wikipedia NPR Podcast with Neurologist Oliver Sacks on Auditory Hallucinations Alcoholic Hallucinosis in the US National Library of Medicine Broca’s Area KiKi Maroon on Patreon KiKi Maroon on Twitter KiKi Maroon on Instagram Clown, Interrupted on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. FULL TRANSCRIPT: KiKi Maroon: Hi, welcome back! If you’ve ever been to or seen photos from Burning Man, you are familiar with art cars. They’re those crazy, mutant vehicles you see driving around, like mobile sculptures. There are so many kinds of art cars. Some people paint their cars, some people do mosaic tiling or sculpt around their cars, and one person welded two flamethrowers and a stripper pole on the roof of their car! Haha. That person is Paul McRae. I had spent more than one drunken night pole dancing on the roof of his car like I was in a goddamn White Snake video, so I was shockedto find out he’s been sober for more than 30 years. He is a staple in Houston’s art car scene and, in this episode, he educates me on how diverse that scene is.  My very narrow field of vision made me think that all art car events were just these mini drunken Burning Mans, but apparently, thatwas just me! Haha. Art car parades are family-friendly events all around the country and a lot of schools even use it as an art project for their kids. When he told me that I was like, “Wait, the schools make stripper cars?” Haha, no. It’s a legitimate art form and I was just dumb. It goes to show, you see what you want to see; and while I was a drunken mess, I wanted to see the art car scene as just crazy people looking for a reason to party. Now, I see that it’s crazy-talented artists from around the world finding new ways to bring art to the public. And I have to tell you, I like this view a whole lot more. So, Paul and I talked about that, Mick Jagger, being a control freak, and hearing voices. I hope you like it. Here’s me and Paul. [Theme song: “Last Call” provided by The Last Domino] Paul McRae: I had seen one or two “in the wild,” as I like to say. By the way, that’s my greatest contribution to the art cars- I created the term “art cars in the wild.” Haha.  KiKi Maroon: Haha! Okay, so just around in Houston?  Paul McRae: Yes. I used to come to Houston a lot and I saw The Boat Car; it’s still around somewhere. I saw this car driving down Highway 59 one day and I was like, “Holy shit, what is this?” And took a picture out of the window of the car. I also discovered somewhere along the line that there used to be a car park in Downtown Houston where they had art cars permanently parked there. You could drive up and just look at all of these cool cars. KiKi Maroon: 15 years ago?  Paul McRae: Yeah. KiKi Maroon: Really?! Okay.  Paul McRae: More than 15 years ago. KiKi Maroon: I know that it’s been aroundfor a long time but I didn’t know it was that prevalent in Houston that long ago.  Paul McRae: The Art Car Parade began in the ‘80s. They said there were more people in the parade than watching it. But then the next year, it caught on and there were thousands of people and then it has grown to what it is now.  KiKi Maroon: Yeah, now it’s an institution. Paul McRae: Yeah, it’s been big. KiKi Maroon: Okay, that’s a lot longer than I thought. I thought the ‘90s for some reason.  Paul McRae: Yeah. Well, this year was the 32nd year of the parade. I think it’s become a part of Houston’s identity, and I completely support that. I think it’s the best thing about Houston. KiKi Maroon: Yeah.  Paul McRae: You know, we don’t have the same kind of culture that maybe some other cities have.  KiKi Maroon: One of my favorite events of the year is the Art Car Ball. This is the first year I didn’t get to do it. I was already booked at a different show and I was so sad because I get to be a mermaid and splash around in the water. It’s my favorite because it’s at City Hall – we’re in the fountain in front of City Hall! Paul McRae: I know. Isn’t that awesome? KiKi Maroon: It’s amazing! I’m there, flapping my mermaid tail around in the middle of Downtown Houston and there’s art projected on the buildings and bands playing and I’m like, “This is a city-supported event and it’s so beautiful!” That’s how I first met you. I want to say it was our mutual friend Trisha who put us in contact at first because I was doing the radio shows at Outlaw Dave’s and she said that she knew a guy who had a car with a stripper pole on it with flamethrowers on either side and I was like, “Well, that sounds about right for Outlaw Dave’s!” Paul McRae: Well, I just assumed that when you went public with your sobriety on Facebook and then I posted that I, too, had been sober for a while, that you saw that and were like, “Wow, he’s a wild and crazy dude, and he’s sober!” Haha. KiKi Maroon: Exactly! Haha. That’s why I wanted to have you on because, one, I certainly didn’t know you were sober. And two, I’m like, “Wait, the guy with the stripper pole flamethrower car is sober? That’s amazing!”  Paul McRae: Haha yeah, that guy. KiKi Maroon: That guy. Haha! Because, the art car scene has a lot of overlap with the Burner scene, which is a super party scene. Paul McRae: And the skater scene. KiKi Maroon: Oh yeah? Really?  Paul McRae: Oh yeah.  KiKi Maroon: I didn’t know there was overlap with the skater scene.  Paul McRae: There’s lots of skaters in art cars. KiKi Maroon: I did not know that. Paul McRae: They’re known for their antics and parties. KiKi Maroon: Yeah, it’s a party scene for sure. So, when you posted that you were sober, I was surprised and I wanted to hear more about that. Paul McRae: Well, here’s what you need know about my particular scene, the art car scene- everybody is in the art car scene. You can’t pick an ideology and say, “This is what this is about,” because you’re going to find people on both sides of every topic that you bring up. You talk about drinking. There are plenty of hard partiers, and there are even some casualties. But there are a lot of sober people too. KiKi Maroon: Really? Paul McRae: Yeah. My initial impression before I was involved was that they were all a bunch of hippies. That’s not even close. KiKi Maroon: Yeah, I thought it was like a Burning Man spillover. Paul McRae: Yeah,and there’s a lot of that, but you know, if you assume that they’re all hippies or they’re all liberals, you’re going to be sadly mistaken. Some of the people that you wouldn’t expect, you’re like, “That guy is a Republican?” Hahaha! KiKi Maroon: Hahaha! “The guy with a mohawk driving in the bunny car?” Paul McRae: Exactly.  KiKi Maroon: Did you stop drinking before or after you joined the art car scene? Paul McRae: I stopped drinking way before. KiKi Maroon: Oh really? Okay, so you entered in sober? Paul McRae: Yeah, I’ve been sober the whole time.  KiKi Maroon: Oh, wow! Paul McRae: I mean, I quit drinking when I was 25 years-old. I grew up in the ‘70s and I came of legal age in 1980. Back then, it was way more permissive than it is now. Even today, with marijuana being legalized around the country, you still have people wagging their finger at you, telling you that it’s wrong. But it wasn’t like that. I mean, it was just everywhere and by everybody, it was accepted. I’m a huge music fan and all of my favorite music stars were into drugs, and I’m like, “Well, I want to be like those guys.” KiKi Maroon: Oh yeah. Exactly.  Paul McRae: So, you know, I started smoking marijuana when I was like 16 and I got drunk once or twice. But I didn’t really start drinking consistently until I turned 18, when I became able to buy it legally. Although, even back then I could buy it because when I was 16 years-old. I didn’t look 18; haha I barely looked 16, but I walked into a Kroger grocery store and bought a six-pack of Schlitz Malt Liquor and they didn’t ask for an ID.  KiKi Maroon: Hahaha. Yeah. Paul McRae: I went back to my friend’s house and I still remember

    44 min
  5. Dan Danzy - Comedy

    03/31/2020

    Dan Danzy - Comedy

    Welcome back! This episode’s guest is Dan Danzy. Dan is a standup based in Dallas, TX. I booked him to perform in my variety show, even though I knew nothing about him. He was recommended by another comic I knew, so I asked him to come do standup at my Burly Q Lounge show. While we were backstage waiting for Dan to go on, Confetti Eddie ( a magician who also lives in Dallas) says “hey Dan, congrats on that article!”  Apparently, The Dallas Observer came out with an article just ONE day before highlighting sober performers in Dallas! First off, I didn’t know Dan was sober when I booked him. Second, thank you universe! That article is like a rolodex of people for me to interview! Dan and I gush about the Outlaw comics, he teaches me about the different types of alcoholics, talk about the time he thought he killed someone, and then he explains Twitch to me.  I hope you like it!  • Dan Danzy on Twitter • Dan Danzy on Twitch • Dallas Observer article- Straight Edge: Performers Explain How They Stay Sober While Working the Nightlife Scene • American: The Bill Hicks Story • Robert Downey Jr. talks about addiction on Oprah 2004 • The 5 Types of Alcoholics  • Calculate how much you spend on alcohol • 1000 True Fans • KiKi Maroon on Patreon • KiKi Maroon on Twitter • KiKi Maroon on Instagram • Clown, Interrupted on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. Full Transcript: KiKi Maroon: Hi! Welcome back! I hope that you’re doing well. I have been super busy working on my circus shows. I’m putting together a proposal to build my biggest production yet. It’s been a little bit crazy, but it’s all really, really exciting! Today’s episode was a fun one. I’ve said in previous shows how Bill Hicks was super important to me; before I did comedy, before I did burlesque, in my early twenties, his “It’s Just a Ride” monologue changed my life. It helped me crawl out of a lifetime of depression. So now that I have a podcast about something that also changed my life – sobriety – he keeps coming up! It’s very weird. And it’s not me who keeps bringing him up! I promise! My guests just all somehow have a connection. This episode’s guest is Dan Danzy. Dan is a comedian based in Dallas, Texas. It’s funny, I actually booked him to perform in my variety show – sight unseen, knew nothing about him – but he was recommended by another comic I know and respect. I asked Dan to come out and do stand-up at my Burly Q Lounge show. We were backstage and Dan was about to go on when this magician, Confetti Eddie, says, “Oh hey Dan, congrats on the article.” Dan thanked him and went onstage, and then Eddie told me that an article came out in the Dallas Observer the day right before, highlighting sober performers in Dallas. I was like, “What?!” One- I didn’t know Dan was sober. Two- thank you, universe! Haha! This article is like a Rolodex of people for me to interview! I’m from Houston, so while I now produce a monthly show in Dallas, I don’t really know anybody there yet, so the timing of the article was perfect! I was like, “Here’s a list of my new best friends, whether they like it or not!” Haha. So when Dan was done performing – killing it, by the way – I told him about this podcast and we set this talk up. I had never met Dan, but he’s awesome! We have a bunch of mutual friends and I don’t believe in accidents, so I think that it’s kismet that he starts the whole thing off by talking about how important Bill Hicks was to him. I feel like one of those documentaries that starts off about one thing, but then turns into something else. Did any of y’all watch Tickled? It’s crazy! Feels kind of like that. Anyway, this podcast started as an exploration in sobriety and it’s accidentally become some sort of Bill-Hicks-appreciation-hour-circle-jerk, or something like that. Haha. It’s really weird. Dan and I talk about that, he teaches me about the different types of alcoholics, that one time that he thought he killed somebody, and explains Twitch to me. I hope you like it. Here’s my conversation with Dan Danzy. [Theme song: “Last Call” provided by The Last Domino] Dan Danzy: I was looking at who you had on the podcast. You’ve had Andy Huggins. You’ve had Sam Tripoli. I don’t know what I’m doing on-air. Just, thank you for having me.  KiKi Maroon: I love Andy! No, thank you for being here! Dan Danzy: I worshiped Andy Huggins and the rest of the Texas Outlaw Comics pretty much before I started comedy. I found Bill Hicks and just wanted to know everything about him. KiKi Maroon: Oh my god, really?! Dan Danzy: And then the Outlaws, and Andy discovering Bill Hicks, and then Andy doing comedy. And then I run into Andy on one occasion, just like, “That’s like one of my gods right there.” KiKi Maroon: Oh my god! Okay. So we have something very massive in common.  Dan Danzy: Yeah. KiKi Maroon: How did you find Bill Hicks? Dan Danzy: I was 13 years old. My brother is four years older than me – he was really into George Carlin. His girlfriend, who ended up being his first wife, introduced him to Bill Hicks. Then he introduced me to him. Before, I only used to like Paula Poundstone and Dana Gould and Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall. I mean, I didn’t like Jeff Foxworthy. KiKi Maroon: Yeah, yeah. But that’s what you knew about comedy.  Dan Danzy: Yeah, HBO stand-up. The Half Hour (now called Comedy Central Presents). Then I heard Bill Hicks and I was just like, “I like this guy,” He’s negative and he’s cynical, he’s anti my father. My dad is hardcore. We just had an argument on the phone. Haha.  KiKi Maroon: Oh yeah.Haha.Was he super conservative? Dan Danzy: Oh yeah, he heard that Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick just blamed video games for this whole mess and I was just like, “Oh, no, it’s something else.” But that’s what I loved about Bill Hicks. He was making this funny. And then I really liked how he could set up his jokes. You know, there’s a lot of Woody Allen, there’s a lot of old-school type of comedy in there… KiKi Maroon: Lot of layers. Dan Danzy: …mixed with, you know, social commentary. Totally ahead of his time. Haha. KiKi Maroon: Yeah.So, I stumbled upon his ending speech on Revelations.  Dan Danzy: “It’s just a ride.” KiKi Maroon: “It’s just a ride.” And it was just that part, so there were no jokes. It was just that. And it blew my f*****g mind. Dan Danzy: Because it’s a great message. KiKi Maroon: It was so powerful and was exactly what I needed to hear. I was at this point where I was like, “I don’t want to be depressed anymore.” That was exactly the message I needed to hear as I was packing shit up. I watched it over and over and over and I was like, “This guy’s amazing!” Dan Danzy: Yeah! Then you get into comedy and you hear all these stories. KiKi Maroon: It was so, so good. And here’s the thing: I didn’t even know he was from Houston! Dan Danzy: Really? KiKi Maroon: I was in Houston, figuring all this stuff out about my life and then there was a documentary that came out about him. I saw it on Facebook, maybe I got an invite or something that they were going to do a screening at a theater in Houston and I was like, “Well, that’s random to have a screening about Bill Hicks in Houston!” Dan Danzy: Is it that, oh gosh, the name escapes me…but it’s the movie where they took the pictures and they made it almost 3D? KiKi Maroon: Yes! Dan Danzy: AndAndy is in it.  KiKi Maroon: Andy is in it! So, I went to the movie and that’s when I was like, “Wait a minute. This m**********r is from Houston?!” Since that time, Andy has become a very important person to me. You know, he helped me when I decided I was going to quit drinking. I met him pre-sobriety. He was somebody who I reached out to and I talked to about a lot of stuff. He’s still very, very important to me. And so, it was bizarre to get that connection to somebody who, in the afterlife, is so important to me, my story, and finding happiness, honestly. Dan Danzy: Yeah. When I wanted to get sober, I just went back to Bill’s material and back to his stories in American Scream (Bill Hicks biography by Cynthia True) and love letters and routines, his books. I wanted to absorb everything. One of the things he did was he moved, and so I did that. KiKi Maroon: To get away from everything. Dan Danzy: My rock bottom was when I moved. And then I had my second DWI before 30 and I was just like, “Oh! Okay.” I didn’t even remember getting drunk. Well, I don’t remember getting drunk, but I remember passing out because it was at a party for the company I was working for. A ramen restaurant that had a pretty nice little setup, good pay and everything. The co-workers were great. I went to the Christmas party at a manager’s house, performed a little stand-up, and had everybody laughing. I remember laying down on the couch and when I woke up, I was in jail. But like, Austin County jail.  KiKi Maroon: Wow. Dan Danzy: It wasn’t my first DWI though. My first DWI was spent in a detox tank and I had my clothes on. This time, I woke up and I was wearing scrubs.  KiKi Maroon: Like, you were processed. Dan Danzy: Yeah, and I thought I had killed somebody.  KiKi Maroon: Oh my god! Dan Danzy: I sat there for four or five hours thinking, “Oh, I killed somebody. This is it. This is it right now.” And I just remember thinking, “If somehow this isn’t what I think it is, I’m really, really going to try this time just to stop.” KiKi Maroon: “I’m going to think about it this time.” H

    55 min
  6. Jef Rouner - Author

    01/29/2020

    Jef Rouner - Author

    I always describe this podcast as me talking to artists and performers “who live and work in party scenes”. This week, I talk to someone with a very different experience. Jef Rouner is an author and a journalist. We’ve known of each other for several years, but I did not know he was sober until he contacted me to write an article about this podcast for the Houston Chronicle. I might be biased, but I think it was the best headline ever written: “Stripping clown explores sobriety, one podcast at a time”. Yup. That’s me! Being an author isn’t typically associated with a party lifestyle, unless you’re Hunter S. Thompson (but that guy partied enough for everyone, ever). However, addiction is still an issue within that community. It is, as Jef called it, a creative isolationist culture. We discuss internet bullying, the science of dopamine, and fake love. I hope you enjoy it! If you’d like more info on some of the stuff we discuss, here are the links: Wickedly Abled: an anthology featuring Jef’s short stories Stripping clown explores sobriety one podcast at a time Jef’s interview with Art Alexakis of Everclear Horses and other bizarre “treatments” for addiction  Maternal Fetal Stress Transfer (cortisol and adrenal glands) This American Life #474 Back To School (cortisol and adrenaline production and its effects on children)  Hemingway’s interview Clown, Interrupted on Instagram KiKi Maroon on Instagram If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!” The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. Full Transcript: KiKi Maroon: Welcome back! I hope you’re all doing well. First off, thank you so much for your messages about the last episode. Bobby was so kind and wonderful. I’m glad that even the non-clowns out there related to what he had to say. I’m doing pretty good. Well, no, no, no. I’m not. So here’s something I didn’t factor into sober dating – drunk texts! It’s been so long since I sent one, I forgot they exist! I’ve said several times, I don’t need to date a sober person. It’d be nice so they understand, but it’s not a requirement. I get that most people are normal and can, somehow, control their intake. But I forgot about drunk texts! Y’all gotta quit that shit, man! I’m in a place where I mean what I say. So when I, theoretically, get a late-night text about how wonderful, and kind, and amazing I am. And “I’m falling so hard for you,” from a guy I’ve seen twice, my brain didn’t even register the possibility that this was a drunk text. I was like, “Oh damn. I thought we were just banging.” I spent all night trying to figure out how to reply, should I even reply, and how not to hurt anyone’s feelings, which then turned into, “Am I just running away from real connection? Maybe I should try to open up. He seems nice enough. Don’t fear being vulnerable. Be a grownup. Open your heart!” But the texts kept coming. And they got less and less sensical. Then I got a slurred phone call, and that’s when I realized, “This m**********r is drunk!” I am two hours into an existential crisis, journaling about my commitment issues and spiraling into anxiety, and he was just partying! Which is fine. Have fun. That’s great. But not at the expense of my sanity. He doesn’t even know this happened, mostly because I just stopped talking to him, like I do. I have a thing about cutting people out of my life. Maybe we’ll get into that. I don’t know. But my issues aside, nobody warned me about this. Texting is a major part of modern dating. So now every time I get a text from a guy – which is often, I’m dating a lot now. I’m very proud of that. A lot has changed from Season One! But now every time I get one, I have to look at what time it is, wonder if this is a peak bar hour, and question, “Is he opening up to me or is he just going to laugh this off tomorrow?” I don’t know.  Did y’all hear that? My stomach just growled. Huh. Maybe I’ll leave that in.  If any of y’all have experience with this, please message me. I don’t want to cut off 90% of the dating pool, but I also don’t know how to navigate this. I don’t have an end to this rant. I am just sharing an unexpected plot twist. I honestly should have asked today’s guest about this because he makes plot twists for a living. I always described this podcast as, “me talking to artists and performers who live and work in party scenes.” But for this week’s episode, I talked to someone who had a way different experience. Jef Rouner is an author and journalist. We’ve known each other for several years, but I didn’t know he was sober until he reached out to me to write an article about this podcast. It was really cool. I was the whole, full front page of the Houston Chronicle  (entertainment section). And I might be biased, but I think it was the best headline ever written – “Stripping Clown Explores Sobriety, One Podcast at a Time.” Yep, that’s me! While being an author isn’t typically associated with the rockstar lifestyle, unless you’re Hunter S. Thompson, who partied enough for everyone ever. Addiction is still an issue within the community because it is, as Jef called it, “a creative isolationist culture.” We discuss internet bullying, the science of dopamine, and fake love, which I could do a whole separate episode on and probably will. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s me and Jef. KiKi Maroon: This is usually the part where I tell my story to people so they understand this podcast is super casual and I explain what my thing is, but you know what my thing is. So this is a little bit different. Jef Rouner: I know way more about you now than you probably know about me. KiKi Maroon: Haha, yeah! Jef Rouner: Stripping clown, flipped your truck, and now you’re wandering around through Houston, finding all the sober weirdos that you can to try to build something out of that. And I applaud you for it. I recommended you so much in group therapy. KiKi Maroon: Really?! Oh, thank you! Jef Rouner: And I had a lot of people that came up to me like, “Wow, she was really interesting!” as if you being boring was the thing that was going to come up! KiKi Maroon: Hahaha! I mean, I get it. Because honestly, that’s why I started the podcast. I was looking at different recovery stuff and a lot of what I personally found was really slow, sad, and kindof boring. And it’s like, “Wow, y’all have a kind of made quitting sound like the worst.” Jef Rouner: I come from a completely different thing, because my mom went through programs. I think about five years ago is when she went through it.  KiKi Maroon: Oh, okay. Jef Rouner: I’m from East Houston, so everybody in her A.A. group is insane. As one of them puts it, “They put the ‘hot’ in ‘psychotic.’”  KiKi Maroon: Hahaha, oh God. Jef Rouner: So she’ll come in like, “Oh God, I had this really weird meeting.” “Okay, what happened?” She’s like, “Well, there’s this one-armed dwarf and former pimp who had some things going down,” and I’m like, “Yeah, that sounds like the definition of ‘things going down.’” KiKi Maroon: Ohh yeah. I once had a threesome with a one-armed girl. Jef Rouner: Oh okay. But not a dwarf? KiKi Maroon: No, not a dwarf. They got me by one. One characteristic away. Jef Rouner: It’s important to have goals, KiKi. Now you have something to aim for. KiKi Maroon: Thank you for suggesting the podcast. I keep saying that I’m going to make little cards and leave them at recovery centers. I just haven’t got around to it. Jef Rouner: I think it would be helpful. It’s one of the things I really love about you, and also other people – like Art Alexakis from the band Everclear, who I’ve interviewed.  KiKi Maroon: That’s awesome! Jef Rouner: He’s 30 years sober – this month, I think. KiKi Maroon: God, that’s so cool.  Jef Rouner: So him, Eliza Dushku, people like that, you really start to find out that a lot of the cool people in the world are making an effort to not drink and to not use. KiKi Maroon: Absolutely. Jef Rouner: But they’re very quiet about it because they don’t want to make people who are still doing things feel bad. KiKi Maroon: Exactly, or be perceived as judgy. Jef Rouner: Or perceived as judgy. So that’s what I like about you, is that… it’s not that you’re making sobriety “cool”… KiKi Maroon: Definitely not doing that! Jef Rouner: But you’re shining a light on people. And I think it’s really good. KiKi Maroon: Oh, thank you! I’m wanting to normalize it. Because when I wanted to quit drinking, I didn’t know anybody who didn’t drink. And I certainly didn’t know random celebrities and rock stars and all that stuff. My understanding was, “Of course everybody blacks out every day.” That’s just what you do. And if you’re cool, even more so. That was really interesting to me as I started to meet more people and started to read articles. I was like, “Oh, there are a lot of amazing, talented, smart, f*****g cool-as-shit people who don’t drink.” It then became like, “Oh, duh,” because if you tend to have a lifestyle, perhaps, that is very interesting and crazy, you reach max capacity at some point. So yeah, I want to talk to people and make it okay and normal, and not weird that you don’t drink. Jef Rouner: And one of the things I like about your show is you focus so much on the… you go out to a lot of places that are party atmospheres, you know. You’ve got the burlesque thing. You’ve got the comedy thing. I’m a writer, I’m home by myself. KiKi Maroon: Okay. But it’s still a thing, isn’t it? Like the whole, “Write drunk

    1h 9m
  7. Bobby Barnaby - Circus/Burlesque

    01/22/2020

    Bobby Barnaby - Circus/Burlesque

    Welcome to Season 2 of Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon! It’s been a while. Thank you so much for your emails, messages, worries, and concerns. I want to start off by catching you up on why it’s taken so long to get these episodes out to you.  First off- No, I did not relapse. That was the number one question I was sent. I appreciate your concern. After my cancer scare and surgery in Episode 6, things got a little dark. But I am doing great now, both physically and mentally. Nothing has grown back, and the doctors said I don’t have to follow up until this fall. I originally wanted this podcast to be weekly, but I had to change it to “seasons”. There’s a lot of travel involved in finding artists who are comfortable sharing their stories. That, plus the post production work, makes this a time consuming project. I love getting to connect with these people and I extra love getting to connect with the listeners who write to tell me that something resonated with them. So, I will 100% continue this show, I’m just not going to be able to make it weekly until I have more resources.  But while 2019 was a hard year, it was also a great year! My comedy burlesque show- KiKi Maroon’s Burly Q Lounge was picked up by Live Nation and is now a monthly, multi-city production! I also gave my first TEDx Talk called “The Beauty of Rock Bottom”. The video’s not released yet, but I’ll put it on the website once it is.  My first guest of the season is a professional clown. Bobby Barnaby is the head of Fou Fou Ha Austin. Fou Fou Ha is a nationwide brand of clown tricksters. They’re a glorious mix of clown meets drag, coated in showgirl; beautiful, whimsical, and so entertaining. Fou Fou Ha started in San Francisco 19 years ago and has since expanded to New York, Portland, and Austin.  On top of being a professional drag clown, Bobby is also an award winning, international burlesque performer. We talk about the art of clowning, escapism, sober drag queens, and the time he was almost eaten by a python. Seriously.  If you’d like more info on some of the stuff we discuss, here are the links: Bobby Barnaby’s website Fou Fou Ha Bimbos 365 Club Burlesque performer: Dirty Martini Burlesque performer: Catherine d’Lish Find the next 20 meetings near you with the Meeting Guide App Play the tape forward Burlesque Hall of Fame  The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom Clown, Interrupted on Instagram KiKi Maroon’s Burly Q Lounge If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!”  The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE. FULL TRANSCRIPT KiKi Maroon: Hello! Welcome to Season Two of Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon. That’s me! It’s been a little while. Thank you so, so much for your emails, messages, worries, and concerns. I do want to start off by catching y’all up about why it’s taken so long to get these episodes to you. First off – no, I did not relapse, and my health is fine. That was the number one concern and I totally get it. After my cancer scare and surgery back in Episode Six, things got a little dark. But I promise I am A-okay now. Nothing has grown back, and the doctor said I don’t even have to check back in until this fall. Everything’s great! So why did it take so long?  Well, originally, I wanted this podcast to be weekly, but I had to change it to seasons. There’s a lot of travel involved with finding artists who are comfortable sharing their stories. That, plus the post-production work, makes this a very time-consuming project. But I love it! I love getting to connect with these people. And I love getting to connect with the listeners who write to tell me that something that we talked about resonated with them. So, I will 100% continue the show. I’m just not going to be able to make it weekly until I have more resources – and by resources, I mean money! Mine was drastically drained after all the medical stuff that we talked about in Episode Six. So, I spent most of 2019 working four or five jobs. While it was a busy and hard year, it was also a great year!   My comedy/burlesque show, “KiKi Maroon’s Burly Q Lounge,” was picked up by Live Nation, so now, it’s a monthly multi-city production! And I even gave my first TEDx talk! It’s called The Beauty of Rock Bottom – you can guess why! The video is not released yet, but I’ll put it on the website once it is. Also, I started a separate Instagram for this podcast [@ClownPod]. There’s a lot of sobriety stuff that I always want to share, but I kind of feel weird. I have to balance it and not post too many sobriety-based things so I don’t ostracize my normal, functioning adult audience – the people that follow me from the burlesque shows, my stand-up comedy, or modeling. But, I still want to share that stuff, so should you be interested in passages from books I’m currently reading, cheesy motivational stuff, inappropriate memes about hitting rock bottom, and maybe even Instagram Stories of me being the only sober person at random parties – which happens often – then join me on Instagram @ClownPod, that’s Clown P-O-D. One word, no dashes.  Speaking of clowns, my first guest of the season is a professional clown! Bobby Barnaby is the head of Fou Fou Ha! Austin. Fou Fou Ha! is a nationwide brand of clown tricksters! They’re a glorious mix of  clown-meets-drag, coated in showgirl. Fou Fou Ha! started in San Francisco 19 years ago by Mama Fou. Years later, one of their senior clowns moved to New York and started a branch there called Fou-York. I love that! Another moved to Portland and started a group there. And last year, Bobby moved to Texas and started Fou Fou Ha! Austin. On top of being a professional clown, Bobby is also an award-winning international burlesque performer. We talk about the art of clowning, escapism, sober drag queens, and the time he was almost eaten by a python… seriously. I hope you like it. Here’s me and Bobby Barnaby.  [Theme song: “Last Call” provided by The Last Domino] KiKi Maroon: I’m looking at a costume right now. It’s crystals and lace and everything. A very showgirl version of a clown. Bobby Barnaby: Oh yes. We believe- the higher the hair, the closer to clown. KiKi Maroon: Hahaha!Oh my god, please tell me you’re going to put that on a shirt?!  Bobby Barnaby: Oh yeah, of course! KiKi Maroon: Please do that.  Bobby Barnaby: We’ve got a new slogan that we’re going to put on some shirts too called, “The bevel made me do it.” KiKi Maroon: Ohhh my god! Oh my god, I love this. I wish I was in Austin so I could join y’all. I love this so, so much. How many are in the Austin group now?  Bobby Barnaby: Oh, wow. We just actually had an audition and brought on a few more. Roundabout 14.  KiKi Maroon: Wow, okay, and you just started it? The Austin part of it. Bobby Barnaby: A year ago. KiKi Maroon: That’s what I thought.  Bobby Barnaby: Everyone in Austin is so busy. There are so many projects going on and the way Fou is, it’s not super demanding. You don’t have to be there all the time; this isn’t your one life goal. We know that you’re artists and that you’re going to have a lot of things going on. So,  I have to have 14 to be able to get 6 at a time. Haha. KiKi Maroon: Got it. That makes sense. Yeah. Bobby Barnaby: Same with Fou Fou Ha! San Francisco. With almost 20 years of history, there are lots of people that come in or out of the troupe, so it’s a “whoever is there is who is getting the gigs” type of a thing.  KiKi Maroon: Got it. Bobby Barnaby: And we’re just a big family. It’s more about love and creating art together than rigorous rules and you know, that kind of stuff. KiKi Maroon: Yeah. Well, okay. So, with that many of them though… I ask because you have some of the costumes here – are you doing all these costumes? Or do other people do the costumes with you? Bobby Barnaby: No, I do not do them all. I do my own.  KiKi Maroon: Okay, good! I was like, “Don’t do this to yourself!” Haha. Bobby Barnaby: Haha. No, no, no, no. I don’t have that much time. Wrangling 12-13 clowns is enough work. It’s like herding cats into a can of worms, I’d say.  KiKi Maroon: Yeah, I’m sure!  Bobby Barnaby: But our rule is, “You can’t do a gig until you make your own wig.” So, they have to make their own wig and their own costume. I am definitely there to help. We have crafting days on Sundays. KiKi Maroon: That sounds self-filtering, because I’m sure a lot of people… we have the showgirls in my show, people say, “Oh my god, I want to be a showgirl!” But I’m like, “Okay, so we do this and this and this…” “That sounds very hard.” And I’m like, “Well, if that sounds hard to you, then you’re not going to be able to do the actual work!” Bobby Barnaby: Exactly. I hired a lot of people knowing that some will not make it through the gauntlet of clown.  KiKi Maroon: Yeah.  Bobby Barnaby: It just happens. People will fall off and that’s fine, we still love them and they’re still in the Fou family. But the diehard ones, you don’t know until you find out who’s willing to put in the work. Those are the people that are doing the gigs, doing the festivals, and things like that. KiKi Maroon: The ones who stick around.Yeah, that’s awesome! You’re doing an open mic in Austin too? Bobby Barnaby: Actually, yes. In January, we started a show called “The F Show.” It’s Fire, Fun, and Follies on the First Friday of the month.  KiKi Maroon: Shut up! Oh god! I love that. Bobby Barnaby: That’s right! Moving to Austin about a year and a half ago, I noticed that most of the shows here – most of the burlesq

    1h 20m
  8. Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon Season 2 Teaser

    01/15/2020

    Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon Season 2 Teaser

    It’s Season 2 of Clown, Interrupted with KiKi Maroon. That’s me!  If you missed Season 1, here’s the recap: I was an alcoholic stripping clown, lost everything, found sobriety, but still didn’t understand simple concepts like feelings or friendship. So I started this podcast to ask artists, comedians, musicians, and other party people- who don’t drink-, “Hey, what’s your deal? How do you do this?” And they’ve helped me. Like, a lot. The press release says “this is a recovery podcast featuring in-debt interviews with sober artists”. But really, I’m just trying to make friends and understand what’s going on in my brain. After a 15 year blackout, I’m just trying to learn how to be a person Hi, my name’s KiKi Maroon. And I’m a Clown, Interrupted. If you like the podcast, please consider signing up to my Patreon. Your donation helps with the operating cost and is the easiest way to say, “thanks for making this!” The Clown, Interrupted theme song is graciously provided by The Last Domino. You can listen to or purchase the full song HERE.

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How do you go from being an alcoholic stripping clown to running a multi-media burlesque circus empire? Well..that’s a long story.

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