#298 Comedian Rhonda Hansome Unplugged: A Life in Laughter

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get this show going each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to Episode 298 of classic conversations. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for what's sure to be another hilariously laugh filled episode with my guests comedian. Rhonda Hansome, and that's coming up in just a few seconds. And in these few seconds Monique Ramon was here crunch crunch crunch crunch. That was me but Monique talks about how she is the actual master of Foley artistry. That is a amazing conversation. Do not miss that. But right now do not miss my conversation with comedian director actress Rhonda Hansome we're talking the Muppets. Rhonda was on the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Rhonda had a role in Pretty Woman and share some great stories working with Gary Marshall and Julia Roberts. We're talking Joan Rivers. We're talking to Anita Baker. We're talking legend after legend. So many stories coming up right now. All right, everyone. I'm excited to introduce my next guest actor, director, comedian. Welcome to the show. Rhonda Hanson. Yeah.

Rhonda Hansome 1:48

I'm delighted to be here. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:52

Ah, so good to have you here. Let's see. The first thing that caught my eye the Nina Simone of comedy.

Rhonda Hansome 1:59

Yes, that's me. That is me.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:04

break that down for me. Well,

Rhonda Hansome 2:06

one of my earliest hashtag was a quote from my mother. Rhonda Hansome is one funny Negro dot dot dot rondos. Mother, that was great for me in the beginning of comedy. And as my humor and justice turned a lot more towards politics. That hashtag did not make me feel that it was justified or working for me. But understanding first the talent of Nina Simone and her commitment to liberation and clarity around the plight of black people in America made me feel like oh, okay, I have found a new hashtag. But Nina Simone of comedy, she was fierce in her beliefs. And I will say that I am as strong as she is. But I find her a constant inspiration for expressing myself through my creativity.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:05

She was a powerhouse singer, songwriter, civil rights activist. And I just like classical folk gossip, r&b Pop everything. Yes.

Rhonda Hansome 3:14

Our house. Absolutely.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:16

So that's cool. Sometimes the subtleties of things that just are right there in front of us on our websites and stuff. You know, they speak louder. So it's like, wanted to ask Rhonda, how do you get into comedy? Did you? Were you always funny?

Rhonda Hansome 3:32

Oh, my gosh, that's such a great question. First, I was always funny, you know, even as a kid, I felt a little bit out of like a fish out of water. Because growing up in the previous century, being a woman of a certain nature grew up in the previous century, in predominantly white bases. It was always, I always felt kind of funny, or wherever I was, you know, starting in kindergarten, as I was growing, I felt like my take on so many things that were going on around me was just kind of unusual, unique and frequently funny. And I remember very early on as a teenager starting to do song parity. And, you know, I just sort of felt an attraction towards performing even though when I was in college, major was sociology. But at the last minute, I switched my major and my minor I switched to make my major performing arts so that I really felt like oh, I'm this creative type. I might not be sitting in the library or doing sociological tests or comparisons and, and writing essays, but I sure would love to act and express myself that way. And I started acting and it was very challenging, very challenging to get roles. I always say that I had a choice of, of playing you either a maid or a hooker, and I didn't mind because I always said the same thing I'm common. The way life was for me until I saw an ad in Backstage magazine, backstage newspaper about the Muppets looking for puppet tears. So I moved to audition and once accepted and was taught puppetry by Frank Oz and Jim Henson. And actually, that was how I ended up on Saturday Night Live performing with them on the very first show as a marketeer. That was short lived for me as was the whole segment of the Muppets on that show of Saturday Night Live. But I went on to tour with Pickwick puppets, and to teach puppetry and do puppetry. And I found in the puppetry, I love everything that had to do with you work and great into improv somehow, with the First Amendment improv company. We audition for a famous cabaret here in New York City, the duplex and the director said that I was hogging the stage during the audition when I thought I was just filling the void, so to speak, and I thought, well, maybe I need to be on my own doing stand up comedy, and that's when I started to stand up. Okay,

Jeff Dwoskin 6:23

that's a lot. Let me Yeah. That's no, this is great, though. But I so let's keep this gloss over. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Jim Henson and Frank eyes taught me MOBAs then I did improv. Now. I think we got to, I need to expand on the Muppets. So you were so I mean, it's an interesting thing to learn comedy through the Muppets, because it was on Saturday live. So it was definitely meant to be comedy of the land of Gorch. You were Bob's

Rhonda Hansome 6:55

boss. Yes. Yes. Just celery made, made again.

Jeff Dwoskin 7:01

Talk to me about like just learning. Puppeteer Ng, I guess from

Rhonda Hansome 7:07

it was fun. It was very creative. And it was kind of excruciating. And the thing about it was it was like a reality show before reality shows this is how long ago it was because we were all in a workshop, the puppets. I put in the backstage magazine that they were looking for actors to train to be puppeteers. But every week that we came in, someone was missing, someone had been eliminated. And it was really, it was quite nerve wracking to never know who, you know, when the Axe was gonna fall, we were basically being trained to be inside a huge puppet to work on big stages for something at Madison Square Garden. And then suddenly, they came in and said, We're, we're going to stop this and you're going to be working from your elbow to the tip of your fingers. And we started working with a monitor in preparation for the Muppet segment on Saturday Night Live. And that's how it happened. I thought I would be doing something more in the physical in the frame of moment shots, which I always loved. And I ended up being just the opposite. But it was an incredibly exciting time. I you know, you cannot be going on the first live show in decades. Without being excited and, and being in that whole atmosphere at Rockefeller Center, and being with the premiere people in puppetry, so it was very exciting and a little disappointing them I only had the opportunity to perform once before predrill came in to do a couple of segments and then, but they started eliminating the Muppets entirely until it was only bread interacting with the guesthouse.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:55

Got it. So this first land of Gorch it wasn't like a pre taped segment that they played. You were there. It

Rhonda Hansome 9:02

was live and kind of frightening. on live TV like that, I remember during dress rehearsal that one of the actresses said Lauren, what do we do if we make a mistake? And you just you just keep going? Well, it was quite an exciting time. And then it led me to be the secretary of the puppetry guild of Greater New York for I think, one or two years.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:32

I have a couple other questions about sorry, I live so you're there live first episode, right so that George Carlin house had that episode? Yeah. Were you at the after party with Ackroyd? Belushi, Gilda, Jane. Well,

Rhonda Hansome 9:47

I have a please felt simpatico with the black cast member Garrett on there, because he actually came from the same background that I did theater He was quite popular in black theater and going to the app to party with a bunch of people who really firstly you may or may not be aware of but they did not like the fact that some puppets were even on there. They really did not like it at all. I got the after party I did not get a chance to indulge with the the drugs of the time with the chapel and I was essentially a fly on the wall at the after party, you know, just trying to take take it all in. Okay,

Jeff Dwoskin 10:33

so you're just hanging out with Garrett Morris and I and is watching. Yeah, I was gonna say like, I'm sure the amount of drugs that it's rumored back in those days, they probably got over the whole Muppet thing pretty quick into that party. But that's Alecia Rhonda, that's a legendary first after party, the first episode. I mean, that's like a newer there. That's, it

Rhonda Hansome 10:52

was awesome. It was really awesome. I'm glad I had that opportunity.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:57

Okay, so So Fran brill, they get to replace you who later went on to be Zoe, if anyone, anybody who was a big deal of it later on Sesame Street, think almost friends, something like that. Why did Fran take your place? Why didn't

Rhonda Hansome 11:12

I don't know. It was very odd. And it was very strange getting getting fired from a job on one time, but you know, how many people can say they were fired? My Jim Anthony? Yeah. I'm in that elite group.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:30

I think that's awesome. Yeah, yeah. You can also say, Oh, I made it to the first episode of saying alive Billy Crystal didn't.

Rhonda Hansome 11:37

Oh, I always do like, I love when I tell people that I was on that that first episode. And then I watched them doing the map and their, their heads. Full always fun to see their eyes roll.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:54

That's pretty cool. And then what does the Secretary of the puppetry guild do? I

Rhonda Hansome 12:00

took notes. I pulled no strings, but I did take notes.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:04

Oh, no. Okay, so that's, that's pretty. That's really cool. All right. So then improv and stand up? Where does the acting kind of fall in? Did you?

Rhonda Hansome 12:15

Well, the acting came from being at Brooklyn College and the performing arts school there, I was there when they first started their performing arts school. And again, I'm going back to the previous century for your, for your audience who, who may not know that I am a black entertainer of black artists. At that time at Brooklyn College, the only black professor on faculty was on sabbatical. So I missed out on having the attention of a black professor in my department. So it was actually catches catch can in the department for me as a firing the actual person. I studied and learned as much as I could in that particular situation. But I always had this conflict because at that time, there was a lot of urban filming going on. So that there were people who had been, as I had mentioned, I was part of the black theatre scene, or now actually, in movies that were being shot right on the street. And, and I was in this ivory tower writing essays on Inigo Jones and French Theatre in Kings were presenting and it felt very strange and not really meet at all. However, many times the chariot went across the stage four, you know, representing, you know, a key didn't really hit me that in the heart didn't hit me.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:45

Oh, again, were you a maid, or Hooker and pretty woman.

Rhonda Hansome 13:50

Oh, my God. And it's, this is another one of those. This was the first night of shooting. It was actually the first night of shooting and I am just such an odd duck. I'm in the makeup chair, getting you know, my makeup done. And I did not realize that how much the director just worked from improv. And that was before I had by Rob experience. And so I said to the woman, you know, who was dressed than hooker outfit next to me. I said, Do you know your lines? And she goes, yeah, yeah, I think I got up. And so when I went out to shoot, this is the first night on on Sunset Boulevard or Hollywood Boulevard, where we were sued, and he just says, Lay like a booker and I did it. And then later on, when the movie came out, I realized person who was the makeup room with me was Julia Roberts and yet she, she didn't know her like, I just had to make mine up as I went along. Playing Bermuda in Pretty Woman.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:53

Is it funny to think about like, in hindsight, right, like now, to say, oh, yeah, Sitting next to Julia Roberts and I had no idea who she was

Rhonda Hansome 15:02

just finished Mystic Pizza. I think that was the only thing she had really been in up until that point. Yeah, I'm

Jeff Dwoskin 15:09

saying you were there. You were there at the beginning before this is what really kind of blew her off? Yeah, you were probably you're probably one of those you got fired by Jim Henson. And, and, and you had the distinction of sitting next to Julie Roberts and not knowing who the hell she was?

Rhonda Hansome 15:25

Absolutely, absolutely. I'm at odd duck.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:30

So what was it like engaging with or like working with Gary Marshall as well.

Rhonda Hansome 15:34

He's really extraordinary. And I think I did one or two other shows. He had some comedy shows on TV that I did. It was extraordinary. And I think frequently artists are lucky and things can be put to timing. You know, it was after I had worked with him on the film that I went into improv and became quite at home with it. But if you have never done improv, or if you've never actually worked on a movie, you know, it can be a little intimidating. And for me, it was always a little strange, because I will be playing a hooker or and I remember one time, this is like, as I said, in the previous century, on Castle Rock, I think I had gone to audition for something. And they wanted me to play transgender. And I didn't know if they thought transgender was not even a word at that time. They wanted me to play like I was mad. And I thought we'll do a really think of it. As you know, we know what's going on here. It's fascinating. The way timing and time changes your perspective. Now I'm quite at home. With improvisation, I find it kind of exciting and fun. And also part of my work at a laboratory at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. I was in someone's play someone's presentation and I played a transgender, you know, with no problem at all. It's time and timing and experience. Wow.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:11

So all right. So I So Gary Marshall.

Rhonda Hansome 17:17

I got a lot going on here.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:20

It's awesome. So did you was Hank his area, because he was in that movie. He was in those early scenes, too. He was like the Beat Cop as I was rewatching some of the beginning of it.

Rhonda Hansome 17:31

I was on my street, putting my head into the car windows asking guys if they wanted to date on.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:39

All right. So you do improv? How long were you doing improv before? They were like you're you're taking up too much space.

Rhonda Hansome 17:45

She said I was hogging the stage. I did it for about two years or so there was a great theater here in New York City that only did comedies called the Manhattan punch line and being there and being around other people. They had a group called the Broadway local, and I was part of the First Amendment improv company. But I started being around people who did improv and then I started doing it myself and I loved it. Then I thought, well, maybe I can do this on my own and never look back.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:18

Of course you loved it, you're hogging the stage taking.

Rhonda Hansome 18:23

And then a little bit about me.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:27

So talk to me about kind of in May making that transition to stand up comedian and sort of navigating your rise to fame there in terms of work in the clubs. Evening at the Improv,

Rhonda Hansome 18:40

I would tell anyone who is going into it in the previous century, you should know somebody in the industry and in any anything you're going into an else to know someone I knew no one who was doing stand up coming in. I was coming from this artistic background in black theater. I didn't really understand protocol. I auditioned like a lot of people, you know, picking a number. I was very excited when I got past that catching rising star by Bill ship, and Adrian tolls. And then eventually I passed at the Improv, Silva Friedman passed me at the Improv, and it became hanging out. I understood what's needed, you hung out and you waited for someone not to show up for this spot, so that you could go on, or go on, say, at one or two o'clock in the morning that that was one of the things at that time, the clubs actually stayed open until the customers left so you could actually be on stage at one or two in the morning. It was arduous. It was arduous especially since I had a trial. And much of what I felt I was supposed to do was hang out and network and the hardest thing was finding out who book shows the local shows where you could actually make some Have money outside of the showcase clubs like the, the improv and catch a rising star. And it took a lot of time. And it was a little, you know, misogynistic. I did not play cards. I mean, there were like regular card games at the comic strip, and there was a softball team at the Improv, I wasn't athletic. So, you know, I sort of missed out on networking in those two those situations, but I did the best I could. And some people, you know, would, you know, say, oh, cool, this person called that person. And suddenly, I ended up with a manager. And I said, Yeah, I want a manager whose last client killed himself. And that's actually what boy ever had. They show this who had had been with the young comic, Chico and the Man, that's the artists that he had. And it was very sad. I and but this guy saw me and we started working together. Dave Jonas saw me and put me in the Catskills in Atlantic City, and into what was just the best experience of my career, one of the best, a two and a half year tour opening for Anita Baker.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:11

Oh, wow. Yeah. Sorry to interrupt, had to take a quick break. I do want to thank everyone for this for the sponsors. When you support the sponsors. You're supporting us here at Classic conversations. And that's how we keep the lights on. And now back to my conversation with Rhonda Hansome. So when you were hanging out at the clubs, were there when you were coming up? Who else was coming up? Who was

Rhonda Hansome 21:33

the GA? It was not about who was coming up? It was who was big. I mean, there was Richard Belzer. David Brenner, Robin Williams, as well. When you say who was coming up, it was this. This really young kid, Chris Rock was coming up. For me. It was just extraordinary to be hanging out in the back and you know, to see this stream of, you know, comedic talent, giving masterclasses every single night in the art of stand up comedy. That's awesome. Yeah. And also, you know, some even some of the musicians at that time to catch a rising star. Rick Newman was managing Pat Benatar. So sometimes they were, you know, musicians coming in, as well as headlining comics opening

Jeff Dwoskin 22:22

for a Anita Baker for two and a half years. Unbelievable.

Rhonda Hansome 22:26

Absolutely. Unbelievable. First class, I loved it. I really wish I had representation now because she has all of that stuff going on with baby face, I really would like to just hop right in there and, and beat her opening, acting, you know, no pressure, no, no problem. I did outdoor than us. amphitheaters in the spring and summer. And then we did the big indoor venues like the Radio City musical of every state that we went to. So it was just incredible. And I love being on those big stages. It was different from being in the club with a couple of tables, or even a full audience at the club. And then being someplace like radio city where 1000s of people are laughing at you. I love to I loved it. When you

Jeff Dwoskin 23:19

say different than the clubs like my first thought my question is, you're performing in front of all these folks. And clearly, it went amazing because you loved it so much. So as a comic, I know. If they weren't laughing you you wouldn't have as great. Is it harder because they're there to see a Anita Baker, a singer and then Okay, before that Eric comes comedian. Rhonda Hansome is that I mean, I know it's a thing, comedians opening for musicians. But is it? Is it harder to like, not

Rhonda Hansome 23:52

for me because I only had to do sometimes 15 minutes or 10 minutes, whatever they asked me to do. And the show did not rely on me. And also, I was on wild people frequently, not all the time while people were still coming in. There was no pressure on me. All I had to do was go out there and have fun. The worst time was when I need a I need a Stryver took her to the wrong thing. Date. Yeah. We were performing in North Carolina and she was in South Carolina and they put me up 45 minutes late in an non air conditioned gymnasium because we had to wait for her to get to the correct venue. And when I got out there people started chanting you're not a Nina you're not a Nina. Nina. I think I had this associative experience at that time. I got through my my jokes. I saw them one of the stagehands let me know okay, she's backstage and they helped me off and I don't even think I could see for the next couple of minutes. I was, you know, it was really quite fascinating experience, you know, when an artist is late for their show, and it was not the most comfortable of venues and then then they throw up this unknown comic. And that was that was the only time I had any issue with it. But otherwise, it was just so much fun to know. All I had to do was do my 1015 20 whatever they wanted and then relax and watch this. songbird do her thing. The diva do her thing,

Jeff Dwoskin 25:32

I guess tangent question. So two and a half years of the Anita Baker saw how many times then did you see Anita Baker perform? I'm guessing like a bazillion

Rhonda Hansome 25:41

of the zillion but I love I love them. I love opening for the point of sisters. I mean, every time I finished I would stand in the wings and dance. I mean, I opened for Aretha Franklin, how could I not stay back there and watch the Queen of Soul when you are with these majestic? These iconic people. You can't help yourself but try to absorb what they're about. So

Jeff Dwoskin 26:04

you open for like Diana Ross. Right. James Brown as powerhouses. Absolutely.

Rhonda Hansome 26:09

And I just feel so blessed to have had these experiences.

Jeff Dwoskin 26:15

So amazing. It's so great. So who is the biggest diva Diana Ross big diva. She's always portrayed. Yeah,

Rhonda Hansome 26:22

yes, she was. But James Brown was a bit of a fatigue. I remember I was told do not even walk past his dressing room on my way to the stage I'm going. I don't I'm not going to be trying to talk to him when I'm on my way to, you know, to open the show. I also understand that when you are in that position, and you are responsible for the livelihood of scores of people, if not more, you'll learn to protect yourself in certain ways. And some people were more accessible than others. I don't want to give being a diva a bit of a derogatory aspect because most of them have earned

Jeff Dwoskin 27:03

no I imagined in a fun way, but I get well how were they like after the show to hang out? I get 100% before a show. You're in the zone. You can't start chatting about something. I mean, you gotta like folk and you as a comedian, you know that too. Like, you got to get the game you got to get in the games. I got that before show. Do it. How are they like after the show? Or like, yeah, stuff like that. I

Rhonda Hansome 27:25

remember having a great Christmas party with the Anita Baker crew. The point is sisters gave me beautiful gifts. Lovely jewelry box. I mean, I was late to Westbury music fair to open for Tony Orlando. And once the stagehands the backstage people actually let me in, Tony went out and introduced me to the crowd. I mean, that was like, unbelievable. I was like, for some reason I decided to buy a car and drive to us very on this.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:02

I thought ever Oh, you've said I assumed you had just gotten a Anita Baker's driver.

Rhonda Hansome 28:09

I was driving myself. And I didn't take into account the Long Island Expressway and trying to get to Westbury. But once I finally got in, he was so generous. He didn't even have to do that. He could have said No, she's not going on. Or he could have said Okay, put her on. But he went out and told the audience, this young comedian, she just had a little trouble on the road as she's very funny. I want you to give a warm welcome to Rhonda Hansome and I will never forget that. So I have again, I always say I have been blessed with some of the most wonderful experiences.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:45

Sounds like a Do you have photos with all these people?

Rhonda Hansome 28:49

You know what, this is the thing coming up, as again in the previous century, there was no Instagram, there was no Facebook selfies, were not a thing. You know, I'm lucky that I actually have a picture of me with a Chubby Checker, I opened for him. And I have, you know, one shot with a needle. You know, the thing is our lives now as at least a level of some artists, some entertainers revolves around social media. And that was not a thing. You know, at the time, it was all about getting the work and doing it. And now it's all about if this little picture sits in, it

Jeff Dwoskin 29:33

makes the OG artists that much more impressive that they didn't have that, oh, they went viral. So now they're famous, you know, they, they all earned it.

Rhonda Hansome 29:42

That's really very interesting what you bring up about that because I don't know how you feel about it. And I would like to know how you feel about it. There are some people who actually have gone viral on the internet, and when presented with the live audience have not been able to really We deal with the situation. Do you have any thoughts on that? Yeah, sure.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:04

I do. I haven't had one, right. Yeah. I think there's two categories, right? There's a Justin Bieber getting discovered. And he's, he actually can he blossoms into an actual talent, right? Okay, so there's that. But then there's folks that just do something that happens to be funny because it was pre recorded, or it was just a moment goes viral. And then the club's think, Oh, this is how it translates. Now we bring people in, and they can make us money, because they are they have a following. And some of them do. But that doesn't translate. I mean, being in front of a crowd. And like being able to control an audience. I always thought like, it was interesting, like mediums that kind of fast track through opening a show, and then became middles where it's a little more cushy, right? It's like, if you didn't have like that time where you were like taking, taking it for the team, opening that show, and building up that skin and, and really kind of knowing how to control anything, then when you did move up, you didn't know how to handle it. And like if some heckler just could take you down in a hot second. Absolutely. So these people, they don't know how to be on stage, or they don't know how to have these massive inputs coming from every direction, because they probably just ignore all the negative comments on the TIC tock or whatever, they just focus on what they want to focus on. But when you're there, and there's indigenous people, and you have to react, and it's live, and it's now and it's like, I think we elevate people too quickly, to like that kind of status thing. It's cool to go viral. I would love to have something go viral. But I wouldn't expect the whole world to suddenly,

Rhonda Hansome 31:42

let's see something helps to deal with the live audience a lot. It is a very different situation of being on the internet. I'm trying to keep up with the internet parade without tripping over my own feet. But I found that during the lockdown, I could do zoom shows, and it was different, a different experience. But I love the live. I really do love the live.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:07

Yeah, there's something about the energy from a crowd that just you can't replace it. You know, it's like when I'm not on stage, like, that's what I miss. If I'm watching a friend of mine, that's what I'm jealous of. You know what I'm saying? Like, just because it was it's interesting, when you're a comedian and you get on stage, you're doing material, the good ones, you're aware can feel the room. And I feel like that happens now like I can have done that, you know, after so many years, you could be with someone and you can feel conversation, you understand what they're thinking, and, you know, just from the vibes, I think it's like a superpower. It is. Tic Tac folks don't have that. They'll never you know, you can't have it. The thing about stand up comedy or improv or anything, right? It's like you have to actually do it. And doing a video is not the same thing as doing a live show and being able to control a live audience. I can't do it. They do either different experience.

Rhonda Hansome 33:09

Yeah. I think the big issue with that was what you express that these people had a following. And in today's society in today's marketplace, that's what's important that following how many likes how many eyeballs? How many butts can we get in the seats, and less so that the quality of the show

Jeff Dwoskin 33:30

right now if it happened to somebody who is a professional, like I have lots of friends that make a living doing comedy, you've never heard of them. They're working it on tick tock, if all of a sudden that blew up, they're ready to go there plug in flaps, hopefully, God bless them for that. That would be amazing. But it just doesn't seem to happen to those people as you were in a documentary.

Rhonda Hansome 33:55

I be done. Ben was is IV done Ben

Jeff Dwoskin 33:59

was is Deborah Robinson's 1984 documentary. Yes. With Marsha Warfield Ellis Arthur Jane Galvin. Lewis, yes. About all of your experiences as black female comedians in a male dominated industry.

Rhonda Hansome 34:17

Yes, yes. And I want people to reach out to Deborah Robinson about that documentary. I really do feel so much in today's world is right now right now instantaneous, and history is actually being erased, I mean, actually being erased. And I want people to reach out to Deborah Robinson and to go to libraries and ask for IB dumbed in was is just to get a peek at what we were going through when we were starting, you know, when we were coming up

Jeff Dwoskin 34:51

these days in addition to comedy or a writer on political pod. Oh,

Rhonda Hansome 34:56

yeah. Yeah, that's fascinating for me and I will always thank Paul lander for introducing me to it. It opened up an entirely new world for me at a time when I, my consciousness was changing. And I was actually becoming more aware of topical fewer for expression that I felt like I could express myself through topical humor. But I wrote the careless of bowburn Lauren volver had a careless driving charge. And then her son also had her teenage son had a careless driving charge. And I have a bit you know, about, you know, this generation of bull birds crashing cars. And having children at a very young age, her teenage son actually became a father, as Lauren had done to her mother as well. There's a very interesting sense of camaraderie, and on political pot, everyone has a different perspective. And we all contribute from where we are, I love it, you just pull something out of the air, whatever is going on whatever is on your mind whatever's on MSNBC or on Twitter and write a sketch about it. And we're on SoundCloud and other places where you can get your podcasts political pod podcasts.

Jeff Dwoskin 36:24

I'll put a link in the show notes and you're hanging out with John fuchal saying on Monday, Oh, I love

Rhonda Hansome 36:29

that. I love that hashtag Hansome Monday. Oh my gosh, I've been doing that for quite some time. John is just an incredible he's great stand up. But you know, he's he has a lot of experience in television, you know, VH one. And he was also the host of Page Six when Matt was going on here. He's a good host. And he he's got a great background, and I love daring time with him on his show tells me everything which is on Sirius XM. And I'm just a regular Monday night guests.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:04

Yeah, we used to do these hashtag games on Twitter all the time. And he would play along occasionally blow blow up everything, which was awesome. I mean, in a good way. Of course. That sounds and then Joan Rivers show

Rhonda Hansome 37:19

movie. Oh, my goodness. Yes. I was her movie reviewer for several episodes. When she had her television show here in New York. She was so kind to me. I'm very grateful for that opportunity. It was an fascinating experience to go to the movies and then come back and report on her show. But she's an inspiration along with for me, mom's mainly Phyllis Diller. Joan Rivers was just an incredible icon.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:47

I love Joan Rivers. I grew up my parents. Specifically my mom loved Joan Rivers. So I I grew up listening to Joan Rivers. I had Melissa Rivers on my podcast, I hold up my cassette of you know, Joe, my Joan Rivers cassette, which obviously can't listen to, but I still have it. I never got rid of it. Because I don't have a cassette player. That's why everyone listening is like what's a cassette player? I don't even know what is he talking about? Anyway? Yeah, I love I love John Rivers. Right, what else is going on? Well, I

Rhonda Hansome 38:16

don't know if it's next. What's going on now is that I do political cartoons with a great illustrator Scott Williams, and people can find that anybody who actually Phil on Facebook, they can find Polit today that takes that it's a tongue twister, but we have started a series about the Supreme Court. And Clarence Thomas is our first in the series so people can actually like politics and share their favorite cartoon that's there on Facebook.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:49

Amazing. I'll put links to everything in the show notes. Oh,

Rhonda Hansome 38:54

that's so sweet. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:57

Of course of course. Thanks for hanging out with me. I really I love it.

Rhonda Hansome 39:01

I love it. You know I just feel so great as an artist that I have so many avenues open to me and so many nice people like you and Paul lander keeping my name and circulation because I'm still out here I'm still out here of a woman that was third mage. I got seasoned in the previous century but I'm still here I'm still funny and I'd love for people to follow me you know on Twitter tick tock or Facebook, Instagram and and whatever else wherever else we're going to be revealing every single thing about our pathetic law.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:35

You can find Rhonda on threads now also. I'll put links to your your socials on the show notes as well so everyone can just get to it real quick. No problem there. Thank you so much. This was so fun.

Rhonda Hansome 39:51

My pleasure.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:53

All right. How amazing was Rhonda Hansome so many great stories. The Muppets first episode Go to serenade Night Live Joan Rivers touring with Anita Baker and a million other legends check out her hilarity. RhondaHansome.com. I will put links to everything we talked about in the show notes. I can't believe this episode is just flown by another huge thank you to Rhonda Hansome for being my special guests. And of course a huge thank you to all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

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Transcribed by https://otter.ai