Entertainment

CHIP CHANTRY: He’s Philly’s Funniest Man and has an iTunes #1 Comedy Album to Prove It.

March 19, 2019 Comedy, Entertainment 38:35

Helium Comedy Club named him Philly’s Phunniest comedian and he recently had the #1 album on the iTunes Comedy Charts. He just returned to Philly from working as a writer on a new Howie Mandel television project. He is Philly’s own Chip Chantry.

Chip, a former elementary school teacher, now works full-time as a comedian. Starting as a warm up act for his brother’s band at Fergie’s, Chip Chantry has gone on to work with the biggest names in comedy.

We sat down with Chip at Sassafrass to talk to him about breaking into comedy, how political correctness has changed the profession, what 80s show he wants rebooted so he can play the star role, and the difference between telling jokes in Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon. Chip also talked about the role he played in helping the comedy revival in Philadelphia, and he and Johnny reminisced about the greatest heckle they ever saw. 

The episode was recorded at Sassafras somewhat randomly, but it worked out well. Greg and JGT are friends with Carl, who bartends there, and makes a hell of an Old Fashioned. There was also live jazz for the first half of our show. One of the most underrated bars in the city (at least Sunday-Thursday. We all know what happens to Old City on the weekends.) 

Hope you enjoy this episode, and if you do, we’d consider it a personal favor if you ranked us, subscribed, and left a review on itunes. Thanks!

LINKS:

CHIP CHANTRY: .com/Instagram/Twitter
SASSAFRAS: .com//Facebook/Twitter

Lillian DiPiazza: Inside the Grueling World of a Pennsylvania Ballet Dancer

March 4, 2019 Artist, Entertainment 31:29

Ballerinas, according to the NY Times, may be the hardest working people in show business. In an effort to gain insight into the intimidating and grueling world of ballet, The Philly Blunt sat down Lillian DiPiazza, a world-class ballerina and a Principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, located here in center city.

Lillian, or Lilly as she prefers, has been with the Pennsylvania Ballet since 2008. She was born in Silver Springs, MD and trained with the Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the School of American Ballet. In 2008, she auditioned for the Pennsylvania Ballet with almost 200 other dancers. She was the only one offered a position. 

Lilly spoke candidly about the physical and emotional toll the training dancing takes on the body. Much like professional athletes, the conditioning and recovery is vitally important.

Lilly shared a story of a dancing with a bleeding partner, studying Urban Studies at Penn, and how Clorox Handi Wipes are her choice of padding for the uncomfortable pointe shoes. 

We also asked her a handful of user submitted questions and, of course, The Philly Blunt segment.

Lilly met with us at Grace Tavern, where she’ll sometimes grab a burger and beer after a late performance. 

LINKS:

Pennsylvania Ballet: www/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram
Lillian DiPiazza: Instagram
Grace Tavern: www/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram

Reef the Lost Cauze: Honesty, Empathy & Aging in Hip-Hop

January 7, 2019 Entertainment, Music 38:02

Reef the Lost Cauze has been a force in the Philly and national underground rap since for almost two decades, regularly touring the East Coast and Europe. He’s been a mentor to countless up-and-coming artists and brings a unique blend of passion, empathy and raw emotional honesty to a genre of music where toughness is the norm. 

Reef sat down with us in Fishtown at Johnny Brenda’s for episode 10. Reef, also a co-host of the Philly Blunt, released his latest album, The Majestic, on December 29, 2018.

We find out how Reef’s musical career came to fruition. Oddly, a punishment that his mother regularly administered sparked Reef’s interest in the arts. Reef discusses growing up in West Philly during Philly’s violent 1990’s and the help he regularly received from older friends and family to keep him on the right path.

As a college drop-out, Reef talks about the importance that elder members of the local rap scene played in getting his career started.

We explore how Reef’s music and view of the world has changed as he’s grown older and wiser, as well as the impact of having a child diagnosed with autism.

Reef survived the Philly Blunt segment like a seasoned veteran. Among the things we learned about Reef during the Philly Blunt is his favorite character on HBO’s Girls and the four MC’s on his Mt. Rushmore. He also educates Greg on Trap Music.

Reef chose Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown for this episode. Johnny Brenda’s spurred the Fishtown revival and remains one of the better venues in the city for live music. They also make a hell of an old fashioned for only $9

LINKS:
Johnny Brenda’s: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Reef the Lost Cauze: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify

The Legendary Wid: Comedy, Collecting, and Culture

December 11, 2018 Artist, Entertainment 37:24

He played with Robin Williams, worked with Jonathan Winters, and got high with rock legend Donovan. He’s the The Wid and he just may be the most legendary and widely-respected comedian to have ever called Philadelphia home. 

He’s not the wealthiest and he can’t pack Lincoln Financial field, but he’s helped pave the way for countless aspiring Philadelphia comedians. He also happens to be addicted to flea markets and has amassed a collection of items that is housed in multiple storage containers around town, most of which end up in his show at some point. 

The Wid is a master of prop comedy. While prop comedy was once revered during the Vaudeville days, the likes of Carrot Top and Gallagher have cheapened the art form to the point that most consider this form of comedy the bottom of the comedic hierarchy.

The Legendary Wid, however, is one glaring exception.

The Wid is respected nationwide among comic circles. He’s performed with
some of the greatest comedic minds over the past 35 years. More importantly,
Wid has been giving back to the Philly comedic community for the past thirty
years running amateur/open mic nights, teaching classes, and individually
helping aspiring comics hone their craft.

Wid sat down with us at Milkboy South Street for Episode 09 of The Philly
Blunt podcast. We talked about his early days as a diorama artist with pieces
in museums and how hitchhiking across town ended up giving him his Wid moniker?

He’s a collector of all things. Every Wid performance leaves the stage
covered with hundreds of items many would consider junk or trash. Not Wid. He
can make a pun for almost any item and he may owe it all to a high school
teacher that hit him with a pun that got the Wid hooked immediately.

We discuss that moment, the difficulty of being a comedian in today’s ultra
PC culture, Jay Leno being a dick, getting Donovan high, the heartbeat of
Philadelphia, and if he thinks about how life may have been different had he
gotten the big Hollywood break.

The Legendary Wid is a Philly treasure, a brilliant comedian, and a great
interview.

LINKS:

The Legendary Wid: Facebook

Milkboy: url/Facebook/Twitter

Timaree Leigh: Philly’s Sexuality Queen talks Polyamory, Burlesque, and more.

November 26, 2018 Artist, Authors, Entertainment, Writers 37:17

Timaree is Philly’s sex expert. When she’s not educating, talking, or writing about sex, she’s dancing throughout Philly at various burlesque events. She is Philly’s reigning queen of sexuality. 

Growing up in Western Nebraska, Timaree always knew she wanted to live in a big city, and she landed in Philly after discovering that nearby Widener had a world class sexuality program. She received her PhD in Human Sexuality from Widener, then began her insanely busy professional career: she works as a sex therapist, podcaster, writer, and a fitness instructor. 

She spoke with us about knowing early in her life that she was queer, and how that affected her career and her lifestyle. She also talked about being polyamorous, and whether or not it’s difficult to juggle multiple relationships at once. 

Timaree gives the key for those in long-term monogamous relationships and discusses the difficulties when orgasms are constantly the end goal in sexual play. We discuss the weirdness of Philly, Gritty, and burlesque etiquette for guys in attendance.

Ever hear of skin hunger? Neither did we, but Timaree educated us on the topic. This has to be heard.

We recorded at Frankie Bradley’s and with good reason: before it became Bradley’s the venue was the home Sisters, and was where Timaree started her burlesque career. And Bradley’s is a place where she still hosts several of her many monthly shows. She talked to us a bit about the history of burlesque, what separates it from stripping, and how it’s changed in Philly over the past decade. 

We want to thank Franky Bradley’s for having us, and Timaree for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit down with us. We think the result is a damn good interview.

LINKS:
Dr. Timaree Leigh: Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Web

Franky Bradley’s: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Web

Natalie Egenolf: Struggle, Success, and Sports Radio

October 1, 2018 Entertainment, TV/Radio 00:28:51

Natalie Egenolf is on the Philadelphia radio airwaves on 97.5 The Fanatic and NBC Sports Philadelphia TV every day from 2p.m. – 6p.m. as a co-host/update person on the highly-rated Mike Missanelli show. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Natalie’s inspiring journey is one of persistence and passion. Learning a work-ethic from her single-mother, she worked her way from receptionist to on-air personality in a major media market.

Natalie discusses the difficulties of being a female in a male-dominated world, the part of her body that internet-commenters focus on, and a horrendous date where her date stole a dolphin.

Natalie requested we record this episode at The Standard Tap, a Philly staple for over two decades that some say was the first gastropub in the country.

Links:
Natalie Egenolf: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
Standard Tap: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram

Filmmaker Tigre Hill Talks Corruption, Controversy and Criticism.

September 22, 2018 Entertainment, TV/Radio 00:35:00

Tigre Hill is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Hill catapulted to the national spotlight with his film The Shame of a City, in which he followed the Sam Katz campaign  in attempt to unseat Mayor John Street in Philadelphia’s 2003 election. The race gained national attention when an FBI bug was found in Street’s office. The film revealed corruption and manipulation with the city’s political landscape.

Not afraid of controversy, Hill’s next film, The Barrel of a Gun, tackled the subject of Mumia Abul Jamal and the killing of Officer Daniel Faulkner.

We sat down with Hill at Good Dog Bar to find out how a kid from Wynnefield gets into filmmaking and why he chooses the topics he does. Things got quite interesting throughout this episode as some of our hosts criticized and challenged some of Hill’s creative decision and preferences. Things cooled off once we started talking about following porn stars on twitter and Stanley Kubrick.

Tigre was a good sport about the interview. That shows you how great the Good Dog is, especially their burger, which Tigre had. Good Dog is on 15th Street between Walnut and Locust Sts. Their bar staff is always one of the best in the city. Never turn down an invite to Good Dog. 

Links:
Tigre Hill: Facebook/Twitter
Good Dog Bar: Facebook/Twitter