Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Laughing Mirror: A Talk with Christopher Titus

With Donald Trump in office, you'd think that the comedy of Christopher Titus would practically be writing itself.

After all, Titus is the amarcho-liberal comedian who, when he wasn't plumbing his turbulent family life for jokes, made his outrage over the policies of George W. Bush a consistent rant point in shows like "Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding" and "The Fifth Annual End of the World Tour."

But "Amerigeddon," Titus' eighth comedy special, isn't about Trump, or taking jabs at right-wingers, he says. "It's about us. All of us, left and right, and how we continue to be manipulated."

For Richmond Magazine, I recently talked with Titus, the host of the popular weekly "Titus Podcast," and an entertainer who originally rose to fame as the protagonist of an angst-ridden sitcom that was a little too real for FOX.

Read "The Laughing Mirror" here.

And for more on the world of Christopher Titus, go right here.

(Photo by the mighty Kimo Easterwood)

Working For My Baby: Interview With Lenis Guess

As a writer, producer, vocalist and label owner, Lenis Guess was the architect behind some of Virginia's best soul and funk music, even if few outside the crate-digging music world (and diehard fans in Britain and Germany) know his name.

The gruff-voiced renaissance man -- who has also delved into theatre and filmmaking -- was an integral part of what is now known as "The Norfolk Sound." In the '60s and '70s, he
recorded indelible regional hits (and misses) for producer Frank Guida's local music labels, as well as his own imprints.

Check out my Coastal Virginia Magazine Q&A with this influential Virginia soul legend by clicking right here.