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Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
Tuesday Feb 16, 2021
This time out we show some respect to Rodney Dangerfield, he of the bug eyes, wild hair, and weapons-grade self deprecation. Following a failed first attempt at a comedy career, and a detour into selling aluminum siding, Rodney's second shot at fame paid off like gangbusters. From sold out theater shows, to movies, to a namesake comedy club, to 70 appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show -- Rodney was a force of nature from the 1970s through the 1990s. As always, find a video version with extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Tuesday Feb 09, 2021
Meet a truly great Dane -- the clown prince of Denmark, Victor Borge in this miniprogram. A musical prodigy, Victor had one of the most unusual and beloved comedy acts of all time, mixing superb classical piano with very clever comedy bits. A fixture for decades on stages and television shows around the world, Borge also invented "phonetic punctuation" in which he would substitute exaggerated sound effects for all the punctuation in a story. As always, find additional clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thank you for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
Tuesday Feb 02, 2021
You may not know Julius Russell, but if we use his more famous nickname -- "Nipsey" -- it's sure to bring a smile. A veteran of party records, game shows, variety programs, and films, Nipsey specialized in witty wordplay (not to mention song and dance). As always, find additional clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Young Lindley Jones was so thin his father, a railroad worker, nicknamed him "Spike". The nickname stuck, as did his twisted take on popular music. Spike would demolish pop hits with sound effects, wild comic voices, and frantic chord changes. His music became a staple of the early Dr. Demento radio show as new ears found big laughs in Spike's musical mayhem. As always, find extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Meet Lenny Bruce, the original "dark angel" of controversial standup comedy in this miniprogram. Intellectual, pointed riffs, delivered at a mile-a-minute and sprinkled liberally with profanity were Lenny's stock in trade. Along the way it netted him numerous obscenity arrests -- as well a permanent place in the DNA of every irreverent comic to follow. As always, find extended cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com. And thanks for sharing our shows!
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Life feeling a little surreal right now? Well you are in luck, because this time out we feature Steven Wright, legendary standup comic whose stock in trade is philosophical and gently surreal one liners delivered in a laconic and ever so dry style. From his start at the Ding Ho club in Boston to college arenas to HBO specials and movie roles, Steven Wright has forged a unique and very funny career. As always, find more clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Stellar pipes and saucy wit propelled Bette Midler from small roles off, off , off Broadway to entertaining at NYC bathhouses to headlining gigs around the world -- with a first rate acting career to boot. Meet her in this week's episode. As always, find additional cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Wednesday Dec 30, 2020
Meet Mike Nichols and Elaine May -- better known as Nichols and May -- pioneers of ironic, improvised comedy in this miniprogram. After meeting at the University of Chicago and helping form the Compass Players (a precursor of the famed Second City troupe), Mike and Elaine split off to with a duo act that conquered the comedy world and influenced a generation of comics. Said Steve Martin: "Never had I heard irony delivered just in the tone of a voice." As always, look for extended clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Patton Oswalt knows more about movies, comic-cons, science fiction, and KFC bowls than any man alive. From the funniest kid in class, to a writer for Mad TV, to a standup star, to a voice acting and sitcom stalwart, Patton has had a legendary comedy career -- with some intriguing side projects along the way. As always, find extended clips in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows.
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Tuesday Dec 15, 2020
Say a hearty "Howdee" to Sarah Colley -- known to comedy fans worldwide as country comedy superstar Minnie Pearl. From humble beginnings to the Grand Old Opry stage to film and tv stardom, Minnie Pearl never changed the basics of her act -- tall tales from the fictitious town of "Grinderswitch" told with a twinkle in her eye and just a tad of naughtiness. As always, look for extra cuts in the comments at laughtracksradio.com and thanks for sharing our shows!