#HMB 216 - #GoodKnight & Hard Times with Zac Townsend

Oh boy, a very Happy New Year to you's!  I'm back in the confined makeshift "studio" space in an undisclosed location better known as my apartment with a brand new podcast to kick off the new year.  #HMB 216 ft. local idiot, writer and comedian Zac Townsend.  I lifted the ban temporarily in order for him to come talk about his brand new, exciting gig with The Hard Times, a satire website akin to The Onion.  Many of The Hard Times staff writers eventually move on over there at some point.  They're kind of like the cream of the crop as far as satire goes, I'm sure you have heard of them.  I very excited for Ol' Zacky Boy but make no mistake, the ban is now back into affect so see you never, loser.

Also, I start the show this week talking about the UCF Knights Football team declaring themselves the 2017 National Champions after defeating Auburn in the Peach Bowl.  I hate the UCF Knights.  I hate them for no other reason that they are the arch-rival of the college I went to, Go Bulls.  I know a lot of Knights though and they are all grand human beings so I was happy for their joy and swallowed my tribal allegences and wished them a "congrats!" over a group text message.  Then the "National Champs!" texts started to roll in and that's when my joy for them turned sour.  Are you kidding me?  You really believe that?  National Champs?

UCF, you didn't play anyone worth a damn aside from Memphis (who lost their bowl game to Iowa State) and USF who squeaked out a last minute victory against a mediocre Texas Tech.  Look, beating Auburn is a huge accomplishment and it's great for the conference moving forward.  That win may push some people to give the American Conference a little more respect in the future but for now, I need you folks to go ahead and revel in your undefeated season.  I want you to go put on your "2017 Peach Bowl Champions" shirts, smile with pride and frig the heck off.

The #HMB airs Sunday's on radiostpete.com @ 6:15PM & Monday's at 10:15PM or on demand via Stitcher (http://bit.ly/2wuLR7a) or iTunes (https://goo.gl/xKN5OY) Leave a voice or text message for the show @: (813) 693-2124 or over at HMBradio.com and check out the latest podcast below:

The Call Up:

When I started #HMBradio, I did it in part to get on the radio, the real radio.  When I started #HMBradio, I wanted to be on a radio station with a vision.  I wanted to be apart of a group of brash, unapologetic & unwavering on-air talent with the goal of changing the way people viewed talk radio.  I wanted to be on The Bone.  

Now, in some small capacity, I have that opportunity as the co-host of "#StayWoke" with Anna Hummel every weeknight at midnight.  You know, it's a start.  I get to work with and learn from some of the best radio veterans in the state if not the country.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be on-air, in a Top 20 market when just 5 years ago I was a guy talking into an iPhone with my roommate on the first The Homemade Broadcast bitching about the lawnmower going off outside and the phone picking up that noise on the recording.  It's surreal.

It's a hell of a way to end the year on a accomplishment like that.  I'll still be putting out podcasts on "#HMBradio Tampa Bay" weekly on Tuesday mornings in 2018 so please, if you haven't, subscribe and rate the show.  It only takes a minute and really helps out.  The Homemade Broadcast airs Sunday's on RadioStPete @ 6:15PM & Monday's at 10:15PM or on demand via Stitcher (http://bit.ly/2wuLR7a) or iTunes (https://goo.gl/xKN5OY) & of course, tune in to #StayWoke at midnight on 102.5 The Bone.

The Homemade Broadcast is up for a special award...

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Creative Loafing Tampa's Best of the Bay Awards voting has begun and The Homemade Broadcast is up for "Best Local Podcast".  Also, The City Hall Broadcast has been nominated for "Best Local Internet Radio Show".  Please take a minute to vote, we will need all the help we can get.  Click HERE to vote!

The State of Tampa Bay Comedy: Kyle Ruse

I met Kyle Ruse last year when a friend of mind suggested I have him on the podcast.  I knew of him and the high praise that other comic friends had said about him.  It usually started with, “Ruse is fucking hilarious” and went on into stories about partying with him after shows.  I’ve had the experience a few times myself getting to know him over the last year- I always wake up with a pounding headache and a “I can’t do that again for a while” inner dialogue.  I’ll be back though…just not for a while.  It speaks to his comedy, I think.  It’s bad for you, but you won’t stay away for long. 

I don’t mean his jokes are bad, the opposite.  Often, his subjects could be could be labeled as a taboo- whether it’s mentions of girls getting fucked by their dads or chastising white Wigger’s for saying nigga so freely- not for the word itself but because it’s grammatically incorrect.  I guess it’s an acquired taste.  He’s an assuming figure on stage.  His cadence is booming and it makes you listen to what he has to say.  Often at open-mics comics have to fight to keep a crowd.  Kyle has learned the technique of not relying on the microphone and to still project…or yell into the mic and still manages not to make the PA squeak while doing so.  He is in control at all times and doesn’t hold back.  The last taboo in comedy is attacking the audience.  At mics, ill-behaved patrons are checked quick by an off-hand remark usually involving their appearance.  “You guys are a great couple…neither of you will ever have the opportunity to cheat on each other,” he bellows to a loud couple sitting at the corner of the stage. 

Most comics try not to instigate a crowd, Kyle doesn’t care either way.  He welcomes a verbal scrap if you’re brave enough to take him on…most don’t.  This style has caught the eyes of some mainstream performers.  He opened for J.T. Habersaat earlier this year in St. Pete and took a trip to Daytona Beach to open for The Unbookables.  Doug Stanhope was also in the audience that night to visit his Comedy Compadres.  He liked Kyle’s set so much that he invited him to stop by his highly downloaded podcast the next day.  These are little victories, sure but they add up over time.  He makes trips to North Carolina and Maine at least a few times a year to perform comedy where he’s earned a small following.  He also tattoo’s for a living and will do that during the day while waiting to perform at night. 

Tattooing is the perfect job for someone in his position pursuing his stand-up dream.  Being able to work your own schedule, on your own time is a huge advantage.  Being able to make money on your downtime is truly a blessing as these night time stand-up gigs are notoriously not well paid.  Tattooing isn’t a Plan B though.  Kyle isn’t an aspiring full time stand-up comedian.  He’s a tattoo artist who happens to be really funny and can do stand-up.  These are who he is, not what he is. 

Kyle’s humbleness is something I also like about him.  Many of the comics around Tampa get to a certain amount of success and then stop coming to open mics.  Not Kyle, if he’s able he will stop in after doing a show at one of the local clubs and do some time.  Not only will he do some time but he stays and hangs out- that’s important to help build a community.  The people who are just starting out benefit from having someone like Kyle around to get advice from and get tags on jokes.  He’s the only working comic I’ve seen take the time to do this on a regular basis but I guess it helps that Kyle likes to drink and there is plenty of alcohol in places where open mics are.  Every time I see him out, he has some new, cool opportunity to slur to me about.  He’s up for the Best Stand Up Comic in Tampa Bay from the Creative Loafing (which he has promised to burn if he wins) and may even have a pilot in the works.  In the mean time he is focusing on his monthly Roast Battle “Laugh & Roll” at FUBAR in St. Pete the last Wednesday of every month and is looking into revamping his “Funny Pricks” YouTube show into a podcast, interviewing other tattoo artists for #HMBradio.  We may be waiting a while because of his busy schedule, but I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

Follow Kyle on Twitter at @Kyle_Ruse .

CL Rejected Writings: Free to Hate: Sorry, I am free to hate you if I want.

“Free Speech does NOT include Hate Speech”, says some stupid blurb from some stupid online publication that I see on one of my stupid friend’s Facebook page over and over again over the past year or so.  Sorry pal, but it most absolutely does.  What is free speech other than being free to express ideas that may not be the most popular at the time?  These days “Hate Speech” is considered things that are just uncouth or mean-spirited.  If “Hate Speech” is off the table, what are you free to talk about- the right to say that Evanescence is a good band?

If anything, when people truly speak their mind on things you can really gauge if you want to interact with that person.  You figure out who someone is pretty quick if you talk to someone about a controversial talking point.  Too often, people throw out the “-phobic” or “-ist” term, when in reality that person may just be a giant dick.  We live in this world together and knowing your neighbors is key when figuring out who you’re going to invite over for your Seder dinner.

My grandmother wasn’t a bigot, but she used to call my cousins wife an “Oriental” at family gatherings with referencing her.  Other than making me laugh out loud because of the awkwardness, there wasn’t an ounce of any sort of slight behind it-- it’s just a term she grew up hearing and language sticks.  Words mean things.  In Granny’s mind she was an Oriental because she came from the Orient, a now outdated term for a region of the world.  If someone overheard her say that in a Publix though, she would be wrung though; maybe some support for her termination from her job or her social media accounts to be deleted.  Luckily for her, she was an old, retired, widower who thought MySpace was called “YourSpace” when talking about my MySpace page-- along with social media being a giant waste of time to boot.

Listening for buzz words has become an easy way to win an argument.  If someone uses a term that could be potentially controversial, it automatically makes the rest of the argument invalid and the discussion ends.  The people who preach tolerance and love are often the ones who use this premise to “win” and the irony could stop a bullet fired out of Donald Trump’s own mouth.

Look, we aren’t going to always agree, but few things are black and white (pretty much other than black and white).  Political Correctness is a cancer that dulls your ability to express and formulate ideas.  In many cases, Hate-Facts can subdue truth because they’re not a nice reality and people “can’t even”.  Don’t let your emotions get the better of you, let’s chat-- stop crying, and we might learn something from each other.  However, this is just my opinion and yes; you are free to hate me for it.

The #HMB to now air 3 times a week on Radio St. Pete.

The Homemade Broadcast is now set to air Sunday's at 6:15 PM EST, Monday's at 10:15 PM EST and Tuesday's at 4:15 AM EST for listeners in Europe and abroad.  The #HMB is always available on demand in the RadioStPete.com archives or on iTunes and Stitcher Radio, just search for #HMBradio.

Sitting in with The FnK Podcast

Got to sit in for Special Ed on the FnK Podcast this week.  Check it out HERE.

Localtopia

Very happy to be hosting this year's Localtopia event Feb. 6 at William's Park!

Check out this great article on the event here - http://www.ilovetheburg.com/article/8-Reasons-Why-We-Cant-Wait-for-Localtopia-Round-iII-/5023

The Daoist Cowboys join The HMBradio Network

St. Petersburg Comedy collective The Daoist Cowboys join The HMBradio Network with their show "The Daoist Cowboy's Podcast".  The first ep. was released on 12/22/2015, "A Very Doaist Christmas" and is available in the "Listen" section, iTunes or Stitcher.  The Daoist Cowboys Podcast is a mixture of skits and interviews and are a unique spin on existing programming.  Welcome, boys!

ilovetheburg.com names #HMBradio a Top 5 Business to Watch in 2016

This might not be a "business," but The Homemade Broadcast has been at the center of art, culture, politics and news in this city for a while now. You may know Will Kuncz, host of THe Homemade Broadcast, from the stand up comedy open mic night he hosts at Sly Bar, the huge comedy showcase he hosted earlier this year at the CL Space in Ybor, or as the host of Sly's Lip Sync Battle. Kuncz has helped revive the stand up scene in this city. 

When he's not providing a platform for fellow comics to fine-tune their craft, he's working on his popular podcast/radio show, The Homemade Broadcast. Since its inception, The Homemade Broadcast has given voice to local personalities, artists, politicians and musicians. At the height of the medium's popularity, The Homemade Broadcast proves to be a premiere outlet for St. Pete stories. 

This was never more evident than when St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman came on the show. Since then, Kuncz has interviewed ABC Action News Brendan McLaughlin, visiting band The Plastic Pinks and Jesse Kage. He also helped spark Creative Loafings comedy-centric publication earlier this fall. 

You can listen to preview interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Youtube and Radio St. Pete. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook for updates on upcoming interviews and events. 

- See more at: http://www.ilovetheburg.com/article/5-Local-Businesses-to-Watch-in-2016/4988

Creative Loafing Tampa talks with The #HMB in their first ever Comedy Issue

Comedy Issue: Casting for laughs

Podcasts have become a popular medium with comics and fans alike.

Posted By Scott Harrell on Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 4:01 AM

• Homemade Broadcast auteur Will Kuncz.

For a metropolitan area with a burgeoning comedy scene, in a nation experiencing a new comedy explosion driven at least to some extent by the popularity of podcasts, Tampa Bay doesn’t really seem to have a whole hell of a lot of well-known or easily accessible comedy podcasts of its own.

“I was thinking about that today,” says Will Kuncz. “The running joke is that every comic has their own podcast, but I could only think of about four or five [local ones], and that’s about it.”

As host of both St. Pete watering hole Sly Bar’s every-other-Tuesday stand-up comedy open mic and his own podcast, The Homemade Broadcast, the 30-year-old Kuncz has one foot planted firmly in both worlds. He got into podcasting a few years back while looking for and not finding a job in radio. When his former roommate had to bail on the show’s original two-host format, Kuncz considered giving it up, but instead moved to an interview format.

“My life just isn’t exciting enough that I can talk about myself for 45 minutes,” he says. “Since the arts scene is blossoming, and I’ve been here for 10 years or so, I just started interviewing my buddies — comedians, painters, actors, people that were doing something creative in the area.”

Kuncz has been broadcasting his show on emerging online community station RadioStPete.com since July of 2014, as well. Like a lot of so-called comedy podcasts, his show isn’t specifically focused on stand-up or comedic performance. Its rising notoriety has seen him interview a wide variety of guests (disclosure: this editor is among them), including St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, which must’ve been something special, since Kuncz records his podcasts on a relatively simple laptop-and-microphones setup in his smallish Old Northeast apartment.

“That was really weird, he just came over himself,” says Kuncz. “Very humble dude, very funny guy.”

But The Homemade Broadcast is still associated closely with the local DIY comedy scene.

“Since I do the open mic, I do have a lot of comedians roll through here,” Kuncz says. “I like to give the guys and girls an outlet, share with whatever small audience I have.”

Which doesn’t mean he’s not serious about his work. Kuncz is in the process of building his own podcast network, HMB Radio, a locally originated group of programs based on the model created by popular national fan-favorite communities like Earwolf or Nerdist. He’s helping friend and local comic James Bailey with his own show, My Mom’s Favorite Podcast, and isn’t joking at all when he says he believes podcasting, in all its genres and niches, represents the future of radio.

“If you’re a fan of a particular person, you can just hear them, as opposed to radio, where you have to put up with all this stuff you have no interest in,” he says. “It’s on-demand service. Radio won’t die, it’ll just move to the internet, and that’s what podcasting is ... that’s why I’m trying to build my network. I kind of feel like I know what I’m doing. I mean, I don’t, but I’m getting better all the time.”

So if this is the future, and the future is now, why aren’t there more local comedy podcasts again?

“Because comics are inherently lazy, or troubled, or they hate themselves,” Kuncz says with a laugh. “They’re all crazy. That’s why they do what they do.”

Read more from The Creative Loafing Tampa team HERE

James Bailey joins The #HMB Network.

Tampa Bay Comedian James Bailey joins The #HMB Network with his new podcast "My Mom's Favorite Podcast" heard exclusively on HMBradio and on the iTunes & Stitcher feed.  The first ep. will be available within the next few days and will occur monthly on the HMB channel.  

New UNCENSORED & UNCUT audio on The #HMB-sides.

This week on the #HMB we welcome Cigar City Comedy's Chris Matson and the introduction of a new facet to the program- The #HMB-sides.  This new content will be UNCENCORED and available exclusively on iTunes, Stitcher or right here at HMBradio.com.  Be sure to subscribe there for extra content not heard on RadioStPete.

#HMB featured on Fox Tampa Bay, takes home a Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Award

The Homemade Broadcast in the Tampa Bay Times

A St. Pete city employee was recently suspended with some remarks she left on our #HMB Facebook page regarding Mayor Rick Kriseman.  Check out the story HERE

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/union-opposes-suspension-of-city-worker-accused-of-referring-to-mayor-as/2246193

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman joins me on The #HMB

St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman joins me on this week on The #HMB.  We talk Rays Baseball, The Pier and The SHINE Mural Festival.  Head over to the Listen page to hear that interview.

COMEDY SHOWCASE & THE BUNNY RANCH

Sarah Greenmore a sex worker from the famous Moonlight Bunny Ranch called in and recorded an interview after her Reddit AMA went viral.  Look for that interview to be up on HMB 103, August 27th. 

AMA LINK: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3gsf4i/iama_sex_worker_working_legally_in_nevadas/?sort=top

HMBradio.com IS UP

The beta version of HMBradio.com is plugged into the matrix (since you're reading this, you know that obviously).  Keep up to date with episodes, events and news about The #HMB.  I will probably will sell this URL to a porno company as soon as I get an offer but until then I look forward to being a man of the 21st Century with an active website and the beginnings of brain cancer from holding a cell phone to my head for more than an hour a day.

I hope you enjoy exploring the site as much as I (my friend Leah) had making it.