Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 39: Josh Gondelman

Josh Gondelman is a comedian, author and an Emmy-winning writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He also hosts the podcast Make My Day. In this episode of Detoxicity, Josh talks about his "nice guy" reputation (which isn't for show, he really is a nice guy), his hometown of (just outside) Boston,  his desire to keep constant "check-in" on those close to him, and the cultural differences and similarities that mark his current gig on Showtime's Desus and Mero show. 

DetoxPod38: Kent Koren

Kent Koren is many things. He's a copywriter and adman who's contributed to campaigns by brands ranging from Chase to Canon. He's a comedian who came up in the L.A scene alongside Retta, Craig Robinson and the late Brody Stevens. He's an actor and voice over artist. He hosts the Zappa-themed radio show The Mothers of Connection on Radio Free Brooklyn every Saturday. He's also the latest guest on Detoxicity. Kent talks to Mike Joseph about discovering his voice, being in love with New York City, and his creative and personal journey. Kent also discusses being an expectant father, and all of the joys and anxiety that go along with that.
You can find some of Kent's acting and writing work here, and you can find his radio show here. 

DetoxPod37: Blaze Mancillas

Blaze Mancillas is a comedian and actor originally from the Bay Area, who now makes his home in New York City. In this episode of Detoxicity, Blaze talks to Mike Joseph about discovering his love for performing arts while in college and turning that into a career. Blaze also delves into his multi-ethnic heritage and struggles with authenticity. You'll also find out what separates comedy audiences on the West Coast from their East Coast counterparts, what connects Blaze to the oldest gay bar in New York City, and his hobby that surprises the hell out of the host.
Find Blaze on Instagram and Twitter.

DetoxPod36: Crispin Kott

This episode features an interview with Crispin Kott, co-author of The Rock & Roll Explorer Guide to NYC and the upcoming Rock & Roll Explorer Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area. Interestingly enough, at the time this episode was recorded, Crispin was prepping for a cross-country relocation from New York to the Bay Area--in the middle of the pandemic. We talk about the move, as well as delving into topics like divorce and remarriage, procrastination, progressive politics, Duran Duran, parenting,  and much more!
 

DetoxPod35: Peter Kirk (Panama Wedding)

Peter Kirk is a musician based in New York City who records and tours under the name Panama Wedding.
Panama Wedding released two well received EPs in 2014 and 2015 before Peter took a break to reassess his career and become a dad. His first new single in some years "Fly to Panama" was just released this month. In our conversation, Peter and I talk about the ups and downs about being a professional musician, as well as how much different it is from his precious gig working in finance. We also discuss new fatherhood, presumed age requirements of a rock star and whether Peter has a dark side. We also begin this talk with a solid five minutes gushing over Phil Collins, so I apologize for that.

DetoxPod 33: Bill Bodkin

This episode features a good friend of mine by the name of Bill Bodkin. Bill is a journalist who makes his home near the Jersey Shore. He founded the site popbreak dot com more than ten years ago, and the site encompasses everything from nightlife reviews to interviews with professional wrestlers to a podcast that has featured yours truly as a guest numerous times. He is a writer, a father, a husband, a pop culture fanatic, and is as proud to be from Jersey as I imagine Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi must be.
 
Wrestling-a LOT of wrestling, writing for a living and podcasting are all covered during our chat. But we also talk about life in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, where Bill is trying to balance an exhausting full time job with being a dutiful husband, father and son . We also talk about going grey prematurely, my favorite TV show of all time, “Scrubs”, the-and I quote- “fucknuts” in the White House, and what it’s like to have bouts of depression and self-doubt.
 

DetoxPod32: Kevin Calabro

Kevin Calabro is a founder of Calabro Music Media, a PR and management company and a co-founder of the record label the Royal Potato Family. He works with musicians including the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Marco Benevento, and he’s based in upstate New York. Kevin and I spend a solid chunk of this episode parsing out the dilemma of what to do when the values and politics of your loved ones don’t solidly align with yours. It’s an issue that many people-including me-have dealt with, specifically over the last five or so years. In addition to politics, we talk about the ability of music to bring people together, based not only on Kevin’s experience in the music industry, but his time in the Deadhead community. We discuss the thrill of the chase that music listeners today can’t understand, and you get to find out where the hell the name Royal Potato comes from...sort of.

DetoxPod31: Devin Passariello

Devin Passariello is a New York-based music industry professional who came into the industry originally by way of being an actual musician. We talk about settling into a corporate lifestyle with the benefit of having a job that doesn’t require a suit and tie, and how to navigate life when you are "built like Flubber." On a more serious note, Devin and I talk about not judging a book by its cover, and about being a progressive person who was brought up around and still communicates with and considers himself friends with people who don’t share similar views, or his cop friends who may not understand why Devin agrees that police departments should be defunded. 
Come in for the real talk, stay for Devin’s Tim Taylor Theory and his delightfully salty reactions to Joe Rogan and people who question the masculinity of others for having the gall to keep themselves and others safe by wearing a mask.