Comic Widows Podcast (January -July 2022)
Comic Widows Podcast is an every other week, or so, podcast show featuring comedy through the lens of my sister and brother Comic Widows; those of us who sit home nights while our person haunts the comedy showcases and open mics of standup comedy here in the DMV and beyond.
Who are Comic Widows?
Partners, spouses, children, siblings, and best friends of that marvelous but often feral breed of human: the stand-up comic. Your person may be a comedy junkie hitting every open mic in the DMV, or a travelling comic hitting DC on tour. All you need is to love a comic, like I do. I am Laura Lyster-Mensh, and I’m a comic widow. My husband of 20+ years came out to me a few years back revealing his secret: that he was not the mild-mannered salesman he appeared to be and that instead of the early-to-bed retirement I was expecting of our final decades he wanted to join the circus – er – pursue his dream of stand-up comedy. "Sure," I said, not having any idea what this meant. In the past few years my dear husband has pursued his dream. He has gone from cracking up bank tellers and soccer moms to making crowds really laugh. He’s performed at bowling alleys for free beer and to full house crowds at the Kennedy Center. Meanwhile, I’ve learned more about comedy than I ever dreamed. I know that getting the light is not the same as seeing the light, but they’re not unrelated. I know what barking means, and what a black room is. And, I’ve met a lot of great funny people and grown fond of their whole strangely socially awkward world. I sit in the back. Always. You’ll learn why. This podcast is my last laugh on loving a comic. I’m featuring those left behind when the comic approaches the mic, not the comics. Other Widows and I will share our peeves and our pride. We’re going to show the man -- and others -- behind the curtain, and reveal what’s embellished and what’s straight out lies. The ideal audience member? People new to comedy as an art form but comic-curious. |
Host and co-producer, Laura Lyster-Mensh
Co-producer, technical director & editor, Angel Penn
|