Interviews

Doug Benson is back in Philly this week and back on The Coggin

Doug Benson of Doug Loves Movies (and future show Doug Loves Roller Coasters)

Last year Doug Benson came to Philadelphia, kicked the shit out of his shows, kicked the shit out of his interview with us, and then rolled out of this city and left it in his comedic wake.

Doug is back and ready to kill a stand-up show on Wednesday, June 22, at Helium in Philadelphia (the show is currently sold out) and then he’ll be hosting TWO of his popular podcasts, “Doug Loves Movies,” on Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, June 26th. Both shows will begin at 4:20 p.m. and tickets are still available for the Sunday show only.

Check out this link for tickets to this stand-up show if any become available and this link for tickets to his podcast on the weekend.

Usually we feature comedians that enjoy sports, blah blah blah, but Doug is too funny to deny an interview to, so we’re quite happy to welcome back (the now recurring) Doug Benson to The Coggin Toboggan.

We touch on conspiracy theories involving “League of their Own,” if remakes suck, and who the best actor/wrestler of all time was in this classy interview filled with mystery and intrigue.

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Pete Gas of the Mean Street Posse opens up about the WWE and Shane McMahon

Pete Gasparino aka Pete Gas.

Pete Gasparino, aka Pete Gas, wrestled in sweater vests and khakis as part of the Mean Street Posse for three years with the WWE during the heyday of the attitude era. Gasparino and friend Rodney Leinhardt were brought into the organization by Shane McMahon, son of WWE Owner Vincent McMahon, and paired with independent wrestler Joey Abs to form “The Mean Street Posse.”

Based partly on Gasparino and Leinhardt’s real life friendship with Shane, the Mean Street Posse wrestled for WWE from 1999 to 2001, feuding with Hall of Famers like the APA and with Crash Holly over the WWE Hardcore Belt.

Oh sweet Jesus did I hate the Mean Street Posse when I was 15 and firmly entrenched in professional wrestling. Their smarmy attitudes, their ring gear, their oddly catchy reggae infused entrance theme, they were the WORST.

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Doug Benson Loves movies and The Coggin Toboggan loves Doug Benson

Doug Benson of Doug Loves Movies (and future show Doug Loves Roller Coasters)

Doug Benson Loves Movies and The Coggin Toboggan loves Doug Benson. What’s not to love?! The prolific comedian is readying the release of his newest album, “Promotional Tool,” on June 9. It’s his eighth album in eight summers, all recorded on April 20 the year it is released.

Between editing his latest album and performing stand-up, he’s touring the country and recording his fantastic Podcast “Doug Loves Movies,” which he’ll be presenting at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia on Saturday, June 27, just three days after performing stand-up at Helium as well, on Wednesday, June 24.

When not performing stand-up or talking about movies on his podcast, you can see Doug in his web series “Getting Doug with High” or performing movie interruptions with special guests in front of a live audience.

Usually we feature comedians on The Coggin Toboggan who love sports as much as we do, but damnit, we also love movies, and Doug loves movies, so The Coggin Toboggan loves Doug who loves movies. Follow us? It’s a natural fit.

Go see Doug perform stand-up on Wednesday, June 24, and see him record “Doug Loves Movies” with several super secret guests. You can buy tickets to both, here or check out his upcoming performances at www.douglovesmovies.com.

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Interview with stand-up comedian Dan Soder

A West Coast guy who moved to New York City to get serious about comedy, Dan Soder has been entertaining fans at comedy clubs, podcasts, television and radio since the 2000s. Soder is playing the Helium Comedy club this Thursday, March 19, to Sunday, March 22, for the first time in his career.

Soder is a regular on the YKWD Podcast with fellow stand-up Robert Kelly and has been featured on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham. He’s also appeared numerous times on the Opie and Jim Norton Show (formerly Opie and Anthony) on Sirius XM radio.

He’s performed on the Conan O’Brien show and is a cast member of MTV 2’s Guy Code.

Soder will be playing six shows at Helium this Thursday, March 19, to Sunday, March 22. You can purchase tickets for the shows here.

Luckily for us, Soder is a huge sports fan and decided to waste his time answering our idiotic, and quite frankly, pointless questions.

Go see Dan this weekend, or check out his website for future show dates here.

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Interview with stand-up comedian Adam Ferrara

A car guy with a great sense of humor, stand up comedian Adam Ferrara has been entertaining comedy and television audiences since the early 90s. One of the stars of the U.S. version of Top Gear on the History channel, Ferrara also shares the screen with Edie Falco in the hit series Nurse Jackie on Showtime.

Previously, Ferrara starred with Denis Leary in the Emmy nominated FX drama Rescue Me.

An internationally touring comedian, Ferrara has three Comedy Central specials and is a two-time nominee as best-male stand up by the American Comedy Awards.

Ferrara will be playing six shows at the Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia from Thursday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 22. You can purchase tickets here.

Despite being a die-hard Mets fan, Ferrara decided to waste his time and talk to us about his upcoming projects, sports fandom and his love of cars. For more information on Ferrara and upcoming show dates, visit his website here.

The CT : So obviously, as a host of the American version of “Top Gear” on the History Channel, you have to be interested in cars and automobile culture. Growing up in New York, did you foster a love for cars and know anything about putting them together? How did the interest come about?

Adam Ferrara: At a very young age I developed an emotional attachment to cars. My dad was my hero and I would be right by his side in the garage as he worked on cars. We quickly figured out my mechanical ability, so my job was to hold the light. I cannot wrench, but he taught me how cars work and their importance. He impressed upon me that a car is freedom and a form of escape. To this day when I need to think I take my 1970 deuce and quarter and drive up the coast.

The CT : You’ve driven/retrofitted a ton of odd cars on Top Gear. What was the car you had the best success with? Was the aquatic car in season four one of the biggest disasters you’ve had on the show?

Adam Ferrara: Define disaster? Yes, it was an amphibious car that sank. However, it did fine on land, so I’m batting .500. The first success that comes to mind was a ’69 Lincoln Mark III that I made into a Pope mobile. I picked up Cloris Leachman in it and drove her to the Emmys. We almost made it. The car did fine, I got lost and ran over spikes that popped my tires, Cloris called me an asshole and walked away but the car did fine.

The CT : What does it say about me that the previous two cars I’ve owned have been a 2006 Toyota Scion XA and a 1987 Volkswagen Jetta (a stick shift my friends called “The Bitch”).

Adam Ferrara: That you’re very thrifty.

The CT : Obviously you’re a sports guy and I love asking this question. This site was created in honor of an irrelevant Philadelphia Phillies pitcher that appeared in like 23 games for the Phillies in the early 2000s, David Coggin. Are there any irrelevant athletes that you grew up watching that you still find yourself thinking about every now again? That you were a fan of despite of their ineptitude?

Adam Ferrara: Hardly irrelevant and certainly not inept, but I do think about a little known defensive tackle for the New York Jets, #77 Carl Barzilauskas. He played from 1974 to 1977 for the Jets and was then traded to Green Bay in 78-79. When I was a kid my dad gave me a NY Jets football uniform and the jersey was #77. From that day on Carl was my guy.

The CT : You’re a New York guy, Dennis Leary is a Boston guy. I’m assuming you both fought each other numerous times in 2008 on the set of Rescue Me prior, during and after Super Bowl XLIII. Who talked the most shit?

Adam Ferrara: Both of us. No more than usual.

The CT : You’re playing at the Helium Comedy club from Thursday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 22. You’ve played Philly before, how do the crowds treat you here? Any interesting stage stories during a performance here?

Adam Ferrara: Nothing from onstage but when you play Philly you always have to bring your A-game. Don’t take any chances, you guys threw snowballs at Santa Claus.

The CT : Last question, because this is a Philadelphia sports blog, what was more painful, the recent 76ers/Knicks game (which was an affront to all that is holy) or the Mets collapse in 2007?

Adam Ferrara: The Mets. I’m a Mets fan, Mets and Jets because why should my life be easy.

Interview with stand-up comedian Jim Florentine

Stand-up comedian Jim Florentine, most likely making a dick joke.

Stand-up comedian Jim Florentine may have one of the most distinct voices on stage, on radio, in the Podcast world and on television. If you don’t recognize his face, odds are you’ve probably heard his gravelly voice on the Opie and Jim Norton show (formerly Opie and Anthony), the Howard Stern Radio and TV show, or co-hosting VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show alongside Eddie Trunk and Don Jamieson.

Florentine also voiced and created the most well known character on Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers, “Special Ed” for four seasons.

His Podcast, “Comedy, Metal, Midgets,” was launched in 2011 and is consistently in the top-20 comedy podcasts downloaded on iTunes. You can also find it on Riotcast at www.riotcast.com/jimflorentine.

Florentine will be appearing at the Valley Forge Casino with Dave Attell and the Comedy Underground on Friday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. The first show has been sold out, but a second show has been added and you can buy tickets here.

Florentine with his Crank Yankers character, “Special Ed.”

Florentine took some time to listen to our nonsense at The Coggin Toboggan and to plug his upcoming show. Go see the upcoming dates for Florentine’s gigs at his website, www.jimflorentine.com.

The CT : Based on your podcast and your appearances on the Opie and Jim Norton show, it’s obvious you’re a big sports fan, but why the love for the Miami Dolphins? Around Philly there are surprisingly quite a few Dallas Cowboys fans who saw them play on TV a ton in the 1970s when they were growing up, and because the Eagles were so terrible, they threw their fandom behind a successful franchise and had rocks thrown at them as a result. Was it something like that?

Jim Florentine: I picked the Dolphins as a little kid and always stuck with them through the years. Thank God I didn’t become a Jet fan. I have enough misery in my life.

The CT : I take it your favorite sport is football, but is there anything about the NFL that drives you insane? Personally, I want to kick my foot through the TV every time Hilary Swank shows up fake crying about domestic violence.

Jim Florentine: So much annoys me about the NFL. Super Bowl halftime choices, penalties on every play, and shitty Thursday night games come to mind.

The CT : This site was created in honor of an irrelevant Philadelphia Phillies pitcher that appeared in like 23 games for the Phillies in the early 2000s, David Coggin. He’s a pointless athlete, but for some reason he’s been stuck in my head ever since. He was terrible. Are there any irrelevant athletes that you grew up watching that you still find yourself thinking about every now again? That you were a fan of despite of their ineptitude?

Jim Florentine: The guy that comes to mind is not an athlete but a coach Dave Wannstedt. He was with the Dolphins for 4 years and was horrific. The only thing worse than his coaching was his mustache.

The CT : Any sports memories that still make you cringe when you think about them? I still think about Joe Carter hitting the home run in game 6 of the 1993 World Series to beat the Phillies. I was 11. I cried. I was, and still remain, a huge pussy.

Jim Florentine: I’m a San Francisco Giant fan and the 2002 World Series when they were 9 outs away in game 6 up by 5 runs killed me. Of course they lost game 7 too because Dusty Baker can’t manage a big game.

The CT : Ever been to Veterans Stadium when it was still around? If so, how many batteries were thrown at you?

Jim Florentine: When I was 14 I went to a Phillies Giants game at the Vet. I was in left field for batting practice and Pete Rose hit a home run. I went to catch it with my bare hands right at the railing just over the fence and my hand smacked up against it. I had to get 6 stitches in my hand and couldn’t start in my little league all-star game the next day. And to top it off, I dropped the ball and it landed on the field.

The CT : You talked a lot about your hatred of fantasy football in an episode of your Podcast, “Comedy, Metal, Midgets.” How much backlash do you get from fantasy fans who feel the need to defend the game to you?

Jim Florentine: I don’t get any backlash from people who play fantasy football because I don’t hang out with nerds.

The CT : You’ll be performing at the Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia on Friday, Feb. 6, as part of the Comedy Underground Live. You’ve played in Philadelphia and in the area a lot beforehand, so you know what this city is like. The national media loves to portray our sports fans as pieces of shit. As an outsider looking in, we are kind of pieces of shit, aren’t we?

Jim Florentine: I love Philly sports fans. They are angry and miserable just like me.

The CT : Last question, who’s the dirtier comedian. The late great Otto from Otto and George, or Jim Norton? Both are in the Hall of Fame in terms of filth, but I’m afraid we do need an official ruling.

Jim Florentine: The late great Otto.