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All right.
Welcome to Nightlight, ladies and gentlemen.
It is Wednesday, June 4th, as we creep ever closer to what is supposed to be summer.
Kind of a nice day today.
Hope you're having a great day.
Glad you're with us here to forget the cares or the concerns or stresses of the day.
And let us help you ease into your evening here at Nightlight.
When we talk about some movies, we got some stand-up comedy intact on tap.
Wow.
Need a roadmap to get to that one.
We'll talk to our pal, a fellow, a civic media colleague who is always fun to have on the show, got a fun question, anxiously looking forward to reading your texts about said question and just all kinds of fun stuff tonight.
Conrad, how are you?
Oh, wow.
And they looked at each other and said, damn.
Wow.
That made me feel really good.
What do you do with that, though?
It means I'm getting better.
Just makes you feel good temporarily, right?
Because on the other side, the worst feeling is when they let you play through and you get the ball.
Shank.
Not even five feet.
Right.
Well done.
Well, we had it like you said it's a great day.
It's good weather today I did nothing I was inside all day, and I I try to get out a little bit every day take a walk do something But today I just wasn't feeling it I knew I had to be here early because we recorded an episode of the Dr. Kristen Lyrely show which I'm excited to be on and We had to record my stuff for Newisco weekend.
I've got a great classic pick this week.
Have you ever seen Dazed and Confused?
takes place on the last day of school.
And you know, it's funny.
I was watching parts of it last night because I haven't seen it probably in about 10 years just to kind of re familiarize myself with it, even though I've seen it five times and I could write the thing in my sleep.
But it reminded me of like these high school kids that adore, idolize whatever rock and rollers because that's the life they want.
They want to smoke dope.
They want to drink beer.
and party and that's encompassed by the music they listen to like the main character in the film is Pink Floyd.
I forget his it's Jason London plays the main character and his name is like Jeremy Pink Floyd.
They nicknamed him Pink because of Pink Floyd and it took me back to the late 70s in my neighborhood in Chicago.
We were hanging out at a public school just sitting there.
We played fast pitch against the wall.
We had a little strike zone drawn and that's where we used to play fast pitch.
So
I always hung out with older kids when I was younger.
And some of the older kids, they were like these guys in Dazed and Confused.
They worshipped Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and Aerosmith.
And it was like, you know, when you don't really relate to that, I don't even think I like girls at the time.
I was probably like 10, you know, but I'm listening to these guys talk and someone wrote on the side of the school.
It was graffiti.
They wrote Pink Floyd.
It's spelled.
I can't remember if it was Pink or Floyd Rong or something, but this idiot couldn't even spell the name of his favorite band before he wrote graffiti on a school.
And one of the guys in the group I was with said, Conrad, he was so serious, it was impressive.
He said, whoever wrote that doesn't even deserve to own a pen.
And I just remember, like that line stuck with me my whole life.
Like, I thought it was, I don't know if I thought it was funny or didn't realize it was funny until I got older, but the fact that you're drawing a line in the sand to defend your band, and how do you spell Pink Floyd wrong anyway?
It was probably some stoner who wrote it.
I mean, everything about it was funny to me.
Doesn't even deserve to own a pen.
And he didn't even write it in pen.
It was obviously spray-painted.
Pink Floor, but oh my god, it was funny.
And that movie, Days in Confused, reminds me of that moment.
I think when I first saw Days in Confused, that's probably when I recalled this moment from my life, from when I was so much younger.
But such a great film that will be on this weekend's New Wisco weekend, hosted by...
Lisa Hale here in northeast Wisconsin.
You can catch it on this while you can find it on the civic media website, correct?
and the theme is summer.
why I picked Dazing Confused.
Dazing Confused takes place on the last day of school in 1976 in a small town in Texas, even though they shot it in Austin.
But not much plot, but great characters, and it will take you back.
Even if you didn't grow up in that era, that was a little before my era too, but I relate to everything about it.
Kids just looking for a party, wanting to go where everybody's going, find their way.
It's just so much fun.
And Richard Linklater is an absolute brilliant, brilliant director.
I like everything he's ever done.
And there's a couple I still have to see.
but love his films.
Okay, fun show tonight, folks.
Chicago-based stand-up comic, Brian Hicks will be here at 635.
Brian's been on the show before.
He's always fun.
We have a little clip of his comedy we'll play either before he gets here or during, and he did a dry bar special.
He's lots of fun and a very, very good comic.
He will be here at 635, and our pal Todd Alba will be here.
In the second hour at 720 Todd is always a blast too.
I was the last time Todd was on Was that the popcorn pick of the week when he had the cowboy hat on the scar?
Okay, I hope Todd feels like he doesn't have to Outdo himself because that would be tough to top
Well, Todd and I are gonna go head-to-head on this yes,
I don't like my chances.
I'll be honest because Todd
He's a Wisconsin guy through and through.
I admit, I'm a transplant.
First as a kid, then as an adult, but it's my home now.
I love Wisconsin.
And Todd, I think spent his whole life here.
So he's probably got the edge, but I do like my chances.
I'm gonna give it my all.
We'll see.
I'm gonna leave it all in the field.
Is that the name of the quiz?
Yeah.
All right, I asked you to do this, and I hope you didn't skew it towards the host.
Because
do want to face Todd in this.
I feel like I've,
I love a good quiz and sometimes on the show, I give them, sometimes I like to square off against guests, but I also don't like to make guests look bad.
Good.
I was going to challenge Norm Kepesky to an arm wrestle, but again,
want to make the guest look bad, right?
I think he might pull that off.
Here's what would happen, Conrad.
I'm surprisingly a good arm wrestler.
I know I don't look it, but...
Norm that would be a train wreck either way because he would either destroy me immediately And he would smack my hand down so I break a knuckle, you know something like that or By the grace of God somehow I would win and I'd feel terrible because he's a sponsor
make me see We both want to make each other so maybe what we should do norm and I should agree
It's like a prize fight where they say, all right, you go down in round three, you go down in round five.
So everybody walks away a winner.
Any Jake Paul fight.
Is Jake the fighter or is it the other one, the other idiot?
You know what?
I got to get this this Paul taste out of my mouth.
So let's go to the question of the night.
What's your favorite one?
And that's before you had access to Ozark or the Sopranos or any of these streaming outlets.
What was your favorite?
pre-streaming network one-hour drama I'm getting kind of specific here They're still out there.
I mean these shows still exist the network is still churning them out They've got the whole I think they're all created by Dick Wolf now.
You got the FBI series
You've got the Chicago what do they call it the not the trilogy one Chicago series with med fire police.
You've got the SVU law and order and the one with Elliot Stabler, which is just Not that good.
I've given that a lot of chances organized crime.
It's called But there's a lot of other ones.
There was Grey's Anatomy ER LA law NYPD blue Felicity
All kinds of dramas back before streaming was the bomb.
I'm gonna have to think about this, even though it's my question.
I've literally, I thought about the question last night, but I've been kind of wrestling around with this and I don't know that there's, my wife used to watch when I first
met
her, we were in our early 20s, she used to watch Knott's Landing.
And I remember her being furious that they preempted Knott's Landing for the UWGB Phoenix game, because they were in the turn.
My wife didn't care about basketball, she was livid.
So I don't know, I might have to go NYPD Blue as my favorite pre-streaming network one-hour drama.
But what's yours?
Let us know.
855-752-4842, 855-75 Civic or you can text us on the stream.
Reach out to us there, folks.
We love to hear from all of you, regardless.
If it's the stream, if you're watching the radio, if you're listening to the radio on the app, let us know.
We'll read your text on the radio, and we will get that done.
So, Conrad is pointing.
He's giving me the wear number one with the downward finger, which means he's pointing.
He's pointing.
We have a text, I think.
No, I haven't forgotten about the Scani contest.
Thank you for the reminder,
but
I don't have my sheet in front of me, so I was gonna read it after the break.
So we
can do it, we can wing it?
It's the Scani
civic media text-to-win contest.
Let's see how I do here.
I'm confident.
It's very easy to play.
You do have to have the civic media app.
That's all we ask.
Download the app if you don't already have it and listen for a keyword at 7 a.m., 11 a.m.,
2 p.m.
and 4 p.m.
You aced it.
Take that, Alba.
I'll see you at 720, buddy.
Get the keyword, text it in, and you're eligible to win our hourly prize, which is $100 in cash or club level seats to a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game.
And once you enter the hour...
Every hour that you do enter you're eligible for our grand prizes, which is two summer vacation getaways at Dorr County and in Baraboo two of the most beautiful spots we have here in our beautiful state And civic media is even throwing in gas money.
All you have to do is have the app folks It's very easy to play listen at those times to get the keyword text it in and you are all set.
Good luck everybody.
It's civic media's Scotty
Summer text-to-win contest.
How did I do a Conrad?
You did great.
Damn, that's at least a B-plus, right?
right, I'll take it.
Lots of fun stuff tonight.
As I mentioned, Brian Hicks, we got some comedy.
Todd Alba and I are going to take a quiz about Wisconsin.
That's going to be fun.
We talked a little bit about Dazed and Confused.
Oh, we've got one of our texts from Bud, and there is a social media clip.
I want to play that clip I heard.
A new show on Apple TV about golf.
Man, we got a lot.
I don't know how we're gonna do this.
We've got eight hours of show and we've got about an hour and 40 minutes left.
I think so too.
Godspeed, Nightlight.
All right, we're gonna do all that.
We're gonna read your texts when we come back and I am going to tell you all.
I'm gonna play a clip I heard that I thought was fantastic.
Very uplifting.
You're not gonna want to miss it.
This is Pete Schwabba and Nightlight.
Great to have you with me on this Wednesday night on the Civic Media Radio Network.
You're listening to Civic Media.
Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.
Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get
started.
Great to have you here at the Civic Media Radio Network hanging out with us on a Monday night broadcasting live from beautiful downtown Green Bay.
Green Bay is one of the, you know, it's one of the cities that's going to be on the Pichuaba Tata Alba quiz.
Maybe.
Well, it's got to be.
happen.
No, I've,
know, right.
I think Green Bay is one of the cities.
I've never lived here, but I can be here every day.
Yeah, sure.
And I think I know enough about it, like.
Do you?
After Green Bay, I might be done.
Madison's other, but maybe Milwaukee.
We have a great show, Brian Hicks, comedian Brian Hicks.
He is a stand-up Chicago-based stand-up comedian.
We'll be here at 635.
Our pal Todd Alba will be here at 720, host of the Todd Alba Show, which you can hear on civic media every day from two to four, produced by the...
the amazingly talented Aaron Zomers as well.
So Todd will be here at 720.
It's going to be a good time.
What is your favorite one hour?
You just said something during the break.
You don't really remember those shows, but they are still on.
You can pick one.
You don't have to go back to the 90s, you know?
Right.
right?
And you loved it.
yeah, I was going to my pick of the week was almost Mission Impossible 3 and Carrie Russell's in that So she was also in a show called Felicity that I wrote promos for kind of in a freelance capacity when the show was on the WB That was a really good show and JJ Abrams was the executive producer.
I think was the first show he created He's the one who came into the Mission Impossible franchise and gave it new blood with Mission Impossible 3 and blew me away.
I was like, oh my god this guy
created this drama about a girl going to college.
And it was a well done show.
I didn't really watch it much other than to write promos, but I thought Carrie Russell was great.
The show was good.
And then Carrie Russell shows up in Mission Impossible 3 and was outstanding.
And goes on to be in the show The Americans, which is a great show.
But yeah, I don't know.
Like Felicity was well done.
I would have to say probably NYPD Blue.
I was never really a big med or fire.
Not the Chicago ones, but the previous ones like Chicago Hope or ER.
Just never did it for me.
But all right, so I saw this clip on Instagram.
I was one of the few times weird stuff didn't come up on Instagram in my reels from some algorithm I
apparently
accidentally touched four
years
ago, but it's a great clip about gratitude and it's a from a comedian named Jimmy Carr and it's just a nice reflection It's like a minute long and I love the stuff he says in this.
Let's play a counter
you get used to how great your life is No one had a hot shower until 50 years ago
So I try and do this thing when you stand in a hot shower.
George Mack, my friend, pointed this out to me, went, well, look, when you stand in a hot shower, just for a moment, just go, well, no one that you admire from 100 years ago had this simple pleasure in life.
And when you look at the world that we live in, we're like, you're doing, there's been 100 billion people ever, right?
We are in the top, top percentile in terms of the luck that we have had.
But the lives, like the calorific intake that we just take for granted, the fact that our children don't die, you know, in the first year, the modern medicine and our lives and the entertainment that we get, we're living like kings.
And yet, life has never been objectively better and subjectively worse because the nature of humanity is our desires are memetic.
So we've got this thing where we sort of, you know, how happy are you?
Well, it's your quality of life.
That is great
Objectively and subjectively two different ways to look at something great perspective It really is envy like you look at social media everybody's life seems great And you're like what am I doing wrong?
And I try not to have envy, you know.
But I look at that shirt you're wearing and I want it.
I feel bad and I'm envious and I just don't like you right now.
So it's something that's my cross to bear
this life.
But that's Jimmy Carr, a British comedian who I'd never heard of before I saw that on Instagram.
So there are some good things on social media from time to time.
But gratitude, I mean, and that's kind of the buzzword for the last 10 years, practice gratitude, but.
It's easy to say, but we really have to do it, I think.
And part of it, for me, is just laughter.
I appreciate the ability to laugh every day at friends, other things I see on TV, TV shows, whatever.
My kids make me laugh.
I can't make my wife laugh.
It's really hard to do.
Yeah.
It's like most husbands struggle with getting their wife there sexually.
I can't make my wife laugh.
I love bringing up stuff Conrad can't even relate.
He's like, what are you talking about?
He just looks at
me like.
All right, our question.
I'm starting to share more on this show.
I'm letting people in.
I am.
I got nothing to hide.
I'm just a good looking rebel who plays by my own rules, folks.
And doesn't like to toot his own horn.
What is your favorite pre?
Streaming network one-hour drama.
That is tonight's question of the night folks.
Let's go to the text line David in Richland Center says NCIS another.
Oh my god, another franchise.
Yeah, that's been around a while.
Good one, David.
Bron, Bronwyn.
I think I hope I'm saying that right.
Twin Peaks very nicely done from the 505, baby.
Sadly, only one season.
I just started watching that again.
Great text.
Thank you, Bronwyn.
I hope I'm saying that right.
Annie from Watertown says, oh no, NYPD blue.
Thank you, Annie.
That's mine as well Steven from the 262 says Hill Street Blues great show I wonder if they hold up, you know, we should all watch an episode of these to see if they hold up Don Brown in Waukesha our pal Donnie B Hill Street Blues.
I agree Don Come back on my show buddy.
All right.
We're coming right back.
This is peach wabba and nightlight on the civic media radio network
This is Nightlight with Peach Waba, folks.
It is a beautiful evening here in the state of Wisconsin.
We are in downtown Green Bay where there are people walking back and forth, staring into the studio as they shovel gelato into their pie holes.
And that, folks.
is what summer means to me.
Todd Alba will be here at 7.20.
We are going to take a Wisconsin quiz.
I am a two-time transplant to our Ferris Date.
Todd is a lifelong resident.
I still like my chances.
Todd is always fun to have on the show.
Check out the Todd Alba show here on the network from two to four every day.
And it's going to be fun.
So stick around.
Our question of the night is what is your favorite pre-streaming network hour-long drama?
We've got some texts to get to.
We'll get to those as soon as we can on the stream.
Dave is... Okay, Dave Kunish from Marinette, Moonlighting.
Kind of forgot about Moonlighting.
That was a great show.
Sybil Shepard, Bruce Willis.
Kind of a different show.
Dave also says 24.
And you know what?
I am changing my answer from NYPD Blue to 24.
24 was such a great concept.
The season went on way too long.
There were like three seasons within a season.
But as far as network drama goes, I don't think you can beat that.
It was really cool.
thought there was a terrorist around every corner?
I
How soon are you going back to Key West?
Right now, I'm very excited to welcome my next guest of the show.
He's been here before.
He is a Chicago-based stand-up comedian and one Haloova guy.
And his name is Brian Hicks.
Hey, buddy, how are you?
I'm present.
How are you, Pete?
You're present.
All right, well.
I was aiming higher than that, but I'll take that.
It's good.
I'm
here.
I'm
doing great.
No, thanks for having me.
That's excellent.
Where are you?
That looks like an interesting contraption there.
Well, I'm not going to lie.
I've got some people who go out of their way for me.
So I'm in the manager's office at Zany's in Rosemont, Illinois.
Oh, wow.
So is that the club you're running or I thought it was downtown?
I am I'm running downtown, but I'm also present here as I mentioned earlier.
Yeah at the Rosemont location.
So I'm kind of back and forth between both clubs.
Wow.
That's not a bad not a bad side hustle for
a comedian,
right?
Yeah, I mean, I wish I could call it my side hustle.
But yeah, I guess it is.
Or maybe at this point, comedy is your side hustle.
I don't know.
Yeah, that's it.
It's a yeah, it is a great gig.
They treat me very well here and super excited to be part of their team.
That's awesome.
Do you have a do you have a favorite drama like a pre-streaming like something used to watch in the 90s or something?
Yeah, I mean, I was listening earlier when you were talking about it.
I'm embarrassed to say but you know what I really used to like.
Embarrassed that you were listening?
No, I was embarrassed.
I'm embarrassed to be here.
So don't don't don't feel bad at all, Brian.
And I don't even know.
I guess it was a drama, but I used to watch Desperate Housewives every Sunday and it was just like a staple at our house.
I know it wasn't.
It was a good show.
It was it.
I thought it was a really good show.
I mean, it was something I got to do with my wife every week.
It was like the one hour we spent together each week.
It meant a lot to
me.
That was it.
That was the only hour and you watch Desperados.
It's the only hour we enjoyed each other's company every
week.
I'm sorry to hear that.
And
I know I know you're kidding.
You have
a beautiful family.
I see some of your Facebook posts.
Your kids are getting bigger.
Are you when you okay when you have kids like in mine.
I'm more or less an empty nester now.
But does it make it easier for you to travel to do stand-up?
Are you more willing to travel now that you don't have the young kids at home?
Yeah.
I did a fair share of traveling when they were younger.
It would certainly be easier to do it now.
But with working at both the clubs, it's just tougher to get away now.
So I'm doing less traveling probably now than I did before.
But it would be easier if I had the opportunity to do it.
But it's easier when they're younger because when you travel, you get a break from the kids, which is nice.
Yeah.
Well, that's the thing.
Like, um, you know, my wife would get upset because I would be on the road and she's at home with, you know, twins.
We had twins at one point.
So there are two or three and she's like, ah.
I haven't slept and I'm like, you think I sleep good in these hotels?
I had to make it sound like I wasn't, you know, napping for four hours each day.
You
think I'm living the king's life, hanging
out with
waitresses till three o'clock
in the morning and come on.
I got up at 10 o'clock this morning.
I went to have breakfast.
They didn't have it anymore.
I couldn't get a moons over my hammy.
That's hilarious.
So I went to your website because I was like, we haven't talked in a while.
I'm like, I'm going to check out Brian's website.
And this is how rusty I am, Brian, and how embarrassed I am that I used to call myself a comic.
I thought this was a great joke.
I noticed on your website, the bio, it said, you were one of the most sought after comedians in America.
And I wanted to say, do you mean comedically?
That's so bad.
And then I look at the next line and you go, no, I'm not wanted by the police.
You were eight steps ahead of me.
And I was terribly
embarrassed.
I knew what you were thinking
already.
You knew I was going to ask you that when you set up your website.
And I didn't even know you then.
That's right.
That's right.
so cool.
Yeah.
Well, thanks for going to my website.
I was wondering who that one click was.
questions are answered
you get the notifications are you I saw in your schedule though you're in Glenview Illinois this weekend I know we have some listeners in the Chicago area are there is at the Laughing Academy it looks like and that's
yeah it's a nice little room they teach they teach comedy to kids and stuff and I think comedy classes in general but yeah it's a nice little room in Glenview and yeah it should be fun it's like a Father's Day theme show because of the weekend coming up so yeah it should be a lot of fun I've been there a few times
That makes sense.
It sounded very scholastic, so I'm not surprised by that.
And do you not work the road much anymore?
I remember when I met you, I had just moved back to Wisconsin, and you and our pal, Mike Toomey, were driving through Marinette, and that's how I met you.
I had never met you before, so I think you guys were coming from the UP.
Do you still travel to bring the funny?
Yeah, that's correct.
We were coming from the UP.
I think we had we had done a tour around we went up to Michigan side did a show over in Brimley or something and it came back and did something over in
the other side
the
Wisconsin side and then we came down and obviously stopped and saw you so yeah I do still do some of that stuff honestly I probably do more corporate stuff now than I have in the past it's a lot easier and it pays better the shows aren't as great but you know I still get my little my fix
yeah absolutely I it's funny when when I heard you were working at Zany's
As they are you are you like the GM now or do you have
a yeah, okay general manager
So I I know I want to contest there for college kids in like 1989 and I know a lot of people Will say oh that downtown room.
It's so cramped and it's I
Love it.
I love
the
character of it.
And I have such great memories of going to see Skip Kruperis and Larry Reeve and Jimmy Higgins and all these guys.
What's your take?
And Rosemont, on the other hand, is a state-of-the-art room.
It's brand new, beautifully designed,
very
different rooms.
Do you have an opinion on either one of them?
Yeah, I agree 100%.
The downtown room has so much character.
I mean, you walk in and you just, comedy is just clean to your body.
You're like everybody who's
Everybody who's ever done anything has gone through there at one point
in their
career and some of them even if they hadn't Earlier on they come back just to do it because they've heard so many things about the room
It's definitely wasn't made to be a comedy club.
So that that's what makes it unique where Rosemont was built to be a comedy club.
So they took all the good things about, you know, some other clubs and made it into that.
But I have so many comics that come through and they just say this this room is great.
It's just, you know, it's very narrow and it's very slow ceilings and compact and
It's you know typical downtown like back in the 80s.
I guess when comedies,
you know
used to be downtown Pete and the the funny firm I think had 300 seats and I went there the first time and I was sitting at a table about this big and there were eight of us sitting around it with our drinks trying to Trying to lobby for the space on the table.
Yeah, they would just cram people in there.
It was crazy that they got away with it
So what is it like for you like I'm kind of
You know, a lot of the comedians I knew don't have the capacity to actually run a club.
They're lucky if they can get to the show and collect their money at the end of the week.
Like for you to do what you're doing, you must be one of the responsible ones, I'm guessing.
If you had to pick right now, would you keep doing stand-up or do what you're
doing?
That's a great question and I started working at a comedy club years and years and years ago I started as a door guy and I was the manager after like two weeks because I think it was just that Pete that the owner was like Oh, this guy seems pretty responsible We should give him more to do so I started managing like just the floor manager of the room back then I think
I love doing comedy still to this day.
I love it as much as I did when I started 25 years ago.
So there's something to be said for that because there's some people in the business who don't love doing it.
I still like writing jokes, even though I don't do it as often as I should.
When I do create a joke and I love it and it works, I'm like, this is why I keep doing it.
But to feed the family, it's tough to make a living on the road.
I mean, unless you're starting comedy now, now it's really easy.
You just get one video that goes viral in here.
a month.
That's interesting.
I want to talk about that.
My guest is Brian Hicks.
He's a Chicago-based stand-up comedian, but I met him in Wisconsin, which was kind of cool.
He has had his own dry bar comedy special.
We'll talk about that because it's great, but I want to stay on the club.
What you just said, somebody gets a video and it goes viral.
I was talking to my friend Mike Siegel yesterday and
we were kind of lamenting what other comics have said, that if someone has a social media following, they can get booked in a comedy club.
And they might not be the funniest person in the world, but you know, they're going to put butts in the seats.
Where do you walk that line?
Because I've talked to friends of mine here in Wisconsin that deal with the same thing.
Do you do book these guys, even though they might not be that funny?
Yeah.
So here's what I will tell you from a from a club standpoint.
You know, Zany's downtown used to be
six days a week, I think it was Tuesday through Sunday, and it'd be the same show all week long.
It'd be Larry Reeve all week long, Tim Walco all week long, Pete Schwabba all week long.
And to get a fill, you know, 120 seats, six nights a week and multiple shows on Friday and Saturday to fill that all week long, it's very difficult to do, right?
So now with the...
The influence or I guess you would call them tick tockers potcasters, whatever It brings a new dynamic to it So now on a Monday night when we usually would have 20 people in the room or a Tuesday night 20 people in the room We could book one of those acts and they'll sell it out tonight.
We have two shows
for Christina Marinieri, I might be butchering her last name, I apologize.
But she's killed Tony fame and was on kill Tony and went viral with it and sold out two shows on a Wednesday night downtown.
So I think from a club standpoint, it's great for business.
And she's a comedian so that I can take that out of the equation where she may not be funny because she is.
on other people are just happy to see who they follow and happy to see who their influencers are.
And sometimes that's what it is.
And most of the people that they bring in have never been to a comedy club before, Pete.
So it's good for business too, because if they come, they have a good time and then they spread out into the other comedy shows.
Well, I don't want to toot my own horn, Brian, but I've got 185 followers on Blue Sky.
So
are
you kidding me?
That is a
sign.
Where's my bonus?
Yeah.
Yeah, we'll start with a Sunday matination and we'll work up from there.
I'll do my magic tricks.
So that's interesting.
But it's kind of the same like when I was doing stand up in the 90s, they bring in a guy who was on a TV show.
I remember Mark
price who played Skippy on all and had all the family, but family ties.
And I'm like, well, this guy's not funny, but it's the same thing.
He was on TV.
So people go see him.
So I
guess
it's not really that different.
It really isn't.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Think about back in the day, lots of celebrities would come and just, you know, do a spot and people would show up.
I mean, we still have soap opera stars that, that come.
I didn't even think soap operas were on anymore, but we still have a star that comes to the club and sells 150 tickets on a Saturday afternoon.
So there's, yeah, there's definitely a place for it.
Brian Hicks is my guest.
We'll have a few more minutes with Brian after this very quick break.
Don't go anywhere.
We're going to play a little clip from his Drybar special, too, which is outstanding.
We're coming right back.
This is Pete Schwabba in Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio
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Todd Alba will be here at 720, one of your favorite civic media hosts.
We are going to square off in a quiz about Wisconsin.
I've got the chills.
Right now we have Brian Hicks is here.
He is a friend of mine and a Chicago based standup comedian and also the general manager of Zanies, a very famous Chicago comedy outfit.
Brian what is it weird that you have you have the same name as a very famous comedian same last name Did that put pressure on you when you started doing stand-up comedy?
Incredible pressure Pete.
I don't even know how I was able to get out of my first open mic There was so many questions like who are you are you bill?
Are you bill your bill right your bill?
Could you ride that a little bit?
Yeah, he's my cousin,
Bill
Hicks.
I certainly tried.
But it was the thing, like I would have people bring me up on stage and they'd ask me my name and then I'd say Brian Hicks.
And then they'd bring me up as Bill Hicks.
And then as I was walking up, they would be like, oh, I'm so sorry.
I go, you're sorry.
Imagine how sorry these people are.
Brian did a Drybar comedy special a couple years ago, and we have a little clip from that here, and we'll talk about it after the clip.
Here's Brian Hicks.
I think me and my wife are perfect for each other.
We argue, but it's not yelling, arguing.
It's all verbal.
It's like a verbal.
It's mind games with each other.
We just go back and forth, try to one up the other one.
And here, I'll be honest, I usually lose the argument, okay?
And I'll tell you why, because my wife cheats in the middle of the argument.
and I never catch it because I'm not listening.
Yeah, that's on me, I get it, right?
But I don't think you should be able to cheat in the middle of the argument.
She switches the argument and I don't ever catch it.
I'm gonna tell you what happened, see if you guys could see.
So we were watching TV and then she fell asleep, right?
So I grabbed the remote and I put the game on and then she woke up like an hour later.
She goes, oh my God, what?
I go, well, you fell asleep, so I put the game on.
She goes, well, I was only sleeping for like five minutes.
I go, honey, you were sleeping for over an hour.
She goes, so what are you saying?
I'm not allowed to take a nap.
Yeah, that's not what we're arguing about here, right?
Yeah, but I didn't just wake up from an hour sleep.
I was on my game this day, right?
So I said, listen, I'm not saying you're not allowed to take a nap.
I'm saying, if you are napping,
You are not allowed to work the remote control.
That's what I'm saying.
Because if we're being honest with each other, your choice is that they're not that great.
In fact, your last one put you to sleep.
Oh, that's Brian Hicks.
Check out his Drybar comedy special.
Just go on the Google, right, Brian?
Brian Hicks,
Drybar,
should
take you right
there, right?
You had another, I mean, the whole special is great.
I've seen it, but have you ever actually used Kohl's
cash?
Have I, I think I collect the Coles cash and I give it to my wife and then she gives her an excuse to go back to the store within seven days and purchase something else.
I find that
intimidating.
The Coles cash.
And real quick, let's go back to the dry bar special.
So that is approaching one million views.
Oh, no way.
got 986,178 views.
And I'm not keeping track, but I just happen to know that number off the top of my head.
So in a world that I came up, you know, we didn't, there was no crazy internet media, that stuff.
To be coming up on a million views for me is very exciting time, as you can imagine.
Dude, that is fantastic.
I, you know, look.
Best case scenario, we'll get you to a million tonight just from the listeners, but I
cut into that a little bit.
That's really, were you nervous when you did that?
Like I didn't stick around long enough to even have an opportunity to do a half hour special, but a lot of my friends did.
And I feel like I would have been terrified.
Were you scared?
Yeah, that's a great question.
And I'll be honest with you, every time I would put a camera on me to record, I would.
Crap the bed, right?
I would just it would be a horrible set.
So when I book that you fly out to Utah.
It's one night two shows and I just I had in my mind I like put it in my mind I go
Once I get there and I do the set, it was like 20 or 25 minutes, whatever it was each show.
That's the easy part.
I do that five times a week.
I go, the hard part is the getting up, traveling, get to the airport, checking to the hotel, rest enough, get a rental car.
So I looked at it and I go, that's the hard part of this gig.
I go, when I'm on stage doing it was the easy part.
And it really was.
I usually get, if somebody does really well in front of me,
It really gets into my mindset.
I'm like, yeah, they're gonna hate me, you know So the guy in front of me was doing really well and I left I left the building because I didn't want to hear the crowd when he got off the
stage
So it worked for me because I left and I came back in before they announced me and I didn't have any I was like, yeah, he did good, but I know I could do good too So I did and it was it was probably the best filming I've ever done in my life So I was happy that it turned out into that
Well, closing in on One Million Views, that's pretty fantastic.
So
I'm sure
you'll get there.
That's great.
Were you always clean?
Because I know Drybar, you have to be clean to do a Drybar comedy special.
Did you have to clean up your act or were you already in the perfect situation?
Yeah, no.
My stuff, even when I started, I don't know, I just naturally kind of wrote clean.
I wrote dirty jokes too, but I don't know.
I was always just a cleaner comic.
Comics who would come to the club that I worked at they would know that and see that and then I got a lot of work with them because they'd see I was clean and they go I could bring this guy and he can open for me So I was uh, I was just cleansed.
I didn't really have to change a lot for dry bar There were a couple jokes that I I stayed away from or kind of just tweaked them a little bit But for the most part it was pretty just me doing my setup there.
That's fantastic Can we are you in a hurry?
Can we keep you through the news and for a couple more minutes?
Yeah, sure.
I got a couple more
minutes.
You got your wardrobe laid out behind you hanging on the
door
there, I can see.
It's very spiffy.
That's my Doug Stanhope jacket that I like.
Oh, I like that.
That's my homage to Doug Stanhope.
Fantastic.
All right, Brian Hicks is going to stick around for a few more minutes.
I'm going to ask him what he's watching and who his influences were.
We'll do all that after intermission, folks.
Civic Media's news team is about to tell you what's up.
Stick around for that as well.
I'm Pete Schwab, but we are coming right back on the Civic Media Radio
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