Transom Shows: You're On The Air with Jonathan Katz

Jonathan Katz (Actual Size)

You're On
the Air
with Jonathan Katz

A work in progress

These excerpts are pretty much uncut, samples of raw material that will be edited nicely and broadcast on WNYC's "The Next Big Thing." If you want more detail on the background of what's happening here, scroll down. If you just want to hear these bits, unanalyzed (wise of you) then do that.

Audio Excerpts

With Tom Leopold

Smelling Through Your Mouth: Real Audio or MP3 (3:45)
National Middle Name Day: Real Audio or MP3 (3:12)
Pope Calling Collect: Real Audio or MP3 (1:50)
An Invention: Real Audio or MP3 (:29)

With Ahna Tessler

Time Delay Sink: Real Audio or MP3 (2:52)

With H. Jon Benjamin

Squirrel in a Hat: Real Audio or MP3 (1:33)
Immortality of the Brain: Real Audio or MP3 (1:26)

With Laura Silverman

Dog Love: Real Audio or MP3 (2:57)

With Al Franken

Pope Calling Collect 2: Real Audio or MP3 (1:59)
Victor Borge Cloud: Real Audio or MP3 (1:33)

Background Notes

From Jay Allison

This is the wrong way to do this. You shouldn't be reading this first; it will ruin the effect. And we cut the audio excerpts wrong too. We left in some preamble between the improvisers which destroys the illusion and we sometimes left in Jonathan laughing, which is out of character. We're doing all this to honor Transom's purpose of exposing and discussing process.

So, here's what you do. Stop reading now and turn on the radio. Then, quickly turn off the radio and click on one of the RealAudio links from this page. Somehow convince yourself that these little fragments (without the setups and laughing) are coming over the air, unheralded. "Hello...you're on the air with Jonathan Katz."

When you're done listening, click here for the process stuff.

From Jonathan Katz

As a "child of the sixties," I see things from a slightly skewed vantage point. But recently I realized that people fall into one of two camps: those people who believe that history repeats itself and those people who believe that it's the people who say that, who repeat themselves.

I have always had a burning desire to have a radio show and on that show I will take this stance:

HONESTY MAY NOT BE THE BEST POLICY, BUT IT'S THE ONLY ONE WITH IT'S OWN PROVERB

Jonathan Katz a.k.a. Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
About Jonathan Katz

Jonathan Katz is an accomplished standup comic, musician, actor, and writer. Katz co-created, wrote and starred in the hit pop culture animated series "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist," which aired on Comedy Central for the past six seasons and received Emmy, Peabody and CableAce Awards.